Tests for Correlation on Bivariate Non-Normal Data

Two statistics are considered to test the population correlation for non-normally distributed bivariate data. A simulation study shows that both statistics control type I error rates well for left-tailed tests and have reasonable power performance

Tests for Correlation on Bivariate Nonnormal Distributions

Many samples in the real world are very small in size and often do not follow a normal distribution. Existing tests for correlation have restrictions on the distribution of data and sample sizes, therefore the current tests cannot be used in some real world situations. In this thesis, two tests are considered to test hypotheses about the population correlation coefficient. The tests are based on statistics transformed by a saddlepoint approximation and by Fisher\u27s Z-transformation. The tests are conducted on small samples of bivariate nonnormal data and found to perfom well. Simulations were run in order to compare the type I error rates and power of the new test with other commonly used tests. The new tests controlled type I error rates well, and have reasonable power performance

Research Notes : Canada : On the response of the Rpsl-b allele to race 17 of Phytophthora megasperma f. sp. Glycinea

The first report of the interaction between race 17 of Phytophthora megasperma f. sp. glycinea (Pmg) and the Rpsl-b allele was made by Keeling (1982) in his initial report on this race. Keeling (1982) reported that \u27Sanga\u27 (Rpsl-b) gave a resistant response to race 17, but that PI 171442 (Rps3) and \u27Tracy\u27, which possesses the Rpsl-b and Rps3 alleles (Athow et al., 1979), gave a susceptible response. The relative responses of Tracy and Sanga were unexpected, since, in all cases studied to date, an Rps allele for resistance is epistatic to Rps alleles for susceptibility at any loci (e.g., Athow et al., 1980; Layton et al., 1984; Ploper et al., 1985; Athow et al., 1986)

Research Notes: Progress in Obtaining Soybean Haploids 2n=20

Male sterility gene ms 1 from North Carolina was transferred to maturity groups I, II, and III over the last few years to facilitate the use in Wisconsin of the twinning and haploidy phenomena associated with ms1ms1 plants. In 1975 we had an extended fall growing season and seed was obtained from several hundred male sterile ms 1ms1 plants, representing maturity groups I, II, III, IV, and V. Honey bees were used as pollinators

Research Notes: University of Wisconsin

Tissue culture methods may benefit soybean breeders if whole plants can be differentiated from aneuploid, mutated, fused, or haploid cells. However, in order to realize this potential, it must be possible to derive plantlets from previously undifferentiated tissues - and ultimately from masses of callus cells. This report summarizes the information we obtained concerning adventitious budding from soybean tissues (Kimball and Bingham, 1973), early stages of embryo formation within masses of callus cells, and actual differentiation of plantlets from callus tissue

The Relationship Among Gastrointestinal Symptoms, Problem Behaviors, and Internalizing Symptoms in Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Background: Many individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have co-occurring gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, but the etiology is poorly understood. These GI symptoms often coincide with problem behaviors and internalizing symptoms, which reduces the quality of life for these individuals.Methods: This study examined the relationships among GI problems, problem behaviors, and internalizing symptoms in a sample of 340 children and adolescents with ASD who are patients at the University of Missouri Thompson Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders.Results: The majority of patients experienced constipation (65%), about half experienced stomachaches or stomach pain (47.9%), and others experienced nausea (23.2%) or diarrhea (29.7%). Young children with aggressive problem behaviors were 11.2% more likely to have co-occurring nausea; whereas, older children showed more complex relationships between internalizing symptoms and GI symptoms. Older children with greater anxiety symptoms were 11% more likely to experience constipation, but 9% less likely to experience stomachaches. Older children with greater withdrawn behavior were 10.9% more likely to experience stomachaches, but 8.7% less likely to experience constipation. Older children with greater somatic complaints were 11.4% more likely to experience nausea and 11.5% more likely to experience stomachaches.Conclusions: Results suggest that the presentation of externalizing problem behavior and internalizing symptoms associated with GI problems differs between young children and older children with ASD. Therefore, behavior may have different relationships with GI symptoms at different ages, which may have implications for the treatment of and clinical approach to GI disturbances in ASD

Effect of Propranolol on Functional Connectivity in Autism Spectrum Disorder—A Pilot Study

A decrease in interaction between brain regions is observed in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is believed to be related to restricted neural network access in ASD. Propranolol, a beta-adrenergic antagonist, has revealed benefit during performance of tasks involving flexibility of access to networks, a benefit also seen in ASD. Our goal was to determine the effect of propranolol on functional connectivity in ASD during a verbal decision making task as compared to nadolol, thereby accounting for the potential spurious fMRI effects due to peripheral hemodynamic effects of propranolol. Ten ASD subjects underwent fMRI scans after administration of placebo, propranolol or nadolol, while performing a phonological decision making task. Comparison of functional connectivity between pre-defined ROI-pairs revealed a significant increase with propranolol compared to nadolol, suggesting a potential imaging marker for the cognitive effects of propranolol in ASD

Baseline skin conductance level as a predictor of response to propranolol for anxiety and other clinical outcomes in autism spectrum disorder

"Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition indicated by deficits in social and communication skills, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors. A meta analysis found that anxiety is comorbid in up to half of the individuals studied (Van Steensel , 2011), with other studies seeing anxiety in up to 84% of individuals with ASD (Santosh and Singh, 2016). This demonstrates the prevalence of co occurring anxiety is very high in ASD patients. Currently there is no diagnostic biomarker nor any proven pharmacological means of treating the hallmark features of ASD. Furthermore, the effectiveness of pharmaceutical agents for mood disturbances in ASD are unclear, thus more research is necessary to find evidence supporting a standard treatment for anxiety in ASD. Research suggests that anxiety correlates with increased sympathetic tone. Because sweating is solely controlled by sympathetic activity, as sweat gland activity rises, it can be quantified by a rise in electrical skin conductance levels (SCL), which may indicate higher levels of anxiety. Propranolol, a beta adrenergic antagonist, blocks the physiologic effects of sympathetic tone and is widely used for its anxiolytic effects in those without ASD. However, more research is needed to better understand its use for anxiety in ASD. We are interested to know whether higher SCL might act as a biomarker to predict a patient’s response to propranolol use for anxiety in ASD patients. We hypothesize that individuals within the ASD population with higher SCL experience increased anxiety, and that greater changes in SCL from baseline to the end of the study may predict a greater response to propranolol use for anxiety in autistic patients."--Introduction