Facial expressions depicting compassionate and critical emotions: the development and validation of a new emotional face stimulus set

Attachment with altruistic others requires the ability to appropriately process affiliative and kind facial cues. Yet there is no stimulus set available to investigate such processes. Here, we developed a stimulus set depicting compassionate and critical facial expressions, and validated its effectiveness using well-established visual-probe methodology. In Study 1, 62 participants rated photographs of actors displaying compassionate/kind and critical faces on strength of emotion type. This produced a new stimulus set based on N = 31 actors, whose facial expressions were reliably distinguished as compassionate, critical and neutral. In Study 2, 70 participants completed a visual-probe task measuring attentional orientation to critical and compassionate/kind faces. This revealed that participants lower in self-criticism demonstrated enhanced attention to compassionate/kind faces whereas those higher in self-criticism showed no bias. To sum, the new stimulus set produced interpretable findings using visual-probe methodology and is the first to include higher order, complex positive affect displays

Widening access to cardiovascular healthcare: community screening among ethnic minorities in inner-city Britain – the Healthy Hearts Project

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Britain is concentrated in inner-city areas such as Sandwell, which is home to a diverse multi-ethnic population. Current guidance for CVD risk screening is not established, nor are there specific details for ethnic minorities. Given the disparity in equitable healthcare for these groups, we developed a 'tailored' and systematic approach to CVD risk screening within communities of the Sandwell locality. The key anticipated outcomes were the numbers of participants from various ethnic backgrounds attending the health screening events and the prevalence of known and undiagnosed CVD risk within ethnic groups.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data was collected during 10 health screening events (September 2005 and July 2006), which included an assessment of raised blood pressure, overweight, hyperlipidaemia, impaired fasting glucose, smoking habit and the 10 year CVD risk score. Specific features of our approach included (i) community involvement, (ii) a clinician who could deliver immediate attention to adverse findings, and (iii) the use of an interpreter.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 824 people from the Sandwell were included in this study (47% men, mean age 47.7 years) from community groups such as the Gujarati Indian, Punjabi Indian, European Caucasian, Yemeni, Pakistani and Bangladeshi. A total of 470 (57%) individuals were referred to their General Practitioner with a report of an increased CVD score – undetected high blood pressure in 120 (15%), undetected abnormal blood glucose in 70 (8%), undetected raised total cholesterol in 149 (18%), and CVD risk management review in 131 (16%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Using this systematic and targeted approach, there was a clear demand for this service from people of various ethnic backgrounds, of whom, one in two needed review from primary or secondary healthcare. Further work is required to assess the accuracy and clinical benefits of this community health screening approach.</p

Measurement of alpha and neutron decay widths of excited states of C-14

The 12C 16O,14O 14C reaction was studied at a beam energy of 234 MeV. The 14O ejectile was detected by a Q3D spectrometer at forward angles. The energies and angles of the excited 14C recoil break up fragments were measured in coincidence with the 14O ejectile using a double sided silicon strip detector array at backward angles. A complete kinematic reconstruction of the reaction was performed to reconstruct the 14C rightarrow 10Be and 14C rightarrow 13 n decay channels and the branching ratios and widths of these decays were calculated. Theoretical decay branches were calculated using barrier penetrability factors and were compared to the measured ratios to provide information on the spins, parities, and configurations of the states. Neutron emission was found to be favored for the 11.73, 12.96, 14.87,16.72, and 18.6 MeV states. The 14.87, 18.6, and 21.4 MeV states were found to have a considerable width for decay and are candidates for the three bodied molecular cluster structure of 14

Distinct Gene Number-Genome Size Relationships for Eukaryotes and Non-Eukaryotes: Gene Content Estimation for Dinoflagellate Genomes

The ability to predict gene content is highly desirable for characterization of not-yet sequenced genomes like those of dinoflagellates. Using data from completely sequenced and annotated genomes from phylogenetically diverse lineages, we investigated the relationship between gene content and genome size using regression analyses. Distinct relationships between log10-transformed protein-coding gene number (Y′) versus log10-transformed genome size (X′, genome size in kbp) were found for eukaryotes and non-eukaryotes. Eukaryotes best fit a logarithmic model, Y′ = ln(-46.200+22.678X′, whereas non-eukaryotes a linear model, Y′ = 0.045+0.977X′, both with high significance (p<0.001, R2>0.91). Total gene number shows similar trends in both groups to their respective protein coding regressions. The distinct correlations reflect lower and decreasing gene-coding percentages as genome size increases in eukaryotes (82%–1%) compared to higher and relatively stable percentages in prokaryotes and viruses (97%–47%). The eukaryotic regression models project that the smallest dinoflagellate genome (3×106 kbp) contains 38,188 protein-coding (40,086 total) genes and the largest (245×106 kbp) 87,688 protein-coding (92,013 total) genes, corresponding to 1.8% and 0.05% gene-coding percentages. These estimates do not likely represent extraordinarily high functional diversity of the encoded proteome but rather highly redundant genomes as evidenced by high gene copy numbers documented for various dinoflagellate species

Protocol for a cluster randomised trial in Madhya Pradesh, India: community health promotion and medical provision and impact on neonates (CHAMPION2); and support to rural India's public education system and impact on numeracy and literacy scores (STRIPES2).

BACKGROUND: Rural areas of India exhibit high neonatal mortality, and low literacy and numeracy. We assess the effect of a complex package of health interventions on neonatal survival and the effect of out-of-school-hours teaching on children's literacy and numeracy in rural Madhya Pradesh. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a cluster-randomised controlled trial with villages (clusters) receiving either a health (CHAMPION2) or education (STRIPES2) intervention. Building on the design of the earlier CHAMPION/STRIPES trial, villages receiving the health intervention are controls for the education intervention and vice versa. The clusters are 196 villages in Satna district, Madhya Pradesh, India: each is at least 5 km from a Community Health Centre, has a population below 2500, and has at least 15 children eligible for the education intervention. The participants in CHAMPION2 are resident married women younger than 50 years of age who had not undergone a family planning operation, provided they are enumerated pre-randomisation or marry a man enumerated pre-randomisation. The participants in STRIPES2 are resident children born 16 June 2010 to 15 June 2013, not in school before the 2018-2019 school year and intending to enrol in first grade in 2018-2019 or 2019-2020. DISCUSSION: In CHAMPION2, the NICE Foundation will deliver a 3.5-year programme comprising Accredited Social Health Activists or village health workers and midwives promoting health knowledge and providing antenatal, postnatal, and neonatal healthcare; community mobilisation; referrals to appropriate government health facilities; and a health education campaign. In STRIPES2, the Pratham Education Foundation will deliver a programme of village-based, before/after school support focusing on literacy and numeracy. As controls, the CHAMPION2 control villages will receive the usual health services (plus the STRIPES2 intervention). STRIPES2 control villages will receive the usual education services (plus the CHAMPION2 intervention). The primary outcome in CHAMPION2 is neonatal mortality. Secondary outcomes include antenatal, delivery, immediate neonatal and postnatal care practices, maternal mortality, stillbirths, early neonatal deaths, perinatal deaths, health knowledge, hospital admissions, maternal blood transfusions, and cost effectiveness. The primary outcome in STRIPES2 is a composite literacy and numeracy test score. Secondary outcomes include separate literacy and numeracy scores, reported school enrolment and attendance, parents' engagement with children's learning, and cost effectiveness. Independent research and implementation teams will conduct the trial. Trial Steering and Data Monitoring Committees, with independent members, will supervise the trial. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trial Registry of India: CTRI/2019/05/019296. Registered on 23 May 2019. http://www.ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/pdf_generate.php?trialid=31198&EncHid=&modid=&compid=%27,%2731198det%27

TBP Binding-Induced Folding of the Glucocorticoid Receptor AF1 Domain Facilitates Its Interaction with Steroid Receptor Coactivator-1

The precise mechanism by which glucocorticoid receptor (GR) regulates the transcription of its target genes is largely unknown. This is, in part, due to the lack of structural and functional information about GR's N-terminal activation function domain, AF1. Like many steroid hormone receptors (SHRs), the GR AF1 exists in an intrinsically disordered (ID) conformation or an ensemble of conformers that collectively appears to be unstructured. The GR AF1 is known to recruit several coregulatory proteins, including those from the basal transcriptional machinery, e.g., TATA box binding protein (TBP) that forms the basis for the multiprotein transcription initiation complex. However, the precise mechanism of this process is unknown. We have earlier shown that conditional folding of the GR AF1 is the key for its interactions with critical coactivator proteins. We hypothesize that binding of TBP to AF1 results in the structural rearrangement of the ID AF1 domain such that its surfaces become easily accessible for interaction with other coactivators. To test this hypothesis, we determined whether TBP binding-induced structure formation in the GR AF1 facilitates its interaction with steroid receptor coactivator-1 (SRC-1), a critical coactivator that is important for GR-mediated transcriptional activity. Our data show that stoichiometric binding of TBP induces significantly higher helical content at the expense of random coil configuration in the GR AF1. Further, we found that this induced AF1 conformation facilitates its interaction with SRC-1, and subsequent AF1-mediated transcriptional activity. Our results may provide a potential mechanism through which GR and by large other SHRs may regulate the expression of the GR-target genes

Comparative Genomic and Transcriptomic Characterization of the Toxigenic Marine Dinoflagellate Alexandrium ostenfeldii

Many dinoflagellate species are notorious for the toxins they produce and ecological and human health consequences associated with harmful algal blooms (HABs). Dinoflagellates are particularly refractory to genomic analysis due to the enormous genome size, lack of knowledge about their DNA composition and structure, and peculiarities of gene regulation, such as spliced leader (SL) trans-splicing and mRNA transposition mechanisms. Alexandrium ostenfeldii is known to produce macrocyclic imine toxins, described as spirolides. We characterized the genome of A. ostenfeldii using a combination of transcriptomic data and random genomic clones for comparison with other dinoflagellates, particularly Alexandrium species. Examination of SL sequences revealed similar features as in other dinoflagellates, including Alexandrium species. SL sequences in decay indicate frequent retro-transposition of mRNA species. This probably contributes to overall genome complexity by generating additional gene copies. Sequencing of several thousand fosmid and bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) ends yielded a wealth of simple repeats and tandemly repeated longer sequence stretches which we estimated to comprise more than half of the whole genome. Surprisingly, the repeats comprise a very limited set of 79–97 bp sequences; in part the genome is thus a relatively uniform sequence space interrupted by coding sequences. Our genomic sequence survey (GSS) represents the largest genomic data set of a dinoflagellate to date. Alexandrium ostenfeldii is a typical dinoflagellate with respect to its transcriptome and mRNA transposition but demonstrates Alexandrium-like stop codon usage. The large portion of repetitive sequences and the organization within the genome is in agreement with several other studies on dinoflagellates using different approaches. It remains to be determined whether this unusual composition is directly correlated to the exceptionally genome organization of dinoflagellates with a low amount of histones and histone-like proteins