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Diseases of marine organisms, including sponges on coral reefs, are being reported with increasing frequency worldwide. Aplysina Red Band Syndrome (ARBS) occurs across the Caribbean basin, predominantly affecting Aplysina cauliformis, one of the most common reef sponges in this region. Existing ARBS lesions and their effects on the sponge holobiont have been documented, yet little is known about the biochemical and microbial changes associated with the onset of infection. Due to the transmissible nature of ARBS, infection can be induced and monitored through sponge-to-sponge direct contact. Nine-day contact experiments with healthy-diseased and healthy-healthy sponge pairings were conducted in the Bahamas in January and July to compare individual sponges sampled initially and at one of three successive time points. Temporal changes in bacterial assemblages and photosymbiont abundance (via concentrations of chlorophyll a), and concentrations of total protein, heat shock protein 70, and major secondary metabolites that may correspond with disease onset were characterized. All healthy sponges in contact with diseased sponges developed ARBS by day 9 in January and by day 6 in July, suggesting that observed changes in the holobiont corresponded with the development of ARBS. The concentrations of several major secondary metabolites, as well as heat shock protein 70 and chlorophyll a, changed significantly in samples of visibly healthy tissue from initially healthy sponges that became diseased. In contrast, the composition of the associated bacterial community changed in all attached sponges over time. These results suggest that infection with ARBS elicits rapid responses by the sponge holobiont, providing a model system in which to investigate immune responses in an early metazoan.

Background Primary hyperoxaluria (PH) type 3 (PH3) is caused by mutations in the hydroxy-oxo-glutarate aldolase 1 gene. PH3 patients often present with recurrent urinary stone disease in the first decade of life, but prior reports suggested PH3 may have a milder phenotype in adults. This study characterized clinical manifestations of PH3 across the decades of life in comparison with PH1 and PH2. Methods Clinical information was obtained from the Rare Kidney Stone Consortium PH Registry (PH1, n = 384; PH2, n = 51; PH3, n = 62). Results PH3 patients presented with symptoms at a median of 2.7 years old compared with PH1 (4.9 years) and PH2 (5.7 years) (P = 0.14). Nephrocalcinosis was present at diagnosis in 4 (7%) PH3 patients, while 55 (89%) had stones. Median urine oxalate excretion was lowest in PH3 patients compared with PH1 and PH2 (1.1 versus 1.6 and 1.5 mmol/day/1.73 m2, respectively, P Conclusions Patients with all forms of PH experience lifelong stone events, often beginning in childhood. Kidney failure is common in PH1 but rare in PH3. Longer-term follow-up of larger cohorts will be important for a more complete understanding of the PH3 phenotype.

Many studies have evaluated the impacts of hurricanes on coral communities, but far less is known about impacts, recovery, and resilience of sponge communities to these extreme events. In September 2017, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, was impacted by two Category 5 hurricanes within 2 weeks: Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Such extreme events occurring in such rapid succession are virtually unprecedented. Pre-hurricane (2015, 2016) surveys of permanent transects at six sites around St. Thomas were compared with those at 10 weeks post-hurricanes (December 2017) to evaluate storm impacts on sponges and on benthic coral reef constituents. These surveys also established a baseline for evaluating future recovery. Percent cover of sponges declined by 24.9% post-hurricanes. In contrast, sponge density increased by 43.9% from 2015 to 2016 and declined slightly after the hurricanes. Overall sponge volume did not vary over time, and whereas sponge diversity was similar in 2015 and 2016, it increased post-hurricanes. Sponge morphologies were differentially affected by the hurricanes; the proportion of upright sponges declined by 36.9%, while there was a 24.4% increase in encrusting sponges. Coral and macroalgal cover did not change significantly over the sampling period, while percent cover of epilithic algae increased and non-living substrata decreased from 2015 to 2016 but did not change further post-hurricanes. At all sites, recruitment and/or regrowth of sponges was observed within 10 weeks post-hurricanes, indicating potential resilience in Caribbean sponge communities. Whether these sponge communities return to pre-hurricane conditions and how long that will take remains to be seen.

Aplysina cauliformis, the Caribbean purple rope sponge, is commonly affected by Aplysina Red Band Syndrome (ARBS). This transmissible disease manifests as circular lesions with red margins and results in bare spongin fibers. Leptolyngbya spp. appear to be responsible for the characteristic red coloration but transmission studies with a sponge-derived isolate failed to establish disease, leaving the etiology of ARBS unknown. To investigate the cause of ARBS, contact transmission experiments were performed between healthy and diseased sponges separated by filters with varying pore sizes. Transmission occurred when sponges were separated by filters with pore sizes ≥ 2.5 μm, suggesting a prokaryotic pathogen(s) but not completely eliminating eukaryotic pathogen(s). Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing methods, 38 prokaryotic taxa were significantly enriched in diseased sponges, including Leptolyngbya, whereas seven taxa were only found in some, but not all, of the ARBS-affected sponges. These results do not implicate a single taxon, but rather a suite of taxa that changed in relative abundance with disease, suggesting a polymicrobial etiology as well as dysbiosis. As a better understanding of dysbiosis is gained, changes in the composition of associated prokaryotic communities may have increasing importance for evaluating and maintaining the health of individuals and imperiled coral reef ecosystems.

This study examined the relationship between the Dark Triad (narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy), ethical attitudes, college major, and social desirability. Researchers investigated if business and psychology majors differed on the Dark Triad and ethical attitudes. In addition, social desirability was hypothesized to moderate the relationship between the Dark Triad and ethical attitudes. In total, 383 upper division business and psychology students from a large public university were surveyed online. Results showed a significant negative correlation between the Dark Triad and ethical attitudes. Business majors have significantly higher levels of psychopathy and lower levels of ethical attitudes compared to psychology majors, and social desirability moderates the relationship between psychopathy and ethical attitudes. Given the deleterious nature of the Dark Triad, and the negative impact of unethical behavior in the workplace, the findings underscore the need for future research that further examines differences between majors on these variables.

Naegleria fowleri is a free-living protozoan that resides in soil and freshwater. Human intranasal amoebae exposure through water or potentially dust particles can culminate in primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, which generally causes death. While many questions remain regarding pathogenesis, the microbial ecology of N. fowleri is even less understood. This review outlines current knowledge of the environmental abiotic and biotic factors that affect the distribution and abundance of N. fowleri. Although the impacts of some abiotic factors remain poorly investigated or inconclusive, N. fowleri appears to have a wide pH range, low salinity tolerance and thermophilic preference. From what is known about biotic factors, the amoebae preferentially feed upon bacteria and are preyed upon by other free-living amoebae. Additional laboratory and environmental studies are needed to fill in knowledge gaps, which are crucial for surveillance and management of N. fowleri in freshwaters. As surface water temperatures increase with climate change, it is likely that this amoeba will pose a greater threat to human health, suggesting that identifying its abiotic and biotic preferences is critical to mitigating this risk., Naegleria fowleri, the so-called brain-eating amoeba, is thermophilic, suggesting that its occurrence will increase with climate change, highlighting the need to better understand which abiotic and biotic factors influence its distribution and abundance.

Primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1) is a genetic disorder characterized by overproduction of oxalate and eventual kidney failure. Kidney failure is usually irreversible in PH1. However, in patients with PH1 homozygous for the G170R mutation (in which the glycine at amino acid 170 is replaced by an arginine), pyridoxine is an enzyme cofactor and decreases urinary oxalate excretion by reducing hepatic oxalate production. We report recovery from dialysis in 3 patients with PH1 homozygous for the G170R mutation in response to pharmacologic-dose pyridoxine treatment. Median age at initiation or resumption of pyridoxine treatment was 37 (range, 20-53) years, and median daily pyridoxine dose was 8.8 (range, 6.8-14.0) mg per kilogram of body weight. Duration of hemodialysis before recovery of kidney function was 10 (range, 5-19) months. Plasma oxalate concentration improved after recovery of kidney function. At a median of 3 (range, 2-46) months following discontinuation of hemodialysis, estimated glomerular filtration rate was 34 (range, 23-52) mL/min/1.73m2, plasma oxalate concentration was 8.8 (range, 4.6-11.3) μmol/L, and urinary oxalate excretion was 0.93 (range, 0.47-1.03) mmol/d. Kidney function was maintained during a median of 3.2 (range, 1.3-3.8) years of follow-up. These observations suggest that kidney failure may be reversible in a subset of patients with PH1 homozygous for the G170R mutation treated with pharmacologic-dose pyridoxine.

The 3rd International Symposium on Sponge Microbiology (ISSM) was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC, 41742002). We thank the Excellent Poster Awards from FEMS Microbiology Ecology. Special thanks also go to all the reviewers of the papers submitted for this issue.

Soils from four sites distributed along an elevation gradient from marsh to coastal forest in a wetland bordering the Gulf of Mexico were sampled over a 16-months period. In addition to measuring a suite of environmental conditions, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses of the resident bacterial communities were performed. Wetland soil bacterial communities varied across both space and time, with all measured variables (temperature, pH, percentage of soil organic matter, salinity, and concentrations of sulfide, NH4+, NO3−, and soluble reactive phosphorus) showing significant site by time interactions. Analyses of bacterial communities showed both marsh zones (Spartina and Cladium) supported similar communities, as did the ecotone and coastal forest. Bacterial communities within coastal forest soils were significantly different than those within marsh soils, and the ecotone communities were significantly different from the Spartina marsh soil. Temperature and pH were the most influential environmental factors impacting bacterial community composition but no predictable patterns were identified, suggesting that community changes are likely the result of intrinsic factors that are affected by local-scale processes. The dynamic nature of the physiochemical variables within wetlands suggests that more work is needed to determine potential interactive effects on bacterial community structure.

The field of psychology has a long history of tracing the lineage of modern day psychologists back to their academic roots (Benjamin, Durkin, Link, Vestal, & Accord, 1992), and industrial and organizational (I-O) psychology is no exception (Culbertson, 2016). Why do we do it? Well, it is intriguing to see how our initial training may be linked back to some of the pioneers of our field. Perhaps it also represents how we are connected with one another—through our extended family relationships. But of course an academic family tree only reflects a portion of how we might be interconnected with one another—certainly our networks go much further than our dissertation chairs. Indeed, they might include our collaborators, coworkers and former coworkers, fellow former graduate students, and a host of people with whom we have connected at conferences or through other professional and personal relationships, and the composition of these networks, arguably, matters.

Gloss, Carr, Reichman, Abdul-Nasiru, and Oestereich (2017) present a compelling argument (or rallying call) for there being a “moral imperative for I-O psychology to overrepresent people living in the deepest forms of poverty in both science and practice” (p. 330). We agree. Our research has been dominated by a POSH perspective, and it is incumbent upon us to ensure that our science benefits those who are most affected by poverty. We believe the interest in engaging in humanitarian work psychology is growing among industrial and organizational (I-O) psychologists, yet many of us may not feel prepared to conduct such research and/or we may feel that we lack the skills to do so. Further, as Gloss et al. (2017) note, to the extent that we are unprepared to engage in research that benefits those living in poverty, in particular, we run the added risk of harming the very populations we are wanting to help. As such, the interest is there, but we may be daunted by the method. We argue that in order to heed that rallying call, without harm, we need to develop our own capabilities to engage in this important work.

As coral cover has declined on Caribbean reefs, space has become occupied by other benthic taxa, including sponges, which may affect the recruitment of new corals, thereby affecting the ability of reefs to recover to coral-dominated states. Sponges may inhibit coral recruitment by pre-empting potential recruitment space, overgrowing recruits, or through allelopathy. This study examined coral recruitment across six coral reef sites surrounding St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, and the impact of one species of sponge and the sponge community as a whole on coral recruitment. To test the effect of a single species of sponge on coral recruitment, fragments of living or non-living Aplysina cauliformis were attached to terracotta recruitment tiles and deployed at all six sites, along with unoccupied tiles as controls. At two of the sites, a community-level experiment consisted of deploying recruitment tiles in 1 m2 plots that were either cleared of the entire sponge community or control plots where no sponges were removed. Recruitment rates showed a consistent difference among sites over multiple years and experiments. Results of the species-specific experiment showed that the proximity of live or dead A. cauliformis did not affect coral recruitment. However, results of the community-level experiment found greater coral recruitment rates in plots cleared of sponges, suggesting that the presence of the sponge community negatively affected coral recruitment. This study is one of the first to experimentally test and find a significant impact of sponges on coral recruitment, and highlights the need for additional research in this area.

Background: Primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1) and idiopathic hypercalciuria (IHC) are stone-forming diseases that may result in the formation of calcium (Ca) oxalate (Ox) stones, nephrocalcinosis, and progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD). Poorer clinical outcome in PH1 is segregated by the highest urine (Ur)-Ox (UrOx), while IHC outcomes are not predictable by UrCa. We hypothesized that differences would be found in selected Ur-protein (PRO) patterns in PH1 and IHC, compared to healthy intra-familial sibling controls (C) of PH1 patients. We also hypothesized that the PRO patterns associated with higher UrOx levels would reflect injury, inflammation, biomineralization, and abnormal tissue repair processes in PH1. Methods: Twenty four-hour Ur samples were obtained from 3 cohorts: PH1 (n = 47); IHC (n = 35) and C (n = 13) and were analyzed using targeted platform-based multi-analyte profile immunoassays and for UrOx and UrCa by biochemical measurements. Results: Known stone matrix constituents, osteopontin, calbindin, and vitronectin were lowest in PH1 (C > IHC > PH1; p < 0.05). Ur-interleukin-10; chromogranin A; epidermal growth factor (EGF); insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and macrophage inflammatory PRO-1α (MIP-1α) were higher in PH1 > C (p = 0.03 to p < 0.05). Fetuin A; IGF-1, MIP-1α, and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 were highest in PH1 > IHC (p < 0.001 to p = 0.005). Conclusion: PH1 Ur-PROs reflected overt inflammation, chemotaxis, oxidative stress, growth factors (including EGF), and pro-angiogenic and calcification regulation/inhibition compared to the C and IHC cohorts. Many of the up- and downregulated PH1-PROs found in this study are also found in CKD, acute kidney injury, stone formers, and/or stone matrices. Further data analyses may provide evidence for PH1 unique PROs or demonstrate a poorer clinical outcome.

Background Endogenous oxalate synthesis contributes to calcium oxalate stone disease and is markedly increased in the inherited primary hyperoxaluria (PH) disorders. The incomplete knowledge regarding oxalate synthesis complicates discovery of new treatments. Hydroxyproline (Hyp) metabolism results in the formation of oxalate and glycolate. However, the relative contribution of Hyp metabolism to endogenous oxalate and glycolate synthesis is not known. Methods To define this contribution, we performed primed, continuous, intravenous infusions of the stable isotope [(15)N,(13)C(5)]-Hyp in nine healthy subjects and 19 individuals with PH and quantified the levels of urinary (13)C(2)-oxalate and (13)C(2)-glycolate formed using ion chromatography coupled to mass detection. Results The total urinary oxalate-to-creatinine ratio during the infusion was 73.1, 70.8, 47.0, and 10.6 mg oxalate/g creatinine in subjects with PH1, PH2, and PH3 and controls, respectively. Hyp metabolism accounted for 12.8, 32.9, and 14.8 mg oxalate/g creatinine in subjects with PH1, PH2, and PH3, respectively, compared with 1.6 mg oxalate/g creatinine in controls. The contribution of Hyp to urinary oxalate was 15% in controls and 18%, 47%, and 33% in subjects with PH1, PH2, and PH3, respectively. The contribution of Hyp to urinary glycolate was 57% in controls, 30% in subjects with PH1, and

Although small, rural water supplies may present elevated microbial risks to consumers in some settings, characterizing exposures through representative point-of-consumption sampling is logistically challenging. In order to evaluate the usefulness of consumer self-reported data in predicting measured water quality and risk factors for contamination, we compared matched consumer interview data with point-of-survey, household water quality and pressure data for 910 households served by 14 small water systems in rural Alabama. Participating households completed one survey that included detailed feedback on two key areas of water service conditions: delivery conditions (intermittent service and low water pressure) and general aesthetic characteristics (taste, odor and color), providing five condition values. Microbial water samples were taken at the point-of-use (from kitchen faucets) and as-delivered from the distribution network (from outside flame-sterilized taps, if available), where pressure was also measured. Water samples were analyzed for free and total chlorine, pH, turbidity, and presence of total coliforms and Escherichia coli. Of the 910 households surveyed, 35% of participants reported experiencing low water pressure, 15% reported intermittent service, and almost 20% reported aesthetic problems (taste, odor or color). Consumer-reported low pressure was associated with lower gauge-measured pressure at taps. While total coliforms (TC) were detected in 17% of outside tap samples and 12% of samples from kitchen faucets, no reported water service conditions or aesthetic characteristics were associated with presence of TC. We conclude that consumer-reported data were of limited utility in predicting potential microbial risks associated with small water supplies in this setting, although consumer feedback on low pressure—a risk factor for contamination—may be relatively reliable and therefore useful in future monitoring efforts.

Combined kidney liver transplant is the preferred transplant option for most patients with primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1) given that it removes the hepatic source of oxalate production and improves renal allograft survival. However, PH1 patients homozygous for the G170R mutation can develop normal urine oxalate levels with pyridoxine therapy and may be candidates for kidney alone transplant. We examined the efficacy of pyridoxine therapy following kidney alone transplant in five patients homozygous for G170R transplanted between 9/1999 and 7/2013. All patients were maintained on pyridoxine post-transplant. Median age at transplant was 39 years (range 33–67 years). Median follow-up post-transplant was 8.5 years (range 0.2–13.9 years). At the end of follow-up, 4 grafts were functioning. One graft failed 13.9 years post-transplant due to recurrent oxalate nephropathy following an acute medical illness. After tissue oxalate stores had cleared, post-transplant urine oxalate levels were < 0.5 mmol/24 hr the majority of times checked. Calcium oxalate crystals were noted in only 3/13 allograft biopsies. This series suggests that a subgroup of PH1 patients demonstrate sustained response to pyridoxine therapy following kidney alone transplant. Therefore, pyridoxine combined with kidney alone transplantation should be considered for PH1 patients with a homozygous G170R mutation.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine antecedents and consequences of parental involvement and over-parenting as it relates to college students’ college experiences and workplace expectations. Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was completed by 482 undergraduate college students; the survey contained questions about parenting behaviors, personality and demographic items, and workplace scenarios to which participants responded. Findings – Statistical analyses revealed that over-parenting was more common when college students lived at home and had fewer siblings. Additionally, over-parenting (but not parental involvement) was associated with lower student self-efficacy as well as maladaptive responses to workplace scenarios. Research limitations/implications – Data are correlational and were collected from students only. Future longitudinal research that includes the parent and employer perspective is needed. Originality/value – This is one of the first studies to empirically examine the antecedents and outcomes associated with over-parenting. Over-parenting is assessed in relation to college and workplace outcomes.

Reports of marine sponge diseases have increased in recent years, but few etiologic agents have been identified. Aplysina red band syndrome (ARBS), a condition observed in the Caribbean sponge Aplysina cauliformis, is characterized by a rust-colored leading margin. Culture-independent methods (terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and clone library analyses) were used to assess bacterial communities associated with healthy and ARBS-affected sponges from two locations over 2 years. Although the bacterial communities associated with healthy and ARBS-affected sponges were significantly different, the sponges maintained a core bacterial community across space, time, and health status. Ten terminal restriction fragments were shown to change significantly between sponge health conditions, with six increasing in abundance with disease and four decreasing. The prevalence of the photosymbiont Synechococcus spongiarum decreased with ARBS infection, suggesting a functional consequence of disease. After cultivating a red-pigmented Leptolyngbya strain from ARBS lesions, transmission studies were conducted to determine whether this organism was the ARBS pathogen. Despite significantly increased abundance of Leptolyngbya spp. in diseased sponges, signs of ARBS were not observed in healthy sponges following 24 days of contact with the cultured strain. Additional work with this model system is needed to increase our understanding of the dynamics of marine diseases.

The introduction and subsequent spread of lionfish into the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea has become a worldwide conservation issue. These highly successful invaders may also be capable of introducing non-native microorganisms to the invaded regions. This study compared the bacterial communities associated with lionfish external tissue to those of native Bahamian fishes and ambient water. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses demonstrated that lionfish bacterial communities were significantly different than those associated with three native Bahamian fishes. Additionally, all fishes harbored distinct bacterial communities from the ambient bacterioplankton. Analysis of bacterial clone libraries from invasive lionfish and native squirrelfish indicated that lionfish communities were more diverse than those associated with squirrelfish, yet did not contain known fish pathogens. Using microscopy and molecular genetic approaches, lionfish eggs were examined for the presence of bacteria to evaluate the capacity for vertical transmission. Eggs removed from the ovaries of gravid females were free of bacteria, suggesting that lionfish likely acquire bacteria from the environment. This study was the first examination of bacterial communities associated with the invasive lionfish and indicated that they support different communities of environmentally derived bacteria than Caribbean reef fishes.

Thomas, Torsten ... et al.-- 12 pages, 10 figures, additional information https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms11870, Sponges (phylum Porifera) are early-diverging metazoa renowned for establishing complex microbial symbioses. Here we present a global Porifera microbiome survey, set out to establish the ecological and evolutionary drivers of these host–microbe interactions. We show that sponges are a reservoir of exceptional microbial diversity and major contributors to the total microbial diversity of the world’s oceans. Little commonality in species composition or structure is evident across the phylum, although symbiont communities are characterized by specialists and generalists rather than opportunists. Core sponge microbiomes are stable and characterized by generalist symbionts exhibiting amensal and/or commensal interactions. Symbionts that are phylogenetically unique to sponges do not disproportionally contribute to the core microbiome, and host phylogeny impacts complexity rather than composition of the symbiont community. Our findings support a model of independent assembly and evolution in symbiont communities across the entire host phylum, with convergent forces resulting in analogous community organization and interactions, T.T. and N.S.W. were funded through Australian Research Council Future Fellowships FT140100197 and FT120100480, respectively. S.L.L. and P.M.E. were funded by the Spanish Government project MARSYMBIOMICS CTM2013-43287-P. R.C. was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology through the Investigator Grant IF/01076/2014 and the project UID/Multi/04326/2013. C.G.E. and R.W.T. were supported by grants from the US National Science Foundation (DEB-0829986 and DEB-1208340). A.C.-F. was supported by the UNESCO L’Oréal Fellowship for Young Women in Science. U.H. and L.M.S. received funding from the EU- FP7 Program (KBBE.2012.3.2-01; grant no. 311932; SeaBioTech). J.M.M. was supported by the French Laboratory of Excellence Project ‘TULIP’ (ANR-10-LABX-41; ANR-11-IDEX-002-02) and by a Region Midi-Pyrénées Project (CNRS 121090)

Diseases of marine organisms, and sponges in particular, are increasingly reported worldwide. Prior research indicates that the survival of sponges on reefs is due largely to their production of biologically active secondary metabolites that provide protection from a diversity of stressors. Aplysina Red Band Syndrome (ARBS) is an emerging disease affecting Caribbean rope sponges (Aplysina spp.), but it is not known whether secondary metabolites play a role in disease susceptibility and resistance. To investigate whether differences in secondary metabolites may explain variability in susceptibility to ARBS in Aplysina cauliformis, we used high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to generate chemical profiles from healthy tissue in both healthy and diseased sponges, and quantified peak areas for 15 metabolites. Analyses of healthy and diseased sponges revealed qualitative and quantitative differences in their chemical profiles. Aplysamine-1 and fistularin-3 were produced in significantly higher concentrations by healthy sponges, whereas aerothionin and 11-oxoaerothionin were found only in diseased sponges. At natural concentrations, extracts from both healthy and diseased sponges deterred feeding by an omnivorous reef fish. Fistularin-3 deterred feeding at concentrations found in healthy sponges, but not at concentrations found in diseased sponges. Aerothionin deterred feeding at concentrations found in diseased sponges, and may at least partially replace the loss of fistularin-3 as a feeding deterrent compound following pathogenesis, suggesting a trade-off in the production of feeding deterrent compounds. Extracts from healthy and diseased sponges inhibited bacterial growth, and both aplysamine-1 and fistularin-3 displayed selective antibacterial activity. Despite differences in secondary metabolite production between healthy and diseased sponges, the stress associated with ARBS does not appear to compromise the ability of A. cauliformis to maintain defenses against some of its natural enemies.

Granular activated carbon (GAC) is an alternative filter substrate for municipal water treatment as it provides a high surface area suitable for microbial colonization. The resulting microbial growth promotes biodegradation of organic materials and other contaminants from influent waters. Here, the community structure of the bacteria associated with three GAC and two anthracite filters was examined over 12 months to monitor changes in community composition. Nearly complete 16S rRNA genes were polymerase chain reaction amplified for terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analyses. The identity of commonly occurring peaks was determined through the construction of five representative 16S rRNA clone libraries. Based on sequence analysis, the bacterial communities associated with both anthracite and GAC filters appear to be composed of environmentally derived bacteria, with no known human pathogens. Analysis of similarity tests revealed that significant differences in bacterial community structure occurred over time, with filter substrate playing an important role in determining community composition. GAC filters exhibited the greatest degree of bacterial community variability over the sampling period, while anthracite filters showed a lower degree of variability and less change in community composition. Thus, GAC may be a suitable biologically active filter substrate for the treatment of municipal drinking water.

In the ever-expanding search for novel bioactive molecules and enzymes, marine actinomycetes have proven to be a productive source. While open reef sediment and sponge-associated actinomycetes have been extensively examined, their marine cave counterparts remain unevaluated. Anchialine cave systems in the Bahamas offered an ideal setting to evaluate the occurrence and variation within sediment-associated actinomycete communities. While in close geographical proximity to open reef environments, these systems provide a specialized environmental niche devoid of light and direct exposure to nutrient input. In the present study, selective isolation techniques and molecular methods were used to test the hypothesis that variable distribution of actinomycetes and secondary metabolite gene clusters occur between open reef and marine cave systems. The results indicated that differences exist within the culturable sediment-associated actinomycete communities between marine caves and open reef systems, with members of the genus Streptomyces dominating cultures from open reef sediments and a more diverse suite of actinomycetes isolated from marine cave sediment samples. Within the cave isolates, members of the proposed genus Solwaraspora were the most represented. Based on PKS- and NRPS-gene-targeted PCR amplification and sequencing, geographic variation in the occurrence of these biosynthetic pathways was also observed. These findings indicate that marine cave systems are a lucrative source in the search for novel secondary metabolite producers with biotechnological applications and that environmental and geographic factors likely affect the occurrence of these biosynthetic pathways.

Workplace voice has been the subject of much research over the past 30 years. Prior work has examined the precursors of a wide variety of voice types including prosocial voice, grievance filing, whistle-blowing, informal complaints, and participation in suggestion systems. However, research on each type of voice has largely been conducted in isolation from work examining alternate types of workplace voice. The goal of this article is to review and integrate the literature on the determinants of workplace voice. The authors’ review of the literature is organized around the major categories of determinants that have been observed in the separate literatures on workplace voice. Based on the review, the authors identify commonalities and differences across alternative forms of voice in the determinants observed. Following this, they explore how the nature and purpose of voice varies, with emphasis on three dimensions of voice: formality, focus, and identifiability. The authors then explore whether this variation is relevant for understanding the pattern of determinants observed across alternative forms of voice. They close by discussing the implications of an integrative perspective of scholars’ understanding of the processes that determine voice and for organizations as they strive to facilitate the productive use of workplace voice.

Actinomycete strain RB72T was isolated from woodland bluff soil in northern Alabama, USA, and shown to produce a broad spectrum bacteriocin. Based on morphological and chemotaxonomic characteristics, the strain was determined to belong to the genus Streptomyces. Phylogenetic analysis of the near-complete 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that it differed from those of the described streptomycetes available in public databases. The distinctive white aerial hyphae and lack of sporulation suggest a deficiency in the whi pathway of the organism. A combination of substrate utilization patterns, morphological and chemotaxonomic characteristics and DNA–DNA hybridization results supported the affiliation of strain RB72T to the genus Streptomyces and enabled the genotypic and phenotypic differentiation of strain RB72T from closely related reference strains. Strain RB72T therefore represents a novel species of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces scopuliridis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is RB72T ( = DSM 41917T = NRRL B-24574T).

Mesophotic coral ecosystems that occur at depths from 30 to 200 m have historically been understudied and yet appear to support a diverse biological community. The microbiology of these systems is particularly poorly understood, especially with regard to the communities associated with corals, sponges, and algae. This lack of information is partly due to the problems associated with gaining access to these environments and poor reproducibility across sampling methods. To summarize what is known about the microbiology of these ecosystems and to highlight areas where research is urgently needed, an overview of the current state of knowledge is presented. Emphasis is placed on the characterization of microbial populations, both prokaryotic and eukaryotic, associated with corals, sponges, and algae and the factors that influence microbial community structure. In topic areas where virtually nothing is known from mesophotic environments, the knowledge pertaining to shallow-water ecosystems is summarized to provide a starting point for a discussion on what might be expected in the mesophotic zone.

Iron oxide sheaths and filaments are commonly found in hydrothermal environments and have been shown to have a biogenic origin. These structures were seen in the flocculent material associated with two submarine volcanoes along the Kermadec Arc north of New Zealand. Molecular characterization of the bacterial communities associated with the flocculent samples indicated that no known Fe-oxidizing bacteria dominated the recovered clone libraries. However, clones related to the recently described Fe-oxidizing bacterium Mariprofundus ferrooxydans were obtained from both the iron-containing flocculent (Fe-floc) and sediment samples, and peaks corresponding to Mariprofundus ferrooxydans , as well as the related clones, were observed in several of our terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism profiles. A large group of epsilonproteobacterial sequences, for which there is no cultured representative, dominated clones from the Fe-floc libraries and were less prevalent in the sediment sample. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that several operational taxonomic units appeared to be site specific, and statistical analyses of the clone libraries found that all samples were significantly different from each other. Thus, the bacterial communities in the Fe-floc samples were not more closely related to each other than to the sediment communities.

Conflict management research generally has focused on some aspects of conflict in organizations—for example, the predictors or consequences of using a particular dispute resolution method—with little theory to explain how various aspects of the process fit together. We present a model that integrates these factors and specifically focuses on the dynamic processes by which an individual concludes that he or she has been mistreated and responds to the mistreatment.

Communication technologies have made it increasingly feasible for employees to stay connected to work when not in the office. Yet we have little understanding of the implications for important aspects of work and work life. This study investigates how the use of communication technologies beyond normal work hours relates to work-related attitudes and work-to-life conflict. Results found that employees with higher ambition and job involvement were more likely to use communication technologies after hours. Furthermore, use of communication technologies after hours was associated with the employee's work-to-life conflict as reported by the employee and a significant other of the employee.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe development of a component in a management principles course to develop university students' virtual team skills. There were several challenges in creating and implementing this new component. The paper aims to describe how these challenges were addressed and discusses outcomes associated with this virtual team component.Design/methodology/approachThis paper primarily presents a case study of the evolution of a virtual team education module. Descriptive data and regression analysis are presented to support specific outcomes.FindingsAfter completing the course, participants indicated the virtual team experience helped them gain useful professional skills. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated satisfaction with the virtual experience and perceptions that the virtual team experience built useful skills that were related to willingness to use this technology in the future (controlling for age, gender, working experience, and team performance).Research limitations/implicationsThe training method was implemented in only one institution. Additionally, limited empirical data is presented.Practical implicationsResults can be used by others interested in implementing a virtual team training/education component in a university setting. Non‐educational organizations may find the information helpful in successfully introducing virtual teams to employees.Originality/valueWhile computer mediated technology is increasingly utilized to educate and train students and employees, the process of effectively training people to optimally utilize technology, especially in a team setting, is not well documented. Additionally, this paper highlights factors that influence the acceptance of technology and willingness to use technology in the future.