J, Volume 1, Issue 1 (December 2018) – 18 articles

Co-dominant markers’ data are often analysed as if they were dominant markers, an over-simplification that may be misleading. Addressing this, the present paper aims to provide a practical guide to the analysis of co-dominant data and selection of suitable software. An overview is provided of the computational methods and basic principles necessary for statistical analyses of co-dominant molecular markers to determine genetic diversity and molecular characterization of germplasm collections. The Hardy–Weinberg principle is at the base of statistical methods to determine genetic distance, genetic diversity, and its distribution among and within populations. Six statistical software packages named GenAlEx, GDA, Power Marker, Cervus, Arlequin, and Structure are compared and contrasted. The different software packages were selected based on: (i) The ability to analyze co-dominant data, (ii) open access software, (iii) ease of downloading, and (iv) ease of running using a Microsoft Window interface. The software packages are compared analyzing the same dataset. Differences among parameters are discussed together with the comments on some of the software outputs. Full article

Industrial hemp is a non-psychoactive variety of Cannabis sativa L., i.e., it contains less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinols (THC). This crop is one of historical importance in the U.S. as manufacturers seek industrial hemp as a renewable and sustainable resource for a wide variety of consumer and industrial products. To help farmers succeed, agronomic research on industrial hemp is needed. In this trial, investigations were performed to determine whether magneto-priming, a form of seed priming that involves magnetic fields, effects the germination percentage of industrial hemp seed. Beneficial effects of magnetic fields on seedling growths and germination have been reported for many different plant species. Dry industrial hemp seed was exposed to static magnetic fields ranging from 65 ± 3 to 505 ± 8 mT for 2 h prior to seed germination. Germination was performed at 13.6 ± 0.7 °C, a temperature that is representative of the germination temperatures of industrial hemp in the U.S. state of Colorado. Magneto-priming of seed had no statistically significant effect on seed germination percentage. Full article

We develop a new probabilistic forecasting method for global horizontal irradiation (GHI) by extending our previous bootstrap method to a case of an exponentially decaying heteroscedastic model for tracking dynamics in solar radiance. Our previous method catered for the global systematic variation in variance of solar radiation, whereas our new method also caters for the local variation in variance. We test the performance of our new probabilistic forecasting method against our old probabilistic forecasting method at three locations: Adelaide, Darwin, and Mildura. These locations are chosen to represent three distinct climates. The prediction interval coverage probability, prediction interval normalized averaged width and Winkler score results from our new probabilistic forecasting method are encouraging. Our new method performs better than our previous method at Adelaide and Mildura; regions with a higher proportion of clear-sky days, whereas our previous method performs better than our new method at Darwin; a region with a lower proportion of clear-sky days. These results suggest that the ideal probabilistic forecasting method might be climate specific. Full article

Based on the seminal paper of Case, Quigley, and Shiller (2013), we investigated the effects of financial and housing wealth on consumption. Using quarterly data from 1975 to 2016 for all states of the U.S. economy, and a different methodology in measuring wealth, we report relatively greater financial effects than housing effects on consumption. Specifically, in our basic utilized model, the calculated elasticity for financial wealth was 0.060, while for housing it was 0.045. The results were not in agreement with the ones obtained by Case, Quigley, and Shiller. In an attempt to investigate this disparity, we proceeded by incorporating the introduction of the Tax Reform Act in 1986, which increased incentives for owner-occupied housing investments. Finally, due to distributional factors at work, and taking into account the pronounced uneven distribution of wealth, we investigated the effects of wealth for eight states that included the metropolitan areas comprising the well-known Case–Shiller 10 City Composite Index. Now the housing effect on consumption was much stronger and larger than the financial effect. Additionally, we forecasted the consumption changes at the time of high rise and large drops in house prices for these states. Forecasts showed a recession from the fall of Lehman Brothers until the fourth quarter of 2011. These forecasts were not verified. Probably, the new techniques used by policies played an important role. We also found that extreme behaviors cannot be predicted. Full article

It currently remains unclear whether parabens, which are preservatives added to cosmetics, shampoos, and personal care products that exhibit biocidal activities, exert allergic effects in adults. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between the use of parabens and the prevalence of allergic diseases in Japanese adults. This population-based cross-sectional study comprised 2005 participants aged 40 years or older living in Shika Town in Japan who answered a self-administered questionnaire on allergic diseases and the daily use of household goods. The information obtained was then analyzed to assess the exposure to parabens (response rate: 77.9%). The prevalence of nasal allergies, atopic conjunctivitis, and total allergies was significantly higher in women who used parabens. These differences remained significant after adjustments for confounding factors including age, body mass index, smoking, alcohol, exercise, sleep, income, education, and marital status. No relationship between the prevalence of atopic dermatitis and the use of parabens was observed in men or women. However, the present results demonstrated that the prevalence of nasal allergies and atopic conjunctivitis was associated with use of parabens in women, suggesting that parabens may induce allergic responses. Full article

Alcoholic fermentation is a key step in wine production. Indeed, a wide range of compounds, which strongly affect the sensory properties of wine, is produced during this process. While Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cultures are commonly employed in winemaking to carry on the fermentation process, some non-Saccharomyces species have recently gained attention due to their ability to produce various metabolites of oenological interest. The use of different yeasts strains usually results in wines with different sensory properties, despite being obtained from the same grape variety. In this paper, we tested the feasibility of using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) to discriminate among red wines from three different grape varieties produced with pure S. cerevisiae or by mixed fermentation with a promising non-Saccharomyces yeast, namely the Starmeriella bacillaris, which usually yields wines with significant amounts of glycerol and low levels of ethanol, acetic acid, and acetaldehyde. A principal component analysis (PCA) performed on the NIR spectra was used to search for differences in the samples. The NIR results have been compared with both basic wine parameters and sensory analysis data. Full article

Monthly length-frequency data, from 2009 to 2014, was used to estimate the growth parameters, mortality, and spawning season, and to assess the exploitation status of Thryssa vitrirostris (Engraulidae) fisheries in Pebane. The von Bertalanffy asymptotic length (L_∞) and growth rate (K) were 25.1 cm (standard length) and 0.41 per year (standard length), respectively. Two proxy recruitment peaks were found: the first peak of recruitment occurs from April to July, and the second recruitment peak from September to October. The total estimated mortality rates (Z), natural mortality (M), and fishing mortality (F) were Z = 1.31, M = 0.92, and F = 0.39. For the beach seine gear, the size at first catch of T. vitrirostris was Lc₂₅ = 4.43 cm. The 50% retention size of the catch was Lc₅₀ = 5.39 cm. The retention probability analyses revealed a large rate of juvenile fishing mortality (54.2%). The estimated exploitation rate (0.30) was below the maximum exploitation rate (0.48), and above the optimal sustainable exploitation rate (E₅₀ = 0.28), evidencing a sustainable fishery. However, under such an exploitation regime, it is advised that a continuously monitoring-survey of T. vitrirostris is maintained. An increase in migration of fishermen has been recently recorded in Pebane, due to its rich fisheries, which can increase the fishing effort and the risk of overexploitation if management measures (such as mesh size increase) are not taken in advance. Full article

Taste buds are the dedicated sensory end organs of taste, comprising a complex and evolving profile of signaling elements. The sensation and ultimate perception of taste depends on the expression of a diverse array of receptors and channels that sense their respective tastes. Receptor regulation is a recognized and well-studied phenomenon in many systems, observed in opioid addiction, insulin resistance and caffeine tolerance. Results from human sensory studies suggest that receptor sensitivity or expression level may decrease after chronic exposure to respective tastants through diet. We review data supporting the theory that taste receptors may become downregulated with exposure to a specific tastant, along with presenting data from a small pilot study, showing the impact of long-term tastant exposure on taste receptor expression in mice. Mice treated with monosodium salt monohydrate (MSG), saccharin and NaCl (typically appetitive tastes) all displayed a significant decrease in mRNA expression for respective umami, sweet and salty receptors/sensory channels. Reduced sensitivity to appetitive tastes may promote overconsumption of foods high in such stimuli. Full article

Cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1), an interleukin-6 family cytokine, is known as an active inducer capable of cardiac hypertrophy and vascular stiffness in hypertensive heart disease. CT-1 is expressed at high levels in the heart, vascular endothelial cells (ECs), and adipocytes. CT-1 stimulates inflammatory and proatherogenic molecule expression in human monocytes and ECs, as well as monocyte-EC adhesion. CT-1 enhances oxidized low-density lipoprotein-induced foam-cell formation in human monocyte-derived macrophages. CT-1 stimulates the migration, proliferation, and colloagen-1 production in human vascular smooth muscle cells. Chronic CT-1 infusion into Apoe^−/− mice accelerates the development of aortic atherosclerotic lesions. CT-1 is expressed at high levels in ECs and macrophage foam cells within atheromatous plaques in Apoe^−/− mice. A blockade of CT-1 using anti-CT-1 neutralizing antibody results in the prevention of atherogenesis in Apoe^−/− mice. Plasma CT-1 concentrations are elevated in patients with hypertensive heart disease, ischemic heart disease, and metabolic syndrome, and are positively associated with the severity of cardiac hypertrophy, heart failure, and atherosclerosis. Increased plasma concentration of CT-1 is a predictor of death and heart failure following acute myocardial infarction. Therefore, CT-1 serves a novel therapeutic target for atherosclerosis and related diseases. Plasma CT-1 may be a reliable biomarker for atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. Full article

Exposure to trauma increases the long-term risk of mortality, and experiencing non-fatal physical assault is not an exception. To better understand population heterogeneity in this link, the current study explored Black–White differences in the association between history of non-fatal physical assault and risk of all-cause mortality over a 25-year period in the United States. Data came from the Americans’ Changing Lives (ACL) study that followed 3617 non-institutionalized respondents for up to 25 years. History of non-fatal physical assault at baseline was the predictor. Outcome was time to death due to all-cause mortality during follow-up from baseline (1986) to follow-up (2011). Confounders included gender, age, and baseline socio-economic status (education and income), health behaviors (smoking and drinking), and health status (chronic medical conditions, self-rated health, and body mass index). Race was the moderator. Cox regressions were used for multi-variable analysis. History of non-fatal physical assault at baseline was associated with an increased risk of mortality, above and beyond baseline socioeconomic status, health behaviors, and health status. Race interacted with history of non-fatal physical assault on mortality, suggesting a stronger effect for Whites compared to Blacks. In race-specific models, history of non-fatal physical assault was associated with risk of mortality for Whites but not Blacks. The current study showed that experiencing non-fatal physical assault increases the risk of premature death above and beyond demographics, socioeconomic status, health behaviors, and health status. Experiencing non-fatal physical assault may have a larger effect on premature mortality among Whites than Blacks. Future research is needed on how Blacks and Whites differ in the health consequences of social adversities. Full article

Growth hormone (GH) deficiency affects up to one in 4000 children and is usually treated with daily injections of GH whilst the child is still growing. With children typically diagnosed at around five years old, this can mean over 10 years of therapy, which can place a considerable burden on the child and the parent. Over three-quarters of children are estimated to be not fully compliant with therapy, which can compromise their chances of attaining their target height. In recent years, interactive mobile health (smart phone or tablet) interventions using game-like concepts, so called ‘gamification’, have increased in popularity and have demonstrated success in promoting positive self-management behaviour in children with chronic conditions, such as diabetes. The application of gamified interventions has the potential to support adherence to therapy and positive behaviour in children with GH deficiency in a number of ways: (1) By providing education in a format that the child understands and accepts (e.g., using behavioural constructs to facilitate explaining why adherence is important); (2) By providing a mechanism to reduce the anxiety and stress associated with administering the injection (e.g., diversion with a virtual pet); and (3) By providing feedback to encourage ongoing engagement (e.g., rewards, progression through levels). Full article

Taurine, which is abundant in mammalian tissues, especially in the heart, is essential for cellular osmoregulation. We previously reported that taurine deficiency leads to changes in the levels of several metabolites, suggesting that alterations in those metabolites might compensate in part for tissue taurine loss, a process that would be important in maintaining cardiac homeostasis. In this study, we investigated the molecular basis for changes in the metabolite profile of a taurine-deficient heart using pathway analysis based on the transcriptome and metabolome profile in the hearts of taurine transporter knockout mice (TauTKO mice), which have been reported by us. First, the genes associated with transport activity, such as the solute carrier (SLC) family, are increased in TauTKO mice, while the established transporters for metabolites that are elevated in the TauTKO heart, such as betaine and carnitine, are not altered by taurine deficiency. Second, the integrated analysis using transcriptome and metabolome data revealed significant increases and/or decreases in the genes involved in Arginine metabolism, Ketone body degradation, Glycerophospholipid metabolism, and Fatty acid metabolism in the KEGG pathway database. In conclusion, these pathway analyses revealed genetic compensatory mechanisms involved in the control of the metabolome profile of the taurine-deficient heart. Full article

Rural American youth exhibit pronounced health disparities. This study enlists insights from an economy of scale paradigm to determine the relative effects of serving smaller versus larger client groups in an assembly-style school-based behavioral health promotion program. Evaluation results are reported from a three-year intervention delivered to eighth-grade and tenth-grade rural Mississippi students from 2012 to 2015. The program, I Got U: Healthy Life Choices for Teens, coupled a day-long intensive immersion in youth risk prevention and mental health promotion with school-based information dissemination. Results reveal robust effectiveness in program years 1 and 2, during which caps of 175 attendees per event were imposed. Salutary results were no longer evident during year 3, when larger venues were used to serve over three times the number of students per event. This program teaches valuable lessons about the potential for diminishing returns yielded by an economy of scale approach to implementation. Full article

Background. Although the protective effects of socioeconomic status (SES) on health behaviors are well-known, according to the minorities’ diminished return theory, the health return of SES, particularly educational attainment, is systemically smaller for minorities than Whites. Aims. The current study explored Black–White differences in the effects of educational attainment and income on the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Methods. This cross-sectional study used the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 2017 (n = 3217). HINTS is a nationally representative survey of American adults. The current analysis included 2277 adults who were either non-Hispanic White (n = 1868; 82%) or non-Hispanic Black (n = 409; 18%). The independent variables in this study were SES (educational attainment and income). The dependent variable was consumption of fruits and vegetables. Race was the focal moderator. Results. In the overall sample, high educational attainment and income were associated with higher consumption of fruits and vegetables. Race moderated the effect of educational attainment but not income on the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Conclusion. In line with the past research in the United States, Whites constantly gain more health benefits from the very same educational attainment than Blacks. The health gain from income is more equal across races than the health gain from educational attainment. Such diminished returns may be due to racism across institutions in the United States. Full article

Filamentous fungi such as Aspergillus spp. are opportunistic pathogens, which cause highly invasive infections, especially in immunocompromised individuals. Control of such fungal pathogens is increasingly problematic due to the small number of effective drugs available for treatment. Moreover, the increased incidence of fungal resistance to antifungal agents makes this problem a global human health issue. The cell wall integrity system of fungi is the target of antimycotic drugs echinocandins, such as caspofungin (CAS). However, echinocandins cannot completely inhibit the growth of filamentous fungal pathogens, which results in survival/escape of fungi during treatment. Chemosensitization was developed as an alternative intervention strategy, where co-application of CAS with the intervention catalyst octyl gallate (OG; chemosensitizer) greatly enhanced CAS efficacy, thus achieved ≥99.9% elimination of filamentous fungi in vitro. Based on hypersensitive responses of Aspergillus antioxidant mutants to OG, it is hypothesized that, besides destabilizing cell wall integrity, the redox-active characteristic of OG may further debilitate the fungal antioxidant system. Full article

Preferences for the delivery of department-led mentorship programs are important to understanding and closing the gap between mentorship need and mentorship actualization. The objective of this paper is to, therefore, describe the perceived needs and barriers to mentorship in a postgraduate psychiatry program through separate mixed-methods surveys for psychiatry residents and health sciences faculty at a Canadian University. The surveys explored (1) the prevalence of mentorship, (2) barriers to adequate mentorship, and (3) program initiatives that could address these barriers. Qualitative responses were analyzed using an inductive analytic approach. The results of both surveys revealed that while psychiatry residents and faculty believed mentorship to be important for career success, fewer than half of residents (33%) or faculty (47%) reported receiving mentorship in the department. Residents and faculty ranked lack of exposure to mentorship, and lack of time as their top barrier to mentorship, respectively. The following components of a mentorship program were described as ideal: (1) the ability to choose one's own mentor, (2) training sessions for mentors, and (3) faculty mentoring webpage profiles to facilitate the matching of interests. Respondents suggested that mentoring program developers should foster a culture encouraging mentorship, seek mentors outside of regular program-related supervision, allow mentees to choose a mentor, and establishing structure, through aligning expectations and goal setting in mentoring relationships. There is a gap between desire for mentorship and actualization. Program developers in psychiatry medical education may choose to incorporate these findings to enhance mentorship. Full article

Clinical trials of drugs for Alzheimer’s disease have called into question the role of amyloid in the disease. The reasons several drugs recently failed clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease are presented. An alternative approach with a traditional plant medicine is discussed. The pharmacology of the phytochemicals found in the plant medicine is provided. Full article