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We describe the genome of Microvirus-AZ-2020, which was identified from wastewater in Arizona, USA, in October 2020. Microvirus-AZ-2020 belongs to subfamily Gokushovirinae and contains six (five known and one hypothetical) open reading frames (ORFs), each with >40 codons. HHPred analysis and Colabfold structure prediction suggest that the hypothetical ORF encodes a previously undescribed putative DNA-binding protein.

We determine the presence and diversity of rhinoviruses in nasopharyngeal swab samples from 248 individuals who presented with influenza-like illness (ILI) at a university clinic in the Southwest United States between October 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. We identify at least 13 rhinovirus genotypes (A11, A22, A23, A25, A67, A101, B6, B79, C1, C17, C36, and C56, as well a new genotype [AZ88**]) and 16 variants that contributed to the burden of ILI in the community. We also describe the complete capsid protein gene of a member (AZ88**) of an unassigned rhinovirus A genotype.

The use of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) for early detection of virus circulation and response during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic increased interest in and use of virus concentration protocols that are quick, scalable, and efficient. One such protocol involves sample clarification by size fractionation using either low-speed centrifugation to produce a clarified supernatant or membrane filtration to produce an initial filtrate depleted of solids, eukaryotes and bacterial present in wastewater (WW), followed by concentration of virus particles by ultrafiltration of the above. While this approach has been successful in identifying viruses from WW, it assumes that majority of the viruses of interest should be present in the fraction obtained by ultrafiltration of the initial filtrate, with negligible loss of viral particles and viral diversity.We used WW samples collected in a population of ∼700,000 in southwest USA between October 2019 and March 2021, targeting three non-enveloped viruses (enteroviruses [EV], canine picornaviruses [CanPV], and human adenovirus 41 [Ad41]), to evaluate whether size fractionation of WW prior to ultrafiltration leads to appreciable differences in the virus presence and diversity determined.We showed that virus presence or absence in WW samples in both portions (filter trapped solids [FTS] and filtrate) are not consistent with each other. We also found that in cases where virus was detected in both fractions, virus diversity (or types) captured either in FTS or filtrate were not consistent with each other. Hence, preferring one fraction of WW over the other can undermine the capacity of WBE to function as an early warning system and negatively impact the accurate representation of virus presence and diversity in a population.

Virus surveillance by wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) in two Arizona municipalities in Maricopa County, USA (~700,000 people), revealed the presence of six canine picornavirus (CanPV) variants: five in 2019 and one in 2021. Phylogenetic analysis suggests these viruses might be from domestic dog breeds living within or around the area. Phylogenetic and pairwise identity analyses suggest over 15 years of likely enzootic circulation of multiple lineages of CanPV in the USA and possibly globally. Considering10 CanPV sequences are publicly available in GenBank as of June 2, 2022, the results provided here constitute an increase of current knowledge on CanPV diversity and highlight the need for increased surveillance.

In many species, males possess specialized weaponry that have evolved to confer a benefit during aggressive interactions. Because male weaponry is typically an exaggerated or extreme version of pre-existing body parts, females often possess reduced or weaponry. Although much research has investigated sexual dimorphism in the sizes of such weapons, other weapon components, such as weapon performance or alternative weapon forms can also explain the evolution of weapon sexual dimorphisms. Here, we investigated the allometry and variation of multiple weapon components of hindleg weaponry in the male and female giant mesquite bugs, Thasus necalifornicus . Despite theory predicating greater allocation in male weaponry, we found that females allocated more into the lengths of their hindlegs compared to males. Despite this allocation, males possess relatively wider hindlegs, which likely increase area of muscle mass. Indeed, the squeezing performance of male hindlegs was much greater than that of female hindlegs. Lastly, we also described the allometry and variation in a male weapon component, prominent tibial spines, which likely are used to damage competitors during aggressive interaction. Overall, our findings highlight the intricacies of weapon sexual dimorphism and demonstrate the importance of measuring multiple weapon components and not a single measure. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

Pruning, the elimination of excess synapses is a phenomenon of fundamental importance for correct wiring of the central nervous system. The establishment of the cerebellar climbing fiber (CF)-to-Purkinje cell (PC) synapse provides a suitable model to study pruning and pruning-relevant processes during early postnatal development. Until now, the role of microglia in pruning remains under intense investigation. Here, we analyzed migration of microglia into the cerebellar cortex during early postnatal development and their possible contribution to the elimination of CF-to-PC synapses. Microglia enrich in the PC layer at pruning-relevant time points giving rise to the possibility that microglia are actively involved in synaptic pruning. We investigated the contribution of microglial fractalkine (CX3 CR1) signaling during postnatal development using genetic ablation of the CX3 CR1 receptor and an in-depth histological analysis of the cerebellar cortex. We found an aberrant migration of microglia into the granule and the molecular layer. By electrophysiological analysis, we show that defective fractalkine signaling and the associated migration deficits neither affect the pruning of excess CFs nor the development of functional parallel fiber and inhibitory synapses with PCs. These findings indicate that CX3 CR1 signaling is not mandatory for correct cerebellar circuit formation. MAIN POINTS: Ablation of CX3 CR1 results in a transient migration defect in cerebellar microglia. CX3 CR1 is not required for functional pruning of cerebellar climbing fibers. Functional inhibitory and parallel fiber synapse development with Purkinje cells is undisturbed in CX3 CR1-deficient mice.

Importance Postdischarge video-based virtual visits are a growing aspect of surgical care and have dramatically increased in the setting of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Objective To evaluate the outcomes of all-cause 30-day hospital encounter proportion among patients who have a postdischarge video-based virtual visit follow-up compared with in-person follow-up. Design, Setting, and Participants Randomized, active, controlled noninferiority trial in an urban setting, including patients from a small community hospital and a large, tertiary care hospital. Patients who underwent minimally invasive appendectomy or cholecystectomy by a group of surgeons who cover emergency general surgery at these 2 hospitals were included. Patients undergoing elective and nonelective procedures were included. Interventions Patients were randomized in a 2:1 fashion to video-based virtual visit or in-person visit. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome is the percentage of patients with 30-day hospital encounter, and we hypothesized that there would not be a significant increase in the 30-day hospital encounter proportion for patients who receive video-based virtual postdischarge care compared with patients who receive standard (in-person) care. Hospital encounter includes emergency department visit, observation, or inpatient admission. Results A total of 1645 patients were screened; 289 patients were randomized to the virtual group and 143 to the in-person group. Fifty-three patients crossed over to the in-person follow-up group. The percentage of patients who had a hospital encounter was noninferior for virtual visits (12.8% vs 13.3% for in-person, Δ 0.5% with 1-sided 95% CI, −∞ to 5.2%). The amount of time patients spent with the clinician (mean of 8.4 minutes virtual vs 7.8 minutes in-person;P = .30) was not different, but the median overall postoperative visit time was 27.5 minutes shorter (95% CI, −33.5 to −24.0). Conclusions and Relevance Postdischarge video-based virtual visits did not increase hospital encounter proportions and provided shorter overall time commitment but equal time with the surgical team member. This information will help surgeons and patients feel more confident in using video-based virtual visits. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:NCT03258177

Why do people gamble? Conventional views hold that gambling may be motivated by irrational beliefs, risk-seeking, impulsive temperament, or dysfunction within the same reward circuitry affected by drugs of abuse. An alternate, unexplored perspective is that gambling is an extension of natural foraging behavior to a financial environment. However, when these foraging algorithms are applied to stochastic gambling outcomes, undesirable results may occur. To test this hypothesis, we recruited participants based on their frequency of gambling – yearly (or less), monthly, and weekly – and investigated how gambling frequency related to irrational beliefs, risk-taking/impulsivity, and foraging behavior. We found that increased gambling frequency corresponded to greater gambling-related beliefs, more exploratory choices on an explore/exploit foraging task, and fewer points earned on a patchy foraging task. Gambling-related beliefs negatively related to performance on the patchy foraging task, indicating that individuals with more gambling-related cognitions tended to leave a patch too quickly. This indicates that frequent gamblers have reduced foraging ability to maximize rewards; however, gambling frequency- and by extension, poor foraging ability- was not related to risk-taking or impulsive behavior. These results suggest that gambling reflects the application of a dysfunctional foraging process to financial outcomes.

Tobacco use disorder is associated with dysregulated neurocognitive function in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG)-one node in a corticothalamic inhibitory control (IC) network.To examine associations between IC neural circuitry structure and function and lapse/relapse vulnerability in 2 independent studies of adult smokers.In study 1, treatment-seeking smokers (n = 81) completed an IC task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) before making a quit attempt and then were followed up for 10 weeks after their quit date. In study 2, a separate group of smokers (n = 26) performed the same IC task during fMRI, followed by completing a laboratory-based smoking relapse analog task. Study 1 was performed at Duke University Medical Center between 2008 and 2012; study 2 was conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina between 2013 and 2016.Associations between corticothalamic-mediated IC, gray-matter volume, and smoking lapse/relapse.Of the 81 study participants in study 1 (cessation study), 45 were women (56%), with mean (SD) age, 38.4 (10.2) years. In study 1, smoking relapse was associated with less gray-matter volume (F1,74 = 28.32; familywise error P threshold = 0.03), greater IC task-related blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) response in the right IFG (F1,78 = 14.87) and thalamus (F1,78 = 14.97) (P.05), and weaker corticothalamic task-based functional connectivity (tbFC) (F1,77 = 5.87; P = .02). Of the 26 participants in study 2 (laboratory study), 15 were women (58%), with mean (SD) age, 34.9 (10.3). Similar to study 1, in study 2, greater IC-BOLD response in the right IFG (t23 = -2.49; β = -0.47; P = .02), and weaker corticothalamic tbFC (t22 = 5.62; β = 0.79; P .001) were associated with smoking sooner during the smoking relapse-analog task. In both studies, corticothalamic tbFC mediated the association between IC performance and smoking outcomes.In these 2 studies, baseline differences in corticothalamic circuitry function were associated with mediated IC and smoking relapse vulnerability. These findings warrant further examination of interventions for augmenting corticothalamic neurotransmission and enhancing IC during the course of tobacco use disorder treatment.