Multi-source datasets acquired over Toulouse (France) in 2021 for urban microclimate studies during the CAMCATT/AI4GEO field campaign.

The CAMCATT-AI4GEO extensive field experiment took place in Toulouse, a city in the southwest of France, from 14th to 25th June 2021 (with complementary measurements performed on the 6 September 2021). Its main objective was the acquisition of a new reference dataset on an urban site to support the development and validation of data products from the future thermal infrared (TIR) satellite missions such as TRISHNA (CNES/ISRO), LSTM (ESA) and SBG (NASA). With their high spatial (between 30-60m) and temporal (2-3 days) resolutions, the future TIR satellite data will allow a better investigation of the urban climate at the neighbourhood scale. However, in order to validate the future products of these missions such as LST, air temperature, comfort index and Urban Heat Island (UHI), there is a need to accurately characterise the organisation of the city in terms of 3D geometry, spectral optical properties and both land surface temperature and emissivity (LST and LSE) at several scales. In this context, the CAMCATT-AI4GEO field campaign provides a set of airborne VISNIR-SWIR (Visible Near InfraRed - ShortWave InfraRed) hyperspectral imagery, multispectral thermal infrared (TIR) imagery and 3D LiDAR acquisitions, together with a variety of ground data collected, for some of them, simultaneously to the flight. The ground dataset includes surface reflectance measured spectrally with ASD spectroradiometers and in six spectral bands spreading from shortwave to thermal infrared and for two viewing angles with a SOC410-DHR handheld reflectometer. It is completed with LST and LSE retrieved from thermal infrared radiance acquired in six spectral bands with CIMEL radiometers. It also includes meteorological data coming from four radio soundings (one of which was taken during the flight), data routinely collected at the Blagnac airport reference station as well as air temperature and humidity acquired using instrumented cars following two different itineraries. In addition, a link is provided to access the data routinely collected by the network of weather stations set up by Toulouse Metropole in the city and its surroundings. This data paper describes this new reference urban dataset which can be useful for many applications such as calibration/validation of at-surface radiance, LST and LSE data products as well as higher level products such as air temperature or comfort index. It also provides valuable opportunities for other applications in urban climate studies, such as supporting the validation of microclimate models.

Alpha-Tocopherol from People to Plants Is an Essential Cog in the Metabolic Machinery.

Significance: Protection from oxygen, a diradical, became a necessity with the evolution of photosynthetic organisms about 2.7 billion years. α-Tocopherol plays an essential, protective role in organisms from plants to people. An overview of human conditions that result in severe vitamin E (α-tocopherol) deficiency is provided. Recent Advances: α-Tocopherol has a critical role in the oxygen protection system by stopping lipid peroxidation, its induced damage, and cellular death by ferroptosis. Recent findings in bacteria and plants support the concept of why lipid peroxidation is so dangerous to life and why the family of tocochromanols are essential for aerobic organisms and for plants. Critical Issues: The hypothesis that prevention of the propagation of lipid peroxidation is the basis for the α-tocopherol requirement in vertebrates is proposed and further that its absence dysregulates energy metabolism, one-carbon metabolism, and thiol homeostasis. By recruiting intermediate metabolites from adjacent pathways to sustain effective lipid hydroperoxide elimination, α-tocopherol function is linked not only to NADPH metabolism and its formation through the pentose phosphate pathway via glucose metabolism but also to sulfur-containing amino acid metabolism and to one-carbon metabolism. Future Directions: Evidence from humans, animals, and plants supports the hypothesis, but future studies are needed to assess the genetic sensors that detect lipid peroxidation and cause the ensuing metabolic dysregulation. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 38, 775-791.

Increased Ion Temperature and Neutron Yield Observed in Magnetized Indirectly Driven D_{2}-Filled Capsule Implosions on the National Ignition Facility.

The application of an external 26 Tesla axial magnetic field to a D_{2} gas-filled capsule indirectly driven on the National Ignition Facility is observed to increase the ion temperature by 40% and the neutron yield by a factor of 3.2 in a hot spot with areal density and temperature approaching what is required for fusion ignition [1]. The improvements are determined from energy spectral measurements of the 2.45 MeV neutrons from the D(d,n)^{3}He reaction, and the compressed central core B field is estimated to be ∼4.9 kT using the 14.1 MeV secondary neutrons from the D(T,n)^{4}He reactions. The experiments use a 30 kV pulsed-power system to deliver a ∼3 µs current pulse to a solenoidal coil wrapped around a novel high-electrical-resistivity AuTa_{4} hohlraum. Radiation magnetohydrodynamic simulations are consistent with the experiment.

α-Tocopherol Pharmacokinetics in Adults with Cystic Fibrosis: Benefits of Supplemental Vitamin C Administration.

BACKGROUND: Numerous abnormalities in cystic fibrosis (CF) could influence tocopherol absorption, transportation, storage, metabolism and excretion. We hypothesized that the oxidative distress due to inflammation in CF increases vitamin E utilization, which could be positively influenced by supplemental vitamin C administration. METHODS: Immediately before and after receiving vitamin C (500 mg) twice daily for 3.5 weeks, adult CF patients (n = 6) with moderately advanced respiratory tract (RT) disease consumed a standardized breakfast with 30% fat and a capsule containing 50 mg each hexadeuterium (d6)-α- and dideuterium (d2)-γ-tocopheryl acetates. Blood samples were taken frequently up to 72 h; plasma tocopherol pharmacokinetics were determined. During both trials, d6-α- and d2-γ-tocopherols were similarly absorbed and reached similar maximal plasma concentrations ~18-20 h. As predicted, during vitamin C supplementation, the rates of plasma d6-α-tocopherol decline were significantly slower. CONCLUSIONS: The vitamin C-induced decrease in the plasma disappearance rate of α-tocopherol suggests that vitamin C recycled α-tocopherol, thereby augmenting its concentrations. We conclude that some attention should be paid to plasma ascorbic acid concentrations in CF patients, particularly to those individuals with more advanced RT inflammatory disease and including those with severe exacerbations.

Assessing microplastic exposure of large marine filter-feeders.

Large filter-feeding animals are potential sentinels for understanding the extent of microplastic pollution, as their mode of foraging and prey mean they are continuously sampling the environment. However, there is considerable uncertainty about the total and mode of exposure (environmental vs trophic). Here, we explore microplastic exposure and ingestion by baleen whales feeding year-round in coastal Auckland waters, New Zealand. Plastic and DNA were extracted concurrently from whale scat, with 32 ± 24 (mean ± SD, n = 21) microplastics per 6 g scat sample detected. Using a novel stochastic simulation modeling incorporating new and previously published DNA diet information, we extrapolate this to total microplastic exposure levels of 24,028 (95% CI: 2119, 69,270) microplastics per mouthful of prey, or 3,408,002 microplastics (95% CI: 295,810, 10,031,370) per day, substantially higher than previous estimates for large filter-feeding animals. Critically, we find that the total exposure is four orders of magnitude more than expected from microplastic measurements of local coastal surface waters. This suggests that trophic transfer, rather than environmental exposure, is the predominant mode of exposure of large filter feeders for microplastic pollution. Measuring plastic concentration from the environment alone significantly underestimates exposure levels, an important consideration for future risk assessment studies.

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and recombinant protein sources with focus on plant sources: Updates, challenges and perspectives.

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (A1ATD) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by low plasma levels of A1AT, a serine protease inhibitor representing the most abundant circulating antiprotease normally present at plasma levels of 1-2 g/L. The dominant clinical manifestations include predispositions to early onset emphysema due to protease/antiprotease imbalance in distal lung parenchyma and liver disease largely due to unsecreted polymerized accumulations of misfolded mutant A1AT within the endoplasmic reticulum of hepatocytes. Since 1987, the only FDA licensed specific therapy for the emphysema component has been infusions of A1AT purified from pooled human plasma at the 2020 cost of up to US $200,000/year with the risk of intermittent shortages. In the past three decades various, potentially less expensive, recombinant forms of human A1AT have reached early stages of development, one of which is just reaching the stage of human clinical trials. The focus of this review is to update strategies for the treatment of the pulmonary component of A1ATD with some focus on perspectives for therapeutic production and regulatory approval of a recombinant product from plants. We review other competitive technologies for treating the lung disease manifestations of A1ATD, highlight strategies for the generation of data potentially helpful for securing FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) approval and present challenges in the selection of clinical trial strategies required for FDA licensing of a New Drug Approval (NDA) for this disease.

Type 2 diabetes is associated with the accumulation of senescent T cells.

Type 2 diabetes is a global health priority, given that it is driven, in part, by an ageing population, the role of immune senescence has been overlooked. This is surprising, as the functional impairments of senescent T cells show strong similarities to patients with hyperglycaemia. Immune senescence is typified by alterations in T cell memory, such as the accumulation of highly differentiated end-stage memory T cells, as well as a constitutive low-grade inflammation, which drives further immune differentiation. We show here in a preliminary study that people living with type 2 diabetes have a higher circulating volume of senescent T cells accompanied with a higher level of systemic inflammation. This inflammatory environment drives the expression of a unique array of chemokine receptors on senescent T cells, most notably C-X-C motif chemokine receptor type 2. However, this increased expression of migratory markers does not translate to improved extravasation owing to a lack of glucose uptake by the T cells. Our results therefore demonstrate that the presence of senescent T cells has a detrimental impact on immune function during type 2 diabetes.

Multi-locus DNA metabarcoding of zooplankton communities and scat reveal trophic interactions of a generalist predator.

To understand the ecosystem dynamics that underpin the year-round presence of a large generalist consumer, the Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera edeni brydei), we use a DNA metabarcoding approach and systematic zooplankton surveys to investigate seasonal and regional changes in zooplankton communities and if whale diet reflects such changes. Twenty-four zooplankton community samples were collected from three regions throughout the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand, over two temperature regimes (warm and cool seasons), as well as 20 samples of opportunistically collected Bryde's whale scat. Multi-locus DNA barcode libraries were constructed from 18S and COI gene fragments, representing a trade-off between identification and resolution of metazoan taxa. Zooplankton community OTU occurrence and relative read abundance showed regional and seasonal differences based on permutational analyses of variance in both DNA barcodes, with significant changes in biodiversity indices linked to season in COI only. In contrast, we did not find evidence that Bryde's whale diet shows seasonal or regional trends, but instead indicated clear prey preferences for krill-like crustaceans, copepods, salps and ray-finned fishes independent of prey availability. The year-round presence of Bryde's whales in the Hauraki Gulf is likely associated with the patterns of distribution and abundance of these key prey items.

Incorporating non-equilibrium dynamics into demographic history inferences of a migratory marine species.

Understanding how dispersal and gene flow link geographically separated the populations over evolutionary history is challenging, particularly in migratory marine species. In southern right whales (SRWs, Eubalaena australis), patterns of genetic diversity are likely influenced by the glacial climate cycle and recent history of whaling. Here we use a dataset of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences (n = 1327) and nuclear markers (17 microsatellite loci, n = 222) from major wintering grounds to investigate circumpolar population structure, historical demography and effective population size. Analyses of nuclear genetic variation identify two population clusters that correspond to the South Atlantic and Indo-Pacific ocean basins that have similar effective breeder estimates. In contrast, all wintering grounds show significant differentiation for mtDNA, but no sex-biased dispersal was detected using the microsatellite genotypes. An approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) approach with microsatellite markers compared the scenarios with gene flow through time, or isolation and secondary contact between ocean basins, while modelling declines in abundance linked to whaling. Secondary-contact scenarios yield the highest posterior probabilities, implying that populations in different ocean basins were largely isolated and came into secondary contact within the last 25,000 years, but the role of whaling in changes in genetic diversity and gene flow over recent generations could not be resolved. We hypothesise that these findings are driven by factors that promote isolation, such as female philopatry, and factors that could promote dispersal, such as oceanographic changes. These findings highlight the application of ABC approaches to infer the connectivity in mobile species with complex population histories and, currently, low levels of differentiation.

Quantitative assessment of cyanide in cystic fibrosis sputum and its oxidative catabolism by hypochlorous acid.

RATIONALE: Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are known to produce cyanide (CN-) although challenges exist in determinations of total levels, the precise bioactive levels, and specificity of its production by CF microflora, especially P. aeruginosa. Our objective was to measure total CN- levels in CF sputa by a simple and novel technique in P. aeruginosa positive and negative adult patients, to review respiratory tract (RT) mechanisms for the production and degradation of CN-, and to interrogate sputa for post-translational protein modification by CN- metabolites. METHODS: Sputa CN- concentrations were determined by using a commercially available CN- electrode, measuring levels before and after addition of cobinamide, a compound with extremely high affinity for CN-. Detection of protein carbamoylation was measured by Western blot. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The commercial CN- electrode was found to overestimate CN- levels in CF sputum in a highly variable manner; cobinamide addition rectified this analytical issue. Although P. aeruginosa positive patients tended to have higher total CN- values, no significant differences in CN- levels were found between positive and negative sputa. The inflammatory oxidant hypochlorous acid (HOCl) was shown to rapidly decompose CN-, forming cyanogen chloride (CNCl) and the carbamoylating species cyanate (NCO-). Carbamoylated proteins were found in CF sputa, analogous to reported findings in asthma. CONCLUSIONS: Our studies indicate that CN- is a transient species in the inflamed CF airway due to multiple biosynthetic and metabolic processes. Stable metabolites of CN-, such as cyanate, or carbamoylated proteins, may be suitable biomarkers of overall CN- production in CF airways.

An oxidation-resistant, recombinant alpha-1 antitrypsin produced in Nicotiana benthamiana.

Proteases and reactive oxygen species (ROS) have long been implicated in playing key roles in host tissue injury at sites of inflammation dominated by macrophage activations and/or neutrophil infiltrations. Imbalances between proteases/antiproteases and ROS/antioxidants are recognized to contribute to amplification of inflammatory-based host tissue injury. This has been especially well-documented in such respiratory tract diseases as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Inflammation-related protease/ROS disequilibria are further confounded by recognition that proteases can increase ROS by several different mechanisms and that ROS can inactivate proteases. The major human antiprotease, alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT), is dramatically inactivated by ROS. AAT deficiency is the most prevalent genetic predisposing factor leading to emphysema, a condition treated by replacement infusions of plasma-derived AAT (hAAT) at a cost of up to $200,000 per year per patient. An updated method for production of a plant-made recombinant AAT (prAAT) engineered for enhanced oxidation resistance compared to hAAT is presented. Plant-made recombinant AAT shows comparable antiprotease activity to hAAT, and retains full activity under oxidative conditions that would deactivate hAAT. Additionally, we show that prAAT has similar effectiveness in preventing neutrophil elastase-induced cell death in an in vitro human bronchial epithelial cell culture model. We conclude that prAAT is potentially a "biobetter" AAT product that could be made available to individuals with a wide spectrum of inflammatory disorders characterized by overly aggressive neutrophilic infiltrations.

Promoting Student-Teacher Interactions: Exploring a Peer Coaching Model for Teachers in a Preschool Setting.

Peer coaching provides an attractive alternative to traditional professional development for promoting classroom quality in a sustainable, cost-effective manner by creating a collaborative teaching community. This exploratory study describes the development and evaluation of the Colleague Observation And CoacHing (COACH) program, a peer coaching program designed to increase teachers' effectiveness in enhancing classroom quality in a preschool Head Start setting. The COACH program consists of a training workshop on coaching skills and student-teacher interactions, six peer coaching sessions, and three center meetings. Pre-post observations of emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System of twelve classrooms assigned to peer coaching were compared to twelve control classrooms at baseline and following the intervention. Findings provide preliminary support that the peer coaching program is perceived as acceptable and feasible by the participating preschool teachers and that it may strengthen student-teacher interactions. Further program refinement and evaluation with larger samples is needed to enhance student-teacher interactions and, ultimately, children's adaptive development.

Knees Shaking Uncontrollably.

A prose poem about the power of intergenerational psychological and spiritual healing.

First Direct Evidence for Natal Wintering Ground Fidelity and Estimate of Juvenile Survival in the New Zealand Southern Right Whale Eubalaena australis.

Juvenile survival and recruitment can be more sensitive to environmental, ecological and anthropogenic factors than adult survival, influencing population-level processes like recruitment and growth rate in long-lived, iteroparous species such as southern right whales. Conventionally, Southern right whales are individually identified using callosity patterns, which do not stabilise until 6-12 months, by which time the whale has left its natal wintering grounds. Here we use DNA profiling of skin biopsy samples to identify individual Southern right whales from year of birth and document their return to the species' primary wintering ground in New Zealand waters, the Subantarctic Auckland Islands. We find evidence of natal fidelity to the New Zealand wintering ground by the recapture of 15 of 57 whales, first sampled in year of birth and available for subsequent recapture, during winter surveys to the Auckland Islands in 1995-1998 and 2006-2009. Four individuals were recaptured at the ages of 9 to 11, including two females first sampled as calves in 1998 and subsequently resampled as cows with calves in 2007. Using these capture-recapture records of known-age individuals, we estimate changes in survival with age using Cormack-Jolly-Seber models. Survival is modelled using discrete age classes and as a continuous function of age. Using a bootstrap method to account for uncertainty in model selection and fitting, we provide the first direct estimate of juvenile survival for this population. Our analyses indicate a high annual apparent survival for juveniles at between 0.87 (standard error (SE) 0.17, to age 1) and 0.95 (SE 0.05: ages 2-8). Individual identification by DNA profiling is an effective method for long-term demographic and genetic monitoring, particularly in animals that change identifiable features as they develop or experience tag loss over time.

The Diagnosis and Management of Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency in the Adult.

Background: The diagnosis and clinical management of adults with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) have been the subject of ongoing debate, ever since the publication of the first American Thoracic Society guideline statement in 1989.1 In 2003, the "American Thoracic Society (ATS)/European Respiratory Society (ERS) Statement: Standards for the Diagnosis and Management of Individuals with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency" made a series of evidence-based recommendations, including a strong recommendation for broad-based diagnostic testing of all symptomatic adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).2 Even so, AATD remains widely under-recognized. To update the 2003 systematic review and clinical guidance, the Alpha-1 Foundation sponsored a committee of experts to examine all relevant, recent literature in order to provide concise recommendations for the diagnosis and management of individuals with AATD. Purpose: To provide recommendations for: (1) the performance and interpretation of diagnostic testing for AATD, and (2) the current management of adults with AATD and its associated medical conditions. Methods: A systematic review addressing the most pressing questions asked by clinicians (clinician-centric) was performed to identify citations related to AATD that were published since the 2003 comprehensive review, specifically evaluating publications between January 2002 and December 2014. Important, more recent publications were solicited from the writing committee members as well. The combined comprehensive literature reviews of the 2003 document and this current review comprise the evidence upon which the committee's conclusions and recommendations are based. Results: Recommendations for the diagnosis and management of AATD were formulated by the committee. Conclusions: The major recommendations continue to endorse and reinforce the importance of testing for AATD in all adults with symptomatic fixed airflow obstruction, whether clinically labeled as COPD or asthma. Individuals with unexplained bronchiectasis or liver disease also should be tested. Family testing of first-degree relatives is currently the most efficient detection technique. In general, individuals with AATD and emphysema, bronchiectasis, and/or liver disease should be managed according to usual guidelines for these clinical conditions. In countries where intravenous augmentation therapy with purified pooled human plasma-derived alpha-1 antitrypsin is available, recent evidence now provides strong support for its use in appropriate individuals with lung disease due to AATD.

Cultural traditions across a migratory network shape the genetic structure of southern right whales around Australia and New Zealand.

Fidelity to migratory destinations is an important driver of connectivity in marine and avian species. Here we assess the role of maternally directed learning of migratory habitats, or migratory culture, on the population structure of the endangered Australian and New Zealand southern right whale. Using DNA profiles, comprising mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes (500 bp), microsatellite genotypes (17 loci) and sex from 128 individually-identified whales, we find significant differentiation among winter calving grounds based on both mtDNA haplotype (FST = 0.048, ΦST = 0.109, p < 0.01) and microsatellite allele frequencies (FST = 0.008, p < 0.01), consistent with long-term fidelity to calving areas. However, most genetic comparisons of calving grounds and migratory corridors were not significant, supporting the idea that whales from different calving grounds mix in migratory corridors. Furthermore, we find a significant relationship between δ(13)C stable isotope profiles of 66 Australian southern right whales, a proxy for feeding ground location, and both mtDNA haplotypes and kinship inferred from microsatellite-based estimators of relatedness. This indicates migratory culture may influence genetic structure on feeding grounds. This fidelity to migratory destinations is likely to influence population recovery, as long-term estimates of historical abundance derived from estimates of genetic diversity indicate the South Pacific calving grounds remain at <10% of pre-whaling abundance.

Emotion-based preventive intervention: Effectively promoting emotion knowledge and adaptive behavior among at-risk preschoolers.

Effectiveness studies of preschool social-emotional programs are needed in low-income, diverse populations to help promote the well-being of at-risk children. Following an initial program efficacy study 2 years prior, 248 culturally diverse Head Start preschool children participated in the current effectiveness trial and received either the Emotion-Based Prevention Program (EBP) or the I Can Problem Solve (ICPS) intervention. Pre- and postdata collection included direct child assessment, teacher report, parent interview, and independent observations. Teachers implementing the EBP intervention demonstrated good and consistent fidelity to the program. Overall, children in EBP classrooms gained more emotion knowledge and displayed greater decreases in negative emotion expressions and internalizing behaviors across the implementation period as compared to children in ICPS classrooms. In addition, cumulative risk, parental depressive symptoms, and classroom climate significantly moderated treatment effects. For children experiencing more stress or less support, EBP produced more successful outcomes than did ICPS. These results provide evidence of EBP sustainability and program effectiveness, as did previous findings that demonstrated EBP improvements in emotion knowledge, regulation skills, and behavior problems replicated under unsupervised program conditions.