Speech and Language Outcomes in Patients with Ankyloglossia Undergoing Frenulectomy: A Retrospective Pilot Study

Ankyloglossia is a controversial topic with no standardized treatment guidelines. A retrospective chart review was conducted to identify children who underwent lingual frenulectomy for speech and language impairment. Impairment severity was recorded pre- and postoperatively as mild, mild to moderate, moderate, moderate to severe, or severe. Variables were tested with chi-square analysis for their statistical relationship to improvements in speech and language. Children with preoperative moderate and moderate-to-severe speech and language impairment attained better speech and language outcomes after frenulectomy as compared with children with mild and mild-to-moderate impairment (100% vs 82%, P = .015). Sutured closure after frenulectomy was associated with better speech and language improvements (100% vs 83%, P = .033). One could consider observation of patients with mild and mild-to-moderate speech and language impairments. Sutured closure might result in better improvements in speech and language impairments. This pilot study sheds light on the potential impact of a larger study currently underway

The Boring Volcanic Field of the Portland-Vancouver area, Oregon and Washington: Tectoni-cally anomalous forearc volcanism in an urban setting

ABSTRACT Ar geochronology, and paleomagnetic studies. Volcanism began at 2.6 Ma with eruption of low-K tholeiite and related lavas in the southern part of the Portland Basin. At 1.6 Ma, following a hiatus of ~0.8 m.y., similar lavas erupted a few kilometers to the north, after which volcanism became widely dispersed, compositionally variable, and more or less continuous, with an average recurrence interval of 15,000 yr. The youngest centers, 50-130 ka, are found in the northern part of the fi eld. Boring centers are generally monogenetic and mafi c but a few larger edifi ces, ranging from basalt to low-SiO 2 andesite, were also constructed. Low-K to high-K calc-alkaline compositions similar to those of the nearby volcanic arc dominate the fi eld, but many centers erupted magmas that exhibit little infl uence of fl uids derived from the subducting slab. The timing and compositional characteristics of Boring volcanism suggest a genetic relationship with late Neogene intra-arc rifting

Nonlocal mechanism for cluster synchronization in neural circuits

The interplay between the topology of cortical circuits and synchronized activity modes in distinct cortical areas is a key enigma in neuroscience. We present a new nonlocal mechanism governing the periodic activity mode: the greatest common divisor (GCD) of network loops. For a stimulus to one node, the network splits into GCD-clusters in which cluster neurons are in zero-lag synchronization. For complex external stimuli, the number of clusters can be any common divisor. The synchronized mode and the transients to synchronization pinpoint the type of external stimuli. The findings, supported by an information mixing argument and simulations of Hodgkin Huxley population dynamic networks with unidirectional connectivity and synaptic noise, call for reexamining sources of correlated activity in cortex and shorter information processing time scales.Comment: 8 pges, 6 figure

Adjusting magnetic nanostructures for high-performance magnetic sensors

The magnetic properties of the soft ferromagnetic layer in magnetic tunnel junctions are one of key factors to determine the performance of magnetoresistance sensors. We use a three-step orthogonal annealing procedure to modify the nanostructures of the free layer in the magnetic tunnel junction to control features such as magnetization reversal, coercivity, exchange field, and tunnel magnetoresistance ratio. We present a sensor with an improved sensitivity as high as 3944%/mT. This magnetic sensor only dissipates 200 lW of power while operating under an applied voltage of 1V

Direct In Vivo Cell Lineage Analysis in the Retrorsine and 2AAF Models of Liver Injury after Genetic Labeling in Adult and Newborn Rats

BACKGROUNDS AND AIMS:When hepatocyte proliferation is impaired, liver regeneration proceeds from the division of non parenchymal hepatocyte progenitors. Oval cells and Small Hepatocyte-like Progenitor Cells (SHPCs) represent the two most studied examples of such epithelial cells with putative stem cell capacity. In the present study we wished to compare the origin of SHPCs proliferating after retrorsine administration to the one of oval cells observed after 2-Acetyl-Amino fluorene (2-AAF) treatment. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:We used retroviral-mediated nlslacZ genetic labeling of dividing cells to study the fate of cells in the liver. Labeling was performed either in adult rats before treatment or in newborn animals. Labeled cells were identified and characterised by immunohistochemistry. In adult-labeled animals, labeling was restricted to mature hepatocytes. Retrorsine treatment did not modify the overall number of labeled cells in the liver whereas after 2-AAF administration unlabeled oval cells were recorded and the total number of labeled cells decreased significantly. When labeling was performed in newborn rats, results after retrorsine administration were identical to those obtained in adult-labeled rats. In contrast, in the 2-AAF regimen numerous labeled oval cells were present and were able to generate new labeled hepatocytes. Furthermore, we also observed labeled biliary tracts in 2-AAF treated rats. CONCLUSIONS:Our results strongly suggest that SHPCs are derived from hepatocytes and we confirm that SHPCs and oval cells do not share the same origin. We also show that hepatic progenitors are labeled in newborn rats suggesting future directions for in vivo lineage studies

Logic circuit prototypes for three-terminal magnetic tunnel junctions with mobile domain walls

Spintronic computing promises superior energy efficiency and nonvolatility compared to conventional field-effect transistor logic. But, it has proven difficult to realize spintronic circuits with a versatile, scalable device design that is adaptable to emerging material physics. Here we present prototypes of a logic device that encode information in the position of a magnetic domain wall in a ferromagnetic wire. We show that a single three-terminal device can perform inverter and buffer operations. We demonstrate one device can drive two subsequent gates and logic propagation in a circuit of three inverters. This prototype demonstration shows that magnetic domain wall logic devices have the necessary characteristics for future computing, including nonlinearity, gain, cascadability, and room temperature operation

Female firesetters: gender associated psychological and psychopathological features

Objective: Female firesetters are reported to commit nearly a third of deliberately set fires, yet there are limited studies examining the characteristics that distinguish them from suitable comparison groups. The aim of this study is to compare incarcerated female firesetters with incarcerated male firesetters and female offender controls on psychopathological and psychological features that could be targeted via therapeutic interventions. Method: Sixty-five female firesetters, 128 male firesetters, and 63 female offenders were recruited from the prison estate. Participants completed a battery of validated tools assessing psychiatric traits and psychological characteristics (i.e., inappropriate fire interest, emotion/self-regulation, social competence, self-concept, offense-supportive attitudes, and boredom proneness) highlighted in the existing literature. Results: Major depression and an internal locus of control distinguished female firesetters from male firesetters. Alcohol dependence, serious/problematic fire interest, and more effective anger regulation distinguished female firesetters from the female offender control group. Conclusions: This is the first study to examine differences between female firesetters, male firesetters, and female control offenders on both psychopathological features and psychological traits. These findings highlight the gender-specific and offence-specific needs of female firesetters that clinicians need to consider when implementing programs that ensure client responsivity. Keywords: firesetting, arson, psychopathology, female offender

Multidimensional Recording (MDR) and Data Sharing: An Ecological Open Research and Educational Platform for Neuroscience

Primate neurophysiology has revealed various neural mechanisms at the single-cell level and population level. However, because recording techniques have not been updated for several decades, the types of experimental design that can be applied in the emerging field of social neuroscience are limited, in particular those involving interactions within a realistic social environment. To address these limitations and allow more freedom in experimental design to understand dynamic adaptive neural functions, multidimensional recording (MDR) was developed. MDR obtains behavioral, neural, eye position, and other biological data simultaneously by using integrated multiple recording systems. MDR gives a wide degree of freedom in experimental design because the level of behavioral restraint is adjustable depending on the experimental requirements while still maintaining the signal quality. The biggest advantage of MDR is that it can provide a stable neural signal at higher temporal resolution at the network level from multiple subjects for months, which no other method can provide. Conventional event-related analysis of MDR data shows results consistent with previous findings, whereas new methods of analysis can reveal network mechanisms that could not have been investigated previously. MDR data are now shared in the public server Neurotycho.org. These recording and sharing methods support an ecological system that is open to everyone and will be a valuable and powerful research/educational platform for understanding the dynamic mechanisms of neural networks