Conserved spatial memory mechanisms
Food-caching birds are memory specialists that can remember thousands of hidden food items. Using electrophysiological recordings from freely behaving birds, Payne
...et al.
analyzed neuronal activity in the likely hippocampus homolog of two bird species, the tufted titmouse and the zebra finch. They chose these two species to compare, respectively, birds that do and do not display food-caching behavior. Place cells and typical hippocampal firing patterns that resembled rodent neuronal activity could be detected in the extreme memory specialists. Compared with titmice, however, spatial activity was noticeably weaker and less abundant in zebra finches. These findings provide evidence that the neural processes underlying spatial memory are remarkably conserved across widely divergent hippocampal circuits separated by millions of years of evolution.
Science
, abg2009, this issue p.
343
The avian hippocampus shows mammalian-like activity patterns, with enhancement of spatial coding in tufted titmice versus zebra finches.
Spatial memory in vertebrates requires brain regions homologous to the mammalian hippocampus. Between vertebrate clades, however, these regions are anatomically distinct and appear to produce different spatial patterns of neural activity. We asked whether hippocampal activity is fundamentally different even between distant vertebrates that share a strong dependence on spatial memory. We studied tufted titmice, food-caching birds capable of remembering many concealed food locations. We found mammalian-like neural activity in the titmouse hippocampus, including sharp-wave ripples and anatomically organized place cells. In a non–food-caching bird species, spatial firing was less informative and was exhibited by fewer neurons. These findings suggest that hippocampal circuit mechanisms are similar between birds and mammals, but that the resulting patterns of activity may vary quantitatively with species-specific ethological needs.
AbstractDense networks of low-cost wireless sensors have the potential to facilitate prolific data collection in large and complex infrastructure at costs lower than those historically associated ...with tethered counterparts. While wireless telemetry has been previously proposed for structural monitoring, comparatively less research has focused on the creation of a complete and scalable data management system that manages the storage and interrogation of wireless sensor data. This paper reports on the development of a novel wireless structural monitoring system specifically tailored for large-scale civil infrastructure systems by architecturally combining dense wireless sensor networks with a suite of information technologies remotely accessible by the Internet. The architectural overview of the proposed Internet-enabled wireless structural monitoring system is presented including a description of its functional elements (for example, wireless sensors, database server, and application programming interfaces). The monitoring-system architecture proposed is validated on the New Carquinez (Alfred Zampa Memorial) Bridge in Vallejo, California. A permanent wireless monitoring system is installed consisting of 28 wireless sensor nodes collecting data from over 80 channels. The bridge sensor data are transferred by a wireless cellular connection to a remote database server where it is stored and available for interrogation by software clients granted access to the data. To illustrate the ability to autonomously process the bridge response data, the stochastic subspace identification method is used to extract accurate modal characteristics of the bridge that are used to update high-fidelity finite-element models of the bridge. The Internet-enabled wireless structural monitoring system proved to be scalable to a large number of nodes and has thus far proven stable and reliable over long-term use.
The US Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) gives food safety regulators increased authority to require implementation of safety measures to reduce the contamination of produce. To evaluate the ...future impact of FSMA on food safety, a better understanding is needed regarding outbreaks attributed to the consumption of raw produce. Data reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System during 1998–2013 were analysed. During 1998–2013, there were 972 raw produce outbreaks reported resulting in 34 674 outbreak-associated illnesses, 2315 hospitalisations, and 72 deaths. Overall, the total number of foodborne outbreaks reported decreased by 38% during the study period and the number of raw produce outbreaks decreased 19% during the same period; however, the percentage of outbreaks attributed to raw produce among outbreaks with a food reported increased from 8% during 1998–2001 to 16% during 2010–2013. Raw produce outbreaks were most commonly attributed to vegetable row crops (38% of outbreaks), fruits (35%) and seeded vegetables (11%). The most common aetiologic agents identified were norovirus (54% of outbreaks), Salmonella enterica (21%) and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (10%). Food-handling errors were reported in 39% of outbreaks. The proportion of all foodborne outbreaks attributable to raw produce has been increasing. Evaluation of safety measures to address the contamination on farms, during processing and food preparation, should take into account the trends occurring before FSMA implementation.
Human activity in the last century has led to a significant increase in nitrogen (N) emissions and atmospheric deposition. This N deposition has reached a level that has caused or is likely to cause ...alterations to the structure and function of many ecosystems across the United States. One approach for quantifying the deposition of pollution that would be harmful to ecosystems is the determination of critical loads. A critical load is defined as the input of a pollutant below which no detrimental ecological effects occur over the long-term according to present knowledge.
The objectives of this project were to synthesize current research relating atmospheric N deposition to effects on terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems in the United States, and to estimate associated empirical N critical loads. The receptors considered included freshwater diatoms, mycorrhizal fungi, lichens, bryophytes, herbaceous plants, shrubs, and trees. Ecosystem impacts included: (1) biogeochemical responses and (2) individual species, population, and community responses. Biogeochemical responses included increased N mineralization and nitrification (and N availability for plant and microbial uptake), increased gaseous N losses (ammonia volatilization, nitric and nitrous oxide from nitrification and denitrification), and increased N leaching. Individual species, population, and community responses included increased tissue N, physiological and nutrient imbalances, increased growth, altered root : shoot ratios, increased susceptibility to secondary stresses, altered fire regime, shifts in competitive interactions and community composition, changes in species richness and other measures of biodiversity, and increases in invasive species.
The range of critical loads for nutrient N reported for U.S. ecoregions, inland surface waters, and freshwater wetlands is 1-39 kg N·ha
−1
·yr
−1
, spanning the range of N deposition observed over most of the country. The empirical critical loads for N tend to increase in the following sequence for different life forms: diatoms, lichens and bryophytes, mycorrhizal fungi, herbaceous plants and shrubs, and trees.
The critical load approach is an ecosystem assessment tool with great potential to simplify complex scientific information and communicate effectively with the policy community and the public. This synthesis represents the first comprehensive assessment of empirical critical loads of N for major ecoregions across the United States.
To examine the association of sedentary behavior (SB) with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adults, as well as to identify the impact of physical inactivity and economic condition on such association.
...This is a cross-sectional study.
This study was conducted in the city of Bauru, São Paulo State, Brazil (n = 970). Television (TV) viewing and physical activity (PA) were assessed by questionnaire. MetS was assessed via medical records. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used in data analyses.
Participants with moderate TV viewing were associated with MetS when compared with low TV viewing group, even after adjustments for age, sex, economic status, smoking, and PA (odds ratio OR = 1.49 95% confidence interval {CI}: 1.01–2.20). The fully adjusted model showed an association between high exposure to TV viewing with MetS (OR = 1.77 95%CI: 1.11–2.82). The combination of physical inactivity and high TV viewing boosted the likelihood of having MetS (OR = 1.89 95%CI: 1.08–3.29).
The results of the present study suggest that moderate and high TV viewing time is associated with the presence of MetS, mainly in insufficiently active adults and those living in lower economic condition.
•Television (TV) viewing was associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) even after adjustments including physical activity.•The combination of physical inactivity and high TV viewing had double the likelihood of having MetS.•Combined low economic status and TV viewing revealed a significant association with the higher occurrence of MetS.
Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a highly life-threatening disorder that is extremely difficult to treat. There is evidence that family-based therapies are effective for adolescent AN, but no treatment has ...been proven to be clearly effective for adult AN. The methodological challenges associated with studying the disorder have resulted in recommendations that new treatments undergo preliminary testing prior to being evaluated in a randomized clinical trial. The aim of this study was to provide preliminary evidence on the effectiveness of a treatment program based on a novel adaptation of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for adult Anorexia Nervosa (Radically Open-DBT; RO-DBT) that conceptualizes AN as a disorder of overcontrol.
Forty-seven individuals diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa-restrictive type (AN-R; mean admission body mass index = 14.43) received the adapted DBT inpatient program (mean length of treatment = 21.7 weeks).
Seventy-two percent completed the treatment program demonstrating substantial increases in body mass index (BMI; mean change in BMI = 3.57) corresponding to a large effect size (d = 1.91). Thirty-five percent of treatment completers were in full remission, and an additional 55% were in partial remission resulting in an overall response rate of 90%. These same individuals demonstrated significant and large improvements in eating-disorder related psychopathology symptoms (d = 1.17), eating disorder-related quality of life (d = 1.03), and reductions in psychological distress (d = 1.34).
RO-DBT was associated with significant improvements in weight gain, reductions in eating disorder symptoms, decreases in eating-disorder related psychopathology and increases in eating disorder-related quality of life in a severely underweight sample. These findings provide preliminary support for RO-DBT in treating AN-R suggesting the importance of further evaluation examining long-term outcomes using randomized controlled trial methodology.
STUDY QUESTION
Do ovulatory hormone profiles among healthy premenopausal women differ between women with and without sporadic anovulation?
SUMMARY ANSWER
Women with one anovulatory cycle tended to ...have lower estradiol, progesterone and LH peak levels during their ovulatory cycle.
WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY
Anovulation occurs sporadically in healthy premenopausal women, but the influence of hormones in a preceding cycle and the impact on a subsequent cycle's hormone levels is unknown.
STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION
The BioCycle Study was a prospective cohort including 250 healthy regularly menstruating women, 18–44 years of age, from Western New York with no history of menstrual or ovulation disorders. The women were followed with up to eight study visits per cycle for two cycles, most of which were consecutive.
PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING AND METHODS
All study visits were timed to menstrual cycle phase using fertility monitors and located at the University at Buffalo women's health research center from 2005 to 2007. The main outcomes measured were estradiol, progesterone, LH and follicle-stimulating hormone levels in serum at up to 16 visits over two cycles. Anovulation was defined as peak serum progesterone concentrations ≤5 ng/ml and no serum LH peak detected during the mid- or late-luteal phase visit.
MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE
Reproductive hormone concentrations were lower during anovulatory cycles, but significant reductions were also observed in estradiol (−25%, P = 0.003) and progesterone (−22%, P = 0.001) during the ovulatory cycles of women with one anovulatory cycle compared with women with two ovulatory cycles. LH peak concentrations were decreased in the ovulatory cycle of women with an anovulatory cycle (significant amplitude effect, P = 0.004; geometric mean levels 38% lower, P < 0.05).
LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION
Follow-up was limited to two menstrual cycles, and no ultrasound assessment of ovulation was available. Data were missing for a total of 168 of a possible 4072 cycle visits (4.1%), though all women had at least five visits per cycle (94% had seven or more per cycle).
WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS
These results suggest a possible underlying cause of anovulation, such as a longer-term subclinical follicular, ovarian or hypothalamic/pituitary dysfunction, even among healthy, regularly menstruating women.
STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS
This work was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Contract no. HHSN275200403394C). The authors have no potential competing interests.
The most common cause of autosomal recessive familial Parkinson’s disease (PD) are mutations in the PRKN/PARK2 gene encoding an E3 ubiquitin protein-ligase PARKIN. We report the generation of an iPSC ...cell line from the fibroblasts of a male PD patient carrying a common missense variant in exon 7 (p.Arg275Trp), and a 133 kb deletion encompassing exon 8, using transiently-present Sendai virus. The established line displays typical human primed iPSC morphology and expression of pluripotency-associated markers, normal karyotype without SNP array-detectable copy number variations and can give rise to derivatives of all three embryonic germ layers. We envisage the usefulness of this iPSC line, carrying a common and well-studied missense mutation in the RING1 domain of the PARKIN protein, for the elucidation of PARKIN-dependent mechanisms of PD using in vitro and in vivo models.
Cancer screening recommendations for patients with Lynch‐like syndrome (LLS) are not well defined. We evaluated adherence to Lynch syndrome (LS) screening recommendations, cancer risk perceptions, ...and communication within the families among colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors with LLS. Thirty‐four participants with LLS completed a questionnaire about risk perception, adherence to LS screening recommendations, and communication with relatives. Clinical data were obtained from medical records. Most participants (76%) believed they should undergo colonoscopy every 1–2 years. Only 41% correctly interpreted their genetic tests as uninformative negative or as variant of unknown significance for LS. Less than half had had an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy for screening purpose. Among female participants, 86% had been screened for endometrial cancer (EC) and 71% for ovarian cancer. Most participants had informed relatives about the CRC diagnosis and advised them to undergo CRC screening, but only 50% advised female relatives to be screened for EC and only one‐third advised relatives to have genetic counseling. Most CRC survivors with LLS follow the same cancer screening recommended for LS patients but do not understand the meaning of LLS. Greater care must be devoted to communicating the implications of nondiagnostic germline mutation testing among patients with LLS.
Section Editor:
Aad Tibben, email: a.tibben@lumc.nl
While there is an international definition of social work as a profession, little is known about whether there is a shared pedagogy in social work cross-nationally. To our knowledge, this paper is ...the first empirical study which aims to fill this gap by applying the concept of signature pedagogy in social work education to explore the commonality of social work pedagogy across countries. The study uses a multi-site case study (six universities in five European countries) through applying a 'critical teacher-researcher' approach in generating the data, followed by a two-phased thematic analysis. The study evidenced a shared principle of social work pedagogy which nurtures social work students to think and perform like a social worker and develop the professional self through developing relationships and dialogue, professional practice, group work, self-reflection and critical thinking. It is argued from, this exploratory study, that even between countries which have different welfare ideology as well as social work history and education systems, there is some common ground in social work pedagogy where one can learn from another through the use of 'teacher as researcher' methodologically.
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