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A thorough understanding of ice thermodynamics is essential for an accurate description of glaciers, ice sheets and ice shelves. Yet there exists a significant gap in our theoretical knowledge of the time-dependent behaviour of ice temperatures due to the inevitable compromise between mathematical tractability and the accurate description of physical phenomena. In order to bridge this shortfall, we have analytically solved the 1D time-dependent advective–diffusive heat problem including additional terms due to strain heating and depth-integrated horizontal advection. Newton's law of cooling is applied as a Robin-type top boundary condition to consider potential non-equilibrium temperature states across the ice–air interface. The solution is expressed in terms of confluent hypergeometric functions following a separation of variables approach. Non-dimensionalization reduces the parameter space to four numbers that fully determine the shape of the solution at equilibrium: surface insulation, effective geothermal heat flow, the Péclet number and the Brinkman number. The initial temperature distribution exponentially converges to the stationary solution. Transient decay timescales are only dependent on the Péclet number and the surface insulation, so higher advection rates and lower insulating values imply shorter equilibration timescales, respectively. In contrast, equilibrium temperature profiles are mostly independent of the surface insulation parameter. We have extended our study to a broader range of vertical velocities by using a general power-law dependence on depth, unlike prior studies limited to linear and quadratic velocity profiles. Lastly, we present a suite of benchmark experiments to test numerical solvers. Four experiments of gradually increasing complexity capture the main physical processes for heat propagation. Analytical solutions are then compared to their numerical counterparts upon discretization over unevenly spaced coordinate systems. We find that a symmetric scheme for the advective term and a three-point asymmetric scheme for the basal boundary condition best match our analytical solutions. A further convergence study shows that n≥15 vertical points are sufficient to accurately reproduce the temperature profile. The solutions presented herein are general and fully applicable to any problem with an equivalent set of boundary conditions and any given initial temperature distribution.

Abstract Background The Sto. Niño site in Benguet province, Philippines was once a mining area that has now been transformed into an agricultural land. In this area, there has been significant integration of the three indigenous people (IPs) Ibaloi, Kankanaeys and Kalanguyas with the Ilocano community. These IPs safeguard biodiversity and traditional knowledge, including medicinal plant use. However, the documentation of these plant species and their medicinal applications has not been systematic, with the resultant loss of knowledge across generations. This study aims to document the medicinal and ritual plants used by the indigenous communities at the site, in order to preserve and disseminate traditional medicinal knowledge that would otherwise be lost. Methods Ethnobotanical data were collected in Sto. Niño, Brgy. Ambassador, Municipality of Tublay, Benguet, Philippines, and collected through semi-structured interviews, together with focus group discussions (FGD). A total of 100 residents (39 male and 61 female) were interviewed. Among them, 12 were key interviewees, including community elders and farmers, while the rest were selected through the convenience and snowball technique. Demographic information collected from the interviewees included age, gender, and occupation. Ethnobotanical information collected focused on medicinal plants, including the specific parts of plants used, methods of preparation, modes of treatment, and the types of ailments treated. Ethnobotanical quantitative indices of the relative frequency of citations (RFC) and informant consensus factor (ICF) were calculated to evaluate the plant species that were utilized by the community. Results A total of 28 medicinal plants from 20 different families and 6 ritual plants from 5 different families were documented. Asteraceae, Poaceae, and Lamiaceae (10.71%) family are the most mentioned medicinal plant species, followed by Myrtaceae and Euphorbiaceae (7.14%). The most widely used growth form were herbs (46.4%), while leaves (61.5%) were the most utilized plant part, and the preparation of a decoction (62.2%) was the most preferred method of processing and application. The medicinal plants were most commonly utilized for wound-healing, cough and colds, stomachache and kidney trouble, whereas ritual plants were largely used for healing, protection, and funeral ceremonies. Conclusion This study marks the first report on the medicinal and ritual plants used by a group of indigenous communities in Sto. Niño, Brgy. Ambassador, Tublay, Benguet Province. The data collected show that plant species belonging to the Asteraceae, Poaceae, and Lamiaceae family were the most mentioned and should be further evaluated by pharmacological analysis to assess their wider use for medicinal treatment.

Tipping elements, including the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS), are Earth system components that could reach critical thresholds due to anthropogenic emissions. Increasing our understanding of past warm climates can help to elucidate the future contribution of the AIS to emissions. The mid-Pliocene Warm Period (mPWP; ∼ 3.3–3.0 million years ago) serves as an ideal benchmark experiment. During this period, CO2 levels were similar to the present day (PD; 350–450 ppmv), but global mean temperatures were 2.5–4.0 K higher. Sea level reconstructions from that time indicate a rise of 5–25 m compared to the present, highlighting the potential crossing of tipping points in Antarctica. In order to achieve a sea level contribution far beyond 10 m, not only the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) needs to largely decrease, but a significant response in the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) is also required. A key question in reconstructions and simulations is therefore which of the AIS basins retreated during the mPWP. In this study, we investigate how the AIS responds to climatic and bedrock conditions during the mPWP. To this end, we use the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project, Phase 2 (PlioMIP2), general circulation model ensemble to force a higher-order ice sheet model. Our simulations reveal that the WAIS experiences collapse with a 0.5 K oceanic warming. The Wilkes Basin shows retreat at 3 K oceanic warming, although higher precipitation rates could mitigate such a retreat. Totten Glacier shows slight signs of retreats only under high-oceanic warming conditions (greater than 4 K oceanic anomaly). If only the WAIS collapses, we simulate a mean contribution of 2.7 to 7.0 ms.l.e. (metres of sea level equivalent). If, in addition, the Wilkes Basin retreats, our simulations suggest a mean contribution of 6.0 to 8.9 ms.l.e. Besides uncertainties related to the climate forcing, we also examine other sources of uncertainty related to initial ice thickness and ice dynamics. We find that the climatologies yield a higher uncertainty than the dynamical configuration if parameters are constrained with PD observations and that starting from Pliocene reconstructions leads to smaller ice sheet configurations due to the hysteresis behaviour of marine bedrocks. Ultimately, our study concludes that marine ice cliff instability is not a prerequisite for the retreat of the Wilkes Basin. Instead, a significant rise in oceanic temperatures can initiate such a retreat.

Background: There exist few maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) non-exercise-based prediction equations, fewer using machine learning (ML), and none specifically for older adults. Since direct measurement of VO2max is infeasible in large epidemiologic cohort studies, we sought to develop, validate, compare, and assess the transportability of several ML VO2max prediction algorithms. Methods: The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) participants with valid VO2max tests were included (n = 1080). Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, linear- and tree-boosted extreme gradient boosting, random forest, and support vector machine (SVM) algorithms were trained to predict VO2max values. We developed these algorithms for: (a) the overall BLSA, (b) by sex, (c) using all BLSA variables, and (d) variables common in aging cohorts. Finally, we quantified the associations between measured and predicted VO2max and mortality. Results: The age was 69.0 ± 10.4 years (mean ± SD) and the measured VO2max was 21.6 ± 5.9 mL/kg/min. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, linear- and tree-boosted extreme gradient boosting, random forest, and support vector machine yielded root mean squared errors of 3.4 mL/kg/min, 3.6 mL/kg/min, 3.4 mL/kg/min, 3.6 mL/kg/min, and 3.5 mL/kg/min, respectively. Incremental quartiles of measured VO2max showed an inverse gradient in mortality risk. Predicted VO2max variables yielded similar effect estimates but were not robust to adjustment. Conclusion: Measured VO2max is a strong predictor of mortality. Using ML can improve the accuracy of prediction as compared to simpler approaches but estimates of association with mortality remain sensitive to adjustment. Future studies should seek to reproduce these results so that VO2max, an important vital sign, can be more broadly studied as a modifiable target for promoting functional resiliency and healthy aging.

Video games are an established part of popular culture, and frequently used in educational settings worldwide. There is now a substantive body of research suggesting positive outcomes of their use in classrooms. In spite of this, there is a dearth of research synthesizing the outcomes of these studies. This is particularly so in relation to the ways video games are used by teachers for educational purposes within secondary classrooms. A scoping review of recent literature focusing on video games in secondary classrooms published between 2010 and 2020 was conducted. In total, 3110 studies were identified in the initial search, 85 of which were retained after screening. The review indicated that the impact of video games in secondary classrooms is generally positive, although not conclusively so. Current research on the use of video games in secondary education is limited, primarily concerned with short-term interventions, and often does not consider wider teaching contexts. We propose several areas of further research, including methodological implications for the field of video game and educational research.

This paper focuses on a group of young people in Singapore connected by the love for their communities and their desire to use drama for social change. In particular, we investigate how a participatory arts-based approach can enable young people to reflect on the importance of solidarity. We draw on Freire's pedagogy of solidarity, arguing for the importance of 'small' acts of solidarity that foreground the experiences of systematically excluded communities, such as young people living in social housing. Understanding this experience of solidarity and activism is particularly important in a country like Singapore, where civic and political participation is highly circumscribed.

Positive Behaviour Intervention and Supports (PBIS) is a framework for defining, teaching, and supporting appropriate social and academic behaviour in the school setting. This framework is widely implemented across the world, including Australia. Studies evaluating the effectiveness of PBIS confirm a relationship between implementation fidelity and student outcomes. Abundant literature highlights the significance of parent involvement (PI) on children's social and academic outcomes. However, a consistently and surprisingly under researched component of PBIS is the involvement and influence of parents/caregivers. This article presents the findings of an original qualitative study using stakeholder interviews and artefact analysis to assess parent/caregiver involvement during PBIS implementation in two primary schools in South-West Sydney, Australia. These findings indicate that parent/caregiver involvement in PBIS implementation was interpreted differently by teachers and parents/caregivers and that there is potential for the development of improved methods to engage parents/caregivers more effectively in schools. Reframing parent/caregiver involvement in PBIS to address cultural sensitivities can progressively influence and stabilise this involvement to positively affect the sustainability, effectiveness and fidelity of PBIS. Limitations of the study together with recommendations for future practice are discussed.

Altered myeloid inflammation and lymphopenia are hallmarks of severe infections. We identified the upregulated EN-RAGE gene program in airway and blood myeloid cells from patients with acute lung injury from SARS-CoV-2 or other causes across 7 cohorts. This program was associated with greater clinical severity and predicted future mechanical ventilation and death. EN-RAGEhi myeloid cells express features consistent with suppressor cell functionality, including low HLA-DR and high PD-L1. Sustained EN-RAGE program expression in airway and blood myeloid cells correlated with clinical severity and increasing expression of T cell dysfunction markers. IL-6 upregulated many EN-RAGE program genes in monocytes in vitro. IL-6 signaling blockade by tocilizumab in a placebo-controlled clinical trial led to rapid normalization of EN-RAGE and T cell gene expression. This identifies IL-6 as a key driver of myeloid dysregulation associated with worse clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients and provides insights into shared pathophysiological mechanisms in non-COVID-19 ARDS.

Abstract: The tropical forest carbon sink is known to be drought sensitive, but it is unclear which forests are the most vulnerable to extreme events. Forests with hotter and drier baseline conditions may be protected by prior adaptation, or more vulnerable because they operate closer to physiological limits. Here we report that forests in drier South American climates experienced the greatest impacts of the 2015–2016 El Niño, indicating greater vulnerability to extreme temperatures and drought. The long-term, ground-measured tree-by-tree responses of 123 forest plots across tropical South America show that the biomass carbon sink ceased during the event with carbon balance becoming indistinguishable from zero (−0.02 ± 0.37 Mg C ha−1 per year). However, intact tropical South American forests overall were no more sensitive to the extreme 2015–2016 El Niño than to previous less intense events, remaining a key defence against climate change as long as they are protected.

Inthe present paper, we investigate neutral current (NC) antineutrino scattering with the constituents of neutron star (NS) matter at zero temperature. The modeling of standard matter in NS is constructed within the framework of both extended relativistic mean-field (E-RMF) and nonrelativistic Korea-IBS-Daegu-SKKU energy density functional (KIDS-EDF) models. In the E-RMF model, we use a new parameter, G3(M), which was constrained by the recent PREX II experiment measurement of neutron distribution in 208Pb, while the KIDS-EDF models are constrained by terrestrial experiments, gravitational-wave signals, and astrophysical observations. Using both realistic and well-constrained matter models, we then calculate the antineutrino differential cross-section (ADCS) and antineutrino mean free path (AMFP) for the interaction between antineutrinos and neutron star (NS) matter constituents using linear response theory. It is found that the AMFP for the KIDS0 and KIDSA models are smaller compared to the SLy4 model and the E-RMF model with the G3(M) parameter. The AMFP result of the Skyrme model with the SLy4 parameter set is found to have a prediction almost similar to that of the E-RMF model with the G3(M) parameter. Contributions of each nucleon to the total AMFP are also presented for the G3(M) model.

RESUMEN La tomografía computarizada es una técnica no invasiva, de gran resolución espacial, con excelente definición del calcio y del espacio intravascular al emplear medios de contraste, que brinda la posibilidad de realizar tanto mediciones como simulaciones virtuales de intervencionismo coronario y estructural. Se ha establecido como la técnica de referencia en la selección de pacientes y la planificación de procedimientos de intervencionismo transcatéter coronario y estructural en diferentes escenarios (implante percutáneo de válvula aórtica, cierre percutáneo de orejuela izquierda, reemplazo de válvula mitral transcatéter y reemplazo de válvula tricúspide transcatéter). El presente trabajo revisa el papel de la tomografía computarizada en el intervencionismo cardiaco coronario y estructural.

ABSTRACT Computed tomography is a noninvasive imaging technique with high spatial resolution, providing excellent definition of calcium and intravascular space through the use of contrast media. This imaging modality allows both highly accurate measurements and virtual simulations for preprocedural planning in coronary and structural heart disease interventions. Computed tomography is currently the gold standard technique for patient selection and preprocedural planning in numerous scenarios, such as transcatheter aortic valve implantation, left atrial appendage occlusion, transcatheter mitral valve repair, and transcatheter tricuspid valve repair. This article reviews the role of computed tomography in transcatheter coronary and structural heart disease interventions.

Abstract Single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) is widely used for transcriptome profiling, but most analyses focus on gene-level events, with less attention devoted to alternative splicing. Here, we present scASfind, a novel computational method to allow for quantitative analysis of cell type-specific splicing events using full-length scRNA-seq data. ScASfind utilizes an efficient data structure to store the percent spliced-in value for each splicing event. This makes it possible to exhaustively search for patterns among all differential splicing events, allowing us to identify marker events, mutually exclusive events, and events involving large blocks of exons that are specific to one or more cell types.

Muitas habitações no Brasil não têm acesso à água segura para consumo, e fluoretos estão presentes em concentrações altas nas águas de poços de várias localidades do Rio Grande do Sul. Nestes casos, o tratamento de água no ponto de uso é uma alternativa para reduzir riscos associados ao consumo de água contaminada. Foi realizado um experimento usando filtros biosand (BSF), para redução de microrganismos e turbidez, seguidos de filtros de carvão de osso (BCF) ou alumina ativada (AAF), para remoção de fluoreto. Os efluentes dos filtros biosand-alumina ativada ou carvão de osso não apresentaram E. coli e coliformes totais ao longo do período. As eficiências de remoções de turbidez pelos filtros BSF e AAF foram próximas a 96%. Os filtros de carvão de osso e alumina ativada removeram, respectivamente, 97% e 70% de fluoreto, e os valores de pH aumentaram para 10-12 após passagens por eles. Foi observado o crescimento de biofilmes na superfície do filtro biosand e no fundo dos filtros de AAF e BCF.

Abstract Lameness affects animal mobility, causing pain and discomfort. Lameness in early stages often goes undetected due to a lack of observation, precision, and reliability. Automated and non-invasive systems offer precision and detection ease and may improve animal welfare. This study was conducted to create a repository of images and videos of sows with different locomotion scores. Our goal is to develop a computer vision model for automatically identifying specific points on the sow's body. The automatic identification and ability to track specific body areas, will allow us to conduct kinematic studies with the aim of facilitating the detection of lameness using deep learning. The video database was collected on a pig farm with a scenario built to allow filming of sows in locomotion with different lameness scores. Two stereo cameras were used to record 2D videos images. Thirteen locomotion experts assessed the videos using the Locomotion Score System developed by Zinpro Corporation. From this annotated repository, computational models were trained and tested using the open-source deep learning-based animal pose tracking framework SLEAP (Social LEAP Estimates Animal Poses). The top-performing models were constructed using the LEAP architecture to accurately track 6 (lateral view) and 10 (dorsal view) skeleton keypoints. The architecture achieved average precisions values of 0.90 and 0.72, average distances of 6.83 and 11.37 in pixel, and similarities of 0.94 and 0.86 for the lateral and dorsal views, respectively. These computational models are proposed as a Precision Livestock Farming tool and method for identifying and estimating postures in pigs automatically and objectively. The 2D video image repository with different pig locomotion scores can be used as a tool for teaching and research. Based on our skeleton keypoint classification results, an automatic system could be developed. This could contribute to the objective assessment of locomotion scores in sows, improving their welfare.

Abstract Since PCV4 was first described in 2019, the virus has been identified in several countries in Southeast Asia and Europe. Most studies have been limited to detecting PCV4 by PCR. Thus, PCV4 has an unclear association with clinical disease. This study utilized 512 porcine clinical lung, feces, spleen, serum, lymphoid tissue, and fetus samples submitted to the ISU-VDL from June–September 2023. PCV4 was detected in 8.6% of samples with an average Ct value of 33. While detection rates among sample types were variable, lymphoid tissue had the highest detection rate (18.7%). Two ORF2 sequences were obtained from lymphoid tissue samples and had 96.36–98.98% nucleotide identity with reference sequences. Direct detection of PCV4 by RNAscope revealed viral replication in B lymphocytes and macrophages in lymph node germinal centers and histiocytic and T lymphocyte infiltration in the lamina propria of the small intestine. PCV4 detection was most commonly observed in nursery to finishing aged pigs displaying respiratory and enteric disease. Coinfection with PCV2, PCV3, and other endemic pathogens was frequently observed, highlighting the complex interplay between different PCVs and their potential roles in disease pathogenesis. This study provides insights into the frequency of detection, tissue distribution, and genetic characteristics of PCV4 in the US.