New Historical and Philosophical Perspectives on Quantitative Genetics

The aim of this collection is to bring together philosophical and historical perspectives to address long-standing issues in the interpretation, utility, and impacts of quantitative genetics methods and findings. Methodological approaches and the underlying scientific understanding of genetics and heredity have transformed since the field’s inception. These advances have brought with them new philosophical issues regarding the interpretation and understanding of quantitative genetic results. The contributions in this issue demonstrate that there is still work to be done integrating old and new methodological and conceptual frameworks. In some cases, new results are interpreted using assumptions based on old concepts and methodologies that need to be explicitly recognised and updated. In other cases, new philosophical tools can be employed to synthesise historical quantitative genetics work with modern methodologies and findings. This introductory article surveys three general themes that have dominated philosophical discussion of quantitative genetics throughout history: 1. How methodologies have changed and transformed our knowledge and interpretations; 2. Whether or not quantitative genetics can offer explanations relating to causation and prediction; 3. The importance of defining the phenotypes under study. We situate the contributions in this special issue within a historical framework addressing these three themes

Towing tank and flume testing of passively adaptive composite tidal turbine blades

Composite tidal turbine blades with bend-twist (BT) coupled layups allow the blade to self-adapt to local site conditions by passively twisting. Passive feathering has the potential to increase annual energy production and shed thrust loads and power under extreme tidal flows. Decreased hydrodynamic thrust and power during extreme conditions means that the turbine support structure, generator, and other components can be sized more appropriately, resulting in a higher utilization factor and increased cost effectiveness

Human responses to Florida red tides : policy awareness and adherence to local fertilizer ordinances

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2014. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Science of The Total Environment 493 (2014): 898-909, doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.06.083.To mitigate the damages of natural hazards, policy responses can be beneficial only if they are effective. Using a self-administered survey approach, this paper focuses on the adherence to local fertilizer ordinances (i.e., county or municipal rules regulating the application of fertilizer to private lawns or facilities such as golf courses) implemented in jurisdictions along the southwest Florida coast in response to hazardous blooms of Florida red tides (Karenia brevis). These ordinances play a role in the context of evolving programs of water pollution control at federal, state, water basin, and local levels. With respect to policy effectiveness, while the strength of physical linkages is of critical importance, the extent to which humans affected are aware of and adhere to the relevant rules, is equally critical. We sought to understand the public’s depth of understanding about the rationales for local fertilizer ordinances. Respondents in Sarasota, Florida, were asked about their fertilizer practices in an area that has experienced several major blooms of Florida red tides over the past two decades. A highly educated, older population of 305 residents and “snowbirds” reported relatively little knowledge about a local fertilizer ordinance, its purpose, or whether it would change the frequency, size, or duration of red tides. This finding held true even among subpopulations that were expected to have more interest in or to be more knowledgeable about harmful algal blooms. In the face of uncertain science and environmental outcomes, and with individual motivations at odds with evolving public policies, the effectiveness of local community efforts to decrease the impacts of red tides may be compromised. Targeted social-science research on human perceptions about the risks of Florida red tides and education about the rationales for potential policy responses is warranted.This work was funded under sponsorship of the National Science Foundation (NSF), awards #1009106 and #1004181and the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), award # R21ES017413-01A2. Fleming received support from the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund (European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School)

Genetic Connectivity and Diversity of a Protected, Habitat-Forming Species:Evidence Demonstrating the Need for Wider Environmental Protection and Integration of the Marine Protected Area Network

Funding Information: This work was largely funded by Heriot-Watt University (James Watt Scholarship) and NatureScot (formerly Scottish Natural Heritage). Additional funding was received from the MASTS pooling initiative (The Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland) and their support is gratefully acknowledged. MASTS was funded by the Scottish Funding Council (grant reference HR09011) and contributing institutions.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Experimental and modeled thermoregulatory costs of repeated sublethal oil exposure in the Double-crested Cormorant, \u3ci\u3ePhalacrocorax auritus\u3c/i\u3e

To fully understand the impact of oil exposure, it is important to understand sublethal effects like how increased thermoregulatory costs may affect survival and reproduction. However, it is difficult and time-consuming to measure these effects in wild animals. We present a novel use of a bioenergetics model, Niche Mapper™, to estimate thermoregulatory impacts of oiling, using data from captive Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) experimentally exposed to oil. Oiled cormorants had significant increases in surface body temperatures following exposure. Niche Mapper accurately predicted surface temperatures and metabolic rates for unoiled and oiled cormorants and predicted 13–18% increased daily energetic demands due to increased thermoregulatory costs of oiling, consistent with increased food consumption observed in experimentally oiled cormorants. We show that Niche Mapper can provide valuable insight into sublethal oiling effects by quantifying the extent to which thermoregulatory costs divert energy resources away from important life processes like maintenance, reproduction and migration

Lessening the hazards of Florida red tides: a common sense approach

© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Hoagland, P., Kirkpatrick, B., Jin, D., Kirkpatrick, G., Fleming, L. E., Ullmann, S. G., Beet, A., Hitchcock, G., Harrison, K. K., Li, Z. C., Garrison, B., Diaz, R. E., & Lovko, V. Lessening the hazards of Florida red tides: a common sense approach. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7, (2020): 538, doi:10.3389/fmars.2020.00538.In the Gulf of Mexico, especially along the southwest Florida coast, blooms of the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis are a coastal natural hazard. The organism produces a potent class of toxins, known as brevetoxins, which are released following cell lysis into ocean or estuarine waters or, upon aerosolization, into the atmosphere. When exposed to sufficient levels of brevetoxins, humans may suffer from respiratory, gastrointestinal, or neurological illnesses. The hazard has been exacerbated by the geometric growth of human populations, including both residents and tourists, along Florida’s southwest coast. Impacts to marine organisms or ecosystems also may occur, such as fish kills or deaths of protected mammals, turtles, or birds. Since the occurrence of a severe Karenia brevis bloom off the southwest Florida coast three-quarters of a century ago, there has been an ongoing debate about the best way for humans to mitigate the impacts of this hazard. Because of the importance of tourism to coastal Florida, there are incentives for businesses and governments alike to obfuscate descriptions of these blooms, leading to the social amplification of risk. We argue that policies to improve the public’s ability to understand the physical attributes of blooms, specifically risk communication policies, are to be preferred over physical, chemical, or biological controls. In particular, we argue that responses to this type of hazard must emphasize maintaining the continuity of programs of scientific research, environmental monitoring, public education, and notification. We propose a common-sense approach to risk communication, comprising a simplification of the public provision of existing sources of information to be made available on a mobile website.The research leading to these results was supported by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) under NSF Grant No. CNH 1009106. PH and DJ acknowledge the complementary support under NSF Grant No. PFI/BIC 1534054

Towing tank testing of passively adaptive composite tidal turbine blades and comparison to design tool

Passively adaptive bend-twist (BT) tidal turbine blades made of non-homogeneous composite materials have the potential to reduce the structural loads on turbines so that smaller more cost effective components can be used. Using BT blades can also moderate the demands on the turbine generator above design conditions. This paper presents experimental towing tank test results for an 828 mm diameter turbine with composite BT blades compared to a turbine with geometrically equivalent rigid aluminum blades. The BT blades were constructed of a graphite-epoxy unidirectional composite material with ply angles of 26.8° to induce BT coupling, and an epoxy foam core. For steady flow conditions the BT blades were found to have up to 11% lower thrust loads compared to rigid blades, with the load reductions varying as a function of flow speed and rotational speed. A coupled finite element model-blade element momentum theory design tool was developed to iterate between the structural (deformation and stresses) and hydrodynamic (power and thrust loads) responses of these adaptive composite blades. When compared to the experimental test results, the design tool predictions were within at least 8% of the experimental results for tip-speed ratios greater than 2.5

The Positive Relationship between Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity and Bone Mineral Content Is Not Mediated by Free Leptin Index in Prepubertal Children: The PANIC Study.

PURPOSE: Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) positively influences bone mineral content (BMC) in prepubertal children, but it is unknown whether this relationship is partially mediated by free leptin index. The aim of this study was to examine whether the relationship between MVPA and total body less head (TBLH) BMC is mediated or moderated by free leptin index in prepubertal children. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis on 401 children (194 girls) from baseline examinations of the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Childhood Study. We applied the four-way decomposition mediation analysis method to assess whether free leptin index, measured from fasted blood samples, mediated the relationship between accelerometer-measured MVPA and TBLH BMC measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS: MVPA had a positive controlled direct effect on TBLH BMC in girls and boys (β = 0.010 to 0.011, p 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that MVPA positively influences TBLH BMC through pathways not related to free leptin index in predominantly normal-weight prepubertal children, likely primarily through mechanical loading. The relationships between MVPA, free leptin index and TBLH BMC may be influenced by other factors such as pubertal status and adiposity, so it is unknown whether these observations extend to overweight and obese children at different stages of puberty

The Positive Relationship between Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity and Bone Mineral Content Is Not Mediated by Free Leptin Index in Prepubertal Children: The PANIC Study.

PurposeModerate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) positively influences bone mineral content (BMC) in prepubertal children, but it is unknown whether this relationship is partially mediated by free leptin index. The aim of this study was to examine whether the relationship between MVPA and total body less head (TBLH) BMC is mediated or moderated by free leptin index in prepubertal children.MethodsWe performed a cross-sectional analysis on 401 children (194 girls) from baseline examinations of the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Childhood Study. We applied the four-way decomposition mediation analysis method to assess whether free leptin index, measured from fasted blood samples, mediated the relationship between accelerometer-measured MVPA and TBLH BMC measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.ResultsMVPA had a positive controlled direct effect on TBLH BMC in girls and boys (β = 0.010 to 0.011, p p > 0.05).ConclusionOur study indicates that MVPA positively influences TBLH BMC through pathways not related to free leptin index in predominantly normal-weight prepubertal children, likely primarily through mechanical loading. The relationships between MVPA, free leptin index and TBLH BMC may be influenced by other factors such as pubertal status and adiposity, so it is unknown whether these observations extend to overweight and obese children at different stages of puberty

CHANS : Florida red tides and coastal populations as a coupled nature-human system

Presented at the Seventh Symposium on Harmful Algae in the U.S., Sarasota, FL, 27-31 October 2013.Coupled nature-human (CNH) systems are now the focus of a growing number of inter-disciplinary research programs worldwide. As implied by the term “coupled,” these systems in-volve interactions between humans and nature, often affecting the dynamic characteristics of each component. Both natural and social scientists are engaged in developing a deeper un-derstanding of these dynamics, focusing on the linkages and feedbacks affecting the trajectories of coupled system behavior. Several researchers have begun to identify the generic aspects of nature-human couplings. Many of these aspects have been adapted from the field of ecology, where the dynamic characteristics of ecological systems have been studied for decades. These aspects include system heterogeneity, time lags, reciprocal feedbacks, thresholds, surprises, legacies, and resilience. The presence of such aspects has implications for the stability and persistence of particular ecosystem states, leading potentially to further implications for human heath and welfare. This talk reviews a specific type of natural hazard-human coupling that relates to coastal blooms of toxic marine algae, drawing examples primarily from human interactions with blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis from the eastern Gulf of Mexico. This talk introduces a set of HAB Symposium “speed” presentations relating to different aspects of an ongoing multi-institutional and inter-disciplinary research project that examines Florida red tides as a type of CNH system. We present examples of the generic aspects of CNH systems in the context of Florida red tides, and we discuss also some of the challenges involved in compiling relevant data to support our analytical efforts