How a bird is an island

Replicate adaptive radiations occur when lineages repeatedly radiate and fill new but similar niches and converge phenotypically. While this is commonly seen in traditional island systems, it may also be present in host-parasite relationships, where hosts serve as islands. In a recent article in BMC Biology, Johnson and colleagues have produced the most extensive phylogeny of the avian lice (Ischnocera) to date, and find evidence for this pattern. This study opens the door to exploring adaptive radiations from a novel host-parasite perspective

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

A many-analysts approach to the relation between religiosity and well-being

The relation between religiosity and well-being is one of the most researched topics in the psychology of religion, yet the directionality and robustness of the effect remains debated. Here, we adopted a many-analysts approach to assess the robustness of this relation based on a new cross-cultural dataset (N=10,535 participants from 24 countries). We recruited 120 analysis teams to investigate (1) whether religious people self-report higher well-being, and (2) whether the relation between religiosity and self-reported well-being depends on perceived cultural norms of religion (i.e., whether it is considered normal and desirable to be religious in a given country). In a two-stage procedure, the teams first created an analysis plan and then executed their planned analysis on the data. For the first research question, all but 3 teams reported positive effect sizes with credible/confidence intervals excluding zero (median reported β=0.120). For the second research question, this was the case for 65% of the teams (median reported β=0.039). While most teams applied (multilevel) linear regression models, there was considerable variability in the choice of items used to construct the independent variables, the dependent variable, and the included covariates

A Many-analysts Approach to the Relation Between Religiosity and Well-being

The relation between religiosity and well-being is one of the most researched topics in the psychology of religion, yet the directionality and robustness of the effect remains debated. Here, we adopted a many-analysts approach to assess the robustness of this relation based on a new cross-cultural dataset (N = 10, 535 participants from 24 countries). We recruited 120 analysis teams to investigate (1) whether religious people self-report higher well-being, and (2) whether the relation between religiosity and self-reported well-being depends on perceived cultural norms of religion (i.e., whether it is considered normal and desirable to be religious in a given country). In a two-stage procedure, the teams first created an analysis plan and then executed their planned analysis on the data. For the first research question, all but 3 teams reported positive effect sizes with credible/confidence intervals excluding zero (median reported β = 0.120). For the second research question, this was the case for 65% of the teams (median reported β = 0.039). While most teams applied (multilevel) linear regression models, there was considerable variability in the choice of items used to construct the independent variables, the dependent variable, and the included covariates

Engineering hiPSCs to enhance neural progenitor transplantation in degenerative cervical myelopathy

Neural progenitor cell transplantation has been widely explored in traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) but has yet to be evaluated as a treatment for degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM), a non-traumatic form of spinal cord injury. Importantly, the extent of astrogliosis and extracellular matrix remodelling that could limit or enhance neural progenitor cell (NPC) graft efficacy in DCM is unknown. The first aim of this project was to examine changes in the extracellular matrix in DCM. Immunohistochemistry of post-mortem patient tissue and a mouse model of DCM indicated astrogliosis and chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan accumulation, which could inhibit NPC integration. Meanwhile, bulk-transcriptomics from human post-mortem tissue revealed no upregulation of astrogliosis- or fibrosis-related genes in DCM. Second, the extent of endogenous remodelling of perineuronal extracellular matrix structures that could enable functional connectivity of NPC grafts – and which may underlie compensatory plasticity in DCM – is unknown. Immunohistochemical analysis of perineuronal nets (PNN) in murine models of DCM showed no significant changes in the number of PNN-positive neurons. Additionally, transcriptomic analysis of PNN-related gene expression from human tissue similarly showed no significant changes in DCM. Therefore, while diffuse astrogliosis and ECM deposition occurs in DCM, endogenous PNN remodelling may not underlie compensatory plasticity. Next, given the importance of PNNs in regulating synaptic plasticity, elucidating mechanisms of their development and remodeling through in-vitro models of human neurons would be useful. No such systems have been reported thus far and it remains unclear whether forward reprogrammed hiPSC-derived glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons contain PNNs. The second aim of this thesis was to determine the extent of PNN formation in forward reprogrammed neurons. Both NGN2 (glutamatergic) and ASCL1/DLX2 (GABAergic) lines displayed punctate, immature PNN structures immunopositive for WFA, which increased along with aggrecan expression over 28 days post-induction. Analysis of existing single-cell and bulk-transcriptomic datasets revealed maturity-dependent increases in neurocan expression, a transient increase in brevican, and no significant increases in aggrecan expression, suggesting that the lectican responsible for WFA immunopositivity in these cells is likely neurocan. Finally, inducible expression of GDNF and ChABC from transplanted NPCs in DCM has the potential to improve graft survival and integration, while providing neuroprotective and regenerative benefits for host cells. Therefore, a dual safe-harbour tetracycline-inducible control system was used to express GDNF and ChABC in human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) and hiPSC-derived neural progenitors. Immunoblotting, enzyme linked immunosorbent assays, and qPCR were used to measure expression of GDNF and ChABC in-vitro, along with functional assays for ChABC. These established dox-inducible expression and secretion of GDNF and functional ChABC at both the iPSC and NPC stages. This system enables robust regulatable expression of GDNF and ChABC in hiPSC-derived NPCs and provides a path towards further evaluation of engineered NPCs in pre-clinical models of DCM and SCI

A report of unusual aggregation behaviour in Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer sayi) near a nest site in Saskatchewan

We describe an unusual aggregation of Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer sayi) near a nest site in Saskatchewan. Bullsnake is a wide-ranging oviparous colubrid that reaches the northern tip of its continental range on the prairies and badlands of Canada. At that location, it is considered a species of Special Concern, but, until recently, has been the subject of relatively few natural history reports. This is significant, because, at the northern edge of their range, Bullsnakes may behave differently than elsewhere due to thermal limitations experienced at high latitudes. On 29 June 2019, we observed a mass of five adult Bullsnakes in a Silver Sagebrush (Artemisia cana) shrub on a slope in southwestern Saskatchewan. Aggregations of Bullsnakes are known to occur at hibernacula, during mating, and inside nest chambers before and after oviposition. However, we are unaware of the occurrence of surface aggregations in any other situation. We suggest that these Bullsnakes may have been exhibiting communal gestation, a behaviour thought to be rare in oviparous snakes whereby gravid females congregate before parturition or oviposition for thermal stability or protection from predators

Promotion and Documentation of Huecas: The Gastronomy of Cañar, Ecuador

English as a foreign language curriculums often lack culturally relevant lesson material. In collaboration with Kañari Original Multicultural Inclusive Program (PRIMOK) in Cañar, Ecuador, this project aimed to both produce stories of local restaurants known as huecas for PRIMOK and create visuals to better promote these restaurants to English-speaking tourists. Lesson material produced will allow students to learn English in a manner that will preserve the local culture. Interviews were conducted with teachers, owners, and customers of each hueca to gain information that was needed to produce the final visuals and lesson materials. The team recommends that PRIMOK expands on this project and that the local government uses tourism websites to further advertise local gastronomy

Developing Conservation Measures to Restore and Rehabilitate Rangelands on Degraded Sage-Grouse Habitat in Southeastern Oregon

The sagebrush steppe is one of the most widespread and diverse ecosystems in the United States, yet it is one of the most imperiled. Invasive annual grasses (IAGs) are the primary threat to the sagebrush steppe at lower elevations. In 2015, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, and Soil & Water Conservation Districts across eight eastern Oregon counties developed a Greater Sage-Grouse Programmatic Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA). Within the CCAA, there is a call for the development of conservation measures on degraded sage-grouse habitat. The objective of the current study was to determine if fire, herbicide, and mechanical action combined with seeding native and introduced plants improved degraded, low elevation, sagebrush rangelands. Four study sites were located within 160 km of Burns, OR. Five treatments, modified rangeland drill (MRD), disking (D), Imazapic + Glyphosate (IG), prescribed burn (PB), and PB+IG, as well as a control were applied within six 30 m x 11 m subplots at each site. Treatment plots were divided lengthwise according to native or introduced species. Overall, our data illustrate that PB+IG and IG plus seeding were the most effective restoration treatments for perennial bunchgrasses with the IG maintaining shrub cover intact for sagebrush obligates

Thermoregulation by bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer sayi): do burrows make life easier on the prairies?

Reptiles living in the grasslands of Western Canada cope with extremely variable environmental temperatures. We studied body temperatures (Tb) and operative environmental temperatures (Te) for bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer sayi Schlegel, 1837) to address uncertainties regarding challenges posed by the thermal environments of northern grasslands, and to evaluate conflicting hypotheses regarding thermoregulatory strategies. Despite potentially extreme surface temperatures (x̄min = 9.3, x̄max = 31.4C), mammal burrows remained within voluntary limits (15 – 35C) for 93 % of the active season and created thermal gradients (up to 27.2C) which may facilitate thermoregulation by creating high thermal heterogeneity. This evidence suggests that grasslands may actually be less challenging for thermoregulation than comparable forests. 57.8 % of the variation in observed Tb (x̄min = 20.1, x̄max = 29.1C) was explained by 3 simple variables: time of day, day of year, and bare ground Te. Bullsnakes thermoregulated by conforming to Te near their preferred range (21 to 27C), selecting locations that enabled heating up below this range, and avoiding warmth above this range. Our results support broad hypotheses of reptilian thermoregulation that predict increased thermoregulation when a) environmental temperatures deviate further from preferred ranges and b) costs of thermoregulation are lower due to thermal heterogeneity.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Transcription factor combinations that define human astrocyte identity encode significant variation of maturity and function.

Funder: Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust (ACT)Funder: bit bio LTDFunder: Cambridge Brain Injury MICFunder: Ferblanc FoundationFunder: Rosetrees Trust; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000833Increasing evidence indicates that cellular identity can be reduced to the distinct gene regulatory networks controlled by transcription factors (TFs). However, redundancy exists in these states as different combinations of TFs can induce broadly similar cell types. We previously demonstrated that by overcoming gene silencing, it is possible to deterministically reprogram human pluripotent stem cells directly into cell types of various lineages. In the present study we leverage the consistency and precision of our approach to explore four different TF combinations encoding astrocyte identity, based on previously published reports. Analysis of the resulting induced astrocytes (iAs) demonstrated that all four cassettes generate cells with the typical morphology of in vitro astrocytes, which expressed astrocyte-specific markers. The transcriptional profiles of all four iAs clustered tightly together and displayed similarities with mature human astrocytes, although maturity levels differed between cells. Importantly, we found that the TF cassettes induced iAs with distinct differences with regards to their cytokine response and calcium signaling. In vivo transplantation of selected iAs into immunocompromised rat brains demonstrated long term stability and integration. In conclusion, all four TF combinations were able to induce stable astrocyte-like cells that were morphologically similar but showed subtle differences with respect to their transcriptome. These subtle differences translated into distinct differences with regards to cell function, that could be related to maturation state and/or regional identity of the resulting cells. This insight opens an opportunity to precision-engineer cells to meet functional requirements, for example, in the context of therapeutic cell transplantation