NOFSal-MP10: A single hypervariable STR 12-plex for accurate verification of triploidy in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)

An increasing interest in production of sterile fish in aquaculture requires rapid, accurate and efficient testing for certification of triploidy prior to sale. Further, validation of triploidy can be beneficial, and even required, for accrediting methods of triploid production. A PCR-genotyping approach using a single megaplex of 12 hypervariable STR markers shows accurate and highly repeatable results enabling verification of ploidy in a single test. The NOFSal-MP10 panel contains 12 STR markers mapped to 9 chromosomes with an average of 21.4 alleles per marker for a combined total of 257 alleles based on genotyped samples to-date. The hypervariable nature of these 12 STRs leads to a large probability for three uniquely sized alleles to be observed at each marker, thus providing a rapid confirmation of ploidy based on the count of allele fragments per marker. Further, as a PCR amplification step is involved, this method is robust to DNA quality and quantity, making it suitable for very early determination of ploidy, as early as the eyed-egg stage. Repeat genotyping of positive control diploid Atlantic salmon over two different capillary electrophoretic instruments in different laboratories and with multiple laboratory personnel proves the panel’s robustness to scoring errors with an overall allelic error rate of 0.3% and a false-positive triploid assignment rate of zero. Genotyping of DNA from 1238 eggs and larvae from 18 independent triploid production batches over three years confirmed triploidy in 98% of samples based on a semi-strict criterion of three unique alleles at one or more loci, and 95% based on a strict criterion of three unique alleles at two or more loci.HighlightsThis paper describes a rapid quantifiable test for validation of triploidy in Atlantic salmonThe method is highly accurate and repeatable and robust to DNA quality, allowing testing in embryonic stagesRapid early testing of triploidy will enable certified sales of triploid eggs for production

Mandeville, Bernard (1670–1733)

Bernard Mandeville’s Fable of the Bees (1714) scandalized contemporaries by arguing that the flourishing commercial society they valued depended on vices they denounced. It resulted not only from the complementary satisfaction of appetites but was also based upon pride, envy and shame, which Mandeville traced to ‘self-liking’. Numerous individuals, driven by their own desires, acted independently to produce goods which required extensive, cooperative operations – an idea central to the economic concept of a market. Mandeville initially appeared to credit ‘skilful politicians’ with originating morality and society. However, in defending and expounding his views, he set out ‘conjectural histories’ of the gradual development of many complex social activities and institutions, including language and society itself, thereby denying that they had been invented by public spirited heroes. Throughout his works, Mandeville adopted a strict criterion of virtue, repeatedly denying that he was advocating, rather than exposing, the vices he identified as inherent in human society.

Cognition and recognition

Expressions are synonymous if they have the same semantic content. Complex expressions are synonymously isomorphic in Alonzo Church’s sense if one is obtainable from the other by a sequence of alphabetic changes of bound variables or replacements of component expressions by syntactically simple synonyms. Synonymous isomorphism provides a very strict criterion for synonymy of sentences. Several eminent philosophers of language hold that synonymous isomorphism is not strict enough. These philosophers hold that ‘Greeks prefer Greeks’ and ‘Greeks prefer Hellenes’ express different propositions even if they are synonymously isomorphic. They hold that the very recurrence (multiple occurrence) of ‘Greeks’ contributes to the proposition expressed something that indicates the very recurrence in question. Kit Fine argues that this thesis, which he labels semantic relationism calls for a radically new conception of semantics. I have argued that the relevant phenomenon is wholly pragmatic, entirely non-semantic. Here I supplement the case with a new argument. No cognition without recognition—or almost none. With this observation, standard Millianism has sufficient resources to confront Frege’s puzzle and related problems without injecting pragmatic phenomena where they do not belong.

Assessments of mortality at oldest-old ages by province in China's 2000 and 2010 censuses

This study examined the possible underestimation and age-trajectories of mortality at oldest-old ages in China’s 2000 and 2010 censuses. By linking logit-transformed conditional probabilities of dying from 13 countries with the highest data quality in the world, this study found that many Chinese provinces had underestimations of mortality at oldest-old ages when a relatively lenient criterion was applied. When a relatively strict criterion was applied, most provinces had a 30% or more underestimation in the probability of dying. We also investigated age trajectories of death rates after age 80 in these two censuses by applying the Kannisto model. Results showed that the age trajectories were distorted in most provinces after age 95. Overall, eastern-coastal provinces had higher data quality — in terms of low underestimation rates and less distorted age trajectories — whereas western China had provinces with problematic data. Females had greater rates of underestimation yet less distorted age-trajectories than males; and the 2010 census had greater rates of underestimation yet less distorted age-trajectories than the 2000 census. We conclude that appropriate adjustments with simultaneous applications of the Kannisto model are needed for direct estimates of mortality at oldest-old ages in the 2000 and 2010 censuses for China and for its provinces.

Understanding Protocol Performance: Impact of Criterion and Test Correlation

Background: A test protocol is created when individual tests are combined. Protocol performance can be calculated prior to clinical use; however, the necessary information is seldom available. Thus, protocols are frequently used with limited information as to performance. The next best strategy is to base protocol design on available information combined with a thorough understanding of the factors that determine protocol performance. Unfortunately, there is limited information as to these factors and how they interact. Purpose: The objective of this article and the next article in this issue is to examine in detail the three factors that determine protocol performance: (1) protocol criterion, (2) test correlation, (3) test performance. This article examines protocol criterion and test correlation. The next article examines the impact of individual test performance and summarizes the results of this series. The ultimate goal is to provide guidance on the formulation of a protocol using available information and an understanding of the impact of these three factors on performance. Research Design: A mathematical model is used to calculate protocol performance for different protocol criteria and test correlations while assuming that all individual tests in the protocol have the same performance. The advantages and disadvantages of the different criteria are evaluated for different test correlations. Results: A loose criterion will produce the highest protocol hit and false alarm rates; however, the false alarm rate may be unacceptably high. A strict criterion will produce the smallest protocol hit and false alarm rates; however, the hit rate may be unacceptably low. Adding tests to a protocol increases the probability that the protocol false alarm rate will be too high with a loose criterion and that the protocol hit rate will be too low with a strict criterion. The intermediate criterion, about which little has been known, provides advantages not available with the other two criteria. This criterion is much more likely to produce acceptable protocol hit and false alarm rates. It also has the potential to simultaneously produce a protocol hit rate higher, and a false alarm rate lower, than the individual tests. The intermediate criteria produce better protocol performance than the loose and strict criteria for protocols with the same number of tests. For all criteria, best protocol performance is obtained when the tests are uncorrelated and decreases as test correlation increases. When there is some test correlation, adding tests to the protocol can decrease protocol performance for a loose or strict criterion. The ability of a protocol to manipulate hit and false alarm rates, or improve performance relative to that of the individual tests, is reduced with increasing test correlation. Conclusions: The three criteria, loose, strict, and intermediate, have definite advantages and disadvantages over a large range of test correlations. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of the loose and strict criteria are impacted by test correlation. The advantages of the intermediate criteria are relatively independent of test correlation. When three or more tests are used in a protocol, consideration should be given to using an intermediate criterion, particularly if there is some test correlation. Greater test correlation diminishes the advantages of adding tests to a protocol, particularly with a loose or strict criterion. At higher test correlations, fewer tests in the protocol may be appropriate.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Established Central Auditory Processing Test Batteries in Patients with Documented Brain Lesions

<title/> Purpose: The sensitivity, specificity, and efficiency of commonly used behavioral central auditory processing tests and test batteries were determined for 20 individuals with known lesions of the central auditory nervous system (CANS) and related auditory symptoms. Research Design: Twenty-nine individuals with no known neurological involvement served as the control group. Both groups were administered dichotic digits (DD), competing sentences (CS), frequency patterns (FP), and low-pass filtered speech (FS) tests. Data Analysis: Diagnostic indices for individual tests and test batteries comprised of two, three, or four tests were calculated both using a lax criterion in which failure on only one test in a battery led to a positive diagnosis and using a strict criterion in which failure on all tests in the battery was necessary to trigger a positive diagnosis. Results: The test battery providing the best balance between sensitivity and specificity varied as a function of criterion. The two-test DD-FP battery using a strict criterion demonstrated the best balance. Conclusions: Limitations of particular tests, the advantages of larger test batteries to more broadly examine multiple auditory processes, the degree to which the present results can be generalized clinically to populations without known brain lesions, and other clinical considerations are discussed.

Trends and seasonality of extreme precipitation characteristics related to mid-latitude cyclones in Europe

An attempt is made to study the extreme precipitation characteristics, which are related to the mid-latitude cyclonic systems. Daily pluviometric data, from several stations across the continental Europe and the British Islands, are used. The covered time-period is from 1958 to 2000. Only extreme precipitation events related to mid-latitude cyclonic systems are studied, since thermal thunderstorm episodes are being excluded. To accomplish that, summer months are excluded and a strict criterion for identifying the exact episodes is set, which also defines the episode itself and the extremity of it. A decreasing trend in the cases of extreme precipitation of the European continent was found. It starts in the mid 60's and continues until the mid 70's. After that and until the end of the examined period, no significant trend was found. Seasonality of extreme precipitation cases and episodes is also studied. October and November are the two months that present the higher frequencies of such cases and episodes. In general, autumn months indicate the higher percentages of extreme precipitation, with winter and spring months to follow.