Timescales of variation in diversity and production of bacterioplankton assemblages in the Lower Mississippi River

Copyright: © 2020 Payne et al. This 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. Rivers are characterized by rapid and continuous one-way directional fluxes of flowing, aqueous habitat, chemicals, suspended particles, and resident plankton. Therefore, at any particular location in such systems there is the potential for continuous, and possibly abrupt, changes in diversity and metabolic activities of suspended biota. As microorganisms are the principal catalysts of organic matter degradation and nutrient cycling in rivers, examination of their assemblage dynamics is fundamental to understanding system-level biogeochemical patterns and processes. However, there is little known of the dynamics of microbial assemblage composition or production of large rivers along a time interval gradient. We quantified variation in alpha and beta diversity and production of particle-associated and free-living bacterioplankton assemblages collected at a single site on the Lower Mississippi River (LMR), the final segment of the largest river system in North America. Samples were collected at timescales ranging from days to weeks to months up to a year. For both alpha and beta diversity, there were similar patterns of temporal variation in particle-associated and free-living assemblages. Alpha diversity, while always higher on particles, varied as much at a daily as at a monthly timescale. Beta diversity, in contrast, gradually increased with time interval of sampling, peaking between samples collected 180 days apart, before gradually declining between samples collected up to one year apart. The primary environmental driver of the temporal pattern in beta diversity was temperature, followed by dissolved nitrogen and chlorophyll a concentrations. Particle-associated bacterial production corresponded strongly to temperature, while free-living production was much lower and constant over time. We conclude that particle-associated and free-living bacterioplankton assemblages of the LMR vary in richness, composition, and production at distinct timescales in response to differing sets of environmental factors. This is the first temporal longitudinal study of microbial assemblage structure and dynamics in the LMR

Food security status and cardiometabolic health among pregnant women in the United States

IntroductionPregnant women and their offspring are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity and its adverse effects during critical periods of fetal development. Racially/ethnically minoritized women in the United States (US) who are pregnant are additionally burdened by food insecurity, which may exacerbate cardiovascular health (CVH) disparities. Despite heightened social vulnerability, few studies have employed an intersectional framework, including race and gender, to assess the food insecurity and CVH relationship.MethodsWe used 2012–2018 and 2020 National Health Interview Survey data among US pregnant women aged 18–49 years old (N = 1,999) to assess the prevalence of food insecurity status by race/ethnicity and to investigate household food security status in relation to ideal CVH, using a modified ideal CVH (mICVH) metric. We categorized food security status as “very low/low”, “marginal”, or “high”. To assess mICVH, a summary score of 7 clinical characteristics and health behaviors was dichotomized as yes [(7)] vs. no [<7]. Prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of associations between food security status and mICVH were estimated using Poisson regression with robust variance. Models were adjusted for age, household income, educational attainment, geographic region, marital status, alcohol consumption, survey year, and race/ethnicity (in overall model).ResultsThe mean age ± standard error was 29.0 ± 0.2 years. Among pregnant women, 12.7% reported “very low/low”, 10.6% reported “marginal”, and 76.7% reported “high” food security. “Very low/low” food security prevalence was higher among NH-Black (16.2%) and Hispanic/Latina (15.2%) pregnant women compared to NH-White (10.3%) and NH-Asian (3.2%) pregnant women. The mICVH prevalence was 11.6% overall and 14.5% for NH-White, 4.1% for NH-Black, 5.0% for Hispanic/Latina, and 26.7% for NH-Asian pregnant women. Among all pregnant women, “very low/low” and “marginal” vs. “high” food security status was associated with a lower prevalence of mICVH {[PRvery low/low = 0.26 (95% CI: 0.08–0.75)]; [PRmarginal = 0.47 (95% CI: 0.23 −0.96)]}.ConclusionHousehold food insecurity was higher among pregnant women in minoritized racial/ethnic groups and was associated with lower mICVH prevalence. Given the higher burden of food insecurity among minoritized racial/ethnic groups, food security may be an important intervention target to help address disparities in poor CVH among pregnant women

Water Chemisorption and Reconstruction of the MgO Surface

The observed reactivity of MgO with water is in apparent conflict with theoretical calculations which show that molecular dissociation does not occur on a perfect (001) surface. We have performed ab-initio total energy calculations which show that a chemisorption reaction involving a reconstruction to form a (111) hydroxyl surface is strongly preferred with Delta E = -90.2kJ/mol. We conclude that protonation stabilizes the otherwise unstable (111) surface and that this, not the bare (001), is the most stable surface of MgO under ambient conditions.Comment: RevTeX, 4 pages, 1 Encapsulated Postscript Figur

Open urethroplasty versus endoscopic urethrotomy - clarifying the management of men with recurrent urethral stricture (the OPEN trial) : study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Evidence for feasibility of implementing online brief cognitive‐behavioral therapy for eating disorder pathology in the workplace

Objective CBT-T is a brief (10-week) cognitive-behavioral therapy for non-underweight eating disorders. This report describes the findings from a single center, single group, feasibility trial of online CBT-T in the workplace as an alternative to health service settings. Method This trial was approved by the Biomedical and Scientific Research Ethics committee, University of Warwick, UK (reference 125/20-21) and was registered with ISRCTN (reference number: ISRCTN45943700). Recruitment was based on self-reported eating and weight concerns rather than diagnosis, potentially enabling access to treatment for employees who have not previously sought help and for those with sub-threshold eating disorder symptoms. Assessments took place at baseline, mid-treatment (week 4), post-treatment (week 10), and follow-up (1 and 3 months post-treatment). Participant experiences following treatment were assessed using quantitative and qualitative approaches. Results For the primary outcomes, pre-determined benchmarks of high feasibility and acceptability were met, based on recruiting >40 participants (N = 47), low attrition (38%), and a high attendance rate (98%) over the course of the therapy. Participant experiences revealed low previous help-seeking for eating disorder concerns (21%). Qualitative findings indicated a wide range of positive impacts of the therapy and the workplace as the therapeutic setting. Analysis of secondary outcomes for participants with clinical and sub-threshold eating disorder symptoms showed strong effect sizes for eating pathology, anxiety and depression, and moderate effect sizes for work outcomes. Discussion These pilot findings provide a strong rationale for a fully powered randomized controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of CBT-T in the workplace. Public Significance This study demonstrates the feasibility of implementing an eating disorders intervention (online CBT-T) in the workplace as an alternative to traditional healthcare settings. Recruitment was based on self-reported eating and weight concerns rather than diagnosis, potentially enabling access to treatment for employees who had not previously sought help. The data also provide insights into recruitment, acceptability, effectiveness, and future viability of CBT-T in the workplace

Sub-arcsecond imaging of the radio continuum and neutral hydrogen in the Medusa merger

We present sub-arcsecond, Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer (MERLIN) observations of the decimetre radio continuum structure and neutral hydrogen (HI) absorption from the nuclear region of the starburst galaxy NGC 4194 (the Medusa Merger). The continuum structure of the central kiloparsec of the Medusa has been imaged, revealing a pair of compact radio components surrounded by more diffuse, weak radio emission. Using the constraints provided by these observations and those within the literature we conclude that the majority of this radio emission is related to the ongoing star-formation in this merger system. With these observations we also trace deep HI absorption across the detected radio continuum structure. The absorbing HI gas structure exhibits large variations in column densities. The largest column densities are found toward the south of the nuclear radio continuum, co-spatial with both a nuclear dust lane and peaks in $^{12}$CO (1->0) emission. The dynamics of the HI absorption, which are consistent with lower resolution $^{12}$CO emission observations, trace a shallow north-south velocity gradient of ~320km/s/kpc. This gradient is interpreted as part of a rotating gas structure within the nuclear region. The HI and CO velocity structure, in conjunction with the observed gas column densities and distribution, is further discussed in the context of the fuelling and gas physics of the ongoing starburst within the centre of this merger.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, to appear in A&

The NASA Exoplanet Archive: Data and Tools for Exoplanet Research

We describe the contents and functionality of the NASA Exoplanet Archive, a database and tool set funded by NASA to support astronomers in the exoplanet community. The current content of the database includes interactive tables containing properties of all published exoplanets, Kepler planet candidates, threshold-crossing events, data validation reports and target stellar parameters, light curves from the Kepler and CoRoT missions and from several ground-based surveys, and spectra and radial velocity measurements from the literature. Tools provided to work with these data include a transit ephemeris predictor, both for single planets and for observing locations, light curve viewing and normalization utilities, and a periodogram and phased light curve service. The archive can be accessed at http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 4 figure

Impact of Fruit and Vegetable Protein vs. Milk Protein on Metabolic Control of Children with Phenylketonuria: A Randomized Crossover Controlled Trial

Fruits and vegetables containing phenylalanine ≤ 75 mg/100 g (except potatoes) have little impact on blood phenylalanine in phenylketonuria (PKU). In a randomized, controlled, crossover intervention trial, we examined the effect of increasing phenylalanine intake from fruits and vegetables, containing phenylalanine 76–100 mg /100 g, compared with milk protein sources on blood phenylalanine control. This was a five-phase study (4 weeks each phase). In Phase A, patients remained on their usual diet and then were randomly allocated to start Phase B and C (an additional phenylalanine intake of 50 mg/day, then 100 mg from fruits and vegetables containing phenylalanine 76–100 mg/100 g) or Phase D and E (an additional phenylalanine intake of 50 mg/day then 100 mg/day from milk sources). There was a 7-day washout with the usual phenylalanine-restricted diet between Phase B/C and D/E. Blood phenylalanine was measured on the last 3 days of each week. If four out of six consecutive blood phenylalanine levels were &gt;360 μmol/L in one arm, this intervention was stopped. Sixteen patients (median age 10.5 y; range 6–12 y) were recruited. At baseline, a median of 6 g/day (range: 3–25) natural protein and 60 g/day (range: 60–80) protein equivalent from protein substitute were prescribed. Median phenylalanine levels were: Phase A—240 μmol/L; Phase B—260 μmol/L; Phase C—280 μmol/L; Phase D—270 μmol/L and Phase E—280 μmol/L. All patients tolerated an extra 50 mg/day of phenylalanine from fruit and vegetables, containing phenylalanine 76–100 mg/100 g, but only 11/16 (69%) tolerated an additional 100 mg /day. With milk protein, only 8/16 (50%) tolerated an extra 50 mg/day and only 5/16 (31%) tolerated an additional 100 mg/day of phenylalanine. Tolerance was defined as maintaining consistent blood phenylalanine levels &lt; 360 μmol/L throughout each study arm. There was a trend that vegetable protein had less impact on blood phenylalanine control than milk protein, but overall, the differences were not statistically significant (p = 0.152). This evidence supports the PKU European Guidelines cutoff that fruit and vegetables containing 76–100 mg phenylalanine/100 g should be calculated as part of the phenylalanine exchange system. Tolerance of the ‘free use’ of these fruits and vegetables depends on inter-patient variability but cannot be recommended for all patients with PKU.</jats:p

Sleep spindles provide indirect support to the consolidation of emotional encoding contexts

Emotional memories tend to be strengthened ahead of neutral memories during sleep-dependent consolidation. In recent work, however, we found that this is not the case when emotion pertains to the contextual features of a memory instead of its central constructs, suggesting that emotional contexts are influenced by distinct properties of sleep. We therefore examined the sleep-specific mechanisms supporting representations of emotional context and asked whether these differ to those already implicated in central emotional memory processing, such as rapid eye movement sleep (REM). Participants encoded neutral foreground images that were each associated with an emotionally negative or neutral background (context) image. Immediate and delayed tests for the emotionality of the foreground/background image association were separated by a 4-h consolidation period, which consisted of either total wakefulness or included a 2-h polysomnographically monitored nap. Although memory for negative contexts was not associated with REM, or any other parameter of sleep, sleep spindles (12–15 Hz) predicted increased forgetting and slowed response times for neutral contexts. Together with prior work linking spindles to emotional memory processing, our data may suggest that spindles provide multi-layered support to emotionally salient memories in sleep, with the nature of such effects depending on whether the emotionality of these memories pertains to their central or contextual features. Therefore, whereas spindles may mediate a direct strengthening of central emotional information, as suggested in prior work, they may also provide concurrent indirect support to emotional contexts by working to suppress non-salient neutral contexts