A meta-analysis of the relation between therapeutic alliance and treatment outcome in eating disorders.

The therapeutic alliance has demonstrated an association with favorable psychotherapeutic outcomes in the treatment of eating disorders (EDs). However, questions remain about the inter-relationships between early alliance, early symptom improvement, and treatment outcome. We conducted a meta-analysis on the relations among these constructs, and possible moderators of these relations, in psychosocial treatments for EDs. Twenty studies met inclusion criteria and supplied sufficient supplementary data. Results revealed small-to-moderate effect sizes, βs = 0.13 to 0.22 (p < .05), indicating that early symptom improvement was related to subsequent alliance quality and that alliance ratings also were related to subsequent symptom reduction. The relationship between early alliance and treatment outcome was partially accounted for by early symptom improvement. With regard to moderators, early alliance showed weaker associations with outcome in therapies with a strong behavioral component relative to nonbehavioral therapies. However, alliance showed stronger relations to outcome for younger (vs. older) patients, over and above the variance shared with early symptom improvement. In sum, early symptom reduction enhances therapeutic alliance and treatment outcome in EDs, but early alliance may require specific attention for younger patients and for those receiving nonbehaviorally oriented treatments

Neutral variation does not predict immunogenetic variation in the European grayling (Thymallus thymallus) - implications for management

Preservation of genetic diversity is critical to successful conservation and there is increasing demand for the inclusion of ecologically meaningful genetic information in management decisions. Supportive breeding programmes are increasingly implemented to combat declines in many species, yet their effect on adaptive genetic variation is understudied. This is despite the fact that supportive breeding may interfere with natural evolutionary processes. Here, we assessed the performance of neutral and adaptive markers (Major Histocompatibility Complex; MHC) to inform management of European grayling (Thymallus thymallus), which routinely involves supplementation of natural populations with hatchery‐reared fish (stocking). This study is the first to characterize MH II DAA and DAB loci in grayling and to investigate immune genetic variation in relation to management practice in this species. High‐throughput Illumina sequencing of ‘introduced’, ‘stocked native’ and ‘non‐stocked native’ populations revealed significantly higher levels of allelic richness and heterozygosity for MH markers than microsatellites exclusively in non‐stocked native populations. Likewise, significantly lower differentiation at the MH II than for microsatellites was apparent when considering non‐stocked native populations, but not stocked populations. We developed a simulation model to test the effects of relaxation of selection during the early life stage within captivity. Dependent on the census population size and stocking intensity, there may be long‐term effects of stocking on MH II, but not neutral genetic diversity. This is consistent with our empirical results. This study highlights the necessity for considering adaptive genetic variation in conservation decisions and raises concerns about the efficiency of stocking as a management practice

Neustonic Plastic Along the Eastern Seaboard: Evaluating Potential Ecologic Impacts using Zooplankton to Plastic Ratios, and Identification of Regional Source Areas Using OpenDrift Modelling

Data tables are included as separate CSV and Excel file.Plastic debris has become an issue of ecologic concern, as studies have found that plastic, which has been accumulating in the marine environment since it became commercialized after World War II, has negative environmental effects and a wide range of biologic impacts when ingested. Determining how plastic debris enters the food web is the first step in evaluating the potential for plastic to magnify throughout the food web, eventually effecting humans. This study addresses this issue by using methodology established by Moore et al. (2001; 2002) and Collignon et al. (2012) to determine the ratios (by count and by weight) of neustonic plastic to zooplankton along the Eastern Seaboard of the US, in the Atlantic Ocean. Samples analyzed in this study were collected by SEA Education Association class C-297 Marine biodiversity and Conservation along a cruise track from St. Petersburg, FL to Woods Hole, MA, with varying distances from shore, between April 16 and May 20, 2021. Neuston tows were performed using a 333 micrometer neuston tow net, and were processed by hand. To determine the origin of plastic recovered at sea, this study utilizes a novel approach to the identification of plastic debris source regions by using a Python-coded program (OpenDrift) to hindcast the neuston tow samples analyzed in this study to identify likely geographic locations, using oceanographic and atmospheric conditions, and Lagrangian particle trajectory modelling. This work sets the stage for future conservation work in marine plastics, to mitigate the exposure of marine organisms and the food web to the negative effects of plastics and their additives.Geolog

Manlicketal_2023_NCC

Data used in Manlick et al 202

Manlick et al. 2023_Ecology

Data and R script from Manlick et al. 2023, " The coupling of green and brown food webs regulates trophic position in a montane mammal guild" in Ecology.</p

Manlick_2023_NatureClimateChange

Data used in Manlick et al. 2023 Nature Climate change article "Climate warming restructures food webs and carbon flow in high-latitude ecosystems". Readme file includes metadata descriptions</p

Bacteriocin Gene Isolation and Physical Characterization in E. faecalis.

Color poster with text, images, table, and graph.Enterococcus faecalis as an opportunistic bacterium that has become one of the most troublesome hospital pathogens. Bacteriocins are toxic proteins produced by bacteria to inhibit the growth of similar or closely related bacterial strains. This project used recombinant DNA techniques to isolate the bacteriocin gene from plasmid pAM369 in E. faecalis.Univesity of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Human disturbance increases trophic niche overlap in terrestrial carnivore communities

Significance Niche theory posits that species must limit overlap in the use of space, time, or resources to minimize competition. However, human disturbances are rapidly altering ecosystems with uncertain consequences for niche partitioning. Dietary niche partitioning is the primary way many species limit interspecific competition, and it is particularly important for carnivores because diet overlap can trigger interference competition and interspecific killing. We used stable isotope analyses to examine carnivore diets across the Great Lakes region in the United States and show that carnivores inhabiting disturbed ecosystems consume more human foods, leading to significant increases in both niche breadth and dietary niche overlap among competing species. These results suggest that carnivores in human-dominated landscapes experience significant interspecific competition and conflict due to the consumption of human food subsidies.</jats:p

Manlick and Newsome 2022_MethodsEcolEvol

Data used in Manlick and Newsome 2022, including d13C values for essential amino acids (EAAs) from P. maniculatus used in controlled feeding experiment and the proportional diet estimates from stable isotope mixing models and LDA bootstrapping