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Several AI‐aided screening tools have emerged to tackle the ever‐expanding body of literature. These tools employ active learning, where algorithms sort abstracts based on human feedback. However, researchers using these tools face a crucial dilemma: When should they stop screening without knowing the proportion of relevant studies? Although numerous stopping rules have been proposed to guide users in this decision, they have yet to undergo comprehensive evaluation. In this study, we evaluated the performance of three stopping rules: the knee method, a data‐driven heuristic, and a prevalence estimation technique. We measured performance via sensitivity, specificity, and screening cost and explored the influence of the prevalence of relevant studies and the choice of the learning algorithm. We curated a dataset of abstract collections from meta‐analyses across five psychological research domains. Our findings revealed performance differences between stopping rules regarding all performance measures and variations in the performance of stopping rules across different prevalence ratios. Moreover, despite the relatively minor impact of the learning algorithm, we found that specific combinations of stopping rules and learning algorithms were most effective for certain prevalence ratios of relevant abstracts. Based on these results, we derived practical recommendations for users of AI‐aided screening tools. Furthermore, we discuss possible implications and offer suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rainfall interception loss (Ei) is a difficult to study and poorly understood flux compared to transpiration and soil evaporation. The influence of climate and vegetation on Ei is not well known at continental‐to‐global and annual‐to‐decadal scales. Here, we use a long‐term multi‐product approach to examine the global trends in Ei, and further utilize a recently developed and validated dataset to isolate the relative contributions of precipitation, vegetation and evaporative demand. At decadal timescales, increasing Ei is largely driven by global vegetation greening through an increase in the intercepting surface and storage capacity, while its inter‐annual variations are mainly controlled by changes in precipitation, largely related to El Niño/Southern Oscillation. Increasing evaporative demand, driven by atmospheric warming, also positively contributes to the global rise in Ei. This study provides new perspectives for further understanding the impacts of climate change on the terrestrial hydrological cycle. Plain Language Summary: Rainfall interception loss is the volume of rain that gets caught by plants before reaching the ground and evaporated back into the atmosphere. It is among the least understood components of the global water cycle. In our research, we used satellite data over a long time (from 1981 to 2020) and a recently developed global model to study how rainfall interception has changed in time and space. We discovered that globally, more rain is being caught by vegetation over the years. This increase happens because our planet is greening, increasing the surface over which rain can be intercepted. On the other hand, changes in how much it rains dominate the year‐to‐year differences in interception loss. At the same time, as the atmosphere gets warmer, water can evaporate faster from vegetation, which adds to the growing trend in interception loss. These results match with the expectation of an intensified water cycle over the continents. Key Points: Rainfall interception loss exhibits increasing trends globallyIts multi‐decadal trends are driven by vegetation greening and warming, whereas interannual variations are controlled by precipitationENSO regulates rainfall interception loss largely through its influence on precipitation dynamics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xanthium is a genus of annual herbaceous plants that stands out within Asteraceae for being wind‐pollinated, diclinous monoecious, and bearing solitary pistillate flowers in peculiar spiny structures (burs). Xanthium sect. Acanthoxanthium is native to South America and characterized by the presence of trifurcate spines at the base of the leaves. Past taxonomic treatments of the section have been contradictory, some recognising up to six species, others reducing all to a single polymorphic species. Altogether, 42 samples of X. sect. Acanthoxanthium were analysed, the vast majority taken from herbarium specimens between 20 and 160 years old. We sampled multiple specimens of X. spinosum from throughout its broad range as well as those taxa with narrower distributions, covering the whole range of morphological variation in the section. When possible, we included types and original material. We used Hyb‐Seq techniques to obtain information from about 1000 single‐copy nuclear genes and complete plastomes. Phylogenomic data were submitted to coalescent‐based species delimitation approaches (SPEEDEMON). Additionally, we performed geometric morphometric analysis of leaf outlines. The results strongly support the identification of four lineages in the section favouring the acceptance of four of the hitherto described species, i.e., X. ambrosioides, X. argenteum, X. catharticum, and X. spinosum. These results were to some extent corroborated by morphometric analyses. While X. ambrosioides was well distinct from X. spinosum based on leaf morphology, such difference was not observed between X. spinosum and X. catharticum. However, X. catharticum differs from X. spinosum in its ecological requirements, being a species rather adapted to high‐mountain environments of the Neotropics. Intriguingly, X. argenteum – a taxon described from a single herbarium collection – was also inferred as a species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the impact of various Ge132 (Bis‐carboxyethyl germanium sesquioxide) concentrations on frozen bovine semen. Ejaculates from three bulls were pooled and divided into six groups, each one with different Ge132 concentrations (0, 500, and 1000 μg/mL) and each group was incubated in different conditions (33°C for 30 min (D: D0, D500, and D1000), and the other was immediately cooled to 4°C (R: R0‐control; R500 and R1000)). Thawed semen was evaluated for sperm characteristics by CASA and flow cytometer. Results showed better motility in the immediate cooling group without Ge132 compared with high Ge132 concentrations. Values for total motility dropped after 5 and 60 min in groups with high Ge132 levels and some control groups. Linearity increased with 1000 μg/mL Ge132, while straightness differed between moments in multiple groups. Membrane integrity was higher in a control group and certain Ge132 groups. Lower O2− generation occurred without Ge132. After oxidative stress induction, lipid peroxidation intensity increased with arachidonic acid, but D1000 had lower peroxidation than R0. Overall, Ge132 appears to have provided protection against PLM when subjected to oxidative stress, since even at high concentrations it maintained sperm metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we extend a previously developed globally optimal enumeration methodology for the synthesis of heat exchanger networks (HENs) to include the basic design of heat exchangers (HEXs). The method addresses together all trade‐offs between network structure, energy usage, and the basic design of the HEXs. Without loss of generality, we focus on shell‐and‐tube HEXs. Unlike previous approaches, such as Pinch Analysis, Metaheuristic methods, or Mathematical Programming, our procedure guarantees global optimality. The procedure is not iterative and does not present any convergence challenges. We enumerate HEN structures using a mixed‐integer linear programming method and we use Set Trimming followed by sorting for the HEX design. In addition, because some network structures are incompatible with single shell exchangers, we use multiple shell exchangers in series. The comparison of the results of the proposed approach with solutions obtained using two alternative methods extracted from the literature indicates that considerable cost reductions may be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise: Bracken (Pteridium, Dennstaedtiaceae) is a cosmopolitan genus of aggressive disturbance colonizers that are toxic to agricultural livestock. The taxonomy of Pteridium has been treated in multiple schemes, ranging from one to six species worldwide, with numerous subspecies and varieties. Recent work has focused on the worldwide distribution and systematics of the bracken fern, but South America has been poorly represented. We present the first continent‐wide sampling and analysis of Pteridium esculentum, a Southern Hemisphere diploid species. Methods: Within South America, P. esculentum has several morphotypes, distinguished into subspecies by variation in indument and lamina architecture. We used double digest restriction site‐associated DNA sequencing (ddRADSeq) to assess the phylogenetic relationships of P. esculentum subspecies. Results: We found a striking genetic homogeneity in the species, being able to support only two morphotypes from molecular data: P. e. arachnoideum and P. e. campestre. We had high confidence for shallow and deep phylogenetic relationships, but less support for relationships among crown groups. Conclusions: We describe an east‐west geographic pattern that would explain the relationships between populations; and, in contrast to previous studies, we detected differences with P. esculentum from Australia. These results will lay the foundations for studying variations in this species' behavior as a weed, as well as its impact on the production of agricultural livestock in South America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to consolidate evidence on dietary interventions for atopic eczema/dermatitis (AD) skin symptoms in children without food allergies, following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Systematic review updates were conducted in May 2022 and June 2023, focusing on randomized placebo‐controlled trials (RCTs) involving children with AD but without food allergies. Specific diets or supplements, such as vitamins, minerals, probiotics, prebiotics, symbiotics, or postbiotics, were explored in these trials. Exclusions comprised descriptive studies, systematic reviews, meta‐analyses, letters, case reports, studies involving elimination diets, and those reporting on food allergens in children and adolescents. Additionally, studies assessing exacerbation of AD due to food allergy/sensitization and those evaluating elimination diets' effects on AD were excluded. Nutritional supplementation studies were eligible regardless of sensitization profile. Evaluation of their impact on AD clinical expression was performed using SCORAD scores, and a meta‐analysis of SCORAD outcomes was conducted using random‐effect models (CRD42022328702). The review encompassed 27 RCTs examining prebiotics, Vitamin D, evening primrose oil, and substituting cow's milk formula with partially hydrolyzed whey milk formula. A meta‐analysis of 20 RCTs assessing probiotics, alone or combined with prebiotics, revealed a significant reduction in SCORAD scores, suggesting a consistent trend in alleviating AD symptoms in children without food allergies. Nonetheless, evidence for other dietary interventions remains limited, underscoring the necessity for well‐designed intervention studies targeting multiple factors to understand etiological interactions and propose reliable manipulation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The household composition is important for adolescents and understanding its relationship with their lifestyle habits is essential. This study aimed to analyze the relationship of household composition with sedentary behavior and eating habits of adolescents. Methods: This study analyzed data from the Brazilian National Scholar Health Survey—PeNSE 2015. The sample was composed by 102,072 adolescents (11–17 years). The independent variable of the study was the household composition (living with both parents versus living with only one parent or none of them), whereas outcome variables were eating habits and sedentary behavior patterns. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between variables. Results: Adolescents living with both parents were less likely to have high sedentary behavior (≥2 h OR = 0.89; ≥4 h OR = 0.86), eat while watching TV for ≥5 days/week (OR = 0.88), frequent fried foods (OR = 0.89), sweets (OR = 0.92), soft drinks (OR = 0.86) and ultra processed foods (OR = 0.97) consumption, as were more likely to have lunch with parents (OR = 1.87), frequent vegetables (OR = 1.12), beans (OR = 1.14) and fruits (OR = 1.11) consumption than those who live with one parent or none of them. Conclusion: Households composed by both father and mother was associated with lower sedentary behavior and healthy eating habits in Brazilian adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Summary: Maternal depressive symptoms are associated with poorer sleep quality in their children. Although parasomnias can occur at any age, this group of sleep disorders is more common in children. The aim of this study was to assess whether maternal depression trajectories predict parasomnias at the age of 11 years. Data were from a Birth Cohort of 4231 individuals followed in the city of Pelotas, Brazil. Maternal depressive symptoms were assessed with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at 12, 24, and 48 months, and 6 and 11 years postpartum. Maternal depression trajectories were calculated using a group‐based modelling approach. Information on any parasomnias (confused arousals, sleepwalking, night terrors, and nightmares) was provided by the mother. Five trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms were identified: chronic‐low (34.9%), chronic‐moderate (41.4%), increasing (10.3%), decreasing (8.9%), and chronic‐high (4.4%). The prevalence of any parasomnia at the age of 11 years was 16.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 15.6%–18.1%). Confusional arousal was the most prevalent type of parasomnia (14.5%) and varied from 8.7% to 14.7%, 22.9%, 20.3%, and 27.5% among children of mothers at chronic‐low, moderate‐low, increasing, decreasing, and chronic‐high trajectories, respectively (p < 0.001). Compared to children from mothers in the chronic‐low trajectory, the adjusted prevalence ratio for any parasomnia was 1.58 (95% CI 1.29–1.94), 2.34 (95% CI 1.83–2.98), 2.15 (95% CI 1.65–2.81), and 3.07 (95% CI 2.31–4.07) among those from mothers in the moderate‐low, increasing, decreasing, and chronic‐high trajectory groups, respectively (p < 0.001). In conclusion, parasomnias were more prevalent among children of mothers with chronic symptoms of depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latent and sensible heat flux observations are essential for understanding land–atmosphere interactions. Measurements from the eddy covariance technique are widely used but suffer from systematic energy imbalance problems, partly due to missing large eddies from sub‐mesoscale transport. Because available energy drives the development of large eddies, we propose an available energy based correction method for turbulent flux measurements. We apply our method to 172 flux tower sites and show that we can reduce the energy imbalance from −14.99 to −0.65 W m−2 on average, together with improved consistency between turbulent fluxes and available energy and associated increases in r2 at individual sites and across networks. Our results suggest that our method is conceptually and empirically preferable over the method implemented in the ONEFlux processing. This can contribute to the efforts in understanding and addressing the energy imbalance issue, which is crucial for the evaluation and calibration of land surface models. Plain Language Summary: Eddy covariance measurements are key to understanding the exchange of energy and water between the Earth's surface and the atmosphere, which helps us validate Earth system models that predict how the land interacts with the atmosphere. However, these measurements often show an energy imbalance problem, meaning that the measured turbulent energy does not fully account for all the energy entering the system. For two decades, scientists have been using advanced simulations and multi‐tower measurements to find out why this happens, and have found that the movements of airflow in a horizontal direction play a large role. Taking this knowledge into account, we propose a simple, data‐driven method to make these measurements more accurate. This new approach reduces the error not just at one eddy covariance site, but at multiple sites around the globe, and it's also effective at reflecting the energy changes that occur with daily weather events like rain. Key Points: Observed systematic imbalance of energy flux (∼17%) across the network of eddy covariance sitesA theoretically motivated correction method based on available energy variations is proposedThe available energy correction method has conceptual and empirical advantages compared to the method implemented in the ONEFlux pipeline [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water table depth (WTD) in peatlands determines the soil carbon decomposition rate and influences vegetation growth, hence the above‐ground carbon assimilation. Here, we used satellite‐observed Solar‐Induced chlorophyll Fluorescence (SIF) as a proxy of Gross Primary Production (GPP) to investigate water‐related vegetation stress over northern peatlands. A linear model with interaction effects was used to relate short‐ and long‐term anomalies in SIF with WTD anomalies and the absolute WTD. Most locations showed the occurrence of drought and waterlogging stress though regions with exclusively waterlogging or drought stress were also detected. As a spatial median, minimal water‐related vegetation stress was found for a WTD of −0.22 m (short‐term) and −0.20 m (long‐term) (±0.01 m, 95% confidence interval of statistical uncertainty). The stress response observed with SIF is supported by an analysis of in situ GPP data. Our findings provide insight into how changes in WTD of northern peatlands could affect GPP under climate change. Plain Language Summary: Water table depth is an important variable influencing the carbon cycle and vegetation growth in northern peatlands. In this paper, the impact of changing wetness conditions on vegetation growth over peatlands was studied through satellite measurements of solar‐induced fluorescence (SIF), which is a radiation signal emitted by vegetation during photosynthesis. Previous studies over ecosystems on mineral soil, that is, not over peatland, suggested a response of SIF to drought conditions. In our study, it was shown that peatland vegetation experiences moisture‐related growth stress under both very wet and very dry conditions, which might reduce the photosynthesis efficiency and the ability to capture and store CO2. Stress due to drought conditions was detected for peatlands in the south of the Western Siberian Lowlands and the Boreal Plains. Stress due to prolonged wet conditions occurred for example, in the north of the Western Siberian Lowlands and the north of the Hudson Bay Lowlands. Key Points: Spaceborne Solar‐Induced Fluorescence (SIF) data was used to analyze soil moisture‐related vegetation stress regimes in northern peatlandsFor most locations, waterlogging as well as drought stress regimes occurred and alternated depending on peatland water level dynamicsThe SIF‐based stress response observations are supported by in situ data of Gross Primary Production [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present piece of research studies partial sleeve joints between similar rectangular tubes, involving bolts under shear as joining means. These are connections between two rectangular hollow sections that can be fitted one in another just by adequately cutting some faces and then bolting. For these elements, the use of self‐drilling screws is evaluated here. These connections could be removable and reusable in some cases, providing more sustainability. They also present semi‐rigid behaviour, which leads to weight saving structures and makes them ideal in many situations for structures like greenhouses or other light portal frames. The structural joints following this typology can be planned as beam‐column, ridge, or even column‐base plate joints. This paper is focused on the initial experimental results of the first two cases under bending moments, comparing them with some simplified analytical assumptions for the strength and the stiffness. These calculations are based on eccentric bolted connections with in‐plane moments but considering some particularities of these joints and joining means (self‐drilling screws). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a large number of controlled continuous double auction experiments to reproduce and stress‐test the phenomenon of convergence to competitive equilibrium under private information with decentralized trading feedback. Our main finding is that across a total of 104 markets (involving over 1,700 subjects), convergence occurs after a handful of trading periods. Initially, however, there is an inherent asymmetry that favors buyers, typically resulting in prices below equilibrium levels. Analysis of over 80,000 observations of individual bids and asks helps identify empirical ingredients contributing to the observed phenomena including higher levels of aggressiveness initially among buyers than sellers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Horn of Africa drylands (HAD) are among the most vulnerable regions to hydroclimatic extremes. The two rainfall seasons—long and short rains—exhibit high intraseasonal and interannual variability. Accurately simulating the long and short rains has proven to be a significant challenge for the current generation of weather and climate models, revealing key gaps in our understanding of the drivers of rainfall in the region. In contrast to existing climate modeling and observation‐based studies, here we analyze the HAD rainfall from an observationally‐constrained Lagrangian perspective. We quantify and map the region's major oceanic and terrestrial sources of moisture. Specifically, our results show that the Arabian Sea (through its influence on the northeast monsoon circulation) and the southern Indian Ocean (via the Somali low‐level jet) contribute ∼80% of the HAD rainfall. We see that moisture contributions from land sources are very low at the beginning of each season, but supply up to ∼20% from the second month onwards, that is, when the oceanic‐origin rainfall has already increased water availability over land. Further, our findings suggest that the interannual variability in the long and short rains is driven by changes in circulation patterns and regional thermodynamic processes rather than changes in ocean evaporation. Our results can be used to better evaluate, and potentially improve, numerical weather prediction and climate models, and have important implications for (sub‐)seasonal forecasts and long‐term projections of the HAD rainfall. Plain Language Summary: The drylands in the Horn of Africa (HAD) have suffered a series of droughts in recent years with the consecutive failure of both the major rainfall seasons. So far, the rainfall in this region has been studied using observations and outputs from global climate models. In contrast, here, we employ a moisture tracking model, which traces individual parcels of moisture‐carrying air parcels from their destination (the HAD region) to their sources (land areas within and outside the HAD, and the oceans). We find that the majority of the moisture which causes rainfall in the HAD region comes from the oceans. However, in recent years, we see that land contributions are gaining importance in affecting water availability in the region. Key Points: Indian Ocean contributes majority of the moisture to rainfall in the Horn of Africa drylandsThe role of vegetation and land contribution to rainfall during the short rains is increasingMoisture contributions are driven more by atmospheric circulation changes rather than increased evaporation from source regions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transpiration is a key process driving energy, water and thus carbon dynamics. Global transpiration products are fundamental for understanding and predicting vegetation processes. However, validation of these transpiration products is limited, mainly due to lack of suitable data sets. We propose a method to use SAPFLUXNET, the first quality‐controlled global tree sap flow (SF) database, for evaluating transpiration products at global scale. Our method is based on evaluating temporal mismatches, rather than absolute values, by standardizing both transpiration and SF products. We evaluate how transpiration responses to hydro‐meteorological variation from the Global Land Evaporation Amsterdam Model (GLEAM), a widely used global transpiration product, compare to in situ responses from SAPFLUXNET field data. Our results show GLEAM and SAPFLUXNET temporal trends are in good agreement, but diverge under extreme conditions. Their temporal mismatches differ depending on the magnitude of transpiration and are not random, but linked to energy and water availability. Despite limitations, we show that the new global SAPFLUXNET data set is a valuable tool to evaluate T products and identify problematic assumptions and processes embedded in models. The approach we propose can, therefore, be the foundation for a wider use of SAPFLUXNET, a new, independent, source of information, to understand the mechanisms controlling global transpiration fluxes. Plain Language Summary: Transpiration, the water evaporating from leaves, is a key element in the energy, water and carbon cycles of terrestrial ecosystems. Understanding patterns of transpiration at global scales is fundamental for prediction of future climates. Several models are used for estimating global transpiration, however identifying limitations and biases in these models is difficult, because we lack field data to compare them against. In this work, we propose a new method to enable tree‐level sap flow (SF) data from SAPFLUXNET, the first global SF database, to be used to evaluate transpiration products and models. We evaluated how well GLEAM, a widely used transpiration product, matches SAPFLUXNET field data. We found GLEAM and SAPFLUXNET data to be in reasonable agreement however, mismatches occur under extreme dry or wet meteorological conditions, conditions which are likely to become more common under future climates. The detection of mismatches between SAPFLUXNET and GLEAM data is valuable for the identification of model processes and assumptions which could be reasonable within current climate, but inadequate for future climate conditions. The method we propose allows the use of SAPFLUXNET to understand the true mechanisms controlling global transpiration providing a new, independent, source of information to evaluate transpiration products and models. Key Points: Transpiration products are vital for understanding land‐atmosphere processes, but their validation is limited by lack of suitable data setsWe propose a method to use SAPFLUXET—the first global database of tree sap flow data—to evaluate transpiration products at global scaleWe show SAPFLUXNET to be a valuable tool to evaluate potential errors in the assumptions and processes embedded in transpiration models [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dysfunction of the adipose tissue metabolism is considered as a significant hallmark of aging. It has been proposed that α‐β hydrolase domain containing 5 (ABHD5) plays a critical role in the control of lipolysis. However, the role of ABHD5 in the control of lipolysis during aging or exercise is unknown. Here we combined the experimental mouse model with transcriptomic analyzes by using murine and human databases to explore the role of ABHD5 in the adipose tissue during aging and in response to exercise. Transcriptomic data revealed a downregulation of Abhd5 messenger RNA levels in the subcutaneous white adipose tissue (scWAT) over time in individuals from 20 to 69 years old. Aged mice displayed dramatic reduction of ABHD5 protein content and lipolytic‐related proteins in the scWAT. Interestingly, 4 weeks of high‐intensity interval training increased ABHD5 protein level and restored the lipolytic pathway in the scWAT of aged mice. Altogether, our findings demonstrated that aging affects ABHD5 content in the adipose tissue of mice and humans. Conversely, exercise increases ABHD5 activity, recovering the lipolytic activity in aged mice. Significance statement: Dysfunction of the adipose tissue metabolism is considered as a significant hallmark of aging. Here we identify that a pivotal protein involved in the lipolysis mechanism called α‐β hydrolase domain containing 5 (ABHD5) is downregulated in adipose tissue of aged mice. Conversely, high‐intensity interval training (HIIT) recovered ABHD5 protein content and lipolysis mechanism in the subcutaneous adipose tissue of aged mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transpiration makes up the bulk of total evaporation in forested environments yet remains challenging to predict at landscape‐to‐global scales. We harnessed independent estimates of daily transpiration derived from co‐located sap flow and eddy‐covariance measurement systems and applied the triple collocation technique to evaluate predictions from big leaf models requiring no calibration. In total, four models in 608 unique configurations were evaluated at 21 forested sites spanning a wide diversity of biophysical attributes and environmental backgrounds. We found that simpler models that neither explicitly represented aerodynamic forcing nor canopy conductance achieved higher accuracy and signal‐to‐noise levels when optimally configured (rRMSE = 20%; R2 = 0.89). Irrespective of model type, optimal configurations were those making use of key plant functional type dependent parameters, daily LAI, and constraints based on atmospheric moisture demand over soil moisture supply. Our findings have implications for more informed water resource management based on hydrological modeling and remote sensing. Plain Language Summary: Forests comprise the largest share of Earth's vegetated surface area and play an integral role in its hydrological cycle. Forests transfer moisture from below the surface to the atmosphere via transpiration, affecting surface moisture budgets and weather patterns at local‐to‐regional scales. Our ability to accurately predict transpiration in forests is thus critical to reliable weather prediction and more informed water resource management. The most accurate predictions stem from process‐oriented models with detailed representations of plant hydraulic architecture and leaf stomata regulation. These models, however, rely on inputs that are not widely available and thus are not well‐suited for predictions across broader spatial scales. Here, we sought to identify models that could be readily applied using conventional input data streams to predict daily transpiration across a wide diversity of forested ecosystems and over large spatial scales. This was carried out by evaluating predictions emanating from four models of varying complexity against two independent estimates of daily transpiration. We found the most parsimonious models to be those requiring few meterological variables and one forest structural variable as input, achieving an accuracy 33% higher and explaining 16% greater variance than the most complex models requiring additional meteorological and forest structural variables as input. Key Points: Parsimonious and global models of daily transpiration in forests are identified from a pool of four models and 608 unique configurationsConfigurations based on simpler ET schemes (e.g., Priestley‐Taylor) outperformed those based on more complex schemes (e.g., Penman‐Monteith)Environmental constraints based on atmospheric moisture demand appear more effective than those based on soil moisture supply [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate whether the sedentary behaviour contributes to the development of new episodes of low back pain in adults. Methods: Searches were performed in five electronic databases from their inception to March 2022. Prospective cohort studies with people without low back pain at baseline investigating the effect of sedentary behaviour on the development of new episodes of low back pain at follow‐up were considered eligible. Two independent authors screened, extracted the data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. An adapted version of the Quality In Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) tool was used to assess the risk of bias. Meta‐analyses were performed using random effect models to obtain a pooled risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach was used to assess the overall certainty of the evidence. Results: Ten studies were included in this review, with a total sample ranging from 107 to 57,504 participants and mean age ranging from 21.7 to 53.6 years. Most studies (n = 9) assessed sedentary behaviour using self‐reported methods, including validated questionnaires or single questions, except for one study that used video recording. The overall risk of bias of the included studies was low. Pooled analysis showed that people classified as sedentary or spending more time in sedentary activities were not likely to develop a new episode of low back pain (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.98–1.04, I2 = 9%, n = 9 studies, moderate evidence). Conclusion: Sedentary behaviour probably does not contribute to the development of new episodes of low back pain in an adult population. Significance: Sedentary behaviour does not appear to increase the chances of developing a new episode of low back pain. This might imply that health lifestyle contributors seem to be more related to the amount and type of physical activity, but not the amount of sedentary time. However, studies evaluating the relationship of the sedentary and physical activity with the development of a new episode of low back pain are still needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical activity has been associated with enhanced mental health among adults. However, it is not clear in the literature which domains (occupational, transport and leisure-time exercise) and intensities (moderate, vigorous and moderate-to-vigorous) of activity provide the greatest benefits. The aim of the present study was to describe the association of different domains and intensities of physical activity with depressive symptoms in adults. This was a cross-sectional observational study conducted among 209 adults (≥18 years) in Brazil. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the HADS questionnaire (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). Physical activity intensities (moderate, vigorous and moderate-to-vigorous) were device-measured by accelerometry. Physical activity in different domains (occupational, transport, and leisure-time exercise) was self-reported using a questionnaire. Chronological age, ethnicity, body mass index, highest academic achievement, employment status, alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, chronic morbidity and soft-drink ingestion were adopted as adjustment confounding factors. Linear regression analysis revealed that total self-reported physical activity [β = –0.100 (95%CI: –0.180 to –0.019)] and leisure-time exercise [β = –0.311 (95%CI: –0.468 to –0.155)] were negatively associated with depressive symptoms, but only leisure-time exercise remained significant after adjustment for confounding factors [β = –0.243 (95%CI: –0.409 to –0.076)]. Thus, leisure-time exercise was cross-sectionally associated with lower depressive symptoms in community-dwelling adults. Leisure-time physical activity was the only physical activity domain associated with lower depressive symptoms. This association appears to be independent of potential confounders. Potential interventions should focus on leisure-time domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides contributions to the knowledge on diversity and natural history of hyperparasitoids (Hymenoptera) associated with host–parasitoid interactions between spiders (Araneae) and polysphinctine Darwin wasps (Pimplinae) in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil, South America. All hyperparasitoids emerged in the laboratory from polysphinctine cocoons that were collected in cocoon webs in the field. A total of 27 hyperparasitoid wasps emerged from polysphinctine cocoons belonging to six genera, three families and two superfamilies: Ceyxia Girault, 1911 and Conura Spinola, 1837 (Chalcidoidea: Chalcididae); Palmistichus Delvare & LaSalle, 1993 (Chalcidoidea: Eulophidae); and Lymeon Förster, 1869, Mesochorus Gravenhorst, 1829, and Neotheronia Krieger, 1899 (Ichneumonoidea: Ichneumonidae). We add new biological information on nine species of hyperparasitoids, emerging from pupae of at least seven species of polysphinctine wasps, which were collected in seven different types of cocoon webs. In addition, a new species is described, Conura capixaba Tavares, sp. nov. (Chalcididae), and digital images of all hyperparasitoids are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work multivariate strategies were employed in order to highlight new potential biomarkers of interest to detect the exogenous treatment of steers intramuscularly treated with boldenone undecylenate. Serum samples collected from treated (n = 4) and control (n = 8) crossbred animals of varying ages and weights were extracted using a simple sample preparation procedure based on salt assisted liquid–liquid extraction. Data acquisition was performed using liquid chromatography and Q‐Exactive™ Orbitrap mass spectrometry. Data processing and treatment were performed using two non‐targeted workflows: (1) Compound Discoverer software and (2) XCMS package on the open‐source R software combined with MetaboAnalyst. Three potential biomarkers were highlighted taking into account the chromatographic shapes, the feature location on the generated s‐plots, the fold change, the adjusted p values, the coefficient of variation in the QC samples and the area under the ROC curves. Predicted formulas based on mass accuracy, structural composition and spectra similarity were proposed. A robust statistical model to predict the boldenone treatment was further developed based on the weighted abundances of the selected biomarkers. The requirements for screening methods were successfully fulfilled, together with a wider detection window in comparison with the monitoring of the deconjugated metabolite boldenone, although biomarker identification studies are still ongoing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrological interactions between vegetation, soil, and topography are complex, and heterogeneous in semi‐arid landscapes. This along with data scarcity poses challenges for large‐scale modeling of vegetation‐water interactions. Here, we exploit metrics derived from daily Meteosat data over Africa at ca. 5 km spatial resolution for ecohydrological analysis. Their spatial patterns are based on Fractional Vegetation Cover (FVC) time series and emphasize limiting conditions of the seasonal wet to dry transition: the minimum and maximum FVC of temporal record, the FVC decay rate and the FVC integral over the decay period. We investigate the relevance of these metrics for large scale ecohydrological studies by assessing their co‐variation with soil moisture, and with topographic, soil, and vegetation factors. Consistent with our initial hypothesis, FVC minimum and maximum increase with soil moisture, while the FVC integral and decay rate peak at intermediate soil moisture. We find evidence for the relevance of topographic moisture variations in arid regions, which, counter‐intuitively, is detectable in the maximum but not in the minimum FVC. We find no clear evidence for wide‐spread occurrence of the "inverse texture effect" on FVC. The FVC integral over the decay period correlates with independent data sets of plant water storage capacity or rooting depth while correlations increase with aridity. In arid regions, the FVC decay rate decreases with canopy height and tree cover fraction as expected for ecosystems with a more conservative water‐use strategy. Thus, our observation‐based products have large potential for better understanding complex vegetation‐water interactions from regional to continental scales. Plain Language Summary: Local‐scale processes controlling vegetation dynamics under water limitation are highly uncertain at large scales, despite their importance on global carbon and water cycles. This is particularly pronounced in Africa due to the scarcity of ground measurements despite the importance of African ecosystems due to their contribution to global cycles and their services to population. In order to overcome this problem, we developed a set of metrics based on the fractional vegetation cover observed from the European geostationary satellite. The metrics, derived from the daily fractional vegetation cover data help diagnose ecohydrological processes thanks to their high spatiotemporal resolution. Initial analyses show consistent continental gradients in the metrics together with strong local variations and corroboration with different data sets from independent sources, in agreement with the literature. Key Points: We derive ecohydrological metrics from seasonal decays in geostationary satellite data of vegetation cover over Africa at 5 km resolutionThe metrics covary with soil moisture, contain information on water sources apart from precipitation and vegetation access by deep rootingLand surface models can benefit from these metrics by tailored evaluation, calibration, and parameterization of ecohydrological processes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Group antenatal care (G‐ANC) is an innovative model in which antenatal care is delivered to a group of 8–12 women of similar gestational age. Evidence from high‐income countries suggests G‐ANC is particularly effective for women from marginalised populations, including adolescents. The objective of this study was to examine the experiences of Senegalese adolescents engaged in group antenatal care. Methods: This convergent parallel mixed‐methods study is derived from a larger effectiveness–implementation hybrid pilot study conducted in Kaolack district, Senegal. Quantitative data for adolescent participants were collected through baseline and postnatal surveys and descriptively analysed. One‐on‐one interviews and focus‐group discussions were conducted with adolescent participants, and qualitative data were analysed using qualitative descriptive analysis. Results: Forty‐five adolescents aged 15–19 participated in G‐ANC, with a median age of 18 years. The majority (93.3%) were married, and 64.4% were nulliparous. Findings indicated similar levels of G‐ANC participation for adolescent and adult women. The majority (93.1%) of participants who had previously attended individual ANC indicated they would prefer G‐ANC to individual care for a future pregnancy. Qualitative findings indicated key facets of consideration relevant to G‐ANC for adolescents include social connectedness, the influence of social norms and the opportunity for engagement in healthcare. Conclusions: This study suggests that G‐ANC has the potential to be an adolescent‐responsive and culturally appropriate method of delivering antenatal care in Senegal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we show that limitations in the representation of land cover and vegetation seasonality in the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) model are partially responsible for large biases (up to ∼10°C, either positive or negative depending on the region) on the simulated daily maximum land surface temperature (LST) with respect to satellite Earth Observations (EOs) products from the Land Surface Analysis Satellite Application Facility. The error patterns were coherent in offline land‐surface and coupled land‐atmosphere simulations, and in ECMWF's latest generation reanalysis (ERA5). Subsequently, we updated the ECMWF model's land cover characterization leveraging on state‐of‐the‐art EOs—the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative land cover data set and the Copernicus Global Land Services leaf area index. Additionally, we tested a clumping parameterization, introducing seasonality to the effective low vegetation coverage. The updates reduced the overall daily maximum LST bias and unbiased root‐mean‐squared errors. In contrast, the implemented updates had a neutral impact on daily minimum LST. Our results also highlighted the complex regional heterogeneities in the atmospheric sensitivity to land cover and vegetation changes, particularly with issues emerging over eastern Brazil and northeastern Asia. These issues called for a re‐calibration of model parameters (e.g., minimum stomatal resistance, roughness length, rooting depth), along with a revision of several model assumptions (e.g., snow shading by high vegetation). Key Points: Daily maximum land surface temperature in European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) model is affected by large biases associated with the representation of land coverAn updated representation of vegetation in the ECMWF model based on state‐of‐the‐art Earth observations reduces this biasThe implemented changes have an overall global positive impact, but a re‐calibration of related model parameters is required [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To characterize the relationship of echocardiographic markers of left heart overload and flow in peripheral major end‐organ vessels (eg, celiac artery) with the presence of reversed holodiastolic flow in the descending aorta, considered a surrogate marker of an increased transductal shunt volume, in preterm patients with a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Methods: This work was a retrospective study of data from echocardiography performed to investigate the hemodynamic significance of a PDA in preterm patients. We studied differences in echocardiographic markers of the PDA shunt volume according to patterns of flow in the postductal descending aorta (no PDA, PDA with antegrade diastolic flow, and PDA with reversed diastolic flow). The strength of the association between each echocardiographic marker and the presence of aortic holodiastolic flow reversal was investigated. Results: We studied 137 patients with a median (interquartile range) birth weight of 850 (694–1030) g and a median gestational age of 25 (24–27) weeks. Among patients with a PDA (113), those with diastolic flow reversal in the descending aorta (44) presented had increased echocardiographic markers representative of the shunt volume (increased left ventricular output, left atrial‐to‐aortic ratio, pulmonary vein D wave, and shorter isovolumic relaxation time) compared to those with aortic antegrade diastolic flow. A positive, albeit weak, correlation between diastolic flow reversal and shunt volume echocardiographic markers was found. Abnormal diastolic flow in the celiac artery had the strongest correlation (R2 = 0.24). Conclusions: In preterm patients with a PDA, echocardiographic markers of the shunt volume were more abnormal in patients with reversed diastolic flow in the descending aorta. These data support the assumption that variance in these markers are related to the shunt volume, which needs consideration when adjudicating hemodynamic significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The unique features of nanoparticles can improve the effectiveness of seed priming with metallic ions, boosting plant growth and the defense response. The current study aimed to evaluate the effects of nanopriming of maize (Zea mays L.) seeds with chitosan nanoparticles containing copper ions (NPCu) on the growth and photosynthetic activity of non‐stressed seedlings, as well as on the germination and antioxidant response of seeds undergoing deterioration caused by high relative humidity and temperature. RESULTS: Seed priming with bulk or nanoencapsulated Cu2+ influenced the initial development of greenhouse‐grown maize seedlings, mainly by increasing shoot growth and photosynthetic electron transport, compared to the control. Chitosan nanoparticles without Cu (NP) induced minor morphophysiological responses. In the laboratory assay with stressed seeds, NPCu stood out for strongly increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes. In contrast, priming with NP induced oxidative stress in maize seedlings. CONCLUSION: Under normal growing conditions, Cu2+ promoted the initial growth of maize seedlings regardless of the nanoencapsulation. In the stressful condition caused by the deterioration process, NPCu combined the properties of chitosan with the essentiality of Cu2+, promoting the enzymatic antioxidant response. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rising atmospheric CO2 concentration leads to a CO2 fertilization effect on plants—that is, increased photosynthetic uptake of CO2 by leaves and enhanced water‐use efficiency (WUE). Yet, the resulting net impact of CO2 fertilization on plant growth and soil moisture (SM) savings at large scale is poorly understood. Drylands provide a natural experimental setting to detect the CO2 fertilization effect on plant growth since foliage amount, plant water‐use and photosynthesis are all tightly coupled in water‐limited ecosystems. A long‐term change in the response of leaf area index (LAI, a measure of foliage amount) to changes in SM is likely to stem from changing water demand of primary productivity in water‐limited ecosystems and is a proxy for changes in WUE. Using 34‐year satellite observations of LAI and SM over tropical and subtropical drylands, we identify that a 1% increment in SM leads to 0.15% (±0.008, 95% confidence interval) and 0.51% (±0.01, 95% confidence interval) increments in LAI during 1982‒1998 and 1999‒2015, respectively. The increasing response of LAI to SM has contributed 7.2% (±3.0%, 95% confidence interval) to total dryland greening during 1999‒2015 compared to 1982‒1998. The increasing response of LAI to SM is consistent with the CO2 fertilization effect on WUE in water‐limited ecosystems, indicating that a given amount of SM has sustained greater amounts of photosynthetic foliage over time. The LAI responses to changes in SM from seven dynamic global vegetation models are not always consistent with observations, highlighting the need for improved process knowledge of terrestrial ecosystem responses to rising atmospheric CO2 concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earth observations offer potential pathways for accurately closing the water and energy balance of watersheds, a fundamental challenge in hydrology. However, previous attempts based on purely satellite‐based estimates have focused on closing the water and energy balances separately. They are hindered by the lack of estimates of key components, such as runoff. Here, we posit a novel approach based on Budyko's water and energy balance constraints. The approach is applied to quantify the degree of long‐term closure at the watershed scale, as well as its associated uncertainties, using an ensemble of global satellite data sets. We find large spatial variability across aridity, elevation, and other environmental gradients. Specifically, we find a positive correlation between elevation and closure uncertainty, as derived from the Budyko approach. In mountainous watersheds the uncertainty in closure is 3.9 ± 0.7 (dimensionless). Our results show that uncertainties in terrestrial evaporation contribute twice as much as precipitation uncertainties to errors in the closure of water and energy balance. Moreover, our results highlight the need for improving satellite‐based precipitation and evaporation data in humid temperate forests, where the closure error in the Budyko space is as high as 1.1 ± 0.3, compared to only 0.2 ± 0.03 in tropical forests. Comparing the results with land surface model‐based data sets driven by in situ precipitation, we find that Earth observation‐based data sets perform better in regions where precipitation gauges are sparse. These findings have implications for improving the understanding of global hydrology and regional water management and can guide the development of satellite remote sensing‐based data sets and Earth system models. Key Points: A Budyko‐based approach to water and energy balance closure mitigates the need for runoff dataErrors in water and energy balance closure are influenced more by uncertainties in evaporation rather than precipitationInability of Earth observations to close the water and energy balance of temperate forests [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used data from 2,222 mothers and infants participating in a population‐based birth cohort to verify whether maternal depression in the perinatal period was associated with poor infant sleep. Mothers who scored ≥13 points on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at 16–24 weeks of gestation and/or 3 months after delivery were considered perinatally depressed. The main outcome variable was poor infant sleep at 12 months of age, defined as >3 night wakings, nocturnal wakefulness >1 hr or total sleep duration <9 hr. Infant sleep data were obtained with the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire (BISQ) and 24‐hr actigraphy monitoring. Prevalence of perinatal depression in the sample was 22.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 20.5–24.0). After Poisson regression, infants of depressed mothers showed an adjusted relative risk (RR) of 1.44 (95% CI, 1.00–2.08; p =.04) for >3 night wakings with questionnaire‐derived data. When actigraphy data were analysed, no association was found between perinatal depression and poor infant sleep (adjusted RR, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.82–1.74; p =.35). In conclusion, although mothers in the depressed group were more likely to report more night wakings, objective data from actigraphy did not replicate this finding. Dysfunctional cognition, maternal behavioural factors and sleep impairment associated with perinatal depression may affect the mother's impression of her infant's sleep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ) is a brief and easy instrument to measure time spent on sedentary activities; however, no study has investigated the reliability and validity of this questionnaire in people with chronic low back pain (LBP). Objective: To investigate the internal consistency, test‐retest reliability, measurement error, construct validity, and interpretability of the SBQ against data derived from an accelerometer in patients with nonspecific chronic LBP. Study design Cross‐sectional study. Setting: Outpatient physiotherapy clinic. Patients Seventy‐five patients aged between 18 and 60 years (mean age, 42 years old) with nonspecific chronic LBP were recruited for this study. Interventions: Not applicable. Methods: The Cronbach's α was calculated to investigate the internal consistency of the SBQ and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated to investigate the reliability of the SBQ between two administrations separated by a 1‐week interval. Measurement error was assessed calculating the SEM and minimal detectable change (MDC). Spearman correlation (r) was calculated to investigate the construct validity using hypothesis testing. Interpretability was investigated using ceiling and floor effects. Results: The Cronbach's α of the SBQ total score was 0.92, indicating homogeneity among the items of the instrument. The reliability of the SBQ was excellent (ICC > 0.75), without any evidence of ceiling and floor effects. Regarding measurement error, the total score of the SBQ showed an SEM and MDC of 109.8 minutes per day and 304.4 minutes per day, respectively. However, there were no correlations of the SBQ domains or the total score with the accelerometer‐measured sedentary time (r < 0.25). Conclusion: The SBQ is a reliable tool for quantifying time spent in sedentary activities of patients with chronic LBP. The SBQ showed poor construct validity compared to the accelerometer‐measured sedentary time, which indicates that patients may underestimate their time spent in sedentary activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction of complementary feeding, or weaning, is the period where infants are gradually introduced to solid foods, with a progressive reduction of breastfeeding or bottle‐feeding. Weaning represents a crucial nutritional moment in the growth and development of infants, and it can also affect future health. Throughout the years, various weaning strategies have been proposed, ranging from classic to baby‐led weaning. Recently, vegetarian‐/vegan‐based approaches are also being increasingly adopted by young parents. This rostrum aims to critically address the safety profiles of current weaning practices for infants and to highlight the important role of pediatricians in choosing the most advisable weaning approach for their patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed the association of body size dissatisfaction with body mass index, dietary pattern, and physical activity in adolescents. A sample of 1074 participants between 10 and 17 years of age was recruited. Body size dissatisfaction was assessed with the silhouettes' scale. Dietary pattern, physical activity, and socioeconomic status were assessed with questionnaires. Body mass index was measured objectively. The prevalence of body size dissatisfaction was 77.0%, where 29.8% desired to increase body size and 47.2% desired to decrease body size. Adolescents who desired to increase body size were more likely to consume vegetables and sweets and less likely to be in the highest quartile of physical activity than satisfied adolescents. Adolescents who desired to reduce body size were more likely to report lower fruit and vegetable consumption than satisfied adolescents. Health actions aiming to reduce body dissatisfaction in adolescents should address improvement in dietary pattern and physical activity engagement, considering that desires to increase or decrease body size were differently associated in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hair analysis has attracted great attention in the regulatory analysis of food‐producing animals, particularly due to the wider detection window of veterinary drugs in this matrix and also the possibility of confirming parent drugs with minimum metabolization. This work involved the development and validation of a quantitative liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method to determine 25 steroids and steroid esters in bovine hair. Sensitivity was improved using a fast and effective microwave‐assisted chemical derivatization with methoxyamine hydrochloride. The validation was conducted in accordance with the Decision 657/2002/EC guidelines. An animal experimentation procedure was performed on 12 bovine animals in which two commercial formulations containing boldenone undecylenate and testosterone propionate were administrated via intramuscular injections on the neck. The samples were collected for 78 days in which the detection of the administrated analytes was only observed near the application sites. For some of the monitored days, no analyte was detected on the neck area. Since the migration of the analytes was not observed in areas other than the application site, false‐negative results should be carefully considered when monitoring animal hair samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The land biosphere is a crucial component of the Earth system that interacts with the atmosphere in a complex manner throughmanifold feedback processes. These relationships are bidirectional, as climate affects our terrestrial ecosystems, which, in turn, influence climate. Great progress has beenmade in understanding the local interactions between the terrestrial biosphere and climate, but influences fromremote regions through energy andwater influxes to downwind ecosystems remain less explored. Using a Lagrangian trajectorymodel driven by atmospheric reanalysis data, we show how heat and moisture advection affect gross carbon production at interannual scales and in different ecoregions across the globe. For water-limited regions, results show a detrimental effect on ecosystem productivity during periods of enhanced heat and reduced moisture advection. These periods are typically associated with winds that disproportionately come from continental source regions, as well as positive sensible heat flux and negative latent heat flux anomalies in those upwind locations. Our results underline the vulnerability of ecosystems to the occurrence of upwind climatic extremes and highlight the importance of the latter for the spatiotemporal propagation of ecosystem disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) is a complex, multifactorial, progressive disease which represents a leading cause of irreversible visual impairment and blindness in older individuals. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), which infects 50–80% of humans, is usually acquired during early life and persists in a latent state for the life of the individual. In view of its previously described pro‐angiogenic properties, we hypothesized that cytomegalovirus might be a novel risk factor for progression to an advanced form, neovascular AMD, which is characterized by choroidal neovascularization (CNV). The purpose of this study was to investigate if latent ocular murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection exacerbated the development of CNV in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)‐overexpressing VEGF‐Ahyper mice. Here we show that neonatal infection with MCMV resulted in dissemination of virus to various organs throughout the body including the eye, where it localized principally to the choroid in both VEGF‐overexpressingVEGF‐Ahyper and wild‐type(WT) 129 mice. By 6 months post‐infection, no replicating virus was detected in eyes and extraocular tissues, although virus DNA was still present in all eyes and extraocular tissues of both VEGF‐Ahyper and WT mice. Expression of MCMV immediate early (IE) 1 mRNA was detected only in latently infected eyes of VEGF‐Ahyper mice, but not in eyes of WT mice. Significantly increased CNV was observed in eyes of MCMV‐infected VEGF‐Ahyper mice compared to eyes of uninfected VEGF‐Ahyper mice, while no CNV lesions were observed in eyes of either infected or uninfected WT mice. Protein levels of several inflammatory/angiogenic factors, particularly VEGF and IL‐6, were significantly higher in eyes of MCMV‐infected VEGF‐Ahyper mice, compared to uninfected controls. Initial studies of ocular tissue from human cadavers revealed that HCMV DNA was present in four choroid/retinal pigment epithelium samples from 24 cadavers. Taken together, our data suggest that ocular HCMV latency could be a significant risk factor for the development of AMD. © 2020 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meta‐analyses have shown that isometric handgrip training reduces blood pressure in normotensive and hypertensive subjects. However, the effects on cardiac autonomic modulation are still controversial. Thus, the aim of this systematic review and meta‐analysis was to analyse the effects of isometric handgrip training on cardiac autonomic modulation in normotensive and hypertensive subjects. For this, Medline, Cinhal, Embase, Spordiscus and PEdro were searched for relevant studies published until December 2018. Randomized controlled trials investigating the effect of isometric handgrip training on heart rate variability parameters were considered eligible. Parameters were obtained in time (standard deviation of all the RR intervals‐SDNN, root mean square of successive differences between the normal adjacent RR intervals‐RMSSD and the percentage of adjacent intervals with more than 50 ms‐PNN50) and frequency domain (low frequency‐LF, high frequency‐HF and sympathovagal balance‐LF/HF). Mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated using an inverse variance method with a random effects model. Seven trials were included in the systematic review and meta‐analysis, totalling 86 participants. No significant effect was observed in heart rate variability parameters after isometric handgrip training (4 trials to SDNN: MD = −1.44 ms and 95% CI = −8.02, 5.14 ms; RMSSD: MD = −1.48 ms and 95% CI = −9.41, 6.45 ms; PNN50: MD = 0.85% and 95% CI = −1.10, 2.81%; 7 trials to LF: −0.17 n.u. and 95% CI = −6.32, 5.98 n.u.; HF: MD = 0.17 n.u. and 95% CI = −5.97, 6.30 n.u.; and LF/HF: MD = 0.13 and 95% CI = −0.34, 0.59). In conclusion, current literature indicates that isometric handgrip training does not improve heart rate variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Over-the-counter analgesic use during pregnancy, particularly acetaminophen, may be associated with negative developmental outcomes in children.Objective: Estimate associations of prenatal and early-life exposure to acetaminophen in early childhood with cognitive, motor, and language skills in two birth cohorts.Methods: The American Project Viva cohort (1217 mother-child pairs enrolled 1999-2002) assessed cognition at approximately 3 years using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and the Wide Range Achievement of Visual Motor Abilities (WRAVMA). The Brazilian 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort (3818 mother-child pairs) assessed cognition at 2 years using the INTERGROWTH-21st Neurodevelopment Assessment. We used linear regression to estimate associations of acetaminophen use during pregnancy (Project Viva and Pelotas) and infancy (Project Viva) with children's cognitive scores adjusted for maternal age, pre-pregnancy body mass index, education, parity, race/ethnicity, smoking and alcohol use during pregnancy, depression during pregnancy, antibiotic and ibuprofen use during pregnancy, household income, and child's sex.Results: In Project Viva, exposure to acetaminophen in both the 1st and 2nd trimester of pregnancy was associated with lower WRAVMA drawing scores (β -1.51, 95% CI -2.92, -0.10). However, in Pelotas, exposure to acetaminophen in both the 1st and 2nd trimester of pregnancy was not associated with INTER-NDA motor scores (β 0.02; 95% CI -0.05, 0.09) and was associated with higher INTER-NDA total scores (β 0.08, 95% CI 0.01, 0.16). Other comparisons did not show evidence for any associations.Conclusions: Inconsistencies and lack of specificity of the findings did not clarify the research question considering that we still have a large variability and uncertainty to define the risk or safety in the use of acetaminophen related to cognition in early childhood. More studies using better exposure assessment and better confounding variables are needed to clarify these associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several scientific societies established that vitamin D (VD), in its metabolized form 25(OH)D, levels higher than 20 ng/mL are sufficient to ensure optimal bone health, while 25(OH)D levels higher than 30 ng/mL are needed to favor VD extraskeletal actions. However, it has been estimated that approximately 30% of children and 60% of adults worldwide are VD deficient and insufficient, respectively. This is the reason why it is important to provide a practical approach to VD supplementation for infants, children, and adolescents. It is the pediatrician's role to evaluate the modifiable lifestyle risk factors for deficiency, particularly a reduced sun exposure, following an evidence‐based approach, and to suggest VD supplementation only when there is a rational reason to support its use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of active video games (AVGs) on obesity‐related outcomes and physical activity levels in children and adolescents. Design: Systematic review with meta‐analysis. Methods: Literature search was performed in five electronic databases and the main clinical trials registries. Randomized controlled trials investigating the effect of AVGs compared with no/minimal intervention on obesity‐related outcomes (body mass index [BMI], body weight, body fat, and waist circumference) and physical activity levels of children and adolescents were eligible. Two independent reviewers extracted the data of each included study. PEDro scale was used to assess risk of bias and GRADE approach to evaluate overall quality of evidence. Pooled estimates were obtained using random effect models. Results: Twelve studies were considered eligible for this review. Included studies mostly reported outcome data at short‐term (less or equal than three months) and intermediate‐term follow‐up (more than 3 months, but <12 months). AVGs were more effective than no/minimal intervention in reducing BMI/zBMI at short‐term (SMD = −0.34; 95% CI: −0.62 to −0.05) and intermediate‐term follow‐up (SMD = −0.36; 95% CI: −0.01 to −0.71). In addition, AVGs were more effective in reducing body weight compared with no/minimal intervention at intermediate‐term follow‐up (SMD = −0.25; 95% CI: −0.46 to −0.04). Regarding physical activity levels, AVGs were not more effective compared with minimal intervention at short‐term and intermediate‐term follow‐up. Conclusions: Our review identified that AVGs were better than minimal intervention in reducing BMI and body weight, but not for increasing physical activity in young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The small Neotropical tribe Liabeae (Compositae) is currently classified into four subtribes: Liabinae, Munnoziinae, Paranepheliinae, and Sinclairiinae. As currently accepted, Paranepheliinae includes seven genera, Chionoppapus, Erato, Microliabum, Paranephelius, Philoglossa, Pseudonoseris, and Stephanbeckia, distributed especially throughout the Andes from Venezuela and Colombia to Argentina. Our research focuses in the genus Microliabum, which inhabits extra‐Andean enviroments from Bolivia to central Argentina. The broad concept of Microliabum and its phylogenetic position within Paranepheliinae are controversial. Bayesian and maximum parsimony analyses of ribosomal nuclear ITS and plastid trnL‐F suggest that both subgenera described within Microliabum are monophyletic. However, Microliabum, without the subgenus Austroliabum, is close to Stephanbeckia. A statistical analysis (PCoA) supports the separation of the subgenera, and morphology mainly based on traits of the involucre and florets permits to establish new taxonomical circumscriptions. Thus, the reinstatement of Austroliabum, the more southern Liabean genus, is here proposed. The genus includes three endemic species from Sub‐Andean and Pampean Hills in central and northwestern Argentina. Austroliabum is characterized by white‐tomentose or woolly pubescence on stems and abaxial leaf surfaces, acrodromous leaf venation, campanulate involucres, coriaceous and adpressed phyllaries in usually five series, outer phyllaries shorter than the inner ones, style branches of disc florets shorter than the pubescent part on the shaft below the bifurcation point, style pubescence on the shaft below the bifurcation point of disc florets at least three times longer than the branches of the style, persistent 2‐seriate pappus with outer series of scales and inner series of barbellate bristles, and achenes pubescent on the ribs. In addition, a revision of Microliabum s.str., with three species, is carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contents: Ovarian tumours in mares represent 2.5% to 6% of the most frequent neoplasms found in the equine species, with a higher chance of benignity. This study aims to describe a case of two different tumours found in the same ovary of a mare that presented clinical signs of suppressed oestrous cycle during 5 years. After unilateral ovariectomy, the ovary was sent to the histopathology examination which determined a mixed tumour of granulosa cell and leiomyosarcoma. After treatment, the mare returned to oestrus and got pregnant in the next season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertical gradients (e.g., water temperature and density) are a measurable expression of the potential energy of a water body, which is a fundamental driver for biogeochemical processes in aquatic ecosystems. Seasonal vertical stratification is typically described by the mixed layer and thermocline depths, and these metrics are often estimated through visual assessment of graphical plots or using numerical methods. The most widely used numerical method estimates the derivative of temperature (or density) along the depth, but it is sensitive both to profile data resolution and presence of nonconforming observations. In this study, we propose a new method of modeling vertical gradients using a four‐parameter sigmoidal function, including temporal autocorrelation. The parameters were estimated through Bayesian nonlinear regression with conditional autoregressive errors. The proposed method provides a quantitative and automated way to estimate the mixed layer and thermocline depths even for data profiles with a poor resolution. It also showed good performance against high‐frequency measurement data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Droughts and heatwaves cause agricultural loss, forest mortality, and drinking water scarcity, especially when they occur simultaneously as combined events. Their predicted increase in recurrence and intensity poses serious threats to future food security. Still today, the knowledge of how droughts and heatwaves start and evolve remains limited, and so does our understanding of how climate change may affect them. Droughts and heatwaves have been suggested to intensify and propagate via land–atmosphere feedbacks. However, a global capacity to observe these processes is still lacking, and climate and forecast models are immature when it comes to representing the influences of land on temperature and rainfall. Key open questions remain in our goal to uncover the real importance of these feedbacks: What is the impact of the extreme meteorological conditions on ecosystem evaporation? How do these anomalies regulate the atmospheric boundary layer state (event self‐intensification) and contribute to the inflow of heat and moisture to other regions (event self‐propagation)? Can this knowledge on the role of land feedbacks, when available, be exploited to develop geo‐engineering mitigation strategies that prevent these events from aggravating during their early stages? The goal of our perspective is not to present a convincing answer to these questions, but to assess the scientific progress to date, while highlighting new and innovative avenues to keep advancing our understanding in the future. Droughts and heatwaves cause agricultural loss, forest mortality and drinking water scarcity, especially when they occur simultaneously as combined events. Their predicted increase in recurrence and intensity poses serious threats to future food security. Still today, the knowledge of how droughts and heatwaves start and evolve remains limited, and so does our understanding of how climate change may affect them. Our goal is to revisit the role of land feedbacks on the evolution of these extreme events, and highlight new and innovative avenues to keep advancing our understanding how droughts and heatwaves develop and propagate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]