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Mechanisms regulating the turnover of synaptic vesicle (SV) proteins are not well understood. They are thought to require poly-ubiquitination and degradation through proteasome, endo-lysosomal or autophagy-related pathways. Bassoon was shown to negatively regulate presynaptic autophagy in part by scaffolding Atg5. Here, we show that increased autophagy in Bassoon knockout neurons depends on poly-ubiquitination and that the loss of Bassoon leads to elevated levels of ubiquitinated synaptic proteins per se. Our data show that Bassoon knockout neurons have a smaller SV pool size and a higher turnover rate as indicated by a younger pool of SV2. The E3 ligase Parkin is required for increased autophagy in Bassoon-deficient neurons as the knockdown of Parkin normalized autophagy and SV protein levels and rescued impaired SV recycling. These data indicate that Bassoon is a key regulator of SV proteostasis and that Parkin is a key E3 ligase in the autophagy-mediated clearance of SV proteins.

Loss of function of the active zone protein Piccolo has recently been linked to a disease, Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia type 3, which causes brain atrophy. Here, we address how Piccolo inactivation in rat neurons adversely affects synaptic function and thus may contribute to neuronal loss. Our analysis shows that Piccolo is critical for the recycling and maintenance of synaptic vesicles. We find that boutons lacking Piccolo have deficits in the Rab5/EEA1 dependent formation of early endosomes and thus the recycling of SVs. Mechanistically, impaired Rab5 function was caused by reduced synaptic recruitment of Pra1, known to interact selectively with the zinc finger domains of Piccolo. Importantly, over-expression of GTPase deficient Rab5 or the Znf1 domain of Piccolo restores the size and recycling of SV pools. These data provide a molecular link between the active zone and endosome sorting at synapses providing hints to how Piccolo contributes to developmental and psychiatric disorders.

Objective: This study explored the impact of in-vehicle messages relative to roadside messages to alert drivers to events within a simulated work zone, in order to determine if these messages can improve driving performance within the work zone. Background: Safety risks in work zones are usually mitigated by design standards and clear signage to communicate work zone information to drivers. Due to distraction and other driving task demands, these signs are not always noticed by motorists, nor are they always followed when they are noticed. Method: The driving simulation tested drivers in two different types of work zones, shoulder work, and lane closure. Participants drove through these work zones three times, each with different messaging interfaces to communicate hazardous events to the driver. The interfaces included a roadside, portable changeable message sign, a smartphone presenting only auditory messages, and a smartphone presenting audio-visual messages. Results: There was significantly better driving performance on key metrics including lane deviation for the in-vehicle message conditions relative to the roadside signs. Furthermore, drivers directed visual attention toward the roadway for the in-vehicle message conditions relative to the roadside sign condition. Conclusion: The results indicate that in-vehicle messaging could provide benefits to primary task performance in driving if the message content is appropriately designed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated electric-scooter (e-scooter) rider behaviors and preferences to inform ways to increase safety for e-scooter riders. Data was collected from 329 e-scooter riders via two online and one in-person survey. Survey questions considered rider roadway infrastructure preferences, safety perceptions, and helmet-wearing behavior. Protected bike lanes were more commonly indicated as the safest infrastructure (62.4%) but were less likely to be the most preferred infrastructure (49.7%). Sidewalks were better matched between riders, indicating them as their preferred riding infrastructure (22.7%) and the perceived safest riding infrastructure (24.5%). Riders had low feelings of safety and preference for riding on major/neighborhood streets or on unprotected bike lanes. Riders reported significant concern about being hit by a moving vehicle, running into a pothole/rough roadway, and running into a moving vehicle. In line with the Theory of Planned Behavior, a significant relationship was found between the frequency of riding and helmet-wearing behavior, with more frequent riders being more likely to wear helmets. Findings suggest that existing roadway infrastructure may pose safety challenges and encourage rider-selected workarounds. Public policy may consider emphasizing protected bicycle lane development, rather than helmet mandates, to support e-scooter riding safety for all vulnerable road users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this review was to spotlight specific methods for people working from home to apply restorative environment research to improve productivity and mental health during shelter-in-place. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to sheltering-in-place and telework. While necessary, these strategies may lead to negative consequences such as social isolation and worse performance. However, nature environments have been shown to have a variety of positive effects in several different settings, including improved attention, positive affect, and increased job satisfaction, and these may be translated to the home workspace setting. Method: This provides a narrative review of the environmental psychology literature, describing articles involving nature in a task performance or stress context and how it has been applied. It then moves on to discuss how these findings could possibly be applied in the context of workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Although beneficial results are mixed, the review found a variety of relatively simple and cost-effective methods that could assist workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, including taking a break in nature and implementing nature in the workspace. Application: The application of restorative environment research could be an efficient way of mitigating the negative psychological effects due to at-home sheltering and telework in order to combat COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated a program to increase driver yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks on a city-wide basis in two cities located within large metropolitan areas. A multifaceted treatment was used to increase yielding in both cities that consisted of highly visible enforcement, public posting of the percentage of drivers yielding to pedestrians each week along with the record on highway signs, and a low-cost engineering treatment. Enforcement and the low-cost engineering component were only introduced at half the sites termed treatment sites while these treatments were not introduced at the remaining sites that were termed generalization sites. Feedback on the number of drivers yielding to pedestrians in each city was presented at signs on busy roadways within the city and a limited amount of educational outreach to the community was implemented on a city-wide basis through parent outreach. Data were collected using staged crossings made by research assistants. Data were also collected on natural crossing made by members of the community. Data for staged crossings at the sites that received enforcement and the engineering treatment increased from a baseline level of 28% to 67% in the first city and from 29% to 74% in the second city. A more modest change occurred at the generalization sites. Data for natural crossings increased from 24% to 80% in the first city and from 48% to 78% in the second city at treatment sites. Similar changes occur for natural crossings at the generalization sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher temperatures have been associated with aggression in humans, but the heat–aggression relationship has not been clearly established for terrorist attacks. We found significant and positive relationships when regressing the number of terrorist attacks and associated deaths on temperature in 159 countries from 1970 to 2015. When temperature increases, the number of terrorist attacks and deaths due to terrorist attacks tend to increase. Our results are consistent with a large body of research on the effect of climate on conflict and are of practical concern given increasing average global temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicle automation and assistance technologies have been touted as a means to reduce traffic collisions by minimizing or eliminating "error‐prone" and inefficient human operators. In concept, automation exists on a continuum that includes engaged driving by a human operator augmented by automated support features, vigilant driver monitoring of vehicle behavior with the possibility of driver take‐over, to full automation with no active monitoring by a human operator. Moreover, the degree of automation varies by vehicle features (e.g., lane centering, emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, parking), by setting, meaning that automated features may or may not be available depending on specific attributes of the traffic environment (e.g., traffic volume, road geometry, etc), and by implementation (e.g., haptic vs. auditory warnings). Thus, these automotive "transportation tools" are highly heterogeneous and pose unique challenges and opportunities for driver training. In this paper, we report the results of an experimental study (n = 36) to determine if enhanced vehicle feedback influences driver trust, effort, frustration, and performance (indexed by reaction time) in a virtual driving environment. Results are contextualized in the extant literature on learning to operate motor vehicles and outline key research questions essential for understanding the processes by which skilled performance develops with respect to a real‐world practical tool: the increasingly automated automobile. The automobile is a tool like no other. There is much excitement and enthusiasm for new and emerging transportation tools such as vehicle automation and driver assistance systems. Although there are high hopes for these technologies, there are many unknowns including the extent to which these new transportation tools can realistically and reliably improve driver safety and affect the subjective driving experience. This paper explores these questions in the context of evaluating collision warning systems on the behavior and perceptions of drivers with different amounts of experience and places the results in the greater context of tool use and skilled learning focusing on the adoption and utilization of mental models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Space Station (ISS) has around 3–5 crew members on-board at all times, and they normally stay on the ISS for about 5–7months in duration. Since March 2020, 170 long-duration space missions have occurred on the ISS. Thus, long-duration space missions are an integral part of space exploration and will only continue to expand in duration as missions to the Moon and Mars are on the horizon. However, long-duration space missions present several challenges to human crew members. Most of these challenges have been associated with physiological adaptation to microgravity, including motion sickness, muscle atrophy, and cardiovascular deconditioning. While not as well-studied, another major factor to consider when planning long-duration space missions is the psychological impact of the environment on the astronauts. Astronauts living in space will be unable to access natural landscapes and other environments found to have restorative effects on psychological stress and overall well-being. On top of being unable to access these restorative natural environments, astronauts will also be exposed to the stressful, unfamiliar environment of space. The purpose of this mini-review is to first summarize the literature related to stressors associated with space. Next, an overview of the large breadth of literature on the biophilia hypothesis and restorative environments will be provided, as these may serve as relatively simple and cost-effective solutions to mitigate the stress faced during long-duration space missions. Lastly, considerations related to the design of such environments in a space capsule as well as future directions will be presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study is to replicate Berto's (2005) heavily cited work on attention restoration. Background: Nature interventions have gained increased interest for improving performance of attentionally demanding tasks. Berto (2005) indicated that viewing digital nature images could improve performance on a subsequent response inhibition task, the sustained attention to response task (SART). However, experimental design and statistical concerns about her experiments as well as failure to support her findings across multiple unpublished studies in our laboratory provided rationale for this replication study. Method: Twenty participants were each assigned to one of three digital image conditions: nature, urban, and control. Participants performed the SART before and after digital image exposure. Results: SART performance metrics (total correct target responses, mean response time, and transformed d ′) were analyzed using 2 (SART) × 3 (image interventions) mixed design ANOVAs. The results failed to replicate Berto (2005). Conclusion: Possible reasons for not replicating Berto (2005) are discussed, including (1) sample differences, (2) different testing environments and procedures, (3) insufficient attentional depletion, and (4) individual differences. Applications: Research needs to determine the effectiveness of such interventions, the specific attention tasks that might benefit, and the individual difference variables relevant for attention restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The use of tourniquets in combat medicine continues to be a key focus as they have consistently been shown to combat one of the leading causes of preventable death on the battlefield, massive hemorrhage to extremities. The present study analyzed tourniquet application among combat medics (68W) and combat lifesavers (CLSs) in a training environment to determine whether trainees' performance is consistent among one another and whether performance can be associated with participant demographics such as experience or role. Materials and Methods Study participants treated male and female patient simulators within a tactical field care phase, both of which experienced an amputated leg and required the application of a Combat Application Tourniquet (CAT). To assess tourniquet application variability and performance, a series of application subtasks and potential errors were measured via video coding of the scenarios by a team of 5 coders. Time to tourniquet application and tourniquet application duration were also coded to assess correlations between application duration and variability or performance. Results Results from analyzing tourniquet application subtasks and errors through a series of one-way ANOVA tests showed that application of the CAT first, hasty CAT application, and high tourniquet application were not predictive of participant role, time within the role, and self-reported tourniquet skill, confidence, or experience. Such demographic variables were also not predictive of successful tourniquet application as defined by the number of windlass rod rotations. Results from binomial logistic regressions showed that participant role and self-reported tourniquet skill and experience were predictors of tourniquet application duration. Conclusion The findings suggest that high variability in CAT application methodology and performance exists among CLS and combat medics, which is largely not predictable by various demographics such as role, experience within the designated role, and self-reported confidence, skill, or experience. The observed disconnect between training or experience and CAT application performance suggests substantial variability in the consistency of training for both CLS and 68W soldiers. These inconsistencies may stem from variability in instructor knowledge, teaching styles, or training materials or may be developed through informal methods such as experiences in the field or recommendations from colleagues and experts. These findings highlight a potential need to reassess CAT application training, particularly in regard to consistency and validation. Finally, it should be noted that the study's findings may be limited or fail to capture some study effects because of the sample size and wide range of reported experience among participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alerts presented through the auditory modality improve drivers' crash avoidance performance in driving simulations, but drivers' ability to accurately localise the source of the auditory alerts is understudied. Because the results of driving simulation studies may hinge on assumptions that sound locations are accurately perceived by drivers, this study used a sound localisation task in a full-chassis driving simulator. Twenty-nine participants engaged in a sound localisation task while seated in the driving simulator. Performance was assessed by sound localisation accuracy, relative directional error, and participant confidence across seven sound sources surrounding the simulator. Performance was best when sounds were presented in left and right cardinal regions, and poorest when presented from the front and rear. Participants were less confident in their localisation judgments when sounds were presented from the rear. Practitioner summary: Drivers' ability to accurately localise auditory alerts is understudied. Participants performed an auditory localisation task with external sounds while seated in a full-chassis driving simulator. Participants were better detecting sounds from the sides instead of the front and rear. This has implications for external auditory alarms during driving. Abbreviations: ANOVA: analysis of variance; dB: decibel; f: frequency; Hz: hertz; LHD: left hand drive; ms: milliseconds; RTI: realtime technologies; s: seconds; SPL: sound pressure level [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piccolo, a presynaptic active zone protein, is best known for its role in the regulated assembly and function of vertebrate synapses. Genetic studies suggest a further link to several psychiatric disorders as well as Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia type 3 (PCH3). We have characterized recently generated Piccolo KO (PcloP/gt) rats. Analysis of rats of both sexes revealed a dramatic reduction in brain size compared with WT (Pclowtlwt) animals, attributed to a decrease in the size of the cerebral cortical, cerebellar, and pontine regions. Analysis of the cerebellum and brainstem revealed a reduced granule cell layer and a reduction in size of pontine nuclei. Moreover, the maturation of mossy fiber afferents from pontine neurons and the expression of the a6 GABAa receptor subunit at the mossy fiber-granule cell synapse are perturbed, as well as the innervation of Purkinje cells by cerebellar climbing fibers. Ultrastructural and functional studies revealed a reduced size of mossy fiber boutons, with fewer synaptic vesicles and altered synaptic transmission. These data imply that Piccolo is required for the normal development, maturation, and function of neuronal networks formed between the brainstem and cerebellum. Consistently, behavioral studies demonstrated that adult PcloP'gt rats display impaired motor coordination, despite adequate performance in tasks that reflect muscle strength and locomotion. Together, these data suggest that loss of Piccolo function in patients with PCH3 could be involved in many of the observed anatomical and behavioral symptoms, and that the further analysis of these animals could provide fundamental mechanistic insights into this devastating disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To measure contributing attentional processes, particularly that of executive attention, to two iterations of the abbreviated vigilance task.Background: Joel Warm was at the forefront of vigilance research for decades, and resource theory is currently the dominant explanation for the vigilance decrement. The underlying mechanisms contributing to both overall performance and the decrement are only partly understood.Method: Seventy-eight participants answered questionnaires about their attentional skills and stress state, performed the Attention Network Test and two blocks of the 12-min abbreviated vigilance task, with a brief break between the two vigils during which they viewed images intended to affect performance. Changes in oxygenated hemoglobin were measured with functional near-infrared imaging.Results: Expected patterns were observed for both iterations of the abbreviated vigilance task, with performance declining after the first 2 min. Manipulations intended to evaluate whether executive processes contributed to vigilance performance failed to observe an effect. Other factors, particularly orienting and alerting attentional networks, task engagement, and subclinical ADHD symptomology were associated with performance. Significant factors for the first and second vigilance blocks were different.Conclusion: We suggest that (a) cognitive control is not a predominant factor, at least for the abbreviated vigilance task, and (b) attentional mechanisms and stress states affecting performance on the abbreviated vigilance task change over time.Application: Potential applications of this research include the use of breaks for sustained attention tasks involving high sensory load, and implications for the use of the abbreviated vigilance task as a proxy for general vigilance processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statement of purpose: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often demonstrate deficient attentional ability, but the specific nature of the deficit is unclear. The Attention Networks model provides a useful approach to deconstruct this attentional deficit into its component parts. Method: Fifty-two neurotypical (NT) children and 14 children with ASD performed the child version of the Attention Network Test (ANT). The latter requires participants to indicate the direction of a centre target stimulus, which is presented above/below fixation and sometimes flanked by either congruent or incongruent distractor stimuli. Results: Relative to NT children, those with ASD were: (1) slower to react to spatially cued trials and (2) more error prone on executive (conflict) attention trials. Conclusions: Young children with ASD have intact alerting attention, but less-efficient orienting and executive attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study for determining the impact of sideways visuomotor rotations between 90#00B0; and 180#00B0; on novice performance in a laparoscopic simulator. Topics discussed include use of visuomotor rotations in a laparoscopic surgical environment; contribution of perceptual-motor distortions inherent in the laparoscopic environment to the laparoscopic skills, and assessment of the impact of visuomotor rotations on performance of a straight-line pointing task.

At Penn State, music technology is something of a stranger in a strange land. As a programme, it began in the early twenty-first century, when the necessity of the moment was an anticipated revision to the guidelines from the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), the North American accrediting body. Music schools were charged with ensuring that music majors were exposed to ‘relevant technologies’. It was left largely to individual institutions to interpret what this meant. At Penn State, a course was created to address this guideline, and it generated interest among students. This course then spawned a series of related courses. These courses eventually created enough of a curricular presence to warrant creating an undergraduate minor. We now expect that the minor will spawn an undergraduate major. The music technology programme's locus lies not solely within the School of Music; rather, it overlaps as an interdisciplinary area with a variety of programmes throughout the university's offerings. These overlaps are a unique feature of the programme. It is an unusual arrangement, but it is a product of its time and place. Three populations of students have coalesced, and the pedagogical challenge has been to create a curriculum that can serve all of them. The programme might be thought of as series of concentric spheres; each is centred around the same general concept structure, but with expanding breadth for different levels of student involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the critical decisions surgeons need to make regarding laparoscopic surgery, the information these decisions are based on, the strategies employed by surgeons to reach their objectives, and the difficulties experienced by novices.Background: Laparoscopic training focuses on the development of technical skills. However, successful surgical outcomes are also dependent on appropriate decisions made during surgery, which are influenced by critical cues and the use of appropriate strategies. Novices might not be as adept at cue detection and strategy use.Method: Participants were eight attending surgeons. The authors employed task-analytic techniques to identify critical decisions inherent in laparoscopy and the cues, strategies, and novice traps associated with these decisions.Results: The authors used decision requirements tables to organize the data into the key decisions made during the preoperative, operative, and postoperative phases as well as the cues, strategies, and novice traps associated with these decisions. Key decisions identified for the preoperative phase included but were not limited to the decision of performing a laparoscopic versus open surgery, necessity to review the literature, practicing the procedure, and trocar placement. Some key decisions identified for the operative phase included converting to open surgery, performing angiograms, cutting tissue or organs, and reevaluation of the approach. Only one key decision was identified for the postoperative phrase: whether the surgeon's technique needs to be evaluated and revised.Conclusion: The laparoscopic environment requires complex decision making, and novices are prone to errors in their decisions.Application: The information elicited in this study is applicable to laparoscopic training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Problem solving practice involving paper-and-pencil solutions is a common activity in undergraduate engineering training. This paper addresses three questions: What indicators of problem-solving skill are available in paper-and-pencil solutions, beyond a simple accuracy measure? Can these indicators distinguish between problem solvers in terms of their skill level? How can these indicators be used to improve the effectiveness of instructor feedback to problem-solving exercises? PURPOSE (HYPOTHESIS) Based on the published literature on cognition and problem solving, several indicators were hypothesized to signal knowledge and skill: an accurate free-body diagram, specification of assumptions, accurate expansion of key principles, strategic (forward) inferences, and checking equations and solutions. DESIGN/METHOD A mixed experimental methodology was applied that combined qualitative and quantitative analyses. The qualitative data was comprised of paper-and-pencil solutions and video recordings of participants while they solved problems. Frequency counts of skill indicators and grader-assigned scores comprised the quantitative data. RESULTS Statistical tests confirmed that the hypothesized indicators were associated with individuals' level of skill. However, reliable evidence for these indicators was only partially found in the paper-and-pencil solutions and could only be firmly established by including data from the video recordings. CONCLUSIONS The results show that paper-and-pencil solutions can be diagnostic of the strengths and weaknesses of problem-solvers. However, to provide useful and reliable feedback to students, these solutions must be supplemented with additional input, possibly through regular structured sampling throughout a course, or through more extensive use of computer resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Bassoon is a 420-kDa presynaptic protein which is highly concentrated at the active zones of nerve terminals of conventional synapses, both excitatory glutamatergic and inhibitory GABAergic, in rat brain. It is thought to be involved in the organization of the cytomatrix at the site of neurotransmitter release. In the retina, there are two structurally and functionally distinct types of synapses: ribbon and conventional synapses. Antibodies against bassoon were applied to sections of rat and rabbit retina. Strong punctate immunofluorescence was found in the outer and inner plexiform layers. Using pre- and post-embedding immunostaining and electron microscopy, bassoon was localized in the outer plexiform layer at ribbon synapses formed by rods and cones but was absent from basal synaptic contacts formed by cones. In the inner plexiform layer a different picture emerged. As in the brain, bassoon was found at conventional inhibitory GABAergic synapses, made by amacrine cells, but it was absent from the bipolar cell ribbon synapses. These data demonstrate differences in the molecular composition of the presynaptic apparatuses of outer and inner plexiform layer ribbon synapses. Thus, differential equipment with cytomatrix proteins may account for the functional differences observed between the two types of ribbon synapses in the retina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photoreceptor ribbon synapse is a highly specialized glutamatergic synapse designed for the continuous flow of synaptic vesicles to the neurotransmitter release site. The molecular mechanisms underlying ribbon synapse formation are poorly understood. We have investigated the role of the presynaptic cytomatrix protein Bassoon, a major component of the photoreceptor ribbon, in a mouse retina deficient of functional Bassoon protein. Photoreceptor ribbons lacking Bassoon are not anchored to the presynaptic active zones. This results in an impaired photoreceptor synaptic transmission, an abnormal dendritic branching of neurons postsynaptic to photoreceptors, and the formation of ectopic synapses. These findings suggest a critical role of Bassoon in the formation and the function of photoreceptor ribbon synapses of the mammalian retina. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introduction: The brevity of training for soldiers and combat medics to learn how to provide treatment on the battlefield may restrict optimal performance for treating chest and airway injuries, particularly when treating female soldiers. The present study tested treatment performance on patient simulators by battlefield medic trainees to determine whether there is a need for more extensive training on chest and airway procedures on female soldiers., Materials and Methods: Battlefield medic trainees treated male and female patient simulators in counterbalanced order. The assessment considered the effects of patient gender and order on procedures performed, particularly critical chest and airway interventions such as needle chest decompression (NCD), and considered the appropriate order of treatment tasks. Four coders rated video footage of three simulated procedures, i.e., tourniquet, chest seal (front and back application), and NCD, using a binary coding system to determine completeness and order correctness according to the Massive hemorrhage, Airway, Respiration, Circulation, and Head injury/Hypothermia (MARCH) mnemonic., Results: Results from analysis of variance showed that when presented with a female patient first, trainees performed significantly fewer total procedures on both the female and male simulators. More experienced trainees completed significantly more procedures compared to trainees with minimal experience. Results from the binary logistic regression showed that trainees with more experience and trainees presented with the male patient simulator first performed significantly more procedures in the correct order. Finally, an examination of the NCD procedure found that trainees presented with the female patient simulator first had more errors and that trainees with less experience were less likely to perform the procedure adequately., Conclusions: The findings suggest that treating a female patient first may lead to undertreatment of both patients. Furthermore, the observed differences in treating sensitive areas of the body (e.g., near female breasts) suggest providing greater opportunities for trainees to practice often missed or incorrectly performed procedures. Treating a female patient remains a novel experience for many trainees, such that trainees are less likely to fully treat a female patient and are less likely to treat female soldiers for the most life-threatening injuries. In fact, the initial presentation of the female patient simulator appeared to affect experienced trainees, suggesting that removing the experience of novelty and stress requires more extensive exposure and alternative training. The study's small sample size with a wide range of trainee experience may limit the findings, which may fail to capture some study effects. Finally, the study did not request trainees' experience treating female soldiers, so future studies should examine the extent to which experience is predictive of performance. There is a need for more interactive approaches in patient simulations to provide opportunities for practice, especially those that require the treatment of sensitive areas., (© The Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2022. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Mechanisms regulating the turnover of synaptic vesicle (SV) proteins are not well understood. They are thought to require poly-ubiquitination and degradation through proteasome, endo-lysosomal or autophagy-related pathways. Bassoon was shown to negatively regulate presynaptic autophagy in part by scaffolding Atg5. Here, we show that increased autophagy in Bassoon knockout neurons depends on poly-ubiquitination and that the loss of Bassoon leads to elevated levels of ubiquitinated synaptic proteins per se. Our data show that Bassoon knockout neurons have a smaller SV pool size and a higher turnover rate as indicated by a younger pool of SV2. The E3 ligase Parkin is required for increased autophagy in Bassoon -deficient neurons as the knockdown of Parkin normalized autophagy and SV protein levels and rescued impaired SV recycling. These data indicate that Bassoon is a key regulator of SV proteostasis and that Parkin is a key E3 ligase in the autophagy-mediated clearance of SV proteins., Competing Interests: SH, MB, KS, AA, KR, CB, KT, TT, KS, CR, EG, CG, CM No competing interests declared, (© 2020, Hoffmann-Conaway et al.)

Loss of function of the active zone protein Piccolo has recently been linked to a disease, Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia type 3, which causes brain atrophy. Here, we address how Piccolo inactivation in rat neurons adversely affects synaptic function and thus may contribute to neuronal loss. Our analysis shows that Piccolo is critical for the recycling and maintenance of synaptic vesicles. We find that boutons lacking Piccolo have deficits in the Rab5/EEA1 dependent formation of early endosomes and thus the recycling of SVs. Mechanistically, impaired Rab5 function was caused by reduced synaptic recruitment of Pra1, known to interact selectively with the zinc finger domains of Piccolo. Importantly, over-expression of GTPase deficient Rab5 or the Znf1 domain of Piccolo restores the size and recycling of SV pools. These data provide a molecular link between the active zone and endosome sorting at synapses providing hints to how Piccolo contributes to developmental and psychiatric disorders., Competing Interests: FA, KS, CB, ZI, FH, CR, CG No competing interests declared, (© 2019, Ackermann et al.)