THE USE OF SIGN LANGUAGE TO REDUCE NEGATIVE INTERACTIONS AND INCREASE POSITIVE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN INFANTS AND CAREGIVERS

Many studies have been conducted in the last several years, investigating the many benefits of the use of infant sign language as a child management tool, to improve language and cognitive skills, and to enhance the communication between parent and infant. Although many studies state that infant sign language increases the bond between parent and infant, few researchers have engaged in studies to prove or disprove this theory. The purpose of the current study is to investigate how infant sign language can be used to increase or decrease bonding between parent and infant, as measured through the quality and quantity of parent-infant interactions. Three parent and infant pairs participated in this study. The infants ranged in ages from 11 months to 14 months. Positive and negative interactions were measured through the use of partial interval recording of target interactions (positive and negative verbalizations, positive and negative affect, positive and negative touch, look, gestures, and manual signs). Partial interval recording of the interactions between the parent and infant pairs was implemented, before (baseline) and after (sign training phase) the introduction of infant sign. The pairs were observed in various locations and at various times of day. The results indicated a slight increase in positive interactions and a slight decrease in negative interactions following the introduction of infant sign language

Social influence in human face preference: men and women are influenced more for long-term than short-term attractiveness decisions

In non-human animals mate-choice copying has received much attention, with studies demonstrating that females tend to copy the choices of other females for specific males. Here we show, for both men and women, that pairing with an attractive partner increases the attractiveness of opposite-sex faces for long-term relationship decisions but not short-term decisions. Our study therefore shows social transmission of face preference in humans, which may have important consequences for the evolution of human traits. Our study also highlights the flexibility of human mate choice and suggests that, for humans, learning about non-physical traits that are important to pair-bonding drives copying-like behaviour

Simultaneous N-Deglycosylation and Digestion of Complex Samples on S-Traps Enables Efficient Glycosite Hypothesis Generation

N-linked glycosylation is an important post-translational modification that is difficult to identify and quantify in traditional bottom-up proteomics experiments. Enzymatic deglycosylation of proteins by peptide:N-glycosidase F (PNGase F) prior to digestion and subsequent mass spectrometry analysis has been shown to improve coverage of various N-linked glycopeptides, but the inclusion of this step may add up to a day to an already lengthy sample preparation process. An efficient way to integrate deglycosylation with bottom-up proteomics would be a valuable contribution to the glycoproteomics field. Here, we demonstrate a proteomics workflow in which deglycosylation and proteolytic digestion of samples occur simultaneously using suspension trapping (S-Trap). This approach adds no time to standard digestion protocols. Applying this sample preparation strategy to a human serum sample, we demonstrate improved identification of potential N-glycosylated peptides in deglycosylated samples compared with non-deglycosylated samples, identifying 156 unique peptides that contain the N-glycosylation motif (asparagine-X-serine/threonine), the deamidation modification characteristic of PNGase F, and an increase in peptide intensity over a control sample. We expect that this rapid sample preparation strategy will assist in the identification and quantification of both known and potential glycoproteins. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with the identifier PXD037921

Immunohistological detection of Chlamydia pneumoniae in the Alzheimer's disease brain

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sporadic late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) appears to evolve from an interplay between genetic and environmental factors. One environmental factor that continues to be of great interest is that of <it>Chlamydia pneumoniae </it>infection and its association with late-onset disease. Detection of this organism in clinical and autopsy samples has proved challenging using a variety of molecular and histological techniques. Our current investigation utilized immunohistochemistry with a battery of commercially available anti-<it>C. pneumoniae </it>antibodies to determine whether <it>C. pneumoniae </it>was present in areas typically associated with AD neuropathology from 5 AD and 5 non-AD control brains.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Immunoreactivity for <it>C. pneumoniae </it>antigens was observed both intracellularly in neurons, neuroglia, endothelial cells, and peri-endothelial cells, and extracellularly in the frontal and temporal cortices of the AD brain with multiple <it>C. pneumoniae</it>-specific antibodies. This immunoreactivity was seen in regions of amyloid deposition as revealed by immunolabeling with two different anti-beta amyloid antibodies. Thioflavin S staining, overlaid with <it>C. pneumoniae </it>immunolabeling, demonstrated no direct co-localization of the organism and amyloid plaques. Further, the specificity of <it>C. pneumoniae </it>labeling of AD brain sections was demonstrated using <it>C. pneumoniae </it>antibodies pre-absorbed against amyloid β 1-40 and 1-42 peptides.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Anti-<it>C. pneumoniae </it>antibodies, obtained commercially, identified both typical intracellular and atypical extracellular <it>C. pneumoniae </it>antigens in frontal and temporal cortices of the AD brain. <it>C. pneumoniae</it>, amyloid deposits, and neurofibrillary tangles were present in the same regions of the brain in apposition to one another. Although additional studies are required to conclusively characterize the nature of Chlamydial immunoreactivity in the AD brain, these results further implicate <it>C. pneumoniae </it>infection with the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.</p

Global coral bleaching event detection from satellite monitoring of extreme heat stress

Over the past four decades, coral bleaching events have occurred with increasing frequency and severity, directly linked to increasing ocean temperature due to climate change. For the latter half of that period, satellite monitoring by NOAA Coral Reef Watch in near real-time has provided invaluable insight into bleaching risk. Here, we describe a novel application of those products to develop basin-scale tools for tracking the development of extreme heat events that enable monitoring of global coral bleaching events. Case studies of historical extreme events (1982-2018) across the three tropical ocean basins (Indian, Pacific and Atlantic) were analysed using this basin-scale approach to identify key thresholds of heat stress extent for the definition of global bleaching. Global-scale events are apparent when all three tropical basins experience heat stress in at least 10% of reef-containing locations. An 8-month ‘detection window’ was determined as the optimal period of time through which pixels exposed to heat stress should continue to be counted as part of a basin-scale event to account for seasonal variations across ocean basins. Understanding the broader context of basin-scale conditions can inform management of individual reefs, management networks and other reef stakeholders. Operationalising this product for near real-time delivery will provide an effective communication of the status of coral reefs around the world during an era of unprecedented climate threats

Analysis of Chlamydia pneumoniae and AD-like Pathology in the Brains of BALB/c Mice Following Direct Intra-cranial Infection

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-related progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the most common form of dementia. The pathology in the central nervous system (CNS) impairs memory and cognition, hindering the capabilities and the quality of life of the individual. This project continues studying the role of infection and Alzheimer’s disease, as previous studies in this laboratory have done, and contributes to the overall understanding of the possible causes of this disease. In this study, BALB/c mice were infected, via direct intracranial injection, with a respiratory isolate (AR-39) of Chlamydia pneumoniae. Their brains were analyzed at 7 and 14 days post-infection, via immunohistochemistry, for the presence of C. pneumoniae, amyloid deposits and activated glial cells. The goal of this project was to measure the location and degree of C. pneumoniae burden, amyloid deposition and glial cell activation in the CNS following direct intracranial injection and to compare this data with results obtained from previous studies in this laboratory. We hypothesized that C. pneumoniae antigen and activated inflammatory cells will be observed in the infected mouse brains following direct intracranial injection and Aβ deposition will be observed in areas where inflammation occurs. C. pneumoniae, amyloid deposits and activated glial cells were detected in the brains following direct intracranial infection with C. pneumoniae. In infected mice there was an approximate 3.5-fold increase of C. pneumoniae antigen burden compared to uninfected mice at day 7 and there was an approximate 5.5-fold increase of C. pneumoniae antigen burden compared to uninfected mice at day 14. The burden of C. pneumoniae antigen, in the infected mice, increased 1.009-fold (no change) from day 7 to day 14 post-infection. The amyloid burden in infected mice increased approximately 3-fold compared to uninfected mice at day 7 and increased greater than10-fold compared to uninfected mice at day 14. The burden of amyloid, in the infected mice, increased 7-fold from day 7 to 14. From 7 to 14 days post-infection the C. pneumoniae and amyloid deposits located near the injection site spread distally from this location to other regions of the brain. Global activation of glia was observed in the CNS of infected mice at both 7 and 14 days post-infection. This data confirms that C. pneumoniae is capable of establishing an infection in the CNS. Although deposits were observed, the lack of a substantial amount of amyloid deposits suggested that the generation of deposits may require longer than 14 days following C. pneumoniae infection. As early as 7 days post-infection, inflammation is observed in response to the presence of C. pneumoniae and/or soluble amyloid in the CNS and the contribution of both infection with C. pneumoniae and the presence of soluble amyloid elicit the inflammatory response that presumably precedes and contributes to amyloid depositionhttps://digitalcommons.pcom.edu/posters/1003/thumbnail.jp

Developing Teachers&apos; Classroom Interactions: A Description of a Video Review Process for Early Childhood Education Students

Abstract: This article describes a video review process for providing feedback to students and documents students&apos; teaching practices using the CLASS in a practicum course and student teaching. Students videotaped themselves in their field-based settings and then met with the course instructors and classmates in small groups to review strengths and challenges of their teaching using the CLASS framework of teacher-child interactions. These videos were also coded by trained CLASS observers across 10 dimensions in the areas of emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support. Results from preservice teachers&apos; CLASS ratings indicate a pattern similar to national data sets using the CLASS, higher scores in the emotional support and classroom organization domains than in the domain of instructional support. Also, findings from the current study revealed that CLASS scores declined from students&apos; practicum placement to the end of student teaching in the domain of emotional support and specifically in the dimensions of regard for student perspectives and behavior management. The process of using videos for providing feedback in field-based experiences is discussed as well as implications for teacher development in light of students&apos; CLASS scores and changes in CLASS scores. Keywords: Teacher education | Preservice teachers | Student teaching | Early childhood education | Instruction | Video review process | Observation Article: Preparing teachers is a complex process, particularly in teacher preparation programs that seek to prepare students to work with very young children. Early childhood teachers must be knowledgeable of child development, learning theory, content areas, and early childhood pedagogy. At the same time, they must understand how to apply what they have learned throug

Systematic meta-analyses and field synopsis of genetic association studies in colorectal adenomas

BackgroundLow penetrance genetic variants, primarily single nucleotide polymorphisms, have substantial influence on colorectal cancer (CRC) susceptibility. Most CRCs develop from colorectal adenomas (CRA). Here we report the first comprehensive field synopsis that catalogues all genetic association studies on CRA, with a parallel online database [http://www.chs.med.ed.ac.uk/CRAgene/].MethodsWe performed a systematic review, reviewing 9750 titles, and then extracted data from 130 publications reporting on 181 polymorphisms in 74 genes. We conducted meta-analyses to derive summary effect estimates for 37 polymorphisms in 26 genes. We applied the Venice criteria and Bayesian False Discovery Probability (BFDP) to assess the levels of the credibility of associations.ResultsWe considered the association with the rs6983267 variant at 8q24 as 'highly credible', reaching genome-wide statistical significance in at least one meta-analysis model. We identified 'less credible' associations (higher heterogeneity, lower statistical power, BFDP &gt; 0.02) with a further four variants of four independent genes: MTHFR c.677C&gt;T p.A222V (rs1801133), TP53 c.215C&gt;G p.R72P (rs1042522), NQO1 c.559C&gt;T p.P187S (rs1800566), and NAT1 alleles imputed as fast acetylator genotypes. For the remaining 32 variants of 22 genes for which positive associations with CRA risk have been previously reported, the meta-analyses revealed no credible evidence to support these as true associations.ConclusionsThe limited number of credible associations between low penetrance genetic variants and CRA reflects the lower volume of evidence and associated lack of statistical power to detect associations of the magnitude typically observed for genetic variants and chronic diseases. The CRA gene database provides context for CRA genetic association data and will help inform future research directions