Electromyogram (EMG) Removal by Adding Sources of EMG (ERASE) -- A novel ICA-based algorithm for removing myoelectric artifacts from EEG -- Part 2

Extraction of the movement-related high-gamma (80 - 160 Hz) in electroencephalogram (EEG) from traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients who have had hemicraniectomies, remains challenging due to a confounding bandwidth overlap with surface electromyogram (EMG) artifacts related to facial and head movements. In part 1, we described an augmented independent component analysis (ICA) approach for removal of EMG artifacts from EEG, and referred to as EMG Reduction by Adding Sources of EMG (ERASE). Here, we tested ERASE on EEG recorded from six TBI patients with hemicraniectomies while they performed a thumb flexion task. ERASE removed a mean of 52 +/- 12% (mean +/- S.E.M) (maximum 73%) of EMG artifacts. In contrast, conventional ICA removed a mean of 27 +/- 19\% (mean +/- S.E.M) of EMG artifacts from EEG. In particular, high-gamma synchronization was significantly improved in the contralateral hand motor cortex area within the hemicraniectomy site after ERASE was applied. We computed fractal dimension (FD) of EEG high-gamma on each channel. We found relative FD of high-gamma over hemicraniectomy after applying ERASE were strongly correlated to the amplitude of finger flexion force. Results showed that significant correlation coefficients across the electrodes related to thumb flexion averaged 0.76, while the coefficients across the homologous electrodes in non-hemicraniectomy areas were nearly 0. Across all subjects, an average of 83% of electrodes significantly correlated with force was located in the hemicraniectomy areas after applying ERASE. After conventional ICA, only 19% of electrodes with significant correlations were located in the hemicraniectomy. These results indicated that the new approach isolated electrophysiological features during finger motor activation while selectively removing confounding EMG artifacts

Failure of PCR to Detect Treponema pallidum ssp. pertenue DNA in Blood in Latent Yaws.

Yaws, caused by Treponema pallidum ssp. pertenue, is a neglected tropical disease closely related to venereal syphilis and is targeted for eradication by 2020. Latent yaws represents a diagnostic challenge, and current tools cannot adequately distinguish between individuals with true latent infection and individuals who are serofast following successful treatment. PCR on blood has previously been shown to detect T. pallidum DNA in patients with syphilis, suggesting that this approach may be of value in yaws. We performed real-time PCR for Treponema pallidum ssp. pertenue on blood samples from 140 children with positive T. pallidum Particle Agglutination (TPPA) and Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR) tests and 7 controls (negative serology), all collected as part of a prospective study of yaws in the Solomon Islands. All samples were also tested by a nested PCR for T. pallidum. 12 patients had clinical evidence of active yaws whilst 128 were considered to have latent yaws. 43 children had high titre rapid plasma reagins (RPRs) of ≥1:32. PCR testing with both assays gave negative results in all cases. It is possible that the failure to detect T. pallidum ssp. pertenue in blood reflects lower loads of organism in latent yaws compared to those in latent infection with T. pallidum ssp. pertenue, and/or a lower propensity for haematogenous dissemination in yaws than in syphilis. As the goal of the yaws control programme is eradication, a tool that can differentiate true latent infection from individuals who are serofast would be of value; however, PCR of blood is not that tool

Pair of accelerated black holes in an anti-de Sitter background: the AdS C-metric

The anti-de Sitter C-metric (AdS C-metric) is characterized by a quite interesting new feature when compared with the C-metric in flat or de Sitter backgrounds. Indeed, contrarily to what happens in these two last exact solutions, the AdS C-metric only describes a pair of accelerated black holes if the acceleration parameter satisfies A>1/L, where L is the cosmological length. The two black holes cannot interact gravitationally and their acceleration is totally provided by the pressure exerted by a strut that pushes the black holes apart. Our analysis is based on the study of the causal structure, on the description of the solution in the AdS 4-hyperboloid in a 5D Minkowski embedding spacetime, and on the physics of the strut. We also analyze the cases A=1/L and A<1/L that represent a single accelerated black hole in the AdS background.Comment: 20 pages, 15 figures (RevTeX4). Published version: typo in fig. 5 corrected, references adde

An epigenomic approach to therapy for tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer

Tamoxifen has been a frontline treatment for estrogen receptor alpha (ERα)-positive breast tumors in premenopausal women. However, resistance to tamoxifen occurs in many patients. ER still plays a critical role in the growth of breast cancer cells with acquired tamoxifen resistance, suggesting that ERα remains a valid target for treatment of tamoxifen-resistant (Tam-R) breast cancer. In an effort to identify novel regulators of ERα signaling, through a small-scale siRNA screen against histone methyl modifiers, we found WHSC1, a histone H3K36 methyltransferase, as a positive regulator of ERα signaling in breast cancer cells. We demonstrated that WHSC1 is recruited to the ERα gene by the BET protein BRD3/4, and facilitates ERα gene expression. The small-molecule BET protein inhibitor JQ1 potently suppressed the classic ERα signaling pathway and the growth of Tam-R breast cancer cells in culture. Using a Tam-R breast cancer xenograft mouse model, we demonstrated in vivo anti-breast cancer activity by JQ1 and a strong long-lasting effect of combination therapy with JQ1 and the ER degrader fulvestrant. Taken together, we provide evidence that the epigenomic proteins BRD3/4 and WHSC1 are essential regulators of estrogen receptor signaling and are novel therapeutic targets for treatment of Tam-R breast cancer

Primates in Peril: The world's 25 most endangered primates 2008-2010

Introduction Here we report on the fifth iteration of the biennial listing of a consensus of 25 primate species considered to be amongst the most endangered worldwide and the most in need of urgent conservation measures. The first was drawn up in 2000 by the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group, together with Conservation International (Mittermeier et al. 2000). The list was subsequently reviewed and updated in 2002 during an open meeting held during the 19th Congress of the International Primatological Society (IPS) in Beijing, China (Mittermeier et al. 2002). That occasion provided for debate among primatologists working in the field who had first-hand knowledge of the causes of threats to primates, both in general and in particular with the species or communities they study. The meeting and the review of the list of the World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates resulted in its official endorsement by the IPS, and became as such a combined endeavor of the Primate Specialist Group, the IPS, and Conservation International. A third revision was carried out at a meeting in August 2004, at the 20th Congress of the IPS in Torino, Italy (Mittermeier et al. 2006). The fourth, covering the biennium 2006–2008, was the result of a meeting held during the 21st Congress of the International Primatological Society (IPS), in Entebbe, Uganda, 26–30 June 2006 (Mittermeier et al. 2007)

Primates in peril: The world's 25 most endangered primates, 2006-2008

From first paragraph: Here we report on the fourth iteration of the biennial listing of a consensus of 25 primate species considered to be amongst the most endangered worldwide and the most in need of urgent conservation measures. The first was drawn up in 2000 by the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group, together with Conservation International (Mittermeier et al. 2000). The list was subsequently reviewed and updated in 2002 during an open meeting held during the 19th Congress of the International Primatological Society (IPS) in Beijing, China (Mittermeier et al. 2002). That occasion provided for debate among primatologists working in the field who had first-hand knowledge of the causes of threats to primates, both in general and in particular with the species or communities they study

Primates in peril: The world's 25 most endangered primates, 2006-2008

From first paragraph: Here we report on the fourth iteration of the biennial listing of a consensus of 25 primate species considered to be amongst the most endangered worldwide and the most in need of urgent conservation measures. The first was drawn up in 2000 by the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group, together with Conservation International (Mittermeier et al. 2000). The list was subsequently reviewed and updated in 2002 during an open meeting held during the 19th Congress of the International Primatological Society (IPS) in Beijing, China (Mittermeier et al. 2002). That occasion provided for debate among primatologists working in the field who had first-hand knowledge of the causes of threats to primates, both in general and in particular with the species or communities they study

General self-efficacy and the effect of hospital workplace violence on doctors’ stress and job satisfaction in China

Objectives: This study aims at exploring associations of general self-efficacy (GSE), workplace violence and doctors' work-related attitudes. Material and Methods: In this study a cross-sectional survey design was applied. Questionnaires were administrated to 758 doctors working in 9 hospitals of Zhengzhou, Henan province, China, between June and October 2010. General information on age, gender, and years of working was collected, and the doctors' experience and witnessing workplace violence, job satisfaction, job initiative, occupational stress as well as GSE were measured. General linear regression analysis was performed in association analyses. Results: Both experiencing and witnessing workplace violence were significantly positively correlated with the level of occupational stress but significantly negatively correlated with job satisfaction, job initiative, and GSE. General self-efficacy significantly modified relationships between both experiencing and witnessing workplace violence with occupational stress (β = 0.49 for experiencing violence; β = 0.43 for witnessing violence; p 0.05). The levels of occupational stress declined significantly with the increase of GSE, while job satisfaction increased significantly along with its increase. The effects of GSE on occupational stress and job satisfaction weakened as the frequency of violence increased. Conclusions: The findings suggest that GSE can modify effects of workplace violence on health care workers' stress and job satisfaction. Enhancing GSE in combination with stress reduction may lead to facilitating health care workers' recovery from workplace violence, and thereby improving their work-related attitudes