Community trees: Identifying codiversification in the Páramo dipteran community.

Groups of codistributed species that responded in a concerted manner to environmental events are expected to share patterns of evolutionary diversification. However, the identification of such groups has largely been based on qualitative, post hoc analyses. We develop here two methods (posterior predictive simulation [PPS], Kuhner-Felsenstein [K-F] analysis of variance [ANOVA]) for the analysis of codistributed species that, given a group of species with a shared pattern of diversification, allow empiricists to identify those taxa that do not codiversify (i.

Excessive sulphur accumulation and ionic storage behaviour identified in species of Acacia (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae).

Background And Aims: Thiophores, which are typically desert gypsophytes, accumulate high (2-6 % S dry weight) sulphur concentrations and may possess unique tolerance to environmental stress factors, e.g. sulphate/metal toxicity, drought and salinity.

Functional genomics to assess biological responses to marine pollution at physiological and evolutionary timescales: toward a vision of predictive ecotoxicology.

Marine pollution is ubiquitous, and is one of the key factors influencing contemporary marine biodiversity worldwide. To protect marine biodiversity, how do we surveil, document and predict the short- and long-term impacts of pollutants on at-risk species? Modern genomics tools offer high-throughput, information-rich and increasingly cost-effective approaches for characterizing biological responses to environmental stress, and are important tools within an increasing sophisticated kit for surveiling and assessing impacts of pollutants on marine species. Through the lens of recent research in marine killifish, we illustrate how genomics tools may be useful for screening chemicals and pollutants for biological activity and to reveal specific mechanisms of action.

Systematic Review of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Interventions Across the Life Span.

Background: Individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) can experience profound impairments and long-term adverse outcomes. This systematic review adopts a life span perspective providing an extensive analysis of the available literature.

Methods: Studies were identified from PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Knowledge, CINAHL, ERIC, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and gray literature.

Herd-level bovine tuberculosis risk factors: assessing the role of low-level badger population disturbance.

Bovine TB (bTB) is endemic in Irish cattle and has eluded eradication despite considerable expenditure, amid debate over the relative roles of badgers and cattle in disease transmission. Using a comprehensive dataset from Northern Ireland (>10,000 km(2); 29,513 cattle herds), we investigated interactions between host populations in one of the first large-scale risk factor analyses for new herd breakdowns to combine data on both species. Cattle risk factors (movements, international imports, bTB history, neighbours with bTB) were more strongly associated with herd risk than area-level measures of badger social group density, habitat suitability or persecution (sett disturbance).

Posterior predictive checks of coalescent models: P2C2M, an R package.

Bayesian inference operates under the assumption that the empirical data are a good statistical fit to the analytical model, but this assumption can be challenging to evaluate. Here, we introduce a novel r package that utilizes posterior predictive simulation to evaluate the fit of the multispecies coalescent model used to estimate species trees. We conduct a simulation study to evaluate the consistency of different summary statistics in comparing posterior and posterior predictive distributions, the use of simulation replication in reducing error rates and the utility of parallel process invocation towards improving computation times.

Expertly validated models and phylogenetically-controlled analysis suggests responses to climate change are related to species traits in the order lagomorpha.

Climate change during the past five decades has impacted significantly on natural ecosystems, and the rate of current climate change is of great concern among conservation biologists. Species Distribution Models (SDMs) have been used widely to project changes in species' bioclimatic envelopes under future climate scenarios. Here, we aimed to advance this technique by assessing future changes in the bioclimatic envelopes of an entire mammalian order, the Lagomorpha, using a novel framework for model validation based jointly on subjective expert evaluation and objective model evaluation statistics.

Identification of reference genes for quantitative expression analysis of microRNAs and mRNAs in barley under various stress conditions.

For accurate and reliable gene expression analysis using quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qPCR), the selection of appropriate reference genes as an internal control for normalization is crucial. We hypothesized that non-coding, small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs)would be stably expressed in different barley varieties and under different experimental treatments,in different tissues and at different developmental stages of plant growth and therefore might prove to be suitable reference genes for expression analysis of both microRNAs (miRNAs)and mRNAs. In this study, we examined the expression stability of ten candidate reference genes in six barley genotypes under five experimental stresses, drought, fungal infection,boron toxicity, nutrient deficiency and salinity.

Quantitative assessment of the distribution of dissolved Au, As and Sb in groundwater using the diffusive gradients in thin films technique.

The mobility of groundwater and its reactivity with subsurface lithologies makes it an ideal medium for investigating both the mineralogy of the extensive volume of the rocks and soils that it comes into contact with, including the distribution of potential commodities, and the presence of contaminants. Groundwater grab sampling is potentially an effective tool for evaluating metal and metalloid concentrations but can suffer from poor replication and high detection limits. This study evaluates the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique to detect signatures of Au mineralization in groundwater, as well as associated pathfinder and potential contaminant elements (As and Sb).

The bacterial microbiota of Stolotermes ruficeps (Stolotermitidae), a phylogenetically basal termite endemic to New Zealand.

Stolotermes ruficeps is a widespread, primitive, lower termite occupying dead and decaying wood of many tree species in New Zealand's temperate forests. We identified core bacterial taxa involved in gut processes through combined DNA- and RNA (cDNA)-based pyrosequencing analysis of the 16S nucleotide sequence from five S. ruficeps colonies.

Reducing occupational sedentary time: a systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence on activity-permissive workstations.

Excessive sedentary time is detrimentally linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and premature mortality. Studies have been investigating the use of activity-permissive workstations to reduce sedentary time in office workers, a highly sedentary target group. This review systematically summarizes the evidence for activity-permissive workstations on sedentary time, health-risk biomarkers, work performance and feasibility indicators in office workplaces.

Invading and expanding: range dynamics and ecological consequences of the greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) invasion in Ireland.

Establishing how invasive species impact upon pre-existing species is a fundamental question in ecology and conservation biology. The greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) is an invasive species in Ireland that was first recorded in 2007 and which, according to initial data, may be limiting the abundance/distribution of the pygmy shrew (Sorex minutus), previously Ireland's only shrew species. Because of these concerns, we undertook an intensive live-trapping survey (and used other data from live-trapping, sightings and bird of prey pellets/nest inspections collected between 2006 and 2013) to model the distribution and expansion of C.

Divergence with gene flow within the recent chipmunk radiation (Tamias).

Increasing data have supported the importance of divergence with gene flow (DGF) in the generation of biological diversity. In such cases, lineage divergence occurs on a shorter timescale than does the completion of reproductive isolation. Although it is critical to explore the mechanisms driving divergence and preventing homogenization by hybridization, it is equally important to document cases of DGF in nature.

Assessing sarcopenic prevalence and risk factors in residential aged care: methodology and feasibility.

Background: Sarcopenia is a significant geriatric syndrome with both health care expenditure and personal burden. Most recently, the European Working Group in Sarcopenia in Older Adults has established a consensus definition and assessment criteria for sarcopenia that includes a below-normal muscle mass and muscle function (either or both of below-normal muscle strength and physical performance). Using these criteria, work is needed to identify the prevalence and risk factors among the old, and those most susceptible to sarcopenia, the very old.

Squirrelpox virus: assessing prevalence, transmission and environmental degradation.

Red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) declined in Great Britain and Ireland during the last century, due to habitat loss and the introduction of grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), which competitively exclude the red squirrel and act as a reservoir for squirrelpox virus (SQPV). The disease is generally fatal to red squirrels and their ecological replacement by grey squirrels is up to 25 times faster where the virus is present. We aimed to determine: (1) the seropositivity and prevalence of SQPV DNA in the invasive and native species at a regional scale; (2) possible SQPV transmission routes; and, (3) virus degradation rates under differing environmental conditions.

Seasonality and facilitation drive tree establishment in a semi-arid floodplain savanna.

A popular hypothesis for tree and grass coexistence in savannas is that tree seedlings are limited by competition from grasses. However, competition may be important in favourable climatic conditions when abiotic stress is low, whereas facilitation may be more important under stressful conditions. Seasonal and inter-annual fluctuations in abiotic conditions may alter the outcome of tree-grass interactions in savanna systems and contribute to coexistence.

Objectively measured activity patterns among adults in residential aged care.

Objectives: To determine the feasibility of using the activPAL3(TM) activity monitor, and, to describe the activity patterns of residential aged care residents.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: Randomly selected aged care facilities within 100 km of the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

Economic evaluation of treatment for MRSA complicated skin and soft tissue infections in Glasgow hospitals.

In the UK, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-associated skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are predominantly managed in the hospital using intravenous (IV) glycopeptides. We set out to explore the potential for and relative healthcare costs of earlier hospital discharge through switch to oral antibiotic therapy (linezolid or rifampicin and doxycycline) or continuation of IV therapy (teicoplanin) via an outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) service. Over 16 months, 173 patients were retrospectively identified with MRSA SSTI, of whom 82.

Poor fit to the multispecies coalescent is widely detectable in empirical data.

Model checking is a critical part of Bayesian data analysis, yet it remains largely unused in systematic studies. Phylogeny estimation has recently moved into an era of increasingly complex models that simultaneously account for multiple evolutionary processes, the statistical fit of these models to the data has rarely been tested. Here we develop a posterior predictive simulation-based model check for a commonly used multispecies coalescent model, implemented in *BEAST, and apply it to 25 published data sets.

Elevated acetaminophen concentration measured after nasal insufflation of Percocet®.

Background: Prescription opioid products are often formulated with acetaminophen, but the pharmacokinetics of nasally administered acetaminophen are poorly characterized. We report a case of a potentially toxic acetaminophen concentration after nasal insufflation of oxycodone/acetaminophen tablets.

Case Report: A 38-year-old female presented to the emergency department after 2 days of nasally insufflating a total of 50 oxycodone/acetaminophen 5/325 mg tablets.

How to fail at species delimitation.

Species delimitation is the act of identifying species-level biological diversity. In recent years, the field has witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of methods available for delimiting species. However, most recent investigations only utilize a handful (i.

Effect of cough and cold medication restriction and label changes on pediatric ingestions reported to United States poison centers.

Objective: To determine the impact of industry and Food and Drug Administration initiatives implemented to limit the use of over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medications in children younger than 6 years of age.

Study Design: This is a retrospective database study of OTC cough and cold medication ingestions reported to US poison centers between 2000 and 2010. Data analyzed from the National Poison Data System included the month and year of ingestion, reason for ingestion, health care utilization, and medical outcome.