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The addition and refreezing of liquid water to Greenland’s accumulation area are increasingly important processes for assessing the ice sheet’s present and future mass balance, but uncertain initial conditions, complex infiltration physics and limited field data pose challenges. Satellite-based L-band radiometry offers a promising new tool for observing liquid water in the firn layer, although further validation is needed. This paper compares time series of liquid water amount (LWA) from three percolation zone sites generated by a localized point-model, a regional climate model, in situ measurement, and L-band radiometric retrievals. LWA integrates the interplay of liquid water generation and refreezing, which often occur simultaneously and repeatedly within firn layers on diurnal, episodic, and seasonal scales offering insights into methods for measuring and modeling meltwater processes. The four LWA records showed average discrepancies of up to 62% nRMSE, reflecting shortcomings inherent to each method. Better agreement between series occurred after excluding the regional climate model record, lowering nRMSE to 8–13%. The agreement between L-band radiometry and other LWA records inspires confidence in this observational tool for understanding firn meltwater processes and serving as a validation target for simulations of water processes in Greenland’s melting firn layer.

Although fundamental advances in the life sciences raise the exciting possibility of novel translational therapies, optimal evidence-based usage of established treatments should be the bedrock of current clinical care. The authors argue that there are instances where well-established treatments are ‘underused’ in psychiatry; electroconvulsive therapy, clozapine and lithium are exemplars of this. This article explores possible reasons for, and strategies to address, this underuse.

Removal and disposal of nonnative trees is expensive and time-consuming. Using these nonnative trees as a substrate to produce edible mushrooms could diversify farming operations and provide additional income to small-scale farmers. This research compared the production of shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes) on nonnative tree logs to shiitake mushroom production on native oak (Quercus L.) logs, which are the traditional substrate. In a 2-yr study, we evaluated nonnative tree species as alternate substrates for growing shiitake mushrooms at farms in northern Florida and southern Georgia. A mix of native Quercus spp. and nonnative trees was targeted for removal on participating farms. Five nonnative tree species were initially tested for their ability to produce edible mushrooms, either shiitake or oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus var. florida). Of the nonnative trees we tested: Chinaberry (Melia azedarach L.), Chinese tallowtree [Triadica sebifera (L.) Small], silktree (Albizia julibrissin Durazz.), earleaf acacia (Acacia auriculiformis A. Cunn. ex Benth.), and paperbark tree [Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) S.F. Blake], only T. sebifera produced shiitake mushrooms, and none produced native Florida oyster mushrooms. In on-farm trials, Quercus spp. logs produced more total mushrooms and more mushrooms per log and had a higher total mushroom yield per log. However, mushrooms produced on T. sebifera logs had higher mean weight per mushroom. Edible fungi can be used to recycle invasive, nonnative T. sebifera and transform their biomass from waste into an income-producing resource.

Background

Post-traumatic growth (PTG) refers to beneficial psychological change following trauma.

Aims

This study explores the sociodemographic, health and deployment-related factors associated with PTG in serving/ex-serving UK armed forces personnel deployed to military operations in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Method

Multinomial logistic regression analyses were applied to retrospective questionnaire data collected 2014–2016, stratified by gender. PTG scores were split into tertiles of no/very low PTG, low PTG and moderate/large PTG.

Results

A total of 1447/4610 male personnel (30.8%) and 198/570 female personnel (34.8%) reported moderate/large PTG. Male personnel were more likely to report moderate/large PTG compared with no/very low PTG if they reported a greater belief of being in serious danger (relative risk ratio (RRR) 2.47, 95% CI 1.68–3.64), were a reservist (RRR 2.37, 95% CI 1.80–3.11), reported good/excellent general health (fair/poor general health: RRR 0.33, 95% CI 0.24–0.46), a greater number of combat experiences, less alcohol use, better mental health, were of lower rank or were younger. Female personnel were more likely to report moderate/large PTG if they were single (in a relationship: RRR 0.40, 95% CI 0.22–0.74), had left military service (RRR 2.34, 95% CI 1.31–4.17), reported better mental health (common mental disorder: RRR 0.37, 95% CI 0.17–0.84), were a reservist, reported a greater number of combat experiences or were younger. Post-traumatic stress disorder had a curvilinear relationship with PTG.

Conclusions

A moderate/large degree of PTG among the UK armed forces is associated with mostly positive health experiences, except for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Background

Healthcare workers (HCWs) have faced considerable pressures during the COVID-19 pandemic. For some, this has resulted in mental health distress and disorder. Although interventions have sought to support HCWs, few have been evaluated.

Aims

We aimed to determine the effectiveness of the ‘Foundations’ application (app) on general (non-psychotic) psychiatric morbidity.

Method

We conducted a multicentre randomised controlled trial of HCWs at 16 NHS trusts (trial registration number: EudraCT: 2021-001279-18). Participants were randomly assigned to the app or wait-list control group. Measures were assessed at baseline, after 4 and 8 weeks. The primary outcome was general psychiatric morbidity (using the General Health Questionnaire). Secondary outcomes included: well-being; presenteeism; anxiety; depression and insomnia. The primary analysis used mixed-effects multivariable regression, presented as adjusted mean differences (aMD).

Results

Between 22 March and 3 June 2021, 1002 participants were randomised (500:502), and 894 (89.2%) followed-up. The sample was predominately women (754/894, 84.3%), with a mean age of 44⋅3 years (interquartile range (IQR) 34–53). Participants randomised to the app had a reduction in psychiatric morbidity symptoms (aMD = −1.39, 95% CI −2.05 to −0.74), improvement in well-being (aMD = 0⋅54, 95% CI 0⋅20 to 0⋅89) and reduction in insomnia (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0⋅36, 95% CI 0⋅21 to 0⋅60). No other significant findings were found, or adverse events reported.

Conclusions

The app had an effect in reducing psychiatric morbidity symptoms in a sample of HCWs. Given it is scalable with no adverse effects, the app may be used as part of an organisation's tiered staff support package. Further evidence is needed on long-term effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.

Parkinson's psychosis can be very challenging to manage, with limited treatment options available. There is a good evidence base to support the use of clozapine, but practical obstacles often prevent its use. There is a drive nationally to set up services so that people with Parkinson's psychosis can access treatment with clozapine in a timely manner and, where possible, with initiation in the community. The authors describe their experiences in setting up clozapine services specifically for this patient group in England and offer a practical approach to the assessment of Parkinson's psychosis. They also outline the evidence base in relation to treatment options and share their experiences of prescribing clozapine for Parkinson's psychosis.

Summary

Military personnel operate within the relatively closed environment of the Armed Forces (AF), which has a distinct culture that is broadly separate from the rest of society (Bergman et al., 2014). They are required to carry out duties that may lead to them being injured or killed and, often, the decision about whether to risk one’s life is not in the hands of the individual whose life is being risked. The social bonds between military personnel and their colleagues and their families, and with wider society, are worthy of some scrutiny. There is plenty of evidence that slightly less than 200,000 UK regular and reserve personnel are able to carry out the most arduous and dangerous of duties at least in part because of the close-knit and, in the main, supportive social networks that are characteristic of the AF.

Introduction:

Traditional meta-analyses synthesize aggregate data obtained from study publications or study authors, such as a treatment effect estimate and its associated uncertainty. An increasingly important approach is the meta-analysis of individual participant data (IPD) where the raw individual-level data are obtained for each study and used for synthesis. This study compares and discusses results from an IPD meta-analysis vs standard meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of exercise cardiac rehabilitation in chronic heart failure (CHF).

Methods:

Based on a previous systematic review, the Exercise Training Meta-Analysis of Trials for Chronic Heart Failure (ExTraMATCH II) identified and collected IPD from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared exercise rehabilitation with a non-exercise control with a minimum follow-up of six months. For this abstract, the outcome of interest was all-cause mortality. Original IPD were checked for consistency and compiled in a master dataset. Standard meta-analytic models were used for aggregate data whilst two-stage and one-stage approaches, accounting for the clustering of participants within studies, were planned for statistical analyses of IPD.

Results:

Overall thirty-three RCTs were included in the original systematic review, whereas within the ExTraMatch II project, IPD on all-cause mortality were obtained from seventeen RCTs of approximately 3,700 patients. From aggregate data there was no significant difference in pooled mortality (relative risk 0.92, 95% confidence interval 0.67 to 1.26). IPD analysis revealed 701 events across exercise and control groups. Our ongoing IPD analyses will allow us to examine how patients’ characteristics (e.g. age, New York Heart Association functional class, ejection fraction) modify treatment benefit.

Conclusions:

Given the limitations of current trial level meta-analysis evidence in CHF, access to individual data from several RCTs offers a timely and important opportunity to revisit the question of which CHF patient subgroups benefit most from exercise-based rehabilitation.

Summary

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

Summary

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

Experiments were conducted in the greenhouse and the field to determine if a seaweed extract and its component alginates could enhance the activity of sethoxydim on barley (five- to six-leaf stage). In greenhouse trials, sethoxydim with 0.5% oil concentrate was applied at 0.05, 0.1, and 0.15 kg ai/ha; in field trials, sethoxydim with 0.5% oil concentrate was applied at 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 kg/ha. In both sets of trials the seaweed extract was applied at a rate of 1 and 2 L/ha, and the alginates were applied at 250 and 500 g/ha. When either the seaweed extract, or the calcium ammonium salt of alginic acid was used as an adjuvant a significant increase in sethoxydim activity was usually observed. At the highest rates of these adjuvants, sethoxydim (0.2 kg/ha) activity increased from 59% control (1321 g/m2 fresh weight) with only oil concentrate, to 87% control (224 g/m2 fresh weight) with seaweed extract, or 89% control (184 g/m2 fresh weight) with the calcium ammonium salt of alginic acid. Sodium salts of alginic acid, both low and medium viscosity, were much less effective.

Laboratory, greenhouse, and field experiments were conducted at the Lacombe Research Station to determine if CCC, ethephon, or CCC/ethephon had direct activity on quackgrass rhizome buds, and to determine if foliar applications of CCC/ethephon could predispose quackgrass to more effective control with sethoxydim. CCC, ethephon, and CCC/ethephon had growth regulating effects on the axillary buds and the apex of detached quackgrass rhizomes. CCC increased rhizome bud sprouting on rhizomes with the apex excised, but not on rhizomes with an intact apex. Ethephon or CCC/ethephon inhibited bud sprouting on rhizomes with an intact or excised apex. CCC/ethephon, but not CCC or ethephon alone, increased rhizome elongation on rhizomes with intact apices. In the greenhouse, pretreatments of CCC/ethephon increased sethoxydim activity on quackgrass rhizome buds and caused lower shoot emergence from one-bud rhizome segments. Results of field experiments were less consistent than those in the greenhouse. However, sometimes CCC or CCC/ethephon pretreatments resulted in increased quackgrass control in the field with sethoxydim.

Surgical experiments were conducted on cultured five-node apical rhizome segments of quackgrass. Removal of scale leaves promoted an initial burst of growth within the axillary buds but did not support the continued growth of buds as effectively as removal of the rhizome apex. Replacement of detached scale leaves over denuded buds temporarily repressed the promotive effect of scale leaf removal. Aqueous extracts of scale leaf material inhibited apical growth in rhizome segments but did not inhibit bud growth. Anatomical sections revealed that removal of scale leaves promoted development of buds: cells enlarged, vascular tissues differentiated, and new nodes began to form within 4 days of the removal of scale leaves. It is suggested that scale leaves contribute to apical dominance by inhibiting the initial development of axillary buds.

The South Pacific Action Committee for Human Ecology and the Environment (SPACHEE) is a regional environmental Non Government Organisation (NGO) based in Fiji but serving twelve small island nations in the South Pacific region, and involved in both formal and non-formal environmental education. At present its membership base is very limited numerically, regionally and also in terms of its socio-economic make up. This article analyses SPACHEE's current membership and issues base and makes a number of recommendations as to how the organisation might broaden these. Some suggestions are also made as to how SPACHEE might link its work more explicitly to issues of equality and social justice. These suggestions may have implications for other environmental NGOs in larger developing countries in the region which face similar environmental issues, such as loss of rainforest, degradation of coral reefs and mangrove destruction.

Increasing attention is being given to the inclusion of Education for Sustainability in pre-service teacher education. However, there is little research to explain why and how early-career teachers include Education for Sustainability in their work, or how teacher education providers can encourage and support them to do this. Through analysis of two interviews this paper examines the way in which a pre-service primary school teacher interprets her role in Education for Sustainability. Her personal reflections on the manner in which her life experiences, including her own schooling, have influenced her intentions as teacher are explored. Her university teacher education program in Education for Sustainability and her teaching internship experience also appear to have influenced her teaching goals. The profile presented in this paper outlines her intentions and sense of identity as teacher and how that has developed and is expressed. Conclusions centre on the relevance of her reflections for education for sustainability in pre-service teacher education. In particular, her example demonstrates how the development of pedagogical content knowledge relevant to Education for Sustainability during the pre-service years can play an integral part in an individual's decision-making when teaching.

Although the need for education for sustainability in pre-service teacher education is well recognised, little has been published to indicate how this might be incorporated into university courses in Australia. This paper describes one attempt to encourage pre-service primary teachers to include education for sustainability in their future work. It includes a discussion about some of the choices made regarding teaching methods and content. The overall purpose of the article is to encourage others to contribute their ideas to the discussion over how best to incorporate education for sustainability in pre-service teacher education in Australia.

Our principal focus in this paper is on ways that a Fast Close process (or indeed any reserving process) can be structured to maximise the value added within the process given the time and resource available. This builds on the use of actual vs. expected techniques investigated in our previous paper, and also looks at forces external to the reserving function that may derail smooth progress. We highlight a number of practical ways that the balance can be restored in favour of adding value rather than crunching numbers. This paper forms the second in the TORP series.

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L-band radiometric measurement of liquid water in Greenland’s firn: Comparative analysis with in situ measurements and modeling

Underused treatments in psychiatry: electroconvulsive therapy, clozapine and lithium

Use of nonnative, invasive tree logs for commercial mushroom production

Head and Neck Cancer: United Kingdom National Multidisciplinary Guidelines, Sixth Edition

Post-traumatic growth among UK military personnel deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan: data from phase 3 of a military cohort study

Multicentre, England-wide randomised controlled trial of the ‘Foundations’ smartphone application in improving mental health and well-being in a healthcare worker population

Setting up a clozapine service for Parkinson's psychosis

Chapter 19 - The Mental Health of Veterans: Ticking Time Bomb or Business as Usual?

Summary

OP91 Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis Of Exercise Rehabilitation In Heart Failure

2.6 - Assessing science teaching and learning in the classroom

Summary

1.6 - Assessing science teaching and learning

Summary

Seaweed Extract and Alginates as Adjuvants with Sethoxydim

Chlormequat Chloride (CCC) Pretreatments May Enhance Quackgrass (Elytrigia repens) Control with Sethoxydim

Apical Dominance in Rhizomes of Quackgrass (Elytrigia repens): Inhibitory Effect of Scale Leaves

Some Issues Facing Environmental Organisations in Developing Countries: A Case Study of the South Pacific Action Committee for Human Ecology and the Environment

A Student Teacher's Personal Pathway to Education for Sustainability

Looking South – Australia's Antarctic Agenda. Edited by Lorne K. Kriwoken, Julia Jabour and Alan D Hemmings. Annandale, New South Wales: The Federation Press, 11 2007, 227 pp. ISBN: 978 186287 6576

Education for Sustainability for the K-6 Curriculum: A Unit of Work for Pre-Service Primary Teachers in NSW

ROC Working Party: Towards the Optimal Reserving Process. The Fast Close process

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