Conservation ethics in the time of the pandemic: Does increasing remote access advance social justice?

The COVID-19 pandemic is stimulating improvements in remote access and use of technology in conservation-related programs and research. In many cases, organizations have intended for remote engagement to benefit groups that have been marginalized in the sciences. But are they? It is important to consider how remote access affects social justice in conservation biology-i.e., the principle that all people should be equally respected and valued in conservation organizations, programs, projects, and practices. To support such consideration, we describe a typology of justice-oriented principles that can be used to examine social justice in a range of conservation activities. We apply this typology to three conservation areas: (1) remote access to US national park educational programs and data; (2) digitization of natural history specimens and their use in conservation research; and (3) remote engagement in conservation-oriented citizen science. We then address the questions: Which justice-oriented principles are salient in which conservation contexts or activities? How can those principles be best realized in those contexts or activities? In each of the three areas we examined, remote access increased participation, but access and benefits were not equally distributed and unanticipated consequences have not been adequately addressed. We identify steps that can and are being taken to advance social justice in conservation, such as assessing programs to determine if they are achieving their stated social justice-oriented aims and revising initiatives as needed. The framework that we present could be used to assess the social justice dimensions of many conservation programs, institutions, practices, and policies.

Colloidal structure and proton conductivity of the gel within the electrosensory organs of cartilaginous fishes.

Cartilaginous fishes possess gel-filled tubular sensory organs called Ampullae of Lorenzini (AoL) that are used to detect electric fields. Although recent studies have identified various components of AoL gel, it has remained unclear how the molecules are structurally arranged and how their structure influences the function of the organs. Here we describe the structure of AoL gel by microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering and infer that the material is colloidal in nature. To assess the relative function of the gel's protein constituents, we compared the microscopic structure, X-ray scattering, and proton conductivity properties of the gel before and after enzymatic digestion with a protease. We discovered that while proteins were largely responsible for conferring the viscous nature of the gel, their removal did not diminish proton conductivity. The findings lay the groundwork for more detailed studies into the specific interactions of molecules inside AoL gel at the nanoscale.

Covid-19 in an infant with systemic to pulmonary artery shunt dependent functionally univentricular physiology.

We report a case of two-month old with a functionally univentricular heart and parallel circulation who presented to the emergency department with Covid-19 and subsequently developed acute respiratory distress syndrome. The course of illness, clinical values, and laboratory markers are characterized in this report.

Evidence of chitin in the ampullae of Lorenzini of chondrichthyan fishes.

We previously reported that the polysaccharide chitin, a key component of arthropod exoskeletons and fungal cell walls, is endogenously produced by fishes and amphibians in spite of the widely held view that it was not synthesized by vertebrates [1]. Genes encoding chitin synthase enzymes were found in the genomes of a number of fishes and amphibians and shown to be correspondingly expressed at the sites where chitin was localized [1,2]. In this report, we present evidence suggesting that chitin is prevalent within the specialized electrosensory organs of cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes). These organs, the Ampullae of Lorenzini (AoL), are widely distributed and comprise a series of gel-filled canals emanating from pores in the skin (Figure 1A). The canals extend into bulbous structures called alveoli that contain sensory cells capable of detecting subtle changes in electric fields (Figure 1B) [3,4]. The findings described here extend the number of vertebrate taxa where endogenous chitin production has been detected and raise questions regarding chitin's potential function in chondrichthyan fishes and other aquatic vertebrates.

Assessing Protein Sequence Database Suitability Using De Novo Sequencing.

The analysis of samples from unsequenced and/or understudied species as well as samples where the proteome is derived from multiple organisms poses two key questions. The first is whether the proteomic data obtained from an unusual sample type even contains peptide tandem mass spectra. The second question is whether an appropriate protein sequence database is available for proteomic searches. We describe the use of automated de novo sequencing for evaluating both the quality of a collection of tandem mass spectra and the suitability of a given protein sequence database for searching that data. Applications of this method include the proteome analysis of closely related species, metaproteomics, and proteomics of extinct organisms.

Report on Implementation, Use, and Sustainability of a Labor Epidural Service in Georgetown, Guyana.

BACKGROUND: The use of epidural analgesia for laboring women is generally unavailable at public hospitals in Guyana despite favorable utilization rates in private institutions. In 2014, a healthcare team completed a targeted mission aimed at neuraxial analgesia training of providers at the preeminent public hospital in Georgetown, Guyana. This study evaluates the impact of the training, including provider attitudes, use, and barriers. METHODS: A prospective, mixed methods study of all obstetric, nursing, and anesthesiology providers at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation was completed. Quantitative assessment of the posttraining use of epidural analgesia at 2 and 6 months was documented. Provider surveys were distributed anonymously at 2 months posttraining. Targeted interviews were completed from a random sampling of providers at 6 months; qualitative analysis of interviews formulated the basis for reporting limitations and barriers. RESULTS: Providers surveyed included 7 anesthesia providers and 24 obstetrics providers. Respondents believed Guyanese women should be offered epidural analgesia (93%), epidurals could be performed safely (87%), and Guyana has the resources necessary for routine use (81%). In assessing epidural knowledge, anesthesia providers achieved 60% correct response rate compared to 84% among obstetrics providers. Nurse anesthetists placed 16 epidurals following training. However, placement ceased after 2 months. The largest barriers to placement were unavailable anesthesia staff (63%), lack of supplies (16%), and insufficient nursing staff to monitor patients with epidurals (11%). CONCLUSIONS: A 1-week mission achieved widespread Guyanese provider acceptance despite a lack of previous experience. However, barriers proved insurmountable to achieving a sustainable, independently functioning epidural analgesia program.

The Effect of a Pediatric Intensive Care Severity-Tiered Pathway for Status Asthmaticus on Quality Measures and Outcomes.

Background: Patients with status asthmaticus admitted to the hospital contribute tremendous costs to the healthcare system. Treatment protocols directed at improving care to pediatric inpatients have improved both clinical and financial outcomes; however, there are limited data demonstrating the impact of goal-driven therapy for patients with status asthmaticus in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). The purpose of this initiative was to standardize care of children with status asthmaticus in the PICU to improve clinical outcomes. Materials and Methods: A goal-directed clinical pathway using a validated pediatric asthma severity score was developed. A pre-post intervention assessed patients 2-17 years of age admitted to the PICU with status asthmaticus. The effect of the protocol was measured from October 2015 to October 2016. The primary outcome was the transition time interval from continuous nebulized bronchodilator therapy to every 2 hourly intermittent treatments. Secondary outcomes related to treatment options and clinical complications were also assessed. Results: Postintervention patient (n = 124) demographics were similar to those in the preintervention group (n = 130). Compared with baseline, there was a 4.9-h decrease in the mean transition time from continuous to intermittent bronchodilator use (31.9 versus 27.0, P = 0.033) following the intervention. The mean and median hospital length of stay (LOS) was significantly decreased in the postintervention group by 14.76 h (P = 0.011) and 16.68 h (P = 0.003). There were no readmissions to the PICU in the postintervention group. The use of rescue BiPAP (Bi-level positive airway pressure ventilation) was significantly higher in the preintervention group compared with the postintervention group (42% versus 28%, P = 0.036). Conclusions: A severity-tiered, goal-driven treatment pathway for pediatric patients admitted to the PICU with status asthmaticus reduced the time required to transition from continuous to intermittent inhaled bronchodilator use. As a result, overall hospital LOS was significantly decreased with no increase in clinical complications.

No evidence for proteolytic venom resistance in southern African ground squirrels.

Many mammalian species that interact with venomous snakes show resistances to venoms. The family Sciuridae has several North American members that harass venomous snakes and show proteolytic resistances in their sera. We examined sera collected from an African ground squirrel (Xerus inauris) against two sympatric venomous snakes (Bitis arietans and Naja annulifera) and found no support for proteolytic resistance. Our results add to our understanding of the risks in predator defense within the family Sciuridae.

Geographic variation in the songs of neotropical singing mice: testing the relative importance of drift and local adaptation.

Patterns of geographic variation in communication systems can provide insight into the processes that drive phenotypic evolution. Although work in birds, anurans, and insects demonstrates that acoustic signals are sensitive to diverse selective and stochastic forces, processes that shape variation in mammalian vocalizations are poorly understood. We quantified geographic variation in the advertisement songs of sister species of singing mice, montane rodents with a unique mode of vocal communication. We tested three hypotheses to explain spatial variation in the song of the lower altitude species, Scotinomys teguina: selection for species recognition in sympatry with congener, S. xerampelinus, acoustic adaptation to different environments, and stochastic divergence. Mice were sampled at seven sites in Costa Rica and Panamá; genetic distances were estimated from mitochondrial control region sequences, between-site differences in acoustic environment were estimated from climatic data. Acoustic, genetic and geographic distances were all highly correlated in S. teguina, suggesting that population differentiation in song is largely shaped by genetic drift. Contrasts between interspecific genetic-acoustic distances were significantly greater than expectations derived from intraspecific contrasts, indicating accelerated evolution of species-specific song. We propose that, although much intraspecific acoustic variation is effectively neutral, selection has been important in shaping species differences in song.