Parasite biodiversity is underestimated or unknown in many regions, yet information on parasites is critical to understanding ecosystem structure and how this will change into the future. Understanding the diversity and role of parasites is especially important in regions exposed to anthropogenic pressures, such as aquatic ecosystems, as their interactions with other stressors can either exacerbate or mediate negative impacts. Water scarcity in the Brazilian semi-arid has led to a proliferation of reservoirs for human use. These artificial waterbodies host a diversity of taxa, including a large number of fish species; however, fish parasite diversity remains undocumented. This study investigated the parasitological diversity of fishes from reservoirs in the Paraíba and Mamanguape River basins in the Caatinga domain, Brazil – one of the most populated semi-arid regions worldwide. Eight reservoirs were studied, with fish sampled across the two phases of the hydrological cycle (dry and rainy seasons) using gillnets, cast nets, and trawl nets. Endo- and ecto-parasites were identified and enumerated, and parasitological indices (prevalence, intensity, and abundance) were calculated. In total, 1,170 individuals of 21 fish species were examined. Of these individuals, 42% were parasitized with at least one of 54 parasite taxa. We recorded 32 new geographical occurrences of parasites and 23 new fish-parasite interactions, expanding our understanding of ichthyoparasite diversity in the Brazilian semi-arid. Moving forward, it is important to develop knowledge around how anthropogenic changes (e.g., biological invasions, climate, and land use change) influence host-parasite structure and dynamics and ecosystem functioning in these ecosystems.

Polychaetes (Phylum Annelida) respond to sensory stimuli through the usage of sensory organs and appendages, such as palps, which vary in shape and structure depending on lifestyle. The typical palps of nereidid polychaetes are tapered appendages constituted by two articles. The palpophore is the wider and longer basal article, followed by the thinner and shorter palpostyle that contains the majority of sensory cells. Previous studies on Hediste diversicolor palps were focused on these sensory cells. To achieve a more comprehensive view of the histology and ultrastructure of the palps, H. diversicolor specimens were collected from the northern Portuguese Atlantic coast and the palps were processes for light (semithin sections) and transmission electron microscopy. The current study revealed details of the cuticle, which is thinner in the palpostyle than in the palpophore. Five types of secretory cells were distinguished mainly based on the characteristics of their secretory vesicles. Two of these types could be classified as protein-secreting cells, and the other three as mucus-secreting cells. Granulocytes and eleocytes were found in the celom cavity of the palps. The latter contained lipid droplets and a very large amount of glycogen. In the central region of the palpophore, a ring of muscle cells responsible for the retraction of the palpostyle encircled the main palp nerve. The latter was formed by numerous axons and glial cells containing bundles of filaments and gliosomes.

Schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease caused by Schistosoma species, remains highly prevalent in tropical regions, where it contributes significantly to hepatic and vascular complications. Despite the well-established role of parasitic eggs in driving inflammation and organ damage, the specific vascular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Given the role of angiogenesis and vascular remodelling in tissue repair, the angiopoietins (ANGs) could be promising biomarkers to evaluate disease progression. This study aims to explore the relationship between ANG levels with parasitic load in patients with schistosomiasis. In this cross-sectional study, 126 schistosomiasis patients were stratified into three groups based on parasitic egg burden: negative, low, and moderate/high. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected, and serum ANGs were quantified via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Parasitic load was assessed through stool examination, quantifying the number of Schistosoma eggs per gram of faeces. Additional clinical parameters, including liver abnormalities and blood chemistry, were evaluated. The ANG-2 levels and the ANG-2/ANG-1 ratio were significantly elevated in patients with higher egg burdens, particularly in the moderate/high group. The ANG-2/ANG-1 ratio was notably higher in patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis. While systemic blood pressure and oxygen saturation showed no significant differences between groups, patients with elevated triglycerides had lower ANG-2 levels. Elevated ANG-2 levels and an increased ANG-2/ANG-1 ratio correlate with higher parasitic burdens, reinforcing their potential as biomarkers for disease severity. These findings underscore the role of egg-induced inflammation in schistosomiasis pathophysiology and suggest that ANGs could aid in early diagnosis and treatment decisions, particularly in populations with high parasitic loads.

Western contemporary educational systems tend to re-produce, and thus maintain, the existent non-sustainable social structures, failing to live up to the present critical times. Their aim is confined to preparation for financial “success,” whereas they disregard the imminence of environmental crises and global social shifts and are rooted in the human sense of superiority over nature, that is, anthropocentrism. The present article acknowledges the need for reconsideration of humans’ place and role in the ecosystem and focuses on the importance of a more ecocentric pedagogy. A holistic in-service teacher training was designed and implemented in Greece, inspired by the wild pedagogies touchstones, mainly the notion of nature as co-teacher. Twelve participants met for the course of a year to immerse themselves in nature-centred, affective, relational, “wild” experiences. Changes were recorded using pre/post-semi-structured interviews to inquire into participants’ perceptions of self versus Self (i.e. acknowledging oneself as part of a larger whole) and perceptions of (environmental) education. It appears that deep, relational nature experiences (a) can shift the perception of individualised self towards Self, (b) can shift the perception of teacher identity towards that of a change agent and (c) can set ethics and values education as a priority among trainee-teacher participants.

Objectives/Goals: Bacterial dysbiosis has emerged as an accomplice in the progression of many cancers. The pancreas microbiome changes in pancreatic cancer patients. The mechanisms via which components of the microbiome regulate tumor growth is unclear. We seek to determine if bacterial dysbiosis influences cancer cell behavior thereby promoting tumor progression. Methods/Study Population: We performed immunohistochemistry for lipopolysaccharide and observed bacteria preferentially located in close proximity to cancer cells. We utilized an in vitro cell culture system and in vivo mouse models, in the presence and absence of gut bacteria, to assess the effect of bacteria and bacterial metabolites on pro-tumorigenic signaling and transcriptional changes in the cancer cell. We analyzed cancer cells and epithelial cells using RNA sequencing, flow cytometry, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We also used targeted metabolomics to identify bacterial and cancer cell produced metabolites. Results/Anticipated Results: We found microbial dysbiosis can induce proliferation, an inflammatory response and an increase in tryptophan metabolism via the kynurenine pathway in the pancreatic cancer cell. Along with upregulated expression of IDO1 in vivo, we observe an increase in nicotinic adenine mononucleotide. Also, we observe an increase in nicotinic acid in vitro and nicotinic adenine dinucleotide within the cancer cell compartment in the presence of bacteria and bacteria conditioned media. Due to the critical role in many vital pathways of cell survival, NAD+ production is thought to play a significant role in cancer progression. Nicotinic acid can stimulate NAD production to protect cells from cell death. Discussion/Significance of Impact: Pancreatic cancer is associated with a distinct tumor microbiome and ablation slows disease progression. Our data delineate mechanisms via which microbes modulate the pancreatic cancer cell and provide insight into therapeutic strategies for gut microbial modulation in treating pancreatic cancer.

Spectra have been obtained with the multi-fibre instrument 2dF on the Anglo-Australian Telescope of 89 candidate main sequence stars in the globular cluster M55 (NGC 6809). Radial velocities and Gaia proper motions confirm 72 candidates as cluster members. Among these stars one stands out as having a substantially stronger G-band (CH) than the rest of the member sample. The star is a dwarf carbon star that most likely acquired the high carbon abundance ([C/Fe] $\approx$ 1.2 $\pm$ 0.2) via mass transfer from a $\sim$1$-$3 M$_{\odot}$ binary companion (now a white dwarf) during its AGB phase of evolution. Interestingly, M55 also contains a CH-star that lies on the cluster red giant branch – the low central concentration/low density of this cluster presumably allows the survival of binaries that would otherwise be disrupted in denser systems. The existence of carbon stars in six other globular clusters is consistent with this hypothesis, while the origin of the carbon-enhanced star in M15 (NGC 7078) is attributed to a merger process similar to that proposed for the origin of the carbon-rich R stars.

Posthuman understanding of music and bodies as matter highlights otherwise forms of musical embodied learning. In this paper, we focus on an early childhood classroom music event and think diffractively with cognitive and posthuman theories in order to extend our insight into it. Accordingly, we explore cognitive approaches to music and movement, as well as posthuman concepts such as agency, embodiment, affect and desire, (de)territorialisations and assemblages. As music educators, we acknowledge the relationship between music and movement in early childhood, but our posthuman reading of the event enables a more equitable understanding of children’s music learning.

Mobile-based trading apps have made investing easier than ever before, but this includes enabling access to risky investments that many investors may not be able to trade safely. The UK financial regulator thereby requires Contract for Difference (CFD) trading apps to make disclosures such as, ‘89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider’. However, these disclosures might be counteracted by either their suboptimal implementation, or by other aspects of these apps’ deceptive choice architecture. Therefore, the present study audited choice architecture characteristics of demo-modes of the 14 most-popular CFD trading apps in the UK. A content analysis found for example that 31.6% of risk warnings did not comply with the regulator’s standards, and that only 35.7%% of apps contained risk warnings within the app’s main tabs. A thematic analysis suggested that apps’ educational resources could instil users with the hope of winning, by emphasising practice, strategies and psychological mindset – instead of acknowledging luck as the predominant factor underlying CFD trading profitability. Overall, this study added to previous research highlighting the similarities between certain high-risk investments and gambling, and added to the behavioural public policy literature on deceptive choice architecture.

We present a chemo-dynamical study conducted with 2dF$+$AAOmega of $\sim 6\,000$ Gaia DR3 non-variable candidate metal-poor stars that lie in the direction of the Galactic plane. Our spectral analysis reveals 15 new extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars, with the lowest metallicity at $\left[\text{Fe/H}\right] = -4.0 \pm 0.2$ dex. Two of the EMP stars are also carbon enhanced, with the largest enhancement of $\left[\text{C/Fe}\right] = 1.3 \pm 0.1$ occurring in a dwarf. Using our $\left[\text{C/Fe}\right]$ results, we demonstrate that the number of carbon-depleted stars decreases with lower metallicities, and the fraction of carbon-enhanced stars increases, in agreement with previous studies. Our dynamical analysis reveals that the fraction of prograde and retrograde disk stars, defined as $z_{\mathrm{max}} \lt 3$ kpc, with $J_{\phi}/J_{\mathrm{tot}} \gt 0.75$ and $J_{\phi}/J_{\mathrm{tot}} \lt -0.75$, respectively, changes as metallicities decrease. Disk stars on retrograde orbits make up $\sim 10$% of all the stars in our sample with metallicities below $-2.1$ dex. Interestingly, the portion of retrograde disk stars compared with the number of kinematically classified halo stars is approximately constant at $4.6$% for all metallicities below $-1.5$ dex. We also see that $J_{\phi}$ increases from $380 \pm 50$ to $1320 \pm 90$ km s$^{-1}$ kpc across metallicity range $-1.5$ to $-1.1$, consistent with the spin-up of the Galactic disk. Over the metallicity range $-3.0 \lt \left[\text{Fe/H}\right] \lt -2.0$, the slopes of the metallicity distribution functions for the prograde and retrograde disk stars are similar and comparable to that for the halo population. However, detailed chemical analyses based on high-resolution spectra are needed to distinguish the accreted versus in situ contributions. Finally, we show that our spectroscopic parameters reveal serious systematics in the metallicities published in recent studies that apply various machine learning techniques to Gaia XP spectra.

Since the 1980s, research has linked environmental factors to adult-onset diseases. The DOHaD theory suggests that exposures during development can permanently affect organ function, predisposing individuals to adult diseases. Studies indicate that protein restriction or a high-fat diet (HFD) during this phase impacts adult metabolism since programmed dysfunctions may depend on changes established during puberty, such as the reproductive system. However, there are no studies on the impact of low-protein (LP) or HFD on male testicles during this phase. For this, Male Wistar rats were categorized into three dietary groups: LP (isocaloric low-protein pelletized); HFD; and Control (balanced commercial) until PND 60. This study was approved by the CEUA-UEM. On postnatal day 61, the animals were euthanized for histopathological, sperm count, and oxidative stress assessments in the testis and epididymis. Statistical analyses were conducted following established ethical principles in animal research. The research revealed significant alterations in daily sperm production and transit through the epididymis. Sperm morphology was affected in the experimental groups. Mitochondrial activity increased in the HFD group. Testicular and epididymal histopathology, seminiferous tubule diameter, and germinal epithelium height, as well as the number of Sertoli and Leydig cells, remained unchanged. Stereological analysis revealed tissue remodeling in the epididymis, particularly in the LP group. LP group showed an increase in lipid peroxidation in the oxidative damage test. In conclusion, low-protein and HFD during peripubertal age did not affect postnatal testicular development in rats. However, they impacted sperm quality, potentially affecting fertility and male reproductive system development.

Most common pool resource (CPR) dilemmas share two features: they evolve over time and they are managed under environmental uncertainties. We propose a stylized dynamic model that integrates these two dimensions. A distinguishing feature of our model is that the duration of the game is determined endogenously by the users’ collective decisions. In the proposed model, if the resource stock level below which the irreversible event occurs is known in advance, then the optimal resource use coincides with a unique symmetric equilibrium that guarantees survival of the resource. As the uncertainty about the threshold level increases, resource use increases if users adopt decision strategies that quickly deplete the resource stock, but decreases if they adopt path strategies guaranteeing that the unknown threshold level is never exceeded. We show that under relatively high uncertainty about resource size, CPR users frequently implement decision strategies that terminate the game immediately. When this uncertainty is reduced, they maintain a positive resource level for longer durations.

The impact of intrinsic compressibility effects – changes in fluid volume due to pressure variations – on high-speed wall-bounded turbulence has often been overlooked or incorrectly attributed to mean property variations. To quantify these intrinsic compressibility effects unambiguously, we perform direct numerical simulations of compressible turbulent channel flows with nearly uniform mean properties. Our simulations reveal that intrinsic compressibility effects yield a significant upward shift in the logarithmic mean velocity profile that can be attributed to the reduction in the turbulent shear stress. This reduction stems from the weakening of the near-wall quasi-streamwise vortices. In turn, we attribute this weakening to the spontaneous opposition of sweeps and ejections from the near-wall expansions and contractions of the fluid, and provide a theoretical explanation for this mechanism. Our results also demonstrate that intrinsic compressibility effects play a crucial role in the increase in inner-scaled streamwise turbulence intensity in compressible flows, as compared with incompressible flows, which was previously regarded to be an effect of mean property variations alone.

The ghost shrimp Audacallichirus mirim had been previously recorded along the Brazilian coast. However, this study marks its first report in southern Espírito Santo and northern Rio de Janeiro, in southeastern Brazil. Two male specimens were collected at Piúma Beach (Espírito Santo) and Guaxindiba Beach (Rio de Janeiro) in March 2023, using a steel suction pump in the intertidal zone. The individuals were identified in a laboratory based on taxonomic characteristics. Abiotic factors such as salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen were measured at the collection sites, revealing distinct environmental conditions between the two beaches. Granulometric analysis showed significant differences in sediment composition, with Piúma characterized by finer sands and Guaxindiba by a more poorly sorted sediment, with a higher contribution of coarser grains. This record contributes to understanding the biogeographical distribution of A. mirim, emphasizes its ecological role, and highlights the need for further research on its population dynamics and habitat preferences in southeastern Brazil.

Site-specific herbicide applications with remotely piloted aerial application systems (RPAASs) offer the potential for reducing herbicide inputs in turfgrass systems. However, information on spray nozzle selection and application volume for this approach is lacking. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of nozzle type and spray volume on the efficacy of site-specific herbicide application to turf using an RPAAS, focusing on large crabgrass control with quinclorac. The research was conducted in 2022 at two sites in College Station, TX. The treatments were combinations of three nozzle types (XR 80-015 [conventional, extended range], DG 80-015 [drift guard], and AI 80-015 [air induction] flat-fan nozzles) and two spray volumes (10 and 15 L ha−1), applied with a single-nozzle RPAAS. A spray volume of 102 L ha−1 applied with a CO2-pressurized four-nozzle boom backpack sprayer served as a check for comparison. Two additional treatments were also included: a pure formulated herbicide application (without dilution in water) using an RPAAS equipped with an XR 80-005 flat-fan nozzle at 4.6 L ha−1, and an untreated control. The backpack sprayer application resulted in the highest spray solution deposits on large crabgrass plants (12 times more on average), compared to the RPAAS applications. Nevertheless, applications using the RPAAS with the DG and AI nozzles at 10 or 15 L ha−1 provided similar levels of weed control as that of the backpack sprayer at 102 L ha−1, indicating that RPAAS can be effectively used for site-specific herbicide applications to turf. This study also suggests that large crabgrass can be controlled using RPAAS with a range of spray nozzle types at low application volumes to turfgrass. Further research is needed to assess the efficacy of RPAAS-based herbicide applications across a range of herbicides, weed species, and environmental conditions.