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Coral reefs and submerged cultural heritage sites are integral to supporting marine biodiversity, preserving human history, providing ecosystem services, and understanding drivers of ecosystem health and function. Despite the importance of these submerged underwater habitats, accessibility to these environments remains limited to specialized professionals. The MEGA Vision mixed reality application integrates photogrammetry-derived data products with augmented reality (AR) technologies to transcend this barrier, offering an immersive and educational platform for the broader public. Using high-resolution imagery from SCUBA expeditions, the app presents users with realistic and spatially accurate 3D reconstructions of coral reefs and submerged archaeological artifacts within an interactive interface developed through Unity and Vuforia. The applications’ instructional design includes multimedia elements for enhancing user comprehension of marine and historical sciences. This mixed reality tool exemplifies the convergence of scientific data visualization and public engagement, offering a unique educational tool that demystifies the complexities of marine ecosystems and maritime history, thereby fostering a deeper appreciation and stewardship of underwater environments. By enabling accessible, interactive, and immersive experiences, the application has the potential to revolutionize the way we interact with and contribute to marine sciences, aligning technology with conservation and research efforts to cultivate a more informed and environmentally conscious public.

Background: A broad range of interventions have been implemented to improve ambient air quality, and many of these have been evaluated. Yet to date no systematic review has been conducted to identify and synthesize these studies. In this systematic review, we assess the effectiveness of interventions in reducing ambient particulate matter air pollution and improving adverse health outcomes. Methods: We searched a range of electronic databases across multiple disciplines, as well as grey literature databases, trial registries, reference lists of included studies and the contents of relevant journals, through August 2016. Eligible for inclusion were randomized and cluster randomized controlled trials, as well as several non-randomized study designs often used for evaluating air quality interventions. We included studies that evaluated interventions targeting industrial, residential, vehicular and multiple sources, with respect to their effect on mortality, morbidity and the concentrations of particulate matter (PM – including PM10, PM2.5, coarse particulate matter and combustion-related PM), as well as several criteria pollutants, including ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide and sulphur dioxide. We did not restrict studies based on the population, setting or comparison.Two authors independently assessed studies for inclusion, extracted data and assessed risk of bias. We assessed risk of bias using the Graphic Appraisal Tool for Epidemiological studies (GATE) for correlation studies, as modified and employed by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. We synthesized evidence narratively, as well as graphically using harvest plots. We assessed the certainty of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Results: We included 42 studies assessing 38 unique interventions. These comprised a heterogeneous mix of interventions, including those aiming to address industrial sources (n = 5; e.g. the closure of a factory), residential sources (n = 7; e.g. coal ban), vehicular sources (n = 22; e.g. low emission zones), and multiple sources (n = 4; e.g. tailored measures that target both local traffic and industrial polluters).Evidence for effectiveness was mixed. Most included studies observed either no significant association or an association favoring the intervention, with little evidence that the assessed interventions might be harmful. Conclusions: Given the heterogeneity across interventions, outcomes, and methods, it was difficult to derive overall conclusions regarding the effectiveness of interventions in terms of improved air quality or health. Some evidence suggests that interventions are associated with improvements in air quality and human health, with very little evidence suggesting interventions were harmful. The evidence base highlights the challenges related to establishing the effectiveness of specific air pollution interventions on outcomes. It also points to the need for improved study design and analysis methods, as well as more uniform evaluations. The prospective planning of evaluations and an evaluation component built into the design and implementation of interventions may also be particularly beneficial.

Abstract Exclusive ρ 0-meson electroproduction is studied in the HERMES experiment, using a 27.6 GeV longitudinally polarized electron/positron beam and unpolarized hydrogen and deuterium targets in the kinematic region 0.5 GeV2

Abstract Background Enteric neuropathies, which result from abnormalities of the enteric nervous system, are associated with significant morbidity and high health-care costs, but current treatments are unsatisfactory. Cell-based therapy offers an innovative approach to replace the absent or abnormal enteric neurons and thereby restore gut function. Methods Enteric neuronal stem cells (ENSCs) were isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of Wnt1-Cre;R26tdTomato mice and generated neurospheres (NS). NS transplants were performed via injection into the mid-colon mesenchyme of nNOS −/− mouse, a model of colonic dysmotility, using either 1 (n = 12) or 3 (n = 12) injections (30 NS per injection) targeted longitudinally 1–2 mm apart. Functional outcomes were assessed up to 6 weeks later using electromyography (EMG), electrical field stimulation (EFS), optogenetics, and by measuring colorectal motility. Results Transplanted ENSCs formed nitrergic neurons in the nNOS −/− recipient colon. Multiple injections of ENSCs resulted in a significantly larger area of coverage compared to single injection alone and were associated with a marked improvement in colonic function, demonstrated by (1) increased colonic muscle activity by EMG recording, (2) faster rectal bead expulsion, and (3) increased fecal pellet output in vivo. Organ bath studies revealed direct neuromuscular communication by optogenetic stimulation of channelrhodopsin-expressing ENSCs and restoration of smooth muscle relaxation in response to EFS. Conclusions These results demonstrate that transplanted ENSCs can form effective neuromuscular connections and improve colonic motor function in a model of colonic dysmotility, and additionally reveal that multiple sites of cell delivery led to an improved response, paving the way for optimized clinical trial design.

It is generally accepted that modeling Farley–Buneman instabilities requires resolving ion Landau damping to reproduce experimentally observed features. Particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations have been able to reproduce most of these but at a computational cost that severely affects their scalability. This limitation hinders the study of non-local phenomena that require three dimensions or coupling with larger-scale processes. We argue that a form of the five-moment fluid system can recreate several qualitative aspects of Farley–Buneman dynamics such as density and phase speed saturation, wave turning, and heating. Unexpectedly, these features are still reproduced even without using artificial viscosity to capture Landau damping. Comparing the proposed fluid models and a PIC implementation shows good qualitative agreement.

We present new linear relations among the masses of S-wave tetraquarks with either one flavour (QQQ¯Q¯) or two (QQq¯q¯). Because the relations are sensitive to the hidden-colour, spin, and spatial degrees of freedom, comparison to experimental data can help to reveal the internal structure of tetraquarks, and discriminate among different theoretical models. Depending on the model, the relations are either exact, or valid in perturbation theory, and a thorough comparison with existing literature confirms their validity at the MeV level. Additionally, we explore the connections among tetraquark models, and show how those with effective (quark or diquark) masses are related to dynamical potential models. We also show how the spectrum of diquark models is effectively a limiting case of (more general) quark models, and in particular, that the diquark concept is most relevant in the particular combination QQq¯q¯, where Q is much heavier than q¯.

Pesticides are highly tested and regulated chemicals. There is currently great interest in the role that pesticides may play in childhood neurodevelopment. The objective was to identify and describe the body of evidence and to assess the ability to synthesize effect estimates. The epidemiologic literature from 2011 to 2022 was searched for publications on the association between pesticide exposure and neurodevelopment, behavior, and/or cognition in children. We identified 114 publications, representing 67 unique studies. While organochlorine and other insecticides were the most common classes of pesticides studied, up to 159 different metabolites or active ingredients were reported. Nine pesticides or their metabolites were reported in >10 publications. Similarly, multiple assessment methods were administered across studies to evaluate outcomes in neurodevelopment at ages which ranged from birth to 18 years of age. This scoping review reveals the heterogeneity among published studies with respect to exposures and health outcomes, in the methods used to assess and classify them, and in combinations of the two. This limits the adequacy of the evidence to evaluate specific risk estimates for a particular exposure-outcome pair. Intentional coordination among researchers to increase consistency in methodologies would facilitate the synthesis of results across studies. Research opportunities also exist to validate assumptions in exposure and outcome assessment which are implicit in many of the studies reviewed. In conclusion, there are many ongoing epidemiologic studies with a focus on pesticides and neurodevelopment. The variety of exposures, exposure assessment methods and tests for each outcome can be overwhelming. Interdisciplinary collaboration is recommended to harmonize data collection and to enable meaningful interpretation of the study results across populations.

Natural history museums are vital repositories of specimens, samples and data that inform about the natural world; this Formal Comment revisits a Perspective that advocated for the adoption of compassionate collection practices, querying whether it will ever be possible to completely do away with whole animal specimen collection.

For an avian migrant, refueling capacity attainable during stopovers governs the entire migration schedule and, ultimately, its fitness. Specifically, timely replenishing energy stores is critical when migration involves crossing ecological barriers, within which refueling may be limited. Here, we tested the hypothesis that fuel deposition rates (FDRs) of migratory passerines within barrier‐edge stopover sites are constrained by the density of potential competitors, irrespective of migration season, phenology, and local environmental conditions. We also evaluated diverse intra‐ and inter‐specific competition scenarios and explored a potential mediation of density‐dependence by environmental factors. The analyzed data, collected by us over 13 consecutive years (2009–2022), contain information on seven species of long‐distance migratory insectivorous passerines measured within eight desert‐edge habitats throughout autumn and spring migrations. As predicted, our analyses revealed negative density‐dependence regulation of FDRs, consistent across species and migration seasons. Notably, bird density exerted its effect above and beyond the other factors known to influence FDR, such as relative ambient temperature, phenology, temporal progress of stopover, and body mass next to landfall. As expected, FDR increased at higher relative ambient temperatures and with the stopover's progress. In spring, FDR also rose as the season advanced. These findings signify the substantial impact of competition on the refueling performance of migratory passerines during their stopover on an ecological barrier's edge, acting over and above the other environmental factors. The detected importance of competition and its interrelation with other predictors provides an insight into stopover's functioning; environmentally imposed and inescapable interspecific interference is thus a significant limiting factor of FDR, a deleterious relationship potentially remediable by informed habitat restoration and planning.

Abstract Background It is widely recognised that complex public health interventions roll out in distinct phases, within which external contextual factors influence implementation. Less is known about relationships with external contextual factors identified a priori in the pre-implementation phase. We investigated which external contextual factors, prior to the implementation of a community-centred approach to reducing alcohol harm called ‘Communities in Charge of Alcohol’ (CICA), were related to one of the process indicators: numbers of Alcohol Health Champions (AHCs) trained. Methods A mixed methods design was used in the pre-implementation phase of CICA. We studied ten geographic communities experiencing both high levels of deprivation and alcohol-related harm in the North West of England. Qualitative secondary data were extracted from pre-implementation meeting notes, recorded two to three months before roll-out. Items were coded into 12 content categories using content analysis. To create a baseline ‘infrastructure score’, the number of external contextual factors documented was counted per area to a maximum score of 12. Descriptive data were collected from training registers detailing training numbers in the first 12 months. The relationship between the baseline infrastructure score, external contextual factors, and the number of AHCs trained was assessed using non-parametric univariable statistics. Results There was a positive correlation between baseline infrastructure score and total numbers of AHCs trained (Rs = 0.77, p = 0.01). Four external contextual factors were associated with significantly higher numbers of lay people recruited and trained: having a health care provider to coordinate the intervention (p = 0.02); a pool of other volunteers to recruit from (p = 0.02); a contract in place with a commissioned service (p = 0.02), and; formal volunteer arrangements (p = 0.03). Conclusions Data suggest that there were four key components that significantly influenced establishing an Alcohol Health Champion programme in areas experiencing both high levels of deprivation and alcohol-related harm. There is added value of capturing external contextual factors a priori and then testing relationships with process indicators to inform the effective roll-out of complex interventions. Future research could explore a wider range of process indicators and outcomes, incorporating methods to rate individual factors to derive a mean score. Trial registration ISRCTN81942890, date of registration 12/09/2017.

Epidemiology research plays an important role in regulatory risk assessments. However, regulatory approaches to evaluating study utility and quality for risk assessment purposes can vary, even within a single agency. The goal of the current review is to compare different guidelines within the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) for evaluating epidemiology research with respect to quality. This review highlights the elements of epidemiology design and reporting that are most useful for risk assessment and regulatory decision making. General guidance documents from the US EPA that assess pesticides (Office of Pesticide Programs Framework), air pollutants (Integrated Science Assessment Preamble), and environmental chemicals (Integrated Risk Information System Handbook) were included. Chemical-specific examples of the use of these guidance documents were selected to provide additional information on each methodology. All three evaluation approaches require professional judgment, and none include a quantitative scoring approach. All indicate numerous aspects that enhance the value of a study for risk assessment. However, the methods and the level of detail vary. More clarity within US EPA documents would aid researchers. The elements of the Matrix tool, designed to facilitate translation of epidemiology studies to risk assessment, build on the US EPA epidemiology guidelines and may further enhance the value of such studies.

Summary: Current standards in clinical genetics recognize the need to establish the validity of gene-disease relationships as a first step in the interpretation of sequence variants. We describe our experience incorporating the ClinGen Gene-Disease Clinical Validity framework in our interpretation and reporting workflow for a clinical genome sequencing (cGS) test for individuals with rare and undiagnosed genetic diseases. This “reactive” gene curation is completed upon identification of candidate variants during active case analysis and within the test turn-around time by focusing on the most impactful evidence and taking advantage of the broad applicability of the framework to cover a wide range of disease areas. We demonstrate that reactive gene curation can be successfully implemented in support of cGS in a clinical laboratory environment, enabling robust clinical decision making and allowing all variants to be fully and appropriately considered and their clinical significance confidently interpreted.

The herbicide 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) has been widely used for many decades. Occupational determinants of 2,4-D exposure are linked to processes related to its application. However, in the general population, the sources, pathways, and routes of exposure are less well-studied. Should exposure reductions be desired, this type of information will be essential. We examined urinary 2,4-D data in conjunction with National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) variables, as well as other publicly reported data. The goal was to identify signals for sources of exposure to the herbicide. Urinary 2,4-D measurement data were available from 1999 to 2014, with the exception of survey years 2005–2006. The geometric mean urinary 2,4-D concentrations for the total population were near the limits of detection (LOD) and ranged from 0.1 to 0.4 µg/L. Depending on the survey year, the percent of the population with urinary 2,4-D levels above the LOD ranged from 26.7 to 75.6%. There were no consistent patterns for urinary concentrations according to race/ethnicity, age, or gender. Higher median urinary 2,4-D levels were observed among those who reported recent use of a lawn or garden product. Working in agriculture was suggestive of an occupational influence in this cross section of the population. A generally consistent inverse relationship between fasting time and urinary 2,4-D levels was found although US databases on food and drinking water did not demonstrate widespread detection of 2,4-D. Biomonitoring data from studies such as NHANES preclude us from definitively ascertaining source contributions for exposures because the sources are likely to be diverse, with exposure occurring via several pathways. The extent to which diet or drinking water contributes to the overall 2,4-D exposure in nonoccupational populations is not well-established. Resources are needed for more studies that pair environmental- and biomonitoring-based exposure data from various regions and over multiple seasons.

BackgroundDespite increasing recognition that menstruation matters for adolescent girls' health and education, few studies have investigated menstrual health challenges and impacts in Myanmar. In this study we aimed to (1) understand the menstrual experiences of girls attending monastic schools in Magway Region, Myanmar and (2) explore the associations between their reported unmet menstrual health needs and school absenteeism.MethodsWe undertook a mixed-methods exploration across 16 Monastic schools in rural and semi-rural areas. In-depth interviews with 10 adolescent girls, 10 Focus-Group Discussions (FGDs) with girls, 10 FGDs with boys, 5 FGDs with mothers, along with 24 key-informant interviews were analyzed using a framework approach to explore girls' menstrual experiences and challenges in school settings. A cross-sectional survey of 421 post menarche girls (mean-age-14 years) was used to describe the prevalence of menstrual health challenges and test associations with self-reported school absenteeism.ResultsGirls described a range of menstrual health challenges including access to information and social support, behavioral restrictions, stigma surrounding menstruation, difficulties managing menstrual bleeding and pain. Girls also described fear and distress associated with menstruation and impacts on school attendance and participation. Of girls surveyed, 12.8% had missed school due to their last period. In multivariable analysis, grade level (aOR = 0.76 95%CI 0.60–0.97), menstrual pain (aOR = 2.10 95%CI 1.10–4.00), and heavy bleeding (aOR = 3.33 95%CI 1.51–7.34) were associated with absenteeism. Knowledge about menstrual biology was not related to absenteeism, but a more negative attitude toward menstruation may have predicted greater absences (aOR 1.34 95%CI 0.99–1.80). Confidence to talk to friends or teachers about menstruation was not associated with absenteeism, nor was using a disposable-pad or feeling confident to manage menses at school. However, feeling confident to ask a teacher for a pad was associated with greater absenteeism and may have indicated that girls more regularly needing to request products had lower attendance (aOR = 1.93 95%CI 1.06–3.54).ConclusionsAdolescent girls in Magway face substantial challenges during menstruation, adversely impacting on their education and wellbeing. Providing age-appropriate education and addressing shame and taboos are important components of a comprehensive menstrual health response. In addition, our study highlights the need to ensure access to menstrual resources and WASH facilities, along with access to adequate menstrual pain relief.

Electrical crosstalk can constrain the performance of multielectrode arrays in electro- and neurophysiology, in terms of both stimulation and recording. This is especially so at high electrode density, desirable for spatiotemporal mapping of bioelectrical signals from multiple cells. Channel interference due to crosstalk is currently only partially addressed, via continuous interleaved sampling or post-data acquisition spike sorting. Here, we show that a locally-shielded electrode architecture significantly suppresses crosstalk, and enables multi-site recording at high electrode density without the need for spike sorting. Arrays of shielded electrodes, prepared by micro- and nanofabrication techniques in a vertically-oriented coaxial geometry, demonstrate at least a 400 times improvement in spatial density over the unshielded case.

Abstract Allen's Hummingbird comprises two subspecies, one migratory (Selasphorus sasin sasin) and one nonmigratory (S. s. sedentarius). The nonmigratory subspecies, previously endemic to the California Channel Islands, apparently colonized the California mainland on the Palos Verdes Peninsula some time before 1970 and now breeds throughout coastal southern California. We sequenced and compared populations of mainland nonmigratory Allen's Hummingbird to Channel Island populations from Santa Catalina, San Clemente, and Santa Cruz Island. We found no evidence of founder effects on the mainland population. Values of nucleotide diversity on the mainland were higher than on the Channel Islands. There were low levels of divergence between the Channel Islands and the mainland, and Santa Cruz Island was the most genetically distinct. Ecological niche models showed that rainfall and temperature variables on the Channel Islands are similar in the Los Angeles basin and predicted continued expansion of nonmigratory Allen's Hummingbird north along the coast and inland. We also reviewed previous genetic studies of vertebrate species found on the Channel Islands and mainland and showed that broad conclusions regarding island–mainland patterns remain elusive. Challenges include the idiosyncratic nature of colonization itself as well as the lack of a comprehensive approach that incorporates similar markers and sampling strategies across taxa, which, within the context of a comparative study of island–mainland relationships, may lead to inconsistent results.

Abstract Background Spinal cord injury (SCI) presents a significant challenge for the field of neurotherapeutics. Stem cells have shown promise in replenishing the cells lost to the injury process, but the release of axon growth-inhibitory molecules such as chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) by activated cells within the injury site hinders the integration of transplanted cells. We hypothesised that simultaneous application of enteric neural stem cells (ENSCs) isolated from the gastrointestinal tract, with a lentivirus (LV) containing the enzyme chondroitinase ABC (ChABC), would enhance the regenerative potential of ENSCs after transplantation into the injured spinal cord. Methods ENSCs were harvested from the GI tract of p7 rats, expanded in vitro and characterised. Adult rats bearing a contusion injury were randomly assigned to one of four groups: no treatment, LV-ChABC injection only, ENSC transplantation only or ENSC transplantation+LV-ChABC injection. After 16 weeks, rats were sacrificed and the harvested spinal cords examined for evidence of repair. Results ENSC cultures contained a variety of neuronal subtypes suitable for replenishing cells lost through SCI. Following injury, transplanted ENSC-derived cells survived and ChABC successfully degraded CSPGs. We observed significant reductions in the injured tissue and cavity area, with the greatest improvements seen in the combined treatment group. ENSC-derived cells extended projections across the injury site into both the rostral and caudal host spinal cord, and ENSC transplantation significantly increased the number of cells extending axons across the injury site. Furthermore, the combined treatment resulted in a modest, but significant functional improvement by week 16, and we found no evidence of the spread of transplanted cells to ectopic locations or formation of tumours. Conclusions Regenerative effects of a combined treatment with ENSCs and ChABC surpassed either treatment alone, highlighting the importance of further research into combinatorial therapies for SCI. Our work provides evidence that stem cells taken from the adult gastrointestinal tract, an easily accessible source for autologous transplantation, could be strongly considered for the repair of central nervous system disorders.