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Atmospheric CO2 concentrations in urban areas reflect a combination of fossil fuel emissions and biogenic fluxes, offering a potential approach to assess city climate policies. However, atmospheric models used to simulate urban CO2 plumes face significant uncertainties, particularly in complex urban environments with dense populations and vegetation. This study addresses these challenges by analyzing CO2 dynamics in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP) using the Weather Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem). Simulations were evaluated against ground-based observations from the METROCLIMA network, the first greenhouse gas monitoring network in South America, and column concentrations (XCO2) from the OCO-2 satellite spanning February to August 2019. To improve biogenic fluxes, we optimized parameters in the Vegetation Photosynthesis and Respiration Model (VPRM) using eddy covariance flux measurements for key vegetation types, including the Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and sugarcane. Results show that at the urban site (IAG), the model consistently underestimated CO2 concentrations, with a negative mean bias of −9 ppm throughout the simulation period, likely due to the complexity of vehicular emissions and urban dynamics. In contrast, at the vegetated site (PDJ), simulations showed a consistent positive mean bias of 5 ppm and closely matched observations. Seasonal analyses revealed higher CO2 concentrations in winter, driven by greater atmospheric stability and reduced vegetation uptake estimated by VPRM, while summer exhibited lower levels due to increased mixing and higher agricultural productivity. A comparison of biogenic and anthropogenic scenarios highlights the need for integrated emission modeling and improved representation of biogenic fluxes, anthropogenic emissions, and boundary conditions for high-resolution modeling in tropical regions.

Mutants able to germinate and perform early growth in medium containing a high NaCl concentration were identified during the course of two independent screenings and named salt resistant (sre) and salobreño (sañ). The sre and sañ mutants also were able to germinate in high-osmoticum medium, indicating that they are osmotolerant in a germination assay. Complementation analyses revealed that sre1-1, sre1-2, sañ3-1, and sañ3-2 were alleles of the abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis ABA2 gene. A map-based cloning strategy allowed the identification of the ABA2 gene and molecular characterization of four new aba2 alleles. The ABA2 gene product belongs to the family of short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases, which are known to be NAD- or NADP-dependent oxidoreductases. Recombinant ABA2 protein produced in Escherichia coli exhibits a K m value for xanthoxin of 19 μm and catalyzes in a NAD-dependent manner the conversion of xanthoxin to abscisic aldehyde, as determined by HPLC-mass spectrometry. The ABA2 mRNA is expressed constitutively in all plant organs examined and is not upregulated in response to osmotic stress. The results of this work are discussed in the context of previous genetic and biochemical evidence regarding ABA biosynthesis, confirming the xanthoxin→abscisic aldehyde→ABA transition as the last steps of the major ABA biosynthetic pathway.

This book draws the first contours of a theory of immigration in multilevel states addressing two themes: governance and political parties. It connects multilevel politics literature with immigration studies examining not only how, and by whom, immigration policy is decided and implemented at different territorial levels, but also how it has became an important dimension of party competition across multilevel states. Six countries have been examined in depth by leading scholars from various disciplines and methodological backgrounds: Belgium (Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels), Spain (Catalonia), Canada (Quebec), the United Kingdom (Scotland and London), Italy (Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Calabria), Germany (Bavaria), together with the unitary state of the Netherlands and its two competing cities (Amsterdam and Rotterdam). Sharing a common concern for territory and immigration, the editors, Eve Hepburn and Ricard Zapata-Barrero, seek to catalyze and shape future research in this important new field.

Background Knee pain is common in the general population, increasingly so with age. It causes substantial disability which can lead to premature exit from the workforce. Current epidemiological data on knee pain prevalence in working-age populations are limited, particularly concerning the interplay of occupational, psychosocial, and cultural factors. To address this, in a large group of workers, we examined the prevalence of knee pain longitudinally, its relationship with pain at other sites and personal and occupational risk factors for pain at follow-up. Methods Data came from the CUPID study, a cohort study including people aged 20–59 years at work from 18 countries in broadly three types of occupations: office work, nurses and manual workers. Baseline data were collected on knee pain, pain at other anatomical sites, occupational characteristics and psychosocial aspects of work. Follow-up information about knee pain was obtained approximately a year later. Descriptive statistics were used to describe knee pain prevalence and characteristics as well as persistence. Poisson regression was used to explore baseline factors in relation to knee pain, and disabling knee pain, at follow-up. Results In total 9,161 workers provided baseline and follow-up data, amongst whom 28% reported knee pain in the past year and 21% knee pain in the past month at baseline. 79% of workers with knee pain reported disability. The prevalence increased with age and was higher among women. Only 8% of workers with knee pain had single-site pain. There was wide variation in the prevalence rates reported amongst workers even doing broadly similar work. Psychosocial and occupational work demands predicted knee pain at follow-up, as did poorer mental health and somatisation but the highest effect size was found amongst people reporting a high number of painful sites at baseline (PRR: 2.06,95%CI: 1.78–2.39). Conclusions Knee pain is prevalent in the workforce, even at younger ages. It is commonly persistent and disabling. Given its link with work disability, the emphasis needs to be on prevention and both mechanical and psychosocial exposures at work are implicated. However, like low back pain, other factors appear to be important, particularly pain at other sites. Trial registration Clinical trial number: not applicable.

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are becoming increasingly popular since they can gather information from different locations without wires. This advantage is exploited in applications such as robotic systems, telecare, domotic or smart cities, among others. To gain independence from the electricity grid, WSNs devices are equipped with batteries, therefore their operational time is determined by the time that the batteries can power on the device. As a consequence, engineers must consider low energy consumption as a critical objective to design WSNs. Several approaches can be taken to make efficient use of energy in WSNs, for instance low-duty-cycling sensor networks (LDC-WSN). Based on the LDC-WSNs, we present LOKA, a LOw power Konsumption Algorithm to minimize WSNs energy consumption using different power modes in a sensor mote. The contribution of the work is a novel algorithm called LOKA that implements two duty-cycling mechanisms using the end-device of the ZigBee protocol (of the Application Support Sublayer) and an external microcontroller (Cortex M0+) in order to minimize the energy consumption of a delay tolerant networking. Experiments show that using LOKA, the energy required by the sensor device is reduced to half with respect to the same sensor device without using LOKA.

Since the discovery of neutrino oscillations, we know that neutrinos have non-zero mass. However, the absolute neutrino-mass scale remains unknown. Here we report the upper limits on effective electron anti-neutrino mass, m ν , from the second physics run of the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino experiment. In this experiment, m ν is probed via a high-precision measurement of the tritium β -decay spectrum close to its endpoint. This method is independent of any cosmological model and does not rely on assumptions whether the neutrino is a Dirac or Majorana particle. By increasing the source activity and reducing the background with respect to the first physics campaign, we reached a sensitivity on m ν of 0.7 eV  c –2  at a 90% confidence level (CL). The best fit to the spectral data yields m ν 2  = (0.26 ± 0.34) eV 2   c –4 , resulting in an upper limit of m ν  < 0.9 eV  c –2  at 90% CL. By combining this result with the first neutrino-mass campaign, we find an upper limit of m ν  < 0.8 eV  c –2 at 90% CL. In its second measurement campaign, the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino experiment achieved a sub-electronvolt sensitivity on the effective electron anti-neutrino mass.

Much of the literature on the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) describes it as a mediator in triggering plant responses to environmental stimuli, as well as a growth inhibitor. ABA-deficient mutants, however, display a stunted phenotype even under well-watered conditions and high relative humidity, which suggests that growth promotion may also be one of the roles of endogenous ABA. Zeaxanthin epoxidase, the product of the ABA1 gene of Arabidopsis thaliana, catalyses the epoxidation of zeaxanthin to antheraxanthin and violaxanthin, generating the epoxycarotenoid precursor of the ABA biosynthetic pathway. This paper gives a description of the molecular and phenotypic characterization of a large series of mutant alleles of the ABA1 gene, which cause different degrees of ABA deficiency, four of them previously isolated (aba1-1, aba1-3, aba1-4, and aba1-6) and the remaining five novel (sañ1-1, sañ1-2, sañ1-3, sañ1-4, and sre3). Molecular analysis of these alleles provides insights into the domains in which they compromise zeaxanthin epoxidase function. The size of the leaves, inflorescences, and flowers of these mutants is reduced, and their rosettes have lower fresh and dry weights than their wild types, as a result of a diminished cell size. Low concentrations of exogenous ABA increase the fresh weight of mutant and wild-type plants, as well as the dry weight of the mutants. The leaves of aba1 mutants are abnormally shaped and fail to develop clearly distinct spongy and palisade mesophyll layers. Taken together, these phenotypic traits indicate, as suggested by previous authors, that ABA acts as a growth promoter during vegetative development. The abnormal shape and internal structure of the leaves of aba1 mutants suggests, in addition, a role for ABA in organogenesis.

We present a comprehensive characterization of the optical properties of various aerosol types based on data collected using a compact dual-wavelength depolarization elastic lidar (532 and 808 nm, CIMEL CE376). This study evaluates the vertical distribution and temporal evolution of aerosols observed in the subtropical North Atlantic region, covering Saharan dust, volcanic aerosols, and fresh and aged wildfire plumes. Measurements were conducted between August 2021 and August 2023, using a modified two-wavelength Klett inversion method to derive the aerosol backscatter and extinction coefficients from CE376 lidar measurements. To assess the performance of the CE376 system, an intercomparison campaign with an MPL-4B lidar (MPLNET) was conducted, with both systems were collocated at the Izaña Atmospheric Research Centre (Canary Islands, Spain). Both instruments depicted the vertical aerosol structure similarly. Discrepancies were primarily attributed to errors in determining the overlap function and depolarization calibration in each instrument, as well as the greater influence of solar background radiation on the CE376 system during daylight. The absolute difference in the volume depolarization ratio (δv) was 0.003, which decreased to 0.002 when only nighttime data were analyzed. The combination of the two channels of the CE376 provided valuable insights into particle linear depolarization (δP), extinction Ångström exponent (EAE (532/808)) and attenuated color ratio (ACR (808/532)). Fresh Saharan dust particles, characterized by large, non-spherical morphology and a well-mixed vertical layer, exhibited the lowest EAE (532/808), the highest ACR (808/532) and δP (532) >0.15. In contrast, smaller particles with quasi-homogeneous morphology were attributed to sulfate aerosols from the early stages of the Cumbre Vieja volcano eruption and aged Canadian wildfire plumes traveling across the Atlantic. These aerosols showed the lowest δP (0.03 for volcanic sulfate and 0.08 for aged wildfire aerosols) and the highest EAE (532/808) (1.5 and 1.2, respectively). Intermediate values of these retrieved parameters were associated with a heterogenous mixture of ash, soot and charred vegetation from fresh local forest wildfires. The retrieved properties underscore the suitability of the CE376 micro-lidar for continuous monitoring and characterization of the temporal and vertical distribution of atmospheric aerosols.

This work evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation of A-Live (phytogenic) either individually or in combination with Aquaform (potassium diformate, acidifier) on juvenile Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ) growth performance, innate immune parameters, gut microbiome, and resistance against Francisella noatunensis subsp. orientalis challenge. Each experimental group contained 140 fishes (34.3 ± 0.33) in two 150L tanks. The experimental design consisted of five groups: a negative control; treated groups (G1, G2, G3) supplemented with different concentrations of A-Live and Aquaform in the feed; and a positive control (PC) for pathogen infection. Groups G1, G2, G3, and PC were challenged with Francisella spp. after 15 days. After infection, the mortality was significantly lower in groups G1, G2, and G3 (p < 0.01). Furthermore, these groups showed significant increase (p < 0.05) in daily weight gain, feed conversion rate, and specific growth rate. The PC group presented increase (p < 0.05) in the leukocytes and neutrophils number. Innate immunity parameters showed no difference between treatments after infection. Microbiome analysis revealed an increased number of bacteria belonging to the Vibrionaceae family after pathogen infection suggesting a secondary pathogen function of these bacteria. These results validate the beneficial effects of these products in tilapia farming.

Generally, the choice of disease-modifying treatment (DMT) for people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) is based on aspects of efficacy and safety. However, due to the diversity of drugs and the different routes of administration, it is essential to know the experience and satisfaction of PwMS. Patient- reported outcomes (PROs) help us to optimize and improve adherence. Our objective with this cross-sectional, non-interventional study is to analyze satisfaction outcomes using the treatment satisfaction questionnaire for medication (TSQM) according to moderate or high efficacy of DMTs and the relationship with demographic, clinical and quality of life (QoL) aspects. PwMS receiving high-efficacy DMTs show greater overall satisfaction, but not in the other TSQM subscales. The route of administration did not show differences in treatment satisfaction. The best QoL scores were observed in patients treated with oral DMTs compared to injectables or infusions. The efficacy of DMT is a significant predictor of overall satisfaction. Quality of life has a minimal impact on overall satisfaction. EDSS, treatment duration and fatigue (MFIS) were not significant predictors of satisfaction outcomes. The knowledge provided by the PROs allows healthcare professionals to better understand the preferences and needs of PwMS, adjusting therapeutic strategies, improving patient experience and treatment effectiveness.