Effect of different management protocols for grouping does on aggression and dominance hierarchies

The study aimed at evaluating different management protocols of grouping does in regard to aggressive interactions and the establishment of a hierarchy under commercial conditions. Fifty-seven multiparous rabbit does of the Hycole hybrid maternal line were randomly distributed into three different management protocols (MP) for a total of 5 consecutive trials: MP12 with grouping 12 days after parturition, MP18 after 18 days and MP22 after 22 days. Video recordings were made during the first 24 h after grouping and after 6 and 10 days, and used to score aggressive interactions of the animals with exception of treatment 3 where day 10 was omitted because it was after the weaning of the kits. For MP12 and MP18 the frequency of different categories of aggressive interactions were significantly higher on the day of grouping than afterwards, with a strong decrease on day 6 (P < 0.02), but almost no change was found between days 6 and 10. This was especially true for biting, with a high frequency of occurrence just after grouping and a subsequent decrease on day 6 under all management schedules (P = 0.005). The change in the number of aggressive interactions between 6 and 10 days after grouping was not significantly different between MPs. However, the time point of 6 days after grouping seemed to be fundamental in reducing the number of aggressive events. Although a longer separation for 18 and 22 days after parturition did not reduce the total number of aggressive interactions, MP18 and MP22 showed more mild aggressive interactions with respect to MP12 on the day of regrouping. Moreover, when comparing MPs concerning the development of hierarchy, hierarchies appeared very stable independently of the length of grouping (P < 0.01)

Measurement invariance of a direct behavior rating multi item scale across occasions

Direct Behavior Rating (DBR) as a behavioral progress monitoring tool can be designed as longitudinal assessment with only short intervals between measurement points. The reliability of these instruments has been mostly evaluated in observational studies with small samples based on generalizability theory. However, for a standardized use in the pedagogical field, a larger and broader sample is required in order to assess measurement invariance between different participant groups and over time. Therefore, we constructed a DBR, the Questionnaire for Monitoring Behavior in Schools (QMBS) with multiple items to measure the occurrence of specific externalizing and internalizing student classroom behaviors on a Likert scale (1 = never to 7 = always). In a pilot study, two trained raters observed 16 primary education students and rated the student behavior over all items with a satisfactory reliability. In the main study, 108 regular primary school students, 97 regular secondary students, and 14 students in a clinical setting were rated daily over one week (five measurement points). Item response theory (IRT) analyses confirmed the technical adequacy of the instrument and latent growth models demonstrated the instrument&#8217;s stability over time. Further development of the instrument and study designs to implement DBRs is discussed

A Combined Therapeutic Regimen of Buspirone and Environmental Enrichment is more Efficacrious than Either Alone in Enhancing Spatial Learning in Brain-Injured Rats

Abstract Buspirone, a 5-HT1A receptor agonist, and environmental enrichment (EE) enhance cognition and reduce histopathology after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in adult rats, but have not been fully evaluated after pediatric TBI, which is the leading cause of death in children. Hence, the aims of this study were to assess the efficacy of buspirone alone (Experiment 1) and in combination with EE (Experiment 2) in TBI postnatal day-17 male rats. The hypothesis was that both therapies would confer cognitive and histological benefits when provided singly, but their combination would be more efficacious. Anesthetized rats received a cortical impact or sham injury and then were randomly assigned to receive intraperitoneal injections ofbuspirone (0.08 mg/kg, 0.1 mg/kg, and 0.3 mg/kg) or saline vehicle (1.0 mL/kg) 24 h after surgery and once daily for 16 days (Experiment 1). Spatial learning and memory were assessed using the Morris water maze (MWM) on post-operative days 11-16, and cortical lesion volume was quantified on day 17. Sham controls for each condition were significantly better than all TBI groups. In the TBI groups, buspirone (0.1 mg/kg) enhanced MWM performance versus vehicle and buspirone (0.08 mg/kg and 0.3 mg/kg) (p\u3c0.05) and reduced lesion volume relative to vehicle (p=0.038). In Experiment 2, buspirone (0.1 mg/kg) or vehicle was combined with EE after TBI, and the data were compared to the standard (STD)-housed groups from Experiment 1. EE lead to a significant enhancement of spatial learning and a reduction in lesion size versus STD. Moreover, the combined treatment group (buspirone+EE) performed markedly better than the buspirone+STD and vehicle+EE groups, which suggests an additive effect and supports the hypothesis. The data replicate previous studies assessing these therapies in adult rats. These novel findings may have important rehabilitation-relevant implications for clinical pediatric TBI

Using Theory-Based Test Construction to Develop a New Curriculum-Based Measurement for Sentence Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension at sentence level is a core component in the students' comprehension development, but there is a lack of comprehension assessments at the sentence level, which respect the theory of reading comprehension. In this article, a new web-based sentence-comprehension assessment for German primary school students is developed and evaluated using a curriculum-based measurement (CBM) framework. The test focuses on sentence level reading comprehension as an intermediary between word and text comprehension. The construction builds upon the theory of reading comprehension using CBM-Maze techniques. It is consistent on all tasks and contains different syntactic and semantic structures within the items. This paper presents the test development, a description of the item performance, an analysis of its factor structure, and tests of measurement invariance, and group comparisons (i.e., across gender, immigration background, over two measurement points, and the presence of special educational needs; SEN). Third grade students (n = 761) with and without SEN finished two CBM tests over 3 weeks. Results reveal that items had good technical adequacy, the constructed test is unidimensional, and it is valid for students both with and without SEN. Similarly, it is valid for both sexes, and results are valid across both measurement points. We discuss our method for creating a unidimensional test based on multiple item difficulties and make recommendations for future test construction

Similarity in Temporal Movement Patterns in Laying Hens Increases with Time and Social Association.

We explored the relationship between social associations and individual activity patterns in domestic hens. Out of 1420 laying hens, 421 hens were equipped with RFID tags attached to RFID-specific leg bands (leg bands from Company Roxan, Selkirk, Scotland) to continuously track their change in location across four different areas (one indoor and three outdoor areas). Using a combination of social network analysis for quantifying social relationships and dynamic time warping for characterizing the movement patterns of hens, we found that hens were consistent in their individual variation in temporal activity and maintained stable social relationships in terms of preferred association partners. In addition to being consistent, social associations correlated with movement patterns and this correlation strengthened over the period of observation, suggesting that the animals aligned their activity patterns with those of their social affiliates. These results demonstrate the importance of social relationships when considering the expression of individual behaviour. Notably, differences in temporal patterns emerge despite rather homogeneous rearing conditions, same environment, and low genetic diversity. Thus, while variation in behavioural phenotypes can be observed across isolated individuals, this study shows that the social environment within a group can shape and enhance variation in general movement patterns of individual animals

ZfM - Levumi. Tests zum Zahlenverständnis zur Lernverlaufsdiagnostik - „Zahlen finden“ der Onlineplattform www.levumi.de

Die Onlineplattform Levumi (www.levumi.de) verfügt im Bereich Mathematik Grundlagen - Zahlenverständnis über die Testverfahren „Zahlen finden“ im Zahlenraum bis 10, bis 20, bis 100 und bis 1000. Die Anforderung der Tests besteht darin auf einem nahezu unbeschrifteten Zahlenstrahl die Position einer Zahl zu schätzen. Dieser Zahlenverständnistest ist als schülerzentrierter Speedtest mit einer Durchführungszeit von drei Minuten konstruiert. Im Folgenden wird ein kurzer Einblick in die Konzeption der Testverfahren „Zahlen finden“ und deren Umsetzung auf der Onlineplattform Levumi gegeben. Zur Übersicht sind dem Dokument die Itemlisten angehängt

Analysis of Multiple Sarcoma Expression Datasets: Implications for Classification, Oncogenic Pathway Activation and Chemotherapy Resistance

Background: Diagnosis of soft tissue sarcomas (STS) is challenging. Many remain unclassified (not-otherwise-specified, NOS) or grouped in controversial categories such as malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH), with unclear therapeutic value. We analyzed several independent microarray datasets, to identify a predictor, use it to classify unclassifiable sarcomas, and assess oncogenic pathway activation and chemotherapy response. Methodology/Principal Findings: We analyzed 5 independent datasets (325 tumor arrays). We developed and validated a predictor, which was used to reclassify MFH and NOS sarcomas. The molecular “match” between MFH and their predicted subtypes was assessed using genome-wide hierarchical clustering and Subclass-Mapping. Findings were validated in 15 paraffin samples profiled on the DASL platform. Bayesian models of oncogenic pathway activation and chemotherapy response were applied to individual STS samples. A 170-gene predictor was developed and independently validated (80-85% accuracy in all datasets). Most MFH and NOS tumors were reclassified as leiomyosarcomas, liposarcomas and fibrosarcomas. “Molecular match” between MFH and their predicted STS subtypes was confirmed both within and across datasets. This classification revealed previously unrecognized tissue differentiation lines (adipocyte, fibroblastic, smooth-muscle) and was reproduced in paraffin specimens. Different sarcoma subtypes demonstrated distinct oncogenic pathway activation patterns, and reclassified MFH tumors shared oncogenic pathway activation patterns with their predicted subtypes. These patterns were associated with predicted resistance to chemotherapeutic agents commonly used in sarcomas. Conclusions/Significance: STS profiling can aid in diagnosis through a predictor tracking distinct tissue differentiation in unclassified tumors, and in therapeutic management via oncogenic pathway activation and chemotherapy response assessment

Surface oxidation of liquid Sn

We report the results of an x-ray scattering study that reveals oxidation kinetics and formation of a previously unreported crystalline phase of SnO at the liquid-vapour interface of Sn. Our experiments reveal that the pure liquid Sn surface does not react with molecular oxygen below an activation pressure of \~5.0*10-6 Torr. Above that pressure a rough solid Sn oxide grows over the liquid metal surface. Once the activation pressure has been exceeded the oxidation proceeds at pressures below the oxidation pressure threshold. The observed diffraction pattern associated with the surface oxidation does not match any of the known Sn oxide phases. The data have an explicit signature of the face-centred cubic structure, however it requires lattice parameters that are about 9% smaller than those reported for cubic structures of high-pressure phases of Sn oxides. Keywords: X-ray scattering, diffraction, and reflection; Oxidation; Surface chemical reaction; Surface structure, morphology, roughness, and topography; Tin; Tin oxides; Liquid surfaces; Polycrystalline thin filmsComment: 18 pages, 6 figures, 1 table; Submitted to Surface Scienc

Analytical description of stationary ideal MHD flows with constant total pressure

Incompressible stationary flows of ideal plasma are observed. By introduction of curvilinear system of coordinates in which streamlines and magnetic force lines form a family of coordinate surfaces, MHD equations are partially integrated and brought to a certain convenient form. It is demonstrated that the admissible group of Bogoyavlenskij's symmetry transformations performs as a scaling transformation for the curvilinear coordinates. Analytic description of stationary flows with constant total pressure is given. It is shown, that contact magnetic surfaces of such flows are translational surfaces, i.e. are swept out by translating one curve rigidly along another curve. Explicit examples of solutions with constant total pressure possessing a significant functional arbitrariness are given

MicroRNA paraffin-based studies in osteosarcoma reveal reproducible independent prognostic profiles at 14q32

Background: Although microRNAs (miRNAs) are implicated in osteosarcoma biology and chemoresponse, miRNA prognostic models are still needed, particularly because prognosis is imperfectly correlated with chemoresponse. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue is a necessary resource for biomarker studies in this malignancy with limited frozen tissue availability. Methods: We performed miRNA and mRNA microarray formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded assays in 65 osteosarcoma biopsy and 26 paired post-chemotherapy resection specimens and used the only publicly available miRNA dataset, generated independently by another group, to externally validate our strongest findings (n = 29). We used supervised principal components analysis and logistic regression for survival and chemoresponse, and miRNA activity and target gene set analysis to study miRNA regulatory activity. Results: Several miRNA-based models with as few as five miRNAs were prognostic independently of pathologically assessed chemoresponse (median recurrence-free survival: 59 months versus not-yet-reached; adjusted hazards ratio = 2.90; P = 0.036). The independent dataset supported the reproducibility of recurrence and survival findings. The prognostic value of the profile was independent of confounding by known prognostic variables, including chemoresponse, tumor location and metastasis at diagnosis. Model performance improved when chemoresponse was added as a covariate (median recurrence-free survival: 59 months versus not-yet-reached; hazard ratio = 3.91; P = 0.002). Most prognostic miRNAs were located at 14q32 - a locus already linked to osteosarcoma - and their gene targets display deregulation patterns associated with outcome. We also identified miRNA profiles predictive of chemoresponse (75% to 80% accuracy), which did not overlap with prognostic profiles. Conclusions: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue-derived miRNA patterns are a powerful prognostic tool for risk-stratified osteosarcoma management strategies. Combined miRNA and mRNA analysis supports a possible role of the 14q32 locus in osteosarcoma progression and outcome. Our study creates a paradigm for formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded-based miRNA biomarker studies in cancer