A new sap beetle (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) to the United States with a revised key to the Camptodes Erichson occurring in America north of Mexico

A new beetle to the United States, Camptodes communis Erichson, is briefly described below. A diagnosis from the other Camptodes known to occur in the United States is provided. An updated key to the Camptodes of the United States is given

Environmental Impact Assessment Whatcom Waterway Aeration Stabilization Basin

The Port of Bellingham (POB) has a court order with the Washington State Department of Ecology to address several cleanup sites within the Bellingham Waterfront District. The Aeration Stabilization Basin (ASB) is included in the Whatcom Waterway cleanup site due to contaminated sediments within the basin. The POB has plans to remediate the sediments and transform the entire ASB into a marina, but since that original proposal, demand for more boat slips has decreased. The POB is exploring alternative uses for the ASB site and what the environmental impacts of those uses would be

Impact of interprofessional education on students of the health professions: a systematic review

Purpose Interprofessional education (IPE) is a concept that allows students from different health professions to learn with and from each other as they gain knowledge about their chosen professions and the professions of their colleagues. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the effectiveness of IPE in the academic preparation of students of the health professions. Methods A search was conducted of the PubMed and CINAHL databases using the following eligibility criteria: IPE including students from 3 or more healthcare professions, IPE exposure within academic coursework, measurement of attitudes and/or perceptions as outcomes, and quantitative reporting of results. Articles were screened by title, abstract, and full text, and data were extracted. Results The search yielded 870 total articles. After screening, 7 articles remained for review. All studies reported a positive impact of IPE on the education of students of the health professions. Conclusion Evidence showed that IPE activities were an effective tool for improving attitudes toward interdisciplinary teamwork, communication, shared problem-solving, and knowledge and skills in preparation for collaboration within interdisciplinary teams

SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load in Saliva Rises Gradually and to Moderate Levels in Some Humans

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in community settings often occurs before symptom onset, therefore testing strategies that can reliably detect people in the early phase of infection are urgently needed. Early detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection is especially critical to protect vulnerable populations who require frequent interactions with caretakers. Rapid COVID-19 tests have been proposed as an attractive strategy for surveillance, however a limitation of most rapid tests is their low sensitivity. Low-sensitivity tests are comparable to high sensitivity tests in detecting early infections when two assumptions are met: (1) viral load rises quickly (within hours) after infection and (2) viral load reaches and sustains high levels (>10⁵ - 10⁶ RNA copies/mL). However, there are no human data testing these assumptions. In this study, we document a case of presymptomatic household transmission from a healthy college student to his brother and father. Participants prospectively provided twice-daily saliva samples. Samples were analyzed by RT-qPCR and RT-ddPCR and we measured the complete viral load profiles throughout the course of infection of the brother and father. This study provides evidence that in at least some human cases of SARS-CoV-2, viral load rises slowly (over days, not hours) and not to such high levels to be detectable reliably by any low-sensitivity test. Additional viral load profiles from different samples types across a broad demographic must be obtained to describe the early phase of infection and determine which testing strategies will be most effective for identifying SARS-CoV-2 infection before transmission can occur

Multi-Nation WPT Demonstration Experiments

A project originating with Georgia Institute of Technology is described in which the International Space Station (ISS) serves as an experimental platform for the relay of energy from space to earth. The multi-nation test will feature the transmission of small amounts of solar-generated electric power from the ISS using millimeter waves, for the purposes of collecting atmospheric propagation data and testing technologies for power beaming, aiming, and reception. This initiative represents an early first-step towards installation of a global Space Solar Power Grid emphasizing international collaboration, synergy with the terrestrial energy industry and with retail power beaming markets. The technical paper on which this visualization is based is listed in References below. Advisors: Prof. N. Komerath, Prof. D. Flournoy, Kyle Perkins (Designer) Five-Nation - Broadband from Space Journal on Vimeo

ARFID Genes and Environment (ARFID-GEN): study protocol

Background: The Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder – Genes and Environment (ARFID-GEN) study is a study of genetic and environmental factors that contribute to risk for developing ARFID in children and adults. Methods: A total of 3,000 children and adults with ARFID from the United States will be included. Parents/guardians and their children with ARFID (ages 7 to 17) and adults with ARFID (ages 18 +) will complete comprehensive online consent, parent verification of child assent (when applicable), and phenotyping. Enrolled participants with ARFID will submit a saliva sample for genotyping. A genome-wide association study of ARFID will be conducted. Discussion: ARFID-GEN, a large-scale genetic study of ARFID, is designed to rapidly advance the study of the genetics of eating disorders. We will explicate the genetic architecture of ARFID relative to other eating disorders and to other psychiatric, neurodevelopmental, and metabolic disorders and traits. Our goal is for ARFID to deliver “actionable” findings that can be transformed into clinically meaningful insights. Trial registration: ARFID-GEN is a registered clinical trial: clinicaltrials.gov NCT05605067

ARFID Genes and Environment (ARFID-GEN): study protocol

Background The Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder – Genes and Environment (ARFID-GEN) study is a study of genetic and environmental factors that contribute to risk for developing ARFID in children and adults.MethodsA total of 3,000 children and adults with ARFID from the United States will be included. Parents/guardians and their children with ARFID (ages 7 to 17) and adults with ARFID (ages 18 +) will complete comprehensive online consent, parent verification of child assent (when applicable), and phenotyping. Enrolled participants with ARFID will submit a saliva sample for genotyping. A genome-wide association study of ARFID will be conducted. Discussion ARFID-GEN, a large-scale genetic study of ARFID, is designed to rapidly advance the study of the genetics of eating disorders. We will explicate the genetic architecture of ARFID relative to other eating disorders and to other psychiatric, neurodevelopmental, and metabolic disorders and traits. Our goal is for ARFID to deliver “actionable” findings that can be transformed into clinically meaningful insights. Trial registrationARFID-GEN is a registered clinical trial: clinicaltrials.gov NCT05605067

Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Adult Study Protocol: Rationale, Objectives, and Design

IMPORTANCE: SARS-CoV-2 infection can result in ongoing, relapsing, or new symptoms or other health effects after the acute phase of infection; termed post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), or long COVID. The characteristics, prevalence, trajectory and mechanisms of PASC are ill-defined. The objectives of the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Multi-site Observational Study of PASC in Adults (RECOVER-Adult) are to: (1) characterize PASC prevalence; (2) characterize the symptoms, organ dysfunction, natural history, and distinct phenotypes of PASC; (3) identify demographic, social and clinical risk factors for PASC onset and recovery; and (4) define the biological mechanisms underlying PASC pathogenesis. METHODS: RECOVER-Adult is a combined prospective/retrospective cohort currently planned to enroll 14,880 adults aged ≥18 years. Eligible participants either must meet WHO criteria for suspected, probable, or confirmed infection; or must have evidence of no prior infection. Recruitment occurs at 86 sites in 33 U.S. states, Washington, DC and Puerto Rico, via facility- and community-based outreach. Participants complete quarterly questionnaires about symptoms, social determinants, vaccination status, and interim SARS-CoV-2 infections. In addition, participants contribute biospecimens and undergo physical and laboratory examinations at approximately 0, 90 and 180 days from infection or negative test date, and yearly thereafter. Some participants undergo additional testing based on specific criteria or random sampling. Patient representatives provide input on all study processes. The primary study outcome is onset of PASC, measured by signs and symptoms. A paradigm for identifying PASC cases will be defined and updated using supervised and unsupervised learning approaches with cross-validation. Logistic regression and proportional hazards regression will be conducted to investigate associations between risk factors, onset, and resolution of PASC symptoms. DISCUSSION: RECOVER-Adult is the first national, prospective, longitudinal cohort of PASC among US adults. Results of this study are intended to inform public health, spur clinical trials, and expand treatment options

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

Incorporating rhizosphere microbiota from the native and non-native ranges into tests of post-naturalisation performance: New Zealand Trifolium as a model system

A critical goal in the study of plant invasions is to understand the traits and mechanisms that contribute to invader success. One of the most compelling hypotheses is the evolution of increased competitive ability (EICA), which posits that invasive plants escape co-evolved pathogens, pests and herbivores from their native range and adapt by down-regulating defences in favour of fitness, thus becoming superior competitors. However, after two decades of rigorous testing, support for all of EICA’s predictions remains equivocal. This lack of consensus may exist because most tests have centred on aboveground interactions, omitting the interactive effects of rhizosphere microbiota, which play pivotal roles in plant performance, fitness and competitive ability. Furthermore, EICA investigations have focused solely on antagonists, while post-naturalisation trade-offs that result in increased competitive ability can also arise when plants are dislocated from mutualists. In this thesis, I use Trifolium species as a model system and expand the EICA framework by growing plants from native (European) and non-native (New Zealand) provenances in rhizosphere soil cultivated in situ by conspecifics in each range. Using this biogeographical framework, I first compared the performance of plants from each provenance and analysed their association with root endophytes (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and nitrogen-fixing rhizobia). Second, I compared profiles of root flavonoids (which function in both defence and mutualisms) in plants from each provenance when grown in sterilised or unsterilised rhizosphere soil, allowing me to separate microbe-stimulated versus constitutive production. Lastly, I performed an intra-specific competition experiment to test whether non-native plants have developed superior competitive ability. For each investigation, I predicted that the magnitude of divergence between plants from native and non-native provenances would be positively correlated with the naturalisation success of each species, which for these New Zealand Trifolium species is not correlated with their naturalisation date. Non-native plants had lower rhizobia nodulation compared with native conspecifics, and this difference was significant in New Zealand and UK soils. AMF colonisation varied, but was significantly lower among non-natives in Spanish soil. Flavonoid richness was generally reduced among non-native plants—significantly in sterilised native-range soils (suggesting constitutive down-regulation), and in one of the native-range unsterilised soils (UK). However, there was no evidence for performance trade-offs; instead, non-native plants were significantly smaller than native conspecifics in all soils. Neither was there evidence of physiological compensation for decreased mutualist associations, nor increased competitive ability. Lastly, there were no correlations between the magnitude of trait divergence and species’ distributions in the non-native range. Thus, despite significant post-naturalisation differences in a number of traits that might suggest adaptation, these differences do not appear correlated with increased plant performance nor with the naturalisation success of Trifolium in New Zealand. This thesis contributes four important findings to our knowledge of post-naturalisation performance among invasive plants. First, phenotypic differences may be apparent between native and non-native conspecifics, but these differences do not necessarily equate to improved fitness. Second, mutualist availability and effectiveness may not necessarily be a substantial barrier to naturalisation—even among plants that host multiple highly beneficial symbionts in their native range or those that encounter parasitic mutualists in the introduced range. Third, the standard EICA metrics growth and competitive ability are not always the most relevant factors to indicate invasibility, as this study supports work showing decreased size may be equally common and successful invaders are not always better competitors. Fourth, this work revealed that measures of size are not an appropriate surrogate for measures of competitive ability—a valuable finding for future EICA experimental designs