Modeling comprehensive chemical composition of weathered oil following a marine spill to predict ozone and potential secondary aerosol formation and constrain transport pathways

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2015. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 120 (2015): 7300–7315, doi:10.1002/2015JC011093.Releases of hydrocarbons from oil spills have large environmental impacts in both the ocean and atmosphere. Oil evaporation is not simply a mechanism of mass loss from the ocean, as it also causes production of atmospheric pollutants. Monitoring atmospheric emissions from oil spills must include a broad range of volatile organic compounds (VOC), including intermediate-volatile and semivolatile compounds (IVOC, SVOC), which cause secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and ozone production. The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) disaster in the northern Gulf of Mexico during Spring/Summer of 2010 presented a unique opportunity to observe SOA production due to an oil spill. To better understand these observations, we conducted measurements and modeled oil evaporation utilizing unprecedented comprehensive composition measurements, achieved by gas chromatography with vacuum ultraviolet time of flight mass spectrometry (GC-VUV-HR-ToFMS). All hydrocarbons with 10–30 carbons were classified by degree of branching, number of cyclic rings, aromaticity, and molecular weight; these hydrocarbons comprise ∼70% of total oil mass. Such detailed and comprehensive characterization of DWH oil allowed bottom-up estimates of oil evaporation kinetics. We developed an evaporative model, using solely our composition measurements and thermodynamic data, that is in excellent agreement with published mass evaporation rates and our wind-tunnel measurements. Using this model, we determine surface slick samples are composed of oil with a distribution of evaporative ages and identify and characterize probable subsurface transport of oil.Funded by Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative2016-05-0

Validation of two-dimensional vertebral body parameters in estimating patient height in elderly patients

Objectives: Standardised comparison of abdominal muscle and adipose tissue is often utilised in morphometric clinical research. Whilst measurements are traditionally standardised against the patient’s height, this may not be always practically feasible. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between measurements of the vertebral body and patient height. Methods: We analysed cross-sectional CT scans. Measurements of the vertebral body area (VBA), anteroposterior vertebral body diameter (APVBD) and lateral vertebral body diameter (LVBD) were made by two independent investigators by manual tracing. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: Group 1 standardisation and Group 2 validation. We compared height and vertebral body parameters from patients in Group 1 and mathematically modelled this relationship. We then utilised the model to predict the height of patients in Group 2 and compared this with their actual height. Observer variability was assessed using Bland–Altman plots and t-tests of differences. Results: CT scans from 382 patients were analysed. No significant intraobserver or interobserver differences were apparent when measuring vertebral body parameters. We describe models which enable the prediction of the patients’ height using the measured VBA, APVBD and LVBD. No significant differences were observed between the patients predicted and actual heights in the validation group. Conclusions: We demonstrate an important relationship between measurements of the patient’s height and the vertebral body. This can be utilised in future research when the patient’s height has not been measured. Advances in knowledge: In the absence of the patient’s height, we demonstrate that two-dimensional vertebral body parameters may be reliably used to standardise morphometric measurements

An In Vitro Pipeline for Screening and Selection of Citrus-Associated Microbiota with Potential Anti-"Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus" Properties.

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a destructive citrus disease that is lethal to all commercial citrus plants, making it the most serious citrus disease and one of the most serious plant diseases. Because of the severity of HLB and the paucity of effective control measures, we structured this study to encompass the entirety of the citrus microbiome and the chemistries associated with that microbial community. We describe the spatial niche diversity of bacteria and fungi associated with citrus roots, stems, and leaves using traditional microbial culturing integrated with culture-independent methods. Using the culturable sector of the citrus microbiome, we created a microbial repository using a high-throughput bulk culturing and microbial identification pipeline. We integrated an in vitro agar diffusion inhibition bioassay into our culturing pipeline that queried the repository for antimicrobial activity against Liberibacter crescens, a culturable surrogate for the nonculturable "Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus" bacterium associated with HLB. We identified microbes with robust inhibitory activity against L. crescens that include the fungi Cladosporium cladosporioides and Epicoccum nigrum and bacterial species of Pantoea, Bacillus, and Curtobacterium Purified bioactive natural products with anti-"Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus" activity were identified from the fungus C. cladosporioides Bioassay-guided fractionation of an organic extract of C. cladosporioides yielded the natural products cladosporols A, C, and D as the active agents against L. crescens This work serves as a foundation for unraveling the complex chemistries associated with the citrus microbiome to begin to understand the functional roles of members of the microbiome, with the long-term goal of developing anti-"Ca Liberibacter asiaticus" bioinoculants that thrive in the citrus holosystem.IMPORTANCE Globally, citrus is threatened by huanglongbing (HLB), and the lack of effective control measures is a major concern of farmers, markets, and consumers. There is compelling evidence that plant health is a function of the activities of the plant's associated microbiome. Using Liberibacter crescens, a culturable surrogate for the unculturable HLB-associated bacterium "Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus," we tested the hypothesis that members of the citrus microbiome produce potential anti-"Ca Liberibacter asiaticus" natural products with potential anti-"Ca Liberibacter asiaticus" activity. A subset of isolates obtained from the microbiome inhibited L. crescens growth in an agar diffusion inhibition assay. Further fractionation experiments linked the inhibitory activity of the fungus Cladosporium cladosporioides to the fungus-produced natural products cladosporols A, C, and D, demonstrating dose-dependent antagonism to L. crescens

Volumetric versus single slice measurements of core abdominal muscle for Sarcopenia

Objectives: We investigated whether total psoas muscle area (TPMA) was representative of the total psoas muscle volume (TPMV). Secondly, we assessed whether there was a relationship between the two commonly used single slice measurements of sarcopenia, TPMA and total abdominal muscle area (TAMA). Methods: Pre-operative CT imaging of 110 patients undergoing elective endovascular aneurysm repair were analysed by two trained independent observers. TPMA was measured at individual vertebral levels between the second lumbar vertebrae and sacrum. TPMV was also estimated between the second lumbar vertebrae and sacrum. TAMA was measured at the third lumbar vertebrae (L3). Observer differences were assessed using Bland-Altman plots. Associations between the different measures were assessed using linear regression and Pearson's correlation. Results: We found single slice measurements of the TPMA to be representative of the TPMV at individual levels between L2 to the sacrum. The strongest association was seen at L3 (adjusted regression coefficient 16.7, 95% CI 12.1 to 21.4, p < 0.001). There was no association between TPMA and TAMA (adjusted regression coefficient - 0.7, 95% CI - 4.1 to 2.8, p = 0.710). Conclusions: We demonstrate that measurements of the TPMA between L2 to the sacrum are representative of the TPMV, with the greatest association at the third lumbar vertebrae. There was no association between the TPMA and TAMA. Advances in Knowledge: We demonstrate that a single slice measurement of TPMA at L3 is representative of the muscle volume, contrary to previous criticism. Future sarcopenia studies can continue to measure TPMA which is representative of the TPMV

Changes in Clinical Context for Kaposi's Sarcoma and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Among People With HIV Infection in the United States

The biology of HIV-associated cancers may differ depending on immunologic and virologic context during development. Therefore, an understanding of the burden of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) relative to antiretroviral therapy (ART), virologic suppression, and CD4 count is important

Ten-year Survival by Race/Ethnicity and Sex Among Treated, HIV-infected Adults in the United States

Background. Ensuring equal access to antiretroviral therapy (henceforth therapy) should alleviate disparities in health outcomes among persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, evidence supporting the persistence of disparities in survival following therapy initiation is mixed

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Hazardous Alcohol Use Among Persons Living with HIV Across the US in the Current Era of Antiretroviral Treatment

Hazardous alcohol use is associated with detrimental health outcomes among persons living with HIV (PLWH). We examined the prevalence and factors associated with hazardous alcohol use in the current era using several hazardous drinking definitions and binge drinking defined as ≥5 drinks for men versus ≥4 for women. We included 8567 PLWH from 7 U.S. sites from 2013 to 2015. Current hazardous alcohol use was reported by 27% and 34% reported binge drinking. In adjusted analyses, current and past cocaine/crack (odd ratio [OR] 4.1:3.3–5.1, p < 0.001 and OR 1.3:1.1–1.5, p < 0.001 respectively), marijuana (OR 2.5:2.2–2.9, p < 0.001 and OR 1.4:1.2–1.6, p < 0.001), and cigarette use (OR 1.4:1.2–1.6, p < 0.001 and OR 1.3:1.2–1.5, p < 0.001) were associated with increased hazardous alcohol use. The prevalence of hazardous alcohol use remains high in the current era, particularly among younger men. Routine screening and targeted interventions for hazardous alcohol use, potentially bundled with interventions for other drugs, remain a key aspect of HIV care

A community resource for paired genomic and metabolomic data mining

Genomics and metabolomics are widely used to explore specialized metabolite diversity. The Paired Omics Data Platform is a community initiative to systematically document links between metabolome and (meta)genome data, aiding identification of natural product biosynthetic origins and metabolite structures.Peer reviewe

An autism-causing calcium channel variant functions with selective autophagy to alter axon targeting and behavior.

Common and rare variants of the CACNA1C voltage-gated calcium channel gene have been associated with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and ADHD. However, little is known about how CACNA1C variants affect cellular processes to alter neurodevelopment. The Timothy syndrome mutation is a rare de novo gain-of-function variant in CACNA1C that causes autism with high penetrance, providing a powerful avenue into investigating the role of CACNA1C variants in neurodevelopmental disorders. Here, we use egl-19, the C. elegans homolog of CACNA1C, to investigate the role of voltage-gated calcium channels in autism. We show that an egl-19(gof) mutation that is equivalent to the Timothy syndrome mutation can alter axon targeting and affect behavior in C. elegans. We find that wildtype egl-19 negatively regulates axon termination. The egl-19(gof) mutation represses axon termination to cause axon targeting defects that lead to the misplacement of electrical synapses and alterations in habituation to light touch. Moreover, genetic interactions indicate that the egl-19(gof) mutation functions with genes that promote selective autophagy to cause defects in axon termination and behavior. These results reveal a novel genetic mechanism whereby a de novo mutation in CACNA1C can drive alterations in circuit formation and behavior

Correlation of well-being during dermatology residency with future career plans

Burnout is increasingly common in the medical field. In dermatology, burnout is attributed to high patient volume and excessive time spent on electronic medical record system activities. The shortage of the dermatology workforce in academic medicine is well-known. Studies have yet to examine the relationship between well-being during dermatology residency and the pursuit of academia. Objective: To assess the well-being of dermatology residents in the United States, identify barriers/enablers to well-being, and determine the implications of these measures. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was distributed to program coordinators of 136 accredited dermatology programs with instructions to forward to their current dermatology residents. Residents provided self-reported ratings on validated scales measuring burnout, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and quality of life. Descriptive statistics and correlations were examined. Results: Residents with higher levels of burnout reported they were significantly less likely to pursue academia, full-time work, clinical research, and fellowships after residency. The results showed opposite effects for residents with higher qualities of life. Conclusions: This study showed that resident well-being can have a significant impact on residents' future career plans, including pursuing academic dermatology, clinical research, and fellowship. Addressing burnout in the field of dermatology offers an opportunity to increase the academic dermatology workforce