Rare bird forecast: A combined approach using a long-term dataset of an Arctic seabird and a numerical weather prediction model.

Wildlife observation is a popular activity, and sightings of rare or difficult-to-find animals are often highly desired. However, predicting the sighting probabilities of these animals is a challenge for many observers, and it may only be possible by limited experts with intimate knowledge and skills. To tackle this difficulty, we developed user-friendly forecast systems of the daily observation probabilities of a rare Arctic seabird (Ross's Gull ) in a coastal area in northern Japan.

[The Metaverse: A New Frontier for Healthcare].

We discuss leveraging a cutting-edge technology known as the Metaverse to tackle healthcare challenges, with a particular focus on enhancing patient satisfaction and improving working conditions for medical professionals. We plan to achieve this by improving real-digital collaboration and utilizing the advantages of the Metaverse, such as novel communication and experiences and increased work efficiency and quality. This article showcases several concrete examples of Metaverse services in the medical field, as demonstrated by the "Medical Metaverse Joint Research Course" established through a collaboration between IBM and Juntendo University, and also highlights possible future prospects.

Noise pollution alters the diet composition of invertebrate consumers both in and beyond a noise-exposed grassland ecosystem.

Anthropogenic noise is ubiquitous globally. However, we know little about how the impacts of noise alter fundamental ecosystem properties, such as resource consumption by invertebrate consumers. Using experimental noise manipulation and faecal DNA metabarcoding, we assessed how the direct and cross-trophic indirect effects of noise altered the dietary richness and specializations of omnivorous grasshoppers in a grassland ecosystem.

Intentional release of native species undermines ecological stability.

The massive release of captive-bred native species ("intentional release") is a pervasive method to enhance wild populations of commercial and recreational species. However, such external inputs may disrupt the sensitive species interactions that allow competing species to coexist, potentially compromising long-term community stability. Here, we use theory and long-term data of stream fish communities to show that intentional release destabilizes community dynamics with limited demographic benefit to the enhanced species.

Quantifying the impacts of 166 years of land cover change on lowland bird communities.

Land cover change for agriculture is thought to be a major threat to global biodiversity. However, its ecological impact has rarely been quantified in the Northern Hemisphere, as broad-scale conversion to farmland mainly occurred until the 1400s-1700s in the region, limiting the availability of sufficient data. The Ishikari Lowland in Hokkaido, Japan, offers an excellent opportunity to address this issue, as hunter-gatherer lifestyles dominated this region until the mid-nineteenth century and land cover maps are available for the period of land cover changes (i.

Population-specific association of Clock gene polymorphism with annual cycle timing in stonechats.

Timing is essential for survival and reproduction of organisms across the tree of life. The core circadian clock gene Clk is involved in the regulation of annual timing events and shows highly conserved sequence homology across vertebrates except for one variable region of poly-glutamine repeats. Clk genotype varies in some species with latitude, seasonal timing and migration.

Does immunosuppressive property of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) reduce COVID-19 vaccine-induced systemic side effects?

To help stop the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, vaccines are currently the most critical tool. However, the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines frequently cause systemic side effects shortly after the injection, such as fever, headache and generalized fatigue. In our survey, after receiving the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, 80% developed fever, 62% headache and 69% generalized fatigue.

Insulin accelerates recovery from QRS complex widening in a frog heart model of hyperkalemia.

Hyperkalemia is one of the most common electrolyte disorders. By injecting various concentrations of potassium chloride (KCl) solutions intravenously into bullfrogs, we demonstrated characteristic electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities of hyperkalemia in frog hearts. The widened QRS complexes induced by 100 mM KCl injection were accompanied by an increase in the resting membrane potential in cardiomyocytes and a decreased slope of phase 0 in the action potential.

Sensory pollutants alter bird phenology and fitness across a continent.

Expansion of anthropogenic noise and night lighting across our planet is of increasing conservation concern. Despite growing knowledge of physiological and behavioural responses to these stimuli from single-species and local-scale studies, whether these pollutants affect fitness is less clear, as is how and why species vary in their sensitivity to these anthropic stressors. Here we leverage a large citizen science dataset paired with high-resolution noise and light data from across the contiguous United States to assess how these stimuli affect reproductive success in 142 bird species.

Emotion estimation using a wearable heart rate monitoring device in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) during veterinary clinical procedures.

Fatal accidents in captive elephants occasionally occur because humans are unable to gauge elephants' emotions solely by their behavior. The intellectual capacity of elephants makes them capable of understanding circumstantial changes and associated emotions, allowing them to react accordingly. Physiological markers, such as heart rate variability, may be effective in determining an elephant's emotional state.

Direct and indirect effects of noise pollution alter biological communities in and near noise-exposed environments.

Noise pollution is pervasive across every ecosystem on Earth. Although decades of research have documented a variety of negative impacts of noise to organisms, key gaps remain, such as how noise affects different taxa within a biological community and how effects of noise propagate across space. We experimentally applied traffic noise pollution to multiple roadless areas and quantified the impacts of noise on birds, grasshoppers and odonates.

Seasonality in spatial distribution: Climate and land use have contrasting effects on the species richness of breeding and wintering birds.

Aim: Many studies have examined large-scale distributions of various taxa and their drivers, emphasizing the importance of climate, topography, and land use. Most studies have dealt with distributions over a single season or annually without considering seasonality. However, animal distributions and their drivers can differ among seasons because many animals migrate to suitable climates and areas with abundant prey resources.

Novel treatment for chronic pododermatitis in an Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) with Mohs' paste.

Asian and African elephants are frequently afflicted by foot disorders that can be very challenging to manage even with aggressive therapy. Such conditions may have indirect life-threatening effects. Mohs' paste (zinc chloride based escharotic agent) was used to treat a female Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) aged 39 years with foot disorder at Kanazawa Zoological Gardens.

Traffic noise reduces foraging efficiency in wild owls.

Anthropogenic noise has been increasing globally. Laboratory experiments suggest that noise disrupts foraging behavior across a range of species, but to reveal the full impacts of noise, we must examine the impacts of noise on foraging behavior among species in the wild. Owls are widespread nocturnal top predators and use prey rustling sounds for localizing prey when hunting.

Dual neuroprotective pathways of a pro-electrophilic compound via HSF-1-activated heat-shock proteins and Nrf2-activated phase 2 antioxidant response enzymes.

Activation of the Keap1/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway and consequent induction of phase 2 antioxidant enzymes is known to afford neuroprotection. Here, we present a series of novel electrophilic compounds that protect neurons via this pathway. Natural products, such as carnosic acid (CA), are present in high amounts in the herbs rosemary and sage as ortho-dihydroquinones, and have attracted particular attention because they are converted by oxidative stress to their active form (ortho-quinone species) that stimulate the Keap1/Nrf2 transcriptional pathway.

[The status of smoking cessation support by nurses in general hospitals, and related factors].

Objective: To examine the status of smoking cessation support by nurses in general hospitals, as well as related factors

Methods: We conducted a questionnaire survey of 1,206 nurses working in three hospitals (inpatient and outpatient departments), and received 830 valid responses. We collected information in the following areas: sociodemographics, smoking status, work-related stress, experience of learning how to support smoking cessation, knowledge about smoking hazards and methods of assistance with quitting smoking, attitudes towards supporting smoking cessation, subjective norms to support smoking cessation, self-efficacy in smoking cessation support, intention to smoking cessation support, and status of smoking cessation support(Five "A's"). Multiple regression analysis was performed in order to identify factors related to status of smoking cessation support.

CS-706, a novel cyclooxygenase-2 selective inhibitor, prolonged the survival of tumor-bearing mice when treated alone or in combination with anti-tumor chemotherapeutic agents.

The potent chemopreventive activity of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors has been demonstrated in a number of preclinical studies, but their potency in antitumor activity is still in dispute. In this report, we demonstrate the potent antitumor activity of a novel COX-2 inhibitor, CS-706 in mouse colorectal adenocarcinoma colon 26 tumor-bearing mice treated with or without antitumor chemotherapeutic agents. Daily oral administration of CS-706 at doses of 3-100 mg/kg from the day of tumor inoculation (Day 0) inhibited tumor growth dose-dependently, and the maximal inhibition was 67% at a dose of 100 mg/kg.

A new supramolecular system of racemic-bis-beta-naphthol, benzoquinone and aromatic hydrocarbon, which shows high molecular recognition ability.

Racemic-bis-beta-naphthol, benzoquinone and aromatic hydrocarbons formed a new three component supramolecular system as black crystals. X-ray analysis of the crystals shows that (+)- and (-)-bis-beta-naphthol and benzoquinone form a quinhydrone-type crystalline lattice with aromatic stacking and hydrogen bonding in which the third aromatic hydrocarbon component is accommodated. As the cavity created has a definite shape and size, only hydrocarbons which fit the cavity are selectively included.