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Considerable research has focused on microbes on amphibian skin, as they act as the first line of defense against invading pathogens. This effort has generated substantial data on patterns across species, space, time, and ontogeny, alongside a growing list of beneficial antifungal symbionts. Though there is evidence of stability in amphibian skin microbial communities, there is also an indication that regular skin shedding reduces cultivable bacteria, with regrowth and recolonization in the period between sheds. This suggests that skin communities are in constant flux, and we lack an understanding of how the membership and structure of those communities are affected by shedding events. In this study, we conducted experiments on cane toads (Rhinella marina) to investigate the influence of shedding on skin microbiomes. We first used quantitative PCR to verify a positive correlation between bacterial loads and time in the days after shedding. We then resampled individuals over time to describe changes in community composition in the 38 h after shedding using amplicon sequencing. Similar to trends of bacterial loads, we found increases in alpha diversity over time after shedding, suggesting that shedding reduces bacterial diversity as it knocks down bacterial loads. During the 38‐h period, community structure became similar to pre‐shed communities in some individuals, but there was no consistent pattern in structural changes among individuals. In light of the amphibian chytridiomycosis pandemic, understanding how physiological events such as skin shedding affect beneficial bacteria and communities on amphibians would provide important insight into amphibian ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to identify major characteristics of children and youth with mental health problems who have contact with police officers and to determine which variables lead to the highest probability of police intervention and if there are differences between children and youth compared to adults. Two samples were taken from data obtained from the use of a new police brief mental health screener (interRAI BMHS) in a large southwestern Ontario city between April 2016 and April 2019: 619 cases under age 18 and 4,084 cases over age 18. Univariate and bivariate analysis revealed that all 23 variables on the BMHS were significantly associated with police intervention except for intoxication by drugs or alcohol, squalid home environment, and refusal to take prescribed medication. Variables with the highest odds of police intervention included hallucinations, diminished cognitive skills for daily decision-making, and family or others concerned for potential self-harm. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the variables most predictive of police intervention were hallucinations, lack of insight into their own mental health problems, violent ideation, violence to others, self-injurious attempt in the last 7 days, suicide plan, diminished cognitive skills for daily decision-making, and family or others concerned for self-harm. As to the differences between under and over age 18, adults had higher frequencies of intoxication, hallucinations, delusions, pressured speech, and abnormal thoughts, while under age 18 had slightly higher frequency of socially inappropriate/disruptive behaviour. Risk of harm variables were high in both groups; however, they were clearly higher in the under age 18 group, in particular self-injurious attempt in the last 7 days. The results of this study indicate that there are distinct differences between why police officers intervene with children and youth as opposed to adults which should be reflected in police training and intervention policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By imposing novel selection pressures on both participants, biological invasions can modify evolutionary 'arms races' between hosts and parasites. A spatially replicated cross-infection experiment reveals strong spatial divergence in the ability of lungworms ( Rhabdias pseudosphaerocephala ) to infect invasive cane toads ( Rhinella marina ) in Australia. In areas colonized for longer than 20 years, toads are more resistant to infection by local strains of parasites than by allopatric strains. The situation reverses at the invasion front, where super-infective parasites have evolved. Invasion-induced shifts in genetic diversity and selective pressures may explain why hosts gain advantage over parasites in long-colonized areas, whereas parasites gain advantage at the invasion front.

In Canada and internationally the number of older offenders on parole and living in the community is increasing rapidly. Older offenders in the community are a vulnerable population at high risk for lack of well-being. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with N  = 64 offenders aged 50 years and older on conditional release from custody in Canada, including long-term, recidivist, and first-time older offenders. Compared to their non-offender counterparts, older offenders in the community experience many of the same problems of aging and well-being, but are at greater risk for mental health problems, traumatic injuries, and for recidivists, substance abuse. Most long-term and first-time older offenders find themselves living at or below the poverty line. One third of older offenders experience social isolation from community and family due to their criminal history and incarceration. For those with Indigenous ancestry, Indigenous communities, and cultural organizations play a significant role in supporting older offenders., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.