Assessment of mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) presence along the St. Clair-Detroit River System using environmental DNA and occupancy modeling

The mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) is cryptic, fully aquatic salamander within the Great Lakes region. Once abundant throughout its range, evidence now suggests that there have been declines due to habitat loss and lampricide use. Information on the status of mudpuppies along the St. Clair-Detroit River System (SCDRS) is lacking, and since they are important bio-indicators, they could be a gauge for restoration success. Environmental DNA (eDNA) and occupancy modeling were used to determine best detection practices for this cryptic species. Mudpuppy eDNA was detected at all known mudpuppy sites with the addition of one site. Occupancy was highest at shoreline restoration sites, while reef restoration did not affect mudpuppy occupancy. Additionally, eDNA resulted in the highest detection probability. Restoration efforts have shown to be successful by increasing the occupancy of this indicator species; therefore, these efforts should be used as a template for other restoration practices

Healthy returns: Opportunities for market-based solutions to childhood obesity

Healthy Returns is a report looking at opportunities for market-based solutions to childhood obesity, focusing on the growing number of challenger brands and products and how they can address the unmet need for healthy, affordable food options for families on low incomes

Incidence and prevalence trends of youth-onset type 2 diabetes in a cohort of Canadian youth: 2002-2013.

OBJECTIVE: Youth-onset type 2 diabetes is an emerging disease. We estimated incidence and prevalence trends of youth-onset type 2 diabetes between 2002 and 2013 in the Canadian province of British Columbia. METHODS: This population-based cohort study used a validated diabetes case-finding definition and algorithm to differentiate type 2 from type 1 diabetes to identify youth <20 years with type 2 diabetes within linked population-based administrative data. Age-standardized incidence and prevalence were calculated. JoinPoint regression and double exponential smooth modeling were used. RESULTS: From 2002/2003 to 2012/2013, the incidence of youth-onset type 2 diabetes increased from 3.45 (95% confidence interval, CI: 2.43, 4.80) to 5.16 (95% CI: 3.86, 6.78)/100 000. The annual percent change (APC) in incidence was 3.74 (95% CI: 1.61, 5.92; P = 0.003) overall, while it was 5.94 (95% CI: 1.84, 10.20; P = 0.009) and 0.53 (95% CI: -5.04, 6.43; P = 0.837) in females and males, respectively. The prevalence increased from 0.009% (95% CI: 0.007, 0.011) in 2002/2003 to 0.021% (95% CI: 0.018, 0.024) in 2012/2013 with an APC of 7.89 (95% CI: 6.41, 9.40; P < 0.0001). In females, it increased from 0.012% (95% CI: 0.009, 0.015) to 0.027% (95% CI: 0.023, 0.032) and in males from 0.007% (95% CI: 0.005, 0.009) to 0.015% (95% CI: 0.012, 0.019). By 2030, we forecast a prevalence of 0.046% (95% CI: 0.043, 0.048). CONCLUSIONS: Youth-onset type 2 diabetes is increasing with higher rates in females vs males. If these rates continue, in 2030, the number of cases will increase by 5-fold. These data are needed to set priorities for diabetes prevention in youth

Twisted carotenoids do not support efficient intramolecular singlet fission in the orange carotenoid protein

Singlet exciton fission is the spin-allowed generation of two triplet electronic excited states from a singlet state. Intramolecular singlet fission has been suggested to occur on individual carotenoid molecules within protein complexes, provided the conjugated backbone is twisted out-of-plane. However, this hypothesis has only been forwarded in protein complexes containing multiple carotenoids and bacteriochlorophylls in close contact. To test the hypothesis on twisted carotenoids in a 'minimal' one-carotenoid system, we study the orange carotenoid protein (OCP). OCP exists in two forms: in its orange form (OCPo), the single bound carotenoid is twisted, whereas in its red form (OCPr), the carotenoid is planar. To enable room-temperature spectroscopy on canthaxanthin-binding OCPo and OCPr without laser-induced photoconversion, we trap them in trehalose glass. Using transient absorption spectroscopy, we show that there is no evidence of long-lived triplet generation through intramolecular singlet fission, despite the canthaxanthin twist in OCPo

Pragmatic randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of a multi-component intervention to reduce substance use and risk-taking behaviour in adolescents involved in the criminal justice system: A trial protocol (RISKIT-CJS)

Background: Adolescence is a critical developmental stage when young people make lifestyle choices that have the potential to impact on their current and future health and social wellbeing. The relationship between substance use and criminal activity is complex but there is clear evidence that the prevalence of problematic substance use is far higher among adolescent offenders than the general adolescent population. Adolescent offenders are a marginalized and vulnerable population who are significantly more likely to experience health and social inequalities in later life than their non-offending peers. There is a paucity of evidence on effective interventions to address substance use and risk-taking behaviours in adolescent offender populations but it is clear that preventative or abstinence orientated interventions are not effective. RISKIT-CJS is an intervention developed in collaboration with young people taking account of the current best evidence. Feasibility and pilot studies have found the intervention addresses the needs of adolescents, is acceptable and has demonstrated potential in reducing substance use and risk-taking behavior. Methods: The study is a mixed method, two-armed, prospective, pragmatic randomized controlled trial with individual randomisation to either treatment as usual alone or the RISKIT-CJS intervention in addition to treatment as usual. Adolescents, aged 13 to 17 years inclusive, engaged with the criminal justice system who are identified as having problematic substance use are eligible to participate. The study will be conducted across three geographical areas; South and South East England, London and North East England between March 2017 and February 2019. Discussion: The study represents an ambitious programme of work to address an area of need for a marginalized and vulnerable population

Floater interference reflects territory quality in the Spanish imperial eagle Aquila adalberti: a test of a density-dependent mechanism

We report on an 11–year study of floater interference in a population of Spanish Imperial Eagles Aquila adalberti. We analyzed changes over the years in the productivity of 15 territories to test predictions of two hypotheses of density-dependent productivity in relation to the presence of floaters (birds without territories). According to the ‘interference’ hypothesis, the frequency of intrusion by floaters increases with density, resulting in a decrease in productivity. Thus, in a high-density population a negative relationship between floater intrusions and productivity of the territory is expected. In contrast, under the ‘habitat heterogeneity’ hypothesis, as density increases a higher proportion of individuals is forced to occupy lower quality habitats. Support of this hypothesis requires that floaters detect differences in quality among territories and preferentially visit the better quality territories. Consequently, a positive relationship between floater intrusions and productivity is expected. Results showed that floaters tended to visit their natal area at the beginning of the breeding season. Among floater eagles, males made significantly more intrusions per day than did females, but females stayed in the natal population for longer each year than males. Floater intrusions and productivity were highly positively correlated, supporting the ‘habitat heterogeneity’ hypothesis; individuals were apparently able to assess the quality of a territory and, at the frequencies observed, their interference with the breeding pair had no obvious negative effect on productivity