Verbesina barrancae (Compositae, Heliantheae), a new species from Jalisco, Mexico

Verbesina barrancae, a new species of Compositae (Heliantheae) from Jalisco, México, is described and illustrated. It is morphologically similar toVerbesina crocata but differs in characteristics of inflorescence, anthers, and achenes as well as in form of pollen, size and number of spinules, size of colpus transversalis, and index of polar area.     

A close keeper-nonhuman animal distance does not reduce undesirable behavior in contact yard goats and sheep

This study investigated the relation between zookeeper-nonhuman animal distance and the undesirable behavior goats and sheep exhibited toward visitors of Zoo Atlanta's contact yard. It hypothesized that a close distance between keeper and animal would be associated with a lower rate of undesirable behavior than would a distant keeper-animal distance. The study recorded rate of undesirable behavior exhibited, number of visitors in the yard, and number of times visitors touched an animal under near and distant keeper-animal distances. Seven African pygmy goats (Capra hircus) and 4 Romanov sheep (Ovis aries) were the subjects. The study used linear regression methods to analyze approximately 48 hr of behavioral data collected using a focal sampling technique. Findings indicated a familiar animal keeper nearby was not associated with lower rates of undesirable behavior toward visitors. Higher rates of undesirable behavior occurred when keepers were nearby than when they were distant. The study also found that undesirable behavior increased as visitors' touching of the animals increased. Applying the study's findings may improve human-animal interactions and increase animal well-being in a contact yard through animal management techniques.     

A novel alloantigen-specific CD8+PD1+ regulatory T cell induced by ICOS-B7h blockade in vivo

Delayed ICOS-B7h signal blockade promotes significant prolongation of cardiac allograft survival in wild-type but not in CD8-deficient C57BL/6 recipients of fully MHC-mismatched BALB/c heart allografts, suggesting the possible generation of CD8(+) regulatory T cells in vivo. We now show that the administration of a blocking anti-ICOS mAb results in the generation of regulatory CD8(+) T cells. These cells can transfer protection and prolong the survival of donor-specific BALB/c, but not third party C3H, heart grafts in CD8-deficient C57BL/6 recipients. This is unique to ICOS-B7h blockade, because B7 blockade by CTLA4-Ig prolongs graft survival in CD8-deficient mice and does not result in the generation of regulatory CD8(+) T cells. Those cells localize to the graft, produce both IFN-gamma and IL-4 after allostimulation in vitro, prohibit the expansion of alloreactive CD4(+) T cells, and appear to mediate a Th2 switch of recipient CD4(+) T cells after adoptive transfer in vivo. Finally, these cells are not confined to the CD28-negative population but express programmed death 1, a molecule required for their regulatory function in vivo. CD8(+)PD1(+) T cells suppress alloreactive CD4(+) T cells but do not inhibit the functions by alloreactive CD8(+) T cells in vitro. These results describe a novel allospecific regulatory CD8(+)PD1(+) T cell induced by ICOS-B7h blockade in vivo.     

Hepatic response to restoration of GLUT4 in skeletal muscle of GLUT4 null mice

Expression of GLUT4 in fast-twitch skeletal muscle fibers of GLUT4 null mice (G4-MO) normalized glucose uptake in muscle and restored peripheral insulin sensitivity. GLUT4 null mice exhibit altered carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in liver and skeletal muscle. To test the hypothesis that increased glucose utilization by G4-MO muscle would normalize the changes seen in the GLUT4 null liver, serum metabolites and hepatic metabolism were compared in control, GLUT4 null, and G4-MO mice. The fed serum glucose and triglyceride levels of G4-MO mice were similar to those of control mice. In addition, the alternations in liver metabolism seen in GLUT4 nulls including increased GLUT2 expression and fatty acid synthesis accompanied by an increase in the oxidative arm of the pentose phosphate pathway were absent in G4-MO mice. The transgene used for GLUT4 restoration in muscle was specific for fast-twitch muscle fibers. The mitochondria hypertrophy/hyperplasia in all GLUT4 null skeletal muscles was absent in transgene-positive extensor digitorum longus muscle but present in transgene-negative soleus muscle of G4-MO mice. Results of this study suggest that the level of muscle GLUT4 expression influences mitochondrial biogenesis. These studies also demonstrate that the type and amount of substrate that muscle takes up and metabolizes, determined in part by GLUT4 expression levels, play a major role in directing hepatic carbohydrate and lipid metabolism.     

Costs and benefits of giant sperm and sperm storage organs in Drosophila melanogaster

In Drosophila, long sperm are favoured in sperm competition based on the length of the female's primary sperm storage organ, the seminal receptacle (SR). This sperm–SR interaction, together with a genetic correlation between the traits, suggests that the coevolution of exaggerated sperm and SR lengths may be driven by Fisherian runaway selection. Here, we explore the costs and benefits of long sperm and SR genotypes, both in the sex that carries them and in the sex that does not. We measured male and female fitness in inbred lines of Drosophila melanogaster derived from four populations previously selected for long sperm, short sperm, long SRs or short SRs. We specifically asked: What are the costs and benefits of long sperm in males and long SRs in females? Furthermore, do genotypes that generate long sperm in males or long SRs in females impose a fitness cost on the opposite sex? Answers to these questions will address whether long sperm are an honest indicator of male fitness, male post‐copulatory success is associated with male precopulatory success, female choice benefits females or is costly, and intragenomic conflict could influence evolution of these traits. We found that both sexes have increased longevity in long sperm and long SR genotypes. Males, but not females, from long SR lines had higher fecundity. Our results suggest that sperm–SR coevolution is facilitated by both increased viability and indirect benefits of long sperm and SRs in both sexes.     

Adapting Human Videofluoroscopic Swallow Study Methods to Detect and Characterize Dysphagia in Murine Disease Models

This study adapted human videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) methods for use with murine disease models for the purpose of facilitating translational dysphagia research. Successful outcomes are dependent upon three critical components: test chambers that permit self-feeding while standing unrestrained in a confined space, recipes that mask the aversive taste/odor of commercially-available oral contrast agents, and a step-by-step test protocol that permits quantification of swallow physiology. Elimination of one or more of these components will have a detrimental impact on the study results. Moreover, the energy level capability of the fluoroscopy system will determine which swallow parameters can be investigated. Most research centers have high energy fluoroscopes designed for use with people and larger animals, which results in exceptionally poor image quality when testing mice and other small rodents. Despite this limitation, we have identified seven VFSS parameters that are consistently quantifiable in mice when using a high energy fluoroscope in combination with the new murine VFSS protocol. We recently obtained a low energy fluoroscopy system with exceptionally high imaging resolution and magnification capabilities that was designed for use with mice and other small rodents. Preliminary work using this new system, in combination with the new murine VFSS protocol, has identified 13 swallow parameters that are consistently quantifiable in mice, which is nearly double the number obtained using conventional (i.e., high energy) fluoroscopes. Identification of additional swallow parameters is expected as we optimize the capabilities of this new system. Results thus far demonstrate the utility of using a low energy fluoroscopy system to detect and quantify subtle changes in swallow physiology that may otherwise be overlooked when using high energy fluoroscopes to investigate murine disease models.     

A Method for Detecting Positive Growth Autocorrelation without Marking Individuals

In most ecological studies, within-group variation is a nuisance that obscures patterns of interest and reduces statistical power. However, patterns of within-group variability often contain information about ecological processes. In particular, such patterns can be used to detect positive growth autocorrelation (consistent variation in growth rates among individuals in a cohort across time), even in samples of unmarked individuals. Previous methods for detecting autocorrelated growth required data from marked individuals. We propose a method that requires only estimates of within-cohort variance through time, using maximum likelihood methods to obtain point estimates and confidence intervals of the correlation parameter. We test our method on simulated data sets and determine the loss in statistical power due to the inability to identify individuals. We show how to accommodate nonlinear growth trajectories and test the effects of size-dependent mortality on our method''s accuracy. The method can detect significant growth autocorrelation at moderate levels of autocorrelation with moderate-sized cohorts (for example, statistical power of 80% to detect growth autocorrelation ρ ² = 0.5 in a cohort of 100 individuals measured on 16 occasions). We present a case study of growth in the red-eyed tree frog. Better quantification of the processes driving size variation will help ecologists improve predictions of population dynamics. This work will help researchers to detect growth autocorrelation in cases where marking is logistically infeasible or causes unacceptable decreases in the fitness of marked individuals.     

Associations of White Matter Microstructure with Clinical and Demographic Characteristics in Heavy Drinkers

Damage to the brain’s white matter is a signature injury of alcohol use disorders (AUDs), yet understanding of risks associated with clinical and demographic characteristics is incomplete. This study investigated alcohol problem severity, recent drinking behavior, and demographic factors in relation to white matter microstructure in heavy drinkers. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, including diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), were collected from 324 participants (mean age = 30.9 ± 9.1 years; 30% female) who reported five or more heavy drinking episodes in the past 30 days. Drinking history and alcohol problem severity were assessed. A common white matter factor was created from fractional anisotropy (FA) values of five white matter tracts: body of corpus callosum, fornix, external capsule, superior longitudinal fasciculus, and cingulate gyrus. Previous research has implicated these tracts in heavy drinking. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses tested the hypothesis that, after controlling for duration of alcohol exposure, clinical and behavioral measures of alcohol use severity would be associated with lower white matter factor scores. Potential interactions with smoking status, gender, age, treatment-seeking status, and depression or anxiety symptoms also were tested. Controlling for number of years drinking, greater alcohol problem severity and recent drinking frequency were significantly associated with lower white matter factor scores. The effect of drinking frequency differed significantly for men and women, such that higher drinking frequency was linked to lower white matter factor scores in women but not in men. In conclusion, alcohol problem severity was a significant predictor of lower white matter FA in heavy drinkers, after controlling for duration of alcohol exposure. In addition, more frequent drinking contributed to lower FA in women but not men, suggesting gender-specific vulnerability to alcohol neurotoxicity.     

Using Syndromic Surveillance to Investigate Tattoo-Related Skin Infections in New York City

In response to two isolated cases of Mycobacterium chelonae infections in tattoo recipients where tap water was used to dilute ink, the New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene conducted an investigation using Emergency Department (ED) syndromic surveillance to assess whether an outbreak was occuring. ED visits with chief complaints containing the key word “tattoo” from November 1, 2012 to March 18, 2013 were selected for study. NYC laboratories were also contacted and asked to report skin or soft tissue cultures in tattoo recipients that were positive for non-tuberculosis mycobacterial infection (NTM). Thirty-one TREDV were identified and 14 (45%) were interviewed to determine if a NTM was the cause for the visit. One ED visit met the case definition and was referred to a dermatologist. This individual was negative for NTM. No tattoo-associated NTM cases were reported by NYC laboratories. ED syndromic surveillance was utilized to investigate a non-reportable condition for which no other data source existed. The results were reassuring that an outbreak of NTM in tattoo recipients was not occurring. In response to concerns about potential NTM infections, the department sent a letter to all licensed tattoo artists advising them not to dilute tattoo ink with tap water.