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The 2017–2027 National Academies' Decadal Survey, Thriving on Our Changing Planet, recommended Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) as a “Designated Targeted Observable” (DO). The SBG DO is based on the need for capabilities to acquire global, high spatial resolution, visible to shortwave infrared (VSWIR; 380–2500 nm; ~30 m pixel resolution) hyperspectral (imaging spectroscopy) and multispectral midwave and thermal infrared (MWIR: 3–5 μm; TIR: 8–12 μm; ~60 m pixel resolution) measurements with sub-monthly temporal revisits over terrestrial, freshwater, and coastal marine habitats. To address the various mission design needs, an SBG Algorithms Working Group of multidisciplinary researchers has been formed to review and evaluate the algorithms applicable to the SBG DO across a wide range of Earth science disciplines, including terrestrial and aquatic ecology, atmospheric science, geology, and hydrology. Here, we summarize current state-of-the-practice VSWIR and TIR algorithms that use airborne or orbital spectral imaging observations to address the SBG DO priorities identified by the Decadal Survey: (i) terrestrial vegetation physiology, functional traits, and health; (ii) inland and coastal aquatic ecosystems physiology, functional traits, and health; (iii) snow and ice accumulation, melting, and albedo; (iv) active surface composition (eruptions, landslides, evolving landscapes, hazard risks); (v) effects of changing land use on surface energy, water, momentum, and carbon fluxes; and (vi) managing agriculture, natural habitats, water use/quality, and urban development. We review existing algorithms in the following categories: snow/ice, aquatic environments, geology, and terrestrial vegetation, and summarize the community-state-of-practice in each category. This effort synthesizes the findings of more than 130 scientists.

Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is the preferred surgical procedure for treating symptomatic gallstone (GS) disease. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the outcomes of emergent and elective LC, focusing on complications, conversion rates, duration of surgery (DOS), length of hospital stay, and post-operative pain. Methods: A total of 166 patients who underwent LC surgery at Baqiyatallah Hospital, Tehran, Iran, between 2021 and 2022 were included in the study. Of these, 64 patients underwent emergent LC, and 102 underwent elective LC. The groups were compared for complications, conversion rates, DOS, length of hospital stay, and post-operative pain. Results: The study revealed that while intraoperative complications did not differ significantly between the two groups (P = 0.14), there was a significant difference in the conversion of surgical methods from three to four trocars (P = 0.007). Additionally, more patients in the emergent group required drain insertion during surgery (P = 0.003). Regarding post-operative outcomes, no significant differences were observed between the emergent and elective LC groups in terms of local (P = 0.77) and systemic complications (P = 0.37). However, patients in the elective LC group experienced a significantly shorter post-operative hospital stay (P = 0.002). Pain levels one day (1.02 ± 0.80) and one week (0.14 ± 0.43) after surgery were lower in the elective LC group. Furthermore, patients in the elective group returned to daily activities earlier (3.77 ± 1.21 days). Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate that emergent LC is as safe as elective LC. However, patients undergoing elective LC may benefit from a shorter recovery period and reduced post-operative pain. Overall, LC remains a low-risk and safe option for managing emergent gallstone cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing threats to grassland ecosystems from land-use/land-cover change, disturbances, and invasive species underscore the importance of monitoring grassland plant diversity. While most remote sensing studies have mainly focused on quantifying α-diversity (diversity within communities), less attention has been given to remotely estimating β-diversity (diversity between communities) in naturally-assembled grasslands. In this study, we used remote sensing to map plant β-diversity in a naturally-assembled grassland managed using prescribed fire and grazing in a North American tallgrass prairie ecosystem within the US Southern Great Plains. We aimed to assess the impact of time since fire on the relationship between in situ plant β-diversity and remotely–sensed β-diversity, also known as spectral β-diversity. We collected in situ observations at 60 m × 60 m, 120 m × 120 m, 180 m × 180 m, and 240 m × 240 m plots, alongside airborne and spaceborne DESIS imaging spectroscopy data with spatial resolutions of 1 m and 30 m, respectively. To assess how management practices influenced β-diversity, we grouped our in situ observations into three categories based on time since fire, including recently-burned (burn age <1 year), transitional (burn age of 1–2 years), and unburned (burn age >2 years). Our findings showed that the association between in situ and spectral β-diversity was strongly influenced by time since fire. Excluding plots with high soil cover (≥50%) improved our remote estimation of β-diversity, despite soil exposure effects. Our study demonstrated that remote sensing of β-diversity in grassland ecosystems is influenced by spatial scale, time since fire, and soil exposure, all of which can be addressed with scale-appropriate imaging spectrometry. This study also highlighted the capability of spaceborne imaging spectrometers to estimate β-diversity of grassland ecosystems across large spatial domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and Purpose: Gastric sleeve surgery is an effective intervention for the treatment of severe obesity and associated diseases. Most people with obesity will experience pain in the front of the knee over time. Thus, conducting more studies on the effect of the results of surgery to reduce BMI (Body Mass Index) on anterior knee pain caused by factors such as patellar maltracking and patellar chondromalacia will be useful for better determining appropriate treatment protocols in the future. Therefore, in this study, we will investigate the effect of sleeve surgery. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted as a prospective cohort. The study population includes patients with high BMI who simultaneously had symptoms of anterior knee pain caused by patella chondromalacia, and in the second half of 2011, they referred to Baqiyat Elah Azam Hospital and underwent sleeve surgery. Sampling was done by census. Information such as age, gender, BMI at the time of surgery, comorbidities (rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, preoperative fractures and dislocations) and medications were collected from the patient records and recorded in the relevant checklist. Before the operation and six months after the operation, the patients underwent an examination of the lower limbs and knees in the clinic, and the patients were examined in terms of maltracking of the patella. Chondromalacia patella was also investigated by taking history and clinical examination before surgery and six months after surgery. The range of motion of the knee was measured before the operation and six months after the operation in the clinic using an orthopedic goniometer and reported according to degrees. Before the operation, axial patellar view radiographs were taken from the patients, and six months after the operation, the radiograph was repeated again and reported by a radiologist to investigate the changes related to tilt patella and the effect of surgery on it. Also, in this study, the quality of life of the patients before and six months after the operation was evaluated using a 36-question quality of life questionnaire. Finally, the obtained information was analyzed using SPSS vs. 24 statistical software. Results: 35 patients participated in this study. The average age of the patients was 40.8 years ± 10.14 years. 11 people (31.4%) men, 24 women (68.6%) participated in this study. Only 1 patient (2.9%) had alcohol and smoking. 16 patients (45.7%) had an underlying disease, and 12 patients (34.4%) were taking medication. The average body mass index of the patients before the operation is 39.2 and six months after the operation is 30.7. The study showed that patellar mal-trecking was present in 24 patients (68.6%) before the intervention, and this number was reported in 22 patients (62.9%) after the intervention, and this difference was not significant (p>0.05). Anterior knee pain caused by chondromalacia patella based on the VAS criterion before the intervention is 7.11 ± 0.75 and after the intervention is 5.6 ± 0.69, and we saw a significant decrease in the anterior knee pain score caused by chondromalacia patella in patients after the intervention (p<0.05). The average knee range of motion before the intervention was 102.1 ± 1.26 and after the intervention this value increased by 117.68 ± 2.09 and this increase was statistically significant (p<0.05). Before the intervention, 42.9% of people had tilt patella, and after the intervention, 37.1% of people had tilt patella. Surgical intervention had no effect on the significant reduction of tilt patella (p>0.05). 6 months after the intervention, there was a significant difference in the reduction of the VAS score after the intervention (p<0.05). Conclusion: The result of our study showed that gastric sleeve surgery can reduce anterior knee pain caused by patellar chondromalacia and increase the range of motion of the knee joint and improve the quality of life. It also has a significant effect on patellar maltracking and patellar tilt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) diminish the utility of reservoirs for drinking water supply, irrigation, recreation, and ecosystem service provision. HABs decrease water quality and are a significant health concern in surface water bodies. Near real‐time monitoring of HABs in reservoirs and small water bodies is essential to understand the dynamics of turbidity and HAB formation. This study uses satellite imagery to remotely sense chlorophyll‐a concentrations (chl‐a), phycocyanin concentrations, and turbidity in two reservoirs, the Grand Lake O′ the Cherokees and Hudson Reservoir, OK, USA, to develop a tool for near real‐time monitoring of HABs. Landsat‐8 and Sentinel‐2 imagery from 2013 to 2017 and from 2015 to 2020 were used to train and test three different models that include multiple regression, support vector regression (SVR), and random forest regression (RFR). Performance was assessed by comparing the three models to estimate chl‐a, phycocyanin, and turbidity. The results showed that RFR achieved the best performance, with R2 values of 0.75, 0.82, and 0.79 for chl‐a, turbidity, and phycocyanin, while multiple regression had R2 values of 0.29, 0.51, and 0.46 and SVR had R2 values of 0.58, 0.62, and 0.61 on the testing datasets, respectively. This paper examines the potential of the developed open‐source satellite remote sensing tool for monitoring reservoirs in Oklahoma to assess spatial and temporal variations in surface water quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Chronic non-specific neck pain is the most prevalent neck pain with notable impacts on the quality of life in the elderly. OBJECTIVE: The impacts of the neck, core, and combined stabilization practices on pain, disability, and improvement of the neck range of motion in the elderly with chronic non-specific neck pain were examined. METHOD: A quasi-experimental (open label) study was carried out through a cluster sampling in two phases in Tehran-Iran in 2017. Totally, 102 patients were randomly allocated to three groups of specific neck stabilization, specific core stabilization, and combined practices through envelope method. The intervention took 12 weeks. To measure the severity of pain and neck disability, the visual analog scale (VAS), neck disability index (NDI), and neck pain and disability scale (NPDS) was used. A goniometer was used to measure the range of the motion. To examine data, used SPSS (v.20). RESULT: The results, confirmed a significant decrease in pain over the time in the three therapeutic groups (p = 0.000). In addition, there was a significant difference between neck, core, and combined stabilization groups. Moreover, there was a significant increase in the angle of motion in all treatment groups with different treatment duration (P = 0.000). The highest increase in the angle of motion was after 12 weeks of practice in right lateral flexion (RLF) (p = 0.000). CONCLUSION: Twelve sessions of the neck, core, and combined stabilization practices can alleviate the pain and improve the strength in the elderly with chronic non-specific neck pain. In addition, compared to two other methods, the combined method was a more efficient way to improve the range of motion in patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]