It is highly likely that the wearing of face masks reduces the rate of respiratory infections (e.g. SARS-CoV-2), to protect both the user and those around them. This paper sets out to review the areas that effect the efficacy of masks, the materials, design, hygiene and fit testing, in order to make recommendations as to how to make mask from resources found in most homes for when commercial models are unavailable. This paper finds that a mask constructed with a filter made from high thread count cotton is likely to provide a reasonable level of protection (~70% filtration) and that if a layers of other materials such as chiffon or silk is added the filtration may be much higher (~90%). There is also some promise in less available materials such as vacuum cleaner bags and air conditioner filters. Examples of fabric and rigid designs are reviewed but most are limited by the fit to the users which is hard to determine in a home setting. It would be extremely helpful if a method was devised for people to test or be tested for the fit of home made masks. In the mean time careful thought should be given to whether the user judges a good fit. Users should also be careful to practice other means of hygiene and distancing.

This article integrates existing theory from distributed computing and cryptology with anecdotal material from the cryptocurrency industry, to provide a comprehensive description of the minimum requirements of the hypothetical academic blockchain. The paper argues that such a community could significantly reduce the biases and misconduct that now exist in the academic peer review process. Theory suggests such a system could operate effectively as a distributed encrypted telecommunications network where nodes are anonymous, do not trust each other, and there is minimal central authority. To incentivize the academic community to join such a proposed community, the paper proposes a pseudo-cryptocurrency called litcoin (literature coin). This litcoin-based system would create economic scarcity based on proof of knowledge (POK), which is a synthesis of the proof of work (POW) mechanism used in bitcoin, and the proof of stake (POS) mechanism used in various altcoin communities. The paper argues that the proposed POK system would enable the academic community to more effectively develop the research it finds valuable.

The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with increases in some healthcare-associated infections. We investigated the impact of the pandemic on rates and molecular epidemiology of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) within one VA Hospital. We anticipated that the potential widespread use of antibiotics for pneumonia during the pandemic might increase CDI rates given that antibiotics are a major risk for CDI. Hospital data on patients with CDI and recurrent CDI (rCDI) were reviewed pre-COVID-19 pandemic (2015 to 2019) and during the pandemic (2020 - 2021). Restriction endonuclease analysis (REA) strain typing was performed on CD isolates recovered from stool samples collected from 10/2019 – 3/2022. CDI case numbers declined 43.2% in 2020 – 2021 compared to the annual mean over the previous 5 years. Stool test positivity rate was also lower during the COVID-19 pandemic (14.3% vs. 17.2%; P = 0.013). Although inpatient volume declined, rates of CDI among inpatients were reduced by 34.2% in 2020 – 2021. Mean monthly cases of rCDI also declined significantly after 2020 [3.38 (95% CI: 2.89 – 3.87) vs. 1.92 (95% CI: 1.27 – 2.56); P = <0.01]. Prior to the pandemic, REA group Y was the most prevalent CD strain among the major REA groups (27.3%). During the first wave of the pandemic from March 8, 2020, through June 30, 2020, there was an increase in the relative incidence of REA group BI (26.7% vs. 9.1%. After adjusting for CDI risk factors, a multivariable logistic regression model revealed that odds of developing an REA group BI CDI increased during the first pandemic wave (OR 6.41, 95% CI: 1.03 – 39.91) compared to the pre-pandemic period. In conclusion, the incidence of CDI and rCDI decreased significantly during the initial waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast, REA BI (Ribotype 027), a virulent, previously epidemic CD strain and frequently associated with hospital transmission and outbreaks, reappeared as a prevalent strain during the first wave of the pandemic.

Wildlife conservation is an important component of environmental sustainability and can be improved by reviewing the performance of its three major models – common pool, top-down regulatory, and private resource -- under varying environmental and socioeconomic conditions. Generally, the private resource model is the most sustainable because it provides the best incentives to balance the needs of humans and wildlife, to maintain general wildlife habitat, and to adapt quickly to changing environmental and/or socioeconomic conditions. Top-down or “command and control” regulation, however, can be employed as a model of last resort if the private resource model shows signs of failing to protect specific species from local extirpation or extinction, which it is most likely to do for migratory species, species with close commercial substitutes, and species with no direct commercial value. Top-down regulators may also be needed to enforce property rights arrangements like catch shares and to monitor resources that remain in the common pool in the event that socioeconomic or environmental conditions change sufficiently to trigger the tragedy of the commons.

Additive Friction Extrusion Deposition (AFED) is a recently developed additive manufacturing technique that promises high deposition rates at low forces. Due to the novelty of the process, the underlying phenomena and their interactions are not fully understood, and in particular the processing strategy and tool design are still in their infancy. This work contributes to the state of the art of AFED through a comprehensive analysis of its working principles and an experimental program including a representative sample component. The working principle and process mechanics of AFED are broken down into their individual components. Forces, their origins and effects on the process are described, and measures of process efficiency and theoretical minimum energy consumption are derived. Three geometrical features of the extrusion die are identified as most relevant to the active material flow, process forces and deposition quality: the topography of the inner and outer circular surfaces and the geometry of its extrusion channels. Based on this, the experimental program investigates seven different tool designs in terms of efficiency, force reduction and throughput. The experiments using AA 6061-T6 as feedstock show that AFED is capable of both high material throughput (close to 550 mm³/s) and reduced substrate forces: For example, the forces for a run at 100 mm³/s remained continuously below 500 N, and for a run at 400 mm³/s below 3500 N. Material flow and microstructure of the AFED are assessed from the macrosections. Significant differences are found between the advancing and retracting sides for both process effects and material flow. Banded structures show strong similarities to other solid state processes. The fabrication of the sample components demonstrates that AFED is already capable of producing industrial grade components. In mechanical testing, interlayer bonding defects result in a more brittle failure behavior in the direction of the structure, in the microstructure show strong similarities to other solid-state processes. The manufacturing of the sample components demonstrates that AFED is already capable of producing industrial grade components. In mechanical tests, interlayer bonding defects result in a more brittle failure behavior in the direction of the structure, while in the horizontal direction of the structure mechanical properties corresponding to a T4 temper have been achieved.

The aim of this article is to establish a new class of unified integrals associated with the generalized Lommel-Wright functions, which are expressed in terms of Wright Hypergeometric function.Some integrals involving trigonometric,generalized Bessel function and Struve functions are also indicated as special cases of our main results.further, with the help of our main results and their special cases, we obtain two reduction formulas for the Wright hypergeometric function.

Airway epithelial cells (AECs) play a key role in maintaining lung homeostasis, epithelium regeneration and the initiation of pulmonary immune responses. To isolate and study murine AECs investigators have classically used short and hot (1h 37°C) digestion protocols. Here, we present a workflow for efficient AECs isolation and culture, utilizing long and cold (20h 4°C) dispase II digestion of murine lungs. This protocol yields a greater number of viable AECs compared to an established 1h 37°C dispase II digestion. Using a combination of flow cytometry and immunofluorescent microscopy, we demonstrate that compared to the established method, the cold digestion allows for recovery of a 3-fold higher number of CD45-CD31-EpCAM+ cells from murine lungs. Their viability is increased compared to established protocols, they can be isolated in larger numbers by magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS), and they result in greater numbers of KRT5+p63+ colonies in vitro. Our findings demonstrate that temperature and duration of murine lung enzymatic digestion have a considerable impact on AEC yield, viability, and ability to form colonies in vitro. We believe this workflow will be helpful for studying lung AECs and their role in the biology of lung.

The manuscript surveys the special functions of the Fox-Wright type. These functions are generalizations of the hypergeometric functions. Notable representatives of the type are the Mittag-Leffler functions and the Wright function. The integral representations of such functions are given and the conditions under which these function can be represented by simpler functions are demonstrated. The connection with generalized fractional differential and integral operators is demonstrated and discussed.

A theoretical account of development in mesocortical anatomy is derived from the free energy principle, operating in a neural field with both Hebbian and anti-Hebbian neural plasticity. An elementary structural unit is proposed, in which synaptic connections at mesoscale are arranged in paired patterns with mirror symmetry. Exchanges of synaptic flux in each pattern form coupled spatial eigenmodes, and the line of mirror reflection between the paired patterns operates as a Markov blanket, so that prediction errors in exchanges between the pairs are minimized. The theoretical analysis is then compared to the outcomes from a biological model of cortical neurodevelopment, in which neuron precursors are selected by apoptosis for cell body and synaptic connections maximizing synchrony and also minimizing axonal length. It is shown that this model results in patterns of connection with the anticipated mirror symmetries, at micro-, meso- and inter-arial scales, among lateral connections, and in cortical depth, explaining the spatial organization and functional significance of neuron response preferences, and compatible with features of both columnar and noncolumnar cortex. Multi-way interactions of mirrored representations provide a preliminary anatomically realistic model of cortical information processing.

There is a long-standing association between exceptional cognitive abilities, of various sorts, and neuropsychiatric illness, but it has historically largely been investigated in an exploratory and non-systematic way. One group in which this association has been investigated with more rigor is in subjects who have been identified as twice exceptional; an educational term describing subjects who are both gifted and diagnosed with a neuropsychiatric disability. This term covers multiple conditions, but is of specific interest in particular in the study of autism spectrum disorder. Recent findings have led to the development of a hypothesis that a certain degree of the neurobiology associated with autism might even be advantageous for individuals and could lead to high giftedness, while becoming disadvantageous, once a certain threshold is surpassed. In this model, the same neurobiological mechanisms confer an increasing advantage up to a certain threshold, but become pathological past that point. Twice-exceptional individuals would be exactly at the inflection point, being highly gifted, but also symptomatic at the same time. Here, we review how existing neuroimaging literature on autism spectrum disorder can inform research on twice exceptionality specifically. We propose to study key neural networks with a robust implication in ASD to identify the neurobiology underlying twice-exceptionality. A better understanding of the neural mechanisms of twice exceptionality should help to better understand resilience and vulnerability to neurodevelopmental disorders and tofurther support affected individuals.

In this study, the complex interactions between the well-known Mittag-Leffler functions with two, three, and four parameters are explored. We first study the integral forms of the Mittag-Leffler function $\mathsf{E}_{\alpha, \beta}^{\rho,\kappa}(z)$ with the goal of clarifying its mathematical behaviours and features. Moreover, we create relations between these functions and generalised hypergeometric functions and Fox-Wright functions, expanding the range of their use and comprehension. We explore a number of unique situations by in-depth examination, providing insight into the subtle characteristics of these functions. This investigation advances our theoretical knowledge and opens up possibilities for future applications in a number of scientific fields. As such, this study adds to the current conversation in mathematical analysis and is an important tool for both practitioners and researchers.

Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels and hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels share similar structures but have opposite gating polarity. Kv channels have a strong coupling ( >109) between the voltage sensor (S4) and the activation gate: when S4s are activated the gate is open to >80%, but when S4s are deactivated, the gate is open < 10-9 of the time. Using noise analysis, we show that the coupling between S4 and the gate is < 200 in HCN channels. In addition, using voltage clamp fluorometry, locking the gate open in a Kv channel drastically altered the energetics of S4 movement. In contrast, locking the gate open or decreasing the coupling between S4 and the gate in HCN channels had only minor effects on the energetics of S4 movement, consistent with a weak coupling between S4 and the gate. We propose that this loose coupling is a prerequisite for the reversed voltage gating in HCN channels.

The NF-κB (nuclear factor K-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells) transcription factor family is critical for modulating the immune proinflammatory response throughout the body. During the resting state, inactive NF-κB is sequestered by IκB in the cytoplasm. Proteasomal degradation of IκB activates NF-κB, mediating its translocation into the nucleus to act as a nuclear transcription factor in the upregulation of proinflammatory genes. Stimuli that initiate NF-κB activation are diverse, but are canonically attributed to proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Downstream effects of NF-κB are cell type specific and, in the majority of cases, result in activation of pro-inflammatory cascades. Acting as the primary immune responders of the central nervous system, microglia exhibit upregulation of NF-κB upon activation in response to pathological conditions. Under such circumstances, microglial crosstalk with other cell types in the central nervous system can induce cell death, further exacerbating the disease pathology. In this review, we will emphasize the role of NF-κB in triggering neuroinflammation mediated by microglia.

The Colebrook equation is a popular model for estimating friction loss coefficients in water and gas pipes. The model is implicit in the unknown flow friction factor . To date, the captured flow friction factor can be extracted from the logarithmic form analytically only in the term of the Lambert -function. The purpose of this study is to find an accurate and computationally efficient solution based on the shifted Lambert -function also known as the Wright -function. The Wright -function is more suitable because it overcomes the problem with the overflow error by switching the fast growing term of the Lambert -function to the series expansions that further can be easily evaluated in computers without causing overflow run-time errors. Although the Colebrook equation transformed through the Lambert -function is identical to the original expression in term of accuracy, a further evaluation of the Lambert -function can be only approximate. Very accurate explicit approximations of the Colebrook equation that contains only one or two logarithms are shown. The final result is an accurate explicit approximation of the Colebrook equation with the relative error of no more than 0.0096%. The presented approximations are in the form suitable for everyday engineering use, they are both accurate and computationally efficient.

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed many knowledge gaps with implications toward the speed and nature of our response to contain, assess and mitigate risk. The routine discharge of treated and untreated wastewater into rivers and coastal waters has placed SARS-CoV-2 viability in wastewater at the centre of an emerging hazard and potential risk to water industry workers and the public who come into contact with sewage-impacted water. Here we provide a review of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus primary literature that presents the evidence base pertaining to the key questions of whether the SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 is shed in stool and urine, is recoverable, and infectious in wastewater. We discuss the challenges posed by the current literature base and the extent to which the current evidence is fit for the purpose of informing robust human and environmental risk assessments.

Background: Antibiotic lock therapy is an interventional modality used for treatment and prevention of central-line associated bloodstream infections. Stability and compatibility data for combinations are lacking, limiting clinical use. Objective: Compatibility and stability of daptomycin lock solutions in combination with azithromycin, gentamicin, and heparin or sodium citrate were evaluated up to 96 hours. Methods: Eight candidate lock solutions were prepared for compatibility and stability testing. All solutions were prepared in glass vials, and included daptomycin 1mg/mL in varying combinations with heparin 100 – 1,000 units/mL, trisodium citrate, azithromycin and/or gentamicin. Lactated Ringer’s solution was added as a diluent in a sufficient quantity to bring the total volume up to 5mL. Drug stability in the admixture was determined by the degradation of the components. The quantification of drugs was performed using Waters Alliance HPLC using Phenomenex Luna C8 (2), 150*2.6mm, 5µ column. A gradient run was executed for 20 minutes with 0.45% ammonium dihydrogen phosphate, pH 3.25 as eluent A and acetonitrile as eluent B at a flow rate of 1.0mL/min. Each solution was visually inspected for particulates and color change. Lock solutions were tested in triplicate. Results: Daptomycin degradation was <10% for all solutions at 48 hours, and for 7 of the 8 solutions at 72 hours. Gentamicin degradation was <5% for solutions in combination with daptomycin and trisodium citrate. No physical incompatibilities were detected. Conclusion: Study data support the stability and compatibility of daptomycin with additives in solution, allowing for fewer exchanges and longer dwell times for a lock solution. The addition of azithromycin or gentamicin may offer synergy and/or extended spectrum of activity. Daptomycin bioactivity with trisodium citrate needs confirmation.

Stream chemistry effectively integrates watershed ecosystem processes on both spatial and temporal scales. Streams of coastal areas integrate a more homogeneous, flat topography wherein there can be interactions between the stream and the body of water into which it drains, especially where tidal fluxes occur. The present study assessed water quality of Thompson Bayou, which comes to the campus of the University of West Florida in a wetland after flowing through 4 km of commercial and private property with associated impacts on water quality. Sampling was carried out for one year at eight discrete sites along Thompson Bayou from the UWF campus to the Escambia River. We used a portable field meter to measure temperature, pH, dissolved O2 (DO), and specific conductivity (SC). Except for temperature, all variables exhibited a spatial pattern of significant variation with distance, with consistent increases in DO and SC as the stream approached the river. These variables also exhibited a temporal pattern of significant seasonal variation, including—and especially—temperature. Data suggest that spatial and temporal patterns of water quality of Thompson Bayou are determined by (1) processing of water by the wetland, (2) interactions of the stream channel with upland forest stands, and (3) the tidal hydrology of the Escambia River.

It is now widely accepted the climate change is having a profound impact on the weather systems around the world. These, in turn, have a considerable effect on two important elements of the Tuscan economy: wine producing and tourism. This case study sought to explore the relationship between the perception of Tuscan wine-producing agritourism owners of the potentially abstract notion of climate change and their concrete experiences as entrepreneurs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight wine-producing agritourism owners or managers in Val d’Orcia, a small area of Siena, Tuscany and analyzed thematically. The impact of climate change on the area’s viticulture is undeniable but the responses to the challenges are more nuanced. Political leadership on the climate crisis appears absent and perhaps as a consequence, these small-scale operators lack knowledge and funds to enable them to plan ahead: they react often day-to-day to the immediate weather conditions rather than planning long term. While recognizing the difficulties they face from climate change as viticulturists, as agrotourism owners they welcome the longer seasons which enable them to open in the formally barren shoulder seasons but struggle with last-minute cancellations due to unpredictable weather in the area.

Many neurodegenerative diseases are characterised by impairment of protein quality control mechanisms in neuronal cells. Ineffective clearance of misfolded proteins by the proteasome, autophagy pathways and exocytosis leads to accumulation of toxic protein oligomers and aggregates in neurons. Toxic protein species affect various cellular functions resulting in the development of a spectrum of different neurodegenerative proteinopathies, including Huntington’s disease (HD). Playing an integral role in proteostasis, dysfunction of the ubiquitylation system in HD is progressive and multi-faceted with numerous biochemical pathways affected, in particular the ubiquitin proteasome system and autophagy routes for protein aggregate degradation. Unravelling the molecular mechanisms involved in HD pathogenesis of proteostasis provides insight in disease progression in HD as well as possible therapeutic avenues. Recent developments of potential therapeutics are discussed in this review.

Teaching through English Medium Instruction (EMI) has been a strategic move in some European and Asian countries as part of their educational internationalisation. A large number of studies on EMI teaching have appeared in the last decade. The majority of these report on issues and concerns at macro-level including: the lack of structured policy guidance, EMI lecturers and students’ low level of English proficiency, and a shortfall of research informed training programs for EMI lecturers. Up to date, there is little research into EMI in-class teaching and learning. Lived experience in EMI in-class practice has been largely ignored. To fill this gap, this research explored a group of academics’ in-class EMI practice in a Chinese university. Their teaching process through EMI was observed and recorded, with data analysed through a multiple theoretical lens. Data reveal that EMI teaching is a complicated issue and can be neither standardised nor prescribed. It needs to be addressed as a pedagogy responding to and influenced by local context, driven by language, culture and education systems. This research is expected to provide insight for the development of localised institutional guidelines for EMI teaching and lecturers’ professional development in EMI teaching.

A growing number of companies in the brewery industry have made commitments to measure and reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, many brewers, particularly craft brewers with relatively low rates of production, have struggled to meet these commitments. The purpose of this research was to investigate the challenges and benefits of measuring and reducing GHG emissions in the craft brewery industry. The research was conducted in Ontario, Canada, which has seen strong recent growth in the craft brewery industry. A case study and semi-structured interviews among Ontario Craft Brewers were conducted. The case study found that indirect (scope 3 emissions under the WBCSD & WRI GHG Protocol) GHG sources accounted for 46.4% of total GHGs, with major sources from barley agriculture, malted barley transportation, and bottle production. Direct emissions (scope 1) accounted for only 14.9% of GHGs, while scope 2 emissions, comprised mainly of energy consumption, accounted for 38.7% of GHGs. The case study and interviews found that the main challenges in calculating brewery GHGs are secondary data availability, technical knowledge, and finances. The study also found that the main benefits for Ontario breweries to measure their GHGs include sustainability marketing and preserving the environment. The interviews also found a poor understanding of carbon regulation among Ontario Craft Brewers, which is interesting considering that Ontario implemented a provincial cap and trade program in 2017.

The microbial colonisers of plastics – the ‘plastisphere’ – can affect all interactions that plastics have with their surrounding environments. While only specifically characterised within the last 10 years, at the beginning of 2021 there were 140 primary research and 65 review articles that investigate at least one aspect of the plastisphere. We gathered information on the locations and methodologies used by each of the primary research articles, highlighting several aspects of plastisphere research that remain understudied: (i) the non-bacterial plastisphere constituents; (ii) the mechanisms used to degrade plastics by marine isolates or communities; (iii) the capacity for plastisphere members to be pathogenic or carry antimicrobial resistance genes; and (iv) meta-OMIC characterisations of the plastisphere. We have also summarised the topics covered by the existing plastisphere review articles, identifying areas that have received less attention to date – most of which are in line with the areas that have fewer primary research articles. Therefore, in addition to providing an overview of some fundamental topics such as biodegradation and community assembly, we discuss the importance of eukaryotes in shaping the plastisphere, potential pathogens carried by plastics and the impact of the plastisphere on plastic transport and biogeochemical cycling. Finally, we summarise the future directions suggested by the reviews that we have evaluated and suggest other key research questions.

Students with disabilities are often framed as “the problem” and have limited opportunities to engage in standards based mathematics, leading to persistent underachievement. In this paper, we investigate a research divide between mathematics educational research for students with and without disabilities, a divide with significant differences in the theoretical orientations and research methodologies used to understand learners. Based on an analysis of 149 mathematics educational research articles published between 2013 and 2015, we found significant differences between articles focused on learners with and without disabilities. For those with disabilities, mathematical problem solving was understood primarily from behavioral and information processing theoretical perspectives, while for those without disabilities, problem solving was understood primarily through constructivist and sociocultural perspectives. While 86% of research on problem-solving including students with disabilities was quantitative, only 35% of research on students without disabilities was quantitative. Fifty percent of problem-solving research on students without disabilities was qualitative, compared to only 6% of research on students with disabilities. Problem solving, then, is studied in very different ways for learners with and without disabilities. Students without disabilities are studied through close analysis of learning, often individual. Students with disabilities are most often studied quantitatively, in groups, with little analysis of individual thinking. By offering only a limited range of methods and theoretical orientations, this research divide reifies deficit constructions of students with disabilities.

Perception of flavor is a dynamic process during which the concentration of aroma molecules at the olfactory epithelium varies with time as they are released progressively from the food in the mouth during consumption. The release kinetics depends on the food matrix itself, but also on food oral processing, such as mastication behavior and food bolus formation with saliva, for which huge inter-individual variations exist due to physiological differences. Sensory methods, such as time-intensity (TI), or the more recent methods temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) and temporal check-all-that-apply (TCATA), are used to account for the dynamic and time-related aspects of flavor perception. Direct injection mass spectrometry (DIMS) techniques that measure in real-time aroma compounds directly in the nose (nosespace), aimed at obtaining data that reflect the pattern of aroma release in real-time during food consumption, supposed to be representative of perception, have been developed since 25 years. Examples obtained with MS operated in chemical ionization mode at atmospheric or sub-atmospheric pressure (atmospheric pressure chemical ionization APCI or proton transfer reaction PTR) will be given, with emphases on studies conducted with simultaneous dynamic sensory evaluation. Inter-individual variations in terms of aroma release and their relevance for understanding flavor perception will be discussed, as well as evidenced cross-modal interactions.

We interviewed 48 people including local communities, ex hunters and protected area management professionals. The purpose of the interviews was to understand the motivations for, and the nature of, illegal hunting of prey species of iconic predators - tigers and leopards - in the northern section of Bardia National Park. Participants reported that hunting of prey species occurs mostly in spring and autumn and is less common during the summer. In the past, hunting was primarily for the purposes of obtaining meat for household consumption. Since the introduction of a road network in the region, opportunities to sell wild meat at ad-hoc ‘highway markets’ have developed. The purported medicinal properties of wild meat was also cited as a driver for illegal hunting. Mostly, locally hand-made guns are used for hunting and the use of dogs in hunting was often reported. Protected area managers informed that illegal hunting problems in the study area are associated with a lack of presence of park authorities, remoteness and underdevelopment and poverty of the community. Our study suggested that skills development training for local community members might reduce dependency on wild meat for household consumption and earning thereby reducing illegal hunting.

The evolutionary transition from single-celled to multicellular individuality requires organismal fitness to shift from the cell-level to the cell group. This reorganization of fitness occurs by allocating the two components of fitness, survival and reproduction, between two specialized cell types in the multicellular group – soma and germ, respectively. How does the genetic basis for such fitness reorganization evolve? One possible mechanism is the co-option of life-history genes present in the unicellular ancestors of a multicellular lineage. Single-celled organisms must regulate their investment in survival and reproduction in response to environmental changes, particularly decreasing reproduction to ensure survival when stressed. Such stress response life-history genes can provide the foundation for the genetic basis for cellular differentiation in multicellular lineages. The regA gene family in volvocine green algae provides a model system to study how this co-option occurs. We discuss the origin and evolution of the volvocine regA gene family, including regA – the gene that controls somatic cell development in the model organism Volvox carteri. We hypothesize that the co-option of life history trade-off genes is a general mechanism involved in the transition to multicellular individuality, making volvocine algae and the regA family a useful template for similar investigations in other lineages.

Eurytoma erythrinae Gates & Delvare (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae), is an important biological control agent of the erythrina gall wasp (EGW), Quadrastichus erythrinae Kim (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), an invasive species native likely originating in eastern Africa, that is a threat to Erythrina trees in Hawaii and worldwide. Thousands of Erythrina trees in Hawaii succumbed to EGW since 2005 and died within few years of infestation. The endemic wiliwili tree, Erythrina sandwicensis, an important component of Hawaii’s dry forests, and one of few deciduous native trees were severely impacted by this wasp. Early during the invasion by EGW it became evident that the endemic species may be driven to extinction, and exploration programs for natural enemies of the EGW started in December 2005. East Africa was selected as the start point for natural enemy exploration owing to high native Erythina species richness. Several gall formers were found in Tanzania and a putative color variant type of Q. erythrinae was detected in association with three ectoparasitoids. During January 2006, the dominant parasitoid of this gall former was introduced to Hawaii and described as the new species, E. erythrinae. It was found in Ghana, and South Africa attacking other gall wasp species on Erythrina. Eurytoma erythrinae was a voracious ectoparasitoid feeding as a predator on 1 – 5 adjacent EGW immatures to complete its development. Host specificity studies that included seven non-target gall-forming species showed no evidence of attraction or parasitism by this parasitoid. Mean ± SEM longevity of host deprived females (40.4 ± 2.2 days) was significantly higher than males (20.5 ± 1.1 days). Host feeding enhanced longevity of ovipositing female (51.3 ± 1.5 days). Female’s peak fecundity (105 – 239 offspring /female), host feeding biology, short life cycle (18.4 ± 0.1 days), and synchronization with the host, were additional desirable attributes of E. erythrinae. The parasitoid was approved for field release in Hawaii in November 2008. A total of 3998 wasps were distributed on six Hawaiian Islands, with establishment in less than a year. Impacts on high density infestations of EGW were sufficient to prevent tree deaths. Limited rates of parasitism on low density galled leaves, flowers, and seedpods necessitated the consideration for releasing a second parasitoid, Aprostocetus nitens (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). We report on the reproductive characteristics, and host specificity of E. erythinae that could be of importance for classical biocontrol programs in areas with EGW problem.

This paper will explore analogs of groups formed by the transformations of two ropes as presented by Minh-Tam Quang Trinh.1 The two operations acting on these ropes are T and S, defined as twists and clockwise turns, respectively. These actions intertwine the ropes, creating tangles. T and S also have the ability to untangle the rope when used in certain combinations. In the two-rope case, these actions expressed as a group presentation were shown to be isomorphic to SL₂(Z). We explored the analog of these opera- tions, T and S, and conjectured the corresponding group to which they are isomorphic. Partial proofs for this conjecture are included and future work would include proving our conjecture as well as generalizing results to k ropes.

Abstract: The trend of fasting until noon (omission or delayed breakfast) is increasingly prevalent in modern society. This eating pattern triggers discordance between endogenous circadian clock rhythms and the feeding/fasting cycle and is associated with an increased incidence of obesity and T2D. Although the underlying mechanism of this association is not well understood, growing evidence suggests that fasting until noon, also known as an “extended postabsorptive state,” has the potential to cause a deleterious effect on clock gene expression and disrupted regulation of body weight, postprandial and overall glycemia, skeletal muscle protein synthesis, appetite and may also lead to lower energy expenditure. This manuscript overviews the clock gene-controlled glucose metabolism during the active and resting phases. The consequences of postponing until noon the transition from postabsorptive to fed state on glucose metabolism, weight control, and energy expenditure. Finally, we will discuss the metabolic advantage of shifting more energy, carbohydrates (CH), and proteins to the early hours of the day.

This review critically assesses the body of research about Measles-Mumps-and-Rubella (MMR) vaccine attitudes and uptake in the United Kingdom (UK) over the past 10 years. We searched PubMed and Scopus, with terms aimed at capturing relevant literature on attitudes, uptake, decision-making, and beliefs about the MMR vaccine. Two researchers screened for abstract eligibility and after de-duplication 934 studies were selected. After screening, 40 references were included for full-text review and thematic synthesis by three researchers. We were interested in the methodologies employed, and grouped findings by whether studies concerned: (1) Uptake and Demographics; (2) Beliefs and Attitudes; (3) Healthcare Worker Focus; (4) Experimental and Psychometric Intervention; (5) Mixed Methods. We identified group and individual level determinants for attitudes, operating directly and indirectly, that influence vaccine uptake. We found that access issues, often ignored within the public “anti-vax” debate, remain highly pertinent. Finally, a consistent theme was the effect of misinformation and lack of knowledge or trust in healthcare, often stemming from the Wakefield controversy. Future COVID-19 immunisation campaigns for children should consider both access and attitudinal aspects of vaccination, and incorporate a range of methodologies to assess progress, taking into account socio-economic variables and the needs of disadvantaged groups.

In the dynamic landscape of E-commerce, the proliferation of user-generated queries regarding products highlights the critical need for advanced automatic question answering (AQA) systems. These systems are instrumental in harnessing the vast array of information available online to deliver immediate and informative responses to potential buyers. Recognizing the complexity of such queries, which often require synthesis of reviews, product specifications, and responses to similar questions, we introduce a sophisticated model, the Comprehensive E-commerce Answer Generation System (CEAGS). This model adeptly navigates the challenges posed by irrelevant data and sentiment ambiguity in user-generated content. Our approach leverages a dual-phase process of relevance determination and sentiment clarity, setting the stage for a transformative response generation mechanism. Empirical analyses reveal the superiority of CEAGS, with our relevance assessment framework outstripping existing models by a notable margin in precision metrics, and our answer generation module achieving unprecedented gains in content preservation and coherence. Notably, CEAGS marks a pioneering contribution to the E-commerce domain by integrating disparate information sources to formulate responses that are not only accurate but also contextually rich and user-centric.

In this paper, we present findings from a qualitative interview study, which highlights the difficulties and challenges with quantifying carbon emissions, and discusses how to move productively through these challenges by drawing insights from studies of deep uncertainty. Our research study focuses on the digital sector and was governed by the research question: how do practitioners researching, working or immersed in the broad area of sustainable digitisation (researchers, industry, NGOs, and policy representatives) understand and engage with quantifying carbon? Our findings show how stakeholders struggled to measure carbon emissions across complex systems, the lack of standardisation to assist with this, and how these challenges led stakeholders to call for more data to address this uncertainty. We argue that calls for more data to address this uncertainty obscure the fact that there will always be uncertainty, and that we must learn to govern from within it.

Downwind odor characteristics can be very different depending upon the size of the upwind point-source, interim topography, and wind conditions. At one extreme, the downwind odor plume from a relatively large, confined animal feeding operation (CAFO), located on a flat open plain and under stable, near-straight-line wind conditions can be rather broad, sustained and predictable relative to a fixed receptor site downwind. In contrast, the plume from a small point-source (e.g., a roof vent stack) located on irregular topography and under rapidly shifting wind conditions can be intermittent and fleeting. These transient odor events can be surprisingly intense and offensive, in spite of their fleeting occurrence and perception. This work reports on efforts to optimize an environmental odor sampling strategy, which is optimized for the challenges of (1) sampling of such transient odor 'spikes' and (2) the prioritization of odors/odorants from multiple, closely co-located point-sources, under such transient event conditions. Protocol refinement has emerged by way of 2 environmental odor assessment projects which have been undertaken on behalf of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The challenge of transient odor events has been mitigated utilizing rapid, odor cued whole-air grab capture sampling into metalized-FEP gas sampling bags, followed by immediate adsorption transfer onto SPME fibers or sorbent tubes for stabilization during the shipment and storage interval between collection and final analysis. Initial results demonstrated approximately 11 fold increases in target odorant yields for 900 mL sorbent tube transfers from 2-3 second 'burst' odor event bag-captures, as compared to equivalent direct collections at the same downwind receptor location but during perceived (stable) odor 'lull' periods. Results-to-date targeting refinement and field trials of this integrated environmental odor assessment strategy are presented. Preliminary application targeting general odor sampling and point-source differentiation utilizing tracer gases is also presented.

Plant diseases and pests reduce crop yields, accounting for global crop losses of 30% to 50%. In conventional agricultural production systems, these losses are typically controlled by applying chemical pesticides. However, public pressure is mounting to curtail agrochemical use. In this context, employing beneficial endophytic microorganisms is an increasingly attractive alternative to the use of conventional chemical pesticides in agriculture. A multitude of fungal endophytes are naturally present in plants, producing enzymes, small peptides and secondary metabolites due to their bioactivity, can protect hosts from pathogens, pests and abiotic stresses. The use of beneficial endophytic microorganisms in agriculture is an increasingly attractive alternative to conventional pesticides. The aim of this study was to characterize fungal endophytes isolated from apparently healthy, feral wine grapes in eastern Canada that have grown without agrochemical inputs for decades. Host plants ranged from unknown seedlings to long-lost cultivars not widely propagated since the 1800s. HPLC-MS was used to identify unique endophyte-derived chemical compounds in the host plants, while dual-culture competition assays showed a range in endophytes’ ability to suppress the mycelial growth of Botrytis, which is typically controlled in viticulture with pesticides. Twelve of the most promising fungal endophytes isolated were identified using multilocus sequencing and morphology, while DNA barcoding was employed to identify some of their host vines. These fungal endophyte isolates, which consisted of both known and putative novel strains, belonged to seven genera in six families and five orders of Ascomycota. Exploring the fungal endophytes in these specimens may yield clues to the vines’ survival and lead to the discovery of novel biocontrol agents.

Background: Handover is a critical process for ensuring quality and safety in healthcare. Considerable research suggests that poor handover results in significant morbidity, mortality, dissatisfaction, and excess financial costs. Despite this, little formal attention, education, and evaluation has been given to handover. There is also paucity of data on the opinions of practitioners on the safety of handover.Objectives: The aim of this study was to measure the perceived risk, degree of patient harm and the systems used to support handover, and to understand how this varied by care setting, type of clinical practice, location, or level of experience. Methods: An open, anonymous and confidential online questionnaire covering: (a) respondent characteristics; (b) peer-to-peer handover; (c) internal referrals; (d) discharges and transfers between organisations; and (e) leading and improving handover was conducted with healthcare practitioners and managers from various settings. Results: We gathered a total of 432 completed responses from 26 countries. The average reported performance of handover was rated as 3.9 out of 5.For each type of handover, 12 - 14% reported errors occurring more than weekly. Of those that knew the outcome of such errors, between 29% and 34% reported that they had witnessed moderate or severe harm. 12% and 17% of respondents believed that handover was high or very high risk (See table 4). These respondents were more likely to have witnessed moderate or severe harm, or to be more senior.A wide combination of handover systems was utilised by respondents. 28% - 32% relied exclusively on EPRs (with or without face-to-face contact). 21% used Office documents such as Word and Excel for peer-to-peer handover, and over 30% used hand-written or manual systems. Conclusions: This study suggests the need to do more — and go further — to improve communication and reduce risk during all types of handovers. Clinical leaders should find ways to train and support handover with effective systems, with less experienced staff being the primary focus. More research is needed to demonstrate the interventions that improve the safety of handover.

Cats, including companion cats, inflict extensive harm on wildlife. Using a national survey of 2000 households in New Zealand, we investigated the influence of involvement (an indicator of motivation) on the willingness of cat owners to keep their cats indoors at night. We found that respondents’ intentions to protect wildlife, and the frequency with which respondents with cats kept them indoors at night, was influenced by their involvement with cat welfare and their involvement with protecting wildlife, in addition to their attitudes and subjective norms. We also found that keeping cats indoors at night could be characterised as involving approach-avoidance conflict. Our findings have implications for efforts to increase the adoption by cat owners of keeping cats inside at night regarding the attentiveness of cat owners to promotional activities. Our findings suggest that such activities will not be particularly effective in the absence of cat-friendly, inexpensive, practical, and easily maintained devices that enable cats to be kept inside. Importantly, when the adoption of keeping cats inside at night is appropriately characterised as approach-avoidance conflict, our results suggest that promotional activities seeking to persuade cat owners that pet cats cause much greater harm to wildlife than they might believe are most likely to have a limited and likely temporary effect and may even be counter-productive.

Epimutations are the cause of a considerable number of genetically inherited conditions in humans. All result from the mis-expression of genes due to epigenetic changes that are triggered by an underlying heritable mutation. The correction of these epigenetic defects in the context of epigenetically regulated diseases constitutes a good paradigm to probe the fundamental mechanisms underlying the development of these diseases, and the molecular basis for the establishment, maintenance and regulation of epigenetic modifications in general. Here, we review current applications of key editing tools to address the epigenetic aspects of these diseases by focusing on epimutations caused by, or relate to repetitive elements, primarily unstable noncoding repeat expansions. For each approach we summarize the efforts conducted to date, highlight their contribution to a better understanding of the molecular basis of epigenetic mechanisms, describe the limitations of each approach and suggest perspectives for further exploration in this field.

Flying-fox populations are increasingly threatened by heat events, starvation events and other stressors due to habitat clearing and human/flying-fox conflict.These factors are unlikely to resolve, meaning that a well-coordinated and timely approach to flying-fox disasters is imperative for the mitigation of further flying-fox population impacts.

AAs the global energy market undergoes a wholesale transformation accelerated by the need to decarbonise, a rapid transition to renewable energy and the mass deployment of distributed energy resources, autonomous energy networks or microgrids are emerging as an attractive mechanism for the delivery of electricity to end users. Yet in Australia, at least, relatively little is known about key aspects of microgrids that are fundamental to their successful deployment, not least the more commercial and economic elements rather than the purely technical. Drawing on the extant global literature on microgrids, this paper explores the most important of these aspects including business models, ownership and investment. Identifying the ambiguity, inconsistency and uncertainty evident in many of the feasibility studies currently in train across Australia, this paper highlights specific areas for future research that need to be addressed if the full potential of microgrids is to be realised in the context of a global energy transition both domestically and internationally.

Reelin depletion and stress seem to affect similar pathways including GABAergic and glutamatergic signaling and both are implicated in psychiatric disorders in late adolescence/early adulthood. The interaction between reelin depletion and stress, however, remains unclear. To investigate this, male and female heterozygous reelin mice (HRM) and wildtype (WT) controls were treated with the stress hormone, corticosterone (CORT), during late adolescence to simulate chronic stress. Glucocorticoid receptors (GR), N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAr) subunits, glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67) and parvalbumin (PV) were measured in the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in adulthood. While no changes were seen in male mice, female HRM showed a significant reduction in GR expression in the dorsal hippocampus. In addition, CORT reduced GR levels as well as GluN2B and GluN2C subunits of NMDAr in the dorsal hippocampus in female mice only. CORT furthermore reduced GluN1 levels in the PFC of female mice. The combined effect of HRM and CORT treatment appeared to be additive in terms of GR expression in the dorsal hippocampus. Female-specific CORT-induced changes were associated with overall higher circulating CORT levels in female compared to male mice. This study shows differential effects of reelin depletion and CORT treatment on GR and NMDAr protein expression in male and female mice, suggesting that females are more susceptible to reelin haploinsufficiency as well as late-adolescent stress. These findings shed more light on female-specific vulnerability to stress and have implications for stress-associated mental illnesses with a female bias including anxiety and major depression.

Abstract Incretin mimetics, also known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, are a class of medications used to treat type 2 diabetes by mimicking the actions of incretin hormones in the body. These hormones are responsible for promoting insulin release from the pancreas in response to nutrient intake, as well as decreasing glucagon secretion, slowing gastric emptying, and promoting satiety. By imitating these actions, incretin mimetics help to regulate blood sugar levels in individuals with diabetes and glucose intolerance. One of the key benefits of incretin mimetics is its ability to lower blood sugar levels without causing hypoglycemia. This is especially important for individuals with diabetes who may experience dangerous drops in blood sugar levels when using other medications. Additionally, incretin mimetics have been shown to promote weight loss in some individuals, making them a valuable option for those struggling with obesity in addition to diabetes. Incretin mimetics are administered by injection, once or twice daily, depending on the specific medication. They are often combined with other diabetes medications, such as metformin or insulin, for optimal blood sugar control. These medications are generally well-tolerated, with common side effects including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which usually diminish over time as the body adjusts to the medication. Studies have shown that incretin mimetics can help improve cardiovascular outcomes in individuals with diabetes, including reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. This is particularly significant given the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in individuals with diabetes. Incretin mimetics also have been shown to preserve pancreatic beta-cell function, which is responsible for producing insulin. This can help slow the progression of diabetes and reduce the need for higher insulin doses over time. Despite their many benefits, incretin mimetics are not without limitations. They can be expensive compared to other diabetes medications, which may make them less accessible for some individuals. Additionally, there have been concerns about the potential risk of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer associated with the use of these medications. However, more research is needed to fully understand these risks. It is important for healthcare providers to carefully assess each individual's unique needs and medical history when considering the use of incretin mimetics. They may not be appropriate for everyone, particularly those with a history of pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer. Patients should also be educated about these medications' proper administration and potential side effects to ensure their safety and efficacy. Overall, incretin mimetics have emerged as an important therapeutic option for individuals with type 2 diabetes, offering a unique mechanism of action that can help improve blood sugar control, promote weight loss, and reduce cardiovascular risk. With ongoing research and development in this field, incretin mimetics continue to show promise as valuable tools in managing diabetes and its associated complications and comorbidities.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was first reported in the U.S. on December 29, 2019 and has spread rapidly throughout the country, affecting individuals with varying severity due to their risk status. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is estimated that 45.4% of US adults are at higher risk for complications from coronavirus disease because of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory disease, hypertension, or cancer. In this study, we developed a mathematical model to assess the impact of a COVID-19 vaccine among low and high risk groups. Numerical simulations shows vaccinating both low and high risk groups simultaneously, rather than prioritizing the vaccine on high risk group only, further reduces the daily mortality. The result supports the need for an aggressive vaccination program, regardless of whether individuals are within the low or high risk population.

Objectives: The purpose of this systematic review was to ascertain critical care nurses’ understanding and experiences of patient advocacy in adult critical care settings. The specific objectives were to identify how critical care nurses define patient advocacy, to explore the understanding and experiences of critical care nurses regarding patient advocacy, to explore critical care nurses’ role in patient advocacy, and to ascertain the barriers to encouraging advocacy in the critical care setting. Research design: Systematic literature search of CINAHL and Medline databases, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, as well as grey literature search, was conducted. Search dates were restricted from January 2005 to 2015 in both CINAHL and Medline. Findings: 62 studies were identified, of which 6 qualitative research papers were included. Nurses gave varied definitions of patient advocacy, which were categorized into three themes: communication, protection, and doing. Nurses perceive advocacy as truly listening to patients and their families. Conclusion: For critical care nurses to be effective advocates, there must be support, collaboration, and improved working relationship between professional groups. Moreover, nurses must be empowered to be able to give power to patients and family.

Mealybugs cause economic loss to vineyards through physical damage, fouling fruit and leaves with honeydew, and the transmission of viruses. Planococcus ficus is one of several mealybug species in vineyards, and one that causes economic damage over a relatively large global range. To develop novel management tools, host resistance to P. ficus, which has not previously been identified for any grape cultivars, was studied. Ten grape lines (species, cultivars, and rootstocks) were evaluated for P. ficus resistance across two separate potted plant assays. Significant differences were detected among cultivars and rootstocks in the recorded number of P. ficus juveniles, adults and egg sacs. Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay were two of the most susceptible grape cultivars for mealybug population growth, whereas rootstocks IAC 572, 10-17A and RS-3 all demonstrated some level of resistance. Southern fire ant (Solenopsis xyloni) was positively associated with mealybug populations, but did not have a negative effect on the observed presence of other arthropod species including potential predators.

The subgenus Ochthomantis is an obligate forest and stream-dwelling group of Mantellid frogs, endemic to Madagascar, with six species currently recognized. However, this group suffers from ongoing taxonomic confusion due to low numbers of examined specimens, and failure to con-sider morphological variation from development and sexual dimorphism. Here we examined the morphology of 637 adult sexed specimens, collected by us in the field, and from other Mu-seum collections. We also sequenced the 16S mtDNA gene for each lineage, to determine con-gruence between morphological and molecular data sets, and to help delimit species. Our results demonstrate that the subgenus Ochthomantis includes 11 valid species: five already recognized; M. catalai and M. poissoni that we resurrect from synonymy, and four new species which we de-scribe here. Because Mantidactylus majori groups with other Mantidactylus, we do not consider it a member of the subgenus Ochthomantis. All species have restricted distributions and elevational ranges in the humid forests of Madagascar. This study demonstrates the utility of studying cryp-tic species using both diagnostic morphological characters and molecular data. It is hoped that discovery of this new cryptic biodiversity will initiate conservation activities for those species with the most restricted distributions.

Behavioural disorders in dogs are common and have severe welfare consequences for dogs. This study aimed to assess the factors that are significant and predictive of behaviour problems in dogs using the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG) to further understand what factors influence their welfare. 177 AWAG assessments were undertaken across 129 dogs that clinicians deemed to have a behavioural disorder. Wilcoxon-rank sum tests were used to assess the difference in scores between dogs with behaviour disorders and a cohort of healthy dogs (n=117). This analysis showed that all physical factors besides body condition, all procedural factors besides procedure pain, and all psychological, and environmental factors were significantly different between healthy dogs and dogs with behaviour disorders. Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient (RS) revealed several significant strong positive correlations including the procedural impact on the dog’s daily routine with aggression towards unfamiliar people and procedure pain, as well as other correlations between the dog’s behaviour during assessment with the frequency at which they encounter fears and anxieties, clinical assessment and procedure pain, and reaction to stressors and social interactions. These findings highlight the interdependent nature of the various influences of welfare. Logistic regression analysis identified that aggression towards the caregiver, fears and anxieties frequency, and choice, control, and predictability were all significant predictors of behaviour disorders. The findings have important implications for veterinary, behaviour, and animal welfare professionals as any changes across these factors may indicate poor welfare linked to emotional disorders in dogs.

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a highly variable RNA virus that affects chickens worldwide. Due to its inherited tendency to suffer point mutations and recombination events during viral replication, emergent IBV strains have been linked to nephropathogenic and reproductive disease that are more severe than the typical respiratory disease, leading, in some cases, to mortality, severe production losses, and/or unsuccessful vaccination. QX and DMV/1639 strains are examples of the above-mentioned IBV evolutionary pathway and clinical outcome. In this study, our purpose was to systematically compare whole genomes of QX and DMV strains looking at each IBV gene individually. Phylogenetic analyses and amino acid site searches were performed in datasets obtained from GenBank accounting for all IBV genes and using our own relevant sequences as a basis. The QX dataset studied is more genetically diverse than the DMV dataset, partially due to the greater epidemiological diversity within the five QX strains used as a basis compared to the four DMV strains from our study. Historically, QX strains have emerged and spread earlier than DMV strains in Europe and Asia. Consequently, there are more QX sequences deposited in GenBank than DMV strains, assisting in the identification of a larger pool of QX strains. It is likely that a similar evolutionary pattern will be observed among DMV strains as they develop and spread in North America.

Empirical models help us understand the process of plant residue decomposition and nutrient release into the soil. The objective of this study was to determine an appropriate model to describe the decomposition of hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) and cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crop (CC) residue and nitrogen (N) release. Data pertaining to above and belowground CC residue mass loss and N release for up to 2633 cumulative decomposition degree days (112 d) after litterbag installation were obtained from two cropping system experiments, one conducted in 2015 and the other in 2017 and 2018 at the humid subtropical environment of southern IL, USA. Six exponential and two hyperbolic models were fit to percent mass and N remaining data to find the one with minimum Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and residual sum of squares. Modified three-parameter single exponential and two- or three-parameter hyperbolic models best met the assumed criteria of selection for above and belowground CC residue, respectively. Fitting a double exponential model to a combined data for percent mass and N remaining, which identified two mass and N pools, a fast and a slow pool with different rate constants. A five-parameter double exponential with an asymptote met the preset criteria and passed all tests for normally distributed population, constant variance, and independence of residuals at α = 0.05 when fit to combined data of hairy vetch shoot mass and N remaining. However, a two-parameter hyperbolic and three-parameter asymptotic hyperbolic model provided the best fit to a combined data of cereal rye shoot mass and N remaining, respectively. Both hyperbolic decay models showed a good fit for belowground mass decomposition and N release for both CCs. Cereal rye had poorer fit than hairy vetch for mass and N remaining of both above and belowground mass. The best-selected decay models can be used to estimate the decomposition and N release rates of hairy vetch and cereal rye above and belowground residue in a similar environment.

Human behaviour was tipped as the mainstay in the control of further SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) spread especially after the lifting of restrictions by many countries. Countries in which restrictions were lifted soon after the first wave, had subsequent waves of the COVID-19 infections and it remains to be seen whether there will be more waves. In this paper, we formulate a deterministic model for COVID-19 incorporating dynamic non-pharmaceutical interventions, dubbed social dynamics. The model steady states are determined and their stability analysed. Numerical simulations are carried out to determine the pack of various parameters that influence the social dynamics. In South Africa, the first wave was the only wave in which the only interventions rested solely on human behavior. The model is thus fitted to COVID-19 data on the first wave in South Africa. The results presented in this paper have implications on the trajectory of the pandemic in the presence of changing social processes.

This study proposes a machine-learning-based framework for detecting mechanical damage in pipelines, utilizing physics-informed datasets collected from simulations for mechanical damage. The framework provides an effective workflow from dataset generation to damage detection and identification for three types of pipeline events: welds, clamps, and corrosion defects. While the study initially focused on optimizing the CNN structure using various advanced optimizers, it also investigated the impact of sensing systems on data classification and the effect of noise on classification performance. The study's analysis highlights the importance of selecting the appropriate sensing system for the specific application. The authors also found that the proposed framework is robust to experimentally relevant levels of noise, suggesting its applicability in real-world scenarios where noise is present. Overall, this study contributes to the development of a more reliable and effective method for detecting mechanical damage in pipelines. The proposed framework provides an effective workflow for damage detection and identification, and the findings on the impact of sensing systems and noise on classification performance add to its robustness and reliability.

Agroecology is a holistic approach to farming that emphasizes the use of local resources and ecological processes to increase productivity, reduce environmental impact, and enhance resilience. Despite its potential benefits, the adoption of agroecological practices in Sub-Saharan Africa has been slow. This paper examines the opportunities for promoting agroecology in the region, including the growing demand for organic and sustainable food, the availability of local knowledge and resources, and the potential for agroecology to improve rural livelihoods and support climate change adaptation. The premise is that the promotion of agroecology faces several challenges. which include, inadequate policy and institutional support, lack of access to credit and markets, limited extension services, and weak land tenure systems. The paper draws on case studies from across Sub-Saharan Africa to illustrate the opportunities and challenges of promoting agroecology in the region. These case studies highlight the diversity of agroecological practices and the importance of context-specific approaches. Overall, the paper maintains that agroecology has the potential to transform agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa, but that realizing this potential will require concerted efforts from governments, civil society, and the private sector.

Repeated cocaine produces an enhanced locomotor response (sensitization) paralleled by biological adaptations in the brain. Previous studies demonstrated region-specific responsiv-ity of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) to repeated cocaine. AMPK maintains cellular energy homeostasis at the organismal and cellular level. Here we first quanti-fied changes in phosphorylated (active) and total AMPK in the cytosol and synaptosome of the medial prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, and dorsal striatum following acute or sensitizing cocaine injections. Rats were given cocaine (15 mg/kg, IP) or saline for six days with a challenge injection on day seven resulting in four groups: saline-saline, saline-cocaine, cocaine-saline, and cocaine-cocaine. Brain region and cellular compartment selective changes in AMPK and pAMPK were found with some differences associated with acute withdrawal versus ongoing cocaine treatment. Other rats were pretreated with the indirect AMPK activator metformin. Metformin potentiated the locomotor activating effects of acute cocaine but blocked the development of sensi-tization. Sex differences largely obscured protein level treatment group effects, although pAMPK in the NAc shell cytosol was surprisingly reduced by metformin in rats receiving repeated co-caine. These data inform our understanding of AMPK activation dynamics in subcellular com-partments and provide additional support for repurposing metformin for cocaine use disorder.

Consumer food environments have transformed dramatically in the last decade. The number of food outlets has increased, and a large proportion of the UK population now purchase food from a takeaway or restaurant at least once a week. Despite these developments, national spending on food control has reduced and many Local Authorities struggle to meet health inspection targets. This work presents a data driven approach to enhance current inspection processes with a view to reduce consumer risk of foodborne illness whilst eating outside the home. We explore the utility of three machine learning algorithms to predict non-compliant food outlets in England and Wales as defined by Food Hygiene Rating Scheme scores >= 2. Using socio-demographic, business type and urbanness features we experiment with under and over sampling strategies at five ratios to address problems of class imbalance in the dataset prior to analysis. We find that Synthetic Minority Over Sampling Technique alongside a Random Forest algorithm with a 1:1 sampling strategy provides the best predictive power. Our final model retrieves 84% of total non-compliant outlets in a test set of 92,595 (sensitivity=0.843, specificity=0.745, precision=0.274). We discuss the utility of machine learning algorithms to prioritise high risk establishments for inspection by Local Authority officials and make recommendations for weighting outcomes to improve their appropriateness in an applied setting.

The electronic cigarette or e-cigarette is the new alternative method to deliver nicotine. In 2007, the United States introduced vaping devices on the market. Due to their attractive taste and lack of adverse effects, these vaping devices have gained popularity among youth and adults. However, there has been increasing evidence that vaping can cause severe lung injury, and these devices release toxic chemicals into the body. E-cigarettes are recognized as a global threat to public health. Nicotine, the most prevalent chemical in vaping devices, is associated with neurological problems and cognitive decline. Long-term use of e-cigarettes can cause adverse health problems, including respiratory illnesses, asthma, bronchitis, and lung inflammation. In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially declared vaping-associated illness EVALI (e-cigarette or Vaping Product Associated Lung Injury). The US Surgeon General published an alarm in December 2016 that e-cigarette consumption among adolescents and teens in the US is a "major public health concern" and that more young people are now vaping than smoking traditional cigarettes and cigars. Since its commercial introduction in 2003, modern electronic cigarettes (or E-cigarette s) have become increasingly popular with smokers, non-smokers, and those who used to smoke who have switched to them. With such a rise in consumption, people are becoming more aware of the irritating, harmful, and perhaps cancer-causing effects on the lungs. (Chadi et al., 2019; Dinardo & Rome, 2019; Lyzwinski et al., 2022; Marrocco et al., 2022; O’Callaghan et al., 2022)

Solving environmental odor issues can be confounded by many analytical, technological, and socioeconomic factors. Considerable know-how and technologies can fail to properly identify odorants responsible for the downwind nuisance odor and mitigate it for the affected citizenry. We propose enabling solutions to environmental odor issues by utilizing troubleshooting techniques developed for the food, beverage, and consumer products industries. We showed that the downwind odorant impact-priority ranking process can be definable and relatively simple. The initial challenge is the prioritization of environmental odor character from the perspective of the impacted citizenry downwind. In this research, we aim at summarizing three natural models of the rolling unmasking effect (RUE) and discuss them more systematically in the context of the proposed downwind environmental odor prioritization approach. Regardless of the size and reach of an odor source, a simplification of odor character and composition typically develops with downwind dilution. The extreme odor simplification-upon-dilution was demonstrated for two plant varieties, prairie verbena and Virginia pepperweed. Their downwind odor frontal boundaries were dominated by single, character-defining odorants; p-cresol-dominated ‘barnyard’ odor, and benzyl mercaptan-dominated ‘burnt match’ odor, respectively. The P.T. porcupine downwind odor frontal boundary was dominated by two potent, character-defining odorants: (1) ‘onion’/‘body odor’ odorant #1 and (2) ‘onion’/‘grilled’ odorant #2. In contrast with their downwind boundary simplicities, each odor source presented considerable compositional complexity and composite character difference near the source. The proposed RUE approach’s ultimate significance is the illustration of naturally occurring phenomena that explain why some environmental odors and their sources can be challenging to identify and mitigate using the analytical only approach (focused on compound identities and concentrations). These approaches rarely move beyond comprehensive lists of compounds being emitted by the source.

Adventurous play, defined as exciting, thrilling play where children are able to take age-appropriate risks has been associated with a wide range of positive outcomes. Despite this, it remains unclear what factors might aid or hinder schools in offering adventurous play opportu-nities. The purpose of this systematic review is to synthesise findings from qualitative studies on the perceived barriers and facilitators of adventurous play in schools. A total of nine studies were included in the final synthesis. The review used two synthesis strategies: a meta-aggregative syn-thesis and narrative synthesis. Findings were similar across the two syntheses, highlighting that key barriers and facilitators were: adults’ perceptions of children; adults’ attitudes and beliefs about adventurous play and concerns pertaining to health; and, safety and concerns about legis-lation. Based on the findings of the review, recommendations for policy and practice as provided to support adventurous play in schools.

Background: Fibromyalgia patients suffer from widespread chronic pain throughout the musculoskeletal system. There are no apparent clinical visible symptoms, and the syndrome lacks a clear medical explanation. Female fibromyalgia patients often feel they suffer from a transparent disease which is not acknowledged as an illness by their social circle. Hence, they are often exposed to skeptics and critics. One of the challenges fibromyalgia patients faces is to convince their surroundings that they are in pain and accept the presence of the invisible disease and the chronic pain in their lives. A multidisciplinary Fibrotherapy treatment model, implemented at the Ezra Le'Marpeh Rehabilitation Center, supports female fibromyalgia patients through a holistic mind-body approach, delivered in three 10-week cycles totaling 30 weeks of treatment. The research aims to understand the experiences of female fibromyalgia patients who perceive themselves as suffering from an invisible disease and the personal and familial aspects of transitioning from lack of acceptance to coping with reality and adaptation. Methods: We interviewed 16 female fibromyalgia patients in Israel and qualitatively analyzed the data using the Grounded Theory approach. Results: Following participation in the program, the fibromyalgia patients accepted the presence of the disease in their lives and changed their attitude toward the disease and its consequences. Conclusions: As fibromyalgia symptoms are invisible and can suddenly burst into their lives without warning, female fibromyalgia patients often face skepticism from their social circle and have self-doubt. Therefore, participating in holistic intervention programs may improve how they accept the disease and come to terms with its existence by taking a proactive coping approach.

Abstract: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of central blindness in developed countries. It affects people mainly over the age of 50 years. It is a disease of the macula, an area of the retina responsible for sharp central vision. It particularly affects the Bruch’s membrane (BM); a layer in the retina that acts as the basement upon which retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE) attach and survive. The pathology of AMD is not fully understood, but age is considered the main risk factor. There are two forms; nonexudative, leading to the end-stage of the disease, called nonexudative (or dry) AMD (90% of cases) where fatty deposits called drusen form under the RPE on top of the BM lifting off the RPE, and neovascular (or wet) AMD (10% of cases) where abnormal new blood vessels grow and push through the BM, bleeding in and disrupting the RPE. Neovascular AMD is well controlled with regular antiangiogenic drug injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) into the eye, whereas there is no current treatment for nonexudative AMD. Many research groups across the world are working on a treatment for nonexudative AMD. This review discusses the research currently being conducted including cell therapies, development of cell transplantation membranes, targeting other disease structures in affected retina (i.e. drusen), and drug delivery to the retina using nanoparticles. Finally, we include our research contributing to the field; developing a bioactive membrane intended to function two-fold: target diseased structures and transplant healthy RPE to the desired area.

The proportion of adults aged over 60 years in the world is expected to reach 20% by the year 2050. Ageing is associated with several physiological changes that increase the risk of malnutrition among this population. Malnutrition is characterized by deficiencies or insufficiencies of macro- and micronutrients. Malnutrition has detrimental effects on the health, wellbeing and quality of life of older adults. Nuts are rich in energy, unsaturated fats, protein, as well as other nutrients that provide a range of health benefits. While the effects of nuts on overnutrition have been studied extensively, very few studies have been specifically designed to understand the role of nuts in mitigating undernutrition in the elderly. Therefore, this review explores the potential role of nuts in improving the nutritional status of older adults who are at risk of undernutrition. Several properties of whole nuts, some of which appear important for addressing overnutrition, (e.g. hardness, lower-than-expected nutrient availability, satiety-enhancing effects) may limit their effectiveness as a food to combat undernutrition. However, we propose that modifications such as transforming the physical form of nuts, addressing the timing of nut ingestion, and introducing variety may overcome these barriers. This review also discusses the feasibility of using nuts to prevent and reverse undernutrition among older adults. We conclude with a recommendation to conduct clinical studies in the future to test this conceptual framework.

Aims: To investigate the road safety concerns associated with pet dogs in New Zealand. Methods: An online survey was developed and offered to New Zealanders via SurveyMonkey© from 8 January 2019 to 31 March 2019) using New Zealand residents aged ≥18 years. Questions about the demographics of respondents and their number of pet dogs along with those about dog transportation and dog roaming were asked. Results: Of 2744 respondents who completed the online survey, 1494 (65%) owned a dog. Of these, 1511 completed the question about how their dog or dogs travel in vehicles. Of these, 2 % (n = 29) let their dog sit on the driver's knee, and 12 % (n = 179) allowed their dog to sit on the passenger's knee. Only 7 % (n = 105) allowed the dog to roam free throughout the vehicle, while 44% (n = 663) allowed their dogs to roam free in the backseat area only and 19% (n = 280) put their dog in the boot/hatchback area. A minority of respondents (2%, n = 22) indicated they let their dog travel unrestrained on the deck of a ute or truck. Approximately half, 51% (n = 767) of the respondents, indicated that they restrained or crated their dogs in or on the vehicle. Respondents also expressed concerns about roaming dogs being a road safety hazard with the themes of responsible ownership, physical and psychological harm, and the dangers of rescue altruism emerging. Conclusions: Increased awareness about proper pet restraints during transportation and preventing dogs from roaming, especially near and on roads, is crucial to ensure traffic safety for humans and dogs.

This paper compares a series of traditional and deep learning methodologies for the segmentation of textures. Six well-known texture composites first published by Randen and Hus{\o}y were used to compare traditional segmentation techniques (co-occurrence, filtering, local binary patterns, watershed, multiresolution sub-band filtering) against a deep-learning approach based on the U-Net architecture. For the latter, the effects of depth of the network, number of epochs and different optimisation algorithms were investigated. Overall, the best results were provided by the deep-learning approach. However, the best results were distributed within the parameters, and many configurations provided results well below the traditional techniques.

Additive manufacturing, commonly referred to as 3D printing, is an exciting and versatile manufacturing technology that is gaining traction and interest in both academic and industrial settings. Polymeric materials are essential components in a majority of the “inks” used across the various 3D printing technologies. As the environmental ramifications of sole or primary reliance on petrochemicals as a resource for industrial polymers continue to manifest themselves at a global scale, a transition to more sustainable bioderived alternatives could offer solutions. In particular, cellulose is promising due to its global abundance, biodegradability, excellent thermal and mechanical properties, and ability to be chemically modified to suit various applications. Thus far, cellulose has typically been incorporated in additive manufacturing applications as a substrate, filler, or reinforcement for other materials. However, due to its versatility and desirable properties, the exploration of all-cellulose 3D printing materials and associated methodologies is increasing. This review will discuss the progress and status of all-cellulose 3D printing approaches, associated challenges, and their potential as a key player in a more sustainable industrial future.

Techniques for the controlled seeding and growth of cracks are urgently required for non-destructive testing technique evaluation, particularly for additive manufactured (AM) samples. This paper describes a method which uses a combination of tensile load and resonance excitation of notched AM samples, with in-situ monitoring of the resonance frequency serving to track crack dimensions. Mechanical low-cycle fatigue cracks, ranging in length from ~0.3 mm to ~5 mm, are successfully created in five AM samples using this technique. The samples are non-destructively characterized using optical microscopy and Nonlinear Resonance (NLR) testing. The exploitation of resonance enables the concentration of a significant number of stress cycles on the samples in much shorter timespans than conventional fatigue testing, enabling high throughput, while utilising compact components. Furthermore, the tracking of resonance frequency shift throughout the process enables non-invasive and non-contact real-time condition monitoring.

The objectives were to identify conditions under which mothers may be willing to use telelactation and explore associations between participant characteristics, willingness, and beliefs regarding telelactation use. Mothers 2-8 weeks postpartum were recruited from two Florida maternal care sites and surveyed to assess demographics, breastfeeding initiation, and potential telelactation use. Analyses included descriptive statistics and logistic regression models. Of the 88 participants, most were white, married, earned less than $50,000 per year, had access to technology, and were willing to use telelactation if it was free (80.7%) or over a secure server (63.6%). Fifty-six percent were willing to use telelactation if it involved feeding the baby without a cover, but only 45.5% were willing if their nipples may be seen. Those with higher odds of willingness to use telelaction under these modesty conditions were experienced using videochat, white, married, and of higher income. Mothers with security concerns had six times the odds of being uncomfortable with telelactation compared to mothers without concerns. While telelactation can improve access to critical services, willingness to use telelactation may depend on conditions of use and sociodemographics. During the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, these findings offer important insights for lactation professionals implementing virtual consultations.

Healthcare workers (HCWs) in long-term care (LTC) faced and continue to experience significant emotional and psychological distress throughout the pandemic. Despite this, little is known about the unique experiences of LTC workers. This scoping review synthesizes existing research on the experiences of HCWs in LTC during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, data were extracted from six databases from inception of the pandemic to June 2022. Among 3,808 articles screened, 40 articles were included in the final analysis. Analyses revealed three interrelated themes: carrying the load (moral distress); building pressure and burning out (emotional exhaustion); and working through it (a sense of duty to care). Given the impacts of the pandemic on both HCW wellbeing and patient care, every effort must be made to address the LTC workforce crisis and evaluate best practices for supporting HCWs experiencing mental health concerns during and post-COVID-19.

Previous literature highlights the impact of COVID-19 on family functioning. Less is known about the impact of the pandemic on families of pediatric cancer patients. In order to determine universal and unique risk and resilience factors of these families during the pandemic, a qualitative analysis was conducted on families currently receiving cancer treatment at a midwestern hospital. Results of the data analysis depict ways in which these families have been impacted by and have adapted to COVID-19. These findings suggest that families of pediatric cancer patients have unique experiences in the context of COVID-19, in addition to universal experiences outlined in previous literature.

Packaged water consumption has grown rapidly in urban areas of many low and middle income countries, but particularly in Ghana. However, the sources of water used by this growing packaged water industry and its implications for water resource management and transport-related environmental impacts have not been described. This study aimed to assess the spatial distribution of regulated packaged water production in Ghana, both in relation to demand and for natural mineral water, to hydrogeological characteristics. 764 addresses for premises licenced to produce packaged water from 2009-2015 were mapped and compared to regional sachet water consumption and beverage import/export data examined. We find evidence to suggest packaged water is transported shorter distances in Ghana than in developed countries. For natural mineral waters, producers should be able to address the most widespread water quality hazards (including high salinity, iron and nitrates) in aquifers used for production through reverse osmosis treatment. The study suggests there is scope to integrate beverage product and groundwater regulatory databases to support groundwater management.

Waterford Blaa is one of only seven Irish Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) products and the only Irish PGI bread. Currently, there are few published data characterising these products. This study aimed to determine whether any compositional or sensory markers could be used to differentiate between the three authorised producers of Waterford Blaa. Compositional testing was completed using AOAC standard methods; colour of top crust, bottom crust and crumb were identified with the Minolta Hunter lab colorimeter and texture profile analysis (TPA) was completed with an 80% compression test using the Instron 5544 to establish hardness, gumminess, and springiness. The fatty acid and aroma profiles were established in triplicate testing for the three authorised Blaa products using gas chromatography-flame ionisation detection and headspace-solid phase micro extraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, respectively. As expected, results showed little variation in the overall composition of Waterford Blaa products. However, this study identified a unique fatty acid profile/volatile aroma profile for each Blaa. Specifically, the volatile profile showed potential differentiation between Blaa’s in terms of pentanal, furfural, 2-furanmethanol, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol and 2-pentyl furan. In addition, levels of hexanal and ethyl acetate were significantly different (p&lt;0.05) in the crumb section of all three Blaa’s. This unique fingerprint has the potential to be used to identify fraudulent products claiming to be Waterford Blaa.

This pilot study of Streptococcus mutans ATCC 35668 grown in media with and without polyols (erythritol) measured the resultant metabolites, including the short chain fatty acids by using head space analysis. Brain Heart Infusion Broth (BHI2 or BHI10) supplemented with 2% or 10% sucrose containing no polyols or either erythritol or xylitol and Streptococcus mutans (ATCC 35668) was grown aerobically. After 48 hours of growth the supernatant were harvested and centrifuged to pellet bacteria. Supernatants were removed from bacterial pellets then submitted for Short Chain Fatty Acid (SCFA) analysis with an Agilent Technologies (Santa Clara, CA 95051) system configured from three components, a 5973 mass selective detector, a 6890N gas chromatographer, and a 7697A headspace sampler. Streptococcus mutans growing in Brain Heart Infusion Broth (BHI2 or BHI10) supplemented with 2% or 10% sucrose but containing no polyols produced the following short chain fatty acids: methyl isovalerate, acetic acid, propionic acid, butanoic acid, pentanoic acid, ethyl butaric acid, 4-methylvaleric acid, hexanoic acid. When the Brain Heart Infusion Broth (BHI2 or BHI10) supplemented with 2% or 10% sucrose containing erythritol was used as media for this Streptococcus mutans strain, the following were produced: ethanol, acetoin, and acetic acid. Our results would suggest that constituents of the media may affect the bacterial metabolite production.

Background/Objectives: Caregivers play an important role in supporting care recipients to navigate their health needs including adherence to dietary recommendations which are complex and multifaceted. The study aimed to i) describe the nutrition knowledge of caregivers of people with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and ii) explore caregivers’ perception of their role in providing healthy meals and nutrition support for care recipients. Methods: Caregivers (n=78) of people with stage 1-5 CKD or post-transplant were recruited from a single centre. A sequential mixed-methods approach was used. Nutrition knowledge was assessed with the revised General Nutrition Knowledge questionnaire. Theory informed semi-structured interviews in a sub-sample (n=12) explored caregiver perception. Results: Most caregivers were female (75.6%) caring for a male care recipient (87%; aged 74 (66;80) yrs.). Caregivers (75.6%) provided a meal ≥6 times/week to their care recipient and had moderate nutrition knowledge (66.1 (60.5; 73.9) %). Four themes emerged describing caregivers’ perception on meal provision and nutrition support including i) food literacy skills are valued, ii) social support is important, iii) caregivers’ sense of social responsibility, and iv) meal provision is complex and dynamic. Conclusions: Caregivers have moderate nutrition knowledge; they want to provide healthy meals and support to care recipients to adhere to dietary recommendations. Targeted, co-designed nutrition education programs for caregivers may enhance nutrition care delivery to people with CKD.

Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) are pivotal in ocean exploration, research, and various industrial activities such as marine mining and offshore engineering. However, traditional methods of navigating these vehicles face significant challenges, mainly due to the inefficacy of electromagnetic waves in water, leading to signal loss. To address these limitations, researchers are increasingly turned learning, an artificial intelligence technique capable of learning from data-enhancing underwater navigation, mainly through visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). This paper explores integrating deep learning methodologies and sensor technologies to revolutionize underwater navigation for UUVs. Proprioceptive sensors, along with exteroceptive sensors, are crucial in accurately measuring and comprehending the underwater environment. Additionally, the paper provides detailed insights into the processes of underwater SLAM, camera-based underwater positioning systems, sonar systems for underwater navigation, and the utilization of Lidar in underwater navigation. Furthermore, it delves into applying deep learning techniques in underwater SLAM, offering a comprehensive understanding of the innovative processes driving advancements in underwater vehicle navigation. By leveraging these advancements, this research aims to improve underwater navigation systems' precision, reliability, and adaptability, thereby unlocking new frontiers in ocean exploration and industrial applications for UUVs.

Traditional gene set enrichment analysis falters when applied to large genomic domains, where neighboring genes often share functions. This spatial dependency creates misleading enrichments, mistaking mere physical proximity for genuine biological connections. Here we present Spatial Adjusted Gene Ontology (SAGO), a novel cyclic permutation-based approach, to tackle this challenge. SAGO separates enrichments due to spatial proximity from genuine biological links by incorporating the genes' spatial arrangement into the analysis. We applied SAGO to various datasets in which the identified genomic intervals are large, including replication timing domains, H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 large domains, HiC compartments and lamina associated domains (LADs). Intriguingly, applying SAGO to prostate cancer samples with large copy number alteration (CNAs) domains eliminated most of the enriched GO terms, thus helping to accurately identify biologically relevant gene sets linked to oncogenic processes, free from spatial bias.

Despite being under development for decades, RNA therapeutics have only recently emerged as viable platform technologies. The COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have demonstrated the promise and power of the platform technology. In response, novel RNA drugs are entering clinical trials at an accelerating rate. As the skin is the largest and most accessible organ, it has always been a preferred target for drug discovery. This holds true for RNA therapies as well, and multiple candidate RNA-based drugs are currently in development for an array of skin conditions. In this mini review, we catalog the RNA therapies currently in clinical trials for different dermatological diseases. We summarize the main types of RNA-related drugs and use examples of drugs currently in development to illustrate their key mechanism of action.

We have an unprecedented ability to map the Earth’s surface as deep learning technologies are applied to an abundance of high-frequency Earth observation data. Simple, free, and effective methods are needed to enable a variety of stakeholders to use these tools to improve scientific knowledge and decision making. Here we present a trained U-Net model that can map and delineate ground mounted solar arrays using publicly available Sentinel-2 imagery, and that requires minimal data pre-processing and no feature engineering. By using label overloading and image augmentation during training, the model is robust to temporal and spatial variation in imagery. The trained model achieved a precision and recall of 91.5% each and an intersection over union of 84.3% on independent validation data from two distinct geographies. This generalizability in space and time makes the model useful for repeatedly mapping solar arrays. We use this model to delineate all ground mounted solar arrays in North Carolina and the Chesapeake Bay watershed to illustrate how these methods can be used to quickly and easily produce accurate maps of solar infrastructure.

Objective: To summarize the prevalence of PASC/Long COVID symptoms among the general population reported in published articles. This narrative review examined 21 PASC symptoms. Methods: A PubMed/manual search returned 114 articles on general PASC/Long COVID symptoms. Manuscripts were excluded if they were not research studies, didn’t report symptom prevalence, or used a pediatric population. Ninety-eight studies were selected for review and 59 met criteria for inclusion. Risk of bias was assessed with the Hoy critical appraisal tool. Results: After excluding studies with high risk of bias, meta-analysis of prevalence for 21 symptom categories ranged from 2.6-28.7% in studies based on surveys to 0.3%-7.1% in studies based on EHR data. Conclusions: PASC symptom studies are limited by variability in study design and representation of the general population. Further research is needed to effectively cluster symptoms in meaningful ways that enable focused treatment.

As the additive manufacturing industry grows, it is compounding the global plastic waste problem. Distributed recycling and additive manufacturing (DRAM) offers an economic solution to this challenge, but it has been relegated to either small-volume 3D printers (limiting waste recycling throughput) or expensive industrial machines (limiting accessibility and lateral scaling). To overcome these challenges, this paper provides proof-of-concept for a novel open-source hybrid 3D printer that combines a low-cost hanging printer design with a compression screw-based end-effector that allows direct extrusion of recycled plastic waste in large expandable printing volumes. Mechanical testing of the resultant prints from 100% waste plastic, however, showed that combining challenges of non-uniform feedstocks and a heavy printhead for a hangprinter reduced the strength of the parts compared to fused filament fabrication. The preliminary results are technologically promising, however, and provide opportunities to improve on the open source design to help process the volumes of waste plastic needed for DRAM to address the negative environmental impacts of global plastic use.

The ‘inverse problem’ of mass spectrometric molecular identification (‘given a mass spectrum, calculate/predict the 2D structure of the molecule whence it came’) is largely unsolved, and is especially acute in metabolomics where many small molecules remain unidentified. This is largely because the number of experimentally available electrospray mass spectra of small molecules is quite limited. However, the forward problem (‘calculate a small molecule’s likely fragmentation and hence at least some of its mass spectrum from its structure alone’) is much more tractable, because the strengths of different chemical bonds are roughly known. This kind of molecular identification problem may be cast as a language translation problem in which the source language is a list of high-resolution mass spectral peaks and the ‘translation’ a representation (for instance in SMILES) of the molecule. It is thus suitable for attack using the deep neural networks known as transformers. We here present MassGenie, a method that uses a transformer-based deep neural network, trained on ~6 million chemical structures with augmented SMILES encoding and their paired molecular fragments as generated in silico, explicitly including the protonated molecular ion. This architecture (containing some 400 million elements) is used to predict the structure of a molecule from the various fragments that may be expected to be observed when some of its bonds are broken. Despite being given essentially no detailed nor explicit rules about molecular fragmentation methods, isotope patterns, rearrangements, neutral losses, and the like, MassGenie learns the effective properties of the mass spectral fragment and valency space, and can generate candidate molecular structures that are very close or identical to those of the ‘true’ molecules. We also use VAE-Sim, a previously published variational autoencoder, to generate candidate molecules that are ‘similar’ to the top hit. In addition to using the ‘top hits’ directly, we can produce a rank order of these by ‘round-tripping’ candidate molecules and comparing them with the true molecules, where known. As a proof of principle, we confine ourselves to positive electrospray mass spectra from molecules with a molecular mass of 500Da or lower, including those in the last CASMI challenge (for which the results are known), getting 49/93 (53%) precisely correct. The transformer method, applied here for the first time to mass spectral interpretation, works extremely effectively both for mass spectra generated in silico and on experimentally obtained mass spectra from pure compounds. It seems to act as a Las Vegas algorithm, in that it either gives the correct answer or simply states that it cannot find one. The ability to create and to ‘learn’ millions of fragmentation patterns in silico, and therefrom generate candidate structures (that do not have to be in existing libraries) directly, thus opens up entirely the field of de novo small molecule structure prediction from experimental mass spectra.

Introduction: The "second victim" phenomenon, (SVP) refers to a health professional who was involved in an adverse event (AE) and continues to suffer from the event to the detriment of personal and professional functioning. The Second Victims Natural History of Recovery Model predicts stages of the phenomenon from AE occurrence until the ‘moving on’ stage and serves as a suitable structure for many organizational support programs worldwide. Purpose: Using the Second Victims Natural History of Recovery Model to examine the impact of SVP on Israeli nurses, with a specific focus on the organizational support they felt they required as compared to the support they felt that they had received from their organizations. Methods: Fifteen in-depth interviews were conducted, using a semi-structured questionnaire, among nurses who had experienced SVP. The interviews were recorded subject to the interviewee's consent, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic content analysis. Findings: Throughout all six stages of recovery, all interviewees reported physical and emotional manifestations following exposure to an AE, regardless of type of event or severity. They also reported difficulty in emotion regulation, as well as damage to functioning and overall quality of life. Most of the nurse interviewees reported a need to share the events with someone, but despite this desire to receive appropriate support, almost none of them proactively requested help from a professional source, nor did their organizational management initiate proactive support. This lack of referral for further assistance is possibly explained through limited awareness of SVP as a valid response to an AE, perceived lack of legitimacy to receive organizational support and personal barriers that accompany the phenomenon. Conclusions: Appropriate organizational support, offered proximal to an AE as well as over time, is essential for the nurse, the patient and the organization. Personal barriers, together with limited awareness, may challenge the identification and provision of appropriate assistance. Hence, it is important to address the phenomenon as part of general organizational policy to improve quality of care and patient safety.

Periodontal disease is one of the most common conditions affecting dogs worldwide and is reported to be particularly prevalent in racing greyhounds. A range of potential risk factors have been hypothesised. Previous research has suggested, regular tooth brushing can reduce both calculus and gingivitis, but the frequency required is unclear. Here, we report a controlled blinded in-situ in which kennel staff brushed 160 racing greyhounds’ teeth (living at six kennel establishments), either weekly, daily or never over two-month period. All visible teeth were scored for calculus and gingivitis, using previously validated scales. We calculated average scores for each of three teeth groups and overall averaging the teeth groups. Changes were compared to baseline. After two months, the total calculus scores (controlling for baseline) were significantly different in the three treatemnet groups, (F(2,129) = 10.76, p&lt;0.001) with both weekly and daily brushing resulting in significant reductions. Gingivitis was also significantly different (F(2,128) = 4.57, p=0.012), but in this case, only daily brushing resulted in a significant reduction. Although dogs in different kennels varied significantly in their levels of both calculus (F(5,129) =8.64, p&lt;0.001), and gingivitis (F(5,128)=3.51 p=0.005), the intervention was generally similarly effective in all establishments. Teeth groups varied and incisors were not significantly affected by treatment. Since trainers implementing the routine, reported minimal time commitment and positive experiences, we suggest that daily brushing is recommended for racing greyhounds, and that demonstrations should include attention to all teeth groups including incisors. Similar trials need to be conducted with retired greyhounds since these have been shown to present particularly high levels of periodontal disease.

This study explores the integration of genome sequencing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based methods for tracking the diversity of Covid-19 variants in wastewater. The research focuses on monitoring various Omicron subvariants during a period of significant viral evolution. Genome sequencing, particularly using Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT), provides a detailed view of emerging variants, surpassing the limitations of PCR-based detection kits that rely on known sequences. This study highlights the effectiveness of combining these methodologies to enhance early detection and inform public health strategies, especially in regions with limited clinical sequencing capabilities.

The aim of this work was to investigate a new, simple one-pot combustion synthesis technique for creating sulphur-based CuS/ZnS p-n heterojunction nanocomposite photocatalysts. The study examined the photocatalytic activity and reusability of these nanocomposites in removing rhodamine B (RhB) dye under visible light irradiation. Various methods of characterisation were employed to determine the properties of the materials, including particle morphology, crystalline phases and bandgap energy. The intrinsic reaction parameters, such as catalyst loading, pH level of the solution, and initial pollutant concentration, were varied to establish the optimal photo-degradation conditions. The results showed that a binary CuS/ZnS catalyst with a 10 gL-1 loading, at pH 5, degraded 97% of 5 ppm RhB dye after 270 minutes of visible light irradiation. Addition-ally, this composite catalyst exhibited excellent chemical stability and reusability, achieving 83% RhB dye removal after five recycling runs. Scavenger tests identified the photogenerated holes (h+) and superoxide free radicals (•O2) as the primary reactive species responsible for degradation. This study provides valuable insight into the design of highly efficient nanomaterials for removing organopollutants in wastewater, and a possible reaction mechanism is proposed.

Objectives: A wealth of literature has established risk factors for social isolation among older people, however much of this research has focused on community-dwelling populations. Relatively little is known about how risk of social isolation is experienced among those living in long-term care (LTC) homes. We conducted a scoping review to identify possible risk factors for social isolation among older adults living in LTC homes. Methods: A systematic search of five online databases retrieved 1535 unique articles. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Results: Thematic analyses revealed that possible risk factors exist at three levels: individual (e.g., communication barriers), systems (e.g., location of LTC facility), and structural factors (e.g., discrimination). Discussion: Our review identified several risk factors for social isolation that have been previously documented in literature, in addition to several risks that may be unique to those living in LTC homes. Results highlight several scholarly and practical implications.

In this paper we develop a “general equilibrium” (GE) model for the allocation of exhaustible natural resources to examine the impact of different extraction scenarios on intergenerational economic welfare. We apply a stylized GE model to Israel's natural gas (NG) market to evaluate economic indicators resulting from NG-extraction scenarios: a baseline scenario based on current policy in the NG sector, a conservative scenario based on a lower extraction rate, and an intensive scenario based on faster extraction. We also examine the impact of various resource income-allocation strategies on intergenerational economic welfare through the mechanism of a “sovereign wealth fund” (SWF). The results indicate that a higher NG-extraction rate combined with an appropriate investment strategy for NG profits is preferable from an economic perspective to a conservative rate. Investment of the government take from the NG market in research and development (R&D) of renewable electricity productivity can sustainably increase economic welfare.

It has been known since the 1930’s that all immunoglobulins carry a weak negative charge in physiological solvents. However, there has been no systematic exploration of this fundamental property. Accurate charge measurements have been made using membrane confined electrophoresis in two solvents (pH 5.0 and pH 7.4) on a panel of twelve mAb IgGs, as well as their F(ab’)₂ and Fc fragments. The following observations were made at pH 5.0: 1) the measured charge differs from the calculated charge by ~40 for the intact IgGs, and by ~20 for the Fcs; 2) the intact IgG charge depends on both Fv and Fc sequences, but does not equal the sum of the F(ab)’₂ and Fc charge; 3) the Fc charge is consistent within a class. In phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4: 1) the intact IgG charges ranged from 0 to -13; 2) the F(ab’)₂ fragments are nearly neutral for IgG1s and IgG2s, and about -5 for some of the IgG4s; 3) all Fc fragments are weakly anionic, with IgG1 < IgG2 < IgG4; 4) the charge on the intact IgGs does not equal the sum of the F(ab’)₂ and Fc charge. In no case is the calculated charge, based on H⁺ binding, remotely close to the measured charge. The charge on IgGs in physiological solvent is sufficiently small to minimize its contribution to thermodynamic nonideality. Some of the mAbs carried a charge in physiological salt that was outside the range observed for serum-purified human poly IgG. To best match physiological properties, a therapeutic mAb should have a measured charge that falls within the range observed for serum-derived human IgGs.

We have previously developed several successful decellularization strategies yielding porcine cardiac extracellular matrices (pcECMs), which exhibit tissue-specific bioactivity and bioinductive capacity when cultured with various pluri- and multipotent stem cells. Here, we studied the tissue-specific effects of the pcECM on seeded human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) phenotype using reverse transcribed quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) arrays for cardio-vascular related genes. We further corroborated interesting findings at the protein level (flow cytometry and immunological stains) as well as bioinformatically using several mRNA sequencing and protein databases of normal and pathologic adult tissue expression, as well as during human embryonic organogenesis. We discovered that upon seeding of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) on the pcECM they displayed partial MET toward endothelial phenotypes (CD31+) and morphologies, which were preceded by an early spike (~day 3 onward after seeding) in HAND2 expression at both the mRNA and protein levels compared to plate controls. CRISPR-Cas9 knockout (KO) of HAND2 and its associated antisense long non-coding RNA (HAND2-AS1) regulatory region resulted in proliferation arrest, hypertrophy, and senescent-like morphology. Bioinformatic analyses revealed that HAND2 and HAND2-AS1 are highly correlated in expression, are expressed in many different tissue types albeit at distinct yet tightly regulated expression levels. Deviation (down or up regulation) from these basal tissue expression levels are associated with a long list of pathologies. We thus suggest that HAND2 expression levels may finetune cell plasticity possibly affecting senescence and mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition states, through yet unknown mechanisms. Targeting this pathway may represent a promising new therapeutic approach for a wide range of diseases, including cancer, degenerative disorders, and aging. Nevertheless, further investigations are required to better understand the molecular players involved, potential inducers and inhibitors of this pathway, and eventually potential therapeutic applications.

Research focused on understanding wider systemic factors driving behavioral change is limited with a dominant focus on the role of individual farmer and psychosocial factors for farming practice change, including reducing fertilizer application in agriculture. Adopting a wider systems perspective, the current study examines change and the role that supporting services have on fertilizer application rate change. A total of 238 sugarcane growers completed surveys reporting on changes in fertilizer application along with factors that may explain behavior change. Logistic regressions and negative binomial count-data regressions were used to examine whether farmers had changed fertilizer application rates and if they had, how long ago they made the change, and to explore the impact of individual and system factors in influencing change. Approximately one in three sugarcane growers surveyed (37%) had changed the method they used to calculate fertilizer application rates for the cane land they owned/managed at some point. Logistic regression results indicated growers were less likely to change the basis for their fertilizer calculation if they regarded maintaining good relationships with other local growers as being extremely important, they had another source of off-farm income, and if they had not attended a government-funded fertilizer management workshop in the five years preceding the survey. Similar drivers promoted early adoption of fertilizer practice change; namely, regarding family traditions and heritage as being unimportant, having sole decision-making authority on farming activities and having attended up to 5 workshops in the five years prior to completing the survey. Results demonstrated the influence of government-funded services to support practice change.

Maternal obesity and/or Western diet (WD) is associated with increased risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in offspring, driven, in part, by dysregulation of the early life microbiome. Here, using a mouse model of WD-induced maternal obesity, we demonstrate that exposure to a disordered microbiome from WD-fed dams suppressed circulating levels of endogenous ligands of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR; indole, indole-3-acetate) and TMAO (a product of AHR-mediated transcription), as well as hepatic expression of Il10 (an AHR target), in offspring at 3 weeks of age. This signature was recapitulated by fecal microbial transfer from WD-fed pregnant dams to chow-fed germ-free (GF) lactating dams following parturition, and was associated with reduced abundance of Lactobacillus in GF offspring. Further, expression of Il10 was downregulated in liver myeloid cells and in LPS-stimulated bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) in adult offspring, suggestive of a hypo-responsive, or tolerant, innate immune response. BMDMs from adult mice lacking AHR in macrophages exhibited a similar tolerogenic response, including diminished expression of Il10. Overall, our study shows that exposure to maternal WD alters microbial metabolites in the offspring that affect AHR signaling, potentially contributing to innate immune hypo-responsiveness and progression of MASLD, and highlights the impact of early life gut dysbiosis on offspring metabolism. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate the complex interplay between maternal diet, gut microbial function, and development of neonatal innate immune tolerance and potential therapeutic interventions targeting these pathways.

Amyloids are fibrillar protein aggregates that are associated with diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, type II diabetes and Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. The process of amyloid aggregation involves three pathological protein transformations; from natively-folded conformation to the cross-β conformation, from biophysically soluble to insoluble, and from biologically functional to non-functional. While amyloids share a similar cross-β conformation, the biophysical transformation can either take place spontaneously via a homogeneous nucleation mechanism (HON) or catalytically on an exogenous surface via a heterogeneous nucleation mechanism (HEN). Here, we postulate that the different nucleation pathways can serve as a mechanistic basis for an etiological classification of amyloidopathies, where hereditary forms generally follow the HON pathway, while sporadic forms follow surface-induced (including microbially-induced) HEN pathways. Furthermore, the conformational and biophysical amyloid transformation results in loss-of-function (LOF) of the original natively-folded and soluble protein. This LOF can, at least initially, be the mechanism of amyloid toxicity even before amyloid accumulation reaches toxic levels. By highlighting the important role of non-protein species in amyloid formation and LOF mechanisms of toxicity, we propose a generalized mechanistic framework that could help better understand the diverse etiology of amyloid diseases and offer new opportunities for therapeutic interventions including replacement therapies.

Ethylene Oxide (EtO) is a colorless, flammable gas at room temperature, produced by the catalytic oxidation of ethylene. EtO is widely used by medical sterilization facilities to clean medical supplies and equipment. Recent epidemiological studies showed that EtO is a more potent carcinogen than previously documented, leading the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to update, in December 2016, the inhalation unit risk estimate for EtO. This resulted in the identification of EtO as a potential health concern in several areas across the US, including the state of Utah. The geography surrounding Salt Lake Valley creates a bowl; ideal for collecting air pollution emissions. The region often experiences inversion episodes which inhibit vertical mixing and cause an accumulation of air pollutants, leading to unhealthy pollution levels. Using the EPA's dispersion modeling software, AERMOD, this study estimated EtO concentrations through facility stack and fugitive emissions modeling results. These values were compared with those of canister-based concentrations from ambient air samples taken near a medical device sterilization facility in the Salt Lake Valley. Stainless steel, whole-air passivated canisters were used to collect 24-hour ambient concentration samples of EtO. Eight locations surrounding a Salt Lake Valley medical device sterilization facility and four background sites were chosen to measure the ambient concentrations. Accounting for potential atmospheric impacts on EtO, measurements were sampled in winter 2022 (January-March) and summer 2022 (July-September). The modeled EtO concentrations were adjusted to account for background values associated with the winter or summer data. Then the two methodologies were compared using a Wilcoxon Sign-ranked, paired test. The statistical analysis resulted in six of the eight sample locations surrounding the sterilization facility being significantly different when comparing canister-based measurements of ambient EtO to modeled estimates. Canister-based measurements taken at sites one, three, and four were statistically greater than the modeled estimates, while sites two, five, and seven were statistically less than the modeled estimates. Also, the summer background value calculated was almost 2.5 times greater than the winter. The results do not suggest whether one method is more or less conservative than the other. In conclusion, the five of the closest sites and site seven were statistically different when comparing measured and modeled ambient concentrations of EtO. The comparison results do not clearly indicate if a correction factor could be derived for future human exposure to cancer risk assessment modeling. However, it is reasonable that the closer to the sterilization facility, the more total EtO exposure will be realized.

In this paper we present AWEbox, a Python toolbox for modeling and optimal control of multi-aircraft systems for airborne wind energy (AWE). AWEbox provides an implementation of optimization-friendly multi-aircraft AWE dynamics for a wide range of system architectures and modeling options. It automatically formulates typical AWE optimal control problems based on these models, and finds a numerical solution in a reliable and efficient fashion. To obtain a high level of reliability and efficiency, the toolbox implements different homotopy methods for initial guess refinement. The first type of methods produces a feasible initial guess from an analytic initial guess based on user-provided parameters. The second type implements a warmstart procedure for parametric sweeps. We investigate the software performance in two different case studies. In the first case study we solve a single-aircraft reference problem for a large number of different initial guesses. The homotopy methods reduce the expected computation time by a factor of 1.7 and and the peak computation time by a factor of 8, compared to when no homotopy is applied. Overall, the CPU timings are competitive to timings reported in the literature. When the user initialization draws on expert a priori knowledge, homotopies do not increase expected performance, but the peak CPU time is still reduced by a factor of 5.5. In the second case study, a power curve for a dual-aircraft lift-mode AWE system is computed using the two different homotopy types for initial guess refinement. On average, the second homotopy type, which is tailored for parametric sweeps, outperforms the first type in terms of CPU time by a factor of 3. In conclusion, AWEbox provides an open-source implementation of efficient and reliable optimal control methods that both control experts and non-expert AWE developers can benefit from.

Following the 2001 end to negotiations on a legally binding protocol, Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) states parties (SPs) developed entrenched positions about the necessity of a verification regime, hindering progress on treaty aims. This study aimed to facilitate dialogue on verification-related issues outside the context of those positions, using the term "assurance" to represent the degree of certainty that SPs are meeting their treaty obligations. From August 2020-July 2021, 36 interviews were conducted—16 SPs' delegations and 20 subject matter experts, representing 20 countries—and interview content was analyzed utilizing a mixed methods approach, including quantitative metrics on qualitative interview content. Interviewees' views on verification, compliance, and related concepts varied widely. Efforts by SPs to achieve common understanding on these topics could facilitate concrete progress in these important areas. While no single mechanism is sufficient to achieve verification or assess compliance, packages of mechanisms could increase assurance. There was general support for implementing assurance mechanisms, even in the absence of a comprehensive, legally binding protocol or verification regime, even among SPs for which that is the primary goal. Avenues to increase assurance among BWC stakeholders merit further discussion in the Intersessional Programme following the 9^th BWC Review Conference.

Zoos are increasingly putting in place formalized animal welfare assessment programs to allow monitoring of welfare over time, as well as to aid in resource prioritization. These programs tend to rely on assessment tools that incorporate resource-based and observational animal- focused measures since it is rarely feasible to obtain measures of physiology in zoo-housed animals. A range of assessment tools are available which commonly have a basis in the Five Domains framework. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted to bring together recent studies examining welfare assessment methods in zoo animals. A summary of these methods is provided with advantages and limitations of the approach es presented. We then highlight practical considerations with respect to implementation of these tools into practice, for example scoring schemes, weighting of criteria, and innate animal factors for consideration. It is concluded that would be value in standardizing guidelines for development of welfare assessment tools since zoo accreditation bodies rarely prescribe these. There is also a need to develop taxon or species- specific assessment tools to inform welfare management.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of the respiratory infection known as COVID-19. From an immunopathological standpoint, coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2 induce an increase in a variety of T-helper 1 (Th1) and inflammatory cytokines and chemokines including interleukins IL-1, IL-6, CCL2 protein and CXCL10 protein. In the absence of proven antiviral agents or an effective vaccine, substances with immunomodulatory activity may be able to inhibit inflammatory and Th1 cytokines and/or yield an anti-inflammatory and/or Th2 immune response to counteract COVID-19 symptoms and severity. This report briefly describes four unconventional but commercially accessible immunomodulatory agents that could be employed in clinical trials to evaluate their effectiveness at alleviating disease symptoms and severity: Low-dose oral interferon-alpha, microdose DNA, low-dose thimerosal and phytocannabinoids.

Chelating gels may assist initially in root canal preparations to help establish a glide path. While irrigation surveys have investigated liquid chelators, and gels to a minor extent, no endodontic survey has focused on EDTA gels, and why clinicians use them. All 395 members of the Australian Society of Endodontology (ASE) were emailed an 11-question survey concerning chelation gel usage via Qualtrics. Paper copies were also distributed at ASE events. Descriptive statistics was performed for practitioner and chelating gel data. Cross-tabulations of practitioner type with case percentage usage of gels were analyzed with the chi square test (adjusted P value <0.0083). The overall response rate was 181/395 (46%). For 174 eligible responses, those who never/rarely used a gel was: endodontic residents 12/14 (86%), endodontists 53/71 (75%), general dentists 39/86 (45%), and other members 0% (0/3). Most gel users said that gels helped establish a glide path. Those who never/rarely used chelating gels commented that they held no benefits over liquid EDTA. Endodontists were less likely to use a chelation gel than general dentists (P <0.0083). Older members had higher gel usage than younger members (P <0.0083), indicating a possible trend to diminished gel usage over time amongst ASE members.

Copper(I) sulfide (Cu2S) is a low-cost, earth-abundant, and non-toxic thermoelectric material for applications in the middle-high temperature range (&gt;650 K). Although 3D printing these materials can simplify their manufacturing, elevated temperatures observed during sintering impair their crystal structure and energy conversion efficiency. In this study, we demonstrated a novel post-processing methodology to revert the thermoelectric properties of the 3D printed Cu2-xS materials back to the unimpaired state via sulfur infusion. After printing and sintering, sulfur was infused into the specimens under vacuum to optimize their crystal structure and achieve high thermoelectric efficiency. Chemical analysis and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) tests showed that after the sulfur infusion process, the Cu/S ratio was reverted close to the stoichiometric level. 3D printed Cu2-xS showed p-type thermoelectric behavior with electrical conductivity peaking at 143 S-cm-1 at 750 K and Seebeck coefficient of 175 µV-K-1 at 627 K. Figure of merit (ZT) value of 1.0 at 780 K was achieved which is the highest value ever reported for a 3D printed Cu2-xS thermoelectrics at this temperature. Fabrication of environmentally friendly thermoelectric materials with extended dimensional freedom and conversion efficiency has the potential to impact the thermoelectric industry with new energy conversion applications and lowered manufacturing costs.

Testicular heat stress is a well described phenomenon that occurs in mammals that possess a scrotum. Different models to induce testicular hyperthermia, such as surgical cryptorchidism, hot water bath, scrotal insulation or increased environmental temperature have all shown that spermatocytes and spermatids are unambiguously affected by high temperature, resulting in poor sperm production weeks later. Furthermore, a body of evidence suggest the involvement of oxidative stress is either a major or contributory pathway, which gives rise to the potential to overcome this condition. Whilst experimental models conclusively show the deleterious effect of testicular heat on sperm quality, the physiological relevance of the work is still debated. Herein we summarise a cohort of studies that report the effect of “season” on sperm quality. The data show season can affect sperm production, motility and morphology depending on where the work was performed. In countries where temperatures drop below zero, there is evidence showing summer conditions tend to improve semen quality. However, in sub-tropical countries, some studies show a decrease in summer, whilst others show no change. Herein we offer a reasonable explanation for this apparent controversy and present a range of antioxidant supplements that may offer some protection against testicular hyperthermia.

Modules composed of a resistance gene flanked by Xer site-specific recombination sites, the vast majority of which were found in Acinetobacter baumannii, are thought to behave as elements that facilitate horizontal dissemination. The A. baumannii xerC and xerD genes were cloned, and the recombinant clones used to complement the cognate Escherichia coli mutants. The complemented strains supported resolution of plasmid dimers, and, as is the case with E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae plasmids, the activity was enhanced when cells were growing in low osmolarity growth medium. Binding experiments showed that partially purified A. baumannii XerC and XerD proteins (XerC_Ab and XerD_Ab) bound synthetic Xer site-specific recombination sites, some of them with a nucleotide sequence deduced from existing A. baumannii plasmids. Incubation with suicide substrates resulted in covalent attachment of DNA to a recombinase, probably XerC_Ab, indicating that the first step in the recombination reaction took place. The results described show that XerC_Ab and XerD_Ab are functional proteins and support the hypothesis that they participate in horizontal dissemination of resistant genes among bacteria.

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is an important cause of upper and lower respiratory tract disease in individuals of all ages. It is estimated that most individuals will be infected by HMPV by the age of 5 years old. Despite this burden of disease, there remains caveats in our knowledge of virus global genetic diversity due to a lack of HMPV sequencing, particularly at whole genome scale. The purpose of this study was to create a simple and robust approach for HMPV whole genome sequencing to be used for genomic epidemiological studies. To design our assay, all available HMPV full length genome sequences were downloaded from the NCBI GenBank database and used to design four primer sets to amplify long, overlapping amplicons spanning the viral genome and, importantly, specific to all known HMPV subtypes. These amplicons were then pooled and sequenced on an Illumina iSeq; however the approach is suitable to other common NGS platforms. We demonstrate the utility of this method using a representative subset of clinical samples and examine these sequences using a phylogenetic approach. Here we present an amplicon-based method for the whole genome sequencing of HMPV from clinical extracts that can be used to better inform genomic studies of HMPV epidemiology and evolution.

The river Teign in Devon has come under scrutiny for failing to meet Environmental Quality Standards for ecotoxic metals due to past mining operations. A disused mine known as Bridford Barytes mine, has been found to contribute a significant source of Zn, Cd and Pb to the river. Recently, studies have been focused on the remediation of such mine sites using low-cost treatment methods to help reduce metal loads to the river downstream. Red mud is a waste product from the aluminium industry, the utilization of this resource has proven an attractive low-cost treatment method for adsorbing toxic metals. Adsorption kinetics and capacity experiments reveal metal removal efficiencies of up to 70% within the first 2 hours when red mud is applied in pelletized form. Biochar is another effective adsorbent with the potential to remove >90% Zn using agricultural feedstock. Compliance of the Teign has been investigated by analysing dissolved metal concentrations and bioavailable fractions of Zn to assess if levels are of environmental concern. By applying a Real-World Application Model, this study reveals that compressed pellets and agricultural biochar offer an effective, low-cost option to reducing metal concentrations and thus improving the quality of the river Teign.

Existing approaches to identifying predictive T-cell epitopes have traditionally utilized either 2-digit HLA super-families or more commonly autologous HLA alleles to facilitate the predictions, but frequently they may not consider their representation within a population. Here we propose a modification to this concept whereby subsets of individuals are selected for their specific HLA allele profiles and the representation they provide within a given population. Using this targeted approach to HLA selection and the linkages to specific individuals may enable the design of restricted experimental strategies.