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This review aims to serve as a foundational resource for general radiologists, enhancing their understanding of the role of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in early prognostication for newborns diagnosed with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE). The article explores the application of MRI as a predictive instrument for determining long-term outcomes in newborns affected by HIE. With HIE constituting a leading cause of neonatal mortality and severe long-term neurodevelopmental impairments, early identification of prognostic indicators is crucial for timely intervention and optimal clinical management. We examine current literature and recent advancements to provide an in-depth overview of MRI predictors, encompassing brain injury patterns, injury scoring systems, spectroscopy, and diffusion imaging. The potential of these MRI biomarkers in predicting long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes and the probability of epilepsy is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring genetic diversity of wild species using DNA-based data remains resource intensive and time consuming for nearly all species. However, genetic assessments are needed for global conservation commitments, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, and for governments and managers to evaluate conservation progress, as well as prioritizing species and populations to preserve and recover genetic diversity (e.g. via genetic rescue). Recently, indicators were developed for tracking and reporting genetic diversity status and trends for hundreds of species. The indicators quantify two simple proxies of within-population and among-population genetic diversity and adaptive potential: small effective population size (Ne  < 500) and the loss of genetically distinct populations. The indicators must balance scientific credibility, practicality, and simplicity. In the present article, we summarize the advantages of these pragmatic indicators, address critiques by scientists for simplifying assumptions and by policymakers for complexity, and propose potential solutions and next steps. We aim to support practitioners putting indicators into policy, action, legislation, and reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) in the Everglades of Florida, United States, have drastically reduced populations of mammals, yet populations of some rodents appear unaffected by the invasion. To understand this pattern, we radio-tagged cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) in areas of high and low python occurrence densities (hereafter occurrence) and quantified the effects of python occurrence, seasonality, and sex on their survival and cause-specific mortality. Cotton rat survival was not influenced by difference in python occurrence (hazard ratio = 1.32, 95% CI = 0.77–2.26, P = 0.30). However, cotton rats were at greater risk from mortalities caused by mammals in areas of low python occurrence. In areas with elevated python occurrence, we attributed most cotton rat mortalities to birds of prey (48.6%) and reptiles (non-python = 24.3%, python = 16.2%). Where python occurrence was relatively low, we attributed cotton rat mortalities to native reptilian (28.6%), avian (35.7%), and mammalian predators (35.7%) with no python-related deaths. In total, pythons were responsible for 11.8% of all cotton rat mortalities. Finding no difference in the survival of cotton rats, despite differences in the causative agents of mortality, suggests that predation pressure from an invasive predator was compensatory for cotton rat population dynamics. This type of compensatory mortality is common for small mammals and helps explain why mammal communities in python-invaded portions of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem are increasingly dominated by cotton rats and other rodents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Convergent adaptation to the same environment by multiple lineages frequently involves rapid evolutionary change at the same genes, implicating these genes as important for environmental adaptation. Such adaptive molecular changes may yield either change or loss of protein function; loss of function can eliminate newly deleterious proteins or reduce energy necessary for protein production. We previously found a striking case of recurrent pseudogenization of the Paraoxonase 1 (Pon1) gene among aquatic mammal lineages— Pon1 became a pseudogene with genetic lesions, such as stop codons and frameshifts, at least four times independently in aquatic and semiaquatic mammals. Here, we assess the landscape and pace of pseudogenization by studying Pon1 sequences, expression levels, and enzymatic activity across four aquatic and semiaquatic mammal lineages: pinnipeds, cetaceans, otters, and beavers. We observe in beavers and pinnipeds an unexpected reduction in expression of Pon3 , a paralog with similar expression patterns but different substrate preferences. Ultimately, in all lineages with aquatic/semiaquatic members, we find that preceding any coding-level pseudogenization events in Pon1 , there is a drastic decrease in expression, followed by relaxed selection, thus allowing accumulation of disrupting mutations. The recurrent loss of Pon1 function in aquatic/semiaquatic lineages is consistent with a benefit to Pon1 functional loss in aquatic environments. Accordingly, we examine diving and dietary traits across pinniped species as potential driving forces of Pon1 functional loss. We find that loss is best associated with diving activity and likely results from changes in selective pressures associated with hypoxia and hypoxia-induced inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Omic BON is a thematic Biodiversity Observation Network under the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON), focused on coordinating the observation of biomolecules in organisms and the environment. Our founding partners include representatives from national, regional, and global observing systems; standards organizations; and data and sample management infrastructures. By coordinating observing strategies, methods, and data flows, Omic BON will facilitate the co-creation of a global omics meta-observatory to generate actionable knowledge. Here, we present key elements of Omic BON's founding charter and first activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does plasticity evolve over relatively short timescales? Through a series of common garden and reciprocal transplant experiments, Walter et al. found distinct patterns of variation in the phenotype and gene expression for two closely related Sicilian daisy species of the genus Senecio across an elevational gradient. This suggests that adaptive divergence may produce interspecific differences in both the magnitude and direction of plasticity. The nonadaptive nature of the plasticity found in Senecio aethnensis has important implications for conservation efforts and evolutionary modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study is a nationally representative cohort of tobacco product users and nonusers. The study's main purpose is to obtain longitudinal epidemiologic data on tobacco use and exposure among the US population.Aims and Methods: Nicotine biomarkers-cotinine (COT) and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine (HCT)-were measured in blood samples collected from adult daily tobacco users and nonusers during Wave 1 of the PATH Study (2013-2014; n = 5012; one sample per participant). Participants' tobacco product use and exposure to secondhand smoke were categorized based on questionnaire responses. Nonusers were subdivided into never users and recent former users. Daily tobacco users were classified into seven tobacco product use categories: exclusive users of cigarette, smokeless tobacco, electronic cigarette, cigar, pipe, and hookah, as well as polyusers. We calculated sample-weighted geometric mean (GM) concentrations of cotinine, HCT, and the nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR) and evaluated their associations with tobacco use with adjustment for potential confounders.Results: The GMs (95% confidence intervals) of COT and HCT concentrations for daily tobacco users were 196 (184 to 208) and 72.5 (67.8 to 77.4) ng/mL, and for nonusers they were 0.033 (0.028 to 0.037) and 0.021 (0.018 to 0.023) ng/mL. Exclusive smokeless tobacco users had the highest COT concentrations of all user groups examined. The GM NMR in daily users was 0.339 (95% confidence interval: 0.330 to 0.350).Conclusions: These nationally representative estimates of serum nicotine biomarkers could be the basis for reference ranges characterizing nicotine exposure for daily tobacco users and nonusers in the US adult population.Implications: This report summarizes the serum nicotine biomarker measurements in Wave 1 of the PATH Study. We are reporting the first estimates of HCT in serum for daily tobacco users and nonusers in the noninstitutionalized, civilian US adult population; the first nationally representative serum COT estimates for daily exclusive users of different tobacco products and daily polyusers; and the first nationally representative estimate of the serum NMR in daily tobacco users by age, race/ethnicity, and sex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Global conservation policy and action have largely neglected protecting and monitoring genetic diversity—one of the three main pillars of biodiversity. Genetic diversity (diversity within species) underlies species' adaptation and survival, ecosystem resilience, and societal innovation. The low priority given to genetic diversity has largely been due to knowledge gaps in key areas, including the importance of genetic diversity and the trends in genetic diversity change; the perceived high expense and low availability and the scattered nature of genetic data; and complicated concepts and information that are inaccessible to policymakers. However, numerous recent advances in knowledge, technology, databases, practice, and capacity have now set the stage for better integration of genetic diversity in policy instruments and conservation efforts. We review these developments and explore how they can support improved consideration of genetic diversity in global conservation policy commitments and enable countries to monitor, report on, and take action to maintain or restore genetic diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: Science progresses by posing good questions, yet work in biomedical text mining has not focused on them much. We propose a novel idea for biomedical natural language processing: identifying and characterizing the questions stated in the biomedical literature. Formally, the task is to identify and characterize statements of ignorance, statements where scientific knowledge is missing or incomplete. The creation of such technology could have many significant impacts, from the training of PhD students to ranking publications and prioritizing funding based on particular questions of interest. The work presented here is intended as the first step towards these goals. Results: We present a novel ignorance taxonomy driven by the role statements of ignorance play in research, identifying specific goals for future scientific knowledge. Using this taxonomy and reliable annotation guidelines (interannotator agreement above 80%), we created a gold standard ignorance corpus of 60 full-text documents from the prenatal nutrition literature with over 10 000 annotations and used it to train classifiers that achieved over 0.80 F1 scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intravascular injection of certain adeno-associated virus vector serotypes can cross the blood-brain barrier to deliver a gene into the CNS. However, gene distribution has been much more limited within the brains of large animals compared to rodents, rendering this approach suboptimal for treatment of the global brain lesions present in most human neurogenetic diseases. The most commonly used serotype in animal and human studies is 9, which also has the property of being transported via axonal pathways to distal neurons. A small number of other serotypes share this property, three of which were tested intravenously in mice compared to 9. Serotype hu.11 transduced fewer cells in the brain than 9, rh8 was similar to 9, but hu.32 mediated substantially greater transduction than the others throughout the mouse brain. To evaluate the potential for therapeutic application of the hu.32 serotype in a gyrencephalic brain of larger mammals, a hu.32 vector expressing the green fluorescent protein reporter gene was evaluated in the cat. Transduction was widely distributed in the cat brain, including in the cerebral cortex, an important target since mental retardation is an important component of many of the human neurogenetic diseases. The therapeutic potential of a hu.32 serotype vector was evaluated in the cat homologue of the human lysosomal storage disease alpha-mannosidosis, which has globally distributed lysosomal storage lesions in the brain. Treated alpha-mannosidosis cats had reduced severity of neurological signs and extended life spans compared to untreated cats. The extent of therapy was dose dependent and intra-arterial injection was more effective than intravenous delivery. Pre-mortem, non-invasive magnetic resonance spectroscopy and diffusion tensor imaging detected differences between the low and high doses, and showed normalization of grey and white matter imaging parameters at the higher dose. The imaging analysis was corroborated by post-mortem histological analysis, which showed reversal of histopathology throughout the brain with the high dose, intra-arterial treatment. The hu.32 serotype would appear to provide a significant advantage for effective treatment of the gyrencephalic brain by systemic adeno-associated virus delivery in human neurological diseases with widespread brain lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An overemphasis on creativity for evaluating research has lead to a serious devaluation of replication studies. However, we need a total sample size of N = 153,669 to estimate a causal effect to two digits, which is quite rare for a single study. The only way to get accurate estimation is to average across replications. If the average sample size were as high as N = 200, we would need over 700 replication studies. Scientific replications are more problematic than pure statistical replications, and so we need even more replications to achieve reasonable accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a multimessage communication model designed for selecting messages that show the greatest promise of changing purchase intentions in a desired direction. An illustrative application is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tomosynthesis approximates a 3D mammogram of the breast, reducing parenchymal overlap that masks cancers or creates false "lesions" on 2D mammography, and potentially enabling more accurate detection of breast cancer. We compared breast cancer screening detection and recall in asymptomatic women for tomosynthesis vs 2D mammography.Methods: A systematic review and random effects meta-analysis were undertaken. Electronic databases (2009-July 2017) were searched for studies comparing tomosynthesis and 2D mammography in asymptomatic women who attended population breast cancer screening and reporting cancer detection rate (CDR) and recall rate. All statistical tests were two-sided.Results: Seventeen studies (1 009 790 participants) were included from 413 citations. The pooled incremental CDR for tomosynthesis was 1.6 cancers per 1000 screens (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1 to 2.0, P < .001, I2 = 36.9%). Incremental CDR was statistically significantly higher for European/Scandinavian studies, all using a "paired" design where women had both tests (2.4 per 1000 screens, 95% CI = 1.9 to 2.9, P < .001, I2 = 0.0%) compared with US ("unpaired") studies (1.1 per 1000 screens, 95% CI = 0.8 to 1.5, P < .001, I2 = 0.0%; P < .001 between strata). The recall rate for tomosynthesis was statistically significantly lower than for 2D mammography (pooled absolute reduction = -2.2%, 95% CI = -3.0 to -1.4, P < .001, I2 = 98.2%). Stratified analyses showed a decrease in US studies (pooled difference in recall rate = -2.9%, 95% CI = -3.5 to -2.4, P < .001, I2 = 92.9%) but not European/Scandinavian studies (0.5% increase in recall, 95% CI = -0.1 to 1.2, P = .12, I2 = 93.5%; P < .001 between strata). Results were similar in sensitivity analyses excluding studies with overlapping cohorts.Conclusions: Tomosynthesis improves CDR and reduces recall; however, effects are dependent on screening setting, with greater improvement in CDR in European/Scandinavian studies (biennial screening) and reduction in recall in US studies with high baseline recall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: No methodologically robust system exists for capturing consumer-generated patient safety reports. To address this challenge, we developed and pilot-tested a prototype consumer reporting system for patient safety, the Health Care Safety Hotline.Design: Mixed methods evaluation.Setting: The Hotline was implemented in two US healthcare systems from 1 February 2014 through 30 June 2015.Participants: Patients, family members and caregivers associated with two US healthcare systems.Intervention: A consumer-oriented incident reporting system for telephone or web-based administration was developed to elicit medical mistakes and care-related injuries.Main Outcomes Measures: Key informant interviews, measurement of website traffic and analysis of completed reports.Results: Key informants indicated that Hotline participation was motivated by senior leaders' support and alignment with existing quality and safety initiatives. During the measurement period from 1 October 2014 through 30 June 2015, the home page had 1530 visitors with a unique IP address. During its 17 months of operation, the Hotline received 37 completed reports including 20 mistakes without harm and 15 mistakes with injury. The largest category of mistake concerned problems with diagnosis or advice from a health practitioner. Hotline reports prompted quality reviews, an education intervention, and patient follow-ups.Conclusion: While generating fewer reports than its capacity to manage, the Health Care Safety Hotline demonstrated the feasibility of consumer-oriented patient safety reporting. Further research is needed to understand how to increase consumers' use of these systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gold-standard annotated corpora have become important resources for the training and testing of natural-language-processing (NLP) systems designed to support biocuration efforts, and ontologies are increasingly used to facilitate curational consistency and semantic integration across disparate resources. Bringing together the respective power of these, the Colorado Richly Annotated Full-Text (CRAFT) Corpus, a collection of full-length, openaccess biomedical journal articles with extensive manually created syntactic, formatting and semantic markup, was previously created and released. This initial public release has already been used in multiple projects to drive development of systems focused on a variety of biocuration, search, visualization, and semantic and syntactic NLP tasks. Building on its demonstrated utility, we have expanded the CRAFT Corpus with a large set of manually created semantic annotations relying on Uberon, an ontology representing anatomical entities and life-cycle stages of multicellular organisms across species as well as types of multicellular organisms defined in terms of life-cycle stage and sexual characteristics. This newly created set of annotations, which has been added for v2.1 of the corpus, is by far the largest publicly available collection of gold-standard anatomical markup and is the first large-scale effort at manualmarkup of biomedical text relying on the entirety of an anatomical terminology, as opposed to annotation with a small number of high-level anatomical categories, as performed in previous corpora. In addition to presenting and discussing this newly available resource, we apply it to provide a performance baseline for the automatic annotation of anatomical concepts in biomedical text using a prominent concept recognition system. The full corpus, released with a CC BY 3.0 license, may be downloaded from http://bionlp-corpora.sourceforge.net/CRAFT/index.shtml. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a highly sensitive and selective analytical method capable of quantifying a total of 15 polybrominated and polychlorinated biphenyls (11 PBBs and 4 PCBs) in human serum. Samples were subjected to liquid-liquid extraction followed by solid-phase extraction prior to measurement using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in multiple reaction monitoring mode. Quantification was performed using isotope-dilution calibration covering a concentration range of 0.005-12.5 ng/mL. Limits of detection for all target compounds were in the low range (0.7-6.5 pg/mL). The method was validated using in-house pooled human serum fortified at two concentrations (0.5 ng/mL and 1.0 ng/mL), whole semen fortified at one concentration (0.25 ng/mL), and NIST Standard Reference Material (SRM) 1958, which includes five of the target compounds. Method accuracies for all target compounds ranged from 84 to 119% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of <19%. The measured values for the five target compounds present in the SRM agreed with the certified reference values (89-119% accuracy with RSDs <9%). As this method was developed to support ongoing epidemiologic investigations, we evaluated its suitability by analyzing subsets of serum and whole semen samples from the Michigan PBB Registry cohort. PBB-153, PCB-118, PCB-138, PCB-153 and PCB-180 were detected in all serum samples analyzed, with PBB-77 and PBB-101 detected less frequently in serum. PBB-153, PCB-118, PCB-138, PCB-153 and PCB-180 were detected in at least one whole semen sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are noncoding, regulatory RNAs expressed dynamically during differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into defined lineages. Mapping developmental expression of miRNAs during transition from pluripotency to definitive endoderm (DE) should help to elucidate the mechanisms underlying lineage specification and ultimately enhance differentiation protocols. In this report, next generation sequencing was used to build upon our previous analysis of miRNA expression in human hESCs and DE. From millions of sequencing reads, 747 and 734 annotated miRNAs were identified in pluripotent and DE cells, respectively, including 77 differentially expressed miRNAs. Among these, four of the top five upregulated miRNAs were previously undetected in DE. Furthermore, the stem-loop for miR-302a, an important miRNA for both hESCs self-renewal and endoderm specification, produced several highly expressed miRNA species (isomiRs). Overall, isomiRs represented >10% of sequencing reads in >40% of all detected stem-loop arms, suggesting that the impact of these abundant miRNA species may have been overlooked in previous studies. Because of their relative abundance, the role of differential isomiR targeting was studied using the miR-302 cluster as a model system. A miRNA mimetic for miR-302a-5p, but not miR-302a-5p(+3), decreased expression of orthodenticle homeobox 2 (OTX2). Conversely, isomiR 302a-5p(+3) selectively decreased expression of tuberous sclerosis protein 1, but not OTX2, indicating nonoverlapping specificity of miRNA processing variants. Taken together, our characterization of miRNA expression, which includes novel miRNAs and isomiRs, helps establish a foundation for understanding the role of miRNAs in DE formation and selective targeting by isomiRs. S tem C ells 2014;32:2360-2372 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How common is morphological convergence, and can the cause of convergence be traced to simple ecological categories like diet? Tamagnini et al. use phylogenetic comparative methods and simple morphological data from a large number of Carnivora taxa to investigate whether diet causes convergence in their craniomandibular complex. They find that convergence is less prevalent than expected and that this outcome is likely caused by a complex interplay between biomechanics, ecology, and morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species of management concern that have been affected by human activities typically are characterized by low genetic diversity, which can adversely affect their ability to adapt to environmental changes. We used 18 microsatellite markers to genotype 362 Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris), and investigated genetic diversity, population structure, and estimated genetically effective population size (Ne). The observed and expected heterozygosity and average number of alleles were 0.455 ± 0.04, 0.479 ± 0.04, and 4.77 ± 0.5 respectively. All measures of Florida manatee genetic diversity were less than averages reported for placental mammals, including fragmented or nonideal populations. Overall estimates of differentiation were low, though significantly greater than zero, and analysis of molecular variance revealed that over 95% of the total variance was among individuals within predefined management units or among individuals along the coastal subpopulations, with only minor portions of variance explained by between group variance. Although genetic issues, as inferred by neutral genetic markers, appear not to be critical at present, the Florida manatee continues to face demographic challenges due to anthropogenic activities and stochastic factors such as red tides, oil spills, and disease outbreaks; these can further reduce genetic diversity of the manatee population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The AMIA biomedical informatics (BMI) core competencies have been designed to support and guide graduate education in BMI, the core scientific discipline underlying the breadth of the field's research, practice, and education. The core definition of BMI adopted by AMIA specifies that BMI is 'the interdisciplinary field that studies and pursues the effective uses of biomedical data, information, and knowledge for scientific inquiry, problem solving and decision making, motivated by efforts to improve human health.' Application areas range from bioinformatics to clinical and public health informatics and span the spectrum from the molecular to population levels of health and biomedicine. The shared core informatics competencies of BMI draw on the practical experience of many specific informatics sub-disciplines. The AMIA BMI analysis highlights the central shared set of competencies that should guide curriculum design and that graduate students should be expected to master. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the interobserver and intraobserver reliability of qualitative behavior assessments (QBA) of individual pigs by 3 observer groups selected for their diverging backgrounds, experience, and views of pigs. Qualitative behavior assessment is a “whole animal” assessment approach that characterizes the demeanor of an animal as an expressive body language, using descriptors such as relaxed, anxious, or content. This paper addresses the concern that use of such descriptors in animal science may be prone to distortion by observer-related bias. Using a free-choice profiling methodology, 12 pig farmers, 10 large animal veterinarians, and 10 animal protectionists were instructed to describe and score the behavioral expressions of 10 individual pigs (Sus scrofa) in 2 repeat sets of 10 video clips, showing these pigs in interaction with a human female. They were also asked to fill in a questionnaire gauging their experiences with and views on pigs. Pig scores were analyzed with Generalized Procrustes Analysis and effect of treatment on these scores with ANOVA. Questionnaire scores were analyzed with a x² test or ANOVA. Observers achieved consensus both within and among observer groups (P < 0.001), identifying 2 main dimensions of pig expression (diml: playful/confident-cautious/timid; dim2: aggressive/nervous-relaxed/bored), on which pig scores for different observer groups were highly correlated (Pearson r > 0.90). The 3 groups also repeated their assessments of individual pigs with high precision (r > 0.85). Animal protectionists used a wider quantitative range in scoring individual pigs on dimension 2 than the other groups (P < 0.001); however, this difference did not distort the strong overall consistency of characterizations by observers of individual pigs. Questionnaire results indicated observer groups to differ in various ways, such as daily and lifetime contact with pigs (P < 0.001), some aspects of affection and empathy for pigs (P < 0.05), and confidence in the validity of personal QBA descriptors (P < 0.02). The main finding of this study is that despite such differences in background and outlook, the 3 observer groups showed high interobserver and intraobserver reliability in their characterizations of pig body language. This supports the empirical nature of QBA in context of the wider anthropomorphism debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If negotiations produce an end to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict then a sovereign, independent Palestine may emerge. But what is required for it to succeed? Nothing is more important than the security of a Palestinian state–for itself, for Israel, and for the region: security trumps all else. In addition to the problem of dealing effectively with opposition to a peace agreement within Palestine or directed against it from outside, the nature and magnitude of the security challenge will depend in large part on three issues: the drawing of borders between Israel and Palestine–and whether they are porous or marked by a rigid line of barriers; whether Israeli settlements are withdrawn, or in part incorporated into Israel, perhaps through land swaps with Palestine; and what arrangements are made for Jerusalem. One answer is the creation of effective Palestinian military forces (in addition to police), but this course could be divisive; a second is the development of a series of Israeli–Palestinian confidence-building and share–security measures, including intelligence cooperation; a third is progress towards reducing external threats to Israel–Palestine, including success in Iraq and in defusing other Middle East problems. Most useful, however, would be the creation of an American-led peace enabling force, ideally modelled on NATO. This force would need to be agreed by both Israel and Palestine; it must be adequately staffed, trained and equipped; its duties and rules of engagement must make sense to all parties; and it must be part of a network of dispute-resolution and confidence-building measures in full partnership with Israeli and Palestinian authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compares the usefulness of standard score results to that of raw scores results in causal analysis of communication research. Debates on standardization on causal analysis; Meta-analysis and the interpretation of results; Comparison of the relative impact of multiple predictors using standardized scores.

Haloacetic acids (HAs) are embryotoxic contaminants commonly found in drinking water. The mechanism of HA embryotoxicity has not been defined, but may be mediated in part by protein kinase C (PKC) inhibition. This study was conducted to evaluate the pathogenesis of HA embryotoxicity, and to compare these data with those from specific (Bis I) and non-specific (staurosporine) inhibitors of PKC. Embryos were incubated for varying times with several HAs, Bis I, staurosporine, or Bis V (a negative control). Cell cycle analysis was performed by flow cytometry following nuclear staining with propidium iodide; apoptosis was evaluated by fluorescence microscopy following LysoTracker staining. At concentrations producing 100% embryotoxicity with no embryolethality, only staurosporine perturbed the cell cycle. However, flow cytometry revealed accumulation of sub-G1 events (an apoptotic indicator) across time with bromochloroacetic acid, dicloroacetic acid, and staurosporine, but not dibromoacetic acid, Bis I, or Bis V. Sub-G1 events were particularly prominent in the head region, and remained at control levels in the heart. LysoTracker staining confirmed a similar pattern of apoptosis in the intact embryo; BCA and DCA produced intense staining in the prosencephalon, with virtually no staining in the heart. These data indicate that while cell-cycle perturbation may not mediate the pathogenesis of HA embryotoxicity, these agents do induce embryonic apoptosis. In addition, the lack of Bis I-induced apoptosis indicates that PKC inhibition is unlikely to be the sole mediator of HA embryotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background Row-by-row individual participant data (IPD) from a set of similar studies allows meta-analyses with exposure, confounder and outcome standardisation, and additional analyses at little extra cost. The ICMJE recently declared data sharing an ethical obligation. Consequently, registries have introduced mandatory data sharing statements. Our aims were to analyse data sharing willingness, and identify barriers and facilitators to data sharing. Methods We included all trials registered on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) in 2019. We analysed data sharing statements from registry records, and conducted an in-depth survey. Associations between willingness to share data and trial characteristics (e.g. trial purpose, funding) were analysed. Results Of the 1,517 included trials, 23% planned to share IPD upon completion. Investigators were less willing to share IPD for industry-funded trials (OR = 0.50,95%CI=0.34-0.70), but there was no difference by sample size or health condition. The main reasons for not sharing IPD were concerns about participant privacy (22%), ethics approval limitations (19%) and lack of understanding for the need of IPD (17%). Among the 281 survey respondents, 78% supported data sharing, but only 40% intended to share their data. Major barriers included concerns about time/resources (96%) and insufficient academic recognition (91%). Conclusions There is insufficient willingness to share data, particularly among industry funders. Addressing the identified barriers can improve this. Key messages Data sharing enables the use of new methodologies, such as improved meta-analysis. Low willingness to share data jeopardises the use of these new methodologies and needs to be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article emphasizes the need to view family dynamics as a process occurring through time. It identifies and describes a family process designated as chronic reconstitution. The authors also review research relevant to this process and suggest clinical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meta-analysis of the foot-in-the-door (FITD) and door-in-the-face (DITF) literatures showed both effects to be small (r = .17, .15 respectively), even under optimal conditions. Both require aprosocial topic in order to work. The amount of time between the first and second requests plays a different role in the operation of each of the two strategies. DITF was effective only when the delay between requests was brief. Effectiveness of FITD was unrelated to delay, but did depend on whether or not an incentive was provided with the first request. The positive relationship between effort and FITD predicted by self-perception theory was not found. Self-perception theory and reciprocal concessions theory, the theoretical perspectives usually applied to FITD and DITF respectively are examined in light of the findings and it is concluded that both are flawed seriously. Directions for future research are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three mathematical models of communication and belief change were proposed and tested: a proportional change model, a belief certainty model, and an accumulated information model. A quick correlational check of the three models suggested that the accumulated information model was the superior with the belief certainty model being the most inferior of the three. Stronger support for the accumulated information model obtained using a more stringent test: a nonlinear bivariate regression which produced visual 'plots' of empirical data that nearly duplicated the visual 'plots' produced by the theoretical model. The accumulated information model states that belief change is proportional to the discrepancy between the original belief and the belief communicated in the message, and inversely proportional to the amount of information which the receiver has about the topic at the time the message is received. The belief certainty model was the most inferior of the three indicating that the degree to which a receiver is certain in conviction is unrelated to the communication-belief change relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the implications of the fact that most attitudes are embedded in a hierarchy of beliefs about concepts that are either more abstract or less abstract than the attitude being considered. Attempts to change attitudes can be made by sending messages at any or all levels of abstraction. An information processing model is proposed: (a) to provide a description of the changes in the multi-level system over time when messages are sent at various levels, and (b) to explain the generalization of attitude change, delayed attitude change effects, and the fact that attitude change may or may not decay over time. Individual differences in the external parameter are shown to be related to persuasibility while differences in the internal parameter are related to dogmatism. Thus, persuasibility and dogmatism are sharply differentiated in this model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landings of Nephrops in the North Sea Farne Deep Nephrops fishery represented only 12% of the original catch by weight. The bycatch included 34 species of fish and 23 invertebrate taxa, as well as undersized and unmarketable Nephrops. There were small landings of lemon sole, plaice, whiting, cod, haddock, and starry ray, but the large majority of the bycatch was of juvenile fish or species of no commercial value and they were discarded. Survival of discarded Nephrops and fish was probably minimal. The discards were usually on deck for several hours before they were thrown overboard, by which time the large majority of fish and a high proportion of Nephrops were dead. Nephrops and some fish sank when they were returned to seawater, but other species of fish floated on the surface. In all cases, seabirds took the majority of discards (<70%) when they were thrown overboard. Those Nephrops landing on the seafloor alive are likely to have suffered further mortality because: (1) the bycatch was often discarded distant from the fishing grounds (i.e. the natural habitat), at places where conditions were probably unsuitable for their survival; (2) a high proportion of Nephrops was injured in the trawl and it is evident from laboratory tests that such injuries may cause death several day later; and (3) laboratory studies suggest that injured Nephrops may have difficulty re-establishing themselves on the seafloor because they compete unsuccessfully with conspecifics for food or shelter. There is concern that, in addition to the impact of the Nephrops fishery on stocks of Nephrops and the commercially important fish (especially whiting) which are caught in large numbers in the bycatch, it may have profound effects on the ecology of the seabed. The fishery effectively transfers organic matter from the seafloor to the surface of the sea, where most of it is removed for human food or by seabirds. Little of the fish or Nephrops catch returns to the seabed, dead or alive. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article uses data gathered by the "small world" technique to estimate the distance between social categories, the diffuseness of connection within a category, and the relative isolation of various categories. The critical questions for the data are the adequacy of the categories and the distribution of the chains of booklets which fail to reach the target. If the population can be divided into is categories, the natural model for the data is an n+2 state Markov process where the two additional states are "lost" and "tar- get." The discussion centers around the use of the transition matrix as a description of social structure and the comparison of observed and predicted average chain lengths as a test for the adequacy of the categories as a descriptive system. If the categories are "good," the "lost" column of the transition matrix can be eliminated and the new matrix can then be used to "correct" the observed average chain lengths to estimates of the average chain lengths, had all chains been completed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recurrent observations of physical and psychosocial aspects of functioning in aging, chronically ill patients were conducted to determine how nurses would utilize these data in developing written plans for patient care. Behaviors and capacities of 52 patients were observed by nursing personnel in relation to ward and dayroom hospital care environments, one group assessed weekly and the other at the beginning and end of an 8-week study period. The results indicated that, while nursing staff could readily rate physical and psychosocial aspects of functioning in their elderly patients, written plans for the nursing care of these patients tended to focus primarily on the patients' physical needs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Investigations were made into the low temperature preservation of pre-ovulatory human oocytes by vitrification using a method of brief exposure of the oocytes to the vitrification solution at room temperature. Assessments of morphological survival, fertilization and embryonic development were recorded. All those oocytes exposed to the vitrification solution alone were morphologically normal and 86% of them were fertilized after incubation with spermatozoa. All the fertilized ova (86%) underwent cell division. Following cooling to -196 degrees C, morphological survival (65%) and fertilization (45%) rates remained high. However, in all vitrified oocytes, embryonic cell division and further development were inhibited. From our study it appears that fresh human oocytes can be vitrified using only brief exposure to cryoprotective agents and survive to undergo fertilization. However, progress remains to be made in achieving further embryonic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Injury to living cells resulting from rapid cooling to temperatures at or near 0 degrees C has long been recognized, and the phenomenon, which is termed 'cold shock', has been known to occur in some mammalian gametes. Although human embryos have been successfully stored at low temperatures, cryopreservation of the human oocyte is proving to be more difficult. Whether or not this lack of success is a direct result of cellular injury brought about by 'cold shock' is the purpose of the current investigation. Human oocytes were cooled, in the absence of cryoprotectants, at two different cooling rates (-3 degrees C/min and -1000+ degrees C/min) to a temperature of 0 degrees C and rewarmed prior to insemination. In both cases fertilization after cooling was similar to the rates achieved in a routine in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer procedure. After cooling at -3 degrees C/min, the rate of fertilization was 19/22 (86%) and after cooling at -1000+ degrees C/min, 9/9 (100%), with non-cooled control rates of 62/87 (71%) and 35/50 (70%) respectively. Fertilized oocytes from both groups were successfully cultured for a further 24 h before termination of the experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both glycerol and dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) equilibration prior to cryopreservation produced adequate rates of survival and development to the hatching blastocyst stage for mouse oocytes using the two chosen cooling and warming regimes. Successful fertilization of human oocytes and further development of the embryos produced, was achieved following equilibration with DMSO at 0 degrees C. Although fertilization of fresh human ova previously exposed to glycerol was recorded, all oocytes with two pronuclei failed to continue to undergo cell division by 48 h in culture. Following cryopreservation, human oocytes were successfully inseminated after equilibration with both glycerol and DMSO. However, cell division to the 2-cell stage was recorded in only one oocyte which had undergone exposure to DMSO, freezing and thawing. No cell divisions were recorded after glycerol cryopreservation, or even after simple exposure to glycerol. Therefore it appears that DMSO and slow cooling may be the best protocol, although further evaluation will be necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of patients undergoing BMT is rising steadily. The increase is due to a broadening of the indications for transplantation and an increase in the donor pool. There has been a progressive improvement in outcome particularly due to a fall in transplant-related mortality. Methotrexate and cyclosporin are the mainstay of graft versus host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis, but acute GVHD remains a major problem in the unrelated donor recipient. Infections remain an important cause of death and emphasise the crucial role of antimicrobial prophylaxis; death from Gram-negative sepsis has been significantly reduced by the use of prophylactic antibiotics. Fungal infections carry a high mortality, especially in allogeneic transplant recipients. Fluconazole is used to protect patients in the neutropenic period and beyond in higher risk individuals. Viral infections, which may occur late, are emerging as a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the allogeneic, particularly unrelated transplantation setting. A long term susceptibility to encapsulated bacteria suggests delayed immune reconstitution; revaccination policies are standard in most units. The longer term effects of transplantation are increasingly important with improving survival and include chronic GVHD, endocrine, cardiorespiratory and other systemic abnormalities. The increased risk of secondary malignancies is also of concern. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents a study determining whether attitudinal relevance substantially affects the magnitude of the correlation between attitudes and behavior, and whether the effects are content-free. Use of meta-analysis; The relevance of relevance; Findings; Artifacts of method; Meta-analytic strategy; Probing the attitude-behavior link; The importance of construct-valid attitude; Results.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article about the use of a spectrophotometric intracutaneous analysis device in the diagnosis of melanoma which was published in the previous issue.

The article highlighted in this issue is “Spatial Glutathione and Cysteine Distribution and Chemical Modulation in the Early Organogenesis-Stage Rat Conceptus in Utero” by Melissa J. Beck, Clifton McLellan, Rhonda L.-F. Lightle, Martin A. Philbert, and Craig Harris (pp. 92–102). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]