1. The mutation accumulation theory of senescence predicts that age-related deterioration of fitness can be exaggerated when inbreeding causes homozygosity for deleterious alleles. A vital component ...of fitness, in natural populations, is the incidence and progression of disease. 2. Evidence is growing for natural links between inbreeding and ageing; between inbreeding and disease; between sex and ageing; and between sex and disease. However, there is scant evidence, to date, for links among age, disease, inbreeding and sex in a single natural population. 3. Using ecological and epidemiological data from a long-term longitudinal field study, we show that in wild European badgers (Meles meles) exposed naturally to bovine tuberculosis (bTB), inbreeding (measured as multilocus homozygosity) intensifies a positive correlation between age and evidence of progressed infection (measured as an antibody response to bTB), but only among females. Male badgers suffer a steeper relationship between age and progressed infection than females, with no influence of inbred status. We found no link between inbreeding and the incidence of progressed infection during early life in either sex. 4. Our findings highlight an age-related increase in the impact of inbreeding on a fitness-relevant trait (disease state) among females. This relationship is consistent with the predictions of the mutation accumulation theory of senescence, but other mechanisms could also play a role. For example, late-life declines in condition, arising through mechanisms other than mutation accumulation might have increased the magnitude of inbreeding depression in late life. 5. Whichever mechanism causes the observed patterns, we have shown that inbreeding can influence age-dependent patterns of disease and, by extension, is likely to affect the magnitude and timing of the late-life declines in components of fitness that characterise senescence. Better understanding of sex-specific links between inbreeding, disease and ageing provides insights into population-level pathogen dynamics and could influence management strategies for wildlife reservoirs of zoonotic disease.
In 2010 a vaccine was licensed for use in badgers in the United Kingdom to reduce the severity of Mycobacterium bovis infection, and hence the risks of onward transmission to cattle. National ...legislation was enacted to allow its deployment by lay persons, but the efficiency and feasibility of badger vaccination has been the subject of ongoing debate.
We conducted quantitative analysis on badger vaccination records and undertook interviews and participant observation on a sample of vaccination project participants in order to investigate (a) progress in the deployment of badger vaccination in England, (b) the trapping efficiency and coverage achieved by non‐government groups, (c) motivations of participants involved in vaccination projects and (d) barriers to wider implementation.
Between 2010 and 2015 the number and distribution of vaccine deployment projects increased substantially, spreading from two to 17 English counties.
Estimates of badger trapping efficiency for non‐government groups did not differ from those achieved by highly experienced government operatives. Our estimate of vaccine coverage (i.e. the average proportion of the target badger population vaccinated during an operation) was 57% (range 48%–63%).
Interviews and participant observation revealed a range of motivations among individuals involved in badger vaccination including disease control, demonstration of an alternative to badger culling and personal or professional development. Barriers to wider adoption of badger vaccination expressed by interviewees related primarily to a perceived lack of confidence among farmers and landowners in the effectiveness of badger vaccination for bTB control, but also to the limited availability of funding.
Our study suggests that badger vaccination led by non‐governmental groups is practically feasible, and may achieve levels of coverage consistent with disease control benefits. Wider uptake of badger vaccination across England might potentially be achieved by addressing the knowledge gap of the effect of badger vaccination on cattle TB, working closely with farmers and vets to better communicate the evidence base (in order to increase confidence in badger vaccination as a viable disease management approach), and by increased financial support for new initiatives and the scaling up of existing projects.
A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Anthropogenic emissions have caused atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations to double since the industrial revolution. Although this could benefit plant growth from the 'CO2 fertilisation' ...effect, recent studies report conflicting impacts of elevated CO2 (eCO2) on plant-pathogen interactions. Fungal pathogens are the leading cause of plant disease. Since climate change has been shown to affect the distribution and virulence of these pathogens, it is important to understand how their plant hosts may also respond. This review assesses existing reports of positive, negative, and neutral effects of eCO2 on plant immune responses to fungal pathogen infection. The interaction between eCO2 and immunity appears specific to individual pathosystems, dependent on environmental context and driven by the interactions between plant defence mechanisms, suggesting no universal effect can be predicted for the future. This research is vital for assessing how plants may become more at risk under climate change and could help to guide biotechnological efforts to enhance resistance in vulnerable species. Despite the importance of understanding the effects of eCO2 on plant immunity for protecting global food security, biodiversity, and forests in a changing climate, many plant-pathogen interactions are yet to be investigated. In addition, further research into the effects of eCO2 in combination with other environmental factors associated with climate change is needed. In this review, we highlight the risks of eCO2 to plants and point to the research required to address current unknowns.
Mental illness in children and young people is increasing in frequency and complexity, is emerging earlier and is persisting into adulthood. This is a global issue with implications for research, ...policy and practice. Children and young people require the experience of safe, nurturing relationships for optimal lifelong outcomes. Despite awareness of this in Child and Adolescent Mental Health services, a focus on the relational context in which children and young people present is not universal. A challenge in family focused practice is to ensure that no individual’s voice is ‘too loud’ and that children and young people’s voices are heard. This article illustrates how a balance between individual and systems understanding can be achieved in therapeutic work by incorporating the voices of children and young people and concerns of other family members. This article describes an approach to improving family focused practice in a public Child and Adolescent Mental Health service. Use of The Family Model, as a family focused practice tool, is presented across three service settings. The Family Model intervention is briefly described, outlining the way in which it supports collaborative practice and assists clinicians to achieve the balance described above. Vignettes will demonstrate how children and young people’s voices are explicitly incorporated in formulating mental health issues with two generations to generate developmentally informed care plans.
Abstract This study addresses the challenge of limited AI literacy among the general public hindering effective participation in AI codesign. We present a card-based AI literacy toolkit designed to ...inform nontechnical audiences about AI and stimulate idea generation. The toolkit incorporates 16 competencies from the AI Literacy conceptual framework and employs ‘What if?’ prompts to encourage questioning, mirroring designers’ approaches. Using a mixed methods approach, we assessed the impact of the toolkit. In a design task with nontechnical participants (N = 50), we observed a statistically significant improvement in critical feedback and breadth of AI-related questions after toolkit use. Further, a codesign workshop involving six participants, half without an AI background, revealed positive effects on collaboration between practitioners and end-users, fostering a shared vision and common ground. This research emphasizes the potential of AI literacy tools to enhance the involvement of nontechnical audiences in codesigning AI systems, contributing to more inclusive and informed participatory processes.
Globalized infectious diseases are causing species declines worldwide, but their source often remains elusive. We used whole-genome sequencing to solve the spatiotemporal origins of the most ...devastating panzootic to date, caused by the fungus
, a proximate driver of global amphibian declines. We traced the source of
to the Korean peninsula, where one lineage,
ASIA-1, exhibits the genetic hallmarks of an ancestral population that seeded the panzootic. We date the emergence of this pathogen to the early 20th century, coinciding with the global expansion of commercial trade in amphibians, and we show that intercontinental transmission is ongoing. Our findings point to East Asia as a geographic hotspot for
biodiversity and the original source of these lineages that now parasitize amphibians worldwide.
Purpose
– This paper aims to shed light on the potential implications for asset protection planning in multinational enterprises (MNEs) from the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development ...(OECD)’s work on base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) and the global push towards increased transparency and automatic information exchange.
Design/methodology/approach
– An examination of the academic literature across a range of areas of the law relevant to MNEs and an analysis of the risks facing MNEs and the significance of asset protection in managing these risks. An examination of the OECD’s work on BEPS and automatic information exchange and implications for asset protection strategies utilised by MNEs with a particular focus on the critical issues of disclosure, ownership and control.
Findings
– The full extent to which MNEs will be affected by the OECD’s work on BEPS remains unknown. Early signs indicate a significant shift in the focus of tax rules away from the pricing of specific transactions between related entities to the total global value chain of an MNE opening the door for more widespread adoption of enterprise liability and for states to obtain a complete view of MNE tax and asset protection planning, potentially including previously impenetrable trusts and limited liability companies.
Originality/value
– This paper is one of the first to provide an analysis of the importance of asset protection to MNEs and the potential risks arising for asset protection planning in MNEs from the OECD’s work on BEPS and automatic information exchange.
Purpose – This paper aims to shed light on the potential implications for asset protection planning in multinational enterprises (MNEs) from the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development ...(OECD)’s work on base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) and the global push towards increased transparency and automatic information exchange. Design/methodology/approach – An examination of the academic literature across a range of areas of the law relevant to MNEs and an analysis of the risks facing MNEs and the significance of asset protection in managing these risks. An examination of the OECD’s work on BEPS and automatic information exchange and implications for asset protection strategies utilised by MNEs with a particular focus on the critical issues of disclosure, ownership and control. Findings – The full extent to which MNEs will be affected by the OECD’s work on BEPS remains unknown. Early signs indicate a significant shift in the focus of tax rules away from the pricing of specific transactions between related entities to the total global value chain of an MNE opening the door for more widespread adoption of enterprise liability and for states to obtain a complete view of MNE tax and asset protection planning, potentially including previously impenetrable trusts and limited liability companies. Originality/value – This paper is one of the first to provide an analysis of the importance of asset protection to MNEs and the potential risks arising for asset protection planning in MNEs from the OECD’s work on BEPS and automatic information exchange.
Bovine tuberculosis is a challenging cattle disease with substantial economic costs in affected countries. Eradication in parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland is hindered by transmission of the ...causative agent Mycobacterium bovis between cattle and European badgers (Meles meles). Diagnostic tests in badgers are of limited accuracy but may help us understand and predict disease progression. This study aimed to determine the practical ability of a commercially available serologic test, the Dual Path Platform VetTB assay (DPP), to predict mycobacterial shedding (i.e. infectiousness) and disease progression in badgers, and whether test outcomes were associated with re‐capture. Clinical samples collected from 2014 to 2019 from a wild, naturally infected population of badgers in southwest England were tested using mycobacterial culture (from sputum, urine, faeces, abscesses and bite wounds), an interferon‐gamma release assay and the DPP assay. Data were analysed at both individual badger and social group levels using generalised linear and cumulative‐link mixed models, and linear regression. Only the highest DPP readings optical density relative light unit (RLU) levels were associated with mycobacterial shedding odds ratio (OR) for DPP levels > 100 RLU in individual badgers: 79.6, 95%CI: 14.7–848; and for social groups: OR: 7.28, 95%CI: 2.94–21.44; compared with levels < 100 RLU. For individual badgers, RLU levels at first capture were not associated with disease progression at subsequent captures. Finally, badgers with very high DPP levels (> 1000 RLU) were four times less likely to be recaptured (OR: 0.24, 95%CI: 0.07–0.83) than those without a detectable DPP response, which might indicate enhanced mortality. We conclude that DPP levels of > 100 RLU identify badgers that are likely to be shedding M. bovis. Levels of > 1000 RLU identify badgers that are much less likely to be re‐captured. These results provide insights into the potential value of existing tests in intervention strategies for managing M. bovis in badgers.
Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, represents a major animal health issue. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, European badgers (Meles meles) have been shown to ...act as a reservoir of M. bovis infection, hindering the eradication of bTB in livestock. The availability of suitable diagnostic assays, particularly those that may be applied in a “trap-side” setting, would facilitate the implementation of a wider range of disease control strategies. Here we evaluate the Dual Path Platform (DPP) VetTB assay, a lateral-flow type test for detecting antibodies to M. bovis antigens (MPB83 and ESAT-6/CFP-10). Both serum and whole blood were evaluated as diagnostic samples. Additionally, two methods were evaluated for interpretation of test results (qualitative interpretation by eye and quantitative measurement using an optical reader). The antibody response to MPB83 detected by the DPP VetTB assay increased significantly following experimental M. bovis infection of badgers, whilst the response to ESAT-6/CFP-10 showed no significant change. In sera from TB-free captive and naturally M. bovis infected wild badgers the MPB83 response exhibited a sensitivity of 55 % by eye and quantitative reader (95 % CI: 40–71 and 38–71, respectively), with slightly lower specificity when read by eye (93 % compared to 98 %; 95 % CI: 85–100 and 90–100, respectively). In whole blood, the DPP VetTB assay MPB83 response exhibited a sensitivity of 65 % (95 % CI: 50–80) when interpreted by eye and 53 % (95 % CI: 36–69) using quantitative values, whilst the specificity was 94 % and 98 % respectively (95 % CI: 88–100 and 90–100). Comparison with contemporaneous diagnostic test results from putatively naturally infected and TB-free badgers demonstrated varying levels of agreement. Using sera from naturally M. bovis infected and TB-free badgers, with post mortem confirmation of disease status, the DPP VetTB assay exhibited a sensitivity of 60 % (95 % CI: 41–77) when interpreted using quantitative values (specificity 95 %; 95 % CI: 76–100), and 67 % (95 % CI: 50–84) when read by eye (specificity 95 %; 95 % CI: 86–100). Further work is required to robustly characterize the DPP VetTB assay’s performance in a wider selection of samples, and in the practical and epidemiological contexts in which it may be applied.
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