Amur honeysuckle [Lonicera maackii (Rupr.) Herder] is an abundant invasive species throughout Kentucky and the surrounding region. It forms dense stands, outcompeting and displacing native species and adversely impacting the regeneration, succession, and biodiversity of deciduous forest communities. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of L. maackii removal alone relative to removal followed by restoration plantings to suppress reinvasion and facilitate forest understory native plant community recovery. In March 2019, a field experiment was conducted with the following treatments: (1) untreated control; (2) L. maackii removal with 0.023 kg ae L−1 glyphosate cut stump application (CH plots); and (3) same treatment as in 1, plus restoration plantings of wildrye grasses (Elymus spp.) and northern spicebush [Lindera benzoin (L.) Blume] (CHP plots). Lonicera maackii removal and cut stump glyphosate treatments effectively reduced L. maackii canopy cover, increased herbaceous cover, decreased bare ground, and increased species richness over time compared with untreated plots. However, we did not find any differences (P > 0.05) in L. maackii cover or other plant community variables between CH and CHP treatments over time. Thus, we found insufficient evidence that restoration plantings of Elymus spp. and L. benzoin suppressed L. maackii reinvasion compared with L. maackii removal alone. Spearman rank-correlation tests indicate L. maackii removal correlated with increased herbaceous cover (ρ = −0.75, P < 0.0001), lower bare ground (ρ = 0.714, P < 0.0001), and higher species richness (ρ = −0.693, P < 0.0001). Further studies of L. maackii removal plus restoration plantings are needed that test different species combinations and/or season of planting (i.e., spring vs. autumn) to determine the most effective restoration planting strategy to simultaneously suppress L. maackii reinvasion after removal and facilitate native plant community recovery in forest understories.

Surveying nocturnal arboreal mammals in the tropics is challenging. Traditional methods are poorly suited to observing cryptic, often small-bodied mammals in the canopy. Subsequently, little is known about their ecology and behaviour despite the important functional roles they play within tropical forest ecosystems. We describe a method for observing behaviour from an elevated platform using thermal binoculars, evaluating the method against four criteria relating to species detected, field of view, potential disturbance, and richness of data. We surveyed for 205 h across 18 nights, recording 14 nocturnal arboreal mammal species with 126 independent events. Nocturnal arboreal species accounted for 61% of all observations. We found that elevating the observer aided the detectability of mammals by lessening the observation distance and the amount of foliage between the observer and the target. The observer also had a three-dimensional field of view and could follow mammals as they moved around the area. Thermal imaging emits no light source that will reveal the observer’s presence, and so the risk of influencing mammal behaviour is likely to be reduced. This method shows potential to help fill behavioural knowledge gaps in nocturnal arboreal mammals in the tropics. Furthermore, the costs of the approach would make it accessible to many researchers.

The Ospriocerus (Diptera: Asilidae) fauna of Canada is outlined. Only three species in the genus are known from Canada: Ospriocerus abdominalis (Say, 1824), O. latipennis (Loew, 1866), and O. vallensis Martin, 1968. The former two species inhabit grasslands on the Great Plains; the latter occurs in the Intermontane grasslands of southern British Columbia. The use of the name O. aeacus (Wiedemann, 1828), used frequently instead of O. abdominalis, should be discontinued because it is an unnecessary replacement name. Ospriocerus vallensis is recognised as a species in Canada for the first time; Canadian specimens have been misidentified in collections and the literature as O. abdominalis or O. aeacus. A key is given for the identification of Canadian specimens, and the species are morphologically diagnosed. Whole specimens, antennae, and dissected male genitalia are illustrated. The distributions, habitats, and some behaviours (including the relationship of the genus to the beetle family Meloidae) of the three species are documented.

This study examined the impact of maternal undernutrition during gestation and/or lactation on neonatal immune indices. From day 10 of gestation to term, pregnant rats received either ad libitum (AdLib) feeding or 50% food restriction (FR). After birth, pups were either nursed by their own dams or cross-fostered, resulting in three groups (n = 6 per group): a control group with AdLib feeding throughout (AdLib/AdLib), a group with FR only during gestation (FR/AdLib), and a group with FR during both gestation and lactation (FR/FR). At day of life 1 and at three weeks of age, spleen and thymus weights, as well as basal and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated TNF levels and white blood cell indices, were measured in male offspring. At day of life 1, immunological indices were similar among groups. By three weeks, monocyte percentage was significantly decreased in FR/FR compared with AdLib/AdLib (1.6 ± 0.5% vs. 3.1 ± 0.4%). Relative spleen weight (adjusted for body weight) was also significantly lower in FR/FR compared with both AdLib/AdLib and FR/AdLib. Following LPS administration, TNF-α levels were reduced in FR/FR compared with FR/AdLib and AdLib/AdLib (206 ± 28 vs. 511 ± 91 and 484 ± 59 pg/ml, respectively; P < 0.05). Moreover, in FR/FR offspring, monocyte (5.4 ± 1.1% vs. 2.0 ± 0.6% and 2.0 ± 0.7%) and neutrophil (50.6 ± 5.5% vs. 17.2 ± 2.4% and 20.0 ± 4.2%) percentages were significantly increased, while lymphocyte percentage (43.2 ± 5.9% vs. 80.0 ± 2.4% and 77.2 ± 4.4%) was decreased compared with FR/AdLib and AdLib/AdLib. These findings suggest that undernutrition during both prenatal and postnatal periods can attenuate neonatal immunity by decreasing basal monocyte counts and impairing cytokine responses.

We aimed to determine the association between maternal bonding difficulty in the postpartum period and children’s neurodevelopment, considering maternal psychological distress and child sex-specific differences. To evaluate the relationship, the dataset of the Japan Environment and Children’s Study was used, as well as the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale (MIBS), the six-item version of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) for mothers, and the Ages and Stages Questionnaires Third Edition for children aged 2 to 4 years. Maternal MIBS and K6 were administered at 1 year postpartum. Data from 24,798 boys and 24,025 girls were analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression analyses, with the reference groups being those with maternal MIBS scores ≤4 and K6 scores ≤4, were performed. The Benjamini–Hochberg procedure was employed to account for multiple testing. In boys, maternal bonding difficulty (MIBS score ≥5) without psychological distress (K6 score ≤4) was associated with a screen-positive result for neurodevelopmental delay in all five domains (communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal-social) at ages 2 to 4 years. In girls, maternal bonding difficulty without psychological distress was associated with a screen-positive result for neurodevelopmental delay in all five domains at 2 years of age. However, at age 4 years, maternal bonding difficulty without psychological distress was no longer associated with a screen-positive result for problem-solving delay in girls. The association of maternal bonding difficulty without psychological distress at 1 year postpartum with screen-positive result for problem-solving delay persisted in boys, but at age 4 years in girls, the association no longer existed.

The National Project on Achievement in Twins (NatPAT) is a twin project based in the United States (US) that began in 2017. Using a cohort sequential design, the overall goal of the initial project was to uncover salient factors, including genetic and environmental influences, which contribute to the co-development of reading and math performance during elementary school. In 2022, the focus of NatPAT pivoted towards a new focus on the COVID-19 pandemic’s short- and long-term impacts on children’s reading achievement. In addition, a genomics data collection began. New enrollment into the registry continues every year, but currently NatPAT follows 1997 twin pairs and their families as they progress through school. The project supports open science principles, with open materials and code, preregistration, and shared data. Here we present the goals of the project, summarize recent results, methods and materials, with a focus on the integration across many different data sources, and future directions of the project.

Coastal erosion is a dynamic process driven by multiple environmental factors. In Antarctic regions, the interaction between wind, waves, sea ice, sediment transport and precipitation creates a complex setting for understanding shoreline change. This study focuses on Potter Cove, a small fjord in Maxwell Bay, south-west of King George Island (South Shetland Islands), where winter waves are investigated as a key erosive driver. Shoreline changes were assessed through satellite imagery, in situ beach profiling and sediment sampling. Additionally, a numerical wave modelling system was implemented to simulate wave dynamics within the cove. The results indicate a coastal retreat of up to 20 m along the southern shore of Potter Cove since 2020. Simulations for winter 2021 reveal two high-energy wave events with significant wave heights (Hs) of ~2 m, along with eight moderate events (Hs ≈ 1 m) occurring within the cove. The most energetic events (Hs = 2.11 m) originated offshore and entered directly through the cove’s mouth from the west-south-west. Conversely, moderate waves could be generated both internally and externally. Reduced sea-ice cover probably diminished the natural wave-buffering effect, enhancing the erosive impact of wave action on the coast. However, the absence of quantitative assessments of other relevant processes (e.g. permafrost thaw, glacial meltwater discharge, sea-level variability and sediment supply) limits our ability to gain a comprehensive understanding of the ongoing erosion. These findings highlight the role of wave dynamics in Antarctic coastal change and the need for integrated monitoring approaches.

Indirect reciprocity is a reputation-based mechanism proposed to explain the evolution of human cooperation. Theoretical models demonstrated that the use of both first-order information (i.e., whether an evaluation target cooperated) and second-order information (i.e. the reputation of an interaction partner of the evaluation target) is critical for the evolution of cooperation. However, empirical findings on the use of second-order information have been mixed. Drawing upon the literature on group-bounded indirect reciprocity, we tested the hypothesis that individuals would be more sensitive to second-order information when evaluating ingroup interactions, compared to when evaluating outgroup interactions. We conducted a preregistered online experiment (N = 604), where we independently manipulated group membership (ingroup vs. outgroup), target behaviour (cooperation vs. defection), and recipient reputation (good vs. bad). We found that donors who defected against good recipients were rated more negatively than those who defected against bad recipients, indicating the use of second-order information. Partly consistently with our hypothesis, when individuals evaluated coopering donors, second-order information influenced reputation for ingroup donor-recipient interactions more than for outgroup donor-recipient interactions. Nevertheless, individuals readily used second-order information, whether or not they evaluated ingroup or outgroup donor-recipient interactions.

The Janus kinase (JAK)-Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT) pathway is essential for cellular signal transduction, regulating immune responses, hematopoiesis, and cell proliferation. Dysregulation of JAK-STAT signaling due to genetic variations, particularly missense mutations, has been implicated in autoimmune disorders, cancers, and hematological malignancies. This study investigates missense mutations in JAK and STAT genes, focusing on disease-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and ClinVar benign variants identified in the All of Us and COSMIC databases. We analyzed the distribution of these mutations across functional domains, their structural localization, and biochemical properties. We identified mutation hotspots within specific domains, highlighting their correlation with disease phenotypes. Structural mapping revealed that disease-associated SNPs predominantly localize in linker regions and at the boundaries of secondary structures, suggesting a significant impact on folding, stability, and function of JAK and STAT proteins. Additionally, we examined the genomic context of mutations and identified vulnerable sequences; for example, ‘GATC’. Furthermore, our analysis found no predominant association between potential CRISPR-Cas9 target sites and ClinVar benign/disease-associated SNPs. The analysis of amino acid sequence patterns surrounding mutations uncovered an enrichment of hydrophobic residues leucine (Leu), isoleucine (Ile), methionine (Met), and phenylalanine (Phe) in close proximity to disease-associated mutations. Our findings emphasize the importance of structural and biochemical context in determining pathogenicity. In this study, we provide a bioinformatic strategy for refining variant classification and understanding the roles of JAK-STAT pathway mutations in disease.

The Murcia Twin Registry (MTR) has steadily expanded over two decades and has become a key resource for twin research in the Mediterranean region. The registry currently includes data from 3971 individual twins born between 1940 and 1999, as well as an associated biobank containing samples from 1586 participants. Its primary research focus is on health and health-related behaviors within a public health framework, covering areas such as lifestyle, health promotion, quality of life, and environmental factors. Across multiple waves of data collection, the MTR has compiled extensive and wide-ranging phenotypic data. These data can be further expanded and have strong potential for record linkage with other health databases, particularly those of the regional public health care system, including both primary and inpatient care. Efforts are also underway to establish record linkage with additional sources of information, such as the educational system. In the near future, the registry aims to expand its biobank and continue the collection of longitudinal data, as well as increasing the ability to collect additional data that could enrich the information from participants in the register.

This study investigated the expression profile of the Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) gene in goats across three reproductive groups – twin-bearing (n = 12), single-bearing (n = 10) and non-pregnant (n = 8) – using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Descriptive statistics revealed that twin-bearing goats were significantly heavier at service and kidding, with higher litter weights compared to other groups (p < 0.05). No breed-wise differences were observed, allowing pooled analysis for gene expression. Melt curve and amplification plot analyses confirmed primer specificity and efficient amplification. TLR2 expression was significantly upregulated in twin-bearing goats (ΔCt = −2.14 ± 0.89), with a mean 4.5-fold increase (p < 0.001) compared to non-pregnant controls, suggesting enhanced immune activation. Single-bearing goats showed negligible and non-significant changes in expression (ΔCt = −0.01 ± 1.45; p = 0.984). Statistical comparisons showed a significant difference in TLR2 expression between twin- and single-bearing groups (mean difference: 3.39; p < 0.001). These results reveals a significant association of twin pregnancies with elevated expression level of TLR2 gene in resource population. While the functional implications require further investigation, this upregulation may be associated with immune adaptations to increased gestational load. Overall, this study identifies TLR2 as a candidate gene expression marker strongly correlated with twin pregnancy in goats. Further validation through longitudinal studies on larger cohorts and investigation of tissue-specific expression is necessary to assess its potential predictive value for reproductive performance in small ruminants.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. Flavonoids may offer protective benefits, but the role of overall diet quality in modulating this remains unclear. In this cross-sectional study, we analysed 2815 participants from the Framingham Heart Study. Hepatic steatosis was defined by liver:phantom ratio < 0·33 using multidetector computed tomography. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated FFQ, and intake of six flavonoid subclasses and total flavonoid was estimated using the USDA database. Logistic regression models evaluated associations between flavonoid intake quartiles and hepatic steatosis, adjusting for demographic and lifestyle covariates, followed by additional models adjusting for a priori dietary quality indexes: the Alternative Healthy Eating Index, the Mediterranean-style diet score and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension score. Higher intake of flavonols, flavan-3-ols, anthocyanidins, flavonoid polymers and total flavonoids is associated with lower odds of hepatic steatosis (Ptrend < 0·05), with up to 40 % reduced odds at the highest quartiles before adjustment for diet quality. After adjustments, associations attenuated and lost statistical significance. The attenuation does not rule out a potential protective role of flavonoids; it may indicate that higher flavonoid intake is an important element of a broader healthy diet. Alternatively, the associations could be confounded by other components of diet which may independently reduce steatosis risk. Nonetheless, these findings underscore the importance of promoting flavonoid-rich diets in the context of overall healthy diet and support further investigation in prospective and interventional studies targeting MASLD prevention.

Diet plays a critical role in development and progression of Crohn’s disease (CD). Dietary indices are important tools to evaluate diet quality and inflammatory potential, and we investigated their associations with pediatric CD in comparison to healthy children. A cross-sectional study including 144 children with CD (122 with clinically active and 22 with quiescent disease) and 57 healthy controls 6-18 years of age was conducted. Dietary intake was estimated using three 24-h dietary recalls. Diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015, alternate Mediterranean diet (aMed) score and dietary inflammatory potential using the modified Children-Dietary Inflammatory Index (mC-DII). Children with active CD had lower total HEI-2015 and aMed scores than healthy controls. A similar pro-inflammatory mC-DII score was found across the three groups. A higher mC-DII score in patients with CD was associated with higher intake of refined sugars, saturated fats and proteins, and lower intake of whole grains and dairy, highlighting dietary components contributing to pro-inflammatory potential. Similarly, healthy children in the highest mC-DII tertile consumed more added sugars and sodium and fewer whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and plant proteins. Fiber intake was significantly lower in children with active CD (median fiber %DRI: 37.0 IQR [22.6-48.3] vs 41.2 IQR [34.1-49.1] vs 45.8 IQR [35.7-62.0], P <0.001). Using three dietary indices to evaluate diet quality and dietary inflammatory potential, both children with CD and healthy children in this cohort consume a poor-quality, pro-inflammatory diet low in fiber, but the quality and fiber content are significantly lower in children with active CD. Future randomized controlled trials are required to evaluate the effect of dietary modification on the risk and progression of pediatric CD.

In behavioral genetics, divorce is typically analyzed as an individual-level outcome, even though marital dissolution can only be experienced by couples. In this article, we discuss how assortative mating complicates the study of couple-shared outcomes because individual-level effects can be confounded by effects of the spouse. We then show how chain-linking affines (i.e., in-laws) provides sufficient information to estimate spousal similarity for couple-shared outcomes, which we incorporate into an extended twin model that we use to test for sex differences and assortative mating for individuals’ liability to divorce. We linked the Norwegian twin register to the Norwegian population register and constructed 124,544 extended family units (1196 units with monozygotic twins) comprising 353,210 marriages entered between 1983 and 2008. We found that divorce was significantly correlated among affines, and that female relatives were more highly correlated than male relatives. The extended twin model estimated a strong correlation (r = .60, SE = .10) between female and male familial factors. Couples’ liability to divorce was attributed to 18% (SE = 5%) female and 10% (SE = 3%) male familial factors, with an additional 16% (SE = 4%) accounted for by their correlation. Estimates from a classic twin model were considerably higher. These findings show that spousal similarity is an important source of variation in divorce liability and that failing to model it can inflate estimates of individual-level effects. Overall, the analytical framework offers a blueprint for dissecting any couple-shared outcome into sex-specific and assortative components.

Psalidodon bifasciatus is a small characiform, originally described as endemic to the Iguaçu River basin. However, a recent study recorded a population of P. bifasciatus in the Piquiri River basin (upper Paraná), although data on its geographic distribution and parasitological aspects are still limited. The study characterized the parasitic fauna of P. bifasciatus in two streams, one from each basin, and compared them in terms of richness, diversity, and parasite community structure. Twenty-six females were collected in a stream in the lower Iguaçu River basin, and 25 females in a stream in the Piquiri River basin (upper Paraná) in September 2018. The parasite community structure of P. bifasciatus differed between areas, with a predominance of monopisthocotyls and greater richness of parasitic taxa for hosts in the lower Iguaçu River basin. In the Piquiri River basin (upper Paraná), the parasite community was characterized by a higher prevalence of larval nematodes and a lower richness of parasite taxa. The differences in the richness and structure of the parasite communities between the two areas support the hypothesis of the introduction of P. bifasciatus into the Piquiri River basin (upper Paraná). Therefore, we emphasize the need for further studies addressing the distribution pattern of P. bifasciatus, as well as additional parasitological studies to determine whether the parasitological taxa of P. bifasciatus are shared in other hydrological systems. This study contributes to the knowledge of the biological aspects of P. bifasciatus in both basins and improves our understanding of how host-parasite interactions can be informative in species introduction scenarios.

Individual social identities indicate group affiliations and are typically associated with group-typical preferences, signals that indicate group membership, and the propensity to condition actions on the social signals of others, resulting in group-differentiated interaction norms. Past work modeling identity signaling and coordination has typically assumed that individuals belong to one of a discrete set of groups. Yet individuals can simultaneously belong to multiple groups, which may be nested within larger groupings. Here, we introduce the generalized Bach or Stravinsky game, a coordination game with ordered preferences, which allows us to construct a model that captures the overlapping and hierarchical nature of social identity. Our model unifies several prior results into a single framework, including results related to coordination, minority disadvantage, and cross-cultural competence. Our model also allows agents to express complex social identities through multidimensional signaling, which we use to explore a variety of complex group structures. Our consideration of intersectional identities exposes flaws in naive measures of group structure, illustrating how empirical studies may overlook some social identities if they do not consider the behaviors that those identities function to afford.