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The Global Forest Fire Emissions Prediction System (GFFEPS) is a model that estimates biomass burning in near-real time for global air quality forecasting. The model uses a bottom-up approach, based on remotely sensed hotspot locations, and global databases linking burned area per hotspot to ecosystem-type classification at a 1 km resolution. Unlike other global fire emissions models, GFFEPS provides dynamic estimates of fuel consumption, fire behaviour and fire growth based on the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System, plant phenology as calculated from daily global weather and burned-area estimates using near-real-time Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) satellite-detected hotspots and historical burned-area statistics. Combining forecasts of daily fire weather and hourly meteorological conditions with a global land classification, GFFEPS produces fuel consumption and emission predictions in 3 h time steps (in contrast to non-dynamic models that use fixed consumption rates and require a collection of burned area to make post-burn estimates of emissions). GFFEPS has been designed for use in operational forecasting applications as well as historical simulations for which data are available. A study was conducted showing GFFEPS predictions through a 6-year period (2015–2020). Regional annual total smoke emissions, burned area and total fuel consumption per unit area as predicted by GFFEPS were generated to assess model performance over multiple years and regions. The model's fuel consumption per unit area results clearly distinguished regions dominated by grassland (Africa) from those dominated by forests (boreal regions) and showed high variability in regions affected by El Niño and deforestation. GFFEPS carbon emissions and burned area were then compared to other global wildfire emissions models, including the Global Fire Assimilation System (GFAS), the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED4.1s) and the Fire INventory from NCAR (FINN 1.5 and 2.5). GFFEPS estimated values lower than GFAS and GFED (80 % and 74 %) and had values similar to FINN 1.5 (97 %). This was largely due to the impact of fuel moisture on consumption rates as captured by the dynamic weather modelling. Model evaluation efforts to date are described – an ongoing effort is underway to further validate the model, with further developments and improvements expected in the future.

Emissions from biomass burning are a significant source of air pollution, which can adversely impact air quality and ecosystems thousands of kilometres downwind. These emissions can be estimated by a bottom-up approach that relies on fuel consumed and standardized emission factors. Emissions are also commonly derived with a top-down approach, using satellite-observed fire radiative power (FRP) as a proxy for fuel consumption. Biomass burning emissions can also be estimated directly from satellite trace gas observations, including carbon monoxide (CO). Here, we explore the potential of satellite-derived CO emission rates from biomass burning and provide new insights into the understanding of satellite-derived fire CO emissions globally, with respect to differences in regions and vegetation type. Specifically, we use the TROPOMI (Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument) high-spatial-resolution satellite datasets to derive burning CO emissions directly for individual fires between 2019 and 2021 globally. Using synthetic data (with known emissions), we show that the direct emission estimate methodology has a 34 % uncertainty for deriving CO emissions (and a total uncertainty of 44 % including wind and CO column uncertainty). From the TROPOMI-derived CO emissions, we derive biome-specific emission coefficients (emissions relative to FRP) by combining the direct emission estimates and the satellite-observed FRP from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS). These emission coefficients are used to establish annual top-down CO emission inventories from biomass burning, showing that Southern Hemisphere Africa has the highest CO biomass burning emissions (over 25 % of global total of 300–390 Mt(CO) yr−1 between 2003–2021), and almost 25 % of global CO biomass burning emissions are from broadleaved evergreen tree fires. A comprehensive comparison between direct estimates, top-down and bottom-up approaches, provides insight into the strengths and weaknesses of each method: FINN2.5 has higher CO emissions, by a factor between 2 and 5, than all other inventories assessed in this study. Trends over the past 2 decades are examined for different regions around the globe, showing that global CO biomass burning emissions have, on the whole, decreased (by 5.1 to 8.7 Mt(CO) yr−1), where some regions experience increased and others decreased emissions.

SUMMARY: Intestinal Salmonella colonization of chickens represents one of the most important food safety hazards. Mitigating this problem is challenging since Salmonella is a commensal in poultry. In this study, we assessed the ability of proprietary zinc-amino acid and manganese-amino acid complexes to reduce Salmonella colonization and shedding in commercial broilers receiving such trace minerals in the finisher diet. Broilers were orally challenged with Salmonella Typhimurium on 5 occasions between d 1 and d 20 of age. After confirming that the chicks were shedding Salmonella in the feces on d 22, broiler chicks were fed a standard diet containing: proprietary zinc-amino acid complexes; proprietary zinc- plus manganese-amino acids complexes; ZnSO4 + MnSO4; ZnSO4; or no additional supplements. Fecal samples were obtained on 4 occasions and were subjected to enumeration of Salmonella. Birds were euthanized on d 42 and ceca were removed for enumeration of Salmonella. Salmonella fecal shedding and cecal colonization were significantly decreased in broilers fed Zn-amino acid complexes, when compared to broilers fed Control diets. Feed efficiency and body weight gain were greater in broilers fed proprietary Zn-amino acid complexes or proprietary Zn- plus Mn-amino acids complexes compared to birds fed the Control or ZnSO4 + MnSO4 diets. Furthermore, real-time quantitative RT-PCR-based studies revealed enhanced expression of various cytokines, chemokines, tight junction proteins, and beta-defensins in birds fed the higher dose of the Zn-amino acid complexes. Thus, it appears that the Zn- and Mn-amino acid complexes reduce Salmonella carriage and improve feed efficiency possibly by optimizing the innate immune response to Salmonella and by improving gastrointestinal epithelial barrier.

Knowledge of microparticle geometry is essential for accurate calculation of ice core volume-related dust metrics (mass, flux, and particle size distributions) and subsequent paleoclimate interpretations, yet particle shape data remain sparse in Antarctica. Here we present 41 discrete particle shape measurements, volume calculations, and calibrated continuous particle time series spanning 50–16 ka from the South Pole Ice Core (SPC14) to assess particle shape characteristics and variability. We used FlowCAM, a dynamic particle imaging instrument, to measure aspect ratios (width divided by length) of microparticles. We then compared those results to Coulter counter measurements on the same set of samples as well as high-resolution laser-based (Abakus) data collected from SPC14 during continuous flow analysis. The 41 discrete samples were collected during three periods of millennial-scale climate variability: Heinrich Stadial 1 (18–16 ka, n=6; ∼250 years per sample), the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) (27–18 ka, n=19; ∼460 years per sample), and during both Heinrich Stadial 4 (42–36 ka, n=8; ∼620 years per sample) and Heinrich Stadial 5 (50–46 ka, n=8; ∼440 years per sample). Using FlowCAM measurements, we calculated different particle size distributions (PSDs) for spherical and ellipsoidal volume estimates. Our calculated volumes were then compared to published Abakus calibration techniques. We found that Abakus-derived PSDs calculated assuming ellipsoidal, rather than spherical, particle shapes provide a more accurate representation of PSDs measured by Coulter counter, reducing Abakus to Coulter counter flux and mass ratios from 1.82 (spherical assumption) to 0.79 and 1.20 (ellipsoidal assumptions; 1 being a perfect match). Coarser particles (>5.0 µm diameter) show greater variation in measured aspect ratios than finer particles ( µm). While fine particle volumes can be accurately estimated using the spherical assumption, applying the same assumption to coarse particles has a large effect on inferred particle volumes. Temporally, coarse and fine particle aspect ratios do not significantly change within or among the three time periods (p value >0.05), suggesting that long-range transport of dust is likely dominated by clay minerals and other elongated minerals.

Abstract Objective To identify sociodemographic factors and health conditions associated with self-rated wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults. Participants were recruited via investigator networks and an online panel provider with an established nationwide panel of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults. Those interested were invited to complete a survey that included an assessment of wellbeing using a visual analogue scale. Data was collected from October–November 2019 and August–September 2020. Exploratory analyses were conducted to ascertain factors associated with self-rated wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults. Results Having more than enough money to last until next pay day, full-time employment, completion of grade 12, having a partner, and living with others were significantly associated with higher wellbeing among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults. A self-reported history of depression, anxiety, other mental health conditions, heart disease, or disability were associated with lower self-rated wellbeing scores. Our findings indicate a need for further investigation among these socioeconomic and patient groups to identify how to improve and support the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults.

We first validate the performance of the Portable Optical Particle Spectrometer (POPS), a small light-weight and high sensitivity optical particle counter, against a reference scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) for a month-long deployment in an environment dominated by biomass burning aerosols. Subsequently, we examine any biases introduced by operating the POPS on a quadcopter drone, a DJI Matrice 200 V2. We report the root mean square difference (RMSD) and mean absolute difference (MAD) in particle number concentrations (PNCs) when mounted on the UAV and operating on the ground and when hovering at 10 m. When wind speeds are low (less than 2.6 m s−1), we find only modest differences in the RMSDs and MADs of 5 % and 3 % when operating at 10 m altitude. When wind speeds are between 2.6 and 7.7 m s−1 the RMSDs and MADs increase to 26.2 % and 19.1 %, respectively, when operating at 10 m altitude. No statistical difference in PNCs was detected when operating on the UAV in either ascent or descent. We also find size distributions of aerosols in the accumulation mode (defined by diameter, d, where 0.1 ≤ d ≤ 1 µm) are relatively consistent between measurements at the surface and measurements at 10 m altitude, while differences in the coarse mode (here defined by d > 1 µm) are universally larger. Our results suggest that the impact of the UAV rotors on the POPS PNCs are small at low wind speeds, but when operating under a higher wind speed of up to 7.6 m s−1, larger discrepancies occur. In addition, it appears that the POPS measures sub-micron aerosol particles more accurately than super-micron aerosol particles when airborne on the UAV. These measurements lay the foundations for determining the magnitude of potential errors that might be introduced into measured aerosol particle size distributions and concentrations owing to the turbulence created by the rotors on the UAV.

The influence of both anthropogenic and forest-fire emissions, and their subsequent chemical and physical processing, on the accuracy of weather and air-quality forecasts, was studied using a high-resolution, online coupled air-quality model. Simulations were carried out for the period 4 July through 5 August 2019, at 2.5 km horizontal grid cell size, over a 2250×3425 km2 domain covering western Canada and USA, prior to the use of the forecast system as part of the FIREX-AQ ensemble forecast. Several large forest fires took place in the Canadian portion of the domain during the study period. A feature of the implementation was the incorporation of a new online version of the Canadian Forest Fire Emissions Prediction System (CFFEPSv4.0). This inclusion of thermodynamic forest-fire plume-rise calculations directly into the online air-quality model allowed us to simulate the interactions between forest-fire plume development and weather. Incorporating feedbacks resulted in weather forecast performance that exceeded or matched the no-feedback forecast, at greater than 90 % confidence, at most times and heights in the atmosphere. The feedback forecast outperformed the feedback forecast at 35 out of 48 statistical evaluation scores, for PM2.5, NO2, and O3. Relative to the climatological cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and aerosol optical properties used in the no-feedback simulations, the online coupled model's aerosol indirect and direct effects were shown to result in feedback loops characterized by decreased surface temperatures in regions affected by forest-fire plumes, decreases in stability within the smoke plume, increases in stability further aloft, and increased lower troposphere cloud droplet and raindrop number densities. The aerosol direct and indirect effect reduced oceanic cloud droplet number densities and increased oceanic raindrop number densities, relative to the no-feedback climatological simulation. The aerosol direct and indirect effects were responsible for changes to the near-surface PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations at greater than the 90 % confidence level near the forest fires, with O3 changes remaining below the 90 % confidence level. The simulations show that incorporating aerosol direct and indirect effect feedbacks can significantly improve the accuracy of weather and air-quality forecasts and that forest-fire plume-rise calculations within an online coupled model change the predicted fire plume dispersion and emissions, the latter through changing the meteorology driving fire intensity and fuel consumption.

Field-measured soil respiration (RS, the soil-to-atmosphere CO2 flux) observations were compiled into a global soil respiration database (SRDB) a decade ago, a resource that has been widely used by the biogeochemistry community to advance our understanding of RS dynamics. Novel carbon cycle science questions require updated and augmented global information with better interoperability among datasets. Here, we restructured and updated the global RS database to version SRDB-V5. The updated version has all previous fields revised for consistency and simplicity, and it has several new fields to include ancillary information (e.g., RS measurement time, collar insertion depth, collar area). The new SRDB-V5 includes published papers through 2017 (800 independent studies), where total observations increased from 6633 in SRDB-V4 to 10 366 in SRDB-V5. The SRDB-V5 features more RS data published in the Russian and Chinese scientific literature and has an improved global spatio-temporal coverage and improved global climate space representation. We also restructured the database so that it has stronger interoperability with other datasets related to carbon cycle science. For instance, linking SRDB-V5 with an hourly timescale global soil respiration database (HGRsD) and a community database for continuous soil respiration (COSORE) enables researchers to explore new questions. The updated SRDB-V5 aims to be a data framework for the scientific community to share seasonal to annual field RS measurements, and it provides opportunities for the biogeochemistry community to better understand the spatial and temporal variability in RS, its components, and the overall carbon cycle. The database can be downloaded at https://github.com/bpbond/srdb and will be made available in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Distributed Active Archive Center (ORNL DAAC). All data and code to reproduce the results in this study can be found at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3876443 (Jian and Bond-Lamberty, 2020).

Abstract Background The UK mental health system is stretched to breaking point. Individuals presenting with mental health problems wait longer at the ED than those presenting with physical concerns and finding a bed when needed is difficult – 91% of psychiatric wards are operating at above the recommended occupancy rate. To address the pressure, a new type of facility – psychiatric decision units (also known as mental health decision units) – have been introduced in some areas. These are short-stay facilities, available upon referral, targeted to help individuals who may be able to avoid an inpatient admission or lengthy ED visit. To advance knowledge about the effectiveness of this service for this purpose, we will examine the effect of the service on the mental health crisis care pathway over a 4-year time period; the 2 years proceeding and following the introduction of the service. We use aggregate service level data of key indicators of the performance of this pathway. Methods Data from four mental health Trusts in England will be analysed using an interrupted time series (ITS) design with the primary outcomes of the rate of (i) ED psychiatric presentations and (ii) voluntary admissions to mental health wards. This will be supplemented with a synthetic control study with the same primary outcomes, in which a comparable control group is generated for each outcome using a donor pool of suitable National Health Service Trusts in England. The methods are well suited to an evaluation of an intervention at a service delivery level targeting population-level health outcome and the randomisation or ‘trialability’ of the intervention is limited. The synthetic control study controls for national trends over time, increasing our confidence in the results. The study has been designed and will be carried out with the involvement of service users and carers. Discussion This will be the first formal evaluation of psychiatric decision units in England. The analysis will provide estimates of the effect of the decision units on a number of important service use indicators, providing much-needed information for those designing service pathways. Trial registration primary registry: isrctn.com Identifying number: ISRCTN77588384 Link: Date of registration in primary registry: 27/02/2020. Primary sponsor St George’s, University of London, Cramner Road, Tooting, SW17 ORE. Primary contact: Joe Montebello.

(1) Molinia caerulea occurs in peatland vegetation communities. However, under certain environmental and management conditions it may overwhelm the typical peatland vegetation, compromising ecosystem services including carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration and storage. Improved understanding of the effects of M. caerulea on CO2 fluxes in peatland ecosystems will better inform landscape management. (2) Photosynthesis at a PPFD of 600 μmol m 2 s-1 (PG600), ecosystem respiration and partitioned (heterotrophic and autotrophic) below-ground respiration were calculated from closed-chamber measurements collected over the 2012–2014 growing seasons within two drained M. caerulea dominated peatland catchments in Exmoor National Park, southwest England. (3) All CO2 fluxes peaked in mid-summer, in association with increased soil temperature and vegetation growth. During wetter periods, below-ground autotrophic respiration and PG600 significantly decreased (p = 0.028 and p = 0.002), conversely heterotrophic respiration increased insignificantly (p = 0.081). An empirically derived net ecosystem exchange model estimated the growing season of 2012 to have been a smaller CO2 sink in carbon equivalents ( 126 ± 243 g m 2) than subsequent growing seasons ( 146 ± 310 and 234 ± 325 g m-2) due to lower photosynthetic rates during a cool, wet summer (2012). (4) Management aimed at preserving the carbon store and increasing carbon sequestration through raising water tables may reduce photosynthesis and increase heterotrophic respiration unless the dominance of M. caerulea is reduced and Sphagnum spp. cover increased.

Abstract Background Traditional and complementary medicines (T&CM) are any form of medicine, practice, treatment, product, technology, knowledge system or ceremony outside of conventional medical practice that aims to prevent and/or treat illness and/or promote well-being. Alongside conventional cancer treatments, T&CM usage is increasing; with 19% of indigenous Australians with cancer reporting using T&CM. There is limited evidence surrounding T&CM use and disclosure by indigenous patients. Our aim was to explore healthcare providers’ views about usage, disclosure/non-disclosure of T&CM by Indigenous cancer patients. Methods Semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 18 healthcare providers, including three indigenous providers, at a large urban hospital providing care to Indigenous cancer patients were conducted to explore providers’ experiences and attitudes towards T&CM use by Indigenous cancer patients. An interpretive phenomenological approach was used to thematically analyse the data. Results Analysis revealed six themes: concern about risk; no ‘real’ benefits; perception of T&CM and conventional medicine as antithetical; barriers to disclosure; ‘patients’ choice’ a double-edged sword; and providers’ lack of knowledge about T&CM. Healthcare providers perceived discord between T&CM and conventional medicine. Most lacked knowledge of T&CM, and had concerns around negative-interactions with conventional treatments. They considered T&CM outside their role, citing this as reasoning for their lack of knowledge. Indigenous healthcare providers had greater understanding and openness towards T&CM. Conclusions Given the potential usage of T&CM by Indigenous cancer patients, providers need a more comprehensive understanding of T&CM in order to inform discussion and facilitate effective disclosure on this topic. If indigenous Australians with cancer feel that cancer care providers are unreceptive to discussing T&CM, patient care risks being compromised; particularly given the potential for negative interactions between T&CM and conventional cancer treatments. Fostering health care interactions where indigenous patients feel comfortable to discuss T&CM usage should be a priority for all cancer care services.

Biomass burning activities can produce large quantities of smoke and result in adverse air quality conditions in regional environments. In Canada, the Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) operational FireWork (v1.0) air quality forecast system incorporates near-real-time biomass burning emissions to forecast smoke plumes from fire events. The system is based on the ECCC operational Regional Air Quality Deterministic Prediction System (RAQDPS) augmented with near-real-time wildfire emissions using inputs from the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS). Recent improvements to the representation of fire behaviour and fire emissions have been incorporated into the CFS Canadian Forest Fire Emissions Prediction System (CFFEPS) v2.03. This is a bottom-up system linked to CWFIS in which hourly changes in biomass fuel consumption are parameterized with hourly forecasted meteorology at fire locations. CFFEPS has now also been connected to FireWork. In addition, a plume-rise parameterization based on fire-energy thermodynamics is used to define the smoke injection height and the distribution of emissions within a model vertical column. The new system, FireWork v2.0 (FireWork–CFFEPS), has been evaluated over North America for July–September 2017 and June–August 2018, which are both periods when western Canada experienced historical levels of fire activity with poor air quality conditions in several cities as well as other fires affecting northern Canada and Ontario. Forecast results were evaluated against hourly surface measurements for the three pollutant species used to calculate the Canadian Air Quality Health Index (AQHI), namely PM2.5, O3, and NO2, and benchmarked against the operational FireWork v1.0 system (FireWork-Ops). This comparison shows improved forecast performance and predictive skills for the FireWork–CFFEPS system. Modelled fire-plume injection heights from CFFEPS based on fire-energy thermodynamics show higher plume injection heights and larger variability. The changes in predicted fire emissions and injection height reduced the consistent over-predictions of PM2.5 and O3 seen in FireWork-Ops. On the other hand, there were minimal fire emission contributions to surface NO2, and results from FireWork–CFFEPS do not degrade NO2 forecast skill compared to the RAQDPS. Model performance statistics are slightly better for Canada than for the US, with lower errors and biases. The new system is still unable to capture the hourly variability of the observed values for PM2.5, but it captured the observed hourly variability for O3 concentration adequately. FireWork–CFFEPS also improves upon FireWork-Ops categorical scores for forecasting the occurrence of elevated air pollutant concentrations in terms of false alarm ratio (FAR) and critical success index (CSI).

Abstract Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is recognised as a global public health problem, more prevalent in older persons and associated with multiple co-morbidities. Diabetes mellitus and hypertension are common aetiologies for CKD, but IgA glomerulonephritis, membranous glomerulonephritis, lupus nephritis and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease are also common causes of CKD. Main body Conventional biomarkers for CKD involving the use of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) derived from four variables (serum creatinine, age, gender and ethnicity) are recommended by clinical guidelines for the evaluation, classification, and stratification of CKD. However, these clinical biomarkers present some limitations, especially for early stages of CKD, elderly individuals, extreme body mass index values (serum creatinine), or are influenced by inflammation, steroid treatment and thyroid dysfunction (serum cystatin C). There is therefore a need to identify additional non-invasive biomarkers that are useful in clinical practice to help improve CKD diagnosis, inform prognosis and guide therapeutic management. Conclusion CKD is a multifactorial disease with associated genetic and environmental risk factors. Hence, many studies have employed genetic, epigenetic and transcriptomic approaches to identify biomarkers for kidney disease. In this review, we have summarised the most important studies in humans investigating genomic biomarkers for CKD in the last decade. Several genes, including UMOD, SHROOM3 and ELMO1 have been strongly associated with renal diseases, and some of their traits, such as eGFR and serum creatinine. The role of epigenetic and transcriptomic biomarkers in CKD and related diseases is still unclear. The combination of multiple biomarkers into classifiers, including genomic, and/or epigenomic, may give a more complete picture of kidney diseases.

A field project was conducted to observe and measure smoke plumes from wildland fires in Alberta. This study used handheld inclinometer measurements and photos taken at lookout towers in the province. Observations of 222 plumes were collected from 21 lookout towers over a 6-year period from 2010 to 2015. Observers reported the equilibrium and maximum plume heights based on the plumes' final levelling heights and the maximum lofting heights, respectively. Observations were tabulated at the end of each year and matched to reported fires. Fire sizes at assessment times and forest fuel types were reported by the province. Fire weather conditions were obtained from the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS). Assessed fire sizes were adjusted to the appropriate size at plume observation time using elliptical fire-growth projections. Though a logical method to collect plume observations in principle, many unanticipated issues were uncovered as the project developed. Instrument limitations and environmental conditions presented challenges to the investigators, whereas human error and the subjectivity of observations affected data quality. Despite these problems, the data set showed that responses to fire behaviour conditions were consistent with the physical processes leading to plume rise. The Alberta smoke plume observation study data can be found on the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System datamart (Natural Resources Canada, 2018) at http://cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/datamart.

Multiple myeloma is a malignancy of plasma cells in the blood. Here, the authors establish the landscape of fusion genes within this disease, identifying novel recurrent fusion genes that impact survival and may drive disease progression.

Therapies for cancer have traditionally been assessed with metrics such as the response rate, hazard ratio, or median survival. Such metrics have value in measuring the outcomes of conventional therapies, but may not be the most appropriate for new therapies. Immuno-oncology therapies offer a new approach to treating cancer by stimulating patients' immune systems to fight cancer. The value of these novel therapies has so far been assessed with traditional metrics, but the different ways in which immuno-oncology therapies work can mean the full value is not captured. Immuno-oncology therapies can produce longer survival times but this effect can be delayed or even preceded by an apparent phase of progression, which median survival or response rates may not reflect. This paper discusses a range of traditional and alternative metrics and their benefits or disadvantages in measuring the effects of immuno-oncology therapies, using examples of several novel drugs as case studies.

Resolving the spatial and temporal dynamics of gross primary productivity (GPP) of terrestrial ecosystems across different scales remains a challenge. Remote sensing is regarded as the solution to upscale point observations conducted at the ecosystem level, using the eddy covariance (EC) technique, to the landscape and global levels. In addition to traditional vegetation indices, the photochemical reflectance index (PRI) and the emission of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF), now measurable from space, provide a new range of opportunities to monitor the global carbon cycle using remote sensing. However, the scale mismatch between EC observations and the much coarser satellite-derived data complicate the integration of the two sources of data. The solution is to establish a network of in situ spectral measurements that can act as a bridge between EC measurements and remote-sensing data. In situ spectral measurements have already been conducted for many years at EC sites, but using variable instrumentation, setups, and measurement standards. In Europe in particular, in situ spectral measurements remain highly heterogeneous. The goal of EUROSPEC Cost Action ES0930 was to promote the development of common measuring protocols and new instruments towards establishing best practices and standardization of these measurements. In this review we describe the background and main tradeoffs of in situ spectral measurements, review the main results of EUROSPEC Cost Action, and discuss the future challenges and opportunities of in situ spectral measurements for improved estimation of local and global estimates of GPP over terrestrial ecosystems.

This study tracks local vegetation change in West Cornwall (South West England) within regional context, using historic herbarium (pre-1900) and recent vegetation records (post-1900). The focus centres on species lost from the region over the past century. For this study we used a collection of herbarium records published in 1909 (Davey’s “Flora of Cornwall”) and contemporary records from the “New Atlas of British and Irish Flora” downloaded from the National Biodiversity Network (NBN), online database. Both data sets were spatially analysed using ArcGIS in order to detect local scale species loss. Our results showed that species loss was highest in the south (11 plant species), compared to the loss from middle areas (6 plant species) and in the northern area (8 plant species) of West Cornwall. Results on species change at the local scale were different to the changes that are happening at the national scale. Loss from West Cornwall was detected for two plant species, Mountain Melick (Melica nutans) and Field Eryngo (Eryngium campestare). These key results amplify the importance of local scale research and conservation in order to protect ecosystems functioning, genetic diversity, ecosystem services and regional identity.

Schools are well-placed to offer support to young people who self-harm. However, research shows that pupils who disclose self-harm behaviour to school staff are often faced with negative reactions and unhelpful responses. There is a clear need for an increased level of knowledge and understanding for staff to respond more appropriately. This study explored the expectations of young people and the needs of staff when responding to self-harm. Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine young people and 11 school staff. Interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three key themes were identified: (1) Lack of knowledge and confidence to appropriately respond to self-harm (2) Systemic barriers and facilitators to help-seeking in schools and (3) Positive relationships facilitate help-seeking. Young people and staff believe there is an unmet need for training to help staff confidently address self-harm. Future research should involve stakeholders to develop interventions to improve the school response to self-harm.

This paper reports on a systematic literature review to understand better methodologies and data collection tools used to judge student teaching effectiveness, ways in which validity and reliability are considered, the processes involved in assessing new teaching effectiveness within teacher education programmes, and how evaluation and results are used to judge readiness to teach. The accurate and consistent judgement of teaching competence during and at completion of preparation continues to be an area of increasing interest and concern. The PRISMA review process identified 45 key papers. An in-depth analysis underscored several crucial factors, such as the challenge of ensuring the reliability of judgements within dynamic educational environments and the need for broader understanding and applications of reliability and dependability when making judgements. The findings of this systematic literature review hold implications that merit consideration by teacher education programmes for processes to judge teaching effectiveness. The analysis also highlighted the intricacies inherent in evaluating teaching effectiveness, alongside ongoing discourse regarding the criteria and measures for judging competence of student teachers.

This article offers recommendations for online graduate students, instructors, and universities to better meet the needs of students with disabilities who increasingly participate in online courses. Using semi-structured interviews, researchers asked what recommendations participants from respective disability categories have for supporting them in their pursuit of a graduate education in an online environment. Thirteen graduate participants represented five disability classifications including learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, psychological disorders, chronic health impairments, or visual impairments. Interview transcripts were analyzed to identify disability-specific recommendations through constant comparison of individual data sets. Recommendations for students, instructors, and universities focused on instructor-student communication and relationships, online course design, and a changing and active role of institutional support services. The collaborative efforts of all are emphasized.

Objective Western diet is associated with chronic disease risk, and degree of dietary acculturation can impact susceptibility. This study sought to understand the factors associated with changes in food consumption habits among international students at a large public university in the southern US. Participants A convenience sample of 173 international students representing 41 countries at The University of Georgia participated in the survey. Methods This cross-sectional online survey assessed dietary habits, perception of healthy eating, and level of acculturation using previously validated measures. Results Highest number of participants were from China (19.2%), 89.0% were graduate students with an average age of 27.5 ± 4.83 years. The majority (62.0%) of participants were dietary acculturated with affordability and accessibility determining types of food consumption, as fewer whole foods and more processed foods were consumed in the U.S. Conclusions Findings suggest dietary acculturation may be driven by economic factors, making the transition to Westernized food items a convenient and cost-effective choice among international students.

Remote sensing technologies such as terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and light detection and ranging (LIDAR) can now provide accurate spatial data for describing topographic patterns in landscapes and mapping the fine geometric detail of complex structures. Interdisciplinary studies using such data for characterising heritage sites are now widespread, but it is less common for data derived from these technologies to be used in an operational setting to 'engage' local people with the idea of future change. Three- dimensional landscape models using TLS and LIDAR are a powerful way of communicating climate change to lay audiences on a local level and the use of multi-scale spatial data can help to show the anticipated impacts of climate change at heritage sites. The aim of this paper is to present the results of a project designed to produce a photorealistic geospatial model of the historic quayside at Cotehele Quay, Cornwall, UK. Our central aim was to generate a spatially accurate and visually realistic three-dimensional model of the site for use in local engagement strategies. TLS and LIDAR data were collected and processed to produce a three-dimensional model. The key image processing stages included: registration to a national co-ordinate system, meshing using 3D reshaper and visualisation creation in 3DS Max. The resulting model will permit spatial consideration of the impact of management strategies at the site. The over-arching application of this method beyond the study site will provide a platform for discussion that addresses the needs of site managers and the expectations of local communities.

Two methods have been described to recover oocytes from equine follicles in excised ovaries: aspiration and scraping. Aim of this work was to develop an effective method for collecting equine oocytes using Tuohy needle and comparing this technique to aspiration and scraping, with or without tunica albuginea removal. This hollow hypodermic needle, usually employed for inserting epidural catheters, is designed with a slightly curved tip, shaped similar to a small curette. In unpeeled ovaries, the recovery rates of Tuohy needle group was higher (𝑃

The mechanical response of connections in fire is largely based on material strength degradation and the interactions between the various components of the connection. In order to predict connection performance in fire, temperature profiles must initially be established in order to evaluate the material strength degradation over time. This paper examines two current methods for predicting connection temperatures: The percentage method, where connection temperatures are calculated as a percentage of the adjacent beam lower-flange, mid-span temperatures; and the lumped capacitance method, based on the lumped mass of the connection. Results from the percentage method do not correlate well with experimental results, whereas the lumped capacitance method shows much better agreement with average connection temperatures. A 3D finite element heat transfer model was also created in Abaqus, and showed good correlation with experimental results.

This retrospective study, from 2004 to 2015, explored the career trajectories of undergraduates and recent post-baccalaureates who participated in an undergraduate research experience (URE) that combined both laboratory experience and mentoring younger students. Forty former interns completed an online survey focusing on their path from internship to career. Interns were queried about the skills they perceived as being critical in their subsequent STEM-related endeavors. They also wrote narratives that indicated their attitudes about STEM education, outreach and mentoring. The responses showed all but one of the 40 participants were engaged in either STEM-related careers or education. The participants provided examples of what aspects of the internship had long-term impact on their persistence in the sciences. As the majority of the respondents were from populations traditionally underrepresented in STEM careers, this study adds to the literature on the positive effect of internships on individual STEM persistence. The results indicated that this internship helped create a cadre of professionals who not only persisted in STEM but also retained an active commitment to helping younger students gain an appreciation for science. It was concluded that undergraduate persistence in the sciences is strengthened when interns are given training in and the responsibility for mentoring.