Knowledge of the status of ecosystems is vital to help develop and implement conservation strategies. This is particularly relevant to the Arctic where the need for biodiversity conservation and monitoring has long been recognised, but where issues of local capacity and logistic barriers make surveys challenging. This paper demonstrates how long-term monitoring programmes outside the Arctic can contribute to developing composite trend indicators, using monitoring of annual abundance and population-level reproduction of species of migratory Arctic-breeding waterbirds on their temperate non-breeding areas. Using data from the UK and the Netherlands, countries with year-round waterbird monitoring schemes and supporting relevant shares of Arctic-breeding populations of waterbirds, we present example multi-species abundance and productivity indicators related to the migratory pathways used by different biogeographical populations of Arctic-breeding wildfowl and wader species in the East Atlantic Flyway. These composite trend indicators show that long-term increases in population size have slowed markedly in recent years and in several cases show declines over, at least, the last decade. These results constitute proof of concept. Some other non-Arctic countries located on the flyways of Arctic-breeding waterbirds also annually monitor abundance and breeding success, and we advocate that future development of “Arctic waterbird indicators” should be as inclusive of data as possible to derive the most robust outputs and help account for effects of current changes in non-breeding waterbird distributions. The incorporation of non-Arctic datasets into assessments of the status of Arctic biodiversity is recognised as highly desirable, because logistic constraints in monitoring within the Arctic region limit effective population-scale monitoring there, in effect enabling “monitoring at a distance”.

Background: Our prior six-year review (n=2165) revealed 24% of patients undergoing posterior decompression surgeries (laminectomy or discectomy) sought emergency department (ED) care within three months post-surgery. We established an integrated Spine Assessment Clinic (SAC) to enhance patient outcomes and minimize unnecessary ED visits through pre-operative education, targeted QI interventions, and early post-operative follow-up. Methods: We reviewed 13 months of posterior decompression data (n=205) following SAC implementation. These patients received individualized, comprehensive pre-operative education and follow-up phone calls within 7 days post-surgery. ED visits within 90 days post-surgery were tracked using provincial databases and compared to our pre-SAC implementation data. Results: Out of 205 patients, 24 (11.6%) accounted for 34 ED visits within 90 days post-op, showing a significant reduction in ED visits from 24% to 11.6%, and decreased overall ED utilization from 42.1% to 16.6% (when accounting for multiple visits by the same patient). Early interventions including wound monitoring, outpatient bloodwork, and prescription adjustments for pain management, helped mitigate ED visits. Patient satisfaction surveys (n=62) indicated 92% were “highly satisfied” and 100% would recommend the SAC. Conclusions: The SAC reduced ED visits after posterior decompression surgery by over 50%, with pre-operative education, focused QI initiatives, and its individualized, proactive approach.

Household survey estimates of retirement income suffer from substantial underreporting which biases downward measures of elderly financial well-being. Using data from both the 2016 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), matched with administrative records, we examine to what extent underreporting of retirement income affects key statistics: elderly reliance on social security benefits and poverty. We find that retirement income is underreported in both the CPS ASEC and the HRS. Consequently, the relative importance of social security income remains overstated – 53 percent of elderly beneficiaries in the CPS ASEC and 49 percent in the HRS rely on social security for the majority of their incomes compared to 42 percent in the administrative data. The elderly poverty rate is also overstated – 8.8 percent in the CPS ASEC and 7.4 percent in the HRS compared to 6.4 percent in the administrative data.

Marsupials give birth to immunologically naïve young after a relatively short gestation period compared with eutherians. Consequently, the joey relies significantly on maternal protection, which is the focus of the present review. The milk and the pouch environment are essential contributors to maternal protection for the healthy development of joeys. In this review, we discuss bioactive components found in the marsupial pouch and milk that form cornerstones of maternal protection. These bioactive components include immune cells, immunoglobulins, the S100 family of calcium-binding proteins, lysozymes, whey proteins, antimicrobial peptides and other immune proteins. Furthermore, we investigated the possibility of the presence of plurifunctional components in milk and pouches that are potentially bioactive. These compounds include caseins, vitamins and minerals, oligosaccharides, lipids and microRNAs. Where applicable, this review addresses variability in bioactive components during different phases of lactation, designed to fulfil the immunological needs of the growing pouch young. Yet, there are numerous additional research opportunities to pursue, including uncovering novel bioactive components and investigating their modes of action, dynamics, stability and ability to penetrate the gut epithelium to facilitate systemic effects.

Palmer amaranth with resistance to dicamba, glufosinate, and protoporphyrinogen oxidase inhibitors has been documented in several southern states. With extensive use of these and other herbicides in South Carolina, a survey was initiated in fall 2020 and repeated in fall 2021 and 2022 to determine the relative response of Palmer amaranth accessions to selected preemergence and postemergence herbicides. A greenhouse screening experiment was conducted in which accessions were treated with three preemergence (atrazine, S-metolachlor, and isoxaflutole) and six postemergence (glyphosate, thifensulfuron-methyl, fomesafen, glufosinate, dicamba, and 2,4-D) herbicides at the 1× and 2× use rates. Herbicides were applied shortly after planting (preemergence) or at the 2- to 4-leaf growth stage (postemergence). Percent survival was evaluated 5 to 14 d after application depending on herbicide activity. Sensitivity to atrazine preemergence was lower for 49 and 33 accessions out of 115 to atrazine applied preemergence at the 1× and 2× rate, respectively. Most of the accessions (90%) were controlled by isoxaflutole applied preemergence at the 1× rate. Response to S-metolachlor applied preemergence indicated that 34% of the Palmer amaranth accessions survived the 1× rate (>60% survival). Eleven accessions exhibited reduced sensitivity to fomesafen applied postemergence; however, these percentages were not different from the 0% survivor group. Glyphosate applied postemergence at the 1× rate did not control most accessions (79%). Palmer amaranth response to thifensulfuron-methyl applied postemergence varied across the accessions, with only 36% and 28% controlled at the 1× rate and 2× rate, respectively. All accessions were controlled by 2,4-D, dicamba, or glufosinate when they were applied postemergence. Palmer amaranth accessions from this survey exhibited reduced susceptibility to several herbicides commonly used in agronomic crops in South Carolina. Therefore, growers should use multiple management tactics to minimize the evolution of herbicide resistance in Palmer amaranth in South Carolina.

The increased severity and frequency of bushfires accompanying human-induced global warming have dire implications for biodiversity conservation. Here we investigate the response of a cryptic, cool-climate elapid, the mustard-bellied snake Drysdalia rhodogaster, to the extensive Black Summer fires of 2019/2020 in south-eastern Australia. The species is categorized as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (last assessed in 2017), but because a large part of its range was burnt during the Black Summer and little was known about its ecology, D. rhodogaster was identified as a priority species for post-fire impact assessment. We evaluated three lines of evidence to assess the impact of the Black Summer fires on D. rhodogaster. Habitat suitability modelling indicated that c. 46% of the predicted range of the species was affected by bushfire. Field surveys conducted 9–36 months post-fire and collation of records from public databases submitted 0–24 months post-fire indicated that D. rhodogaster persisted in burnt landscapes. Fire severity and proportion of the landscape that was burnt within a 1,000-m radius of survey sites were poor predictors of site occupancy by D. rhodogaster. Although conclusions regarding the effects of fire on D. rhodogaster are limited because of the lack of baseline data, it is evident that the species has persisted across the landscape in the wake of extensive bushfires. Our work highlights the need for baseline knowledge on cryptic species even when they are categorized as Least Concern, as otherwise assessments of the impacts of catastrophic events will be constrained.

Associations between adversity and youth psychopathology likely vary based on the types and timing of experiences. Major theories suggest that the impact of childhood adversity may either be cumulative in type (the more types of adversity, the worse outcomes) or in timing (the longer exposure, the worse outcomes) or, alternatively, specific concerning the type (e.g., parenting, home, neighborhood) or the timing of adversity (e.g., specific developmental periods). In a longitudinal sample from the Future of Families and Wellbeing Study (N = 4,210), we evaluated these competing hypotheses using a data-driven structured life-course modeling approach using risk factors examined at child age 1 (infancy), 3 (toddlerhood), 5 (early childhood), and 9 (middle childhood). Results showed that exposures to more types of adversity for longer durations (i.e., cumulative in both type and timing) best predicted youth psychopathology. Adversities that occurred at age 9 were better predictors of youth psychopathology as compared to those experienced earlier, except for neglect, which was predictive of internalizing symptoms when experienced at age 3. Throughout childhood (across ages 1–9), aside from the accumulation of all adversities, parental stress and low collective efficacy were the strongest predictors of internalizing symptoms, whereas psychological aggression was predictive of externalizing symptoms.

Although resilient youth provide an important model of successful adaptation to adversity, we know relatively little about the origins of their positive outcomes, particularly the role of biological mechanisms. The current study employed a series of methylome-wide association studies to identify methylomic biomarkers of resilience in a unique sample of 276 twins within 141 families residing in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Results revealed methylome-wide significant differentially methylated probes (DMPs) for social and academic resilience and suggestive DMPs for psychological resilience and resilience across domains. Pathway analyses informed our understanding of the biological underpinnings of significant differentially methylated probes. Monozygotic twin difference analyses were then employed to narrow in on DMPs that were specifically environmental in origin. Our findings suggest that alterations in the DNA methylome may be implicated in youth resilience to neighborhood adversity and that some of the suggestive DMPs may be environmentally engendered. Importantly, our ability to replicate our findings in a well-powered sample was hindered by the scarcity of twin samples with youth exposed to moderate to substantial levels of adversity. Thus, although preliminary, the present study is the first to identify DNA methylation biomarkers of academic and social resilience.

A significant proportion of the forested production area in South Carolina is managed using aerial applications of imazapyr. Cotton injury from off-target movement of imazapyr has been observed in South Carolina. Field experiments were conducted twice at the Edisto Research and Education Center (EREC) in 2021 and 2022, and once at the Pee Dee Research and Education Center (PDREC) in 2022, to evaluate the response of cotton at two growth stages to imazapyr at 0.1×, 0.05×, 0.025×, 0.0125×, and 0.00625× of the normal use rate of 0.84 kg ae ha−1. Injury to cotton at the vegetative stage was 86% and 74% at 0.1× and 0.05× imazapyr rates 28 d after application (DAA). Cotton height ranged from 23 to 93 cm at all three locations. Yield at the EREC location in 2021 was reduced by 79%, 48%, and 31% at the 0.1×, 0.05×, and 0.025× rates of imazapyr, respectively. Similar reductions from imazapyr were observed at both EREC and PDREC in 2022. Injury to cotton at the reproductive stage based on visual estimates at 28 DAA ranged from 95% to 64% for the 0.1× to 0.0125× rates, respectively. Cotton height at the reproductive stage was reduced to 59% of the untreated control 28 DAA when the 0.1× rate of imazapyr was applied. Seed cotton (which included both seed and lint) yield ranged from 0 to 2,880 kg ha−1 at the three locations in both years. Seed cotton yield was lowest when imazapyr was applied at the 0.1× to 0.025× rates. Cotton exposure to imazapyr at the vegetative and reproductive growth stages resulted in plant injury, height, and yield reductions, especially at the higher rates of imazapyr. The greatest reduction in cotton growth and yield was observed after exposure at the reproductive growth stage regardless of imazapyr rate. In summary, the magnitude of cotton response to imazapyr depends on crop growth stage and imazapyr concentration at the time of exposure with the greatest impact occurring at the reproductive growth stage.

Recent theoretical models have posited that increases in self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) during adolescence may be linked to failures in biological stress regulation in contexts of social stress. However, there is a lack of data examining this hypothesis during the transition to adolescence, a sensitive period of development characterized by changes across socioaffective and psychophysiological domains. Building on principles from developmental psychopathology and the RDoC framework, the present study used a longitudinal design in a sample of 147 adolescents to test whether interactions among experiences of social (i.e., parent and peer) conflict and cardiac arousal (i.e., resting heart rate) predicted adolescents’ engagement in SITBs (i.e., nonsuicidal self-injury, NSSI; and suicidal ideation; SI) across 1-year follow-up. Prospective analyses revealed that adolescents experiencing a combination of greater peer, but not family, conflict and higher cardiac arousal at baseline showed significant longitudinal increases in NSSI. In contrast, social conflict did not interact with cardiac arousal to predict future SI. Findings indicate that greater peer-related interpersonal stress in adolescents may increase risk for future NSSI among youth with physiological vulnerabilities (i.e., higher resting heart rate) that may be markers of maladaptive stress responses. Future research should examine these processes at finer timescales to elucidate whether these factors are proximal predictors of within-day SITBs.

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: In a familial case where 10 of 17 members inherited EA/LVNC in an autosomal dominant pattern, we discovered a novel, damaging missense variant in the gene KLHL26 that segregates with disease and comprises an altered electrostatic surface profile, likely decoupling the CUL3-interactome. We hypothesize that this KLHL26 variant is etiologic of EA/LVNC. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We differentiated a family trio (a heart-healthy daughter and EA/LVNC-affected mother and daughter) of induced pluripotent stem cells into cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) in a blinded manner on three iPSC clones per subject. Using flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, and biomechanical, electrophysiological, and automated contraction methods, we investigated iPSC-CM differentiation efficiency between D10-20, contractility analysis and cell cycle regulation at D20, and sarcomere organization at D60. We further conducted differential analyses following label-free protein and RNA-Seq quantification at D20. Via CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, we plan to characterize KLHL26 variant-specific iPSC-CM alterations and connect findings to discoveries from patient-specific studies. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: All iPSC lines differentiated into CMs with an increased percentage of cTnT+ cells in the affected daughter line. In comparison to the unaffected, affected iPSC-CMs had fewer contractions per minute and altered calcium transients, mainly a higher amount of total calcium release, faster rate of rise and faster rate of fall. The affected daughter line further had shorter shortening and relaxation times, higher proliferation, lower apoptosis, and a smaller cell surface area per cardiac nucleus. The affected mother line trended in a similar direction to the affected daughter line. There were no gross differences in sarcomere organization between the lines. We also discovered differential expression of candidate proteins such as kinase VRK1 and collagen COL5A1 from proteomic profiling. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: These discoveries suggest that EA/LVNC characteristics or pathogenesis may result from decreased contractile ability, altered calcium transients, and cell cycle dysregulation. Through the KLHL26 variant correction and introduction in the daughter lines, we will build upon this understanding to inform exploration of critical clinical targets.