Data Mining a Medieval Medical Text Reveals Patterns in Ingredient Choice That Reflect Biological Activity against Infectious Agents

We used established methodologies from network science to identify patterns in medicinal ingredient combinations in a key medieval text, the 15th-century Lylye of Medicynes, focusing on recipes for topical treatments for symptoms of microbial infection. We conducted experiments screening the antimicrobial activity of selected ingredients. These experiments revealed interesting examples of ingredients that potentiated or interfered with each other’s activity and that would be useful bases for future, more detailed experiments. Our results highlight (i) the potential to use methodologies from network science to analyze medieval data sets and detect patterns of ingredient combination, (ii) the potential of interdisciplinary collaboration to reveal different aspects of the ethnopharmacology of historical medical texts, and (iii) the potential development of novel therapeutics inspired by premodern remedies in a time of increased need for new antibiotics.The pharmacopeia used by physicians and laypeople in medieval Europe has largely been dismissed as placebo or superstition. While we now recognize that some of the materia medica used by medieval physicians could have had useful biological properties, research in this area is limited by the labor-intensive process of searching and interpreting historical medical texts. Here, we demonstrate the potential power of turning medieval medical texts into contextualized electronic databases amenable to exploration by the use of an algorithm. We used established methodologies from network science to reveal patterns in ingredient selection and usage in a key text, the 15th-century Lylye of Medicynes, focusing on remedies to treat symptoms of microbial infection. In providing a worked example of data-driven textual analysis, we demonstrate the potential of this approach to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and to shine a new light on the ethnopharmacology of historical medical texts

Patient Perceptions of Drug Risks and Benefits

This is a report of a pilot study conducted to examine patients\u27 perceptions of drug Risks and benefits. While all of the factors influencing such perceptions are important, the findings about the extent to which views are affected by patient understanding of and confidence in regulatory oversight should be of professional interest to an especially broad audience

The neurophysiology of biological motion perception in schizophrenia.

IntroductionThe ability to recognize human biological motion is a fundamental aspect of social cognition that is impaired in people with schizophrenia. However, little is known about the neural substrates of impaired biological motion perception in schizophrenia. In the current study, we assessed event-related potentials (ERPs) to human and nonhuman movement in schizophrenia.MethodsTwenty-four subjects with schizophrenia and 18 healthy controls completed a biological motion task while their electroencephalography (EEG) was simultaneously recorded. Subjects watched clips of point-light animations containing 100%, 85%, or 70% biological motion, and were asked to decide whether the clip resembled human or nonhuman movement. Three ERPs were examined: P1, N1, and the late positive potential (LPP).ResultsBehaviorally, schizophrenia subjects identified significantly fewer stimuli as human movement compared to healthy controls in the 100% and 85% conditions. At the neural level, P1 was reduced in the schizophrenia group but did not differ among conditions in either group. There were no group differences in N1 but both groups had the largest N1 in the 70% condition. There was a condition × group interaction for the LPP: Healthy controls had a larger LPP to 100% versus 85% and 70% biological motion; there was no difference among conditions in schizophrenia subjects.ConclusionsConsistent with previous findings, schizophrenia subjects were impaired in their ability to recognize biological motion. The EEG results showed that biological motion did not influence the earliest stage of visual processing (P1). Although schizophrenia subjects showed the same pattern of N1 results relative to healthy controls, they were impaired at a later stage (LPP), reflecting a dysfunction in the identification of human form in biological versus nonbiological motion stimuli

Using the differentiation between vocabulary and matrices scores on the K-BIT as predictors of parenting program outcomes.

This study examined whether the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT) Matrices subtest was more predictive than the K-BIT Vocabulary subtest of parenting program completion and whether select demographic variables, K-BIT subtest scores, parenting programs (PCIT or regular parenting class), and reported barriers to participation were predictive of parenting program outcomes (completion or noncompletion). Research participants consisted of 93 parents enrolled in community-based parenting classes. Results from a regression analysis indicated that the K-BIT Matrices subtest was not more predictive than the K-BIT Vocabulary subtest of parenting program completion. In addition, a discriminant analysis revealed that select demographic variables, parenting programs, and reported barriers to participation were not predictive of parenting program outcomes

Effective Modes for Encouraging Faculty Involvement in Interdisciplinary Curriculum Development

The integration of vocational and academic classes is often recognized as an effective method to motivate students and involve them in career preparation. This is also a goal of the dropout prevention efforts of many school districts. In Baker County, Florida, as in other districts, teacher participation in integrative efforts is recognized as a crucial factor. This project examines curricula and instructional and leadership practices that led to the successful implementation of academic and vocational integration in a Florida middle school. The resultant success and modus operandi may be used as a model for encouraging faculty involvement in interdisciplinary curriculum development

Every graph occurs as an induced subgraph of some hypohamiltonian graph

We prove the titular statement. This settles a problem of Chvátal from 1973 and encompasses earlier results of Thomassen, who showed it for K_3, and Collier and Schmeichel, who proved it for bipartite graphs. We also show that for every outerplanar graph there exists a planar hypohamiltonian graph containing it as an induced subgraph