Approaches to Improving School Attendance: Insights From Australian Principals

School absenteeism has been concerning educators in the Global North (including Australia) as research suggests a relationship between school attendance, academic achievement and subsequent life chances. This paper focuses on the perspectives of 50 school leaders in Queensland, Australia about approaches to improving attendance. Strategies reflected the cultural, economic and social diversity of their school communities. In general, quality curricula and pedagogies were considered important, but were not explicitly linked to attendance. This suggests the need for schools to develop strategies to enhance student engagement in meaningful learning through quality curricula and pedagogies within a positive school environment

The Upper Crustal Evolution of a Large Silicic Magma Body: Evidence from Crystal-scale Rb-Sr Isotopic Heterogeneities in the Fish Canyon Magmatic System, Colorado

Batholith-sized bodies of crystal-rich magmatic ‘mush' are widely inferred to represent the hidden sources of many large-volume high-silica rhyolite eruptive units. Occasionally these mush bodies are ejected along with their trapped interstitial liquid, forming the distinctive crystal-rich ignimbrites known as ‘monotonous intermediates'. These ignimbrites are notable for their combination of high crystal contents (35-55%), dacitic bulk compositions with interstitial high-silica rhyolitic glass, and general lack of compositional zonation. The 5000 km3 Fish Canyon Tuff is an archetypal eruption deposit of this type, and is the largest known silicic eruption on Earth. Ejecta from the Fish Canyon magmatic system are notable for the limited compositional variation that they define on the basis of whole-rock chemistry, whereas ∼ 45 vol. % crystals in a matrix of high-silica rhyolite glass together span a large range of mineral-scale isotopic variability (microns to millimetres). Rb/Sr isotopic analyses of single crystals (sanidine, plagioclase, biotite, hornblende, apatite, titanite) and sampling by micromilling of selected zones within glass plus sanidine and plagioclase crystals document widespread isotopic disequilibrium at many scales. High and variable 87Sr/86Sri values for euhedral biotite grains cannot be explained by any model involving closed-system radiogenic ingrowth, and they are difficult to rationalize unless much of this radiogenic Sr has been introduced at a late stage via assimilation of local Proterozoic crust. Hornblende is the only phase that approaches isotopic equilibrium with the surrounding melt, but the melt (glass) was isotopically heterogeneous at the millimetre scale, and was therefore apparently contaminated with radiogenic Sr shortly prior to eruption. The other mineral phases (plagioclase, sanidine, titanite, and apatite) have significantly lower 87Sr/86Sri values than whole-rock values (as much as −0·0005). Such isotopic disequilibrium implies that feldspars, titanite and apatite are antecrysts that crystallized from less radiogenic melt compositions at earlier stages of magma evolution, whereas highly radiogenic biotite xenocrysts and the development of isotopic heterogeneity in matrix melt glass appear to coincide with the final stage of the evolution of the Fish Canyon magma body in the upper crust. Integrated petrographic and geochemical evidence is consistent with pre-eruptive thermal rejuvenation of a near-solidus mineral assemblage from ∼720 to 760°C (i.e. partial dissolution of feldspars + quartz while hornblende + titanite + biotite were crystallizing). Assimilation and blending of phenocrysts, antecrysts and xenocrysts reflects chamber-wide, low Reynolds number convection that occurred within the last ∼10 000 years before eruptio

Spectral Network (SpecNet)—What is it and why do we need it?

Effective integration of optical remote sensing with flux measurements across multiple scales is essential for understanding global patterns of surface–atmosphere fluxes of carbon and water vapor. SpecNet (Spectral Network) is an international network of cooperating investigators and sites linking optical measurements with flux sampling for the purpose of improving our understanding of the controls on these fluxes. An additional goal is to characterize disturbance impacts on surface–atmosphere fluxes. To reach these goals, key SpecNet objectives include the exploration of scaling issues, development of novel sampling tools, standardization and intercomparison of sampling methods, development of models and statistical methods that relate optical sampling to fluxes, exploration of component fluxes, validation of satellite products, and development of an informatics approach that integrates disparate data sources across scales. Examples of these themes are summarized in this review

Spectral Network (SpecNet)—What is it and why do we need it?

Effective integration of optical remote sensing with flux measurements across multiple scales is essential for understanding global patterns of surface–atmosphere fluxes of carbon and water vapor. SpecNet (Spectral Network) is an international network of cooperating investigators and sites linking optical measurements with flux sampling for the purpose of improving our understanding of the controls on these fluxes. An additional goal is to characterize disturbance impacts on surface–atmosphere fluxes. To reach these goals, key SpecNet objectives include the exploration of scaling issues, development of novel sampling tools, standardization and intercomparison of sampling methods, development of models and statistical methods that relate optical sampling to fluxes, exploration of component fluxes, validation of satellite products, and development of an informatics approach that integrates disparate data sources across scales. Examples of these themes are summarized in this review

Late-Life Exercise Mitigates Skeletal Muscle Epigenetic Aging

There are functional benefits to exercise in muscle, even when performed late in life, but the contributions of epigenetic factors to late-life exercise adaptation are poorly defined. Using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS), ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and mitochondrial-specific examination of methylation, targeted high-resolution methylation analysis, and DNAge™ epigenetic aging clock analysis with a translatable model of voluntary murine endurance/resistance exercise training (progressive weighted wheel running, PoWeR), we provide evidence that exercise may mitigate epigenetic aging in skeletal muscle. Late-life PoWeR from 22–24 months of age modestly but significantly attenuates an age-associated shift toward promoter hypermethylation. The epigenetic age of muscle from old mice that PoWeR-trained for eight weeks was approximately eight weeks younger than 24-month-old sedentary counterparts, which represents ~8% of the expected murine lifespan. These data provide a molecular basis for exercise as a therapy to attenuate skeletal muscle aging

Single nucleotide polymorphisms and sickle cell disease-related pain: a systematic review

BackgroundScientists have speculated genetic variants may contribute to an individual's unique pain experience. Although research exists regarding the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms and sickle cell disease-related pain, this literature has not been synthesized to help inform future precision health research for sickle cell disease-related pain. Our primary aim of this systematic review was to synthesize the current state of scientific literature regarding single nucleotide polymorphisms and their association with sickle cell disease-related pain.MethodsUsing the Prisma guidelines, we conducted our search between December 2021–April 2022. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Embase databases (1998–2022) and selected all peer-reviewed articles that included reports of associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms and sickle cell disease-related pain outcomes.ResultsOur search yielded 215 articles, 80 of which were duplicates, and after two reviewers (GG, JD) independently screened the 135 non-duplicate articles, we retained 22 articles that met the study criteria. The synthesis of internationally generated evidence revealed that this scientific area remains predominantly exploratory in nature, with only three studies reporting sufficient power for genetic association. Sampling varied across studies with a range of children to older adults with SCD. All of the included articles (n = 22) examined acute pain, while only nine of those studies also examined chronic pain.ConclusionCurrently, the evidence implicating genetic variation contributing to acute and chronic sickle cell disease-related pain is characterized by modestly powered candidate-gene studies using rigorous SCD-pain outcomes. Effect sizes and directions vary across studies and are valuable for informing the design of future studies. Further research is needed to replicate these associations and extend findings with hypothesis-driven research to inform precision health research

A Novel Tetracycline-Responsive Transgenic Mouse Strain for Skeletal Muscle-Specific Gene Expression

Background: The tetracycline-responsive system (Tet-ON/OFF) has proven to be a valuable tool for manipulating gene expression in an inducible, temporal, and tissue-specific manner. The purpose of this study was to create and characterize a new transgenic mouse strain utilizing the human skeletal muscle α-actin (HSA) promoter to drive skeletal muscle-specific expression of the reverse tetracycline transactivator (rtTA) gene which we have designated as the HSA-rtTA mouse. Methods: To confirm the HSA-rtTA mouse was capable of driving skeletal muscle-specific expression, we crossed the HSA-rtTA mouse with the tetracycline-responsive histone H2B-green fluorescent protein (H2B-GFP) transgenic mouse in order to label myonuclei. Results: Reverse transcription-PCR confirmed skeletal muscle-specific expression of rtTA mRNA, while single-fiber analysis showed highly effective GFP labeling of myonuclei in both fast- and slow-twitch skeletal muscles. Pax7 immunohistochemistry of skeletal muscle cross-sections revealed no appreciable GFP expression in satellite cells. Conclusions: The HSA-rtTA transgenic mouse allows for robust, specific, and inducible gene expression across muscles of different fiber types. The HSA-rtTA mouse provides a powerful tool to manipulate gene expression in skeletal muscle

A Muscle Cell-Macrophage Axis Involving Matrix Metalloproteinase 14 Facilitates Extracellular Matrix Remodeling with Mechanical Loading

The extracellular matrix (ECM) in skeletal muscle plays an integral role in tissue development, structural support, and force transmission. For successful adaptation to mechanical loading, remodeling processes must occur. In a large cohort of older adults, transcriptomics revealed that genes involved in ECM remodeling, including matrix metalloproteinase 14 (MMP14), were the most upregulated following 14 weeks of progressive resistance exercise training (PRT). Using single-cell RNA-seq, we identified macrophages as a source of Mmp14 in muscle following a hypertrophic exercise stimulus in mice. In vitro contractile activity in myotubes revealed that the gene encoding cytokine leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is robustly upregulated and can stimulate Mmp14 expression in macrophages. Functional experiments confirmed that modulation of this muscle cell-macrophage axis facilitated Type I collagen turnover. Finally, changes in LIF expression were significantly correlated with MMP14 expression in humans following 14 weeks of PRT. Our experiments reveal a mechanism whereby muscle fibers influence macrophage behavior to promote ECM remodeling in response to mechanical loading