Overshooting storms are convective systems with updrafts that penetrate through the tropopause into the overlying stratosphere. These storms can rapidly transport a wide variety of chemical species and aerosols from the boundary layer and free troposphere directly to the stratosphere. The central plains of the U.S. and the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico are two of the global hotspots for overshooting convection. While the existence of these storms has been known for several decades, the amount of tropospheric air, including water vapor, trace gases, and aerosols, transported across the tropopause is poorly understood, as is their impact on the dynamics, chemistry, and radiative balance of the stratosphere. Climate models suggest that as Earth’s climate continues to warm, overshooting convection over the U.S. may increase, potentially causing changes to stratospheric composition and transport. To address these scientific questions, the NASA ER-2 high-altitude research aircraft flew 31 missions during the summers of 2021 and 2022 to make observations of the outflow from overshooting storms in the stratosphere over North America and the eastern Pacific Ocean as part of the Dynamics and Chemistry of the Summer Stratosphere (DCOTSS) project. The ER-2 carried a payload of 12 instruments to measure meteorological parameters, water and its isotopologues, trace gases, and aerosol properties. Ozone, water vapor, and aerosol sondes were also launched on balloons during the field deployments. This paper describes the science goals of the DCOTSS project, the aircraft measurement strategy, the data produced by the project, and highlights of science results to date.
Ergonomics has long been cited as one of the principal advantages of robotic surgery, yet nearly three decades of research have yielded heterogeneous, inconsistent, and often contradictory findings. A coherent understanding of how ergonomic metrics have been conceptualized, operationalized, and measured remains lacking. This scoping review critically examines the tools, variables, and methodological approaches used to assess ergonomics in robotic surgery and identifies structural limitations that may impede scientific progress in the field. Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we searched PubMed and Scopus for studies explicitly evaluating ergonomic outcomes in robotic surgery (March 1997–September 2025), supplemented by citation mining. Data were extracted regarding measurement tools, variables, study design, and anatomical or conceptual domains. A total of 119 studies met inclusion criteria, reporting 42 measurement tools and 97 variables assessed 328 times. Fewer than 10
Firms are increasingly interested in investing in artificial intelligence (AI), but what drives this trend? Our research reveals that media coverage of labor issues plays a significant role. When firms face public scrutiny through media exposure of labor issues, the reputational pressure pushes them to act. AI emerges as a strategic response, offering powerful capabilities to automate and augment human tasks. Analyzing data from U.S. public firms, we found that labor issue-related media coverage significantly increases AI investments, particularly among firms with the motivation and resources to invest in AI, whereas other IT or general investments are not similarly influenced, suggesting that firms view AI as uniquely suitable to address labor challenges. Interestingly, firms appear to prioritize AI for its automation capabilities, particularly targeting high-skilled labor, contrasting with traditional automation investments focused on lower-skilled tasks. This shift signals a transformation in how companies are reimaging the future of work. For business leaders, our findings also reveal that AI investment not only reduces future media scrutiny but also decreases labor reliance. Policymakers, however, must consider the broader implications, particularly the impact of AI investment on labor markets and the need for proactive workforce planning.
Wrack, composed of organic debris like seagrass and the brown macroalga, Sargassum, accumulates on beaches and when present in overwhelming quantities can impact ecosystem function and public health through microbial contamination, trace element accumulation, and toxic gas emissions. Although studies have started to evaluate the impacts to the microbial quality from different types of wrack, few evaluate the impacts of trace elements. This study assessed enterococci and arsenic levels in beach environments across five South Florida beaches with varying wrack types (Sargassum vs. seagrass) and management practices. Enterococci levels did not significantly differ between wrack types (p = 0.30), with a maximum of 9,600 CFU/g. However, Sargassum exhibited significantly higher arsenic concentrations (up to 64.3 mg/kg) compared to seagrass (2.18 mg/kg) (p < 0.001). In sand, arsenic levels were statistically higher (4.92 mg/kg) when Sargassum was managed through integration. These findings emphasize the need to consider wrack composition when assessing arsenic impacts and can inform beach management strategies to minimize environmental and public health risks associated with excessively large Sargassum strandings.
Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are increasingly recognized as essential endpoints in neuro-oncology, yet their prognostic value for survival across brain tumor trials remains incompletely defined. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify the association between key PRO domains and overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS)in patients with glioma. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we included randomized controlled trials that reported baseline PROs using the European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 or European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Brain Neoplasm-20 questionnaires, with corresponding survival outcomes. Hazard ratios (HRs) per 10-point increase in each PRO domain were extracted. Random-effects models generated pooled HRs. Heterogeneity, risk of bias (ROB 2), and certainty of evidence (GRADE) were assessed. Eight trials comprising 6,846 patients were included. Higher baseline cognitive functioning was significantly associated with improved OS (HR = 0.94, 95
