Social functioning and behaviour in Mucopolysaccharidosis IH [Hurlers Syndrome]

Background: Mucopolysaccharidosis type IH (MPS-IH) [Hurlers Syndrome] is a developmental genetic disorder characterised by severe physical symptoms and cognitive decline. This study aimed to investigate the behavioural phenotype of MPS-IH treated by haematopoietic cell transplantation, focusing on social functioning and sleep. Parental stress was also measured. Methods: Participants were 22 children with MPS-IH (mean age 9 years 1 month), of whom 10 were male (45%). Parents completed the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), Children’s Sleep Habit Questionnaire and Parent Stress Index, Short Form (PSI-SF). Results: Twenty-three per cent of children with MPS-IH scored in the severe range of the SRS, suggesting significant difficulties in social functioning. Children with MPS-IH were more than 30 times more likely to receive scores in the severe range than typically developing children. Thirty-six per cent scored in the mild-to-moderate range, suggesting milder, but marked, difficulties in social interaction. Although children with MPS-IH did not show significantly higher rates of internalising, externalising or total behaviour problems than the normative sample, they received scores that were significantly higher on social, thought and attention problems and rule-breaking behaviour, and all the competence areas of the CBCL. Parents of children with MPS-IH did not score significantly higher on parental stress than parents in a normative sample. Conclusions: Parents of children with MPS-IH rate their children as having problems with social functioning and various areas of competence more frequently than previously thought, with implications for clinical support

Terahertz metamaterials on flexible polypropylene substrate

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11468-014-9724-1In this work, we present a metamaterial working at terahertz frequencies made over a flexible polypropylene sub-strate. The experimental measurements, in accordance with the numerical calculations, show the metamaterial reliance on the impinging electric field polarization. The structure s symmetry yields purely electrical resonant responses eliminating bianisotropy effects. The widely used bendable polypropylene polymer may promote the insertion of metamaterial-based structures with special electromagnetic response in a number of objects of our daily lives such as textiles, automotive components, and sensingThis work was supported by the Spanish MICINN under contracts CONSOLIDER EMET CSD2008-00066 and TEC2011-28664-C02-02 and by the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia under the program INNOVA 2011.Ortuño Molinero, R.; García Meca, C.; Martínez Abietar, AJ. (2014). Terahertz metamaterials on flexible polypropylene substrate. Plasmonics. 9(5):1143-1147. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11468-014-9724-1S1143114795Smith DR, Padilla WJ, Vier DC, Nemat-Nasser SC, Schultz S (2000) Composite medium with simultaneously negative permeability and permittivity. Phys Rev Lett 84:4184–4187Pendry JB (2000) Negative refraction makes a perfect lens. Phys Rev Lett 85:3966–3969Zhang X, Liu Z (2008) Superlenses to overcome the diffraction limit. Nat Mater 7:435–441Pendry JB, Schurig D, Smith DR (2006) Controlling electromagnetic fields. Science 312:1780–1782Schurig D, Mock JJ, Justice BJ, Cummer SA, Pendry JB, Starr AF, Smith DR (2006) Metamaterial electromagnetic cloak at microwave frequencies. Science 314:977–980Rodríguez-Cantó PJ, Martínez-Marco M, Rodríguez-Fortuño FJ, Tomás-Navarro B, Ortuño R, Peransí-Llopis S, Martínez A (2011) Demonstration of near infrared gas sensing using gold nanodisks on functionalized silicon. Opt Express 19:7664–7672Rodríguez-Fortuño FJ, Martínez-Marco M, Tomás-Navarro B, Ortuño R, Martí J, Martínez A, Rodríguez-Cantó PJ (2011) Highly-sensitive chemical detection in the infrared regime using plasmonic gold nanocrosses. Appl Phys Lett 98:133118O’Hara FJ, Singh R, Brener I, Smirnova E, Han J, Taylor AJ, Zhang W (2008) Thin-film sensing with planar terahertz metamaterials: sensitivity and limitations. Opt Express 16:1786–1795Tao H, Landy NI, Bingham CM, Zhang X, Averitt RD, Padilla WJ (2008) A metamaterial absorber for the terahertz regime: design, fabrication and characterization. Opt Express 16:7181–7188Iwaszczuk K, Strikwerda AC, Fan K, Zhang X, Averitt RD, Jepsen PU (2012) Flexible metamaterial absorbers for stealth applications at terahertz frequencies. Opt Express 20:635–643Tao H, Bingham CM, Strikwerda AC, Pilon D, Shrekenhamer D, Landy NI, Fan K, Zhang X, Padilla WJ, Averitt RD (2008) Highly flexible wide angle of incidence terahertz metamaterial absorber: design, fabrication, and characterization. Phys Rev B 78:241103(R)Tao H, Bingham CM, Pilon D, Fan K, Strikwerda AC, Shrekenhamer D, Padilla WJ, Zhang X, Averitt RD (2010) A dual band terahertz metamaterial absorber. J Phys D: Appl Phys 43:225102Padilla WJ, Taylor AJ, Highstrete C, Lee M, Averitt RD (2006) Dynamical electric and magnetic metamaterial response at terahertz frequencies. Phys Rev Lett 96:107401Chen HT, Padilla WJ, Zide JMO, Gossard AC, Taylor AJ, Averitt RD (2006) Active terahertz metamaterial devices. Nature 444:597–600Chen HT, O’Hara FJ, Azad AK, Taylor AJ, Averitt RD, Shrekenhamer DB, Padilla WJ (2008) Experimental demonstration of frequency-agile terahertz metamaterials. Nature Photon 2:295–298Chen HT, Padilla WJ, Zide JMO, Bank SR, Gossard AC, Taylor AJ, Averitt RD (2007) Ultrafast optical switching of terahertz metamaterials fabricated on ErAs/GaAs nanoisland superlattices. Opt Lett 32:1620–1622Chen HT, Palit S, Tyler T, Bingham CM, Zide JMO, O’Hara FJ, Smith DR, Gossard AC, Averitt RD, Padilla WJ, Jokerst NM, Taylor AJ (2008) Hybrid metamaterials enable fast electrical modulation of freely propagating terahertz waves. Appl Phys Lett 93:091117Chen HT, Padilla WJ, Cich MJ, Azad AK, Averitt RD, Taylor AJ (2009) A metamaterial solid-state terahertz phase modulator. Nat Photon 3:148Driscoll T, Andreev GO, Basov DN, Palit S, Cho SY, Jokerst NM, Smith DR (2007) Tuned permeability in terahertz split-ring resonators for devices and sensors. Appl Phys Lett 91:062511Debus C, Bolivar PH (2007) Frequency selective surfaces for high sensitivity terahertz sensing. Appl Phys Lett 91:184102Al-Naib IAI, Jansen C, Koch M (2008) Thin-film sensing with planar asymmetric metamaterial resonators. Appl Phys Lett 93:083507Leonhardt U, Philbin TG (2010) Geometry and light: the science of invisibility. Dover, MineolaDi Falco A, Ploschner M, Krauss TF (2010) Flexible metamaterials at visible wavelengths. New J Phys 12:113006Tao H, Strikwerda AC, Fan K, Bingham CM, Padilla WJ, Zhang X, Averitt RD (2008) Terahertz metamaterials on free-standing highly-flexible polyimide substrates. Appl Phys 41:232004Tao H, Amsden JJ, Strikwerda AC, Fan K, Kaplan DL, Zhang X, Averitt RD, Omenetto FJ (2010) Metamaterial silk composites at terahertz frequencies. Adv Mater 22:3527–3531Chen ZC, Han NR, Pan ZY, Gong YD, Chong TC, Hong MH (2011) Tunable resonance enhancement of multi-layer terahertz metamaterials fabricated by parallel laser micro-lens array lithography on flexible substrates. Opt Mat Express 1:151–157Miyamaru F, Takeda MW, Taima K (2009) Characterization of terahertz metamaterials fabricated on flexible plastic films: toward fabrication of bulk metamaterials in terahertz region. Appl Phys Express 2:042001Peralta XG, Wanke MC, Arrington CL, Williams JD, Brener I, Strikwerda A, Averitt RD, Padilla WJ, Smirnova W, Taylor AJ, O’Hara FJ (2009) Large-area metamaterials on thin membranes for multilayer and curved applications at terahertz and higher frequencies. Appl Phys Lett 94:161113Choi M, Lee SH, Kim Y, Kang SB, Shin J, Kwak MH, Kang KY, Lee YH, Park N, Min B (2011) A terahertz metamaterial with unnaturally high refractive index. Nature 470:369–373Han NR, Chen ZC, Lim CS, Ng B, Hong MH (2011) Broadband multi-layer terahertz metamaterials fabrication and characterization on flexible substrates. 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Male reproductive health and environmental xenoestrogens

EHP is a publication of the U.S. government. Publication of EHP lies in the public domain and is therefore without copyright. Research articles from EHP may be used freely; however, articles from the News section of EHP may contain photographs or figures copyrighted by other commercial organizations and individuals that may not be used without obtaining prior approval from both the EHP editors and the holder of the copyright. Use of any materials published in EHP should be acknowledged (for example, "Reproduced with permission from Environmental Health Perspectives") and a reference provided for the article from which the material was reproduced.Male reproductive health has deteriorated in many countries during the last few decades. In the 1990s, declining semen quality has been reported from Belgium, Denmark, France, and Great Britain. The incidence of testicular cancer has increased during the same time incidences of hypospadias and cryptorchidism also appear to be increasing. Similar reproductive problems occur in many wildlife species. There are marked geographic differences in the prevalence of male reproductive disorders. While the reasons for these differences are currently unknown, both clinical and laboratory research suggest that the adverse changes may be inter-related and have a common origin in fetal life or childhood. Exposure of the male fetus to supranormal levels of estrogens, such as diethlylstilbestrol, can result in the above-mentioned reproductive defects. The growing number of reports demonstrating that common environmental contaminants and natural factors possess estrogenic activity presents the working hypothesis that the adverse trends in male reproductive health may be, at least in part, associated with exposure to estrogenic or other hormonally active (e.g., antiandrogenic) environmental chemicals during fetal and childhood development. An extensive research program is needed to understand the extent of the problem, its underlying etiology, and the development of a strategy for prevention and intervention.Supported by EU Contract BMH4-CT96-0314

The factor structure of the Forms of Self-Criticising/Attacking & Self-Reassuring Scale in thirteen distinct populations

There is considerable evidence that self-criticism plays a major role in the vulnerability to and recovery from psychopathology. Methods to measure this process, and its change over time, are therefore important for research in psychopathology and well-being. This study examined the factor structure of a widely used measure, the Forms of Self-Criticising/Attacking & Self-Reassuring Scale in thirteen nonclinical samples (N = 7510) from twelve different countries: Australia (N = 319), Canada (N = 383), Switzerland (N = 230), Israel (N = 476), Italy (N = 389), Japan (N = 264), the Netherlands (N = 360), Portugal (N = 764), Slovakia (N = 1326), Taiwan (N = 417), the United Kingdom 1 (N = 1570), the United Kingdom 2 (N = 883), and USA (N = 331). This study used more advanced analyses than prior reports: a bifactor item-response theory model, a two-tier item-response theory model, and a non-parametric item-response theory (Mokken) scale analysis. Although the original three-factor solution for the FSCRS (distinguishing between Inadequate-Self, Hated-Self, and Reassured-Self) had an acceptable fit, two-tier models, with two general factors (Self-criticism and Self-reassurance) demonstrated the best fit across all samples. This study provides preliminary evidence suggesting that this two-factor structure can be used in a range of nonclinical contexts across countries and cultures. Inadequate-Self and Hated-Self might not by distinct factors in nonclinical samples. Future work may benefit from distinguishing between self-correction versus shame-based self-criticism.Peer reviewe

DNA Barcoding in the Cycadales: Testing the Potential of Proposed Barcoding Markers for Species Identification of Cycads

Barcodes are short segments of DNA that can be used to uniquely identify an unknown specimen to species, particularly when diagnostic morphological features are absent. These sequences could offer a new forensic tool in plant and animal conservation—especially for endangered species such as members of the Cycadales. Ideally, barcodes could be used to positively identify illegally obtained material even in cases where diagnostic features have been purposefully removed or to release confiscated organisms into the proper breeding population. In order to be useful, a DNA barcode sequence must not only easily PCR amplify with universal or near-universal reaction conditions and primers, but also contain enough variation to generate unique identifiers at either the species or population levels. Chloroplast regions suggested by the Plant Working Group of the Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBoL), and two alternatives, the chloroplast psbA-trnH intergenic spacer and the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS), were tested for their utility in generating unique identifiers for members of the Cycadales. Ease of amplification and sequence generation with universal primers and reaction conditions was determined for each of the seven proposed markers. While none of the proposed markers provided unique identifiers for all species tested, nrITS showed the most promise in terms of variability, although sequencing difficulties remain a drawback. We suggest a workflow for DNA barcoding, including database generation and management, which will ultimately be necessary if we are to succeed in establishing a universal DNA barcode for plants

The role of metacognition in self-critical rumination: an investigation in individuals presenting with low self-esteem

Background: No research, to date, has directly investigated the role of metacognition in self-critical rumination and low self-esteem. Aim: To investigate the presence of metacognitive beliefs about self-critical rumination; the goal of self-critical rumination and its stop signal; and the degree of detachment from intrusive self-critical thoughts. Method: Ten individuals reporting both a self-acknowledged tendency to judge themselves critically and having low self-esteem were assessed using metacognitive profiling, a semi-structured interview. Results: All participants endorsed both positive and negative metacognitive beliefs about self-critical rumination. Positive metacognitive beliefs concerned the usefulness of self-critical rumination as a means of improving cognitive performance and enhancing motivation. Negative metacognitive beliefs concerned the uncontrollability of self-critical rumination and its negative impact on mood, motivation and perception of self-worth. The primary goal of engaging in self-critical rumination was to achieve a better or clearer understanding of a given trigger situation or to feel more motivated to resolve it. However, only four participants were able to identify when this goal had been achieved, which was if the trigger situation were not to occur again. Participants unanimously stated that they were either unable to detach from their self-critical thoughts or could do so some of the time with varying degrees of success. More often than not, though, self-critical thoughts were viewed as facts, would rarely be seen as distorted or biased, and could take hours or days to dissipate. Conclusions: These findings provide preliminary evidence that specific facets of metacognition play a role in the escalation and perseveration of self-critical rumination

Small global-mean cooling due to volcanic radiative forcing

In both the observational record and atmosphere-ocean general circulation model (AOGCM) simulations of the last ∼∼ 150 years, short-lived negative radiative forcing due to volcanic aerosol, following explosive eruptions, causes sudden global-mean cooling of up to ∼∼ 0.3 K. This is about five times smaller than expected from the transient climate response parameter (TCRP, K of global-mean surface air temperature change per W m−2 of radiative forcing increase) evaluated under atmospheric CO2 concentration increasing at 1 % yr−1. Using the step model (Good et al. in Geophys Res Lett 38:L01703, 2011. doi:10.​1029/​2010GL045208), we confirm the previous finding (Held et al. in J Clim 23:2418–2427, 2010. doi:10.​1175/​2009JCLI3466.​1) that the main reason for the discrepancy is the damping of the response to short-lived forcing by the thermal inertia of the upper ocean. Although the step model includes this effect, it still overestimates the volcanic cooling simulated by AOGCMs by about 60 %. We show that this remaining discrepancy can be explained by the magnitude of the volcanic forcing, which may be smaller in AOGCMs (by 30 % for the HadCM3 AOGCM) than in off-line calculations that do not account for rapid cloud adjustment, and the climate sensitivity parameter, which may be smaller than for increasing CO2 (40 % smaller than for 4 × CO2 in HadCM3)

Photodynamic Therapy Can Induce a Protective Innate Immune Response against Murine Bacterial Arthritis via Neutrophil Accumulation

Background: Local microbial infections induced by multiple-drug-resistant bacteria in the orthopedic field can be intractable, therefore development of new therapeutic modalities is needed. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising alternative modality to antibiotics for intractable microbial infections, and we recently reported that PDT has the potential to accumulate neutrophils into the infected site which leads to resolution of the infection. PDT for cancer has long been known to be able to stimulate the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system. Methodology/Principal Findings: In the present study, a murine methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) arthritis model using bioluminescent MRSA and polystyrene microparticles was established, and both the therapeutic (Th-PDT) and preventive (Pre-PDT) effects of PDT using methylene blue as photosensitizer were examined. Although Th-PDT could not demonstrate direct bacterial killing, neutrophils were accumulated into the infectious joint space after PDT and MRSA arthritis was reduced. With the preconditioning Pre-PDT regimen, neutrophils were quickly accumulated into the joint immediately after bacterial inoculation and bacterial growth was suppressed and the establishment of infection was inhibited. Conclusions/Significance: This is the first demonstration of a protective innate immune response against a bacterial pathogen produced by PDT.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant number R01AI050875