Molecular and morphological phylogenetics of the digitate-tubered clade within subtribe Orchidinae s.s. (Orchidaceae: Orchideae)

The digitate-tubered clade (Dactylorhiza s.l. plus Gymnadenia s.l.) within subtribe Orchidinae is an important element of the North-temperate orchid flora and has become a model system for studying the genetic and epigenetic consequences of organism-wide ploidy change. Here, we integrate morphological phylogenetics with Sanger sequencing of nrITS and the plastid region trnL-F in order to explore phylogenetic relationships and phenotypic character evolution within the clade. The resulting morphological phylogenies are strongly incongruent with the molecular phylogenies, instead reconstructing through parsimony the genus-level boundaries recognised by traditional 20th Century taxonomy. They raise fresh doubts concerning whether Pseudorchis is sister to Platanthera or to Dactylorhiza plus Gymnadenia. Constraining the morphological matrix to the topology derived from ITS sequences increased tree length by 20%, adding considerably to the already exceptional level of phenotypic homoplasy. Both molecular and morphological trees agree that D. viridis and D. iberica are the earliest- diverging species within Dactylorhiza (emphasising the redundancy of the former genus Coeloglossum). Morphology and ITS both suggest that the former genus Nigritella is nested within (and thus part of) Gymnadenia, the Pyrenean endemic 'N.' gabasiana apparently forming a molecular bridge between the two radically contrasting core phenotypes. Comparatively short subtending molecular branches plus widespread (though sporadic) hybridisation indicate that Dactylorhiza and Gymnadenia approximate the minimum level of molecular divergence acceptable in sister genera. They share similar tuber morphologies and base chromosome numbers, and both genera are unusually prone to polyploid speciation. Another prominent feature of multiple speciation events within Gymnadenia is floral paedomorphosis. The 'traditional' morphological and candidate-gene approaches to phylogeny reconstruction are critically appraised.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Linkages Among Preschoolers\u27 Playground Behavior, Outcome Expectations, and Parental Disciplinary Strategies

To explore relationships among parent\u27s self-reported disciplinary strategies, preschoolers\u27 outcome expectations, and playground behavior, 136 mothers of preschool-age children (age range = 39-71 months) participated in home disciplinary style interviews. Measures of preschoolers\u27 outcome expectations and observations of childrens\u27 prosocial, antisocial/disruptive, and nonsocial/with-drawn playground behavior in preschool settings were also obtained. Results indicated that power-assertive mothers had preschoolers who engaged in more antisocial/disruptive behavior and who expected successful instrumental outcomes for hostile methods of resolving peer conflict. Preschoolers with such outcome expectations also participated in more antisocial playground behavior. Older preschoolers of inductive mothers engaged in more prosocial behavior and expected prosocial behavior to lead to both instrumental gains and enhanced relations with peers. Preschoolers who were more prosocial envisioned friendly-assertive strategies as leading to instrumental gains and, in the case of less nonsocial behavior, to enhanced relations with peers. Children\u27s outcome expectations were also found to be different for older versus younger preschoolers. Evidence was also obtained suggesting that maternal discipline and outcome expectations make separate and independent contributions to children\u27s social and aggressive play behavior. © 1992, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved

The Moraic Status of Initial Geminates in Trukese

Proceedings of the Seventeenth Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society: General Session and Parasession on The Grammar of Event Structure (1991), pp. 107-12

Developmental appropriateness of kindergarten programs and academic outcomes in first grade

This study explored the relationship between the developmental appropriateness of kindergarten classroom instruction and first-grade report card grade overall averages and averages in reading, language, spelling, math, science, and social studies. The interactive roles that gender, SES, and kindergarten classroom type play in children’s later achievement were also examined. The sample consisted of166first-grade children who hadattended kindergarten classrooms with teaching practices identified as predominately developmentally appropriate or developmentally inappropriate. Findings indicated that firstgraders from more appropriate kindergarten classrooms had higher reading averages than children from less appropriate kindergarten classrooms. Females had higher overall and subject area averages than males. Significant interaction effects indicated that high SES children from less appropriate kindergarten classrooms hadhigheroverall averages and higher averages in all subjects except reading, when compared with low SES children from less appropriate classrooms. Low SES children from more appropriate kindergarten classrooms had higher overall averages and higher averages in all subjects except reading when comparedwith low SES children from less appropriate kindergarten classrooms. No significant differences were found between high and low SES children from more appropriate kindergarten classrooms. © 1993 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Comparison of the Standardized Video Interview and Interview Assessments of Professionalism and Interpersonal Communication Skills in Emergency Medicine

ObjectivesThe Association of American Medical Colleges Standardized Video Interview (SVI) was recently added as a component of emergency medicine (EM) residency applications to provide additional information about interpersonal communication skills (ICS) and knowledge of professionalism (PROF) behaviors. Our objective was to ascertain the correlation between the SVI and residency interviewer assessments of PROF and ICS. Secondary objectives included examination of 1) inter‐ and intrainstitutional assessments of ICS and PROF, 2) correlation of SVI scores with rank order list (ROL) positions, and 3) the potential influence of gender on interview day assessments.MethodsWe conducted an observational study using prospectively collected data from seven EM residency programs during 2017 and 2018 using a standardized instrument. Correlations between interview day PROF/ICS scores and the SVI were tested. A one‐way analysis of variance was used to analyze the association of SVI and ROL position. Gender differences were assessed with independent‐groups t‐tests.ResultsA total of 1,264 interview‐day encounters from 773 unique applicants resulted in 4,854 interviews conducted by 151 interviewers. Both PROF and ICS demonstrated a small positive correlation with the SVI score (r = 0.16 and r = 0.17, respectively). ROL position was associated with SVI score (p < 0.001), with mean SVI scores for top‐, middle‐, and bottom‐third applicants being 20.9, 20.5, and 19.8, respectively. No group differences with gender were identified on assessments of PROF or ICS.ConclusionsInterview assessments of PROF and ICS have a small, positive correlation with SVI scores. These residency selection tools may be measuring related, but not redundant, applicant characteristics. We did not identify gender differences in interview assessments.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150548/1/aet210346_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150548/2/aet210346.pd

Evidence that vitamin D3 promotes mast cell–dependent reduction of chronic UVB-induced skin pathology in mice

Mast cell production of interleukin-10 (IL-10) can limit the skin pathology induced by chronic low-dose ultraviolet (UV)-B irradiation. Although the mechanism that promotes mast cell IL-10 production in this setting is unknown, exposure of the skin to UVB irradiation induces increased production of the immune modifying agent 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1α,25[OH]2D3). We now show that 1α,25(OH)2D3 can up-regulate IL-10 mRNA expression and induce IL-10 secretion in mouse mast cells in vitro. To investigate the roles of 1α,25(OH)2D3 and mast cell vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression in chronically UVB-irradiated skin in vivo, we engrafted the skin of genetically mast cell–deficient WBB6F1-KitW/W-v mice with bone marrow–derived cultured mast cells derived from C57BL/6 wild-type or VDR−/− mice. Optimal mast cell–dependent suppression of the inflammation, local production of proinflammatory cytokines, epidermal hyperplasia, and epidermal ulceration associated with chronic UVB irradiation of the skin in KitW/W-v mice required expression of VDR by the adoptively transferred mast cells. Our findings suggest that 1α,25(OH)2D3/VDR-dependent induction of IL-10 production by cutaneous mast cells can contribute to the mast cell’s ability to suppress inflammation and skin pathology at sites of chronic UVB irradiation

Incidents of Snake Fungal Disease caused by the Fungal Pathogen Ophidiomyces ophidiicola in Texas

The pathogen Ophidiomyces ophidiicola, widely known as the primary cause of snake fungal disease (SFD), has been detected in Texas’s naïve snakes. Our team set out to characterize O. ophidiicola’s spread in eastern Texas. From December 2018 until November 2021, we sampled and screened with ultraviolet (UV) light 176 snakes across eastern Texas and detected 27. O. ophidiicola’s positive snakes using qPCR and one snake in which SFD was confirmed via additional histological examination. Upon finding the ribbon snake with a clear clinical display, we isolated and cultured what we believe to be the first culture from Texas. This cultured O. ophidiicola TX displays a ring halo formation when grown on a solid medium and cellular autofluorescence as expected. Imaging reveals that individual cells within the septated hyphae branches have a distinct nucleus separation from neighboring cells. Overall, we have found over 1/10 snakes that may be infected in East Texas, which gives credence to the onset of SFD in Texas. These results add to the progress of the disease across the continental United States

Abrogation of Stem Loop Binding Protein (Slbp) function leads to a failure of cells to transition from proliferation to differentiation, retinal coloboma and midline axon guidance deficits

Through forward genetic screening for mutations affecting visual system development, we identified prominent coloboma and cell-autonomous retinal neuron differentiation, lamination and retinal axon projection defects in eisspalte (ele) mutant zebrafish. Additional axonal deficits were present, most notably at midline axon commissures. Genetic mapping and cloning of the ele mutation showed that the affected gene is slbp, which encodes a conserved RNA stem-loop binding protein involved in replication dependent histone mRNA metabolism. Cells throughout the central nervous system remained in the cell cycle in ele mutant embryos at stages when, and locations where, post-mitotic cells have differentiated in wild-type siblings. Indeed, RNAseq analysis showed down-regulation of many genes associated with neuronal differentiation. This was coincident with changes in the levels and spatial localisation of expression of various genes implicated, for instance, in axon guidance, that likely underlie specific ele phenotypes. These results suggest that many of the cell and tissue specific phenotypes in ele mutant embryos are secondary to altered expression of modules of developmental regulatory genes that characterise, or promote transitions in, cell state and require the correct function of Slbp-dependent histone and chromatin regulatory genes