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Early Triassic super-greenhouse climate driven by vegetation collapse
Get PDFThe Permian–Triassic Mass Extinction (PTME), the most severe crisis of the Phanerozoic, has been attributed to intense global warming triggered by Siberian Traps volcanism. However, it remains unclear why super-greenhouse conditions persisted for around five million years after the volcanic episode, with one possibility being that the slow recovery of plants limited carbon sequestration. Here we use fossil occurrences and lithological indicators of climate to reconstruct spatio-temporal maps of plant productivity changes through the PTME and employ climate-biogeochemical modelling to investigate the Early Triassic super-greenhouse. Our reconstructions show that terrestrial vegetation loss during the PTME, especially in tropical regions, resulted in an Earth system with low levels of organic carbon sequestration and restricted chemical weathering, resulting in prolonged high CO2 levels. These results support the idea that thresholds exist in the climate-carbon system whereby warming can be amplified by vegetation collapse
Spanish–English cognates and false cognates in academic spoken vocabulary: Lexical coverage, orthographic, and phonological transparency, and frequency
Get PDFDespite the positive effect of cognate knowledge for L2 vocabulary acquisition and the importance of comprehending academic spoken English for academic success, little is known about the nature of cognates in academic spoken English. This study identified Spanish–English cognates among academic spoken English words, represented by Dang, Coxhead, and Webb’s (2017 “The academic spoken word list,” Language Learning, 67: 959–97. doi: 10.1111/lang.12253) Academic Spoken Word List (ASWL). Results showed that half of these words were Spanish–English cognates, more than 49 per cent were non-cognates, and less than 1 per cent were false cognates. Cognates and false cognates covered 10.53 per cent and 0.002 per cent of the academic spoken corpus, respectively. The ASWL cognates were more transparent in spelling than pronunciation. There was a close relationship between orthographic and phonological transparency. Words that have high frequency in English but low frequency in Spanish, words that have high frequency in Spanish regardless of their frequency in English, and words that have low frequency in both languages accounted for 61.85 per cent, 35.29 per cent, and 2.85 per cent of the ASWL cognates, respectively. The study offers further insights into the value of recognizing cognates and each kind of cognate for academic vocabulary acquisition and provides useful implications for vocabulary assessment and pedagogy
Augmenting orbital debris identification with Neo4j-enabled graph-based retrieval-augmented generation for multimodal large language models
Get PDFThis preliminary study covers the construction and application of a Graph-based Retrieval-Augmented Generation (GraphRAG) system integrating a multimodal LLM, Large Language and Vision Assistant (LLaVA) with graph database software (Neo4j) to enhance LLM output quality through structured knowledge retrieval. This is aimed at the field of orbital debris detection, proposed to support the current intelligent methods for such detection by introducing the beneficial properties of both LLMs and a corpus of external information. By constructing a dynamic knowledge graph from relevant research papers, context-aware retrieval is enabled, improving factual accuracy and minimizing hallucinations. The system extracts, summarizes, and embeds research papers into a Neo4j graph database, with API-powered LLM-generated relationships enriching interconnections. Querying this graph allows for contextual ranking of relevant documents, which are then provided as context to the LLM through prompt engineering during the inference process. A case study applying the technology to a synthetic image of orbital debris is discussed. Qualitative results indicate that the inclusion of GraphRAG and external information result in successful retrieval of information and reduced hallucinations. Further work to refine the system is necessary, as well as establishing benchmark tests to assess performance quantitatively. This approach offers a scalable and interpretable method for enhanced domain-specific knowledge retrieval, improving the qualitative quality of the LLM’s output when tasked with description-based activities
‘Let's turn the grass into meat’: animal husbandry as women's work in Cold War North Korea
Get PDFIn postcolonial North Korea, the future of the nation was said to be a function of the feedlot. Unobtainable on the battlefields of the recently ended Korean War, liberation and unification of the peninsula became a question of competitive developmentalism. In this context, planners and pundits in the North turned to the female farmhands of the agrarian sector to coordinate the scientific and motherly care of the nation's flocks. As demonstrated in this article, a particular intersection of postwar demographics, scientific mobilisation and patriarchal thought led to the establishment of animal husbandry in North Korea as women's work
Cardiovascular inflammaging: Mechanisms, consequences, and therapeutic perspectives
Get PDFBoth aging and systemic inflammation are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. This review summarizes the interrelationship of aging and inflammation—known as inflammaging—and the consequences for cardiovascular health. We discuss mechanisms including epigenetic modification, mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, and gut dysbiosis, many of which are themselves interrelated. Increasing understanding of inflammaging provides an array of biomarkers, some of which are now recommended in international guidelines. We also discuss therapeutic strategies aiming to modify the process of inflammaging and improve cardiovascular disease outcomes, either with immunomodulating agents or with therapies targeted at specific mechanisms, such as senolytics, telomerase activators, and pre- and probiotic supplementation. We conclude that inflammaging is a key part of cardiovascular aging and provides encouraging opportunities for new therapies
Management of acute appendicitis in pregnancy (MAMA): protocol for a multicentre observational study
Get PDFIntroduction
Acute appendicitis is the most common emergency general surgical condition in pregnancy, affecting around 1 in 1000 pregnancies. Reaching a diagnosis is more challenging in this group because of altered clinical presentations and the limitations of diagnostic tools in pregnancy. There is limited guidance from national bodies in the UK on the management of this condition. This study aims to describe current diagnostic and treatment practices for acute appendicitis in pregnancy in the UK, and associated outcomes, to identify variations in practice and areas for improvement.
Methods and analysis
This is a UK-wide observational study. Hospitals providing an emergency general surgical service will be eligible to participate. The study consists of two components: (1) a site resource-profile questionnaire to assess the setup of services to care for the pregnant patient requiring emergency non-obstetric abdominal surgery to be completed by a senior collaborator at each participating site, and (2) a retrospective study of patients diagnosed with appendicitis or who had an appendicectomy for suspected appendicitis during a ten-year study period (2013–2023). Data will be collected on diagnostics, radiological findings, management approach and surgical and obstetric outcomes. The main measure of interest is the management approaches (operative versus non-operative; laparoscopic versus open surgery) and their association with selected outcomes. Multivariable logistic regression analyses will be conducted to identify factors which might predict the management strategy and outcomes.
Ethics and dissemination
The protocol for this service evaluation study has been reviewed by the University of Sheffield Research Ethics Committee. The study findings will be discussed in a multistakeholder workshop consisting of general surgeons, obstetricians and gynaecologists, radiologists, anaesthetists and patient representatives with a view to making recommendations for quality improvement work and further research. Key findings and recommendations will be disseminated through specialist societies
SlimVar for rapid in vivo single-molecule tracking of chromatin regulators in plants
Get PDFEpigenetic regulation occurs over many rounds of cell division in higher organisms. However, visualisation of the regulators in vivo is limited by imaging dynamic molecules deep in tissue. We report a technology-Variable-angle Slimfield microscopy (SlimVar)-that enables tracking of single fluorescent reporters to 30 µm depth through multiple Arabidopsis thaliana root tip cell layers. SlimVar uses rapid photobleaching to resolve tracked particles to molecular steps in intensity. By modifying widefield microscopy to minimise optical aberrations and robustly post-process few-photon signals, SlimVar mitigates performance losses at depth. We use SlimVar to quantify chromatin-protein assemblies in nuclei, finding that two homologous proteins key to epigenetic switching at FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) -cold-induced VERNALISATION INSENSITIVE3 (VIN3) and constitutively expressed VERNALISATION 5 (VRN5)-exhibit dynamic assemblies during FLC silencing. Upon cold exposure, the number of assembly molecules increases up to 100% to a median of ~20 molecules. Larger VRN5 assemblies preferentially colocalise with an FLC lacO transgenic reporter during prolonged cold and persist after return to warmth. Our findings support a hybrid model of epigenetic memory in which nucleation of histone trimethylation is assisted by dynamic protein assemblies over extended durations. SlimVar offers molecular insights into proteins expressed at physiological levels in tissues
Tribological Behaviour of Cuo@Rgo Nanoparticles Under Different Slide-To-Roll
Get PDFThis paper aims to develop core–shell nanoparticles by combining CuO (core) and reduced graphene oxide (shell) as lubricant additives and understand their action under different slide-to-roll ratios. The SRRs evaluated were 50 and 200%, with nanoparticles concentrations of 0.05 and 0.1wt%. The worn tracks were characterized through WLI, SEM, TEM and Raman Spectroscopy. The results showed that the lubrication mechanism and tribofilm formation are strongly associated with the type of contact. At SRR 200%, nanolubricant reduced friction and wear; it was observed exfoliation of nanoparticles, the CuO acted as rolling, and the rGO sheet was deposited on a worn surface. On the other hand, for SRR 50% doesn´t decrease the friction coefficient; however, a thicker tribofilm was produced with nanoparticles
Do healthcare professionals work around safety standards, and should we be worried? A scoping review
Get PDFBackground
Healthcare staff adapt to challenges faced when delivering healthcare by using workarounds. Sometimes, safety standards, the very things used to routinely mitigate risk in healthcare, are the obstacles that staff work around. While workarounds have negative connotations, there is an argument that, in some circumstances, they contribute to the delivery of safe care.
Objectives
In this scoping review, we explore the circumstances and perceived implications of safety standard workarounds (SSWAs) conducted in the delivery of frontline care.
Method
We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Web of Science for articles reporting on the circumstances and perceived implications of SSWAs in healthcare. Data charting was undertaken by two researchers. A narrative synthesis was developed to produce a summary of findings.
Results
We included 27 papers in the review, which reported on workarounds of 21 safety standards. Over half of the papers (59%) described working around standards related to medicine safety. As medication standards featured frequently in papers, SSWAs were reported to be performed by registered nurses in 67% of papers, doctors in 41% of papers and pharmacists in 19% of papers. Organisational causes were the most prominent reason for workarounds.
Papers reported on the perceived impact of SSWAs for care quality. At times SSWAs were being used to support the delivery of person-centred, timely, efficient and effective care. Implications of SSWAs for safety were diverse. Some papers reported SSWAs had both positive and negative implications for safety simultaneously. SSWAs were reported to be beneficial for patients more often than they were detrimental.
Conclusion
SSWAs are used frequently during the delivery of everyday care, particularly during medication-related processes. These workarounds are often used to balance different risks and, in some circumstances, to achieve safe care
Psychometric validation of the Hospital Stress Questionnaire
Get PDFBackground
Psychological stress experienced by inpatients has been shown to be associated with poorer post-hospital outcomes. Research that explores and intervenes to address in-hospital stress and ameliorate negative patient outcomes requires a valid measurement tool. The Hospital Stress Questionnaire (HSQ) was developed for this purpose. The aims of the current study were to psychometrically validate the HSQ, identify latent factors, reduce the number of items within the HSQ, and explore the psychometric properties of longer and shorter versions of the scale.
Methods
A nationally representative sample of recent NHS hospital inpatients (N = 660; mean age = 54.0, range = 18–97) completed the HSQ within a survey of patient experiences; 32 of which completed the measure a second time two weeks later. Factor structure, convergent validity, known-groups validity, predictive validity, and test-retest reliability were assessed.
Results
Seven domains of in-hospital stress were identified: quality of care, away from home, inconvenienced, health anxiety, negative effects of treatment, ward environment, and disrupted patient experience. Long (55 items), medium (28 items), and short (10 items) versions of the measure were produced, all exhibiting excellent psychometric properties. The highest rated stressor was “poor sleep”.
Conclusion
The HSQ is a valid and reliable tool, now available to be used by researchers and clinicians. It has potential to be used in intervention studies to reduce in-hospital stress, and to identify patients most at risk of the effects of post-hospital syndrome
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