Comparing American soccer dialogues: social media commentary Surrounding the 2014 US men’s and 2015 US women’s World Cup teams

Mega sporting events such as the World Cup have been found to stimulate categorization of in-groups and out-groups among fans. While self-categorization correlates with gender, the sport of soccer also facilitates nationalistic categorization. The World Cup features nation vs. nation competition while making gender a non-variable as the men and women compete in separate tournaments in separate years. This study examined 33,529 tweets illustrating social media match commentary involving US teams and opponents on Twitter during the 2014 and 2015 World Cups. Results revealed US teams were more likely to be described in regard to attributions of success and failure, while opposition teams were more likely to receive personal and physical attributions. Conversely, no differences were found between US Men’s and Women’s teams in regard to characterizations of success and failure, but revealed the Women’s team was more likely to receive personal and physical characterizations

Ebullition of Oxygen From Seagrasses Under Supersaturated Conditions

Gas ebullition from aquatic systems to the atmosphere represents a potentially important fraction of primary production that goes unquantified by measurements of dissolved gas concentrations. Although gas ebullition from photosynthetic surfaces has often been observed, it is rarely quantified. The resulting underestimation of photosynthetic activity may significantly bias the determination of ecosystem trophic status and estimated rates of biogeochemical cycling from in situ measures of dissolved oxygen. Here, we quantified gas ebullition rates in Zostera marina meadows in Virginia, U.S.A. using simple funnel traps and analyzed the oxygen concentration and isotopic composition of the captured gas. Maximum hourly rates of oxygen ebullition (3.0 mmol oxygen m-2 h-1) were observed during the coincidence of high irradiance and low tides, particularly in the afternoon when oxygen and temperature maxima occurred. The daily ebullition fluxes (up to 11 mmol oxygen m-2 d-1) were roughly equivalent to net primary production rates determined from dissolved oxygen measurements indicating that bubble ebullition can represent a major component of primary production that is not commonly included in ecosystem-scale estimates. Oxygen content comprised 20-40% of the captured bubble gas volume and correlated negatively with its δ18O values, consistent with a predominance of mixing between the higher δ18O of atmospheric oxygen in equilibrium with seawater and the lower δ18O of oxygen derived from photosynthesis. Thus, future studies interested in the metabolism of highly productive, shallow water ecosystems, and particularly those measuring in situ oxygen flux, should not ignore the bubble formation and ebullition processes described here

Ebullition of oxygen from seagrasses under supersaturated conditions

© The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Long, M. H., Sutherland, K., Wankel, S. D., Burdige, D. J., & Zimmerman, R. C. Ebullition of oxygen from seagrasses under supersaturated conditions. Limnology and Oceanography, (2019), doi:10.1002/lno.11299.Gas ebullition from aquatic systems to the atmosphere represents a potentially important fraction of primary production that goes unquantified by measurements of dissolved gas concentrations. Although gas ebullition from photosynthetic surfaces has often been observed, it is rarely quantified. The resulting underestimation of photosynthetic activity may significantly bias the determination of ecosystem trophic status and estimated rates of biogeochemical cycling from in situ measures of dissolved oxygen. Here, we quantified gas ebullition rates in Zostera marina meadows in Virginia, U.S.A. using simple funnel traps and analyzed the oxygen concentration and isotopic composition of the captured gas. Maximum hourly rates of oxygen ebullition (3.0 mmol oxygen m−2 h−1) were observed during the coincidence of high irradiance and low tides, particularly in the afternoon when oxygen and temperature maxima occurred. The daily ebullition fluxes (up to 11 mmol oxygen m−2 d−1) were roughly equivalent to net primary production rates determined from dissolved oxygen measurements indicating that bubble ebullition can represent a major component of primary production that is not commonly included in ecosystem‐scale estimates. Oxygen content comprised 20–40% of the captured bubble gas volume and correlated negatively with its δ18O values, consistent with a predominance of mixing between the higher δ18O of atmospheric oxygen in equilibrium with seawater and the lower δ18O of oxygen derived from photosynthesis. Thus, future studies interested in the metabolism of highly productive, shallow water ecosystems, and particularly those measuring in situ oxygen flux, should not ignore the bubble formation and ebullition processes described here.Two anonymous reviewers provided thoughtful contributions that improved this manuscript. We thank Miraflor Santos, Victoria Hill, David Ruble, Jeremy Bleakney, and Brian Collister for assistance in the field and the staff of the Anheuser‐Busch Coastal Research Center for logistical support. This work was supported by NSF OCE grants 1633951 (to MHL) and 1635403 (to RCZ and DJB), NASA Fellowship NESSF NNX15AR62H (to KS), and a fellowship from the Hansewissenschaftskolleg (Institute for Advanced Studies; to SDW)

Closing the Oxygen Mass Balance in Shallow Coastal Ecosystems

The oxygen concentration in marine ecosystems is influenced by production and consumption in the water column and fluxes across both the atmosphere-water and benthic-water boundaries. Each of these fluxes has the potential to be significant in shallow ecosystems due to high fluxes and low water volumes. This study evaluated the contributions of these three fluxes to the oxygen budget in two contrasting ecosystems, a Zostera marina (eelgrass) meadow in Virginia, U.S.A., and a coral reef in Bermuda. Benthic oxygen fluxes were evaluated by eddy covariance. Water column oxygen production and consumption were measured using an automated water incubation system. Atmosphere-water oxygen fluxes were estimated by parameterizations based on wind speed or turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rates. We observed significant contributions of both benthic fluxes and water column processes to the oxygen mass balance, despite the often-assumed dominance of the benthic communities. Water column rates accounted for 45% and 58% of the total oxygen rate, and benthic fluxes accounted for 23% and 39% of the total oxygen rate in the shallow (~ 1.5 m) eelgrass meadow and deeper (~ 7.5 m) reef site, respectively. Atmosphere-water fluxes were a minor component at the deeper reef site (3%) but a major component at the shallow eelgrass meadow (32%), driven by diel changes in the sign and strength of atmosphere-water gradient. When summed, the measured benthic, atmosphere-water, and water column rates predicted, with 85-90% confidence, the observed time rate of change of oxygen in the water column and provided an accurate, high temporal resolution closure of the oxygen mass balance

Closing the Oxygen Mass Balance in Shallow Coastal Ecosystems

The oxygen concentration in marine ecosystems is influenced by production and consumption in the water column and fluxes across both the atmosphere-water and benthic-water boundaries. Each of these fluxes has the potential to be significant in shallow ecosystems due to high fluxes and low water volumes. This study evaluated the contributions of these three fluxes to the oxygen budget in two contrasting ecosystems, a Zostera marina (eelgrass) meadow in Virginia, U.S.A., and a coral reef in Bermuda. Benthic oxygen fluxes were evaluated by eddy covariance. Water column oxygen production and consumption were measured using an automated water incubation system. Atmosphere-water oxygen fluxes were estimated by parameterizations based on wind speed or turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rates. We observed significant contributions of both benthic fluxes and water column processes to the oxygen mass balance, despite the often-assumed dominance of the benthic communities. Water column rates accounted for 45% and 58% of the total oxygen rate, and benthic fluxes accounted for 23% and 39% of the total oxygen rate in the shallow (~ 1.5 m) eelgrass meadow and deeper (~ 7.5 m) reef site, respectively. Atmosphere-water fluxes were a minor component at the deeper reef site (3%) but a major component at the shallow eelgrass meadow (32%), driven by diel changes in the sign and strength of atmosphere-water gradient. When summed, the measured benthic, atmosphere-water, and water column rates predicted, with 85-90% confidence, the observed time rate of change of oxygen in the water column and provided an accurate, high temporal resolution closure of the oxygen mass balance

The Relevance of Pyrogenic Carbon for Carbon Budgets From Fires: Insights From the FIREX Experiment

Vegetation fires play an important role in global and regional carbon cycles. Due to climate warming and land use shifts, fire patterns are changing and fire impacts increasing in many of the world's regions. Reducing uncertainties in carbon budgeting calculations from fires is therefore fundamental to advance our current understanding and forecasting capabilities. Here we study 20 chamber burns from the FIREX FireLab experiment, which burnt a representative set of North American wildland fuels, to assess the following: (i) differences in carbon emission estimations between the commonly used “consumed biomass” approach and the “burnt carbon” approach; (ii) pyrogenic carbon (PyC) production rates; and (iii) thermal and chemical recalcitrance of the PyC produced, as proxies of its biogeochemical stability. We find that the “consumed biomass” approach leads to overestimation of carbon emissions by 2–27% (most values between 2% and 10%). This accounting error arises largely from not considering PyC production and, even if relatively small, can therefore have important implications for medium‐ and long‐term carbon budgeting. A large fraction (34–100%) of this PyC was contained in the charred fine residue, a postfire material frequently overlooked in fire carbon research. However, the most recalcitrant PyC was in the form of woody charcoal, with estimated half‐lives for most samples exceeding 1,000 years. Combustion efficiency was relatively high in these laboratory burns compared to actual wildland fire conditions, likely leading to lower PyC production rates. We therefore argue that the PyC production values obtained here, and associated overestimation of carbon emissions, should be taken as low‐end estimates for wildland fire conditions

S-Nitrosation of Protein Phosphatase 1 Mediates Alcohol-Induced Ciliary Dysfunction

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a strong risk factor for development and mortality of pneumonia. Mucociliary clearance, a key innate defense against pneumonia, is perturbed by alcohol use. Specifically, ciliated airway cells lose the ability to increase ciliary beat frequency (CBF) to β-agonist stimulation after prolonged alcohol exposure. We previously found that alcohol activates protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) through a redox mechanism to cause ciliary dysfunction. Therefore, we hypothesized that PP1 activity is enhanced by alcohol exposure through an S-nitrosothiol-dependent mechanism resulting in desensitization of CBF stimulation. Bronchoalveolar S-nitrosothiol (SNO) content and tracheal PP1 activity was increased in wild-type (WT) mice drinking alcohol for 6-weeks compared to control mice. In contrast, alcohol drinking did not increase SNO content or PP1 activity in nitric oxide synthase 3-deficient mice. S-nitrosoglutathione induced PP1-dependent CBF desensitization in mouse tracheal rings, cultured cells and isolated cilia. In vitro expression of mutant PP1 (cysteine 155 to alanine) in primary human airway epithelial cells prevented CBF desensitization after prolonged alcohol exposure compared to cells expressing WT PP1. Thus, redox modulation in the airways by alcohol is an important ciliary regulatory mechanism. Pharmacologic strategies to reduce S-nitrosation may enhance mucociliary clearance and reduce pneumonia prevalence, mortality and morbidity with AUD

Sedatives and Analgesics Given to Infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Units at the End of Life

To describe the administration of sedatives and analgesics at the end of life in a large cohort of infants in North American neonatal intensive care units (NICUs)

A comparison of populations vaccinated in a public service and in a private hospital setting in the same area

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Improving immunisation rates in risk groups is one of the main objectives in vaccination strategies. However, achieving high vaccination rates in children with chronic conditions is difficult. Different types of vaccine providers may differently attract high risk children.</p> <p>Aim</p> <p>To describe the characteristics of two populations of children who attended a private and a public immunisation provider in the same area. Secondarily, to determine if prevalence of patients with underlying diseases by type of provider differs and to study if the choice of different providers influences timeliness in immunisation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed a cross-sectional study on parents of children 2 – 36 months of age who attended a private hospital immunisation service or a public immunisation office serving the same metropolitan area of Rome, Italy. Data on personal characteristics and immunisation history were collected through a face to face interview with parents of vaccinees, and compared by type of provider. Prevalence of underlying conditions was compared in the two populations. Timeliness in immunisation and its determinants were analysed through a logistic regression model.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 202 parents of children 2–36 months of age were interviewed; 104 were in the public office, and 98 in the hospital practice. Children immunised in the hospital were more frequently firstborn female children, breast fed for a longer period, with a lower birthweight, and more frequently with a previous hospitalisation. The prevalence of high risk children immunised in the hospital was 9.2 vs 0% in the public service (P = 0.001). Immunisation delay for due vaccines was higher in the hospital practice than in the public service (DTP, polio, HBV, and Hib: 39.8% vs 22.1%; P = 0.005). Anyway multivariate analyses did not reveal differences in timeliness between the public and private hospital settings.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Children with underlying diseases or a low birthweight were more frequently immunised in the hospital. This finding suggests that offering immunisations in a hospital setting may facilitate vaccination uptake in high risk groups. An integration between public and hospital practices and an effort to improve communication on vaccines to parents, may significantly increase immunisation rates in high risk groups and in the general population, and prevent immunisation delays.</p

Independent age estimates resolve the controversy of ancient human footprints at White Sands

Human footprints at White Sands National Park, New Mexico, USA, reportedly date to between ~23,000 and 21,000 years ago according to radiocarbon dating of seeds from the aquatic plant Ruppia cirrhosa. These ages remain controversial because of potential old carbon reservoir effects that could compromise their accuracy. We present new calibrated 14C ages of terrestrial pollen collected from the same stratigraphic horizons as those of the Ruppia seeds, along with optically stimulated luminescence ages of sediments from within the human footprint–bearing sequence, to evaluate the veracity of the seed ages. The results show that the chronologic framework originally established for the White Sands footprints is robust and reaffirm that humans were present in North America during the Last Glacial Maximum