Determining Critical Periods for Thermal Acclimatisation Using a Distributed Lag Non-linear Modelling Approach

AUTHORS' CONTRIBUTIONS: LTL, CG, and Adela Hrubesova conceived and designed the experiments. Adela Hrubesova, CG and LTL performed the experiments. MR implemented the DLNM and analyzed the data. MR, CG and LTL wrote the manuscript.Peer reviewe

An open-source method for producing reliable water temperature maps for ecological applications using non-radiometric sensors

Acknowledgments The authors thank the University of Nottingham Malaysian Campus for the contribution of materials, access to laboratories facilities and logistics. Special thanks to Azamuddeen Nasir for the contribution during the field data collection. Special thanks to Clarissa Ferrero for its contribution in the realization of the graphics.Peer reviewe

A systematic map of studies testing the relationship between temperature and animal reproduction

Funding: This work was funded by the European Society for Evolution (which funds a Special Topic Network on Evolutionary Ecology of Thermal Fertility Limits to CF, AB, RRS and TARP), the Natural Environment Research Council (NE/P002692/1 to TARP, AB and RRS, NE/X011550/1 to LRD and TARP), the Biotechnology and \Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/W016753/1 to AB, TARP and RRS) and a Heisenberg fellowship from the German Research Foundation (FR 2973/11-1 to CF).1. Exposure to extreme temperatures can negatively affect animal reproduction, by disrupting the ability of individuals to produce any offspring (fertility), or the number of offspring produced by fertile individuals (fecundity). This has important ecological consequences, because reproduction is the ultimate measure of population fitness: a reduction in reproductive output lowers the population growth rate and increases the extinction risk. Despite this importance, there have been no large‐scale summaries of the evidence for effect of temperature on reproduction. 2. We provide a systematic map of studies testing the relationship between temperature and animal reproduction. We systematically searched for published studies that statistically test for a direct link between temperature and animal reproduction, in terms of fertility, fecundity or indirect measures of reproductive potential (gamete and gonad traits). 3. Overall, we collated a large and rich evidence base, with 1654 papers that met our inclusion criteria, encompassing 1191 species. 4. The map revealed several important research gaps. Insects made up almost half of the dataset, but reptiles and amphibians were uncommon, as were non‐arthropod invertebrates. Fecundity was the most common reproductive trait examined, and relatively few studies measured fertility. It was uncommon for experimental studies to test exposure of different life stages, exposure to short‐term heat or cold shock, exposure to temperature fluctuations, or to independently assess male and female effects. Studies were most often published in journals focusing on entomology and pest control, ecology and evolution, aquaculture and fisheries science, and marine biology. Finally, while individuals were sampled from every continent, there was a strong sampling bias towards mid‐latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, such that the tropics and polar regions are less well sampled. 5. This map reveals a rich literature of studies testing the relationship between temperature and animal reproduction, but also uncovers substantial missing treatment of taxa, traits, and thermal regimes. This database will provide a valuable resource for future quantitative meta‐analyses, and direct future studies aiming to fill identified gaps.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Determining critical periods for thermal acclimatisation using a distributed lag non‐linear modelling approach

Publication status: PublishedAbstractRapid changes in thermal environments are threatening many species worldwide. Thermal acclimatisation may partially buffer species from the impacts of these changes, but currently, the knowledge about the temporal dynamics of acclimatisation remains limited. Moreover, acclimatisation phenotypes are typically determined in laboratory conditions that lack the variability and stochasticity that characterise the natural environment. Through a distributed lag non‐linear model (DLNM), we use field data to assess how the timing and magnitude of past thermal exposures influence thermal tolerance. We apply the model to two Scottish freshwater Ephemeroptera species living in natural thermal conditions. Model results provide evidence that rapid heat hardening effects are dramatic and reflect high rates of change in temperatures experienced over recent hours to days. In contrast, temperature change magnitude impacted acclimatisation over the course of weeks but had no impact on short‐term responses. Our results also indicate that individuals may de‐acclimatise their heat tolerance in response to cooler environments. Based on the novel insights provided by this powerful modelling approach, we recommend its wider uptake among thermal physiologists to facilitate more nuanced insights in natural contexts, with the additional benefit of providing evidence needed to improve the design of laboratory experiments.</jats:p

Retrospective evaluation of clinical outcomes in patients with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer progressing on trastuzumab-based therapy in the pre-lapatinib era

BACKGROUND: Patients with HER2-positive breast cancer whose disease has become resistant to the anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody trastuzumab can benefit from lapatinib, a dual epidermal growth factor receptor/HER2 tyrosine kinase (TK) inhibitor. Before the availability of this compound, trastuzumab was often continued beyond disease progression, usually in addition to further chemotherapy, an approach which was not based on randomized studies. We sought to retrospectively compare the clinical outcomes of patients who, upon progression during an initial trastuzumab-based regimen, stopped or continued trastuzumab in addition to further chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From the clinical records of 407 patients with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer, we identified 279 patients progressing during an initial trastuzumab-based treatment. Of these patients, 83 continued trastuzumab in addition to chemotherapy, and 112 received chemotherapy alone. RESULTS: We found no difference in response rate (28% vs. 30%; P = .5), median time to second tumor progression (8.4 months vs. 7 months; P = .24), or median postprogression survival (20.6 months and 15.4 months; P = .29) according to whether patients continued or stopped trastuzumab. At multivariate analysis, continuation of trastuzumab was associated with a statistically insignificant trend toward reduced risk of second progression (hazard ratio, 0.753; P = .08). CONCLUSION: Patients with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer developing tumor progression during an initial trastuzumab-based regimen did not seem to benefit significantly from the continuation of trastuzumab in addition to chemotherapy. For these patients, there is evidence from a large randomized trial that effective HER2 targeting can be accomplished by inhibiting the HER2 TK activity with lapat