Armstrong Atlantic State University

Researchers have examined differences between free- and restricted-operant teaching arrangements while equating response and reinforcement rates. Preliminary data suggest that nonhuman organisms acquire novel discriminations more quickly under free-operant arrangements (Hachiya & Ito, 1991). In contrast, Bulla et al. (2024) found that humans learned novel discriminations more efficiently under restricted-operant arrangements. This study systematically replicates Bulla et al. (2024). We taught participants to say the corresponding numeral 0-10 for Hindi, Eastern Arabic, and Mandarin numbers. We assigned each number set to a free-operant, restricted-operant, or control teaching arrangement. The study assessed the effects of each arrangement across two phases: (1) acquisition and (2) frequency building. Additionally, data were collected on measures of fluency outcomes. Results suggest that participants acquired novel discriminations more quickly under restricted-operant arrangements. No major differences emerged in fluency outcomes when response-reinforcer relations remained equal. Procedural modifications are discussed to clarify distinctions between basic and translational findings.

Selective mono- or diaminations of 2,6-dibromopyridinewere performedusing microwave irradiation with water as solvent in 2–2.5h. The only significant difference between the syntheses was the inclusionof K2CO3 as base and CuI/DMPAO catalyst forthe diaminations. The mono- and diaminations had approximately 7 and2 g isolated yields, respectively. The monoaminated bromopyridineswere attached to a TREN scaffolding molecule yielding novel ligandsto support extended metal atom chain complexes.

AimRegular exercise is beneficial, but more exercise may not always benefit cardiovascular health (extreme exercise hypothesis). This is concerning, because ultramarathon participation is growing, but previous work on cardiovascular health among ultramarathon runners is equivocal. Prior work has not examined this population’s age-related differences in prognostic cardiovascular health metrics.PurposeMeasure brachial and central BP and arterial stiffness (carotid-to-femoral pulse wave velocity [cfPWV]) among ultramarathon runners.MethodsWe measured supine BP and cfPWV (SphygmoCor-XCEL) among 71 athletes (16 female/55 male; body mass index: 22.6 ± 1.8 kg/m2) 1–3 days before they competed in the 161-km Western States Endurance Run. We present data as mean ± SD. We analyzed the relation between age and central BP, brachial BP, and cfPWV with nonlinear (quadratic) regression.ResultsThere was a significant curvilinear relation between age (46 ± 10; range 26–69 years) and central (116 ± 8 mmHg, R2 = 0.18, P = 0.02) but not brachial (129 ± 9 mmHg, R2 = 0.06, P = 0.11) systolic BP. There was a significant relation between age and central (79 ± 7 mmHg, R2 = 0.24, P < 0.001) and brachial (78 ± 7 mmHg, R2 = 0.23, P < 0.001) diastolic BP. There was a significant (R2 = 0.31, P = 0.02) curvilinear relation between age and cfPWV (6.5 ± 1.0m/s). Average brachial systolic BP differed by + 1.4 mmHg/decade, and 86% of athletes had a cfPWV below age-predicted (mean difference: − 0.9 ± 1.0 m/s).ConclusionsThese are among the first data to characterize central BP and arterial stiffness across a wide age range of ultramarathon runners. Further work is needed to determine the longitudinal changes associated with training for and competing in ultramarathons.

Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) interventions that do not use extinction for target behavior offer a class of socially acceptable interventions that are feasible for decreasing target behavior and increasing alternative behavior. Past studies have investigated the influence of combinations of reinforcer dimension (i.e., quality, magnitude, immediacy) manipulations for the alternative response to favor alternative responding. An under-investigated area is reinforcer dimension manipulations for target behavior. If reinforcer parameter manipulations can be made to favor the alternative response that promotes allocation in this direction, reinforcer parameter manipulations can also be made that degrade reinforcement for the target response that may promote response allocation toward the alternative response. If effective, this unique approach may have clinical implications when reinforcement is concurrently available for multiple response options (e.g., DRA without extinction).We investigated if progressively degrading the quality of reinforcement for the target response resulted in decreased allocation toward this response option while simultaneously producing increased allocation toward the alternative response, even when the parameter for the alternative response remained unchanged or when it was associated with higher levels of effort in a translational paradigm. Results indicated that two of five participants demonstrated sensitivity to quality degradation such that an indifference point for quality was identified, and three participants demonstrated frequent switching such that indifference to quality was unclear.

Biological invasions disrupt ecosystems, economies, and disease transmission pathways, yet the mechanisms underlying invasion success remain debated. The Enemy Release Hypothesis (ERH) posits that non-native host populations thrive due to reduced path

Phenotypic plasticity is a major mechanism whereby organisms adjust their traits to changes in environmental conditions. In the context of range expansions, plasticity is especially important, as plastic changes in traits can lead to rapid adaptation. For these reasons, there has been growing interest in the role of molecular epigenetic processes in range expansions. One epigenetic process in particular, DNA methylation, enables organisms to adjust gene expression contingent on the environment, which suggests it may play a role in some invasions. Nevertheless, we know little about how methylation is regulated in wildlife, especially expression of the enzymes responsible for altering methyl marks on the genome. The most important forms of these enzymes in vertebrates are DNA methyltransferase 1, which largely maintains existing methyl marks, DNA methyltransferase 3, which creates most de novo methyl marks, and TET2, which is a major demethylator of CpG motifs, genomic regions where most methyl marks occur. In this study, we compared expression of these genes in three tissues (i.e., gut, liver, and spleen) of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) from 9 locations. Some sparrow populations derived from the native range (i.e., Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Vietnam) whereas others were introduced <150 years ago (i.e., Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Senegal). Our hypothesis was that non-native birds and/or birds from sites with comparatively unpredictable climates would express more of all three genes. We found, however, that DNMT expression differences, while extensive, were reversed of predictions: all three genes were expressed more in sparrows from the native range and from areas with more predictable temperatures. Surprisingly, gene expression was also strongly correlated among populations and within-individuals. Our results reveal no simple role for these enzymes in range expansions, but the appreciable among and within-population variation in these enzymes warrants more detailed investigations.

The success of introduced species often relies on flexible traits, including immune system traits. While theories predict non-natives will have weak defences due to decreased parasite pressure, effective parasite surveillance remains crucial, as infection risk is rarely zero and the evolutionary novelty of infection is elevated in non-native areas. This study examines the relationship between parasite surveillance and cytokine responsiveness in native and non-native house sparrows, hypothesizing that non-natives maintain high pathogen surveillance while avoiding costly inflammation. We made this specific prediction, as this pattern could enable invaders to effectively mitigate pathogen risk in a manner commensurate with the life-history priorities of a colonizing organism (i.e. rapid maturation and high reproductive effort). To test this hypothesis, we measured TLR-2 and TLR-4 expression, markers of pathogen surveillance and cytokine responses (changes in IL-1β and IL-10), regulators of inflammation, to a simulated bacterial infection. In non-native sparrows, we found that as TLR-4 expression increased, IL-1β and IL-10 responses decreased, a relationship not observed in native sparrows. Additionally, higher body condition predicted larger IL-1β and IL-10 responses in all birds. These findings suggest that high TLR-4 surveillance may mitigate strong inflammatory responses in non-native sparrows, with pathological and resource-based costs driving immune variation among and within populations.

The reaction of 2-(1H-pyrrol-1-yl)ethanol with 3-hydroxyflavone in the presence of copper(II) bromide yielded a dimeric copper(II) complex, [μ-O-(κ2-O,O-flav)(κ2-N,O-2PEO)Cu]2 (1) (flav = 3-hydroxyflavonolate; 2PEO = 2-(1H-pyrrol-1-yl)ethanolate) with both the flav and 2PEO ligands bound to the copper(II) atom in a κ2-bonding mode. The dimer is held electrostatically by bridging oxygen atoms between two copper atoms. Complex 1 was characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, infrared, and UV-Vis spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and melting point determination. The complex crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/n (14) with cell values of a = 11.85340(10) Å, b = 8.51480(10) Å, c = 23.8453(2) Å; β = 99.3920(10)°.

The Eagle Engineering Ambassadors (EEA) Program was first developed in Fall 2022 and launched in Spring 2023.The EEA Program is a mentorship based program involving