The efficacy of luminol in detecting bloodstains that have been washed with sodium percarbonate and exposed to environmental conditions

Blood evidence has a highly valuable role to play in crime investigation and crime reconstruction both in terms of DNA evidence and bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA). This paper presents the results of experiments that were designed to investigate the persistence and detectability of blood on clothing when exposed to different conditions and when washed in conjunction with sodium percarbonate (also known as active oxygen). Previous studies have demonstrated that the removal of traces of blood from denim and carpet is improved by the addition of sodium percarbonate, when compared with washing with detergent alone. In exploring this issue further, this study confirms that the efficacy of sodium percarbonate in removing bloodstains depends on the temperature of the wash cycle, the type of detergent used, drying time of blood and exposure of bloodstains to environmental conditions. The implications for the interpretation or blood evidence are considered, while the importance of continuing to develop an evidence base for the interpretation of blood evidence is emphasized

In situ phytoplankton distributions in the Amundsen Sea Polynya measured by autonomous gliders

The Amundsen Sea Polynya is characterized by large phytoplankton blooms, which makes this region disproportionately important relative to its size for the biogeochemistry of the Southern Ocean. In situ data on phytoplankton are limited, which is problematic given recent reports of sustained change in the Amundsen Sea. During two field expeditions to the Amundsen Sea during austral summer 2010-2011 and 2014, we collected physical and bio-optical data from ships and autonomous underwater gliders. Gliders documented large phytoplankton blooms associated with Antarctic Surface Waters with low salinity surface water and shallow upper mixed layers (\u3c 50 m). High biomass was not always associated with a specific water mass, suggesting the importance of upper mixed depth and light in influencing phytoplankton biomass. Spectral optical backscatter and ship pigment data suggested that the composition of phytoplankton was spatially heterogeneous, with the large blooms dominated by Phaeocystis and non-bloom waters dominated by diatoms. Phytoplankton growth rates estimated from field data (\u3c = 0.10 day(-1)) were at the lower end of the range measured during ship-based incubations, reflecting both in situ nutrient and light limitations. In the bloom waters, phytoplankton biomass was high throughout the 50-m thick upper mixed layer. Those biomass levels, along with the presence of colored dissolved organic matter and detritus, resulted in a euphotic zone that was often \u3c 10 m deep. The net result was that the majority of phytoplankton were light-limited, suggesting that mixing rates within the upper mixed layer were critical to determining the overall productivity; however, regional productivity will ultimately be controlled by water column stability and the depth of the upper mixed layer, which may be enhanced with continued ice melt in the Amundsen Sea Polynya

Contextual Analysis of Stakeholder Opinion on Management and Leadership Competencies for Undergraduate Medical Education: Informing Course Design

Background: The study aimed to conduct a contextual analysis of interviews intended to assist with the future design of a feasible and relevant leadership and management course for undergraduate medical students at King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Saudi Arabia. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Saudi Arabia, during 2019. An exploratory qualitative approach, utilizing systematic content analysis, was used. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews that were conducted with 10 leaders who were stakeholders at KAU, health service providers at KAU hospital, and stakeholders in the Ministry of Health. Results: This study revealed critical findings that highlighted the areas in which KAU could instill better and adequate leadership and management skills in their undergraduate medical students. Multiple core categories for a leadership and management curriculum emerged with many interrelated themes. Most participants mentioned that leadership can be taught and that early exposure is beneficial for developing skills. Additionally, they stated that leaders should have a vision and the ability to articulate that vision. Conclusions: Different implementation challenges were described in relation to the availability of human resources, the current short supply of suitable teachers, and program design. Teaching methods recommended included simulations, lectures, and a project-based approach. Assessment methods that were recommended included objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), formative and summative assessments, self-assessments, and portfolios

Biophysical suitability, economic pressure and land-cover change: a global probabilistic approach and insights for REDD+

There has been a concerted effort by the international scientific community to understand the multiple causes and patterns of land-cover change to support sustainable land management. Here, we examined biophysical suitability, and a novel integrated index of “Economic Pressure on Land” (EPL) to explain land cover in the year 2000, and estimated the likelihood of future land-cover change through 2050, including protected area effectiveness. Biophysical suitability and EPL explained almost half of the global pattern of land cover (R 2 = 0.45), increasing to almost two-thirds in areas where a long-term equilibrium is likely to have been reached (e.g. R 2 = 0.64 in Europe). We identify a high likelihood of future land-cover change in vast areas with relatively lower current and past deforestation (e.g. the Congo Basin). Further, we simulated emissions arising from a “business as usual” and two reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) scenarios by incorporating data on biomass carbon. As our model incorporates all biome types, it highlights a crucial aspect of the ongoing REDD + debate: if restricted to forests, “cross-biome leakage” would severely reduce REDD + effectiveness for climate change mitigation. If forests were protected from deforestation yet without measures to tackle the drivers of land-cover change, REDD + would only reduce 30 % of total emissions from land-cover change. Fifty-five percent of emissions reductions from forests would be compensated by increased emissions in other biomes. These results suggest that, although REDD + remains a very promising mitigation tool, implementation of complementary measures to reduce land demand is necessary to prevent this leakage

Methodological criteria for the assessment of moderators in systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials : a consensus study

Background: Current methodological guidelines provide advice about the assessment of sub-group analysis within RCTs, but do not specify explicit criteria for assessment. Our objective was to provide researchers with a set of criteria that will facilitate the grading of evidence for moderators, in systematic reviews. Method: We developed a set of criteria from methodological manuscripts (n = 18) using snowballing technique, and electronic database searches. Criteria were reviewed by an international Delphi panel (n = 21), comprising authors who have published methodological papers in this area, and researchers who have been active in the study of sub-group analysis in RCTs. We used the Research ANd Development/University of California Los Angeles appropriateness method to assess consensus on the quantitative data. Free responses were coded for consensus and disagreement. In a subsequent round additional criteria were extracted from the Cochrane Reviewers’ Handbook, and the process was repeated. Results: The recommendations are that meta-analysts report both confirmatory and exploratory findings for subgroups analysis. Confirmatory findings must only come from studies in which a specific theory/evidence based apriori statement is made. Exploratory findings may be used to inform future/subsequent trials. However, for inclusion in the meta-analysis of moderators, the following additional criteria should be applied to each study: Baseline factors should be measured prior to randomisation, measurement of baseline factors should be of adequate reliability and validity, and a specific test of the interaction between baseline factors and interventions must be presented. Conclusions: There is consensus from a group of 21 international experts that methodological criteria to assess moderators within systematic reviews of RCTs is both timely and necessary. The consensus from the experts resulted in five criteria divided into two groups when synthesising evidence: confirmatory findings to support hypotheses about moderators and exploratory findings to inform future research. These recommendations are discussed in reference to previous recommendations for evaluating and reporting moderator studies

30 days wild: development and evaluation of a large-scale nature engagement campaign to improve well-being

There is a need to increase people’s engagement with and connection to nature, both for human well-being and the conservation of nature itself. In order to suggest ways for people to engage with nature and create a wider social context to normalise nature engagement, The Wildlife Trusts developed a mass engagement campaign, 30 Days Wild. The campaign asked people to engage with nature every day for a month. 12,400 people signed up for 30 Days Wild via an online sign-up with an estimated 18,500 taking part overall, resulting in an estimated 300,000 engagements with nature by participants. Samples of those taking part were found to have sustained increases in happiness, health, connection to nature and pro-nature behaviours. With the improvement in health being predicted by the improvement in happiness, this relationship was mediated by the change in connection to nature

Risk assessment for the spread of Serratia marcescens within dental-unit waterline systems using Vermamoeba vermiformis

Vermamoeba vermiformis is associated with the biofilm ecology of dental-unit waterlines (DUWLs). This study investigated whether V. vermiformis is able to act as a vector for potentially pathogenic bacteria and so aid their dispersal within DUWL systems. Clinical dental water was initially examined for Legionella species by inoculating it onto Legionella selective-medium plates. The molecular identity/profile of the glassy colonies obtained indicated none of these isolates were Legionella species. During this work bacterial colonies were identified as a non-pigmented Serratia marcescens. As the water was from a clinical DUWL which had been treated with Alpron™ this prompted the question as to whether S. marcescens had developed resistance to the biocide. Exposure to Alpron™ indicated that this dental biocide was effective, under laboratory conditions, against S. marcescens at up to 1x108 colony forming units/millilitre (cfu/ml). V. vermiformis was cultured for eight weeks on cells of S. marcescens and Escherichia coli. Subsequent electron microscopy showed that V. vermiformis grew equally well on S. marcescens and E. coli (p = 0.0001). Failure to detect the presence of S. marcescens within the encysted amoebae suggests that V. vermiformis is unlikely to act as a vector supporting the growth of this newly isolated, nosocomial bacterium

Shape-induced force fields in optical trapping

Advances in optical tweezers, coupled with the proliferation of two-photon polymerization systems, mean that it is now becoming routine to fabricate and trap non-spherical particles. The shaping of both light beams and particles allows fine control over the flow of momentum from the optical to mechanical regimes. However, understanding and predicting the behaviour of such systems is highly complex in comparison with the traditional optically trapped microsphere. In this Article, we present a conceptually new and simple approach based on the nature of the optical force density. We illustrate the method through the design and fabrication of a shaped particle capable of acting as a passive force clamp, and we demonstrate its use as an optically trapped probe for imaging surface topography. Further applications of the design rules highlighted here may lead to new sensors for probing biomolecule mechanics, as well as to the development of optically actuated micromachines