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An intraneuronal parasite infecting approximately one-third of the world’s population, Toxoplasma gondii has been associated with markers of cardiovascular disease. In this study, we used data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to investigate associations between T. gondii and blood pressure and hypertension. Multiple regression modelling adjusted for a range of covariates showed that T. gondii was associated with lowered probability of elevated blood pressure, with lower probability of Stages 1 and 2 hypertension, and with lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure. These findings suggest that T. gondii might alter hemodynamic regulation, although the clinical relevance of these associations requires additional investigation.

As of May 10, 2021, according to SPAC Alpha, there were 315 special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) IPOs completed YTD – more than 100 per cent higher than the number of SPAC IPOs in the previous four years combined. David Erickson, Itamar Drechsler and Nikolai Roussanov explore how the SPAC market exploded in 2020 and what may happen in the future.

IntroductionThere are concerns about microorganisms present on cannabis materials used in clinical settings by individuals whose health status is already compromised and are likely more susceptible to opportunistic infections from microbial populations present on the materials. Most concerning is administration by inhalation where cannabis plant material is heated in a vaporizer, aerosolized, and inhaled to receive the bioactive ingredients. Heating to high temperatures is known to kill microorganisms including bacteria and fungi; however, microbial death is dependent upon exposure time and temperature. It is unknown whether the heating of cannabis at temperatures and times designated by a commercial vaporizer utilized in clinical settings will significantly decrease the microbial loads in cannabis plant material.MethodsTo assess this question, bulk cannabis plant material supplied by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) was used to assess the impact of heating by a commercial vaporizer. Initial method development studies using a cannabis placebo spiked with Escherichia coli were performed to optimize culture and recovery parameters. Subsequent studies were carried out using the cannabis placebo, low delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) potency and high THC potency cannabis materials exposed to either no heat or heating for 30 or 70 seconds at 190°C. Phosphate-buffered saline was added to the samples and the samples agitated to suspend the microorganism. Microbial growth after no heat or heating was evaluated by plating on growth media and determining the total aerobic microbial counts and total yeast and mold counts.Results and discussionOverall, while there were trends of reductions in microbial counts with heating, these reductions were not statistically significant, indicating that heating using standard vaporization parameters of 70 seconds at 190°C may not eliminate the existing microbial bioburden, including any opportunistic pathogens. When cultured organisms were identified by DNA sequence analyses, several fungal and bacterial taxa were detected in the different products that have been associated with opportunistic infections or allergic reactions including Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, and Aspergillus.

Recent work by our group and others have shown individuals with IgE to the oligosaccharide allergen present in mammalian products (α-gal) have increased atheroma burden with increased necrosis and calcification compared to those without α -gal specific IgE. These data suggest α -gal specific IgE increase plaque severity and vulnerability, yet the mechanisms that promote production of IgE to α -gal are unknown. Previous work from our group utilized multi-omics single cell analysis of circulating PBMCs from subjects with coronary angiography at UVA and showed subjects with IgE α -gal sensitization had a higher frequency of CCR6hi switched memory (SWM) B cells and that the CCR6 ligand, CCL20, increased class switching to IgE. To determine mechanisms whereby CCR6 may mediated class switching to IgE, we enriched total B cells from healthy donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells and stimulated with 20ng/ml human IL-4 and 10μg/ml agnostic anti-human CD40 with or without 20ng/ml CCL20 for 3 days. After 3 days of treatment, cells were collected and stained with a 15-color panel and analyzed via flow cytometry. Cells were analyzed for surface expression of CD20 and CD3 to gate total B cells. Gated B cells were further separated into CD27+/IgM-/IgD- to define SWM B cell population. CCL20 treatment did not increase the total percent of SWM B cells; however, there was a 2-3-fold increase in CCR6+ SWM B cells compared to CCR6- SWM B cells. CCL20 treated CCR6+ SWM B cells have an average of 7% increase of phosphorylated mTOR in total SWM B cells compared to nonCCL20 treated CCR6+ SWM B cells. These results suggest CCL20 stimulation induces mTOR phosphorylation and activation. Thus, mTOR activation and downstream mediators may be necessary for α -gal induced B cell class switching. From these preliminary studies, we conclude that CCL20 stimulation increases the percent pmTOR+ SWM B cells. We will continue to investigate downstream mTOR mediators in regard to B cell class switching after CCL20 stimulation and how α-gal sensitization augments B cell IgE class switching and increases atherosclerosis with our novel α -gal-/- Apoe-/- mouse.

Gout is one of the most common and complex causes of arthritis that can affect anyone.1,2 It is one of the most ancient medical conditions known going back to references in Egypt in 2640 BC and Hippocrates writing about it in 400 BC.3–5 Gout occurs when there are deposits of urate monosodium crystals in the synovial fluid and other tissues causing the inflammation and intense pain of a gout attack. Urate monosodium crystals usually are associated with long-term hyperuricemia that is triggered by several genetic factors as well as environmental factors such as the overconsumption of rich purine diets, alcohol, obesity, obesity-related disease, kidney disease, and certain medications.1,6–13 Risk factors for older patients include low-dose aspirin, alcohol abuse, decreased renal function, and prolonged use of diuretics.14,15 Advanced gout, also known as gouty tophi, are large, visible (masses) made up of urate crystals.5,16,17 The tophus is a cardinal sign and usually develops after 5–10 years of chronic undertreated gout with the olecranon bursa being one of the most affected areas.5,16,17 Formation is caused by elevated serum uric acid levels due to neglected and poorly controlled gout.18,19 Gouty tophi can develop anywhere. It can develop in peri-articular soft tissues, sub-articular regions around bones, tendon sheaths, bursas, articular cartilage, and synovial tissues around flexor tendons.17,20 Gouty tophi have been identified in vocal cords, myocardium, heart valves, eyes, spinal cord, pancreatic tail, breast, penis, with a propensity to affect the helix of the ear.17,21,22 However, patients with multiple gouty tophi rarely are encountered because hyperuricemia can be treated effectively. The differential diagnosis of gouty tophi is broad, even though gout can be diagnosed clinically by elevated serum uric acid level; however, the concentration of serum uric acid may be within the normal limits and yet gouty tophi still can be developed.23–25 This case was a patient who developed multiple gouty tophi over an extended period of time with increasing size of the masses while on medical treatment for his gout. The one mass of unique interest developed over the superficial anterior tibia just distal to the tibial tubercle and not in the patellar tendon, which is uncommon.

Most ligand designs for reactions catalyzed by (NHC)Cu–H (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene ligand) have focused on introducing steric bulk near the Cu center. Here, we evaluate the effect of remote ligand modification in a series of [(NHC)CuH]2 in which the para substituent (R) on the N-aryl groups of the NHC is Me, Et, tBu, OMe or Cl. Although the R group is distant (6 bonds away) from the reactive Cu center, the complexes have different spectroscopic signatures. Kinetics studies of the insertion of ketone, aldimine, alkyne, and unactivated α-olefin substrates reveal that Cu–H complexes with bulky or electron-rich R groups undergo faster substrate insertion. The predominant cause of this phenomenon is destabilization of the [(NHC)CuH]2 dimer relative to the (NHC)Cu–H monomer, resulting in faster formation of Cu–H monomer. These findings indicate that remote functionalization of NHCs is a compelling strategy for accelerating the rate of substrate insertion with Cu–H species.

We report the hydrogenation of CO2 to MeOH by a Ru(triphos) catalyst containing a cationic tetraalkylammonium moiety in the outer coordination sphere. This catalyst affords higher TON and TOF value...

Epileptogenic seizures, or status epilepticus (SE), leads to excitotoxic injury in hippocampal and limbic neurons in the kainic acid (KA) animal model of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Here, we have further characterized neural activity regulated methylaminoisobutryic acid (MeAIB)/glutamine transport activity in mature rat hippocampal neurons in vitro that is inhibited by riluzole (IC50=1 μM), an anti-convulsant benzothiazole agent. We screened a library of riluzole derivatives and identified SKA-41 followed by a second screen and synthesized several novel chlorinated aminothiazoles (SKA-377, SKA-378, SKA-379) that are also potent MeAIB transport inhibitors in vitro, and brain penetrant following systemic administration. When administered before KA, SKA-378 did not prevent seizures but still protected the hippocampus and several other limbic areas against SE-induced neurodegeneration at 3d. When SKA-377 - 379, (30mg/kg) were administered after KA-induced SE, acute neural injury in the CA3, CA1 and CA4/hilus was also largely attenuated. Riluzole (10mg/kg) blocks acute neural injury. Kinetic analysis of SKA-378 and riluzoles' blockade of Ca2+-regulated MeAIB transport in neurons in vitro indicates that inhibition occurs via a non-competitive, indirect mechanism. Sodium channel NaV1.6 antagonism blocks neural activity regulated MeAIB/Gln transport in vitro (IC50=60nM) and SKA-378 is the most potent inhibitor of NaV1.6 (IC50=28μM) compared to NaV1.2 (IC50=118μM) in heterologous cells. However, pharmacokinetic analysis suggests that sodium channel blockade may not be the predominant mechanism of neuroprotection here. Riluzole and our novel aminothiazoles are agents that attenuate acute neural hippocampal injury following KA-induced SE and may help to understand mechanisms involved in the progression of epileptic disease.

Background: Recent studies have suggested that IgE sensitization to α-gal is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the B cell subtype(s) responsible for production of IgE to α-gal and mechanisms mediating this production remain elusive.Methods: Single cell multi-omics sequencing, was utilized to phenotype B cells obtained from 60 subjects that had undergone coronary angiography in whom serum IgE was evaluated by ImmunoCAP. Bioinformatics approaches were used to identify B cell subtype(s) and transcriptomic signatures associated with α-gal sensitization. In vitro characterization of chemokine/chemokine receptor pairs on switched memory B cells associated with IgE to α-gal was performed.Results: Of the 60 patients, 17 (28%) were positive for IgE to α-gal. CITESeq identified CCR6+ class-switched memory (SWM) B cells and CXCR4 expresssion on these CCR6+ SWM B cells as significantly associated with IgE sensitization to α-gal but not to other common allergens (peanut or inhalants). In vitro studies of enriched human B cells revealed significantly greater IgE on SWM B cells with high CCR6 and CXCR4 expression 10 days after cells were treated with IL-4 and CD40 to stimulate class switch recombination. Both CCL20 (CCR6 ligand) and CXCL12 (ligand for CXCR4) increased the expression of IgE on SWM B cells expressing their receptors. However, they appeared to have unique pathways mediating this effect as only CCL20 increased activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), while CXCL12 drove proliferation of CXCR4+ SWM B cells. Lastly, correlation analysis indicated an association between CAD severity and the frequency of both CCR6+ SWM and CXCR4+ SWM B cells.Conclusions: CCR6+ SWM B cells were identified as potential producers of IgE to α-gal in CAD patients. Additionally, our findings highlighted non-chemotaxis roles of CCL20/CCR6 and CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling in mediating IgE class switching and cell proliferation of SWM B cells respectively. Results may have important implications for a better understanding and better therapeutic approaches for subjects with IgE sensitization to α-gal.

We propose and demonstrate a protocol for high-fidelity indirect readout of trapped ion hyperfine qubits, where the state of a $^9\text{Be}^+$ qubit ion is mapped to a $^{25}\text{Mg}^+$ readout ion using laser-driven Raman transitions. By partitioning the $^9\text{Be}^+$ ground state hyperfine manifold into two subspaces representing the two qubit states and choosing appropriate laser parameters, the protocol can be made robust to spontaneous photon scattering errors on the Raman transitions, enabling repetition for increased readout fidelity. We demonstrate combined readout and back-action errors for the two subspaces of $1.2^{+1.1}_{-0.6} \times 10^{-4}$ and $0^{+1.9}_{-0} \times 10^{-5}$ with 68% confidence while avoiding decoherence of spectator qubits due to stray resonant light that is inherent to direct fluorescence detection., 7 + 6 pages, 3 + 1 figures

Background: tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes are prognostic in many human cancers. However, the prognostic value of lymphocytes infiltrating glioblastoma (GBM), and roles in tumor control or progression are unclear. We hypothesized that B and T cell density, and markers of their activity, proliferation, differentiation, or function, would have favorable prognostic significance for patients with GBM. Methods: initial resection specimens from 77 patients with IDH1/2 wild type GBM who received standard-of-care treatment were evaluated with multiplex immunofluorescence histology (mIFH), for the distribution, density, differentiation, and proliferation of T cells and B cells, as well as for the presence of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), and IFNγ expression. Immune infiltrates were evaluated for associations with overall survival (OS) by univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards modeling. Results: in univariate analyses, improved OS was associated with high densities of proliferating (Ki67+) CD8+ cells (HR 0.36, p = 0.001) and CD20+ cells (HR 0.51, p = 0.008), as well as CD8+Tbet+ cells (HR 0.46, p = 0.004), and RORγt+ cells (HR 0.56, p = 0.04). Conversely, IFNγ intensity was associated with diminished OS (HR 0.59, p = 0.036). In multivariable analyses, adjusting for clinical variables, including age, resection extent, Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS), and MGMT methylation status, improved OS was associated with high densities of proliferating (Ki67+) CD8+ cells (HR 0.15, p < 0.001), and higher ratios of CD8+ cells to CD4+ cells (HR 0.31, p = 0.005). Diminished OS was associated with increases in patient age (HR 1.21, p = 0.005) and higher mean intensities of IFNγ (HR 2.13, p = 0.027). Conclusions: intratumoral densities of proliferating CD8 T cells and higher CD8/CD4 ratios are independent predictors of OS in patients with GBM. Paradoxically, higher mean intensities of IFNγ in the tumors were associated with shorter OS. These findings suggest that survival may be enhanced by increasing proliferation of tumor-reactive CD8+ T cells and that approaches may be needed to promote CD8+ T cell dominance in GBM, and to interfere with the immunoregulatory effects of IFNγ in the tumor microenvironment.

Agricultural nitrous oxide (N2O) emission accounts for a non-trivial fraction of global greenhouse gas (GHG) budget. To date, estimating N2O fluxes from cropland remains a challenging task because the related microbial processes (e.g., nitrification and denitrification) are controlled by complex interactions among climate, soil, plant and human activities. Existing approaches such as process-based (PB) models have well-known limitations due to insufficient representations of the processes or uncertainties of model parameters, and due to leverage recent advances in machine learning (ML) a new method is needed to unlock the “black box” to overcome its limitations such as low interpretability, out-of-sample failure and massive data demand. In this study, we developed a first-of-its-kind knowledge-guided machine learning model for agroecosystems (KGML-ag) by incorporating biogeophysical and chemical domain knowledge from an advanced PB model, ecosys, and tested it by comparing simulating daily N2O fluxes with real observed data from mesocosm experiments. The gated recurrent unit (GRU) was used as the basis to build the model structure. To optimize the model performance, we have investigated a range of ideas, including (1) using initial values of intermediate variables (IMVs) instead of time series as model input to reduce data demand; (2) building hierarchical structures to explicitly estimate IMVs for further N2O prediction; (3) using multi-task learning to balance the simultaneous training on multiple variables; and (4) pre-training with millions of synthetic data generated from ecosys and fine-tuning with mesocosm observations. Six other pure ML models were developed using the same mesocosm data to serve as the benchmark for the KGML-ag model. Results show that KGML-ag did an excellent job in reproducing the mesocosm N2O fluxes (overall r2=0.81, and RMSE=3.6 mgNm-2d-1 from cross validation). Importantly, KGML-ag always outperforms the PB model and ML models in predicting N2O fluxes, especially for complex temporal dynamics and emission peaks. Besides, KGML-ag goes beyond the pure ML models by providing more interpretable predictions as well as pinpointing desired new knowledge and data to further empower the current KGML-ag. We believe the KGML-ag development in this study will stimulate a new body of research on interpretable ML for biogeochemistry and other related geoscience processes.

Trust is a key variable for successful natural resource management and is commonly the focus of conceptual and methodological development. Distrust, on the other hand, is frequently cited as an obstacle to management, but appears to be rarely defined, conceptually underdeveloped, and inconsistently examined. This systematic review protocol (OSF preregistration https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/GKUAW) was developed to answer two primary questions in relation to protected area and natural resource management: 1) How is distrust conceptualized, and 2) What methods are used to gather evidence of distrust? The aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of how distrust is theoretically developed and what questions are used to uncover distrust. Also, it will summarize findings on what leads to and results from distrust. Four academic and eight gray literature databases will be searched using Boolean keyword searches. Articles eligible for inclusion are those that present original research, gather and present evidence of distrust, and focus on protected areas and/or natural resource management. The review will result in a narrative synthesis that summarizes approaches to distrust within protected area and natural resource management.

Several viral, bacterial, and parasitic diseases have been associated with cognitive function and neuropsychiatric outcomes in humans, including human T-cell lymphotropic virus 1 (HTLV-1). In this study, we sought to further generalize previously reported associations of cognitive function and depression with HTLV-1 seropositivity and serointensity using a community-based sample of adults aged approximately 40 to 70 years (mean = 55.3 years) from the United Kingdom. In this sample, the results of adjusted linear regression models showed no associations of HTLV-1 seropositivity or serointensity with reasoning, pairs-matching, or reaction-time cognitive tasks or with depression. In addition, neither age, sex, educational attainment, nor income moderated associations of HTLV-1 seropositivity or serointensity with cognitive function or depression. In this middle-aged to older middle-aged adult community sample, HTLV-1 seropositivity and serointensity do not appear to be associated with reasoning, pairs-matching, and reaction-time tasks or with depression.

We demonstrate a simplified method for dissipative generation of an entangled state of two trapped-ion qubits. Our implementation produces its target state faster and with higher fidelity than previous demonstrations of dissipative entanglement generation and eliminates the need for auxiliary ions. The entangled singlet state is generated in $\sim$7 ms with a fidelity of 0.949(4). The dominant source of infidelity is photon scattering. We discuss this error source and strategies for its mitigation., 12 pages, 6 figures

Infecting approximately one-third of the world’s population, the neurotropic protozoan Toxoplasma gondii has been associated with cognition and several neuropsychiatric diseases including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Findings have been mixed, however, about the relationship between Toxoplasma gondii and depression, with some studies reporting positive associations and others finding no associations. To further investigate the association between Toxoplasma gondii and depression, we used data from the UK Biobank and the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES). Results from adjusted multiple-regression modeling showed no significant associations between Toxoplasma gondii and depression in either the UK Biobank or NHANES datasets. Further, we found no significant interactions between Toxoplasma gondii and age, sex, educational attainment, and income in either dataset that affected the association between Toxoplasma gondii and depression. These results from two community-based datasets suggest that in these samples, Toxoplasma gondii is not associated with depression. Differences between our findings and other findings showing an association between Toxoplasma gondii and depression could be due to several factors including differences in socioeconomic variables, differences in Toxoplasma gondii strain, and use of different covariates in statistical modeling.

Ecological economics recognizes economic activity as a biophysical process mediated by social systems and ultimately subject to the constraints of a finite earth system. The Anthropocene discourse appears as validation of the central concerns of ecological economics yet throws into relief its limits as a normative transdiscipline oriented toward social transformation. We review ecological economics in light of two overarching challenges: first, negotiating between biophysical reality and plural constructed social realities, so as to create legitimate grounds for a sustainability transition; second, accounting for multi-level, multi-scale social and political action, which demands a means for arbitrating among competing normative propositions. We argue that attempts to address these challenges within ecological economics have been inconsistent and relatively scarce, reflecting an unresolved tension regarding modern and postmodern social theory. We demonstrate that a critically modern ecological economics could draw on aligned social movements and build on deliberative theory as a foundation for social and political change fit for navigating the Anthropocene.

Background The hippocampus is important for memory processing. Several neuropsychiatric diseases including Alzheimer’s disease are associated with reduced hippocampal volume, and further the hippocampus appears vulnerable to environmental insult. Air pollution has been associated with cardiovascular disease, abnormal brain structure, and cognitive deficits. Objective Because of hippocampal vulnerability to environmental insults and based on the association between exposure to air pollution and cognitive function and brain structure, we evaluated the association between exposure to toxins in air pollution and left and right hippocampal volume using brain-imaging and air-pollution data from the UK Biobank, a large community-based dataset. Methods We used regression modelling to evaluate the association between exposure to nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxides, PM 2.5 , PM 2.5-10 , and PM 10. and left and right hippocampal volume controlling for age, sex, body-mass index, overall health, alcohol use, smoking, educational attainment, socioeconomic status, inverse distance from the nearest major road, and a measure of total brain volume. Results In these models, PM 2.5 concentration was associated with smaller left hippocampal volume. None of the other measures of air pollution was associated with either left or right hippocampal volume, although interaction models provided some evidence that sex might moderate the relationship between air pollution and hippocampal volume. In adjusted models, age, sex, educational attainment, income, overall health, current smoking, alcohol intake, and body-mass index were associated with hippocampal volume. Conclusions PM 2.5 at levels found in the United Kingdom was associated with smaller left hippocampal volume. Additional associations between several covariates and hippocampal volumes indicate that hippocampal volume might be associated with several potentially modifiable variables.

Tick-borne allergies are a growing public health concern and have been associated with the induction of IgE-mediated food allergy to red meat. However, despite the increasing prevalence of tick bite–induced allergies, the mechanisms by which cutaneous exposure to ticks leads to sensitization and the production of IgE Abs are poorly understood. To address this question, an in vivo approach was used to characterize the IgE response to lone star tick proteins administered through the skin of mice. The results demonstrated that tick sensitization and challenge induced a robust production of IgE Abs and supported a role for IgE-mediated hypersensitivity reactions in sensitized animals following oral administration of meat. The induction of IgE responses was dependent on cognate CD4+ T cell help during both the sensitization phase and challenge phase with cutaneous tick exposure. In addition, IgE production was dependent on B cell–intrinsic MyD88 expression, suggesting an important role for TLR signaling in B cells to induce IgE responses to tick proteins. This model of tick-induced IgE responses could be used to study the factors within tick bites that cause allergies and to investigate how sensitization to food Ags occurs through the skin that leads to IgE production.

Background: Being overweight or obese is one of the most harmful risk factors to the health of a population. The cause of obesity is complex and multifactorial, but the primary cause is a nutrient poor diet. Despite excess intake of calories, obese individuals commonly have a lack of phytonutrients. Phytonutrients such as chlorophyll, carotenoids, and anthocyanins have all been shown to have anti-obesity effects. National data shows that states in with the lowest intakes of fruit and vegetable intake also have higher obesity rates. The data available depicts that a low fruit and vegetable intake, thus low phytonutrient intake, is correlated with excess adiposity.Methods: Fifty subjects from Thibodaux, Louisiana were randomly selected to participate. Three 24-hour food recalls were used to calculate phytonutrient content of the diets using the phytonutrient index. A food frequency questionnaire was also administered to determine intake of specific phytonutrients (carotenoids, anthocyanins, and carotenoids). Body adiposity was measured using body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and fat percentage. Pearson correlation was used to assess correlations between phytonutrient index and body adiposity measures. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) with post-hoc tests was used to determine differences in PI and phytonutrient intakes among the BMI, waist circumference and percent body fat groups.Results: Participants who met healthy standards for BMI, waist circumference, and fat percentage all averaged much higher PI scores compared to those classified as obese/overweight. The data showed a strong inverse relationship between PI and BMI (r = -0.753, p = 0.00), waist circumference (r = -0.730, p = 0.00), and body fat percentage (r = -0.701, p = 0.00). Higher weekly intakes of chlorophyll, carotenoid, and anthocyanin rich foods had better body composition in comparison to those who consumed less (p

AimMuseum and herbarium specimen records are frequently used to assess species’ conservation status and responses to climate change. Typically, occurrences with imprecise geolocality information are discarded because they cannot be matched confidently to environmental conditions, and are thus expected to increase uncertainty in downstream analyses. However, using only precisely georeferenced records risks undersampling of species’ environmental and geographic distributions. We present two related methods to allow the use of imprecisely georeferenced occurrences in biogeographic analysis.InnovationOur two procedures assign imprecise records to the 1) locations or 2) climates that are closest to the geographic or environmental centroid of the precise records of a species. For virtual species, including imprecise records alongside precise records improved the accuracy of ecological niche models projected to the present and the future, especially for species with~20 or fewer precise occurrences. Using only precise records underestimates loss in suitable habitat and overestimates the amount of suitable habitat in both the present and future. Including imprecise records also improves estimates of niche breadth and extent of occurrence. An analysis of 44 species of North AmericanAsclepias(Apocynaceae) yielded similar results.Main conclusionsExisting studies examining the effects of spatial imprecision compare outcomes based on precise records to the same records with spatial error added to them. However, in real-world cases, analysts possess a mix of precise and imprecise records and must decide whether to retain or discard the latter. Discarding imprecise records can undersample species’ geographic and environmental distributions and lead to mis-estimation of responses to past and future climate change. Our method, for which we provide a software implementation in the enmSdmX package for R, is simple to employ and can help leverage the large number of specimen records that are typically deemed “unusable” because of spatial imprecision in their geolocation.

Allergic diseases represent a major cause of morbidity in modern industrialized and developing countries. The origins and development of allergic immune responses have proven difficult to unravel and remain an important scientific objective. House dust mites (HDM) and ticks represent two important causes of allergic disease. Investigations into HDM fecal particles and tick bites have revealed insights which have and will continue to shape our understanding of allergic immunity. In the present review, focus is given to the role of innate immunity in shaping the respective responses to HDM and ticks. The HDM fecal particle represents a rich milieu of molecules that can be recognized by pathogen-recognition receptors of the innate immune system. Factors in tick saliva and/or tissue damage resultant from tick feeding are thought to activate innate immune signaling that promotes allergic pathways. Recent evidence indicates that innate sensing involves not only the direct recognition of allergenic agents/organisms, but also indirect sensing of epithelial barrier disruption. Although fecal particles from HDM and bites from ticks represent two distinct causes of sensitization, both involve a complex array of molecules that contribute to an innate response. Identification of specific molecules will inform our understanding of the mechanisms that contribute to allergic immunity, however the key may lie in the combination of molecules delivered to specific sites in the body.

The nematodes Toxocara canis (Werner, 1782) and Toxocara cati (Schrank, 1788) have been associated with worse human cognitive function in children and middle-aged adults. In this study, we sought to determine the association between Toxocara seropositivity and serointensity determined by detection of IgG antibodies against the Toxocara antigen recombinant Tc-CTL-1 and cognitive function in older adults, including approximately 1,350 observations from the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Mean fluorescence intensity was used to quantify IgG antibodies against the Toxocara recombinant Tc-CTL-1 antigen, and respondents were considered positive at values greater than 23.1. In adjusted models from sample sizes ranging from 1,274 to 1,288 depending on the individual cognitive task, we found that Toxocara seropositivity was associated with worse performance on the animal-fluency task (b = -1.245, 95% CI: -2.392 to -0.099, P0.05) and the digit-symbol coding task (b = -5.159, 95% CI: -8.337 to -1.980, P0.001). Toxocara serointensity assessed using log-transformed mean fluorescence intensity as a continuous variable was associated with worse performance on the digit-symbol coding task (b = -1.880, 95% CI: -2.976 to -0.783, P0.001). There were no significant associations with tasks assessing memory. Further, age modified the association between Toxocara and cognitive function, although sex, educational attainment, and income did not. These findings suggest that Toxocara might be associated with deficits in executive function and processing speed in older U.S. adults, although additional research is required to better describe cognitive function in older adults who are seropositive for Toxocara spp.

The digitization of museum collections as well as an explosion in citizen science initiatives has resulted in a wealth of data that can be useful for understanding the global distribution of biodiversity, provided that the well-documented biases inherent in unstructured opportunistic data are accounted for. While traditionally used to model imperfect detection using structured data from systematic surveys of wildlife, occupancy-detection models provide a framework for modelling the imperfect collection process that results in digital specimen data. In this study, we explore methods for adapting occupancy-detection models for use with biased opportunistic occurrence data from museum specimens and citizen science platforms using 7 species of Anacardiaceae in Florida as a case study. We explored two methods of incorporating information about collection effort to inform our uncertainty around species presence: (1) filtering the data to exclude collectors unlikely to collect the focal species and (2) incorporating collection covariates (collection type and history of previous detections) into a model of collection probability. We found that the best models incorporated both the background data filtration step as well as the incorporation of collector covariates associated with the probability of collection. We found that month, method of collection and whether a collector had previously collected the focal species were important predictors of collection probability. Efforts to standardize meta-data associated with data collection will improve efforts for modeling the spatial distribution of a variety of species.

Infecting approximately one-third of the world’s human population, Toxoplasma gondii has been associated with cognitive function. Here, we sought to further characterize the association between Toxoplasma gondii and cognitive function in a community sample of adults aged approximately 40 to70 years. Using adjusted linear regression models, we found associations of Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity with worse reasoning (b = -.192, p < .05) and matrix pattern completion (b = -.681, p < .01), of higher anti-Toxoplasma gondii p22 antibody levels with worse reasoning (b = -.078, p < .01) and slower Trails (numeric) performance (b = 5.962, p < .05), of higher anti-Toxoplasma gondii sag1 levels with worse reasoning (b = -.081, p < .05) and worse matrix pattern completion (b = -.217, p < .05), and of higher mean of the anti-Toxoplasma gondii p22 and sag1 levels with worse reasoning (b = -.112, p < .05), slower Trails (numeric) performance (b = 9.195, p < .05), and worse matrix pattern completion (b = -.245, p < .05). Neither age nor educational attainment moderated associations between the measures of Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity or serointensity. Sex, however, moderated the association between the sag1 titer and digit-symbol substitution and the association between the mean of the p22 and sag1 levels and digit-symbol substitution, and income moderated the association between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and numeric memory and the association between the p22 level and symbol-digit substitution. Based on the available neuropsychological tasks in this study, Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and serointensity were associated with some aspects of poorer executive function in adults., Author summary Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite that reproduces in cats but that can infect other animals and humans. Toxoplasma gondii has an affinity for the brain and infection results in a long-term immune response that may have negative effects. Animal models have shown that Toxoplasma gondii can affect behavior and cognition (thinking). In humans, the association is less clear, but there are associations between infection and variety of psychiatric and neurological conditions such as schizophrenia and epilepsy. Toxoplasma gondii may even increase the risk of dementia. If true, it is possible that the presence of this infection may affect thinking long before the onset of dementia. We sought to determine if the presence of antibodies in the blood to Toxoplasma gondii, which is the immune system’s response to past infections, might be associated with performance on measures of cognition. We analyzed a large dataset, the UK Biobank, which includes measures of cognition and blood test results for antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii. We found that both the presence of antibodies as well as the amount of these antibodies were related to some aspects of cognition, particularly problem solving and reasoning in otherwise healthy adults ages 40 to 69 years.

Objective Insomnia is associated with suicidality, although the mechanisms of this association are unclear. This study sought to replicate previous findings showing that insomnia symptoms but not sleep duration are associated with frequency of suicidal ideation in adults. We further investigated whether depression or sleep duration moderates the association between insomnia symptoms and frequency of suicidal ideation. Materials and Methods We used the 2005–2006 cycle of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to replicate previously reported findings from the 2007–2008 cycle. We used ordered logistic regression to determine whether insomnia symptoms were associated with frequency of suicidal ideation independently of depression and other potential confounds. To extend these findings, we tested whether depression or sleep duration moderated the association between insomnia symptoms and frequency of suicidal ideation. We further replicated these findings in parallel analyses using the combined data from the 2005–2006 and 2007–2008 cycles. Results This study replicated previous results showing that insomnia symptoms are associated with frequency of suicidal ideation in the NHANES 2005–2006 cycle (OR = 1.09, p < 0.05), even after adjusting for potentially confounding variables, including depression. Neither depression nor sleep duration moderated this association. Difficulty with sleep maintenance insomnia symptoms were most robustly associated with frequency of suicidal ideation (OR ≥ 1.97, p < 0.05). Sleep duration was not robustly associated with suicidal ideation. Conclusions In this study, we found that insomnia symptoms were uniquely associated with frequency of suicidal ideation. This association cannot be explained by the shared association with depression or sleep duration.

Studies of meat allergic patients have shown that eating meat poses a serious acute health risk that can induce severe cutaneous, gastrointestinal, and respiratory reactions. Allergic reactions in affected individuals following meat consumption are mediated predominantly by IgE antibodies specific for galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-gal), a blood group antigen of non-primate mammals and therefore present in dietary meat. α-gal is also found within certain tick species and tick bites are strongly linked to meat allergy. Thus, it is thought that exposure to tick bites promotes cutaneous sensitization to tick antigens such as α-gal, leading to the development of IgE-mediated meat allergy. The underlying immune mechanisms by which skin exposure to ticks leads to the production of α-gal-specific IgE are poorly understood and are key to identifying novel treatments for this disease. In this review, we summarize the evidence of cutaneous exposure to tick bites and the development of mammalian meat allergy. We then provide recent insights into the role of B cells in IgE production in human patients with mammalian meat allergy and in a novel mouse model of meat allergy. Finally, we discuss existing data more generally focused on tick-mediated immunomodulation, and highlight possible mechanisms for how cutaneous exposure to tick bites might affect B cell responses in the skin and gut that contribute to loss of oral tolerance.

Total brain gray-matter and white-matter volumes can be indicators of overall brain health. Among the factors associated with gray-matter and white-matter volumes is exposure to air pollution. Using data from the UK Biobank, we sought to determine associations between several components of air pollution&mdash, PM2.5, PM2.5&ndash, 10, PM10, nitrogen dioxide, and nitrogen oxides&mdash, and total gray-matter and total white-matter volumes in multivariable regression models in a large sample of adults. We found significant inverse associations between PM2.5 concentration and total white-matter volume and between PM2.5, PM2.5&ndash, 10, PM10, nitrogen dioxide, and nitrogen oxide concentrations and total gray-matter volume in models adjusted for age, sex, body-mass index, self-assessment of overall health, frequency of alcohol use, smoking status, educational attainment, and income. These findings of pollutant-associated decreases in total gray-matter and total white-matter volumes are in the context of mean PM2.5 concentrations near the upper limit of the World Health Organization&rsquo, s recommendations. Similarly, mean PM10 concentrations were below the recommended upper limit, and nitrogen dioxide concentration was slightly above. Still, there are many areas in the world with much higher concentrations of these pollutants, which could be associated with larger effects. If replicated, these findings suggest that air pollution could be a risk factor for neurodegeneration.

Objective: We investigated two hypotheses: First, incident CHD, defined as myocardial infarction or definite angina, leads to faster long-term cognitive decline. Second, among those with CHD, treatment with CABG surgery or PCI leads to slower long-term cognitive decline. Methods: The Cardiovascular Health Study is a cohort of US adults aged 65+. Global cognitive ability was assessed annually up to 9 times from 1990 to 1998 with the 100-point Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MS). We estimated trajectories of 3MS scores in the absence of stroke, adjusting for demographics, health behaviors, and comorbidities. For hypothesis 1, we compared 3MS trajectory after incident CHD with 3MS trajectory in the absence of CHD, censoring at first receipt of CABG/PCI. For hypothesis 2, among participants with CHD, we compared 3MS trajectory after first receipt of CABG/PCI with 3MS trajectory without CABG/PCI. Results: For hypothesis 1, of 4,122 participants, 398 had incident CHD during a mean of 5.9 years of follow-up. Figure Panel A shows model-predicted mean 3MS trajectories without CHD (blue) and after incident CHD (red) diagnosed at ages 70, 75, 80, or 85. Model-predicted 3MS score declined faster after incident CHD, especially for CHD diagnosed at age 80 or later. For example, after incident CHD at age 85, predicted 5-year decline in mean 3MS score through age 90 was 13.9 points (95% CI: 11.0, 16.7) versus 8.9 points (95% CI: 8.1, 9.7) among those without CHD. For hypothesis 2, of 1,183 participants who had prevalent or incident CHD, 118 had their first CABG/PCI during a mean of 4.1 years of follow-up. Model-predicted 3MS score declined faster after first receipt of CABG/PCI ( Figure Panel B ). Conclusions: Older adults diagnosed with incident CHD had faster average cognitive decline than those without CHD. However, treatment with CABG/PCI did not slow cognitive decline among those with CHD. This finding may be due to adverse effects of CABG/PCI on brain health or CABG/PCI recipients having more severe CHD or more cerebral atherosclerosis.

Neighborhood effects, or the development of community by neighborhoods, are often studied in an urban context. Previous research has neglected to examine the influence of neighborhoods in nonurban settings. Our case study, however, contributes to the existing literature as it takes place in a small, rural-to-urban town at an important point in time where the town was urbanizing. We find that neighborhood effects also influence community satisfaction and attachment in Creekdale, an urbanizing town. Using survey data (N = 1006) drawn from the Creekdale Community Citizens Viewpoint Survey (CCVS), we find that, contrary to conventional wisdom, population size and density does not matter necessarily for an individual&rsquo, s community attachment and satisfaction, community experience is shaped by neighborhood effects.

Ecological economics has long claimed distributive justice as a central tenet, yet discussions of equity and justice have received relatively little attention over the history of the field. While ecological economics has aspired to be transdisciplinary, its framing of justice is hardly pluralistic. Feminist perspectives and justice frameworks offer a structure for appraising the human condition that bridges social and ecological issues. Through a brief overview of the uptake of feminist perspectives in other social sciences, this paper outlines an initial justice-integration strategy for ecological economics by providing both a point of entry for readers to the vast and diverse field of feminist economic thought, as well as a context for the process of disciplinary evolution in social sciences. We also critique ecological economics' toleration of neoclassical mainstays such as individualism that run counter to justice goals. The paper concludes with a call for ecological economics practitioners and theorists to learn from other social sciences and elevate their attention to justice, to open possibilities for more dynamic, interdisciplinary, community-oriented, and pluralistic analysis.

INTRODUCTION There is growing evidence that moral injury (MI) is related to greater suicide risk among Veterans and Active Duty Military (V/ADM). This study examines the relationship between MI and suicide risk and the moderating effect of religiosity on this relationship in V/ADM with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a cross-sectional multi-site study involving 570 V/ADM from across the USA. Inclusion criteria were having served in a combat theater and the presence of PTSD symptoms. Multidimensional measures assessed MI, religiosity, PTSD symptoms, anxiety, and depression. In this secondary data analysis, a suicide risk index was created based on 10 known risk factors. Associations between MI and the suicide risk index were examined, controlling for demographic, religious, and military characteristics, and the moderating effects of religiosity were explored. RESULTS MI overall was correlated strongly with suicide risk (r = 0.54), as were MI subscales (ranging from r = 0.19 for loss of trust to 0.48 for self-condemnation). Controlling for other characteristics had little effect on this relationship (B = 0.016, SE = 0.001, p < 0.0001). Religiosity was unrelated to suicide risk and did not moderate the relationship between suicide risk and MI or any of its subscales. CONCLUSION MI is strongly and independently associated with risk factors for suicide among V/ADM with PTSD symptoms, and religiosity does not mediate or moderate this relationship. Whether interventions that target MI reduce risk of suicide or suicidal ideation remains unknown and needs further study.