The experimental determination of ion-neutral collision cross sections (CCSs) is generally confined to ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) technologies that operate under the so-called low-field limit or ...those that enable empirical calibration strategies (e.g., traveling wave IMS; TWIMS). Correlation of ion trajectories to CCS in other non-linear IMS techniques that employ dynamic electric fields, such as differential mobility spectrometry (DMS), has remained a challenge since its inception. Here, we describe how an ion’s CCS can be measured from DMS experiments using a machine learning (ML)-based calibration. The differential mobility of 409 molecular cations (m/z: 86–683 Da and CCS 110–236 Å2) was measured in a N2 environment to train the ML framework. Several open-source ML routines were tested and trained using DMS-MS data in the form of the parent ion’s m/z and the compensation voltage required for elution at specific separation voltages between 1500 and 4000 V. The best performing ML model, random forest regression, predicted CCSs with a mean absolute percent error of 2.6 ± 0.4% for analytes excluded from the training set (i.e., out-of-the-bag external validation). This accuracy approaches the inherent statistical error of ∼2.2% for the MobCal-MPI CCS calculations employed for training purposes and the <2% threshold for matching literature CCSs with those obtained on a TWIMS platform.
The purpose of this study was to determine feasibility of treating refractory chronic cough (RCC) with progressive doses of capsaicin paired with cough suppression.
In this sham-controlled, parallel ...RCT, 14 adults with RCC were randomly assigned to either behavioral cough suppression therapy (BCST) plus 6 treatment sessions involving exposure to nebulized capsaicin in progressively larger concentrations while actively suppressing cough (n = 8), or BCST plus 6 sessions of exposure to a single subthreshold dose of capsaicin (sham; n = 6). The Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) was the primary outcome measure. Urge-to-cough (UTC) testing, measuring both UTC and cough frequency, served as secondary outcome measures. Data was analyzed with mixed effects linear regression and follow-up contrasts.
Results on all measures favored the treatment group; however, there was only strong evidence of a difference in treatment effect on cough frequency during UTC testing. Mean change in LCQ at 3-weeks post treatment was 2.95 and 1.75 (p = .23), in the treatment and sham groups, respectively. Cough frequency during UTC testing reduced by 97% and 56% (p < .0001) at three weeks post, respectively. Within-group comparisons revealed strong evidence of change in the treatment group (p < .001) and moderate evidence of a change in the sham group (p = .08) in LCQ.
Conclusions from this study are limited due to the very small sample size; however, the study provides feasibility and proof-of-concept evidence to support further investigation of treating RCC with repeated exposure to nebulized capsaicin paired with BCST.
•Patients with refractory chronic cough were treated with repeated exposure to aerosolized capsaicin or a sham treatment.•Exposure to repeated inhalations of aerosolized capsaicin via nebulizer reduced cough symptoms on patients with refractory chronic cough.•Exposure to repeated inhalation of capsaicin may be an effective treatment for refractory chronic cough.
Large scale migrations are a key component of the life history of many marine species. We quantified the annual migration cycle of juvenile southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii; SBT) and ...spatiotemporal variability in this cycle, based on a multi-decadal electronic tagging dataset. Behaviour-switching models allowed for the identification of cohesive areas of residency and classified the temporal sequence of movements within a migration cycle from austral summer foraging grounds in the Great Australian Bight (GAB) to winter foraging grounds in the Indian Ocean and Tasman Sea and back to the GAB. Although specific regions within the Indian Ocean were frequented, individuals did not always return to the same area in consecutive years. Outward migrations from the GAB were typically longer than return migrations back to the GAB. The timing of individual arrivals to the GAB, which may be driven by seasonality in prey availability, was more cohesive than the timing of departures from the GAB, which may be subject to the physiological condition of SBT. A valuable fishery for SBT operates in the GAB, as do a number of scientific research programs designed to monitor SBT for management purposes; thus, understanding SBT migration to and from the area is of high importance to a number of stakeholders.
The demographics of the southern bluefin tuna (SBT) Thunnus maccoyii spawning stock were examined through a large-scale monitoring program of the Indonesian longline catch on the spawning ground ...between 1995 and 2012. The size and age structure of the spawning population has undergone significant changes since monitoring began. There has been a reduction in the relative abundance of larger/older SBT in the catch since the early 2000s, and a corresponding decrease in mean length and age, but there was no evidence of a significant truncation of the age distribution. Pulses of young SBT appear in the catches in the early- and mid-2000s and may be the first evidence of increased recruitment into the spawning stock since 1995. Fish in these two recruitment pulses were spawned around 1991 and 1997. Size-related variations in sex ratio were also observed with female bias for fish less than 170 cm FL and male bias for fish greater than 170 cm FL. This trend of increasing proportion of males with size above 170 cm FL is likely to be related to sexual dimorphism in growth rates as male length-at-age is greater than that for females after age 10 years. Mean length-at-age of fish aged 8-10 years was greater for both males and females on the spawning ground than off the spawning ground, suggesting that size may be the dominant factor determining timing of maturation in SBT. In addition to these direct results, the data and samples from this program have been central to the assessment and management of this internationally harvested stock.
After years of tough-on-crime politics and increasingly punitive sentencing in the United States, economic, political, and social shifts in the 21st century have created new opportunities for ...opponents of the penal status quo. By 2013, a majority of states had enacted some type of reform aimed at reducing prison populations. An emerging body of punishment and society scholarship seeks to understand the possibilities and characteristics of reform efforts by examining enacted state legislation. In this article, we use a unique data set of all proposed and passed bills in three legislative sessions in New Jersey between 2001 and 2013 to provide a nuanced empirical account of change and continuity in penal logics in the period of reform. Even when not enacted, proposed legislation shapes the penal field by introducing new ideas that are later incorporated into rhetoric, policy, or practice. Proposed bills that never become law can also alter the political calculus for reformers or their opponents. Our findings demonstrate that by expanding our universe of data, we gain insight into characteristics of “late mass incarceration” that we might otherwise miss. In particular, while we find evidence of decarceration and bifurcation logics, our analysis also demonstrates that state lawmakers continue to participate in “crime control theater” and reproduce the same punitive penal logics that helped build the carceral state.
For many very low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants, there is insufficient mother's milk, and a supplement of pasteurized donor human milk or preterm formula is required. Awareness of the benefits of ...mother's milk has led to an increase in use of donor milk, despite limited data evaluating its efficacy.
To determine if nutrient-enriched donor milk compared with formula, as a supplement to mother's milk, reduces neonatal morbidity, supports growth, and improves neurodevelopment in VLBW infants.
In this pragmatic, double-blind, randomized trial, VLBW infants were recruited from 4 neonatal units in Ontario, Canada, within 96 hours of birth between October 2010 and December 2012. Follow-up was completed in July 2015.
Infants were fed either donor milk or formula for 90 days or to discharge when mother's milk was unavailable.
The primary outcome was the cognitive composite score on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III) at 18 months' corrected age (standardized mean, 100 SD, 15; minimal clinically important difference, 5 points). Secondary outcomes included Bayley-III language and motor composite scores, growth, and a dichotomous mortality and morbidity index.
Of 840 eligible infants, 363 (43.2%) were randomized (181 to donor milk and 182 to preterm formula); of survivors, 299 (92%) had neurodevelopment assessed. Mean birth weight and gestational age of infants was 996 (SD, 272) g and 27.7 (2.6) weeks, respectively, and 195 (53.7%) were male. No statistically significant differences in mean Bayley-III cognitive composite score (adjusted scores, 92.9 in donor milk group vs 94.5 in formula group; fully adjusted mean difference, -2.0 95% CI, -5.8 to 1.8), language composite score (adjusted scores, 87.3 in donor milk group vs 90.3 in formula group; fully adjusted mean difference, -3.1 95% CI, -7.5 to 1.3), or motor composite score (adjusted scores, 91.8 in donor milk group vs 94.0 in formula group; fully adjusted mean difference, -3.7 95% CI, -7.4 to 0.09) were observed between groups. There was no statistically significant difference in infants positive for the mortality and morbidity index (43% in donor milk group, 40% in formula group) or changes in growth z scores.
Among VLBW infants, use of supplemental donor milk compared with formula did not improve neurodevelopment at 18 months' corrected age. If donor milk is used in settings with high provision of mother's milk, this outcome should not be considered a treatment goal.
isrctn.org Identifier: ISRCTN35317141.
Antiviral compounds that increase the resistance of host tissues represent an attractive class of therapeutic. Here, we show that squalamine, a compound previously isolated from the tissues of the ...dogfish shark (Squalus acanthias) and the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), exhibits broad-spectrum antiviral activity against human pathogens, which were studied in vitro as well as in vivo. Both RNA- and DNA-enveloped viruses are shown to be susceptible. The proposed mechanism involves the capacity of squalamine, a cationic amphipathic sterol, to neutralize the negative electrostatic surface charge of intracellular membranes in a way that renders the cell less effective in supporting viral replication. Because squalamine can be readily synthesized and has a known safety profile in man, we believe its potential as a broad-spectrum human antiviral agent should be explored.
Children from disadvantaged families including those from low socioeconomic backgrounds and Indigenous families have higher rates of obesity, making early intervention a priority. The aim of this ...study was to systematically review the literature to examine the effectiveness of interventions to prevent obesity or improve obesity related behaviours in children 0-5 years from socioeconomically disadvantaged or Indigenous families.
Searches of major electronic databases identified articles published from 1993-2013 targeting feeding practices, anthropometric, diet, activity or sedentary behaviour outcomes. This was supplemented with snowballing from existing reviews and primary studies. Data extraction was undertaken by one author and cross checked by another. Quality assessments included both internal and external validity.
Thirty-two studies were identified, with only two (both low quality) in Indigenous groups. Fourteen studies had a primary aim to prevent obesity. Mean differences between intervention and control groups ranged from -0.29 kg/m(2) to -0.54 kg/m(2) for body mass index (BMI) and -2.9 to -25.6% for the prevalence of overweight/obesity. Interventions initiated in infancy (under two years) had a positive impact on obesity related behaviours (e.g. diet quality) but few measured the longer-term impact on healthy weight gain. Findings amongst pre-schoolers (3-5 years) were mixed, with the more successful interventions requiring high levels of parental engagement, use of behaviour change techniques, a focus on skill building and links to community resources. Less than 10% of studies were high quality. Future studies should focus on improving study quality, including follow-up of longer-term anthropometric outcomes, assessments of cost effectiveness, acceptability in target populations and potential for implementation in routine service delivery.
There is an urgent need for further research on effective obesity prevention interventions for Indigenous children. The findings from the growing body of intervention research focusing on obesity prevention amongst young children from socioeconomically disadvantaged families suggest intervention effects are modest but promising. Further high quality studies with longer term follow up are required.
PROSPERO Registration no: CRD42013006536.
Racial discrimination and race-based trauma (RBT) have led to the development of various negative psychological and physiological effects among Black adults in the USA. There is a lack of ...understanding in relation to how various psychosocial factors influence posttraumatic growth (PTG) in the context of RBT among Black adults. The authors examined associations of RBT, racial identity, and mindfulness with PTG among Black adults while controlling for gender, household income, and duration of trauma. The sample consisted of 134 self-identified Black adults who met the criteria for RBT from the USA. The hierarchical regression analysis showed the final model with all the predictors accounted for 35% of the total variance of PTG, with racial identity and mindfulness facets accounting for 26% of the variance. The study provides a foundation for future research addressing RBT and promoting PTG in Black adults.
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