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Immersive learning practices (ILPs) in higher education are multidisciplinary in nature and varied in levels of integration into the student learning process. They appear in a variety of higher education programs such as teacher education, social work, law, and health sciences, and in practices such as service-learning, study away, internships, and foreign-language instruction. Based on observations of teaching and data from an open-ended survey and semi-structured interviews with post-secondary educators from three different countries, this study theorizes that immersive learning practices are composed of six distinct underlying theoretical components that work in combination. These six components can be used to describe, define, compare, and design different types of structured ILPs. This study suggests that ILPs are pedagogically distinct from other forms of engaged and experiential learning.

ABSTRACT Nitrogen is an essential element for all living organisms, including Escherichia coli. Potential nitrogen sources are abundant in the intestine, but knowledge of those used specifically by E. coli to colonize remains limited. Here, we sought to determine the specific nitrogen sources used by E. coli to colonize the streptomycin-treated mouse intestine. We began by investigating whether nitrogen is limiting in the intestine. The NtrBC two-component system upregulates approximately 100 genes in response to nitrogen limitation. We showed that NtrBC is crucial for E. coli colonization, although most genes of the NtrBC regulon are not induced, which indicates that nitrogen is not limiting in the intestine. RNA-seq identified upregulated genes in colonized E. coli involved in transport and catabolism of seven amino acids, dipeptides and tripeptides, purines, pyrimidines, urea, and ethanolamine. Competitive colonization experiments revealed that L-serine, N-acetylneuraminic acid, N-acetylglucosamine, and di- and tripeptides serve as nitrogen sources for E. coli in the intestine. Furthermore, the colonization defect of a L-serine deaminase mutant was rescued by excess nitrogen in the drinking water but not by an excess of carbon and energy, demonstrating that L-serine serves primarily as a nitrogen source. Similar rescue experiments showed that N-acetylneuraminic acid serves as both a carbon and nitrogen source. To a minor extent, aspartate and ammonia also serve as nitrogen sources. Overall, these findings demonstrate that E. coli utilizes multiple nitrogen sources for successful colonization of the mouse intestine, the most important of which is L-serine.IMPORTANCEWhile much is known about the carbon and energy sources that are used by E. coli to colonize the mammalian intestine, very little is known about the sources of nitrogen. Interrogation of colonized E. coli by RNA-seq revealed that nitrogen is not limiting, indicating an abundance of nitrogen sources in the intestine. Pathways for assimilation of nitrogen from several amino acids, dipeptides and tripeptides, purines, pyrimidines, urea, and ethanolamine were induced in mice. Competitive colonization assays confirmed that mutants lacking catabolic pathways for L-serine, N-acetylneuraminic acid, N-acetylglucosamine, and di- and tripeptides had colonization defects. Rescue experiments in mice showed that L-serine serves primarily as a nitrogen source, whereas N-acetylneuraminic acid provides both carbon and nitrogen. Of the many nitrogen assimilation mutants tested, the largest colonization defect was for an L-serine deaminase mutant, which demonstrates L-serine is the most important nitrogen source for colonized E. coli.

Digital tools and online presence have become a cornerstone in public engagement and involvement strategy and delivery. We here describe the co-production process behind launching a new multilingual resource for schools in the United Kingdom and beyond, jointly between university scientists, engagement professionals, primary and secondary teachers, and web designers. The ‘Superbugs’ website aims at raising awareness and increasing the public understanding of the microbial world in, on, and around us—with a focus on infection, hygiene, and antimicrobial resistance—and attracted >19,000 online visitors, >33,500 page views, and > 775,000 Twitter impressions over the past 24 months. Superbugs.online is available in English, Welsh, Irish, and Scottish Gaelic, thus making it accessible to everyone in the United Kingdom and Ireland, regardless of the language in which they receive and deliver their science education. The website is easy to navigate and features background information, quizzes, animations, videos, illustrated stories, interactive timelines, games, and protocols for home experiments. All materials are presented in a non-prescriptive way, aimed at allowing flexibility for the materials to be adapted to the individual needs of teachers and pupils alike. Our study has led to a demonstrable impact on the co-production team and on pupils and teachers as key stakeholders, based on a comprehensive evaluation of the co-production process itself, the impact of the end product, and the creation of lasting relationships with stakeholders and co-producers, for the mutual benefit of everyone involved.

Trinidad and Tobago are important islands to Neotropical woody bamboo taxonomy. Trinidad is a type locality for two widely applied names with poorly defined species concepts: Arthrostylidium pubescens and A. excelsum, and two potentially endemic species: Chusquea cylindrica and Rhipidocladum prestoei. Few resources exist for the islands to adequately identify all the woody bamboo species that putatively grow there. The serialized vascular flora of Trinidad and Tobago (1928–1992), for instance, lacks a treatment for Poaceae. Moreover, the most speciose native genus, Arthrostylidium, is only partially revised, with the emphasis on the South American species and not those of the West Indies. Our objective is to critically review the woody bamboos of Trinidad and Tobago, clarify which species are or have been known from the islands, and provide an identification key, species accounts and distribution maps for the revised list of taxa. We conducted fieldwork campaigns in 2021–2023, and reviewed herbarium specimens and human observation records of woody bamboos from the islands. Newly collected specimens were vouchered and all woody bamboo records were georeferenced and plotted using QGIS. We confirmed two species of native woody bamboo and four species of introduced woody bamboo were extant on Trinidad. An additional three Western Hemisphere species have historic records of occurrence on the islands. Native species diversity correlated well with previously identified floristic hotspots. One introduced species, Bambusa vulgaris, is common on both islands. To the best of our knowledge, there are currently no native woody bamboo species present on Tobago, however, A. pubescens appears to have been growing along the Main Ridge in the past. The historic presence of some species not currently found may be the result of dynamic and/or stochastic colonization events among the islands and mainland South America.

Many postdoctoral fellows and scholars who hope to secure tenure-track faculty positions in the United States apply to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a Pathway to Independence Award. This award has two phases (K99 and R00) and provides funding for up to 5 years. Using NIH data for the period 2006–2022, we report that ~230 K99 awards were made every year, representing up to ~$250 million annual investment. About 40% of K99 awardees were women and ~89% of K99 awardees went on to receive an R00 award annually. Institutions with the most NIH funding produced the most recipients of K99 awards and recruited the most recipients of R00 awards. The time between a researcher starting an R00 award and receiving a major NIH award (such as an R01) ranged between 4.6 and 7.4 years, and was significantly longer for women, for those who remained at their home institution, and for those hired by an institution that was not one of the 25 institutions with the most NIH funding. Shockingly, there has yet to be a K99 awardee at a historically Black college or university. We go on to show how K99 awardees flow to faculty positions, and to identify various factors that influence the future success of individual researchers and, therefore, also influence the composition of biomedical faculty at universities in the United States.

Aegilops tauschii, the diploid wild progenitor of the D subgenome of bread wheat, is a reservoir of genetic diversity for improving bread wheat performance and environmental resilience. Here we sequenced 242 Ae. tauschii accessions and compared them to the wheat D subgenome to characterize genomic diversity. We found that a rare lineage of Ae. tauschii geographically restricted to present-day Georgia contributed to the wheat D subgenome in the independent hybridizations that gave rise to modern bread wheat. Through k-mer-based association mapping, we identified discrete genomic regions with candidate genes for disease and pest resistance and demonstrated their functional transfer into wheat by transgenesis and wide crossing, including the generation of a library of hexaploids incorporating diverse Ae. tauschii genomes. Exploiting the genomic diversity of the Ae. tauschii ancestral diploid genome permits rapid trait discovery and functional genetic validation in a hexaploid background amenable to breeding.

Rare variants in ten genes have been reported to cause Mendelian sleep conditions characterised by extreme sleep duration or timing. These include familial natural short sleep (ADRB1, DEC2/BHLHE41, GRM1 and NPSR1), advanced sleep phase (PER2, PER3, CRY2, CSNK1D and TIMELESS) and delayed sleep phase (CRY1). The association of variants in these genes with extreme sleep conditions were usually based on clinically ascertained families, and their effects when identified in the population are unknown. We aimed to determine the effects of these variants on sleep traits in large population-based cohorts. We performed genetic association analysis of variants previously reported to be causal for Mendelian sleep and circadian conditions. Analyses were performed using 191,929 individuals with data on sleep and whole-exome or genome-sequence data from 4 population-based studies: UK Biobank, FINRISK, Health-2000-2001, and the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). We identified sleep disorders from self-report, hospital and primary care data. We estimated sleep duration and timing measures from self-report and accelerometery data. We identified carriers for 10 out of 12 previously reported pathogenic variants for 8 of the 10 genes. They ranged in frequency from 1 individual with the variant in CSNK1D to 1,574 individuals with a reported variant in the PER3 gene in the UK Biobank. No carriers for variants reported in NPSR1 or PER2 were identified. We found no association between variants analyzed and extreme sleep or circadian phenotypes. Using sleep timing as a proxy measure for sleep phase, only PER3 and CRY1 variants demonstrated association with earlier and later sleep timing, respectively; however, the magnitude of effect was smaller than previously reported (sleep midpoint ~7 mins earlier and ~5 mins later, respectively). We also performed burden tests of protein truncating (PTVs) or rare missense variants for the 10 genes. Only PTVs in PER2 and PER3 were associated with a relevant trait (for example, 64 individuals with a PTV in PER2 had an odds ratio of 4.4 for being "definitely a morning person", P = 4x10-8; and had a 57-minute earlier midpoint sleep, P = 5x10-7). Our results indicate that previously reported variants for Mendelian sleep and circadian conditions are often not highly penetrant when ascertained incidentally from the general population.

Abstract Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) has a significant impact on global burden of disease. Complications in clinical management can occur when response to pharmacological modalities is considered inadequate and symptoms persist (treatment-resistant depression (TRD)). We aim to investigate inflammation, proxied by C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, and body mass index (BMI) as putative causal risk factors for depression and subsequent treatment resistance, leveraging genetic information to avoid confounding via Mendelian randomisation (MR). Methods We used the European UK Biobank subcohort ( $$n=451,025$$ n = 451 , 025 ), the mental health questionnaire (MHQ) and clinical records. For treatment resistance, a previously curated phenotype based on general practitioner (GP) records and prescription data was employed. We applied univariable and multivariable MR models to genetically predict the exposures and assess their causal contribution to a range of depression outcomes. We used a range of univariable, multivariable and mediation MR models techniques to address our research question with maximum rigour. In addition, we developed a novel statistical procedure to apply pleiotropy-robust multivariable MR to one sample data and employed a Bayesian bootstrap procedure to accurately quantify estimate uncertainty in mediation analysis which outperforms standard approaches in sparse binary outcomes. Given the flexibility of the one-sample design, we evaluated age and sex as moderators of the effects. Results In univariable MR models, genetically predicted BMI was positively associated with depression outcomes, including MDD ( $$\beta$$ β ( $$95\%$$ 95 % CI): 0.133(0.072, 0.205)) and TRD (0.347(0.002, 0.682)), with a larger magnitude in females and with age acting as a moderator of the effect of BMI on severity of depression (0.22(0.050, 0.389)). Multivariable MR analyses suggested an independent causal effect of BMI on TRD not through CRP (0.395(0.004, 0.732)). Our mediation analyses suggested that the effect of CRP on severity of depression was partly mediated by BMI. Individuals with TRD ( $$n=2199$$ n = 2199 ) observationally had higher CRP and BMI compared with individuals with MDD alone and healthy controls. Discussion Our work supports the assertion that BMI exerts a causal effect on a range of clinical and questionnaire-based depression phenotypes, with the effect being stronger in females and in younger individuals. We show that this effect is independent of inflammation proxied by CRP levels as the effects of CRP do not persist when jointly estimated with BMI. This is consistent with previous evidence suggesting that overweight contributed to depression even in the absence of any metabolic consequences. It appears that BMI exerts an effect on TRD that persists when we account for BMI influencing MDD.

Abstract Background We sought to determine the extent to which cortisol suppressed innate and T cell-mediated cytokine production and whether it could be involved in reducing peripheral cytokine production following subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). Methods Whole blood from healthy controls, patients with SAH and healthy volunteers was stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), to stimulate innate immunity, or phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), to stimulate T cell-mediated immunity. Varying concentrations of cortisol were included, with or without the cortisol antagonist RU486. Concentration of interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1β and tumour necrosis factor-alpha) TNFα were determined as a measure of innate immunity. IL-6, IL-17 (interferon gamma) IFNƔ and IL-17 were determined as an indicator of T cell-mediated immunity. Results Suppression of innate responses to LPS was apparent in whole blood from SAH patients, relative to healthy controls, and TNFα production was inversely correlated with plasma cortisol concentration. Cytokine production in whole blood from healthy volunteers was inhibited by cortisol concentrations from 0.33 µM, or 1 µM and above, and these responses were effectively reversed by the cortisol antagonist RU-486. In SAH patients, RU-486 reversed suppression of innate TNF-α and IL-6 responses, but not IL-1ß or T cell-mediated responses. Conclusion These data suggest that cortisol may play a role in reducing innate, but not T cell-mediated immune responses in patients with injuries such as SAH and that cortisol antagonists could be effective in boosting early innate responses.

Abstract Lions are one of the world’s most iconic species but are threatened with extinction. Developing effective range-wide conservation plans are crucial but hampered by the relative lack of knowledge on specific threats facing each population and the socio-political context for conservation. Here, we present a range-wide examination of the relative fragility of lion populations, examining socio-political factors alongside ecological ones. We found Ethiopia’s Maze National Park had the most ecologically fragile geographic population while Kavango-Zambezi was the least. At a country level, lion populations had highest ecological fragility in Cameroon and Malawi. When we examined socio-political fragility, Somalia was the most fragile lion range country, followed by South Sudan. When socio-political and ecological fragility were combined, lion populations in Maze National Park and Bush-Bush (Somalia) and more broadly, Somalian and Malawian lion populations were the most fragile. These insights should help inform more nuanced and appropriately targeted lion conservation plans.

Abstract Aim To describe community healthcare professionals' experiences of preventing malnutrition among children in rural Bangladesh. Methods A descriptive qualitative study with a total of seven healthcare professionals were recruited from a non‐governmental organisation in rural Bangladesh. Individual in‐depth interviews were conducted in November 2018 using a semi‐structured interview guide. The audio‐recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed manually using content analysis. Results The data analysis resulted in two main categories: Implementation and practices in preventing malnutrition and Challenges in working with prevention of malnutrition. Education was considered an important and essential preventative intervention. Healthcare professionals faced challenges in their work in relation to socio‐cultural and climate factors. The findings indicate how healthcare professional identified the need for increased knowledge and resources in the community to promote nutritional health in children.

Objectives: This scoping review was conducted to determine the barriers and enablers associated with the acceptance of artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML)-enabled innovations into radiology practice from a physician’s perspective. Methods: A systematic search was performed using Ovid Medline and Embase. Keywords were used to generate refined queries with the inclusion of computer-aided diagnosis, artificial intelligence, and barriers and enablers. Three reviewers assessed the articles, with a fourth reviewer used for disagreements. The risk of bias was mitigated by including both quantitative and qualitative studies. Results: An electronic search from January 2000 to 2023 identified 513 studies. Twelve articles were found to fulfill the inclusion criteria: qualitative studies (n = 4), survey studies (n = 7), and randomized controlled trials (RCT) (n = 1). Among the most common barriers to AI implementation into radiology practice were radiologists’ lack of acceptance and trust in AI innovations; a lack of awareness, knowledge, and familiarity with the technology; and perceived threat to the professional autonomy of radiologists. The most important identified AI implementation enablers were high expectations of AI’s potential added value; the potential to decrease errors in diagnosis; the potential to increase efficiency when reaching a diagnosis; and the potential to improve the quality of patient care. Conclusions: This scoping review found that few studies have been designed specifically to identify barriers and enablers to the acceptance of AI in radiology practice. The majority of studies have assessed the perception of AI replacing radiologists, rather than other barriers or enablers in the adoption of AI. To comprehensively evaluate the potential advantages and disadvantages of integrating AI innovations into radiology practice, gathering more robust research evidence on stakeholder perspectives and attitudes is essential.

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated sensitive, fast, and inexpensive testing for the virus in 2020 prior to the widespread availability of vaccines. Early testing efforts were limited by bottlenecks on reagents, low-throughput testing options, and the slow return of test results. In this paper, we detail the testing pipeline we established at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for rapid, inexpensive, and sensitive surveillance testing for SARS-CoV-2, and we highlight the strengths of the platform that would allow it to be applied to other disease surveillance projects, SARS-CoV-2 variant testing, or future pandemics. This pipeline can be quickly established for further accreditation and clinical application.

Abstract Superconducting integrated circuit is a promising “beyond-CMOS” device technology enables speed-of-light, nearly lossless communications to advance cryogenic (4 K or lower) computing. However, the lack of large-area superconducting IC has hindered the development of scalable practical systems. Herein, we describe a novel approach to interconnect 16 high-resolution deep UV (DUV EX4, 248 nm lithography) full reticle circuits to fabricate an extremely large (88 mm × 88 mm) area superconducting integrated circuit (ELASIC). The fabrication process starts by interconnecting four high-resolution DUV EX4 (22 mm × 22 mm) full reticles using a single large-field (44 mm × 44 mm) I-line (365 nm lithography) reticle, followed by I-line reticle stitching at the boundaries of 44 mm × 44 mm fields to fabricate the complete ELASIC field (88 mm × 88 mm). The ELASIC demonstrated a 2X–12X reduction in circuit features and maintained high-stitched line superconducting critical currents. We examined quantum flux parametron circuits to demonstrate the viability of common active components used for data buffering and transmission. Considering that no stitching requirement for high-resolution EX4 DUV reticles is employed, the present fabrication process has the potential to advance the scaling of superconducting qubits and other tri-layer junction-based devices.

Abstract Previous studies have linked higher body mass index (BMI) to lower subjective well-being in adult European ancestry populations. However, our understanding of these relationships across different populations is limited. Here, we investigated the association between BMI and well-being in people of (a) East Asian and (b) European ancestry in the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) and UK Biobank (UKB), respectively. Mendelian randomisation (MR) methods were used to test the relationship between BMI with (a) health satisfaction and (b) life satisfaction. One-sample MR enabled us to test effects in men and women separately and to test the role of cultural contexts by stratifying our analyses by urban and rural home location in both China and the UK. Further, we implemented a control function method to test the linearity of the BMI-well-being relationship. We found evidence of different associations between BMI and well-being in individuals of East Asian versus European ancestry. For example, a genetically instrumented higher BMI tentatively associated with higher health satisfaction in people of East Asian ancestry, especially in females (ß: 0.041, 95% CI: 0.002, 0.081). In contrast, there was a robust inverse association between higher genetically instrumented BMI and health satisfaction in all European ancestry UKB participants (ß: −0.183, 95% CI: −0.200, −0.165, P difference

Abstract Wildfire events are becoming more frequent and severe on a global scale. Rising temperatures, prolonged drought, and the presence of pyrophytic invasive grasses are contributing to the degradation of native vegetation communities. Within the Great Basin region of the western U.S., increasing wildfire frequency is transforming the ecosystem toward a higher degree of homogeneity, one dominated by invasive annual grasses and declining landscape productivity. Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse) are a species of conservation concern that rely on large tracts of structurally and functionally diverse sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) communities. Using a 12-year (2008–2019) telemetry dataset, we documented immediate impacts of wildfire on demographic rates of a population of sage-grouse that were exposed to two large wildfire events (Virginia Mountains Fire Complex—2016; Long Valley Fire—2017) near the border of California and Nevada. Spatiotemporal heterogeneity in demographic rates were accounted for using a Before-After Control-Impact Paired Series (BACIPS) study design. Results revealed a 40% reduction in adult survival and a 79% reduction in nest survival within areas impacted by wildfires. Our results indicate that wildfire has strong and immediate impacts to two key life stages of a sagebrush indicator species and underscores the importance of fire suppression and immediate restoration following wildfire events.