Changes in the mode of travel to work and the severity of depressive symptoms: a longitudinal analysis of UK Biobank.

Although commuting provides an opportunity for incorporating physical activity into daily routines, little is known about the effect of active commuting upon depressive symptoms. This study aimed to determine whether changes in commute mode are associated with differences in the severity of depressive symptoms in working adults. Commuters were selected from the UK Biobank cohort if they completed ≥2 assessment centre visits between 2006 and 2016. Modes of travel to work were self-reported at each visit. Participants were categorised as 'inactive' (car only) or 'active' commuters (any other mode(s), including walking, cycling and public transport). Transitions between categories were defined between pairs of visits. The severity of depressive symptoms was defined using the two-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2). Scores were derived between zero and six. Higher values indicate more severe symptoms. Separate analyses were conducted in commuters who were asymptomatic (zero score) and symptomatic (non-zero score) at baseline. The analytical sample comprised 5474 participants aged 40-75 at baseline with a mean follow-up of 4.65 years. Asymptomatic commuters who transitioned from inactive to active commuting reported less severe symptoms at follow-up than those who remained inactive (β -0.10, 95% CI [-0.20, 0.00]; N = 3145). A similar but non-significant relationship is evident among commuters with pre-existing symptoms (β -0.60, 95% CI [-1.27, 0.08]; N = 1078). After adjusting for transition category, longer commutes at baseline were associated with worse depressive symptoms at follow-up among symptomatic participants. Shifting from exclusive car use towards more active commuting may help prevent and attenuate depressive symptoms in working adults

Community-acquired pneumonia in children: cell-free plasma sequencing for diagnosis and management.

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common cause of pediatric hospital admission. Empiric antibiotic therapy for hospitalized children with serious CAP now targets the most likely pathogen(s), including those that may demonstrate significant antibiotic resistance. Cell-free plasma next-generation sequencing (CFPNGS) was first made available for Pediatric Infectious Diseases physicians in June 1, 2017, to supplement standard-of-care diagnostic techniques. A retrospective chart review was performed for children hospitalized with CAP between June 1, 2017, and January 22, 2018, to evaluate the impact of CFPNGS. We identified 15 hospitalized children with CAP without other underlying medical conditions for whom CFPNGS was performed. CFPNGS identified a pathogen in 13 of 15 (86%) children compared with 47% for those using standard culture and PCR-based methods alone. Changes in antibiotic management were made in 7 of 15 (47%) of children as a result of CFPNGS

Fossilized skin reveals coevolution with feathers and metabolism in feathered dinosaurs and early birds

Feathers are remarkable evolutionary innovations that are associated with complex adaptations of the skin in modern birds. Fossilised feathers in non-avian dinosaurs and basal birds provide insights into feather evolution, but how associated integumentary adaptations evolved is unclear. Here we report the discovery of fossil skin, preserved with remarkable nanoscale fidelity, in three non-avian maniraptoran dinosaurs and a basal bird from the Cretaceous Jehol biota (China). The skin comprises patches of desquamating epidermal corneocytes that preserve a cytoskeletal array of helically coiled α-keratin tonofibrils. This structure confirms that basal birds and non-avian dinosaurs shed small epidermal flakes as in modern mammals and birds, but structural differences imply that these Cretaceous taxa had lower body heat production than modern birds. Feathered epidermis acquired many, but not all, anatomically modern attributes close to the base of the Maniraptora by the Middle Jurassic

Anomalies in low-energy Gamma-Ray Burst spectra with the Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor

A Band function has become the standard spectral function used to describe the prompt emission spectra of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). However, deviations from this function have previously been observed in GRBs detected by BATSE and in individual GRBs from the \textit{Fermi} era. We present a systematic and rigorous search for spectral deviations from a Band function at low energies in a sample of the first two years of high fluence, long bursts detected by the \textit{Fermi} Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GBM). The sample contains 45 bursts with a fluence greater than 2$\times10^{-5}$ erg / cm$^{2}$ (10 - 1000 keV). An extrapolated fit method is used to search for low-energy spectral anomalies, whereby a Band function is fit above a variable low-energy threshold and then the best fit function is extrapolated to lower energy data. Deviations are quantified by examining residuals derived from the extrapolated function and the data and their significance is determined via comprehensive simulations which account for the instrument response. This method was employed for both time-integrated burst spectra and time-resolved bins defined by a signal to noise ratio of 25 $\sigma$ and 50 $\sigma$. Significant deviations are evident in 3 bursts (GRB\,081215A, GRB\,090424 and GRB\,090902B) in the time-integrated sample ($\sim$ 7%) and 5 bursts (GRB\,090323, GRB\,090424, GRB\,090820, GRB\,090902B and GRB\,090926A) in the time-resolved sample ($\sim$ 11%).} The advantage of the systematic, blind search analysis is that it can demonstrate the requirement for an additional spectral component without any prior knowledge of the nature of that extra component. Deviations are found in a large fraction of high fluence GRBs; fainter GRBs may not have sufficient statistics for deviations to be found using this method

A High-Resolution Spectroscopic Search for the Remaining Donor for Tycho's Supernova

In this paper, we report on our analysis using Hubble Space Telescope astrometry and Keck-I HIRES spectroscopy of the central six stars of Tycho's supernova remnant (SN 1572). With these data, we measured the proper motions, radial velocities, rotational velocities, and chemical abundances of these objects. Regarding the chemical abundances, we do not confirm the unusu- ally high [Ni/Fe] ratio previously reported for Tycho-G. Rather, we find that for all metrics in all stars, none exhibit the characteristics expected from traditional SN Ia single-degenerate-scenario calculations. The only possible exception is Tycho-B, a rare, metal-poor A-type star; however, we are unable to find a suitable scenario for it. Thus, we suggest that SN 1572 cannot be explained by the standard single-degenerate model.Comment: 34 pages, 11 Figures, revised and resubmitted to Ap

Vildagliptin therapy reduces postprandial intestinal triglyceride-rich lipoprotein particles in patients with type 2 diabetes

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