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Objective: This study aimed to describe the evolution of amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) in neonatal encephalopathy (NE) during therapeutic hypothermia (TH) and evaluate the association between aEEG parameters and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) injury., Study Design: aEEG data of infants who underwent TH were reviewed for background, sleep wake cycling (SWC), and seizures. Conventional electroencephalography (cEEG) background was assessed from the reports. Discordance of background on aEEG and cEEG was defined if there was a difference in the severity of the background. MRI injury (total score ≥ 5) was assessed by using the Weeke scoring system., Results: A total of 46 infants were included; 23 (50%) with mild NE and 23 (50%) with moderate to severe NE. Comparing mild NE with moderate to severe NE, the initial aEEG background differed with more mild being continuous (70 vs. 52%), with fewer being discontinuous (0 vs. 22%) and flat tracing (0 vs. 4%), whereas burst suppression (4 vs. 4%) and low voltage (26 vs. 18%) did not differ. There was a notably common discordance between the background assessment on cEEG with aEEG in 82% with continuous and 40% low voltage aEEG background. MRI abnormalities were identified in four infants with mild NE and seven infants with moderate to severe NE. MRI injury was associated with aEEG seizures in infants with moderate to severe NE., Conclusion: aEEG seizures are useful to predict MRI injury in moderate to severe NE infants. There is a large discrepancy between aEEG, cEEG, and MRI in neonates treated by TH., Key Points: · MRI injury was identified in 29% of moderate NE infants and in 50% of severe NE infants.. · aEEG seizures were associated with MRI injury in the moderate to severe NE infants.. · MRI injury was identified in 16% infants with mild NE.. · Mild NE infants with normal aEEG were unlikely to have MRI injury.. · There was a large discrepancy between aEEG, cEEG, and MRI in infants treated by TH.., Competing Interests: None declared., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the association between hypocapnia within the first 24 h of life and brain injury assessed by a detailed MRI scoring system in infants receiving therapeutic hypothermia (TH) for neonatal encephalopathy (NE) stratified by the stage of NE., Study Design: This retrospective cohort study included infants who received TH for mild to severe NE., Results: 188 infants were included in the study with 48% having mild and 52% moderate-severe NE. Infants with moderate-severe NE spent more time in hypocapnia (PCO 2  ≤ 35 mmHg) and presented with more severe brain injury on MRI compared to mild cases. The MRI injury score increased by 6% for each extra hour spent in hypocapnic range in infants with moderate-severe NE. There was no association between hypocapnia and injury scores in mild cases., Conclusion: In infants with moderate-severe NE, the hours spent in hypocapnia was an independent predictor of brain injury., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.)

Bohring-Opitz syndrome (BOS) is a rare genetic condition caused by pathogenic variants in ASXL1, which is a gene involved in chromatin regulation. BOS is characterized by severe intellectual disabilities, distinctive facial features, hypertrichosis, facial nevus simplex, severe myopia, a typical posture in infancy, variable anomalies, and feeding issues. Wilms tumor has also been reported in two individuals. We report survey data from the largest known cohort of individuals with BOS with 34 participants from the ASXL Patient-Driven Registry and data on five additional individuals with notable findings. Important or novel findings include hepatoblastoma (n = 1), an additional individual with Wilms tumor, two families with a parent who is mosaic including a pair of siblings, birth weights within the normal range for the majority of participants, as well as presence of craniosynostosis and hernias. Data also include characterization of communication, motor skills, and care level including hospitalization frequency and surgical interventions. No phenotype-genotype correlation could be identified. The ASXL Registry is also presented as a crucial tool for furthering ASXL research and to support the ASXL community., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective: To assess the association between cerebral saturation (crSO 2 ) using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) and brain injury in extremely preterm infants., Study Design: This retrospective study includes 62 infants (<28 weeks gestation) who underwent continuous NIRS monitoring in the first 5 days after birth. Median crSO 2 were compared in 12 h increments between infants with and without germinal matrix/intraventricular hemorrhage (GM/IVH). crSO 2 was also compared by IVH severity, onset, and by grade of injury on term equivalent MRI., Results: After 48 h of life (HOL), infants with GM/IVH had significantly lower crSO 2 than those without GM/IVH in analysis adjusted for potential confounding e.g., at 49-60 HOL (69.5 (66.2, 72.8) vs. 74.7 (71.8, 77.6), p = 0.023). There were no significant differences in crSO 2 by IVH subcategory or injury severity on MRI., Conclusion: Clinical use of NIRS has the potential to identify crSO 2 patterns associated with development of GM/IVH., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.)

Objective: The use of supplemental oxygen in premature infants is essential for survival. However, its use has been associated with unintended complications. The restricted use of oxygen is associated with increased mortality and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), whereas its liberal use is associated with increased risk for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Although there is no clear consensus on the acceptable oxygen saturation range, clinicians have recently become more liberal with the use of oxygen. We aim to assess (1) the national trends for ROP in very low birth weight preterm infants, and (2) the associated trends in mortality, NEC, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), and length of hospital stay (LOS)., Study Design: We analyzed deidentified patient data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) from 2002 to 2017. All infants with gestational age ≤32 weeks and birth weight <1,500 g were included. Trends in ROP, severe ROP, mortality, NEC, IVH, severe IVH, and LOS were analyzed using Jonckheere-Terpstra test., Results: A total of 818,945 neonates were included in the study. The overall mortality was 16.2% and the prevalence of ROP was 17.5%. There was a significant trend for increased ROP over the years ( p  < 0.001). Severe ROP was also significantly increased ( p  < 0.001). This was associated with a significant trend for increased median LOS in survived infants ( p  < 0.001). Mortality was significantly decreased ( p  < 0.001), whereas NEC and severe NEC did not change over time ( p  = 0.222 and p  = 0.412, respectively)., Conclusion: There is a national trend for increased ROP and severe ROP over the 16 years of the study period. This trend was associated with a significant increase in the LOS in survived infants without change in NEC., Key Points: · Prevalence of ROP and severe ROP has increased in VLBW infants over the 16-year study period.. · The prevalence of NEC did not change over the same time period.. · Increased ROP and severe ROP were consistent in all three GA and BW subgroups.., Competing Interests: None declared., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Background: Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is routinely provided to those with moderate or severe neonatal encephalopathy (NE). Subtle differences exist in the standardized exams used to define NE severity. We aimed to assess if an infant's TH eligibility status differed if they were evaluated using either the NICHD/Neonatal Research Network's (NICHD-NRN) or TOBY/British Association of Perinatal Medicine's (TOBY-BAPM) neurological exam., Methods: Encephalopathic infants ≥36 weeks with evidence of perinatal asphyxia and complete documentation of the neurological exam &lt;6 h of age were included. TH eligibility using the NICHD-NRN and TOBY-BAPM criteria was determined based upon the documented exams., Results: Ninety-one encephalopathic infants were included. Despite good agreement between the two exams (κ = 0.715, p &lt; 0.001), TH eligibility differed between them (p &lt; 0.001). A total of 47 infants were deemed eligible by at least one method-46 using NICHD-NRN and 35 using TOBY-BAPM. Of the 12 infants eligible per NICHD-NRN, but ineligible per TOBY-BAPM, two developed electrographic seizures and seven demonstrated hypoxic-ischemic cerebral injury., Conclusions: Both the NICHD-NRN and TOBY-BAPM exams are evidence-based. Despite this, there is a significant difference in the number of infants eligible for TH depending on which exam is used. The NICHD-NRN exam identifies a greater proportion as eligible., Impact: There are subtle differences in the NICHD-NRN and TOBY-BAPM's encephalopathy exams used to determine eligibility for TH. This results in a significant difference in the proportion of infants determined to be eligible for TH depending on which encephalopathy exam is used. The NICHD-NRN encephalopathy exam identifies more infants as being eligible for TH than the TOBY-BAPM encephalopathy exam. This may result in different rates of cooling depending on which evidence-based neurological exam for evaluation of encephalopathy a center uses., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to the International Pediatric Research Foundation, Inc.)

In premature infants with an extremely low gestational age (ELGA, < 29 weeks GA), dysregulated changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) are among the major pathogenic factors leading to germinal matrix/intraventricular hemorrhage (GM/IVH). Continuous monitoring of CBF can guide interventions to minimize the risk of brain injury, but there are no clinically standard techniques or tools for its measurement. We report the feasibility of the continuous monitoring of CBF, including measures of autoregulation, via diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) in ELGA infants using CBF variability and correlation with scalp blood flow (SBF, served as a surrogate measure of systemic perturbations). In nineteen ELGA infants (with 9 cases of GM/IVH) monitored for 6-24 h between days 2-5 of life, we found a strong correlation between CBF and SBF in severe IVH (Grade III or IV) and IVH diagnosed within 72 h of life, while CBF variability alone was not associated with IVH. The proposed method is potentially useful at the bedside for the prompt assessment of cerebral autoregulation and early identification of infants vulnerable to GM/IVH., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objective: The NICHD and SIBEN assessments are adapted from the Sarnat grade, and used to determine severity of neonatal encephalopathy (NE). We compare NICHD and SIBEN methods, and their ability to define a minimum threshold associated with significant cerebral injury., Study Design: Between 2016 and 2019, 145 infants with NE (77-mild; 65-moderate; 3-severe) were included. NICHD and SIBEN grade and numerical scores were assigned. Kappa scores described agreement between methods, and ROC curves their ability to predict MR injury., Results: Good agreement existed between grading systems (K = 0.86). SIBEN defined more infants as moderate, and less as mild, than NICHD (p < 0.001). Both numerical scores were superior to standard grades in predicting MR injury., Conclusion: Despite good agreement between methods, SIBEN defines more infants as moderate NE. Both numerical scores were superior to standard grade, and comparable to each other, in defining a minimum threshold for cerebral injury. Further assessment contrasting their predictive ability for long-term outcome is required., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Aim: To investigate the characteristics of infants with neonatal encephalopathy (NE) receiving therapeutic hypothermia (TH) who developed late onset oxygen requirement during or after rewarming., Methods: Infants were stratified by receiving (a) new onset isolated oxygen requirements during or after rewarming; (b) no respiratory support during hospital stay; and (c) invasive and/or non-invasive respiratory support before or during cooling., Results: Of 136 infants treated with TH, 49 (36%) did not require any respiratory support, and 78 (57.4%) received invasive or non-invasive support before or during cooling. Nine infants (6.6%) developed late onset oxygen requirement. The late onset oxygen requirement started at median age of 3.8 days (IQR 3.6-5.2) and ended at median 7.5 days (IQR 5.8-12.7). Total hours of O 2 exposure were median 62.0 (IQR 24.4-112.6). Maximum support was low-flow nasal cannula from 100% oxygen source with a flow rate of 40-250 mL/min. Infants in this group had higher Apgar scores, milder metabolic acidosis and no seizures. Three infants had diagnostic investigations without significant findings., Conclusion: A small percentage of neonates with NE developed late onset oxygen requirement during or after rewarming. Late oxygen requirement was associated with evidence of less severe perinatal hypoxia-ischaemia., (© 2020 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Mobile pyrolysis units have the potential to greatly simplify feedstock logistics by moving pyrolysis equipment to the feedstock production fields to produce bio-oil. The concept is to use mobile pyrolysis units to convert low-density biomass to high-density bio-oil to minimize feedstock transportation costs. A recently published GIS program was used to assess feedstock availability for mobile pyrolysis units in the North Central (NC) region using GIS databases. The feed- stocks chosen for this study were corn stover, energy sorghum, and switchgrass. The GIS program identified optimum locations for mobile pyrolysis stations based on feedstock availability and calculated the routes and distances between the optimum pyrolysis stations. The GIS program utilized a harvest grid concept with the mobile pyrolysis unit located in the center of a square grid cell. It was assumed that the mobile pyrolysis units would move on discrete time steps of 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 months (stationary). The harvest grid sizes ranged from 2.4 to 9.6 km for corn stover, from 5.0 to 23.0 km for energy sorghum, and from 3.3 to 12.0 km for switchgrass, depending on move times. In the NC region, the distances required to move the mobile pyrolysis unit from one location to the next varied from 2.1 to 138.7 km for corn stover, from 4.4 to 81.0 km for energy sorghum, and from 3.0 to 60.7 km for switchgrass. The distances required to transport bio-oil to the closest oil refineries ranged from 81.0 to 195.0 km for corn stover, from 365.0 to 522.0 km for energy sorghum, and from 192 to 265 km for switchgrass. Using these optimized feedstock logistics, a total of 14,825,993 barrels (2,357,144,597 L) of bio-oil could be produced by 853 mobile pyrolysis units using 25% of the corn stover in Illinois. In Nebraska, 469,287 barrels (74,610,673 L) of bio-oil could be produced by 27 mobile units using energy sorghum, and 903,812 barrels (143,694,630 L) of bio-oil could be produced by 52 mobile units using switchgrass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An estimated 70% to 80% of water resources are used for agricultural production. Irrigation helps maintain adequate soil moisture for crops; however, drought can impact both the amount of water required for production and crop yields. Different crops are affected by moisture conditions in different ways, as some can handle lower moisture conditions better than others. There are many drought indices that quantify low-moisture conditions, but they are not crop-specific and therefore do not quantify moisture stress for a given crop. The goal of this study was to evaluate a crop-specific drought index by determining the index's ability to reflect yield trends due to moisture conditions. The drought index is a weekly index that uses five variables: precipitation, temperature, biomass production, soil moisture, and transpiration. This article presents a case study that examines the effectiveness of the crop-specific drought index in determining moisture stress to crops by comparing the drought index with annual yield values. The site chosen for this study was the upper Colorado River basin (UCRB) in west Texas because it is prone to drought. Cotton is one of the most widely grown row crops in this region and was therefore used in this study. A hydrologic and crop model, the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), was used to determine the biomass production, soil moisture, and transpiration. Observed precipitation and temperature data were also used both in the SWAT model and in the drought index. A multiple linear regression model was created for each week of the growing season because each variable is important during different weeks of the growing season. For example, in the UCRB, soil moisture was found to be more important during the beginning of the growing season, while biomass production was found to be more important during the end of the growing season. Ultimately, the drought index was found to be a good indicator of moisture-related yield conditions, with an R2 of 0.67. This index can be used to assess moisture stress to agricultural crops and aid in management decisions related to irrigation timing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lower Chao Phraya River Basin (CPRB) in Thailand, a major rice-producing area, is grappling with increased water scarcity alongside more frequent floods and droughts, necessitating effective adaptation strategies to sustain agricultural productivity. This study assesses the impacts of climate change on rice yield and irrigation water use, using the DSSAT-CERES-Rice model. Based on these findings, potential genotype- and management-based adaptation strategies were recommended. The model was calibrated and evaluated using the data from field experiments conducted at the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand during 2017-2018 and 2021-2022. The grain yield and irrigation water use between baseline (2010-2022) and future climate periods (early-century: 2023-2040, mid-century: 2041-2070, and late-century: 2071-2100) were compared. Future climate projections were based on five Global Climate Models (GCMs) from the NEX-GDDP-CMIP6 project under three scenarios (SSP126, SSP245, and SSP585). The model calibration and evaluation demonstrated very good performance statistics, with a d-index of 0.85 during both calibration and evaluation. The model simulations indicated that the maximum and minimum temperatures in the lower CPRB are projected to increase by ~ 2 °C and ~ 4 °C in the late century under SSP245 and SSP585, respectively. Consequently, rice yields are projected to decline by up to 33%, and irrigation water usage to increase by 53% under SSP585 by the late century. Based on the findings, the following major genotype- and management-based adaptation strategies are recommended: (1) Developing heat-tolerant rice cultivars to mitigate yield losses under future climate scenarios, (2) Developing rice cultivars with extended grain-filling duration to enhance both irrigation water use and yield, (3) Shifting the planting date 1-2 weeks earlier (from baseline planting date of 20 July), and shifting fertilizer application date 1-2 weeks earlier (from baseline fertilizer application date of 20 September) for the panicle initiation stage to improve yield, and (4) Optimizing irrigation thresholds (remaining soil water at which to irrigate) to reduce irrigation water use without compromising yield. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of genotype improvement and adaptive management practices in mitigating the adverse effects of climate change on rice production in the lower CPRB., Competing Interests: Declarations Ethical approval All authors have read, understood, and have complied as applicable with the statement on “Ethical responsibilities of Authors” as found in the Instructions for Authors. Consent to participate The authors consent to participate in this research. Consent for publication The authors consent to the publication of this research work. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

A comprehensive decision-making tool was developed to optimize the use of a fleet of mobile pyrolysis units in the North Central region of the U.S. to produce bio-oil from agricultural feedstocks. The concept is to use mobile pyrolysis units to convert low-density biomass to high-density bio-oil to minimize the cost of feedstock logistics. The feedstocks evaluated in this project included corn stover, energy sorghum, and switchgrass. It was assumed that (1) energy sorghum would replace grain sorghum and (2) switchgrass would be grown on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land. A Geographic Information System (GIS) program was developed to optimize the movement of mobile pyrolysis units based on an analysis of transportation networks, cropping patterns, feedstock production rates, and oil refinery locations in the North Central region. The locations of existing corn, sorghum, and CRP fields in the North Central region were obtained from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Model Builder, a utility in ArcGIS, was used to automate the GIS procedures. Network Analysis, an extension of ArcGIS, was used to find the best route to move the mobile pyrolysis units to new locations and to identify the nearest refinery to receive the bio-crude oil. The feedstock input rate for each mobile pyrolysis unit was assumed to be 40 tons/day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-term effect of using treated wastewater is not clearly defined: some researchers argue that it is better than freshwater for the soil health; others disapprove, claiming that irrigation with unconventional water resources causes soil degradation. This study assesses the impact of irrigation with non-traditional water on the chemical and mineralogical properties of a calcareous clayey soil from West Texas. The exponential rise in population and the realities of climate change contribute to the global increase in freshwater scarcity: non-conventional water sources, such as treated wastewater (TWW) and brackish groundwater (BGW), offer potentially attractive alternative water resources for irrigated agriculture. For this research, the differences between TWW and BGW were addressed by collecting and analyzing water samples for salt and nutrient content. Soil samples from three horizons (Ap, A, and B) were obtained from three different fields: Rainfed (RF), BGW irrigated, and TWW irrigated. Soil was analyzed for texture, salinity, sodicity, and carbon content. Clay mineralogy of the three different fields was analyzed using the B-horizons. The outcomes from the analysis showed that the BGW from the Lipan aquifer has higher salinity and is harder compared to TWW. Although the exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), and electroconductivity (EC) increased marginally compared to the control soil (RF), the soils were in good health, all the values of interest (SAR < 13, ESP < 15, pH < 8.5, and EC < 4) were low, indicating no sodicity or salinity problems. Smectite, illite, and kaolinite were identified in the three B-horizon samples using bulk X-ray diffraction (XRD). Overall, no major changes were observed in the soil. Thus, TWW and BGW are viable replacements for freshwater irrigation in arid and semi-arid regions., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Cotton is one of the major crops cultivated in the Texas Rolling Plains region, and it is a major contributor to the regional economy. Cotton cultivation in this region is facing severe challenges due to an increase in the frequency of droughts and a projected decrease in rainfall in the future. Development and evaluation of deficit irrigation strategies for this region could potentially conserve water while maintaining cotton yields. In this study, the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) Cropping System Model (CSM) CROPGRO-Cotton was extensively tested and then used for evaluating various deficit irrigation strategies for this region. The model inputs were obtained from field experiments conducted at Chillicothe, Texas, during four growing seasons: 2008-2010 and 2012. The model was first calibrated using the data from a 100% evapotranspiration (ET) replacement irrigation scheduling experiment conducted in 2012 and then validated on three other irrigation scheduling treatments (75% ET replacement, soil moisture based, and tensiometer based) conducted in the same year. The model was further evaluated using the data from cotton tillage and irrigation experiments conducted in an adjacent field during 2008-2010. The model calibration, validation, and evaluation results were satisfactory except under dry conditions (0% ET replacement and 33% ET replacement). Simulated maximum seed cotton yields under normal and dry weather conditions were achieved at 100% and 110% ET replacement, respectively. Percentage decrease in seed cotton yield was marginal (3.5% to 8.8%) when the amount of irrigation water applied was decreased from 100% to 66% ET replacement under normal rainfall conditions. However, under less than normal rainfall (drier) conditions, the percentage decrease in seed cotton yield was substantial (about 17.5%) when the irrigation strategy was switched from 100% to 70% ET replacement. The simulations demonstrate that adopting deficit irrigation practices under normal weather conditions can conserve water without adversely affecting seed cotton yields. However, under dry conditions, there is a risk of increased yield loss, and therefore producers should consider that risk when adopting deficit irrigation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]