Haunting Messages: Online Videos and Public Belief in Paranormal Phenomena.

Despite broad skepticism within the scientific community regarding paranormal phenomena such as ghosts and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), many members of the public believe in these phenomena. Previous studies have argued that viewing paranormal-themed television-including documentary, reality, and news programming-can cultivate such beliefs. In addition, recent research suggests that the online video-sharing platform YouTube may serve as an important source of messages about fringe phenomena.

Step Change in Improving the Accuracy of Nitrous Oxide Reference Materials for Underpinning Atmospheric Composition Measurements.

We have employed a new approach to quantify the amount fraction of nitrous oxide in a synthetic air matrix gas used to prepare high-accuracy reference materials of the same component. Until now, this was the largest contributor to the measurement uncertainty of nitrous oxide in air reference materials at atmospheric amount fractions (∼330 nmol mol), as identified in a recent international comparison. A novel preconcentration method has resulted in a measurement of 363 pmol mol of nitrous oxide in a synthetic air matrix gas with an expanded uncertainty of 27 pmol mol.

Can educational video resources improve learning when used to augment traditional teaching of clinical examination? A randomized control trial of novice medical students.

Background: Good clinical examination skills can both increase the quality of patient care and reduce its cost. A previous study by our group demonstrated that face-to-face training is the gold standard for teaching these skills. It is unclear if high quality educational videos can augment this teaching.

Characterization of Fourier Transform Infrared, Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy, and Optical Feedback Cavity-Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopy Instruments for the Analysis of Ammonia in Biogas and Biomethane.

Novel traceable analytical methods and reference gas standards were developed for the detection of trace-level ammonia in biogas and biomethane. This work focused on an ammonia amount fraction at an upper limit level of 10 mg m (corresponding to approximately 14 μmol mol) specified in EN 16723-1:2016. The application of spectroscopic analytical methods, such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, cavity ring-down spectroscopy, and optical feedback cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy, was investigated.

Isotopically characterised N O reference materials for use as community standards.

Rationale: Information on the isotopic composition of nitrous oxide (N O) at natural abundance supports the identification of its source and sink processes. In recent years, a number of mass spectrometric and laser spectroscopic techniques have been developed and are increasingly used by the research community. Advances in this active research area, however, critically depend on the availability of suitable N O isotope Reference Materials (RMs).

Prevalence and Significance of Vitamin D Deficiency in Patients Undergoing Corrective Surgery for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.

Background: The exact etiology of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is unknown, but recently, vitamin D has been suggested to be of importance in the pathophysiology of AIS. This article sought to (1) highlight the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients undergoing corrective surgery for AIS within the United Kingdom and (2) evaluate the correlation and clinical relevance of preoperative back pain with vitamin D deficiency.

Methods: Data were collected on 201 consecutive patients undergoing corrective surgery for AIS.

Redefinition of the Mole in the Revised International System of Units and the Ongoing Importance of Metrology for Accurate Chemical Measurements.

This Feature highlights the role of metrology, the science of measurement, in maintaining the infrastructure we all rely on for accurate chemical measurements. In particular, the recent change to the definition of the mole, the unit of chemistry, is explained.

Fibula nail fixation in ankle fractures with significant soft tissue compromise: a retrospective cohort study.

Purpose: Intramedullary fixation of lateral malleolar fractures has increased in popularity recently with the introduction of the fibula nail. It has been proposed as an alternative fixation method in fractures to minimise soft tissue injury. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and patient-reported outcomes of those who had an ankle fracture with concurrent significant soft tissue damage, treated with a fibula nail.

Data and replication supplement for double auction markets with snipers.

We provide a dataset for our research article "Profitability, Efficiency and Inequality in Double Auction Markets with Snipers" [1]. This dataset [2] includes configuration files, raw output data, and replications of calculated metrics for our robot-populated market simulations. The raw data is subdivided into a hierarchy of folders corresponding to simulation treatment variables, in a 2 × 2 × 21 design for 84 treatments in total.

Radon as a natural tracer of gas transport through trees.

Trees are sources, sinks, and conduits for gas exchange between the atmosphere and soil, and effectively link these terrestrial realms in a soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. We demonstrated that naturally produced radon-222 ( Rn) gas has the potential to disentangle the biotic and physical processes that regulate gas transfer between soils or plants and the atmosphere in field settings where exogenous tracer applications are challenging. Patterns in stem radon emissions across tree species, seasons, and diurnal periods suggest that plant transport of soil gases is controlled by plant hydraulics, whether by diffusion or mass flow via transpiration.

Breakthrough in Negating the Impact of Adsorption in Gas Reference Materials.

We have shown that an exchange dilution preparation method reduces the impact of surface adsorption of the target component in high-pressure gas mixtures used for underpinning measurements of amount-of-substance fraction. Gas mixtures are diluted in the same cylinder by releasing an aliquot of the parent mixture. Additional matrix gas is then added to the cylinder.

Origin and Fate of Vanadium in the Hazeltine Creek Catchment following the 2014 Mount Polley Mine Tailings Spill in British Columbia, Canada.

Results from the analysis of aqueous and solid-phase V speciation within samples collected from the Hazeltine Creek catchment affected by the August 2014 Mount Polley mine tailings dam failure in British Columbia, Canada, are presented. Electron microprobe and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) analysis found that V is present as V substituted into magnetite and V and V substituted into titanite, both of which occur in the spilled Mount Polley tailings. Secondary Fe oxyhydroxides forming in inflow waters and on creek beds have V K-edge XANES spectra exhibiting E1/2 positions and pre-edge features consistent with the presence of V species, suggesting sorption of this species on these secondary phases.

Human Galectin-1 Improves Sarcolemma Stability and Muscle Vascularization in the mdx Mouse Model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a devastating disease caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene that result in the complete absence of dystrophin protein. We have shown previously that recombinant mouse Galectin-1 treatment improves physiological and histological outcome measures in the mouse model of DMD. Because recombinant human Galectin-1 (rHsGal1) will be used to treat DMD patients, we performed a dose-ranging study and intraperitoneal or intravenous delivery to determine the efficacy of rHsGal1 to improve preclinical outcome measures in mice.

Heavy Metal Soil Contamination Detection Using Combined Geochemistry and Field Spectroradiometry in the United Kingdom.

Technological advances in hyperspectral remote sensing have been widely applied in heavy metal soil contamination studies, as they are able to provide assessments in a rapid and cost-effective way. The present work investigates the potential role of combining field and laboratory spectroradiometry with geochemical data of lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) in quantifying and modelling heavy metal soil contamination (HMSC) for a floodplain site located in Wales, United Kingdom. The study objectives were to: (i) collect field- and lab-based spectra from contaminated soils by using ASD FieldSpec 3, where the spectrum varies between 350 and 2500 nm; (ii) build field- and lab-based spectral libraries; (iii) conduct geochemical analyses of Pb, Zn, Cu and Cd using atomic absorption spectrometer; (iv) identify the specific spectral regions associated to the modelling of HMSC; and (v) develop and validate heavy metal prediction models (HMPM) for the aforementioned contaminants, by considering their spectral features and concentrations in the soil.

Stability of gaseous volatile organic compounds contained in gas cylinders with different internal wall treatments.

Measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been ongoing for decades to track growth rates and assist in curbing emissions of these compounds into the atmosphere. To accurately establish mole fraction trends and assess the role of these gas-phase compounds in atmospheric chemistry it is essential to have good calibration standards. A necessity and precursor to accurate VOC gas standards are the gas cylinders and the internal wall treatments that aid in maintaining the stability of the mixtures over long periods of time, measured in years.

A high-throughput chemical-genetics screen in murine adipocytes identifies insulin-regulatory pathways.

Pathways linking activation of the insulin receptor to downstream targets of insulin have traditionally been studied using a candidate gene approach. To elucidate additional pathways regulating insulin activity, we performed a forward chemical-genetics screen based on translocation of a glucose transporter 4 (Glut4) reporter expressed in murine 3T3-L1 adipocytes. To identify compounds with known targets, we screened drug-repurposing and natural product libraries.

Synthetic Zero Air Reference Material for High Accuracy Greenhouse Gas Measurements.

The purity analysis of zero air is a significant contributor to the uncertainty in preparing reference materials of high impact greenhouse gases, limiting progress toward coherent and comparable measurements required to assess climate trends. We have produced a commutable synthetic zero air reference material with an oxygen, nitrogen, and argon matrix closely matching atmospheric composition. This is the critical step in preventing systematic biases from pressure broadening effects when using these reference materials to calibrate instruments based on optical spectroscopy.

Soil aggregates as biogeochemical reactors and implications for soil-atmosphere exchange of greenhouse gases-A concept.

Soil-atmosphere exchange significantly influences the global atmospheric abundances of carbon dioxide (CO ), methane (CH ), and nitrous oxide (N O). These greenhouse gases (GHGs) have been extensively studied at the soil profile level and extrapolated to coarser scales (regional and global). However, finer scale studies of soil aggregation have not received much attention, even though elucidating the GHG activities at the full spectrum of scales rather than just coarse levels is essential for reducing the large uncertainties in the current atmospheric budgets of these gases.

Methane emissions from tree stems: a new frontier in the global carbon cycle.

Tree stems from wetland, floodplain and upland forests can produce and emit methane (CH ). Tree CH stem emissions have high spatial and temporal variability, but there is no consensus on the biophysical mechanisms that drive stem CH production and emissions. Here, we summarize up to 30 opportunities and challenges for stem CH emissions research, which, when addressed, will improve estimates of the magnitudes, patterns and drivers of CH emissions and trace their potential origin.

Vehicle-Based Methane Surveys for Finding Natural Gas Leaks and Estimating Their Size: Validation and Uncertainty.

Managing leaks in urban natural gas (NG) distribution systems is important for reducing methane emissions and costly waste. Mobile surveying technologies have emerged as a new tool for monitoring system integrity, but this new technology has not yet been widely adopted. Here, we establish the efficacy of mobile methane surveys for managing local NG distribution systems by evaluating their ability to detect and locate NG leaks and quantify their emissions.

Geroderma osteodysplasticum: Histological features and the role of panel-based exome sequencing in diagnosis.

Geroderma osteodysplasticum (GO) has clinical and histological features that overlap with other causes of wrinkly skin. Here we present the case of a child diagnosed with GO following exome sequencing of a panel of genes covering the wide differential diagnosis. The histological features of the overlapping conditions are presented, highlighting the utility of panel testing for conditions of this type.

Influence of Pressure on the Composition of Gaseous Reference Materials.

We have shown that the amount fraction of carbon dioxide in a nitrogen or synthetic air matrix stored in cylinders increases as the pressure of the gas mixture reduces, while the amount fraction of methane remains unchanged. Our measurements show the initial amount fraction of carbon dioxide to be lower than the gravimetric value after preparation, which we attribute to the adsorption of a proportion of the molecules to active sites on the internal surface of the cylinder and the valve. As the mixture is consumed, the pressure in the cylinder reduces and the amount fraction of the component is observed to increase.

CCQM-K121 - Monoterpenes in Nitrogen at 2.5 nmol mol Final Report.

The growing awareness of climate change, and continuing concerns regarding tropospheric and stratospheric chemistry, will require future measurements and standards for compounds linked to these issues. To globally monitor and control the emissions of these species in the atmosphere, it is necessary to demonstrate measurement equivalence at the highest levels of accuracy for assigned values of standards. This report describes the results of a key comparison for several important monoterpene species, which are relevant to atmospheric chemistry and climate.