Psychometric Testing of the Children\u27s Resourcefulness Scale

PROBLEM: Resourcefulness is known to reduce depression in adults, but its effects on children are less well known, possibly for lack of a psychometrically sound measure. METHODS: This study examined the reliability and validity of the 32-item Children\u27s Self-Control Scale (C-SCS), which measures resourcefulness, in 122 school-aged children. FINDINGS: Standard scale refinement methods produced a 10-item scale with α = .72 and correlations with the C-SCS (r = .86), positive thoughts (r = .38), and depressive symptoms (r = –.32). Factor analysis revealed two factors: problem-solving and delay of gratification. CONCLUSIONS: The 10-item scale may be useful for identifying children who are not resourceful and are at risk for depression

A Comparative Study of the Valence Electronic Excitations of N_2 by Inelastic X-ray and Electron Scattering

Bound state, valence electronic excitation spectra of N_2 are probed by nonresonant inelastic x-ray and electron scattering. Within the usual theoretical treatments, dynamical structure factors derived from the two probes should be identical. However, we find strong disagreements outside the dipole scattering limit, even at high probe energies. This suggests an unexpectedly important contribution from intra-molecular multiple scattering of the probe electron from core electrons or the nucleus. These effects should grow progressively stronger as the atomic number of the target species increases.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review Letters April 27, 2010. 12 pages including 2 figure pages

Adapting SAM for CDF

The CDF and D0 experiments probe the high-energy frontier and as they do so have accumulated hundreds of Terabytes of data on the way to petabytes of data over the next two years. The experiments have made a commitment to use the developing Grid based on the SAM system to handle these data. The D0 SAM has been extended for use in CDF as common patterns of design emerged to meet the similar requirements of these experiments. The process by which the merger was achieved is explained with particular emphasis on lessons learned concerning the database design patterns plus realization of the use cases.Comment: Talk from the 2003 Computing in High Energy and Nuclear Physics (CHEP03), La Jolla, Ca, USA, March 2003, 4 pages, pdf format, TUAT00

Genetic Variation in the Androgen Receptor and Measures of Plasma Testosterone Levels Suggest Androgen Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) prevalence varies by sex, suggesting that sex chromosomes, sex hormones and/or their signaling could potentially modulate AD risk and progression. Low testosterone levels are reported in men with AD. Further, variation in the androgen receptor (AR) gene has been associated with AD risk and cognitive impairment. We assessed measures of plasma testosterone levels as a biomarker of AD in male participants from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) cohort. Baseline testosterone levels were significantly different between clinical diagnosis groups [cognitively normal controls, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or AD], with the lowest testosterone levels in men with AD. Lower baseline testosterone levels were associated with higher baseline clinical severity. Change in testosterone levels between baseline and 1-year follow-up varied by diagnosis; MCI had the greatest decreases in testosterone levels between baseline and 1-year follow-up. Despite differences by clinical diagnosis, there was no association between plasma testosterone and CSF biomarkers of AD pathology. We also tested single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in AR for association with AD risk in a separate cohort from ADNI and found 26 SNPs associated with risk for AD. The top associated SNP is predicted to be an expression quantitative trait locus for AR in multiple tissues, including brain, with the AD-associated risk allele predicted to confer lower AR expression. Our findings suggest a link between the androgen pathway and AD through Aβ/tau independent pathways. These effects may be most pronounced during conversion from MCI to dementia

Producing valid statistics when legislation, culture, and medical practices differ for births at or before the threshold of survival: Report of a European workshop

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Hairy Canola (Brasssica napus) re-visited: Down-regulating TTG1 in an AtGL3-enhanced hairy leaf background improves growth, leaf trichome coverage, and metabolite gene expression diversity

Primer sequences used in the construction and analysis of B. napus transgenic lines. Table S1B. Blast of batch leaf Q-PCR primers to the B. rapa, B. oleracea, and B. napus genomes for five trichome regulatory genes and two control genes in B. napus. Table S1C. “Detectable” B. napus homologues of five trichome regulatory genes in first true leaves (from RNA sequencing). Table S1D. BlastP for five Arabidopsis trichome regulatory genes against the Brassica napus genome in NCBI. Table S2A. Differentially expressed leaf trichome ESTs (p < 0.05) in hairy AtGL3+ B. napus or ultra-hairy line K-5-8 relative to semi-glabrous cv. Westar. Table S2B. Leaf trichome genes with no significant expression differences (p < 0.05) in hairy AtGL3+ B. napus or ultra-hairy line K-5-8 relative to semi-glabrous cv. Westar. Table S3. Differentially expressed leaf flavonoid ESTs (p < 0.05) in hairy AtGL3+ B. napus or ultra-hairy K-5-8 relative to semi-glabrous cv. Westar. Table S4. Differentially expressed leaf phenylpropanoid and lignin ESTs (p < 0.05) in hairy AtGL3+ B. napus or ultra-hairy K-5-8 relative to semi-glabrous cv. Westar. Table S5. Differentially expressed leaf phenolic ESTs (p < 0.05) in hairy AtGL3+ B. napus or ultra-hairy K-5-8 relative to semi-glabrous cv. Westar. Table S6. Differentially expressed leaf shikimate ESTs (p < 0.05) in hairy AtGL3+ B. napus or ultra-hairy K-5-8 relative to semi-glabrous cv. Westar. Table S7. Differentially expressed leaf isoprenoid and terpene ESTs (p < 0.05) in hairy AtGL3+ B. napus or ultra-hairy K-5-8 relative to semi-glabrous cv. Westar. Table S8. Differentially expressed leaf glucosinolate-related and miscellaneous sulphur-related ESTs (p < 0.05) in hairy AtGL3+ B. napus or ultra-hairy K-5-8 relative to semi-glabrous cv. Westar. Table S9. Differentially expressed leaf alkaloid-related and miscellaneous N-metabolizing ESTs (p < 0.05) in hairy AtGL3+ B. napus or ultra-hairy K-5-8 relative to semi-glabrous cv. Westar. Table S10. Differentially expressed leaf cell wall structural carbohydrate ESTs ((p < 0.05) in hairy AtGL3+ B. napus or ultra-hairy K-5-8 relative to semi-glabrous cv. Westar. Table S11. Differentially expressed leaf mucilage ESTs (p < 0.05) in hairy AtGL3+ B. napus or ultra-hairy K-5-8 relative to semi-glabrous cv. Westar. Table S12. Differentially expressed leaf wax ESTs (p < 0.05) in hairy AtGL3+ B. napus or ultra-hairy K-5-8 relative to semi-glabrous cv. Westar. Table S13. Differentially expressed leaf hormone ESTs (p < 0.05) in hairy AtGL3+ B. napus or ultra-hairy K-5-8 relative to semi-glabrous cv. Westar. Table S14. Differentially expressed leaf secondary metabolism ESTs (p < 0.05) in hairy AtGL3+ B. napus or ultra-hairy K-5-8 relative to semi-glabrous cv. Westar. Table S15. Differentially expressed leaf redox-related ESTs (p < 0.05)) in hairy AtGL3+ B. napus or ultra-hairy K-5-8 relative to semi-glabrous cv. Westar. Table S16. Differentially expressed leaf protein modification ESTs (p < 0.05) in hairy AtGL3+ B. napus or ultra-hairy K-5-8 relative to semi-glabrous cv. Westar. Table S17. Differentially expressed leaf protein degradation ESTs (p < 0.05) in hairy AtGL3+ B. napus or ultra-hairy K-5-8 relative to semi-glabrous cv. Westar. Table S18. Differentially expressed leaf transcription factor ESTs (p < 0.05) in hairy AtGL3+ B. napus or ultra-hairy K-5-8 relative to semi-glabrous cv. Westar. (XLSX 400 kb

3q26 Amplification is Rarely Present in Women Whose LSIL Cytology does not Represent CIN 2+ Disease

Comparative Medicine - OneHealth and Comparative Medicine Poster SessionObjective: 10-17% of women with LSIL cytology truly have CIN 2+ disease at colposcopically directed biopsy and 20% of the CIN 2+ lesions derive from women with LSIL cytology. No molecular marker has yet been able to triage LSIL cytology effectively. If possible, the triage would spare women the referral to colposcopy. Irreversible chromosomal damage occurs during oncogenesis. Increasing cervical dysplastic severity occurs with increasing amplification of the 3q26 chromosomal region. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the test characteristics of 3q26 amplification in women whose routine cytology is reported as LSIL with emphasis on the negative predictive value for reassurance. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study using the available SurePath™ liquid cytology LSIL archival samples from women 17-59 years old which were linked to colposcopically directed biopsy samples taken on average 36 days after cytology sampling (3-90 day range). Nuclei from the LSIL samples were hybridized with a single-copy probe for the chromosome 3q26 region and a control probe for the centromeric alpha repeat sequence of chromosome 7, using standard FISH methods. Amplification was defined as five or more signals present in at least 2 cells. Results: Of the 68 paired cytology/biopsy samples, 3q26 amplification occurred in 40% of the women with CIN 2+ disease (sensitivity 95% CI: 12, 74). There was no amplification in 91% of women with less than CIN 2 disease (specificity 95% CI: 81, 97); and the negative predictive value was 90% (79, 96). Conclusions: The lack of 3q26 amplification in women with screening cytology LSIL results offers reassurance that CIN 2+ disease has not developed. Future prospective studies are ongoing

Hairy Canola (Brasssica napus) re-visited: Down-regulating TTG1 in an AtGL3-enhanced hairy leaf background improves growth, leaf trichome coverage, and metabolite gene expression diversity

Background Through evolution, some plants have developed natural resistance to insects by having hairs (trichomes) on leaves and other tissues. The hairy trait has been neglected in Brassica breeding programs, which mainly focus on disease resistance, yield, and overall crop productivity. In Arabidopsis, a network of three classes of proteins consisting of TTG1 (a WD40 repeat protein), GL3 (a bHLH factor) and GL1 (a MYB transcription factor), activates trichome initiation and patterning. Introduction of a trichome regulatory gene AtGL3 from Arabidopsis into semi-glabrous Brassica napus resulted in hairy canola plants which showed tolerance to flea beetles and diamondback moths; however plant growth was negatively affected. In addition, the role of BnTTG1 transcription in the new germplasm was not understood. Results Here, we show that two ultra-hairy lines (K-5-8 and K-6-3) with BnTTG1 knock-down in the hairy AtGL3+ B. napus background showed stable enhancement of trichome coverage, density, and length and restored wild type growth similar to growth of the semi-glabrous Westar plant. In contrast, over-expression of BnTTG1 in the hairy AtGL3+ B. napus background gave consistently glabrous plants of very low fertility and poor stability, with only one glabrous plant (O-3-7) surviving to the T3 generation. Q-PCR trichome gene expression data in leaf samples combining several leaf stages for these lines suggested that BnGL2 controlled B. napus trichome length and out-growth and that strong BnTTG1 transcription together with strong GL3 expression inhibited this process. Weak expression of BnTRY in both glabrous and trichome-bearing leaves of B. napus in the latter Q-PCR experiment suggested that TRY may have functions other than as an inhibitor of trichome initiation in the Brassicas. A role for BnTTG1 in the lateral inhibition of trichome formation in neighbouring cells was also proposed for B. napus. RNA sequencing of first leaves identified a much larger array of genes with altered expression patterns in the K-5-8 line compared to the hairy AtGL3+ B. napus background (relative to the Westar control plant). These genes particularly included transcription factors, protein degradation and modification genes, but also included pathways that coded for anthocyanins, flavonols, terpenes, glucosinolates, alkaloids, shikimates, cell wall biosynthesis, and hormones. A 2nd Q-PCR experiment was conducted on redox, cell wall carbohydrate, lignin, and trichome genes using young first leaves, including T4 O-3-7-5 plants that had partially reverted to yield two linked growth and trichome phenotypes. Most of the trichome genes tested showed to be consistant with leaf trichome phenotypes and with RNA sequencing data in three of the lines. Two redox genes showed highest overall expression in K-5-8 leaves and lowest in O-3-7-5 leaves, while one redox gene and three cell wall genes were consistently higher in the two less robust lines compared with the two robust lines. Conclusion The data support the strong impact of BnTTG1 knockdown (in the presence of strong AtGL3 expression) at restoring growth, enhancing trichome coverage and length, and enhancing expression and diversity of growth, metabolic, and anti-oxidant genes important for stress tolerance and plant health in B. napus. Our data also suggests that the combination of strong (up-regulated) BnTTG1 expression in concert with strong AtGL3 expression is unstable and lethal to the plant

Hepatocellular carcinomas in native livers from patients treated with orthotopic liver transplantation: Biologic and therapeutic implications

The gross and histopathologic characteristics of 212 nonfibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) discovered in native livers removed at the time of liver transplantation were correlated with features of invasive growth and tumor-free survival. The results show that most HCCs begin as small well-differentiated tumors that have an increased proliferation rate and induce neovascularization, compared with the surrounding liver. But at this stage, they maintain a near-normal apoptosis/mitosis ratio and uncommonly show vascular invasion. As tumors enlarge, foci of dedifferentiation appear within the neoplastic nodules, which have a higher proliferation rate and show more pleomorphism than surrounding better-differentiated areas. Vascular invasion, which is the strongest predictor of disease recurrence, correlates significantly with tumor number and size, tumor giant cells and necrosis, the predominant and worst degree of differentiation, and the apoptosis/mitosis ratio. In the absence of macroscopic or large vessel invasion, largest tumor size (P <.006), apoptosis/mitosis ratio (P <.03), and number of tumors (P <.04) were independent predictors of tumor-free survival and none of 24 patients with tumors having an apoptosis/mitosis ratio greater than 7.2 had recurrence. A minority of HCCs (< 15%) quickly develop aggressive features (moderate or poor differentiation, low apoptosis/mitosis ratio, and vascular invasion) while still small, similar to flat carcinomas of the bladder and colon. In conclusion, hepatic carcinogenesis in humans is a multistep and multifocal process. As in experimental animal studies, aggressive biologic behavior (vascular invasion and recurrence) correlates significantly with profound alterations in the apoptosis/mitosis ratio and with architectural and cytologic alterations that suggest a progressive accumulation of multiple genetic abnormalities