Using the Capabilities-Opportunity-Motivation-Behavior (COM-B) System to Conceptualize the Legalization of Sunday Migratory Game Bird Hunting

Recent wildlife agency efforts aimed at hunter recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) are examples of behavior change interventions. Therefore, these R3 programs and policies should be strategically designed to meet hunters’ goals and motivations. We analyzed survey responses (n=808) from North Carolina resident migratory bird hunters regarding potential Sunday hunting legalization to serve as an illustrative case demonstrating how the capabilities-opportunity-motivation-behavior (COM-B) system can be used to conceptualize and more effectively test potential hunter behavior changes prompted by debated R3 strategies. Findings provide decision-makers and land managers with an understanding of the potential implications of migratory game bird Sunday hunting legalization, which offers insights into the types of interventions that may be most effective for increasing hunter participation

Texas Stakeholders’ Knowledge and Perceptions of Chronic Wasting Disease Risks: Implications for Wildlife Agency Communications

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurological disease impacting cervids. The disease can move swiftly through populations, making CWD management a priority for wildlife agencies across the United States. Stakeholder perceptions of CWD may shape behaviors that can negatively impact wildlife agencies. Thus, agencies need comprehensive assessments of stakeholder risk perceptions and enhanced understandings of how perceptions are formed to improve communications. Using a mail- and online-based questionnaire to collect data from September 2020 through January 2021, we surveyed 503 hunters throughout the state of Texas, USA, and 481 Texas landowners who owned property in CWD-affected counties to better understand risk perceptions, knowledge of CWD, and relationships between both elements. Furthermore, we compared risk perceptions across multiple host types and wildlife-related diseases. We documented frequent “don’t know” responses across perceptions and found a negative or no relationship between factual knowledge and risk perceptions, context dependent. As such, results suggest wildlife agencies should consider communications that emphasize actionable knowledge to better encourage preventive action

A Gendered Environmental Justice Perspective of Tiger Reintroductions to Sariska Tiger Reserve

The reintroduction of Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) to the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, India, has resulted in perceived increases of human-wildlife conflict for local villagers. Because previous evidence from other settings suggests that women may experience human-wildlife conflict differently than men, this research employed a comprehensive environmental justice framework to explore how women have been uniquely impacted by tiger reintroductions. Findings from focus group discussions with villagers suggest that women bear greater burdens from increased tiger presence, yet these costs are not typically acknowledged by men, and women do not feel that their perspectives were considered in the reintroduction process. Viewing human-tiger conflict through an environmental justice lens allows us to offer socially-oriented mitigation recommendations, such as empowering local women to engage in self- organized activism

Viewing Bornean Human–Elephant Conflicts Through an Environmental Justice Lens

Sabah, on the northeastern corner of Borneo, is concurrently Malaysia’s largest producer of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) and home to the endangered Bornean elephants (Elephas maximus borneensis; elephants). Concomitantly, Sabah has been experiencing increasing and unsustainable human–elephant conflicts (HECs), which have not been thoroughly investigated from a human dimensions standpoint. To address this void, in March 2019, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 37 villagers located in the Sabah districts of Lahad Datu, Tawau, and Telupid to investigate villager cognitions regarding elephants, behaviors toward elephants, the formal and informal village institutions employed to mediate HECs, and the future viability of human–elephant coexistence. Respondents highlighted emotions of fear, anger, and frustration over crop and property damage that villagers were unable to effectively mitigate employing traditional institutions and strategies. Although negative emotions were somewhat tempered by the cultural significance of elephants, respondents indicated that coexistence with elephants remains challenging and is likely only viable under certain conditions: domestication of elephants, if elephants no longer destroyed crops, and/or if elephants were provided separate forested habitat away from humans. Our results demonstrated that elephant conservation in Sabah is viewed as a “not in my backyard” claim, which can hint at the presence of environmental injustice. We further examined Sabah HECs using an environmental justice framework and concluded that HEC as an environmental justice problem requires traditional fixes to be merged with more extensive, sustainable solutions that improve stakeholder agency

Designing celebrity‐endorsed behavioral interventions in conservation

The use of celebrity endorsement in environmental conservation interventions aiming to influence human behavior has increased in recent decades. Although good practice in designing, implementing, and evaluating behavioral interventions is outlined in recent publications, guidance on developing conservation interventions with celebrity endorsement remains limited. To fill this gap, we devised a guide for decision‐making relating to celebrity‐endorsed behavioral interventions based on the behavioral, project design, and celebrity endorsement literatures. The guide advises conducting research to understand the behavior system in question; defining endorser selection models and celebrities based on the research; developing an endorsement strategy with the appropriate communication channels; testing the celebrity, channels, and strategy with the target audience and making adjustments as needed; and, finally, evaluating the intervention after implementation. We applied this strategy to a case study, the aim of which was to design a celebrity‐endorsed intervention to reduce consumption of wild meat in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Following our guide, we found that employing evidence‐based decision‐making substantially enhanced our ability to understand the complexity and potential cost associated with using celebrity endorsements in behavioral interventions

Metabolic markers of short and long-term exogenous DL-beta-hydroxybutyrate supplementation in episodic migraine patients: an exploratory analysis of a randomized-controlled-trial

Background: Emerging findings propose that the pathophysiology of migraine may be associated with dysfunctional metabolic mechanisms. Recent findings suggest that migraine attacks are a response to the cerebral energy deficit, and ingestion of ketone bodies stabilizes the generation of a migraine attack. Based on these findings, ketone body supplementation is postulated as a prophylactic treatment approach to restore cerebral metabolism deficiency. Metabolic markers are unexplored after exogenous ketone body supplementation in episodic migraineurs. Therefore, the present single-arm uncontrolled explorative analysis evaluated blood ketone body and glucose concentration after short and long-term 6 g exogenous DL-Mg-Ca-beta-hydroxybutyrate (DL-βHB) supplementation.Methods: The presented data are part of the MigraKet randomized-control cross-over clinical trial of 41 episodic migraineurs (Number NCT03132233). Patients were given a single dose of 6 g DL-βHB. Ketone body and glucose blood concentration were assessed before intake, 20, and 40 min after DL-βHB intake. Ketone body, glucose concentration and glycated hemoglobin values were evaluated after 12 weeks of 18 g DL-βHB ingestion (total dose), taken three times daily (6g/dose; 3x/day). Linear models explored the association between the ketone body and glucose levels.Results: Ketone body concentration increased within-group to a mean of 0.46 (0.30) mmol/L after 40 min post- DL-βHB supplementation [estimate = 0.24 mmol/L, CI = (0.20.0.27), p < 0.01]. This within-group increase of ketone body concentration did not change after repeated daily intake of DL-βHB supplementation over 12 weeks [estimate = 0.00 mmol/L, CI = (−0.03.0.04), p = 0.794]. DL-βHB intake significantly reduced blood glucose concentration within-group from a mean baseline of 4.91 (0.42) mmol/L to 4.75 (0.47) mmol/L 40 min post-DL-βHB supplementation [estimate = −0.16 mmol/L, CI = (−0.15, 0.03), p < 0.01]. Repeated DL-βHB supplementation for 12 weeks showed no change within-group in acute ketone bodies concentration [estimate = 0.00 mmol/L, CI = (−0.03.0.04), p = 0.794] and in the HbA1c value [estimate = 0.02, CI = (−0.07.0.11), p = 0.69].Conclusion: A single dose of 6 g DL-βHB significantly elevated blood ketone bodies and decreased blood glucose concentration within-group in episodic migraineurs. Long-term DL-βHB supplementation for 12 weeks showed no effect within-group on acute ketone body concentration and had not impact on HbA1c. The elevation of the ketone body concentration was moderate, indicating that nutritional ketosis was not reached. Therefore, a dose higher than 6 g of DL-βHB is required to reach the nutritional level of ketosis. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03132233

Frontotemporal dementia and its subtypes: a genome-wide association study

SummaryBackground Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a complex disorder characterised by a broad range of clinical manifestations, differential pathological signatures, and genetic variability. Mutations in three genes—MAPT, GRN, and C9orf72—have been associated with FTD. We sought to identify novel genetic risk loci associated with the disorder. Methods We did a two-stage genome-wide association study on clinical FTD, analysing samples from 3526 patients with {FTD} and 9402 healthy controls. To reduce genetic heterogeneity, all participants were of European ancestry. In the discovery phase (samples from 2154 patients with {FTD} and 4308 controls), we did separate association analyses for each {FTD} subtype (behavioural variant FTD, semantic dementia, progressive non-fluent aphasia, and {FTD} overlapping with motor neuron disease FTD-MND), followed by a meta-analysis of the entire dataset. We carried forward replication of the novel suggestive loci in an independent sample series (samples from 1372 patients and 5094 controls) and then did joint phase and brain expression and methylation quantitative trait loci analyses for the associated (p<5 × 10−8) single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Findings We identified novel associations exceeding the genome-wide significance threshold (p<5 × 10−8). Combined (joint) analyses of discovery and replication phases showed genome-wide significant association at 6p21.3, \{HLA\} locus (immune system), for rs9268877 (p=1·05 × 10−8; odds ratio=1·204 95% \{CI\} 1·11–1·30), rs9268856 (p=5·51 × 10−9; 0·809 0·76–0·86) and rs1980493 (p value=1·57 × 10−8, 0·775 0·69–0·86) in the entire cohort. We also identified a potential novel locus at 11q14, encompassing RAB38/CTSC (the transcripts of which are related to lysosomal biology), for the behavioural \{FTD\} subtype for which joint analyses showed suggestive association for rs302668 (p=2·44 × 10−7; 0·814 0·71–0·92). Analysis of expression and methylation quantitative trait loci data suggested that these loci might affect expression and methylation in cis. Interpretation Our findings suggest that immune system processes (link to 6p21.3) and possibly lysosomal and autophagy pathways (link to 11q14) are potentially involved in FTD. Our findings need to be replicated to better define the association of the newly identified loci with disease and to shed light on the pathomechanisms contributing to FTD. Funding The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and National Institute on Aging, the Wellcome/MRC Centre on Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's Research UK, and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Ancient Plasmodium genomes shed light on the history of human malaria

Malaria-causing protozoa of the genus Plasmodium have exerted one of the strongest selective pressures on the human genome, and resistance alleles provide biomolecular footprints that outline the historical reach of these species1. Nevertheless, debate persists over when and how malaria parasites emerged as human pathogens and spread around the globe1,2. To address these questions, we generated high-coverage ancient mitochondrial and nuclear genome-wide data from P. falciparum, P. vivax and P. malariae from 16 countries spanning around 5,500 years of human history. We identified P. vivax and P. falciparum across geographically disparate regions of Eurasia from as early as the fourth and first millennia bce, respectively; for P. vivax, this evidence pre-dates textual references by several millennia3. Genomic analysis supports distinct disease histories for P. falciparum and P. vivax in the Americas: similarities between now-eliminated European and peri-contact South American strains indicate that European colonizers were the source of American P. vivax, whereas the trans-Atlantic slave trade probably introduced P. falciparum into the Americas. Our data underscore the role of cross-cultural contacts in the dissemination of malaria, laying the biomolecular foundation for future palaeo-epidemiological research into the impact of Plasmodium parasites on human history. Finally, our unexpected discovery of P. falciparum in the high-altitude Himalayas provides a rare case study in which individual mobility can be inferred from infection status, adding to our knowledge of cross-cultural connectivity in the region nearly three millennia ago.This project was funded by the National Science Foundation, grants BCS-2141896 and BCS-1528698; the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme, grants 851511-MICROSCOPE (to S. Schiffels), 771234-PALEoRIDER (to W.H.) and starting grant 805268-CoDisEASe (to K.I.B.); and the ERC starting grant Waves ERC758967 (supporting K. Nägele and S.C.). We thank the Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean for supporting M. Michel, E. Skourtanioti, A.M., R.A.B., L.C.B., G.U.N., N.S., V.V.-M., M. McCormick, P.W.S., C.W. and J.K.; the Kone Foundation for supporting E.K.G. and A.S.; and the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Helsinki for grants to E.K.G. A.S. thanks the Magnus Ehrnrooth Foundation, the Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Academy of Finland, the Life and Health Medical Foundation and the Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters. M.C.B. acknowledges funding from: research project PID2020-116196GB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033; the Spanish Ministry of Culture; the Chiang Ching Kuo Foundation; Fundación Palarq; the EU FP7 Marie Curie Zukunftskolleg Incoming Fellowship Programme, University of Konstanz (grant 291784); STAR2-Santander Universidades and Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports; and CEI 2015 project Cantabria Campus Internacional. M.E. received support from the Czech Academy of Sciences award Praemium Academiae and project RVO 67985912 of the Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague. This work has been funded within project PID2020-115956GB-I00 ‘Origen y conformación del Bronce Valenciano’, granted by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Government of Spain, and grants from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (MZI187236), Research Nova Scotia (RNS 2023-2565) and The Center for Health Research in Developing Countries. D.K. is the Canada research chair in translational vaccinology and inflammation. R.L.K. acknowledges support from a 2019 University of Otago research grant (Human health and adaptation along Silk Roads, a bioarchaeological investigation of a medieval Uzbek cemetery). P.O. thanks the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Academy of Finland. S. Peltola received support from the Emil Aaltonen Foundation and the Ella and Georg Ehrnrooth Foundation. D.C.S.-G. thanks the Generalitat Valenciana (CIDEGENT/2019/061). E.W.K. acknowledges support from the DEEPDEAD project, HERA-UP, CRP (15.055) and the Horizon 2020 programme (grant 649307). M. Spyrou thanks the Elite program for postdocs of the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung. Open access funding provided by Max Planck Society

Exploring Cosmic Origins with CORE: Cosmological Parameters

We forecast the main cosmological parameter constraints achievable with theCORE space mission which is dedicated to mapping the polarisation of the CosmicMicrowave Background (CMB). CORE was recently submitted in response to ESA'sfifth call for medium-sized mission proposals (M5). Here we report the resultsfrom our pre-submission study of the impact of various instrumental options, inparticular the telescope size and sensitivity level, and review the great,transformative potential of the mission as proposed. Specifically, we assessthe impact on a broad range of fundamental parameters of our Universe as afunction of the expected CMB characteristics, with other papers in the seriesfocusing on controlling astrophysical and instrumental residual systematics. Inthis paper, we assume that only a few central CORE frequency channels areusable for our purpose, all others being devoted to the cleaning ofastrophysical contaminants. On the theoretical side, we assume LCDM as ourgeneral framework and quantify the improvement provided by CORE over thecurrent constraints from the Planck 2015 release. We also study the jointsensitivity of CORE and of future Baryon Acoustic Oscillation and Large ScaleStructure experiments like DESI and Euclid. Specific constraints on the physicsof inflation are presented in another paper of the series. In addition to thesix parameters of the base LCDM, which describe the matter content of aspatially flat universe with adiabatic and scalar primordial fluctuations frominflation, we derive the precision achievable on parameters like thosedescribing curvature, neutrino physics, extra light relics, primordial heliumabundance, dark matter annihilation, recombination physics, variation offundamental constants, dark energy, modified gravity, reionization and cosmicbirefringence. (ABRIDGED