A complex speciation-richness relationship in a simple neutral model

Speciation is the "elephant in the room" of community ecology. As the ultimate source of biodiversity, its integration in ecology's theoretical corpus is necessary to understand community assembly. Yet, speciation is often completely ignored or stripped of its spatial dimension. Recent approaches based on network theory have allowed ecologists to effectively model complex landscapes. In this study, we use this framework to model allopatric and parapatric speciation in networks of communities and focus on the relationship between speciation, richness, and the spatial structure of communities. We find a strong opposition between speciation and local richness, with speciation being more common in isolated communities and local richness being higher in more connected communities. Unlike previous models, we also find a transition to a positive relationship between speciation and local richness when dispersal is low and the number of communities is small. Also, we use several measures of centrality to characterize the effect of network structure on diversity. The degree, the simplest measure of centrality, is found to be the best predictor of local richness and speciation, although it loses some of its predictive power as connectivity grows. Our framework shows how a simple neutral model can be combined with network theory to reveal complex relationships between speciation, richness, and the spatial organization of populations.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, 50 reference

Transmission of Salmonella enteritidis after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography because of inadequate endoscope decontamination

We report a historic nosocomial outbreak of Salmonella enteritidis affecting 4 inpatients who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. The cause was attributed to inadequate decontamination of an on-loan endoscope used over a weekend. This report highlights the risks of using on-loan endoscopes, particularly regarding their commissioning and adherence to disinfection protocols. In an era of increasing antibiotic resistance, transmission of Enterobacteriaceae by endoscopes remains a significant concern

Community pharmacist clinical portal enabled access to aspects of patients' primary and secondary care EHR: exploring the general public's views in NHS Tayside.

Background and Objective: Community pharmacist access to aspects of patients' primary and secondary care electronic healthcare records (EHR) was piloted in NHS Tayside, Scotland. While policy makers and pharmacists are largely in favour of community pharmacist access, and there is an unmet service need based on GP workforce-workload evidence, the general public's perspectives of pharmacist EHR access had yet to be explored in Scotland. Objective: to determine the general public's perspectives of community pharmacist EHR access in NHS Tayside. Design: A survey methodology using paper-based questionnaires posted to a random sample of the general public in NHS Tayside (March-May 2017). Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics (IBM SPSS version_21_). The study was approved by university Ethical Review Committee. Results: Of 1000 surveys distributed, 205 returned, (27 undeliverable), providing a response rate of 21%. Although some were unsure (23%; n = 47/203), most indicated their community pharmacist would be better able to recognise problems with medicines/healthcare given access to patients' EHR (63%; n = 127/203), knew why each medicine was prescribed (74%; n = 150/203), and thought that a long-term condition would make access to patient records essential (73%; n = 148/203). Few respondents were against/were non-committal on community pharmacists having read or read-and-write access to EHR. For example, the Emergency Care Summary (ECS) (13%; n = 27/201) where, if access were permitted, respondents preferred that consent should not be required on each and every occasion: ECS (73%; n = 148/203). Many felt access to patients' EHR would mean the pharmacist was better informed so could provide better care (68%; n = 136/200) and that mistakes were less likely to happen (71%; n = 142/200). Conclusion: Findings from this survey recognised community pharmacists could contribute more to improving patient care and safety, as part of the wider healthcare team, if they were better informed through access to patients' EHR. Enabling treatment of common clinical conditions in community pharmacy brings benefits to patients while reducing pressure on GP appointments. While there remain areas of uncertainty, and this is a small albeit representative sample from one area in Scotland, this study demonstrates support for community pharmacist access to patients' EHR with a preference for a simplified consent process

Clinical Effectiveness of Weight Loss and Weight Maintenance Interventions for Men: A Systematic Review of Men-Only Randomized Controlled Trials (The ROMEO Project).

Men are underrepresented in obesity services, suggesting current weight loss service provision is suboptimal. This systematic review evaluated evidence-based strategies for treating obesity in men. Eight bibliographic databases and four clinical trials' registers were searched to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of weight loss interventions in men only, with mean/median body mass index of ≥30 kg/m(2) (or ≥28 kg/m(2) with cardiac risk factors), with a minimum mean/median duration of ≥52 weeks. Interventions included diet, physical activity, behavior change techniques, orlistat, or combinations of these; compared against each other, placebo, or a no intervention control group; in any setting. Twenty-one reports from 14 RCTs were identified. Reducing diets produced more favorable weight loss than physical activity alone (mean weight change after 1 year from a reducing diet compared with an exercise program -3.2 kg, 95% confidence interval -4.8 to -1.6 kg, reported p < .01). The most effective interventions combined reducing diets, exercise, and behavior change techniques (mean difference in weight at 1 year compared with no intervention was -4.9 kg, 95% confidence interval -5.9 to -4.0, reported p < .0001). Group interventions produced favorable weight loss results. The average reported participant retention rate was 78.2%, ranging from 44% to 100% retention, indicating that, once engaged, men remained committed to a weight loss intervention. Weight loss for men is best achieved and maintained with the combination of a reducing diet, increased physical activity, and behavior change techniques. Strategies to increase engagement of men with weight loss services to improve the reach of interventions are needed

Pretreatment with beta-blockers and the frequency of hypokalemia in patients with acute chest pain

Plasma potassium concentration was measured at admission in 1234 patients who presented with acute chest pain. One hundred and ninety five patients were on P blockers before admission. The potassium concentrations of patients admitted early (within four hours of onsetof symptoms) were compared with those admitted later (4-18 hours after onset of symptoms). There was a transient fall in plasma potassium concentrations in patients not pre-treated with , B blockers. This was not seen in patients who had been on P blockers before admission. Nonselective, B blockers were more effective than cardioselective agents in maintaining concentrationsof plasma potassium. These findings suggest a mechanism for the beneficial effects of ,B blockers on morbidity and mortality in acute myocardial infarction

Fully compressive tides in galaxy mergers

The disruptive effect of galactic tides is a textbook example of gravitational dynamics. However, depending on the shape of the potential, tides can also become fully compressive. When that is the case, they might trigger or strengthen the formation of galactic substructures (star clusters, tidal dwarf galaxies), instead of destroying them. We perform N-body simulations of interacting galaxies to quantify this effect. We demonstrate that tidal compression occurs repeatedly during a galaxy merger, independently of the specific choice of parameterization. With a model tailored to the Antennae galaxies, we show that the distribution of compressive tides matches the locations and timescales of observed substructures. After extending our study to a broad range of parameters, we conclude that neither the importance of the compressive tides (~15% of the stellar mass) nor their duration (~ 10 Myr) are strongly affected by changes in the progenitors' configurations and orbits. Moreover, we show that individual clumps of matter can enter compressive regions several times in the course of a simulation. We speculate that this may spawn multiple star formation episodes in some star clusters, through e.g., enhanced gas retention.Comment: 17 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions to freshwater cyanobacteria – human volunteer studies

BACKGROUND: Pruritic skin rashes associated with exposure to freshwater cyanobacteria are infrequently reported in the medical and scientific literature, mostly as anecdotal and case reports. Diagnostic dermatological investigations in humans are also infrequently described. We sought to conduct a pilot volunteer study to explore the potential for cyanobacteria to elicit hypersensitivity reactions. METHODS: A consecutive series of adult patients presenting for diagnostic skin patch testing at a hospital outpatient clinic were invited to participate. A convenience sample of volunteers matched for age and sex was also enrolled. Patches containing aqueous suspensions of various cyanobacteria at three concentrations were applied for 48 hours; dermatological assessment was made 48 hours and 96 hours after application. RESULTS: 20 outpatients and 19 reference subjects were recruited into the study. A single outpatient produced unequivocal reactions to several cyanobacteria suspensions; this subject was also the only one of the outpatient group with a diagnosis of atopic dermatitis. No subjects in the reference group developed clinically detectable skin reactions to cyanobacteria. CONCLUSION: This preliminary clinical study demonstrates that hypersensitivity reactions to cyanobacteria appear to be infrequent in both the general and dermatological outpatient populations. As cyanobacteria are widely distributed in aquatic environments, a better appreciation of risk factors, particularly with respect to allergic predisposition, may help to refine health advice given to people engaging in recreational activities where nuisance cyanobacteria are a problem

Ambient particulate pollution and the world-wide prevalence of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema in children: Phase One of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC)

Objectives: To investigate the effect of ambient particulate matter on variation in childhood prevalence of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema. Methods: Prevalences of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema obtained in Phase One of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) were matched with city-level estimates of residential PM10 obtained from a World Bank model. Associations were investigated using binomial regression adjusting for GNP per capita and for clustering within country. For countries with more than one centre, a two stage meta-analysis was carried out. The results were compared with a meta-analysis of published multi-centre studies. Results: Annual concentrations of PM₁₀ at city level were obtained for 105 ISAAC centres in 51 countries. After controlling for GNP per capita, there was a weak negative association between PM₁₀ and various outcomes. For severe wheeze in 13-14-year-olds, the OR for a 10 μg/m³ increase in PM₁₀ was 0.92 (95 CI 0.84 to 1.00). In 24 countries with more than one centre, most summary estimates for within-country associations were weakly positive. For severe wheeze in 13-14-year-olds, the summary OR for a 10 μg/m³ increase in PM₁₀ was 1.01 (0.92 to 1.10). This result was close to a summary OR of 0.99 (0.91 to 1.06) obtained from published multi-centre studies. Conclusions: Modelled estimates of particulate matter at city level are imprecise and incomplete estimates of personal exposure to ambient air pollutants. Nevertheless, our results together with those of previous multi-centre studies, suggest that urban background PM₁₀ has little or no association with the prevalence of childhood asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis or eczema either within or between countries

The Effect of Mass Ratio on the Morphology and Time-scales of Disc Galaxy Mergers

The majority of galaxy mergers are expected to be minor mergers. The observational signatures of minor mergers are not well understood, thus there exist few constraints on the minor merger rate. This paper seeks to address this gap in our understanding by determining if and when minor mergers exhibit disturbed morphologies and how they differ from the morphology of major mergers. We simulate a series of unequal-mass moderate gas-fraction disc galaxy mergers. With the resulting g-band images, we determine how the time-scale for identifying galaxy mergers via projected separation and quantitative morphology (the Gini coefficient G, asymmetry A, and the second-order moment of the brightest 20% of the light M20) depends on the merger mass ratio, relative orientations and orbital parameters. We find that G-M20 is as sensitive to 9:1 baryonic mass ratio mergers as 1:1 mergers, with observability time-scales ~ 0.2-0.4 Gyr. In contrast, asymmetry finds mergers with baryonic mass ratios between 4:1 and 1:1 (assuming local disc galaxy gas-fractions). Asymmetry time-scales for moderate gas-fraction major disc mergers are ~ 0.2-0.4 Gyr, and less than 0.06 Gyr for moderate gas-fraction minor mergers. The relative orientations and orbits have little effect on the time-scales for morphological disturbances. Observational studies of close pairs often select major mergers by choosing paired galaxies with similar luminosities and/or stellar masses. Therefore, the various ways of finding galaxy mergers (G-M20, A, close pairs) are sensitive to galaxy mergers of different mass ratios. By comparing the frequency of mergers selected by different techniques, one may place empirical constraints on the major and minor galaxy merger rates.Comment: 16 pages; resubmitted to MNRA

Artificial drainage of peatlands: hydrological and hydrochemical process and wetland restoration

Peatlands have been subject to artificial drainage for centuries. This drainage has been in response to agricultural demand, forestry, horticultural and energy properties of peat and alleviation of flood risk. However, the are several environmental problems associated with drainage of peatlands. This paper describes the nature of these problems and examines the evidence for changes in hydrological and hydrochemical processes associated with these changes. Traditional black-box water balance approaches demonstrate little about wetland dynamics and therefore the science of catchment response to peat drainage is poorly understood. It is crucial that a more process-based approach be adopted within peatland ecosystems. The environmental problems associated with peat drainage have led, in part, to a recent reversal in attitudes to peatlands and we have seen a move towards wetland restoration. However, a detailed understanding of hydrological, hydrochemical and ecological process-interactions will be fundamental if we are to adequately restore degraded peatlands, preserve those that are still intact and understand the impacts of such management actions at the catchment scale