Spectral analysis of magnetohydrodynamic fluctuations near interplanetary schocks

Evidence for two types of relatively large amplitude MHD waves upstream and downstream of quasi-parallel forward and reverse interplanetary shocks is presented. The first mode is an Alfven wave with frequencies (in the spacecraft frame) in the range of 0.025 to 0.07 Hz. This is a left-hand polarized mode and propagates within a few degrees of the ambient magnetic field. The second is a fast MHD mode with frequencies in the range of 0.025 to 0.17 Hz, right-hand polarization and propagating along the magnetic field. These waves are detected principally in association with quasi-parallel shock. The Alfven waves are found to have plasma rest frame frequencies in the range of 1.1 to 6.3 mHz with wavelengths in the order of 4.8 x 10 to the 8th power to 2.7 x 10 to the 9th power cm. Similarly, the fast MHD modes have rest frame frequencies in the range 1.6 to 26 mHz with typical wavelengths about 2.19 x 10 to the 8th power cm. The magnetic field power spectrum in the vicinity of these interplanetary shocks is much steeper than f to the -s/3 at high frequencies. The observed spectra have a high frequency dependence of f to the -2/5 to f to the -4

Implications of Pioneer-2 magnetic field models for Jupiter's decametric radio mission

The geometry and electron gyrofrequency were calculated for both the North and South feet of the Io-threaded flux tube at several altitudes as a function of sub-Io longitude for various multipole field models. The models predict a maximum surface gyrofrequency equal to the observed high frequency limit of the decameter-wave radio emission (DAM) and tend to favor a mechanism involving transverse propagation from a source in the Northern hemisphere. Calculations indicate that the beaming pattern of the emission may be determined by reflection from the ionosphere rather than by inherent beaming from the source region

A high-reproducibility and high-accuracy method for automated topic classification

Much of human knowledge sits in large databases of unstructured text. Leveraging this knowledge requires algorithms that extract and record metadata on unstructured text documents. Assigning topics to documents will enable intelligent search, statistical characterization, and meaningful classification. Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) is the state-of-the-art in topic classification. Here, we perform a systematic theoretical and numerical analysis that demonstrates that current optimization techniques for LDA often yield results which are not accurate in inferring the most suitable model parameters. Adapting approaches for community detection in networks, we propose a new algorithm which displays high-reproducibility and high-accuracy, and also has high computational efficiency. We apply it to a large set of documents in the English Wikipedia and reveal its hierarchical structure. Our algorithm promises to make "big data" text analysis systems more reliable.Comment: 23 pages, 24 figure

E-cigarette use and respiratory symptoms in residents of the United States : A BRFSS report

Publisher Copyright: Copyright: © 2022 Varella et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Purpose E-cigarettes are the most common type of electronic nicotine delivery system in the United States. E-cigarettes contain numerous toxic compounds that has been shown to induce severe structural damage to the airways. The objective of this study is to assess if there is an association between e-cigarette use and respiratory symptoms in adults in the US as reported in the BRFSS. Methods We analyzed data from 18,079 adults, 18–44 years, who participated at the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) in the year 2017. E-cigarette smoking status was categorized as current everyday user, current some days user, former smoker, and never smoker. The frequency of any respiratory symptoms (cough, phlegm, or shortness of breath) was compared. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analysis were used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results The BRFSS reported prevalence of smoking e-cigarettes was 6%. About 28% of the participants reported any of the respiratory symptoms assessed. The frequency of reported respiratory symptoms was highest among current some days e-cigarette users (45%). After adjusting for selected participant’s demographic, socio-economic, and behavioral characteristics, and asthma and COPD status, the odds of reporting respiratory symptoms increased by 49% among those who use e-cigarettes some days (OR 1.49; 95% CI: 1.06–2.11), and by 29% among those who were former users (OR 1.29; 95% CI: 1.07–1.55) compared with those who never used e-cigarettes. No statistically significant association was found for those who used e-cigarettes every day (OR 1.41; 95% CI 0.96–2.08). Conclusion E-cigarettes cannot be considered as a safe alternative to aid quitting use of combustible traditional cigarettes. Cohort studies may shed more evidence on the association between e-cigarette use and respiratory diseases.Peer reviewe

Association Between Race/Ethnicity and Survival of Melanoma Patients in the United States Over 3 Decades

Melanoma is a treatable and preventable skin cancer. It is responsible for 75% of deaths among all skin cancers. Previous studies have found that race/ethnicity may play a role in survival among melanoma patients. However, there are no studies that cover 30 years and take race into account for the U.S. population. This study is a secondary analysis of the National Cancer Institute\u27s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (SEER) Program. Adults with primary cutaneous melanoma from 1982 to 2011 were included; the final sample size was 185,219. The outcome was survival; both cause-specific and all-cause mortality were examined. The main exposure was race/ethnicity. Kaplan?Meier survival analysis was used to estimate overall survival. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs). A P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. More than 50% of patients in all races/ethnicities were diagnosed at the in situ or localized stage. Non-Hispanic White patients were more frequently diagnosed at the in situ stage. Overall, more men were diagnosed than women. The majority of cases among all races were men. Non-Hispanic Black females represented the smallest percentage of melanoma cases among all races. The smallest number of diagnoses across all races/ethnicities was made from 1982 to 1991. Median follow-up was 81 months and no collinearity was observed in the adjusted models. When examining cause-specific mortality and controlling for site and stage at diagnosis, gender, age and decade of diagnosis, the HR for non-Hispanic Black patients was lower than that for non-Hispanic White patients (HR 0.7; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.6?0.8). However, when examining all-cause mortality, this difference disappeared (HR 1.1; 95% CI: 1.0?1.2). Stage at diagnosis impacted HR; patients diagnosed with distant metastases had significantly worse survival. When taking cause-specific mortality into consideration and after controlling for stage and site at diagnosis, gender, and age and decade of diagnosis, non-Hispanic Black patients had a lower HR compared to non-Hispanic White patients. However, this difference disappeared when examining all-cause mortality. Further research is needed to explore this finding and to determine what factors may be associated with late-stage melanoma diagnosis

A Comprehensive View of the 2006 December 13 CME: From the Sun to Interplanetary Space

The biggest halo coronal mass ejection (CME) since the Halloween storm in 2003, which occurred on 2006 December 13, is studied in terms of its solar source and heliospheric consequences. The CME is accompanied by an X3.4 flare, EUV dimmings and coronal waves. It generated significant space weather effects such as an interplanetary shock, radio bursts, major solar energetic particle (SEP) events, and a magnetic cloud (MC) detected by a fleet of spacecraft including STEREO, ACE, Wind and Ulysses. Reconstruction of the MC with the Grad-Shafranov (GS) method yields an axis orientation oblique to the flare ribbons. Observations of the SEP intensities and anisotropies show that the particles can be trapped, deflected and reaccelerated by the large-scale transient structures. The CME-driven shock is observed at both the Earth and Ulysses when they are separated by 74$^{\circ}$ in latitude and 117$^{\circ}$ in longitude, the largest shock extent ever detected. The ejecta seems missed at Ulysses. The shock arrival time at Ulysses is well predicted by an MHD model which can propagate the 1 AU data outward. The CME/shock is tracked remarkably well from the Sun all the way to Ulysses by coronagraph images, type II frequency drift, in situ measurements and the MHD model. These results reveal a technique which combines MHD propagation of the solar wind and type II emissions to predict the shock arrival time at the Earth, a significant advance for space weather forecasting especially when in situ data are available from the Solar Orbiter and Sentinels.Comment: 26 pages, 10 figures. 2008, ApJ, in pres

For which infants with viral bronchiolitis could it be deemed appropriate to use albuterol, at least on a therapeutic trial basis?

Although there is increasing evidence showing that infants with viral bronchiolitis exhibit a high degree of heterogeneity, a core uncertainty shared by many clinicians is with regard to understanding which patients are most likely to benefit from bronchodilators such as albuterol. Based on our review, we concluded that older infants with rhinovirus (RV) bronchiolitis, especially those with a nasopharyngeal microbiome dominated by Haemophilus influenzae; those affected during nonpeak months or during non-respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) predominant months; those with wheezing at presentation; those with clinical characteristics such as atopic dermatitis or a family history of asthma in a first-degree relative; and those infants infected with RSV genotypes ON1 and BA, have the greatest likelihood of benefiting from albuterol. Presently, this patient profile could serve as the basis for rational albuterol administration in patients with viral bronchiolitis, at least on a therapeutic trial basis, and it could also be the starting point for future targeted randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on the use of albuterol among a subset of infants with bronchiolitis

Transitional palliative care interventions for older adults with advanced non-malignant diseases and frailty: a systematic review

Purpose: To identify transitional palliative care (TPC) interventions for older adults with non-malignant chronic diseases and complex conditions. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic review of the literature was conducted. CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase and Pubmed databases were searched for studies reporting TPC interventions for older adults, published between 2002 and 2019. The Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool was used for quality appraisal. Findings: A total of six studies were included. Outcomes related to TPC interventions were grouped into three categories: healthcare system-related outcomes (rehospitalisation, length of stay [LOS] and emergency department [ED] visits), patient-related outcomes and family/carer important outcomes. Overall, TPC interventions were associated with lower readmission rates and LOS, improved quality of life and better decision-making concerning hospice care among families. Outcomes for ED visits were unclear. Research limitations/implications: Positive outcomes related to healthcare services (including readmissions and LOS), patients (quality of life) and families (decision-making) were reported. However, the number of studies supporting the evidence were limited. Originality/value: Studies examining the effectiveness of existing care models to support transitions for those in need of palliative care are limited. This systematic literature review identified and appraised interventions aimed at improving transitions to palliative care in older adults with advanced non-malignant diseases or frailty

Hispanic ethnicity and survival in pediatric acute lymphocytic leukemia (all) patients in Florida

Introduction: Pediatric cancer mortality rates have drastically declined according to analyzed population-based surveillance data; however, incidences of most childhood cancers continue to rise. Recent studies have indicated an association between ethnicity/race and cancer survival. Florida's ethnically/racially diverse population and surging pediatric cancer incidence characterize the state as an ideal setting to study the association between ethnicity/race and pediatric cancer survival. Objective: To determine whether or not an association exists between Hispanic ethnicity and cancer survival in a Floridian population of pediatric patients with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). Methods: We will use data from participants 18 years or younger of Florida Cancer Data System (FCDS). Cox-proportional hazard regression was used to assess independent association between Hispanic ethnicity and time to death (time interval from diagnose of ALL to the last patient contact, as recorded in the database). Survival status (death or alive) was assessed at the date of last contact. Those who are alive at last contact were then censored. Results: In the unadjusted model, ethnicity was not associated with risk of death (HR= 0.87, 95% CI=0.73 - 1.04). After adjustment for sex, race, age at diagnosis, insurance status, geographic area, and immunophenotype) the results showed again no association between Hispanic ethnicity and survival (HR = 1.19, 95% CI=0.82 - 1.72). Conclusions: We found no evidence for differences in survival based on ethnic status. Potential difference in racial-survival disparities in pediatric ALL within various geographic regions might depend on Hispanic ancestries or cancer type. Further research on the topic is still deemed necessary as to clarify the nature of the association between ethnicity and cancer survival