Emergency managers' challenges with wildfires and related cascading hazards in California.

This study investigates the complexities faced by emergency managers in wildfire-prone areas to uncover pressing issues and potential solutions. Four themes are discerned through three focus group discussions with emergency managers from nine counties across California. First, there is unequal access to resources for both risk assessment and response, with counties that have fewer resources facing significant challenges in effectively managing wildfire risks.

Wild bees show local spatial and temporal dynamics in southeastern US blueberry farmscapes.

Wild bee communities are the target of various conservation and ecological restoration programs. Strategic conservation can influence bee communities visiting fields and help mitigate pollinator limitations in fruit production. However, planning compatible conservation strategies and gauging their effectiveness requires understanding how local communities vary across space and time in crops and adjacent semi-natural areas.

Muscle Cell Palmitate-Induced Insulin Resistance, JNK, IKK/NF-κB and STAT3 Activation are Attenuated by Carnosic and Rosmarinic Acid.

The worldwide epidemic of obesity has drastically worsened with the increase in more sedentary lifestyles and increased consumption of fatty foods. Increased blood free fatty acids (FFAs), often observed in obesity, leads to impaired insulin action, and promotes the development of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). JNK, IKK-NF-κB, and STAT3 are known to be involved in skeletal muscle insulin resistance.

Novel Immune Response Evasion Strategy to Redose Adeno-associated Viral Vectors and Prolong Survival in Surfactant Protein-B Deficient Mice.

Surfactant protein-B (SP-B) deficiency is a lethal neonatal respiratory disease with few therapeutic options. Gene therapy using adeno-associated viruses (AAV) to deliver human cDNA (AAV-hSPB) can improve survival in a mouse model of SP-B deficiency. However, the effect of this gene therapy wanes.

Assessing bioaccumulation with biomagnification factors from dietary bioaccumulation tests.

Despite the fact that the UN Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants specifically acknowledges that Arctic ecosystems and Indigenous communities are particularly at risk due to biomagnification of contaminants in traditional foods, the bioconcentration factor (BCF) of substances in fish remains the preferred metric for identifying the biomagnification potential of organic substances. The BCF measures uptake of substances from water in water-breathing organisms, but not biomagnification of contaminants from food sources. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the biomagnification factor (BMF) can be used in bioaccumulation assessments.

Chimeric Antigen Receptor-T Cells in Colorectal Cancer: Pioneering New Avenues in Solid Tumor Immunotherapy.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a major global health burden, being one of the most prevalent cancers with high mortality rates. Despite advances in conventional treatment modalities, patients with metastatic CRC often face limited options and poor outcomes. Chimeric antigen receptor-T (CAR-T) cell therapy, initially successful in hematologic malignancies, presents a promising avenue for treating solid tumors, including CRC.

Effect of cardiomyocyte-specific lipid phosphate phosphatase 3 overexpression on high-fat diet-induced cardiometabolic dysfunction in mice.

Lipid phosphate phosphatase 3 (LPP3) is a membrane-bound enzyme that hydrolyzes lipid phosphates including the bioactive lipid, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). Elevated circulating LPA production and cellular LPA signaling are implicated in obesity-induced metabolic and cardiac dysfunction. Deletion of LPP3 in the cardiomyocyte increases circulating LPA levels and causes heart failure and mitochondrial dysfunction in mice.

Active Inference and Artificial Spin Ice: Control Processes and State Selection.

Theory and simulations are used to demonstrate implementation of a variational Bayes algorithm called "active inference" in interacting arrays of nanomagnetic elements. The algorithm requires stochastic elements, and a simplified model based on a magnetic artificial spin ice geometry is used to illustrate how nanomagnets can generate the required random dynamics. Examples of tracking and PID control are demonstrated and shown to be consistent with the original stochastic differential equation formulation of active inference.

Morbidities and comorbidities associated with optic nerve hypoplasia and septo-optic-pituitary dysplasia.

Aim: To quantify optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) and septo-optic-pituitary dysplasia (SOD) morbidities and comorbidities.

Method: A retrospective population-based study with a case-control design was undertaken using administrative health data from Manitoba, Canada. Cases were 124 patients with ONH or SOD (70 males, 54 females; age range 6 months-36 years 8 months [mean 13 years, SD 7 years 2 months]) diagnosed from 1990 to 2019, matched to 620 unrelated population-based controls (350 males, 270 females; age range 0-36 years 8 months [mean 12 years 5 months, SD 7 years 2 months]) on birth year, sex, and area of residence.

Speech Production of Mandarin Lexical Tones Among Canadian Elementary Students Enrolled in Mandarin-English Bilingual Schools.

Purpose: This study investigates how Mandarin-English bilingual students in Canada produce Mandarin tones and how this is influenced by factors such as tone complexity, cross-linguistic influences, and speech input.

Method: Participants were 82 students enrolled in a Chinese bilingual program in Western Canada. Students were recruited from Grades 1, 3, and 5 and divided into two groups based on their home language backgrounds: The heritage language group had early and strong input in Mandarin, and the second language (L2) group received mostly English input at home.

Factors associated with tuberculosis treatment initiation among bacteriologically negative individuals evaluated for tuberculosis: An individual patient data meta-analysis.

Background: Globally, over one-third of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) disease diagnoses are made based on clinical criteria after a negative bacteriological test result. There is limited information on the factors that determine clinicians' decisions to initiate TB treatment when initial bacteriological test results are negative.

Methods And Findings: We performed a systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis using studies conducted between January 2010 and December 2022 (PROSPERO: CRD42022287613).

Diversification and recurrent adaptation of the synaptonemal complex in Drosophila.

The synaptonemal complex (SC) is a protein-rich structure essential for meiotic recombination and faithful chromosome segregation. Acting like a zipper to paired homologous chromosomes during early prophase I, the complex is a symmetrical structure where central elements are connected on two sides by the transverse filaments to the chromatin-anchoring lateral elements. Despite being found in most major eukaryotic taxa implying a deeply conserved evolutionary origin, several components of the complex exhibit unusually high rates of sequence turnover.

Community health worker and caregiver experiences and perceptions of a multimodal handheld pulse oximeter used in sick child consultations in rural Burundi: A qualitative evaluation.

Community Health Workers (CHWs) in low- and middle-income countries are essential in providing primary health care to remote communities. However, due to limited diagnostic tools, CHWs often struggle to correctly identify childhood illnesses, especially pneumonia. We conducted a prospective pilot study and used qualitative research methods to evaluate acceptability and feasibility of a multimodal pulse oximeter used by CHWs during their integrated community case management (iCCM) of childhood illness consultations in rural Burundi.

Steatotic liver disease diagnosed in a 24-year-old woman with Rett syndrome: a case report.

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in the gene, potentially disrupting lipid metabolism and leading to dyslipidemia (DLD) and steatotic liver disease (SLD). Although SLD has been described in RTT mouse models, it remains undocumented in humans. We herein describe a 24-year-old woman with RTT who was evaluated for abnormal liver enzymes.

Dialogue mechanisms between astrocytic and neuronal networks: A whole-brain modelling approach.

Astrocytes critically shape whole-brain structure and function by forming extensive gap junctional networks that intimately and actively interact with neurons. Despite their importance, existing computational models of whole-brain activity ignore the roles of astrocytes while primarily focusing on neurons. Addressing this oversight, we introduce a biophysical neural mass network model, designed to capture the dynamic interplay between astrocytes and neurons via glutamatergic and GABAergic transmission pathways.

The piRNA protein Asz1 is essential for germ cell and gonad development in zebrafish and exhibits differential necessities in distinct types of germ granules.

Germ cells are essential for fertility, embryogenesis, and reproduction. Germline development requires distinct types of germ granules, which contains RNA-protein (RNP) complexes, including germ plasm in embryos, piRNA granules in gonadal germ cells, and the Balbiani body (Bb) in oocytes. However, the regulation of RNP assemblies in zebrafish germline development are still poorly understood.

Comparison of a non-invasive point-of-care measurement of anemia to conventionally used HemoCue devices in Gambella refugee camp, Ethiopia, 2022.

Annual surveys of refugees in Gambella, Ethiopia suggest that anemia is a persistent public health problem among non-pregnant women of reproductive age (NP-WRA, 15-49 years). Measurement of anemia in most refugee camp settings is conducted using an invasive HemoCue 301. We assessed the accuracy and precision of a non-invasive, pulse CO-oximeter in measuring anemia among NP-WRA in four Gambella refugee camps.

Estimating whole-body centre of mass sway during quiet standing with inertial measurement units.

Our ability to balance upright provides a stable platform to perform daily activities. Balance deficits associated with various clinical conditions may affect activities of daily living, highlighting the importance of quantifying standing balance in ecological environments. Although typically performed in laboratory settings, the growing availability of low-cost inertial measurement units (IMUs) allows the assessment of balance in the real world.

Development and effectiveness analysis of a safety management model for SMEs integrating lean management innovation with SQCDP framework.

This study organically integrates the safety, quality, cost, delivery, and people (SQCDP) management mode and lean management to create the SQCDP + lean safety management (SLSM) mode, which addresses certain problems faced by China's small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), such as imperfect safety management systems, poor regulatory implementation, challenging problem correction, and perfunctory management. It then explains the benefits proposed mode for SMEs and the establishment of a novel mode that aligns with the current safety production and operation management of SMEs. The application of the SLSM mode to a private machinery manufacturing company in Wenzhou resulted in the effective shouldering of safety responsibilities by the company, a year-on-year decrease in accident rates, and a significant increase in production efficiency, thereby providing corporate managers with guidance and suggestions for making improvements.

Feasibility and resource utilization of nurse-administered subcutaneous immunoglobulin therapy in antibody deficiency: A cross-sectional study.

Primary and secondary antibody deficiencies (PAD and SAD) are amongst the most prevalent immunodeficiency syndromes, often necessitating long-term immune globulin replacement therapy (IRT). Both intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIG) have demonstrated efficacy in antibody deficiency. Comparative analyses of these two routes of administration are limited to nurse-administered IVIG and home therapy with self-administered SCIG.

Pharmacophore modeling and QSAR analysis of anti-HBV flavonols.

Due to its global burden, Targeting Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in humans is crucial. Herbal medicine has long been significant, with flavonoids demonstrating promising results. Hence, the present study aimed to establish a way of identifying flavonoids with anti-HBV activities.