Leaf nutrients, not specific leaf area, are consistent indicators of elevated nutrient inputs

Leaf traits are frequently measured in ecology to provide a ‘common currency’ for predicting how anthropogenic pressures impact ecosystem function. Here, we test whether leaf traits consistently respond to experimental treatments across 27 globally distributed grassland sites across 4 continents. We find that specific leaf area (leaf area per unit mass)—a commonly measured morphological trait inferring shifts between plant growth strategies—did not respond to up to four years of soil nutrient additions. Leaf nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium concentrations increased in response to the addition of each respective soil nutrient. We found few significant changes in leaf traits when vertebrate herbivores were excluded in the short-term. Leaf nitrogen and potassium concentrations were positively correlated with species turnover, suggesting that interspecific trait variation was a significant predictor of leaf nitrogen and potassium, but not of leaf phosphorus concentration. Climatic conditions and pretreatment soil nutrient levels also accounted for significant amounts of variation in the leaf traits measured. Overall, we find that leaf morphological traits, such as specific leaf area, are not appropriate indicators of plant response to anthropogenic perturbations in grasslands

The Validity of the Risk-Sophistication-Treatment Inventory-Abbreviated (RSTI-A): Initial Evidence In Support of a Measure Designed for Juvenile Evaluations

The current study was the first to investigate the convergent validity of the Risk-Sophistication- Treatment Inventory-Abbreviated (RSTI-A; Salekin, 2012). Adolescent offenders (N = 63) were administered the RSTI-A and completed the RSTI-Self-Report (RSTI-SR; Iselin & Salekin, 2008) and measures related to violence, criminality, psychopathy, and psychosocial and emotional adjustment. The Risk for Offending, Autonomy, Criminal Sophistication, and Motivation to Change subscales were related to corresponding RSTI-SR scales. The incremental validity of RSTI-A Violent and Aggressive Tendencies and Planned and Extensive Criminality subscales to assess independent measures of aggression and delinquency above traditional adult-court transfer criteria and other risk measures was also supported. These findings provide initial evidence suggesting that the RSTI-A can be used as a research tool to assess multiple aspects of risk salient to disposition and transfer decision making, as well as recidivism and long-term offending patterns. However, further research is needed, as the measure is in the early phases of its development

Validity of the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory–Short Version in Justice-Involved and At-Risk Adolescents

The current study examined the reliability and validity of the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory–Short Version (YPI-S) in two different samples of at-risk adolescents enrolled in a residential program (n = 160) and at a detention facility (n = 60) in the United States. YPI-S scores displayed adequate internal consistency and were moderately associated with concurrent scales on other self-report psychopathy measures and externalizing behaviors. YPI-S scores were moderately related to interviewer-ratings of the construct using the four-factor model of the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version. Findings suggest that the YPI-S may be a clinically useful and valid tool for the assessment of psychopathic traits in juvenile settings. This may be particularly true given the differential predictive utility of each of its dimensions

Validity of the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory–Short Version in Justice-Involved and At-Risk Adolescents

The current study examined the reliability and validity of the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory–Short Version (YPI-S) in two different samples of at-risk adolescents enrolled in a residential program (n = 160) and at a detention facility (n = 60) in the United States. YPI-S scores displayed adequate internal consistency and were moderately associated with concurrent scales on other self-report psychopathy measures and externalizing behaviors. YPI-S scores were moderately related to interviewer-ratings of the construct using the four-factor model of the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version. Findings suggest that the YPI-S may be a clinically useful and valid tool for the assessment of psychopathic traits in juvenile settings. This may be particularly true given the differential predictive utility of each of its dimensions

What defines a pulmonary exacerbation? The perceptions of adults with cystic fibrosis

Background: There is no standardised definition of a pulmonary exacerbation in cystic fibrosis (CF). In attempting to achieve standardised criteria it is important to identify patient-reported indicators. Methods: Interviews were undertaken with 47 adults with CF. Participants were asked to report symptoms experienced during a pulmonary exacerbation in two ways: the first symptoms they become aware of, and how they subsequently recognised when they were improving. Results: A range of systemic and respiratory symptoms were reported. Their relative importance varied by severity of disease. The severity and subsequent improvement of an exacerbation was often described as limitations on their activities. Conclusion: These preliminary data suggest that patient-reported indicators of a pulmonary exacerbation may not be the same for all adults with CF. Whether different indicators are associated with specific demographic or clinical variables remains to be evaluated

Direct visualization and characterization of the human zona incerta and surrounding structures

© 2020 The Authors. Human Brain Mapping published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. The zona incerta (ZI) is a small gray matter region of the deep brain first identified in the 19th century, yet direct in vivo visualization and characterization has remained elusive. Noninvasive detection of the ZI and surrounding region could be critical to further our understanding of this widely connected but poorly understood deep brain region and could contribute to the development and optimization of neuromodulatory therapies. We demonstrate that high resolution (submillimetric) longitudinal (T1) relaxometry measurements at high magnetic field strength (7 T) can be used to delineate the ZI from surrounding white matter structures, specifically the fasciculus cerebellothalamicus, fields of Forel (fasciculus lenticularis, fasciculus thalamicus, and field H), and medial lemniscus. Using this approach, we successfully derived in vivo estimates of the size, shape, location, and tissue characteristics of substructures in the ZI region, confirming observations only previously possible through histological evaluation that this region is not just a space between structures but contains distinct morphological entities that should be considered separately. Our findings pave the way for increasingly detailed in vivo study and provide a structural foundation for precise functional and neuromodulatory investigation