Roosting Ecology of the Grey-headed Flying Fox: Spatial Dispersion in a Summer Camp

A colony of Grey-headed flying foxes (Pteropus poliocephalus) in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, Australia was studied over a ten-week period before, during and after the mating season to assess spatial distribution of individuals, specifically investigating age and sex segregation. Ground censusing techniques were used to determine weekly estimates of the numbers of bats in the colony and numbers of bats within each tree. Surveys were used to document sexes and ages of bats occupying each tree. Unlike Nelson’s (1965) findings, the social structure of the colony was based not on mating strategies of individual bats but on age and sex. Adult and subadult bats clearly segregated within the colony with adult bats roosting in significantly taller trees than non-adult (subadult and juvenile) bats. Among both adults and subadults, bats also segregated by sex, except during the mating season

Maximizing Student Potential Versus Building Community: An Exploration of Right-Wing Authoritarianism, Social Dominance Orientation, and Preferred Practice Among Supporters of Gifted Education

Social dominance orientation (SDO), right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), and socially desirable responding were examined among a sample of self-identified supporters of gifted education (N = 341), 70% of whom had an official role in gifted education as researchers, teachers, or gifted-talented (G/T) trainers. The sample was primarily female, White, well-educated, and upper middle class. The relationship of SDO, RWA, socially desirable responding, and support for various gifted education practices such as testing for identification, curricular differentiation in a heterogeneous classroom, and cooperative learning was explored through latent class analysis and logistic regression. Two distinct groups, communitarians and individualists, were found on the basis of their support for different gifted programming. Higher deference to authority among communitarians predicted support for an inclusive social norm, compared to a preference for maximizing potential without regard for inclusion among the individualists, who were less likely to defer to authority

Multi-digit Auto-amputation in Setting of Mixed Connective Tissue Disease

Raynaud’s disease is a cutaneous manifestation often present in various connective tissue and vascular diseases. Depending on the age of onset and acuity of symptoms, the phenomenon can provide clinicians with some insight as to the severity of underlying disease, including the distinction between primary and secondary Raynaud’s. However, this diagnostic approach seems to have its limitations regarding efficacy and timing of treatment. Traditionally, treatment of Raynaud’s has focused on reestablishing blood perfusion to affected tissue, which has previously been achieved with vasodilatory medications and site-specific surgical intervention. In lieu of the severe sequelae of Raynaud’s in the setting of mixed connective tissue disease, including autoamputation, preemptive treatment of Raynaud’s should be considered, as distinguishing between a primary and secondary etiology of Raynaud’s can often be difficult to discern. This case highlights the importance of conventional salvage therapies prior to establishing a definitive diagnosis or etiology of the phenomenon, as evidenced by our patient experiencing irreversible ischemic damage resulting in uncontrolled autoamputation of her digits

Does gender matter? A cross-national investigation of primary class-room discipline.

© 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis GroupFewer than 15% of primary school teachers in both Germany and the UK are male. With the on-going international debate about educational performance highlighting the widening gender achievement gap between girl and boy pupils, the demand for more male teachers has become prevalent in educational discourse. Concerns have frequently been raised about the underachievement of boys, with claims that the lack of male ‘role models’ in schools has an adverse effect on boys’ academic motivation and engagement. Although previous research has examined ‘teaching’ as institutional talk, men’s linguistic behaviour in the classroom remains largely ignored, especially in regard to enacting discipline. Using empirical spoken data collected from four primary school classrooms in both the UK and in Germany, this paper examines the linguistic discipline strategies of eight male and eight female teachers using Interactional Sociolinguistics to address the question, does teacher gender matter?Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Cardiovascular and renal outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention in a population with renal disease: a case-control study

Background Patients with renal disease are less likely to undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) due to concerns about poor outcomes. Aim We describe outcomes following PCI in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD), as compared with matched controls with comparable CKD who did not undergo PCI. We also identified factors predictive of poor outcomes following PCI amongst patients with CKD. Design Retrospective observational case-control study. Methods Cases were individuals with CKD (stages 1–5) undergoing PCI between 2008 and 2014. Controls were age, gender and creatinine-matched individuals not requiring PCI. We compared mortality between groups using Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox regression modelling. We assessed changes in serum creatinine using Wilcoxon Rank testing. We explored the relationship between biochemical and haematological measures (baseline creatinine, calcium, phosphate, calcium-phosphate product, parathyroid hormone, white cell count, haemoglobin, platelet count, c-reactive protein and total cholesterol) and post-PCI mortality, using logistic regression. Results We identified 144 cases and 144 controls. Mortality was significantly lower amongst cases compared with controls [hazard ratio 0.46 (95% confidence intervals 0.31, 0.69)]. PCI did not result in a significant change in renal function (P=0.52). Amongst cases, serum creatinine and calcium-phosphate product were predictors of mortality following PCI. Conclusion Cases undergoing PCI had lower mortality, and PCI was not associated with accelerated CKD progression. On this data, PCI should not be deferred as a treatment option in patients with CKD. Serum creatinine and calcium-phosphate product predict mortality following PCI in this cohort, and may be useful in risk-stratifying patients with CKD being considered for PCI

Population structure and connectivity of tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) across the Indo-Pacific Ocean basin

Population genetic structure using nine polymorphic nuclear microsatellite loci was assessed for the tiger shark () at seven locations across the Indo-Pacific, and one location in the southern Atlantic. Genetic analyses revealed considerable genetic structuring ( > 0.14,

Potent and Broad Inhibition of HIV-1 by a Peptide from the gp41 Heptad Repeat-2 Domain Conjugated to the CXCR4 Amino Terminus.

HIV-1 entry can be inhibited by soluble peptides from the gp41 heptad repeat-2 (HR2) domain that interfere with formation of the 6-helix bundle during fusion. Inhibition has also been seen when these peptides are conjugated to anchoring molecules and over-expressed on the cell surface. We hypothesized that potent anti-HIV activity could be achieved if a 34 amino acid peptide from HR2 (C34) were brought to the site of virus-cell interactions by conjugation to the amino termini of HIV-1 coreceptors CCR5 or CXCR4. C34-conjugated coreceptors were expressed on the surface of T cell lines and primary CD4 T cells, retained the ability to mediate chemotaxis in response to cognate chemokines, and were highly resistant to HIV-1 utilization for entry. Notably, C34-conjugated CCR5 and CXCR4 each exhibited potent and broad inhibition of HIV-1 isolates from diverse clades irrespective of tropism (i.e., each could inhibit R5, X4 and dual-tropic isolates). This inhibition was highly specific and dependent on positioning of the peptide, as HIV-1 infection was poorly inhibited when C34 was conjugated to the amino terminus of CD4. C34-conjugated coreceptors could also inhibit HIV-1 isolates that were resistant to the soluble HR2 peptide inhibitor, enfuvirtide. When introduced into primary cells, CD4 T cells expressing C34-conjugated coreceptors exhibited physiologic responses to T cell activation while inhibiting diverse HIV-1 isolates, and cells containing C34-conjugated CXCR4 expanded during HIV-1 infection in vitro and in a humanized mouse model. Notably, the C34-conjugated peptide exerted greater HIV-1 inhibition when conjugated to CXCR4 than to CCR5. Thus, antiviral effects of HR2 peptides can be specifically directed to the site of viral entry where they provide potent and broad inhibition of HIV-1. This approach to engineer HIV-1 resistance in functional CD4 T cells may provide a novel cell-based therapeutic for controlling HIV infection in humans

The first nationwide survey of MD-PhDs in the social sciences and humanities: training patterns and career choices

Abstract Background While several articles on MD-PhD trainees in the basic sciences have been published in the past several years, very little research exists on physician-investigators in the social sciences and humanities. However, the numbers of MD-PhDs training in these fields and the number of programs offering training in these fields are increasing, particularly within the US. In addition, accountability for the public funding for MD-PhD programs requires knowledge about this growing population of trainees and their career trajectories. The aim of this paper is to describe the first cohorts of MD-PhDs in the social sciences and humanities, to characterize their training and career paths, and to better understand their experiences of training and subsequent research and practice. Methods This paper utilizes a multi-pronged recruitment method and novel survey instrument to examine an understudied population of MD-PhD trainees in the social sciences and humanities, many of whom completed both degrees without formal programmatic support. The survey instrument was designed to collect demographic, training and career trajectory data, as well as experiences of and perspectives on training and career. It describes their routes to professional development, characterizes obstacles to and predictors of success, and explores career trends. Results The average length of time to complete both degrees was 9 years. The vast majority (90%) completed a clinical residency, almost all (98%) were engaged in research, the vast majority (88%) were employed in academic institutions, and several others (9%) held leadership positions in national and international health organizations. Very few (4%) went into private practice. The survey responses supply recommendations for supporting current trainees as well as areas for future research. Conclusions In general, MD-PhDs in the social sciences and humanities have careers that fit the goals of agencies providing public funding for training physician-investigators: they are involved in mutually-informative medical research, clinical practice, and teaching – working to improve our responses to the social, cultural, and political determinants of health and health care. These findings provide strong evidence for continued and improved funding and programmatic support for MD-PhD trainees in the social sciences and humanities.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136187/1/12909_2017_Article_896.pd