Editorial: Age-Based Stereotype Threat Effects on Performance Outcomes

Editorial on the Research Topic. Age-Based Stereotype Threat Effects on Performance Outcomes

CD4 count recovery following initiation of HIV antiretroviral therapy in older childhood and adolescence.

OBJECTIVE To investigate CD4 cell count recovery following ART initiation in perinatally HIV-infected children diagnosed in later childhood. DESIGN Observational prospective cohort study of newly diagnosed children aged 6-15 in Harare, Zimbabwe. METHODS Participants were enrolled into a cohort at seven primary healthcare clinics between January 2013 and January 2015. ART was initiated according to national guidelines and CD4 counts were performed 6-monthly over 18 months. The relationship between CD4 count and time on ART was investigated using regression analysis with fixed (population) and random (individual) effects, and age at ART initiation as a covariate. RESULTS Of the 307 participants who initiated ART, the median age at initiation was 11.7 years (interquartile range 9.6-13.8). The addition of an individual intercept and slope as random effects significantly improved the model fit compared to a fixed effects-only model. CD4 response (using a square root transformation) was best modelled using a 2-knot linear spline, with significant effects of time on ART and age at ART initiation. Younger children had a higher CD4 count at ART initiation (-17.9 cells/mm per year of age), an accelerated increase during the first three months on ART (-38.9 cells/mm per year of age at day 84), and a sustained higher CD4 count. CONCLUSIONS Earlier ART initiation in older children is associated with accelerated CD4 count recovery and lasting immune reconstitution. Our findings support WHO guidance recommending ART initiation in all children, irrespective of disease stage and CD4 count

Discovery of a White Dwarf Companion to HD 159062

We report on the discovery of a white dwarf companion to the nearby late G dwarf star, HD 159062. The companion is detected in 14 years of precise radial velocity (RV) data, and in high-resolution imaging observations. RVs of HD 159062 from 2003-2018 reveal an acceleration of $-13.3\pm0.12\ \rm{m s}^{-1}$, indicating that it hosts a companion with a long-period orbit. Subsequent imaging observations with the ShaneAO system on the Lick Observatory 3-meter Shane telescope, the PHARO AO system on the Palomar Observatory 5-meter telescope, and the NIRC2 AO system at the Keck II 10-meter telescope reveal a faint companion 2.7'' from the primary star. We performed relative photometry, finding $\Delta J = 10.09 \pm 0.38$ magnitudes, $\Delta K_{S} = 10.06 \pm 0.22$ magnitudes, and $\Delta L' = 9.67\pm0.08$ magnitudes for the companion from these observations. Analysis of the radial velocities, astrometry, and photometry reveals that the combined data set can only be reconciled for the scenario where HD 159062 B is a white dwarf. A full Bayesian analysis of the RV and imaging data to obtain the cooling age, mass, and orbital parameters of the white dwarf indicates that the companion is an old $M_{B} = 0.65^{+0.12}_{-0.04} M_{\odot}$ white dwarf with an orbital period of $P = 250^{+130}_{-76}$ years, and a cooling age of $\tau = 8.2^{+0.3}_{-0.5}$ Gyr.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure

Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to Evaluate Clinical Trials: An Example from Multisite Nursing Research

Background The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) is a comprehensive guide for determining the factors that affect successful implementation of complex interventions embedded in real-time clinical practice. Purpose The study aim was to understand implementation constructs in a multi-site translational research study on readiness for hospital discharge that distinguished study sites with low versus high implementation fidelity. Methods In this descriptive study, site Principal Investigator interviews (from 8 highest and 8 lowest fidelity sites) were framed with questions from 20 relevant CFIR constructs. Analysis used CFIR rules and rating scale (+2 to −2 per site) and memos created in NVivo 11. Findings From a bimodal distribution of differences (1.5 and 5), 7 constructs distinguished high and low fidelity sites with ≥5-point difference. Discussion CFIR provided a determinant framework for identifying elements of a study site\u27s context that impact implementation fidelity and clinical research outcomes

Epidemiology of Alcohol Misuse and Illicit Drug Use Among Young People Aged 15-24 Years in Fishing Communities in Uganda.

BACKGROUND: We determined the prevalence of and risk factors for alcohol misuse and illicit drug use among young Ugandans in fishing communities, a recognised "key population" for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among young people (15-24 years) in fishing communities in Koome, Uganda, in December 2017-July 2018. Using Audio-Assisted Self-Interviewing, we collected data on socio-demographic characteristics and alcohol use, including the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and timeline follow-back calendar (TLFB). Blood samples were analysed for HIV, herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV2), and Phosphatidyl ethanol (PEth 16:0/18:1). Urine samples were analysed for illicit drugs. RESULTS: Among 1281 participants (52.7% male, mean age 20 years), 659 (51.4%) reported ever drinking alcohol, 248 (19.4%) had 12-month-AUDIT ≥ 8, and 261 (20.5%) had whole-blood PEth 16:0/18:1 concentration ≥ 20 ng/mL, indicating significant consumption. In multivariable analyses, PEth 16:0/18:1 ≥ 20ng/mL, AUDIT ≥ 8 and binge drinking (≥6 standard drinks per drinking occasion in the previous month from TLFB) were all strongly associated with older age, low education, smoking, and HSV2. Illicit drug use prevalence was 5.2% and was associated with older age, low education, being single, and smoking. CONCLUSION: Levels of alcohol misuse were high among young people in fishing communities and associated with HSV2, a proxy for risky sexual behaviour. Alcohol and illicit drug harm reduction services and HIV prevention programs in Uganda should prioritise young fisherfolk

Research shapes policy: but the dynamics are subtle

Major policy initiatives such as the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) in the national contract for UK general practitioners might variably be informed by evidence at their inception, implementation and subsequent evolution. But what evidence gets admitted into these policy debates—and what is left out? Using QOF as an example, this article demonstrates what an analysis of the relationship between policy and the associated research can tell us about the underlying policy assumptions and about the role of evidence in policy debates

Observations of Reactive Gaseous Mercury in the Free Troposphere at the Mount Bachelor Observatory

We measured gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), particulate mercury (PHg), and reactive gaseous mercury (RGM), along with CO, ozone, and aerosol scatter at the Mount Bachelor Observatory (2.7 km above sea level), Oregon, from May to August 2005. The mean mercury concentrations (at standard conditions) were 1.54 ng/m3 (GEM), 5.2 pg/m3 (PHg), and 43 pg/m3 (RGM). RGM enhancements, up to 600 pg/m3, occurred at night and were linked to a diurnal pattern of upslope and downslope flows that mixed in boundary layer air during the day and free tropospheric air at night. During the night, RGM was inversely correlated (P < 0.0001) with CO (r = −0.36), GEM (r = −0.73), and H2O (r = −0.44), was positively correlated with ozone (r = 0.38), and could not be linked to recent anthropogenic emissions from local sources or long-range transport. Principal component analysis and a composite of change in RGM versus change in GEM during RGM enhancements indicate that a nearly quantitative shift in speciation is associated with increases in ozone and decreases in water vapor and CO. This argues that high concentrations of RGM are present in the free troposphere because of in situ oxidation of GEM to RGM. A global chemical transport model reproduces the RGM mean and diurnal pattern but underestimates the magnitude of the largest observed enhancements. Since the only modeled, in situ RGM production mechanisms are oxidation of GEM by ozone and OH, this implies that there are faster reaction rates or additional RGM production mechanisms in the free troposphere.Earth and Planetary SciencesEngineering and Applied Science

Updated Parameters and a New Transmission Spectrum of HD 97658b

Recent years have seen increasing interest in the characterization of sub-Neptune-sized planets because of their prevalence in the Galaxy, contrasted with their absence in our solar system. HD 97658 is one of the brightest stars hosting a planet of this kind, and we present the transmission spectrum of this planet by combining four Hubble Space Telescope transits, 12 Spitzer/IRAC transits, and eight MOST transits of this system. Our transmission spectrum has a higher signal-to-noise ratio than those from previous works, and the result suggests that the slight increase in transit depth from wavelength 1.1–1.7 μm reported in previous works on the transmission spectrum of this planet is likely systematic. Nonetheless, our atmospheric modeling results are inconclusive, as no model provides an excellent match to our data. Nonetheless, we find that atmospheres with high C/O ratios (C/O ≳ 0.8) and metallicities of ≳100× solar metallicity are favored. We combine the mid-transit times from all of the new Spitzer and MOST observations and obtain an updated orbital period of P = 9.489295 ± 0.000005, with a best-fit transit time center at T₀ = 2456361.80690 ± 0.00038 (BJD). No transit timing variations are found in this system. We also present new measurements of the stellar rotation period (34 ± 2 days) and stellar activity cycle (9.6 yr) of the host star HD 97658. Finally, we calculate and rank the Transmission Spectroscopy Metric of all confirmed planets cooler than 1000 K and with sizes between 1 R⊕ and 4 R⊕. We find that at least a third of small planets cooler than 1000 K can be well characterized using James Webb Space Telescope, and of those, HD 97658b is ranked fifth, meaning that it remains a high-priority target for atmospheric characterization