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Deviations in hydrologic processes due to wildfire can alter streamflows across the hydrograph, spanning peak flows to low flows. Fire-enhanced changes in hydrologic processes, including infiltration, interception, and evapotranspiration, and the resulting streamflow responses can affect water supplies, through effects on the quantity, quality, and timing of water availability. Post-fire shifts in hydrologic processes can also alter the timing and magnitude of floods and debris flows. The duration of hydrologic deviations from a pre-fire condition or function, sometimes termed hydrologic recovery, is a critical concern for land, water, and emergency managers. We reviewed and summarized terminology and approaches for defining and assessing hydrologic recovery after wildfire, focusing on statistical and functional definitions. We critically examined advantages and drawbacks of current recovery assessment methods, outline challenges to determining recovery, and call attention to selected opportunities for advancement of post-fire hydrologic recovery assessment. Selected challenges included hydroclimatic variability, post-fire land management, and spatial and temporal variability. The most promising opportunities for advancing assessment of hydrologic recovery include: (1) combining statistical and functional recovery approaches, (2) using a greater diversity of post-fire observations complemented with hydrologic modeling, and (3) defining optimal assemblages of recovery metrics and criteria for common hydrologic concerns and regions.

Objective The Benton Visual Form Discrimination Test (VFDT) is a commonly used measure of visual discrimination and visual recognition memory and has shown promise in distinguishing between different levels of cognitive impairment. We assess the predictive diagnostic utility of the VFDT in a sample of older Veterans with cognitive concerns. Method Subjects included a total of 172 mostly male Veterans over the age of 64 (mean = 76.0; SD = 7.6) recruited from a VA clinic specializing in neuropsychological assessment of older Veterans. The clinical sample included 56 subjects diagnosed with Major Neurocognitive Disorder, 74 diagnosed with Mild Neurocognitive Disorder, and 42 with No Neurocognitive Impairment. Impairment categories were modeled in separate multinomial logistic regressions with two versions of the VFDT as predictors: the Visual Form Discrimination Test-Recognition Subtest (VFDT-Rec) test (visual recognition memory) and the Visual Form Discrimination Test-Matching Subtest VFDT-Mat test (visual form discrimination). Years of education were included as a covariate. Results After adjusting for education, higher VFDT-Rec total scores were associated with lower odds of being categorized with a greater degree of cognitive/functional impairment (OR 0.66–0.83, p Conclusions The VFDT may enhance the confidence of differential diagnosis of dementia in older adult Veterans. Formal education-adjusted norms need to be established for clinical use.

Background Several comorbidities, including cardiovascular diseases or myocardial injury, are reported to be associated with poor prognosis in patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, detailed prognostic analysis of myocardial injury by various biomarkers in COVID-19 patients is limited. Purpose This study aims to explore the prognostic values of high-sensitive Troponin I (hsTnI) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) for COVID-19 patients using Japanese real-world data. Methods The COVID-MI study is a retrospective cohort study that enrolls consecutive laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital from July 2020 to September 2021. We collected clinical data, including cardiac biomarker values, by chart review. If the prespecified biomarkers in concern were not available, we measured them using the institutional serum blood bank, which enrolled patients prospectively from July 2020. Patients with available biomarkers were analyzed according to the values of hsTnI or NT-proBNP, using the clinically relevant thresholds (hsTnI: 5 ng/L and 99th percentile of the upper reference limit [99%ile URL], and NT-proBNP: 125 pg/mL and 900 pg/mL). The primary outcome measure was all-cause death. Secondary outcome measures included acute respiratory distress syndrome, myocardial infarction, myocarditis/pericarditis, venous thromboembolism, cerebral infarction, and bleeding events. Results We enrolled 917 patients with COVID-19 confirmed by viral nucleic acid amplification test. The mean age was 61 years, and 591 patients (64%) were men. On admission, the number of patients classified as severe or critical COVID-19 was 515 (56%) and 85 (8.7%), respectively. Among the 544 patients with hsTnI values, 365 (67%) patients had elevated hsTnI of ≥5 ng/L, and 134 patients (25%) had TnI of ≥99%ile URL. Besides, among 546 patients with NT-proBNP values, 295 patients (54%) had elevated NT-pro-BNP of ≥125 pg/mL, and 93 patients (17%) had NT-proBNP of ≥900 pg/mL. The median follow-up period was 31 days (interquartile range: 11–90 days). In cumulative incidence analysis, higher levels of hsTnI and NT-proBNP were associated with significantly higher mortality (hsTnI: Conclusion Elevation of hsTnI or NT-proBNP was associated with poor prognosis in the current relatively severely ill COVID-19 patients. Measuring hsTnI or NT-proBNP can be an attractive option for risk stratification and deciding appropriate management in patients with COVID-19. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Public hospital(s). Main funding source(s): Institutional Research Fund at Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital

OBJECTIVE To investigate if the extent of absent end-diastolic flow (AEDF) on umbilical artery (UA) Doppler velocimetry predicts pregnancy outcome. METHODS This was a retrospective observational study based on data from 25 000 Doppler examinations of UA flow performed between 1998 and 2017 at the Blood Flow Laboratory, Level III Perinatal Center, Lund, Sweden. All pregnancies with AEDF in the UA were identified, and the duration of AEDF as a proportion of the total duration of the cardiac cycle (Ta /Ttot ratio) was measured in digital images of the Doppler spectrum recorded at the last examination showing AEDF before delivery. Clinical data on pregnancies and neonatal outcomes were extracted from the regional perinatal database and the hospital patient records. The predictive performance of the Ta /Ttot ratio for intrauterine death and any (intrauterine or postnatal) death was assessed. RESULTS A total of 170 fetuses (122 (72%) singletons and 48 (28%) twins) were included in the study. Median gestational age at birth was 189.5 days (range, 163-279 days) (i.e. 27 + 0 weeks (range, 23 + 2 to 39 + 6 weeks)), birth weight was 650 g (range, 320-3326 g) and deviation from expected birth weight (standard deviation score) was -2.975 (range, -6.38 to 0.69). There were 15 (9%) intrauterine and 26 (15%) postnatal deaths. The principal outcome variables and their relationship with Doppler velocimetry results did not differ significantly between singletons and twins, giving a rationale for using the Ta /Ttot ratio in the total study group. Mean Ta /Ttot ratio was 0.42 ± 0.08 and 0.34 ± 0.08 in stillborn and liveborn fetuses, respectively (P = 0.002). For fetuses examined before 30 weeks' gestation, a Ta /Ttot ratio cut-off of 0.30 predicted intrauterine death with 92% sensitivity and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 98% (area under receiver-operating-characteristics curve (AUC), 0.74) and predicted any death with 83% sensitivity and a NPV of 85% (AUC, 0.66). CONCLUSIONS In fetuses with AEDF in the UA, duration of absent flow for at least 30% of the total cardiac cycle length might predict the risk of fetal demise, even when assessed before 30 weeks' gestation. This finding is particularly relevant to growth-restricted fetuses. After evaluation in further studies, the extent of AEDF might facilitate obstetric decision-making in very preterm growth-restricted fetuses. © 2020 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness face significant barriers to accessing water, sanitation, and hygiene services, but the risks associated with this lack of access and barriers to service provision have been largely understudied. We analyzed water samples upstream and downstream of three homeless encampments in the San Diego River watershed and interviewed service providers from public and nonprofit sectors to assess local perceptions about challenges and potential solutions for water and sanitation service provision in this context. Water upstream from encampments contained detectable levels of caffeine and sucralose. Escherichia coli concentrations downstream of the encampments were significantly greater than concentrations upstream, but there was no significant change in the concentrations of other pollutants, including caffeine and sucralose. The HF183 marker of Bacteroides was only detected in one sample upstream of an encampment and was not detected downstream. Overall, there was insufficient evidence to suggest that the encampments studied here were responsible for contributing pollution to the river. Nevertheless, the presence of caffeine, sucralose, and HF183 indicated that there are anthropogenic sources of contamination in the river during dry weather and potential risks associated with the use of this water by encampment residents. Interviews with service providers revealed perceptions that the provision of water and sanitation services for this population would be prohibitively expensive. Interviewees also reported perceptions that most riverbank residents avoided contact with service providers, which may present challenges for the provision of water and sanitation service unless trust is first built between service providers and residents of riverine encampments.

Sewer overflows and exfiltration can potentially contaminate water bodies with pathogens from wastewater. Microbial source tracking (MST) methods such as the detection of the HF183 gene target of Bacteroides have been proposed to monitor human fecal pollution inputs to surface waters; however, the persistence of HF183 and other MST markers in water flushed from soils after contamination events is not well understood. In this study, the persistence and decay of two culture-based fecal indicators, Escherichia coli and enterococci, and two molecular MST markers, HF183 and pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), were evaluated in riverbank soils spiked with untreated sewage, which were left idle for 1, 14, 28, 60, and 121 days under dark conditions and then flushed with synthetic rainwater. All four microbial indicators were still detected in flush water 4 months after the soil was contaminated. PMMoV persisted much longer and had a slower decay rate than the other microbial indicators, and E. coli degraded most rapidly. In consecutive flushing experiments with fresh (1 day) sewage-spiked soils, HF183, E. coli, and enterococci were all detected after 20 consecutive flushes with rainwater, but PMMoV was not detected after the fifth flush. Our findings indicate that water (e.g., stormwater interflow) flushing through riverbank soils that have previously been contaminated by sewer overflows or sewer exfiltration can potentially be a source of microbial pollution to surface waters, even for several months after the contamination occurs. Results from this study also demonstrate the benefits of using multiple human-associated fecal indicators to distinguish pollution from different microbial groups in water bodies. Graphical abstract

Contains fulltext : 249977.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) BACKGROUND: It is important to evaluate whether a new treatment for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) provides additive benefit to background foundational treatments. As such, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of empagliflozin in patients with HFrEF in addition to baseline treatment with specific doses and combinations of disease-modifying therapies. METHODS: We performed a post-hoc analysis of the EMPEROR-Reduced randomised, double-blind, parallel-group trial, which took place in 520 centres (hospitals and medical clinics) in 20 countries in Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. Patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification II-IV with an ejection fraction of 40% or less were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive the addition of either oral empagliflozin 10 mg per day or placebo to background therapy. The primary composite outcome was cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalisation; the secondary outcome was total heart failure hospital admissions. An extended composite outcome consisted of inpatient and outpatient HFrEF events was also evaluated. Outcomes were analysed according to background use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) or angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs), as well as β blockers and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) at less than 50% or 50% or more of target doses and in various combinations. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03057977. FINDINGS: In this post-hoc analysis of 3730 patients (mean age 66·8 years [SD 11·0], 893 [23·9%] women; 1863 [49·9%] in the empagliflozin group, 1867 [50·1%] in the placebo group) assessed between March 6, 2017, and May 28, 2020, empagliflozin reduced the risk of the primary outcome (361 in 1863 participants in the empagliflozin group and 462 of 1867 in the placebo group; HR 0·75 [95% CI 0·65-0·86]) regardless of background therapy or its target doses for ACE inhibitors or ARBs at doses of less than 50% of the target dose (HR 0·85 [0·69-1·06]) and for doses of 50% or more of the target dose (HR 0·67 [0·52-0·88]; p(interaction)=0·18). A similar result was seen for β blockers at doses of less than 50% of the target dose (HR 0·66 [0·54-0·80]) and for doses of 50% or more of the target dose (HR 0·81 [0·66-1·00]; p(interaction)=0·15). Empagliflozin also reduced the risk of the primary outcome irrespective of background use of triple therapy with an ACE inhibitor, ARB, or ARNI plus β blocker plus MRA (given combination HR 0·73 [0·61-0·88]; not given combination HR 0·76 [0·62-0·94]; p(interaction)=0·77). Similar patterns of benefit were observed for the secondary and extended composite outcomes. Empagliflozin was well tolerated and rates of hypotension, symptomatic hypotension, and hyperkalaemia were similar across all subgroups. INTERPRETATION: Empagliflozin reduced serious heart failure outcomes across doses and combinations of disease-modifying therapies for HFrEF. Clinically, these data suggest that empagliflozin might be considered as a foundational therapy in patients with HFrEF regardless of their existing background therapy. FUNDING: Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company.

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are highly prevalent and comorbid among older adult male veterans. Both PTSD and OSA are independently associated with cognitive deficits in older adults, but little research regarding the impact of comorbid PTSD and OSA among older adults exists. Purpose: The current study aimed to examine the independent and interactive effects of PTSD and OSA on cognitive functioning in older adult veterans. Study Sample: Older adult male veterans with ( n = 106) and without PTSD ( n = 69), ranging in age from 55 to 89 ( M = 63.35). Data Collection: Participants underwent polysomnography evaluation to assess severity of OSA symptoms and comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation to assess cognitive functioning in 3 domains: attention and processing speed, learning and memory, and executive functioning. Results: Multiple regression analyses showed that the interaction between PTSD and OSA did not predict cognitive performance. However, PTSD significantly predicted poorer attention and processing speed, and increased OSA severity predicted poorer learning and memory. Conclusions: While PTSD and OSA did not have a synergistic detrimental impact on cognition, each independently predicted poorer cognitive functioning within certain domains, suggesting that older adults with these comorbid conditions may experience a wider array of cognitive difficulties.

From a conservation perspective, quantifying potential refugial capacity has been predominantly focused on climate refugia, which is critical for maintaining the persistence of species and ecosystems. However, protection from other stressors, such as human-induced changes in fire and hydrology, that cause habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation is also necessary to ensure that conservation efforts focused on climate are not undermined by other threats. Thus, conceptual and methodological advances for quantifying potential refugia from multiple anthropogenic stressors are important to support conservation efforts. We devised a new conceptual approach, the domains of refugia, for assessing refugial capacity that identifies areas where exposure to multiple stressors is low. In our framework, patterns of environmental variability (e.g., increased frequency of warm summers), thresholds of resilience, and extent and intensity of stressors are used to identify areas of potential refugia from a suite of ongoing anthropogenic stressors (e.g., changes in fire regime). To demonstrate its utility, we applied the framework to a Southern California landscape. Sites with high refugial capacity (super-refugia sites) had on average 30% fewer extremely warm summers, 20% fewer fire events, 10% less exposure to altered river channels and riparian areas, and 50% fewer recreational trails than the surrounding landscape. Our results suggest that super-refugia sites (∼8200 kmMarco Conceptual a para Identificar Refugios de Múltiples Amenazas a Escala de Paisaje Resumen Desde la perspectiva de la conservación, la cuantificación de la capacidad potencial de refugio se ha enfocado principalmente en los refugios climáticos, los cuales son críticos para mantener la persistencia de las especies y los ecosistemas. Sin embargo, la protección ante otros factores estresantes, como los cambios inducidos por los humanos en los incendios y la hidrología, que causan la pérdida, degradación y fragmentación del hábitat, también son necesarios para asegurar que los esfuerzos de conservación enfocados en el clima no sean afectados por otras amenazas. Por lo tanto, los avances conceptuales y metodológicos para cuantificar los refugios potenciales ante múltiples factores estresantes causados por el humano son importantes para asegurar que los esfuerzos de conservación logren sus objetivos. Diseñamos una nueva estrategia conceptual, los dominios de los refugios, para evaluar la capacidad de refugio de un paisaje donde la exposición a múltiples factores estresantes es baja. En nuestro marco conceptual usamos los patrones de variabilidad ambiental (p. ej.: incremento en la frecuencia de veranos cálidos), los umbrales de resiliencia y la extensión e intensidad de los factores estresantes para identificar las áreas de refugios potenciales a partir de un conjunto de factores antropogénicos persistentes (p. ej.: cambios en el régimen de incendios). Para demostrar su utilidad, aplicamos el marco conceptual a un paisaje del sur de California. Los sitios con una alta capacidad de refugio (sitios de súper-refugios) tuvieron en promedio un 30% menos veranos extremadamente cálidos, 20% menos eventos de incendios y 50% menos senderos recreativos que el paisaje circundante. Nuestros resultados sugieren que los sitios de súper-refugios (∼ 8,200 km从保护的角度来看, 目前对潜在避难能力的量化主要关注的是气候避难所, 它们对于维持物种和生态系统续存至关重要。然而, 为了确保关注气候的保护工作不受其它威胁因素破坏, 还需要考虑针对其它压力因素的保护, 包括人类引起的火灾和水文变化, 因为它们会导致栖息地丧失、退化和破碎化。因此, 在概念和方法上推动量化多种人为压力因素的潜在避难所的研究进展, 对支持保护工作十分重要。本研究设计了一个新的概念性方法 (即避难所领域) 用于评估避难能力, 以识别受多种压力因素影响较小的地区。我们的框架利用环境变异性格局 (如暖夏出现频率增加) 、恢复力阈值, 以及压力因素的范围和强度来识别一系列持续的人为压力因素 (如火灾变化) 影响下的潜在避难所。为了证明该框架的有效性, 我们将其应用于南加州的一处景观之中。结果表明, 与周围景观相比, 具有高避难能力的位点 (超级避难所) 极端暖夏出现的概率平均低 30%, 火灾出现概率平均低 20%, 河道和河岸地区被改变的风险低 10%, 且存在的休闲步道少 50%。我们的结果指出, 一些自然群落的超级避难所 (约 8,200 平方公里) 在现有的保护区网络中的代表性不足, 这一发现可以指导扩大保护区的工作。我们的案例研究还强调了考虑多种压力因素的暴露情况将如何为规划和实践提供信息, 从而在不断变化的世界中保护生物多样性。 【翻译: 胡怡思; 审校: 聂永刚】.

Background In Japan, ivabradine is indicated in patients with heart failure (HF) with sinus rhythm and a resting heart rate (HR) ≥75/min under standard treatment. Particularly, it is effective for HF with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). However, elderly people have a higher incidence of atrial fibrillation than young people, and their sinus node function is further deteriorated, resulting in a lower intrinsic HR. In addition, Japan is an ultra-aging society, especially in the countryside; therefore, the target patients for ivabradine may be limited in these regions. Purpose We sought to estimate the possible candidates for ivabradine and investigate their clinical characteristics in our hospital located in rural Japan. Method and results We retrospectively studied 14733 consecutive patients who were suspected heart disease who underwent echocardiography between January 2006 and October 2018 in Kitaishikai Hospital located in Ozu city (Proportion of the population aged ≥65 years: 34%, in 2015) and did not take ivabradine treatment. Of these, 187 patients with hemodynamically stable condition whose E/A ratio was measured and met the criteria of LVEF Conclusion In rural Japan, possible candidates for ivabradine may be rare, so daily attention should be paid. Patients with reduced ejection fraction, small left ventricle, and hemodialysis may be the possible targets for this therapy. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Natural rubber latex (NRL) is mainly used for traditional industrial products, but currently, its target application is continuously expanding into tissue engineering. Here, we have presented the chondrogenesis ability of NRL nanoparticles against human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). The effective gene expression of in vitro chondrogenesis of hMSCs with administration of NRL was confirmed as revealed by the chondrogenic gene expression analysis. We have successfully for the first time fabricated the cartilage/NRL biocomposites via hMSC spheroid formation, where the administration of NRL nanoparticles exhibited the mechanically stable structure with hard surface structure in the spheroid.

Detailed study of the response of step-pool mountain channels to wildfire is rare despite increasing vulnerability of these systems. This paper reports the initial biogeomorphic response of step-pool streams to storms following the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire, Colorado, USA. Field surveys, benthic macroinvertebrate sampling, and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) terrestrial laser scanning through 2014 generated a substantial data set comparing changes within seven channels burned by a range of severity with three unburned reference reaches. Results showed that wildfire increased the susceptibility of step-pool channels to destabilize according to the severity of burn. Whereas the step-pool morphology (step height H, step length L, and H/L) remained relatively unchanged in unburned and low-severity burned channels—even through an extreme rainfall event with recurrence intervals up to 500–1000 years—study sites affected by high burn severity altered significantly following the first comparatively minor storms. Study channels burned by moderate severity exhibited variable responses ranging from minor to substantial morphological changes, suggesting that additional factors, including slope, local topography, and proximity to other highly disturbed sites may play explanatory roles. The ecological response corroborated the geomorphic findings, with data for benthic macroinvertebrates varying according to burn severity along with the changing post-fire step-pool morphology. Ordination analysis enabled data synthesis and showed that precipitation intensity (r = 0.59) and the severity of burn (r = 0.60) together influenced the interacting morphologic and ecological responses after the Waldo Canyon Fire. Variations in H (r = 0.72), L (r = 0.56), and thalweg elevation (r = 0.75) correlated the most with the types of benthic macroinvertebrates present. Following the Waldo Canyon Fire, the highest rainfall intensities coincidentally occurred over study sites in high-severity burn areas. Although disentangling the effects of rainfall intensity and burn severity proved difficult given this scenario, the interacting and complementary roles of burn severity and rainfall intensity likely led to the greatest morphologic and ecological impacts at those sites. Findings offer insights for the post-fire management of step-pool streams that characterize frequently burned mountain areas. As wildfires grow in frequency and magnitude under warming regimes, management becomes increasingly important for anticipating future changes in burned river landscapes, mitigating potential floods and hazards, and promoting sustainable river ecosystems.

Study question Can a scoring model based on morphokinetic data developed to predict pregnancy rates of day–5 blastocyst transfers (KIDSCORE™D5) predict pregnancy rates of day–6 blastocyst transfers? Summary answer KIDSCORE™D5 was able to predict the clinical pregnancy rates of embryo transfers done on day 6 with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.72. What is known already KIDSCORE™D5 is a scoring model based on morphokinetic data developed to predict the pregnancy rates of day–5 blastocysts. In 2019, Regnier et al. reported that the AUC of KIDSCORE™D5 for predicting clinical pregnancy rates of day–5 blastocyst transfers was 0.6. However, as KIDSCORE™D5 is constructed based on morphological characteristics and developmental dynamics of day–5 blastocysts, it is unclear whether KIDSCORE™D5 can predict pregnancy rates of day–6 blastocyst transfers. Since there are many cases of day–6 blastocyst transfers, it is important to know if KIDSCORE™D5 can predict pregnancy rates of day–6 blastocyst transfers. Study design, size, duration This retrospective single-center study, which included 162 day–5 and 72 day–6 blastocyst transfers, respectively, was conducted at Takahashi Women’s clinic from January to December 2019. Blastocysts derived from 146 patients who underwent intracytoplasmic sperm injection. All blastocysts were cryopreserved and were transferred singly. Participants/materials, setting, methods We used EmbryoScope+™ (Vitrolife) for in-vitro culture and calculated KIDSCORE™D5 (ver.3) using Embryoviewer™ (Vitrolife). Blastocyst scoring was done from 1.0 to 9.9. Clinical pregnancy was defined as the presence of a gestational sac confirmed by transvaginal ultrasonography. Statistical analysis was performed with JMP Pro 15.00 (SAS). The relationship between KIDSCORE™D5 and clinical pregnancy was evaluated by the AUC using ROC curve analysis and multivariate analysis adjusted for patient age. Main results and the role of chance The mean KIDSCORE™D5 of day–5 and day–6 blastocysts was 7.1±1.7 and 3.7±1.5, respectively. KIDSCORE™D5 of day–6 blastocysts was significantly lower than that of day–5 blastocysts (p Limitations, reasons for caution This study had a small sample size, and it was a retrospective single-center study. In addition, the relationship between KIDSCORE™D5 and clinical pregnancy rates may vary among facilities. Therefore, a prospective multicenter validation is necessary. Wider implications of the findings: Our study results indicated that KIDSCORE™D5 predicted clinical pregnancy and that morphokinetic parameters related to clinical pregnancy were similar between day–5 and day–6 blastocysts. Hence, morphokinetic evaluation can serve as a criterion for deciding which of multiple day–6 blastocysts can be transferred. Trial registration number Not applicable

The chemical quality of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and the speciation of nitrogen exported from urban catchments is of great importance to biogeochemical cycling in riverine and coastal receiving waters. Many urban streams in Mediterranean climates have a flashy hydrologic regime, which would suggest a rapid pulsing and shunting of solutes downstream. However, the role of these systems both as passive pipes for solute transport or as reactors for DOM and nutrient transformation is still an open question for urban, Mediterranean streams. To address this question, we evaluated changes in concentrations of inorganic and organic solutes and DOM optical properties in Alvarado Creek, a perennially-flowing, urban, first-order tributary of the San Diego River in San Diego, CA, USA, during dry weather (baseflow) conditions and during four storm events in 2016-2018. Chloride and sulfate concentrations corroborate the supposed saline groundwater supply that maintains perennial flow and brackish nature in this urban stream. During dry weather, high proportions of protein-like fluorescent component (AC4) and downstream decreases in total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and nitrate imply in-stream processing (nitrification and denitrification). By contrast, storm hysteresis curves indicate that the supply of DOM and TDN was not exhausted over the duration of a storm event, whereas nitrate was eventually depleted, presumably because nitrification could not keep up with the export of nitrate from source areas. Rapid decreases in chloride during the storm hydrograph coincided with a shift in specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA) and fluorescence index (FI) to more terrestrially-derived and aromatic carbon sources, most likely from interflow of stormwater through vadose zone soils. On an annual basis, the export of microbially-derived DOM during dry weather was higher than the export of terrestrially-derived DOM during storm events; both represent important carbon inputs to coastal waters.

Author(s): Rogers, Jennifer; Stein, Eric; Beck, Marcus; Flint, Kelly; Kinoshita, Alicia; Ambrose, Richard

Additional file 1: Fig. S1 General behavioral characteristics of GD mice. (A) Body weight (g), (B) body temperature (°C), (C) grip strength (Newton, N) (D) and wire hang latency (s) are represented. The p-values indicate genotype effect in one-way ANOVA. Values are means ± SEM. Suppl. Fig. S2. Barnes maze in GD mice. (A) Latency, (B) Number of errors, and (C) Distance traveled to first reach the target hole during the training session. The p-values indicate genotype effect in two-way repeated measures ANOVA. Values are means ± SEM. The test was conducted on a white circular surface, 1.0 m in diameter, with 12 holes equally spaced around the perimeter (O’Hara & Co., Tokyo, Japan). The circular open field was elevated 75 cm from the floor. A black Plexiglas escape box (17 × 13 × 7 cm), which had paper cage bedding at the bottom, was located under one of the holes. The hole above the escape box represented the target. The maze was rotated daily, with the spatial location of the target unchanged with respect to the distal visual room cues. Three trials per day were conducted for 5 days. One day and 8 days after the acquisition test, probe trials were conducted without the escape box. The number of errors, latency and distance traveled to reach the target hole and the time spent around each hole were recorded by Image BM software. Fig. S3. Probe test of Barnes maze in GD mice. (A) Time spent around the target hole in the probe test 1 day after the last training session (right panel). Latency, number of errors, and distance traveled to first reach the target hole are represented in left panel. (B) Time spent around the target hole in the probe test 8 days after the last training session (right panel). Latency, number of errors, and distance traveled to first reach the target hole are represented in left panel. The p-values indicate genotype effect in two-way repeated measures ANOVA (A; left panel, B; left panel) or one-way ANOVA (A; three panels on the right, B; three panels on the right). Values are means ± SEM. Fig. S4. Brain weight and macroscopic architecture in GD mice. There is no obvious difference in the total weight (A) and macroscopic architecture (B) of the brain between WT and GD mouse (n = 3, p = 0.4871, t-test). (C) Golgi staining of spines in CA1 region. There is no obvious difference in CA1 region between WT and GD mouse brains. Fig. S5. Detection of trans-dimer in WT or GD mutant N-cadherin. (A) Scheme of the experiment methods to detect N-cadherin trans-dimer. Either NcadWT(GD)-HA or NcadWT(GD)-Flag were separately transfected into HEK293 cells. 24 after transfection, cells were scraped off. Then HEK293 cells transfected with NcadWT(GD)-HA and with NcadWT(GD)-Flag were co-cultured for another 48hrs to allow formation of trans-dimer (dimer formed by cell–cell adhesion). Cells were harvested and N-cadherin trans-dimer were detected by immunoprecipitation with anti-HA antibody followed by western blot. (B) Cell lysates were pulled down with anti-HA anti-body, followed by the blotting with anti-Flag antibody. (C) N-cadherin trans-dimer quantified by normalization with total N-cadherin and β-actin, mean + SD (p = 0.8274 n = 4, t-test). Fig. S6. Intact basal synaptic transmission in hippocampal CA1 region of GD mice. Schaffer collateral/commissural fiber-CA1 pyramidal cell synaptic transmission was examined in the presence of the NMDAR antagonist D-APV. GD mice showed no changes in the dependence of fiber volley amplitude (left) and EPSP slope (right) on stimulus intensity. Table S1.

2020 is the year of wildfire records. California experienced its three largest fires early in its fire season. The Pantanal, the largest wetland on the planet, burned over 20% of its surface. More than 18 million hectares of forest and bushland burned during the 2019–2020 fire season in Australia, killing 33 people, destroying nearly 2500 homes, and endangering many endemic species. The direct cost of damages is being counted in dozens of billion dollars, but the indirect costs on water‐related ecosystem services and benefits could be equally expensive, with impacts lasting for decades. In Australia, the extreme precipitation (“200 mm day −1 in several location”) that interrupted the catastrophic wildfire season triggered a series of watershed effects from headwaters to areas downstream. The increased runoff and erosion from burned areas disrupted water supplies in several locations. These post‐fire watershed hazards via source water contamination, flash floods, and mudslides can represent substantial, systemic long‐term risks to drinking water production, aquatic life, and socio‐economic activity. Scenarios similar to the recent event in Australia are now predicted to unfold in the Western USA. This is a new reality that societies will have to live with as uncharted fire activity, water crises, and widespread human footprint collide all‐around of the world. Therefore, we advocate for a more proactive approach to wildfire‐watershed risk governance in an effort to advance and protect water security. We also argue that there is no easy solution to reducing this risk and that investments in both green (i.e., natural) and grey (i.e., built) infrastructure will be necessary. Further, we propose strategies to combine modern data analytics with existing tools for use by water and land managers worldwide to leverage several decades worth of data and knowledge on post‐fire hydrology., Wildfires are a source of socio‐hydrological extremes that increasingly threaten water security across the world; this situation may be referred to as wildfire‐watershed risks (WWR). WWR geographically vary and require locally‐adapted governance for efficient disaster risk reduction. A combination of watershed protection, forest restoration (including fire reintroduction), and adaptation of water infrastructures is the answer to reduce water supply vulnerability to wildfires.

Background Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a frequent problem of veterans receiving care and is often associated with cognitive deficits. The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) is a well-validated cognitive screening measure often used in the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), particularly in neurorehabilitation settings. However, the influence of PTSD on RBANS performance is unclear, particularly within a heterogeneous VA outpatient population in which PTSD and traumatic brain injury (TBI) may not be the primary focus of care. Methods Participants included 153 veterans with complex deployment-related health problems, including a diagnosis of PTSD (n = 98) and a history of TBI (n = 92). All veterans completed a targeted cognitive battery that included the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading, the Wechsler Adults Intelligence Scale, measure assessing processing speed, attention, and cognitive flexibility, and RBANS. Results A diagnosis of PTSD was associated with worse performance on the Story Recall subtest of the RBANS, but not on any other cognitive measures. A diagnosis of mild TBI, or co-occurring PTSD and TBI did not predict cognitive performance on any measures. Conclusions The RBANS best captured cognitive deficits associated with PTSD compared with a history of mild TBI or co-occurring mild TBI and PTSD. These findings may provide insight into the interpretation and attribution of cognitive deficits in the veteran population.