bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evidence of a biomass hotspot for targeted fish species within Namena Marine Reserve, Fiji
Authors: Barrett Luke T. , de Lima Arthur , Goetze Jordan S.
Published: August 2018

Namena is Fiji’s oldest and second largest no-take marine reserve, and has relatively high abundance and biomass of targeted fishes within its boundaries due to a high level of protection since its creation in 1997 (formalised in 2005). Following anecdotal reports of exceptionally high fish abundance at the Grand Central Station dive site within Namena, we conducted a 500-m meandering diver-operated video transect along the main reef formation, to obtain abundance, length and biomass estimates for fish species targeted by local fishers. Our census revealed extremely high diversity, abundance and biomass (11436kgha−1) of targeted fishes. While demersal reef fishes were present at higher densities than on typical fished reefs in the region, they were dwarfed by aggregations of reef-associated pelagics, namely the barracuda Sphyraena forsteri (5540kgha−1) and the trevally Caranx sexfasciatus (4448kgha−1). These estimates are comparable to those of historically unfished or ‘pristine’ locations, an unexpected finding given the historical fishing pressure within the reserve before its establishment and ongoing pressure in surrounding fished areas. This finding presents Grand Central Station as a useful reference site for ecologists and managers, and highlights the ability of protected coral reefs to support or attract very high densities of fish.
Characterising preferential flow and its interaction with the soil matrix using dye tracing in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of China
Authors: Liu Muxing , Guo Li , Yi Jun , Lin Henry , Lou Shulan , Zhang Hailin , Li Tian
Published: August 2018

Dye tracing experiments provide direct visual evidence of preferential flow in the soil. In this study, we applied the Brilliant Blue tracer across three forest sites (high-mountain forest, HF; middle-mountain forest, MF; and low-mountain forest, LF) and one cultivated field (CL) in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of China to visualise preferential flow and characterise its interaction with the surrounding soil matrix. A set of parameters was extracted from photographs of dye-stained soil profiles to measure preferential flow, including (1) the ratio of the stained area to the total area of a soil section (SAR), (2) the degree of lateral water mixing of preferential flow into the soil matrix (LWM), (3) the greatest stained depth (SD), and (4) the stained path width (SPW). The highest SAR of all of the stained areas (i.e. a measure of the degree of preferential flow) was for MF (80%), followed by LF (68%), CL (48%), and HF (30%). The higher SAR in MF and LF was likely associated with more abundant and interconnected void spaces created by roots and soil fissures. The shallower rooting depth together with the higher content of clay and soil organic matter might lead to the lowest SAR in HF, suggesting a higher likelihood of soil erosion due to surface runoff. The relatively lower SAR in CL could be a result of soil compaction after tillage destroyed soil macropores. Moreover, the spatial distribution of preferential flow with soil depth varied among slope positions. In HF and MF, macropore flow dominated the A horizon with limited lateral diffusion. However, in the subsoil, although the SAR of all of the stained areas declined, the LWM (quantified as the SAR of yellow and green patches that have a lower concentration of the dye tracer) intensified. In the sandy soils at the LF site, macropore flow via soil fissures was the major type of preferential flow that showed a limited lateral diffusion. In CL, the degree of preferential flow (mainly as finger flows) decreased with soil depth. Based on the SPW profile, flow patterns were classified along soil depth at each site. The lower degree of preferential flow and the reduced SD in agricultural soils demonstrated the substantial impact of soil management on preferential flow and thereby infiltration. Therefore, current agricultural management exacerbates surface runoff and soil erosion and causes ecological degradation and sediment deposition in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of China.
Breakdown of the Wiedemann–Franz law in a unitary Fermi gas
Authors: Husmann Dominik , Lebrat Martin , Häusler Samuel , Brantut Jean-Philippe , Corman Laura , Esslinger Tilman
Published: August 2018

Significance

Heat and matter currents are required to relax an out-of-equilibrium system with temperature and chemical potential gradients to thermodynamical equilibrium. The ratio of heat to particle conductance characterizes this response and takes a universal value for typical electronic materials, known as the Wiedemann–Franz law, originating in the quasi-particle nature of the excitations contributing to transport. Investigating the transport dynamics between two reservoirs of ultracold and strongly interacting Fermi gases, connected by a quantum point contact, we observe a nonequilibrium steady state, strongly violating the Wiedemann–Franz law. This cold atom version of the fountain effect, previously observed in superfluid helium superleaks, is characterized by a weak coupling between heat and particle currents that results in a nonvanishing Seebeck coefficient.
Put your “big girl” voice on
Authors: Stopfner Maria
Published: August 2018

Heckles are an illegitimate, yet common way of commenting directly and immediately on what is being said at the lectern. However, (non-)verbal interjections can also be used to disconcert the speaker, thus scoring points within the parliamentary arena. In these cases, female delegates are often confronted with discriminatory remarks and comments that border on sexism and even misogyny. Based on the extensive literature on gender and discourse, the following paper will focus on gender-related heckles and analyse argumentative structures and topoi that are grounded in sexist stereotypes and conservative role-models. Presuming that these incidents are not isolated instances, the paper will compare and contrast several examples from around the world that have caught public attention.
Genome-wide CRISPR screen identifies TMEM41B as a gene required for autophagosome formation
Authors: Morita Keigo , Hama Yutaro , Izume Tamaki , Tamura Norito , Ueno Toshihide , Yamashita Yoshihiro , Sakamaki Yuriko , Mimura Kaito , Morishita Hideaki , Shihoya Wataru , Nureki Osamu , Mano Hiroyuki , Mizushima Noboru
Published: August 2018

Macroautophagy is an intracellular degradation process that requires multiple autophagy-related (ATG) genes. In this study, we performed a genome-wide screen using the autophagic flux reporter GFP-LC3-RFP and identified TMEM41B as a novel ATG gene. TMEM41B is a multispanning membrane protein localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). It has a conserved domain also found in vacuole membrane protein 1 (VMP1), another ER multispanning membrane protein essential for autophagy, yeast Tvp38, and the bacterial DedA family of putative half-transporters. Deletion of TMEM41B blocked the formation of autophagosomes at an early step, causing accumulation of ATG proteins and small vesicles but not elongating autophagosome-like structures. Furthermore, lipid droplets accumulated in TMEM41B-knockout (KO) cells. The phenotype of TMEM41B-KO cells resembled those of VMP1-KO cells. Indeed, TMEM41B and VMP1 formed a complex in vivo and in vitro, and overexpression of VMP1 restored autophagic flux in TMEM41B-KO cells. These results suggest that TMEM41B and VMP1 function together at an early step of autophagosome formation.
VPS13A and VPS13C are lipid transport proteins differentially localized at ER contact sites
Authors: Kumar Nikit , Leonzino Marianna , Hancock-Cerutti William , Horenkamp Florian A. , Li PeiQi , Lees Joshua A. , Wheeler Heather , Reinisch Karin M. , De Camilli Pietro
Published: August 2018

Mutations in the human VPS13 genes are responsible for neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders including chorea acanthocytosis (VPS13A) and Parkinson’s disease (VPS13C). The mechanisms of these diseases are unknown. Genetic studies in yeast hinted that Vps13 may have a role in lipid exchange between organelles. In this study, we show that the N-terminal portion of VPS13 is tubular, with a hydrophobic cavity that can solubilize and transport glycerolipids between membranes. We also show that human VPS13A and VPS13C bind to the ER, tethering it to mitochondria (VPS13A), to late endosome/lysosomes (VPS13C), and to lipid droplets (both VPS13A and VPS13C). These findings identify VPS13 as a lipid transporter between the ER and other organelles, implicating defects in membrane lipid homeostasis in neurological disorders resulting from their mutations. Sequence and secondary structure similarity between the N-terminal portions of Vps13 and other proteins such as the autophagy protein ATG2 suggest lipid transport roles for these proteins as well.
BCAP links IL-1R to the PI3K–mTOR pathway and regulates pathogenic Th17 cell differentiation
Authors: Deason Krystin , Troutman Ty Dale , Jain Aakanksha , Challa Dilip K. , Mandraju Rajakumar , Brewer Travis , Ward E. Sally , Pasare Chandrashekhar
Published: August 2018

The toll-like receptor (TLR) and interleukin (IL)–1 family of receptors share several signaling components, including the most upstream adapter, MyD88. We previously reported the discovery of B cell adapter for phosphoinositide 3-kinase (BCAP) as a novel toll–IL-1 receptor homology domain–containing adapter that regulates inflammatory responses downstream of TLR signaling. Here we find that BCAP plays a critical role downstream of both IL-1 and IL-18 receptors to regulate T helper (Th) 17 and Th1 cell differentiation, respectively. Absence of T cell intrinsic BCAP did not alter development of naturally arising Th1 and Th17 lineages but led to defects in differentiation to pathogenic Th17 lineage cells. Consequently, mice that lack BCAP in T cells had reduced susceptibility to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. More importantly, we found that BCAP is critical for IL-1R–induced phosphoinositide 3-kinase–Akt–mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) activation, and minimal inhibition of mTOR completely abrogated IL-1β–induced differentiation of pathogenic Th17 cells, mimicking BCAP deficiency. This study establishes BCAP as a critical link between IL-1R and the metabolic status of activated T cells that ultimately regulates the differentiation of inflammatory Th17 cells.
WDR62 mediates TNFα-dependent JNK activation via TRAF2-MLK3 axis
Authors: Prinz Elad , Aviram Sharon , Aronheim Ami
Published: August 2018

The mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) regulate a variety of cellular processes. The three main MAPK cascades are the extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 kinases. A typical MAPK cascade is composed of MAP3K-MAP2K-MAPK kinases that are held by scaffold proteins. Scaffolds function to assemble the protein tier and contribute to the specificity and efficacy of signal transmission. WD repeat domain 62 (WDR62) is a JNK scaffold protein, interacting with JNK, MKK7, and several MAP3Ks. The loss of WDR62 in human leads to microcephaly and pachygyria. Yet the role of WDR62 in cellular function is not fully studied. We used the CRISPR/Cas9 and short hairpin RNA approaches to establish a human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 with WDR62 loss of function and studied the consequence to JNK signaling. In growing cells, WDR62 is responsible for the basal expression of c-Jun. In stressed cells, WDR62 specifically mediates TNFα−dependent JNK activation through the association with both the adaptor protein, TNF receptor-associated factor 2 (TRAF2), and the MAP3K protein, mixed lineage kinase 3. TNFα-dependent JNK activation is mediated by WDR62 in HCT116 and HeLa cell lines as well. MDA-MB-231 WDR62-knockout cells display increased resistance to TNFα−induced cell death. Collectively, WDR62 coordinates the TNFα receptor signaling pathway to JNK activation through association with multiple kinases and the adaptor protein TRAF2.
Cholesterol depletion enhances TGF-β Smad signaling by increasing c-Jun expression through a PKR-dependent mechanism
Authors: Shapira Keren E. , Ehrlich Marcelo , Henis Yoav I.
Published: August 2018

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) plays critical roles in numerous physiological and pathological responses. Cholesterol, a major plasma membrane component, can have pronounced effects on signaling responses. Cells continually monitor cholesterol content and activate multilayered transcriptional and translational signaling programs, following perturbations to cholesterol homeostasis (e.g., statins, the commonly used cholesterol-reducing drugs). However, the cross-talk of such programs with ligand-induced signaling responses (e.g., TGF-β signaling) remained unknown. Here, we studied the effects of a mild reduction in free (membrane-associated) cholesterol on distinct components of TGF-β–signaling pathways. Our findings reveal a new regulatory mechanism that enhances TGF-β–signaling responses by acting downstream from receptor activation. Reduced cholesterol results in PKR-dependent eIF2α phosphorylation, which enhances c-Jun translation, leading in turn to higher levels of JNK-mediated c-Jun phosphorylation. Activated c-Jun enhances transcription and expression of Smad2/3. This leads to enhanced sensitivity to TGF-β stimulation, due to increased Smad2/3 expression and phosphorylation. The phospho/total Smad2/3 ratio remains unchanged, indicating that the effect is not due to altered receptor activity. We propose that cholesterol depletion induces overactivation of PKR, JNK, and TGF-β signaling, which together may contribute to the side effects of statins in diverse disease settings.
The ribosome receptors Mrx15 and Mba1 jointly organize cotranslational insertion and protein biogenesis in mitochondria
Authors: Möller-Hergt Braulio Vargas , Carlström Andreas , Stephan Katharina , Imhof Axel , Ott Martin
Published: August 2018

Mitochondrial gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is responsible for the production of highly hydrophobic subunits of the oxidative phosphorylation system. Membrane insertion occurs cotranslationally on membrane-bound mitochondrial ribosomes. Here, by employing a systematic mass spectrometry–based approach, we discovered the previously uncharacterized membrane protein Mrx15 that interacts via a soluble C-terminal domain with the large ribosomal subunit. Mrx15 contacts mitochondrial translation products during their synthesis and plays, together with the ribosome receptor Mba1, an overlapping role in cotranslational protein insertion. Taken together, our data reveal how these ribosome receptors organize membrane protein biogenesis in mitochondria.
Endoplasmic reticulum–associated degradation and disposal of misfolded GPI-anchored proteins inTrypanosoma brucei
Authors: Tiengwe Calvin , Koeller Carolina M. , Bangs James D.
Published: August 2018

Misfolded secretory proteins are retained by endoplasmic reticulum quality control (ERQC) and degraded in the proteasome by ER-associated degradation (ERAD). However, in yeast and mammals, misfolded glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins are preferentially degraded in the vacuole/lysosome. We investigate this process in the divergent eukaryotic pathogen Trypanosoma brucei using a misfolded GPI-anchored subunit (HA:E6) of the trypanosome transferrin receptor. HA:E6 is N-glycosylated and GPI-anchored and accumulates in the ER as aggregates. Treatment with MG132, a proteasome inhibitor, generates a smaller protected polypeptide (HA:E6*), consistent with turnover in the proteasome. HA:E6* partitions between membrane and cytosol fractions, and both pools are proteinase K-sensitive, indicating cytosolic disposition of membrane-associated HA:E6*. HA:E6* is de-N-glycosylated and has a full GPI-glycan structure from which dimyristoylglycerol has been removed, indicating that complete GPI removal is not a prerequisite for proteasomal degradation. However, HA:E6* is apparently not ubiquitin-modified. The trypanosome GPI anchor is a forward trafficking signal; thus the dynamic tension between ERQC and ER exit favors degradation by ERAD. These results differ markedly from the standard eukaryotic model systems and may indicate an evolutionary advantage related to pathogenesis.
Whole-Body Vibration and Trunk Posture During Operation of Agricultural Machinery
Authors: Fethke Nathan B , Schall Mark C , Merlino Linda A , Chen Howard , Branch Cassidy A , Ramaswamy Maya
Published: August 2018

Exposure to whole-body vibration (WBV) is common among agricultural workers and is associated with musculoskeletal health outcomes such as low back pain. Little is known, however, about the characteristics of exposure experienced during actual production practices. We measured WBV levels during agricultural machinery use among a sample of farmers (n = 55) performing routine agricultural activities and explored machinery attributes that may explain WBV summary measures. We also measured trunk posture to provide additional information about physical exposures during machinery operation. Measurements were made on-farm and during actual work conditions of a sample of agricultural machines (n = 112), including tractors, combines, heavy utility vehicles, and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). Results indicated the presence of high levels of vibration (median frequency-weighted root-mean-square acceleration of approximately 0.8 m s−2) with time signatures that include high-amplitude mechanical shocks (median crest factor of nearly 23). Compared to other machinery types, combines exhibited the lowest WBV levels and among the most favorable trunk postures. Substantial variability was observed in both the WBV and trunk posture summary measures, suggesting for future studies that alternative sampling strategies are needed to fully capture temporal patterns of machinery use.
Missing data and prediction: the pattern submodel
Authors: Fletcher Mercaldo Sarah , Blume Jeffrey D
Published: August 2018

Missing data are a common problem for both the construction and implementation of a prediction algorithm. Pattern submodels (PS)—a set of submodels for every missing data pattern that are fit using only data from that pattern—are a computationally efficient remedy for handling missing data at both stages. Here, we show that PS (i) retain their predictive accuracy even when the missing data mechanism is not missing at random (MAR) and (ii) yield an algorithm that is the most predictive among all standard missing data strategies. Specifically, we show that the expected loss of a forecasting algorithm is minimized when each pattern-specific loss is minimized. Simulations and a re-analysis of the SUPPORT study confirms that PS generally outperforms zero-imputation, mean-imputation, complete-case analysis, complete-case submodels, and even multiple imputation (MI). The degree of improvement is highly dependent on the missingness mechanism and the effect size of missing predictors. When the data are MAR, MI can yield comparable forecasting performance but generally requires a larger computational cost. We also show that predictions from the PS approach are equivalent to the limiting predictions for a MI procedure that is dependent on missingness indicators (the MIMI model). The focus of this article is on out-of-sample prediction; implications for model inference are only briefly explored.
Bayesian modeling of dependence in brain connectivity data
Authors: Chen Shuo , Xing Yishi , Kang Jian , Kochunov Peter , Hong L Elliot
Published: August 2018

Brain connectivity studies often refer to brain areas as graph nodes and connections between nodes as edges, and aim to identify neuropsychiatric phenotype-related connectivity patterns. When performing group-level brain connectivity alternation analyses, it is critical to model the dependence structure between multivariate connectivity edges to achieve accurate and efficient estimates of model parameters. However, specifying and estimating dependencies between connectivity edges presents formidable challenges because (i) the dimensionality of parameters in the covariance matrix is high (of the order of the fourth power of the number of nodes); (ii) the covariance between a pair of edges involves four nodes with spatial location information; and (iii) the dependence structure between edges can be related to unknown network topological structures. Existing methods for large covariance/precision matrix regularization and spatial closeness-based dependence structure specification/estimation models may not fully address the complexity and challenges. We develop a new Bayesian nonparametric model that unifies information from brain network areas (nodes), connectivity (edges), and covariance between edges by constructing the function of covariance matrix based on the underlying network topological structure. We perform parameter estimation using an efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm. We apply our method to resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 60 subjects of a schizophrenia study and simulated data to demonstrate the performance of our method.
In Vivo Femtosecond Laser Subsurface Cortical Microtransections Attenuate Acute Rat Focal Seizures
Authors: Nagappan Shivathmihai , Liu Lena , Fetcho Robert , Nguyen John , Nishimura Nozomi , Radwanski Ryan E , Lieberman Seth , Baird-Daniel Eliza , Ma Hongtao , Zhao Mingrui , Schaffer Chris B , Schwartz Theodore H
Published: August 2018

Recent evidence shows that seizures propagate primarily through supragranular cortical layers. To selectively modify these circuits, we developed a new technique using tightly focused, femtosecond infrared laser pulses to make as small as ~100 µm-wide subsurface cortical incisions surrounding an epileptic focus. We use this “laser scalpel” to produce subsurface cortical incisions selectively to supragranular layers surrounding an epileptic focus in an acute rodent seizure model. Compared with sham animals, these microtransections completely blocked seizure initiation and propagation in 1/3 of all animals. In the remaining animals, seizure frequency was reduced by 2/3 and seizure propagation reduced by 1/3. In those seizures that still propagated, it was delayed and reduced in amplitude. When the recording electrode was inside the partially isolated cube and the seizure focus was on the outside, the results were even more striking. In spite of these microtransections, somatosensory responses to tail stimulation were maintained but with reduced amplitude. Our data show that just a single enclosing wall of laser cuts limited to supragranular layers led to a significant reduction in seizure initiation and propagation with preserved cortical function. Modification of this concept may be a useful treatment for human epilepsy.
Age Effects in Sequence-Construction for a Continuous Cognitive Task: Similar Sequence-Trends but Fewer Switch-Points
Authors: Löckenhoff Corinna E , Rutt Joshua L , Samanez-Larkin Gregory R , Gallagher Casey , O’Donoghue Ted , Reyna Valerie F
Published: August 2018

Objectives

Many real-life settings require decision makers to sort a predetermined set of outcomes or activities into a preferred sequence and people vary in whether they prefer to tackle the most challenging aspects first, leave them for the last, or intersperse them with less challenging outcomes. Prior research on age differences in sequence-preferences has focused on discrete and hypothetical events. The present study expands this work by examining sequence-preferences for a realistic, continuous, sustained, and cognitively challenging task.

Methods

Participants (N = 121, aged 21–86) were asked to complete 10 min of a difficult cognitive task (2-back), 10 min of an easy cognitive task (1-back), and 10 min of rest over the course of a 30-min interval. They could complete the tasks in any order and switch tasks as often as they wished and they were rewarded for correct performance. Additional measures included affective and physiological responses, task accuracy, time-perspective, and demographics.

Results

The majority of participants constructed sequences with decreasing task difficulty. Preferences for the general trend of the sequence were not significantly related to age, but the number of switches among the tasks decreased with age, and task-switching tended to incur greater accuracy decrements among older as compared to younger adults.

Discussion

We address potential methodological concerns, discuss theoretical implications, and consider potential real-life applications.
Irreducible Representations of the Group of Unipotent Matrices of Order 4 over Integers
Authors: Beloshapka Iuliya
Published: August 2018

We study a coarse moduli space of irreducible representations of the group of unipotent matrices of order $4$ over the ring of integers that have finite weight. All such representations are known to be monomial (see [4]). To describe a coarse moduli space of such representations, we need to study pairs of subgroups and their characters, which induce non-isomorphic irreducible representations. We obtain a full classification of such pairs and, respectively, a coarse moduli space.
Antisocial and Conduct Disorders
Authors: Del Giudice Marco
Published: August 2018

The chapter discusses antisocial and conduct disorders, including conduct disorder (CD), oppositional-defiant disorder (ODD), antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), and psychopathy. This cluster of related conditions is marked by impulsive, rule-breaking, and aggressive behavior and lies at the core of the externalizing spectrum. After an overview of these disorders, their developmental features, and the main risk factors identified in the epidemiological literature, the chapter critically reviews existing evolutionary models and suggests new directions for research. The final section applies the criteria developed earlier in the book to classify the disorders within the fast-slow-defense (FSD) model. The author concludes that antisocial and conduct disorders can be classified as prototypical fast spectrum (F-type) conditions.
The Schizophrenia Spectrum
Authors: Del Giudice Marco
Published: August 2018

The chapter discusses schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs), including schizophrenia and schizotypal personality disorder (SPD). Schizophrenia and related disorders are part of the broader spectrum of psychosis, a cluster of genetically and phenotypically related conditions marked by loss of contact with external reality. After an overview of these disorders, their developmental features, and the main risk factors identified in the epidemiological literature, the chapter critically reviews existing evolutionary models and suggests new directions for research. The final section applies the criteria developed earlier in the book to classify the disorders within the fast-slow-defense (FSD) model and identify functionally distinct subtypes. The author concludes that most instances of SSDs can be classified as fast spectrum (F-type) conditions; however, there are indications of heterogeneity within these conditions, and future research is likely to identify exceptions to the general pattern.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Authors: Del Giudice Marco
Published: August 2018

The chapter discusses attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a heterogeneous set of conditions marked by clinically significant levels of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. After an overview of this disorder, its developmental features, and the main risk factors identified in the epidemiological literature, the chapter critically reviews existing evolutionary models and suggests new directions for research. The final section applies the criteria developed earlier in the book to classify the disorder within the fast-slow-defense (FSD) model and identify functionally distinct subtypes. The author proposes to tentatively distinguish between three subtypes of ADHD: a high-frequency fast spectrum subtype overlapping with conduct/antisocial disorders and psychosis (F-ADHD), a low-frequency slow spectrum subtype overlapping with autism (S-ADHD), and a subtype unrelated to life history variation and characterized by low general intelligence and generalized cognitive impairment.
Eating Disorders
Authors: Del Giudice Marco
Published: August 2018

The chapter discusses eating disorders (EDs), including anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN). After an overview of these disorders, their developmental features, and the main risk factors identified in the epidemiological literature, the chapter critically reviews existing evolutionary models and suggests new directions for research. The final section applies the criteria developed earlier in the book to classify the disorders within the fast-slow-defense (FSD) model and identify functionally distinct subtypes. The author proposes to distinguish between a fast spectrum subtype of EDs marked by dysregulated personality traits (high impulsivity, sensation seeking) and a prevalence of bulimic symptoms (F-EDs), and a slow spectrum subtype that comprises both overcontrolled and high-functioning personality profiles (S-EDs).
Depression
Authors: Del Giudice Marco
Published: August 2018

The chapter discusses depressive disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD) and persistent depressive disorder (PDD) or dysthymia. These disorders are marked by severe, prolonged episodes of dejected mood and/or loss of interest and pleasure in rewarding activities (anhedonia), and may be accompanied by somatic symptoms involving sleep, appetite, and so on. After an overview of these disorders, their developmental features, and the main risk factors identified in the epidemiological literature, the chapter critically reviews existing evolutionary models and suggests new directions for research. The final section applies the criteria developed earlier in the book to classify the disorders within the fast-slow-defense (FSD) model. The author concludes that depressive disorders can be classified as a defense activation (D-type) conditions.
Specific Phobias
Authors: Del Giudice Marco
Published: August 2018

The chapter discusses specific phobias, one of the most common categories of psychopathology. Phobias are exaggerated fears of particular objects of situations, from animals and heights to flying and being exposed to blood, injections, and injuries. After an overview of these disorders, their developmental features, and the main risk factors identified in the epidemiological literature, the chapter critically reviews existing evolutionary models and suggests new directions for research. The final section applies the criteria developed earlier in the book to classify the disorders within the fast-slow-defense (FSD) model. The author concludes that phobias can be classified as defense activation (D-type) conditions.
Panic and Agoraphobia
Authors: Del Giudice Marco
Published: August 2018

The chapter discusses panic disorder and agoraphobia. Panic disorder is defined by recurring panic attacks, dramatic episodes in which a surge of autonomic activity is accompanied by rapidly escalating levels of fear and distress. Agoraphobia is the persistent fear of open or confined spaces, which often develops as a secondary response to panic attacks. After an overview of these disorders, their developmental features, and the main risk factors identified in the epidemiological literature, the chapter critically reviews existing evolutionary models and suggests new directions for research. The final section applies the criteria developed earlier in the book to classify the disorders within the FSD model. The author concludes that panic and agoraphobia can be classified as defense activation (D-type) conditions.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Authors: Del Giudice Marco
Published: August 2018

The chapter discusses obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a condition defined by the presence of intrusive mental contents (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions). After an overview of this disorder, its developmental features, and the main risk factors identified in the epidemiological literature, the chapter critically reviews existing evolutionary models and suggests new directions for research. The final section applies the criteria developed earlier in the book to classify the disorder within the fast-slow-defense (FSD) model and identify functionally distinct subtypes. The author proposes to distinguish between a female-biased defense activation subtype (D-OCD) primarily motivated by harm prevention and marked by elevated anxiety and/or disgust, and a male-biased slow spectrum subtype (S-OCD) primarily motivated by feelings of incompleteness and imperfection (“not just right” experiences).
A Look at the Future
Authors: Del Giudice Marco
Published: August 2018

The closing chapter considers the present state of evolutionary psychopathology and discusses three areas of future development: proximate mechanisms, from molecular genetics and epigenetics to neurobiological and computational models; epidemiology, with an emphasis on “deep epidemiology” and the interplay between inherited risk factors and current environmental conditions; and developmental psychopathology. An evolutionary perspective on mental disorders can inform emerging approaches such as computational psychiatry, and help refine the predictions of developmental and epidemiological research. Conversely, these approaches provide crucial insights into the proximate mechanisms that underlie both normal and pathological functioning. The author concludes that the field of evolutionary psychopathology must embrace theoretical integration if it is to produce a set of organizing principles flexible enough to accommodate a multiplicity of specific models and hypotheses, but also capable of explaining broad epidemiological and comorbidity patterns and supporting a biologically informed classification of disorders.
How to Increase Authentic Self-Esteem
Authors: Mruk Christopher J.
Published: August 2018

Chapter 4 is the heart of the book. It takes the material presented in the first three chapters concerning self-esteem as a relationship between competence and worthiness, healthy self-control, the four sources of self-esteem, and self-esteem moments to a practical level. The chapter shows how individuals can increase self-esteem by developing competence and improving a sense of worthiness no matter what type of self-esteem problem they may currently suffer. How to identify self-esteem traps that lessen competence or worthiness and then break free of them are discussed. The material also includes step-by-step activities, and exercises for increasing self-esteem that are based on solid empirical work in cognitive and learning psychology. These activities include material from positive psychology concerning how positive emotions, especially courage, and positive upward cycles of behavior, can facilitate change.
Positive Psychotherapy
Authors: Rashid Tayyab , Seligman Martin
Published: August 2018

Positive psychotherapy (PPT) is an emerging therapeutic approach that is broadly based on the principles of positive psychology (PP). PP studies the conditions and processes that enable individuals, communities, and institutions to flourish. PPT is the clinical or therapeutic arm of PP. PPT integrates symptoms with strengths, risks with resources and deficits with assets. Without dismissing the severity psychiatric distress, or naively minimizing clients’ genuine concerns, PPT identifies and teaches clients evidence-based skills which use their best resources to meet their toughest challenges. Specifically, PPT helps clients to translate their cognitive, emotional, social and cultural strengths into goal-oriented, purposeful and pragmatic actions and habits, which aim to reduce their psychiatric distress as well as enhance their well-being. A strengths-based approach such as PPT can improve the effectiveness of psychotherapy by expanding the scope of psychotherapy, broadening beyond the medical model, expanding the outcome of psychotherapy, and attenuating the impact on the clinician.
Psychopathology
Authors: Rashid Tayyab , Seligman Martin
Published: August 2018

The core concept of psychopathology in positive psychotherapy rests on the notion that positives (e.g., character strengths, positive emotions, meaning, positive relationships, and accomplishments) are as central as symptoms in assessing and treating psychopathology. This is a significant departure from the traditional view of psychopathology, in which symptoms occupy the central position. Strengths are not considered to be defenses, by-products, or compensations. They are valued in their own right and are weighed independently of weaknesses in the assessment procedure. Therefore, a largely symptom-based classification system is inadequate to understand the rich and complex lives of clients. The authors propose that Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-based disorders be reviewed in terms of lack or excess (dysregulation) of strengths.
Positive Psychotherapy
Authors: Rashid Tayyab , Seligman Martin
Published: August 2018

There are three broad phases of positive psychotherapy (PPT): In Phase One, the client creates a personal narrative, recalling and writing a story that brought out the client’s best, especially in overcoming a challenge. The bulk of therapeutic work in this phase focuses on assessing and assembling a signature strengths profile and acquiring the skills needed to integrate strengths with psychological stressors. Phase Two helps clients learn to reappraise intra- and interpersonal experiences, especially shifting negative ones toward the positive to promote a balanced perspective. Phase Three helps clients pursue meaning and purpose through their strengths. This chapter focuses on the processes and practices throughout PPT as well as looking at mechanisms of change and outcome studies.
Sessions, Practices, and the Therapeutic Process
Authors: Rashid Tayyab , Seligman Martin
Published: August 2018

This chapter introduces the generic positive psychotherapy (PPT) session structure and provides an overall orientation to PPT. The nuts and bolts of PPT, in terms of its 14 sessions, broadly parsed in three phases are described. The factors that support therapeutic process including ground rules, confidentiality, relaxation, therapeutic relationship, motivation, active engagement, and process of change and installing hope is also described. The chapter is underscore that PPT is an evidence based therapeutic approach. Throughout the course of treatment, ways to monitor progression including therapeutic efficacy, potential deterioration, changes in client-activity fit due to situational dynamics, and ways to prevent relapse are also highlighted.
Session Seven: Maximizing versus Satisficing
Authors: Rashid Tayyab , Seligman Martin
Published: August 2018

Session Seven presents the concepts of maximizing (aiming to make the best possible choice) and satisficing (making a “good enough” choice). Clinicians will assess whether their clients are maximizers or satisficers. The central positive psychotherapy (PPT) practice covered in this session is Toward Satisficing.
Session Eight: Gratitude
Authors: Rashid Tayyab , Seligman Martin
Published: August 2018

Session Eight expands the concept of gratitude—which was first introduced in Session One in the form of the Gratitude Journal. Session Eight facilitates recalling and writing to someone who is alive now and who in the past did something positive but who the client has never fully thanked. The positive psychotherapy (PPT) practices covered in this session are the Gratitude Letter and Gratitude Visit.
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenomics of mycophenolic acid and its clinical correlations in maintenance immunosuppression for lupus nephritis
Authors: Yap Desmond Y H , Tam Chun Hay , Yung Susan , Wong Sunny , Tang Colin S O , Mok Temy M Y , Yuen Catherine K Y , Ma Maggie K M , Lau Chak Sing , Chan Tak Mao
Published: August 2018

Background

There is little data on mycophenolic acid (MPA) pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenomics and optimal MPA exposure in lupus nephritis (LN) patients during long-term maintenance.

Methods

We measured blood MPA levels at 1, 2, 4, 8, 10 and 12-h post-dose (i.e. C1, C2, C4, C8, C10 and C12) in 88 stable LN patients receiving maintenance prednisolone and mycophenolate mofetil, repeated every 6 months. The relationship between MPA exposure and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of adenosine triphosphate–binding cassette subfamily C member 2 (ABCC2; rs2273697, rs3740066, rs717620 and rs17222723), organic anion-transporting polypeptides (OATPs; rs7311358 and rs4149117) and uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase (UGT; rs17863762, rs6714486, rs17868320 and rs72551330) was also investigated.

Results

C1, C2 and C12 were 8.3 ± 6.6 , 7.2 ± 5.2 and 2.0 ± 1.4 mg/L and all correlated with the 12-h area under the curve (AUC0–12; r = 0.51, 0.85 and 0.73; P = 0.02, <0.001 and <0.001, respectively). C12 inversely correlated with hemoglobin, immunoglobulins and leukocyte levels (P < 0.05 for all). Five renal flares, 11 episodes of infection and 10 episodes of anemia (hemoglobin <10 g/dL) occurred over 96 weeks, with a corresponding C12 of 1.3 ± 0.5, 4.3 ± 2.6 and 2.9 ± 1.5 mg/L, respectively (versus 2.4 ± 1.2, 1.8 ± 1.2 and 1.7 ± 1.1 mg/L in patients without these complications; P = 0.041, <0.001 and 0.004). SNP rs2273697 A/G in the ABCC2 gene was associated with lower MPA exposure compared with G/G (1075.9 ± 239.9 versus 1891.5 ± 918.9 mgh/L per g/kg; P = 0.003). SNPs of OATP and UGT were unrelated to MPA level.

Conclusion

MPA C12 correlates with the AUC0–12 and is related to renal flare, infection and anemia. SNP rs2273697 A/G is associated with lower MPA exposure.
Latent Class Analysis of E-cigarette Use Sessions in Their Natural Environments
Authors: Lee Youn Ok , Morgan-Lopez Antonio A , Nonnemaker James M , Pepper Jessica K , Hensel Edward C , Robinson Risa J
Published: August 2018

Background

Delivery of nicotine and substances from electronic nicotine delivery systems, or e-cigarettes, depends in part on how users puff on the devices. Little is known about variation in puffing behavior to inform testing protocols or understand whether puffing behaviors result in increased exposure to emissions.

Methods

We analyzed puff topography data collected using a wireless portable use monitor (wPUM) continuously over 2 weeks among 34 current second-generation e-cigarette users in their everyday lives. For each puff, the wPUM recorded date, time, duration, volume, flow rate, and inter-puff interval.

Results

We defined use session and classes at the session level using multilevel latent profile analysis, resulting in two session classes and three person types. Session class 1 (“light”) was characterized by 14.7 puffs per session (PPS), low puff volume (59.9 ml), flow rate (28.7 ml/s), and puff duration (202.7 s × 100). Session class 2 (“heavy”) was characterized by 16.7 PPS with a high puff volume (290.9 ml), flow rate (71.5 ml/s), and puff duration (441.1 s × 100). Person class 1 had almost exclusively “light” sessions (98.0%), whereas person class 2 had a majority of “heavy” sessions (60.7%) and person class 3 had a majority of “light” sessions (75.3%) but some “heavy” sessions (24.7%).

Conclusion

Results suggest there are different session topography patterns among e-cigarette users. Further assessment is needed to determine whether some users have increased exposure to constituents and/or health risks because of e-cigarettes.

Implications

Our study examines topography characteristics in a users’ natural setting to identify two classes of e-cigarette session behavior and three classes of users. These results suggest that it is important for studies on the health effects of e-cigarettes to take variation in user topography into account. It is crucial to accurately understand the topography profiles of session and user types to determine whether some users are at greater exposure to harmful or potentially harmful constituents and risks from e-cigarettes as they are used by consumers.
The Reception of Hesiod by the Early Pre-Socratics
Authors: Miller Mitchell
Published: August 2018

The early pre-Socratics’ major speculative and critical initiatives—in particular Anaximander’s conceptions of the justice of the cosmos and of the apeiron as its archē and Xenophanes’s polemics against immorality and anthropomorphism in the depiction of the gods and against any claim to divine inspiration—appear to break with Hesiod’s form of thought. But the conceptual, critical, and ethical depth of Hesiod’s own rethinking of the lore that he inherited complicates this picture. Close examination of each of their major initiatives together with the relevant passages in Hesiod shows that even in the course of departing from his thought, Anaximander and Xenophanes also reappropriate and renew it. A postscript to this chapter poses some questions for future inquiry into Heraclitus’s and Parmenides’s receptions of Hesiod.
Psychological Foundations of Group and Organizational Learning
Authors: Shapira Zur
Published: August 2018

The study of learning started in the late 19th century with the comparative approach to learning of animals and humans. In the early 20th century, American psychologists moved to study observable behavior, culminating in the approach known as behaviorism. They dismissed the work by European psychologists who studied the ways humans and animals reason and think. The behavioristic approach spawned a stream of research in mathematical models of learning that were based on the notions of stochastic learning and reinforcement. The 1950s brought the cognitive revolution that reinstated the study of the mind as a major topic of research by psychologists, linguists, anthropologists, computer scientists, neuroscientists, and philosophers. More recently, cognitive science connected with neuroscience, computer science, and artificial intelligence
“Check Out the Hook While My DJ Revolves It”
Authors: Coddington Amy
Published: August 2018

During the late 1980s, Top 40 radio stations in the United States considerably increased their programming of rap, facilitating hip hop’s crossover into the mainstream. Concerned about potential negative responses from advertisers and listeners based on rap’s sound as well as the presumed racial identity of rap’s performers and audiences, these stations primarily programmed songs that mixed hip hop aesthetics with the more traditional sounds of pop, disguising some of the sonic qualities of rap that programmers worried were offensive to their audiences. These songs did not just change the generic makeup of Top 40 radio; instead, they profoundly influenced the newly interconnected futures of pop and rap music.
Noise Reconsidered
Authors: Rivers Patrick , Fulton Will
Published: August 2018

Recordings by Public Enemy (PE) from the late 1980s and early 1990s have dominated academic writing on hip hop beat making. Scholarly attention has been drawn to their sample-filled sonic signature, created by the Bomb Squad production team, which was deemed to align with the group’s role as vanguards for the use of hip hop as a platform for social justice and black consciousness. When surveying the historical development of hip hop production practices, however, there is a paradoxical relationship in regard to how their work is positioned in the historiography of the genre. This chapter addresses the development of PE’s sound within the context of late 1980s hip hop, suggesting that PE’s sonic signature was an outlier rather than illustrative of the common practice of beat making. Drawing on new interviews with PE members and other key hip hop recordists of the era, an examination of the technology and process of the Bomb Squad, and musical analysis of two recordings—“Bring the Noise” and “Brothers Gonna Work It Out”—this chapter positions “organized noise” within the landscape of contemporaneous hip hop production styles and considers ways in which historical distance has compelled a reassessment of PE in academia.