Synergistic effects of temperature and plant quality, on development time, size and lipid in Eccritotarsus eichhorniae

Body size is an important biotic factor in evolutionary ecology, since it affects all aspects of insect physiology, life history and, consequently, fitness in ectothermic insects and how species adapt with their environment. It has been linked to tem-perature, with lower temperatures resulting in larger size. In this study, we tested the combined impact of temperature and plant quality on the body size, and de-velopment time from egg to adult of Eccritotarsus eichhorniae (Hemiptera: Miridae), an herbivorous insect used as a biological control agent against the invasive aquatic weed, water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes (Pontederiaceae). We quantified insect size in individuals exposed to three temperatures (20, 25 and 30°C) combined with three qualities of host plant (high, medium and low) by calculating development time and measuring four traits: tibia length, forewing length, dry body mass and lipid con-tent, and we also determined the wing loading index. The development time, dry body mass and lipid content decreased linearly with increasing temperature and de-creasing plant quality. The decrease in size was the greatest when high temperature interacted with low plant quality. Smaller individuals had proportionately less lipid content. Wing loading decreased significantly with lower quality of host plant, result-ing in individuals likely to have theoretically higher flight ability. The results support the temperature-size rule (TSR) and that plant quality could influence the relationship between development time and the TSR. Results also provide novel evidence for a possible food quality-size rule for both sexes

What's Reasonable Now? Sexual Harassment Law After the Norm Cascade

Article published in the Michigan State Law Review

Soil Enzyme Activity in Soils Subjected to Flooding and the Effect on Nitrogen and Phosphorus Uptake by Oilseed Rape

Waterlogging presents one of the greatest constraints for agricultural crops. In order to elucidate the influences of waterlogging stress on the growth of oilseed rape, a pot experiment was performed investigating the impact of waterlogging on nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) accumulation in oilseed rape, and mineral N and available P profiles and enzyme activities of soils. The experiment included waterlogging treatments lasting 3 (I), 6 (II), and 9 (III) days, and a control treatment without waterlogging (CK). Results showed that waterlogging lasting 3 or more days significantly depressed the growth of oilseed rape, and prolonged the recovery time of plant growth with the period of flooding. Waterlogging notably influenced the N and P concentrations in plant tissues, and also affected mineral N, available P profiles, and activities of enzymes (including urease, phosphatase, invertase, and catalase) in the soils. With the exception of catalase, flooding suppressed the activity of urease, phosphatase, and invertase to varying degrees, and the longer the flooding time, the greater the suppression. The effect of waterlogging on mineral N and P profiles resulted from the altered proportions of NH4+-N and NO3--N, and the decreased available P concentrations in these soils, respectively. The effect on P was more significant than on N in both soil nutrient profile and plant utilization

De Novo Loss-of-Function Mutations in USP9X Cause a Female-Specific Recognizable Syndrome with Developmental Delay and Congenital Malformations

Mutations in more than a hundred genes have been reported to cause X-linked recessive intellectual disability (ID) mainly in males. In contrast, the number of identified X-linked genes in which de novo mutations specifically cause ID in females is limited. Here, we report 17 females with de novo loss-of-function mutations in USP9X, encoding a highly conserved deubiquitinating enzyme. The females in our study have a specific phenotype that includes ID/developmental delay (DD), characteristic facial features, short stature, and distinct congenital malformations comprising choanal atresia, anal abnormalities, post-axial polydactyly, heart defects, hypomastia, cleft palate/bifid uvula, progressive scoliosis, and structural brain abnormalities. Four females from our cohort were identified by targeted genetic testing because their phenotype was suggestive for USP9X mutations. In several females, pigment changes along Blaschko lines and body asymmetry were observed, which is probably related to differential (escape from) X-inactivation between tissues. Expression studies on both mRNA and protein level in affected-female-derived fibroblasts showed significant reduction of USP9X level, confirming the loss-of-function effect of the identified mutations. Given that some features of affected females are also reported in known ciliopathy syndromes, we examined the role of USP9X in the primary cilium and found that endogenous USP9X localizes along the length of the ciliary axoneme, indicating that its loss of function could indeed disrupt cilium-regulated processes. Absence of dysregulated ciliary parameters in affected female-derived fibroblasts, however, points toward spatiotemporal specificity of ciliary USP9X (dys-)function

Detailed description of Division I ice hockey concussions: Findings from the NCAA and Department of Defense CARE Consortium

Objective: Since concussion is the most common injury in ice hockey, the objective of the current study was to elucidate risk factors, specific mechanisms, and clinical presentations of concussion in men's and women's ice hockey. Methods: Ice hockey players from 5 institutions participating in the Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education Consortium were eligible for the current study. Participants who sustained a concussion outside of this sport were excluded. There were 332 (250 males, 82 females) athletes who participated in ice hockey, and 47 (36 males, 11 females) who sustained a concussion. Results: Previous concussion (odds ratio (OR) = 2.00; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.02‒3.91) was associated with increased incident concussion odds, while wearing a mouthguard was protective against incident concussion (OR = 0.43; 95%CI: 0.22‒0.85). Overall, concussion mechanisms did not significantly differ between sexes. There were specific differences in how concussions presented clinically across male and female ice hockey players, however. Females (9.09%) were less likely than males (41.67%) to have a delayed symptom onset (p = 0.045). Additionally, females took significantly longer to reach asymptomatic (p = 0.015) and return-to-play clearance (p = 0.005). Within the first 2 weeks post-concussion, 86.11% of males reached asymptomatic, while only 45.50% of females reached the same phase of recovery. Most males (91.67%) were cleared for return to play within 3 weeks of their concussion, compared to less than half (45.50%) of females. Conclusion: The current study proposes possible risk factors, mechanisms, and clinical profiles to be validated in future concussions studies with larger female sample sizes. Understanding specific risk factors, concussion mechanisms, and clinical profiles of concussion in collegiate ice hockey may generate ideas for future concussion prevention or intervention studies

Stromal transcriptional profiles reveal hierarchies of anatomical site, serum response and disease and identify disease specific pathways

Synovial fibroblasts in persistent inflammatory arthritis have been suggested to have parallels with cancer growth and wound healing, both of which involve a stereotypical serum response programme. We tested the hypothesis that a serum response programme can be used to classify diseased tissues, and investigated the serum response programme in fibroblasts from multiple anatomical sites and two diseases. To test our hypothesis we utilized a bioinformatics approach to explore a publicly available microarray dataset including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA) and normal synovial tissue, then extended those findings in a new microarray dataset representing matched synovial, bone marrow and skin fibroblasts cultured from RA and OA patients undergoing arthroplasty. The classical fibroblast serum response programme discretely classified RA, OA and normal synovial tissues. Analysis of low and high serum treated fibroblast microarray data revealed a hierarchy of control, with anatomical site the most powerful classifier followed by response to serum and then disease. In contrast to skin and bone marrow fibroblasts, exposure of synovial fibroblasts to serum led to convergence of RA and OA expression profiles. Pathway analysis revealed three inter-linked gene networks characterising OA synovial fibroblasts: Cell remodelling through insulin-like growth factors, differentiation and angiogenesis through -3 integrin, and regulation of apoptosis through CD44. We have demonstrated that Fibroblast serum response signatures define disease at the tissue level, and that an OA specific, serum dependent repression of genes involved in cell adhesion, extracellular matrix remodelling and apoptosis is a critical discriminator between cultured OA and RA synovial fibroblasts

Somatically ill persons’ self-nominated quality of life domains: review of the literature and guidelines for future studies

OBJECTIVE: To review which domains somatically ill persons nominate as constituting their QoL. Specific objective is to examine whether the method of enquiry affect these domains. METHODS: We conducted two literature searches in the databases PubMed/Medline, CINAHL and Psychinfo for qualitative studies examining patients' self-defined QoL domains using (1) SEIQoL and (2) study-specific questions. For each database, two researchers independently assessed the eligibility of the retrieved abstracts and three researchers subsequently classified all QoL domains. RESULTS: Thirty-six eligible papers were identified: 27 studies using the SEIQoL, and nine presenting data derived from study-specific questions. The influence of the method of enquiry on patients' self-nominated QoL domains appears limited: most domains were presented in both types of studies, albeit with different frequencies. CONCLUSIONS: This review provides a comprehensive overview of somatically ill persons' self-nominated QoL domains. However, limitations inherent to reviewing qualitative studies (e.g., the varying level of abstraction of patients' self-defined QoL domains), limitations of the included studies and limitations inherent to the review process, hinder cross-study comparisons. Therefore, we provide guidelines to address shortcomings of qualitative reports amenable to improvement and to stimulate further improvement of conducting and reporting qualitative research aimed at exploring respondents' self-nominated QoL domains