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Background Aspergillus terreus causes invasive aspergillosis (IA) in immunocompromised individuals and can be the leading cause of IA in certain medical centers. We examined a large isolate collection (n = 117) for the presence of cryptic A. terreus species and employed a genome scanning method, Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) PCR to determine A. terreus population structure. Results Comparative sequence analyses of the calmodulin locus revealed the presence of the recently recognized species A. alabamensis (n = 4) in this collection. Maximum parsimony, Neighbor joining, and Bayesian clustering of the ISSR data from the 113 sequence-confirmed A. terreus isolates demonstrated that one clade was composed exclusively of isolates from Europe and another clade was enriched for isolates from the US. Conclusions This study provides evidence of a population structure linked to geographical origin in A. terreus .

Current treatments for smoking yield suboptimal outcomes, partly because of an inability to reduce cue-induced smoking. Mindfulness training (MT) has shown preliminary efficacy for smoking cessation, yet its neurobiological target remains unknown. Our prior work with nonsmokers indicates that MT reduces posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) activity. In individuals who smoke, the PCC, consistently a main hub of the “default mode network,” activates in response to smoking cues. In this randomized controlled trial, we tested the effects of app-delivered MT on PCC reactivity to smoking cues and whether individual differences in MT-mediated PCC changes predicted smoking outcomes. Smoking cue-induced PCC reactivity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging at baseline and 1 month after receiving smartphone app-based MT (n = 33) vs. an active control (National Cancer Institute’s QuitGuide, n = 34). Whether individual differences in treatment-related changes in PCC activity predicted smoking behavior was assessed. The MT group demonstrated a significant correlation between a reduction in PCC reactivity to smoking cues and a decline in cigarette consumption (r = 0.39, p = 0.02). No association was found in the control group (r = 0.08, p = 0.65). No effects of group alone were found in PCC or cigarette reduction. Post hoc analysis revealed this association is sex specific (women, r = 0.49, p = 0.03; men: r = −0.08, p = 0.79). This initial report indicates that MT specifically reduces smoking cue-induced PCC activity in a subject-specific manner, and the reduction in PCC activity predicts a concurrent decline in smoking. These findings link the hypothesized behavioral effects of MT for smoking to neural mechanisms particularly in women. This lays the groundwork for identifying individuals who may benefit from targeted digital therapeutic treatments such as smartphone-based MT, yielding improved clinical outcomes.

Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) frequently include explicit persuasive appeals against abortion in their educational materials and resources. These appeals, despite the inaccurate claims typically made within, may be a crucial element within the persuasive communication process (Tan 2008; Kelly 2012). Further, their content may inform attitude change and development in the individuals to whom they are shown. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of explicitly non-credible anti-abortion appeals through the use of two different modes of CPC marketing materials that both discuss abortion and breast cancer. I was particularly interested in the perceptions of narrative credibility, as previous research has suggested that messages with lower levels of credibility may be more persuasive than messages with high levels of credibility (Dholakia and Sternthal 1977; Coursey 1992). Undergraduate students from Wake Forest University aged 18–23 were recruited through Facebook and e-mail advertisements to participate in a study regarding CPC marketing materials. Sixty students (N = 60) were randomly assigned to a stimulus material and asked to complete a post-exposure questionnaire. Levels of transportation, identification, narrative engagement, and perceptions of credibility were used to determine the effectiveness of narrative modality. Perceptions of credibility were not found to differ depending on stimulus material modality, nor did they predict attitudes toward abortion. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.

The plasticity of plant architecture is dependent on the plant's ability to respond to environmental cues. Vectorial cues such as gravity, light, oxygen, water, nutrients, and mechanical force guide the directional growth of plant organs, producing growth behaviors adaptive to specific environments. Few genes have been implicated in rapid plant responses to their mechanical environment. We conducted a proteomic screen to identify tris-buffer soluble root-tip proteins whose abundance varies early in the response to reorientation within the gravity field. SEC62-LIKE1 (SSL1), encoded by locus AT3G20920, is described here for the first time in plants. The staining intensity of spots on 2-D PAGE gels representing SSL1 increased within 12 minutes of the gravity or mechanical stimulus. Several independent mutant alleles of SSL1 are shown to display aberrant root-growth behavior on tilted hard-agar surfaces, suggesting a role for this gene in modulating this gravity- and touch-dependent process. One of the insertional mutants, named ssl1-2 FLAG, was further characterized. This loss-of-function mutation inhibits root skewing on hard-agar surfaces without affecting root gravitropism. The mutant also shows altered root growth in response to various mechanical stresses as compared to the wild type, and it displays adult phenotypes consistent with constitutive thigmomorphogenesis. It also shows increased sensitivity to a microtubule-destabilizing drug compared to the wild type. A SSL1 transgene rescues the adult phenotypes associated with ssl1-2FLAG. Taken together, our data are consistent with SSL1 functioning early in mechano-transduction, with possible effects on the organization and/or dynamic instability of cortical microtubules in expanding cells of the elongation zone.

Most people would now agree that home-schooling is a viable alternative academically. Many, however, may feel that socially, home-schooling is inferior to other forms of education.