The relationship between riparian vegetation buffer size and unionid mussel habitats.

The effectiveness of riparian vegetation buffers at conserving hyporheic habitats used by freshwater unionid mussels is not well understood. A comparison of sites with intact vs. fragmented vegetation buffers in the east branch of the Sydenham River (Ontario, Canada) revealed differences.

The influence of triiodothyronine on the immune response and extracellular matrix remodeling during zebrafish heart regeneration.

Damage to the human heart is an irreparable process that results in a permanent impairment in cardiac function. There are, however, a number of vertebrate species including zebrafish (Danio rerio) that can regenerate their hearts following significant injury. In contrast to these regenerative species, mammals are known to have high levels of thyroid hormones, which has been proposed to play a role in this difference in regenerative capacity.

M1 muscarinic receptor activation reverses age-related memory updating impairment in mice.

Previously consolidated memories can become temporarily labile upon reactivation. Reactivation-based memory updating is chiefly studied in young subjects, so we aimed to assess this process across the lifespan. To do this, we developed a behavioural paradigm wherein a reactivated object memory is updated with contextual information; 3-month-old and 6-month-old male C57BL/6 mice displayed object memory updating, but 12-month-old mice did not.

Using floristic data to shed light on the origin of flora in the poorly studied common cypress habitats of Northern Iran.

Despite the ecological importance, there is a large knowledge gap on different habitat types of the Hyrcanian World Heritage. The Hyrcanian Common Cypress Habitats (HCCHs), the easternmost part of the Common Cypress habitats in the world, are one of these habitat types. HCCHs are understudied and threatened by a variety of anthropogenic disturbances.

Veterinary clients prefer benefit-focused online communication while clinic websites uncommonly communicate benefits of preventive care services.

Objective: To explore client preferences for how value is communicated via written means and to assess the consistency of this preference with how veterinary clinic websites present this information for preventive care services.

Methods: First, a questionnaire was developed to assess clients' preference between 2 researcher-developed paragraphs recommending senior pet screening (one focused on the function of screening, the other on pet benefits of screening) and distributed from August 17 to November 2, 2023. Second, veterinary clinic websites were retrieved with a search engine using predefined search phrases related to 4 preventive care topics (flea and tick prevention, heartworm prevention, dental cleaning, and senior bloodwork).

The physical well-being of Indigenous communities in the Pacific Northwest: Anthropometric evidence from British Columbia's jails, 1864-1913.

This paper documents the height of Indigenous men from the Pacific Northwest who were incarcerated in British Columbia's jails during a period of colonization and increasing market access. The average height of adults from a given community reflects the standard of living in that community at the time the adults were growing to maturity. After correcting for the impact of sample selection arising from prisoners' personal attributes, their home communities' access to market opportunities, and unobserved height determinants associated with exposure to the colonial criminal justice system, we find that Indigenous men were positively selected into incarceration based on their height.

Dermacentor species (Acari: Ixodidae) in western Canada, with detection of Dermacentor similis.

Numerous tick species are undergoing significant range expansion in Canada, including several Dermacentor spp Koch (Acari: Ixodidae). With the recent description of Dermacentor similis Lado in the western United States, additional research is required to determine the current range of this species. Five hundred ninety-eight Dermacentor spp.

Improved nitrogen fertilizer management reduces nitrous oxide emissions in a northern Prairie cropland.

Arable croplands are a significant source of nitrous oxide (NO) emissions, largely due to nitrogen (N) fertilizer applications to support crop production. Nevertheless, there is limited research on the NO dynamics from canola-wheat rotations in the semi-arid northern Prairies, an important agricultural region. Here, we present micrometeorological NO fluxes measured from January 2021 to April 2024 in Saskatchewan, Canada, to evaluate the impact of N fertilizer management on the year-round NO emissions from a canola-wheat rotation.

Evaluation of the sedative properties of oral trazodone, gabapentin or their combination in healthy cats.

Objectives: Sedation before veterinary visits is advocated to help reduce fear and anxiety in cats and facilitate safe handling. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of trazodone, gabapentin and a trazodone/gabapentin combination for oral sedation in healthy feline patients before blood donation.

Methods: A total of 21 cats were included in the study.

Trends of Benzotriazoles and Benzothiazoles in Australian Pooled Urine Samples from 2012 to 2023.

Benzotriazoles (BZTs) and benzothiazoles (BTs) are high-production-volume chemicals utilized in many different commercial products and industrial processes, such as metal corrosion inhibitors, vulcanization accelerators, plastic-associated UV stabilizers, and pharmaceutical precursors. This study assessed age, gender, and temporal trends of BZTs and BTs in deidentified surplus pathology urine samples, pooled and stratified by age, gender, and sample collection year from a general Australian population (168 pools representing 16,800 individuals). Tolyltriazole (TTri), 5,6-dimethyl-1H-benzotriazole (DMBZT), 1,3-benzothiazole (BTH), 2-hydroxybenzothiazole (2-OH-BTH), and 2-aminobenzothiazole (2-amino-BTH) were detected in >50% of the pools.

Evaluation of a Question Prompt List About Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Prevention After Hypertensive Pregnancy: A Pilot Study.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to pilot test a question prompt list (QPL) about cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk reduction after hypertensive pregnancy (HDP).

Methods: In a prospective cohort study of adult women who had HDP given the QPL before and surveyed after a physician visit, we assessed perceived person-centred care, self-efficacy for self-management, perceived self-management and QPL feasibility.

Results: Twenty-three women participated: 57% of diverse ethno-cultural groups, 65% < 40 years of age and 48% immigrants.

Epigenetic factors related to recalcitrance in plant biotechnology.

This review explores the challenges and potential solutions in plant micropropagation and biotechnology. While these techniques have proven successful for many species, certain plants or tissues are recalcitrant and do not respond as desired, limiting the application of these technologies due to unattainable or minimal in vitro regeneration rates. Indeed, traditional in vitro culture techniques may fail to induce organogenesis or somatic embryogenesis in some plants, leading to classification as in vitro recalcitrance.

S-palmitoylation of MAP kinase is essential for fungal virulence.

S-palmitoylation is an important reversible protein post-translational modification in organisms. However, its role in fungi is uncertain. Here, we found the treatment of the rice false fungus with S-palmitoylation inhibitor 2 BP resulted in a significant decrease in fungal virulence.

The continuum of gender-based violence experienced by migrant and refugee women in Canada: perspectives from key informants.

Little research has been done on conceptualizing gender-based violence (GBV) against immigrant and refugee women as a continuum of violence. The objective of the larger study was to understand gender-based violence in migration and analyze the ways in which discriminations and inequalities interact to increase vulnerability and decrease access to supports and services for some women. Using (a) the concept of continuum of [sexual] violence and (b) intersectionality, we demonstrate the need to both document the range of violence in women's lives and the tactics of victimization among immigrant and refugee women and show how they are different than the cumulated literature showing victimization tactics against the Canadian-born population.

Intraspecific diversity is critical to population-level risk assessments.

Environmental risk assessment (ERA) is critical for protecting life by predicting population responses to contaminants. However, routine toxicity testing often examines only one genotype from surrogate species, potentially leading to inaccurate risk assessments, as natural populations typically consist of genetically diverse individuals. To evaluate the importance of intraspecific variation in translating toxicity testing to natural populations, we quantified the magnitude of phenotypic variation between 20 Daphnia magna clones exposed to two levels of microcystins, a cosmopolitan cyanobacterial toxin.

Contrast and Genomic Characterisation of Ancient and Recent Interspecific Introgression Between Deeply Diverged Moustache Toads (Leptobrachium).

Recent genomic analyses have provided new insights into the process of interspecific introgression and its consequences on species evolution. Most recent studies, however, focused on hybridization between recently radiated species, with few examining the genomic outcomes of ancient hybridization across deeply diverged species. Using whole genome data of moustache toads (Leptobrachium), we identified signals of three hybridization events among nine species that diverged at the Eocene.