Genomewide Linkage Scan of 409 European-ancestry and African American Families with Schizophrenia: Suggestive Evidence of Linkage at 8p23.3-p21.2 and 11p13.1-q14.1 in the Combined Sample

We report the clinical characteristics of a schizophrenia sample of 409 pedigrees-263 of European ancestry ( EA) and 146 of African American ancestry ( AA)-together with the results of a genome scan ( with a simple tandem repeat polymorphism interval of 9 cM) and follow-up fine mapping. A family was required to have a proband with schizophrenia ( SZ) and one or more siblings of the proband with SZ or schizoaffective disorder. Linkage analyses included 403 independent full-sibling affected sibling pairs ( ASPs) ( 279 EA and 124 AA) and 100 all-possible half-sibling ASPs ( 15 EA and 85 AA). Nonparametric multipoint linkage analysis of all families detected two regions with suggestive evidence of linkage at 8p23.3-q12 and 11p11.2-q22.3 ( empirical Z likelihood-ratio score [ Z(lr)] threshold >= 2.65) and, in exploratory analyses, two other regions at 4p16.1-p15.32 in AA families and at 5p14.3-q11.2 in EA families. The most significant linkage peak was in chromosome 8p; its signal was mainly driven by the EA families. Z(lr) scores >= 2.0 in 8p were observed from 30.7 cM to 61.7 cM ( Center for Inherited Disease Research map locations). The maximum evidence in the full sample was a multipoint Z(lr) of 3.25 ( equivalent Kong-Cox LOD of 2.30) near D8S1771 ( at 52 cM); there appeared to be two peaks, both telomeric to neuregulin 1 ( NRG1). There is a paracentric inversion common in EA individuals within this region, the effect of which on the linkage evidence remains unknown in this and in other previously analyzed samples. Fine mapping of 8p did not significantly alter the significance or length of the peak. We also performed fine mapping of 4p16.3-p15.2, 5p15.2-q13.3, 10p15.3-p14, 10q25.3-q26.3, and 11p13-q23.3. The highest increase in Z(lr) scores was observed for 5p14.1-q12.1, where the maximum Z(lr) increased from 2.77 initially to 3.80 after fine mapping in the EA families.

Treating the speech disorder in Parkinson's Disease Online

The Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) has been shown to be highly effective in treating the speech disorder in Parkinson's Disease (PD). However, patient access to this treatment remains limited in Australia, due to availability of speech pathologists, patient mobility and distance issues. We have investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of an Internet-based telerehabilitation application (eREHAB) for the delivery of the LSVT to persons with PD and disordered speech. Ten participants with PD and dysarthria were treated online with the LSVT for a total of 16 sessions. There were significant improvements in sound pressure levels for vowel prolongation, reading and conversational monologue (P < 0.01), pitch range (P < 0.05) and in perceptual features of pitch and loudness variability, loudness level (P < 0.01) and breathiness (P < 0.05). A participant satisfaction questionnaire indicated that 70% of participants expressed overall satisfaction with the online treatment. Telerehabilitation was feasible and effective in delivering the LSVT to people with PD.

'I like this interview; I get cakes and cats!':the effect of prior relationships on interview talk

Research interviews are a form of interaction jointly constructed by the interviewer and interviewee, what Silverman (2001: 104) calls 'interview-as-local-accomplishment'. From this perspective, interviews are an interpretative practice in which what is said is inextricably tied to where it is said, how it is said and, importantly, to whom it is said (Holstein and Gubrium, 2004). The relationship between interviewer and interviewee, then, is fundamental in research interviews. But what happens when the relationship between interviewer and interviewee is not only that of researcher-informant but also involves other roles such as colleague and friend? In this article we will show how prior relationships are invoked and made relevant by both parties during educational research interviews and how these prior relationships therefore contribute to the 'generation' (Baker, 2004: 163) of interview data. © 2010 The Author(s).

Child parent dyadic treatment for anxiety disorders in youths

There is evidence for the efficacy of treatments for childhood anxiety disorders; however, less is known about whether including parents in the child's treatment enhances child treatment response. There also are few studies that have examined predictors of treatment completion/non-completion and success/failure. In this dissertation, a child focused individual treatment was compared to a dyadic child-parent treatment. In dyadic, parent anxiety symptoms and child-parent relationships were targeted. Based on the Transfer of Control Model proposed by Silverman and Kurtines (1996a, b, 2005), it was hypothesized that treatment changes in parent anxiety symptoms and child-parent relationships would be related to positive child treatment response. ^ Participants were 119 youths (ages 6 to 16 years, M = 9.93 SD = 2.75; 68 girls) and their parents. All youth were born in the U.S. but had various backgrounds; 40 were European American, 73 were Latinos/as, 6 were of other ethnic backgrounds or did not report their ethnicity. Participants signed informed consent (assent for youths) and completed a pretreatment assessment. Participants were randomized to a child individual treatment or dyadic treatment, were assessed immediately after treatment and one year post treatment. Findings showed that treated youths improved across all measures over time. Comparison of treatment conditions across all measures showed no statistically significant differences between the child individual and dyadic treatment. Reductions in parent anxiety symptoms and improvements in child-parent relationships were significantly related to child treatment change at posttreatment and at one year follow-up across treatments. No factors differentiated completers from non-completers and only parent reported child internalizing behavior problems were significantly negatively related to child treatment response. ^ The study findings support a premise of the Transfer of Control Model that changes in parent anxiety symptoms and child-parent relationships are related to child treatment response. The study findings show that children can be successfully treated when parents are included as co-clients in dyadic treatment, thereby supporting the utility of this approach in practice. ^

Evaluation of the internal structural validity of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition) anxiety disorders in children and adolescents

The purpose of the present dissertation was to evaluate the internal validity of symptoms of four common anxiety disorders included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fourth edition (text revision) (DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association, 2000), namely, separation anxiety disorder (SAD), social phobia (SOP), specific phobia (SP), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), in a sample of 625 youth (ages 6 to 17 years) referred to an anxiety disorders clinic and 479 parents. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were conducted on the dichotomous items of the SAD, SOP, SP, and GAD sections of the youth and parent versions of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV (ADIS-IV: C/P; Silverman & Albano, 1996) to test and compare a number of factor models including a factor model based on the DSM. Contrary to predictions, findings from CFAs showed that a correlated model with five factors of SAD, SOP, SP, GAD worry, and GAD somatic distress, provided the best fit of the youth data as well as the parent data. Multiple group CFAs supported the metric invariance of the correlated five factor model across boys and girls. Thus, the present study’s finding supports the internal validity of DSM-IV SAD, SOP, and SP, but raises doubt regarding the internal validity of GAD.^

Anxious children who received treatment grow -up: An 8-to-13 year follow-up study

This dissertation examined the long-term efficacy (8-to-13 years, M = 9.54, SD = 1.689) of exposure-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for phobic and anxiety disorders in youths. Long-term efficacy was examined in terms of diagnostic recovery, symptom reductions, and clinically significant change. This dissertation also examined predictors of long-term efficacy (e.g., age, gender, and other clinical characteristics) as well as the relative long-term efficacy of CBT for Hispanic/Latino and European American youth. ^ Participants consisted of 67 youth (age range 15–26 years; M = 19.43, SD = 3.02 years at time of follow-up assessment), (47.8% females, 37.3% Hispanic/Latino) who had participated in one of two clinical trials (Silverman et al., 1999a, b). After providing informed consent to participate in the long term follow-up, youths completed a diagnostic interview and a battery of questionnaires. Results indicated that treatment gains were maintained about 9.5 years after treatment was completed. Maintenance of treatment gains was evident in terms of diagnostic recovery, symptom reductions, and clinically significant change. Long-term treatment gains extended to both ethnic groups and the two ethnic groups were functionally equivalent along most indices examined. Analyses of predictors of long-term outcome showed that parent self-reported pre-treatment depression, youth-reported pre-treatment depression, and youths retrospective reports of negative life events were significantly associated with less favorable long-term gains in terms of total symptoms of anxiety at long-term follow-up. In terms of long-term sequelae, youths with less successful post-treatment outcomes reported seeking-out additional treatment as well as using/abused substances and substance dependence significantly more than youths with successful post-treatment outcomes. Results are discussed in terms of the contribution of the present study to knowledge base about the long-term efficacy of exposure-based CBT procedures for phobic and anxiety disorders in youth. Findings also are discussed in terms of the need to modify CBT procedures to target youths with less successful post-treatment outcomes. Limitations and future directions are presented. ^

The Spiritual Resistance of Edith Stein and Regina Jonas

Emily Leah Silverman of San Jose State University gives a lecture on the spiritual resistance and religious vision of Edith Stein and Regina Jonas, two German Jewish women who engaged in "deviant" religious desires while working for their communities during the Holocaust. Event held on November 14, 2014 at the Jewish Museum of Florida-Florida International University.

Data compilation on the biological response to ocean acidification: environmental and experimental context of data sets and related literature

The exponential growth of studies on the biological response to ocean acidification over the last few decades has generated a large amount of data. To facilitate data comparison, a data compilation hosted at the data publisher PANGAEA was initiated in 2008 and is updated on a regular basis (doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.149999). By January 2015, a total of 581 data sets (over 4 000 000 data points) from 539 papers had been archived. Here we present the developments of this data compilation five years since its first description by Nisumaa et al. (2010). Most of study sites from which data archived are still in the Northern Hemisphere and the number of archived data from studies from the Southern Hemisphere and polar oceans are still relatively low. Data from 60 studies that investigated the response of a mix of organisms or natural communities were all added after 2010, indicating a welcomed shift from the study of individual organisms to communities and ecosystems. The initial imbalance of considerably more data archived on calcification and primary production than on other processes has improved. There is also a clear tendency towards more data archived from multifactorial studies after 2010. For easier and more effective access to ocean acidification data, the ocean acidification community is strongly encouraged to contribute to the data archiving effort, and help develop standard vocabularies describing the variables and define best practices for archiving ocean acidification data.

Seawater carbonate chemistry and biological processes during experiments with four species of marine diatoms

The effect of pCO2 on carbon acquisition and intracellular assimilation was investigated in the three bloom-forming diatom species, Eucampia zodiacus (Ehrenberg), Skeletonema costatum (Greville) Cleve, Thalassionema nitzschioides (Grunow) Mereschkowsky and the non-bloom-forming Thalassiosira pseudonana (Hust.) Hasle and Heimdal. In vivo activities of carbonic anhydrase (CA), photosynthetic O2 evolution, CO2 and HCO3? uptake rates were measured by membrane-inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) in cells acclimated to pCO2 levels of 370 and 800 ?atm. To investigate whether the cells operate a C4-like pathway, activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RubisCO) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) were measured at the mentioned pCO2 levels and a lower pCO2 level of 50 ?atm. In the bloom-forming species, extracellular CA activities strongly increased with decreasing CO2 supply while constantly low activities were obtained for T. pseudonana. Half-saturation concentrations (K1/2) for photosynthetic O2 evolution decreased with decreasing CO2 supply in the two bloom-forming species S. costatum and T. nitzschioides, but not in T. pseudonana and E. zodiacus. With the exception of S. costatum, maximum rates (Vmax) of photosynthesis remained constant in all investigated diatom species. Independent of the pCO2 level, PEPC activities were significantly lower than those for RubisCO, averaging generally less than 3%. All examined diatom species operate highly efficient CCMs under ambient and high pCO2, but differ strongly in the degree of regulation of individual components of the CCM such as Ci uptake kinetics and extracellular CA activities. The present data do not suggest C4 metabolism in the investigated species.

Seawater carbonate chemistry and growth, carbon acquisition, and species interaction of Antarctic phytoplankton species in a laboratory experiment

Despite the fact that ocean acidification is considered to be especially pronounced in the Southern Ocean, little is known about CO2-dependent physiological processes and the interactions of Antarctic phytoplankton key species. We therefore studied the effects of CO2 partial pressure (PCO2) (16.2, 39.5, and 101.3 Pa) on growth and photosynthetic carbon acquisition in the bloom-forming species Chaetoceros debilis, Pseudo-nitzschia subcurvata, Fragilariopsis kerguelensis, and Phaeocystis antarctica. Using membrane-inlet mass spectrometry, photosynthetic O2 evolution and inorganic carbon (Ci) fluxes were determined as a function of CO2 concentration. Only the growth of C. debilis was enhanced under high PCO2. Analysis of the carbon concentrating mechanism (CCM) revealed the operation of very efficient CCMs (i.e., high Ci affinities) in all species, but there were species-specific differences in CO2-dependent regulation of individual CCM components (i.e., CO2 and uptake kinetics, carbonic anhydrase activities). Gross CO2 uptake rates appear to increase with the cell surface area to volume ratios. Species competition experiments with C. debilis and P. subcurvata under different PCO2 levels confirmed the CO2-stimulated growth of C. debilis observed in monospecific incubations, also in the presence of P. subcurvata. Independent of PCO2, high initial cell abundances of P. subcurvata led to reduced growth rates of C. debilis. For a better understanding of future changes in phytoplankton communities, CO2-sensitive physiological processes need to be identified, but also species interactions must be taken into account because their interplay determines the success of a species.

Control of the innate immune response by the mevalonate pathway.

Deficiency in mevalonate kinase (MVK) causes systemic inflammation. However, the molecular mechanisms linking the mevalonate pathway to inflammation remain obscure. Geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate, a non-sterol intermediate of the mevalonate pathway, is the substrate for protein geranylgeranylation, a protein post-translational modification that is catalyzed by protein geranylgeranyl transferase I (GGTase I). Pyrin is an innate immune sensor that forms an active inflammasome in response to bacterial toxins. Mutations in MEFV (encoding human PYRIN) result in autoinflammatory familial Mediterranean fever syndrome. We found that protein geranylgeranylation enabled Toll-like receptor (TLR)-induced activation of phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase (PI(3)K) by promoting the interaction between the small GTPase Kras and the PI(3)K catalytic subunit p110δ. Macrophages that were deficient in GGTase I or p110δ exhibited constitutive release of interleukin 1β that was dependent on MEFV but independent of the NLRP3, AIM2 and NLRC4 inflammasomes. In the absence of protein geranylgeranylation, compromised PI(3)K activity allows an unchecked TLR-induced inflammatory responses and constitutive activation of the Pyrin inflammasome.