Avon Park Air Force Range project: distribution and abundance of sensitive wildlife species at Avone Park Force Range

Executive Summary. We surveyed for seven species ofsensitve wildlife (Florida gopher frogs, gopher tortoise, eastern indigo snake, eastern diamondback rattlesnake, Florida mouse, Florida roundtail muskrat, Sherman's fox squirrel) between October 1996 and May 1998 at Avon Park Air Force Range (APR). The presence of 87 other species ofamphibians, reptiles, and mammals also were detected. Selected species ofbirds were noted, particularly if they were found dead on APR roads. We recorded nine new county records ofamphibians and reptiles from Polk and Highlands counties, based on range maps presented in Ashton and Ashton (1981, 1985, 1988). We discuss a biogeographic model based on the vertebrates recorded from APR, the Lake Wales Ridge, and the low dune region along SR 64 to explain some of the distributional anomalies associated with the Bombing Range Ridge and vicinity. (199 page document

Pax9 is required for cardiovascular development and interacts with Tbx1 in the pharyngeal endoderm to control 4(th) pharyngeal arch artery morphogenesis

Developmental defects affecting the heart and aortic arch arteries are a significant phenotype observed in 22q11 deletion syndrome patients and are caused by a microdeletion on chromosome 22q11. TBX1, one of the deleted genes, is expressed throughout the pharyngeal arches and is considered a key gene, when mutated, for the arch artery defects. Pax9 is expressed in the pharyngeal endoderm and is downregulated in Tbx1 mutant mice. We show here that Pax9 deficient mice are born with complex cardiovascular malformations affecting the outflow tract and aortic arch arteries with failure of the 3(rd) and 4(th) pharyngeal arch arteries to form correctly. Transcriptome analysis indicated that Pax9 and Tbx1 may function together, and mice double heterozygous for Tbx1/Pax9 presented with a significantly increased incidence of interrupted aortic arch when compared to Tbx1 heterozygous mice. Using a novel Pax9Cre allele we demonstrated that the site of this Tbx1-Pax9 genetic interaction is in the pharyngeal endoderm, therefore revealing that a Tbx1-Pax9-controlled signalling mechanism emanating from the pharyngeal endoderm is required for critical tissue interactions during normal morphogenesis of the pharyngeal arch artery system

Emotional response to images of wind turbines: a psychophysiological study of their visual impact on the landscape

YesSocial acceptance for wind turbines is variable, providing a challenge to the implementation of this energy source. Psychological research could contribute to the science of climate change. Here we focus on the emotional responses to the visual impact of wind turbines on the landscape, a factor which dominates attitudes towards this technology. Participants in the laboratory viewed images of turbines and other constructions (churches, pylons and power-plants) against rural scenes, and provided psychophysiological and self-report measures of their emotional reactions. We hypothesised that the emotional response to wind turbines would be more negative and intense than to control objects, and that this difference would be accentuated for turbine opponents. As predicted, the psychophysiological response to turbines was stronger than the response to churches, but did not differ from that of other industrial constructions. In contrast with predictions, turbines were rated as less aversive and more calming compared with other industrial constructions, and equivalent to churches. Supporters and non-supporters did not differ significantly from each other. We discuss how a methodology using photo manipulations and emotional self-assessments can help estimate the emotional reaction to the visual impact on the landscape at the planning stage for new wind turbine applications.This work was partly funded by an ESRC First Grant RES-061-25-0512 to D

iMyoblasts for ex vivo and in vivo investigations of human myogenesis and disease modeling

Skeletal muscle myoblasts (iMyoblasts) were generated from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using an efficient and reliable transgene-free induction and stem cell selection protocol. Immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, qPCR, digital RNA expression profiling, and scRNA-Seq studies identify iMyoblasts as a PAX3+/MYOD1+ skeletal myogenic lineage with a fetal-like transcriptome signature, distinct from adult muscle biopsy myoblasts (bMyoblasts) and iPSC-induced muscle progenitors. iMyoblasts can be stably propagated for \u3e 12 passages or 30 population doublings while retaining their dual commitment for myotube differentiation and regeneration of reserve cells. iMyoblasts also efficiently xenoengrafted into irradiated and injured mouse muscle where they undergo differentiation and fetal-adult MYH isoform switching, demonstrating their regulatory plasticity for adult muscle maturation in response to signals in the host muscle. Xenograft muscle retains PAX3+ muscle progenitors and can regenerate human muscle in response to secondary injury. As models of disease, iMyoblasts from individuals with Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy revealed a previously unknown epigenetic regulatory mechanism controlling developmental expression of the pathological DUX4 gene. iMyoblasts from Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy R7 and R9 and Walker Warburg Syndrome patients modeled their molecular disease pathologies and were responsive to small molecule and gene editing therapeutics. These findings establish the utility of iMyoblasts for ex vivo and in vivo investigations of human myogenesis and disease pathogenesis and for the development of muscle stem cell therapeutics

Spatial ecology of jaguars, pumas, and ocelots: a review of the state of knowledge

Knowledge of the spatial ecology of mammalian carnivores is critical for understanding species’ biology and designing effective conservation and management interventions. We reviewed the available information about the spatial ecology of jaguars Panthera onca, pumas Puma concolor, and ocelots Leopardus pardalis, and we examined how sex and extrinsic variables affect their spatial behaviour. Sixty-one articles addressing home range, home range overlap, daily net displacement (straight-line distance between two locations on consecutive days), and/or distance of dispersal of the three species were included. Meta-analysis, ANOVA, ANCOVA, and beta regression tests were run to analyse differences among species and sexes and to elucidate the influence of other variables, such as latitude and ecoregion, on spatial behaviour. Pumas had on average larger home ranges (mean ± SE: 281.87 ± 35.76 km) than jaguars (128.61 ± 49.5 km) and ocelots (12.46 ± 3.39 km). Intersexual range overlap was higher than intrasexual range overlap in jaguars and pumas. Sex affected the home range size of all three species, but only influenced daily net displacement in ocelots. Ecoregion affected the home range size of all three species but did not significantly affect either the daily net displacement or the dispersal distance of pumas. Latitude affected the home range size of jaguars and pumas. It did not affect daily net displacement or dispersal distance in jaguars and pumas, but did affect daily net displacement in ocelots. Although there was a lack of studies in most countries for the three species, information was particularly lacking in the Neotropics for jaguars and pumas and in North America for ocelots. Researchers usually presented low sample sizes and used different methods to examine the ecological issues considered here. Homogenisation of methods is needed to clarify the ecology of these species and to allow a better understanding of the threats to their populations.Peer Reviewe

Inhibition of activin/nodal signalling is necessary for pancreatic differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Musicians as teachers: Developing a positive view through collaborative learning partnerships

Previous research with classical instrumental musicians has highlighted the intrinsic benefits of teaching in addition to the perhaps more obvious benefits of securing a regular income, and yet despite the presence of educational activities in the portfolio of most musicians it remains on the periphery of many music performance programs. The hierarchical inference in musicians? self-report of success as a soloist, instrumentalist or teacher is perpetuated in the separation of education and performance students during their university education. This study investigated the effects of providing a positive engagement with teaching through a unit of study delivered to a combined cohort of 2nd year undergraduate music education, composition and performance students. The unit was designed to increase students? understanding of the realities of professional practice, and to form productive and mutually beneficial partnerships: promoting a better appreciation of career development and self-identity during the formative years of study. Students? responses were gauged with the use of surveys implemented at the commencement and conclusion of the unit. Performance and composition majors reported a positive change in their perception of the role of teaching in their careers, and music education majors reflected a growing awareness of the benefits of working in partnership with performers. The study demonstrated that positive teaching experiences within the training of musicians, increases the likelihood that students will plan a positive engagement with teaching

Cross-Cultural Validation of the Inventory of School Motivation (ISM) in the Asian Setting: Hong Kong and the Philippines

Students’ achievement goals in school have received increasing research attention because they have been shown to be important in predicting important outcomes. As such, there has been a growing interest in measuring and comparing them across different cultural groups. However, these comparisons cannot be made until validity evidence has been attained to support the use of an instrument in the new cultural setting. In this study, we investigated the cross-cultural applicability of the Inventory of School Motivation (ISM, McInerney et al. American Educational Research Journal 34:207-236, 1997) in the Hong Kong Chinese and Philippine contexts using both within-network and between-network approaches to construct validation. The ISM measures four types of achievement goals: mastery, performance, social, and extrinsic goals. 1,406 high school students from Hong Kong (n = 697) and the Philippines (n = 709) participated. Results of the within-network test showed that the ISM had good internal consistency reliability and the confirmatory factor analysis provided support for the hypothesized four-factor model. Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses supported invariance of factor loadings across the two samples. The between-network test also indicated that these achievement goals correlated systematically with different aspects of students’ self-concepts. These findings support the applicability of the ISM among Hong Kong Chinese and Filipino students

The 4D Nucleome Project [preprint]

The spatial organization of the genome and its dynamics contribute to gene expression and cellular function in normal development as well as in disease. Although we are increasingly well equipped to determine a genome\u27s sequence and linear chromatin composition, studying the three-dimensional organization of the genome with high spatial and temporal resolution remains challenging. The 4D Nucleome Network aims to develop and apply approaches to map the structure and dynamics of the human and mouse genomes in space and time with the long term goal of gaining deeper mechanistic understanding of how the nucleus is organized. The project will develop and benchmark experimental and computational approaches for measuring genome conformation and nuclear organization, and investigate how these contribute to gene regulation and other genome functions. Further efforts will be directed at applying validated experimental approaches combined with biophysical modeling to generate integrated maps and quantitative models of spatial genome organization in different biological states, both in cell populations and in single cells