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Nick K. Jones1,2*, Lucy Rivett1,2*, Chris Workman3, Mark Ferris3, Ashley Shaw1, Cambridge COVID-19 Collaboration1,4, Paul J. Lehner1,4, Rob Howes5, Giles Wright3, Nicholas J. Matheson1,4,6¶, Michael P. Weekes1,7¶1 Cambridge University NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK2 Clinical Microbiology & Public Health Laboratory, Public Health England, Cambridge, UK3 Occupational Health and Wellbeing, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK4 Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK5 Cambridge COVID-19 Testing Centre and AstraZeneca, Anne Mclaren Building, Cambridge, UK6 NHS Blood and Transplant, Cambridge, UK7 Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK*Joint first authorship¶Joint last authorshipCorrespondence: [email protected] UK has initiated mass COVID-19 immunisation, with healthcare workers (HCWs) given early priority because of the potential for workplace exposure and risk of onward transmission to patients. The UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has recommended maximising the number of people vaccinated with first doses at the expense of early booster vaccinations, based on single dose efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19 disease.1-3At the time of writing, three COVID-19 vaccines have been granted emergency use authorisation in the UK, including the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech). A vital outstanding question is whether this vaccine prevents or promotes asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, rather than symptomatic COVID-19 disease, because sub-clinical infection following vaccination could continue to drive transmission. This is especially important because many UK HCWs have received this vaccine, and nosocomial COVID-19 infection has been a persistent problem.Through the implementation of a 24 h-turnaround PCR-based comprehensive HCW screening programme at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUHNFT), we previously demonstrated the frequent presence of pauci- and asymptomatic infection amongst HCWs during the UK’s first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.4 Here, we evaluate the effect of first-dose BNT162b2 vaccination on test positivity rates and cycle threshold (Ct) values in the asymptomatic arm of our programme, which now offers weekly screening to all staff.Vaccination of HCWs at CUHNFT began on 8th December 2020, with mass vaccination from 8th January 2021. Here, we analyse data from the two weeks spanning 18thto 31st January 2021, during which: (a) the prevalence of COVID-19 amongst HCWs remained approximately constant; and (b) we screened comparable numbers of vaccinated and unvaccinated HCWs. Over this period, 4,408 (week 1) and 4,411 (week 2) PCR tests were performed from individuals reporting well to work. We stratified HCWs <12 days or > 12 days post-vaccination because this was the point at which protection against symptomatic infection began to appear in phase III clinical trial.226/3,252 (0·80%) tests from unvaccinated HCWs were positive (Ct<36), compared to 13/3,535 (0·37%) from HCWs <12 days post-vaccination and 4/1,989 (0·20%) tests from HCWs ≥12 days post-vaccination (p=0·023 and p=0·004, respectively; Fisher’s exact test, Figure). This suggests a four-fold decrease in the risk of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection amongst HCWs ≥12 days post-vaccination, compared to unvaccinated HCWs, with an intermediate effect amongst HCWs <12 days post-vaccination.A marked reduction in infections was also seen when analyses were repeated with: (a) inclusion of HCWs testing positive through both the symptomatic and asymptomatic arms of the programme (56/3,282 (1·71%) unvaccinated vs 8/1,997 (0·40%) ≥12 days post-vaccination, 4·3-fold reduction, p=0·00001); (b) inclusion of PCR tests which were positive at the limit of detection (Ct>36, 42/3,268 (1·29%) vs 15/2,000 (0·75%), 1·7-fold reduction, p=0·075); and (c) extension of the period of analysis to include six weeks from December 28th to February 7th 2021 (113/14,083 (0·80%) vs 5/4,872 (0·10%), 7·8-fold reduction, p=1x10-9). In addition, the median Ct value of positive tests showed a non-significant trend towards increase between unvaccinated HCWs and HCWs > 12 days post-vaccination (23·3 to 30·3, Figure), suggesting that samples from vaccinated individuals had lower viral loads.We therefore provide real-world evidence for a high level of protection against asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection after a single dose of BNT162b2 vaccine, at a time of predominant transmission of the UK COVID-19 variant of concern 202012/01 (lineage B.1.1.7), and amongst a population with a relatively low frequency of prior infection (7.2% antibody positive).5This work was funded by a Wellcome Senior Clinical Research Fellowship to MPW (108070/Z/15/Z), a Wellcome Principal Research Fellowship to PJL (210688/Z/18/Z), and an MRC Clinician Scientist Fellowship (MR/P008801/1) and NHSBT workpackage (WPA15-02) to NJM. Funding was also received from Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust and the Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre. We also acknowledge contributions from all staff at CUHNFT Occupational Health and Wellbeing and the Cambridge COVID-19 Testing Centre.

Scene flow tracks the three-dimensional (3D) motion of each point in adjacent point clouds. It provides fundamental 3D motion perception for autonomous driving and server robot. Although the Red Green Blue Depth (RGBD) camera or Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) capture discrete 3D points in space, the objects and motions usually are continuous in the macro world. That is, the objects keep themselves consistent as they flow from the current frame to the next frame. Based on this insight, the Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) is utilized to self-learn 3D scene flow with no need for ground truth. The fake point cloud of the second frame is synthesized from the predicted scene flow and the point cloud of the first frame. The adversarial training of the generator and discriminator is realized through synthesizing indistinguishable fake point cloud and discriminating the real point cloud and the synthesized fake point cloud. The experiments on Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Toyota Technological Institute (KITTI) scene flow dataset show that our method realizes promising results without ground truth. Just as human, the proposed method can identify the similar local structures of two adjacent frames even without knowing the ground truth scene flow. Then, the local correspondence can be correctly estimated, and further the scene flow is correctly estimated.   Corresponding author(s) Email: [email protected]

Leukocyte differential test is a widely performed clinical procedure for screening infectious diseases. Existing hematology analyzers require labor-intensive work and a panel of expensive reagents. Here we report an artificial-intelligence enabled reagent-free imaging hematology analyzer (AIRFIHA) modality that can accurately classify subpopulations of leukocytes with minimal sample preparation. AIRFIHA is realized through training a two-step residual neural network using label-free images of isolated leukocytes acquired from a custom-built quantitative phase microscope. By leveraging the rich information contained in quantitative phase images, we not only achieved high accuracy in differentiating B and T lymphocytes, but also classified CD4 and CD8 cells, therefore outperforming the classification accuracy of most current hematology analyzers. We validated the performance of AIRFIHA in a randomly selected test set and cross-validated it across all blood donors. Owing to its easy operation, low cost, and accurate discerning capability of complex leukocyte subpopulations, we envision AIRFIHA is clinically translatable and can also be deployed in resource-limited settings, e.g., during pandemic situations for the rapid screening of infectious diseases.  Corresponding author(s) Email:    [email protected],  [email protected]

Tam Hunt [1], Jonathan SchoolerUniversity of California Santa Barbara Synchronization, harmonization, vibrations, or simply resonance in its most general sense seems to have an integral relationship with consciousness itself. One of the possible “neural correlates of consciousness” in mammalian brains is a combination of gamma, beta and theta synchrony. More broadly, we see similar kinds of resonance patterns in living and non-living structures of many types. What clues can resonance provide about the nature of consciousness more generally? This paper provides an overview of resonating structures in the fields of neuroscience, biology and physics and attempts to coalesce these data into a solution to what we see as the “easy part” of the Hard Problem, which is generally known as the “combination problem” or the “binding problem.” The combination problem asks: how do micro-conscious entities combine into a higher-level macro-consciousness? The proposed solution in the context of mammalian consciousness suggests that a shared resonance is what allows different parts of the brain to achieve a phase transition in the speed and bandwidth of information flows between the constituent parts. This phase transition allows for richer varieties of consciousness to arise, with the character and content of that consciousness in each moment determined by the particular set of constituent neurons. We also offer more general insights into the ontology of consciousness and suggest that consciousness manifests as a relatively smooth continuum of increasing richness in all physical processes, distinguishing our view from emergentist materialism. We refer to this approach as a (general) resonance theory of consciousness and offer some responses to Chalmers’ questions about the different kinds of “combination problem.”  At the heart of the universe is a steady, insistent beat: the sound of cycles in sync…. [T]hese feats of synchrony occur spontaneously, almost as if nature has an eerie yearning for order. Steven Strogatz, Sync: How Order Emerges From Chaos in the Universe, Nature and Daily Life (2003) If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.Nikola Tesla (1942) I.               Introduction Is there an “easy part” and a “hard part” to the Hard Problem of consciousness? In this paper, we suggest that there is. The harder part is arriving at a philosophical position with respect to the relationship of matter and mind. This paper is about the “easy part” of the Hard Problem but we address the “hard part” briefly in this introduction.  We have both arrived, after much deliberation, at the position of panpsychism or panexperientialism (all matter has at least some associated mind/experience and vice versa). This is the view that all things and processes have both mental and physical aspects. Matter and mind are two sides of the same coin.  Panpsychism is one of many possible approaches that addresses the “hard part” of the Hard Problem. We adopt this position for all the reasons various authors have listed (Chalmers 1996, Griffin 1997, Hunt 2011, Goff 2017). This first step is particularly powerful if we adopt the Whiteheadian version of panpsychism (Whitehead 1929).  Reaching a position on this fundamental question of how mind relates to matter must be based on a “weight of plausibility” approach, rather than on definitive evidence, because establishing definitive evidence with respect to the presence of mind/experience is difficult. We must generally rely on examining various “behavioral correlates of consciousness” in judging whether entities other than ourselves are conscious – even with respect to other humans—since the only consciousness we can know with certainty is our own. Positing that matter and mind are two sides of the same coin explains the problem of consciousness insofar as it avoids the problems of emergence because under this approach consciousness doesn’t emerge. Consciousness is, rather, always present, at some level, even in the simplest of processes, but it “complexifies” as matter complexifies, and vice versa. Consciousness starts very simple and becomes more complex and rich under the right conditions, which in our proposed framework rely on resonance mechanisms. Matter and mind are two sides of the coin. Neither is primary; they are coequal.  We acknowledge the challenges of adopting this perspective, but encourage readers to consider the many compelling reasons to consider it that are reviewed elsewhere (Chalmers 1996, Griffin 1998, Hunt 2011, Goff 2017, Schooler, Schooler, & Hunt, 2011; Schooler, 2015).  Taking a position on the overarching ontology is the first step in addressing the Hard Problem. But this leads to the related questions: at what level of organization does consciousness reside in any particular process? Is a rock conscious? A chair? An ant? A bacterium? Or are only the smaller constituents, such as atoms or molecules, of these entities conscious? And if there is some degree of consciousness even in atoms and molecules, as panpsychism suggests (albeit of a very rudimentary nature, an important point to remember), how do these micro-conscious entities combine into the higher-level and obvious consciousness we witness in entities like humans and other mammals?  This set of questions is known as the “combination problem,” another now-classic problem in the philosophy of mind, and is what we describe here as the “easy part” of the Hard Problem. Our characterization of this part of the problem as “easy”[2] is, of course, more than a little tongue in cheek. The authors have discussed frequently with each other what part of the Hard Problem should be labeled the easier part and which the harder part. Regardless of the labels we choose, however, this paper focuses on our suggested solution to the combination problem.  Various solutions to the combination problem have been proposed but none have gained widespread acceptance. This paper further elaborates a proposed solution to the combination problem that we first described in Hunt 2011 and Schooler, Hunt, and Schooler 2011. The proposed solution rests on the idea of resonance, a shared vibratory frequency, which can also be called synchrony or field coherence. We will generally use resonance and “sync,” short for synchrony, interchangeably in this paper. We describe the approach as a general resonance theory of consciousness or just “general resonance theory” (GRT). GRT is a field theory of consciousness wherein the various specific fields associated with matter and energy are the seat of conscious awareness.  A summary of our approach appears in Appendix 1.  All things in our universe are constantly in motion, in process. Even objects that appear to be stationary are in fact vibrating, oscillating, resonating, at specific frequencies. So all things are actually processes. Resonance is a specific type of motion, characterized by synchronized oscillation between two states.  An interesting phenomenon occurs when different vibrating processes come into proximity: they will often start vibrating together at the same frequency. They “sync up,” sometimes in ways that can seem mysterious, and allow for richer and faster information and energy flows (Figure 1 offers a schematic). Examining this phenomenon leads to potentially deep insights about the nature of consciousness in both the human/mammalian context but also at a deeper ontological level.

Cannabis sativa is an extraordinarily versatile species. Hemp and its cousin marijuana, both C. sativa, have been used for millennia as a source of fibre, oil and for medicinal, spiritual and recreational purposes. Because the consumption of Cannabis can have psychoactive effects, the plant has been widely banned throughout the last century. In the past decade, evidence of its medicinal properties did lead to the relaxation of legislation in many countries around the world. Consequently, the genetics and development of Cannabis as well as Cannabis-derived products are the subject of renewed attention.Here, we review the biology of C. sativa, including recent insights from taxonomy, morphology and genomics, with an emphasis on the genetics of cannabinoid synthesis. Because the female Cannabis flower is of special interest as the site of cannabinoid synthesis, we explore flower development, flowering time well as the species’ unique sex determination system in detail. Furthermore, we outline the tremendous medicinal, engineering, and environmental opportunities that Cannabis bears. Together, the picture emerges that our understanding of Cannabis biology currently progresses at an unusual speed. A future challenge will be to preserve the multi-purpose nature of Cannabis, and to harness its medicinal properties and sustainability advantages simultaneously.

Quantum chemistry must evolve if it wants to fully leverage the benefits of the internet age, where the world wide web offers a vast tapestry of tools that enable users to communicate and interact with complex data at the speed and convenience of a button press. The Open Chemistry project has developed an open source framework that offers an end-to-end solution for producing, sharing, and visualizing quantum chemical data interactively on the web using an array of modern tools and approaches. These tools build on some of the best open source community projects such as Jupyter for interactive online notebooks, coupled with 3D accelerated visualization, state-of-the-art computational chemistry codes including NWChem and Psi4 and emerging machine learning and data mining tools such as ChemML and ANI. They offer flexible formats to import and export data, along with approaches to compare computational and experimental data.

This paper responds to one by Graham Martin and colleagues, who offered a critique of my previous publications on masks for the lay public in the Covid-19 pandemic. I address their charges that my co-authors and I had misapplied the precautionary principle; drawn conclusions that were not supported by empirical research; and failed to take account of potential harms. But before that, I remind Martin et al that the evidence on mask wearing goes beyond the contested trials and observational studies they place centre stage. I set out some key findings from basic science, epidemiology, mathematical modelling, case studies and natural experiments, and use this rich and diverse body of evidence as the backdrop for my rebuttal of their narrowly-framed objections. I challenge my critics’ apparent assumption that a particular kind of systematic review should be valorised over narrative and real-world evidence, since stories are crucial to both our scientific understanding and our moral imagination. I conclude by thanking my academic adversaries for the intellectual sparring match, but exhort them to remember our professional accountability to a society in crisis. It is time to lay straw men to rest and engage, scientifically and morally, with the dreadful tragedy that is unfolding across the world.

This Supporting information includes interactive plots, videos, and data captured while performing evaluation and validation experiments for our paper. 

The construct of wellbeing has been criticised as a neoliberal construction of western individualism that ignores wider systemic issues including increasing burden of chronic disease, widening inequality, concerns over environmental degradation and anthropogenic climate change. While these criticisms overlook recent developments, there remains a need for biopsychosocial models that extend theoretical grounding beyond individual wellbeing, incorporating overlapping contextual issues relating to community and environment. Our first GENIAL model \cite{Kemp_2017} provided a more expansive view of pathways to longevity in the context of individual health and wellbeing, emphasising bidirectional links to positive social ties and the impact of sociocultural factors. In this paper, we build on these ideas and propose GENIAL 2.0, focusing on intersecting individual-community-environmental contributions to health and wellbeing, and laying an evidence-based, theoretical framework on which future research and innovative therapeutic innovations could be based. We suggest that our transdisciplinary model of wellbeing - focusing on individual, community and environmental contributions to personal wellbeing - will help to move the research field forward. In reconceptualising wellbeing, GENIAL 2.0 bridges the gap between psychological science and population health health systems, and presents opportunities for enhancing the health and wellbeing of people living with chronic conditions. Implications for future generations including the very survival of our species are discussed.  

Floral plantings are promoted to foster ecological intensification of agriculture through provisioning of ecosystem services. However, a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of different floral plantings, their characteristics and consequences for crop yield across global regions is lacking. Here we quantified the impacts of flower strips and hedgerows on pest control and pollination services in adjacent crops using a global dataset of 529 sites. Flower strips, but not hedgerows, enhanced pest control services in adjacent fields by 16% on average. However, effects on crop pollination and yield were more variable. Our synthesis identifies several important drivers of variability in effectiveness of plantings: pollination services declined exponentially with distance from plantings, and perennial and older flower strips with higher flowering plant diversity enhanced pollination more effectively. These findings provide promising pathways to optimize floral plantings to more effectively contribute to ecosystem service delivery and ecological intensification of agriculture in the future.

Researchers' ability to accurately screen fossil and subfossil specimens for preservation of DNA and protein sequences remains limited. Thermal exposure and geologic age are usable proxies for sequence preservation on a broad scale but are of nominal use for specimens of similar depositional environments. Cell and tissue biomolecular histology is thus proposed as a novel proxy for determining sequence preservation potential of ancient specimens with improved accuracy. Biomolecular histology as a proxy is hypothesized to elucidate why fossils/subfossils of some depositional environments preserve sequences while others do not and to facilitate selection of ancient specimens for use in molecular studies.

IntroductionConsistent with World Health Organization (WHO) advice [1], UK Infection Protection Control guidance recommends that healthcare workers (HCWs) caring for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) should use fluid resistant surgical masks type IIR (FRSMs) as respiratory protective equipment (RPE), unless aerosol generating procedures (AGPs) are being undertaken or are likely, when a filtering face piece 3 (FFP3) respirator should be used [2]. In a recent update, an FFP3 respirator is recommended if “an unacceptable risk of transmission remains following rigorous application of the hierarchy of control” [3]. Conversely, guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that HCWs caring for patients with COVID-19 should use an N95 or higher level respirator [4]. WHO guidance suggests that a respirator, such as FFP3, may be used for HCWs in the absence of AGPs if availability or cost is not an issue [1].A recent systematic review undertaken for PHE concluded that: “patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection who are breathing, talking or coughing generate both respiratory droplets and aerosols, but FRSM (and where required, eye protection) are considered to provide adequate staff protection” [5]. Nevertheless, FFP3 respirators are more effective in preventing aerosol transmission than FRSMs, and observational data suggests that they may improve protection for HCWs [6]. It has therefore been suggested that respirators should be considered as a means of affording the best available protection [7], and some organisations have decided to provide FFP3 (or equivalent) respirators to HCWs caring for COVID-19 patients, despite a lack of mandate from local or national guidelines [8].Data from the HCW testing programme at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUHNFT) during the first wave of the UK severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic indicated a higher incidence of infection amongst HCWs caring for patients with COVID-19, compared with those who did not [9]. Subsequent studies have confirmed this observation [10, 11]. This disparity persisted at CUHNFT in December 2020, despite control measures consistent with PHE guidance and audits indicating good compliance. The CUHNFT infection control committee therefore implemented a change of RPE for staff on “red” (COVID-19) wards from FRSMs to FFP3 respirators. In this study, we analyse the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in HCWs before and after this transition.

INTRODUCTIONCompelling evidence shows that biodiversity enhances essential ecosystem functions, such as productivity and decomposition rates (Loreau & Hector 2001; Hooper et al., 2005; Cardinale et al., 2012). One primary underlying reason may be that individual species or groups of species in different functional groups may have dissimilar niches (niche complementarity effects ) which allow diverse communities to maximize resource utilization and minimize competition (Cardinale et al., 2011; Zuppinger-Dingley et al., 2014). In theory, such niche differences include temporal variation in biological activity (Ebeling et al., 2014), and species in a community can adjust the timing of their biological activity in such a way that they cover the longest possible time and/or use the resources from the largest possible space in the habitat. If phenological niche differences are high enough, they can affect the shape of the phenology at the community level. For instance, if a plant community is composed of species that grow in early spring, the aboveground growing season will be extended, compared with a community lacking those species (Ebeling et al., 2014; Rudolf, 2019). Therefore, species and functional group diversity can affect the timing of community-level productivity (i.e. community phenology) via temporal niche differentiation and/or increasing the probability of species with those traits to occur in the community (selection effect ) (Loreau & Hector 2001). However, variation in phenology is primarily monitored at the species rather than community level. Moreover, phenological variation is typically attributed to changes in climate drivers, such as temperature and water supply (Wright and van Schaik 1994; Staggemeier et al., 2018), and has rarely been quantified as a response to changes in biodiversity (but see Wolf et al., 2017 and Guimarães-Steinike et al., 2019).Most ecosystem processes are soil-related or even soil-dependent (Bardgett & van der Putten, 2014; Soliveres et al., 2016; Schuldt et al., 2018). However, phenology tends to be monitored on easily observed aboveground response variables, and evidence describing soil phenology is mostly lacking (Bonato Asato et al., 2023). This knowledge gap leads to uncertainty about how well soil properties and belowground processes (i.e. root growth and activity of soil organisms) are predicted by aboveground phenological strategies (Eisenhauer, 2012; Blume-Werry et al., 2015; Eisenhauer et al., 2018). Because shoots and roots are interdependent, tight synchrony of their responses to environmental drivers is often expected (Iversen et al., 2015; but see Blume-Werry et al., 2016). However, the role of biotic and abiotic constraints on this synchrony seems to vary significantly among ecosystems and plant types, ultimately affecting which organs grow first, faster, or remain active and alive longer. Moreover, plant (roots and shoots) processes are often assumed to indicate ecosystem functions driven by the activity of organisms at adjacent trophic levels, such as soil fauna, but this may not necessarily be the case. Hot moments (within-year events inducing high activity) in soil organism activity depend, in part, on inputs from root exudates or pulses of detrital inputs from senescent roots (Kuzyakov & Blagodatskaya 2015). However, the limited evidence from the field does not always confirm plant-activity-based assumptions. For example, phenological monitoring of detritivore feeding activity during the growing season in oaks has shown both a negative and no correlation between feeding activity and oak branch production (Eisenhauer et al., 2018). In an experimental grassland, feeding activity rates decreased during the summer, when plant growth is usually high (Siebert et al., 2019; Sünnemann et al., 2021). Evidence suggests that investments in shoot and root production are commonly not synchronous (e.g. Steinaker & Wilson 2008; Steinaker et al. 2010; Sloan et al. 2016; Blume-Werry et al. 2016), as well as the dynamics of soil organisms (Bonato Asato et al., 2023; Eisenhauer et al., 2018). However, we lack experimental evidence demonstrating whether changes in biodiversity may influence the predictability and synchronization of the dynamics above and below the ground.Presently, two predominant conceptual frameworks delineate the interplay between biodiversity and the synchronization of ecosystem functions. On the one hand, ecosystem stability theory suggests that increasing biodiversity increases temporal asynchrony among populations and functions, which would be one of the primary mechanisms for positive diversity-stability relationships (Cardinale et al., 2013; Loreau & de Mazancourt 2013). In other words, temporal asynchrony is needed for a healthy (stable) ecosystem functioning. On the other hand, ecosystem coupling, as defined by Ochoa-Hueso et al. (2021) as ”the orderly connections between the biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems across spaces and/or time”, suggests the opposite: for more efficiently process, cycle, and transfer of energy and matter, a higher temporal coupling of populations and functions is needed. Under this point of view, temporal synchrony is required for more efficient ecosystem functioning, and monitoring the dynamics of one function or population can be used as an indicator of activity in the other. In both cases, disruptions such as biodiversity change, may affect key aboveground or belowground processes, leading to acceleration or delay of community phenology and desynchronization of ecosystem functions. Despite the potential importance of aboveground-belowground phenological synchrony, the current lack of studies concurrently monitoring shoot, root, and soil fauna dynamics has impeded a thorough understanding of the mechanisms by which changes in biological diversity may influence the responses of these affiliated processes.Here, we examine how experimentally manipulated plant diversity influences the phenological patterns of shoot, root, and soil fauna dynamics (responses). In the framework of a long-term grassland biodiversity experiment (the Jena Experiment; Roscher et al. 2014; Weisser et al. 2017), using well-established methods (LiDAR, phenological cameras, minirhizotrons, bait-lamina strips), we measure ecosystem response variables that are often used to evaluate aboveground-belowground ecosystem functioning and biological activity in annual plant communities (e.g. plant community height, greenness, root production, and detritivore feeding activity) every two to three weeks over four seasons (one full year). We used these data to calculate yearly values for each response variable, phenological patterns, and synchrony between response variables. With this approach, we ask the following questions:1) How does plant diversity affect the yearly accumulated values of aboveground plant traits and belowground activity? We expect that increasing plant diversity throughout the year enhances all response variables (Weisser et al. 2017; Mommer et al., 2015; Eisenhauer et al., 2010).2) Does plant diversity affect intra-annual aboveground and belowground phenological patterns? We predict that plant community shoot dynamics will be concentrated in spring and summer, as usual in temperate regions. Root production should last longer than that of shoots, as found in other studies (Steinaker & Wilson 2008; Blume-Werry et al. 2016), even though it is not clear if this longer activity is driven by an earlier start of the production, a later end, or both. For detritivore feeding activity, we expect a peak in early spring due to high moisture and increased temperature and another peak in autumn, driven by the increased availability of resources by above- and belowground plant-derived inputs and high moisture.3) Do changes in plant diversity affect the synchrony of shoot, root, or soil organism dynamics? We expect plant species richness and functional group richness to enhance aboveground-belowground activity, which could lead to either more or less synchronized patterns. If plant diversity drives enhanced functioning at different time points (e.g. advances plant growth and delays root senescence), we could see a negative diversity effect on synchrony.4) Does the time of year influence the strength/direction/predictability of relationships between aboveground-belowground response variables? Because plant shoots are only active for a restricted period, we expect plant diversity effects to be most pronounced during the growing season (Guimarães-Steinike et al., 2019), while abiotic constraints might mostly drive belowground dynamics out of the growing season.

The present study investigated the associations among pre-loss grief, attachment insecurities, continuing bonds (CBs) with the deceased person, and the post-loss adjustment of the caregivers of patients with terminal cancer. Data were collected in the hospice department of a cancer center in northern Taiwan; 66 bereaved caregivers completed both pre-loss and post-loss scales. The measures used for the pre-loss phase included the Hogan Grief Reaction Checklist (HGRC; pre-loss version), the Experiences in Close Relationship — Relationship Structures Questionnaire (ECR-RS), and the Inclusion of Other in the Self Scale (IOS). The measures used 6-12 months after the death of the patients were the HGRC (post-loss version) and the Continuing Bond Scale (CBS). Results showed that pre-loss grief, attachment avoidance, and externalized CBs explained 46% of the variance in post-loss grief, indicating that pre-loss grief and ongoing transformation of relationships after patients’ death may be strong predictors of caregivers’ post-loss grieving.

Aim: To investigate the prevalence of depressive symptoms among adults living in the UAE during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This cross-sectional study used a self-administered anonymous online questionnaire distributed in both Arabic and English via social media platforms. A total of 261 adults living in the UAE were included in the study. Patients clinically diagnosed with depression were excluded from this study. Results: Overall, the prevalence of depression among our studied population was 63%. Several parameters were correlated with depression to assess their associations. A lower household income was found to be linked to a greater likelihood of developing depression, as 74.6% of depressed subjects had an income lower than 20,000 Dhs (p=0.003). Age also had a significant correlation[](https://d.docs.live.net/c230006d1f964528/%D8%B3%D8%B7%D8%AD%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%83%D8%AA%D8%A8/Covid-19%20and%20depression%20-%20second%20draft%20-%20AK%20comments%5b1%5d.docx)(95% CI, p=0.003) with depression, and those in the younger age group (18-25 years) had a greater prevalence of depression than did those in the older age group. Difficulty performing daily activities, restless sleep, feeling lonely, feeling sad, feeling inadequate, and losing hope were the most commonly reported symptoms in depressed subjects. A total of 78.21% of our participants did not know about hotlines when they were depressed; however, this difference was not statistically significant (95% CI, p=0.178). Conclusions: Depression was prevalent in 63% of our participants. A lower household income and younger age were associated with a greater risk of depression. We believe that our findings will encourage institutions and government authorities to implement awareness programs about depression awareness and screening for depression.

This study investigates grapheme encoding in Croatian as a second language among Farsi speakers after twenty hours of learning. Three phases of encoding tasks were administered: 1) dictation of individual phonemes, 2) dictation of words beginning with those phonemes, and 3) dictation of simple sentences with words from the previous phase. Respondents used "-" to denote unencoded items. Eleven Afghan respondents at the beginner level (A1 according to CEFRL), aged 18 to 63, were sampled conveniently. The study aims to assess: a) accuracy in encoding individual graphemes and words, b) problematic graphemes, and c) accuracy in encoding complete words. The results will illuminate initial decoding specifics for this group, confronting the added complexity of differing graphic systems between L1 and L2. Furthermore, implications for Croatian orthography acquisition as L2 will be discussed. Analysis of encoding by Farsi-speaking Croatian learners showed overall success with sentences but difficulty with individual graphemes, possibly due to reliance on lexical rather than phonological knowledge. Notably, struggles were observed with "nj," unlike with "c" as seen previously. This might be because "nj" is less common in Croatian, especially early on. Transfer errors from Farsi, like omitting short vowels, were evident. Instruction for Farsi learners should focus on specific grapheme errors such as "nj," "ć," "dž," and "đ," as well as consonant clusters and short vowel encoding in Croatian.

Recent work indicates that feralisation is not a simple reversal of domestication, and therefore raises questions about the predictability of evolution across replicated feral populations. In the present study we compare genes and traits of two independently established feral populations of chickens (G. gallus) that inhabit archipelagos within the Pacific and Atlantic regions to test for evolutionary parallelism and/or divergence. We find that these two feral populations share close genetic similarities despite the lack of any current gene flow between them. Next, we used genome scans to contrast the targets of feralisation (selective sweeps) between the two independently feral populations from Bermuda and Hawaii. Three sweep loci (each identified by multiple detection methods) were shared between feral populations, and this overlap is inconsistent with a null model in which selection targets are randomly distributed throughout the genome. In the case of the Bermudian population, many of the genes present within the selective sweeps were either not annotated or of unknown function. Of the nine genes that were identifiable, five were related to behaviour, with the remaining genes involved in bone metabolism, eye development, and the immune system. Our findings suggest that a subset of feralisation loci (i.e. genomic targets of recent selection in feral populations) are shared across independently-established populations, raising the possibility that feralisation involves some degree of parallelism or convergence. A clearer understanding of whether these reflect selection for similar functional traits (‘feralisation syndromes’) will require elucidating genotype-phenotype relationships in any populations being compared.

Objective To examine the effect of pregnancy pilates-assisted birth preparation training on urinary incontinence UI including during pregnancy, and the postpartum period and birth outcomes. Design The randomized controlled experimental study Setting Gynecology and Pregnancy Education Counseling Center Population Nulliparous pregnant women (n=126) at 28-30 weeks of gestation Method The was carried out between March and August 2022. Participants were divided into two groups by a simple random sampling method. Intervention was applied twice in a week, a total of eight weeks to pilates group. The control group was given routine obstetric and pregnancy care. A personal data form and the M-ISI were used as data collection tools. The data obtained were analyzed using the program SPSS 20. Main outcome measures A moderate-intensity prenatal pilates exercise program reduces the severity of UI symptoms during pregnancy and the early postpartum period. Results The mean weight gains of women who participated to the experimental group during pregnancy was significantly lower than the control group. While 80.6% of women who received pilates-assisted childbirth preparation training gave birth vaginally, this rate in the control group was 54.2%. The duration of labor mean score of pilates group was five hours and 43 minutes less than the duration of labor of the control group. After intervention, and postpartum period, the SUI severity of the experimental group was significantly lower than that of the control group. Conclusion Pilates-assisted childbirth preparation training reduced the severity of UI symptoms during pregnancy and the early postpartum. In addition, the decrease in weight gain during pregnancy and the increase in the vaginal birth rate contributed to the shortening of the duration of labor.

Climatic changes can affect species distributions, population abundance, and evolution. Such organismal responses could be determined by the amount and quality of available habitats, which can vary independently. In this study, we assessed changes in habitat quantity and quality independently to generate explicit predictions of the species’ responses since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) climatic changes. We built ecological niche models and distribution models for 21 reptile, mammal, and plant taxa from the Baja California peninsula inhabiting lowland or highland environments. Geological data suggests the CCSM global circulation model is a better representation of LGM climate for the Baja California peninsula. Significant niche divergence was detected for all clades within species, along with significant differences in niche breadth and area of distribution between northern and southern clades. Most clades showed a reduction in distribution area towards LGM. Further, niche marginality (used as a measure of habitat quality) was higher during LGM for most clades, except for northern highland species who experienced improvements in both. Our results suggest that changes in habitat quantity and quality can affect organismal response independently. This allows the prediction of genomic signatures associated with changes in effective population size and selection pressure that could be explicitly tested to support our models.

Beyond CMOS nanotechnology has been attracted interest by many researchers. The logical fundamental elements of many nanotechnologies are the majority, minority gates and inverters. The design of efficient adder systems and especially the parallel prefix adders is of very importance. In this paper efficient majority logic implementation of parallel prefix is introduced. The proposed methodology can be generalized to any parallel prefix structure design. Moreover, the proposed majority logic parallel prefix adder designs demonstrate decreased circuit complexity when compared to the literature.

The term psychopathology is composed of two terms: psyche, from the Greek psychè, meaning soul, "something more or less dematerialised that represents one of the vital functions of man". Pathology, on the other hand, is made up of two terms: "pato", which comes from the Greek and means suffering, and "logia", which comes from the Latin. Its meaning is commonly recognised as "word/speech", but its meaning is "sense" or "meaning". Thus, the term pathology is intended to give voice to human suffering by understanding what may be "morbid" mental processes in relation to some basic aspects: 1) Symptomatology 2) Classification and nosology 3) Causes 4) Mechanisms Symptoms must meet certain characteristics necessary to define whether the condition is transient or persistent. The characteristics to which the symptoms must respond are 1) Persistence 2) Frequency 3) distress 4) Distinction from "normality" 5) Specificity (symptoms that can be attributed to a specific disease) 6) Aspecificity (symptoms that may not be specific to one disease, but to more than one). In this case we use the term comorbidity. A set of symptoms defines a pathological syndrome that is to be classified, which is why we speak of nosology (nosos: "disease" and logos: "meaning"). The study of symptoms allows us to make a diagnosis and distinguish it from other disorders (differential diagnosis). In relation to their causes, we speak of etiology, another term derived from the Greek meaning "cause". It is important not to confuse etiology with pathogenesis, the mechanisms by which a disease develops. Unlike physical illness, where there is a clear boundary between normality and disorder, there is no such clear and sharp boundary in psychology. A given disorder is not necessarily psychopathological, but depends on its frequency and intensity. It is therefore necessary to take account of reference models: optimal models or elementary statistical principles, established a priori and present in a percentage of the population. It is essential to take into account the persistence of the disorder over time, the age of the person who comes to us and the sex. It is also necessary to take into account the context in which the person lives (family and social environment). Dysfunctional social factors can produce a cumulative risk score which, when it exceeds a certain threshold, will lead to a problem. This may be the case in families with conflict, instability, dysfunctional behaviour, but also with difficulties related to inclusion in the social network (e.g. children of one or both parents with disabilities, families where there is abuse).The term "developmental psychopathology" refers to a scientific discipline that originated in the United States. In Italy, the term is used in a broader sense, but it identifies a very precise field of study that is spreading in the rest of Europe and also in Italy. Developmental psychopathology is a scientific discipline whose aim is to clarify how the interaction between biological, psychological, social and environmental aspects can determine normal and abnormal development throughout life and, by moving precisely on the boundary of the interaction between normal and pathological, it provides, through this constant comparison, the theoretical framework for the prevention and intervention of psychopathological disorders.This scientific field has the merit of bringing together different disciplines, such as psychiatry, clinical psychology and psychopathology, and has succeeded in creating new scientific knowledge, as well as contributing to the expansion of our knowledge. Developmental psychopathology believes that there is a specific developmental path for each individual, from which it follows that each traumatic experience will have specific effects that depend on personal vulnerability, which cannot be predicted. It therefore emphasises the importance of assessing the individual, their uniqueness and their developmental path. One of the paradigms of this discipline is the relational perspective of adjustment, according to which if there are psychological disorders, there will also be relational disorders. The latter are not considered risk factors, but real precursors of individual psychopathology. Theoretically, this research is based on Bowlby's studies. For the moment, it is important to know that it is the conceptual pillar through which developmental psychopathology points out that relational problems cannot be identified only as problems of the child, but must always be considered as problems of the child and his or her environment, which does not provide the necessary adjustment experience to adapt to the context. Developmental psychopathology succeeds in providing a very broad and articulate view of psychopathological disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders, which represent the dysfunction of the relational system par excellence, but emphasises that children with the same diagnosis may show enormous differences among themselves, just as children with different diagnoses may show very similar profiles.

Melting and solidification of a phase change material (PCM) is investigated experimentally by applying a partial filling strategy to the hybrid enhancement of heat pipe-metal foam (HP-MF) in a vertical cylinder. HP-MF enhancement can improve the heat transfer capacity of the PCM system as it combines HP’s efficient heat transfer capacity with MF’s highly effective thermal conductivity capability. The experimental results demonstrate that the partial filling strategy in the melting and solidification of HP-MF PCM can be optimized for effective MF utilization in the HP-MF PCM system. A filling ratio of 83% of MF in HP-MF PCM shows almost identical total melting and solidification along with a temperature distribution to that of an HP-MF PCM (95% porosity, 20 pore density (PPI)). It is plausible to conclude that the removal of 33% or less mass had no significant effect on the overall melting process of HP-MF PCM. It should be noted that the HP-MF PCM system’s heat pipe heat transfer efficiency significantly decreased during the melting process when the MF filling ratio was 37.5% and 12.5%.

A main bearing (MB) preforms the critical role of supporting the rotor and whole drive train in a wind turbine. It endures very heavy and complex load coming from the rotor, meanwhile, high reliability in whole operation life is required for the high cost of MB replacement. Taking a spherical roller bearing (SRB) MB as an example, the paper analyzed complex load characters of a SRB MB configuration and discussed how to simplify the complex load in MB design works, then the key aspects influencing the MB performance were discussed, including raceway performance and shrink fit. Further more, thresholds of raceway contact pressure occurrence, fitting contact pressure and hoop stress were presented based on the state of art experiences. The paper gives an overview of SRB MB design for field operation performance.

Objective: To delineate the natural history of splenic complications other than the loss of splenic function in children with sickle cell disease (SCD), we performed a retrospective chart review of patients with SCD treated at the Texas Children’s Hospital. Methods: We determined the dates of diagnoses of splenic complications, the number of ASSC events, and hydroxyurea treatment in patients with SCD. We also examined the association of hydroxyurea therapy with the onset and severity of ASSC. Results: The cumulative prevalence of splenic complications was 24.7% for splenomegaly, 24.2% for ASSC, 9.6% for hypersplenism, and 5.6% for splenectomy. The cumulative prevalence of all splenic complications was highest in patients with hemoglobin Sβ 0 (69.2%), intermediate in hemoglobin SS (33.3%), low in hemoglobin SC (9.0%), and non-existent in hemoglobin Sβ +. The overall event-rate of ASSC was 8.3 per hundred patient-years. The event-rate was 28.4 in the hemoglobin Sβ 0, 10.9 in hemoglobin SS, and 3.5 in hemoglobin SC Patients with hemoglobin SS and hemoglobin Sβ 0 on hydroxyurea therapy had a significantly higher occurrence of ASSC than those who were not, with event-rates of 14.2 and 3.1, respectively. The event-rate was also higher for children who started hydroxyurea before age 2 years than for those who started after this age (19.8 and 9.2 respectively). Conclusions: The prevalence and severity of splenic problems vary widely between different sickle cell genotypes, with hemoglobin Sβ 0 having the most severe complications. Hydroxyurea therapy is strongly associated with incidence of ASSC, particularly when initiated before two years of age.