Examination of the ADOS-2 Expressive Language Score in Fragile X Syndrome

The development of an expressive language score for people with autism based on the ADOS-2 was recently reported by Mazurek et al. (2019). The current study examined the construct validity of the ADOS-2 expressive language score (ELS) in a sample of adolescents with fragile X syndrome (n = 45, 10 girls), a neurodevelopmental disorder with high rates of autism symptomology. The ADOS-2 ELS showed strong convergent validity with multiple assessments of expressive language, receptive language, and nonverbal cognition. Divergent validity was demonstrated between the expressive language score and chronological age, symptoms of anxiety/depression, and rule-breaking behaviors. This expressive language score is a promising measure of expressive language ability that can be used in research when other language assessments are unavailable

New broad 8Be nuclear resonances

Energies, total and partial widths, and reduced width amplitudes of 8Be resonances up to an excitation energy of 26 MeV are extracted from a coupled channel analysis of experimental data. The presence of an extremely broad J^pi = 2^+ ``intruder'' resonance is confirmed, while a new 1^+ and very broad 4^+ resonance are discovered. A previously known 22 MeV 2^+ resonance is likely resolved into two resonances. The experimental J^pi T = 3^(+)? resonance at 22 MeV is determined to be 3^-0, and the experimental 1^-? (at 19 MeV) and 4^-? resonances to be isospin 0.Comment: 16 pages, LaTe

Maternal well-being and family adaptation during COVID-19 in fragile X syndrome

Mothers of children with fragile X syndrome are at increased risk of experiencing anxiety and depression due to potential genetic risk and to stress associated with parenting a child with significant behavioral, emotional, and educational support needs. During the initial shutdown and subsequent restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, mothers of children with fragile X reported experiencing elevated levels of anxiety and depression relative to their usual levels of well-being. Many indicated that the negative consequences of exposure to COVID-19 and related stressors, as well as the impacts of the pandemic on their family, directly affected their anxiety and depression. Mothers reported on specific sources of distress as well as potential sources of resilience and positive adaptation that occurred during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

Rushes video summarization using a collaborative approach

This paper describes the video summarization system developed by the partners of the K-Space European Network of Excellence for the TRECVID 2008 BBC rushes summarization evaluation. We propose an original method based on individual content segmentation and selection tools in a collaborative system. Our system is organized in several steps. First, we segment the video, secondly we identify relevant and redundant segments, and finally, we select a subset of segments to concatenate and build the final summary with video acceleration incorporated. We analyze the performance of our system through the TRECVID evaluation

Mechanisms behind surface modification of polypropylene film using an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet

Plasma treatments are common for increasing the surface energy of plastics, such as polypropylene (PP), to create improved adhesive properties. Despite the significant differences in plasma sources and plasma properties used, similar effects on the plastic film can be achieved, suggesting a common dominant plasma constituent and underpinning mechanism. However, many details of this process are still unknown. Here we present a study into the mechanisms underpinning surface energy increase of PP using atmospheric-pressure plasmas. For this we use the effluent of an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ) since, unlike most plasma sources used for these treatments, there is no direct contact between the plasma and the PP surface; the APPJ provides a neutral, radical-rich environment without charged particles and electric fields impinging on the PP surface. The APPJ is a RF-driven plasma operating in helium gas with small admixtures of O2 (0-1%), where the effluent propagates through open air towards the PP surface. Despite the lack of charged particles and electric fields on the PP surface, measurements of contact angle show a decrease from 93.9° to 70.1° in 1.4 s and to 35° in 120 s, corresponding to a rapid increase in surface energy from 36.4 mN m-1 to 66.5 mN m-1 in the short time of 1.4 s. These treatment effects are very similar to what is found in other devices, highlighting the importance of neutral radicals produced by the plasma. Furthermore, we find an optimum percentage of oxygen of 0.5% within the helium input gas, and a decrease of the treatment effect with distance between the APPJ and the PP surface. These observed effects are linked to two-photon absorption laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TALIF) measurements of atomic oxygen density within the APPJ effluent which show similar trends, implying the importance of this radical in the surface treatment of PP. Analysis of the surface reveals a two stage mechanism for the production of polar bonds on the surface of the polymer: a fast reaction producing carboxylic acid, or a similar ketone, followed by a slower reaction that includes nitrogen from the atmosphere on the surface, producing amides from the ketones

A new species of jupati, genus Metachirus Burmeister 1854 (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae) for the Brazilian Amazon

The brown or pouchless four-eyed opossums or jupatis represent the genus Metachirus with a wide geographical range in the Neotropics. Recent studies show distinct monophyletic clades with high genetic divergence and recognized two species, Metachirus nudicaudatus and Metachirus myosuros. Nevertheless, there is a need for systematic revision with multiple sources of evidence on the taxonomy of Metachirus, which has never been fully revised. Here we describe a new species of Metachirus for the Brazilian Amazon from the Xingu/Tocantins interfluve using the unification of concepts and evolutionary significant units, morphological, genetic, and geographic data. Our analysis reveals a new species within Metachirus as a differentiated Amazonian clade from the Serra dos Carajás region and the Caxiuanã National Forest, both in the Xingu endemism centre. This new species can be distinguished from the type species, M. nudicaudatus and from M. myosuros through discrete external morphological characters, including cranium and dentition, and molecular data with an average degree of divergence, but ancient divergence time for the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. The Amazon River delimits the distribution of the new species, which also occurs in areas under strong anthropogenic pressure, reinforcing the importance to guide conservation strategies for the region. didelphid; Serra dos Carajás; taxonomy; Xingu/ Tocantins interfluve.acceptedVersio

Gene expression profiling of CD8+ T cells predicts prognosis in patients with Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis.

Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are increasingly common, chronic forms of inflammatory bowel disease. The behavior of these diseases varies unpredictably among patients. Identification of reliable prognostic biomarkers would enable treatment to be personalized so that patients destined to experience aggressive disease could receive appropriately potent therapies from diagnosis, while those who will experience more indolent disease are not exposed to the risks and side effects of unnecessary immunosuppression. Using transcriptional profiling of circulating T cells isolated from patients with CD and UC, we identified analogous CD8+ T cell transcriptional signatures that divided patients into 2 otherwise indistinguishable subgroups. In both UC and CD, patients in these subgroups subsequently experienced very different disease courses. A substantially higher incidence of frequently relapsing disease was experienced by those patients in the subgroup defined by elevated expression of genes involved in antigen-dependent T cell responses, including signaling initiated by both IL-7 and TCR ligation - pathways previously associated with prognosis in unrelated autoimmune diseases. No equivalent correlation was observed with CD4+ T cell gene expression. This suggests that the course of otherwise distinct autoimmune and inflammatory conditions may be influenced by common pathways and identifies what we believe to be the first biomarker that can predict prognosis in both UC and CD from diagnosis, a major step toward personalized therapy

The porin and the permeating antibiotic: A selective diffusion barrier in gram-negative bacteria

Gram-negative bacteria are responsible for a large proportion of antibiotic resistant bacterial diseases. These bacteria have a complex cell envelope that comprises an outer membrane and an inner membrane that delimit the periplasm. The outer membrane contains various protein channels, called porins, which are involved in the influx of various compounds, including several classes of antibiotics. Bacterial adaptation to reduce influx through porins is an increasing problem worldwide that contributes, together with efflux systems, to the emergence and dissemination of antibiotic resistance. An exciting challenge is to decipher the genetic and molecular basis of membrane impermeability as a bacterial resistance mechanism. This Review outlines the bacterial response towards antibiotic stress on altered membrane permeability and discusses recent advances in molecular approaches that are improving our knowledge of the physico-chemical parameters that govern the translocation of antibiotics through porin channel