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Heat tolerance and exertional heat stroke (EHS) are rare health conditions that have been described and characterised but have never been genetically solved. Knowledge of the role of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in heat shock proteins (HSPs) genes and their associations with heat tolerance and EHS is limited. This pilot study aimed to identify SNP in HSPA1B, HSP90AA2 and DNAJA1 genes and their associations with heat tolerance and EHS history in a quasi-experimental design. Participants comprised Australian Defence Force members (ADF) who had a history of EHS and the general population. Genomic DNA samples were extracted from the venous blood samples of 48 participants, sequenced and analysed for SNP. Forty-four per cent (44%) of the participants were heat intolerant, and 29% had a history of EHS. Among participants with a history of EHS, there was an association between heat tolerance and HSPA1B SNP at the g.31829044 locus. However, there were no associations between HSPA1B and HSP90AA2 SNP and heat tolerance. All participants had the same distribution for the DNAJA1 SNP. In conclusion, the findings indicate an association between the HSPA1B genetic variant at the g.31829044 locus and heat tolerance among ADF participants with a history of EHS. Further research with a larger number of military participants will shed more light on the associations between HSP genes and heat tolerance.

Disseminated toxoplasmosis is an uncommon but highly lethal cause of hyperferritinemic sepsis after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). We report two cases of disseminated toxoplasmosis from two centers in critically ill adolescents after HCT: a 19-year-old who developed fever and altered mental status on day +19 after HCT and a 20-year-old who developed fever and diarrhea on day +52 after HCT. Both patients developed hyperferritinemia with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and profound immune dysregulation, which progressed to death despite maximal medical therapies. Because disseminated toxoplasmosis is both treatable and challenging to diagnose, it is imperative that intensivists maintain a high index of suspicion for Toxoplasma gondii infection when managing immunocompromised children, particularly in those with known positive T. gondii serologies.

This study explored the identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4), stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), and fatty acid synthase (FASN) genes that may influence the carcass traits of tropical crossbred beef cattle. The hypothesis tested was that SNP in the FABP4, SCD, and FASN genes are associated with chiller-assessed carcass traits of tropically adapted northern Australian crossbred beef cattle. Fifty Bos indicus and Bos taurus crossbred steers were backgrounded on either buffel grass only, or buffel grass and desmanthus mixed pastures for 147 days and finished in a commercial feedlot for 110 days. Steers were slaughtered within 48 h of leaving the feedlot within a lairage period not exceeding 12 h and carcasses graded 12 h after slaughter. Next-generation sequencing of the FASN, FABP4, and SCD genes identified multiple SNP loci that were correlated and significantly associated with carcass traits. The FABP4 g.44677205A>G locus was significantly associated with hump height and correlated with loin eye muscle area (EMA; p < 0.05). Polymorphism in the SCD gene g.21275851C>A locus was associated with subcutaneous fat depth and marbling score (p < 0.05). The CC genotype had a higher subcutaneous fat depth and marbling score (p < 0.05) than the AA genotype. Significant correlations were observed between carcass marbling score and subcutaneous fat depth within the FASN SNP locus (p < 0.05). Therefore, the hypothesis that SNP in the FABP4, SCD, and FASN genes are associated with chiller-assessed carcass traits of tropically adapted northern Australian crossbred beef cattle was accepted. These findings suggest that SNP in the FABP4, SCD, and FASN genes may be used in carcass grading and meat quality improvement through marker-assisted selection of northern Australian crossbred beef cattle.

ObjectivesSystematic mapping of the concept, content, and outcome of wilderness programs for childhood cancer survivors.DesignScoping review.Search strategySearches were performed in 13 databases and the grey literature. Included studies describe participation of childhood cancer survivors in wilderness programs where the role of nature had a contextual and therapeutic premise. At least two authors independently performed screening, data extraction and analysis.ResultsDatabase searches yielded 1848 articles, of which 15 met the inclusion criteria. The majority of programs (73%) employed adventure therapy. Five activity categories were identified as components of wilderness programs: challenge/risk, free time/leisure, experiential learning, physical activity and psychotherapeutic activities. A majority of the participating childhood cancer survivors were female, white, aged 8-40 years, with a wide range of cancer diagnoses. Reported outcomes included increased social involvement, self-esteem, self-confidence, self-efficacy, social support, and physical activity. Key gaps identified included the absence of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), lack of studies on long-term effects, lack of information on the multicultural aspects of programs, and missing information on engagement in nature activities after the program ended.ConclusionsThis scoping review guides childhood cancer survivors, their families, practitioners, clinicians and researchers in the development and optimization of wilderness programs for childhood cancer survivors. In addition, it informs the utilization of these programs, and identifies gaps in the evidence base of wilderness programs. It is recommended that future study reporting on wilderness programs include more detail and explicitly address the role of nature in the program. Performing RCTs on wilderness programs is challenging, as they occur in real-life contexts in which participants cannot be blinded. Creative solutions in the design of pragmatic trials and mixed method studies are thus needed for further investigation of the effectiveness and safety of wilderness programs in childhood cancer survivors.

Varios meses de trabajos de campo en La Palma (Islas Canarias occidentales) han posibilitado el descubrimiento de nuevas plantas vasculares no nativas. Alstroemeria aurea, A. ligtu, Anacyclus radiatus subsp. Radiatus, Chenopodium album subsp. borbasii, Cotyledon orbiculata, Cucurbita ficifolia, Cynodon nlemfuensis, Datura stramonium subsp. tatula, Digitaria ciliaris var. rhachiseta, D. ischaemum, Diplotaxis tenuifolia, Egeria densa, Eugenia uniflora, Galinsoga quadriradiata, Glebionis segetum, Kalanchoe laetivirens, Lemna minuta, Ligustrum lucidum, Lotus broussonetii, Oenothera fallax, Paspalum notatum, Passiflora caerulea, P. manicata × tarminiana, P. tarminiana, Pelargonium capitatum, Phaseolus lunatus, Portulaca trituberculata, Pyracantha angustifolia, Sedum mexicanum, Trifolium lappaceum, Urochloa mutica, U. subquadripara y Volutaria tubuliflora son xenófitos naturalizados o (potencialmente) invasores o de especial interés florístico, que se citan por primera vez para las Islas Canarias o para la isla de La Palma. Tres táxones adicionales, probablemente casuales, se dan a conocer por primera vez de las Islas Canarias, y siete táxones de la isla de La Palma.

Two-level systems interacting with a bosonic environment appear everywhere in physics. Here, the authors use a superconducting device to study this spin-boson model in the presence of coherent driving, showing that the drive enhances dissipation into the environment and can localize or delocalize the system.

For fishes, swimming performance is an important predictor of habitat use and a critical measure for the design of effective fish passage systems. Few studies have examined burst and prolonged types of swimming performance among several co-occurring species, and swimming performance in many fish communities is undocumented. In this study, we characterize both burst (c-start velocity) and prolonged speed (critical swim speed) across a poorly documented, co-occurring group of stream fishes within the Great Basin of the western USA. We documented the variation in swim speed associated with species, habitat, and body size. Body size had an overwhelming effect on both burst speed and prolonged speed, whereas habitat use and species identity were not significant predictors. Among species, there is no evidence of a trade-off between burst swim speed and prolonged swim speed. Lack of a trade-off in performance between burst swim speed and prolonged swim speed among species may be due to unexpectedly high prolonged swim speeds exhibited by species that used substrate-bracing behaviors. Incorporating body size and variation in behavior, such as substrate-bracing behaviors, into fish passage models will likely be sufficient to ensure the passage of all species without the need to account for species-specific swimming abilities. However, these results characterize the swimming performance for threatened and common fish species such that other comparisons can be made and species-specific studies can access accurate data.

We establish time-resolved high harmonic generation (tr-HHG) as a powerful spectroscopy method for tracking photoinduced dynamics in strongly correlated materials through a detailed investigation of the insulator-to-metal phase transitions in vanadium dioxide. We benchmark the technique by comparing our measurements to established momentum-resolved ultrafast electron diffraction, and theoretical density functional calculations. Tr-HHG allows distinguishing of individual dynamic channels, including a transition to a thermodynamically hidden phase. In addition, the HHG yield is shown to be modulated at a frequency characteristic of a coherent phonon of the equilibrium monoclinic phase over a wide range of excitation fluences. These results demonstrate that tr-HHG is capable of tracking complex dynamics in solids through its sensitivity to the band structure.

Background: Human adenovirus (HAdV)-D56 was first described in 2011 by genomics analysis of a strain isolated in France in 2008 from a fatal case of neonatal infection. Since then, it has been reported in cases of keratoconjunctivitis and male urethritis. Three epidemiologically unrelated fatal cases of neonatal sepsis associated with infection by HAdV-D strains with a similar genetic makeup were documented in the United States between 2014 and 2020. Methods: Whole genome sequences were obtained for the isolated strains, and genomics analyses were conducted to compare them to phylogenetically related HAdV-D genomic sequences available in GenBank. Results: The three new US strains were indistinguishable by in silico restriction enzyme analysis. Their genome sequences were 99.9% identical to one another and to the prototype strain isolated in 2008 from a similar context of disease. The phylogenetic reconstruction revealed a highly supported clustering of all HAdV-D56 strains isolated in various countries since 1982. Our comparison to serologically intermediate strains 15/H9 described in the literature indicated that HAdV-D56-like viruses have circulated worldwide since the late 1950s. Conclusion: As with other HAdV-D genotypes with the ability to infect ocular and genital mucosae, the risk of severe prenatal or perinatal HAdV-D56 infection must be considered.

The correlations between growth and wool traits in response to canola and flaxseed oil supplementation were evaluated in Australian prime lambs. Sixty dual-purpose prime lambs including purebred Merino and crossbred lambs were allocated to one of five treatments of lucerne hay basal diet supplemented with isocaloric and isonitrogenous wheat-based pellets. Treatments were: no oil inclusion (Control); 2.5% canola oil; 5% canola oil; 2.5% flaxseed oil and 5% flaxseed oil, with lamb groups balanced by breed and gender. Each lamb was daily supplemented with 1kg of pellets and had free access to lucerne hay and water throughout the 7-week feeding trial, after a 3-week adaptation. Individual animal basal and supplementary pellet feed intakes were recorded daily, while body conformation traits, body condition scores and liveweights were measured on days 0, 21, 35 and 49. The lambs were dye-banded on the mid-side and shorn before commencing the feeding trial and mid-side wool samples were collected from the same dye-banded area of each lamb at the end of the experiment. Correlations between wool quality traits and lamb performance were non-significant (P>0.05). Oil supplementation had no detrimental effect on lamb growth and wool quality traits (P > 0.05). Gender significantly affected wither height gain and fibre diameter. There were significant interactions between oil supplementation and lamb breed on chest girth. The correlations between clean fleece yield (CFY) and other wool quality traits were moderate ranging from 0.29 to 0.55. Moderate to high correlations between fibre diameter (FD) and other wool quality traits were detected (0.46-0.99) with the strongest relationship between FD and wool spinning fineness (SF). The relationship between CFY and wool comfort factor (CF) were positive, while negative relationships between CFY and the others were observed. A combination of 5% oil supplementation and genetics is an effective and strategic management tool for enhancing feed efficiency and growth performance without negative effects on wool quality in dual-purpose lamb production. This is a good outcome for dual-purpose sheep farmers. It essentially means the absorbed nutrients in supplemented lambs yielded good growth performance without any detrimental impact on wool quality; a win-win case of nutrient partitioning into the synthesis of muscle and wool without compromising either traits.

Varios meses de trabajos de campo en La Palma (Islas Canarias occidentales) han posibilitado el descubrimiento de nuevas plantas vasculares no nativas. Abutilon theophrasti, Agrostis xfouilladeana, Alternanthera brasiliana, Bupleurum salicifolium subsp. salicifolium, Callisia fragrans, Emilia coccinea, Hyparrhenia sinaica, Ipomoea purpurea, Jasminum polyanthum, Macfadyena unguis-cati, Malvastrum coromandelianum subsp. coromandelianum, Misopates calycinum, Nephrolepis cordifolia, Opuntia microdasys, Passiflora subpeltata, Plantago lanceolata, Polygonum aviculare subsp. rurivagum, Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides, Psidium littorale, Robinia pseudoacacia, Rosa micrantha, Rumex bucephalophorus subsp. gallicus, Sorghum bicolor subsp. verticilliflorum, Sphagneticola trilobata, Syzygium jambos, Thunbergia alata y Youngia japonica subsp. japonica son xenófitos naturalizados o (potencialmente) invasores, se citan por primera vez para las Islas Canarias o para La Palma. Se dan a conocer por primera vez 14 t·axones adicionales, probablemente casuales, de las Islas Canarias y 15 taxones de la isla de La Palma.

Abstract The mechanism by which trauma initiates healing remains unclear. Precise understanding of these events may define interventions for accelerating healing that could be translated to the clinical arena. We previously reported that addition of low‐dose recombinant human TNF (rhTNF) at the fracture site augmented fracture repair in a murine tibial fracture model. Here, we show that local rhTNF treatment is only effective when administered within 24 h of injury, when neutrophils are the major inflammatory cell infiltrate. Systemic administration of anti‐TNF impaired fracture healing. Addition of rhTNF enhanced neutrophil recruitment and promoted recruitment of monocytes through CCL2 production. Conversely, depletion of neutrophils or inhibition of the chemokine receptor CCR2 resulted in significantly impaired fracture healing. Fragility, or osteoporotic, fractures represent a major medical problem as they are associated with permanent disability and premature death. Using a murine model of fragility fractures, we found that local rhTNF treatment improved fracture healing during the early phase of repair. If translated clinically, this promotion of fracture healing would reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with delayed patient mobilization.

Dietary supplementation of lactating cows with fat can alter the profiles of key reproductive hormones and boost postpartum energy balance. However, published data under Australian pasture-based dairy production conditions are scanty and inconsistent. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine whether dietary inclusion of crude degummed canola oil (CDCO) at incremental levels for eight-weeks will have significant influence on progesterone (P4), luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) of primiparous Holstein–Friesian cows grazing pastures. We tested the hypothesis that postpartum supplementation of primiparous Holstein–Friesian cows with dietary CDCO in a pasture-based system will alter the concentrations of P4, LH and FSH reproductive hormones. A random allocation of twenty primiparous Holstein–Friesian cows into four treatment groups that consisted of a wheat-based pelleted basal diet with no supplemental CDCO (control), or a wheat-based pelleted basal diet with CDCO added at 25 ml/kg (low), 35 ml/kg (medium) and 50 ml/kg (high) was employed in an eight-week feeding trial after two weeks of adjustment. Supplementation levels of CDCO and week of data collection were significant sources of variation (P 0.05). It was apparent that cows in the high (0.459 ng/ml), medium (0.367 ng/ml) and low (0.251 ng/ml) levels of oil treatments had higher mean plasma FSH concentrations compared to the control (0.172 ng/ml) cows. It was concluded that the current levels of CDCO can be used in pasture-based dairy systems to increase FSH, but not LH and P4.

We demonstrate the compression of electron pulses in a high-brightness ultrafast electron diffraction instrument using phase-locked microwave signals directly generated from a mode-locked femtosecond oscillator. Additionally, a continuous-wave phase stabilization system that accurately corrects for phase fluctuations arising in the compression cavity from both power amplification and thermal drift induced detuning was designed and implemented. An improvement in the microwave timing stability from 100 fs to 5 fs RMS is measured electronically, and the long-term arrival time stability ( >10 h) of the electron pulses improves to below our measurement resolution of 50 fs. These results demonstrate sub-relativistic ultrafast electron diffraction with compressed pulses that is no longer limited by laser-microwave synchronization.

This study presents a comprehensive assessment of the meteorological conditions and atmospheric flow during the Lagrangian-type "Hill Cap Cloud Thuringia 2010" experiment (HCCT-2010), which was performed in September and October 2010 at Mt. Schmücke in the Thuringian Forest, Germany and which used observations at three measurement sites (upwind, in-cloud, and downwind) to study physical and chemical aerosol–cloud interactions. A Lagrangian-type hill cap cloud experiment requires not only suitable cloud conditions but also connected airflow conditions (i.e. representative air masses at the different measurement sites). The primary goal of the present study was to identify time periods during the 6-week duration of the experiment in which these conditions were fulfilled and therefore which are suitable for use in further data examinations. The following topics were studied in detail: (i) the general synoptic weather situations, including the mesoscale flow conditions, (ii) local meteorological conditions and (iii) local flow conditions. The latter were investigated by means of statistical analyses using best-available quasi-inert tracers, SF6 tracer experiments in the experiment area, and regional modelling. This study represents the first application of comprehensive analyses using statistical measures such as the coefficient of divergence (COD) and the cross-correlation in the context of a Lagrangian-type hill cap cloud experiment. This comprehensive examination of local flow connectivity yielded a total of 14 full-cloud events (FCEs), which are defined as periods during which all connected flow and cloud criteria for a suitable Lagrangian-type experiment were fulfilled, and 15 non-cloud events (NCEs), which are defined as periods with connected flow but no cloud at the summit site, and which can be used as reference cases. The overall evaluation of the identified FCEs provides the basis for subsequent investigations of the measured chemical and physical data during HCCT-2010 (see http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/special_issue287.html). Results obtained from the statistical flow analyses and regional-scale modelling performed in this study indicate the existence of a strong link between the three measurement sites during the FCEs and NCEs, particularly under conditions of constant southwesterly flow, high wind speeds and slightly stable stratification. COD analyses performed using continuous measurements of ozone and particle (49 nm diameter size bin) concentrations at the three sites revealed, particularly for COD values < 0.1, very consistent time series (i.e. close links between air masses at the different sites). The regional-scale model simulations provided support for the findings of the other flow condition analyses. Cross-correlation analyses revealed typical overflow times of ~15–30 min between the upwind and downwind valley sites under connected flow conditions. The results described here, together with those obtained from the SF6 tracer experiments performed during the experiment, clearly demonstrate that (a) under appropriate meteorological conditions a Lagrangian-type approach is valid and (b) the connected flow validation procedure developed in this work is suitable for identifying such conditions. Overall, it is anticipated that the methods and tools developed and applied in the present study will prove useful in the identification of suitable meteorological and connected airflow conditions during future Lagrangian-type hill cap cloud experiments.

Varios años de trabajos de campo en La Palma (Islas Canarias occidentales) han posibilitado el descubrimiento de nuevas plantas vasculares no nativas. Amaranthus blitoides, A. deflexus, Aptenia cordifolia, Argemone ochroleuca, Begonia schmidtiana, Capsella rubella, Cardamine hamiltonii, Centratherum punctatum, Cerastium fontanum subsp. vulgare, Chasmanthe floribunda (ampliamente confundida con C. aethiopica y Crocosmia xcrocosmiiflora en Macaronesia), Chenopodium probstii, Commelina latifolia var. latifolia, Dichondra micrantha, Dysphania anthelmintica, Epilobium ciliatum, Erigeron sumatrensis, Erodium neuradifolium, Eucalyptus globulus, Euphorbia hypericifolia, E. maculata, Gamochaeta antillana, Geranium pyrenaicum, Hedychium coronarium, Hypochaeris radicata, Kalanchoe daigremontiana, K. delagoensis, K. xhoughtonii, Kickxia commutata subsp. graeca, K. spuria subsp. integrifolia, Lactuca viminea subsp. ramosissima, Landoltia punctata, Malvastrum coromandelianum subsp. capitatospicatum, Oenothera jamesii, Orobanche nana, Oxalis latifolia, Papaver hybridum, P. setigerum, Pilea microphylla, Podranea ricasoliana, Polygonum arenastrum, Portulaca granulatostellulata, P. nicaraguensis, P. nitida, P. papillatostellulata, Rumex crispus subsp. crispus, R. pulcher subsp. pulcher, R. xpratensis, Sechium edule, Sida spinosa var. angustifolia, Silene nocturna, Solanum abutiloides, S. alatum, S. decipiens, Sonchus tenerrimus, Spergularia marina, Stellaria pallida, Tragopogon porrifolius subsp. australis, Tribulus terrestris y Trifolium repens subsp. repens son xenófitos naturalizados o (potencialmente) invasores, que se citan por primera vez para las Islas Canarias o para la isla de La Palma. 37 táxones adicionales, probablemente casuales, se dan a conocer por primera vez de las Islas Canarias, y 56 táxones de la isla de La Palma.

The enhancement of health-beneficial omega-3 long⁻chain (≥C20) polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 LC-PUFA) contents in the muscle, liver, heart, and kidney of Australian prime lambs through pasture grazing and supplementation with oil infused pellets was investigated. Forty-eight first-cross prime lambs were randomly assigned into a split-plot design with pasture type as the main plot effect and pellet supplementation as a sub-plot effect in a feeding trial that lasted for nine weeks. The n-3 LC-PUFA content in Longissimus dorsi muscle of all lambs was well above the 30 mg threshold for “omega-3 source„ nutrition claim under the Australian Food Standards and Guidelines. Pasture type impacted the fatty acid contents in muscle, heart, and kidney of prime lambs. Lambs grazing cocksfoot grass only had high 18:3n-3 (ALA) and n-3 LC-PUFA contents (67.1 mg/100 g and 55.2 mg/100 g, respectively) in the Longissimus dorsi muscle, which was not significantly different (p > 0.8990) from the contents of lambs grazing only lucerne. Supplementation of pellets with or without oil infusion to grazing lambs generally decreased the ALA and n-3 LC-PUFA contents and increased the n-6/n-3 ratio in the Longissimus dorsi muscle. The fatty acid content in the internal organs of grazing lambs was also affected by pellet supplementation. The liver and kidney of grazing lambs were both “good sources„ (60 mg/100 g) of omega-3. The cocksfoot grass showed considerable potential for producing healthy, premium quality meat with high contents of n-3 and n-3 LC-PUFA, which may consequently enhance the omega-3 intake of Australian lamb consumers.

The Australian dairy sheep industry is small and mostly based on a natural grass grazing system, which can limit productivity. The current study tested different plant oil-infused and rumen protected polyunsaturated fats and their interactions with sire breeds to improve lactation traits and body condition scores (BCS) of ewes grazing low quality pastures. It was hypothesised that supplementing lactating ewe’s diets with plant-derived polyunsaturated oils would improve milk production and composition without compromising BCS. Sixty ewes (n = 10/treatment) in mid-lactation, balanced by sire breed, parity, milk yield, body condition score, and liveweight, were supplemented with: (1) control: wheat-based pellets without oil inclusion; wheat-based pellets including; (2) canola oil (CO); (3) rice bran oil (RBO); (4) flaxseed oil (FSO); (5); safflower oil (SFO); and (6) rumen protected marine oil containing eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (RPO). Except for the control group, all supplementary diets included the same level of 50 mL/kg DM of oil and all diets were isocaloric and isonitrogenous. Experimental animals were grazed in the same paddock with ad libitum access to pasture, hay, and water during the 10-week study. RPO was the most effective diet that enhanced milk, fat, and protein yields by approximately 30%, 13%, and 31%, respectively (p < 0.0001). A significant increase in milk production was also observed with CO, RBO, and SFO treatments (p < 0.0001). Breed significantly influenced animal performance with higher milk yields recorded for crossbred Awassi × East Friesian (AW × EF) (578 g/day) vs. purebred Awassi (452 g/day) (p < 0.0001). This study provides empirical evidence for the use of rumen-protected and plant-derived oil-infused pellets as supplements under low quality pasture grazing conditions to improve the production performance of purebred Awassi and crossbred AW × EF ewes.