Proglacial icings as indicators of glacier thermal regime : ice thickness changes and icing occurrence in Svalbard

Proglacial icings (also known as naled or aufeis) are frequently observed in the forefields of polar glaciers. Their formation has been ascribed to the refreezing of upwelling groundwater that has originated from subglacial melt, and thus the presence of icings has been used as evidence of polythermal glacier regime. We provide an updated analysis of icing occurrence in Svalbard and test the utility of icings as an indicator of thermal regime by comparing icing presence with: (1) mean glacier thickness, as a proxy for present thermal regime; and (2) evidence of past surge activity, which is an indicator of past thermal regime. A total of 279 icings were identified from TopoSvalbard imagery covering the period 2008-2012, of which 143 corresponded to icings identified by Bukowska-Jania and Szafraniec (2005) from aerial photographs from 1990. Only 46% of icings observed in 2008-2012 were found to occur at glaciers with thicknesses consistent with a polythermal regime, meaning a large proportion were associated with glaciers predicted to be of a cold or transitional thermal regime. As a result, icing presence alone may be an unsuitable indicator of glacier regime. We further found that, of the 279 glaciers with icings, 63% of cold-based glaciers and 64% of transitional glaciers were associated with evidence of surge activity. We therefore suggest that proglacial icing formation in Svalbard may reflect historical (rather than present) thermal regime, and that icings possibly originate from groundwater effusion from subglacial taliks that persist for decades following glacier thinning and associated regime change

Scholarship Series: KSU Faculty Showcase

Kennesaw State University School of Music presents Faculty Showcase, a KSU School of Music Scholarship Series concert.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1534/thumbnail.jp

Probing the metallicity and ionization state of the circumgalactic medium at z~6 and beyond with OI absorption

Low-ionization metal absorption due to O I has been identified as an important probe of the physical state of the intergalactic/circumgalactic medium at the tail end of reionization. We use here high-resolution hydrodynamic simulations to interpret the incidence rate of O I absorbers at z ∼ 6 as observed by Becker et al. We infer weak O I absorbers (EW ≳ 0.1 Å) to have typical H I column densities in the range of sub-damped Lyman α systems, densities of 80 times the mean baryonic density and metallicities of about 1/500th solar. This is similar to the metallicity inferred at similar overdensities at z ∼ 3, suggesting that the metal enrichment of the circumgalactic medium around low-mass galaxies has already progressed considerably by z ∼ 6. The apparently rapid evolution of the incidence rates for O I absorption over the redshift range 5 ≲ z ≲ 6 mirrors that of self-shielded Lyman-limit systems at lower redshift and is mainly due to the rapid decrease of the metagalactic photoionization rate at z ≳ 5. We predict the incidence rate of O I absorbers to continue to rise rapidly with increasing redshift as the IGM becomes more neutral. If the distribution of metals extends to lower density regions, O I absorbers will allow the metal enrichment of the increasingly neutral filamentary structures of the cosmic web to be probed

Outcome in patients perceived as receiving excessive care across different ethical climates: a prospective study in 68 intensive care units in Europe and the USA

Purpose: Whether the quality of the ethical climate in the intensive care unit (ICU) improves the identification of patients receiving excessive care and affects patient outcomes is unknown. Methods: In this prospective observational study, perceptions of excessive care (PECs) by clinicians working in 68 ICUs in Europe and the USA were collected daily during a 28-day period. The quality of the ethical climate in the ICUs was assessed via a validated questionnaire. We compared the combined endpoint (death, not at home or poor quality of life at 1 year) of patients with PECs and the time from PECs until written treatment-limitation decisions (TLDs) and death across the four climates defined via cluster analysis. Results: Of the 4747 eligible clinicians, 2992 (63%) evaluated the ethical climate in their ICU. Of the 321 and 623 patients not admitted for monitoring only in ICUs with a good (n = 12, 18%) and poor (n = 24, 35%) climate, 36 (11%) and 74 (12%), respectively were identified with PECs by at least two clinicians. Of the 35 and 71 identified patients with an available combined endpoint, 100% (95% CI 90.0–1.00) and 85.9% (75.4–92.0) (P = 0.02) attained that endpoint. The risk of death (HR 1.88, 95% CI 1.20–2.92) or receiving a written TLD (HR 2.32, CI 1.11–4.85) in patients with PECs by at least two clinicians was higher in ICUs with a good climate than in those with a poor one. The differences between ICUs with an average climate, with (n = 12, 18%) or without (n = 20, 29%) nursing involvement at the end of life, and ICUs with a poor climate were less obvious but still in favour of the former. Conclusion: Enhancing the quality of the ethical climate in the ICU may improve both the identification of patients receiving excessive care and the decision-making process at the end of life

Dysphagia in Intensive Care Evaluation (DICE): An International Cross-Sectional Survey.

Dysphagia occurs commonly in the intensive care unit (ICU). Despite the clinical relevance, there is little worldwide research on prevention, assessment, evaluation, and/or treatment of dysphagia for ICU patients. We aimed to gain insight into this international knowledge gap. We conducted a multi-center, international online cross-sectional survey of adult ICUs. Local survey distribution champions were recruited through professional and personal networks. The survey was administered from November 2017 to June 2019 with three emails and a final telephone reminder. Responses were received from 746 ICUs (26 countries). In patients intubated > 48 h, 17% expected a > 50% chance that dysphagia would develop. This proportion increased to 43% in patients intubated > 7 days, and to 52% in tracheotomized patients. Speech-language pathologist (SLP) consultation was available in 66% of ICUs, only 4% reported a dedicated SLP. Although 66% considered a routine post-extubation dysphagia protocol important, most (67%) did not have a protocol. Few ICUs routinely assessed for dysphagia after 48 h of intubation (30%) or tracheostomy (41%). A large proportion (46%) used water swallow screening tests to determine aspiration, few (8%) used instrumental assessments (i.e., flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing). Swallowing exercises were used for dysphagia management by 30% of ICUs. There seems to be limited awareness among ICU practitioners that patients are at risk of dysphagia, particularly as ventilation persists, protocols, routine assessment, and instrumental assessments are generally not used. We recommend the development of a research agenda to increase the quality of evidence and ameliorate the implementation of evidence-based dysphagia protocols by dedicated SLPs

Promoting shareability: Metadata activities of the DLF Aquifer initiative

This article describes the progress of the Digital Library Federation???s Aquifer Metadata Working Group and demonstrates a model for the construction, application, and testing of collaboratively-developed best practices for sharing metadata in the digital library environment. We set the metadata aggregation context in which the Aquifer initiative began, describe the development of a set of Implementation Guidelines for Shareable MODS Records and their supporting documentation and tools, and discuss how this work has contributed to the understanding of what features metadata describing primary source and humanities-based resources needs in order to support scholarly use. We end with a summary of future efforts for the Aquifer initiative, and how its lessons can be applied in other metadata harvesting environments.The work described here was partially funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for its support.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

Healing trauma in a traumatising environment with young adult men

In this article, the authors outline the interventions offered by the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathways Complex Needs Service (PCNS) in a Young Offenders Institute and Category C men’s prison for addressing trauma with young adult men within the prison environment and highlight the challenges of trauma-informed practice and interventions within this context. The importance of collaborative work with the young men will be emphasised within the development of clinical formulations and responsive treatment plans. Direct and non-direct trauma therapies offered by the PCNS will be outlined (e.g., Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy, sensory approaches). The article will emphasise the importance of adopting a multidisciplinary and system-wide approach to healing trauma, and the crucial role of the PCNS prison officers. The various clinical spaces available for staff to process traumatogenic material will be highlighted as key to maintaining staff wellbeing and resilience. A reflection from a prison officer working in the service will be provided. This article aims to highlight the importance of adopting a holistic and system-wide approach to healing trauma for young men in custody

Evaluación de los procesos de siembra y corte de flores mediante simulación de eventos discretos

This paper analyzes the production cycle of a Colombian flower producing company, focusing on the sowing and cutting process es. These processes are characterized by the presence of delays that imply large losses of money for the company. To facilitate the decision- making process and analyze alternatives to increase the company’s profit, a discrete- event simulation model was built where three scenarios were evaluated: 1) a scenario of forced acceleration of flowering, 2) a scenario of sale of flowers that are considered waste, and 3) a scenario that combines the forced acceleration of flowering and eliminates a line of work. The results indicate that under a scenario of forced acceleration of flowering together with the elimination of a work line , greater profitability could be achieved for the company and counteract the economic losses caused by the delays present in the production process , due to the saving in human resources and at the same time achieving an increase in the production of flowers.Este artículo analiza del ciclo productivo de una empresa productora de flores enfocándose en los procesos de siembra y corte. Estos procesos se caracterizan por la presencia de demoras que implican grandes pérdidas de dinero para la empresa. Para facilitar la toma de decisiones y analizar alternativas para aumentar las utilidades de la empresa, se construyó un modelo de simulación de eventos discretos donde se evaluaron de tres escenarios: 1) un escenario de aceleración forzada del florecimiento, 2) un escenario de venta de flores que son consideradas como desperdicio y 3) un escenario que combina la aceleración forzada del florecimiento y también elimina una línea de trabajo. Los resultados indican que bajo un escenario de aceleración forzada del florecimiento junto con la eliminación de una línea de trabajo podrían lograrse mayores rentabilidades para la empresa y contrarrestar las pérdidas económicas ocasionadas por los retrasos presentes en el proceso de producción, debido al ahorro en recurso humano y al mismo tiempo se logra un incremento en la producción de flores de la empresa

Opioid Antagonism Mitigates Antipsychotic-Associated Weight Gain: Focus on Olanzapine

BACKGROUND: The endogenous opioid system affects metabolism, including weight regulation. Evidence from preclinical and clinical studies provides a rationale for targeting this system to mitigate weight-related side effects of antipsychotics. This review describes the role of the opioid system in regulating weight and metabolism, examines the effects of opioid receptor antagonism on those functions, and explores the use of opioid antagonists to mitigate antipsychotic-associated weight gain and/or metabolic effects. METHODS: A PubMed literature search was conducted to identify representative opioid antagonists and associated preclinical and clinical studies examining their potential for the regulation of weight and metabolism. RESULTS: The mu opioid receptor (MOR), delta opioid receptor (DOR), and kappa opioid receptor (KOR) types have overlapping but distinct patterns of central and peripheral expression, and each contributes to the regulation of body weight and metabolism. Three representative opioid antagonists (eg, naltrexone, samidorphan, and LY255582) were identified for illustration. These opioid antagonists differed in their receptor binding and pharmacokinetic profiles, including oral bioavailability, systemic clearance, and half-life, and were associated with varying effects on food intake, energy utilization, and metabolic dysregulation. CONCLUSIONS: Preclinical and clinical data suggest that antagonism of the endogenous opioid system is a mechanism to address antipsychotic-associated weight gain and metabolic dysregulation. However, evidence suggests that the differing roles of MOR, DOR, and KOR in metabolism, together with the differences in receptor binding, pharmacokinetic, and functional activity profiles of the opioid receptor antagonists discussed in this review, likely contribute to their differential pharmacodynamic effects and clinical outcomes observed regarding antipsychotic-associated weight gain