Longitudinal Behavioral Assessment of Neonatal Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children and infants is a primary cause of cognitive and behavioral problems that can persist through adulthood. In this study, the long-term behavioral effects of neonatal and juvenile TBI (jTBI) were characterized using mice. At an age of post-natal 7 or 10 days, mice underwent moderate or severe closed skull impact or sham surgery. Behavioral testing was conducted at 6 and 8 months post-injury. Tests administered included the open field activity (general activity levels), zero maze (anxiety), forced swim (depression), rotarod (coordination and balance), and water maze (general/spatial learning). jTBI mice showed elevated activity levels, impaired sensorimotor abilities, impaired spatial learning, and less efficient spatial search strategy use compared with sham animals. These differences were consistent and stable up to 8 months post-injury, suggesting that deficits acquired as the result of a TBI can have long-lasting behavioral impacts

Predictors of Neuropsychological Status in Cardiac Patients

Heart Disease is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. Disease processes such as Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) and Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) account for the majority of cases, and are responsible for Myocardial Infarctions (MI), Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) surgery, and other common disease sequelae and treatment paradigms. While the fact that heart can negatively impact cognitive functioning is well documented, the factors that drive changes in cognition have not been studied in depth. Additionally, while many heart patients choose to enter cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs designed to decrease morbidly and mortality, most do not. This study used hierarchical regression models to test these two aims. heart patients entering rehabilitation or electing not to participate were assessed using a chart review, standardized neuropsychological measures, and standard questionnaires, with a final sample size of 52 (11 controls, 41 rehabilitation subjects). For Aim 1, health (hypertension, CHF, surgery history), and cognitive reserve (education, premorbid IQ) variables successfully predicted the cognitive status of heart patients across several functional domains, while affective factors (depression, anxiety, stress) were less predictive. For Aim 2, cognitive variables were not significantly associated with whether or not a patient adheres to cardiac rehabilitation. Results indicate that multiple health and cognitive reserve-related factors impact cognitive functioning. Helping heart patients manage or compensate for identified risk factors could help mediate morbidity and mortality

Characterization of the brain injury, neurobehavioral profiles, and histopathology in a rat model of cerebellar hemorrhage

A media guide for Wright State University\u27s 2007 Women\u27s Soccer team. This guide includes photographs, player stats, game results, and records.https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/athletics_publications/1255/thumbnail.jp

Pollen limitation and xenia effects in a cultivated mass-flowering tree, Macadamia integrifolia (Proteaceae)

Background and Aims: Pollen limitation is most prevalent among bee-pollinated plants, self-incompatible plants and tropical plants. However, we have very little understanding of the extent to which pollen limitation affects fruit set in mass-flowering trees despite tree crops accounting for at least 600 million tons of the 9200 million tons of annual global food production. Methods: We determined the extent of pollen limitation in a bee-pollinated, partially self-incompatible, subtropical tree by hand cross-pollinating the majority of flowers on mass-flowering macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia) trees that produce about 200 000-400 000 flowers. We measured tree yield and kernel quality and estimated final fruit set. We genotyped individual kernels by MassARRAY to determine levels of outcrossing in orchards and assess paternity effects on nut quality. Key Results: Macadamia trees were pollen-limited. Supplementary cross-pollination increased nut-in-shell yield, kernel yield and fruit set by as much as 97, 109 and 92 %, respectively. The extent of pollen limitation depended upon the proximity of experimental trees to trees of another cultivar because macadamia trees were highly outcrossing. Between 84 and 100 % of fruit arose from cross-pollination, even at 200 m (25 rows) from orchard blocks of another cultivar. Large variations in nut-in-shell mass, kernel mass, kernel recovery and kernel oil concentration were related to differences in fruit paternity, including between self-pollinated and cross-pollinated fruit, thus demonstrating pollen-parent effects on fruit quality (i.e. xenia). Conclusions: This study is the first to demonstrate pollen limitation in a mass-flowering tree. Improved pollination led to increased kernel yield of 0.31-0.59 tons ha-1, which equates currently to higher farm-gate income of approximately $US3720-$US7080 ha-1. The heavy reliance of macadamia flowers on cross-pollination and the strong xenia effects on kernel mass demonstrate the high value that pollination services can provide to food production.</p

High Outcrossing Levels among Global Macadamia Cultivars: Implications for Nut Quality, Orchard Designs and Pollinator Management

Global fruit and nut yields are affected by shortfalls in pollinator populations, and pollen limitation is most prevalent among tropical, bee-pollinated and self-incompatible plants. Macadamia is a subtropical, bee-pollinated crop in which some cultivars have been found to be highly outcrossing. We aimed to determine the extent of outcrossing and its effects on nut quality across a wide range of international macadamia cultivars in three countries. We sampled fruit from 19 macadamia cultivars across 23 sites in Australia, Brazil and South Africa. We used genotype-by-sequencing and MassARRAY methods to assign paternity to individual fruit and we assessed pollen-parent effects on nut quality. Macadamia was highly outcrossing, producing 80–100% of fruit by cross-pollination, at 17 of the 23 sites. Mixed mating (41–72% outcrossing) was identified at five sites, and low outcrossing (10%) was identified in one cultivar at one site where it was isolated from other flowering macadamia trees. Outcrossed fruit often had significantly better quality than selfed fruit, with 1.61–3.39 g higher nut-in-shell mass, 0.53–1.55 g higher kernel mass, 3.3–6.4% higher kernel recovery, and 3.0–3.5% higher oil concentration. The differences in kernel recovery equated to differences in value of USD 433–841 per ton of nut-in-shell at prices of USD 3000 per ton. In summary, macadamia cultivars were mostly highly outcrossing, and outcrossed nuts often had higher quality than selfed nuts. Growers should consider interplanting different cultivars more closely and distributing bee hives more widely to maximise cross-pollination, produce high yields, and optimise nut quality.</p