Publications by authors named "Mintz J"

Species richness is an important metric used for undertaking conservation management decisions. However, species richness estimates are influenced by species detection probabilities, with potential to entirely overlook species during surveys. Occupancy models which account for imperfect detection provide unbiased estimates, ensuring accurate estimates of richness.

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  • - A healthy ecosystem requires a balanced relationship between carnivores and their prey, which this study explores through the predator-prey power law equation in Nepal's lowland protected areas.
  • - The study found that predator biomass density increases about three times for every five times the increase in prey biomass density, creating a lopsided biomass pyramid that supports the idea of predator reliance on prey.
  • - By examining competition between predators, the research suggests that maintaining the power law exponent can help scientists better understand the growth patterns in ecological communities, leading to new research opportunities.
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  • Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) research in high-altitude areas is limited, but this study focuses on the Gaurishankar Conservation Area in Nepal, examining the rising conflict trends involving leopards and Himalayan black bears over the past decade.
  • The analysis reveals that goats are the primary livestock attacked, with the Dolakha district reporting the most incidents, underlining the urgent need for mitigation strategies, as livestock attacks account for 85% of compensation claims.
  • The study suggests various solutions to reduce conflicts, such as increasing prey populations, community education, and implementing insurance programs, highlighting the research's importance for local communities and biodiversity conservation.
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  • Positive and negative interactions among species shape the assembly of communities, particularly in dryland plant ecosystems like southeastern U.S. savannas.
  • A study of longleaf pine and sandhill oaks revealed that higher oak densities significantly increased the survival and growth rates of longleaf pine seedlings, while lowest recruitment occurred under longleaf pine canopies.
  • The findings suggest that conserving and managing xeric oaks can enhance the recovery and sustainability of longleaf pine ecosystems, which are vital for global biodiversity.
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Unlabelled: The Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) is used to evaluate the fitness level of potential Cadets for military readiness. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the exercise training program implemented by an Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program to gauge the performance metrics of the ACFT.

Methods: Twenty-six student Cadets of the ROTC at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) program participated in the study.

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Military personnel and veterans are at heightened risk for exposure to traumatic events and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as intimate relationship problems associated with PTSD. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative efficacy of CBCT and PE in improving intimate relationship functioning in active duty military personnel or veterans and their intimate partners; both conditions were hypothesized to significantly improve PTSD. Method: In this study, 32 military service members or veterans with PTSD and their intimate partners were randomized to receive either Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD ( = 15; CBCT; [Monson, C.

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Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has markedly increased life expectancy in people with HIV (PWH) but has also resulted in an increased prevalence of cardiometabolic disorders, whose etiopathology remains ill-defined. Notably, the respective contribution of cART and HIV-derived proteins to obesity and vascular alterations remain poorly understood. Therefore, we investigated the individual and combined effects of HIV-proteins and of the integrase strand transfer inhibitor Dolutegravir (DTG) on body composition and vascular reactivity.

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Proportion variables, also known as compositional data, are very common in ecology. Unfortunately, few scientists are aware of how compositional data, when used as covariates, can adversely impact statistical analysis. We describe here how proportion covariates result in multicollinearity and parameter identifiability problems.

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  • - Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy (CBCT) for PTSD can enhance mental health and relationship satisfaction for both patients and their partners, but prior research mainly focused on a specific demographic (women with male partners).
  • - This study explored the effects of pre-treatment relationship characteristics—like partner accommodation and satisfaction—on therapy outcomes in a sample of military couples (mostly male patients).
  • - Results indicated that these pre-treatment factors did not significantly affect the patients' outcomes, but partners with higher pre-treatment accommodation and lower satisfaction experienced greater improvements in their psychological distress and relationship satisfaction post-treatment.
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Exercise as a lifestyle modification is a frontline therapy for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but how components of exercise attenuate steatosis is unclear. To uncouple the effect of increased muscle mass from weight loss in obesity, myostatin knockout mice were bred on a lean and obese background. Myostatin deletion increases gastrocnemius (Gastrocn.

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Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) is an effective treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, some patients do not improve to the same extent as others. It is important to understand potential factors that can be modified for better patient outcomes. This clinical trial implemented a three-arm, equipoise-stratified randomization design to allow for the accommodation of patient preference before randomization to one of three CPT treatment modalities: in-home, in-office, or telehealth.

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Pericardiocentesis (PC) in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and pericardial effusions has unclear benefits because it has been associated with acute hemodynamic collapse and increased mortality. Data on in-hospital outcomes in this population are limited. The National Inpatient Sample database was used to identify adult patients who underwent PC during hospitalizations between 2016 and 2020.

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Cognitive Adaptation Training (CAT) is an evidence-based treatment that uses environmental supports including signs, text messages, checklists, smart pill containers, and the organization of belongings to bypass cognitive and motivational impairments and to cue adaptive behavior in the home or work environment. We developed and tested a remote version of CAT to make the treatment available more broadly. Because CAT is focused on working with the individual in their home environment to establish supports, CAT may not be as easy to translate into an effective virtual treatment as talk-therapies.

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Background: Obesity is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Metabolic dysfunction, especially hyperglycemia, is thought to be a major contributor, but how glucose impacts vascular function is unclear. GAL3 (galectin-3) is a sugar-binding lectin upregulated by hyperglycemia, but its role as a causative mechanism of cardiovascular disease remains poorly understood.

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Objective: In posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the assumption of the equipotentiality of traumas ignores potentially unique contexts and consequences of different traumas. Accordingly, Stein et al. (2012) developed a reliable typing scheme in which assessors categorized descriptions of traumatic events into six "types": life threat to self (LTS), life threat to other, aftermath of violence (AV), traumatic loss, moral injury by self (MIS), and moral injury by other (MIO).

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This study was an examination of the puzzling finding that people assessed for symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) consistently score higher on the self-report PTSD Checklist for (PCL-5) than the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for (CAPS-5). Both scales purportedly assess PTSD severity with the same number of items, scaling, and scoring range, but differences in scores between measures make outcomes difficult to decipher. The purpose of this study was to examine several possible psychometric reasons for the discrepancy in scores between interview and self-report.

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The intent of this study is to examine treatment impact and efficiency observed when cognitive behavioral treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are delivered in-person or using telehealth. This study pooled data from 268 veterans enrolled in two PTSD clinical trials. In both trials, treatment was delivered using in-home telehealth ( arm), in-home in-person ( arm), and in-office care, where patients traveled to the Department of Veterans Affairs for either office-based telehealth or office-based in-person care ( arm).

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Insomnia and nightmares are common in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They are associated with worse psychological and physical health and worse PTSD treatment outcomes. In addition, they are resistant to PTSD treatments, which do not typically address sleep disorders.

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Rationale: Obesity increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) through mechanisms that remain incompletely defined. Metabolic dysfunction, especially hyperglycemia, is thought to be a major contributor but how glucose impacts vascular function is unclear. Galectin-3 (GAL3) is a sugar binding lectin upregulated by hyperglycemia but its role as a causative mechanism of CVD remains poorly understood.

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Background & Aims: Visceral smooth muscle cells (SMCs) are an integral component of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract that regulate GI motility. SMC contraction is regulated by posttranslational signaling and the state of differentiation. Impaired SMC contraction is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, but the mechanisms regulating SMC-specific contractile gene expression, including the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), remain largely unexplored.

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Introduction: Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are at elevated risk for Q10 cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to accelerated atherosclerosis. Compared to heathy control subjects, lupus patients have higher volumes and densities of thoracic aortic perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT), which independently associates with vascular calcification, a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis. However, the biological and functional role of PVAT in SLE has not been directly investigated.

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Purpose: To report a case of severe mpox in a newly diagnosed HIV patient concerning for Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome (IRIS) and/or tecovirimat resistance and to describe the management approach in the setting of refractory disease.

Case: 49-year-old man presented with 2 weeks of perianal lesions. He tested positive for mpox PCR in the emergency room and was discharged home with quarantine instructions.

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