A new Miconia (Melastomatacaeae) from Bolivia, with remarks on angular-branched species in the Andes

A new species of Melastomataceae frorm Bolivia is described, illustrated and placed in a phenetic context within Miconia, a genus of 1000 species and about 2000 published names. Miconia quadrialata is readily distinguished from its Congeners by two-colored leaves and sharply four-angular and winged branchlets. A search for quadrangular-branched miconias revealed that 12 of 15 such species (in four sections), including the new species, occur in cloud forest in the Andes, raising the question of the adaptive significance of quadrangular branchlets

Screening for autism in adulthood – Exploratory data analysis for psychopathological self-assessment of 1382 individuals of a clinical population

The aim of this study is to gain new insights into psychopathological self-assessment and hypotheses for improving the screening of autism based on the largest clinical sample of an outpatient clinic for adults with late diagnosed autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to date. This retrospective data analysis focuses on exploring the influence of the variables gender, age, intelligence quotient (IQ) and depressive symptoms on the widespread self assessment questionnaire, the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ-50). In addition, a revised edition of the short version of the AQ-50 (the AQ-10 by Allison et al. 2012) will be created. For this purpose, 528 patients (366 males and 162 females) of an outpatient clinic with an ASD (ASD+) as well as 854 individuals (544 males and 310 females) in whom autism could be ruled out (ASD-) are included in this study. The age of all 1382 individuals ranges from 18 to 75, with a median age of 35. Depending on the topic and under consideration of the required statistical assumptions, Mann-Whitney U tests, Spearman’s correlations, biserial correlation, independent samples t tests, item-analyses via the Discrimination Index (DI) and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analyses are performed. The results of this study indicate that gender and age have a comparable sized effect on the self evaluation of autistic traits as the diagnosis ASD itself. After controlling for these variables, it seems that a more precise discrimination between individuals with and without an ASD can be achieved, as demonstrated in ROC analyses. IQ and severity of depressive symptoms does not seem to differ significantly between ASD+ and ASD-. Only in ASD+ self-reported autistic symptoms appear to correlate positively with the IQ. Depressive symptoms only seem to correlate with subscale ‘attention switching’, but not with the total score of the AQ-50. Regarding the subscales of the AQ-50, the results indicate that adults with an ASD score comparable in ‘attention switching’ and ‘attention to detail’ as their counterparts without an ASD. In contrast, there are significant differences in the response to subscale ‘imagination’ depending on the diagnosis ASD, although the underlying symptomatology of this factor is hardly represented in the common diagnostic systems. ‘Imagination’ also seems to be the only subscale that is not influenced by variables gender and IQ. Item analysis implies that for 9 items of the AQ-50, adults without an ASD score more frequently than their counterparts with an ASD and only 3 items of the original AQ-10 (by Allison et al. 2012) overlapped with the here created AQ 10 revised. Finally, ROC analyses suggest that the AQ-10-revised may differentiate better between ASD+ and ASD- than the original AQ 10 and AQ 50. However, the AQ-10-revised should be validated in further studies

Computational Analysis and Integration of MeDIP-seq Methylome Data

The combinatorial number of possible methylomes in biological time and space is astronomical. Consequently, the computational analysis of methylomes needs to cater for a variety of data, throughput and resolution. Here, we review recent advances in 2nd generation sequencing (2GS) with a focus on the different methods used for the analysis of MeDIP-seq data. The challenges and opportunities presented by the integration of methylation data with other genomic data types are discussed as is the potential impact of emerging 3rd generation sequencing (3GS) based technologies on methylation analysis

A genome-wide survey of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes and their paralogues in zebrafish

BACKGROUND: The genomic organisation of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) varies greatly between different vertebrates. In mammals, the classical MHC consists of a large number of linked genes (e.g. greater than 200 in humans) with predominantly immune function. In some birds, it consists of only a small number of linked MHC core genes (e.g. smaller than 20 in chickens) forming a minimal essential MHC and, in fish, the MHC consists of a so far unknown number of genes including non-linked MHC core genes. Here we report a survey of MHC genes and their paralogues in the zebrafish genome. RESULTS: Using sequence similarity searches against the zebrafish draft genome assembly (Zv4, September 2004), 149 putative MHC gene loci and their paralogues have been identified. Of these, 41 map to chromosome 19 while the remaining loci are spread across essentially all chromosomes. Despite the fragmentation, a set of MHC core genes involved in peptide transport, loading and presentation are still found in a single linkage group. CONCLUSION: The results extend the linkage information of MHC core genes on zebrafish chromosome 19 and show the distribution of the remaining MHC genes and their paralogues to be genome-wide. Although based on a draft genome assembly, this survey demonstrates an essentially fragmented MHC in zebrafish

Human-specific CpG 'beacons' identify human-specific prefrontal cortex H3K4me3 chromatin peaks

Therefore, CpG-focused comparative sequence analysis can precisely pinpoint chromatin structures that contribute to the human-specific phenotype and further supports an integrated approach in genomic and epigenomic studie

On the congruence of modularity and code coupling

ABSTRACT Software systems are modularized to make their inherent complexity manageable. While there exists a set of wellknown principles that may guide software engineers to design the modules of a software system, we do not know which principles are followed in practice. In a study based on 16 open source projects, we look at different kinds of coupling concepts between source code entities, including structural dependencies, fan-out similarity, evolutionary coupling, code ownership, code clones, and semantic similarity. The congruence between these coupling concepts and the modularization of the system hints at the modularity principles used in practice. Furthermore, the results provide insights on how to support developers to modularize software systems

Perforation of the Schneiderian membrane during sinus floor elevation: a risk factor for long-term success of dental implants?

Purpose: In cases of highly atrophic alveolar ridges, augmentation procedures became a frequent procedure to gain optimal conditions for dental implants. Especially in the maxilla sinus floor elevation procedures represent the gold standard pre-prosthetic and mainly successful procedure. The perforation of the Schneiderian is one of the most common complications. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the intraoperative perforation of the Schneiderian membrane has an impact on long-term implant success. Methods: Thirty-four patients from a former study collective of the years 2005 and 2006 with a total of 41 perforations were invited for a follow-up examination to determine the long-term success rates after sinus floor elevation and subsequent implantation. Results: Twenty-one patients with 25 perforations were subsequently re-evaluated. One implant was lost due to a of periimplant infection after 232 days, resulting in an implant survival rate of 98% within a mean follow-up period of 8.9 years (± 1.5 years). Conclusion: Regarding the long-term success, there was no increased risk for implant failure or other persisting complications, e.g., sinusitis, after intraoperative perforation during sinus floor elevation in this study