The importance of integrating phycological research, teaching, outreach, and engagement in a changing world.

The ecological, evolutionary, economic, and cultural importance of algae necessitates a continued integration of phycological research, education, outreach, and engagement. Here, we comment on several topics discussed during a networking workshop-Algae and the Environment-that brought together phycological researchers from a variety of institutions and career stages. We share some of our perspectives on the state of phycology by examining gaps in teaching and research.

Structural diversity and solvent-induced transformations of a copper-based metal-organic framework with highly aromatic ligands.

A newly designed tetracarboxylic acid ligand precursor 5,5'-([9,9'-bianthracene]-10,10'-diyl)diisophthalic acid (HBADI) has been used to prepare a series of copper-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with the formula [Cu(BADI)()]· (denoted as 1-, where = solvent) and exhibiting solvent-induced structural transformations. Single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformation occurs upon exchanging 1-DMF (DMF = ,-dimethylformamide) with DMSO (DMSO = dimethylsulfoxide). 1-DMF exhibits reversible structural transformation upon treatment with a variety of solvents; of particular interest is the reversible crystalline-to-amorphous phase transformations observed upon exchange with volatile, polar solvents.

Point-of-use chlorine residuals and disinfection byproduct occurrences in rural households served by public water utilities in Appalachian Virginia.

We characterized concentrations of trihalomethanes (THMs), a measure of disinfection byproducts (DBPs), in tap water samples collected from households with utility-supplied water in two rural counties in Appalachian Virginia, and assessed associations with pH, free chlorine, and metal ions which can impact THM formation. Free chlorine concentrations in all samples ( = 27 homes) complied with EPA drinking water guidelines, though 7% ( = 2) of first draw samples and 11% ( = 3) of 5-min flushed-tap water samples exceeded the US Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) maximum contaminant level (MCL) for THM (80 ppb). Regression analyses showed that free chlorine and pH were positively associated with the formation of THM levels above SDWA MCLs (OR = 1.

Freshwater mussels prefer a diet of stramenopiles and fungi over bacteria.

Freshwater mussels (Mollusca: Unionidae) play a crucial role in freshwater river environments where they live in multi-species aggregations and often serve as long-lived benthic ecosystem engineers. Many of these species are imperiled and it is imperative that we understand their basic needs to aid in the reestablishment and maintenance of mussel beds in rivers. In an effort to expand our knowledge of the diet of these organisms, five species of mussel were introduced into enclosed systems in two experiments.

Drinking water sources, quality, and associated health outcomes in Appalachian Virginia: A risk characterization study in two counties.

Objectives: In the US, violations of drinking water regulations are highest in lower-income rural areas overall, and particularly in Central Appalachia. However, data on drinking water use, quality, and associated health outcomes in rural Appalachia are limited. We sought to assess public and private drinking water sources and associated risk factors for waterborne pathogen exposures for individuals living in rural regions of Appalachian Virginia.

The role of Culex territans mosquitoes in the transmission of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis to amphibian hosts.

Background: Mosquitoes are the deadliest organisms in the world, killing an estimated 750,000 people per year due to the pathogens they can transmit. Mosquitoes also pose a major threat to other vertebrate animals. Culex territans is a mosquito species found in temperate zones worldwide that feeds almost exclusively on amphibians and can transmit parasites; however, little is known about its ability to transmit other pathogens, including fungi.

The role of death-related advertisements in cell phone use while driving.

Approximately 25% of accidents in the United States are caused by texting while driving, prompting the creation of several media campaigns to reduce such risky behavior. The current research examined whether death-related advertisements cell phone use while driving. Studies 1-3 found that individuals engaged in greater distracted driving in the presence of a mortality-themed texting advertisement.

Microbiological and chemical drinking water contaminants and associated health outcomes in rural Appalachia, USA: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

In rural areas of the United States, an estimated ~1.8 million people lack reliable access to safe drinking water. Considering the relative dearth of information on water contamination and health outcomes in Appalachia, we conducted a systematic review of studies of microbiological and chemical drinking water contamination and associated health outcomes in rural Appalachia.

Learning facilitates dual-process face recognition regardless of holistic processing.

Much evidence suggests that faces are recognized based on their global familiarity in a signal-detection manner. However, experiments drawing this conclusion typically present study lists of faces only once or twice, and the nature of face recognition at higher levels of learning remains unclear. Here, three experiments are reported in which participants studied some faces eight times and others twice and then took a recognition test containing previously viewed faces, entirely new faces, and faces which recombined the parts of previously viewed faces.

Accuracy of quantum chemistry structures of chiral tag complexes and the assignment of absolute configuration.

The absolute configuration of a molecule can be established by analysis of molecular rotational spectra of the analyte complexed with a small chiral molecule of known configuration. This approach of converting the analyte enantiomers, with identical rotational spectra, into diastereomers that can be distinguished spectroscopically is analogous to chiral derivatization in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. For the rotational chiral tag method, the derivatization uses noncovalent interactions to install the new chiral center and avoids complications due to possible racemization of the analyte when covalent chemistry is used.

: Exploring Understandings and Experiences of Social and Emotional Learning and Meaningful Physical Education Utilizing Democratic and Reflective Pedagogies.

When it comes to teaching social and affective outcomes pertaining to health and physical activity within Physical Education (PE) settings, such learning historically has been observed as manifesting itself as rather than intentionally-taught-for curricular outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore understandings and experiences of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Meaningful Physical Education (MPE) utilizing democratic and reflective pedagogies. A qualitative case study design was implemented in an alternative high school setting in the USA across 10 months.

Bottled and Well Water Quality in a Small Central Appalachian Community: Household-Level Analysis of Enteric Pathogens, Inorganic Chemicals, and Health Outcomes in Rural Southwest Virginia.

Consumption of unsafe drinking water is associated with a substantial burden of disease globally. In the US, ~1.8 million people in rural areas lack reliable access to safe drinking water.

Balancing the interplay between ligand ejection and therapeutic window light absorption in ruthenium polypyridyl complexes.

Ruthenium polypyridyl complexes have gained significant interest as photochemotherapies (PCTs) where their excited-state properties play a critical role in the photo-cytotoxicity mechanism and efficacy. Herein we report a systematic electrochemical, spectrochemical, and photophysical analysis of a series of ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes of the type [Ru(bpy)(N-N)] (where bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine; N-N is a bidentate polypyridyl ligand) designed to mimic PCTs. In this series, the N-N ligand was modified through increased conjugation and/or incorporation of electronegative heteroatoms to shift the metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) absorptions near the therapeutic window for PCTs (600-1100 nm) while incorporating steric bulk to trigger photoinduced ligand dissociation.

Alveolates (dinoflagellates, ciliates and apicomplexans) and Rhizarians are the most common microbial eukaryotes in temperate Appalachian karst caves.

The purpose of this study was to survey the eukaryotic microbiome of two karst caves in the Valley and Ridge physiographic region of the Appalachian Mountains. Caves are known to harbour eukaryotic microbes but their very low densities and small cell size make them difficult to collect and identify. Microeukaryotes were surveyed using two methodologies, filtering water and submerging glass microscope slides mounted in periphytometers in cave pools.

South African university women's perspectives on intimate partner violence: a qualitative study of reactions to a tailored vignette.

Intimate partner violence is an ongoing issue in South Africa, which has the highest rates of violence against women and girls in the world. Intimate partner violence is common in Limpopo, where women, including university students, experience elevated rates of violent crime. This qualitative study was conducted to examine university students' perspectives regarding intimate partner violence among their peers.

Finding needles in a haystack-Extensive diversity in the eustigmatophyceae revealed by community metabarcode analysis targeting the rbcL gene using lineage-directed primers.

Sequences from the Stramenopile class Eustigmatophyceae are rarely reported in metabarcoding studies, and when they have been reported, there are very few haplotypes. We hypothesized that the paucity of eustigmatophyte species detected in these studies may be a result of the metabarcoding techniques used, which have primarily employed universal ribosomal RNA gene regions. In this study, we examined environmental DNA samples from 22 sites in southwestern Virginia, some of which had previously been studied using ribosomal RNA analysis.

Mitochondrial mRNA Processing in the Chlorophyte Alga and Streptophyte Alga Reveals an Evolutionary Branch in Mitochondrial mRNA Processing.

Mitochondria carry the remnant of an ancestral bacterial chromosome and express those genes with a system separate and distinct from the nucleus. Mitochondrial genes are transcribed as poly-cistronic primary transcripts which are post-transcriptionally processed to create individual translationally competent mRNAs. Algae post-transcriptional processing has only been explored in (Class: Chlorophyceae) and the mature mRNAs are different than higher plants, having no 5' UnTranslated Regions (UTRs), much shorter and more variable 3' UTRs and polycytidylated mature mRNAs.

Longitudinal metabarcode analysis of karst bacterioplankton microbiomes provide evidence of epikarst to cave transport and community succession.

Caves are often assumed to be static environments separated from weather changes experienced on the surface. The high humidity and stability of these subterranean environments make them attractive to many different organisms including microbes such as bacteria and protists. Cave waters generally originate from the surface, may be filtered by overlying soils, can accumulate in interstitial epikarst zones underground, and emerge in caves as streams, pools and droplets on speleothems.

Taming the pandemic? The importance of homemade plant-based foods and beverages as community responses to COVID-19.

Household responses to COVID-19 in different corners of the world represent the primary health care that communities have relied on for preventing and mitigating symptoms. During a very complex and confusing time, in which public health services in multiple countries have been completely overwhelmed, and in some cases even collapsed, these first-line household responses have been quintessential for building physical, mental, and social resilience, and for improving individual and community health. This editorial discusses the outcomes of a rapid-response preliminary survey during the first phase of the pandemic among social and community contacts in five metropolises heavily affected by the COVID-19 health crisis (Wuhan, Milan, Madrid, New York, and Rio de Janeiro), and in twelve rural areas or countries initially less affected by the pandemic (Appalachia, Jamaica, Bolivia, Romania, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Georgia, Turkey, Pakistan, Cambodia, and South Africa).

Trade-offs in moving citizen-based anuran call surveys online during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: Lessons from rural Appalachia, USA.

Citizen science approaches provide adaptable methodologies for enhancing the natural history knowledge of understudied taxa and engaging underserved populations with biodiversity. However, transitions to remote, virtual training, and participant recruitment in response to public health crises like the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic have the potential to disrupt citizen science projects. We present a comparison of outputs from a citizen science initiative built around call surveys for the Mountain Chorus Frog (), an understudied anuran, in Appalachian Virginia, USA, prior to and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Supporting Health Among Young Men Who Have Sex With Men and Transgender Women With HIV: Lessons Learned From Implementing the Intervention.

Young gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men and transgender women with HIV, particularly those who are racial or ethnic minorities, often have poor health outcomes. They also utilize a wide array of social media. Accordingly, we developed and implemented , an mHealth (mobile health) intervention where cyberhealth educators utilize established social media platforms (e.

A five-gene molecular phylogeny reveals Parapanteles Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) to be polyphyletic as currently composed.

Parapanteles Ashmead (Braconidae: Microgastrinae) is a medium-sized genus of microgastrine wasps that was erected over a century ago and lacks a unique synapomorphic character, and its monophyly has not been tested by any means. Parapanteles usually are parasitoids of large, unconcealed caterpillars (macrolepidoptera) and have been reared from an unusually large diversity of hosts for a relatively small microgastrine genus. We used Cytochrome Oxidase I sequences ("DNA barcodes") available for Parapanteles and other microgastrines to sample the generic diversity of described and undescribed species currently placed in Parapanteles, and then sequenced four additional genes for this subsample (wingless, elongation factor 1-alpha, ribosomal subunit 28s, and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1).