Prenatal Exposure to Lead, δ-Aminolevulinic Acid, and Schizophrenia: Further Evidence

Background: A previously conducted study of prenatal lead exposure and schizophrenia using δ-aminolevulinic acid, a biologic marker of Pb exposure, in archived maternal serum samples collected from subjects enrolled in the Childhood Health and Development Study (1959–1966) based in Oakland, California, suggested a possible association between prenatal Pb exposure and the development of schizophrenia in later life. Objectives: In the present study we extend these findings using samples collected from the New England cohort of the National Collaborative Perinatal Project (1959–1966). Using similar methods, in this study we found results that suggest a comparable association in this cohort. Methods: We pooled matched sets of cases and controls from both the California and New England sites using a multilevel random-intercept logistic regression model, accounting for matching and site structure as well as adjusting for maternal age at delivery and maternal education. Results: The estimated odds ratio for schizophrenia associated with exposure corresponding to 15 μg/dL of blood Pb was 1.92 (95% confidence interval, 1.05–3.87; p = 0.03). Conclusion: Although several limitations constrain generalizability, these results are consistent with previous findings and provide further evidence for the role of early environmental exposures in the development of adult-onset psychiatric disorders

Monitoring Flower Visitation Networks and Interactions between Pairs of Bumble Bees in a Large Outdoor Flight Cage

This research was supported by a combined grant from the Wellcome Trust, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (BB/F52765X/1). While writing, ML was supported by the IDEX of the Federal University of Toulouse (Starting and Emergence grants), the Fyssen foundation and the CNRS. NER was supported as the Rebanks Family Chair in Pollinator Conservation by The W. Garfield Weston Foundation. LC was supported by ERC Advanced Grant SpaceRadarPollinator and by a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award

Risk factors for homelessness among women with schizophrenia

A study of risk factors for homelessness among the severely mentally ill was extended to include women, and a case-control study of 100 indigent women with schizophrenia meeting criteria for literal homelessness and 100 such women with no history of homelessness was conducted. Subjects were recruited from shelters, clinics, and inpatient psychiatric programs in New York City. Clinical interviewers used standardized research instruments to probe three domains of risk factors: severity of mental illness, family background, and prior mental health service use. Findings adjusted for ethnicity revealed that homeless women had higher rates of a concurrent diagnosis of alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and antisocial personality disorder. Homeless women also had less adequate family support

Statistical validation of the criteria for symptom remission in schizophrenia: Preliminary findings

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Published methods for assessing remission in schizophrenia are variable and none have been definitively validated or standardized. Andreasen et al (2005) suggest systematic operational criteria using eight PANSS items for which patients must score ≤ 3 (mild) for at least six months.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using data from a one year, multi-site clinical trial (n = 675) remission criteria were compared to total PANSS scores and other endpoints and demonstrate excellent agreement with overall clinical status.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Compared to total PANSS score of 60 points and other criteria, at time points > 6 months (8 and 12 months) the specificity of the remission criteria was 85%, i.e. of the patients who had a total score >60, 85% were classified as "not in remission." Sensitivity was also very high; 75% of patients with scores of <60 were classified as "in remission."Patients who dropped out of the trial were more likely not to be in remission prior to dropping out.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings indicate that the remission criteria are both sensitive and specific indicators of clinical status. Additional analyses are required to determine if remission status predicts other outcomes, such as employment, independent living, and prognosis.</p

Conserve the eco-evolutionary dynamic, not the subspecies:Phenological divergence and gene flow between temporal cohorts of Euphilotes ancilla endemic to southern Nevada

Euphilotes ancilla purpura and cryptica (Lycaenidae), butterflies endemic to the Spring Mountains (Clark Co., Nevada), have been described as two univoltine, temporally isolated, sympatric taxa that utilize different early- and late-flowering larval host plant varieties (Eriogonum umbellatum). However, our results from field and laboratory indicate that this is not the case. The subspecies overlap in timing of adult reproductive flight (compilation of field records 1977 to 2018) and laboratory emergence of adults from early-season, non-diapause pupae indicate butterflies are not univoltine. Genetic samples collected from putative E. a. purpura (Early cohort) and cryptica (Late cohort) subpopulations show no evidence of genetic structure indicative of allochronic isolation in phylogenies of 26 mitochondrial DNA COI haplotypes and 18 nuclear ITS1 alleles. Analysis of molecular variance revealed 89% of mitochondrial DNA variation structured within and among subpopulations, with only 11% between the purportedly isolated subspecies. Analysis of isolation and migration indicated gene flow from the Early to Late cohort was 3 × greater than in the opposite direction. We conclude that, rather than two separate subspecies, Euphilotes ancilla exists in a network of partially interconnected subpopulations extending from 1750 to 3000 m across much of the Spring Mountains. Gene flow is related to the timing of adult flight and host plant flowering, contributing to the genetic variation in phenology necessary for evolutionary tracking of shifting flowering periods of larval host plants. Maintenance of connectivity and gene flow across the Spring Mountains is therefore essential for population persistence of both cohorts in the face of environmental change

Motives for corporate cash holdings:the CEO optimism effect

We examine the chief executive officer (CEO) optimism effect on managerial motives for cash holdings and find that optimistic and non-optimistic managers have significantly dissimilar purposes for holding more cash. This is consistent with both theory and evidence that optimistic managers are reluctant to use external funds. Optimistic managers hoard cash for growth opportunities, use relatively more cash for capital expenditure and acquisitions, and save more cash in adverse conditions. By contrast, they hold fewer inventories and receivables and their precautionary demand for cash holdings is less than that of non-optimistic managers. In addition, we consider debt conservatism in our model and find no evidence that optimistic managers’ cash hoarding is related to their preference to use debt conservatively. We also document that optimistic managers hold more cash in bad times than non-optimistic managers do. Our work highlights the crucial role that CEO characteristics play in shaping corporate cash holding policy

Spatial and temporal plant phenological niche differentiation in the Wadi Degla desert ecosystem (Egypt)

Twenty dominant plant species representing different life forms were investigated phenologically over a period of 36 months (January 2004 to December 2006). Plant populations were sampled at down-, mid-, and upstream sites in a desert wadi ecosystem. The results were analyzed using TWINSPAN, DCA and CCA techniques. Five phenological niches were apparent: (1) species flowering all year round, with peaks in spring and autumn such as Ochradenus baccatus; (2) species flowering during winter including Lycium shawii and Tamarix nilotica; (3) species flowering during spring, e.g., Zilla spinosa, Zygophyllum coccineum and Capparis spinosa; (4) species flowering during summer including Iphiona mucronata and Deverra triradiata; and (5) species flowering during autumn that include Atriplex halimus and two Anabasis species. The climatic variables, including temperature, rainfall and relative humidity, affect the phenological niches and between-species differences. Within-species variations occurred between years and there were no between-site variations for most study species. The different plant species exhibited phenological diversity along the course of the wadi ecosystem. The phenological niches are species-specific and environmentally dependent rather than local selective pressures