A genome-wide analysis of promoter-mediated phenotypic noise in Escherichia coli.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olin K Silander

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Gene expression is subject to random perturbations that lead to fluctuations in the rate of protein production. As a consequence, for any given protein, genetically identical organisms living in a constant environment will contain different amounts of that particular protein, resulting in different phenotypes. This phenomenon is known as "phenotypic noise." In bacterial systems, previous studies have shown that, for specific genes, both transcriptional and translational processes affect phenotypic noise. Here, we focus on how the promoter regions of genes affect noise and ask whether levels of promoter-mediated noise are correlated with genes' functional attributes, using data for over 60% of all promoters in Escherichia coli. We find that essential genes and genes with a high degree of evolutionary conservation have promoters that confer low levels of noise. We also find that the level of noise cannot be attributed to the evolutionary time that different genes have spent in the genome of E. coli. In contrast to previous results in eukaryotes, we find no association between promoter-mediated noise and gene expression plasticity. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that, in bacteria, natural selection can act to reduce gene expression noise and that some of this noise is controlled through the sequence of the promoter region alone.

CaV1.3 L-type Ca2+ channels modulate depression-like behaviour in mice independent of deaf phenotype.

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Busquet, Perrine; Nguyen, Ngoc Khoi; Schmid, Eduard; Tanimoto, Naoyuki; Seeliger, Mathias W; Ben-Yosef, Tamar; Mizuno, Fengxia; Akopian, Abram; Striessnig, Jörg; Singewald, Nicolas

2010-05-01

Mounting evidence suggests that voltage-gated L-type Ca2+ channels can modulate affective behaviour. We therefore explored the role of CaV1.3 L-type Ca2+ channels in depression- and anxiety-like behaviours using CaV1.3-deficient mice (CaV1.3-/-). We showed that CaV1.3-/- mice displayed less immobility in the forced swim test as well as in the tail suspension test, indicating an antidepressant-like phenotype. Locomotor activity in the home cage or a novel open-field test was not influenced. In the elevated plus maze (EPM), CaV1.3-/- mice entered the open arms more frequently and spent more time there indicating an anxiolytic-like phenotype which was, however, not supported in the stress-induced hyperthermia test. By performing parallel experiments in Claudin 14 knockout mice (Cldn14-/-), which like CaV1.3-/- mice are congenitally deaf, an influence of deafness on the antidepressant-like phenotype could be ruled out. On the other hand, a similar EPM behaviour indicative of an anxiolytic phenotype was also found in the Cldn14-/- animals. Using electroretinography and visual behavioural tasks we demonstrated that at least in mice, CaV1.3 channels do not significantly contribute to visual function. However, marked morphological changes were revealed in synaptic ribbons in the outer plexiform layer of CaV1.3-/- retinas by immunohistochemistry suggesting a possible role of this channel type in structural plasticity at the ribbon synapse. Taken together, our findings indicate that CaV1.3 L-type Ca2+ channels modulate depression-like behaviour but are not essential for visual function. The findings raise the possibility that selective modulation of CaV1.3 channels could be a promising new therapeutic concept for the treatment of mood disorders.

Effects of acidification on olfactory-mediated behaviour in freshwater and marine ecosystems: a synthesis.

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Leduc, Antoine O H C; Munday, Philip L; Brown, Grant E; Ferrari, Maud C O

2013-01-01

For many aquatic organisms, olfactory-mediated behaviour is essential to the maintenance of numerous fitness-enhancing activities, including foraging, reproduction and predator avoidance. Studies in both freshwater and marine ecosystems have demonstrated significant impacts of anthropogenic acidification on olfactory abilities of fish and macroinvertebrates, leading to impaired behavioural responses, with potentially far-reaching consequences to population dynamics and community structure. Whereas the ecological impacts of impaired olfactory-mediated behaviour may be similar between freshwater and marine ecosystems, the underlying mechanisms are quite distinct. In acidified freshwater, molecular change to chemical cues along with reduced olfaction sensitivity appear to be the primary causes of olfactory-mediated behavioural impairment. By contrast, experiments simulating future ocean acidification suggest that interference of high CO2 with brain neurotransmitter function is the primary cause for olfactory-mediated behavioural impairment in fish. Different physico-chemical characteristics between marine and freshwater systems are probably responsible for these distinct mechanisms of impairment, which, under globally rising CO2 levels, may lead to strikingly different consequences to olfaction. While fluctuations in pH may occur in both freshwater and marine ecosystems, marine habitat will remain alkaline despite future ocean acidification caused by globally rising CO2 levels. In this synthesis, we argue that ecosystem-specific mechanisms affecting olfaction need to be considered for effective management and conservation practices.

Mesenchymal stem cells maintain TGF-beta-mediated chondrogenic phenotype in alginate bead culture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mehlhorn, A T; Schmal, H; Kaiser, S

2006-01-01

cultured in osteogenic medium after TGF-beta-mediated chondroinduction. Gene expression of col2a1, aggrecan, COMP, alkaline phosphatase (AP), and correlating protein synthesis was analyzed. After short-term stimulation with TGF-beta, MSCs maintained a chondrogenic phenotype. Chondrogenic gene expression...

The effects of graded levels of calorie restriction: IV. Non-linear change in behavioural phenotype of mice in response to short-term calorie restriction.

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Lusseau, David; Mitchell, Sharon E; Barros, Ceres; Derous, Davina; Green, Cara; Chen, Luonan; Han, Jing-Dong Jackie; Wang, Yingchun; Promislow, Daniel E L; Douglas, Alex; Speakman, John R

2015-08-25

Animals have to adjust their activities when faced with caloric restriction (CR) to deal with reduced energy intake. If CR is pronounced, allostasis can push individuals into alternate physiological states which can result in important health benefits across a wide range of taxa. Here we developed a new approach to determine the changes in behavioural phenotype associated with different levels of CR. We exposed C57BL/6 male mice to graded CR (from 0 to 40%) for three months and defined their behavioural phenotype using hidden Markov models of their movement and body temperature. All 40% CR mice exhibited a state-shift in behavioural phenotype and only some exposed to 30% CR did. We show for the first time that mice changed their activity characteristics rather than changed their activities. This new phenotyping approach provides an avenue to determine the mechanisms linking CR to healthspan.

Identification, RNAi knockdown, and functional analysis of an ejaculate protein that mediates a postmating, prezygotic phenotype in a cricket.

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Jeremy L Marshall

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Postmating, prezygotic phenotypes, especially those that underlie reproductive isolation between closely related species, have been a central focus of evolutionary biologists over the past two decades. Such phenotypes are thought to evolve rapidly and be nearly ubiquitous among sexually reproducing eukaryotes where females mate with multiple partners. Because these phenotypes represent interplay between the male ejaculate and female reproductive tract, they are fertile ground for reproductive senescence--as ejaculate composition and female physiology typically change over an individual's life span. Although these phenotypes and their resulting dynamics are important, we have little understanding of the proteins that mediate these phenotypes, particularly for species groups where postmating, prezygotic traits are the primary mechanism of reproductive isolation. Here, we utilize proteomics, RNAi, mating experiments, and the Allonemobius socius complex of crickets, whose members are primarily isolated from one another by postmating, prezygotic phenotypes (including the ability of a male to induce a female to lay eggs, to demonstrate that one of the most abundant ejaculate proteins (a male accessory gland-biased protein similar to a trypsin-like serine protease decreases in abundance over a male's reproductive lifetime and mediates the induction of egg-laying in females. These findings represent one of the first studies to identify a protein that plays a role in mediating both a postmating, prezygotic isolation pathway and reproductive senescence.

Leader Empowering Behaviours and Work Engagement: The Mediating Role of Structural Empowerment.

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Cziraki, Karen; Laschinger, Heather

2015-09-01

Reports of poor working conditions persist amid ongoing healthcare restructuring. Simultaneously, nursing shortage threats continue as the nursing population ages. Leadership strategies that create empowering working conditions are likely to retain nurses who are eligible to retire, and attract future nurses to the profession. Several studies have focused on leader behaviours and structural empowerment in recent years and how these impact the work environment and staff engagement. Correlations among leader empowering behaviours, structural empowerment and work engagement have been demonstrated (Laschinger et al. 1999; Peachey 2002); however, there is a gap in the empirical literature as to how leader empowering behaviours influence nurses' work engagement by creating structurally empowering work environments. Kanter's (1977, 1993) structural empowerment theory was used to test this proposition using data from a cross-sectional study of 322 Ontario staff nurses. Mediation analysis revealed that structural empowerment partially mediated the influence of leader empowering behaviours on work engagement. The implications for healthcare managers and leaders are discussed with a view to the recruitment and retention of nursing staff, by fostering greater work engagement. Copyright © 2015 Longwoods Publishing.

Comorbid psychopathology and stress mediate the relationship between autistic traits and repetitive behaviours in adults with autism.

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García-Villamisar, D; Rojahn, J

2015-02-01

Comorbid psychopathology and stress were considered possible mediators that may explain the relationship between some autistic traits and repetitive behaviours. The current study sought to examine the mediational effects of comorbid psychopathology, executive dysfunctions and stress in the relationship between some autistic traits and repetitive behaviours. A battery of questionnaires including measures of autistic traits, repetitive behaviours, stress, executive dysfunctions and comorbid psychopathology were administered to a sample of adults with autism and intellectual disabilities (n = 43). We found that when taken as set dimensions of comorbidity, dysexecutive functioning and stress mediated or explained the effects of autistic symptoms on repetitive behaviour. The total model explained 60% of the variation in repetitive behaviours (R = 0.60; F = 13.64, P autism, while executive functioning did not contribute to that relationship. © 2013 2013 MENCAP and International Association of the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Negative phenotypic and genetic correlation between natal dispersal propensity and nest-defence behaviour in a wild bird.

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Bize, Pierre; Daniel, Grégory; Viblanc, Vincent A; Martin, Julien G A; Doligez, Blandine

2017-07-01

Natural selection is expected to favour the integration of dispersal and phenotypic traits allowing individuals to reduce dispersal costs. Accordingly, associations have been found between dispersal and personality traits such as aggressiveness and exploration, which may facilitate settlement in a novel environment. However, the determinism of these associations has only rarely been explored. Here, we highlight the functional integration of individual personality in nest-defence behaviour and natal dispersal propensity in a long-lived colonial bird, the Alpine swift ( Apus melba ), providing insights into genetic constraints shaping the coevolution of these two traits. We report a negative association between natal dispersal and nest-defence (i.e. risk taking) behaviour at both the phenotypic and genetic level. This negative association may result from direct selection if risk-averseness benefits natal dispersers by reducing the costs of settlement in an unfamiliar environment, or from indirect selection if individuals with lower levels of nest defence also show lower levels of aggressiveness, reducing costs of settlement among unfamiliar neighbours in a colony. In both cases, these results highlight that risk taking is an important behavioural trait to consider in the study of dispersal evolution. © 2017 The Author(s).

Extracellular vesicle-mediated phenotype switching in malignant and non-malignant colon cells

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Mulvey, Hillary E.; Chang, Audrey; Adler, Jason; Del Tatto, Michael; Perez, Kimberly; Quesenberry, Peter J.; Chatterjee, Devasis

2015-01-01

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are secreted from many cells, carrying cargoes including proteins and nucleic acids. Research has shown that EVs play a role in a variety of biological processes including immunity, bone formation and recently they have been implicated in promotion of a metastatic phenotype. EVs were isolated from HCT116 colon cancer cells, 1459 non-malignant colon fibroblast cells, and tumor and normal colon tissue from a patient sample. Co-cultures were performed with 1459 cells and malignant vesicles, as well as HCT116 cells and non-malignant vesicles. Malignant phenotype was measured using soft agar colony formation assay. Co-cultures were also analyzed for protein levels using mass spectrometry. The importance of 14-3-3 zeta/delta in transfer of malignant phenotype was explored using siRNA. Additionally, luciferase reporter assay was used to measure the transcriptional activity of NF-κB. This study demonstrates the ability of EVs derived from malignant colon cancer cell line and malignant patient tissue to induce the malignant phenotype in non-malignant colon cells. Similarly, EVs derived from non-malignant colon cell lines and normal patient tissue reversed the malignant phenotype of HCT116 cells. Cells expressing an EV-induced malignant phenotype showed increased transcriptional activity of NF-κB which was inhibited by the NF--κB inhibitor, BAY117082. We also demonstrate that knock down of 14-3-3 zeta/delta reduced anchorage-independent growth of HCT116 cells and 1459 cells co-cultured with HCT derived EVs. Evidence of EV-mediated induction of malignant phenotype, and reversal of malignant phenotype, provides rational basis for further study of the role of EVs in tumorigenesis. Identification of 14-3-3 zeta/delta as up-regulated in malignancy suggests its potential as a putative drug target for the treatment of colorectal cancer

The mediating and moderating role of planning on mothers' decisions for early childhood dietary behaviours.

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Hamilton, Kyra; Kothe, Emily J; Mullan, Barbara; Spinks, Teagan

2017-12-01

Examine the roles of action and coping planning on the intention-behaviour relationship for mothers' decisions for their young children's dietary behaviours. Prospective design with two waves of data collection, one week apart. Mothers (N = 197, M age  = 34.39, SD = 5.65) of children aged 2-3 years completed a main questionnaire assessing planning constructs and intentions, and a one-week follow-up of the target behaviours - 'healthy eating' and 'discretionary choices'. Intention was the strongest predictor of behaviour for both dietary behaviours. For healthy eating, intention moderated the indirect relationship between intention-behaviour via planning; coping planning was less important when intention was strong. Further, intention was not a direct predictor of behaviour when intention was relatively low. Action planning was not a direct predictor of either behaviour after accounting for intention and coping planning; action planning on behaviour was mediated by coping planning (only for healthy eating). Intention was not a direct predictor of coping planning; intention on coping planning was mediated by action planning. Neither type of planning predicted discretionary choices. Current findings contribute novel information on the mechanisms underpinning the effect of action and coping planning on the intention-behaviour relationship.

The role of spatial variations of abiotic factors in mediating intratumour phenotypic heterogeneity

KAUST Repository

Lorenzi, Tommaso

2018-05-08

We present here a space- and phenotype-structured model of selection dynamics between cancer cells within a solid tumour. In the framework of this model, we combine formal analyses with numerical simulations to investigate in silico the role played by the spatial distribution of abiotic components of the tumour microenvironment in mediating phenotypic selection of cancer cells. Numerical simulations are performed both on the 3D geometry of an in silico multicellular tumour spheroid and on the 3D geometry of an in vivo human hepatic tumour, which was imaged using computerised tomography. The results obtained show that inhomogeneities in the spatial distribution of oxygen, currently observed in solid tumours, can promote the creation of distinct local niches and lead to the selection of different phenotypic variants within the same tumour. This process fosters the emergence of stable phenotypic heterogeneity and supports the presence of hypoxic cells resistant to cytotoxic therapy prior to treatment. Our theoretical results demonstrate the importance of integrating spatial data with ecological principles when evaluating the therapeutic response of solid tumours to cytotoxic therapy.

The role of spatial variations of abiotic factors in mediating intratumour phenotypic heterogeneity

KAUST Repository

Lorenzi, Tommaso; Venkataraman, Chandrasekhar; Lorz, Alexander; Chaplain, Mark A.J.

2018-01-01

We present here a space- and phenotype-structured model of selection dynamics between cancer cells within a solid tumour. In the framework of this model, we combine formal analyses with numerical simulations to investigate in silico the role played by the spatial distribution of abiotic components of the tumour microenvironment in mediating phenotypic selection of cancer cells. Numerical simulations are performed both on the 3D geometry of an in silico multicellular tumour spheroid and on the 3D geometry of an in vivo human hepatic tumour, which was imaged using computerised tomography. The results obtained show that inhomogeneities in the spatial distribution of oxygen, currently observed in solid tumours, can promote the creation of distinct local niches and lead to the selection of different phenotypic variants within the same tumour. This process fosters the emergence of stable phenotypic heterogeneity and supports the presence of hypoxic cells resistant to cytotoxic therapy prior to treatment. Our theoretical results demonstrate the importance of integrating spatial data with ecological principles when evaluating the therapeutic response of solid tumours to cytotoxic therapy.

Phenotypic plasticity and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in the behaviour and therapeutic response of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

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Vig, Navin; Mackenzie, Ian C; Biddle, Adrian

2015-10-01

It is increasingly recognised that phenotypic plasticity, apparently driven by epigenetic mechanisms, plays a key role in tumour behaviour and markedly influences the important processes of therapeutic survival and metastasis. An important source of plasticity in malignancy is epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a common epigenetically controlled event that results in transition of malignant cells between different phenotypic states that confer motility and enhance survival. In this review, we discuss the importance of phenotypic plasticity and its contribution to cellular heterogeneity in oral squamous cell carcinoma with emphasis on aspects of drug resistance and EMT. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Modelling Knowledge Sharing Behaviour Using Self-Efficacy as a Mediator

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Brooke, Jenefer; Mohd Rasdi, Roziah; Abu Samah, Bahaman

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the direct and indirect relationships between individual-related factors and environmental-related factors with the knowledge sharing behaviour through the mediating role of self-efficacy among successful farmers in selected states in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach: The research used survey…

Association between Parental Emotional Symptoms and Child Antisocial Behaviour: What Is Specific and Is It Mediated by Parenting?

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Hautmann, Christopher; Eichelberger, Ilka; Hanisch, Charlotte; Plück, Julia; Walter, Daniel; Döpfner, Manfred

2015-01-01

Parental anxiety and depression are associated with antisocial behaviour of children. Several mechanisms may mediate this association. The aim of this study was to test whether parenting is a mediator of the association of parental anxiety and depression with the antisocial social behaviour of preschool children. The analysis was based on…

Shear Stress Induces Phenotypic Modulation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells via AMPK/mTOR/ULK1-Mediated Autophagy.

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Sun, Liqian; Zhao, Manman; Liu, Aihua; Lv, Ming; Zhang, Jingbo; Li, Youxiang; Yang, Xinjian; Wu, Zhongxue

2018-03-01

Phenotypic modulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is involved in the pathophysiological processes of the intracranial aneurysms (IAs). Although shear stress has been implicated in the proliferation, migration, and phenotypic conversion of VSMCs, the molecular mechanisms underlying these events are currently unknown. In this study, we investigated whether shear stress(SS)-induced VSMC phenotypic modulation was mediated by autophagy involved in adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/Unc-51-like kinase 1 (ULK1) pathway. The results show that shear stress could inhibit the expression of key VSMC contractile genes and induce pro-inflammatory/matrix-remodeling genes levels, contributing to VSMCs phenotypic switching from a contractile to a synthetic phenotype. More importantly, Shear stress also markedly increased the levels of the autophagy marker microtubule-associated protein light chain 3-II (LC3II), Beclin-1, and p62 degradation. The autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) significantly blocked shear-induced phenotypic modulation of VSMCs. To further explore the molecular mechanism involved in shear-induced autophagy, we found that shear stress could activate AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 signaling pathway in VSMCs. Compound C, a pharmacological inhibitor of AMPK, significantly reduced the levels of p-AMPK and p-ULK, enhanced p-mTOR level, and finally decreased LC3II and Beclin-1 level, which suggested that activated AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 signaling was related to shear-mediated autophagy. These results indicate that shear stress promotes VSMC phenotypic modulation through the induction of autophagy involved in activating the AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 pathway.

Significant Improvement Selected Mediators of Inflammation in Phenotypes of Women with PCOS after Reduction and Low GI Diet

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Małgorzata Szczuko

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Many researchers suggest an increased risk of atherosclerosis in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. In the available literature, there are no studies on the mediators of inflammation in women with PCOS, especially after dietary intervention. Eicosanoids (HETE and HODE were compared between the biochemical phenotypes of women with PCOS (normal and high androgens and after the 3-month reduction diet. Eicosanoid profiles (9(S-HODE, 13(S-HODE, 5(S-HETE, 12(S-HETE, 15(S-HETE, 5(S-oxoETE, 16(R-HETE, 16(S-HETE and 5(S, 6(R-lipoxin A4, 5(S, 6(R, 15(R-lipoxin A4 were extracted from 0.5 ml of plasma using solid-phase extraction RP-18 SPE columns. The HPLC separations were performed on a 1260 liquid chromatograph. No significant differences were found in the concentration of analysed eicosanoids in phenotypes of women with PCOS. These women, however, have significantly lower concentration of inflammatory mediators than potentially healthy women from the control group. Dietary intervention leads to a significant (p<0.01 increase in the synthesis of proinflammatory mediators, reaching similar levels as in the control group. The development of inflammatory reaction in both phenotypes of women with PCOS is similar. The pathways for synthesis of proinflammatory mediators in women with PCOS are dormant, but can be stimulated through a reduction diet. Three-month period of lifestyle change may be too short to stimulate the pathways inhibiting inflammatory process.

Behaviourally mediated indirect effects : interference competition increases predation mortality in foraging redshanks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Minderman, J; Lind, J; Cresswell, W

The effect of competition for a limiting resource on the population dynamics of competitors is usually assumed to operate directly through starvation, yet may also affect survival indirectly through behaviourally mediated effects that affect risk of predation. Thus, competition can affect more than

Effects of acidification on olfactory-mediated behaviour in freshwater and marine ecosystems: a synthesis

OpenAIRE

Leduc, Antoine O. H. C.; Munday, Philip L.; Brown, Grant E.; Ferrari, Maud C. O.

2013-01-01

For many aquatic organisms, olfactory-mediated behaviour is essential to the maintenance of numerous fitness-enhancing activities, including foraging, reproduction and predator avoidance. Studies in both freshwater and marine ecosystems have demonstrated significant impacts of anthropogenic acidification on olfactory abilities of fish and macroinvertebrates, leading to impaired behavioural responses, with potentially far-reaching consequences to population dynamics and community structure. Wh...

The mediating role of aggressive behaviour, emotional and behavioural instability on the association between ADHD symptoms and best friend conflicts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zucchetti, G.; Ortega, E.; Scholte, R.H.J.; Rabaglietti, E.

2015-01-01

This study examined the direct association between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms (i.e. inattention and hyperactivity symptoms) and children’s experience of best friend conflicts, and the mediating role of aggression, emotional and behavioural instability, exploring

Child sun protection: sun-related attitudes mediate the association between children's knowledge and behaviours.

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Wright, Caradee; Reeder, Anthony I; Gray, Andrew; Cox, Brian

2008-12-01

To describe and investigate the relationship among the sun-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of New Zealand primary schoolchildren and consider the roles of sex and school year level. A randomly selected, two-stage cluster sample of 488 children from 27 primary schools in five regions of New Zealand was surveyed regarding their sun-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviours. A scoring system was used to assign a knowledge, attitude and behaviour score to each child. Although knowledge increased with school year level, there was a decline in sun protective attitudes and behaviours. There was little variation in knowledge, attitudes and behaviour between boys and girls, but sex-year level interactions were found for knowledge and behaviour. When considering children's knowledge, attitudes and behaviours simultaneously, knowledge was only significantly associated with behaviours when mediated by attitudes. When targeting child sun protection and skin cancer prevention programmes, a focus on attitudes towards sun exposure and a suntan may prove beneficial in influencing sun-related behaviours.

The link between perceived human resource management practices, engagement and employee behaviour : A moderated mediation model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Alfes, K.; Shantz, A.D.; Truss, C.; Soane, E.C.

2013-01-01

This study contributes to our understanding of the mediating and moderating processes through which human resource management (HRM) practices are linked with behavioural outcomes. We developed and tested a moderated mediation model linking perceived HRM practices to organisational citizenship

Mediation, moderation, and context: Understanding complex relations among cognition, affect, and health behaviour.

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Kiviniemi, Marc T; Ellis, Erin M; Hall, Marissa G; Moss, Jennifer L; Lillie, Sarah E; Brewer, Noel T; Klein, William M P

2018-01-01

Researchers have historically treated cognition and affect as separate constructs in motivating health behaviour. We present a framework and empirical evidence for complex relations between cognition and affect in predicting health behaviour. Main Outcome, Design and Results: First, affect and cognition can mediate each other's relation to health behaviour. Second, affect and cognition can moderate the other's impact. Third, context can change the interplay of affect and cognition. Fourth, affect and cognition may be indelibly fused in some psychological constructs (e.g. worry, anticipated regret and reactance). These four propositions in our framework are not mutually exclusive. Examination of the types of complex relations described here can benefit theory development, empirical testing of theories and intervention design. Doing so will advance the understanding of mechanisms involved in regulation of health behaviours and the effectiveness of interventions to change health behaviours.

Consequences of cyberbullying behaviour in working life: The mediating roles of social support and social organisational climate.

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Muhonen, Tuija; Jönsson, Sandra; Bäckström, Martin

2017-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to explore health- and work-related outcomes of cyberbullying behaviour and the potential mediating role of social organisational climate, social support from colleagues and social support from superiors. Altogether 3,371 respondents participated in a questionnaire study. The results of this study indicate that social organisational climate can have a mediating role in the relationship between cyberbullying behaviour and health, well-being, work engagement and intention to quit. Contrary to earlier face-to-face bullying research, the current study showed that cyberbullying behaviour had stronger indirect than direct relationships to health, well-being, work engagement and intention to quit. Communication through digital devices in work life is becoming more prevalent, which in turn increases the risk for cyberbullying behaviour. Organisations need therefore to develop occupational health and safety policies concerning the use of digital communication and social media in order to prevent cyberbullying behaviour and its negative consequences. Cyberbullying behaviour among working adults is a relatively unexplored phenomenon and therefore this study makes valuable contribution to the research field.

Do material, psychosocial and behavioural factors mediate the relationship between disability acquisition and mental health? A sequential causal mediation analysis.

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Aitken, Zoe; Simpson, Julie Anne; Gurrin, Lyle; Bentley, Rebecca; Kavanagh, Anne Marie

2018-01-29

There is evidence of a causal relationship between disability acquisition and poor mental health; however, the mechanism by which disability affects mental health is poorly understood. This gap in understanding limits the development of effective interventions to improve the mental health of people with disabilities. We used four waves of data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey (2011-14) to compare self-reported mental health between individuals who acquired any disability (n=387) and those who remained disability-free (n=7936). We tested three possible pathways from disability acquisition to mental health, examining the effect of material, psychosocial and behavioural mediators. The effect was partitioned into natural direct and indirect effects through the mediators using a sequential causal mediation analysis approach. Multiple imputation using chained equations was used to assess the impact of missing data. Disability acquisition was estimated to cause a five-point decline in mental health [estimated mean difference: -5.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) -6.8, -3.7]. The indirect effect through material factors was estimated to be a 1.7-point difference (-1.7, 95% CI -2.8, -0.6), explaining 32% of the total effect, with a negligible proportion of the effect explained by the addition of psychosocial characteristics (material and psychosocial: -1.7, 95% CI -3.0, -0.5) and a further 5% by behavioural factors (material-psychosocial-behavioural: -2.0, 95% CI -3.4, -0.6). The finding that the effect of disability acquisition on mental health operates predominantly through material rather than psychosocial and behavioural factors has important implications. The results highlight the need for better social protection, including income support, employment and education opportunities, and affordable housing for people who acquire a disability. © The Author(s) 2018; all rights reserved. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the

A national cohort study of parental socioeconomic status and non-fatal suicidal behaviour-the mediating role of school performance

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Jablonska Beata

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A link between low parental socioeconomic status and mental health problems in offspring is well established in previous research. The mechanisms that explain this link are largely unknown. The present study investigated whether school performance was a mediating and/or moderating factor in the path between parental socioeconomic status and the risk of hospital admission for non-fatal suicidal behaviour. Methods A national cohort of 447 929 children born during 1973-1977 was followed prospectively in the National Patient Discharge Register from the end of their ninth and final year of compulsory school until 2001. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards and linear regression analyses were performed to test whether the association between parental socioeconomic status and non-fatal suicidal behaviour was mediated or moderated by school performance. Results The results of a series of multiple regression analyses, adjusted for demographic variables, revealed that school performance was as an important mediator in the relationship between parental socioeconomic status and risk of non-fatal suicidal behaviour, accounting for 60% of the variance. The hypothesized moderation of parental socioeconomic status-non-fatal suicidal behaviour relationship by school performance was not supported. Conclusions School performance is an important mediator through which parental socioeconomic status translates into a risk for non-fatal suicidal behaviour. Prevention efforts aimed to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in non-fatal suicidal behaviour among young people will need to consider socioeconomic inequalities in school performance.

Recollections of parental behaviour, adult attachment and mental health: mediating and moderating effects.

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Gittleman, M G; Klein, M H; Smider, N A; Essex, M J

1998-11-01

Attachment theory posits links between early experiences with parents, adult relationships and adult mental health, but does not specify whether these are independent, mediating, or moderating effects. Associations of parent's behaviour on the Parental Bonding Instrument, adult attachment styles and three dimensions of mental health were investigated in a large sample of women and men. Men and women with secure styles recalled higher levels of care from both parents than those with fearful styles. Maternal and paternal control were more consistent predictors of increased distress for men than for women. Fearful and preoccupied adult styles were associated with higher levels of distress in both men and women. While adult styles had few mediating effects on the association of parental behaviour and mental health, interactions between the fearful style and parental variables suggested that this form of insecurity sometimes accentuated the impact of high parental care or low paternal control on mental health in both men and women; among women, however, the secure style seemed to buffer somewhat the negative effect of high parental control. Although the amount of variance explained by either parental behaviour or adult styles was modest, patterns of moderating effects of adult styles on associations between parental behaviour and mental health suggested that both continuity and discontinuity principles can be applied to understanding these links.

Oleoylethanolamide dose-dependently attenuates cocaine-induced behaviours through a PPARα receptor-independent mechanism.

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Bilbao, Ainhoa; Blanco, Eduardo; Luque-Rojas, María Jesús; Suárez, Juan; Palomino, Ana; Vida, Margarita; Araos, Pedro; Bermúdez-Silva, Francisco J; Fernández-Espejo, Emilio; Spanagel, Rainer; Rodríguez de Fonseca, Fernando

2013-01-01

Oleoylethanolamide (OEA) is an acylethanolamide that acts as an agonist of nuclear peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) to exert their biological functions, which include the regulation of appetite and metabolism. Increasing evidence also suggests that OEA may participate in the control of reward-related behaviours. However, direct experimental evidence for the role of the OEA-PPARα receptor interaction in drug-mediated behaviours, such as cocaine-induced behavioural phenotypes, is lacking. The present study explored the role of OEA and its receptor PPARα on the psychomotor and rewarding responsiveness to cocaine using behavioural tests indicative of core components of addiction. We found that acute administration of OEA (1, 5 or 20 mg/kg, i.p.) reduced spontaneous locomotor activity and attenuated psychomotor activation induced by cocaine (20 mg/kg) in C57Bl/6 mice. However, PPARα receptor knockout mice showed normal sensitization, although OEA was capable of reducing behavioural sensitization with fewer efficacies. Furthermore, conditioned place preference and reinstatement to cocaine were intact in these mice. Our results indicate that PPARα receptor does not play a critical, if any, role in mediating short- and long-term psychomotor and rewarding responsiveness to cocaine. However, further research is needed for the identification of the targets of OEA for its inhibitory action on cocaine-mediated responses. © 2012 The Authors, Addiction Biology © 2012 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Transient anhedonia phenotype and altered circadian timing of behaviour during night-time dim light exposure in Per3-/- mice, but not wildtype mice.

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Martynhak, Bruno Jacson; Hogben, Alexandra L; Zanos, Panos; Georgiou, Polymnia; Andreatini, Roberto; Kitchen, Ian; Archer, Simon N; von Schantz, Malcolm; Bailey, Alexis; van der Veen, Daan R

2017-01-10

Industrialisation greatly increased human night-time exposure to artificial light, which in animal models is a known cause of depressive phenotypes. Whilst many of these phenotypes are 'direct' effects of light on affect, an 'indirect' pathway via altered sleep-wake timing has been suggested. We have previously shown that the Period3 gene, which forms part of the biological clock, is associated with altered sleep-wake patterns in response to light. Here, we show that both wild-type and Per3 -/- mice showed elevated levels of circulating corticosterone and increased hippocampal Bdnf expression after 3 weeks of exposure to dim light at night, but only mice deficient for the PERIOD3 protein (Per3 -/- ) exhibited a transient anhedonia-like phenotype, observed as reduced sucrose preference, in weeks 2-3 of dim light at night, whereas WT mice did not. Per3 -/- mice also exhibited a significantly smaller delay in behavioural timing than WT mice during weeks 1, 2 and 4 of dim light at night exposure. When treated with imipramine, neither Per3 -/- nor WT mice exhibited an anhedonia-like phenotype, and neither genotypes exhibited a delay in behavioural timing in responses to dLAN. While the association between both Per3 -/- phenotypes remains unclear, both are alleviated by imipramine treatment during dim night-time light.

Stress Mediates the Relationship Between Past Drug Addiction and Current Risky Sexual Behaviour Among Low-income Women.

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Wu, Z Helen; Tennen, Howard; Hosain, G M Monawar; Coman, Emil; Cullum, Jerry; Berenson, Abbey B

2016-04-01

This study examined the role of stress as a mediator of the relationship between prior drug addiction and current high-risk sexual behaviour. Eight hundred twenty women aged 18 to 30 years, who received care at community-based family planning clinics, were interviewed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and the Sexual Risk Behavior Assessment Schedule. They also completed the brief version of the Self-Control Scale as a measure of problem-solving strategies and measures of recent stressful events, daily hassles and ongoing chronic stress. Regardless of addiction history, stress exposure during the previous 12 months was associated with risky sexual behaviour during the previous 12 months. Structural equation modelling revealed that 12-month stress levels mediated the relationship between past drug addiction and 12-month high-risk sexual behaviours, as well as the negative relationship between problem-solving strategies and high-risk sexual behaviours. Problem-solving strategies did not moderate the relationship between drug addiction and high-risk sexual behaviours. These findings suggest that stress management training may help reduce risky behaviour among young, low-income women. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Shh mediates PDGF-induced contractile-to-synthetic phenotypic modulation in vascular smooth muscle cells through regulation of KLF4

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Zeng, Qiu [Department of Vascular Surgery, 1st Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016 (China); Wei, Bin [Department of Dermatology, 1st Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016 (China); Zhao, Yu; Wang, Xuehu; Fu, Qining; Liu, Hong [Department of Vascular Surgery, 1st Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016 (China); Li, Fenghe, E-mail: lfh_cmu@126.com [Department of Vascular Surgery, 1st Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016 (China)

2016-07-01

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is known to induce phenotypic switching of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from contractile to a pathological synthetic state, which played an essential role in proliferation of VSMCs. Sonic hedgehog (Shh) contributes to the proliferation of VSMCs when induced by PDGF. Here, we investigated the probable role of Shh in PDGF-induced VSMC dedifferentiation and its underlying mechanisms. We found that PDGF stimulated Shh expression in VSMCs, which was mediated by activation of PDGFRβ/ERK1/2 cell signaling pathway. Further, we found PDGF-induced VSMC phenotypic modulation was accompanied by up-regulation of Shh/Gli family zinc finger 2 (Gli2) signaling and Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4). When inhibited Shh in the presence of PDGF, the expressions of KLF4 and VSMC dedifferentiation markers were down-regulated and the effect of PDGF in inducing VSMC dedifferentiation was blocked. In the absence of PDGF, Shh signaling activation increased the expression of KLF4 and promoted VSMC dedifferentiation. The results indicate Shh participated in the regulation of PDGF-induced VSMC dedifferentiation. Finally, we found that KLF4 was closely involved in this process. On inhibition of KLF4, PDGF induced VSMC dedifferentiation was abrogated, even in the presence of Shh. Taken together, the results provide critical insights into the newly discovered role of Shh in phenotypic modulation of VSMCs which depends on KLF4. - Highlights: • Shh as a downstream effector of PDGF participates in PDGF-induced VSMC phenotypic modulation. • Shh can promote VSMC phenotypic switching from contractile to synthetic state. • Shh mediates VSMC phenotypic modulation through regulation of KLF4.

Shh mediates PDGF-induced contractile-to-synthetic phenotypic modulation in vascular smooth muscle cells through regulation of KLF4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng, Qiu; Wei, Bin; Zhao, Yu; Wang, Xuehu; Fu, Qining; Liu, Hong; Li, Fenghe

2016-01-01

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is known to induce phenotypic switching of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from contractile to a pathological synthetic state, which played an essential role in proliferation of VSMCs. Sonic hedgehog (Shh) contributes to the proliferation of VSMCs when induced by PDGF. Here, we investigated the probable role of Shh in PDGF-induced VSMC dedifferentiation and its underlying mechanisms. We found that PDGF stimulated Shh expression in VSMCs, which was mediated by activation of PDGFRβ/ERK1/2 cell signaling pathway. Further, we found PDGF-induced VSMC phenotypic modulation was accompanied by up-regulation of Shh/Gli family zinc finger 2 (Gli2) signaling and Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4). When inhibited Shh in the presence of PDGF, the expressions of KLF4 and VSMC dedifferentiation markers were down-regulated and the effect of PDGF in inducing VSMC dedifferentiation was blocked. In the absence of PDGF, Shh signaling activation increased the expression of KLF4 and promoted VSMC dedifferentiation. The results indicate Shh participated in the regulation of PDGF-induced VSMC dedifferentiation. Finally, we found that KLF4 was closely involved in this process. On inhibition of KLF4, PDGF induced VSMC dedifferentiation was abrogated, even in the presence of Shh. Taken together, the results provide critical insights into the newly discovered role of Shh in phenotypic modulation of VSMCs which depends on KLF4. - Highlights: • Shh as a downstream effector of PDGF participates in PDGF-induced VSMC phenotypic modulation. • Shh can promote VSMC phenotypic switching from contractile to synthetic state. • Shh mediates VSMC phenotypic modulation through regulation of KLF4.

Comorbid Psychopathology and Stress Mediate the Relationship between Autistic Traits and Repetitive Behaviours in Adults with Autism

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García-Villamisar, D.; Rojahn, J.

2015-01-01

Background: Comorbid psychopathology and stress were considered possible mediators that may explain the relationship between some autistic traits and repetitive behaviours. The current study sought to examine the mediational effects of comorbid psychopathology, executive dysfunctions and stress in the relationship between some autistic traits and…

Plant phenomics and the need for physiological phenotyping across scales to narrow the genotype-to-phenotype knowledge gap

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Grosskinsky, D. K.; Svensgaard, J.; Christensen, S.; Roitsch, Thomas

2015-01-01

Roč. 66, č. 18 (2015), s. 5429-5440 ISSN 0022-0957 Institutional support: RVO:67179843 Keywords : External phenotype * genome–environment–management interaction * genome–phenome map * internal phenotype * phenomics * physiological traits * physiology * plant phenotyping * predictors Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 5.677, year: 2015

Gene variants associated with antisocial behaviour: a latent variable approach.

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Bentley, Mary Jane; Lin, Haiqun; Fernandez, Thomas V; Lee, Maria; Yrigollen, Carolyn M; Pakstis, Andrew J; Katsovich, Liliya; Olds, David L; Grigorenko, Elena L; Leckman, James F

2013-10-01

The aim of this study was to determine if a latent variable approach might be useful in identifying shared variance across genetic risk alleles that is associated with antisocial behaviour at age 15 years. Using a conventional latent variable approach, we derived an antisocial phenotype in 328 adolescents utilizing data from a 15-year follow-up of a randomized trial of a prenatal and infancy nurse-home visitation programme in Elmira, New York. We then investigated, via a novel latent variable approach, 450 informative genetic polymorphisms in 71 genes previously associated with antisocial behaviour, drug use, affiliative behaviours and stress response in 241 consenting individuals for whom DNA was available. Haplotype and Pathway analyses were also performed. Eight single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from eight genes contributed to the latent genetic variable that in turn accounted for 16.0% of the variance within the latent antisocial phenotype. The number of risk alleles was linearly related to the latent antisocial variable scores. Haplotypes that included the putative risk alleles for all eight genes were also associated with higher latent antisocial variable scores. In addition, 33 SNPs from 63 of the remaining genes were also significant when added to the final model. Many of these genes interact on a molecular level, forming molecular networks. The results support a role for genes related to dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, glutamate, opioid and cholinergic signalling as well as stress response pathways in mediating susceptibility to antisocial behaviour. This preliminary study supports use of relevant behavioural indicators and latent variable approaches to study the potential 'co-action' of gene variants associated with antisocial behaviour. It also underscores the cumulative relevance of common genetic variants for understanding the aetiology of complex behaviour. If replicated in future studies, this approach may allow the identification of a

Neuropeptide S alters anxiety, but not depression-like behaviour in Flinders Sensitive Line rats: a genetic animal model of depression.

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Wegener, Gregers; Finger, Beate C; Elfving, Betina; Keller, Kirsten; Liebenberg, Nico; Fischer, Christina W; Singewald, Nicolas; Slattery, David A; Neumann, Inga D; Mathé, Aleksander A

2012-04-01

Neuropeptide S (NPS) and its receptor (NPSR) have been implicated in the mediation of anxiolytic-like behaviour in rodents. However, little knowledge is available regarding the NPS system in depression-related behaviours, and whether NPS also exerts anxiolytic effects in an animal model of psychopathology. Therefore, the aim of this work was to characterize the effects of NPS on depression- and anxiety-related parameters, using male and female rats in a well-validated animal model of depression: the Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL), their controls, the Flinders Resistant Line (FRL), and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. We found that FSL showed greater immobility in the forced swim test (FST) than FRL, confirming their phenotype. However, NPS did not affect depression-related behaviour in any rat line. No significant differences in baseline anxiety levels between the FSL and FRL strains were observed, but FSL and FRL rats displayed less anxiety-like behaviour compared to SD rats. NPS decreased anxiety-like behaviour on the elevated plus-maze in all strains. The expression of the NPSR in the amygdala, periventricular hypothalamic nucleus, and hippocampus was equal in all male strains, although a trend towards reduced expression within the amygdala was observed in FSL rats compared to SD rats. In conclusion, NPS had a marked anxiolytic effect in FSL, FRL and SD rats, but did not modify the depression-related behaviour in any strain, in spite of the significant differences in innate level between the strains. These findings suggest that NPS specifically modifies anxiety behaviour but cannot overcome/reverse a genetically mediated depression phenotype.

Environmental stressors alter relationships between physiology and behaviour.

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Killen, Shaun S; Marras, Stefano; Metcalfe, Neil B; McKenzie, David J; Domenici, Paolo

2013-11-01

Although correlations have frequently been observed between specific physiological and behavioural traits across a range of animal taxa, the nature of these associations has been shown to vary. Here we argue that a major source of this inconsistency is the influence of environmental stressors, which seem capable of revealing, masking, or modulating covariation in physiological and behavioural traits. These effects appear to be mediated by changes in the observed variation of traits and differential sensitivity to stressors among phenotypes. Considering that wild animals routinely face a range of biotic and abiotic stressors, increased knowledge of these effects is imperative for understanding the causal mechanisms of a range of ecological phenomena and evolutionary responses to stressors associated with environmental change. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Health behaviours in emerging adulthood: Their relationship with perceived maternal and paternal parental attitudes and the mediating role of self-efficacy

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Anna Maria Jankowska

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Background The present research examined the mediating role of self-efficacy in the association between perceived maternal and paternal parental attitudes and health behaviours of males and females in emerging adulthood. Parental attitudes shape children’s self-esteem, positive self-image, and self-competence. This may affect their physical health and health behaviours throughout their lives. Participants and procedure A total of 147 (mean age: 19.70, SD = 0.85, 68.7% females participants took part in the study. They completed several questionnaires measuring health behaviours, perceived parental attitudes, and self-efficacy: the Inventory of Health Behaviours, the Retrospective Assessment of Parental Attitude, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. Results We found that that female participants exhibited healthier eating habits but lower self-efficacy than male participants did. Accepting and autonomy granting maternal and paternal parental attitudes predicted a positive health attitude (of both male and female participants, preventive behaviours (of male participants, and healthy eating habits (of male participants. As predicted, emerging adults’ self-efficacy mediated the relationship between their health behaviours and perceived parental attitudes. However, the mediation patterns were different for female and male participants. Conclusions The quality of perceived parental attitudes and self-efficacy are important for health-related lifestyle choices among emerging adults. Mothers and fathers may play different roles in the formation of health behaviours.

Transient anhedonia phenotype and altered circadian timing of behaviour during night-time dim light exposure in Per3−/− mice, but not wildtype mice

Science.gov (United States)

Martynhak, Bruno Jacson; Hogben, Alexandra L.; Zanos, Panos; Georgiou, Polymnia; Andreatini, Roberto; Kitchen, Ian; Archer, Simon N.; von Schantz, Malcolm; Bailey, Alexis; van der Veen, Daan R.

2017-01-01

Industrialisation greatly increased human night-time exposure to artificial light, which in animal models is a known cause of depressive phenotypes. Whilst many of these phenotypes are ‘direct’ effects of light on affect, an ‘indirect’ pathway via altered sleep-wake timing has been suggested. We have previously shown that the Period3 gene, which forms part of the biological clock, is associated with altered sleep-wake patterns in response to light. Here, we show that both wild-type and Per3−/− mice showed elevated levels of circulating corticosterone and increased hippocampal Bdnf expression after 3 weeks of exposure to dim light at night, but only mice deficient for the PERIOD3 protein (Per3−/−) exhibited a transient anhedonia-like phenotype, observed as reduced sucrose preference, in weeks 2–3 of dim light at night, whereas WT mice did not. Per3−/− mice also exhibited a significantly smaller delay in behavioural timing than WT mice during weeks 1, 2 and 4 of dim light at night exposure. When treated with imipramine, neither Per3−/− nor WT mice exhibited an anhedonia-like phenotype, and neither genotypes exhibited a delay in behavioural timing in responses to dLAN. While the association between both Per3−/− phenotypes remains unclear, both are alleviated by imipramine treatment during dim night-time light. PMID:28071711

Do alcohol expectancies and peer delinquency/substance use mediate the relationship between impulsivity and drinking behaviour in adolescence?

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Barnow, Sven; Schultz, Gabriele; Lucht, Michael; Ulrich, Ines; Preuss, Ulrich-W; Freyberger, Harald-J

2004-01-01

To investigate (1). whether aggressive and delinquent behaviour problems predict subsequent adolescent drinking behaviour; and (2). to what extent this association is mediated by alcohol expectancies and/or peer delinquency/substance use. 147 adolescents (approximately 15 years old) were interviewed with regard to their drinking behaviour. In addition, several self-rating questionnaires were given to gather information regarding the peers of these children. As proposed by the Acquired Preparedness Model (APM), we found that behavioural problems were related to quantity and frequency of alcohol consumed, and that this relationship was mediated by alcohol expectancies. Regarding peer relations, we found positive correlations between drinking behaviour and peer delinquency/substance use, aggression/delinquency and alcohol expectancies. Furthermore, the association between behavioural problems and drinking decreased dramatically if peer delinquency/substance use was accounted for. A hierarchical regression analysis revealed that both alcohol expectancies and peer delinquency/substance use predicted alcohol consumption of adolescents at the 1-year follow-up above and beyond the effects of age, sex, family history of alcoholism and aggression/delinquency of respondents. Alcohol expectancies and peer delinquency/substance use are both crucial to the amount and frequency of adolescent alcohol use. They should be considered in designing prevention and intervention strategies in this age group.

Mediating role of borderline personality disorder traits in the effects of childhood maltreatment on suicidal behaviour among mood disorder patients.

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Aaltonen, K I; Rosenström, T; Baryshnikov, I; Karpov, B; Melartin, T; Suominen, K; Heikkinen, M; Näätänen, P; Koivisto, M; Joffe, G; Isometsä, E

2017-07-01

Substantial evidence supports an association between childhood maltreatment and suicidal behaviour. However, few studies have examined factors mediating this relationship among patients with unipolar or bipolar mood disorders. Depressive disorder and bipolar disorder (ICD-10-DCR) patients (n=287) from the Helsinki University Psychiatric Consortium (HUPC) Study were surveyed on self-reported childhood experiences, current depressive symptoms, borderline personality disorder traits, and lifetime suicidal behaviour. Psychiatric records served to complement the information on suicide attempts. We examined by formal mediation analyses whether (1) the effect of childhood maltreatment on suicidal behaviour is mediated through borderline personality disorder traits and (2) the mediation effect differs between lifetime suicidal ideation and lifetime suicide attempts. The impact of childhood maltreatment in multivariate models on either lifetime suicidal ideation or lifetime suicide attempts showed comparable total effects. In formal mediation analyses, borderline personality disorder traits mediated all of the total effect of childhood maltreatment on lifetime suicide attempts, but only one fifth of the total effect on lifetime suicidal ideation. The mediation effect was stronger for lifetime suicide attempts than for lifetime suicidal ideation (P=0.002) and independent of current depressive symptoms. The mechanisms of the effect of childhood maltreatment on suicidal ideation versus suicide attempts may diverge among psychiatric patients with mood disorders. Borderline personality disorder traits may contribute to these mechanisms, although the influence appears considerably stronger for suicide attempts than for suicidal ideation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

How Do Personality Traits Shape Information-Sharing Behaviour in Social Media? Exploring the Mediating Effect of Generalized Trust

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Deng, Shengli; Lin, Yanqing; Liu, Yong; Chen, Xiaoyu; Li, Hongxiu

2017-01-01

Introduction: Personality and trust have been found to be important precursors of information-sharing behaviour, but little is known about how these factors interact with each other in shaping information-sharing behaviour. By integrating both trust and user personality into a unified research framework, this study examines how trust mediates the…

Personality-matching habitat choice, rather than behavioural plasticity, is a likely driver of a phenotype-environment covariance.

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Holtmann, Benedikt; Santos, Eduardo S A; Lara, Carlos E; Nakagawa, Shinichi

2017-10-11

An emerging hypothesis of animal personality posits that animals choose the habitat that best fits their personality, and that the match between habitat and personality can facilitate population differentiation, and eventually speciation. However, behavioural plasticity and the adjustment of behaviours to new environments have been a classical explanation for such matching patterns. Using a population of dunnocks ( Prunella modularis ), we empirically tested whether personality or behavioural plasticity is responsible for the non-random distribution of shy and bold individuals in a heterogeneous environment. We found evidence for bold individuals settling in areas with high human disturbance, but also that birds became bolder with increasing age. Importantly, personality primarily determines the distribution of individuals, and behavioural adjustment over time contributes very little to the observed patterns. We cannot, however, exclude a possibility of very early behavioural plasticity (a type of developmental plasticity) shaping what we refer to as 'personality'. Nonetheless, our findings highlight the role personality plays in shaping population structure, lending support to the theory of personality-mediated speciation. Moreover, personality-matching habitat choice has important implications for population management and conservation. © 2017 The Author(s).

Echinoderms display morphological and behavioural phenotypic plasticity in response to their trophic environment.

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Adam D Hughes

Full Text Available The trophic interactions of sea urchins are known to be the agents of phase shifts in benthic marine habitats such as tropical and temperate reefs. In temperate reefs, the grazing activity of sea urchins has been responsible for the destruction of kelp forests and the formation of 'urchin barrens', a rocky habitat dominated by crustose algae and encrusting invertebrates. Once formed, these urchin barrens can persist for decades. Trophic plasticity in the sea urchin may contribute to the stability and resilience of this alternate stable state by increasing diet breadth in sea urchins. This plasticity promotes ecological connectivity and weakens species interactions and so increases ecosystem stability. We test the hypothesis that sea urchins exhibit trophic plasticity using an approach that controls for other typically confounding environmental and genetic factors. To do this, we exposed a genetically homogenous population of sea urchins to two very different trophic environments over a period of two years. The sea urchins exhibited a wide degree of phenotypic trophic plasticity when exposed to contrasting trophic environments. The two populations developed differences in their gross morphology and the test microstructure. In addition, when challenged with unfamiliar prey, the response of each group was different. We show that sea urchins exhibit significant morphological and behavioural phenotypic plasticity independent of their environment or their nutritional status.

Counterproductive work behaviours in response to emotional exhaustion: a moderated mediational approach.

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Bolton, LaMarcus R; Harvey, Richard D; Grawitch, Matthew J; Barber, Larissa K

2012-08-01

Drawing from the conservation of resources framework and self-control principles, we proposed a moderated mediational model through which emotional exhaustion may be linked to counterproductive work behaviours (CWBs). Analyses conducted with 175 Midwestern government workers revealed that both depersonalization (i.e. detachment from one's work, customers or co-workers) and organizational disidentification (i.e. cognitive opposition to an organization) were viable predictors of deviancy. Further, depersonalization and disidentification mediated the relationship between emotional exhaustion and CWBs, although disidentification drove these findings. Lastly, trait self-control moderated most variations of this relationship, in that this mediational model only applied to individuals with low and moderate self-control but not high self-control. Consistent with the conservation of resources framework, this study suggests that in a state of depleted emotional resources, heightened depersonalization and disidentification together provide the necessary levels of psychological/emotional withdrawal and justification for CWBs to emerge. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Maternal postnatal mental health and later emotional-behavioural development of children: the mediating role of parenting behaviour.

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Giallo, R; Cooklin, A; Wade, C; D'Esposito, F; Nicholson, J M

2014-05-01

Maternal postnatal mental health difficulties have been associated with poor outcomes for children. One mechanism by which parent mental health can impact on children's outcomes is via its effects on parenting behaviour. The longitudinal relationships between maternal postnatal distress, parenting warmth, hostility and child well-being at age seven were examined for 2200 families participating in a population-based longitudinal study of Australian children. The relationship between postnatal distress and children's later emotional-behavioural development was mediated by parenting hostility, but not parenting warmth, even after accounting for concurrent maternal mental health. Postnatal distress was more strongly associated with lower parenting warmth for mothers without a past history of depression compared with mothers with a past history of depression. These findings underscore the contribution of early maternal well-being to later parenting and child outcomes, highlighting the importance of mental health and parenting support in the early parenting years. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Differential effects of diazepam and MPEP on habituation and neuro-behavioural processes in inbred mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Salomons, Amber R; Pinzon, Nathaly Espitia; Boleij, Hetty; Kirchhoff, Susanne; Arndt, Saskia S; Nordquist, Rebecca E; Lindemann, Lothar; Jaeschke, Georg; Spooren, Will; Ohl, Frauke

2012-06-11

Previous studies have demonstrated a profound lack of habituation in 129P3 mice compared to the habituating, but initially more anxious, BALB/c mice. The present study investigated whether this non-adaptive phenotype of 129P3 mice is primarily based on anxiety-related characteristics. To test this hypothesis and extend our knowledge on the behavioural profile of 129P3 mice, the effects of the anxiolyticdiazepam (1, 3 and 5 mg/kg) and the putative anxiolytic metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGlu5R) antagonist 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)pyridine (MPEP, 3, 10 and 30 mg/kg) treatment on within-trial (intrasession) habituation, object recognition (diazepam: 1 mg/kg; MPEP 10 mg/kg) and on the central-nervous expression of the immediate early gene c-Fos (diazepam: 1 mg/kg; MPEP 10 mg/kg) were investigated. Behavioural findings validated the initially high, but habituating phenotype of BALB/c mice, while 129P3 mice were characterized by impaired intrasession habituation. Diazepam had an anxiolytic effect in BALB/c mice, while in higher doses caused behavioural inactivity in 129P3 mice. MPEP revealed almost no anxiolytic effects on behaviour in both strains, but reduced stress-induced corticosterone responses only in 129P3 mice. These results were complemented by reduced expression of c-Fos after MPEP treatment in brain areas related to emotional processes, and increased c-Fos expression in higher integrating brain areas such as the prelimbic cortex compared to vehicle-treated 129P3 mice. These results suggest that the strain differences observed in (non)adaptive anxiety behaviour are at least in part mediated by differences in gamma-aminobutyric acid- A and mGluR5 mediated transmission.

14q32-encoded microRNAs mediate an oligometastatic phenotype.

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Uppal, Abhineet; Wightman, Sean C; Mallon, Stephen; Oshima, Go; Pitroda, Sean P; Zhang, Qingbei; Huang, Xiaona; Darga, Thomas E; Huang, Lei; Andrade, Jorge; Liu, Huiping; Ferguson, Mark K; Greene, Geoffrey L; Posner, Mitchell C; Hellman, Samuel; Khodarev, Nikolai N; Weichselbaum, Ralph R

2015-02-28

Oligometastasis is a clinically distinct subset of metastasis characterized by a limited number of metastases potentially curable with localized therapies. We analyzed pathways targeted by microRNAs over-expressed in clinical oligometastasis samples and identified suppression of cellular adhesion, invasion, and motility pathways in association with the oligometastatic phenotype. We identified miR-127-5p, miR-544a, and miR-655-3p encoded in the 14q32 microRNA cluster as co-regulators of multiple metastatic pathways through repression of shared target genes. These microRNAs suppressed cellular adhesion and invasion and inhibited metastasis development in an animal model of breast cancer lung colonization. Target genes, including TGFBR2 and ROCK2, were key mediators of these effects. Understanding the role of microRNAs expressed in oligometastases may lead to improved identification of and interventions for patients with curable metastatic disease, as well as an improved understanding of the molecular basis of this unique clinical entity.

Self-concept in institutionalized children with disturbed attachment: The mediating role of exploratory behaviours.

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Vacaru, V S; Sterkenburg, P S; Schuengel, C

2018-05-01

Self-concept is seen as both an outcome of sociocognitive and emotional development, and a factor in social and mental health outcomes. Although the contribution of attachment experiences to self-concept has been limited to quality of primary attachment relationships, little is known of the effects of disturbed attachment on self-concept in institutionalized children. Thus, the current study examined associations between disturbed attachment behaviours in institutionalized children and self-concept, testing limited exploration as an explanatory factor. Thirty-three institutionalized children, aged 4-12, participated in a multimethod and multi-informant assessment of disturbed attachment behaviours (i.e., Disturbances of Attachment Interview and Behavioral Signs of Disturbed Attachment in Young Children), self-concept (i.e., Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children), and exploratory behaviours (i.e., Student Exploratory Behaviours Observation Scale). Analyses were conducted using bootstrapping techniques. Global self-concept converged with teacher-rated children's self-concept, except for physical competence domain. Disturbed attachment behaviours were identified in 62.5% of the children, and this was associated with lower levels of exploration and lower scores on self-concept, compared with children without disturbed attachment behaviours. Furthermore, exploratory behaviours mediated the effects of disturbed attachment behaviours on self-concept. Institution-reared children with disturbed attachment behaviours were likely to have a negative perception of self and one's own competences. Limited exploratory behaviours explained this linkage. Targeting disordered attachment in children reared in institutions and their caregivers should become a high priority as a means for preventing socioemotional development issues. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cognitive behavioural therapy for MS-related fatigue explained: A longitudinal mediation analysis.

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van den Akker, L E; Beckerman, H; Collette, E H; Knoop, H; Bleijenberg, G; Twisk, J W; Dekker, J; de Groot, V

2018-03-01

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) effectively reduces fatigue directly following treatment in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), but little is known about the process of change during and after CBT. Additional analysis of a randomized clinical trial. To investigate which psychological factors mediate change in fatigue during and after CBT. TREFAMS-CBT studied the effectiveness of a 16-week CBT treatment for MS-related fatigue. Ninety-one patients were randomized (44 to CBT, 47 to the MS-nurse consultations). Mediation during CBT treatment was studied using assessments at baseline, 8 and 16weeks. Mediation of the change in fatigue from post-treatment to follow-up was studied separately using assessments at 16, 26 and 52weeks. Proposed mediators were: changes in illness cognitions, general self-efficacy, coping styles, daytime sleepiness, concentration and physical activity, fear of disease progression, fatigue perceptions, depression and physical functioning. Mediators were separately analysed according to the product-of-coefficients approach. Confidence intervals were calculated with a bootstrap procedure. During treatment the decrease in fatigue brought on by CBT was mediated by improved fatigue perceptions, increased physical activity, less sleepiness, less helplessness, and improved physical functioning. Post-treatment increases in fatigue levels were mediated by reduced physical activity, reduced concentration, and increased sleepiness. These results suggests that focusing on improving fatigue perceptions, perceived physical activity, daytime sleepiness, helplessness, and physical functioning may further improve the effectiveness of CBT for fatigue in patients with MS. Maintenance of treatment effects may be obtained by focusing on improving physical activity, concentration and sleepiness. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interpersonal engagement mediates the relation between maternal affect and externalising behaviour in young children with type 1 diabetes.

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Vivienne Chisholm

Full Text Available Mother-child interactions around a shared activity have been shown to play a key role in the development of young children's capacity to interact cooperatively with others. This evidence is particularly germane to type 1 diabetes (T1D management in younger children where cooperation with parental treatment efforts is crucial for treatment success and where maternal distress and child behavioural problems are risk factors for treatment management, biomedical and psychological outcomes. In 49 4-to-8 year old children with T1D, we investigated whether the association between maternal affect and child problematic behaviour is mediated by mother-child interactions in the context of a T1D-relevant collaborative problem-solving activity. Mothers completed standardised measures of maternal and child psychological adjustment and interacted with their children in the problem-solving activity, analysed for quality of interpersonal engagement based on evaluations of maternal (sensitivity and cognitive stimulation and dyadic (joint attention and warmth behaviours. Mediation analyses confirmed the hypothesis that interpersonal engagement mediates the relation between maternal affective state and child behavioural problems. Specifically, more negative maternal affect is associated with lower levels of interpersonal engagement; these less engaged interactions in turn are associated with more behavioural problems in children. These findings are consistent with research involving typically developing children. The implications of our findings are twofold. First, in the context of psychological adjustment to T1D, maternal affect and mother-child interactions are 2 potential targets for interventions which promote cooperative interactions. Second, understanding and caring for children at biological risk requires attention to developmental psychology theory and method; in particular, research addressing parent-child cooperation carries both conceptual and clinical

Interpersonal Engagement Mediates the Relation between Maternal Affect and Externalising Behaviour in Young Children with Type 1 Diabetes

Science.gov (United States)

Chisholm, Vivienne; Gonzalez, Andrea; Atkinson, Leslie

2014-01-01

Mother-child interactions around a shared activity have been shown to play a key role in the development of young children’s capacity to interact cooperatively with others. This evidence is particularly germane to type 1 diabetes (T1D) management in younger children where cooperation with parental treatment efforts is crucial for treatment success and where maternal distress and child behavioural problems are risk factors for treatment management, biomedical and psychological outcomes. In 49 4-to-8 year old children with T1D, we investigated whether the association between maternal affect and child problematic behaviour is mediated by mother-child interactions in the context of a T1D-relevant collaborative problem-solving activity. Mothers completed standardised measures of maternal and child psychological adjustment and interacted with their children in the problem-solving activity, analysed for quality of interpersonal engagement based on evaluations of maternal (sensitivity and cognitive stimulation) and dyadic (joint attention and warmth) behaviours. Mediation analyses confirmed the hypothesis that interpersonal engagement mediates the relation between maternal affective state and child behavioural problems. Specifically, more negative maternal affect is associated with lower levels of interpersonal engagement; these less engaged interactions in turn are associated with more behavioural problems in children. These findings are consistent with research involving typically developing children. The implications of our findings are twofold. First, in the context of psychological adjustment to T1D, maternal affect and mother-child interactions are 2 potential targets for interventions which promote cooperative interactions. Second, understanding and caring for children at biological risk requires attention to developmental psychology theory and method; in particular, research addressing parent-child cooperation carries both conceptual and clinical relevance. PMID

The Mediating and Moderating Role of Job Satisfaction in the Leadership Behaviour and Work Engagement Relationship

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akinlawon O. AMOO

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of the present study was to investigate job satisfaction as a moderator of the relationship between leadership behaviour and trainee work engagement. The study was conducted in an artisan training academy located inthe East of Johannesburg. Data was collected from the entire population of 150 employed trainees in the academy using: (i a self-designed demographical data questionnaire; (iithe Harris and Ogbonna (2001 13-item leadership behaviour questionnaire (iii the Utrecht work engagement scale (UWES developed by Schaufeli et al. (2002, and (iv the single global rating for job satisfaction developed in 1990 by Allen and Meyer. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis were conducted in a census study of 150 trainees. Results showed that work engagement is significantly affected by leadership behaviour, and job satisfaction mediated and moderated the leadership behaviour – work engagement relationship.

Projecting the voice: observations of audience behaviours in ICT-mediated contemporary opera

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Lin, Yu-Wei; Williams, Alan E.

2014-07-01

This paper examines how audiences experience live opera performance and the behaviours they exhibit during live-streaming of the performance. It aims to contribute to our understanding of how audiences, who increasingly inhabit an environment saturated with digital media, respond to contemporary opera performance. Based on a comparative study of audience experiences and behaviours during a live opera performance and the streamed opera screening, we investigate whether digital mediation affects audience appreciation, and whether streaming live opera means the same thing to an audience as the unmediated performance. We firstly outline the conception, design and performance of a contemporary opera and its simultaneous streaming to nearby digital screens. Then, we report the evaluation of the project as measured by a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods during the rehearsals, the live performance and the screening. As one of the few social studies of contemporary classical music in Britain, our study of opera audience behaviours sheds light on the challenges and opportunities afforded by digital technologies for opera companies. Understanding how audiences appreciate digital operas offers practical advice on how theatres and opera companies could respond to new forms of digital activities.

Homocysteine elicits an M1 phenotype in murine macrophages through an EMMPRIN-mediated pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Winchester, Lee J; Veeranki, Sudhakar; Givvimani, Srikanth; Tyagi, Suresh C

2015-07-01

Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is associated with inflammatory diseases and is known to increase the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, and inducible nitric oxide synthase, and to decrease endothelial nitric oxide production. However, the impact of HHcy on macrophage phenotype differentiation is not well-established. It has been documented that macrophages have 2 distinct phenotypes: the "classically activated/destructive" (M1), and the "alternatively activated/constructive" (M2) subtypes. We hypothesize that HHcy increases M1 macrophage differentiation through extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN), a known inducer of matrix metalloproteinases. murine J774A.1 and Raw 264.7 macrophages were treated with 100 and 500 μmol/L Hcy, respectively, for 24 h. Samples were analyzed using Western blotting and immunocytochemistry. Homocysteine treatment increased cluster of differentiation 40 (CD40; M1 marker) in J774A.1 and Raw 264.7 macrophages. MMP-9 was induced in both cell lines. EMMPRIN protein expression was also increased in both cell lines. Blocking EMMPRIN function by pre-treating cells with anti-EMMPRIN antibody, with or without Hcy, resulted in significantly lower expression of CD40 in both cell lines by comparison with the controls. A DCFDA assay demonstrated increased ROS production in both cell lines with Hcy treatment when compared with the controls. Our results suggest that HHcy results in an increase of the M1 macrophage phenotype. This effect seems to be at least partially mediated by EMMPRIN induction.

Apolipoprotein A-II polymorphism: relationships to behavioural and hormonal mediators of obesity

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, CE; Ordovás, JM; Sánchez-Moreno, C; Lee, Y-C; Garaulet, M

2011-01-01

Background The interaction between apolipoprotein A-II (APOA2) m265 genotype and saturated fat for obesity traits has been more extensively demonstrated than for any other locus, but behavioural and hormonal mechanisms underlying this relationship are unexplored. In this study, we evaluated relationships between APOA2 and obesity risk with particular focus on patterns of eating and ghrelin, a hormonal regulator of food intake. Design Cross-sectional study. Subjects Overweight and obese subjects (n = 1225) were evaluated at baseline in five weight loss clinics in southeastern Spain. Methods Behavioural data were assessed using a checklist of weight loss obstacles. Logistic regression models were fitted to estimate the risk of a specific behaviour associated with APOA2 genotype. Relationships between APOA2 genotype and saturated fat intakes for anthropometric traits and plasma ghrelin were evaluated by analysis of variance. To construct categorical variables to evaluate interactions, saturated fat intake was dichotomized into high and low according to the population median intake or as tertiles. Results Homozygous minor (CC) subjects were more likely to exhibit behaviours that impede weight loss (‘Do you skip meals’, odds ratio (OR) = 2.09, P=0.008) and less likely to exhibit the protective behaviour of ‘Do you plan meals in advance’ (OR = 0.64, P=0.034). Plasma ghrelin for CC subjects consuming low saturated fat was lower compared with (1) CC subjects consuming high saturated fat, (2) TT + TC carriers consuming low saturated fat and (3) TT+TC carriers consuming high saturated fat (all Pghrelin. Expansion of knowledge of APOA2 and obesity to include modulation of specific behaviours and hormonal mediators not only broadens understanding of gene–diet interactions, but also facilitates the pragmatic, future goal of developing dietary guidelines based on genotype. PMID:21386805

Dialectic Antidotes to Critics of the Technology Acceptance Model: Conceptual, Methodological, and Replication Treatments for Behavioural Modelling in Technology-Mediated Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weng Marc Lim

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The technology acceptance model (TAM is a prominent and parsimonious conceptual lens that is often applied for behavioural modelling in technology-mediated environments. However, TAM has received a great deal of criticism in recent years. This article aims to address some of the most pertinent issues confronting TAM through a rejoinder that offers dialectic antidotes—in the form of conceptual, methodological, and replication treatments—to support the continued use of TAM to understand the peculiarities of user interactions with technology in technology-mediated environments. In doing so, this article offers a useful response to a common but often inadequately answered question about how TAM can continue to be relevant for behavioural modelling in contemporary technology-mediated environments.

Improved eating behaviours mediate weight gain prevention of young adults: moderation and mediation results of a randomised controlled trial of TXT2BFiT, mHealth program.

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Partridge, Stephanie R; McGeechan, Kevin; Bauman, Adrian; Phongsavan, Philayrath; Allman-Farinelli, Margaret

2016-04-02

Explanatory evaluation of interventions for prevention of weight gain is required beyond changes in weight, to determine for whom the intervention works and the underlying mechanisms of change. It was hypothesised that participant characteristics moderate intervention effect on weight change and improved eating and physical activity behaviours during the 3-month program mediate the relationship between intervention and weight. In our randomised controlled trial, young adults at risk of weight gain (n = 250) were assigned either to an intervention group that received a 3-month mHealth (TXT2BFiT) program with 6-month maintenance or to a control group. Data were collected via online self-report surveys. Hypothesised moderators and mediators of the intervention effect on weight were independently assessed in PROCESS macro models for 3 and 9-month weight change. Males (P = 0.01), mid-20s age group (P = 0.04), and higher income earners (P = 0.02) moderated intervention effects on weight change at 3-months and males only at 9-months (P = 0.02). Weight change at 3 (-1.12 kg) and 9-months (-1.38 kg) remained significant when 3-month nutrition and physical activity behaviours were specified as mediators (P <0.01 and P = 0.01 respectively). Indirect paths explained 39% (0.72/1.85 kg) and 40 % (0.92/2.3 kg) of total effect on weight change at 3 and 9-months respectively. Increased vegetable intake by intervention group at 3-months accounted for 19 and 17% and decreased sugar-sweetened beverages accounted for 8 and 13% of indirect weight change effects at 3 and 9-months respectively. TXT2BFiT was effective for both young men and women. Small sustained behavioural changes, including increased vegetable intake and decreased sugar-sweetened beverages consumption significantly mediated the intervention's effects on weight change. Improved eating behaviours and increased physical activity accounted for approximately 40% of the weight change. The trial is

Maternal depression and co-occurring antisocial behaviour: testing maternal hostility and warmth as mediators of risk for offspring psychopathology.

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Sellers, Ruth; Harold, Gordon T; Elam, Kit; Rhoades, Kimberly A; Potter, Robert; Mars, Becky; Craddock, Nick; Thapar, Anita; Collishaw, Stephan

2014-01-01

Disruption in the parent-child relationship is a commonly hypothesized risk factor through which maternal depression may increase risk for offspring psychopathology. However, maternal depression is commonly accompanied by other psychopathology, including antisocial behaviour. Few studies have examined the role of co-occurring psychopathology in depressed mothers. Using a longitudinal study of offspring of mothers with recurrent depression, we aimed to test whether maternal warmth/hostility mediated links between maternal depression severity and child outcomes, and how far direct and indirect pathways were robust to controls for co-occurring maternal antisocial behaviour. Mothers with a history of recurrent major depressive disorder and their adolescent offspring (9-17 years at baseline) were assessed three times between 2007 and 2010. Mothers completed questionnaires assessing their own depression severity and antisocial behaviour at Time 1 (T1). The parent-child relationship was assessed using parent-rated questionnaire and interviewer-rated 5-min speech sample at Time 2 (T2). Offspring symptoms of depression and disruptive behaviours were assessed using the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment at Time 3 (T3). Maternal hostility and warmth, respectively, mediated the association between maternal depression severity and risk for offspring psychopathology. However, the effects were attenuated when maternal antisocial behaviour was included in the analysis. In tests of the full theoretical model, maternal antisocial behaviour predicted both maternal hostility and low warmth, maternal hostility predicted offspring disruptive behaviour disorder symptoms, but not depression, and maternal warmth was not associated with either child outcome. Parenting interventions aimed at reducing hostility may be beneficial for preventing or reducing adolescent disruptive behaviours in offspring of depressed mothers, especially when depressed mothers report co

Increased skills usage statistically mediates symptom reduction in self-guided internet-delivered cognitive-behavioural therapy for depression and anxiety: a randomised controlled trial.

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Terides, Matthew D; Dear, Blake F; Fogliati, Vincent J; Gandy, Milena; Karin, Eyal; Jones, Michael P; Titov, Nickolai

2018-01-01

Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for clinical and subclinical symptoms of depression and general anxiety, and increases life satisfaction. Patients' usage of CBT skills is a core aspect of treatment but there is insufficient empirical evidence suggesting that skills usage behaviours are a mechanism of clinical change. This study investigated if an internet-delivered CBT (iCBT) intervention increased the frequency of CBT skills usage behaviours and if this statistically mediated reductions in symptoms and increased life satisfaction. A two-group randomised controlled trial was conducted comparing internet-delivered CBT (n = 65) with a waitlist control group (n = 75). Participants were individuals experiencing clinically significant symptoms of depression or general anxiety. Mixed-linear models analyses revealed that the treatment group reported a significantly higher frequency of skills usage, lower symptoms, and higher life satisfaction by the end of treatment compared with the control group. Results from bootstrapping mediation analyses revealed that the increased skills usage behaviours statistically mediated symptom reductions and increased life satisfaction. Although skills usage and symptom outcomes were assessed concurrently, these findings support the notion that iCBT increases the frequency of skills usage behaviours and suggest that this may be an important mechanism of change.

Non-neural androgen receptors affect sexual differentiation of brain and behaviour.

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Monks, D A; Swift-Gallant, A

2018-02-01

Although gonadal testosterone is the principal endocrine factor that promotes masculine traits in mammals, the development of a male phenotype requires local production of both androgenic and oestrogenic signals within target tissues. Much of our knowledge concerning androgenic components of testosterone signalling in sexual differentiation comes from studies of androgen receptor (Ar) loss of function mutants. Here, we review these studies of loss of Ar function and of AR overexpression either globally or selectively in the nervous system of mice. Global and neural mutations affect socio-sexual behaviour and the neuroanatomy of these mice in a sexually differentiated manner. Some masculine traits are affected by both global and neural mutation, indicative of neural mediation, whereas other masculine traits are affected only by global mutation, indicative of an obligatory non-neural androgen target. These results support a model in which multiple sites of androgen action coordinate to produce masculine phenotypes. Furthermore, AR overexpression does not always have a phenotype opposite to that of loss of Ar function mutants, indicative of a nonlinear relationship between androgen dose and masculine phenotype in some cases. Potential mechanisms of Ar gene function in non-neural targets in producing masculine phenotypes are discussed. © 2017 British Society for Neuroendocrinology.

The role of pain behaviour and family caregiver responses in the link between pain catastrophising and pain intensity : A moderated mediation model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mohammadi, Somayyeh; Dehghani, Mohsen; Sanderman, Robbert; Hagedoorn, Mariët

2017-01-01

Objectives: This study investigated the mediating role of pain behaviours in the association between pain catastrophising and pain intensity and explored the moderating role of family caregivers’ responses to pain in the link between pain behaviours and pain intensity. Methods: The sample consisted

The role of pain behaviour and family caregiver responses in the link between pain catastrophising and pain intensity : A moderated mediation model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mohammadi, Somayyeh; Dehghani, Mohsen; Sanderman, Robbert; Hagedoorn, Mariet

2017-01-01

Objectives: This study investigated the mediating role of pain behaviours in the association between pain catastrophising and pain intensity and explored the moderating role of family caregivers' responses to pain in the link between pain behaviours and pain intensity. Methods: The sample consisted

The autistic phenotype in Down syndrome: differences in adaptive behaviour versus Down syndrome alone and autistic disorder alone.

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Dressler, Anastasia; Perelli, Valentina; Bozza, Margherita; Bargagna, Stefania

2011-01-01

The autistic phenotype in Down syndrome (DS) is marked by a characteristic pattern of stereotypies, anxiety and social withdrawal. Our aim was to study adaptive behaviour in DS with and without autistic comorbidity using the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales (VABS), the Childhood Autism Rating Scales (CARS) and the DSM IV-TR criteria. We assessed 24 individuals and established three groups: Down syndrome (DS), DS and autistic disorder (DS-AD), and autistic disorder (AD). The DS and DS-AD groups showed statistically significantly similar strengths on the VABS (in receptive and domestic skills). The DS and DS-AD subjects also showed similar strengths on the CARS (in imitation and relating), differing significantly from the AD group. The profile of adaptive functioning and symptoms in DS-AD seemed to be more similar to that found in DS than to the profile emerging in AD. We suggest that the comorbidity of austistic symptoms in DS hampered the acquisition of adaptive skills more than did the presence of DS alone.

Neuroendocrine profiles associated with discrete behavioural variation in Symphodus ocellatus, a species with male alternative reproductive tactics.

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Nugent, B M; Stiver, K A; Alonzo, S H; Hofmann, H A

2016-10-01

The molecular mechanisms underlying phenotypic plasticity are not well understood. Identifying mechanisms underlying alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) in species for which the behavioural and fitness consequences of this variation are well characterized provides an opportunity to integrate evolutionary and mechanistic understanding of the maintenance of variation within populations. In the ocellated wrasse Symphodus ocellatus, the behavioural phenotypes of three distinct male morphs (sneakers, satellites and nesting males), which arise from a single genome, have been thoroughly characterized. To determine the neuroendocrine and genomic mechanisms associated with discrete phenotypic variation and ARTs in S. ocellatus in their natural environment, we constructed a whole-brain de novo transcriptome and compared global patterns of gene expression between sexes and male morphs. Next, we quantified circulating cortisol and 11-ketotestosterone (11-kt), mediators of male reproductive behaviours, as well as stress and gonadal steroid hormone receptor expression in the preoptic area, ventral subpallial division of the telencephalon and dorsolateral telencephalon, critical brain regions for social and reproductive behaviours. We found higher levels of 11-kt in nesting males and higher levels of cortisol in sneaker males relative to other male morphs and females. We also identified distinct patterns of brain region-specific hormone receptor expression between males such that most hormone receptors are more highly expressed in satellites and nesting males relative to sneakers and females. Our results establish the neuroendocrine and molecular mechanisms that underlie ARTs in the wild and provide a foundation for experimentally testing hypotheses about the relationship between neuromolecular processes and reproductive success. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The influence of the perception of a familial climate on job performance: mediation of loyalty to supervisors and moderation of filial behaviour.

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Jen, Chin-Kang; Chou, Li-Fang; Lin, Chu-Yen; Tsai, Ming-Che

2012-01-01

With a collectivist cultural perspective, we examined the positive effects of employees' perceptions of a familial climate on loyalty to supervisors, the mediation of loyalty between perception of a familial climate and job performance, and the moderation of employees' filial behaviour on the relationship between perception of a familial climate and loyalty. The participants consisted of 247 supervisor-and-subordinate dyads in Taiwan. The results supported our hypotheses. Through the mechanisms of family behaviour transference, social identification and supervisor-subordinate exchange, perception of an organizational familial climate enhanced loyalty to supervisors. Furthermore, loyalty to supervisors mediated the relationship between perception of a familial climate and job performance. Filial behaviour moderated the relationship between perception of a familial climate and loyalty; thus, the relationship of perception of a familial climate and loyalty was stronger for employees with low levels of filial behaviour and weaker for employees with high levels of filial behaviour. These findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications for future research and management practices.

Cross-sectional surveillance study to phenotype lorry drivers’ sedentary behaviours, physical activity and cardio-metabolic health

Science.gov (United States)

Varela-Mato, Veronica; O’Shea, Orlagh; King, James A; Yates, Thomas; Stensel, David J; Biddle, Stuart JH; Nimmo, Myra A; Clemes, Stacy A

2017-01-01

Objectives Elevated risk factors for a number of chronic diseases have been identified in lorry drivers. Unhealthy lifestyle behaviours such as a lack of physical activity (PA) and high levels of sedentary behaviour (sitting) likely contribute to this elevated risk. This study behaviourally phenotyped UK lorry drivers’ sedentary and non-sedentary behaviours during workdays and non-workdays and examined markers of drivers cardio-metabolic health. Setting A transport company from the East Midlands, UK. Participants A sample of 159 male heavy goods vehicle drivers (91% white European; (median (range)) age: 50 (24, 67) years) completed the health assessments. 87 (age: 50.0 (25.0, 65.0); body mass index (BMI): 27.7 (19.6, 43.4) kg/m2) provided objective information on sedentary and non-sedentary time. Outcomes Participants self-reported their sociodemographic information. Primary outcomes: sedentary behaviour and PA, assessed over 7 days using an activPAL3 inclinometer. Cardio-metabolic markers included: blood pressure (BP), heart rate, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference, body composition and fasted capillary blood glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipopreotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and total cholesterol (TC) levels. These cardio-metabolic markers were treated as secondary outcomes. Results Lorry drivers presented an unhealthy cardio-metabolic health profile (median (IQR) systolic BP: 129 (108.5, 164) mm Hg; diastolic BP: 81 (63, 104) mm Hg; BMI: 29 (20, 47) kg/m2; WC: 102 (77.5, 146.5) cm; LDL-C: 3 (1, 6) mmol/L; TC: 4.9 (3, 7.5) mmol/L). 84% were overweight or obese, 43% had type 2 diabetes or prediabetes and 34% had the metabolic syndrome. The subsample of lorry drivers with objective postural data (n=87) accumulated 13 hours/day and 8 hours/day of sedentary behaviour on workdays and non-workdays (pdrivers accrued 12 min/day on workdays and 6 min/day on non-workdays of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). Conclusion

Genetic predisposition to obesity affects behavioural traits including food reward and anxiety-like behaviour in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Vogel, Heike; Kraemer, Maria; Rabasa, Cristina; Askevik, Kaisa; Adan, Roger A H; Dickson, Suzanne L

2017-06-15

Here we sought to define behavioural traits linked to anxiety, reward, and exploration in different strains of rats commonly used in obesity research. We hypothesized that genetic variance may contribute not only to their metabolic phenotype (that is well documented) but also to the expression of these behavioural traits. Rat strains that differ in their susceptibility to develop an obese phenotype (Sprague-Dawley, Obese Prone, Obese Resistant, and Zucker rats) were exposed to a number of behavioural tests starting at the age of 8 weeks. We found a similar phenotype in the obesity susceptible models, Obese Prone and Zucker rats, with a lower locomotor activity, exploratory activity, and higher level of anxiety-like behaviour in comparison to the leaner Obese Resistant strain. We did not find evidence that rat strains with a genetic predisposition to obesity differed in their ability to experience reward from chocolate (in a condition place preference task). However, Zucker rats show higher motivated behaviour for sucrose compared to Obese Resistant rats when the effort required to obtain palatable food is relatively low. Together our data demonstrate that rat strains that differ in their genetic predisposition to develop obesity also differ in their performance in behavioural tests linked to anxiety, exploration, and reward and that these differences are independent of body weight. We conclude that genetic variations which determine body weight and the aforementioned behaviours co-exist but that future studies are required to identify whether (and which) common genes are involved. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Three-Dimensions vs. Two-Dimensions Intervention Programs: The Effect on the Mediation Level and Behavioural Aspects of Children with Intellectual Disability

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Eden, S.; Bezer, M.

2011-01-01

The research examined the effect of an intervention program employing 3D immersive virtual reality (IVR), which focused on the perception of sequential time, on the mediation level and behavioural aspects of children with intellectual disability (ID). The intervention is based on the mediated learning experience (MLE) theory, which refers the…

Evolution of the additive genetic variance–covariance matrix under continuous directional selection on a complex behavioural phenotype

Science.gov (United States)

Careau, Vincent; Wolak, Matthew E.; Carter, Patrick A.; Garland, Theodore

2015-01-01

Given the pace at which human-induced environmental changes occur, a pressing challenge is to determine the speed with which selection can drive evolutionary change. A key determinant of adaptive response to multivariate phenotypic selection is the additive genetic variance–covariance matrix (G). Yet knowledge of G in a population experiencing new or altered selection is not sufficient to predict selection response because G itself evolves in ways that are poorly understood. We experimentally evaluated changes in G when closely related behavioural traits experience continuous directional selection. We applied the genetic covariance tensor approach to a large dataset (n = 17 328 individuals) from a replicated, 31-generation artificial selection experiment that bred mice for voluntary wheel running on days 5 and 6 of a 6-day test. Selection on this subset of G induced proportional changes across the matrix for all 6 days of running behaviour within the first four generations. The changes in G induced by selection resulted in a fourfold slower-than-predicted rate of response to selection. Thus, selection exacerbated constraints within G and limited future adaptive response, a phenomenon that could have profound consequences for populations facing rapid environmental change. PMID:26582016

Evolution of the additive genetic variance-covariance matrix under continuous directional selection on a complex behavioural phenotype.

Science.gov (United States)

Careau, Vincent; Wolak, Matthew E; Carter, Patrick A; Garland, Theodore

2015-11-22

Given the pace at which human-induced environmental changes occur, a pressing challenge is to determine the speed with which selection can drive evolutionary change. A key determinant of adaptive response to multivariate phenotypic selection is the additive genetic variance-covariance matrix ( G: ). Yet knowledge of G: in a population experiencing new or altered selection is not sufficient to predict selection response because G: itself evolves in ways that are poorly understood. We experimentally evaluated changes in G: when closely related behavioural traits experience continuous directional selection. We applied the genetic covariance tensor approach to a large dataset (n = 17 328 individuals) from a replicated, 31-generation artificial selection experiment that bred mice for voluntary wheel running on days 5 and 6 of a 6-day test. Selection on this subset of G: induced proportional changes across the matrix for all 6 days of running behaviour within the first four generations. The changes in G: induced by selection resulted in a fourfold slower-than-predicted rate of response to selection. Thus, selection exacerbated constraints within G: and limited future adaptive response, a phenomenon that could have profound consequences for populations facing rapid environmental change. © 2015 The Author(s).

Transgenerational epigenetic effects on animal behaviour.

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Per

2013-12-01

Over the last decade a shift in paradigm has occurred with respect to the interaction between environment and genes. It is now clear that animal genomes are regulated to a large extent as a result of input from environmental events and experiences, which cause short- and long-term modifications in epigenetic markings of DNA and histones. In this review, the evidence that such epigenetic modifications can affect the behaviour of animals is explored, and whether such acquired behaviour alterations can transfer across generation borders. First, the mechanisms by which experiences cause epigenetic modifications are examined. This includes, for example, methylation of cytosine in CpG positions and acetylation of histones, and studies showing that this can be modified by early experiences. Secondly, the evidence that specific modifications in the epigenome can be the cause of behaviour variation is reviewed. Thirdly, the extent to which this phenotypically active epigenetic variants can be inherited either through the germline or through reoccurring environmental conditions is examined. A particularly interesting observation is that epigenetic modifications are often linked to stress, and may possibly be mediated by steroid effects. Finally, the idea that transgenerationally stable epigenetic variants may serve as substrates for natural selection is explored, and it is speculated that they may even predispose for directed, non-random mutations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cross-sectional surveillance study to phenotype lorry drivers' sedentary behaviours, physical activity and cardio-metabolic health.

Science.gov (United States)

Varela-Mato, Veronica; O'Shea, Orlagh; King, James A; Yates, Thomas; Stensel, David J; Biddle, Stuart Jh; Nimmo, Myra A; Clemes, Stacy A

2017-06-21

Elevated risk factors for a number of chronic diseases have been identified in lorry drivers. Unhealthy lifestyle behaviours such as a lack of physical activity (PA) and high levels of sedentary behaviour (sitting) likely contribute to this elevated risk. This study behaviourally phenotyped UK lorry drivers' sedentary and non-sedentary behaviours during workdays and non-workdays and examined markers of drivers cardio-metabolic health. A transport company from the East Midlands, UK. A sample of 159 male heavy goods vehicle drivers (91% white European; (median (range)) age: 50 (24, 67) years) completed the health assessments. 87 (age: 50.0 (25.0, 65.0); body mass index (BMI): 27.7 (19.6, 43.4) kg/m 2 ) provided objective information on sedentary and non-sedentary time. Participants self-reported their sociodemographic information. Primary outcomes: sedentary behaviour and PA, assessed over 7 days using an activPAL3 inclinometer. Cardio-metabolic markers included: blood pressure (BP), heart rate, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference, body composition and fasted capillary blood glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipopreotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and total cholesterol (TC) levels. These cardio-metabolic markers were treated as secondary outcomes. Lorry drivers presented an unhealthy cardio-metabolic health profile (median (IQR) systolic BP: 129 (108.5, 164) mm Hg; diastolic BP: 81 (63, 104) mm Hg; BMI: 29 (20, 47) kg/m 2 ; WC: 102 (77.5, 146.5) cm; LDL-C: 3 (1, 6) mmol/L; TC: 4.9 (3, 7.5) mmol/L). 84% were overweight or obese, 43% had type 2 diabetes or prediabetes and 34% had the metabolic syndrome. The subsample of lorry drivers with objective postural data (n=87) accumulated 13 hours/day and 8 hours/day of sedentary behaviour on workdays and non-workdays (pdrivers accrued 12 min/day on workdays and 6 min/day on non-workdays of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). Lorry drivers demonstrate a high-risk cardio

Integrating phenotype ontologies with PhenomeNET

KAUST Repository

Rodriguez-Garcia, Miguel Angel; Gkoutos, Georgios V.; Schofield, Paul N.; Hoehndorf, Robert

2017-01-01

in clinical and model organism databases presents complex problems when attempting to match classes across species and across phenotypes as diverse as behaviour and neoplasia. We have previously developed PhenomeNET, a system for disease gene prioritization

Clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-mediated mutagenesis and phenotype rescue by piggyBac transgenesis in a nonmodel Drosophila species.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, R; Murakami, H; Ote, M; Yamamoto, D

2016-08-01

How behavioural diversity emerged in evolution is an unexplored subject in biology. To tackle this problem, genes and circuits for a behaviour need to be determined in different species for phylogenetic comparisons. The recently developed clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR associated protein9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system made such a challenge possible by providing the means to induce mutations in a gene of interest in any organism. Aiming at elucidating diversification in genetic and neural networks for courtship behaviour, we attempted to generate a genetic tool kit in Drosophila subobscura, a nonmodel species distantly related to the genetic model Drosophila melanogaster. Here we report the generation of yellow (y) and white mutations with the aid of the CRISPR/Cas9 system, and the rescue of the y mutant phenotype by germline transformation of the newly established y mutant fly line with a y(+) -marked piggyBac vector. This successful mutagenesis and transformation in D. subobscura open up an avenue for comprehensive genetic analyses of higher functions in this and other nonmodel Drosophila species, representing a key step toward systematic comparisons of genes and circuitries underlying behaviour amongst species. © 2016 The Royal Entomological Society.

How within-group behavioural variation and task efficiency enhance fitness in a social group.

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Pruitt, Jonathan N; Riechert, Susan E

2011-04-22

How task specialization, individual task performance and within-group behavioural variation affects fitness is a longstanding and unresolved problem in our understanding of animal societies. In the temperate social spider, Anelosimus studiosus, colony members exhibit a behavioural polymorphism; females either exhibit an aggressive 'asocial' or docile 'social' phenotype. We assessed individual prey-capture success for both phenotypes, and the role of phenotypic composition on group-level prey-capture success for three prey size classes. We then estimated the effect of group phenotypic composition on fitness in a common garden, as inferred from individual egg-case masses. On average, asocial females were more successful than social females at capturing large prey, and colony-level prey-capture success was positively associated with the frequency of the asocial phenotype. Asocial colony members were also more likely to engage in prey-capture behaviour in group-foraging situations. Interestingly, our fitness estimates indicate females of both phenotypes experience increased fitness when occupying colonies containing unlike individuals. These results imply a reciprocal fitness benefit of within-colony behavioural variation, and perhaps division of labour in a spider society.

Maternal mental quality of life mediates the associations between intimate partner abuse against mothers and their children's behaviours and quality of life in low-income Chinese families.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Vivian Yawei; Yu, Esther Yee Tak; Wong, Rosa Sze Man; Ip, Patrick; Tiwari, Agnes Fung Yee; Wong, Carlos King Ho; Fung, Colman Siu Cheung; Wong, Wilfred Hing Sang; Lam, Cindy Lo Kuen

2017-12-01

To explore the association between maternal intimate partner abuse (IPA) and their children's health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and behavioural problem, and to establish a mediation model and investigate the mediating role of mothers' HRQOL on this association. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 197 mothers of 227 children (112 boys and 115 girls) from low-income Chinese families. The mothers were asked to complete the 5-item abuse assessment screen questionnaire for the presence of IPA, the Chinese (Hong Kong) version of 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) for their HRQOL and a structured socio-demographics questionnaire. One of the parents completed the Child Health Questionnaire-Parent Form-50 (CHQ-PF50) and the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) to report on their children's HRQOL and behavioural problems, respectively. The mediating effect of the maternal HRQOL on the relationship between maternal IPA status and their children's behavioural problems and HRQOL was tested using Baron and Kenney's multistage regression approach and bootstrapping method. Thirty-five of the 197 mothers reported IPA (17.8%). Children whose mothers had experienced IPA had lower scores in the CHQ-PF50 mental health, parental impact-emotional, family activities and family cohesion subscales, and the psychosocial summary score compared to children of mothers who reported no IPA; they also had more emotional, conduct and hyperactivity/inattention problems and higher total difficulties scores measured by the SDQ. Maternal mental HRQOL was a mediator on the relationship between maternal IPA status and their children's behavioural problems and psychosocial HRQOL. IPA experienced by mothers had significant negative impacts on their children's HRQOL and behaviours, which was mediated by maternal mental HRQOL.

Disruption of hippocampus-regulated behavioural and cognitive processes by heterozygous constitutive deletion of SynGAP.

Science.gov (United States)

Muhia, Mary; Yee, Benjamin K; Feldon, Joram; Markopoulos, Foivos; Knuesel, Irene

2010-02-01

The brain-specific Ras/Rap-GTPase activating protein (SynGAP) is a prime candidate linking N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors to the regulation of the ERK/MAP kinase signalling cascade, suggested to be essential for experience-dependent synaptic plasticity. Here, we evaluated the behavioural phenotype of SynGAP heterozygous knockout mice (SG(+/-)), expressing roughly half the normal levels of SynGAP. In the cognitive domain, SG(+/-) mice demonstrated severe working and reference memory deficits in the radial arm maze task, a mild impairment early in the transfer test of the water maze task, and a deficiency in spontaneous alternation in an elevated T-maze. In the non-cognitive domain, SG(+/-) mice were hyperactive in the open field and appeared less anxious in the elevated plus maze test. In contrast, object recognition memory performance was not impaired in SG(+/-) mice. The reduction in SynGAP thus resulted in multiple behavioural traits suggestive of aberrant cognitive and non-cognitive processes normally mediated by the hippocampus. Immunohistochemical evaluation further revealed a significant reduction in calbindin-positive interneurons in the hippocampus and doublecortin-positive neurons in the dentate gyrus of adult SG(+/-) mice. Heterozygous constitutive deletion of SynGAP is therefore associated with notable behavioural as well as morphological phenotypes indicative of hippocampal dysfunction. Any suggestion of a possible causal link between them however remains a matter for further investigation.

Perceived discrimination and antisocial behaviour among Chinese rural-to-urban migrant adolescents: Mediating effects of social support.

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Jia, Xuji; Liu, Xia

2017-08-01

Using cross-sectional data from rural-to-urban migrant adolescents in urban areas of Beijing, China, we examined the mediating effects of social support (i.e. teacher support and classmate support) in the relationship between perceived discrimination (PD) and antisocial behaviour (ASB) among Chinese migrant adolescents. Participants were 897 adolescents (459 boys and 438 girls, mean age = 13.34 years) from four migrant schools (68.8%) and four public schools (31.2%). Participants completed self-report questionnaires concerning PD, ASB, teacher support and classmate support. Results indicated that Chinese migrant adolescents who perceived more discrimination were more likely to engage in ASB. Teacher support partially mediated the relationship between PD and ASB. Gender moderated this mediational relationship, such that teacher support exerted a mediating role among girls, but not boys. The findings suggest that reductions in teacher support may partially account for the effect of PD on ASB among Chinese migrant adolescents girls. © 2016 International Union of Psychological Science.

Temporal expression profiling identifies pathways mediating effect of causal variant on phenotype.

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Saumya Gupta

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Even with identification of multiple causal genetic variants for common human diseases, understanding the molecular processes mediating the causal variants' effect on the disease remains a challenge. This understanding is crucial for the development of therapeutic strategies to prevent and treat disease. While static profiling of gene expression is primarily used to get insights into the biological bases of diseases, it makes differentiating the causative from the correlative effects difficult, as the dynamics of the underlying biological processes are not monitored. Using yeast as a model, we studied genome-wide gene expression dynamics in the presence of a causal variant as the sole genetic determinant, and performed allele-specific functional validation to delineate the causal effects of the genetic variant on the phenotype. Here, we characterized the precise genetic effects of a functional MKT1 allelic variant in sporulation efficiency variation. A mathematical model describing meiotic landmark events and conditional activation of MKT1 expression during sporulation specified an early meiotic role of this variant. By analyzing the early meiotic genome-wide transcriptional response, we demonstrate an MKT1-dependent role of novel modulators, namely, RTG1/3, regulators of mitochondrial retrograde signaling, and DAL82, regulator of nitrogen starvation, in additively effecting sporulation efficiency. In the presence of functional MKT1 allele, better respiration during early sporulation was observed, which was dependent on the mitochondrial retrograde regulator, RTG3. Furthermore, our approach showed that MKT1 contributes to sporulation independent of Puf3, an RNA-binding protein that steady-state transcription profiling studies have suggested to mediate MKT1-pleiotropic effects during mitotic growth. These results uncover interesting regulatory links between meiosis and mitochondrial retrograde signaling. In this study, we highlight the advantage

Mediation effect of perceived behavioural control on intended condom use: applicability of the theory of planned behaviour to money boys in China.

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Liu, Hongjie; Kennedy, May; Liu, Hui; Hong, Fuchang; Ha, Toan; Ning, Zheng

2013-12-01

Money boys (MBs) are male sex workers who sell sex to men who have sex with men. The objectives of this study were to assess (a) the sexual HIV risk of MBs; (b) the ability of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to predict MBs' intentions to use condoms; and (c) the manner in which TPB constructs (attitudes towards condom use, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control) combine to influence condom use intentions. Participants came from 10 MB-frequented clubs in two cities in China. Multiple regression and path analytic models were used to test inter-relationships among the TPB constructs. Seventy-eight percent of the 122 MB participants reported having used condoms for every anal sex act. About one-third reported having had female sexual partners in the past 2 months; of these MBs, half (53%) used condoms for every sex act. A revised model using TPB constructs accounted for 52% of the variance of condom use intentions and revealed that perceived behavioural control was a mediator in pathways beginning with attitudes and ending with condom use intentions, and beginning with subjective norms and ending with intentions. The findings suggest that a revised model of TPB applies to condom use intentions among Chinese MBs. It may be appropriate to adapt HIV interventions that are grounded in TPB and that have been shown to be effective elsewhere for use with Chinese MBs. HIV interventions for this population should give perceived behavioural control and its predictors special consideration.

Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy

OpenAIRE

Moghaddam, Nima G.; Dawson, David L.

2016-01-01

Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is a generic term, encompassing both: (1) approaches underpinned by an assumption that presenting emotional and behavioural difficulties are cognitively mediated or moderated; and (2) atheoretical bricolages of cognitive and behavioural techniques. This latter category may include effective therapeutic packages (perhaps acting through mechanisms articulated in the first category) but, when theory is tacit, it becomes harder to make analytical generalisation...

Smad mediated regulation of inhibitor of DNA binding 2 and its role in phenotypic maintenance of human renal proximal tubule epithelial cells.

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Mangalakumar Veerasamy

Full Text Available The basic-Helix-Loop-Helix family (bHLH of transcriptional factors plays a major role in regulating cellular proliferation, differentiation and phenotype maintenance. The downregulation of one of the members of bHLH family protein, inhibitor of DNA binding 2 (Id2 has been shown to induce de-differentiation of epithelial cells. Opposing regulators of epithelial/mesenchymal phenotype in renal proximal tubule epithelial cells (PTEC, TGFβ1 and BMP7 also have counter-regulatory effects in models of renal fibrosis. We investigated the regulation of Id2 by these growth factors in human PTECs and its implication in the expression of markers of epithelial versus myofibroblastic phenotype. Cellular Id2 levels were reduced by TGFβ1 treatment; this was prevented by co-incubation with BMP7. BMP7 alone increased cellular levels of Id2. TGFβ1 and BMP7 regulated Id2 through Smad2/3 and Smad1/5 dependent mechanisms respectively. TGFβ1 mediated Id2 suppression was essential for α-SMA induction in PTECs. Although Id2 over-expression prevented α-SMA induction, it did not prevent E-cadherin loss under the influence of TGFβ1. This suggests that the loss of gate keeper function of E-cadherin alone may not necessarily result in complete EMT and further transcriptional re-programming is essential to attain mesenchymal phenotype. Although BMP7 abolished TGFβ1 mediated α-SMA expression by restoring Id2 levels, the loss of Id2 was not sufficient to induce α-SMA expression even in the context of reduced E-cadherin expression. Hence, a reduction in Id2 is critical for TGFβ1-induced α-SMA expression in this model of human PTECs but is not sufficient in it self to induce α-SMA even in the context of reduced E-cadherin.

Oral intake of zirconia nanoparticle alters neuronal development and behaviour of Drosophila melanogaster

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Mishra, Monalisa; Sabat, Debabrat; Ekka, Basanti; Sahu, Swetapadma; P, Unnikannan; Dash, Priyabrat

2017-08-01

Zirconia nanoparticles (ZrO2 NPs) have been extensively used in teeth and bone implants and thus get a chance to interact with the physiological system. The current study investigated the oral administration of various concentrations of ZrO2 NPs synthesized by the hydrothermal method (0.25 to 5.0 mg L-1) on Drosophila physiology and behaviour. The size of the currently studied nanoparticle varies from 10 to 12 nm. ZrO2 NPs accumulated within the gut in a concentration-dependent manner and generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) only at 2.5 and 5.0 mg L-1 concentrations. ROS was detected by nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) assay and 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20370560 (H2DCF) staining. The ROS toxicity alters the larval gut structure as revealed by DAPI staining. The NP stress of larvae affects the Drosophila development by distressing pupa count and varying the phenotypic changes in sensory organs (eye, thorax bristle, wings). Besides phenotypic changes, flawed climbing behaviour against gravity was seen in ZrO2 NP-treated flies. All together, for the first time, we have reported that a ROS-mediated ZrO2 NP toxicity alters neuronal development and functioning using Drosophila as a model organism. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Behavioural and Psychiatric Phenotypes in Men and Boys with X-Linked Ichthyosis: Evidence from a Worldwide Online Survey.

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Sohini Chatterjee

Full Text Available X-linked ichthyosis (XLI is a rare dermatological condition arising from deficiency for the enzyme steroid sulfatase (STS. Preliminary evidence in boys with XLI, and animal model studies, suggests that individuals lacking STS are at increased risk of developmental disorders and associated traits. However, the behavioural profile of children with XLI is poorly-characterised, and the behavioural profile of adults with XLI has not yet been documented at all.Using an online survey, advertised worldwide, we collected detailed self- or parent-reported information on behaviour in adult (n = 58 and younger (≤18yrs, n = 24 males with XLI for comparison to data from their non-affected brothers, and age/gender-matched previously-published normative data. The survey comprised demographic and background information (including any prior clinical diagnoses and validated questionnaires assaying phenotypes of particular interest (Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale v1.1, Barrett Impulsiveness Scale-11, adult and adolescent Autism Quotient, Kessler Psychological Distress Scales, and Disruptive Behaviour Disorder Rating Scale.Individuals with XLI generally exhibited normal sensory function. Boys with XLI were at increased risk of developmental disorder, whilst adults with the condition were at increased risk of both developmental and mood disorders. Both adult and younger XLI groups scored significantly more highly than male general population norms on measures of inattention, impulsivity, autism-related traits, psychological distress and disruptive behavioural traits.These findings indicate that both adult and younger males with XLI exhibit personality profiles that are distinct from those of males within the general population, and suggest that individuals with XLI may be at heightened risk of psychopathology. The data are consistent with the notion that STS is important in neurodevelopment and ongoing brain function, and with previous work suggesting high rates of

Hormones and phenotypic plasticity in an ecological context: linking physiological mechanisms to evolutionary processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lema, Sean C

2014-11-01

Hormones are chemical signaling molecules that regulate patterns of cellular physiology and gene expression underlying phenotypic traits. Hormone-signaling pathways respond to an organism's external environment to mediate developmental stage-specific malleability in phenotypes, so that environmental variation experienced at different stages of development has distinct effects on an organism's phenotype. Studies of hormone-signaling are therefore playing a central role in efforts to understand how plastic phenotypic responses to environmental variation are generated during development. But, how do adaptive, hormonally mediated phenotypes evolve if the individual signaling components (hormones, conversion enzymes, membrane transporters, and receptors) that comprise any hormone-signaling pathway show expressional flexibility in response to environmental variation? What relevance do these components hold as molecular targets for selection to couple or decouple correlated hormonally mediated traits? This article explores how studying the endocrine underpinnings of phenotypic plasticity in an ecologically relevant context can provide insights into these, and other, crucial questions into the role of phenotypic plasticity in evolution, including how plasticity itself evolves. These issues are discussed in the light of investigations into how thyroid hormones mediate morphological plasticity in Death Valley's clade of pupfishes (Cyprinodon spp.). Findings from this work with pupfish illustrate that the study of hormone-signaling from an ecological perspective can reveal how phenotypic plasticity contributes to the generation of phenotypic novelty, as well as how physiological mechanisms developmentally link an organism's phenotype to its environmental experiences. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Ethnic identity, externalizing problem behaviour and the mediating role of self-esteem among Dutch, Turkish-Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch adolescents

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wissink, I.B.; Deković, M.; Yağmur, S.; Stams, G.J.; de Haan, M.

2008-01-01

The present study examined whether self-esteem mediates the relationship between two aspects of ethnic identity (i.e. ethnic identity exploration and ethnic identity commitment-affirmation) and externalizing problem behaviour in Dutch, Turkish-Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch adolescents living in the

A simple phenotypic method for screening of MCR-1-mediated colistin resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Coppi, M; Cannatelli, A; Antonelli, A; Baccani, I; Di Pilato, V; Sennati, S; Giani, T; Rossolini, G M

2018-02-01

To evaluate a novel method, the colistin-MAC test, for phenotypic screening of acquired colistin resistance mediated by transferable mcr-1 resistance determinants, based on colistin MIC reduction in the presence of dipicolinic acid (DPA). The colistin-MAC test consists in a broth microdilution method, in which colistin MIC is tested in the absence or presence of DPA (900 μg/mL). Overall, 74 colistin-resistant strains of Enterobacteriaceae (65 Escherichia coli and nine other species), including 61 strains carrying mcr-1-like genes and 13 strains negative for mcr genes, were evaluated with the colistin-MAC test. The presence of mcr-1-like and mcr-2-like genes was assessed by real-time PCR and end-point PCR. For 20 strains, whole-genome sequencing data were also available. A ≥8-fold reduction of colistin MIC in the presence of DPA was observed with 59 mcr-1-positive strains, including 53 E. coli of clinical origin, three E. coli transconjugants carrying MCR-1-encoding plasmids, one Enterobacter cloacae complex and two Citrobacter spp. Colistin MICs were unchanged, increased or at most reduced by twofold with the 13 mcr-negative colistin-resistant strains (nine E. coli and four Klebsiella pneumoniae), but also with two mcr-1-like-positive K. pneumoniae strains. The colistin-MAC test could be a simple phenotypic test for presumptive identification of mcr-1-positive strains among isolates of colistin-resistant E. coli, based on a ≥8-fold reduction of colistin MIC in the presence of DPA. Evaluation of the test with a larger number of strains, species and mcr-type resistance determinants would be of interest. Copyright © 2017 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

RAC1 GTP-ase signals Wnt-beta-catenin pathway mediated integrin-directed metastasis-associated tumor cell phenotypes in triple negative breast cancers.

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De, Pradip; Carlson, Jennifer H; Jepperson, Tyler; Willis, Scooter; Leyland-Jones, Brian; Dey, Nandini

2017-01-10

The acquisition of integrin-directed metastasis-associated (ID-MA) phenotypes by Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) cells is caused by an upregulation of the Wnt-beta-catenin pathway (WP). We reported that WP is one of the salient genetic features of TNBC. RAC-GTPases, small G-proteins which transduce signals from cell surface proteins including integrins, have been implicated in tumorigenesis and metastasis by their role in essential cellular functions like motility. The collective percentage of alteration(s) in RAC1 in ER+ve BC was lower as compared to ER-ve BC (35% vs 57%) (brca/tcga/pub2015). High expression of RAC1 was associated with poor outcome for RFS with HR=1.48 [CI: 1.15-1.9] p=0.0019 in the Hungarian ER-veBC cohort. Here we examined how WP signals are transduced via RAC1 in the context of ID-MA phenotypes in TNBC. Using pharmacological agents (sulindac sulfide), genetic tools (beta-catenin siRNA), WP modulators (Wnt-C59, XAV939), RAC1 inhibitors (NSC23766, W56) and WP stimulations (LWnt3ACM, Wnt3A recombinant) in a panel of 6-7 TNBC cell lines, we studied fibronectin-directed (1) migration, (2) matrigel invasion, (3) RAC1 and Cdc42 activation, (4) actin dynamics (confocal microscopy) and (5) podia-parameters. An attenuation of WP, which (a) decreased cellular levels of beta-catenin, as well as its nuclear active-form, (b) decreased fibronectin-induced migration, (c) decreased invasion, (d) altered actin dynamics and (e) decreased podia-parameters was successful in blocking fibronectin-mediated RAC1/Cdc42 activity. Both Wnt-antagonists and RAC1 inhibitors blocked fibronectin-induced RAC1 activation and inhibited the fibronectin-induced ID-MA phenotypes following specific WP stimulation by LWnt3ACM as well as Wnt3A recombinant protein. To test a direct involvement of RAC1-activation in WP-mediated ID-MA phenotypes, we stimulated brain-metastasis specific MDA-MB231BR cells with LWnt3ACM. LWnt3ACM-stimulated fibronectin-directed migration was blocked by

Adolescents' protection motivation and smoking behaviour.

Science.gov (United States)

Thrul, Johannes; Stemmler, Mark; Bühler, Anneke; Kuntsche, Emmanuel

2013-08-01

The protection motivation theory (PMT) is a well-known theory of behaviour change. This study tested the applicability of the sub-constructs of threat and coping appraisal in predicting adolescents' smoking-related behavioural intentions and smoking behaviour longitudinally. Adolescents (N = 494) aged 11-16 years and not currently smoking at baseline participated in the study. Predictive validity of PMT constructs was tested in a path analysis model. Self-efficacy significantly predicted behavioural intention at baseline, which significantly predicted behavioural intention at follow-up, which in turn predicted smoking behaviour at follow-up. The effect of self-efficacy on behavioural intention at follow-up was mediated by behavioural intention at baseline and the effect of self-efficacy on smoking behaviour was mediated by behavioural intention at baseline and follow-up. In conclusion, we found support for one part of the PMT, namely for the predictive validity of the coping appraisal construct self-efficacy in predicting adolescents' smoking-related behavioural intention and smoking behaviour. These results fail to support the appropriateness of the PMT's construct threat appraisal in longitudinally predicting adolescents' smoking as well as the applicability of communicating fear and negative information as preventive interventions for this target group.

Trajectories of the healthy ageing phenotype among middle-aged and older Britons, 2004-2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Tampubolon, Gindo

2016-06-01

Since the ageing population demands a response to ensure older people remain healthy and active, we studied the dynamics of a recently proposed healthy ageing phenotype. We drew the phenotype's trajectories and tested whether their levels and rates of change are influenced by health behaviours, comorbidities and socioeconomic positions earlier in the life course. The English Longitudinal Ageing Study, a prospective, nationally representative sample of people aged ≥50 years, measured a set of eight biomarkers which make up the outcome of the healthy ageing phenotype three times over nearly a decade (N2004=5009, N2008=5301, N2013=4455). A cluster of health behaviours, comorbidities and socioeconomic positions were also measured repeatedly. We assessed the phenotype's distribution non-parametrically, then fitted linear mixed models to phenotypic change and further examined time interactions with gender and socioeconomic position. We ran additional analyses to test robustness. Women had a wider distribution of the healthy ageing phenotype than men had. The phenotype declined annually by -0.242 (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.352, -0.131). However, there was considerable heterogeneity in the levels and rates of phenotypic change. Women started at higher levels, then declined more steeply by -0.293 (CI: -0.403, -0.183) annually, leading to crossover in the trajectories. Smoking and physical activity assessed on the Allied Dunbar scale were strongly associated with the trajectories. Though marked by secular decline, the trajectories of the healthy ageing phenotype showed distinct socioeconomic gradients. The trajectories were also susceptible to variations in health behaviours, strengthening the case for serial interventions to attain healthy and active ageing. Copyright © 2016 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Staurosporine and extracellular matrix proteins mediate the conversion of small cell lung carcinoma cells into a neuron-like phenotype.

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Tamara Murmann

Full Text Available Small cell lung carcinomas (SCLCs represent highly aggressive tumors with an overall five-year survival rate in the range of 5 to 10%. Here, we show that four out of five SCLC cell lines reversibly develop a neuron-like phenotype on extracellular matrix constituents such as fibronectin, laminin or thrombospondin upon staurosporine treatment in an RGD/integrin-mediated manner. Neurite-like processes extend rapidly with an average speed of 10 µm per hour. Depending on the cell line, staurosporine treatment affects either cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase or induction of polyploidy. Neuron-like conversion, although not accompanied by alterations in the expression pattern of a panel of neuroendocrine genes, leads to changes in protein expression as determined by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. It is likely that SCLC cells already harbour the complete molecular repertoire to convert into a neuron-like phenotype. More extensive studies are needed to evaluate whether the conversion potential of SCLC cells is suitable for therapeutic interventions.

Integrating phenotype ontologies with PhenomeNET

KAUST Repository

Rodriguez-Garcia, Miguel Angel

2017-12-19

Background Integration and analysis of phenotype data from humans and model organisms is a key challenge in building our understanding of normal biology and pathophysiology. However, the range of phenotypes and anatomical details being captured in clinical and model organism databases presents complex problems when attempting to match classes across species and across phenotypes as diverse as behaviour and neoplasia. We have previously developed PhenomeNET, a system for disease gene prioritization that includes as one of its components an ontology designed to integrate phenotype ontologies. While not applicable to matching arbitrary ontologies, PhenomeNET can be used to identify related phenotypes in different species, including human, mouse, zebrafish, nematode worm, fruit fly, and yeast. Results Here, we apply the PhenomeNET to identify related classes from two phenotype and two disease ontologies using automated reasoning. We demonstrate that we can identify a large number of mappings, some of which require automated reasoning and cannot easily be identified through lexical approaches alone. Combining automated reasoning with lexical matching further improves results in aligning ontologies. Conclusions PhenomeNET can be used to align and integrate phenotype ontologies. The results can be utilized for biomedical analyses in which phenomena observed in model organisms are used to identify causative genes and mutations underlying human disease.

Streptomyces Exploration: Competition, Volatile Communication and New Bacterial Behaviours.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Stephanie E; Elliot, Marie A

2017-07-01

Streptomyces bacteria are prolific producers of specialized metabolites, and have a well studied, complex life cycle. Recent work has revealed a new type of Streptomyces growth termed 'exploration' - so named for the ability of explorer cells to rapidly traverse solid surfaces. Streptomyces exploration is stimulated by fungal interactions, and is associated with the production of an alkaline volatile organic compound (VOC) capable of inducing exploration by other streptomycetes. Here, we examine Streptomyces exploration from the perspectives of interkingdom interactions, pH-induced morphological switches, and VOC-mediated communication. The phenotypic diversity that can be revealed through microbial interactions and VOC exposure is providing us with insight into novel modes of microbial development, and an opportunity to exploit VOCs to stimulate desired microbial behaviours. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ursolic acid-mediated changes in glycolytic pathway promote cytotoxic autophagy and apoptosis in phenotypically different breast cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewinska, Anna; Adamczyk-Grochala, Jagoda; Kwasniewicz, Ewa; Deregowska, Anna; Wnuk, Maciej

2017-06-01

Plant-derived pentacyclic triterpenotids with multiple biological activities are considered as promising candidates for cancer therapy and prevention. However, their mechanisms of action are not fully understood. In the present study, we have analyzed the effects of low dose treatment (5-20 µM) of ursolic acid (UA) and betulinic acid (BA) on breast cancer cells of different receptor status, namely MCF-7 (ER + , PR +/- , HER2 - ), MDA-MB-231 (ER - , PR - , HER2 - ) and SK-BR-3 (ER - , PR - , HER2 + ). UA-mediated response was more potent than BA-mediated response. Triterpenotids (5-10 µM) caused G0/G1 cell cycle arrest, an increase in p21 levels and SA-beta-galactosidase staining that was accompanied by oxidative stress and DNA damage. UA (20 µM) also diminished AKT signaling that affected glycolysis as judged by decreased levels of HK2, PKM2, ATP and lactate. UA-induced energy stress activated AMPK that resulted in cytotoxic autophagy and apoptosis. UA-mediated elevation in nitric oxide levels and ATM activation may also account for AMPK activation-mediated cytotoxic response. Moreover, UA-promoted apoptosis was associated with decreased pERK1/2 signals and the depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential. Taken together, we have shown for the first time that UA at low micromolar range may promote its anticancer action by targeting glycolysis in phenotypically distinct breast cancer cells.

How Malaysian Managers Persuade Employees' Innovative Behaviour?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Farid, Hadi; Hakimian, Fatemeh; Ismail, Mohd Nazari

2017-01-01

The intention of this paper was to examine the impact of six selected leaders' behaviours on employees' innovative behaviour through the mediating role of leader-member exchange (LMX). A total number of 155 pairs of employees and their immediate managers participated in this study. Employees rated...... their managers' behaviours and managers evaluated their subordinates' innovative behaviour. Both managers and employees answered to LMX measurement. Then, the agreements of employees' and managers' LMX rating were applied based on the results of within and between analysis (WABA). The obtained data were analysed...... through structural equation modelling-partial least square (SEM-PLS). The findings revealed the significance of mediating role of LMX in relationship between behaviour of recognising, taking risks for change and paternalistic with employees' innovative behaviour. Thus, this study has contributed...

How Malaysian managers persuade employees' innovative behaviour?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Farid, Hadi; Hakimian, Fatemeh; Ismail, Mohd Nazari

2017-01-01

The intention of this paper was to examine the impact of six selected leaders' behaviours on employees' innovative behaviour through the mediating role of leader-member exchange (LMX). A total number of 155 pairs of employees and their immediate managers participated in this study. Employees rated...... their managers' behaviours and managers evaluated their subordinates' innovative behaviour. Both managers and employees answered to LMX measurement. Then, the agreements of employees' and managers' LMX rating were applied based on the results of within and between analysis (WABA). The obtained data were analysed...... through structural equation modelling-partial least square (SEM-PLS). The findings revealed the significance of mediating role of LMX in relationship between behaviour of recognising, taking risks for change and paternalistic with employees' innovative behaviour. Thus, this study has contributed...

Geographical differences in maternal basking behaviour and offspring growth rate in a climatically widespread viviparous reptile.

Science.gov (United States)

Cadby, Chloé D; Jones, Susan M; Wapstra, Erik

2014-04-01

In reptiles, the thermal environment during embryonic development affects offspring phenotypic traits and potentially offspring fitness. In viviparous species, mothers can potentially manipulate the embryonic thermal environment through their basking behaviour and, thus, may be able to manipulate offspring phenotype and increase offspring fitness. One way in which mothers can maximise offspring phenotype (and thus potentially affect offspring fitness) is by fine-tuning their basking behaviour to the environment in order to buffer the embryo from deleterious developmental temperatures. In widespread species, it is unclear whether populations that have evolved under different climatic conditions will exhibit different maternal behaviours and/or thermal effects on offspring phenotype. To test this, we provided extended or reduced basking opportunity to gravid spotted skinks (Niveoscincus ocellatus) and their offspring from two populations at the climatic extremes of the species' distribution. Gravid females fine-tuned their basking behaviour to the basking opportunity, which allowed them to buffer their embryos from potentially negative thermal effects. This fine-tuning of female basking behaviour appears to have led to the expression of geographical differences in basking behaviour, with females from the cold alpine regions being more opportunistic in their basking behaviour than females from the warmer regions. However, those differences in maternal behaviour did not preclude the evolution of geographic differences in thermal effects: offspring growth varied between populations, potentially suggesting local adaptation to basking conditions. Our results demonstrate that maternal effects and phenotypic plasticity can play a significant role in allowing species to cope in changing environmental conditions, which is particularly relevant in the context of climate change.

A theory-informed approach to developing visually mediated interventions to change behaviour using an asthma and physical activity intervention exemplar.

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, Jennifer; Williams, Brian; Hoskins, Gaylor; Skar, Silje; McGhee, John; Treweek, Shaun; Sniehotta, Falko F; Sheikh, Aziz; Brown, Gordon; Hagen, Suzanne; Cameron, Linda; Jones, Claire; Gauld, Dylan

2016-01-01

Visualisation techniques are used in a range of healthcare interventions. However, these frequently lack a coherent rationale or clear theoretical basis. This lack of definition and explicit targeting of the underlying mechanisms may impede the success of and evaluation of the intervention. We describe the theoretical development, deployment, and pilot evaluation, of a complex visually mediated behavioural intervention. The exemplar intervention focused on increasing physical activity among young people with asthma. We employed an explicit five-stage development model, which was actively supported by a consultative user group. The developmental stages involved establishing the theoretical basis, establishing a narrative structure, visual rendering, checking interpretation, and pilot testing. We conducted in-depth interviews and focus groups during early development and checking, followed by an online experiment for pilot testing. A total of 91 individuals, including young people with asthma, parents, teachers, and health professionals, were involved in development and testing. Our final intervention consisted of two components: (1) an interactive 3D computer animation to create intentions and (2) an action plan and volitional help sheet to promote the translation of intentions to behaviour. Theory was mediated throughout by visual and audio forms. The intervention was regarded as highly acceptable, engaging, and meaningful by all stakeholders. The perceived impact on asthma understanding and intentions was reported positively, with most individuals saying that the 3D computer animation had either clarified a range of issues or made them more real. Our five-stage model underpinned by extensive consultation worked well and is presented as a framework to support explicit decision-making for others developing theory informed visually mediated interventions. We have demonstrated the ability to develop theory-based visually mediated behavioural interventions. However

Morphology and behaviour: functional links in development and evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Bertossa, Rinaldo C.

2011-01-01

Development and evolution of animal behaviour and morphology are frequently addressed independently, as reflected in the dichotomy of disciplines dedicated to their study distinguishing object of study (morphology versus behaviour) and perspective (ultimate versus proximate). Although traits are known to develop and evolve semi-independently, they are matched together in development and evolution to produce a unique functional phenotype. Here I highlight similarities shared by both traits, such as the decisive role played by the environment for their ontogeny. Considering the widespread developmental and functional entanglement between both traits, many cases of adaptive evolution are better understood when proximate and ultimate explanations are integrated. A field integrating these perspectives is evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo), which studies the developmental basis of phenotypic diversity. Ultimate aspects in evo-devo studies—which have mostly focused on morphological traits—could become more apparent when behaviour, ‘the integrator of form and function’, is integrated into the same framework of analysis. Integrating a trait such as behaviour at a different level in the biological hierarchy will help to better understand not only how behavioural diversity is produced, but also how levels are connected to produce functional phenotypes and how these evolve. A possible framework to accommodate and compare form and function at different levels of the biological hierarchy is outlined. At the end, some methodological issues are discussed. PMID:21690124

Ethnic Identity, Externalizing Problem Behaviour and the Mediating Role of Self-Esteem among Dutch, Turkish-Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Wissink, Inge B.; Dekovic, Maja; Yagmur, Sengul; Stams, Geert Jan; de Haan, Mariette

2008-01-01

The present study examined whether self-esteem mediates the relationship between two aspects of ethnic identity (i.e. ethnic identity exploration and ethnic identity commitment-affirmation) and externalizing problem behaviour in Dutch, Turkish-Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch adolescents living in the Netherlands. A total number of 345 adolescents (115…

Acetaldehyde as the first hit of addictive behaviour

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angela Cavallaro

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Unhealthy alcohol use is common in the Western society, which puts risk of health consequences, causing multiple behavioural injuries. Increasing evidence focuses on acetaldehyde, the first metabolite of ethanol, as the mediator of the several behavioural actions of alcohol, including its rewarding and motivational effects. In particular, acetaldehyde induces dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens modulating primary alcohol rewarding effect, drug seeking, and relapse behaviour. Recent behavioural studies point at acetaldehyde as a drug of abuse since its oral self-administration is induced and maintained in an operant/conflict paradigm. These findings provide further evidence on the role played by the acetaldehyde as a mediator of the effects of alcohol and focus attention on this molecule to arrange a more effective strategy, aimed at the prevention and treatment of alcohol abuse. Thus, the aim of this review is to summarize latest results on the role of acetaldehyde as the mediator of ethanol-central effects focusing on its capacity to induce an addictive behaviour.

Polysaccharides from Ganoderma lucidum attenuate microglia-mediated neuroinflammation and modulate microglial phagocytosis and behavioural response.

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Cai, Qing; Li, Yuanyuan; Pei, Gang

2017-03-24

Ganoderma lucidum (GL) has been widely used in Asian countries for hundreds of years to promote health and longevity. The pharmacological functions of which had been classified, including the activation of innate immune responses, suppression of tumour and modulation of cell proliferations. Effective fractions of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides (GLP) had already been reported to regulate the immune system. Nevertheless, the role of GLP in the microglia-mediated neuroinflammation has not been sufficiently elucidated. Further, GLP effect on microglial behavioural modulations in correlation with the inflammatory responses remains to be unravelled. The aim of this work was to quantitatively analyse the contributions of GLP on microglia. The BV2 microglia and primary mouse microglia were stimulated by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and amyloid beta 42 (Aβ 42 ) oligomer, respectively. Investigation on the effect of GLP was carried by quantitative determination of the microglial pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine expressions and behavioural modulations including migration, morphology and phagocytosis. Analysis of microglial morphology and phagocytosis modulations was confirmed in the zebrafish brain. Quantitative results revealed that GLP down-regulates LPS- or Aβ-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines and promotes anti-inflammatory cytokine expressions in BV-2 and primary microglia. In addition, GLP attenuates inflammation-related microglial migration, morphological alterations and phagocytosis probabilities. We also showed that modulations of microglial behavioural responses were associated with MCP-1 and C1q expressions. Overall, our study provides an insight into the GLP regulation of LPS- and Aβ-induced neuroinflammation and serves an implication that the neuroprotective function of GLP might be achieved through modulation of microglial inflammatory and behavioural responses.

Parental discipline behaviours and beliefs about their child: associations with child internalizing and mediation relationships.

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Laskey, B J; Cartwright-Hatton, S

2009-09-01

Internalizing disorders of childhood are a common and disabling problem, with sufferers at increased risk of subsequent psychiatric morbidity. Several studies have found associations between parenting styles and children's internalizing, although few have considered the role of parental discipline. Parental discipline style may exert an effect on children's internalizing symptoms. Anxiety and depression are reliably found to run in families and parental anxiety has been shown to effect parenting behaviour. This study set out to examine the links between parental anxiety, parental discipline style and child internalizing symptoms. Eighty-eight parents of children aged 4-10 years were recruited through primary schools. All parents completed questionnaires including measures relating to: adult anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - Trait version, Penn State Worry Questionnaire), parental depression (Beck Depression Inventory - Fastscreen), parental discipline (The Parenting Scale), parenting-related attributions (Parenting Attitudes, Beliefs and Cognitions Scale) and child psychological morbidity (Child Behaviour Checklist 4-18 version). Significant correlations were found between both parental anxiety and child internalizing symptoms with ineffective discipline and negative beliefs about parenting. Particularly strong correlations were found between parental anxiety and child internalizing symptoms with harsh discipline. Parents of anxious/withdrawn children were more likely to hold negative beliefs about their child. The link between parental anxiety and child internalizing symptoms was mediated by harsh discipline. The link between parental anxiety and harsh discipline was mediated by parental beliefs about the child. Discipline style may be an important factor in the relationship between parent anxiety and child internalizing symptoms.

Pheno-phenotypes: a holistic approach to the psychopathology of schizophrenia.

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Stanghellini, Giovanni; Rossi, Rodolfo

2014-05-01

Mental disorders are mainly characterized via symptom assessment. Symptoms are state-like macroscopic anomalies of behaviour, experience, and expression that are deemed relevant for diagnostic purposes. An alternative approach is based on the concept of endophenotypes, which are physiological or behavioural measures occupying the terrain between symptoms and risk genotypes. We will critically discuss these two approaches, and later focus on the concept of pheno-phenotype as it is revealed by recent phenomenological research on schizophrenia. Several studies have been recently published on the schizophrenic pheno-phenotype mainly addressing self-disorders, as well as disorders of time and bodily experience. The mainstream approach to psychopathological phenotypes is focussed on easy-to-assess operationalizable symptoms. Thinness of phenotypes and simplification of clinical constructs are the consequences of this. Also, this approach has not been successful in investigating the biological causes of mental disorders. An integrative approach is based on the concept of 'endophenotype'. Endophenotypes were conceptualized as a supportive tool for the genetic dissection of psychiatric disorders. The underlying rationale states that disease-specific phenotypes should be the upstream phenotypic manifestation of a smaller genotype than the whole disease-related genotype. Psychopathological phenotypes can also be characterized in terms of pheno-phenotypes. This approach aims at delineating the manifold phenomena experienced by patients in all of their concrete and distinctive features, so that the features of a pathological condition emerge, while preserving their peculiar feel, meaning, and value for the patient. Systematic explorations of anomalies in the patients' experience, for example, of time, space, body, self, and otherness, may provide a useful integration to the symptom-based and endophenotype-based approaches. These abnormal phenomena can be used as pointers to the

Mediating Effects of Coping, Personal Belief, and Social Support on the Relationship among Stress, Depression, and Smoking Behaviour in University Students

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Sun, Jing; Buys, Nicholas; Stewart, Donald; Shum, David

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether university students' smoking behaviour is associated with higher levels of stress and depression directly, or indirectly, via the mediation of coping, personal beliefs and social support. Design/methodology/approach: The study design involves a cross-sectional survey. Structural equation…

Relationship between endophenotype and phenotype in ADHD

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Buitelaar Jan K

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background It has been hypothesized that genetic and environmental factors relate to psychiatric disorders through the effect of intermediating, vulnerability traits called endophenotypes. The study had a threefold aim: to examine the predictive validity of an endophenotypic construct for the ADHD diagnosis, to test whether the magnitude of group differences at the endophenotypic and phenotypic level is comparable, and to investigate whether four factors (gender, age, IQ, rater bias have an effect (moderation or mediation on the relation between endophenotype and phenotype. Methods Ten neurocognitive tasks were administered to 143 children with ADHD, 68 non-affected siblings, and 120 control children (first-borns and 132 children with ADHD, 78 non-affected siblings, and 113 controls (second-borns (5 – 19 years. The task measures have been investigated previously for their endophenotypic viability and were combined to one component which was labeled 'the endophenotypic construct': one measure representative of endophenotypic functioning across several domains of functioning. Results The endophenotypic construct classified children with moderate accuracy (about 50% for each of the three groups. Non-affected children differed as much from controls at the endophenotypic as at the phenotypic level, but affected children displayed a more severe phenotype than endophenotype. Although a potentially moderating effect (age and several mediating effects (gender, age, IQ were found affecting the relation between endophenotypic construct and phenotype, none of the effects studied could account for the finding that affected children had a more severe phenotype than endophenotype. Conclusion Endophenotypic functioning is moderately predictive of the ADHD diagnosis, though findings suggest substantial overlap exists between endophenotypic functioning in the groups of affected children, non-affected siblings, and controls. Results suggest other

The Dutch Obesity Intervention in Teenagers (DOiT) cluster controlled implementation trial: intervention effects and mediators and moderators of adiposity and energy balance-related behaviours.

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van Nassau, Femke; Singh, Amika S; Cerin, Ester; Salmon, Jo; van Mechelen, Willem; Brug, Johannes; Chinapaw, Mai Jm

2014-12-24

The Dutch Obesity Intervention in Teenagers (DOiT) programme is an evidence-based obesity prevention programme tailored to adolescents attending the first two years of prevocational education in the Netherlands. The initial programme showed promising results during an effectiveness trial. The programme was adapted and prepared for nationwide dissemination. To gain more insight into the process of translating evidence-based approaches into 'real world' (i.e., 'natural') conditions, our research aims were to evaluate the impact of the DOiT-implementation programme on adolescents' adiposity and energy balance-related behaviours during natural dissemination and to explore the mediating and moderating factors underlying the DOiT intervention effects. We conducted a cluster-controlled implementation trial with 20 voluntary intervention schools (n=1002 adolescents) and 9 comparable control schools (n = 484 adolescents). We measured adolescents' body height and weight, skinfold thicknesses, and waist circumference. We assessed adolescents' dietary and physical activity behaviours by means of self-report. Data were collected at baseline and at 20-months follow-up. We used multivariable multilevel linear or logistic regression analyses to evaluate the intervention effects and to test the hypothesised behavioural mediating factors. We checked for potential effect modification by gender, ethnicity and education level. We found no significant intervention effects on any of the adiposity measures or behavioural outcomes. Furthermore, we found no mediating effects by any of the hypothesised behavioural mediators. Stratified analyses for gender showed that the intervention was effective in reducing sugar-containing beverage consumption in girls (B = -188.2 ml/day; 95% CI = -344.0; -32.3). In boys, we found a significant positive intervention effect on breakfast frequency (B = 0.29 days/week; 95% CI = 0.01; 0.58). Stratified analyses for education level showed

A holistic model of behavioural branding: The role of employee behaviours and internal branding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mazzei, Alessandra; Ravazzani, Silvia

2015-01-01

consistent meaning during the interaction with customers. It reviews the literature about behavioural branding and its antecedents, mediating variables and consequences in order to develop a holistic model of the inside-out brand building process, rooted in the theoretical perspectives of proactive...... behaviours, hierarchy of effects and planned behaviour. The paper concludes with a reflection on the role of internal branding in eliciting and managing employee brand consistent behaviours, and with avenues for future empirical research aimed to verify the model, its constructs and related measures....

In wound repair vimentin mediates the transition of mesenchymal leader cells to a myofibroblast phenotype.

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Walker, J L; Bleaken, B M; Romisher, A R; Alnwibit, A A; Menko, A S

2018-05-02

Following injury, mesenchymal repair cells are activated to function as leader cells that modulate wound healing. These cells have the potential to differentiate to myofibroblasts, resulting in fibrosis and scarring. The signals underlying these differing pathways are complex and incompletely understood. The ex vivo mock cataract surgery cultures are an attractive model with which to address this question. With this model we study, concurrently, the mechanisms that control mesenchymal leader cell function in injury repair within their native microenvironment, and the signals that induce this same cell population to acquire a myofibroblast phenotype when these cells encounter the environment of the adjacent tissue culture platform. Here, we show that upon injury, the cytoskeletal protein vimentin is released into the extracellular space, binds to the cell surface of the mesenchymal leader cells located at the wound edge in the native matrix environment, and supports wound closure. In pro-fibrotic environments, the extracellular vimentin pool also links specifically to the mesenchymal leader cells, and has an essential role in signaling their fate change to a myofibroblast. These findings suggest a novel role for extracellular, cell-surface-associated vimentin in mediating repair-cell function in wound repair and in transitioning these cells to a myofibroblast phenotype. Movie S1 Movie S1 Collective movement of mesenchymal leader and epithelial follower cells across the tissue culture substrate (ECZ) in response to injury was followed by time-lapse imaging from D0-D3. The mesenchymal cells at the leading edge were easily distinguished morphologically from the lens epithelial follower cells.

Heregulin ameliorates the dystrophic phenotype in mdx mice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krag, Thomas O B; Bogdanovich, Sasha; Jensen, Claus J

2004-01-01

Duchenne's muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a fatal neuromuscular disease caused by absence of dystrophin. Utrophin is a chromosome 6-encoded dystrophin-related protein (DRP), sharing functional motifs with dystrophin. Utrophin's ability to compensate for dystrophin during development and when....... Therefore, this pathway offers a potential mechanism to modulate utrophin expression in muscle. We tested the ability of heregulin to improve the dystrophic phenotype in the mdx mouse model of DMD. Intraperitoneal injections of a small peptide encoding the epidermal growth factor-like region of heregulin...... ectodomain for 3 months in vivo resulted in up-regulation of utrophin, a marked improvement in the mechanical properties of muscle as evidenced by resistance to eccentric contraction mediated damage, and a reduction of muscle pathology. The amelioration of dystrophic phenotype by heregulin-mediated utrophin...

Psychological mediators related to clinical outcome in cognitive behavioural therapy for coronary heart disease: A sub-analysis from the SUPRIM trial.

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Norlund, Fredrika; Olsson, Erik Mg; Pingel, Ronnie; Held, Claes; Svärdsudd, Kurt; Gulliksson, Mats; Burell, Gunilla

2017-06-01

Background The Secondary Prevention in Uppsala Primary Healthcare Project (SUPRIM) was a randomized controlled trial of a group-based cognitive behavioural therapy stress management programme for patients with coronary heart disease. The project was successful in reducing the risk of fatal or non-fatal first recurrent cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of cognitive behavioural therapy on self-rated stress, somatic anxiety, vital exhaustion and depression and to study the associations of these factors with the reduction in cardiovascular events. Methods A total of 362 patients were randomly assigned to intervention or usual care groups. The psychological outcomes were assessed five times during 24 months and analysed using linear mixed models. The mediating roles of the outcomes were analysed using joint modelling of the longitudinal and time to event data. Results The intervention had a positive effect on somatic anxiety ( p < 0.05), reflecting a beneficial development over time compared with the controls. Stress, vital exhaustion and depression did not differ between the groups over time. Mediator analysis suggested that somatic anxiety may have mediated the effect of treatment on cardiovascular events. Conclusions The intervention had a small positive effect on somatic anxiety, but did not affect stress, vital exhaustion or depression in patients with coronary heart disease. Somatic anxiety was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events and might act as a partial mediator in the treatment effect on cardiovascular events. However, the mechanisms between the intervention and the protective cardiovascular outcome remain to be identified.

Microorganism-mediated behaviour of malaria mosquitoes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Busula, Annette O.

2017-01-01

Host-seeking is an important component of mosquito vectorial capacity on which the success of the other behavioural determinants depends. Blood-seeking mosquitoes are mainly guided by chemical cues released by their blood hosts. This thesis describes results of a study that determined the effect

Lessons Learned While Developing, Adapting and Implementing a Pilot Parent-Mediated Behavioural Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Rural Bangladesh

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Blake, Jasmine M.; Rubenstein, Eric; Tsai, Peng-Chou; Rahman, Hafizur; Rieth, Sarah R.; Ali, Hasmot; Lee, Li-Ching

2017-01-01

Low- and middle-income countries often have limited resources, underdeveloped health systems and scarce knowledge of autism spectrum disorder. The objectives of this preliminary study were to develop and adapt intervention materials and to train a native clinician to implement a community-based parent-mediated behavioural intervention in rural…

HvCKX2 gene silencing by biolistic or Agrobacterium-mediated transformation in barley leads to different phenotypes.

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Zalewski, Wojciech; Orczyk, Wacław; Gasparis, Sebastian; Nadolska-Orczyk, Anna

2012-11-07

CKX genes encode cytokinin dehydrogenase enzymes (CKX), which metabolize cytokinins in plants and influence developmental processes. The genes are expressed in different tissues and organs during development; however, their exact role in barley is poorly understood. It has already been proven that RNA interference (RNAi)-based silencing of HvCKX1 decreased the CKX level, especially in those organs which showed the highest expression, i.e. developing kernels and roots, leading to higher plant productivity and higher mass of the roots [1]. The same type of RNAi construct was applied to silence HvCKX2 and analyze the function of the gene. Two cultivars of barley were transformed with the same silencing and selection cassettes by two different methods: biolistic and via Agrobacterium. The mean Agrobacterium-mediated transformation efficiency of Golden Promise was 3.47% (±2.82). The transcript level of HvCKX2 in segregating progeny of T(1) lines was decreased to 34%. The reduction of the transcript in Agrobacterium-derived plants resulted in decreased CKX activity in the developing and developed leaves as well as in 7 DAP (days after pollination) spikes. The final phenotypic effect was increased productivity of T(0) plants and T(1) lines. Higher productivity was the result of the higher number of seeds and higher grain yield. It was also correlated with the higher 1000 grain weight, increased (by 7.5%) height of the plants and higher (from 0.5 to 2) numbers of spikes. The transformation efficiency of Golden Promise after biolistic transformation was more than twice as low compared to Agrobacterium. The transcript level in segregating progeny of T(1) lines was decreased to 24%. Otherwise, the enzyme activity found in the leaves of the lines after biolistic transformation, especially in cv. Golden Promise, was very high, exceeding the relative level of the control lines. These unbalanced ratios of the transcript level and the activity of the CKX enzyme negatively

The Fragile X Syndrome: Behavioral Phenotype and Learning Disabilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudia GRAU RUBIO

2016-04-01

Full Text Available In this article, we describe the behavioral phenotype of individuals with Fragile X Syndrome and its impact in the educational scope. This syndrome is characterized by difficulties in sensory integration, cognitive deficits (verbal reasoning, abstract/ visual and cuantitative skills, short term memory, sequential processing, attention and executive processes, language disorders (phonetic-phonologicals, semanticals, morphosyntacticals and pragmaticals and communication disorders, social anxiety, general hyperarousal, autism, non autistic social difficulties, attention deficit and hyperactivity, and learning disabilities. The behavioral phenotype is highly variable and depends on sex, age, and mutation status (full mutation or premutation. The behavioural phenotype has important repercussions in education, as it enables us to understand the learning disabilities and to develop specific intervention strategies.

The impact of workplace spirituality dimensions on organisational citizenship behaviour among nurses with the mediating effect of affective organisational commitment.

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Kazemipour, Farahnaz; Mohd Amin, Salmiah

2012-12-01

To investigate the relationship between workplace spirituality dimensions and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) among nurses through the mediating effect of affective organisational commitment. Nurses' OCB has been considered recently to improve the quality of services to patients and subsequently, their performance. As an influential attitude, affective organisational commitment has been recognized to influence OCB, and ultimately, organisational performance. Meanwhile, workplace spirituality is introduced as a new organisational behaviour concept to increase affective commitment influencing employees' OCB. The cross-sectional study and the respective data were collected with a questionnaire-based survey. The questionnaires were distributed to 305 nurses employed in four public and general Iranian hospitals. To analyse the data, descriptive statistics, Pearson coefficient, simple regression, multiple regression and path analyses were also conducted. The results indicated that workplace spirituality dimensions including meaningful work, a sense of community and an alignment with organisational values have a significant positive relationship with OCB. Moreover, affective organisational commitment mediated the impact of workplace spirituality on OCB. The concept of workplace spirituality through its dimensions predicts nurses' OCB, and affective organisational commitment partially mediated the relationship between workplace spirituality and OCB. Nurses' managers should consider the potentially positive influence of workplace spirituality on OCB and affective commitment among their nurses. With any plan to increase workplace spirituality, the respective managers can improve nurses' performance and would be of considerable importance in the healthcare system. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Job security and work performance in Chinese employees: The mediating role of organisational identification.

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Ma, Bing; Liu, Shanshi; Liu, Donglai; Wang, Hongchun

2016-04-01

This research focuses on investigating whether organisational identification mediates the effects of job security on in-role behaviour and extra-role behaviour and how these mediation mechanisms differ according to gender. Through analysing 212 supervisor-subordinate dyads from a Chinese air transportation group, the research indicated that organisational identification partially mediated the effect of job security on in-role behaviour and fully mediated the effect of job security on extra-role behaviour. A multi-group analysis also showed that there were significant differences between male and female employees in these relationships. In addition, moderated mediation analyses showed that gender moderated the indirect effects of job security on in-role behaviour and extra-role behaviour through organisational identification. Limitations and implications of these findings are discussed. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.

Policy-relevant behaviours predict heavier drinking and mediate the relationship with age, gender and education status: Analysis from the International Alcohol Control study.

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Casswell, Sally; Huckle, Taisia; Wall, Martin; Parker, Karl; Chaiyasong, Surasak; Parry, Charles D H; Viet Cuong, Pham; Gray-Phillip, Gaile; Piazza, Marina

2018-02-21

To investigate behaviours related to four alcohol policy variables (policy-relevant behaviours) and demographic variables in relation to typical quantities of alcohol consumed on-premise in six International Alcohol Control study countries. General population surveys with drinkers using a comparable survey instrument and data analysed using path analysis in an overall model and for each country. typical quantities per occasion consumed on-premise; gender, age; years of education, prices paid, time of purchase, time to access alcohol and liking for alcohol advertisements. In the overall model younger people, males and those with fewer years of education consumed larger typical quantities. Overall lower prices paid, later time of purchase and liking for alcohol ads predicted consuming larger typical quantities; this was found in the high-income countries, less consistently in the high-middle-income countries and not in the low middle-income country. Three policy-relevant behaviours (prices paid, time of purchase, liking for alcohol ads) mediated the relationships between age, gender, education and consumption in high-income countries. International Alcohol Control survey data showed a relationship between policy-relevant behaviours and typical quantities consumed and support the likely effect of policy change (trading hours, price and restrictions on marketing) on heavier drinking. The path analysis also revealed policy-relevant behaviours were significant mediating variables between the effect of age, gender and educational status on consumption. However, this relationship is clearest in high-income countries. Further research is required to understand better how circumstances in low-middle-income countries impact effects of policies. © 2018 The Authors Drug and Alcohol Review published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Involvement of dopamine D2 receptors in addictive-like behaviour for acetaldehyde.

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Brancato, Anna; Plescia, Fulvio; Marino, Rosa Anna Maria; Maniaci, Giuseppe; Navarra, Michele; Cannizzaro, Carla

2014-01-01

Acetaldehyde, the first metabolite of ethanol, is active in the central nervous system, where it exerts motivational properties. Acetaldehyde is able to induce drinking behaviour in operant-conflict paradigms that resemble the core features of the addictive phenotype: drug-intake acquisition and maintenance, drug-seeking, relapse and drug use despite negative consequences. Since acetaldehyde directly stimulates dopamine neuronal firing in the mesolimbic system, the aim of this study was the investigation of dopamine D2-receptors' role in the onset of the operant drinking behaviour for acetaldehyde in different functional stages, by the administration of two different D2-receptor agonists, quinpirole and ropinirole. Our results show that acetaldehyde was able to induce and maintain a drug-taking behaviour, displaying an escalation during training, and a reinstatement behaviour after 1-week forced abstinence. Acetaldehyde operant drinking behaviour involved D2-receptor signalling: in particular, quinpirole administration at 0.03 mg/kg, induced a significant decrease in the number of lever presses both in extinction and in relapse. Ropinirole, administered at 0.03 mg/kg during extinction, did not produce any modification but, when administered during abstinence, induced a strong decrease in acetaldehyde intake in the following relapse session. Taken together, our data suggest that acetaldehyde exerts its own motivational properties, involving the dopaminergic transmission: indeed, activation of pre-synaptic D2-receptors by quinpirole, during extinction and relapse, negatively affects operant behaviour for acetaldehyde, likely decreasing acetaldehyde-induced dopamine release. The activation of post-synaptic D2-receptors by ropinirole, during abstinence, decreases the motivation to the consecutive reinstatement of acetaldehyde drinking behaviour, likely counteracting the reduction in the dopaminergic tone typical of withdrawal. These data further strengthen the evidence

Involvement of dopamine D2 receptors in addictive-like behaviour for acetaldehyde.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Brancato

Full Text Available Acetaldehyde, the first metabolite of ethanol, is active in the central nervous system, where it exerts motivational properties. Acetaldehyde is able to induce drinking behaviour in operant-conflict paradigms that resemble the core features of the addictive phenotype: drug-intake acquisition and maintenance, drug-seeking, relapse and drug use despite negative consequences. Since acetaldehyde directly stimulates dopamine neuronal firing in the mesolimbic system, the aim of this study was the investigation of dopamine D2-receptors' role in the onset of the operant drinking behaviour for acetaldehyde in different functional stages, by the administration of two different D2-receptor agonists, quinpirole and ropinirole. Our results show that acetaldehyde was able to induce and maintain a drug-taking behaviour, displaying an escalation during training, and a reinstatement behaviour after 1-week forced abstinence. Acetaldehyde operant drinking behaviour involved D2-receptor signalling: in particular, quinpirole administration at 0.03 mg/kg, induced a significant decrease in the number of lever presses both in extinction and in relapse. Ropinirole, administered at 0.03 mg/kg during extinction, did not produce any modification but, when administered during abstinence, induced a strong decrease in acetaldehyde intake in the following relapse session. Taken together, our data suggest that acetaldehyde exerts its own motivational properties, involving the dopaminergic transmission: indeed, activation of pre-synaptic D2-receptors by quinpirole, during extinction and relapse, negatively affects operant behaviour for acetaldehyde, likely decreasing acetaldehyde-induced dopamine release. The activation of post-synaptic D2-receptors by ropinirole, during abstinence, decreases the motivation to the consecutive reinstatement of acetaldehyde drinking behaviour, likely counteracting the reduction in the dopaminergic tone typical of withdrawal. These data further

The Mediating Roles of Internal Context Variables in the Relationship between Distributed Leadership Perceptions and Continuous Change Behaviours of Public School Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Kondakci, Yasar; Zayim, Merve; Beycioglu, Kadir; Sincar, Mehmet; Ugurlu, Celal T

2016-01-01

This study aims at building a theoretical base for continuous change in education and using this base to test the mediating roles of two key contextual variables, knowledge sharing and trust, in the relationship between the distributed leadership perceptions and continuous change behaviours of teachers. Data were collected from 687 public school…

Development of a Mobile Multispectral Imaging Platform for Precise Field Phenotyping

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Svensgaard, J.; Roitsch, Thomas; Christensen, C.

2014-01-01

Roč. 4, č. 3 (2014), s. 322-336 ISSN 2073-4395 Institutional support: RVO:67179843 Keywords : field phenotyping * multispectral imaging * supervised classification * canonical discriminant analysis * vegetation coverage * NDVI Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour

Corticosterone mediates some but not other behavioural changes induced by prenatal stress in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Salomon, S; Bejar, C; Schorer-Apelbaum, D; Weinstock, M

2011-02-01

The effect of daily varied stress from days 13-21 of gestation in Wistar rats was investigated by tests of learning and memory and anxiogenic behaviour in the 60-day-old offspring of both sexes. Prenatal stress decreased the anogenital distance in males at 1 day of age. Anxiogenic behaviour in the elevated plus maze was seen in prenatally-stressed rats of both genders. There was no significant gender difference in the rate of spatial learning in the Morris water maze but prenatal stress only slowed that of males. In the object recognition test with an inter-trial interval of 40 min, females but not males, discriminated between a familiar and novel object. Prenatal stress did not affect object discrimination in females but feminised that in males. Maternal adrenalectomy with replacement of basal corticosterone levels in the drinking fluid prevented all of the above effects of prenatal stress in the offspring. To mimic the peak corticosterone levels and time course of elevation in response to stress, corticosterone (3 mg/kg) was injected twice (0 and 30 min) on days 13-16 and once on days 17-20 of gestation to adrenalectomised mothers. This treatment re-instated anxiogenic behaviour similar to that induced by prenatal stress, indicating that it is mediated by exposure of the foetal brain to raised levels of corticosterone. However, steroid administration to adrenalectomised dams did not decrease anogenital distance, feminise object recognition memory or slow spatial learning in their male offspring. The findings indicate that other adrenal hormones are necessary to induce these effects of prenatal stress. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Neuroendocrinology © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Knowing your genes: does this impact behaviour change?

Science.gov (United States)

O'Donovan, Clare B; Walsh, Marianne C; Gibney, Michael J; Brennan, Lorraine; Gibney, Eileen R

2017-08-01

It is postulated that knowledge of genotype may be more powerful than other types of personalised information in terms of motivating behaviour change. However, there is also a danger that disclosure of genetic risk may promote a fatalistic attitude and demotivate individuals. The original concept of personalised nutrition (PN) focused on genotype-based tailored dietary advice; however, PN can also be delivered based on assessment of dietary intake and phenotypic measures. Whilst dietitians currently provide PN advice based on diet and phenotype, genotype-based PN advice is not so readily available. The aim of this review is to examine the evidence for genotype-based personalised information on motivating behaviour change, and factors which may affect the impact of genotype-based personalised advice. Recent findings in PN will also be discussed, with respect to a large European study, Food4Me, which investigated the impact of varying levels of PN advice on motivating behaviour change. The researchers reported that PN advice resulted in greater dietary changes compared with general healthy eating advice, but no additional benefit was observed for PN advice based on phenotype and genotype information. Within Food4Me, work from our group revealed that knowledge of MTHFR genotype did not significantly improve intakes of dietary folate. In general, evidence is weak with regard to genotype-based PN advice. For future work, studies should test the impact of PN advice developed on a strong nutrigenetic evidence base, ensure an appropriate study design for the research question asked, and incorporate behaviour change techniques into the intervention.

Between and within laboratory reliability of mouse behaviour recorded in home-cage and open-field.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Lianne; Spruijt, Berry; Riedel, Gernot

2018-04-15

Reproducibility of behavioural findings between laboratories is difficult due to behaviour being sensitive to environmental factors and interactions with genetics. The objective of this study was to investigate reproducibility of behavioural data between laboratories using the PhenoTyper home cage observation system and within laboratory reproducibility using different lighting regimes. The ambulatory activity of C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice was tested in PhenoTypers in two laboratories under near identical housing and testing conditions (Exp. 1). Additionally activity and anxiety were also assessed in the open-field test. Furthermore, testing in either a normal or inverted light/dark cycle was used to determine effects of lighting regime in a within-laboratory comparison in Aberdeen (Exp. 2). Using the PhenoTyper similar circadian rhythms were observed across laboratories. Higher levels of baseline and novelty-induced activity were evident in Aberdeen compared to Utrecht although strain differences were consistent between laboratories. Open field activity was also similar across laboratories whereas strain differences in anxiety were different. Within laboratory analysis of different lighting regimes revealed that behaviour of the mice was sensitive to changes in lighting. Utilisation of a home cage observation system facilitates the reproducibility of activity but not anxiety-related behaviours across laboratories by eliminating environmental factors known to influence reproducibility in standard behavioural tests. Standardisation of housing/test conditions resulted in reproducibility of home cage and open field activity but not anxiety-related phenotypes across laboratories with some behaviours more sensitive to environmental factors. Environmental factors include lighting and time of day. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

PDGF-DD, a novel mediator of smooth muscle cell phenotypic modulation, is upregulated in endothelial cells exposed to atherosclerosis-prone flow patterns.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, James A; Deaton, Rebecca A; Hastings, Nicole E; Shang, Yueting; Moehle, Christopher W; Eriksson, Ulf; Topouzis, Stavros; Wamhoff, Brian R; Blackman, Brett R; Owens, Gary K

2009-02-01

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB is a well-known smooth muscle (SM) cell (SMC) phenotypic modulator that signals by binding to PDGF alphaalpha-, alphabeta-, and betabeta-membrane receptors. PDGF-DD is a recently identified PDGF family member, and its role in SMC phenotypic modulation is unknown. Here we demonstrate that PDGF-DD inhibited expression of multiple SMC genes, including SM alpha-actin and SM myosin heavy chain, and upregulated expression of the potent SMC differentiation repressor gene Kruppel-like factor-4 at the mRNA and protein levels. On the basis of the results of promoter-reporter assays, changes in SMC gene expression were mediated, at least in part, at the level of transcription. Attenuation of the SMC phenotypic modulatory activity of PDGF-DD by pharmacological inhibitors of ERK phosphorylation and by a small interfering RNA to Kruppel-like factor-4 highlight the role of these two pathways in this process. PDGF-DD failed to repress SM alpha-actin and SM myosin heavy chain in mouse SMCs lacking a functional PDGF beta-receptor. Importantly, PDGF-DD expression was increased in neointimal lesions in the aortic arch region of apolipoprotein C-deficient (ApoE(-/-)) mice. Furthermore, human endothelial cells exposed to an atherosclerosis-prone flow pattern, as in vascular regions susceptible to the development of atherosclerosis, exhibited a significant increase in PDGF-DD expression. These findings demonstrate a novel activity for PDGF-DD in SMC biology and highlight the potential contribution of this molecule to SMC phenotypic modulation in the setting of disturbed blood flow.

Lessons learned while developing, adapting and implementing a pilot parent-mediated behavioural intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder in rural Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Blake, Jasmine M; Rubenstein, Eric; Tsai, Peng-Chou; Rahman, Hafizur; Rieth, Sarah R; Ali, Hasmot; Lee, Li-Ching

2017-07-01

Low- and middle-income countries often have limited resources, underdeveloped health systems and scarce knowledge of autism spectrum disorder. The objectives of this preliminary study were to develop and adapt intervention materials and to train a native clinician to implement a community-based parent-mediated behavioural intervention in rural Gaibandha, Bangladesh. Intervention materials to support parents' use of behavioural strategies were developed and refined by US behavioural intervention experts and Bangladesh field experts. Study investigators trained a native child psychologist in developmental milestones and behavioural intervention techniques. The native clinician delivered a 1-day group education session attended by 10 families of children aged 7-9 years with autism spectrum disorder, followed by two one-on-one training sessions with each family to train and practice individualized strategies for targeted challenging behaviours. Preliminary qualitative results indicate the importance of materials that are culturally appropriate and at an adequate literacy level. All families expressed strong desires to have learned the behavioural strategies when their child was younger and vocalized their need for further support and tools to help their children. This study is a preliminary step to creating sustainable and low-cost autism spectrum disorder interventions in rural Bangladesh, and possibly for families in regions with similar cultural and socioeconomic status backgrounds.

Self-Injurious Behaviour in Cornelia De Lange Syndrome: 1. Prevalence and Phenomenology

Science.gov (United States)

Oliver, C.; Sloneem, J.; Hall, S.; Arron, K.

2009-01-01

Background: Self-injurious behaviour is frequently identified as part of the behavioural phenotype of Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS). We conducted a case-control study of the prevalence and phenomenology of self-injurious behaviour (SIB) in CdLS. Methods: A total of 54 participants with CdLS were compared with 46 individuals who were comparable…

New genes as drivers of phenotypic evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Sidi; Krinsky, Benjamin H.; Long, Manyuan

2014-01-01

During the course of evolution, genomes acquire novel genetic elements as sources of functional and phenotypic diversity, including new genes that originated in recent evolution. In the past few years, substantial progress has been made in understanding the evolution and phenotypic effects of new genes. In particular, an emerging picture is that new genes, despite being present in the genomes of only a subset of species, can rapidly evolve indispensable roles in fundamental biological processes, including development, reproduction, brain function and behaviour. The molecular underpinnings of how new genes can develop these roles are starting to be characterized. These recent discoveries yield fresh insights into our broad understanding of biological diversity at refined resolution. PMID:23949544

Hierarchical compression of Caenorhabditis elegans locomotion reveals phenotypic differences in the organization of behaviour

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gomez-Marin, A.; Stephens, G.J.; Brown, A.E.X.

2016-01-01

Regularities in animal behaviour offer insights into the underlying organizational and functional principles of nervous systems and automated tracking provides the opportunity to extract features of behaviour directly from large-scale video data. Yet how to effectively analyse such behavioural data

Post-intervention effects on screen behaviours and mediating effect of parental regulation: the HEalth In Adolescents study - a multi-component school-based randomized controlled trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bergh, I.H.; van Stralen, M.M.; Bjelland, M.; Grydeland, M.; Lien, N.; Klepp, K.I.; Anderssen, S.A.; Ommundsen, Y.

2014-01-01

Background: To improve effectiveness of future screen behaviour interventions, one needs to know whether an intervention works via the proposed mediating mechanisms and whether the intervention is equally effective among subgroups. Parental regulation is identified as a consistent correlate of

Progressive neurodegenerative and behavioural changes induced by AAV-mediated overexpression of α-synuclein in midbrain dopamine neurons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Decressac, M; Mattsson, Bente; Lundblad, M

2012-01-01

-synuclein, we have now been able to achieve increased levels of α-synuclein in the transduced midbrain dopamine neurons sufficient to induce profound deficits in motor function, accompanied by reduced expression of proteins involved in dopamine neurotransmission and a time-dependent loss of nigral dopamine......Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterised by the progressive loss of nigral dopamine neurons and the presence of synucleinopathy. Overexpression of α-synuclein in vivo using viral vectors has opened interesting possibilities to model PD-like pathology in rodents. However, the attempts made so far...... have failed to show a consistent behavioural phenotype and pronounced dopamine neurodegeneration. Using a more efficient adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector construct, which includes a WPRE enhancer element and uses the neuron-specific synapsin-1 promoter to drive the expression of human wild-type α...

Assertive Anger Mediates Effects of Dialectical Behaviour-informed Skills Training for Borderline Personality Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

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Kramer, Ueli; Pascual-Leone, Antonio; Berthoud, Laurent; de Roten, Yves; Marquet, Pierre; Kolly, Stéphane; Despland, Jean-Nicolas; Page, Dominique

2016-05-01

Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)-informed skills training for borderline personality disorder (BPD) aims at the development of specific emotion regulation skills in patients, particularly with regard to the regulation of problematic anger. While the effects of dialectical behaviour skills training have been shown, their processes of change are rarely examined. Neacsiu, Rizvi and Linehan (2010) found that patient's self-reported use of emotion regulation skills was a mediator of therapeutic change in these treatments; however, they found no effect for problematic anger. From an integrative perspective on anger (Pascual-Leone & Greenberg, 2007; Pascual-Leone & Paivio, 2013), there are several forms of anger, varying in their degree of therapeutic productivity. The present add-on randomized controlled trial included n = 41 patients with BPD (n = 21 DBT-informed skills training versus n = 20 treatment as usual). The first study examined the outcome of the DBT-informed skills training encompassing basic components of training in mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness and emotion regulation. Results showed that symptom reduction was significantly greater in the DBT-informed skills training, compared with the treatment as usual. The second study used process assessment, for which all patient completers underwent a 50-min-long psychological interview both early and late in treatment, which was rated using the Classification of Affective Meaning States. DBT-informed skills training produced increased levels of primary 'assertive' anger, as compared with the treatment as usual, whereas no effect was found for 'rejecting' secondary anger. Most importantly, we showed that changes in assertive anger mediated the reported symptom reduction, in particular in patient's social roles. We discuss these results in the context of underlying mechanisms of change in DBT skills group treatments, in particular towards developing more productive forms of

The use of mediation analysis to assess the effects of a behaviour change communication strategy on bed net ideation and household universal coverage in Tanzania.

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Ricotta, Emily E; Boulay, Marc; Ainslie, Robert; Babalola, Stella; Fotheringham, Megan; Koenker, Hannah; Lynch, Matthew

2015-01-21

SBCC campaigns are designed to act on cognitive, social and emotional factors at the individual or community level. The combination of these factors, referred to as 'ideation', play a role in determining behaviour by reinforcing and confirming decisions about a particular health topic. This study introduces ideation theory and mediation analysis as a way to evaluate the impact of a malaria SBCC campaign in Tanzania, to determine whether exposure to a communication programme influenced universal coverage through mediating ideational variables. A household survey in three districts where community change agents (CCAs) were active was conducted to collect information on ITN use, number of ITNs in the household, and perceptions about ITN use and ownership. Variables relating to attitudes and beliefs were combined to make 'net ideation'. Using an ideational framework, a mediation analysis was conducted to see the impact exposure to a CCA only, mass media and community (M & C) messaging only, or exposure to both, had on household universal coverage, through the mediating variable net ideation. All three levels of exposure (CCA, M & C messaging, or exposure to both) were significantly associated with increased net ideation (CCA: 0.283, 95% CI: 0.136-0.429, p-value: mediation analysis is an applicable new tool to assess SBCC campaigns. Ideation as a mediator of the effects of communication exposure on household universal coverage has implications for designing SBCC to support both mass and continuous distribution efforts, since both heavily rely on consumer participation to obtain and maintain ITNs. Such systems can be strengthened by SBCC programming, generating demand through improving social norms about net ownership and use, perceived benefits of nets, and other behavioural constructs.

From mother to child: orbitofrontal cortex gyrification and changes of drinking behaviour during adolescence.

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Kühn, Simone; Witt, Charlotte; Banaschewski, Tobias; Barbot, Alexis; Barker, Gareth J; Büchel, Christian; Conrod, Patricia J; Flor, Herta; Garavan, Hugh; Ittermann, Bernd; Mann, Karl; Martinot, Jean-Luc; Paus, Tomas; Rietschel, Marcella; Smolka, Michael N; Ströhle, Andreas; Brühl, Rüdiger; Schumann, Gunter; Heinz, Andreas; Gallinat, Jürgen

2016-05-01

Adolescence is a common time for initiation of alcohol use and alcohol use disorders. Importantly, the neuro-anatomical foundation for later alcohol-related problems may already manifest pre-natally, particularly due to smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy. In this context, cortical gyrification is an interesting marker of neuronal development but has not been investigated as a risk factor for adolescent alcohol use. On magnetic resonance imaging scans of 595 14-year-old adolescents from the IMAGEN sample, we computed whole-brain mean curvature indices to predict change in alcohol-related problems over the following 2 years. Change of alcohol use-related problems was significantly predicted from mean curvature in left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Less gyrification of OFC was associated with an increase in alcohol use-related problems over the next 2 years. Moreover, lower gyrification in left OFC was related to pre-natal alcohol exposure, whereas maternal smoking during pregnancy had no effect. Current alcohol use-related problems of the biological mother had no effect on offsprings' OFC gyrification or drinking behaviour. The data support the idea that alcohol consumption during pregnancy mediates the development of neuro-anatomical phenotypes, which in turn constitute a risk factor for increasing problems due to alcohol consumption in a vulnerable stage of life. Maternal smoking during pregnancy or current maternal alcohol/nicotine consumption had no significant effect. The OFC mediates behaviours known to be disturbed in addiction, namely impulse control and reward processing. The results stress the importance of pre-natal alcohol exposure for later increases in alcohol use-related problems, mediated by structural brain characteristics. © 2015 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Does self-efficacy mediate the relationship between transformational leadership behaviours and healthcare workers' sleep quality? A longitudinal study.

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Munir, Fehmidah; Nielsen, Karina

2009-09-01

This paper is a report of a study conducted to investigate the longitudinal relationship between transformational leadership behaviours and employees' sleep quality, and the mediating effects of self-efficacy. Although there is evidence for the influential role of transformational leadership on health outcomes, researchers have used either attitude outcomes (e.g. job satisfaction) or softer health measures, such as general well-being. Specific measures of well-being such as sleep quality have not been used, despite its association with working conditions. A longitudinal design was used to collect data from Danish healthcare workers at time 1 in 2005 (n = 447) and 18 months later at time 2 in 2007 (n = 274). Structural equation modelling was used to investigate the relationships between transformational leadership, self-efficacy and sleep quality at both time points independently (cross-sectionally) and longitudinally. For all constructs, time 2 measures were influenced by the baseline level. Direct relationships between transformational leadership and sleep quality were found. This relationship was negative cross-sectionally at both time points, but positive between baseline and follow-up. The relationship between leadership and employees' sleep quality was not mediated by employees' self-efficacy. Our results indicate that training managers in transformational leadership behaviours may have a positive impact on healthcare workers' health over time. However, more research is needed to examine the mechanisms by which transformational leadership brings about improved sleep quality; self-efficacy was not found to be the explanation.

The development of prosocial behaviour in children and adolescents: a twin study.

Science.gov (United States)

Scourfield, Jane; John, Bethan; Martin, Neilson; McGuffin, Peter

2004-07-01

Childhood psychopathology is associated with both high and low levels of prosocial behaviour. It has been proposed that the development of prosocial behaviour shows emerging and consolidating individual differences as children grow older. The influences on these individual differences have not previously been examined in children and adolescents using multiple raters in a genetically informative design. Twin data from 682 families based on parent and teacher reports were used to examine the genetic and environmental influences on prosocial behaviour in 5-16-year-olds. Effects of sex, age and rater were examined. There were no significant differences in the magnitude of genetic and environmental influence on male and female prosocial behaviour. Declining common environment and increasing genetic influences were seen with age. This emerged as a trend in parent data and reached statistical significance in teacher data. When parent and teacher data were examined together in a rater bias model significant bias acting on the parent ratings emerged, in keeping with previous discrepancies between parental and observational measures. There was overlap in the phenotype rated by parents and teachers, with a highly heritable common underlying phenotype. The influences on the distribution of prosocial behaviour in children and adolescents show declining shared environmental and increasing genetic influences with age. Parental assessments of prosocial behaviour show significantly higher scores than teacher reports and whilst there is overlap in the phenotype rated by parents and teachers, parents show significant bias in their ratings. Copyright 2004 Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry

From Attitude Change to Behaviour Change: Institutional Mediators of Education for Sustainable Development Effectiveness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ismael Velasco

2014-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we explore the way in which institutional contexts mediate values-focused behaviour change, with potential design implications. We use concepts taken from training research, where “learning transfer” refers to the translation into practice of the learning acquired during training: it is considered necessary to generalize it for the job context and for it to be maintained over a period of time on the job. In this paper, we analyse the example of one education for sustainable development (ESD intervention that is already established as pedagogically effective when it is deployed in diverse institutional environments worldwide—the Youth as Agents of Behaviour Change program of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC. This allows an opportunity to consider variations in learning transfer due to distinctive moderating institutional features, which can now be understood in terms of varying transfer climates, levels of leadership support and opportunities to practice. Additional barriers of tokenistic consultation, lack of role clarity and perverse effects of increased distance between trainees and their colleagues on return were also seen. ESD programs intending to bridge the values-action gap could benefit from not focusing only on the training content, but pre-planning organisational support for returning trainees and including in the training ways for them to assess and plan to overcome such difficulties.

SAP is required for the development of innate phenotype in H2-M3-restricted CD8+ T cells1

Science.gov (United States)

Bediako, Yaw; Bian, Yao; Zhang, Hong; Cho, Hoonsik; Stein, Paul L.; Wang, Chyung-Ru

2012-01-01

H2-M3-restricted T cells have a pre-activated surface phenotype, rapidly expand and produce cytokines upon stimulation and as such, are classified as innate T cells. Unlike most innate T cells, M3-restricted T cells also express CD8αβ co-receptors and a diverse TCR repertoire: hallmarks of conventional MHC Ia-restricted CD8+ T cells. Although iNKT cells are also innate lymphocytes, they are selected exclusively on hematopoietic cells (HC), while M3-restricted T cells can be selected on either hematopoietic or thymic epithelial cells (TEC). Moreover, their phenotypes differ depending on what cells mediate their selection. Though there is a clear correlation between selection on HC and development of innate phenotype, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. SAP is required for the development of iNKT cells and mediates signals from SLAM receptors that are exclusively expressed on HC. Based on their dual selection pathway, M3-restricted T cells present a unique model for studying the development of innate T cell phenotype. Using both polyclonal and transgenic mouse models we demonstrate that while M3-restricted T cells are capable of developing in the absence of SAP, SAP is required for HC-mediated selection, development of pre-activated phenotype and heightened effector functions of M3-restricted T cells. These findings are significant because they directly demonstrate the need for SAP in HC-mediated acquisition of innate T cell phenotype and suggest that due to their SAP-dependent HC-mediated selection, M3-restricted T cells develop a pre-activated phenotype and an intrinsic ability to proliferate faster upon stimulation, allowing for an important role in the early response to infection. PMID:23041566

Extensive behavioural divergence following colonisation of the freshwater environment in threespine sticklebacks.

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Carole Di-Poi

Full Text Available Colonisation of novel environments means facing new ecological challenges often resulting in the evolution of striking divergence in phenotypes. However, little is known about behavioural divergence following colonisation, despite the predicted importance of the role of behavioural phenotype-environment associations in adaptive divergence. We studied the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus, a model system for postglacial colonisation of freshwater habitats largely differing in ecological conditions from the ones faced by the descendants of the marine ancestor. We found that common-environment reared freshwater juveniles were less social, more active and more aggressive than their marine counterparts. This behavioural divergence could represent the result of natural selection that acted on individuals following freshwater colonisation, with predation as a key selection agent. Alternatively, the behavioural profile of freshwater juveniles could represent the characteristics of individuals that preferentially invaded freshwater after the glacial retreat, drawn from the standing variation present in the marine population.

Using insights from animal behaviour and behavioural ecology to inform marine conservation initiatives.

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Brooker, Rohan M; Feeney, William E; White, James R; Manassa, Rachel P; Johansen, Jacob L; Dixson, Danielle L

2016-10-01

The impacts of human activities on the natural world are becoming increasingly apparent, with rapid development and exploitation occurring at the expense of habitat quality and biodiversity. Declines are especially concerning in the oceans, which hold intrinsic value due to their biological uniqueness as well as their substantial sociological and economic importance. Here, we review the literature and investigate whether incorporation of knowledge from the fields of animal behaviour and behavioural ecology may improve the effectiveness of conservation initiatives in marine systems. In particular, we consider (1) how knowledge of larval behaviour and ecology may be used to inform the design of marine protected areas, (2) how protecting species that hold specific ecological niches may be of particular importance for maximizing the preservation of biodiversity, (3) how current harvesting techniques may be inadvertently skewing the behavioural phenotypes of stock populations and whether changes to current practices may lessen this skew and reinforce population persistence, and (4) how understanding the behavioural and physiological responses of species to a changing environment may provide essential insights into areas of particular vulnerability for prioritized conservation attention. The complex nature of conservation programmes inherently results in interdisciplinary responses, and the incorporation of knowledge from the fields of animal behaviour and behavioural ecology may increase our ability to stem the loss of biodiversity in marine environments.

Physiological mechanisms underlying animal social behaviour.

Science.gov (United States)

Seebacher, Frank; Krause, Jens

2017-08-19

Many species of animal live in groups, and the group represents the organizational level within which ecological and evolutionary processes occur. Understanding these processes, therefore, relies on knowledge of the mechanisms that permit or constrain group formation. We suggest that physiological capacities and differences in physiology between individuals modify fission-fusion dynamics. Differences between individuals in locomotor capacity and metabolism may lead to fission of groups and sorting of individuals into groups with similar physiological phenotypes. Environmental impacts such as hypoxia can influence maximum group sizes and structure in fish schools by altering access to oxygenated water. The nutritional environment determines group cohesion, and the increase in information collected by the group means that individuals should rely more on social information and form more cohesive groups in uncertain environments. Changing environmental contexts require rapid responses by individuals to maintain group coordination, which are mediated by neuroendocrine signalling systems such as nonapeptides and steroid hormones. Brain processing capacity may constrain social complexity by limiting information processing. Failure to evaluate socially relevant information correctly limits social interactions, which is seen, for example, in autism. Hence, functioning of a group relies to a large extent on the perception and appropriate processing of signals from conspecifics. Many if not all physiological systems are mechanistically linked, and therefore have synergistic effects on social behaviour. A challenge for the future lies in understanding these interactive effects, which will improve understanding of group dynamics, particularly in changing environments.This article is part of the themed issue 'Physiological determinants of social behaviour in animals'. © 2017 The Author(s).

The missing link between values and behaviour

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brunsø, Karen

For a long time human values have been perceived as abstrat cognitions representing desired goals or end-states which motivate humnan behaviour. A number of studies have tried to explore the link between values and behaviour, but often different constructs are included as intermediate links between...... values and specific behaviour, since values may be too abstract to influence behaviour directly. We propose the concept of lifestyle as a mediator between values and behaviour, and present our approach to lifestyle based on principles from cognitive psychology, where we distinguish between values...... and lifestyle and behaviour. Based on this appraoch we collected data covering values, lifestyle and behaviour, and estimated the cogntiive hierarchy from values to lifestyle to behaviour by structural equation models....

Nox-2-mediated phenotype loss of hippocampal parvalbumin interneurons might contribute to postoperative cognitive decline in aging mice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

lili qiu

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Postoperative cognitive decline (POCD is a common complication following anesthesia and surgery, especially in elderly patients; however, the precise mechanisms of POCD remain unclear. Here, we investigated whether nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH oxidase mediated-abnormalities in parvalbumin (PV interneurons play an important role in the pathophysiology of POCD. The animal model was established using isoflurane anesthesia and exploratory laparotomy in sixteen-month-old male C57BL/6 mice. For interventional experiments, mice were chronically treated with the NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin (APO. Open field and fear conditioning behavioral tests were performed on day 6 and 7 post-surgery, respectively. In a separate experiment, brain tissue was harvested and subjected to biochemical analysis. Primary hippocampal neurons challenged with lipopolysaccharide in vitro were used to investigate the mechanisms underlying the oxidative stress-induced abnormalities in PV interneurons. Our results showed that anesthesia and surgery induced significant hippocampus-dependent memory impairment, which was accompanied by PV interneuron phenotype loss and increased expression of interleukin-1β, markers of oxidative stress, and NADPH oxidase 2 (Nox2 in the hippocampus. In addition, lipopolysaccharide exposure increased Nox2 level and decreased the expression of PV and the number of excitatory synapses onto PV interneurons in the primary hippocampal neurons. Notably, treatment with APO reversed these abnormalities. Our study suggests that Nox2-derived ROS production triggers, at least in part, anesthesia- and surgery-induced hippocampal PV interneuron phenotype loss and consequent cognitive impairment in aging mice.

Mediation Analysis of an Adolescent HIV/STI/Pregnancy Prevention Intervention

Science.gov (United States)

Glassman, Jill R.; Franks, Heather M.; Baumler, Elizabeth R.; Coyle, Karin K.

2014-01-01

Most interventions designed to prevent HIV/STI/pregnancy risk behaviours in young people have multiple components based on psychosocial theories (e.g. social cognitive theory) dictating sets of mediating variables to influence to achieve desired changes in behaviours. Mediation analysis is a method for investigating the extent to which a variable…

Mediating toxic emotions in the workplace--the impact of abusive supervision.

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Li-Chuan

2014-11-01

This study explores whether abusive supervision can effectively predict employees' counterproductive work behaviour (CWB) and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) and the role of toxic emotions at work as a potential mediator of these relationships in nursing settings. Workplace bullying is widespread in nursing. Despite the growing literature on abusive supervision and employees' counterproductive work behaviour and organisational citizenship behaviour, few studies have examined the relationships between abusive supervision and these work behaviours from the viewpoint of the victimed employee's emotion process. This study adopted a two-stage survey of 212 nurses, all of whom were employed by hospitals in Taiwan. Hypotheses were tested through the use of hierarchical multiple regression. The results showed that abusive supervision was positively associated with toxic emotions. Moreover, toxic emotions could effectively predict nurses' counterproductive work behaviour and organisational citizenship behaviour. Finally, it was found that toxic emotions partially mediated the negative effects of abusive supervision on both work behaviours. Toxic emotions at work are a critical mediating variable between abusive supervision and both counterproductive work behaviour and organisational citizenship behaviour. Hospital administrators can implement policies designed to manage events effectively that can spark toxic emotions in their employees. Work empowerment may be an effective way to reduce counterproductive work behaviour and to enhance organisational citizenship behaviour among nurses when supervisors do not promote a healthy work environment for them. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Behavioural Phenotype of Cornelia de Lange Syndrome: A Study of 56 Individuals

Science.gov (United States)

Basile, Emanuele; Villa, L.; Selicorni, A.; Molteni, M.

2007-01-01

Background: Few studies have investigated functional and behavioural variables of Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS) in a large sample of individuals. The aim of this study is to provide greater insight into the clinical, behavioural and cognitive characteristics that are associated with CdLS. Methods: In total, 56 individuals with CdLS…

UVA-mediated down-regulation of MMP-2 and MT1-MMP coincides with impaired angiogenic phenotype of human dermal endothelial cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cauchard, Jean-Hubert; Robinet, Arnaud; Poitevin, Stephane; Bobichon, Helene; Maziere, Jean-Claude; Bellon, Georges; Hornebeck, William

2006-01-01

UVA irradiation, dose-dependently (5-20 J/cm 2 ), was shown to impair the morphogenic differentiation of human microvascular endothelial cells (HMECs) on Matrigel. Parallely, UVA down-regulated the expression of MMP-2 and MT1-MMP, both at the protein and the mRNA levels. On the contrary, the production of MMP-1 and TIMP-1 by HMECs increased following UVA treatment. The inhibitory effect of UVA on MMP expression and pseudotubes formation was mediated by UVA-generated singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ). The contribution of MT1-MMP, but not TIMP-1, to the regulation of HMECs' angiogenic phenotype following UVA irradiation was suggested using elastin-derived peptides and TIMP-1 blocking antibody, respectively

Developmental phonagnosia: Linking neural mechanisms with the behavioural phenotype.

Science.gov (United States)

Roswandowitz, Claudia; Schelinski, Stefanie; von Kriegstein, Katharina

2017-07-15

Human voice recognition is critical for many aspects of social communication. Recently, a rare disorder, developmental phonagnosia, which describes the inability to recognise a speaker's voice, has been discovered. The underlying neural mechanisms are unknown. Here, we used two functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments to investigate brain function in two behaviourally well characterised phonagnosia cases, both 32 years old: AS has apperceptive and SP associative phonagnosia. We found distinct malfunctioned brain mechanisms in AS and SP matching their behavioural profiles. In apperceptive phonagnosia, right-hemispheric auditory voice-sensitive regions (i.e., Heschl's gyrus, planum temporale, superior temporal gyrus) showed lower responses than in matched controls (n AS =16) for vocal versus non-vocal sounds and for speaker versus speech recognition. In associative phonagnosia, the connectivity between voice-sensitive (i.e. right posterior middle/inferior temporal gyrus) and supramodal (i.e. amygdala) regions was reduced in comparison to matched controls (n SP =16) during speaker versus speech recognition. Additionally, both cases recruited distinct potential compensatory mechanisms. Our results support a central assumption of current two-system models of voice-identity processing: They provide the first evidence that dysfunction of voice-sensitive regions and impaired connectivity between voice-sensitive and supramodal person recognition regions can selectively contribute to deficits in person recognition by voice. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Attributions and behaviours of parents abused as children: a mediational analysis of the intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment (Part II).

Science.gov (United States)

Dixon, Louise; Hamilton-Giachritsis, Catherine; Browne, Kevin

2005-01-01

This study extends previous research (Dixon, Browne, & Hamilton-Giachritsis, 2004) by exploring the mediational properties of parenting styles and their relation to risk factors in the intergenerational cycle of child maltreatment. Families with newborns where at least one of the parents was physically and/or sexually abused as a child (AP families) were compared, in terms of parents' attributions and behaviour, to families where the parents had no childhood history of victimization (NAP families). Information was collected from 4351 families (135 AP families) by community nurses as part of the 'health visiting' service. The same health visitor visited each family twice at home when the child was 4 to 6 weeks and 3 to 5 months of age, to assess behavioural indicators of positive parenting. Within 13 months after birth, 9 (6.7%) AP families were referred for maltreating their own child in comparison to 18 (.4%) NAP families. Assessments found a significantly higher number of risk factors and measures indicating poor parenting for AP families. Mediational analysis found that intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment was explained to a larger extent (62% of the total effect) by the presence of poor parenting styles together with the three significant risk factors (parenting under 21 years, history of mental illness or depression, residing with a violent adult). The three risk factors alone were less explanatory (53% of the total effect). This study provides an explanation for why a minority of parents abused in childhood go on to maltreat their own infant, evidencing poor parenting styles and mediating risk factors. Hence, prevention may be enhanced in AP families by the promotion of 'positive parenting' in addition to providing additional support to young parents, tackling mental illness/depression and domestic violence problems.

You are what you eat: diet shapes body composition, personality and behavioural stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Chang S; Dingemanse, Niels J

2017-01-10

Behavioural phenotypes vary within and among individuals. While early-life experiences have repeatedly been proposed to underpin interactions between these two hierarchical levels, the environmental factors causing such effects remain under-studied. We tested whether an individual's diet affected both its body composition, average behaviour (thereby causing among-individual variation or 'personality') and within-individual variability in behaviour and body weight (thereby causing among-individual differences in residual within-individual variance or 'stability'), using the Southern field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus as a model. We further asked whether effects of diet on the expression of these variance components were sex-specific. Manipulating both juvenile and adult diet in a full factorial design, individuals were put, in each life-stage, on a diet that was either relatively high in carbohydrates or relatively high in protein. We subsequently measured the expression of multiple behavioural (exploration, aggression and mating activity) and morphological traits (body weight and lipid mass) during adulthood. Dietary history affected both average phenotype and level of within-individual variability: males raised as juveniles on high-protein diets were heavier, more aggressive, more active during mating, and behaviourally less stable, than conspecifics raised on high-carbohydrate diets. Females preferred more protein in their diet compared to males, and dietary history affected average phenotype and within-individual variability in a sex-specific manner: individuals raised on high-protein diets were behaviourally less stable in their aggressiveness but this effect was only present in males. Diet also influenced individual differences in male body weight, but within-individual variance in female body weight. This study thereby provides experimental evidence that dietary history explains both heterogeneous residual within-individual variance (i.e., individual variation

The behavioural consequences of sex reversal in dragons

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Li, Hong; Holleley, Clare E.; Elphick, Melanie; Georges, Arthur

2016-01-01

Sex differences in morphology, physiology, and behaviour are caused by sex-linked genes, as well as by circulating sex-steroid levels. Thus, a shift from genotypic to environmental sex determination may create an organism that exhibits a mixture of male-like and female-like traits. We studied a lizard species (Central Bearded Dragon, Pogona vitticeps), in which the high-temperature incubation of eggs transforms genetically male individuals into functional females. Although they are reproductively female, sex-reversed dragons (individuals with ZZ genotype reversed to female phenotype) resemble genetic males rather than females in morphology (relative tail length), general behaviour (boldness and activity level), and thermoregulatory tactics. Indeed, sex-reversed ‘females’ are more male-like in some behavioural traits than are genetic males. This novel phenotype may impose strong selection on the frequency of sex reversal within natural populations, facilitating rapid shifts in sex-determining systems. A single period of high incubation temperatures (generating thermally induced sex reversal) can produce functionally female individuals with male-like (or novel) traits that enhance individual fitness, allowing the new temperature-dependent sex-determining system to rapidly replace the previous genetically based one.

Alterations of HIV-1 envelope phenotype and antibody-mediated neutralization by signal peptide mutations.

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Chitra Upadhyay

2018-01-01

Full Text Available HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env mediates virus attachment and entry into the host cells. Like other membrane-bound and secreted proteins, HIV-1 Env contains at its N terminus a signal peptide (SP that directs the nascent Env to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER where Env synthesis and post-translational modifications take place. SP is cleaved during Env biosynthesis but potentially influences the phenotypic traits of the Env protein. The Env SP sequences of HIV-1 isolates display high sequence variability, and the significance of such variability is unclear. We postulate that changes in the Env SP influence Env transport through the ER-Golgi secretory pathway and Env folding and/or glycosylation that impact on Env incorporation into virions, receptor binding and antibody recognition. We first evaluated the consequences of mutating the charged residues in the Env SP in the context of infectious molecular clone HIV-1 REJO.c/2864. Results show that three different mutations affecting histidine at position 12 affected Env incorporation into virions that correlated with reduction of virus infectivity and DC-SIGN-mediated virus capture and transmission. Mutations at positions 8, 12, and 15 also rendered the virus more resistant to neutralization by monoclonal antibodies against the Env V1V2 region. These mutations affected the oligosaccharide composition of N-glycans as shown by changes in Env reactivity with specific lectins and by mass spectrometry. Increased neutralization resistance and N-glycan composition changes were also observed when analogous mutations were introduced to another HIV-1 strain, JRFL. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study showing that certain residues in the HIV-1 Env SP can affect virus neutralization sensitivity by modulating oligosaccharide moieties on the Env N-glycans. The HIV-1 Env SP sequences thus may be under selective pressure to balance virus infectiousness with virus resistance to the host antibody

Serotonin₂A/C receptors mediate the aggressive phenotype of TLX gene knockout mice.

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Juárez, Pablo; Valdovinos, Maria G; May, Michael E; Lloyd, Blair P; Couppis, Maria H; Kennedy, Craig H

2013-11-01

Deleting the tailless (TLX) gene in mice produces a highly aggressive phenotype yet to be characterized in terms of heterozygous animals or neurotransmitter mechanisms. We sought to establish pharmacological control over aggression and study the role of serotonin (5-HT)(2A/C) receptors in mediating changes in aggression. We analyzed aggression in mice heterozygous (+/-) or homozygous (-/-) for the TLX gene and wild-types (+/+) using a resident-intruder paradigm. No +/+ mice were aggressive, 36% of +/- TLX and 100% of -/- TLX mice showed aggression. Dose-effect functions were established for clozapine (0.1-1.5mg/kg, ip), ketanserin (0.3-1.25 mg/kg, ip), and (±)-1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane [(±)DOI] (0.5-2.0 mg/kg, ip). Injecting clozapine decreased the frequency and duration of attacks for +/- TLX and -/- TLX mice. Clozapine did not decrease grooming in either +/- TLX or -/- TLX mice but may have increased locomotion for -/- TLX mice. Injecting ketanserin, a 5-HT(2A/C) receptor antagonist, produced differential decreases in frequency and latency to aggression between genotypes and corresponding increases in locomotor behavior. Injecting (±)DOI, a 5-HT(2A/C) receptor agonist, increased the frequency and duration of attacks, decreased the latency to attacks, and decreased locomotion in +/- and -/- TLX mice. Results of the current study suggest aggression displayed by TLX null and heterozygous mice involves 5-HT(2A/C) receptors. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Uremia modulates the phenotype of aortic smooth muscle cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Marie; Pedersen, Annemarie Aarup; Albinsson, Sebastian

2017-01-01

the phenotype of aortic SMCs in vivo. METHODS: Moderate uremia was induced by 5/6 nephrectomy in apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE(-/-)) and wildtype C57Bl/6 mice. Plasma analysis, gene expression, histology, and myography were used to determine uremia-mediated changes in the arterial wall. RESULTS: Induction...... of moderate uremia in ApoE(-/-) mice increased atherosclerosis in the aortic arch en face 1.6 fold (p = 0.04) and induced systemic inflammation. Based on histological analyses of aortic root sections, uremia increased the medial area, while there was no difference in the content of elastic fibers or collagen...... in the aortic media. In the aortic arch, mRNA and miRNA expression patterns were consistent with a uremia-mediated phenotypic modulation of SMCs; e.g. downregulation of myocardin, α-smooth muscle actin, and transgelin; and upregulation of miR146a. Notably, these expression patterns were observed after acute (2...

Nigerian agriculture workers’ outcomes from perceived organisational support and protestant work ethics: Job satisfaction as a mediator

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Olugbenga J. Ladebo

2011-10-01

Research purpose: The present study hypothesised that job satisfaction mediated the relationships between the predictors (perceived organisational support and protestant work ethics and outcomes (organisational citizenship behaviours and organisational commitment. Motivation for the study: There is paucity of literature on the mediating influence of job satisfaction on predictors-outcomes linkages amongst agriculture workers in Nigeria. Available studies either examined the main effect of perceived organisational support on citizenship behaviours or the mediating influence of satisfaction on citizenship behaviours and not the proposed model. Research design, approach and method: The present study was survey-correlational in design. Data were obtained from 223 heterogeneous samples from different organisations (such as ministry of agriculture, parastatals, banks, private agro-allied companies, and insurance companies. Main findings: Results showed that job satisfaction fully mediated the relationship between perceived organisational support and citizenship behaviours and partially mediated the relationship between perceived organisational support and organisational commitment. Further, employee satisfaction partially mediated the relationships between protestant work ethics and citizenship behaviours and organisational commitment. Practical/managerial implications: This study indicated that both protestant work ethics and perceived organisational support are important in motivating employees to engage in cooperative behaviours and exhibit greater commitment through job satisfaction. Contribution/value-add: The present study showed that job satisfaction is a mediator linking both perceived organisational support and protestant work ethics to organisational commitment and citizenship behaviours.

Genetic Regulation of Phenotypic Plasticity and Canalisation in Yeast Growth.

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Anupama Yadav

Full Text Available The ability of a genotype to show diverse phenotypes in different environments is called phenotypic plasticity. Phenotypic plasticity helps populations to evade extinctions in novel environments, facilitates adaptation and fuels evolution. However, most studies focus on understanding the genetic basis of phenotypic regulation in specific environments. As a result, while it's evolutionary relevance is well established, genetic mechanisms regulating phenotypic plasticity and their overlap with the environment specific regulators is not well understood. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is highly sensitive to the environment, which acts as not just external stimulus but also as signalling cue for this unicellular, sessile organism. We used a previously published dataset of a biparental yeast population grown in 34 diverse environments and mapped genetic loci regulating variation in phenotypic plasticity, plasticity QTL, and compared them with environment-specific QTL. Plasticity QTL is one whose one allele exhibits high plasticity whereas the other shows a relatively canalised behaviour. We mapped phenotypic plasticity using two parameters-environmental variance, an environmental order-independent parameter and reaction norm (slope, an environmental order-dependent parameter. Our results show a partial overlap between pleiotropic QTL and plasticity QTL such that while some plasticity QTL are also pleiotropic, others have a significant effect on phenotypic plasticity without being significant in any environment independently. Furthermore, while some plasticity QTL are revealed only in specific environmental orders, we identify large effect plasticity QTL, which are order-independent such that whatever the order of the environments, one allele is always plastic and the other is canalised. Finally, we show that the environments can be divided into two categories based on the phenotypic diversity of the population within them and the two categories have

Measurement Equivalence of the Autism Symptom Phenotype in Children and Youth

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Duku, Eric; Szatmari, Peter; Vaillancourt, Tracy; Georgiades, Stelios; Thompson, Ann; Liu, Xiao-Qing; Paterson, Andrew D.; Bennett, Terry

2013-01-01

Background: The Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) is a gold standard assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) symptoms and behaviours. A key underlying assumption of studies using the ADI-R is that it measures the same phenotypic constructs across different populations (i.e. males/females, younger/older, verbal/nonverbal). The…

True or False Customer Engagement Behaviour

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haurum, Helle; Beckmann, Suzanne C.

2014-01-01

Customers’ engagement behaviours are considered an important source of value to the company. So far, the discussion has mainly been conceptual and focused on the company’s perspective. By adopting the customer’s perspective we investigated how customers perceive their service relationship...... encounters with a company, using in-depth interviews. We found the following key factors driving and explaining customers’ engagement behaviours: (1) transactions matter and inconsistent engagement behaviours are a reality, (2) mundane products and services are still highly relevant for customers, and (3......) different degrees of customer experience alignment with services and products exist. Moreover, the distinction between true and false engagement behaviours we suggest indeed is relevant and we could establish their mediating capabilities....

Relationship among values, beliefs, norms and ecological behaviour.

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González López, Antonio; Amérigo Cuervo-Arango, María

2008-11-01

The present study focuses mainly on the relationship between psychological constructs and ecological behaviour. Empirical analysis links personal values, ecological beliefs, consequences of environmental conditions, denial of ecological obligation, environmental control, personal norms and environment protection behaviour. Survey data from a path analysis of a Spanish sample of 403 individuals were used, showing that ecological beliefs, personal norms and eco-altruistic values have become the main psychological explanatory variables of environment protective behaviour. Ecological beliefs, when measured by the New Ecological Paradigm Scale, affected ecological behaviour decisively. Environmental and altruistic values were shown to be related to moral obligation, and a basic variable to understand behaviour. Personal norm mediated the effects of values and environmental control on ecological behaviour.

RNA-mediated epigenetic heredity requires the cytosine methyltransferase Dnmt2.

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Jafar Kiani

2013-05-01

Full Text Available RNA-mediated transmission of phenotypes is an important way to explain non-Mendelian heredity. We have previously shown that small non-coding RNAs can induce hereditary epigenetic variations in mice and act as the transgenerational signalling molecules. Two prominent examples for these paramutations include the epigenetic modulation of the Kit gene, resulting in altered fur coloration, and the modulation of the Sox9 gene, resulting in an overgrowth phenotype. We now report that expression of the Dnmt2 RNA methyltransferase is required for the establishment and hereditary maintenance of both paramutations. Our data show that the Kit paramutant phenotype was not transmitted to the progeny of Dnmt2(-/- mice and that the Sox9 paramutation was also not established in Dnmt2(-/- embryos. Similarly, RNA from Dnmt2-negative Kit heterozygotes did not induce the paramutant phenotype when microinjected into Dnmt2-deficient fertilized eggs and microinjection of the miR-124 microRNA failed to induce the characteristic giant phenotype. In agreement with an RNA-mediated mechanism of inheritance, no change was observed in the DNA methylation profiles of the Kit locus between the wild-type and paramutant mice. RNA bisulfite sequencing confirmed Dnmt2-dependent tRNA methylation in mouse sperm and also indicated Dnmt2-dependent cytosine methylation in Kit RNA in paramutant embryos. Together, these findings uncover a novel function of Dnmt2 in RNA-mediated epigenetic heredity.

miR-181a Induces Macrophage Polarized to M2 Phenotype and Promotes M2 Macrophage-mediated Tumor Cell Metastasis by Targeting KLF6 and C/EBPα

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Jia Bi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Macrophages can acquire a variety of polarization status and functions: classically activated macrophages (M1 macrophages; alternatively activated macrophages (M2 macrophages. However, the molecular basis of the process is still unclear. Here, this study addresses that microRNA-181a (miR-181a is a key molecule controlling macrophage polarization. We found that miR-181a is overexpressed in M2 macrophages than in M1 macrophages. miR-181a expression was decreased when M2 phenotype converted to M1, whereas it increased when M1 phenotype converted to M2. Overexpression of miR-181a in M1 macrophages diminished M1 phenotype expression while promoting polarization to the M2 phenotype. In contrast, knockdown of miR-181a in M2 macrophages promoted M1 polarization and diminished M2 phenotype expression. Mechanistically, Bioinformatic analysis revealed that Kruppel-like factor 6 (KLF6 and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-α (C/EBPα is a potential target of miR-181a and luciferase assay confirmed that KLF6 and C/EBPα translation is suppressed by miR-181a through interaction with the 3′UTR of KLF6 and C/EBPα mRNA. Further analysis showed that induction of miR-181a suppressed KLF6 and C/EBPα protein expression. Importantly, miR-181a also diminishes M2 macrophages-mediated migration and invasion capacity of tumor cells. Collectively, our results suggest that miR-181a plays a significant role in regulating macrophage polarization through directly target KLF6 and C/EBPα.

The impact of parenting styles on children developmental outcome: The role of academic self-concept as a mediator.

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Sangawi, Hoshiar; Adams, John; Reissland, Nadja

2016-08-23

Although the importance of parenting styles directly influencing child development is well established, fewer studied have examined whether parenting styles also affect children's behavioural problems indirectly, mediated through children's academic self-concept (ASC). We examined direct and shared effects of parenting styles on behavioural problems of 199 Kurdish primary school children with a mean age of 11 years 7 months (range 11 years 5 months to 12 years 3 months). Questionnaires measured parenting styles (child version of Alabama Parenting Questionnaire), assessed children's ASC (Myself-As-Learner Scale) and identified children's behavioural problems with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). PROCESS analysis was used to perform the mediation analysis. The results revealed that positive and negative parenting composites are indirectly related to children's internalising behaviour problems. In addition, ASC partially mediated the relationship between the negative parenting composite and prosocial behaviour. However, the mediation analysis did not show the expected indirect effect of parenting styles on externalising problems as being mediated via ASC. Hence, we argue that the ASC serves as a significant mediator in the relationship between parenting styles with prosocial behaviour and internalising problems. © 2016 International Union of Psychological Science.

Human glia can both induce and rescue aspects of disease phenotype in Huntington disease

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Benraiss, Abdellatif; Wang, Su; Herrlinger, Stephanie

2016-01-01

The causal contribution of glial pathology to Huntington disease (HD) has not been heavily explored. To define the contribution of glia to HD, we established human HD glial chimeras by neonatally engrafting immunodeficient mice with mutant huntingtin (mHTT)-expressing human glial progenitor cells...... chimeras are hyperexcitable. Conversely, normal glia can ameliorate disease phenotype in transgenic HD mice, as striatal transplantation of normal glia rescues aspects of electrophysiological and behavioural phenotype, restores interstitial potassium homeostasis, slows disease progression and extends...

dNTP pool levels modulate mutator phenotypes of error-prone DNA polymerase ε variants.

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Williams, Lindsey N; Marjavaara, Lisette; Knowels, Gary M; Schultz, Eric M; Fox, Edward J; Chabes, Andrei; Herr, Alan J

2015-05-12

Mutator phenotypes create genetic diversity that fuels tumor evolution. DNA polymerase (Pol) ε mediates leading strand DNA replication. Proofreading defects in this enzyme drive a number of human malignancies. Here, using budding yeast, we show that mutator variants of Pol ε depend on damage uninducible (Dun)1, an S-phase checkpoint kinase that maintains dNTP levels during a normal cell cycle and up-regulates dNTP synthesis upon checkpoint activation. Deletion of DUN1 (dun1Δ) suppresses the mutator phenotype of pol2-4 (encoding Pol ε proofreading deficiency) and is synthetically lethal with pol2-M644G (encoding altered Pol ε base selectivity). Although pol2-4 cells cycle normally, pol2-M644G cells progress slowly through S-phase. The pol2-M644G cells tolerate deletions of mediator of the replication checkpoint (MRC) 1 (mrc1Δ) and radiation sensitive (Rad) 9 (rad9Δ), which encode mediators of checkpoint responses to replication stress and DNA damage, respectively. The pol2-M644G mutator phenotype is partially suppressed by mrc1Δ but not rad9Δ; neither deletion suppresses the pol2-4 mutator phenotype. Thus, checkpoint activation augments the Dun1 effect on replication fidelity but is not required for it. Deletions of genes encoding key Dun1 targets that negatively regulate dNTP synthesis, suppress the dun1Δ pol2-M644G synthetic lethality and restore the mutator phenotype of pol2-4 in dun1Δ cells. DUN1 pol2-M644G cells have constitutively high dNTP levels, consistent with checkpoint activation. In contrast, pol2-4 and POL2 cells have similar dNTP levels, which decline in the absence of Dun1 and rise in the absence of the negative regulators of dNTP synthesis. Thus, dNTP pool levels correlate with Pol ε mutator severity, suggesting that treatments targeting dNTP pools could modulate mutator phenotypes for therapy.

Phenotypic plasticity as an adaptive response to predictable and unpredictable environmental changes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Manenti, Tommaso

Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of a genotype to modify its phenotype in response to environmental changes as a consequence of an interaction between genes and environment (Bradshaw, 1965). Plasticity contributes to the vast phenotypic variation observed in natural populations. Many examples...... of a plastic response are expected to depend on the environmental conditions experienced by organisms. Thus, in populations exposed to a non-changing environment, the plastic machinery might be a waste of resources. Contrary, in populations experiencing varying environmental conditions, plasticity is expected...... such as anti-predator behaviours or the activation of mechanisms to prevent thermal stress injuries suggest that plasticity is an adaptive response, favoured by natural selection. At the same time, organisms do show limited plastic responses, indicating that this ability is not for free. Costs and benefits...

Differences in problem behaviour among ethnic minority and majority preschoolers in the Netherlands and the role of family functioning and parenting factors as mediators: the Generation R Study

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Flink Ilse JE

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Studies have shown that, compared to native counterparts, preschoolers from ethnic minorities are at an increased risk of problem behaviour. Socio-economic factors only partly explain this increased risk. This study aimed to further unravel the differences in problem behaviour among ethnic minority and native preschoolers by examining the mediating role of family functioning and parenting factors. Methods We included 4,282 preschoolers participating in the Generation R Study, an ethnically-diverse cohort study with inclusion in early pregnancy. At child age 3 years, parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/1,5-5; information on demographics, socio-economic status and measures of family functioning (maternal psychopathology; general family functioning and parenting (parenting stress; harsh parenting were retrieved from questionnaires. CBCL Total Problems scores in each ethnic subgroup were compared with scores in the Dutch reference population. Mediation was evaluated using multivariate regression models. Results After adjustment for confounders, preschoolers from ethnic minorities were more likely to present problem behaviour than the Dutch subgroup (e.g. CBCL Total Problems Turkish subgroup (OR 7.0 (95% CI 4.9; 10.1. When considering generational status, children of first generation immigrants were worse off than the second generation (P Conclusions This study showed that preschoolers from ethnic minorities and particularly children of first generation immigrants are at an increased risk of problem behaviour compared to children born to a Dutch mother. Although socio-economic factors were found to partly explain the association between the ethnic minority status and child problem behaviour, a similar part was explained by family functioning and parenting factors. Considering these findings, it is important for health care workers to also be attentive to symptoms of parental psychopathology (e.g. depression, poor

Does job strain mediate the effect of socioeconomic group on smoking behaviour? The impact of different health policies in Denmark and Sweden

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Ingelise; Rasmussen, Niels Kr; Ostergren, P O

2008-01-01

AIMS: The aim was to compare the impact of socioeconomic groups (SEG) on the risk of being a daily smoker or quitter, and to investigate whether the potentially mediating effect of psychosocial working conditions was similar in the Danish and the Swedish populations. METHODS: The study populations....... The association between SEG, current smoking, quitting, and influence at work, job demand and jobstrain, respectively, was tested by means of logistic regression. RESULTS: The contextual determinants defined by country had a different effect on smoking prevalence among men and women and among age groups. Low...... and more socially skewed among the Swedes, but did not mediate the effect of SEG on smoking behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: The smoking prevalence was lower and the quit-rates higher among Swedes than Danes. Both countries had social differences in smoking that in absolute terms were rather similar...

Continuity of aggressive antisocial behavior from childhood to adulthood: The question of phenotype definition.

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Hofvander, Björn; Ossowski, Daniel; Lundström, Sebastian; Anckarsäter, Henrik

2009-01-01

Aiming to clarify the adult phenotype of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), the empirical literature on its childhood background among the disruptive behaviour disorders, such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder (CD), or hyperkinetic conduct disorder (HKCD), was reviewed according to the Robins and Guze criteria for nosological validity. At least half of hyperactive children develop ODD and about a third CD (i.e. AD/HD+CD or HKCD) before puberty. About half of children with this combined problem constellation develop antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) in adulthood. Family and adoption/twin studies indicate that AD/HD and CD share a high heritability and that, in addition, there may be specific environmental effects for criminal behaviours. "Zones of rarity" delineating the disorders from each other, or from the normal variation, have not been identified. Neurophysiology, brain imaging, neurochemistry, neurocognition, or molecular genetics have not provided "external validity" for any of the diagnostic categories used today. Deficient mental functions, such as inattention, poor executive functions, poor verbal learning, and impaired social interaction (empathy), seem to form unspecific susceptibility factors. As none of today's proposed syndromes (e.g. AD/HD or psychopathy) seems to describe a natural category, a dimensional behavioural phenotype reflecting aggressive antisocial behaviours assessed by numbers of behaviours, the severity of their consequences and how early is their age at onset, which will be closely related to childhood hyperactivity, would bring conceptual clarity, and may form the basis for further probing into mental, cognitive, biological and treatment-related co-varying features.

Relations between emotions, display rules, social motives, and facial behaviour.

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Zaalberg, Ruud; Manstead, Antony; Fischer, Agneta

2004-02-01

We report research on the relations between emotions, display rules, social motives, and facial behaviour. In Study 1 we used a questionnaire methodology to examine how respondents would react to a funny or a not funny joke told to them by a close friend or a stranger. We assessed display rules and motivations for smiling and/or laughing. Display rules and social motives (partly) mediated the relationship between the experimental manipulations and self-reported facial behaviour. Study 2 was a laboratory experiment in which funny or not funny jokes were told to participants by a male or female stranger. Consistent with hypotheses, hearing a funny joke evoked a stronger motivation to share positive affect by showing longer Duchenne smiling. Contrary to hypotheses, a not funny joke did not elicit greater prosocial motivation by showing longer "polite" smiling, although such a smiling pattern did occur. Rated funniness of the joke and the motivation to share positive affect mediated the relationship between the joke manipulation and facial behaviour. Path analysis was used to explore this mediating process in greater detail.

Comparative Phenotypical and Molecular Analyses of Arabidopsis Grown under Fluorescent and LED Light

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Franka Seiler

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Comparative analyses of phenotypic and molecular traits of Arabidopsis thaliana grown under standardised conditions is still a challenge using climatic devices supplied with common light sources. These are in most cases fluorescent lights, which have several disadvantages such as heat production at higher light intensities, an invariable spectral output, and relatively rapid “ageing”. This results in non-desired variations of growth conditions and lowers the comparability of data acquired over extended time periods. In this study, we investigated the growth behaviour of Arabidopsis Col0 under different light conditions, applying fluorescent compared to LED lamps, and we conducted physiological as well as gene expression analyses. By changing the spectral composition and/or light intensity of LEDs we can clearly influence the growth behaviour of Arabidopsis and thereby study phenotypic attributes under very specific light conditions that are stable and reproducible, which is not necessarily given for fluorescent lamps. By using LED lights, we can also roughly mimic the sun light emission spectrum, enabling us to study plant growth in a more natural-like light set-up. We observed distinct growth behaviour under the different light regimes which was reflected by physiological properties of the plants. In conclusion, LEDs provide variable emission spectra for studying plant growth under defined, stable light conditions.

Schizotypy and Behavioural Adjustment and the Role of Neuroticism

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Völter, Christoph; Strobach, Tilo; Aichert, Désirée S.; Wöstmann, Nicola; Costa, Anna; Möller, Hans-Jürgen; Schubert, Torsten; Ettinger, Ulrich

2012-01-01

Objective In the present study the relationship between behavioural adjustment following cognitive conflict and schizotypy was investigated using a Stroop colour naming paradigm. Previous research has found deficits with behavioural adjustment in schizophrenia patients. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that individual differences in schizotypy, a personality trait reflecting the subclinical expression of the schizophrenia phenotype, would be associated with behavioural adjustment. Additionally, we investigated whether such a relationship would be explained by individual differences in neuroticism, a non-specific measure of negative trait emotionality known to be correlated with schizotypy. Methods 106 healthy volunteers (mean age: 25.1, 60% females) took part. Post-conflict adjustment was measured in a computer-based version of the Stroop paradigm. Schizotypy was assessed using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) and Neuroticism using the NEO-FFI. Results We found a negative correlation between schizotypy and post-conflict adjustment (r = −.30, p<.01); this relationship remained significant when controlling for effects of neuroticism. Regression analysis revealed that particularly the subscale No Close Friends drove the effect. Conclusion Previous findings of deficits in cognitive control in schizophrenia patients were extended to the subclinical personality expression of the schizophrenia phenotype and found to be specific to schizotypal traits over and above the effects of negative emotionality. PMID:22363416

Schizotypy and behavioural adjustment and the role of neuroticism.

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Christoph Völter

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: In the present study the relationship between behavioural adjustment following cognitive conflict and schizotypy was investigated using a Stroop colour naming paradigm. Previous research has found deficits with behavioural adjustment in schizophrenia patients. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that individual differences in schizotypy, a personality trait reflecting the subclinical expression of the schizophrenia phenotype, would be associated with behavioural adjustment. Additionally, we investigated whether such a relationship would be explained by individual differences in neuroticism, a non-specific measure of negative trait emotionality known to be correlated with schizotypy. METHODS: 106 healthy volunteers (mean age: 25.1, 60% females took part. Post-conflict adjustment was measured in a computer-based version of the Stroop paradigm. Schizotypy was assessed using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ and Neuroticism using the NEO-FFI. RESULTS: We found a negative correlation between schizotypy and post-conflict adjustment (r = -.30, p<.01; this relationship remained significant when controlling for effects of neuroticism. Regression analysis revealed that particularly the subscale No Close Friends drove the effect. CONCLUSION: Previous findings of deficits in cognitive control in schizophrenia patients were extended to the subclinical personality expression of the schizophrenia phenotype and found to be specific to schizotypal traits over and above the effects of negative emotionality.

Effects of activated fibroblasts on phenotype modulation, EGFR signalling and cell cycle regulation in OSCC cells

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Berndt, Alexander, E-mail: alexander.berndt@med.uni-jena.de [Center for Molecular Biomedicine, Institute of Pathology, Jena University Hospital, 07740 Jena (Germany); Büttner, Robert, E-mail: Robert-Buettner@gmx.net [Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07740 Jena (Germany); Gühne, Stefanie, E-mail: stefanie_guehne@gmx.net [Center for Molecular Biomedicine, Institute of Pathology, Jena University Hospital, 07740 Jena (Germany); Gleinig, Anna, E-mail: annagleinig@yahoo.com [Center for Molecular Biomedicine, Institute of Pathology, Jena University Hospital, 07740 Jena (Germany); Richter, Petra, E-mail: P.Richter@med.uni-jena.de [Center for Molecular Biomedicine, Institute of Pathology, Jena University Hospital, 07740 Jena (Germany); Chen, Yuan, E-mail: Yuan.Chen@med.uni-jena.de [Center for Molecular Biomedicine, Institute of Pathology, Jena University Hospital, 07740 Jena (Germany); Franz, Marcus, E-mail: Marcus.Franz@med.uni-jena.de [Clinic of Internal Medicine I, Jena University Hospital, 07740 Jena (Germany); Liebmann, Claus, E-mail: Claus.Liebmann@uni-jena.de [Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07740 Jena (Germany)

2014-04-01

Crosstalk between carcinoma associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells is suggested to mediate phenotype transition of cancer cells as a prerequisite for tumour progression, to predict patients’ outcome, and to influence the efficacy of EGFR inhibitor therapies. Here we investigate the influence of activated fibroblasts as a model for CAFs on phenotype and EGFR signalling in OSCC cells in vitro. For this, immortalised hTERT-BJ1 fibroblasts were activated with TGFβ1 and PDGFAB to generate a myofibroblast or proliferative phenotype, respectively. Conditioned media (FCM{sub TGF}, FCM{sub PDGF}) were used to stimulate PE/CA-PJ15 OSCC cells. Results were compared to the effect of conditioned media of non-stimulated fibroblasts (FCM{sub B}). FCM{sub TGF} stimulation leads to an up-regulation of vimentin in the OSCC cells and an enhancement of invasive behaviour, indicating EMT-like effects. Similarly, FCM{sub TGF}≫FCM{sub PDGF} induced up-regulation of EGFR, but not of ErbB2/ErbB3. In addition, we detected an increase in basal activities of ERK, PI3K/Akt and Stat3 (FCM{sub TGF}>FCM{sub PDGF}) accompanied by protein interaction of vimentin with pERK. These effects are correlated with an increased proliferation. In summary, our results suggest that the activated myofibroblast phenotype provides soluble factors which are able to induce EMT-like phenomena and to increase EGFR signalling as well as cell proliferation in OSCC cells. Our results indicate a possible influence of activated myofibroblasts on EGFR-inhibitor therapy. Therefore, CAFs may serve as promising novel targets for combined therapy strategies. - Highlights: • A cell culture model for cancer associated fibroblasts is described. • The mutual interaction with OSCC cells leads to up-regulation of EGFR in tumour cells. • mCAF induces EGFR downstream signalling with increased proliferation in OSCC. • Erk activation is associated with protein interaction with vimentin

Effects of activated fibroblasts on phenotype modulation, EGFR signalling and cell cycle regulation in OSCC cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berndt, Alexander; Büttner, Robert; Gühne, Stefanie; Gleinig, Anna; Richter, Petra; Chen, Yuan; Franz, Marcus; Liebmann, Claus

2014-01-01

Crosstalk between carcinoma associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells is suggested to mediate phenotype transition of cancer cells as a prerequisite for tumour progression, to predict patients’ outcome, and to influence the efficacy of EGFR inhibitor therapies. Here we investigate the influence of activated fibroblasts as a model for CAFs on phenotype and EGFR signalling in OSCC cells in vitro. For this, immortalised hTERT-BJ1 fibroblasts were activated with TGFβ1 and PDGFAB to generate a myofibroblast or proliferative phenotype, respectively. Conditioned media (FCM TGF , FCM PDGF ) were used to stimulate PE/CA-PJ15 OSCC cells. Results were compared to the effect of conditioned media of non-stimulated fibroblasts (FCM B ). FCM TGF stimulation leads to an up-regulation of vimentin in the OSCC cells and an enhancement of invasive behaviour, indicating EMT-like effects. Similarly, FCM TGF ≫FCM PDGF induced up-regulation of EGFR, but not of ErbB2/ErbB3. In addition, we detected an increase in basal activities of ERK, PI3K/Akt and Stat3 (FCM TGF >FCM PDGF ) accompanied by protein interaction of vimentin with pERK. These effects are correlated with an increased proliferation. In summary, our results suggest that the activated myofibroblast phenotype provides soluble factors which are able to induce EMT-like phenomena and to increase EGFR signalling as well as cell proliferation in OSCC cells. Our results indicate a possible influence of activated myofibroblasts on EGFR-inhibitor therapy. Therefore, CAFs may serve as promising novel targets for combined therapy strategies. - Highlights: • A cell culture model for cancer associated fibroblasts is described. • The mutual interaction with OSCC cells leads to up-regulation of EGFR in tumour cells. • mCAF induces EGFR downstream signalling with increased proliferation in OSCC. • Erk activation is associated with protein interaction with vimentin as sign of EMT. • Results qualify

Increased glutamate/GABA+ ratio in a shared autistic and schizotypal trait phenotype termed Social Disorganisation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Talitha C. Ford

2017-01-01

Results suggest that a higher expression of the SD phenotype may be associated with increased glutamate/GABA+ ratio in the right ST region, which may affect speech prosody processing, and lead behavioural characteristics that are shared within the autistic and schizotypal spectra.

The motivational roots of norms for environmentally responsible behaviour

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thøgersen, John

This paper investigates whether norms guiding environmentally desirable behaviour are genuinely internalized and integrated into the person's cognitive and goal structures or just shallowly "introjected" social norms. Internet-based questionnaires were administered to a stratified sample of Danish...... to the studied behaviour differ significantly depending on the strength of their norms and the two types of norms differ in their embeddedness in the person's cognitive structures. The behavioural influence of subjective social norms and expressed reasons and motives is mediated through personal norms...

Exploring the impact of transformational leadership on nurse innovation behaviour: a cross-sectional study.

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Weng, Rhay-Hung; Huang, Ching-Yuan; Chen, Li-Mei; Chang, Li-Yu

2015-05-01

This study explored the influences of transformational leadership on nurse innovation behaviour and the mediating role of organisational climate. Recently, global nursing experts have been aggressively encouraging nurses to pursue innovation in nursing in order to improve nursing outcomes. Nursing innovation, in turn, is affected by nursing leadership. We employed a questionnaire survey to collect data, and selected a sample of nurses from hospitals in Taiwan. A total of 439 valid surveys were obtained. Hierarchical multiple regression model analysis was conducted to test the study hypothesis. The mean values of agreement of nurse innovation behaviour and transformational leadership were 3.40 and 3.78, respectively. Patient safety climate and innovation climate were found to have full mediating effects on the relationship between transformational leadership and innovation behaviour. Organisational climate has a significant impact on innovation behaviour. Transformational leadership has indirect effects on innovation behaviour via the mediation of patient safety climate and innovation climate. Hospitals should enhance transformational leadership by designing leadership training programmes and establishing transformational culture. In addition, nursing managers should foster nursing innovation through improvements in organisational climate. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Snowshoe hares display limited phenotypic plasticity to mismatch in seasonal camouflage

Science.gov (United States)

Zimova, Marketa; Mills, L. Scott; Lukacs, Paul M.; Mitchell, Michael S.

2014-01-01

As duration of snow cover decreases owing to climate change, species undergoing seasonal colour moults can become colour mismatched with their background. The immediate adaptive solution to this mismatch is phenotypic plasticity, either in phenology of seasonal colour moults or in behaviours that reduce mismatch or its consequences. We observed nearly 200 snowshoe hares across a wide range of snow conditions and two study sites in Montana, USA, and found minimal plasticity in response to mismatch between coat colour and background. We found that moult phenology varied between study sites, likely due to differences in photoperiod and climate, but was largely fixed within study sites with only minimal plasticity to snow conditions during the spring white-to-brown moult. We also found no evidence that hares modify their behaviour in response to colour mismatch. Hiding and fleeing behaviours and resting spot preference of hares were more affected by variables related to season, site and concealment by vegetation, than by colour mismatch. We conclude that plasticity in moult phenology and behaviours in snowshoe hares is insufficient for adaptation to camouflage mismatch, suggesting that any future adaptation to climate change will require natural selection on moult phenology or behaviour.

CARD15 in inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn's disease phenotypes : An association study and pooled analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oostenbrug, L. E.; Nolte, I. M.; Oosterom, E.; van der Steege, G.; Meerman, G. J. te; van Dullemen, H. M.; Drenth, J. P. H.; de Jong, D. J.; van der Linde, K.; Jansen, P. L. M.; Kleibeuker, J. H.

2006-01-01

Background. Three major polymorphisms of the Caspase-Activation Recruitment Domain containing protein 15 gene have been described to be associated with Crohn's disease. Genotype-phenotype studies reported in literature provide conflicting data on disease localisation and behaviour. We investigated

A gonad-expressed opsin mediates light-induced spawning in the jellyfish Clytia

Science.gov (United States)

Quiroga Artigas, Gonzalo; Lapébie, Pascal; Leclère, Lucas; Takeda, Noriyo; Deguchi, Ryusaku; Jékely, Gáspár

2018-01-01

Across the animal kingdom, environmental light cues are widely involved in regulating gamete release, but the molecular and cellular bases of the photoresponsive mechanisms are poorly understood. In hydrozoan jellyfish, spawning is triggered by dark-light or light-dark transitions acting on the gonad, and is mediated by oocyte maturation-inducing neuropeptide hormones (MIHs) released from the ectoderm. We determined in Clytia hemisphaerica that blue-cyan light triggers spawning in isolated gonads. A candidate opsin (Opsin9) was found co-expressed with MIH within specialised ectodermal cells. Opsin9 knockout jellyfish generated by CRISPR/Cas9 failed to undergo oocyte maturation and spawning, a phenotype reversible by synthetic MIH. Gamete maturation and release in Clytia is thus regulated by gonadal photosensory-neurosecretory cells that secrete MIH in response to light via Opsin9. Similar cells in ancestral eumetazoans may have allowed tissue-level photo-regulation of diverse behaviours, a feature elaborated in cnidarians in parallel with expansion of the opsin gene family. PMID:29303477

Role of vaspin in human eating behaviour.

Science.gov (United States)

Breitfeld, Jana; Tönjes, Anke; Gast, Marie-Therese; Schleinitz, Dorit; Blüher, Matthias; Stumvoll, Michael; Kovacs, Peter; Böttcher, Yvonne

2013-01-01

The adipokine vaspin (visceral adipose tissue derived serine protease inhibitor, serpinA12) follows a meal-related diurnal variation in humans and intracerebroventricular vaspin administration leads to acutely reduced food intake in db/db mice. We therefore hypothesized that vaspin may play a role in human eating behaviour. We measured serum vaspin concentrations in 548 subjects from a self-contained population of Sorbs (Germany) who underwent detailed metabolic testing including eating behaviour assessments using the three-factor eating questionnaire. In addition, genetic variation within vaspin was assessed by genotyping 28 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in all study subjects. Serum vaspin concentrations correlated positively with restraint, disinhibition and hunger (all P0.05). Independent of observed correlations, genetic variants in vaspin were associated with serum vaspin levels but showed no significant association with any of the eating behaviour phenotypes after accounting for multiple testing (P≥0.05 after adjusting for age, gender and BMI). Our data suggest that serum vaspin concentrations might modulate human eating behaviour, which does not seem to be affected by common genetic variation in vaspin.

Modification of CO2 avoidance behaviour in Drosophila by inhibitory odorants.

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Turner, Stephanie Lynn; Ray, Anandasankar

2009-09-10

The fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster exhibits a robust and innate olfactory-based avoidance behaviour to CO(2), a component of odour emitted from stressed flies. Specialized neurons in the antenna and a dedicated neuronal circuit in the higher olfactory system mediate CO(2) detection and avoidance. However, fruitflies need to overcome this avoidance response in some environments that contain CO(2) such as ripening fruits and fermenting yeast, which are essential food sources. Very little is known about the molecular and neuronal basis of this unique, context-dependent modification of innate olfactory avoidance behaviour. Here we identify a new class of odorants present in food that directly inhibit CO(2)-sensitive neurons in the antenna. Using an in vivo expression system we establish that the odorants act on the Gr21a/Gr63a CO(2) receptor. The presence of these odorants significantly and specifically reduces CO(2)-mediated avoidance behaviour, as well as avoidance mediated by 'Drosophila stress odour'. We propose a model in which behavioural avoidance to CO(2) is directly influenced by inhibitory interactions of the novel odours with CO(2) receptors. Furthermore, we observe differences in the temporal dynamics of inhibition: the effect of one of these odorants lasts several minutes beyond the initial exposure. Notably, animals that have been briefly pre-exposed to this odorant do not respond to the CO(2) avoidance cue even after the odorant is no longer present. We also show that related odorants are effective inhibitors of the CO(2) response in Culex mosquitoes that transmit West Nile fever and filariasis. Our findings have broader implications in highlighting the important role of inhibitory odorants in olfactory coding, and in their potential to disrupt CO(2)-mediated host-seeking behaviour in disease-carrying insects like mosquitoes.

Experience of racism and tooth brushing among pregnant Aboriginal Australians: exploring psychosocial mediators.

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Ben, J; Jamieson, L M; Priest, N; Parker, E J; Roberts-Thomson, K F; Lawrence, H P; Broughton, J; Paradies, Y

2014-09-01

Despite burgeoning evidence regarding the pathways by which experiences of racism influence health outcomes, little attention has been paid to the relationship between racism and oral health-related behaviours in particular. We hypothesised that self-reported racism was associated with tooth brushing, and that this association was mediated by perceived stress and sense of control and moderated by social support. Data from 365 pregnant Aboriginal Australian women were used to evaluate tooth brushing behaviour, sociodemographic factors, psychosocial factors, general health, risk behaviours and racism exposure. Bivariate associations were explored and hierarchical logistic regression models estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for tooth brushing. Perceived stress and sense of control were examined as mediators of the association between self-reported racism and tooth brushing using binary mediation with bootstrapping. High levels of self-reported racism persisted as a risk indicator for tooth brushing (OR 0.51, 95%CI 0.27,0.98) after controlling for significant covariates. Perceived stress mediated the relationship between self-reported racism and tooth brushing: the direct effect of racism on tooth brushing was attenuated, and the indirect effect on tooth brushing was significant (beta coefficient -0.09; bias-corrected 95%CI -0.166,-0.028; 48.1% of effect mediated). Sense of control was insignificant as a mediator of the relationship between racism and tooth brushing. High levels of self-reported racism were associated with non-optimal tooth brushing behaviours, and perceived stress mediated this association among this sample of pregnant Aboriginal women.. Limitations and implications are discussed.

Multiple Natural and Experimental Inflammatory Rabbit Lacrimal Gland Phenotypes

Science.gov (United States)

Mircheff, Austin K.; Wang, Yanru; Schechter, Joel E.; Li, Meng; Tong, Warren; Attar, Mayssa; Chengalvala, Murty; Harmuth, Joe; Prusakiewicz, Jeffery J.

2016-01-01

Purpose To investigate lacrimal gland (LG) immunophysiological and immune-mediated inflammatory process (IMIP) phenotype diversity. Methods Ex vivo matured dendritic cells (mDC) were loaded with acinar cell microparticles (MP). Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) were activated in mixed cell reactions with mDC and injected directly into autologous, unilateral LG (1° ATD-LG) of two rabbit cohorts, one naïve, one immunized with a LG lysate membrane fraction (Pi). Autoimmune IgG titers were assayed by ELISA, MCR PBL stimulation indices (SI) by [3H]-thymidine incorporation. Schirmer tests without and with topical anesthetic (STT-I, STT-IA) and rose Bengal (RB) staining tests were performed. H&E and immunohistochemically stained sections were examined. RNA yields and selected transcript abundances were measured. Immune cell number and transcript abundance data were submitted to Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Results Immunizing Pi dose influenced SI but not IgG titers. STT scores were decreased, and rose Bengal scores increased, by day 118 after immunization. Previous immunization exacerbated scores in 1° ATD-eyes and exacerbated 1° ATD-LG atrophy. IMIP were evident in 2° ATD-LG as well as 1° ATD-LG. PCA described diverse immunophysiological phenotypes in control LG and diverse IMIP phenotypes in ATD-LG. IgG titers and SI pre-adoptive transfer were significantly associated with certain post-adoptive transfer IMIP phenotype features, and certain LG IMIP features were significantly associated with RB and STT IA scores. Conclusions The underlying variability of normal states may contribute to the diversity of experimental IMIP phenotypes. The ability to generate and characterize diverse phenotypes may lead to phenotype-specific diagnostic and therapeutic paradigms. PMID:27423911

The motivational roots of norms for environmentally responsible behaviour

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thøgersen, John

2007-01-01

to the studied behaviour differ significantly depending on the strength of their norms and the two types of norms differ in their embeddedness in the person's cognitive structures. The behavioural influence of subjective social norms and expressed reasons and motives is mediated through personal norms...... consumers (N = 206). Each questionnaire contained standard items measuring subjective social and personal norms for the purchase of organic food, self-reported buying behaviour, and a "hard laddering" instrument probing reasons and motives for doing so. As expected, participants' means-end associations...

Effects of poor hygiene on cytokine phenotypes in children in the tropics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. A. Figueiredo

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract We describe immune phenotypes (innate and adaptive cytokines according to environmental exposure using latent class analysis. A total of 310 schoolchildren living in Ecuador were assayed for spontaneous cytokine production as well as mitogen (SEB-stimulated cytokines in whole blood cultures. We collected data on environmental exposures by questionnaire and on intestinal parasites by examination of stool samples. Latent class analysis (LCA was used to group children according to their innate (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and TNF-α and adaptive (IL-5, IL-13, IL-17, IFN-γ and IL-10 cytokine profile. We also conducted multiple-group LCA and LCA with covariates to evaluate the effect of predictors on profile membership. We identified both hyporesponsive and Th2-modified immune phenotypes produced by peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs that were associated with intestinal worms and birth order, providing insights into how poor hygiene mediates immunologic effects on immune-mediated diseases.

Comparing the strength of behavioural plasticity and consistency across situations: animal personalities in the hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus.

Science.gov (United States)

Briffa, Mark; Rundle, Simon D; Fryer, Adam

2008-06-07

Many phenotypic traits show plasticity but behaviour is often considered the 'most plastic' aspect of phenotype as it is likely to show the quickest response to temporal changes in conditions or 'situation'. However, it has also been noted that constraints on sensory acuity, cognitive structure and physiological capacities place limits on behavioural plasticity. Such limits to plasticity may generate consistent differences in behaviour between individuals from the same population. It has recently been suggested that these consistent differences in individual behaviour may be adaptive and the term 'animal personalities' has been used to describe them. In many cases, however, a degree of both behavioural plasticity and relative consistency is probable. To understand the possible functions of animal personalities, it is necessary to determine the relative strength of each tendency and this may be achieved by comparison of statistical effect sizes for tests of difference and concordance. Here, we describe a new statistical framework for making such comparisons and investigate cross-situational plasticity and consistency in the duration of startle responses in the European hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus, in the field and the laboratory. The effect sizes of tests for behavioural consistency were greater than for tests of behavioural plasticity, indicating for the first time the presence of animal personalities in a crustacean model.

Tol2 transposon-mediated transgenesis in the Midas cichlid (Amphilophus citrinellus) - towards understanding gene function and regulatory evolution in an ecological model system for rapid phenotypic diversification.

Science.gov (United States)

Kratochwil, Claudius F; Sefton, Maggie M; Liang, Yipeng; Meyer, Axel

2017-11-23

The Midas cichlid species complex (Amphilophus spp.) is widely known among evolutionary biologists as a model system for sympatric speciation and adaptive phenotypic divergence within extremely short periods of time (a few hundred generations). The repeated parallel evolution of adaptive phenotypes in this radiation, combined with their near genetic identity, makes them an excellent model for studying phenotypic diversification. While many ecological and evolutionary studies have been performed on Midas cichlids, the molecular basis of specific phenotypes, particularly adaptations, and their underlying coding and cis-regulatory changes have not yet been studied thoroughly. For the first time in any New World cichlid, we use Tol2 transposon-mediated transgenesis in the Midas cichlid (Amphilophus citrinellus). By adapting existing microinjection protocols, we established an effective protocol for transgenesis in Midas cichlids. Embryos were injected with a Tol2 plasmid construct that drives enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) expression under the control of the ubiquitin promoter. The transgene was successfully integrated into the germline, driving strong ubiquitous expression of eGFP in the first transgenic Midas cichlid line. Additionally, we show transient expression of two further transgenic constructs, ubiquitin::tdTomato and mitfa::eGFP. Transgenesis in Midas cichlids will facilitate further investigation of the genetic basis of species-specific traits, many of which are adaptations. Transgenesis is a versatile tool not only for studying regulatory elements such as promoters and enhancers, but also for testing gene function through overexpression of allelic gene variants. As such, it is an important first step in establishing the Midas cichlid as a powerful model for studying adaptive coding and non-coding changes in an ecological and evolutionary context.

Adaptive Behaviour in Angelman Syndrome: Its Profile and Relationship to Age

Science.gov (United States)

Gasca, C. Brun; Obiols, J. E.; Bonillo, A.; Artigas, J.; Lorente, I.; Gabau, E.; Guitart, M.; Turk, J.

2010-01-01

Background: Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder usually caused by an anomaly in the maternally inherited chromosome 15. The main features are severe intellectual disability, speech impairment, ataxia, epilepsy, sleep disorder and a behavioural phenotype that reportedly includes happy disposition, attraction to/fascination with…

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antibody-mediated neurological disease: results of a UK-based surveillance study in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Sukhvir; Hacohen, Yael; Jacobson, Leslie; Agrawal, Shakti; Gupta, Rajat; Philip, Sunny; Smith, Martin; Lim, Ming; Wassmer, Evangeline; Vincent, Angela

2015-06-01

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antibody (NMDAR-Ab) encephalitis is a well-recognised clinico-immunological syndrome that presents with neuropsychiatric symptoms cognitive decline, movement disorder and seizures. This study reports the clinical features, management and neurological outcomes of paediatric NMDAR-Ab-mediated neurological disease in the UK. A prospective surveillance study. Children with NMDAR-Ab-mediated neurological diseases were voluntarily reported to the British Neurological Surveillance Unit (BPNSU) from November 2010 to December 2011. Initial and follow-up questionnaires were sent out to physicians. Thirty-one children fulfilled the criteria for the study. Eight presented during the study period giving an incidence of 0.85 per million children per year (95% CI 0.64 to 1.06); 23 cases were historical. Behavioural change and neuropsychiatric features were present in 90% of patients, and seizures and movement disorders both in 67%. Typical NMDAR-Ab encephalitis was reported in 24 children and partial phenotype without encephalopathy in seven, including predominantly psychiatric (four) and movement disorder (three). All patients received steroids, 22 (71%) received intravenous immunoglobulin, 9 (29%) received plasma exchange,and 10 (32%) received second-line immunotherapy. Of the 23 patients who were diagnosed early, 18 (78%) made a full recovery compared with only 1 of 8 (13%) of the late diagnosed patients (p=0.002, Fisher's exact test). Seven patients relapsed, with four needing additional second-line immunotherapy. Paediatric NMDAR-Ab-mediated neurological disease appears to be similar to adult NMDAR-Ab encephalitis, but some presented with a partial phenotype. Early treatment was associated with a quick and often full recovery. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Social influence, intention to smoke, and adolescent smoking behaviour longitudinal relations.

Science.gov (United States)

Vitória, Paulo D; Salgueiro, M Fátima; Silva, Silvia A; de Vries, Hein

2011-11-01

There is a debate on the determinants of smoking behaviour, their relative impact, and how impacts are exerted. This longitudinal study is on the relations among social influence, intention to smoke, and smoking behaviour, controlling for attitude and self-efficacy. A model combining parents and peers with subjective and descriptive norms, resulting in four factors, was used to assess social influence. Data were collected at the beginning of the 7th(-T1), 8th(-T2), and 9th(-T3) school years, concerning 578 students (M(age) = 13.04 at T1). Structural Equation Modelling was used to test longitudinal effects. Variances explained by the model were high: R(2) (intention-T2) = .65, R(2) (behaviour-T2) = .67, and R(2) (behaviour-T3) = .76. Longitudinal analyses confirmed the effects of social influence on intention and behaviour. These effects on behaviour were direct and indirect (peers' and parents' descriptive norms in both cases). Descriptive norms had a stronger effect on behaviour than subjective norms. Peers' effect on behaviour was stronger than parents', but peers' effect was exerted only through descriptive norms while parents' effect was exerted through both norms. The intention effect on behaviour was not as detached as expected and its role of full mediator between other variables' effects on behaviour was not confirmed, since descriptive norms and self-efficacy had also a mediation role. Results show direct and indirect effects of social influence on behaviour. Descriptive norms are an important variable to operationalize social influence. Peers and parents exert influence on adolescents' intention and behaviour through different processes. The impact of intention on behaviour is not as important as expected. ©2011 The British Psychological Society.

Phenotypic plasticity is a negative, though weak, predictor of the commonness of 105 grassland species

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Dostál, Petr; Fischer, M.; Prati, D.

2016-01-01

Roč. 25, č. 4 (2016), s. 464-474 ISSN 1466-822X R&D Projects: GA ČR GA15-09119S Institutional support: RVO:67985939 Keywords : niche breadth * temperate grasslands * phenotypic plastic ity Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 6.045, year: 2016

Effects of Divergent Selection for Fear of Humans on Behaviour in Red Junglefowl.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beatrix Agnvall

Full Text Available Domestication has caused a range of similar phenotypic changes across taxa, relating to physiology, morphology and behaviour. It has been suggested that this recurring domesticated phenotype may be a result of correlated responses to a central trait, namely increased tameness. We selected Red Junglefowl, the ancestors of domesticated chickens, during five generations for reduced fear of humans. This caused a marked and significant response in tameness, and previous studies have found correlated effects on growth, metabolism, reproduction, and some behaviour not directly selected for. Here, we report the results from a series of behavioural tests carried out on the initial parental generation (P0 and the fifth selected generation (S5, focusing on behaviour not functionally related to tameness, in order to study any correlated effects. Birds were tested for fear of humans, social reinstatement tendency, open field behaviour at two different ages, foraging/exploration, response to a simulated aerial predator attack and tonic immobility. In S5, there were no effects of selection on foraging/exploration or tonic immobility, while in the social reinstatement and open field tests there were significant interactions between selection and sex. In the aerial predator test, there were significant main effects of selection, indicating that fear of humans may represent a general wariness towards predators. In conclusion, we found only small correlated effects on behaviours not related to the tameness trait selected for, in spite of them showing high genetic correlations to fear of humans in a previous study on the same population. This suggests that species-specific behaviour is generally resilient to changes during domestication.

Effects of Divergent Selection for Fear of Humans on Behaviour in Red Junglefowl

Science.gov (United States)

Agnvall, Beatrix; Jensen, Per

2016-01-01

Domestication has caused a range of similar phenotypic changes across taxa, relating to physiology, morphology and behaviour. It has been suggested that this recurring domesticated phenotype may be a result of correlated responses to a central trait, namely increased tameness. We selected Red Junglefowl, the ancestors of domesticated chickens, during five generations for reduced fear of humans. This caused a marked and significant response in tameness, and previous studies have found correlated effects on growth, metabolism, reproduction, and some behaviour not directly selected for. Here, we report the results from a series of behavioural tests carried out on the initial parental generation (P0) and the fifth selected generation (S5), focusing on behaviour not functionally related to tameness, in order to study any correlated effects. Birds were tested for fear of humans, social reinstatement tendency, open field behaviour at two different ages, foraging/exploration, response to a simulated aerial predator attack and tonic immobility. In S5, there were no effects of selection on foraging/exploration or tonic immobility, while in the social reinstatement and open field tests there were significant interactions between selection and sex. In the aerial predator test, there were significant main effects of selection, indicating that fear of humans may represent a general wariness towards predators. In conclusion, we found only small correlated effects on behaviours not related to the tameness trait selected for, in spite of them showing high genetic correlations to fear of humans in a previous study on the same population. This suggests that species-specific behaviour is generally resilient to changes during domestication. PMID:27851792

Divergent pheromone-mediated insect behaviour under global atmospheric change

Science.gov (United States)

Edward B. Mondor; Michelle N. Tremblay; Caroline S. Awmack; Richard L. Lindroth

2004-01-01

While the effects of global atmospheric changes on vegetation and resulting insect populations('bottom-up interactions') are being increasingly studied, how these gases modify interactions among insects and their natural enemies ('top-down interactions') is less clear. As natural enemy efficacy is governed largely by behavioural mechanisms, altered...

A component analysis of positive behaviour support plans.

Science.gov (United States)

McClean, Brian; Grey, Ian

2012-09-01

Positive behaviour support (PBS) emphasises multi-component interventions by natural intervention agents to help people overcome challenging behaviours. This paper investigates which components are most effective and which factors might mediate effectiveness. Sixty-one staff working with individuals with intellectual disability and challenging behaviours completed longitudinal competency-based training in PBS. Each staff participant conducted a functional assessment and developed and implemented a PBS plan for one prioritised individual. A total of 1,272 interventions were available for analysis. Measures of challenging behaviour were taken at baseline, after 6 months, and at an average of 26 months follow-up. There was a significant reduction in the frequency, management difficulty, and episodic severity of challenging behaviour over the duration of the study. Escape was identified by staff as the most common function, accounting for 77% of challenging behaviours. The most commonly implemented components of intervention were setting event changes and quality-of-life-based interventions. Only treatment acceptability was found to be related to decreases in behavioural frequency. No single intervention component was found to have a greater association with reductions in challenging behaviour.

Temperature-dependent behaviours are genetically variable in the nematode Caenorhabditis briggsae.

Science.gov (United States)

Stegeman, Gregory W; de Mesquita, Matthew Bueno; Ryu, William S; Cutter, Asher D

2013-03-01

Temperature-dependent behaviours in Caenorhabditis elegans, such as thermotaxis and isothermal tracking, are complex behavioural responses that integrate sensation, foraging and learning, and have driven investigations to discover many essential genetic and neural pathways. The ease of manipulation of the Caenorhabditis model system also has encouraged its application to comparative analyses of phenotypic evolution, particularly contrasts of the classic model C. elegans with C. briggsae. And yet few studies have investigated natural genetic variation in behaviour in any nematode. Here we measure thermotaxis and isothermal tracking behaviour in genetically distinct strains of C. briggsae, further motivated by the latitudinal differentiation in C. briggsae that is associated with temperature-dependent fitness differences in this species. We demonstrate that C. briggsae performs thermotaxis and isothermal tracking largely similar to that of C. elegans, with a tendency to prefer its rearing temperature. Comparisons of these behaviours among strains reveal substantial heritable natural variation within each species that corresponds to three general patterns of behavioural response. However, intraspecific genetic differences in thermal behaviour often exceed interspecific differences. These patterns of temperature-dependent behaviour motivate further development of C. briggsae as a model system for dissecting the genetic underpinnings of complex behavioural traits.

Mediational effects of self-efficacy dimensions in the relationship between knowledge of dengue and dengue preventive behaviour with respect to control of dengue outbreaks: a structural equation model of a cross-sectional survey.

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Affendi Isa

Full Text Available Dengue fever is endemic in Malaysia, with frequent major outbreaks in urban areas. The major control strategy relies on health promotional campaigns aimed at encouraging people to reduce mosquito breeding sites close to people's homes. However, such campaigns have not always been 100% effective. The concept of self-efficacy is an area of increasing research interest in understanding how health promotion can be most effective. This paper reports on a study of the impact of self-efficacy on dengue knowledge and dengue preventive behaviour.We recruited 280 adults from 27 post-outbreak villages in the state of Terengganu, east coast of Malaysia. Measures of health promotion and educational intervention activities and types of communication during outbreak, level of dengue knowledge, level and strength of self-efficacy and dengue preventive behaviour were obtained via face-to-face interviews and questionnaires. A structural equation model was tested and fitted the data well (χ(2 = 71.659, df = 40, p = 0.002, RMSEA = 0.053, CFI = 0.973, TLI = 0.963. Mass media, local contact and direct information-giving sessions significantly predicted level of knowledge of dengue. Level and strength of self-efficacy fully mediated the relationship between knowledge of dengue and dengue preventive behaviours. Strength of self-efficacy acted as partial mediator in the relationship between knowledge of dengue and dengue preventive behaviours.To control and prevent dengue outbreaks by behavioural measures, health promotion and educational interventions during outbreaks should now focus on those approaches that are most likely to increase the level and strength of self-efficacy.

High novelty seeking as a predictor of antisocial behaviour in early adulthood.

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Foulds, James; Boden, Joseph; Horwood, John; Mulder, Roger

2017-11-01

This study aimed to examine the association between novelty seeking (NS) and antisocial behaviours (age 18-35). A New Zealand general population birth cohort was studied from 1977 to 2012. Sample sizes ranged from n = 962 (age 35) to n = 1025 (age 18). NS was measured at age 16 using the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire. Perpetration of antisocial behaviours was ascertained by self-report at ages 18, 21, 25, 30 and 35. Generalized estimating equation models investigated the association between NS and antisocial behaviours net of individual factors and correlates of NS before age 16 and alcohol and substance use disorders at age 18-35. Higher NS scores were associated with a higher unadjusted incidence of all forms of antisocial behaviour. Assault, theft, property damage and dishonesty offending remained associated with NS after adjustment for individual factors and correlates of NS before age 16. After further adjustment for alcohol and substance use disorders, NS was not associated with any antisocial behaviour outcomes, suggesting those disorders mediate the association between NS and antisocial behaviours. Alcohol and substance use disorders mediate the association between NS and antisocial behaviours in early adulthood. NS may be a useful endophenotype for investigating the causation of externalizing behaviours. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Phenotypic assortment mediates the effect of social selection in a wild beetle population

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Formica, Vincent A.; McGlothlin, Joel W.; Wood, Corlett W.; Augat, Malcolm E.; Butterfield, Rebecca E.; Barnard, Mollie E.; Brodie, Edmund D.

2011-01-01

Social interactions often have major fitness consequences, but little is known about how specific interacting phenotypes affect the strength of natural selection. Social influences on the evolutionary process can be assessed using a multilevel selection approach that partitions the effects of social

Active PI3K pathway causes an invasive phenotype which can be reversed or promoted by blocking the pathway at divergent nodes.

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Jeffrey J Wallin

Full Text Available The PTEN/PI3K pathway is commonly mutated in cancer and therefore represents an attractive target for therapeutic intervention. To investigate the primary phenotypes mediated by increased pathway signaling in a clean, patient-relevant context, an activating PIK3CA mutation (H1047R was knocked-in to an endogenous allele of the MCF10A non-tumorigenic human breast epithelial cell line. Introduction of an endogenously mutated PIK3CA allele resulted in a marked epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT and invasive phenotype, compared to isogenic wild-type cells. The invasive phenotype was linked to enhanced PIP(3 production via a S6K-IRS positive feedback mechanism. Moreover, potent and selective inhibitors of PI3K were highly effective in reversing this phenotype, which is optimally revealed in 3-dimensional cell culture. In contrast, inhibition of Akt or mTOR exacerbated the invasive phenotype. Our results suggest that invasion is a core phenotype mediated by increased PTEN/PI3K pathway activity and that therapeutic agents targeting different nodes of the PI3K pathway may have dramatic differences in their ability to reverse or promote cancer metastasis.

Intrusive fathering, children's self-regulation and social skills: a mediation analysis.

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Stevenson, M; Crnic, K

2013-06-01

Fathers have unique influences on children's development, and particularly in the development of social skills. Although father-child relationship influences on children's social competence have received increased attention in general, research on fathering in families of children with developmental delays (DD) is scant. This study examined the pathway of influence among paternal intrusive behaviour, child social skills and child self-regulatory ability, testing a model whereby child regulatory behaviour mediates relations between fathering and child social skills. Participants were 97 families of children with early identified DD enrolled in an extensive longitudinal study. Father and mother child-directed intrusiveness was coded live in naturalistic home observations at child age 4.5, child behaviour dysregulation was coded from a video-taped laboratory problem-solving task at child age 5, and child social skills were measured using independent teacher reports at child age 6. Analyses tested for mediation of the relationship between fathers' intrusiveness and child social skills by child behaviour dysregulation. Fathers' intrusiveness, controlling for mothers' intrusiveness and child behaviour problems, was related to later child decreased social skills and this relationship was mediated by child behaviour dysregulation. Intrusive fathering appears to carry unique risk for the development of social skills in children with DD. Findings are discussed as they related to theories of fatherhood and parenting in children with DD, as well as implications for intervention and future research. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd, MENCAP & IASSID.

Amphibious fishes: evolution and phenotypic plasticity.

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Wright, Patricia A; Turko, Andy J

2016-08-01

Amphibious fishes spend part of their life in terrestrial habitats. The ability to tolerate life on land has evolved independently many times, with more than 200 extant species of amphibious fishes spanning 17 orders now reported. Many adaptations for life out of water have been described in the literature, and adaptive phenotypic plasticity may play an equally important role in promoting favourable matches between the terrestrial habitat and behavioural, physiological, biochemical and morphological characteristics. Amphibious fishes living at the interface of two very different environments must respond to issues relating to buoyancy/gravity, hydration/desiccation, low/high O2 availability, low/high CO2 accumulation and high/low NH3 solubility each time they traverse the air-water interface. Here, we review the literature for examples of plastic traits associated with the response to each of these challenges. Because there is evidence that phenotypic plasticity can facilitate the evolution of fixed traits in general, we summarize the types of investigations needed to more fully determine whether plasticity in extant amphibious fishes can provide indications of the strategies used during the evolution of terrestriality in tetrapods. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Dissociable effects of Sry and sex chromosome complement on activity, feeding and anxiety-related behaviours in mice.

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Kopsida, Eleni; Lynn, Phoebe M; Humby, Trevor; Wilkinson, Lawrence S; Davies, William

2013-01-01

Whilst gonadal hormones can substantially influence sexual differentiation of the brain, recent findings have suggested that sex-linked genes may also directly influence neurodevelopment. Here we used the well-established murine 'four core genotype' (FCG) model on a gonadally-intact, outbred genetic background to characterise the contribution of Sry-dependent effects (i.e. those arising from the expression of the Y-linked Sry gene in the brain, or from hormonal sequelae of gonadal Sry expression) and direct effects of sex-linked genes other than Sry ('sex chromosome complement' effects) to sexually dimorphic mouse behavioural phenotypes. Over a 24 hour period, XX and XY gonadally female mice (lacking Sry) exhibited greater horizontal locomotor activity and reduced food consumption per unit bodyweight than XX and XY gonadally male mice (possessing Sry); in two behavioural tests (the elevated plus and zero mazes) XX and XY gonadally female mice showed evidence for increased anxiety-related behaviours relative to XX and XY gonadally male mice. Exploratory correlational analyses indicated that these Sry-dependent effects could not be simply explained by brain expression of the gene, nor by circulating testosterone levels. We also noted a sex chromosome complement effect on food (but not water) consumption whereby XY mice consumed more over a 24hr period than XX mice, and a sex chromosome complement effect in a third test of anxiety-related behaviour, the light-dark box. The present data suggest that: i) the male-specific factor Sry may influence activity and feeding behaviours in mice, and ii) dissociable feeding and anxiety-related murine phenotypes may be differentially modulated by Sry and by other sex-linked genes. Our results may have relevance for understanding the molecular underpinnings of sexually dimorphic behavioural phenotypes in healthy men and women, and in individuals with abnormal sex chromosome constitutions.

Dissociable effects of Sry and sex chromosome complement on activity, feeding and anxiety-related behaviours in mice.

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Eleni Kopsida

Full Text Available Whilst gonadal hormones can substantially influence sexual differentiation of the brain, recent findings have suggested that sex-linked genes may also directly influence neurodevelopment. Here we used the well-established murine 'four core genotype' (FCG model on a gonadally-intact, outbred genetic background to characterise the contribution of Sry-dependent effects (i.e. those arising from the expression of the Y-linked Sry gene in the brain, or from hormonal sequelae of gonadal Sry expression and direct effects of sex-linked genes other than Sry ('sex chromosome complement' effects to sexually dimorphic mouse behavioural phenotypes. Over a 24 hour period, XX and XY gonadally female mice (lacking Sry exhibited greater horizontal locomotor activity and reduced food consumption per unit bodyweight than XX and XY gonadally male mice (possessing Sry; in two behavioural tests (the elevated plus and zero mazes XX and XY gonadally female mice showed evidence for increased anxiety-related behaviours relative to XX and XY gonadally male mice. Exploratory correlational analyses indicated that these Sry-dependent effects could not be simply explained by brain expression of the gene, nor by circulating testosterone levels. We also noted a sex chromosome complement effect on food (but not water consumption whereby XY mice consumed more over a 24hr period than XX mice, and a sex chromosome complement effect in a third test of anxiety-related behaviour, the light-dark box. The present data suggest that: i the male-specific factor Sry may influence activity and feeding behaviours in mice, and ii dissociable feeding and anxiety-related murine phenotypes may be differentially modulated by Sry and by other sex-linked genes. Our results may have relevance for understanding the molecular underpinnings of sexually dimorphic behavioural phenotypes in healthy men and women, and in individuals with abnormal sex chromosome constitutions.

The behavioural/dysexecutive variant of Alzheimer's disease: clinical, neuroimaging and pathological features

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ossenkoppele, R.; Pijnenburg, Y.A.L.; Perry, D.C.; Cohn-Sheehy, B.I.; Scheltens, N.M.E.; Vogel, J.W.; Kramer, J.H.; van der Vlies, A.E.; La Joie, R.; Rosen, H.J.; van der Flier, W.M.; Grinberg, L.T.; Rozemuller, A.J.M.; Huang, E.J.; van Berckel, B.N.M.; Miller, B.L.; Barkhof, F.; Jagust, W.J.; Scheltens, P.; Seeley, W.W.; Rabinovici, G.D.

2015-01-01

A 'frontal variant of Alzheimer's disease' has been described in patients with predominant behavioural or dysexecutive deficits caused by Alzheimer's disease pathology. The description of this rare Alzheimer's disease phenotype has been limited to case reports and small series, and many clinical,

Simultaneous Analysis of the Behavioural Phenotype, Physical Factors, and Parenting Stress in People with Cornelia De Lange Syndrome

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Wulffaert, J.; van Berckelaer-Onnes, I.; Kroonenberg, P.; Scholte, E.; Bhuiyan, Z.; Hennekam, R.

2009-01-01

Background: Studies into the phenotype of rare genetic syndromes largely rely on bivariate analysis. The aim of this study was to describe the phenotype of Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) in depth by examining a large number of variables with varying measurement levels. Virtually the only suitable multivariate technique for this is categorical…

Dysregulation of RNA Mediated Gene Expression in Motor Neuron Diseases.

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Gonçalves, Inês do Carmo G; Rehorst, Wiebke A; Kye, Min Jeong

2016-01-01

Recent findings indicate an important role for RNA-mediated gene expression in motor neuron diseases, including ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and SMA (spinal muscular atrophy). ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is an adult-onset progressive neurodegenerative disorder, whereby SMA or "children's Lou Gehrig's disease" is considered a pediatric neurodevelopmental disorder. Despite the difference in genetic causes, both ALS and SMA share common phenotypes; dysfunction/loss of motor neurons that eventually leads to muscle weakness and atrophy. With advanced techniques in molecular genetics and cell biology, current data suggest that these two distinct motor neuron diseases share more than phenotypes; ALS and SMA have similar cellular pathological mechanisms including mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress and dysregulation in RNA-mediated gene expression. Here, we will discuss the current findings on these two diseases with specific focus on RNA-mediated gene regulation including miRNA expression, pre-mRNA processing and RNA binding proteins.

Microsatellite polymorphisms associated with human behavioural and psychological phenotypes including a gene-environment interaction.

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Bagshaw, Andrew T M; Horwood, L John; Fergusson, David M; Gemmell, Neil J; Kennedy, Martin A

2017-02-03

The genetic and environmental influences on human personality and behaviour are a complex matter of ongoing debate. Accumulating evidence indicates that short tandem repeats (STRs) in regulatory regions are good candidates to explain heritability not accessed by genome-wide association studies. We tested for associations between the genotypes of four selected repeats and 18 traits relating to personality, behaviour, cognitive ability and mental health in a well-studied longitudinal birth cohort (n = 458-589) using one way analysis of variance. The repeats were a highly conserved poly-AC microsatellite in the upstream promoter region of the T-box brain 1 (TBR1) gene and three previously studied STRs in the activating enhancer-binding protein 2-beta (AP2-β) and androgen receptor (AR) genes. Where significance was found we used multiple regression to assess the influence of confounding factors. Carriers of the shorter, most common, allele of the AR gene's GGN microsatellite polymorphism had fewer anxiety-related symptoms, which was consistent with previous studies, but in our study this was not significant following Bonferroni correction. No associations with two repeats in the AP2-β gene withstood this correction. A novel finding was that carriers of the minor allele of the TBR1 AC microsatellite were at higher risk of conduct problems in childhood at age 7-9 (p = 0.0007, which did pass Bonferroni correction). Including maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSDP) in models controlling for potentially confounding influences showed that an interaction between TBR1 genotype and MSDP was a significant predictor of conduct problems in childhood and adolescence (p behaviour up to age 25 years (p ≤ 0.02). This interaction remained significant after controlling for possible confounders including maternal age at birth, socio-economic status and education, and offspring birth weight. The potential functional importance of the TBR1 gene's promoter microsatellite

Integrating Evolutionary Game Theory into Mechanistic Genotype-Phenotype Mapping.

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Zhu, Xuli; Jiang, Libo; Ye, Meixia; Sun, Lidan; Gragnoli, Claudia; Wu, Rongling

2016-05-01

Natural selection has shaped the evolution of organisms toward optimizing their structural and functional design. However, how this universal principle can enhance genotype-phenotype mapping of quantitative traits has remained unexplored. Here we show that the integration of this principle and functional mapping through evolutionary game theory gains new insight into the genetic architecture of complex traits. By viewing phenotype formation as an evolutionary system, we formulate mathematical equations to model the ecological mechanisms that drive the interaction and coordination of its constituent components toward population dynamics and stability. Functional mapping provides a procedure for estimating the genetic parameters that specify the dynamic relationship of competition and cooperation and predicting how genes mediate the evolution of this relationship during trait formation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Behavioural and Neuroendocrine Effects of Stress in Salmonid Fish

OpenAIRE

Øverli, Øyvind

2001-01-01

Stress can affect several behavioural patterns, such as food intake and the general activity level of an animal. The central monoamine neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine are important in the mediation of both behavioural and neuroendocrine stress effects. This thesis describes studies of two salmonid fish model systems: Fish that become socially dominant or subordinate when reared in pairs, and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) genetically selected for high (HR) and l...

Alternating hemiplegia of childhood-related neural and behavioural phenotypes in Na+,K+-ATPase α3 missense mutant mice.

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Greer S Kirshenbaum

Full Text Available Missense mutations in ATP1A3 encoding Na(+,K(+-ATPase α3 have been identified as the primary cause of alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC, a motor disorder with onset typically before the age of 6 months. Affected children tend to be of short stature and can also have epilepsy, ataxia and learning disability. The Na(+,K(+-ATPase has a well-known role in maintaining electrochemical gradients across cell membranes, but our understanding of how the mutations cause AHC is limited. Myshkin mutant mice carry an amino acid change (I810N that affects the same position in Na(+,K(+-ATPase α3 as I810S found in AHC. Using molecular modelling, we show that the Myshkin and AHC mutations display similarly severe structural impacts on Na(+,K(+-ATPase α3, including upon the K(+ pore and predicted K(+ binding sites. Behavioural analysis of Myshkin mice revealed phenotypic abnormalities similar to symptoms of AHC, including motor dysfunction and cognitive impairment. 2-DG imaging of Myshkin mice identified compromised thalamocortical functioning that includes a deficit in frontal cortex functioning (hypofrontality, directly mirroring that reported in AHC, along with reduced thalamocortical functional connectivity. Our results thus provide validation for missense mutations in Na(+,K(+-ATPase α3 as a cause of AHC, and highlight Myshkin mice as a starting point for the exploration of disease mechanisms and novel treatments in AHC.

Mediating human stem cell behaviour via defined fibrous architectures by melt electrospinning writing.

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Eichholz, Kian F; Hoey, David A

2018-05-29

The architecture within which cells reside is key to mediating their specific functions within the body. In this study, we use melt electrospinning writing (MEW) to fabricate cell micro-environments with various fibrous architectures to study their effect on human stem cell behaviour. We designed, built and optimised a MEW apparatus and used it to fabricate four different platform designs of 10.4±2μm fibre diameter, with angles between fibres on adjacent layers of 90°, 45°, 10° and R (random). Mechanical characterisation was conducted via tensile testing, and human skeletal stem cells (hSSCs) were seeded to scaffolds to study the effect of architecture on cell morphology and mechanosensing (nuclear YAP). Cell morphology was significantly altered between groups, with cells on 90° scaffolds having a lower aspect ratio, greater spreading, greater cytoskeletal tension and nuclear YAP expression. Long term cell culture studies were then conducted to determine the differentiation potential of scaffolds in terms of alkaline phosphatase activity, collagen and mineral production. Across these studies, an increased cell spreading in 3-dimensions is seen with decreasing alignment of architecture correlated with enhanced osteogenesis. This study therefore highlights the critical role of fibrous architecture in regulating stem cell behaviour with implications for tissue engineering and disease progression. This is the first study which has investigated the effect of controlled fibrous architectures fabricated via melt electrospinning writing on cell behaviour and differentiation. After optimising the process and characterising scaffolds via SEM and tensile testing, cells were seeded to fibrous scaffolds with various micro-architectures and studied in terms of cell morphology. Nuclear YAP expression was further investigated as a marker of cell shape, cytoskeletal tension and differentiation potential. In agreement with these early markers, long term cell culture studies

Social cognition and the behavioural phenotype of 17q21.31 microdeletion syndrome

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Egger, J.I.M.; Wingbermühle, P.A.M.; Verhoeven, W.M.A.; Dijkman, M.W.; Kessels, R.P.C.; Koolen, D.A.

2012-01-01

Introduction Recently, the 17q21.31 microdeletion syndrome was described with characteristic features including developmental delay, moderate intellectual disability, facial dysmorphisms, and anomalies of the brain and multiple organ systems. With respect to behaviour, scarce data from clinical

Formalin-induced behavioural hypersensitivity and neuronal hyperexcitability are mediated by rapid protein synthesis at the spinal level

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Asante, Curtis O; Wallace, Victoria C; Dickenson, Anthony H

2009-01-01

Background The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a key regulator of mRNA translation whose action can be inhibited by the drug rapamycin. Forms of long-term plasticity require protein synthesis and evidence indicates that mRNA in dendrites, axon terminals and cell bodies is essential for long-term synaptic plasticity. Specific to pain, shifts in pain thresholds and responsiveness are an expression of neuronal plasticity and this likely contributes to persistent pain. We investigated this by inhibiting the activity of mTOR with rapamycin at the spinal level, of rats that were subjected to the formalin test, using both behavioural and electrophysiological techniques. Results For in vivo electrophysiology, Sprague Dawley rats were fully anaesthetised and single-unit extracellular recordings were obtained from lamina V wide dynamic range (WDR) dorsal horn spinal neurones at the region where input is received from the hind paw. Neuronal responses from naive rats showed that rapamycin-sensitive pathways were important in nociceptive-specific C-fibre mediated transmission onto WDR neurones as well mechanically-evoked responses since rapamycin was effective in attenuating these measures. Formalin solution was injected into the hind paw prior to which, rapamycin or vehicle was applied directly onto the exposed spinal cord. When rapamycin was applied to the spinal cord prior to hind paw formalin injection, there was a significant attenuation of the prolonged second phase of the formalin test, which comprises continuing afferent input to the spinal cord, neuronal hyperexcitability and an activated descending facilitatory drive from the brainstem acting on spinal neurones. In accordance with electrophysiological data, behavioural studies showed that rapamycin attenuated behavioural hypersensitivity elicited by formalin injection into the hind paw. Conclusion We conclude that mTOR has a role in maintaining persistent pain states via mRNA translation and thus protein

Formalin-induced behavioural hypersensitivity and neuronal hyperexcitability are mediated by rapid protein synthesis at the spinal level

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Wallace Victoria C

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR is a key regulator of mRNA translation whose action can be inhibited by the drug rapamycin. Forms of long-term plasticity require protein synthesis and evidence indicates that mRNA in dendrites, axon terminals and cell bodies is essential for long-term synaptic plasticity. Specific to pain, shifts in pain thresholds and responsiveness are an expression of neuronal plasticity and this likely contributes to persistent pain. We investigated this by inhibiting the activity of mTOR with rapamycin at the spinal level, of rats that were subjected to the formalin test, using both behavioural and electrophysiological techniques. Results For in vivo electrophysiology, Sprague Dawley rats were fully anaesthetised and single-unit extracellular recordings were obtained from lamina V wide dynamic range (WDR dorsal horn spinal neurones at the region where input is received from the hind paw. Neuronal responses from naive rats showed that rapamycin-sensitive pathways were important in nociceptive-specific C-fibre mediated transmission onto WDR neurones as well mechanically-evoked responses since rapamycin was effective in attenuating these measures. Formalin solution was injected into the hind paw prior to which, rapamycin or vehicle was applied directly onto the exposed spinal cord. When rapamycin was applied to the spinal cord prior to hind paw formalin injection, there was a significant attenuation of the prolonged second phase of the formalin test, which comprises continuing afferent input to the spinal cord, neuronal hyperexcitability and an activated descending facilitatory drive from the brainstem acting on spinal neurones. In accordance with electrophysiological data, behavioural studies showed that rapamycin attenuated behavioural hypersensitivity elicited by formalin injection into the hind paw. Conclusion We conclude that mTOR has a role in maintaining persistent pain states via m

MiR-29b Downregulation Induces Phenotypic Modulation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells: Implication for Intracranial Aneurysm Formation and Progression to Rupture

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Liqian Sun

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background/Aims: Our previous microarray results identified numerous microRNAs (miRNAs, including miR-29b, that were differentially expressed in the serum of intracranial aneurysm (IA patients. The current study aimed to investigate whether miR-29b downregulation in IA could promote the phenotypic modulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs involved in the pathogenesis of aneurysm by activating ATG14-mediated autophagy. Methods: First, the levels of miR-29b and autophagy related genes (ATGs between IA patients and normal subjects were compared. Next, we modified the level of miR-29b via lentivirus particles in the VSMCs and examined the effects of miR-29b on proliferation, migration, and phenotypic modulation of VSMCs from a contractile phenotype to a synthetic phenotype, as well as the levels of autophagy. Finally, the binding of miR-29b to the 3’UTR of ATG14 mRNA and its effects on ATG14 expression were analysed by a luciferase reporter assay and Western blot, respectively. Results: The level of miR-29b was decreased, and autophagy markers were increased in the IA patients compared to that of the normal subjects. Knockdown of miR-29b significantly promoted VSMCs proliferation and migration and, more importantly, induced the phenotypic modulation associated with autophagy activation, whereas miR-29b overexpression showed the opposite effects. The luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that ATG14 was a functional target gene of miR-29b. Notably, knockdown of ATG14 by siRNA apparently abrogated miR-29b inhibition-mediated phenotypic modulation. Conclusion: Downregulation of miR-29b induced VSMCs phenotypic modulation by directly activating ATG14-mediated autophagy, which is associated with the formation, growth and rupture of IAs.

MiR-29b Downregulation Induces Phenotypic Modulation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells: Implication for Intracranial Aneurysm Formation and Progression to Rupture.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Liqian; Zhao, Manman; Zhang, Jingbo; Lv, Ming; Li, Youxiang; Yang, Xinjian; Liu, Aihua; Wu, Zhongxue

2017-01-01

Our previous microarray results identified numerous microRNAs (miRNAs), including miR-29b, that were differentially expressed in the serum of intracranial aneurysm (IA) patients. The current study aimed to investigate whether miR-29b downregulation in IA could promote the phenotypic modulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) involved in the pathogenesis of aneurysm by activating ATG14-mediated autophagy. First, the levels of miR-29b and autophagy related genes (ATGs) between IA patients and normal subjects were compared. Next, we modified the level of miR-29b via lentivirus particles in the VSMCs and examined the effects of miR-29b on proliferation, migration, and phenotypic modulation of VSMCs from a contractile phenotype to a synthetic phenotype, as well as the levels of autophagy. Finally, the binding of miR-29b to the 3'UTR of ATG14 mRNA and its effects on ATG14 expression were analysed by a luciferase reporter assay and Western blot, respectively. The level of miR-29b was decreased, and autophagy markers were increased in the IA patients compared to that of the normal subjects. Knockdown of miR-29b significantly promoted VSMCs proliferation and migration and, more importantly, induced the phenotypic modulation associated with autophagy activation, whereas miR-29b overexpression showed the opposite effects. The luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that ATG14 was a functional target gene of miR-29b. Notably, knockdown of ATG14 by siRNA apparently abrogated miR-29b inhibition-mediated phenotypic modulation. Downregulation of miR-29b induced VSMCs phenotypic modulation by directly activating ATG14-mediated autophagy, which is associated with the formation, growth and rupture of IAs. © 2017 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.

Gene Variants Associated with Antisocial Behaviour: A Latent Variable Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Bentley, Mary Jane; Lin, Haiqun; Fernandez, Thomas V.; Lee, Maria; Yrigollen, Carolyn M.; Pakstis, Andrew J.; Katsovich, Liliya; Olds, David L.; Grigorenko, Elena L.; Leckman, James F.

2013-01-01

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if a latent variable approach might be useful in identifying shared variance across genetic risk alleles that is associated with antisocial behaviour at age 15 years. Methods: Using a conventional latent variable approach, we derived an antisocial phenotype in 328 adolescents utilizing data from a…

Sedentary behaviour, physical activity and weight problems in adolescents in Wales.

Science.gov (United States)

Elgar, F J; Roberts, C; Moore, L; Tudor-Smith, C

2005-06-01

We studied the prevalence and stability of overweight and obesity in a cohort of adolescents, and the effects of sedentary behaviour and physical activity on changes in body mass. The study also examined the extent to which physical activity mediated the relationship between sedentary behaviour and body mass. Four-year cohort study. The study was part of the Health Behaviour of School-aged Children Study that took place in Wales between 1994 and 1998. Body height and weight measurements and self-report data on sedentary behaviour, physical activity and psychosocial adjustment were collected from 355 adolescents on two occasions 4 years apart. The mean age of the sample at baseline was 12.30 (SD=6.30) years. Weight conditions (underweight, overweight and obesity) and body mass were moderately stable over the interval. Regression analyses showed that sedentary behaviour at Time 1 predicted body mass at Time 2, while physical activity predicted a change in body mass over time. The influence of sedentary behaviour on body mass was not found to be mediated by physical activity. However, weight problems in Year 7 coincided with getting bullied, bullying others, and feeling left out of things. Obesity was also related to snacking and skipping breakfast. Sedentary behaviour and physical activity in early adolescence both influenced body mass in late adolescence. Results indicated that promoting healthy diets and physical activities may have long-term health benefits for young people.

Stress, emotional eating behaviour and dietary patterns in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Michels, Nathalie; Sioen, Isabelle; Braet, Caroline; Eiben, Gabriele; Hebestreit, Antje; Huybrechts, Inge; Vanaelst, Barbara; Vyncke, Krishna; De Henauw, Stefaan

2012-12-01

Psychological stress has been suggested to change dietary pattern towards more unhealthy choices and as such to contribute to overweight. Emotional eating behaviour could be an underlying mediating mechanism. The interrelationship between stress, emotional eating behaviour and dietary patterns has only rarely been examined in young children. Nevertheless, research in children is pivotal as the foundations of dietary habits are established starting from childhood and may track into adulthood. In 437 children (5-12years) of the ChiBS study, stress was measured by questionnaires on stressful events, emotions (happy, angry, sad, anxious) and problems (emotional, peer, conduct and hyperactivity). Data were collected on children's emotional eating behaviour and also on dietary patterns: frequency of fatty foods, sweet foods, snacks (fat and sweet), fruit and vegetables. Stressful events, negative emotions and problems were positively associated with emotional eating. Positive associations were observed between problems and both sweet and fatty foods consumption. Negative associations were observed between events and fruit and vegetables consumption. Overall, stress was associated with emotional eating and a more unhealthy dietary pattern and could thus contribute to the development of overweight, also in children. Nevertheless, emotional eating behaviour was not observed to mediate the stress-diet relation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mediational Effects of Self-Efficacy Dimensions in the Relationship between Knowledge of Dengue and Dengue Preventive Behaviour with Respect to Control of Dengue Outbreaks: A Structural Equation Model of a Cross-Sectional Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Isa, Affendi; Loke, Yoon K.; Smith, Jane R.; Papageorgiou, Alexia; Hunter, Paul R.

2013-01-01

Background Dengue fever is endemic in Malaysia, with frequent major outbreaks in urban areas. The major control strategy relies on health promotional campaigns aimed at encouraging people to reduce mosquito breeding sites close to people's homes. However, such campaigns have not always been 100% effective. The concept of self-efficacy is an area of increasing research interest in understanding how health promotion can be most effective. This paper reports on a study of the impact of self-efficacy on dengue knowledge and dengue preventive behaviour. Methods and Findings We recruited 280 adults from 27 post-outbreak villages in the state of Terengganu, east coast of Malaysia. Measures of health promotion and educational intervention activities and types of communication during outbreak, level of dengue knowledge, level and strength of self-efficacy and dengue preventive behaviour were obtained via face-to-face interviews and questionnaires. A structural equation model was tested and fitted the data well (χ2 = 71.659, df = 40, p = 0.002, RMSEA = 0.053, CFI = 0.973, TLI = 0.963). Mass media, local contact and direct information-giving sessions significantly predicted level of knowledge of dengue. Level and strength of self-efficacy fully mediated the relationship between knowledge of dengue and dengue preventive behaviours. Strength of self-efficacy acted as partial mediator in the relationship between knowledge of dengue and dengue preventive behaviours. Conclusions To control and prevent dengue outbreaks by behavioural measures, health promotion and educational interventions during outbreaks should now focus on those approaches that are most likely to increase the level and strength of self-efficacy. PMID:24086777

Ultrasonic vocalizations: a tool for behavioural phenotyping of mouse models of neurodevelopmental disorders

OpenAIRE

Scattoni, Maria Luisa; Crawley, Jacqueline; Ricceri, Laura

2008-01-01

In neonatal mice ultrasonic vocalizations have been studied both as an early communicative behavior of the pup-mother dyad and as a sign of an aversive affective state. Adult mice of both sexes produce complex ultrasonic vocalization patterns in different experimental/social contexts. All these vocalizations are becoming an increasingly valuable assay for behavioral phenotyping throughout the mouse life-span and alterations of the ultrasound patterns have been reported in several mouse models...

The Influence of Economic Literacyon Consumption Behaviour Mediated by Local Cultural Values and Promotion

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Aldila Septiana

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This research aims to know the influence of economics literacy on the students’ consumption behavior through local cultural values and promotions. The mediation used is based on the theories, the empirical studies and the previous studies.Quantitative approach was used in this study. The population was the Pamekasan Senior High Schools students (Class XI IPS, academic year 2012/2013. Proportional random sampling was conducted to take the samples in the population. The data was collected by using the questionnaire and test. Path analysis was used to analyze the data.The findings showe that the economic literacy level influences directly and significantly on the local cultural values, while affected negatively significant on the promotion. Also the economic literacy level influences directly and negatively significant on the consumption behavior. Contrary, the local cultural values influence directly, positively and significantly on the consumption behavior similar to the promotion. Moreover, the economic literacy level influences indirectly and significantly on the consumption behavior through the local cultural values. Similar to the local cultural values, the promotion aspect had the same influence direction. Therefore, this research provided evidence that the economic literacy affected consumption behaviour which are moderated through the value of local culture and promotion aspects

Mice lacking Brinp2 or Brinp3, or both, exhibit behaviours consistent with neurodevelopmental disorders

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Susie Ruth Berkowicz

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Brinps 1 – 3, and Astrotactins (Astn 1 and 2, are members of the Membrane Attack Complex / Perforin (MACPF superfamily that are predominantly expressed in the mammalian brain during development. Genetic variation at the human BRINP2/ASTN1 and BRINP1/ASTN2 loci has been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders. We, and others, have previously shown that Brinp1-/- mice exhibit behaviour reminiscent of autism spectrum disorder (ASD and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD.Method: We created Brinp2-/- mice and Brinp3-/- mice via the Cre-mediated LoxP system to investigate the effect of gene deletion on anatomy and behaviour. Additionally, Brinp2-/-Brinp3-/- double knock-out mice were generated by interbreeding Brinp2-/- and Brinp3-/- mice. Genomic validation was carried out for each knock-out line, followed by histological, weight and behavioural examination. Brinp1-/-Brinp2-/-Brinp3-/- triple knock-out mice were also generated by crossing Brinp2/3 double knock-out mice with previously generated Brinp1-/- mice, and examined by weight and histological analysis.Results: Brinp2-/- and Brinp3-/- mice differ in their behaviour: Brinp2-/- mice are hyperactive, whereas Brinp3-/- mice exhibit marked changes in anxiety-response on the elevated plus maze. Brinp3-/- mice also show evidence of altered sociability. Both Brinp2-/- and Brinp3-/- mice have normal short-term memory, olfactory responses, pre-pulse inhibition and motor learning. The double knock-out mice show behaviours of Brinp2-/- and Brinp3-/- mice, without evidence of new or exacerbated phenotypes. Conclusion: Brinp3 is important in moderation of anxiety, with potential relevance to anxiety disorders. Brinp2 dysfunction resulting in hyperactivity may be relevant to the association of ADHD with chromosome locus 1q25.2. Brinp2-/- and Brinp3-/- genes do not compensate in the mammalian brain and likely have distinct molecular or cell-type specific functions.

Different phenotypic and molecular mechanisms associated with multidrug resistance in Gram-negative clinical isolates from Egypt

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Helmy OM

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Omneya M Helmy, Mona T Kashef Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt Objectives: We set out to investigate the prevalence, different mechanisms, and clonal relatedness of multidrug resistance (MDR among third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Gram-negative clinical isolates from Egypt.Materials and methods: A total of 118 third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Gram-negative clinical isolates were included in this study. Their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern was determined using Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method. Efflux pump-mediated resistance was tested by the efflux-pump inhibitor-based microplate assay using chlorpromazine. Detection of different aminoglycoside-, β-lactam-, and quinolone-resistance genes was done using polymerase chain reaction. The genetic diversity of MDR isolates was investigated using random amplification of polymorphic DNA.Results: Most of the tested isolates exhibited MDR phenotypes (84.75%. The occurrence of efflux pump-mediated resistance in the different MDR species tested was 40%–66%. Acinetobacter baumannii isolates showed resistance to most of the tested antibiotics, including imipenem. The blaOXA-23-like gene was detected in 69% of the MDR A. baumannii isolates. The MDR phenotype was detected in 65% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates, of which only 23% exhibited efflux pump-mediated resistance. On the contrary, efflux-mediated resistance to piperacillin and gentamicin was recorded in 47.5% of piperacillin-resistant and 25% of gentamicin-resistant MDR Enterobacteriaceae. Moreover, the plasmid-mediated quinolone-resistance genes (aac(6’-Ib-cr, qnrB, and qnrS were detected in 57.6% and 83.33% of quinolone-resistant MDR Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates, respectively. The β-lactamase-resistance gene blaSHV-31 was detected for the first time in one MDR K. pneumoniae isolate from an endotracheal tube specimen in Egypt

Students Working Online for Group Projects: A Test of an Extended Theory of Planned Behaviour Model

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Cheng, Eddie W. L.

2017-01-01

This study examined an extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB) model that specified factors affecting students' intentions to collaborate online for group work. Past behaviour, past experience and actual behavioural control were incorporated in the extended TPB model. The mediating roles of attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural…

Planning bridges the intention-behaviour gap: age makes a difference and strategy use explains why.

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Reuter, Tabea; Ziegelmann, Jochen P; Wiedemann, Amelie U; Lippke, Sonia; Schuz, Benjamin; Aiken, Leona S

2010-09-01

This study examines age-differential association patterns between intentions, planning and physical activity in young and middle-aged individuals. The effectiveness of planning to bridge the intention-behaviour gap is assumed to increase with advancing age. We explore the use of behaviour change strategies that include selection, optimisation and compensation (SOC) as underlying mechanisms for age differences. In N = 265 employees of a national railway company (aged 19-64 years), intentions, planning, SOC strategy use and physical activity were assessed at baseline (Time 1) and again 1 month later (Time 2). Hypotheses were tested in two different path models. Age moderates the extent to which planning mediates the intention-behaviour relation due to an increasing strength of the planning-behaviour link. As a possible psychological mechanism for these age differences, we identified SOC strategy use as a mediator of the age by planning interaction effect on physical activity. These findings suggest differential mechanisms in behaviour regulation in young and middle-aged individuals.

Phenotypes selected during chronic lung infection in cystic fibrosis patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ciofu, Oana; Mandsberg, Lotte F; Wang, Hengzhuang

2012-01-01

During chronic lung infection of patients with cystic fibrosis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa can survive for long periods of time under the challenging selective pressure imposed by the immune system and antibiotic treatment as a result of its biofilm mode of growth and adaptive evolution mediated by g...... the importance of biofilm prevention strategies by early aggressive antibiotic prophylaxis or therapy before phenotypic diversification during chronic lung infection of patients with cystic fibrosis....

Ah receptor mediated suppression of the antibody response in mice is primarily dependent on the Ah phenotype of lymphoid tissue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silkworth, J.B.; Antrim, L.A.; Sack, G.

1986-01-01

Halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons act through the aromatic hydrocarbon (Ah) receptor in mice to produce a series of toxic effects of the immune system. The receptor protein is a product of the Ah gene locus. Ah responsive (Ahb/Ahb) mice express a high affinity receptor in both lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues whereas nonresponsive Ahd/Ahd mice express a poor affinity receptor. To determine the role of the Ah receptor of lymphoid tissue relative to that of nonlymphoid tissue in the induction of immune impairment, bone marrow was used to reconstitute lethally irradiated mice of the same or opposite Ah phenotype. All mice were given 3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (35 and 350 mumol/kg) ip 2 days before immunization with sheep erythrocytes (SRBC). The immune response to this T dependent antigen and organ weights were determined 5 or 7 days later in normal or chimeric mice, respectively. Monoclonal Lyt 1.1 and Lyt 1.2 antibodies were used to establish the origin of the cells which repopulated the chimeric thymuses. The immune responses of both BALB/cBy (Ahb/Ahb) and the BALB/cBy X DBA/2 hybrid, CByD2F1 (Ahb/Ahd), were significantly suppressed but DBA/2 mice were unaffected. The immune responses of chimeric BALB/cBy----BALB/cBy and BALB/cBy----DBA/2 (donor----recipient) mice were also significantly suppressed and thymic atrophy was observed in both cases. The serum anti-SRBC antibody titers of DBA/2----BALB/cBy chimeras were also significantly decreased although not to the same extent as in BALB/cBy----DBA/2 mice. Chimeric DBA/2----DBA/2 mice were not affected. These results indicate that the sensitivity to Ah receptor mediated suppression of the antibody response is primarily determined by the Ah phenotype of the lymphoid tissue

Eating behaviour and stress: a pathway to obesity

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Sarah J Spencer

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Stress causes or contributes to a huge variety of diseases and disorders. Recent evidence suggests obesity and other eating-related disorders may be among these. Immediately after a stressful event is experienced, there is a corticotropin-releasing-hormone (CRH-mediated suppression of food intake. This diverts the body’s resources away from the less pressing need to find and consume food, prioritizing fight, flight, or withdrawal behaviours so the stressful event can be dealt with. In the hours following this, however, there is a glucocorticoid-mediated stimulation of hunger and eating behaviour. In the case of an acute stress that requires a physical response, such as a predator-prey interaction, this hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA axis modulation of food intake allows the stressful event to be dealt with and the energy used to be replaced afterwards. In the case of ongoing psychological stress, however, chronically elevated glucocorticoids can lead to chronically stimulated eating behaviour and excessive weight gain. In particular, stress can enhance the propensity to eat high calorie palatable food via its interaction with central reward pathways. Activation of this circuitry can also interact with the HPA axis to suppress its further activation, meaning not only can stress encourage eating behaviour, but eating can suppress the HPA axis and the feeling of stress. In this review we will explore the theme of eating behaviour and stress and how these can modulate one another. We will address the interactions between the HPA axis and eating, introducing a potential integrative role for the orexigenic hormone, ghrelin. We will also examine early life and epigenetic modulation of the HPA axis and how this can influence eating behaviour. Finally, we will investigate the clinical implications of changes to HPA axis function and how this may be contributing to obesity in our society.

Sexual and natural selection in the evolution of extended phenotypes: the use of green nesting material in starlings.

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Rubalcaba, J G; Polo, V; Maia, R; Rubenstein, D R; Veiga, J P

2016-08-01

Although sexual selection is typically considered the predominant force driving the evolution of ritualized sexual behaviours, natural selection may also play an important and often underappreciated role. The use of green aromatic plants among nesting birds has been interpreted as a component of extended phenotype that evolved either via natural selection due to potential sanitary functions or via sexual selection as a signal of male attractiveness. Here, we compared both hypotheses using comparative methods in starlings, a group where this behaviour is widespread. We found that the use of green plants was positively related to male-biased size dimorphism and that it was most likely to occur among cavity-nesting species. These results suggest that this behaviour is likely favoured by sexual selection, but also related to its sanitary use in response to higher parasite loads in cavities. We speculate that the use of green plants in starlings may be facilitated by cavity nesting and was subsequently co-opted as a sexual signal by males. Our results represent an example of how an extended phenotypic component of males becomes sexually selected by females. Thus, both natural selection and sexual selection are necessary to fully understand the evolution of ritualized behaviours involved in courtship. © 2016 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2016 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Increasing Responsive Parent–Child Interactions and Joint Engagement: Comparing the Influence of Parent-Mediated Intervention and Parent Psychoeducation

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Gulsrud, Amanda; Kasari, Connie

2016-01-01

Enhancing immediate and contingent responding by caregivers to children’s signals is an important strategy to support social interactions between caregivers and their children with autism. Yet, there has been limited examination of parents’ responsive behaviour in association with children’s social behaviour post caregiver-mediated intervention. Eighty-five dyads were randomized to one of two 10-week caregiver-training interventions. Parent–child play interactions were coded for parental responsivity and children’s joint engagement. Significant gains in responsivity and time jointly engaged were found post JASPER parent-mediated intervention over a psychoeducation intervention. Further, combining higher levels of responsive behaviour with greater adoption of intervention strategies was associated with greater time jointly engaged. Findings encourage a focus on enhancing responsive behaviour in parent-mediated intervention models. PMID:26797940

Building intentions with the Theory of Planned Behaviour: the mediating role of knowledge and expectations in implementing new pharmaceutical services in Malaysia.

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Tan, Christine L; Gan, Vincent B; Saleem, Fahad; Hassali, Mohamed A

2016-01-01

Pharmacy value added services (PVAS) was introduced as a matter of public health policy by Malaysia's Ministry of Health to improve health outcomes through public healthcare services. For example, drive through pharmacy services is a major policy implementation of the Ministry. However, adoption rates are low and therefore hampering the achievement of national health policy goals. Our objective is to explore the key determinants and mediators of successful implementation of new public pharmaceutical services by investigating the cognitive perspectives of patients' intentions to adopt with the Theory of Planned Behavior as the theoretical framework. A two phase mixed methodology involving first a qualitative exploration and the second a quantitative phase was conducted in public health facilities in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Multiple regression and mediation analysis were performed. Subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, knowledge and expectations are found to be significant predictors of intentions to adopt PVAS. Knowledge and expectations are found to exert significant indirect effects on intentions. Overall, we suggest that patient knowledge be enhanced through appropriate channels and expectations of service quality be met to increase intentions.

Assessing moderated mediation in linear models requires fewer confounding assumptions than assessing mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

Loeys, Tom; Talloen, Wouter; Goubert, Liesbet; Moerkerke, Beatrijs; Vansteelandt, Stijn

2016-11-01

It is well known from the mediation analysis literature that the identification of direct and indirect effects relies on strong no unmeasured confounding assumptions of no unmeasured confounding. Even in randomized studies the mediator may still be correlated with unobserved prognostic variables that affect the outcome, in which case the mediator's role in the causal process may not be inferred without bias. In the behavioural and social science literature very little attention has been given so far to the causal assumptions required for moderated mediation analysis. In this paper we focus on the index for moderated mediation, which measures by how much the mediated effect is larger or smaller for varying levels of the moderator. We show that in linear models this index can be estimated without bias in the presence of unmeasured common causes of the moderator, mediator and outcome under certain conditions. Importantly, one can thus use the test for moderated mediation to support evidence for mediation under less stringent confounding conditions. We illustrate our findings with data from a randomized experiment assessing the impact of being primed with social deception upon observer responses to others' pain, and from an observational study of individuals who ended a romantic relationship assessing the effect of attachment anxiety during the relationship on mental distress 2 years after the break-up. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

RNA-Mediated cis Regulation in Acinetobacter baumannii Modulates Stress-Induced Phenotypic Variation.

Science.gov (United States)

Ching, Carly; Gozzi, Kevin; Heinemann, Björn; Chai, Yunrong; Godoy, Veronica G

2017-06-01

In the nosocomial opportunistic pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii , RecA-dependent mutagenesis, which causes antibiotic resistance acquisition, is linked to the DNA damage response (DDR). Notably, unlike the Escherichia coli paradigm, recA and DDR gene expression in A. baumannii is bimodal. Namely, there is phenotypic variation upon DNA damage, which may provide a bet-hedging strategy for survival. Thus, understanding recA gene regulation is key to elucidate the yet unknown DDR regulation in A. baumannii Here, we identify a structured 5' untranslated region (UTR) in the recA transcript which serves as a cis -regulatory element. We show that a predicted stem-loop structure in this 5' UTR affects mRNA half-life and underlies bimodal gene expression and thus phenotypic variation in response to ciprofloxacin treatment. We furthermore show that the stem-loop structure of the recA 5' UTR influences intracellular RecA protein levels and, in vivo , impairing the formation of the stem-loop structure of the recA 5' UTR lowers cell survival of UV treatment and decreases rifampin resistance acquisition from DNA damage-induced mutagenesis. We hypothesize that the 5' UTR allows for stable recA transcripts during stress, including antibiotic treatment, enabling cells to maintain suitable RecA levels for survival. This innovative strategy to regulate the DDR in A. baumannii may contribute to its success as a pathogen. IMPORTANCE Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic pathogen quickly gaining antibiotic resistances. Mutagenesis and antibiotic resistance acquisition are linked to the DNA damage response (DDR). However, how the DDR is regulated in A. baumannii remains unknown, since unlike most bacteria, A. baumannii does not follow the regulation of the Escherichia coli paradigm. In this study, we have started to uncover the mechanisms regulating the novel A. baumannii DDR. We have found that a cis -acting 5' UTR regulates recA transcript stability, RecA protein levels, and DNA

Behavioural laterality as a factor in emotional regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Rempala, Daniel M

2014-01-01

Individuals who perform a variety of tasks using one side of their bodies (i.e., high-dominance people) are thought to differ from individuals who perform a variety of tasks with both sides of their body (i.e., low-dominance people) in several neurological and cognitive characteristics. We examined whether behavioural laterality predicted the efficacy of different emotional regulation strategies. Specifically, we thought that behavioural laterality would influence verbal strategies (associated with left hemisphere activation) when regulating anxiety (associated with right hemisphere activation). In three studies participants presented in front of small audiences. Behavioural laterality (as measured by a modified handedness inventory) positively correlated with presentation anxiety, such that "low-dominance" participants reported less anxiety than "high-dominance" participants, but only when using cognitive reappraisal (a verbal strategy), not attention deployment or response modulation (behavioural strategies). These results provide preliminary evidence that individual differences in behavioural laterality mediate the efficacy of certain emotional regulation strategies.

Why did soft drink consumption decrease but screen time not? Mediating mechanisms in a school-based obesity prevention program

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Brug Johannes

2008-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Objectives This paper aims to identify the mediating mechanisms of a school-based obesity prevention program (DOiT. Methods The DOiT-program was implemented in Dutch prevocational secondary schools and evaluated using a controlled, cluster-randomised trial (September 2003 to May 2004. We examined mediators of effects regarding (1 consumption of sugar containing beverages (SCB; (2 consumption of high caloric snacks; (3 screen-viewing behaviour; and (4 active commuting to school. To improve these behaviours the DOiT-program tried to influence the following potentially mediating variables: attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, and habit-strength. Results Both in boys (n = 418 and girls (n = 436 the DOiT-intervention reduced SCB consumption (between group difference in boys = -303.5 ml/day, 95% CI: -502.4;-104.5, between group difference in girls = -222.3 ml/day, 95% CI: -371.3;-73.2. The intervention did not affect the other examined behaviours. In girls, no intervention effect on hypothetical mediators was found nor evidence of any mediating mechanisms. Boys in intervention schools improved their attitude towards decreasing SCB consumption, while this behaviour became less of a habit. Indeed, attitude and habit strength were significant mediators of the DOiT-intervention's effect (4.5 and 3.8%, respectively on SCB consumption among boys. Conclusion Our findings imply that interventions aimed at EBRB-change should be gender-specific. Future studies aimed at reducing SCB consumption among boys should target attitude and habit strength as mediating mechanisms. Our study did not resolve the mediating mechanisms in girls. Trial registration International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number Register ISRCTN87127361

Adaptive developmental plasticity: Compartmentalized responses to environmental cues and corresponding internal signals provide phenotypic flexibility

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mateus, A.R.A.; Marques-Pita, M.; Oostra, V.; Lafuente, E.; Brakefield, P.M.; Zwaan, B.J.; Beldade, P.

2014-01-01

Background The environmental regulation of development can result in the production of distinct phenotypes from the same genotype and provide the means for organisms to cope with environmental heterogeneity. The effect of the environment on developmental outcomes is typically mediated by hormonal

PERAN SIKAP DALAM MEMEDIASI PENGARUH PENGETAHUAN TERHADAP PERILAKU MINIMISASI SAMPAH PADA MASYARAKAT TERBAN, YOGYAKARTA (The Role of Attitude to Mediate The Effect of Knowledge on People’s Waste Minimization Behaviour in Terban, Yogyakarta

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Hanif Akhtar

2015-01-01

behaviour. Attitude toward behaviour plays a significant role in behavioural change. This research will focus on one kind of pro-environmental behaviour namely waste minimisastion behaviour. The purpose of this research is to find out the relationship between waste minimization knowledge, attitude, and behaviour. This research was conducted in Kelurahan Terban, RW 02 and RW 11, Yogyakarta in January until February 2014. Total of the subjects are 105. Data were collected using three scales that is: waste minimization behaviour scale, waste minimization attitude scale, and waste minimization knowledge scale. Data were analysed using regression analysis with path analysis model. Sobel Test was used to estimate the mediation effect. Indirect effect analysis showed the indirect effect coeficient was 0,742 with z=3,42 and p <0,01. It is showed that there was an indirect effect of waste minimization knowledge to waste minimization behaviour through waste minimization attitude. Thus, we can conclude that waste minimization attitude mediates the relationship between waste minimization knowledge and waste minimization behaviour.

Staphylococcal phenotypes induced by naturally occurring and synthetic membrane-interactive polyphenolic β-lactam resistance modifiers.

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Lucia Palacios

Full Text Available Galloyl catechins, in particular (--epicatechin gallate (ECg, have the capacity to abrogate β-lactam resistance in methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA; they also prevent biofilm formation, reduce the secretion of a large proportion of the exoproteome and induce profound changes to cell morphology. Current evidence suggests that these reversible phenotypic traits result from their intercalation into the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane. We have endeavoured to potentiate the capacity of ECg to modify the MRSA phenotype by stepwise removal of hydroxyl groups from the B-ring pharmacophore and the A:C fused ring system of the naturally occurring molecule. ECg binds rapidly to the membrane, inducing up-regulation of genes responsible for protection against cell wall stress and maintenance of membrane integrity and function. Studies with artificial membranes modelled on the lipid composition of the staphylococcal bilayer indicated that ECg adopts a position deep within the lipid palisade, eliciting major alterations in the thermotropic behaviour of the bilayer. The non-galloylated homolog (--epicatechin enhanced ECg-mediated effects by facilitating entry of ECg molecules into the membrane. ECg analogs with unnatural B-ring hydroxylation patterns induced higher levels of gene expression and more profound changes to MRSA membrane fluidity than ECg but adopted a more superficial location within the bilayer. ECg possessed a high affinity for the positively charged staphylococcal membrane and induced changes to the biophysical properties of the bilayer that are likely to account for its capacity to disperse the cell wall biosynthetic machinery responsible for β-lactam resistance. The ability to enhance these properties by chemical modification of ECg raises the possibility that more potent analogs could be developed for clinical evaluation.

Demographic consequences of predators on prey: trait and density mediated effects on mosquito larvae in containers.

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Barry W Alto

Full Text Available Predators may affect prey population growth and community diversity through density mediated lethal and trait mediated non-lethal effects that influence phenotypic traits of prey. We tested experimentally the roles of thinning the density of prey (lethality in the absence of predator cues and density and trait mediated effects (lethality + intimidation of predatory midge Corethrella appendiculata on competing native and invasive mosquito prey. Predator-mediated reductions in prey and density reductions in the absence of C. appendiculata resulted in lower percent survivorship to adulthood and estimates of the finite rate of increase (λ' for invasive mosquito Aedes albopictus relative to that of controls. In most instances, thinning the density of prey in the absence, but not in the presence, of C. appendiculata cues resulted in lower survivorship to adulthood and λ' for native mosquito Aedes triseriatus relative to that of controls. Together, these results suggested trait mediated effects of C. appendiculata specific to each species of mosquito prey. Release from intraspecific competition attributable to density reductions in the absence, but not in the presence, of C. appendiculata enhanced growth and lengthened adult lifespan relative to that of controls for A. albopictus but not A. triseriatus. These results show the importance of predator-mediated density and trait mediated effects on phenotypic traits and populations of invasive and native mosquitoes. Species-specific differences in the phenotypic responses of prey may be due, in part, to longer evolutionary history of C. appendiculata with A. triseriatus than A. albopictus.

Comparative genomics of 28 Salmonella enterica isolates: evidence for CRISPR-mediated adaptive sublineage evolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Fricke, W Florian; Mammel, Mark K; McDermott, Patrick F; Tartera, Carmen; White, David G; Leclerc, J Eugene; Ravel, Jacques; Cebula, Thomas A

2011-07-01

Despite extensive surveillance, food-borne Salmonella enterica infections continue to be a significant burden on public health systems worldwide. As the S. enterica species comprises sublineages that differ greatly in antigenic representation, virulence, and antimicrobial resistance phenotypes, a better understanding of the species' evolution is critical for the prediction and prevention of future outbreaks. The roles that virulence and resistance phenotype acquisition, exchange, and loss play in the evolution of S. enterica sublineages, which to a certain extent are represented by serotypes, remains mostly uncharacterized. Here, we compare 17 newly sequenced and phenotypically characterized nontyphoidal S. enterica strains to 11 previously sequenced S. enterica genomes to carry out the most comprehensive comparative analysis of this species so far. These phenotypic and genotypic data comparisons in the phylogenetic species context suggest that the evolution of known S. enterica sublineages is mediated mostly by two mechanisms, (i) the loss of coding sequences with known metabolic functions, which leads to functional reduction, and (ii) the acquisition of horizontally transferred phage and plasmid DNA, which provides virulence and resistance functions and leads to increasing specialization. Matches between S. enterica clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), part of a defense mechanism against invading plasmid and phage DNA, and plasmid and prophage regions suggest that CRISPR-mediated immunity could control short-term phenotype changes and mediate long-term sublineage evolution. CRISPR analysis could therefore be critical in assessing the evolutionary potential of S. enterica sublineages and aid in the prediction and prevention of future S. enterica outbreaks.

Health Behaviours As a Mechanism in the Prospective Relation between Workplace Reciprocity and Absenteeism: A Bridge too Far ?

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Bart De Clercq

Full Text Available The persistent lack of evidence on causal mechanisms between social capital and health threatens the credibility of the social capital-health association. The present study aims to address this ongoing problem by investigating whether health behaviours (i.e. smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity mediate the prospective relation between workplace reciprocity and future sickness absence.A cohort of 24,402 Belgian employees was followed up during 12 months for sickness absence. Workplace reciprocity was measured with four indicators-colleague help, colleague interest, supervisor help, and supervisor concern. Three types of multilevel mediation models were applied.Overall, workplace reciprocity negatively related to high sickness absence (≥ 10 days mainly independently from health behaviours. Uniquely, colleague interest positively related to smoking (OR = 1.058, 95% CI = 1.019, 1.098 and smoking in turn, positively related to sickness absence (OR = 1.074, 95% CI = 1.047, 1.101. No behavioural pathways could be identified between company-level reciprocity and sickness absence, and company-level health-related behaviours did not mediate the relation between company-level reciprocity and individual sickness absence.These results suggest that both social capital and health behaviours are relevant for employee health, but health behaviours seem not to be the underlying explanatory mechanism between workplace reciprocity and health.

Health Behaviours As a Mechanism in the Prospective Relation between Workplace Reciprocity and Absenteeism: A Bridge too Far ?

Science.gov (United States)

De Clercq, Bart; Clays, Els; Janssens, Heidi; De Bacquer, Dirk; Casini, Annalisa; Kittel, France; Braeckman, Lutgart

2015-01-01

The persistent lack of evidence on causal mechanisms between social capital and health threatens the credibility of the social capital-health association. The present study aims to address this ongoing problem by investigating whether health behaviours (i.e. smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity) mediate the prospective relation between workplace reciprocity and future sickness absence. A cohort of 24,402 Belgian employees was followed up during 12 months for sickness absence. Workplace reciprocity was measured with four indicators-colleague help, colleague interest, supervisor help, and supervisor concern. Three types of multilevel mediation models were applied. Overall, workplace reciprocity negatively related to high sickness absence (≥ 10 days) mainly independently from health behaviours. Uniquely, colleague interest positively related to smoking (OR = 1.058, 95% CI = 1.019, 1.098) and smoking in turn, positively related to sickness absence (OR = 1.074, 95% CI = 1.047, 1.101). No behavioural pathways could be identified between company-level reciprocity and sickness absence, and company-level health-related behaviours did not mediate the relation between company-level reciprocity and individual sickness absence. These results suggest that both social capital and health behaviours are relevant for employee health, but health behaviours seem not to be the underlying explanatory mechanism between workplace reciprocity and health.

Retroviral-mediated gene therapy for the differentiation of primary cells into a mineralizing osteoblastic phenotype.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Jennifer E; García, Andrés J

2008-01-01

Bone tissue engineering has emerged as a promising strategy for the repair of critical-sized skeletal fractures. However, the clinical application of this approach has been limited by the availability of a robust mineralizing cell source. Non-osteogenic cells, such as skin fibroblasts, are an attractive cell-source alternative because they are easy to harvest from autologous donor skin biopsies and display a high capacity for in vitro expansion. We have recently demonstrated that retroviral gene delivery of the osteoblastic transcription factor Runx2/Cbfa1 promotes osteogenic differentiation in primary dermal fibroblasts cultured in monolayer. Notably, sustained expression of Runx2 was not sufficient to promote functional osteogenesis in these cells, and co-treatment with the steroid hormone dexamethasone was required to induce deposition of biologically-equivalent matrix mineralization. On the basis of these results, we then investigated the osteogenic capacity of these genetically engineered fibroblasts when seeded on polymeric scaffolds in vitro and in vivo. These experiments demonstrated that Runx2-expressing fibroblasts seeded on collagen scaffolds produce significant levels of matrix mineralization after 28 days in vivo implantation in a subcutaneous, heterotopic site. Overall, these results offer evidence that transcription factor-based gene therapy may be a powerful strategy for the conversion of a non-osteogenic cellular phenotype into a mineralizing cell source for bone repair applications. This concept may also be applied to control functional differentiation in a broad range of cell types and tissue engineering applications. The chapter below outlines detailed methods for the isolation and ex vivo genetic modification of primary dermal fibroblasts using retroviral-mediated delivery of the Runx2 transgene in both monolayer culture and three-dimensional scaffolds.

The Work-Family Interface as a Mediator between Job Demands and Employee Behaviour.

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, Jade S; Heneghan, Camille J; Bailey, Sarah F; Barber, Larissa K

2016-04-01

In this investigation, we draw from the job demands-resource model and conservation of resources theory to examine the relationship between job demands, the work-family interface and worker behaviours. Data collected from an online survey of workers revealed that hindrance demands indirectly increase interpersonal and organizational deviance through work interference with family and family interference with work. Challenge demands indirectly predict interpersonal and organizational deviance through work interference with family. Finally, hindrance demands indirectly decreased individual-directed organizational citizenship behaviours through work-to-family enrichment. Taken together, these results stress the relevance of job demand management and resource drain/acquisition to counterproductive and extra-role behaviours. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Infant Attentional Behaviours as Prognostic Indicators in Cornelia-de-Lange Syndrome

Science.gov (United States)

Sarimski, Klaus

2007-01-01

Background: Cornelia-de-Lange syndrome is a rare congenital syndrome with poor social relatedness as one of several characteristics of its behavioural phenotype. Methods: Video observations were collected from seven children in their first year of life and again with age 2-4 years. Data were analysed for distribution of object-related and social…

A Path Model of Smoking Behaviour among Senior High School Students in Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yi-Chun; Huang, Hui-Wen; Cheng, Chung-Ping; Hsieh, Hsin-Chin; Huang, Chih-Ling

2016-01-01

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which social smoking expectations mediate the relationship between adolescent smoking behaviour and the smoking behaviour of family and peers. Design: Descriptive, cross-sectional survey. Setting: Taiwan, Republic of China. Method: The participants were 921 senior high school students…

Defining the Relationship Between Phenotypic and Genotypic Resistance Profiles of Multidrug-Resistant Enterobacterial Clinical Isolates.

Science.gov (United States)

Galal, Lamis; Abdel Aziz, Neveen A; Hassan, Walaa M

2018-05-11

Fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides offer effective therapy for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing enterobacterial infections, but their usefulness is threatened by increasing resistant strains. This study was conducted to demonstrate the phenotypic outcomes of the coexistence of genetic determinants mediating resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins and quinolones in enterobacterial isolates collected from patients with health-care-associated infections in Egypt. ESBL phenotype was determined using double-disk synergy test (DDST). The PCR technique was used to detect the presence of the genes mediating quinolone resistance (qnr and aac(6')-Ib-cr) and coexistence with ESBL genes. We also examined the association between the genetic makeup of the isolates and their resistance profiles including effect on MIC results. Phenotypically ESBLs were detected in 60-82% of the enterobacterial isolates. ESBL, qnr and aac(6')-Ib-cr genes were detected with the following percentages in Citrobacter isolates (69%, 69%, and 43%, respectively), E.coli isolates (65%, 70%, and 45%, respectively), Enterobacter isolates (56%, 67%, and 33%, respectively), and finally Klebsiella isolates (42%, 66%, and 25%, respectively). The coexistence of these multiresistant genetic elements significantly increased the MIC values of the tested antibiotics from different classes. We suggest using blaTEM, blaCTX-M-15, qnr, and aac(6')-Ib-cr genes for better and faster prediction of suitable antibiotic therapy with effective doses against ESBL-producing isolates harboring plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) determinants. Amikacin, meropenem, gentamicin, and imipenem seem to be better choices of treatment for such life-threatening infections, because of their remaining highest activity.

Identifying niche-mediated regulatory factors of stem cell phenotypic state: a systems biology approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Ravichandran, Srikanth; Del Sol, Antonio

2017-02-01

Understanding how the cellular niche controls the stem cell phenotype is often hampered due to the complexity of variegated niche composition, its dynamics, and nonlinear stem cell-niche interactions. Here, we propose a systems biology view that considers stem cell-niche interactions as a many-body problem amenable to simplification by the concept of mean field approximation. This enables approximation of the niche effect on stem cells as a constant field that induces sustained activation/inhibition of specific stem cell signaling pathways in all stem cells within heterogeneous populations exhibiting the same phenotype (niche determinants). This view offers a new basis for the development of single cell-based computational approaches for identifying niche determinants, which has potential applications in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. © 2017 The Authors. FEBS Letters published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

MDMA reinstates cocaine-seeking behaviour in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Trigo, José Manuel; Orejarena, Maria Juliana; Maldonado, Rafael; Robledo, Patricia

2009-06-01

MDMA effects are mediated by monoaminergic systems, which seem to play a central role in cocaine craving and relapse. CD1 mice trained to self-administer cocaine (1 mg/kg/infusion) underwent an extinction procedure in which the cues contingent with drug self-administration remained present. Mice achieving extinction were injected with MDMA (10 mg/kg), d-amphetamine (1 and 2 mg/kg) or saline and tested for reinstatement. Acute MDMA, but not d-amphetamine or saline reinstated cocaine-seeking behaviour in mice in which cocaine self-administration and contingent cues were previously extinguished. Acute MDMA can reinstate cocaine-seeking behaviour in mice.

Assessing mouse behaviour throughout the light/dark cycle using automated in-cage analysis tools.

Science.gov (United States)

Bains, Rasneer S; Wells, Sara; Sillito, Rowland R; Armstrong, J Douglas; Cater, Heather L; Banks, Gareth; Nolan, Patrick M

2018-04-15

An important factor in reducing variability in mouse test outcomes has been to develop assays that can be used for continuous automated home cage assessment. Our experience has shown that this has been most evidenced in long-term assessment of wheel-running activity in mice. Historically, wheel-running in mice and other rodents have been used as a robust assay to determine, with precision, the inherent period of circadian rhythms in mice. Furthermore, this assay has been instrumental in dissecting the molecular genetic basis of mammalian circadian rhythms. In teasing out the elements of this test that have determined its robustness - automated assessment of an unforced behaviour in the home cage over long time intervals - we and others have been investigating whether similar test apparatus could be used to accurately discriminate differences in distinct behavioural parameters in mice. Firstly, using these systems, we explored behaviours in a number of mouse inbred strains to determine whether we could extract biologically meaningful differences. Secondly, we tested a number of relevant mutant lines to determine how discriminative these parameters were. Our findings show that, when compared to conventional out-of-cage phenotyping, a far deeper understanding of mouse mutant phenotype can be established by monitoring behaviour in the home cage over one or more light:dark cycles. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Agmatine ameliorates lipopolysaccharide induced depressive-like behaviour in mice by targeting the underlying inflammatory and oxido-nitrosative mediators.

Science.gov (United States)

Gawali, Nitin B; Bulani, Vipin D; Chowdhury, Amrita A; Deshpande, Padmini S; Nagmoti, Dnyaneshwar M; Juvekar, Archana R

2016-10-01

Experimental and clinical evidence indicates that pro-inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signalling mechanisms play a role in the pathophysiology of depression. Agmatine is a neurotransmitter and/or neuromodulator that has emerged as a potential agent to manage diverse central nervous system disorders. Agmatine has been shown to exert antidepressant-like effect. The present study investigated ability of agmatine to abolish the depressive-like behaviour induced by the administration of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mice. Agmatine (20 and 40mg/kg) was administered daily for 7days, then the mice were challenged with saline or LPS (0.83mg/kg; i.p.) on the 7th day. After 24h of LPS administration we tested mice for depressive-like behaviour. LPS treated animals presented an increase in immobility time in the forced-swim test (FST), tail suspension test (TST) which was reversed by agmatine pre-treatment (20 and 40mg/kg). Oxidative/nitrosative stress evoked by LPS was ameliorated by both doses of agmatine in hippocampus (HC) and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Administration of LPS caused an increase in interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), whereas BDNF was down regulated in the HC. Agmatine pre-treatment at 40mg/kg ameliorated LPS-induced neuroinflammation by attenuating brain IL-1β and TNF-α level. In addition, agmatine pre-treatment also up-regulated the BDNF level in the HC. The present study shows that pre-treatment of agmatine is able to abolish the behavioural responses in the FST and TST elicited by the LPS-induced model of depression that may depend on the inhibition of pro-inflammatory mediators, reduction of oxidative stress as well as activation neuroplasticity-related signalling in mice, suggesting that agmatine may constitute an monotherapy/adjuvant for the management of depression associated with inflammation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effects of perceived phenotypic racial stereotypicality and social identity threat on racial minorities' attitudes about police.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahn, Kimberly Barsamian; Lee, J Katherine; Renauer, Brian; Henning, Kris R; Stewart, Greg

2017-01-01

This study examines the role of perceived phenotypic racial stereotypicality and race-based social identity threat on racial minorities' trust and cooperation with police. We hypothesize that in police interactions, racial minorities' phenotypic racial stereotypicality may increase race-based social identity threat, which will lead to distrust and decreased participation with police. Racial minorities (Blacks, Latinos, Native Americans, and multi-racials) and Whites from a representative random sample of city residents were surveyed about policing attitudes. A serial multiple mediation model confirmed that racial minorities' self-rated phenotypic racial stereotypicality indirectly affected future cooperation through social identity threat and trust. Due to the lack of negative group stereotypes in policing, the model did not hold for Whites. This study provides evidence that phenotypic stereotypicality influences racial minorities' psychological experiences interacting with police.

Nature vs. nurture: can enrichment rescue the behavioural phenotype of BDNF heterozygous mice?

Science.gov (United States)

Chourbaji, Sabine; Brandwein, Christiane; Vogt, Miriam A; Dormann, Christof; Hellweg, Rainer; Gass, Peter

2008-10-10

In earlier experiments we have demonstrated that group-housing in a rather impoverished "standard" environment can be a crucial stress factor in male C57Bl/6 mice. The present study aimed at investigating the effect of combining a probable genetic vulnerability--postulated by the "Neurotrophin Hypothesis of Depression"--with the potentially modulating influence of a stressful environment such as "impoverished" standard housing conditions. For that purpose mice with a partial deletion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were group-housed under standard and enriched housing conditions and analysed in a well-established test battery for emotional behaviours. Standard group-housing affected emotional behaviour in male and female BDNF heterozygous mice, causing an increase in anxiety, changes in exploration as well as nociception. Providing the animals' cages with supplementary enrichment, however, led to a rescue of emotional alterations, which emphasises the significance of external factors and their relevance for a valid investigation of genetic aspects in these mutants as well as others, which may be examined in terms of stress-responsiveness or emotionality.

Inborn errors of human STAT1: allelic heterogeneity governs the diversity of immunological and infectious phenotypes

Science.gov (United States)

Boisson-Dupuis, Stephanie; Kong, Xiao-Fei; Okada, Satoshi; Cypowyj, Sophie; Puel, Anne; Abel, Laurent; Casanova, Jean-Laurent

2012-01-01

The genetic dissection of various human infectious diseases has led to the definition of inborn errors of human STAT1 immunity of four types, including (i) autosomal recessive (AR) complete STAT1 deficiency, (ii) AR partial STAT1 deficiency, (iii) autosomal dominant (AD) STAT1 deficiency, and (iv) AD gain of STAT1 activity. The two types of AR STAT1 defect give rise to a broad infectious phenotype with susceptibility to intramacrophagic bacteria (mostly mycobacteria) and viruses (herpes viruses at least), due principally to the impairment of IFN-γ-mediated and IFN-α/β-mediated immunity, respectively. Clinical outcome depends on the extent to which the STAT1 defect decreases responsiveness to these cytokines. AD STAT1 deficiency selectively predisposes individuals to mycobacterial disease, owing to the impairment of IFN-γ-mediated immunity, as IFN-α/β-mediated immunity is maintained. Finally, AD gain of STAT1 activity is associated with autoimmunity, probably owing to an enhancement of IFN-α/β-mediated immunity. More surprisingly, it is also associated with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis, through as yet undetermined mechanisms involving an inhibition of the development of IL-17-producing T cells. Thus, germline mutations in human STAT1 define four distinct clinical disorders. Various combinations of viral, mycobacterial and fungal infections are therefore allelic at the human STAT1 locus. These experiments of Nature neatly highlight the clinical and immunological impact of the human genetic dissection of infectious phenotypes. PMID:22651901

Remarkable heterogeneity displayed by oval cells in rat and mouse models of stem cell-mediated liver regeneration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jelnes, Peter; Santoni-Rugiu, Eric; Rasmussen, Morten

2007-01-01

The experimental protocols used in the investigation of stem cell-mediated liver regeneration in rodents are characterized by activation of the hepatic stem cell compartment in the canals of Hering followed by transit amplification of oval cells and their subsequent differentiation along hepatic...... the molecular phenotypes of oval cells in several of the most commonly used protocols of stem cell-mediated liver regeneration-namely, treatment with 2-acetylaminofluorene and partial (70%) hepatectomy (AAF/PHx); a choline-deficient, ethionine-supplemented (CDE) diet; a 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydro...... remarkable phenotypic discrepancies exhibited by oval cells in stem cell-mediated liver regeneration between rats and mice and underline the importance of careful extrapolation between individual species....

Paediatric chronic illness and educational failure: the role of emotional and behavioural problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Layte, Richard; McCrory, Cathal

2013-08-01

Chronic illness in childhood is associated with worse educational outcomes. The association is usually explained via lowered cognitive development, decreased readiness to learn and school absence. However, this paper examines whether worse psychological adjustment may also play a role. We use data from the Growing Up in Ireland study, a cohort study, which collected data on 8,568 nine-year-old children through the Irish national school system using a two-stage sampling method. Maximum likelihood path analytic models are used to assess the direct effect of child chronic illness on reading and maths test scores and the mediating role of emotional and behavioural problems. In unadjusted analyses, children with a mental and behavioural condition scored 14.5 % points less on reading tests and 16.9 % points less on maths tests than their healthy peers. Children with non-mental and behavioural conditions scored 3 % points less on both tests, a significant difference. Mental and behavioural (OR, 9.58) and other chronic conditions (OR, 1.61) were significantly more likely to have 'high' levels of difficulties on the SDQ. Path analysis models showed that the association between chronic illness and educational test scores was completely mediated by emotional and behavioural problems controlling for school absence and bullying by peers. Child and adolescent chronic illness can have significant effects on educational development and a long-lasting impact on future life-chances. The psychological adjustment of the child is important in mediating the effect of chronic illness on educational outcomes. Interventions should target this developmental pathway.

Inflammatory cell phenotypes in AAAs: their role and potential as targets for therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Dale, Matthew A; Ruhlman, Melissa K; Baxter, B Timothy

2015-08-01

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are characterized by chronic inflammatory cell infiltration. AAA is typically an asymptomatic disease and caused ≈15 000 deaths annually in the United States. Previous studies have examined both human and murine aortic tissue for the presence of various inflammatory cell types. Studies show that in both human and experimental AAAs, prominent inflammatory cell infiltration, such as CD4(+) T cells and macrophages, occurs in the damaged aortic wall. These cells have the ability to undergo phenotypic modulation based on microenvironmental cues, potentially influencing disease progression. Proinflammatory CD4(+) T cells and classically activated macrophages dominate the landscape of aortic infiltrates. The skew to proinflammatory phenotypes alters disease progression and plays a role in causing chronic inflammation. The local cytokine production and presence of inflammatory mediators, such as extracellular matrix breakdown products, influence the uneven balance of the inflammatory infiltrate phenotypes. Understanding and developing new strategies that target the proinflammatory phenotype could provide useful therapeutic targets for a disease with no current pharmacological intervention. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.

Inflammatory cell phenotypes in AAAs; their role and potential as targets for therapy

Science.gov (United States)

Dale, Matthew A; Ruhlman, Melissa K.; Baxter, B. Timothy

2015-01-01

Abdominal aortic aneurysms are characterized by chronic inflammatory cell infiltration. AAA is typically an asymptomatic disease and caused approximately 15,000 deaths annually in the U.S. Previous studies have examined both human and murine aortic tissue for the presence of various inflammatory cell types. Studies show that in both human and experimental AAAs, prominent inflammatory cell infiltration, such as CD4+ T cells and macrophages, occurs in the damaged aortic wall. These cells have the ability to undergo phenotypic modulation based on microenvironmental cues, potentially influencing disease progression. Pro-inflammatory CD4+ T cells and classically activated macrophages dominate the landscape of aortic infiltrates. The skew to pro-inflammatory phenotypes alters disease progression and plays a role in causing chronic inflammation. The local cytokine production and presence of inflammatory mediators, such as extracellular matrix breakdown products, influence the uneven balance of the inflammatory infiltrate phenotypes. Understanding and developing new strategies that target the pro-inflammatory phenotype could provide useful therapeutic targets for a disease with no current pharmacological intervention. PMID:26044582

Adverse life events and emotional and behavioural problems in adolescence: the role of coping and emotion regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Flouri, Eirini; Mavroveli, Stella

2013-12-01

We tested whether emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and coping (distraction, avoidance, support seeking and active coping) mediate or moderate the association between change in life stress (change in number of adverse life events) and change in adolescent problem behaviour. We used prospective and retrospective longitudinal data from a community sample. We measured change in problem behaviour as emotional and behavioural problems at Time 2 controlling for emotional and behavioural problems at Time 1, a year earlier. We measured change in life stress as life stress between Times 1 and 2, controlling for total previous life stress (before Time 1). Neither coping nor emotion regulation mediated the association between change in life stress and change in problem behaviour. Avoidance and expressive suppression were related to an increase in problem behaviour. Only cognitive reappraisal moderated the effect of increase in life stress on worsening of problem behaviour, suggesting that, as expected, cognitive reappraisal was a protective factor. In adolescents who reported they habitually reappraise, the association between change in life stress and change in emotional and behavioural problems was non-significant. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Environmental Attitude as a Mediator of the Relationship between ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Environmental Attitude as a Mediator of the Relationship between Self-concept, Environmental Self-Efficacy and Responsible Environmental Behaviour among Residents of High Density Areas in Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria.

Testing the phenotype-linked fertility hypothesis in the presence and absence of inbreeding

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Forstmeier, W.; Ihle, M.; Opatová, Pavlína; Martin, K.; Knief, U.; Albrechtová, Jana; Albrecht, Tomáš; Kempenaers, B.

2017-01-01

Roč. 30, č. 5 (2017), s. 968-976 ISSN 1010-061X R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP506/12/2472 Institutional support: RVO:68081766 Keywords : display behaviour * mate choice * phenotype-linked fertility hypothesis * precopulatory traits * sexual selection * sperm abnormalities * sperm quality * sperm velocity Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology OBOR OECD: Genetics and heredity (medical genetics to be 3) Impact factor: 2.792, year: 2016

Nigerian agriculture workers' outcomes from perceived organisational support and protestant work ethics: Job satisfaction as a mediator

OpenAIRE

Ladebo, Olugbenga J.; Abubakar, Bello Z.; Adamu, Comfort O.

2011-01-01

Orientation: The mechanism facilitating the development of organisational commitment and performance of citizenship behaviours is of research interest to scholars. Recent research trends suggest that job satisfaction can mediate the development of employee commitment and citizenship behaviours. Research purpose: The present study hypothesised that job satisfaction mediated the relationships between the predictors (perceived organisational support and protestant work ethics) and outcomes (o...

Interactions between dopamine and oxytocin in the control of sexual behaviour.

Science.gov (United States)

Baskerville, Tracey A; Douglas, Alison J

2008-01-01

Dopamine and oxytocin are two key neuromodulators involved in reproductive behaviours, such as mating and maternal care. Much evidence underlies their separate roles in such behaviours, but particularly in sexual behaviour. It is generally believed that central dopaminergic and oxytocinergic systems work together to regulate the expression of penile erection, but relatively little is known regarding how they interact. Thus, this review aims to discuss neuroanatomical proof, neuromodulator secretory profiles in the hypothalamus and behavioural pharmacological evidence which support a dopamine-oxytocin link in three hypothalamic nuclei that have been implicated in sexual behaviour, namely the medial preoptic nucleus, supraoptic nucleus and paraventricular nucleus (PVN). We also aim to provide an overview of potential dopamine-mediated transduction pathways that occur within these nuclei and are correlated with the exhibition of penile erection. The PVN provides the most convincing evidence for a dopamine-oxytocin link and it is becoming increasingly apparent that parvocellular oxytocinergic neurons in the PVN, in part, mediate the effects of dopamine to elicit penile erection. However, while we show that oxytocin neurons express dopamine receptors, other evidence on whether dopaminergic activation of PVN oxytocin cells involves a direct and/or indirect mechanism is inconclusive and further evidence is required to establish whether the two systems interact synergistically or sequentially in the regulation of penile erection.

Vitamin D depletion does not affect key aspects of the preeclamptic phenotype in a transgenic rodent model for preeclampsia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Louise Bjørkholt; Golic, Michaela; Przybyl, Lukasz

2016-01-01

Maternal vitamin D deficiency is proposed as a risk factor for preeclampsia in humans. We tested the hypothesis that vitamin D depletion aggravates and high supplementation ameliorates the preeclampsia phenotype in an established transgenic rat model of human renin-angiotensin system......-mediated preeclampsia. Adult rat dams, transgenic for human angiotensinogen (hAGT) and mated with male rats transgenic for human renin (hREN), were fed either vitamin D-depleted chow (VDd) or enriched chow (VDh) 2 weeks before mating and during pregnancy. Mean blood pressure was recorded by tail-cuff, and 24-hour urine...... of the preeclampsia phenotype using the transgenic rodent model of human renin-angiotensin system-mediated pre-eclampsia, plausibly due to altered vitamin D metabolism or excretion in the transgenic rats....

Put two (and two) together to make the most of physical activity and healthy nutrition - A longitudinal online study examining cross-behavioural mechanisms in multiple health behaviour change.

Science.gov (United States)

Paech, Juliane; Lippke, Sonia

2017-01-01

Recommendations for physical activity and for fruit and vegetable intake are often not translated into action due to deficits in self-regulatory strategies. The present study examines the interplay of intention, intergoal facilitation, action and coping planning and self-regulation in facilitating physical activity and healthy nutrition. In an online study, intentions and behaviours were assessed at baseline, intergoal facilitation and planning at 4-week follow-up, self-regulation, physical activity and nutrition at 6-month follow-up in a non-clinical sample. The final sample (n = 711) consisted of 27.2% men, the age ranged from 16 to 78 years. Sequential mediations were tested. Intergoal facilitation, planning and self-regulation mediated the link from intention to physical activity and nutrition; the specific indirect effects were significant. Findings suggest that intergoal facilitation and self-regulation can facilitate behaviour change, in addition to planning. Cross-behavioural mechanisms might facilitate lifestyle change in several domains.

The path from childhood behavioural disorders to felony offending: Investigating the role of adolescent drinking, peer marginalisation and school failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Savolainen, Jukka; Mason, W Alex; Bolen, Jonathan D; Chmelka, Mary B; Hurtig, Tuula; Ebeling, Hanna; Nordström, Tanja; Taanila, Anja

2015-12-01

Although a pathway from childhood behavioural disorders to criminal offending is well established, the aetiological processes remain poorly understood. Also, it is not clear if attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is predictive of crime in the absence of comorbid disruptive behaviour disorder (DBD). We examined two research questions: (1) Does ADHD have a unique effect on the risk of criminal offending, independently of DBD? (2) Is the effect of childhood behavioural disorders on criminal offending direct or mediated by adolescent processes related to school experience, substance misuse and peers? Structural equation modelling, with latent variables, was applied to longitudinally collected data on 4644 men from the 1986 Northern Finland Birth Cohort Study. Both ADHD and DBD separately predicted felony conviction risk. Most of these effects were mediated by adolescent alcohol use and low academic performance. The effect of DBD was stronger and included a direct pathway to criminal offending. Findings were more consistent with the life course mediation hypothesis of pathways into crime than the behavioural continuity path, in that the effects of each disorder category were mediated by heavy drinking and educational failure. Preventing these adolescent risk outcomes may be an effective approach to closing pathways to criminal behaviour amongst behaviourally disordered children. However, as there was some evidence of a direct pathway from DBD, effective treatments targeting this disorder are also expected to reduce criminal offending. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Impaired behavioural response to alarm substance in rainbow trout exposed to copper nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sovová, Tereza [Ecotoxicology Research and Innovation Centre, School of Biomedical and Biological Sciences, Plymouth University, Devon (United Kingdom); Department of Environmental Chemistry, Faculty of Environmental Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague (Czech Republic); Boyle, David, E-mail: david.boyle@ualberta.ca [Ecotoxicology Research and Innovation Centre, School of Biomedical and Biological Sciences, Plymouth University, Devon (United Kingdom); Sloman, Katherine A. [School of Science, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley (United Kingdom); Vanegas Pérez, Cecilia [Ecotoxicology Research and Innovation Centre, School of Biomedical and Biological Sciences, Plymouth University, Devon (United Kingdom); Laboratory of Animal Ecophysiology and Aquatic Ecotoxicology, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City (Mexico); Handy, Richard D. [Ecotoxicology Research and Innovation Centre, School of Biomedical and Biological Sciences, Plymouth University, Devon (United Kingdom)

2014-07-01

Highlights: • Copper nanoparticles impaired the behavioural response of trout to alarm substance. • This effect appeared to be greater than in trout exposed to copper sulphate. • Toxicity was mediated by interaction of materials at external surfaces of fish. • Copper nanoparticles did not affect the morphology of the olfactory rosette. • Copper nanoparticles caused a change in glutathione status in brains of fish. - Abstract: To date, studies of the toxicity of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) in fish have not fully considered effects on olfactory-mediated behaviours, despite their ecological importance. In this study the effects of copper NPs (Cu NPs) on the anti-predator behavioural responses of juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to trout alarm substance was investigated. Individual fish were exposed for 12 h to a control (no added Cu), 50 μg l⁻¹ of Cu as Cu NPs, or 50 μg l⁻¹ Cu as CuSO₄, after which fish behaviours were analyzed in 10 min periods before and after the addition of the alarm substance stimulus. The response of control fish to deionised water (negative control, no alarm substance stimulus) was also analyzed. The alarm substance elicited a behavioural response in the control fish characterized by an immediate freeze response and the slower resumption of swimming activity compared to negative controls exposed to the sham deionised water stimuli. In fish exposed to Cu NPs, the behavioural response to alarm substance was eliminated, with no significant difference in behaviours compared to negative controls. In comparison, exposure to 50 μg l⁻¹ Cu as CuSO₄ decreased, but did not eliminate the response of fish to alarm substance, which indicated a significantly greater effect of Cu NPs on olfactory mediated behaviours than of the equivalent concentration of Cu as CuSO₄. Measurement of total Cu concentrations in the tissues of fish demonstrated no significant accumulation of Cu from any treatment in gill, liver or brain

Adding 'epi-' to behaviour genetics: implications for animal domestication.

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Per

2015-01-01

In this review, it is argued that greatly improved understanding of domestication may be gained from extending the field of behaviour genetics to also include epigenetics. Domestication offers an interesting framework of rapid evolutionary changes caused by well-defined selection pressures. Behaviour is an important phenotype in this context, as it represents the primary means of response to environmental challenges. An overview is provided of the evidence for genetic involvement in behavioural control and the presently used methods for finding so-called behaviour genes. This shows that evolutionary changes in behaviour are to a large extent correlated to changes in patterns of gene expression, which brings epigenetics into the focus. This area is concerned with the mechanisms controlling the timing and extent of gene expression, and a lot of focus has been placed on methylation of cytosine in promoter regions, usually associated with genetic downregulation. The review considers the available evidence that environmental input, for example stress, can modify methylation and other epigenetic marks and subsequently affect behaviour. Furthermore, several studies are reviewed, demonstrating that acquired epigenetic modifications can be inherited and cause trans-generational behaviour changes. In conclusion, epigenetics may signify a new paradigm in this respect, as it shows that genomic modifications can be caused by environmental signals, and random mutations in DNA sequence are therefore not the only sources of heritable genetic variation. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

The endocannabinoid system and nondrug rewarding behaviours.

Science.gov (United States)

Fattore, Liana; Melis, Miriam; Fadda, Paola; Pistis, Marco; Fratta, Walter

2010-07-01

Rewarding behaviours such as sexual activity, eating, nursing, parenting, social interactions, and play activity are conserved strongly in evolution, and they are essential for development and survival. All of these behaviours are enjoyable and represent pleasant experiences with a high reward value. Remarkably, rewarding behaviours activate the same brain circuits that mediate the positive reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse and of other forms of addiction, such as gambling and food addiction. Given the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in a variety of physiological functions of the nervous system, it is not surprising that it takes part in the complex machinery that regulates gratification and perception of pleasure. In this review, we focus first on the role of the endocannabinoid system in the modulation of neural activity and synaptic functions in brain regions that are involved in natural and nonnatural rewards (namely, the ventral tegmental area, striatum, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex). Then, we examine the role of the endocannabinoid system in modulating behaviours that directly or indirectly activate these brain reward pathways. More specifically, current knowledge of the effects of the pharmacological manipulation of the endocannabinoid system on natural (eating, sexual behaviour, parenting, and social play) and pathological (gambling) rewarding behaviours is summarised and discussed. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The role of overprotection by the partner in coping with diabetes: a moderated mediation model.

Science.gov (United States)

Schokker, Marike C; Links, Thera P; Bouma, Jelte; Keers, Joost C; Sanderman, Robbert; Wolffenbuttel, Bruce H R; Hagedoorn, Mariët

2011-01-01

This study examined whether diabetes-specific self-efficacy mediates the association between overprotection and distress and whether this mediation depends on glycemic control and gender. The research sample of 215 individuals with diabetes and their partners completed a measure of partners' overprotective behaviours towards the patient. Patients also completed measures of diabetes-specific self-efficacy and diabetes-related distress. Further, HbA1c values were obtained as an indication of glycemic control. Diabetes-specific self-efficacy mediated the association between overprotection by the partner and diabetes-related distress especially when glycemic control was relatively poor. Furthermore, diabetes-specific self-efficacy mediated the association between overprotection and diabetes-related distress more strongly in female than in male patients. The findings underscore the importance of studying both moderators and mediators in the association between partner behaviour and distress in patients.

The role of commitment strength in enhancing safe water consumption: mediation analysis of a cluster-randomized trial.

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Inauen, Jennifer; Tobias, Robert; Mosler, Hans-Joachim

2014-11-01

The objectives of this study were to investigate the importance of commitment strength in the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and to test whether behaviour change techniques (BCTs) aimed at increasing commitment strength indeed promote switching to arsenic-safe wells by changing commitment strength. A cluster-randomized controlled trial with four arms was conducted to compare an information-only intervention to information plus one, two, or three commitment-enhancing BCTs. Randomly selected households (N = 340) of Monoharganj, Bangladesh, in seven geographically separate areas, whose members were drinking arsenic-contaminated water at baseline and had access to arsenic-safe wells, participated in this trial. The areas were randomly allocated to the four intervention arms. Water consumption behaviour, variables of the TPB, commitment strength, and socio-demographic characteristics were assessed at baseline and at 3-month follow-up by structured face-to-face interviews. Mediation analysis was used to investigate the mechanisms of behaviour change. Changes in commitment strength significantly increased the explanatory power of the TPB to predict well-switching. Commitment-enhancing BCTs - public self-commitment, implementation intentions, and reminders - increased the behaviour change effects of information by up to 50%. Mediation analyses confirmed that the BCTs indeed increased well-switching by increasing commitment strength. Unexpectedly, however, mediation via changes in behavioural intentions was the strongest mechanism of the intervention effects. Commitment is an important construct to consider in water- and health-related behaviour change and may be for other health behaviours as well. BCTs that alter behavioural intentions and commitment strength proved highly effective at enhancing the behaviour change effects of information alone. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Millions of people drink contaminated water even if they

Animal personality and state-behaviour feedbacks: a review and guide for empiricists.

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Sih, Andrew; Mathot, Kimberley J; Moirón, María; Montiglio, Pierre-Olivier; Wolf, Max; Dingemanse, Niels J

2015-01-01

An exciting area in behavioural ecology focuses on understanding why animals exhibit consistent among-individual differences in behaviour (animal personalities). Animal personality has been proposed to emerge as an adaptation to individual differences in state variables, leading to the question of why individuals differ consistently in state. Recent theory emphasizes the role that positive feedbacks between state and behaviour can play in producing consistent among-individual covariance between state and behaviour, hence state-dependent personality. We review the role of feedbacks in recent models of adaptive personalities, and provide guidelines for empirical testing of model assumptions and predictions. We discuss the importance of the mediating effects of ecology on these feedbacks, and provide a roadmap for including state-behaviour feedbacks in behavioural ecology research. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transgenerational Inheritance of Paternal Neurobehavioral Phenotypes: Stress, Addiction, Ageing and Metabolism.

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Yuan, Ti-Fei; Li, Ang; Sun, Xin; Ouyang, Huan; Campos, Carlos; Rocha, Nuno B F; Arias-Carrión, Oscar; Machado, Sergio; Hou, Gonglin; So, Kwok Fai

2016-11-01

Epigenetic modulation is found to get involved in multiple neurobehavioral processes. It is believed that different types of environmental stimuli could alter the epigenome of the whole brain or related neural circuits, subsequently contributing to the long-lasting neural plasticity of certain behavioral phenotypes. While the maternal influence on the health of offsprings has been long recognized, recent findings highlight an alternative way for neurobehavioral phenotypes to be passed on to the next generation, i.e., through the male germ line. In this review, we focus specifically on the transgenerational modulation induced by environmental stress, drugs of abuse, and other physical or mental changes (e.g., ageing, metabolism, fear) in fathers, and recapitulate the underlying mechanisms potentially mediating the alterations in epigenome or gene expression of offsprings. Together, these findings suggest that the inheritance of phenotypic traits through male germ-line epigenome may represent the unique manner of adaptation during evolution. Hence, more attention should be paid to the paternal health, given its equivalently important role in affecting neurobehaviors of descendants.

Structural and dynamic characterization of the C313Y mutation in Myostatin dimeric protein, responsible for the double muscle phenotype in Piedmontese cattle

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Silvia eBongiorno

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The knowledge of the molecular effects of the C313Y mutation, responsible for the double muscle phenotype in Piedmontese cattle, can help understanding the actual mechanism of phenotype determination and paves the route for a better modulation of the positive effects of this economic important phenotype in the beef industry, while minimizing the negative side effects, now inevitably intersected.The structure and dynamic behaviour of the active dimeric form of Myostatin in cattle was analyzed by means of three state-of-the-art Molecular Dynamics simulations, 200-ns long, of wild-type and C313Y mutants. Our results highlight a role for the conserved Arg333 in establishing a network of short and long range interactions between the two monomers in the wild-type protein that is destroyed upon the C313Y mutation even in a single monomer. Furthermore, the native protein shows an asymmetry in residue fluctuation that is absent in the double monomer mutant. Time window analysis on further 200-ns of simulation demonstrates that this is a characteristic behaviour of the protein, likely depended from the long range communications between monomers. The same behaviour, in fact, has already been observed in other mutated dimers. Finally, the mutation does not produce alterations in the secondary structure elements that compose the characteristic TGF-β cystine-knot motif.

Family income, maternal psychological distress and child socio-emotional behaviour: Longitudinal findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study.

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Noonan, Katharine; Burns, Richéal; Violato, Mara

2018-04-01

The association between low family income and socio-emotional behaviour problems in early childhood has been well-documented, and maternal psychological distress is highlighted as central in mediating this relationship. However, whether this relationship holds for older children, and the precise mechanisms by which income may influence child behaviour is unclear. This study investigated the relationship between family income and child socio-emotional behaviour at 11 years of age, and examined the mediating role of maternal psychological distress over time using the UK Millennium Cohort Study. The primary outcome was parent-reported behavioural problems, as captured by the Total Difficulties Score (TDS), derived from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Secondary outcomes were the emotional, peer-related, conduct, and hyperactivity/inattention problems subscales of the SDQ; and teacher-reported TDS. Permanent family income was the primary exposure variable; frequency of poverty up to age 11 years was the secondary exposure variable. Maternal psychological distress was operationalised to reflect the trajectory from child birth to age 11. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the effect of permanent family income on child behaviour at age 11, controlling for maternal psychological distress and other relevant covariates. Results showed a statistically significant protective effect of increased permanent family income on the likelihood of behavioural problems at age 11. This finding was consistent for all SDQ subscales apart from emotional problems, and was strongest for teacher-reported behavioural problems. Maternal distress was an important mediator in the income-child behaviour relationship for parent-reported, but not teacher-reported, behavioural problems. The results of this study strengthen empirical evidence that the child behaviour-income gradient is maintained in older childhood. Mother's psychological distress

Supervisor behaviour and its associations with employees' health in Europe.

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Montano, Diego

2016-02-01

To estimate the magnitude of the associations between different facets of supervisor behaviour and several health-related outcomes, and to assess whether these associations are mediated by known occupational health factors. Cross-sectional data from the European Working Conditions Survey were analysed by generalised linear mixed models (n = 32,770). Six regression models were estimated. Dependent variables include musculoskeletal (upper body, lower limbs, backache) and psychosomatic symptoms (stress and self-assessed general health). Independent variables correspond to several facets of supervisor behaviours such as supervisor support, feedback on work, ability to solve conflicts, encouragement to participate in decisions, and known occupational risk and protective factors. Even though supervisor behaviour is mediated by several known occupational risk factors, it still accounts for a substantial proportion of explained variance. The order of magnitude of associations was comparable to the strength of associations of known occupational risk factors. Odds ratios vary from 0.79 95% CI [0.73-0.86] to 1.12 95% CI [0.97-1.29] for dichotomous dependent variables. Regression coefficients vary from -0.22 95% CI [-0.28 to -0.17] to 0.07 95% CI [0.04-0.10] for metric dependent variables. Results suggest that good conflict solving skills, supervisor's work-planning ability, and a participative leadership style have the strongest predictive power regarding all health-related outcomes considered. Supervisor behaviour seems to play a non-negligible role from an occupational health perspective concerning the prevalence of musculoskeletal and psychosomatic symptoms. Results suggest that supervisor behaviour should be routinely assessed and monitored, especially among occupational groups reporting a lower quality of supervisor behaviours.

Mapping pathological phenotypes in Reelin mutant mice

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Caterina eMichetti

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD are neurodevelopmental disorders with multifactorial origin characterized by social communication and behavioural perseveration deficits. Several studies showed an association between the reelin gene mutation and increased risk of ASD and a reduced reelin expression in some brain regions of ASD subjects, suggesting a role for reelin deficiency in ASD etiology. Reelin is a large extracellular matrix glycoprotein playing important roles during development of the central nervous system. To deeply investigate the role of reelin dysfunction as vulnerability factor in ASD, we investigated the behavioural, neurochemical and brain morphological features of reeler male mice. We recently reported a genotype-dependent deviation in ultrasonic vocal repertoire and a general delay in motor development in reeler pups. We now report that adult male heterozygous reeler mice did not show social behaviour and communication deficits during male-female social interactions. Wildtype and heterozygous mice also showed a typical light/dark locomotor activity profile, with a peak during the central interval of the dark phase. However, when faced with a mild stressful stimulus (a saline injection only heterozygous mice showed an over response to stress. At the end of the behavioural studies, we conducted high performance liquid chromatography and magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy to investigate whether reelin mutation influences brain monoamine and metabolites levels in regions involved in ASD. Low levels of dopamine in cortex and high levels of glutamate and taurine in hippocampus were detected in heterozygous mice, in line with clinical data collected on ASD children. Altogether, our data detected subtle but relevant neurochemical abnormalities in reeler mice supporting this mutant line, particularly male subjects, as a valid experimental model to estimate the contribution played by reelin deficiency in the global ASD

Stress-induced variation in evolution: from behavioural plasticity to genetic assimilation.

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Badyaev, Alexander V

2005-05-07

Extreme environments are closely associated with phenotypic evolution, yet the mechanisms behind this relationship are poorly understood. Several themes and approaches in recent studies significantly further our understanding of the importance that stress-induced variation plays in evolution. First, stressful environments modify (and often reduce) the integration of neuroendocrinological, morphological and behavioural regulatory systems. Second, such reduced integration and subsequent accommodation of stress-induced variation by developmental systems enables organismal 'memory' of a stressful event as well as phenotypic and genetic assimilation of the response to a stressor. Third, in complex functional systems, a stress-induced increase in phenotypic and genetic variance is often directional, channelled by existing ontogenetic pathways. This accounts for similarity among individuals in stress-induced changes and thus significantly facilitates the rate of adaptive evolution. Fourth, accumulation of phenotypically neutral genetic variation might be a common property of locally adapted and complex organismal systems, and extreme environments facilitate the phenotypic expression of this variance. Finally, stress-induced effects and stress-resistance strategies often persist for several generations through maternal, ecological and cultural inheritance. These transgenerational effects, along with both the complexity of developmental systems and stressor recurrence, might facilitate genetic assimilation of stress-induced effects. Accumulation of phenotypically neutral genetic variance by developmental systems and phenotypic accommodation of stress-induced effects, together with the inheritance of stress-induced modifications, ensure the evolutionary persistence of stress-response strategies and provide a link between individual adaptability and evolutionary adaptation.

The role of action and coping planning in the relationship between intention and physical activity: a moderated mediation analysis.

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Caudroit, Johan; Boiché, Julie; Stephan, Yannick

2014-01-01

Using a moderated mediation model, the present study investigated whether the mediation of intention into physical activity (PA) behaviour via action planning depends on the level of coping planning. A four-month prospective study was conducted among 157 French adults, who were recruited through a web-based survey. They were administrated measures of behavioural intention and sociodemographic variables at baseline and action and coping planning and PA four months later. Action planning partially mediated the contribution of intention on PA level. However, this indirect effect was conditional on the level of coping planning, insofar as action planning acted as a mediator of the intention-PA relationship only for individuals with high level of coping planning. The results highlight the complexity of the relationship between intention and behaviour and provide evidence for the distinct role of both forms of planning.

Building intentions with the Theory of Planned Behaviour: the mediating role of knowledge and expectations in implementing new pharmaceutical services in Malaysia

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Tan CL

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Pharmacy value added services (PVAS was introduced as a matter of public health policy by Malaysia’s Ministry of Health to improve health outcomes through public healthcare services. For example, drive through pharmacy services is a major policy implementation of the Ministry. However, adoption rates are low and therefore hampering the achievement of national health policy goals. Objective: Our objective is to explore the key determinants and mediators of successful implementation of new public pharmaceutical services by investigating the cognitive perspectives of patients’ intentions to adopt with the Theory of Planned Behavior as the theoretical framework. Methods: A two phase mixed methodology involving first a qualitative exploration and the second a quantitative phase was conducted in public health facilities in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Multiple regression and mediation analysis were performed. Results: Subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, knowledge and expectations are found to be significant predictors of intentions to adopt PVAS. Knowledge and expectations are found to exert significant indirect effects on intentions. Conclusion: Overall, we suggest that patient knowledge be enhanced through appropriate channels and expectations of service quality be met to increase intentions.

Preserved dopaminergic homeostasis and dopamine-related behaviour in hemizygous TH-Cre mice.

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Runegaard, Annika H; Jensen, Kathrine L; Fitzpatrick, Ciarán M; Dencker, Ditte; Weikop, Pia; Gether, Ulrik; Rickhag, Mattias

2017-01-01

Cre-driver mouse lines have been extensively used as genetic tools to target and manipulate genetically defined neuronal populations by expression of Cre recombinase under selected gene promoters. This approach has greatly advanced neuroscience but interpretations are hampered by the fact that most Cre-driver lines have not been thoroughly characterized. Thus, a phenotypic characterization is of major importance to reveal potential aberrant phenotypes prior to implementation and usage to selectively inactivate or induce transgene expression. Here, we present a biochemical and behavioural assessment of the dopaminergic system in hemizygous tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-Cre mice in comparison to wild-type (WT) controls. Our data show that TH-Cre mice display preserved dopaminergic homeostasis with unaltered levels of TH and dopamine as well as unaffected dopamine turnover in striatum. TH-Cre mice also show preserved dopamine transporter expression and function supporting sustained dopaminergic transmission. In addition, TH-Cre mice demonstrate normal responses in basic behavioural paradigms related to dopaminergic signalling including locomotor activity, reward preference and anxiolytic behaviour. Our results suggest that TH-Cre mice represent a valid tool to study the dopamine system, though careful characterization must always be performed to prevent false interpretations following Cre-dependent transgene expression and manipulation of selected neuronal pathways. © 2016 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

miR-380-5p-mediated repression of TEP1 and TSPYL5 interferes with telomerase activity and favours the emergence of an “ALT-like” phenotype in diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma cells

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Graziella Cimino-Reale

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Understanding the molecular/cellular underpinnings of diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (DMPM, a fatal malignancy with limited therapeutic options, is of utmost importance for the fruitful management of the disease. In this context, we previously found that telomerase activity (TA, which accounts for the limitless proliferative potential of cancer cells, is prognostic for disease relapse and cancer-related death in DMPM patients. Consequently, the identification of factors involved in telomerase activation/regulation may pave the way towards the development of novel therapeutic interventions for the disease. Here, the capability of miR-380-5p, a microRNA negligibly expressed in telomerase-positive DMPM clinical specimens, to interfere with telomerase-mediated telomere maintenance and, hence, with cancer cell growth was assessed on preclinical models of DMPM. Methods DMPM cells were transfected with a miR-380-5p synthetic precursor, and the effects of miRNA replacement were evaluated in terms of growing capability, induction of apoptosis and interference with TA. Reiterated weekly transfections were also performed in order to analyse the phenotype arising upon prolonged miR-380-5p reconstitution in DMPM cells. Results The ectopic expression of miR-380-5p elicited a remarkable inhibition of TA and resulted in DMPM cell growth impairment and apoptosis induction. In particular, we demonstrated for the first time that these effects were the result of a molecular circuitry converging on telomerase associated protein 1 (TEP1, where the miRNA was able to target the gene both directly in unconventional targeting modality and indirectly via p53 accumulation consequent to miRNA-mediated downregulation of testis-specific protein, Y-encoded-like 5 gene. Moreover, miR-380-5p did not cause telomere attrition and cell growth arrest in long-term DMPM transfectants, which in turn showed slightly elongated telomeres and molecular

Positive and Negative Effects of Parental Conflicts on Children’s Condition and Behaviour

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Joëlle Barthassat

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Previous research focused on the negative consequences of parental conflict behaviours. In contrast, this review is about the positive and negative effects that constructive and destructive parental conflict behaviours have on a child’s condition and behaviour. It employs the cognitive-contextual framework of Grych and Fincham (1990 and the emotional security hypothesis of Davies and Cummings (1994. Parental conflicts are represented as a continuum from very destructive to very constructive behaviours. Depending on the style of parental conflict behaviour, children’s emotional reactions and behaviour vary from positive to negative, and are moderated or mediated by different variables. A replication of previous findings and additional research are needed for a comprehensive understanding of this relationship and of the underlying mechanisms.

Autistic-like behaviour in Scn1a+/- mice and rescue by enhanced GABA-mediated neurotransmission.

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Han, Sung; Tai, Chao; Westenbroek, Ruth E; Yu, Frank H; Cheah, Christine S; Potter, Gregory B; Rubenstein, John L; Scheuer, Todd; de la Iglesia, Horacio O; Catterall, William A

2012-09-20

Haploinsufficiency of the SCN1A gene encoding voltage-gated sodium channel Na(V)1.1 causes Dravet's syndrome, a childhood neuropsychiatric disorder including recurrent intractable seizures, cognitive deficit and autism-spectrum behaviours. The neural mechanisms responsible for cognitive deficit and autism-spectrum behaviours in Dravet's syndrome are poorly understood. Here we report that mice with Scn1a haploinsufficiency exhibit hyperactivity, stereotyped behaviours, social interaction deficits and impaired context-dependent spatial memory. Olfactory sensitivity is retained, but novel food odours and social odours are aversive to Scn1a(+/-) mice. GABAergic neurotransmission is specifically impaired by this mutation, and selective deletion of Na(V)1.1 channels in forebrain interneurons is sufficient to cause these behavioural and cognitive impairments. Remarkably, treatment with low-dose clonazepam, a positive allosteric modulator of GABA(A) receptors, completely rescued the abnormal social behaviours and deficits in fear memory in the mouse model of Dravet's syndrome, demonstrating that they are caused by impaired GABAergic neurotransmission and not by neuronal damage from recurrent seizures. These results demonstrate a critical role for Na(V)1.1 channels in neuropsychiatric functions and provide a potential therapeutic strategy for cognitive deficit and autism-spectrum behaviours in Dravet's syndrome.

Conceptualising the policy practice and behavioural research relationship

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Yeatman Heather

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Policy is frequently identified in the behavioural nutrition and physical activity research literature as a necessary component of effective research and practice. The purpose of this commentary is to promote a dialogue to contribute towards the further development of conceptual understandings and theories of the relationship between policy practice and behavioural research and how these two activities might work synergistically to improve public health outcomes. Methods Drawing on policy and public health literature, this commentary presents a a conceptual model of the interaction and mediation between nutrition and physical activity-relevant policy and behavioural nutrition and physical activity research, environments, behaviours and public health implications. The selling of food in school canteens in several Australian states is discussed to illustrate components of the relationship and the interactions among its components. Results The model depicts a relationship that is interdependent and cyclic. Policy contributes to the relationship through its role in shaping environmental and personal-cognitive determinants of behaviours and through these determinants it can induce behaviour change. Behavioural research describes behaviours, identifies determinants of behaviour change and therefore helps inform policy development and monitor and evaluate its impact. Conclusion The model has implications for guiding behavioural research and policy practice priorities to promote public health outcomes. In particular, we propose that policy practice and behavioural research activities can be strengthened by applying to each other the theories from the scientific disciplines informing these respective activities. Behavioural science theories can be applied to help understand policy-making and assist with disseminating research into policy and practice. In turn, policy science theories can be applied to support the 'institutionalisation

Antithymocyte Globulin Induces a Tolerogenic Phenotype in Human Dendritic Cells

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Tobias Roider

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Antithymocyte globulin (ATG is used in the prevention of graft-versus-host disease during allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. It is generally accepted that ATG mediates its immunosuppressive effect primarily via depletion of T cells. Here, we analyzed the impact of ATG-Fresenius (now Grafalon® on human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DC. ATG induced a semi-mature phenotype in DC with significantly reduced expression of CD14, increased expression of HLA-DR, and intermediate expression of CD54, CD80, CD83, and CD86. ATG-DC showed an increase in IL-10 secretion but no IL-12 production. In line with this tolerogenic phenotype, ATG caused a significant induction of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase expression and a concomitant increase in levels of tryptophan metabolites in the supernatants of DC. Further, ATG-DC did not induce the proliferation of allogeneic T cells in a mixed lymphocyte reaction but actively suppressed the T cell proliferation induced by mature DC. These data suggest that besides its well-known effect on T cells, ATG modulates the phenotype of DC in a tolerogenic way, which might constitute an essential part of its immunosuppressive action in vivo.

Cyclic monoterpene mediated modulations of Arabidopsis thaliana phenotype

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Kriegs, Bettina; Jansen, Marcus; Hahn, Katrin; Peisker, Helga; Šamajová, Olga; Beck, Martina; Braun, Silvia; Ulbrich, Andreas; Baluška, František

2010-01-01

Monoterpenes at high atmospheric concentrations are strong growth inhibitors in allelopathic interactions. Effects depend on dose, molecular structure of the monoterpene and on the species of the receiver plant. Stomata are among the first targets affected by camphor and menthol. Previously, it could be demonstrated that the compounds induce swelling of the protoplasts, prevent stomatal closure and enhance transpiration. In this study, we show that the block of stomatal closure is accompanied by changes to the cytoskeleton, which has a direct role in stomatal movements. Although MPK3 (MAP3 kinase) and ABF4 gene expressions are induced within six hours, stomatal closure is prevented. In contrast to ABF4, ABF2 (both transcription factors) is not induced. MPK3 and ABF4 both encode for proteins involved in the process of stomatal closure. The expression of PEPCase, an enzyme important for stomatal opening, is downregulated. The leaves develop stress symptoms, mirrored by transient changes in the expression profile of additional genes: lipoxygenase 2 (LOX2), CER5, CER6 (both important for wax production) and RD29B (an ABA inducible stress protein). Non-invasive methods showed a fast response of the plant to camphor fumigations both in a rapid decrease of the quantum yield and in the relative growth rate. Repeated exposures to the monoterpenes resulted finally in growth reduction and a stress related change in the phenotype. It is proposed that high concentrations or repeated exposure to monoterpenes led to irreversible damages, whereas low concentrations or short-term fumigations may have the potential to strengthen the plant fitness. PMID:20484979

Evolutionarily conserved mechanisms for the selection and maintenance of behavioural activity.

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Fiore, Vincenzo G; Dolan, Raymond J; Strausfeld, Nicholas J; Hirth, Frank

2015-12-19

Survival and reproduction entail the selection of adaptive behavioural repertoires. This selection manifests as phylogenetically acquired activities that depend on evolved nervous system circuitries. Lorenz and Tinbergen already postulated that heritable behaviours and their reliable performance are specified by genetically determined programs. Here we compare the functional anatomy of the insect central complex and vertebrate basal ganglia to illustrate their role in mediating selection and maintenance of adaptive behaviours. Comparative analyses reveal that central complex and basal ganglia circuitries share comparable lineage relationships within clusters of functionally integrated neurons. These clusters are specified by genetic mechanisms that link birth time and order to their neuronal identities and functions. Their subsequent connections and associated functions are characterized by similar mechanisms that implement dimensionality reduction and transition through attractor states, whereby spatially organized parallel-projecting loops integrate and convey sensorimotor representations that select and maintain behavioural activity. In both taxa, these neural systems are modulated by dopamine signalling that also mediates memory-like processes. The multiplicity of similarities between central complex and basal ganglia suggests evolutionarily conserved computational mechanisms for action selection. We speculate that these may have originated from ancestral ground pattern circuitries present in the brain of the last common ancestor of insects and vertebrates. © 2015 The Authors.

Comparative Genomics of 28 Salmonella enterica Isolates: Evidence for CRISPR-Mediated Adaptive Sublineage Evolution ▿†

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Fricke, W. Florian; Mammel, Mark K.; McDermott, Patrick F.; Tartera, Carmen; White, David G.; LeClerc, J. Eugene; Ravel, Jacques; Cebula, Thomas A.

2011-01-01

Despite extensive surveillance, food-borne Salmonella enterica infections continue to be a significant burden on public health systems worldwide. As the S. enterica species comprises sublineages that differ greatly in antigenic representation, virulence, and antimicrobial resistance phenotypes, a better understanding of the species' evolution is critical for the prediction and prevention of future outbreaks. The roles that virulence and resistance phenotype acquisition, exchange, and loss play in the evolution of S. enterica sublineages, which to a certain extent are represented by serotypes, remains mostly uncharacterized. Here, we compare 17 newly sequenced and phenotypically characterized nontyphoidal S. enterica strains to 11 previously sequenced S. enterica genomes to carry out the most comprehensive comparative analysis of this species so far. These phenotypic and genotypic data comparisons in the phylogenetic species context suggest that the evolution of known S. enterica sublineages is mediated mostly by two mechanisms, (i) the loss of coding sequences with known metabolic functions, which leads to functional reduction, and (ii) the acquisition of horizontally transferred phage and plasmid DNA, which provides virulence and resistance functions and leads to increasing specialization. Matches between S. enterica clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), part of a defense mechanism against invading plasmid and phage DNA, and plasmid and prophage regions suggest that CRISPR-mediated immunity could control short-term phenotype changes and mediate long-term sublineage evolution. CRISPR analysis could therefore be critical in assessing the evolutionary potential of S. enterica sublineages and aid in the prediction and prevention of future S. enterica outbreaks. PMID:21602358

Gene expression reaction norms unravel the molecular and cellular processes underpinning the plastic phenotypes of Alternanthera philoxeroides in contrasting hydrological conditions

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Lexuan eGao

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Alternanthera philoxeroides is an amphibious invasive weed that can colonize both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Individuals growing in different habitats exhibit extensive phenotypic variation but little genetic differentiation. Little is known about the molecular basis underlying environment-induced phenotypic changes. Variation in transcript abundance in A. philoxeroides was characterized throughout the time-courses of pond and upland treatments using RNA-Sequencing. 7,805 genes demonstrated variable expression in response to different treatments，forming 11 transcriptionally coordinated gene groups. Functional enrichment analysis of plastically expressed genes revealed pathway changes in hormone-mediated signaling, osmotic adjustment, cell wall remodeling and programmed cell death, providing a mechanistic understanding of the biological processes underlying the phenotypic changes in A. philoxeroides. Both transcriptional modulation of environmentally sensitive loci and environmentally dependent control of regulatory loci influenced the plastic responses to the environment. Phenotypic responses and gene expression patterns to contrasting hydrological conditions were compared between A. philoxeroides and its alien congener A. pungens. The terricolous A. pungens displayed limited phenotypic plasticity to different treatments. It was postulated based on gene expression comparison that the interspecific variation in plasticity between A. philoxeroides and A. pungens was not due to environmentally-mediated changes in hormone levels but to variations in the type and relative abundance of different signal transducers and receptors expressed in the target tissue.

Does dependency make a difference? The role of convenience, social influence, facilitating condition and self-efficacy on student's purchase behaviour of smartphone

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Jaganathan, Mathivannan; Mustapa, Azrain Nasyrah; Hasan, Wan Azlina Wan; Mat, Nik Kamariah Nik; Alekam, Jamal Mohammed Esmail

2014-12-01

It is an undeniable fact that penetration level and usage and sales of Smartphone dramatically increased past few years, whereby; it has increased to almost 60 percent of total population. Despite the high penetration of smartphone, previous studies have exhibited inconsistent findings towards understanding the behavioural intention to use smartphone especially among university students. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine purchasing behaviour of Smartphone among students. From the literature, five antecedents of purchasing behaviour were identified. Each variable is measured using 7-point Likert scale: convenience (10 items), social influence (6 items), self-efficacy (10 items), facilitating condition (11 items), dependency (14 items) and purchasing behaviour (4 items). Using the primary data collection method, 400 questionnaires were distributed to the target respondents of one of the public higher education in the northern region. The responses collected were 350 completed questionnaires representing 87.5 percent response rate. The data were analysed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using AMOS. Confirmatory factor analysis of measurement models indicates adequate goodness or fit after few items were eliminated through modification indices verifications. Therefore, goodness of fit for the generated structural model shows the adequate fit. This study has established four direct significant causal effects and two significant mediating effects: (1) convenience and dependency, (2) social influence and dependency, (3) facilitating condition and purchase behaviour, (4), dependency and purchase behaviour. The significant mediating results are: (1). Dependency mediates the relationship between convenience and purchase behaviour; (2) dependency mediates social influence and purchase behaviour. Thus, findings suggested that convenience, social influence and dependency play a role in determining students purchase behaviour of smartphone. The researchers

[Mediation in schools].

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Mickley, Angela

2006-01-01

In this article the guiding questions concern the objectives and effectiveness of introducing mediation into an existing school culture of dominance, competition and selection. In addition the necessity will be shown of combining conflict resolution with organisational development and the introduction of a consensual ethics and behaviour code to attain sustainable results in creating a constructive and healthy school environment. Given scarce resources and little time the decisive role of artistic methods will be looked at in providing young people with flexible methods of expressing and negotiating their interests in a changing environment of values and power structures. Some aspects of the development of nonviolent communication, conflict resolution and mediation methods in schools in Germany will be focused on with special emphasis on the type of intervention used and its long term sustainable effects.

Amplification of TLO Mediator Subunit Genes Facilitate Filamentous Growth in Candida Spp.

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Liu, Zhongle; Moran, Gary P.; Myers, Lawrence C.

2016-01-01

Filamentous growth is a hallmark of C. albicans pathogenicity compared to less-virulent ascomycetes. A multitude of transcription factors regulate filamentous growth in response to specific environmental cues. Our work, however, suggests the evolutionary history of C. albicans that resulted in its filamentous growth plasticity may be tied to a change in the general transcription machinery rather than transcription factors and their specific targets. A key genomic difference between C. albicans and its less-virulent relatives, including its closest relative C. dubliniensis, is the unique expansion of the TLO (TeLOmere-associated) gene family in C. albicans. Individual Tlo proteins are fungal-specific subunits of Mediator, a large multi-subunit eukaryotic transcriptional co-activator complex. This amplification results in a large pool of ‘free,’ non-Mediator associated, Tlo protein present in C. albicans, but not in C. dubliniensis or other ascomycetes with attenuated virulence. We show that engineering a large ‘free’ pool of the C. dubliniensis Tlo2 (CdTlo2) protein in C. dubliniensis, through overexpression, results in a number of filamentation phenotypes typically associated only with C. albicans. The amplitude of these phenotypes is proportional to the amount of overexpressed CdTlo2 protein. Overexpression of other C. dubliniensis and C. albicans Tlo proteins do result in these phenotypes. Tlo proteins and their orthologs contain a Mediator interaction domain, and a potent transcriptional activation domain. Nuclear localization of the CdTlo2 activation domain, facilitated naturally by the Tlo Mediator binding domain or artificially through an appended nuclear localization signal, is sufficient for the CdTlo2 overexpression phenotypes. A C. albicans med3 null mutant causes multiple defects including the inability to localize Tlo proteins to the nucleus and reduced virulence in a murine systemic infection model. Our data supports a model in which the

Amplification of TLO Mediator Subunit Genes Facilitate Filamentous Growth in Candida Spp.

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Zhongle Liu

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Filamentous growth is a hallmark of C. albicans pathogenicity compared to less-virulent ascomycetes. A multitude of transcription factors regulate filamentous growth in response to specific environmental cues. Our work, however, suggests the evolutionary history of C. albicans that resulted in its filamentous growth plasticity may be tied to a change in the general transcription machinery rather than transcription factors and their specific targets. A key genomic difference between C. albicans and its less-virulent relatives, including its closest relative C. dubliniensis, is the unique expansion of the TLO (TeLOmere-associated gene family in C. albicans. Individual Tlo proteins are fungal-specific subunits of Mediator, a large multi-subunit eukaryotic transcriptional co-activator complex. This amplification results in a large pool of 'free,' non-Mediator associated, Tlo protein present in C. albicans, but not in C. dubliniensis or other ascomycetes with attenuated virulence. We show that engineering a large 'free' pool of the C. dubliniensis Tlo2 (CdTlo2 protein in C. dubliniensis, through overexpression, results in a number of filamentation phenotypes typically associated only with C. albicans. The amplitude of these phenotypes is proportional to the amount of overexpressed CdTlo2 protein. Overexpression of other C. dubliniensis and C. albicans Tlo proteins do result in these phenotypes. Tlo proteins and their orthologs contain a Mediator interaction domain, and a potent transcriptional activation domain. Nuclear localization of the CdTlo2 activation domain, facilitated naturally by the Tlo Mediator binding domain or artificially through an appended nuclear localization signal, is sufficient for the CdTlo2 overexpression phenotypes. A C. albicans med3 null mutant causes multiple defects including the inability to localize Tlo proteins to the nucleus and reduced virulence in a murine systemic infection model. Our data supports a model in which

Combined effects of aging and inflammation on renin-angiotensin system mediate mitochondrial dysfunction and phenotypic changes in cardiomyopathies.

Science.gov (United States)

Burks, Tyesha N; Marx, Ruth; Powell, Laura; Rucker, Jasma; Bedja, Djahida; Heacock, Elisa; Smith, Barbara J; Foster, D Brian; Kass, David; O'Rourke, Brian; Walston, Jeremy D; Abadir, Peter M

2015-05-20

Although the effects of aging and inflammation on the health of the cardiac muscle are well documented, the combined effects of aging and chronic inflammation on cardiac muscle are largely unknown. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been linked independently to both aging and inflammation, but is understudied in the context of their collective effect. Thus, we investigated localized cardiac angiotensin II type I and type II receptors (AT(1)R, AT(2)R), downstream effectors, and phenotypic outcomes using mouse models of the combination of aging and inflammation and compared it to a model of aging and a model of inflammation. We show molecular distinction in the combined effect of aging and inflammation as compared to each independently. The combination maintained an increased AT(1)R:AT(2)R and expression of Nox2 and exhibited the lowest activity of antioxidants. Despite signaling pathway differences, the combined effect shared phenotypic similarities with aging including oxidative damage, fibrosis, and hypertrophy. These phenotypic similarities have dubbed inflammatory conditions as premature aging, but they are, in fact, molecularly distinct. Moreover, treatment with an AT(1)R blocker, losartan, selectively reversed the signaling changes and ameliorated adverse phenotypic effects in the combination of aging and inflammation as well as each independently.

Social anxiety, submissiveness, and shame in men and women: a moderated mediation analysis.

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Zimmerman, Jacob; Morrison, Amanda S; Heimberg, Richard G

2015-03-01

Research suggests a positive relationship between social anxiety and shame; however, few studies have examined this relationship or potential mechanisms. Common behaviours of persons with social anxiety disorder (SAD), such as submissive behaviours, may be more consistent with societal expectations of women than men and therefore more likely to be associated with shame in socially anxious men than women. We examined the hypothesis that submissive behaviours would mediate the relationship between social anxiety and shame in men, but not in women, with SAD. Moderated mediation was examined in a cross-sectional dataset. Gender was modeled to moderate the paths from social anxiety to submissive behaviours and from submissive behaviours to shame. We also examined an alternative model of the relationships among these variables and the potential contributory role of depression. Men (n = 48) and women (n = 40) with SAD completed the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale, Submissive Behaviour Scale, Internalized Shame Scale, and Beck Depression Inventory. Analyses supported the hypothesized model. The relationship between submissive behaviours and shame was greater in men than women with SAD; the relationship between social anxiety and submissive behaviours was not. Controlling for depression, moderation remained evident although diminished. Results for the comparison model did not support gender moderation. Submissive behaviours mediated the relationship between social anxiety and shame in men, but not women, with SAD. These findings provide preliminary evidence for a model of shame in SAD and may help to further elucidate specific features of SAD that differ between men and women. Although researchers have argued that the display of submissive behaviours might allow the socially anxious individual to limit or prevent attacks on the self, our results suggest that there are greater costs, with regard to feelings of shame, associated with such behaviours for men. In men with SAD

Behaviour of a genetic mouse model of depression in the learned helplessness paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Bougarel, Laure; Guitton, Jérôme; Zimmer, Luc; Vaugeois, Jean-Marie; El Yacoubi, Malika

2011-06-01

H/Rouen (displaying a helpless phenotype in the tail suspension test) mice exhibiting features of depressive disorders and NH/Rouen (displaying non-helpless phenotype) mice were previously created through behavioural screening and selective breeding. Learned helplessness (LH), in which footshock stress induces a coping deficit, models some aspects of depression in rodents, but so far, fewer LH studies have been performed in mice than in rats. To study H/Rouen and NH/Rouen in the LH paradigm. When CD1 mice were submitted to footshock with various training durations and shock intensities, the most suitable parameters to induce a behavioural deficit were 0.3 mA and four training sessions. A significantly longer latency to escape shocks was found in male H/Rouen mice compared to male NH/Rouen mice. On the other hand, once shocked, NH/Rouen mice showed more severe coping deficits than H/Rouen mice. In addition, a sub-chronic treatment with fluoxetine lacked efficacy in NH/Rouen mice, whereas it improved performances in H/Rouen mice. We also found that a shock reminder at day 8, subsequent to inescapable shocks, maintained helplessness for 20 days. Finally, female H/Rouen mice responded to chronic fluoxetine administration after 10 days of treatment, while a 20-day treatment was necessary to improve the behavioural deficit in H/Rouen male mice. H/Rouen and NH/Rouen lines displayed different despair-related behaviour in the LH paradigm. Fluoxetine had beneficial effects after sub-chronic or chronic but not acute treatment of H/Rouen mice, thus providing a pharmacological validation of the protocols.

Six quantitative trait loci influence task thresholds for hygienic behaviour in honeybees (Apis mellifera).

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Oxley, Peter R; Spivak, Marla; Oldroyd, Benjamin P

2010-04-01

Honeybee hygienic behaviour provides colonies with protection from many pathogens and is an important model system of the genetics of a complex behaviour. It is a textbook example of complex behaviour under simple genetic control: hygienic behaviour consists of two components--uncapping a diseased brood cell, followed by removal of the contents--each of which are thought to be modulated independently by a few loci of medium to large effect. A worker's genetic propensity to engage in hygienic tasks affects the intensity of the stimulus required before she initiates the behaviour. Genetic diversity within colonies leads to task specialization among workers, with a minority of workers performing the majority of nest-cleaning tasks. We identify three quantitative trait loci that influence the likelihood that workers will engage in hygienic behaviour and account for up to 30% of the phenotypic variability in hygienic behaviour in our population. Furthermore, we identify two loci that influence the likelihood that a worker will perform uncapping behaviour only, and one locus that influences removal behaviour. We report the first candidate genes associated with engaging in hygienic behaviour, including four genes involved in olfaction, learning and social behaviour, and one gene involved in circadian locomotion. These candidates will allow molecular characterization of this distinctive behavioural mode of disease resistance, as well as providing the opportunity for marker-assisted selection for this commercially significant trait.

Impaired behavioural response to alarm substance in rainbow trout exposed to copper nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sovová, Tereza; Boyle, David; Sloman, Katherine A.; Vanegas Pérez, Cecilia; Handy, Richard D.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Copper nanoparticles impaired the behavioural response of trout to alarm substance. • This effect appeared to be greater than in trout exposed to copper sulphate. • Toxicity was mediated by interaction of materials at external surfaces of fish. • Copper nanoparticles did not affect the morphology of the olfactory rosette. • Copper nanoparticles caused a change in glutathione status in brains of fish. - Abstract: To date, studies of the toxicity of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) in fish have not fully considered effects on olfactory-mediated behaviours, despite their ecological importance. In this study the effects of copper NPs (Cu NPs) on the anti-predator behavioural responses of juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to trout alarm substance was investigated. Individual fish were exposed for 12 h to a control (no added Cu), 50 μg l −1 of Cu as Cu NPs, or 50 μg l −1 Cu as CuSO 4 , after which fish behaviours were analyzed in 10 min periods before and after the addition of the alarm substance stimulus. The response of control fish to deionised water (negative control, no alarm substance stimulus) was also analyzed. The alarm substance elicited a behavioural response in the control fish characterized by an immediate freeze response and the slower resumption of swimming activity compared to negative controls exposed to the sham deionised water stimuli. In fish exposed to Cu NPs, the behavioural response to alarm substance was eliminated, with no significant difference in behaviours compared to negative controls. In comparison, exposure to 50 μg l −1 Cu as CuSO 4 decreased, but did not eliminate the response of fish to alarm substance, which indicated a significantly greater effect of Cu NPs on olfactory mediated behaviours than of the equivalent concentration of Cu as CuSO 4 . Measurement of total Cu concentrations in the tissues of fish demonstrated no significant accumulation of Cu from any treatment in gill, liver or brain

Sex-specific phenotypes of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism in mice.

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Rakov, Helena; Engels, Kathrin; Hönes, Georg Sebastian; Strucksberg, Karl-Heinz; Moeller, Lars Christian; Köhrle, Josef; Zwanziger, Denise; Führer, Dagmar

2016-01-01

Thyroid dysfunction is more common in the female population, however, the impact of sex on disease characteristics has rarely been addressed. Using a murine model, we asked whether sex has an influence on phenotypes, thyroid hormone status, and thyroid hormone tissue response in hyper- and hypothyroidism. Hypo- and hyperthyroidism were induced in 5-month-old female and male wildtype C57BL/6N mice, by LoI/MMI/ClO4 (-) or T4 i.p. treatment over 7 weeks, and control animals underwent sham treatment (N = 8 animals/sex/treatment). Animals were investigated for impact of sex on body weight, food and water intake, body temperature, heart rate, behaviour (locomotor activity, motor coordination, and strength), liver function, serum thyroid hormone status, and cellular TH effects on gene expression in brown adipose tissue, heart, and liver. Male and female mice showed significant differences in behavioural, functional, metabolic, biochemical, and molecular traits of hyper- and hypothyroidism. Hyperthyroidism resulted in increased locomotor activity in female mice but decreased muscle strength and motor coordination preferably in male animals. Hypothyroidism led to increased water intake in male but not female mice and significantly higher serum cholesterol in male mice. Natural sex differences in body temperature, body weight gain, food and water intake were preserved under hyperthyroid conditions. In contrast, natural sex differences in heart rate disappeared with TH excess and deprivation. The variations of hyper- or hypothyroid traits of male and female mice were not explained by classical T3/T4 serum state. TH serum concentrations were significantly increased in female mice under hyperthyroidism, but no sex differences were found under eu- or hypothyroid conditions. Interestingly, analysis of expression of TH target genes and TH transporters revealed little sex dependency in heart, while sex differences in target genes were present in liver and brown adipose tissue

Inter-plant communication through mycorrhizal networks mediates complex adaptive behaviour in plant communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Gorzelak, Monika A; Asay, Amanda K; Pickles, Brian J; Simard, Suzanne W

2015-05-15

Adaptive behaviour of plants, including rapid changes in physiology, gene regulation and defence response, can be altered when linked to neighbouring plants by a mycorrhizal network (MN). Mechanisms underlying the behavioural changes include mycorrhizal fungal colonization by the MN or interplant communication via transfer of nutrients, defence signals or allelochemicals. We focus this review on our new findings in ectomycorrhizal ecosystems, and also review recent advances in arbuscular mycorrhizal systems. We have found that the behavioural changes in ectomycorrhizal plants depend on environmental cues, the identity of the plant neighbour and the characteristics of the MN. The hierarchical integration of this phenomenon with other biological networks at broader scales in forest ecosystems, and the consequences we have observed when it is interrupted, indicate that underground 'tree talk' is a foundational process in the complex adaptive nature of forest ecosystems. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company.

Focus point gauge mediation in product group unification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruemmer, Felix; Ibe, Masahiro; Tokyo Univ., Kashiwa; Yanagida, Tsutomu T.

2013-03-01

In certain models of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking with messenger fields in incomplete GUT multiplets, the radiative corrections to the Higgs potential cancel out during renormalization group running. This allows for relatively heavy superpartners and for a 125 GeV Higgs while the ne-tuning remains modest. In this paper, we show that such gauge mediation models with ''focus point'' behaviour can be naturally embedded into a model of SU(5) x U(3) product group unification.

Adeno-associated virus (AAV-mediated suppression of Ca2+/calmodulin kinase IV activity in the nucleus accumbens modulates emotional behaviour in mice

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Bading Hilmar

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV (CaMKIV controls activity-dependent gene transcription by regulating the activity of the cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB. This signaling pathway is involved in gating emotional responses in the CNS but previous studies did not address the potential roles of CaMKIV in discrete brain regions. In the present study, we aimed at specifically dissecting the role of CaMKIV in the nucleus accumbens of adult mice. Results We used recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV-mediated gene transfer of a dominant-negative CaMKIV variant (rAAV-dnCaMKIV to inhibit endogenous CaMKIV in the nucleus accumbens. rAAV-dnCaMKIV treated animals were subjected to a battery of tests including, prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response, open field, social interaction and anxiety-related behaviour. We found that basal locomotor activity in the open field, and prepulse inhibition or startle performance were unaltered in mice infected with rAAV-dnCaMKIV in the nucleus accumbens. However, anxiogenic effects were revealed in social interaction testing and the light/dark emergence test. Conclusion Our findings suggest a modulatory role of CaMKIV in the nucleus accumbens in anxiety-like behaviour but not sensorimotor gating.

Simple and robust determination of the activity signature of key carbohydrate metabolism enzymes for physiological phenotyping in model and crop plants

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Jammer, A.; Gapserl, A.; Luschin-Ebengreuth, N.; Heyneke, E.; Chu, H.; Cantero-Navarro, E.; Grosskinsky, D. K.; Albacete, A.; Stabentheiner, E.; Franzaring, J.; Fangmeier, A.; van der Graaff, E.; Roitsch, Thomas

2015-01-01

Roč. 66, č. 18 (2015), s. 5531-5542 ISSN 0022-0957 Institutional support: RVO:67179843 Keywords : Carbohydrate metabolism * dialysis * enzyme activities * kinetic assay * physiological phenotyping * physiological state * protein extraction * signatures Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 5.677, year: 2015

Teachers as mediators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dorf, Hans; Kelly, Peter; Hohmann, Ulrike

2012-01-01

Within the context of lower secondary English teaching in South West England, this study identifies in broad terms the competing goals between which English teachers mediate and the explicit and hidden tensions that result. To understand the interactions of competing goals, teachers’ goal...... and cultural influences on practice. Yet the teachers observed moved smoothly between goal-oriented behaviours in a continuous and comfortable style, easily and without reflecting any tensions between them. Thus, this article elaborates an account of situated English teaching....

Semantic Disease Gene Embeddings (SmuDGE): phenotype-based disease gene prioritization without phenotypes

KAUST Repository

AlShahrani, Mona; Hoehndorf, Robert

2018-01-01

In the past years, several methods have been developed to incorporate information about phenotypes into computational disease gene prioritization methods. These methods commonly compute the similarity between a disease's (or patient's) phenotypes and a database of gene-to-phenotype associations to find the phenotypically most similar match. A key limitation of these methods is their reliance on knowledge about phenotypes associated with particular genes which is highly incomplete in humans as well as in many model organisms such as the mouse. Results: We developed SmuDGE, a method that uses feature learning to generate vector-based representations of phenotypes associated with an entity. SmuDGE can be used as a trainable semantic similarity measure to compare two sets of phenotypes (such as between a disease and gene, or a disease and patient). More importantly, SmuDGE can generate phenotype representations for entities that are only indirectly associated with phenotypes through an interaction network; for this purpose, SmuDGE exploits background knowledge in interaction networks comprising of multiple types of interactions. We demonstrate that SmuDGE can match or outperform semantic similarity in phenotype-based disease gene prioritization, and furthermore significantly extends the coverage of phenotype-based methods to all genes in a connected interaction network.

Semantic Disease Gene Embeddings (SmuDGE): phenotype-based disease gene prioritization without phenotypes

KAUST Repository

Alshahrani, Mona

2018-04-30

In the past years, several methods have been developed to incorporate information about phenotypes into computational disease gene prioritization methods. These methods commonly compute the similarity between a disease\\'s (or patient\\'s) phenotypes and a database of gene-to-phenotype associations to find the phenotypically most similar match. A key limitation of these methods is their reliance on knowledge about phenotypes associated with particular genes which is highly incomplete in humans as well as in many model organisms such as the mouse. Results: We developed SmuDGE, a method that uses feature learning to generate vector-based representations of phenotypes associated with an entity. SmuDGE can be used as a trainable semantic similarity measure to compare two sets of phenotypes (such as between a disease and gene, or a disease and patient). More importantly, SmuDGE can generate phenotype representations for entities that are only indirectly associated with phenotypes through an interaction network; for this purpose, SmuDGE exploits background knowledge in interaction networks comprising of multiple types of interactions. We demonstrate that SmuDGE can match or outperform semantic similarity in phenotype-based disease gene prioritization, and furthermore significantly extends the coverage of phenotype-based methods to all genes in a connected interaction network.

Evolving phenotypic networks in silico.

Science.gov (United States)

François, Paul

2014-11-01

Evolved gene networks are constrained by natural selection. Their structures and functions are consequently far from being random, as exemplified by the multiple instances of parallel/convergent evolution. One can thus ask if features of actual gene networks can be recovered from evolutionary first principles. I review a method for in silico evolution of small models of gene networks aiming at performing predefined biological functions. I summarize the current implementation of the algorithm, insisting on the construction of a proper "fitness" function. I illustrate the approach on three examples: biochemical adaptation, ligand discrimination and vertebrate segmentation (somitogenesis). While the structure of the evolved networks is variable, dynamics of our evolved networks are usually constrained and present many similar features to actual gene networks, including properties that were not explicitly selected for. In silico evolution can thus be used to predict biological behaviours without a detailed knowledge of the mapping between genotype and phenotype. Copyright © 2014 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Behavioral phenotypes of genetic mouse models of autism.

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Kazdoba, T M; Leach, P T; Crawley, J N

2016-01-01

More than a hundred de novo single gene mutations and copy-number variants have been implicated in autism, each occurring in a small subset of cases. Mutant mouse models with syntenic mutations offer research tools to gain an understanding of the role of each gene in modulating biological and behavioral phenotypes relevant to autism. Knockout, knockin and transgenic mice incorporating risk gene mutations detected in autism spectrum disorder and comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders are now widely available. At present, autism spectrum disorder is diagnosed solely by behavioral criteria. We developed a constellation of mouse behavioral assays designed to maximize face validity to the types of social deficits and repetitive behaviors that are central to an autism diagnosis. Mouse behavioral assays for associated symptoms of autism, which include cognitive inflexibility, anxiety, hyperactivity, and unusual reactivity to sensory stimuli, are frequently included in the phenotypic analyses. Over the past 10 years, we and many other laboratories around the world have employed these and additional behavioral tests to phenotype a large number of mutant mouse models of autism. In this review, we highlight mouse models with mutations in genes that have been identified as risk genes for autism, which work through synaptic mechanisms and through the mTOR signaling pathway. Robust, replicated autism-relevant behavioral outcomes in a genetic mouse model lend credence to a causal role for specific gene contributions and downstream biological mechanisms in the etiology of autism. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society.

Slack length reduces the contractile phenotype of the Swine carotid artery.

Science.gov (United States)

Rembold, Christopher M; Garvey, Sean M; Tejani, Ankit D

2013-01-01

Contraction is the primary function of adult arterial smooth muscle. However, in response to vessel injury or inflammation, arterial smooth muscle is able to phenotypically modulate from the contractile state to several 'synthetic' states characterized by proliferation, migration and/or increased cytokine secretion. We examined the effect of tissue length (L) on the phenotype of intact, isometrically held, initially contractile swine carotid artery tissues. Tissues were studied (1) without prolonged incubation at the optimal length for force generation (1.0 Lo, control), (2) with prolonged incubation for 17 h at 1.0 Lo, or (3) with prolonged incubation at slack length (0.6 Lo) for 16 h and then restoration to 1.0 Lo for 1 h. Prolonged incubation at 1.0 Lo minimally reduced the contractile force without substantially altering the mediators of contraction (crossbridge phosphorylation, shortening velocity or stimulated actin polymerization). Prolonged incubation of tissues at slack length (0.6 Lo), despite return of length to 1.0 Lo, substantially reduced contractile force, reduced crossbridge phosphorylation, nearly abolished crossbridge cycling (shortening velocity) and abolished stimulated actin polymerization. These data suggest that (1) slack length treatment significantly alters the contractile phenotype of arterial tissue, and (2) slack length treatment is a model to study acute phenotypic modulation of intact arterial smooth muscle. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Energy conservation behavioural intention: attitudes, subjective norm and self-efficacy

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, J. W. C.; Tanusia, A.

2016-08-01

This paper examines the influence of attitude towards energy conservation at home, the attitude in the campus, subjective norm, and self-efficacy on energy conservation behavioural intention among students in a private university using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Data was collected from about 194 students using a questionnaire developed from current literature on TPB. Data analysis using Smart PLS version 3.2.4 found that attitude towards energy conservation at home has an indirect significant influence on attitude towards energy conservation behavioural intention via the mediating effect of attitude towards energy conservation in the campus. Self-efficacy and subjective norm are also positively related to energy conservation intention. The study also indicates the suitability of the TPB in predicting behavioural intention through attitudes, subjective norms, and self-efficacy. Results suggest that energy education is vital in creating a positive attitude towards energy conservation while facilities managers in institutions need to formulate appropriate policies and regulations to inculcate the right attitude and behaviour towards energy saving.

Inflammatory fatigue and sickness behaviour - lessons for the diagnosis and management of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnett, S V; Clark, I A

2012-12-10

Persistent and severe fatigue is a common part of the presentation of a diverse range of disease processes. There is a growing body of evidence indicating a common inflammatory pathophysiology underlying many conditions where fatigue is a primary patient concern, including chronic fatigue syndrome. This review explores current models of how inflammatory mediators act on the central nervous system to produce fatigue and sickness behaviour, and the commonality of these processes in conditions as diverse as surgical trauma, infection, various cancers, inflammatory bowel disease, connective tissue diseases and autoimmune diseases. We also discuss evidence indicating chronic fatigue syndrome may have important pathophysiological similarities with cytokine mediated sickness behaviour, and what lessons can be applied from sickness behaviour to chronic fatigue syndrome with regards to the diagnosis and management. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Training Comprehensiveness: Construct Development and Relation with Role Behaviour

Science.gov (United States)

Srivastava, Anugamini Priya; Dhar, Rajib Lochan

2015-01-01

Purpose: This study aims to develop the scale for perception of training comprehensiveness and attempts to examine the influence of perception of training comprehensiveness on role behaviour: teachers' efficacy as a mediator and job autonomy as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach: Through the steps for a generation, refinement, purification…

Rapid plant invasion in distinct climates involves different sources of phenotypic variation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arnaud Monty

Full Text Available When exotic species spread over novel environments, their phenotype will depend on a combination of different processes, including phenotypic plasticity (PP, local adaptation (LA, environmental maternal effects (EME and genetic drift (GD. Few attempts have been made to simultaneously address the importance of those processes in plant invasion. The present study uses the well-documented invasion history of Senecio inaequidens (Asteraceae in southern France, where it was introduced at a single wool-processing site. It gradually invaded the Mediterranean coast and the Pyrenean Mountains, which have noticeably different climates. We used seeds from Pyrenean and Mediterranean populations, as well as populations from the first introduction area, to explore the phenotypic variation related to climatic variation. A reciprocal sowing experiment was performed with gardens under Mediterranean and Pyrenean climates. We analyzed climatic phenotypic variation in germination, growth, reproduction, leaf physiology and survival. Genetic structure in the studied invasion area was characterized using AFLP. We found consistent genetic differentiation in growth traits but no home-site advantage, so weak support for LA to climate. In contrast, genetic differentiation showed a relationship with colonization history. PP in response to climate was observed for most traits, and it played an important role in leaf trait variation. EME mediated by seed mass influenced all but leaf traits in a Pyrenean climate. Heavier, earlier-germinating seeds produced larger individuals that produced more flower heads throughout the growing season. However, in the Mediterranean garden, seed mass only influenced the germination rate. The results show that phenotypic variation in response to climate depends on various ecological and evolutionary processes associated with geographical zone and life history traits. Seeing the relative importance of EME and GD, we argue that a "local

Perinatal risk factors and social withdrawal behaviour.

Science.gov (United States)

Guedeney, Antoine; Marchand-Martin, Laetitia; Cote, Sylvana J; Larroque, Béatrice

2012-04-01

The objectives of the study were (1) to assess prevalence of social withdrawal behaviour in infants aged 12 months included in the French Perinatal Risk Factor Study Eden; (2) To study the correlation between relational withdrawal and several perinatal and parental factors assessed in the EDEN study. A longitudinal study using the ADBB scale was conducted within the Eden Cohort in the year 2008. 1,586 infants were included in the study. Fourteen percent of the children who had an ADBB assessment had a score at 5 and over on the ADBB, a scale designed to assess social withdrawal behaviour at age 0-24 months. Social withdrawal at 12 months was associated with low birth weight, low gestational age and with intra uterine growth retardation. Social withdrawal was independently associated with several maternal and paternal risk factors. The level of social withdrawal behaviour increased with a score of maternal difficulties. This study on a large longitudinally followed volunteer sample demonstrate a clear association of social withdrawal behaviour at age one with low birth weight and preterm birth, possibly mediated by parental vulnerabilities. Social withdrawal behaviour seems to be an important alarm signal to detect early on particularly in premature and small for date babies. © Springer-Verlag 2012

Motivational processes associated with unhealthy body change attitudes and behaviours.

Science.gov (United States)

Mussap, Alexander J

2007-08-01

The relationship between approach-avoidance motivational processes and unhealthy body change attitudes and behaviours was investigated. Self-reported sensitivity to rewards (SR) and sensitivity to punishments (SP) were measured for a convenience sample of 130 women, aged 18 to 40 years, along with measures of disordered eating symptomatology and exercise dependence. Together, SR and SP significantly predicted variance in drive for thinness (21%), bulimia (17%), and obligatory exercise (7%). These relationships were partly mediated by internalization of the thin ideal, body comparison, and subjective importance of achieving one's 'ideal' body and of avoiding one's 'worst possible' body. Interestingly, body dissatisfaction partly mediated the relationships involving SP but not SR. The results suggest that an underlying sensitivity to punishments, but not rewards, can manifest as a 'fear of fatness'. Both of these motivational traits can increase the salience of self evaluations, and thus indirectly contribute to unhealthy body change attitudes and behaviours.

Continuity of aggressive antisocial behavior from childhood to adulthood: The question of phenotype definition.

OpenAIRE

Hofvander, Björn; Ossowski, Daniel; Lundström, Sebastian; Anckarsäter, Henrik

2009-01-01

Aiming to clarify the adult phenotype of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), the empirical literature on its childhood background among the disruptive behaviour disorders, such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder (CD), or hyperkinetic conduct disorder (HKCD), was reviewed according to the Robins and Guze criteria for nosological validity. At least half of hyperactive children develop ODD and about a third CD (i.e. AD/H...

Phenotypic plasticity, costs of phenotypes, and costs of plasticity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Callahan, Hilary S; Maughan, Heather; Steiner, Uli

2008-01-01

Why are some traits constitutive and others inducible? The term costs often appears in work addressing this issue but may be ambiguously defined. This review distinguishes two conceptually distinct types of costs: phenotypic costs and plasticity costs. Phenotypic costs are assessed from patterns...... of covariation, typically between a focal trait and a separate trait relevant to fitness. Plasticity costs, separable from phenotypic costs, are gauged by comparing the fitness of genotypes with equivalent phenotypes within two environments but differing in plasticity and fitness. Subtleties associated with both...... types of costs are illustrated by a body of work addressing predator-induced plasticity. Such subtleties, and potential interplay between the two types of costs, have also been addressed, often in studies involving genetic model organisms. In some instances, investigators have pinpointed the mechanistic...

Phenotypic divergence among west European populations of Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus: the effects of migratory and foraging behaviours.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Júlio M Neto

Full Text Available Divergent selection and local adaptation are responsible for many phenotypic differences between populations, potentially leading to speciation through the evolution of reproductive barriers. Here we evaluated the morphometric divergence among west European populations of Reed Bunting in order to determine the extent of local adaptation relative to two important selection pressures often associated with speciation in birds: migration and diet. We show that, as expected by theory, migratory E. s. schoeniclus had longer and more pointed wings and a slightly smaller body mass than the resident subspecies, with the exception of E. s. lusitanica, which despite having rounder wings was the smallest of all subspecies. Tail length, however, did not vary according to the expectation (shorter tails in migrants probably because it is strongly correlated with wing length and might take longer to evolve. E. s. witherbyi, which feed on insects hiding inside reed stems during the winter, had a very thick, stubby bill. In contrast, northern populations, which feed on seeds, had thinner bills. Despite being much smaller, the southern E. s. lusitanica had a significantly thicker, longer bill than migratory E. s. schoeniclus, whereas birds from the UK population had significantly shorter, thinner bills. Geometric morphometric analyses revealed that the southern subspecies have a more convex culmen than E. s. schoeniclus, and E. s. lusitanica differs from the nominate subspecies in bill shape to a greater extent than in linear bill measurements, especially in males. Birds with a more convex culmen are thought to exert a greater strength at the bill tip, which is in agreement with their feeding technique. Overall, the three subspecies occurring in Western Europe differ in a variety of traits following the patterns predicted from their migratory and foraging behaviours, strongly suggesting that these birds have became locally adapted through natural selection.

Dim light at night interferes with the development of the short-day phenotype and impairs cell-mediated immunity in Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus).

Science.gov (United States)

Aubrecht, Taryn G; Weil, Zachary M; Nelson, Randy J

2014-10-01

Winter is a challenging time to survive and breed outside of the tropics. Animals use day length (photoperiod) to regulate seasonally appropriate adaptations in anticipation of challenging winter conditions. The net result of these photoperiod-mediated adjustments is enhanced immune function and increased survival. Thus, the ability to discriminate day length information is critical for survival and reproduction in small animals. However, during the past century, urban and suburban development has rapidly expanded and filled the night sky with light from various sources, obscuring crucial light-dark signals, which alters physiological interpretation of day lengths. Furthermore, reduced space, increased proximity to people, and the presence of light at night may act as stressors for small animals. Whereas acute stressors typically enhance immune responses, chronic exposure to stressors often impairs immune responses. Therefore, we hypothesized that the combination of dim light at night and chronic stress interferes with enhanced cell-mediated immunity observed during short days. Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) were assigned to short or long days with dark nights (0 lux) or dim (5 lux) light at night for 10 weeks. Following 2 weeks of chronic restraint (6 hr/day), a model of chronic stress, delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses were assessed. Both dim light at night and restraint reduced the DTH response. Dim light at night during long nights produced an intermediate short day phenotype. These results suggest the constant presence of light at night could negatively affect survival of photoperiodic rodents by disrupting the timing of breeding and immune responses. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Behavioural plasticity across social contexts is regulated by the directionality of inter-individual differences.

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Guayasamin, Olivia L; Couzin, Iain D; Miller, Noam Y

2017-08-01

An individual's behavioural phenotype is a combination of its unique behavioural propensities and its responsiveness to environmental variation, also known as behavioural plasticity. In social species, we must not only explore how individuals respond to variations in the physical environment but also how they react to changes in their social environment. A growing body of work has demonstrated that the behavioural heterogeneity of a group can alter its responsiveness, decision making, and fitness. Whether an individual is more or less extreme than a partner - what we term its 'relative personality' - may also alter individual behavioural responses. We determined exploratory tendencies of individual zebrafish (Danio rerio) and then constructed pairs with varying differences in 'relative personality' to determine the effect of differences between partners on behavioural plasticity. We find that relative personality, but not the magnitude of the difference between partners, is the most important determinant of behavioural plasticity across social treatments. Despite this overall effect, pairs of fish exhibited no predictable leader-follower interactions, suggesting that details of the experimental paradigm may be important in shaping social dynamics. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

New phenotypes generated by the G57R mutation of BUD23 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

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Lin, Jyun-Liang; Yu, Hui-Chia; Chao, Ju-Lan; Wang, Chung; Cheng, Ming-Yuan

2012-12-01

BUD23 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes for a class I methyltransferase, and deletion of the gene results in slow growth and random budding phenotypes. Herein, two BUD23 mutants defective in methyltransferase activity were generated to investigate whether the phenotypes of the null mutant might be correlated with a loss in enzymatic activity. Expression at the physiological level of both D77A and G57R mutants was able to rescue the phenotypes of the bud23-null mutant. The result implied that the methyltransferase activity of the protein was not necessary for supporting normal growth and bud site selection of the cells. High-level expression of Bud23 (G57R), but not Bud23 or Bud23 (D77A), in BUD23 deletion cells failed to complement these phenotypes. However, just like Bud23, Bud23 (G57R) was localized in a DAPI-poor region in the nucleus. Distinct behaviour in Bud23 (G57R) could not be originated from a mislocalization of the protein. Over-expression of Bud23 (G57R) in null cells also produced changes in actin organization and additional septin mutant-like phenotypes. Therefore, the absence of Bud23, Bud23 (G57R) at a high level might affect the cell division of yeast cells through an as yet unidentified mechanism. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Association between Speech-Language, General Cognitive Functioning and Behaviour Problems in Individuals with Williams Syndrome

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Rossi, N. F.; Giacheti, C. M.

2017-01-01

Background: Williams syndrome (WS) phenotype is described as unique and intriguing. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between speech-language abilities, general cognitive functioning and behavioural problems in individuals with WS, considering age effects and speech-language characteristics of WS sub-groups. Methods: The…

Focus point gauge mediation in product group unification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bruemmer, Felix [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Ibe, Masahiro [Tokyo Univ., Kashiwa (Japan). Kavli IPMU, TODIAS; Tokyo Univ., Kashiwa (Japan). ICRR; Yanagida, Tsutomu T. [Tokyo Univ., Kashiwa (Japan). Kavli IPMU, TODIAS

2013-03-15

In certain models of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking with messenger fields in incomplete GUT multiplets, the radiative corrections to the Higgs potential cancel out during renormalization group running. This allows for relatively heavy superpartners and for a 125 GeV Higgs while the ne-tuning remains modest. In this paper, we show that such gauge mediation models with ''focus point'' behaviour can be naturally embedded into a model of SU(5) x U(3) product group unification.

Atorvastatin calcium inhibits phenotypic modulation of PDGF-BB-induced VSMCs via down-regulation the Akt signaling pathway.

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Chen, Shuang; Liu, Baoqin; Kong, Dehui; Li, Si; Li, Chao; Wang, Huaqin; Sun, Yingxian

2015-01-01

Plasticity of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) plays a central role in the onset and progression of proliferative vascular diseases. In adult tissue, VSMCs exist in a physiological contractile-quiescent phenotype, which is defined by lack of the ability of proliferation and migration, while high expression of contractile marker proteins. After injury to the vessel, VSMC shifts from a contractile phenotype to a pathological synthetic phenotype, associated with increased proliferation, migration and matrix secretion. It has been demonstrated that PDGF-BB is a critical mediator of VSMCs phenotypic switch. Atorvastatin calcium, a selective inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl l coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, exhibits various protective effects against VSMCs. In this study, we investigated the effects of atorvastatin calcium on phenotype modulation of PDGF-BB-induced VSMCs and the related intracellular signal transduction pathways. Treatment of VSMCs with atorvastatin calcium showed dose-dependent inhibition of PDGF-BB-induced proliferation. Atorvastatin calcium co-treatment inhibited the phenotype modulation and cytoskeleton rearrangements and improved the expression of contractile phenotype marker proteins such as α-SM actin, SM22α and calponin in comparison with PDGF-BB alone stimulated VSMCs. Although Akt phosphorylation was strongly elicited by PDGF-BB, Akt activation was attenuated when PDGF-BB was co-administrated with atorvastatin calcium. In conclusion, atorvastatin calcium inhibits phenotype modulation of PDGF-BB-induced VSMCs and activation of the Akt signaling pathway, indicating that Akt might play a vital role in the modulation of phenotype.

Collagen can selectively trigger a platelet secretory phenotype via glycoprotein VI.

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Véronique Ollivier

Full Text Available Platelets are not only central actors of hemostasis and thrombosis but also of other processes including inflammation, angiogenesis, and tissue regeneration. Accumulating evidence indicates that these "non classical" functions of platelets do not necessarily rely on their well-known ability to form thrombi upon activation. This suggests the existence of non-thrombotic alternative states of platelets activation. We investigated this possibility through dose-response analysis of thrombin- and collagen-induced changes in platelet phenotype, with regards to morphological and functional markers of platelet activation including shape change, aggregation, P-selectin and phosphatidylserine surface expression, integrin activation, and release of soluble factors. We show that collagen at low dose (0.25 µg/mL selectively triggers a platelet secretory phenotype characterized by the release of dense- and alpha granule-derived soluble factors without causing any of the other major platelet changes that usually accompany thrombus formation. Using a blocking antibody to glycoprotein VI (GPVI, we further show that this response is mediated by GPVI. Taken together, our results show that platelet activation goes beyond the mechanisms leading to platelet aggregation and also includes alternative platelet phenotypes that might contribute to their thrombus-independent functions.

Psychological Adjustment and Sibling Relationships in Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Environmental Stressors and the Broad Autism Phenotype

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Petalas, Michael A.; Hastings, Richard P.; Nash, Susie; Hall, Louise M.; Joannidi, Helen; Dowey, Alan

2012-01-01

Research with siblings of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) suggests that they may be at increased risk for behavioural and emotional problems and relatively poor sibling relationships. This study investigated a diathesis-stress model, whereby the presence of Broad Autism Phenotype features in the typically developing siblings might…

Family income, maternal psychological distress and child socio-emotional behaviour: Longitudinal findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study

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Katharine Noonan

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The association between low family income and socio-emotional behaviour problems in early childhood has been well-documented, and maternal psychological distress is highlighted as central in mediating this relationship. However, whether this relationship holds for older children, and the precise mechanisms by which income may influence child behaviour is unclear.This study investigated the relationship between family income and child socio-emotional behaviour at 11 years of age, and examined the mediating role of maternal psychological distress over time using the UK Millennium Cohort Study.The primary outcome was parent-reported behavioural problems, as captured by the Total Difficulties Score (TDS, derived from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ. Secondary outcomes were the emotional, peer-related, conduct, and hyperactivity/inattention problems subscales of the SDQ; and teacher-reported TDS. Permanent family income was the primary exposure variable; frequency of poverty up to age 11 years was the secondary exposure variable. Maternal psychological distress was operationalised to reflect the trajectory from child birth to age 11. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the effect of permanent family income on child behaviour at age 11, controlling for maternal psychological distress and other relevant covariates.Results showed a statistically significant protective effect of increased permanent family income on the likelihood of behavioural problems at age 11. This finding was consistent for all SDQ subscales apart from emotional problems, and was strongest for teacher-reported behavioural problems. Maternal distress was an important mediator in the income-child behaviour relationship for parent-reported, but not teacher-reported, behavioural problems.The results of this study strengthen empirical evidence that the child behaviour-income gradient is maintained in older childhood. Mother’s psychological

Large scale patterns in vertical distribution and behaviour of mesopelagic scattering layers

KAUST Repository

Klevjer, Thor Aleksander; Irigoien, Xabier; Rø stad, Anders; Fraile-Nuez, E.; Bení tez-Barrios, V. M.; Kaartvedt, Stein

2016-01-01

Recent studies suggest that previous estimates of mesopelagic biomasses are severely biased, with the new, higher estimates underlining the need to unveil behaviourally mediated coupling between shallow and deep ocean habitats. We analysed vertical

Experiencia de libre albedrío en la conducta pro-social determinada por la alegría (The experience of free will in pro-social behaviour mediated by happiness

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Joaquim Coma

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Isen and Levin (1972 suggested that pro-social behaviour was mediated by happiness. This study replicated the experiment conducted by Isen and Levin in a sample of 127 people, introducing some changes to adapt it to the current settings. The experience of freedom of the participants was recorded and the results related to Gazzaniga’s construction of belief. The hypothesis provided by Isen and Levin was upheld in the current setting and the experience of free will in the participants.

Mastery Motivation in Children with Intellectual Disability: Is There Evidence for a Down Syndrome Behavioural Phenotype?

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Gilmore, Linda; Cuskelly, Monica; Browning, Melissa

2015-01-01

The main purpose of the current study was to provide empirical evidence to support or refute assumptions of phenotypic deficits in motivation for children with Down syndrome (DS). Children with moderate intellectual disability (MID) associated with etiologies other than DS were recruited in an extension of a previous study that involved children…

Behavioural screening of zebrafish using neuroactive traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions and biological targets

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Wang, Ya-Nan; Hou, Yuan-Yuan; Sun, Ming-Zhu; Zhang, Chun-Yang; Bai, Gang; Zhao, Xin; Feng, Xi-Zeng

2014-06-01

The mechanism of the therapeutic action of antidepressants remains uncertain in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In this study, we selected 7 classical TCM prescriptions and utilised an automatic video-tracking system to monitor the rest/wake behaviour of larval zebrafish at 4 days post-fertilisation (dpf) for 48 hours. We found that the curative effects of the prescriptions were dose-dependent. K-means clustering was performed according to the shared behavioural phenotypes of the zebrafish. The results revealed that the rest/wake behavioural profiles induced by the same class of prescriptions were similar. A correlation analysis was conducted between the TCM prescriptions and the known compounds. The results showed that the TCM prescriptions correlated well with some well-known compounds. Therefore, we predicted that they may share a similar mechanism of action. This paper describes the first study to combine TCM research with zebrafish rest/wake behaviour in vivo and presents a powerful approach for the discovery of the mechanism of action of TCM prescriptions.

Need satisfaction, motivational regulations and exercise: moderation and mediation effects.

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Weman-Josefsson, Karin; Lindwall, Magnus; Ivarsson, Andreas

2015-05-20

Based on the Self-determination theory process model, this study aimed to explore relationships between the latent constructs of psychological need satisfaction, autonomous motivation and exercise behaviour; the mediational role of autonomous motivation in the association of psychological need satisfaction with exercise behaviour; as well as gender and age differences in the aforementioned associations. Adult active members of an Internet-based exercise program (n = 1091) between 18 and 78 years of age completed a test battery on motivational aspects based on Self-determination theory. The Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale and the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2 were used to measure need satisfaction and type of motivation and the Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire to measure self-reported exercise. Need satisfaction predicted autonomous motivation, which in turn predicted exercise, especially for women. Autonomous motivation was found to mediate the association between need satisfaction and exercise. Age and gender moderated several of the paths in the model linking need satisfaction with motivation and exercise. The results demonstrated gender and age differences in the proposed sequential mechanisms between autonomous motivation and exercise in the process model. This study thus highlights a potential value in considering moderating factors and the need to further examine the underlying mechanisms between needs, autonomous motivation, and exercise behaviour.

Consistent selection towards low activity phenotypes when catchability depends on encounters among human predators and fish.

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Josep Alós

Full Text Available Together with life-history and underlying physiology, the behavioural variability among fish is one of the three main trait axes that determines the vulnerability to fishing. However, there are only a few studies that have systematically investigated the strength and direction of selection acting on behavioural traits. Using in situ fish behaviour revealed by telemetry techniques as input, we developed an individual-based model (IBM that simulated the Lagrangian trajectory of prey (fish moving within a confined home range (HR. Fishers exhibiting various prototypical fishing styles targeted these fish in the model. We initially hypothesised that more active and more explorative individuals would be systematically removed under all fished conditions, in turn creating negative selection differentials on low activity phenotypes and maybe on small HR. Our results partly supported these general predictions. Standardised selection differentials were, on average, more negative on HR than on activity. However, in many simulation runs, positive selection pressures on HR were also identified, which resulted from the stochastic properties of the fishes' movement and its interaction with the human predator. In contrast, there was a consistent negative selection on activity under all types of fishing styles. Therefore, in situations where catchability depends on spatial encounters between human predators and fish, we would predict a consistent selection towards low activity phenotypes and have less faith in the direction of the selection on HR size. Our study is the first theoretical investigation on the direction of fishery-induced selection of behaviour using passive fishing gears. The few empirical studies where catchability of fish was measured in relation to passive fishing techniques, such as gill-nets, traps or recreational fishing, support our predictions that fish in highly exploited situations are, on average, characterised by low swimming activity

Thin-Ideal Internalization and Comparison Process as Mediators of Social Influence and Psychological Functioning in the Development of Disturbed Eating Habits in Croatian College Females

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Alessandra Pokrajac-Bulian

2008-12-01

Full Text Available This study examined the role of internalization and comparison as mediators of relationships between socio-cultural pressures to be thin, psychological factors, restrictive and bulimic behaviours in college females. Participants were 262 Croatian college females (mean age = 21.22 ± 1.47 years who completed self-report questionnaires. Regression analysis was used to test a model in which internalization and social comparison mediated the impact of socio-cultural pressure (parents and peers dieting, teasing, pressure to be thin, media influences, self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and perfectionism in restrictive and bulimic behaviours. Internalization is a significant mediator of the relationships between all predictors included in this research and disturbed eating habits. Social comparison is relevant as a mediator between social influence, negative affect, self-esteem, perfectionism and restrictive behaviour but does not mediate bulimic behaviour. These findings could be seful in understanding processes that may predispose young women to develop eating dysfunctions and indicate the need for prevention programs that incorporate formative influences and processes such as internalization of societal norms and comparison in the construction of therapeutic strategies.

Phenotypic screening of hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF) 4-γ receptor knockout mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerdin, Anna Karin; Surve, Vikas V.; Joensson, Marie; Bjursell, Mikael; Bjoerkman, Maria; Edenro, Anne; Schuelke, Meint; Saad, Alaa; Bjurstroem, Sivert; Lundgren, Elisabeth Jensen; Snaith, Michael; Fransson-Steen, Ronny; Toernell, Jan; Berg, Anna-Lena; Bohlooly-Y, Mohammad

2006-01-01

Using the mouse as a model organism in pharmaceutical research presents unique advantages as its physiology in many ways resembles the human physiology, it also has a relatively short generation time, low breeding and maintenance costs, and is available in a wide variety of inbred strains. The ability to genetically modify mouse embryonic stem cells to generate mouse models that better mimic human disease is another advantage. In the present study, a comprehensive phenotypic screening protocol is applied to elucidate the phenotype of a novel mouse knockout model of hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF) 4-γ. HNF4-γ is expressed in the kidneys, gut, pancreas, and testis. First level of the screen is aimed at general health, morphologic appearance, normal cage behaviour, and gross neurological functions. The second level of the screen looks at metabolic characteristics and lung function. The third level of the screen investigates behaviour more in-depth and the fourth level consists of a thorough pathological characterisation, blood chemistry, haematology, and bone marrow analysis. When compared with littermate wild-type mice (HNF4-γ +/+ ), the HNF4-γ knockout (HNF4-γ -/- ) mice had lowered energy expenditure and locomotor activity during night time that resulted in a higher body weight despite having reduced intake of food and water. HNF4-γ -/- mice were less inclined to build nest and were found to spend more time in a passive state during the forced swim test

Suppression of Alzheimer's disease-related phenotypes by geranylgeranylacetone in mice.

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Tatsuya Hoshino

Full Text Available Amyloid-β peptide (Aβ plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD. Aβ is generated by the secretase-mediated proteolysis of β-amyloid precursor protein (APP, and cleared by enzyme-mediated degradation and phagocytosis. Transforming growth factor (TGF-β1 stimulates this phagocytosis. We recently reported that the APP23 mouse model for AD showed fewer AD-related phenotypes when these animals were crossed with transgenic mice expressing heat shock protein (HSP 70. We here examined the effect of geranylgeranylacetone, an inducer of HSP70 expression, on the AD-related phenotypes. Repeated oral administration of geranylgeranylacetone to APP23 mice for 9 months not only improved cognitive function but also decreased levels of Aβ, Aβ plaque deposition and synaptic loss. The treatment also up-regulated the expression of an Aβ-degrading enzyme and TGF-β1 but did not affect the maturation of APP and secretase activities. These outcomes were similar to those observed in APP23 mice genetically modified to overexpress HSP70. Although the repeated oral administration of geranylgeranylacetone did not increase the level of HSP70 in the brain, a single oral administration of geranylgeranylacetone significantly increased the level of HSP70 when Aβ was concomitantly injected directly into the hippocampus. Since geranylgeranylacetone has already been approved for use as an anti-ulcer drug and its safety in humans has been confirmed, we propose that this drug be considered as a candidate drug for the prevention of AD.

The Objective and Subjective Caregiving Burden and Caregiving Behaviours of Parents of Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa.

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Rhind, Charlotte; Salerno, Laura; Hibbs, Rebecca; Micali, Nadia; Schmidt, Ulrike; Gowers, Simon; Macdonald, Pamela; Goddard, Elizabeth; Todd, Gillian; Tchanturia, Kate; Lo Coco, Gianluca; Treasure, Janet

2016-07-01

The study aimed to examine caregiving burden and levels of distress, accommodating behaviours, expressed emotion (EE) and carers' skills, in parents of adolescents with anorexia nervosa. A semi-structured interview assessed the objective burden (time spent across caregiving tasks) in parents (n = 196) of adolescents (n = 144) receiving outpatient treatment for anorexia nervosa. Subjective burden (carers' distress), accommodating behaviours, EE and carers' skills were measured by self-report. Mothers, on average, spent 2.5 h/day of care, mainly providing food and emotional support, compared with 1 h/day by fathers. The level of distress and accommodating behaviour was significantly lower in fathers than in mothers. Accommodating behaviours mediated the relationship between objective burden and subjective burden in mothers, whereas EE and carers' skills did not mediate this relationship for either parent. The objective burden for most mothers is high. In order to reduce subjective burden, it may be helpful to target accommodating behaviours. ISRCTN83003225 - Expert Carers Helping Others (ECHO). Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Indirect effects of human-induced environmental change on offspring production mediated by behavioural responses.

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Candolin, Ulrika; Nieminen, Anne; Nyman, Johanna

2014-01-01

Human-induced rapid environmental changes often cause behavioural alterations in animals. The consequences that these alterations in turn have for the viability of populations are, however, poorly known. We used a population of threespine sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus in the Baltic Sea to investigate the consequences of behavioural responses to human-induced eutrophication for offspring production. The investigated population has been growing during the last decades, and one cause could be increased offspring production. We combined field-based surveys with laboratory-based experiments, and found that an enhanced growth of macroalgae relaxed agonistic interactions among males. This allowed more males to nest, improved hatching success, and increased the number of reproductive cycles that males completed. Thus, the behavioural responses were adaptive at the individual level and increased offspring production. However, a larger proportion of small males of low competitive ability reproduced in dense vegetation. As male size and dominance are heritable, this could influence the genetic composition of the offspring. Together with a higher number of offspring produced, this could influence natural selection and the rate of adaptation to the changing environment. Thus, behavioural responses to a rapid human-induced environmental change can influence offspring production, with potential consequences for population dynamics and evolutionary processes.

Behavioural ecology: transient sexual mimicry leads to fertilization.

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Hanlon, Roger T; Naud, Marié-Jose; Shaw, Paul W; Havenhand, Jon N

2005-01-20

Sexual mimicry among animals is widespread, but does it impart a fertilization advantage in the widely accepted 'sneak-guard' model of sperm competition? Here we describe field results in which a dramatic facultative switch in sexual phenotype by sneaker-male cuttlefish leads to immediate fertilization success, even in the presence of the consort male. These results are surprising, given the high rate at which females reject copulation attempts by males, the strong mate-guarding behaviour of consort males, and the high level of sperm competition in this complex mating system.

Thinking and doing: the effects of dopamine and oxytocin genes and executive function on mothering behaviours.

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Tombeau Cost, K; Unternaehrer, E; Plamondon, A; Steiner, M; Meaney, M; Atkinson, L; Kennedy, J L; Fleming, A S

2017-02-01

Animal and human studies suggest that initial expression of maternal behaviour depends on oxytocin and dopamine systems. However, the mechanism by which these systems affect parenting behaviours and the timing of these effects are not well understood. This article explores the role of mothers' executive function in mediating the relation between oxytocin and dopamine gene variants and maternal responsiveness at 48 months post-partum. Participants (n = 157) were mothers recruited in the Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment Study, which assesses longitudinally two cohorts of mothers and children in Canada. We examined single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to the dopamine and oxytocin systems (DRD1 rs686, DRD1 rs265976, OXTR rs237885 and OXTR rs2254298), assessed mothers' decision-making at 48 months using the Cambridge Neurological Automated Testing Battery (CANTAB) and evaluated maternal responsiveness from videotaped interactions during the Etch-A-Sketch co-operation task. Mediation analyses showed that OXTR rs2254298 A-carriers had an indirect effect on positive parenting which was mediated by mothers' performance on decision-making task (estimate = 0.115, P Dopamine SNPs were not associated with any measure of executive function or parenting (all P > 0.05). While oxytocin has previously been associated with only the early onset of maternal behaviour, we show that an OXTR polymorphism is involved in maternal behaviour at 48 months post-partum through mothers' executive function. This research highlights the importance of the oxytocin system to maternal parenting beyond infancy. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society.

Neural signature of behavioural inhibition in women with bulimia nervosa.

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Skunde, Mandy; Walther, Stephan; Simon, Joe J; Wu, Mudan; Bendszus, Martin; Herzog, Wolfgang; Friederich, Hans-Christoph

2016-08-01

Impaired inhibitory control is considered a behavioural phenotype in patients with bulimia nervosa. However, the underlying neural correlates of impaired general and food-specific behavioural inhibition are largely unknown. Therefore, we investigated brain activation during the performance of behavioural inhibition to general and food-related stimuli in adults with bulimia nervosa. Women with bulimia and healthy control women underwent event-related fMRI while performing a general and a food-specific no-go task. We included 28 women with bulimia nervosa and 29 healthy control women in our study. On a neuronal level, we observed significant group differences in response to general no-go stimuli in women with bulimia nervosa with high symptom severity; compared with healthy controls, the patients showed reduced activation in the right sensorimotor area (postcentral gyrus, precentral gyrus) and right dorsal striatum (caudate nucleus, putamen). The present results are limited to adult women with bulimia nervosa. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether impaired behavioural inhibition in patients with this disorder are a cause or consequence of chronic illness. Our findings suggest that diminished frontostriatal brain activation in patients with bulimia nervosa contribute to the severity of binge eating symptoms. Gaining further insight into the neural mechanisms of behavioural inhibition problems in individuals with this disorder may inform brain-directed treatment approaches and the development of response inhibition training approaches to improve inhibitory control in patients with bulimia nervosa. The present study does not support greater behavioural and neural impairments to food-specific behavioural inhibition in these patients.

Neural signature of behavioural inhibition in women with bulimia nervosa

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Skunde, Mandy; Walther, Stephan; Simon, Joe J.; Wu, Mudan; Bendszus, Martin; Herzog, Wolfgang; Friederich, Hans-Christoph

2016-01-01

Background Impaired inhibitory control is considered a behavioural phenotype in patients with bulimia nervosa. However, the underlying neural correlates of impaired general and food-specific behavioural inhibition are largely unknown. Therefore, we investigated brain activation during the performance of behavioural inhibition to general and food-related stimuli in adults with bulimia nervosa. Methods Women with bulimia and healthy control women underwent event-related fMRI while performing a general and a food-specific no-go task. Results We included 28 women with bulimia nervosa and 29 healthy control women in our study. On a neuronal level, we observed significant group differences in response to general no-go stimuli in women with bulimia nervosa with high symptom severity; compared with healthy controls, the patients showed reduced activation in the right sensorimotor area (postcentral gyrus, precentral gyrus) and right dorsal striatum (caudate nucleus, putamen). Limitations The present results are limited to adult women with bulimia nervosa. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether impaired behavioural inhibition in patients with this disorder are a cause or consequence of chronic illness. Conclusion Our findings suggest that diminished frontostriatal brain activation in patients with bulimia nervosa contribute to the severity of binge eating symptoms. Gaining further insight into the neural mechanisms of behavioural inhibition problems in individuals with this disorder may inform brain-directed treatment approaches and the development of response inhibition training approaches to improve inhibitory control in patients with bulimia nervosa. The present study does not support greater behavioural and neural impairments to food-specific behavioural inhibition in these patients. PMID:27575858

The ecology and evolution of animal medication: genetically fixed response versus phenotypic plasticity.

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Choisy, Marc; de Roode, Jacobus C

2014-08-01

Animal medication against parasites can occur either as a genetically fixed (constitutive) or phenotypically plastic (induced) behavior. Taking the tritrophic interaction between the monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus, its protozoan parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, and its food plant Asclepias spp. as a test case, we develop a game-theory model to identify the epidemiological (parasite prevalence and virulence) and environmental (plant toxicity and abundance) conditions that predict the evolution of genetically fixed versus phenotypically plastic forms of medication. Our model shows that the relative benefits (the antiparasitic properties of medicinal food) and costs (side effects of medicine, the costs of searching for medicine, and the costs of plasticity itself) crucially determine whether medication is genetically fixed or phenotypically plastic. Our model suggests that animals evolve phenotypic plasticity when parasite risk (a combination of virulence and prevalence and thus a measure of the strength of parasite-mediated selection) is relatively low to moderately high and genetically fixed medication when parasite risk becomes very high. The latter occurs because at high parasite risk, the costs of plasticity are outweighed by the benefits of medication. Our model provides a simple and general framework to study the conditions that drive the evolution of alternative forms of animal medication.

Developing models of how cognitive improvements change functioning: Mediation, moderation and moderated mediation

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Wykes, Til; Reeder, Clare; Huddy, Vyv; Taylor, Rumina; Wood, Helen; Ghirasim, Natalia; Kontis, Dimitrios; Landau, Sabine

2012-01-01

Background Cognitive remediation (CRT) affects functioning but the extent and type of cognitive improvements necessary are unknown. Aim To develop and test models of how cognitive improvement transfers to work behaviour using the data from a current service. Method Participants (N49) with a support worker and a paid or voluntary job were offered CRT in a Phase 2 single group design with three assessments: baseline, post therapy and follow-up. Working memory, cognitive flexibility, planning and work outcomes were assessed. Results Three models were tested (mediation — cognitive improvements drive functioning improvement; moderation — post treatment cognitive level affects the impact of CRT on functioning; moderated mediation — cognition drives functioning improvements only after a certain level is achieved). There was evidence of mediation (planning improvement associated with improved work quality). There was no evidence that cognitive flexibility (total Wisconsin Card Sorting Test errors) and working memory (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III digit span) mediated work functioning despite significant effects. There was some evidence of moderated mediation for planning improvement if participants had poorer memory and/or made fewer WCST errors. The total CRT effect on work quality was d = 0.55, but the indirect (planning-mediated CRT effect) was d = 0.082 Conclusion Planning improvements led to better work quality but only accounted for a small proportion of the total effect on work outcome. Other specific and non-specific effects of CRT and the work programme are likely to account for some of the remaining effect. This is the first time complex models have been tested and future Phase 3 studies need to further test mediation and moderated mediation models. PMID:22503640

Influence of Sex on Suicidal Phenotypes in Affective Disorder Patients with Traumatic Childhood Experiences.

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Alexandra Bernegger

Full Text Available In the current study, we aimed to investigate the impact of childhood trauma on suicidal behaviour phenotypes in a group of patients with diagnosed affective disorder (unipolar or bipolar affective disorder.Patients with and without a history of childhood abuse, measured by Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ, were assessed to explore risks for suicidal behaviour (including suicide attempt, self-harm and non-suicidal self-injury. The tested sample consisted of 258 patients (111 males and 147 females, in-patients and out-patients at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna and University Hospital Tulln, Lower Austria. Psychiatric diagnoses were derived from the SCAN (Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry interview. In addition, patients were administered the Lifetime Parasuicidal Count (LPC, Suicidal Behaviour Questionnaire (SBQ-R, and Viennese Suicide Risk Assessment Scale (VISURIAS questionnaires.In contrast to male suicide attempters, female suicide attempters showed both significantly higher total CTQ scores (p<0.001, and higher CTQ subscores (emotional, physical and sexual abuse, as well as emotional and physical neglect in comparison to the non-suicidal control group. Besides, females with a history of self-harming behaviour (including suicidal intention and Non-Suicidal-Self Injury (NSSI had significantly higher CTQ total scores (p<0.001 than the control group.These findings suggest gender differences in suicidal behaviour after being exposed to childhood trauma.

recA mediated spontaneous deletions of the icaADBC operon of clinical Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates : a new mechanism of phenotypic variations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nuryastuti, Titik; van der Mei, Henny C.; Busscher, Henk J.; Kuijer, Roel; Aman, Abu T.; Krom, Bastiaan P.

Phenotypic variation of Staphylococcus epidermidis involving the slime related ica operon results in heterogeneity in surface characteristics of individual bacteria in axenic cultures. Five clinical S. epidermidis isolates demonstrated phenotypic variation, i.e. both black and red colonies on Congo

Assessing behavioural and cognitive domains of autism spectrum disorders in rodents: current status and future perspectives.

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Kas, Martien J; Glennon, Jeffrey C; Buitelaar, Jan; Ey, Elodie; Biemans, Barbara; Crawley, Jacqueline; Ring, Robert H; Lajonchere, Clara; Esclassan, Frederic; Talpos, John; Noldus, Lucas P J J; Burbach, J Peter H; Steckler, Thomas

2014-03-01

The establishment of robust and replicable behavioural testing paradigms with translational value for psychiatric diseases is a major step forward in developing and testing etiology-directed treatment for these complex disorders. Based on the existing literature, we have generated an inventory of applied rodent behavioural testing paradigms relevant to autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This inventory focused on previously used paradigms that assess behavioural domains that are affected in ASD, such as social interaction, social communication, repetitive behaviours and behavioural inflexibility, cognition as well as anxiety behaviour. A wide range of behavioural testing paradigms for rodents were identified. However, the level of face and construct validity is highly variable. The predictive validity of these paradigms is unknown, as etiology-directed treatments for ASD are currently not on the market. To optimise these studies, future efforts should address aspects of reproducibility and take into account data about the neurodevelopmental underpinnings and trajectory of ASD. In addition, with the increasing knowledge of processes underlying ASD, such as sensory information processes and synaptic plasticity, phenotyping efforts should include multi-level automated analysis of, for example, representative task-related behavioural and electrophysiological read-outs.

SMAD4 Loss triggers the phenotypic changes of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells

OpenAIRE

Chen, Yu-Wen; Hsiao, Pi-Jung; Weng, Ching-Chieh; Kuo, Kung-Kai; Kuo, Tzu-Lei; Wu, Deng-Chyang; Hung, Wen-Chun; Cheng, Kuang-Hung

2014-01-01

Background SMAD4 is a gastrointestinal malignancy-specific tumor suppressor gene found mutated in one third of colorectal cancer specimens and half of pancreatic tumors. SMAD4 inactivation by allelic deletion or intragenic mutation mainly occurs in the late stage of human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Various studies have proposed potential SMAD4-mediated anti-tumor effects in human malignancy; however, the relevance of SMAD4 in the PDAC molecular phenotype has not yet been fully c...

Do Social Information-Processing Models Explain Aggressive Behaviour by Children with Mild Intellectual Disabilities in Residential Care?

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van Nieuwenhuijzen, M.; de Castro, B. O.; van der Valk, I.; Wijnroks, L.; Vermeer, A.; Matthys, W.

2006-01-01

Background: This study aimed to examine whether the social information-processing model (SIP model) applies to aggressive behaviour by children with mild intellectual disabilities (MID). The response-decision element of SIP was expected to be unnecessary to explain aggressive behaviour in these children, and SIP was expected to mediate the…

Exercise self-identity: interactions with social comparison and exercise behaviour

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verkooijen, K.T.; de Bruijn, G.J.

2013-01-01

Possible interactions among exercise self-identity, social comparison and exercise behaviour were explored in a sample of 417 undergraduate students (Mean age = 21.5, SD = 3.0; 73% female). Two models were examined using self-report data; (1) a mediation model which proposed an association between

Exercise self-identity: interactions with social comparison and exercise behaviour

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verkooijen, K.T.; Bruijn, de G.J.

2013-01-01

Possible interactions among exercise self-identity, social comparison and exercise behaviour were explored in a sample of 417 undergraduate students (Mean age¿=¿21.5, SD¿=¿3.0; 73% female). Two models were examined using self-report data; (1) a mediation model which proposed an association between

Behavioural effects of high fat diet in a mutant mouse model for the schizophrenia risk gene neuregulin 1

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holm-hansen, S.; Low, J. K.; Zieba, J.

2016-01-01

on the behavioural phenotype of test mice and attenuated particular cognitive deficits of Nrg1 mutant females. This topic requires further investigations thereby also considering other dietary factors of relevance for schizophrenia as well as interactive effects of diet with medication and sex....

Cognitive behavioural therapy for MS-related fatigue explained: A longitudinal mediation analysis

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van den Akker, L. E.; Beckerman, H.; Collette, E. H.; Knoop, H.; Bleijenberg, G.; Twisk, J. W.; Dekker, J.; de Groot, V.

2018-01-01

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) effectively reduces fatigue directly following treatment in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), but little is known about the process of change during and after CBT. Additional analysis of a randomized clinical trial. To investigate which psychological factors

Cognitive behavioural therapy for MS-related fatigue explained: A longitudinal mediation analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Akker, L.E. van den; Beckerman, H.; Collette, E.H.; Knoop, H.; Bleijenberg, G.; Twisk, J.W.; Dekker, J.; Groot, V. de

2018-01-01

BACKGROUND: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) effectively reduces fatigue directly following treatment in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), but little is known about the process of change during and after CBT. DESIGN: Additional analysis of a randomized clinical trial. OBJECTIVE: To

Caring behaviours directly and indirectly affect nursing students' critical thinking.

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Chen, Shu-Yueh; Chang, Hsing-Chi; Pai, Hsiang-Chu

2018-03-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of caring behaviours on critical thinking and to examine whether self-reflection mediates the effect of caring on critical thinking. We also tested whether caring behaviours moderated the relationship between self-reflection and critical thinking. For this descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional study, we recruited 293 fifth-year nursing students from a junior college in southern Taiwan. Data were collected in 2014 on critical thinking, caring behaviours and self-reflection with insight using the Taiwan Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory, a Chinese version of the Caring Assessment Report Evaluation Q-sort, and a Chinese version of the Self-Reflection and Insight Scale, respectively. Relationships among variables were analysed by structural equation modelling, with the partial least squares method and Sobel test. The results showed that caring behaviours significantly positively affected critical thinking (β = 0.56, t = 12.37, p critical thinking (β = 0.34, t = 6.48, p critical thinking. Caring behaviours did not, however, moderate the relationship between self-reflection (β = 0.001, t = 0.021, p > 0.05) and critical thinking. Caring behaviours directly affect self-reflection with insight and critical thinking. In addition, caring behaviours also indirectly affect critical thinking through self-reflection and insight. © 2017 Nordic College of Caring Science.

PHENOTYPIC AND GENOTYPIC ANALYSIS OF AN ARCANOBACTERIUM PLURANIMALIUM ISOLATED FROM A MUSKOX (OVIBOS MOSCHATUS

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Siti Gusti Ningrum

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The present study was designed to characterize an Arcanobacterium pluranimalium strain isolated from a muskox (Ovibos moschatus phenotypically, by MALDI-TOF MS analysis and genotypically using various molecular targets. The phenotypic properties, the MALDI-TOF MS analysis and sequencing the 16S rRNA gene, the β subunit of bacterial RNA polymerase encoding gene rpoB, the glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase encoding gene gap, the elongation factor tu encoding gene tuf and the pluranimaliumlysin encoding gene pla allowed a successful identification of the isolated strain as A. pluranimalium. Gene pla could also be detected by a previously described loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP assay. This is first report on the isolation and characterization of A. pluranimalium originated from a Muskox.

Development and validation of a behavioural assay to measure the tolerance of Hediste diversicolor to copper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burlinson, Frazer C.; Lawrence, Andrew J.

2007-01-01

The behaviour of Hediste diversicolor from the Humber was investigated under different concentrations of copper sulphate. A range of behaviours were indicative of metal-stress. These included consistent attempts at burrowing, eversion of the proboscis and abnormal crawling. The bioassay itself consisted of exposing worms to increasing concentrations of copper sulphate and recording the concentration at which a stress response was elicited. The behavioural end-points were shown to be a good predictor of time of death of Fal estuary worms under acutely toxic conditions. The bioassay would therefore allow the separation of tolerance phenotypes without mortality to the worm. Worms were not affected by consecutive bioassays and it was proposed that tolerance to more than one metal could be determined for individual worms. - A non-destructive behavioural bioassay is developed to determine the copper tolerance of ragworms

Genetic causal beliefs about obesity, self-efficacy for weight control, and obesity-related behaviours in a middle-aged female cohort.

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Knerr, Sarah; Bowen, Deborah J; Beresford, Shirley A A; Wang, Catharine

2016-01-01

Obesity is a heritable condition with well-established risk-reducing behaviours. Studies have shown that beliefs about the causes of obesity are associated with diet and exercise behaviour. Identifying mechanisms linking causal beliefs and behaviours is important for obesity prevention and control. Cross-sectional multi-level regression analyses of self-efficacy for weight control as a possible mediator of obesity attributions (diet, physical activity, genetic) and preventive behaviours in 487 non-Hispanic White women from South King County, Washington. Self-reported daily fruit and vegetable intake and weekly leisure-time physical activity. Diet causal beliefs were positively associated with fruit and vegetable intake, with self-efficacy for weight control partially accounting for this association. Self-efficacy for weight control also indirectly linked physical activity attributions and physical activity behaviour. Relationships between genetic causal beliefs, self-efficacy for weight control, and obesity-related behaviours differed by obesity status. Self-efficacy for weight control contributed to negative associations between genetic causal attributions and obesity-related behaviours in non-obese, but not obese, women. Self-efficacy is an important construct to include in studies of genetic causal beliefs and behavioural self-regulation. Theoretical and longitudinal work is needed to clarify the causal nature of these relationships and other mediating and moderating factors.

Worm Phenotype Ontology: Integrating phenotype data within and beyond the C. elegans community

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Yook Karen

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Caenorhabditis elegans gene-based phenotype information dates back to the 1970's, beginning with Sydney Brenner and the characterization of behavioral and morphological mutant alleles via classical genetics in order to understand nervous system function. Since then C. elegans has become an important genetic model system for the study of basic biological and biomedical principles, largely through the use of phenotype analysis. Because of the growth of C. elegans as a genetically tractable model organism and the development of large-scale analyses, there has been a significant increase of phenotype data that needs to be managed and made accessible to the research community. To do so, a standardized vocabulary is necessary to integrate phenotype data from diverse sources, permit integration with other data types and render the data in a computable form. Results We describe a hierarchically structured, controlled vocabulary of terms that can be used to standardize phenotype descriptions in C. elegans, namely the Worm Phenotype Ontology (WPO. The WPO is currently comprised of 1,880 phenotype terms, 74% of which have been used in the annotation of phenotypes associated with greater than 18,000 C. elegans genes. The scope of the WPO is not exclusively limited to C. elegans biology, rather it is devised to also incorporate phenotypes observed in related nematode species. We have enriched the value of the WPO by integrating it with other ontologies, thereby increasing the accessibility of worm phenotypes to non-nematode biologists. We are actively developing the WPO to continue to fulfill the evolving needs of the scientific community and hope to engage researchers in this crucial endeavor. Conclusions We provide a phenotype ontology (WPO that will help to facilitate data retrieval, and cross-species comparisons within the nematode community. In the larger scientific community, the WPO will permit data integration, and

A real world study on the genetic, cognitive and psychopathological differences of obese patients clustered according to eating behaviours.

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Caroleo, Mariarita; Primerano, Amedeo; Rania, Marianna; Aloi, Matteo; Pugliese, Valentina; Magliocco, Fabio; Fazia, Gilda; Filippo, Andrea; Sinopoli, Flora; Ricchio, Marco; Arturi, Franco; Jimenez-Murcia, Susana; Fernandez-Aranda, Fernando; De Fazio, Pasquale; Segura-Garcia, Cristina

2018-02-01

Considering that specific genetic profiles, psychopathological conditions and neurobiological systems underlie human behaviours, the phenotypic differentiation of obese patients according to eating behaviours should be investigated. The aim of this study was to classify obese patients according to their eating behaviours and to compare these clusters in regard to psychopathology, personality traits, neurocognitive patterns and genetic profiles. A total of 201 obese outpatients seeking weight reduction treatment underwent a dietetic visit, psychological and psychiatric assessment and genotyping for SCL6A2 polymorphisms. Eating behaviours were clustered through two-step cluster analysis, and these clusters were subsequently compared. Two groups emerged: cluster 1 contained patients with predominantly prandial hyperphagia, social eating, an increased frequency of the long allele of the 5-HTTLPR and low scores in all tests; and cluster 2 included patients with more emotionally related eating behaviours (emotional eating, grazing, binge eating, night eating, post-dinner eating, craving for carbohydrates), dysfunctional personality traits, neurocognitive impairment, affective disorders and increased frequencies of the short (S) allele and the S/S genotype. Aside from binge eating, dysfunctional eating behaviours were useful symptoms to identify two different phenotypes of obese patients from a comprehensive set of parameters (genetic, clinical, personality and neuropsychology) in this sample. Grazing and emotional eating were the most important predictors for classifying obese patients, followed by binge eating. This clustering overcomes the idea that 'binging' is the predominant altered eating behaviour, and could help physicians other than psychiatrists to identify whether an obese patient has an eating disorder. Finally, recognising different types of obesity may not only allow a more comprehensive understanding of this illness, but also make it possible to tailor

Phenotype overlap in Xylella fastidiosa is controlled by the cyclic di-GMP phosphodiesterase Eal in response to antibiotic exposure and diffusible signal factor-mediated cell-cell signaling.

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de Souza, Alessandra A; Ionescu, Michael; Baccari, Clelia; da Silva, Aline M; Lindow, Steven E

2013-06-01

Eal is an EAL domain protein in Xylella fastidiosa homologous to one involved in resistance to tobramycin in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. EAL and HD-GYP domain proteins are implicated in the hydrolysis of the secondary messenger bis-(3'-5')-cyclic dimeric GMP (cyclic di-GMP). Cell density-dependent communication mediated by a Diffusible Signal Factor (DSF) also modulates cyclic di-GMP levels in X. fastidiosa, thereby controlling the expression of virulence genes and genes involved in insect transmission. The possible linkage of Eal to both extrinsic factors such as antibiotics and intrinsic factors such as quorum sensing, and whether both affect virulence, was thus addressed. Expression of eal was induced by subinhibitory concentrations of tobramycin, and an eal deletion mutant was more susceptible to this antibiotic than the wild-type strain and exhibited phenotypes similar to those of an rpfF deletion mutant blocked in DSF production, such as hypermotility, reduced biofilm formation, and hypervirulence to grape. Consistent with that, the rpfF mutant was more susceptible than the wild-type strain to tobramycin. Therefore, we propose that cell-cell communication and antibiotic stress can apparently lead to similar modulations of cyclic di-GMP in X. fastidiosa, resulting in similar phenotypes. However, the effect of cell density is dominant compared to that of antibiotic stress, since eal is suppressed by RpfF, which may prevent inappropriate behavioral changes in response to antibiotic stress when DSF accumulates.

The relationships between perceived organizational support, affective commitment, psychological contract breach, organizational citizenship behaviour and work engagement.

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Gupta, Vishal; Agarwal, Upasna A; Khatri, Naresh

2016-11-01

This study examines the factors that mediate and moderate the relationships of perceived organizational support with work engagement and organization citizenship behaviour. Specifically, affective commitment is posited to mediate and psychological contract breach to moderate the above relationships. Nurses play a critical role in delivering exemplary health care. For nurses to perform at their best, they need to experience high engagement, which can be achieved by providing them necessary organizational support and proper working environment. Data were collected via a self-reported survey instrument. A questionnaire was administered to a random sample of 750 nurses in nine large hospitals in India during 2013-2014. Four hundred and seventy-five nurses (63%) responded to the survey. Hierarchical multiple regression was used for statistical analysis of the moderated-mediation model. Affective commitment was found to mediate the positive relationships between perceived organizational support and work outcomes (work engagement, organizational citizenship behaviour). The perception of unfulfilled expectations (psychological contract breach) was found to moderate the perceived organizational support-work outcome relationships adversely. The results of this study indicate that perceived organizational support exerts its influence on work-related outcomes and highlight the importance of taking organizational context, such as perceptions of psychological contract breach, into consideration when making sense of the influence of perceived organizational support on affective commitment, work engagement and citizenship behaviours of nurses. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Active Inference, homeostatic regulation and adaptive behavioural control.

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Pezzulo, Giovanni; Rigoli, Francesco; Friston, Karl

2015-11-01

We review a theory of homeostatic regulation and adaptive behavioural control within the Active Inference framework. Our aim is to connect two research streams that are usually considered independently; namely, Active Inference and associative learning theories of animal behaviour. The former uses a probabilistic (Bayesian) formulation of perception and action, while the latter calls on multiple (Pavlovian, habitual, goal-directed) processes for homeostatic and behavioural control. We offer a synthesis these classical processes and cast them as successive hierarchical contextualisations of sensorimotor constructs, using the generative models that underpin Active Inference. This dissolves any apparent mechanistic distinction between the optimization processes that mediate classical control or learning. Furthermore, we generalize the scope of Active Inference by emphasizing interoceptive inference and homeostatic regulation. The ensuing homeostatic (or allostatic) perspective provides an intuitive explanation for how priors act as drives or goals to enslave action, and emphasises the embodied nature of inference. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Listeria monocytogenes alters mast cell phenotype, mediator and osteopontin secretion in a listeriolysin-dependent manner.

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Catherine E Jobbings

Full Text Available Whilst mast cells participate in the immune defence against the intracellular bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, there is conflicting evidence regarding the ability of L. monocytogenes to infect mast cells. It is known that the pore-forming toxin listeriolysin (LLO is important for mast cell activation, degranulation and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Mast cells, however, are a potential source of a wide range of cytokines, chemokines and other mediators including osteopontin, which contributes to the clearing of L. monocytogenes infections in vivo, although its source is unknown. We therefore aimed to resolve the controversy of mast cell infection by L. monocytogenes and investigated the extent of mediator release in response to the bacterium. In this paper we show that the infection of bone marrow-derived mast cells by L. monocytogenes is inefficient and LLO-independent. LLO, however, is required for calcium-independent mast cell degranulation as well as for the transient and selective downregulation of cell surface CD117 (c-kit on mast cells. We demonstrate that in addition to the key pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6, mast cells release a wide range of other mediators in response to L. monocytogenes. Osteopontin, IL-2, IL-4, IL-13 and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF, and chemokines including CCL2, CCL3, CCL4 and CCL5 are released in a MyD88-dependent manner. The wide range of mediators released by mast cells in response to L. monocytogenes may play an important role in the recruitment and activation of a variety of immune cells in vivo. The cocktail of mediators, however, is unlikely to skew the immune response to a particular effector response. We propose that mast cells provide a hitherto unreported source of osteopontin, and may provide an important role in co-ordinating the immune response during Listeria infection.

Childhood social circumstances and health behaviour in midlife

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Osler, Merete; Godtfredsen, Nina S; Prescott, Eva

2008-01-01

It has been suggested that the association between social disadvantage in childhood and adult mortality could come about through processes related to the family environment in which the child is raised. This study examines the relationship of fathers' social class with health behaviour in middle...... age and assesses the potential mediating role of cognitive function, educational status and social integration in young adulthood in these relationships....

Viral delivery of C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansions in mice leads to repeat-length-dependent neuropathology and behavioural deficits

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Saul Herranz-Martin

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Intronic GGGGCC repeat expansions in C9orf72 are the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS and frontotemporal dementia (FTD. Two major pathologies stemming from the hexanucleotide RNA expansions (HREs have been identified in postmortem tissue: intracellular RNA foci and repeat-associated non-ATG dependent (RAN dipeptides, although it is unclear how these and other hallmarks of disease contribute to the pathophysiology of neuronal injury. Here, we describe two novel lines of mice that overexpress either 10 pure or 102 interrupted GGGGCC repeats mediated by adeno-associated virus (AAV and recapitulate the relevant human pathology and disease-related behavioural phenotypes. Similar levels of intracellular RNA foci developed in both lines of mice, but only mice expressing 102 repeats generated C9orf72 RAN pathology, neuromuscular junction (NMJ abnormalities, dispersal of the hippocampal CA1, enhanced apoptosis, and deficits in gait and cognition. Neither line of mice, however, showed extensive TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43 pathology or neurodegeneration. Our data suggest that RNA foci pathology is not a good predictor of C9orf72 RAN dipeptide formation, and that RAN dipeptides and NMJ dysfunction are drivers of C9orf72 disease pathogenesis. These AAV-mediated models of C9orf72-associated ALS/FTD will be useful tools for studying disease pathophysiology and developing new therapeutic approaches.

MT1-MMP-mediated basement membrane remodeling modulates renal development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riggins, Karen S.; Mernaugh, Glenda; Su, Yan; Quaranta, Vito; Koshikawa, Naohiko; Seiki, Motoharu; Pozzi, Ambra; Zent, Roy

2010-01-01

Extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling regulates multiple cellular functions required for normal development and tissue repair. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are key mediators of this process and membrane targeted MMPs (MT-MMPs) in particular have been shown to be important in normal development of specific organs. In this study we investigated the role of MT1-MMP in kidney development. We demonstrate that loss of MT1-MMP leads to a renal phenotype characterized by a moderate decrease in ureteric bud branching morphogenesis and a severe proliferation defect. The kidneys of MT1-MMP-null mice have increased deposition of collagen IV, laminins, perlecan, and nidogen and the phenotype is independent of the MT-1MMP target, MMP-2. Utilizing in vitro systems we demonstrated that MTI-MMP proteolytic activity is required for renal tubule cells to proliferate in three dimensional matrices and to migrate on collagen IV and laminins. Together these data suggest an important role for MT1-MMP in kidney development, which is mediated by its ability to regulate cell proliferation and migration by proteolytically cleaving kidney basement membrane components.

Genetic versus rearing-environment effects on phenotype: hatchery and natural rearing effects on hatchery- and wild-born coho salmon.

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Cedar M Chittenden

Full Text Available With the current trends in climate and fisheries, well-designed mitigative strategies for conserving fish stocks may become increasingly necessary. The poor post-release survival of hatchery-reared Pacific salmon indicates that salmon enhancement programs require assessment. The objective of this study was to determine the relative roles that genotype and rearing environment play in the phenotypic expression of young salmon, including their survival, growth, physiology, swimming endurance, predator avoidance and migratory behaviour. Wild- and hatchery-born coho salmon adults (Oncorhynchus kisutch returning to the Chehalis River in British Columbia, Canada, were crossed to create pure hatchery, pure wild, and hybrid offspring. A proportion of the progeny from each cross was reared in a traditional hatchery environment, whereas the remaining fry were reared naturally in a contained side channel. The resulting phenotypic differences between replicates, between rearing environments, and between cross types were compared. While there were few phenotypic differences noted between genetic groups reared in the same habitat, rearing environment played a significant role in smolt size, survival, swimming endurance, predator avoidance and migratory behaviour. The lack of any observed genetic differences between wild- and hatchery-born salmon may be due to the long-term mixing of these genotypes from hatchery introgression into wild populations, or conversely, due to strong selection in nature--capable of maintaining highly fit genotypes whether or not fish have experienced part of their life history under cultured conditions.

Listening to music and physiological and psychological functioning: the mediating role of emotion regulation and stress reactivity.

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Thoma, M V; Scholz, U; Ehlert, U; Nater, U M

2012-01-01

Music listening has been suggested to have short-term beneficial effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the association and potential mediating mechanisms between various aspects of habitual music-listening behaviour and physiological and psychological functioning. An internet-based survey was conducted in university students, measuring habitual music-listening behaviour, emotion regulation, stress reactivity, as well as physiological and psychological functioning. A total of 1230 individuals (mean = 24.89 ± 5.34 years, 55.3% women) completed the questionnaire. Quantitative aspects of habitual music-listening behaviour, i.e. average duration of music listening and subjective relevance of music, were not associated with physiological and psychological functioning. In contrast, qualitative aspects, i.e. reasons for listening (especially 'reducing loneliness and aggression', and 'arousing or intensifying specific emotions') were significantly related to physiological and psychological functioning (all p = 0.001). These direct effects were mediated by distress-augmenting emotion regulation and individual stress reactivity. The habitual music-listening behaviour appears to be a multifaceted behaviour that is further influenced by dispositions that are usually not related to music listening. Consequently, habitual music-listening behaviour is not obviously linked to physiological and psychological functioning.

Asthma phenotypes in childhood.

Science.gov (United States)

Reddy, Monica B; Covar, Ronina A

2016-04-01

This review describes the literature over the past 18 months that evaluated childhood asthma phenotypes, highlighting the key aspects of these studies, and comparing these studies to previous ones in this area. Recent studies on asthma phenotypes have identified new phenotypes on the basis of statistical analyses (using cluster analysis and latent class analysis methodology) and have evaluated the outcomes and associated risk factors of previously established early childhood asthma phenotypes that are based on asthma onset and patterns of wheezing illness. There have also been investigations focusing on immunologic, physiologic, and genetic correlates of various phenotypes, as well as identification of subphenotypes of severe childhood asthma. Childhood asthma remains a heterogeneous condition, and investigations into these various presentations, risk factors, and outcomes are important since they can offer therapeutic and prognostic relevance. Further investigation into the immunopathology and genetic basis underlying childhood phenotypes is important so therapy can be tailored accordingly.

Transgenerational transmission of a stress-coping phenotype programmed by early-life stress in the Japanese quail

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Zimmer, Cédric; Larriva, Maria; Boogert, Neeltje J.; Spencer, Karen A.

2017-01-01

An interesting aspect of developmental programming is the existence of transgenerational effects that influence offspring characteristics and performance later in life. These transgenerational effects have been hypothesized to allow individuals to cope better with predictable environmental fluctuations and thus facilitate adaptation to changing environments. Here, we test for the first time how early-life stress drives developmental programming and transgenerational effects of maternal exposure to early-life stress on several phenotypic traits in their offspring in a functionally relevant context using a fully factorial design. We manipulated pre- and/or post-natal stress in both Japanese quail mothers and offspring and examined the consequences for several stress-related traits in the offspring generation. We show that pre-natal stress experienced by the mother did not simply affect offspring phenotype but resulted in the inheritance of the same stress-coping traits in the offspring across all phenotypic levels that we investigated, shaping neuroendocrine, physiological and behavioural traits. This may serve mothers to better prepare their offspring to cope with later environments where the same stressors are experienced. PMID:28387355

Examining Behavioural Coping Strategies as Mediators between Work-Family Conflict and Psychological Distress

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Sanaz Aazami

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We examined the mediating role of behavioral coping strategies in the association between work-family conflict and psychological distress. In particular, we examined the two directions of work-family conflict, namely, work interference into family and family interference into work. Furthermore, two coping styles in this study were adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 429 Malaysian working women using self-reported data. The results of mediational analysis in the present study showed that adaptive coping strategy does not significantly mediate the effect of work-family conflict on psychological distress. However, maladaptive coping strategies significantly mediate the effect of work-family conflict on psychological distress. These results show that adaptive coping strategies, which aimed to improve the stressful situation, are not effective in managing stressor such as work-family conflict. We found that experiencing interrole conflict steers employees toward frequent use of maladaptive coping strategies which in turn lead to psychological distress. Interventions targeted at improvement of coping skills which are according to individual’s needs and expectation may help working women to balance work and family demands. The important issue is to keep in mind that effective coping strategies are to control the situations not to eliminate work-family conflict.

Examining behavioural coping strategies as mediators between work-family conflict and psychological distress.

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Aazami, Sanaz; Shamsuddin, Khadijah; Akmal, Syaqirah

2015-01-01

We examined the mediating role of behavioral coping strategies in the association between work-family conflict and psychological distress. In particular, we examined the two directions of work-family conflict, namely, work interference into family and family interference into work. Furthermore, two coping styles in this study were adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 429 Malaysian working women using self-reported data. The results of mediational analysis in the present study showed that adaptive coping strategy does not significantly mediate the effect of work-family conflict on psychological distress. However, maladaptive coping strategies significantly mediate the effect of work-family conflict on psychological distress. These results show that adaptive coping strategies, which aimed to improve the stressful situation, are not effective in managing stressor such as work-family conflict. We found that experiencing interrole conflict steers employees toward frequent use of maladaptive coping strategies which in turn lead to psychological distress. Interventions targeted at improvement of coping skills which are according to individual's needs and expectation may help working women to balance work and family demands. The important issue is to keep in mind that effective coping strategies are to control the situations not to eliminate work-family conflict.

The Human Phenotype Ontology project: linking molecular biology and disease through phenotype data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kohler, S.; Doelken, S.C.; Mungall, C.J.; Bauer, S.; Firth, H.V.; Bailleul-Forestier, I.; Black, G.C.M.; Brown, D.L.; Brudno, M.; Campbell, J.; FitzPatrick, D.R.; Eppig, J.T.; Jackson, A.P.; Freson, K.; Girdea, M.; Helbig, I.; Hurst, J.A.; Jahn, J.; Jackson, L.G.; Kelly, A.M.; Ledbetter, D.H.; Mansour, S.; Martin, C.L.; Moss, C.; Mumford, A.; Ouwehand, W.H.; Park, S.M.; Riggs, E.R.; Scott, R.H.; Sisodiya, S.; Vooren, S. van der; Wapner, R.J.; Wilkie, A.O.; Wright, C.F.; Silfhout, A.T. van; Leeuw, N. de; Vries, B. de; Washingthon, N.L.; Smith, C.L.; Westerfield, M.; Schofield, P.; Ruef, B.J.; Gkoutos, G.V.; Haendel, M.; Smedley, D.; Lewis, S.E.; Robinson, P.N.

2014-01-01

The Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) project, available at http://www.human-phenotype-ontology.org, provides a structured, comprehensive and well-defined set of 10,088 classes (terms) describing human phenotypic abnormalities and 13,326 subclass relations between the HPO classes. In addition we have

A link between thrifty phenotype and maternal care across two generations of intercrossed mice.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruno Sauce

Full Text Available Maternal effects are causal influences from mother to offspring beyond genetic information, and have lifelong consequences for multiple traits. Previously, we reported that mice whose mothers did not nurse properly had low birth weight followed by rapid fat accumulation and disturbed development of some organs. That pattern resembles metabolic syndromes known collectively as the thrifty phenotype, which is believed to be an adaptation to a stressful environment which prepares offspring for reduced nutrient supply. The potential link between maternal care, stress reactivity, and the thrifty phenotype, however, has been poorly explored in the human and animal literature: only a couple of studies even mention (much less, test these concepts under a cohesive framework. Here, we explored this link using mice of the parental inbred strains SM/J and LG/J-who differ dramatically in their maternal care-and the intercrossed generations F1 and F2. We measured individual differences in 15 phenotypes and used structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses. We found a remarkable relationship between thrifty phenotype and lower quality of maternal behaviors, including nest building, pup retrieval, grooming/licking, and nursing. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show, in any mammal, a clear connection between the natural variation in thrifty phenotype and maternal care. Both traits in the mother also had a substantial effect on survival rate in the F3 offspring. To our surprise, however, stress reactivity seemed to play no role in our models. Furthermore, the strain of maternal grandmother, but not of paternal grandmother, affected the variation of maternal care in F2 mice, and this effect was mediated by thrifty phenotype in F2. Since F1 animals were all genetically identical, this finding suggests that maternal effects pass down both maternal care and thrifty phenotype in these mice across generations via epigenetic transmission.

Exposure to a maternal cafeteria diet changes open-field behaviour in the developing offspring.

Science.gov (United States)

Speight, Abigail; Davey, William G; McKenna, Emily; Voigt, Jörg-Peter W

2017-04-01

The early postnatal period is a sensitive period in rodents as behavioural systems are developing and maturing during this time. However, little is currently known about the behavioural effects of feeding a hyper-energetic cafeteria diet (CD) during the lactational period when offspring behaviour is tested during early adolescence. To this end, 23days old offspring from dams (Wistar) fed on CD during lactation were tested in either the open-field or the elevated plus-maze for exploration and anxiety-related behaviour. On postnatal day 9, maternal behaviour and non-maternal behaviour of the dam was assessed. It was hypothesized that lactational CD feeding would reduce anxiety in the offspring. CD-fed dams had a higher energy intake, due to an overconsumption of sugars and fats. When offspring from these dams were exposed to the open field after weaning, their locomotor activity was increased. They entered the more aversive inner zone of the open-field after a shorter latency, made more entries into and spent more time in the inner zone. Anxiety-related behaviour was not affected upon exposure to the elevated plus maze, suggesting anxiolysis in the open-field only. Increased maternal licking/grooming behaviour could possibly contribute to the anxiolytic phenotype as observed in the offspring from the CD group. In conclusion, we demonstrate that lactational overfeeding impacts on the development of behaviour in the early adolescent rat. Copyright © 2016 ISDN. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The conjoint influence of home enriched environment and lead exposure on children's cognition and behaviour in a Mexican lead smelter community.

Science.gov (United States)

Moodie, Sue; Ialongo, Nick; López, Patricia; Rosado, Jorge; García-Vargas, Gonzalo; Ronquillo, Dolores; Kordas, Katarzyna

2013-01-01

A range of studies has been conducted on the detrimental effects of lead in mining and smelting communities. The neurocognitive and behavioural health effects of lead on children are well known. This research characterized the conjoint influence of lead exposure and home enriched environment on neurocognitive function and behaviour for first-grade children living in a Mexican lead smelter community. Structural equation models were used for this analysis with latent outcome variables, Cognition and Behaviour, constructed based on a battery of assessments administered to the first-grade children, their parents, and teachers. Structural equation modelling was used to describe complex relationships of exposure and health outcomes in a manner that permitted partition of both direct and indirect effects of the factors being measured. Home Environment (a latent variable constructed from information on mother's education and support of school work and extracurricular activities), and child blood lead concentration each had a main significant effect on cognition and behaviour. However, there were no statistically significant moderation relationships between lead and Home Environment on these latent outcomes. Home Environment had a significant indirect mediation effect between lead and both Cognition and Behaviour (p-valueEnvironment has a moderate mediation effect with respect to lead effects on Behaviour (β=0.305) and a lower mediation effect on Cognition (β=0.184). The extent of home enrichment in this study was most highly related to the mother's support of schoolwork and slightly less by the mother's support of extracurricular activities or mother's education. Further research may be able to develop approaches to support families to make changes within their home and child rearing practices, or advocate for different approaches to support their child's behaviour to reduce the impact of lead exposure on children's cognitive and behavioural outcomes. Copyright © 2012

Examining the language and behavioural profile in FTD and ALS-FTD.

Science.gov (United States)

Saxon, Jennifer A; Thompson, Jennifer C; Jones, Matthew; Harris, Jennifer M; Richardson, Anna Mt; Langheinrich, Tobias; Neary, David; Mann, David Ma; Snowden, Julie S

2017-08-01

A proportion of patients with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It is currently unknown whether the behavioural and cognitive syndrome in bvFTD with ALS (ALS-FTD) is indistinguishable from that of bvFTD alone. A retrospective cohort of 241 patients with clinical diagnoses of bvFTD (n=185) or ALS-FTD (n=56) was examined with respect to behavioural, cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Features were rated as present or absent based on information recorded from clinical interviews and detailed neuropsychological assessment. A number of behavioural and affective changes were reported more frequently in bvFTD than ALS-FTD: social disinhibition (pALS-FTD than bvFTD (pALS-FTD than bvFTD: agrammatism (pALS-FTD. In particular, while changes in social behaviour are prominent in bvFTD alone, there may be a comparatively greater degree of language impairment in ALS-FTD. Prospective exploration of the pattern of differences between these groups will be essential. Identification of a distinct neuropsychological phenotype in ALS-FTD may have clinical implications for early diagnosis, disease management and care planning and theoretical implications for our understanding of the relationship between ALS and FTD. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Phenotypic equilibrium as probabilistic convergence in multi-phenotype cell population dynamics.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Da-Quan Jiang

Full Text Available We consider the cell population dynamics with n different phenotypes. Both the Markovian branching process model (stochastic model and the ordinary differential equation (ODE system model (deterministic model are presented, and exploited to investigate the dynamics of the phenotypic proportions. We will prove that in both models, these proportions will tend to constants regardless of initial population states ("phenotypic equilibrium" under weak conditions, which explains the experimental phenomenon in Gupta et al.'s paper. We also prove that Gupta et al.'s explanation is the ODE model under a special assumption. As an application, we will give sufficient and necessary conditions under which the proportion of one phenotype tends to 0 (die out or 1 (dominate. We also extend our results to non-Markovian cases.

Early Stress Causes Sex-Specific, Life-Long Changes in Behaviour, Levels of Gonadal Hormones, and Gene Expression in Chickens

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Elfwing, Magnus; Natt, Daniel; Goerlich - Jansson, Vivian; Persson, Mia; Hjelm, Jonas; Jensen, Per

2015-01-01

Early stress can have long-lasting phenotypic effects. Previous research shows that male and female chickens differ in many behavioural aspects, and respond differently to chronic stress. The present experiment aimed to broadly characterize long-term sex differences in responses to brief events of

Predicting alcohol consumption and binge drinking in company employees: an application of planned behaviour and self-determination theories.

Science.gov (United States)

Hagger, Martin S; Lonsdale, Adam J; Hein, Vello; Koka, Andre; Lintunen, Taru; Pasi, Heidi; Lindwall, Magnus; Rudolfsson, Lisa; Chatzisarantis, Nikos L D

2012-05-01

This study tested an integrated model of the psychosocial determinants of alcohol-related behaviour among company employees from four nations. A motivational sequence was proposed in which motivational orientations from self-determination theory influenced intentions to consume alcohol within guideline limits and alcohol-related behaviour via the mediation of the theory of planned behaviour variables of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control (PBC). A three-wave prospective design using self-reported psychological and behavioural measures. Company employees (N= 486, males = 225, females = 261; M age = 30.41, SD= 8.31) from four nations (Estonia, Finland, Sweden, and UK) completed measures of autonomous and controlled motivation from self-determination theory, attitudes, subjective norms, PBC, intentions from the theory of planned behaviour, and self-reported measures of past alcohol consumption and binge-drinking occasions at the first time point (time 1). Follow-up psychological and behavioural measures were taken one month later (time 2) and follow-up behavioural measures taken a further 2 months later (time 3). Path analyses supported the motivational sequence with identified regulation (time 1), predicting intentions (time 1), and alcohol units consumed (time 2). The effects were indirect via the mediation of attitudes and PBC (time 1). A similar pattern of effects was found for the effect of time 2 psychological variables on time 3 units of alcohol consumed. There was little support for the effects of the psychological variables on binge-drinking behaviour. Findings provide new information on the psychosocial determinants of alcohol behaviour in company employees and the processes involved. Results may provide impetus for the development of interventions to reduce alcohol consumption. ©2011 The British Psychological Society.

Increased anxiety-related behaviour in Hint1 knockout mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Varadarajulu, Jeeva; Lebar, Maria; Krishnamoorthy, Gurumoorthy; Habelt, Sonja; Lu, Jia; Bernard Weinstein, I; Li, Haiyang; Holsboer, Florian; Turck, Christoph W; Touma, Chadi

2011-07-07

Several reports have implicated a role for the histidine triad nucleotide-binding protein-1 (Hint1) in psychiatric disorders. We have studied the emotional behaviour of male Hint1 knockout (Hint1 KO) mice in a battery of tests and performed biochemical analyses on brain tissue. The behavioural analysis revealed that Hint1 KO mice exhibit an increased emotionality phenotype compared to wildtype (WT) mice, while no significant differences in locomotion or general exploratory activity were noted. In the elevated plus-maze (EPM) test, the Hint1 KO animals entered the open arms of the apparatus less often than WT littermates. Similarly, in the dark-light box test, Hint1 KO mice spent less time in the lit compartment and the number of entries were reduced, which further confirmed an increased anxiety-related behaviour. Moreover, the Hint1 KO animals showed significantly more struggling and less floating behaviour in the forced swim test (FST), indicating an increased emotional arousal in aversive situations. Hint1 is known as a protein kinase C (PKC) interacting protein. Western blot analysis showed that PKCγ expression was elevated in Hint1 KO compared to WT mice. Interestingly, PKCγ mRNA levels of the two groups did not show a significant difference, implying a post-transcriptional PKCγ regulation. In addition, PKC enzymatic activity was increased in Hint1 KO compared to WT mice. In summary, our results indicate a role for Hint1 and PKCγ in modulating anxiety-related and stress-coping behaviour in mice. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Participation restriction in childhood phenotype of myotonic dystrophy type 1: a systematic retrospective chart review.

Science.gov (United States)

Gagnon, Cynthia; Kierkegaard, Marie; Blackburn, Catherine; Chrestian, Nicolas; Lavoie, Mélissa; Bouchard, Marie-Frédéric; Mathieu, Jean

2017-03-01

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), a neuromuscular disorder, is divided into four clinical phenotypes: congenital; childhood; adult-onset, and late-onset. Publications about the childhood phenotype, especially the long-term outcome, are scarce. The aims of this study were to assess and describe participation outcomes in adults with the childhood phenotype. A retrospective chart methodology. Data were extracted from health records for 63 adults with childhood DM1 (32 males, 31 females; mean age 34y, standard deviation [SD] 11y 6mo; range 18-54y) who had attended the Saguenay Neuromuscular Clinic, Canada. Thirty-four adults (54%) lived with their parents or in foster homes, and most patients needed services or help to live independently. A significant proportion (22%) were isolated in regard to friendship. Very few adults had children, although 33% lived with a spouse. The majority of patients (86%) relied on social security and only one person was currently working. Financial responsibilities were often an issue and 13 (21%) were under legal guardianship. This study showed that patients with the childhood phenotype present a guarded prognosis regarding long-term social participation. These participation restrictions could be related to behavioural, cognitive, and social stigma problems in childhood. This study illustrates the absolute necessity to pursue an interdisciplinary follow-up of these patients when they are reaching adulthood. © 2016 Mac Keith Press.

Two conserved modules of Schizosaccharomyces pombe Mediator regulate distinct cellular pathways

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Linder, Tomas; Rasmussen, Nina; Samuelsen, Camilla O

2008-01-01

Mediator is an evolutionary conserved coregulator complex required for transcription of almost all RNA polymerase II-dependent genes. The Schizosaccharomyces pombe Mediator consists of two dissociable components-a core complex organized into a head and middle domain as well as the Cdk8 regulatory...... subcomplex. In this work we describe a functional characterization of the S. pombe Mediator. We report the identification of the S. pombe Med20 head subunit and the isolation of ts alleles of the core head subunit encoding med17+. Biochemical analysis of med8(ts), med17(ts), Deltamed18, Deltamed20...... and Deltamed27 alleles revealed a stepwise head domain molecular architecture. Phenotypical analysis of Cdk8 and head module alleles including expression profiling classified the Mediator mutant alleles into one of two groups. Cdk8 module mutants flocculate due to overexpression of adhesive cell...

Human Resources and Innovative Behaviour : Improving Nursing Performance

OpenAIRE

Xerri, Matthew; Reid, Stuart

2017-01-01

This study examines, using the social exchange theory, the mediating effect of employees’ perception of wellbeing on the relationship between two human resource (HR) management factors (satisfaction with teamwork and satisfaction with training opportunities) and innovative behaviour of nurses working in Australian public and private hospitals. Current nurse shortages and limited budgets have increased the need for hospitals to improve their efficiency and cost-effectiveness. It is proposed th...

Dissection of the complex phenotype in cuticular mutants of Arabidopsis reveals a role of SERRATE as a mediator.

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Derry Voisin

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Mutations in LACERATA (LCR, FIDDLEHEAD (FDH, and BODYGUARD (BDG cause a complex developmental syndrome that is consistent with an important role for these Arabidopsis genes in cuticle biogenesis. The genesis of their pleiotropic phenotypes is, however, poorly understood. We provide evidence that neither distorted depositions of cutin, nor deficiencies in the chemical composition of cuticular lipids, account for these features, instead suggesting that the mutants alleviate the functional disorder of the cuticle by reinforcing their defenses. To better understand how plants adapt to these mutations, we performed a genome-wide gene expression analysis. We found that apparent compensatory transcriptional responses in these mutants involve the induction of wax, cutin, cell wall, and defense genes. To gain greater insight into the mechanism by which cuticular mutations trigger this response in the plants, we performed an overlap meta-analysis, which is termed MASTA (MicroArray overlap Search Tool and Analysis, of differentially expressed genes. This suggested that different cell integrity pathways are recruited in cesA cellulose synthase and cuticular mutants. Using MASTA for an in silico suppressor/enhancer screen, we identified SERRATE (SE, which encodes a protein of RNA-processing multi-protein complexes, as a likely enhancer. In confirmation of this notion, the se lcr and se bdg double mutants eradicate severe leaf deformations as well as the organ fusions that are typical of lcr and bdg and other cuticular mutants. Also, lcr does not confer resistance to Botrytis cinerea in a se mutant background. We propose that there is a role for SERRATE-mediated RNA signaling in the cuticle integrity pathway.

Knowledge-based analysis of phenotypes

KAUST Repository

Hoendorf, Robert

2016-01-27

Phenotypes are the observable characteristics of an organism, and they are widely recorded in biology and medicine. To facilitate data integration, ontologies that formally describe phenotypes are being developed in several domains. I will describe a formal framework to describe phenotypes. A formalized theory of phenotypes is not only useful for domain analysis, but can also be applied to assist in the diagnosis of rare genetic diseases, and I will show how our results on the ontology of phenotypes is now applied in biomedical research.

Predicting adherence to combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV in Tanzania: A test of an extended theory of planned behaviour model.

Science.gov (United States)

Banas, Kasia; Lyimo, Ramsey A; Hospers, Harm J; van der Ven, Andre; de Bruin, Marijn

2017-10-01

Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) for HIV is widely available in sub-Saharan Africa. Adherence is crucial to successful treatment. This study aimed to apply an extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB) model to predict objectively measured adherence to cART in Tanzania. Prospective observational study (n = 158) where patients completed questionnaires on demographics (Month 0), socio-cognitive variables including intentions (Month 1), and action planning and self-regulatory processes hypothesised to mediate the intention-behaviour relationship (Month 3), to predict adherence (Month 5). Taking adherence was measured objectively using the Medication Events Monitoring System (MEMS) caps. Model tests were conducted using regression and bootstrap mediation analyses. Perceived behavioural control (PBC) was positively (β = .767, p behavioural measure, identified PBC as the main driver of adherence intentions. The effect of intentions on adherence was only indirect through self-regulatory processes, which were the main predictor of objectively assessed adherence.

Metabolic and transcriptional responses of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata L.) to environmental stress: New insights in fish mitochondrial phenotyping

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bermejo-Nogales, A.; Nederlof, M.A.J.; Benedito-Palos, L.; Ballester-Lozano, G.F.; Folkedal, O.; Olsen, R.E.; Sitjà-Bobadilla, A.; Pérez-Sánchez, J.

2014-01-01

The aim of the current study was to phenotype fish metabolism and the transcriptionally-mediated response of hepatic mitochondria of gilthead sea bream to intermittent and repetitive environmental stressors: (i) changes in water temperature (T-ST), (ii) changes in water level and chasing (C-ST) and

The risk for behavioural deficits is determined by the maternal immune response to prenatal immune challenge in a neurodevelopmental model.

Science.gov (United States)

Missault, S; Van den Eynde, K; Vanden Berghe, W; Fransen, E; Weeren, A; Timmermans, J P; Kumar-Singh, S; Dedeurwaerdere, S

2014-11-01

Schizophrenia is a highly disabling psychiatric disorder with a proposed neurodevelopmental basis. One mechanism through which genetic and environmental risk factors might act is by triggering persistent brain inflammation, as evidenced by long-lasting neuro-immunological disturbances in patients. Our goal was to investigate whether microglia activation is a neurobiological correlate to the altered behaviour in the maternal immune activation (MIA) model, a well-validated animal model with relevance to schizophrenia. A recent observation in the MIA model is the differential maternal body weight response to the immune stimulus, correlated with a different behavioural outcome in the offspring. Although it is generally assumed that the differences in maternal weight response reflect differences in cytokine response, this has not been investigated so far. Our aim was to investigate whether (i) the maternal weight response to MIA reflects differences in the maternal cytokine response, (ii) the differential behavioural phenotype of the offspring extends to depressive symptoms such as anhedonia and (iii) there are changes in chronic microglia activation dependent on the behavioural phenotype. Based on a dose-response study, MIA was induced in pregnant rats by injecting 4mg/kg Poly I:C at gestational day 15. Serum samples were collected to assess the amount of TNF-α in the maternal blood following MIA. MIA offspring were divided into weight loss (WL; n=14) and weight gain (WG; n=10) groups, depending on the maternal body weight response to Poly I:C. Adult offspring were behaviourally phenotyped for prepulse inhibition, locomotor activity with and without amphetamine and MK-801 challenge, and sucrose preference. Finally, microglia activation was scored on CD11b- and Iba1-immunohistochemically stained sections. Pregnant dams that lost weight following MIA showed increased levels of TNF-α compared to controls, unlike dams that gained weight following MIA. Poly I:C WL

[Pain and depression: cognitive and behavioural mediators of a frequent association].

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Radat, F; Koleck, M

2011-06-01

The comorbidity between chronic pain and depression is high: in the general population setting, the odds ratio for suffering from one of these disorders when suffering from the other is estimated around 2.5. For chronic pain patients consulting in pain clinics, the comorbidity rate reaches one third to half of the patients. For the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), pain consists in an emotional as well as a sensory dimension, both of them have to be assessed systematically. Likewise, affective disorders must be systematically depicted in chronic pain patients. The reasons for such comorbidity are complex and result from the conjunction of common risk factors (environmental and genetic vulnerability factors) and of a bidirectional causality. THE TRANSACTIONAL MODEL OF STRESS AND COPING OF LAZARUS ET FOLKMAN: The appraisal stress model (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984) offers an opportunity to understand how chronic pain can cause depression. Pain is conceptualized as a chronic stress. Its appraisal in terms of loss, injustice, incomprehensibility or changes (primary appraisal), and in terms of control (secondary evaluation) determine how the subject will cope with pain. Several personality traits as optimism, hardiness or internal locus of control play a protective role on these evaluations, whereas others (neuroticism, negative affectivity or external locus of control) are risk factors for depression. Low perceived social support is also related to depression. On the contrary, self-efficiency is linked with low levels of depression. Self-management therapies focus on increase of perceived control of pain by the patient in order to improve his/her motivation to change, and to let the patient become active in the management of his/her pain. According to Lazarus and Folkman (1984), coping strategies are the constantly changing cognitive and behavioural efforts to manage specific external and/or internal demands that are appraised as taxing on or

Diabetes and neurodegeneration in Wolfram syndrome: a multicenter study of phenotype and genotype.

Science.gov (United States)

Rohayem, Julia; Ehlers, Christian; Wiedemann, Bärbel; Holl, Reinhard; Oexle, Konrad; Kordonouri, Olga; Salzano, Giuseppina; Meissner, Thomas; Burger, Walter; Schober, Edith; Huebner, Angela; Lee-Kirsch, Min Ae

2011-07-01

To describe the diabetes phenotype in Wolfram syndrome compared with type 1 diabetes, to investigate the effect of glycemic control on the neurodegenerative process, and to assess the genotype-phenotype correlation. The clinical data of 50 patients with Wolfram syndrome-related diabetes (WSD) were reviewed and compared with the data of 24,164 patients with type 1 diabetes. Patients with a mean HbA1c during childhood and adolescence of ≤7.5 and >7.5% were compared with respect to the occurrence of additional Wolfram syndrome symptoms. The wolframin (WFS1) gene was screened for mutations in 39 patients. WFS1 genotypes were examined for correlation with age at onset of diabetes. WSD was diagnosed earlier than type 1 diabetes (5.4±3.8 vs. 7.9±4.2 years; P7.5% (P=0.031). Thirteen novel WSF1 mutations were identified. Predicted functional consequence of WFS1 mutations correlated with age at WSD onset (P=0.028). Endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated decline of β-cells in WSD occurs earlier in life than autoimmune-mediated β-cell destruction in type 1 diabetes. This study establishes a role for WFS1 in determining the age at onset of diabetes in Wolfram syndrome and identifies glucose toxicity as an accelerating feature in the progression of disease.

Can the behaviour of threespine stickleback parasitized with Schistocephalus solidus be replicated by manipulating host physiology?

Science.gov (United States)

Grécias, Lucie; Hébert, François Olivier; Berger, Chloé Suzanne; Barber, Iain; Aubin-Horth, Nadia

2017-01-15

Sticklebacks infected by the parasitic flatworm Schistocephalus solidus show dramatic changes in phenotype, including a loss of species-typical behavioural responses to predators. The timing of host behaviour change coincides with the development of infectivity of the parasite to the final host (a piscivorous bird), making it an ideal model for studying the mechanisms of infection-induced behavioural modification. However, whether the loss of host anti-predator behaviour results from direct manipulation by the parasite, or is a by-product (e.g. host immune response) or side effect of infection (e.g. energetic loss), remains controversial. To understand the physiological mechanisms that generate these behavioural changes, we quantified the behavioural profiles of experimentally infected fish and attempted to replicate these in non-parasitized fish by exposing them to treatments including immunity activation and fasting, or by pharmacologically inhibiting the stress axis. All fish were screened for the following behaviours: activity, water depth preference, sociability, phototaxis, anti-predator response and latency to feed. We were able to change individual behaviours with certain treatments. Our results suggest that the impact of S. solidus on the stickleback might be of a multifactorial nature. The behaviour changes observed in infected fish might result from the combined effects of modifying the serotonergic axis, lack of energy and activation of the immune system. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Advanced phenotyping and phenotype data analysis for the plant growth and development study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Md. Matiur eRahaman

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Due to increase in the consumption of food, feed, fuel and to ensure global food security for rapidly growing human population, there is need to breed high yielding crops that can adapt to future climate. To solve these global issues, novel approaches are required to provide quantitative phenotypes to elucidate the genetic basis of agriculturally import traits and to screen germplasm with super performance in function under resource-limited environment. At present, plant phenomics has offered and integrated suite technologies for understanding the complete set of phenotypes of plants, towards the progression of the full characteristics of plants with whole sequenced genomes. In this aspect, high-throughput phenotyping platforms have been developed that enables to capture extensive and intensive phenotype data from non-destructive imaging over time. These developments advance our view on plant growth and performance with responses to the changing climate and environment. In this paper, we present a brief review on currently developed high-throughput plant phenotyping infrastructures based on imaging techniques and corresponding principles for phenotype data analysis.

Immediate Supervisors’ Leadership Behaviour and Employees’ Organizational Commitment: Do Pay and Promotion Mediate the Nexus?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emmanuel Yaw Ampofo

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This study examines the mediating effect of motivational factors of pay and promotion on transformational leadership and organizational commitment relationship in Unilever Ghana using a quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional and analytical survey design study. The results of the study revealed significant positive relationship between transformational leadership style and affective commitment, continuance commitment, and normative commitment. However, the results of the study revealed no significant mediation of pay in the relationship between transformational leadership style and affective commitment, continuance commitment, and normative commitment. Additionally, no significant mediation of promotion was found in the relationship between transformational leadership and affective commitment, transformational leadership and continuance commitment, and transformational leadership and normative commitment. Managers’ adoption of transformational leadership behavior as a key strategy to get employees committed to the organizations will be of great significance because motivational factors such as pay and promotion do not mediate the transformational leadership and organizational commitment relationship. This is a maiden empirical research in Ghana where motivational factors are used as mediators in transformational leadership and organizational commitment relationship.

Testing phenotypic trade-offs in the chemical defence strategy of Scots pine under growth-limiting field conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Villari, Caterina; Faccoli, Massimo; Battisti, Andrea; Bonello, Pierluigi; Marini, Lorenzo

2014-09-01

Plants protect themselves from pathogens and herbivores through fine-tuned resource allocation, including trade-offs among resource investments to support constitutive and inducible defences. However, empirical research, especially concerning conifers growing under natural conditions, is still scarce. We investigated the complexity of constitutive and induced defences in a natural Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stand under growth-limiting conditions typical of alpine environments. Phenotypic trade-offs at three hierarchical levels were tested by investigating the behaviour of phenolic compounds and terpenoids of outer bark and phloem. We tested resource-derived phenotypic correlations between (i) constitutive and inducible defences vs tree ring growth, (ii) different constitutive defence metabolites and (iii) constitutive concentration and inducible variation of individual metabolites. Tree ring growth was positively correlated only with constitutive concentration of total terpenoids, and no overall phenotypic trade-offs between different constitutive defensive metabolites were found. At the lowest hierarchical level tested, i.e., at the level of relationship between constitutive and inducible variation of individual metabolites, we found that different compounds displayed different behaviours; we identified five different defensive metabolite response types, based on direction and strength of the response, regardless of tree age and growth rate. Therefore, under growth-limiting field conditions, Scots pine appears to utilize varied and complex outer bark and phloem defence chemistry, in which only part of the constitutive specialized metabolism is influenced by tree growth, and individual components do not appear to be expressed in a mutually exclusive manner in either constitutive or inducible metabolism. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Versican V1 Overexpression Induces a Myofibroblast-Like Phenotype in Cultured Fibroblasts.

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Jon M Carthy

Full Text Available Versican, a chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan, is one of the key components of the provisional extracellular matrix expressed after injury. The current study evaluated the hypothesis that a versican-rich matrix alters the phenotype of cultured fibroblasts.The full-length cDNA for the V1 isoform of human versican was cloned and the recombinant proteoglycan was expressed in murine fibroblasts. Versican expression induced a marked change in fibroblast phenotype. Functionally, the versican-expressing fibroblasts proliferated faster and displayed enhanced cell adhesion, but migrated slower than control cells. These changes in cell function were associated with greater N-cadherin and integrin β1 expression, along with increased FAK phosphorylation. The versican-expressing fibroblasts also displayed expression of smooth muscle α-actin, a marker of myofibroblast differentiation. Consistent with this observation, the versican fibroblasts displayed increased synthetic activity, as measured by collagen III mRNA expression, as well as a greater capacity to contract a collagen lattice. These changes appear to be mediated, at least in part, by an increase in active TGF-β signaling in the versican expressing fibroblasts, and this was measured by phosphorylation and nuclear accumulation of SMAD2.Collectively, these data indicate versican expression induces a myofibroblast-like phenotype in cultured fibroblasts.

Introduction of a normal human chromosome 8 corrects abnormal phenotypes of Werner syndrome cells immortalized by expressing an hTERT gene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ariyoshi, Kentaro; Kodama, Seiji; Suzuki, Keiji; Goto, Makoto; Oshimura, Mitsuo; Ishizaki, Kanji; Watanabe, Masami

2009-01-01

Werner syndrome (WS) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by premature aging and caused by mutations of the WRN gene mapped at 8p12. To examine functional complementation of WS phenotypes, we introduced a normal human chromosome 8 into a strain of WS fibroblasts (WS3RGB) immortalized by expressing a human telomerase reverse transcriptase subunit (hTERT) gene. Here, we demonstrate that the abnormal WS phenotypes including cellular sensitivities to 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO) and hydroxy urea (HU), and chromosomal radiosensitivity at G 2 phase are corrected by expression of the WRN gene mediated by introducing a chromosome 8. This indicates that those multiple abnormal WS phenotypes are derived from a primary, but not secondary, defect in the WRN gene. (author)

Pathways to Self-Esteem in Late Adolescence: The Role of Parent and Peer Attachment, Empathy, and Social Behaviours

Science.gov (United States)

Laible, Deborah J.; Carlo, Gustavo; Roesch, Scott C.

2004-01-01

The goal of this study was to examine both the direct and indirect relations of parent and peer attachment with self-esteem and to examine the potential mediating roles of empathy and social behaviour. 246 college students ("Mage" = 18.6 years, s.d. = 1.61) completed self-report measures of parent and peer attachment, empathy, social behaviour,…

The role of marital quality and spousal support in behaviour problems of children with and without intellectual disability.

Science.gov (United States)

Wieland, Natalie; Baker, B L

2010-07-01

Children with intellectual disability (ID) have been found to be at an increased risk for developing behavioural problems. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the marital domain, including marital quality and spousal support, and behaviour problems in children with and without ID. The relationship between the marital domain and child behaviour problems was examined in 132 families of 6-year-olds with and without ID. Using hierarchical regression, these relationships were also studied over time from child ages 6-8 years. Child behaviour problems were assessed with mother-reported Child Behavior Checklist. The marital domain was measured using the Dyadic Adjustment Scale-7 and the Spousal Support and Agreement Scale. Mother-reported parenting stress and observed parenting practices were tested as potential mediators of the relationship between the marital domain and child behaviour problems. Mean levels of the marital domain were not significantly different between typically developing (TD) and ID groups, but there were significantly greater levels of variance in reported marital quality in the ID group at ages 6, 7 and 8. The marital domain score at child age 6 years predicted child behaviour problems at age 8 for the TD group only. This predictive relationship appeared to be a unidirectional effect, as child behaviour problems at age 6 were not found to predict levels of the marital domain at age 8. Parenting stress partially mediated this relationship for the TD group. The marital domain may have a greater impact on behavioural outcomes for TD children. Implications for future research and interventions are discussed.

Fatigue proofing: The role of protective behaviours in mediating fatigue-related risk in a defence aviation environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Dawson, Drew; Cleggett, Courtney; Thompson, Kirrilly; Thomas, Matthew J W

2017-02-01

In the military or emergency services, operational requirements and/or community expectations often preclude formal prescriptive working time arrangements as a practical means of reducing fatigue-related risk. In these environments, workers sometimes employ adaptive or protective behaviours informally to reduce the risk (i.e. likelihood or consequence) associated with a fatigue-related error. These informal behaviours enable employees to reduce risk while continuing to work while fatigued. In this study, we documented the use of informal protective behaviours in a group of defence aviation personnel including flight crews. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to determine whether and which protective behaviours were used to mitigate fatigue-related error. The 18 participants were from aviation-specific trades and included aircrew (pilots and air-crewman) and aviation maintenance personnel (aeronautical engineers and maintenance personnel). Participants identified 147 ways in which they and/or others act to reduce the likelihood or consequence of a fatigue-related error. These formed seven categories of fatigue-reduction strategies. The two most novel categories are discussed in this paper: task-related and behaviour-based strategies. Broadly speaking, these results indicate that fatigued military flight and maintenance crews use protective 'fatigue-proofing' behaviours to reduce the likelihood and/or consequence of fatigue-related error and were aware of the potential benefits. It is also important to note that these behaviours are not typically part of the formal safety management system. Rather, they have evolved spontaneously as part of the culture around protecting team performance under adverse operating conditions. When compared with previous similar studies, aviation personnel were more readily able to understand the idea of fatigue proofing than those from a fire-fighting background. These differences were thought to reflect different cultural

Deep Phenotyping: Deep Learning For Temporal Phenotype/Genotype Classification

OpenAIRE

Najafi, Mohammad; Namin, Sarah; Esmaeilzadeh, Mohammad; Brown, Tim; Borevitz, Justin

2017-01-01

High resolution and high throughput, genotype to phenotype studies in plants are underway to accelerate breeding of climate ready crops. Complex developmental phenotypes are observed by imaging a variety of accessions in different environment conditions, however extracting the genetically heritable traits is challenging. In the recent years, deep learning techniques and in particular Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) and Long-Short Term Memories (LSTMs), h...

Sex Differences Influencing Micro- and Macrovascular Endothelial Phenotype In Vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Huxley, Virginia H; Kemp, Scott S; Schramm, Christine; Sieveking, Steve; Bingaman, Susan; Yu, Yang; Zaniletti, Isabella; Stockard, Kevin; Wang, Jianjie

2018-06-09

Endothelial dysfunction is an early hallmark of multiple disease states that also display sex differences with respect to age of onset, frequency, and severity. Results of in vivo studies of basal and stimulated microvascular barrier function revealed sex differences difficult to ascribe to specific cells or environmental factors. The present study evaluated endothelial cells (EC) isolated from macro- and/or microvessels of reproductively mature rats under the controlled conditions of low-passage culture to test the assumption that EC phenotype would be sex-independent. The primary finding was that EC, regardless of where they are derived, retain a sex-bias in low-passage culture, independent of varying levels of reproductive hormones. Implications of the work include the fallacy of expecting a universal set of mechanisms derived from study of EC from one sex and/or one vascular origin to apply uniformly to all EC under unstimulated conditions no less in the disease state. Vascular endothelial cells (EC) are heterogeneous with respect to phenotype reflecting at least organ of origin, location within the vascular network, and physical forces. Sex, as an independent influence on EC functions in health or etiology, susceptibility, and progression of dysfunction in numerous disease states, has been largely ignored. The current study focussed on EC isolated from aorta (macrovascular) and skeletal muscle vessels (microvascular) of age-matched male and female rats under identical conditions of short term (passage 4) culture. We tested the hypothesis that genomic sex would not influence endothelial growth, wound healing, morphology, lactate production, or messenger RNA and protein expression of key proteins (sex hormone receptors for androgen (AR) and oestrogen (ERα and ERβ); PECAM-1 and VE-CAD mediating barrier function; α v β 3 and N-Cadherin influencing matrix interactions; ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 mediating EC/white cell adhesion). The hypothesis was rejected as EC origin

Cognitive-behavioural theories and adherence: Application and relevance in antiretroviral therapy.

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Adefolalu, Adegoke O

2018-01-01

Adherence in chronic disease conditions is described as the extent to which a person's behaviour corresponds to the prescribed medical advice of the healthcare provider. This is not limited to medication intake only but also includes acts such as following instructions regarding dietary or fluid restrictions and taking medicines at the prescribed times and intervals. Although adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a predictor of good clinical outcome among HIV-infected persons on ART, it is a major challenge and strict adherence is not very common. This article aims to examine the application and relevance of some cognitive-behavioural theories in antiretroviral therapy adherence. After doing a thorough literature review, contemporary theories of health behaviour at the individual and interpersonal levels referred to as cognitive-behavioural theories were explored. This review highlights some aspects of the cognitive perspective of health behaviour theories as a good theoretical framework that could be used for organising thoughts about adherence and other health behaviours among patients on lifelong treatment such as ART. Key concepts of these theories stipulate that behaviour is mediated by cognition i.e. knowledge and attitude affect the person's action. In addition, cognitive-behavioural theories recognise knowledge alone as being insufficient to produce behavioural change; a person's perception, motivation, skills and social environment are all influential in the process of behavioural change. Prediction of medication adherence is complex, and health-related knowledge and beliefs alone are insufficient to achieve behaviour change, especially in chronic conditions such as HIV/AIDS. However, people can control or influence the events affecting their lives by integrating cognitive, social, and behavioural sub-skills related to beliefs of personal efficacy in performing these skills.

Parental effects alter the adaptive value of an adult behavioural trait.

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Kilner, Rebecca M; Boncoraglio, Giuseppe; Henshaw, Jonathan M; Jarrett, Benjamin J M; De Gasperin, Ornela; Attisano, Alfredo; Kokko, Hanna

2015-09-22

The parents' phenotype, or the environment they create for their young, can have long-lasting effects on their offspring, with profound evolutionary consequences. Yet, virtually no work has considered how such parental effects might change the adaptive value of behavioural traits expressed by offspring upon reaching adulthood. To address this problem, we combined experiments on burying beetles (Nicrophorus vespilloides) with theoretical modelling and focussed on one adult behavioural trait in particular: the supply of parental care. We manipulated the early-life environment and measured the fitness payoffs associated with the supply of parental care when larvae reached maturity. We found that (1) adults that received low levels of care as larvae were less successful at raising larger broods and suffered greater mortality as a result: they were low-quality parents. Furthermore, (2) high-quality males that raised offspring with low-quality females subsequently suffered greater mortality than brothers of equivalent quality, which reared larvae with higher quality females. Our analyses identify three general ways in which parental effects can change the adaptive value of an adult behavioural trait: by influencing the associated fitness benefits and costs; by consequently changing the evolutionary outcome of social interactions; and by modifying the evolutionarily stable expression of behavioural traits that are themselves parental effects.

The Human Phenotype Ontology in 2017

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Köhler, Sebastian; Vasilevsky, Nicole A.; Engelstad, Mark; Foster, Erin; McMurry, Julie

2016-01-01

Deep phenotyping has been defined as the precise and comprehensive analysis of phenotypic abnormalities in which the individual components of the phenotype are observed and described. The three components of the Human PhenotypeOntology (HPO; www.human-phenotype-ontology.org) project are the phenotype vocabulary, disease-phenotype annotations and the algorithms that operate on these. These components are being used for computational deep phenotyping and precision medicine as well as integration of clinical data into translational research. The HPO is being increasingly adopted as a standard for phenotypic abnormalities by diverse groups such as international rare disease organizations, registries, clinical labs, biomedical resources, and clinical software tools and will thereby contribute toward nascent efforts at global data exchange for identifying disease etiologies. This update article reviews the progress of the HPO project since the debut Nucleic Acids Research database article in 2014, including specific areas of expansion such as common (complex) disease, new algorithms for phenotype driven genomic discovery and diagnostics, integration of cross-species mapping efforts with the Mammalian Phenotype Ontology, an improved quality control pipeline, and the addition of patient-friendly terminology.

Phenotypic selection on flowering phenology and pollination efficiency traits between Primula populations with different pollinator assemblages

OpenAIRE

Wu, Yun; Li, Qing‐Jun

2017-01-01

Abstract Floral traits have largely been attributed to phenotypic selection in plant–pollinator interactions. However, the strength of this link has rarely been ascertained with real pollinators. We conducted pollinator observations and estimated selection through female fitness on flowering phenology and floral traits between two Primula secundiflora populations. We quantified pollinator‐mediated selection by subtracting estimates of selection gradients of plants receiving supplemental hand ...

Arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase and the inorganic arsenic methylation phenotype

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Jiaxin; Waters, Stephen B.; Drobna, Zuzana; Devesa, Vicenta; Styblo, Miroslav; Thomas, David J.

2005-01-01

Inorganic arsenic is enzymatically methylated; hence, its ingestion results in exposure to the parent compound and various methylated arsenicals. Both experimental and epidemiological evidences suggest that some of the adverse health effects associated with chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic may be mediated by these methylated metabolites. If i As methylation is an activation process, then the phenotype for inorganic arsenic methylation may determine risk associated with exposure to this metalloid. We examined inorganic arsenic methylation phenotypes and arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase genotypes in four species: three that methylate inorganic arsenic (human (Homo sapiens), rat (Rattus norwegicus), and mouse (Mus musculus)) and one that does not methylate inorganic arsenic (chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes). The predicted protein products from arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase are similar in size for rat (369 amino acid residues), mouse (376 residues), and human (375 residues). By comparison, a 275-nucleotide deletion beginning at nucleotide 612 in the chimpanzee gene sequence causes a frameshift that leads to a nonsense mutation for a premature stop codon after amino acid 205. The null phenotype for inorganic arsenic methylation in the chimpanzee is likely due to the deletion in the gene for arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase that yields an inactive truncated protein. This lineage-specific loss of function caused by the deletion event must have occurred in the Pan lineage after Homo-Pan divergence about 5 million years ago

Increasing Responsive Parent-Child Interactions and Joint Engagement: Comparing the Influence of Parent-Mediated Intervention and Parent Psychoeducation

Science.gov (United States)

Shire, Stephanie Y.; Gulsrud, Amanda; Kasari, Connie

2016-01-01

Enhancing immediate and contingent responding by caregivers to children's signals is an important strategy to support social interactions between caregivers and their children with autism. Yet, there has been limited examination of parents' responsive behaviour in association with children's social behaviour post caregiver-mediated intervention.…

Parent insights into atypicalities of social approach behaviour in Williams syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Lough, E; Rodgers, J; Janes, E; Little, K; Riby, D M

2016-11-01

Individuals with Williams syndrome have been reported to show high levels of social interest and a desire to interact with others irrespective of their familiarity. This high social motivation, when combined with reduced intellectual capacity and a profile of atypical social behaviour, is important in terms of social vulnerability of individuals with the disorder. Therefore, social approach to unfamiliar people and the role of this behaviour within the Williams syndrome (WS) social phenotype warrant further research to inform social skills' intervention design. The current study used parent interviews (n = 21) to probe aspects of social behaviour and interactions with strangers, as well as the impact of such behaviour on the family. Using thematic analysis, it was possible to explore themes that emerged from the interviews, offering qualitatively rich insight into the variability of social approach behaviour in WS. Thematic analysis confirmed a significant desire to interact with strangers as well as a lack of awareness of appropriate social boundaries. However, parental reports about their child's social approach behaviour varied considerably. The within-syndrome variability of the sample was emphasised in parental reports of their child's personality characteristics (e.g. levels of impulsiveness), as well as the level of parental supervision employed. These in-depth parent insights can help target the needs of individuals with WS and emphasise that an individual approach to intervention will be essential because of the heterogeneity of the WS social profile. © 2016 MENCAP and International Association of the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Thermal behaviour of Anopheles stephensi in response to infection with malaria and fungal entomopathogens

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