Abundance of Small Carnivores in Nyika National Park, Malawi

This study investigated the population and distribution of elusive small carnivore species in Nyika National Park, Malawi. The Nyika plateau is the highest point in Malawi, reaching peak elevation at 2.607m asl. Camera traps have photographed genets (Genetta maculata) and African civets (Civettictus civetta) during warmer months but this was the first study focusing on small carnivores in the area. Research aims were to 1) provide an assessment of small carnivore abundance; 2) determine seasonal movement of viverrid species to lower elevations; 3) explore effects of poaching on small carnivore distribution. Methods used were driven transects (10 daytime and 8 night-time/dawn); walking transects (10 daytime and 7 night with local armed guard) and camera-traps. All relevant locations were recorded using GPS handheld devices. Previous data was analysed to confirm locations of past sightings, including in miombo woodland south of the plateau. There were two sightings of genets on night walks but no small carnivores were sighted on driven transects. Historically, Nyika National Park has suffered from poaching. Fires were present during the study period, driving a variety of Nyika’s wildlife closer to the Chilinda staff village - African viverrids are commonly poached for the bushmeat, fur and pet trades. Genet distribution displayed a higher behavioural flexibility for inhabiting areas affected by anthropogenic modifications

Physical Recreation Constraints Among Guatemalan Families with Children with Visual Impairments

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify constraints related to active participation in physical recreation activities and strategies to overcome those constraints from the perspective of Guatemalan families with children with visual impairments. Methods: Participants in this study were Hispanic parents (N=13) of children with visual impairments attending a sports camp held in Guatemala City. Qualitative data were gathered through one-on-one interviews. Results: Results of this study indicate that Hispanic families who reside in Guatemala City face constraints that impact their physical recreation choices, although they manage to engage in activity whenever possible and try to do the very best for their children with visual impairments. Conclusion: Families voiced their desire to receive help from governmental agencies to establish community programs and activities for family participation

Low-Dose Nitric Oxide as Targeted Anti-biofilm Adjunctive Therapy to Treat Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection in Cystic Fibrosis

Despite aggressive antibiotic therapy, bronchopulmonary colonization by Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes persistent morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF). Chronic P. aeruginosa infection in the CF lung is associated with structured, antibiotic-tolerant bacterial aggregates known as biofilms. We have demonstrated the effects of non-bactericidal, low-dose nitric oxide (NO), a signaling molecule that induces biofilm dispersal, as a novel adjunctive therapy for P. aeruginosa biofilm infection in CF in an ex vivo model and a proof-of-concept double-blind clinical trial. Submicromolar NO concentrations alone caused disruption of biofilms within ex vivo CF sputum and a statistically significant decrease in ex vivo biofilm tolerance to tobramycin and tobramycin combined with ceftazidime. In the 12-patient randomized clinical trial, 10 ppm NO inhalation caused significant reduction in P. aeruginosa biofilm aggregates compared with placebo across 7 days of treatment. Our results suggest a benefit of using low-dose NO as adjunctive therapy to enhance the efficacy of antibiotics used to treat acute P. aeruginosa exacerbations in CF. Strategies to induce the disruption of biofilms have the potential to overcome biofilm-associated antibiotic tolerance in CF and other biofilm-related diseases

Gaps and opportunities in refractory status epilepticus research in children: A multi-center approach by the Pediatric Status Epilepticus Research Group (pSERG)

PURPOSE: Status epilepticus (SE) is a life-threatening condition that can be refractory to initial treatment. Randomized controlled studies to guide treatment choices, especially beyond first-line drugs, are not available. This report summarizes the evidence that guides the management of refractory convulsive SE (RCSE) in children, defines gaps in our clinical knowledge and describes the development and works of the \u27pediatric Status Epilepticus Research Group\u27 (pSERG). METHODS: A literature review was performed to evaluate current gaps in the pediatric SE and RCSE literature. In person and online meetings helped to develop and expand the pSERG network. RESULTS: The care of pediatric RCSE is largely based on extrapolations of limited evidence derived from adult literature and supplemented with case reports and case series in children. No comparative effectiveness trials have been performed in the pediatric population. Gaps in knowledge include risk factors for SE, biomarkers of SE and RCSE, second- and third-line treatment options, and long-term outcome. CONCLUSION: The care of children with RCSE is based on limited evidence. In order to address these knowledge gaps, the multicenter pSERG was established to facilitate prospective collection, analysis, and sharing of de-identified data and biological specimens from children with RCSE. These data will allow identification of treatment strategies associated with better outcomes and delineate evidence-based interventions to improve the care of children with SE

Global Search for New Physics with 2.0/fb at CDF

Data collected in Run II of the Fermilab Tevatron are searched for indications of new electroweak-scale physics. Rather than focusing on particular new physics scenarios, CDF data are analyzed for discrepancies with the standard model prediction. A model-independent approach (Vista) considers gross features of the data, and is sensitive to new large cross-section physics. Further sensitivity to new physics is provided by two additional algorithms: a Bump Hunter searches invariant mass distributions for "bumps" that could indicate resonant production of new particles; and the Sleuth procedure scans for data excesses at large summed transverse momentum. This combined global search for new physics in 2.0/fb of ppbar collisions at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV reveals no indication of physics beyond the standard model.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures. Final version which appeared in Physical Review D Rapid Communication

Observation of Orbitally Excited B_s Mesons

We report the first observation of two narrow resonances consistent with states of orbitally excited (L=1) B_s mesons using 1 fb^{-1} of ppbar collisions at sqrt{s} = 1.96 TeV collected with the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron. We use two-body decays into K^- and B^+ mesons reconstructed as B^+ \to J/\psi K^+, J/\psi \to \mu^+ \mu^- or B^+ \to \bar{D}^0 \pi^+, \bar{D}^0 \to K^+ \pi^-. We deduce the masses of the two states to be m(B_{s1}) = 5829.4 +- 0.7 MeV/c^2 and m(B_{s2}^*) = 5839.7 +- 0.7 MeV/c^2.Comment: Version accepted and published by Phys. Rev. Let

Decoding the Molecular Universe -- Workshop Report

On August 9-10, 2023, a workshop was convened at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, WA that brought together a group of internationally recognized experts in metabolomics, natural products discovery, chemical ecology, chemical and biological threat assessment, cheminformatics, computational chemistry, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and novel technology development. These experts were invited to assess the value and feasibility of a grand-scale project to create new technologies that would allow the identification and quantification of all small molecules, or to decode the molecular universe. The Decoding the Molecular Universe project would extend and complement the success of the Human Genome Project by developing new capabilities and technologies to measure small molecules (defined as non-protein, non-polymer molecules less than 1500 Daltons) of any origin and generated in biological systems or produced abiotically. Workshop attendees 1) explored what new understanding of biological and environmental systems could be revealed through the lens of small molecules; 2) characterized the similarities in current needs and technical challenges between each science or mission area for unambiguous and comprehensive determination of the composition and quantities of small molecules of any sample; 3) determined the extent to which technologies or methods currently exist for unambiguously and comprehensively determining the small molecule composition of any sample and in a reasonable time; and 4) identified the attributes of the ideal technology or approach for universal small molecule measurement and identification. The workshop concluded with a discussion of how a project of this scale could be undertaken, possible thrusts for the project, early proof-of-principle applications, and similar efforts upon which the project could be modeled

Measurement of σ(Λb)/σ(B0)×BR(Λb→Λcπ−)/BR(B0→D+π−)\sigma(\Lambda_b)/\sigma(B^0) \times BR(\Lambda_b\to\Lambda_c\pi^-) / BR(B^0\to D^+\pi^-) in ppˉp\bar{p} Collisions at s=1.96\sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV

We present the first observation of the baryon decay $\Lambda_b\to\Lambda_c\pi^-$ followed by $\Lambda_c\to p K^-\pi^+$ in 106 pb-1 of $p\bar{p}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 1.96$ TeV in the CDF experiment. In order to reduce systematic error, the measured rate for $\Lambda_b$ decay is normalized to the kinematically similar meson decay $B^0\to D^+\pi^-$ followed by $D^+\to\pi^+K^-\pi^+$. We report the ratio of production cross sections ($\sigma$) times the ratio of branching fractions (BR) for the momentum region integrated above $p_T > 6$ GeV/c and pseudorapidity range $|\eta| < 1.3$: $\sigma(p\bar{p}\to \Lambda_b X) / \sigma (p\bar{p}\to B^0 X) \times BR(\Lambda_b\to\Lambda_c\pi^-) / BR(B^0\to D^+\pi^-) = 0.82 \pm 0.08(stat) \pm 0.11(syst) \pm 0.22 (BR(\Lambda_c\to p K^-\pi^+))$.Comment: Submitted to Phys.Rev.Let