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Mock trials serve as useful experiential learning tools for undergraduate kinesiology students. In the current study, Kolb’s experiential learning cycle was employed over the course of a semester through a comprehensive mock trial project that aimed to provide undergraduate students with an interactive learning experience as a means to achieve desired learning outcomes. The primary purpose of this study was to empirically evaluate the mock trial as a learning tool. The researchers conducted a total of 32 semistructured focus groups with 175 students. Overall, students expressed positive experiences and outcomes as a result of engaging in the mock trial project. Four distinct themes emerged from the data: learning mechanisms, learning outcomes, the student learning experience, and suggested improvements for future courses. Each of these themes is substantiated by excerpts from the comments of the students who participated in the focus groups and discussed in detail, as well as implications for instructors who wish to similarly implement mock trials into their classrooms.

The central tension in health promotion is between a public health policy presumption that healthy lifestyles have benefits at both the individual and societal levels and should be assertively encouraged, and liberal demands that states should maintain a stance of non-interference concerning private affairs. This tension is heightened when the engagement of marginalised or disempowered groups, such as persons with disabilities, women, or immigrants, enter discussions. This paper examines the concept of inclusion within the context of the promotion of healthy lifestyles, primarily sport and physical activity in community contexts. Using a form of ‘reflective equilibrium’, it explores a series of distinctions to evaluate critically different accounts of inclusion and offers a novel and somewhat radical approach based on re-interpretations and alignments of participation and hegemonic relationships.

Moats and other historical water features had great importance for past societies. The functioning of these ecosystems can now only be retrieved through palaeoecological studies, which often focus on a single sampling sediment core location. While a variety of human-environment interactions have already been examined, the spatio-temporal habitat changes within a medieval moat are presented here for the first time. Using data from four cores of organic deposits taken from different areas within the moat system, we describe ecological states of the moat based on subfossil Chironomidae assemblages and accompanying sedimentological and geochemical data, using Kohonen’s artificial neural network, the canonical correspondence analysis, and generalised linear modelling. We found that chironomid assemblages differed in the spatio-temporal distribution of their habitats, depending mostly on depth differences and fresh water supply from an artificial channel. Paludification and terrestrialization also did not happen simultaneously across the moat system, being greatly influenced by human activity. The results presented here demonstrate the importance of a multi-aspect approach in environmental archaeology, focusing not only the human environment, but also on the complex ecology of the past ecosystems.

A mess of plastic It is not clear what strategies will be most effective in mitigating harm from the global problem of plastic pollution. Borrelle et al. and Lau et al. discuss possible solutions and their impacts. Both groups found that substantial reductions in plastic-waste generation can be made in the coming decades with immediate, concerted, and vigorous action, but even in the best case scenario, huge quantities of plastic will still accumulate in the environment. Science , this issue p. 1515 , p. 1455

Governing human-environmental ecosystems is a complex problem. Rule-based fisheries models are faced with several challenges. First, for large geographical problems like oceans, they require considerable time to find satisfactory solutions. Second, they tend to be reactive rather than anticipatory. Behavioural assumptions directly impact fishers’ capacity for adaptation and behaviour, which influences possible management strategies. To capture style and speed of adaptation to changes in the environment, coupled human-environment models must progress toward cognitively and socio-culturally realistic representations of fisher decision-making. In this paper, we implement the erotetic decision-making model in the POSEIDON fisheries model. The agents replicate observed behaviours such as fishing the line of a Marine Protected Area, using Individually Tradable Quotas, and returning to favoured fishing locations, and learning to break rules given harsh constraints. This provides a principled proof that reasons-based cognitive structures allow for anticipatory behavioural adaptation rather than reactive behavioural adaptation.

Models of human dimensions of fisheries are important to understanding and predicting how fishing industries respond to changes in marine ecosystems and management institutions. Advances in computation have made it possible to construct agent-based models (ABMs) - which explicitly describe the behaviour of individual people, firms or vessels in order to understand and predict their aggregate behaviours. ABMs are widely used for both academic and applied purposes in many settings including finance, urban planning and the military, but are not yet mainstream in fisheries science and management, despite a growing literature. ABMs are well suited to understanding emergent consequences of fisher interactions, heterogeneity and bounded rationality, especially in complex ecological, social and institutional contexts. For these reasons, we argue that ABMs of human behaviour can contribute significantly to human dimensions of fisheries in three areas: (a) understanding interactions between multiple management institutions; (b) incorporating cognitive and behavioural sciences into fisheries science and practice; and (c) understanding and projecting the social consequences of management institutions. We provide simple examples illustrating the potential for ABMs in each of these areas, using conceptual ("toy") versions of the POSEIDON model. We argue that salient strategic advances in these areas could pave the way for increased tactical use of ABMs in fishery management settings. We review common ABM development and application challenges, with the aim of providing guidance to beginning ABM developers and users studying human dimensions of fisheries.

Given the social purpose of sport clubs, an anticipated outcome of club participation is a sense of attachment to the university and campus community. However, the sport behaviors that contribute to club members’ social attachment are largely unknown. Therefore, this study sought to examine which sport club activities are related to university and member attachment. A survey was administered to 175 sport club members at a large public university in the United States. Using a multivariate analysis of variance, sport clubs with moderately low to high social inclusionary tactics reported significantly greater university attachment than clubs with low tactics. Additionally, clubs with high social inclusionary tactics reported significantly greater member attachment than clubs with low to moderately high tactics. No significant difference in attachment was found when accounting for clubs’ frequency of competition or travel. The findings support the use of formal socialization to enhance club members’ feelings of attachment.

Homo erectus is the founding early hominin species of Island Southeast Asia, and reached Java (Indonesia) more than 1.5 million years ago1,2. Twelve H. erectus calvaria (skull caps) and two tibiae (lower leg bones) were discovered from a bone bed located about 20 m above the Solo River at Ngandong (Central Java) between 1931 and 19333,4, and are of the youngest, most-advanced form of H. erectus5–8. Despite the importance of the Ngandong fossils, the relationship between the fossils, terrace fill and ages have been heavily debated9–14. Here, to resolve the age of the Ngandong evidence, we use Bayesian modelling of 52 radiometric age estimates to establish—to our knowledge—the first robust chronology at regional, valley and local scales. We used uranium-series dating of speleothems to constrain regional landscape evolution; luminescence, 40argon/39argon (40Ar/39Ar) and uranium-series dating to constrain the sequence of terrace evolution; and applied uranium-series and uranium series–electron-spin resonance (US–ESR) dating to non-human fossils to directly date our re-excavation of Ngandong5,15. We show that at least by 500 thousand years ago (ka) the Solo River was diverted into the Kendeng Hills, and that it formed the Solo terrace sequence between 316 and 31 ka and the Ngandong terrace between about 140 and 92 ka. Non-human fossils recovered during the re-excavation of Ngandong date to between 109 and 106 ka (uranium-series minimum)16 and 134 and 118 ka (US–ESR), with modelled ages of 117 to 108 thousand years (kyr) for the H. erectus bone bed, which accumulated during flood conditions3,17. These results negate the extreme ages that have been proposed for the site and solidify Ngandong as the last known occurrence of this long-lived species. Bayesian modelling of radiometric age estimates provides a robust chronology for Homo erectus at Ngandong (Java), confirming that this site currently represents the last known occurrence of this species.

This work was supported by Leverhulme Trust Grant RPG-2015-109. Activation and suppression of the complement system compete on every serum-exposed surface, host or foreign. Potentially harmful outcomes of this competition depend on surface molecules through mechanisms that remain incompletely understood. Combining surface plasmon resonance (SPR) with atomic force microscopy (AFM), here we studied two complement system proteins at the single-molecule level: C3b, the proteolytically activated form of C3, and factor H (FH), the surface-sensing C3b-binding complement regulator. We used SPR to monitor complement initiation occurring through a positive-feedback loop wherein surface-deposited C3b participates in convertases that cleave C3, thereby depositing more C3b. Over multiple cycles of flowing factor B, factor D, and C3 over the SPR chip, we amplified C3b from ∼20 to ∼220 molecules·μm−2. AFM revealed C3b clusters of up to 20 molecules and solitary C3b molecules deposited up to 200 nm away from the clusters. A force of 0.17 ± 0.02 nanonewtons was needed to pull a single FH molecule, anchored to the AFM probe, from its complex with surface-attached C3b. The extent to which FH molecules stretched before detachment varied widely among complexes. Performing force-distance measurements with FH(D1119G), a variant lacking one of the C3b-binding sites and causing atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome, we found that it detached more uniformly and easily. In further SPR experiments, KD values between FH and C3b on a custom-made chip surface were 5-fold tighter than on commercial chips and similar to those on erythrocytes. These results suggest that the chemistry at the surface on which FH acts drives conformational adjustments that are functionally critical. Publisher PDF

Coopetition is a strategic concept that integrates elements of competition and cooperation. This strategy focuses on creating an environment where working together develops additional value for all entities involved, but there is still competition for this newly established value. Mock trial is an experiential learning technique that can serve as a platform to implement coopetitive strategies, providing students the opportunity to cooperatively apply theory to practice in a competitive courtroom simulation. This extended abstract details implementation of coopetition through mock trial for the sport management classroom. Implications for enhancing the coopetitive environment through course format, mentorship, and facilitation are also discussed.

Neuromodulation is an established treatment for numerous neurological conditions, but to expand the therapeutic scope there is a need to improve the spatial, temporal and cell-type specificity of stimulation. Optogenetics is a promising area of current research, enabling optical stimulation of genetically-defined cell types without interfering with concurrent electrical recording for closed-loop control of neural activity. We are developing an open-source system to provide a platform for closed-loop optogenetic neuromodulation, incorporating custom integrated circuitry for recording and stimulation, real-time closed-loop algorithms running on a microcontroller and experimental control via a PC interface. We include commercial components to validate performance, with the ultimate aim of translating this approach to humans. In the meantime our system is flexible and expandable for use in a variety of preclinical neuroscientific applications. The platform consists of a Controlling Abnormal Network Dynamics using Optogenetics (CANDO) Control System (CS) that interfaces with up to four CANDO headstages responsible for electrical recording and optical stimulation through custom CANDO LED optrodes. Control of the hardware, inbuilt algorithms and data acquisition is enabled via the CANDO GUI (Graphical User Interface). Here we describe the design and implementation of this system, and demonstrate how it can be used to modulate neuronal oscillations in vitro and in vivo.

Understanding the historical activity of desert dune systems is important for identifying both the palaeoenvironmental drivers of change and the likelihood of future reactivation. Dating dune sediments in the Nebraska Sandhills has identified regional‐scale dune activity over centennial and millennial timescales during the Holocene, occurring at 9.6‐6.5 ka, 3.8 ka, 2.5 ka and most recently spanning the Medieval Climatic Anomaly 1050‐650 years BP. These periods have been interpreted as palaeoclimatic evidence of intense aridity lasting decadal and centennial timescales. A detailed record of dune activity in the historical period, since EuroAmerican arrival, is however lacking, yet important for interpreting the role of human agency amongst the factors influencing disturbance. Without a high‐resolution record of short term, historical, local sediment mobilisation, it is not possible to distinguish the environmental factor(s) responsible for local reactivation. In this paper, the individual drivers of vegetation disturbance are reviewed and presented alongside a luminescence‐dated reconstruction of dune sediment deposition ages. This allows an integrated assessment of the relationship between drivers and environmental response over a recorded period. We focused our investigation on the aeolian reactivations of surface dune sediments and blowout features around the Niobrara Valley Preserve in the northern limits of the Nebraska Sandhills. Results show a near‐continuous (within uncertainties) timeline of local reactivation across the sites studied, with variation between the individual features indicating that both regional (i.e. climatic) and local (i.e. land use) forcings contribute to surface disturbance.

Computational cognitive models typically focus on individual behavior in isolation. Models frequently employ closed-form solutions in which a state of the system can be computed if all parameters and functions are known. However, closed-form models are challenged when used to predict behaviors for dynamic, adaptive, and heterogeneous agents. Such systems are complex and typically cannot be predicted or explained by analytical solutions without application of significant simplifications. In addressing this problem, cognitive and social psychological sciences may profitably use agent-based models, which are widely employed to simulate complex systems. We show that these models can be used to explore how cognitive models scale in social networks to calibrate model parameters, to validate model predictions, and to engender model development. Agent-based models allow for controlled experiments of complex systems and can explore how changes in low-level parameters impact the behavior at a whole-system level. They can test predictions of cognitive models and may function as a bridge between individually and socially oriented models.

Funder: Biotechnology, Campylobacter is the leading cause of bacterial foodborne gastroenteritis worldwide. Handling or consumption of contaminated poultry meat is a key risk factor for human campylobacteriosis. One potential control strategy is to select poultry with increased resistance to Campylobacter. We associated high-density genome-wide genotypes (600K single nucleotide polymorphisms) of 3000 commercial broilers with Campylobacter load in their caeca. Trait heritability was modest but significant (h2 = 0.11 ± 0.03). Results confirmed quantitative trait loci (QTL) on chromosomes 14 and 16 previously identified in inbred chicken lines, and detected two additional QTLs on chromosomes 19 and 26. RNA-Seq analysis of broilers at the extremes of colonisation phenotype identified differentially transcribed genes within the QTL on chromosome 16 and proximal to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) locus. We identified strong cis-QTLs located within MHC suggesting the presence of cis-acting variation in MHC class I and II and BG genes. Pathway and network analyses implicated cooperative functional pathways and networks in colonisation, including those related to antigen presentation, innate and adaptive immune responses, calcium, and renin-angiotensin signalling. While co-selection for enhanced resistance and other breeding goals is feasible, the frequency of resistance-associated alleles was high in the population studied and non-genetic factors significantly influenced Campylobacter colonisation.

Electrical neurostimulation is effective in treating neurological disorders, but associated recording artefacts generally limit applications to ‘open-loop’ stimuli. Since light does not prevent concurrent electrical recordings, optogenetics enables real-time, continuous ‘closed-loop’ control of brain activity. Here we show that closed-loop optogenetic stimulation with excitatory opsins (CLOSe) affords precise manipulation of neural dynamics, both in vitro, in brain slices from transgenic mice, and in vivo, with anesthetised monkeys. We demonstrate the generation of oscillations in quiescent tissue, enhancement or suppression of endogenous patterns in active tissue, and modulation of seizure-like bursts elicited by 4-aminopyridine. New network properties, emergent under CLOSe, depended on the phase-shift imposed between neural activity and optical stimulation, and could be modelled with a nonlinear dynamical system. In particular, CLOSe could stabilise or destabilise limit cycles associated with seizure oscillations, evident from systematic changes in the variability and entropy of seizure trajectories that correlated with their altered duration and intensity. Furthermore, CLOSe was achieved using intracortical optrodes incorporating light-emitting diodes, paving the way for translation of closed-loop optogenetics towards therapeutic applications in humans.

Uncertainties over future climatic conditions pose significant challenges when selecting appropriate conservation strategies for heritage sites. Choosing effective strategies is especially important for earthen heritage sites located in dryland regions, as many are experiencing rapid environmentally-driven deterioration. We use a newly developed cellular automaton model (ViSTA-HD), to evaluate the environmental deterioration risk, over a 100-year period, under a range of potential climate and conservation scenarios. Results show increased wind velocities could substantially increase the overall deterioration risk, implying the need for wind-reducing conservation strategies. In contrast, predicted increases in rainfall are not likely to increase the overall deterioration risk, despite greater risk of rain-driven deterioration features. Of the four conservation strategies tested in our model, deterioration risk under all climatic scenarios was best reduced by increasing the coverage of natural, randomly-distributed vegetation to 80%. We suggest this approach could be an appropriate long-term conservation strategy for other earthen sites in dryland regions.

This report provides the first estimates of the genetic basis of all key breast muscle myopathies (BMM) in broiler chickens [Deep pectoral myopathy, wooden breast, white striping and spaghetti breast] and their relationship with body weight and breast yield. Data from a pure bred high yielding commercial broiler line were analysed to estimate the genetic parameters using a multivariate animal model with the appropriate fixed effects and permanent environmental effect of the dam. Heritabilities of the BMM ranged from 0.04 to 0.25 and the genetic correlation of the BMM with body weight and breast yield ranged from -0.06 to 0.41. Here we highlight that the genetic variance of BMM accounts for a low proportion of the phenotypic variance and the BMM have a low genetic relationship with performance traits. The large contribution of residual variance to the phenotypic variance for the BBM was >71.5% which indicates the importance of the non-genetic effects on BMM. The data presented also show that the moderate to low genetic influence for the development of BMM can be used, through balanced selection, to reduce the myopathy incidence in the long term. The impact of genetic selection against BMM was tested empirically by comparing the incidence of WB and % breast yield of a commercial broiler with a high generation (HG) broiler. The HG broiler used represents 2 years of genetic improvement compared to the commercial broiler; the HG broiler had an 18.4% relative decrease in WB and a 1.02% relative increase in breast yield compared to the commercial broiler. This paper describes the relationship between the genetic and non-genetic factors influencing BMM highlighting the importance of understanding the non-genetic effects on myopathy incidence. It also shows that the genetic component of BMM can be reduced whilst at the same time improving breast yield as part of balanced breeding goals.

The variable climatic and environmental conditions associated with dryland regions can cause rapid erosion to both natural and man‐made earthen structures. Whilst there is a long history of research into the evolution of erosional landforms such as yardangs, little research has investigated how dryland processes influence the erosion of built structures. Earthen heritage sites located in arid and semi‐arid environments experience rapid deterioration caused by exposure to environmental drivers such as wind and rain. Understanding how these environmental drivers interact with each other and cause deterioration to earthen material is vital for successful conservation strategies. To address this need, we present the Vegetation and Sediment TrAnsport model for Heritage Deterioration (ViSTA‐HD) that simulates the risk of polishing, pitting and slurry on earthen heritage in a spatially specific manner. A technical description of the model is provided, and sensitivity and validation tests are reported. The model is then used to simulate the risk of deterioration occurring over centennial timescales at a Suoyang Ancient City, located in semi‐arid northwest China. The modelled risk of deterioration is in good agreement with deterioration patterns found at Suoyang, with the risk of polishing predominantly occurring around the wall edges, areas at risk of pitting echoing the dune formation and the risk of slurry occurring in drape‐like patterns down the wall face. Consequently, ViSTA‐HD is a powerful and versatile model that can be used to help inform our understandings of long‐term interactions between dryland processes and deteriorative impact on earthen structures.