SmokePath Explorer - a data driven smoke management tool to support prescribed fire planning in California, USA.

SmokePath Explorer is a web-based decision-support tool for California, U.S.A.

A Note on the Honey Bee Parasitic Phorid Fly ( Brues) in an Urban Ecosystem.

The honey bee is a crucial pollinator in urban ecosystems but faces multiple challenges, including habitat degradation, pollution, and parasitism by species such as the phorid fly, Brues (Diptera: Phoridae). This study investigated honey bee abundance and the percentage of parasitism in an urban environment in San Francisco, California. We monitored six sites weekly for six months using two sampling methods.

Genetic isolation and metabolic complexity of an Antarctic subglacial microbiome.

Microbes inhabiting and evolving in aquatic ecosystems beneath polar ice sheets subsist under energy-limited conditions while in relative isolation from surface gene pools and their common ancestral populations of origin. Samples obtained from beneath West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) allowed us to examine evolutionary relationships of and identify metabolic pathways in microbial genomes recovered from the Mercer Subglacial Lake (SLM) ecosystem. We obtained 1,374 single-cell amplified genomes (SAGs) from individual bacterial and archaeal cells that were isolated from samples of SLM's water column and sediments.

Correlations between human alveolar macrophage particulate matter load, air pollution particulate matter levels, and systemic inflammation markers in Mexico City.

This study explores potential associations among ambient particulate matter (PM) exposure, PM load in alveolar macrophage (AM), and biomarkers collected from 53 healthy, adult, nonsmoking residents of the Iztapalapa and Iztacalco municipalities in Mexico City. Ambient PM concentrations were estimated using an improved Land Use Regression (LUR) model to approximate PM exposure levels. The PM/carbon loading was quantified by the fraction of AM containing PM (%, %AMPM) and the PM area within the AM (µm) from BAC cytospin microphotography using CellProfiler cell image analysis software.

Multiple paleofire proxy metrics from tropical lake sediment and soil in the Greater Serengeti Ecosystem.

Black carbon is a paleofire proxy that has been measured from glacial ice, snow, soils and lake sediments, though relatively few comparisons have been made with other fire indicators in sedimentary geoarchives. Microscopic charcoal, quantified from palynological microscope slides and macroscopic charcoal, quantified from wet-sieved deposits, are the most commonly applied methods for paleofire interpretation of Quaternary sediments. This research explores the down-profile patterns across three paleofire proxies (refractory black carbon, microscopic and macroscopic charcoal) and potential paleofire interpretations from a sediment core dating to the last centuries from Speke Gulf, Lake Victoria, and a young soil profile from a kopje located in the surrounding watershed in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.

Open Specy 1.0: Automated (Hyper)spectroscopy for Microplastics.

Microplastic spectral analysis is one of the most time-consuming processes in studying microplastic pollution, often requiring days per sample. Researchers are transitioning to automated batch and hyperspectral image analysis techniques to enhance efficiency. Open Specy, initially aimed at manual single-spectrum analysis, has now integrated automated methods.

Physically-constrained evapotranspiration models with machine learning parameterization outperform pure machine learning: Critical role of domain knowledge.

Physics-informed machine learning techniques have emerged to tackle challenges inherent in pure machine learning (ML) approaches. One such technique, the hybrid approach, has been introduced to estimate terrestrial evapotranspiration (ET), a crucial variable linking water, energy, and carbon cycles. A key advantage of these hybrid ET models is their improved performance, particularly under extreme conditions, compared to ET estimates relying solely on ML.

Structure revision of scytonemin imine and its relationship to scytonemin chromism and cyanobacterial adaptability.

Scytonemin, a UV-protective pigment produced by cyanobacteria, is essential for microbial survival under extreme solar radiation. Recent studies suggest its structural analog, scytonemin imine, may serve as a biosynthetic marker for cyanobacteria exposed to intense light. Here, we present a structural revision, revealing scytonemin imine as a cyclic hydropyrrolo[2,3-b]indole, rather than the previously proposed primary imine.

Early detection of emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants from wastewater through genome sequencing and machine learning.

Genome sequencing from wastewater enables accurate and cost-effective identification of SARS-CoV-2 variants. However, existing computational pipelines have limitations in detecting emerging variants not yet characterized in humans. Here, we present an unsupervised learning approach that clusters co-varying and time-evolving mutation patterns to identify SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Alpine ice core record of large changes in dust, sea-salt, and biogenic aerosol over Europe during deglaciation.

Aerosol radiative forcing is an important but often poorly understood component of regional climate. While glacier ice contains the most detailed archives of past atmospheric aerosol composition and temperature, no well-preserved ice records extending into the last climatic transition have been reported for the historically important European region. Here, we use an Alpine ice core to document changes in European aerosols and climate from the end of the last glacial age (LGA) through the Holocene.

Sulfide Oxidation Products Support Microbial Metabolism at Interface Environments in a Marine-Like Serpentinizing Spring in Northern California.

Interface environments between extreme and neutrophilic conditions are often hotspots of metabolic activity and taxonomic diversity. In serpentinizing systems, the mixing of high pH fluids with meteoric water, and/or the exposure of these fluids to the atmosphere can create interface environments with distinct but related metabolic activities and species. Investigating these systems can provide insights into the factors that stimulate microbial growth, and/or what attributes may be limiting microbial physiologies in native serpentinized fluids.

UVC-Intense Exoplanets May Not Be Uninhabitable: Evidence from a Desert Lichen.

Many of the recently discovered Earth-like exoplanets are hosted by M and F stars, stars that emit intense UVC, especially during a flare. We studied whether such planets are nevertheless habitable by irradiating a desert lichen, with 254-nm 55 W/m UVC nonstop for 3 months in the laboratory. Only 50% of its algal photobiont cells were inactivated.

Combined Experimental and DFT Study of Alumina (α-AlO(0001))-Supported Fe Atoms in the Limit of a Single Atom.

To probe the properties of single atoms is a challenging task, especially from the experimental standpoint, due to sensitivity limits. Nevertheless, it is sometimes possible to achieve this by making corresponding choices and adjustments to the experimental technique and sample under investigation. In the present case, the absolute value of the electronic charge the Fe atoms acquire when they are adsorbed on the surface of aluminum oxide α-AlO(0001) was measured by a set of surface-sensitive techniques: low-energy ion scattering (LEIS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), and work function (WF) measurements, in combination with density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Spatiotemporal variability, atmospheric chemistry implications and health risk assessment of ambient volatile organic compounds in Central India.

Twenty-one volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are markers for anthropogenic and biogenic emission sources were quantified in and around the city of Raipur, Chhattisgarh state in central India from November 2021 to February 2022 and from April to June 2022. Spatiotemporal VOC patterns, implications for atmospheric reactivity and associated health risks are investigated. Six monitoring sites represented the urban background, an industrial area, a commercial center, a residential neighbourhood, a refuelling station, and a traffic junction.

The efficiency of EURO 6d car particulate filters is compromised by atmospheric aging: In vitro toxicity of gasoline car exhaust.

Tailpipe emissions from road traffic contribute substantially to the burden of fine inhalable particulate matter (PM) and deteriorate air quality. Exhaust emission standards, forcing improvements in combustion and exhaust after-treatment technology, considerably decreases combustion-related PM emitted by modern cars. A549 cancerous alveolar and BEAS-2B normal bronchial epithelial cells were exposed at the air-liquid interface to the total aerosol or gas phase of either fresh or photochemically aged tailpipe emissions from a gasoline EURO 6d car equipped with a gasoline particulate filter.

Detecting Burn Severity and Vegetation Recovery After Fire Using dNBR and dNDVI Indices: Insight from the Bosco Difesa Grande, Gravina in Southern Italy.

Wildfires serve a paradoxical role in landscapes-supporting biodiversity and nutrient cycling while also threatening ecosystems and economies, especially as climate change intensifies their frequency and severity. This study investigates the impact of wildfires and vegetation recovery in the Bosco Difesa Grande forest in southern Italy, focusing on the 2017 and 2021 fire events. Using Google Earth Engine (GEE) accessed in January 2025, we applied remote sensing techniques to assess burn severity and post-fire regrowth.

Insights into immune and oxidative stress in rural homemakers exposed to VOCs during typical solid fuel utilization activities.

Exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from solid fuel combustion can pose significant health risks, but the mechanism by which VOCs exposure affects health remains vague. This study explored the impacts of personal exposure (PE) to VOCs during three typical household solid fuel utilization scenarios (heating, cooking, and background) on inflammatory, oxidative stress, and hematological indices. Personal VOC samples from the three scenarios were collected using Tenax-TA adsorbent tubes with a portable device, and blood and urine samples were obtained from the subjects for biomarker analysis.

Towards optimization of community vulnerability indices for COVID-19 prevalence.

Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s social vulnerability index (SVI) for exploring social and health disparities in the United States may not be suitable for assessing COVID-19 risk in specific communities and subpopulations. This study aims to develop the community vulnerability index (CVI) optimized for demographic-specific COVID-19 prevalence at the census tract level and apply it to Clark County, Nevada, which includes the vibrant Las Vegas metropolitan area.

Methods: We constructed the CVI using fifteen social condition variables from the CDC's SVI along with eight additional community variables measuring inactive commuting, park deprivation, retail density, low-income homeowner or renter severe housing cost burden, housing inadequacy, segregation, and population density.

Hypertension increases PPV for polycystic kidney disease in PKD1 and PKD2 variant carriers.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the leading genetic form of KD. Although rare causal variants in the PKD1 and PKD2 genes have been identified, their penetrance and the disease progression and outcome are known to vary, and treatment efficacy in these carriers lags compared to patients with other forms of chronic KD (CKD). To develop a population screening strategy with high sensitivity to individuals likely to develop disease, we characterize the presentation and progression of ADPKD in variant carriers, identified in a multi-center all-comers cohort, as well as the UK Biobank.

Priority research directions for wildfire science: views from a historically fire-prone and an emerging fire-prone country.

Fire regimes are changing across the globe, with new wildfire behaviour phenomena and increasing impacts felt, especially in ecosystems without clear adaptations to wildfire. These trends pose significant challenges to the scientific community in understanding and communicating these changes and their implications, particularly where we lack underlying scientific evidence to inform decision-making. Here, we present a perspective on priority directions for wildfire science research-through the lens of academic and government wildfire scientists from a historically wildfire-prone (USA) and emerging wildfire-prone (UK) country.

Unveiling Community Vulnerability to COVID-19 Incidence: A Population-Based Spatial Analysis in Clark County, Nevada.

Community vulnerability is influenced by various determinants beyond socioeconomic status and plays a crucial role in COVID-19 disparities. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a novel community vulnerability index (CVI) related to temporal variations in COVID-19 incidence to provide insights into spatial disparities and inform targeted public health interventions in Clark County, Nevada. Utilizing data from the American Community Survey and other sources, 23 community measures were identified at the census tract level.

Advection-dominated transport dynamics of pili and flagella-mediated motile bacteria in porous media.

The transport of motile bacteria in porous media is highly relevant to many fields, ranging from ecology to human health. Still, critical gaps remain in our understanding of the impacts of hydrodynamics and pore structure on bacterial transport. Here, we present direct visualizations of three species of motile bacteria under variable flow rates and porosities.

Characterization and quantification of atmospheric emissions of dioxins, dl-PCBs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from municipal solid waste open burning in Southeast Asia.

Solid waste open burning is an important source of dioxins and other toxic pollutants that have not been sufficiently characterized. This study investigated atmospheric emissions of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) from municipal solid waste open burning (MSWOB) and mixed plastics burning in unconfined loose piles. Emission factors (EF) of 17 chlorinated dioxins, 12 dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs), and 13 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) varied between experiments owing to changing waste types and combustion conditions.

Machine learning shows a limit to rain-snow partitioning accuracy when using near-surface meteorology.

Partitioning precipitation into rain and snow with near-surface meteorology is a well-known challenge. However, whether a limit exists to its potential performance remains unknown. Here, we evaluate this possibility by applying a set of benchmark precipitation phase partitioning methods plus three machine learning (ML) models (an artificial neural network, random forest, and XGBoost) to two independent datasets: 38.

Latitudinal gradients of snow contamination in the Rocky Mountains associated with anthropogenic sources.

Seasonal snow is an important source of drinking water and recreation, and for agriculture in the Rocky Mountain region. Monitoring snow-water quality can inform on the effects to the albedo and energy balance of the snowpack, and the sources of natural and anthropogenic aerosol and gases. This study analyzed metals in the seasonal snowpack from water year (WY) 2018 for 49 sites.