Classifying conduct disorder using a biopsychosocial model and machine learning method

Background: Conduct disorder (CD) is a common syndrome with far-reaching effects. Risk factors for the development of CD span social, psychological, and biological domains. Researchers note that predictive models of CD are limited if the focus is on a single risk factor or even a single domain. Machine learning methods are optimized for the extraction of trends across multidomain data but have yet to be implemented in predicting the development of CD. Methods: Social (e.g., family, income), psychological (e.g., psychiatric, neuropsychological), and biological (e.g., resting-state graph metrics) risk factors were measured using data from the baseline visit of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study when youth were 9 to 10 years old (N = 2368). Applying a feed-forward neural network machine learning method, risk factors were used to predict CD diagnoses 2 years later. Results: A model with factors that included social, psychological, and biological domains outperformed models representing factors within any single domain, predicting the presence of a CD diagnosis with 91.18% accuracy. Within each domain, certain factors stood out in terms of their relationship to CD (social: lower parental monitoring, more aggression in the household, lower income; psychological: greater attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms, worse crystallized cognition and card sorting performance; biological: disruptions in the topology of subcortical and frontoparietal networks). Conclusions: The development of an accurate, sensitive, and specific predictive model of CD has the potential to aid in prevention and intervention efforts. Key risk factors for CD appear best characterized as reflecting unpredictable, impulsive, deprived, and emotional external and internal contexts

Generalised k-Steiner tree problems in normed planes

The 1-Steiner tree problem, the problem of constructing a Steiner minimum tree containing at most one Steiner point, has been solved in the Euclidean plane by Georgakopoulos and Papadimitriou using plane subdivisions called oriented Dirichlet cell partitions. Their algorithm produces an optimal solution within $\mathcal{O}(n^2)$ time. In this paper we generalise their approach in order to solve the $k$-Steiner tree problem, in which the Steiner minimum tree may contain up to $k$ Steiner points for a given constant $k$. We also extend their approach further to encompass arbitrary normed planes, and to solve a much wider class of problems, including the $k$-bottleneck Steiner tree problem and other generalised $k$-Steiner tree problems. We show that, for any fixed $k$, such problems can be solved in $\mathcal{O}(n^{2k})$ time

A eficácia do antiveneno botrópico-crotálico na neutralização das principais atividades do veneno de Bothrops jararacussu

Myonecrosis is one of the effects of Bothrops jararacussu venom, from which a myotoxin was isolated showing structural homology to phospholipase A2 (PLA2), but without enzimatic activity. Such myotoxic activity is also present in the Crotalus durissus terrificus venom, and is atributed to crotoxin and to PLA2 (crotoxin B), the basic component of the crotoxin complex. The Bothrops jararacussu venom showed three proteins with immunologic identity to PLA2 from crotoxin. The bothropic (AB) and the bothropic/crotalic (AB/C) antivenoms, two commercial polyvalent antivenoms produced at Instituto Butantan, were compared in order to assess their capacity for neutralization of the lethal, hemorrhagic, coagulant and myotoxic activities of Bothrops jararacussu venom. Both antivenoms showed the same level of hemorrhagic activity neutralization. However, AB/C was about three times more efficient than AB in neutralizing the myotoxic activity, and two times more potent for neutralization of lethality and coagulant activity of Bothrops jararacussu venom. These data suggest that the use of AB/C could be of value in the treatment of patients bitten by snakes of this speciesA mionecrose é um dos efeitos causados pelo veneno de Bothrops jararacussu. Uma miotoxina com homologia estrutural à fosfolipase A2 (PLA2), mas sem atividade enzimática, foi isolada desse veneno. O veneno de Crotalus durissus terrificus apresenta também atividade miotóxica, que vem sendo atribuída à crotoxina e à PLA2 (crotoxina B), o componente básico do complexo crotoxina. O veneno de Bothrops jararacussu apresenta três proteínas, que têm identidade imunológica com a PLA2 da crotoxina. O presente trabalho comparou a eficiência dos antivenenos polivalentes comerciais produzidos pelo Instituto Butantan - o antiveneno botrópico (AB) e o antiveneno botrópico-crotálico (AB/C) - na neutralização das atividades letal, hemorrágica, coagulante e miotóxica do veneno de B. jararacussu. Os dois antivenenos neutralizaram de maneira semelhante a atividade hemorrágica, mas o AB/C foi três vezes mais potente que o AB em neutralizar a ação miotóxica e duas vezes mais potente na neutralização da letalidade e na ação coagulante do veneno de B. jararacussu. Os dados sugerem que a utilização do AB/C pode ser vantajosa no tratamento de pacientes picados por serpentes dessa espécie.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias de la Salud::Instituto Clodomiro Picado (ICP

PREVALÊNCIA DE SALMONELLA EM PRODUTOS DE FRANGOS E OVOS DE GALINHA COMERCIALIZADOS EM PELOTAS, RS, BRASIL PREVALENCE OF SALMONELLA IN CHICKEN PRODUCTS AND HEN'S EGGS FROM PELOTAS, RS, BRAZIL

A prevalência de Salmonella em produtos de frangos e ovos de galinhas, os sorovares mais freqüentes e sua sensibilidadea a antimicrobianos, foram investigados em Pelotas, Brasil, no período de maio de 1997 a outubro de 1998. Um total de 124 amostras de produtos de frangos obtidas em supermercados e açougues e 94 amostras de 6 unidades de ovos de galinhas obtidas em supermercados e feiras-livres foram analisadas através do método convencional de cultivo. Entre as amostras de produtos de frangos analisadas, 13 (10,48%) continham salmonelas. Os 13 isolamentos de salmonelas realizados foram sorotipificados como S. enteritidis (10), S. anatum (1) e S. enterica subespécie enterica sorovar 3,10:e,h:- (2). Todas as cepas isoladas foram resistentes à penicilina G e sensíveis aos demais antimicrobianos testados. Em amostras de ovos, não foram detectadas salmonelas.<br>The prevalence of Salmonella in chicken products and hen's eggs, the most frequent serovars and their antimicrobial sensitivity, were investigated in the city of Pelotas, Brazil from May 1997 through October 1998. A total of 124 samples of chicken products obtained from local supermarkets and butcher shops, and 94 samples of eggs (6 units each) obtained from supermarkets and street vendors, were examined through standard cultivation procedures. Salmonella were detected in 13 (10,48%) samples of chicken products. Among the 13 strains of salmonellae isolated, 10 were serotyped as S. enteritidis, 1 was S. anatum and 2 were S. enterica subsp. enterica sorovar 3,10:e,h:-. All strains isolated were resistant to penicillin G and susceptible to the others antimicrobial drugs tested. Hen's eggs were not found contaminated with salmonellae

Caracterização individual do veneno de Bothrops alternatus Duméril, Bibron & Duméril em função da distribuição geográfica no Brasil (Serpentes,Viperidae) Individual characterization of Bothrops alternatus Duméril, Bibron & Duméril venoms, according to their geographic distribution in Brazil (Serpentes, Viperidae)

Bothrops alternatus Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854 é uma serpente de importância em saúde pública, com ampla distribuição geográfica, desde o Mato Grosso do Sul até o sudeste do Brasil, chegando até a Argentina e Uruguai, ocupando vários domínios morfoclimáticos. Neste trabalho investigou-se a variação do veneno de adultos de Bothrops alternatus, em função de sua distribuição geográfica no Brasil, comparativamente ao veneno elaborado sob a forma de "pool" desta espécie (veneno referência), que inclui serpentes, em sua maioria, da região do estado de São Paulo. Foram analisadas as atividades letal, coagulante sobre o plasma, proteolítica sobre a caseína e miotóxica, bem como os padrões eletroforéticos de 61 amostras individuais de veneno contrapostas ao "pool". Os resultados mostraram que o veneno de B. alternatus é pouco ativo, comparativamente ao de outros Bothrops Wagler, 1824. A variação individual prevaleceu, não apresentando correlação com as áreas de distribuição geográfica e domínios morfoclimáticos, porém a atividade coagulante das amostras de veneno provenientes do nordeste da distribuição geográfica apresentaram-se menos ativas comparativamente às da porção central da distribuição. Os venenos provenientes das bordas da distribuição apresentaram ações proteolíticas e miotóxicas mais intensas, que estatisticamente não foram significativamente diferentes. As variações individuais prevaleceram.<br>Bothrops alternatus Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854 snakebites are an important public health problem in Brazil. Such snakes are found from Mato Grosso do Sul (central Brazil) to southeastern Brazil, reaching even Argentina and Uruguay and thereby occupying different morphoclimatic domains. This work investigated venom variation occurring in adult specimens of B. alternatus specimens, according to their geographic distribution in Brazil. The standard venom pool (reference venom) produced by Instituto Butantan, which includes mostly venoms from B. alternatus specimens captured in São Paulo State, was also used for comparison. Lethal, myotoxic, proteolytic (on casein), and coagulant (on human plasma) activities, as well as the electrophoretic patterns of 61 individual venom samples, were evaluated and compared to those of the reference venom pool. Results showed that B. alternatus venom activities are less potent than those of other Bothrops Wagler, 1824 species. A great individual variation was noticed, which could not be correlated with either geographic distribution or morphoclimatic domains. Coagulant activity of venom samples obtained from specimens captured in the northeastern area of B. alternatus distribution was less intense if compared to those obtained from the central zone. Venoms from the peripheric area of B. alternatus distribution presented higher proteolytic and myotoxic activities, but no statistically significant difference was observed. In summary, individual variation predominated over geographic distribution