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Introduction/Aims Methods Results Discussion Fatigue is a common and debilitating symptom encountered in the neuromuscular clinic. The 7‐item Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS‐7) is a Rasch‐modified assessment validated in inflammatory neuropathies but not across a typical neuromuscular patient population. The aim of this study was to validate this measure in neuromuscular disorders and to compare between patient sex, age and diagnoses.The modified FSS‐7 was mailed to patients recruited from a specialist neuromuscular clinic at the Walton Centre. Responses were subjected to Rasch analysis and descriptive statistics were performed on the Rasch converted data.The mFSS‐7 met the Rasch model expectations with an overall Chi‐square probability of 0.4918, a strict unidimensional scale free from differential item functioning (DIF) that satisfied the model with substantial test–retest reliability using Lin's concordance correlation coefficient 0.71 (95% CI 0.63–0.77). A 15.7% ceiling effect was observed in this patient cohort. Post hoc analysis did not show any significant difference in fatigue between sex, age or neuromuscular diagnoses.The self‐completed Rasch mFSS‐7 showed acceptable test–retest reliability across patients with varied disorders under follow‐up in a specialist neuromuscular clinic. The ceiling effect constrains its use for those with the most severe fatigue. Future considerations could include assessment of the benefits of clinical interventions, particularly multidisciplinary team input or dedicated fatigue clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction/Aims Methods Results Discussion Self‐efficacy reflects a person's perceptions of their capabilities for specific tasks and influences motivation and performance. The Unidimensional Self‐Efficacy in Neuromuscular Disorders (USE‐NM) was modified from the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) USE‐MS scale and administered to patients attending a specialist neuromuscular clinic. The aim was to investigate this measure in neuromuscular disorders and to compare between patient sex, age, and diagnosis.The USE‐NM was posted to patients recruited from a specialist neuromuscular clinic at the Walton Centre. Responses were subjected to Rasch analysis using RUMM2030 software and descriptive statistics were performed using SPSS version 28.One hundred and ninety‐eight patients (56.1% male) grouped by age (<50; 50–59; 60–69; and >69 years) and with varied NM disorders returned the USE‐NM. It did not meet the Rasch model expectations due to disordered thresholds of items 6 and 8 (“Sometimes I feel inadequate as a person because of my neuromuscular disorder” and “I feel that my social life would be better if I did not have a neuromuscular disorder”). Following item re‐scoring, the modified USE‐NM satisfied the Rasch model with a unidimensional scale free from differential item functioning and an overall chi‐square probability of 0.146 with good reliability and validity. Post hoc nonparametric testing showed no significant difference in fatigue between sex, age, and neuromuscular diagnoses.The Rasch‐modified USE‐NM offers a measure of self‐efficacy for neuromuscular disorders encountered in a typical specialist clinic. Future considerations could be given to assessing any benefits of multidisciplinary team input, across a specialist neuromuscular service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a screening protocol for making clinical decisions about the fading of protective equipment worn by children with intellectual disability (ID) who injure themselves. The Protective Equipment Screening Protocol includes information sources derived from research publications and is presented in a format conducive to review and completion by treatment teams. An accompanying case report illustrates protocoldriven protective equipment fading procedures implemented with a self-injurious student. Using the screening protocol in a clinical context and research directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If doing good therapy were easy, everyone would be doing life-changing therapy in every moment of every session. But, it's not so easy and, despite most clinicians' best efforts, we aren't all doing our best work all the time. This may be because layered on top of any therapy are innumerable theories, techniques, philosophies, worldviews, and interpersonal dynamics. Here, I present a series of plain-spoken statements about therapy that invite therapists to think about it in an oversimplified way. I believe such an approach can elucidate some simple truths about how to do good therapy that otherwise may sometimes be obfuscated by the aforementioned layers. Because what constitutes good therapy seems to encompass multiple theoretical orientations, I have presented my ideas absent a predominant one. Finally, I have asserted my positions in all-or-nothing terms to instigate reactions and stimulate thought, though it is understood that the truth of these matters is not so certain. Thus, I invite each reader to determine for herself and himself whether my ideas validly correspond with her or his own experiences, or not, and then to take them or leave them, in accordance with this judgment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prunus africana, a widely utilized medicinal plant in various African ethnic communities, continues to hold significant importance in traditional healing practices. Research has identified phytochemical compounds in this plant, exhibiting diverse pharmacological activities that offer potential for pharmaceutical development. Notably, P. africana is employed in treating various ailments such as wounds, diabetes mellitus, malaria, benign prostatic hyperplasia, chest pain, and prostate cancer. Its pharmacological properties are attributed to a spectrum of bioactive compounds, including tannins, saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, phytosterols, and fatty acids. Multiple studies have documented the anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiandrogenic, antiangiogenic, antioxidant, antidipeptidyl peptidase-4 activity, analgesic, and astringent properties of P. africana extracts. This review offers a comprehensive compilation of ethnomedicinal applications, phytochemical composition, pharmacological effects, and toxicity assessments of P. africana, serving as a foundation for future preclinical and clinical investigations. By understanding its traditional uses and chemical constituents, researchers can target specific medical conditions with greater precision, potentially expediting the development of safe and effective pharmaceuticals. Moreover, toxicity assessments provide crucial insights into the safety profile of P. africana extracts, ensuring the development of safe pharmaceuticals to treat various diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering that the U. S. inflation rate peaked in June 2022, there is no evidence that monetary policy had any significant effect on the direction taken by prices. Yet, like premodern physicians committed to the ancient humoral theory of disease, mainstream economists today have shown that they lack the tools to cure the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basaltic fissure eruptions are chiefly characterized by sizable emissions of lava flows and volcanic gases, posing significant hazards. However, such eruptions may be punctuated by explosive episodes, which are comparatively poorly understood but may have important volcanic hazard and environmental implications. The 1730–1736 CE Timanfaya eruption on Lanzarote, Canary Islands, is a large basaltic fissure eruption characterized by a marked temporal–compositional trend from early basanite to late tholeiite lavas, but little is known on its associated pyroclastic deposits and potential environmental repercussions. Here we report field and geochemical data from tephra deposits to reconstruct the temporal evolution of eruptive style and provide constraints on the impact of the Timanfaya eruption. Stratigraphic sections demonstrate the pulsatory nature of explosive activity during the eruption and the wide dispersal of the tephra blanket, for which a minimum bulk volume of ~0.44 km3 is derived. Isopleth data from a basal tephra layer tied to an early, particularly powerful eruption pulse suggest that eruption columns lofted to ≥8 km altitude. We find that nearly all distal tephras are characterized by low SiO2 content and high incompatible trace element concentrations that only match the compositions of tephras sourced from vents active in the eruption’s initial phase. This implies that the most violent explosive activity, responsible for the emplacement of the tephra blanket, was restricted to the first few months of the eruption, after which eruptive style was dominated by lava effusion and mild cone-building Strombolian activity. We argue that explosive activity at Timanfaya was similar to that of the 1783–1784 CE Laki and 2021 Cumbre Vieja eruptions and highlight the explosive potential of mafic volcanism in the Canary Islands. Trace element proxies for volatile elements suggest that early basanitic magmas were particularly rich in CO2, sulfur, and chlorine. We infer that the Timanfaya eruption released 65–388 Tg CO2, 9–23 Tg S, and 2–9 Tg Cl to the atmosphere; however, ice core evidence indicates that little to no sulfur reached Greenland, consistent with tropospheric transport of gas emissions. Some climate proxy records show anomalies that may be related to Timanfaya, but the environmental impact of the eruption beyond Lanzarote remains unclear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cracked Mountain edifice is a basaltic subglacial volcano (i.e. tuya) situated in southwest British Columbia, Canada. The edifice is dominated by subaqueously deposited, massive to poorly stratified, variably palagonitized lapilli tuffs intruded by syn-eruptive dikes and lobes of peperitic pillow-lavas (15–20 vol.%); minor stacks of pillow-lava are found on the margins of the edifice. Here, we present mineralogical, textural, and physical property data for 134 sample cores from the palagonitized volcaniclastic deposits. Our sample suite includes three specific field environments defined by proximity to intrusive heat sources: (i) proximal (< 1 m) deposits (ENV1), (ii) deposits within 1–5 m of intrusions (ENV2), and (iii) deposits far removed (> 5 m) from discernible heat sources (ENV3). The dataset comprises mineralogy and measurements of density, porosity, permeability, P-wave velocity, uniaxial compressive strength, and paleomagnetism. Increased palagonitization is marked by increases in authigenic mineral abundance (smectite and analcime), density, strength, and P-wave velocity and concomitant decreases in porosity and permeability. Paleomagnetic data show a common pole direction recorded by all volcanic deposits indicating volcanism occurred within a single paleomagnetic moment (< 200 years). Palagonitization of the volcaniclastic deposits is driven by heat supplied by syn-eruptive intrusions and is most intense in ENV1, where dikes raised temperatures (> 150 °C) for a prolonged duration (< 1 year), and weakest in ENV3 deposits reheated to lower temperatures (< 150 °C). The timescale of palagonitization was short and coincident with the emplacement and cooling of syn-eruptive intrusions. The mapped intensity of palagonitization and thermal modelling are used to define a ‘palagonite window’ as a function of time and distance from heat sources (i.e. dikes). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable technology and neuroimaging equipment using photoplethysmography (PPG) have become increasingly popularized in recent years. Several investigations deriving pulse rate variability (PRV) from PPG have demonstrated that a slight bias exists compared to concurrent heart rate variability (HRV) estimates. PPG devices commonly sample at ~20–100 Hz, where the minimum sampling frequency to derive valid PRV metrics is unknown. Further, due to different autonomic innervation, it is unknown if PRV metrics are harmonious between the cerebral and peripheral vasculature. Cardiac activity via electrocardiography (ECG) and PPG were obtained concurrently in 54 participants (29 females) in an upright orthostatic position. PPG data were collected at three anatomical locations: left third phalanx, middle cerebral artery, and posterior cerebral artery using a Finapres NOVA device and transcranial Doppler ultrasound. Data were sampled for five minutes at 1000 Hz and downsampled to frequencies ranging from 20 to 500 Hz. HRV (via ECG) and PRV (via PPG) were quantified and compared at 1000 Hz using Bland–Altman plots and coefficient of variation (CoV). A sampling frequency of ~100–200 Hz was required to produce PRV metrics with a bias of less than 2%, while a sampling rate of ~40–50 Hz elicited a bias smaller than 20%. At 1000 Hz, time- and frequency-domain PRV measures were slightly elevated compared to those derived from HRV (mean bias: ~1–8%). In conjunction with previous reports, PRV and HRV were not surrogate biomarkers due to the different nature of the collected waveforms. Nevertheless, PRV estimates displayed greater validity at a lower sampling rate compared to HRV estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I make the empirical argument that most of humankind and much of the academy practices one form of religion and/or spiritual practice. And yet, in public life, secularity is assumed and regularized as rational and life giving. Recent science shows the power of spirituality and religion for human flourishing. And yet, many secularists diminish religion and assume the worst about it without evidence. I argue that cross-cultural religious literacy (CCRL) is and can be an essential tool toward greater public understanding and a more productive dialogue between religionists and secularists in the academy and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article revisits the hope of the First and Fourth Missiological Institute (MI) consultations in 1965 and 1967 regarding the survival of African Spirituality as relevant to the daily life of South African churches. African Spirituality has played a significant role in the cultural context of Africans. In the African context, African Spirituality is intertwined with life, death, and health, which co-exist with material aspects and the economy as gracious gifts from God. The churches in South Africa and elsewhere in Africa have been challenged by the African worldview of healing and culture. Thus, Africans mostly prefer the African-centred church with more African Christianity, instead of Western Christianity. This has been a serious challenge in African church circles for centuries, even in the current 21st century. The question therefore arises whether this is a matter for the Africanisation, indigenisation, and decolonisation of the church in Africa. Contribution: The article analyses the two MI consultations and whether the church in the 21st century has Africanised and decolonised itself in service of its African members. The study is a historical approach given the history of the MI’s contribution in South Africa. The concept of African Spirituality is unpacked and contextualised within the African Independent Churches’ (AIC) Zionist type churches such as the Zion Christian Church (ZCC), the St John’s Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM), and other Ethiopian type churches such as Lutheran Bapedi Church and others in South Africa and African Traditional Religions (ATR). The article engages the importance of how African Spirituality differs from other spiritualities within the context of Christian spirituality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectivesMethodsResultsConclusionClinical ImplicationsThe goal of this study was to develop and evaluate an intervention aimed at increasing cognitive empathy, improving mental health, and reducing inflammation in dementia caregivers, and to examine the relevant neural and psychological mechanisms.Twenty dementia caregivers completed an intervention that involved taking 3–5 daily photographs of their person living with dementia (PLWD) over a period of 10 days and captioning those photos with descriptive text capturing the inner voice of the PLWD. Both before and after the intervention, participants completed questionnaires, provided a blood sample for measures of inflammation, and completed a neuroimaging session to measure their neural response to viewing photographs of their PLWD and others.87% of enrolled caregivers completed the intervention. Caregivers experienced pre- to post-intervention increases in cognitive empathy (i.e. Perspective-Taking) and decreases in both burden and anxiety. These changes were paralleled by an increased neural response to photographs of their PLWD within brain regions implicated in cognitive empathy.These findings warrant a larger replication study that includes a control condition and follows participants to establish the duration of the intervention effects.Cognitive empathy interventions may improve caregiver mental health and are worthy of further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To compare the construct validity and between‐day reliability of projection pursuit regression (PPR) from oscillatory lower body negative pressure (OLBNP) and squat‐stand maneuvers (SSMs). Nineteen participants completed 5 min of OLBNP and SSMs at driven frequencies of 0.05 and 0.10 Hz across two visits. Autoregulatory plateaus were derived at both point‐estimates and across the cardiac cycle. Between‐day reliability was assessed with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), Bland–Altman plots with 95% limits of agreement (LOA), coefficient of variation (CoV), and smallest real differences. Construct validity between OLBNP‐SSMs were quantified with Bland–Altman plots and Cohen's d. The expected autoregulatory curve with positive rising and negative falling slopes were present in only ~23% of the data. The between‐day reliability for the ICCs were poor‐to‐good with the CoV estimates ranging from ~50% to 70%. The 95% LOA were very wide with an average spread of ~450% for OLBNP and ~350% for SSMs. Plateaus were larger from SSMs compared to OLBNPs (moderate‐to‐large effect sizes). The cerebral pressure‐flow relationship is a complex regulatory process, and the "black‐box" nature of this system can make it challenging to quantify. The current data reveals PPR analysis does not always elicit a clear‐cut central plateau with distinctive rising/falling slopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The inability to quickly react to an external event can lead to an increased risk for accidents (e.g., falls, car crashes) in patients with cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to determine whether a novel clinically feasible measure of simple reaction time (SRT) and reaction accuracy (RA)—a go/no‐go task occurring within 400 ms—could differentiate patients with cirrhosis from controls. Methods: This retrospective study included 160 patients with cirrhosis and 160 controls assessed between January 2010 and October 2022. SRT and RA were evaluated using a ruler drop paradigm and compared using propensity score matching. Factors distinguishing patients with cirrhosis from controls were assessed using logistic regression and receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC) analyses. Results: Propensity score matching identified 112 participants in each group with comparable baseline characteristics. As compared with controls, patients with cirrhosis exhibited significantly prolonged SRT (200 vs. 174 ms; P < 0.001) and diminished total RA (63% vs. 73%; P < 0.001). After adjustment for confounding factors, SRT and RA independently identified patients with cirrhosis. ROC analyses showed that SRT more effectively identified patients with cirrhosis than did the number‐connection test/trail‐making test‐B (area under the curve, 0.87 vs. 0.60; P < 0.001). Conclusions: Patients with cirrhosis demonstrated impairments in short‐latency cognitive function. Given that SRT and RA are associated with balance, falls, and response to perturbation, these parameters may present a task‐specific method to identify patients with cirrhosis at high risk of falls and motor vehicle crashes. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 25–31. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satisfying romantic relationships offer numerous social and health benefits, making it critical to understand the trajectory of relationship satisfaction. In recent years, research has begun to examine the role of automatic processes in relationship contexts. In particular, a growing number of studies have incorporated indirect (implicit) measures developed by socio-cognitive researchers to capture people's automatic partner attitudes—the spontaneous affective reactions toward their partner that people may at times be unable to access or unwilling to self-report in more direct (explicit) measures like questionnaires. In this paper, we review work illustrating how automatic partner attitudes can help explain, predict, and promote both the functioning and the well-being of romantic couples. That is, we integrate theoretical perspectives on interdependence, attachment, and attitudes to discuss empirical evidence relative to why automatic partner attitudes differ from self-reported judgments of relationship satisfaction, how such attitudes form in the context of real-world relationship experiences, and under which conditions they affect dyadic interactions in everyday life. Further, we identify important questions that remain unanswered and provide recommendations that may benefit future work on couples and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay examines the role that isolari (books of islands) played in networks of information exchange and diplomacy at the interface of the Venetian and Ottoman Empires, focusing on Tommaso Porcacchi's L'isole più famose del mondo , first published in 1572 and updated in 1576 in response to shifting political realities in the Mediterranean. The book found a key readership among diplomatic travelers, as this essay will show by documenting how one such traveler – Livio Cellini – drew from Porcacchi's isolario directly (without acknowledging his source) in his account of the Venetian diplomatic mission he accompanied to Istanbul in 1582. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nationally, suicide ideation prevalence is comparable among White, American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, and Hispanic adults experiencing alcohol use disorder. This study examines whether such comparability extends to the probability of receiving a suicide ideation diagnosis when presenting with alcohol use disorder at emergency departments. The probability of hospitalization following such diagnosis is examined as well. National Emergency Department Sample (2019) data were used. Logistic and multilevel logistic regression analyses were performed in 2022–2023 with suicide ideation diagnosis and subsequent hospitalization as the outcome variables. Control variables included demographics, payor, alcohol use disorder level, comorbidities, and emergency department facility. Adjusted probabilities were computed. Age-adjusted probabilities of suicide ideation diagnoses for American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, and Hispanic patients with alcohol use disorder were 5.4%, 6.7%, and 4.9% (95% CIs=3.7, 7.1; 6.0, 7.4; 4.4, 5.4), respectively; all less than that for White counterparts (8.7%; 95% CI=8.2, 9.2). Among patients with alcohol use disorder plus suicide ideation diagnoses, the age-adjusted probability of hospitalization for American Indians/Alaska Natives (32.4%; 95% CI=20.9, 44.0) was less than that for Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics (49.8%, 52.3%, and 49.9%; 95% CIs=46.7, 52.8; 47.1, 57.5; and 43.9, 55.8, respectively). In regressions with multiple control variables, the racial/ethnic differences remained statistically significant (p <0.05). Diagnosis of suicide ideation, a key step in emergency department suicide prevention care, occurred significantly less often for patients of color with alcohol use disorder than for White counterparts. American Indians/Alaska Natives, the racial/ethnic group known to have the nation's highest suicide rate, had the lowest probability of being hospitalized after a diagnosis of alcohol use disorder plus suicide ideation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eurhopalothrix floridana, a slow-moving, cryptic leaf-litter ant, is the only species in the Basiceros genus-group (formerly Tribe Basicerotini) found in the continental US. Before 2007, this species was reported solely from Florida. Researchers, however, questioned whether this species was native to Florida or if it was an exotic of undetermined geographic origin. Recent records of E. floridana from natural areas in Cuba (two sites), Dominican Republic (nine sites), and Isla de Mona, Puerto Rico (one site) suggest that E. floridana is probably native to the Greater Antilles. Here, we report new records of E. floridana from Florida and Georgia and consider evidence concerning whether this species is native or exotic to Florida. We compiled 121 earlier Florida site records of E. floridana, primarily in nature preserves, ranging from Key West (24.6°N) to Three Rivers State Park and Fort Clinch State Park (both 30.7°N). In 2012, we collected E. floridana at one site in Georgia: Crooked River State Park (30.8°N), the first record of this species in the state. In 2018–2022, we collected ants through leaf-litter extraction at 461 disturbed sites in Florida and southernmost Georgia (24.6°N–31.0°N), mostly under slash pine and oak trees growing by roadsides and parking lots. We found E. floridana in 69 of 229 leaf-litter extractions north of 28.5°N (including one record from Georgia: Saint Marys, 30.7°N), but in none of the 232 leaf-litter extractions south of 28.5°N. Co-occurrence analyses suggest that non-native ant species may be excluding E. floridana from disturbed sites in South Florida. The recent appearance of widespread E. floridana populations in north-central Florida is currently the strongest evidence that this species is not native to Florida. Genetic analyses are needed to evaluate more conclusively the status of E. floridana in Florida, Georgia, and the Greater Antilles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare is global. The challenges of the "triple aim" – achieving high-quality healthcare, maximal value, and an excellent patient experience and outcomes – are universal. Medical education is similarly global with worldwide efforts towards competency-based reform, the adoption and adaptation of accreditation standards, and the expansion of international collaborations between healthcare organizations (HCOs). The focus of many of these efforts centers around recognizing education as a talent pipeline to serve local and global healthcare needs. Accordingly, many U.S.-based academic medical centres are pursuing an increasingly global footprint by developing international partnerships between HCOs. The educational leadership at the Cleveland Clinic (an HCO that has ventured internationally in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates) has adopted a "systemness" approach to medical education collaboratives. Systemness describes the ability of academic health systems to leverage existing structures, expertise, and other resources to address broadly shared educational needs across geographies, disseminate best practices, and ultimately improve the care that is delivered. The rationale for systemness, a concept derived from the healthcare administration and business world, affords the opportunity to achieve educational outcomes through synergy that exceeds the capability of any single component of a system. In this perspective, we posit a "systemness" taxonomy to be used to assess the performance and success of international collaborations in medical education and provide examples of its application to existing international partnerships in medical education. This framework is grounded in developmental assessment approaches, akin to those used in assessing learner performance, and defines levels of educational collaboration proficiencies, ultimately towards the alignment of these efforts with the health needs of the communities they serve. As global medical education collaboratives advance, ongoing assessment of existing partnerships and further research will be needed to define competencies and integrative activities that define high-performing medical education partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The timing of flowering is central to plant life‐history as it initiates sexual reproduction, thus controlling plant interaction with pollinators and climate factors. A fundamental question is: what are the drivers of flowering time strategy in a species?We assembled mean flowering times for the indigenous dicotyledonous flora of New Zealand (n = 1303 species, including 177 tree species) and used phylogenetic models to determine how climate, plant traits, and evolutionary history (phylogeny) controlled interspecific variation in flowering times across an island flora.Across all species, on average, flowering was 19 days earlier in abiotically pollinated species relative to biotically pollinated species, 23 days earlier in woody species, relative to herbaceous species, 45 days earlier in species with fleshy‐fruits, relative to species with dry fruits and 31 days earlier in gender dimorphic species, relative to cosexual species. Species in warmer and drier climates flowered earlier than those growing under cool, moist climates.When all factors were considered together, the strongest influence on flowering time was sexual system: gender dimorphic species flowered earlier than cosexuals, even after accounting for other factors.Synthesis. We propose that these differences in flowering time arise because of sexual selection for early male flowering and sexual conflict between male and female individuals. As sexual selection and conflict may be stronger in gender dimorphic species than in cosexual species, our study suggests that plant sexual system is an important force structuring the phenology of plant communities, with potential consequences for ecological interactions and ecosystem processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cheakamus basalts are a voluminous (1.65 km3) set of Late Pleistocene, valley-filling lavas erupted from a vent situated near present-day Conflict Lake, in the alpine Callaghan Valley near Whistler, British Columbia. Geochemical and petrographic properties suggest these olivine–plagioclase porphyritic basalt lavas derive from a single batch of magma affected by minor sorting of phenocrysts and xenocrystic plagioclase. Thirty-four sites sampled for paleomagnetic directions record a mean pole direction of 345.2°/73.0° (α95 = 1.3°) and show no statistical variation nor drift with stratigraphic position. These data suggest that the Cheakamus basalt lavas were emplaced in a single paleomagnetic moment—a period of time significantly less than 2000 years. 40Ar/39Ar geochronometry on three lava samples returns a weighted mean age estimate of 15.95 ± 7.9 ka (2σ) and field evidence, including well-glaciated lava flow surfaces overlain by till, indicate the eruption coincided with the early stages of the Fraser glaciation (∼20–18 ka). The lavas preserve features indicative of a landscape hosting diverse and dynamic paleoenvironments. Subaerial eruption of basalt lava filled an ice-free Callaghan Creek drainage system before inundating and damming of the paleo-Cheakamus River creating an upstream rising body of water. Periodic overtopping of the lava dam resulted in syn-eruptive intermittent flooding and overtopping of lavas expressed by discontinuous lenses of interflow sediment. Rare instances of enigmatic cooling columns may also indicate localized ice contact with glaciers that partially filled the Cheakamus Valley. The displacement of the modern Cheakamus River and the long-term damming and formation of Callaghan and Conflict lakes remain direct indicators of the control and impact these basaltic eruptions have had on the geomorphology of the present-day Callaghan and Cheakamus valleys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited data integrating waitlist and postheart transplant (HT) mortality have evaluated outcomes of left ventricular assist device (LVAD)-bridged strategy vs no LVAD according to patient characteristics. We evaluated waitlist and post-HT mortality in LVAD-bridged vs nonbridged patients based on body mass index (BMI). We included linked adults listed for HT in Organ Procurement and Transplant Network/United Network for Organ Sharing and patients receiving durable LVAD as bridge to HT or candidacy in Society of Thoracic Surgeons/Interagency Mechanical Circulatory Support databases (2010–2019). Using BMI at listing or LVAD implant, we categorized patients as underweight (<18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (18.5–24.99 kg/m2), overweight (25–29.99 kg/m2), and obese (≥30 kg/m2). Kaplan–Meier analysis and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models informed the effect of LVAD-bridged and nonbridged strategy by BMI on waitlist, post-HT, and overall mortality (including waitlist and post-HT mortality). Among 11,216 LVAD-bridged and 17,122 nonbridged candidates, bridged candidates were more frequently obese (37.3% vs 28.6%) (p < 0.001). Multivariable analysis indicated increased waitlist mortality in LVAD-bridged vs nonbridged with overweight (Hazard ratio (HR) 1.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–1.36) or obesity (HR 1.35, 95%CI 1.17–1.56) in comparison to normal weight candidates (HR 1.02, 95%CI 0.88–1.19) (p -interaction < 0.001). Post-transplant mortality was not statistically different in LVAD-bridged vs nonbridged patients across BMI categories (p -interaction = 0.26). There was a nonsignificant graded increase in overall mortality in LVAD-bridged with overweight (HR 1.53, 95%CI 1.39–1.68) or obesity (HR 1.61, 95%CI 1.46–1.78) compared to nonbridged patients (p -interaction = 0.13). LVAD-bridged candidates with obesity had higher waitlist mortality compared to nonbridged candidates with obesity. Post-transplant mortality was similar in LVAD-bridged and nonbridged patients, but obesity remained associated with increased mortality in both groups. This study may aid clinicians and advanced heart failure patients with obesity in decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following an unexpected pediatric death, survivors undergo unique trauma. Medical examiners (MEs) evaluate most of these deaths. We evaluated the bereavement support available to survivors in the Chicagoland area following a pediatric death. We had two goals: to characterize the available bereavement support options and compare the locations (by zip code) of support groups with the locations (by zip code) in which pediatric ME cases occurred. We identified 48 organizations that provided bereavement support services at 74 locations in the summer and fall of 2020. Locations by zip codes in which the largest number of ME cases occurred did not have support groups. Locations in which more ME cases occurred generally had lower-income populations and a greater proportion of Black or Hispanic residents. Bereavement support following pediatric death is inadequate and unevenly distributed across the Chicagoland area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumour heterogeneity is increasingly recognized as a major obstacle to therapeutic success across neuro-oncology. Gliomas are characterized by distinct combinations of genetic and epigenetic alterations, resulting in complex interactions across multiple molecular pathways. Predicting disease evolution and prescribing individually optimal treatment requires statistical models complex enough to capture the intricate (epi)genetic structure underpinning oncogenesis. Here, we formalize this task as the inference of distinct patterns of connectivity within hierarchical latent representations of genetic networks. Evaluating multi-institutional clinical, genetic and outcome data from 4023 glioma patients over 14 years, across 12 countries, we employ Bayesian generative stochastic block modelling to reveal a hierarchical network structure of tumour genetics spanning molecularly confirmed glioblastoma, IDH-wildtype; oligodendroglioma, IDH-mutant and 1p/19q codeleted; and astrocytoma, IDH-mutant. Our findings illuminate the complex dependence between features across the genetic landscape of brain tumours and show that generative network models reveal distinct signatures of survival with better prognostic fidelity than current gold standard diagnostic categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rev. James Kelsey McConica, CSB, O.C. (1930-2023) was a highly accomplished scholar and priest. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, an Officer of the Order of Canada, and a Research Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. He was a leading authority in Renaissance humanism and co-founded the Toronto Renaissance and Reformation Colloquium. He also served as President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St. Michael's College and was Chairman of the Editorial Board of the Toronto Collected Works of Erasmus. Father McConica made significant contributions to academia and the Catholic Church throughout his career. [Extracted from the article]

Fungal effector proteins are important in mediating disease infections in agriculturally important crops. These secreted small proteins are known to interact with their respective host receptor binding partners in the host, either inside the cells or in the apoplastic space, depending on the localisation of the effector proteins. Consequently, it is important to understand the interactions between fungal effector proteins and their target host receptor binding partners, particularly since this can be used for the selection of potential plant resistance or susceptibility-related proteins that can be applied to the breeding of new cultivars with disease resistance. In this study, molecular docking simulations were used to characterise protein–protein interactions between effector and plant receptors. Benchmarking was undertaken using available experimental structures of effector–host receptor complexes to optimise simulation parameters, which were then used to predict the structures and mediating interactions of effector proteins with host receptor binding partners that have not yet been characterised experimentally. Rigid docking was applied for both the so-called bound and unbound docking of MAX effectors with plant HMA domain protein partners. All bound complexes used for benchmarking were correctly predicted, with 84% being ranked as the top docking pose using the ZDOCK scoring function. In the case of unbound complexes, a minimum of 95% of known residues were predicted to be part of the interacting interface on the host receptor binding partner, and at least 87% of known residues were predicted to be part of the interacting interface on the effector protein. Hydrophobic interactions were found to dominate the formation of effector–plant protein complexes. An optimised set of docking parameters based on the use of ZDOCK and ZRANK scoring functions were established to enable the prediction of near-native docking poses involving different binding interfaces on plant HMA domain proteins. Whilst this study was limited by the availability of the experimentally determined complexed structures of effectors and host receptor binding partners, we demonstrated the potential of molecular docking simulations to predict the likely interactions between effectors and their respective host receptor binding partners. This computational approach may accelerate the process of the discovery of putative interacting plant partners of effector proteins and contribute to effector-assisted marker discovery, thereby supporting the breeding of disease-resistant crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design of experiments is a branch of applied statistics that deals with the preparation, undertaking, and analysis of experiments used to investigate the effect of parameters or factors on response variables. Under the appropriate assumptions, design of experiments can enable information to be obtained more efficiently than conventional "one factor at a time" approaches. This study shows how design of experiments can be used for product development in agricultural applications, as demonstrated by the optimisation of a grass cutting blade. Particular attention is given to the collection of valid, reliable, and reproducible quantitative and qualitative results, which can be challenging in the field of agricultural engineering due to the influence of variation from the experimental environment. Significant improvement in performance is obtained when compared to a pre-existing product. • Design of experiments applied to multiobjective optimisation of a cutting blade. • Qualitative measures of performance converted to quantitative data to compute variance. • Geometry of upturn and rake angle of the blade most affect cutting performance. • Significant performance improvement is obtained by the optimised cutting blade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shott (2022, American Antiquity 87:794–815) argues that making inferences from ceramic data requires first inferring use lives of vessels—something that is difficult to do. This comment argues that the problem of differential use life becomes more tractable if the assemblage, rather than the vessel, is the unit of analysis. Aside from empirical reasons, theoretical considerations also favor the assemblage as the appropriate unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Canadian Cordillera hosts numerous Pleistocene and Holocene volcanoes and volcanic deposits, including a number of volcanoes that have erupted within the last several hundred years. The nature and composition of volcanic edifices and deposits are diverse and dictated by the complex configuration of tectonic plates along the western margin of British Columbia and the thermal structure of the underlying mantle. Our modern knowledge of these is built upon more than a century of field- and increasingly, laboratory-based studies. We recognize five distinct volcanic domains within the Cordillera that are distributed across British Columbia, the Yukon Territory, and easternmost Alaska. These include the Wrangell Volcanic Belt, the Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province, the Anahim Volcanic Belt, the Wells Grey-Clearwater Volcanic Field, and the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt representing the northern extension of the Cascade Volcanic Arc. Volcanism in the Canadian Cordillera spans the full range of explosive to effusive behaviours, encompasses the suite of common volcanic chemical compositions (alkaline to calc-alkaline and nephelinite to peralkaline rhyolite), and is expressed by long-lived stratovolcanoes, shield volcanoes, and calderas, as well as shorter-lived tephra cones and associated lava flows. The range in tectonic settings (subduction to extension), eruption environments (subaerial–subaqueous–cryospheric), and topographic variability make volcanism within the Canadian Cordillera as diverse as anywhere on Earth, yet it is also the least studied. Here, we summarize the current state of knowledge concerning volcanism within the Canadian Cordillera and conclude with thoughts on research areas that merit further effort, namely glaciovolcanism and volcanic hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Mobile sleep‐monitoring devices for consumer use have been gaining traction as a possible replacement to traditional polysomnography recordings. Such devices potentially offer detailed sleep analysis without requiring the use of designated sleep labs operated by qualified technicians. However, the accuracy of these mobile devices is often not sufficiently evaluated by independent researchers. Here, we compared the performance of two popular mobile electroencephalogram‐based systems, the DREEM 3 headband and the Zmachine Insight+. Both devices can be used by participants with minimal training, and provide detailed sleep scoring previously validated by the respective developers in comparison to the gold‐standard of polysomnography. A total of 25 participants used both devices simultaneously to record their sleep for two consecutive nights while also keeping a sleep log. We compared the devices' performance, both with each other and in relation to the sleep logs, using several well‐known sleep metrics. In addition, we developed a Bayesian lower limit for the devices' expected epoch‐by‐epoch sleep stage agreement based on their previously published agreement with polysomnography, and compared it with our empirical findings. Results suggest that the Zmachine tends to overestimate periods of wakefulness, likely at the expense of N1/N2 detection, whereas the DREEM tends to underestimate wakefulness and mistake it for N1/N2, with both results more pronounced than previously reported. In addition, we found that the agreement between the devices tends to increase from night 1 to night 2. We formulate several recommendations for how best to use these devices based on our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Woodfuel that is unsustainably sourced and inefficiently used results in negative environmental and health impacts. This study assessed charcoal use and resultant concentrations of indoor air pollutants (IAP) in an urban informal settlement while cooking with a Jikokoa stove (an improved branded charcoal stove) and medium and small-sized artisanal Kenya Ceramic Jikos (KCJs). Fuel stacking was prevalent with charcoal and kerosene being used by 25% of the studied households. Cooking with a Jikokoa stove reduced charcoal consumption by 6.4% and 26% compared to small and medium-sized KCJs, respectively. The small-sized KCJ reduced charcoal consumption by 21% compared to the medium-sized KCJ. The Jikokoa stove reduced concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) by 10% and 50% and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) by 6% and 77% compared to small-sized and medium-sized KCJs, respectively. The Jikokoa stove reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations by 15.6% compared to the medium-sized KCJ. The small-sized KCJ reduced CO and PM2.5 concentrations by 45% and 75%, respectively, compared to the medium-sized KCJ. In summary, small-sized KCJs are more effective than medium-sized ones, and Jikokoa stoves more effective than small-sized KCJs, making it the stove of choice. The more efficient charcoal stoves are, the more charcoal consumption and IAP can be reduced, mitigating environmental degradation, climate change and health problems associated with smoke in the kitchen. There is need for participatory research to scale improved stoves and upgrade local practices as they are cheaper and already embedded in the cooking culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Psocids are stored-product pests that are difficult to manage even with the most potent pesticides, including phosphine. Predatory mites, Cheyletus eruditus and Cheyletus malaccensis, are frequently found associated with pestiferous arthropods in storage environments and can be potential natural enemies for use in stored grain integrated pest management (IPM) systems against psocids. This study aimed to provide quantitative data demonstrating the biological control potential of C. eruditus and C. malaccensis for managing the psocid species Liposcelis decolor in laboratory simulated-storage conditions. Prey population suppression (or percentage prey survival—both refer to extent of decrease (change) in prey population) and progeny replacement efficiency of the predators were assessed under different predator–prey ratios (0:20, 1:20, 2:20, 4:20, and 10:20), temperatures (20, 24, 28, and 32 °C), and relative humidities (RH) (63, 75, and 85%) over 40 days under laboratory conditions of 0:24 (L:D) photoperiod. The results showed that C. eruditus and C. malaccensis can prey on L. decolor to survive, establish, and produce significant numbers of offspring (~96.7–844.4% fold) and caused L. decolor population suppression of ~67.1–97.2% for the predator–prey ratios of 1:20, 2:20, 4:20, and 10:20, temperatures of 20, 24, 28, and 32 °C, and RH levels of 63, 75, and 85%. The levels of psocid population suppression achieved indicate the great potential of both predatory mites for psocid management. Predator–prey interactions are linked through trophic relationships, and individual population dynamics are a function of multiple interactions among many ecological factors. The present study considered the efficacy of the predatory mites Cheyletus eruditus (Schrank) (Trombidiformes: Cheyletidae) and Cheyletus malaccensis Oudemans to manage Liposcelis decolor (Pearman) (Psocodea: Liposcelididae). Prey population suppression and progeny replacement efficiency of the predators were assessed under different predator–prey ratios (0:20, 1:20, 2:20, 4:20, and 10:20), temperatures (20, 24, 28, and 32 °C), and relative humidities (RH) (63, 75, and 85%) over 40 days under laboratory conditions of 0:24 (L:D) photoperiod. Suppression of L. decolor population when C. eruditus-related predator-to-prey ratios of 1:20, 2:20, 4:20, and 10:20 were used was ~61.7, 79.7, 85.1, and 87.5%, respectively, relative to the Control ratio (0:20). In the case of C. malaccensis, suppression of 70, 82.1, 92.9, and 96.5%, respectively, was achieved. Although the low 63% RH limited efficacy of these cheyletid mites, both predatory mites caused pest population suppression of ~67.1–97.2% and increased their progeny by ~96.7–844.4% fold for the predator–prey ratios of 1:20, 2:20, 4:20, and 10:20, temperatures of 20, 24, 28, and 32 °C, and RH levels of 63, 75, and 85%. The levels of psocid population suppression achieved indicate the potential of both predatory mites for psocid management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Following graduate medical education duty hour reform, many programs have migrated to a night float model to achieve duty hour compliance. This has led to increased focus on optimizing nighttime education. A 2018 internal program evaluation of the newborn night rotation revealed that most pediatric residents received no feedback and perceived little didactic education during their four-week, night float rotation. One hundred percent of resident respondents were interested in increased feedback, didactics, and procedural opportunities. Our objective was to develop a newborn night curriculum to ensure timely formative feedback, enhance trainee didactic experience, and guide formal education. Materials and Methods A multimodal curriculum was designed to include senior resident-led, case-based scenarios, a pre- and post-test, a pre- and post-confidence assessment, a focused procedure "passport," weekly feedback sessions, and simulation cases. The San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium implemented the curriculum starting from July 2019. Results Thirty-one trainees completed the curriculum in over 15 months. There was a 100% pre- and post-test completion rate. Test scores rose from an average of 69% to 94% (25% increase, P  < .0001) for interns and an average of 84% to 97% (13% increase, P  < .0001) for third-year residents (PGY-3s). When averaged across domains assessed, intern confidence rose by 1.2 points and PGY-3 confidence rose by 0.7 points on a 5-point Likert scale. One hundred percent of trainees utilized the on-the-spot feedback form to initiate at least one in-person feedback session. Conclusions As resident schedules evolve, there is an increased need for focused didactics during the night shift. The results and feedback from this resident-led and multimodal curriculum suggest that it is a valuable tool to improve knowledge and confidence for future pediatricians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new goal-systems model is proposed to help explain when individuals will protect themselves against the risks inherent to social connection. This model assumes that people satisfy the goal to feel included in safe social connections—connections where they are valued and protected rather than at risk of being harmed—by devaluing rejecting friends, trusting in expectancy–consistent relationships, and avoiding infectious strangers. In the hypothesized goal system, frustrating the fundamental goal to feel safe in social connection sensitizes regulatory systems that afford safety from the risk of being interpersonally rejected (i.e., the risk-regulation system), existentially uncertain (i.e., the social-safety system), or physically infected (i.e., the behavioral-immune system). Conversely, fulfilling the fundamental goal to feel safe in social connection desensitizes these self-protective systems. A 3-week experimental daily diary study (N = 555) tested the model hypotheses. We intervened to fulfill the goal to feel safe in social connection by repeatedly conditioning experimental participants to associate their romantic partners with highly positive, approachable words and images. We then tracked how vigilantly experimental versus control participants protected themselves when they encountered social rejection, unexpected behavior, or contagious illness in everyday life. Multilevel analyses revealed that the intervention lessoned self-protective defenses against each of these risks for participants who ordinarily felt most vulnerable to them. The findings provide the first evidence that the fundamental goal to feel safe in social connection can co-opt the risk-regulation, social-safety, and behavioral-immune systems as independent means for its pursuit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radio transient searches using traditional variability metrics struggle to recover sources whose evolution time-scale is significantly longer than the survey cadence. Motivated by the recent observations of slowly evolving radio afterglows at gigahertz frequency, we present the results of a search for radio variables and transients using an alternative matched-filter approach. We designed our matched-filter to recover sources with radio light curves that have a high-significance fit to power-law and smoothly broken power-law functions; light curves following these functions are characteristic of synchrotron transients, including 'orphan' gamma-ray burst afterglows, which were the primary targets of our search. Applying this matched-filter approach to data from Variables and Slow Transients Pilot Survey conducted using the Australian SKA Pathfinder, we produced five candidates in our search. Subsequent Australia Telescope Compact Array observations and analysis revealed that: one is likely a synchrotron transient; one is likely a flaring active galactic nucleus, exhibiting a flat-to-steep spectral transition over 4 months; one is associated with a starburst galaxy, with the radio emission originating from either star formation or an underlying slowly evolving transient; and the remaining two are likely extrinsic variables caused by interstellar scintillation. The synchrotron transient, VAST J175036.1–181454, has a multifrequency light curve, peak spectral luminosity, and volumetric rate that is consistent with both an off-axis afterglow and an off-axis tidal disruption event; interpreted as an off-axis afterglow would imply an average inverse beaming factor |$\langle f^{-1}_{\text{b}} \rangle = 860^{+1980}_{-710}$|⁠ , or equivalently, an average jet opening angle of |$\langle \theta _{\textrm {j}} \rangle = 3^{+4}_{-1}\,$| deg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One new genus and three species of talitrid amphipods are described from New Caledonia: Chroestia amoa sp. nov., Talorchestia spinipalma (Dana, 1852), Thiorchestia caledoniana gen. et sp. nov. Descriptions are accompanied by basic ecological information on beaches where the specimens were collected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five species of Platorchestia Bousfield, 1982, are described and figured from Atlantic Ocean shores (including the Caribbean, Baltic, and Mediterranean seas). Four of these are new to science. All five species had previously been illustrated in the literature but four of them had incorrectly been allocated to either Orchestia platensis Krøyer, 1945 or O. monodi Mateus, Mateus & Afonso, 1986. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six new species of Ampeliscidae are described: Ampelisca capella sp. nov., Ampelisca mingela sp. nov., Byblis pialba sp. nov. and Byblis wadara sp. nov. from the Great Barrier Reef; Ampelisca katoomba sp. nov. from the New South Wales shelf; and Byblis liena sp. nov. from the Queensland slope. Byblisoides esferis J. L. Barnard, 1961 is recorded from southeastern Australia, the first record of the genus in Australia. These bring the number of eastern Australian species to twenty-six. Distributions of three other species are extended northwards into Queensland. A key to all eastern Australian species is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foundational models such as ChatGPT critically depend on vast data scales the internet uniquely enables. This implies exposure to material varying widely in logical sense, factual fidelity, moral value, and even legal status. Whereas data scaling is a technical challenge, soluble with greater computational resource, complex semantic filtering cannot be performed reliably without human intervention: the self-supervision that makes foundational models possible at least in part presupposes the abilities they seek to acquire. This unavoidably introduces the need for large-scale human supervision—not just of training input but also model output—and imbues any model with subjectivity reflecting the beliefs of its creator. The pressure to minimize the cost of the former is in direct conflict with the pressure to maximise the quality of the latter. Moreover, it is unclear how complex semantics, especially in the realm of the moral, could ever be reduced to an objective function any machine could plausibly maximise. We suggest the development of foundational models necessitates urgent innovation in quantitative ethics and outline possible avenues for its realisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The language of the Septuagint is not only a linguistic question: evaluations of the language have been intertwined with presuppositions on the social context of Jews in antiquity, in particular their linguistic competency, educational background, and position within the Graeco-Roman society. Recent work has rehabilitated the position of Jews in ancient society and with it came a renewed quest for understanding the social locus of the language of the Septuagint and related Jewish-Greek writings. In order to appreciate the language of the Septuagint, we need to contextualize it appropriately within the history of Greek, diachronically and synchronically. The dedication of a special issue to the present topic by Journal for the Study of Judaism signals the recognition of the importance of the Septuagint for the wider discipline. In this introduction, the editors lay out recent trends in the field and discuss its challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quercus cerris (Turkey oak) has been categorised as a droughttolerant species because it can survive with rainfall below 400 mm/year, and it usually develops deep and penetrating taproots. This characteristic suggests that Turkey oak is a survival candidate species to the future environment with the predicted climate scenarios in Hungary. Potentially, Turkey oak could support a sustainable supply of timber to the Hungarian wood industry in the future, as the aesthetic value is similar to that of noble oaks. The objectives of the study are to determine 1; the selected micro-level wood properties (wood tissue characteristics) and 2; the selected macrolevel wood properties (tree-ring width, sapwood-heartwood ratio) for Turkey oak from two different sites. The heartwood portion for all trees constituted 67-82% of cross-diameter. The growth-ring width decreased from pith to bark. The annual rings in the sapwood had a width value range of 1000 to 1600 µm; in heartwood 1600 to 2500 µm; in juvenile wood 2400 to 3300 µm. Soil quality and stand composition had a significant effect on growth-ring width. Fibre length ranged from 800.03 to 1305.59 μm, whereas fibre-wall thickness varied between 11.73 and 18.51 μm, with soil quality and species composition having highly significant influence. The earlywood parts of the growth rings had a vessel diameter range of 274.62-401.54 μm, whereas the latewood portion ranged from 46.50 to 190.08 μm. Overall, stand composition was a major source of variation in the properties studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fathers contribute to healthy child development, but there are limited data that provide an in-depth understanding of fathers' perceptions of the challenges and rewards of fatherhood. We recruited 122 fathers from three different ethnic groups living in Atlanta, Georgia to conduct a mixed-methods research study on fathers' perceptions of the challenges and rewards of fatherhood. Challenges included financial responsibilities (56%), sleep-deprivation (47%), work-family conflict (44%), negative changes in their relationship with their partner (43%), and children crying and whining (23%). Ninety seven percent of fathers agreed that having children added meaning to their life when asked. Many indicated that having children infused their life with an invaluable sense of meaning and purpose, and inspired them to become better people. The most common spontaneously mentioned rewards included witnessing developmental milestones (38%), experiencing the child as an extension of oneself (26%), witnessing children's accomplishments (26%), and feeling loved by children (20%). In quantitative analyses, higher selfreported quality of family life was associated with living with children full-time, having fewer children, getting more sleep, having planned the first child, and minimal work-family conflict and financial stress. Finally, fathers reported increases in positive affect and decreases in negative affect over the course of the interviews, suggesting that they benefited psychologically from reflecting on and sharing their experience as fathers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The variational quantum eigensolver is one of the most promising algorithms for near-term quantum computers. It has the potential to solve quantum chemistry problems involving strongly correlated electrons with relatively low-depth circuits, which are otherwise difficult to solve on classical computers. The variational eigenstate is constructed from a number of factorized unitary coupled-cluster terms applied onto an initial (single-reference) state. Current algorithms for applying one of these operators to a quantum state require a number of operations that scale exponentially with the rank of the operator. We exploit a hidden SU(2) symmetry to allow us to employ the linear combination of unitaries approach, Our Prepare subroutine uses n + 2 ancilla qubits for a rank-n operator. Our Select( U ^ ) scheme uses O (n) Cnot gates. This results in a full algorithm that scales like the cube of the rank of the operator n 3 , a significant reduction in complexity for rank five or higher operators. This approach, when combined with other algorithms for lower-rank operators (when compared to the standard implementation), will make the factorized form of the unitary coupled-cluster approach much more efficient to implement on all types of quantum computers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statins represent the cornerstone of pharmacotherapy for the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. These medications not only reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) via inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutarate attached to CoA reductase, the key rate-limiting step in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway, but also upregulate expression of the low-density lipoprotein receptor, improving serum clearance. Given LDL-C is a causal risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis, these complementary mechanisms largely explain why statin therapy leads to reductions in major adverse cardiovascular events. However, decades of basic and clinical research have suggested that statins may exert other effects independent of LDL-C lowering, termed pleiotropic effects, which have become a topic of debate among the scientific community. While some literature suggests statins may improve plaque stability, reduce inflammation and thrombosis, decrease oxidative stress, and improve endothelial function and vascular tone, other studies have suggested potential harmful pleiotropic effects related to increased risk of muscle-related side effects, diabetes, hemorrhagic stroke, and cognitive decline. Furthermore, the introduction of newer, non-statin LDL-C lowering therapies, including ezetimibe, proprotein convertase subtilisin/Kexin Type 9, and bempedoic acid, have challenged the statin pleiotropy theory. This review aims to provide a historical background on the development of statins, explore the mechanistic underpinnings of statin pleiotropy, review the available literature, and provide up to date examples that suggest statins may exert effects outside of LDL-C lowering and the cardiovascular system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agri-food systems approaches have gained international recognition over the last years. The role of livestock—both in mixed crop-livestock and pastoral systems—in sustainable agri-food systems transformation remains contested. In this review paper we present new analyses of original data from an international livestock expert survey, a quantitative search in Web of Science, and a literature review to unravel the potential for livestock systems to sustainably transform agri-food systems through regenerating soils and restoring degraded landscapes. We (i) illustrate how livestock is important for people and planet alike; (ii) review how to harness livestock's potential for rehabilitation of soils and landscapes; (iii) demonstrate successful case studies of livestock solutions such as improved forages for cut-and-carry systems and grazing management; and (iv) identify four critical steps required for lasting change at continental scale. We conclude that livestock solutions can be key catalysts for sustainable agri-food systems transformation that merit accelerated public and private investments. More research is needed to develop concrete, operational and practical livestock solutions, and measure, monitor and report their contributions and progress toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]