Mammal responses to global changes in human activity vary by trophic group and landscape

Wildlife must adapt to human presence to survive in the Anthropocene, so it is critical to understand species responses to humans in different contexts. We used camera trapping as a lens to view mammal responses to changes in human activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Across 163 species sampled in 102 projects around the world, changes in the amount and timing of animal activity varied widely. Under higher human activity, mammals were less active in undeveloped areas but unexpectedly more active in developed areas while exhibiting greater nocturnality. Carnivores were most sensitive, showing the strongest decreases in activity and greatest increases in nocturnality. Wildlife managers must consider how habituation and uneven sensitivity across species may cause fundamental differences in human–wildlife interactions along gradients of human influence.Peer reviewe

Building a Systematic Online Living Evidence Summary of COVID-19 Research

Throughout the global coronavirus pandemic, we have seen an unprecedented volume of COVID-19 researchpublications. This vast body of evidence continues to grow, making it difficult for research users to keep up with the pace of evolving research findings. To enable the synthesis of this evidence for timely use by researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders, we developed an automated workflow to collect, categorise, and visualise the evidence from primary COVID-19 research studies. We trained a crowd of volunteer reviewers to annotate studies by relevance to COVID-19, study objectives, and methodological approaches. Using these human decisions, we are training machine learning classifiers and applying text-mining tools to continually categorise the findings and evaluate the quality of COVID-19 evidence

River response to large‐dam removal in a Mediterranean hydroclimatic setting: Carmel River, California, USA

Abstract: Dam removal provides a valuable opportunity to measure the fluvial response to changes in both sediment supply and the processes that shape channel morphology. We present the first study of river response to the removal of a large (32‐m‐high) dam in a Mediterranean hydroclimatic setting, on the Carmel River, coastal California, USA. This before‐after/control‐impact study measured changes in channel topography, grain size, and salmonid spawning habitat throughout dam removal and subsequent major floods. During dam removal, the river course was re‐routed in order to leave most of the impounded sediment sequestered in the former reservoir and thus prevent major channel and floodplain aggradation downstream. However, a substantial sediment pulse occurred in response to base‐level fall, knickpoint migration, and channel avulsion through sediment in the former reservoir above the newly re‐routed channel. The sediment pulse advanced ~3.5 km in the first wet season after dam removal, resulting in decreased riverbed grain size downstream of the dam site. In the second wet season after dam removal, high flows (including a 30‐year flood and two 10‐year floods) transported sediment > 30 km downstream, filling pools and reducing cross‐channel relief. Deposition of gravel in the second wet season after dam removal enhanced salmonid spawning habitat downstream of the dam site. We infer that in dam removals where most reservoir sediment remains impounded and where high flows follow soon after dam removal, flow sequencing becomes a more important driver of geomorphic and fish‐habitat change than the dam removal alone. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Micro- and meso-level influences on obesity in the former Soviet Union: a multi-level analysis

BACKGROUND: Limited evidence exists on obesity in the former Soviet Union (fSU), particularly its micro- and meso-level determinants. The objectives of this study were to determine age- and gender-adjusted prevalence of self-reported overweight and obesity in nine fSU countries; explore the relationship between individual and household (micro-level) factors and obesity; and explore the relationship between features of nutritional and physical environments (meso-level) and obesity. METHODS: Data were collected from 18?000 adults using household surveys and from 333 communities using community profiles in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine in 2010. Individual- and community-level determinants of self-reported obesity (body mass index =30?kg/m(2)) were analysed using multi-level random intercept logistic regression models. RESULTS: A total of 13% of the males and 18% of the females were categorized as obese. Factors associated with obesity in males were older age, increasing educational achievement, declining self-reported health, alcohol consumption and automobile ownership. Males who were current smokers, not married and perceived physical activity to be important were less likely to be obese. For females, obesity was associated with older age, completion of secondary-level education, declining self-reported health and average household financial situation. Unmarried women were less likely to be obese. Multi-level analysis indicated that individuals living in communities with higher presence of garbage were more likely to be obese. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to examine both micro- and meso-level influences on obesity in fSU using multi-level analysis. Findings indicate a similar obesity risk profile to countries in Western Europe and North America

De novo loss-of-function variants in X-linked MED12 are associated with Hardikar syndrome in females

PURPOSE: Hardikar syndrome (MIM 612726) is a rare multiple congenital anomaly syndrome characterized by facial clefting, pigmentary retinopathy, biliary anomalies, and intestinal malrotation, but with preserved cognition. Only four patients have been reported previously, and none had a molecular diagnosis. Our objective was to identify the genetic basis of Hardikar syndrome (HS) and expand the phenotypic spectrum of this disorder. METHODS: We performed exome sequencing on two previously reported and five unpublished female patients with a clinical diagnosis of HS. X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) studies were also performed. RESULTS: We report clinical features of HS with previously undescribed phenotypes, including a fatal unprovoked intracranial hemorrhage at age 21. We additionally report the discovery of de novo pathogenic nonsense and frameshift variants in MED12 in these seven individuals and evidence of extremely skewed XCI in all patients with informative testing. CONCLUSION: Pathogenic missense variants in the X-chromosome gene MED12 have previously been associated with Opitz-Kaveggia syndrome, Lujan syndrome, Ohdo syndrome, and nonsyndromic intellectual disability, primarily in males. We propose a fifth, female-specific phenotype for MED12, and suggest that nonsense and frameshift loss-of-function MED12 variants in females cause HS. This expands the MED12-associated phenotype in females beyond intellectual disability.status: publishe

Single-cell analyses identify circulating anti-tumor CD8 T cells and markers for their enrichment.

The ability to monitor anti-tumor CD8+ T cell responses in the blood has tremendous therapeutic potential. Here, we used paired single-cell RNA and TCR sequencing to detect and characterize "tumor-matching" (TM) CD8+ T cells in the blood of mice with MC38 tumors or melanoma patients using the TCR as a molecular barcode. TM cells showed increased activation compared with nonmatching T cells in blood and were less exhausted than matching cells in tumors. Importantly, PD-1, which has been used to identify putative circulating anti-tumor CD8+ T cells, showed poor sensitivity for identifying TM cells. By leveraging the transcriptome, we identified candidate cell surface markers for TM cells in mice and patients and validated NKG2D, CD39, and CX3CR1 in mice. These data show that the TCR can be used to identify tumor-relevant cells for characterization, reveal unique transcriptional properties of TM cells, and develop marker panels for tracking and analysis of these cells

Single-cell analyses identify circulating anti-tumor CD8 T cells and markers for their enrichment.

The ability to monitor anti-tumor CD8+ T cell responses in the blood has tremendous therapeutic potential. Here, we used paired single-cell RNA and TCR sequencing to detect and characterize "tumor-matching" (TM) CD8+ T cells in the blood of mice with MC38 tumors or melanoma patients using the TCR as a molecular barcode. TM cells showed increased activation compared with nonmatching T cells in blood and were less exhausted than matching cells in tumors. Importantly, PD-1, which has been used to identify putative circulating anti-tumor CD8+ T cells, showed poor sensitivity for identifying TM cells. By leveraging the transcriptome, we identified candidate cell surface markers for TM cells in mice and patients and validated NKG2D, CD39, and CX3CR1 in mice. These data show that the TCR can be used to identify tumor-relevant cells for characterization, reveal unique transcriptional properties of TM cells, and develop marker panels for tracking and analysis of these cells