Genome Assembly for an Endangered Lemur Using Portable Nanopore Sequencing in Rural Madagascar.

As one of the most threatened mammalian taxa, lemurs of Madagascar are facing unprecedented anthropogenic pressures. To address conservation imperatives such as this, researchers have increasingly relied on conservation genomics to identify populations of particular concern. However, many of these genomic approaches necessitate high-quality genomes.

Developing a mobile application for gender-affirming voice training: A community-engaged approach.

Objectives: To date, there has yet to be a rigorous exploration of voice and communication modification training (VCMT) among transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) individuals using digital technology. We sought to evaluate and describe the iterative process of app development using a community-based approach.

Methods: An interprofessional team of voice health care professionals, application developers, designers, and TGNC community members was assembled to conceive the functionality, content, and design of a mobile app to support VCMT for TGNC people.

A cross-sectional analysis of TikTok's most popular dermal filler videos.

Background: Dermal filler injections pose serious risks when administered by untrained individuals or when food and drug administration (FDA) guidelines are not adhered to. This issue may potentially be compounded by a growing reliance on social media platforms for health information.

Objective: Our objective was to analyze the quality of health information in videos published on dermal filler on TikTok.

Trends in research approaches and gender in plant ecology dissertations over four decades.

Dissertations are a foundational scientific product; they are the formative product that early-career scientists create and share original knowledge. The methodological approaches used in dissertations vary with the research field. In plant ecology, these approaches include observations, experiments (field or controlled environment), literature reviews, theoretical approaches, or analyses of existing data (including "big data").

It's about time: Feeding competition costs of sociality are affected more by temporal characteristics than spatial distribution.

For most herbivorous animals, group-living appears to incur a high cost by intensifying feeding competition. These costs raise the question of how gregariousness (i.e.

Determinants of spring migration departure dates in a New World sparrow: Weather variables reign supreme.

Numerous factors influence the timing of spring migration in birds, yet the relative importance of intrinsic and extrinsic variables on migration initiation remains unclear. To test for interactions among weather, migration distance, parasitism, and physiology in determining spring departure date, we used the Dark-eyed Junco () as a model migratory species known to harbor diverse and common haemosporidian parasites. Prior to spring migration departure from their wintering grounds in Indiana, USA, we quantified the intrinsic variables of fat, body condition (i.

Mediterranean diet intervention among World Trade Center responders with post-traumatic stress disorder: Feasibility and outcomes of a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Responders of the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster suffer from co-morbidities. A Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) nutrition intervention with physical activity was implemented among WTC responders with overweight/obesity and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Methods: WTC Health Program members ( = 62), 45-65 years, males 87%, body mass index (BMI) 27-45 kg/m randomized to MedDiet ( = 31) or usual nutrition counseling ( = 31).

Privacy-preserving record linkage across disparate institutions and datasets to enable a learning health system: The national COVID cohort collaborative (N3C) experience.

Introduction: Research driven by real-world clinical data is increasingly vital to enabling learning health systems, but integrating such data from across disparate health systems is challenging. As part of the NCATS National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C), the N3C Data Enclave was established as a centralized repository of deidentified and harmonized COVID-19 patient data from institutions across the US. However, making this data most useful for research requires linking it with information such as mortality data, images, and viral variants.

Turtle body size evolution is determined by lineage-specific specializations rather than global trends.

Organisms display a considerable variety of body sizes and shapes, and macroevolutionary investigations help to understand the evolutionary dynamics behind such variations. Turtles (Testudinata) show great body size disparity, especially when their rich fossil record is accounted for. We explored body size evolution in turtles, testing which factors might influence the observed patterns and evaluating the existence of long-term directional trends.

Explainable automated evaluation of the clock drawing task for memory impairment screening.

Introduction: The clock drawing task (CDT) is frequently used to aid in detecting cognitive impairment, but current scoring techniques are time-consuming and miss relevant features, justifying the creation of an automated quantitative scoring approach.

Methods: We used computer vision methods to analyze the stored scanned images ( = 7,109), and an intelligent system was created to examine these files in a study of aging World Trade Center responders. Outcomes were CDT, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score, and incidence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Rapid radiation of ant parasitic butterflies during the Miocene aridification of Africa.

Africa has undergone a progressive aridification during the last 20 My that presumably impacted organisms and fostered the evolution of life history adaptations. We test the hypothesis that shift to living in ant nests and feeding on ant brood by larvae of phyto-predaceous butterflies was an adaptive response to the aridification of Africa that facilitated the subsequent radiation of butterflies in this genus. Using anchored hybrid enrichment we constructed a time-calibrated phylogeny for and its closest, non-parasitic relatives in the section (Poloyommatini).

Current progress of cerebral organoids for modeling Alzheimer's disease origins and mechanisms.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease that has emerged as a leading risk factor for dementia associated with increasing age. Two-dimensional (2D) cell culture and animal models, which have been used to analyze AD pathology and search for effective treatments for decades, have significantly contributed to our understanding of the mechanism of AD. Despite their successes, 2D and animal models can only capture a fraction of AD mechanisms due to their inability to recapitulate human brain-specific tissue structure, function, and cellular diversity.

Plasma amyloid beta 40/42, phosphorylated tau 181, and neurofilament light are associated with cognitive impairment and neuropathological changes among World Trade Center responders: A prospective cohort study of exposures and cognitive aging at midlife.

Introduction: World Trade Center (WTC) responders are experiencing a high risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, though the etiology remains inadequately characterized. This study investigated whether WTC exposures and chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were correlated with plasma biomarkers characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology.

Methods: Eligible participants included WTC-exposed individuals with a baseline cognitive assessment and available plasma sample.

Intersections of ageism toward older adults and other isms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a significant global issue that has exacerbated pre-existing structural and social inequalities. There are concerns that ageism toward older adults has intensified in conjunction with elevated forms of other "isms" such as ableism, classism, heterosexism, racism, and sexism. This study offers a systematic review (PRISMA) of ageism toward older adults interacting with other isms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Deep ecomorphological and genetic divergence in Steller's Jays (, Aves: Corvidae).

The relationship between ecology and morphology is a cornerstone of evolutionary biology, and quantifying variation across environments can shed light on processes that give rise to biodiversity. Three morphotypes of the Steller's Jay () occupy different ecoregions in western North America, which vary in climate and landcover. These morphotypes (Coastal, Interior, Rocky Mountain) differ in size, plumage coloration, and head pattern.

Reducing ageism toward older adults and highlighting older adults as contributors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated ageism (stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination) toward older adults in the United States, highlighting the belief that older adults are a burden. Prior to the pandemic, a growing body of research sought to reduce ageism using the PEACE (Positive Education about Aging and Contact Experiences) model. Extending that research, participants were randomly assigned to watch three videos (less than 10 min total) that challenged stereotypes about aging and older adults, depicted positive intergenerational contact, and highlighted older adults as contributors to society (experimental condition) or three videos on wallpaper (control condition).

Tic Disorders, Anti-Tic Medications, and Risk of Atopy.

Objective: To clarify patterns of comorbid atopic disorders in children with tic disorders compared to controls, and to evaluate whether medications commonly used for treatment of tics and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are associated with differing risks of atopy.

Background: Inflammatory mechanisms are increasingly recognized as playing a role in a range of neuropsychiatric disorders. The association between tic disorders, ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and atopic disorders is uncertain.

Evaluating expert-based habitat suitability information of terrestrial mammals with GPS-tracking data.

Aim: Macroecological studies that require habitat suitability data for many species often derive this information from expert opinion. However, expert-based information is inherently subjective and thus prone to errors. The increasing availability of GPS tracking data offers opportunities to evaluate and supplement expert-based information with detailed empirical evidence.

Epidemiological challenges in pandemic coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Role of artificial intelligence.

World is now experiencing a major health calamity due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus clade 2. The foremost challenge facing the scientific community is to explore the growth and transmission capability of the virus. Use of artificial intelligence (AI), such as deep learning, in (i) rapid disease detection from x-ray or computed tomography (CT) or high-resolution CT (HRCT) images, (ii) accurate prediction of the epidemic patterns and their saturation throughout the globe, (iii) forecasting the disease and psychological impact on the population from social networking data, and (iv) prediction of drug-protein interactions for repurposing the drugs, has attracted much attention.

nematodes colonize ephemeral resource patches in neotropical forests.

Factors shaping the distribution and abundance of species include life-history traits, population structure, and stochastic colonization-extinction dynamics. Field studies of model species groups help reveal the roles of these factors. Species of nematodes are highly divergent at the sequence level but exhibit highly conserved morphology, and many of these species live in sympatry on microbe-rich patches of rotten material.

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on grocery retail operations: An analytical model.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound effects on grocery retailers, forcing them to make many operational changes in response to public health concerns and the shift in customers' shopping behavior. Grocery retailers need to understand the impact of pandemic conditions on their operations, but the literature has not modeled and analyzed this issue. We bridge this gap through economic models that consider the documented changes in the customers' shopping behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic, including less frequent in-store shopping and bulk-shopping tendency.

Troponin is unrelated to outcomes in heart failure patients discharged from the emergency department.

Background: Prior data has demonstrated increased mortality in hospitalized patients with acute heart failure (AHF) and troponin elevation. No data has specifically examined the prognostic significance of troponin elevation in patients with AHF discharged after emergency department (ED) management.

Objective: Evaluate the relationship between troponin elevation and outcomes in patients with AHF who are treated and released from the ED.

Selective hippocampal subfield volume reductions in World Trade Center responders with cognitive impairment.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to investigate associations between dementia in World Trade Center (WTC) responders and in vivo volumetric measures of hippocampal subfield volumes in WTC responders at midlife.

Methods: A sample of 99 WTC responders was divided into dementia and unimpaired groups. Participants underwent structural T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging.