Prevalence of Mental Disorders and Health Service Utilization among Individuals with Turkish Migration Backgrounds in Germany: A Study Protocol for an Epidemiological Investigation

Background: There is a lack of reliable epidemiological data on prevalence and comorbidity rates of mental disorders in the migrant population in Germany. Despite existing national and international data on the extent of psychosocial burdens in migrant populations the prevalence among the study population remains unclear. The aim of this study was to collect prevalence data for the largest migrant population in Germany-individuals with Turkish migration backgrounds—using a culturally and linguistically sensitive approach. Methods: The study employs a cross-sectional design. The multi-centre study (Hamburg, Berlin) is based on a sample of individuals with Turkish migration backgrounds living in the two cities stratified by age, gender, and education. The study programme consists of three phases: 1) a qualitative focus group to collect information on how to increase the participation rate of the target population as a minority group in Germany;2) a translation phase to create culture and linguistic sensitive versions of the assessment tools (e.g., the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) for Turkish speaking individuals;and 3) a baseline community study to assess the lifetime, 12-month and four-week prevalence and comorbidity rates of mental disorder, health care utilization and help-seeking behaviour in individuals of Turkish migration backgrounds living in Germany. Discussion: The study provides important data on the lifetime prevalence of mental disorders and health care utilization of individuals with Turkish migration backgrounds. Furthermore, the study is an important step towards gaining a better understanding of potential barriers to participation, creating resources for difficult-to- reach minorities, and understanding the need for assessing mental disorders in migrant populations. These results can offer a starting point for the initiation of the necessary structural changes for mental health care services and policies for groups with migration backgrounds.

Tracking domestic ducks:A novel approach for documenting poultry market chains in the context of avian influenza transmission

Agro-ecological conditions associated with the spread and persistence of highly pathogenic avian inlfuenza （HPAI） are not well understood, but the trade of live poultry is suspected to be a major pathway. Although market chains of live bird trade have been studied through indirect means including interviews and questionnaires, direct methods have not been used to identify movements of individual poultry. To bridge the knowledge gap on quantitative movement and transportation of poultry, we introduced a novel approach for applying telemetry to document domestic duck movements from source farms at Poyang Lake, China. We deployed recently developed transmitters that record Global Positioning System （GPS） locations and send them through the Groupe Spécial Mobile （GSM） cellular telephone system. For the ifrst time, we were able to track individually marked ducks from 3 to 396 km from their origin to other farms, distribution facilities, or live bird markets. Our proof of concept test showed that the use of GPS-GSM transmitters may provide di-rect, quantitative information to document the movement of poultry and reveal their market chains. Our ifndings provide an initial indication of the complexity of source-market network connectivity and highlight the great potential for future telemetry studies in poultry network analyses.

Expression of HIF-1α and Its Target Genes in the Nanorana parkeri Heart：Implications for High Altitude Adaptation

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha（HIF-1α） and its target genes vascular endothelial growth factor（VEGF） and transferrins（TF） play an important role in native endothermic animals＇ adaptation to the high altitude environments. For ectothermic animals – especially frogs – it remains undetermined whether HIF-1α and its target genes（VEGF and TF） play an important role in high altitude adaptation, too. In this study, we compared the gene sequences and expression of HIF-1α and its target genes（VEGF and TF） between three Nanorana parkeri populations from different altitudes（3008 m a.s.l., 3440 m a.s.l. and 4312 m a.s.l.）. We observed that the c DNA sequences of HIF-1A exhibited high sequence similarity（99.38%） among the three altitudinally separated populations; but with increasing altitude, the expression of HIF-1A and its target genes（VEGF and TF） increased significantly. These results indicate that HIF-1α plays an important role in N. parkeri adaptation to the high altitude, similar to its role in endothermic animals.

Contrasting habitat use and conservation status of Chinese-wintering and other Eurasian Greater White-fronted Goose(Anser albifrons)populations

Background:GPS/GSM tracking data were used to contrast use of(i)habitats and(ii)protected areas between three Arctic-nesting Greater White-fronted Geese(Anser albifrons,GWFG)populations throughout the annual cycle.We wished to demonstrate that the East Asian Continental Population(which winters on natural wetlands in the Chinese Yangtze River floodplain and is currently declining)avoids using farmland at multiple wintering sites.We also gath-ered tracking evidence to support general observations from two increasing population of GWFG,the North Sea-Baltic(which winters in Europe)and the West Pacific(which winter in Korea and Japan)winter mostly within farmland landscapes,using wetlands only for safe night roosts.Methods:We tracked 156 GWFG throughout their annual cycle using GPS/GSM transmitters from these three popu-lations to determine migration routes and stopover staging patterns.We used Brownian Bridge Movement Models to generate summer,winter and migration stopover home ranges which we then overlaid in GIS with land cover and protected area boundary at national level to determine habitat use and degree of protection from nature conserva-tion designated areas.Results:Data confirmed that 73%of European wintering GWFG homes ranges were from within farmland,com-pared to 59%in Japan and Korea,but just 5%in China,confirming the heavy winter use of agricultural landscapes by GWFG away from China,and avoidance of farmland at multiple sites within the Yangtze River floodplain.The same GWFG used farmland in northeast China in spring and autumn,confirming their experience of exploiting such habi-tats at other stages of their annual cycle.Chinese wintering birds showed the greatest overlap with protected areas of all three populations,showing current levels of site safeguard are failing to protect this population.Conclusions:Results confirm the need for strategic planning to protect the East Asian Continental GWFG popu-lation.While the site protection network in place to protect the species seems adequate,it has failed to stop the declines.Buffalo grazing could serve as one simple strategy to improve the condition of feeding habitats at Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake in the Yangtze,where vast Carex meadows exist.In addition,while we warn against pushing GWFG to winter farmland feeding in China because of the long-term potential to conflict with agricultural interests,we recommend experimental sacrificial,disturbance-free farmland within designated refuge areas adjacent to the Yangtze River floodplain wetland reserves as a manipulative experiment to improve the conservation status of this population in years when natural food sources are limited.

The Expression Plasticity of Hypoxia Related Genes in High-Altitude and Plains Nanorana parkeri Populations

For species that have a broad geographic distribution, adaptive variation may be attributable to gene expression plasticity. Nanorana parkeri is an anuran endemic to the southern Tibetan Plateau where it has an extensive altitudinal range（2850 to 5100 m asl）. Low oxygen concentration is one of the main environmental characteristics of the Tibetan Plateau. Hypoxia-inducible factor α subunits（HIF-1α and HIF-2α, encoded by Endothelial PAS domain protein 1（EPAS1）） and associated genes（e.g., vascular endothelial growth factor（VEGF） and Erythropoietin（EPO）） play crucial roles in maintaining oxygen homeostasis. In this study, we compared the expression of HIF-1A, VEGF, EPAS1 and EPO mRNA between two populations of N. parkeri： one population inhabiting the native high altitudes, and the second living in, and being acclimated to, the lower plains（70 m asl）. The expression of HIF-1A, VEGF and EPAS1 mRNA in the high altitude population were significantly higher than in the acclimated population, whereas there was no significant difference for EPO between two groups. Our results indicated that gene expression plasticity may make significant contributions to local adaptation of species that have broad altitudinal distributions. In addition, we deepen our understanding of the adaptive potential of this species by evaluating the experiments in the scope of its evolutionary history.

Avian introgression in the genomic era

Introgression,the incorporation of genetic material from one(sub)species into the gene pool of another by means of hybridization and backcrossing,is a common phenomenon in birds and can provide important insights into the speciation process.In the last decade,the toolkit for studying introgression has expanded together with the development of molecular markers.In this review,we explore how genomic data,the most recent step in this methodological progress,impacts different aspects in the study of avian introgression.First,the detection of hybrids and backcrosses has improved dramatically.The most widely used software package is STRUCTURE.Phylogenetic discordance(i.e.different loci resulting in discordant gene trees) is another means for the detection of introgression,although it should be regarded as a starting point for further analyses,not as a definitive proof of introgression.Specifically,disentangling introgression from other biological processes,such as incomplete lineage sorting,remains a challenging endeavour,although new techniques,such as the D-statistic,are being developed.In addition,phylogenetics might require a shift from trees to networks.Second,the study of hybrid zones by means of geographical or genomic cline analysis has led to important insights into the complex interplay between hybridization and speciation.However,because each hybrid zone study is just a single snapshot of a complex and continuously changing interaction,hybrid zones should be studied across different temporal and/or spatial scales.A third powerful tool is the genome scan.The debate on which evolutionary processes underlie the genomic landscape is still ongoing,as is the question whether loci involved in reproductive isolation cluster together in ‘islands of speciation' or whether they are scattered throughout the genome.Exploring genomic landscapes across the avian tree of life will be an exciting field for further research.Finally,the findings from these different methods should be incorporated into specific speciation scenarios,which can consequently be tested using a modelling approach.All in all,this genomic perspective on avian hybridization and speciation will further our understanding in evolution in general.

Beyond the horizon:immersive developments for animal ecology research

More diverse data on animal ecology are now available.This“data deluge”presents challenges for both biologists and computer scientists;however,it also creates opportunities to improve analysis and answer more holistic research questions.We aim to increase awareness of the current opportunity for interdisciplinary research between animal ecology researchers and computer scientists.Immersive analytics(IA)is an emerging research field in which investigations are performed into how immersive technologies,such as large display walls and virtual reality and augmented reality devices,can be used to improve data analysis,outcomes,and communication.These investigations have the potential to reduce the analysis effort and widen the range of questions that can be addressed.We propose that biologists and computer scientists combine their efforts to lay the foundation for IA in animal ecology research.We discuss the potential and the challenges and outline a path toward a structured approach.We imagine that a joint effort would combine the strengths and expertise of both communities,leading to a well-defined research agenda and design space,practical guidelines,robust and reusable software frameworks,reduced analysis effort,and better comparability of results.