Polythermal structure of a Himalayan debris-covered glacier revealed by borehole thermometry

Runoff from high-elevation debris-covered glaciers represents a crucial water supply for millions of people in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya region, where peak water has already passed in places. Knowledge of glacier thermal regime is essential for predicting dynamic and geometric responses to mass balance change and determining subsurface drainage pathways, which ultimately influence proglacial discharge and hence downstream water availability. Yet, deep internal ice temperatures of these glaciers are unknown, making projections of their future response to climate change highly uncertain. Here, we show that the lower part of the ablation area of Khumbu Glacier, a high-elevation debris-covered glacier in Nepal, may contain ~56% temperate ice, with much of the colder shallow ice near to the melting-point temperature (within 0.8 °C). From boreholes drilled in the glacier’s ablation area, we measured a minimum ice temperature of −3.3 °C, and even the coldest ice we measured was 2 °C warmer than the mean annual air temperature. Our results indicate that high-elevation Himalayan glaciers are vulnerable to even minor atmospheric warming

A case study using 2019 pre-monsoon snow and stream chemistry in the Khumbu region, Nepal

This case study provides a framework for future monitoring and evidence for human source pollution in the Khumbu region, Nepal. We analyzed the chemical composition (major ions, major/trace elements, black carbon, and stable water isotopes) of pre-monsoon stream water (4300–5250 m) and snow (5200–6665 m) samples collected from Mt. Everest, Mt. Lobuche, and the Imja Valley during the 2019 pre-monsoon season, in addition to a shallow ice core recovered from the Khumbu Glacier (5300 m). In agreement with previous work, pre-monsoon aerosol deposition is dominated by dust originating from western sources and less frequently by transport from southerly air mass sources as demonstrated by evidence of one of the strongest recorded pre-monsoon events emanating from the Bay of Bengal, Cyclone Fani. Elevated concentrations of human-sourced metals (e.g., Pb, Bi, As) are found in surface snow and stream chemistry collected in the Khumbu region. As the most comprehensive case study of environmental chemistry in the Khumbu region, this research offers sufficient evidence for increased monitoring in this watershed and surrounding areas

Characterization of CAP5.5 and CAP5.5V, atypical calpains in Trypanosoma brucei

Calpains are a group of calcium-dependent cysteine proteases with roles ranging from cytoskeletal remodelling to signal transduction. In Trypanosoma brucei, the causal agent of African sleeping sickness, an unusually large number of calpain- like proteins exist, whose functions remain unknown. Recently, the procyclic form- specific cytoskeleton associated protein 5.5 (CAP5.5) and its bloodstream-specific paralogous variant, CAP5.5V were discovered to be essential for the proper morphogenesis of the parasite. However, precise functional roles of these proteins remain unknown. In this MSc thesis, I employed a two-pronged approach combining cell biology studies of CAP5.5 and CAP5.5V in T. brucei with in vitro assays of recombinant calpains expressed in Escherichia coli to further characterize CAP5.5 and CAP5.5V. To resolve whether the function of CAP5.5 and CAP5.5V is dependent upon proteolytic activity, I expressed and purified recombinant CAP5.5V’s catalytic domain. I demonstrated that this domain did not have any detectable autolytic activity or activity against universal protease substrates such as casein. Ectopic expression of CAP5.5::YFP::Ty in procyclic trypanosomes led to nuclear mis-positioning among other morphological defects. Additionally, I demonstrated a cell cycle dependency on incorporation of CAP5.5::YFP::Ty into the cytoskeleton and corroborate previous data that suggest that CAP5.5 is built in from the dynamic, posterior end of the cell. Investigation of the molecular determinants in CAP5.5’s sequence such as motifs or domains suggested that CAP5.5’s domain IV may be the domain mediating association with the sub-pellicular cytoskeleton.This thesis is not currently available in ORA

The Mozart Effect & The Arousal Mood Hypothesis

The present study investigated whether performing various musical and non-music activities could induce enhancements to spatial reasoning skills and whether these enhancements could be attributed to changes in arousal and mood. We were able to successfully reproduce the Mozart Effect by showing that subjects in three of our experimental groups exhibited a significant increase in PF&C scores compared to the control group. However, the groups did not show reliable changes in the subjects’ emotional states. Taken together, our results suggest that the enhancements to spatial-reasoning involved in the Mozart Effect may not be attributed to changes in arousal and mood

Illuminating Elder Abuse in Hospice Centers: Bringing Awareness and Policy Reform to An Overlooked Crisis

Hospice care amongst the elderly is not uncommon, as it specifically focuses on improving and supporting the lives of those who are either terminally ill or unable to support themselves. Over one million individuals are admitted into hospice care centers every year, and the numbers have only increased with time. However, this increase in patient quantity is accompanied with a higher risk of elder abuse within the hospice industry as a whole, as demonstrated by the five million older Americans who are abused every year. 1 Elder abuse within hospice settings is a public health issue that is not widely discussed. The abuse can appear in many forms and in all locations of patient care, from the home environment to hospice facilities. Elder abuse is wide ranging and includes physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, as well as neglect and abandonment. Older individuals, especially those who depend on care from others, are especially vulnerable to such abuse. In this literature review, we aim to uncover the truth about elder abuse in various healthcare settings. We begin with current research findings and general knowledge about elder abuse. Next, we address nonprofit versus for-profit hospice centers, as well as the responsibilities of the healthcare team to speak out against abuse. In doing so, we then propose direct, actionable solutions that are in the process or being implemented or should be implemented in order to prevent further abuse of the elderly

The influence of water percolation through crevasses on the thermal regime of a Himalayan mountain glacier

In cold and arid climates, small glaciers with cold accumulation zones are often thought to be entirely cold based. However, scattering in ground-penetrating radar (GPR) measurements on the Rikha Samba Glacier in the Nepal Himalayas suggests a large amount of temperate ice that seems to be influenced by the presence of crevassed areas. We used a coupled thermo-mechanical model forced by a firn model accounting for firn heating to interpret the observed thermal regime. Using a simple energy conservation approach, we show that the addition of water percolation and refreezing in crevassed areas explains these observations. Model experiments show that both steady and transient thermal regimes are significantly affected by latent heat release in crevassed areas. This makes half of the glacier base temperate, resulting in an ice dynamic mainly controlled by basal friction instead of ice deformation. The timescale of thermal regime change, in response to atmospheric warming, is also greatly diminished, with a potential switch from cold to temperate basal ice in 50–60 years in the upper part of the glacier instead of the 100–150 years that it would take without the effect of the crevasses. This study highlights the crucial role of water percolation through the crevasses on the thermal regime of glaciers and validates a simple method to account for it in glacier thermo-mechanical models

Non-surgical interventions for pelvic organ prolapse in rural Nepal: a prospective monitoring and evaluation study

Objectives: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a major cause of morbidity in Nepal, particularly affecting women in the rural communities. Women with POP in Nepal may suffer from symptoms for decades. At present, the Government of Nepal advocates surgical intervention but access to surgical care is inadequate. This report evaluated the feasibility of a non-surgical public health programme in rural Nepal, and describes risk factors associated with POP in this setting. Design: Prospective monitoring and evaluation study of a new public health programme. Setting: Baglung district, rural Nepal. Participants: Women with gynaecological symptoms of POP. Main outcome measures Risk factors for disease progression were assessed using Fisher’s exact test, Pearson’s χ2-test and logistic regression analysis. Results: Of the 74 women included in this analysis, 70.8% were diagnosed with stage 2 POP or greater. The majority of women did not have any further children following the onset of POP symptoms (63.5%). Duration of symptoms ranged from 2 months to 60 years, with 73.4% of women suffering for over 5 years and 28.4% suffering for over 20 years. Univariate analyses identified age at screening, age at onset of symptoms, the duration of symptoms and an associated rectocele as factors associated with increasing POP severity (p < 0.05). Kegel exercises were taught to 25 (33.8%) women with POP and ring pessaries were offered to 47 (63.5%) women with POP. Conclusions: Non-surgical interventions may provide an opportunity to address the significant burden of POP in rural Nepal