Using a multiple probe design, we examined the effects of least-to-most prompting to teach young adults with intellectual disability (ID) to locate and select items using a grocery list presented on ...an iPad. Sessions were conducted entirely in a community grocery store. The results indicated that participants learned to use an initial grocery list, with one participant demonstrating the ability to use a re-sequenced grocery list and a list with novel items. These results are discussed along with implications for practice.
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between subcortical nuclei volume and cognition in children with post-convulsive status epilepticus (CSE).
Structural T1-weighted ...magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans (Siemens Avanto, 1.5 T) and neuropsychological assessments (full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) and Global Memory Scores (GMS)) were collected from subjects at a mean 8.5 years post-CSE (prolonged febrile seizures (PFS), n = 30; symptomatic/known, n = 28; and other, n = 12) and from age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC). Subjects with CSE were stratified into those with lower cognitive ability (LCA) (CSE+, n = 22) and those without (CSE−, n = 48). Quantitative volumetric analysis using Functional MRI of the Brain Software Library (FSL) (Analysis Group, FMRIB, Oxford) provided segmented MRI brain volumes. Univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was performed to compare subcortical nuclei volumes across subgroups. Multivariable linear regression was performed for each subcortical structure and for total subcortical volume (SCV) to identify significant predictors of LCA (FSIQ <85) while adjusting for etiology, age, socioeconomic status, sex, CSE duration, and intracranial volume (ICV); Bonferroni correction was applied for the analysis of individual subcortical nuclei.
Seventy subjects (11.8 ± 3.4 standard deviation (SD) years; 34 males) and 72 controls (12.1 ± 3.0SD years; 29 males) underwent analysis. Significantly smaller volumes of the left thalamus, left caudate, right caudate, and SCV were found in subjects with CSE+ compared with HC, after adjustment for intracranial, gray matter (GM), or cortical/cerebellar volume. When compared with subjects with CSE−, subjects with CSE+ also had smaller volumes of the left thalamus, left pallidum, right pallidum, and SCV. Individual subcortical nuclei were not associated, but SCV was associated with FSIQ (p = 0.005) and GMS (p = 0.014). Intracranial volume and etiology were similarly predictive.
Nine years post-CSE, SCV is significantly lower in children who have LCA compared with those that do not. However, in this cohort, we are unable to determine whether the relationship is independent of ICV or etiology. Future, larger scale studies may help tease this out.
Clostridium organisms are of major importance in the development of technologies to produce biofuels and chemicals. They are uniquely capable of utilizing virtually all biomass-derived carbohydrates, ...as well as waste gases, waste materials, and C1 compounds, and they possess diverse biosynthetic capabilities for producing a broad spectrum of metabolites, including those of C4–C8 chain length. They can also be readily used in synthetic, syntrophic, and other microbial consortia to broaden the biosynthetic repertoire of individual organisms, thus enabling the development of novel biotechnological processes. Engineering Clostridium organisms at the molecular and population level is hampered by genetic engineering, genome engineering, and microbial-population engineering tools. We discuss these challenges, and the promise that derives from their resolution aiming to usher in an era of broader use of Clostridium organisms as biotechnological platforms.
•Clostridia can metabolize sugars, waste gases, and C1 compounds, and thus are ideal for fuel and chemical production.•Emphasis is placed on current challenges in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology tools of Clostridium organism.•Discussion of previous and newly developed anaerobic fluorescent reporters for use in Clostridium organisms is provided.•Perspectives on the ability of syntrophic co-culture to broaden the biosynthetic repertoire of clostridia is presented.
Few studies have replicated and extended the classic mimicry → liking effect. The present research sought to (a) replicate the affiliative consequences of mimicry; (b) test whether the affiliative ...consequences hold in a context where mimicry may not be normative (i.e., cross-race interactions); and (c) investigate how excluded individuals respond to same- versus cross-race mimicry and non-mimicry. Participants wrote about a control topic or social exclusion and then engaged in a brief laboratory interaction in which they were mimicked or not mimicked by a confederate who was either same-race or cross-race. Then they reported how much they liked the confederate. Within the control condition, the effect of mimicry on affiliation depended on the race of the confederate - but this pattern did not emerge for excluded individuals. The study was unable to conclusively replicate and extend previous findings. The authors make recommendations to promote a more cumulative science of behavioral mimicry.
Synthetic methylotrophy aims to engineer methane and methanol utilization pathways in platform hosts like Escherichia coli for industrial bioprocessing of natural gas and biogas. While recent ...attempts to engineer synthetic methylotrophs have proved successful, autonomous methylotrophy, that is, the ability to utilize methane or methanol as sole carbon and energy substrates, has not yet been realized. Here, we address an important limitation of autonomous methylotrophy in E. coli: the inability of the organism to synthesize several amino acids when grown on methanol. We targeted global and local amino acid regulatory networks. Those include removal of amino acid allosteric feedback inhibition (argAH15Y, ilvAL447F, hisGE271K, leuAG462D, proBD107N, thrAS345F, trpES40F), knockouts of transcriptional repressors (ihfA, metJ); and overexpression of amino acid biosynthetic operons (hisGDCBHAFI, leuABCD, thrABC, trpEDCBA) and transcriptional regulators (crp, purR). Compared to the parent methylotrophic E. coli strain that was unable to synthesize these amino acids from methanol carbon, these strategies resulted in improved biosynthesis of limiting proteinogenic amino acids (histidine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tyrosine) from methanol carbon. In several cases, improved amino acid biosynthesis from methanol carbon led to improvements in methylotrophic growth in methanol minimal medium supplemented with a small amount of yeast extract. This study addresses a key limitation currently preventing autonomous methylotrophy in E. coli and possibly other synthetic methylotrophs and provides insight as to how this limitation can be alleviated via global and local regulatory modifications.
This study addresses an important limitation of synthetic methylotrophy in E. coli: the inability to synthesize several amino acids when grown on methanol. Global and local amino acid regulatory networks were targeted, which resulted in improved biosynthesis of limiting proteinogenic amino acids from methanol carbon. This study addresses a key limitation of synthetic methylotrophy in E. coli and provides insight as to how this limitation can be alleviated.
Side effects can limit opioid dosage and reduce quality of life. The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the management of opioid side effects in the context of cancer pain management or, ...in the event that no evidence was available for cancer pain, for chronic noncancer pain. The side effects studied were constipation, pruritus, nausea and vomiting, myoclonus, sedation, respiratory depression, and delirium. Opioid rotation to manage side effects was also studied. For each side effect, we searched MEDLINE and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register and identified 657 possible titles for inclusion. Of these, 67 studies met inclusion criteria for analysis. The lack of well-designed, randomized controlled trials and the heterogeneity of populations and study designs made the drawing of firm conclusions difficult and precluded performance of meta-analysis. The type, strength, and consistency of evidence for available interventions to manage opioid side effects vary from strong (eg, on the use of naloxone to reverse respiratory depression or constipation) to weak (eg, changing from the oral to epidural route of morphine administration to manage sedation). Well-designed trials in the specified populations are required to furnish clinicians with secure evidence on managing opioid side effects successfully.
This case study describes the implementation of a safety training program with a 5-year-old Latino boy diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The program focused on teaching him general safety ...rules and body safety in an effort to reduce his likelihood of sexual victimization and injury. The boy was treated in conjunction with another child by two therapists, while his caretakers participated in a caretaker group. Both groups consisted of 10 h of safety education instruction. Results show that the boy was able to learn a few safety concepts as well as increase his knowledge of personal safety. Caregiver data revealed a minor increase in knowledge of general safety and an increase in family communication regarding safety issues. However, upon a 3-month follow-up, the boy appeared to lose some knowledge. Recommendations for implementing the Body Safety Training program with children with disabilities and providing their caretakers with information regarding the risk of child sexual abuse is provided.
Video-based instruction (VBI) has a substantial amount of research supporting its use with individuals with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. However, it has typically ...been implemented as a treatment package containing multiple interventions. Additionally, there are procedural variations of VBI. Thus, it is difficult to determine which components and characteristics/parameters of VBI are more or less responsible for behavior change. Researchers have conducted comparative studies using single-subject design research to understand the relative effectiveness of the components and parameters routinely used as part of VBI treatment packages. The purpose of this article was to systematically review the literature on VBI comparative studies whereby component and parametric analyses were conducted. Twenty-four studies met our inclusion criteria. The features and results of these studies are summarized, and implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Methane, the main component of natural gas, can be used to produce methanol which can be further converted to other valuable products. There is increasing interest in using biological systems for the ...production of fuels and chemicals from methanol, termed methylotrophy. In this work, we have examined methanol assimilation metabolism in a synthetic methylotrophic E. coli strain. Specifically, we applied 13C-tracers and evaluated 25 different co-substrates for methanol assimilation, including amino acids, sugars and organic acids. In particular, co-utilization of threonine significantly enhanced methylotrophy. Through our investigations, we proposed specific metabolic pathways that, when activated, correlated with increased methanol assimilation. These pathways are normally repressed by the leucine-responsive regulatory protein (lrp), a global regulator of metabolism associated with the feast-or-famine response in E. coli. By deleting lrp, we were able to further enhance the methylotrophic ability of our synthetic strain, as demonstrated through increased incorporation of 13C carbon from 13C-methanol into biomass.
•Methanol assimilation metabolism was examined in a synthetic methylotrophic E. coli.•25 different co-substrates were evaluated for improving methanol assimilation.•Methylotrophy was enhanced by supplementing medium with threonine.•Methylotrophy was enhanced by deleting the leucine-responsive regulatory protein Lrp.
Purpose: Monitoring athletic development in youth soccer can help sporting professionals monitor athletic development and evaluate the effectiveness of training interventions. However, long-term ...follow up in talent development programmes in youth soccer is complicated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to forecast the developmental trajectories of explosive leg power in youth soccer players. Methods: Mixed effects regression models were used to forecast explosive leg power (countermovement (CMJ) and standing broad jump (SBJ)) in a longitudinal sample of 2201 youth soccer players from two high level Belgian acedemies and the Belgian National teams. Players were aged between 6 and 20 years (mean age = 13.04 ± 3.18 y) and were subdivided into three age cohorts (6-10, 11-15, and 16-20 y) for CMJ and two age cohorts (6-16, and 17-20 y) for SBJ. Results: This study was able to accurately forecast explosive leg power using different regression equations in each age cohort. Conclusions: Researchers, coaches, and sporting professionals can use these methods to either predict future explosive leg power from current performance measures, monitor the development of explosive leg power, or assess the effectiveness of training interactions aimed at altering predicted developmental trajectories.
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