Digital Finger Painting: A Qualitative Exploration of the Tablet Computer and its Artistic Implications in an Early Childhood Setting

The purpose of this study was to better understand the implications of the tablet computer for learning and, specifically, in the art classroom. A qualitative study was designed following grounded theory measures for data analysis in order to explore timely questions regarding the tablet computer and how young children react to such technology as a drawing tool. An early childhood center was accessed for this research, and 30 children between the ages of three and five years old consented to participate. Four educators and 35 parents were also enlisted in an effort to elicit substantive perspectives regarding the tablet and its artistic potential. Children were observed as they drew on an iPad® tablet and digital drawings created were compared to those made with crayons on paper. Additionally, collaborative art making with the tablet computer was encouraged, and children completed digital drawings in pairs. Semi-structured interviews shed light on what children enjoyed about the tablet computer as well as what they disliked about the technology. Parent and educator perceptions regarding the tablet computer as a learning and drawing tool were gathered through brief survey data and one-on-one interviews. Findings have been detailed through participants’ stories and documented thematically

Machine learning applications for the study of AGN physical properties using photometric observations

We investigate the physical nature of Active Galactic Nuclei using machine learning tools. We show that the redshift $z$, the bolometric luminosity $L_{\rm Bol}$, the central mass of the supermassive black hole $M_{\rm BH}$, the Eddington ratio $\lambda_{\rm Edd}$ as well as the AGN class (obscured or unobscured) can be reconstructed through multi-wavelength photometric observations only. A Support Vector Regression (SVR) ML-model is trained on 7616 of spectroscopically observed AGN from the SPIDERS-AGN survey, previously cross-matched with soft X-ray observations (from ROSAT or XMM), WISE mid-infrared photometry, and optical photometry from SDSS $ugriz$ filters. We build a catalogue of 21364 AGN to be reconstructed with the trained SVR: for 9944 sources, we found archival redshift measurements. All AGN are classified as either Type 1/2 using a Random Forest (RF) algorithm on a subset of known sources. All known photometric measurement uncertainties are incorporated using a simulation-based approach. We present the reconstructed catalogue of 21364 AGN with redshifts ranging from $0 < z < 2.5$. $z$ estimations are made for 11420 new sources, with an outlier rate within 10%. Type 1/2 AGN can be identified with respective efficiencies of 88% and 93%: the estimated classification of all sources is given in the dataset. $L_{\rm Bol}$, $M_{\rm BH}$, and $\lambda_{\rm Edd}$ values are given for 16907 new sources with their estimated error. These results have been made publicly available. The release of this catalogue will advance AGN studies by presenting key parameters of the accretion history of 6 dex in luminosity over a wide range of $z$. Similar applications of ML techniques using photometric data only will be essential in the future, with large datasets from eROSITA, JSWT and the VRO poised to be released in the next decade.Comment: 20 pages, 24 figures, submitted to A&

Mutationsanalyse des ANKRD1-Gens bei Patienten mit dilatativer Kardiomyopathie

Die dilatative Kardiomyopathie (DCM) ist eine Erkrankung des Herzmuskels, die diesen sowohl strukturell, wie auch funktionell verändert. Die gestörte Myokardarchitektur äußert sich klinisch in einer Herzinsuffizienz, die bei fast der Hälfte aller Patienten innerhalb der ersten zwei Jahre nach Diagnosestellung zum Tod führt. Die DCM ist somit eine der häufigsten Ursachen für Herzversagen und die führende Indikation zur Herztrans-plantation. Durch Kopplungsanalysen und die Analyse von Kandidatengenen bei Familien mit DCM konnten in den letzten Jahren über 20 verschiedene, krankheitsverursachende Gene identifiziert werden. Eines dieser Gene ist das Ankyrin-Repeat-Domain-1-Gen (ANKRD1), das für das kardiale Ankyrin-Repeat-Protein (CARP) codiert. In Anlehnung an genetische und funktionelle Untersuchungen der bislang charakterisierten CARP-Mutanten wurde die Hypothese, dass Mutationen im ANKRD1-Gen mit der DCM-Entstehung in Zusammenhang stehen, bekräftigt. Aktuell wird das ANKRD1-Gen für etwa zwei Prozent der Erkrankungsfälle verantwortlich gemacht. In der vorliegenden Arbeit sollte das ANKRD1-Gen auf weitere genetische Veränderungen untersucht und der Einfluss des Gens auf die Krankheits-entstehung weiter präzisiert werden. Deshalb wurde bei insgesamt 161 DCM-Patienten eine systematische Mutationssuche im Gen des kardialen Ankyrin-Repeat-Proteins durchgeführt. Zu diesem Zweck wurde aus Blut-proben der Patienten zunächst die genomische DNA extrahiert und im Anschluss daran alle neun Exons mittels PCR amplifiziert. Mit den entstandenen Amplifikaten wurde anschließend eine Einzelstrang-Konformations-Polymorphismus-Analyse (SSCP) durchgeführt. Im Falle einer Abweichung des Laufmusters wurde das PCR-Produkt aufgereinigt und sequenziert. Eine stille Mutation im Exon 2, ein bisher unbekannter Polymorphismus im Exon 1 und sechs bekannte Polymorphismen in den Introns 4, 7 und 9 konnten so identifiziert werden. Ob die in der vorliegenden Arbeit erstmalig identifizierte, stille Mutation in Nukleotidposition 1008 einen Einfluss auf die Entstehung einer DCM hat bleibt unklar. Weitere funktionelle Versuche mit der Mutante sind durchzuführen, um mögliche Auswirkungen der Nukleotidsubstitution auf die funktionale Integrität und die Proteinexpression des CARP zu prüfen. Ein bisher unbekannter Polymorphismus wurde im Exon 1 identifiziert und trat mit einer Häufigkeit von 1,2% im untersuchten Patientenkollektiv auf. Um zu klären, ob diese Variante gehäuft bei DCM-Patienten auftritt, wurden zudem 202 gesunde Kontrollen auf diesen Polymorphismus untersucht. In der Kontrollgruppe ließ sich die Nukleotidtransition ebenfalls in 1,0% der Fälle nachweisen. Aufgrund der nicht signifikant abweichenden Allelfrequenz des neu identifizierten Polymorphismus kann mit großer Wahrscheinlichkeit davon ausgegangen werden, dass dieser keine krankheitsverursachende Rolle bei der Pathogenese einer DCM einnimmt. Für die bekannten, identifizierten Polymorphismen in den Introns 4, 7 und 9 ist die Auftretenshäufigkeit in verschiedenen, ethnischen Gruppen teilweise bekannt. Zusammenfassend konnten die bereits publizierten Auftretenshäufigkeiten von Mutationen im ANKRD1-Gen von circa 2% durch diese Arbeit nicht bestätigt werden. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit zeigen, dass Mutationen im ANKRD1-Gen nur für einen Bruchteil von DCM-Erkrankungen verantwortlich gemacht werden können und unterstreichen die nosologische Heterogenität der DCM. Erst durch die Charakterisierung der multifaktoriellen Genese dieser heterogenen Krankheitsgruppe wird es zukünftig möglich sein, diese eventuell schon in Frühformen zu diagnostizieren und Betroffene in allen Stadien ihrer Erkrankung individuell und bestmöglich zu therapieren

Neuronal pathways in tendon healing and tendinopathy : update

The regulatory mechanisms involved in tendon homeostasis and repair are not fully understood. Accumulating data, however, demonstrate that the nervous system, in addition to afferent (sensory) functions, through efferent neuronal pathways plays an active role in regulating pain, inflammation, and tissue repair processes. Thus, in normal-, healing- and tendinopathic tendons three major neuronal signalling pathways consisting of autonomic, sensory and glutamatergic neuromediators have been established. In healthy tendons, these neural elements are found in the paratenon, whereas the proper tendon is practically devoid of nerves, reflecting that normal tendon homeostasis is regulated by pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators from the tendon surroundings. During tendon repair, however, there is extensive nerve ingrowth into the tendon proper and subsequent time-dependent appearance of sensory, autonomic and glutamatergic mediators, which amplify and fine-tune inflammation and tendon regeneration. In tendinopathy, excessive and protracted sensory and glutamatergic signalling may be involved in inflammatory, painful and hypertrophic tissue reactions. As our understanding of these processes improves, neuronal mediators may prove to be useful in the development of targeted pharmacotherapy and tissue engineering approaches to painful, degenerative and traumatic tendon disorders.Swedish Research Council (project nr. 2012-3510)Stockholm County Council and Karolinska Institutet (project nr. SLL20100168)Swedish National Centre for Sports ResearchCOREF-Sweden grantAlberta Innovates Health Solutions OA Team GrantAccepte

Understanding disruptions in cancer care to reduce increased cancer burden

BACKGROUND: This study seeks to understand how and for whom COVID-19 disrupted cancer care to understand the potential for cancer health disparities across the cancer prevention and control continuum. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, participants age 30+residing in an 82-county region in Missouri and Illinois completed an online survey from June-August 2020. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables separately and by care disruption status. Logistic regression modeling was conducted to determine the correlates of care disruption. RESULTS: Participants (N=680) reported 21% to 57% of cancer screening or treatment appointments were canceled/postponed from March 2020 through the end of 2020. Approximately 34% of residents stated they would need to know if their doctor\u27s office is taking the appropriate COVID-related safety precautions to return to care. Higher education (OR = 1.26, 95% CI:1.11-1.43), identifying as female (OR = 1.60, 95% CI:1.12-2.30), experiencing more discrimination in healthcare settings (OR = 1.40, 95% CI:1.13-1.72), and having scheduled a telehealth appointment (OR = 1.51, 95% CI:1.07-2.15) were associated with higher odds of care disruption. Factors associated with care disruption were not consistent across races. Higher odds of care disruption for White residents were associated with higher education, female identity, older age, and having scheduled a telehealth appointment, while higher odds of care disruption for Black residents were associated only with higher education. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an understanding of the factors associated with cancer care disruption and what patients need to return to care. Results may inform outreach and engagement strategies to reduce delayed cancer screenings and encourage returning to cancer care. FUNDING: This study was supported by the National Cancer Institute\u27s Administrative Supplements for P30 Cancer Center Support Grants (P30CA091842-18S2 and P30CA091842-19S4). Kia L. Davis, Lisa Klesges, Sarah Humble, and Bettina Drake were supported by the National Cancer Institute\u27s P50CA244431 and Kia L. Davis was also supported by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Callie Walsh-Bailey was supported by NIMHD T37 MD014218. The content does not necessarily represent the official view of these funding agencies and is solely the responsibility of the authors

Emergency ambulance service involvement with residential care homes in the support of older people with dementia : an observational study

© 2014 Amador et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.BACKGROUND: Older people resident in care homes have a limited life expectancy and approximately two-thirds have limited mental capacity. Despite initiatives to reduce unplanned hospital admissions for this population, little is known about the involvement of emergency services in supporting residents in these settings.METHODS: This paper reports on a longitudinal study that tracked the involvement of emergency ambulance personnel in the support of older people with dementia, resident in care homes with no on-site nursing providing personal care only. 133 residents with dementia across 6 care homes in the East of England were tracked for a year. The paper examines the frequency and reasons for emergency ambulance call-outs, outcomes and factors associated with emergency ambulance service use. RESULTS: 56% of residents used ambulance services. Less than half (43%) of all call-outs resulted in an unscheduled admission to hospital. In addition to trauma following a following a fall in the home, results suggest that at least a reasonable proportion of ambulance contacts are for ambulatory care sensitive conditions. An emergency ambulance is not likely to be called for older rather than younger residents or for women more than men. Length of residence does not influence use of emergency ambulance services among older people with dementia. Contact with primary care services and admission route into the care home were both significantly associated with emergency ambulance service use. The odds of using emergency ambulance services for residents admitted from a relative's home were 90% lower than the odds of using emergency ambulance services for residents admitted from their own home. CONCLUSIONS: Emergency service involvement with this vulnerable population merits further examination. Future research on emergency ambulance service use by older people with dementia in care homes, should account for important contextual factors, namely, presence or absence of on-site nursing, GP involvement, and access to residents' family, alongside resident health characteristics.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Investigation of metabolites for estimating blood deposition time

This study was supported by a UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Grant (BB/I019405/1) to DJS, grant 727.011.001 from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) Forensic Science Program to MK and by Erasmus MC University Medical Centre Rotterdam. DJS is a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award holder. RAH and IH were funded by the Dutch applied research foundation (STW Perspectief Program ‘OnTime’ project 12185).Trace deposition timing reflects a novel concept in forensic molecular biology involving the use of rhythmic biomarkers for estimating the time within a 24-h day/night cycle a human biological sample was left at the crime scene, which in principle allows verifying a sample donor’s alibi. Previously, we introduced two circadian hormones for trace deposition timing and recently demonstrated that messenger RNA (mRNA) biomarkers significantly improve time prediction accuracy. Here, we investigate the suitability of metabolites measured using a targeted metabolomics approach, for trace deposition timing. Analysis of 171 plasma metabolites collected around the clock at 2-h intervals for 36 h from 12 male participants under controlled laboratory conditions identified 56 metabolites showing statistically significant oscillations, with peak times falling into three day/night time categories: morning/noon, afternoon/evening and night/early morning. Time prediction modelling identified 10 independently contributing metabolite biomarkers, which together achieved prediction accuracies expressed as AUC of 0.81, 0.86 and 0.90 for these three time categories respectively. Combining metabolites with previously established hormone and mRNA biomarkers in time prediction modelling resulted in an improved prediction accuracy reaching AUCs of 0.85, 0.89 and 0.96 respectively. The additional impact of metabolite biomarkers, however, was rather minor as the previously established model with melatonin, cortisol and three mRNA biomarkers achieved AUC values of 0.88, 0.88 and 0.95 for the same three time categories respectively. Nevertheless, the selected metabolites could become practically useful in scenarios where RNA marker information is unavailable such as due to RNA degradation. This is the first metabolomics study investigating circulating metabolites for trace deposition timing, and more work is needed to fully establish their usefulness for this forensic purpose.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Evaluation of Therapeutic Oligonucleotides for Familial Amyloid Polyneuropathy in Patient-Derived Hepatocyte-Like Cells

Familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) is caused by mutations of the transthyretin (TTR) gene, predominantly expressed in the liver. Two compounds that knockdown TTR, comprising a small interfering RNA (siRNA; ALN-TTR-02) and an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO; IONIS-TTRRx), are currently being evaluated in clinical trials. Since primary hepatocytes from FAP patients are rarely available for molecular analysis and commercial tissue culture cells or animal models lack the patient-specific genetic background, this study uses primary cells derived from urine of FAP patients. Urine-derived cells were reprogrammed to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with high efficiency. Hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) showing typical hepatic marker expression were obtained from iPSCs of the FAP patients. TTR mRNA expression of FAP HLCs almost reached levels measured in human hepatocytes. To assess TTR knockdown, siTTR1 and TTR-ASO were introduced to HLCs. A significant downregulation (>80%) of TTR mRNA was induced in the HLCs by both oligonucleotides. TTR protein present in the cell culture supernatant of HLCs was similarly downregulated. Gene expression of other hepatic markers was not affected by the therapeutic oligonucleotides. Our data indicate that urine cells (UCs) after reprogramming and hepatic differentiation represent excellent primary human target cells to assess the efficacy and specificity of novel compounds

Microbiota and Host Nutrition across Plant and Animal Kingdoms

Plants and animals each have evolved specialized organs dedicated to nutrient acquisition, and these harbor specific bacterial communities that extend the host's metabolic repertoire. Similar forces driving microbial community establishment in the gut and plant roots include diet/soil-type, host genotype, and immune system as well as microbe-microbe interactions. Here we show that there is no overlap of abundant bacterial taxa between the microbiotas of the mammalian gut and plant roots, whereas taxa overlap does exist between fish gut and plant root communities. A comparison of root and gut microbiota composition in multiple host species belonging to the same evolutionary lineage reveals host phylogenetic signals in both eukaryotic kingdoms. The reasons underlying striking differences in microbiota composition in independently evolved, yet functionally related, organs in plants and animals remain unclear but might include differences in start inoculum and niche-specific factors such as oxygen levels, temperature, pH, and organic carbon availability

Investigating Sex Differences in Emotion Recognition, Learning, and Regulation among Youths with Conduct Disorder

Objective: Conduct disorder (CD) is a serious neurodevelopmental disorder marked by notably higher prevalence rates for boys than girls. Converging evidence suggests that CD is associated with impairments in emotion recognition, learning, and regulation. However, it is not known whether there are sex differences in the relationship between CD and emotion dysfunction. Prior studies on emotion functioning in CD have so far been underpowered for investigating sex differences. Therefore, our primary aim was to characterize emotion processing skills in a large sample of girls and boys with CD compared to typically developing controls (TDCs) using a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery. Method: We included 542 youths with CD (317 girls) and 710 TDCs (479 girls), 9 to 18 years of age, from a European multisite study (FemNAT-CD). Participants completed three experimental tasks assessing emotion recognition, learning, and regulation, respectively. Data were analyzed to test for effects of group and sex, and group-by-sex interactions, while controlling for potentially confounding factors. Results: Relative to TDCs, youths with CD showed impaired emotion recognition (that was related to more physical and proactive aggression, and higher CU traits), emotional learning (specifically from punishment), and emotion regulation. Boys and girls with CD, however, displayed similar impairments in emotion processing. Conclusion: This study provides compelling evidence for a relationship between CD and deficient neurocognitive functioning across three emotional domains that have previously been linked to CD etiology. However, there was no support for sex-specific profiles of emotion dysfunction, suggesting that current neurocognitive models of CD apply equally to both sexes.</p