How can event attribution science underpin financial decisions on Loss and Damage?

With climate extremes hitting nations across the globe, disproportionately burdening vulnerable developing countries, the prompt operation of the Loss and Damage fund is of paramount importance. As decisions on resource disbursement at the international level, and investment strategies at the national level, loom, the climate science community's role in providing fair and effective evidence is crucial. Attribution science can provide useful information for decision makers, but both ethical implications and deep uncertainty cannot be ignored.

Leveraging data science and machine learning for urban climate adaptation in two major African cities: a HEAT Center study protocol.

Introduction: African cities, particularly Abidjan and Johannesburg, face challenges of rapid urban growth, informality and strained health services, compounded by increasing temperatures due to climate change. This study aims to understand the complexities of heat-related health impacts in these cities. The objectives are: (1) mapping intraurban heat risk and exposure using health, socioeconomic, climate and satellite imagery data; (2) creating a stratified heat-health forecast model to predict adverse health outcomes; and (3) establishing an early warning system for timely heatwave alerts.

WGNAM: whole-genome nested association mapping.

A powerful QTL analysis method for nested association mapping populations is presented. Based on a one-stage multi-locus model, it provides accurate predictions of founder specific QTL effects. Nested association mapping (NAM) populations have been created to enable the identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) in different genetic backgrounds.

Cognitive impairment and pain relief following hip fractures: a case control study.

Hip fractures represent a significant workload of both emergency and orthopaedic departments within the National Health Service (NHS). Pain relief is key in treating hip fractures as highlighted by both National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) and British Orthopaedic Association Standards for Trauma (BOAST) guidelines. However, the literature shows that patients with cognitive impairment tend to have inconsistent pain management, leading to worse outcomes.

Dissecting the Genetics of Early Vigour to Design Drought-Adapted Wheat.

Due to the climate change and an increased frequency of drought, it is of enormous importance to identify and to develop traits that result in adaptation and in improvement of crop yield stability in drought-prone regions with low rainfall. Early vigour, defined as the rapid development of leaf area in early developmental stages, is reported to contribute to stronger plant vitality, which, in turn, can enhance resilience to erratic drought periods. Furthermore, early vigour improves weed competitiveness and nutrient uptake.

Emerging climate change-related public health challenges in Africa: A case study of the heat-health vulnerability of informal settlement residents in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Heat has the potential to become one of the most significant public health impacts of climate change in the coming decades. Increases in temperature have been linked to both increasing mortality and morbidity. Cities have been recognized as areas of particular vulnerability to heat's impacts on health, and marginalized groups, such as the poor, appear to have higher heat-related morbidity and mortality.

Adaptive Traits to Improve Durum Wheat Yield in Drought and Crown Rot Environments.

Durum wheat ( L. ssp. ) production can experience significant yield losses due to crown rot (CR) disease.

Root phenotypes of young wheat plants grown in controlled environments show inconsistent correlation with mature root traits in the field.

Using a field to lab approach, mature deep-rooting traits in wheat were correlated to root phenotypes measured on young plants from controlled conditions. Mature deep-rooting root traits of 20 wheat genotypes at maturity were established via coring in three field trials across 2 years. Field traits were correlated to phenotypes expressed by the 20 genotypes after growth in four commonly used lab screens: (i) soil tubes for root emergence, elongation, length, and branching at four ages to 34 days after sowing (DAS); (ii) paper pouches 7 DAS and (iii) agar chambers for primary root (PR) number and angles at 8 DAS; and (iv) soil baskets for PR and nodal root (NR) number and angle at 42 DAS.

Chemical and physical influence of sodic soils on the coleoptile length and root growth angle of wheat genotypes.

Background And Aims: High exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) and bulk density of sodic soils can reduce seedling emergence. This study examined variation in seedling coleoptile length and seminal root angle of wheat (Triticum aestivum. L) genotypes to determine whether these traits vary between genotypes that differ in their tolerance to sodic soils.

A Major Root Architecture QTL Responding to Water Limitation in Durum Wheat.

The optimal root system architecture (RSA) of a crop is context dependent and critical for efficient resource capture in the soil. Narrow root growth angle promoting deeper root growth is often associated with improved access to water and nutrients in deep soils during terminal drought. RSA, therefore is a drought-adaptive trait that could minimize yield losses in regions with limited rainfall.

Dataset on seed details of wheat genotypes, solution treatments to measure seedling emergence force and the relation between seedling force and strain.

The seed details (weight, vigor) and germination rate of 16 wheat () genotypes in a non-limiting conditions were measured. The dataset presents seed germination rate and seed vigor of 16 wheat genotypes. The dataset also presents the concentrations of the cations to create solution treatments of various sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and ionic strength ().

Greater emergence force and hypocotyl cross sectional area may improve wheat seedling emergence in sodic conditions.

Surface crusting of sodic soils is a major problem in the semi-arid tropics when rapid drying after sowing follows light showers, leading to reduced seedling emergence and grain yield. The magnitude of the force exerted by germinating seeds affects the ability of the seedlings to rupture the crust and emerge. This study aimed to determine whether the seed germination and seedling emergence force of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.

A low-cost method to rapidly and accurately screen for transpiration efficiency in wheat.

Background: Wheat ( L.) productivity is commonly limited by the availability of water. Increasing transpiration efficiency (biomass produced per unit of water used, TE) can potentially lead to increased grain yield in water-limited environments ('more crop per drop').

Selection in Early Generations to Shift Allele Frequency for Seminal Root Angle in Wheat.

A current challenge for plant breeders is the limited ability to phenotype and select for root characteristics to enhance crop productivity. The development of a high-throughput phenotyping method has recently offered new opportunities for the selection of root characteristics in breeding programs. Here, we investigated prospects for phenotypic and molecular selection for seminal root angle (SRA), a key trait associated with mature root system architecture in wheat ( L.

Speed breeding for multiple quantitative traits in durum wheat.

Background: Plant breeding requires numerous generations to be cycled and evaluated before an improved cultivar is released. This lengthy process is required to introduce and test multiple traits of interest. However, a technology for rapid generation advance named 'speed breeding' was successfully deployed in bread wheat ( L.

Manipulation of exercise to rest ratio within set duration on physical and technical outcomes during small-sided games in elite youth soccer players.

Training practices for elite soccer players should take into account specific technical, tactical and physical components. As a consequence of these demands small-sided games (SSGs) have become a popular conditioning tool that replicate the demands encountered during match play. The aim of this investigation was to examine how the manipulation of exercise to rest ratio, within the same overall duration, affected both physical and technical outcomes during SSGs in elite youth soccer.

Wheats developed for high yield on stored soil moisture have deep vigorous root systems.

Many rainfed wheat production systems are reliant on stored soil water for some or all of their water inputs. Selection and breeding for root traits could result in a yield benefit; however, breeding for root traits has traditionally been avoided due to the difficulty of phenotyping mature root systems, limited understanding of root system development and function, and the strong influence of environmental conditions on the phenotype of the mature root system. This paper outlines an international field selection program for beneficial root traits at maturity using soil coring in India and Australia.

Cementless total hip replacements in sickle cell disease.

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects around 80,000 people in the USA and 12,000 in the UK. Up to 40% of patients will get osteonecrosis of the femoral head. Cemented acetabular components yield poor results with the rate of osteolysis ranging from 13.

Frost trends and their estimated impact on yield in the Australian wheatbelt.

Radiant spring frosts occurring during reproductive developmental stages can result in catastrophic yield loss for wheat producers. To better understand the spatial and temporal variability of frost, the occurrence and impact of frost events on rain-fed wheat production was estimated across the Australian wheatbelt for 1957-2013 using a 0.05 ° gridded weather data set.

High-throughput phenotyping of seminal root traits in wheat.

Background: Water availability is a major limiting factor for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production in rain-fed agricultural systems worldwide. Root system architecture has important functional implications for the timing and extent of soil water extraction, yet selection for root architectural traits in breeding programs has been limited by a lack of suitable phenotyping methods.

Fretting and corrosion in modular-neck total hip arthroplasty femoral stems.

Background: During total hip arthroplasty, use of a modular femoral neck on a stemmed implant allows optimization of neck anteversion, length, and offset, resulting in more accurate balance. We performed a retrospective analysis of a consecutive cohort of patients who had undergone total hip arthroplasty with a modular-neck hip system with ceramic-on-ceramic bearings.

Methods: We reviewed the results in fifteen patients who had received an ABG II dual modular hip system (Stryker Orthopaedics, Mahwah, New Jersey) from May 2007 to August 2008.

QTL for root angle and number in a population developed from bread wheats (Triticum aestivum) with contrasting adaptation to water-limited environments.

Root architecture traits in wheat are important in deep soil moisture acquisition and may be used to improve adaptation to water-limited environments. The genetic architecture of two root traits, seminal root angle and seminal root number, were investigated using a doubled haploid population derived from SeriM82 and Hartog. Multiple novel quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified, each one having a modest effect.

Limited slot femorotomy for removal of proximally coated cementless stems. A 10-year follow-up of an unreported surgical technique.

We present a technique of single posterior longitudinal slot femorotomy. This technique allows the expansion of the metaphyseal-diaphyseal region of the proximal femur facilitating extraction of proximally coated uncemented femoral components while leaving the metaphysis and diaphysis intact. Since 1996 we have performed this technique in 18 revision total hip arthroplasties in 15 patients who had x-ray appearance of bony in-growth/on-growth and where found to have solidly ingrown stems at revision surgery.

Large diameter metal on metal articulations. Comparison of total hip arthroplasty and hip resurfacing arthroplasty.

The use of large diameter metal bearing total hip arthroplasty (THA) and hip resurfacing arthroplasty (HRA) increased in popularity in the last decade. More recent literature has highlighted the effect of head size in patient outcomes. Data was obtained from the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry (AOA-NJRR) to evaluate the Birmingham (MoM) bearing surface when used with THA and HRA.