Flexibility of cutaneous evaporative water loss in response to hydration in pregnant Prairie Rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis) and their neonates.

Viviparous snakes may be particularly vulnerable to predicted increases in drought due to the high hydric costs associated with embryonic development, gestation, and their reliance on limited free-standing bodies of water or rain events for hydration. Drought will have negative implications for viper populations if females become increasingly water-stressed and resorb developing embryos to conserve bodily water. We conducted a study to investigate the importance of drinking water in late-term pregnancy and its effect on cutaneous evaporative water loss (CEWL).

Divergent effects of short-term and continuous anthropogenic noise exposure on Western Bluebird parental care behavior.

Sensory environments are rapidly changing due to increased human activity in urban and non-urban areas alike. For instance, natural and anthropogenic sounds can interfere with parent-offspring communication and mask cues reflective of predation risk, resulting in elevated vigilance at the cost of provisioning. Here we present data from two separate studies involving anthropogenic noise and nestling provisioning behavior in Western Bluebirds (): one in response to short-term (1 h) experimental noise playback and a second in the context of nests located along a gradient of exposure to continuous noise.

A novel comparison of southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) fur buoyancy across ontogeny.

Sea otters are extremely positively buoyant and spend most of their time resting at the water surface. It is understood that some of this buoyancy comes from the air layer that sea otters maintain in their pelage, with the lungs providing an additional source of positive buoyancy. Past studies have investigated the fur buoyant force in adult sea otters; however, little is known about the fur buoyant force in younger age classes.

Combining spaceborne lidar from the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation with local knowledge for monitoring fragmented tropical landscapes: A case study in the forest-agriculture interface of Ucayali, Peru.

Improving our ability to monitor fragmented tropical ecosystems is a critical step in supporting the stewardship of these complex landscapes. We investigated the structural characteristics of vegetation classes in Ucayali, Peru, employing a co-production approach. The vegetation classes included three agricultural classes (mature oil palm, monocrop cacao, and agroforestry cacao plantations) and three forest regeneration classes (mature lowland forest, secondary lowland forest, and young lowland vegetation regrowth).

Advancing Inclusive Mentoring: An Effective Mentor Training Program Across Comprehensive and R2 Public Universities.

Positive and inclusive mentoring of undergraduate research students, particularly of students from historically underrepresented groups is critical. The Advancing Inclusive Mentoring (AIM) program was developed to share inclusive mentoring practices with mentors at undergraduate-focused campuses and was assessed across five minority-serving universities. Self-ratings of mentorship skill as very- and exceptionally developed increased by 58% after AIM completion, and 93% of participants indicated they were likely to change their mentoring following AIM.

How an IJES Working Group Grappled with the Complexities of Three Letters-DEI-With the Goal to Broaden Inclusion and Representation in Exercise Science Research.

A self-study of (IJES) publications from 2008 through 2021 revealed a sex-data gap in participant and corresponding author representation. This finding prompted the creation of the IJES Working Group for Opportunity, Representation, and Diverse Perspectives. We are a collaborative team of authors, reviewers, and editors, spanning both rural and urban teaching- and research-focused institutions, who assembled regularly starting in September 2023.

The 2024 Position Stand on Inclusion.

The (IJES) Working Group for Opportunity, Representation, and Diverse Perspectives was tasked with developing a position stand to provide guidance in critical areas of inclusion. We present to authors, reviewers, and all readership IJES ideals to utilize in practice. Key points are presented, followed by a deeper look with greater explanation into the areas of inclusive language, diversity and inclusion in research, and accessibility.

Climatically robust multiscale species distribution models to support pronghorn recovery in California.

We combined two climate-based distribution models with three finer-scale suitability models to identify habitat for pronghorn recovery in California now and into the future. We used a consensus approach to identify areas of suitable climate now and future for pronghorn in California. We compared the results of climate models from two separate hypotheses about their historical ecology in the state.

Studying Adherence to Reporting Standards in Kinesiology: A Post-publication Peer Review Brief Report.

To demonstrate how post-publication peer reviews-using journal article reporting standards-could improve the design and write-up of kinesiology research, the authors performed a post-publication peer review on one systematic literature review published in 2020. Two raters (1 & 2 authors) critically appraised the case article between April and May 2021. The latest Journal Article Reporting Standards by the American Psychological Association relevant to the review were used: i.

Humans in the loop: Community science and machine learning synergies for overcoming herbarium digitization bottlenecks.

Premise: Among the slowest steps in the digitization of natural history collections is converting imaged labels into digital text. We present here a working solution to overcome this long-recognized efficiency bottleneck that leverages synergies between community science efforts and machine learning approaches.

Methods: We present two new semi-automated services.

An exploration of knowledge-organizing technologies to advance transdisciplinary back pain research.

Chronic low back pain (LBP) is influenced by a broad spectrum of patient-specific factors as codified in domains of the biopsychosocial model (BSM). Operationalizing the BSM into research and clinical care is challenging because most investigators work in silos that concentrate on only one or two BSM domains. Furthermore, the expanding, multidisciplinary nature of BSM research creates practical limitations as to how individual investigators integrate current data into their processes of generating impactful hypotheses.

Effects of ontogeny and oiling on the thermal function of southern sea otter () fur.

During the evolution of most marine mammals, fur as an insulator has been replaced with more buoyant, energy storing and streamlining blubber. By contrast, the sea otter () relies on insulation from its dense, air-trapping pelage, which differs morphologically between natal and adult stages. In this study, we investigated the ontogenetic changes in thermal function of southern sea otter () pelts in air, in water, and when saturated with crude oil.

Genomic DNA extraction optimization and validation for genome sequencing using the marine gastropod Kellet's whelk.

Next-generation sequencing technologies, such as Nanopore MinION, Illumina Hiseq and Novaseq, and PacBio Sequel II, hold immense potential for advancing genomic research on non-model organisms, including the vast majority of marine species. However, application of these technologies to marine invertebrate species is often impeded by challenges in extracting and purifying their genomic DNA due to high polysaccharide content and other secondary metabolites. In this study, we help resolve this issue by developing and testing DNA extraction protocols for Kellet's whelk (), a subtidal gastropod with ecological and commercial importance, by comparing four DNA extraction methods commonly used in marine invertebrate studies.

Ontogenetic changes in southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) fur morphology.

Many animals exhibit morphological changes across ontogeny associated with adaptations to their environment. Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) have the densest fur of any animal, which is composed of guard hairs, intermediate hairs, and underhairs. Sea otters live in cold water environments, and their fur traps a layer of air to remain properly insulated, due to morphological adaptations that allow the hairs to trap air when submerged.

COF-300 synthesis and colloidal stabilization with substituted benzoic acids.

Colloidal covalent organic framework (COF) synthesis enables morphological control of crystallite size and shape. Despite numerous examples of 2D COF colloids with various linkage chemistries, 3D imine-linked COF colloids are more challenging synthetic targets. Here we report a rapid (15 min-5 day) synthesis of hydrated COF-300 colloids ranging in length (251 nm-4.

Comparative phenolic, chromatic, and sensory composition of five monovarietal wines processed with microwave technology.

The effect of MW technology (1,200 Watts for 10 min) on the chemical and sensory composition of five monovarietal wines with different phenolic composition was studied relative to untreated Control wines. MW improved polymeric pigment content by 30, 22 and 31% in Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Syrah wines, respectively, and anthocyanin extraction and non-tannin phenolics by 24% in Malbec and Syrah wines, respectively. In Nebbiolo and Pinot noir, MW had no effect on phenolics or chromatic characteristics.

Development and evaluation of a novel dietary bisphenol A (BPA) exposure risk tool.

Background: Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) is primarily from the diet through canned foods. Characterizing dietary exposures can be conducted through biomonitoring and dietary surveys; however, these methods can be time-consuming and challenging to implement.

Methods: We developed a novel dietary exposure risk questionnaire to evaluate BPA exposure and compared these results to 24-hr dietary recall data from participants (n = 404) of the Diet Intervention Examining The Factors Interacting with Treatment Success (DIETFITS) study, a dietary clinical trial, to validate questionnaire responses.

Impact of Moderate-Vigorous Physical Activity Trajectories on Colon Cancer Risk over the Adult Life Course.

Background: Moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) reduces colon cancer risk; however, it is unclear how the timing of MVPA throughout the adult life course impacts colon cancer risk. We evaluated whether maintenance and changes in MVPA levels over time are associated with colon cancer risk.

Methods: We assessed 293,198 adults ages 50 to 71 years in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study.

COVID-19 lockdowns: Employment and business disruptions, water access and hygiene practices in Nairobi's informal settlements.

Host to one billion people around the world, informal settlements are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 lockdown measures as they already lack basic services such as water, toilets, and secure housing. Additionally, many residents work in informal labor markets that have been affected by the lockdowns, resulting in further reductions in access to resources, including clean water. This study uses a cross-sectional design (n = 532) to examine the vulnerabilities of households to employment and business disruptions, water access and hygiene practices during the COVID-19 lockdowns between April and June 2020 in three informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya.

Health care in rural areas: proposal of a new telemedicine program assisted from the reference health centers, for a sustainable digitization and its contribution to the carbon footprint reduction.

Introduction: This paper studies and quantifies the environmental benefits of implementing a new telemedicine service for users of the public health system in a rural area of Alicante (Spain). The proposed telemedicine service is based on carrying out 20% of the follow-on consultations with a specialist virtually from the Reference Health Centres with the support of qualified staff. This way of providing medical care remotely will be a good transition to fully online medical services, especially for the elderly.

Experimentally broadcast ocean surf and river noise alters birdsong.

Anthropogenic noise and its effects on acoustic communication have received considerable attention in recent decades. Yet, the natural acoustic environment's influence on communication and its role in shaping acoustic signals remains unclear. We used large-scale playbacks of ocean surf in coastal areas and whitewater river noise in riparian areas to investigate how natural sounds influences song structure in six songbird species.

Solvothermal depolymerization and recrystallization of imine-linked two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks.

Mechanistic understanding into the formation and growth of imine-linked two-dimensional (2D) covalent organic frameworks (COFs) is needed to improve their materials quality and access larger crystallite sizes, both of which limit the promise of 2D COFs and 2D polymerization techniques. Here we report a previously unknown temperature-dependent depolymerization of colloidal 2D imine-linked COFs, which offers a new means to improve their crystallinity. 2D COF colloids form at room temperature but then depolymerize when their reaction mixtures are heated to 90 °C.

Predictors of long-term weight loss trajectories during a behavioral weight loss intervention: An exploratory analysis.

Background: Substantial interindividual variability in response to behavioral weight loss interventions remains a critical challenge in obesity treatment. An improved understanding of the complex factors that contribute to this variability may improve obesity treatment outcomes.

Objective: To identify weight change trajectories during a behavioral weight loss intervention and to explore differences between trajectory groups in sociodemographic, biologic, behavioral, and psychosocial factors.

From Cells to Cell-Free Protein Synthesis within 24 Hours Using Cell-Free Autoinduction Workflow.

Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) has grown as a biotechnology platform that captures transcription and translation machinery in vitro. Numerous developments have made the CFPS platform more accessible to new users and have expanded the range of applications. For lysate based CFPS systems, cell extracts can be generated from a variety of organisms, harnessing the unique biochemistry of that host to augment protein synthesis.