Digitizing observations from the Met Office Daily Weather Reports for 1900–1910 using citizen scientist volunteers

We describe the digitization of 1.8 million sub‐daily and daily weather observations which were recorded in the UK Met Office Daily Weather Reports during the 1900–1910 period. The data were rescued from scanned images of the original documents by 2,148 volunteer citizen scientists using the weatherrescue.org website. The rescued observations include dry and wet bulb temperatures, daily maximum and minimum temperatures, daily rainfall amounts and sub‐daily sea‐level pressure from 72 different locations across western Europe. These observations will be used to fill gaps in existing pressure, temperature and rainfall records and are one of the largest recoveries of weather data by citizen scientists. The value of these additional observations is highlighted by comparing the pressure observations to the Twentieth Century Reanalysis version 3 ensemble for some specific case studies

Transient expression analysis of allelic variants of a VNTR in the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1)

BACKGROUND: The 10-repeat allele of a variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism in the 3'-untranslated region of the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) has been associated with a range of psychiatric phenotypes, most notably attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The mechanism for this association is not yet understood, although several lines of evidence implicate variation in gene expression. In this study we have characterised the genomic structure of the 9- and 10-repeat VNTR alleles, and directly examined the role of the polymorphism in mediating gene expression by measuring comparative in vitro cellular expression using a reporter-gene assay system. RESULTS: Differences in the sequence of the 9- and 10- repeat alleles were confirmed but no polymorphic differences were observed between individuals. There was no difference in expression of reporter gene constructs containing the two alleles. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggests that this VNTR polymorphism may not have a direct effect on DAT1 expression and that the associations observed with psychiatric phenotypes may be mediated via linkage disequilibrium with other functional polymorphisms

Cooling of the Cassiopeia A neutron star and the effect of diffusive nuclear burning

The study of how neutron stars cool over time can provide invaluable insights into fundamental physics such as the nuclear equation of state and superconductivity and superfluidity. A critical relation in neutron star cooling is the one between observed surface temperature and interior temperature. This relation is determined by the composition of the neutron star envelope and can be influenced by the process of diffusive nuclear burning (DNB). We calculate models of envelopes that include DNB and find that DNB can lead to a rapidly changing envelope composition which can be relevant for understanding the long-term cooling behavior of neutron stars. We also report on analysis of the latest temperature measurements of the young neutron star in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant. The 13 Chandra observations over 18 years show that the neutron star's temperature is decreasing at a rate of 2-3 percent per decade, and this rapid cooling can be explained by the presence of a proton superconductor and neutron superfluid in the core of the star.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures; to appear in the AIP Conference Proceedings of the Xiamen-CUSTIPEN Workshop on the EOS of Dense Neutron-Rich Matter in the Era of Gravitational Wave Astronomy (January 3-7, 2019, Xiamen, China

Can the palatability of healthy, satiety-promoting foods increase with repeated exposure during weight loss?

Repeated exposure to sugary, fatty, and salty foods often enhances their appeal. However, it is unknown if exposure influences learned palatability of foods typically promoted as part of a healthy diet. We tested whether the palatability of pulse containing foods provided during a weight loss intervention which were particularly high in fiber and low in energy density would increase with repeated exposure. At weeks 0, 3, and 6, participants (n = 42; body mass index (BMI) 31.2 ± 4.3 kg/m²) were given a test battery of 28 foods, approximately half which had been provided as part of the intervention, while the remaining half were not foods provided as part of the intervention. In addition, about half of each of the foods (provided as part or not provided as part of the intervention) contained pulses. Participants rated the taste, appearance, odor, and texture pleasantness of each food, and an overall flavor pleasantness score was calculated as the mean of these four scores. Linear mixed model analyses showed an exposure type by week interaction effect for taste, texture and overall flavor pleasantness indicating statistically significant increases in ratings of provided foods in taste and texture from weeks 0 to 3 and 0 to 6, and overall flavor from weeks 0 to 6. Repeated exposure to these foods, whether they contained pulses or not, resulted in a ~4% increase in pleasantness ratings. The long-term clinical relevance of this small increase requires further study.T32 AT000815 - NCCIH NIH HH

Exercise motivation: a cross-sectional analysis examining its relationships with frequency, intensity, and duration of exercise

BACKGROUND: It is important to engage in regular physical activity in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle however a large portion of the population is insufficiently active. Understanding how different types of motivation contribute to exercise behavior is an important first step in identifying ways to increase exercise among individuals. The current study employs self-determination theory as a framework from which to examine how motivation contributes to various characteristics of exercise behavior. METHODS: Regular exercisers (N = 1079; n = 468 males; n = 612 females) completed inventories which assessed the frequency, intensity, and duration with which they exercise, as well as the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire including four additional items assessing integrated regulation. RESULTS: Bivariate correlations revealed that all three behavioral indices (frequency, intensity, and duration of exercise) were more highly correlated with more autonomous than controlling regulations. Regression analyses revealed that integrated and identified regulations predicted exercise frequency for males and females. Integrated regulation was found to be the only predictor of exercise duration across both genders. Finally, introjected regulation predicted exercise intensity for females only. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that exercise regulations that vary in their degree of internalization can differentially predict characteristics of exercise behavior. Furthermore, in the motivational profile of a regular exerciser, integrated regulation appears to be an important determinant of exercise behavior. These results highlight the importance of assessing integrated regulation in exercise settings where the goal of understanding motivated behavior has important health implications

Acute treatment of stroke (except thrombectomy)

Purpose of Review: The management of patients with acute stroke has been revolutionized in recent years with the advent of new effective treatments. In this rapidly evolving field, we provide an update on the management of acute stroke excluding thrombectomy, looking to recent, ongoing, and future trials.Recent Findings: Large definitive trials have provided insight into acute stroke care including broadening the therapeutic window for thrombolysis, alternatives to standard dose alteplase, the use of dual antiplatelet therapy early after minor ischemic stroke, and treating elevated blood pressure in intracerebral hemorrhage. Further ongoing and future trials are eagerly awaited in this ever-expanding area.Summary: Although definitive trials have led to improvements in acute stroke care, there remains a need for further research to improve our understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms underlying different stroke types with the potential for treatments to be tailored to the individual

The role of teleconnection patterns in the variability and trends of growing season indices across Europe

Teleconnection patterns affect the weather and climate on both interannual and decadal timescales which in turn affects various socio-economic sectors such as agriculture. We use three climate indices based on E-OBS data from the INDECIS dataset (growing season onset [ogs10], growing season rainfall [gsr] and growing season temperature [ta_o]) to assess the interannual variability and trends over 1950–2017 associated with four teleconnection patterns (North Atlantic Oscillation [NAO], East Atlantic pattern [EA], Scandinavian pattern [SCA] and East Atlantic/West Russia pattern [EAWR]) using linear regression to extract the signal of each teleconnection pattern and their contribution to interannual variability. Trends towards an earlier growing season onset are found across most of Europe in low-lying regions. The NAO dominates interannual variability in northwest Europe where an NAO index of 1 is associated with earlier ogs10 of about 10 days and the EA dominates the continent with a trend towards the positive EA phase driving an earlier growing season onset of 1.1–1.7 days·decade−1 in five regions (Great Britain and Ireland, France, Italy, Poland and North Germany, Hungary, Balkans). The EA and SCA gsr signals have north/south splits of orientation: positive EA is linked to increased gsr in northern regions and reduced gsr in southern Europe, and vice versa for SCA. Correlations between gsr interannual variability and the teleconnection contributions are strongest in the Mediterranean regions and south Scandinavia with maxima of 0.41 and 0.46, respectively. Decreasing ta_o trends in Romania are explained by poor data coverage causing problems with the EOBS gridding algorithm when new stations are incorporated from 1961. The net effect is that Romanian ta_o is about 1.5°C cooler than expected compared to trends from surrounding countries. Improved spatial and temporal data coverage will benefit the EOBS dataset and prevent such erroneous trends