Detection and analysis of autophagy in the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis).

In response to environmental temperature depression in the fall and winter, American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) brumate. Brumation is characterized by lethargy, fasting, decreased metabolism, and decreased body temperature. During brumation, alligators will periodically emerge for basking or other encounters when environmental conditions permit.

Plasma antibacterial activities in ornate (Terrapene ornata) and eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina).

Chelonians are one of the most imperiled vertebrate taxa and many species are increasingly threatened by disease, however, the immune response in this group is understudied. We quantified the innate immune response of eastern (Terrapene carolina; EBT) and ornate (Terrapene ornate; OBT) box turtles using plasma antibacterial activity assays. Plasma from both species abolished or significantly reduced the growth of all eight bacterial species evaluated, including Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Citrobacter freundi, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Staphylococcus aureus.

Morphological and genetic analysis of Milnesium cf. granulatum (Tardigrada: Milnesiidae) from Northeastern North America‡.

Specimens of a limnoterrestrial tardigrade collected from moss in New Hampshire, USA and Newfoundland, Canada were identified as belonging to the genus Milnesium. Morphometric data and genetic analysis of the COI gene demonstrated that animals collected from these sites represent the same species. Specimens most closely resemble Milnesium granulatum, a South American species that has been reported also from Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), USA.

Implications of Antipsychotic Use: Antipsychotic-Induced Movement Disorders, with a Focus on Tardive Dyskinesia.

Antipsychotics can be life changing, but like all medications, they can also have unwanted effects, including drug-induced movement disorders such as tardive dyskinesia (TD). More patients are receiving antipsychotic treatment from non-psychiatry health care providers, including primary care and general practitioners. Despite misconceptions to the contrary, recent analyses suggest that the risk of drug-induced movement disorders such as TD has not been eliminated.

Different mechanisms of serum complement activation in the plasma of common (Chelydra serpentina) and alligator (Macrochelys temminckii) snapping turtles.

Reptiles are declining worldwide yet our understanding of their immune function lags far behind other taxa. The innate immune system is the primary mode of defense in reptiles, and the serum complement cascade is its major component. We assessed serum complement activity of plasma in two closely related aquatic turtle species, the common snapping turtle (CST; Chelydra serpentina) and alligator snapping turtle (AST; Macrochelys temminckii).

Factors underlying cross-cultural differences in stigma toward autism among college students in Lebanon and the United States.

Although stigma negatively impacts autistic people globally, the degree of stigma varies across cultures. Prior research suggests that stigma may be higher in cultures with more collectivistic orientations. This study aimed to identify cultural values and other individual differences that contribute to cross-cultural differences in autism stigma (assessed with a social distance scale) between college students in Lebanon ( = 556) and those in the United States ( = 520).

Evolutionary Regression and Species-Specific Codon Usage of TLR15.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) form an ancient family of innate immune receptors that detect microbial structures and activate the host immune response. Most subfamilies of TLRs (including TLR3, TLR5, and TLR7) are highly conserved among vertebrate species. In contrast, TLR15, a member of the TLR1 subfamily, appears to be unique to birds and reptiles.

Impostorism: An evolutionary concept analysis.

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the concept of impostorism as applied to nursing and other disciplines.

Background: Impostorism has not been well defined or studied in nursing. Researchers have not studied connections between role transition stress of new graduates and impostorism, despite evidence that nursing students experience impostorism during undergraduate studies.

Antibacterial activities of plasma from the common (Chelydra serpentina) and alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii).

Innate immunity provides a fast-acting and nonspecific defense against microbial infection, and appears to have particular importance in the immune response of ectothermic vertebrates. Chelonians are a globally distributed and diverse group, yet little is known about their basic immune function. The chelonian family Chelydridae is made up of two genera (Chelydra and Macrochelys), represented in our study by the widespread common snapping turtle ( Chelydra serpentina; CST) and the southeast USA endemic alligator snapping turtle ( Macrochelys temminckii; AST).

Crocodiles Alter Skin Color in Response to Environmental Color Conditions.

Many species alter skin color to varying degrees and by different mechanisms. Here, we show that some crocodylians modify skin coloration in response to changing light and environmental conditions. Within the Family, Crocodylidae, all members of the genus Crocodylus lightened substantially when transitioned from dark enclosure to white enclosures, whereas Mecistops and Osteolaemus showed little/no change.

Antibacterial properties of plasma from the prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis).

The innate immune system functions to quickly respond to pathogens and is likely the primary line of defense for ectothermic vertebrates. Snake populations appear to be in widespread decline globally, but despite the threats from emerging pathogens, very little work has been conducted to characterize their basic immune function. We used a wide-ranging snake species, the Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis), to measure effects of snake plasma on the growth of eight bacterial species.

Sperm quality biomarkers complement reproductive and endocrine parameters in investigating environmental contaminants in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) from the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

Lake Mead National Recreational Area (LMNRA) serves as critical habitat for several federally listed species and supplies water for municipal, domestic, and agricultural use in the Southwestern U.S. Contaminant sources and concentrations vary among the sub-basins within LMNRA.

Crocodylian nuclear factor kappa B.

We deduced the amino acid (aa) sequence of the nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) protein from genomic data for the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), the estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), and the Indian gharial (Gavialis gangeticus). A 105kDa protein, NFκB1 exhibits complex post-translational processing, multiple mechanisms of activation, and acts as precursor for a p50, a Rel homology transcription factor which influences the expression of key genes for developmental processes, apoptosis, and immune function. The aa sequences of the crocodylian proteins share very high identity with each other (97.

Analysis of Patient Outcomes Using the MyoKinesthetic System for the Treatment of Low Back Pain: A Case Series.

Objective: The purpose of this case series was to test the feasibility of using the MyoKinesthetic (MYK) System as a treatment-based classification system and intervention for a sample of patients with low back pain.

Methods: This within-subject intervention was completed in a university athletic training clinic. Nine participants (mean age: 31 years) with a primary complaint of LBP were evaluated and included.

Detection of a synthetic sex steroid in the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus): Evidence for a novel environmental androgen.

Endocrine-disrupting contaminants (EDC's) are well known to alter sexual differentiation among vertebrates via estrogenic effects during development, particularly in organisms characterized by temperature-dependent sex determination. However, substances producing androgenic effects typically lack potency when tested in laboratory settings and are virtually unstudied in field settings. Here, we assay levels of a synthetic androgen, 17α-methyltestosterone (MT), in a heavily male-biased population of American crocodiles in the Tempisque River Basin of Costa Rica based on the recent hypothesis that this chemical is an EDC in developing crocodilian embryos.

Unit Nonresponse in a Population-Based Study of Prostate Cancer.

Low unit response rates can increase bias and compromise study validity. Response rates have continued to fall over the past decade despite all efforts to increase participation. Many factors have been linked to reduced response, yet relatively few studies have employed multivariate approaches to identify characteristics that differentiate respondents from nonrespondents since it is hard to collect information on the latter.

An Evaluation of Two Stimulus Equivalence Training Sequences on the Emergence of Novel Intraverbals.

Researchers have begun to investigate the emergence of novel intraverbals using equivalence-based instruction (EBI) in typically developing children (Carp & Petursdottir, 2012; Pérez-González, Herszlikowicz, & Williams, 2008). We sought to replicate and extend the previous research by investigating two stimulus equivalence training sequences (e.g.

Photoelectron spectroscopic study of carbon aluminum hydride cluster anions.

Numerous previously unknown carbon aluminum hydride cluster anions were generated in the gas phase, identified by time-of-flight mass spectrometry and characterized by anion photoelectron spectroscopy, revealing their electronic structure. Density functional theory calculations on the CAlH and CAlH found that several of them possess unusually high carbon atom coordination numbers. These cluster compositions have potential as the basis for new energetic materials.

Prevalence of Klebsiella oxytoca in Anolis carolensis of Louisiana.

Klebsiella oxytoca is a gram-negative bacterium that can be found throughout the environment as well as on mucosal membranes of mammals including humans. This bacterium is responsible for a variety of infections in humans including nosocomial infections resulting in hospital outbreaks. Reptiles including snakes, tuataras, and turtles have been shown to harbor this bacterium, and previous studies have shown that pet reptiles are a potential source for dissemination of pathogenic bacteria.

Emergence of Intraverbal Responding Following Tact Instruction with Compound Stimuli.

Effective intraverbal responding often requires control by multiple elements of a verbal stimulus. The purpose of this study was to examine the emergence of such intraverbal relations following tact instruction with compound stimuli and to analyze any resulting error patterns. Participants were seven typically developing children between 3 and 5 years of age.

A novel algorithm for network-based prediction of cancer recurrence.

To develop accurate prognostic models is one of the biggest challenges in "omics"-based cancer research. Here, we propose a novel computational method for identifying dysregulated gene subnetworks as biomarkers to predict cancer recurrence. Applying our method to the DNA methylome of endometrial cancer patients, we identified a subnetwork consisting of differentially methylated (DM) genes, and non-differentially methylated genes, termed Epigenetic Connectors (EC), that are topologically important for connecting the DM genes in a protein-protein interaction network.

Methyltestosterone alters sex determination in the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis).

Effects of xenobiotics can be organizational, permanently affecting anatomy during embryonic development, and/or activational, influencing transitory actions during adulthood. The organizational influence of endocrine-disrupting contaminants (EDC's) produces a wide variety of reproductive abnormalities among vertebrates that exhibit temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD). Typically, such influences result in subsequent activational malfunction, some of which are beneficial in aquaculture.

Re-description of Echiniscus cavagnaroi Schuster & Grigarick, 1966 (Tardigrada: Heterotardigrada: Echiniscoidea: Echiniscidae) from type material, with new records from Hawaii and Bermuda.

The description of Echiniscus cavagnaroi Schuster & Grigarick, 1966 (Tardigrada: Heterotardigrada: Echiniscoidea: Echiniscidae) is emended with new morphometric measurements of the holotype and eleven paratypes. The length of Cirrus A in the holotype (25.2 μm) was only half the 50 μm reported in the original description.

Prevalence and Distribution of Campylobacter jejuni in Small-Scale Broiler Operations.

Campylobacter jejuni has been recognized as one of the most prevalent causes of foodborne bacterial illnesses in humans. Previous studies have focused on the transmission routes of C. jejuni from commercial flock farms to the final retail product.

Immunotoxicity of commercial-mixed glyphosate in broad snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris).

The expansion and intensification of agriculture during the past 50 years is unprecedented, and thus environmental problems have been triggered at different scales. These transformations have caused the loss of habitat and biodiversity, and disruption of the structure and functioning of ecosystems. As a result of the expansion of the agricultural frontier in the recent past, many areas of the natural geographic distribution of the local wildlife, among them crocodilians and particularly the broad snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris), are being exposed to contaminants.