Spatially resolved correlative microscopy and microbial identification reveal dynamic depth- and mineral-dependent anabolic activity in salt marsh sediment.

Coastal salt marshes are key sites of biogeochemical cycling and ideal systems in which to investigate the community structure of complex microbial communities. Here, we clarify structural-functional relationships among microorganisms and their mineralogical environment, revealing previously undescribed metabolic activity patterns and precise spatial arrangements within salt marsh sediment. Following 3.7-day in situ incubations with a non-canonical amino acid that was incorporated into new biomass, samples were resin-embedded and analysed by correlative fluorescence and electron microscopy to map the microscale arrangements of anabolically active and inactive organisms alongside mineral grains. Parallel sediment samples were examined by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and 16S rRNA gene sequencing to link anabolic activity to taxonomic identity. Both approaches demonstrated a rapid decline in the proportion of anabolically active cells with depth into salt marsh sediment, from ~60% in the top centimetre to 9.4%-22.4% between 2 and 10 cm. From the top to the bottom, the most prominent active community members shifted from sulfur cycling phototrophic consortia, to putative sulfate-reducing bacteria likely oxidizing organic compounds, to fermentative lineages. Correlative microscopy revealed more abundant (and more anabolically active) organisms around non-quartz minerals including rutile, orthoclase and plagioclase. Microbe-mineral relationships appear to be dynamic and context-dependent arbiters of biogeochemical cycling.R24 GM137200 - NIGMS NIH HHShttps://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1462-2920.1566

Occupational Therapy in Preventative Care: Promoting Cardiovascular Health in Underserved Women

Primary Focus: ☝ Health & Wellness Level of session: intermediate, mixed audience Learning Objectives: By the conclusion of this presentation, participants will: Describe how health disparities affect underserved women Identify evidence supporting the inclusion of occupational therapy in preventative care practice Discuss occupational therapy’s role in preventative care as it relates to cardiovascular health and wellness Abstract: Heart disease causes one in three deaths each year in women (AHA, 2012). Increasing healthcare costs disproportionately affect women with low incomes and those from diverse backgrounds (CHUW, 2012). For underserved women, lack of insurance, education and variations in culture may compromise access to care (CHUW, 2012). Traditionally underserved communities are impacted to a higher degree by the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than other members of the population (AHA, 2012). Research demonstrated Hispanic women as least likely to have access to medical care, while about half of African-American women are unaware of signs and symptoms of a heart attack (AHA, 2012). Comparably, 90% of women are reported as having heart disease risk factors despite the fact that 80% of heart disease may be prevented by lifestyle changes and education (AHA, 2012). Thus, preventive care and health promotion services are critical to underserved women’s health (CHUW, 2012). The availability of these services will increase the effectiveness of service delivery for this population (CHUW, 2012). With the impact of CVD among underserved women, there is an opportunity for occupational therapy (OT) services within this population. Health promotion and disease prevention approaches are identified in the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework and OT practitioners are equipped to address cardiovascular (CV) health and wellness. (AOTA, 2014). The purpose of this session is to present a systematic review answering the following clinical question: What is the effectiveness of OT interventions (I) to promote CV health (O) in underserved women (P)? An exhaustive search using CINAHL, Scopus and PubMed retrieved 686 quantitative studies published in English between 2011-2016. Articles were screened using the inclusion criteria: studies with community-dwelling adult women from underserved populations and studies promoting CV health through interventions with methods relating to physical activity, nutrition and weight management. The 16 eligible articles were appraised using a critical review form for quantitative studies (Law & MacDermid, 2014). Synthesis revealed four intervention themes: education, physical activity, nutrition, and coaching. The implications of these results demonstrate that culturally-tailored OT interventions with a focus on lifestyle behavior change in a group format can promote CV health in underserved women. References: American Heart Association [AHA]. (2012). Heart disease statistics at a glance. Retrieved July, 2016, from https://www.goredforwomen.org/about-heart-diseasefacts_about_heart_disease_in_women-sub-category/statistics-at-a-glance/ American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA]. (2014). Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain & process (3rd ed.). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 68, S1-S48. http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2014.682006. Committee on Health for Underserved Women [CHUW]. (2012). Committee opinion no. 516: Health care systems for underserved women. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 119(1), 206-209. doi:10.1097/01.aog.0000410163.28525.4e Law, M. & MacDermid, J.C. (Eds.). (2014). Appendix D: Quantitative review: form and guidelines. In Evidence-based rehabilitation: A guide to practice (3rd ed.). Thorofare, NJ: SLACK. Presentation: 43:0

AURORA, a multi-sensor dataset for robotic ocean exploration

The current maturity of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) has made their deployment practical and cost-effective, such that many scientific, industrial and military applications now include AUV operations. However, the logistical difficulties and high costs of operating at sea are still critical limiting factors in further technology development, the benchmarking of new techniques and the reproducibility of research results. To overcome this problem, this paper presents a freely available dataset suitable to test control, navigation, sensor processing algorithms and others tasks. This dataset combines AUV navigation data, sidescan sonar, multibeam echosounder data and seafloor camera image data, and associated sensor acquisition metadata to provide a detailed characterisation of surveys carried out by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in the Greater Haig Fras Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) of the U.K in 2015

The SLIT-ROBO pathway: a regulator of cell function with implications for the reproductive system

The secreted SLIT glycoproteins and their Roundabout (ROBO) receptors were originally identified as important axon guidance molecules. They function as a repulsive cue with an evolutionarily conserved role in preventing axons from migrating to inappropriate locations during the assembly of the nervous system. In addition the SLIT-ROBO interaction is involved in the regulation of cell migration, cell death and angiogenesis and, as such, has a pivotal role during the development of other tissues such as the lung, kidney, liver and breast. The cellular functions that the SLIT/ROBO pathway controls during tissue morphogenesis are processes that are dysregulated during cancer development. Therefore inactivation of certain SLITs and ROBOs is associated with advanced tumour formation and progression in disparate tissues. Recent research has indicated that the SLIT/ROBO pathway could also have important functions in the reproductive system. The fetal ovary expresses most members of the SLIT and ROBO families. The SLITs and ROBOs also appear to be regulated by steroid hormones and regulate physiological cell functions in adult reproductive tissues such as the ovary and endometrium. Furthermore several SLITs and ROBOs are aberrantly expressed during the development of ovarian, endometrial, cervical and prostate cancer. This review will examine the roles this pathway could have in the development, physiology and pathology of the reproductive system and highlight areas for future research that could further dissect the influence of the SLIT/ROBO pathway in reproduction

Autosub Long Range 1500: A continuous 2000 km field trial

Long Range Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (LRAUVs) offer the potential to monitor the ocean at higher spatial and temporal resolutions compared to conventional ship-based techniques. The multi-week to multi-month endurance of LRAUVs enables them to operate independently of a support vessel, creating novel opportunities for ocean observation. The National Oceanography Centre’s Autosub Long Range is one of a small number of vehicles designed for a multi-month endurance. The latest iteration, Autosub Long Range 1500 (ALR1500), is a 1500 m depth-rated LRAUV developed for ocean science in coastal and shelf seas or in the epipelagic and meteorologic regions of the ocean. This paper presents the design of the ALR1500 and results from a five week continuous deployment from Plymouth, UK, to the continental shelf break and back again, a distance of approximately 2000km which consumed half of the installed energy. The LRAUV was unaccompanied throughout the mission and operated continuously beyond visual line of sight

Effect of the Growth Assessment Protocol on the DEtection of Small for GestatioNal age fetus: process evaluation from the DESiGN cluster randomised trial

BACKGROUND: Reducing the rate of stillbirth is an international priority. At least half of babies stillborn in high-income countries are small for gestational-age (SGA). The Growth Assessment Protocol (GAP), a complex antenatal intervention that aims to increase the rate of antenatal detection of SGA, was evaluated in the DESiGN type 2 hybrid effectiveness-implementation cluster randomised trial (n = 13 clusters). In this paper, we present the trial process evaluation. METHODS: A mixed-methods process evaluation was conducted. Clinical leads and frontline healthcare professionals were interviewed to inform understanding of context (implementing and standard care sites) and GAP implementation (implementing sites). Thematic analysis of interview text used the context and implementation of complex interventions framework to understand acceptability, feasibility, and the impact of context. A review of implementing cluster clinical guidelines, training and maternity records was conducted to assess fidelity, dose and reach. RESULTS: Interviews were conducted with 28 clinical leads and 27 frontline healthcare professionals across 11 sites. Staff at implementing sites generally found GAP to be acceptable but raised issues of feasibility, caused by conflicting demands on resource, and variable beliefs among clinical leaders regarding the intervention value. GAP was implemented with variable fidelity (concordance of local guidelines to GAP was high at two sites, moderate at two and low at one site), all sites achieved the target to train > 75% staff using face-to-face methods, but only one site trained > 75% staff using e-learning methods; a median of 84% (range 78–87%) of women were correctly risk stratified at the five implementing sites. Most sites achieved high scores for reach (median 94%, range 62–98% of women had a customised growth chart), but generally, low scores for dose (median 31%, range 8–53% of low-risk women and median 5%, range 0–17% of high-risk women) were monitored for SGA as recommended. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of GAP was generally acceptable to staff but with issues of feasibility that are likely to have contributed to variation in implementation strength. Leadership and resourcing are fundamental to effective implementation of clinical service changes, even when such changes are well aligned to policy mandated service-change priorities. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Primary registry and trial identifying number: ISRCTN 67698474. Registered 02/11/16. https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN67698474