Developing Children’s Observation Skills Using a Fractal Pattern from Nature

Abstract

This study aimed to support the development of the scientific observation skills of children at an early age using a pattern selected from nearby nature. For this purpose, a simple, innovative and authentic observation activity was designed using thorny burnet (Sarcopoterium spinosum L.), a plant unique to the Mediterranean region. The activity was conducted in a preschool institution with six-year-old children in the class hours of a weekly science course in three different environments (in-class, out-of-class, and out-of-school), and seven stages. In this activity, which aimed to transform children’s natural/spontaneous observation skills into scientific observation skills, patterns were revealed through systematic and sequential observation and drawings. At the end of the activity, it was found that the children had developed skills related to breaking a whole into its parts and putting the parts together according to patterns, making detailed observations, and systematic data collection, and they successfully implemented these skills outside the classroom and school.     

Can Ethograms Be Automatically Generated Using Body Acceleration Data from Free-Ranging Birds?

An ethogram is a catalogue of discrete behaviors typically employed by a species. Traditionally animal behavior has been recorded by observing study individuals directly. However, this approach is difficult, often impossible, in the case of behaviors which occur in remote areas and/or at great depth or altitude. The recent development of increasingly sophisticated, animal-borne data loggers, has started to overcome this problem. Accelerometers are particularly useful in this respect because they can record the dynamic motion of a body in e.g. flight, walking, or swimming. However, classifying behavior using body acceleration characteristics typically requires prior knowledge of the behavior of free-ranging animals. Here, we demonstrate an automated procedure to categorize behavior from body acceleration, together with the release of a user-friendly computer application, “Ethographer”. We evaluated its performance using longitudinal acceleration data collected from a foot-propelled diving seabird, the European shag, Phalacrocorax aristotelis. The time series data were converted into a spectrum by continuous wavelet transformation. Then, each second of the spectrum was categorized into one of 20 behavior groups by unsupervised cluster analysis, using k-means methods. The typical behaviors extracted were characterized by the periodicities of body acceleration. Each categorized behavior was assumed to correspond to when the bird was on land, in flight, on the sea surface, diving and so on. The behaviors classified by the procedures accorded well with those independently defined from depth profiles. Because our approach is performed by unsupervised computation of the data, it has the potential to detect previously unknown types of behavior and unknown sequences of some behaviors.     

Assessment of Under Nutrition of Bangladeshi Adults Using Anthropometry: Can Body Mass Index Be Replaced by Mid-Upper-Arm-Circumference?

Background and Objective

Body-mass-index (BMI) is widely accepted as an indicator of nutritional status in adults. Mid-upper-arm-circumference (MUAC) is another anthropometric-measure used primarily among children. The present study attempted to evaluate the use of MUAC as a simpler alternative to BMI cut-off <18.5 to detect adult undernutrition, and thus to suggest a suitable cut-off value.

Methods

A cross-sectional study in 650 adult attendants of the patients of Dhaka-Hospital, of the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) was conducted during 2012. Height, weight and MUAC of 260 male and 390 female aged 19–60 years were measured. Curve estimation was done to assess the linearity and correlation of BMI and MUAC. Sensitivity and specificity of MUAC against BMI<18.5 was determined. Separate Receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed for male and female. Area under ROC curve and Youden''s index were generated to aid selection of the most suitable cut-off value of MUAC for undernutrition. A value with highest Youden''s index was chosen for cut-off.

Results

Our data shows strong significant positive correlation (linear) between MUAC and BMI, for males r = 0.81, (p<0.001) and for females r = 0.828, (p<0.001). MUAC cut-off <25.1 cm in males (AUC 0.930) and <23.9 cm in females (AUC 0.930) were chosen separately based on highest corresponding Youden''s index. These values best correspond with BMI cut-off for under nutrition (BMI <18.5) in either gender.

Conclusion

MUAC correlates closely with BMI. For the simplicity and easy to remember MUAC <25 cm for male and <24 cm for female may be considered as a simpler alternative to BMI cut-off <18.5 to detect adult undernutrition.     

How Long Can Stool Samples Be Fixed for an Accurate Diagnosis of Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infection Using Mini-FLOTAC?

Background

Kato-Katz is a widely used method for the diagnosis of soil-transmitted helminth infection. Fecal samples cannot be preserved, and hence, should be processed on the day of collection and examined under a microscope within 60 min of slide preparation. Mini-FLOTAC is a technique that allows examining fixed fecal samples. We assessed the performance of Mini-FLOTAC using formalin-fixed stool samples compared to Kato-Katz and determined the dynamics of prevalence and intensity estimates of soil-transmitted helminth infection over a 31-day time period.

Methodology

The study was carried out in late 2013 on Pemba Island, Tanzania. Forty-one children were enrolled and stool samples were subjected on the day of collection to a single Kato-Katz thick smear and Mini-FLOTAC examination; 12 aliquots of stool were fixed in 5% formalin and subsequently examined by Mini-FLOTAC up to 31 days after collection.

Principal Findings

The combined results from Kato-Katz and Mini-FLOTAC revealed that 100% of children were positive for Trichuris trichiura, 85% for Ascaris lumbricoides, and 54% for hookworm. Kato-Katz and Mini-FLOTAC techniques found similar prevalence estimates for A. lumbricoides (85% versus 76%), T. trichiura (98% versus 100%), and hookworm (42% versus 51%). The mean eggs per gram of stool (EPG) according to Kato-Katz and Mini-FLOTAC was 12,075 and 11,679 for A. lumbricoides, 1,074 and 1,592 for T. trichiura, and 255 and 220 for hookworm, respectively. The mean EPG from day 1 to 31 of fixation was stable for A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura, but gradually declined for hookworm, starting at day 15.

Conclusions/Significance

The findings of our study suggest that for a qualitative diagnosis of soil-transmitted helminth infection, stool samples can be fixed in 5% formalin for at least 30 days. However, for an accurate quantitative diagnosis of hookworm, we suggest a limit of 15 days of preservation. Our results have direct implication for integrating soil-transmitted helminthiasis into transmission assessment surveys for lymphatic filariasis.     

When Can Species Abundance Data Reveal Non-neutrality?

Species abundance distributions (SAD) are probably ecology’s most well-known empirical pattern, and over the last decades many models have been proposed to explain their shape. There is no consensus over which model is correct, because the degree to which different processes can be discerned from SAD patterns has not yet been rigorously quantified. We present a power calculation to quantify our ability to detect deviations from neutrality using species abundance data. We study non-neutral stochastic community models, and show that the presence of non-neutral processes is detectable if sample size is large enough and/or the amplitude of the effect is strong enough. Our framework can be used for any candidate community model that can be simulated on a computer, and determines both the sampling effort required to distinguish between alternative processes, and a range for the strength of non-neutral processes in communities whose patterns are statistically consistent with neutral theory. We find that even data sets of the scale of the 50 Ha forest plot on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, are unlikely to be large enough to detect deviations from neutrality caused by competitive interactions alone, though the presence of multiple non-neutral processes with contrasting effects on abundance distributions may be detectable.     

Can Establishment Success Be Determined through Demographic Parameters? A Case Study on Five Introduced Bird Species

The dominant criterion to determine when an introduced species is established relies on the maintenance of a self-sustaining population in the area of introduction, i.e. on the viability of the population from a demographic perspective. There is however a paucity of demographic studies on introduced species, and establishment success is thus generally determined by expert opinion without undertaking population viability analyses (PVAs). By means of an intensive five year capture-recapture monitoring program (involving >12,000 marked individuals) we studied the demography of five introduced passerine bird species in southern Spain which are established and have undergone a fast expansion over the last decades. We obtained useful estimates of demographic parameters (survival and reproduction) for one colonial species (Ploceus melanocephalus), confirming the long-term viability of its local population through PVAs. However, extremely low recapture rates prevented the estimation of survival parameters and population growth rates for widely distributed species with low local densities (Estrilda troglodytes and Amandava amandava) but also for highly abundant yet non-colonial species (Estrilda astrild and Euplectes afer). Therefore, determining the establishment success of introduced passerine species by demographic criteria alone may often be troublesome even when devoting much effort to field-work. Alternative quantitative methodologies such as the analysis of spatio-temporal species distributions complemented with expert opinion deserve thus their role in the assessment of establishment success of introduced species when estimates of demographic parameters are difficult to obtain, as is generally the case for non-colonial, highly mobile passerines.     

Can Invasive Species Facilitate Native Species? Evidence of How, When, and Why These Impacts Occur

Although the predatory and competitive impacts of biological invasions are well documented, facilitation of native species by non-indigenous species is frequently overlooked. A search through recent ecological literature found that facilitative interactions between invasive and native species occur in a wide range of habitats, can have cascading effects across trophic levels, can re-structure communities, and can lead to evolutionary changes. These are critical findings that, until now, have been mostly absent from analyses of ecological impacts of biological invasions. Here I present evidence for several mechanisms that exemplify how exotic species can facilitate native species. These mechanisms include habitat modification, trophic subsidy, pollination, competitive release, and predatory release. Habitat modification is the most frequently documented mechanism, reflecting the drastic changes generated by the invasion of functionally novel habitat engineers. Further, I predict that facilitative impacts on native species will be most likely when invasive species provide a limiting resource, increase habitat complexity, functionally replace a native species, or ameliorate predation or competition. Finally, three types of facilitation (novel, substitutive, and indirect) define why exotic species can lead to facilitation of native species. It is evident that understanding biological invasions at the community and ecosystem levels will be more accurate if we integrate facilitative interactions into future ecological research. Since facilitative impacts of biological invasions can occur with native endangered species, and can have wide-ranging impacts, these results also have important implications for management, eradication, and restoration.Contribution Number 2293, Bodega Marine Laboratory, University of California at Davis.     

Can Serum Testosterone Be Used as a Marker of Overall Health?

Low serum testosterone has been associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and atherosclerosis. Individuals with these comorbidities are at increased risk of premature death and other adverse health effects. Clinical data portend low testosterone as a risk factor for developing these conditions which are supported by the hypogonadal-obesity-adipocytokine hypothesis. The authors support comprehensive evaluation for these comorbid conditions in men found to have low serum testosterone.Key words: Androgen deficiency, Aging male, Comorbidities, Diabetes, Cardiovascular diseaseTestosterone is a male sex hormone that affects sexual development and function and enhances muscle strength and bone density.¹ Low testosterone levels have been associated with a variety of comorbid conditions, such as metabolic syndrome (MetS), obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and cardiovascular disease (CVD).^1–3 Each of these comorbid conditions is a strong risk factor that contributes to an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events.¹ In addition, low serum testosterone is inversely associated with increased mortality.^4,5This review explores the association between low serum testosterone and diseases that portend poor health, such as MetS, obesity, T2D, and CVD, and reviews current clinical studies and proposed mechanisms by which low testosterone is associated with these diseases.     

Can a More Variable Species Win Interspecific Competition?

An individual-based approach is used to describe population dynamics. Two kinds of models have been constructed with different distributions illustrating individual variability. In both models, the growth rate of an individual and its final body weight at the end of the growth period, which determines the number of offspring, are functions of the amount of resources assimilated by an individual. In the model with a symmetric distribution, the half saturation constant in the Michaelis–Menten function describing the relationship between the growth of individuals and the amount of resources has a normal distribution. In the model with an asymmetric distribution, resources are not equally partitioned among individuals. The individual who acquired more resources in the past, will acquire more resources in the future. A single population comprising identical individuals has a very short extinction time. If individuals differ in the amount of food assimilated, this time significantly increases irrespectively of the type of model describing population dynamics. Individuals of two populations of competing species use common resources. For larger differences in individual variability, the more variable species will have a longer extinction time and will exclude less variable species. Both populations can also coexist when their variabilities are equal or even when they are slightly different, in the latter case under the condition of high variability of both species. These conclusions have a deterministic nature in the case of the model with the asymmetric distribution—repeated simulations give the same results. In the case of the model with the symmetric distribution, these conclusions are of a statistical nature—if we repeat the simulation many times, then the more variable species will have a longer extinction time more frequently, but some results will happen (although less often) when the less variable species has a longer extinction time. Additionally, in the model with the asymmetric distribution, the result of competition will depend on the way of the introduction of variability into the model. If the higher variability is due to an increase in the proportion of individuals with a low assimilation of resources, it can produce a longer extinction time of the less variable species.

     

Activation of Plant Nod-like Receptors: How Indirect Can It Be?

Pioneering plant research has shown that many Nod-like receptors (NLRs) detect pathogens indirectly via recognizing modifications of other host proteins. In this issue, two groups show that the RPM1 NLR is activated by phosphorylation of the host protein RIN4, probably resulting from activation of a host kinase by pathogen effectors.     

Can a Place of Origin of the Main Cystic Fibrosis Mutations Be Identified?

The genetic background of the mutations that most often cause cystic fibrosis (CF) is different from that of non-CF chromosomes in populations of European origin. It is not known whether these haplotype backgrounds could be found at high frequencies in populations in which CF is, at present, not common; such populations would be candidates for the place of origin of CF mutations. An analysis of haplotypes of CF transmembrane conductance regulator, together with their variation in specific CF chromosomes, in a worldwide survey of normal chromosomes shows (1) a very low frequency or absence of the most common CF haplotypes in all populations analyzed and (2) a strong genetic variability and divergence, among various populations, of the chromosomes that carry disease-causing mutations. The depth of the gene genealogy associated with disease-causing mutations may be greater than that of the evolutionary process that gave rise to present-day human populations. The concept of "population of origin" lacks either spatial or temporal meaning for mutations that are likely to have been present in Europeans before the ethnogenesis of present populations; subsequent population processes may have erased the traces of their geographic origin.     

Asexual Evolution: Can Species Exist without Sex?

Most explanations for the existence of species involve a role for sex. A new study of a group of asexual rotifers supports the idea that selection for a common ecological niche can produce a pattern that mimics sexual species, even in the absence of sex.     

Stability of β-Lactoglobulin A in the Presence of Sugar Osmolytes Estimated from Their Guanidinium Chloride-Induced Transition Curves

The stabilizing role of Trehalose, Sucrose, Sorbitol and Mannitol as sugar osmolytes and polyols on beta-lactoglobulin A (β-lgA) against its chemical denaturation at pH 2.0 and 25 °C has been explored by means of UV–vis spectroscopy. It has been observed that ΔG _D ^o of β-lgA in the presence of 10% (w/v) Trehalose, Sucrose, Sorbitol and Mannitol is increased. We report that the functional dependence of ΔG _D of proteins in the absence and the presence of sugar osmolytes on denaturant concentration is linear. Trehalose is found to induce remarkable stability of β-lgA against chemical denaturation. Furthermore, we assumed sugar osmolytes do not affect the secondary and tertiary structures of the native and GdnHCl-denatured states.     

Can We Distinguish Plant Species that are Rare and Endangered from Other Plants Using Their Biological Traits?

Understanding the factors responsible for species rarity is crucial for effective species conservation. One possible approach to obtaining information about causes of species rarity is to compare rare and common species. We analyzed the biological and ecological traits of critically endangered (CR) plant species of the Czech Republic. We compared the vegetative, generative and ecological traits of CR species with: i) common closely related species (a form of phylogenetic correction), ii) common closely related species sharing the same habitat (i.e., excluding pairs not sharing the same habitat, because many differences in species traits can be caused by adaptation to a specific habitat type) and iii) all plants of the Czech Republic. Information about species traits was mainly obtained from literature and databases. Comparison with common closely related species showed that CR species are smaller, flower for shorter periods, and have higher proportions of self-compatibility and higher terminal velocities. CR species also differ in their mode of dispersion, and their ecology and distribution. Comparison with species from the same habitat gave similar results. Comparison with the whole flora produced slightly different results, with additional differences in pollination mode and seed mass. The results of all three types of comparison suggest that critically endangered species of the Czech Republic are small, competitively inferior species, with some differences in the generative part of their life cycle, and occur mainly in open, unproductive habitats.     

Can the Results of Biodiversity-Ecosystem Productivity Studies Be Translated to Bioenergy Production?

Biodiversity experiments show that increases in plant diversity can lead to greater biomass production, and some researchers suggest that high diversity plantings should be used for bioenergy production. However, many methods used in past biodiversity experiments are impractical for bioenergy plantings. For example, biodiversity experiments often use intensive management such as hand weeding to maintain low diversity plantings and exclude unplanted species, but this would not be done for bioenergy plantings. Also, biodiversity experiments generally use high seeding densities that would be too expensive for bioenergy plantings. Here we report the effects of biodiversity on biomass production from two studies of more realistic bioenergy crop plantings in southern Michigan, USA. One study involved comparing production between switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) monocultures and species-rich prairie plantings on private farm fields that were managed similarly to bioenergy plantings. The other study was an experiment where switchgrass was planted in monoculture and in combination with increasingly species-rich native prairie mixtures. Overall, we found that bioenergy plantings with higher species richness did not produce more biomass than switchgrass monocultures. The lack of a positive relationship between planted species richness and production in our studies may be due to several factors. Non-planted species (weeds) were not removed from our studies and these non-planted species may have competed with planted species and also prevented realized species richness from equaling planted species richness. Also, we found that low seeding density of individual species limited the biomass production of these individual species. Production in future bioenergy plantings with high species richness may be increased by using a high density of inexpensive seed from switchgrass and other highly productive species, and future efforts to translate the results of biodiversity experiments to bioenergy plantings should consider the role of seeding density.     

Can Lactobacillus spp. Be a Factor Reducing the Risk of Miscarriage?

Pregnancy loss is a common obstetric problem. Significant causes of miscarriage include genetic and epigenetic disorders of the embryo, immunological and endocrine factors, uterine malformations, improper embryo selection, and lifestyle. Perhaps a hitherto underappreciated cause of miscarriage may be an abnormal microbiota composition of the female reproductive system. Lactobacillus spp. is the most common bacteria within the reproductive tract. However, the protective role of Lactobacilli in the vagina has been well described in the literature, while it is still unknown what function Lactobacilli may have in the uterus. Moreover, new research shows that Lactobacillus spp. can have a role in miscarriage. However, both molecular and immunological mechanisms of host-Lactobacillus spp. interactions are not fully understood. Understanding these relationships will help address the importance and extent of the protective role of Lactobacillus spp. in miscarriage.