Pollinating fig wasps’ simple solutions to complex sex ratio problems : a review

Local mate competition (LMC) favours female biased clutch sex ratios because it reduces competition between brothers and provides extra mating opportunities for sons. Fig wasps seem to ft LMC model assumptions and lay femalebiased sex ratios as predicted. These female biased sex ratios increase ftness greatly. In line with predictions, their sex ratios become less female-biased as the number of mothers laying in the same fg increases. However, this variation results in comparatively small ftness benefts compared to just biased ratios and data suggest substantial mismatches with LMC theory. The mismatches are due to several factors. (1) Multiple foundresses typically lay too many daughters. (2) Single foundress sex ratios are explained by sequential oviposition and ladies-last models. (3) Mortality that typically exceeds 10% may decouple the link between primary sex ratios, the focus of model predictions, and secondary sex ratios of adult wasps that are counted by researchers. (4) Model assumptions are frequently violated: (a) clutch sizes are unequal, (b) oviposition may not be simultaneous (c) cryptic/multiple wasp species inhabit the same host, (d) foundress numbers are systematically undercounted, (e) inbreeding coefcient calculations are inaccurate, and (f ) male wasps sometimes disperse. These data and calculations suggest that alternative explanations must be considered seriously. Substantial data show that wasps typically lay most of their male eggs frst followed by mostly female eggs require a new approach. These “slope” strategies result in more accurate sex ratios that are automatically adjusted to foundress number, own and relative clutch sizes and to sequential clutches. This efect will alter sex ratios in all species once the egg capacity of a fg is crossed or when interference reduces clutch sizes. In addition to this passive response, the females of about half the studied species have a conditional response that reduces female bias under higher foundress numbers by laying more sons. Therefore, wasps seem to use a very simple strategy that increases their ftness. Natural selection could have optimized parameters of the slope strategy and possibly the existence of the slope strategy itself. Variation in the slope strategy that is the result of natural selection is adaptive. Research should therefore focus on quantifying variables of this slope strategy. Currently, it is unclear how much of the variation is adaptive as opposed to being coincidental by-products.SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ADDITIONAL FILE 1. Supplementary text and figures. Explanation of methods, derivation of ESS sex ratio, analysis of wasp size and supplementary figures. ADDITIONAL FILE 2. Figure 4 data. Observed (± 95% CI) and expected sex ratios in 36 studies of 25 species. ADDITIONAL FILE 3. Figures 8 and 9 data. Clutch composition in 33 studies on 25 species. ADDITIONAL FILE 4. Figure 10 data. Single Foundress sex ratios, fraction of single foundress figs and clutch size of 39 species.https://frontiersinzoology.biomedcentral.com/dm2022BiochemistryGeneticsMicrobiology and Plant Patholog

The UV Dose Used for Disinfection of Drinking Water in Sweden Inadequately Inactivates Enteric Virus with Double-Stranded Genomes

Irradiation with ultraviolet light (UV) at 254 nm is effective in inactivating a wide range of human pathogens. In Sweden, a UV dose of 400 J/m2 is often used for the treatment of drinking water. To investigate its effect on virus inactivation, enteric viruses with different genomic organizations were irradiated with three UV doses (400, 600, and 1000 J/m2), after which their viability on cell cultures was examined. Adenovirus type 2 (double-stranded DNA), simian rotavirus 11 (double-stranded RNA), and echovirus 30 (single-stranded RNA) were suspended in tap water and pumped into a laboratory-scale Aquada 1 UV reactor. Echovirus 30 was reduced by 3.6-log10 by a UV dose of 400 J/m2. Simian rotavirus 11 and adenovirus type 2 were more UV resistant with only 1-log10 reduction at 400 J/m2 and needed 600 J/m2 for 2.9-log10 and 3.1-log10 reductions, respectively. There was no significant increase in the reduction of viral viability at higher UV doses, which may indicate the presence of UV-resistant viruses. These results show that higher UV doses than those usually used in Swedish drinking water treatment plants should be considered in combination with other barriers to disinfect the water when there is a risk of fecal contamination of the water

Smoking, diet, pregnancy and oral contraceptive use as risk factors for cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia in relation to human papillomavirus infection

Smoking, nutrition, parity and oral contraceptive use have been reported as major environmental risk factors for cervical cancer. After the discovery of the very strong link between human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cervical cancer, it is unclear whether the association of these environmental factors with cervical cancer reflect secondary associations attributable to confounding by HPV, if they are independent risk factors or whether they may act as cofactors to HPV infection in cervical carcinogenesis. To investigate this issue, we performed a population-based case–control study in the Västerbotten county of Northern Sweden of 137 women with high-grade cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN 2–3) and 253 healthy age-matched women. The women answered a 94-item questionnaire on diet, smoking, oral contraceptive use and sexual history and donated specimens for diagnosis of present HPV infection (nested polymerase chain reaction on cervical brush samples) and for past or present HPV infections (HPV seropositivity). The previously described protective effects of dietary micronutrients were not detected. Pregnancy appeared to be a risk factor in the multivariate analysis (P< 0.0001). Prolonged oral contraceptive use and sexual history were associated with CIN 2–3 in univariate analysis, but these associations lost significance after taking HPV into account. Smoking was associated with CIN 2–3 (odds ratio (OR) 2.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7–4.0), the effect was dose-dependent (P = 0.002) and the smoking-associated risk was not affected by adjusting for HPV, neither when adjusting for HPV DNA (OR 2.5, CI 1.3–4.9) nor when adjusting for HPV seropositivity (OR 3.0, CI 1.9–4.7). In conclusion, after taking HPV into account, smoking appeared to be the most significant environmental risk factor for cervical neoplasia. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

The SOFIA Pilot Trial:A cluster-randomized trial of coordinated, co-produced care to reduce mortality and improve quality of life in people with severe mental illness in the general practice setting

Abstract Background People with severe mental illness (SMI) have an increased risk of premature mortality, predominantly due to somatic health conditions. Evidence indicates that primary and tertiary prevention and improved treatment of somatic conditions in patients with SMI could reduce this excess mortality. This paper reports a protocol designed to evaluate the feasibility of a coordinated co-produced care program (SOFIA model, a Danish acronym for Severe Mental Illness and Physical Health in General Practice) in the general practice setting to reduce mortality and improve quality of life in patients with severe mental illness. Methods The SOFIA pilot trial is designed as a cluster randomized controlled trial targeting general practices in two regions in Denmark. We aim to include 12 practices, each of which is instructed to recruit up to 15 community-dwelling patients aged 18 and older with SMI. Practices will be randomized by a computer in a ratio of 2:1 to deliver a coordinated care program or usual care during a 6-month study period. A randomized algorithm is used to perform randomization. The coordinated care program includes educational training of general practitioners and their clinical staff educational training of general practitioners and their clinical staff, which covers clinical and diagnostic management and focus on patient-centered care of this patient group, after which general practitioners will provide a prolonged consultation focusing on individual needs and preferences of the patient with SMI and a follow-up plan if indicated. The outcomes will be parameters of the feasibility of the intervention and trial methods and will be assessed quantitatively and qualitatively. Assessments of the outcome parameters will be administered at baseline, throughout, and at end of the study period. Discussion If necessary the intervention will be revised based on results from this study. If delivery of the intervention, either in its current form or after revision, is considered feasible, a future, definitive trial to determine the effectiveness of the intervention in reducing mortality and improving quality of life in patients with SMI can take place. Successful implementation of the intervention would imply preliminary promise for addressing health inequities in patients with SMI. Trial registration The trial was registered in Clinical Trials as of November 5, 2020, with registration number NCT04618250 . Protocol version: January 22, 2021; original versio