Facilitating socialization and problem-solving skills of the multiply handicapped child through play

The purpose of this study was to study the implementation of a program for the multiply handicapped child to improve their social skills and problem-solving ability. The subjects in this study were three females, fourteen, twelve and eleven years old, and one thirteen year old male. The program began with all the subjects being pretested for five days on their ability to socialize and problem-solve. The study ran for ten weeks. The subjects were part of a one hour daily intervention with the teacher modeling the desired behavior. Each of the subjects was familiar with the table/board games. Data on the subjects\u27 ability to socialize and problem-solve was then collected again at the end of the ten weeks . The data showed that three of the four subjects made progress in all areas. The fourth subject only made progress in one area of problem-solving. The data also showed that those subjects that came from middle-class families made more progress than those subjects that were on public assistance. The most significant event in this study was that everyone made progress in their ability to ask for help

Do interactions between plant roots and the rhizosphere affect parasitoid behaviour?

Multitrophic interactions are powerful forces shaping the structure of living communities. Plants encounter a great diversity of organisms in their environment: some of these interactions are beneficial (e.g. symbiotic fungi and insect pollinators) while some are detrimental (e.g. herbivorous insects and pathogenic micro-organisms). Multitrophic interactions between below-ground and above-ground organisms are receiving increasing attention because they may influence plant defences against biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study we show that an arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis makes tomato plants significantly more resistant towards aphids, by enhancing both direct defences, both attractivity towards aphid parasitoids

Developmental theory and therapy : a preliminary investigation of reliability and predictive validity using an inpatient depressive population sample.

This study investigated the reliability of the cognitive-developmental classifications derived from Ivey\u27s Developmental Theory and the predictive validity of the intervention strategies designed in accordance with this therapeutic model. Further, the cognitive-developmental styles of long- and short-term depressives were also examined. Reliability and predictive validity were addressed by researching the following questions: (1) Can the cognitive-developmental level of patients be assessed reliably? (2) If a clinician asks a specific set of questions aimed at eliciting patient verbalizations at varying cognitive-developmental levels, do patients respond at the predicted levels? The data gathered were also analyzed to examine whether the two subgroups of depressed patients differed in their cognitive styles. Specifically, the questions researched were: (1) Do long- and short-term depressives differ in predominant cognitive-developmental style during the assessment phase of an interview? (2) Do short-term depressives respond more predominantly to intervention strategies designed to elicit movement through the eight cognitive-developmental levels espoused by Ivey? Theory and research from the major models of depression etiology and treatment were reviewed and integrated with the Developmental Therapy model. This review indicated that the concepts of the cognitive-developmental model are most compatible with cognitive models of depression and offer the potential of being useful tools in the treatment of these disorders. The sample population consisted of twenty, consecutively admitted, consenting inpatients with diagnoses of mood disorders or adjustment disorders with associated depressed features. Each patient was administered the Beck Depression Inventory, completed demographic data, and participated in a structured interview, the Standard Cognitive-Developmental Interview (SCDI), which is based on Ivey\u27s model. Interview results, as categorized by the companion Cognitive Developmental Classification System (SCDCS), were analyzed using the Pearson product-moment coefficient for reliability, percentages for predictive validity, and t-tests of significance for differences between subgroups. The resulting data indicated that Ivey\u27s model, as operationalized through the SCDI and the SCDCS, does possess strong reliability and predictive validity. The differences in cognitive styles between long- and short-term depressives were, however, not found to be significant. Implications and suggestions for future research and therapeutic utilization were discussed

RNomics: a computational search for box C/D snoRNA genes in the D. melanogaster genome.

Motivation: In eukaryotes, the family of non-coding RNA genes includes a number of genes encoding small nucleolar RNAs (mainly C/D and H/ACA snoRNAs), which act as guides in the maturation or post-transcriptional modifications of target RNA molecules. Since in Drosophila melanogaster (Dm) only few examples of snoRNAs have been identified so far by cDNA libraries screening, integration of the molecular data with in silico identification of these types of genes could throw light on their organization in the Dm genome. Results: We have performed a computational screening of the Dm genome for C/D snoRNA genes, followed by experimental validation of the putative candidates. Few of the 26 confirmed snoRNAs had been recognized by cDNA library analysis. Organization of the Dm genome was also found to be more variegated than previously suspected, with snoRNA genes nested in both the introns and exons of protein-coding genes. This finding suggests that the presence of additional mechanisms of snoRNA biogenesis based on the alternative production of overlapping mRNA/snoRNA molecules. Availability: Additional information is available at http://www. bioinformatica.unito.it/bioinformatics/snoRNA

LEOPARD syndrome

Review on LEOPARD syndrome, with data on clinics, and the genes involved

Atrioventricular canal defect and genetic syndromes: the unifying role of sonic hedgehog

The atrioventricular canal defect (AVCD) is a congenital heart defect (CHD) frequently associated with extracardiac anomalies (75%). Previous observations from a personal series of patients with AVCD and "polydactyly syndromes" showed that the distinct morphology and combination of AVCD features in some of these syndromes is reminiscent of the cardiac phenotype found in heterotaxy, a malformation complex previously associated with functional cilia abnormalities and aberrant Hedgehog (Hh) signaling. Hh signaling coordinates multiple aspects of left-right lateralization and cardiovascular growth. Being active at the venous pole the secondary heart field (SHF) is essential for normal development of dorsal mesenchymal protrusion and AVCD formation and septation. Experimental data show that perturbations of different components of the Hh pathway can lead to developmental errors presenting with partially overlapping manifestations and AVCD as a common denominator. We review the potential role of Hh signaling in the pathogenesis of AVCD in different genetic disorders. AVCD can be viewed as part of a "developmental field," according to the concept that malformations can be due to defects in signal transduction cascades or pathways, as morphogenetic units which may be altered by Mendelian mutations, aneuploidies, and environmental causes

Turcot syndrome

Review on Turcot syndrome, with data on clinics, and the genes involved

Contextualizing the Young Adult Female Breast Cancer Experience: Developmental, Psychosocial, and Interpersonal Influences

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women (American Cancer Society [ACS], 2016b). Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) as a group have a worse prognosis when compared to older adults (e.g., Tichy, Lim, & Anders, 2013). Due to limited understanding of the biology of cancers for AYAs, inadequate representation of AYAs in clinical trials, and AYAs’ unique psychosocial healthcare needs, the prognosis for this group, as compared to older women, is comparatively poor. One step in addressing the survival gap for AYAs is to explore the developmental and psychosocial factors that shape their illness experiences. This qualitative study explored the illness experiences of women diagnosed with breast cancer between the ages of 18 and 39 years old. Using a phenomenological approach, 23 breast cancer survivors were interviewed using a semi-structured interview. Findings indicated the centrality of developmental, sociocultural, and psychosocial systems in shaping women\u27s health care experiences. Future studies should explore the ways in which medical providers attend to these systems across the breast cancer trajectory

Thio-conjugation of substituted benzofurazans to peptides: molecular sieves catalyze nucleophilic attack on unsaturated fused rings

Bioconjugates of 2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (benzofurazan) and its derivatives have attracted considerable interest due to their biological activities and applications as fluorescent tags. A high-yield, chemoselective, and mild procedure for the S-alkylation of cysteine containing peptides by benzofurazan halogenides is reported. The key feature of this procedure is the use of activated molecular sieves (MS) to catalyze thiol activation for nucleophilic substitution under very mild conditions (room temperature and no need for added bases). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report about thiol nucleophilic substitution performed on unsaturated and annelated systems catalyzed by activated molecular sieves. Reaction yields were remarkable even with benzofurazans having weakly activating groups or no activating groups at all. The potential of the new methodology was explored by synthesizing fluorescent, hydrophilic benzofurazan/peptide conjugates, also with peptides containing unprotected lysine residues