Whole-genome analyses converge to support the Hemirotifera hypothesis within Syndermata (Gnathifera)

The clade Syndermata includes the endoparasitic Acanthocephala, the epibiotic Seisonidea, and the free-living Bdelloidea and Monogononta. The phylogeny of Syndermata is highly debated, hindering the understanding of the evolution of morphological features, reproductive modes, and lifestyles within the group. Here, we use publicly available whole-genome data to re-evaluate syndermatan phylogeny and assess the credibility of alternative hypotheses, using a new combination of phylogenomic methods. We found that the Hemirotifera and Pararotatoria hypotheses were recovered under combinations of datasets and methods with reduced possibility of systematic error in concatenation-based analyses. In contrast, the Seisonidea-sister and Lemniscea hypotheses were recovered under dataset combinations with increased possibility of systematic error. Hemirotifera was further supported by whole-genome microsynteny analyses and species-tree methods that use multi-copy orthogroups after removing distantly related outgroups. Pararotatoria was only partially supported by microsynteny-based phylogenomic reconstructions. Hence, Hemirotifera and partially Pararotatoria were supported by independent phylogenetic methods and data-evaluation approaches. These two hypotheses have important implications for the evolution of syndermatan morphological features, such as the gradual reduction of locomotory ciliation from the common ancestor of Syndermata in the stem lineage of Pararotatoria. Our study illustrates the importance of combining various types of evidence to resolve difficult phylogenetic questions

The primary molecular influences of marine plastisphere formation and function: Novel insights into organism -organism and -co-pollutant interactions.

Marine plastic pollution is rapidly colonized by a biofilm of microorganisms associated with the control of biogeochemical cycles, plastic biodegradation, and potentially pathogenic activities. An extensive number of studies have described the taxonomic composition of this biofilm, referred to as the ‘plastisphere’, and previous reviews have reported on the influence of location, plastic type, and plastic-biodegradation ability on plastisphere formation. However, few studies have investigated the metabolic activity of this complex biofilm and how microbial pathogenicity and bioremediation could be regulated in this ecosystem. In this review, we highlight the understudied molecular and abiotic factors influencing plastisphere formation and microbial functioning beyond taxonomic description. In this context, we critically discuss the impacts of (i) organism-organism interaction, (ii) microbial cell wall composition, and (iii) commonly encountered plastic-bound co-pollutants (heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, UV filters). For the first time, we review the anticipated impact of lipophilic organic UV-filters – found in plastic additives and sunscreens – on the plastisphere due to their reported affinity for plastics, persistence, and co-location at high concentrations in touristic coastal environments. Herein, we integrate the findings of 34 global studies exploring plastisphere composition, 35 studies quantifying co-pollutant concentrations, and draw upon 52 studies of cell -cell and -substrate interaction to deduce the inferred, yet still unknown, metabolic interactions within this niche. Finally, we provide novel future directions for the advancement of functional plastisphere research applying advanced molecular tools to new, and appropriate research questions

The Iron Curtain and Referee Bias in International Football

Using the assignment of referees to European international association football matches played between 2002 and 2016, we ask whether judgments were biased according to the legacy of the Cold War. We find that referees from post-communist states favored teams from non-communist states, but there was no evidence of favoritism in the other direction. This out-group bias of referees born behind the Iron Curtain was statistically significant for relatively less important and more subjective decisions, namely the awarding of yellow cards for foul play. The bias was particularly large among referees from the former Soviet Union. It has also diminished over time, perhaps due to increased professionalism in European refereeing, or because memories of the Cold War era have diminished among active referees

Cost-effectiveness of two models of pessary care for pelvic organ prolapse: Findings from the TOPSY randomised controlled trial.

Objectives Pelvic organ prolapse is the descent of one or more reproductive organs from their normal position, causing associated negative symptoms. One conservative treatment option is pessary management. The aim of this study was to investigate the cost-effectiveness of pessary self-management (SM) when compared to clinic-based care (CBC). A decision-analytic model was developed to extend the economic evaluation. Methods A randomised controlled trial with health economic evaluation. The SM group received: 30-minute self-management teaching session; information leaflet; 2-week follow-up call; and a local helpline number. The CBC group received routine outpatient pessary appointments, determined by usual practice. The primary outcome for the cost-effectiveness analysis was incremental cost per QALY, 18 months post-randomisation. Uncertainty was handled using nonparametric bootstrap analysis. In addition, a simple decision analytic model was developed using the trial data to extend the analysis over a 5-year period. Results There was no significant difference in the mean number of QALYs gained between SM and CBC (1.241 vs 1.221) but mean cost was lower for SM (£578 vs £728). The incremental net benefit estimated at a willingness to pay of £20,000 per QALY gained was £564, with an 80.8% probability of cost-effectiveness. The modelling results were consistent with the trial analysis: the incremental net benefit was estimated as £4,221 and the probability of SM being cost-effective at 5 years was 69.7%. Conclusions Results suggest that pessary self-management is likely to be cost-effective. The decision analytic model suggests this result is likely to persist over longer durations

“I have to stay inside …”: Experiences of air pollution for people with asthma

Asthma, characterized by airway inflammation, sensitization and constriction, and leading to symptoms including cough and dyspnoea, affects millions of people globally. Air pollution is a known asthma trigger, yet how it is experienced is understudied and how individuals with asthma interact with air quality information and manage exacerbation risks is unclear. This study aimed to explore how people living with asthma in Scotland, UK, experienced and managed their asthma in relation to air pollution. We explored these issues with 36 participants using semi-structured interviews. We found that self-protection measures were influenced by place and sense of control (with the home being a “safe space”), and that the perception of clean(er) air had a liberating effect on outdoor activities. We discuss how these insights could shape air quality-related health advice in future

Green Exercise, Blue Spaces and Active Leisure Events: The Performance of New Participants is Associated With Their Response to Event Characteristics

Active leisure events (ALEs) promoting activity among non-traditional sporting participants are an increasingly important part of health interventions and social prescribing. Identifying characteristics of ALEs that encourage engagement are key for enhancing their efficacy. Models revealed first-time participants returned to parkrun more quickly if they were male, older, performed poorly, attended a larger event with more new adult participants, a hard surface type and with woodland and freshwater on its route. Interaction terms between performance and event characteristics revealed poor performing new participants were particularly influenced by event size and less influenced by woodland and freshwater suggesting that they might find it easier to hide at large events and feel less out of place. This highlights the importance not just of identifying characteristics of ALEs that influence return rates but also identifying interaction terms with performance so the behavior of target demographics can be better understood. Organisers of ALEs might want to consider prioritizing the use of routes that maximize exposure to woodland and freshwater and consider introducing additional strategies designed to make less fit participants feel that they belong

Could care giving have altered the evolution of human immune strategies?

Life history theory indicates that individuals/species with a slow pace of life invest more in acquired than innate immunity. Factors that decrease the pace of life and predict greater investment in acquired immunity include increased nutritional resources, increased pathogen exposure and decreased risk of extrinsic mortality. Common care behaviors given to sick individuals produce exactly these effects: provisioning increases nutritional resources; hygiene assistance increases disease exposure of carers; and protection can reduce the risk of extrinsic mortality to sick individuals. This study, therefore, investigated under what conditions care giving behaviors might impact immune strategy and pace of life. The study employed an agent-based model approach that simulated populations with varying levels of care giving, disease mortality, disease transmissibility, and extrinsic mortality, enabling measurements of how the immune strategy and age structure of the populations changed over evolutionary time. We used multiple regressions to examine the effects of these variables on immune strategy and the age structure of the population. The findings supported our predictions that care was selected for an acquired immunity. However, the pace of life did not slow as expected. Instead, the population shifted to a faster, but also more cost-intensive reproductive strategy in which care improved child survival by subsidizing the development of acquired immune responses

Studying Great Apes and Cultural Diversity to Understand the Human Mind

Psychologists want to understand how the human mind is extraordinary among animal minds and where the unique aspects of human minds and behaviors come from. To build scientific understanding of human minds, we must study the wide range of humans across cultures, to know what all humans have in common and which aspects of human minds are diverse. However, this is not enough-studying humans across cultures tells us how humans think and act, not how they are unique among animals. To understand how humans are similar and dierent from other animals, we must study other animals too, especially our close primate relatives, the great apes, who have minds that are similar to ours in many, but not all, ways. So, to understand human minds and behaviors, researchers should study humans and non-humans at a scale that allows us to explore the origins of the similarities and dierences of minds and behaviors across our world today

GIS-ODE: linking dynamic population models with GIS to predict pathogen vector abundance across a country under climate change scenarios

Mechanistic mathematical models such as ordinary differential equations (ODEs) have a long history for their use in describing population dynamics and determining estimates of key parameters that summarize the potential growth or decline of a population over time. More recently, geographic information systems (GIS) have become important tools to provide a visual representation of statistically determined parameters and environmental features over space. Here, we combine these tools to form a 'GIS-ODE' approach to generate spatiotemporal maps predicting how projected changes in thermal climate may affect population densities and, uniquely, population dynamics of Ixodes ricinus, an important tick vector of several human pathogens. Assuming habitat and host densities are not greatly affected by climate warming, the GIS-ODE model predicted that, even under the lowest projected temperature increase, I. ricinus nymph densities could increase by 26-99% in Scotland, depending on the habitat and climate of the location. Our GIS-ODE model provides the vector-borne disease research community with a framework option to produce predictive, spatially explicit risk maps based on a mechanistic understanding of vector and vector-borne disease transmission dynamics