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ABSTRACT Color varies in pattern and degree across the tree of life. In animals, genetic variation in color is hypothesized to have pleiotropic effects on a variety of behaviors due to shared dependence on underlying biochemical pathways. Such pleiotropy can constrain the independent evolution of color and behavior. Although associations between color and behavior have been reported, this relationship has not yet been addressed across a broad taxonomic scale with a formal meta‐analysis. We used a phylogenetic meta‐analytic approach to examine the relationship between individual variation in aggressive behavior and variation in multiple colors. Seventy‐four studies met our inclusion criteria (vertebrates = 70; invertebrates = 4). After accounting for phylogeny and correcting for publication bias, there was a positive association between measures of aggression and degree or area of coloration (mean = 0.248, 95% CI = (0.044, 0.477)). Because this positive association was not restricted to melanin‐based coloration, we conclude that this pattern does not strongly support the melanin pleiotropy hypothesis. Because the association was also not affected by moderators accounting for individual condition, social rank, or age, the results do not strongly support hypotheses that condition dependence accounts for relationships between color and aggressive behavior. The badge of status hypothesis predicts that arbitrary traits can evolve to signal aggression or social dominance. We propose that this is the most parsimonious explanation for the patterns we observe. Because of the lack of evidence for condition dependence in the association between color and aggression, we further propose that the genetic covariation between traits contributes to the evolution of the badges of status.

IntroductionMusculoskeletal pain affecting children is common. Rehabilitation and treatment effectiveness can be influenced by multiple individual and contextual factors. The need for more rigorous evaluation of physiotherapy treatment for children's pain, identification of the role of specific techniques, and exploration of the influence of the therapeutic alliance is needed. This scoping review of research aimed to examine: (1) What are the perceptions of children, parents, and physiotherapists about the importance of therapeutic alliance during musculoskeletal pain treatment? (2) What are the key characteristics of therapeutic alliance during a child's musculoskeletal pain treatment from the perspectives of children, parents, and physiotherapists? and (3) What are the perceived impacts of therapeutic alliance (positive and negative) during a child's physiotherapy treatment for musculoskeletal pain?MethodsThe scoping review, based on Arksey and O'Malley's framework and reporting was guided by PRISMA-ScR. The search strategy was based on three concept blocks: (1) Study population: Children (

Xishuangbanna, located in southern Yunnan, China, is a vital tropical rainforest reserve supporting rich biodiversity, including the endangered Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). Increasing human activities, such as urbanization and agricultural expansion, have degraded habitats and intensified human–elephant conflicts, adding to the challenges of conservation. This study integrates habitat quality assessment and conflict risk analysis using the InVEST model across 2128 villages, considering land use and habitat threats like cropland and roads. The model reveals significant overlap between high-conflict zones and low-quality habitats near key reserves, underscoring the need for targeted conservation strategies. We propose establishing Ecological Source Areas (ESAs) to protect high-quality habitats and Ecological Restoration Zones (ERZs) to improve ecological conditions in low-quality, high-conflict zones. ESAs are essential for providing continuous ecosystem services and ensuring ecological security, while ERZs focus resources on areas with high conflict risk that urgently need restoration. Additionally, we recommend creating ecological corridors to connect fragmented habitats, enhance connectivity, support herd interactions, and reduce conflicts by expanding elephants’ safe roaming range. This integrated framework emphasizes habitat protection, ecological restoration, and conflict mitigation while accounting for human dynamics to support sustainable conservation. Reducing overlap between human and elephant activities remains a key objective. Future research should refine these models with more detailed data and extend their application to other regions, focusing on adaptive management and monitoring to address evolving ecological and human dynamics.

Abstract Oncogenic KRAS mutations are well-described functionally and are known to drive tumorigenesis. Recent reports describe a significant prevalence of KRAS allelic imbalances or gene dosage changes in human cancers, including loss of the wild-type allele in KRAS mutant cancers. However, the role of wild-type KRAS in tumorigenesis and therapeutic response remains elusive. We report an in vivo murine model of colorectal cancer featuring deletion of wild-type Kras in the context of oncogenic Kras. Deletion of wild-type Kras exacerbates oncogenic KRAS signalling through MAPK and thus drives tumour initiation. Absence of wild-type Kras potentiates the oncogenic effect of KRASG12D, while incidentally inducing sensitivity to inhibition of MEK1/2. Importantly, loss of the wild-type allele in aggressive models of KRASG12D-driven CRC significantly alters tumour progression, and suppresses metastasis through modulation of the immune microenvironment. This study highlights the critical role for wild-type Kras upon tumour initiation, progression and therapeutic response in Kras mutant CRC.

This article explores a number of factors that have shaped the understanding of the role of women prose writers in Estonian literary history and in contemporary cultural consciousness. Little attention has been paid to the works of women prose writers in literary history, and the cultural consciousness contains myths and stereotypes about women authors which upon closer examination prove unfounded. According to the common perception, women’s strong suit is poetry, whereas in the realm of prose, the creative output of male authors is afforded greater importance. This perspective has sometimes been used to justify the limited attention given to the works of women prose writers. However, the role of women prose writers in Estonian literary history can also be seen from a different angle by asking whether they should indeed be consigned to a more modest place in literary history compared to male authors and what the reasons for this might be. The creative output of women prose writers has highlighted themes and perspectives that do not always align with what is considered “important”, especially in the context of the national narrative, which emphasises the national subject and is implicitly male-oriented. The visibility of women authors in the cultural field is also shaped by the literary institution and its participants, as well as the literary canon, which has included few women. Geopolitical factors, i.e. different social systems, also influence the cultural consciousness. The Soviet period, in particular, shaped entrenched perceptions of authors through ideological pressure, the effects of which can still be felt. Since the works of women prose writers from the first half of the 20th century have not been extensively studied, the exploration of the reasons behind the marginalization of women prose writers remains largely ahead.

A look at Estonian literature from the first decades of the 20th century.

It is estimated that disruptions to life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have led to an increase in the number of children and young people suffering from mental health issues globally. In England one in four children experienced poor mental health in 2022. Social prescribing is gaining traction as a systems-based approach, which builds upon person-centered methods, to refer children and young people with non-clinical mental health issues to appropriate community assets. Recognition of social prescribing benefits for children's mental health is increasing, yet evidence is limited. Inconsistent terminology and variation of terms used to describe social prescribing practices across the literature hinders understanding and assessment of social prescribing's impact on children's mental health. This scoping review thus aims to systematically identify and analyse the various terms, concepts and language used to describe social prescribing with children and young people across the wider health and social care literature base. The scoping review will be undertaken using a six-stage framework which includes: identifying the research question, identifying relevant studies, study selection, charting the data, collating, summarising and reporting the results, and consultation. Electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, PsychInfo, Social Policy Practice, Scopus, Science Direct, Cochrane library and Joanna Briggs), alongside evidence from grey literature, hand search, citation tracking, and use of expert correspondence will be included in the review to ensure published and unpublished literature is captured. Data extraction will be carried out by two reviewers using a predefined form to capture study characteristics, intervention descriptions, outcomes, and key terms used to report social prescribing for children and young people. No formal quality appraisal or risk of bias evaluation will be performed, as this scoping review aims to map and describe the literature. Data will be stored and managed using the Rayaan.ai platform and a critical narrative of the common themes found will be included.

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a World Health Organization priority pathogen and a significant clinical concern for infections of the respiratory and urinary tracts due to widespread and increasing resistance to antimicrobials. In the absence of a vaccine, there is an urgent need to identify novel targets for therapeutic development. Bacterial pathogens, including K. pneumoniae, require the d-block metal ion zinc as an essential micronutrient, which serves as a cofactor for ~6% of the proteome. During infection, zinc acquisition necessitates the use of high affinity uptake systems to overcome niche-specific zinc limitation and host-mediated nutritional immunity. Here, we report the identification of ZnuCBA and ZniCBA, two ATP-binding cassette permeases that are highly conserved in Klebsiella species and contribute to K. pneumoniae AJ218 zinc homeostasis, and the high-resolution structure of the zinc-recruiting solute-binding protein ZniA. The Znu and Zni permeases appear functionally redundant with abrogation of both systems required to reduce K. pneumoniae zinc accumulation. Disruption of both systems also exerted pleiotropic effects on the homeostasis of other d-block elements. Zinc limitation perturbed K. pneumoniae cell morphology and compromised resistance to stressors, such as salt and oxidative stress. The mutant strain lacking both systems showed significantly impaired virulence in acute lung infection models, highlighting the necessity of zinc acquisition in the virulence and pathogenicity of K. pneumoniae.

Literature was a major ideological tool in the cultural policy of the Soviet Union. Literature played an important social role, as it facilitated the upbringing of a new kind of people – Soviet people. Due to the importance of literature, writers, as representatives of the cultural elite, were also considered major cultural influencers. Writers’ work was guided by the Writers’ Union, which was deeply interwoven with the rules of the Soviet cultural policy. The ideological role of the Writers’ Union is evidenced, among other things, by the fact that from 1945 onwards it employed literary consultants who were appointed by a decision of the management board of the Writers’ Union. The article looks at the role of the literary consultants of the Writers’ Union of the Estonian SSR as guides for young/inexperienced authors. Literary consultants were writers hired by the Writers’ Union to evaluate the works of novice writers as well as to offer guidance and instruction. Although there were separate consultants for poetry and prose, several consultants handled both poems and prose writings. Various writers, such as Debora Vaarandi, Ellen Niit, Paul Kuusberg, Eduard Männik and others, served as consultants. In addition to reading manuscripts and providing feedback, the consultants were tasked with organizing the work of the young authors’ section, actively seeking out new talented authors, advising experienced writers, etc. Novice authors would send their works to the consultants, who would provide both written and oral feedback. The authors who sent their texts to the consultants included regular working people as well as those who went on to become well-known writers, such as Ilmi Kolla, Enn Vetemaa, Ly Seppel, Kalju Kangur, Jüri and Ülo Tuulik, among others. The communication between a consultant and an author would sometimes turn tense, if the author did not agree with the consultant’s assessment. A consultant could endorse a work for publication or reject it. Consultants were required to base their assessments on both aesthetic and ideological criteria. From the ideological aspect, they had to rely on the officially approved Soviet views and rhetoric; in other words, a consultant was expected to perform a certain role. The authors had to follow ideological guidelines in their work as well. The article also looks at the extent to which both the consultants and the authors had wiggle room in this matter.

Abstract Knowledge gaps regarding the potential role of pesticides in the loss of agricultural biodiversity worldwide and mixture-related issues hamper proper risk assessment of unintentional impacts of pesticides, rendering essential the monitoring of wildlife exposure to these compounds. Free-ranging mammal exposure to legacy (Banned and Restricted: BRPs) and currently used (CUPs) pesticides was investigated, testing the hypotheses of: (1) a background bioaccumulation for BRPs whereas a “hot-spot” pattern for CUPs, (2) different contamination profiles between carnivores and granivores/omnivores, and (3) the role of non-treated areas as refuges towards exposure to CUPs. Apodemus mice (omnivore) and Crocidura shrews (insectivore) were sampled over two French agricultural landscapes (n = 93). The concentrations of 140 parent chemicals and metabolites were screened in hair samples. A total of 112 compounds were detected, showing small mammal exposure to fungicides, herbicides and insecticides with 32 to 65 residues detected per individual (13–26 BRPs and 18–41 CUPs). Detection frequencies exceeded 75% of individuals for 13 BRPs and 25 CUPs. Concentrations above 10 ng/g were quantified for 7 BRPs and 29 CUPs (in 46% and 72% of individuals, respectively), and above 100 ng/g for 10 CUPs (in 22% of individuals). Contamination (number of compounds or concentrations) was overall higher in shrews than rodents and higher in animals captured in hedgerows and cereal crops than in grasslands, but did not differ significantly between conventional and organic farming. A general, ubiquitous contamination by legacy and current pesticides was shown, raising issues about exposure pathways and impacts on ecosystems. We propose a concept referred to as “biowidening”, depicting an increase of compound diversity at higher trophic levels. This work suggests that wildlife exposure to pesticide mixtures is a rule rather than an exception, highlighting the need for consideration of the exposome concept and questioning appropriateness of current risk assessment and mitigation processes.

Abstract When animals forage, they face complex multi-destination routing problems. Traplining behaviour—the repeated use of the same route—can be used to study how spatial memory might evolve to cope with complex routing problems in ecologically distinct taxa. We analyzed experimental data from multi-destination foraging arrays for five species, two cercopithecine monkeys (vervets, Chlorocebus pygerythrus, and Japanese macaques, Macaca fuscata) and three strepsirrhines (fat-tailed dwarf lemurs, Cheirogaleus medius, grey mouse lemurs, Microcebus murinus, and aye-ayes, Daubentonia madagascariensis). These species all developed relatively efficient route formations within the arrays but appeared to rely on variable cognitive mechanisms. We found a strong reliance on heuristics in cercopithecoid species, with initial routes that began near optimal and did not improve with experience. In strepsirrhines, we found greater support for reinforcement learning of location-based decisions, such that routes improved with experience. Further, we found evidence of repeated sequences of site visitation in all species, supporting previous suggestions that primates form traplines. However, the recursive use of routes was weak, differing from the strategies seen in well-known traplining animals. Differences between strepsirrhine and cercopithecine strategies may be the result of either ecological or phylogenetic trends, and we discuss future possibilities for disentangling the two.

The article deals with the representation of nationalism in Lilli Suburg’s (1841–1923) short story “Liina” (1877). Lilli Suburg was a writer, journalist, pedagogue, and the first Estonian feminist. “Liina” is her most famous literary work, which also belongs among the most important works of early Estonian literature. “Liina” was published in two editions (1877, 1884) and was also translated into Finnish (1892). It is important in the context of Estonian national movement because it is a short story based on the central idea which emphasizes the importance of being Estonian. It became popular among readers and made the author famous. “Liina” is based on Suburg’s German-language diary, and it is an autobiographical short story about an Estonian peasant girl who struggles to remain Estonian. The national ideas represented in “Liina” emphasize the importance of remaining Estonian in an environment where social mobility rather implied Germanization. On the other hand, the national theme in “Liina” represents a gendered viewpoint. Suburg understood the woman as a national subject equal to the man and therefore the carrier of national ideas is a woman – the protagonist called Liina. The article deals with the representation of nationalism and gender in the short story and also with the context of the creation and reception of the work.

COVID-19 necessitated the rapid transition to online learning, challenging the ability of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) professors to offer laboratory experiences to their students. As a result, many instructors sought online alternatives. In addition, recent literature supports the capacity of online curricula to empower students of historically underrepresented identities in STEM fields. Here, we present PARE-Seq, a virtual bioinformatics activity highlighting approaches to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research. Following curricular development and assessment tool validation, pre- and post-assessments of 101 undergraduates from 4 institutions revealed that students experienced both significant learning gains and increases in STEM identity, but with small effect sizes. Learning gains were marginally modified by gender, race/ethnicity, and number of extracurricular work hours per week. Students with more extracurricular work hours had significantly lower increase in STEM identity score after course completion. Female-identifying students saw greater learning gains than male-identifying, and though not statistically significant, students identifying as an underrepresented minority reported larger increases in STEM identity score. These findings demonstrate that even short course-based interventions have potential to yield learning gains and improve STEM identity. Online curricula like PARE-Seq can equip STEM instructors to utilize research-driven resources that improve outcomes for all students, but support must be prioritized for students working outside of school.

ABSTRACT Metal ions are required by all organisms for the chemical processes that support life. However, in excess they can also exert toxicity within biological systems. During infection, bacterial pathogens such as Streptococcus pneumoniae are exposed to host-imposed metal intoxication, where the toxic properties of metals, such as copper, are exploited to aid in microbial clearance. However, previous studies investigating the antimicrobial efficacy of copper in vivo have reported variable findings. Here, we use a highly copper-sensitive strain of S. pneumoniae, lacking both copper efflux and intracellular copper buffering by glutathione, to investigate how copper stress is managed and where it is encountered during infection. We show that this strain exhibits highly dysregulated copper homeostasis, leading to the attenuation of growth and hyperaccumulation of copper in vitro. In a murine infection model, whole-tissue copper quantitation and elemental bioimaging of the murine lung revealed that infection with S. pneumoniae resulted in increased copper abundance in specific tissues, with the formation of spatially discrete copper hot spots throughout the lung. While the increased copper was able to reduce the viability of the highly copper-sensitive strain in a pneumonia model, copper levels in professional phagocytes and in a bacteremic model were insufficient to prosecute bacterial clearance. Collectively, this study reveals that host copper is redistributed to sites of infection and can impact bacterial viability in a hypersusceptible strain. However, in wild-type S. pneumoniae, the concerted actions of the copper homeostatic mechanisms are sufficient to facilitate continued viability and virulence of the pathogen. IMPORTANCE Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) is one of the world’s foremost bacterial pathogens. Treatment of both localized and systemic pneumococcal infection is becoming complicated by increasing rates of multidrug resistance globally. Copper is a potent antimicrobial agent used by the mammalian immune system in the defense against bacterial pathogens. However, unlike other bacterial species, this copper stress is unable to prosecute pneumococcal clearance. This study determines how the mammalian host inflicts copper stress on S. pneumoniae and the bacterial copper tolerance mechanisms that contribute to maintenance of viability and virulence in vitro and in vivo. This work has provided insight into the chemical biology of the host-pneumococcal interaction and identified a potential avenue for novel antimicrobial development.

BackgroundDepression is a common mental health condition that poses a significant public health burden. Effective treatments for depression exist; however, access to evidence-based care remains limited. Mobile health (mHealth) apps offer an avenue for improving access. However, few mHealth apps are informed by evidence-based treatments and even fewer are empirically evaluated before dissemination. To address this gap, we developed RuminAid, an mHealth app that uses evidence-based treatment components to reduce depression by targeting a single key depressogenic process—rumination. ObjectiveThe primary objective of this study was to collect qualitative and quantitative feedback that could be used to improve the design of RuminAid before the software development phase. MethodsWe reviewed empirically supported interventions for depression and rumination and used the key aspects of each to create a storyboard version of RuminAid. We distributed an audio-guided presentation of the RuminAid storyboard to 22 individuals for viewing and solicited user feedback on app content, design, and perceived functionality across 7 focus group sessions. ResultsThe consumer-rated quality of the storyboard version of RuminAid was in the acceptable to good range. Indeed, most participants reported that they thought RuminAid would be an engaging, functional, and informational app. Likewise, they endorsed overwhelming positive beliefs about the perceived impact of RuminAid; specifically, 96% (21/22) believed that RuminAid will help depressed ruminators with depression and rumination. Nevertheless, the results highlighted the need for improved app aesthetics (eg, a more appealing color scheme and modern design). ConclusionsFocus group members reported that the quality of information was quite good and had the potential to help adults who struggle with depression and rumination but expressed concern that poor aesthetics would interfere with users’ desire to continue using the app. To address these comments, we hired a graphic designer and redesigned each screen to improve visual appeal. We also removed time gating from the app based on participant feedback and findings from related research. These changes helped elevate RuminAid and informed its initial software build for a pilot trial that focused on evaluating its feasibility and acceptability.

The authors examine how we differentiate highly similar places from each other. They provide evidence for complementary neural mechanisms in the human hippocampus and prefrontal cortex involved in processing interfering and common elements important to remembering places that we have visited.

Children's social preferences are influenced by the relative status of other individuals, but also by their social identity and the degree to which those individuals are like them. Previous studies have investigated these aspects separately and showed that in some circumstances children prefer high-status individuals and own-gender individuals. Gender is a particularly interesting case to study because it is a strong dimension of social identity, but also one of the most prevalent forms of social hierarchy, with males conceptualised as superior to females, by adults and children alike. Here we directly asked how children's social preferences are influenced by status (winner or loser of a zero-sum conflict) and winner gender (female or male) in different scenarios (same or mixed-gender). In Experiment 1, children saw same-gender conflicts between two females or two males and they displayed an overall preference for winners. In Experiment 2, participants watched two mixed-gender conflicts, one where the female prevailed and one where the male prevailed. In this case, children chose the winner, but only when they had the same gender as themselves. Experiment 3 confirmed that children preferred own-gender individuals in the absence of conflict or status. Overall, children are sensitive to the relative status of other individuals and use this information to make social decisions. However, preschoolers do not prefer just any individual who wins access to a resource. They preferred dominant individuals, but only when they were of their own gender. This suggests that children's dominance evaluations are modulated by children's social identity.

Introduction Names are a reflection of identity and often have personal meaning. The chronic mispronunciation of names can undermine one's identity and be experienced as a microaggression. This workshop aims to provide historical context for names as well as resources for correct name pronunciation. Methods We developed a 60-minute interactive virtual workshop with didactics, small-group sharing of personal experiences, and case discussions. We used an anonymous postworkshop survey to evaluate workshop effectiveness. Results We presented the workshop at one local academic conference and two local educational conferences to learners of all levels from medical students to faculty. We collected postworkshop survey results from 78 participants of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Participants reported learning historical context, ways to ask about correct name pronunciation, correcting name mispronunciation, documenting pronunciation, and sources for applications to practice. The main barriers to implementing workshop lessons included personal and structural factors. Discussion This workshop effectively fills an educational gap by addressing the importance of correct name pronunciation in order to provide a more inclusive environment for clinicians and patients alike.

Young people involved in climate justice activism engage in a range of tactics across entangled 'online' and 'offline' spaces. This article explores the affordances and ambivalences of humour in digital modes of contention for young people (aged 12-30) involved in climate justice activism. Four of the authors are 19-22 years old and involved in climate justice activist organising, and one author is a university-based researcher in her early 40s. Through a collaborative, intergenerational analysis of stories of hybrid digital climate activisms, we ask: what is the role of humour in young people's varied activist repertoires? Thinking with the conceptual resources of adrienne maree brown's "Pleasure Activism," we pose three analytic provocations: (i) humour can amplify generational tensions; (ii) humour is entwined with individual and collective identity-work; and (iii) sometimes humour is 'just a thing' (that can also help with burnout). We collaboratively analyse how young people use humour to dissent, through lampooning hierarchical power structures and profit-driven systems, drawing attention to intersectional injustices, and joyfully expressing affinity and solidarity. At the same time, humour may exclude, offend, and reinforce existing divisions and injustices. Humour is an underappreciated feature of organising towards a more just world, even as the pleasurable and just outcomes of humour are not guaranteed. We argue for further attention to young people's multimodal repertoires across hybrid spaces, and the multiplicity of feelings that accompany climate justice activisms.

Abstract An increasing number of studies have found that the implementation of feeding sites for wildlife-related tourism can affect animal health, behaviour and reproduction. Feeding sites can favour high densities, home range overlap, greater sedentary behaviour and increased interspecific contacts, all of which might promote parasite transmission. In the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti), human interventions via provisioning monkeys at specific feeding sites have led to the sub-structuring of a group into genetically differentiated sub-groups. The fed subgroup is located near human hamlets and interacts with domesticated animals. Using high-throughput sequencing, we investigated Entamoeba species diversity in a local host assemblage strongly influenced by provisioning for wildlife-related tourism. We identified 13 Entamoeba species or lineages in faeces of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, humans and domesticated animals (including pigs, cattle, and domestic chicken). In Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, Entamoeba prevalence and OTU richness were higher in the fed than in the wild subgroup. Entamoeba polecki was found in monkeys, pigs and humans, suggesting that this parasite might circulates between the wild and domestic components of this local social–ecological system. The highest proportion of faeces positive for Entamoeba in monkeys geographically coincided with the presence of livestock and humans. These elements suggest that feeding sites might indirectly play a role on parasite transmission in the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey. The implementation of such sites should carefully consider the risk of creating hotspots of disease transmission, which should be prevented by maintaining a buffer zone between monkeys and livestock/humans. Regular screenings for pathogens in fed subgroup are necessary to monitor transmission risk in order to balance the economic development of human communities dependent on wildlife-related tourism, and the conservation of the endangered Yunnan snub-nosed monkey.

Abstract During the Spring Semester of 2020, an outbreak of a novel coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2) and the illnesses it caused (COVID‐19) led to widespread cancelling of on‐campus instruction at colleges and universities in the United States and other countries around the world. Response to the pandemic in university settings included a rapid and unexpected shift to online learning for faculty and students. The transition to teaching and learning online posed many challenges, and the experiences of students during this crisis may inform future planning for distance learning experiences during the ongoing pandemic and beyond. Herein, we discuss the experiences of first‐ and second‐year university students enrolled in a biology seminar course as their classes migrated to online environments. Drawing on reported student experiences and prior research and resources, we discuss the ways we will adjust our own teaching for future iterations of the course while offering recommendations for instructors tasked with teaching in online environments.

Poor eating habits often lead to health concerns. While mental health conditions such as stress and anxiety have been linked as predictors for eating behaviors, cognitive factors may also contribute to eating practices during the early stages of the mandatory COVID-19 lockdown. In the current study, participants responded to a survey that asked them to judge the passing of time (PoTJ) and to produce short intervals (via a time production task) as an index of the internal clock speed. Additionally, they responded to questions about snacking frequency and the tendency to overeat during lockdown. We observed that those who judged time to pass slowly also reported a greater tendency to snack and overeat during the pandemic. Additional analysis also revealed that the effect of PoTJ on snacking is moderated by the internal clock speed such that those who felt time was passing by slowly, and in combination with a faster internal clock (as indexed by shorter duration production), had a greater tendency to snack. The results suggest that different aspects of temporal cognition play potential roles in influencing different types of eating behaviors. Our findings therefore have implications for eating disorders, along with the potential of time-based intervention or behavioral modification approaches.

BackgroundThe RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method (RAM), a variant of the Delphi Method, was developed to synthesize existing evidence and elicit the clinical judgement of medical experts on the appropriate treatment of specific clinical presentations. Technological advances now allow researchers to conduct expert panels on the internet, offering a cost-effective and convenient alternative to the traditional RAM. For example, the Department of Veterans Affairs recently used a web-based RAM to validate clinical recommendations for de-intensifying routine primary care services. A substantial literature describes and tests various aspects of the traditional RAM in health research; yet we know comparatively less about how researchers implement web-based expert panels. ObjectiveThe objectives of this study are twofold: (1) to understand how the web-based RAM process is currently used and reported in health research and (2) to provide preliminary reporting guidance for researchers to improve the transparency and reproducibility of reporting practices. MethodsThe PubMed database was searched to identify studies published between 2009 and 2019 that used a web-based RAM to measure the appropriateness of medical care. Methodological data from each article were abstracted. The following categories were assessed: composition and characteristics of the web-based expert panels, characteristics of panel procedures, results, and panel satisfaction and engagement. ResultsOf the 12 studies meeting the eligibility criteria and reviewed, only 42% (5/12) implemented the full RAM process with the remaining studies opting for a partial approach. Among those studies reporting, the median number of participants at first rating was 42. While 92% (11/12) of studies involved clinicians, 50% (6/12) involved multiple stakeholder types. Our review revealed that the studies failed to report on critical aspects of the RAM process. For example, no studies reported response rates with the denominator of previous rounds, 42% (5/12) did not provide panelists with feedback between rating periods, 50% (6/12) either did not have or did not report on the panel discussion period, and 25% (3/12) did not report on quality measures to assess aspects of the panel process (eg, satisfaction with the process). ConclusionsConducting web-based RAM panels will continue to be an appealing option for researchers seeking a safe, efficient, and democratic process of expert agreement. Our literature review uncovered inconsistent reporting frameworks and insufficient detail to evaluate study outcomes. We provide preliminary recommendations for reporting that are both timely and important for producing replicable, high-quality findings. The need for reporting standards is especially critical given that more people may prefer to participate in web-based rather than in-person panels due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract Background Transposable elements (TEs) are enriched in cytosine methylation, preventing their mobility within the genome. We previously identified a genome-wide repertoire of candidate intracisternal A particle (IAP) TEs in mice that exhibit inter-individual variability in this methylation (VM-IAPs) with implications for genome function. Results Here we validate these metastable epialleles and discover a novel class that exhibit tissue specificity (tsVM-IAPs) in addition to those with uniform methylation in all tissues (constitutive- or cVM-IAPs); both types have the potential to regulate genes in cis. Screening for variable methylation at other TEs shows that this phenomenon is largely limited to IAPs, which are amongst the youngest and most active endogenous retroviruses. We identify sequences enriched within cVM-IAPs, but determine that these are not sufficient to confer epigenetic variability. CTCF is enriched at VM-IAPs with binding inversely correlated with DNA methylation. We uncover dynamic physical interactions between cVM-IAPs with low methylation ranges and other genomic loci, suggesting that VM-IAPs have the potential for long-range regulation. Conclusion Our findings indicate that a recently evolved interplay between genetic sequence, CTCF binding, and DNA methylation at young TEs can result in inter-individual variability in transcriptional outcomes with implications for phenotypic variation.

Abstract Background Agenda setting is associated with more efficient care and better patient experience. This study develops a taxonomy of visit opening styles to assess use of agenda and non-agenda setting visit openings and their effects on participant experience. Methods This observational study analyzed 83 video recorded US primary care visits at a single academic medical center in California involving family medicine and internal medicine resident physicians (n = 49) and patients (n = 83) with chronic pain on opioids. Using conversation analysis, we developed a coding scheme that assessed the presence of agenda setting, distinct visit opening styles, and the number of total topics, major topics, surprise patient topics, and returns to prior topics discussed. Exploratory quantitative analyses were conducted to assess the relationship of agenda setting and visit opening styles with post-visit measures of both patient experience and physician perception of visit difficulty. Results We identified 2 visit opening styles representing agenda setting (agenda eliciting, agenda reframing) and 3 non-agenda setting opening styles (open-ended question, patient launch, physician launch). Agenda setting was only performed in 11% of visits and was associated with fewer surprise patient topics than visits without agenda setting (mean (SD) 2.67 (1.66) versus 4.28 (3.23), p = 0.03). Conclusions In this study of patients with chronic pain, resident physicians rarely performed agenda setting, whether defined in terms of “agenda eliciting” or “agenda re-framing.” Agenda setting was associated with fewer surprise topics. Understanding the communication context and outcomes of agenda setting may inform better use of this communication tool in primary care practice.

We demonstrate the ability of statistical data assimilation (SDA) to identify the measurements required for accurate state and parameter estimation in an epidemiological model for the novel coronavirus disease COVID-19. Our context is an effort to inform policy regarding social behavior, to mitigate strain on hospital capacity. The model unknowns are taken to be: the time-varying transmission rate, the fraction of exposed cases that require hospitalization, and the time-varying detection probabilities of new asymptomatic and symptomatic cases. In simulations, we obtain estimates of undetected (that is, unmeasured) infectious populations, by measuring the detected cases together with the recovered and dead - and without assumed knowledge of the detection rates. Given a noiseless measurement of the recovered population, excellent estimates of all quantities are obtained using a temporal baseline of 101 days, with the exception of the time-varying transmission rate at times prior to the implementation of social distancing. With low noise added to the recovered population, accurate state estimates require a lengthening of the temporal baseline of measurements. Estimates of all parameters are sensitive to the contamination, highlighting the need for accurate and uniform methods of reporting. The aim of this paper is to exemplify the power of SDA to determine what properties of measurements will yield estimates of unknown parameters to a desired precision, in a model with the complexity required to capture important features of the COVID-19 pandemic.