COVID-19 Impact On Black and Latina Women: Pregnancy and Parenting.

The coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic presented unique challenges for pregnant women and birthing individuals, particularly those from Black and Latino communities. Understanding the impact of the pandemic on their experiences is crucial for providing adequate support and care during vulnerable times. This research delves into the specific effects of COVID-19 on maternal stress and resilience.

The structure and motivational significance of early beliefs about ability.

Adults hold a broad range of beliefs about intellectual ability. Key examples include beliefs about its malleability, its distribution in the population, whether high levels of it ("brilliance") are necessary for success, its origins, and its responsiveness to intervention. Here, we examined the structure and motivational significance of this network of consequential beliefs in a sample of elementary school-age children (5- to 11-year-olds, = 231; 116 girls, 112 boys, three gender nonbinary children; predominantly White and Asian children from relatively high-income backgrounds).

Safe Production of Rice ( L.) in Arsenic-Contaminated Soil: a Remedial Strategy using Micro-Nanostructured Bone Biochar.

This study investigated the effects of fine-sized pork bone biochar particles on remediating As-contaminated soil and alleviating associated phytotoxicity to rice in 50-day short-term and 120-day full-life-cycle pot experiments. The addition of micro-nanostructured pork bone biochar (BC) pyrolyzed at 400 and 600 °C (BC400 and BC600) significantly increased the As-treated shoot and root fresh weight by 24.4-77.

Short INDELs and SNPs as markers of evolutionary processes in hybrid zones.

Polymorphic short insertions and deletions (INDELs ≤ 50 bp) are abundant, although less common than single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Evidence from model organisms shows INDELs to be more strongly influenced by purifying selection than SNPs. Partly for this reason, INDELs are rarely used as markers for demographic processes or to detect divergent selection.

Complex species structure of (Digenea: Lecithasteridae), a fish parasite in the Arctic and Pacific Northwest.

Studying complexes of cryptic or pseudocryptic species opens new horizons for the understanding of speciation processes, an important yet vague issue for the digeneans. We investigated a hemiuroidean trematode across a wide geographic range including the northern European seas (White, Barents, and Pechora), East Siberian Sea, and the Pacific Northwest (Sea of Okhotsk and Sea of Japan). The goals were to explore the genetic diversity within through mitochondrial ( and genes) and ribosomal (ITS1, ITS2, 28S rDNA) marker sequences, to study morphometry of maritae, and to revise the life cycle data.

Comparative Investigation of the Nutritional Profiling and Antipyretic Activity of Leaves, Bark, and Root From Different Sites of Punjab, Pakistan.

The utilization of various plant sections as a medicinal and nutritional source for humans and animals has been the subject of significant research in recent years. This study aimed to investigate the nutritional profiling through proximate analysis and the antipyretic activity of leaves, bark, and root in methanolic extract from different sites of Punjab, Pakistan. Methanolic extract of leaves, bark, and root from sites i to e of Southern Punjab, Central Punjab, and Northwest Punjab as S1, S2, and S3, respectively, at doses of 50, 100, and 150 mg/kg bw showed statistically significant results as compared to the positive and negative controls.

Prolonging Shelf Life and Meat Quality of Rainbow Trout () by Immersing in Pine Nut () Extract During Cold Storage.

Rainbow trout () is a freshwater fish susceptible to chemical and microbial spoilage, limiting its shelf life. This study aimed to enhance and extend the rainbow trout fillets' shelf life stored at 4°C ± 1°C through an immersion treatment using ultrasound-assisted, defatted pine nut ( Wallich) extracts at concentrations of 1% and 2% (w/v), compared to the control group (0% pine nut). Evaluations were conducted at storage intervals of 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 days.

Therapeutic Potential of Microgreens Extract in Alleviating Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes in Wistar Rats.

Microgreens of Brassica plants have attracted increasing research interest in the management of the prevailing epidemic of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) because of their high nutritional value. This study evaluated the antidiabetic effects of Microgreens Ethanolic Extract (BMEE) in type-2 diabetic rats. For the normoglycemic assay, rats were divided into five groups and received a single oral dose of 100, 250, and 500 mg/kg of BMEE while the control groups received distilled water and Glibenclamide.

Modeling Climate-Driven Vegetation Changes Under Contrasting Temperate and Arid Conditions in the Mediterranean Basin.

This study investigates climate change impacts on spontaneous vegetation, focusing on the Mediterranean basin, a hotspot for climatic changes. Two case study areas, Monti Sibillini (central Italy, temperate) and Sidi Makhlouf (Southern Tunisia, arid), were selected for their contrasting climates and vegetation. Using WorldClim's CMCC-ESM2 climate model, future vegetation distribution was predicted for 2050 and 2080 under SSP 245 (optimistic) and 585 (pessimistic) scenarios.

Urbanization Impacts Top Predators and Alters Biotic Interactions in Predator-Prey-Mutualistic Communities of Urban Dry Grasslands.

Urbanization as a major driver of global change modifies biodiversity patterns and the abundance and interactions among species or functional species groups. For example, urbanization can negatively impact both predator-prey and mutualistic relationships. However, empirical studies on how urbanization modifies biotic, particularly multitrophic, interactions are still limited.

Divorce Rates Better Predict Population-Level Reproductive Success in Little Penguins Than Foraging Behaviour or Environmental Factors.

Understanding the relative contributions of environmental, behavioural and social factors to reproductive success is crucial for predicting population dynamics of seabirds. However, these factors are often studied in isolation, limiting our ability to evaluate their combined influence. This study investigates how marine environmental variables, foraging behaviour and social factors (divorce), influence reproductive success in little penguins () over 13 breeding seasons.

Quantitative Approach for Determining Reproductive Life-History Strategies of Parasitic Plants: A Case Study in .

Parasitic plants are a diverse and unique polyphyletic assemblage of flowering plants that survive by obtaining resources via direct vascular connections to a host plant. Ecologically important in their native ecosystems, these typically cryptic plants remain understudied and fundamental knowledge of the biology, ecology, and evolution of most species is lacking. This gap limits our understanding of ecosystems and conservation management.

Dietary Shifts Among the Developmental Stages of the Ectoparasite, (Crustacea; Branchiura), Mirror Ontogeny as Shown Through Differences in Stable Isotope Ratios of Carbon (δC) and Nitrogen (δN).

Food web architecture and trophic interactions between organisms can be studied using ratios of naturally occurring stable isotopes of carbon (C/C) and nitrogen (N/N). Most studies, however, focused on free-living organisms, but recently, there has been growing interest in understanding trophic interactions of parasites. The crustacean ectoparasite is a well-studied parasite of freshwater teleost fish, which has low host specificity and a cosmopolitan distribution.

Great Tit () Nestlings Have Longer Telomeres in Old-Growth Forests Than in Young Forests.

Modification and deterioration of old-growth forests by industrial forestry have seriously threatened species diversity worldwide. The loss of natural habitats increases the concentration of circulating glucocorticoids and incurs chronic stress in animals, influencing the immune system, growth, survival, and lifespan of animals inhabiting such areas. In this study, we tested whether great tit () nestlings grown in old-growth unmanaged coniferous forests have longer telomeres than great tit nestlings developing in young managed coniferous forests.

Combining Individual-Based Radio-Tracking With Whole-Genome Sequencing Data Reveals Candidate for Genetic Basis of Partial Migration in a Songbird.

Partial migration is a phenomenon where migratory and resident individuals of the same species co-exist within a population, and has been linked to both intrinsic (e.g., genetic) as well as environmental factors.

Remotely-Sensed Game Trails Are a Behavioral Footprint That Explains Patterns of Herbivore Habitat Use.

Trade-offs between food acquisition and predator avoidance shape the landscape-scale movements of herbivores. These movements create landscape features, such as game trails, which are paths that animals use repeatedly to traverse the landscape. As such, these trails integrate behavioral trade-offs over space and time.

Comparative Analyses and Phylogenetic Dependence in Traits and Trends of the Dipterocarpaceae.

The role of trait evolution in shaping the functional and ecological diversity of tropical forests remains poorly understood. Analyses of trait variation as a function of evolutionary history and environmental variables should reveal the drivers of species distributions, as well as generate insights valuable to conservation. Here, we focus on the Dipterocarpaceae, the key plant family underpinning the hyperdiversity of South-East Asian tropical forest canopies and of major conservation concern due to over-exploitation for timber, cultivation, and climate change.

Experience of Contraceptive Denial, Perceived Ease of Future Access to Contraception, and Adverse Mental Health Outcomes in Polish Women.

Purpose: While several studies demonstrate an association between reproductive coercion or a lack of reproductive autonomy and decreased mental health in women, little is known about potential mental health impacts when women are denied prescription contraceptives. The aim of this research was to explore associations between prescription contraceptive denial and perceived ease of future access to contraception, and self-assessed mental health.

Patients And Methods: Polish women (N=424) completed an anonymous online survey with demographic questions; perceived stress (PSS-10), state anxiety (STAI-X1), and depression (CESD-R) assessments, and contraceptive access questions.

Molecular epidemiology, evolution, and transmission dynamics of raccoon rabies virus in Connecticut.

In North America, raccoon rabies virus (RRV) is a public health concern due to its potential for rapid spread, maintenance in wildlife, and impact on human and domesticated animal health. RRV is an endemic zoonotic pathogen throughout the eastern USA. In 1991, an outbreak of RRV in Fairfield County, Connecticut, spread through the state and eventually throughout the Northeast and into Canada.

Diversity and cross-species transmission of viruses in a remote island ecosystem: implications for wildlife conservation.

The ability of viruses to emerge in new species is influenced by aspects of host biology and ecology, with some taxa harbouring a high diversity and abundance of viruses. However, how these factors shape virus diversity at the ecosystem scale is often unclear. To better understand the pattern and determinants of viral diversity within an ecosystem, and to describe the novel avian viruses infecting an individual avian community, we performed a metagenomic snapshot of the virome from the entire avian community on remote Pukenui/Anchor Island in Aotearoa New Zealand.

River co-learning arenas: principles and practices for transdisciplinary knowledge co-creation and multi-scalar (inter)action.

This paper develops the methodological concept of river co-learning arenas (RCAs) and explores their potential to strengthen innovative grassroots river initiatives, enliven river commons, regenerate river ecologies, and foster greater socio-ecological justice. The integrity of river systems has been threatened in profound ways over the last century. Pollution, damming, canalisation, and water grabbing are some examples of pressures threatening the entwined lifeworlds of human and non-human communities that depend on riverine systems.

A morpho-histological analysis of the exoskeleton of (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) reveals insights into the taxonomy of Clathrozoellidae and Hydroidolina.

The taxonomic complexity of the families Clathrozoidae and Clathrozoellidae, rooted in early 20th-century hydroid descriptions, highlights the need for comprehensive and detailed morphological analyses. This study aimed to elucidate the histology of the polypoid stage of Peña Cantero, Vervoort & Watson, 2003, with a particular emphasis on its exoskeletal structure. Specimens from the National Museum of Natural History were examined histologically using different staining techniques.

New insights on the shell-crusher shark Agassiz, 1838 (Elasmobranchii, Ptychodontidae) based on the first known articulated dentition from the Upper Cretaceous of Croatia.

Unlabelled: A new lower tooth plate of from the Turonian (Upper Cretaceous) of the Dalmatian region (southern Croatia) is documented here for the first time. The specimen represents the first articulated dentition of a ptychodontid shark that has been discovered from the Balkan Peninsula and the most complete ever found for the un-cuspidate species up to now. The reconstruction of the entire lower dentition of based on this exceptionally well-preserved dentition shows a wider crushing plate than previously hypothesised with bulgy teeth limited to the central area.

A randomized controlled trial of Tickoff® ( ICIPE 7) for control of tick infestations and transmission of tick-borne infections in extensively grazed zebu cattle in coastal Kenya.

The entomopathogenic fungus isolate ICIPE 7 is being developed as an eco-friendly alternative to chemical acaricides in managing natural tick infestation on livestock. Its impact on tick infestation and tick-borne infections in cattle under natural conditions are yet unclear. We conducted a randomized controlled field trial to assess the safety and effects of Tickoff® (a formulation of isolate ICIPE 7) and the chemical acaricide Triatix® on tick infestation and incidence of and in extensively grazed zebu cattle in coastal Kenya.

An epidemiological risk assessment of imported malaria cases and potential local transmission in Qatar.

Preventing local transmission of malaria from imported cases is crucial for achieving and maintaining malaria elimination. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of imported malaria cases and assess the distribution of malaria vectors in Qatar. Data from January 2016 to December 2022 on imported malaria, including demographic and epidemiological characteristics, travel-related information, and diagnostic results, were collected and analysed using descriptive statistics.