Assessing dental student perceptions after engaging in a longitudinal interprofessional education curriculum: A preliminary study.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: Baseline IPE perceptions for dental students were gathered prior to the implementation of a 2-year formalised IPE curriculum at a US institution. The goal was to establish a baseline of student perceptions and, in the future, continue to track student IPE perception data with IPE engagement as one measure of outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to analyse two dental student cohort perceptions of IPE after engaging in a 2-year longitudinal curriculum. METHODS: First- and second-year students were required to participate in a 2-year IPE curriculum. As a requirement of the curriculum, students were asked to complete a validated IPE assessment, the Student Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education-Revised instrument, version 2 (SPICE-R2). Students completed the SPICE-R2 survey, using a retrospective pretest/post-test design, after engaging in the 2-year curriculum. RESULTS: Sixty-four students in cohort 2017 and 70 students in cohort 2018 completed the entire SPICE-R2. Statistically significant positive changes (p < .05) were found in both dental student cohorts after engagement in the 2-year longitudinal IPE curriculum. CONCLUSION(S): A longitudinal IPE curriculum has the potential to impact student IPE perceptions. Additional longitudinal multi-institutional research is needed to determine best practices in delivery and learning.

Tracking cryptic animals using acoustic multilateration: A system for long-range wolf detection.

The study of animal behavior in the wild requires the ability to locate and observe animals with the minimum disturbance to their natural behavior. This can be challenging for animals that avoid humans, are difficult to detect, or range widely between sightings. Global Positioning System (GPS) collars provide one solution but limited battery life, and the disturbance to the animal caused by capture and collaring can make this impractical in many applications. Wild wolves Canis lupus are an example of a species that is difficult to study in the wild, yet are of considerable conservation and management importance. This manuscript presents a system for accurately locating wolves using differences in the time of arrival of howl vocalizations at multiple recorders (multilateration), synchronized via GPS. This system has been deployed in Yellowstone National Park for two years and has recorded over 1200 instances of howling behavior. As most instances of howling occur at night, or when human observers are not physically present, the system provides location information that would otherwise be unavailable to researchers. The location of a vocalizing animal can, under some circumstances, be determined to within an error of approximately 20 m and at ranges up to 7 km.

Cash transfers and child nutritional outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cash transfer (CT) programmes are implemented widely to alleviate poverty and provide safety nets to vulnerable households with children. However, evidence on the effects of CTs on child health and nutrition outcomes has been mixed. We systematically reviewed evidence of the impact of CTs on child nutritional status and selected proximate determinants. METHODS: We searched articles published between January 1997 and September 2018 using Agris, Econlit, Eldis, IBSS, IDEAS, IFPRI, Google Scholar, PubMed and World Bank databases. We included studies using quantitative impact evaluation methods of CTs with sample sizes over 300, targeted to households with children under 5 years old conducted in countries with gross domestic product per capita below US$10 000 at baseline. We conducted meta-analysis using random-effects models to assess the impact of CT programmes on selected child nutrition outcomes and meta-regression analysis to examine the association of programme characteristics with effect sizes. RESULTS: Out of 2862 articles identified, 74 articles were eligible for inclusion. We find that CTs have significant effects of 0.03±0.03 on height-for-age z-scores (p<0.03) and a decrease of 2.1% in stunting (95% CI -3.5% to -0.7%); consumption of animal-source foods (4.5%, 95% CI 2.9% to 6.0%); dietary diversity (0.73, 95% CI 0.28 to 1.19) and diarrhoea incidence (-2.7%, 95% CI -5.4% to -0.0%; p<0.05). The effects of CTs on weight-for-age z-scores and wasting were not significant (0.02, 95% CI -0.03 to 0.08; p<0.42) and (1.2%, 95% CI: -0.1% to 2.5%; p<0.07), respectively. We found that specific programme characteristics differentially modified the effect on the nutrition outcomes studied. CONCLUSION: We found that CT programmes targeted to households with young children improved linear growth and contributed to reduced stunting. We found that the likely pathways were through increased dietary diversity, including through the increased consumption of animal-source foods and reduced incidence of diarrhoea. With heightened interest in nutrition-responsive social protection programmes to improve child nutrition, we make recommendations to inform the design and implementation of future programmes.

Initiation codon mutation in betaB1-crystallin (CRYBB1) associated with autosomal recessive nuclear pulverulent cataract.

PURPOSE: To identify the molecular basis for autosomal recessively inherited congenital non-syndromic pulverulent cataracts in a consanguineous family with four affected children. METHODS: An autozygosity mapping strategy using high density SNP microarrays and microsatellite markers was employed to detect regions of homozygosity. Subsequently good candidate genes were screened for mutations by direct sequencing. RESULTS: The SNP microarray data demonstrated a 24.96 Mb region of homozygosity at 22q11.21-22q13.2 which was confirmed by microsatellite marker analysis. The candidate target region contained the beta-crystallin gene cluster and direct sequencing in affected family members revealed a novel mutation in CRYBB1 (c.2T>A; p.Met1Lys). CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge this is the first case of an initiation codon mutation in a human crystallin gene, and only the second report of a CRYBB1 mutation associated with autosomal recessive congenital cataracts. In addition, although a number of genetic causes of autosomal dominant pulverulent cataracts have been identified (including CRYBB1) this is the first gene to have been implicated in autosomal recessive nuclear pulverulent cataract.

Sexual development in Cryptococcus neoformans requires CLP1, a target of the homeodomain transcription factors Sxi1alpha and Sxi2a.

Sexual development in the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans is a multistep process that results in the formation of spores, the likely infectious particles. A critical step in this developmental process is the transition from bud-form growth to filamentous growth. This transition is controlled by the homeodomain transcription factors Sxi1alpha and Sxi2a, whose targets are largely unknown. Here we describe the discovery of a gene, CLP1, that is regulated by Sxi1alpha and Sxi2a and is essential for sexual development. In vitro binding studies also show that the CLP1 promoter is bound directly by Sxi1alpha and Sxi2a. The deletion of CLP1 leads to a block in sexual development after cell fusion but before filament formation, and cells without CLP1 are unable to grow vegetatively after cell fusion. Our findings lead to a model in which CLP1 is a downstream target of the Sxi proteins that functions to promote growth after mating and to establish the filamentous state, a critical step in the production of spores.

Integrating Social Determinants of Health into Dental Curricula: An Interprofessional Approach.

Approaching patient care from a holistic perspective, incorporating not only the patient's medical and dental history but also psychosocial history, improves patient outcomes. Practitioners should be trained to provide this style of care through inclusive education, including training working on interprofessional teams. A component of this education must incorporate social determinants of health into the treatment plan. Social determinants of health include income, race/ethnicity, education level, work opportunities, living conditions, and access to health care. Education regarding social determinants of health should be woven throughout dental curricula, including hands-on application opportunities. This education must extend to patient care situations rather than be limited to didactic settings. This article explains the need to incorporate social determinants of health into dental education and illustrates how social determinants education is being addressed in two U.S. dental schools' curricula, including how to weave social determinants of health into interprofessional education. These descriptions may serve as a model for curricular innovation and faculty development across the dental education community.

Variation in chick-a-dee calls of tufted titmice, Baeolophus bicolor: note type and individual distinctiveness.

The chick-a-dee call of chickadee species (genus Poecile) has been the focus of much research. A great deal is known about the structural complexity and the meaning of variation in notes making up calls in these species. However, little is known about the likely homologous "chick-a-dee" call of the closely related tufted titmouse, Baeolophus bicolor. Tufted titmice are a prime candidate for comparative analyses of the call, because their vocal and social systems share many characteristics with those of chickadees. To address the paucity of data on the structure of chick-a-dee calls of tufted titmice, we recorded birds in field and aviary settings. Four main note types were identified in the call: Z, A, D(h), and D notes. Several acoustic parameters of each note type were measured, and statistical analyses revealed that the note types are acoustically distinct from one another. Furthermore, note types vary in the extent of individual distinctiveness reflected in their acoustic parameters. This first step towards understanding the chick-a-dee call of tufted titmice indicates that the call is comparable in structure and complexity to the calls of chickadees.

Histologic Evaluation of Acellular Dermal Matrix Allografts in Humans.

INTRODUCTION: Acellular dermal matrix (ADM) is a cell-free dermal matrix comprised of a structurally integrated basement membrane complex and extracellular matrix in which collagen bundles and elastic fibers are the main components. There are several commercially available ADM allografts that have different processing methods. This case series reports the histologic presentation of two of the most widely used ADM allografts, referred to as ADM-A and ADM-B, in patients that had specific situations involving reentry. CASE SERIES: Two patients referred to the Louisiana State University Department of Periodontics, New Orleans, Louisiana, with 1- to 3-mm recession of at least two non-contiguous sites needing soft tissue augmentation, were treated with appropriate mucogingival procedures using ADM-A or ADM-B. After ≈6 to 8 months of healing, and due to clinical findings that necessitated further periodontal procedures, small tissue biopsies were obtained and examined microscopically. CONCLUSIONS: All samples of ADM (A and B) analyzed after staining with hematoxylin and eosin had a generally similar appearance under light microscopic examination, which suggests they are both well incorporated into native tissues after 6 to 8 months of healing. When stained with Verhoeff-Van Gieson, all samples showed elastin fibers, a finding consistent with previously published light microscopic observations of ADM. There appeared to be a more densely packed elastin pattern in the deep base of ADM-A compared with ADM-B. This might be an indication these two materials have a different healing pathway when used to augment the oral mucosa.

Visual classification of feral cat Felis silvestris catus vocalizations.

Cat vocal behavior, in particular, the vocal and social behavior of feral cats, is poorly understood, as are the differences between feral and fully domestic cats. The relationship between feral cat social and vocal behavior is important because of the markedly different ecology of feral and domestic cats, and enhanced comprehension of the repertoire and potential information content of feral cat calls can provide both better understanding of the domestication and socialization process, and improved welfare for feral cats undergoing adoption. Previous studies have used conflicting classification schemes for cat vocalizations, often relying on onomatopoeic or popular descriptions of call types (e.g., "miow"). We studied the vocalizations of 13 unaltered domestic cats that complied with our behavioral definition used to distinguish feral cats from domestic. A total of 71 acoustic units were extracted and visually analyzed for the construction of a hierarchical classification of vocal sounds, based on acoustic properties. We identified 3 major categories (tonal, pulse, and broadband) that further breakdown into 8 subcategories, and show a high degree of reliability when sounds are classified blindly by independent observers (Fleiss' Kappa K = 0.863). Due to the limited behavioral contexts in this study, additional subcategories of cat vocalizations may be identified in the future, but our hierarchical classification system allows for the addition of new categories and new subcategories as they are described. This study shows that cat vocalizations are diverse and complex, and provides an objective and reliable classification system that can be used in future studies.

Biotin Auxotrophy and Biotin Enhanced Germ Tube Formation in Candida albicans.

Due to the increased number of immunocompromised patients, infections with the pathogen Candida albicans have significantly increased in recent years. C. albicans transition from yeast to germ tubes is one of the essential factors for virulence. In this study we noted that Lee's medium, commonly used to induce filamentation, contained 500-fold more biotin than needed for growth and 40-fold more biotin than is typically added to growth media. Thus, we investigated the effects of excess biotin on growth rate and filamentation by C. albicans in different media. At 37 °C, excess biotin (4 µM) enhanced germ tube formation (GTF) ca. 10-fold in both Lee's medium and a defined glucose-proline medium, and ca. 4-fold in 1% serum. Two biotin precursors, desthiobiotin and 7-keto-8-aminopelargonic acid (KAPA), also stimulated GTF. During these studies we also noted an inverse correlation between the number of times the inoculum had been washed and the concentration of serum needed to stimulate GTF. C. albicans cells that had been washed eight times achieved 80% GTF with only 0.1% sheep serum. The mechanism by which 1-4 µM biotin enhances GTF is still unknown except to note that equivalent levels of biotin are needed to create an internal supply of stored biotin and biotinylated histones. Biotin did not restore filamentation for any of the four known filamentation defective mutants tested. C. albicans is auxotrophic for biotin and this biotin auxotrophy was fulfilled by biotin, desthiobiotin, or KAPA. However, biotin auxotrophy is not temperature dependent or influenced by the presence of 5% CO2. Biotin starvation upregulated the biotin biosynthetic genes BIO2, BIO3, and BIO4 by 11-, 1500-, and 150-fold, respectively, and BIO2p is predicted to be mitochondrion-localized. Based on our findings, we suggest that biotin has two roles in the physiology of C. albicans, one as an enzymatic cofactor and another as a morphological regulator. Finally, we found no evidence supporting prior claims that C. albicans only forms hyphae at very low biotin (0.1 nM) growth conditions.

Interleukin polymorphisms in aggressive periodontitis: A literature review.

Aggressive periodontitis (AgP), occurs in a younger age group (≤35 years) and is associated with the rapid destruction of periodontal attachment and supporting bone. Genetic polymorphisms are allelic variants that occur in at least 1% of the population that could potentially alter the function of the proteins that they encode. Interleukins are a group of cytokines that have complex immunological functions including proliferation, migration, growth and differentiation of cells and play a key role in the immunopathogenesis of periodontal disease. The aim of this review was to summarize the findings of studies that reported associations or potential associations of polymorphisms in the interleukin family of cytokines, specifically with AgP.

ZENK activation in the nidopallium of black-capped chickadees in response to both conspecific and heterospecific calls.

Neuronal populations in the songbird nidopallium increase in activity the most to conspecific vocalizations relative to heterospecific songbird vocalizations or artificial stimuli such as tones. Here, we tested whether the difference in neural activity between conspecific and heterospecific vocalizations is due to acoustic differences or to the degree of phylogenetic relatedness of the species producing the vocalizations. To compare differences in neural responses of black-capped chickadees, Poecile atricapillus, to playback conditions we used a known marker for neural activity, ZENK, in the caudal medial nidopallium and caudomedial mesopallium. We used the acoustically complex 'dee' notes from chick-a-dee calls, and vocalizations from other heterospecific species similar in duration and spectral features. We tested the vocalizations from three heterospecific species (chestnut-backed chickadees, tufted titmice, and zebra finches), the vocalizations from conspecific individuals (black-capped chickadees), and reversed versions of the latter. There were no significant differences in the amount of expression between any of the groups except in the control condition, which resulted in significantly less neuronal activation. Our results suggest that, in certain cases, neuronal activity is not higher in response to conspecific than in response to heterospecific vocalizations for songbirds, but rather is sensitive to the acoustic features of the signal. Both acoustic features of the calls and the phylogenetic relationship between of the signaler and the receiver interact in the response of the nidopallium.

The effects of extended exposure to traffic noise on parid social and risk-taking behavior.

Traffic noise is a prevalent and yet poorly understood anthropogenic disturbance associated with reduced avian diversity, population densities and pairing and mating success. How these systems are affected is not clear as a direct experimental link between noise and behavior underlying these patterns is missing. Here we provide the first empirical evidence of the effects of long-term exposure to simulated traffic noise on social and risk-taking behavior of Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis) and tufted titmice (Baeolophus bicolor). In testing for these effects we compare two hypotheses regarding the effects of noise on behavior. We found that noise increases sociality by reducing nearest neighbor distances and increasing the number of close-perches within study flocks. These behavioral responses mimic those of species in high-risk situations, such as birds in the presence of a predator. These results provide support for the 'Increased Threat Hypothesis,' which argues that chronic traffic noise affects behavior by increasing the perceived level of threat. Although the adaptive value or function of these responses to noise is unknown, they may serve to mitigate any negative effects of traffic noise. If true, species lacking behavioral plasticity may be more susceptible to effects of traffic noise and other similar acoustic disturbances.

Light aversion in mice depends on nonimage-forming irradiance detection.

Detection of light in the eye underlies image-forming vision, but also regulates adaptive responses in physiology and behavior. Typically these adaptive responses do not involve image-forming vision, but depend on a relatively absolute measure of brightness (nonimage-forming irradiance detection). The goal of this study was to further understand how image-forming vision and nonimage-forming irradiance detection contribute to the effects of light on behavior. Three light dependent behaviors were assessed in wild-type, Rpe65-/- and rd1 mice. In Rpe65-/- mice, nonimage-forming irradiance detection is severely attenuated, but rod based visual acuity is relatively preserved. In rd1 mice visual acuity is nonrecordable, but nonimage-forming responses are less severely attenuated than Rpe65-/-. Positive masking, an image-forming vision dependent increase in wheel running, was absent in rd1 and restricted to higher irradiances in Rpe65-/-. Negative masking, a suppression of wheel running sensitivity with nonimage-forming irradiance detection input, was increased in rd1, but reduced in Rpe65-/- mice. By contrast, light aversion, an avoidance of brightly lit areas, was abolished in both Rpe65-/- and rd1. This shows that image-forming vision is not sufficient for light aversion, suggesting nonimage-forming irradiance detection motivates this behavior. Further, the differing effects of disease suggest that negative masking and light aversion are distinct responses with specialized nonimage-forming irradiance detection pathways.

Synthesis of nearly uniform single-walled carbon nanotubes using identical metal-containing molecular nanoclusters as catalysts.

Uniform and small-diameter single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have been produced using identical molecular nanoclusters containing Fe and Mo atoms with a defined molecular formula and a specific structure as catalysts in a chemical vapor deposition method. The average diameter of the SWNTs produced in these experiments is 1.0 nm with a standard deviation for the diameter distribution of 17%. The diameters of SWNTs were obtained by atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy.

Genetic variants of Ehrlichia phagocytophila, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Primers were used to amplify a 561-bp region of the 16S rRNA gene of Ehrlichia phagocytophila from Ixodes scapularis ticks and small mammals collected in Rhode Island and Connecticut. DNA sequences for all 50 E. phagocytophila-positive samples collected from 1996 through 1998 in southwestern Connecticut were identical to the sequence reported for E. phagocytophila DNA from confirmed human cases. In contrast, the sequences from 92 of 123 E. phagocytophila-positive Rhode Island samples collected from 1996 through 1999 included several variants differing by 1-2 nucleotides from that in the agent infecting humans. While 11.9% of 67 E. phagocytophila-positive ticks collected during 1997 in Rhode Island harbored ehrlichiae with sequences identical to that of the human agent, 79.1% had a variant sequence not previously described. The low incidence of human ehrlichiosis in Rhode Island may in part result from interference by these variant ehrlichiae with maintenance and transmission of the true agent of human disease.