The 2011 Eruption of the Recurrent Nova T Pyxidis; the Discovery, the Pre-eruption Rise, the Pre-eruption Orbital Period, and the Reason for the Long Delay

We report the discovery by M. Linnolt on JD 2455665.7931 (UT 2011 April 14.29) of the sixth eruption of the recurrent nova T Pyxidis. This discovery was made just as the initial fast rise was starting, so with fast notification and response by observers worldwide, the entire initial rise was covered (the first for any nova), and with high time resolution in three filters. The speed of the rise peaked at 9 mag/day, while the light curve is well fit over only the first two days by a model with a uniformly expanding sphere. We also report the discovery by R. Stubbings of a pre-eruption rise starting 18 days before the eruption, peaking 1.1 mag brighter than its long-time average, and then fading back towards quiescence 4 days before the eruption. This unique and mysterious behavior is only the fourth known anticipatory rise closely spaced before a nova eruption. We present 19 timings of photometric minima from 1986 to February 2011, where the orbital period is fast increasing with P/dot{P}=313,000 yrs. From 2008-2011, T Pyx had a small change in this rate of increase, so that the orbital period at the time of eruption was 0.07622950+-0.00000008 days. This strong and steady increase of the orbital period can only come from mass transfer, for which we calculate a rate of 1.7-3.5x10^-7 Mo/yr. We report 6116 magnitudes between 1890 and 2011, for an average B=15.59+-0.01 from 1967-2011, which allows for an eruption in 2011 if the blue flux is nearly proportional to the accretion rate. The ultraviolet-optical-infrared spectral energy distribution is well fit by a power law with flux proportional to nu^1.0, although the narrow ultraviolet region has a tilt with a fit of \nu^{1/3}. We prove that most of the T Pyx light is not coming from a disk, or any superposition of blackbodies, but rather is coming from some nonthermal source.Comment: ApJ submitted, 62 pages, 8 figures; much added data, updated analysi

Gendered endings: Narratives of male and female suicides in the South African Lowveld

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11013-012-9258-y. Copyright @ Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012.Durkheim’s classical theory of suicide rates being a negative index of social solidarity downplays the salience of gendered concerns in suicide. But gendered inequalities have had a negative impact: worldwide significantly more men than women perpetrate fatal suicides. Drawing on narratives of 52 fatal suicides in Bushbuckridge, South Africa, this article suggests that Bourdieu’s concepts of ‘symbolic violence’ and ‘masculine domination’ provide a more appropriate framework for understanding this paradox. I show that the thwarting of investments in dominant masculine positions have been the major precursor to suicides by men. Men tended to take their own lives as a means of escape. By contrast, women perpetrated suicide to protest against the miserable consequences of being dominated by men. However, contra the assumption of Bourdieu’s concept of ‘habitus’, the narrators of suicide stories did reflect critically upon gender constructs

The Musashi 1 Controls the Splicing of Photoreceptor-Specific Exons in the Vertebrate Retina

Alternative pre-mRNA splicing expands the coding capacity of eukaryotic genomes, potentially enabling a limited number of genes to govern the development of complex anatomical structures. Alternative splicing is particularly prevalent in the vertebrate nervous system, where it is required for neuronal development and function. Here, we show that photoreceptor cells, a type of sensory neuron, express a characteristic splicing program that affects a broad set of transcripts and is initiated prior to the development of the light sensing outer segments. Surprisingly, photoreceptors lack prototypical neuronal splicing factors and their splicing profile is driven to a significant degree by the Musashi 1 (MSI1) protein. A striking feature of the photoreceptor splicing program are exons that display a switch-like pattern of high inclusion levels in photoreceptors and near complete exclusion outside of the retina. Several ubiquitously expressed genes that are involved in the biogenesis and function of primary cilia produce highly photoreceptor specific isoforms through use of such “switchlike” exons. Our results suggest a potential role for alternative splicing in the development of photoreceptors and the conversion of their primary cilia to the light sensing outer segments

Cervical spine reposition errors after cervical flexion and extension

BACKGROUND: Upright head and neck position has been frequently applied as baseline for diagnosis of neck problems. However, the variance of the position after cervical motions has never been demonstrated. Thus, it is unclear if the baseline position varies evenly across the cervical joints. The purpose was to assess reposition errors of upright cervical spine. METHODS: Cervical reposition errors were measured in twenty healthy subjects (6 females) using video-fluoroscopy. Two flexion movements were performed with a 20 s interval, the same was repeated for extension, with an interval of 5 min between flexion and extension movements. Cervical joint positions were assessed with anatomical landmarks and external markers in a Matlab program. Reposition errors were extracted in degrees (initial position minus reposition) as constant errors (CEs) and absolute errors (AEs). RESULTS: Twelve of twenty-eight CEs (7 joints times 4 repositions) exceeded the minimal detectable change (MDC), while all AEs exceeded the MDC. Averaged AEs across the cervical joints were larger after 5 min’ intervals compared to 20 s intervals (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to demonstrate single joint reposition errors of the cervical spine. The cervical spine returns to the upright positions with a 2° average absolute difference after cervical flexion and extension movements in healthy adults. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12891-017-1454-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Confirmation Bias in der Bewertung von Personalauswahlmethoden

Die vieldiskutierte Diskrepanz zwischen Forschung und Praxis zeigt sich in der Personalauswahl u. a. in einer geringen Verbreitung sehr valider Auswahlmethoden. Eine wichtige Ursache hierfür mag darin liegen, dass Informationen über Auswahlmethoden in der Praxis in selektiver Weise verarbeitet werden. In zwei Online-Experimenten wird untersucht, inwieweit die Verarbeitung von Informationen über Intelligenztests und strukturierte Einstellungsinterviews, durch Menschen, die beruflich mit der Personalauswahl zu tun haben, einem Confirmation Bias unterliegt. Beide Studien belegen den Confirmation Bias. Die untersuchten Personen präferieren Informationen, die ihre Voreinstellung zu beiden Methoden unterstützen. Zudem erscheinen ihnen Informationen über beide Personalauswahlmethoden glaubwürdiger, überzeugender und nützlicher, wenn sie der eigenen Einstellung entsprechen.The highly discussed discrepancy between science and practice emerges in personnel selection, among other things, in the low distribution of very valid selection methods. An important reason for this might be that information about selection methods is processed selectively. Two online experiments investigate the extent of confirmation bias in the processing of information about intelligence tests and structured interviews by those involved in personnel selection. Both studies provide evidence of confirmation bias. The participants prefer information that supports their preconceptions about both methods. In addition, information about both personnel selection methods appears more credible, convincing, and useful to them if it corresponds to their own attitudes

Clinical management and outcome of adult patients with extracorporeal life support device–associated intracerebral hemorrhage—a neurocritical perspective and grading

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a devastating complication in patients treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) due to respiratory or cardiac issues. Neurosurgical evaluation and management of such cases has only insufficiently been studied. We conducted a retrospective, cohort study of adult patients treated with ECMO between January 2007 and January 2017 in a tertiary healthcare center. Demographics, clinical data, coagulation status, ICH characteristics, and treatment modalities were analyzed. The primary outcome parameter was defined as mortality caused by ICH during ECMO. 525 patients with ECMO therapy were eligible for analysis. An overall incidence for any type of intracranial bleeding of 12.3% was found. Small hemorrhages accounted for 6.4% and acute subdural and epidural hematoma for 1.2%. Twenty-four (4.6%) patients developed ICH, and 11 patients (46%) died due to the ICH. Mortality was significantly higher in patients with larger ICH volumes (86.8 +/- 34.8 ml vs 9.9 +/- 20.3 ml, p < 0.001), intraventricular hemorrhage (83% vs 8%, p = 0.01), and a fluid level inside the ICH (75% vs 31%, p = 0.04). All patients were classified according to the bleeding pattern on the initial CT scan into 3 types. Patients with type 1 bleeding were statistically more likely to die (p < 0.001). In 15 out of 24 patients (63%), correction of the coagulation status was possible within 12 h after ICH onset. Seven out of 9 patients (78%) without early coagulation correction died compared to 2 out of 15 patients (13%), in whom early coagulation correction was successful (p = 0.01). This is the first study evaluating the course and management of patients experiencing an ICH under ECMO therapy and establishing an ICH classification based on the bleeding patterns. Early correction of the coagulation is of paramount importance in the treatment of these patients

Physiotherapists’ validating and invalidating communication before and after participating in brief cognitive functional therapy training : Test of concept study

AbstractObjective: The aim of this study was to investigate physiotherapists’ validating and invalidating communication, before and after brief Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT) training that included a session on validation skills. Associations between validation/invalidation and the characteristics of the interviews and physiotherapists were also explored.Methods: Eighteen physiotherapists treating patients with low back pain participated in the study. The study had a within-group design in which validation and invalidation for physiotherapists were rated before and after training using a reliable observational scale. We also collected data on interview length and physiotherapists’ and patients’ speech percentages.Results: The physiotherapists’ validating responses increased and invalidating responses decreased from pre- to post-training. The within-group effect size was large for validating responses and medium for invalidating responses. The interview length increased from pre- to post-training (large effect size). However, the reason for this was related to factors other than validation and invalidation. The results indicate that increased validation is associated with an increase in physiotherapists’ speech percentage.Conclusions: The results of this study show changes in validating and invalidating communication among physiotherapists from pre- to post-CFT training. The study also found associations between specific interview characteristics and validating communication. Future studies with larger samples and control groups are needed.Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate physiotherapists’ validating and invalidating communication, before and after brief Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT) training that included a session on validation skills. Associations between validation/invalidation and the characteristics of the interviews and physiotherapists were also explored. Methods: Eighteen physiotherapists treating patients with low back pain participated in the study. The study had a within-group design in which validation and invalidation for physiotherapists were rated before and after training using a reliable observational scale. We also collected data on interview length and physiotherapists’ and patients’ speech percentages. Results: The physiotherapists’ validating responses increased and invalidating responses decreased from pre- to post-training. The within-group effect size was large for validating responses and medium for invalidating responses. The interview length increased from pre- to post-training (large effect size). However, the reason for this was related to factors other than validation and invalidation. The results indicate that increased validation is associated with an increase in physiotherapists’ speech percentage. Conclusions: The results of this study show changes in validating and invalidating communication among physiotherapists from pre- to post-CFT training. The study also found associations between specific interview characteristics and validating communication. Future studies with larger samples and control groups are needed

Measurement of cervical grainy sandy patches, homogeneous yellow sandy patches, and abnormal blood vessels proportions in women with female genital schistosomiasis - a clinical validation study of a digital gridded imaging technique

Background: Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) is characterised by cervico-vaginal lesions such as grainy sandy patches, homogeneous yellow sandy patches, and abnormal blood vessels. Diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance of FGS presents challenges due to the absence of diagnostic tools in endemic areas. Likewise, a tool for quantification of the lesions is missing. This study aimed to validate the digital gridded imaging technique (DGIT) for quantification of three specific cervical lesion types associated with FGS.Methods: Using the QubiFier software program, 70 cervical photographic images obtained from women diagnosed with FGS and treated with Praziquantel (PZQ) were randomly sampled for a validation study. The women lived in a S. haematobium-endemic area of Madagascar. For each image, a semi-transparent grid was applied, composed of 424 equally sized squares positioned to cover the cervix. Squares exhibiting any of the specific lesions were marked by three observers to determine the grainy sandy patches proportion (GSP), homogeneous yellow sandy patches proportion (HSP), and abnormal blood vessel proportion (BVP). To train the observers, a set of ten images was utilized, leaving 60 images for the validation. To test inter-rater reliability, the 60 cervical images were scored independently by three observers. To test intra-rater reliability, ten images were scored twice with a two-week interval. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used as the main statistical method to assess the reliability between observers.Results: The median age of the included women was 26.5 (IQR 20.8-33.0) years, and 74% of them had detectable S. haematobium eggs in their urine. The three proportions were found to be consistent and reliable across the observers, as well as the rescoring on Days 0 and 14. Inter-rater reliability was good for all three cervical lesion types (ICC 0.768-0.890). Intra-rater reliability was good for GSP (ICC 0.832) and excellent for HSP and BVP (ICC 0.932 and 0.982, respectively).Conclusion: In this study DGIT was validated as a potential morbidity detection method for quantification of the three lesion types associated with FGS

Investigation of marine temperature changes across temporal and spatial Gradients: Providing a fundament for studies on the effects of warming on marine ecosystem function and biodiversity

A current critical issue in climate change studies is how temperature changes and shifts on different spatial and temporal scales can affect organisms in terms of trends, variability and frequency of extremes. In this paper, we analysed marine temperature data on different temporal and spatial scales. We related the sea surface temperature data from the Helgoland Roads Time Series, one of the most important and detailed long-term in situ marine ecological time series, to the Sylt Roads, North Sea, Germany, Europe, North Atlantic and Northern Hemisphere surface temperatures. All time series showed a distinct upwards shift in temperature in the late 1980s, early 1990s, with positive trends in overall for the period between 1962 and 2019 ranging from 1 to 2 °C over 57 years. We quantified changes in temperature variability by comparing the years before and after 1990, on both long-term and seasonal scales. At Helgoland and Sylt, an increase in the number of warmer days in summer and a decrease in extremely cold days in winter are the new characteristics of the temperature pattern after 1990; higher than expected temperatures now also occur earlier during the year. For these locations, we observed the highest trends overall, i.e. of around 0.3 °C/decade. The observed bimodal shape of the probability density functions, characterized by winter and summer modes, had become more heterogeneous, with the cold mode peak moving to higher values and the steepness to the peak increasing, which is a consequence of a decrease in extremely cold days. North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) large-scale phenomena had no significant correlations or, for the NAO, were limited to the winter season at the regional and local scales. The closest landmass (mainland Germany) temperature was highly correlated with the North Sea sites. Taken together, our results suggest that marine pelagic ecosystems and their species are subject to temperature shifts with similar patterns but with variations in magnitude at the different scales. Temperature is one of the main drivers of species diversity and distribution, and this manifests on different spatial and temporal scales depending on population growth, life stages, cycles and habitat. Accordingly, we here present the temperature changes on the appropriate spatio-temporal scales, and thus provide the suitable and useful fundament for studies on the effects of warming on marine ecosystem function and biodiversity

Pheno- and Genotyping of Three Novel Bacteriophage Genera That Target a Wheat Phyllosphere Sphingomonas Genus

Bacteriophages are viral agents that infect and replicate within bacterial cells. Despite the increasing importance of phage ecology, environmental phages&mdash;particularly those targeting phyllosphere-associated bacteria&mdash;remain underexplored, and current genomic databases lack high-quality phage genome sequences linked to specific environmentally important bacteria, such as the ubiquitous sphingomonads. Here, we isolated three novel phages from a Danish wastewater treatment facility. Notably, these phages are among the first discovered to target and regulate a Sphingomonas genus within the wheat phyllosphere microbiome. Two of the phages displayed a non-prolate Siphovirus morphotype and demonstrated a narrow host range when tested against additional Sphingomonas strains. Intergenomic studies revealed limited nucleotide sequence similarity within the isolated phage genomes and to publicly available metagenome data of their closest relatives. Particularly intriguing was the limited homology observed between the DNA polymerase encoding genes of the isolated phages and their closest relatives. Based on these findings, we propose three newly identified genera of viruses: Longusvirus carli, Vexovirus birtae, and Molestusvirus kimi, following the latest ICTV binomial nomenclature for virus species. These results contribute to our current understanding of phage genetic diversity in natural environments and hold promising implications for phage applications in phyllosphere microbiome manipulation strategies