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Rita H Pickler,1 Jacqueline M McGrath,2 Barbara A Reyna,3 Heather L Tubbs-Cooley,1 Al M Best4, Mary Lewis,3 Sharon Cone,3 Paul A Wetzel51Department of Patient Services, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA; 2School of Nursing, University of Connecticut and Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, CT, USA; 3VCU Medical Center, Children's Hospital of Richmond, Richmond, VA, USA; 4School of Dentistry, 5School of Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USAObjective: To examine the effect of neonatal intensive care unit environmental characteristics (perceived levels of light and sound, and time of day) in open unit wards and single-family rooms (SFRs) on oral feeding outcomes in preterm infants.Design: Data were collected at each scheduled oral feeding for 87 preterm infants from the first oral feeding until discharge. Data included the prescribed volume of feeding and the volume consumed, the infant's level of wakefulness before feeding, and the nurse's perception of light and sound.Results: Data were collected on 5111 feedings in the ward unit and 5802 in the SFR unit from feedings involving 87 preterm infants. Light and sound were rated significantly lower in the SFR (χ2 = 139 and 1654.8, respectively). Feeding times of 9 am, 12 noon, and 3 pm were associated with the highest perceived levels of light and sound, regardless of unit design (P < 0.0001). Moderate light levels and feeding times of 12, 3, and 6 am were associated with improved feeding outcomes. Infants consumed a greater proportion of their prescribed feeding volume when fed in the open ward and when awake before feeding.Conclusion: Further study on the clinical effects of unit design is needed, as is study on the effects of environmental stimuli, so that interventions can be appropriately developed and tailored for infants needing the most support for optimal development.Keywords: NICU design, clinical outcomes, environment

BACKGROUND: Hospitalized infants are often exposed to many painful procedures as a result of their illness or disease process. Untreated or poorly treated pain can have deleterious effects on normal nociceptive pain development as well as future development of pain pathways. Mechanical vibration has been found to be efficacious in adult and pediatric populations for the relief of mild-to-moderate acute and chronic pain. However, little is known about the efficacy of this intervention in the neonatal population. AIM: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that mechanical vibration would be efficacious in the relief of pain associated with heel sticks in neonates. Heel sticks are one of the most common painful procedures during neonatal hospitalization. STUDY DESIGN: A random-sequencing crossover design was used with infants acting as their own controls. SUBJECTS: Newborn infants of 35 weeks' gestation or greater (N = 20) met the inclusion criteria for the study. OUTCOME MEASURES: Pain during heel stick was measured with the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale. The Neonatal Infant Pain Scale is a nonintrusive tool with extensive evidence of its reliability and validity in the neonatal population, when used by trained observers. RESULTS: Mechanical vibration produced an analgesic effect for infants who had previously experienced painful heel sticks that approached statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: The apparent limitations of mechanical vibration as analgesia may be due to the concurrent use of sucrose and pacifier, the effects of order (ie, habituation), or type II error. Because vibration produced the predicted positive effect in some circumstances, further investigation in larger samples within a randomized clinical trial is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) remains a concern for many preterm infants. Early detection and timely treatment have been shown to be effective in improving visual outcomes; moreover, it is crucial that a series of indirect ophthalmic examinations be performed until an infant is considered no longer at risk for the disease. The purpose of this systematic review is to summarize and evaluate the published evidence regarding characteristics and effectiveness of pain management interventions during the ROP examination. Implications for practice are discussed and suggestions for further research are made. Despite the general consensus that ROP examination is a painful procedure with considerable amount of discomfort, evidence shows that pain management during the ROP examination is inadequate. Although there are currently clear recommendations and guidelines for performing the ROP examination, there are no standard protocols for pharmacological and nonpharmacological pain management during the ROP examination. This is an area where much work is still needed to address the needs of the infant during this critical examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Free radical production occurs continuously in all cells as a by-product of cell metabolism. In tandem, the human body has developed endogenous antioxidant systems as well as taken advantage of dietary exogenous antioxidants to process and detoxify free radicals appropriately. However, certain conditions may increase free radical production beyond the body's endogenous and exogenous antioxidant systems. The neonatal period is a vulnerable time for free radical damage and injury, particularly for preterm infants whose antioxidant defense systems have not fully matured. Endogenous and passively acquired exogenous antioxidant defense systems do not accelerate in maturation until late in the third trimester. To explore the complexities of these concepts, this article includes a description, an evolutionary perspective of oxygen, and a basic background on free radical chemistry in biology. In addition, this chemistry is applied to the etiology of many of the most common diseases seen in the neonatal period. Finally, the current research addressing clinical strategies in this area is critically appraised. Implications for practice and directions for further research are presented with an emphasis on strategies that support the prudent use of oxygen therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined nonverbal communication in relation to electronic medical record (EMR) use during the medical interview. Six physicians were videotaped during their consultations with 50 different patients at a single setting Veterans Administration Hospital. Three different office spatial designs were identified and named 'open,' 'closed' and 'blocked'. The 'open' arrangement put physicians in a position to establish better eye contact and physical orientation than did the alternative 'closed' and 'blocked' office configurations. Physicians who accessed the EMR and took 'breakpoints' (short periods of no computer use and sustained eye contact with patients) used more nonverbal cues than physicians who tended to talk with their patients while continuously working on the computer. Long pauses in conversational turn taking associated with EMR use may have positively influenced doctor-patient communication. High EMR use interviews were associated with patients asking more questions than they did in low EMR use interviews. Implications for medical education and future research are discussed. Copyright © 2007 SAGE Publications Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding ways to consistently prepare preterm infants and their families for more timely discharge must continue as a focus for everyone involved in the care of these infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. The gold standards for discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit are physiologic stability (especially respiratory stability), consistent weight gain, and successful oral feeding, usually from a bottle. Successful bottle-feeding is considered the most complex task of infancy. Fostering successful oral feeding in preterm infants requires consistently high levels of skilled nursing care, which must begin with accurate assessment of feeding readiness and thoughtful progression to full oral feeding. This comprehensive review of the literature provides an overview of the state of the science related to feeding readiness and progression in the preterm infant. The theoretical foundation for feeding readiness and factors that appear to affect bottle-feeding readiness, progression, and success are presented in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neonatal seizures are difficult to detect, diagnose, and manage. Infants with a history of seizures often have long-term neurologic sequelae. Controversy exists as to whether neonatal seizures themselves cause damage to the developing brain, and thus, subsequent sequelae; or if these sequelae are due primarily to the underlying cause of the seizures. Treatment of seizures involves identifying and treating the underlying etiology of the seizure and appropriate use of pharmacologic interventions. To provide the context for pharmacological management of seizures in newborns, this article examines the pathophysiology and etiology of seizures and discusses pharmacological agents and issues, short- and long-term outcomes, clinical implications, and directions for future research. Understanding pharmacological issues within this context provides a comprehensive foundation for decision making and management of neonatal seizures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

QUESTION: In premature infants, is supplemental oxygen at pulse oximetry saturations of 96% to 99% more effective than conventional oxygen at pulse oximetry saturations of 89% to 94% in reducing the progression from moderate (pre-threshold) to threshold retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)? Design: Randomised (allocation concealed), blinded (outcome assessor), controlled trial with 3 months of follow up. Setting: 71 hospitals affiliated with 30 centres in the US. Patients: 649 infants (mean gestational age 25 wks, 57% boys, 55% white) who were born prematurely, had pre-threshold ROP in >/= 1 eye, and had a median pulse oximetry /=2 weeks. Main outcome measures: The main outcome measure was the rate of progression to threshold ROP in >/=1 eye. Secondary outcome measures were other ophthalmic and adverse events. Infants had weekly eye examinations by an ophthalmologist. Main results: Analysis was by intention to treat. Infants in the conventional and supplemental groups did not differ for rates of progression to threshold ROP in >/= 1 eye (48% v 41%) {p=0.06}*, retinal detachments or folds (4.4% v 4.1%), or macular ectopia (3.9% v 3.9%). Compared with infants in the conventional group, more infants in the supplemental group remained in hospital (7% v 13%, p=0.01), remained on oxygen (37% v 47%, p=0.02), remained on diuretics (24% v 36%, p=0.002), and had >/= 1 adverse pulmonary event defined as remaining in hospital or remaining on study equipment, oxygen, steroids, methylxanthines, or diuretics (46% v 57%, p = 0.005). Conclusion: Supplemental therapeutic oxygen at pulse oximetry saturations of 96% to 99% did not decrease the rate of progression from pre-threshold to threshold retinopathy of prematurity in infants but increased the risk of adverse pulmonary events. *p Value calculated from data in article. [Original article accession number: 2000027993 (clinical trial, equations & formulas, pictorial, research, tables/charts)] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the more serious problems faced by child welfare services involves the management of children with serious behavioral and mental health problems. Aggressive and defiant foster children are more likely to have multiple foster care placements, require extraordinary social services resources, and have poor short- and long-term mental health outcomes. Interventions that work with challenging foster children and enhance foster parents' skills in managing problem behaviors are necessary. This article presents the successful results of a single case study examining the application of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) with an aggressive young boy and his foster-adoptive parent. PCIT is a dyadic intervention that has been identified as an empirically supported treatment for abused children and for children with different types of behavioral disruption. The application of PCIT to assist foster parents is a promising direction for child welfare services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Minority populations are utilizing mobile health applications more frequently to access health information. One group that may benefit from using mHealth technology is underserved women, specifically those on community supervision., Objective: Discuss methodological approaches for navigating digital health strategies to address underserved women's health disparities., Description of the Innovative Method: Using an intersectional lens, we identified strategies for conducting research using digital health technology and artificial intelligence amongst the underserved, particularly those with community supervision., Description of Its Effectiveness: We explore (1) methodological approaches that combine traditional research methods with precision medicine, digital phenotyping, and ecological momentary assessment; (2) implications for artificial intelligence; and (3) ethical considerations with data collection, storage, and engagement., Discussion: Researchers must address gendered differences related to health, social, and economic disparities concurrently with an unwavering focus on the protection of human subjects when addressing the unique needs of underserved women while utilizing digital health methodologies., Public Contribution: Women on community supervision in South Central Texas helped inform the design of JUN, the mHealth app we reported in the case exemplar. JUN is named after the Junonia shell, a native shell to South Texas, which means strength, power, and self-sufficiency, like the participants in our preliminary studies., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: As rates of substance use during pregnancy persist, the health and optimal development of infants with prenatal substance exposure remain a key priority. Nurses are tasked with identifying and reporting suspected cases of child maltreatment, including abuse and neglect, which is often assumed to be synonymous with substance use during pregnancy. While policies aimed at protecting infants from child abuse and neglect are well intentioned, literature regarding the short- and long-term social and legal implications of mandatory reporting policies is emerging., Purpose: In this article, we explore the intersections between the condition of substance use in pregnancy and policies related to mandatory reporting., Methods: We provide an overview of historical and current trends in mandatory reporting policies for nurses related to substance use in pregnancy and related ethical and social implications for mother-infant dyads., Results: Nurses often function at the intersection of healthcare and social services, underscoring the important role they play in advocating for ethical and equitable care for both members of the mother-infant dyad affected by substance use., Implications for Practice and Research: We offer recommendations for practice including the integration of respectful care and family-centered support for the mother-infant dyad affected by substance use. Cross-sectoral collaborations, inclusive of the family, are important to the advancement of evidence-based and equity-focused research, advocacy, and policy initiatives to support familial preservation and reduce mother-infant separation., Competing Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (Copyright © 2024 by The National Association of Neonatal Nurses.)

The purpose of this scoping review is to review the extant literature regarding perinatal health outcomes for women on community supervision in the United States. PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Public Health were searched for peer-reviewed articles published in the United States from January 1, 1970, to March 7, 2023. After removal of duplicates and review of 1,412 article titles and abstracts, 19 articles were retrieved for full-text review; this yielded 4 studies for inclusion. Studies range in size from 10 to 292 participants (N = 405) and only two reported geographic locations. Three studies comprised probation or parole and two studies included court-mandated treatment for substance use. All studies examined outcomes during the postpartum period, such as mood disorder or substance use severity. No studies evaluated the health of women during pregnancy and/or childbirth. To enhance health equity and reduce maternal morbidity and mortality among women on community supervision, more inclusive research that examines health outcomes during the perinatal period is needed. Furthermore, there must be interventions that address the social determinants of health, racial and systemic discrimination, socioeconomic barriers, and violence that are often experienced among women with criminal justice system involvement.

Purpose: Preliminary studies have suggested that women are responsive to using technology to manage their health, due to its discreet, convenient, and cost-effective nature. Yet, there are limited mobile health (mHealth) apps specific to women's needs, particularly those on probation. The purpose of this study was to explore features of 2 existing mHealth applications related to sexual health and safety, specific to interpersonal and sexual violence, to answer research questions related to the usability, barriers, and facilitators of mHealth app use for women on probation., Subjects: We purposefully sampled from a local adult probation site and utilized snow-ball sampling to recruit 11 women who were on probation and owned iPhones., Methods: We conducted an exploratory intervention development study using a qualitative design. Social Cognitive Theory was used for data synthesize and organization., Findings: Three themes emerged: (1) It made me take time for myself; (2) It helped me to be more respectful of my body; (3) The connectivity….that was helpful., Major Implications: Participants expressed mHealth apps to be usable, feasible, accessible and promoted self-efficacy by allowing them track symptoms and patterns of behavior specific to health and safety in a discreet, convenient, and effective manner. This research suggests that a culturally tailored mHealth app may be an appropriate intervention to provide timely gender-responsive feedback, resources, and health care to women on probation., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The objective of this study is to assess women's vulnerability to becoming involved with the legal system as it relates to their exposure, sensitivity, and resiliency to specific experiences associated with incarceration before, during, and after their confinement using the vulnerability framework. We sampled 12 women who self-identified as Latina mothers from local jail annexes, probation department offices, and substance use treatment centers in South Central Texas. We conducted a qualitative, secondary analysis. Three overarching themes emerged: (1) "[The abuse] just kept happening;" (2) "[Incarceration] was an excessive interference;" and (3) "I wasn't there back then [for my children], but now I can be [there for them] in some way." We also identified subthemes. More research and culturally tailored programming are needed to bridge services across legal system sites (jails, prisons, probation) that interact with this population of women to provide supportive services. PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: We would like to recognize community stakeholders who work in the local jail, probation, and medication treatment centers who helped with the distribution of fliers and participant recruitment along with the women who shared their experiences following incarceration for the original study's data used in this secondary analysis., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective: Use the Life Course Theory (LCT) to explore the effects of involvement with the justice system on the health of Latina women and their children., Design: A supplementary analysis was conducted using data collected from the original study to answer a new research question., Setting: South Central Texas., Participants: A primary qualitative data set from 12 Latina women involved with the justice system., Methods: We applied LCT principles and used thematic content analysis as such we employed categoric distinction: lifespan development, time and place in individuals' lives, the timing of lives, human agency, and linked lives to analyze participants' narratives., Results: Five themes emerged that aligned with LCT principles: (1) It feels like I'm living in my own prison; (2) What do I have to live for now; (3) It is like double punishment; (4) They made my choices; and (5) People didn't really understand. Participants felt helpless with few options to overcome their prior adversities, which affected their ability to make positive future choices., Conclusions: Findings highlight the potential, long-term, negative health consequences that may result from incarceration. Considering that justice system involvement can lead to more profound maternal and child health disparities, our findings suggest that greater advocacy from the nursing profession would increase accessibility to equitable and respectful maternity and women's health care services. Key points Involvement with the justice system can result in negative health consequences for women and their children. Maternal and child health disparities are often more profound after involvement with the justice system. Greater advocacy is needed from the nursing profession to ensure access to equitable and respectful maternity and women's health care services., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Critical source areas (CSAs) are small areas of a field, farm, or catchment that account for most contaminant loss by having both a high contaminant availability and transport potential. Most work on CSAs has focused on phosphorus (P), largely through the work in the 1990s initiated by Dr. Sharpley and colleagues who recognized the value in targeting mitigation efforts. The CSA concept has been readily grasped by scientists, farmers, and policymakers across the globe. However, experiences and success have been mixed, often caused by the variation in where and how CSAs are defined. For instance, analysis of studies from 1990 to 2023 shows that the proportion of the annual contaminant load coming from a CSA decreases from field to farm to catchment scale. This finding is consistent with increased buffering of CSAs and greater contribution of other sources with scale, or variation in the definition of CSAs. We therefore argue that the best application of CSAs to target mitigation actions should be at small areas that truly account for most contaminant loss. This article sheds light on the development and utilization of CSAs, paying tribute to Dr. Sharpley's remarkable contributions to the improvement of water quality, and reflecting upon where the CSA concept has succeeded or not in reducing contaminant (largely P) loss., (© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Environmental Quality published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.)

Background: Infants and families requiring neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) care often experience significant stress and trauma during the earliest period of the infant's life, leading to increased risks for poorer infant and family outcomes. There is a need for frameworks to guide clinical care and research that account for the complex interactions of generational stress, pain, toxic stress, parental separation, and lifelong health and developmental outcomes for infants and families., Purpose: Apply the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) framework in the context of the NICU as a usable structure to guide clinical practice and research focused on infant neurodevelopment outcomes and parental attachment., Methods: An overview of ACEs is provided along with a detailed discussion of risk at each level of the ACEs pyramid in the context of the NICU. Supportive and protective factors to help mitigate the risk of the ACEs in the NICU are detailed., Results: NICU hospitalization may be considered the first ACE, or potentially an additional ACE, resulting in an increased risk for poorer health outcomes. The promotion of safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and implementation of trauma-informed care and individualized developmental care potentially counter the negative impacts of stress in the NICU., Implications for Practice and Research: Nurses can help balance the negative and positive stimulation of the NICU through activities such as facilitated tucking, skin-to-skin care, mother's milk, and active participation of parents in infant care. Future research can consider using the ACEs framework to explain cumulative risk for adverse health and well-being in the context of NICU care., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 by The National Association of Neonatal Nurses.)

The gap between genomics and phenomics is narrowing. The rate at which it is narrowing, however, is being slowed by improper statistical comparison of methods. Quantification using Pearson's correlation coefficient ( r ) is commonly used to assess method quality, but it is an often misleading statistic for this purpose as it is unable to provide information about the relative quality of two methods. Using r can both erroneously discount methods that are inherently more precise and validate methods that are less accurate. These errors occur because of logical flaws inherent in the use of r when comparing methods, not as a problem of limited sample size or the unavoidable possibility of a type I error. A popular alternative to using r is to measure the limits of agreement (LOA). However both r and LOA fail to identify which instrument is more or less variable than the other and can lead to incorrect conclusions about method quality. An alternative approach, comparing variances of methods, requires repeated measurements of the same subject, but avoids incorrect conclusions. Variance comparison is arguably the most important component of method validation and, thus, when repeated measurements are possible, variance comparison provides considerable value to these studies. Statistical tests to compare variances presented here are well established, easy to interpret and ubiquitously available. The widespread use of r has potentially led to numerous incorrect conclusions about method quality, hampering development, and the approach described here would be useful to advance high throughput phenotyping methods but can also extend into any branch of science. The adoption of the statistical techniques outlined in this paper will help speed the adoption of new high throughput phenotyping techniques by indicating when one should reject a new method, outright replace an old method or conditionally use a new method., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 McGrath, Siebers, Fu, Long and Bernacchi.)

Chlorophyll is the major light-absorbing pigment for plant photosynthesis. While evolution has been selected for high chlorophyll content in leaves, previous work suggests that domesticated crops grown in modern high-density agricultural environments overinvest in chlorophyll production, thereby lowering light use and nitrogen use efficiency. To investigate the potential benefits of reducing chlorophyll levels, we created ethanol-inducible RNAi tobacco mutants that suppress Mg-chelatase subunit I (CHLI) with small RNA within 3 h of induction and reduce chlorophyll within 5 days in field conditions. We initiated chlorophyll reduction later in plant development to avoid the highly sensitive seedling stage and to allow young plants to have full green leaves to maximise light interception before canopy formation. This study demonstrated that leaf chlorophyll reduction >60% during seed-filling stages increased tobacco seed nitrogen concentration by as much as 17% while canopy photosynthesis, biomass and seed yields were maintained. These results indicate that time-specific reduction of chlorophyll could be a novel strategy that decouples the inverse relationship between yield and seed nitrogen by utilising saved nitrogen from the reduction of chlorophyll while maintaining full carbon assimilation capacity., (© 2023 The Authors. Plant, Cell & Environment published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Mothers having difficulty breastfeeding their infants may use alternative supportive feeding methods. Although a supplemental feeding tube device is commonly used, efficacy for supporting sustained breastfeeding remains unknown., Purpose: To describe supplemental feeding tube device use by breastfeeding mothers as an alternative feeding method through exploration of associations between supplemental feeding tube device use and continued breastfeeding at 4 weeks of infant's age., Method: Forty mothers participated. They were interviewed during the birth hospitalization and at 4 weeks postpartum. Questions addressed use of supplemental feeding tube devices, breastfeeding issues, and continued breastfeeding relationships. We examined the relationship between LATCH scores at 2 to 3 days of life., Results: Breastfeeding mothers who chose to supplement with bottle-feeding instead of use of a supplemental feeding tube device were 30% less likely to continue breastfeeding at a medium/high/exclusive level., Conclusion: Use of the supplemental feeding tube device may help avoid the potentially detrimental effect of bottle-feeding on continued breastfeeding., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Background: While a growing body of literature has established the role of human milk as a mechanism of protection in the formation of the infant gut microbiome, it remains unclear the extent to which this association exists for infants with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome., Purpose: The purpose of this scoping review was to describe the current state of the literature regarding the influence of human milk on infant gut microbiota in infants with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome., Data Sources: CINAHL, PubMed, and Scopus databases were searched for original studies published from January 2009 through February 2022. Additionally, unpublished studies across relevant trial registries, conference proceedings, websites, and organizations were reviewed for possible inclusion. A total of 1610 articles met selection criteria through database and register searches and 20 through manual reference searches., Study Selection: Inclusion criteria were primary research studies, written in English, published between 2009 and 2022, including a sample of infants with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome/neonatal abstinence syndrome, and focusing on the relationship between the receipt of human milk and the infant gut microbiome., Data Extraction: Two authors independently conducted title/abstract and full-text review until there was consensus of study selection., Results: No studies satisfied the inclusion criteria, which resulted in an empty review., Implications for Practice and Research: Findings from this study document the paucity of data exploring the associations between human milk, the infant gut microbiome, and subsequent neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome. Further, these results highlight the timely importance of prioritizing this area of scientific inquiry., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 by The National Association of Neonatal Nurses.)

The Soybean Free Air Concentration Enrichment (SoyFACE) facility is the longest running open-air carbon dioxide and ozone enrichment facility in the world. For over two decades, soybean, maize, and other crops have been exposed to the elevated carbon dioxide and ozone concentrations anticipated for late this century. The facility, located in East Central Illinois, USA, exposes crops to different atmospheric concentrations in replicated octagonal ~280 m 2 Free Air Concentration Enrichment (FACE) treatment plots. Each FACE plot is paired with an untreated control (ambient) plot. The experiment provides important ground truth data for predicting future crop productivity. Fumigation data from SoyFACE were collected every four seconds throughout each growing season for over two decades. Here, we organize, quality control, and collate 20 years of data to facilitate trend analysis and crop modeling efforts. This paper provides the rationale for and a description of the SoyFACE experiments, along with a summary of the fumigation data and collation process, weather and ambient data collection procedures, and explanations of air pollution metrics and calculations., (© 2023. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

Neurodegenerative diseases are among the main causes of death in the United States, leading to irreversible disintegration of neurons. Despite intense international research efforts, cellular mechanisms that initiate neurodegeneration remain elusive, thus inhibiting the development of effective preventative and early onset medical treatment. To identify underlying cellular mechanisms that initiate neuron degeneration, it is critical to identify histological and cellular hallmarks that can be linked to underlying biochemical processes. Due to the poor tissue preservation of degenerating mammalian brain tissue, our knowledge regarding histopathological hallmarks of early to late degenerative stages is only fragmentary. Here, we introduce a novel model organism to study histological hallmarks of neurodegeneration, the spider Cupiennius salei. We utilized toluidine blue-stained 0.9-μm serial semithin and 50-nm ultrathin sections of young and old spider nervous tissue. Our findings suggest that the initial stages of neurodegeneration in spiders may be triggered by (1) dissociation of neuron- and glia-derived microtubules, and (2) the weakening of microtubule-associated desmosomal junctions that lead to the unraveling of neuron-insulating macroglia, compromising the structural integrity of affected neurons. The involvement of macroglia in the disposal of neuronal debris described here-although different in the proposed transport mechanisms-shows resemblance to the mammalian glymphatic system. We propose that this model system is highly suitable to investigate invertebrate neurodegenerative processes from early onset to scar formation and that this knowledge may be useful for the study of neurodegeneration in mammalian tissue., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Historically, childbearing women from diverse and systematically hard-to-reach populations have been excluded from nursing research. This practice limits the generalizability of findings. Maximizing research strategies to meet the unique needs of these populations must be a priority., Objectives: The aim of this study was to provide methodological context for the comprehensive application of reproductive justice strategies to guide research methods and promote engagement of underrepresented childbearing women while decreasing systemic bias., Methods: In this article, we use a reproductive justice lens to characterize and define strategies for enhancing ethical and equitable engagement in research involving childbearing women who are often systematically underrepresented using a case study approach. Using a specific case study exemplar, the core tenets of reproductive justice are outlined and affirm the need to advance research strategies that create ethical engagement of diverse populations, transform oppressive social structures, and shift research paradigms so research objectives intentionally highlight the strengths and resiliency inherent to the targeted communities., Results: We begin by describing parallels between the tenets of reproductive justice and the ethical principles of research (i.e., respect for persons, beneficence, and justice). We then apply these tenets to conceptualization, implementation (recruitment, data management, and retention), and dissemination of research conducted with childbearing women from diverse backgrounds who are systemically underrepresented. We highlight our successful research strategies from our case study example of women with histories of incarceration., Discussion: To date, outcomes from our research indicate the need for multilevel strategies with a focus on respectful, inclusive participant and key community partner engagement; the time investment in local communities to promote equitable collaboration; encouragement of the patient's autonomous right to self-determination; and mitigation of power imbalances. Nurse researchers are well positioned to advance research justice at the intersection of reproductive justice and ethics to fully engage diverse populations in advancing health equity to support the best health outcomes., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: This study aimed to explore: (1) the influence of maternal sociodemographic factors on breastfeeding attitudes, (2) the relationship between breastfeeding attitudes of postpartum women and their spouses, (3) the predictors of breastfeeding behavior (mixed breastfeeding) at two months postpartum, and (4) to establish the reliability of the Chinese version of the paternal Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS) in Taiwan., Methods: A correlational and follow-up study design was used on a convenience sample of 215 women and 215 fathers recruited from a regional teaching hospital in central Taiwan from July 2020 to December 2020. The participants completed the IIFAS during postpartum hospitalization and a follow-up via telephone at 8 weeks postpartum for information on feeding methods and duration. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the predictors of breastfeeding duration., Results: Maternal breastfeeding attitude scores ranged from 42 to 79, with a mean score of 59.78 (SD ± 6.68). Spouses' breastfeeding attitude scores ranged from 46 to 81, with a mean score of 59.60 (SD ± 6.93). Mother and spouse's IIFAS scores were highly correlated (r = 0.50, p  < 0.001), and the scores of both parents were significantly associated with the duration of breastfeeding. With each increased point on maternal and paternal IIFAS scores, the odds of breastfeeding during the first 8 weeks increased 6% and 10%, respectively., Conclusion: This is the first study to validate the IIFAS (Chinese version) with paternal participants in Taiwan. Identifying and understanding the infant feeding attitudes of mothers and their spouses should be an early step in designing and implementing breastfeeding interventions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

A contiguous assembly of the inbred 'EL10' sugar beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris) genome was constructed using PacBio long-read sequencing, BioNano optical mapping, Hi-C scaffolding, and Illumina short-read error correction. The EL10.1 assembly was 540 Mb, of which 96.2% was contained in nine chromosome-sized pseudomolecules with lengths from 52 to 65 Mb, and 31 contigs with a median size of 282 kb that remained unassembled. Gene annotation incorporating RNA-seq data and curated sequences via the MAKER annotation pipeline generated 24,255 gene models. Results indicated that the EL10.1 genome assembly is a contiguous genome assembly highly congruent with the published sugar beet reference genome. Gross duplicate gene analyses of EL10.1 revealed little large-scale intra-genome duplication. Reduced gene copy number for well-annotated gene families relative to other core eudicots was observed, especially for transcription factors. Variation in genome size in B. vulgaris was investigated by flow cytometry among 50 individuals producing estimates from 633 to 875 Mb/1C. Read-depth mapping with short-read whole-genome sequences from other sugar beet germplasm suggested that relatively few regions of the sugar beet genome appeared associated with high-copy number variation., (Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2022.)

Background: Growing evidence supports the superior benefits of exposure to mother's own milk (MOM) in reducing prematurity-related comorbidities. Neonatal exposure to donor human Milk (DHM) is a suitable alternative when MOM is insufficient or unavailable. However, the same protective composition and bioactivity in MOM are not present in DHM. Additional evidence is needed to justify and inform evidence-based practices increasing MOM provision while optimizing adequate use of DHM for premature infants., Purpose: A systematic review of the literature was conducted to determine differences in neonatal outcomes among premature infants exposed to predominately MOM versus DHM., Methods/search Strategy: Databases including PubMed, CINAHL and Cochrane were searched (2020-2021) using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis) guidelines. Evidence was classified using the John Hopkins evidence-based practice levels and quality of evidence., Results: Eleven studies met inclusion criteria. Studied neonatal outcomes included ( a ) growth parameters (n = 8), ( b ) neonatal morbidities (n = 6), and ( c ) gut microbiome (n = 4). Overall, evidence suggests DHM exposure is beneficial but not equivalent to MOM feeding. Compared with DHM, greater doses of MOM are ideal to enhance protection primarily related to infant growth, as well as gut microbiome diversity and richness., Implications for Practice: Standardized and evidence-based practices are needed to clearly delineate optimal use of DHM without undermining maternal and neonatal staff efforts to support and promote provision of MOM., Implications for Research: Additional evidence from high-quality studies should further examine differences in neonatal outcomes among infants exposed to predominately MOM or DHM in settings using standardized and evidence-based feeding practices., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose. Drs Cartagena, McGrath, and Parker, who are editors for Advances in Neonatal Care , were not involved in the editorial review or decision to publish this article. The entire process from submission, referee assignment, and editorial decisions was handled by other members of the editorial team for the journal., (Copyright © 2022 by The National Association of Neonatal Nurses.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

The Pediatric Genomics Discovery Program (PGDP) at Yale uses next-generation sequencing (NGS) and translational research to evaluate complex patients with a wide range of phenotypes suspected to have rare genetic diseases. We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of 356 PGDP probands evaluated between June 2015 and July 2020, querying our database for participant demographics, clinical characteristics, NGS results, and diagnostic and research findings. The three most common phenotypes among the entire studied cohort (n = 356) were immune system abnormalities (n = 105, 29%), syndromic or multisystem disease (n = 103, 29%), and cardiovascular system abnormalities (n = 62, 17%). Of 216 patients with final classifications, 77 (36%) received new diagnoses and 139 (64%) were undiagnosed; the remaining 140 patients were still actively being investigated. Monogenetic diagnoses were found in 67 (89%); the largest group had variants in known disease genes but with new contributions such as novel variants (n = 31, 40%) or expanded phenotypes (n = 14, 18%). Finally, five PGDP diagnoses (8%) were suggestive of novel gene-to-phenotype relationships. A broad range of patients can benefit from single subject studies combining NGS and functional molecular analyses. All pediatric providers should consider further genetics evaluations for patients lacking precise molecular diagnoses., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Tanning bed use has been linked to increases in skin cancer among young women. Although a causal relationship between ultraviolet radiation emitted by tanning beds and melanoma is well established, it is unclear if tanning bed users are aware of the risk and how they would respond to a warning message. Two hundred and ten women aged 16-29 who had used a tanning bed at least once in the last year were asked about their perceptions of risk and their responses to a warning label. Participants were already aware that tanning beds could cause cancer, but after viewing a warning label, most people said they would stop or reduce their tanning bed use. Reactions to a prototype warning label were encouraging and future research should pursue the possibility that current guidelines for tanning bed warning labels may need to be revised., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 John M. McGrath and Harry Wallace.)

Stakeholders for nutrient-impaired watersheds have long discussed the causes and consequences of nutrient surpluses associated with intensive livestock production. Nonetheless, nutrient surpluses relative to crop requirement, particularly with phosphorus (P), persist and continue to contribute to water quality impairment. Nutrient life-cycle analysis shows that mineral P, from soil minerals or mined fertilizer P, flows to livestock regions from grain-producing regions. Although creating a return flow of these nutrients to grain fields seems like an easy solution, significant economic obstacles exist to creating a connected manureshed over large geographic distances. To limit the impact of manure use on local surface water, state, federal, and nongovernmental actors have largely targeted their interventions in manure source areas. Even manure transport programs tend to focus on obstacles at the point of production in manure source areas. However, if we are to realize connected manuresheds that cost-effectively distribute manure nutrients beyond the current publicly funded incentive programs, we must address obstacles to manure utilization in potential sink areas that supply grain to livestock regions. Further, we can harness the power of computer-mediated market design and scientific research to build even more-effective markets that generate manure nutrient transfers of an order of magnitude that will substantively improve water quality in source areas. This manuscript offers economic insights into potential improvements to current manure nutrient relocation programs. Under the right conditions, these improvements will relocate more manure, generate more environmental benefits, and improve the profitability of most participating farmers., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Environmental Quality © 2022 American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.)

Background: Parenting Self-Efficacy, a concept first described in Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, is a parent's belief in their ability to successfully parent their child. The concept of parenting self-efficacy is used by researchers to increase our understanding of parenting abilities and influences on child health and developmental outcomes. Numerous instruments exist for measuring parental self-efficacy; but little is known about the specific topics included in the measures and consistency across instruments. Therefore, this scoping review sought to compare parenting self-efficacy instruments for parents of infants and toddlers, focusing on comparison of parenting topics, scale format, and administration with the goal of providing guidance and recommendations for measurement selection., Methods: Our sample included 25 instruments and items from every instrument was evaluated and coded using NVIVO Qualitative Software. We reviewed the instruments' target population, subscales, number of items, response options, scoring range and instructions, theoretical background, and parenting topics across each instrument., Results: This review found three common factors across all instruments: parent, social and family, and child factors. Parent personal factors were addressed most frequently to evaluate self-efficacy and included topics such as, perception of parenting abilities, emotional reactions, and perceived successes. From our synthesis, we also offer recommendations for instrument selection and provide a conceptual model of parenting self-efficacy., Conclusions: The findings from this scoping review highlight the presence of key factors (parent, social & family, and child) necessary for the evaluation of parenting self-efficacy in parents of infants and toddlers. Given our results, a meta-analysis is needed to compare parenting self-efficacy scores across studies to better understand the associations between self-efficacy and parent and child outcomes., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to this article to disclose., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Gas exchange techniques revolutionized plant research and advanced understanding, including associated fluxes and efficiencies, of photosynthesis, photorespiration, and respiration of plants from cellular to ecosystem scales. These techniques remain the gold standard for inferring photosynthetic rates and underlying physiology/biochemistry, although their utility for high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) of photosynthesis is limited both by the number of gas exchange systems available and the number of personnel available to operate the equipment. Remote sensing techniques have long been used to assess ecosystem productivity at coarse spatial and temporal resolutions, and advances in sensor technology coupled with advanced statistical techniques are expanding remote sensing tools to finer spatial scales and increasing the number and complexity of phenotypes that can be extracted. In this review, we outline the photosynthetic phenotypes of interest to the plant science community and describe the advances in high-throughput techniques to characterize photosynthesis at spatial scales useful to infer treatment or genotypic variation in field-based experiments or breeding trials. We will accomplish this objective by presenting six lessons learned thus far through the development and application of proximal/remote sensing-based measurements and the accompanying statistical analyses. We will conclude by outlining what we perceive as the current limitations, bottlenecks, and opportunities facing HTP of photosynthesis., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.)

Background: Hispanic mothers are one of the largest groups to give birth. They also experience high rates of morbidity and mortality; however, there is limited data related to their health inequities., Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate systemic inequities associated with discrimination using the Reproductive Justice Framework to observe factors that influenced depressive symptomology in Hispanic women., Methods: A path analysis was conducted to evaluate systemic inequities that influenced postpartum depression using the public database, Listening to Mothers III (LMIII). The sub-sample consisted of n = 406 Hispanic mothers. Data was initially collected between the years 2011 and 2013., Results: Hispanic mothers were more likely to experience occurrences of perceived discrimination while seeking perinatal healthcare. These occurrences of discrimination led to lower trust in their healthcare providers, lower satisfaction with care, more instances of unwanted medical procedures, the need to feel to hold back comments about their health which ultimately resulted in higher rates of self-reported postpartum depression. The model fit indices supported the model's plausibility (χ 2 /df ratio = 3.16, Comparative Fit Index = 0.91, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.06)., Conclusions: This data supported our hypothesis that the pathway of discriminatory barriers Hispanic mothers experience during pregnancy influence postpartum depression., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Cultivated beets (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris), including sugar beet, rank among the most important crops. The wild ancestor of beet crops is the sea beet Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima. Species and subspecies of wild beets are readily crossable with cultivated beets and are thus available for crop improvement. To study genomic relationships in the genus Beta, we sequence and analyse 606 beet genomes, encompassing sugar beet, sea beet, B. v. adanensis, B. macrocarpa, and B. patula. We observe two genetically distinct groups of sea beets, one from the Atlantic coast and the other from the Mediterranean area. Genomic comparisons based on k-mers identify sea beets from Greece as the closest wild relatives of sugar beet, suggesting that domestication of the ancestors of sugar beet may be traced to this area. Our work provides comprehensive insight into the phylogeny of wild and cultivated beets and establishes a framework for classification of further accessions of unknown (sub-)species assignment., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to critically analyze the role of stigma in the care of pregnant and parenting individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) through the theoretical lens of the Reproductive Justice (RJ) framework. Background: Overdose related maternal mortality, often involving opioids, is a national growing public health concern. OUD is a highly stigmatized condition that may negatively influence the well-being of pregnant/parenting individual's reproductive and human rights. Study Design: Secondary qualitative data analysis. Methods: A secondary data analysis was conducted using individual interviews ( N  = 23) from a larger study aimed at examining contextual factors surrounding pregnant/parenting individual's experiences with opioid use return to use and/or overdose. The RJ framework was used as a framework to examine the influence of OUD-related stigma and a person's right to bodily autonomy, their right to parent, and their right to parent the children they have in safe and sustainable environments. Results: The RJ framework supported the examination of factors that perpetuate stigma in this population. Individuals described stigmatizing experiences in the health care setting. Verbal and nonverbal interactions with health care providers and fear of child welfare involvement were counterproductive to recovery and potentially triggered OUD recurrence and/or overdose. Conclusions: Due to existing stigma, pregnant and parenting individuals with OUD often avoided health care and recovery support services; therefore, there should be the removal of barriers that prevent this population from accessing life-saving services. Future efforts should focus on health policy-related research to support structural changes within institutions., Competing Interests: No competing financial interests exist., (© Allison D. Crawford et al., 2021; Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)

The Midwestern "Corn-Belt" in the United States is the most productive agricultural region on the planet despite being predominantly rainfed. In this region, global climate change is driving precipitation patterns toward wetter springs and drier mid- to late-summers, a trend that is likely to intensify in the future. The lack of precipitation can lead to crop water limitations that ultimately impact growth and yields. Young plants exposed to water stress will often invest more resources into their root systems, possibly priming the crop for any subsequent mid- or late-season drought. The trend toward wetter springs, however, suggests that opportunities for crop priming may lessen in the future. Here, we test the hypothesis that early season dry conditions lead to drought priming in field-grown crops and this response will protect crops against growth and yield losses from late-season droughts. This hypothesis was tested for the two major Midwestern crop, maize and soybean, using high-resolution daily weather data, satellite-derived phenological metrics, field yield data, and ecosystem-scale model (Agricultural Production System Simulator) simulations. The results from this study showed that priming mitigated yield losses from a late season drought of up to 4.0% and 7.0% for maize and soybean compared with unprimed crops experiencing a late season drought. These results suggest that if the trend toward wet springs with drier summers continues, the relative impact of droughts on crop productivity is likely to worsen. Alternatively, identifying opportunities to breed or genetically modify pre-primed crop species may provide improved resilience to future climate change., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2021 The Authors. Food and Energy Security published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Mother's own milk (MOM) is the gold standard of nutrition for premature infants. Yet, Hispanic and Black preterm infants are less likely than their White counterparts to receive MOM feedings. Evidence is lacking concerning potential modifiable factors and evidence-based strategies that predict provision of MOM among minority mothers of premature infants., Purpose: A review of the literature was conducted to answer the clinical question: "What evidence-based strategies encourage and improve mother's own milk expression in Black and Hispanic mothers of premature infants?", Methods/search Strategy: Multiple databases including PubMed, Cochrane, and CINAHL were searched for articles published in the past 10 years (2010 through May 2020), reporting original research and available in English. Initial search yielded zero articles specifically addressing the impact of lactation interventions on MOM provision in minority mothers. Additional studies were included and reviewed if addressed breastfeeding facilitators and barriers (n = 3) and neonatal intensive care unit breastfeeding support practices (n = 7)., Findings/results: Current strategies used to encourage and improve MOM expression in minority mothers are based on or extrapolated from successful strategies developed and tested in predominantly White mothers. However, limited evidence suggests that variation in neonatal intensive care unit breastfeeding support practices may explain (in part) variation in disparities and supports further research in this area., Implications for Practice: Neonatal intensive care unit staff should consider implementing scaled up or bundled strategies showing promise in improving MOM milk expression among minorities while taking into consideration the cultural and racial norms influencing breastfeeding decisions and practice., Implications for Research: Experimental studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of targeted and culturally sensitive lactation support interventions in Hispanic and Black mothers., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 by The National Association of Neonatal Nurses.)