Passing the Red Pen: EvoS Journal Offers an Early Education in Peer Review

EvoS Journal: The Journal of the Evolutionary Studies Consortium is the open-access, peer-reviewed journal borne of the EvoS (Evolutionary Studies) Consortium movement. The journal has two separate, yet related goals: to publish scholarly articles regarding the intersection of higher education and evolutionary theory, and to publish articles written and reviewed by undergraduates that incorporate an evolutionary perspective. Undergraduates who publish and review for EvoS Journal get the chance to see their work published alongside that of experts within the field of evolutionary studies, and to see the interdisciplinary and widespread applications of evolutionary theory to human life and beyond. The current study examines whether the interdisciplinary nature of EvoS Journal and its initiation of students into the peer-review process set EvoS Journal apart from more traditional undergraduate journals. EvoS Journal was compared to other journals listed by the Council for Undergraduate Research. While EvoS Journal mirrors many traditional undergraduate journals in their employment of student reviewers and publishing work originating from any U.S. institution, it differs by both its interdisciplinary focus and by serving as an outlet for both student and professional publications. The implications are discussed in terms of the benefits of interdisciplinary and peer-review training to students in the classroom, including improvements in writing, interpersonal relations, and real-world skills.     

Agricultural Science in the Wild: A Social Network Analysis of Farmer Knowledge Exchange

Responding to demands for transformed farming practices requires new forms of knowledge. Given their scale and complexity, agricultural problems can no longer be solved by linear transfers in which technology developed by specialists passes to farmers by way of extension intermediaries. Recent research on alternative approaches has focused on the innovation systems formed by interactions between heterogeneous actors. Rather than linear transfer, systems theory highlights network facilitation as a specialized function. This paper contributes to our understanding of such facilitation by investigating the networks in which farmers discuss science. We report findings based on the study of a pastoral farming experiment collaboratively undertaken by a group of 17 farmers and five scientists. Analysis of prior contact and alter sharing between the group’s members indicates strongly tied and decentralized networks. Farmer knowledge exchanges about the experiment have been investigated using a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods. Network surveys identified who the farmers contacted for knowledge before the study began and who they had talked to about the experiment by 18 months later. Open-ended interviews collected farmer statements about their most valuable contacts and these statements have been thematically analysed. The network analysis shows that farmers talked about the experiment with 192 people, most of whom were fellow farmers. Farmers with densely tied and occupationally homogeneous contacts grew their networks more than did farmers with contacts that are loosely tied and diverse. Thematic analysis reveals three general principles: farmers value knowledge delivered by persons rather than roles, privilege farming experience, and develop knowledge with empiricist rather than rationalist techniques. Taken together, these findings suggest that farmers deliberate about science in intensive and durable networks that have significant implications for theorizing agricultural innovation. The paper thus concludes by considering the findings’ significance for current efforts to rethink agricultural extension.     

Combining Public Health Education and Disease Ecology Research: Using Citizen Science to Assess Chagas Disease Entomological Risk in Texas

Background

Chagas disease is a zoonotic parasitic disease well-documented throughout the Americas and transmitted primarily by triatomine ‘kissing bug’ vectors. In acknowledgment of the successful history of vector control programs based on community participation across Latin America, we used a citizen science approach to gain novel insight into the geographic distribution, seasonal activity, and Trypanosoma cruzi infection prevalence of kissing bugs in Texas while empowering the public with information about Chagas disease.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We accepted submissions of kissing bugs encountered by the public in Texas and other states from 2013–2014 while providing educational literature about Chagas disease. In the laboratory, kissing bugs were identified to species, dissected, and tested for T. cruzi infection. A total of 1,980 triatomines were submitted to the program comprised of at least seven species, of which T. gerstaeckeri and T. sanguisuga were the most abundant (85.7% of submissions). Triatomines were most commonly collected from dog kennels and outdoor patios; Overall, 10.5% of triatomines were collected from inside the home. Triatomines were submitted from across Texas, including many counties which were not previously known to harbor kissing bugs. Kissing bugs were captured primarily throughout April-October, and peak activity occurred in June-July. Emails to our dedicated account regarding kissing bugs were more frequent in the summer months (June-August) than the rest of the year. We detected T. cruzi in 63.3% of tested bugs.

Conclusions/Significance

Citizen science is an efficient approach for generating data on the distribution, phenology, and infection prevalence of kissing bugs—vectors of the Chagas disease parasite—while educating the public and medical community.     

Enhancing Biological Control of Leafrollers (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) by Sowing Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) in an Orchard

Two successive trials were carried out in stone-fruit and apple orchards in the summers of 1994-95 and 1995-96 respectively to determine the effect of floral resources on leafroller parasitoid numbers. Orchards were divided into eight blocks, each containing one replicate of a control and a treatment. The treatment had buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) drilled (as 3 m 2 m plots) in the centre of each replicate, while the control areas were kept weed free with herbicides. Catches of parasitoids in yellow pan traps were compared between the control and treatment areas. In the first trial, on average 10 times more parasitoids were captured in the buckwheat plots than in the controls. However, few of the parasitoids were natural enemies of leafrollers; the catches were dominated by Anacharis sp., a parasitoid of the brown lacewing ( Micromus tasmaniae Walker), itself a beneficial insect. Leafrollers were very rare in this orchard, which explains the absence of their parasitoids in the traps. In the second season, with the experiment conducted in an orchard with a history of leafroller populations, higher numbers of Anacharis sp. were again caught in buckwheat than in control plots. However, significantly higher (34% compared with 20%) levels (P< 0.05) of parasitism (by Dolichogenidea tasmanica (Cameron)) of released leafroller larvae were observed in buckwheat plots than in controls, despite the small plot size. Also, higher numbers of D. tasmanica were captured in yellow sticky traps 2 m above the buckwheat than in the equivalent position in the control plots.     

Fostering Change from Within: Influencing Teaching Practices of Departmental Colleagues by Science Faculty with Education Specialties

Globally, calls for the improvement of science education are frequent and fervent. In parallel, the phenomenon of having Science Faculty with Education Specialties (SFES) within science departments appears to have grown in recent decades. In the context of an interview study of a randomized, stratified sample of SFES from across the United States, we discovered that most SFES interviewed (82%) perceived having professional impacts in the realm of improving undergraduate science education, more so than in research in science education or K-12 science education. While SFES reported a rich variety of efforts towards improving undergraduate science education, the most prevalent reported impact by far was influencing the teaching practices of their departmental colleagues. Since college and university science faculty continue to be hired with little to no training in effective science teaching, the seeding of science departments with science education specialists holds promise for fostering change in science education from within biology, chemistry, geoscience, and physics departments.     

Enhancing nitrogen removal in an Orbal oxidation ditch by optimization of oxygen supply: practice in a full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plant

Seven different aeration modes, in which oxygen supply was changed by adjusting the number of aerators, were designed and applied in a full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plant with Orbal oxidation ditch to investigate the influence of dissolved oxygen (DO) on nitrogen removal performance. The full-scale experiment results of 574 days showed that nitrogen removal efficiency depended on the degree of nitrification and denitrification in the outer channel, which was the largest contributor for TN removal in the Orbal oxidation ditch. Appropriate aeration control in the outer channel was essential to balance nitrification and denitrification in the Orbal oxidation ditch. When DO was as low as about 0.2 mg/L in the outer channel, the highest TN removal efficiency of 75% was obtained. Microbial analysis confirmed that aerobic and anaerobic bacteria coexisted in the outer channel. The greater species diversity and more intensive activities of these bacteria in aeration Mode V may be responsible for the higher TN removal efficiency compared with Mode III. These results suggest that different aerated conditions in the Orbal oxidation ditch might have a significant effect on microbial community characteristics and nitrogen removal efficiencies.     

Paternal Age and Risk of Autism in an Ethnically Diverse, Non-Industrialized Setting: Aruba

Objective

The aim of this study was to examine paternal age in relation to risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in a setting other than the industrialized west.

Design

A case-control study of Aruban-born children (1990–2003). Cases (N = 95) were identified at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic, the only such clinic in Aruba; gender and age matched controls (N = 347) were gathered from public health records. Parental age was defined categorically (≤29, 30–39, 40–49, ≥50y). The analysis was made, using conditional logistic regression.

Results

Advanced paternal age was associated with increased risk of ASDs in offspring. In comparison to the youngest paternal age group (≤29y), risk of autism increased 2.18 times for children born from fathers in their thirties, 2.71 times for fathers in their forties, and 3.22 thereafter.

Conclusion

This study, part of the first epidemiologic study of autism in the Caribbean, contributes additional evidence, from a distinctive sociocultural setting, of the risk of ASD associated with increased paternal age.     

Phloroglucinol Attenuates Motor Functional Deficits in an Animal Model of Parkinson's Disease by Enhancing Nrf2 Activity

In this study, we investigated whether phloroglucinol (1, 3, 5 - trihydroxybenzene) has therapeutic effects in cellular and animal model of Parkinson''s disease (PD). PD is the second most common, chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disease, and is clinically characterized with motor dysfunctions such as bradykinesia, rigidity, postural instability, gait impairment, and resting tremor. In the brains of PD patients, dopaminergic neuronal loss is observed in the Substantia nigra. Although the exact mechanisms underlying PD are largely unknown, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are thought to be critical factors that induce the onset of the disease. Here, phloroglucinol administration was shown to attenuate motor functional deficits evaluated with rota-rod and apomorphine-induced rotation tests in 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced PD animal models. Moreover, phloroglucinol ameliorated the loss of synapses as assessed with protein levels and immunoreactivity against synaptophysin in the midbrain region of the 6-OHDA-lesioned rats. In addition, in SH-SY5Y cultures, the cytotoxicity of 6-OHDA was reduced by pre-treatment with phloroglucinol. The increase in the reactive oxygen species, lipid peroxidation, protein carbonyl formation and 8-hydroxyguanine caused by treatment with 6-OHDA was attenuated by phloroglucinol in SH-SY5Y cells. Furthermore, phloroglucinol treatment rescued the reduced levels of nuclear Nrf2, antioxidant enzymes, i.e., catalase and glutathione peroxidase, in 6-OHDA-treated cells. Taken together, phloroglucinol has a therapeutic potential for treatment of PD.     

Peer reports of adaptive behavior in twins and singletons: is twinship a risk or an advantage?

We compared twins to their gender-matched singleton classmates in peer-assessed behavioral adjustment. Our samples include 1874 11- to 12-year-old Finnish twins (687 monozygotic, MZ; 610 same-sex dizygotic, SSDZ; 577 opposite-sex dizygotic, OSDZ) and their 23,200 non-twin classmates. Data were collected using a 30-item Multidimensional Peer Nomination Inventory containing three factors and their subscales. We found twin-singleton differences: classmates rated twin girls and boys higher than gender-matched singletons in Adaptive Behaviors (constructive, compliant, and socially active behavior), and those effects were particularly evident among OSDZ twins for assessments of social interaction, popularity, and leadership. We found no evidence that individual twins differ from singletons in Externalizing (hyperactivity-impulsivity, inattention, aggression) or Internalizing Problem Behaviors (depressive symptoms, social anxiety). Nor did we find systematic differences between MZ and SSDZ twins. Among both twins and singletons, boys exceeded girls in Externalizing, and girls exceeded boys in Internalizing Problem Behaviors. Results suggest that a twinship forms a positive developmental environment for socioemotional behavior, particularly among OSDZ twins.     

Advancing Ecosystem Science by Promoting Greater Use of Theory and Multiple Research Approaches in Graduate Education

Since the inaugural edition of Ecosystems was published in 1998, ecosystem science has undergone substantial changes including the development of new research methods and an increasing emphasis on collaborations across traditional academic boundaries. In response to this transformation, we reflect on the current state of theory in ecosystem science, and make recommendations for training the next generation of Ph.D.-level ecosystem scientists. Specifically, we call for increased integration of theory into ecosystem science and outline the utility of iterating between theory and data generated by observations, experiments, and quantitative models. We recommend exposing graduate students to these three major approaches for generating data and propose strategies that students, advisors, and departments can employ to ensure this exposure. Ultimately, a successful training program will provide students with an understanding of key theories related to ecosystem science and how they interact with data, an appreciation for the interconnectedness of approaches to scientific inference, and a well-developed skill set in at least one approach—thereby empowering them to confidently tackle our pressing environmental problems. Although this is a daunting list of goals, continuing to advance our understanding of how ecosystems function necessitates a rigorous and well-developed training program.     

Facilitated isolation of rare recombinants by ligase chain reaction: selection for intragenic crossover events in the Drosophila optomotor-blind gene

Ligase chain reaction (LCR) was evaluated as a tool for the detection of point mutations. For the mutation studied, the specificity of the method is sufficient to detect the mutant allele in the presence of a 200-fold molar excess of the wild-type sequence. LCR was therefore employed in a genetic recombination experiment as a probe for a recessive lethal point mutation. LCR greatly facilitated the isolation of a rare recombinant originating from a crossover event in the 40 kb interval separating the lethal mutation and an enhancer trap insertion in the optomotor-blind locus. The recombinant will allow the study of gene control in situ, in a largely unperturbed regulatory environment.     

Taking the Plunge: Next Steps in Engaged Learning: Project Kaleidoscope-Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges Conference for Science Educators

College and university science educators from across Connecticut gathered at Yale's West Campus in April 2010 for a Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) program entitled "Taking the Plunge: Next Steps in Engaged Learning." Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and co-sponsored by the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges (CCIC) and Yale's McDougal Graduate Teaching Center, the event was the latest in a PKAL series of one-day conferences aimed at equipping science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) instructors with effective approaches to engaging students and training future scientists.     

Assessing the Importance of Social Factors in Bird Song Learning: A Test Using Computer-Simulated Tutors

We used a mixed live/synthetic tutoring design to investigate whether the social factors of eavesdropping on adult singing interactions and/or direct interaction with a tutor would influence song learning in song sparrows ( Melospiza melodia ). Males were brought into the laboratory at 4–5 d-old, hand-raised and then tutored by two pairs of adult song sparrows in June and July From January through March of the next year, subjects received tutoring from computer simulations of two of the original live tutors. The first, non-interactive, model simulated one of the earlier tutors singing 'naturalistic' bouts of song with no interaction with the subject. The second, interactive, model simulated a different early tutor that behaved similarly to the non-interactive model, but synchronized its singing with the subject, and tried to match the subject's song. Subjects learned relatively more from their interactive late tutor and his early partner, and showed no tendency to learn more from their late than their early-only tutors. These results support the eavesdropping hypothesis, and also suggest that direct interaction with the tutor is a relevant social factor.     

Measurement of Acetate Concentrations in Marine Pore Waters by Using an Enzymatic Approach

Acetate concentrations in marine and freshwater matrices were measured by an enzymatic technique which coupled the synthesis of acetyl coenzyme A to AMP production. The resulting AMP was assayed by a sensitive and relatively rapid high-pressure liquid chromatography method, using an aqueous, isocratic mobile phase for elution. The method was insensitive to the presence of seawater salts and required no sample prepurification or distillation. Propionate caused a minor, but statistically insignificant, interference when equimolar with acetate; butyrate caused no interference, even at relatively high concentrations. Detection limits for acetate were approximately 100 nM with a precision of about 5%. Pore waters from two intertidal sediments contained approximately 1 to 12 μM acetate; the concentrations were linearly but inversely correlated with porewater sulfate.     

Facilitated isolation of rare recombinants by ligase chain reaction: selection for intragenic crossover events in the Drosophila optomotor-blind gene

Ligase chain reaction (LCR) was evaluated as a tool for the detection of point mutations. For the mutation studied, the specificity of the method is sufficient to detect the mutant allele in the presence of a 200-fold molar excess of the wild-type sequence. LCR was therefore employed in a genetic recombination experiment as a probe for a recessive lethal point mutation. LCR greatly facilitated the isolation of a rare recombinant originating from a crossover event in the 40 kb interval separating the lethal mutation and an enhancer trap insertion in the optomotor-blind locus. The recombinant will allow the study of gene control in situ, in a largely unperturbed regulatory environment.