Proceed with caution: The need to raise the publication bar for microplastics research

This is an Accepted Manuscript. Embargo until December 12 2022.Plastic is a ubiquitous contaminant of the Anthropocene. The highly diverse nature of microplastic pollution means it is not a single contaminant, but a suite of chemicals that include a range of polymers, particle sizes, colors, morphologies, and associated contaminants. Microplastics research has rapidly expanded in recent years and has led to an overwhelming consideration in the peer-reviewed literature. While there have been multiple calls for standardization and harmonization of the research methods used to study microplastics in the environment, the complexities of this emerging field have led to an exploration of many methods and tools. While different research questions require different methods, making standardization often impractical, it remains import to harmonize the outputs of these various methodologies. We argue here that in addition to harmonized methods and quality assurance practices, journals, editors and reviewers must also be more proactive in ensuring that scientific papers have clear, repeatable methods, and contribute to a constructive and factual discourse on plastic pollution. This includes carefully considering the quality of the manuscript submissions and how they fit into the larger field of research. While comparability and reproducibility is critical in all fields, we argue that this is of utmost importance in microplastics research as policy around plastic pollution is being developed in real time alongside this evolving scientific field, necessitating the need for rigorous examination of the science being published.acceptedVersio

Negation and the functional sequence

There exists a general restriction on admissible functional sequences which prevents adjacent identical heads. We investigate a particular instantiation of this restriction in the domain of negation. Empirically, it manifests itself as a restriction the stacking of multiple negative morphemes. We propose a principled account of this restriction in terms of the general ban on immediately consecutive identical heads in the functional sequence on the one hand, and the presence of a Neg feature inside negative morphemes on the other hand. The account predicts that the stacking of multiple negative morphemes should be possible provided they are separated by intervening levels of structure. We show that this prediction is borne out

Genomic Relationships, Novel Loci, and Pleiotropic Mechanisms across Eight Psychiatric Disorders

Genetic influences on psychiatric disorders transcend diagnostic boundaries, suggesting substantial pleiotropy of contributing loci. However, the nature and mechanisms of these pleiotropic effects remain unclear. We performed analyses of 232,964 cases and 494,162 controls from genome-wide studies of anorexia nervosa, attention-deficit/hyper-activity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and Tourette syndrome. Genetic correlation analyses revealed a meaningful structure within the eight disorders, identifying three groups of inter-related disorders. Meta-analysis across these eight disorders detected 109 loci associated with at least two psychiatric disorders, including 23 loci with pleiotropic effects on four or more disorders and 11 loci with antagonistic effects on multiple disorders. The pleiotropic loci are located within genes that show heightened expression in the brain throughout the lifespan, beginning prenatally in the second trimester, and play prominent roles in neurodevelopmental processes. These findings have important implications for psychiatric nosology, drug development, and risk prediction.Peer reviewe

Ecological Exposure and Effects of Microplastics in Crabs Along the Pacific Coast

Microplastics have been documented across the global oceans as an ubiquitous pollutant. Found in the water column, sediment, shorelines, estuaries, freshwater streams and rivers along with terrestrial soils, flora and fauna. The continuous input of plastic waste into the marine environment doesn\u27t seem to be slowing as the amount of plastic created each year increases globally. This study investigated (1) the effects of microplastic ingestion in the indicator species, the Pacific mole crab (Emerita analoga), testing the predator avoidance behavior, reproductive output and parasitism effects when an adult female gravid crab had ingested microplastics (2) adult mortality, hatching success and growth time of indicator species, the Pacific mole crab (Emerita analoga), when exposed to an environmentally relevant amount of polypropylene microplastic fibers and lastly (3) the presence of microplastic ingestion in the important commercial fishery organism the Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister). Conclusions show that there are deleterious effects of microplastic ingestion on Pacific mole crabs across testing parameters, including increased mortality, slower predator avoidance behaviors and significant effects on reproductive output and success. Within Dungeness crabs, we found that these crabs ingested microplastics across locations as well as different body parts investigated. However, Dungeness crabs were found to have the lowest amount of microplastics per gram of body tissue compared to other fishery organisms researched in the Pacific Northwest such as clams and oysters

Proceed with Caution: the Need to Raise the Publication Bar for Microplastics Research.

Plastic is a ubiquitous contaminant of the Anthropocene. The highly diverse nature of microplastic pollution means it is not a single contaminant, but a suite of chemicals that include a range of polymers, particle sizes, colors, morphologies, and associated contaminants. Microplastics research has rapidly expanded in recent years and has led to an overwhelming consideration in the peer-reviewed literature. While there have been multiple calls for standardization and harmonization of the research methods used to study microplastics in the environment, the complexities of this emerging field have led to an exploration of many methods and tools. While different research questions require different methods, making standardization often impractical, it remains import to harmonize the outputs of these various methodologies. We argue here that in addition to harmonized methods and quality assurance practices, journals, editors and reviewers must also be more proactive in ensuring that scientific papers have clear, repeatable methods, and contribute to a constructive and factual discourse on plastic pollution. This includes carefully considering the quality of the manuscript submissions and how they fit into the larger field of research. While comparability and reproducibility is critical in all fields, we argue that this is of utmost importance in microplastics research as policy around plastic pollution is being developed in real time alongside this evolving scientific field, necessitating the need for rigorous examination of the science being published

Ecosystem Connectivity for Livable Cities: a Connectivity Benefits Framework for Urban Planning

Urbanization disrupts landscapes and ecosystem functions, which poses threats to biodiversity, social systems, and human health, particularly among vulnerable populations. Urban land-use planners are faced with competing demands for housing, safety, transportation, and economic development and often lack tools to integrate these with protecting environmental functions. We identify three major barriers to integrating the benefits that flow with connected, functioning ecosystems into land-use planning. The lack of a shared language among planners and stakeholders poses a barrier to the restoration and preservation of ecological features. Methods of incorporating the benefits from connectivity are not standardized because values are not readily available or lack credibility. Ecological restoration tends to be poorly coordinated at broad scales, and thus often fails to achieve landscape-level objectives. To address these challenges, we developed a novel integrated framework, the Connectivity Benefits Framework (CBF), which combines the benefits from three categories of ecosystem connectivity with benefit- and risk-relevant indicators, enabling both monetary and non-monetary valuation of benefits. Moreover, it provides a method to identify and visualize the multiple and overlapping benefits from management actions to aid in prioritizing initiatives that support ecosystem functions. Unlike software tools that incorporate generalized values of ecosystem services at a landscape level, the CBF guides a systematic approach to community-engaged land-use planning that prioritizes localized societal needs while protecting biodiversity and ecosystem function for more equitable, resilient cities. We demonstrate the potential for multiple overlapping benefits from actions that restore and protect ecosystem connectivity by applying the framework to a transit planning project in Portland, Oregon

Evidence supporting product standards for carcinogens in smokeless tobacco products

Smokeless tobacco (ST) products sold in the U.S. vary significantly in yields of nicotine and tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA). With the passage of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, the Food and Drug Administration now has the authority to establish product standards. However, limited data exist determining the relative roles of pattern of ST use versus constituent levels in the ST product in exposure of users to carcinogens. In this study, ST users of brands varying in nicotine and TSNA content were recruited from three different regions in the U.S. Participants underwent two assessment sessions. During these sessions, demographic and ST use history information along with urine samples to assess biomarkers of exposure and effect were collected. During the time between data collection, ST users recorded the amount and duration of ST use on a daily basis using their diary cards. Results showed that independent of pattern of ST use and nicotine yields, levels of TSNA in ST products played a significant role in carcinogen exposure levels. Product standards for reducing levels of TSNA in ST products are necessary to decrease exposure to these toxicants and potentially to reduce risk for cancer

Habitat, Geophysical, and Eco-Social Connectivity: Benefits of Resilient Socio-Ecological Landscapes

Context Connections among ecosystems and their components are critical to maintaining ecological functions and benefits in human-modified landscapes, including urban areas. However, the literature on connectivity and ecosystem services has been limited by inconsistent terminology and methods, and largely omits human access to nature and its benefits as a form of connectivity. Objectives In this paper, we build upon previous research and theory to define distinct categories of connectivity, considering both ecological and social dimensions, and identify ecosystem services that are supported by them. Methods We reviewed the literature to determine socio–ecological benefits that depend on the categories of connectivity. Results We identified four distinct but interrelated categories of connectivity: landscape, habitat, geophysical, and eco-social connectivity. Each connectivity category directly or indirectly supports many ecosystem services. There are overlaps, conflicts, and synergies among connectivity categories and their associated services and disservices. Conclusions Identifying the services that arise from these four categories of connectivity, and how they interact, can help build a common understanding of the value of connectivity to maximize its benefits, improve understanding of complex socio–ecological systems across disciplines, and develop more holistic, socially equitable decision-making processes, especially in urban landscapes

Obesity and other modifiable factors for physical inactivity measured by accelerometer in adults with knee osteoarthritis

ObjectiveTo investigate the public health impact of obesity and other modifiable risk factors related to physical inactivity in adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA).MethodsThe frequency of inactivity as defined by the US Department of Health and Human Services was assessed from objective accelerometer monitoring of 1,089 participants (ages 49-84 years) with radiographic knee OA during the Osteoarthritis Initiative 48-month visit (2008-2010). The relationship between modifiable factors (weight status, dietary fat, fiber, smoking, depressive symptoms, knee function, knee pain, and knee confidence) with inactivity was assessed using odds ratios (ORs) and attributable fractions (AFs), controlling for descriptive factors (age, sex, race, education, lives alone, employment, frequent knee symptoms, and comorbidity).ResultsAlmost half (48.9%) of participants with knee OA were inactive. Being overweight (OR 1.8, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.2-2.5) or obese (OR 3.9, 95% CI 2.6-5.7), having inadequate dietary fiber intake (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.2), severe knee dysfunction (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.3-2.8), and severe pain (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.5) were significantly related to inactivity, controlling for descriptive factors. Modifiable factors with significant average AFs were being overweight or obese (AF 23.8%, 95% CI 10.5-38.6%) and inadequate dietary fiber (AF 12.1%, 95% CI 0.1-24.5%), controlling for all factors.ConclusionBeing obese or overweight, the quality of the diet, severe pain, and severe dysfunction are significantly associated with physical inactivity in adults with knee OA. All components should be considered in designing physical activity interventions that target arthritis populations with low activity levels