Basic Research Tools for Earthworm Ecology

Earthworms are responsible for soil development, recycling organic matter and form a vital component within many food webs. For these and other reasons earthworms are worthy of investigation. Many technologically-enhanced approaches have been used within earthworm-focused research. These have their place, may be a development of existing practices or bring techniques from other fields. Nevertheless, let us not overlook the fact that much can still be learned through utilisation of more basic approaches which have been used for some time. New does not always equate to better. Information on community composition within an area and specific population densities can be learned using simple collection techniques, and burrowing behaviour can be determined from pits, resin-insertion or simple mesocosms. Life history studies can be achieved through maintenance of relatively simple cultures. Behavioural observations can be undertaken by direct observation or with low cost webcam usage. Applied aspects of earthworm research can also be achieved through use of simple techniques to enhance population development and even population dynamics can be directly addressed with use of relatively inexpensive, effective marking techniques. This paper seeks to demonstrate that good quality research in this sphere can result from appropriate application of relatively simple research tools

Diabetes News / Recent Literature Review / Forth Quarter 2019

Association of Metabolic Surgery With Major Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity   In this observational retrospective study, 2287 patients with obesity (BMI≥30 ) and type 2 diabetes who underwent metabolic surgery within the Cleveland Clinic Health System, were matched 1:5 to nonsurgical patients with diabetes and obesity. The primary end point was the incident of extended major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE, composite of 6 outcomes), defined a first all-cause mortality, coronary artery events, cerebrovascular events, heart failure, nephropathy and atrial fibrillation. Secondary outcome included 3-component MACE (myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke and mortality). The median follow-up duration was 3.9 years. At the end of the study period, 385 (30.8%) patients in the surgical group and 3243 (44.7%) patients in the nonsurgical group experienced a primary end point (hazard ratio, HR 0.61, 95% CI, 0.55 – 0.69). All secondary putcomes showed significantly differences in favor of metabolic surgery. All-cause mortality occurred in 112 patients in the metabolic surgery group and 1111 patients in the nonsurgical group (HR = 0.59, 95%CI, 0.48- 0.72). Metabolic surgery was also associated with a significant reduction of HbA1c (mean difference between groups1.1%), and use of noninsulin diabetes medication, insulin antihypertensive medications and lipid0lower therapies. In the 90 days after metabolic surgery, complications included bleeding requiring transfusion (n=68, 3.0 %), pulmonary adverse events (n=58, 2.5%), venous thromboembolism (n=4, 0.2%), cardiac events (n=17, 0.7%), and renal failure requiring dialysis (n=4, 0.2%) (Aminlan A et al, JAMA 2019;322:1271-1282)

Achievement emotions at school: their importance and measurement via experience sampling

openActivities, experiences, and interactions in the school environment can have an immediate effect on students’ performance and their well-being. In this essay, I will discuss the emotions occurring in the school context; the importance of their proper regulation and control; the most novel and prominent way of measuring them; their predictive value; and their effect on students’ performance. Firstly, I will refer to the several types of emotions in an academic environment and further focus on the significance of achievement emotions. Next, I will introduce and explain the control-value theory of achievement emotions, which helps to understand the motivational antecedents of emotions and their predictive value. Finally, I will discuss the more usual method for measuring emotions at school by means of self-reports and the more novel method of experience sampling.Activities, experiences, and interactions in the school environment can have an immediate effect on students’ performance and their well-being. In this essay, I will discuss the emotions occurring in the school context; the importance of their proper regulation and control; the most novel and prominent way of measuring them; their predictive value; and their effect on students’ performance. Firstly, I will refer to the several types of emotions in an academic environment and further focus on the significance of achievement emotions. Next, I will introduce and explain the control-value theory of achievement emotions, which helps to understand the motivational antecedents of emotions and their predictive value. Finally, I will discuss the more usual method for measuring emotions at school by means of self-reports and the more novel method of experience sampling

The early development of the thought of Christos Yannaras

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The global EPTO database: Worldwide occurrences of aquatic insects

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPQ) Fundacao de Apoio a Pesquisa do Distrito Federal (FAPDF)Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas (FAPEAM)BIODIVERSA/FAPEAMConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPQ)Bundesministerium fuer Bildung und ForschungCoordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)FAPEAM-Program POSGRADFundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG)INPA/MCTI 465540/2014-7Leibniz Competition 0621187/2017Leibniz-Gemeinschaft R20F0002Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPQ)Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazpnia, unidade de~pesquisa Ministerio da Ciencia, Tecnologia e Inovacoes (INPA/MCTI) 403758/2021-1Programa Peixe Vivo of the Companhia Energetica de Minas Gerais 033W034ARoyal Society of New ZealandTertiary Education CommissionFundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)Foundation for Science and TechnologyAssociate LaboratoryARNET J45/2018CEE

Diabetes News/Recent Literature Review/ First Quarter 2018

Metformin Treatment in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease Stages 3A, 3B, or 4 The safety of metformin was examined in moderate and severe chronic kidney disease (CKD)( stages 3A/3B and 4, eGFR 59-45, 44-30, and <15 mL/min/1.72 m2 , respectively). Three metformin doses were examined: 1,500mg (0.5 g in the morning [qam]+ 1g in the evening [qpm]) in CKD3A, 1,000 mg (0.5g qam + o.5 g qpm ) in CKD3B, and 500 mg (qam) in CKD 4. After 4 months on these regimens, patients displayed stable metformin concentrations that never exceeded the safe upper limit of 5.0 mg/L. Hyperlactatemia was absent, and HbA1c levels did not change.  The study provided solid basis for the continuing metformin treatment in patients with moderate or severe CKD, supporting the recent guidelines on metformin treatment, providing that the dose is adjusted to the eGFR (Lalau JD et al,  Diabetes Care 2018;43:547-553)

Religious Identity and Interreligious Communications: Predicting In-Group and Outgroup Bias with Topic-Sentiment Analysis

Intergroup relations and the factors affecting them constitute a subject of recurring interest within the academic community. Social identity theory suggests that group membership and the value we assign to it drives the expression of in-group favoritism and outgroup prejudice, among other intergroup phenomena. The present study examines how (ir)religious identities are related to topic-sentiment polarization in the form of positive in-group and negative outgroup bias during interreligious debates in YouTube commentaries. Drawing from the propositions of social identity theory, six hypotheses were tested. The data for the study, a product of a natural experiment, are comments posted on YouTube commentary sections featuring videos of interreligious debates between (a) Christian and atheist or (b) Christian and Muslim speakers. Using topic-sentiment analysis, a multistage method of topic modeling with latent semantic analysis (LSA) and sentiment analysis, 52,607 comments, for the Christian - atheist debates, and 24,179 comments, for the Christian - Muslim debates, were analyzed. The results offer support (or partial support) to the hypotheses demonstrating identity-specific instances of topic-sentiment polarization to the predicted direction. The study offers valuable insights for the relevance of social identity theory in real-world interreligious interactions, while the successful application of topic-sentiment analysis lends support for the more systematic utilization of this method in the context of social identity theory

The effect of short-term temperature exposure on vital physiological processes of mixoplankton and protozooplankton

Sudden environmental changes like marine heatwaves will become more intense and frequent in the future. Understanding the physiological responses of mixoplankton and protozooplankton, key members of marine food webs, to temperature is crucial. Here, we studied two dinoflagellates (one protozoo- and one mixoplanktonic), two ciliates (one protozoo- and one mixoplanktonic), and two cryptophytes. We report the acute (24 h) responses on growth and grazing to a range of temperatures (5–34 °C). We also determined respiration and photosynthetic rates for the four grazers within 6 °C of warming. The thermal performance curves showed that, in general, ciliates have higher optimal temperatures than dinoflagellates and that protozooplankton is better adapted to warming than mixoplankton. Our results confirmed that warmer temperatures decrease the cellular volumes of all species. Q10 coefficients suggest that grazing is the rate that increases the most in response to temperature in protozooplankton. Yet, in mixoplankton, grazing decreased in warmer temperatures, whereas photosynthesis increased. Therefore, we suggest that the Metabolic Theory of Ecology should reassess mixoplankton's position for the correct parameterisation of future climate change models. Future studies should also address the multigenerational response to temperature changes, to confirm whether mixoplankton become more phototrophic than phagotrophic in a warming scenario after adaptation

Interactions of juvenile Lumbricus terrestris with adults and their burrow systems in a two-dimensional microcosm

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as interações de juvenis de Lumbricus terrestris com indivíduos adultos e com sistemas de galerias herdados. O experimento foi realizado usando microcosmos bidimensionais de Evans como unidades experimentais. Adultos de L. terrestris foram colocados em 16 unidades experimentais (um indivíduo por unidade) e mantidos no escuro a 17ºC juntamente com oito unidades experimentais inabitadas, por dois meses. Os adultos foram removidos de oito unidades selecionadas aleatoriamente e juvenis foram adicionados a todas as unidades experimentais (um indivíduo por unidade), em três tratamentos, com oito repetições: 1, com um adulto em um sistema de galerias herdado (ABJ); 2, sozinho em um sistema de galerias herdado (BJ); e 3, sozinho em uma unidade experimental inabitada (J). A proporção de juvenis observados ocupando as galerias feitas pelos adultos foi significativamente diferente nos tratamentos ABJ (48%) e BJ (75%). A biomassa média dos juvenis ao final do experimento diferiu significativamente entre os tratamentos e foi maior no tratamento J (4.04±0.39 g) em comparação com os tratamentos BJ (3.09±0.93 g) e ABJ (2.13±0.64 g). Os resultados sugerem uma influência negativa tanto da presença de um adulto quanto do seu sistema de galerias no crescimento dos juvenis. A competição intraespecífica explica parcialmente este fenômeno, porém novas investigações devem ser feitas para examinar como um ambiente herdado (galerias) pode afetar negativamente o crescimento de juvenis.The objective of this work was to evaluate interactions of Lumbricus terrestris juveniles with adults and with inherited burrow systems. An experiment was set up using a two dimensional Evans' boxes microcosm. Adult L. terrestris were added to 16 boxes (one individual per box) and kept in darkness at 17°C along with eight unoccupied boxes for two months. The adult L. terrestris were removed from eight randomly selected boxes, and L. terrestris juveniles were added (one juvenile per box), composing three treatments with eight replicates: 1, with an adult in an inherited burrow (ABJ); 2, alone in an inherited burrow (BJ); and 3, alone in a previously uninhabited box (J). The proportion of juveniles occupying adult burrows observed was significantly different in treatments ABJ (48%) and BJ (75%). The mean mass of juveniles at experimental termination differed significantly among treatments and was greater in treatment J (4.04±0.39 g) in comparison to the BJ (3.09±0.93 g) and ABJ treatments (2.13±0.64 g). Results suggest a negative influence of both the presence of an adult and its burrow system on juvenile growth. Intraspecific competition partially explained this, but further investigation is required to examine how an inherited environment (i.e. burrow) could negatively affect the growth of juveniles

Incongruent latitudinal patterns of taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity reveal different drivers of caddisfly community assembly across spatial scales

Aim: Community assembly processes are difficult to observe in nature but can be inferred from species diversity patterns. However, taxonomic patterns may be consistent with multiple explanations, such as habitat filtering or biogeographical processes, which can also act differently across spatial scales. Here, we assessed multiple facets of diversity to determine the relative contributions of local versus regional processes and historical versus contemporary factors in establishing macroecological patterns. Location: From the Mediterranean peninsulas to northern Scandinavia. Time period: Species occurrence data gathered since c. 1980. Major organism group studied: Trichoptera (Insecta). Methods: Based on an extensive functional space and a phylogenetic tree including 197 and 509 species, respectively, and the composition of 180 communities, we assessed the distribution of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity within 18 ecoregions (local α- and β-diversity) and among those ecoregions (regional γ- and β-diversity). Results: Local estimates of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic α- and β-diversity were similar across Europe, which reveals that all streams have similar carrying capacity even though the local abiotic factors involved are likely different among ecoregions. In contrast, regional taxonomic and phylogenetic diversities decreased as latitude increased, whereas functional richness and functional dispersion displayed unimodal relationships. The position of species on the functional space was not conserved, while northern species pools were found to be phylogenetically clustered and southern ones overdispersed. The nestedness component mainly contributed to the taxonomic and phylogenetic β-diversity among northern communities, whereas in southern latitudes the turnover was dominant. Main conclusions: Decoupled latitudinal patterns of taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity reveal the importance of regional environmental filtering over local factors in limiting species range and shaping the regional species pool. The biogeographical signature is still present; the northern recolonizations following the Pleistocene glaciations originated exclusively from central regions, instead of Mediterranean refugia, as was previously accepted