141 research outputs found
Does Childhood Executive Function Predict Adolescent Functional Outcomes in Girls with ADHD?
We prospectively followed an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse sample of preadolescent girls with ADHD (nâ=â140) and matched comparison girls (nâ=â88) over a period of 5Â years, from middle childhood through early/mid-adolescence. Our aim was to examine the ability of measures of childhood executive function (EF) to predict functional outcomes in adolescence. Measures of neuropsychological functioning comprised the childhood predictors, with academic, social, and global functioning serving as adolescent criterion measures. Results indicated that childhood EF predicted (a) academic achievement and social functioning across our entire sample (independent of diagnostic group status) and (b) global functioning only in girls with ADHD (independent of IQ). These results highlight the non-specificity of EF deficits and suggest the importance of assessing and developing interventions that target EF impairments, particularly in those at high-risk for negative outcomes, in order to prevent long-term difficulties across a range of important functional domains
Scalar and vector Slepian functions, spherical signal estimation and spectral analysis
It is a well-known fact that mathematical functions that are timelimited (or
spacelimited) cannot be simultaneously bandlimited (in frequency). Yet the
finite precision of measurement and computation unavoidably bandlimits our
observation and modeling scientific data, and we often only have access to, or
are only interested in, a study area that is temporally or spatially bounded.
In the geosciences we may be interested in spectrally modeling a time series
defined only on a certain interval, or we may want to characterize a specific
geographical area observed using an effectively bandlimited measurement device.
It is clear that analyzing and representing scientific data of this kind will
be facilitated if a basis of functions can be found that are "spatiospectrally"
concentrated, i.e. "localized" in both domains at the same time. Here, we give
a theoretical overview of one particular approach to this "concentration"
problem, as originally proposed for time series by Slepian and coworkers, in
the 1960s. We show how this framework leads to practical algorithms and
statistically performant methods for the analysis of signals and their power
spectra in one and two dimensions, and, particularly for applications in the
geosciences, for scalar and vectorial signals defined on the surface of a unit
sphere.Comment: Submitted to the 2nd Edition of the Handbook of Geomathematics,
edited by Willi Freeden, Zuhair M. Nashed and Thomas Sonar, and to be
published by Springer Verlag. This is a slightly modified but expanded
version of the paper arxiv:0909.5368 that appeared in the 1st Edition of the
Handbook, when it was called: Slepian functions and their use in signal
estimation and spectral analysi
Low-Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses in Wild House Mice
Background: Avian influenza viruses are known to productively infect a number of mammal species, several of which are commonly found on or near poultry and gamebird farms. While control of rodent species is often used to limit avian influenza virus transmission within and among outbreak sites, few studies have investigated the potential role of these species in outbreak dynamics.
Methodology/Principal Findings: We trapped and sampled synanthropic mammals on a gamebird farm in Idaho, USA that had recently experienced a low pathogenic avian influenza outbreak. Six of six house mice (Mus musculus) caught on the outbreak farm were presumptively positive for antibodies to type A influenza. Consequently, we experimentally infected groups of naĂŻve wild-caught house mice with five different low pathogenic avian influenza viruses that included three viruses derived from wild birds and two viruses derived from chickens. Virus replication was efficient in house mice inoculated with viruses derived from wild birds and more moderate for chicken-derived viruses. Mean titers (EID50 equivalents/mL) across all lung samples from seven days of sampling (three mice/day) ranged from 103.89 (H3N6) to 105.06 (H4N6) for the wild bird viruses and 102.08 (H6N2) to 102.85 (H4N8) for the chicken-derived viruses. Interestingly, multiple regression models indicated differential replication between sexes, with significantly (p\u3c0.05) higher concentrations of avian influenza RNA found in females compared with males.
Conclusions/Significance: Avian influenza viruses replicated efficiently in wild-caught house mice without adaptation, indicating mice may be a risk pathway for movement of avian influenza viruses on poultry and gamebird farms. Differential virus replication between males and females warrants further investigation to determine the generality of this result in avian influenza disease dynamics
CMB Telescopes and Optical Systems
The cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) is now firmly established as
a fundamental and essential probe of the geometry, constituents, and birth of
the Universe. The CMB is a potent observable because it can be measured with
precision and accuracy. Just as importantly, theoretical models of the Universe
can predict the characteristics of the CMB to high accuracy, and those
predictions can be directly compared to observations. There are multiple
aspects associated with making a precise measurement. In this review, we focus
on optical components for the instrumentation used to measure the CMB
polarization and temperature anisotropy. We begin with an overview of general
considerations for CMB observations and discuss common concepts used in the
community. We next consider a variety of alternatives available for a designer
of a CMB telescope. Our discussion is guided by the ground and balloon-based
instruments that have been implemented over the years. In the same vein, we
compare the arc-minute resolution Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) and the
South Pole Telescope (SPT). CMB interferometers are presented briefly. We
conclude with a comparison of the four CMB satellites, Relikt, COBE, WMAP, and
Planck, to demonstrate a remarkable evolution in design, sensitivity,
resolution, and complexity over the past thirty years.Comment: To appear in: Planets, Stars and Stellar Systems (PSSS), Volume 1:
Telescopes and Instrumentatio
Nucleoplasmic signals promote directed transmembrane protein import simultaneously via multiple channels of nuclear pores
Revisiting Lynam's notion of the "fledgling psychopath": are HIA-CP children truly psychopathic-like?
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In his developmental model of emerging psychopathy, Lynam proposed that the "fledgling psychopath" is most likely to be located within a subgroup of children elevated in both hyperactivity/inattention/impulsivity (HIA) and conduct problems (CP). This approach has garnered some empirical support. However, the extent to which Lynam's model captures children who resemble psychopathy with regard to the core affective and interpersonal features remains unclear.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In the present study, we investigated this issue within a large community sample of youth (<it>N </it>= 617). Four groups (non-HIA-CP, HIA-only, CP-only, and HIA-CP), defined on the basis of teacher reports of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), were compared with respect to parent-reported psychopathic-like traits and subjective emotional reactivity in response to unpleasant, emotionally-laden pictures from the International Affective Pictures System (IAPS).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Results did not support Lynam's model. HIA-CP children did not appear most psychopathic-like on dimensions of callous-unemotional and narcissistic personality, nor did they report reduced emotional reactivity to the IAPS relative to the other children. Post-hoc regression analyses revealed a significant moderation such that elevated HIA weakened the association between CP and emotional underarousal.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Implications of these findings with regard to the development of psychopathy are discussed.</p
The Cytosolic Domain of Fis1 Binds and Reversibly Clusters Lipid Vesicles
Every lipid membrane fission event involves the association of two apposing bilayers, mediated by proteins that can promote membrane curvature, fusion and fission. We tested the hypothesis that Fis1, a tail-anchored protein involved in mitochondrial and peroxisomal fission, promotes changes in membrane structure. We found that the cytosolic domain of Fis1 alone binds lipid vesicles, which is enhanced upon protonation and increasing concentrations of anionic phospholipids. Fluorescence and circular dichroism data indicate that the cytosolic domain undergoes a membrane-induced conformational change that buries two tryptophan side chains upon membrane binding. Light scattering and electron microscopy data show that membrane binding promotes lipid vesicle clustering. Remarkably, this vesicle clustering is reversible and vesicles largely retain their original shape and size. This raises the possibility that the Fis1 cytosolic domain might act in membrane fission by promoting a reversible membrane association, a necessary step in membrane fission
Satisfação da puérpera com os cuidados de enfermagem recebidos em um alojamento conjunto
Observations of Ly Emitters at High Redshift
In this series of lectures, I review our observational understanding of
high- Ly emitters (LAEs) and relevant scientific topics. Since the
discovery of LAEs in the late 1990s, more than ten (one) thousand(s) of LAEs
have been identified photometrically (spectroscopically) at to . These large samples of LAEs are useful to address two major astrophysical
issues, galaxy formation and cosmic reionization. Statistical studies have
revealed the general picture of LAEs' physical properties: young stellar
populations, remarkable luminosity function evolutions, compact morphologies,
highly ionized inter-stellar media (ISM) with low metal/dust contents, low
masses of dark-matter halos. Typical LAEs represent low-mass high- galaxies,
high- analogs of dwarf galaxies, some of which are thought to be candidates
of population III galaxies. These observational studies have also pinpointed
rare bright Ly sources extended over kpc, dubbed
Ly blobs, whose physical origins are under debate. LAEs are used as
probes of cosmic reionization history through the Ly damping wing
absorption given by the neutral hydrogen of the inter-galactic medium (IGM),
which complement the cosmic microwave background radiation and 21cm
observations. The low-mass and highly-ionized population of LAEs can be major
sources of cosmic reionization. The budget of ionizing photons for cosmic
reionization has been constrained, although there remain large observational
uncertainties in the parameters. Beyond galaxy formation and cosmic
reionization, several new usages of LAEs for science frontiers have been
suggested such as the distribution of {\sc Hi} gas in the circum-galactic
medium and filaments of large-scale structures. On-going programs and future
telescope projects, such as JWST, ELTs, and SKA, will push the horizons of the
science frontiers.Comment: Lecture notes for `Lyman-alpha as an Astrophysical and Cosmological
Tool', Saas-Fee Advanced Course 46. Verhamme, A., North, P., Cantalupo, S., &
Atek, H. (eds.) --- 147 pages, 103 figures. Abstract abridged. Link to the
lecture program including the video recording and ppt files :
https://obswww.unige.ch/Courses/saas-fee-2016/program.cg
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