Effect of Potential Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) Repellents on the Distribution of Juvenile Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in a Laboratory Environment

Recent studies have begun to consider the use of chemosensory alarm cues as potential repellents of invasive Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus Linnaeus, 1758) in the Great Lakes Basin. An important factor in determining the efficacy of potential P. marinus repellents is whether they are species-specific. To that end, using laboratory stream channels, this study investigated whether a non-target species, the Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum, 1792), would change their distribution in response to damage-released P. marinus alarm cues, potential mammalian predator cues, and damage-released conspecific cues. In groups of 10 individuals per replicate, with 10 replicates per stimulus type, subjects were exposed to one of the following treatment types: deionized water (control), P. marinus extract (heterospecific alarm cue), O. mykiss extract (conspecific alarm cue), 2-phenylethylamine hydrochloride (potential predator cue), and human saliva (potential predator cue). None of the stimuli induced a significant avoidance response during the stimulus observation period as compared to the control. These findings provide preliminary support for the species-specific nature of these proposed alternative P. marinus control measures.

Quantitative Assessment of Handedness and Cerebral Lateralization

Handedness is the most studied human asymmetry due to its connection to various lateralized behaviours and hence many studies have focused on developing a valid assessment. One of the most popular is the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (EHI), however, its psychometric properties have been questioned and due to its complex response format, various modified versions of EHI are in use. One of them is a 7-item questionnaire produced by Dragovic and Milenkovic (2013), which seeks to reduce a potentially continuous variable to a categorical one by clearly classifying people as right- or left- handed. The purpose of this study was to develop a questionnaire to more accurately quantify mixed-handedness as a continuous variable, and to investigate the correlation between Dragovic’s modified 7-item EHI, new items created for this study, and three performance measures (grooved pegboard, finger-tapping and grip strength/dynamometer). A total of 113 self-reported right-, left- and mixed-handed participants were randomly recruited to complete the questionnaire and behavioural measures. The questionnaire data was submitted to exploratory factor analysis and resulting factor scores were examined for correlations with behavioural tests. Compared to the modified EHI, the questionnaire showed a more continuous grading of handedness. Moreover, the degree of handedness on the questionnaire showed a stronger correlation with all the performance measures than the performance measures had amongst themselves. These findings show that the novel questionnaire with modern-day items can provide an accurate estimate of the degree of mixed-handedness in both right- and left-handed individuals. Future studies should examine these measures on a larger sample of left-handed and ambidextrous people, who tend to be more variable than right-handers in their usage. The questionnaire can also be suitable for studying the relationship between variable handedness and other aspects of brain lateralization.

Physiological Responses of Coral Reef Species to Emerging Threats of Anthropogenic Climate Change

Anthropogenic climate change is a threat to countless species and ecosystems around the world, including the coral reefs. Coral Reefs provide habitat to hundreds of thousands of species and play a big role in maintaining biological diversity. Unfortunately, around 50-70% of all coral reefs are under direct threat from human activities such as deforestation and overfishing. Major threats to the survival of coral reefs include increasing sea surface temperatures and ocean acidification, as they lead to bleaching and reduction in coral calcification. Due to the rapidly changing climate, conservation efforts should be aimed at protecting species that can tolerate a wide range of temperatures and buffer pH changes. This paper discusses recent research on tolerance and persistence of various species that make up the coral reefs and how this information can be integrated into current conservation practices to better protect the coral reefs.

Hypocrisy and Moral Justification: Do Consequences and Reasons Make a Difference?

In this experiment, we examined if an act of hypocrisy would be judged as more morally justified if it (a) led to a lenient consequence versus a harsh consequence for another person and (b) was done for an other-focused versus self-focused reason. The experiment was implemented via an online study that used a 3 x 3 between-groups factorial design that manipulated the consequences of, and reasons for, an act of hypocrisy. We found that hypocrisy that led to a harsh consequence for another person was viewed as less morally justified than the same harsh act that occurred in the absence of hypocrisy, p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 0.56, or when hypocrisy led to a lenient consequence for another person, p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = -.87. The reason given for the hypocritical act did not impact perceptions of moral justification, p = .67, η2 < .01, nor was there an interaction between consequences and reason, p = .49, η2 = .03. These results support the hypothesis that hypocrisy was judged negatively because it led to harsh consequences for others; however, our research leaves open the question of whether hypocrisy can be explained away with a compelling reason or not.

Are you still watching?

Netflix and other streaming services have become extremely popular over the last few years. Although streaming through online services is often thought of as self-care and relaxation, binge-watching has become a common watching pattern. This opinion-editorial will report upon the ways binge-watching leads to daily challenges and long-term consequences when it comes to our mental and physical health, socialization and ability to reach goals. Furthermore, it will discuss important implementations that will reduce the negative effects associated with binge-watching to aid in the pursuit of self-control.

Emotional Responsiveness in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Review of Self-Report and Physiological Measures.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental disorder characterized by emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and interpersonal problems, has historically been conceptualized by generalized heightened intensity and reactivity. However, findings regarding emotional responsiveness in adults with BPD are mixed. The current review aimed to critically assess and compare self-report and physiological research of emotional responsiveness in adults with BPD by electronic searching of relevant databases, with 6 articles meeting inclusion criteria. Specifically, results from self-report and physiological measures are compared in an attempt to synthesize similarities and differences. The results suggest a negativity bias in BPD, indicating that BPD patients exhibit heightened negative emotional reactivity, particularly in response to BPD-specific emotional stimuli. Additionally, limitations of individual studies and of the current review are discussed, with potential directions for future research.

In Vitro Treg Immunosuppression Assay of GITR Proteins Could Elucidate the Autoimmune-mediated Mechanism Underlying Type 1 Narcolepsy

Type 1 narcolepsy is a hypersomnia sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleep and shallow NREM nighttime sleep. Deficiency of hypocretin-1 secreting neurons in the lateral hypothalamus is the primary cause of the disorder and studies demonstrated that these neurons were solely diminished in a brain region of remarkable heterogeneous neuronal population. Specific destruction of targeted neurons could be achieved via antigen presentation to immune cells, a characteristic of cell-mediated response in the adaptive immune system. Given that hypocretin-1 neurons were exclusively targeted, this cultivated significant interest in searching for an autoimmune-mediated mechanism but studies currently lack adequate knowledge and consistent results. In this research proposal, it is hypothesized that enhanced glucocorticoid-induced TNFR-related (GITR) protein expression in T regulatory (Treg) cells results in defective suppression capacity of CD4+CD25+ T helper cells and defective self-tolerance thereby promoting destruction of hypocretin-1 secreting-neurons in the lateral hypothalamus of narcoleptics. The proposal devises a correlational study to measure cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) hypocretin-1 levels that were inversely proportional to GITR expression levels in Treg cells to assess the autoimmune nature of the disorder. This study is aimed at investigating how defective T regulatory cells respond in type 1 narcolepsy patients via CSF hypocretin-1 measurement and in vitro human T regulatory cell suppression assay.

A Literature Review of the Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and Possible Uses of Spironolactone

Spironolactone (SL) is an antimineralocorticoid derived from progesterone, and was therefore developed as a diuretic for hypertension and edema treatment (Kolkhof & Barfacker, 2017). As a prodrug, its effects are largely mediated by its metabolites, 7α-thiomethylspironolactone and canrenone (Janowski et al., 1996), which are ultimately eliminated through the urine (Abshagen et al., 1977). Later on, it was discovered that SL also exhibits moderate antiandrogenic activity due to its structural similarity to progesterone (Menard, 2004), allowing it to be used as an off-label treatment for hyperandrogenism and its associated symptoms, such as hirsutism and acne (Voegli et al., 2009). As researchers continue to elucidate the role of mineralocorticoid receptors in cognition and behaviour, new possibilities for SL as an anxiolytic may also emerge in the future (Otte et al., 2007). With all that being said, SL’s sexual side-effects, especially in males, continue to limit the various applications of this multi-use drug.