Natural Bodies Research Articles

The Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of the Methanolic Extract, Fractions, and Isolated Compounds from Eriosema montanum Baker f. (Fabaceae)

Background: Inflammation is a natural body’s defense mechanism against harmful stimuli such as pathogens, chemicals, or irradiation. But when the inflammatory response becomes permanent, it can lead to serious health problems. In the present study, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potentials of the Eriosema montanum methanolic extract (EMME), as well as its isolated fractions (FA-FJ) and compounds (1–7), were evaluated by using in vitro and cellular models. Methods: The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined using, respectively, Folin–Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride colorimetric methods, while 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhy-drazyl (DPPH), and ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were used to determine the antioxidant activity. Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) and column chromatography (CC) were used to isolate and purify the compounds and their elucidation using their NMR spectroscopic data. Results: EMME had moderate antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, while fraction FF showed much higher efficacy with IC50 values of 34.64, 30.60, 16.43, and 77.29 μg/mL against DPPH, ABTS, NO, and 15-LOX inhibitory activities, respectively. The EMME fraction was found to be very rich in flavonoids and phenolic compounds, with 82.11 mgQE/g and 86.77 mgGAE/g of dry extract, respectively. Its LC-MS profiling allowed us to identify genistin (5) as the most concentrated constituent in this plant species, which was further isolated together with six other known compounds, namely, n-hexadecane (1), heptacosanoic acid (2), tricosan-1-ol (3), lupinalbin A (4), d-pinitol (6), and stigmasterol glucoside (7). Given these compounds, genistin (5) showed moderate activity against reactive oxygen species (ROS) and NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells compared to EMME, which suggested a synergy of (5) with other compounds. To the best of our knowledge, compounds (1), (2), and (3) were isolated for the first time from this plant species.

Tyrosine oxime derivatives from the fruiting bodies of basidiomycete Serpula dendrocalami.

Three undescribed O-prenyl-tyrosine oxime derivatives, serpulanines D-F (1-3), were isolated from natural fruiting bodies of the basidiomycete Serpula dendrocalami together with serpulanine C (4), and other known compounds (5-8). The structures were elucidated based on NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometry data. Compounds 1-3 were screened for their antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA and MSSA) and Bacillus cereus using the agar well diffusion method at 1 mg/mL. All of them were inactive in the antibacterial activity assays.

Chimeric aggregative multicellularity in absence of kin discrimination.

Aggregative multicellularity is a cooperative strategy employed by some microorganisms. Unlike clonal expansion within protected environments during multicellular eukaryotic development, an aggregation strategy introduces the potential for genetic conflicts and exploitation by cheaters, threatening the stability of the social system. Myxococcus xanthus, a soil-dwelling bacterium, employs aggregative multicellularity to form multicellular fruiting bodies that produce spores in response to starvation. Studies of natural fruiting bodies show that this process is restricted to close kin or clonemates. Here, we investigate the mechanisms underlying kin recognition during development in M. xanthus. By co-culturing two distantly related M. xanthus strains under vegetative and starvation conditions, we observed that the strains segregate in both contexts. During vegetative growth, one strain antagonized the other using the type VI secretion system (T6SS). T6SS-mediated antagonism was also observed during development, resulting in monoclonal fruiting bodies when WT strains were mixed. In contrast, mixtures of T6SS knockout strains formed chimeric fruiting bodies, that produced viable spores from both strains. These findings suggest that T6SS is the primary mechanism of kin discrimination in distantly related M. xanthus strains, and its use ensures the development of monoclonal fruiting bodies and social integrity.

The Impact of Transferring Embodiment and Work Efficiency Between Natural Body and Modular Body Systems

Human augmentation technology, particularly supernumerary robotic limbs, has seen rapid growth and offers promising applications. However, the cognitive aspects of supernumerary robotic limbs, such as the sense of embodiment, remain underexplored in the context of modular body systems that which provide the part of one’s own body feeling, especially when detached, and how this might impact work efficiency. This study aims to investigate the impact of experience of synchronizing Sense of Embodiment and work efficiency between the user’s innate body and a modular body system. The experiment was conducted using a modular body prototype and compared between with wearing experience (the user is more likely to perceive this robot as a part of their body) and without wearing experience (the user is more likely to perceive this robot as a separate, standalone robot). Objective evaluations included task completion time and accuracy, while the sense of embodiment questionnaire was employed for subjective evaluations. The results suggested that after having experience of wearing modular arm for a while, this experience can influence the work efficiency even if it was used without wearing it.

Polystyrene nanoplastics are unlikely to aggregate in freshwater bodies.

The fate and toxicity of nanoplastics (NPs) in the environment is largely determined by their stability. We explored how water composition, nanoplastic size, and surface carboxyl group density influenced the aggregation of polystyrene (PS) NPs in fresh water. Unfunctionalized 200, 300, 500, and 1000 nm PS NPs and 310 nm carboxylated PS NPs with carboxyl group densities of 0.35 and 0.6 mmol.g-1 were used to simulate pristine and aged NPs. Natural water matrices tested in this study include synthetic surface water (SSW), water from the Schie canal (Netherlands) and tap water. Suwannee River Natural Organic Matter (SRNOM) was included to mimic organic matter concentrations. In CaCl2, we found PS NPs are more stable as their size increases with the increase of the critical coagulation concentration (CCC) from 44 mM to 59 mM and 77 mM for NP sizes of 200 nm, 300 nm and 500 nm. Conversely, 1000 nm PS NPs remained stable even at 100 mM CaCl2. Increasing the carboxyl group density decreased the stability of NPs as a result of the interaction between Ca2+ and the carboxyl group. These results were consistent with the mass of Ca2+ adsorbed per mass of NPs. The presence of SRNOM decreased the stability of PS NPs via particle bridging facilitated by SRNOM. However, in SSW, Schie water and tap water with low divalent cation concentrations, the hydrodynamic size of PS NPs did not change, even at prolonged durations up to one week. We concluded that PS NPs are unlikely to aggregate in water with low divalent cation concentrations, like natural freshwater bodies. Ecotoxicologists and water treatment engineers will have to consider treating PS NPs as colloidally stable particles as the lack of aggregation in fresh surface water bodies will affect their ecotoxicity and may pose challenges to their removal in water treatment.

From Sangbo to urban landscape: morphological and hydrological transformations of Xuanwu Lake through integrating historical interpretation and geographic analysis

IntroductionXuanwu Lake in Nanjing has undergone a rich history, evolving from native Sangbo to a naval training ground, from an imperial garden to farmland, and finally to a vibrant urban landscape. The lake's legacy can be attributed to its unique geographical and hydrological conditions. Exploring historical transformations of the lake and surrounding landscape patterns provides insights for optimizing urban water space in contemporary China.MethodsTraditional analyses of lake changes based solely on historical records may lack precision due to deviations and artistic interpretations found in ancient maps. However, considering the reciprocal compatibility between local geomorphology, undulating terrains, and water bodies allows for accurate reduction of the lake's morphology by inferring and validating its geographical features. This research combines historical interpretation and geographical analysis to reconstruct the historical shape of Xuanwu Lake, uncover the intrinsic mechanisms driving spatial changes over time, and analyze the morphological changes and connectivity patterns of its hydrological system.ResultsThe morphology and hydrological dynamics of Xuanwu Lake are deeply intertwined with the policies prevailing in different eras. In antiquity, Xuanwu Lake, as a natural body of water, sustained the surrounding ecosystem and the livelihoods of local inhabitants. During the imperial period, it was integrated into the royal gardens, with its utilization and configuration modified by political directives, including the establishment of a naval training facility and its conversion into a royal recreational venue. Subsequently, in response to economic imperatives, Xuanwu Lake was transformed into agricultural land, which led to challenges such as flooding and drought. Ultimately, due to ecological security and recreational needs under urbanization, it was restored to lake form.DiscussionBy interpreting the bidirectional adaptation between the lake's ecosystem functions and city development activities, this research provides insights for water space management and ecological restoration in contemporary Xuanwu Lake. The findings provide guidance for the sustainable development of city-lake relationships to enhance the resilience of urban ecological spaces.

Comparative analysis of the safety and effectiveness of robotic natural orifice specimen extraction versus laparoscopic surgery for colorectal tumors through systematic review and meta-analysis.

The purpose of this study and meta-analysis was to evaluate the perioperative and oncologic results of robotic NOSE versus laparoscopic surgery for colorectal tumors. We plan to perform an extensive electronic search on PubMed, CNKI, Embase, and the Cochrane Library to find research articles published from the beginning of the databases until July 2024 that examine the comparison between robotic natural orifice specimen extraction and laparoscopic surgery in patients with colorectal cancer. Both English and Chinese literature will be included. Literature screening will strictly follow predetermined criteria for inclusion and exclusion, specifically targeting randomized controlled trials and cohort studies. The evaluation of quality will be conducted with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Review Manager 5.4.1 will be utilized to perform a meta-analysis of data gathered from the studies that are included. The ultimate evaluation included seven past cohort studies with a total of 1117 participants (545 who had robotic NOSE and 572 who had laparoscopic surgery). Patients who had robotic NOSE experienced notable enhancements in LOHS, time to first flatus, time to start the liquid diet, EBL, and postoperative ileus when compared to patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery. There were no notable discrepancies noted in terms of surgical duration, total complications, lymph node collection, and anastomotic leakage between the two methods. In conclusion, the use of robotic technology for extracting specimens through natural body openings in colorectal surgery is considered to be safe and achievable. It offers notable advantages over laparoscopic surgery, including reduced hospital stay, earlier time to first flatus and liquid intake, decreased EBL, and lower incidence of postoperative ileus.

Regulation of freshwater filamentous green algae (Cladophora) and its impact on malodorous volatile organic sulfur compound (DMS) by biomanipulation

When improving the water quality of natural bodies such as lakes, the explosive growth of filamentous green alga Cladophora can limit the growth of submerged macrophytes and prevent the water from shifting to a clear state. During the decay of Cladophora, it can cause various water quality issues such as reduced dissolved oxygen, increased nutrient levels and water odor. Biomanipulation, involving the introduction of a suitable density of aquatic animals into the water, can reduce the biomass of filamentous algae. We hypothesized that stocking appropriate densities of aquatic animals could reduce filamentous algal biomass and at the same time reduce the concentration of odorants in the water. Our study investigated the impact of stocking swamp shrimp (Macrobrachium nipponense), rosy bitterling (Rhodeus ocellatus), and silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) at low (30 g/m3), medium (60 g/m3) and high (120 g/m3) densities on water quality, biomass of primary producers (such as Cladophora, submerged macrophyte and algae) and malodorous volatile organic sulfur compound dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in the water, respectively. It was found that the swamp shrimp treatment groups and the rosy bitterling high-density groups effectively inhibited the growth of filamentous green algae cover, in which the rosy bitterling high-density group reduced the filamentous green algae mat coverage by 29.65 % compared with the control group. Additionally, the high-density swamp shrimp and rosy bitterling groups notably promoted the growth of submerged macrophytes (Vallisneria denseserrulata), and significantly reduced the concentration of the malodorous DMS in the water. Overall, stocking swamp shrimp and rosy bitterling can benefit the restoration of aquatic ecology and the maintenance of clear water. However, it is essential to consider potential changes in water quality resulting from excessive stocking density. Therefore, the appropriate density and proportion of stocking should be determined in conjunction with the specific scale of the aquatic ecological restoration project.

An updated method for identifying the formative factors in soil structure

AbstractSoil structure is a standard component of pedon descriptions collected to characterize the nature and function of soils as a natural body. Soil structure is an important indicator of soil development and a predictor of water, air, and root movement throughout the profile. However, inconsistencies exist within the current standardized methodologies used to describe soil structure in the field, making soil structure data difficult to use and often confusing to students encountering these concepts for the first time. Therefore, we propose an updated method of soil structure description to add an interpretive component that clearly distinguishes geogenic, pedogenic, and human‐induced structures. This method employs terminology that communicates both observable morphology and the mechanism of formation. The updated method herein differentiates three classes of structure: (a) geogenic structural formation (GS), (b) natural pedological structural formation (current nomenclature), and (c) significant human‐induced structure changes from natural pedological structure. This updated approach improves the documentation of scientifically relevant soil morphology and communicates the processes involved in the formation of all forms of soil structure. As a result, this change eases description challenges around soil structure and interpretations common in soil science classes, including soil judging.

Unveiling the Strategy Behind Blackfishing: Kim Kardashian's Instagram and the New Beauty Discourse

As a fashion and beauty icon in America, Kim Kardashian is one of the public figures who supports the new beauty discourse. The emerging concept of new beauty in America challenges conventional limits for the delineation of beauty. This idea emphasizes that beauty is not limited by skin color, body shape, age, and hairstyle; instead, it emphasizes the need of embracing of natural body. This study examines how Kim Kardashian's personal Instagram posts from 2014-2023 showcases new notions of beauty via the lens of semiotic theory by Barthes (1964) and the concept of blackfishing. New forms of beauty discourse displayed by Kim Kardashian are accused of being blackfishing by excessively darkened skin, curvy body shapes, full lips, and hair. According to the findings of this study, there is a sense of ambivalence towards black women's bodies. Consequently, white people have internalized certain characteristics of black bodies without appreciating the unique qualities of black women. Kim Kardashian promotes a new beauty discourse that is considered blackfishing through her collaboration with the fashion and beauty industry and building her own cosmetics business. This demonstrates the participation of other influential individuals in the fashion business who endorse Kim's blackfishing appearance so that this appearance continues to appear in public and is normalized.

Investigation of the tissue displacement through textile pressure on soft avatar in Browzwear’s VStitcher software

Nowadays, soft avatars are used in various fields to simulate the behavior of human soft tissues in different applications. Likewise, they are also utilized in the garment industry in order to achieve a realistic testing of the fit and functionality of tight-fitting clothing. Therefore it is important that avatars in CAD programs for clothing conform to the mechanical properties of human soft tissue. The accuracy of the avatars' properties in simulating the change in shape of human tissue is crucial here, which is caused by the contact pressure that compressive or tight-fitting garments exert onto the body. In this study, Browzwear’s VStitcher soft avatar Sofia was investigated and different body shapes resulting from being influenced by a legging with different levels of negative ease values were compared with non-affected natural avatar body shape. The examination of the soft avatar simulation shows that although a fast estimation of the tissue displacement can be predicted, there are some shape changes limitations compared to the natural behavior of human soft tissue.

Assessing the Impact of Prolonged Sitting and Poor Posture on Lower Back Pain: A Photogrammetric and Machine Learning Approach

Prolonged static sitting at the workplace is considered one of the main risks for the development of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and adverse health effects. Factors such as poor posture and extended sitting are perceived to be a reason for conditions such as lumbar discomfort and lower back pain (LBP), even though the scientific explanation of this relationship is still unclear and raises disputes in the scientific community. The current study focused on evaluating the relationship between LBP and prolonged sitting in poor posture using photogrammetric images, postural angle calculation, machine learning models, and questionnaire-based self-reports regarding the occurrence of LBP and similar symptoms among the participants. Machine learning models trained with this data are employed to recognize poor body postures. Two scenarios have been elaborated for modeling purposes: scenario 1, based on natural body posture tagged as correct and incorrect, and scenario 2, based on incorrect body postures, corrected additionally by the rehabilitator. The achieved accuracies of respectively 75.3% and 85% for both scenarios reveal the potential for future research in enhancing awareness and actively managing posture-related issues that elevate the likelihood of developing lower back pain symptoms.

Applications of mixture methods in epidemiological studies investigating the health impact of persistent organic pollutants exposures: a scoping review.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are environmental chemicals characterized by long half-lives in nature and human bodies, posing significant health risks. The concept of the exposome, encompassing all lifetime environmental exposures, underscores the importance of studying POP as mixtures rather than in isolation. The increasing body of evidence on the health impacts of POP mixtures necessitates the proper application of statisticalmethods. We aimed to summarize studies on the overall effects of POP mixtures, identify patterns in applications of mixture methods-statistical methods for investigating the association of mixtures-and highlight current challenges in synthesizing epidemiologic evidence of POP mixtures on health effects as illustrated through a case study. We conducted a systematic literature search on PubMed and Embase for epidemiological studies published between January 2011 and April 2023. We included 240 studies that met our eligibility criteria. 126 studies focused on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) mixtures only, while 40 analyzed three or more classes of POPs in mixture analyses. We identified 23 unique mixture methods used to estimate the overall effects of POP mixtures, with Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR), a type of response-surface modeling, being the most common. Additionally, 22.9% of studies used a combination of methods, including response-surface modeling, index modeling, dimension reduction, and latent variable models. The most extensively explored health outcome category was body weight and birth sizes (n = 43), and neurological outcomes (n = 41). In the case study of PFAS mixtures and birth weight, 12 studies showed negative associations, while 4 showed null results, and 2 showed positive associations. This scoping review consolidates the existing literature on the overall effects of POP mixtures using statistical methods. By providing a comprehensive overview, our study illuminates the present landscape of knowledge in this field and underscores the methodological hurdles prevalent in epidemiological studies focused on POP mixtures. Through this analysis, we aim to steer future research directions, fostering a more nuanced comprehension of the intricate dynamics involved in assessing the health effects of POP mixtures. Our work stands as a significant contribution to the ongoing exploration of the chemicalexposome.

Planetary radio interferometry and Doppler experiment as an operational component of the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer mission

AbstractWe present an overview of the operations and engineering interface for Planetary Radio Interferometry and Doppler Experiment (PRIDE) radio astronomy observations as a scientific component of the ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission, as well as other prospective planetary and space science missions. The article discusses advanced scheduling and planning methods that make it possible to create observing schedules for observations of specific spacecraft in concurrence with observations of natural radio sources. In order to put this into practice and find suitable natural background calibrator sources for PRIDE of JUICE mission, we developed planning and scheduling software. The conventional scheduling software for natural celestial radio sources is not set up to include spacecraft as observation targets in the necessary control files. Therefore, difficulties already arise during observation planning. We report on the development of new and the adaptation of existing routines used in astrophysical and geodetic VLBI for satellite scheduling and planning. The analysis of the PRIDE science observations led to improved observational planning, and the mission’s scheduling methodologies were studied using a systems engineering approach. In addition, we highlighted the new procedures, like finding charts for selecting calibrator radio sources over a range of frequency bands and the outcomes of those strategies for science operation planning. A simulation of the flyby of Venus during the cruise phase of the JUICE spacecraft, based on the Tudat software, is also presented, resulting in a promising opportunity to test PRIDE techniques and evaluate the improvements that PRIDE observables can make to natural bodies’ ephemerides. The first $$\hbox {K}_{a}$$ K a -band (32 GHz) observations of the ESA’s BepiColombo by a radio telescope in the VLBI network, which employs a similar radio communications system as JUICE, were also demonstrated as a test case. The primary objective of these activities is to serve as a practice run for the upcoming operational PRIDE JUICE operations. We showcase the capabilities of the planning and scheduling software for other space missions.

Photodegradation of tylosin tartrate by advanced oxidation processes.

Tylosin tartrate, a macrolide antibiotic, is one of a class of emerging contaminants that have been detected in natural bodies of water since they are not easily removed by conventional treatment processes. In this study, the direct and indirect photodegradation of tylosin tartrate was analyzed to understand the role of reactive oxygen species and organic matter that may be present in surface waters. While direct photolysis caused negligible degradation (k = (9.4 ± 1.8) × 10-5s-1), the addition of 0.4M hydrogen peroxide (k = (2.18 ± 0.01) × 10-4s-1) or usage of the photo-Fenton process (k = (2.96 ± 0.02) × 10-4s-1) resulted in greater degradation. The degradation was maximized by combining tylosin tartrate with an experimentally determined optimal concentration of humic acid (15mg/L), which readily produced singlet oxygen and increased the overall degradation (k = 1.31 ± 0.05) × 10-3s-1) by means of indirect photolysis. Absolute pseudo-first-order bimolecular reaction rate constants for tylosin tartrate were measured with singlet oxygen [(4.7936 ± 0.0001) × 105M-1s-1] and hydroxyl radical [(5.2693 ± 0.0002) × 109M-1s-1] using competition kinetics, and when combined with data on concentration of the reactive oxygen species, showed that the hydroxyl radical makes a contribution to the degradation that is approximately eleven orders of magnitude greater than singlet oxygen.

Study on fracture characteristics of surrounding rock of twin tunnels under various crack inclination and location conditions

In some practical projects, two neighboring tunnels are often constructed in natural rock bodies that have a significant number of fractures with unpredictable inclination angles and locations. To study dynamic fracture characteristics of the surrounding rock mass of the twin tunnels containing a crack with different crack inclinations and crack locations, an experimental model of a cracked twin tunnel was designed and proposed, dynamic experimental analyses were carried out by using a traditional split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) device and digital image correlation (DIC) method, followed by simulation conducted by using LS-DYNA code. The findings indicate that the spandrels and corners of the twin tunnels nearest the pre-cracks are more vulnerable to failure under dynamic loads, resulting in tunnels joining the ends of the pre-cracks. With various crack inclinations and crack locations, the initial cracks are typically produced at the roof and floor of the tunnel, as well as at the points of the pre-cracks. The specimen's kind of crack and its emergence site are connected. Crack inclination and location have little influence on the maximum displacement value in the twin tunnels. The study's findings could offer a fresh theoretical direction for evaluating the stability of twin tunnels when there are numerous joints and flaws.

Nurtured by nature: Body appreciation and adaptive appearance management increase with nature exposure

Nature-based interventions have demonstrated positive effects on health behaviours and psychological states. Recent research has expanded to investigate the impact of nature exposure on body image, leaving ample room for further exploration into the influence of nature exposure on positive concerns related to appearance management. This paper examined the effect of nature exposure on body appreciation, adaptive appearance management, and the underlying psychological mechanism through an outdoor field study and two psychological experiments. Study 1 demonstrated that natural outdoor recreation increased body appreciation, and this effect was mediated by individuals' level of nature connectedness. Study 2 found that viewing images of natural outdoor environments facilitated greater adaptive appearance management. This relationship was sequentially mediated by both nature connectedness and body appreciation. Study 3 conducted a field study and revealed that viewing images of natural outdoor environments not only fostered body appreciation but also influenced participants’ intention to purchase grooming products, which are regarded as practices related to adaptive appearance management. These findings provide empirical evidence regarding the beneficial outcomes of exposure to natural outdoor environment, thereby contributing to the advancement of knowledge in the domain of body image and appearance management.

Role of Shwasakuthar Rasa and Other Herbomineral Formulations with Yoga in Migraine

Ayurveda is an ancient traditional system of medicine to treat illness and encourage well being by using natural whole body healing techniques. Migraine is a primary headache disorder which is characterized by episodic recurrent attacks. As it affects one billion individuals each year across the worldwide has proven to one of the most common neurological disorders with high prevalence and morbidity among the younger age groups. Migraine can be classified on the basis of presence of Aura which shows prodromal symptoms like irritability, behavioural changes, etc and associated symptoms of photophobia, phonophobia and vomiting that usually lasts for 4 to 72 hours. In Ayurveda, migraine is clinically correlated with Ardhavabhedaka which is described as Tridoshapradhana by Sushruta and Vatakaphapradhana by Vagabhata. The management of migraine is done routinely by reducing the symptoms and the episodic recurrent attacks with Ayurvedic approach as modern medicine cause gastric irritation and drug dependency which further triggers the attack. The present case of 35 years old female diagnosed with migraine has shown symptoms of headache involving left side of head associated with nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. The patient was treated with Nasya Karma which act as a gateway to head as said by Acharya Charaka and with oral Ayurvedic herbomineral formulation Shamana Chikitsa was done that alleviates the symptoms of Ardhavabhedaka. A significant relief from all symptoms was observed within a period of 15 days, demonstrating the Ayurveda as the best way to improve the overall well being of mind, body and spirit.

Water safe Worcester: student-led drowning prevention in an adolescent underserved population.

Adolescents aged 15 to 19 years have the second highest fatal drowning rate of any age group, second only to toddlers aged 12 to 36 months. This risk is amplified in black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), and those of low socioeconomic status. Worcester, MA is a diverse city with over 40% of residents identifying as BIPOC and 20% living below the poverty line. The city has multiple natural bodies of water available for recreation, putting Worcester residents, particularly adolescents, at high risk of drowning. It is known that swimming lessons provided to adolescents significantly improve their swimming skills, however many programs are tailored to young children and are not appropriate for adolescents. Students from the University of Massachusetts T.H. Chan Medical School (UMass Chan), in collaboration with community partners, developed a water safety and swim education program tailored to Worcester adolescents as a means for an age-appropriate swim experience and education, community engagement, and injury prevention. Water Safe Worcester (WSW) was established as a city-wide injury prevention program that included swim lessons offered by medical students at the Central Community Branch YMCA in Worcester, MA. Instructors included UMass Chan medical students, graduate students, and staff. Adolescent YMCA members were invited to participate in lessons free of charge. Lessons were 90 min and emphasized a 3-fold approach: (1) expand knowledge of water safety and what to do in an emergency, (2) increase swimming skills, and (3) reduce fear of water. The overall attendance for the 2023 spring and summer sessions offered was 73 students, including multiple swimmers who attended more than one session. A total of 12 volunteers participated, which included 9 first-year medical students, one PhD student, one research assistant, and one surgery resident from UMass Chan. WSW demonstrated promising outcomes during its swim education classes, suggesting that WSW is a successful model to promote water safety, reduce the risk of drowning, and expand access to life-saving skills to Worcester's at-risk adolescents. This program serves as a critical step toward health equity while also providing an avenue for public health and injury prevention exposure for medical students.

(Un)Natural Bodies: Transphobia and the Visualization of Violence on Trans People in Malayalam Cinema

(Un)Natural Bodies: Transphobia and the Visualization of Violence on Trans People in Malayalam Cinema