'Leaves and Eats Shoots': Direct Terrestrial Feeding Can Supplement Invasive Red Swamp Crayfish in Times of Need

PMCID: PMC3411828This 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

Effect of a University Physical Activity Challenge on Levels of Anxiety, Depression, Stress, and Perceived Dependency of Wearing a Physical Activity Tracker

Many studies have researched the benefits of physical activity (PA) and well-being, leading many universities to promote PA on campus. There is limited research on how university-based PA promotion impacts mental health, as well as the impact of wearing a physical activity tracker (PAT) and its potential to create dependency on wearing the device. PURPOSE: To understand the effects of a 4-week campus-wide PA challenge on levels of anxiety, depression, and stress in college students, and the potential dependency effects of wearing a PAT. METHODS: For the duration of the 4-week challenge, 44 undergraduate and 6 graduate students (μ = 21.4 years) wore a PAT with limited feedback, and answered questionnaires regarding their anxiety, depression, stress, and their perceived PAT dependency at the beginning, middle, end, and two weeks post-challenge. RESULTS: The results indicate that anxiety, depression, and stress did not change across time. Interestingly, significant interactions were revealed, such that individuals who wore a PAT (PAT Users) before the study differed in their perceived dependency on wearing an activity tracker compared to those who did not wear one prior to the study (PAT Non-users). Differences between PAT Users and PAT Non-users occurred when asked if they would modify their behavior due to the absence of the tracker, and the degree to which they attributed their PA engagement to be driven by needing it to be counted on the PAT. CONCLUSION: Further analyses need to be conducted to determine if the challenge led to changes in PA behavior, and explore if those changes were related to changes in anxiety, depression, and stress, as well as PAT dependency. Future research should continue to explore the psychological consequences of wearing a PAT to better understand the potential dependence effects that can occur

Contact-less measurements of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in the magnetically ordered state of CeAgSb2_2 and SmAgSb2_2 single crystals

Shubnikov - de Haas oscillations were measured in single crystals of highly metallic antiferromagnetic SmAgSb$_{2}$ and ferromagnetic CeAgSb$_{2}$ using a tunnel diode resonator. Resistivity oscillations as a function of applied magnetic field were observed via measurements of skin depth variation. The effective resolution of $\Delta\rho\simeq20$ p$\Omega$ allows a detailed study of the SdH spectra as a function of temperature. The effects of the Sm long - range magnetic ordering as well as its electronic structure ($4f$-electrons) on the Fermi surface topology is discussed

Pharmacists' Perspectives on the Use of My Health Record

Background: My Health Record (MHR) is a relatively new nationwide Australian digitalhealth record system accessible by patients and a range of healthcare professionals. Pharmacists willbe key contributors and users of the MHR system, yet little is known about the perceived barriers andbenefits of use. (2) Objective: To explore pharmacists’ perspectives related to potential benefits andbarriers associated with use of MHR. (3) Methods: An online survey was developed and face-validated.The survey was advertised to Australian pharmacists on pharmacy professional bodies’ websites. Thiswas a cross-sectional study using an anonymous questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used todescribe the distribution of the data. Chi-square, Kendall’s tau coefficient (tau-c) and Kruskal–Wallistests were used to examine the relationships where appropriate. (4) Results: A total of 63 pharmacistscompleted the survey. The majority of respondents worked in a metropolitan area (74%), and themost common workplace setting was community pharmacy (65%). Perceived benefits identifiedby responders include that the use of MHR would help with continuity of care (90%), and that itwould improve the safety (71%) and quality (75%) of care they provided. Importantly, more thanhalf of pharmacists surveyed agreed that MHR could reduce medication errors during dispensing(57%) and could improve professional relationships with patients (57%) and general practitioners(59%). Potential barriers identified by pharmacists included patients’ concerns about privacy (81%),pharmacists’ own concern about privacy (46%), lack of training, access to and confidence in using thesystem. Sixty six percent of respondents had concerns about the accuracy of information containedwithin MHR, particularly among hospital and general practice pharmacists (p = 0.016) and almosthalf (44%) had concerns about the security of information in the system, mainly pharmacists workingat general practice and providing medication review services (p= 0.007). Overall satisfaction withMHR varied, with 48% satisfied, 33% neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, and 19% dissatisfied, witha higher satisfaction rate among younger pharmacists (p = 0.032). (5) Conclusions: Pharmacistsconsidered that the MHR offered key potential benefits, notably improving the safety and quality ofcare provided. To optimize the use of MHR, there is a need to improve privacy and data securitymeasures, and to ensure adequate provision of user support and education surrounding the ability tointegrate use of MHR with existing workflows and software

Nitrogen Fertilization Has a Stronger Effect on Soil Nitrogen-Fixing Bacterial Communities than Elevated Atmospheric CO2

Biological nitrogen fixation is the primary supply of N to most ecosystems, yet there is considerable uncertainty about how N-fixing bacteria will respond to global change factors such as increasing atmospheric CO2 and N deposition. Using the nifH gene as a molecular marker, we studied how the community structure of N-fixing soil bacteria from temperate pine, aspen, and sweet gum stands and a brackish tidal marsh responded to multiyear elevated CO2 conditions. We also examined how N availability, specifically, N fertilization, interacted with elevated CO2 to affect these communities in the temperate pine forest. Based on data from Sanger sequencing and quantitative PCR, the soil nifH composition in the three forest systems was dominated by species in the Geobacteraceae and, to a lesser extent, Alphaproteobacteria. The N-fixing-bacterial-community structure was subtly altered after 10 or more years of elevated atmospheric CO2, and the observed shifts differed in each biome. In the pine forest, N fertilization had a stronger effect on nifH community structure than elevated CO2 and suppressed the diversity and abundance of N-fixing bacteria under elevated atmospheric CO2 conditions. These results indicate that N-fixing bacteria have complex, interacting responses that will be important for understanding ecosystem productivity in a changing climate

Cognitive and physical fatigue—the experience and consequences of ‘brain fog’ after spontaneous coronary artery dissection: a qualitative study

AIMS: Brain fog and fatigue are common issues after acute coronary syndrome. However, little is known about the nature and impact of these experiences in spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) survivors. The aims of this study were to understand the experiences of brain fog and the coping strategies used after SCAD.METHODS AND RESULTS: Participants were recruited from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute Genetics Study database and were considered eligible if their event occurred within 12-months. Seven semi-structured online focus groups were conducted between December to January 2021-2022, with this study reporting findings related to brain fog and fatigue. Interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed using an iterative approach. Participants (N=30) were a mean age of 52.2 ((9.5) and mostly female (n=27, 90%). The overarching theme of brain fog after SCAD included four main themes: how brain fog is experienced, perceived causes, impacts, and how people cope. Experiences included memory lapses, difficulty concentrating and impaired judgement, and perceived causes included medication, fatigue and tiredness, and menopause and hormonal changes. Impacts of brain fog included rumination, changes in self-perception, disruption to hobbies/pastimes, and limitations at work. Coping mechanisms included setting reminders and expectations, being one's own advocate, lifestyle and self-determined medication adjustments, and support from peers.CONCLUSION: Brain fog is experienced by SCAD survivors and the impacts are varied and numerous, including capacity to work. SCAD survivors reported difficulty understanding causes and found their own path to coping. Recommendations for clinicians are provided.</p

Gender-Affirming Mastectomy Trends and Surgical Outcomes in Adolescents

BackgroundThere are over 150,000 transgender adolescents in the United States, yet research on outcomes following gender-affirming mastectomy in this age group is limited. We evaluated gender-affirming mastectomy incidence, as well as postoperative complications, including regret, in adolescents within our integrated health care system.MethodsGender-affirming mastectomies performed from January 1, 2013 - July 31, 2020 in adolescents 12-17 years of age at the time of referral were identified. The incidence of gender-affirming mastectomy was calculated by dividing the number of patients undergoing these procedures by the number of adolescents assigned female at birth ages 12-17 within our system at the beginning of each year and amount of follow-up time within that year. Demographic information, clinical characteristics (comorbidities, mental health history, testosterone use), surgical technique, and complications, including mention of regret, of patients who underwent surgery were summarized. Patients with and without complications were compared to evaluate for differences in demographic or clinical characteristics using chi-squared tests.ResultsThe incidence of gender-affirming mastectomy increased 13-fold (3.7 to 47.7 per 100,000 person-years) during the study period. Of the 209 patients who underwent surgery, the median age at referral was 16 years (range 12-17) and the most common technique was double-incision (85%). For patients with greater than 1-year follow-up (n=137, 65.6%), at least one complication was found in 7.3% (n=10), which included hematoma (3.6%), infection (2.9%), hypertrophic scars requiring steroid injection (2.9%), seroma (0.7%), and suture granuloma (0.7%); 10.9 % underwent revision (n=15). There were no statistically significant differences in patient demographics and clinical characteristics between those with and without complications (p&gt;0.05). Two patients (0.95%) had documented postoperative regret but neither underwent reversal surgery at follow-up of 3 and 7 years postoperatively.ConclusionBetween 2013-2020, we observed a marked increase in gender-affirming mastectomies in adolescents. The prevalence of surgical complications was low and of over 200 adolescents who underwent surgery, only two expressed regret, neither of which underwent a reversal operation. Our study provides useful and positive guidance for adolescent patients, their families, and providers regarding favorable outcomes with gender-affirming mastectomy

Incidence of Pathogenic Variants in Those With a Family History of Pancreatic Cancer

Discovery of a hereditary cancer syndrome can be one of the factors that determine whether a healthy individual completes pancreas cancer screening or whether an individual with cancer receives certain chemotherapies. Retrospective review was completed to determine the likelihood of detection of a pathogenic variant causing a hereditary cancer syndrome based on personal and family history. Study was completed through the hereditary cancer clinic at Mayo Clinic Florida over a 6 year period, 1/2012 through 1/2018. All participants were referred based on suspicion for a hereditary cancer syndrome based on personal and/or family history. Patients' personal oncologic history at time of consultation was recorded, as well as, cancer diagnoses in the family history and the number of family members with a history of pancreas cancer. Test result and gene name, if variant was pathogenic or likely pathogenic, were noted as well. A total of 2,019 patients completed genetic testing during study period. Personal history of cancer included a variety of primaries, including breast (N = 986), ovarian (N = 119), colon (N = 106), prostate (N = 65), and pancreas (N = 59). A positive result was discovered in 11% of the total group. Two hundred and eighty five reported a family history of pancreas cancer. The incidence of pathogenic variants was 13% (37/285) in those with any family history and 23% (13/56) in those with two or more relatives with pancreatic cancer. Those with multiple relatives with pancreatic cancer were significantly more likely to carry a pathogenic variant than those with a personal history of breast cancer under the age of 45 (23.2 vs. 11.9%, p = 0.02). Presence of multiple family members with a reported history of pancreatic cancer significantly increased the likelihood that a pathogenic variant would be identified in the patient even over other significant risk factors, like personal history of early onset breast cancer

Agricultural data management and sharing: Best practices and case study

Agricultural data are crucial to many aspects of production, commerce, and research involved in feeding the global community. However, in most agricultural research disciplines standard best practices for data management and publication do not exist. Here we propose a set of best practices in the areas of peer review, minimal dataset development, data repositories, citizen science initiatives, and support for best data management. We illustrate some of these best practices with a case study in dairy agroecosystems research. While many common, and increasingly disparate data management and publication practices are entrenched in agricultural disciplines, opportunities are readily available for promoting and adopting best practices that better enable and enhance data-intensive agricultural research and production

Review of Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Tools for Verifying Command and Control Software

The Exploration Systems Development (ESD) Standing Review Board (SRB) requested the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) conduct an independent review of the plan developed by Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) for identifying models and emulators to create a tool(s) to verify their command and control software. The NESC was requested to identify any issues or weaknesses in the GSDO plan. This document contains the outcome of the NESC review