GENDER-BASED DIFFERENCES IN SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN’S DIVERGENT THINKING

This study examines whether the shortage of females in science and engineering is linked to possible gender-based differences in school-aged children’s divergent thinking. Divergent thinking is a direct measure of creativity and an important characteristic in science and engineering. A survey instrument designed to measure divergent thinking was administered to 8th and 11th graders in a mid-western United States school district. Results showed that there were no difference between girls and boys on the three measures of divergent thinking: fluency, flexibility, and originality. These results indicate little reason as to why participation in science and engineering is male dominated, and support the notion that additional exposure to science and engineering through divergent-thinking activities will provide girls with the self-knowledge that they are capable of solving open-ended problems and engineering tasks

Young Women’s Perceptions of Technology and Engineering: Factors Influencing Their Participation in Math, Science and Technology?

The current number of women in technology and engineering only represents a fraction of today’s workforce. Technological innovation depends on our nation’s best and brightest, representing all segments of our diverse society. Sanders (2005), in talking about women in technology and engineering, stated that women’s lack of participation can only be measured in jobs not filled, problems not solved, and technology not created. Research in the area of how young women view technology will provide insights into how to better encourage and prepare them for careers in technology and engineering. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine four areas that may present barriers for women in technology and engineering: They are young women’s perceptions, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and perceived social support as they relate to their interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The study examined pre-test measures of a group of about 2,800 girls participating in the Summer Technology and Engineering Preview at Stout (STEPS) program. This girls’ camp gives young women entering the seventh grade a chance to work in a laboratory setting with their peers with the goal of piquing their interest in the areas of technology and engineering. The results showed that the greatest predictor of math and science interest was self-esteem, accounting for 36.4% of the variability in the interest scale. Self-efficacy was the second highest predictor, accounting for 26.5% of the variability. Perceived social support accounted for 17.8% of the variability. The least significant predictor of math and science interest was perceptions, accounting for a mere 4.1% of the variability

Pharmacological targeting of BET bromodomain proteins in acute myeloid leukemia and malignant lymphomas: from molecular characterization to clinical applications

Bromodomain and extra-terminal domain; BRD2; BRD4Bromodominio y dominio extra terminal; BRD2; BRD4Bromodomini i domini extra terminal; BRD2; BRD4Abstract: Alterations in protein-protein and DNA-protein interactions and abnormal chromatin remodeling are a major cause of uncontrolled gene transcription and constitutive activation of critical signaling pathways in cancer cells. Multiple epigenetic regulators are known to be deregulated in several hematologic neoplasms, by somatic mutation, amplification, or deletion, allowing the identification of specific epigenetic signatures, but at the same time providing new therapeutic opportunities. While these vulnerabilities have been traditionally addressed by hypomethylating agents or histone deacetylase inhibitors, pharmacological targeting of bromodomain-containing proteins has recently emerged as a promising approach in a number of lymphoid and myeloid malignancies. Indeed, preclinical and clinical studies highlight the relevance of targeting the bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) family as an e_cient strategy of target transcription irrespective of the presence of epigenetic mutations. Here we will summarize the main advances achieved in the last decade regarding the preclinical and clinical evaluation of BET bromodomain inhibitors in hematologic cancers, either as monotherapies or in combinations with standard and/or experimental agents. A mention will finally be given to the new concept of the protein degrader, and the perspective it holds for the design of bromodomain-based therapies.G.R. acknowledges supports from Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria PI15/00102 and PI18/01383, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) “Una manera de hacer Europa”

Regulation of B-Cell Receptor Signaling and Its Therapeutic Relevance in Aggressive B-Cell Lymphomas

B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma; B-cell receptor; AcalabrutinibLinfoma no Hodgkin de células B; Receptor de células B; AcalabrutinibLimfoma no Hodgkin de cèl·lules B; Receptor de cèl·lules B; AcalabrutinibThe proliferation and survival signals emanating from the B-cell receptor (BCR) constitute a crucial aspect of mature lymphocyte’s life. Dysregulated BCR signaling is considered a potent contributor to tumor survival in different subtypes of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (B-NHLs). In the last decade, the emergence of BCR-associated kinases as rational therapeutic targets has led to the development and approval of several small molecule inhibitors targeting either Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK), spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK), or phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K), offering alternative treatment options to standard chemoimmunotherapy, and making some of these drugs valuable assets in the anti-lymphoma armamentarium. Despite their initial effectiveness, these precision medicine strategies are limited by primary resistance in aggressive B-cell lymphoma such as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), especially in the case of first generation BTK inhibitors. In these patients, BCR-targeting drugs often fail to produce durable responses, and nearly all cases eventually progress with a dismal outcome, due to secondary resistance. This review will discuss our current understanding of the role of antigen-dependent and antigen-independent BCR signaling in DLBCL and MCL and will cover both approved inhibitors and investigational molecules being evaluated in early preclinical studies. We will discuss how the mechanisms of action of these molecules, and their off/on-target effects can influence their effectiveness and lead to toxicity, and how our actual knowledge supports the development of more specific inhibitors and new, rationally based, combination therapies, for the management of MCL and DLBCL patients.G.R. acknowledges supports from Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria PI18/01383, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) “Una manera de hacer Europa”. J.C.S. holds a Sara Borrell research contract from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (CD19/00228)

Recent advances in the targeting of epigenetic regulators in b-cell non- Hodgkin lymphoma

B-cell lymphoma; DNMT; EZH2Linfoma de células B; DNMT; EZH2Limfoma de cèl·lules B; DNMT; EZH2In the last 10 years, major advances have been made in the diagnosis and development of selective therapies for several blood cancers, including B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL), a heterogeneous group of malignancies arising from the mature B lymphocyte compartment. However, most of these entities remain incurable and current treatments are associated with variable efficacy, several adverse events, and frequent relapses. Thus, new diagnostic paradigms and novel therapeutic options are required to improve the prognosis of patients with B-NHL. With the recent deciphering of the mutational landscapes of B-cell disorders by high-throughput sequencing, it came out that different epigenetic deregulations might drive and/or promote B lymphomagenesis. Consistently, over the last decade, numerous epigenetic drugs (or epidrugs) have emerged in the clinical management of B-NHL patients. In this review, we will present an overview of the most relevant epidrugs tested and/or used so far for the treatment of different subtypes of B-NHL, from first-generation epigenetic therapies like histone acetyl transferases (HDACs) or DNA-methyl transferases (DNMTs) inhibitors to new agents showing selectivity for proteins that are mutated, translocated, and/or overexpressed in these diseases, including EZH2, BET, and PRMT. We will dissect the mechanisms of action of these epigenetic inhibitors, as well as the molecular processes underlying their lack of efficacy in refractory patients. This review will also provide a summary of the latest strategies being employed in preclinical and clinical settings, and will point out the most promising lines of investigation in the field.The authors received financial support from Fondo de Investigacion Sanitaria PI15/00102 and PI18/01383, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) "Una manera de hacer Europa" (to GR). The authors received fundings from TG Therapeutics and Celgene Corp to support researches unrelated to the present work. Funders were involved neither in the design, nor in the writing of this review

Influence des Vecteurs Caractéristiques en Stéganalyse par Séparateurs à Vastes Marges

- Le but de l'analyse stéganographique est de prouver la présence d'une information cachée dans un signal hôte. Cette étude se focalise sur une analyse stéganographique aveugle des images numériques utilisant des Séparateurs à Vastes Marges (SVM). Dans un premier temps nous décrivons cette méthode de stéganalyse puis nous étudions plusieurs prédicteurs utilisés dans la phase d'extraction de caractéristiques. Enfin nous dégageons des propriétés statistiques et texturelles qui permetteront d'améliorer les performances des classificateurs à vaste marge