Optically stimulated luminescence dating as a geochronological tool for late quaternary sediments in the Red Sea region

This chapter concerns the use of luminescence methods as geochronological tools for dating Late Quaternary sediments in the Red Sea region. The dating methods all use stimulated luminescence to register signals developed in mineral systems in response to long term exposure to ionising radiation in the environment. The principles of luminescence dating are outlined followed by discussion of its application to the Arabian Peninsula, where, particularly in SE Arabia and parts of the interior, a growing corpus of work is emerging, which is helping to define past arid or humid periods of importance to palaeoclimatology and to archaeology. Turning to the Red Sea, studies conducted within the DISPERSE project are presented both in marine and terrestrial settings. The motivation for much of this work concerns definition of the environmental conditions and chronologies for hominin and human dispersion through Arabia. Data are presented which identify, for the first time, late Pleistocene evidence on the inner continental shelf near the Farasan Islands, using material from the 2013 cruise of RV AEGAEO . Results are also presented from the littoral fringe of southwest Saudi Arabia, identifying units associated with MIS5 which have palaeo-environmental and archaeological significance. It is to be hoped that further research in coming decades will continue to extend the regional chronology for the littoral fringe of the Red Sea. In this respect luminescence dating has potential to help define the environmental history of this important area, to assist with assigning marine and terrestrial features into unique stages of Quaternary climate cycles, and to promote better understanding of human-environment interactions in this dynamic area

Open science practices for eating disorders research

This editorial seeks to encourage the increased application of three open science practices in eating disorders research: Preregistration, Registered Reports, and the sharing of materials, data, and code. For each of these practices, we introduce updated International Journal of Eating Disorders author and reviewer guidance. Updates include the introduction of open science badges; specific instructions about how to improve transparency; and the introduction of Registered Reports of systematic or meta-analytical reviews. The editorial also seeks to encourage the study of open science practices. Open science practices pose considerable time and other resource burdens. Therefore, research is needed to help determine the value of these added burdens and to identify efficient strategies for implementing open science practices

Key Characteristics of Successful Science Learning: The Promise of Learning by Modelling

The basic premise underlying this research is that scientific phenomena are best learned by creating an external representation that complies with the complex and dynamic nature of such phenomena. Effective representations are assumed to incorporate three key characteristics: they are graphical, dynamic, and provide a pre-specified outline of the domain. This study examined the impact of these characteristics on performance and learning. High school students first read an instructional text about glucose–insulin regulation and then created a representation of its content. Representations differed regarding the key characteristics such that the summary (n = 15), concept map (n = 16), model (n = 23), and outlined model (n = 21) all incorporated one additional characteristic compared to their precursor. Main results indicated learning effects in each of these four conditions. Furthermore, creating a model was found to enhance students’ learning more than creating a concept map, and students who completed an outlined model were found to learn more than those who created a model from scratch. In conclusion, this study does not univocally verify the necessity of all key characteristics individually, but the results do show that a representational format that combines all key characteristics enhances learning more than other formats

Association between IL-17 and IgA in the joints of patients with inflammatory arthropathies

Hyperactive secretion and pathogenic effects of interleukin (IL)-17 and IgA have been detected in different arthropathies. Recent evidence has revealed that TH17 cytokines regulate mucosal IgA secretion. However, it is unknown whether and how IL-17 mediates synovial IgA production. Here we aim to investigate the connection of synovial IL-17 with IgA production in the joint. In this study we included synovial fluids (SF) from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA; n = 66), spondyloarthritis (SpA; n = 18) and osteoarthritis (OA; n = 36). The levels of IL-17, IL-6, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, B-cell-activating factor of the TNF family (BAFF) and anti-lipopolyssacharide (LPS) immunoglobulin (Ig)A were investigated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Total IgA was measured by radial immunodiffusion assay. Synovial fluid-derived mononuclear cells (SFMC) were stimulated with bacterial antigens or SF-conditioned media, and cytokines and IgA were analyzed in the supernatants.Fil: Eliçabe, Ricardo Javier. Universidad Nacional de San Luis; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Silva, Juan Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto Multidiciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Cs.fisico Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto Multidiciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Dave, Mabel Noemí. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto Multidiciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Cs.fisico Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto Multidiciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Lacoste, Maria Gabriela. Universidad Nacional de San Luis; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto Multidiciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Cs.fisico Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto Multidiciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Tamashiro, Héctor. Centro Privado de Salud Bolivar en San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Blas, Rodrigo. Medici Consultorios Externos en San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Munarriz, Alicia. Centro Médico Privado CENYR Center San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Rabinovich, Gabriel Adrián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica; ArgentinaFil: Di Genaro, Maria Silvia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto Multidiciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Cs.fisico Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto Multidiciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Luis; Argentin