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Objective: Despite public health efforts, most children in the USA do not meet nutrition and physical activity guidelines. Moreover, there are nutrition-related health disparities between non-Hispanic and Hispanic communities. Caregivers are critical role models that shape health behaviours in children. To promote healthy behaviours, health promotion interventions must consider the entire family unit. This study aimed to assess the impact of parent's health behaviours on children's health behaviours in a sample of non-Hispanic and Hispanic low-income parents. Design: A mixed-methods design was used to identify how parent health behaviours including fruit and vegetable intake, beverage intake, physical activity, and screen time influence corresponding child health behaviours. In addition, the study aimed to investigate whether the strength of association between parent and child health behaviours varied as a function of ethnicity. Survey data and semi-structured qualitative interviews were utilised for the analyses. Setting: The study was a part of the Culture of Wellness in Preschools Programme, a multi-level obesity prevention programme. The data were obtained from the parent wellness workshops, a direct education intervention aimed at increasing fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity among parents and their children. Data Analysis: The quantitative analyses utilised survey data from the Family Wellness pre-survey. Hierarchical linear regression models assessed the relationship between parent-child-health behaviours. Interaction terms were created to understand if this relationship varied as a function of ethnicity. Data from qualitative interviews were analysed using thematic analysis to gain an in-depth understanding of the relationship between parent and child health behaviours. Results: Parent health behaviours significantly predicted child health behaviours across all models, and these relationships did not vary as a function of ethnicity. The quantitative data were supported by the qualitative analysis: parents modelled health behaviours and thus influenced their child's health behaviour through a variety of mechanisms. Conclusion: Future efforts to promote a healthy lifestyle in children should engage with both family practices and the wider social context.

Abstract The construction industry significantly impacts the environment through natural resource depletion and energy consumption, leading to environmental degradation. Circular Economy (CE) material efficiency strategies—such as material reuse, design for disassembly, prefabrication, and recycling—offer promising solutions for reducing resource consumption and waste. This paper explores stakeholders’ perspectives on the costs and benefits of implementing CE material efficiency strategies in the construction industry, using the 3-R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) framework. By analyzing data from 382 participants, it assesses perceptions of costs and benefits, uncovering regional differences. The findings highlight that studied European stakeholders prioritize reuse and design for disassembly, while studied non-European countries focus on offsite production and material reuse optimization. Despite these differences, both groups view waste reduction as a key benefit, due to the cost savings it provides. By highlighting regional drivers and barriers to CE adoption, this research establishes a foundation for developing targeted policies and collaborative strategies to advance CE implementation in construction worldwide.

Abstract Background Moral outrage (MO) is an emotional experience that arises in situations where a moral standard is violated. Despite its relevance, there are few psychometric studies in the Latin American context, characterized by inequality and social problems. This highlights the need for specific assessment instruments for this construct. The purpose of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of an MO scale in the Peruvian population. Methods The sample consisted of 881 Peruvians (57.2% women, Mage = 24.5 years, SD = 9.07 years). The moral outrage scale was administered to participants. To analyze the data, two models were tested: a structural equation model (SEM) and an exploratory structural equation model (ESEM). Results The CFA confirmed a two-factor model (emotional and cognitive), with satisfactory fit indices and standardized factor loadings greater than 0.70. The ESEM model also showed improved fit indices. Measurement invariance across sex was established, and convergent validity was demonstrated between the dimensions of MO and authoritarianism, as well as other sociodemographic variables such as sex, age, and socioeconomic level. Conclusions The MO scale tested in this study is a reliable, valid, and invariant instrument, suitable for assessing moral outrage in both men and women within the Peruvian context.

The city of Arequipa, the second most important city in Perú, faces numerous daunting challenges, including high-intensity but short-in-duration rainfalls that leads to floods and the swelling of the Chili River (mud and landslides). This situation aggravates the vulnerability of the population settled on the margins of the gorges and gullies, due to little or no territorial planning from public institutions. The local news evidence negligence every year, both in terms of human lives and infrastructure loss. The frequency of these events has increased with time and that is the reason for prompting the establishment of rainfall thresholds and the compilation of a 41-year record (1981-2021), with the aim of informing about the dangerousness of an adverse meteorological phenomenon, either predicted or in progress. For the hydrological model, the authors used the highest 24-hour precipitation data from the SENAMHI's stations (National Service of Meteorology and Hydrology of Peru) to generate the liquid hydrograph for different return periods with the Hydrologic model of HEC-HMS. Soil mechanics studies were also carried out to determine the rheological parameters of the non-Newtonian flow and then calibrate through historical events in a hydraulic model of HEC-RAS. Finally, cartographic maps in QGIS were prepared to evaluate the hazard zones flooding in the Del Pato, San Lázaro, Venezuela and Los Incas gullies.

Abstract In high-altitude regions, such as the Peruvian Andes, understanding the transformation of precipitation types under climate change is critical to the sustainability of water resources and the survival of glaciers. In this study, we investigate the distribution and types of precipitation on a tropical glacier in the Peruvian Central Andes. We utilized data from an optical-laser disdrometer and compact weather station installed at 4709 m ASL, combined with future climate scenarios from the CMIP6 project, to model potential future changes in precipitation types. Our findings highlight that increasing temperatures could lead to significant reductions in solid-phase precipitation, including snow, graupel and hail, with implications for the mass balance of Andean glaciers. For instance, a 2 °C rise might result in less than 10% of precipitation as solid, in regard to the present day, transforming the hydrological processes of the region. The two future climate scenarios from the CMIP6 project, SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5, offer a broad perspective on potential climate outcomes that could impact precipitation patterns in the Andes. Our study underscores the need to revisit and expand our understanding of high-altitude precipitation in the face of climate change, paving the way for improved water resource management strategies and sustainable glacier preservation efforts in these fragile ecosystems.

Abstract Background Reduction of adult hippocampal neurogenesis is an early critical event in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), contributing to progressive memory loss and cognitive decline. Reduced levels of the nucleoporin 153 (Nup153), a key epigenetic regulator of NSC stemness, characterize the neural stem cells isolated from a mouse model of AD (3×Tg) (AD-NSCs) and determine their altered plasticity and gene expression. Methods Nup153-regulated mechanisms contributing to NSC function were investigated: (1) in cultured NSCs isolated from AD and wild type (WT) mice by proteomics; (2) in vivo by lentiviral-mediated delivery of Nup153 or GFP in the hippocampus of AD and control mice analyzing neurogenesis and cognitive function; (3) in human iPSC-derived brain organoids obtained from AD patients and control subjects as a model of neurodevelopment. Results Proteomic approach identified Nup153 interactors in WT- and AD-NSCs potentially implicated in neurogenesis regulation. Gene ontology (GO) analysis showed that Nup153-bound proteins in WT-NSCs were involved in RNA metabolism, nuclear import and epigenetic mechanisms. Nup153-bound proteins in AD-NSCs were involved in pathways of neurodegeneration, mitochondrial dysfunction, proteasomal processing and RNA degradation. Furthermore, recovery of Nup153 levels in AD-NSCs reduced the levels of oxidative stress markers and recovered proteasomal activity. Lentiviral-mediated delivery of Nup153 in the hippocampal niche of AD mice increased the proliferation of early progenitors, marked by BrdU/DCX and BrdU/PSANCAM positivity and, later, the integration of differentiating neurons in the cell granule layer (BrdU/NeuN+ cells) compared with GFP-injected AD mice. Consistently, Nup153-injected AD mice showed an improvement of cognitive performance in comparison to AD-GFP mice at 1 month after virus delivery assessed by Morris Water Maze. To validate the role of Nup153 in neurogenesis we took advantage of brain organoids derived from AD-iPSCs characterized by fewer neuroepithelial progenitor loops and reduced differentiation areas. The upregulation of Nup153 in AD organoids recovered the formation of neural-like tubes and differentiation. Conclusions Our data suggest that the positive effect of Nup153 on neurogenesis is based on a complex regulatory network orchestrated by Nup153 and that this protein is a valuable disease target.

Abstract The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered a global wheat price spike and food insecurities in import-dependent countries. We combine an analysis of the global wheat supply network with an agricultural commodity price model to investigate national impaired supplies and the global annual wheat price hike, respectively, for the trade year 2022. Using a scenario analysis, we show that international cooperation manifested in the Black Sea Grain and Solidarity Lanes initiatives and the removal of export restrictions may have mitigated the 2022 price hike by 13 percentage points. In a worst case scenario – characterized by multi-breadbasket harvest failures, escalating export restrictions, and blocked Ukrainian exports – wheat price increases by 90% compared to the 2000–2020 average. Coping strategies – such as food-secure countries dispersing stocks, reducing wheat as feed, or boosting wheat production – are effective at mitigating the price spike in simplified scenarios. Our findings underscore the imperative of coordinated policy responses to avoid global food supply disruptions.

Abstract Herbivorous insects alter biogeochemical cycling within forests, but the magnitude of these impacts, their global variation, and drivers of this variation remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap and help improve biogeochemical models, we established a global network of 74 plots within 40 mature, undisturbed broadleaved forests. We analyzed freshly senesced and green leaves for carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and silica concentrations, foliar production and herbivory, and stand-level nutrient fluxes. We show more nutrient release by insect herbivores at non-outbreak levels in tropical forests than temperate and boreal forests, that these fluxes increase strongly with mean annual temperature, and that they exceed atmospheric deposition inputs in some localities. Thus, background levels of insect herbivory are sufficiently large to both alter ecosystem element cycling and influence terrestrial carbon cycling. Further, climate can affect interactions between natural populations of plants and herbivores with important consequences for global biogeochemical cycles across broadleaved forests.

Abstract Miombo woodlands are integral to livelihoods across southern Africa, biodiversity in the region, and the global carbon cycle, making accurate and precise monitoring of their state and change essential. Here, we assembled a terrestrial and airborne lidar dataset covering 50 kha of intact and degraded miombo woodlands, and generated aboveground biomass estimates with low uncertainty via direct 3D measurements of forest structure. We found 1.71 ± 0.09 TgC was stored in aboveground biomass across this landscape, between 1.5 and 2.2 times more than the 0.79–1.14 TgC estimated by conventional methods. This difference is in part owing to the systematic underestimation of large trees by allometry. If these results were extrapolated across Africa’s miombo woodlands, their carbon stock would potentially require an upward revision of approximately 3.7 PgC, implying we currently underestimate their carbon sequestration and emissions potential, and disincentivise their protection and restoration.

“Una Salud” es un enfoque multidisciplinario que integra la salud animal, humana y ambiental, por medio de estrategias para la detección temprana de enfermedades, como la vigilancia de salud en fauna silvestre. El objetivo de este trabajo fue emplear estas estrategias en tres Parques Nacionales de Argentina y sus zonas de interfaz. Se realizaron muestreos oportunistas de animales muertos y/o enfermos hallados durante recorridas o reportados por la comunidad local, complementando el registro de casos con la aplicación móvil “Marandu”. En paralelo se realizaron muestreos sistemáticos de microroedores, murciélagos, artrópodos vectores y matrices ambientales. Las muestras fueron analizadas mediante técnicas específicas para la detección de patógenos y plaguicidas. Se muestrearon 119 mamíferos muertos de diferentes especies, 406 microroedores y 279 murciélagos vivos, y se colectaron 629 artrópodos y 263 muestras ambientales. Los diagnósticos revelaron la presencia de Trypanosoma sp., T. evansi, T. theileri, Anaplasma marginale, Theileria cervi y más de 15 plaguicidas en ambiente y en tejidos animales. Estos resultados subrayan la importancia de una vigilancia continua e integrada para prevenir y controlar enfermedades emergentes y escenarios de contaminación ambiental.

When processing lucuma (Pouteria lucuma), waste such as shells and seeds is generated, which is a source of bioactive compounds. Recently, lucuma seed (LS), especially its oily fraction, has been studied for containing phytosterols and tocopherols, powerful antioxidants with health benefits. This study proposes lucuma seed oil (LSO) extraction using supercritical fluid (SCF) to improve the quality of the extract and minimize the environmental impact. LS was previously characterized, and the extraction parameters were optimized using a Box-Behnken design, considering temperature (40–60°C), pressure (100–300 bar), and CO2 flow rate (3–7 mL/min), applying the response surface methodology (RSM) and neural networks with genetic algorithm (ANN+GA). The optimal parameters were 45°C, 300 bar, and 6 mL/min, obtaining 97.35% of the total oil content. The RSM and ANN+GA models showed R2 values of 0.9891 and 0.9999 respectively, indicating that both models exhibited a good fit to the experimental data. However, ANN+GA provided a greater proportion of the total variability, which facilitates the identification of the optimal parameters for the extraction of oil from lucuma seeds. Compared to the Soxhlet method, the LSO obtained by SCF presented better acidity (4.127 mg KOH/g), iodine (100.294 g I2/100 g), and refraction indices (1.4710), as well as to a higher content of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Supercritical CO2 extraction is presented as a sustainable green alternative to Soxhlet extraction for extracting oil from lucuma seed due to its high extraction efficiency and similar fatty acid profile.

ABSTRACT Extracellular vesicles (EV), key players in cell-to-cell communication, may contribute to disease propagation in several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), by favoring the dissemination of neurotoxic proteins within the brain. Interestingly, growing evidence supports the role of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection in the pathogenesis of AD. Here, we investigated whether HSV-1 infection could promote the spread of phosphorylated tau (ptau) among neurons via EV. We analyzed the ptau species that were secreted via EV following HSV-1 infection in neuroblastoma cells and primary neurons, focusing particularly on T205, T181, and T217, the phosphorylation sites mainly associated with AD. Moreover, by overexpressing human tau tagged with GFP (htauGFP), we found that recipient tau knockout (KO) neurons uptook EV that are loaded with HSV-1-induced phtauGFP. Finally, we exploited an in vivo model of acute infection and assessed that cerebral HSV-1 infection promotes the release of ptau via EV in the brain of infected mice. Overall, our data suggest that, following HSV-1 infection, EV play a role in tau spreading within the brain, thus contributing to neurodegeneration.IMPORTANCEHerpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection that reaches the brain has been repeatedly linked with the appearance of the pathognomonic markers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), including accumulation of amyloid beta and hyperphosphorylated tau proteins, and cognitive deficits. AD is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disease representing the most common form of dementia in the elderly, and no cure is currently available, thus prompting additional investigation on potential risk factors and pathological mechanisms. Here, we demonstrate that the virus exploits the extracellular vesicles (EV) to disseminate phosphorylated tau (ptau) among brain cells. Importantly, we provide evidence that the HSV-1-induced EV-bearing ptau can be undertaken by recipient neurons, thus likely contributing to misfolding and aggregation of native tau, as reported for other AD models. Hence, our data highlight a novel mechanism exploited by HSV-1 to propagate tau-related damage in the brain.