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INTRODUCION: La enfermedad aterosclerótica es una enorme carga para la salud en todo el mundo, y su prevención está basada en gran medida en el control de los factores de riesgo tradicionales, a pesar de la eficacia limitada en la prevención de eventos cardiovascular (ECV). La mejoría en la estratificación del riesgo se puede lograr a través de la detección de progresión del área total de la placa (TPA) medida por ecografía carotidea, la cual ha demostrado duplicación del riesgo basal en estos pacientes en un intervalo de 1 año. Nuestra hipótesis es que el control de la presión arterial y el colesterol LDL sérico en valores objetivo (según guías clínicas actuales) son insuficientes para reducir la progresión de la aterosclerosis en personas sin eventos previos, con alto riesgo cardiovascular. METODOS Y RESULTADOS: Estudio observacional prospectivo de 742 participantes con alto riesgo cardiovascular en un programa de prevención primaria cardiovascular. Se determinaron dos mediciones de ultrasonido de TPA para cada participante durante al menos un año. Incluimos en el análisis 57 participantes que mantuvieron una presión arterial por debajo de 130/80 mmHg y un colesterol sérico de lipoproteínas de baja densidad (LDL-C) por debajo de 100 mg/dl durante todo un año. Los participantes con progresión de la placa de TPA definida como aumento sobre el basal mayor de 5 mm2 se compararon con aquellos con cambios de TPA de 5 mm2 o menos (grupo sin progresión) mediante análisis de regresión logística multivariable. Después de una media de estadía en programa de casi 8 años, con Presión Arterial de 120.4 + 9/68.6 + 8 mmHg y LDL colesterol de 81 + 25 mg/dl, identificamos progresión de TPA en 22 de 57 (39%) participantes. No detectándose diferencias para ninguna covariable al comparar progresión versus no progresión. CONCLUSIÓN: La progresión de TPA ocurre hasta en el 39% de los individuos a pesar de mantener la presión arterial por debajo de 130/80 y el LDL-C sérico por debajo de 100 mg/dl. La evaluación de TPA puede ayudar a resolver las limitaciones de las pautas establecidas para la prevención de eventos de ECV en personas de alto riesgo.

Betsy Sleath,1,2 Delesha M Carpenter,1 Imelda Coyne,3 Scott A Davis,1 Claire Hayes Watson,1 Ceila E Loughlin,4 Nacire Garcia,1 Daniel S Reuland,5 Gail E Tudor6 1Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; 2Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; 3School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland; 4Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, School of Medicine University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; 5Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; 6Department of Science and Mathematics, Husson University, Bangor, ME, USA Background: We conducted a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of an asthma question prompt list with video intervention to engage the youth during clinic visits. We examined whether the intervention was associated with 1) providers including youth and caregiver inputs more into asthma treatment regimens, 2) youth and caregivers rating providers as using more of a participatory decision-making style, and 3) youth and caregivers being more satisfied with visits.Methods: English- or Spanish-speaking youth aged 11–17 years with persistent asthma and their caregivers were recruited from four pediatric clinics and randomized to the intervention or usual care groups. The youth in the intervention group watched the video with their caregivers on an iPad and completed a one-page asthma question prompt list before their clinic visits. All visits were audiotaped. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze the data.Results: Forty providers and their patients (n=359) participated in this study. Providers included youth input into the asthma management treatment regimens during 2.5% of visits and caregiver input during 3.3% of visits. The youth in the intervention group were significantly more likely to rate their providers as using more of a participatory decision-making style (odds ratio=1.7, 95% confidence interval=1.1, 2.5). White caregivers were significantly more likely to rate the providers as more participatory (odds ratio=2.3, 95% confidence interval=1.2, 4.4). Youth (beta=4.9, 95% confidence interval=3.3, 6.5) and caregivers (beta=7.5, 95% confidence interval=3.1, 12.0) who rated their providers as being more participatory were significantly more satisfied with their visits. Youth (beta=–1.9, 95% confidence interval=–3.4, –0.4) and caregivers (beta=–8.8, 95% confidence interval=–16.2, –1.3) who spoke Spanish at home were less satisfied with visits. Conclusion: The intervention did not increase the inclusion of youth and caregiver inputs into asthma treatment regimens. However, it did increase the youth’s perception of participatory decision-making style of the providers, and this in turn was associated with greater satisfaction. Keywords: shared decision-making, patient–provider, question prompt list, video intervention, communication, intervention

The survival rate of domestic male and female adult Panstrongylus megistus was studied after sequential heat and cold shocks in order to investigate shock tolerance compared to that previously reported for nymphs. Sequential shocks were such that a milder shock (0degreesC, 5degreesC, 35degreesC, or 40degreesC for 1 h) preceded a severe one (0degreesC or 40degreesC for 12 h), separated by intervals of 8, 18, 24, and 72 h at 28degreesC (control temperature). The preliminary thermal shock induced tolerance to the more severe one, although tolerance intensity depended on the initial shock temperature and the interval between treatments. Despite the observed tolerance, the survival rate for insects subjected to both shocks decreased when compared to that of individuals subjected to a single mild shock. When tolerance differed with sex, females showed greater values than males. In contrast to the response detected in nymphs, for which higher heat tolerance values were sustained for intervals of up to 24 h (preliminary shock, 35ºC) or even longer (preliminary shock, 40ºC) between sequential shocks, significant values were verified in adults only for shock intervals of up to 8 h (preliminary shock, 40ºC). While findings for nymphs exhibited considerable cold-shock tolerance under conditions in which preliminary shocks were given at 5ºC or 0ºC and the periods between shocks were up to 72 h long, the adults were shown to be capable of acquiring a substancial tolerance response to a more severe cold shock only when the preliminary shock was given at 0ºC and shock interval surpassed 18 h. It is assumed that the mechanisms involved in the cellular protection of P. megistus under sequential temperature shocks (heat shock protein action?) may loose effectiveness with insect development.

The CatWISE2020 Catalog consists of 1,890,715,640 sources over the entire sky selected from Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and NEOWISE survey data at 3.4 and 4.6 μm (W1 and W2) collected from 2010 January 7 to 2018 December 13. This data set adds two years to that used for the CatWISE Preliminary Catalog, bringing the total to six times as many exposures spanning over 16 times as large a time baseline as the AllWISE catalog. The other major change from the CatWISE Preliminary Catalog is that the detection list for the CatWISE2020 Catalog was generated using crowdsource from Schlafly et al., while the CatWISE Preliminary Catalog used the detection software used for AllWISE. These two factors result in roughly twice as many sources in the CatWISE2020 Catalog. The scatter with respect to Spitzer photometry at faint magnitudes in the COSMOS field, which is out of the Galactic Plane and at low ecliptic latitude (corresponding to lower WISE coverage depth) is similar to that for the CatWISE Preliminary Catalog. The 90% completeness depth for the CatWISE2020 Catalog is at W1 = 17.7 mag and W2 = 17.5 mag, 1.7 mag deeper than in the CatWISE Preliminary Catalog. In comparison to Gaia, CatWISE2020 motions are accurate at the 20 mas yr-1 level for W1∼15 mag sources and at the ∼100 mas yr-1 level for W1∼17 mag sources. This level of accuracy represents a 12 improvement over AllWISE. The CatWISE catalogs are available in the WISE/NEOWISE Enhanced and Contributed Products area of the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive.

CatWISE is a program to catalog sources selected from combined WISE and NEOWISE all-sky survey data at 3.4 and 4.6 μm (W1 and W2). The CatWISE Preliminary Catalog consists of 900,849,014 sources measured in data collected from 2010 to 2016. This data set represents four times as many exposures and spans over 10 times as large a time baseline as that used for the AllWISE Catalog. CatWISE adapts AllWISE software to measure the sources in coadded images created from six-month subsets of these data, each representing one coverage of the inertial sky, or epoch. The catalog includes the measured motion of sources in eight epochs over the 6.5 yr span of the data. From comparison to Spitzer, signal-to-noise ratio = 5 limits in magnitudes in the Vega system are W1 = 17.67 and W2 = 16.47, compared to W1 = 16.96 and W2 = 16.02 for AllWISE. From comparison to Gaia, CatWISE positions have typical accuracies of 50 mas for stars at W1 = 10 mag and 275 mas for stars at W1 = 15.5 mag. Proper motions have typical accuracies of 10 mas yr-1 and 30 mas yr-1 for stars with these brightnesses, an order of magnitude better than from AllWISE. The catalog is available in the WISE/NEOWISE Enhanced and Contributed Products area of the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive.

We present the discovery of an extremely cold, nearby brown dwarf in the solar neighborhood, found in the CatWISE catalog. Photometric follow-up with Spitzer reveals that the object, CWISEP J193518.59-154620.3, has ch1-ch2 = 3.24 ±0.31 mag, making it one of the reddest brown dwarfs known. Using the Spitzer photometry and the polynomial relations from Kirkpatrick et al. we estimate an effective temperature in the ∼270-360 K range, and a distance estimate in the 5.6-10.9 pc range. We combined the WISE, NEOWISE, and Spitzer data to measure a proper motion of mas yr-1, μ δ = -50 ±97 mas yr-1, which implies a relatively low tangential velocity in the range 7-22 km s-1.

The dissolution behavior of calcium aluminosilicate based glass fibers, such as stone wool fibers, is an important consideration in mineral wool applications for both the longevity of the mineral wool products in humid environments and limiting the health impacts of released and inhaled fibers from the mineral wool product. Balancing these factors requires a molecular-level understanding of calcium aluminosilicate glass dissolution mechanisms, details that are challenging to resolve with experiment alone. Molecular dynamics simulations are a powerful tool capable of providing complementary atomistic insights regarding dissolution; however, they require force fields capable of describing not-only the calcium aluminosilicate surface structure but also the interactions relevant to dissolution phenomena. Here, a new force field capable of describing amorphous calcium aluminosilicate surfaces interfaced with liquid water is developed by fitting parameters to experimental and first principles simulation data of the relevant oxide-water interfaces, including ab initio molecular dynamics simulations performed for this work for the wüstite and periclase interfaces. Simulations of a calcium aluminosilicate surface interfaced with liquid water were used to test this new force field, suggesting moderate ingress of water into the porous glass interface. This design of the force field opens a new avenue for the further study of calcium and network-modifier dissolution phenomena in calcium aluminosilicate glasses and stone wool fibers at liquid water interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroponic farming is a promising alternative to soil-based farming. However, it requires a precise control of the growth environment, which is hard to achieve with energy-constrained embedded systems. This letter presents an energy optimization technique for the continuous operation of energy harvesting-based hydroponics sensor nodes. The proposed technique is based on the self-tuning model, that dynamically adjust the duty cycle of the node, ensuring the autonomous operation of the Internet of Things system. The model can be programmed in a low-power microcontroller, allowing the decision-making process to reside entirely on the sensor node. Experimental results show that in the same time period, the self-tuning model allows $3.5\times $ more data transmissions than a uniform 5-min duty cycle, while ensuring a minimum voltage level in the storage device. This balance allows the stored energy to be enough for continuous monitoring, providing a clean and cost-effective alternative to perpetually power the hydroponic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meeting demand for food, fiber, feed, and fuel in a world with 9.7 billion people by 2050 without negative environmental impact is the greatest scientific challenge facing humanity. We hypothesize that this challenge can only be met with current and emerging technologies if guided by proactive use of a broad array of relevant data and geospatial scaling approaches to ensure local to global relevance for setting research priorities and implementing agricultural systems responsive to real-time status of weather, soils, crops, and markets. Despite increasing availability of field-scale agricultural data, robust spatial frameworks are lacking to convert these data into actionable knowledge. This commentary article highlights this knowledge gap and calls attention to the need for developing robust spatial frameworks that allow appropriate scaling to larger spatial domains by discussing a recently developed example of a data-driven strategy for estimating yield gaps of agricultural systems. To fully leverage research on sustainable intensification of cropping systems and inform policy development at different scales, we call for new approaches combining the strengths of top-down and bottom-up approaches which will require coordinated efforts between field scientists, crop modelers, and geospatial researchers at an unprecedented level.

Multiple biological activities of coenzyme Q10 have been demonstrated, opening up opportunities for research and development. However, the biological action of potassium polyacrylate and its effect on the mitochondrial permeability transition pores are both poorly understood. Therefore, this study investigated the in vitro antioxidative potential of potassium polyacrylate (PCK) and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and their effects on mitochondrial permeability transition pores. In vitro antioxidant and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitory activities were assessed using standard methods, and lipid peroxidation was also determined. Mitochondrial swelling was evaluated as the change in absorbance under succinate-energized conditions. Cytochrome c release and mitochondrial ATPase activity were assessed. The results showed that PCK and CoQ10 significantly scavenged DPPH and nitric oxide radicals in a concentration-dependent manner and demonstrated a better ferricreducing antioxidant potential. PCK exhibited a high DPPH radical scavenging ability with the lowest IC50 value of 54.05 µg/mL while CoQ10 exhibited higher reducing power with the IC50 value of 82.14 µg/mL.Both were also found to inhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme activity. In addition, PCK and CoQ10 significantly (p<0.05) prevented lipid peroxidation, modulated the opening of mitochondrial permeability transition (mPT) pores and caused no significant release of cytochrome c. However, CoQ10 showed a mild inductive effect on mPT pores at higher concentrations. PCK and CoQ10 also increased mitochondrial ATPase activity. The results of this study suggest that both PCK and CoQ10 may be helpful in the treatment of diseases such as neurological disorders where excessive apoptosis is associated with excessive tissue degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]