Trace metal fluxes to the ocean: The importance of high‐standing oceanic islands

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94592/1/grl16149.pd

Impact of anthropogenic disturbance on the chemistry of a small urban pond

Mirror Lake, one of the scenic locations on The Ohio State University\u27s campus, experiences an intense bioturbation event as part of an annual tradition revolving around the rivalry football game against the University of Michigan. This tradition involves thousands of students jumping into the lake over one night in the week leading up to the football game. Water samples were collected from several locations in the lake before, during, and after the Mirror Lake Jump to determine the impact of this event on lake water chemistry. There were significant and systematic increases in the concentrations of Na+, K+, Cl−, total nitrogen, ammonia, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) associated with the jump, especially in the eastern side of the lake where most of the students entered. Over the 3-h period from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. on the eastern side of the lake, Na+, K+, and Cl− concentrations increased by about 2–4 ppm, 1.5–3 ppm, and 4–6 ppm, respectively. The total nitrogen concentration increased about five to six fold, from 450–500 ppb to 2300–2800 ppb over the height of the event on the eastern side of the lake. Similar increases were observed for DOC, increasing from 3.6 to 18 ppm. This DOC increase was coincident with a 5‰ shift in δ13C, from a mean of around −28‰ in the early hours of the evening to a maximum of −23‰, implying a large influx of isotopically heavy carbon into the lake. Ammonia concentrations varied substantially from year to year, but always showed a systematic increase in concentration during the event. Smaller changes in major ion and nutrient concentrations were observed in the middle and western side of the lake, where fewer students entered the lake. The changes in concentration and the timing and spatial distribution of these changes are primarily attributed to anthropogenic input from jumpers in the form of bodily fluids (e.g., evaporated sweat, sebum and urine). Over a single night, these anthropogenic event inputs represent roughly 10% of the annual nitrogen budget of the lake, emphasizing the direct impact humans can have on urban water bodies on short time scales

Identifying factors likely to influence compliance with diagnostic imaging guideline recommendations for spine disorders among chiropractors in North America: a focus group study using the Theoretical Domains Framework

Background: The Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) was developed to investigate determinants of specific clinical behaviors and inform the design of interventions to change professional behavior. This framework was used to explore the beliefs of chiropractors in an American Provider Network and two Canadian provinces about their adherence to evidence-based recommendations for spine radiography for uncomplicated back pain. The primary objective of the study was to identify chiropractors’ beliefs about managing uncomplicated back pain without xrays and to explore barriers and facilitators to implementing evidence-based recommendations on lumbar spine xrays. A secondary objective was to compare chiropractors in the United States and Canada on their beliefs regarding the use of spine x-rays. Methods: Six focus groups exploring beliefs about managing back pain without x-rays were conducted with a purposive sample. The interview guide was based upon the TDF. Focus groups were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed by two independent assessors using thematic content analysis based on the TDF. Results: Five domains were identified as likely relevant. Key beliefs within these domains included the following: conflicting comments about the potential consequences of not ordering x-rays (risk of missing a pathology, avoiding adverse treatment effects, risks of litigation, determining the treatment plan, and using x-ray-driven techniques contrasted with perceived benefits of minimizing patient radiation exposure and reducing costs; beliefs about consequences); beliefs regarding professional autonomy, professional credibility, lack of standardization, and agreement with guidelines widely varied (social/professional role & identity); the influence of formal training, colleagues, and patients also appeared to be important factors (social influences); conflicting comments regarding levels of confidence and comfort in managing patients without x-rays (belief about capabilities); and guideline awareness and agreements (knowledge). Conclusions: Chiropractors’ use of diagnostic imaging appears to be influenced by a number of factors. Five key domains may be important considering the presence of conflicting beliefs, evidence of strong beliefs likely to impact the behavior of interest, and high frequency of beliefs. The results will inform the development of a theorybased survey to help identify potential targets for behavioral-change strategies

New Frontiers for Organismal Biology

Understanding how complex organisms function as integrated units that constantly interact with their environment is a long-standing challenge in biology. To address this challenge, organismal biology reveals general organizing principles of physiological systems and behavior—in particular, in complex multicellular animals. Organismal biology also focuses on the role of individual variability in the evolutionary maintenance of diversity. To broadly advance these frontiers, cross-compatibility of experimental designs, methodological approaches, and data interpretation pipelines represents a key prerequisite. It is now possible to rapidly and systematically analyze complete genomes to elucidate genetic variation associated with traits and conditions that define individuals, populations, and species. However, genetic variation alone does not explain the varied individual physiology and behavior of complex organisms. We propose that such emergent properties of complex organisms can best be explained through a renewed emphasis on the context and life-history dependence of individual phenotypes to complement genetic data.Organismic and Evolutionary Biolog

Do brief motivational interventions reduce drinking game frequency in mandated students? An analysis of data from two randomized controlled trials.

PURPOSE: College students frequently engage in drinking games (DG) and experience a variety of consequences as a result. It is currently unknown whether brief motivational interventions (BMI) that provide feedback on DG participation can reduce this high risk behavior. This study examined outcome data from two randomized clinical trials to examine whether BMIs facilitate change in DG frequency and how these changes may occur. METHODS: Mandated college students (Trial 1, N = 198, 46% female; Trial 2, N = 412; 32% female) were randomized to BMI or comparison control conditions. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to compare the BMI and comparison groups to determine whether the BMI reduced DG participation over time. Percent change talk (PCT) during the discussion of DG during the session was examined as a predictor of change in DG frequency, and gender was examined as a moderator of treatment effects. RESULTS: Controlling for regular drinking frequency, participants who received a BMI did not significantly reduce their DG frequency relative to the comparison group in either sample, and the BMI was equally ineffective at reducing DG behavior for men and women. DG-related PCT during the BMI was associated with lower DG frequency at the second follow-up in both Trials. In Trial 1, PCT during the BMI was associated with less steep increases in DG frequency across the course of all follow-ups. Effects of PCT on DG behavior were not moderated by gender. CONCLUSIONS: Findings did not support hypothesized reductions in DG participation following a BMI. Future research should explore whether targeted DG-specific interventions could reduce DG participation and the role of in-session client language in facilitating such change

The Splicing Efficiency of Activating HRAS Mutations Can Determine Costello Syndrome Phenotype and Frequency in Cancer

Costello syndrome (CS) may be caused by activating mutations in codon 12/13 of the HRAS proto-oncogene. HRAS p.Gly12Val mutations have the highest transforming activity, are very frequent in cancers, but very rare in CS, where they are reported to cause a severe, early lethal, phenotype. We identified an unusual, new germline p.Gly12Val mutation, c.35_36GC>TG, in a 12-year-old boy with attenuated CS. Analysis of his HRAS cDNA showed high levels of exon 2 skipping. Using wild type and mutant HRAS minigenes, we confirmed that c.35_36GC>TG results in exon 2 skipping by simultaneously disrupting the function of a critical Exonic Splicing Enhancer (ESE) and creation of an Exonic Splicing Silencer (ESS). We show that this vulnerability of HRAS exon 2 is caused by a weak 3' splice site, which makes exon 2 inclusion dependent on binding of splicing stimulatory proteins, like SRSF2, to the critical ESE. Because the majority of cancer- and CS- causing mutations are located here, they affect splicing differently. Therefore, our results also demonstrate that the phenotype in CS and somatic cancers is not only determined by the different transforming potentials of mutant HRAS proteins, but also by the efficiency of exon 2 inclusion resulting from the different HRAS mutations. Finally, we show that a splice switching oligonucleotide (SSO) that blocks access to the critical ESE causes exon 2 skipping and halts proliferation of cancer cells. This unravels a potential for development of new anti-cancer therapies based on SSO-mediated HRAS exon 2 skipping