Environmental DNA (eDNA) Surveys for the Smalltooth Sawfish, Pristis pectinata, in the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana

The Critically Endangered smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata, was historically found throughout tropical and subtropical coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean. As a result of mortalities in fisheries and habitat degradation, they became largely restricted to southwest Florida in the U.S. and the Bahamas by the 1980s. However, recent public encounter reports of sawfish in the Florida panhandle, Mississippi, and Louisiana suggest this species is occasionally present in northern Gulf of Mexico waters. Targeted species surveys are needed to improve our understanding of the occurrence and status of this species in these waters. This research used environmental DNA (eDNA) methods to assess the presence of P. pectinata in waters off the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana. Water samples from 20 sites on the northwestern side of the Chandeleur Islands were collected and filtered in 2019. DNA was extracted from these samples, and these extracts were screened for target DNA using species-specific quantitative PCR and Droplet Digital™ PCR assays. Neither PCR assay confirmed the presence of target DNA from any of the 20 water samples, suggesting P. pectinata was not present in the vicinity of the collection sites during sampling. These results are inconclusive because they are based on a small number of samples collected at one timepoint. More comprehensive eDNA surveys are needed in the Chandeleur Islands to fully investigate their potential occurrence in these waters

Cannabis Analysis III: Improved Separation of Terpenes and Terpenoids

The cannabis plant (Cannabis Sativa L.) produces a variety of compounds covering numerous chemical classes such as cannabinoids, terpenes, and terpenoids. Terpenes and terpenoids are responsible for the aroma characteristics and a variety of purported medical benefits. Terpenes are oligomers of isoprene units, whereas terpenoids are oxidized forms of terpenes. Analysis of these compounds is typically performed by Gas Chromatography (GC) via liquid injection or gas injection (Headspace). Due to the wide boiling point range of these compounds, operational cannabis laboratories most often perform the analysis using liquid injection. However, separation of the numerous and wide variety of compounds in the relatively short period of time needed for high throughput is challenging. We have determined that separation (selectivity) of terpenes and terpenoids commonly found in consumer products was improved by modifying GC column stationary phase chemistry. This improvement in selectivity will ultimately improve identification and quantitation of these compounds

The incursion of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) into North Atlantic seabird populations: an interim report from the 15th International Seabird Group conference

The H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak devastated populations of North Atlantic seabirds in the 2022 breeding season. Positive cases of HPAI in seabirds were previously reported in Great Skuas Stercorarius skua colonies in the 2021 breeding season (Banyard et al. 2022). During the 2022 breeding season, major outbreaks were sequentially reported in an increasing number of species and spread generally north to south across the UK and beyond. To date 15 breeding seabird species have tested positive in Scotland and over 20,500 birds have been reported dead (NatureScot, unpublished data). By September 2022, more than 2,600 Great Skuas had died: 13% of the UK population and 8% of the world population (NatureScot, unpublished data), 1,400 on Foula, Shetland alone (Camphuysen & Gear 2022). These figures are derived mostly from colony counts and will be a substantial underestimate of total mortality, not accounting for birds lost at sea or remote locations with limited reporting. In response to this unfolding situation, a workshop was convened in August 2022, at the 15th International Seabird Group Conference in Cork, to bring together the seabird community (researchers, ringers, volunteers, site managers, non-government organisations and policy makers) and infectious disease experts to share knowledge and experiences and recommend positive future actions. This report focusses on three key considerations addressed by the workshop, and will be followed by a full open-access report on the EcoEvoRxiv repository. All six presentations can be viewed online (Gamble et al. 2022). The views expressed here reflect the wider discussion expressed by the seabird community in the workshop that followed the presentations and should not be associated with any individual author

The elephant in the room: critical management studies conferences as a site of body pedagogics

This article explores conferences as an inter-corporeal space wherein body pedagogics are enacted, enabling the acquisition of techniques, skills and dispositions that allow newcomers to demonstrate their proficiency as members of a culture. The bodies of conference participants constitute the surface onto which culture is inscribed, these normalizing practices enabling academic power relations to be constructed and identities internalized. An autoethnographic analysis of critical management studies (CMS) conferences forms the basis for identification of the bodily dispositions of control and endurance which characterize the proficient CMS academic. The article considers the potential silencing effects associated with these practices that generate a between-men culture that excludes difference and reinforces patriarchal values. It concludes by reviewing the implications of body pedagogics for understanding how other organizational cultures are constructed

Recruiting to a large-scale physical activity randomised controlled trial – experiences with the gift of hindsight

Background: Recruitment issues continue to impact a large number of trials. Sharing recruitment information is vital to support researchers to accurately predict recruitment and to manage the risk of poor recruitment during study design and implementation. The purpose of this paper is to build on the knowledge available to researchers on recruiting to community based trials. Methods: A critical commentary of the recruitment challenges encountered during the ‘Booster’ Study, a randomised controlled trial which investigated the effectiveness of a Motivational Interviewing style intervention on the maintenance of physical activity. An overview of recruitment is provided, as well as strategies employed to recruit prospective participants and possible barriers to recruitment. Results: Two hundred and eighty two people, 47% of the original target, were recruited through mail-outs with secondary recruitment pathways yielding no additional participants. The research team encountered problems re-contacting interested participants and providing study materials in non-English languages. A lower response rate to the mail-out and a greater number of non-contactable participants in the full study compared to the pilot study resulted in a smaller pool of eligible participants from the brief intervention eligible for recruitment into the RCT. Conclusion: Despite utilising widely accepted recruitment strategies and incorporating new recruitment tactics in response to challenges, the ‘Booster’ study failed to randomise a sufficient number of participants. Recruitment to community based, behavioural interventions may face different challenges than trials based in clinical or primary care pathways. Specific challenges posed by the complexity of the study design and problems with staffing and resources were exacerbated by the need to revise upwards the number of mailed invitations as a result of the pilot study. Researchers should ensure study design is facilitative to recruitment and consider the implications of changing recruitment on the operational aspects of the trial. Where possible the impact of new strategies should be measured, and recruitment successes and challenges shared with those planning similar studies. The study was a registered controlled trial (ISRCTN56495859 12 Feb 2009; NCT00836459 03 Feb 2009) KEYWORDS: Recruitment, Physical Activity, mail-outs, BOOSTER, behaviour maintenance

The Development of a Multi-Modal Cancer Rehabilitation (Including Prehabilitation) Service in Sheffield, UK: Designing the Active Together Service

Cancer patients undergoing major interventions face numerous challenges, including the adverse effects of cancer and the side effects of treatment. Cancer rehabilitation is vital in ensuring cancer patients have the support they need to maximise treatment outcomes and minimise treatment-related side effects and symptoms. The Active Together service is a multi-modal rehabilitation service designed to address critical support gaps for cancer patients. The service is located and provided in Sheffield, UK, an area with higher cancer incidence and mortality rates than the national average. The service aligns with local and regional cancer care objectives and aims to improve the clinical and quality-of-life outcomes of cancer patients by using lifestyle behaviour-change techniques to address their physical, nutritional, and psychological needs. This paper describes the design and initial implementation of the Active Together service, highlighting its potential to support and benefit cancer patients

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy