bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genetically independent phenotype analysis identifies LPA and VCAM1 as drug targets for human ageing
Authors: Timmers Paul R. H. J. , Tiys Evgeny S. , Sakaue Saori , Akiyama Masato , Kiiskinen Tuomo T. J. , Zhou Wei , Hwang Shih-Jen , Yao Chen ,   The Biobank Japan Project,   FinnGen Study, Deelen Joris , Levy Daniel , Ganna Andrea , Kamatani Yoichiro , Okada Yukinori , Joshi Peter K. , Wilson James F. , Tsepilov Yakov A.
Published: January 2021

The length and quality of life is important to us all, yet identification of promising drug targets for human ageing using genetics has had limited success. Here, we combine six large European-ancestry genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of human ageing traits—healthspan, father and mother lifespan, exceptional longevity, frailty index, and self-rated health—in a principal component framework that maximises their shared genetic architecture. The first principal component (GIP1) is more heritable than the original studies and shows strong genetic correlations with length of life as well as multiple indices of mental and physical wellbeing. We identify 27 genomic regions associated with GIP1, and provide additional, independent evidence for an effect on human ageing for loci nearHTTandMAML3using a study of Finnish and Japanese subject survival. Across the genome, GIP1 associations are enriched in genes involved in haem metabolism and pathways related to transcription, neurogenesis, homeostasis, proteolysis, intracellular signalling, immunity, and the muscle system. Finally, using proteome-wide two-sample Mendelian randomisation and colocalisation, we provide robust evidence for a detrimental effect of blood levels of apolipoprotein(a) (LPA) and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM1) on GIP1. Together, our results demonstrate that combining multiple ageing traits using genetic principal components enhances power to detect biological targets for human ageing.
Envelope reconstruction of speech and music highlights unique tracking of speech at low frequencies
Authors: Zuk Nathaniel J , Murphy Jeremy W , Reilly Richard B , Lalor Edmund C
Published: January 2021

The human brain tracks amplitude fluctuations of both speech and music, which reflects acoustic processing in addition to the processing of higher-order features and one’s cognitive state. Comparing neural tracking of speech and music envelopes can elucidate stimulus-general mechanisms, but direct comparisons are confounded by differences in their envelope spectra. Here, we use a novel method of frequency-constrained reconstruction of stimulus envelopes using EEG recorded during passive listening. We expected to see music reconstruction match speech in a narrow range of frequencies, but instead we found that speech was reconstructed better than music for all frequencies we examined. Additionally, speech envelope tracking at low frequencies, below 1 Hz, was uniquely associated with increased weighting over parietal channels. Our results highlight the importance of low-frequency speech tracking and its origin from speech-specific processing in the brain.
Seismic noise attenuation by signal reconstruction: an unsupervised machine learning approach
Authors: Gao Yang , Zhao Pingqi , Li Guofa , Li Hao
Published: January 2021

Random noise attenuation is an essential step in seismic data processing for improving seismic data quality and signal‐to‐noise ratio. We adopt an unsupervised machine learning approach to attenuate random noise via signal reconstruction strategy. This approach can be accomplished in the following steps: Firstly, we randomly mute a part of the input data of the neural network according to a certain percentage, and then the network outputs the reconstructed data influenced by this randomly mute. The objective function measures the distance between the input data and the reconstructed data. Secondly, we use the adaptive moment estimation algorithm to minimize the distance, and the network adjusts its internal parameters so that sparse representations can be captured by the multiple processing layers of the neural network. Finally, we take the same proportion of random mute on the raw seismic data which are fed to the trained neural network. Through this network, reconstruction of seismic data and attenuation of random noise are completed simultaneously. We use both synthetic and field data to testify the feasibility and applicability of the proposed method. Synthetic data experiment indicates that the proposed method achieves better denoised results than the conventional methods. Field data applications further demonstrate its superiority and practicality.
Niche partitioning among three snail‐eating snakes revealed by dentition asymmetry and prey specialisation
Authors: Chang Kai‐Xiang , Huang Bing‐Hong , Luo Min‐Xin , Huang Chih‐Wei , Wu Shu‐Ping , Nguyen Hung Ngoc , Lin Si‐Min
Published: January 2021

The level of dentition asymmetry in snail‐eating snakes may reflect their prey choice and feeding efficiency on asymmetric land snails. The three species of Pareas snakes (Squamata: Pareidae) in Taiwan, which form partially sympatric distribution on the island, provide a potential case to test the hypothesis of niche partitioning and character displacement with regard to dentition asymmetry and specialisation in feeding behaviour.

In this study, behavioural experiments confirmed that P. formosensis feeds exclusively on slugs, whereas P. atayal and P. komaii consumed both. However, P. atayal more efficiently preys on land snails than P. komaii, exhibiting a shorter handling time and fewer mandibular retractions.

Micro‐CT and ancestral character reconstruction demonstrated the lowest asymmetry in P. formosensis (the slug specialist), the highest dentition asymmetry in P. atayal (the land snail specialist) and flexibility in P. komaii (the niche switcher): increased dentition asymmetry when sympatrically distributed with the slug eater (character displacement), and decreased asymmetry when living alone (ecological niche release).

Ecological niche modelling showed that the distribution of P. formosensis is associated with the presence of slugs, while that of P. atayal could be explained by the land snails.

Combining the results from morphology, phylogeny, behavioural experiments and ecological niche modelling, we showed that competition in the sympatric region might have facilitated character displacement among congeners, while the absence of competition in allopatric region has led to ecological niche release.
Cercarial behaviour alters the consumer functional response of three‐spined sticklebacks
Authors: Born‐Torrijos Ana , Paterson Rachel A. , van Beest Gabrielle S. , Vyhlídalová Tereza , Henriksen Eirik H. , Knudsen Rune , Kristoffersen Roar , Amundsen Per‐Arne , Soldánová Miroslava
Published: January 2021

Free‐living parasite life stages may contribute substantially to ecosystem biomass and thus represent a significant source of energy flow when consumed by non‐host organisms. However, ambient temperature and the predator's own infection status may modulate consumption rates towards parasite prey.

We investigated the combined effects of temperature and predator infection status on the consumer functional response of three‐spined sticklebacks towards the free‐living cercariae stages of two common freshwater trematode parasites (Plagiorchisspp.,Trichobilharzia franki).

Our results revealed genera‐specific functional responses and consumption rates towards each parasite prey: Type II forPlagiorchisspp. and Type III forT.franki, with an overall higher consumption rate onT. franki. Elevated temperature (13°C) increased the consumption rate onPlagiorchisspp. prey for sticklebacks with mild cestode infections (<5% fish body weight) only.

High consumption of cercarial prey by sticklebacks may impact parasite population dynamics by severely reducing or even functionally eliminating free‐living parasite life stages from the environment. This supports the potential role of fish as biocontrol agents for cercariae with similar dispersion strategies, in instances where functional response relationships have been established.

Our study demonstrates how parasite consumption by non‐host organisms may be shaped by traits inherent to parasite transmission and dispersal, and emphasises the need to consider free‐living parasite life stages as integral energy resources in aquatic food webs.
A time‐lagged association between the gut microbiome, nestling weight and nestling survival in wild great tits
Authors: Davidson Gabrielle L. , Somers Shane E. , Wiley Niamh , Johnson Crystal N. , Reichert Michael S. , Ross R. Paul , Stanton Catherine , Quinn John L.
Published: January 2021

Natal body mass is a key predictor of viability and fitness in many animals. While variation in body mass and therefore juvenile viability may be explained by genetic and environmental factors, emerging evidence points to the gut microbiota as an important factor influencing host health. The gut microbiota is known to change during development, but it remains unclear whether the microbiome predicts fitness, and if it does, at which developmental stage it affects fitness traits.

We collected data on two traits associated with fitness in wild nestling great tits Parus major: weight and survival to fledging. We characterised the gut microbiome using 16S rRNA sequencing from nestling faeces and investigated temporal associations between the gut microbiome and fitness traits across development at Day‐8 (D8) and Day‐15 (D15) post‐hatching. We also explored whether particular microbial taxa were ‘indicator species’ that reflected whether nestlings survived or not.

There was no link between mass and microbial diversity on D8 or D15. However, we detected a time‐lagged relationship where weight at D15 was negatively associated with the microbial diversity at D8, controlling for weight at D8, therefore reflecting relative weight gain over the intervening period.

Indicator species analysis revealed that specificity values were high and fidelity values were low, suggesting that indicator taxa were primarily detected within either the survived or not survived groups, but not always detected in birds that either survived or died. Therefore these indicator taxa may be sufficient, but not necessary for determining either survival or mortality, perhaps owing to functional overlap in microbiota.

We highlight that measuring microbiome‐fitness relationships at just one time point may be misleading, especially early in life. Instead, microbial‐host fitness effects may be best investigated longitudinally to detect critical development windows for key microbiota and host traits associated with neonatal weight. Our findings should inform future hypothesis testing to pinpoint which features of the gut microbial community impact on host fitness, and when during development this occurs. Such confirmatory research will shed light on population level processes and could have the potential to support conservation.
Facilitation and biodiversity–ecosystem function relationships in crop production systems and their role in sustainable farming
Authors: Brooker Rob W. , George Tim S. , Homulle Zohralyn , Karley Alison J. , Newton Adrian C. , Pakeman Robin J. , Schöb Christian
Published: January 2021

We review the need for increasing agricultural sustainability, how this can in part be delivered by positive biodiversity–ecosystem function (BEF) effects, the role within these of plant–plant facilitation, and how a better understanding of this role may help to deliver sustainable crop (particularly arable) production systems.

Major challenges facing intensive arable production include overall declines in biodiversity, poor soil structure and health, nutrient and soil particle run‐off, high greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing costs of synthetic inputs including herbicides, pesticides and fertilisers.

Biodiversity–ecosystem function effects have the potential to deliver win–wins for arable food production, whereby enhanced biodiversity is associated with ‘good outcomes’ for farming sustainability, albeit sometimes through negative BEF effects for some components of the system. Although it can be difficult to separate explicitly from niche differentiation, evidence indicates facilitation can be a key component of these BEF effects.

Explicit recognition of facilitation's role brings benefits to developing sustainable crop systems. First, it allows us to link fundamental ecological studies on the evolution of facilitation to the selection of traits that can enhance functioning in crop mixtures. Second, it provides us with analytical frameworks which can be used to bring structure and testable hypotheses to data derived from multiple (often independent) crop trials.

Before concrete guidance can be provided to the agricultural sector as to how facilitation might be enhanced in crop systems, challenges exist with respect to quantifying facilitation, understanding the traits that maximise facilitation and integrating these traits into breeding programmes, components of an approach we suggest could be termed ‘Functional Ecological Selection’.

Synthesis. Ultimately, better integration between ecologists and crop scientists will be essential in harnessing the benefits of ecological knowledge for developing more sustainable agriculture. We need to focus on understanding the mechanistic basis of strong facilitative interactions in crop systems and using this information to select and breed for improved combinations of genotypes and species as part of the Functional Ecological Selection approach.
The journey towards digital systemic competence: Thoughts on training, supervision and competence evaluation
Authors: Sherbersky Hannah , Ziminski Jeanne , Pote Helen
Published: January 2021

Our rituals for training, supervision and competence assessment which once relied on in‐person interaction are rapidly becoming influenced by the digital creativity which surrounds them. Our training models have to be diverse and considerate of the multiple contextual shifts with which systemic practitioners are contending, and the current context is complex for student, supervisor and families alike. The aim of this paper is to consider how digital practices might reshape our systemic training, supervision and competence evaluation, considering issues for student and trainer as they move to digital delivery of training and supervision. This paper explores the historical context of online learning, enhancing online presence, and the ethical and practical implications of teaching and supervising digitally. It concludes with a discussion about how competence frameworks are influenced by the shift to digital practice and suggests digital skills required for systemic practice going forward.

Practitioner Points

Consider how digital practices might reshape your systemic training delivery, with attention to enhancing online presence.

Pay particular consideration in live supervision to trainee’s skills in attentiveness and attunement to family and couple interactions and emotional responses.

Consider the differing processes of competence evaluation online and the need to attend to specific digital skills.
Religious Emotions and Emotions in Religion: The Case of Sermons
Authors: Cummins Stephen , Stille Max
Published: January 2021

This article examines the challenges posed by combining the categories of religion and emotion in historical studies. It analyses two major ways of framing this: religious emotion and emotions in religion. By taking sermons as a case study, both as a religious practice and a genre of historical source, an approach that retains the useful elements of each approach is developed. At the same time, the article explores the potentials of sermons as a source for the history of emotions, noting important consequences in the history of religious communication for the history of emotions and vice versa. In particular, reception history approaches are explored as a way to enrich accounts of the emotional aspects of sermons. Further, the article serves as an introduction for the collection of articles: “Preaching and Passions: Sermons and the History of Emotions.”
The effect of direct cognitive assessment in the Medicare annual wellness visit on dementia diagnosis rates
Authors: Lind Kimberly E. , Hildreth Kerry , Lindrooth Richard , Morrato Elaine , Crane Lori A. , Perraillon Marcelo Coca
Published: January 2021

Objective

To evaluate the relationship between direct cognitive assessment introduced with the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) and new diagnoses of dementia, and to determine if effects vary by race.

Data Sources

Medicare Limited Data Set 5% sample claims 2003‐2014 and the HRSA Area Health Resources Files.

Study Design

Instrumental Variable approach estimating the relationship between AWV utilization and new diagnoses of dementia using county‐level Welcome to Medicare Visit rates as an instrument.

Data Collection/Extraction Methods

Three hundred twenty‐four thousand three hundred and eighty‐five fee‐for‐service Medicare beneficiaries without dementia when the AWV was introduced in 2011.

Principal Findings

Annual Wellness Visit utilization was associated with an increased probability of new dementia diagnosis with effects varying by racial group (categorized as white, black, Hispanic/Latino, or Asian based on Social Security Administration data). Hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for new dementia diagnosis within 6 months of AWV utilization were as follows: 2.34 (2.13, 2.58) white, 2.22 (1.71, 2.89) black, 4.82 (2.94, 7.89) Asian, and 6.14 (3.70, 10.19) Hispanic (P < .001 for each). Our findings show that estimates that do not control for selection underestimate the effect of AWV on new diagnoses.

Conclusions

Dementia diagnosis rates increased with AWV implementation with heterogenous effects by race and ethnicity. Current recommendations by the United States Preventive Services Task Force state that the evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against screening for cognitive impairment in older adults.
Biomedical rationale for acrylamide regulation and methods of detection
Authors: Cantrell Maranda S. , McDougal Owen M.
Published: January 2021

Acrylamide is the product of the Maillard reaction, which occurs when starchy, asparagine‐rich foods including potato or grain products and coffee are fried, baked, roasted, or heated. Studies in rodents provide evidence that acrylamide is carcinogenic and a male reproductive harmful agent when administered in exceedingly high levels. A 2002 study identified acrylamide in popular consumer food and beverage products, stimulating the European Union (EU) and California to legislate public notice of acrylamide presence in fried and baked foods, and coffee products. The regulatory legislation enacted in the EU and California has scientists working to develop foods and processes aimed at reducing acrylamide formation and advancing rapid and accurate analytical methods for the quantitative and qualitative determination of acrylamide in food and beverage products. The purpose of this review is to survey the studies performed on rodents and humans that identified the potential health impact of acrylamide in the human diet, and provide insight into established and emerging analytical methods used to detect acrylamide in blood, aqueous samples, and food.
Adrenocortical carcinoma versus renal cell carcinoma with vena caval thrombus: A case report and review
Authors: Chan Marius Wai‐Lok , Ng Chi‐Man , Ngai Ho‐Yin , Au Wing‐Hang
Published: January 2021

Intravascular tumor thrombus may develop in certain malignancies, including renal cell carcinoma and adrenocortical carcinoma. Renal cell carcinoma is far more common than adrenocortical carcinoma, but it can be difficult to differentiate them. In fact, they have different clinical and radiological features, as well as prognosis. Surgical planning and clinical management between them are different.

We report a patient with inferior vena cava thrombus originating from adrenocortical carcinoma mimicking renal cell carcinoma clinically. Case reports and articles about adrenocortical carcinoma are reviewed.
Human resources management and open innovation: the role of open innovation mindset
Authors: Engelsberger Aurelia , Halvorsen Beni , Cavanagh Jillian , Bartram Timothy
Published: January 2021

There is growing interest in the role of strategic human resource management (SHRM) in managing employees and supporting their capacity for innovation in high‐tech firms. In this paper, using dynamic capabilities theory we examine the role of SHRM in supporting open innovation (OI) performance of employees in four US multinational technology firms. We introduce OI mindset as a new concept that is critical for organisations engaging in OI and conceptualise it as consisting of values, attitudes, and beliefs that capture an individual’s openness towards knowledge sourcing and sharing inside and outside organisational boundaries. We examine the mediating role of OI mindset on the relationship between SHRM and OI performance. Our results confirm three hypotheses and that OI mindset mediates the relationship between SHRM and OI performance. These findings demonstrate the utility of OI mindset and the important role of SHRM in predicting OI performance. We draw implications for theory and HR practice in the Asia‐Pacific region.
Clash of Geofutures and the Remaking of Planetary Order: Faultlines underlying Conflicts over Geoengineering Governance
Authors: McLaren Duncan , Corry Olaf
Published: January 2021

Climate engineering (geoengineering) is rising up the global policy agenda, partly because international divisions pose deep challenges to collective climate mitigation. However, geoengineering is similarly subject to clashing interests, knowledge‐traditions and geopolitics. Modelling and technical assessments of geoengineering are facilitated by assumptions of a single global planner (or some as yet unspecified rational governance), but the practicality of international governance remains mostly speculative. Using evidence gathered from state delegates, climate activists and modellers, we reveal three underlying and clashing ‘geofutures’: an idealised understanding of governable geoengineering that abstracts from technical and political realities; a situated understanding of geoengineering emphasising power hierarchies in world order; and a pragmatist precautionary understanding emerging in spaces of negotiation such as UN Environment Assembly (UNEA). Set in the wider historical context of climate politics, the failure to agree even to a study of geoengineering at UNEA indicates underlying obstacles to global rules and institutions for geoengineering posed by divergent interests and underlying epistemic and political differences. Technology assessments should recognise that geoengineering will not be exempt from international fractures; that deployment of geoengineering through imposition is a serious risk; and that contestations over geofutures pertain, not only to climate policy, but also the future of planetary order.
The Dahrendorf Quandary, Crisis Severity, and Country Performance
Authors: Anheier Helmut K. , Filip Alexandru
Published: January 2021

Dahrendorf´s Quandary, an early formulation of the Rodrik Trilemma, stipulates that maintaining economic competitiveness requires countries either to adopt measures detrimental to the cohesion of civil society, or to restrict civil liberties and political participation. The global financial and economic crisis of 2008–09 offers a test case for the applicability of the Quandary. We do so by examining economic, political and social stressors afflicting countries during the period of 2009–2014 relative to the severity and type of crises they experienced, and the ensuing political consequences for economy policy, democracy and society prevalent in 2019. We find that the Quandary does not apply uniformly across advanced market economies. Instead we detect distinct clusters that vary in their intensity of the tension the Quandary stipulates. We also find a consistent and positive relationship between Quandary intensity and crisis severity, yet obtain inconclusive results when looking at the relationship with current trends. The findings suggest that the crisis preparedness and the actual governance capability of countries to address the negative effects of economic globalization are key to managing the tensions inherent in the Dahrendorf Quandary and the Rodrik Trilemma.
Academic Research on the 2030 Agenda: Challenges of a Transdisciplinary Field of Study
Authors: Sianes Antonio
Published: January 2021

In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly formally adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with the scope to shift the world on to a resilient path focused on promoting sustainable development leaving no one behind. Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, academic research on the topic has blossomed. However, most academic research has focused on specific topics within the Agenda, with a bias towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) settled on it. The aim of this study is to contribute to the comprehension and delimitation of the 2030 Agenda as a field of study. To do so, we draw upon bibliometric techniques to undertake a sound analysis of the academic and thematic basis of the discipline, by analyzing the academic research on the Agenda to date, composed by 656 research papers. The results highlight the transdisciplinary nature of the 2030 Agenda, which has gathered attention from a wide range of disciplines and authors, especially in the sustainability and green sciences. At the same time, it points out some weaknesses in the development of a deeper comprehension of the 2030 Agenda from disciplines such as political and international sciences, which could hinder its governance, efficacy and impact.
China’s Artificial Intelligence Innovation: A Top‐Down National Command Approach?
Authors: Zeng Jinghan
Published: January 2021

China’s open embracing of the age of artificial intelligence (AI) has attracted considerable academic and media attention. Many argue that China has taken advantage of its national approach to contest for AI supremacy and geopolitical dominance. The relevant analyses assume China’s AI plans as being Beijing’s coherent top‐down geopolitically driven national strategy, reflecting Chinese leaders’ global ambitions. This article argues that these views are mistaken. It argues that China’s AI plans are primarily driven by contestation and the struggle for resources among domestic stakeholders who are economically motivated and have little awareness of the bigger geopolitical picture. Instead of a top‐down command approach, China’s national AI plan is an upgrade of existing local AI initiatives to the national level, reflecting a bottom‐up development. This article suggests that the existing analyses vastly exaggerate: (1) Beijing’s capacity to coordinate domestic capital and actors towards a unified, specific strategic objective; and (2) the extent of China’s AI advancement and its geopolitical threat, triggering unnecessary anxiety among China’s near competitors.
Bronchially instilled IgY‐antibodies did not decrease pulmonaryp. aeruginosaconcentration in experimental porcine pneumonia
Authors: Otterbeck Alexander , Skorup Paul , Hanslin Katja , Larsson Anders , Stålberg Johan , Hjelmqvist Hans , Lipcsey Miklós
Published: January 2021

Background

P. aeruginosapossesses antibiotic resistance, making treatment difficult. Polyclonal anti‐P. aeruginosaIgY‐antibodies (Pa‐IgY) have antibacterial effects, but have not been studied in large animal pneumonia.

Objectives

To test ifPa‐IgY decreases the concentration ofP. aeruginosain bronchoalveolar lavage in experimental porcine pneumonia over 27 hours.

Method

Norwegian landrace pigs were anesthetized, mechanically ventilated, and subject to invasive monitoring. The animals were randomized to receive eitherP. aeruginosa(control, n = 12) orP aeruginosa + Pa‐IgY antibodies with a repeated dose ofPa‐IgY after 12 hours (intervention, n = 12) in the right lower pulmonary lobe. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cultures and physiological measurements were obtained repeatedly for 27 hours after which the pigs were sacrificed.

Results

BAL bacterial concentration increased in both groups and peaked at 107.28 ± 100.21 CFU/mL in the intervention group vs 107.36 ± 100.50 CFU/mL in the control group (n.s.). BAL bacterial concentration decreased during the experiment to 105.35 ± 100.39 CFU/mL in the intervention group vs 105.19 ± 100.37in the control group (n.s.). The intervention group had lower heart rate (P < .001), lower cardiac index (P < .01), and lower arterial lactate (P < .001) compared to the control group. The core temperature was lower in the intervention group than in the control group (P < .001).

Conclusion

The chosen dose ofPa‐IgY did not decrease concentrations ofP. aeruginosain BAL over 27 hours. We conclude that it is unlikely that there is a large effect of this specific dose and route of administration ofPa‐IgY in this type of model.
Impact of removal on occupancy patterns of the invasive rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) in Tasmania
Authors: Cobden McLean , Alves Fernanda , Robinson Sue , Heinsohn Robert , Stojanovic Dejan
Published: January 2021

Introduced species may threaten both biodiversity and agriculture, necessitating an understanding on the factors that influence their distribution, and the efficacy of control measures. In Tasmania, Australia, the introduced rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) may be widespread, but data on where they occur and the efficacy of control methods are limited. We used an occupancy modelling framework (presence–absence data) to undertake a survey of two populations of invasive rainbow lorikeets to: (i) understand their distribution across the north and south of the island, and (ii) evaluate the impact of removing birds from the southern population by quantifying occupancy before (2016) and after (2018) removal. The best model explaining occupancy in both populations included a negative relationship with distance from central urban areas. We found no change in site occupancy or detectability in the southern population after removal of 208 birds (potentially comprising >50% of their original population size). This result may be explained by one of three possibilities: (i) the population is larger than previously thought, (ii) the population recovered quickly after reduction, or (iii) removal of birds reduced population density but not area of occupancy. We highlight the importance of urban habitats for the invasive rainbow lorikeet and suggest that alternative methods (e.g. abundance/density‐based monitoring) may better detect impacts of removal.
Biting off more than you can chew: Attempted predation on a human by a giant snake (Simalia amethistina)
Authors: Natusch Daniel , Lyons Jessica , Mears Lea‐Ann , Shine Richard
Published: January 2021

On 10 March 2014, a radio‐tracked Australian scrub python (Simalia amethistina) made a predatory attack on a 64 kg sleeping woman. The snake was unsuccessful, but data from our radio‐tracking programme suggest that predation attempts on oversized prey are not uncommon – even if they threaten the survival of the predator. We explore hypotheses about why snakes attempt to consume such large meals.
The effect of heat and smoke on the soil seed banks of heathlands on permanent freshwater swamps
Authors: Trezise James E. , Facelli Jose M. , Paton David C. , J.‐P. Davies Richard
Published: January 2021

In South Australia, Swamps of the Fleurieu Peninsula are critically endangered due to past vegetation clearance and changes in hydrology, but still contain a high diversity of threatened plant species. This vegetation community provides habitat for 82 threatened ground‐stratum plant species, including the nationally critically endangered subshrub Hibbertia tenuis which is endemic to these swamps. With infrequent burning, native ferns and taller shrubs outcompete these species. We conducted glasshouse trials to determine the potential of fire to regenerate threatened and other swamp plant species. Soil samples from eight swamps were used in germination trials with half of each sample treated with heat plus smoke, and half left untreated. Samples were spread onto trays (n = 188), and seedling emergence was recorded for twelve months. Emergence was dominated by native species (2649 seedlings m−2) compared to exotics (675 seedlings m−2). In total, 48 native and 25 introduced species germinated, with 21% of germinated native species absent from the above‐ground vegetation. The dominant native fern Gleichenia microphylla did not emerge from any soil samples, indicating that recovery likely lags behind that of ground‐strata species, giving them time to establish and set seed before being outcompeted. Thirty‐four rare or threatened species germinated, including five species absent from above‐ground vegetation. Of all native species that emerged, only five were confined to heat plus smoke treatments, suggesting most species will regenerate without fire if overstorey competition is reduced. However, seedling emergence of native shrubs/subshrubs more than doubled with the fire treatment. Of particular importance, H. tenuis showed an 18‐fold increase in germination when treated with heat plus smoke. This study supports the utility of ecological burns as a management tool to regenerate threatened plant species in long‐undisturbed peaty heathlands on permanent swamps.
Habitat structure and association with ungulates drive habitat selection and grouping behaviour of lesser rhea (Rhea pennatasubsp.pennata)
Authors: Iranzo Esperanza C. , Traba Juan , Mata Cristina , Acebes Pablo , Malo Juan E.
Published: January 2021

Social prey species respond to predation risk by modifying habitat selection and grouping behaviour. These responses may depend on both actual predation risk (predator probability of occurrence) and/or on perceived predation risk associated with habitat structure. Other factors like food availability and co‐occurrence with other species may also affect habitat selection and group formation. We analyse habitat selection and grouping behaviour (group size and cohesion) of lesser rhea (Rhea pennatasubsp.pennata), a ratite endemic of South America inhabiting steppe shrublands and grasslands, in relation to actual (puma probability of occurrence) and perceived (habitat structure: openness, visibility) predation risk, co‐occurrence with other herbivore species and forage availability in the Chilean Patagonia. We used data from 9 sampling seasons in 5 years. Results show that habitat selection, group size and cohesion in lesser rhea were mainly driven by variables associated with perceived predation risk and by co‐occurrence with other herbivores both during breeding and non–breeding season. As expected, lesser rhea preferred open habitats (vegas and grasslands) that allow a behaviour of ‘watch and run’ to avoid predation and formed larger groups in them. Moreover, lesser rhea positively selected year‐round habitats where livestock occur, forming large groups during non–breeding season there. Group size and co‐occurrence with other herbivores significantly decreased group cohesion, suggesting a reduction of perceived predation risk. Therefore, lesser rhea seems to take advantage of forming mixed interspecific groups to reduce predation risk. These results suggest that lesser rhea habitat selection and grouping behaviour are preferentially driven by factors related to perceived predation risk than by actual predator occurrence or food availability.
Ecological and historical legacies on global diversity gradients in marine elapid snakes
Authors: Martinez Pablo A. , F. Gouveia Sidney , dos Santos Luiza M. , Carvalho Fernando H. A. , Olalla‐Tárraga Miguel Á.
Published: January 2021

Global diversity gradients have been extensively investigated for several biological groups. However, little is known whether the diversity drivers of clades that underwent major environmental transition (e.g., from land to sea) are equivalent across these different environmental settings. Here, we ask if the pattern of diversity of marine elapid snakes is determined by factors analogous to those previously found for terrestrial lineages. Through a model selection framework, we compare the effect of factors that represent five ecological and historical hypotheses. We found that both ecological and historical factors play significant roles, but habitat structure, which can be linked to historical climatic changes, was better supported. This result agrees with that previously found for terrestrial elapids, despite the different environmental pressures in terrestrial and marine contexts. Our findings suggest an equivalence of the underlying process of diversity gradient within the same lineage from land and sea, irrespective of the different physiological, spatial and historical constraints.
Fossorial rodents and applied zooarchaeology to ecosystem conservation in Sierras of Córdoba, Argentina
Authors: Medina Matías E. , De Santi Nahuel A. , Rivero Diego E. , Verzi Diego H. , Tonni Eduardo P.
Published: January 2021

This paper presents the zooarchaeological research carried out on Ctenomys (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae) bone remains recovered at Quebrada del Real 1 (ca. 7400–360 years BP), an archaeological site located in the Sierras of Córdoba upper mountain grassland range of Argentina. Here, we focus on the importance of Ctenomys implications to wild‐life management and conservation biology rather than its classical archaeological view as a subsistence resource. The primary aim was to provide critical information about the recent past biogeography of Ctenomys that may not be evident from modern fauna surveys. From the description of a highly specialised fossorial rodent extinct at the end of the Holocene, the study points out the extreme fragility of the Sierras of Córdoba high mountain environments under climate change and anthropogenic threat, drawing on data that are relevant to those who make decisions and write guidelines for wild‐life management. The analysis of the Ctenomys assemblage from Quebrada del Real 1 revealed information related to the management, conservation and restoration of the mountain top environments that cannot be ignored by conservation biologists and wild‐life managers, moreover when the causes that lead to the extinction of C. viarapaensis are the same ones affecting to modern plant and animal communities. The zooarchaeological record reflects past conditions to assess preindustrial ecological states of the upper mountain grassland range that otherwise would have never been known as a baseline for environmental management. Thus, applied zooarchaeology to conservation biology requires further exploration at Sierras of Córdoba in order to produce accurate knowledge about the high‐altitude ecosystems function, fragility and biodiversity loss, which is necessary to understand the present and improve the future of three million people who depend on the ecological services from these environments.
Pros and cons: Is faecal microbiota transplantation a safe and efficient treatment option for gut dysbiosis?
Authors: Marrs Tom , Walter Jens
Published: January 2021

Faecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) is well established as an effective treatment for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), restoring gut microbiome diversity and function. The utility of FMT is currently being explored in relation to other immune‐mediated pathologies, such as allergic disease, inflammatory bowel diseases and autoimmune diseases. Clinical trials in these areas are ongoing, and the altered gut microbiota (dysbiosis) that is often observed in these pathologies provides a rationale for the application of FMT to restore the microbiome. However, there is controversy on the risk‐benefit ratio as it relates to the use of FMTs in pathologies other than CDI. In this Pro and Con article, we present the arguments for and against the use of FMT in immune‐mediated pathologies, such as allergic disease. We further identify research gaps and recommend how these may be addressed in future studies.
A multicenter observational survey of management strategies in 442 pregnancies with suspected placenta accreta spectrum
Authors: van Beekhuizen Heleen J. , Stefanovic Vedran , Schwickert Alexander , Henrich Wolfgang , Fox Karin A. , MHallem Gziri Mina , Sentilhes Loïc , Gronbeck Lene , Chantraine Frederic , Morel Oliver , Bertholdt Charline , Braun Thorsten , Rijken Marcus J. , Duvekot Johannes J. ,   the International Society of Placenta Accreta Spectrum (IS‐PAS) group
Published: January 2021

Introduction

Management options for women with placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) comprise termination of pregnancy before the viable gestational age, leaving the placenta in situ for subsequent reabsorption of the placenta or delayed hysterectomy, manual removal of placenta after vaginal delivery or during cesarean section, focal resection of the affected uterine wall, and peripartum hysterectomy. The aim of this observational study was to describe actual clinical management and outcomes in PAS in a large international cohort.

Material and methods

Data from women in 15 referral centers of the International Society of PAS (IS‐PAS) were analyzed and correlated with the clinical classification of the IS‐PAS: From Grade 1 (no PAS) to Grade 6 (invasion into pelvic organs other than the bladder). PAS was usually diagnosed antenatally and the operators performing ultrasound rated the likelihood of PAS on a Likert scale of 1 to 10.

Results

In total, 442 women were registered in the database. No maternal deaths occurred. Mean blood loss was 2600 mL (range 150‐20 000 mL). Placenta previa was present in 375 (84.8%) women and there was a history of a previous cesarean in 329 (74.4%) women. The PAS likelihood score was strongly correlated with the PAS grade (P < .001). The mode of delivery in the majority of women (n = 252, 57.0%) was cesarean hysterectomy, with a repeat laparotomy in 20 (7.9%) due to complications. In 48 women (10.8%), the placenta was intentionally left in situ, of those, 20 (41.7%) had a delayed hysterectomy. In 26 women (5.9%), focal resection was performed. Termination of pregnancy was performed in 9 (2.0%), of whom 5 had fetal abnormalities. The placenta could be removed in 90 women (20.4%) at cesarean, and in 17 (3.9%) after vaginal delivery indicating mild or no PAS. In 34 women (7.7%) with an antenatal diagnosis of PAS, the placenta spontaneously separated (false positives). We found lower blood loss (P < .002) in 2018‐2019 compared with 2009‐2017, suggesting a positive learning curve.

Conclusions

In referral centers, the most common management for severe PAS was cesarean hysterectomy, followed by leaving the placenta in situ and focal resection. Prenatal diagnosis correlated with clinical PAS grade. No maternal deaths occurred.
Intrauterine device use is safe among nulligravidas and adolescent girls
Authors: Bahamondes M. Valeria , Bahamondes Luis
Published: January 2021

The use of intrauterine devices (IUDs), including the copper‐bearing device and the levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG‐IUS), is safe among nulligravidas and adolescent girls. However, several misconceptions limit their use in clinical practice; health‐care providers are hesitant to prescribe IUDs, and several myths associated with their usage in nulligravidas and adolescents exist among both providers and women themselves. The high rates of unplanned pregnancies (which in many settings constitute a public health issue, primarily among adolescent females) can be attributed at least partially to lack of awareness and limited use of highly effective contraceptives such as IUDs. In this review, we discuss the role of non‐hormonal and hormonal IUDs as effective contraceptives in nulligravidas and adolescent girls. We present a literature review of data that highlight contraceptive efficacy, side effects (including reasons for discontinuation), and continuation rates with the method. We searched the PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Scopus databases for all articles published in English between January 1990 through September 2020. A large body of evidence confirmed the effectiveness of IUD/IUS, independent of age and parity. Studies showed a high expulsion rate among adolescents but not among nulligravidas. Additionally, bleeding patterns among adolescents and nulligravidas were similar to those observed among adults and parous women. The high early removal rates observed in adolescents were attributable to bleeding and/or pain, which indicate that compared with adults, adolescents are less likely to accept IUD‐induced side effects. IUD placement is an excellent strategy to avoid the high rates of unplanned pregnancies in adolescents and nulligravidas. IUDs are more effective than short‐acting reversible contraceptives with failure rates that are equivalent to those observed with permanent contraception. However, few long‐term studies have investigated this category of women to definitively establish the role of IUD/IUS as effective means of contraception.
Antenatal corticosteroid therapy is associated with a lower risk of cystic periventricular leukomalacia
Authors: Hershkovich Shporen Calanit , Reichman Brian , Zaslavsky‐Paltiel Inna , Lerner‐Geva Liat , Flidel‐Rimon Orna ,   in collaboration with the Israel Neonatal Network
Published: January 2021

Aim

To evaluate the association of antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) therapy on the risk for cystic periventricular leukomalacia (c‐PVL) in very low birth weight (VLBW), very preterm infants, whilst accounting for the occurrence of major neonatal morbidities; sepsis, necrotising enterocolitis, intraventricular haemorrhage and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Methods

Population‐based observational cohort study applying data collected by the Israel national VLBW infant database from 1995–2016.

Results

Cystic PVL was diagnosed in 692 (6.8%) of the 10,170 study infants. Among 7522 infants exposed to ACS, the rate of c‐PVL was 5.4%, compared to 10.7% among those not exposed (p < 0.0001). ACS was associated with significantly lower odds for c‐PVL (Odds Ratio [OR] 0.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.57–0.84). In subgroup analyses, excluding infants with one or more morbidities the rates of c‐PVL ranged from 2.7% to 5.4% among infants exposed to ACS compared to 5.6% to 10.7% in those not exposed (all p < 0.0001). ACS was associated with significantly lower OR's for c‐PVL in all subgroups, ranging from 0.52 (95% CI 0.40–0.66) to 0.62 (95% CI 0.50–0.77).

Conclusion

Infants exposed to ACS had a significantly lower risk of c‐PVL. Subgroup analyses excluding infants with major neonatal comorbidities showed a consistent reduction of 40%–50% in the risk for c‐PVL following ACS therapy.