Aspects of social and emotional competence in adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Social and emotional competence were evaluated using self-report and behavioral measures in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and controls. Adults with ADHD viewed themselves as less socially competent but more sensitive toward violations of social norms than controls. Films depicting emotional interactions were used to assess linguistic properties of free recall and perceived emotional intensity. Although adults with ADHD used more words to describe the scenes, they used fewer emotion-related words, despite rating the emotions depicted as more intense than did controls. In contrast, no group differences for words depicting social or cognitive processes were observed. Overall, adults with ADHD appear more aware of their problems in social versus emotional skills. Findings may have implications for improving the psychosocial functioning of these adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward the Semantic Desktop: The seMouse Approach

Modern computers have enjoyed increasing storage capacity, but the mechanisms that harness this storage power haven't improved proportionally. Whether current desktops have scaled to handle the enormous number of files computers must handle compared to just a few years ago is doubtful at best. Scalability includes not only fault tolerance or performance stability of tools for users to harness this power. The lack of appropriate structures and tools for locating, navigating, relating, and sharing bulky file sets is preventing users from harnessing their PCs' full storage power. Powering desktops with metadata, leading to the semantic desktop, is a promising way to realize this potential. The seMouse approach realizes the promising vision of the semantic desktop. This approach provides seamless integration between file-centered tooling and semantically aware, resource-centered applications.     

Impairment of long-term associative memory in aging snails (Lymnaea stagnalis).

Age-dependent impairment in learning and memory functions occurs in many animal species, including humans. Although cell death contributes to age-related cognitive impairment in pathological forms of aging, learning and memory deficiencies develop with age even without substantial cell death. The molecular and cellular basis of this biological aging process is not well understood but seems to involve a decline in the aging brain's capacity for experience-dependent plasticity. To aid in resolving this issue, we used a simple snail appetitive classical conditioning paradigm in which the underlying molecular, cellular, and neural network functions can be directly linked to age-associated learning and memory performance (i.e., the Lymnaea stagnalis feeding system). Our results indicate that age does not affect the acquisition of appetitive memory but that retention and/or consolidation of long-term memory become progressively impaired with advancing age. The latter phenomenon correlates with declining electrophysiological excitability in key neurons controlling the feeding behavior. Together, these results present the Lymnaea feeding system as a powerful paradigm for investigations of cellular and molecular foundations of biological aging in the brain. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Diaphragmatic fatigue following voluntary hyperpnea

A significant relationship between sex ratio and litter size at birth was observed in the young of guinea-pigs caged singly from 8 weeks of age and during their first pregnancy; a male was present only at or around oestrus. Small litters (1-2 young) had significantly more males than did large litters (4-5 young). Such a relationship was not apparent in animals housed communally, whether young or older or in their second pregnancy. Litters in late pregnancy (day 63) or at delivery were significantly smaller than at mid-pregnancy (day 35). A significant negative relationship was found between litter size and bodymass at birth and to at least 63 days of age. Growth rates during the period of lactation were lower in animals born in large litters. The possible adaptive significance of a plastic relationship between litter size and sex ratio is considered together with the physiological mechanism that might be involved.     

Immunoreactivity of Brazilian HIV isolates with different V3 motifs

The influence of noncompetitive (MK-801), competitive (AP-7) and the antagonist of polyamines site of NMDA receptor (arcaine) on the central activity of angiotensin II (A II) was studied. The open field test, conditioning of active avoidance responses (CARs) and passive avoidance situation was used to investigate learning and memory in rats. All used antagonists decreased beneficial action of A II on these processes.     

Performance and cost trade-off in Tracking Area reconfiguration: A Pareto-optimization approach

Tracking Area (TA) design is one of the key tasks in location management of Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks. TA enables to trace and page User Equipments (UEs). As UEs distribution and mobility patterns change over time, TA design may have to undergo revisions. For revising the TA design, the cells to be reconfigured typically have to be temporary torn down. Consequently, this will result in service interruption and “cost”. There is always a trade-off between the performance in terms of the overall signaling overhead of the network and the reconfiguration cost. In this paper, we model this trade-off as a bi-objective optimization problem to which the solutions are characterized by Pareto-optimality. Solving the problem delivers a host of potential trade-offs among which the selection can be based on the preferences of a decision maker. An integer programming model has been developed and applied to the problem. Solving the integer programming model for various cost budget levels leads to an exact scheme for Pareto-optimization. In order to deliver Pareto-optimal solutions for large networks in one single run, a Genetic Algorithm (GA) embedded with Local Search (LS) is applied. Unlike many commonly adopted approaches in multi-objective optimization, our algorithm does not consider any weighted combination of the objectives. Comprehensive numerical results are presented in this study, using large-scale realistic or real-life network scenarios. The experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.     

P16 and HPV Genotype Significance in HPV-Associated Cervical Cancer—A Large Cohort of Two Tertiary Referral Centers

The expression of p16 is a good surrogate of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in HPV-associated cancers. The significance of p16 expression, HPV genotype and genera in the outcome of patients with HPV-associated cervical cancer (CC) is unclear. Our aim is to ascertain the prognostic significance of these factors. Data from 348 patients (median age: 47.5 years old) with CC, diagnosed in two referral centers, were retrospectively collected. Advanced disease (FIGO2018 IB2-IV) was present in 68% of patients. A single HPV genotype was identified in 82.8% of patients. The most common HPVs were HPV16 (69%) and HPV18 (14%). HPV genera reflected this distribution. HPV16 tumors presented at an earlier stage. P16 was negative in 18 cases (5.2%), 83.3% of which were squamous cell carcinomas. These cases occurred in older patients who tended to have advanced disease. In the univariate analysis, HPV16 (HR: 0.58; p = 0.0198), α-9 genera (HR: 0.37; p = 0.0106) and p16 overexpression (HR: 0.54; p = 0.032) were associated with better survival. HPV16 (HR: 0.63; p = 0.0174) and α-9 genera (HR: 0.57; p = 0.0286) were associated with less relapse. In the multivariate analysis, only the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage retained an independent prognostic value. HPV16, α-9 genera and p16 overexpression were associated with better survival, although not as independent prognostic factors. Patients with p16-negative HPV-associated CC were older, presented with advanced disease and had worse prognosis.     

BRAF Gene and Melanoma: Back to the Future

As widely acknowledged, 40–50% of all melanoma patients harbour an activating BRAF mutation (mostly BRAF V600E). The identification of the RAS–RAF–MEK–ERK (MAP kinase) signalling pathway and its targeting has represented a valuable milestone for the advanced and, more recently, for the completely resected stage III and IV melanoma therapy management. However, despite progress in BRAF-mutant melanoma treatment, the two different approaches approved so far for metastatic disease, immunotherapy and BRAF+MEK inhibitors, allow a 5-year survival of no more than 60%, and most patients relapse during treatment due to acquired mechanisms of resistance. Deep insight into BRAF gene biology is fundamental to describe the acquired resistance mechanisms (primary and secondary) and to understand the molecular pathways that are now being investigated in preclinical and clinical studies with the aim of improving outcomes in BRAF-mutant patients.     

Adenovirus-Mediated Inducible Expression of a PD-L1 Blocking Antibody in Combination with Macrophage Depletion Improves Survival in a Mouse Model of Peritoneal Carcinomatosis

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have demonstrated remarkable efficacy in a growing number of malignancies. However, overcoming primary or secondary resistances is difficult due to pharmacokinetics issues and side effects associated with high systemic exposure. Local or regional expression of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) using gene therapy vectors can alleviate this problem. In this work, we describe a high-capacity adenoviral vector (HCA-EFZP-aPDL1) equipped with a mifepristone-inducible system for the controlled expression of an anti-programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) blocking antibody. The vector was tested in an immune-competent mouse model of colorectal cancer based on implantation of MC38 cells. A single local administration of HCA-EFZP-aPDL1 in subcutaneous lesions led to a significant reduction in tumor growth with minimal release of the antibody in the circulation. When the vector was tested in a more stringent setting (rapidly progressing peritoneal carcinomatosis), the antitumor effect was marginal even in combination with other immune-stimulatory agents such as polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (pI:C), blocking mAbs for T cell immunoglobulin, mucin-domain containing-3 (TIM-3) or agonistic mAbs for 4-1BB (CD137). In contrast, macrophage depletion by clodronate liposomes enhanced the efficacy of HCA-EFZP-aPDL1. These results highlight the importance of addressing macrophage-associated immunoregulatory mechanisms to overcome resistance to ICIs in the context of colorectal cancer.     

Thermal evaluation of the use of porous ceramic plates on ventilated façades—part II: Thermal behavior

The effects of porous ceramic plates on the thermal behavior of ventilated façades were evaluated, and the results are presented herein. Thermal behavior in a ventilated façade of specimens containing 40 wt% of lime mud and a firing temperature of 1100°C was evaluated and compared with a commercial porcelain ceramic tile, which was the reference material. An experimental apparatus was designed to evaluate the thermal performance of the studied ventilated façades. The results revealed that the ventilated façade composed of the studied porous ceramic tiles produced a greater reduction in temperature between the external environmental and the interior of a box representing a building (ΔT5) of 65.7°C, compared with the façade composed of the commercial porcelain ceramic tiles (ΔT5 = 56.0°C) and even the traditional façade (ΔT5 = 49.1°C). Thus, porous ceramic tiles based on byproducts are promising candidates for ventilated façade systems.