scholarly journals Separating Paternal and Maternal Contributions to Thermal Transgenerational Plasticity

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah L. Chang ◽  
Who-Seung Lee ◽  
Stephan B. Munch
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Paternal Effects ◽  
Transgenerational Effect ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects Model ◽  
Transgenerational Plasticity ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Thermal Plasticity ◽  
Offspring Growth ◽  
Artificial Fertilization

Climate change is rapidly altering the thermal environment in terrestrial and aquatic systems. Transgenerational thermal plasticity (TGP) – which occurs when the temperatures experienced by the parental generation prior to the fertilization of gametes results in a change in offspring reaction norms – may mitigate the effects of climate change. Although “maternal effects” have been widely studied, relatively little is known about TGP effects in vertebrates, particularly paternal contributions. We used artificial fertilization to cross sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus) parents exposed to either low (26°C) or high (32°C) temperatures and measured growth rates of the offspring over the first 8 weeks of life at both low and high temperatures. A linear mixed effects model was employed to quantify the effects of maternal, paternal, and offspring temperatures on offspring growth and fecundity. We found that the offspring growth rate up to 63 days post-hatch was affected by both the temperature they experienced directly and parental temperatures prior to fertilization. Growth was lowest when neither parents’ temperature matched the offspring temperature, indicating a strong transgenerational effect. Notably, offspring growth was highest when all three (offspring, sire, and dam) temperatures matched [although the three-way interaction was found to be marginally non-significant (P = 0.155)], suggesting that TGP effects were additive across significant sire-offspring (P < 0.001) and dam-offspring interactions (P < 0.001). Transgenerational effects on fecundity (GSI) were suggestive for both maternal and paternal effects, but not significant. The finding that thermal TGP is contributed by both parents strongly suggests that it has an epigenetic basis.

scholarly journals High thermal plasticity and vulnerability in extreme environments at the warm distributional edge: the case of a tidepool shrimp

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eyal Amsalem ◽  
Gil Rilov
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Prolonged Exposure ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Extreme Environments ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Thermal Fluctuations ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Regional Warming ◽  
Thermal Plasticity ◽  
Wide Range

1.AbstractClimate change threatens the resilience of species, especially at their warm distributional edge in extreme environments. However, not much is known about the thermal vulnerability of marine intertidal species at this edge. We investigated the thermal vulnerability of the tidepool shrimp, Palaemon elegans in the fast-warming southeastern Mediterranean, its warm distributional edge. Tidepool organisms experience strong and fast thermal fluctuations. This might make them more resilient to change, but also bring them closer to their thermal limits during extreme conditions. To test the shrimp’s resilience, we tested three hypotheses: (1) P. elegance in the southeast Mediterranean has higher critical thermal maximum (CTMax) than in cooler regions, (2) the shrimp possess seasonal acclimatization, but (3) long exposure to extreme summer temperatures might erode its thermal performance making it vulnerable to future climate change. We characterized the shrimp’s thermal environment and population dynamics, determined CTMax and tested diverse physiological performance attributes (respiration, digestion, activity, growth) under a wide range of temperatures during winter and summer. P. elegans has a wide optimum performance range between 20-30°C during summer and its CTMax is 38.1°C, higher than its Atlantic counterparts. However, its warming tolerance is only 0.3°C, indicating low capacity for dealing with further warming in pools compared to northeast Atlantic populations that have wider tolerance. Prolonged exposure to current mean summer values in open water (∼ 32°C) would also significantly reduce its performance and increase mortality. This suggests that its population viability may be reduced under continuous regional warming and intensification of extreme events.

scholarly journals Cerebral and Somatic Oxygen Saturation in Neonates with Congenital Heart Disease before Surgery

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2455
Author(s):  
Mi Jin Kim ◽  
Jae Suk Baek ◽  
Jung A Kim ◽  
Seul Gi Cha ◽  
Jeong Jin Yu
Keyword(s):  
Time Trends ◽  
Biochemical Parameters ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects Model ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Hypoxic Brain Injury ◽  
Hypoxic Brain ◽  
Cardiac Diagnosis

BACKGROUND: We investigated preoperative cerebral (ScO2) and abdominal (StO2) regional oxygen saturations according to cardiac diagnosis in neonates with critical CHD, their time trends, and the clinical and biochemical parameters associated with them. METHODS: Thirty-seven neonates with a prenatal diagnosis of CHD were included. ScO2 and StO2 values were continuously evaluated using near-infrared spectroscopy. Measurements were obtained hourly before surgery. A linear mixed effects model was used to assess the effects of time and cardiac diagnosis on regional oxygenation and to explore the contributing factors. RESULTS: Regional oxygenation differed according to cardiac diagnosis (p < 0.001). ScO2 was lowest in the patients with severe atrioventricular valvar regurgitation (AVVR) (48.1 ± 8.0%). StO2 tended to be lower than ScO2, and both worsened gradually during the period between birth and surgery. There was also a significant interaction between cardiac diagnosis and time. The factors related to ScO2 were hemoglobin and arterial saturation, whereas no factor was associated with StO2. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative ScO2 and StO2 in critical CHD differed according to cardiac diagnosis. ScO2 in the patients with severe AVVR was very low, which may imply cerebral hypoxia. ScO2 gradually decreased, suggesting that the longer the time to surgery, the higher the risk of hypoxic brain injury.

Cognate similarity and intervocalic /d/ production in Riverense Spanish

2021 ◽  
pp. 136700692199680
Author(s):  
Michael Gradoville ◽  
Mark Waltermire ◽  
Avizia Long
Keyword(s):  
Language Contact ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Frequency Effect ◽  
Acoustic Measurements ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects Model ◽  
Phonetic Variation ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Contact Language ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Phonetic Realization

Aims and objectives: While previous research has shown that phonetic variation in language contact situations is affected by whether a word has a cognate in the contact language, this paper aims to show that such an effect is not monotonic. According to the usage-based model, items in memory are organized according to similarity, thus we anticipated that formally more similar cognates would show a stronger cognate effect. Methodology: This variationist sociophonetic study investigates the relationship between cognate similarity and phonetic realization. We examined this relationship in the bilingual community of Rivera, Uruguay, in which both Portuguese and Spanish are spoken with regularity. Specifically, we focused on intervocalic /d/, which in monolingual Spanish is realized as an approximant [ð̞] or phonetic zero, but in monolingual Brazilian Portuguese is produced as a stop [d] or, in most varieties, an affricate [ʤ] before [i]. Data and analysis: We analyzed a corpus of sociolinguistic interviews of the Spanish spoken in Rivera. Acoustic measurements were taken from approximately 60 tokens each from 40 different speakers. Using a linear mixed-effects model, we examined the relationship between several predictors and the degree of constriction of intervocalic /d/. Findings/conclusions: While there is an overall frequency effect whereby more frequent words exhibit less constriction of intervocalic /d/, as both frequency and cognate similarity increase, less constriction of intervocalic /d/ obtains. Therefore, frequent cognates in Portuguese that have very similar forms affect the production of intervocalic /d/ more so than other cognates. Originality: No previous study has demonstrated that the cognate effect on phonetic variation in a situation of language contact is regulated by form similarity between cognate pairs. Significance/implications: The data support the usage-based model in that similar cognates have more lexical connections and can therefore show greater influence on phonetic realization than can cognates that share less phonetic material.

scholarly journals Increased Response to Altered Auditory Feedback in Dyslexia: A Weaker Sensorimotor Magnet Implied in the Phonological Deficit

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 654-667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark R. van den Bunt ◽  
Margriet A. Groen ◽  
Takayuki Ito ◽  
Ana A. Francisco ◽  
Vincent L. Gracco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Reading Group ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects Model ◽  
Phonological Representations ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Phonological Deficit ◽  
Adaptation Response ◽  
After Effect ◽  
Effect Phase ◽  
Phonological Abilities

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine whether developmental dyslexia (DD) is characterized by deficiencies in speech sensory and motor feedforward and feedback mechanisms, which are involved in the modulation of phonological representations. Method A total of 42 adult native speakers of Dutch (22 adults with DD; 20 participants who were typically reading controls) were asked to produce /bep/ while the first formant (F1) of the /e/ was not altered (baseline), increased (ramp), held at maximal perturbation (hold), and not altered again (after-effect). The F1 of the produced utterance was measured for each trial and used for statistical analyses. The measured F1s produced during each phase were entered in a linear mixed-effects model. Results Participants with DD adapted more strongly during the ramp phase and returned to baseline to a lesser extent when feedback was back to normal (after-effect phase) when compared with the typically reading group. In this study, a faster deviation from baseline during the ramp phase, a stronger adaptation response during the hold phase, and a slower return to baseline during the after-effect phase were associated with poorer reading and phonological abilities. Conclusion The data of the current study are consistent with the notion that the phonological deficit in DD is associated with a weaker sensorimotor magnet for phonological representations.

Short-form 6D assessment in compression module of the American College of Phlebology Patient Reported Outcome Venous Registry

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 425-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yung-Wei Chi ◽  
Blythe Durbin-Johnson ◽  
Marlin Schul
Keyword(s):  
Short Form ◽  
Patient Reported Outcome ◽  
Compression Stockings ◽  
Test Analysis ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects Model ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Registry Analysis

Objective The goal of this American College of Phlebology Patient Reported Outcome Venous Registry analysis was to examine the clinical efficacy of compression stockings using short-form 6D questionnaire (SF-6D). Method SF-6D scores were modeled over time using linear mixed effects model. Changes of SF-6D score from baseline to the last encounter were examined using a paired t-test. Analysis of variance was used to compare changes from baseline in SF-6D scores between C classifications. All analyses were conducted using SAS software, version 9.4 (SAS Institute, Cary NC). Results Baseline mean SF-6D score was 0.83 and at follow-up, 0.85. Mean SF-6D change was +0.02 points (P = .001) over an average time period of 5.5 months. Patients’ SF-6D scores were estimated to increase by +0.03 points (P = .005) per year of usage of compression stockings. SF-6D score changes across C classifications did not demonstrate significant differences (P = .265). Conclusion There was an improvement of SF-6D score in the registry participants who used circular knit compression stockings.

scholarly journals Restoration thinning reduces bush encroachment on freehold farmlands in north-central Namibia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matti T Nghikembua ◽  
Laurie L Marker ◽  
Bruce Brewer ◽  
Arvo Leinonen ◽  
Lauri Mehtätalo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Bush Encroachment ◽  
Mature Trees ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects Model ◽  
North Central ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Height Class ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Generalized Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Restoration Measures

Abstract Bush encroachment affects ~45 million ha of Namibia and, without appropriate restoration measures, it negatively affects rangeland productivity and biodiversity. Thinning is a common method to counteract bush encroachment. The thinning strategy applied in north-central Namibia was assessed to examine how effective it has been in reducing bush encroachment. Trees/shrubs were selectively thinned manually, targeting all height classes, except individuals with stem diameters ≥18 cm. We investigated the effects on the vegetation and soil properties using surveys on three freehold farms (in 2016 and 2017) in bush-encroached and previously thinned habitats. Our results revealed significant differences in the mean total nitrogen (TN) content between the treatments; thinned areas had higher TN content which would be beneficial for fast-growing grasses. In the thinned plots, the occurrence probability of red umbrella thorn (Vachellia reficiens Warwa) was significantly reduced, indicating that it was the most harvested species; and umbrella thorn (Vachellia tortilis (Burch.) Brenan spp. heteracantha) was increased, indicating that it favoured reduced densities of dominant species. Natural regeneration was rapid; the tree/shrub abundance in the 0–1-m height class in the thinned area surpassed those in the non-thinned by 34 per cent, ~7.2 years since thinning. Thinning significantly reduced tree/shrub abundances of the 1–3- and &gt;3-m height classes, which was still evident 7.2 years since thinning. Based upon the generalized linear mixed-effects model, tree/shrub counts between treatments may equalize in ~14 and 15 years for the 1–3- and &gt;3-m height classes, respectively. Thinning was effective in reducing tree/shrub abundances and can be used to restore wildlife habitat on the Namibian farmland: however, post-thinning management is required to maintain an open savannah vegetation structure as the 0–1-m height class cohort will eventually grow into mature trees/shrubs.

scholarly journals Towards Sustainable Development: Building’s Retrofitting with PCMs to Enhance the Indoor Thermal Comfort in Tropical Climate, Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3614
Author(s):  
Zeyad Amin Al-Absi ◽  
Mohd Isa Mohd Hafizal ◽  
Mazran Ismail ◽  
Azhar Ghazali
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Transition Temperatures ◽  
Indoor Thermal Environment ◽  
Adaptive Thermal Comfort ◽  
The Difference

Building sector is associated with high energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change. Sustainable development emphasizes any actions to reduce climate change and its effect. In Malaysia, half of the energy utilized in buildings goes towards building cooling. Thermal comfort studies and adaptive thermal comfort models reflect the high comfort temperatures for Malaysians in naturally conditioned buildings, which make it possible to tackle the difference between buildings’ indoor temperature and the required comfort temperature by using proper passive measures. This study investigates the effectiveness of building’s retrofitting with phase change materials (PCMs) as a passive cooling technology to improve the indoor thermal environment for more comfortable conditions. PCM sheets were numerically investigated below the internal finishing of the walls. The investigation involved an optimization study for the PCMs transition temperatures and quantities. The results showed significant improvement in the indoor thermal environment, especially when using lower transition temperatures and higher quantities of PCMs. Therefore, the monthly thermal discomfort time has decreased completely, while the thermal comfort time has increased to as high as 98%. The PCM was effective year-round and the optimum performance for the investigated conditions was achieved when using 18mm layer of PCM27-26.

scholarly journals Respiratory function declines in children with asthma associated with chemical species of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Nagasaki, Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoonhee Kim ◽  
Eun Ha Park ◽  
Chris Fook Sheng Ng ◽  
Yeonseung Chung ◽  
Kunio Hashimoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Lung Function ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Chemical Species ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects Model ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Asthmatic Children ◽  
Transboundary Air Pollution ◽  
Children With Asthma

Abstract Background The differential effects of PM2.5 fractions on children’s lung function remain inconclusive. This study aimed to examine whether lung function in asthmatic children was associated with increased PM2.5 fractions in urban areas in Nagasaki prefecture, Japan, where the air pollution level is relatively low but influenced by transboundary air pollution. Methods We conducted a multiyear panel study of 73 asthmatic children (boys, 60.3%; mean age, 8.2 years) spanning spring 2014–2016 in two cities. We collected self-measured peak expiratory flow (PEF) twice a day and daily time-series data for PM2.5 total mass and its chemical species. We fitted a linear mixed effects model to examine short-term associations between PEF and PM2.5, adjusting for individual and time-varying confounders. A generalized linear mixed effects model was also used to estimate the association for worsening asthma defined by severe PEF decline. Back-trajectory and cluster analyses were used to investigate the long-range transboundary PM2.5 in the study areas. Results We found that morning PEFs were adversely associated with higher levels of sulfate (− 1.61 L/min; 95% CI: − 3.07, − 0.15) in Nagasaki city and organic carbon (OC) (− 1.02 L/min; 95% CI: − 1.94, − 0.09) in Isahaya city, per interquartile range (IQR) increase at lag1. In addition, we observed consistent findings for worsening asthma, with higher odds of severe PEF decline in the morning for sulfate (odds ratio (OR) = 2.31; 95% CI: 1.12, 4.77) and ammonium (OR = 1.73; 95% CI: 1.06, 2.84) in Nagasaki city and OC (OR = 1.51; 95% CI: 1.06, 2.15) in Isahaya city, per IQR increase at lag1. The significant chemical species were higher on days that could be largely attributed to the path of Northeast China origin (for sulfate and ammonium) or both the same path and local sources (for OC) than by other clusters. Conclusions This study provides evidence of the differential effects of PM2.5 fractions on lung function among asthmatic children in urban areas, where the Japanese national standards of air quality have been nearly met. Continuous efforts to promote mitigation actions and public awareness of hazardous transboundary air pollution are needed to protect susceptible children with asthma.

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