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Plain language summary Comprehensive biomarker testing is a crucial requirement for the optimal treatment of advanced‐stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with emerging relevance in the adjuvant treatment setting. To advance its goal of ensuring optimal therapy for persons diagnosed with lung cancer, the American Cancer Society National Lung Cancer Roundtable (ACS NLCRT) held The Summit on Optimizing Lung Cancer Biomarkers in Practice in September 2020 to align its partners toward the goal of ensuring comprehensive biomarker testing for all eligible patients with NSCLC. The ACS NLCRT's Strategic Plan for Advancing Comprehensive Biomarker Testing in NSCLC, a product of the summit, comprises actions to promote comprehensive biomarker testing for all eligible patients. The approach is multifaceted, including policy‐level advocacy and the development and dissemination of targeted educational materials, clinical decision tools, and guides to patients, physicians, and payers aimed at ameliorating barriers to testing experienced by each of these groups. The ACS NLCRT works to improve care for patients with lung cancer. The ACS NLCRT supports comprehensive biomarker testing as essential to determine treatment options for all eligible patients with non–small cell lung cancer. Many factors lead to some patients not receiving optimal biomarker testing. The ACS NLCRT held a collaborative summit and developed a strategic plan to achieve and promote comprehensive biomarker testing for all patients. These plans include developing educational materials and physician tools and advocating for national policies in support of biomarker testing. The ACS NLCRT works to improve care for patients with lung cancer.The ACS NLCRT supports comprehensive biomarker testing as essential to determine treatment options for all eligible patients with non–small cell lung cancer.Many factors lead to some patients not receiving optimal biomarker testing.The ACS NLCRT held a collaborative summit and developed a strategic plan to achieve and promote comprehensive biomarker testing for all patients.These plans include developing educational materials and physician tools and advocating for national policies in support of biomarker testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has shown that extended exposure to delayed reinforcement results in less impulsive choice in a subsequent delay-discounting task. Some work also suggests the opposite effect: extended exposure to immediate reinforcement may result in more impulsive choice behavior in a subsequent delay-discounting task. Understanding the impact that learning histories have on impulsive choice is important and clinically relevant because of the relationship between a strong preference for smaller-sooner over larger-later reinforcement (i.e., impulsive choice) and a myriad of other problematic health behaviors, such as substance misuse. In the present experiment, we exposed 24 rats to an immediate reinforcement intervention and 24 rats to a maturation/handle control group, followed immediately by a delay-discounting task. The procedure was designed as a systematic replication that accounted for several limitations from recent similar work. Results indicated that exposure to immediate reinforcement modestly increased impulsive choice in the delay-discounting task, but the effect was not overwhelming. These findings are consistent with previous work and have implications for understanding how experience-based interventions may affect clinically relevant impulsive choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anaphylaxis is a sudden multisystem allergic reaction which may result in a fatal outcome if not treated promptly. Guidelines worldwide suggest intramuscular adrenaline as the first‐line treatment for anaphylaxis outside a perioperative reaction. Adrenaline autoinjectors (AAIs) are widely used self‐administrable devices, especially in community settings. Different commercial AAIs have been authorized to be marketed in Europe. For an AAI to be efficacious, a rapid adrenaline delivery in patients, including those who are overweight or obese, resulting in an optimal cardiovascular (CV) response, is a key feature. AAIs are designed to achieve this requirement, which is reflected in their differing functional properties such as primary container selection, drug delivery mechanism (cartridge‐or syringe‐based), needle length, needle gauge, and adrenaline dose (150 μg, 300 μg, or 500 μg). However, the differences in functional properties across these devices may play a critical role in achieving these requirements as well as the differences in ergonomics in the handling of these devices. The purpose of this review: Considering the dynamic pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) profiles of different AAIs marketed in Europe and their effect on adrenaline delivery, the expert panel, also serving as author for this paper have carried out a detailed analysis of the PK/PD profiles of four AAIs, namely, Anapen, Emerade, EpiPen, and Jext, to delineate the adrenaline delivery and their subsequent physiological effects on the backdrop of device characteristics, dose strength, and the skin‐to‐muscle distances of the participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) is a anadromous fish found along the east coast of North America and is listed under the Endangered Species Act of the United States. Decades of overfishing and habitat degradation have caused range-wide population declines, and the population status of this species in many rivers is unclear. Quantifying annual recruitment is one way to assess the status of sturgeon populations, but such assessments are few. The objective of this study was to quantify recruitment of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon in the Savannah, Ogeechee, and Satilla Rivers in Georgia. Because we used identical methods in 3 rivers simultaneously, we were able to directly compare recruitment among these populations with that of other populations observed in contemporaneous studies in other rivers. We conducted mark-recapture sampling during 2014-2017 and used Huggins closed population models to estimate annual recruitment. Because there are no historical data for comparison, we evaluated the 3 populations in terms of recruit abundance, variation, and consistency. The Savannah River annually had relatively large numbers of recruits (639-937 individuals). Fewer recruits were produced in the Ogeechee (27-57 individuals) and Satilla (51-134 individuals) Rivers; recruitment occurred in only some years in those rivers. Populations that produce few recruits or do not have regular recruitment may be experiencing bottlenecks preventing recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) is an anadromous, widely distributed, highly migratory sturgeon subspecies that occurs in rivers and marine waters along the North American Atlantic Coast. This fish has shown widespread declines and has been afforded conservation protections, including some based in the U.S. on the delineation of Distinct Population Segments (DPS) under the Endangered Species Act. The management of Atlantic sturgeon will benefit from the knowledge of its population structure as well as the ability to uniquely identify individuals (in relation to population origin) that are vulnerable to anthropogenic stressors at sites outside of their natal estuaries. We used microsatellite analysis to estimate the genetic population structure of Atlantic sturgeon from 13 spawning rivers ranging from the St. Lawrence River, Quebec to the Satilla River, Georgia. Individual Based Assignment (IBA) testing was used to estimate the contribution of each population to mixed-stock aggregations in coastal waters and in a non-natal estuary. An unexpected finding was the discovery of two distinct genetic clusters of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon in the Ogeechee River, Georgia, with specimens in the two clusters differing significantly in terms of mean total length. Additionally, three distinct genetic clusters were detected within the Satilla River juvenile collection, along with two clusters within the Edisto River sample. In F1ST and FST analyses, the extent of the pairwise genetic differentiation between the two genetic clusters in the Ogeechee River and the three in the Satilla River was greater than that between all other pairwise comparisons among rivers in the South Atlantic DPS. In contrast, we found no evidence of the genetic partitioning of juvenile sturgeon within the neighboring Savannah or Altamaha river populations. Using IBA, we found that the overall Ogeechee River population made a moderate contribution (8.3%) to the overall mixed-stock collections (n = 1512) from coastal North Carolina to the Bay of Fundy. Surprisingly, all of the Ogeechee River-assigned specimens (n = 125) in these mixed-stock aggregations were representatives of only one of the two Ogeechee River genetic clusters. These results suggest that the two Ogeechee River genetic clusters exhibit significantly different life history strategies, with one being resident and the second being highly migratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently it has been proposed that impairments related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may reflect a more fundamental disruption in time perception. Here, we examined whether in utero exposure to valproic acid (VPA) can generate specific behavioral deficits related to ASD and time perception. Pups from control and VPA groups were tested using fixed-interval (FI) temporal bisection, peak interval, and intertemporal choice tasks. In addition, the rats were assessed on motor function, perseverative and exploratory behavior, anxiety, and memory. The VPA group displayed a leftward shift in timing functions. VPA rats displayed no deficits on the motor and memory tasks, but were significantly different from controls on measures of perseveration and anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rodent models are commonly used in behavioral research because they offer increased experimental control and findings often generalizable to humans. However, one possible dilemma is that rodents are primarily nocturnal and research tasks often disrupt their light, rest phase. The present study used a within-subjects design to investigate possible effects of light-dark phase on delay discounting, motor coordination, open field, and elevated-plus maze behavior in Wistar rats. Rats spent significantly more time in the closed arms of the elevated plus maze when tested during the light, rest phase compared to the dark, active phase. There were no differences in motor coordination or delay discounting during the two phases. These results suggest possible important differences in certain behavioral tasks when testing in the light, rest versus dark, active phase for rats—researchers should be aware of these possible differences when planning and conducting experiments and when comparing research findings across laboratories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acipenser brevirostrum (Shortnose Sturgeon) is an endangered fish found in eastern North American rivers. Age data are largely lacking for the species, particularly in southern rivers. Such data can be acquired by examining the annuli of the pectoral fin rays. This study's objective was to compare ages derived from the first versus second pectoral fin rays. In 2020, we obtained paired pectoral ray samples from 59 Shortnose Sturgeon from 2 Georgia rivers. After processing, 35 ray pairs were examined by 3 independent readers. Only 21% of ray pairs were assigned the exact same age; 56% of pairs were assigned ages within 1 year. There was considerable overlap in length at assigned age for both first and second pectoral rays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acipenser brevirostrum (Shortnose Sturgeon) is an endangered fish found in eastern North American rivers. Age data are largely lacking for the species, particularly in southern rivers. Such data can be acquired by examining the annuli of the pectoral fin rays. This study's objective was to compare ages derived from the first versus second pectoral fin rays. In 2020, we obtained paired pectoral ray samples from 59 Shortnose Sturgeon from 2 Georgia rivers. After processing, 35 ray pairs were examined by 3 independent readers. Only 21% of ray pairs were assigned the exact same age; 56% of pairs were assigned ages within 1 year. There was considerable overlap in length at assigned age for both first and second pectoral rays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Targeted therapies for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with oncogenic drivers have caused a paradigm shift in care. Biomarker testing is needed to assess eligibility for these therapies. Pulmonologists often perform bronchoscopy, providing tissue for both pathologic diagnosis and biomarker analysis. We performed this survey to define the existing knowledge and practices regarding the pulmonologists' role in biomarker testing for advanced NSCLC.Research Question: What is the current knowledge and practice of pulmonologists regarding biomarker testing and targeted therapies in advanced NSCLC?Study Design and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed using an electronic survey of a random sample of 7,238 pulmonologists. Questions focused on diagnostic steps and biomarker analyses for NSCLC.Results: A total of 453 pulmonologists responded. Respondents vary by reported lung cancer patient volume, ranging from 51% evaluating one to four new cases per month to 19% evaluating > 10 cases per month. Interventional training, academic practice setting, and higher volume of endobronchial ultrasound with transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) were associated with increased knowledge of practice guidelines for the number of recommended passes during EBUS-TBNA (P < .05). Academic pulmonologists more commonly performed or referred for EBUS-TBNA than community pulmonologists (96% and 83%, respectively; P < .0005). Higher testing rates were associated with interventional training, academic setting, and the presence of an institutional policy, whereas lower testing rates were associated with general pulmonologists, practice in community settings, and lack of a guiding institutional policy (P < .05).Interpretation: Substantial differences among pulmonologists' evaluation of advanced NSCLC, variation in knowledge of available biomarkers and the importance of targeted therapies, and differences in institutional coordination likely lead to underutilization of biomarker testing. Interventional training appears to drive improved knowledge and practice for biomarker testing more than practice setting. Improvements are needed in tissue acquisition and interdisciplinary coordination to ensure universal and comprehensive testing for eligible patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive biomarker testing for patients with non–small cell lung cancer is critical for selecting appropriate targeted therapy or immunotherapy. Ensuring timely ordering, processing, and reporting is key to optimizing patient outcomes. However, various factors can prevent or delay patients from being offered the option of treatment selection based on comprehensive biomarker testing. These factors include problems with access to testing, tissue adequacy, turnaround time, and health insurance coverage and billing practices. Turnaround time depends on several logistical and tissue handling factors, which involve institutional policies, processes, resources, testing methodology, and testing algorithms that vary across different practices. In this article, the authors identify key factors that prolong biomarker testing turnaround time, propose strategies to reduce it, and present a process map to aid physicians and key organizational stakeholders in improving testing efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gulf sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi) is an anadromous fish found in drainages of the Gulf coast from Louisiana to Florida and is federally listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Estimates of abundance of adult Gulf sturgeon from several studies have been reported, but direct quantification of juvenile abundance has not been attempted--although such information regarding annual recruitment and juvenile population trends is critical. Our objectives were to quantify recruitment of Gulf sturgeon in the Apalachicola River in Florida by estimating age-1 juvenile abundance and to investigate their survival. During May-August in 2013- 2018, we used entanglement gear to conduct a mark-recapture assessment of juvenile Gulf sturgeon. Using Huggins closed population models, we estimated that the Apalachicola River produces 28-210 age-1 juveniles annually (mean: 70 individuals [standard deviation 69.4]). Acoustic telemetry data collected from a subset of age-1 fish indicate that the study area was closed during sampling. We conservatively estimated overwinter survival on the basis of detections and recapture of age-2+ fish acoustically tagged at age 1. Survival varied among years from 33% to 90%. These results indicate that direct estimates of recruitment of Gulf sturgeon to age 1 are feasible, but it is difficult to determine whether this population is recruitment limited without similar data for other populations of Gulf sturgeon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dams can impede access to habitats that are required for the completion of life history phases of many migratory fish species, including anadromous sturgeons. Various forms of fish passage have been developed to permit migratory fishes to move above dams, but many dams still lack such structures. Translocation of ripe, mature fish above dams has been used as a first step to determine the efficacy of potential fish passage systems. The anadromous Gulf sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi, inhabits the Gulf of Mexico and coastal rivers from Florida to Louisiana, and requires upriver spawning habitats to complete its life cycle. Historic overfishing and other anthropogenic threats, including dam construction, led to species declines and subsequent listing as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. In the Apalachicola River, FL, the 1957 completion of Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam (JWLD) created Lake Seminole and blocked Gulf Sturgeon from accessing 78% of historic riverine habitat—including potential spawning habitat—in the Apalachicola‐Chattahoochee‐Flint River Basin. The objective of this pilot study was to determine the efficacy of passage around JWLD through the trap‐and‐transport of 10 male Gulf sturgeon from the Apalachicola River to the reservoir above the dam. Through the use of acoustic telemetry, we were able to assess the ability of these fish to navigate Lake Seminole, access potentially suitable spawning habitat in the Flint and River, and complete their seasonal outmigration to the Gulf of Mexico. In this study, 2 translocated sturgeon moved 69 km upstream into potential spawning habitat in the Flint River, but 6 fish fell back through the lock/spill gates at JWLD within days of translocation. Four sturgeon appeared to remain trapped in the reservoir, and their long‐term survival was deemed unlikely. Given our low sample size, and examination of male fish only, we cannot conclude that a trap‐and‐transport program would ultimately fail to restore spawning above JWLD, but our findings suggest that the risk of adult mortality is nontrivial. Alternatively, we suggest future studies examine the population level trade‐offs associated with translocation of adults or consider alternatives such as a head‐start program to rear and release juvenile sturgeon above JWLD to study viability of their passage in addition to effects on overall recruitment in the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Various injectors are commercially available for Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) but not all injectors have been studied for endothelial damage of grafts. The aim of the study was to compare endothelial damage in pre-stripped DMEK tissue from three clinically used injector devices: the modified Jones tube, the STAAR intraocular (IOL) injector, and the Geuder glass cannula in a laboratory setting.Methods: Twenty-four human donor corneas were used for this study, eight for each study arm. Each endothelial graft was pre-stripped, trephined to 8.0 mm diameter, then loaded into either the modified Jones tube, the STAAR IOL injector, or the Geuder glass cannula by an eye bank technician who had no prior experience with any of the injectors. Grafts were then ejected, stained with Calcein acetoxymethyl (AM), and quantitatively analyzed using FIJI image software. The primary outcome was the percent of endothelial damage from injector loading and injection. Donor demographics were analyzed using Fisher's exact test. The percentage of endothelial cell loss was compared across groups using the Kruskal-Wallis test.Results: The mean percent of endothelial damage from after injection of the graft was 37.8% (±SD 12.2%) for the modified Jones tube, 37.0% (±SD 13.9%) for the STAAR IOL injector, and 23.5% (±SD 5.1%) for the Geuder cannula (P = 0.008).Conclusion: DMEK injectors contribute to intraoperative endothelial damage of transplanted grafts. The Geuder glass cannula may offer increased ease of use and less endothelial damage compared to the modified Jones tube or STAAR IOL injector for the novice user in early cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This note presents the discovery of what appears to be the long-lost first edition of Allan Ramsay's famous Elegy on Maggy Johnston. Its subject died in 1711 and the poem is first referred to in the summer of 1712, but the earliest versions known hitherto have been manuscript copies of the '2d edition enlarged and corrected' by the author in July 1713. It was not believed to survive in print before the third and final edition, published together with Ramsay's elegies on John Cowper and Lucky Wood, in a pamphlet of 1718. This first edition was found in the broadside collection of the Signet Library, Edinburgh. Like some of Ramsay's other early poems, it is printed on a half-sheet, suggesting that it was intended for street sale. It consists of just 11 stanzas, which Ramsay evidently expanded to 16 stanzas in his second edition, and then revised to 15 for the definitive iteration. The stanzas consist of only five lines, indicating that Ramsay had yet to adopt the 'Standard Habbie' form that became associated with mock elegies and other comic verse. The imprint is undated but it seems to be the original text of late 1711 or early 1712, or some variant of it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has indicated high economic and environmental costs of human paper usage. Technologies have been developed to reduce consumers' paper use behavior, including mechanical dispensers that institute a delay between opportunities to obtain each consecutive unit. However, there is no empirical evidence that these dispensers or delays reduce paper use. In Experiment 1, implementing a delay between paper-unit deliveries using mechanical dispensers in a university café resulted in a significant decrease in units per person, material per person, and cost per person, compared to free-access dispensers. In Experiment 2, a relatively long delay was more effective than a short delay in reducing paper consumption in a laboratory experiment using mechanical dispensers. These results indicate that delays could be used to decrease paper use in many contexts on a larger scale. More research is necessary to determine the underlying behavioral mechanisms responsible for the observed reduction and the cost–benefit relationship under different circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Exposure to delayed rewards increased preference for larger-later rewards. • Exposure to immediate rewards decreased preference for larger-later rewards. • Changes in timing precision were not predictive of changes in choice. • More research is necessary to uncover the underlying mechanism for these effects. Abstract A relatively strong preference for smaller-sooner rewards (SSR) over larger-later rewards (LLR) is associated with a host of maladaptive behavioral patterns. As such, the clinical implications for increasing preference for LLR are profound. There is a growing body of literature that suggests extended exposure to delayed reward may increase preference for LLR in rats. However, questions remain about the underlying mechanism driving this effect and the extent to which extended exposure to immediate rewards may decrease LLR choice. In Experiment 1, we tested effects of a differential-reinforcement-of-low-rates schedule (DRL) to increase LLR choice using a pretest/posttest design with Wistar rats as subjects. We compared this group to a group of rats exposed to a differential-reinforcement-of-high-rates schedule (DRH). The DRH intervention has never been employed in this research context, but explicitly programs an immediate response-reinforcement requirement. In Experiment 2, we tested effects of an intervention with a delay longer than those used in the delay discounting pretest and posttest. No previous research has tested effects of an intervention delay this long, relative to the delay discounting task. We compared this group to a group exposed to a delay that was part of the delay discounting pretest and posttest and to a group exposed to a traditional no-delay, fixed-ratio (FR) 2 control intervention. In both experiments, we found that exposure to delayed rewards in the intervention phase significantly increased LLR choice relative to pretest performance. These findings replicate and extend a growing body of literature showing that delay exposure increases preference for LLR. We also found significant decreases in LLR choice from pretest to posttest in the DRH and no-delay intervention groups in Experiments 1 and 2, respectively. This is the first report of such an effect and has implications for understanding and interpreting effects of delay exposure training in past and future research. Our results also suggested no relationship between improved temporal tracking of reward and increases in LLR choice as a result of delay exposure training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cows 'milk protein allergy (CMPA) is the most common food allergy in infants in the United Kingdom. Infants with CMPA who are not exclusively breastfed require a substitute hypoallergenic formula, which are perceived as having a poor palatability. This study compares the palatability of different extensively hydrolysed formulas (EHFs) and explores healthcare professional (HCP) expectations of how palatability impacts infants and their families. Methods: Healthcare professional with experience of CMPA were recruited to take part in a home palatability test of four EHFs [Aptamil Pepti 1, Nutricia Ltd. (EHF W1); Althera, Nestle Health Science (EHF W2); Similac Alimentum, Abbott (EHF C1); Nutramigen LGG 1, Mead Johnson (EHF C2)] using a blind taste procedure. A randomised, complete block design was used to minimise order and carry‐over biases. Participants completed a questionnaire about the impact of formula palatability on infants and their families. Results: A total of 100 HCPs took part (51 dietitians and 49 general practitioners). Overall, whey‐based lactose‐containing EHFs were ranked the most palatable: EHF W1 by 77% of participants and EHF W2 by 20%. EHF W1 was liked significantly more (P < 0.0001) than the other formulas. The vast majority of participants agreed that better palatability would result in an increased chance of non‐rejection (96%), more content families (92%) and decreased healthcare costs (90%). Conclusion: Amongst HCPs who manage infants with CMPA, whey‐based lactose‐containing EHFs were ranked the most palatable. HCPs expected that good palatability would result in better acceptance, more content infants and families, alongside decreased wastage and healthcare costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allergic rhinitis is a very common disease of childhood, and its impact on quality of life is often underestimated. This article discusses the diagnosis of allergic rhinitis in children and the management options that can be tried, including allergen avoidance, pharmacological therapies and allergen immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Verbal rules or instructions often exert obvious and meaningful control over human behavior. Sometimes instructions benefit the individual by enabling faster acquisition of a skill or by obviating an aversive consequence. However, research has also suggested a clear disadvantage: 'insensitivity' to changing underlying contingencies. The two experiments described here investigated the variables that control initial rule-following behavior and rule-following insensitivity. When the initial rule was inaccurate, behavior was consistent with the rule for approximately half of participants and all participants' behavior was mostly insensitive to changing contingencies. When the initial rule was accurate, behavior of all participants was consistent with it and behavior for nearly all participants was insensitive to changes in underlying contingencies. These findings have implications for how best to establish and maintain rule-following behavior in applied settings when deviant behavior would be more reinforcing to the individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spontaneously hypertensive (SHR/NCrl) rat from Charles River is one of the most widely used models of the combined subtype of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD-C). Although often used as its control strain, the Wistar Kyoto (WKY/NCrl) from Charles River has been proposed as a model of the predominately inattentive subtype of ADHD (ADHD-PI). In Experiment 1 SHR/NCrl, WKY/NCrl, and Wistar (WI; the progenitor strain for the two models) rats were trained on a left → right lever-press sequence in the presence of light discriminative stimuli that signaled the active lever in the sequence. In subsequent conditions the discriminative light cues were removed or reversed. WKY/NCrl accuracy remained relatively stable across cue light transitions. SHR/NCrl and WI accuracy was more disrupted when light cues were removed or reversed—an indication that behavior of the WKY/NCrl rats may not have come under control of the discriminative light cues as it did for the other strains, but relied more on past behavior and spatial cues. In Experiment 2, all three strains were exposed to a response-initiated fixed-interval (RIFI) 8-s schedule of reinforcement. In RIFI schedules behavior must be timed from a past instance of the target response. Replicating previous work, timing during the FI was roughly equivalent across the three strains; however, latencies to initiate the FI were significantly longer for SHR/NCrl than WKY/NCrl and WI rats, suggesting SHR/NCrl behavior was less sensitive to the first-response:food contingency in the RIFI schedule. These findings identify differences in stimulus control between the three strains and may help determine the efficacy of SHR/NCrl and WKY/NCrl as models of ADHD subtypes in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research on interval timing in the behavioral and neurological sciences has employed a concurrent fixed-interval (FI) procedure first reported by Platt and Davis (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 9, 160-170, 1983). Studies employing the task typically assess just 1 dependent variable, the switch/bisection point; however, multiple measures of timing are available in the procedure and it is unclear (a) what is timed (i.e., learned) by subjects and (b) what other measures might tell us about timing in the task and generally. The main objective of the current experiment was to utilize multiple dependent measures of timing accuracy and precision derived from the task to assess whether the 2 FIs are timed independently or if timing 1 FI interferes with timing the other, and vice versa. Four pigeons were exposed to an FI temporal bisection procedure with parametric manipulations across two phases. In the constant phase, the short FI was always the same; the long FI was 2 to 16 times the short FI and changed across conditions. In the proportional phase, the long FI was always 4 times the duration of the short FI. Across both phases, pigeon mean bisection points were near the geometric mean of the 2 FIs. Coefficients of variance increased as the durations to be timed increased. Results suggested pigeons' timing of the short FI was affected by the presence of the long FI, and vice versa. The FI temporal bisection task offers multiple dependent variables for analysis and is well suited for studying temporal learning and decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors discuss the findings of the first in-depth study into patient experiences in accessing paediatric allergy services in Great Britain. The study was based around two clinics in the West Midlands. The study authors assumed that many of the themes identified are generalizable across Great Britain. The findings seem to point to an openness by patients to consult a specialist nurse.

Behavior and events distributed in time can serve as markers that signal delays to future events. The majority of timing research has focused on how behavior changes as the time to some event, usually food availability, decreases. The primary objective of the two experiments presented here was to assess how behavior changes as time passes between two time markers when the first time marker was manipulated but the second, food delivery, was held constant. Pigeons were exposed to fixed-interval, response-initiated fixed-interval, and signaled response-initiated fixed-interval 15- and 30-s schedules of reinforcement. In Experiment 1, first-response latencies were systematically shorter in the signaled response-initiated schedules than response-initiated schedules, suggesting that the first response was a more effective time marker when it was signaled. In Experiment 2, responding in no-food (i.e. 'peak') trials indicated that timing accuracy was equivalent in the three schedule types. Compared to fixed interval schedules, timing precision was reduced in the signaled response-initiated schedules and was lowest in response-initiated schedules. Results from Experiments 1 and 2 coupled with previous research suggest that the overall 'informativeness' of a time marker relative to other events and behaviors in the environment may determine its efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay examines the images of Scots portrayed in English broadside ballads of the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. On the one hand, ballads on political themes most often portrayed the "blue caps" of Scotland as traitors and rebels. On the other hand, the wooing ballads of the period promoted an idealized "north country" as backdrop to the amorous adventures of "Jockey" and "Jenny." Adam Fox argues that the "Scotch" tunes composed for songbooks, plays, and broadsides in London during the late seventeenth century came to be adopted by the popular press in Scotland as it developed over the following generations. As a result, melodies of English provenance were naturalized north of the border and entered the repertoire of "Caledonian airs" that were to become such a defining feature of Scottish culture in the Georgian age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we implement a numerical algorithm to compute codimension-one tori in threedimensional, volume-preserving maps. A torus is defined by its conjugacy to rigid rotation, which is in turn given by its Fourier series. The algorithm employs a quasi-Newton scheme to find the Fourier coefficients of a truncation of the series. We show that this method converges for tori of two example maps by continuation from an integrable case, and discuss the scaling of computational resources required for accurate computations. We demonstrate that the growth of the largest singular value of the derivative of the conjugacy predicts the threshold for the destruction of the torus. We use these singular values to examine the mechanics of the breakup of tori, identifying its onset with the formation of "spires" or "streaks" in the local singular values on the tori. These are analogous to the gaps in cantori of two-dimensional twist maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aversive control is a common method to reduce undesirable behavior in horses. However, it often results in unintended negative side effects, including potential abuse of the animal. Procedures based on positive reinforcement, such as differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO), may reduce undesirable behaviors with fewer negative consequences. The current study used DRO schedules to reduce pawing using a multiple baseline design across 3 horses. Results indicated that DRO schedules were effective at reducing pawing. However, individual differences in sensitivity to DRO and reinforcer efficacy may be important considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to antibiotics are commonly reported among children, with some representing genuine drug allergies. Accurate diagnostic tests are required. Drug provocation testing (DPT) is accepted as the gold standard investigation among children with suspected antibiotic allergy. We conducted this review to ascertain the strength of current evidence for using DPT as the first-line investigation for suspected antibiotic allergy among children. Methods Medline was searched in June 2014 for publications investigating antibiotic allergy among children. Results 865 publications were retrieved and 76 studies selected. ADRs are most common among children of 0 - 4 years, however only some reveal drug allergies. The best evidence demonstrates that around 0.21% of general paediatric outpatients demonstrate positive antibiotic intradermal (ID) testing or DPTs, while 6.8% of children attending emergency departments for suspected ß-lactam allergy may fulfil DPT reactions. Four studies used DPTbased protocols to investigate suspected antibiotic allergy, with two of these conducting ID testing and DPTs across all participants. ß-lactam and clarithromycin ID testing had sensitivities of 66.7% and 75%, with positive predictive values of 3 6% and 33%, respectively, when compared with DPT data. Conclusions Our literature review found four (6%) publications that performed DPTs to subjects' index antibiotic across all participants. No rigorous evidence supports using skin prick, ID or in vitro diagnostic testing; indeed, the testing regimens, extracts and positivity criteria used are inconsistent. We recommend that suspected nonserious antibiotic allergy should be primarily investigated using DPT-based clinical protocols. Data examining their safety, acceptability and diagnostic performance are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We identify some geometric structures (secondary tori) that restrict transport and prevent mixing in perturbations of integrable volume-preserving systems with nonzero net flux. Unlike the customary KAM tori, secondary tori cannot be continued to the tori present in the integrable system but are generated by resonances and have a contractible direction. We also note that secondary tori persist under the addition of a net flux, which destroys all customary KAM tori. We introduce a remarkably simple algorithm to analyze the behavior of volume preserving maps and to obtain quantitative properties of the secondary tori. We then implement the algorithm and, after running it, present assertions regarding the distribution of the escape times of the unbounded orbits, the abundance of secondary tori, the size of the resonant regions, and the robustness of the tori under the addition of a mean flux. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different events can serve as time markers that initiate intervals in schedules of reinforcement. Pigeons were exposed to fixed-interval (FI) schedules in which the onset of the interval was signaled by the illumination of a key light or initiated by a peck to a lighted key. Food was delivered following the first response after the interval elapsed. In Experiment 1, three pigeons were exposed to a multiple schedule. One component was a standard FI schedule: Key light illumination signaled the onset of the interval. The other component was a response-initiated fixed-interval (RIFI) schedule: The first key-peck response determined the onset of the interval. In Experiment 2, three pigeons were exposed to a multiple FI-RIFI schedule of reinforcement and on occasional trials food was not delivered (i.e. "no-food" or "peak trials"). A yoking procedure equated reinforcement rates between the schedule types in both experiments. Absolute response rates early in the intervals were higher in the RIFI schedules of both experiments. Normalized response-rate gradients, ogive fits of normalized response gradients, and breakpoints were not systematically different for the schedule types in Experiment 1, indicating similar patterns of responding between interval onset and food delivery. However, during peak trials in Experiment 2 the duration of responding at a high rate was longer for RIFI schedules than FI schedules. This suggests that timing precision was reduced in the RIFI schedules and that relative "distinctiveness" of a time marker may determine its efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Models of interval timing typically include a response threshold to account for temporal production. The present study sought to evaluate the dependent concurrent fixed-interval fixed-interval schedule of reinforcement as a tool for selectively isolating the response threshold in rats, pigeons, and humans. In this task, reinforcement is available either at one location after a short delay or at another location at a longer delay. Because the reinforced location is not signaled, subjects normally respond on the first location and, if reinforcement is not delivered, then switch to the second location. The latency to switch between locations served as the primary dependent measure. After training rats, pigeons, and humans with equal reinforcement magnitudes in the short and long delays, the magnitude of reinforcement was increased threefold on the long-delay location. Consistent with model predictions, this biasing procedure decreased estimates of the response threshold of rats and pigeons, but also reduced temporal control in these species and increased response-threshold estimates in humans. Human and pigeon performance also suggested a magnitude-induced increase in the speed of the internal clock. Collectively, these results suggest that differences in reinforcement magnitude between response alternatives appear to modulate the response threshold, but not selectively, and may provide guidance for better isolating response-threshold effects in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Response-sequence learning is often studied by manipulating consequences for sequence completion. Results of research evaluating how changes in discriminative stimuli disrupt the accuracy of response sequences suggest that transitions to reversed but highly predictive discriminative stimuli are more disruptive than the removal of discriminative stimuli. Two experiments assessed effects of changing discriminative stimuli on response-sequence accuracy while reinforcement remained contingent on a left-peck, right-peck response sequence. Initially, pigeons were trained on the response sequence in which the S+ key was illuminated red and the S- key was illuminated white. For all conditions of both experiments, the 'accurate' response sequence that led to food was the same, but the way the accurate sequence was signaled sometimes differed. In Experiment 1, after training, discriminative stimuli were either removed (by lighting both keys white) or reversed. Accuracy was lower when discriminative stimuli were reversed than when they were removed. Experiment 2 showed that after training with discriminative stimuli, a history of reinforcement without discriminative stimuli was sufficient for the response sequence to emerge at high levels of accuracy when the discriminative stimuli were reversed. Results suggest a parsimonious explanation for why highly predictive discriminative stimuli sometimes fail to control behavior based on behavioral history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

State-dependent valuation learning (SDVL) is a preference for stimuli associated with relative food deprivation over stimuli associated with relative satiety. Pigeons were exposed to experimental conditions designed to investigate SDVL and to test the hypothesis that obtained relative immediacy during training predicts choice during test probes. Energy states were manipulated using a procedure that has previously revealed SDVL in starlings and pigeons. In Experiment 1, pigeons preferred the stimulus associated with deprivation in the first choice probe session, but were indifferent in the second. Changes in choice were consistent with changes in obtained relative immediacy. In Experiment 2, training parameters were altered and SDVL did not occur. Obtained relative immediacy again predicted choice. Results of both experiments provide evidence that obtained relative immediacy may be an important contributing factor to the SDVL phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To the Editor, In 2020, the BSACI's policy on how it interacts with industry1 was ratified at the annual general meeting by members. One of the principles of the policy is that the BSACI will not have commercial relationships with companies that directly manufacture infant milk formula. In line with our industrial policy, in October, the British Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) held a very successful annual meeting without funding from infant milk formula companies. [Extracted from the article]

This article considers the development of the 'chapbook' in Scotland between 1680 and 1760. Chapbook is here defined as a publication using a single sheet of paper, printed on both sides, and folded into octavo size or smaller. The discussion focuses on production in Edinburgh which at this time was the centre of the Scottish book trade. While very few works were produced in these small formats in the city before the last quarter of the seventeenth century, the three generations thereafter witnessed their emergence as an important part of the market. This chapbook literature included 'penny godlies' and 'story books', poems and songs, which had long been staples of the London trade. Indeed, much output north of the border comprised titles pirated from the south. It is suggested, however, that an independent repertoire of distinctively Scottish material also began to flourish during this period which paved the way for the heyday of the nation's chapbook in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The Edinburgh trade is shown to be much more extensive than has been appreciated hitherto. Discovery of the testament of Robert Drummond, the Edinburgh printer who died in 1752, reveals that he produced many such works that are no longer extant. It demonstrates not only that a number of classic English chapbooks were being reprinted in Scotland much earlier than otherwise known, but also that an indigenous Scottish output was well established before the reign of George III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In fixed-interval (FI) and response-initiated fixed-interval (RIFI) schedules of reinforcement, a response is required after an interval has elapsed for delivery of reinforcement. In RIFI schedules, a response is required to initiate each interval as well. The objective of this experiment was a systematic comparison of performance in the two schedule types over a range of interval durations. Four pigeons were exposed to FI and RIFI schedules of 15, 30, 60, 120 and 240 s. Interfood intervals were longer and more variable in RIFI than corresponding FI schedules. In addition, response rates early in the RIFI schedules were higher than in corresponding FI schedules. However, the distribution of first-response latencies, mean breakpoints, and normalized response gradients suggest that temporal discrimination was equivalent in the two schedules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the effects of punishing responses inconsistent with rules on instructional control during a choice task. In a procedure modeled after Hackenberg and Joker (1994), 7 adults were presented with repeated choices between progressive- and fixed-time schedules of reinforcement and were given instructions (rules) for how to respond to maximize earnings. Across sessions, the progressive-time schedule step size was manipulated so that the instructions became increasingly inaccurate, and deviating from the instructions produced greater earnings. The experiment consisted of two phases, Penalty and No Penalty. During the Penalty phase, deviating from the instructions produced a money-loss penalty (response-cost punishment). Two participants showed persistent instructional control and therefore completed only one phase (Penalty or No Penalty), and 1 participant showed little instructional control during the Penalty phase until the punishment magnitude was increased. In all 4 participants who experienced both Penalty and No Penalty phases, punishment increased the consistency of choices with the instructions, and in 2 of these participants punishment increased the progressive-schedule step size at which choices began to systematically deviate from the instructions. These results show that monetary penalties for breaking with rules may enhance instructional control, but that deviations from rules still occur under punishment when such deviations produce greater reinforcement than rule following. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Invariant tori play a fundamental role in the dynamics of symplectic and volume-preserving maps. Codimension-one tori are particularly important as they form barriers to transport. Such tori foliate the phase space of integrable, volume-preserving maps with one action and angles. For the area-preserving case, Greene’s residue criterion is often used to predict the destruction of tori from the properties of nearby periodic orbits. Even though KAM theory applies to the three-dimensional case, the robustness of tori in such systems is still poorly understood. We study a three-dimensional, reversible, volume-preserving analogue of Chirikov’s standard map with one action and two angles. We investigate the preservation and destruction of tori under perturbation by computing the “residue” of nearby periodic orbits. We find tori with Diophantine rotation vectors in the “spiral mean” cubic algebraic field. The residue is used to generate the critical function of the map and find a candidate for the most robust torus. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Biting and chewing by horses on crossties can result in injury to the handler and damage to equipment. Operant-conditioning techniques have been used to train horses and could be used to reduce or eliminate undesirable biting and chewing. Presently, a differential-reinforcement-of-other-behavior (DRO) schedule, in the context of a reversal design, was effective in reducing biting and chewing in two horses. In DRO schedules, a reinforcer is delivered contingent on the absence of a target behavior for a specified interval. Positive-reinforcement procedures offer an alternative to aversive-control techniques typically used in equine training and may provide for better equine welfare and horse–human interaction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Hula Nature Reserve (HNR) (0.3 km2) in northern Israel is a semiarid wetland ecosystem within the greater Hula Valley. In the 1950s, approximately 60 km2 of wetlands were drained and converted to farmland. The HNR was established during this time to preserve some of the native flora and fauna. Agricultural runoff and a reflooding of the area with peat water in 1999 resulted in high sulfate (SO4 2−) concentrations of 66.67 ± 4.00 mg/L. We identified the existence of SO4 2−, nitrate (NO3 −), and ammonium (NH4 +) nutrient gradients as well as related mechanisms affecting the growth and dieback of Cyperus papyrus. The observed changes in the C. papyrus populations were caused primarily by fluctuations in SO4 2−. After two key events that affected levels of SO4 2− in the HNR, C. papyrus coverage was altered by more than 80%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strand-feeding is a unique foraging technique used by Atlantic bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821)) in salt marshes of the southeastern USA wherein a group of dolphins rushes a creek bank, temporarily stranding themselves to capture fish that have been pushed ashore by their bow wave. Wading birds are attracted to these events to forage on stranded fish. We hypothesized that birds foraging in association with dolphins experience greater foraging efficiency than birds foraging away from dolphins and that some birds are able to meet their entire daily metabolic needs by foraging at strand-feeding events. The species composition, abundance, and foraging success of birds at 569 strand-feeding events were compared with the same parameters from marsh surveys of birds not associated with dolphins. Only Great Egrets ( Ardea alba L., 1758) were proportionately more common at strand-feeding events than in the marsh overall ( p < 0.001). During peak strand-feeding hours, energy intake per hour was higher for Great Egrets foraging with strand-feeding dolphins than for birds foraging away from dolphins ( p = 0.04). Bioenergetic models indicated that prey intake by Great Egrets at strand-feeding events was sufficient to meet their existence and likely their active metabolic requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on dye-marking wild birds. It states that the difficulty in capturing and banding birds led to the development of several methods for color-marking wild birds. One method used is the application of a remotely triggered Spraymore paintball land mine to apply dye on the animal. The method consists of gas powered mines that are portable, re-usable, and capable of spraying liquid dye. Behavioral changes were not apparent on marked birds upon application of the dye.

An essay is presented on Scottish broadside ballads of the 17th and 18th centuries. It examines the production of broadside ballads by presses in Edinburgh, Scotland and their significance on the culture of lowland Scotland. It also compares and contrasts Scottish broadside ballads with ballads being produced in London, England. The author also discusses the significance of the production of the ballads upon the development of the Scottish publishing industry.

The article highlights the contribution of specific immunotherapy in allergic rhinitis and asthma. Both disorders targets the mucosal lining of the respiratory tract and both are often comorbid and in children, allergic rhinitis can eventually lead to asthma. Specific immunotherapy (SIT) is used for the treatment of both disorder as it aims for the underlying cause of allergic rhinitis, which had been proven to be effective in both children and adults. According to the author, SIT is better administered as a preventive measure for allergic rhinitis.

Two polymorphs of trilanthanum iridium septaoxide, LaIrO, were prepared as single crystals using a molten cesium hydroxide flux and were structurally characterized using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Polymorph A crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Cmcm with unit cell dimensions of a = 11.2103(3) Å, b = 7.4982(2) Å, and c = 7.6110(2) Å. Polymorph B crystallizes into the monoclinic space group P2/ n with the unit cell dimensions of a = 8.8512(5) Å, b = 5.7167(3) Å, c = 24.4454(13) Å, and β = 95.542(2)°. The crystal structure of polymorph A is isostructural to the family of compounds with formula LnMO (M = Nb, Mo, Ru, Ta, Re, Os, and Ir) while the crystal structure of polymorph B has no known corollaries. Graphical Abstract: Two polymorphs of trilanthanum iridium septaoxide, LaIrO, were grown as single crystals via molten cesium hydroxide flux. Two polymorphs of LaIrO were crystallized from a molten CsOH flux in the a Cmcm and b P2/ n space groups, respectively. [InlineMediaObject not available: see fulltext.] = iridium,[InlineMediaObject not available: see fulltext.] = lanthanum, and oxygen atoms are omitted for clarity. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the circulation of printed questionnaires as a research strategy among those investigating the constituent parts of the British Isles between the mid-seventeenth and late eighteenth centuries. It traces the origins and development of published 'heads' or 'articles of enquiry' as a means of acquiring information on antiquities, geography, and natural history and pieces together the research networks through which this methodology was shared and elaborated. The learned societies, ecclesiastical infrastructure, and periodical publications of the day are shown to have been instrumental in promoting this practice and in forging links between scholars and the 'learned and ingenious' in the parishes to whom such 'queries' were addressed. It is argued that these questionnaires were an important and insufficiently appreciated aspect of regional studies during the period. Though the responses to them are shown to have been highly variable, both in quantity and quality, it is suggested that they helped to establish what has become an important technique of data collection in modern academic inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Single crystals of double-perovskite type lanthanide magnesium iridium oxides, Ln 2MgIrO6 (Ln=Pr, Nd, Sm–Gd) have been grown in a molten potassium hydroxide flux. The compounds crystallize in a distorted 1:1 rock salt lattice, space group P21/n, consisting of corner shared MO6 (M=Mg2+ and Ir4+) octahedra, where the rare earth cations occupy the eight-fold coordination sites formed by the corner shared octahedra. Pr2MgIrO6, Nd2MgIrO6, Sm2MgIrO6, and Eu2MgIrO6 order antiferromagnetically around 10–15K. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this article, we report the growth of single crystals of the inter-lanthanide series LaLn′O3 (Ln′ =Y, Ho–Lu) using molten hydroxide fluxes. Inter-lanthanide oxides, LnLn′O3 (where Ln and Ln′ =lanthanides) typically crystallize in the A-, B- or C-Ln 2 O 3 or in the ABO3 perovskite structure types, depending on the relative sizes of the lanthanide cations involved. The inter-lanthanide oxides, LaLn′O3 (Ln′ =Y, Ho–Lu), reported herein were determined to crystallize in the orthorhombic (Pnma) perovskite-type structure. A discussion on the effect of cation radii on the resultant crystal structure for LaLn′O3 (Ln′ =Y, Ho–Lu) and other reported inter-lanthanide oxides is presented herein. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]