Correction: Gender imbalances in the editorial activities of a selective journal run by academic editors.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

SchoolAIR: A Citizen Science IoT Framework Using Low-Cost Sensing for Indoor Air Quality Management.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) problems in school environments are very common and have significant impacts on students' performance, development and health. Indoor air conditions depend on the adopted ventilation practices, which in Mediterranean countries are essentially based on natural ventilation controlled through manual window opening. Citizen science projects directed to school communities are effective strategies to promote awareness and knowledge acquirement on IAQ and adequate ventilation management.

Gender imbalances in the editorial activities of a selective journal run by academic editors.

The fairness of decisions made at various stages of the publication process is an important topic in meta-research. Here, based on an analysis of data on the gender of authors, editors and reviewers for 23,876 initial submissions and 7,192 full submissions to the journal eLife, we report on five stages of the publication process. We find that the board of reviewing editors (BRE) is men-dominant (69%) and that authors disproportionately suggest male editors when making an initial submission.

Isolation of Mixed Compositions of Cellulose Nanocrystals, Microcrystalline Cellulose, and Lignin Nanoparticles from Wood Pulps.

From a circular economy perspective, one-pot strategies for the isolation of cellulose nanomaterials at a high yield and with multifunctional properties are attractive. Here, the effects of lignin content (bleached vs unbleached softwood kraft pulp) and sulfuric acid concentration on the properties of crystalline lignocellulose isolates and their films are explored. Hydrolysis at 58 wt % sulfuric acid resulted in both cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and microcrystalline cellulose at a relatively high yield (>55%), whereas hydrolysis at 64 wt % gave CNCs at a lower yield (<20%).

The effect of hearing loss on age-related differences in neural distinctiveness.

Age differences in cognitive performance have been shown to be overestimated if age-related hearing loss is not taken into account. Here, we investigated the role of age-related hearing loss on age differences in functional brain organization by assessing its impact on previously reported age differences in neural differentiation. To this end, we analyzed the data of 36 younger adults, 21 older adults with clinically normal hearing, and 21 older adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss who had taken part in a functional localizer task comprising visual (i.

Top-down modulation of visual cortical processing after transient congenital blindness.

Early visual experience has been shown to be critical for the development of visual and multisensory functions; however, its impact on functional brain organization remains largely unexplored. Here, we therefore investigated the effect of early visual deprivation on top-down attentional modulation of visual cortical processing within the occipito-temporal cortex. Furthermore, we explored whether early visual deprivation may affect the extent to which typically visual, motion-selective area hMT responds to moving visual stimuli.

Audiovisual spatial recalibration but not integration is shaped by early sensory experience.

To clarify the role of sensory experience during early development for adult multisensory learning capabilities, we probed audiovisual spatial processing in human individuals who had been born blind because of dense congenital cataracts (CCs) and who subsequently had received cataract removal surgery, some not before adolescence or adulthood. Their ability to integrate audio-visual input and to recalibrate multisensory spatial representations was compared to normally sighted control participants and individuals with a history of developmental (later onset) cataracts. Results in CC individuals revealed both normal multisensory integration in audiovisual trials (ventriloquism effect) and normal recalibration of unimodal auditory localization following audiovisual discrepant exposure (ventriloquism aftereffect) as observed in the control groups.

Typical resting-state activity of the brain requires visual input during an early sensitive period.

Sensory deprivation, following a total loss of one sensory modality e.g. vision, has been demonstrated to result in compensatory plasticity.

Sight restoration in congenitally blind humans does not restore visual brain structure.

It is unknown whether impaired brain structure after congenital blindness is reversible if sight is restored later in life. Using structural magnetic resonance imaging, visual cortical surface area and cortical thickness were assessed in a large group of 21 sight-recovery individuals who had been born blind and who months or years later gained sight through cataract removal surgery. As control groups, we included 27 normally sighted individuals, 10 individuals with permanent congenital blindness, and 11 sight-recovery individuals with a late onset of cataracts.

Effects of Low-Intensity and Long-Term Aerobic Exercise on the Psoas Muscle of Mice: An Experimental Model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a muscle disease characterized by the absence of the protein dystrophin, which causes a loss of sarcolemma integrity, determining recurrent muscle injuries, decrease in muscle function, and progressive degeneration. Currently, there is a need for therapeutic treatments to improve the quality of life of DMD patients. Here, we investigated the effects of a low-intensity aerobic training (37 sessions) on satellite cells, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator (PGC)-1α protein (PGC-1α), and different types of fibers of the psoas muscle from mice (DMD experimental model).

Looking at crime-communities and physical spaces: A curated dataset.

This article describes a curated dataset entitled "Looking at Crime: Communities and Physical Spaces", which comprises data from different sources, namely Diagnosis of Local Security (DLS), Diagnosis of School Environment (DSE) and observation of physical spaces. The main topic covered was crime and related variables at the Historic Centre of Porto (HCP), a well-known urban area located in the North of Portugal. It is currently attended by inhabitants, workers, students and tourists.

Drosophila Evolution over Space and Time (DEST): A New Population Genomics Resource.

Drosophila melanogaster is a leading model in population genetics and genomics, and a growing number of whole-genome data sets from natural populations of this species have been published over the last years. A major challenge is the integration of disparate data sets, often generated using different sequencing technologies and bioinformatic pipelines, which hampers our ability to address questions about the evolution of this species. Here we address these issues by developing a bioinformatics pipeline that maps pooled sequencing (Pool-Seq) reads from D.

The effect of congenital blindness on resting-state functional connectivity revisited.

Lower resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) between 'visual' and non-'visual' neural circuits has been reported as a hallmark of congenital blindness. In sighted individuals, RSFC between visual and non-visual brain regions has been shown to increase during rest with eyes closed relative to rest with eyes open. To determine the role of visual experience on the modulation of RSFC by resting state condition-as well as to evaluate the effect of resting state condition on group differences in RSFC-, we compared RSFC between visual and somatosensory/auditory regions in congenitally blind individuals (n = 9) and sighted participants (n = 9) during eyes open and eyes closed conditions.

The size-weight illusion is unimpaired in individuals with a history of congenital visual deprivation.

Visual deprivation in childhood can lead to lifelong impairments in multisensory processing. Here, the Size-Weight Illusion (SWI) was used to test whether visuo-haptic integration recovers after early visual deprivation. Normally sighted individuals perceive larger objects to be lighter than smaller objects of the same weight.

The Neural Correlates of Visual and Auditory Cross-Modal Selective Attention in Aging.

Age-related deficits in selective attention have been demonstrated to depend on the sensory modality through which targets and distractors are presented. Some of these investigations suggest a specific impairment of cross-modal auditory selective attention. For the first time, this study is taking on a whole brain approach while including a passive perception baseline, to investigate the neural underpinnings of selective attention across age groups, and taking the sensory modality of relevant and irrelevant (i.

Neural mechanisms of visual sensitive periods in humans.

Sensitive periods in brain development are phases of enhanced susceptibility to experience. Here we discuss research from human and non-human neuroscience studies which have demonstrated a) differences in the way infants vs. adults learn; b) how the brain adapts to atypical conditions, in particular a congenital vs.

Genomic Analysis of European Drosophila melanogaster Populations Reveals Longitudinal Structure, Continent-Wide Selection, and Previously Unknown DNA Viruses.

Genetic variation is the fuel of evolution, with standing genetic variation especially important for short-term evolution and local adaptation. To date, studies of spatiotemporal patterns of genetic variation in natural populations have been challenging, as comprehensive sampling is logistically difficult, and sequencing of entire populations costly. Here, we address these issues using a collaborative approach, sequencing 48 pooled population samples from 32 locations, and perform the first continent-wide genomic analysis of genetic variation in European Drosophila melanogaster.

Considerations on the monitoring of water quality in urban streams: a case study in Portugal.

Monitoring water quality in urban stream is of utmost importance for water resources managers, who are pressured to optimize monitoring schemes in order to reduce costs. The present study aims to use the results of a 2-year-long water quality monitoring program of an urban stream in Portugal to identify improvement opportunities. The urban stream under study was subjected to wastewater treatment plants effluent discharges, leachates from a major sealed landfill, low-class housing effluents, and nonpoint sources of pollution.

Effectiveness of Two Dietary Approaches on the Quality of Life and Gastrointestinal Symptoms of Individuals with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

To evaluate the effectiveness of a low FODMAP (fermentable oligosaccharides, monosaccharaides, disaccharides and polyols) diet in the relief of symptoms and an improvement of the quality of life in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome in comparison to a standard diet according to the British Dietetic Association's guidelines. A non-randomized clinical trial of adult patients with IBS was compared two diet interventions. An assessment of symptoms, quality of life, and nutritional status was performed before and after the four-week mark of intervention.

Monitoring Work Ability Index During a Two-Year Period Among Portuguese Municipality Workers.

In Portugal, little is known about the work ability profiles of municipal workers and their changes during working life. In order to characterize and understand the changes in work ability among municipal workers, a prospective study was designed to begin in 2015 in the municipality of Sintra, in the surroundings of Lisbon, and to collect data every two years. The present paper aims at characterizing the changes in the work ability of those workers between 2015 and 2017 and to identify the main predictors.

Dynamic Interactions Between the Genome and an Endogenous Retrovirus: in Wild-Type Strains.

All genomes contain repeated sequences that are known as transposable elements (TEs). Among these are endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), which are sequences similar to retroviruses and are transmitted across generations from parent to progeny. These sequences are controlled in genomes through epigenetic mechanisms.

Disregarding hearing loss leads to overestimation of age-related cognitive decline.

Aging is associated with cognitive and sensory decline. While several studies have indicated greater cognitive decline among older adults with hearing loss, the extent to which age-related differences in cognitive processing may have been overestimated due to group differences in sensory processing has remained unclear. We addressed this question by comparing younger adults, older adults with good hearing, and older adults with poor hearing in several cognitive domains: working memory, selective attention, processing speed, inhibitory control, and abstract reasoning.

Activated Protein C Drives the Hyperfibrinolysis of Acute Traumatic Coagulopathy.

Background: Major trauma is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide with hemorrhage accounting for 40% of deaths. Acute traumatic coagulopathy exacerbates bleeding, but controversy remains over the degree to which inhibition of procoagulant pathways (anticoagulation), fibrinogen loss, and fibrinolysis drive the pathologic process. Through a combination of experimental study in a murine model of trauma hemorrhage and human observation, the authors' objective was to determine the predominant pathophysiology of acute traumatic coagulopathy.

Persisting Cross-Modal Changes in Sight-Recovery Individuals Modulate Visual Perception.

Recent neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that a brief period of congenital blindness induces long-lasting reorganization within the visual cortex of sight-recovery humans [1, 2]. However, the behavioral consequences of this cross-modal reorganization are not yet known. Here we investigated this question by examining the transfer of motion aftereffects across the visual and auditory modalities within six individuals who had been born blind due to dense bilateral cataracts and regained sight when they were treated at 5-24 months of age.

Selective Attention and Sensory Modality in Aging: Curses and Blessings.

The notion that selective attention is compromised in older adults as a result of impaired inhibitory control is well established. Yet it is primarily based on empirical findings covering the visual modality. Auditory and especially, cross-modal selective attention are remarkably underexposed in the literature on aging.