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Burns are a common mechanism of pediatric injury worldwide and a notable cause of disability-adjusted life-years. Burns in children represent a unique challenge due to the differences from adults regarding physical characteristics, physiology, and psychology. This retrospective cohort study examined trends of pediatric burns in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, from 2010 to 2022. It specifically focused on the changes in burn etiology and patient characteristics, body area affected, TBSA, first aid, location, and management. It also compared a "Pre-COVID-19" and "Peri-COVID-19" era to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on the pattern of pediatric burns, as children are at higher risk of injury during times of social disruption. The study found that burns in children continue to be concentrated in the toddler and preschooler age group, and the main mechanisms of injury remain as scald and contact burns. In recent years, there has been a rising trend of friction burns, alongside a fall in flame burns and severe burns. Management of pediatric burns has also evolved, with predominant use of ambulatory care and low rates of admission and operative intervention. Trends in burn injury continue to evolve with time, and over the last decade in NSW, key changes in the pattern of pediatric burns have been observed, with evolving mechanisms of injury, reduced severity of burns, and a shift toward ambulatory care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the phenomenon of joint attention and its relevance in understanding the modes of awareness of the presence of God. It explores the perspectives of Eleonore Stump and Andrew Pinsent, as well as the challenge raised by Donald Bungum, with the aim of reaching a better understanding of a distinct way of being 'moved by God in a divine way'. According to Stump and Pinsent, joint attention can deepen our understanding of our relationship with God, emphasizing the importance of sharing attention with Him and making better sense of the way humans may be moved in a divine way. However, Bungum challenges this view by suggesting the possibility of closeness without explicit awareness. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for a nuanced understanding of awareness and the presence of God in our spiritual lives, for our connection with God can manifest in diverse ways different from traditional accounts of explicit awareness. We suggest that a view of joint attention centered in action may be more suitable for an attempt to make sense of what 'to be moved in a divine way' amounts to. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes how a robust and dynamic forecasting system was designed and implemented to predict material volumes for the inbound logistics network of an international automotive company. The system aims to reduce transportation logistics costs and improve demand capacity planning for freight forwarders. The forecasting horizon is set for 4 months and 12 months ahead in the future. To solve this problem, a time series modeling approach was carried out by using different time series forecasting methods like ARIMA, Neural Networks, Exponential Smoothing, Prophet, Automated Simple Moving Average, Multivariate Time Series, and Ensemble Forecast. Additionally, important data preprocessing methods and a robust model selection framework were used to train the models and select the best-performing one. This is known as Forward Chaining Nested Cross Validation with origin recalibration. The system performance was assessed using the Symmetric Mean Absolute Error (SMAPE). The final version of the forecasting system can deliver 4-month-ahead forecasts with a SMAPE lower than 10% for 86% of all material flow connections. The system's forecast output is updated on a monthly basis and was integrated into the inbound logistics network system of the company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Johnson, Bilovich, and Tuckett set out a helpful framework for thinking about how humans make decisions under radical uncertainty and contrast this with classical decision theory. We show that classical theories assume so little about psychology that they are not necessarily in conflict with this approach, broadening its appeal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA can be preserved in marine and freshwater sediments both in bulk sediment and in intact, viable resting stages. Here, we assess the potential for combined use of ancient, environmental, DNA and timeseries of resurrected long-term dormant organisms, to reconstruct trophic interactions and evolutionary adaptation to changing environments. These new methods, coupled with independent evidence of biotic and abiotic forcing factors, can provide a holistic view of past ecosystems beyond that offered by standard palaeoecology, help us assess implications of ecological and molecular change for contemporary ecosystem functioning and services, and improve our ability to predict adaptation to environmental stress. Ellegaard et al. discuss the potential for using ancient environmental DNA (eDNA), combined with resurrection ecology, to analyse trophic interactions and evolutionary adaptation to changing environments. Their Review suggests that these techniques will improve our ability to predict genetic and phenotypic adaptation to environmental stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benthic diatoms are commonly used for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction in Arctic regions, but interpretation of their ecology remains challenging. We studied epilithic diatom assemblages from the shallow margins of 19 lakes from three areas (coast-inland-ice sheet margin) along a climate gradient in Kangerlussuaq, West Greenland during two periods; shortly after ice-off (spring) and in the middle of the growth season (summer). We aimed to understand the distribution of Arctic epilithic diatoms in relation to water chemistry gradients during the two seasons, to investigate their incorporation into lake sediments and to assess their applicability as palaeoenvironmental indicators. Diatoms were correlated with nutrients in the spring and alkalinity/major ions in the summer, when nutrients were depleted; approximately half of the variance explained was independent of spatial factors. When categorised by functional attributes, diatom seasonal succession differed among regions with the most obvious changes in inland lakes where summer temperatures are warmer, organic nutrient processing is prevalent and silicate is limiting. These conditions led to small, motile and adnate diatoms being abundant in inland lakes during the summer (Nitzschia spp., Encyonopsis microcephala), as these functional attributes are suited to living within complex mats of non-siliceous microbial biofilms. Seasonal succession in silica-rich lakes at the coast was less pronounced and assemblages included Tabellaria flocculosa (indicating more acidic conditions) and Hannaea arcus (indicating input from inflowing rivers). The nitrogen-fixing diatom Epithemia sorex increased from the coast to the ice sheet, negatively correlating with a gradient of reactive nitrogen. The presence of this diatom in Holocene sediment records alongside cyanobacterial carotenoids during arid periods of low nitrogen delivery, suggests that it is a useful indicator of nitrogen limitation. Nitzschia species appear to be associated with high concentrations of organic carbon and heterotrophy, but their poor representation in West Greenland lake sediments due to taphonomic processes limits their palaeoenvironmental application in this region. Proportions of epilithic taxa in lake sediment records of coastal lakes increased during some wetter periods of the Holocene, suggesting that snowpack-derived nutrient delivery may offer diatom taxa living at lake margins a competitive advantage over planktonic diatoms during the “moating” ice melt period. Thus, further research investigating linkages between epilithic diatoms, snowpack and nutrient delivery in seasonally frozen lakes is recommended as these taxa live on the ‘front-line’ during the spring and may be especially sensitive to changes in snowmelt conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assessed which factors control summer epilimnion thickness in arctic lakes of southwest Greenland. A suite of 22 lakes that thermally stratify was measured in the summer of 2013; a sub-set of eight of the lakes was measured again in 2014, which was a warmer summer than 2013. Regression analysis of the 22 lakes indicated that the 1% attenuation depth for photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was the strongest single predictor ( R2 = 0.75) of epilimnion thickness across lakes; the addition of epilimnion temperature to the PAR model explained additional variability ( R2 = 0.79). The importance of including temperature in the model was apparent in the results of model validation as well as when comparing across years: while the 1% PAR was 0.4-2 m deeper in 2014 compared with 2013, water temperatures were 2-3°C higher, resulting in July epilimnion thicknesses that were equal to or shallower than in 2013. In these lakes with low color dissolved organic carbon (DOC), multiple factors control the 1% PAR, including absorbance at 440 nm ( a440), 380 nm ( a380), and 320 ( a320), chlorophyll a (Chl a) and DOC concentration. In 2014, when 1% PAR was deeper than in 2013, a380, Chl a and DOC were lower in six of the eight lakes. Our results reveal that the thermal structure of these arctic lakes is under complex control by air temperatures and factors that affect PAR attenuation, particularly Chl a and DOC quality, suggesting that continued warming in the Arctic will have strong effects on lake stratification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel approach has been developed for approximately solving the constrained LQR problem, based on updating the final state and costate of an unrestricted related regular problem, and the switching times (when the control meets the constraints). The main result is the expression of a suboptimal control in feedback form by using some corresponding Riccati equation. The gradient method is applied to reduce the cost via explicit algebraic formula for its partial derivatives with respect to the hidden final state/costate of the related regular problem. The numerical method results efficient because it does not involve integrations of states or cost trajectories and reduces the dimension of the relevant unknown parameters. All the relevant objects are calculated from a few auxiliary matrices, which are computed only once and kept in memory. The scheme is here applied to the “cheapest stop of a train” case-study whose optimal solution is already known. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Surgery & Clinical Research is the property of Master Editora and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Leisure Studies is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Spatial heterogeneity of benthic communities has clear implications for estimating lake production, biodiversity as well as identifying representative sites for palaeolimnological studies. This study investigates chironomid variability and the controlling factors (i.e., environmental and spatial variables) in surface sediments from Taihu Lake (2,338 km), a hypertrophic lake in the Yangtze delta in eastern China. The spatial distribution of chironomids shows distinct heterogeneity. Microchironomus tabarui-type and Tanypus dominate the midge communities around the estuaries, while Cricotopus sylvestris-type and Polypedilum nubifer-type are the predominant taxa in the East Bays and the East Taihu Lake. Redundancy analysis was used for exploring the relationships between chironomid variability and environmental and spatial stressors. Four variables were identified as significant factors that influence chironomid community structures. The high nutrient concentrations around the estuarial areas favor the development of nutrient-tolerant taxa. Water depth-related oxygen depletion in the open lake during algae blooms prohibits the survival of many organisms, except for a few hypoxic-resistant species. High transparency in the East Bays and the East Taihu Lake indirectly creates a favorite microhabitat for macrophyte-associated chironomid species through aquatic plants. Space per se is a significant forcing factor for organism community and distribution at scales of >1,000 km. It might be important to consider spatial variables more explicitly in future studies of chironomids in large lakes where multiple stressors make the interactions within the ecosystem more complicated. This study aims to illustrate the ecological characteristics of specific chironomid taxa related to a 'microecosystem' which is contributed by the multiple environmental gradients within a large lake, and to provide empirical support for interpretation of palaeochironomid data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To investigate the long-term changes in aquatic vegetation in a lowland, shallow lake, and to assess the relationship between aquatic vegetation and natural and anthropogenic catchment changes . Location Gundsømagle Sø, Zealand, Denmark: a shallow (mean depth 1.2 m), hypereutrophic lake (mean annual total phosphorus (TP) c. 700 μg TP L−1) located in a predominantly agricultural catchment (88% cultivated land). The lake is presently devoid of macrophytes. Methods One hundred and forty-seven contiguous samples from a sediment core (taken in 2000) were analysed for macrofossil remains together with loss-on-ignition and dry weight. From an earlier sediment core (taken in 1992), 67 samples were analysed for pollen and the two cores were correlated using the ignition residue profiles. Core chronology was determined by 210Pb and 137Cs dating of the recent lake sediments, while older sediments were dated by pollen-stratigraphical correlation, as 14C dating proved problematical. Aquatic macrofossil abundance was used to reconstruct past changes in the lake's plant community and water-level. The contemporary catchment land-use change was inferred from sedimentary pollen data, and soil erosion to the lake was deduced from the minerogenic content of the lake sediments. Results The macrofossil record covers the last 7000 years, but aquatic plant remains were scarce prior to c. 1300 bc. After this date the abundance of submerged and emergent macrophyte remains increased dramatically, paralleled by an increase in sediment minerogenic matter and non-arboreal pollen (NAP). Aquatic plant remains were abundant for more than 3000 years until the mid 1900s. Macrofossils of Linum usitatissimum (L.) (flax) and high pollen percentages of ‘ Cannabis type’ (hemp) were recorded in periods between c. 1150 bc and 1800 ad. Main conclusions Our study suggests that, between c. 5000 bc and 1300 bc, the submerged plant community was confined to the littoral zone. From 1300 bc onwards , the submerged macrophyte vegetation expanded rapidly across the lake bed, presumably as a response to lake shallowing caused by a combination of climatic-induced water-level lowering and enhanced erosional infilling of the lake basin due to intensified anthropogenic activities in the catchment. The lake was meso-eutrophic and had an extensive and diverse aquatic flora for more than 3000 years, until the middle of the twentieth century. In periods between c. 1150 bc and 1800 ad, the lake experienced direct anthropogenic impact from retting of fibre plants ( Linum and Cannabis). Over the last 200 years, erosional infilling of the lake basin increased drastically, probably as a result of agricultural intensification. In the twentieth century, the lake was strongly affected by nutrient enrichment from both point sources (sewage from built-up areas) and diffuse agricultural run-off which led to hypertrophic conditions and the collapse of the submerged vegetation c. 1950–60. The concept of ‘naturalness’ and the implications for lake conservation are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We recently demonstrated the synthesis and fluorescence activity associated with an optical detector incorporating a molecular imprinted polymer (MIP). Steady-state and time-resolved (lifetime) fluorescence measurements were used to characterize the binding activity associated with MIP microparticles imprinted to dipicolinic acid (DPA). DPA is a unique biomarker associated with the sporulation phase of endospore-forming bacteria. Vinylic monomers were polymerized in a dimethylformamide solution containing DPA as a template. The resulting MIP was then pulverized and sorted into small microscale particles. Tests were conducted on replicate samples of biologically active cultures representing both vegetative stationary phase and sporulation phase of Bacillus subtilis in standard media. Samplers were adapted incorporating the MIP particles within a dialyzer cartridge (500 MW). The permeability of the dialyzer membrane permitted diffusion of lighter molecular weight constituents from microbial media effluents to enter the dialyzer chamber and come in contact with the MIP. Results showed dramatic (10-fold over background) steady-state fluorescence changes (as a function of excitation, emission and intensity) for samples associated with high endospore biomass (DPA), and a frequency-domain lifetime of 5.3 ns for the MIP–DPA complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses health insurance in the United States, and the monopoly and monopsony power of Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Dominant market share which these plans occupy; View that the plans may reduce payments to providers and stifle innovation in the market for health services.

We report room temperature fluorescence spectroscopy (FL) studies of ZnSe and Mn-doped ZnSe nanowires of different diameters (10, 25, 50 nm) produced by an electrochemical self-assembly technique. All samples exhibit increasing blue-shift in the band edge fluorescence with decreasing wire diameter because of quantum confinement. The 10 nm ZnSe nanowires show four distinct emission peaks due to band-to-band recombination, exciton recombination, recombination via surface states and via band gap (trap) states. The exciton binding energy in these nanowires exhibits a giant increase ([?]10-fold) over the bulk value due to quantum confinement, since the effective wire radius (taking into account side depletion) is smaller than the exciton Bohr radius in bulk ZnSe. The 25 and 50 nm diameter wires show only a single FL peak due to band-to-band electron-hole recombination. In the case of Mn-doped ZnSe nanowires, the band edge luminescence in 10 nm samples is significantly quenched by Mn doping but not the exciton luminescence, which remains relatively unaffected. We observe additional features due to Mn2+ ions. The spectra also reveal that the emission from Mn2+ states increases in intensity and is progressively red-shifted with increasing Mn concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]