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iBiology Courses provide trainees with just-in-time learning resources to become effective researchers. These courses can help scientists build core research skills, plan their research projects and careers, and learn from scientists with diverse backgrounds.

Patronin regulates the microtubule network by protecting microtubule minus ends.

Tubulin assembles into microtubule polymers that have distinct plus and minus ends. Most microtubule plus ends in living cells are dynamic; the transitions between growth and shrinkage are regulated by assembly-promoting and destabilizing proteins. In contrast, minus ends are generally not dynamic, suggesting their stabilization by some unknown protein. Here, we have identified Patronin (also known as ssp4) as a protein that stabilizes microtubule minus ends in Drosophila S2 cells. In the absence of Patronin, minus ends lose subunits through the actions of the Kinesin-13 microtubule depolymerase, leading to a sparse interphase microtubule array and short, disorganized mitotic spindles. In vitro, the selective binding of purified Patronin to microtubule minus ends is sufficient to protect them against Kinesin-13-induced depolymerization. We propose that Patronin caps and stabilizes microtubule minus ends, an activity that serves a critical role in the organization of the microtubule cytoskeleton.

A scoping review of the impact of Food Policy Groups on local food systems in high-income countries.

This scoping review aimed to explore international evidence on the impact of Food Policy Groups (FPGs) on local food systems, in urban and rural regions of high-income countries. Peer-reviewed and grey literature were searched to identify thirty-one documents published between 2002 and 2022 providing evidence on the impact of FPGs. Activities spanned domains including increasing food equity (e.g. strengthening school meals programmes); increasing knowledge and/or demand for healthy food (e.g. food literacy programmes with children and adults); increasing food access (e.g. enhancing local food procurement); environmental sustainability (e.g. promoting low-waste food items on café menus); economic development (e.g. ensuring local businesses are not outperformed by large food distributors); and increasing food system resiliency (e.g. establishment of local produce schemes). Most FPGs reported conducting activities that positively influenced multiple food system domains and reported activities in urban areas, and to a lesser extent in rural areas. Our study highlighted a range of qualitative and quantitative evaluation strategies used to measure FPGs' impact on local food systems. Our recommendations focus on regular and systematic evaluation and research surrounding the impact of FPG activities, to build the evidence base of their impact. Ideally, evaluation would utilise comprehensive and established tools. We recommend exploring the establishment of FPGs across more regions of high-income countries, particularly rural areas, and forming partnerships between FPGs, local government and universities to maximise implementation and evaluation of activities.

Activational vs. organizational effects of sex steroids and their role in the evolution of reproductive behavior: Looking to foot-flagging frogs and beyond.

Sex steroids play an important role in regulation of the vertebrate reproductive phenotype. This is because sex steroids not only activate sexual behaviors that mediate copulation, courtship, and aggression, but they also help guide the development of neural and muscular systems that underlie these traits. Many biologists have therefore described the effects of sex steroid action on reproductive behavior as both "activational" and "organizational," respectively. Here, we focus on these phenomena from an evolutionary standpoint, highlighting that we know relatively little about the way that organizational effects evolve in the natural world to support the adaptation and diversification of reproductive behavior. We first review the evidence that such effects do in fact evolve to mediate the evolution of sexual behavior. We then introduce an emerging animal model - the foot-flagging frog, Staurois parvus - that will be useful to study how sex hormones shape neuromotor development necessary for sexual displays. The foot flag is nothing more than a waving display that males use to compete for access to female mates, and thus the neural circuits that control its production are likely laid down when limb control systems arise during the developmental transition from tadpole to frog. We provide data that highlights how sex steroids might organize foot-flagging behavior through its putative underlying mechanisms. Overall, we anticipate that future studies of foot-flagging frogs will open a powerful window from which to see how sex steroids influence the neuromotor systems to help germinate circuits that drive signaling behavior. In this way, our aim is to bring attention to the important frontier of endocrinological regulation of evolutionary developmental biology (endo-evo-devo) and its relationship to behavior.

Prevalence and prognostic impact of physical frailty in interstitial lung disease: A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Physical frailty is associated with increased mortality and hospitalizations in older adults. We describe the prevalence of physical frailty and its prognostic impact in patients with a spectrum of fibrotic interstitial lung disease (ILD). METHODS: Patients with fibrotic ILD at the McMaster University ILD programme were prospectively followed up from November 2015 to March 2020. Baseline data were used to classify patients as non-frail (score = 0), pre-frail (score = 1-2) or frail (score = 3-5) based on modified Fried physical frailty criteria. The association between physical frailty and mortality was assessed using time-to-event models, adjusted for age, sex, lung function and diagnosis using the ILD Gender-Age-Physiology (ILD-GAP) score. RESULTS: We included 463 patients (55% male, mean [SD] age 68 [11] years); 82 (18%) were non-frail, 258 (56%) pre-frail and 123 (26%) frail. The most common ILD diagnoses were idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (n = 183, 40%) and connective tissue disease-associated-ILD (n = 79, 17%). Mean time since diagnosis was 2.7 ± 4.6 years. There were 56 deaths within the median follow-up of 1.71 (interquartile range [IQR] 1.24, 2.31) years. Both frail and pre-frail individuals had a higher risk of death compared to those categorized as non-frail at baseline (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 4.14, 95% CI 1.27-13.5 for pre-frail and aHR 4.41, 95% CI 1.29-15.1 for frail). CONCLUSION: Physical frailty is prevalent in patients with ILD and is independently associated with an increased risk of death. Assessment of physical frailty provides additional prognostic value to recognized risk scores such as the ILD-GAP score, and may present a modifiable target for intervention.

Early acid/base and electrolyte changes in permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion: Aged male and female rats.

BACKGROUND: Early changes in acid/base and electrolyte concentrations could provide insights into the development of neuropathology at the onset of stroke. We evaluated associations between acid/base and electrolyte concentrations, and outcomes in permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) model. METHODS: 18-month-old male and female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent pMCAO. Pre-, post- (7 min after occlusion), and at 72 hr of pMCAO venous blood samples provided pH, carbon dioxide, oxygen, glucose, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and electrolyte values of ionized calcium, potassium, and sodium. Multiple linear regression determined predictors of infarct and edema volumes from these values, Kaplan-Meier curve analyzed morality between males and females at 72 hr, and a Cox regression model was used to determine predictors for mortality. RESULTS: Analysis indicated significant differences in acid/base balance and electrolyte levels in aged rats not dependent on sex between the three time points in the pMCAO model. Changes in pH (from pre- to post and post- to 72 hr) and changes in sodium and ionized calcium (from post- to 72 hr) were predictors of infarct volume and edema volume, respectively. Cox Regression revealed there is a 3.25 times increased risk for mortality based on changes in bicarbonate (pre- to post-MCAO). CONCLUSIONS: These early venous blood changes in acid/base balance and electrolytes can be used to predict stroke outcomes in our rat model of stroke. This study provides potential biomarkers to be examined in the human condition that could provide profound prognostic tools for stroke patients.

Where Should Critically Ill Adolescents Receive Care? A Qualitative Interview-Based Study of Perspectives of Staff Working in Adult and Pediatric Intensive Care Units.

PURPOSE: In the United Kingdom, critically ill adolescents are treated in either adult or pediatric intensive care units (AICUs or PICUs). This study explores staff perspectives on where and how best to care for this distinct group. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 members of staff (3 medical, 6 nursing, and 3 allied health professionals) working in 4 ICUs; 2 general hospital AICUs and 2 tertiary centre-based PICUs in England. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using framework analysis. FINDINGS: One overarching theme was identified, reflecting staff understanding of the term "adolescent," and this was linked to 2 further themes, each of which had several subthemes. "Needs of the critically ill adolescent" included medical needs, dignity and privacy, issues around consent, and the impact of intensive care admission. "Implications for staff" included managing parental presence and lack of familiarity, and emotional impact, of dealing with this patient group. Some of these factors are currently better accommodated in adult settings. CONCLUSIONS: Decision-making about the place of care should take into account the individual circumstances of the patient (e.g., nature of their medical condition and previous experiences, maturity, family preference) and not be based only on age at admission. We should work across disciplines to ensure we can discover, and consistently deliver, best practice to meet the needs of critically ill adolescents.

A safety lancet for neonatal blood spot tests: a design that facilitates pain-free, atraumatic samples.

Safety lancets are used to collect capillary blood samples to test if neonates have rare but serious congenital conditions, such as sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, congenital hypothyroidism and inherited metabolic diseases. Blood samples are taken from the heel, but the procedure can cause the neonate pain or discomfort, as well as a risk of local trauma to the nerves and blood vessels, bleeding, infection and scarring. This article explores the need for blood sampling in neonates, discusses the procedure and outlines the types of lancets available. It describes the Neoheel Safety Lancet (Smiths Medical), whose features are designed to avoid pain and trauma during the procedure. Three case studies are included to describe its use in clinical practice.

Eliciting the experiences of the adolescent-parent dyad following critical care admission: a pilot study.

Critically ill adolescents are usually treated on intensive care units optimised for much older adults or younger children. The way they access and experience health services may be very different to most adolescent service users, and existing quality criteria may not apply to them. The objectives of this pilot study were, firstly, to determine whether adolescents and their families were able to articulate their experiences of their critical care admission and secondly, to identify the factors that are important to them during their intensive care unit (ICU) or high dependency unit (HDU) stay. Participants were 14-17 year olds who had previously had an emergency admission to an adult or paediatric ICU/HDU in one of four UK hospitals (two adult, two paediatric) and their parents. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight mother-adolescent dyads and one mother. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using framework analysis. CONCLUSION: The main reported determinant of high-quality care was the quality of interaction with staff. The significance of these interactions and their environment depended on adolescents' awareness of their surroundings, which was often limited in ICU and changed significantly over the course of their illness. Qualitative interview methodology would be difficult to scale up for this group. What is known • Critically ill adolescents are usually treated on intensive care units optimised for older adults or younger children. • The way they access and experience health services may be different to most adolescent patients; existing quality criteria may not apply. What is new • Reported determinants of high-quality care were age-appropriateness of the environment, respectfulness and friendliness of staff, communication and inclusion in healthcare decisions. • The significance of these depended on adolescents' awareness of their surroundings, which was often limited and changed over the course of their illness.

Reduced N-acetylaspartate to creatine ratio in the posterior cingulate correlates with cognition in Alzheimer's disease following four months of rivastigmine treatment.

AIM: To determine whether 4 months of rivastigmine treatment would result in metabolic changes and whether metabolic changes correlate with changes in cognition in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: Magnetic resonance spectra were acquired from the posterior cingulate cortex of subjects with AD at 3 T. Magnetic resonance imaging scans and cognitive tests were performed before and 4 months after the beginning of the treatment. Metabolite concentrations were quantified and used to calculate the metabolite ratios. RESULTS: On average, the N-acetylaspartate/creatine (NAA/Cr) ratio decreased by 12.7% following 4 months of rivastigmine treatment, but changes in the NAA/Cr ratio correlated positively with changes in Mini-Mental State Examination scores. CONCLUSION: This positive correlation between changes in NAA/Cr and changes in cognitive performance suggests that the NAA/Cr ratio could be an objective indicator of a response to rivastigmine treatment.

The Value of Screening Parents for Their Risk of Developing Psychological Symptoms After PICU: A Feasibility Study Evaluating a Pediatric Intensive Care Follow-Up Clinic.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess whether prospectively screening parents for psychological vulnerability would enable beneficial targeting of a subsequent follow-up clinic. DESIGN AND SETTING: Parents of children consecutively admitted to a PICU were assessed for risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder at discharge using the Posttraumatic Adjustment Scale. INTERVENTIONS: High-risk parents were then randomized to the intervention (follow-up clinic, 2 mo after discharge) or control condition. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: All parents completed Impact of Event Scale-Revised and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale at 6 months. Of the 209 parents of 145 children recruited to the study, 78 (37%) were identified, on the basis of their Posttraumatic Adjustment Scale score at baseline, as being at risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder, and randomized to the control or intervention condition. Follow-up data were provided by 157 of 209 parents (75%). Logistic regression analyses controlling for parent gender and child length of stay showed that high-risk control parents (n = 32) were significantly more likely to score above the clinical cutoff for all three psychological outcomes than parents deemed low risk at baseline (n = 89) (posttraumatic stress: odds ratio = 3.39; 95% CI, 1.28-8.92; p = 0.014; anxiety: odds ratio = 6.34; 95% CI, 2.55-15.76; p < 0.001; depression: odds ratio = 4.13; 95% CI, 1.47-11.61; p = 0.007). Only 14 of 38 (37%) high-risk intervention parents attended the follow-up clinic appointment they were offered. At follow-up, there were no statistically significant differences between the intervention and control groups, but there were small effect sizes in favor of the intervention for anxiety scores (Cohen d = 0.209) and depression scores (Cohen d = 0.254) CONCLUSIONS:: Screening parents for psychological vulnerability using measures such as the Posttraumatic Adjustment Scale may enable more efficient targeting of support. However, further research is needed on how best to provide effective follow-up intervention for families.

Team of rivals: alliance formation in territorial songbirds is predicted by vocal signal structure.

Cooperation and conflict are regarded as diametric extremes of animal social behaviour, yet the two may intersect under rare circumstances. We here report that territorial competitors in a common North American songbird species, the chipping sparrow (Spizella passerina), sometimes form temporary coalitions in the presence of simulated territorial intruders. Moreover, analysis of birds' vocal mating signals (songs) reveals that coalitions occur nearly exclusively under specific triadic relationships, in which vocal performances of allies and simulated intruders exceed those of residents. Our results provide the first evidence that animals like chipping sparrows rely on precise assessments of mating signal features, as well as relative comparisons of signal properties among multiple animals in communication networks, when deciding when and with whom to form temporary alliances against a backdrop of competition and rivalry.

Preventing malnutrition in prison.

Vulnerable patient groups are at increased risk of malnutrition. This article focuses on the importance of ensuring that the nutritional needs of those in institutional settings, in particular prisons, are met. Offenders often present with a number of health and social factors which can lead to a high risk of malnutrition. The consequences of malnutrition are significant, ranging from delayed recovery to increased mortality. The treatment of malnutrition is discussed in this article from detection through to management and monitoring. Adequate nutrition is a basic human right and those in prison should be provided with healthy food choices to optimise health.

Designing the Australian Cancer Atlas: visualizing geostatistical model uncertainty for multiple audiences.

OBJECTIVE: The Australian Cancer Atlas (ACA) aims to provide small-area estimates of cancer incidence and survival in Australia to help identify and address geographical health disparities. We report on the 21-month user-centered design study to visualize the data, in particular, the visualization of the estimate uncertainty for multiple audiences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The preliminary phases included a scoping study, literature review, and target audience focus groups. Several methods were used to reach the wide target audience. The design and development stage included digital prototyping in parallel with Bayesian model development. Feedback was sought from multiple workshops, audience focus groups, and regular meetings throughout with an expert external advisory group. RESULTS: The initial scoping identified 4 target audience groups: the general public, researchers, health practitioners, and policy makers. These target groups were consulted throughout the project to ensure the developed model and uncertainty visualizations were effective for communication. In this paper, we detail ACA features and design iterations, including the 3 complementary ways in which uncertainty is communicated: the wave plot, the v-plot, and color transparency. DISCUSSION: We reflect on the methods, design iterations, decision-making process, and document lessons learned for future atlases. CONCLUSION: The ACA has been hugely successful since launching in 2018. It has received over 62 000 individual users from over 100 countries and across all target audiences. It has been replicated in other countries and the second version of the ACA was launched in May 2024. This paper provides rich documentation for future projects.

Correcting the MoCA for education: effect on sensitivity.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to quantify the impact of the suggested education correction on the sensitivity and specificity of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). METHOD: Twenty-five outpatients with dementia and 39 with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) underwent a diagnostic evaluation, which included the MoCA. Thirty-seven healthy controls also completed the MoCA and psychiatric, medical, neurological, functional, and cognitive difficulties were ruled out. RESULTS: For the total MoCA score, unadjusted for education, a cut-off score of 26 yielded the best balance between sensitivity and specificity (80% and 89% respectively) in identifying cognitive impairment (people with either dementia or aMCI, versus controls). When applying the education correction, sensitivity decreased from 80% to 69% for a small specificity increase (89% to 92%). The cut-off score yielding the best balance between sensitivity and specificity for the education adjusted MoCA score fell to 25 (61% and 97%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Adjusting the MoCA total score for education had a detrimental effect on sensitivity with only a slight increase in specificity. Clinically, this loss in sensitivity can lead to an increased number of false negatives, as education level does not always correlate to premorbid intellectual function. Clinical judgment about premorbid status should guide interpretation. However, as this effect may be cohort specific, age and education corrected norms and cut-offs should be developed to help guide MoCA interpretation.

Understanding clinical review following a death in custody.

This article examines the importance of clinical reviews for people receiving care in custodial settings. A case study is used to illustrate the need for accurate record-keeping, particularly following death. Healthcare professionals have a duty to ensure that prisoners have the same rights as members of the general public in relation to access to health care and opportunities to improve their health.

Analysis of Clinical Outcomes After Robotic Hepatectomy Applying the Western-Model Southampton Laparoscopic Difficulty Scoring System. An Experience From a Tertiary US Hepatobiliary Center.

BACKGROUND: Identification of resections with high risk of intraoperative complications is critical in guiding case selection for minimally invasive liver surgery. Several Japanese and European difficulty scoring systems have been proposed for laparoscopic liver surgery. However, the applicability of these systems for robotic liver resections has not been fully investigated. This study considers the Southampton system and examines its validity when applied to robotic hepatectomies. METHODS: We undertook a retrospective review of 372 patients who underwent robotic hepatectomies for various indications between 2013 and 2022. Of these patients, 63 operations were classified as low risk, 91 as moderate risk, 198 as high risk and 20 as extremely high risk based on Southampton criteria. Patient outcomes were compared by utilizing an ANOVA of repeated measures. Data are presented as median (mean ± SD). RESULTS: The Southampton difficulty scoring system was a strong predictor of intraoperative variables including tumor size, operative duration, estimated blood loss (EBL), and incidence of major vs minor resection (all P < .0001). In contrast, the Southampton system was a weaker predictor of postoperative outcomes including 30-day mortality (P = .15), length of stay (P = .13), and readmissions within 30 days (P = .38). CONCLUSION: The Southampton difficulty scoring system is a valid system for classifying robotic liver resections and is a strong predictor of intraoperative outcomes. However, the system was found to be a weaker predictor of postoperative outcomes. This finding may suggest the need for proposal of a new difficulty scoring system for robotic hepatectomies.

Investigating Cognitive Load in Energy Network Control Rooms: Recommendations for Future Designs.

This study analyzed and explored the cognitive load of Australian energy market operators managing one of the longest inter-connected electrical networks in the world. Each operator uses a workstation with seven screens in an active control room environment, with a large coordination screen to show information and enable collaboration between different control centers. Cognitive load was assessed during both training scenarios and regular control room operations via the integration of subjective and physiological measures. Eye-tracking glasses were also used to analyze the operators gaze behavior. Our results indicate that different events (normal or unexpected), different participants for the same session, and different periods of one session all have varying degrees of cognitive load. The system design was observed to be inefficient in some situations and to have an adverse affect on cognitive load. In critical situations for instance, operator collaboration was high and the coordination screen was used heavily when collaborating between two control centers, yet integration with the system could be improved. Eye tracking data analysis showed that the layout of applications across the seven screens was not optimal for many tasks. Improved layout strategies, potential combination of applications, redesigning of certain applications, and linked views are all recommended for further exploration in addition to improved integration of procedures and linking alarms to visual cues.

The interactive reading task: Transformer-based automatic item generation.

Automatic item generation (AIG) has the potential to greatly expand the number of items for educational assessments, while simultaneously allowing for a more construct-driven approach to item development. However, the traditional item modeling approach in AIG is limited in scope to content areas that are relatively easy to model (such as math problems), and depends on highly skilled content experts to create each model. In this paper we describe the interactive reading task, a transformer-based deep language modeling approach for creating reading comprehension assessments. This approach allows a fully automated process for the creation of source passages together with a wide range of comprehension questions about the passages. The format of the questions allows automatic scoring of responses with high fidelity (e.g., selected response questions). We present the results of a large-scale pilot of the interactive reading task, with hundreds of passages and thousands of questions. These passages were administered as part of the practice test of the Duolingo English Test. Human review of the materials and psychometric analyses of test taker results demonstrate the feasibility of this approach for automatic creation of complex educational assessments.

Effects of traffic noise on occupancy patterns of forest birds.

Noise may drive changes in the composition and abundance of animals that communicate vocally. Traffic produces low-frequency noise (<3 kHz) that can mask acoustic signals broadcast within the same frequency range. We evaluated whether birds that sing within the frequency range of traffic noise are affected by acoustic masking (i.e., increased background noise levels at the same frequency of vocalizations reduce detection of vocalization) and are less abundant in areas where traffic noise is loud (44-57 dB). We estimated occupancy, the expected probability that a given site is occupied by a species, and detection probabilities of eight forest-breeding birds in areas with and without traffic noise as a function of noise and three measures of habitat quality: percent forest cover, distance from plot center to the edge of forest, and the number of standing dead trees or snags. For the two species that vocalize at the lowest peak frequency (the frequency with the most energy) and the lowest overall frequency (Yellow-billed Cuckoo [Coccyzus americanus] and White-breasted Nuthatch [Sitta carolinensis]), the presence of traffic noise explained the greatest proportion of variance in occupancy, and these species were 10 times less likely to be found in noisy than in quiet plots. For species that had only portions of their vocalizations overlapped by traffic noise, either forest cover or distance to forest edge explained more variation in occupancy than noise or no single variable explained occupancy. Our results suggest that the effects of traffic noise may be especially pronounced for species that vocalize at low frequencies.