Coal Clinker Site in the Late Cretaceous Blackhawk Formation, Castle Gate, Utah, USA

When sedimentary host rock is heated as a result of coal seam fires, the host rock is pyro-metamorphosed (high temperature/ low pressure) resulting in the formation of paralava, a low-grade metamorphic rock formed adjacent to coal seams. This paper describes an outcrop locality of clinker (paralava) in the Upper Cretaceous Blackhawk Formation within the Book Cliffs coalfields of central Utah, which formed as the result of a coal seam fire

Swimming Reptile Tracks in the Lower Triassic Moenkopi Formation, Capitol Reef National Park, UT

Abundant pre-dinosaurian tetrapod tracks, ichnofossil Chirotherium, have been found in the Moenkopi Formation. Swimming reptile tracks are found in the Torrey Member of the Moenkopi Formation in Capitol Reef National Park near Torrey, Utah. The tracks are preserved in a fine-grained sandstone deposited on a flat-lying coastal plain

Association of birth weight centiles and gestational age with cognitive performance at age 5 years

ImportanceBirth weight percentiles (BWPs) are often dichotomized at the 10th percentile and show statistically significant association with later cognitive performance, for both preterm and term-born children. However, research testing nonlinear associations between BWPs and cognitive performance is scarce.ObjectiveTo investigate culturally invariant, nonlinear associations of BWPs and gestational age with later cognitive performance.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsIn this cohort study, participants with valid neonatal and cognitive data were combined from 4 observational cohorts, including the Millennium Cohort Study, the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 Child and Young Adult cohort, Growing Up in Ireland, and the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, with children born between 2000 and 2002, 1980 and 2010, 2007 and 2008, and 2003 and 2004, respectively. Neonatal data were parent reported before age 1 year. At approximately 5 years of age, multiple cognitive tests were performed. Follow-up at 5 years of age was the predominant focus. Data were analyzed July 17, 2023.ExposureThe parent-reported neonatal data were used to calculate BWPs according to the Fenton growth chart.Main Outcome and MeasureScores for IQ were created from multiple measures of cognition, which were z standardized separately within each cohort.ResultsOf 30 643 participants (50.8% male), 7.5% were born preterm (before 37 weeks gestation) and 92.5% were term born (between 37 and 42 weeks gestation). In the pooled data using multivariate adaptive regression splines, IQ linearly increased by 4.2 points as BWPs increased from the first to the 69th percentile before completely plateauing. For gestational age, IQ linearly increased by 1.3 points per week up until 32 weeks, with the association reducing to 0.3 points per week after 32 weeks. The association of BWP with IQ was not moderated by gestational age. For term-born infants, the estimated IQ score was only clinically meaningfully lower than average when birth weight was below the third percentile. Consistent results were found when instead using multivariable regression where gestational age and BWPs were categorized into groups.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this cohort study, lower BWPs and gestational age were independently associated with lower IQ. For term-born infants, a cutoff of the third percentile would be more appropriate than the traditionally used 10th percentile when the aim is estimating meaningful cognitive differences

Small for gestational age - cognitive performance from infancy to adulthood : an observational study

To determine whether cognitive performance from infancy to adulthood is affected by being born SGA, and if this depends on the SGA reference used. Furthermore, to determine SGA's effect while considering the effects of very preterm/very low birth weight (VP/VLBW), socioeconomic status (SES), and parent-infant relationship. 414 participants (197 Term-Born, 217 VP/VLBW) of the Bavarian Longitudinal Study METHODS: SGA was classified using neonatal or fetal growth references. SES and the parent-infant relationship were assessed before 5 months old. Developmental (DQ) and IQ tests assessed cognitive performance on 6 occasions, from 5-months to 26-years old. The fetal reference classified more infants as SGA (<10th percentile) than the neonatal reference (N=138, 33% Vs N=75,18%). Using linear mixed models, SGA was associated with IQ -8 points lower than AGA, regardless of reference used (CI [-13.66, -0.64] and [-13.75,-1.98]). This difference narrowed minimally into adulthood. Being VP/VLBW was associated with IQ -16 [CI -21.01,-10.04, -] points lower than term-born participants. Low SES was associated with IQ -14 [CI -18.55, -9.06] points lower than high SES. A poor parent-infant relationship was associated with IQ -10 points lower than those with a good relationship [CI -13.91,-6.47] CONCLUSIONS: SGA is associated with lower IQ throughout development, independent of VP/VLBW birth, low SES or poor parent-child relationship. Social factors have comparable effects on IQ than SGA and should be considered for interventions. All authors are supported by EU horizon 2020 grant (RECAP-preterm; www.recap-preterm.eu) under agreement number 733280. [Abstract copyright: This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The Human Behaviour-Change Project: An artificial intelligence system to answer questions about changing behaviour.

Changing behaviour is necessary to address many of the threats facing human populations.  However, identifying behaviour change interventions likely to be effective in particular contexts as a basis for improving them presents a major challenge. The Human Behaviour-Change Project harnesses the power of artificial intelligence and behavioural science to organise global evidence about behaviour change to predict outcomes in common and unknown behaviour change scenarios

Parents’ life satisfaction prior to and following preterm birth

The current study tested whether the reported lower wellbeing of parents after preterm birth, relative to term birth, is a continuation of a pre-existing difference before pregnancy. Parents from Germany (the German Socio-Economic Panel Study, N = 10,649) and the United Kingdom (British Household Panel Study and Understanding Society, N = 11,012) reported their new-born’s birthweight and gestational age, subsequently categorised as very preterm or very low birthweight (VP/VLBW, < 32 weeks or < 1500 g), moderately/late preterm or low birthweight (MLP/LBW, ≥ 32 weeks and < 37 weeks/≥ 1500 g and < 2500 g), or term-born (≥ 37 weeks and ≥ 2500 g). Mixed models were used to analyse life satisfaction, an aspect of wellbeing, at four assessments-two years and six months before birth and six months and two years afterwards. Two years before birth, satisfaction of prospective term-born, MLP/LBW, or VP/VLBW mothers did not significantly differ. However, mothers of VP/VLBWs had lower satisfaction relative to mothers of term-borns at both assessments post-birth. Among fathers, satisfaction levels were similarly equivalent two years before birth. Subsequently, fathers of VP/VLBWs temporarily differed in satisfaction six months post-birth relative to fathers of term-borns. Results indicate that parents’ lower life satisfaction after VP/VLBW birth is not a continuation of pre-existing life satisfaction differences

The Global Network on sustainability in space (GNOSIS) : activities, initiatives, and future endeavours

The Global Network On Sustainability In Space (GNOSIS) is a community-driven network supported by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) through their 21st Century Challenges scheme. Founded in 2019, the Network has facilitated a variety of workshops, sandpit discussions, and multi-day conferences to bring academic researchers into contact with industry, government, and defence, with a shared aim of identifying, understanding, and solving problems pertaining to space sustainability. Despite operating in a predominantly virtual capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Network has amassed nearly four hundred members from the international space domain awareness (SDA) community. We present an overview of GNOSIS activities and discuss key findings from the sandpit discussions that have taken place, covering a wide range of subject matter, from novel observation techniques to space-based SDA solutions, space weather effects, and SDA data management, security, and ethics. A key output from these discussions has been the identification of a series of capability gaps in current SDA knowledge and technologies, which has inspired further discourse through a recent SDA study commissioned by the UK Space Agency, with support from CGI, GNOSIS and UKspace. The study aims to understand the developments needed to progress the UK's SDA capability, by soliciting the views of academic and industrial actors. In addition to supporting community engagement, GNOSIS also provides seed funding for short-term scoping and proof-of-concept studies, alongside part-funding for PhD studentships. Moreover, a series of "technical challenges" has been released, aimed at deriving key performance parameters, a system CONOPS, and initial implementation cost estimates for future SDA technologies; either pre-defined by the GNOSIS management team, or proposed by members of the Network. The primary aim of the GNOSIS funding stream is to foster collaboration between the academic and commercial SDA communities, by applying science, technology, and/or expertise from the STFC and other relevant UKRI-funded programmes to problems associated with orbital debris and space traffic management. We provide examples of ongoing projects supported by GNOSIS funding, including a PhD studentship developing space dust and debris detectors, making use of the University of Kent's hypervelocity impact facility, and a proof-of-concept study led by the University of Warwick, investigating multispectral signatures of geostationary satellites by repurposing the SuperWASP-North observatory on La Palma, Canary Islands. We conclude with a look ahead to upcoming events in the GNOSIS programme, and a discussion of the Network's key goals for the future

Exploring SDA sensor architectures for the surveillance of geosynchronous spacecraft

Significant changes have taken place in the space domain over the past decade, with a growing number of emerging space-faring nations and commercial actors gaining access to the operational environment. The consequential diversification of space activities has brought about a need for a reassessment of space domain awareness (SDA) capabilities. Numerous states are developing their operational capability to undertake space-based activities, with potentially widespread ramifications for the safety of spacecraft. Rendezvous and proximity operations are becoming more prevalent in the geosynchronous (GSO) region for mission lifetime extension, active removal of debris, and satellite inspection, in all cases giving rise to novel challenges for SDA systems. What's more, there remains a largely uncharacterised population of small debris in the vicinity of the GSO region, uncovered by bespoke surveys with large aperture telescopes, and posing a significant risk to active satellites. In 2022, the UK Space Agency commissioned a study into the requirements and opportunities for SDA in the UK, carried out by CGI with support from the Global Network On Sustainability In Space (GNOSIS) and UKspace. The study highlighted research and development of sovereign sensors as one of its key recommendations, both to improve the UK's sensing capability and to contribute to closing gaps in global SDA capability. To this end, we explore the key requirements for future SDA sensor architectures, with a focus on ground-based electro-optical systems for the surveillance of spacecraft in the GSO region. Archival two-line element sets are used to simulate catalogued resident space objects (RSOs) passing through a grid of surveillance regions, tasked with monitoring the neighbourhoods of high-value assets in the vicinity of the geostationary belt, while the derived population from ESA's Meteoroid and Space Debris Terrestrial Environment Reference (MASTER) model is used as a basis for simulating the GSO debris field. We assess the observability of transiting RSOs from the vantage point of La Palma, Canary Islands, taking a variety of observational constraints into account, including the Earth's shadow, lunation, and the galactic plane. We examine the performance of the simulated surveillance regions in the context of comprehensive, yet cost-effective SDA provision. Estimated costs are weighed against important metrics for essential SDA tasks (e.g., catalogue maintenance , change detection, and conjunction analysis), such as the total traffic observed per night, the cadence of the observations, and the temporal coverage of registered RSOs. The results of the simulation are used to inform a discussion of key sensor architecture requirements for effective SDA of GSO assets, taking into consideration a combination of sensor characteristics (e.g., sensitivity, resolution, and wavelength band) and other factors (e.g., geographical placement, site quality, and observational strategy) influencing SDA capabilities. We provide a commentary on the advantages and limitations of the different architectures considered and conclude with a list of recommendations for the designs of future SDA systems for the protection of GSO spacecraft

High-Content, High-Throughput Analysis of Cell Cycle Perturbations Induced by the HSP90 Inhibitor XL888

BACKGROUND: Many proteins that are dysregulated or mutated in cancer cells rely on the molecular chaperone HSP90 for their proper folding and activity, which has led to considerable interest in HSP90 as a cancer drug target. The diverse array of HSP90 client proteins encompasses oncogenic drivers, cell cycle components, and a variety of regulatory factors, so inhibition of HSP90 perturbs multiple cellular processes, including mitogenic signaling and cell cycle control. Although many reports have investigated HSP90 inhibition in the context of the cell cycle, no large-scale studies have examined potential correlations between cell genotype and the cell cycle phenotypes of HSP90 inhibition. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To address this question, we developed a novel high-content, high-throughput cell cycle assay and profiled the effects of two distinct small molecule HSP90 inhibitors (XL888 and 17-AAG [17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin]) in a large, genetically diverse panel of cancer cell lines. The cell cycle phenotypes of both inhibitors were strikingly similar and fell into three classes: accumulation in M-phase, G2-phase, or G1-phase. Accumulation in M-phase was the most prominent phenotype and notably, was also correlated with TP53 mutant status. We additionally observed unexpected complexity in the response of the cell cycle-associated client PLK1 to HSP90 inhibition, and we suggest that inhibitor-induced PLK1 depletion may contribute to the striking metaphase arrest phenotype seen in many of the M-arrested cell lines. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our analysis of the cell cycle phenotypes induced by HSP90 inhibition in 25 cancer cell lines revealed that the phenotypic response was highly dependent on cellular genotype as well as on the concentration of HSP90 inhibitor and the time of treatment. M-phase arrest correlated with the presence of TP53 mutations, while G2 or G1 arrest was more commonly seen in cells bearing wt TP53. We draw upon previous literature to suggest an integrated model that accounts for these varying observations