Analysis of Autism Spectrum Disorder Like Behavior in Female Rats Using a Model of Maternal Stress and Terbutaline

Autism Spectrum Disorders in humans are diagnosed 3.1 times more in males than in females (Loomes et al., 2017) in addition to a 30% bidirectional comorbidity with epilepsy (Lewis et al., 2018). This model of stress terbutaline and potential treatment, M. vaccae,hope to establish a method by which to study this comorbity. This model has proved successful at producing ASD like behavior and seizures in male rats in recent years (Bercum et al., 2015). Female Sprague Dawley rats underwent a stress protocol of maternal and developmental stress with Terbutaline injections. Half of the treatment animals were given injections of Mycobacterium Vaccaeand half a vehicle injection. Behavioral tests were conducted to determine ASD like behavior. ASD like behavior was seen in the females rats with regard to sociability. M. vaccaeameliorated this behavior in the three-chamber social task. Neither marble bury or defensive burying tasks revealed ASD like behaviors. The demonstrated differences between males and females could be the result of the physiological sex differences that produce the skewed ASD sex ratio. It is also possible that the same tasks used in measures of male behavior are not accurate measures of the same behavior in females. Further research to determine the model’s role in epileptogeneis would be needed to identify it as a comorbid model. Use of different behavioral tasks to determine if data in females that differs from males is due to differences in behavior from the model or physiological sex behavioral differences would be necessary to substantiate the legitimacy of the model in both sexes

Experimental Estimation of the GPR Groundwave Sampling Depth

Monitoring near-surface soil water content is essential for efficient water management and for understanding hydrologic processes in soils. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) groundwaves are an approach that can be used to monitor the near-surface soil water content, but the efficacy of this technique is currently limited by the uncertainty surrounding the groundwave sampling depth. This research experimentally determines the sampling depth of GPR groundwaves under dry and saturated conditions in a sandy soil. Data were acquired using 250, 500, and 1000 MHz antennas within an experimental tank containing soil layers of contrasting electromagnetic velocities. Results show that the groundwave sampling depth is a function of frequency in both dry and saturated soils, and sampling depth is inversely related to frequency. A comparison of data acquired under dry and saturated conditions indicates that the groundwave sampling depth is slightly less in saturated soil than in dry soil, but the dependence of sampling depth on soil water content may be less than has been predicted using numerical modeling. The minimum sampling depth observed in this experiment was 12 cm for the 1000 MHz antennas in saturated sand, and the maximum sampling depth was 30 cm for the 250 MHz antennas in dry sand

Protecting Half the Planet and Transforming Human Systems Are Complementary Goals

The unfolding crises of mass extinction and climate change call for urgent action in response. To limit biodiversity losses and avert the worst effects of climate disruption, we must greatly expand nature protection while simultaneously downsizing and transforming human systems. The conservation initiative Nature Needs Half (or Half Earth), calling for the conservation of half the Earth's land and seas, is commensurate with the enormous challenges we face. Critics have objected to this initiative as harboring hardship for people near protected areas and for failing to confront the growth economy as the main engine of global ecological destruction. In response to the first criticism, we affirm that conservation policies must be designed and implemented in collaboration with Indigenous and local communities. In response to the second criticism, we argue that protecting half the Earth needs to be complemented by downscaling and reforming economic life, humanely and gradually reducing the global population, and changing food production and consumption. By protecting nature generously, and simultaneously contracting and transforming the human enterprise, we can create the conditions for achieving justice and well-being for both people and other species. If we fail to do so, we instead accept a chaotic and impoverished world that will be dangerous for us all

From vineyard to winery: a source map of microbial diversity driving wine fermentation

Humans have been making wine for thousands of years and microorganisms play an integral part in this process as they not only drive fermentation, but also significantly influence the flavour, aroma, and quality of finished wines. Since fruits are ephemeral, they cannot comprise a permanent microbial habitat; thus, an age-old unanswered question concerns the origin of fruit and ferment associated microbes. Here we use next-generation sequencing approaches to examine and quantify the roles of native forests, vineyard soil, bark, and fruit habitats as sources of fungal diversity in ferments. We show that aspects of microbial communities in harvested juice and ferments vary significantly across regions, and that while vineyard fungi account for ~40% of the source of this diversity, uncultivated ecosystems outside of vineyards also prove a significant source. We also show that while communities in harvested juice resemble those found on grapes, these increasingly resemble fungi present on vine bark as the ferment proceeds

Quantifying the relative roles of selective and neutral processes in defining eukaryotic microbial communities

We have a limited understanding of the relative contributions of different processes that regulate microbial communities, which are crucial components of both natural and agricultural ecosystems. The contributions of selective and neutral processes in defining community composition are often confounded in field studies because as one moves through space, environments also change. Managed ecosystems provide an excellent opportunity to control for this and evaluate the relative strength of these processes by minimising differences between comparable niches separated at different geographic scales. We use next-generation sequencing to characterize the variance in fungal communities inhabiting adjacent fruit, soil and bark in comparable vineyards across 1000 kms in New Zealand. By compartmentalizing community variation, we reveal that niche explains at least four times more community variance than geographic location. We go beyond merely demonstrating that different communities are found in both different niches and locations by quantifying the forces that define these patterns. Overall, selection unsurprisingly predominantly shapes these microbial communities, but we show the balance of neutral processes also have a significant role in defining community assemblage in eukaryotic microbes

How should the completeness and quality of curated nanomaterial data be evaluated?

Nanotechnology is of increasing significance. Curation of nanomaterial data into electronic databases offers opportunities to better understand and predict nanomaterials' behaviour. This supports innovation in, and regulation of, nanotechnology. It is commonly understood that curated data need to be sufficiently complete and of sufficient quality to serve their intended purpose. However, assessing data completeness and quality is non-trivial in general and is arguably especially difficult in the nanoscience area, given its highly multidisciplinary nature. The current article, part of the Nanomaterial Data Curation Initiative series, addresses how to assess the completeness and quality of (curated) nanomaterial data. In order to address this key challenge, a variety of related issues are discussed: the meaning and importance of data completeness and quality, existing approaches to their assessment and the key challenges associated with evaluating the completeness and quality of curated nanomaterial data. Considerations which are specific to the nanoscience area and lessons which can be learned from other relevant scientific disciplines are considered. Hence, the scope of this discussion ranges from physicochemical characterisation requirements for nanomaterials and interference of nanomaterials with nanotoxicology assays to broader issues such as minimum information checklists, toxicology data quality schemes and computational approaches that facilitate evaluation of the completeness and quality of (curated) data. This discussion is informed by a literature review and a survey of key nanomaterial data curation stakeholders. Finally, drawing upon this discussion, recommendations are presented concerning the central question: how should the completeness and quality of curated nanomaterial data be evaluated

Future Scenarios and Environmental Education

This article explores a number of questions about visions of the future and their implications for environmental education (EE). If the future were known, what kind of actions would be needed to maintain the positive aspects and reverse the negative ones? How could these actions be translated into the aims of EE? Three future scenarios are discussed: the limits to growth (the great tragedy and demise); sustainable development and ecological modernization (hope and innovation); and the Anthropocene park. These scenarios are linked to corresponding EE/ESD approaches and instrumentalism in education is argued as a morally justifiable goal. Finally, education for deep ecology is advocated in order to address the ethical implications of the last scenario.FSW – Publicaties zonder aanstelling Universiteit Leide