Measuring time perspective in adolescents : can you get the right answer by asking the wrong questions?

Time perspective continues to evolve as a psychological construct. The extant literature suggests that higher future orientation and lower present orientation are associated with better developmental outcomes. However, the extant literature also suggests that issues remain with the measurement of the construct. Recently, a 25-item version of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI-25) was suggested for use based on high internal consistency estimates and good discriminant validity of scores in a sample of Italian adolescents. However, the genesis of this scale is uncertain. The present study examined the factorial validity, reliability, and concurrent validity of ZTPI-25 scores in Slovenian, American, and British adolescents. Results revealed satisfactory concurrent validity based on correlations with measures used in the development of the full ZTPI. However, internal consistency and factorial validity of scores were unsatisfactory. The present study questions the use of the ZTPI-25 with adolescents in the context of conceptual and measurement issues more broadly

The Complicated and Confusing Ecology of Microcystis Blooms

Blooms of the toxin-producing cyanobacterium are increasing globally, leading to the loss of ecosystem services, threats to human health, as well as the deaths of pets and husbandry animals. While nutrient availability is a well-known driver of algal biomass, the factors controlling who is present in fresh waters are more complicated. possesses multiple strategies to adapt to temperature, light, changes in nutrient chemistry, herbivory, and parasitism that provide a selective advantage over its competitors. Moreover, its ability to alter ecosystem pH provides it a further advantage that helps exclude many of its planktonic competitors. While decades of nutrient monitoring have provided us with the tools to predict the accumulation of phytoplankton biomass, here, we point to factors on the horizon that may inform us why is presently the dominant bloom former in freshwaters around the world

Interactions between chytrids cause variable infection strategies on harmful algal bloom forming species

Cyanobacteria have a great diversity of natural enemies, such as herbivores and pathogens, including fungal pathogens within the Chytridiomycota (chytrids). While these pathogens have been previously described on a select number of cyanobacterial hosts and are suspected to play a significant ecological role, little is understood about species interactions and how competition between parasites can affect epidemic development and bloom formation. Here, three Planktothrix agardhii isolates from Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie (OH, USA) were challenged in monoculture and polyculture against infection by three isolates (C1, C2, C10) of their obligate chytrid fungal pathogen, Rhizophydiales sp. The chytrid isolates were inoculated as single isolates or a mixture of up to three different isolates. In monoculture, host isolates were characterized as highly susceptible (P. agardhii 1030), moderately susceptible (P. agardhii 1808) or mostly resistant (P. agardhii 1801). Co-infection of chytrid isolates on the highly susceptible host isolate had an additive effect on chytrid prevalence, leading to a culture crash where 2 or 3 chytrid isolates were present. Co-infection of chytrid isolates on the moderately susceptible and mostly resistant isolates had no effect on chytrid infection outcome or prevalence compared to infection with a single isolate. In polyculture, the effect on host growth was most significant in the single chytrid isolate treatment, which was attenuated with the addition of mixed chytrid treatments. Genetic analysis of the resulting population after the experimental period showed a tendency for the chytrid isolate C1 and P. agardhii 1801 to dominate in mixed population samples. Two different interspecific interactions seem to be in play; varied parasite infection strategies allow for the amplification of infection prevalence due to mixed chytrids in a susceptible monoculture, or competition allows for the dominance of a single chytrid isolate in monoculture and the reduction of infection prevalence in a host polyculture. This work thus highlights how interactions between chytrid infections can change the course of epidemic development and harmful algal bloom formation

7,11,15,28-Tetra­bromo-1,21,23,25-tetra­phenethyl­resorcin[4]arene cavitand–acetone–chloro­form (1/1.31/0.69) at 173 K

The crystal structure of the title compound, C64H52Br4O8·1.31C3H6O·0.69CHCl3, is described. The structure has been reported previously [Bryant, Blanda, Vincenti & Cram (1991). J. Am. Chem. Soc. 113, 2167–2172]; however, the lower data acquisition temperature results in an improved refinement model. In addition, the presence of residual acetone and (disordered) chloro­form within the mol­ecular structure of the title compound represents a new clathrate of the title compound. One half of the resorcin[4]arene cavitand mol­ecule appears in the asymmetric unit; the complete resorcin[4]arene cavitand structure was generated across a mirror plane

Integrating Science and Mathematics Education Research into Teaching: A Conference for Students, Teachers and University Faculty in Science, Mathematics, and Related Fields

This proposal from the University of Maine Center for Science and Mathematics Education is a request for a TPC Conference/Symposium to fund a six-day national conference and summer academy entitled Integrating Science and Mathematics Education Research into Teaching. The purposes of the conference are: (1) to bring together all participants in the science and mathematics education research enterprise (teachers, administrators, scientists and mathematicians, education faculty, future teachers) to exchange ideas about research and curriculum innovation ongoing in their fields; and (2) help teachers integrate research-based instructional strategies, particularly those that depend on innovative uses of technology, into their teaching practices

Symmetric Instantons and Skyrme Fields

By explicit construction of the ADHM data, we prove the existence of a charge seven instanton with icosahedral symmetry. By computing the holonomy of this instanton we obtain a Skyrme field which approximates the minimal energy charge seven Skyrmion. We also present a one parameter family of tetrahedrally symmetric instantons whose holonomy gives a family of Skyrme fields which models a Skyrmion scattering process, where seven well-separated Skyrmions collide to form the icosahedrally symmetric Skyrmion.Comment: 22 pages plus 1 figure in GIF forma

Isolation and Characterization of Rhizophydiales (Chytridiomycota), Obligate Parasites of Planktothrix agardhii in a Laurentian Great Lakes Embayment

Planktothrix agardhii dominates the cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom community in Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie (USA), from May through September. This filamentous cyanobacterium is host to a known obligate parasite, the chytrid Rhizophydium sp. During the 2018 bloom season, by utilizing dilution and single-filament isolation techniques, 7 chytrid and 12 P. agardhii strains were isolated from Sandusky Bay. These 7 chytrids and a selection of P. agardhii hosts were then characterized with respect to infection rates. Infections by the isolated chytrids were specific to Planktothrix planktonic species and were not found on other filamentous cyanobacterial taxa present in the bay (Aphanizomenon sp. and Cuspidothrix sp.). Even among the potential P. agardhii host strains, individual chytrid isolates had different degrees of infectivity and showed preferences for different host isolates, suggesting possible ecological partitioning even within the same sample population. When mechanisms of chytrid pathogenesis were examined, the zoospores displayed a swarming pattern to attack and fracture the host filament and create new infection sites at the trichome termini. Infections by these parasitic chytrids also led to a release of intracellular microcystin toxins from the hosts. Additionally, infections were dependent on medium type, highlighting the importance of medium choice for experimental outcomes. Media in which chytrid swarming was observed closely matched the ionic strength of the natural environment. Understanding pathogenesis by fungal parasites will assist future efforts to determine environmental factors favoring loss mechanisms for Planktothrix agardhii-dominated blooms. IMPORTANCE Whereas many studies have focused on the factors contributing to the establishment and persistence of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs), few studies have examined bloom pathogenesis. Chytrid fungi infect cyanobacteria and stimulate food web interactions through manipulation of previously hard-to-digest filaments and the release of nutrients to support heterotrophic microbes. Specifically, chytrids infective for filamentous Planktothrix agardhii exhibit a species-specific infection that fragments trichomes into shorter units that can be consumed more easily by grazers. Chytrid zoospores also serve as a high-quality food source for the lower food web. Understanding host-pathogen relationships and mechanisms of pathogenesis on cyanobacteria will be necessary to effectively model the ecology of cHABs

Environmental factors affecting chytrid (Chytridiomycota) infection rates on Planktothrix agardhii

Planktothrix agardhii dominates the cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom biomass in Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie (USA) from May until September. This filamentous cyanobacterium known parasites including the chytrid fungal species Rhizophydium sp. C02, which was previously isolated from this region. The purpose of our work has been to establish how parasitic interactions affect Planktothrix population dynamics during a bloom event. Samples analyzed from the 2015 to 2019 bloom seasons using quantitative PCR investigate the spatial and temporal prevalence of chytrid infections. Abiotic factors examined in lab include manipulating temperature (17-31°C), conductivity (0.226-1.225 mS/cm) and turbulence. Planktothrix-specific chytrids are present throughout the bloom period and are occasionally at high enough densities to exert parasitic pressure on their hosts. Temperatures above 27.1°C in lab can inhibit chytrid infection, indicating the presence of a possible upper thermal refuge for the host. Data suggest that chytrids can survive conductivity spikes in lab at levels three-fold above Sandusky Bay waters if given sufficient time (7-12 days), whereas increased turbulence in lab severely inhibits chytrid infections, perhaps due to disruption of chemical signaling. Overall, these data provide insights into the environmental conditions that inhibit chytrid infections during Planktothrix-dominated blooms in temperate waters

Cross-correlation Weak Lensing of SDSS Galaxy Clusters III: Mass-to-light Ratios

We present measurements of the excess mass-to-light ratio measured aroundMaxBCG galaxy clusters observed in the SDSS. This red sequence cluster sample includes objects from small groups with masses ranging from ~5x10^{12} to ~10^{15} M_{sun}/h. Using cross-correlation weak lensing, we measure the excess mass density profile above the universal mean \Delta \rho(r) = \rho(r) - \bar{\rho} for clusters in bins of richness and optical luminosity. We also measure the excess luminosity density \Delta l(r) = l(r) - \bar{l} measured in the z=0.25 i-band. For both mass and light, we de-project the profiles to produce 3D mass and light profiles over scales from 25 kpc/ to 22 Mpc/h. From these profiles we calculate the cumulative excess mass M(r) and excess light L(r) as a function of separation from the BCG. On small scales, where \rho(r) >> \bar{\rho}, the integrated mass-to-light profile may be interpreted as the cluster mass-to-light ratio. We find the M/L_{200}, the mass-to-light ratio within r_{200}, scales with cluster mass as a power law with index 0.33+/-0.02. On large scales, where \rho(r) ~ \bar{\rho}, the M/L approaches an asymptotic value independent of cluster richness. For small groups, the mean M/L_{200} is much smaller than the asymptotic value, while for large clusters it is consistent with the asymptotic value. This asymptotic value should be proportional to the mean mass-to-light ratio of the universe . We find /b^2_{ml} = 362+/-54 h (statistical). There is additional uncertainty in the overall calibration at the ~10% level. The parameter b_{ml} is primarily a function of the bias of the L <~ L_* galaxies used as light tracers, and should be of order unity. Multiplying by the luminosity density in the same bandpass we find \Omega_m/b^2_{ml} = 0.02+/-0.03, independent of the Hubble parameter.Comment: Third paper in a series; v2.0 incorporates ApJ referee's suggestion

Changes in the structure and functionof the North Sea fish foodweb, 1973-2000, and the impacts of fishing and climate

North Sea environmental and biological data were analysed to examine 30-year changes in production and consumption in the fish food web. The analysis revealed that the demand for secondary production placed on the ecosystem by fish declined from approximately 20 g Cm-2 y-1 in the 1970s to 16 g C m-2 y-1 in the 1990s. Over the same period, the proportion of demand provided by zooplankton production increased from around 70% to 75%. The overall decrease was mainly due to a reduction in piscivorous demersal fish. Average secondary production by omnivorous zooplankton was estimated to be 35 g Cm-2 y-1, and annual fluctuations were positively correlated with the gross production of planktivorous fish. The results suggest a ''bottom-up'' control of the pelagic foodweb. Individual planktivore species have been impacted by fishing, but the populations of other functionally similar species have expanded to fill the vacant niches, thus maintaining the planktivore role in the system. In contrast, the results indicate that benthos production was more "top-down" controlled. Overall, demersal fish species have been depleted by fishing, with no obvious species expansions to fill the vacant niche, releasing the benthos from predation pressure, and leading to an increase in benthic production and fisheries for invertebrates