Memory in Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Behavioral evidence concerning memory in high-functioning forms of autism (HFA) and in moderately low-functioning autism (M-LFA) is reviewed and compared. Findings on M-LFA are sparse. However, it is provisionally concluded that memory profiles in HFA and M-LFA (relative to ability-matched controls) are similar, but that declarative memory impairments are more extensive in M-LFA than in HFA. Specifically, both groups have diminished memory for emotion- or person-related stimuli. Regarding memory for non-social stimuli, both groups probably have mental-age appropriate nondeclarative memory; and within declarative memory, both groups have mental-age appropriate immediate free recall of within-span or supra-span lists of unrelated items, as well as cued recall and paired associate learning. By contrast, recognition is largely unimpaired in HFA but moderately impaired in M-LFA; and free recall of meaningful or structured stimuli is moderately impaired in HFA but more severely impaired in M-LFA. Theoretical explanations of data on declarative memory in HFA identify problems in the integrative processing, or the consolidation and storage, of complex stimuli; or a specific problem of recollection. Proposed neural substrates include the following: disconnectivity of primary sensory and association areas; dysfunctions of medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus or posterior parietal lobe; or combinations of these associated with neural disconnectivity. Hypothetically, perirhinal dysfunction might explain the more extensive declarative memory impairments in M-LFA. Foreseeable consequences of uneven memory abilities in HFA and M-LFA are outlined, including possible effects on language and learning in M-LFA. Finally, priorities for future research are identified, highlighting the urgent need for research on memory in lower-functioning individuals

Effects of seawater exchange on water chemistry among coastal lakes with intermittent connections to the sea

Intermittently closed and open lakes and lagoons (ICOLLs) are a dynamic class of coastal waterbodies with the unique feature of intermittently connecting to the sea. Understanding the functioning and potential threats of these globally rare systems is important to their preservation and protection. Coastal dune lakes of northwest Florida are one example of an understudied group of ICOLLs which connect with the Gulf of Mexico for brief periods of time. Using a 17-year, monthly water chemistry dataset, we analyzed long-term patterns in water chemistry among 16 coastal dune lakes. Using salinity as a proxy for frequency of seawater inflows, principal component analysis and linear mixed-effects models indicated significant relationships between salinity and nitrogen, phosphorous, and pH. Salinity was positively associated with pH and phosphorus, and negatively associated with nitrogen, although relationships within individual lakes varied. Nonparametric trend analysis indicated lake-specific significant shifts in water chemistry in several systems, although a majority of systems did not exhibit notable long-term trends. Results indicate the significance of water exchange with the Gulf of Mexico on water chemistry of coastal dune lakes and have implications for management of ICOLLs globall

La mineralogía de la arcilla del suelo Nipe

The mineralogy of Nipe clay was characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), BET surface area, and chemical analysts. The major components of the clay fraction are goethite, gibbsite, hematite and kaolinite. Goethite is the predominant iron oxide as indicated by the high intensity of the XRD peaks. The unit cell dimensions of goethite, estimated from the XRD data, were a = 4.603 Å, b = 9.806 Å and c = 3.002 Å. The unit cell dimensions of hematite were a = 5.037 Å, and c = 13.735 Å. The extent of aluminum substitution in goethite and hematite was also estimated from the XRD data. The mole % Al in goethite, based on the d (111) value, was 15.57 mole percent, whereas when the a-dimension of the unit cell was used, a value of 12.86 mole percent was obtained. The estimated mole percent Al substitution in hematite was 0.67. The hematite/goethite ratio as estimated from the relative intensities of the 104 peak of hematite and the 110 peak of goethite was 0.51. Kaolinite showed a high capacity to absorb IR radiation as indicated by strong absorption peaks around 1000 and 3700 cm-1. The surface area of the clay as determined by the BET method was 55.26 m2/g. The ratio of Feox/Fed was very low (1.17x10-2), indicating that the iron oxides occur in well crystallized form.La mineralogía de la arcilla del suelo Nipe se caracterizó usando difracción de rayos X, análisis termal, espectroscopia de infrarojo, área superficial (BET) y análisis químico. Los principales componentes minerales de la arcilla son goetita, gibsita, hematita y caolinita. La intensidad de los picos correspondientes a goetita, revelada mediante el análisis de rayos X, indica que este mineral es el óxido de Fe predominante en la arcilla del suelo Nipe. Los parámetros estructurales de la celda unitaria de goetita, estimados del análisis de rayos X, fueron a = 4.603 Å, b = 9.806 Å, y c = 3.002 Å. Los parámetros estructurales de hematita fueron: a = 5.037 Å y c = 13.735 Å. De los datos de rayos X también se estimó el porcentaje molar de aluminio en goetita y hematita. Para el caso particular de la goetita, el porcentaje de Al se estimó a base del la distancia interplanar d(111) y a base del tamaño de la unidad estructural-a de la celda unitaria, obteniéndose valores de 15.57 y 12.86%, respectivamente, El porcentaje de aluminio en la hematita fue de 0.67%, y se estimó a base del tamaño de la unidad estructural-a de la celda unitaria. Se obtuvo una proporción de hematita/goetita de 0.51. La caolinita demostró gran capacidad para absorber la radiación infrarroja según lo indican los picos de absorción en la cercanía de los 1000 y 3700 cm-1. El área de superficie de la arcilla fue de 55.26 m2/g. El contenido de óxidos amorfos fue muy bajo (Feox/Fed = 1.17x 10-2), lo que indica que los óxidos de hierro están mayormente en forma cristalina

Učinci intra-artikularno primijenjenog tramadola na histopatološki nalaz koljenog zgloba u štakora.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of intra-articular injections of saline and tramadol on the articular cartilage in rat knee joints. Twenty-five adult Wistar rats were used in this experiment. They were randomly assigned to two groups, control (n = 5) and experimental (n = 20) and the latter was subdivided into four groups (each group n = 5). Saline was administered intra-articularly into the knee joints in the controls (group 1) and tramadol with different doses was injected into the knee joints of the experimental groups. In groups 2, 3, 4 and 5 different concentrations, 0.1, 0.25, 1.0 and 2.5 mg/mL respectively, of available tramadol were administrated intra-articularly into the knee joints. The results showed that there were no pathological changes in the saline-treated control joints (P>0.05). Joints treated with tramadol displayed significantly more pathological changes than the saline joints (P0.05). Joints that received tramadol in group 3 (0.25 mg/mL) showed no significant difference as compared with control joints in all histological indices, except for cell count. Joints treated with tramadol in groups 4 and 5 revealed significant histological changes compared to control joints in all histological indices. We conclude that intra-articular tramadol in high dosages (especially 2.5 mg/mL) causes histopathological changes in rat knee joints.Cilj istraživanja bio je utvrditi učinak primjene fiziološke otopine soli i tramadola na hrskavicu koljenog zgloba štakora. U pokusu je korišteno 25 odraslih Wistar štakora koji su metodom slučajnog izbora bili podijeljeni u dvije skupine, kontrolnu (n = 5) i pokusnu (n = 20). Pokusna skupina je naknadno podijeljena u 4 podskupine po 5 štakora. Fiziološka otopina bila je unesena u koljeni zglob štakora kontrolne skupine (skupina 1), dok je tramadol bio primijenjen u različitim dozama u koljeni zglob štakora pokusnih skupina. Skupina 2 primila je 0,1 mg/mL, skupina 3 primila je 0,25 mg/mL, dok su skupine 4 i 5 primile 1,0 odnosno 2,5 mg/mL tramadola. Rezultati su pokazali da nije bilo patoloških promjena u zglobovima kontrolne skupine (P>0,05). Zglobovi u koje je bio primijenjen tramadol pokazali su značajno (P0,05) između skupine 2 koja je primila tramadol i skupine kojoj je bila primijenjena fiziološka otopina kuhinjske soli. U štakora skupine 3, kojima je u zglobove bio primijenjen tramadol u količini od 0,25 mg/mL, također nisu utvrđene značajne razlike u odnosu na kontrolnu skupinu za sve histološke pokazatelje osim za broj stanica. Primjena tramadola u zglobove štakora u skupinama 4 i 5 dovela je u usporedbi s kontrolnom skupinom do značajnih promjena svih histoloških pokazatelja. Na temelju navedenih rezultata, zaključuje se da primjena većih doza tramadola (osobito 2,5 mg/mL) u koljeni zglob štakora dovodi do histopatoloških promjena

Evaluation and application of the Bank Assessment for Non-Point Source Consequences of Sediment (BANCS) model developed to predict annual streambank erosion rates

Master of ScienceDepartment of Biological & Agricultural EngineeringTrisha L. MooreExcess sediment is a leading cause of stream impairment in the United States, resulting in poor water quality, sedimentation of downstream waterbodies, and damage to aquatic ecosystems. Numerous case studies have found that accelerated bank erosion can be the main contributor of sediment in impaired streams. An empirically-derived "Bank Assessment for Non-Point Source Consequences of Sediment" (BANCS) model can be developed for a specific hydrophysiographic region to rapidly estimate sediment yield from streambank erosion, based on both physical and observational measurements of a streambank. This study aims to address model criticisms by (1) evaluating the model’s repeatability and sensitivity and (2) examining the developmental process of a BANCS model by attempting to create an annual streambank erosion rate prediction curve for the Central Great Plains ecoregion. To conduct the repeatability and sensitivity analysis of the BANCS model, ten stream professionals with experience utilizing the model individually evaluated the same six streambanks twice in the summer of 2015. To determine the model’s repeatability, individual streambank evaluations, as well as groups of evaluations based on level of Rosgen course training, were compared utilizing Kendall’s coefficient of concordance and a linear model with a randomized complete block design. Additionally, a one-at-a-time design approach was implemented to test sensitivity of model inputs. Statistical analysis of individual streambank evaluations suggests that the implementation of the BANCS model may not be repeatable. This may be due to highly sensitive model inputs, such as streambank height and near-bank stress method selection, and/or highly uncertain model inputs, such as bank material. Furthermore, it was found that higher level of training may improve model implementation precision. In addition to the repeatability and sensitivity analysis, the BANCS model developmental process was examined through the creation of a provisional streambank erosion rate prediction curve for the Central Great Plains ecoregion. Streambank erosion data was collected sporadically from 2006 to 2016 from eighteen study banks within the sediment-impaired Little Arkansas River watershed of south-central Kansas. Model fit was observed to follow the same trends, but with greater dispersion, when compared to other created models throughout the United States and eastern India. This increase in variability could be due to (1) obtaining streambank erosion data sporadically over a 10-year period with variable streamflows, (2) BEHI/NBS ratings obtained only once in recent years, masking the spatiotemporal variability of streambank erosion, (3) lack of observations, and (4) use of both bank profiles and bank pin measurements to calculate average retreat rates. Based on the results of this study, a detailed model creation procedure was suggested that addresses several model limitations and criticisms. Recommendations provided in the methodology include (1) more accurate measurement of sensitive/uncertain BEHI/NBS parameters, (2) multiple assessments by trained professionals to obtain accurate and precise BEHI/NBS ratings, (3) the use of repeated bank profiles to calculate bank erosion rates, and (4) the development of flow-dependent curves based on annually assessed study banks. Subsequent studies should incorporate these findings to improve upon the suggested methodology and increase the predictive power of future BANCS models