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1. Intraspecific correlations between growth and defence vary with resource availability and differ within and among populations

   https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13878  

   Hahn, Philip G.; Keefover‐Ring, Ken; Nguyen, Linh M. N.; Maron, John L. (July 2021, Functional Ecology)

   Abstract A paradigm in the plant defence literature is that defending against herbivores comes at a cost to growth, resulting in a growth–defence trade‐off. However, while there is strong evidence for growth–defence trade‐offs across species, evidence is mixed within species.Several mechanisms can account for this equivocal support within species, but teasing them apart requires examining growth–defence relationships both within and among populations, an approach seldom employed.We examined correlations between plant biomass (growth) and terpene production (defence) within and among populations ofMonarda fistulosa, a perennial herb. We sampled populations from Montana and Wisconsin, regions that differ in resource availability characterized by different summer precipitation and associated abiotic conditions that influence plant productivity.We found negative, neutral and positive growth–defence correlations, depending on the scale examined. Negative correlations occurred across populations originating from divergent regions, positive correlations occurred across populations originating from within the high‐resource region and neutral correlations were found within single populations.Collectively, these results challenge the general expectation of ubiquitous trade‐offs and support emerging views that resource availability (as it affects productivity) shapes the evolution of defence at different scales. A freePlain Language Summarycan be found within the Supporting Information of this article. 

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2. Peak and Per-Step Tibial Bone Stress During Walking and Running in Female and Male Recreational Runners

   https://doi.org/10.1177/03635465211014854  

   Meardon, Stacey A.; Derrick, Timothy R.; Willson, John D.; Baggaley, Michael; Steinbaker, C. Ryan; Marshall, Margaret; Willy, Richard W. (June 2021, The American Journal of Sports Medicine)

   Background:Athletes, especially female athletes, experience high rates of tibial bone stress injuries (BSIs). Knowledge of tibial loads during walking and running is needed to understand injury mechanisms and design safe running progression programs. Purpose:To examine tibial loads as a function of gait speed in male and female runners. Study Design:Controlled laboratory study. Methods:Kinematic and kinetic data were collected on 40 recreational runners (20 female, 20 male) during 4 instrumented gait speed conditions on a treadmill (walk, preferred run, slow run, fast run). Musculoskeletal modeling, using participant-specific magnetic resonance imaging and motion data, was used to estimate tibial stress. Peak tibial stress and stress-time impulse were analyzed using 2-factor multivariate analyses of variance (speed*sex) and post hoc comparisons (α = .05). Bone geometry and tibial forces and moments were examined. Results:Peak compression was influenced by speed ( P < .001); increasing speed generally increased tibial compression in both sexes. Women displayed greater increases in peak tension ( P = .001) and shear ( P < .001) than men when transitioning from walking to running. Further, women displayed greater peak tibial stress overall ( P < .001). Compressive and tensile stress-time impulse varied by speed ( P < .001) and sex ( P = .006); impulse was lower during running than walking and greater in women. A shear stress-time impulse interaction ( P < .001) indicated that women displayed greater impulse relative to men when changing from a walk to a run. Compared with men, women displayed smaller tibiae ( P < .001) and disproportionately lower tibial forces ( P≤ .001-.035). Conclusion:Peak tibial stress increased with gait speed, with a 2-fold increase in running relative to walking. Women displayed greater tibial stress than men and greater increases in stress when shifting from walking to running. Sex differences appear to be the result of smaller bone geometry in women and tibial forces that were not proportionately lower, given the womens’ smaller stature and lower mass relative to men. Clinical Relevance:These results may inform interventions to regulate running-related training loads and highlight a need to increase bone strength in women. Lower relative bone strength in women may contribute to a sex bias in tibial BSIs, and female runners may benefit from a slower progression when initiating a running program. 

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3. Synthesis and characterization of modular polyphosphonate homopolymers and copolymers

   https://doi.org/10.1002/pol.20200066  

   Totsch, Timothy R.; Stanford, Victoria L.; Klep, Oleksander; Burdette, Mary K.; Grant, Benjamin; Foulger, Stephen H.; Gray, Gary M. (June 2020, Journal of Polymer Science)

   Abstract Linear polyphosphonates with the generic formula –[P(Ph)(X)OR′O]_n– (X = S or Se) have been synthesized by polycondensations of P(Ph)(NEt₂)₂and a diol (HOR′OH = 1,4‐cyclohexanedimethanol, 1,4‐benzenedimethanol, tetraethylene glycol, or 1,12‐dodecanediol) followed by reaction with a chalcogen. Random copolymers have been synthesized by polycondensations of P(Ph)(NEt₂)₂and mixture of two of the diols in a 2:1:1 mol ratio followed by reaction with a chalcogen. Block copolymers with the generic formula –[P(Ph)(X)OR′O]_(x + 2)–[P(Ph)(X)OR′O]_(x + 3)– (X = S or Se) have been synthesized by the polycondensations of Et₂N[P(Ph)(X)OR′O]_(x + 2)P(Ph)NEt₂oligomers with HOR′O[P(Ph)(X)OR′O]_(x + 3)H oligomers followed by reaction with a chalcogen. The Et₂N[P(Ph)(X)OR′O]_(x + 2)P(Ph)NEt₂oligomers are prepared by the reaction of an excess of P(Ph)(NEt₂)₂with a diol while the HOR′O[P(Ph)(X)OR′O]_(x + 3)H oligomers are prepared by the reaction of P(Ph)(NEt₂)₂with an excess of the diol. In each case the excess, x is the same and determines the average block sizes. All of the polymers were characterized using¹H,¹³C{¹H}, and³¹P{¹H} NMR spectroscopy, TGA, DSC, and SEC.³¹P{¹H} NMR spectroscopy demonstrates that the random and block copolymers have the expected arrangements of monomers and, in the case of block copolymers, verifies the block sizes. All polymers are thermally stable up to ~300°C, and the arrangements of monomers in the copolymers (block vs. random) affect their degradation temperatures andT_gprofiles. The polymers have weight average MWs of up to 3.8 × 10⁴ Da. 

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4. Attention and platypuses

   https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.1600  

   Shomstein, Sarah; Zhang, Xiaoli; Dubbelde, Dick (April 2022, WIREs Cognitive Science)

   Abstract This perspective piece discusses a set of attentional phenomena that are not easily accommodated within current theories of attentional selection. We call these phenomena attentional platypuses, as they allude to an observation that within biological taxonomies the platypus does not fit into either mammal or bird categories. Similarly, attentional phenomena that do not fit neatly within current attentional models suggest that current models are in need of a revision. We list a few instances of the “attentional platypuses” and then offer a new approach, that we term dynamically weighted prioritization, stipulating that multiple factors impinge onto the attentional priority map, each with a corresponding weight. The interaction between factors and their corresponding weights determines the current state of the priority map which subsequently constrains/guides attentional allocation. We propose that this new approach should be considered as a supplement to existing models of attention, especially those that emphasize categorical organizations. This article is categorized under:Psychology > AttentionPsychology > Perception and PsychophysicsNeuroscience > Cognition 

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5. Fruit and Vegetable Consumption, Food Acquisition Behavior, and Food Insecurity Before and After the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout

   https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0000000000001946  

   Hosler, Akiko S; Chen, Jiacheng; Arroyo, Mariana Torres; Neff, Roni A; Bozlak, Christine T; Romeiko, Xiaobo X; Feingold, Beth J (January 2024, Journal of Public Health Management & Practice)

   Objectives:To assess changes in food acquisition behavior, food insecurity, and dietary behavior and identify factors associated with fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption during the transitional period (before and after the initial vaccine rollout for all adults) of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design:Successive independent samples design. Online surveys were conducted from October 2020 to February 2021 (time 1, before the vaccine rollout) and from October 2021 to December 2021 (time 2, after the vaccine rollout). Descriptive analysis examined changes in food sources, food security, and daily FV consumption in cup equivalents (CEs) from time 1 to time 2. A multivariable logistic regression analysis examined factors associated with FV consumption. Setting:The Capital Region of New York State. Participants:1553 adults 18 years of age and older. Main Outcome Measure:Meeting the 2020-2025 MyPlate daily FV consumption recommendations. Results:There were statistically significant (P< .05) increases in the use of supermarkets, eat-in restaurants, farmers’ markets, and convenience stores from time 1 to time 2. Food insecurity (40.1% vs 39.4%) and FV consumption (2.6 CE vs 2.4 CE) slightly declined but not significantly. Home food procurement such as gardening and foraging (OR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.08-2.37) and shopping at food co-op/health food stores (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.07-2.49) were significantly associated with the FV outcome, and these relationships were not modified by food security status. Conclusions:The present study highlights the importance of food sources in understanding adult dietary behavior during the transitional period of the pandemic. Continuing efforts to monitor access to food sources, food insecurity, and dietary behavior are warranted as various COVID-related emergency food assistance measures have expired. 

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