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Abstract The ability of medium-resolution (10–30 m) satellite imagery to delineate the size and persistence of ponds on debris-covered glaciers is a topic of recent interest as it has become apparent through the use of fine-resolution products that smaller ponds have often been neglected. In this study, we performed a quantitative analysis of pond detection using a normalised difference water index (NDWI) applied to several widely used satellite sensors, which offer multispectral information at high radiometric precision. These data include: RapidEye (5 m spatial resolution), Sentinel-2 Multispectral Instrument (MSI) (10–20 m), and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) multispectral imagery (30 m). We demonstrate a method to derive an optimum NDWI value for pond classification using a subset reference dataset of 285 ponds classified using fine-resolution (0.5 m) imagery. We then applied the optimised NDWI (NDWI-O) to the remaining images to assess pond classification accuracy against a broader reference dataset of 898 ponds. NDWI values calculated using Sentinel-2 imagery showed the best spectral contrast between water and surrounding debris cover, and the strongest relationship with pixel water content (R2 = 0.56), followed by the RapidEye NDWI (R2 = 0.45). We conclude that RapidEye and Sentinel-2 imagery is best suited for accurate pond classification using a multispectral classification approach, which is important for quantifying their role in glacier ablation, meltwater regulation, and lake development. By comparison, the impact of using coarse-resolution Landsat 8 imagery to characterise surface water dynamics is minimised when applied to large glacier lakes, where the area-to-perimeter ratio is greater. Highlights • NDWI was optimised with a fine-resolution reference dataset of supraglacial ponds. • Sentinel-2 NDWI showed the best contrast between water and debris cover. • Landsat 8 pond classification had large omissions and commissions. • ≤10 m resolution imagery is well suited for supraglacial pond classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased rainfall extremes cause severe urban flooding in cities with adverse socio-economic consequences, and Kathmandu city is no exception. Rainfall events are projected to become more intense and frequent in a warm and wet future, and they pose a major challenge to the sustainable development of Kathmandu city. This paper analyses historical extreme rainfall patterns across the city and uses these as the basis for future projections in combination with a range of General Circulation Models. Future projections of extreme rainfall are then fed into the numerical flood model HAIL-CAESAR (Lisflood), using a high-resolution digital elevation model of Kathmandu. We show that rainfall intensity, such as the annual maximum 1-day rainfall (RX1day), is projected to increase by up to 72% in the future, and the historical 100-year return period rainfall will become a 20 or 25-year return period rainfall. The flood modelling results show that the future flood hazard (magnitude and extent) will increase. The historical 100-year return period flood discharge will correspond to a 25-year return period future flood. A 100-year period flood discharge is likely to increase up to 72% (37% median) in the future. Area of land inundated by more than 1 m in a 100-year return period flood event could increase from 11.7 km2 to 23 km2 in the future. Furthermore, the location and timing of rainfall maxima affect the peak, timing, and location of flood hazards. This analysis can serve as a scientific basis to assess future flood-induced risk in Kathmandu in response to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preventative management practices are essential to help reduce native ponies' risk of obesity, insulin dysregulation, and laminitis. Understanding how owners' confidence in native pony care and their experience in management influences their use of weight management practices could aid the development of interventions promoting an improved preventative approach toward obesity. An online questionnaire was used to quantify the management practices of 709 native pony owners in Scotland. The role of confidence in experience and weight management approaches was tested using mediation analysis incorporating probit regression. The level of significance was set at P < 0.004 after Bonferroni correction to adjust for multiple comparisons within the 14 combined regressions. Results showed that having over 10 years of experience caring for native ponies was consistently associated with increased confidence in identifying obesity (b = 0.332, SE = 0.100, P = 0.001, z = 3.314, 95% CI [0.136, 0.528]), in decision-making around rugging, clipping and stabling for seasonal management (b = 0.377, SE = 0.093, P = < 0.001, z = 4.040, 95% CI [0.194, 0.559]), and in the provision of appropriate preserved forage (b = 0.492, SE = 0.091, P = < 0.001, z = 5.437, 95% CI [0.315, 0.670]). However, this confidence did not mediate a relationship with monitoring body condition, promoting seasonal weight loss, soaking hay, analyzingpreserved forage, or perceiving weight management as the most important outcome of exercise. There was also no independent association between having over 10 years of experience caring for native ponies and an increased likelihood of using these practices. However, independently of confidence, experience of caring for a pony with metabolic disease associated dietary requirements at the time of surveying was associated with owners promoting seasonal weight loss in winter (b = 0.363, SE = 0.101, P = < 0.001, z = 3.585, 95% CI [0.165, 0.562]) and autumn (b = 0.527, SE = 0.109, P = < 0.001, z = 4.839, 95% CI [0.313, 0.741]), soaking hay (b = 0.460, SE = 0.123, P = < 0.001, z = 3.751, 95% CI [0.220, 0.700]), and perceiving weight management as the most important outcome of exercising their native ponies (b = 0.643, SE = 0.122, P = < 0.001, z = 5.262, 95% CI [0.403, 0.882]). These results suggest that while confidence may increase with years of experience caring for native ponies, it was not associated with the use of certain management practices. Instead, those management practices that support a reduction in risk for laminitis and obesity in native ponies were more likely to be implemented by owners currently managing a pony with metabolic disease associated dietary requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial metabolites of the equine gastrointestinal tract may confer information about health and susceptibility to disease. Laminitis is often associated with metabolic disturbances, but little is known of its impact on functional microbial metabolism. A pilot study compared metabolomic profiles of feces collected from 55 native ponies, comprising n = 15 pairs of previously laminitic (PL) and non-laminitic (NL) ponies matched for location, diet, and management, and n = 25 ponies suspected of having an active episode of laminitis (SL) but without clinical diagnosis. Targeted liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis was used. Univariate analyses (ANOVA with Fisher's least significant difference comparisons of PL, NL and SL groups) was performed with significance set at P < 0.05 following Benjamini-Hochberg correction. Principal component analysis (PCA) wasapplied to visualize clustering of individuals. Analysis was performed using the MetaboAnalyst 5.0 web-based interface. Of a panel of 167 metabolites, 104 were identified in the feces, however, none were significantly different between the laminitis status groups. Assessment of the PCA scores plot revealed no clustering of individuals by metabolic profile based on laminitis status. The similar fecal metabolite profile of previously laminitic and non-laminitic ponies indicates that laminitis may not result in significant long-term, alteration of microbial metabolism. Future work to combine these data with that of microbial abundance and species diversity in the feces may reveal further insights into the functional microbial metabolism in laminitic and healthy animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equine feces offer a non-invasive sample which can provide an indication of the microbial community structure of part of the hindgut; however, microbial communities may be altered by technical artifacts introduced under field conditions. Four types of preservation method (preservation buffer (NAP), treatment with chlorhexidine digluconate, FTA card sample collection, cold (buffer-free) storage with insulated ice packs (COLD)) and time at ambient temperature (0, 24, 48, 72 h), were tested for their effect upon the microbial community structure of fecal samples from n = 5 mature, mixed breed horses, collected immediately post defecation. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was performed using the Qiagen QIAseq 16S/ ITS screening panel and Illumina MiSeq sequencing platform. Alpha diversity was estimated using Shannon, Simpson, Chao1 and Observed diversity metrics, and compared using Kruskal-Wallis' test (P < 0.05) and post hoc Dunn's test with Bonferroni adjustment. Bray Curtis distances and permutational multivariate ANOVA were used to assess β-diversity. There were significant differences in α-diversity with preservation method, but not with time at ambient storage or individual. Alpha diversity was significantly lower in FTA card samples compared with COLD samples for Shannon and Simpson, but not Chao1 or Observed metrics. All α-diversity metrics were significantly lower in FTA card samples compared with those in NAP (Table 1). No significant differences in α-diversity were identified for other comparisons. Regarding β-diversity, individual pony (P = 0.001), and time at ambient storage (P = 0.004) were significant and explained most of variance between samplesacross the study. Preservation method significantly influenced β-diversity as the second term in an additive model, after accounting for variance driven by individual pony (P = 0.011). These results highlight the strength of inter-individual variability and suggest that minimizing sample time at ambient temperature remains important for preserving the microbial composition of equine fecal samples. While preservation method may not have drastically affected the composition of dominant taxa across samples, microbial diversity was not fully preserved by FTA cards. This study identified a selection of comparably effective sample collection conditions which preserve microbial diversity in equine fecal samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urban expansion in many parts of the world is leading to increased exposure to natural hazards, exacerbated by climate change. The use of physics-based models of natural hazards in risk-informed planning and decision-making frameworks may provide an improved understanding of site-specific hazard scenarios, allowing various decision makers to more accurately consider the consequences of their decisions on risks in future development. We present results of physics-based simulations of flood, earthquake, and debris flow scenarios in a virtual urban testbed. The effect of climate change, in terms of increasing rainfall intensity, is also incorporated into some of the considered hazard scenarios. We use our results to highlight the importance of using physics-based models applied to high-resolution urban plans to provide dynamic hazard information at the building level for different development options. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that including building elevations into digital elevation models is crucial for predicting the routing of hazardous flows through future urban landscapes. We show that simulations of multiple, independent hazards can assist with the identification of developing urban regions that are vulnerable to potential multi-hazard events. This information can direct further modelling to provide decision-makers with insights into potential multi-hazard events. Finally, we reflect on how information derived from physics-based hazard models can be effectively used in risk-sensitive planning and decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction leads to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, an increasingly prevalent condition largely driven by modern day lifestyle risk factors. As heart failure with preserved ejection fraction accounts for almost one-half of all patients with heart failure, appropriate nonhuman animal models are required to improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of this syndrome and to provide a platform for preclinical investigation of potential therapies. Hypertension, obesity, and diabetes are major risk factors for diastolic dysfunction and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. This review focuses on murine models reflecting this disease continuum driven by the aforementioned common risk factors. We describe various models of diastolic dysfunction and highlight models of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction reported in the literature. Strengths and weaknesses of the different models are discussed to provide an aid to translational scientists when selecting an appropriate model. We also bring attention to the fact that heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is difficult to diagnose in animal models and that, therefore, there is a paucity of well described animal models of this increasingly important condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human obesity is associated with increased leptin levels and pain, but the specific brain regions and neurochemical mechanisms underlying this association remain poorly understood. This study used adult male C57BL/6J (B6, n = 14) mice and leptin-deficient, obese B6.Cg-Lepob/J (obese, n = 10) mice to evaluate the hypothesis that nociception is altered by systemic leptin levels and by adenosine A1 receptors in the pontine reticular formation. Nociception was quantified as paw withdrawal latency (PWL) in s after onset of a thermal stimulus. PWL was converted to percent maximum possible effect (%MPE). After obtaining baseline PWL measures, the pontine reticular formation was microinjected with saline (control), three concentrations of the adenosine A1 receptor agonist N6-p-sulfophenyladenosine (SPA), or super-active mouse leptin receptor antagonist (SMLA) followed by SPA 15 min later, and PWL was again quantified. In obese, leptin-deficient mice, nociception was quantified before and during leptin replacement via subcutaneous osmotic pumps. SPA was administered into the pontine reticular formation of leptin-replaced mice and PWL testing was repeated. During baseline (before vehicle or SPA administration), PWL was significantly (p = 0.0013) lower in leptin-replaced obese mice than in B6 mice. Microinjecting SPA into the pontine reticular formation of B6 mice caused a significant (p = 0.0003) concentration-dependent increase in %MPE. SPA also significantly (p < 0.05) increased %MPE in B6 mice and in leptin-replaced obese mice, but not in leptin-deficient obese mice. Microinjection of SMLA into the pontine reticular formation before SPA did not alter PWL. The results show for the first time that pontine reticular formation administration of the adenosine A1 receptor agonist SPA produced antinociception only in the presence of systemic leptin. The concentration-response data support the interpretation that adenosine A1 receptors localized to the pontine reticular formation significantly alter nociception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored interruptions in pediatric nurses' work and the systems issues related to interruptions in nursing work environments. A total of 5,325 interruptions were observed in this study, providing information on sources, types, and causes of interruptions. The nursing work being performed when interrupted and the outcomes of these interruptions are described.Copyright © 2010 by Elsevier Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the potential for using trees for the phytoremediation of heavy metal-contaminated land. It considers the following aspects: metal tolerance in trees, heavy metal uptake by trees grown on contaminated substrates, heavy metal compartmentalisation within trees, phytoremediation using trees and the phytoremediation potential of willow (Salix spp.). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Thresholds define when biodiversity conservation regulations do or don't apply. • Conservation thresholds are often based on judgment and opinion. • Structured expert elicitation and hierarchical modelling can identify thresholds. • Simple floristic indicators can predict expert derived thresholds in grassland. Conservation decision thresholds have most often been described within the context of triggering management actions necessary to maintain an ecological system within a desired state. Thresholds are also applied within conservation legislation, often as triggers to determine when certain regulations may or may not apply. In many applications, thresholds have been criticized for being subjective, inconsistent and open to bias and rather than being derived from sound and objective analysis of ecological data they can result from undocumented judgement and opinion. Although judgement and opinion may be necessary for setting decision thresholds in circumstances where appropriate data are lacking, a failure to use structured processes for obtaining, analysing and presenting these can result in contentious, unsubstantiated thresholds. This paper demonstrates how thresholds for identifying grassland conservation values, for the purposes of decision making under vegetation clearing legislation, can be estimated from simple floristic indicators after combining the judgment of multiple experts through hierarchical modelling. Using two stages of elicitation and modelling, the resulting conservation value states were found to be consistent and predictable, correlated with known paddock-level disturbance history and congruent with prior condition states that define an endangered grassland ecosystem. While the thresholds, and the underpinning coefficients, may not reflect the opinion of all grassland ecologists, they are transparent, testable and can be updated or modified to incorporate additional criteria and a greater diversity of stakeholders. The approach could be adopted to similar contexts in other vegetation types where policy or regulatory decision triggers are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing evidence that urban natural outdoor environments (NOE) may positively impact health by reducing stress and stress-related symptoms. However, there is limited research investigating this link across a range of NOE indicators. This cross-sectional study investigated the association between neighbourhood NOE (availability, use, and satisfaction with NOE) and common somatic symptoms and the role of potential mediators. Data were analysed from 3481 adults from Barcelona (Spain), Doetinchem (Netherlands), Kaunas (Lithuania) and Stoke-on-Trent (United Kingdom). NOE data were obtained through self-reported data and environmental measurements. Common somatic symptom data were self-reported. Mixed effects regression models were used for analysis, with models adjusted for potential sociodemographic confounders. Higher satisfaction with neighbourhood NOE was associated with lower prevalence of common somatic symptoms (exp(β) 0.97; 95% CI 0.96, 0.98); an association partially mediated by mental health, social cohesion and air quality concern. A longer time spent in NOE was associated with lower prevalence of common somatic symptoms in low socioeconomic status neighbourhoods (exp(β) 0.98; 95% CI 0.96, 1.00). A higher number of neighbourhood green spaces (300m buffer) was associated with higher prevalence of common somatic symptoms (exp(β) 1.03; 95% CI 1.00, 1.05). No statistically significant associations were found for other NOE indicators. Study findings suggest that higher satisfaction with NOE may be associated with lower prevalence of common somatic symptoms, with mental health, social cohesion and concern about air quality playing partial mediating roles. Little evidence was found of an association between objective NOE measurements and common somatic symptoms, underlining the importance of perceptions of NOE for conferring health benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CHOP (vincristine, cyclophosphamide, prednisone, doxorubicin) is a treatment option for post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) following solid organ transplant, an aggressive and potentially fatal disease. Febrile neutropenia (FN) was the AE most commonly encountered, followed by chemotherapy-induced (CI) anemia (A), infection, CI-nausea and vomiting (NV), and CI-peripheral neuropathy (PN). [Extracted from the article]

CHOP (vincristine, cyclophosphamide, prednisone, doxorubicin) is a treatment option for post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) following solid organ transplant, an aggressive and potentially fatal disease. Febrile neutropenia (FN) was the AE most commonly encountered, followed by chemotherapy-induced (CI) anemia, infection, CI-nausea and vomiting, and CI-peripheral neuropathy (PN). [Extracted from the article]

ATMPs are unique, defined by the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) as Somatic cell therapy, Tissue engineered or Gene therapy medicinal products. As many ATMPs are orphan drugs, Germany reports a benefit decision for Imlygic only as "no additional benefit". [Extracted from the article]

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) is a lymphoma that occurs after allogeneic hematopoietic cell or solid organs transplantation; it is often caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). This research identified that all domains of the FACT-LYM were relevant for EBV SP + sp PTLD patients, with the lymphoma-specific and emotional well-being domain being the most meaningful measures. [Extracted from the article]