Pathways and drivers of canopy accession across primary temperate forests of Europe.

Canopy accession strategies reveal much about tree life histories and forest stand dynamics. However, the protracted nature of ascending to the canopy makes direct observation challenging. We use a reconstructive approach based on an extensive tree ring database to study the variability of canopy accession patterns of dominant tree species (Abies alba, Acer pseudoplatanus, Fagus sylvatica, Picea abies) in temperate mountain forests of Europe and elucidate how disturbance histories, climate, and topography affect canopy accession.

Importance of conserving large and old trees to continuity of tree-related microhabitats.

Protecting structural features, such as tree-related microhabitats (TreMs), is a cost-effective tool crucial for biodiversity conservation applicable to large forested landscapes. Although the development of TreMs is influenced by tree diameter, species, and vitality, the relationships between tree age and TreM profile remain poorly understood. Using a tree-ring-based approach and a large data set of 8038 trees, we modeled the effects of tree age, diameter, and site characteristics on TreM richness and occurrence across some of the most intact primary temperate forests in Europe, including mixed beech and spruce forests.

Large old trees increase growth under shifting climatic constraints: Aligning tree longevity and individual growth dynamics in primary mountain spruce forests.

In a world of accelerating changes in environmental conditions driving tree growth, tradeoffs between tree growth rate and longevity could curtail the abundance of large old trees (LOTs), with potentially dire consequences for biodiversity and carbon storage. However, the influence of tree-level tradeoffs on forest structure at landscape scales will also depend on disturbances, which shape tree size and age distribution, and on whether LOTs can benefit from improved growing conditions due to climate warming. We analyzed temporal and spatial variation in radial growth patterns from ~5000 Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.

Are Psychophysiological Wearables Suitable for Comparing Pedagogical Teaching Approaches?

This study describes how wearable devices can be used in elementary schools to compare some aspects of different teaching approaches. Upper arm wearables were used as an objective tool to compare three approaches when teaching science: (i) classical frontal teaching, (ii) embodied (kinesthetic) teaching, and (iii) a distance teaching approach. Using the wearables, the approaches were compared in terms of their impact on students' psychological arousal and perceived well-being.

Natural disturbance impacts on trade-offs and co-benefits of forest biodiversity and carbon.

With accelerating environmental change, understanding forest disturbance impacts on trade-offs between biodiversity and carbon dynamics is of high socio-economic importance. Most studies, however, have assessed immediate or short-term effects of disturbance, while long-term impacts remain poorly understood. Using a tree-ring-based approach, we analysed the effect of 250 years of disturbances on present-day biodiversity indicators and carbon dynamics in primary forests.

Recommended reporting items for epidemic forecasting and prediction research: The EPIFORGE 2020 guidelines.

Background: The importance of infectious disease epidemic forecasting and prediction research is underscored by decades of communicable disease outbreaks, including COVID-19. Unlike other fields of medical research, such as clinical trials and systematic reviews, no reporting guidelines exist for reporting epidemic forecasting and prediction research despite their utility. We therefore developed the EPIFORGE checklist, a guideline for standardized reporting of epidemic forecasting research.

Students’ Achievements in Solving Authentic Tasks with 3D Dynamic Sub-Microscopic Animations About Specific States of Water and their Transition.

This paper aims to identify differences in the justification of the selection of 3D dynamic submicroscopic-representation (SMR) of the solid and liquid states of water, as well as the freezing of water presented in selected authentic tasks. According to students' achievements in solving these tasks at different levels of education, their explanations were identified. To explain in greater detail how students attempted to solve the authentic tasks, an eye-tracking method was used to identify the differences in the total fixation durations on specific areas of interest at the specific SMRs between successful and unsuccessful students in three age groups.

Identification and evaluation of epidemic prediction and forecasting reporting guidelines: A systematic review and a call for action.

Introduction: High quality epidemic forecasting and prediction are critical to support response to local, regional and global infectious disease threats. Other fields of biomedical research use consensus reporting guidelines to ensure standardization and quality of research practice among researchers, and to provide a framework for end-users to interpret the validity of study results. The purpose of this study was to determine whether guidelines exist specifically for epidemic forecast and prediction publications.

Using "outbreak science" to strengthen the use of models during epidemics.

Infectious disease modeling has played a prominent role in recent outbreaks, yet integrating these analyses into public health decision-making has been challenging. We recommend establishing ‘outbreak science’ as an inter-disciplinary field to improve applied epidemic modeling.

GeriMedRisk, a telemedicine geriatric pharmacology consultation service to address adverse drug events in long-term care: a stepped-wedge cluster randomized feasibility trial protocol (ISRCTN17219647).

Background: Multimorbidity, polypharmacy, and older age predispose seniors to adverse drug events (ADE). Seniors with an ADE experience greater morbidity, mortality, and health care utilization compared to their younger counterparts. To mitigate and manage ADEs among this vulnerable population, we designed a geriatric pharmacology consultation service connecting clinicians with specialist physicians and pharmacists and will investigate the feasibility and acceptability of this complex intervention in the long-term care setting, prior to conducting a larger efficacy trial.

Human Sentinel Surveillance of Influenza and Other Respiratory Viral Pathogens in Border Areas of Western Cambodia.

Little is known about circulation of influenza and other respiratory viruses in remote populations along the Thai-Cambodia border in western Cambodia. We screened 586 outpatients (median age 5, range 1-77) presenting with influenza-like-illness (ILI) at 4 sentinel sites in western Cambodia between May 2010 and December 2012. Real-time reverse transcriptase (rRT) PCR for influenza was performed on combined nasal and throat specimens followed by viral culture, antigenic analysis, antiviral susceptibility testing and full genome sequencing for phylogenetic analysis.

Ethics, Human Use, and the Department of Defense Serum Repository.

The Department of Defense Serum Repository (DoDSR) contains a growing archive of sera from service members collected to perform medical surveillance, clinical diagnosis, and epidemiologic studies to identify, prevent, and control diseases associated with military service. The specimens are a mandatory collection under DoD and U.S.

Using Social Media for Actionable Disease Surveillance and Outbreak Management: A Systematic Literature Review.

Objective: Research studies show that social media may be valuable tools in the disease surveillance toolkit used for improving public health professionals' ability to detect disease outbreaks faster than traditional methods and to enhance outbreak response. A social media work group, consisting of surveillance practitioners, academic researchers, and other subject matter experts convened by the International Society for Disease Surveillance, conducted a systematic primary literature review using the PRISMA framework to identify research, published through February 2013, answering either of the following questions: Can social media be integrated into disease surveillance practice and outbreak management to support and improve public health?Can social media be used to effectively target populations, specifically vulnerable populations, to test an intervention and interact with a community to improve health outcomes?Examples of social media included are Facebook, MySpace, microblogs (e.g.

Safety and Efficacy of Rocuronium With Sugammadex Reversal Versus Succinylcholine in Outpatient Surgery-A Multicenter, Randomized, Safety Assessor-Blinded Trial.

Complex surgical procedures are increasingly performed in an outpatient setting, with emphasis on rapid recovery and case turnover. In this study, the combination of rocuronium for neuromuscular blockade (NMB) reversed by single-dose sugammadex was compared with succinylcholine followed by spontaneous recovery in outpatient surgery. This multicenter, randomized, safety assessor-blinded study enrolled adults undergoing a short elective outpatient surgical procedure requiring NMB and tracheal intubation.

Ebola policies that hinder epidemic response by limiting scientific discourse.

There is an unprecedented epidemic of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in west Africa. There has been a strong response from dedicated health professionals. However, there have also been irrational and fear-based responses that have contributed to misallocation of resources, stigma, and deincentivizing volunteers to combat Ebola at its source.

Evidence of West Nile virus infection in Nepal.

Background: Acute febrile illness is common among those seeking medical care and is frequently treated empirically with the underlying illness remaining undiagnosed in resource-poor countries. A febrile illness study was conducted 2009-2010 to identify known and unknown pathogens circulating in Nepal.

Method: Study methods included diagnostic testing and preliminary ELISA screening of acute and convalescent samples for diseases both known and unknown to be circulating in Nepal, including West Nile virus (WNV).

A review of evaluations of electronic event-based biosurveillance systems.

Electronic event-based biosurveillance systems (EEBS's) that use near real-time information from the internet are an increasingly important source of epidemiologic intelligence. However, there has not been a systematic assessment of EEBS evaluations, which could identify key uncertainties about current systems and guide EEBS development to most effectively exploit web-based information for biosurveillance. To conduct this assessment, we searched PubMed and Google Scholar to identify peer-reviewed evaluations of EEBS's.

Association of temperature and historical dynamics of malaria in the Republic of Korea, including reemergence in 1993.

Plasmodium vivax malaria reemerged in the Republic of Korea in 1993 after it had been declared malaria free in 1979. Malaria rapidly increased and peaked in 2000 with 4,142 cases with lower but variable numbers of cases reported through 2011. We examined the association of regional climate trends over the Korean Peninsula relative to malaria cases in U.

The increases in potassium concentrations are greater with succinylcholine than with rocuronium-sugammadex in outpatient surgery: a randomized, multicentre trial.

Background: Succinylcholine provides rapid onset of neuromuscular blockade and short duration of action, but its administration may be associated with hyperkalemia. Rocuronium is not known to increase potassium concentration, has fast onset of activity, and can be rapidly reversed by sugammadex. This study evaluated changes in plasma potassium concentrations in patients randomized either to rocuronium followed by sugammadex reversal or to succinylcholine in ambulatory surgery.

Combining surveillance systems: effective merging of U.S. Veteran and military health data.

Background: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD) had more than 18 million healthcare beneficiaries in 2011.