The Child Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Teacher Telephone Interview (CHATTI): reliability and validity

BACKGROUND: The ICD-10 and DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for hyperkinetic disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) require symptoms or impairment in two or more settings. Thus, information on children's symptoms in school is usually required. This paper presents the Child ADHD Teacher Telephone Interview (CHATTI), an instrument aimed at systematically obtaining this information. AIMS: To examine the stability, test-retest reliability and criterion validity of the CHATTI for children referred with a suspected diagnosis of ADHD. METHOD: Data were obtained from 79 teachers, of whom 36 were interviewed on two occasions. RESULTS: Overall, the CHATTI shows good stability, test-retest reliability and criterion validity for symptom scores. Test-retest reliability for some individual items was low. Reliability for the operationalised criteria of 'pervasiveness' (i.e. symptoms at school and home) and 'school impairment' was excellent (kappa=1). CONCLUSIONS: The CHATTI appears to be a promising tool for assessing ADHD symptoms in a school setting and could be useful in clinical as well as research settings

Gigapixel macro photography of tree rings

Two ultra-high resolution images of tree rings are available as TIFF files. Tree-ring specimens are Pseudotsuga macrocarpa from California and Quercus macrocarpa from Minnesota sampled in June 2016 and March 2019, respectively. These gigapixel macro photographs were created using a professional-grade camera body, the GigaMacro imaging system, and computational post-processing. Image comparison from a flatbed scanner and the GigaMacro system are shown (Figure 1), and visual aids illustrate the mechanics of gigapixel macro photography (Figure 2). Specific questions about these tree-ring images and about access to additional materials may be addressed to Daniel Griffin ([email protected]).High quality specimen digitization is becoming standard across the sciences, is relevant for curation of natural history collections, and must become a priority for dendrochronology. Here, ultra-high resolution images of tree-ring specimens are presented. Our gigapixel images of polished specimens have proven effective for digital analyses, archiving, and education, and we believe macro photography may prove a lower cost and more broadly accessible digitization alternative to microtomy and X-rays. We advocate for gigapixel macro photography as one accessible and adaptable paradigm to elevate reflected light imaging standards in dendrochronology.National Science Foundation Division of Environmental Biology, Award: 1655144National Science Foundation Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences, Award: 1602633National Science Foundation Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences, Award: 190350

Economic reasons for conserving wild nature

1 On the eve of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, it is timely to assess progress over the ten years since its predecessor in Rio de Janeiro. Loss and degradation of remaining natural habitats has continued largely unabated. However, evidence has been accumulating that such systems generate marked economic benefits, which the available data suggest exceed those obtained from continued habitat conversion. We estimate that the overall benefit: cost ratio of an effective global programme for the conservation of remaining wild nature is at least 100: 1. Humans benefit from wild nature (1) in very many ways – aesthetically and culturally; via the provision of ecological services such as climate regulation, soil formation and nutrient cycling; and from the direct harvest of wild species for food, fuel, fibres an

Stratified analyses refine association between TLR7 rare variants and severe COVID-19

Summary: Despite extensive global research into genetic predisposition for severe COVID-19, knowledge on the role of rare host genetic variants and their relation to other risk factors remains limited. Here, 52 genes with prior etiological evidence were sequenced in 1,772 severe COVID-19 cases and 5,347 population-based controls from Spain/Italy. Rare deleterious TLR7 variants were present in 2.4% of young (<60 years) cases with no reported clinical risk factors (n = 378), compared to 0.24% of controls (odds ratio [OR] = 12.3, p = 1.27 × 10−10). Incorporation of the results of either functional assays or protein modeling led to a pronounced increase in effect size (ORmax = 46.5, p = 1.74 × 10−15). Association signals for the X-chromosomal gene TLR7 were also detected in the female-only subgroup, suggesting the existence of additional mechanisms beyond X-linked recessive inheritance in males. Additionally, supporting evidence was generated for a contribution to severe COVID-19 of the previously implicated genes IFNAR2, IFIH1, and TBK1. Our results refine the genetic contribution of rare TLR7 variants to severe COVID-19 and strengthen evidence for the etiological relevance of genes in the interferon signaling pathway