Identifying Novel Data-Driven Dietary Patterns via Dimensionality Reduction and Associations with Socioeconomic Profile and Health Outcomes in Ireland

Dietary patterns and body mass index (BMI) play a significant role in the development of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which are the leading cause of mortality worldwide, including Ireland. A cross-sectional survey was conducted across Ireland to collate respondents’ socioeconomic profiles, health status, and dietary patterns with a representative sample size of 957 adult respondents. Principal component analysis (PCA) and statistical analyses were subsequently employed. To the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to use recent (2021) nationally representative data to characterise dietary patterns in Ireland via dimensionality reduction. Five distinct dietary patterns (“meat-focused”, “dairy/ovo-focused”, “vegetable-focused”, “seafood-focused”, and “potatofocused”) were identified and statistically characterised. The “potato-focused” group exhibited the highest mean BMI (26.88 kg/m2), while the “vegetable-focused” group had the lowest (24.68 kg/m2). “Vegetable-focused” respondents were more likely to be associated with a categorically healthy BMI (OR = 1.90) and urban residency (OR = 2.03). Conversely, “meat-focused” respondents were more likely to have obesity (OR = 1.46) and rural residency (OR = 1.72) along with the “potato-focused” group (OR = 2.15). Results show that data-derived dietary patterns may better predict health outcomes than self-reported dietary patterns, and transitioning to diets focusing on vegetables, seafood, and lower meat consumption may improve health

A Search for Distant Galactic Cepheids Toward l=60

We present results of a survey of a 6-square-degree region near l=60, b=0 to search for distant Milky Way Cepheids. Few MW Cepheids are known at distances >~ R_0, limiting large-scale MW disk models derived from Cepheid kinematics; this work was designed to find a sample of distant Cepheids for use in such models. The survey was conducted in the V and I bands over 8 epochs, to a limiting I~=18, with a total of ~ 5 million photometric observations of ~ 1 million stars. We present a catalog of 578 high-amplitude variables discovered in this field. Cepheid candidates were selected from this catalog on the basis of variability and color change, and observed again the following season. We confirm 10 of these candidates as Cepheids with periods from 4 to 8 days, most at distances > 3 kpc. Many of the Cepheids are heavily reddened by intervening dust, some with implied extinction A_V > 10 mag. With a future addition of infrared photometry and radial velocities, these stars alone can provide a constraint on R_0 to 8%, and in conjunction with other known Cepheids should provide good estimates of the global disk potential ellipticity.Comment: 18 pages, 4 tables, 13 figures (LaTeX / AASTeX

Assessment of Dose-dependent Endocrine and Immune Responses to Simulated Ionizing Radiation

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis can regulate immune responses to counteract stressful stimuli in maintaining homeostasis within the body. Cosmic ionizing radiation is an innate risk within the space environment and it is known to cause direct DNA damage and indirectly impact cellular function, transduction, and communication processes. Assessment of different physiological systems and their interactions are important to consider for mitigation strategies in spaceflight. The degree of ionizing radiation and relative biological effectiveness is an open question as it pertains to immune and endocrine responses. Therefore, this study will assess the dose-dependent responses of immunity and adrenal function to cosmic ionizing radiation. For this, male and female C57 BL/6J mice were exposed to simulated, simplified five-ion galactic cosmic ray (GCR) radiation at 5cGy, 15cGy, and 50cGy. Blood and tissues were collected two-weeks post exposure and inflammatory biomarkers and hormone biochemical pathways were characterized by whole transcriptome RNA sequencing. Results displayed differential transcriptomic profiles for each condition and sex, indicating complex responses and networks are generated from different doses of ionizing radiation. Careful consideration of unique profiles highlights the current need for personalized medicine requirements for astronauts exposed to similar doses on exploration missions. Supported by the NASA Human Research Program (HRP) Human Factors Behavioral Performance Element Grant 18 18FLAG 2 0028 and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University startup funding