We perform an unmodeled search for persistent, directional gravitational wave (GW) sources using data from the first and second observing runs of Advanced LIGO. We do not find evidence for any GW ...signals. We place limits on the broadband GW flux emitted at 25 Hz from point sources with a power law spectrum at F(α;Θ) < (0.05–25) × 10^(−8) erg/sq. cmsHz and the (normalized) energy density spectrum in GWs at 25 Hz from extended sources at Ω(α)(Θ) < (0.19–2.89) × 10^(−8) per sr where α is the spectral index of the energy density spectrum. These represent improvements of 2.5–3× over previous limits. We also consider point sources emitting GWs at a single frequency, targeting the directions of Sco X-1, SN 1987A, and the Galactic center. The best upper limits on the strain amplitude of a potential source in these three directions range from h(0) < (3.6–4.7) × 10^(−25), 1.5× better than previous limits set with the same analysis method. We also report on a marginally significant outlier at 36.06 Hz. This outlier is not consistent with a persistent gravitational-wave source as its significance diminishes when combining all of the available data.
Abstract Background Influenza vaccination is the primary method for preventing influenza and its severe complications. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are one of the priority groups for the influenza ...vaccination. Objectives To determine whether healthy HCWs, who were vaccinated with the same subtype for the two previous years, could be given less priority for influenza immunization under the vaccine shortage. Study design We measured hemagglutination-inhibition antibody titers from sequential serum samples in 50 pre-immune subjects and 50 age-matched vaccine-naive subjects: immediately prior to the administration of the vaccine, 4–6 weeks, and 6 months after the vaccination. Results Prevaccination titers were maintained above protective level and high protection rates were observed for all three strains in pre-immune subjects: A/H1N1, A/H3N2, and B strains. As for the sequential changes, the protection rates for all three strains still remained above 70% until 6 months following the vaccination. Conclusion Skipping influenza vaccination for a year could be considered in healthy pre-immune HCWs under the epidemic of the same subtype as two previous years.
Background
Decision‐making for infants born at 23–25 weeks involves counselling parents about survival and major disability risks. Accurate information is needed for parents to make informed ...decisions about their baby’s care.
Aims
To determine if perinatal clinicians had accurate perceptions of outcomes of infants born at 23–25 weeks' gestation, and if accuracy had changed over a decade.
Materials and Methods
A web‐based survey was sent to midwives, nurses, neonatologists, and obstetricians working in tertiary and non‐tertiary hospitals, and the neonatal retrieval service in the state of Victoria in 2020. A similar survey had been completed in 2010. Clinicians’ estimates of survival and major neurodevelopmental disability rates were compared with true rates for actively managed infants overall, and by infant birthplace and gestational age, and professional workplace and discipline. Accuracy of outcomes was compared between eras.
Results
Overall, 165 surveys were received. Participants underestimated survival (absolute mean difference % −14.4%; 95% confidence interval (CI) −16.6 to −12.3; P < 0.001) and overestimated major disability (absolute mean difference 32.7%; 95% CI 29.7 to 35.8; P < 0.001) rates overall, and at each week of gestation, and were worse for outborn compared with inborn infants. Perceptions of clinicians in tertiary centres were similar to those of non‐tertiary clinicians. Nurses/midwives were more pessimistic, and paediatricians were more optimistic. Clinicians’ perceptions of outcome were less accurate in 2020 than in 2010.
Conclusions
Most perinatal clinicians underestimate survival and overestimate major disability of infants born at 23–25 weeks' gestation, which may translate into overly pessimistic counselling of parents.
Prechtl's general movements assessment (GMA) post-term has high predictive validity for cerebral palsy, but less is known about whether earlier GMA, including before term, are associated with other ...developmental problems.
To examine the relationships between GMA prior to term and at term-equivalent, with developmental outcomes at 4.5–5 years' corrected age.
Prospective cohort study.
122 very preterm infants born <30 weeks' gestation and 91 healthy term controls.
GMA (categorised as ‘normal’ or ‘abnormal’) were assessed at <32, 32–33 and 34–36 weeks' postmenstrual age for the preterm infants, and at term-equivalent for both groups. Children were assessed at 4.5–5 years' corrected age using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2nd edition (MABC-2), Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT), Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), Little Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (Little DCD-Q) and Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-IV (WPPSI-IV).
Prior to term, abnormal GMA at the first two timepoints were associated with lower scores on the Little DCD-Q, and abnormal GMA at the second and third timepoints with lower quality of life scores and PEDI-CAT mobility domain scores. Abnormal GMA at term-equivalent were associated with lower MABC-2, mobility and quality of life scores for preterm infants, and worse social/cognitive domain scores for both groups.
Abnormal GMA prior to term and at term-equivalent are associated with worse motor, functional and cognitive outcomes at 4.5–5 years' corrected age, and may be useful to identify infants for developmental surveillance/early intervention.
•Abnormal general movements before term are associated with worse functional outcomes in early childhood•Abnormal general movements at term age are associated with worse motor and functional outcomes for children born very preterm•Abnormal general movements at term age are associated with worse social/cognition scores for term-born children
Although neutralizing antibodies against Hantaan virus (HTV) can protect hosts from viral infection, T-cell responses to HTV are also important in host defense against HTV. However, much less is ...known about cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses to HTV. To identify CTL epitopes in the HTV nucleocapsid protein (NP), we selected 7 H-2K(b)-motif-fitting peptides. Of these peptides, 3 peptides (NP3, NP4, and NP7) were recognized by CTL responses derived from HTV-immunized mouse splenocytes. NP3 and NP4 peptides were also recognized by HTV-immunized splenocytes after secondary in vitro stimulation with the relevant peptide, but NP7 could not be recognized after in vitro stimulation. These results agree well with peptide immunization studies showing that peptide-specific CTL responses could be induced with NP3 and NP4 but not with NP7 peptide. Furthermore, CTL activity assay using targets, prepared to express the antigen (NP) endogenously, demonstrated that NP3 and NP4 peptides could be presented endogenously. CTL elicited with NP4 peptide retained some cross-reactivity and was difficult to long-term culture. However, NP3-elicited CTL was very specific for NP3 peptide and was stable enough to be cloned. Among many CTL lines elicited with HTV or HTV NP peptides, 6 NP3-specific CTL clones were established and have been maintained more than 2 years. All 6 CTL clones were characterized to be CD3+, CD4-, CD8+, CD25+, CD62L-, and NK1.1-, and to use TCR Vbeta6. This preferential usage of TCR Vbeta6 indicates that TCR Vbeta6 regions are important for recognition of the HTV NP3 epitope (NP221-228, SVIGFLAL) on H-2K(b) molecule. Our data demonstrate the definition of mouse CTL epitopes in HTV and the generation of HTV-specific mouse CTL clones.
To investigate the association between white matter diffuse excessive high signal intensity (DEHSI) on neonatal magnetic resonance imaging in very preterm infants and neurobehavioral outcomes at the ...age of 13 years.
Magnetic resonance images of very preterm children (<30 weeks gestational age or <1250 g birth weight) were evaluated at term-equivalent age with DEHSI classified into 5 grades. Additionally, visibility of the posterior periventricular crossroads was assessed. General intelligence, memory, attention, executive function, motor abilities, and behavior were examined in 125 children at age 13 years and related to DEHSI grades using linear regression.
DEHSI was detected in 93% of infants; 21% grade 1, 22% grade 2, 32% grade 3, and 18% grade 4. Neurobehavioral outcomes were similar for all DEHSI groups. There was weak evidence that higher DEHSI grades related to higher verbal IQ and attention and that lower DEHSI grades related to better planning ability. Adjustment for gestational age, birth weight standard score, and sex further weakened these effects. Only 12 children had invisible posterior crossroads and showed slightly poorer outcomes at 13 years of age.
There was little evidence that neonatal DEHSI serves as a sensitive biomarker for later impairment. Further investigation on the importance of invisible posterior periventricular crossroads in larger samples is needed.
This paper presents the results of a search for generic short-duration gravitational-wave transients in datafrom the third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. Transients with durations ...ofmilliseconds to a few seconds in the 24–4096 Hz frequency band are targeted by the search, with noassumptions made regarding the incoming signal direction, polarization, or morphology. Gravitationalwaves from compact binary coalescences that have been identified by other targeted analyses are detected,but no statistically significant evidence for other gravitational wave bursts is found. Sensitivities to a varietyof signals are presented. These include updated upper limits on the source rate density as a function of thecharacteristic frequency of the signal, which are roughly an order of magnitude better than previous upperlimits. This search is sensitive to sources radiating as little as∼10−10M⊙c2in gravitational waves at∼70Hz from a distance of 10 kpc, with 50% detection efficiency at a false alarm rate of one per century.The sensitivity of this search to two plausible astrophysical sources is estimated: neutron starfmodes,which may be excited by pulsar glitches, as well as selected core-collapse supernova models.
Background
Management of livebirths at 22–24 weeks' gestation in high‐income countries varies widely and has changed over time.
Aims
Our aim was to determine how rates of active management and infant ...survival of livebirths at 22–24 weeks varied with perinatal variables known at birth, and over time in Victoria, Australia.
Materials and methods
We conducted a population‐based cohort study of all 22–24 weeks' gestation live births, free of lethal congenital anomalies in 2009–2017. Rates of active management and survival to one year of age were reported. ‘Active management’ was defined as receiving resuscitation at birth or nursery admission for intensive care.
Results
Over the nine‐year period, there were 796 eligible live births. Overall, 438 (55%) were actively managed: 5% at 22 weeks, 45% at 23 weeks and 90% at 24 weeks' gestation, but rates of active management did not vary substantially over time. Of livebirths actively managed, 263 (60%) survived to one year: 0% at 22 weeks, 50% at 23 weeks and 66% at 24 weeks. Apart from gestational age, being born in a tertiary perinatal centre and increased size at birth were associated with survival in those actively managed, but sex and plurality were not. Survival rates of actively managed infants rose over time (adjusted odds ratio 1.09 per year; 95% CI 1.01‐1.18; P = 0.03).
Conclusions
Although active management rates did not change substantially over time in Victoria, an overall increase in infant survival was observed. With increasing gestational age, rates of active management and infant survival rapidly rose.
Abstract We present a search for continuous gravitational waves from five radio pulsars, comprising three recycled pulsars (PSR J0437−4715, PSR J0711−6830, and PSR J0737−3039A) and two young pulsars: ...the Crab pulsar (J0534+2200) and the Vela pulsar (J0835−4510). We use data from the third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Virgo combined with data from their first and second observing runs. For the first time, we are able to match (for PSR J0437−4715) or surpass (for PSR J0711−6830) the indirect limits on gravitational-wave emission from recycled pulsars inferred from their observed spin-downs, and constrain their equatorial ellipticities to be less than 10 −8 . For each of the five pulsars, we perform targeted searches that assume a tight coupling between the gravitational-wave and electromagnetic signal phase evolution. We also present constraints on PSR J0711−6830, the Crab pulsar, and the Vela pulsar from a search that relaxes this assumption, allowing the gravitational-wave signal to vary from the electromagnetic expectation within a narrow band of frequencies and frequency derivatives.
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