Do the more flexible individuals rely more on causal cognition? Observation versus intervention in causal inference in great-tailed grackles

Behavioral flexibility, the ability to change behavior when circumstances change based on learning from previous experience, is thought to play an important role in a species’ ability to successfully adapt to new environments and expand its geographic range. However, it is possible that causal cognition, the ability to understand relationships beyond their statistical covariations, could play a significant role in rapid range expansions by allowing one to learn faster by making better predictions about outcomes and by exerting more control over events. We aim to determine whether great-tailed grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus), a species that is rapidly expanding its geographic range, use causal inference and whether this ability relates to their behavioral flexibility (flexibility measured in these individuals by Logan et al. 2019: reversal learning of a color discrimination and solution switching on a puzzle box). We found that grackles showed no evidence of making causal inferences when given the opportunity to intervene on observed events using a touchscreen apparatus, and that performance on the causal cognition task did not correlate with behavioral flexibility measures. This could indicate that causal cognition is not implicated as a key factor involved in a rapid geographic range expansion, though we suggest further exploration of this hypothesis using larger sample sizes and multiple test paradigms before considering this a robust conclusion

Are the more flexible great-tailed grackles also better at behavioral inhibition? (In principle acceptance by PCI Ecology of the version on 6 Mar 2019)

Behavioral flexibility should theoretically be positively related to behavioral inhibition (hereafter referred to as inhibition) because one should need to inhibit a previously learned behavior to change their behavior when the task changes (the flexibility component;). However, several investigations show no or mixed support of this hypothesis, which challenges the assumption that inhibition is involved in making flexible decisions. We aimed to test the hypothesis that behavioral flexibility (measured as reversal learning and solution switching on a multi-access box by Logan et al. 2019) is associated with inhibition by measuring both variables in the same individuals and three inhibition tests (a go/no go task on a touchscreen, a detour task, and a delay of gratification experiment). We set out to measure grackle inhibition to determine whether those individuals that are more flexible are also better at inhibition. Because touchscreen experiments had never been conducted in this species, we additionally validated that a touchscreen setup is functional for wild-caught grackles who learned to use the touchscreen and completed the go/no go inhibition task on it. Results showed that only performance on the go/no go inhibition task correlated with the two flexibility measures: positively with the number of trials to reverse a preference in the reversal learning experiment, and negatively with the average latency to attempt a new option on the multi-access box. That is, individuals who were faster to update their behavior in the reversal experiment were also faster to reach criterion in the go/no go task, but took more time to attempt a new option in the multi-access box experiment. Performance on the detour inhibition task did not correlate with either measure of flexibility, suggesting that detour performance and the flexibility experiments may measure separate traits. We were not able to run the delay of gratification experiment because the grackles never habituated to the apparatuses. Performance on the go/no go and detour inhibition tests did not correlate with each other, indicating that they did not measure the same trait. We conclude that behavioral flexibility is associated with certain types of inhibition, but not others, in great-tailed grackles

New Instrument for Oral Hygiene of Children with Cleft Lip and Palate

Patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP) have several oral alterations that make the removal of bacterial plaque in the cleft area difficult, which is the main cause of the high incidence of oral health problems. The aim of this study is to develop a toothbrush especially designed to perform the hygiene of the cleft area. This device, called Cleft Toothbrush, is an add-on to a conventional toothbrush to clean hard-to-reach areas that are not accessible by using conventional brush shapes. The design was made in SOLIDWORKS®(Waltham, MA, USA) 3D and a sample of this device was produced by CURAPROX (Kriens, Switzerland). The efficacy of the Cleft Toothbrush was tested in a preliminary study performed in a four years old child with CLP, compared to that of a conventional toothbrush. A significantly higher reduction of the bacterial plaque was achieved with the Cleft Toothbrush. The child’s parents also felt more confident with this device, as it deals better with sensitive areas, as it did not hurt the child. This innovative toothbrush adapter appears to greatly improve the cleaning areas of high bacterial plaque retention in patients with CLP, together with excellent acceptance.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Environmental DNA reveals links between abundance and composition of airborne grass pollen and respiratory health

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordData and Code Availability Statement: Data collected using qPCR is archived and on NERC EIDC [https://doi.org/10.5285/28208be4-0163-45e6-912c-2db205126925]. Standard pollen monitoring ‘count’ data were sourced from the MEDMI database, with the exception of data from Bangor which were produced as part of the present study and are available on request. Prescribing datasets are publicly available, as are weather, air pollution, deprivation (IMD) and rural-urban category data. Hospital episode statistics (HES) datasets are sensitive, individual-level health data, which are subject to strict privacy regulations and are not publicly available. The study did not generate any unique codeGrass (Poaceae) pollen is the most important outdoor aeroallergen, exacerbating a range of respiratory conditions, including allergic asthma and rhinitis (‘hay fever’). Understanding the relationships between respiratory diseases and airborne grass pollen with view to improving forecasting has broad public health and socioeconomic relevance. It is estimated that there are over 400 million people with allergic rhinitis and over 300 million with asthma, globally, often comorbidly . In the UK, allergic asthma has an annual cost of around US$ 2.8 billion (2017). The relative contributions of the >11,000 (worldwide) grass species to respiratory health have been unresolved, as grass pollen cannot be readily discriminated using standard microscopy. Instead, here we used novel environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling and quantitative PCR (qPCR) , to measure the relative abundances of airborne pollen from common grass species, during two grass pollen seasons (2016 and 2017), across the UK. We quantitatively demonstrate discrete spatiotemporal patterns in airborne grass pollen assemblages. Using a series of generalised additive models (GAMs), we explore the relationship between the incidences of airborne pollen and severe asthma exacerbations (sub-weekly) and prescribing rates of drugs for respiratory allergies (monthly). Our results indicate that a subset of grass species may have disproportionate influence on these population-scale respiratory health responses during peak grass pollen concentrations. The work demonstrates the need for sensitive and detailed biomonitoring of harmful aeroallergens in order to investigate and mitigate their impacts on human health.Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)Public Health EnglandUniversity of ExeterUniversity College LondonMet Offic

Generation Times in Wild Chimpanzees and Gorillas Suggest Earlier Divergence Times in Great Ape and Human Evolution

Fossils and molecular data are two independent sources of information that should in principle provide consistent inferences of when evolutionary lineages diverged. Here we use an alternative approach to genetic inference of species split times in recent human and ape evolution that is independent of the fossil record. We first use genetic parentage information on a large number of wild chimpanzees and mountain gorillas to directly infer their average generation times. We then compare these generation time estimates with those of humans and apply recent estimates of the human mutation rate per generation to derive estimates of split times of great apes and humans that are independent of fossil calibration. We date the human–chimpanzee split to at least 7–8 million years and the population split between Neanderthals and modern humans to 400,000–800,000 y ago. This suggests that molecular divergence dates may not be in conflict with the attribution of 6- to 7-million-y-old fossils to the human lineage and 400,000-y-old fossils to the Neanderthal lineage.Human Evolutionary Biolog

Historical anthropogenic disturbances explain long-term moorland vegetation dynamics

Upland moorlands are important landscapes, but many are considered degraded as a result of human activities. Consequently, their protection and restoration are of substantial concern. In Europe, restoration activities are often aimed at reversing the effects of 19th and 20th century “agricultural improvements,” which often involved major drainage schemes. However, the ecological effects and long-term ecological context of “agricultural improvement” are not yet fully understood. To develop this understanding, we analyze paleoecological data (pollen, coprophilous fungal spores, microcharcoal) from five upland peatland sites using a range of analytical approaches: cluster analysis, principal component analysis, rate-of-change analysis, and regression analyses incorporating documentary historical data. The sites are located on Exmoor (South West England, UK), a landscape that typifies historic upland degradation. We demonstrate that in this landscape, 19th century drainage is associated with declines in Sphagnum and non-arboreal taxon richness; over longer timescales burning is associated with enhanced graminoid monocot abundance and grazing with lower taxon richness. We also show that rate-of-change in moorland vegetation communities during the 19th century is not distinctive in a long-term context: change has been a constant in this landscape, rather than an exception during the 19th century. Our findings indicate that the aims of “restoration” interventions intended to increase Sphagnum abundances, increase taxon richness and reduce graminoid dominance are consistent with the long-term dynamics of peatland systems, such as those on Exmoor. “Restoration” deemed successful in these terms may or may not resemble pre-drainage conditions, which were themselves a function of millennia of successive moorland management regimes

Predicting the severity of the grass pollen season and the effect of climate change in Northwest Europe

Allergic rhinitis is an inflammation in the nose caused by overreaction of the immune system to allergens in the air. Managing allergic rhinitis symptoms is challenging and requires timely intervention. The following are major questions often posed by those with allergic rhinitis: How should I prepare for the forthcoming season? How will the season's severity develop over the years? No country yet provides clear guidance addressing these questions. We propose two previously unexplored approaches for forecasting the severity of the grass pollen season on the basis of statistical and mechanistic models. The results suggest annual severity is largely governed by preseasonal meteorological conditions. The mechanistic model suggests climate change will increase the season severity by up to 60%, in line with experimental chamber studies. These models can be used as forecasting tools for advising individuals with hay fever and health care professionals how to prepare for the grass pollen season

Exposure to green-blue spaces and mental health: a retrospective e-cohort study in Wales

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR