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AbstractIntroduction and aims:Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) play a pivotal role in medical education assessment. The Advanced Clinical Skills (ACS) OSCE examines clinical skills in psychiatry, general practice, obstetrics and gynaecology and paediatrics. This study examined if the 2020 ACS OSCE for fourth year medical students attending the National University of Ireland, Galway, was associated with any significant result differences compared to the equivalent 2019 OSCE. Additionally, we assessed students’ satisfaction and explored any organisational difficulties in conducting a face-to-face OSCE during the COVID-19 pandemic.Materials and methods:This study compared anonymised data between the 2019 and 2020 ACS OSCEs and analysed anonymised student feedback pertaining to the modified 2020 OSCE.Results:The mean total ACS OSCE result achieved in 2020 was statistically higher compared to the 2019 OSCE [62.95% (SD = 6.21) v. 59.35% (SD = 5.54), t= 6.092, p< 0.01], with higher marks noted in psychiatry (p= 0.001), paediatrics (p= 0.001) and general practice (p< 0.001) with more students attaining honours grades (χ2= 27.257, df = 3, p< 0.001). No difference in failure rates were found. Students reported feeling safe performing the 2020 OSCE (89.2%), but some expressed face-mask wearing impeded their communication skills (47.8%).Conclusion:This study demonstrates that conducting a face-to-face OSCE during the pandemic is feasible and associated with positive student feedback. Exam validity has been demonstrated as there was no difference in the overall pass rate.

ObjectivesThis study aims to investigate existing evidence for the effectiveness of psychological treatments and/or antidepressant medication as a treatment for those diagnosed with moderate levels of depression.MethodsA PRISMA systematic review of articles using electronic research databases (2000–2014) was conducted to identify studies investigating the effectiveness of psychotherapy and/or medication as a treatment for people with moderate levels of depression. Search terms included moderate depression, psychotherapy and/or medication, depressive disorders, antidepressants, psychotherapy, mental health services, and randomized-controlled trial (RCT). The included studies were then assessed, extracted, and synthesised.ResultsA total of 14 studies met the inclusion criteria (11 RCTs and three additional studies) for this review. The findings of the systematic review indicate that there is limited evidence available specific to the treatment of moderate depression and that this research seems to suggest that psychotherapy or combined treatment has a beneficial effect.ConclusionsGiven that depression is one of the biggest challenges the world faces at present, further research is required to examine the effectiveness of treatment for different levels of depression severity.

AbstractPredation of eggs and/or chicks is the main cause of nesting failure in birds. Nest predation has been studied in many habitats in New Zealand, but few studies have been conducted in urban ecosystems. Twenty-one nests of four bird species (blackbird [Turdus merula], song thrush [Turdus philomelos], fantail [Rhipidura fuliginosa], and silvereye [Zosterops lateralis]) were monitored over one breeding season in Hamilton using time-lapse recordings. Five predation events were filmed (two by cats [Felis catus], and three by ship rats [Rattus rattus]), 10 nests successfully fledged chicks and 6 nests failed owing to poor weather, desertion, or unknown events. Although the sample size was small, our data suggest that nesting success may be higher in urban Hamilton than in other unmanaged habitats where predation rates can exceed 80%. We recommend that future studies of nesting success in urban birds should also focus on the fates of fledglings, as anecdotal evidence suggested that predation rates may have been highest at this stage.

We measured secondary succession in permanent plots for 15 years after a lightning-induced fire in a 90-year-old frost flat heathland dominated by Dracophyllum subulatum at Rangitaiki, North Island, New Zealand. We placed this succession in the longer term context provided by earlier published data from the same site. Species re-establishment was rapid, with all of the consistently present species of mature heathland present by 15 years. The new Dracophyllum population has reached its pre-burn density, although cover is still minimal. Vascular plant cover began to decline 11 years after fire, but non-vascular cover continued to increase. Poa cita declined dramatically in abundance after 11 years. Earlier studies at the site demonstrate that nearly the entire species complement of mature heathland is present by 25 years, indication of a direct succession. With substantial resilience to fire, frost flat heathland is a fire-adapted ecosystem in a country where such ecosystems are rare.

The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is a complex brain region that is essential for reward function and frequently implicated in neuropsychiatric disease. While decades of research on VTA function have focused on dopamine neurons, recent evidence has identified critical roles for GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons in reward processes. Additionally, although subsets of VTA neurons express genes involved in the synthesis and transport of multiple neurotransmitters, characterization of these combinatorial populations has largely relied on low-throughput methods. To comprehensively define the molecular architecture of the VTA, we performed single-nucleus RNA sequencing on 21,600 cells from the rat VTA. Analysis of neuronal subclusters identifies selective markers for dopamine and combinatorial neurons, reveals expression profiles for receptors targeted by drugs of abuse, and demonstrates population-specific enrichment of gene sets linked to brain disorders. These results highlight the heterogeneity of the VTA and provide a resource for further exploration of VTA gene expression.

Land application has become a widely applied method for treating wastewater. However, it is not always clear which soil–plant systems should be used, or why. The objectives of our study were to determine if four contrasting soils, from which the pasture is regularly cut and removed, varied in their ability to assimilate nutrients from secondary‐treated domestic effluent under high hydraulic loadings, in comparison with unirrigated, fertilized pasture. Grassed intact soil cores (500 mm in diameter by 700 mm in depth) were irrigated (50 mm wk−1) with secondary‐treated domestic effluent for two years. Soils included a well‐drained Allophanic Soil (Typic Hapludand), a poorly drained Gley Soil (Typic Endoaquept), a well‐drained Pumice Soil formed from rhyolitic tephra (Typic Udivitrand), and a well‐drained Recent Soil formed in a sand dune (Typic Udipsamment). Effluent‐irrigated soils received between 746 and 815 kg N ha−1and 283 and 331 kg P ha−1over two years of irrigation, and unirrigated treatments received 200 kg N ha−1and 100 kg P ha−1of dissolved inorganic fertilizer over the same period. Applying effluent significantly increased plant uptake of N and P from all soil types. For the effluent‐irrigated soils plant N uptake ranged from 186 to 437 kg N ha−1yr−1, while plant P uptake ranged from 40 to 88 kg P ha−1yr−1for the effluent‐irrigated soils. Applying effluent significantly increased N leaching losses from Gley and Recent Soils, and after two years ranged from 17 to 184 kg N ha−1depending on soil type. Effluent irrigation only increased P leaching from the Gley Soil. All P leaching losses were less than 49 kg P ha−1after two years. The N and P leached from effluent treatments were mainly in organic form (69–87% organic N and 35–65% unreactive P). Greater N and P leaching losses from the irrigated Gley Soil were attributed to preferential flow that reduced contact between the effluent and the soil matrix. Increased N leaching from the Recent Soil was the result of increased leaching of native soil organic N due to the higher hydraulic loading from the effluent irrigation.

The genetic basis of the control of acute splenic MCMV infection was studied after intraperitoneal inoculation of the virus. Classical Mendelian analyses using C57BL/6 (resistant) and BALB/c (susceptible) parental strains disclosed an autosomal dominant non-H-2 gene that regulates splenic virus replication. The probable location of this gene, to which we have assigned the symbol Cmv-1, is on chromosome 6 as defined by the strain distribution pattern of splenic MCMV replication in CXB recombinant inbred mice. Although there is a similar hierarchy of resistance to MCMV and HSV-1 with respect to the C57BL and BALB genetic backgrounds, the strain distribution pattern of HSV-1 replication in recombinant inbred mice suggests that Cmv-1 is not involved in restricting the spread of this virus. This is the first clear identification of a non-H-2 gene regulating the magnitude of MCMV infection. Elucidation of the function of this gene may be a fundamental step towards understanding the control of systemic CMV infection.