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Insular biodiversity hotspots of Southeast Asia are remarkable for their biodiverse faunas. With a marine larval phase lasting up to several months, the freshwater fish subfamily Sicydiinae has colonized most islands of these hotspots. However, Sicydiinae diversity is still poorly understood in Southeast Asia. With the objective of estimating intraspecific genetic diversity and inferring past demography, we conducted the molecular inventory of Sicydiinae species in Sundaland and Wallacea using 652 bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene, species delimitation methods, and Bayesian Skyline plot reconstructions. In total, 24 Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units are delimited among the 603 sequences belonging to 27 species and 5 genera. Two cases of discordance between morphology and mitochondrial sequence are observed, suggesting ongoing speciation and/or introgression in 2 genera. Multiple new occurrences are reported, either for a single biodiversity hotspot or both, some of which correspond to observations of a few individuals far from the range distribution of their conspecifics. Among the 10 species or species groups whose intraspecific diversity was examined, high levels of genetic diversity and past population expansion are revealed by Tajima's D tests and Bayesian Skyline Plot reconstructions. Together, these results indicate that long-distance dispersal is common and suggest that most endemic species originated through founder events followed by population expansion. Patterns of sexual dimorphism and males' coloration among diverging species pairs seem to point to sexual selection as an important mechanism contributing to speciation in the Sicydiinae of Sundaland and Wallacea., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Evolutionary Biology. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Knowledge of global patterns of genetic diversity is essential for biodiversity conservation as this parameter describes the ability of a species to respond to environmental changes. Ichneumonoids parasitoid wasps are among the few taxa showing an anomalous latitudinal diversity gradient. Using the largest georeferenced molecular dataset for this group, we used a macrogenetics approach to examine latitudinal patterns and predictors of intraspecific genetic diversity. We calculated the mean nucleotide diversity of mitochondrial DNA barcode sequences at three geographic levels: grid cells, latitudinal bands and climatic zones. Nucleotide diversity values were consistently higher at northern temperate latitudes, peaking at 50°. We found a positive but weak relationship between intraspecific diversity and the latitude, between intra- and interspecific diversity, and a positive effect of the temperature range. Examining the spatial relationship between different levels of biodiversity and its drivers is particularly relevant considering climate change and its impact on species distribution. Yet, in insects, it has been challenging to integrate ecological, evolutionary and geographical components when analysing the processes leading to species richness gradients., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Animal Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.)

Large-scale digitization of natural history collections requires automation of image acquisition and processing. Reflecting this fact, various approaches, some highly sophisticated, have been developed to support imaging of museum specimens. However, most of these systems are complex and expensive, restricting their deployment. Here we describe a simple, inexpensive technique for imaging arthropods larger than 5 mm. By mounting a digital SLR camera on a CNC (computer numerical control) motor-drive rig, we created a system that captures high-resolution z-axis stacked images (6960 × 4640 pixels) of 95 specimens in 30 minutes. This system can be assembled inexpensively ($1000 USD without a camera) and it is easy to set-up and maintain. By coupling low cost with high production capacity, it represents a solution for digitizing any natural history collection., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Dirk Steinke, Jaclyn T. A. McKeown, Allison Zyba, Joschka McLeod, Corey Feng, Paul D. N. Hebert.)

Primary endocrine therapy (PET) offers non-surgical treatment for older women with early-stage breast cancer who are unsuitable for surgery due to frailty or comorbidity. This research assessed all-cause and breast cancer-specific mortality of PET vs. surgery in older women (≥70 years) with oestrogen-receptor-positive early-stage breast cancer by frailty and comorbidity levels. This study used UK secondary data to analyse older female patients from 2000 to 2016. Patients were censored until 31 May 2019 and grouped by the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) and hospital frailty risk score (HFRS). Cox regression models compared all-cause and breast cancer-specific mortality between PET and surgery within each group, adjusting for patient preferences and covariates. Sensitivity analyses accounted for competing risks. There were 23,109 patients included. The hazard ratio (HR) comparing PET to surgery for overall survival decreased significantly from 2.1 (95%CI: 2.0, 2.2) to 1.2 (95%CI: 1.1, 1.5) with increasing HFRS and from 2.1 (95%CI: 2.0, 2.2) to 1.4 (95%CI 1.2, 1.7) with rising CCI. However, there was no difference in BCSM for frail older women (HR: 1.2; 0.9, 1.9). There were no differences in competing risk profiles between other causes of death and breast cancer-specific mortality with PET versus surgery, with a subdistribution hazard ratio of 1.1 (0.9, 1.4) for high-level HFRS ( p = 0.261) and CCI ( p = 0.093). Given limited survival gains from surgery for older patients, PET shows potential as an effective option for frail older women with early-stage breast cancer. Despite surgery outperforming PET, surgery loses its edge as frailty increases, with negligible differences in the very frail.

Background: Pharmacists with additional clinical skills now work in UK emergency departments. Known as Emergency Department Pharmacist Practitioners, the role was developed in response to a shortage of physicians and nurses. They carry out activities typical of traditional hospital pharmacists, but also novel 'practitioner' activities such as examining patients, and acting as designated care provider. The role includes a responsibility to safeguard patients from harm. Professional competence, i.e. to safeguard patients, is underpinned by knowledge of the subject, but also knowledge application., Aim: To investigate what Emergency Department Pharmacist Practitioners know and understand about safeguarding vulnerable children and adults., Method: Thirteen Emergency Department Pharmacist Practitioners were interviewed to explore their knowledge and understanding of safeguarding. Interview questions were developed from review of relevant literature, as were vignettes with variables identified and altered to produce different scenarios. Template analysis was used to code data to a priori themes for each of the stages of the initial safeguarding process, and new themes that emerged throughout the process., Results: Six themes were identified in addition to the four a priori themes. Overall, participants frequently described how safeguarding concerns are both recognised and responded to, but seemed more comfortable when responding to medicines related concerns. Factors thought to influence the safeguarding process included: resources and setting; and education, training and experiential learning; and culture., Conclusion: While Emergency Department Pharmacist Practitioners interviewed were aware of the safeguarding process, there were some misconceptions as to the roles of different healthcare workers in this process., (© 2023. The Author(s).)