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Drastic changes in vegetation structure caused by exceeding ecological thresholds have fueled the interest in tropical forest responses to climate and land-use changes. Here, we examine the potential successional trajectories experienced by the largest dry tropical forest region in South America, driven by climate conditions and human disturbance. We built potential distribution models for vertebrate taxa associated with forest or shrub habitats to estimate natural vegetation cover. Distribution patterns were compared to current vegetation across the entire region to identify distinct forest degradation levels. Our results indicate the region has climatic and soil conditions suitable for more forest cover than is currently found, even in some areas with limited precipitation. However, 11.04% of natural cover persists across such an immense region, with only 4.34% consisting of forest cover. Forest degradation is characterized by the dramatic expansion of shrubland (390%), farming, and non-vegetation cover due to changes in land-use, rather than climatic conditions. Although different climate conditions have been the principal drivers for natural forest distribution in the region, the forest seems unable to resist the consequences of land-use changes, particularly in lower precipitation areas. Therefore, land-use change has exceeded the ecological thresholds for the persistence of forests, while climate change may exacerbate vegetation-type transitions.

RGB-D cameras have become common in many research fields since these inexpensive devices provide dense 3D information from the observed scene. Over the past few years, the RealSense™ range from Intel® has introduced new, cost-effective RGB-D sensors with different technologies, more sophisticated in both hardware and software. Models D415, SR305, and L515 are examples of successful cameras launched by Intel® RealSense™ between 2018 and 2020. These three cameras are different since they have distinct operating principles. Then, their behavior concerning depth estimation while in the presence of many error sources will also be specific. For instance, semi-transparent and scattering media are expected error sources for an RGB-D sensor. The main new contribution of this paper is a full evaluation and comparison between the three Intel RealSense cameras in scenarios with transparency and translucency. We propose an experimental setup involving an aquarium and liquids. The evaluation, based on repeatability/precision and statistical distribution of the acquired depth, allows us to compare the three cameras and conclude that Intel RealSense D415 has overall the best behavior namely in what concerns the statistical variability (also known as precision or repeatability) and also in what concerns valid measurements.

The autobiographical-self refers to a mental state derived from the retrieval and assembly of memories regarding one's biography. The process of retrieval and assembly, which can focus on biographical facts or personality traits or some combination thereof, is likely to vary according to the domain chosen for an experiment. To date, the investigation of the neural basis of this process has largely focused on the domain of personality traits using paradigms that contrasted the evaluation of one's traits (self-traits) with those of another person's (other-traits). This has led to the suggestion that cortical midline structures (CMSs) are specifically related to self states. Here, with the goal of testing this suggestion, we conducted activation-likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analyses based on data from 28 neuroimaging studies. The ALE results show that both self-traits and other-traits engage CMSs; however, the engagement of medial prefrontal cortex is greater for self-traits than for other-traits, while the posteromedial cortex is more engaged for other-traits than for self-traits. These findings suggest that the involvement CMSs is not specific to the evaluation of one's own traits, but also occurs during the evaluation of another person's traits.

Mammal diversity around the world has been increasingly threatened by a myriad of anthropogenic drivers, but particularly overhunting and natural habitat loss. These threats alter the structure of local mammal assemblages and, consequently, their associated ecological interactions. Here, we assess the degree to which the mammal fauna has been defaunated across the 862,818-km 2 Caatinga tropical dry forest region of northeastern Brazil. Specifically, we examine potential changes in the structure of medium- to large-bodied mammal assemblages, large-scale spatial patterns of local extinctions, the loss of ecosystem functionality, and the role of human disturbance and protected areas in mammal defaunation. We compiled empirical data for 51 species representing a total of 73 local mammal assemblages that could be defined as exhaustively sampled throughout the region and compared species distribution estimates between contemporary and historical times. Our results show that 90% of the Caatinga lost between 20% and 80% of its mammal species, and the structure of coexisting local assemblages was further downsized by ~77%. Among all 51 species, 37 lost over 50% of their geographic range across the region. Caatinga defaunation is currently associated with a severe loss of ecosystem functionality. Overhunting, agropastoral habitat conversion and ruminant livestock were the main drivers of the extent and severity of local defaunation rates, which were conversely buffered by protected areas. This study informs conservation efforts in arid tropical forest regions dominated by the rural poor, including protection of remnant dry forests and restoration of mammal- and habitat- mediated ecosystem services.

Microendemic species are species with very small geographic distributions (ranges). Their presence delimitates areas with microendemic species (AMs), denoting a spatial unit comprising at least one population of at least one microendemic species. AMs are assumed to be distributed distinctively and associated with specific ecological, historical, and anthropogenic attributes. However, the level of influence of these factors remains unclear. Thus, we studied the distribution patterns of microendemic species within the Brazilian Atlantic Forest to (a) identify the region's AMs; (b) evaluate whether ecological (latitude, altitude, distance from the coastline), historical (climate stability), and anthropogenic (ecological integrity) attributes distinguish AMs from non-AMs; and (c) assess the conservation status of the Atlantic Forest's AMs. We mapped the ranges of 1,362 microendemic species of angiosperms, freshwater fishes, and terrestrial vertebrates (snakes, passerine birds, and small mammals) to identify the region's AMs. Further, spatial autoregressive logit regression models were used to evaluate whether latitude, altitude, distance from the coastline, Climate Stability Index, and ecological integrity can be used to discern AMs from non-AMs. Moreover, the AMs' conservation status was assessed by evaluating the region's ecological integrity and conservation efforts (measured as the proportion of AMs in protected areas). We identified 261 AMs for angiosperm, 205 AMs for freshwater fishes, and 102 AMs for terrestrial vertebrates in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, totaling 474 AMs covering 23.8% of the region. The Brazilian Atlantic Forest is a large and complex biogeographic mosaic where AMs represent islands or archipelagoes surrounded by transition areas with no microendemic species. All local attributes help to distinguish AMs from non-AMs, but their impacts vary across taxonomic groups. Around 69% of AMs have low ecological integrity and poor conservation efforts, indicating that most microendemic species are under threat. This study provides insights into the biogeography of one of the most important global biodiversity hotspots, creating a foundation for comparative studies using other tropical forest regions.

ABSTRACT The detectability of birds may shift seasonally in response to changes in environmental conditions and social interactions. Seasonal variation in bird behavior may influence the findings of avifaunal inventories, by making it difficult to detect some species, especially the rarest ones. We investigated how variation in rainfall patterns affects the detection of bird species in a fragment of tropical forest in the most threatened region of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, in its northern extreme. The data were collected between January and September 2018, and October to December 2019, during which, two observers walked transects within a forest fragment. Considering the complete set of species studied, detection correlated negatively with rainfall, with a decrease in detection of bird species two months before the onset of the rainy season, between February and June. We identified distinct patterns of variation in bird detection. While 10 bird taxa were detected throughout the year, others were detected more frequently during the dry season, or at the onset of the rainy season. A positive correlation was found between rainfall and the detection of Momotus momota marcgravianus Pinto & Camargo, 1961, Xiphorhynchus atlanticus (Cory, 1916), and Xenops minutus alagoanus Pinto, 1954. Negative correlations, with reduced detection, were found in relation to the onset of the rainy season in the detection of Hemitriccus griseipectus naumburgae (Zimmer, 1945) and Chiroxiphia pareola (Linnaeus, 1766). The combined detection of these species was more frequent between the peak of the dry season and the onset of the rainy season. We recommend scheduling future surveys in the study region during this period to maximise the likelihood of detecting the greatest number of species.

Brazil has one of the greatest bird diversities in the world, with around 1,800 species. However, many species are now threatened by illegal capture and trade that is largely driven by the culture of keeping wild birds as pets. This study documents the nature and purpose of bird capture and trade in the semi-arid Caatinga biome in northeastern Brazil, which has around 510 bird species and a population of around 25 million people. Data were obtained through observation in the homes of bird keepers and at open air markets, as well as through semi-structured and open-ended interviews and informal conversations with 52 wild bird keepers. We recorded 38 species of birds kept as pets in this study. The family with the largest number of species recorded was the Emberizidae (29%), followed by the Columbidae (16%) and the Psittacidae (16%). The most frequently kept species were: Paroaria dominicana, Aratinga cactorum, Icterus jamacaii, Sporophila albogularis, Turdus rufiventris and Cyanocompsa brissonii, which are all native to this region. Among the recorded species, only Pintassilgo (Carduelis yarrellii) is listed as an endangered species in Brazil. Of the people interviewed, 32% observed a reduction in abundance, or disappearance, of several bird species in the region. The need for measures aimed at the sustainability of wild avifauna use is therefore evident. These include law enforcement, commercial breeding and environmental education, of which the last is considered the most likely to be effective.

The aim of the present study was to characterise the uses of bird species by hunters from a Brazilian tropical dry forest area to assess whether the choice of birds as a food resource is associated with the availability and body masses of those species. We have also analysed the conservation implications of using the birds in the area. Ethno-ornithological data were collected from rural areas in the immediate vicinity of Santa Catarina Mountain, in the state of Paraíba, using semi-structured interviews to local hunters and former hunters. Four use categories (food, pet, medicinal and symbolic uses) were identified. No correlation between the use value of the species used as a protein source and their relative abundance and body mass was found. These findings may support future environmental sustainability projects that focus on the human element and on conservation actions to protect the bird species that are exposed to high-use pressures in this region.

In the context of the rising demand for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in older adults and persistent uncertainty about the quality of long-term functional recovery, this study evaluated elderly patients’ mobility after unilateral TKA via a transquadriceps approach using instrumented Timed Up and Go (TUG) tests. A total of 20 patients treated between 2022 and 2024 at a tertiary hospital were invited to participate in this observational, retrospective, descriptive study, and 19 met the inclusion criteria (age 50–80 and Kellgren–Lawrence ≥ 4). The participants performed two TUG trials at two postoperative time points (18 and 53 months), with an inertial measurement unit (G-sensor) capturing 15 kinematic variables. When comparing the postoperative time points, it was found that the total TUG duration remained stable (14.97 ± 3.48 vs. 15.47 ± 2.93 s; p = 0.58), while the mid-turning peak velocity increased significantly (106.44 ± 30.96 vs. 132.77 ± 30.82°/s; p = 0.0039; r = 0.88). The end-turning velocity and sit-to-stand parameters showed small-to-moderate effect size gains without statistical significance. These findings suggest that, in the first year following surgery, patients continue to experience difficulties with movement fluidity and motor control—especially during turning—underscoring the value of segmented, sensor-based assessments and the need for extended rehabilitation protocols that emphasize rotational control and balance. These findings provide clinically relevant parameters that can support future interventional studies and help guide rehabilitation planning after TKA.

The “Critically Endangered” Alagoas Antwren Myrmotherula snowi is found only in the Atlantic Rainforest of north-east Brazil. We surveyed all sites where the species has been recorded, as well as 15 other potential sites. We summarise all observations of the species, focusing on the period from 2016 onwards, and including systematic censuses in three breeding seasons (October–March 2018/19, 2019/20, and 2020/21) at the type locality, Murici, where we also searched for nests of the species. We did not locate any individuals at sites other than Murici. The number of apparent individuals detected declined by 67% over seven years (a decline of 50% over the three years in which standardised systematic counts were made), and only six adults were observed in the most recent breeding season. The global population is now likely to be in single-digit figures. Of five nests found, four failed, through predation by snakes and opossums, and abandonment. We installed protective barriers to protect two of these nests from predators, which may have contributed to the single successful fledging. Such methods offer most hope for now of stalling the decline. Efforts to develop captive breeding methods with model species have been underway since 2019 but face many difficulties. Improving habitat protection and restoration is crucial but will only take effect in the long term.