Floodplain forests drive fruit-eating fish diversity at the Amazon Basin-scale.

Unlike most rivers globally, nearly all lowland Amazonian rivers have unregulated flow, supporting seasonally flooded floodplain forests. Floodplain forests harbor a unique tree species assemblage adapted to flooding and specialized fauna, including fruit-eating fish that migrate seasonally into floodplains, favoring expansive floodplain areas. Frugivorous fish are forest-dependent fauna critical to forest regeneration via seed dispersal and support commercial and artisanal fisheries.

Effects of Betaine and Polydextrose on Intestinal Microbiota and Liver Ergothioneine in a High-Fat Diet-Fed Mouse Model and a Human Colonic Simulation Model.

Background/objectives: Ergothioneine (EGT) is an effective antioxidant that animals cannot produce and has an important anti-inflammatory role in cell protection, which can help lower the risk of various diseases. In this study, we investigated the potential role of gut microbiota in the production of EGT, which was found to increase in the mouse liver after dietary supplementation with betaine (BET) or polydextrose (PDX).

Methods: The effects of BET and PDX on the gut microbiota and tissue EGT content were investigated using a diet-induced obese mouse model and simulated fermentation in the human colon.

Work Systems Factors Associated With Burnout in Sonographers Working in the United States and Canada.

Objective: Burnout in sonographers is a prevalent and complex professional hazard associated with poorer quality of work life, productivity, and patient outcomes. This study aimed to understand the prevalence of and work systems factors associated with burnout among a large sample of sonographers.

Materials And Methods: Research study registry participants (n=3659) were invited to complete a follow-up survey about personal and work environment factors, including work hours, break time, coworker and supervisor support, and job satisfaction, overall health, and sleep quality.

Public advocates, private advisors: the autonomy, function, and influence of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

US national expert advisory bodies related to science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy have a wide range of missions, governing structures, operational practices, cultures, and impact on federal policymaking. This paper offers an analytical framework for assessing the autonomy, function, and influence of of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), a federal advisory committee consisting of 30 elite scientists, engineers, and industry leaders appointed by and advising the president. We demonstrate that PCAST carries both a strong instrumental advisory role, providing substantive advice to White House STI policy development, and a significant symbolic advisory role, offering visible public support to presidential decisions and initiatives related to STI.

High H Solubility of Perfluorocarbon Solvents and Their Use in Reversible Polarization Transfer from -Hydrogen.

This research uses perfluorocarbons (PFCs) as effective alternatives to traditional toxic solvents in reversible -hydrogen-induced polarization (PHIP) for NMR signal enhancement. Hydrogen solubility in PFCs is shown here to be an order of magnitude higher than in typical organic solvents by determination of Henry's constants. We demonstrate how this high H solubility enables the PFCs to deliver substantial polarization transfer from -hydrogen, achieving up to 2400-fold signal gains for H NMR detection and 67,000-fold (22% polarization) for N NMR detection at 9.