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Urbanisation is happening worldwide. In 2100, over 70% of the population is projected to live in highly urbanised areas. As a result, urban wastewater discharge may increase. This may add multiple pollutants to rivers and coastal waters. However, current knowledge on how urbanisation-related socio-economic developments affect coastal water pollution is limited. In this study, we analysed individual and combined impacts of wastewater treatment improvements, economic growth and city expansion on future coastal water pollution from point sources (sewage and open defecation) by sub-basin taking a multi-pollutant approach. We improved the existing MARINA-Multi model (version Global-1.0) by integrating hydrology and pollutant retentions in order to quantify river exports of total dissolved nitrogen, total dissolved phosphorus, microplastics and triclosan to coastal waters for 2010 and 2100 using scenario analysis. Globally, river exports from point sources are projected to more than double by 2100 for all pollutants, especially in Africa and Asia. Wastewater treatment improvements, economic growth and city expansion can have a positive (less pollution) or negative (more pollution) impact on future coastal water pollution. These impacts differ among pollutants and sub-basins. Wastewater treatment improvements may globally reduce multi-pollutant issues (−30% to −38% change on average) compared to the reference scenario (positive impact). Economic growth and city expansion may globally enhance multi-pollutant issues (+15% to +25% and +28% to +33% change on average, respectively) compared to the reference scenario (negative impact). A combined scenario, accounting for all three socio-economic developments simultaneously, may globally reduce or enhance pollutant issues (−21% to +50% change on average) compared to the reference scenario. In the combined scenario, the reinforcements of positive and negative impacts are pollutant- and region-dependent. Our study gives insights in

Drylands include arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid regions covering ~41% of global land surface, where long-term precipitation is substantially lower than atmospheric water demands. It supports nearly 2.5 billion people with limited water resources and dominates the trend and interannual variability of the global carbon cycle. Drylands are becoming more vulnerable to frequent and severe water scarcity due to climate change exacerbated by increasing anthropogenic and ecological water demands. The intensified droughts under a warming climate substantially reduce vegetation carbon uptakes and even exacerbate the warming through land-atmosphere interactions. Therefore, it is imperative to investigate, realistically model, and project ecohydrological changes over drylands. Compared to observations, vegetation in most Earth System Models (ESMs) is more susceptible to water anomalies and shows a lower drought resilience. This dissertation aims to understand the discrepancy in vegetation drought responses between ESMs and observations through data analysis and modeling. The first part of this dissertation studies lateral flow movement in ESMs. Due to the computation constraint, ESMs typically only describe vertical soil water movement without considering lateral subsurface flow. I incorporated the hillslope-storage Boussinesq (hsB) scheme into the land model of DOE’s Energy Exascale Earth System Model (ELM) to explicitly represent lateral groundwater movement. I applied this newly developed model over California and found better model performance against ELM through the explicit yet simplified representation of lateral flow along hillslopes. Most importantly, our new model outperforms the default ELM in reproducing the seasonal variations, interannual variabilities, and a declining trend of terrestrial water storage anomaly in California. The better terrestrial water loss associated with lateral flow is primarily through enhanced vegetation drought resilience (e.g., enhanc

Environmental models are valuable tools, yet, communication about model procedures and results between modelers and non-modelers is complicated by different levels of understanding. Game design may help to bridge this gap through learning by playing. Here we present the “EscapeBLOOM”, a digital “Escape Room” in which teams aim to save a lake from a harmful algal bloom while learning about lake models. The game consists of multiple puzzles reflecting the process and choices made by professional modelers in a specific lake management case. We show that the EscapeBLOOM has been positively received in multiple countries and cultures, and significantly contributed to perceived learning on lake modeling and nutrient management by non-modelers. Finally, we discuss the challenges and opportunities of our serious game to introduce models and related concepts. We envision that our serious game approach can inspire others to create their own “Escape-game” to aid the communication of environmental modeling cases.

Worldwide, anthropogenic activities threaten surface water quality by aggravating eutrophication and increasing total nitrogen to total phosphorus (TN:TP) ratios. In hydrologically connected systems, water quality management may benefit from in-ecosystem nutrient retention by preventing nutrient transport to downstream systems. However, nutrient retention may also alter TN:TP ratios with unforeseen consequences for downstream water quality. Here, we aim to increase understanding of how nutrient retention may influence nutrient transport to downstream systems to improve long-term water quality management. We analyzed lake ecosystem state, in-lake nutrient retention, and nutrient transport (ratios) for 3482 Chinese lakes using the lake process-based ecosystem model PCLake+. We compared a low climate change and sustainability-, and a high climate change and economy-focused scenario for 2050 against 2012. In both scenarios, the effect of nutrient input reduction outweighs that of temperature rise, resulting in more lakes with good ecological water quality (i.e., macrophyte-dominated) than in 2012. Generally, the sustainability-focused scenario shows a more promising future for water quality than the economy-focused scenario. Nevertheless, most lakes remain phytoplankton-dominated. The shift to more macrophyte-dominated lakes in 2050 is accompanied by higher nutrient retention fractions and less nutrient transport to downstream waterbodies. In-lake nutrient retention also alters the water's TN:TP ratio, depending on the inflow TN:TP ratio and the ecosystem state. In 2050 higher TN:TP ratios are expected in the outflows of lakes than in 2012, especially for the sustainability-focused scenario with strong TP loading reduction. However, the downstream impact of increased TN:TP ratios depends on actual nutrient loadings and the limiting nutrient in the receiving system. We conclude that nutrient input reductions, improved water quality, higher in-lake nutrient retention frac

Research indicates that water in small water bodies has negligible cooling effects, but also that its surrounding environment can be designed to become cooler by applying the ‘cooling urban water environments’ concept. However, this concept was created for generic urban environments and not tested in practice. This study applies this concept to a specific urban environment, tests its micrometeorological performance and surveys how urban designers and landscape architects regard its usability. The results indicate that the ‘cooling urban water environments’ concept can lead to site-specific cooling effects and that there is willingness amongst practitioners to apply this concept.

Worldwide, anthropogenic activities threaten surface water quality by aggravating eutrophication and increasing total nitrogen to total phosphorus (TN:TP) ratios. In hydrologically connected systems, water quality management may benefit from in-ecosystem nutrient retention by preventing nutrient transport to downstream systems. However, nutrient retention may also alter TN:TP ratios with unforeseen consequences for downstream water quality. Here, we aim to increase understanding of how nutrient retention may influence nutrient transport to downstream systems to improve long-term water quality management. We analyzed lake ecosystem state, in-lake nutrient retention, and nutrient transport (ratios) for 3482 Chinese lakes using the lake process-based ecosystem model PCLake+. We compared a low climate change and sustainability-, and a high climate change and economy-focused scenario for 2050 against 2012. In both scenarios, the effect of nutrient input reduction outweighs that of temperature rise, resulting in more lakes with good ecological water quality (i.e., macrophyte-dominated) than in 2012. Generally, the sustainability-focused scenario shows a more promising future for water quality than the economy-focused scenario. Nevertheless, most lakes remain phytoplankton-dominated. The shift to more macrophyte-dominated lakes in 2050 is accompanied by higher nutrient retention fractions and less nutrient transport to downstream waterbodies. In-lake nutrient retention also alters the water's TN:TP ratio, depending on the inflow TN:TP ratio and the ecosystem state. In 2050 higher TN:TP ratios are expected in the outflows of lakes than in 2012, especially for the sustainability-focused scenario with strong TP loading reduction. However, the downstream impact of increased TN:TP ratios depends on actual nutrient loadings and the limiting nutrient in the receiving system. We conclude that nutrient input reductions, improved water quality, higher in-lake nutrient retention frac

Global projections of lake evaporation are typically based on simulations using single mechanistic models. However, because of its complex interactions with various lake physical properties, environmental and anthropogenic drivers, lake evaporation is highly variable and sensitive to the choice of model used. In this study, we present a multi-model analysis to investigate differences across global simulations of lake evaporation during the warm-season using three different lake models driven by outputs from four general circulation models (GCM) (i.e. 12 model combinations in total) for historic and future scenarios. Our results suggest substantial differences among lake-climate model simulations of lake evaporation. These differences varied throughout the 20th and 21st century, with model driver data explaining 74% of the variance in future projections of warm-season lake evaporation. Our projections indicate that, by the end of the 21st century (2070–2099), global annual lake evaporation rates will increase by 10–27% under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) 2.6–8.5. We highlight the importance of using a multi-model approach for the prediction of future global lake evaporation responses to climate change.

Environmental models are valuable tools, yet, communication about model procedures and results between modelers and non-modelers is complicated by different levels of understanding. Game design may help to bridge this gap through learning by playing. Here we present the “EscapeBLOOM”, a digital “Escape Room” in which teams aim to save a lake from a harmful algal bloom while learning about lake models. The game consists of multiple puzzles reflecting the process and choices made by professional modelers in a specific lake management case. We show that the EscapeBLOOM has been positively received in multiple countries and cultures, and significantly contributed to perceived learning on lake modeling and nutrient management by non-modelers. Finally, we discuss the challenges and opportunities of our serious game to introduce models and related concepts. We envision that our serious game approach can inspire others to create their own “Escape-game” to aid the communication of environmental modeling cases.

Here we share the player version of the EscapeBLOOM, a dummy version showcasing the techniques to create a similar digital escape room, and the anonymized data of the quantitative survey as presented in the publication 'A serious game approach for lake modeling and management: the EscapeBLOOM'. Anyone is free to play or adjust the game for their own educational purposes. The dummy and supplementary material of the publication 'A serious game approach for lake modeling and management: The EscapeBLOOM' https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2024.105941 together provide guides on how to create a new game from the start and may help to adjust the existing game. The data of the survey was used for the analysis of perceived learning in the publication 'A serious game approach for lake modeling and management: the EscapeBLOOM'., Here we share the player version of the EscapeBLOOM, a dummy version showcasing the techniques to create a similar digital escape room, and the anonymized data of the quantitative survey as presented in the publication 'A serious game approach for lake modeling and management: the EscapeBLOOM'. Anyone is free to play or adjust the game for their own educational purposes. The dummy and supplementary material of the publication 'A serious game approach for lake modeling and management: The EscapeBLOOM' https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2024.105941 together provide guides on how to create a new game from the start and may help to adjust the existing game. The data of the survey was used for the analysis of perceived learning in the publication 'A serious game approach for lake modeling and management: the EscapeBLOOM'.

Accumulating evidence points to dysregulations of the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) in eating disorders (ED), however its precise contribution to ED symptomatic dimensions remains unclear. Using chemogenetic manipulations in male mice, we found that activity of dopamine D1 receptor-expressing neurons of the NAc core subregion facilitated effort for a food reward as well as voluntary exercise, but decreased food intake, while D2-expressing neurons have opposite effects. These effects are congruent with D2-neurons being more active than D1-neurons during feeding while it is the opposite during running. Chronic manipulations of each subpopulations had limited effects on energy balance. However, repeated activation of D1-neurons combined with inhibition of D2-neurons biased behavior toward activity-related energy expenditure, whilst the opposite manipulations favored energy intake. Strikingly, concomitant activation of D1-neurons and inhibition of D2-neurons precipitated weight loss in anorexia models. These results suggest that dysregulations of NAc dopaminoceptive neurons might be at the core of EDs., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Contains fulltext : 306986.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)

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Contains fulltext : 304975.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access), Humans receive sensory information from the past, requiring the brain to overcome delays to perform daily motor skills such as standing upright. Because delays vary throughout the body and change over a lifetime, it would be advantageous to generalize learned control policies of balancing with delays across contexts. However, not all forms of learning generalize. Here, we use a robotic simulator to impose delays into human balance. When delays are imposed in one direction of standing, participants are initially unstable but relearn to balance by reducing the variability of their motor actions and transfer balance improvements to untrained directions. Upon returning to normal standing, aftereffects from learning are observed as small oscillations in control, yet they do not destabilize balance. Remarkably, when participants train to balance with delays using their hand, learning transfers to standing with the legs. Our findings establish that humans use experience to broadly update their neural control to balance with delays., 20 p.

CompactLight is a Design Study funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation funding programme, with Grant Agreement No. 777431. CompactLight was conducted by an International Collaboration of 23 international laboratories and academic institutions, three private companies, and five third parties. The project, which started in January 2018 with a duration of 48 months, aimed to design an innovative, compact, and cost-effective hard X-ray FEL facility complemented by a soft X-ray source to pave the road for future compact accelerator-based facilities. The result is an accelerator that can be operated at up to 1 kHz pulse repetition rate, beyond today’s state of the art, using the latest concepts for high brightness electron photoinjectors, very high gradient accelerating structures in X-band, and novel short-period undulators. In this report, we summarize the main deliverable of the project: the CompactLight Conceptual Design Report, which overviews the current status of the design and addresses the main technological challenges.

CompactLight is a Design Study funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation funding programme, with Grant Agreement No. 777431. CompactLight was conducted by an International Collaboration of 23 international laboratories and academic institutions, three private companies, and five third parties. The project, which started in January 2018 with a duration of 48 months, aimed to design an innovative, compact, and cost-effective hard X-ray FEL facility complemented by a soft X-ray source to pave the road for future compact accelerator-based facilities. The result is an accelerator that can be operated at up to 1 kHz pulse repetition rate, beyond today’s state of the art, using the latest concepts for high brightness electron photoinjectors, very high gradient accelerating structures in X-band, and novel short-period undulators. In this report, we summarize the main deliverable of the project: the CompactLight Conceptual Design Report, which overviews the current status of the design and addresses the main technological challenges.

CompactLight is a Design Study funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation funding programme, with Grant Agreement No. 777431. CompactLight was conducted by an International Collaboration of 23 international laboratories and academic institutions, three private companies, and five third parties. The project, which started in January 2018 with a duration of 48 months, aimed to design an innovative, compact, and cost-effective hard X-ray FEL facility complemented by a soft X-ray source to pave the road for future compact accelerator-based facilities. The result is an accelerator that can be operated at up to 1 kHz pulse repetition rate, beyond today’s state of the art, using the latest concepts for high brightness electron photoinjectors, very high gradient accelerating structures in X-band, and novel short-period undulators. In this report, we summarize the main deliverable of the project: the CompactLight Conceptual Design Report, which overviews the current status of the design and addresses the main technological challenges.

Background Collaborative care for severe mental illness (SMI) is a community‐based intervention that promotes interdisciplinary working across primary and secondary care. Collaborative care interventions aim to improve the physical and/or mental health care of individuals with SMI. This is an update of a 2013 Cochrane review, based on new searches of the literature, which includes an additional seven studies. Objectives To assess the effectiveness of collaborative care approaches in comparison with standard care (or other non‐collaborative care interventions) for people with diagnoses of SMI who are living in the community. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Schizophrenia Study‐Based Register of Trials (10 February 2021). We searched the Cochrane Common Mental Disorders (CCMD) controlled trials register (all available years to 6 June 2016). Subsequent searches on Ovid MEDLINE, Embase and PsycINFO together with the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (with an overlap) were run on 17 December 2021. Selection criteria Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) where interventions described as 'collaborative care' were compared with 'standard care' for adults (18+ years) living in the community with a diagnosis of SMI. SMI was defined as schizophrenia, other types of schizophrenia‐like psychosis or bipolar affective disorder. The primary outcomes of interest were: quality of life, mental state and psychiatric admissions at 12 months follow‐up. Data collection and analysis Pairs of authors independently extracted data. We assessed the quality and certainty of the evidence using RoB 2 (for the primary outcomes) and GRADE. We compared treatment effects between collaborative care and standard care. We divided outcomes into short‐term (up to six months), medium‐term (seven to 12 months) and long‐term (over 12 months). For dichotomous data we calculated the risk ratio (RR) and for continuous data we calculated the standardised mean difference (SMD), with 95% confiden

Various natural and human-induced processes operating across different temporal scales contribute to the spatial and temporal evolution of shoreline alterations. Deltaic coasts, particularly dynamic geomorphic systems, experience continuous changes at various spatial and temporal dimensions. This investigation underscores the effectiveness of Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data in assessing long-term shifts in shoreline positions, focusing on the Niger Delta region. Out of 255 images from 2015 to 2020, 36 were selected based on high tide conditions for each year. This study has pioneered a straightforward and systematic approach rooted in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This approach offers an accessible pathway for evaluating coastal changes in regions with limited data availability. To better comprehend the heterogeneity of change processes along the shoreline and to pinpoint their causes and mechanisms, we divided the shoreline into distinct sediment cells. This division adheres to a convenient and well-established methodology. This study identifies prevailing erosion trends outweighing accretion, with specific areas showing distinct erosion (cells II, IV, VI, VII, and VIII) and accretion (cells I, III, and V) patterns. Furthermore, coastal areas near river mouths exhibit a higher susceptibility to change. This approach offers a pathway for evaluating coastal changes in data-limited regions and can establish an effective monitoring system benefiting coastal modellers, scientists, and government agencies. It lays the groundwork for comprehensive coastal zone frameworks, facilitating improved planning and management strategies.

CompactLight is a Design Study funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation funding programme, with Grant Agreement No. 777431. CompactLight was conducted by an International Collaboration of 23 international laboratories and academic institutions, three private companies, and five third parties. The project, which started in January 2018 with a duration of 48 months, aimed to design an innovative, compact, and cost-effective hard X-ray FEL facility complemented by a soft X-ray source to pave the road for future compact accelerator-based facilities. The result is an accelerator that can be operated at up to 1 kHz pulse repetition rate, beyond today’s state of the art, using the latest concepts for high brightness electron photoinjectors, very high gradient accelerating structures in X-band, and novel short-period undulators. In this report, we summarize the main deliverable of the project: the CompactLight Conceptual Design Report, which overviews the current status of the design and addresses the main technological challenges.

We show that every planar triangulation on n > 10 vertices has a dominating set of size 2n/7 = n/3.5. This approaches the n/4 bound conjectured by Matheson and Tarjan [12], and improves significantly on the previous best bound of 17n/53 ≈ n/3.117 by Špacapan [18]. From our proof it follows that every 3-connected n-vertex near-triangulation (except for 3 sporadic examples) has a dominating set of size n/3.5. On the other hand, for 3-connected near-triangulations, we show a lower bound of 3(n−1)/11 ≈ n/3.666, demonstrating that the conjecture by Matheson and Tarjan [12] cannot be strengthened to 3-connected near-triangulations. Our proof uses a penalty function that, aside from the number of vertices, penalises vertices of degree 2 and specific constellations of neighbours of degree 3 along the boundary of the outer face. To facilitate induction, we not only consider near-triangulations, but a wider class of graphs (skeletal triangulations), allowing us to delete vertices more freely. Our main technical contribution is a set of attachments, that are small graphs we inductively attach to our graph, in order both to remember whether existing vertices are already dominated, and that serve as a tool in a divide and conquer approach. Along with a well-chosen potential function, we thus both remove and add vertices during the induction proof. We complement our proof with a constructive algorithm that returns a dominating set of size ≤ 2n/7. Our algorithm has a quadratic running time.

The kinematic history of the Philippine Sea Plate (PSP) is crucial for interpreting its geological record related to subduction initiation processes and the paleogeography of the junction between the Paleo-Pacific and Tethyan oceanic realms. However, reconstructing PSP's kinematic history is difficult because the plate has been surrounded by subduction zones for most of its history. In absence of marine magnetic anomalies to constrain PSP's motion relative to its neighboring plates, paleomagnetic data may be used as quantitative constraints on its motion. Previous paleomagnetic studies interpreted easterly deflected declinations to infer clockwise rotations of up to 90° since the Eocene. However, rotations inferred from these datasets may also reflect local block rotations related to plate margin deformation. We here re-evaluate to what extent paleomagnetic data from the PSP unequivocally demonstrate plate motion rather than local rotation. To this end, we provide new data from Guam, in the Mariana forearc, and reassess published paleomagnetic data. Our new data from Guam come from two localities in the Eocene, two in the Oligocene, and two in the Miocene. Our compilation assesses data quality against recently defined criteria. Our new results demonstrate that in Guam, declination differences of up to 35° exist in rocks of Eocene age, indicating local rotations. Our compilation identifies both clockwise and counterclockwise rotations from the plate margins, with little confidence which of these would reflect plate-wide rotation. We compiled paleolatitude data from igneous rocks, which we correct for microplate rotation constrained by intra-PSP marine magnetic anomalies and show a northward drift of the PSP of ∼15° since the Eocene, but without a paleomagnetic necessity for major vertical axis rotation. Hence, with the currently available data, rotations of the PSP may be permitted, but are not required. Plate motion is currently better reconstructed from geologic

Item does not contain fulltext, Circadian variability in kidney function is well recognized but is often ignored as a potential confounding variable in physiological experiments. Here, we have created a data resource consisting of expression levels for mRNA transcripts in microdissected proximal tubule segments from mice as a function of the time of day. Small-sample RNA sequencing was applied to microdissected S1 proximal convoluted tubules and S2 proximal straight tubules. After stringent filtering, the data were analyzed using JTK-Cycle to detect periodicity. The data set is provided as a user-friendly webpage at https://esbl.nhlbi.nih.gov/Databases/Circadian-Prox2/. In proximal convoluted tubules, 234 transcripts varied in a circadian manner (4.0% of the total). In proximal straight tubules, 334 transcripts varied in a circadian manner (5.3%). Transcripts previously known to be associated with corticosteroid action and with increased flow were found to be overrepresented among circadian transcripts peaking during the "dark" portion of the day [zeitgeber time (ZT)14-22], corresponding to peak levels of corticosterone and glomerular filtration rate in mice. To ask whether there is a time-of-day dependence of protein abundances in the kidney, we carried out LC-MS/MS-based proteomics in whole mouse kidneys at ZT12 and ZT0. The full data set (n = 6,546 proteins) is available at https://esbl.nhlbi.nih.gov/Databases/Circadian-Proteome/. Overall, 293 proteins were differentially expressed between ZT12 and ZT0 (197 proteins greater at ZT12 and 96 proteins greater at ZT0). Among the regulated proteins, only nine proteins were found to be periodic in the RNA-sequencing analysis, suggesting a high level of posttranscriptional regulation of protein abundances.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Circadian variation in gene expression can be an important determinant in the regulation of kidney function. The authors used RNA-sequencing transcriptomics and LC-MS/MS-based proteomics to identify gene products expressed in a period

Radboud University, 14 juni 2023, Promotores : Tiemens, B.G., Hutschemaekers, G.J.M., Veerman, J.W., Contains fulltext : 292968.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access), Psychological treatments, both for youth and adults, are not always effective. Measurement-based care (MBC) could help to improve the effectiveness. MBC is the routine administration of measures, clinicians' review of the feedback from these measures, clinicians' discussion of the feedback with their clients, and collaborative evaluation of the treatment plan. MBC could be the shared stethoscope of the clinician and client in mental health care, as it amplifies the “internal sounds of the mind of the client”, and helps clinicians and clients to listen and interpret the feedback together. However, little is known about how MBC works and the actual use by clinicians is low. The aim of this dissertation was to contribute to both the knowledge and practice base for MBC. In the first part of the dissertation, two studies concerning the preconditions of MBC in youth mental health care are described. We concluded that the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale (EBPAS) is useful for determining the extent to which clinicians have a positive attitude toward evidence-based interventions such as MBC. The Treatment Support Measure (TSM) was found to be useful in providing feedback with concrete tips to improve treatment. In the second part of the dissertation, the results of our efforts to investigate potentially effective components of MBC in youth mental health care and to implement MBC in adult general mental health care are described. No firm conclusions could be reached and implementing and sustaining MBC in real world mental health care proved to be very complex. Therefore, we have provided suggestions at the level of the organization, clinician, and client for possibly improving the implementation and use of MBC. In conclusion, no definitive answer can yet be given as to whether or not MBC should be used. We have indicated future research directions for both theory and practice to improve knowledge about and implementation of MBC. We expect that this will clarify that an

Item does not contain fulltext, Background: There are considerable differences among mental healthcare services, and especially in developed countries there are a substantial number of different services available. The intensity of mental healthcare has been an important variable in research studies (e.g. cohort studies or randomized controlled trials), yet it is difficult to measure or quantify, in part due to the fact that the intensity of mental healthcare results from a combination of several factors of a mental health service. In this article we describe the development of an instrument to measure the intensity of mental healthcare that is easy and fast to use in repeated measurements. Methods: The Mental Healthcare Intensity Scale was developed in four stages. First, categories of care were formulated by using focus group interviews. Second, the fit among the categories was improved, and the results were discussed with a sample of the focus group participants. Third, the categories of care were ranked using the Segmented String Relative Rankings algorithm. Finally, the Mental Healthcare Intensity Scale was validated as a coherent classification instrument. Results: 15 categories of care were formulated and were ranked on each of 12 different intensities of care. The Mental Healthcare Intensity Scale is a versatile questionnaire that takes 2-to-3 min to complete and yields a single variable that can be used in statistical analysis. Conclusions: The Mental Healthcare Intensity Scale is an instrument that can potentially be used in cohort studies and trials to measure the intensity of mental healthcare as a predictor of outcome. Further study into the psychometric characteristics of the Mental Healthcare Intensity Scale is needed.

Contains fulltext : 291581.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access), Background: Measurement-Based Care (MBC) is the routine administration of measures, clinicians' review of the feedback and discussion of the feedback with their clients, and collaborative evaluation of the treatment plan. Although MBC is a promising way to improve outcomes in clinical practice, the implementation of MBC faces many barriers, and its uptake by clinicians is low. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether implementation strategies that were developed with clinicians and aimed at clinicians had an effect on (a) clinicians' uptake of MBC and (b) clients’ outcomes of MBC. Methods: We used an effectiveness-implementation hybrid design based on Grol and Wensing's implementation framework to assess the impact of clinician-focused implementation strategies on both clinicians' uptake of MBC and outcomes obtained with MBC for clients in general mental health care. We hereby focused on the first and second parts of MBC, i.e., the administration of measures and use of feedback. Primary outcome measures were questionnaire completion rate and discussion of the feedback with clients. Secondary outcomes were treatment outcome, treatment length, and satisfaction with treatment. Results: There was a significant effect of the MBC implementation strategies on questionnaire completion rate (one part of clinicians’ uptake), but no significant effect on the amount of discussion of the feedback (the other part of clinicians’ uptake). Neither was there a significant effect on clients’ outcomes (treatment outcome, treatment length, and satisfaction with treatment). Due to various study limitations, the results should be viewed as exploratory. Conclusions: Establishing and sustaining MBC in real-world general mental health care is complex. This study helps to disentangle the effects of MBC implementation strategies on differential clinician uptake, but the effects of MBC implementation strategies on client outcomes need further examination.

Item does not contain fulltext, Circadian variability in kidney function is well recognized but is often ignored as a potential confounding variable in physiological experiments. Here, we have created a data resource consisting of expression levels for mRNA transcripts in microdissected proximal tubule segments from mice as a function of the time of day. Small-sample RNA sequencing was applied to microdissected S1 proximal convoluted tubules and S2 proximal straight tubules. After stringent filtering, the data were analyzed using JTK-Cycle to detect periodicity. The data set is provided as a user-friendly webpage at https://esbl.nhlbi.nih.gov/Databases/Circadian-Prox2/. In proximal convoluted tubules, 234 transcripts varied in a circadian manner (4.0% of the total). In proximal straight tubules, 334 transcripts varied in a circadian manner (5.3%). Transcripts previously known to be associated with corticosteroid action and with increased flow were found to be overrepresented among circadian transcripts peaking during the "dark" portion of the day [zeitgeber time (ZT)14-22], corresponding to peak levels of corticosterone and glomerular filtration rate in mice. To ask whether there is a time-of-day dependence of protein abundances in the kidney, we carried out LC-MS/MS-based proteomics in whole mouse kidneys at ZT12 and ZT0. The full data set (n = 6,546 proteins) is available at https://esbl.nhlbi.nih.gov/Databases/Circadian-Proteome/. Overall, 293 proteins were differentially expressed between ZT12 and ZT0 (197 proteins greater at ZT12 and 96 proteins greater at ZT0). Among the regulated proteins, only nine proteins were found to be periodic in the RNA-sequencing analysis, suggesting a high level of posttranscriptional regulation of protein abundances.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Circadian variation in gene expression can be an important determinant in the regulation of kidney function. The authors used RNA-sequencing transcriptomics and LC-MS/MS-based proteomics to identify gene products expressed in a period

01 april 2023, Item does not contain fulltext, BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) after repair of type A acute aortic dissection (TAAAD) has been shown to affect both short- and long-term outcomes. This study aimed to validate the impact of postoperative AKI on in-hospital and long-term outcomes in a large population of dissection patients presenting to multinational aortic centers. Additionally, we assessed risk factors for AKI including surgical details. METHODS: Patients undergoing surgical repair for TAAAD enrolled in the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection database were evaluated to determine the incidence and risk factors for the development of AKI. RESULTS: A total of 3307 patients were identified. There were 761 (23%) patients with postoperative AKI (AKI group) vs 2546 patients without (77%, non-AKI group). The AKI group had a higher rate of in-hospital mortality (n = 193, 25.4% vs n = 122, 4.8% in the non-AKI group, P < .001). Additional postoperative complications were also more common in the AKI group including postoperative cerebrovascular accident, reexploration for bleeding, and prolonged ventilation. Independent baseline characteristics associated with AKI included a history of hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, evidence of malperfusion on presentation, distal extent of dissection to abdominal aorta, and longer cardiopulmonary bypass time. Kaplan-Meier survival curves revealed decreased 5-year survival among the AKI group (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: AKI occurs commonly after TAAAD repair and is associated with a significantly increased risk of operative and long-term mortality. In this large study using the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection database, several factors were elucidated that may affect risk of AKI.

Radboud University, 24 mei 2023, Promotores : Tiemens, B.G., Janssen, R.T.J.M. Co-promotores : Lokkerbol, J., Beurs, D.P. de, Contains fulltext : 292350.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access)

01 april 2023, Item does not contain fulltext, BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) after repair of type A acute aortic dissection (TAAAD) has been shown to affect both short- and long-term outcomes. This study aimed to validate the impact of postoperative AKI on in-hospital and long-term outcomes in a large population of dissection patients presenting to multinational aortic centers. Additionally, we assessed risk factors for AKI including surgical details. METHODS: Patients undergoing surgical repair for TAAAD enrolled in the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection database were evaluated to determine the incidence and risk factors for the development of AKI. RESULTS: A total of 3307 patients were identified. There were 761 (23%) patients with postoperative AKI (AKI group) vs 2546 patients without (77%, non-AKI group). The AKI group had a higher rate of in-hospital mortality (n = 193, 25.4% vs n = 122, 4.8% in the non-AKI group, P < .001). Additional postoperative complications were also more common in the AKI group including postoperative cerebrovascular accident, reexploration for bleeding, and prolonged ventilation. Independent baseline characteristics associated with AKI included a history of hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, evidence of malperfusion on presentation, distal extent of dissection to abdominal aorta, and longer cardiopulmonary bypass time. Kaplan-Meier survival curves revealed decreased 5-year survival among the AKI group (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: AKI occurs commonly after TAAAD repair and is associated with a significantly increased risk of operative and long-term mortality. In this large study using the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection database, several factors were elucidated that may affect risk of AKI.

Item does not contain fulltext, Background: Measurement-Based Care (MBC) is the routine administration of measures, clinicians' review of the feedback and discussion of the feedback with their clients, and collaborative evaluation of the treatment plan. Although MBC is a promising way to improve outcomes in clinical practice, the implementation of MBC faces many barriers, and its uptake by clinicians is low. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether implementation strategies that were developed with clinicians and aimed at clinicians had an effect on (a) clinicians' uptake of MBC and (b) clients’ outcomes of MBC. Methods: We used an effectiveness-implementation hybrid design based on Grol and Wensing's implementation framework to assess the impact of clinician-focused implementation strategies on both clinicians' uptake of MBC and outcomes obtained with MBC for clients in general mental health care. We hereby focused on the first and second parts of MBC, i.e., the administration of measures and use of feedback. Primary outcome measures were questionnaire completion rate and discussion of the feedback with clients. Secondary outcomes were treatment outcome, treatment length, and satisfaction with treatment. Results: There was a significant effect of the MBC implementation strategies on questionnaire completion rate (one part of clinicians’ uptake), but no significant effect on the amount of discussion of the feedback (the other part of clinicians’ uptake). Neither was there a significant effect on clients’ outcomes (treatment outcome, treatment length, and satisfaction with treatment). Due to various study limitations, the results should be viewed as exploratory. Conclusions: Establishing and sustaining MBC in real-world general mental health care is complex. This study helps to disentangle the effects of MBC implementation strategies on differential clinician uptake, but the effects of MBC implementation strategies on client outcomes need further examination.

To limit global warming to well below 2°C, immediate emissions reductions must be coupled with active removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. “Natural Climate Solutions” (NCS) achieve atmospheric CO2 reduction through the conservation, restoration, or altered management of natural ecosystems, with enormous potential to deliver “win-win-win” outcomes for climate, nature and society. Yet the supply of high-quality NCS projects does not meet market demand, and projects already underway often fail to deliver their promised benefits, due to a complex set of interacting ecological, social, and financial constraints. How can these cross-sectoral challenges be surmounted? Here we draw from expert elicitation surveys and workshops with professionals across the ecological, sociological, and economic sciences, evaluating differing perspectives on NCS, and suggesting how these might be integrated to address urgent environmental challenges. We demonstrate that funders” perceptions of operational, political, and regulatory risk strongly shape the kinds of NCS projects that are implemented, and the locations where they occur. Because of this, greenhouse gas removal through NCS may fall far short of technical potential. Moreover, socioecological co-benefits of NCS are unlikely to be realized unless the local communities engaged with these projects are granted ownership over implementation and outcomes.

Long-term data on spatial dynamics of epiphytic lichens associated with old-growth forests are fundamental for understanding how environmental factors drive their extinction and colonization in heterogeneous landscapes. This study focuses on Usnea longissima, a flagship species for biodiversity conservation. By using a long-term data set (37 yr.) of U. longissima in old Picea abies forests in Skuleskogen National Park, Sweden, we examined changes in the number of host trees, population size (sum of thallus length), extinction, colonization, dispersal, and distribution in a protected landscape. We surveyed the lichen in 1984–1985 by applying a line transect inventory and a total population inventory and tagged 355 occupied trees with an aluminium plate buried in the ground. We repeated the survey in 2021 using a metal detector and recorded GPS-position of host trees, tree and lichen population characteristics. We also measured the structure and age (tree-ring data) of the forest to understand how disturbance history influenced lichen populations. Usnea longissima occurred on 66 of the tagged trees and we recorded 141 new host trees. The number of host trees decreased with 41.7% and the population size with 41.9%. One third of the decline was caused by deterministic extinction (treefalls) and two thirds by stochastic extinction on standing trees. The probability of stochastic extinction on live trees decreased with population size in logistic regression. The decline in the sites with largest populations (35–87% loss) was more influenced by limited colonization than extinction. Colonization was highest in humid north-facing hillslopes with multi-layered forests driven by gap dynamics. The lichen was strongly dispersal-limited, with a median effective horizontal dispersal of only 3.8 m in 37 yr., explaining its strong dependence of long continuity of forest cover. The populations were clustered and had substantial local turnover, yet with stable distribution at landscap

Contains fulltext : 295908.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access), BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted many countries to formulate guidelines on how to deal with a worst-case scenario in which the number of patients needing intensive care unit (ICU) care exceeds the number of available beds. This study aims to explore the experiences of triage teams when triaging fictitious patients with the Dutch triage guidelines. It provides an overview of the factors that influence decision-making when performing ICU triage with triage guidelines. METHODS: Eight triage teams from four hospitals were given files of fictitious patients needing intensive care and instructed to triage these patients. Sessions were observed and audio-recorded. Four focus group interviews with triage team members were held to reflect on the sessions and the Dutch guidelines. The results were analyzed by inductive content analysis. RESULTS: The Dutch triage guidelines were the main basis for making triage decisions. However, some teams also allowed their own considerations (outside of the guidelines) to play a role when making triage decisions, for example to help avoid using non-medical criteria such as prioritization based on age group. Group processes also played a role in decision-making: triage choices can be influenced by the triagists' opinion on the guidelines and the carefulness with which they are applied. Intensivists, being most experienced in prognostication of critical illness, often had the most decisive role during triage sessions. CONCLUSIONS: Using the Dutch triage guidelines is feasible, but there were some inconsistencies in prioritization between teams that may be undesirable. ICU triage guideline writers should consider which aspects of their criteria might, when applied in practice, lead to inconsistencies or ethically questionable prioritization of patients. Practical training of triage team members in applying the guidelines, including explanation of the rationale underlying the triage criteria, might improve the willingness and abi

Item does not contain fulltext, Background: Predicting which treatment will work for which patient in mental health care remains a challenge. Objective: The aim of this multisite study was 2-fold: (1) to predict patients' response to treatment in Dutch basic mental health care using commonly available data from routine care and (2) to compare the performance of these machine learning models across three different mental health care organizations in the Netherlands by using clinically interpretable models. Methods: Using anonymized data sets from three different mental health care organizations in the Netherlands (n=6452), we applied a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression 3 times to predict the treatment outcome. The algorithms were internally validated with cross-validation within each site and externally validated on the data from the other sites. Results: The performance of the algorithms, measured by the area under the curve of the internal validations as well as the corresponding external validations, ranged from 0.77 to 0.80. Conclusions: Machine learning models provide a robust and generalizable approach in automated risk signaling technology to identify cases at risk of poor treatment outcomes. The results of this study hold substantial implications for clinical practice by demonstrating that the performance of a model derived from one site is similar when applied to another site (ie, good external validation).

SEENG 2023, Item does not contain fulltext

Contains fulltext : 296781.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access), BACKGROUND: Practice variation exists in venous resection during pancreatoduodenectomy, but little is known about the potential causes and consequences as large studies are lacking. This study explores the potential causes and consequences of practice variation in venous resection during pancreatoduodenectomy for pancreatic cancer in the Netherlands. METHODS: This nationwide retrospective cohort study included patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy for pancreatic cancer in 18 centers from 2013 through 2017. RESULTS: Among 1,311 patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy, 351 (27%) had a venous resection, and the overall median annual center volume of venous resection was 4. No association was found between the center volume of pancreatoduodenectomy and the rate of venous resections, nor between patient and tumor characteristics and the rate of venous resections per center. Female sex, lower body mass index, neoadjuvant therapy, venous involvement, and stenosis on imaging were predictive for venous resection. Adjusted for these factors, 3 centers performed significantly more, and 3 centers performed significantly fewer venous resections than expected. In patients with venous resection, significantly less major morbidity (22% vs 38%) and longer overall survival (median 16 vs 12 months) were observed in centers with an above-median annual volume of venous resections (>4). CONCLUSION: Patient and tumor characteristics did not explain significant practice variation between centers in the Netherlands in venous resection during pancreatoduodenectomy for pancreatic cancer. The clinical outcomes of venous resection might be related to the volume of the procedure.

Long-term data on spatial dynamics of epiphytic lichens associated with old-growth forests are fundamental for understanding how environmental factors drive their extinction and colonization in heterogeneous landscapes. This study focuses on Usnea longissima, a flagship species for biodiversity conservation. By using a long-term data set (37 yr.) of U. longissima in old Picea abies forests in Skuleskogen National Park, Sweden, we examined changes in the number of host trees, population size (sum of thallus length), extinction, colonization, dispersal, and distribution in a protected landscape. We surveyed the lichen in 1984–1985 by applying a line transect inventory and a total population inventory and tagged 355 occupied trees with an aluminium plate buried in the ground. We repeated the survey in 2021 using a metal detector and recorded GPS-position of host trees, tree and lichen population characteristics. We also measured the structure and age (tree-ring data) of the forest to understand how disturbance history influenced lichen populations. Usnea longissima occurred on 66 of the tagged trees and we recorded 141 new host trees. The number of host trees decreased with 41.7% and the population size with 41.9%. One third of the decline was caused by deterministic extinction (treefalls) and two thirds by stochastic extinction on standing trees. The probability of stochastic extinction on live trees decreased with population size in logistic regression. The decline in the sites with largest populations (35–87% loss) was more influenced by limited colonization than extinction. Colonization was highest in humid north-facing hillslopes with multi-layered forests driven by gap dynamics. The lichen was strongly dispersal-limited, with a median effective horizontal dispersal of only 3.8 m in 37 yr., explaining its strong dependence of long continuity of forest cover. The populations were clustered and had substantial local turnover, yet with stable distribution at landscap

Long-term data on spatial dynamics of epiphytic lichens associated with old-growth forests are fundamental for understanding how environmental factors drive their extinction and colonization in heterogeneous landscapes. This study focuses on Usnea longissima, a flagship species for biodiversity conservation. By using a long-term data set (37 yr.) of U. longissima in old Picea abies forests in Skuleskogen National Park, Sweden, we examined changes in the number of host trees, population size (sum of thallus length), extinction, colonization, dispersal, and distribution in a protected landscape. We surveyed the lichen in 1984–1985 by applying a line transect inventory and a total population inventory and tagged 355 occupied trees with an aluminium plate buried in the ground. We repeated the survey in 2021 using a metal detector and recorded GPS-position of host trees, tree and lichen population characteristics. We also measured the structure and age (tree-ring data) of the forest to understand how disturbance history influenced lichen populations. Usnea longissima occurred on 66 of the tagged trees and we recorded 141 new host trees. The number of host trees decreased with 41.7% and the population size with 41.9%. One third of the decline was caused by deterministic extinction (treefalls) and two thirds by stochastic extinction on standing trees. The probability of stochastic extinction on live trees decreased with population size in logistic regression. The decline in the sites with largest populations (35–87% loss) was more influenced by limited colonization than extinction. Colonization was highest in humid north-facing hillslopes with multi-layered forests driven by gap dynamics. The lichen was strongly dispersal-limited, with a median effective horizontal dispersal of only 3.8 m in 37 yr., explaining its strong dependence of long continuity of forest cover. The populations were clustered and had substantial local turnover, yet with stable distribution at landscap

Item does not contain fulltext, A complex systems approach to psychopathology proposes that general principles lie in the dynamic patterns of psychopathology, which are not restricted to specific psychological processes like symptoms or affect. Hence, it must be possible to find general change profiles in time series data of fully personalized questionnaires. In the current study, we examined general change profiles in personalized self-ratings and related these to four measures of treatment outcome (International Symptom Rating, 21-item Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale, daily symptom severity, and self-reflective capacity). We analyzed data of 404 patients with mood and/or anxiety disorders who completed daily self-ratings on personalized questionnaires during psychotherapy. For each patient, a principal component analysis was applied to the multivariate time series in order to retrieve an univariate person-specific time series. Then, using classification and regression methods, we examined these time series for the presence of general change profiles. The change profile classification yielded the following distribution of patients: no-shift (n = 55; 14%), gradual-change (n = 52; 13%), one-shift (n = 233; 58%), reversed-shift (n = 39; 10%) and multiple-shifts (n = 25; 6%). The multiple-shift group had better treatment outcome than the no-shift group on all outcome measures. The one-shift and gradual-change groups had better treatment outcome than the no-shift group on two and three outcome measures, respectively. Overall, this study illustrates that person-specific (idiographic) and general (nomothetic) aspects of psychopathology can be integrated in a complex systems approach to psychopathology, which may combine "the best of both worlds.", 12 p.

Contains fulltext : 299849.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access), CAD is a large, 2225 amino acid multienzymatic protein required for de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis. Pathological CAD variants cause a developmental and epileptic encephalopathy which is highly responsive to uridine supplements. CAD deficiency is difficult to diagnose because symptoms are nonspecific, there is no biomarker, and the protein has over 1000 known variants. To improve diagnosis, we assessed the pathogenicity of 20 unreported missense CAD variants using a growth complementation assay that identified 11 pathogenic variants in seven affected individuals; they would benefit from uridine treatment. We also tested nine variants previously reported as pathogenic and confirmed the damaging effect of seven. However, we reclassified two variants as likely benign based on our assay, which is consistent with their long-term follow-up with uridine. We found that several computational methods are unreliable predictors of pathogenic CAD variants, so we extended the functional assay results by studying the impact of pathogenic variants at the protein level. We focused on CAD's dihydroorotase (DHO) domain because it accumulates the largest density of damaging missense changes. The atomic-resolution structures of eight DHO pathogenic variants, combined with functional and molecular dynamics analyses, provided a comprehensive structural and functional understanding of the activity, stability, and oligomerization of CAD's DHO domain. Combining our functional and protein structural analysis can help refine clinical diagnostic workflow for CAD variants in the genomics era., 01 november 2023

Item does not contain fulltext, Background: Previous studies have shown that being employed is associated not only with patients’ health but also with the outcome of their treatment for severe mental illness. This study examined what influence employment had on improvements in mental health and functioning among patients with common mental disorders who received brief treatment and how patients’ diagnosis, environmental and individual factors moderated the association between being employed and treatment outcome. Methods: The study used naturalistic data from a cohort of patients in a large mental health franchise in the Netherlands. The data were obtained from electronic registration systems, intake questionnaires and Routine Outcome Monitoring (ROM). The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework was used to identify potential subgroups of patients. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the relationship between employment status and treatment outcome and to determine how the relationship differed among ICF subgroups of patients. Results: A strong relationship was found between employment status and the outcome of brief therapy for patients with common mental disorders. After potential confounding variables had been controlled, patients who were employed were 54% more likely to recover compared to unemployed patients. Two significant interactions were identified. Among patients who were 60 years of age or younger, being employed was positively related to recovery, but this relationship disappeared in patients older than 60 years. Second, among patients in all living situations there was a positive effect of being employed on recovery, but this effect did not occur among children (18+) who were living with a single parent. Conclusions: Being employed was positively associated with treatment outcome among both people with a severe mental illness and those with a common mental disorder (CMD). The main strength of this study was its use of a large dat, 11 p.

Item does not contain fulltext, Anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are among the most prevalent mental disorders across the lifespan. Yet, it has been suggested that there are phenomenological differences and differences in treatment outcomes between younger and older adults. There is, however, no consensus about the age that differentiates younger adults from older adults. As such, studies use different cut-off ages that are not well founded theoretically nor empirically. Network tree analysis was used to identify at what age adults differed in their symptom network of psychological functioning in a sample of Dutch patients diagnosed with anxiety disorders, OCD, or PTSD (N = 27,386). The networktree algorithm found a first optimal split at age 30 and a second split at age 50. Results suggest that differences in symptom networks emerge around 30 and 50 years of age, but that the core symptoms related to anxiety remain stable across age. If our results will be replicated in future studies, our study may suggest using the age split of 30 or 50 years in studies that aim to investigate differences across the lifespan. In addition, our study may suggest that age-related central symptoms are an important focus during treatment monitoring., 7 p.

Long-term data on spatial dynamics of epiphytic lichens associated with old-growth forests are fundamental for understanding how environmental factors drive their extinction and colonization in heterogeneous landscapes. This study focuses on Usnea longissima, a flagship species for biodiversity conservation. By using a long-term data set (37 yr.) of U. longissima in old Picea abies forests in Skuleskogen National Park, Sweden, we examined changes in the number of host trees, population size (sum of thallus length), extinction, colonization, dispersal, and distribution in a protected landscape. We surveyed the lichen in 1984–1985 by applying a line transect inventory and a total population inventory and tagged 355 occupied trees with an aluminium plate buried in the ground. We repeated the survey in 2021 using a metal detector and recorded GPS-position of host trees, tree and lichen population characteristics. We also measured the structure and age (tree-ring data) of the forest to understand how disturbance history influenced lichen populations. Usnea longissima occurred on 66 of the tagged trees and we recorded 141 new host trees. The number of host trees decreased with 41.7% and the population size with 41.9%. One third of the decline was caused by deterministic extinction (treefalls) and two thirds by stochastic extinction on standing trees. The probability of stochastic extinction on live trees decreased with population size in logistic regression. The decline in the sites with largest populations (35–87% loss) was more influenced by limited colonization than extinction. Colonization was highest in humid north-facing hillslopes with multi-layered forests driven by gap dynamics. The lichen was strongly dispersal-limited, with a median effective horizontal dispersal of only 3.8 m in 37 yr., explaining its strong dependence of long continuity of forest cover. The populations were clustered and had substantial local turnover, yet with stable distribution at landscap

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy may cause viral inflammation of the placenta, resulting in fetal demise even without fetal or newborn infection. The impact of timing of the infection and the mechanisms that cause fetal morbidity and mortality are not well understood. Material and methods: To describe placental pathology from women with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy, a SARS-CoV-2 immunohistochemistry-positive placenta and late miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death, or medically indicated birth due to fetal distress. Results: The triad of trophoblastic necrosis, inflammatory intervillous infiltrates, and increased perivillous fibrinoid deposition was present in all 17 placentas; the pregnancies resulted in eight stillbirths, two late miscarriages (19 and 21 weeks’ gestation), and seven liveborn children, two of which died shortly after delivery. The severity of maternal COVID-19 was not reflected by the extent of the placental lesions. In only one case, SARS-CoV-2 was detected in lung tissue samples from the fetus. The majority events (miscarriage, stillbirth, fetal distress resulting in indicated birth, or livebirth, but neonatal death) happened shortly after maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection was diagnosed. Seven of eight sequenced cases were infected with the Delta (B.1.617.2) virus strain. Conclusion: We consolidate findings from previous case series describing extensive SARS-CoV-2 placentitis and placental insufficiency leading to fetal hypoxia. We found sparse evidence to support the notion that SARS-CoV-2 virus had infected the fetus or newborn.

Datasets collected for the development and performance testing of a low-cost instrument for fast-synchronized spatial measurements of light spectra (FROST). Figure references correspond with the Figures as published in AMT, Heusinkveld et al., 2023. Of special interest are the spectral measurements (ASD Fieldspec) of 11 March and 15 May 2022 at Wageningen Weather station Veenkampen, The Netherlands and the experimental data collected with the light spectroscopy sensor made by AMS, Austria: type: AS7265x including its spectral response data. Light diffusing PTFE and Acrylic glass filters light spectral data are also included. Reference: Heusinkveld, B.G., Mol, W.B., van Heerwaarden, C.: A new accurate low-cost instrument for fast synchronized spatial measurements of light spectra, 2023.