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The shared functions of the skull are thought to result in common evolutionary patterns in mammalian cranial shape. Craniofacial evolutionary allometry (CREA) is a particularly prominent pattern where larger species display proportionally elongate facial skeletons and smaller braincases. It was recently proposed that CREA arises from biomechanical effects of cranial scaling when diets are similar. Thus, deviations from CREA should occur with changes in cranial biomechanics, for example due to dietary change. Here, we test this using 3D geometric morphometric analysis in a dataset of Australian murine crania, which are highly allometric. We contrast allometric and non‐allometric variation in the cranium by comparing evolutionary mode, allometry, ordinations, as well as allometry, integration, and modularity in functional modules. We found evidence of stabilising selection in allometry‐containing and size‐free shape, and substantial non‐allometric variation aligned with dietary specialisation in parallel with CREA. Integration among cranial modules was higher, and modularity lower, with size included, but integration between rostrum and cranial vault, which are involved in the CREA pattern, dropped dramatically after size removal. Our results thus support the hypothesis that CREA is a composite arising from selection on cranial function, with substantial non‐allometric shape variation occurring alongside CREA where dietary specialisation impacts selection on gnawing function. This emphasises the need to research mammalian cranial evolution in the context of allometric and non‐allometric selection on biomechanical function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planning inclusive research should center meaningful engagement of co-researchers with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities to address issues that are important to their communities. There are a variety of approaches to planning research projects consistent with the guiding principles of inclusive research. We describe components of planning inclusive research by comparing two inclusive dissertation research projects. We organize our comparison into five sections: (1) initiating the projects, (2) team member characteristics and roles, (3) building and sustaining relationships, (4) accessibility in the research process, and (5) outcomes. We then discuss how contextual and team-level factors influence the process of planning inclusive research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cartilage injury and subsequent osteoarthritis (OA) are debilitating conditions affecting millions worldwide. As there are no cures for these ailments, novel therapies are needed to suppress disease pathogenesis. Given that joint injuries are known to produce damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), our central premise is that the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway is a principal driver in the early response to cartilage damage and subsequent pathology. We postulate that TLR4 activation is initiated/perpetuated by DAMPs released following joint damage. Thus, antagonism of the TLR4 pathway immediately after injury may suppress the development of joint surface defects. Two groups were utilized: (1) 8-week-old, male C57BL6 mice treated systemically with a known TLR4 antagonist and (2) mice injected with vehicle control. A full-depth cartilage lesion on the midline of the patellofemoral groove was created in the right knee of each mouse. The left knee was used as a sham surgery control. Gait changes were evaluated over 4 weeks using a quantitative gait analysis system. At harvest, knee joints were processed for pathologic assessment, Nanostring® transcript expression, and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Short-term treatment with a TLR4 antagonist at 14-days significantly improved relevant gait parameters; improved cartilage metrics and modified Mankin scores were also seen. Additionally, mRNA expression and IHC showed reduced expression of inflammatory mediators in animals treated with the TLR4 antagonist. Collectively, this work demonstrates that systemic treatment with a TLR4 antagonist is protective to further cartilage damage 14-days post-injury in a murine model of induced disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

My name is Jacob Myers, and in this article, I describe my research experiences over the last 10 years. I like doing research because I get into the details and figure out answers to questions in research studies. I have worked on two main projects: making the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Patient Reported Outcome (PEDI-PRO) and Research Ethics for All. I also do projects with other researchers at other universities. In this article, I also offer suggestions on how to work together as a team and how to be sure that people with disabilities are meaningfully included on research teams. It's important for people with disabilities to do research because they can relate to the studies and the participants. I hope people with and without disabilities can keep being a part of research to help their communities to make positive changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Peer‐provided services are a common model for addressing mental health concerns. Peer providers report a range of benefits and challenges associated with their role. However, there is little information about the experiences of peer providers with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Aim: To explore the experiences of young adult peer‐providers with intellectual/developmental disabilities in the context of a mental health intervention. Methods: We conducted interviews with four young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and their parents and teachers to understand their experiences providing a peer mentoring mental health intervention. Results: Young adult peer mentors perceived themselves as responsible for maintaining the mentoring relationship, delivering the intervention and acting as helpers and independent professionals. The experiences of young adult peer mentors were driven by the temporal, institutional and social contexts of their work. Peer mentoring was an enjoyable, social activity. Mentors, parents and teachers emphasised how taking on the peer mentoring role during the transition to adulthood and within the capital‐rich university context led to a sense of pride and professional development. Further, these contexts may have led mentors to emphasise their intervention‐delivery, helper and professional roles over relationship maintenance. Discussion & conclusion: Context may shape the perceived roles and benefits for young adult peer mentors with intellectual/developmental disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ultra-hypofractionated image-guided stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is increasingly used for definitive treatment of localized prostate cancer. Magnetic resonance imaging-guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) facilitates improved visualization, real-time tracking of targets and/or organs-at-risk (OAR), and capacity for adaptive planning which may translate to improved targeting and reduced toxicity to surrounding tissues. Given promising results from NRG-GU003 comparing conventional and moderate hypofractionation in the post-operative setting, there is growing interest in exploring ultra-hypofractionated post-operative regimens. It remains unclear whether this can be done safely and whether MRgRT may help mitigate potential toxicity. SHORTER (NCT04422132) is a phase II randomized trial prospectively evaluating whether salvage MRgRT delivered in 5 fractions versus 20 fractions is non-inferior with respect to gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) toxicities at 2-years post-treatment. Methods: A total of 136 patients will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to salvage MRgRT in 5 fractions or 20 fractions using permuted block randomization. Patients will be stratified according to baseline Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) bowel and urinary domain scores as well as nodal treatment and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Patients undergoing 5 fractions will receive a total of 32.5 Gy over 2 weeks and patients undergoing 20 fractions will receive a total of 55 Gy over 4 weeks, with or without nodal coverage (25.5 Gy over 2 weeks and 42 Gy over 4 weeks) and ADT as per the investigator's discretion. The co-primary endpoints are change scores in the bowel and the urinary domains of the EPIC. The change scores will reflect the 2-year score minus the pre-treatment (baseline) score. The secondary endpoints include safety endpoints, including change in GI and GU symptoms at 3, 6, 12 and 60 months from completion of treatment, and efficacy endpoints, including time to progression, prostate cancer specific survival and overall survival. Discussion: The SHORTER trial is the first randomized phase II trial comparing toxicity of ultra-hypofractionated and hypofractionated MRgRT in the salvage setting. The primary hypothesis is that salvage MRgRT delivered in 5 fractions will not significantly increase GI and GU toxicities when compared to salvage MRgRT delivered in 20 fractions. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04422132. Date of registration: June 9, 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most commonly, stability analyses are performed using an external validation measure. For example, the Jaccard index is one of the indexes of choice for stability measurement. The index is wrapped around a resampling method to sense the model's stability. Other methods use classifiers to look for stable partitions instead. In these cases, a resampling method is also used with an external index, an error measure driven by a classifier, and a clustering algorithm aiming to find stable clustering model configurations. Contrary to previous stability-based methods, we propose a novel validation procedure consisting of an internal validation index within a resampling strategy. We propose an index based on the distance between cluster centroids coupled with a twofold cross-validation resampling approach. Moreover, we use a threshold based on a null hypothesis to detect meaningful clustering partitions. As part of our experimental study, we have selected the K-means algorithm because of its simplicity but primarily for its instability compared to other algorithms, such as Hierarchical methods. Finally, we compare our approach with several known validation indexes and discuss the results. Our findings show that our method cannot only find meaningful clustering partitions but is also helpful as an unsupervised data analysis tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Having more refined mouse models of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD; also known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease) will help to advance research into this disease. In their study, Jeong and colleagues use streptozotocin together with a high-fat diet for 6–60 weeks to investigate the progression from MASLD to hepatocellular carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited access to sexual health information is a significant problem faced by young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In a survey of family members and school-based professionals, we assessed which sexual health topics are covered by whom, as well as from whom survey respondents believe young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities should be getting information. Participants report providing some sexual health information but that more information should be provided, especially on topics such as sexual orientation and gender identity. Results demonstrate medical providers are being expected to provide more sexual health information, and that the internet is a non-preferred source of education. These findings should inform recommendations about who should be providing sexual health education for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strengths-based clinical practices are critical for supporting the wellbeing of individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. The VIA Inventory of Strengths ('VIA Survey') is an assessment grounded in positive psychology that may contribute to strengths-based practices. To identify how this assessment is used in clinical practice with individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, we conducted focus groups (n = 15) with clinicians who have used this survey with this population. We also asked individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (n = 36) to comment on the process of completing the VIA Survey. We found that clinicians utilize the VIA Survey with individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disability to foster self-esteem and self-understanding, provide a framework for understanding strengths, communicate across service systems and shape strengths-based interventions. Individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities also endorsed use of the survey to increase their self-knowledge and self-esteem. Future research should address accessibility of the survey to foster greater uptake and propose standard protocols for independent survey completion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about how young adults (YA) with developmental disabilities (DD) and co-occurring mental health conditions navigate workplace disclosure of their mental health condition(s). We sought to understand the guidance professionals provide regarding disclosure and the decisions YA makes about disclosure of mental health conditions. We conducted focus groups with professionals who support YA with DD to attain and maintain employment (n = 17) and individual interviews with YA with DD and co-occurring mental health conditions (n = 12; DD diagnoses: autism, n = 9, other DD, n = 3). We conducted content analysis to identify why, when, what, and to whom YA disclose their mental health condition and guidance provided regarding disclosure. YA and professionals described disclosure decisions as largely influenced by perceived needs (i.e., need for accommodations) and anticipated positive (e.g., support) and negative (e.g., stigma, not being hired) outcomes. They largely constrained disclosure to work-relevant content. Many YA disclosed to coworkers with whom they were comfortable, though both YA and professionals agreed that initial disclosure should be limited to supervisors and/or human resources. Workplaces may support disclosure—a necessity for the provision of accommodations—by cultivating an inclusive environment and openly demonstrating familiarity and comfort with employees with disabilities. Professionals who support young adults with developmental disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions should be well-versed in current laws and regulations on disclosure and reasonable workplace accommodations. Workplace culture is one major factor impacting how disclosure is handled, including whether the disclosure is required at all. Individuals with disabilities and professionals should recognize that timing, content, and decisions to disclose may vary by individuals' needs and workplace supports, and that change may occur over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salt-tolerant halophytes have shown potential for biorefinery and agricultural use in salt-affected soils, increasing the value of marginal lands. They could provide a bio-based source for compounds obtained from the petrochemical industry or an alternative for biomass currently imported overseas. Salicornia europaea, Tripolium pannonicum and Crithmum maritimum were cultivated in hydroponic systems under various salinity conditions, harvested green but not food-grade, and fractionated to green juice and fibre residue. Obtained fractions were characterised for contents of carbohydrates, Klason lignin, crude protein, organic acids, lipids, and minerals to evaluate the biomass' suitability for biorefinery. Significant differences were observed in the biomass yield and the composition of the biomass fractions from different cultivation salinities. High concentrations of crude protein were found. Thus, these species could have the potential for green protein production. Fractions rich in carbohydrates could be used for lignocellulose processing and processes utilising micro-organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurons in sensory cortex exhibit a remarkable capacity to maintain stable firing rates despite large fluctuations in afferent activity levels. However, sudden peripheral deafferentation in adulthood can trigger an excessive, non-homeostatic cortical compensatory response that may underlie perceptual disorders including sensory hypersensitivity, phantom limb pain, and tinnitus. Here, we show that mice with noise-induced damage of the high-frequency cochlear base were behaviorally hypersensitive to spared mid-frequency tones and to direct optogenetic stimulation of auditory thalamocortical neurons. Chronic two-photon calcium imaging from ACtx pyramidal neurons (PyrNs) revealed an initial stage of spatially diffuse hyperactivity, hyper-correlation, and auditory hyperresponsivity that consolidated around deafferented map regions three or more days after acoustic trauma. Deafferented PyrN ensembles also displayed hypersensitive decoding of spared mid-frequency tones that mirrored behavioral hypersensitivity, suggesting that non-homeostatic regulation of cortical sound intensity coding following sensorineural loss may be an underlying source of auditory hypersensitivity. Excess cortical response gain after acoustic trauma was expressed heterogeneously among individual PyrNs, yet 40% of this variability could be accounted for by each cell's baseline response properties prior to acoustic trauma. PyrNs with initially high spontaneous activity and gradual monotonic intensity growth functions were more likely to exhibit non-homeostatic excess gain after acoustic trauma. This suggests that while cortical gain changes are triggered by reduced bottom-up afferent input, their subsequent stabilization is also shaped by their local circuit milieu, where indicators of reduced inhibition can presage pathological hyperactivity following sensorineural hearing loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A preliminary vaccination trial against the emergent pathogen, SARS-CoV-2, was completed in captive black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes; BFF) to assess safety, immunogenicity, and anti-viral efficacy. Vaccination and boosting of 15 BFF with purified SARS-CoV-2 S1 subunit protein produced a nearly 150-fold increase in mean antibody titers compared to pre-vaccination titers. Serum antibody responses were highest in young animals, but in all vaccinees, antibody response declined rapidly. Anti-viral activity from vaccinated and unvaccinated BFF was determined in vitro, as well as in vivo with a passive serum transfer study in mice. Transgenic mice that received BFF serum transfers and were subsequently challenged with SARS-CoV-2 had lung viral loads that negatively correlated (p < 0.05) with the BFF serum titer received. Lastly, an experimental challenge study in a small group of BFF was completed to test susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2. Despite viral replication and shedding in the upper respiratory tract for up to 7 days post-challenge, no clinical disease was observed in either vaccinated or naive animals. The lack of morbidity or mortality observed indicates SARS-CoV-2 is unlikely to affect wild BFF populations, but infected captive animals pose a potential risk, albeit low, for humans and other animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evidence-based guidelines are lacking for return to driving following rotator cuff repair (RCR). As a result, surgeons are often overly conservative in their recommendations, placing potential undue burden on patients and their families. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to formulate evidence-based return-to-driving guidelines.Methods: Thirty-two subjects planning to undergo primary RCR were enrolled. Driving fitness was assessed in a naturalistic setting with an instrumented vehicle on public streets with a safety monitor onboard. Driving kinematic measures and behavioral data were obtained from vehicle data and camera capture. Several driving tasks and maneuvers were evaluated, including parking, left and right turns, straightaways, yielding, highway merges, and U-turns. The total course length was 15 miles (24 km) and the course took 45 to 55 minutes to complete. The subjects' baseline drive was performed prior to RCR and postoperative drives occurred at 2, 4, 6, and 12 weeks after RCR. All drives consisted of identical routes, tasks, and maneuvers. Driving metrics were analyzed for differences between baseline and postoperative drives, including differences in gravitational force equivalents (g).Results: Twenty-seven subjects (mean age, 58.6 years [range, 43 to 68 years]) completed all 5 drives. Of the 13 analyzed kinematic metrics measured from 14 of 17 driving events, all exhibited noninferiority across all postoperative drives (2 to 12 weeks) after RCR compared with baseline. Beginning at postoperative week 2, subjects generally braked less aggressively, steered more smoothly, and drove more stably. Kinematic metrics during the performance of specific maneuver types also showed noninferiority when compared with baseline. Of note, subjects drove more smoothly on highway merges starting at postoperative week 2 (minimum longitudinal acceleration, -0.35 g [95% confidence interval (CI), -0.050 to -0.019 g]; standard deviation of longitudinal acceleration, 0.008 g [95% CI, 0.003 to 0.013 g]), but exhibited more aggressive driving and acceleration on highway merges at postoperative week 12 (maximum absolute yaw, -0.8°/sec [95% CI, -1.2°/sec to -0.4°/sec]).Conclusions: Patients showed no clinically important negative impact on driving fitness as early as 2 weeks after RCR. Adaptive behaviors were present both preoperatively and postoperatively.Level Of Evidence: Prognostic Level II . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: Many young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities also have mental health challenges, such as anxiety, depression or post‐traumatic stress disorder.Peer mentoring is when people with disabilities support another person with a disability.We worked together to make a peer mentoring programme to help young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities have better mental health.People enjoyed peer mentoring—they thought it was fun and that their mentors were nice. A few people thought that mentoring would be better if there was more time to do activities with their mentor. Some people felt like mentoring helped them learn ways to cope with their mental health challenges.This article describes the peer mentoring programme, what people liked, what they did not like and how we want to change peer mentoring in the future. This is important, because other people might want to try peer mentoring so people with disabilities can learn from each other. Background: We conducted feasibility testing of a novel peer mentoring intervention addressing self‐awareness and proactive coping for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and co‐occurring mental health conditions. Aligned with regulatory flexibility theory, we hypothesised that if young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and co‐occurring mental health conditions learned a range of coping strategies, then they would have greater self‐efficacy for managing their emotions and, subsequently, decreased mental health symptoms. Methods: Five participants (Mage: 20, range: 16–22) were mentored by another young adult with intellectual and developmental disabilities and co‐occurring mental health conditions for 10 sessions. Feasibility data collected included the following: enrollment data, attendance rates, participant and parent member experiences and observation of change (via post‐intervention interviews), and mentoring satisfaction via a mentoring questionnaire (range 15–60). Findings: Our enrolment rate was 16%. Mentoring was acceptable to young adults, as demonstrated by high attendance rates (98% of sessions attended), mentoring questionnaire responses (M=49.4) and feedback describing the intervention as enjoyable and mentors as "nice," and "understanding." Participants and parents reported potential change in self‐efficacy for managing emotions (proximal outcome), use of coping strategies and self‐awareness of needs, but few changes in mental health symptoms (distal outcomes). Conclusions: The peer mentoring intervention was feasible and acceptable for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and co‐occurring mental health conditions. Results suggest a longer intervention duration may be necessary to elicit changes in mental health symptoms. To enhance feasibility, different recruitment strategies should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To identify predictors of community-based employment and employment quality for young adults ages 23–30 with intellectual disability and co-occurring mental health conditions (YA-ID-MH). We conducted secondary analysis of the 2017–2018 National Core Indicators® (NCI®) In-Person Survey. The NCI® survey was conducted in 35 states and Washington DC. Participants: YA with ID, ages 23–30 who had complete data. We conducted multiple regression analyses to examine demographic and environmental predictors of community-based employment, in addition to employment quality indicators: hourly wages, hours worked, and job duration. We also descriptively examined job satisfaction. YA-ID-MH were somewhat less likely to be employed per record review and self-report than YA with ID only, but these findings did not reach statistical significance. On average, YA with ID only had higher hourly wages and worked more hours than those with ID-MH, but there were no significant differences in job duration. For YA-ID-MH, predictors of employment included gender, race, level of ID, and residential setting. Multiple demographic and environmental factors predicted employment quality. YA-ID-MH experience employment disparities compared to YA with ID only. Service providers should specifically attend to those at the highest risk of unemployment/low quality employment. Young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions (ID-MH) experience employment disparities. Young adults with ID-MH who are non-white and female may have particularly low employment rates and employment quality. Societal-level interventions to address racial and gender-based bias may support individuals with ID-MH to acquire and maintain jobs by addressing disparities in social networks/social capital and ensuring equitable service provision and supports for those at the highest risk for unemployment. Policy makers should consider additional funding for employment services for transition-age youth with ID-MH, particularly those from marginalized populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doing research can help people to learn about a lot of different topics. For example, researchers can learn how to work in a group, collect and analyze data, how to make accessible materials, and get to know their own strengths. In this paper, a researcher shares what she learned while working on two research projects about young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions. The first project was peer mentoring. In this project, we focused on individual needs for someone who may be struggling with mental health. The second project was about workplace disclosure. In this project, we tried to find out if young adults disclose their mental health conditions at work and in job interviews. We explain how we did the projects, how the researcher learned to do research, and what made it easy to learn. We also share about the impact of doing research on the researcher's personal life. Finally, we share why doing inclusive research is important and how to help researchers with disabilities feel like they are valued members of the research team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies from the Hawaiian Islands showed that pedogenic thresholds demarcate domains in which rock-derived nutrient dynamics remain similar across wide variations in rainfall. These thresholds appear related to certain aspects of N cycling, but the degree to which they correspond to patterns of biological N fixation (BNF)—the dominant input of N into less-managed ecosystems—remains unclear. We measured aboveground plant biomass, foliar nutrient concentrations, and foliar δ15N along a climate gradient on ~ 150,000-year-old basaltic substrate to characterize foliar N sources and spatially relate them to soil nutrients. Patterns in legume δ15N correspond to known pedogenic thresholds along the rainfall gradient, with low δ15N values (~ 0 to − 2‰) occurring in the dry, biologically inactive domain and the wet, highly weathered domain. Elevated δ15N in the middle, fertile domain suggests a greater reliance of legumes on soil N where it has accumulated over time. Non-legume face N deficiencies throughout most of the gradient while legumes maintain low C:N ratios via symbiotic BNF. However, legume abundance declines outside the fertile domain, limiting ecosystem N inputs. Breakpoints in legume δ15N data suggest that P (and potentially other nutrients) limits BNF and, by extension, legume abundance in wet region. Nutrients may also constrain legume abundance in the dry domain, but pedogenic effects could not be isolated from climatic constraints at the dry sites. We conclude that pedogenic thresholds defined by climate can be informative of foliar δ15N patterns in cases where legumes are not directly constrained by climate, land use, or other external factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to changes in the ecosystem and misuse of resources, salinity also increases. Approximately 20% of all irrigated land is affected by salinity and this will increase over time. Therefore, it is necessary to develop more environmentally friendly agricultural techniques but also to exploit potential crops with high nutritional value and tolerance to salinity like quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.). In this context, potassium is an essential macronutrient for plant growth and development. Furthermore, one of the strategies of some salt‐tolerant plants is to increase the uptake of potassium under saline conditions such that the K+/Na+ ratio is maintained for a proper osmotic regulation in cells. Therefore, a study was conducted to investigate the effect of different concentrations of potassium (0.5, 2 and 6 mM K) on quinoa under different salinities (0, 100 and 200 mM NaCl). According to the results, an adequate supply of potassium under moderate salinity conditions benefited the plant growth, with a higher potassium uptake in the presence of salt. Under saline conditions, plant transpiration decreased significantly with a high correlation with stomatal density and a greater water use efficiency. Therefore, under saline conditions, adequate doses of potassium are highly recommended in quinoa cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improved understanding of host antiviral defense and antitumor immunity have elucidated molecular pathways important to both processes. During viral infection, RNA or DNA in the host cell serves as a danger signal that initiates the antiviral response. Recent studies have elucidated similarities in the signaling pathways activated by viruses and the signaling pathways induced by tumor DNA that is released into the cytoplasm of irradiated tumor cells. Both the host defense to viral infection and the sterile inflammation provoked by radiotherapy induce a type I interferon response that is necessary for pathogen control and immune-mediated tumor control, respectively. These findings have led to the hypothesis that radiotherapy employs a form of viral mimicry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify potential barriers to patient reported outcome measure (PROM) adoption with youth and young adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) and to understand current PROM adoption patterns of paediatric practitioners working with this population. Methods: We used a web‐based survey to collect data from paediatric practitioners who work with youth with IDD about factors influencing the adoption of PROMs and the frequency of PROM use across age groups (elementary, middle school and high school/transition age) and practice settings (school and rehabilitation). Results: A total of 113 paediatric practitioners (occupational therapist = 48, physical therapist = 32, physician = 16, other = 17) responded to the survey with an average of 15 years of experience working with youth ages 8–21 with IDD. Accessibility and appropriateness, psychometric evidence, and time were most frequently ranked among the top three factors that influence practitioners' adoption of PROMs. Practitioners reported 'never or rarely' using PROMs 39%–65% of the time across age groups. Conclusions: Our results suggest that paediatric practitioners may be infrequently using PROMs with youth with IDD because of perceived inaccessibility and time requirements of PROMs and practice‐environment barriers, including access to evidence and caseload demands. Because PROMs can facilitate client‐centred care, addressing these potential barriers to adoption may improve paediatric rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: People with disabilities have the right to use patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs) to tell their doctors and therapists what they think and feel. Therefore, PROMs need to be accessible for people with disabilities. This means that the questions and the response choices for the questions need to be easy to understand. Response choices can be words like, "yes" and "no," or "agree" and "disagree," or "easy" and "hard."To make sure that the response choices are easy to understand, it is a good idea to collaborate with people with disabilities when designing PROM response choices, or response scales.We describe how we worked with 8 young people with disabilities to make an easy‐to‐use response scale for a PROM.After our data collection and work together, we decided the best response scale was "very easy," "a little easy," "a little hard."This research is important, because other researchers and people making PROMs can use our process to help make their response scales easy to use. Background: Patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs) are increasingly used in health care to evaluate service quality and client progress. Response scales are a critical component of PROM content validity and must be designed to be relevant and comprehensible by users. Methods: In collaboration with eight youth co‐researchers with intellectual/developmental disabilities ages 14–21, we used an iterative, three‐stage approach to develop and select a response scale for the PEDI‐PRO. Stages: 1) inclusive development of response scale options; 2) Collecting data about response scale options during focus groups with youth with intellectual/ developmental disabilities (n = 62); and 3) Analysing data to refine response options. Results: Through two cycles of the three‐stage process, the inclusive research approach led to the development of a content valid response scale that describes functional performance of everyday activities ("very easy," "a little easy," "a little hard"). Conclusion: An inclusive research approach can support the development of content valid PROM scales. We identified four broad strategies that supported youth co‐researchers to engage in this response scale development process: universal design for learning, use of lived experiences, breaking down tasks, and peer support. Researchers may adopt and/or adapt the accessible inclusive research approaches described in this manuscript for measurement development and other research projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecologists addressed the effects of disturbances from the onset of the field by focusing on ecesis, which is the process by which organisms migrate and establish under the environmental conditions created by disturbances. Ecesis is the onset of succession, a self-organizing process whose nature, speed, and outcome depend in part on the outcomes of ecesis and the residual legacies remaining after disturbances. A by-product of succession after a disturbance is the reorganization of species dominance, or novelty. The degree of novelty in the outcome increases with the severity of the disturbance event. Initially, ecologists focused mostly on non-anthropogenic disturbances, but as human activity intensified and became a global force, more attention was given to the effects of anthropogenic disturbances on ecosystems. Today, anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic disturbances and their interactions are increasingly affecting ecosystems, particularly those exposed to extreme disturbance events. Extreme disturbance events are complex and low probability events composed of several disturbance forces that individually and in synergy affect different sectors of ecosystems, including the conditions that drive ecesis. I review the literature on disturbance research including the effects of extreme disturbance events on social–ecological–technological systems (SETSs). A SETS is an ecosystem defined by the flow and accumulation of energy through the medium of organisms, constructed infrastructure, institutions, and their environment. Human intentions, values, and capacities are part of the functioning of SETS, and they can drive ecological processes as do non-anthropogenic forces. Moreover, human-directed activities after an extreme disturbance event affect whole landscapes. The passage of hurricane María over the Puerto Rico SETS established that extreme disturbance events are of such power and complexity that they can influence the level and kind of relationship between humans and the environment, including the structure and species composition of the ecological systems within SETS. However, extreme disturbance events such as hurricanes have not changed the successional trajectory originally impulsed by anthropogenic disturbances. Thus, the species composition and functioning of novel forests in Puerto Rico are tied to economic activity in the social and technological sectors of SETS. It is no longer possible to interpret ecosystem functioning without considering the synergy between anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic extreme disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among vertebrates, placental mammals are particularly variable in the covariance between cranial shape and body size (allometry), with rodents being a major exception. Australian murid rodents allow an assessment of the cause of this anomaly because they radiated on an ecologically diverse continent notably lacking other terrestrial placentals. Here, we use 3D geometric morphometrics to quantify species-level and evolutionary allometries in 38 species (317 crania) from all Australian murid genera. We ask whether ecological opportunity resulted in greater allometric diversity compared with other rodents or whether conserved allometry suggests intrinsic constraints and/or stabilizing selection. We also assess whether cranial shape variation follows the proposed rule of craniofacial evolutionary allometry (CREA), whereby larger species have relatively longer snouts and smaller braincases. To ensure we could differentiate parallel versus nonparallel species-level allometric slopes, we compared the slopes of rarefied samples across all clades. We found exceedingly conserved allometry and CREA-like patterns across the 10-million-year split between Mus and Australian murids. This could support both intrinsic-constraint and stabilizing-selection hypotheses for conserved allometry. Large-bodied frugivores evolved faster than other species along the allometric trajectory, which could suggest stabilizing selection on the shape of the masticatory apparatus as body size changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the past century, from the advent of preclinical modeling to the establishment of clinical trials, the hypothesis that host defenses regulate tumor growth (posited and refined by leaders in the field of cancer immunity) has become accepted as a scientific pillar in oncology. Since the turn of the millennium, a search has been under way for the best therapeutic approach to reprogram the immune system to recognize tumor cells that have undergone "immune escape." This quest has led some to question conventional scientific views of tumor cell kill, including the role of host immunity in patients treated with radiation therapy. In the last two decades, evidence has accumulated that radiation therapy can effectively convert a potentially lethal cancer into an in situ personalized vaccine. Herein, we review the underlying mechanisms and maneuvers responsible for in situ vaccine production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The use of wide-awake, local-anesthetic, no-tourniquet (WALANT) surgical techniques is increasingly common, and patients commonly ask whether they may drive home following these procedures. The impact of a numb hand and bulky dressing on driving fitness is unknown, and there is no literature to guide surgeons when counseling these patients. Thus, the primary objective of the present study was to determine driving fitness following a modeled-WALANT procedure.Methods: Twelve right-handed individuals (6 male and 6 female) with an average age of 50 years (range, 38 to 64 years) were enrolled. An instrumented vehicle was used to obtain driving kinematic and behavioral data, thus allowing for a multidimensional assessment of driving fitness. Participants first performed a drive to establish baseline kinematic metrics. The route included both public streets and a closed course. Several driving tasks were assessed, including reverse parking, parallel parking, and perpendicular parking. The total course length was 18 miles (29 kilometers) and took 45 to 55 minutes to complete. After the first drive, 10 mL of 1% lidocaine was injected in the volar aspect of the right wrist and another 10 mL was injected into the right carpal tunnel to model the anesthetic used for a WALANT carpal tunnel release, and a bulky soft dressing was applied. The modeled-WALANT drive included an identical route and tasks, in addition to a surprise event to evaluate emergency responsiveness. Driving metrics were analyzed for noninferiority of the modeled-WALANT state to baseline driving.Results: The modeled-WALANT state showed noninferiority to baseline driving on all 11 analyzed dimensions of driving behavior compared with the control drives. In the modeled-WALANT state, participants drove more conservatively, braked harder, and steered more smoothly. All participants safely performed the 3 parking tasks and emergency response maneuver. Driving fitness in the modeled-WALANT state was noninferior to driving fitness in the preoperative drive.Conclusions: A modeled-WALANT state has no clinically relevant negative impact on driving fitness, and thus surgeons should not discourage patients from driving home after unilateral WALANT surgical hand procedures.Level Of Evidence: Therapeutic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and co‐occurring mental health conditions (IDD‐MH) experience significant mental health disparities. Barriers to services include transportation and stigma associated with services. Peer mentoring (PM) may be one solution to these barriers. Methods: We conducted exploratory research to develop a PM intervention for young adults with IDD‐MH by partnering with 3 young adults with IDD‐MH and a seven‐member advisory board. In addition, we conducted focus groups with mental health clinicians (n = 10), peer providers (n = 9), and transition specialists (n = 20) to identify the desired PM outcomes and features and content that may facilitate these outcomes. Results: Prioritized outcome: identifying and utilizing leisure activities as coping strategies. PM features: mentors should use relationship‐ and outcome‐driven actions to operationalize a mentee‐centred approach. Features and content considerations: safety, mentor matching, degree of structure, mentor training and support, and collaboration with mentees' support teams. Discussion: Findings are aligned with previous research on PM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leukocyte differentials are a useful tool for assessing systemic immunological changes during pathogen infections, particularly for non-model species. To date, no study has explored how experimental infection with a common bacterial pathogen, Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG), influences the course and strength of haematological changes in the natural songbird host, house finches. Here we experimentally inoculated house finches with MG isolates known to vary in virulence, and quantified the proportions of circulating leukocytes over the entirety of infection. First, we found significant temporal effects of MG infection on the proportions of most cell types, with strong increases in heterophil and monocyte proportions during infection. Marked decreases in lymphocyte proportions also occurred during infection, though these proportional changes may simply be driven by correlated increases in other leukocytes. Second, we found significant effects of isolate virulence, with the strongest changes in cell proportions occurring in birds inoculated with the higher virulence isolates, and almost no detectable changes relative to sham treatment groups in birds inoculated with the lowest virulence isolate. Finally, we found that variation in infection severity positively predicted the proportion of circulating heterophils and lymphocytes, but the strength of these correlations was dependent on isolate. Taken together, these results indicate strong haematological changes in house finches during MG infection, with markedly different responses to MG isolates of varying virulence. These results are consistent with the possibility that evolved virulence in house finch MG results in higher degrees of immune stimulation and associated immunopathology, with potential direct benefits for MG transmission. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS House finches show a marked pro-inflammatory response to M. gallisepticum infection. Virulent pathogen isolates produce stronger finch white blood cell responses. Among birds, stronger white blood cell responses are associated with higher infection severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to detect Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) resistance in the veterinary hospital environment. S. aureus are one of the components of the microbiota, and they may be present in patients in a veterinary hospital environment. Methicillin resistance is determined by a chromosomal gene (mecA), which codes for modifications in the beta-lactam antibiotic receptor, where the penicillin-binding protein will have a low affinity for the antibiotic. Samples were collected through swabs of materials and equipment at the hospital. S. aureus was identified in 7.6% (21/276) of the samples collected, and of the 21 strains isolated, 4 (19.0%) carried the mecA gene. MRSA are all strains of S. aureus that express the mecA gene. Four strains harbor the mecA gene; however, only two expressed the phenotypic resistance to cefoxitin and were characterized as MRSA. An isolate (strain 18) present on a patient care table was identified as methicillin-resistant S. aureus with intermediate sensitivity to vancomycin (VISA). Our observations suggest the need for containment measures (good antisepsis practices) to avoid the possible transmission of resistant bacterial agents for the veterinary hospital environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: People with disabilities often do research. Sometimes, they work together with people with academic training. Sometimes, working together can be challenging.A researcher with academic training and a co‐researcher with a disability worked together to do interviews.This paper is about how we worked together. We talk about how the co‐researcher with a disability got hired, did ethics training and dealt with transportation and his schedule. We also talk about how we worked together to make sure it was easy for him to do the interviews.This paper might help other research teams figure out how to do interviews together. Background: People with disabilities are increasingly involved in research. Our understanding of how to support co‐researchers with disabilities has grown since the 1990s. However, research teams have reported challenges in ensuring authentic collaboration. We report on the collaboration between an academic researcher and a co‐researcher with a disability to conduct interviews with other co‐researchers about their experiences in inclusive research. Methods: The academic researcher took fieldnotes throughout the research. Together, she and the co‐researcher audio‐recorded "debriefs" after each interview. The academic researcher reviewed all fieldnotes and transcribed "debriefs." Together, the academic researcher and co‐researcher listened to and reflected on the audio‐recorded debriefs. Results: In this reflective manuscript, we discuss the hiring process, ethics training, logistical challenges and tools we developed to support the co‐researcher in his role. We also discuss challenges, including the academic researcher's difficulty eliciting critical feedback from the co‐researcher. This manuscript includes both the voice of the academic researcher and the co‐researcher. Conclusion: Our research process was supported by our prior relationship, accessible processes, and time for training and reflective practice. We call attention to the importance of establishing trust and methods to elicit critical feedback from co‐researchers. We also discuss logistical challenges and the impact of methodological choices on research collaborations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disparities in outcomes for vulnerable women is an ongoing problem. Homelessness and breast cancer treatment outcomes is understudied. This is a descriptive study exploring types of homelessness and treatment delays at an urban safety net hospital providing care to a vulnerable patient population.This study is a retrospective chart review of homeless female patients diagnosed with breast cancer between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2014. Data for this study were acquired from the hospital cancer registry and electronic medical record. All demographic characteristics, time to treatment and factors related to delays to treatment were analyzed descriptively, reporting frequencies and proportions. The total number of individuals analyzed was 24. All except two subjects were delayed to treatment (≥ 30 days from diagnosis to treatment). Most women in this cohort were categorized as chronically homeless (46%) with the rest categorized as transitionally (29%) or episodically (12%) homeless. The majority of subjects (70%) were Black, non-Hispanic. All except one subject were publicly insured (71% Medicaid; 12% Medicare) or uninsured (8%). Regardless of type of homelessness, most subjects were either 30–60 or 60–90 days delayed. Those who were chronically homeless experienced significantly more delays to first treatment (56% of those who were delayed 30–60 days and 57% of those who were delayed 60–90 days; p value 0.006) than those who were episodically or transitionally homeless. Significant delays and barriers to breast cancer treatment exist among women experiencing homelessness. Further studies to improve breast cancer care for homeless women are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nickel chelatase CfbA is the smallest member of the chelatase family, but the mechanism by which this enzyme inserts nickel into sirohydrochlorin is unknown. In order to gain mechanistic insight, metal binding, tetrapyrrole binding, and enzyme activity were characterized for a variety of substrates using several spectroscopic and computational approaches. Mass spectrometery and magnetic circular dichroism experiments revealed that CfbA binds an octahedral, high-spin metal substrate. UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy demonstrated that the enzyme binds a wide range of tetrapyrrole substrates and perturbs their electronic structures. Based upon activity assays, CfbA promotes insertion of cobalt and nickel into several tetrapyrroles, including cobalt insertion into protopophyrin IX. Finally, density functional theory models were developed which strongly suggest that observed spectral changes upon binding to the enzyme can be explained by tetrapyrrole ruffling, but not deprotonation or saddling. The observation of an octahedral, high-spin metal bound to CfbA leads to a generalization for all class II chelatases: these enzymes bind labile metal substrates and metal desolvation is not a rate-limiting step. The conclusion that CfbA ruffles its tetrapyrrole substrate reveals that the CfbA mechanism is different from that currently proposed for ferrochelatase, and identifies an intriguing correlation between metal substrate specificity and tetrapyrrole distortion mode in chelatases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with intellectual disability (ID) are increasingly involved in stakeholder-engaged research, such as "inclusive research" (IR). To understand the processes that foster and maintain IR with individuals with ID, we used a narrative interview approach with co-researchers with ID (n = 6) and academic researchers (n = 8). We analyzed the data using grounded theory principles. We then developed a model describing how contextual factors and team-level factors and processes coalesce to foster and maintain IR collaborations. We observed that team members' values and characteristics are foundational to IR and drive a commitment to accessibility. Contextual factors, including funding and partnership duration, influence teams' processes and structures. These processes and structures influence the extent to which co-researchers perceive the IR team to be cofacilitated or academic-facilitated. Co-researcher involvement is partially maintained by perceived personal and societal benefits. Optimizing the relationship between these factors may support involvement of people with ID in stakeholder-engaged research projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We review literature relevant to assessing the future of tropical forests and supplement the review with new data from the lowlands of Venezuela. Compared to today, future tropical forests will have a higher level of novelty, defined as the degree of dissimilarity of a system relative to a historical baseline. Processes of succession and evolution generate novelty in forests and have done so for millennia. Under increasing human activity and climate change, the rate of generation of novelty has increased and the resulting forests are termed novel forests to distinguish them from historical forests. Historical forests are less exposed to anthropogenic disturbances and operate at slower levels of novelty generation. Acclimation, adaptation, changes in species composition and dominance, and changes in the proportions of species in communities are the responses of the biota to climate change and anthropogenic disturbances. Therefore, novelty contributes to the persistence of tropical forests in spite of increasing levels of human activity. Novel forests are similar to historical forests in terms of structure but they are younger, they have a faster turnover of mass and chemical elements, and different species composition. Historical species assemblages cannot cope with the altered environments that result from chronic anthropogenic disturbances. The dominant species in novel forests tend to be, and function as, pioneer species. High levels of species dominance in novel forests influence the proportions of chemical elements, which when coupled to species traits and attributes, help explain how novel forests cope with the conditions that result from anthropogenic activities. Novelty is more common in the tropics than in other latitudinal regions, and within the tropics, it is more common in islands where human activity is more intense than in continents. Novel tropical forests in islands have greater representation and dominance of introduced species than novel forests in continents, where native species with wide geographic distributions dominate. Regardless of geography, novel tropical forests share similar attributes and functioning. The adaptability of novel forests to extreme conditions created by human activity signals a future for tropical forests that is different from predictions of constant degradation, homogenization, and loss of biodiversity. Instead, a process of recombination of species (all taxa) into new species assemblages maintains structure, function, physiognomy, species richness, and ecological services. This remixing initially involves loss of large organisms, certain groups of species, and loss of old-growth attributes of forests. Some of these losses can be reversed through succession, assuming there is sufficient time to restore depleted stores such as soil organic matter. Continued environmental change will stimulate continued remixing of species, loss of vulnerable species, gains of less vulnerable ones, and more dissimilarity with historical forests. Novel forests are an answer to the changes induced by climate change and other anthropogenic disturbances, and as such require conservation measures, because as they mature, novel forests usually diversify and help restore lost biodiversity. We also review strategies to conserve biodiversity and optimize ecological services using novel forest succession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biodegradation of the antibiotic sulfamethazine (SMT) by using different crude extracts of halophytes was investigated. For this purpose, crude water extracts of the halophytes Chenopodium quinoa, Sesuvium portulacastrum, and Tripolium pannonicum were prepared. Different amounts of SMT were added to the different extracts (final concentration of 1, 2, and 5 mg L−1) and incubated at 37 °C. Crude extracts of T. pannonicum were further used to evaluate the degradation rate over time. In order to evaluate the influence of endophytic or naturally plant-associated microorganisms on the biodegradation of SMT, extracts from plants grown in sterile and non-sterile conditions were compared. SMT was analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled to positive ion electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI LC-MS). Based on the findings, crude extracts of T. pannonicum have a high potential to biodegrade SMT with a decrease up to 85.4% (4.27 ± 0.10 mg L−1) from an initial concentration of 5 mg L−1. The lowest activity was obtained using extracts of C. quinoa with degradation of 4.5%. Extracts of plants cultivated under sterile and non-sterile conditions do not have any significant difference in SMT degradation. Therefore, microorganisms and their enzymatic activities do not seem to play a significant role during this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prosopis strombulifera (Lam.) Benth. is a halophytic shrub found in highly saline soils in Argentina, with high tolerance against NaCl but strong growth inhibition by Na 2 SO 4. In the present study, the differences in the physiological responses caused by these salts and an iso-osmotic combination thereof on photosynthesis, mineral composition and metabolism were analyzed. Na 2 SO 4 treated plants were the most affected by salinity, showing a significant decrease in several photosynthetic parameters. Proline and cysteine accumulated significantly in the plants in response to salt stress. These results show by the first time that the SO 4 2− anion is triggering damage in the photosynthetic apparatus and consequently affecting the photosynthetic process, which may explain the strong growth inhibition in these plants at high salinity. Moreover, the SO 4 2− anion provoke challenges in the incorporation of nutrients, decreasing the levels of K, Ca, P and Mg, and inducing a strong antioxidant activity in P. strombulifera. Image 1 • P. strombulifera is a halophyte with contrasting growth response under NaCl and Na 2 SO 4. • The SO 4 2− anion in the medium provoke challenges in the incorporation of nutrients. • The metabolism with Na 2 SO 4 was affected, towards the synthesis of polyphenols. • SO 4 2− is triggering damage in the photosynthetic apparatus with growth inhibition. • A possible explanation for SO 4 2− toxicity, is SH 2 binding to PSII cytochrome b 559. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Patients with aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) have high disease burden due to the severity of asthma and sinonasal symptoms. There is limited research on the psychological well-being and subjective experiences of patients with AERD. This study examined levels of depression symptoms, asthma-related quality of life and asthma control among AERD patients. Methods: Thirty-two adults with AERD and 39 patients without AERD (asthma-only) were recruited from outpatient asthma/allergy clinics. The sample was largely comprised of ethnic minority, inner-city patients who ranged in age from 19 to 84 years old. Participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (Mini AQLQ), a self-report rating of asthma severity and spirometry testing. Asthma control and severity were determined following national guidelines. Results: AERD patients reported lower levels of depression symptoms (p = 0.049), better overall asthma-related quality of life (p < 0.001), and perceived their asthma to be less severe (p = 0.01) compared to asthma-only patients. However, clinician ratings of asthma severity were more severe for AERD than asthma-only patients (p = 0.006). No significant differences were found between the groups on asthma controller medications or oral corticosteroid bursts for asthma. Conclusions: AERD patients may be resilient given their low levels of depression symptoms and positive views of asthma-related impairment despite higher clinician-rated asthma severity. The adult onset nature of asthma in AERD might be a protective factor on mental health. Future studies should explore mechanisms linking AERD and positive psychological health outcomes and subjective perception of asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The Intellectual and Developmental Disability Mental Health (IDD-MH) Research Partnership was created to learn about the experiences and needs of young adults with IDD-MH while accessing and using mental health services. Our national partnership consists of six young adults, five professionals, researchers at Boston University, and representatives from Self Advocates Becoming Empowered and The Arc of the United States. Our partnership worked together virtually for one year. Methods: We designed and conducted a web survey with young adults with IDD-MH ages 18–30 living in the United States (n = 76). We also completed four national storytelling sessions (1 in person, 3 virtual) that included young adults with IDD-MH (n = 10) and parents of young adults with IDD-MH (n = 6). Results: We identified eight priority topic areas for young adults with IDD-MH: Transition to Adulthood, Insurance & Financial Resources, Professionals' Competence, Understanding the Experiences of People who Communicate Differently, Hospitalization, Medication, Alternatives to Medication, and Social Supports. Conclusions: Using what we learned, we generated recommendations to advance research and practice in areas important to young adults with IDD-MH. These recommendations highlight the importance of community-based options, choice, autonomy, and control for young adults with IDD-MH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: There is a need to develop self-reports that measure youth's responsibility for major life tasks. We examined if the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test's (PEDICAT) operationalization of responsibility is salient to youth with developmental disabilities (DD). The PEDI-CAT defines responsibility as, "the extent to which the young person...take[s] control over organizing and managing major life tasks." Methods: During six focus groups (n¼43), youth generated examples of behaviors and actions that demonstrated responsibility. Data were coded as "responsibility" or "discrete skills" per PEDI-CAT definitions. We reviewed examples in both categories and compared and contrasted how youth described responsibility. Results: Youth's descriptions of responsibility aligned with the PEDI-CAT's responsibility construct 42.75% of the time. In these instances, youth perceived themselves as causal agents who had to make decisions and self-regulate to manage and organize major life tasks. Otherwise, youth described themselves as causal agents who adhered to rules, social norms, and expectations of others during the execution of discrete skills. Conclusions: Youth perceive themselves as responsible, causal agents during both the coordination and management of major life tasks and during the execution of discrete skills. As this is not aligned with the PEDI-CAT's operationalization of responsibility, there is a need to further explore youth's perceptions of responsibility prior to developing a self-report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tornadoes that occur at night pose particularly dangerous societal risks, and these risks are amplified across the southeastern United States. The purpose of this study is to highlight some of the characteristics distinguishing the convective environment accompanying these events. This is accomplished by building upon previous research that assesses the predictive power of meteorological parameters. In particular, this study uses the Statistical Severe Convective Risk Assessment Model (SSCRAM) to determine how well convective parameters explain tornado potential across the Southeast during the months of November–May and during the 0300–1200 UTC (nocturnal) time frame. This study compares conditional tornado probabilities across the Southeast during November–May nocturnal hours to those probabilities for all other November–May environments across the contiguous United States. This study shows that effective bulk shear, effective storm-relative helicity, and effective-layer significant tornado parameter yield the strongest predictability for the November–May nocturnal Southeast regime among investigated parameters. This study demonstrates that November–May southeastern U.S. nocturnal predictability is generally similar to that within other regimes across the contiguous United States. However, selected ranges of multiple parameters are associated with slightly better predictability for the nocturnal Southeast regime. Additionally, this study assesses conditional November–May nocturnal tornado probabilities across a coastal domain embedded within the Southeast. Nocturnal coastal tornado predictability is shown to generally be lower than the other regimes. All of the differences highlight several forecast challenges, which this study analyzes in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The biofiltering capacity, distribution patterns and degradation of the antimicrobial sulfamethazine (SMT) by halophyte Chenopodium quinoa under hydroponic conditions and its further biodegradation through anaerobic digestion were evaluated. C. quinoa was cultivated for a complete life cycle under different concentrations of SMT (0, 2 and 5 mg/L) and sodium chloride (0 and 15 g/L). C. quinoa is able to uptake and partially degrade SMT. The higher the SMT concentration in the culture medium, the higher the SMT content in the plant tissue. SMT has different distribution patterns within the plant organs, and no SMT is found in the seeds. Dry crop residues containing SMT have a great potential to produce methane through anaerobic digestion and, in addition, SMT is further biodegraded. The highest specific methane yields are obtained using crop residues of the plants cultivated in the presence of salt and SMT with concentrations between 0 and 2 mg/L. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar is a product rich in carbon produced by pyrolysis of different kinds of biomass and it modifies the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil. In this study, biochar, produced at different pyrolysis temperatures (590 °C, 665 °C, and 765 °C), was physico-chemically characterized. It was explored whether biochar made from sewage sludge can become an alternative solution for future water and phosphorus management in agricultural production. A pot experiment was conducted using Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis) to investigate the effect of applying different biochars to the substrate, taking into account different growth parameters and the biochemical composition of the plants, as well as the physico-chemical properties of the substrate. According to the results, pyrolysis temperature influences the content of elements in biochar and their availability to plants, with total phosphorus contents in biochar ranging from 4.6% to 4.9%. In addition, applying biochar to the substrate significantly increases the volumetric water content up to 4.5 fold more compared to the control, which indicates a promising application in drought stress conditions and, at the same time, is a source of nutrients and can help to reduce the amount of mineral fertilizer application. [Display omitted] • Pyrolysis temperature influences the element content in biochar and its physical properties. • Adding biochar to the substrate significantly increases its volumetric water content. • Adding biochar to the substrate does not increase the concentration of heavy metals in the plant tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Landfills in Germany are currently approaching stabilization phase; as a result removal of inert organics and potentially toxic elements in the leachate is becoming a primary concern. Dissolved air floatation (DAF) at the secondary stage reduces only 27% of the residual chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the investigated treatment systems; downstream granular activated carbon (GAC) units are required to further reduce COD concentration by 40–56% to meet indirect discharge or direct discharge limits respectively. Therefore, in this study performance in terms of COD and trace metals adsorption of different types of granular activated carbon were compared over different contact times and dosages. GAC 1 with Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of 719.5 ± 2.1 m2/g and average pore diameter (D) of 4.81 nm was identified to be inappropriate for treatment of leachate from this landfill. GAC 2 (with BET of 1513.7 ± 6.4 m2/g and D of 3.50 nm) was feasible for COD reduction from DAF-pretreated leachate, while GAC 3 (with BET of 644.5 ± 2.6 m2/g and D of 5.65 nm) can be coupled either with biological step alone, or as a tertiary step after the DAF unit. Moreover, as COD is the primary remaining contaminant of interest after secondary and tertiary treatment, spectrometer probes provide a close estimation of COD concentration for use in online monitoring. Beside COD removal, GAC 3 also confirmed the effectiveness of trace metals adsorption even at trace level, as it removed 66, 64, 48, 47, 43, and 25% of copper, cobalt, chromium, manganese, nickel, and zinc, respectively. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • DAF unit reduces 27% of COD, and GAC 3 at 20 g/L reduces 80% of residual COD. • Spectrometer closely estimates COD values and is useful for on-line COD measurement. • GAC removes 66, 64, 48, 47, 43, and 25% of Cu, Co, Cr, Mn, Ni, and Zn respectively. • GAC with larger pore diameters was more effective in COD reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional meteorologists gain a great deal of knowledge through formal education, but two factors require ongoing learning throughout a career: professionals must apply their learning to the specific subdiscipline they practice, and the knowledge and technology they rely on becomes outdated over time. It is thus inherent in professional practice that much of the learning is more or less self-directed. While these principles apply to any aspect of meteorology, this paper applies concepts to weather and climate forecasting, for which a range of resources, from many to few, for learning exist. No matter what the subdiscipline, the responsibility for identifying and pursuing opportunities for professional, lifelong learning falls to the members of the subdiscipline. Thus, it is critical that meteorologists periodically assess their ongoing learning needs and develop the ability to reflectively practice. The construct of self-directed learning and how it has been implemented in similar professions provide visions for how individual meteorologists can pursue—and how the profession can facilitate—the ongoing, self-directed learning efforts of meteorologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An extreme disturbance event is one in which any of its component disturbance forces and their interactions with affected systems have dimensions and responses that exceed the known range of variation expected of those parameters. If the exposed system does not respond or exhibits a low level response to an event, the event was not extreme to the exposed system, regardless of the dimensions of its disturbance forces. Extreme disturbance events are complex and require disaggregation to improve understanding of their effects. The areas affected by extreme events and the duration of the events are related but involve many orders of magnitude in terms of area affected and duration. One way to compare events is through a common and objective unit of measure such as energy. A comparison of ten extreme events in terms of their power and total energy delivered per unit area revealed a broad range of values among them. The power of events ranged 8 orders of magnitude and the total load per unit area ranged 14 orders of magnitude. Each event had different points of interaction with exposed ecosystems. When exposed to the same extreme event, the response of social systems is different from the response of the ecological systems. Also, social systems recovered quicker to a category 3 hurricane than did ecological systems. Both social and ecological systems have the capacity to evolve, adapt, innovate, and develop novelty in response to the selective pressure of extreme events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]