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Ticks are well-known vectors of pathogens, including filarial nematodes, which can affect animal and human health. This review synthesizes current knowledge of filarial nematodes that utilize ticks as vectors, focusing on the Onchocercidae. Five genera of onchocercid filarial nematodes (Cercopithifilaria, Cherylia, Cruorifilaria, Monanema, and Yatesia) have demonstrated vector–parasite relationships with ticks, while Acanthocheilonema has only demonstrated molecular detection without confirmed vector competence. Vector competence has been experimentally proven for several species through documented development to infective stages. However, our understanding of tick-borne filarial nematodes remains limited owing to insufficient detection efforts and methodological challenges. Detection methods include traditional dissection, advanced imaging techniques such as microcomputed tomography (micro-CT), and molecular approaches, each with distinct advantages and limitations. To address knowledge gaps, future research should focus on conducting large-scale surveys of tick populations and wildlife to investigate vector competence, health impacts, and coinfection dynamics. Multi-disciplinary collaboration and community involvement in tick surveillance will advance our understanding of tick-borne filarial nematode ecology and epidemiology. Future research priorities include confirming vector competence where only molecular detection exists, investigating natural transmission patterns, and understanding the mechanisms influencing successful development in tick vectors. By addressing these knowledge gaps through systematic surveillance and experimental studies, we can better understand these complex host–parasite–vector relationships and their implications for animal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Criminologists typically test rational choice theory by examining the relationship between one aspect of decision making—the perceived costs and benefits of crime—and the likelihood of crime, primarily using (experimental) surveys that lack consideration of the neighborhood context. Building on decades of research in the risk and decision sciences, the current study utilizes broader models of decision making to qualitatively examine how youth living in concentrated disadvantage make decisions during incidents of violence. Our thematic analysis of 22 in-depth interviews with youth in a midsize midwestern city indicates that the decision process regarding violence is much more complex than previously theorized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Wheelchair basketball (WCB) is an adapted sport that continues to increase in popularity across the world (International Wheelchair Basketball Federation, 2018). The sport began when wounded World War II [...], The purpose of this study was to determine baseline sport performance measures for youth wheelchair basketball (WCB) players. Sport performance measurements, including maximal pass distance (2.64 m [+ or -] 1.07 m), sprinting with a basketball (4.11 s [+ or -] 0.80 s), sprinting without a basketball (3.43 s [+ or -] 0.44 s), agility T-test (18.88 s [+ or -] 2.34 s), spot-shot accuracy (24 points [+ or -] 12 points), and pick-up test (19.27 s [+ or -] 5.13 s), were completed by sixteen (14.1 yr [+ or -] 2.2 years old, 60.8 kg [+ or -] 30.7 kg) youth WCB players. These sport-specific values for youth players enable comparisons between other junior players and elite WCB athletes. Furthermore, performance measurements provide feedback for coaches and players regarding the level of WCB performance and baseline measurements to quantify improvement over time. Keywords: Wheelchair basketball, adapted sport, performance measures, youth

Three species of pocket mice (Chaetodipus artus , C. goldmani , and C. pernix) characterize the Sinaloan subregion of the Sonoran regional desert. They occur primarily in Sinaloan thornscrub and monsoon (dry deciduous) forest biotic communities, both of which have suffered from agricultural conversion. Sinaloan thornscrub occurs along the coastal plains of southern Sonora and Sinaloa, México, and grades into monsoon forest in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental. We describe the geographical and ecological distributions of the 3 species of Chaetodipus , evaluate evolutionary relationships within each species based on mitochondrial DNA sequence data, and compare these to previously described phenetic, allozymic, and chromosomal variation. We elevate the subspecies of C. pernix to full species, delineate evolutionary units within C. goldmani and C. artus that we formally recognize as subspecies, and evaluate the conservation status of all 3 species of Chaetodipus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chordopoxvirinae is a diverse subfamily of viruses V_/within Poxviridae. These geographically widespread viruses infect birds, reptiles, and mammals, and many are zoonotic (1). The increasing use of molecular methods has [...]