Towards Sustained Monitoring of Subsidence at the Coast Using InSAR and GPS: An Application in Hampton Roads, Virginia

Hampton Roads is among the regions along the U.S. Atlantic Coast experiencing high rates of relative sea level rise. Partly to mitigate subsidence from aquifer compaction, Hampton Roads is injecting treated wastewater into the underlying aquifer. However, the GPS (Global Positioning System) station spacing (∼30 km) is too coarse to capture the spatial variability of subsidence and potential uplift from the injection. We present a cost‐effective workflow for generating an InSAR (interferometric synthetic aperture radar) and GPS combined displacement product. We leverage a live, open‐access archive of InSAR products generated from Sentinel‐1 data. We find an overall subsidence rate of −3.6 ± 2.3 mm/year with considerable spatial variability. The effects of groundwater injection are currently below detection. The workflow presented here is an asset for sustained monitoring of the injection effort and regional subsidence that is applicable along the U.S. coasts for assisting in mitigation and adaptation of relative sea level rise

LodgeNet: an automated framework for precise detection and classification of wheat lodging severity levels in precision farming

Wheat lodging is a serious problem affecting grain yield, plant health, and grain quality. Addressing the lodging issue in wheat is a desirable task in breeding programs. Precise detection of lodging levels during wheat screening can aid in selecting lines with resistance to lodging. Traditional approaches to phenotype lodging rely on manual data collection from field plots, which are slow and laborious, and can introduce errors and bias. This paper presents a framework called ‘LodgeNet,’ that facilitates wheat lodging detection. Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Deep Learning (DL), LodgeNet improves traditional methods of detecting lodging with more precision and efficiency. Using a dataset of 2000 multi-spectral images of wheat plots, we have developed a novel image registration technique that aligns the different bands of multi-spectral images. This approach allows the creation of comprehensive RGB images, enhancing the detection and classification of wheat lodging. We have employed advanced image enhancement techniques to improve image quality, highlighting the important features of wheat lodging detection. We combined three color enhancement transformations into two presets for image refinement. The first preset, ‘Haze & Gamma Adjustment,’ minimize atmospheric haze and adjusts the gamma, while the second, ‘Stretching Contrast Limits,’ extends the contrast of the RGB image by calculating and applying the upper and lower limits of each band. LodgeNet, which relies on the state-of-the-art YOLOv8 deep learning algorithm, could detect and classify wheat lodging severity levels ranging from no lodging (Class 1) to severe lodging (Class 9). The results show the mean Average Precision (mAP) of 0.952% @0.5 and 0.641% @0.50-0.95 in classifying wheat lodging severity levels. LodgeNet promises an efficient and automated high-throughput solution for real-time crop monitoring of wheat lodging severity levels in the field

Physician Use of Advance Care Planning Discussions in a Diverse Hospitalized Population

Two decades after the Patient Self Determination Act it is unknown how often physicians have advance care planning (ACP) discussions with hospitalized patients. The objective of this study is to investigate use of ACP discussions in a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual hospitalized population. Cross-sectional communication study of hospitalized patients. The Participants are 369 patients at one urban county hospital and one academic medical center. Interventions are not applicable. Participants were asked at baseline and a post-discharge interview whether hospital physicians had discussed either (a) what type of treatment they would want if they could not make decisions for themselves or (b) whether they would want cardiopulmonary resuscitation if needed. We compared patient characteristics for those who did and did not have an ACP discussion. Only 151 (41%) participants reported an ACP discussion. Rates of ACP were low across ethnic, language, education and age groups. In a multivariate model, scoring higher on a co-morbidity scale was associated with higher odds of reporting having had an ACP discussion during hospitalization; this finding remained after adjusting for time period and site of data collection. Multiethnic, multi-lingual hospitalized patients reported low rates of ACP discussions with their physicians regardless of ethnicity, English proficiency, education level or age

Patterns of Coupled Theta Activity in Amygdala-Hippocampal-Prefrontal Cortical Circuits during Fear Extinction

Signals related to fear memory and extinction are processed within brain pathways involving the lateral amygdala (LA) for formation of aversive stimulus associations, the CA1 area of the hippocampus for context-dependent modulation of these associations, and the infralimbic region of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) for extinction processes. While many studies have addressed the contribution of each of these modules individually, little is known about their interactions and how they function as an integrated system. Here we show, by combining multiple site local field potential (LFP) and unit recordings in freely behaving mice in a fear conditioning paradigm, that theta oscillations may provide a means for temporally and functionally connecting these modules. Theta oscillations occurred with high specificity in the CA1-LA-mPFC network. Theta coupling increased between all areas during retrieval of conditioned fear, and declined during extinction learning. During extinction recall, theta coupling partly rebounded in LA-mPFC and CA1-mPFC, and remained at a low level in CA1-LA. Interfering with theta coupling through local electrical microstimulation in CA1-LA affected conditioned fear and extinction recall depending on theta phase. These results support the hypothesis that theta coupling provides a means for inter-areal coordination in conditioned behavioral responsiveness. More specifically, theta oscillations seem to contribute to a population code indicating conditioned stimuli during recall of fear memory before and after extinction

Harpgophytum procumbens for osteoarthritis and low back pain: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: The objective of this review is to determine the effectiveness of Harpagophytum procumbens preparations in the treatment of various forms of musculoskeletal pain. METHODS: Several databases and other sources were searched to identify randomized controlled trials, quasi-randomized controlled trials, and controlled clinical trials testing Harpagophytum preparations in adults suffering from pain due to osteoarthritis or low back pain. RESULTS: Given the clinical heterogeneity and insufficient data for statistical pooling, trials were described in a narrative way, taking into consideration methodological quality scores. Twelve trials were included with six investigating osteoarthritis (two were identical trials), four low back pain, and three mixed-pain conditions. CONCLUSIONS: There is limited evidence for an ethanolic Harpagophytum extract containing less than <30 mg harpagoside per day in the treatment of knee and hip osteoarthritis. There is moderate evidence of effectiveness for (1) the use of a Harpagophytum powder at 60 mg harpagoside in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the spine, hip and knee; (2) the use of an aqueous Harpagophytum extract at a daily dose of 100 mg harpagoside in the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic non-specific low back pain; and (3) the use of an aqueous extract of Harpagophytum procumbens at 60 mg harpagoside being non-inferior to 12.5 mg rofecoxib per day for chronic non-specific low-back pain (NSLBP) in the short term. Strong evidence exists for the use of an aqueous Harpagophytum extract at a daily dose equivalent of 50 mg harpagoside in the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic NSLBP

Murine GRPR and Stathmin Control in Opposite Directions both Cued Fear Extinction and Neural Activities of the Amygdala and Prefrontal Cortex

Extinction is an integral part of normal healthy fear responses, while it is compromised in several fear-related mental conditions in humans, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although much research has recently been focused on fear extinction, its molecular and cellular underpinnings are still unclear. The development of animal models for extinction will greatly enhance our approaches to studying its neural circuits and the mechanisms involved. Here, we describe two gene-knockout mouse lines, one with impaired and another with enhanced extinction of learned fear. These mutant mice are based on fear memory-related genes, stathmin and gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR). Remarkably, both mutant lines showed changes in fear extinction to the cue but not to the context. We performed indirect imaging of neuronal activity on the second day of cued extinction, using immediate-early gene c-Fos. GRPR knockout mice extinguished slower (impaired extinction) than wildtype mice, which was accompanied by an increase in c-Fos activity in the basolateral amygdala and a decrease in the prefrontal cortex. By contrast, stathmin knockout mice extinguished faster (enhanced extinction) and showed a decrease in c-Fos activity in the basolateral amygdala and an increase in the prefrontal cortex. At the same time, c-Fos activity in the dentate gyrus was increased in both mutant lines. These experiments provide genetic evidence that the balance between neuronal activities of the amygdala and prefrontal cortex defines an impairment or facilitation of extinction to the cue while the hippocampus is involved in the context-specificity of extinction

Prognostic factors for response to treatment by corticosteroid injection or surgery in carpal tunnel syndrome (PaLMS study): a prospective multi‐centre cohort study

Introduction: Studies of prognosis for surgery and corticosteroid injection for carpal tunnel syndrome have considered only a limited range of explanatory variables for outcome. Methods: Data were prospectively collected on patient‐reported symptoms, physical and psychological functioning, comorbidity and quality of life at baseline and 6 monthly for up to 2 years. Outcomes were patient‐rated change over a 6‐month period and symptom‐severity score at 18 months. Results: 754 patients with CTS completed baseline questionnaires and 626 (83%) completed follow‐up to 18 months. Multivariable modelling identified, independent of symptom severity at outset, higher health utility, fewer comorbidities and lower anxiety as significant predictors of better outcome from surgery. In patients treated by steroid injection, independent of symptom severity at outset, shorter duration of symptoms and having no prior injection were significant predictors of better outcome. Discussion: These multivariable models of outcome may inform shared decision‐making about treatment for CTS

Association of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor therapy and comorbidity in diabetes: results from the Vermont diabetes information system

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) reduce peripheral vascular resistance via blockage of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE). ACE inhibitors are commonly used to treat congestive heart failure and high blood pressure, but other effects have been reported. In this study, we explored the association between ACE inhibitor therapy and the prevalence of comorbid conditions in adults with diabetes</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We surveyed 1003 adults with diabetes randomly selected from community practices. Patients were interviewed at home and self-reported their personal and clinical characteristics including comorbidity. Current medications were obtained by direct observation of medication containers. We built logistic regression models with the history of comorbidities as the outcome variable and the current use of ACE inhibitors as the primary predictor variable. We adjusted for possible confounding by social (age, sex, alcohol drinking, cigarette smoking) and clinical factors (systolic blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), glycosolated hemoglobin (A1C), number of comorbid conditions, and number of prescription medications).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>ACE users reported a history of any cancer (except the non-life-threatening skin cancers) less frequently than non-users (10% <it>vs</it>. 15%; odd ratio = 0.59; 95% confidence interval [0.39, 0.89]; <it>P </it>= 0.01); and a history of stomach ulcers or peptic ulcer disease less frequently than non-users (12% <it>vs</it>. 16%, odd ratio = 0.70, [0.49, 1.01], <it>P </it>= 0.06). After correcting for potential confounders, ACE inhibitors remained significantly inversely associated with a personal history of cancer (odds ratio = 0.59, [0.39, 0.89]; <it>P </it>= 0.01) and peptic ulcer disease (odd ratio = 0.68, [0.46, 1.00], <it>P </it>= 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>ACE inhibitor use is associated with a lower likelihood of a history of cancer and peptic ulcers in patients with diabetes. These findings are limited by the cross sectional study design, self-report of comorbid diagnoses, and lack of information on the timing and duration of ACE inhibitor use. Further research is needed to confirm these associations and understand their mechanisms.</p

Relationship of literacy and heart failure in adults with diabetes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although reading ability may impact educational strategies and management of heart failure (HF), the prevalence of limited literacy in patients with HF is unknown.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Subjects were drawn from the Vermont Diabetes Information System Field Survey, a cross-sectional study of adults with diabetes in primary care. Participants' self-reported characteristics were subjected to logistic regression to estimate the association of heart failure and literacy while controlling for social and economic factors. The Short Test of Functional Health Literacy was used to measure literacy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 172 subjects with HF and diabetes, 27% had limited literacy compared to 15% of 826 subjects without HF (OR 2.05; 95% CI 1.39, 3.02; <it>P </it>< 0.001). Adjusting for age, sex, race, income, marital status and health insurance, HF continued to be significantly associated with limited literacy (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.00, 2.41, <it>P </it>= .05).</p> <p>After adjusting for education, however, HF was no longer independently associated with literacy (OR 1.31; 95% CI 0.82 – 2.08; <it>P </it>= 0.26).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Over one quarter of diabetic adults with HF have limited literacy. Although this association is no longer statistically significant when adjusted for education, clinicians should be aware that many of their patients have important limitations in dealing with written materials.</p