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Complementing biology lecture courses with laboratory sections is nearly universal at undergraduate institutions, yet many topics in biology do not easily lend themselves to experiment-based laboratory activities. Topics such as comparative anatomy, evolution and systematics are often taught as passive, observation-based laboratories. In this experiment, we modified and tested the efficacy of a team-based learning approach called the 'Jigsaw' method in 14 sections of an undergraduate Vertebrate Biology laboratory course at Iowa State University. Specifically, we implemented the modified Jigsaw method in seven lab sections and taught seven lab sections in the traditional lecture and observation style, comparing mean quiz score between the experimental and control sections after accounting for variation due to instructor and year. We revealed significantly higher average quiz scores for students in the experimental sections as compared to the control sections. Herein, we describe the details of our modified Jigsaw implementation that can be applied to other such biology laboratory courses. Thus, we provide further support for the use of team-based learning approaches such as the Jigsaw method and specifically show that undergraduate biology laboratory courses can be improved by implementing such activities in lieu of a clear experimental approach to laboratory courses.

This article examines the role of parasites in ecological diversity and their impact on ecosystem dynamics in the Kyrgyz Republic (KR). The research shows that parasites play an important role in maintaining the balance in nature and influence the species diversity of the region. Data on the interaction of parasites with animals and their impact on ecosystem health are presented. The analysis allows us to understand the mechanisms of interaction between parasites and the environment and propose measures to maintain ecological balance in the region. An analysis of the epidemiological situation of parasitosis in the Kyrgyz Republic for the period from 2008 to 2022 was also carried out. There is a trend of increasing incidence of diseases, with the nine most common nosological forms including enterobiasis, giardiasis, ascariasis, hymenolepiasis, teniarinosis, teniasis, dicroceliasis, fascioliasis, and trichocephaliasis. The average long-term incidence rate was 34.5 per 1000 individuals examined, with the minimum recorded in 2008 (32.6) and the maximum in 2012 (38.4).

The knowledge of the effects of organophosphate flame retardants on children’s neurodevelopment is limited. The purpose of the present research is to evaluate the association between exposure to organophosphate flame retardants and children’s neurodevelopment in two European cohorts involved in the Human Biomonitoring Initiative Aligned Studies. The participants were school-aged children belonging to the Odense Child Cohort (Denmark) and the PCB cohort (Slovakia). In each cohort, the children’s neurodevelopment was assessed through the Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient score of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, using two different editions. The children’s urine samples, collected at one point in time, were analyzed for several metabolites of organophosphate flame retardants. The association between neurodevelopment and each organophosphate flame retardant metabolite was explored by applying separate multiple linear regressions based on the approach of MM-estimation in each cohort. In the Danish cohort, the mean ± standard deviation for the neurodevelopment score was 98 ± 12; the geometric mean (95% confidence interval (95% CI)) of bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BDCIPP) standardized by creatinine (crt) was 0.52 µg/g crt (95% CI = 0.49; 0.60), while that of diphenyl phosphate (DPHP) standardized by crt was 1.44 µg/g crt (95% CI = 1.31; 1.58). The neurodevelopment score showed a small, negative, statistically imprecise trend with BDCIPP standardized by crt (β = −1.30; 95%CI = −2.72; 0.11; p-value = 0.07) and no clear association with DPHP standardized by crt (β = −0.98; 95%CI = −2.96; 0.99; p-value = 0.33). The neurodevelopment score showed a negative trend with BDCIPP (β = −1.42; 95% CI = −2.70; −0.06; p-value = 0.04) and no clear association with DPHP (β = −1.09; 95% CI = −2.87; 0.68; p-value = 0.23). In the Slovakian cohort, the mean ± standard deviation for the neurodevelopment score was 81 ± 15; the geometric mean of BDCIPP standardized by crt was 0.18 µg/g crt (95% CI = 0.16; 0.20), while that of DPHP standardized by crt was 2.24 µg/g crt (95% CI = 2.00; 3.52). The association of the neurodevelopment score with BDCIPP standardized by crt was −0.49 (95%CI = −1.85; 0.87; p-value = 0.48), and with DPHP standardized by crt it was −0.35 (95%CI = −1.90; 1.20; p-value = 0.66). No clear associations were observed between the neurodevelopment score and BDCIPP/DPHP concentrations that were not standardized by crt. No clear associations were observed with bis(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BCIPP) in either cohort, due to the low detection frequency of this compound. In conclusion, this study provides only limited evidence of an inverse association between neurodevelopment and exposure to BDCIPP and DPHP. The timing of exposure and effect modification of other organophosphate flame retardant metabolites and other substances should be the subject of further investigations that address this scientific hypothesis.

Abstract The interaction between morphology, performance, and ecology has long been studied in order to explain variation in the natural world. Within arboreal salamanders, diversification in foot morphology and microhabitat use are thought to be linked by the impact of foot size and shape on clinging and climbing performance, resulting in an ability to access new habitats. We examine whether various foot shape metrics correlate with stationary cling performance and microhabitat to explicitly quantify this performance gradient across 14 species of salamander, including both arboreal and nonarboreal species. Clinging performance did not correlate with foot shape, as quantified by landmark‐based geometric morphometrics, nor with microhabitat use. Mass‐corrected foot centroid size and foot contact area, on the other hand, correlated positively with clinging performance on a smooth substrate. Interestingly, these foot variables correlated negatively with clinging performance on rough substrates, suggesting the use of multiple clinging mechanisms dependent upon the texture of the surface. These findings demonstrate that centroid size and foot contact area are more functionally relevant for clinging in salamanders than foot shape, suggesting that foot shape need not converge in order to achieve convergent performance. More broadly, our results provide an example of how the quantification of the performance gradient can provide the appropriate lens through which to understand the macroevolution of morphology and ecology.

Abstract Background Treatment of cancers has largely benefited from the development of immunotherapy. In particular, Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) redirected T cells have demonstrated impressive efficacy against B-cell malignancies and continuous efforts are made to adapt this new therapy to solid tumors, where the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment is a barrier for delivery. CAR T-cell validation relies on in vitro functional assays using monolayer or suspension cells and in vivo xenograft models in immunodeficient animals. However, the efficacy of CAR therapies remains difficult to predict with these systems, in particular when challenged against 3D organized solid tumors with highly intricate microenvironment. An increasing number of reports have now included an additional step in the development process in which redirected T cells are tested against tumor spheres. Results Here, we report a method to produce 3D structures, or cysts, out of a colorectal cancer cell line, Caco-2, which has the ability to form polarized spheroids as a validation tool for adoptive cell therapy in general. We used CD19CAR T cells to explore this method and we show that it can be adapted to various platforms including high resolution microscopy, bioluminescence assays and high-throughput live cell imaging systems. Conclusion We developed an affordable, reliable and practical method to produce cysts to validate therapeutic CAR T cells. The integration of this additional layer between in vitro and in vivo studies could be an important tool in the pre-clinical workflow of cell-based immunotherapy.

Abstract Evolutionary theory predicts that selection in distinct microhabitats generates correlations between morphological and ecological traits, and may increase both phenotypic and taxonomic diversity. However, some microhabitats exert unique selective pressures that act as a restraining force on macroevolutionary patterns of diversification. In this study, we use phylogenetic comparative methods to investigate the evolutionary outcomes of inhabiting the arboreal microhabitat in salamanders. We find that arboreality has independently evolved at least five times in Caudata and has arisen primarily from terrestrial ancestors. However, the rate of transition from arboreality back to terrestriality is 24 times higher than the converse. This suggests that macroevolutionary trends in microhabitat use tend toward terrestriality over arboreality, which influences the extent to which use of the arboreal microhabitat proliferates. Morphologically, we find no evidence for an arboreal phenotype in overall body proportions or in foot shape, as variation in both traits overlaps broadly with species that utilize different microhabitats. However, both body shape and foot shape display reduced rates of phenotypic evolution in arboreal taxa, and evidence of morphological convergence among arboreal lineages is observed. Taken together, these patterns suggest that arboreality has played a unique role in the evolution of this family, providing neither an evolutionary opportunity, nor an evolutionary dead end.

Information about the effects of phthalates and non-phthalate substitute cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester (HEXAMOLL® DINCH) on children’s neurodevelopment is limited. The aim of the present research is to evaluate the association between phthalate/HEXAMOLL® DINCH exposure and child neurodevelopment in three European cohorts involved in HBM4EU Aligned Studies. Participating subjects were school-aged children belonging to the Northern Adriatic cohort II (NAC-II), Italy, Odense Child Cohort (OCC), Denmark, and PCB cohort, Slovakia. In each cohort, children’s neurodevelopment was assessed through the Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient score (FSIQ) of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale of Children test using three different editions. The children’s urine samples, collected for one point in time concurrently with the neurodevelopmental evaluation, were analyzed for several phthalates/HEXAMOLL® DINCH biomarkers. The relation between phthalates/HEXAMOLL® DINCH and FSIQ was explored by applying separate multiple linear regressions in each cohort. The means and standard deviations of FSIQ were 109 ± 11 (NAC-II), 98 ± 12 (OCC), and 81 ± 15 (PCB cohort). In NAC-II, direct associations between FSIQ and DEHP’s biomarkers were found: 5OH-MEHP+5oxo-MEHP (β = 2.56; 95% CI 0.58–4.55; N = 270), 5OH-MEHP+5cx-MEPP (β = 2.48; 95% CI 0.47–4.49; N = 270) and 5OH-MEHP (β = 2.58; 95% CI 0.65–4.51; N = 270). On the contrary, in the OCC the relation between DEHP’s biomarkers and FSIQ tended to be inverse but imprecise (p-value ≥ 0.10). No associations were found in the PCB cohort. FSIQ was not associated with HEXAMOLL® DINCH in any cohort. In conclusion, these results do not provide evidence of an association between concurrent phthalate/DINCHHEXAMOLLR DINCH exposure and IQ in children.

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) affects occupants’ satisfaction, health, productivity, comfort, and well-being. IoT developments enable better monitoring of IEQ parameters; however, integrating the various types of heterogeneous data from both the IoT and BIM domains is cumbersome and capital intensive, and therefore, limits the potential of smart buildings. Semantic web technologies can reduce heterogeneity issues, which is necessary to facilitate complex IEQ models. An ontology integrating data related to a building’s topology and its static and dynamic properties is still lacking. The outline of this research is twofold. First, a systematic literature review was conducted to find state-of-the-art semantic web technologies related to building topology, static properties, and dynamic properties from the IoT and BIM domains. By graphically reviewing various ontologies, their valuable patterns, commonalities, and best practices were revealed. Secondly, those results were used to develop a new ontology that integrates topological building information with static and dynamic properties. This Building Performance Ontology (BOP) provides a generic upper-level description of properties and two lower-level ontologies representing observations and actuation. The ontology results in intuitive queries and is both horizontally and vertically extensible. Multiple levels of detail are introduced to ensure practical applicability and efficient patterns based on the data modeler’s needs. BOP opens up a new range of research opportunities in the IEQ domain.

Identifying the historical processes that drive microhabitat transitions across deep time is of great interest to evolutionary biologists. Morphological variation can often reveal such mechanisms, but in clades with high microhabitat diversity and no concomitant morphological specialization, the factors influencing animal transitions across microhabitats are more difficult to identify. Lungless salamanders (family: Plethodontidae) have transitioned into and out of the arboreal microhabitat many times throughout their evolutionary history without substantial morphological specialization. In this study, we explore the relationship between microhabitat use and broad-scale climatic patterns across species' ranges to test the role of climate in determining the availability of the arboreal microhabitat. Using phylogenetic comparative methods, we reveal that arboreal species live in warmer, lower elevation regions than terrestrial species. We also employ ecological niche modeling as a complementary approach, quantifying species-level pairwise comparisons of niche overlap. The results of this approach demonstrate that arboreal species on average display more niche overlap with other arboreal species than with terrestrial species after accounting for non-independence of niche model pairs caused by geographic and phylogenetic distances. Our results suggest that occupation of the arboreal microhabitat by salamanders may only be possible in sufficiently warm, low elevation conditions. More broadly, this study indicates that the impact of micro-environmental conditions on temporary microhabitat use, as demonstrated by small-scale ecological studies, may scale up dramatically to shape macroevolutionary patterns.

The recurrence of lethal ship-whale collisions (‘ship strikes’) has prompted management entities across the globe to seek effective ways for reducing collision risk. Here we describe ‘active whale avoidance’ defined as a mariner making operational decisions to reduce the chance of a collision with a sighted whale. We generated a conceptual model of active whale avoidance and, as a proof of concept, apply data to the model based on observations of humpback whales surfacing in the proximity of large cruise ships, and simulations run in a full-mission bridge simulator and commonly used pilotage software. Application of the model demonstrated that (1) the opportunities for detecting a surfacing whale are often limited and temporary, (2) the cumulative probability of detecting one of the available ‘cues’ of whale’s presence (and direction of travel) decreases with increased ship-to-whale distances, and (3) following detection time delays occur related to avoidance operations. These delays were attributed to the mariner evaluating competing risks (e.g., risk of whale collision vs. risk to human life, the ship, or other aspects of the marine environment), deciding upon an appropriate avoidance action, and achieving a new operational state by the ship once a maneuver is commanded. We thus identify several options for enhancing whale avoidance including training Lookouts to focus search efforts on a ‘Cone of Concern,’ defined here as the area forward of the ship where whales are at risk of collision based on the whale and ship’s transit/swimming speed and direction of travel. Standardizing protocols for rapid communication of relevant sighting information among bridge team members can also increase avoidance by sharing information on the whale that is of sufficient quality to be actionable. We also found that, for marine pilots in Alaska, a slight change in course tends to be preferable to slowing the ship in response to a single sighted whale, owing, in part, to the substantial distance required to achieve an effective speed reduction in a safe manner. However, planned, temporary speed reductions in known areas of whale aggregations, particularly in navigationally constrained areas, provide a greater range of options for avoidance, highlighting the value of real-time sharing of whale sighting data by mariners. Development and application of these concepts in modules in full mission ship simulators can be of significant value in training inexperienced mariners by replicating situations and effective avoidance maneuvers (reducing the need to ‘learn on the water’), helping regulators understand the feasibility of avoidance options, and, identifying priority research threads. We conclude that application of active whale avoidance techniques by large ships is a feasible yet underdeveloped tool for reducing collision risk globally, and highlight the value of local collaboration and integration of ideas across disciplines to finding solutions to mutually desired conservation outcomes.

Chronic copper (Cu) bioavailability models have been successfully implemented in European risk assessment frameworks and compliance evaluations. However, they were developed almost two decades ago, which calls for an update. In the study, we present updated chronic Cu bioavailability models for invertebrates and algae. They consider recent ecotoxicity data sets and use the more recent speciation model Windermere Humic Aqueous Model (WHAM) VII and an optimized model structure (i.e., a generalized bioavailability model [gBAM]). Contrary to the classic biotic ligand model, a gBAM models the effect of pH on Cu2+ toxicity via a log‐linear relationship parametrized through the pH slope SpH. The recalibrated SpH parameters are −0.208 for invertebrates (Daphnia magna, two clones) and −0.975 for algae (Raphidocelis subcapitata and Chlorella vulgaris). The updated models predict 80% to 100% of the observed effect levels for eight different species within a factor of 2. The only exception was one of the two data sets considering subchronic 7‐day mortality to Hyalella azteca: the prediction performance of the updated invertebrate model at pH ≥ 8.3 was poor because the effect of pH on Cu2+ toxicity appeared to be dependent on the pH itself (with a steeper pH slope compared with the updated invertebrate model at pH ≥ 8.1). The prediction performance of the updated Cu bioavailability models was similar to or better than that of the models used for regulatory application in Europe until now, with one exception (i.e., H. azteca). Together with the recently published fish bioavailability model, the models developed in the present study constitute a complete, updated, and consistent bioavailability model set. Overall, the updated chronic Cu bioavailability model set is robust and can be used in regulatory applications. The updated bioavailability model set is currently used under the European Union Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals framework regulation to guide the safe use of Cu. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:450–467. © 2023 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New tools and refined frameworks for identifying and regulating endocrine‐disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are being developed as our scientific understanding of how they work advances. Although focus has largely been on organic chemicals, the potential for metals to act as EDCs in aquatic systems is receiving increasing attention. Metal interactions with the endocrine system are complicated because some metals are essential to physiological systems, including the endocrine system, and nonessential metals can have similar physiochemical attributes that allow substitution into or interference with these systems. Consequently, elevated metal exposure could potentially cause endocrine disruption (ED) but can also cause indirect effects on the endocrine system via multiple pathways or elicit physiologically appropriate compensatory endocrine‐mediated responses (endocrine modulation). These latter two effects can be confused with, but are clearly not, ED. In the present study, we provide several case studies that exemplify the challenges encountered in evaluating the endocrine‐disrupting (ED) potential of metals, followed by recommendations on how to meet them. Given that metals have multiple modes of action (MOAs), we recommend that assessments use metal‐specific adverse outcome pathway networks to ensure that accurate causal links are made between MOAs and effects on the endocrine system. We recommend more focus on establishing molecular initiating events for chronic metal toxicity because these are poorly understood and would reduce uncertainty regarding the potential for metals to be EDCs. Finally, more generalized MOAs such as oxidative stress could be involved in metal interactions with the endocrine system, and we suggest it may be experimentally efficient to evaluate these MOAs when ED is inferred. These experiments, however, must provide explicit linkage to the ED endpoints of interest. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:2564–2579. © 2023 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]