Separating Bedtime Rest from Activity Using Waist or Wrist-Worn Accelerometers in Youth

Recent interest in sedentary behavior and technological advances expanded use of watch-size accelerometers for continuous monitoring of physical activity (PA) over extended periods (e.g., 24 h/day for 1 week) in studies conducted in natural living environment. This approach necessitates the development of new methods separating bedtime rest and activity periods from the accelerometer recordings. The goal of this study was to develop a decision tree with acceptable accuracy for separating bedtime rest from activity in youth using accelerometer placed on waist or wrist. Minute-by-minute accelerometry data were collected from 81 youth (10–18 years old, 47 females) during a monitored 24-h stay in a whole-room indirect calorimeter equipped with a force platform covering the floor to detect movement. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the accelerometer cut points for rest and activity. To examine the classification differences, the accelerometer bedtime rest and activity classified by the algorithm in the development group (n = 41) were compared with actual bedtime rest and activity classification obtained from the room calorimeter-measured metabolic rate and movement data. The selected optimal bedtime rest cut points were 20 and 250 counts/min for the waist- and the wrist-worn accelerometer, respectively. The selected optimal activity cut points were 500 and 3,000 counts/min for waist and wrist-worn accelerometers, respectively. Bedtime rest and activity were correctly classified by the algorithm in the validation group (n = 40) by both waist- (sensitivity: 0.983, specificity: 0.946, area under ROC curve: 0. 872) and wrist-worn (0.999, 0.980 and 0.943) accelerometers. The decision tree classified bedtime rest correctly with higher accuracy than commonly used automated algorithm for both waist- and wrist-warn accelerometer (all p<0.001). We concluded that cut points developed and validated for waist- and wrist-worn uniaxial accelerometer have a good power for accurate separation of time spent in bedtime rest from activity in youth.     

The coreceptor CD2 uses plasma membrane microdomains to transduce signals in T cells

The interaction between a T cell and an antigen-presenting cell (APC) can trigger a signaling response that leads to T cell activation. Prior studies have shown that ligation of the T cell receptor (TCR) triggers a signaling cascade that proceeds through the coalescence of TCR and various signaling molecules (e.g., the kinase Lck and adaptor protein LAT [linker for T cell activation]) into microdomains on the plasma membrane. In this study, we investigated another ligand–receptor interaction (CD58–CD2) that facilities T cell activation using a model system consisting of Jurkat T cells interacting with a planar lipid bilayer that mimics an APC. We show that the binding of CD58 to CD2, in the absence of TCR activation, also induces signaling through the actin-dependent coalescence of signaling molecules (including TCR-ζ chain, Lck, and LAT) into microdomains. When simultaneously activated, TCR and CD2 initially colocalize in small microdomains but then partition into separate zones; this spatial segregation may enable the two receptors to enhance signaling synergistically. Our results show that two structurally distinct receptors both induce a rapid spatial reorganization of molecules in the plasma membrane, suggesting a model for how local increases in the concentration of signaling molecules can trigger T cell signaling.     

Phospholipid Ether Analogs for the Detection of Colorectal Tumors

The treatment of localized colorectal cancer (CRC) depends on resection of the primary tumor with adequate margins and sufficient lymph node sampling. A novel imaging agent that accumulates in CRCs and the associated lymph nodes is needed. Cellectar Biosciences has developed a phospholipid ether analog platform that is both diagnostic and therapeutic. CLR1502 is a near-infrared fluorescent molecule, whereas ^124/131I-CLR1404 is under clinical investigation as a PET tracer/therapeutic agent imaged by SPECT. We investigated the use of CLR1502 for the detection of intestinal cancers in a murine model and ¹³¹I-CLR1404 in a patient with metastatic CRC. Mice that develop multiple intestinal tumors ranging from adenomas to locally advanced adenocarcinomas were utilized. After 96 hours post CLR1502 injection, the intestinal tumors were analyzed using a Spectrum IVIS (Perkin Elmer) and a Fluobeam (Fluoptics). The intensity of the fluorescent signal was correlated with the histological characteristics for each tumor. Colon adenocarcinomas demonstrated increased accumulation of CLR1502 compared to non-invasive lesions (total radiant efficiency: 1.76×10¹⁰ vs 3.27×10⁹ respectively, p = 0.006). Metastatic mesenteric tumors and uninvolved lymph nodes were detected with CLR1502. In addition, SPECT imaging with ¹³¹I-CLR1404 was performed as part of a clinical trial in patients with advanced solid tumors. ¹³¹I-CLR1404 was shown to accumulate in metastatic tumors in a patient with colorectal adenocarcinoma. Together, these compounds might enhance our ability to properly resect CRCs through better localization of the primary tumor and improved lymph node identification as well as detect distant disease.     

Female dark‐eyed juncos Junco hyemalis thurberi produce male‐like song in a territorial context during the early breeding season

Reports of female song, once considered a rarity, have recently increased across a variety of avian taxa. Females of many species can be induced to produce male‐like song with exogenous testosterone, but observations of female song in free‐living birds remain limited by incomplete sampling of females. Here, we report three independent observations of female dark‐eyed juncos Junco hyemalis producing male‐like song early in the breeding season (i.e. post‐territory establishment, pre‐nesting) in a recently established non‐migratory, urban population. To elicit song, we presented 17 free‐living junco pairs with a live, caged female conspecific. Three unique females responded to our trials by diving at the intruding female, chasing their (male) mate, fanning their tail feathers, and singing a trilled song similar in structure to male long‐range (broadcast) song. We compared male and female songs quantitatively and found that the two sexes were statistically similar in many spectral and temporal characteristics, but female songs had significantly lower minimum and peak frequencies than males. This result is particularly surprising, as males in this urban population are known to sing at a significantly higher minimum frequency than males in a nearby montane population. Both the seasonal and social context in which these songs were observed suggest a potential function for female song in mate guarding and polygyny prevention, but more data are needed to test this hypothesis. Whether female song is common in all dark‐eyed juncos during the early breeding season or if it is restricted to this particular urban and non‐migratory population remains an important question for future research.     

Testing MacArthur's minimisation principle: do communities minimise energy wastage during succession?

Robert MacArthur developed a theory of community assembly based on competition. By incorporating energy flow, MacArthur's theory allows for predictions of community function. A key prediction is that communities minimise energy wastage over time, but this minimisation is a trade‐off between two conflicting processes: exploiting food resources, and maintaining low metabolism and mortality. Despite its simplicity and elegance, MacArthur's principle has not been tested empirically despite having long fascinated theoreticians. We used a combination of field chronosequence experiments and laboratory assays to estimate how the energy wastage of a community changes during succession. We found that older successional stages wasted more energy in maintenance, but there was no clear pattern in how communities of different age exploited food resources. We identify several reasons for why MacArthur's original theory may need modification and new avenues to further explore community efficiency, an understudied component of ecosystem functioning.     

Durable Interactions of T Cells with T Cell Receptor Stimuli in the Absence of a Stable Immunological Synapse

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Shifting white pox aetiologies affecting Acropora palmata in the Florida Keys, 1994–2014

We propose ‘the moving target hypothesis’ to describe the aetiology of a contemporary coral disease that differs from that of its historical disease state. Hitting the target with coral disease aetiology is a complex pursuit that requires understanding of host and environment, and may lack a single pathogen solution. White pox disease (WPX) affects the Caribbean coral Acropora palmata. Acroporid serratiosis is a form of WPX for which the bacterial pathogen (Serratia marcescens) has been established. We used long-term (1994–2014) photographic monitoring to evaluate historical and contemporary epizootiology and aetiology of WPX affecting A. palmata at eight reefs in the Florida Keys. Ranges of WPX prevalence over time (0–71.4%) were comparable for the duration of the 20-year study. Whole colony mortality and disease severity were high in historical (1994–2004), and low in contemporary (2008–2014), outbreaks of WPX. Acroporid serratiosis was diagnosed for some historical (1999, 2003) and contemporary (2012, 2013) outbreaks, but this form of WPX was not confirmed for all WPX cases. Our results serve as a context for considering aetiology as a moving target for WPX and other coral diseases for which pathogens are established and/or candidate pathogens are identified. Coral aetiology investigations completed to date suggest that changes in pathogen, host and/or environment alter the disease state and complicate diagnosis.     

Environment‐dependent variation in selection on life history across small spatial scales

Variation in life‐history traits is ubiquitous, even though genetic variation is thought to be depleted by selection. One potential mechanism for the maintenance of trait variation is spatially variable selection. We explored spatial variation in selection in the field for a colonial marine invertebrate that shows phenotypic differences across a depth gradient of only 3 m. Our analysis included life‐history traits relating to module size, colony growth, and phenology. Directional selection on colony growth varied in strength across depths, while module size was under directional selection at one depth but not the other. Differences in selection may explain some of the observed phenotypic differentiation among depths for one trait but not another: instead, selection should actually erode the differences observed for this trait. Our results suggest selection is not acting alone to maintain trait variation within and across environments in this system.