Free-electron lasers providing ultra-short high-brightness pulses of X-ray radiation have great potential for a wide impact on science, and are a critical element for unravelling the structural ...dynamics of matter. To fully harness this potential, we must accurately know the X-ray properties: intensity, spectrum and temporal profile. Owing to the inherent fluctuations in free-electron lasers, this mandates a full characterization of the properties for each and every pulse. While diagnostics of these properties exist, they are often invasive and many cannot operate at a high-repetition rate. Here, we present a technique for circumventing this limitation. Employing a machine learning strategy, we can accurately predict X-ray properties for every shot using only parameters that are easily recorded at high-repetition rate, by training a model on a small set of fully diagnosed pulses. This opens the door to fully realizing the promise of next-generation high-repetition rate X-ray lasers.
Genomic disorders are often caused by non-allelic homologous recombination between segmental duplications. Chromosome 16 is especially rich in a chromosome-specific low copy repeat, termed LCR16.
A ...bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) array comparative genome hybridisation (CGH) screen of 1027 patients with mental retardation and/or multiple congenital anomalies (MR/MCA) was performed. The BAC array CGH screen identified five patients with deletions and five with apparently reciprocal duplications of 16p13 covering 1.65 Mb, including 15 RefSeq genes. In addition, three atypical rearrangements overlapping or flanking this region were found. Fine mapping by high-resolution oligonucleotide arrays suggests that these deletions and duplications result from non-allelic homologous recombination (NAHR) between distinct LCR16 subunits with >99% sequence identity. Deletions and duplications were either de novo or inherited from unaffected parents. To determine whether these imbalances are associated with the MR/MCA phenotype or whether they might be benign variants, a population of 2014 normal controls was screened. The absence of deletions in the control population showed that 16p13.11 deletions are significantly associated with MR/MCA (p = 0.0048). Despite phenotypic variability, common features were identified: three patients with deletions presented with MR, microcephaly and epilepsy (two of these had also short stature), and two other deletion carriers ascertained prenatally presented with cleft lip and midline defects. In contrast to its previous association with autism, the duplication seems to be a common variant in the population (5/1682, 0.29%).
These findings indicate that deletions inherited from clinically normal parents are likely to be causal for the patients' phenotype whereas the role of duplications (de novo or inherited) in the phenotype remains uncertain. This difference in knowledge regarding the clinical relevance of the deletion and the duplication causes a paradigm shift in (cyto)genetic counselling.
The localization of the short-duration, hard-spectrum gamma-ray burst GRB 050509b by the Swift satellite was a watershed event. We report the discovery of the probable host galaxy, a bright ...elliptical galaxy at z = 0.2248. This is the first known redshift and host of a short-hard GRB and shows that at least some short-hard GRBs are cosmological in origin. We began imaging the GRB field 8 minutes after the burst and continued for 8 days. We present a reanalysis of the XRT afterglow and report the absolute position of the GRB. Based on positional coincidences, the GRB and the elliptical are likely to be physically related, unlike any known connection between a long-duration GRB and an early-type galaxy. Similarly unique, GRB 050509b likely also originated from within a rich cluster of galaxies with detectable diffuse X-ray emission. We demonstrate that while the burst was underluminous, the ratio of the blast wave energy to the g-ray energy is consistent with that of long-duration GRBs. Based on this analysis, on the location of the GRB (40 c13 kpc from the putative host), on the galaxy type (elliptical), and the lack of a coincident supernova, we suggest that there is now observational support for the hypothesis that short-hard bursts arise during the merger of a compact binary. We limit the properties of any Li-Paczynski "minisupernova" that is predicted to arise on 61 day timescales. Other progenitor models are still viable, and new Swift bursts will undoubtedly help to further clarify the progenitor picture.
Background
In traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients desmopressin administration may induce rapid decreases in serum sodium and increase intracranial pressure (ICP).
Aim
In an international ...multi-centre study, we aimed to report changes in serum sodium and ICP after desmopressin administration in TBI patients.
Methods
We obtained data from 14 neurotrauma ICUs in Europe, Australia and UK for severe TBI patients (GCS ≤ 8) requiring ICP monitoring. We identified patients who received any desmopressin and recorded daily dose, 6-hourly serum sodium, and 6-hourly ICP.
Results
We studied 262 severe TBI patients. Of these, 39 patients (14.9%) received desmopressin. Median length of treatment with desmopressin was 1 1–3 day and daily intravenous dose varied between centres from 0.125 to 10 mcg. The median hourly rate of decrease in serum sodium was low (− 0.1 − 0.2 to 0.0 mmol/L/h) with a median period of decrease of 36 h. The proportion of 6-h periods in which the rate of natremia correction exceeded 0.5 mmol/L/h or 1 mmol/L/h was low, at 8% and 3%, respectively, and ICPs remained stable. After adjusting for IMPACT score and injury severity score, desmopressin administration was independently associated with increased 60-day mortality HR of 1.83 (1.05–3.24) (
p
= 0.03).
Conclusions
In severe TBI, desmopressin administration, potentially representing instances of diabetes insipidus is common and is independently associated with increased mortality. Desmopressin doses vary markedly among ICUs; however, the associated decrease in natremia rarely exceeds recommended rates and median ICP values remain unchanged. These findings support the notion that desmopressin therapy is safe.
Measures of the local phase of potential fields can be a useful aid to their interpretation. There are several variations in use, such as the tilt angle, tilt derivative and the Theta map. This paper ...compares the results of these filters, and introduces some new phase-based filters which show improved performance as edge detectors in different ways. The filters are demonstrated on synthetic gravity data and on magnetic data from Australia. Source code in Matlab format is available from the server at:
www.iamg.org.
We present a time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer design for the measurement of ions in the ~30 keV to 10 MeV range for protons (up to ~40 MeV and ~150 MeV for He and heavy ions, respectively) and ~30 ...keV to 1 MeV range for electrons, covering half of the sky with 80 apertures. The instrument, known as the “Mushroom,” owing to its shape, solves the field of view problem for magnetospheric and heliospheric missions that employ three‐axis stabilized spacecraft, yet still require extended angular coverage; the Mushroom is also compatible with a spinning spacecraft. The most important new feature of the Mushroom is the method through which uncomplicated electrostatic optics and clean position sensing combine to permit many apertures to fit into a compact, low‐mass sensor head (or wedge), several of which (ideally eight) compose a full instrument. Most of the sensor head's volume is an empty, equipotential region, resulting in the modest 250 g mass of each 10‐aperture wedge. The Mushroom is capable of separating ion species across most of its energy range and angular field of view. For example, separation of the neighboring 3He and 4He isotopes is excellent; the full width at half maximum mass resolution has been measured to be 0.24 amu to 0.32 amu, respectively. Converting this to a Gaussian width σm in mass m, this represents a σm/m mass resolution better than 0.04. This separation is highly desirable for the flight program for which the first Mushroom was built, the Solar Probe Plus mission. More generally, we estimate the mass resolution to be σm/m ≈ 0.1, but this is energy, mass, and angularly dependent. We also discuss the solid‐state detector stack capability, which extends the energy range of protons and helium, with composition, to ~100 MeV.
Key Points
Anisotropy, pitch angle distributions, and large field of view are important for energetic ion and electron science
The “Mushroom” instrument has been developed by JHU/APL to provide needed large FOV and angular resolution
The first Mushroom, EPI‐Lo, part of the ISʘIS investigation on Solar Probe Plus, has achieved excellent composition and spatial separation
Summary
In this study, during 8 years of follow-up, we reported that higher dietary inflammatory index values were associated with a higher risk of incident fractures in women, but not in men, after ...adjusting for potential confounders.
Introduction
Inflammation is a key risk factor for many adverse outcomes in older people. While diet is a potential source of inflammation, little is known about the impact of inflammatory diet on fractures. Thus, we investigated whether higher Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII)™ ® scores are associated with fractures in a cohort of North American people.
Methods
This longitudinal study with a follow-up of 8 years included 3648 participants (1577 males and 2071 females; mean age = 60.6 years) with/at risk of knee osteoarthritis participating with in the Osteoarthritis Initiative. DII scores were calculated using the validated Block Brief 2000 Food Frequency Questionnaire, categorized into sex-specific quintiles. Information on fractures was obtained through self-reported history of fractures at hip, spine, and forearm. The relationship between baseline DII score and incident fracture was assessed through a Cox’s regression analysis, adjusted for potential baseline confounders, and reported as hazard ratios (HRs).
Results
During 8 years of follow-up, 560 individuals developed fractures (15.4%). Adjusting for 10 potential confounders, women in the highest DII score quintile (i.e., most pro-inflammatory diet) had a significantly higher risk for fractures (HR = 1.46; 95% CI = 1.02–2.11) compared to women in the lowest quintile. An increase in one standard deviation of DII scores significantly predicted fracture onset in women (adjusted HR = 1.14; 95% CI = 1.02–1.27). The association between DII score and fractures was not significant among men or in the sample as whole.
Conclusion
Pro-inflammatory diet is associated with a higher incidence of fractures in women but not men.
Context:
Maternal diet during pregnancy has been linked to offspring adiposity, but it is unclear whether maternal polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) status during pregnancy affects offspring body ...composition.
Objective:
We investigated the associations between maternal plasma n-3 and n-6 PUFA status at 34 wk gestation and offspring body composition.
Design and Setting:
A prospective United Kingdom population-based mother-offspring cohort, the Southampton Women's Survey (SWS), was studied.
Participants:
A total of 12,583 nonpregnant women were recruited into the SWS, among whom 1987 delivered a baby before December 31, 2003; 293 mother-child pairs had complete measurements of maternal plasma PUFA concentrations in late pregnancy and offspring body composition at both ages 4 and 6 yr.
Main Outcomes Measured:
We measured offspring body composition by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, yielding fat mass, lean mass, percentage fat mass, and percentage lean mass. Results are presented as β-coefficients for standardized variables, therefore reflecting the sd change of the outcome for every 1 sd of the predictor.
Results:
After adjustment for maternal factors and child factors including height and duration of breast-feeding, maternal plasma n-6 PUFA concentration positively predicted offspring fat mass at 4 yr (β = 0.14 sd/sd; P = 0.01) and 6 yr (β = 0.11 sd/sd; P = 0.04), but there was no association with offspring lean mass at either age (β = 0.005 sd/sd, P = 0.89; and β = 0.008 sd/sd, P = 0.81, respectively). Maternal plasma n-3 PUFA concentration was not associated with offspring fat mass at 4 yr (β = 0.057 sd/sd; P = 0.34) or 6 yr (β = 0.069 sd/sd; P = 0.21). Maternal plasma n-3 PUFA status was positively associated with offspring lean mass on univariate analysis (4 yr, β = 0.11, P = 0.06; 6 yr, β = 0.14; P = 0.02); however, this was confounded by a positive association with offspring height.
Conclusions:
This observational study suggests that maternal n-6 PUFA status during pregnancy might influence offspring adiposity in childhood.
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) columns observed from space have been useful in detecting the increase of nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions in East Asia, particularly China, coinciding with rapid economic ...growth during the past several decades. NO2 columns retrieved above a particular location reflect a combination of local NOx emissions and transported NOx from upwind sources. In this study, we demonstrate the transport of NOx emitted in East Asia using satellite and surface in situ measurements and Lagrangian particle dispersion model simulations. Enhanced satellite NO2 columns in the Yellow Sea (between China and South Korea) and the East Sea (between South Korea and Japan), and different seasonal variations of NO2 in China, North and South Korea, and Japan, suggest the importance of NOx transport in understanding the local NOx budget. Lagrangian transport model simulations with tracers of different chemical lifetimes identify source‐receptor relationships that explain high NO2 over the oceans and springtime peaks in Korea and Japan, with China being the most likely source region. Our results have important implications for studies using satellite NO2 retrievals to derive NOx emissions at local scales in regions adjacent to large sources, such as in East Asia, Europe, and the Eastern U.S.
Key Points
Satellite demonstrates springtime transport of NOx over Korea and Japan
Transport from China explains large NO2 columns over the Yellow Sea
Transport of NOx is important in understanding local budget of NOx
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