Purpose of Review We review how ‘abrupt thaw’ has been used in published studies, compare these definitions to abrupt processes in other Earth science disciplines, and provide a definitive framework for how abrupt thaw should be used in the context of permafrost science. Recent Findings We address several aspects of permafrost systems necessary for abrupt thaw to occur and propose a framework for classifying permafrost process...

Grapevine ( Vitis spp.) propagation material is profusely exchanged across geographic and regulatory boundaries. Trading germplasm increases the diversity of cultivars and rootstocks with enhanced viticultural attributes but also risks the dissemination of pests and detrimental pathogens such as viruses in new grape production areas. Therefore, regulations are established to facilitate the safe trade of Vitis propagation mater...

Functional traits offer a rich quantitative framework for developing and testing theories in evolutionary biology, ecology and ecosystem science. However, the potential of functional traits to drive theoretical advances and refine models of global change can only be fully realised when species‐level information is complete. Here we present the AVONET dataset containing comprehensive functional trait data for all birds, includi...

Arctic warming is causing ancient perennially frozen ground (permafrost) to thaw, resulting in ground collapse, and reshaping of landscapes. This threatens Arctic peoples' infrastructure, cultural sites, and land-based natural resources. Terrestrial permafrost thaw and ongoing intensification of hydrological cycles also enhance the amount and alter the type of organic carbon (OC) delivered from land to Arctic nearshore environ...

Framework‐building corals create the three‐dimensional structure of coral reefs and are subject to predation from fishes, echinoderms, and gastropods. Anthropogenic stressors can magnify the effects of such top‐down pressure on foundation species. The gastropod Coralliophila violacea (Kiener, 1836) depletes coral energy reserves via predation, potentially increasing coral susceptibility to land‐based pollution (i.e., sediment...

Multimodal therapies comprising spa applications are widely used as non-pharmaceutical treatment options for musculoskeletal diseases. The purpose of this randomized, controlled, open pilot study was to elucidate the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in a multimodal therapy approach. Twenty-five elderly patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) received a 2-week spa therapy with or without combination of low-dose radon th...

Koi herpesvirus ( KHV ) causes KHV disease ( KHVD ). The virus is highly contagious in carp or koi and can induce a high mortality. Latency and, in some cases, a lack of signs presents a challenge for virus detection. Appropriate immunological detection methods for anti‐ KHV antibodies have not yet been fully validated for KHV . Therefore, it was developed and validated an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay ( ELISA ) to detect...

Summary The natural habitats and potential reservoirs of the nosocomial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii are poorly defined. Here, we put forth and tested the hypothesis of avian reservoirs of A . baumannii . We screened tracheal and rectal swab samples from livestock (chicken, geese) and wild birds (white stork nestlings) and isolated A . baumannii from 3% of sampled chicken ( n = 220), 8% of geese ( n = 40) and 25% of white...

Legacy effects of land cover/use on carbon fluxes require considering both present and past land cover/use change dynamics. To assess past land use dynamics, model‐based reconstructions of historic land cover/use are needed. Most historic reconstructions consider only the net area difference between two time steps (net changes) instead of accounting for all area gains and losses (gross changes). Studies about the impact of gro...