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Using two case studies, we highlight preservice teachers' (PSTs) perspectival understanding to consider what experiences, or combinations of experiences, children's literature supports PSTs' journeys in building empathy in their teaching. The notion of "perspectival understanding" guided our examination as we unpacked PSTs' responses to opportunities to engage with multiple perspectives that existed in diverse children's literature. Two individual literacy courses served as the foundation for this analysis. The findings of the first case suggest that PSTs shifted their views on the roles of children's literature, gaining an understanding of how multicultural literature could more equitably represent and support diverse students' learning. In the second case, PSTs' participation in book club discussions of chapter books depicting immigrant children's experiences revealed that they were able to engage in perspective-taking to some extent by focusing on protagonists without considering other supporting characters. Productive future inquiries could include assignment-level, course-level, and semester-level study of teacher education programmatic redesign to center empathy, leading to the development of perspectival understanding, toward children from historically marginalized communities.

Vibroacoustic signals generated by the interaction of moving clinical devices, e.g. an aspiration or biopsy needle, with different tissues creates a distinct signal. These signals can be received via a dedicated audio sensor and subsequently analysed with the potential to provide information about location, tissue characterisation, and event classification. With that it could also be used as an additional and complementary guidance tool particularly for future robotic assisted procedures. In our laboratory research we used different phantoms with animal and artificial tissues, audio pre-processing, and subsequent training and optimisation of a ResNet model with a tissue event detection F1 score of 95.3% when compared to video based annotation tool. This result is very encouraging, as several possible improvements have been identified that will be implemented in the next research steps together with a robot assisted insertion and an automatic video annotation algorithm.

Insect pest species are generally expected to become more destructive with climate change because of factors such as weakened host tree defences during droughts and increased voltinism under rising temperatures; however, responses will vary by species due to a variety of factors, including altered interactions with their natural enemies. Entomopathogens are a substantial source of mortality in insects, but the likelihood of epizootics can depend strongly on climatic conditions. Previous research indicates that rates of infection of the spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) by its host-specific fungal pathogen, Entomophaga maimaiga, increase with environmental moisture and decrease as temperatures rise. High temperatures may have direct and indirect (due to the associated drying) effects on the fungus, but the interactive effects between temperature and moisture level on larval infection are unclear. Here, we test the hypothesis that warmer, drier conditions will decrease rates of infection of spongy moth larvae by E. maimaiga. We evaluated the effects of precipitation and temperature on larval mortality caused by E. maimaiga with a manipulative field experiment, conducted in one of the northernmost and coldest parts of the spongy moth’s non-native range in North America. We caged laboratory-reared spongy moth larvae in experimentally warmed open-air forest plots, exposing the larvae to soil inoculated with E. maimaiga resting spores during two consecutive trials. Caged larvae were exposed to three temperature treatments — ambient, 1.7 °C above ambient and 3.4 °C above ambient — and either supplemental precipitation (+173 mm per trial) or ambient precipitation. Opposite to our hypothesis, there was no significant effect of supplemental precipitation, nor an interaction between precipitation and temperature. There was, however, a significant positive effect of increasing temperature on the number of larvae infected. On average, in each respective trial, larval infection increased by 44% and 50% under the elevated temperature treatments compared to ambient temperature. Experimental warming may have increased infections because ambient temperatures at the field site were suboptimal for fungal germination. The results from this experiment suggest that, in colder portions of the spongy moth’s invasive range, increasing temperatures due to climate change may enhance the ability of E. maimaiga to help control populations of the spongy moth.

Droughts are often long-lasting phenomena, without a distinct start or end and with impacts cascading across sectors and systems, creating long-term legacies. Nevertheless, our current perceptions and management of droughts and their impacts are often event-based, which can limit the effective assessment of drought risks and reduction of drought impacts. Here, we advocate for changing this perspective and viewing drought as a hydrological–ecological–social continuum. We take a systems theory perspective and focus on how “memory” causes feedback and interactions between parts of the interconnected systems at different timescales. We first discuss the characteristics of the drought continuum with a focus on the hydrological, ecological, and social systems separately, and then we study the system of systems. Our analysis is based on a review of the literature and a study of five cases: Chile, the Colorado River basin in the USA, northeast Brazil, Kenya, and the Rhine River basin in northwest Europe. We find that the memories of past dry and wet periods, carried by both bio-physical (e.g. groundwater, vegetation) and social systems (e.g. people, governance), influence how future drought risk manifests. We identify four archetypes of drought dynamics: impact and recovery, slow resilience building, gradual collapse, and high resilience–big shock. The interactions between the hydrological, ecological, and social systems result in systems shifting between these types, which plays out differently in the five case studies. We call for more research on drought preconditions and recovery in different systems, on dynamics cascading between systems and triggering system changes, and on dynamic vulnerability and maladaptation. Additionally, we advocate for more continuous monitoring of drought hazards and impacts, modelling tools that better incorporate memories and adaptation responses, and management strategies that increase societal and institutional memory. This will help us to better deal with the complex hydrological–ecological–social drought continuum and identify effective pathways to adaptation and mitigation.

Contribution: Two toolsets for the remote teaching of radio communication laboratory classes: 1) online simulators for individual work of students and 2) a remote access system to laboratory workstations for group work. Initial assumptions and method of implementation of both tools are presented. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a change in teaching at all levels of education. The specificity of practical classes, such as laboratories, means that the tools used must often be atypical, prepared for a specific type of activity. Intended Outcomes: Hybrid laboratory with tools for remote learning in the form of online simulators and remote access to laboratory workstations, enabling students to achieve the same educational results in the field of radiocommunication as presential classes. Application Design: Online simulators were prepared as Javascript code run in a Web browser as part of a html page, which provide easy integration with various learning platforms and Web servers. The remote access system uses Javascript code for the user interface and a gateway server based on an Apache Web server and FastCGI interface to communicate with C/C++ programs responsible for controlling measuring equipment. Findings: Online simulators have been positively assessed by students during two years of remote learning, but comparison of the grades from remote and presential classes is inconclusive. The obtained grades were comparable in the first year of remote laboratories, but they were worse in the second year than the grades from classroom learning. The system for remote access to the laboratory stands has not yet been evaluated.

The objectives of this study were to investigate whether an increased dietary myo-inositol (MI) supply translates into changes in MI concentrations and endogenous mucosal phosphatase activities in the intestine of laying hens and whether different laying hen strains respond differently to MI supplementation. The diets were corn–soybean meal-based and supplemented without (MI0) or with 1 (MI1), 2 (MI2), or 3 (MI3) g MI/kg feed. Ten hens per strain (Lohmann Brown-classic (LB) and Lohmann LSL-classic (LSL)) and diet were sacrificed at the age of 30 wk following a 4-wk stay in a metabolic unit. The blood plasma, digesta of the duodenum+jejunum and distal ileum, mucosa of the duodenum, and eggs were collected at wk 30. The concentration of MI in the blood plasma was increased by MI supplementation (P < 0.001); however, that of MI3 did not further increase compared with MI2. The concentration of MI in the duodenum+jejunum and ileum increased steadily (P < 0.001). The MI concentration in the duodenum+jejunum was higher in LB than in LSL hens (P = 0.017). The MI concentration in egg yolk was increased by MI supplementation (P < 0.001) and was higher in LB than in LSL hens (P = 0.015). Strain or diet did not affect mucosal phosphatase activity. Myo-inositol flow at the terminal ileum and postileal disappearance increased with each increment in MI supplementation (P < 0.001) and was higher in LB than in LSL hens (P ≤ 0.041). Regression analysis indicated that, on average, 84% of supplemented MI was retained in the body or metabolized and excreted in a different form. Based on the measured MI concentrations in the blood and eggs, dietary MI was not completely absorbed in the small intestine and, to a different extent, in the two laying hen strains. A higher dietary MI supply was followed by higher intestinal absorption or metabolism by microorganisms. The fate of supplemented MI and its relevance to birds warrant further research.

ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to characterize intestinal phytate degradation and mineral utilization by 2 laying hen strains before and after the onset of egg laying using diets without or with a mineral phosphorus (P) supplement. One offspring of 10 roosters per strain (Lohmann Brown-classic [LB] and Lohmann LSL-classic [LSL]) was sacrificed before (wk 19) and after (wk 24) the onset of egg-laying activity and following 4 wk placement in a metabolic unit. Diets were corn-soybean meal-based and without supplemented P (P-) or with 1 g/kg supplemented P (P+) from monocalcium phosphate. In wk 19 and 24, the blood plasma and digesta of duodenum+jejunum and distal ileum were collected. The concentration of P in blood plasma was higher in hens fed P+ than P- (P < 0.001). In duodenum + jejunum and ileum content, the concentrations of InsP6, Ins(1,2,4,5,6)P5 and Ins(1,2,3,4,5)P5 were lower in P- than in P+ (P ≤ 0.009). In duodenum+jejunum, the concentrations of InsP6, Ins(1,2,4,5,6)P5 and Ins(1,2,3,4,5)P5 were lower in wk 24 than 19 and lower in LSL than LB hens (P < 0.001). The concentration of myo-inositol (MI) in duodenum + jejunum content was lower in wk 19 than 24 (P < 0.001). Following a 4-d total excreta collection, the retained amount of P was higher in P+ than P- (P < 0.001). Phosphorus retention was lower in LB hens fed P- than in other treatments (P × strain: P = 0.039). In the jejunal tissue, some genes related to intracellular InsP metabolism were higher expressed in LB than LSL hens. The renunciation of mineral P increased endogenous phytate degradation, but more P was retained with supplemented P. Differences in endogenous phytate degradation between the periods before and after the onset of egg laying might be attributed to different Ca concentrations in intestinal digesta caused by different Ca needs in both periods.

The project of the gravimetric database reambulation from the collections of the Central Geological Archives set itself the goal of ending the era of gravimetric bases dualism and transferring both databases: gravimetric base and archival gravimetric semi-detailed measurements to the modern frame of gravity reference, consistent with ITGRS/F definitions and realizations. This will strengthen the interpretational potential of gravimetric data and will open the possibility of fully integrating Polish gravity data with international databases of this type, and will also allow for the performance of modern works in relation to the modern gravimetric control network, i.e., in relation to the highest possible precision of the reference definition of gravimetric measurements in the country. Whenever the article refers to the units in which the gravity vector is determined, milliGal [mGal] is used, and the relation to the SI system is as follows: 1mGal = 10–5ms–2 or microGal [µGal] where 1µGal = 10–8ms–2.

This study examined the effects of immunocastration and surgical castration on the histomorphometric and transcriptome traits of the porcine skeletal muscle. We hypothesized that the differences in duration of androgen deprivation resulting from different castration methods influence skeletal muscle biology in a muscle-specific manner. This was tested by analyzing samples of m. longissimus dorsi (LD) and m. semispinalis capitis (SSC) from immunocastrated (IC; n = 12), entire male (EM; n = 12), and surgically castrated (SC; n = 12) pigs using enzyme/immunohistochemical classification and histomorphometric analysis of myofibers, quantitative PCR, and RNA sequencing. The results confirmed the distinctive histomorphometric profiles of LD and SSC and the castration method related muscle-specific effects at the histomorphometric and transcriptome levels. Long-term androgen deficiency (surgical castration) significantly reduced the proportion of fast-twitch type IIa myofibers in LD (P < 0.05), whereas short-term androgen deprivation (immunocastration) reduced the cross-sectional area of oxidative type I myofibers in SSC (P < 0.05). At the transcriptional level, glycolytic LD adapted to long- and short-term androgen deprivation by upregulating genes controlling myoblast proliferation and differentiation to maintain fiber size. In contrast, increased protein degradation through the ubiquitin ligase-mediated atrophy pathway (significantly increased TRIM63 and FBXO32 expression; P < 0.05) could underly reduced cross-sectional area of type I myofibers in the oxidative SSC in IC. Potential candidate genes (HK2, ARID5B, SERPINE1, and SCD) linked to specific metabolic profiles and meat quality traits were also identified in IC, providing a foundation for studying the effects of immunocastration on skeletal muscle fiber and carcass/meat quality traits.

Memory B cells (mBCs) are characterized by their long-term stability, fast reactivation, and capability to rapidly differentiate into antibody-secreting cells (ASCs). However, the role of T cells in the differentiation of mBCs, in contrast to naive B cells, remains to be delineated. We study the role of T cells in mBC responses, using CD40L stimulation and autologous T-B co-cultures. Our results showed that increased CD40L levels led to a selective increased proliferation of IgM+ mBC, which did not class-switched, resulting in higher frequencies of IgM+ ASCs and a lower frequency of IgG+ ASCs. The IgG+/IgA+ mBCs were unaffected. We further compared the transcription of immune-related genes in IgM+ and IgG+ pre-plasmablasts cultured at high (500 ng/mL) and low (50 ng/mL) CD40L levels. In response to increased CD40L levels, both populations exhibited a core response to genes related to activation (TRAF1, AKT3, CD69, and CD80). However, they differed in genes related to cytokine/chemokine/homing interactions (CCL3/4/17, LTA, NKX2-3, BCL2 and IL21R) and cell-cell interactions (HLADR, CD40, and ICOSL), which were largely confined to IgG+ cells. Our findings revealed that in co-cultures with a high T-ratio, the response was similar to that found in cultures with high CD40L levels. These results suggest that IgG+ mBCs have a greater capacity for proliferation and T cell interaction, and weaker migration capabilities, leading to a preference for an IgG response over IgM in the short term. This adaptable response could fine-tune the memory repertoire with different functions of IgG versus IgM mBCs.

In this paper, the implementation of the global roots and poles finding algorithm for a complex-valued function of a complex variable on a quantum computer, which allows for solving general nonlinear algebraic equations, is presented. The considered function is sampled with the use of Delaunay’s triangulation on the complex plane and a phase quadrant, in which the value of the function is located, is computed on a classical computer for all of the sampling nodes. Then, if the real and imaginary parts of the function simultaneously change signs for both ends of the same edge in the mesh, then a zero of the function is located in the region around this edge. In order to detect such edges, the mesh is transformed into a one-dimensional array and the required edges, where the sign simultaneously changes for real and imaginary parts of the function, are found with the use of quantum Grover’s algorithm. If the mesh consists of P edges, the computational overhead of this operation, in terms of oracle queries, is equal to $O(\sqrt {P})$ on a quantum computer, instead of $O(P)$ on a classical one. Finally, the existence of function zeros and poles is proved with the use of Cauchy’s argument principle on a classical computer, and the output results are computed, based on the mesh refinement, with the assumed numerical precision of computations. Our method is implemented in Python with the use of the Qiskit software development kit and its applicability is proved by quantum emulations.

Abstract Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) share clinical as well as pathogenic similarities. Although previous studies suggest various abnormalities in different immune cell compartments, dedicated cell-type specific transcriptomic signatures are often masked by patient heterogeneity. Here, we performed transcriptional profiling of isolated CD4, CD8, CD16 and CD19 lymphocytes from pSS and SLE patients upon T cell stimulation, in addition to a steady-state condition directly after blood drawing, in total comprising 581 sequencing samples. T cell stimulation, which induced a pronounced inflammatory response in all four cell types, gave rise to substantial re-modulation of lymphocyte subsets in the two autoimmune diseases compared to healthy controls, far exceeding the transcriptomic differences detected at steady-state. In particular, we detected cell-type and disease-specific down-regulation of a range of pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine pathways. Such differences between SLE and pSS patients are instrumental for selective immune targeting by future therapies.

There is increasing interest in Finland to cultivate maize for silage, although the climatic conditions are in the borderline for maize due to the short and cool growing season. This may result in an immature crop that differs from typical maize for ensiling by having low dry matter (DM) and starch concentrations. We evaluated the preservation characteristics of forage maize during 2019 and 2020 harvested in Helsinki, Finland, at two stages of maturity. The DM concentration of the crops ranged from 230 to 360 g kg-1, and starch concentration from 179 to 283 g kg-1 DM. The crops were ensiled in laboratory scale using four different chemical organic acid based additives or a heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria inoculant. A control silage without additive treatment was also included. All silages were well fermented with low pH (average 3.75) and proportion of ammonia N in total N (average 47 g kg-1). Formic acid based additives restricted silage fermentation and most chemical additives improved the aerobic stability of maize silages compared to the control and inoculant treated silages that, under the conditions of the current study, did not differ from each other.

Previous research demonstrates that integration of science and literacy instruction in primary grades has positive outcomes for students' science and literacy development. However, variations in how science and literacy are enacted suggest integration may not be sufficient to meet the literacy and science needs of all students in an equitable manner. The purpose of this study was to examine two first-grade teachers' science integration during literacy instruction in one high- and one low-income school context within one urban district. Analysis of field notes, transcripts of lessons, and interviews revealed that expectations to integrate science during time set aside for literacy instruction without consideration of contextual factors perpetuated and concealed ongoing inequities in science education for students from the lowest income school. Further, this study adds to evidence from prior studies demonstrating that reading of science-related texts alone, as a substitute for instruction in science as a discipline, does not provide students with the resources needed to learn to think, talk, and act as scientists. Findings from this study require researchers and policy-makers to address the context-specific factors that shape instructional contexts in ways that limit or expand the potential of integrated science--literacy instruction in urban schools.

Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) is increasingly recognized for its potential to modulate cerebral blood flow (CBF) and evoke cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), which are crucial in conditions like mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. This study explores the impact of tES on the neurovascular unit (NVU), employing a physiological modeling approach to simulate the vascular response to electric fields generated by tES. Utilizing the FitzHugh–Nagumo model for neuroelectrical activity, we demonstrate how tES can initiate vascular responses such as vasoconstriction followed by delayed vasodilation in cerebral arterioles, potentially modulated by a combination of local metabolic demands and autonomic regulation (pivotal locus coeruleus). Here, four distinct pathways within the NVU were modeled to reflect the complex interplay between synaptic activity, astrocytic influences, perivascular potassium dynamics, and smooth muscle cell responses. Modal analysis revealed characteristic dynamics of these pathways, suggesting that oscillatory tES may finely tune the vascular tone by modulating the stiffness and elasticity of blood vessel walls, possibly by also impacting endothelial glycocalyx function. The findings underscore the therapeutic potential vis-à-vis blood-brain barrier safety of tES in modulating neurovascular coupling and cognitive function needing the precise modulation of NVU dynamics. This technology review supports the human-in-the-loop integration of tES leveraging digital health technologies for the personalized management of cerebral blood flow, offering new avenues for treating vascular cognitive disorders. Future studies should aim to optimize tES parameters using computational modeling and validate these models in clinical settings, enhancing the understanding of tES in neurovascular health.

Limb salvage procedures can be complicated by large segmental defects. Aggressive tibio-talar debridement or possible talectomy, hardware removal, and revisional surgery often leave a large void. An ideal graft that is mechanically strong, readily available, disease free, capable of maintaining length, and possesses all three biologic properties (osteoinductive, osteoconductive and osteogenic) is difficult to find. 3D printed implants and allografts, such as femoral head, are viable options but may present with pitfalls such as increased cost and risk of nonunion. This case report outlines a novel limb salvage surgical technique for tibiocalcaneal arthrodesis with an ipsilateral fibular strut autograft. The harvested fibula is divided into struts, which are then assembled into a circular configuration and used to fill a large defect. This technique offers an accessible and affordable solution of providing both substantial bone graft to assist in tibiocalcaneal arthrodesis, while also maintaining length.