Trends in Depressed Mood and Suicidal Behaviors Among Female High School Students Who Engaged in Physical Fighting

The objective of this article is to identify prevalence changes in depressed mood/suicidal behaviors among female high school students reporting physical fighting. This research analyzed the national combined data set of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) cross-sectional surveys from 2001 to 2015. Logistic regression analyzed the time trends. Two multiple logistic regression models were built. A quadratic trend was present with an initial decrease followed by an increase 2009 to 2015 (p < .001). The odds and severity of depressed mood/suicidal behaviors were greater among female youths with four or more fights and for other violent events, which were even greater when accounting for electronic bullying. The odds of depressed mood/suicidal behaviors among female adolescents engaged in physical fighting has been increasing with electronic bullying contributing to polyvictimization

Effect of Kisspeptin on Regulation of Growth Hormone

Kisspeptin ( KP ), a neuroendocrine regulator of reproduction, is hypothesized to be an integrator of metabolism and hormones critical to the regulation of reproduction. Lactation is associated with enhanced growth hormone (GH) responsiveness and reduced fertility. Our study was designed to determine the effects of lactation on KP-stimulated GH and luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion. Five non-lactating and five lactating dairy cows were used in the study. Experiments were conducted with lactating cows at weeks 1, 5 and 11 after parturition. The experimental treatments ( saline and KP [100 and 400 pmol / kg body weight]) were given intravenously and blood was collected and plasma was stored until later assay to determine concentrations of GH, LH, progesterone and non-esterified fatty acids. We found that neither dose of KP stimulated an increase in GH secretion. The low dose of KP increased (P \u3c0. 05) LH concentrations only in lactating cows. The higher dose of KP elicited an increase in circulating LH concentrations in both lactating and non-lactating cows. The lower dose of KP increased (P \u3c 0. 05) the area under the curve for LH only in cows during week 5 of lactation, and the area under the curve of LH following the highest dose of KP was greater (P \u3c 0. 05) in cows during week 5 of lactation than that for the other groups of cows. In summary, lactation status and stage of lactation did not change the sensitivity of the GH system to KP. However, an effect of stage of lactation on KP-stimulated LH secretion was detected in the dairy cows. Study of the KP system during lactation in dairy cows may provide critical insights into the mechanisms for lactation associated changes in the reproductive axis

The Mass and Structure of the Pleiades Star Cluster from 2MASS

We present the results of a large scale search for new members of the Pleiades star cluster using 2MASS near-infrared photometry and proper motions derived from POSS plates digitized by the USNO PMM program. The search extends to a 10 degree radius around the cluster, well beyond the presumed tidal radius, to a limiting magnitude of R ~ 20, corresponding to ~ 0.07 M_sun at the distance and age of the Pleiades. Multi-object spectroscopy for 528 candidates verifies that the search was extremely effective at detecting cluster stars in the 1 - 0.1 M_sun mass range using the distribution of H_alpha emission strengths as an estimate of sample contamination by field stars. When combined with previously identified, higher mass stars, this search provides a sensitive measurement of the stellar mass function and dynamical structure of the Pleiades. The degree of tidal elongation of the halo agrees well with current N body simulation results. Tidal truncation affects masses below ~ 1 M_sun. The cluster contains a total mass ~ 800 M_sun. Evidence for a flatter mass function in the core than in the halo indicates the depletion of stars in the core with mass less than ~ 0.5 M_sun, relative to stars with mass \~1 - 0.5 M_sun, and implies a preference for very low mass objects to populate the halo or escape. The overall mass function is best fitted with a lognormal form that becomes flat at ~ 0.1 M_sun. Whether sufficient dynamical evaporation has occurred to detectably flatten the initial mass function, via preferential escape of very low mass stars and brown dwarfs, is undetermined, pending better membership information for stars at large radial distances.Comment: 19 pages, 14 figures, 2 tables, accepted by AJ, to appear April 200

Exploring structural variation and gene family architecture with De Novo assemblies of 15 Medicago genomes

Abstract Background Previous studies exploring sequence variation in the model legume, Medicago truncatula, relied on mapping short reads to a single reference. However, read-mapping approaches are inadequate to examine large, diverse gene families or to probe variation in repeat-rich or highly divergent genome regions. De novo sequencing and assembly of M. truncatula genomes enables near-comprehensive discovery of structural variants (SVs), analysis of rapidly evolving gene families, and ultimately, construction of a pan-genome. Results Genome-wide synteny based on 15 de novo M. truncatula assemblies effectively detected different types of SVs indicating that as much as 22% of the genome is involved in large structural changes, altogether affecting 28% of gene models. A total of 63 million base pairs (Mbp) of novel sequence was discovered, expanding the reference genome space for Medicago by 16%. Pan-genome analysis revealed that 42% (180 Mbp) of genomic sequences is missing in one or more accession, while examination of de novo annotated genes identified 67% (50,700) of all ortholog groups as dispensable – estimates comparable to recent studies in rice, maize and soybean. Rapidly evolving gene families typically associated with biotic interactions and stress response were found to be enriched in the accession-specific gene pool. The nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) family, in particular, harbors the highest level of nucleotide diversity, large effect single nucleotide change, protein diversity, and presence/absence variation. However, the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) and heat shock gene families are disproportionately affected by large effect single nucleotide changes and even higher levels of copy number variation. Conclusions Analysis of multiple M. truncatula genomes illustrates the value of de novo assemblies to discover and describe structural variation, something that is often under-estimated when using read-mapping approaches. Comparisons among the de novo assemblies also indicate that different large gene families differ in the architecture of their structural variation

Adsorption of para-Hydrogen on Krypton pre-plated graphite

Adsorption of para-Hydrogen on the surface of graphite pre-plated with a single layer of atomic krypton is studied thoretically by means of Path Integral Ground State Monte Carlo simulations. We compute energetics and density profiles of para-hydrogen, and determine the structure of the adsorbed film for various coverages. Results show that there are two thermodynamically stable monolayer phases of para-hydrogen, both solid. One is commensurate with the krypton layer, the other is incommensurate. No evidence is seen of a thermodynamically stable liquid phase, at zero temperature. These results are qualitatively similar to what is seen for for para-hydrogen on bare graphite. Quantum exchanges of hydrogen molecules are suppressed in this system.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, to appear in the proceedings of "Advances in Computational Many-Body Physics", Banff, Alberta (Canada), January 13-16 200

Gridded and direct Epoch of Reionisation bispectrum estimates using the Murchison Widefield Array

We apply two methods to estimate the 21~cm bispectrum from data taken within the Epoch of Reionisation (EoR) project of the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA). Using data acquired with the Phase II compact array allows a direct bispectrum estimate to be undertaken on the multiple redundantly-spaced triangles of antenna tiles, as well as an estimate based on data gridded to the $uv$-plane. The direct and gridded bispectrum estimators are applied to 21 hours of high-band (167--197~MHz; $z$=6.2--7.5) data from the 2016 and 2017 observing seasons. Analytic predictions for the bispectrum bias and variance for point source foregrounds are derived. We compare the output of these approaches, the foreground contribution to the signal, and future prospects for measuring the bispectra with redundant and non-redundant arrays. We find that some triangle configurations yield bispectrum estimates that are consistent with the expected noise level after 10 hours, while equilateral configurations are strongly foreground-dominated. Careful choice of triangle configurations may be made to reduce foreground bias that hinders power spectrum estimators, and the 21~cm bispectrum may be accessible in less time than the 21~cm power spectrum for some wave modes, with detections in hundreds of hours.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in PAS

Berkeley Supernova Ia Program I: Observations, Data Reduction, and Spectroscopic Sample of 582 Low-Redshift Type Ia Supernovae

In this first paper in a series we present 1298 low-redshift (z\leq0.2) optical spectra of 582 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) observed from 1989 through 2008 as part of the Berkeley SN Ia Program (BSNIP). 584 spectra of 199 SNe Ia have well-calibrated light curves with measured distance moduli, and many of the spectra have been corrected for host-galaxy contamination. Most of the data were obtained using the Kast double spectrograph mounted on the Shane 3 m telescope at Lick Observatory and have a typical wavelength range of 3300-10,400 Ang., roughly twice as wide as spectra from most previously published datasets. We present our observing and reduction procedures, and we describe the resulting SN Database (SNDB), which will be an online, public, searchable database containing all of our fully reduced spectra and companion photometry. In addition, we discuss our spectral classification scheme (using the SuperNova IDentification code, SNID; Blondin & Tonry 2007), utilising our newly constructed set of SNID spectral templates. These templates allow us to accurately classify our entire dataset, and by doing so we are able to reclassify a handful of objects as bona fide SNe Ia and a few other objects as members of some of the peculiar SN Ia subtypes. In fact, our dataset includes spectra of nearly 90 spectroscopically peculiar SNe Ia. We also present spectroscopic host-galaxy redshifts of some SNe Ia where these values were previously unknown. [Abridged]Comment: 34 pages, 11 figures, 11 tables, revised version, re-submitted to MNRAS. Spectra will be released in January 2013. The SN Database homepage (http://hercules.berkeley.edu/database/index_public.html) contains the full tables, plots of all spectra, and our new SNID template

Atrial Fibrillation and Delayed Gastric Emptying

Background: Atrial fibrillation and delayed gastric emptying (DGE) are common after pancreaticoduodenectomy. Our aim was to investigate a potential relationship between atrial fibrillation and DGE, which we defined as failure to tolerate a regular diet by the 7 th postoperative day. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of 249 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy at our institution between 2000 and 2009. Data was analyzed with Fisher exact test for categorical variables and Mann-Whitney U or unpaired T-test for continuous variables. Results: Approximately 5 % of the 249 patients included in the analysis experienced at least one episode of postoperative atrial fibrillation. Median age of patients with atrial fibrillation was 74 years, compared with 66 years in patients without atrial fibrillation (p = 0.0005). Patients with atrial fibrillation were more likely to have a history of atrial fibrillation (p = 0.03). 92 % of the patients with atrial fibrillation suffered from DGE, compared to 46 % of patients without atrial fibrillation (p = 0.0007). This association held true when controlling for age. Conclusion: Patients with postoperative atrial fibrillation are more likely to experience delayed gastric emptying. Interventions to manage delayed gastric function might be prudent in patients at high risk for postoperative atrial fibrillation

Production properties of K*(892) vector mesons and their spin alignment as measured in the NOMAD experiment

First measurements of K*(892) mesons production properties and their spin alignment in nu_mu charged current (CC) and neutral current (NC) interactions are presented. The analysis of the full data sample of the NOMAD experiment is performed in different kinematic regions. For K*+ and K*- mesons produced in nu_mu CC interactions and decaying into K0 pi+/- we have found the following yields per event: (2.6 +/- 0.2 (stat.) +/- 0.2 (syst.))% and (1.6 +/- 0.1 (stat.) +/- 0.1 (syst.))% respectively, while for the K*+ and K*- mesons produced in nu NC interactions the corresponding yields per event are: (2.5 +/- 0.3 (stat.) +/- 0.3 (syst.))% and (1.0 +/- 0.3 (stat.) +/- 0.2 (syst.))%. The results obtained for the rho00 parameter, 0.40 +/- 0.06 (stat) +/- 0.03 (syst) and 0.28 +/- 0.07 (stat) +/- 0.03 (syst) for K*+ and K*- produced in nu_mu CC interactions, are compared to theoretical predictions tuned on LEP measurements in e+e- annihilation at the Z0 pole. For K*+ mesons produced in nu NC interactions the measured rho00 parameter is 0.66 +/- 0.10 (stat) +/- 0.05 (syst).Comment: 20 p

Comparison of the clinical and economic outcomes between open and minimally invasive appendectomy and colectomy: evidence from a large commercial payer database

Background: Appendectomy and colectomy are commonly performed surgical procedures. Despite evidence demonstrating advantages with the minimally invasive surgical (MIS) approach, open procedures occur with greater prevalence. Therefore, there is still controversy as to whether the MIS approach is safer or more cost effective. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed using a large commercial payer database. The data included information on 7,532 appendectomies and 2,745 colectomies. Data on the distribution of patient demographic and comorbidity characteristics associated with the MIS and open approaches were reviewed. The corresponding complication rates and expenditures were analyzed. Summary statistics were compared using chi-square tests, and generalized linear models were constructed to estimate expenditures while controlling for patient characteristics. Results: The patients undergoing MIS and open colectomy showed no significant variations in age distribution or marginal age differences for appendectomy. Significantly more patients experienced an infection postoperatively, and procedure-specific complications were more common in the open group for both procedures (P < 0.05). The postsurgical hospital stay was longer for the patients treated using the open techniques, differing an average of half a day for appendectomies and significantly more (4 days) for colectomy (P < 0.05). Readmission rates differed little between the two approaches. Procedures performed through an MIS approach were associated with lower expenditures than for the open technique, with differences ranging from $700 for appendectomy patients (P < 0.05) to$15,200 for colectomy patients (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Minimally invasive appendectomy and colectomy were associated with lower infection rates, fewer complications, shorter hospital stays, and lower expenditures than open surgery