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This study explored the dynamics of students' knowledge co-construction in an asynchronous gamified environment in higher education, focusing on peer discussions in college business courses. Utilizing epistemic network analysis, sequence pattern mining, and automated coding, we analyzed the interactions of 1,319 business students. Our findings revealed that externalization and epistemic activity were prevalent, demonstrating a strong link between problem-solving and conceptual understanding. Three primary discussion types were observed: argumentative, epistemic, and social, each with unique patterns of engagement and idea integration. Effective knowledge co-construction patterns included open-ended questions with an epistemic focus, debates serving as intense knowledge co-construction arenas, and social interactions fostering a supportive and collaborative learning environment. The introduction of gamification elements led to increased student engagement and participation. Our findings emphasize the significance of structured analysis, collaboration, and argumentation in promoting effective knowledge co-construction in peer learning settings. This study offers insights into the temporal interplay of discourse dimensions and their potential for collaborative learning, enhancing our understanding of how learning analytics can be employed to discover ways in which students co-construct knowledge in asynchronous gamified environments.

Models show that to avert dangerous levels of climate change, global carbon dioxide emissions must fall to zero later this century. Most of these emissions arise from energy use. Davis et al. review what it would take to achieve decarbonization of the energy system. Some parts of the energy system are particularly difficult to decarbonize, including aviation, long-distance transport, steel and cement production, and provision of a reliable electricity supply. Current technologies and pathways show promise, but integration of now-discrete energy sectors and industrial processes is vital to achieve minimal emissions. Science , this issue p. eaas9793 Some energy services and industrial processes—such as long-distance freight transport, air travel, highly reliable electricity, and steel and cement manufacturing—are particularly difficult to provide without adding carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to the atmosphere. Rapidly growing demand for these services, combined with long lead times for technology development and long lifetimes of energy infrastructure, make decarbonization of these services both essential and urgent. We examine barriers and opportunities associated with these difficult-to-decarbonize services and processes, including possible technological solutions and research and development priorities. A range of existing technologies could meet future demands for these services and processes without net addition of CO 2 to the atmosphere, but their use may depend on a combination of cost reductions via research and innovation, as well as coordinated deployment and integration of operations across currently discrete energy industries.

Despite broad consensus on the benefits of a nexus approach to multi-sector planning, actual implementation in government and other decision-making institutions is still rare. This study presents an approach to conducting integrated energy-water-land (EWL) planning, using Uruguay as an example. This stakeholder-driven study focuses on assessing the EWL nexus implications of actual planned policies aimed at strengthening three of Uruguay's key exports (beef, soy, and rice), which account for more than 40% of total national export revenue. Five scenarios are analyzed in the study: a reference scenario, a climate impacts scenario, and three policy scenarios. The three policy scenarios include measures such as increasing the intensity of beef production while simultaneously decreasing emissions, increasing irrigated soybean production, and improving rice yields. This study supplements previous sector-specific planning efforts in Uruguay by conducting the first stakeholder-driven integrated multi-sector assessment of planned policies in Uruguay using a suite of integrated modeling tools. Key insights from the study are: as compared to a reference scenario, improving beef productivity could lead to cropland expansion (+30%) and significant indirect increases in water requirements (+20%); improving rice yields could lead to increases in total emissions (+3%), which may partially offset emissions reductions from other policies; expanding irrigated soy could have the least EWL impacts amongst the policies studied; and climate-driven changes could have significantly less impact on EWL systems as compared to human actions. The generalizable insights derived from this analysis are readily applicable to other countries facing similar multi-sector planning challenges. In particular, the study's results reinforce the fact that policies often have multi-sector consequences, and thus policies can impact one another's efficacy. Thus, policy design and implementation can benefit from coordination across sectors and decision-making institutions.

Although recent academic studies on nonprofits have documented aggressive accounting behavior, these studies have primarily examined the sector in isolation and have not reached definitive conclusions regarding the relative aggressiveness of the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Using actuarial assumptions for defined benefit (DB) pension plans as a proxy for discretionary accounting choices, we examine whether nonprofit managers respond through their actuarial choices to incentives to manage DB pension assumptions, and whether differences exist in the aggressiveness of these assumptions for nonprofits and for-profits. We find evidence consistent with nonprofits managing pension assumptions when incentives and less monitoring exist. Comparing our nonprofits to a sample of for-profits, we find evidence consistent with nonprofits utilizing more aggressive pension assumptions and making stronger responses to incentives to manage these assumptions. Our findings are consistent with the premise that nonprofits are more aggressive than for-profits when using actuarial estimates that deflate pension obligations and inflate performance.

This study examines mercury exposure in bats across the northeast U.S. from 2005 to 2009. We collected 1,481 fur and 681 blood samples from 8 states and analyzed them for total Hg. A subset (n = 20) are also analyzed for methylmercury (MeHg). Ten species of bats from the northeast U.S. are represented in this study of which two are protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA 1973) and two other species are pending review. There are four objectives in this paper: (1) to examine correlates to differences in fur–Hg levels among all of the sampling sites, including age, sex, species, and presence of a Hg point source; (2) define the relationship between blood and fur–Hg levels and the factors that influence that relationship including age, sex, species, reproductive status, and energetic condition; (3) determine the relationships between total Hg and MeHg in five common eastern bat species; and (4) assess the distribution of Hg across bat populations in the northeast. We found total blood and fur mercury was eight times higher in bats captured near point sources compared to nonpoint sources. Blood–Hg and fur–Hg were well correlated with females on average accumulating two times more Hg in fur than males. On average fur MeHg accounted for 86 % (range 71–95 %) of the total Hg in bat fur. Considering that females had high Hg concentrations, beyond that of established levels of concern, suggests there could be negative implications for bat populations from high Hg exposure since Hg is readily transferred to pups via breast milk. Bats provide an integral part of the ecosystem and their protection is considered to be of high priority. More research is needed to determine if Hg is a stressor that is negatively impacting bat populations.

With growing calls to scale up reforestation efforts worldwide, conservation managers increasingly must decide whether and how to restore highly altered ecosystems. However, empirical research on potential trade‐offs remains scarce. We use a Hawai'i watershed to demonstrate a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to identifying synergies and trade‐offs associated with maintaining an unrestored forest, versus restoration to a historical or hybrid (native and non‐native plant species) state. We focused on restoration scenarios designed by conservation managers and measured ecological, hydrologic, and cultural outcomes they identified as important metrics of success. The hybrid restoration scenario maximized potential outcomes at moderate cost, and increased two rarely measured but often critical metrics to managers and communities: cultural value and resilience to disturbance. Hybrid restoration approaches developed collaboratively can provide a viable option for scaling up restoration in island ecosystems and other contexts where invasive species pose significant challenges and/or where community support is important.

Many types of guidance documents inform conservation by providing practical recommendations for the management of species and habitats. To ensure effective decisions are made, such guidance should be based upon relevant and up‐to‐date evidence. We reviewed conservation guidance for mitigation and management of species and habitats in the United Kingdom and Ireland, identifying 301 examples produced by over 50 organizations. Of these, only 29% provided a reference list, of which only 32% provided reference(s) relevant to justify the recommended actions (9% of the total). Furthermore, even this guidance was often outdated, lacked a methodology for production, or did not highlight uncertainty in the key evidence that supported the recommendations. These deficiencies can lead to misguided and ineffective conservation practices, policies, and decisions, and a waste of resources. Based on this review and co‐design by experts from 14 organizations, we present a set of principles for ensuring sufficient and relevant evidence is transparently incorporated into future conservation guidance. Producing evidence‐based guidance in line with these principles would enable more effective conservation outcomes.

Arc volcanoes commonly show evidence of mixing between mafic and silicic magma. Melt inclusions and matrix glasses in andesite erupted from Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat, include an anomalously K2O‐rich population which shows close compositional overlap with residual glass from mafic inclusions. We suggest that these glasses represent the effects of physical mixing with mafic magma, both during ascent and by diffusive exchange during the formation of mafic inclusions. Many glasses are enriched only in K2O, suggesting diffusive contamination by high‐K mafic inclusion glass; others are also enriched in TiO2, suggesting physical mixing of remnant glass. Some mafic inclusion glasses have lost K2O. The preservation of this K‐rich melt component in the andesite suggests short timescales between mixing and ascent. Diffusive timescales are consistent with independent petrological estimates of magma ascent time.

Objective: To assess long-term outcomes of children with symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease detected at birth. Study Design: We used Cox regression to assess risk factors for intellectual disability (intelligence quotient <70), sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL; hearing level ⩾25 dB in any audiometric frequency) and vision impairment (best corrected visual acuity >20 or based on ophthalmologist report). Results: Among 76 case-patients followed through median age of 13 (range: 0–27) years, 56 (74%) had SNHL, 31 (43%, n =72) had intellectual disability and 18 (27%, n =66) had vision impairment; 28 (43%, n =65) had intellectual disability and SNHL with/without vision impairment. Microcephaly was significantly associated with each of the three outcomes. Tissue destruction and dysplastic growth on head computed tomography scan at birth was significantly associated with intellectual disability and SNHL. Conclusion: Infants with symptomatic congenital CMV disease may develop moderate to severe impairments that were associated with presence of microcephaly and brain abnormalities.