The Effects of Color on Cognitive Performance

Typically, assessments are administered on white pieces of paper. This research experiment was designed to test the effects of colored paper on an individual’s cognitive performance. Researchers have administered an IQ test to approximately 60 male and female undergraduate participants. Participants were recruited through the NERD System and were given partial credit in their individual classes. The IQ tests were printed on four different colors of paper and given out to participants at random. It was hypothesized that utilizing colored paper on an administered test will increase the individual’s cognitive performance. Results will be discussed in terms of increasing cognitive performance in educational and work environments

Risk assessment of SARS-CoV-2 in Antarctic wildlife

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This pathogen has spread rapidly across the world, causing high numbers of deaths and significant social and economic impacts. SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus with a suggested zoonotic origin with the potential for cross-species transmission among animals. Antarctica can be considered the only continent free of SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, concerns have been expressed regarding the potential human introduction of this virus to the continent through the activities of research or tourismto minimise the effects on human health, and the potential for virus transmission to Antarctic wildlife. We assess the reverse-zoonotic transmission risk to Antarcticwildlife by considering the available information on host susceptibility, dynamics of the infection inhumans, and contact interactions between humans and Antarctic wildlife. The environmental conditions in Antarctica seem to be favourable for the virus stability. Indoor spaces such as those at research stations, research vessels or tourist cruise ships could allow for more transmission among humans and depending on their movements between different locations the virus could be spread across the continent. Among Antarctic wildlife previous in silico analyses suggested that cetaceans are at greater risk of infection whereas seals and birds appear to be at a low infection risk. However, caution needed until further research is carried out and consequently, the precautionary principle should be applied. Field researchers handling animals are identified as the human group posing the highest risk of transmission to animals while tourists and other personnel pose a significant risk only when in close proximity (< 5 m) to Antarctic fauna. We highlight measures to reduce the risk as well as identify of knowledge gaps related to this issue.Fil: Barbosa, A.. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales; España. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas; EspañaFil: Varsani, Arvind. Arizona State University; Estados Unidos. University of Cape Town; SudáfricaFil: Morandini, Virginia. State University of Oregon; Estados UnidosFil: Grimaldi, Wray. No especifíca;Fil: Vanstreels, Ralph E.T.. Institute Research And Rehabilitation Marine Animals; BrasilFil: Diaz, Julia Inés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Boulinier, Thierry. Université Montpellier II; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Dewar, Meagan. Federation University; AustraliaFil: González Acuña, Daniel. Universidad de Concepción; ChileFil: Gray, Rachael. University Of Western Sydney.; AustraliaFil: McMahon, Clive R.. Sydney Institute Of Marine Science; AustraliaFil: Miller, Gary. University of Western Australia; AustraliaFil: Power, Michelle. Macquarie University; AustraliaFil: Gamble, Amandine. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Wille, Michelle. University Of Western Sydney.; Australi

Macroparasites in Antarctic Penguins

Fil: Díaz, Julia Inés. Centro de Estudios en Parasitología y Vectores (CEPAVE). Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Fusaro, Bruno. Instituto Antártico Argentino (IIA); ArgentinaFil: Vidal, Virginia. Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales. CSIC. Madrid; EspañaFil: González-Acuña, Daniel. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Universidad de Concepción; UruguayFil: Schneider Costa, Erli. Universidade Estadual do Rio Grande do Sul ; BrazilFil: Dewar, Meagan. Deakin University; AustraliaFil: Gray, Rachael. Faculty of Veterinary Science. School of Life and Environmental Sciences. University of Sydney; AustraliaFil: Power, Michelle. Department of Biological Sciences. Macquarie University; AustraliaFil: Miller, Gary. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. University of Tasmania; TasmaniaFil: Blyton, Michaela. Western Sydney University; AustraliaFil: Vanstreels, Ralph. Department of Pathology. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science. University of SÆo Paulo; BrazilFil: Barbosa, Andrés. Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales. CSIC. Madrid; Españ

Corrigendum: the unknown and the unexplored: insights into the Pacific deep-sea following NOAA CAPSTONE expeditions

Published versio

The unknown and the unexplored: insights Into the Pacific deep-sea following NOAA CAPSTONE expeditions

Over a 3-year period, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) organized and implemented a Pacific-wide field campaign entitled CAPSTONE: Campaign to Address Pacific monument Science, Technology, and Ocean NEeds. Under the auspices of CAPSTONE, NOAA mapped 597,230 km2 of the Pacific seafloor (with ∼61% of mapped area located within US waters), including 323 seamounts, conducted 187 ROV dives totaling 891.5 h of ROV benthic imaging time, and documented >347,000 individual organisms. This comprehensive effort yielded dramatic insight into differences in biodiversity across depths, regions, and features, at multiple taxonomic scales. For all deep sea taxonomic groups large enough to be visualized with the ROV, we found that fewer than 20% of the species were able to be identified. The most abundant and highest diversity taxa across the dataset were from three phyla (Cnidaria, Porifera, and Echinodermata). We further examined these phyla for taxonomic assemblage patterns by depth, geographic region, and geologic feature. Within each taxa, there were multiple genera with specific distribution and abundance by depth, region, and feature. Additionally, we observed multiple genera with broad abundance and distribution, which may focus future ecological research efforts. Novel taxa, records, and behaviors were observed, suggestive of many new types of species interactions, drivers of community composition, and overall diversity patterns. To date, only 13.8% of the Pacific has been mapped using modern methods. Despite the incredible amount of new known and unknown information about the Pacific deep-sea, CAPSTONE is far from the culminating experience the name suggests. Rather, it marks the beginning of a new era for exploration that will offer extensive opportunities via mapping, technology, analysis, and insights.Published versio

Segmental Duplication Implicated in the Genesis of Inversion 2Rj of Anopheles gambiae

The malaria vector Anopheles gambiae maintains high levels of inversion polymorphism that facilitate its exploitation of diverse ecological settings across tropical Africa. Molecular characterization of inversion breakpoints is a first step toward understanding the processes that generate and maintain inversions. Here we focused on inversion 2Rj because of its association with the assortatively mating Bamako chromosomal form of An. gambiae, whose distinctive breeding sites are rock pools beside the Niger River in Mali and Guinea. Sequence and computational analysis of 2Rj revealed the same 14.6 kb insertion between both breakpoints, which occurred near but not within predicted genes. Each insertion consists of 5.3 kb terminal inverted repeat arms separated by a 4 kb spacer. The insertions lack coding capacity, and are comprised of degraded remnants of repetitive sequences including class I and II transposable elements. Because of their large size and patchwork composition, and as no other instances of these insertions were identified in the An. gambiae genome, they do not appear to be transposable elements. The 14.6 kb modules inserted at both 2Rj breakpoint junctions represent low copy repeats (LCRs, also called segmental duplications) that are strongly implicated in the recent (∼0.4Ne generations) origin of 2Rj. The LCRs contribute to further genome instability, as demonstrated by an imprecise excision event at the proximal breakpoint of 2Rj in field isolates

A Spotty Liver of Pregnancy

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) hepatitis by definition constitutes disseminated herpes simplex infection; it is rare, with only approximately 130 cases reported in the literature. Although HSV hepatitis typically occurs in immunocompromised hosts, pregnancy—especially the third trimester, has been identified as a risk factor for its development. This is likely because of the fact that humoral and cell-mediated immunity decrease throughout pregnancy and nadir in the third trimester with decreased T-cell counts and altered B/T lymphocyte ratios. Here, we report on a patient with HSV 2 hepatitis in a previously healthy 27-year-old woman in her 23rd week of pregnancy. She initially presented with nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain and was found to have acute hepatocellular liver injury and a systemic inflammatory response syndrome. Broad-spectrum antibiotics and acyclovir were promptly initiated. Liver biopsy, serum DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as well as a labial ulcer culture and PCR were all positive for HSV 2. The patient recovered completely; however, her fetus did not survive. Review of the literature emphasizes that presentation with disseminated HSV infection typically occurs in the third trimester of pregnancy. This report emphasizes that abdominal pain combined with fever and hepatic dysfunction in pregnancy should prompt immediate consideration of the diagnosis of HSV hepatitis. Furthermore, given the high mortality rate and effective treatment, empiric treatment with acyclovir should be considered early in all potential cases

The Supreme Court\u27s Contemporary Silver Platter Doctrine

In a line of cases beginning with United States v. Calandra, the Court has created a series of exceptions to the Fourth Amendment exclusionary rule that permit illegally seized evidence to be admitted in litigation forums collateral to criminal trials. This “collateral use” exception allows the government to profit from Fourth Amendment violations in grand jury investigations, civil tax suits, habeas proceedings, immigration removal procedures, and parole revocation hearings. In this essay we argue that these collateral use exceptions raise serious conceptual and practical concerns. The core of our critique is that the collateral use exception reconstitutes a version of the “silver platter doctrine.” In the days before the Fourth Amendment and the exclusionary rule were incorporated to the states, the silver platter doctrine allowed federal courts to admit evidence seized by state law enforcement agents during “unreasonable” searches and seizures. The silver platter doctrine was rejected by the Court in 1960 out of concern that it was compromising states’ efforts to guarantee constitutional protections because it created incentives for state law enforcement officers to violate the Fourth Amendment. By recreating the silver platter doctrine, the Court’s collateral use cases have recreated some of those incentives. Our research indicates that these incentives have been successful in altering police practices in ways that threaten the Fourth Amendment rights of all citizens

Evidence-based clinical advice for nutrition and dietary weight loss strategies for the management of NAFLD and NASH

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide and affects approximately one third of adults in the United States. The disease is becoming a global epidemic as a result of the rising rates of obesity and metabolic disease. Emerging data suggest weight loss of ≥10% overall body weight is beneficial in resolving steatosis and reversing fibrosis. Prospective trials comparing various diets are limited by lack of sufficient power as well as pre- and post-treatment histopathology, and therefore no specific diet is recommended at this time. In this narrative review we examine the pathophysiology behind specific macronutrient components that can either promote or reverse NAFLD to help inform more specific dietary recommendations. Overall, the data supports reducing saturated fat, refined carbohydrates, and red and processed meats in the diet, and increasing the consumption of plant-based foods. Diets that incorporate these recommendations include plant-based diets such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, Mediterranean, vegetarian, and vegan diets