Interacting with the enemy: indirect effects of personality on conspecific aggression in crickets

In animal contests, individuals respond plastically to the phenotypes of the opponents that they confront. These ‘opponent’ – or ‘indirect’ – effects are often repeatable, e.g., certain opponents consistently elicit more or less aggressiveness in others. ‘Personality’ (repeatable among-individual variance in behavior) has been proposed as an important source of indirect effects. Here, we repeatedly assayed aggressiveness of wild-caught adult male field crickets Gryllus campestris in staged dyadic fights, measuring aggressiveness of both contestants. Measurements of their personality in non-social contexts (activity and exploration behavior) enabled us to ask whether personality caused indirect effects on aggressiveness. Activity, exploration, and aggressiveness were positively associated into a behavioral syndrome eliciting aggressiveness in conspecifics, providing direct evidence for the role of personality in causing indirect effects. Our findings imply that a multivariate view of phenotypes that includes indirect effects greatly improves our ability to understand the ecology and evolution of behavior

Al-based foams as permanent cores in al castings: Effect of surface skin thickness and composition on infiltration and core-shell bonding

An emerging and still poorly explored application of aluminum foams is their potential use as permanent cores (inserts) in the casting of aluminum alloys. In this context, Al-based foams can introduce a weight reduction, the obtainment of cavities, a strength increase, the ability to absorb impact energy and vibration, acoustic insulation ability, the possibility to simplify the technological processes (no removal/recycling of traditional sand cores), and finally, they can be fully recyclable. Cymat-type Al foams with thin outer skin were used as permanent cores in Al-alloy gravity casting in the present research. Al-foams were characterized in terms of porosity, density, cell wall and skin thickness, surface chemical composition and morphology, and compression resistance. Cast objects with foam inserts were characterized by means of optical microscopy. The preservation of up to 50% of the initial porosity was observed for foam inserts with higher density. Metallurgical bonding between the foam core and the cast metal was observed in some regions

Effect of inhaled corticosteroid particle size on asthma efficacy and safety outcomes: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are the primary treatment for persistent asthma. Currently available ICS have differing particle size due to both formulation and propellant, and it has been postulated that this may impact patient outcomes. This structured literature review and meta-analysis compared the effect of small and standard particle size ICS on lung function, symptoms, rescue use (when available) and safety in patients with asthma as assessed in head-to-head randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS: A systematic literature search of MEDLINE was performed to identify RCTs (1998-2014) evaluating standard size (fluticasone propionate-containing medications) versus small particle size ICS medication in adults and children with asthma. Efficacy outcomes included forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), morning peak expiratory flow (PEF), symptom scores, % predicted forced expiratory flow between 25 and 75% of forced vital capacity (FEF25-75%), and rescue medication use. Safety outcomes were also evaluated when available. RESULTS: Twenty-three independent trials that met the eligibility criteria were identified. Benefit-risk plots did not demonstrate any clinically meaningful differences across the five efficacy endpoints considered and no appreciable differences were noted for most safety endpoints. Meta-analysis results, using a random-effects model, demonstrated no significant difference between standard and small size particle ICS medications in terms of effects on mean change from baseline FEV1 (L) (-0.011, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.037, 0.014 [N = 3524]), morning PEF (L/min) (medium/low doses: -3.874, 95% CI: -10.915, 3.166 [N = 1911]; high/high-medium doses: 5.551, 95% CI: -1.948, 13.049 [N = 749]) and FEF25-75% predicted (-2.418, 95% CI: -6.400; 1.564 [N = 115]). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the available literature, no clinically significant differences in efficacy or safety were observed comparing small and standard particle size ICS medications for the treatment of asthma. TRIAL REGISTRATION: GSK Clinical Study Register No: 202012

Circulating miR-184 is a potential predictive biomarker of cardiac damage in Anderson–Fabry disease

open21noFunding: This work was supported by the Italian Ministry of Health (PE-2013-02356818) to GCEnzyme replacement therapy (ERT) is a mainstay of treatment for Anderson–Fabry disease (AFD), a pathology with negative effects on the heart and kidneys. However, no reliable biomarkers are available to monitor its efficacy. Therefore, we tested a panel of four microRNAs linked with cardiac and renal damage in order to identify a novel biomarker associated with AFD and modulated by ERT. To this end, 60 patients with a definite diagnosis of AFD and on chronic ERT, and 29 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals, were enrolled by two Italian university hospitals. Only miR-184 met both conditions: its level discriminated untreated AFD patients from healthy individuals (c-statistic = 0.7522), and it was upregulated upon ERT (P < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, miR-184 was independently and inversely associated with a higher risk of cardiac damage (odds ratio = 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.76–0.98; P = 0.026). Adding miR-184 to a comprehensive clinical model improved the prediction of cardiac damage in terms of global model fit, calibration, discrimination, and classification accuracy (continuous net reclassification improvement = 0.917, P < 0.001; integrated discrimination improvement [IDI] = 0.105, P = 0.017; relative IDI = 0.221, 95% CI = 0.002–0.356). Thus, miR-184 is a circulating biomarker of AFD that changes after ERT. Assessment of its level in plasma could be clinically valuable in improving the prediction of cardiac damage in AFD patients.openSalamon I.; Biagini E.; Kunderfranco P.; Roncarati R.; Ferracin M.; Taglieri N.; Nardi E.; Laprovitera N.; Tomasi L.; Santostefano M.; Ditaranto R.; Vitale G.; Cavarretta E.; Pisani A.; Riccio E.; Aiello V.; Capelli I.; La Manna G.; Galie N.; Spinelli L.; Condorelli G.Salamon I.; Biagini E.; Kunderfranco P.; Roncarati R.; Ferracin M.; Taglieri N.; Nardi E.; Laprovitera N.; Tomasi L.; Santostefano M.; Ditaranto R.; Vitale G.; Cavarretta E.; Pisani A.; Riccio E.; Aiello V.; Capelli I.; La Manna G.; Galie N.; Spinelli L.; Condorelli G

An international cohort study of autosomal dominant tubulointerstitial kidney disease due to REN mutations identifies distinct clinical subtypes

There have been few clinical or scientific reports of autosomal dominant tubulointerstitial kidney disease due to REN mutations (ADTKD-REN), limiting characterization. To further study this, we formed an international cohort characterizing 111 individuals from 30 families with both clinical and laboratory findings. Sixty-nine individuals had a REN mutation in the signal peptide region (signal group), 27 in the prosegment (prosegment group), and 15 in the mature renin peptide (mature group). Signal group patients were most severely affected, presenting at a mean age of 19.7 years, with the prosegment group presenting at 22.4 years, and the mature group at 37 years. Anemia was present in childhood in 91% in the signal group, 69% prosegment, and none of the mature group. REN signal peptide mutations reduced hydrophobicity of the signal peptide, which is necessary for recognition and translocation across the endoplasmic reticulum, leading to aberrant delivery of preprorenin into the cytoplasm. REN mutations in the prosegment led to deposition of prorenin and renin in the endoplasmic reticulum Golgi intermediate compartment and decreased prorenin secretion. Mutations in mature renin led to deposition of the mutant prorenin in the endoplasmic reticulum, similar to patients with ADTKD-UMOD, with a rate of progression to end stage kidney disease (63.6 years) that was significantly slower vs. the signal (53.1 years) and prosegment groups (50.8 years) (significant hazard ratio 0.367). Thus, clinical and laboratory studies revealed subtypes of ADTKD-REN that are pathophysiologically, diagnostically, and clinically distinct

Sicilian and Southern-Italian red-figure potteries: a provenance study on findings from Gela by portable X-ray fluorescence

In this contribute we present an archaeometric study carried out by non-destructive method on a selection of red-figure vases datable between the second half of the fifth century B.C. and the beginning of the third century B.C., and found at Gela, an important Greek colony on the southern coast of Sicily. This class of vessels includes valuable artifacts, found in different archeological contexts through Sicily and Southern Italy and preserved in several Museums. So far, scholars have attributed hypothetically these vases to single painters only on the basis of the drawing style and the iconography of the depicted scenes (Trendall, 1989) and they have made assumptions about the location of the different workshops merely according to the distribution of findings (Barresi, 2014; Denoyelle & Iozzo, 2009; Spigo, 1987). The only archaeometric study on the provenance of these ceramics is a recent research on vases from the archaeological site of Locri Epizephiri (Mirti et al., 2004). However, the possibility to address a more comprehensive investigation about location of production centers and to reconstruct the production system and the circulation of the fine vessels would require the collection of several archaeometric data on red-figure vessels variously founded in different archeological contexts and attributed to as many as painters. The occurrence of both figured vases in excellent conditionand small fragments attributed to famous painters often does not allow the sampling. In the matter in question, the application of non-destructive approach is advisable. For the aforementioned, a selection of red-figure vases preserved at the Archaeological Museum of Gela (Sicily) and stylistically attributed to several painters whose activity has been localized both in Sicily and in South-Italy, have been analyzed by portable X-ray fluorescence method. In detail, measurements have been carried out on both bulk and red surface though a Brucker portable XRF spectrometer (Tracer IV-SD). The obtained results have been processed by statistical methods with the aim to differentiate the provenance of the studied artifacts on chemical bases