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Remote sensing is an essential technology in environmental science to study Earth surface processes. In optical remote sensing, spectral indices (SI) are widely used to quantify the properties of specific surface characteristics. SI mathematically combine reflectance values measured at different wavelengths. To gain an overview and access to such indices, comprehensive catalogs have been published and implemented in various programming languages. However, there is no Julia-based tool available for efficiently managing and using these indices. Here we introduce SpectralIndices.jl, a Julia package designed to retrieve and compute SI. Built on the Awesome Spectral Indices (ASI) catalog, our package enables rapid computation of SI using native functions. The multiple dispatch capability of Julia optimizes data handling across various storage types, ensuring quick load times. While primarily based on the ASI collection, SpectralIndices.jl also accommodates custom-made indices, offering users the flexibility to explore and compare alternative indices. The software is open source and available on github.com/awesome-spectral-indices/SpectralIndices.jl

BackgroundHereditary Spastic Paraplegias (HSP) are genetic neurodegenerative disorders affecting the corticospinal tract. No established neuroimaging biomarker is associated with this condition.MethodsA total of 46 patients affected by HSP, genetically and clinically evaluated and tested with SPRS scores, and 46 healthy controls (HC) matched by age and gender underwent a single-voxel Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy sampling (MRS) of bilateral pre-central and pre-frontal regions. MRS data were analyzed cross-sectionally (at T0 and T1) and longitudinally (T0 vs. T1).ResultsStatistically significant data showed that T0 mI/Cr in the pre-central areas of HSP patients was higher than in HC. In the left (L) pre-central area, NAA/Cr was significantly lower in HSP than in HC. In the right (R) pre-frontal area, NAA/Cr was significantly lower in HSP patients than in HC. HSP SPG4 subjects had significantly lower Cho/Cr concentrations in the L pre-central area compared to HC. Among the HSP subjects, non-SPG4 patients had significantly higher mI/Cr in the L pre-central area compared to SPG4 patients. In the R pre-frontal area, NAA/Cr was reduced, and ml/Cr was higher in non-SPG4 patients compared to SPG4 patients. Comparing “pure” and “complex” forms, NAA/Cr was higher in pHSP than in cHSP in the R pre-central and R pre-frontal areas. The longitudinal analysis, which involved fewer patients (n = 30), showed an increase in mI/Cr concentration in the L pre-frontal area among HSP subjects with respect to baseline. The patients had significantly higher SPRS scores at follow-up, with a significant positive correlation between SPRS scores and mI/Cr in the L pre-central area, while in bilateral pre-frontal areas, lower SPRS scores corresponded to higher NAA/Cr concentrations. To explore the discriminating power of MRS in correctly identifying HSP and controls, an inference tree methodology classified HSP subjects and controls with an overall accuracy of 73.9%, a sensitivity of 87.0%, and a specificity of 60.9%.ConclusionThis pilot study indicates that brain MRS is a valuable approach that could potentially serve as an objective biomarker in HSP.

Since the 1990s the worldwide rate of obesity has escalated significantly. This overflow affects all demographic groups, with a notable impact on older adults and women. Obesity is associated with a variety of serious chronic health conditions. Additionally, it is linked to endocrine disorders such as hypothyroidism and subclinical hypothyroidism. This review analyzes the connection between obesity and micronutrient levels, particularly focusing on vitamin D, and evaluates potential nutritional and supplementation approaches for this population.Micronutrient imbalances in obesity arise from poor dietary intake, increased nutritional needs, altered pharmacokinetics, and absorption difficulties. These imbalances can lead to critical health and metabolic issues. For example, vitamin D deficiency, which is common in individuals with obesity, is associated with decreased calcium absorption and an incremented risk of type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and various inflammatory conditions such as cancer.Effectively addressing micronutrient deficiencies requires dietary modifications and, when necessary, supplementation. While enhancing nutrition is critical, supplementation often becomes essential to meet the nutritional needs of individuals with obesity, particularly those on restrictive diets or undergoing bariatric surgery. Supplementing micronutrients and vitamin D in patients with obesity can improve health related outcomes. Moreover, dietary patterns like the Mediterranean diet can increase vitamin D levels. This review underlines the crucial role of tailored supplementation strategies and the demand for continued research to ascertain optimal dosing and its implications for health outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Avolition is associated cross-diagnostically with extensive functional impairment. Participants with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (BD) engage in fewer productive activities than healthy controls, with more sedentary activities such as sitting. We examined the temporal variability in activities of participants with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, focusing on persistence of activities and the likelihood of performing more than one activity at a time. METHODS: 101 participants with schizophrenia and 76 participants with BD were sampled 3 times per day for 30 days utilizing Ecological Momentary Assessment surveys. Each survey queried current activities along with questions about who they were with and if they were home or away and moods. We separated activities into productive, unproductive, or passive recreational categories. RESULTS: Participants with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder reported one activity on most surveys, with that activity commonly being passive or unproductive. No participant reported engaging in more than one productive activity. Productive activities were more likely to occur away from home, with 17 % of surveys from home reporting productive activities. All three activities were persistent, but passive and unproductive activities were more likely than productive activities to be persistent at home. Negative mood states predicted unproductive and passive activities in BD participants only. DISCUSSION: The low numbers of activities, combined with persistence of unproductive and passive activities highlights the impact of avolition. Most persistent activities reflected sedentary behavior. People with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder may benefit from interventions targeting leaving home more often to improve their general levels of functioning and overall health.

Humor has received increasing attention in environmental educational research in recent years as it can have a variety of positive effects on learning atmosphere, outcomes, and student-educator relationships. In most cases, humor is used by educators while students act as consumers. However, this does not exploit the full potential of humor for environmental education. This article shows how humor can be applied as a distinct learning method and what outcomes and effects can be achieved. Our method draws on approaches from comedy-writing schools, thus bridging this community of practice to environmental education. It provides students with an understanding of the basics of humor, empowers them with practices to develop their own humorous texts, and guides them towards high-quality comedy scripts. We implemented several master courses at the Vienna University of Economics and Business based on this method. In 2021, we assessed the effects on students' sustainability knowingness, attitudes, and behavior and analyzed qualitative outcomes. It was revealed that humor can play a pivotal role in environmental education as it fosters critical thinking and creativity, helps students cope with emotionally difficult topics, and supports them in becoming agents of change.

ABSTRACT Owls (Strigiformes) play an important ecological role as predators that structure and organize biological communities. Specialized owl species dependent on old-growth forests have suffered declines because of forest loss or degradation by human activities. Few studies have been conducted on Neotropical owls, especially in the Piedmont Forest of Northwestern Argentina. The scarcity of information on habitat requirements and the effect of human impacts preclude the establishment of conservation and management activities. The human footprint index (HFI) is a tool for mapping human impacts on biodiversity that is used at global and regional scales, based on the estimated and standardized contribution of different human impact variables (e.g. road networks, urban centers, agricultural land, etc.). The objectives of this work were to: 1) Determine the call rate of five owl species in the Piedmont Forest of Northwestern Argentina, 2) relate forest structure to the call rate of owl species, and 3) relate human footprint index to the call rate of owls. We placed 28 automatic recorders in the Piedmont Forest, in sites with low and high Human influence, and characterized the forest structure around each recorder within a circular plot of 25 m diameter. We obtained 241 vocalizations in 168 intervals of 2 h for Ferruginous pygmy owl (Glaucidium brasilianum), Tropical screech-owl (Megascops choliba), Black-banded owl (Ciccaba huhula), Spectacled owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata), and Buff-fronted owl (Aegolius harrisii). We found that for Tropical screech-owl live tree basal area had a positive and diameter at breast height standard deviation had a negative influence on call rate. While for Black-banded owl, the dead tree density had a positive and human footprint index >1 had a negative influence on call rate. For Spectacled owl, dead tree density and human footprint index >1 had a negative influence on call rate. We provide first insights into the effects of forest structure and human influence on the call rate of owls in the Piedmont Forest of Northwestern Argentina, information that may guide forest management guidelines and conservation strategies.

This study explores the implications of the number of blades on the performance of both open and shrouded rotors. By conducting a thorough experimental analysis at a fixed solidity ratio, this research seeks to enhance our understanding of rotor dynamics and efficiency. Two-, three-, four-, and five-bladed rotors were designed and manufactured to have the same solidity ratio. This leads to smaller chord distribution values for higher blade numbers. The experimental analysis aims to quantify the effects of the number of blades and provides a comparative analysis of performance differences between the two rotor configurations (shrouded and open). For the open rotor, results indicate that increasing the number of blades has a minimal impact on overall performance. This is due to the decrease in the tip loss factor being counterbalanced by a decline in efficiency caused by the two-dimensional airfoil performance, which results from a smaller chord and a lower Reynolds number. In contrast, the shrouded rotor exhibits a noticeable performance decay with an increased blade count. Since tip loss is inherently absent in shrouded designs, the decline is primarily attributed to the two-dimensional airfoil performance. This decay occurs while maintaining a constant solidity ratio, highlighting the significant effect of blade count on shrouded rotor efficiency, thereby contributing to the optimization of rotor design in various engineering applications.

Background: A drug repositioning effort supported the possible use of the anti-HIV drug etravirine as a disease-modifying drug for Friedreich ataxia (FRDA). Etravirine increases frataxin protein and corrects the biochemical defects in cells derived from FRDA patients. Because of these findings, and since etravirine displays a favorable safety profile, we conducted a pilot open-label phase 2 clinical trial assessing the safety and potential efficacy of etravirine in FRDA patients. Methods: Thirty-five patients were stratified into three severity groups and randomized to etravirine 200 mg/day or 400 mg/day. They were treated for 4 months. Safety endpoints were the number and type of adverse events and number of dropouts. Efficacy endpoints were represented by changes in peak oxygen uptake and workload as measured by incremental exercise test, SARA score, cardiac measures, measures of QoL and disability. Data were collected 4 months before the start of the treatment (T − 4), at the start (T0), at the end (T4) and 4 months after the termination of the treatment (T + 4). Results: Etravirine was reasonably tolerated, and adverse events were generally mild. Four months of etravirine treatment did not significantly increase the peak oxygen uptake but was associated with a change in the progression of the SARA score (p value < 0.001), compared to the 4 months pre- and post-treatment. It also significantly increased peak workload (p value = 0.021). No changes in the cardiac measures were observed. Health and QoL measures showed a worsening at the suspension of the drug. Conclusions: In this open trial etravirine treatment was safe, reasonably well tolerated and appreciably improved neurological function and exercise performance. Even though a placebo effect cannot be ruled out, these results suggest that etravirine may represent a potential therapeutic agent in FRDA deserving testing in a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Abstract Background The European registry for individuals with GSD5 and other muscle glycogenosis (EUROMAC) was launched to register rare muscle glycogenosis in Europe, to facilitate recruitment for research trials and to learn about the phenotypes and disseminate knowledge about the diseases. A network of twenty collaborating partners from eight European countries and the US contributed data on rare muscle glycogenosis in the EUROMAC registry. Methods Following the initial report on demographics, neuromuscular features and comorbidity (2020), we here present the data on social participation, previous and current treatments (medication, supplements, diet and rehabilitation) and limitations. Furthermore, the following questionnaires were used: Fatigue severity scale (FSS), WHO Disability Assessment Scale (DAS 2.0), health related quality of life (SF36) and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Results Of 282 participants with confirmed diagnoses of muscle glycogenosis, 269 had GSD5. Of them 196 (73%) completed all questionnaires; for the others, the data were incomplete. The majority, 180 (67%) were currently working. Previous medical treatments included pain medication (23%) and rehabilitation treatment (60%). The carbohydrate-rich diet was reported to be beneficial for 68%, the low sucrose diet for 76% and the ketogenic diet for 88%. Almost all participants (93%) reported difficulties climbing stairs. The median FSS score was 5.22, indicating severe fatigue. The data from the WHODAS and IPAQ was not of sufficient quality to be interpreted. Conclusions The EUROMAC registry have provided insight into the functional and social status of participants with GSD5: most participants are socially active despite limitations in physical and daily life activities. Regular physical activity and different dietary approaches may alleviate fatigue and pain.

Abstract Background In 2020 the world faced the spread of the coronavirus infection disease (Covid-19). This was a general public health emergency but many people with disabilities might have been particularly affected. Objective This paper aims to investigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) and their families. Methods 110 parents of children with CP (aged 2 to 19) who completed a questionnaire were included. These children were under the care of one of the Italian Children Rehabilitation Centers. Socio-demographic and clinical information about patients and their families were collected. In addition, difficulties on adopting protective measures and in respecting lockdown rules by children were explored. We adopted the ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health) framework to create multiple choice questions. Descriptive statistics were reported and logistic regression analyses were run in order to identify the predictors of perceived impairment in motor, speech, manual and behavioral abilities. Results Daily activities of children, as well as rehabilitation and fitness sessions, underwent a change during the pandemic. Spending more time with family due to lockdown measures, has had, in some cases a positive effect however there was a perceived decrease in rehabilitation support and school activities. The age range (between 7 and 12 years) and difficulty in respecting rules emerged as significant predictors of the perceived impairment due to Covid-19 pandemic. Conclusions The pandemic has had different impacts on children and their families on the basis of children’s characteristics. Rehabilitation activities during a hypothetic lockdown should consider these characteristics.

Abstract Spectral Indices derived from multispectral remote sensing products are extensively used to monitor Earth system dynamics (e.g. vegetation dynamics, water bodies, fire regimes). The rapid increase of proposed spectral indices led to a high demand for catalogues of spectral indices and tools for their computation. However, most of these resources are either closed-source, outdated, unconnected to a catalogue or lacking a common Application Programming Interface (API). Here we present “Awesome Spectral Indices” (ASI), a standardized catalogue of spectral indices for Earth system research. ASI provides a comprehensive machine readable catalogue of spectral indices, which is linked to a Python library. ASI delivers a broad set of attributes for each spectral index, including names, formulas, and source references. The catalogue can be extended by the user community, ensuring that ASI remains current and enabling a wider range of scientific applications. Furthermore, the Python library enables the application of the catalogue to real-world data and thereby facilitates the efficient use of remote sensing resources in multiple Earth system domains.

IntroductionThe relevance of rehabilitation in progressive neurological disorders, such as Friedreich’s Ataxia (FRDA), has yet to be convincingly proven. FRDA is characterized by ataxia, loss of gait, scoliosis, cardiomyopathy, dysarthria and dysphagia, with reduced life expectancy. The disease onset is usually in adolescence, leading to progressive disability. Omaveloxolone has been recently approved as the first pharmacological treatment for FRDA in adults and adolescents aged 16 years and older. Regarding non-pharmacological therapies, neurorehabilitation is a valuable aid in addressing the symptoms and in maintaining the residual functioning. We performed a prospective observational cohort study to evaluate the efficacy of inpatient rehabilitation (IR) for people with FRDA.MethodsA total of 42 individuals (29 adults and 13 children) with FRDA were recruited. There were 27 ambulant and 15 non-ambulant participants. The patients underwent IR of 3 and 4 weeks in children and adults, respectively. The IR treatment was designed to be applied within a multidisciplinary setting, so FRDA patients underwent, in addition to physiotherapy, also occupational therapy, practical manual activities and psychological support aiming to enhance transferable skills useful in the activities of daily living. The primary outcome was the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA). Other measures were: Friedreich Ataxia Rating Scale (FARS) and Nine Hole Peg Test (NHPT). Furthermore, we used the 6 Minute Walk Test (6MWT), the Timed Up and Go (TUG) and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) only on ambulant subjects. Outcomes were evaluated at baseline and at the end of the treatment.ResultsWe report that the IR significantly improves motor performance and ataxia symptoms in patients with FRDA. Our study shows significant functional improvement in all the outcome measures used, except for NHPT bilaterally. FARS and SARA scores post-IR are significatively reduced when compared (p