Cultivating inclusive instructional and research environments in ecology and evolutionary science

As we strive to lift up a diversity of voices in science, it is important for ecologists, evolutionary scientists, and educators to foster inclusive environments in their research and teaching. Academics in science often lack exposure to research on best practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion and may not know where to start to make scientific environments more welcoming and inclusive. We propose that by approaching research and teaching with empathy, flexibility, and a growth mind-set, scientists can be more supportive and inclusive of their colleagues and students. This paper provides guidance, explores strategies, and directs scientists to resources to better cultivate an inclusive environment in three common settings: the classroom, the research laboratory, and the field. As ecologists and evolutionary scientists, we have an opportunity to adapt our teaching and research practices in order to foster an inclusive educational ecosystem for students and colleagues alike

Dissociation of the diurnal variation of aldosterone and cortisol in anephric subjects

Dissociation of the diurnal variation of aldosterone and cortisol in anephric subjects. Diurnal variation of plasma aldosterone and cortisol concentration in man was studied in 13 anephric subjects and 7 normal subjects. All subjects were ambulatory and active throughout the study except during an 8-hour sleep period. Six anephric subjects received Kayexalate® (sodium polystyrene sulfonate) during the studies to prevent potassium accumulation and increase in plasma potassium concentration. Diurnal variation of plasma aldosterone concentration with peak and nadir concentrations at 12:00 noon and 12:00 midnight respectively was demonstrated in the studies on normal subjects. Changes in plasma aldosterone concentration were not significantly correlated with changes in plasma cortisol concentration but were highly correlated with changes in PRA (P < 0.001). There was a highly significant correlation between plasma aldosterone and potassium concentration in the anephric subjects studied without Kayexalate® administration (P < 0.001). In the anephric subjects who received Kayexalate®, plasma aldosterone and potassium concentration remained stable, and no correlation could be demonstrated. No diurnal variation of plasma aldosterone concentration could be demonstrated in either group of anephric subjects, whereas plasma cortisol concentration varied as in the studies on normal subjects. Conclusion. Diurnal variation of plasma aldosterone concentration is dependent on continued stimulation by the renin-angiotensin system. Loss of this stimulation has no demonstrable effect on the diurnal variation of plasma cortisol concentration.Dissociation des variations nycthémérales de l'aldostérone et du cortisol chez les sujets anéphriques. Les variations nycthémérales de l'aldostérone et du cortisol plasmatiques chez l'homme ont été étudiées chez 13 sujets anéphriques et 7 sujets normaux. Tous les sujets étaient ambulatoires excepté pendant une période de sommeil de 8 heures. Six sujets anéphriques receivaient du Kayexalate® (sodium polystyrene sulfonate) afin d'empêcher une accumulation de potassium et une augmentation de la kaliémie. Des variations nycthémérales de l'aldostéronémie avec un pic et un nadir à midi et minuit, respectivement, ont été observées chez les sujets normaux. Les modifications de l'aldostéronémie ne sont pas significativement corrélées avec les modifications du cortisol plasmatique mais très corrélées avec celles de PRA (P < 0,001). Il existe une corrélation très significative entre l'aldostéronémie et la kaliémie chez les sujets anéphriques étudiés en dehors de l'administration de Kayexalate (P < 0,001). Chez les sujets anéphriques recevant du Kayexalate l'aldostéronémie et la kaliémie sont stables et aucune corrélation n'est obtenue. Aucune variation nycthémérale de l'aldostéronémie n'a été observé dans les groupes de sujets anéphriques alors que la concentration de cortisol plasmatique varie comme chez les sujets normaux. Il peut être conclu de ces études que les variations nycthémérales de l'aldostéronémie dépendent de la stimulation par le système rénine-angiotensine. La perte de cette stimulation n'a pas d'effet sur la cortisolémie

Allogeneic Stem Cells Alter Gene Expression and Improve Healing of Distal Limb Wounds in Horses.

Distal extremity wounds are a significant clinical problem in horses and humans and may benefit from mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy. This study evaluated the effects of direct wound treatment with allogeneic stem cells, in terms of gross, histologic, and transcriptional features of healing. Three full-thickness cutaneous wounds were created on each distal forelimb in six healthy horses, for a total of six wounds per horse. Umbilical cord-blood derived equine MSCs were applied to each wound 1 day after wound creation, in one of four forms: (a) normoxic- or (b) hypoxic-preconditioned cells injected into wound margins, or (c) normoxic- or (d) hypoxic-preconditioned cells embedded in an autologous fibrin gel and applied topically to the wound bed. Controls were one blank (saline) injected wound and one blank fibrin gel-treated wound per horse. Data were collected weekly for 6 weeks and included wound surface area, thermography, gene expression, and histologic scoring. Results indicated that MSC treatment by either delivery method was safe and improved histologic outcomes and wound area. Hypoxic-preconditioning did not offer an advantage. MSC treatment by injection resulted in statistically significant increases in transforming growth factor beta and cyclooxygenase-2 expression at week 1. Histologically, significantly more MSC-treated wounds were categorized as pro-healing than pro-inflammatory. Wound area was significantly affected by treatment: MSC-injected wounds were consistently smaller than gel-treated or control wounds. In conclusion, MSC therapy shows promise for distal extremity wounds in horses, particularly when applied by direct injection into the wound margin. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2018;7:98-108

Nutrient cycling in forests of the Pacific Northwest

p.186-232 from Analysis of coniferous forest ecosystems in the Western United States

No straight lines – young women’s perceptions of their mental health and wellbeing during and after pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-ethnography

Background: Young mothers face mental health challenges during and after pregnancy including increased rates of depression compared to older mothers. While the prevention of teenage pregnancy in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom has been a focus for policy and research in recent decades, the need to understand young women’s own experiences has been highlighted. The aim of this meta-ethnography was to examine young women’s perceptions of their mental health and wellbeing during and after pregnancy to provide new understandings of those experiences. Methods: A systematic review and meta-ethnographic synthesis of qualitative research was conducted. Seven databases were systematically searched and forward and backward searching conducted. Papers were included if they were from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries and explored mental health and wellbeing experiences of young mothers (age under 20 in pregnancy; under 25 at time of research) as a primary research question – or where evidence about mental health and wellbeing from participants was foregrounded. Nineteen papers were identified and the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist for qualitative research used to appraise the evidence. Following the seven-step process of meta-ethnography, key constructs were examined within each study and then translated into one another. Results: Seven translated themes were identified forming a new line of argument wherein mental health and wellbeing was analysed as relating to individual bodily experiences; tied into past and present relationships; underpinned by economic insecurity and entangled with feelings of societal surveillance. There were ‘no straight lines’ in young women’s experiences, which were more complex than dominant narratives around overcoming adversity suggest. Conclusions: The synthesis concludes that health and social care professionals need to reflect on the operation of power and stigma in young women’s lives and its impact on wellbeing. It adds to understanding of young women’s mental health and wellbeing during and after pregnancy as located in physical and structural factors rather than individual capacities alone

In Vivo Renal Tubule pH in Stone Forming Human Kidneys

Introduction: There is evidence that patients with a history of ileostomies who make acidic urine and form uric acid or calcium oxalate stones may plug some collecting ducts with calcium phosphate (CaP) and urate crystals. This is a paradoxical finding as such minerals should not form at an acid pH. One possible explanation is the presence of acidification defects due to focal damage to inner medullary collecting duct and duct of Bellini (BD) cells. We sought to further investigate this hypothesis through direct measurement of ductal pH in dilated Bellini ducts in patients with ileostomies undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy for stone removal. Methods: After obtaining IRB approval, we used a fiber-optic pH microsensor with a 140 µm diameter tip to measure intraluminal pH from the bladder, saline irrigant and dilated BD’s of patients undergoing PCNL. Results: Measurements were taken from three patients meeting inclusion criteria. Measured pH of bladder urine ranged from 4.97 – 5.58 and pH of saline irrigant used during surgery ranged from 5.17 – 5.75. BD measurements were achieved in 11 different BDs. Mean intraductal BD pH was more than 1 unit higher than bulk urine (6.43 ± 0.22 vs. 5.31 ± 0.22, p<0.01). Conclusions: This is the first evidence for focal acidification defects within injured/dilated BD of human kidneys producing a highly acidic bulk phase urine. These results may help explain the paradoxical finding of CaP and urate plugs in dilated ducts of patients with stone forming diseases characterized by highly acidic urine

Occupational stress, work-home interference and burnout among Belgian veterinary practitioners

There have been few formal studies on stress in veterinary surgeons and, in the rare studies available, stress is not examined jointly through the levels of job strain and job engagement, the sources of stress in the issue of work environment and the work-home interference. The authors' goal in this study was to analyse job engagement, job strain, burnout, work-home interference and job stress factors among 216 Belgian veterinary surgeons. Rural practice was compared to small animal and mixed activity. The mean job strain and job engagement level in veterinary surgeons was not higher than what we found in other working populations. However, 15.6% of the group were found to be suffering from high burnout. Rural practitioners had a lower level of job engagement than small animal veterinary surgeons. These small animal practitioners had a lower level of job strain than the mixed practitioners. The level of burnout did not differ significantly across the three types of activity. In comparison to other Belgian and Dutch workers, veterinary surgeons perceived more negative work-home interference. Bovine and mixed practitioners were the most concerned with this problem. The two most important sources of stress reported by bovine practitioners were relations to farmers and working time management (including emergencies and availability)

Naturally Occurring Osmolyte, Trehalose Induces Functional Conformation in an Intrinsically Disordered Activation Domain of Glucocorticoid Receptor

Intrinsically disordered (ID) regions are frequently found in the activation domains of many transcription factors including nuclear hormone receptors. It is believed that these ID regions promote molecular recognition by creating large surfaces suitable for interactions with their specific protein binding partners, which is a critical component of gene regulation by transcription factors. It has been hypothesized that conditional folding of these activation domains may be a prerequisite for their efficient interaction with specific coregulatory proteins, and subsequent transcriptional activity leading to the regulation of target gene(s). In this study, we tested whether a naturally occurring osmolyte, trehalose can promote functionally ordered conformation in glucocorticoid receptor's major activation function domain, AF1, which is found to exist as an ID protein, and requires an efficient interaction with coregulatory proteins for optimal activity. Our data show that trehalose induces an ordered conformation in AF1 such that its interaction with steroid receptor coactivator-1 (SRC-1), a critical coregulator of glucocorticoid receptor's activity, is greatly enhanced

Evolution of ligand specificity in vertebrate corticosteroid receptors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Corticosteroid receptors include mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors. Teleost fishes have a single MR and duplicate GRs that show variable sensitivities to mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids. How these receptors compare functionally to tetrapod MR and GR, and the evolutionary significance of maintaining two GRs, remains unclear.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We used up to seven steroids (including aldosterone, cortisol and 11-deoxycorticosterone [DOC]) to compare the ligand specificity of the ligand binding domains of corticosteroid receptors between a mammal (<it>Mus musculus</it>) and the midshipman fish (<it>Porichthys notatus</it>), a teleost model for steroid regulation of neural and behavioral plasticity. Variation in mineralocorticoid sensitivity was considered in a broader phylogenetic context by examining the aldosterone sensitivity of MR and GRs from the distantly related daffodil cichlid (<it>Neolamprologus pulcher</it>), another teleost model for neurobehavioral plasticity. Both teleost species had a single MR and duplicate GRs. All MRs were sensitive to DOC, consistent with the hypothesis that DOC was the initial ligand of the ancestral MR. Variation in GR steroid-specificity corresponds to nine identified amino acid residue substitutions rather than phylogenetic relationships based on receptor sequences.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The mineralocorticoid sensitivity of duplicate GRs in teleosts is highly labile in the context of their evolutionary phylogeny, a property that likely led to neo-functionalization and maintenance of two GRs.</p