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Mechanical stretching is experienced ubiquitously by human tissues and their constituent cells and impacts biochemical and (mechano)biological processes relevant to health and disease. Numerous cell-stretching devices (CSDs) have been developed and used to apply mechanical strain to cells and tissues in in vitro settings, however, few have shown compatibility with live-cell microscopy. In most microscopy-compatible CSDs, imaging is performed post-mechanical stretching while live-cell imaging during cyclic stretching is very rarely shown, especially at high stretching frequencies and for long experiments (i.e., hours long). Live-cell imaging during cell stretching has revealed distinct time-dependent biomechanical features of cells, such as cell fluidization at high amplitudes or frequencies, or cracking followed by recovery of cell monolayers. Basic human functions such as breathing and digestion require mechanical stretching of cells and tissues. However, when it comes to laboratory experiments, the mechanical stretching that cells experience in the body is not often replicated, limiting the biomimetic nature of the studies and the relevance of results. Herein, we establish the importance of mechanical stretching during in vitro investigations by reviewing seminal works performed using cell-stretching platforms, highlighting important outcomes of these works as well as the engineering characteristics of the platforms used. Emphasis is placed on the compatibility of cell-stretching devices (CSDs) with live-cell imaging as well as their limitations and on the research advancements that could arise from live-cell imaging performed during cell stretching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasticity-led evolution is central to evolutionary theory. Although challenging to study in nature, this process may be particularly apparent in novel environments such as cities. We document abundant evidence of plastic behavioral changes in urban animals, including learning, contextual, developmental, and transgenerational plasticities. Using behavioral drive as a conceptual framework, our analysis of notable case studies suggests that plastic behaviors, such as altered habitat use, migration, diurnal and seasonal activity, and courtship, can have faciliatory and cascading effects on urban evolution via spatial, temporal, and mate-choice mechanisms. Our findings highlight (i) the need to incorporate behavioral plasticity more formally into urban evolutionary research and (ii) the opportunity provided by urban environments to study behavioral mechanisms of plasticity-led processes. Urbanization elicits diverse plastic behavioral responses in animals, which may lead to rapid evolutionary changes. Behavioral shifts in city-living animals can drive evolutionary divergence in populations at different scales through several spatial, temporal, and mate-choice mechanisms. Behavioral drivers of divergence are present in adaptive, neutral, and maladaptive contexts. Divergence may occur at urban-nonurban, within-city, and across-city scales. Cities provide biologists with a unique opportunity to enhance understanding of how plastic behaviors can precede and guide evolutionary change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • H-bond strength influences the nature of phase transitions in 1-NH 2 -OH and 1-OH-ADM. • There are three transitions between various plastic crystal (PC) phases in 1-NH 2 -OH. • Only one transition between PC and ordinary crystal phases occurs in 1-OH-ADM. • Compression has a strong impact on phase transitions in both examined compounds. In this paper, several experimental techniques, i.e., differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, Raman, and broadband dielectric spectroscopy were applied to study the nature of the phase transitions in 1-adamantylamine (1-NH 2 -ADM, C 10 H 17 N) and 1-adamantanol (1-OH-ADM, C 10 H 16 O). Calorimetric measurements showed one and three endothermic peaks in thermograms for the latter and the former substance, respectively. Indeed, results of spectroscopic investigations indicated that the observed thermal events in 1-NH 2 -ADM correspond to transitions between various plastic crystal (PC) phases (I, II, III, IV), while the endothermic process in 1-OH-ADM can be assigned to a phase transition between the PC and the ordinary crystal (OC). Especially interesting were the outcomes of dielectric studies carried out both at ambient and high-pressure conditions, during heating and cooling cycles. They showed: i) noticeable changes in the frequency dependencies of the imaginary ( ε ' ' ) and real ( ε ') parts of the complex dielectric permittivity that occurred around temperatures of the characteristic endothermic events detected by the calorimetry, and ii) significant fluctuations of ε ' ' and ε ' at pressures attributed to the respective phase transitions. Moreover, the pressure coefficients of the phase transition temperatures were estimated to be approximately equal to 0.2 K/MPa for both compounds. In turn, volume variation (Δ V) at the PC (II)-PC (III) and PC (III)-PC (IV) transition temperatures for 1-NH 2 -ADM was essentially different than Δ V for the PC-OC transition in 1-OH-ADM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study shows the dynamics of accidents caused by venomous animals in the Northeast region of Brazil, using statistical and spatial methods. • The spatio-temporal scan showed the occurrence of high-risk clusters mainly in the states of Bahia (P1), Alagoas and Pernambuco (P2 and P3). • Spatial analysis showed an increasing number of municipalities that had high incidence rates over the periods. • The study demonstrates the effectiveness of spatial tools for identifying areas for the analysis of venomous animals for the analysis of venomous animals. Accidents with venomous animals correspond to the second cause of epidemiological notification in Brazil, with around 140 thousand cases registered in recent years, which constitutes a serious public health problem. This study aimed to analyze the epidemiological profile and the spatial and spatio-temporal patterns of the incidence of accidents by venomous animals in the Northeast region of Brazil, from 2008 to 2017. We carried out an epidemiological and observational study of an ecological nature, with tools for spatial analysis. To do so, we calculated the incidence rate of cases. The occurrence of spatial autocorrelation was verified and the spatial KullDorff statistics were used to identify risk clusters. A total of 486,001 cases were reported, of which 50.1% (244,122) of those affected were female, the age group most affected by accidents was >60 years, 70.6% (343,295) of accidents were caused by scorpions and 14.7% (71,620) by snakes. The state of Bahia had the highest number of accidents, followed by Pernambuco and Alagoas. The highest incidence rates are observed mainly in the states of Alagoas, Pernambuco, Maranhão and Bahia. There was an increase in accidents in the period studied. In addition, this study shows that the use of space tools collaborate positively to identify locations with a high incidence of accidents by venomous animals. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A method for analyzing mangrove changes was proposed by combining time series and land cover data. • EVI is more suitable for mangrove time series analysis. • Economic development is the main cause of mangrove degradation. Mangrove forests have important social, ecological, and economic value in coastal ecosystems. However, they are one of the most vulnerable ecosystems in the world and are widely threatened due to their unique location along the land-sea interface. Thus, mangrove conservation based on scientific and effective monitoring methods is essential. In this study, a method for analyzing the spatio-temporal changes in mangrove forests was proposed in Qinglangang Nature Reserve, Hainan Province, China. This method combined multiple time series analysis (including Theil-Sen median trend analysis, Mann-Kendall test, and Hurst exponent) with land cover data from Landsat and Sentinel-1/2 to provide a clearer geographic explanation for changes in mangrove forests. The study showed that high-resolution data performs better than low-resolution data, optical indices are more ideal than SAR indices, and EVI is more advantageous than NDVI for mangrove time series analysis. The results revealed that mangroves in Qinglangang have experienced a severe degradation stage (1987–2003), a slow improvement stage (2003–2013), and a coexistence of improvement and degradation stage (2013–2020). In all stages, the main causes of mangrove degradation are anthropogenic factors, such as development of aquaculture ponds and building land, and natural factors caused by typhoons and sea-level rise. The anthropogenic factors have a broader and longer impact and should be a focus of future studies. The improvement in mangrove forests is due to habitat quality restoration and artificial planting, which is shown to be quite effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]