Analysis of correlated responses in key ejaculatory traits to artificial selection on a diversifying secondary sexual trait.

Positive genetic covariance between male sexual display traits and fertilizing capacity can arise through different mechanisms and has important implications for sexual trait evolution. Evidence for such genetic covariance is rare, and when it has been found, specific physiological traits underlying variation in fertilization success linked to trait expression have not been identified. A previous study of correlated responses to bidirectional artificial selection on the male sex comb, a secondary sexual trait, in Drosophila bipectinata Duda documented a positive genetic correlation between sexual trait size and competitive fertilization success, and found that transcript levels of multiple seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) were significantly increased in the large sex comb (high) genetic lines.

Positive genetic covariance between male sexual ornamentation and fertilizing capacity.

Postcopulatory sexual selection results from variation in competitive fertilization success among males and comprises powerful evolutionary forces that operate after the onset of mating. Theoretical advances in the field of sexual selection addressing the buildup and coevolutionary consequences of genetic coupling motivate the hypothesis that indirect postcopulatory sexual selection may promote evolution of male secondary sexual traits-those traits traditionally ascribed to mate choice and male fighting. A crucial prediction of this hypothesis is genetic covariance between trait expression and competitive fertilization success, which has been predicted to arise, for example, when traits subject to pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection are under positive correlational selection.

A patient-specific lower extremity biomechanical analysis of a knee orthotic during a deep squat movement.

Although knee orthotics have become the preferred treatment method for rehabilitation and injury prevention, their biomechanical influence has not yet been quantified. A new type of knee joint orthosis (KJO) using a non-linear spring-loaded (NLSL) component was recently introduced to help prevent the growing number of knee injuries and aid during rehabilitation. The purpose of this case study is to quantify the lower extremity biomechanical effects and evaluate functional benefits of a new KJO as a precision treatment option.

Community-Based Noncommunicable Disease Care for Syrian Refugees in Lebanon.

In the sixth year of the Syrian conflict, 11 million people have been displaced, including more than 1.1 million seeking refuge in Lebanon. Prior to the crisis, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for 80% of all deaths in Syria, and the underlying health behaviors such as tobacco use, obesity, and physical inactivity are still prevalent among Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Trauma training course: innovative teaching models and methods for training health workers in active conflict zones of Eastern Myanmar.

Background: Myanmar has struggled through decades of internal conflict, which has negatively impacted the country's health outcomes. Recent government changes have brought hope and reduced conflict. The ethnic minority groups have suffered the brunt of the health consequences and reside in regions that lack health infrastructure, resources, and providers.