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Abstract Expendable Bathythermographs (XBTs) are oceanographic instruments that fall through the ocean's water column and measure ocean temperature with depth. In many instances, however, XBTs continue to record temperature after they impact the seabed. Here we show evidence that XBTs produce unique temperature responses when they impact the seabed that depend directly on seabed physical properties. Specifically, standard‐use XBTs (e.g., T‐4s and T‐5s), when deployed above a mud‐rich seabed, require significant time (tens of minutes) to equilibrate to steady‐state seafloor temperatures after seabed impact. In contrast, XBTs deployed above sand‐rich sediments equilibrate to seabed temperatures rapidly (644k XBT measurements exist publicly (via the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration website), and >74,000 XBTs record temperatures post seabed impact, we suggest that XBT data represents a large, low‐cost, and currently untapped data set for characterizing seabed physical properties globally.

Background Early clinical experience with the Tenzing 7 delivery catheter (T7, Route 92 Medical, San Mateo, CA, USA) demonstrates high success rates for intracranial delivery of large bore aspiration catheters. Its soft, flexible, tapered tip mitigates the “ledge effect” that may cause resistance when navigating neurovascular devices through tortuous internal carotid arteries (ICAs) or other arterial branch origin variants. This study aims to characterize T7 performance across ICAs with varying tortuosities. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed of prospectively collected data from patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with aspiration thrombectomy using T7 between January 2020 and July 2022 at 3 stroke centers. The ICA tortuosity index (TI) was derived from the ratio of actual to straight length measurements from anterior‐posterior and lateral projections during digital subtraction angiography. T7 success is defined as delivering the aspiration catheter to the face of the occlusion. Regression analysis between TI and T7 success was performed. Correlations were calculated between TI, ICA grading, puncture‐to‐reperfusion time, number of passes, and final modified Treatment in Cerebral Infarction score. Significance was P ≤$ \le $ 0.05. Results Of 107 patients meeting inclusion, median age was 69 (interquartile range 60–81) years, and most occlusions were in the M1 segment (73/107; 68.2%). T7 rate of success was 95.3% (102/107), and there was no association between TI and T7 technical success (P = 0.23). Greater TIs and cavernous ICA tortuosity grades were not correlated with worse intraprocedural outcomes (P>0.24). Conclusion In our multicenter experience, T7 performed well even in highly tortuous extracranial vasculature. Successful aspiration catheter delivery and intraprocedural performance were consistent irrespective of ICA tortuosity. Our findings support the use of T7 in aspiration endovascular thrombectomy for acute stroke for patients with tortuous extracranial vasculature.

Objective: Exposure of adipocytes to ‘cool’ temperatures often found in the periphery of the body induces expression of Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase-1 (Scd1), an enzyme that converts saturated fatty acids to monounsaturated fatty acids. The goal of this study is to further investigate the roles of Scd in adipocytes. Method: In this study, we employed Scd1 knockout cells and mouse models, along with pharmacological Scd1 inhibition to dissect the enzyme's function in adipocyte physiology. Results: Our study reveals that production of monounsaturated lipids by Scd1 is necessary for fusion of autophagosomes to lysosomes and that with a Scd1-deficiency, autophagosomes accumulate. In addition, Scd1-deficiency impairs lysosomal and autolysosomal acidification resulting in vacuole accumulation and eventual cell death. Blocking autophagosome formation or supplementation with monounsaturated fatty acids maintains vitality of Scd1-deficient adipocytes. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the indispensable role of Scd1 in adipocyte survival, with its inhibition in vivo triggering autophagy-dependent cell death and its depletion in vivo leading to the loss of bone marrow adipocytes.

Anthropogenic emissions of mercury to the environment are of great concern due to its toxicity. The burning of coal contributes highly to Hg emissions and, as such, much lower effluent discharge limits for Hg in flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) wastewater have recently been proposed in the USA. Lower detection limits are required to meet the most demanding discharge limit of 10 ng L−1. Therefore, in this work, a new analyser for online monitoring of Hg in FGD wastewater based on syringe injections of chemicals combined with gold amalgamation – atomic fluorescence spectrometry has been developed. The instrument has been validated against international standard method ISO 17852, as well as an interference study with extreme levels of salts majorly present in FGD water. Detection limits of 1.8 ng L−1 as well as accurate performance in an on-site field trial indicate that the methodology is fit to meet the new legislation. HIGHLIGHTS LOD of 1.8 ng L−1 and LOQ of 3.7 ng L−1, with possibilities to further reduction by varying sample intake.; Successful analysis carried out on-site with a constantly changing effluent Hg concentration.; Interference study indicates the instrument is robust in high levels of extreme levels of salts present in FGD wastewater.;

Abstract Previous studies have documented natural infections of SARS-CoV-2 in various domestic and wild animals. More recently, studies have been published noting the susceptibility of members of the Cervidae family, and infections in both wild and captive cervid populations. In this study, we investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in mammalian wildlife within the state of Vermont. 739 nasal or throat samples were collected from wildlife throughout the state during the 2021 and 2022 harvest season. Data was collected from red and gray foxes (Vulpes vulples and Urocyon cineroargentus, respectively), fishers (Martes pennati), river otters (Lutra canadensis), coyotes (Canis lantrans), bobcats (Lynx rufus rufus), black bears (Ursus americanus), and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Samples were tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 via quantitative RT-qPCR using the CDC N1/N2 primer set and/or the WHO-E gene primer set. Surprisingly, we initially detected a number of N1 and/or N2 positive samples with high cycle threshold values, though after conducting environmental swabbing of the laboratory and verifying with a second independent primer set (WHO-E) and PCR without reverse transcriptase, we showed that these were false positives due to plasmid contamination from a construct expressing the N gene in the general laboratory environment. Our final results indicate that no sampled wildlife were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, and highlight the importance of physically separate locations for the processing of samples for surveillance and experiments that require the use of plasmid DNA containing the target RNA sequence. These negative findings are surprising, given that most published North America studies have found SARS-CoV-2 within their deer populations. The absence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in populations sampled here may provide insights in to the various environmental and anthropogenic factors that reduce spillover and spread in North American’s wildlife populations.

The adipose-derived hormone leptin acts via its receptor (LepRb) in the brain to control energy balance. A potentially unidentified population of GABAergic hypothalamic LepRb neurons plays key roles in the restraint of food intake and body weight by leptin. To identify markers for candidate populations of LepRb neurons in an unbiased manner, we performed single-nucleus RNA-Seq of enriched mouse hypothalamic LepRb cells, identifying several previously unrecognized populations of hypothalamic LepRb neurons. Many of these populations displayed strong conservation across species, including GABAergic Glp1r-expressing LepRb (LepRbGlp1r) neurons, which expressed more Lepr than other LepRb cell populations. Ablating Lepr from LepRbGlp1r cells provoked hyperphagic obesity without impairing energy expenditure. Similarly, improvements in energy balance caused by Lepr reactivation in GABA neurons of otherwise Lepr-null mice required Lepr expression in GABAergic Glp1r-expressing neurons. Furthermore, restoration of Glp1r expression in LepRbGlp1r neurons in otherwise Glp1r-null mice enabled food intake suppression by the GLP1R agonist, liraglutide. Thus, the conserved GABAergic LepRbGlp1r neuron population plays crucial roles in the suppression of food intake by leptin and GLP1R agonists.

Aspiration catheters are widely used for thrombectomy either alone or in combination with a stent-retriever, with a distal inner diameter and trackability keys to their success. In an illustrative case series, we report our clinical experience with AXS Vecta (Stryker Neurovascular, Fremont, CA, USA), available in both 0.071-inch and 0.074-inch distal inner diameters, including the first 2 Vecta 74 cases reported. A literature review on AXS Vecta is also provided. In our series, 9 thrombectomies were performed (Vecta 71: 2 M1, 5 M2 occlusions; Vecta 74: 1 M1 and 1 ICA-terminus occlusion). The AXS Vecta was successfully delivered to the target site in all cases. In 7 of 9 cases, the catheter was delivered over a Tenzing 7 delivery catheter (Route 92 Medical, San Mateo, CA, USA). For 2 of 9 combination approach cases, Vecta was delivered using the stent-retriever wire as a rail. The median improvement in NIHSS score during hospitalization was 9 (IQR 5–12). Successful mTICI 2C or 3 recanalization was achieved in 8 of 9 (89%) patients after a median 2 (IQR 1–2) passes. Our median groin-to-reperfusion time was 23 (IQR 12.5–32) minutes, with no procedural complications. Two previous clinical studies of a total of 29 patients treated with Vecta 71 reported successful mTICI 2b–3 recanalization in 89–90% of cases. The Median groin-to-reperfusion time was 30 minutes. Complications were seen in 2 of 29 (6.9%) cases (vessel perforation and/or intracerebral hemorrhage). These data support the efficacy, deliverability, and safety of AXS Vecta for mechanical thrombectomy.

The adipose-derived hormone leptin acts via its receptor (LepRb) in the brain to control energy balance. A potentially unidentified population of GABAergic hypothalamic LepRb neurons plays key roles in the restraint of food intake and body weight by leptin. To identify markers for candidate populations of LepRb neurons in an unbiased manner, we performed single-nucleus RNA-Seq of enriched mouse hypothalamic LepRb cells, identifying several previously unrecognized populations of hypothalamic LepRb neurons. Many of these populations displayed strong conservation across species, including GABAergic Glp1r-expressing LepRb ([LepRb.sup.Glp1r]) neurons, which expressed more Leprthan other LepRb cell populations. Ablating Lepr from [LepRb.sup.Glp1r] cells provoked hyperphagic obesity without impairing energy expenditure. Similarly, improvements in energy balance caused by Lepr reactivation in GABA neurons of otherwise Lepr-null mice required Lepr expression in GABAergic Glp1r-expressing neurons. Furthermore, restoration of Glp1r expression in [LepRb.sup.Glp1r] neurons in otherwise Glp1r-null mice enabled food intake suppression by the GLP1R agonist, liraglutide. Thus, the conserved GABAergic [LepRb.sup.Glp1r] neuron population plays crucial roles in the suppression of food intake by leptin and GLP1R agonists., Introduction The ongoing obesity pandemic represents an enormous challenge to human health and longevity (1). Identifying therapeutic targets to combat obesity will require understanding the physiologic systems that modulate feeding [...]

By the end of 2018, 42 years after the landing of the two Viking seismometers on Mars, InSight will deploy onto Mars' surface the SEIS (Seismic Experiment for Internal Structure) instrument; a six-axes seismometer equipped with both a long-period three-axes Very Broad Band (VBB) instrument and a three-axes short-period (SP) instrument. These six sensors will cover a broad range of the seismic bandwidth, from 0.01 Hz to 50 Hz, with possible extension to longer periods. Data will be transmitted in the form of three continuous VBB components at 2 sample per second (sps), an estimation of the short period energy content from the SP at 1 sps and a continuous compound VBB/SP vertical axis at 10 sps. The continuous streams will be augmented by requested event data with sample rates from 20 to 100 sps. SEIS will improve upon the existing resolution of Viking's Mars seismic monitoring by a factor of ∼2500 at 1 Hz and ∼200000 at 0.1 Hz. An additional major improvement is that, contrary to Viking, the seismometers will be deployed via a robotic arm directly onto Mars' surface and will be protected against temperature and wind by highly efficient thermal and wind shielding. Based on existing knowledge of Mars, it is reasonable to infer a moment magnitude detection threshold of Mw∼3 at 40∘ epicentral distance and a potential to detect several tens of quakes and about five impacts per year. In this paper, we first describe the science goals of the experiment and the rationale used to define its requirements. We then provide a detailed description of the hardware, from the sensors to the deployment system and associated performance, including transfer functions of the seismic sensors and temperature sensors. We conclude by describing the experiment ground segment, including data processing services, outreach and education networks and provide a description of the format to be used for future data distribution.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s11214-018-0574-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A laboratory study was performed using the Visible Oxford Space Environment Goniometer in which the broadband (350–1250 nm) bidirectional reflectance distribution functions (BRDFs) of two representative Apollo regolith samples were measured, for two surface roughness profiles, across a range of viewing angles—reflectance: 0–70°, in steps of 5°; incidence: 15°, 30°, 45°, and 60°; and azimuthal: 0°, 45°, 90°, 135°, and 180°. The BRDF datasets were fitted using the Hapke BRDF model to (1) provide a method of comparison to other photometric studies of the lunar regolith and (2) to produce Hapke parameter values which can be used to extrapolate the BRDF to all angles. Importantly, the surface profiles of the samples were characterized using an Alicona 3D® instrument, allowing two of the free parameters within the Hapke model, φ and θ¯, which represent porosity and surface roughness, respectively, to be constrained. The study determined that, for θ¯, the 500–1000 μm size‐scale is the most relevant for the BRDF. Thus, it deduced the following "best fit" Hapke parameters for each of the samples: Apollo 11 rough—w = 0.315 ± 0.021, b = 0.261 ± 0.007, and hS = 0.039 ± 0.005 (with θ¯ = 21.28° and φ = 0.41 ± 0.02); Apollo 11 smooth—w = 0.281 ± 0.028, b = 0.238 ± 0.008, and hS = 0.032 ± 0.006 (with θ¯ = 13.80° and φ = 0.60 ± 0.02); Apollo 16 rough—w = 0.485 ± 0.155, b = 0.155 ± 0.083, and hS = 0.135 ± 0.007 (with θ¯ = 21.69° and φ = 0.55 ± 0.02); Apollo 16 smooth—w = 0.388 ± 0.057, b = 0.063 ± 0.033, and hS = 0.221 ± 0.011 (with θ¯ = 14.27° and φ = 0.40 ± 0.02). Finally, updated hemispheric albedo functions were determined for the samples, which can be used to set laboratory measured visible scattering functions within thermal models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Breastfeeding (BF) has been identified as a protective factor against childhood obesity. However, evidence of the association between BF duration and adiposity remains inconclusive. Few studies have been conducted among Southeast Asian infants that have measured body composition during infancy using the gold standard stable isotope method. This study aimed to evaluate the association between BF duration and body composition during infancy. Healthy full‐term Thai infants aged 6–8 months (n = 60) receiving exclusive or predominant BF for at least 3 months were recruited. Skinfold thickness (SFT) was measured by well‐trained investigators. Body composition was assessed by the deuterium dilution technique. Infants with longer BF duration (>6 months; mean 7.5 ± 0.5 months, n = 29) had a higher subscapular SFT z‐score than those with shorter BF duration (≤6 months; mean 5.3± 0.9 months, n = 31) by 0.48 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.01–0.94). After adjustment for age and sex, BF duration and age at introduction of complementary feeding (CF) were positively associated with fat mass and fat mass index at 6–8 months. One month increase in BF duration and CF age was associated with a 0.37 (95% CI: 0.05, 0.69) kg/m2 and 0.76 (95% CI: 0.18, 1.34) kg/m2 increase in the fat mass index, respectively. After adjusting for infant body mass index (BMI) during the earlier infancy period, the strength of the association was attenuated. This finding may reflect reverse causality where infants with lower BMI received formula or CF earlier. A longitudinal study with follow‐up into childhood is warranted to confirm the effects of BF on adiposity in infancy and childhood.

Many consequences of climate change undermine the stability of global food systems, decreasing food security and diet quality, and exposing vulnerable populations to multiple forms of malnutrition. The emergence of pandemics such as Covid-19 exacerbate the situation and make interactions even more complex. Climate change impacts food systems at different levels, including changes in soil fertility and crop yield, composition, and bioavailability of nutrients in foods, pest resistance, and risk of malnutrition. Sustainable and resilient food systems, coupled with climate-smart agriculture, are needed to ensure sustainable diets that are adequately diverse, nutritious, and better aligned with contextual ecosystem functions and environmental conservation. Robust tools and indicators are urgently needed to measure the reciprocal food systems-climate change interaction, that is further complicated by pandemics, and how it impacts human health.

The covered cup, discovered in 1981 during the salvage excavation of a burial mound in southern Ukraine, is an impressive example of secular metalwork from around 1200. The cup's interior contains a cast silvergilt lion and a hitherto undetected siphon mechanism, making it one of the first preserved automata from Europe and the earliest known Western medieval example of this type of trick vessel. The cup from the Chungul Kurgan helps to clarify the probable operation of the chantepleure illustrated in the sketchbook of Villard de Honnecourt and sheds light on possible other medieval automata. The cup's presence in the same burial with other works from the same approximate date and region suggests historical circumstances that might have resulted in its burial with a nomadic leader in the steppe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New heat flow measurements collected at the Lesser Antilles Arc using a Hybrid Lister‐Outrigger probe and a new logging‐while‐tripping MeBo70 drilling approach provide the first high‐resolution (meter‐to‐cm‐scale) temperature‐depth measurements across the Lesser Antilles volcanic arc and offer new insight into heat and fluid transfer at a convergent oceanic margins. At multiple sites where logging‐while‐tripping MeBo temperature measurements were made, temperature increases linearly with depth in shallowly buried hemipelagic sediment but is isothermal or significantly hotter in deeper, courser‐grained sediments associated with mass flows. We interpret these isothermal zones as regions where advective heat flow—perhaps caused by convection or pressure‐driven advection—dominates. The implication is that apparently conductive heat flow regimes observed in the shallowest upper 5–10 m of hemipelagic sediment across the Lesser Antilles Arc measured using standard lister‐type probes may often unknowingly be influenced by deeper, advective flow along buried mass transport deposits at this site. Since mass transport deposits are ubiquitous on convergent margins, higher permeability mass transport deposits may play a fundamental and previously unrecognized role in fluid and heat transport. Plain Language Summary: How do sediments below the seafloor lose heat and what tools best measure this process? While some studies suggest that heat is exchanged primarily through conduction, other studies suggest advection—or direct movement of heat via fluid flow. One reason this question remains unresolved is that the high resolution temperature measurements required to assess whether conductive versus advective heat flow dominates at a particular site often do not exist. To address this issue, we provide the first meter‐to‐cm‐scale temperature‐depth measurements at the Lesser Antilles‐North American plate boundary. From these measurements, we show that advective heat flow appears to occur primarily in higher permeability landslide deposits. Since such deposits are typical for volcanic islands, advective heat flow may be more common in these settings than previously believed. Key Points: New heat flow measurements at the Lesser Antilles arc show evidence for advection within mass transport depositsAdvective heat flow in mass transport deposits at convergent margins may represent an important, under‐reported, source of heat flowThe MeBo acoustic logging thermistor provides a unique tool for identifying isothermal zones at high (m‐scale) vertical resolution [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expendable Bathythermographs (XBTs) are oceanographic instruments that fall through the ocean's water column and measure ocean temperature with depth. In many instances, however, XBTs continue to record temperature after they impact the seabed. Here we show evidence that XBTs produce unique temperature responses when they impact the seabed that depend directly on seabed physical properties. Specifically, standard‐use XBTs (e.g., T‐4s and T‐5s), when deployed above a mud‐rich seabed, require significant time (tens of minutes) to equilibrate to steady‐state seafloor temperatures after seabed impact. In contrast, XBTs deployed above sand‐rich sediments equilibrate to seabed temperatures rapidly (<5 min) after seafloor impact. One explanation for this difference in temperature response is that XBTs deployed above mud‐rich sediment penetrate into low permeability marine muds that jacket the XBT, where diffusive heat flow dominates. Both observations and numerical modeling results support the hypothesis that XBTs impacting muddy seafloors exhibit slow, diffusion‐dominated heat flow, while XBTs impacting harder, sand‐rich seabed sites exhibit rapid seafloor temperature equilibration, consistent with advection‐driven heat flow and little if any XBT seabed penetration. Given that >644k XBT measurements exist publicly (via the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration website), and >74,000 XBTs record temperatures post seabed impact, we suggest that XBT data represents a large, low‐cost, and currently untapped data set for characterizing seabed physical properties globally. Plain Language Summary: Expendable Bathythermographs (XBTs) are hand‐deployable torpedo‐shaped single‐use thermistors that measure ocean temperature with depth by being dropped from a ship and transmitting temperature values along a thin copper wire that unspools from the XBT as it falls. When the XBT impacts the seabed, it often continues recording temperature, however, researchers focused on ocean temperature‐depth measurements typically ignore these data. Here, we take a first‐look at XBT temperature response after seabed impact for two different seabed settings: (a) a soft muddy seabed where XBTs may penetrate the seafloor, and (b) a hard, sandy seabed where the XBT likely fails to penetrate. We find that XBTs that impact a soft, muddy seabed show significantly slower rates of change in temperature after impact compared to XBTs that impact hard sandy sediment, consistent with numerical modeling temperature predictions for XBTs impacting and penetrating mud but failing to penetrate sand. XBT temperature response after seabed impact may therefore provide a crude but efficient tool for rapidly assessing seabed physical properties (such as seabed hardness). With more than 74,000 publicly available XBT seabed temperature measurements available in every ocean, XBTs may provide a useful tool for roughly characterizing seabed properties globally. Key Points: XBT temperature response after seabed impact varies depending on seabed physical propertiesXBT rates of temperature change after seabed impact are nearly an order of magnitude lower in mud versus sand due to XBT burial in mudXBTs may provide a crude but useful, rapid tool for assessing seabed physical properties globally [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercury exposure constitutes an acute risk to human health and the environment. Driven by the requirement to monitor trace-level mercury, we report a highly sensitive mercury(II) DNA sensor enhanced by silver(I) activation, followed by mercury(II)-specific oligonucleotides (MSO) molecular configuration switch and mercury(II)-modulated FRET. Activating the MSO strands with silver(I), mismatched cytosine–silver(I)–cytosine bridges induce individual MSO strands to fold readily in response to mercury(II) resulting in enhanced fluorescence signal. The structural switches were studied by 2D 1H–1H NOESY and TOCSY NMR spectroscopy, and 260 nm absorbance. The signal decreases with increasing mercury(II) concentration from 100 pM to 0.1 mM. The approach affords outstanding mercury(II) selectivity over other environmentally associated metals. Furthermore, the methodology was deployed for detection of mercury(II) in spiked pond waters with 97.9–100.6% recovery. The simple and feasible format has great potential for developing a cost effective and useful tool for environmental monitoring.