Effect of Daily Training on Hydration Status of Elite Marching Arts Performers: A Pilot Study

Every year, elite groups of of marching arts performers travel across the United States during the summer months of June through August, where they encounter different climates. Daily training for marching arts performers often takes place outdoors in the heat, but it is unclear what these individuals experience with regard to their hydration levels. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate daily changes in hydration status among marching arts performers. METHODS: For this pilot investigation, we studied 3 men and 1 woman (mean ± SD; age: 20 ± 1 y, height: 174.1 ± 4.6 cm, body mass: 70.0 ± 8.6 kg) and completed measurements on three training sessions, across three consecutive days. To assess their hydration status, urine samples were collected before and after a 4-hour training block for urine specific gravity (USG) analysis. RESULTS: There was no interaction between Day (1-3) and Time (p = 0.519; Day 1-Pre: 1.022 ± 0.002, Post: 1.012 ± 0.010; Day 2-Pre: 1.024 ± 0.002, Post: 1.018 ± 0.006; Day 3-Pre: 1.025 ± 0.004, Post: 1.020 ± 0.004), and there was no main effect of Time (p = 0.069). There was a main effect of Day (p = 0.021), with post-hoc analyses revealing that USG was significantly higher on Day 3 (1.022 ± 0.003) compared to Day 1 (1.017 ± 0.008). CONCLUSION: This pilot study suggests that these elite level performers progressively became more hypohydrated with each day of training. Further exploration of this topic should elucidate the magnitude of dehydration experienced by these individuals with daily training, which should help exercise professionals create more individualized hydration plans

Relationship Among BMI, Body Surface Area, Fluid Intake, and Sweat Rate on Elite Marching Arts Performers: A Pilot Study

Elite groups of marching arts performers train at various intensities for long durations. They travel the country through a variety of climates, making hydration an important consideration. PURPOSE: The purpose of our pilot study was to evaluate the relationships between body mass index (BMI), body surface area (BSA), fluid intake, and sweat rate in elite marching arts performers. METHODS: We sampled 6 male and 1 female elite marching arts performers (mean ± SD; age: 20 ± 1 y, height: 177.0 ± 6.0 cm, body mass: 72.3 ± 9.1 kg). BMI was calculated by collecting height on a stadiometer and nude body mass on an electronic scale. Nude body mass was taken before and after participants’ rehearsal block to calculate sweat rate. Pre-measured water containers were provided to participants to track fluid intake. BSA was calculated using the DuBois formula. RESULTS: There were statistically significant, strong positive correlations between BMI and sweat rate (r = 0.838, p = .019), fluid intake and sweat rate (r = 0.776, p = .040), and fluid intake and BSA (r = 0.865, p = .012). While there were strong positive correlations between BMI and fluid intake (r = 0.755, p = .050), as well as between sweat rate and BSA (r = 0.721, p = .067), these were not statistically significant. DISCUSSION: This population of elite performers has been under-studied and learning about them would benefit their safety and performance. Part of the intention of the current pilot study was to determine if it was feasible to measure this type of traveling group. This initial study has given us insight into the requisite protocols and logistics, paving the way for continued research with a larger sample size and in varying climates

Expanding the diversity of mycobacteriophages: insights into genome architecture and evolution.

Mycobacteriophages are viruses that infect mycobacterial hosts such as Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. All mycobacteriophages characterized to date are dsDNA tailed phages, and have either siphoviral or myoviral morphotypes. However, their genetic diversity is considerable, and although sixty-two genomes have been sequenced and comparatively analyzed, these likely represent only a small portion of the diversity of the mycobacteriophage population at large. Here we report the isolation, sequencing and comparative genomic analysis of 18 new mycobacteriophages isolated from geographically distinct locations within the United States. Although no clear correlation between location and genome type can be discerned, these genomes expand our knowledge of mycobacteriophage diversity and enhance our understanding of the roles of mobile elements in viral evolution. Expansion of the number of mycobacteriophages grouped within Cluster A provides insights into the basis of immune specificity in these temperate phages, and we also describe a novel example of apparent immunity theft. The isolation and genomic analysis of bacteriophages by freshman college students provides an example of an authentic research experience for novice scientists

The contribution of X-linked coding variation to severe developmental disorders

Abstract: Over 130 X-linked genes have been robustly associated with developmental disorders, and X-linked causes have been hypothesised to underlie the higher developmental disorder rates in males. Here, we evaluate the burden of X-linked coding variation in 11,044 developmental disorder patients, and find a similar rate of X-linked causes in males and females (6.0% and 6.9%, respectively), indicating that such variants do not account for the 1.4-fold male bias. We develop an improved strategy to detect X-linked developmental disorders and identify 23 significant genes, all of which were previously known, consistent with our inference that the vast majority of the X-linked burden is in known developmental disorder-associated genes. Importantly, we estimate that, in male probands, only 13% of inherited rare missense variants in known developmental disorder-associated genes are likely to be pathogenic. Our results demonstrate that statistical analysis of large datasets can refine our understanding of modes of inheritance for individual X-linked disorders

Convalescent plasma in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised controlled, open-label, platform trial

SummaryBackground Azithromycin has been proposed as a treatment for COVID-19 on the basis of its immunomodulatoryactions. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of azithromycin in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19.Methods In this randomised, controlled, open-label, adaptive platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19Therapy [RECOVERY]), several possible treatments were compared with usual care in patients admitted to hospitalwith COVID-19 in the UK. The trial is underway at 176 hospitals in the UK. Eligible and consenting patients wererandomly allocated to either usual standard of care alone or usual standard of care plus azithromycin 500 mg once perday by mouth or intravenously for 10 days or until discharge (or allocation to one of the other RECOVERY treatmentgroups). Patients were assigned via web-based simple (unstratified) randomisation with allocation concealment andwere twice as likely to be randomly assigned to usual care than to any of the active treatment groups. Participants andlocal study staff were not masked to the allocated treatment, but all others involved in the trial were masked to theoutcome data during the trial. The primary outcome was 28-day all-cause mortality, assessed in the intention-to-treatpopulation. The trial is registered with ISRCTN, 50189673, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04381936.Findings Between April 7 and Nov 27, 2020, of 16 442 patients enrolled in the RECOVERY trial, 9433 (57%) wereeligible and 7763 were included in the assessment of azithromycin. The mean age of these study participants was65·3 years (SD 15·7) and approximately a third were women (2944 [38%] of 7763). 2582 patients were randomlyallocated to receive azithromycin and 5181 patients were randomly allocated to usual care alone. Overall,561 (22%) patients allocated to azithromycin and 1162 (22%) patients allocated to usual care died within 28 days(rate ratio 0·97, 95% CI 0·87–1·07; p=0·50). No significant difference was seen in duration of hospital stay (median10 days [IQR 5 to >28] vs 11 days [5 to >28]) or the proportion of patients discharged from hospital alive within 28 days(rate ratio 1·04, 95% CI 0·98–1·10; p=0·19). Among those not on invasive mechanical ventilation at baseline, nosignificant difference was seen in the proportion meeting the composite endpoint of invasive mechanical ventilationor death (risk ratio 0·95, 95% CI 0·87–1·03; p=0·24).Interpretation In patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, azithromycin did not improve survival or otherprespecified clinical outcomes. Azithromycin use in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 should be restrictedto patients in whom there is a clear antimicrobial indication

Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study

Introduction: The multiorgan impact of moderate to severe coronavirus infections in the post-acute phase is still poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities after hospitalisation with COVID-19, evaluate their determinants, and explore associations with patient-related outcome measures. Methods: In a prospective, UK-wide, multicentre MRI follow-up study (C-MORE), adults (aged ≥18 years) discharged from hospital following COVID-19 who were included in Tier 2 of the Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID) and contemporary controls with no evidence of previous COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibody negative) underwent multiorgan MRI (lungs, heart, brain, liver, and kidneys) with quantitative and qualitative assessment of images and clinical adjudication when relevant. Individuals with end-stage renal failure or contraindications to MRI were excluded. Participants also underwent detailed recording of symptoms, and physiological and biochemical tests. The primary outcome was the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities (two or more organs) relative to controls, with further adjustments for potential confounders. The C-MORE study is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04510025. Findings: Of 2710 participants in Tier 2 of PHOSP-COVID, 531 were recruited across 13 UK-wide C-MORE sites. After exclusions, 259 C-MORE patients (mean age 57 years [SD 12]; 158 [61%] male and 101 [39%] female) who were discharged from hospital with PCR-confirmed or clinically diagnosed COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and Nov 1, 2021, and 52 non-COVID-19 controls from the community (mean age 49 years [SD 14]; 30 [58%] male and 22 [42%] female) were included in the analysis. Patients were assessed at a median of 5·0 months (IQR 4·2–6·3) after hospital discharge. Compared with non-COVID-19 controls, patients were older, living with more obesity, and had more comorbidities. Multiorgan abnormalities on MRI were more frequent in patients than in controls (157 [61%] of 259 vs 14 [27%] of 52; p<0·0001) and independently associated with COVID-19 status (odds ratio [OR] 2·9 [95% CI 1·5–5·8]; padjusted=0·0023) after adjusting for relevant confounders. Compared with controls, patients were more likely to have MRI evidence of lung abnormalities (p=0·0001; parenchymal abnormalities), brain abnormalities (p<0·0001; more white matter hyperintensities and regional brain volume reduction), and kidney abnormalities (p=0·014; lower medullary T1 and loss of corticomedullary differentiation), whereas cardiac and liver MRI abnormalities were similar between patients and controls. Patients with multiorgan abnormalities were older (difference in mean age 7 years [95% CI 4–10]; mean age of 59·8 years [SD 11·7] with multiorgan abnormalities vs mean age of 52·8 years [11·9] without multiorgan abnormalities; p<0·0001), more likely to have three or more comorbidities (OR 2·47 [1·32–4·82]; padjusted=0·0059), and more likely to have a more severe acute infection (acute CRP >5mg/L, OR 3·55 [1·23–11·88]; padjusted=0·025) than those without multiorgan abnormalities. Presence of lung MRI abnormalities was associated with a two-fold higher risk of chest tightness, and multiorgan MRI abnormalities were associated with severe and very severe persistent physical and mental health impairment (PHOSP-COVID symptom clusters) after hospitalisation. Interpretation: After hospitalisation for COVID-19, people are at risk of multiorgan abnormalities in the medium term. Our findings emphasise the need for proactive multidisciplinary care pathways, with the potential for imaging to guide surveillance frequency and therapeutic stratification

Convalescent plasma in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised controlled, open-label, platform trial

Background: Many patients with COVID-19 have been treated with plasma containing anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of convalescent plasma therapy in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Methods: This randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy [RECOVERY]) is assessing several possible treatments in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in the UK. The trial is underway at 177 NHS hospitals from across the UK. Eligible and consenting patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either usual care alone (usual care group) or usual care plus high-titre convalescent plasma (convalescent plasma group). The primary outcome was 28-day mortality, analysed on an intention-to-treat basis. The trial is registered with ISRCTN, 50189673, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04381936. Findings: Between May 28, 2020, and Jan 15, 2021, 11558 (71%) of 16287 patients enrolled in RECOVERY were eligible to receive convalescent plasma and were assigned to either the convalescent plasma group or the usual care group. There was no significant difference in 28-day mortality between the two groups: 1399 (24%) of 5795 patients in the convalescent plasma group and 1408 (24%) of 5763 patients in the usual care group died within 28 days (rate ratio 1·00, 95% CI 0·93–1·07; p=0·95). The 28-day mortality rate ratio was similar in all prespecified subgroups of patients, including in those patients without detectable SARS-CoV-2 antibodies at randomisation. Allocation to convalescent plasma had no significant effect on the proportion of patients discharged from hospital within 28 days (3832 [66%] patients in the convalescent plasma group vs 3822 [66%] patients in the usual care group; rate ratio 0·99, 95% CI 0·94–1·03; p=0·57). Among those not on invasive mechanical ventilation at randomisation, there was no significant difference in the proportion of patients meeting the composite endpoint of progression to invasive mechanical ventilation or death (1568 [29%] of 5493 patients in the convalescent plasma group vs 1568 [29%] of 5448 patients in the usual care group; rate ratio 0·99, 95% CI 0·93–1·05; p=0·79). Interpretation: In patients hospitalised with COVID-19, high-titre convalescent plasma did not improve survival or other prespecified clinical outcomes. Funding: UK Research and Innovation (Medical Research Council) and National Institute of Health Research

Campus Assessment of Parking Lot Occupancy

Parking lots provide an essential function for businesses and academic institutions.. Efficient, convenient access to buildings on the Valparaiso University campus is vital for commuters, residents, and faculty/staff. A parking study was conducted on the Valparaiso University campus in the fall of 2022 to review parking lots with the highest parking occupancy to evaluate if they provide enough capacity by day of the week and time of day. A total of nine parking lots were surveyed taking into consideration different parking space classifications (resident, commuter, faculty/staff). The lots studied were those with the highest traffic flow throughout the semesters. Data collection for this study was partially provided by the CE 457 Traffic Engineering class. The data was compiled,organized and graphed according to the day, time, and parking space classification. After analysis, an updated parking lot study proposal was sent to the Transportation and Parking office of Valparaiso University

It’s about Time: A Method for Estimating Wildfire Arrival and Weather Conditions at Field-Sampled Locations

Weather conditions at the time of wildfire front arrival strongly influence fire behavior and effects, yet few methods exist for estimating weather conditions more spatio-temporally resolved than coarse-grain (e.g., 4 km) daily averages. When a fire front advances rapidly and weather conditions are heterogeneous over space and time, greater spatio-temporal precision is required to accurately link fire weather to observed fire effects. To identify the influence of fire weather on fire effects observed across a sample of existing forest inventory plots during a wind-driven megafire event in the US Pacific Northwest, we explored and compared three methods for estimating time of fire arrival and the wind speed at that arrival time for each plot location. Two methods were based on widely used, remotely sensed active fire data products with dissimilar spatial and temporal resolutions. The third and preferred method, Modeled-Weather Interpolated Perimeters (MoWIP), is a new approach that leveraged fine-grained (1.3 km, hourly) wind speed and direction from modeled fire weather to guide interpolation of aerial infrared-detected (IR) operational perimeters, subdividing the time intervals defined by sequential IR perimeters into quartile intervals to enhance temporal resolution of predicted fire arrival times. Our description of these fire arrival “time stamp” methods and discussion of their utility and shortcomings should prove useful to fire scientists, ecologists, land managers, and future analyses seeking to link estimated fire weather and observed fire effects