Diverse values, philosophies and ideas beget innovation and resilience in ecology and for our world.

Intellectual diversity, which is often assessed through social diversity proxies, such as race, ethnicity, and gender, is essential to innovation in ecology. There are many diverse ways of knowing, valuing, and discerning alternatives within ecology and as it is applied to solve global-change issues. However, science is a cultural activity, one that is affected by colonialism, racism, and White supremacy and, like other fields of science, the pursuit of ecological careers has historically been a space of limited opportunities for participation for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)-narrowing the diverse ways of knowing, valuing, and engaging in ecological work. We seek to debunk the view that such limited participation is a result of BIPOC lacking interest in or proficiency in science, and instead offer that BIPOC communities are places of deep scientific understanding, sociocultural resilience, and cultural wealth. Scientists must broaden their consideration of the ecological sciences and work with BIPOC to establish community-based scientific partnerships that will foster increased ecological career pathways for BIPOC youth.

Anti-diabetic molecules from Cycas pectinata Griff. traditionally used by the Maiba-Maibi.

Bioactivity guided chemical investigation on active anti-diabetic constituents of the fruits of Cycas pectinata Griff. (FCP) characterized EAFr-5 as the most potent sub fraction which significantly reduced the blood glucose level to normal in STZ induced diabetic rats. It was shown to contain the biflavonoids amentoflavone (1) and 2,3-dihydroamentoflavone (2) which exhibited significantly high inhibitory potency against α-glucosidase (IC50 8.09 ± 0.023 and 9.77 ± 0.032 µM, respectively) and α-amylase (IC50 73.6 ± 0.48 and 39.69 ± 0.39 µM, respectively). This is the first report of bioactivity guided isolation of anti-diabetic constituents from the traditionally used fruits of Cycas pectinata Griff.

Evaluation of Antimicrobial and Wound Healing Potentials of Ethanol Extract of Wedelia biflora Linn D.C. Leaves.

To rationalize scientifically the traditional claim on use of Wedelia biflora (Linn.) D. C. for the treatment of wounds and infections, the present study was designed to evaluate the antimicrobial and wound healing activity of ethanol extract of leaves of W. biflora. In in vitro assays the test extract was subjected to antimicrobial activity by agar well-diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration method in different microbial strains. Wound healing activity of the test extract was studied by excision wound model and incision wound model in Wistar albino rats. In excision wound model, 97.90% wound healing was recorded in 10% w/w extract treated group on 16(th) days of postsurgery, whereas only 58.50% was observed in control group. In incision model, higher breaking strength, high hydroxyl proline content and histopathological study in extract treated groups revealed higher collagen redeposition than the control group. The agar well-diffusion evaluation and minimum inhibitory concentration established antimicrobial efficacy of ethanol extracts of W. biflora. These observations established the traditional claim and therapeutic activity of W. biflora and it could be a potent wound healing candidate for use in future.

Anti-inflammatory and anthelmintic activities of Solanum khasianum Clarke.

In order to scientifically appraise some of the folkloric uses of Solanum khasianum Clarke (Solanaceae), the present study was undertaken to examine the anti-inflammatory and anthelmintic properties of the berries of ethanol extract. Anti-inflammatory activity was tested in carrageenan induced rat hind paw edema method at three dose level of 200, 300, and 400 mg kg(-1) respectively, Diclofenac sodium (100 mg kg(-1)) was used as the reference standard. The anti-inflammatory activity of the extract was compared with standard and control. The anthelmintic activity of the extract was tested on tape worm, liver fluke, thread worm, and hook worm using two different concentrations, 100 and 200 mg mL(-1) respectively. Time taken for the inhibition of motility was noted and compared with the standard drug, Piperazine citrate 15 mg mL. The plant extract significantly (p < 0.01) reduced the inflammation of the rats when compared to the control group. Also, the ethanol extract of the plant paralyzed the worms followed by death, which was comparable with that of the standard. This study supports the folk claim.

A cross-sectional study of the effects of age, education, and gender on the Boston Naming Test.

The effects of age, education, and gender on visual confrontation naming using the 60-item Boston Naming Test (BNT) were studied in 1111 "normal" elderly (ages 50-101) and 61 younger adults (ages 20-49). Significantly poorer mean BNT scores and increasing variability (measured in standard deviations) were found with successively older age groups and with lower educational levels even after stratification on the demographic variables. There was a non-significant trend for males to score slightly higher than females. Age declines on the BNT were considerably greater for this cross-sectional data than for the longitudinal data we previously reported.

Normative data stratified for age, education, and gender on the Boston Naming Test.

Stratified normative data for age, education, and gender are provided for the 60-item Boston Naming Test (BNT) on 1026 older participants ages 50-95 years using overlapping age ranges. Tables are presented that convert BNT raw scores to scaled scores and percentiles. Mild dementia cases were eliminated using a comprehensive cognitive battery. In a companion paper we found significantly poorer mean BNT scores and increasing variability with successively older age groups and decreasing educational levels indicating the need for demographically stratified normative data when determining an individual's degree of impairment. These norms should be clinically useful when assessing suspected dementia cases.

Prevention of noise- and drug-induced hearing loss with D-methionine.

A number of otoprotective agents are currently being investigated. Various types of agents have been found in animal studies to protect against hearing loss induced by cisplatin, carboplatin, aminoglycosides, or noise exposure. For over a decade we have been investigating D-methionine (D-met) as an otoprotective agent. Studies in our laboratory and others around the world have documented D-met's otoprotective action, in a variety of species, against a variety of ototoxic insults including cisplatin-, carboplatin-, aminoglycoside- and noise-induced auditory threshold elevations and cochlear hair cell loss. For cisplatin-induced ototoxicity, protection of the stria vascularis has also been documented. Further D-met has an excellent safety profile. D-met may act as both a direct and indirect antioxidant. In this report, we provide the results of three experiments, expanding findings in D-met protection in three of our translational research areas: protection from platinum based chemotherapy-, aminoglycoside- and noise-induced hearing loss. These experiments demonstrate oral D-met protection against cisplatin-induced ototoxicity, D-met protection against amikacin-induced ototoxicity, and D-met rescue from permanent noise-induced hearing loss when D-met is initiated 1h after noise exposure. These studies demonstrate some of the animal experiments needed as steps to translate a protective agent from bench to bedside.

Can reinforcement induce children to falsely incriminate themselves?

This study examined whether reinforcement can induce children to falsely incriminate themselves. Ninety-nine children in kindergarten through third grade were questioned regarding the staged theft of a toy. Half received reinforcement for self-incriminating responses. Within 4 min reinforced children made 52% false admissions of guilty knowledge concerning the theft, and 30% false admissions of having witnessed it. Corresponding figures for controls were 36 and 10%. Twelve percent of children admitted to participating in the theft, but the effect of reinforcement was only marginally significant. The findings indicate that reinforcement can induce children to falsely implicate themselves in wrongdoing.

A longitudinal study of confrontation naming in the "normal" elderly.

The longitudinal effects of age on confrontation naming using the 60-item Boston Naming Test (BNT) were studied in 541 "normal" elderly (ages 50-99). For participants with at least 4 annual assessments (n = 238), 150 were followed for > or =6 years, 81 for > or =8 years, and 43 for > or =10 years. A small practice effect (0.21 words, p = 0.06) and moderately high test-retest reliability were found when comparing the first 2 assessments, which were 9-15 months apart (r = 0.76, n = 353). Reliable change index scores indicated that an annual decline of > or =4 points on the BNT is needed for a statistically reliable decline in an individual. A gradient in the mean annual rate of change on the BNT was found with improvement in the 50s age group, no change in the 60s age group, and decline in the 70s and 80s age groups. When projected over 10 years, the magnitudes of the mean changes were relatively small, that is, a 1-word improvement for participants in their 50s and a 1.3-word decline for participants in their 70s. These findings demonstrate that lexical retrieval as measured by a visual object confrontation naming task is generally well preserved in aging with only subtle decline in the 7th and 8th decades of age.

Development and characterization of a scalable controlled precipitation process to enhance the dissolution of poorly water-soluble drugs.

PURPOSE: Poorly water-soluble compounds are being found with increasing frequency among pharmacologically active new chemical entities, which is a major concern to the pharmaceutical industry. Some particle engineering technologies have been shown to enhance the dissolution of many promising new compounds that perform poorly in formulation and clinical studies (Rogers et. al., Drug Dev Ind Pharm 27:1003-1015). One novel technology, controlled precipitation, shows significant potential for enhancing the dissolution of poorly soluble compounds. In this study, controlled precipitation is introduced; and process variables, such as mixing zone temperature, are investigated. Finally, scale-up of controlled precipitation from milligram or gram to kilogram quantities is demonstrated. METHODS: Dissolution enhancement capabilities were established using two poorly water-soluble model drugs, danazol and naproxen. Stabilized drug particles from controlled precipitation were compared to milled, physical blend, and bulk drug controls using particle size analysis (Coulter), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dissolution testing (USP Apparatus 2), and residual solvent analysis. RESULTS: Stabilized nano- and microparticles were produced from controlled precipitation. XRD and SEM analyses confirmed that the drug particles were crystalline. Furthermore, the stabilized particles from controlled precipitation exhibited significantly enhanced dissolution properties. Residual solvent levels were below FDA limits. CONCLUSIONS: Controlled precipitation is a viable and scalable technology that can be used to enhance the dissolution of poorly water-soluble pharmaceutical compounds.

Glutathione ester but not glutathione protects against cisplatin-induced ototoxicity in a rat model.

Glutathione (GSH) provides an important antioxidant and detoxification pathway. We tested to determine if direct administration of GSH or GSH ester could reduce cisplatin- (CDDP) induced ototoxicity. We tested eight groups of five rats each: a control group, a group receiving 16 mg/kg ip CDDP infused over 30 minutes, and six groups receiving either GSH or GSH ester at 500, 1000, or 1500 mg/kg intraperitoneally 30 minutes prior to 16 mg/kg CDDP. Auditory brainstem response thresholds were measured for click and tone-burst stimuli at baseline and 3 days later. Outer hair cell (OHC) loss was measured for the apical, middle and basal turns. The 500 mg/kg GSH ester reduced hearing loss and OHC loss, but protection decreased as dosage increased, suggesting possible toxicity. GSH was not significantly protective. The best GSH ester protection was less than we have previously reported with D-methionine.