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Research on the use of cannabis rectal suppositories for analgesia is limited. Few trials have evaluated the combined use of mindfulness and cannabis suppositories for anodyspareunia in men who have sex with men (MSM). This preliminary study, including a randomised control trial (RCT) and content analysis, assessed the effectiveness of an online mindful-compassion and cannabis suppository intervention among 52 British MSM (aged 18–50) who predominantly identified as bottoms (recipients of anal sex). Participants were randomly allocated to one of four groups based on whether they were using cannabis suppositories: adjunct cannabis suppository and mindful-compassion (CSMF), cannabis suppository only (CS), mindful compassion only (MF) and care as usual/control (CAU). Assessments measuring mindful compassion, sexual functioning, sexual self-efficacy, well-being, and anodyspareunia levels were completed at weeks 0, 4, and 12. Anodyspareunia levels were lower in the CSMF group compared to the other groups (CS/MF/CAU), p = 0.031. Feedback revealed that participants felt mindful compassion potentiated the effects of cannabis suppositories during sexual intimacy, reducing pain and enhancing sexual self-efficacy, sexual functioning, and well-being. This preliminary study warrants larger-scale investigation to establish the role of cannabis suppositories and mindful compassion in reducing anodyspareunia.

Abstract We investigate an unusual extensive ice-free feature (EIF) within the pack ice that developed in the central Weddell Sea in December 1980 on the edge of the multi-year sea ice off the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. The EIF was first apparent on satellite imagery on 8 December 1980 and expanded until it reached its largest areal extent of ~5.4 × 105 km2 on 26 December. The combined influences of near-record strength ( ~ 15 ms−1) cold winds from the Antarctic continent (transporting sea ice northward and creating an area of thin ice), increased shortwave radiation and net heat flux into the ocean, passage of deep polar storms, and the upwelling of high saline warm water led to the opening of this unique EIF. It is still the largest ice-free feature within the pack ice resembling a polynya observed in the central Weddell Sea during the satellite era, contributing significantly to the 1981 Weddell Sea sea ice extent minimum of 0.793 × 106 km2, the lowest on record. The development mechanism of this EIF was different from the 1970’s Weddell open ocean polynya which occurred within the winter sea ice cover through enhanced ocean convection.

BackgroundEvidence suggests that a ketogenic diet (KD) may help to alleviate psychiatric symptoms, including depression and anxiety. Positive changes have been reported such as improvements in cognition, concentration, and sleep, a reduction in hunger, and an increase in well-being, energy, confidence, and resilience. This research aims to understand the impact of a non-calorie-restricted KD on depression and aspects of psychological well-being in those with varying degrees of depressive symptoms. Though there are a few studies directly exploring the experiences of those following a KD, this will be the first study to explore the narrative from a mental health and psychological well-being viewpoint.MethodA sample of nine participants who had followed a non-calorie restricted KD intervention of 50 g of carbohydrates or less per day for at least 12 weeks were recruited. Participants were split into ‘healthy adults’ group who had no to low depressive symptoms and ‘depressive symptoms’ group who had mild to moderate depressive symptoms. A reflexive thematic analysis was considered suitable for this study.FindingsFive core themes and 24 subthemes were created. These were, (1) Poor health prior to program; (2) Hunger and cravings-the food and mood connection; (3) Psychological well-being improvements; (4) It becomes a lifestyle; and (5) Implementation difficulties. Participants experienced mental health improvements such as increased self-esteem, confidence, motivation, and achievement. Some experienced more control in life and a greater sense of reward. Those with depressive symptoms who initially reported low self-worth and hopelessness later reported increased self-esteem and renewed meaning and purpose in life. The findings from this study reflect the previous reports that the diet implementation can be difficult initially, but soon becomes easy to follow and turns into a lifestyle.ConclusionIn the literature, there are very few qualitative studies that explore the accounts and lived experiences of those following a KD. From the participants’ accounts in this study, it appears that the benefits and positive outcomes of this diet outweigh any negative side-effects experienced. This is encouraging for those who are looking for adjunctive therapies to address and improve their depressive symptoms and overall mental health.

Abstract The 2023 Antarctic sea ice extent (SIE) maximum on 7 September was the lowest annual maximum in the satellite era (16.98 × 106 km2), with the largest contributions to the anomaly coming from the Ross (37.7%, −0.57 × 106 km2) and Weddell (32.9%, −0.49 × 106 km2) Seas. The SIE was low due to anomalously warm (>0.3°C) upper‐ocean temperatures combined with anomalously strong northerly winds impeding the ice advance during the fall and winter. Northerly winds of >12 ms−1 in the Weddell Sea occurred because of negative pressure anomalies over the Antarctic Peninsula, while those in the Ross Sea were associated with extreme blocking episodes off the Ross Ice Shelf. The Ross Sea experienced an unprecedented SIE decrease of −1.08 × 103 km2 d−1 from 1 June till the annual maximum. The passage of quasi‐stationary and explosive polar cyclones contributed to periods of southward ice‐edge shift in both sectors.

Abstract With the capacity to produce and record data electronically, Scientific research and the data associated with it have grown at an unprecedented rate. However, despite a decent amount of data now existing in an electronic form, it is still common for scientific research to be recorded in an unstructured text format with inconsistent context (vocabularies) which vastly reduces the potential for direct intelligent analysis. Research has demonstrated that the use of semantic technologies such as ontologies to structure and enrich scientific data can greatly improve this potential. However, whilst there are many ontologies that can be used for this purpose, there is still a vast quantity of scientific terminology that does not have adequate semantic representation. A key area for expansion identified by the authors was the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) domain due to its high usage across many areas of Pharma. As such we have produced a set of these terms and other bioassay related terms to be incorporated into the BioAssay Ontology (BAO), which was identified as the most relevant ontology for this work. A number of use cases developed by experts in the field were used to demonstrate how these new ontology terms can be used, and to set the scene for the continuation of this work with a look to expanding this work out into further relevant domains. The work done in this paper was part of Phase 1 of the SEED project (Semantically Enriching electronic laboratory notebook (eLN) Data).

Abstract Experimental data are reported for a wind turbine array boundary layer (WTABL) in a model wind farm. An array of 95 model wind turbines consisting of 5 streamwise columns by 19 spanwise rows was studied in a high Reynolds number boundary layer in the Flow Physics Facility (FPF) at the University of New Hampshire. The wind turbine array was constructed of porous disks of 0.25 m diameter, which were drag (thrust) matched to typical offshore wind turbine operating conditions. The turbine spacing was 8 diameters in the streamwise and 4 diameters in the spanwise directions. Spires were used to thicken the boundary layer and achieve a boundary layer thickness on the order of 1 m at the first row of the wind turbine array, which is located 33 m downstream from the test section inlet, thus placing the turbines in the bottom 1/3 of the boundary layer. Velocity profiles were measured with a pitot tube in the center column of the array. To within experimental uncertainty, a fully developed WTABL condition is observed in the mean velocity, for defined inlet conditions and spacings, from row 12 on. The wind turbine array acts as a sparse displaced roughness: it creates an internal layer whose origin (in the wall‐normal direction) remains fixed in space, while the turbulent boundary layer the array was placed in continues to grow. Careful consideration was given to an expanded uncertainty analysis, which elucidates the need for long measurement times in large facilities. Porous disk turbine models are the experimental equivalent of numerical actuator disks; therefore, this publicly available data set is expected to be useful for numerical model validation.

Landfalling atmospheric rivers on the Antarctic Peninsula, which lead to strong surface melting that can cause ice shelf collapse, have been linked to localized deep convection in the central tropical Pacific northeast of Fiji.

Relationships between site factors, soil and foliage nutrients and growth using growth plots established in pure regrowth blackbutt (Eucalyptus pilularis) on the North Coast of NSW were analysed. The plots were located on five different soil parent materials and were part of research into Eucalyptus stand growth dynamics. When all the plots were combined growth (basal area and volume) were related to rainfall, and elevation. Growth was related to soil texture with lower growth on soils high in sand. Growth rate (periodic annual increment) was related to soil nutrients with the highest correlations with soil total phosphorus. The relationships between growth and growth rates and soil parameters differed with soil parent material with texture, soil rooting depth, total phosphorus concentration and exchangeable calcium important factors. The relationships between soil nutrient quantities (kg ha−1) to 40 cm soil depth and volume mean annual increment were analysed, this providing a method to quantitatively related nutrients in biomass or harvesting removals. There was a positive correlation between volume increment and soil nitrogen on soils derived from sands but not on other parent materials where phosphorus and calcium were positively correlated. It was estimated that if the quantity of P and Ca accumulated in stem biomass at age 50 years were removed it would only potentially affect growth by 0.48% on soils derived from sedimentary rocks but by 12% on granitic soils. The information may used to develop an estimate of sensitively to change in site as a result of management practices. Growth was analysed in relation to foliage nutrients and foliage phosphorus was the nutrient most significantly (positively) related to growth with nitrogen and cations positively related but to a lower level of significance. Manganese concentrations were negatively correlated with growth. There is no clear answer to what limits the spatial extent of blackbutt especially at the fertile end of the spectrum, that is, why is it not found on very fertile soils? The question also arises as to whether populations on different soil types, although in close proximity, are different provenances.

Antarctic climate changes prior to 2000 were characterized by a strong zonally asymmetric pattern. Over 90% of the land ice mass loss occurred around a limited area in West Antarctica, accompanied by a rapid surface warming rate about three times the global mean. In contrast, surface warming and glacier mass loss around East Antarctica are not significant, until the decades since 2000 when several individual stations show that the temperature trends might have reversed. The asymmetric climate changes between East- and West-Antarctica are largely attributable to the inter-decadal variabilities over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans through tropical–polar teleconnections, leaving open the question of whether the post-2000 phase shift of the lower-latitude decadal variability causes a flip of the asymmetric Antarctic changes. Here, by synthesizing 26 in-situ observations and 6 reanalysis datasets using a statistical method and integrating the results with a series of climate model experiments, we find that the West-warming, East-cooling trend over Antarctica has systematically reversed in austral spring since the early 21 ^st century, largely due to the atmospheric circulation anomaly over the Antarctic Peninsula–Weddell Sea region, which is associated to the teleconnection with Pacific and atmospheric internal variability. This reversal of the temperature seesaw suggests that substantial decadal-scale fluctuations of the Antarctic climate system exist, including for sea-ice and land-ice systems, superimposed on and modifying longer term changes.

NAD+ is an abundant molecule in the body and vital to all living cells. NAD+ levels decline with age, and this decline correlates with age-related diseases. Therefore, sustaining NAD+ levels offers potential benefits to healthspan and longevity. Here we conducted toxicity studies to evaluate the safety of Restorin® NMN, a high purity form of the direct NAD+ precursor, β-nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN). Based on the preliminary toxicity study and a 14-days repeated dose toxicity study at a higher dose level exposure, Restorin® NMN was administered orally to Sprague-Dawley rats for 91 days followed by a 14-days recovery period. The oral doses of 500, 1,000, and 2000 mg/kg/day were compared. There were no test item-related findings that could be considered adverse events in animals dosed at 500 mg/kg/day. The findings in the Restorin® NMN high dose group (2000 mg/kg/day) were similar to the reference item (Nicotinamide Riboside Chloride) dosed at 1740 mg/kg/day: reduced body weight, reductions in body weight gains, and diminished food consumption. In conclusion, the No-Observed-Adverse-Effect-Level (NOAEL) for Restorin® NMN is 1,000 mg/kg/day in female rats and 500 mg/kg/day in male rats, and the Low-Observed-Adverse-Effect-Level (LOAEL) for Resotrin® NMN is 2000 mg/kg/day.

Boron deficiency is a major cause of loss in productivity and value in East Coast Australian radiata pine plantations. Most forest soils have an adequate supply of boron to support tree growth, but boron deficiencies are not uncommon, and where they exist, tree growth is retarded and stem dieback is frequent. Symptoms of deficiency include dieback and resprouting, often leading to trees with bushy appearance or multiple leadering. In Eastern Australia boron deficiency has been noted on a range of site and environmental conditions, and it is the variability that has made nutritional aspects difficult to study in the field. This paper is a compilation of field studies and surveys related to boron nutrition in radiata pine. The distribution and cycling of boron show a constant increase with increasing age, and in a moderate quality stand there was about 2.1 kg B ha−1 accumulated in above-ground biomass by age 25 years, and, whereas with macronutrients there is a peak in uptake near crown closure, followed by a decline, the boron uptake plateaus from about age 5 years at about 200 g B ha−1 yr−1. There is no evidence of net re-translocation of boron from senescing tissues or in heartwood formation; further, boron increases in concentration as tissues age, with increasing demands throughout the rotation. Boron is primarily taken up from the soil and quantities generally relate to soil parent material however there are significant inputs of boron in rainfall from maritime sources, as shown from rainfall analyses. A large proportion of soil boron is related to organic matter and is released with mineralisation that has a significant effect when conditions are dry and mineralisation low.An extensive data set of over 9,000 samples on foliage boron was used to analyse relationships of stand and site factors to boron foliage levels and develop risk categories for identifying boron deficiency. Foliage analysis is a valuable pool for determining boron status, however it is best used when plantations are at least 3–5 years old, by which time dieback symptoms are often occurring on susceptible sites, hence a system to identify high risk sites at time of planting is required. Required or desirable concentrations of foliage boron have previously been set at, or above, 8–10 mg kg−1 based on presence or absence of symptoms, but analysis of critical levels based on growth indicates a desirable boron concentration is closer to 20 mg kg−1 and relationships with wood quality may mean the figure is greater (probably 30 mg kg−1).Factors analysed in relation to boron concentration included soil parent material (Parent Rock Code or PRC), rainfall, distance from coast, elevation, stand age, rotation, land use prior to plantation establishment and use of boron fertilizer, these all being consistently available for all sites. Differences were found for the non-fertilized sites between PRC and prior land use, and there were declines in boron with change in rotation. For all unfertilized data, and for PRC's individually, the most significant factor was stand age followed by distance from the coast. High risk categories were identified on site factors. Boron deficiency can be alleviated by boron fertilizer application, however results on uptake and length of time of efficacy are variable, depending upon fertilizer composition, fertilizer form and method of application and soil type. Sodium borate is rapidly taken up but has low soil retention, calcium borate and hydroboracite have slow-release rates but longer retention, while sodium-calcium borate has produced the most consistent results, especially in pellet form, as opposed to crushed and sieved rock. Applications are best on a single tree basis immediately after planting, at a rate of 5–7 g B per tree; broadcast applications to young stands have had limited success.

Abstract Litterfall (LF) is the major contributor to aboveground necromass in ecosystems. Litter decomposition or litter decay (LD) then offsets deposition in LF, with the balance of LF and LD determining the standing litter (SL). SL together with fine and coarse woody debris (FWD, CWD) are the largest necromass pools. The interactions of LF, SL, and LD at continental scales reflect carbon and nutrient cycling and other ecosystem processes. We compiled data on leaf, twig (

The substrate-independence theory utilizes sensemaking techniques to provide cognitively based scaffolds that guide and structure learning. Scaffolds are cognitive abstractions of constraints that relate to information within a system. The substrate-independence theory concentrates on the flow of information as the underlying property of the host system. The substrate-independence theory views social systems as complex adaptive systems capable of repurposing their structure to combat external threats by utilizing constructors and substrates. Constructor theory is used to identify potential construction tasks, the legitimate input and output states that are possible, to map the desired change in the substrate’s attributes. Construction tasks can be mapped in advance for ordered and known environments. Construction tasks may also be mapped in either real-time or post hoc for unordered and complex environments using current sensemaking techniques. Mapping of the construction tasks in real-time becomes part of the landscape, and scaffolds are implemented to aid in achieving the desired state or move to a more manageable environment (e.g., from complex to complicated).

Team effectiveness models in the literature are primarily concentrated on traditional teams, with few involving the multiteam system (MTS) level of analysis in the model. Teams achieve their goals by managing both teamwork (e.g., interpersonal, effective, motivational, cognitive) and taskwork (e.g., strategy, goal setting, project management) activities. When MTSs are involved, multiple teams manage their own teamwork and taskwork activities, while leadership must be in place to coordinate these activities within and between teams in order to achieve the organization’s goal (the MTS’s goal). This research study conducted a systematic review of current team effectiveness frameworks and models. A narrative-based method for theorizing was utilized to develop a new MTS team effectiveness framework. This research contributes to the MTS literature by providing a new formula for team effectiveness at both the team level (team effectiveness formula) and the MTS level (MTS team effectiveness formula). This research aids managers, practitioners, and researchers by providing a tool that accounts for all levels and temporal processes.

Understanding the drivers of variability in the composition of fish assemblages across the Indo-Pacific region is crucial to support coral reef ecosystem resilience. Whilst numerous relationships and feedback mechanisms between the functional roles of coral reef fishes and reef benthic composition have been investigated, certain key groups, such as the herbivores, are widely suggested to maintain reefs in a coral-dominated state. Examining links between fishes and reef benthos is complicated by the interactions between natural processes, disturbance events and anthropogenic impacts, particularly fishing pressure. This study examined fish assemblages and associated benthic variables across five atolls within the Chagos Archipelago, where fishing pressure is largely absent, to better understand these relationships. We found high variability in fish assemblages among atolls and sites across the archipelago, especially for key groups such as a suite of grazer-detritivore surgeonfish, and the parrotfishes which varied in density over 40-fold between sites. Differences in fish assemblages were significantly associated with variable levels of both live and recently dead coral cover and rugosity. We suggest these results reflect differing coral recovery trajectories following coral bleaching events and a strong influence of 'bottom-up' control mechanisms on fish assemblages. Species level analyses revealed that Scarus niger, Acanthurus nigrofuscus and Chlorurus strongylocephalos were key species driving differences in fish assemblage structure. Clarifying the trophic roles of herbivorous and detritivorous reef fishes will require species-level studies, which also examine feeding behaviour, to fully understand their contribution in maintaining reef resilience to climate change and fishing impacts.

Increasing concern about the impacts of climate change on ecosystems is prompting ecologists and ecosystem managers to seek reliable projections of physical drivers of change. The use of global climate models in ecology is growing, although drawing ecologically meaningful conclusions can be problematic. The expertise required to access and interpret output from climate and earth system models is hampering progress in utilizing them most effectively to determine the wider implications of climate change. To address this issue, we present a joint approach between climate scientists and ecologists that explores key challenges and opportunities for progress. As an exemplar, our focus is the Southern Ocean, notable for significant change with global implications, and on sea ice, given its crucial role in this dynamic ecosystem. We combined perspectives to evaluate the representation of sea ice in global climate models. With an emphasis on ecologically-relevant criteria (sea ice extent and seasonality) we selected a subset of eight models that reliably reproduce extant sea ice distributions. While the model subset shows a similar mean change to the full ensemble in sea ice extent (approximately 50% decline in winter and 30% decline in summer), there is a marked reduction in the range. This improved the precision of projected future sea ice distributions by approximately one third, and means they are more amenable to ecological interpretation. We conclude that careful multidisciplinary evaluation of climate models, in conjunction with ongoing modeling advances, should form an integral part of utilizing model output.

Developments of future scenarios of Antarctic ecosystems are still in their infancy, whilst predictions of the physical environment are recognized as being of global relevance and corresponding models are under continuous development. However, in the context of environmental change simulations of the future of the Antarctic biosphere are increasingly demanded by decision makers and the public, and are of fundamental scientific interest. This paper briefly reviews existing predictive models applied to Antarctic ecosystems before providing a conceptual framework for the further development of spatially and temporally explicit ecosystem models. The concept suggests how to improve approaches to relating species’ habitat description to the physical environment, for which a case study on sea urchins is presented. In addition, the concept integrates existing and new ideas to consider dynamic components, particularly information on the natural history of key species, from physiological experiments and biomolecular analyses. Thereby, we identify and critically discuss gaps in knowledge and methodological limitations. These refer to process understanding of biological complexity, the need for high spatial resolution oceanographic data from the entire water column, and the use of data from biomolecular analyses in support of such ecological approaches. Our goal is to motivate the research community to contribute data and knowledge to a holistic, Antarctic-specific, macroecological framework. Such a framework will facilitate the integration of theoretical and empirical work in Antarctica, improving our mechanistic understanding of this globally influential ecoregion, and supporting actions to secure this biodiversity hotspot and its ecosystem services.

Cet essai propose une réflexion à caractère historique et comparatif sur la situation économique des personnes âgées, à travers un examen de la composition des revenus sur lesquels elles peuvent compter au terme de leur carrière de travail: protections sociales, pensions privées, salaires, actifs. On assiste à une évolution de la contribution respective de l'État, de l'employeur et de l'individu aux revenus de retraite de ce dernier. À l'avenir, ces revenus proviendront de sources plus diversifiées, même dans les couches de population moins bien nanties, et assureront ainsi une meilleure protection contre les risques associés à la dépendance à l'égard d'une source unique, soumise aux fluctuations des dépenses publiques