Viborgwren9004

Top predators can exert strong influences on community structure and function, both via direct, consumptive effects, as well as through non-consumptive, fear-based effects (i.e. predation risk). However, these effects are challenging to quantify, particularly for mobile predators in marine ecosystems. To advance this field of research, here we used baited remote underwater video stations (BRUVs) to assess how the behavior of mobile fish species off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, was affected by exposure to large sharks. We categorized sites into three levels of differential shark predation exposure (white sharks, Carcharodon carcharias) and quantified the relative abundance and arrival times (elapsed time before appearing on screen) for six mobile fish prey groups to the BRUV stations. Increased large shark exposure was associated with a decrease in overall prey abundance, but the overall response was prey group-specific. Foraging of smooth dogfish, a likely important prey item for large sharks in the system, was significantly reduced in areas frequented by white sharks. Specifically, the predicted probabilities of smooth dogfish bait contacts or bite attempts occurring were reduced by factors of 5.7 and 8.4, respectively, in areas of high exposure as compared to low exposure. These modifications were underscored by a decrease in smooth dogfish abundance in areas of high exposure as well. Our results suggest that populations of large, roving sharks may induce food-related costs in prey. We discuss the implications of this work within the context of the control of risk (COR) hypothesis, for the purposes of advancing our understanding of the ecological role and effects of large sharks on coastal marine ecosystems.INTRODUCTION Physical activity (PA) confers a multitude of health benefits. Unfortunately, Bangladeshi school children get little PA. The current study assessed the barriers to promoting PA from the perspectives of school authorities and parents in urban Bangladesh. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was conducted between January-June 2018 in Dhaka city. Fourteen schools were sampled to represent different school types. We used qualitative methods 14 key Informant interviews (teachers), six focus group discussions (parents), and 14 observations of school environments. Thematic analysis was performed. RESULTS PA was not prioritized at most schools for two primary reasons 1) there was a general lack of understanding of the importance of PA; and 2) physical education classes did not contribute to grades. Little time and resources were allotted for physical education classes because little priority was given to PA by school authorities. Outside school, lack of adequate safe open spaces undermined access to PA. Further, there were social barriers to PA including lack of parental support due to concerns about tiredness and injury and the perception that PA was detrimental to academic achievement. AZD9291 Many parents chose screen-based activities for children over PA. CONCLUSION Despite policies that mandate PA, PA lost out to school and parental priorities for academic achievement. Parental concerns about tiredness, injury and safe spaces impeded children's access to PA outside of school. Steps should be taken to enforce existing policies that mandate effective PA for school children, and parents and teachers should be educated about the need for and benefits of PA.AIMS The aims were to investigate the association between maternal serum levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) in early pregnancy and overweight in the child at 4 years and to assess potential heterogeneity in exposure effect between strata with different levels of other risk factors for overweight. METHODS We used a case-control design and included 354 cases (ISO-BMI ≥ 18 kg/m2) and 2 controls per case (ISO-BMI ≤17 kg/m2) from child health care centers in Malmö, Sweden. Controls were selected stratified on risk scores for overweight in a propensity score framework. Maternal serum levels were analyzed in biobanked samples collected by routine around gestational week 14. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios between quartiles of maternal serum levels and child overweight at age 4. RESULTS There were no consistent monotonic exposure-response relationships. We found some significant odds ratios in specific quartiles but these were regarded as spurious findings. The absence of an effect was consistent over risk strata. CONCLUSIONS We did not find evidence of an association between maternal serum levels of PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS and PFNA in early pregnancy and child overweight at age 4. The level of other risk factors for overweight did not affect children's susceptibility to prenatal PFAS exposure.[This corrects the article DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0227763.].The MGISEQ-2000 developed by MGI Tech Co. Ltd. (a subsidiary of the BGI Group) is a new competitor of such next-generation sequencing platforms as NovaSeq and HiSeq (Illumina). Its sequencing principle is based on the DNB and the cPAS technologies, which were also used in the previous version of the BGISEQ-500 device. However, the reagents for MGISEQ-2000 have been refined and the platform utilizes updated software. The cPAS method is an advanced technology based on the cPAL previously created by Complete Genomics. In this paper, the authors compare the results of the whole-genome sequencing of a DNA sample from a Russian female donor performed on MGISEQ-2000 and Illumina HiSeq 2500 (both PE150). Two platforms were compared in terms of sequencing quality, number of errors and performance. Additionally, we performed variant calling using four different software packages Samtools mpileaup, Strelka2, Sentieon, and GATK. The accuracy of SNP detection was similar in the data generated by MGISEQ-2000 and HiSeq 2500, which was used as a reference. At the same time, a separate indel analysis of the overall error rate revealed similar FPR values and lower sensitivity. It may be concluded with confidence that the data generated by the analyzed sequencing systems is characterized by comparable magnitudes of error and that MGISEQ-2000 and HiSeq 2500 can be used interchangeably for similar tasks like whole genome sequencing.