Concrete Vessel – Pavilion no.1 in China House Vision

https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/bcs/1357/thumbnail.jp

Regional gray matter correlates of vocational interests.

BackgroundPrevious studies have identified brain areas related to cognitive abilities and personality, respectively. In this exploratory study, we extend the application of modern neuroimaging techniques to another area of individual differences, vocational interests, and relate the results to an earlier study of cognitive abilities salient for vocations.FindingsFirst, we examined the psychometric relationships between vocational interests and abilities in a large sample. The primary relationships between those domains were between Investigative (scientific) interests and general intelligence and between Realistic ("blue-collar") interests and spatial ability. Then, using MRI and voxel-based morphometry, we investigated the relationships between regional gray matter volume and vocational interests. Specific clusters of gray matter were found to be correlated with Investigative and Realistic interests. Overlap analyses indicated some common brain areas between the correlates of Investigative interests and general intelligence and between the correlates of Realistic interests and spatial ability.ConclusionsTwo of six vocational-interest scales show substantial relationships with regional gray matter volume. The overlap between the brain correlates of these scales and cognitive-ability factors suggest there are relationships between individual differences in brain structure and vocations

Multivariate risk measures in the non-convex setting

The family of admissible positions in a transaction costs model is a random closed set, which is convex in case of proportional transaction costs. However, the convexity fails, e.g. in case of fixed transaction costs or when only a finite number of transfers are possible. The paper presents an approach to measure risks of such positions based on the idea of considering all selections of the portfolio and checking if one of them is acceptable. Properties and basic examples of risk measures of non-convex portfolios are presented.Comment: 14 pages. Minor revisio

Sociocultural incentives for cancer care implementation

The implementation and modification of cancer care systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for the entire population is usually accompanied not only by intensive and rapid changes in the delivery processes and system structure, but also by severe impact on human resources and sociocultural aspects of cancer care delivery. At the same time this is caused by and results in complex changes in clinical routines, in collaborative patterns among healthcare providers, professions and disciplines, as well as in the behavior of healthcare workers, patients or other stakeholders, and in the organization of cancer care [1]. Since allocation of qualitatively and quantitatively sufficient human resources to the entire population is a major challenge for cancer care in LIMCs, understanding of sociocultural incentives and their strategic use becomes of high importance [2]. These sociocultural incentives include various types of driving motivations that are not directly related to remuneration of healthcare service, such as free housing, access to professional education, social perception and appreciation, among others. Their importance is especially true for the care of patients with metastatic disease, given their vulnerability and particular clinical needs. Here we consider the impact of sociocultural incentives in this context

Epigenetic regulation and role of metastasis suppressor genes in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is distinguished by rapid dissemination. Thus, genetic and/or epigenetic deregulation of metastasis suppressor genes (MSG) is a likely event during early pancreatic carcinogenesis and a potential diagnostic marker for the disease. We investigated 9 known MSGs for their role in the dissemination of PDAC and examined their promoters for methylation and its use in PDAC detection. Methods: MRNA expression of 9 MSGs was determined in 18 PDAC cell lines by quantitative RT-PCR and promoter methylation was analyzed by Methylation Specific PCR and validated by Bisulfite Sequencing PCR. These data were compared to the cell lines’ in vivo metastatic and invasive potential that had been previously established. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 20 using 2-tailed Spearman’s correlation with P  0.14). Conclusions: Genes with metastasis suppressing functions in other tumor entities did not show evidence of assuming the same role in PDAC. Inactivation of MSGs by promoter methylation was an infrequent event and unsuitable as a diagnostic marker of PDAC. A distinct methylation pattern was identified, that resulted in reduced mRNA expression in all cases. Thus, constant methylation patterns could predict regulatory significance of a promoter’s methylation prior to expression analysis and hence present an additional tool during target gene selection.<br

Proficient brain for optimal performance: the MAP model perspective

Background. The main goal of the present study was to explore theta and alpha event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS) activity during shooting performance. We adopted the idiosyncratic framework of the multi-action plan (MAP) model to investigate different processing modes underpinning four types of performance. In particular, we were interested in examining the neural activity associated with optimal-automated (Type 1) and optimal-controlled (Type 2) performances. Methods. Ten elite shooters (6 male and 4 female) with extensive international experience participated in the study. ERD/ERS analysis was used to investigate cortical dynamics during performance. A 4 × 3 (performance types × time) repeated measures analysis of variance was performed to test the differences among the four types of performance during the three seconds preceding the shots for theta, low alpha, and high alpha frequency bands. The dependent variables were the ERD/ERS percentages in each frequency band (i.e., theta, low alpha, high alpha) for each electrode site across the scalp. This analysis was conducted on 120 shots for each participant in three different frequency bands and the individual data were then averaged. Results. We found ERS to be mainly associated with optimal-automatic performance, in agreement with the “neural efficiency hypothesis.” We also observed more ERD as related to optimal-controlled performance in conditions of “neural adaptability” and proficient use of cortical resources. Discussion. These findings are congruent with the MAP conceptualization of four performance states, in which unique psychophysiological states underlie distinct performance-related experiences. From an applied point of view, our findings suggest that the MAP model can be used as a framework to develop performance enhancement strategies based on cognitive and neurofeedback technique

Circulating microRNAs: emerging biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis in patients with gastrointestinal cancers

Author version made available in accordance with the publisher's policy. Under embargo for 6 months from time of publication. The final version of record is available at http://www.clinsci.org/cs/128/0001/cs1280001.htmTo identify novel non-invasive biomarkers for improved detection, risk assessment and prognostic evaluation of cancer, expression profiles of circulating microRNAs are currently under evaluation. Circulating microRNAs are highly promising candidates in this context, as they present some key characteristics for cancer biomarkers: they are tissue-specific with reproducible expression and consistency among individuals from the same species, they are potentially derived directly from the tumor and therefore might correlate with tumor progression and recurrence, and they are bound to proteins or contained in sub-cellular particles such as microvesicles or exosomes, making them highly stable and resistant to degradation. This review highlights the origin of circulating microRNAs, their stability in blood samples, and techniques to isolate exosomal microRNAs, and then addresses the current evidence supporting potential clinical applications for circulating miRNAs for diagnostic and prognostic purposes

Risk Factors of Ovarian Cancer in PKU Muhammadiyah Teaching Hospital Yogyakarta

Introduction: Ovarian cancer is non-communicable diseases that has a high mortality rate. In PKU Muhammadiyah Teaching Hospital Yogyakarta in 2014-2017, ovarian cancer is 5th out of all types cancers diagnosed. Most of them are asymptomatic in early stage and come to hospital at late stage. Recognize and identify the risk factors of ovarian cancer are very important to prevent the patient from morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to know the relationship between low parity, infertility, age, and family history with ovarian cancer in PKU Muhammadiyah Teaching  Hospital Yogyakarta.Methods: This study was an observational analytical study with cross sectional design. The sample was medical record of women with ovarian cancer and non ovarian cancer in PKU Muhammadiyah Teaching Hospital Yogyakarta period of April 2014-September 2017 with inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data analysis used chi-square test.Result: The bivariat analysis showed that there is no relationship between low parity with ovarian cancer (p=0,790 OR=0,87; 95% CI 0,305-2,466), there is no relation between infertility with ovarian cancer (p=0,104 OR=2,48; 95% CI 0,815-7,545), and there is no relation between family history with ovarian cancer (p=0,304 OR=3,18; 95% CI 0,315-32,039). But there is a relationship between age with ovarian cancer (p=0,01 OR=0,11; 95% CI 0,022-0,510).Conclusion: There are no relations between low parity, infertility, and family history with ovarian cancer. But there is a relationship between age with ovarian cancer