Net effects of multiple stressors in freshwater ecosystems : a meta-analysis

The accelerating rate of global change has focused attention on the cumulative impacts of novel and extreme environmental changes (i.e. stressors), especially in marine ecosystems. As integrators of local catchment and regional processes, freshwater ecosystems are also ranked highly sensitive to the net effects of multiple stressors, yet there has not been a large-scale quantitative synthesis. We analysed data from 88 papers including 286 responses of freshwater ecosystems to paired stressors and discovered that overall, their cumulative mean effect size was less than the sum of their single effects (i.e. an antagonistic interaction). Net effects of dual stressors on diversity and functional performance response metrics were additive and antagonistic, respectively. Across individual studies, a simple vote-counting method revealed that the net effects of stressor pairs were frequently more antagonistic (41%) than synergistic (28%), additive (16%) or reversed (15%). Here, we define a reversal as occurring when the net impact of two stressors is in the opposite direction (negative or positive) from that of the sum of their single effects. While warming paired with nutrification resulted in additive net effects, the overall mean net effect of warming combined with a second stressor was antagonistic. Most importantly, the mean net effects across all stressor pairs and response metrics were consistently antagonistic or additive, contrasting the greater prevalence of reported synergies in marine systems. Here, a possible explanation for more antagonistic responses by freshwater biota to stressors is that the inherent greater environmental variability of smaller aquatic ecosystems fosters greater potential for acclimation and co-adaptation to multiple stressors.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1365-24862017-01-31hb2016Zoology and Entomolog

Six priorities to advance the science and practice of coral reef restoration worldwide

Coral reef restoration is a rapidly growing movement galvanized by the accelerating degradation of the world's tropical coral reefs. The need for concerted and collaborative action focused on the recovery of coral reef ecosystems coalesced in the creation of the Coral Restoration Consortium (CRC) in 2017. In March 2020, the CRC leadership team met for a biennial review of international coral reef restoration efforts and a discussion of perceived knowledge and implementation bottlenecks that may impair scalability and efficacy. Herein we present six priorities wherein the CRC will foster scientific advancement and collaboration to: (1) increase restoration efficiency, focusing on scale and cost-effectiveness of deployment; (2) scale up larval-based coral restoration efforts, emphasizing recruit health, growth, and survival; (3) ensure restoration of threatened coral species proceeds within a population-genetics management context; (4) support a holistic approach to coral reef ecosystem restoration; (5) develop and promote the use of standardized terms and metrics for coral reef restoration; and (6) support coral reef restoration practitioners working in diverse geographic locations. These priorities are not exhaustive nor do we imply that accomplishing these tasks alone will be sufficient to restore coral reefs globally; rather these are topics where we feel the CRC community of practice can make timely and significant contributions to facilitate the growth of coral reef restoration as a practical conservation strategy. The goal for these collective actions is to provide tangible, local-scale advancements in reef condition that offset declines resulting from local and global stressors including climate change

Implicating Calpain in Tau-Mediated Toxicity In Vivo

Alzheimer's disease and other related neurodegenerative disorders known as tauopathies are characterized by the accumulation of abnormally phosphorylated and aggregated forms of the microtubule-associated protein tau. Several laboratories have identified a 17 kD proteolytic fragment of tau in degenerating neurons and in numerous cell culture models that is generated by calpain cleavage and speculated to contribute to tau toxicity. In the current study, we employed a Drosophila tauopathy model to investigate the importance of calpain-mediated tau proteolysis in contributing to tau neurotoxicity in an animal model of human neurodegenerative disease. We found that mutations that disrupted endogenous calpainA or calpainB activity in transgenic flies suppressed tau toxicity. Expression of a calpain-resistant form of tau in Drosophila revealed that mutating the putative calpain cleavage sites that produce the 17 kD fragment was sufficient to abrogate tau toxicity in vivo. Furthermore, we found significant toxicity in the fly retina associated with expression of only the 17 kD tau fragment. Collectively, our data implicate calpain-mediated proteolysis of tau as an important pathway mediating tau neurotoxicity in vivo

Physiological Correlates of Volunteering

We review research on physiological correlates of volunteering, a neglected but promising research field. Some of these correlates seem to be causal factors influencing volunteering. Volunteers tend to have better physical health, both self-reported and expert-assessed, better mental health, and perform better on cognitive tasks. Research thus far has rarely examined neurological, neurochemical, hormonal, and genetic correlates of volunteering to any significant extent, especially controlling for other factors as potential confounds. Evolutionary theory and behavioral genetic research suggest the importance of such physiological factors in humans. Basically, many aspects of social relationships and social activities have effects on health (e.g., Newman and Roberts 2013; Uchino 2004), as the widely used biopsychosocial (BPS) model suggests (Institute of Medicine 2001). Studies of formal volunteering (FV), charitable giving, and altruistic behavior suggest that physiological characteristics are related to volunteering, including specific genes (such as oxytocin receptor [OXTR] genes, Arginine vasopressin receptor [AVPR] genes, dopamine D4 receptor [DRD4] genes, and 5-HTTLPR). We recommend that future research on physiological factors be extended to non-Western populations, focusing specifically on volunteering, and differentiating between different forms and types of volunteering and civic participation

The differential effects of risk avoidance and remedy messages on intentions and willingness to engage in risky sexual behavior

Objective: There are two common health communication approaches to promote health behavior and reduce risky behavior. The first approach has been through risk avoidance messages and the second through the promotion of remedy messages. While the goals of risk avoidance and remedy messages are similar, research suggests that they produce contrasting outcomes. To date, remedy messages have not been experimentally examined for influence on sexual behavior. This dissertation seeks to answer the question: does exposure to a risk avoidance message versus a remedy message differentially influence intentions and willingness to engage in risky sexual behavior?Methods: Two studies were conducted. For study I, 396 University of California, Merced undergraduates participated in the study. Participants evaluated variations on risk avoidance messages and remedy messages for various outcomes (e.g. believability and favorability) with the goal that the most favorable messages will be used in study II. For study II, 895 Mechanical Turk users were randomly assigned to a risk avoidance message condition, a remedy message condition, or a control message condition. Participants were asked about their intentions and willingness to engage in sexual behavior without a condom. Their perceived risk, prototype perceptions, subjective norms, and STI or HIV contraction worry were also evaluated. Results: The overall model for both analyses were significant with worry over contracting an STI or HIV being the only significant predictor to add to the model predicting willingness to engage in risky sexual behavior. Thus, as STI or HIV contraction worry increased, willingness to engage in sex without a condom decreased. Additionally, an interaction effect between the remedy message and STI or HIV contraction worry were found to predict participants’ risk perceptions. Conclusions: Determining if remedy messages induce individuals to participate in risky sexual behavior practices, as results from other remedy studies have shown this effect to be true, remain important. Findings showing that remedy messages may induce the opposite effect on individuals and increase their intentions and willingness to engage in risky sexual behavior would have important implications on the way we communicate remedy products

The impact of natural disasters and epidemics on sexual and reproductive health in low- and middle-income countries: A narrative synthesis

Background: Natural disasters and epidemics can strain already-fragile health systems, diverting resources away from essential sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, threatening supply chains, and adversely impacting access to health facilities. Objective: Describe how natural disaster and epidemics affect multiple dimensions of SRH service delivery and outcomes and identify potential approaches to facilitate resumption of services. Search Strategy: Key words searched in Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus. Selection Criteria: Studies published in English between 2005 and 2020 covering events in low- and middle-income countries. Data collection and analysis: This review was developed and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) 2009 checklist. Initial electronic database searching yield 64,345 studies, but after screening 13 studies were included in the final review. Main results: Across contexts, disruptive events worsened the availability of and women’s access to SRH services, contributed to decreased utilization of SRH services, and often resulted in lower use of family planning, particularly methods requiring facility-based interaction. Conclusion: SRH in disaster response plans must be prioritized, as women often lose access to these essential services at a time when they are at their most vulnerable. Evidence regarding effective interventions and policies is lacking

The impact of disaster events on sexual and reproductive health service provision and outcomes in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review of the literature

Acute events, including natural disasters and epidemics, can strain the already-fragile health systems in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Disasters introduce unique circumstances in which resources may be diverted away from essential sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, disruptions to the supply chain may occur, and individuals may have limited access to or fear of health facilities. Disruptions to service delivery can disproportionately affect women and girls who faced existing structural barriers and inequalities before the disaster occurred. We will conduct a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature to better understand the effects of disasters on SRH services and related outcomes in LMICs. We will review both quantitative and qualitative research papers published in the last 15 years, with a focus on the quality and rigor of each study. Documents from the grey literature may be included if too few articles are identified. We aim to produce a narrative synthesis to holistically describe what has been experienced, reported variation across disaster contexts, and any key lessons for how to lessen the impact on vulnerable individuals and communities. Evidence from this review can serve as a learning opportunity for the COVID-19 pandemic that already threatens SRH outcomes. Findings may inform interventions and policies that aim to build more resilient health systems in the face of acute disasters, including pandemics

Who is asked about alcohol consumption? A retrospective cohort study using a national repository of Electronic Medical Records

Documentation of alcohol use in electronic medical record (EMR) informs interventions to reduce alcohol-related morbidity and mortality. This retrospective cohort study explored EMR data from 960 primary care providers participating in the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network to describe documentation of alcohol use (e.g. none, current or past use) in the EMR. Included providers represented 700,620 adult patients from across Canada with an encounter between 2015 and 2018. Bivariate comparisons characterized the patients with, and without, documentation of alcohol use. Multivariate generalized estimating equation models with logit function assessed patient and provider characteristics associated with (1) documentation of alcohol and (2) patients with heightened risk for alcohol-related problems. Forty percent of patients had alcohol use documentation in the EMR. Light alcohol consumption was recorded for 43.6% of these patients. Male patients (OR1.09, CI 1.07–1.12), who were older (OR1.26, CI 1.23–1.30), had more frequent visits to their provider (OR1.11, CI 1.09–1.13) and had hypertension (OR1.07, CI 1.06–1.09) or depression (OR1.07, CI 1.09–1.14) had higher odds of alcohol documentation. There were 4.7% of patients with a record indicating heightened risk for alcohol-related problems. Male patients (OR3.27 CI 3.14–3.4), patients with depression (OR2.01 CI1.93–2.1) and rural residency (OR1.35 CI1.29–1.42) was associated with risk for alcohol-related problems. Heavy alcohol consumption is associated with an increased risk of negative health outcomes, particularly for patients with certain chronic conditions. However, these patients do not have alcohol use consistently documented in the EMR. Strategies should be designed and implemented to support more consistent alcohol-screening among high-risk patients

Comparing Upperclassmen and Underclassmen Male Collegiate Tennis Players

Background: Various performance metrics, particularly full body power and high aerobic capacity, have demonstrated to influence in game performance for male tennis players. Purpose: To determine differences in performance measures between upperclassmen (UP) and underclassmen (UN) male tennis players. Methods: Nine male Division I collegiate tennis players (UN: 5, UP: 4) participated in the study. During pre-season testing, VO2max, body composition, vertical jump, and both dominant and non-dominant hand grip strength were determined. For both the hand-grip strength and vertical jump test the highest value from a two test sequence was recorded. A oneway ANOVA was run comparing these variables between UN and UP. Results: The ANOVA revealed no statistical difference between UN and UP in any of the test variables. However, dominant hand grip strength did approach statistical significance (F(1,7)=5.447, p = 0.052) with the UP (25.5 ± 2.7 kg) being greater than UN (21.4 ± 2.3 kg). In addition, the UP averaged better performance measures compared to the UN, though not statistically significant. Conclusion: UP tennis players may demonstrate improved performance over UN, though the differences are variable within tests

Redundant contribution of a Transient Receptor Potential cation channel Member 1 exon 11 single nucleotide polymorphism to equine congenital stationary night blindness.

BackgroundCongenital stationary night-blindness (CSNB) is a recessive autosomal defect in low-light vision in Appaloosa and other horse breeds. This condition has been mapped by linkage analysis to a gene coding for the Transient Receptor Potential cation channel Member 1 (TRPM1). TRPM1 is normally expressed in the ON-bipolar cells of the inner nuclear layer of the retina. Down-regulation of TRPM1 expression in CSNB results from a transposon-like insertion in intron 1 of the TRPM1 gene. Stop transcription signals in this transposon significantly reduce TRPM1 primary transcript levels in CSNB horses. This study describes additional contributions by a second mutation of the TRPM1 gene, the ECA1 108,249,293 C > T SNP, to down-regulation of transcription of the TRPM1 gene in night-blind horses. This TRPM1 SNP introduces a consensus binding site for neuro-oncological ventral antigen 1 (Nova-1) protein in the primary transcript. Nova-1 binding disrupts normal splicing signals, producing unstable, non-functional mRNA transcripts.ResultsRetinal bipolar cells express both TRPM1 and Nova-1 proteins. In vitro addition of Nova-1 protein retards electrophoretic migration of TRPM1 RNA containing the ECA1 108,249,293 C > T SNP. Up-regulating Nova-1 expression in primary cultures of choroidal melanocytes carrying the intron 11 SNP caused an average log 2-fold reduction of ~6 (64-fold) of TRPM1 mRNA expression.ConclusionsThese finding suggest that the equine TRPM1 SNP can act independently to reduce survival of TRPM1 mRNA escaping the intron 1 transcriptional stop signals in CSNB horses. Coexistence and co-inheritance of two independent TRPM1 mutations across 1000 equine generations suggests a selective advantage for the apparently deleterious CSNB trait