Regression, developmental trajectory and associated problems in disorders in the autism spectrum: the SNAP study

We report rates of regression and associated findings in a population derived group of 255 children aged 9-14 years, participating in a prevalence study of autism spectrum disorders (ASD); 53 with narrowly defined autism, 105 with broader ASD and 97 with non-ASD neurodevelopmental problems, drawn from those with special educational needs within a population of 56,946 children. Language regression was reported in 30% with narrowly defined autism, 8% with broader ASD and less than 3% with developmental problems without ASD. A smaller group of children were identified who underwent a less clear setback. Regression was associated with higher rates of autistic symptoms and a deviation in developmental trajectory. Regression was not associated with epilepsy or gastrointestinal problems

Global Patterns of Terrestrial Biological Nitrogen (N2) Fixation in Natural Ecosystems

Human activities have clearly caused dramatic alterations of the terrestrial nitrogen cycle, and analyses of the extent and effects of such changes are now common in the scientific literature. However, any attempt to evaluate N cycling processes within ecosystems, as well as anthropogenic influences on the N cycle, requires an understanding of the magnitude of inputs via biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). Although there have been many studies addressing the microbiology, physiology, and magnitude of N fixation at local scales, there are very few estimates of BNF over large scales. We utilized \u3e100 preexisting published estimates of BNF to generate biome- and global-level estimates of biological N fixation. We also used net primary productivity (NPP) and evapotranspiration (ET) estimates from the Century terrestrial ecosystem model to examine global relationships between these variables and BNF as well as to compare observed and Century-modeled BNF. Our data-based estimates showed a strong positive relationship between ecosystem ET and BNF, and our analyses suggest that while the model\u27s simple relationships for BNF predict broad scale patterns, they do not capture much of the variability or magnitude of published rates. Patterns of BNF were also similar to patterns of ecosystem NPP. Our “best estimate” of potential nitrogen fixation by natural ecosystems is ∼195 Tg N yr−1, with a range of 100–290 Tg N yr−1. Although these estimates do not account for the decrease in natural N fixation due to cultivation, this would not dramatically alter our estimate, as the greatest reductions in area have occurred in systems characterized by relatively low rates of N fixation (e.g., grasslands). Although our estimate of BNF in natural ecosystems is similar to previously published estimates of terrestrial BNF, we believe that this study provides a more documented, constrained estimate of this important flux

Analytic Metaphysics versus Naturalized Metaphysics: The Relevance of Applied Ontology

The relevance of analytic metaphysics has come under criticism: Ladyman & Ross, for instance, have suggested do discontinue the field. French & McKenzie have argued in defense of analytic metaphysics that it develops tools that could turn out to be useful for philosophy of physics. In this article, we show first that this heuristic defense of metaphysics can be extended to the scientific field of applied ontology, which uses constructs from analytic metaphysics. Second, we elaborate on a parallel by French & McKenzie between mathematics and metaphysics to show that the whole field of analytic metaphysics, being useful not only for philosophy but also for science, should continue to exist as a largely autonomous field

Evaluation of 3D/2D Imaging and Image Processing Techniques for the Monitoring of Seed Imbibition

Seed imbibition is a very important process in plant biology by which, thanks to a simple water income, a dry seed may turn into a developing organism. In natural conditions, this process occurs in the soil, e.g., with difficult access for a direct observation. Monitoring the seed imbibition with non-invasive imaging techniques is therefore an important and possibly challenging task if one tries to perform it in natural conditions. In this report, we describe a set of four different imaging techniques that enable to addressing this task either in 3D or in 2D. For each technique, the following items are proposed. A detailed experimental protocol is provided to acquire images of the imbibition process. With the illustration of real data, the significance of the physical quantities measured in terms of their relation to the income of water in the seed is presented. Complete image analysis pipelines are then proposed to extract dynamic information on the imbibition process from such monitoring experiments. A final discussion compares the advantages and current limitations of each technique in addition to elements concerning the associated throughput and cost. These are criteria especially relevant in the field of plant phenotyping where large populations of plants are imaged to produce quantitatively significative traits after image processin

Alterations of prolyl endopeptidase activity in the plasma of children with autistic spectrum disorders

BACKGROUND: Prolyl Endopeptidase (PEP, EC 3.4.21.26), a cytosolic endopeptidase, hydrolyses peptide bonds on the carboxyl side of proline residue in proteins with a relatively small molecular weight. It has been shown that altered PEP activity is associated with various psychological diseases such as schizophrenia, mania and depression. Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are neuropsychiatric and behavioural syndromes affecting social behaviours and communication development. They are classified as developmental disorders. The aim of this study was to examine the hypothesis that PEP activity is also associated with ASDs. METHODS: Fluorometric assay was used to measure PEP activity in EDTA plasma in children with ASD (n = 18) aged 4–12 years (mean ± SD: 7.9 ± 2.5). These results were then compared to PEP activity in a control group of non-ASD children (n = 15) aged 2–10 years (mean ± SD: 6.4 ± 2.2). RESULTS: An alteration in PEP activity was found in the children with ASD compared to the control group. There was much greater variation of PEP activity in the group of ASD children when compared to the controls (SD= 39.9 and SD 9.6, respectively). This variation was significant (p < 0.0005), although the mean level of PEP activity in the group of ASD children was slightly higher than in the control group (124.4 and 134.1, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our preliminary finding suggests a role for PEP enzyme in the pathophysiology of autism but further research should be conducted to establish its role in the aetiology of psychiatric and neurological disorders, including autism and related spectrum disorders

A Systematic Analysis of Metal and Metalloid Concentrations in Eight Zebrafish Recirculating Water Systems

Metals and metalloids are integral to biological processes and play key roles in physiology and metabolism. Nonetheless, overexposure to some metals or lack of others can lead to serious health consequences. In this study, eight zebrafish facilities collaborated to generate a multielement analysis of their centralized recirculating water systems. We report a first set of average concentrations for 46 elements detected in zebrafish facilities. Our results help to establish an initial baseline for trouble-shooting purposes, and in general for safe ranges of metal concentrations in recirculating water systems, supporting reproducible scientific research outcomes with zebrafish

Active regulatory T-cells contribute to broadened T-cell repertoire diversity in ivIg-treated SLE patients

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Linear extension sums as valuations on cones

33 pagesInternational audienceThe geometric and algebraic theory of valuations on cones is applied to understand identities involving summing certain rational functions over the set of linear extensions of a poset

Lagrangian Neural Style Transfer for Fluids

Artistically controlling the shape, motion and appearance of fluid simulations pose major challenges in visual effects production. In this paper, we present a neural style transfer approach from images to 3D fluids formulated in a Lagrangian viewpoint. Using particles for style transfer has unique benefits compared to grid-based techniques. Attributes are stored on the particles and hence are trivially transported by the particle motion. This intrinsically ensures temporal consistency of the optimized stylized structure and notably improves the resulting quality. Simultaneously, the expensive, recursive alignment of stylization velocity fields of grid approaches is unnecessary, reducing the computation time to less than an hour and rendering neural flow stylization practical in production settings. Moreover, the Lagrangian representation improves artistic control as it allows for multi-fluid stylization and consistent color transfer from images, and the generality of the method enables stylization of smoke and liquids likewise.Comment: ACM Transaction on Graphics (SIGGRAPH 2020), additional materials: http://www.byungsoo.me/project/lnst/index.htm

First results on ProtoDUNE-SP liquid argon time projection chamber performance from a beam test at the CERN Neutrino Platform

The ProtoDUNE-SP detector is a single-phase liquid argon time projection chamber with an active volume of 7.2× 6.1× 7.0 m3. It is installed at the CERN Neutrino Platform in a specially-constructed beam that delivers charged pions, kaons, protons, muons and electrons with momenta in the range 0.3 GeV/c to 7 GeV/c. Beam line instrumentation provides accurate momentum measurements and particle identification. The ProtoDUNE-SP detector is a prototype for the first far detector module of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, and it incorporates full-size components as designed for that module. This paper describes the beam line, the time projection chamber, the photon detectors, the cosmic-ray tagger, the signal processing and particle reconstruction. It presents the first results on ProtoDUNE-SP\u27s performance, including noise and gain measurements, dE/dx calibration for muons, protons, pions and electrons, drift electron lifetime measurements, and photon detector noise, signal sensitivity and time resolution measurements. The measured values meet or exceed the specifications for the DUNE far detector, in several cases by large margins. ProtoDUNE-SP\u27s successful operation starting in 2018 and its production of large samples of high-quality data demonstrate the effectiveness of the single-phase far detector design