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Mitochondrial DNA Analysis of Red Squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in North Wales
Full text linkThe aim of this study is to (1) compile previously published and unpublished data related to the genetic diversity of the red squirrel population in Wales, and to (2) conduct new DNA analysis on 70 hair and faecal samples from North Wales to create an updated report related to the genetic diversity and haplotype composition present in the red squirrel population today.The study concentrates on the use of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, as red squirrels have particularly high mtDNA variation in comparison to other British mammals, making it useful for planning future conservation and restoration efforts in the region.DNA was extracted from the samples and a short section of the mtDNA was amplified and DNA sequenced. The DNA sequences were assessed for quality, and sequences were compared to previously collected and published samples from the region, and elsewhere in Britain and Ireland, to see what haplotypes or DNA strains are currently present in the North Wales region.We report a total of six mtDNA haplotypes, three unique to this study, but failed to detect some of the haplotypes previously recorded in the region. This could suggest a loss of haplotypes, but interpretation is complicated by the fact that the samples from Clocaenog in this study were mostly obtained from animals released to boost the small existing population, and consequently it is possible that our sampling did not reflect the full diversity of red squirrels in the forest.North Wales remains a significant site for red squirrel conservation, with several reinforcement and translocation projects carried out over the years. As a result, the genetic diversity present today largely reflects these efforts. However, the presence of ANG1/ANG2 haplotypes suggests that some of the original and unique Welsh genetic diversity may still persist in the region.It is important to also pay particular attention to the mid Wales region, as this area previously contained haplotypes not found elsewhere, thought maybe to have a longer association with the region, and these would be interesting to both document and manage.Regular sampling should be carried out to survey the contemporary genetic diversity. Hair samples from squirrel feeders and or hair-tubes would be adequate, but it is important that samples are stored appropriately and with their associated geographic data to ensure robust data sets at the time of analysis. Some of the samples in this study yielded relatively poor quality DNA, making them difficult to work with in the lab. Extracting DNA from hair and faecal samples on a more regular basis may help conserve the DNA quality and quantity, which will remain stable for longer once extracted.Such effort would require the dedication of a full time PhD student or postdoctoral researcher, who would engage with the relevant stakeholders in the region, and manage a systematic approach to sampling, mapping, lab analysis and communication to ensure a robust study of the entire Welsh red squirrel population
A cost-consequence analysis of a community-based rehabilitation programme following hip fracture (Fracture in the Elderly Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation—FEMuR III)
Full text linkSummaryThe FEMuR III economic evaluation presents costs and consequences of the intervention compared with usual care at 52-week follow-up. There was no evidence of clinical effectiveness in terms of improvement of quality of life, and the total health service costs were higher in the intervention group.PurposeTo explore the costs and consequences of the new FEMuR III intervention compared to usual care after hip fractures.MethodsThis cost-consequence analysis accompanies the FEMuR III randomised controlled trial using a micro-costing approach. The main outcome measures in this economic evaluation were healthcare service use, costs, and quality of life over 12 months, from both National Health Service and wider societal perspectives. Quality of life was measured using the EuroQoL-5D-3L.ResultsThe mean cost of delivering the intervention was £444 per participant. For participants with complete EQ-5D data (n = 142), both groups showed improvement in EQ-5D index score, moving scores closer to UK norms. Participants in the intervention group gained 0.02 (95% CI: − 0.036, 0.076) more quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) than the usual care group. However, this was not statistically significant (p value = 0.312). For imputed cases, participants in the intervention group gained less QALYs than the usual care by 0.01 (95% CI: − 0.056, 0.030). For participants with complete cost data (n = 115), at 52-week follow-up, mean health service use costs were higher in the intervention group from both perspectives.ConclusionsThe mean health service use costs were higher in the intervention group due to longer inpatient stays. There was no significant difference in QALYs between both groups. The trial was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and this goes some way to explaining the large proportion of missing data (40%)
Duncan Bush's Welsh Petrofiction: Energy Transition and Neoliberalism in 'Glass Shot'
Full text linkDuncan Bush’s novel 'Glass Shot', set in south Wales during the 1984 Miners’ Strike, registers the social effects of the final shift from a south Walian economy and community organised around the extraction of coal to one based on individual consumption and the servicing of oil-based products . I argue that the novel critiques the car as a symbol of a dangerous individualism that – through its attendant ideas about the backwardness of Welsh coal communities and the future-orientation of American petroculture – lays the ideological groundwork for the ‘breaking of the miners’ and the neoliberal economy that follows. By making this case, I hope to show how a petro-critical approach to Welsh literature can deepen understanding of our own energy history, and remind us, as we embark on a green energy transition, of the need to put community and social justice at the heart of any change
Probiotic colonization of Xenopus laevis skin causes short-term changes in skin microbiomes and gene expression
Full text linkProbiotic therapies have been suggested for amelioration efforts of wildlife disease such as chytridiomycosis caused by Batrachochytrium spp. in amphibians. However, there is a lack of information on how probiotic application affects resident microbial communities and immune responses. To better understand these interactions, we hypothesized that probiotic application would alter microbial community composition and host immune expression in Xenopus laevis. Accordingly, we applied three amphibian-derived and anti-Batrachochytrium bacteria strains (two Pseudomonas spp., and one Stenotrophomonas sp.) to X. laevis in monoculture and also as a cocktail. We quantified microbial community structure using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We also quantified genes involved in X. laevis immune responses using RT-qPCR and skin transcriptomics over one and three-week periods. All probiotic treatments successfully colonized X. laevis skin for three weeks, but with differential ASV sequence counts over time. Bacterial community and immune gene effects were most pronounced at week 1 post-probiotic exposure and decreased thereafter. All probiotic treatments caused initial changes to bacterial community alpha and beta diversity, including reduction in diversity from pre-exposure anti-Batrachochytrium bacterial ASV relative abundance. Probiotic colonization by Pseudomonas probiotic strain RSB5.4 reduced expression of regulatory T cell marker (FOXP3, measured with RT-qPCR) and caused the greatest gene expression changes detected by transcriptomics. Single bacterial strains and mixed cultures therefore altered amphibian microbiome-immune interactions. This work will help to improve our understanding of the role of the microbiome-immune interface underlying both disease dynamics and emergent eco-evolutionary processes
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) of LUMIN® Standard Pine and Eucalyptus Plywood
Full text linkThis study presents a comprehensive Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) of LUMIN® Standard Pine and Eucalyptus Plywood (Mill 1), leading to the development of an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) in accordance with EN 15804: 2012 + A2: 2019 and PCR 2019:14 v1.3.4. The cradle-to-gate analysis evaluates environmental impacts, including materials, transport, energy use, and end-of-life considerations, ensuring no process exclusions. The assessment highlights LUMIN's sustainable forest management practices in Uruguay, where pine and eucalyptus plantations provide a reliable and environmentally responsible timber supply.The results indicate that per 1m³ of LUMIN® Standard Pine and Eucalyptus Plywood, 337.68 kg CO₂e is emitted, reducing to -478.99 kg CO₂e when biogenic carbon uptake is considered. Resin usage is identified as the major environmental hotspot, contributing over 70% of greenhouse gas emissions, with transport playing a secondary role. The study underscores the significance of material selection, energy efficiency, and biomass utilisation in reducing the overall environmental impact of plywood production
Mapping Contributions of the Anterior Temporal Semantic Hub to the Processing of Abstract and Concrete Verbs
Full text linkMultiple representation theories of semantic processing propose that word meaning is supported by simulated sensorimotor experience in modality-specific neural regions, as well as in cognitive systems that involve processing of linguistic, emotional, and introspective information. According to the Hub and Spoke Model of Semantic Memory, activity from these distributed cortical areas feeds into a primary semantic hub located in the ventral anterior temporal lobe (vATL). In the present pre-registered study, we examined whether different types of abstract verbs (mental, emotional, nonembodied) and concrete (embodied) verbs all engage the vATL, and also whether they differentially recruit a broader set of distributed neurocognitive systems (consistent with multiple representation theories). Finally, we investigated whether there is information about different verb types distributed across the broader ATL region, consistent with a Graded Semantic Hub Hypothesis. We collected data from 30 participants who completed a syntactic classification task (is it a verb? Yes or no) and a numerical judgement task which served as an active but less semantic baseline task. Whole brain univariate analyses revealed consistent BOLD signal throughout the canonical semantic network, including the left inferior frontal gyrus, left middle temporal gyrus, and the vATL. All types of abstract verbs engaged the vATL except for mental state verbs. Finally, a multivariate pattern analysis revealed clusters within the ATL that were differentially engaged when processing each type of abstract verb. Our findings extend previous research and suggest that the hub-and-spoke hypothesis and the graded semantic hub hypothesis provide a neurobiologically constrained model of semantics that can account for abstract verb representation and processing
Exploring Family Profiles in Explaining Heterogeneity in Parenting Program Engagement and Effectiveness
Full text linkPostglacial recolonization of the Southern Ocean by elephant seals occurred from multiple glacial refugia
Full text linkThe Southern Ocean is warming more rapidly than other parts of our planet. How this region’s endemic biodiversity will respond to such changes can be illuminated by studying past events, through genetic analyses of time-series data sets including historic and fossil remains. Archaeological and subfossil remains show that the southern elephant seal ( Mirounga leonina ) was common along the coasts of Australia and New Zealand in the recent past. This species is now mostly confined to sub-Antarctic islands and the southern tip of South America. We analysed ancient seal samples from Australia (Tasmania), New Zealand, and the Antarctic mainland to examine how southern elephant seals have responded to a changing climate and anthropogenic pressures during the Holocene. Our analyses show that these seals formed part of a broader Australasian lineage, comprising seals from all sampled locations from the south Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean. Our study demonstrates that southern elephant seal populations have dynamically altered both range and population sizes under climatic and human pressures, over surprisingly short evolutionary timeframes for such a large, long-lived mammal. Significance Statement Genetic data, alongside historic, archaeological, and subfossil remains show that Australasian populations of the southern elephant seal have been shaped by range expansions and contractions following the Last Glacial Maximum, with subsequent contractions during the late Holocene. These expansion and contraction events are likely to have been a direct result of climate change-induced habitat expansion and contraction, along with Indigenous and European sealing. Prehistoric climate change and more recent human pressures have substantially altered the geographic distribution and population size of southern elephant seals over short evolutionary timescale
