Discovery of new dipper stars with K2 : a window into the inner disc region of T Tauri stars

In recent years, a new class of young stellar object (YSO) has been defined, referred to as dippers, where large transient drops in flux are observed. These dips are too large to be attributed to stellar variability, last from hours to days and can reduce the flux of a star by 10-50 per cent. This variability has been attributed to occultations by warps or accretion columns near the inner edge of circumstellar discs. Here, we present 95 dippers in the Upper Scorpius association and ρ Ophiuchus cloud complex found in K2 Campaign 2 data using supervised machine learning with a random forest classifier. We also present 30 YSOs that exhibit brightening events on the order of days, known as bursters. Not all dippers and bursters are known members, but all exhibit infrared excesses and are consistent with belonging to either of the two young star-forming regions. We find 21.0 ± 5.5 per cent of stars with discs are dippers for both regions combined. Our entire dipper sample consists only of late-type (KM) stars, but we show that biases limit dipper discovery for earlier spectral types. Using the dipper properties as a proxy, we find that the temperature at the inner disc edge is consistent with interferometric results for similar and earlier type stars

Tranquility rooms for team member well-being: Implementation during COVID-19 pandemic

In 2020, the COVID-19 global pandemic changed the landscape of healthcare delivery and with it the need to better address team member well-being. Aside from patients and their families, healthcare professionals were among the most affected and at high risk for suffering psychological distress, including increased stress, depression, anxiety, substance use, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Prior to COVID-19, healthcare workers were already experiencing a high rate of job burnout, depression, and suicide. The pandemic brought in sharp focus the essential and urgent need for healthcare facilities to acknowledge the importance of team member well-being and the provision of spaces such as tranquility rooms for use while at work. This case study shares one health system’s evidence-based implementation plan for tranquility rooms, what was learned, and how team members responded. More research is needed to better understand team member well-being and the impact of tranquility rooms. Experience Framework This article is associated with the Staff & Provider Engagement lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework (https://www.theberylinstitute.org/ExperienceFramework). Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this lens

The Association between Emergency Department Resources and Diagnosis of Intimate Partner Violence

Objective: There is little information about which intimate partner violence (IPV) policies and services assist in the identification of IPV in the emergency department (ED). The objective of this study was to examine the association between a variety of resources and documented IPV diagnoses. Methods: Using billing data assembled from 21 Oregon EDs from 2001 to 2005, we identified patients assigned a discharge diagnosis of IPV. We then surveyed ED directors and nurse managers to gain information about IPV-related policies and services offered by participating hospitals. We combined billing data, survey results and hospital-level variables. Multivariate analysis assessed the likelihood of receiving a diagnosis of IPV depending on the policies and services available. Results: In 754,597 adult female ED visits, IPV was diagnosed 1,929 times. Mandatory IPV screening and victim advocates were the most commonly available IPV resources. The diagnosis of IPV was independently associated with the use of a standardized intervention checklist (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.04-2.82). Public displays regarding IPV were negatively associated with IPV diagnosis (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.35-0.88). Conclusions: IPV remains a rare documented diagnosis. Most common hospital-level resources did not demonstrate an association with IPV diagnoses; however, a standardized intervention checklist may play a role in clinicians\u27 likelihood diagnosing IPV

Credible biodiversity offsetting needs public national registers to confirm no net loss

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The AuthorsIn the face of the ongoing biodiversity crisis, questions are arising regarding the success, or lack thereof, of biodiversity offset schemes, where biodiversity losses from human development are compensated by producing equitable gains elsewhere. The overarching goal of offsetting is to deliver no net loss (NNL) of biodiversity. Assessing whether offsetting does indeed deliver NNL is, however, challenging because of a lack of clear and reliable information about offset schemes. Here we consider barriers in tracking NNL outcomes, outline criteria of public offset registers to enable accessible and credible reporting of NNL, and show how existing registers fail to satisfy those criteria. The lack of accessibility and transparency in existing registers represents a fundamental gap between NNL targets and a valid tracking system, which challenges the impetus to enact the transformative changes needed to reverse biodiversity decline.Peer reviewe

Human candidate gene polymorphisms and risk of severe malaria in children in Kilifi, Kenya: a case-control association study

Background: Human genetic factors are important determinants of malaria risk. We investigated associations between multiple candidate polymorphisms—many related to the structure or function of red blood cells—and risk for severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria and its specific phenotypes, including cerebral malaria, severe malaria anaemia, and respiratory distress. Methods: We did a case-control study in Kilifi County, Kenya. We recruited as cases children presenting with severe malaria to the high-dependency ward of Kilifi County Hospital. We included as controls infants born in the local community between Aug 1, 2006, and Sept 30, 2010, who were part of a genetics study. We tested for associations between a range of candidate malaria-protective genes and risk for severe malaria and its specific phenotypes. We used a permutation approach to account for multiple comparisons between polymorphisms and severe malaria. We judged p values less than 0·005 significant for the primary analysis of the association between candidate genes and severe malaria. Findings: Between June 11, 1995, and June 12, 2008, 2244 children with severe malaria were recruited to the study, and 3949 infants were included as controls. Overall, 263 (12%) of 2244 children with severe malaria died in hospital, including 196 (16%) of 1233 with cerebral malaria. We investigated 121 polymorphisms in 70 candidate severe malaria-associated genes. We found significant associations between risk for severe malaria overall and polymorphisms in 15 genes or locations, of which most were related to red blood cells: ABO, ATP2B4, ARL14, CD40LG, FREM3, INPP4B, G6PD, HBA (both HBA1 and HBA2), HBB, IL10, LPHN2 (also known as ADGRL2), LOC727982, RPS6KL1, CAND1, and GNAS. Combined, these genetic associations accounted for 5·2% of the variance in risk for developing severe malaria among individuals in the general population. We confirmed established associations between severe malaria and sickle-cell trait (odds ratio [OR] 0·15, 95% CI 0·11–0·20; p=2·61 × 10−58), blood group O (0·74, 0·66–0·82; p=6·26 × 10−8), and –α3·7-thalassaemia (0·83, 0·76–0·90; p=2·06 × 10−6). We also found strong associations between overall risk of severe malaria and polymorphisms in both ATP2B4 (OR 0·76, 95% CI 0·63–0·92; p=0·001) and FREM3 (0·64, 0·53–0·79; p=3·18 × 10−14). The association with FREM3 could be accounted for by linkage disequilibrium with a complex structural mutation within the glycophorin gene region (comprising GYPA, GYPB, and GYPE) that encodes for the rare Dantu blood group antigen. Heterozygosity for Dantu was associated with risk for severe malaria (OR 0·57, 95% CI 0·49–0·68; p=3·22 × 10−11), as was homozygosity (0·26, 0·11–0·62; p=0·002). Interpretation: Both ATP2B4 and the Dantu blood group antigen are associated with the structure and function of red blood cells. ATP2B4 codes for plasma membrane calcium-transporting ATPase 4 (the major calcium pump on red blood cells) and the glycophorins are ligands for parasites to invade red blood cells. Future work should aim at uncovering the mechanisms by which these polymorphisms can result in severe malaria protection and investigate the implications of these associations for wider health. Funding: Wellcome Trust, UK Medical Research Council, European Union, and Foundation for the National Institutes of Health as part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative

Agricultural intensification heightens food safety risks posed by wild birds

Agricultural intensification and simplification are key drivers of recent declines in wild bird populations, heightening the need to better balance conservation with food production. This is hindered, however, by perceptions that birds threaten food safety. While birds are known reservoirs of foodborne pathogens, there remains uncertainty about the links between landscape context, farming practices, and actual crop contamination by birds. Here, we examine relationships between landscape context, farming practices, and pathogen contamination by birds using a barrier-to-spillover approach. First, we censused bird communities using point count surveys. Second, we collected 2,024 faecal samples from captured birds alongside 1,215 faecal samples from brassica fields and food processing areas across 50 farms spanning the USA West Coast. We then estimated the prevalence of three foodborne pathogens across landscape and livestock intensification gradients. Finally, we quantified the number of plants with faeces. Campylobacterspp. were detected in 10.2% of faeces from captured birds and 13.1% of faeces from production areas. Non-native birds were 4.1 times more likely to haveCampylobacterspp. than native birds.Salmonellaspp. were detected in 0.2% of faeces from production areas and were never detected in captured birds. We detected evidence of Shiga toxigenicE. coliin one sample across the >3,200 tested. Campylobacterspp. prevalence in faeces from production areas increased with increasing mammalian livestock densities in the landscape but decreased with increasing amounts of natural habitat. We encountered bird faeces on 3.3% of plants examined. Despite the impact on pathogen prevalence, amount of natural habitat in the landscape did not increase the number of plants with bird faeces, although on-farm mammalian livestock density slightly did. Synthesis and applications. Food safety and wildlife conservation are often thought to be in conflict. However, our findings suggest that natural habitat around farms may reduce crop contamination rates by birds. This is perhaps because natural habitat can promote native birds that are less likely to harbour foodborne pathogens or because it decreases contact with livestock waste. Our results suggest that preservation of natural habitats around farms could benefit both conservation and food safety, contrary to current standards for 'best practices'

Optimizing land use decision-making to sustain Brazilian agricultural profits, biodiversity and ecosystem services

AbstractDesigning landscapes that can meet human needs, while maintaining functioning ecosystems, is essential for long-term sustainability. To achieve this goal, we must better understand the trade-offs and thresholds in the provision of ecosystem services and economic returns. To this end, we integrate spatially explicit economic and biophysical models to jointly optimize agricultural profit (sugarcane production and cattle ranching), biodiversity (bird and mammal species), and freshwater quality (nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment retention) in the Brazilian Cerrado. We generate efficiency frontiers to evaluate the economic and environmental trade-offs and map efficient combinations of agricultural land and natural habitat under varying service importance. To assess the potential impact of the Brazilian Forest Code (FC), a federal policy that aims to promote biodiversity and ecosystem services on private lands, we compare the frontiers with optimizations that mimic the habitat requirements in the region. We find significant opportunities to improve both economic and environmental outcomes relative to the current landscape. Substantial trade-offs between biodiversity and water quality exist when land use planning targets a single service, but these trade-offs can be minimized through multi-objective planning. We also detect non-linear profit-ecosystem services relationships that result in land use thresholds that coincide with the FC requirements. Further, we demonstrate that landscape-level planning can greatly improve the performance of the FC relative to traditional farm-level planning. These findings suggest that through joint planning for economic and environmental goals at a landscape-scale, Brazil's agricultural sector can expand production and meet regulatory requirements, while maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem service provision

Incremental Doses of Nitrate-Rich Beetroot Juice Do Not Modify Cognitive Function and Cerebral Blood Flow in Overweight and Obese Older Adults: A 13-Week Pilot Randomised Clinical Trial

Nitrate-rich food increases nitric oxide (NO) production and may have beneficial effects on vascular, metabolic, and brain function. This pilot study tested the effects of prolonged consumption of a range of doses of dietary nitrate (NO3−), provided as beetroot juice, on cognitive function and cerebral blood flow (CBF) in overweight and obese older participants. The study had a 13-week single-blind, randomised, parallel design, and 62 overweight and obese older participants (aged 60 to 75 years) received the following interventions: (1) high NO3− (2 × 70 mL beetroot juice/day) (2) medium NO3− (70 mL beetroot juice/day), (3) low NO3− (70 mL beetroot juice on alternate days), or (4) placebo (70 mL of NO3−-depleted beetroot juice on alternate days). Cognitive functions were assessed using the Computerised Mental Performance Assessment System (COMPASS) assessment battery. CBF, monitored by concentration changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin, was assessed in the frontal cortex using near-infrared spectroscopy. The findings of this pilot study showed that cognitive function and CBF were not affected by supplementation with NO3−-rich beetroot juice for 13 weeks, irrespective of the NO3− dose administered. These findings require confirmation in larger studies using more sophisticated imaging methods (i.e., MRI) to determine whether prolonged dietary NO3− supplementation influences brain function in older overweight people

Zafirlukast is a broad-spectrum thiol isomerase inhibitor that inhibits thrombosis without altering bleeding times

Background and purpose Multiple members of the thiol isomerase (TI) family of enzymes are present in, and released by platelets. Inhibition of these enzymes results in diminished platelet responses including aggregation, adhesion and thrombus formation. In recent years, the therapeutic potential of TI inhibition has been recognised and drug-development technologies used to identify selective small molecule inhibitors. To date, few pan-TI inhibitors have been characterised and the most studied, bacitracin is known to be nephrotoxic which prohibits its systemic therapeutic usage. Experimental approach We therefore sought to identify novel broad-spectrum inhibitors of these enzymes and test their effects in vivo. 3641 compounds were screened for inhibitory effects on the redox activity of ERp5, PDI, ERp57, ERp72 and thioredoxin (TRX) in an insulin turbidity assay. Of the lead compounds identified, zafirlukast (ZFL) was selected for further investigation. Key results When applied to platelets, ZFL diminished platelet responses in vitro. ZFL was antithrombotic in murine models of thrombosis but did not impair responses in a model of haemostasis. Since thiol isomerases are known to modulate adhesion receptor function, we explored the effects of ZFL on cell migration. This was inhibited independently of cysteinyl leukotriene receptor expression and was associated with modulation of cell-surface free thiol levels consistent with alterations in redox activity on the cell surface. Conclusion and implications We identify zafirlukast to be a novel, potent, broad-spectrum TI inhibitor, with wide ranging effects on platelet function, thrombosis and integrin-mediated cell migration. ZFL is antithrombotic but does not cause bleeding