Erosion and Accretion Trends of New Hampshire Beaches from December 2016 to March 2020: Results of the Volunteer Beach Profile Monitoring Program

New Hampshire Atlantic beaches were monitored from December 2016 to March 2020 to determine seasonal changes in morphology and elevation, assess the response of the beaches to storms with respect to erosion and subsequent recovery, and develop a baseline to determine long-term trends in beach size, elevation, and position. A unique aspect of this study was the involvement of community volunteers working together with the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, UNH Cooperative Extension, New Hampshire Sea Grant, and the New Hampshire Geological Survey. The monitoring network consisted of thirteen stations located at six of the major beaches, including each of the state beaches. Monitoring stations were located at Wallis Sands, Jenness Beach, North Hampton Beach, North Beach, Hampton Beach, and Seabrook Beach. At least two stations were located at each beach (Seabrook Beach had three stations). Beach elevation profiles were run routinely at each station at approximately three- to four-week intervals. Additional measurements were made following several major storms. In total, approximately 400 elevation profiles were run at the thirteen stations. The elevation profiles were run using the Emery (1961) method which utilizes two calibrated rods and the horizon for leveling. Sediment volume calculations were made for each profile that approximated the amount of material in the intertidal zone for that profile at that point in time for a one-meter wide swath of the beach. Seasonal changes and storm impacts on beach elevations, profile characteristics, and sediment volumes are discussed in detail for each beach and the major conditions and processes that control their stability discussed

Curriculum implementation exploratory studies: Final report

Throughout the history of schooling in New Zealand the national curriculum has been revised at fairly regular intervals. Consequently, schools are periodically faced with having to accommodate to new curriculum. In between major changes other specifically-focused changes may arise; for example, the increased recent emphasis upon numeracy and literacy

How the COVID ‐19 crisis affected the well‐being of nurses working in paediatric critical care::A qualitative study

Objectives Evidence shows paediatric critical care (PCC) nurses display high rates of burnout, moral distress, symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and poor well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic magnified these pressures producing extremely challenging working conditions. The objective was to understand PCC nurses' lived experience of working during COVID-19 to determine the impact it had on their well-being. Design A qualitative design was used with individual, semi-structured online interviews analysed using thematic analysis. Results Ten nurses from six PCC units in England participated. Five themes were generated: (i) Challenges of working in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), (ii) Adapting to redeployment to adult intensive care, (iii) Changes to staff working relationships, (iv) Being unable to attain work-life balance and (v) Unprocessed traumatic experiences of working in COVID-19. It was clear COVID-19 presented novel challenges to PCC nurses' well-being. With those came enforced changes in practice; some were temporary, for example use of PPE and redeployment, but others provided insight into the prerequisites for good staff well-being, for example strong professional relationships, work–life balance and managing one's psychological health. Conclusions Findings show authentic connections between peers, verbal and non-verbal communication and a sense of belonging were crucial to nurses' well-being. A dent in PCC nurses' perceived competence significantly affected their well-being. Finally, staff need a psychologically safe space to process distress and trauma experienced during COVID-19. Future research needs to test evidence-based, theoretically-informed well-being interventions to improve and maintain PCC nurses' well-being

Developmental cues and persistent neurogenic potential within an in vitro neural niche

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neurogenesis, the production of neural cell-types from neural stem cells (NSCs), occurs during development as well as within select regions of the adult brain. NSCs in the adult subependymal zone (SEZ) exist in a well-categorized niche microenvironment established by surrounding cells and their molecular products. The components of this niche maintain the NSCs and their definitive properties, including the ability to self-renew and multipotency (neuronal and glial differentiation).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We describe a model <it>in vitro </it>NSC niche, derived from embryonic stem cells, that produces many of the cells and products of the developing subventricular zone (SVZ) and adult SEZ NSC niche. We demonstrate a possible role for apoptosis and for components of the extracellular matrix in the maintenance of the NSC population within our niche cultures. We characterize expression of genes relevant to NSC self-renewal and the process of neurogenesis and compare these findings to gene expression produced by an established neural-induction protocol employing retinoic acid.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The <it>in vitro </it>NSC niche shows an identity that is distinct from the neurally induced embryonic cells that were used to derive it. Molecular and cellular components found in our <it>in vitro </it>NSC niche include NSCs, neural progeny, and ECM components and their receptors. Establishment of the <it>in vitro </it>NSC niche occurs in conjunction with apoptosis. Applications of this culture system range from studies of signaling events fundamental to niche formation and maintenance as well as development of unique NSC transplant platforms to treat disease or injury.</p

Astrometry with the Keck-Interferometer: the ASTRA project and its science

The sensitivity and astrometry upgrade ASTRA of the Keck Interferometer is introduced. After a brief overview of the underlying interferometric principles, the technology and concepts of the upgrade are presented. The interferometric dual-field technology of ASTRA will provide the KI with the means to observe two objects simultaneously, and measure the distance between them with a precision eventually better than 100 uas. This astrometric functionality of ASTRA will add a unique observing tool to fields of astrophysical research as diverse as exo-planetary kinematics, binary astrometry, and the investigation of stars accelerated by the massive black hole in the center of the Milky Way as discussed in this contribution.Comment: 22 pages, 10 figures (low resolution), contribution to the summerschool "Astrometry and Imaging with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer", 2 - 13 June, 2008, Keszthely, Hungary, corrected authorlis

Young women's and midwives' perspectives on improving nutritional support in pregnancy: The babies, eating, and LifestyLe in adolescence (BELLA) study

Rationale: Teenage pregnancy has a high risk of poor outcomes for both mother and baby. Teenage girls have the poorest diets of any population group in the UK, which compounds the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes. Pregnant teenagers trust advice from their midwives, but midwives feel they do not have time, confidence, or knowledge to discuss nutrition. Objective: This study examined how the relationship between pregnant teenagers and their midwives could be utilised to deliver support to improve diet quality. Method: Qualitative interviews were conducted across three urban sites in the UK: Manchester, Doncaster, and Southampton with adolescent mothers and their midwives regarding diet and lifestyle, and what form of support would be helpful. In total, 106 young women and 20 midwives were interviewed. Most of the young mothers were 19 or younger (67%). Half had had their first child in the past year (52%) and 21% were pregnant during the study. Thematic analysis was used to identify ways to better support young mothers to eat well. Results: Young women found it difficult to prioritise healthy eating; they often felt isolated and not in control of their own lives and wanted support from their midwife. Midwives felt that it was their role to support young mothers with diet in pregnancy but were anxious about initiating conversations and felt they lacked clear guidance. Conclusions: Pregnant teenagers and their midwives lack reliable resources and strategies for healthy eating support. An effective intervention to improve pregnant teenagers' diet quality must empower, inform, and motivate young mothers and their midwives, and enable connections between young mothers

Broad clinical phenotypes associated with TAR-DNA binding protein (TARDBP) mutations in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

The finding of TDP-43 as a major component of ubiquitinated protein inclusions in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has led to the identification of 30 mutations in the transactive response-DNA binding protein (TARDBP) gene, encoding TDP-43. All but one are in exon 6, which encodes the glycine-rich domain. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of TARDBP mutations in a large cohort of motor neurone disease patients from Northern England (42 non-superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) familial ALS (FALS), nine ALS-frontotemporal dementia, 474 sporadic ALS (SALS), 45 progressive muscular atrophy cases). We identified four mutations, two of which were novel, in two familial (FALS) and two sporadic (SALS) cases, giving a frequency of TARDBP mutations in non-SOD1 FALS of 5% and SALS of 0.4%. Analysis of clinical data identified that patients had typical ALS, with limb or bulbar onset, and showed considerable variation in age of onset and rapidity of disease course. However, all cases had an absence of clinically overt cognitive dysfunction

Utilizing Computational Machine Learning Tools to Understand Immunogenic Breadth in the Context of a CD8 T-Cell Mediated HIV Response

Predictive models are becoming more and more commonplace as tools for candidate antigen discovery to meet the challenges of enabling epitope mapping of cohorts with diverse HLA properties. Here we build on the concept of using two key parameters, diversity metric of the HLA profile of individuals within a population and consideration of sequence diversity in the context of an individual's CD8 T-cell immune repertoire to assess the HIV proteome for defined regions of immunogenicity. Using this approach, analysis of HLA adaptation and functional immunogenicity data enabled the identification of regions within the proteome that offer significant conservation, HLA recognition within a population, low prevalence of HLA adaptation and demonstrated immunogenicity. We believe this unique and novel approach to vaccine design as a supplement to vitro functional assays, offers a bespoke pipeline for expedited and rational CD8 T-cell vaccine design for HIV and potentially other pathogens with the potential for both global and local coverage.Fil: McGowan, Ed. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Rosenthal, Rachel. Francis Crick Institute; Reino UnidoFil: Fiore Gartland, Andrew. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Cente; Estados UnidosFil: Macharia, Gladys. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Balinda, Sheila. Uganda Virus Research Institute; UgandaFil: Kapaata, Anne. Uganda Virus Research Institute; UgandaFil: Umviligihozo, Gisele. Center for Family Health Research; RuandaFil: Muok, Erick. Center for Family Health Research; RuandaFil: Dalel, Jama. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Streatfield, Claire L.. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Coutinho, Helen. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Dilernia, Dario. University of Emory; Estados UnidosFil: Monaco, Daniela C.. University of Emory; Estados UnidosFil: Morrison, David. South Walsham; Reino UnidoFil: Yue, Ling. University of Emory; Estados UnidosFil: Hunter, Eric. University of Emory; Estados UnidosFil: Nielsen, Morten. Technical University of Denmark; Dinamarca. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gilmour, Jill. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Hare, Jonathan. International Aids Vaccine Initiative; Estados Unido

Economic Value of Dengue Vaccine in Thailand

With several candidate dengue vaccines under development, this is an important time to help stakeholders (e.g., policy makers, scientists, clinicians, and manufacturers) better understand the potential economic value (cost-effectiveness) of a dengue vaccine, especially while vaccine characteristics and strategies might be readily altered. We developed a decision analytic Markov simulation model to evaluate the potential health and economic value of administering a dengue vaccine to an individual (≤ 1 year of age) in Thailand from the societal perspective. Sensitivity analyses evaluated the effects of ranging various vaccine (e.g., cost, efficacy, side effect), epidemiological (dengue risk), and disease (treatment-seeking behavior) characteristics. A ≥ 50% efficacious vaccine was highly cost-effective [< 1× per capita gross domestic product (GDP) ($4,289)] up to a total vaccination cost of$60 and cost-effective [< 3× per capita GDP ($12,868)] up to a total vaccination cost of$200. When the total vaccine series was $1.50, many scenarios were cost saving