Developmental Audits with Challenging Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brendtro, Larry K.; du Toit, Lesley; Bath, Howard; Van Bockern, Steve

2006-01-01

The Developmental Audit[R] is a new strength-based assessment model for youth who are in conflict in home, school, or community. Developmental Audits involve collaboration with young persons who are seen as experts on themselves. Discussing challenging life events provides a window to the young person's private logic and goals. The audit scans…

Transient inhibition of the ERK pathway prevents cerebellar developmental defects and improves long-term motor functions in murine models of neurofibromatosis type 1.

PubMed

Kim, Edward; Wang, Yuan; Kim, Sun-Jung; Bornhorst, Miriam; Jecrois, Emmanuelle S; Anthony, Todd E; Wang, Chenran; Li, Yi E; Guan, Jun-Lin; Murphy, Geoffrey G; Zhu, Yuan

2014-12-23

Individuals with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) frequently exhibit cognitive and motor impairments and characteristics of autism. The cerebellum plays a critical role in motor control, cognition, and social interaction, suggesting that cerebellar defects likely contribute to NF1-associated neurodevelopmental disorders. Here we show that Nf1 inactivation during early, but not late stages of cerebellar development, disrupts neuronal lamination, which is partially caused by overproduction of glia and subsequent disruption of the Bergmann glia (BG) scaffold. Specific Nf1 inactivation in glutamatergic neuronal precursors causes premature differentiation of granule cell (GC) precursors and ectopic production of unipolar brush cells (UBCs), indirectly disrupting neuronal migration. Transient MEK inhibition during a neonatal window prevents cerebellar developmental defects and improves long-term motor performance of Nf1-deficient mice. This study reveals essential roles of Nf1 in GC/UBC migration by generating correct numbers of glia and controlling GC/UBC fate-specification/differentiation, identifying a therapeutic prevention strategy for multiple NF1-associcated developmental abnormalities.

From Mice to Men: research models of developmental programming

PubMed Central

Rabadán-Diehl, C.; Nathanielsz, P.

2012-01-01

Developmental programming can be defined as a response to a specific challenge to the mammalian organism during a critical developmental time window that alters the trajectory of development with persistent effects on offspring phenotype and predisposition to future illness. We focus on the need for studies in relevant, well-characterized animal models in the context of recent research discoveries on the challenges, mechanisms and outcomes of developmental programming. We discuss commonalities and differences in general principles of developmental programming as they apply to several species, including humans. The consequences of these differences are discussed. Obesity, metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases are associated with the highest percentage of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although many of the causes are associated with lifestyle, high-energy diets and lack of physical activity, recent evidence has linked developmental programming to the epidemic of metabolic diseases. A better understanding of comparative systems physiology of mother, fetus and neonate using information provided by rapid advances in molecular biology has the potential to improve the lifetime health of future generations by providing better women’s health, diagnostic tools and preventative and therapeutic interventions in individuals exposed during their development to programming influences. PMID:23525085

Epigenetic impacts of endocrine disruptors in the brain☆

PubMed Central

Walker, Deena M.; Gore, Andrea C.

2017-01-01

The acquisition of reproductive competence is organized and activated by steroid hormones acting upon the hypothalamus during critical windows of development. This review describes the potential role of epigenetic processes, particularly DNA methylation, in the regulation of sexual differentiation of the hypothalamus by hormones. We examine disruption of these processes by endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in an age-, sex-, and region-specific manner, focusing on how perinatal EDCs act through epigenetic mechanisms to reprogram DNA methylation and sex steroid hormone receptor expression throughout life. These receptors are necessary for brain sexual differentiation and their altered expression may underlie disrupted reproductive physiology and behavior. Finally, we review the literature on histone modifications and non-coding RNA involvement in brain sexual differentiation and their perturbation by EDCs. By putting these data into a sex and developmental context we conclude that perinatal EDC exposure alters the developmental trajectory of reproductive neuroendocrine systems in a sex-specific manner. PMID:27663243

Evaluation of an Out-of-the-Window Air Traffic Control Tower Simulation for Controller Training

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-09-01

This study gathered evidence concerning the potential usefulness of out-of-the-window air traffic control tower : simulation for training tower controllers. Data were collected from all ten developmental controllers who completed : simulation trainin...

DPOAEs in infants developmentally exposed to PCBs show two differently time spaced exposure sensitive windows.

PubMed

Koštiaková, Vladimíra; Moleti, Arturo; Wimmerová, Soňa; Jusko, Todd A; Palkovičová Murínová, Ľubica; Sisto, Renata; Richterová, Denisa; Kováč, Ján; Čonka, Kamil; Patayová, Henrieta; Tihányi, Juraj; Trnovec, Tomáš

2016-10-01

The study aim was to identify the timing of sensitive windows for ototoxicity related to perinatal exposure to PCBs. A total of 351 and 214 children from a birth cohort in eastern Slovakia underwent otoacoustic testing at 45 and 72 months, respectively, and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) at 11 frequencies were recorded. Cord and child 6-, 16-, 45-, and 72- month blood samples were analyzed for PCB 153 concentration. The PCB 153 concentration-time profiles were approximated with a system model to calculate area under the PCB*time curves (AUCs) for specific time intervals (3 and 6 months for 45 and 72 months data, respectively). DPOAE amplitudes were correlated (Spearman) with cord serum PCB and AUCs, markers of prenatal and postnatal exposure, respectively. Two exposure critical windows were identified in infants, the first related to prenatal and early postnatal and the second to postnatal exposure to PCBs. Our data have shown tonotopicity, sexual dimorphism, and asymmetry in ototoxicity of PCBs. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Letter-sound processing deficits in children with developmental dyslexia: An ERP study.

PubMed

Moll, Kristina; Hasko, Sandra; Groth, Katharina; Bartling, Jürgen; Schulte-Körne, Gerd

2016-04-01

The time course during letter-sound processing was investigated in children with developmental dyslexia (DD) and typically developing (TD) children using electroencephalography. Thirty-eight children with DD and 25 TD children participated in a visual-auditory oddball paradigm. Event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited by standard and deviant stimuli in an early (100-190 ms) and late (560-750 ms) time window were analysed. In the early time window, ERPs elicited by the deviant stimulus were delayed and less left lateralized over fronto-temporal electrodes for children with DD compared to TD children. In the late time window, children with DD showed higher amplitudes extending more over right frontal electrodes. Longer latencies in the early time window and stronger right hemispheric activation in the late time window were associated with slower reading and naming speed. Additionally, stronger right hemispheric activation in the late time window correlated with poorer phonological awareness skills. Deficits in early stages of letter-sound processing influence later more explicit cognitive processes during letter-sound processing. Identifying the neurophysiological correlates of letter-sound processing and their relation to reading related skills provides insight into the degree of automaticity during letter-sound processing beyond behavioural measures of letter-sound-knowledge. Copyright © 2016 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transient inhibition of the ERK pathway prevents cerebellar developmental defects and improves long-term motor functions in murine models of neurofibromatosis type 1

PubMed Central

Kim, Edward; Wang, Yuan; Kim, Sun-Jung; Bornhorst, Miriam; Jecrois, Emmanuelle S; Anthony, Todd E; Wang, Chenran; Li, Yi E; Guan, Jun-Lin; Murphy, Geoffrey G; Zhu, Yuan

2014-01-01

Individuals with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) frequently exhibit cognitive and motor impairments and characteristics of autism. The cerebellum plays a critical role in motor control, cognition, and social interaction, suggesting that cerebellar defects likely contribute to NF1-associated neurodevelopmental disorders. Here we show that Nf1 inactivation during early, but not late stages of cerebellar development, disrupts neuronal lamination, which is partially caused by overproduction of glia and subsequent disruption of the Bergmann glia (BG) scaffold. Specific Nf1 inactivation in glutamatergic neuronal precursors causes premature differentiation of granule cell (GC) precursors and ectopic production of unipolar brush cells (UBCs), indirectly disrupting neuronal migration. Transient MEK inhibition during a neonatal window prevents cerebellar developmental defects and improves long-term motor performance of Nf1-deficient mice. This study reveals essential roles of Nf1 in GC/UBC migration by generating correct numbers of glia and controlling GC/UBC fate-specification/differentiation, identifying a therapeutic prevention strategy for multiple NF1-associcated developmental abnormalities. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05151.001 PMID:25535838

REPRODUCTIVE AND DEVELOPMENTAL EFFECTS OF CONTAMINANTS IN OVIPAROUS VERTEBRATES: WORKSHOP SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

EPA Science Inventory

Oviparous vertebrates generally occupy important niches in aquatic as well as terrestrial systems, and reproductive and developmental effects on these species can be of relatively great ecological significance. Because these organisms have critical windows of development, they ma...

Strategies for Reversing the Effects of Metabolic Disorders Induced as a Consequence of Developmental Programming

PubMed Central

Vickers, M. H.; Sloboda, D. M.

2012-01-01

Obesity and the metabolic syndrome have reached epidemic proportions worldwide with far-reaching health care and economic implications. The rapid increase in the prevalence of these disorders suggests that environmental and behavioral influences, rather than genetic causes, are fueling the epidemic. The developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis has highlighted the link between the periconceptual, fetal, and early infant phases of life and the subsequent development of metabolic disorders in later life. In particular, the impact of poor maternal nutrition on susceptibility to later life metabolic disease in offspring is now well documented. Several studies have now shown, at least in experimental animal models, that some components of the metabolic syndrome, induced as a consequence of developmental programming, are potentially reversible by nutritional or targeted therapeutic interventions during windows of developmental plasticity. This review will focus on critical windows of development and possible therapeutic avenues that may reduce metabolic and obesogenic risk following an adverse early life environment. PMID:22783205

Exposure to suboptimal temperatures during metamorphosis reveals a critical developmental window in the solitary bee, Megachile rotundata

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Metamorphosis is an important developmental stage for holometabolous insects, during which adult morphology and physiology are established. Proper development relies on optimal body temperatures, and natural ambient temperature (Ta) fluctuations, especially in spring or in northern latitudes, could ...

Changes in mammary histology and transcriptome profiles by low-dose exposure to environmental phenols at critical windows of development.

PubMed

Gopalakrishnan, Kalpana; Teitelbaum, Susan L; Lambertini, Luca; Wetmur, James; Manservisi, Fabiana; Falcioni, Laura; Panzacchi, Simona; Belpoggi, Fiorella; Chen, Jia

2017-01-01

Exposure to environmental chemicals has been linked to altered mammary development and cancer risk at high doses using animal models. Effects at low doses comparable to human exposure remain poorly understood, especially during critical developmental windows. We investigated the effects of two environmental phenols commonly used in personal care products - methyl paraben (MPB) and triclosan (TCS) - on the histology and transcriptome of normal mammary glands at low doses mimicking human exposure during critical windows of development. Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed during perinatal, prepubertal and pubertal windows, as well as from birth to lactation. Low-dose exposure to MPB and TCS induced measurable changes in both mammary histology (by Masson's Trichrome Stain) and transcriptome (by microarrays) in a window-specific fashion. Puberty represented a window of heightened sensitivity to MPB, with increased glandular tissue and changes of expression in 295 genes with significant enrichment in functions such as DNA replication and cell cycle regulation. Long-term exposure to TCS from birth to lactation was associated with increased adipose and reduced glandular and secretory tissue, with expression alterations in 993 genes enriched in pathways such as cholesterol synthesis and adipogenesis. Finally, enrichment analyses revealed that genes modified by MPB and TCS were over-represented in human breast cancer gene signatures, suggesting possible links with breast carcinogenesis. These findings highlight the issues of critical windows of susceptibility that may confer heightened sensitivity to environmental insults and implicate the potential health effects of these ubiquitous environmental chemicals in breast cancer. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Changes in Mammary Histology and Transcriptome Profiles by Low-Dose Exposure to Environmental Phenols at Critical Windows of Development1

PubMed Central

Gopalakrishnan, Kalpana; Teitelbaum, Susan L.; Lambertini, Luca; Wetmur, James; Manservisi, Fabiana; Falcioni, Laura; Panzacchi, Simona; Belpoggi, Fiorella; Chen, Jia

2016-01-01

Exposure to environmental chemicals has been linked to altered mammary development and cancer risk at high doses using animal models. Effects at low doses comparable to human exposure remain poorly understood, especially during critical developmental windows. We investigated the effects of two environmental phenols commonly used in personal care products – methyl paraben (MPB) and triclosan (TCS) – on the histology and transcriptome of normal mammary glands at low doses mimicking human exposure during critical windows of development. Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed during perinatal, prepubertal and pubertal windows, as well as from birth to lactation. Low-dose exposure to MPB and TCS induced measurable changes in both mammary histology (by Masson’s Trichrome Stain) and transcriptome (by microarrays) in a window-specific fashion. Puberty represented a window of heightened sensitivity to MPB, with increased glandular tissue and changes of expression in 295 genes with significant enrichment in functions such as DNA replication and cell cycle regulation. Long-term exposure to TCS from birth to lactation was associated with increased adipose and reduced glandular and secretory tissue, with expression alterations in 993 genes enriched in pathways such as cholesterol synthesis and adipogenesis. Finally, enrichment analyses revealed that genes modified by MPB and TCS were over-represented in human breast cancer gene signatures, suggesting possible links with breast carcinogenesis. These findings highlight the issues of critical windows of susceptibility that may confer heightened sensitivity to environmental insults and implicate the potential health effects of these ubiquitous environmental chemicals in breast cancer. PMID:27810681

Constructivist developmental theory is needed in developmental neuroscience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arsalidou, Marie; Pascual-Leone, Juan

2016-12-01

Neuroscience techniques provide an open window previously unavailable to the origin of thoughts and actions in children. Developmental cognitive neuroscience is booming, and knowledge from human brain mapping is finding its way into education and pediatric practice. Promises of application in developmental cognitive neuroscience rests however on better theory-guided data interpretation. Massive amounts of neuroimaging data from children are being processed, yet published studies often do not frame their work within developmental models—in detriment, we believe, to progress in this field. Here we describe some core challenges in interpreting the data from developmental cognitive neuroscience, and advocate the use of constructivist developmental theories of human cognition with a neuroscience interpretation.

The neurite growth inhibitory effects of soluble TNFα on developing sympathetic neurons are dependent on developmental age.

PubMed

Nolan, Aoife M; Collins, Louise M; Wyatt, Sean L; Gutierrez, Humberto; O'Keeffe, Gerard W

2014-01-01

During development, the growth of neural processes is regulated by an array of cellular and molecular mechanisms which influence growth rate, direction and branching. Recently, many members of the TNF superfamily have been shown to be key regulators of neurite growth during development. The founder member of this family, TNFα can both promote and inhibit neurite growth depending on the cellular context. Specifically, transmembrane TNFα promotes neurite growth, while soluble TNFα inhibits it. While the growth promoting effects of TNFα are restricted to a defined developmental window of early postnatal development, whether the growth inhibitory effects of soluble TNFα occur throughout development is unknown. In this study we used the extensively studied, well characterised neurons of the superior cervical ganglion to show that the growth inhibitory effects of soluble TNFα are restricted to a specific period of late embryonic and early postnatal development. Furthermore, we show that this growth inhibitory effect of soluble TNFα requires NF-κB signalling at all developmental stages at which soluble TNFα inhibits neurite growth. These findings raise the possibility that increases in the amount of soluble TNFα in vivo, for example as a result of maternal inflammation, could negatively affect neurite growth in developing neurons at specific stages of development. Copyright © 2015 International Society of Differentiation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Developmental changes in organization of structural brain networks.

PubMed

Khundrakpam, Budhachandra S; Reid, Andrew; Brauer, Jens; Carbonell, Felix; Lewis, John; Ameis, Stephanie; Karama, Sherif; Lee, Junki; Chen, Zhang; Das, Samir; Evans, Alan C

2013-09-01

Recent findings from developmental neuroimaging studies suggest that the enhancement of cognitive processes during development may be the result of a fine-tuning of the structural and functional organization of brain with maturation. However, the details regarding the developmental trajectory of large-scale structural brain networks are not yet understood. Here, we used graph theory to examine developmental changes in the organization of structural brain networks in 203 normally growing children and adolescents. Structural brain networks were constructed using interregional correlations in cortical thickness for 4 age groups (early childhood: 4.8-8.4 year; late childhood: 8.5-11.3 year; early adolescence: 11.4-14.7 year; late adolescence: 14.8-18.3 year). Late childhood showed prominent changes in topological properties, specifically a significant reduction in local efficiency, modularity, and increased global efficiency, suggesting a shift of topological organization toward a more random configuration. An increase in number and span of distribution of connector hubs was found in this age group. Finally, inter-regional connectivity analysis and graph-theoretic measures indicated early maturation of primary sensorimotor regions and protracted development of higher order association and paralimbic regions. Our finding reveals a time window of plasticity occurring during late childhood which may accommodate crucial changes during puberty and the new developmental tasks that an adolescent faces.

Neuropsychological basic deficits in preschoolers at risk for ADHD: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Pauli-Pott, Ursula; Becker, Katja

2011-06-01

Widely accepted neuropsychological theories on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assume that the complex symptoms of the disease arise from developmentally preceding neuropsychological basic deficits. These deficits in executive functions and delay aversion are presumed to emerge in the preschool period. The corresponding normative developmental processes include phases of relative stability and rapid change. These non-linear developmental processes might have implications for concurrent and predictive associations between basic deficits and ADHD symptoms. To derive a description of the nature and strength of these associations, a meta-analysis was conducted. It is assumed that weighted mean effect sizes differ between basic deficits and depend on age. The meta-analysis included 25 articles (n=3005 children) in which associations between assessments of basic deficits (i.e. response inhibition, interference control, delay aversion, working memory, flexibility, and vigilance/arousal) in the preschool period and concurrent or subsequent ADHD symptoms or diagnosis of ADHD had been analyzed. For response inhibition and delay aversion, mean effect sizes were of medium to large magnitude while the mean effect size for working memory was small. Meta-regression analyses revealed that effect sizes of delay aversion tasks significantly decreased with increasing age while effect sizes of interference control tasks and Continuous Performance Tests (CPTs) significantly increased. Depending on the normative maturational course of each skill, time windows might exist that allow for a more or less valid assessment of a specific deficit. In future research these time windows might help to describe early developing forms of ADHD and to identify children at risk. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Palaeoenvironment and Its Control on the Formation of Miocene Marine Source Rocks in the Qiongdongnan Basin, Northern South China Sea

PubMed Central

Li, Wenhao; Zhang, Zhihuan; Wang, Weiming; Lu, Shuangfang; Li, Youchuan; Fu, Ning

2014-01-01

The main factors of the developmental environment of marine source rocks in continental margin basins have their specificality. This realization, in return, has led to the recognition that the developmental environment and pattern of marine source rocks, especially for the source rocks in continental margin basins, are still controversial or poorly understood. Through the analysis of the trace elements and maceral data, the developmental environment of Miocene marine source rocks in the Qiongdongnan Basin is reconstructed, and the developmental patterns of the Miocene marine source rocks are established. This paper attempts to reveal the hydrocarbon potential of the Miocene marine source rocks in different environment and speculate the quality of source rocks in bathyal region of the continental slope without exploratory well. Our results highlight the palaeoenvironment and its control on the formation of Miocene marine source rocks in the Qiongdongnan Basin of the northern South China Sea and speculate the hydrocarbon potential of the source rocks in the bathyal region. This study provides a window for better understanding the main factors influencing the marine source rocks in the continental margin basins, including productivity, preservation conditions, and the input of terrestrial organic matter. PMID:25401132

Child Health, Developmental Plasticity, and Epigenetic Programming

PubMed Central

Feil, R.; Constancia, M.; Fraga, M.; Junien, C.; Carel, J.-C.; Boileau, P.; Le Bouc, Y.; Deal, C. L.; Lillycrop, K.; Scharfmann, R.; Sheppard, A.; Skinner, M.; Szyf, M.; Waterland, R. A.; Waxman, D. J.; Whitelaw, E.; Ong, K.; Albertsson-Wikland, K.

2011-01-01

Plasticity in developmental programming has evolved in order to provide the best chances of survival and reproductive success to the organism under changing environments. Environmental conditions that are experienced in early life can profoundly influence human biology and long-term health. Developmental origins of health and disease and life-history transitions are purported to use placental, nutritional, and endocrine cues for setting long-term biological, mental, and behavioral strategies in response to local ecological and/or social conditions. The window of developmental plasticity extends from preconception to early childhood and involves epigenetic responses to environmental changes, which exert their effects during life-history phase transitions. These epigenetic responses influence development, cell- and tissue-specific gene expression, and sexual dimorphism, and, in exceptional cases, could be transmitted transgenerationally. Translational epigenetic research in child health is a reiterative process that ranges from research in the basic sciences, preclinical research, and pediatric clinical research. Identifying the epigenetic consequences of fetal programming creates potential applications in clinical practice: the development of epigenetic biomarkers for early diagnosis of disease, the ability to identify susceptible individuals at risk for adult diseases, and the development of novel preventive and curative measures that are based on diet and/or novel epigenetic drugs. PMID:20971919

Ocean acidification has little effect on developmental thermal windows of echinoderms from Antarctica to the tropics.

PubMed

Karelitz, Sam E; Uthicke, Sven; Foo, Shawna A; Barker, Mike F; Byrne, Maria; Pecorino, Danilo; Lamare, Miles D

2017-02-01

As the ocean warms, thermal tolerance of developmental stages may be a key driver of changes in the geographical distributions and abundance of marine invertebrates. Additional stressors such as ocean acidification may influence developmental thermal windows and are therefore important considerations for predicting distributions of species under climate change scenarios. The effects of reduced seawater pH on the thermal windows of fertilization, embryology and larval morphology were examined using five echinoderm species: two polar (Sterechinus neumayeri and Odontaster validus), two temperate (Fellaster zelandiae and Patiriella regularis) and one tropical (Arachnoides placenta). Responses were examined across 12-13 temperatures ranging from -1.1 °C to 5.7 °C (S. neumayeri), -0.5 °C to 10.7 °C (O. validus), 5.8 °C to 27 °C (F. zelandiae), 6.0 °C to 27.1 °C (P. regularis) and 13.9 °C to 34.8 °C (A. placenta) under present-day and near-future (2100+) ocean acidification conditions (-0.3 pH units) and for three important early developmental stages 1) fertilization, 2) embryo (prehatching) and 3) larval development. Thermal windows for fertilization were broad and were not influenced by a pH decrease. Embryological development was less thermotolerant. For O. validus, P. regularis and A. placenta, low pH reduced normal development, albeit with no effect on thermal windows. Larval development in all five species was affected by both temperature and pH; however, thermal tolerance was not reduced by pH. Results of this study suggest that in terms of fertilization and development, temperature will remain as the most important factor influencing species' latitudinal distributions as the ocean continues to warm and decrease in pH, and that there is little evidence of a synergistic effect of temperature and ocean acidification on the thermal control of species ranges. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Difference of auditory brainstem responses by stimulating to round and oval window in animal experiments.

PubMed

Lee, Jyung Hyun; Park, Hyo Soon; Wei, Qun; Kim, Myoung Nam; Cho, Jin-Ho

2017-01-02

ABSTACT To ensure the safety and efficacy of implantable hearing aids, animal experiments are an essential developmental procedure, in particular, auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) can be used to verify the objective effectiveness of implantable hearing aids. This study measured and compared the ABRs generated when applying the same vibration stimuli to an oval window and round window. The ABRs were measured using a TDT system 3 (TDT, USA), while the vibration stimuli were applied to a round window and oval window in 4 guinea pigs using a piezo-electric transducer with a proper contact tip. A paired t-test was used to determine any differences between the ABR amplitudes when applying the stimulation to an oval window and round window. The paired t-test revealed a significant difference between the ABR amplitudes generated by the round and oval window stimulation (t = 10.079, α < .0001). Therefore, the results confirmed that the biological response to round window stimulation was not the same as that to oval window stimulation.

Through Shared Windows: Outreach Project for Infants, Toddlers, and Children with Developmental Disabilities. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrison, Holly

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of the Through Shared Windows (TSW) Outreach Project, a 4-year project at the University of New Mexico designed to improve services to young children with disabilities and their families. Three major outcomes were accomplished. First, a Web site was developed that focuses on observational…

DNA methylation as a dynamic regulator of development and disease processes: spotlight on the prostate.

PubMed

Keil, Kimberly P; Vezina, Chad M

2015-01-01

Prostate development, benign hyperplasia and cancer involve androgen and growth factor signaling as well as stromal-epithelial interactions. We review how DNA methylation influences these and related processes in other organ systems such as how proliferation is restricted to specific cell populations during defined temporal windows, how androgens elicit their actions and how cells establish, maintain and remodel DNA methylation in a time and cell specific fashion. We also discuss mechanisms by which hormones and endocrine disrupting chemicals reprogram DNA methylation in the prostate and elsewhere and examine evidence for a reawakening of developmental epigenetic pathways as drivers of prostate cancer and benign prostate hyperplasia.

DNA methylation as a dynamic regulator of development and disease processes: spotlight on the prostate

PubMed Central

Keil, Kimberly P; Vezina, Chad M

2015-01-01

Prostate development, benign hyperplasia and cancer involve androgen and growth factor signaling as well as stromal–epithelial interactions. We review how DNA methylation influences these and related processes in other organ systems such as how proliferation is restricted to specific cell populations during defined temporal windows, how androgens elicit their actions and how cells establish, maintain and remodel DNA methylation in a time and cell specific fashion. We also discuss mechanisms by which hormones and endocrine disrupting chemicals reprogram DNA methylation in the prostate and elsewhere and examine evidence for a reawakening of developmental epigenetic pathways as drivers of prostate cancer and benign prostate hyperplasia. PMID:26077429

How flexible is phenotypic plasticity? Developmental windows for trait induction and reversal.

PubMed

Hoverman, Jason T; Relyea, Rick A

2007-03-01

Inducible defenses allow prey to modulate their phenotypic responses to the level of predation risk in the environment and reduce the cost of constitutive defenses. Inherent in this statement is that prey must alter their phenotypes during development in order to form these defenses. This has lead many ecologists and evolutionary biologists to call for studies that examine developmental plasticity to provide insights into the importance of development in controlling the trajectories of trait formation, the integration of phenotypes over ontogeny, and the establishment of developmental windows for trait formation and reversal. By moving away from studies that focus on a single point in development, we can obtain a more complete understanding of the phenotypic decisions and limitations of prey. We exposed freshwater snails (Helisoma trivolvis) to environments in which predatory water bugs (Belostoma flumineum) were always absent, always present, or added and removed at different points in development. We discovered that snails formed morphological defenses against water bugs. Importantly, after the initial induction of defenses, snails showed similar developmental trajectories as snails reared without predators. Further, the snails possessed wide developmental windows for inducible defenses that extended past sexual maturity. However, being induced later in development appeared to have an associated cost (i.e., decreased shell thickness) that was not found when water bugs were always present. This epiphenotype (i.e., new shell formation as an extension of the current shell) suggests that resource limitation plays an important role in responses to temporal variation in predation risk and may have critical ecological costs that limit the benefits of the inducible defense. Lastly, the ability of snails to completely reverse their defenses was limited to early in ontogeny due to the constraints associated with modular growth of shell material. In sum, we demonstrate that taking a developmental perspective is extremely valuable for understanding the ecology of inducible defenses.

Effects of mixing eggs of different initial incubation time on the hatching pattern, chick embryonic development and post-hatch performance.

PubMed

Zhong, Zhentao; Yu, Yue; Jin, Shufang; Pan, Jinming

2018-01-01

The hatch window that varies from 24 to 48 h is known to influence post-hatch performance of chicks. A narrow hatch window is needed for commercial poultry industry to acquire a high level of uniformity of chick quality. Hatching synchronization observed in avian species presents possibilities in altering hatch window in artificial incubation. Layer eggs which were laid on the same day by a single breeder flock and stored for no more than two days started incubation 12 h apart to obtain developmental distinction. The eggs of different initial incubation time were mixed as rows adjacent to rows on day 12 of incubation. During the hatching period (since day 18), hatching time of individual eggs and hatch window were obtained by video recordings. Embryonic development (day 18 and 20) and post-hatch performance up to day 7 were measured. The manipulation of mixing eggs of different initial incubation time shortened the hatch window of late incubated eggs in the manipulated group by delaying the onset of hatching process, and improved the hatchability. Compared to the control groups, chick embryos or chicks in the egg redistribution group showed no significant difference in embryonic development and post-hatch performance up to day 7. We have demonstrated that eggs that were incubated with advanced eggs performed a narrow spread of hatch with higher hatchability, normal embryonic development as well as unaffected chick quality. This specific manipulation is applicable in industrial poultry production to shorten hatch window and improve the uniformity of chick quality.

Gene x Environment Interactions in Reading Disability and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pennington, Bruce F.; McGrath, Lauren M.; Rosenberg, Jenni; Barnard, Holly; Smith, Shelley D.; Willcutt, Erik G.; Friend, Angela; DeFries, John C.; Olson, Richard K.

2009-01-01

This article examines Gene x Environment (G x E) interactions in two comorbid developmental disorders--reading disability (RD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)--as a window on broader issues on G x E interactions in developmental psychology. The authors first briefly review types of G x E interactions, methods for detecting…

Mindfulness and Compassion Training in Adolescence: A Developmental Contemplative Science Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roeser, Robert W.; Pinela, Cristi

2014-01-01

Adolescence is a developmental period of risk, as well as a window of opportunity for cultivating positive development and thriving. It is characterized by simultaneous changes in the brain, body, mind, and social domains that offer a platform for building new skills and habits. This chapter discusses the role that secular forms of mindfulness and…

Monoamine-Sensitive Developmental Periods Impacting Adult Emotional and Cognitive Behaviors

PubMed Central

Suri, Deepika; Teixeira, Cátia M; Cagliostro, Martha K Caffrey; Mahadevia, Darshini; Ansorge, Mark S

2015-01-01

Development passes through sensitive periods, during which plasticity allows for genetic and environmental factors to exert indelible influence on the maturation of the organism. In the context of central nervous system development, such sensitive periods shape the formation of neurocircuits that mediate, regulate, and control behavior. This general mechanism allows for development to be guided by both the genetic blueprint as well as the environmental context. While allowing for adaptation, such sensitive periods are also vulnerability windows during which external and internal factors can confer risk to disorders by derailing otherwise resilient developmental programs. Here we review developmental periods that are sensitive to monoamine signaling and impact adult behaviors of relevance to psychiatry. Specifically, we review (1) a serotonin-sensitive period that impacts sensory system development, (2) a serotonin-sensitive period that impacts cognition, anxiety- and depression-related behaviors, and (3) a dopamine- and serotonin-sensitive period affecting aggression, impulsivity and behavioral response to psychostimulants. We discuss preclinical data to provide mechanistic insight, as well as epidemiological and clinical data to point out translational relevance. The field of translational developmental neuroscience has progressed exponentially providing solid conceptual advances and unprecedented mechanistic insight. With such knowledge at hand and important methodological innovation ongoing, the field is poised for breakthroughs elucidating the developmental origins of neuropsychiatric disorders, and thus understanding pathophysiology. Such knowledge of sensitive periods that determine the developmental trajectory of complex behaviors is a necessary step towards improving prevention and treatment approaches for neuropsychiatric disorders. PMID:25178408

Developmental Changes in Organization of Structural Brain Networks

PubMed Central

Khundrakpam, Budhachandra S.; Reid, Andrew; Brauer, Jens; Carbonell, Felix; Lewis, John; Ameis, Stephanie; Karama, Sherif; Lee, Junki; Chen, Zhang; Das, Samir; Evans, Alan C.; Ball, William S.; Byars, Anna Weber; Schapiro, Mark; Bommer, Wendy; Carr, April; German, April; Dunn, Scott; Rivkin, Michael J.; Waber, Deborah; Mulkern, Robert; Vajapeyam, Sridhar; Chiverton, Abigail; Davis, Peter; Koo, Julie; Marmor, Jacki; Mrakotsky, Christine; Robertson, Richard; McAnulty, Gloria; Brandt, Michael E.; Fletcher, Jack M.; Kramer, Larry A.; Yang, Grace; McCormack, Cara; Hebert, Kathleen M.; Volero, Hilda; Botteron, Kelly; McKinstry, Robert C.; Warren, William; Nishino, Tomoyuki; Robert Almli, C.; Todd, Richard; Constantino, John; McCracken, James T.; Levitt, Jennifer; Alger, Jeffrey; O'Neil, Joseph; Toga, Arthur; Asarnow, Robert; Fadale, David; Heinichen, Laura; Ireland, Cedric; Wang, Dah-Jyuu; Moss, Edward; Zimmerman, Robert A.; Bintliff, Brooke; Bradford, Ruth; Newman, Janice; Evans, Alan C.; Arnaoutelis, Rozalia; Bruce Pike, G.; Louis Collins, D.; Leonard, Gabriel; Paus, Tomas; Zijdenbos, Alex; Das, Samir; Fonov, Vladimir; Fu, Luke; Harlap, Jonathan; Leppert, Ilana; Milovan, Denise; Vins, Dario; Zeffiro, Thomas; Van Meter, John; Lange, Nicholas; Froimowitz, Michael P.; Botteron, Kelly; Robert Almli, C.; Rainey, Cheryl; Henderson, Stan; Nishino, Tomoyuki; Warren, William; Edwards, Jennifer L.; Dubois, Diane; Smith, Karla; Singer, Tish; Wilber, Aaron A.; Pierpaoli, Carlo; Basser, Peter J.; Chang, Lin-Ching; Koay, Chen Guan; Walker, Lindsay; Freund, Lisa; Rumsey, Judith; Baskir, Lauren; Stanford, Laurence; Sirocco, Karen; Gwinn-Hardy, Katrina; Spinella, Giovanna; McCracken, James T.; Alger, Jeffry R.; Levitt, Jennifer; O'Neill, Joseph

2013-01-01

Recent findings from developmental neuroimaging studies suggest that the enhancement of cognitive processes during development may be the result of a fine-tuning of the structural and functional organization of brain with maturation. However, the details regarding the developmental trajectory of large-scale structural brain networks are not yet understood. Here, we used graph theory to examine developmental changes in the organization of structural brain networks in 203 normally growing children and adolescents. Structural brain networks were constructed using interregional correlations in cortical thickness for 4 age groups (early childhood: 4.8–8.4 year; late childhood: 8.5–11.3 year; early adolescence: 11.4–14.7 year; late adolescence: 14.8–18.3 year). Late childhood showed prominent changes in topological properties, specifically a significant reduction in local efficiency, modularity, and increased global efficiency, suggesting a shift of topological organization toward a more random configuration. An increase in number and span of distribution of connector hubs was found in this age group. Finally, inter-regional connectivity analysis and graph-theoretic measures indicated early maturation of primary sensorimotor regions and protracted development of higher order association and paralimbic regions. Our finding reveals a time window of plasticity occurring during late childhood which may accommodate crucial changes during puberty and the new developmental tasks that an adolescent faces. PMID:22784607

Challenges and opportunities in developmental integrative physiology☆

PubMed Central

Mueller, C.A.; Eme, J.; Burggren, W.W.; Roghair, R.D.; Rundle, S.D.

2015-01-01

This review explores challenges and opportunities in developmental physiology outlined by a symposium at the 2014 American Physiological Society Intersociety Meeting: Comparative Approaches to Grand Challenges in Physiology. Across animal taxa, adverse embryonic/fetal environmental conditions can alter morphological and physiological phenotypes in juveniles or adults, and capacities for developmental plasticity are common phenomena. Human neonates with body sizes at the extremes of perinatal growth are at an increased risk of adult disease, particularly hypertension and cardiovascular disease. There are many rewarding areas of current and future research in comparative developmental physiology. We present key mechanisms, models, and experimental designs that can be used across taxa to investigate patterns in, and implications of, the development of animal phenotypes. Intraspecific variation in the timing of developmental events can be increased through developmental plasticity (heterokairy), and could provide the raw material for selection to produce heterochrony — an evolutionary change in the timing of developmental events. Epigenetics and critical windows research recognizes that in ovo or fetal development represent a vulnerable period in the life history of an animal, when the developing organism may be unable to actively mitigate environmental perturbations. ‘Critical windows’ are periods of susceptibility or vulnerability to environmental or maternal challenges, periods when recovery from challenge is possible, and periods when the phenotype or epigenome has been altered. Developmental plasticity may allow survival in an altered environment, but it also has possible long-term consequences for the animal. “Catch-up growth” in humans after the critical perinatal window has closed elicits adult obesity and exacerbates a programmed hypertensive phenotype (one of many examples of “fetal programing”). Grand challenges for developmental physiology include integrating variation in developmental timing within and across generations, applying multiple stressor dosages and stressor exposure at different developmental timepoints, assessment of epigenetic and parental influences, developing new animal models and techniques, and assessing and implementing these designs and models in human health and development. PMID:25711780

Evaluation of SNS Beamline Shielding Configurations using MCNPX Accelerated by ADVANTG

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Risner, Joel M; Johnson, Seth R.; Remec, Igor

2015-01-01

Shielding analyses for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory pose significant computational challenges, including highly anisotropic high-energy sources, a combination of deep penetration shielding and an unshielded beamline, and a desire to obtain well-converged nearly global solutions for mapping of predicted radiation fields. The majority of these analyses have been performed using MCNPX with manually generated variance reduction parameters (source biasing and cell-based splitting and Russian roulette) that were largely based on the analyst's insight into the problem specifics. Development of the variance reduction parameters required extensive analyst time, and was often tailored to specific portionsmore » of the model phase space. We previously applied a developmental version of the ADVANTG code to an SNS beamline study to perform a hybrid deterministic/Monte Carlo analysis and showed that we could obtain nearly global Monte Carlo solutions with essentially uniform relative errors for mesh tallies that cover extensive portions of the model with typical voxel spacing of a few centimeters. The use of weight window maps and consistent biased sources produced using the FW-CADIS methodology in ADVANTG allowed us to obtain these solutions using substantially less computer time than the previous cell-based splitting approach. While those results were promising, the process of using the developmental version of ADVANTG was somewhat laborious, requiring user-developed Python scripts to drive much of the analysis sequence. In addition, limitations imposed by the size of weight-window files in MCNPX necessitated the use of relatively coarse spatial and energy discretization for the deterministic Denovo calculations that we used to generate the variance reduction parameters. We recently applied the production version of ADVANTG to this beamline analysis, which substantially streamlined the analysis process. We also tested importance function collapsing (in space and energy) capabilities in ADVANTG. These changes, along with the support for parallel Denovo calculations using the current version of ADVANTG, give us the capability to improve the fidelity of the deterministic portion of the hybrid analysis sequence, obtain improved weight-window maps, and reduce both the analyst and computational time required for the analysis process.« less

Beyond the dyad: making Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) interventions more inclusive.

PubMed

Pentecost, M; Ross, F C; Macnab, A

2018-02-01

Pregnant women, children under 2 and the first thousand days of life have been principal targets for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease interventions. This paradigm has been criticized for laying responsibility for health outcomes on pregnant women and mothers and through the thousand days focus inadvertently deflecting attention from other windows for intervention. Drawing on insights from the South African context, this commentary argues for integrated and inclusive interventions that encompass broader social framings. First, future interventions should include a wider range of actors. Second, broader action frameworks should encompass life-course approaches that identify multiple windows of opportunity for intervention. Using two examples - the inclusion of men, and engagement with adolescents - this commentary offers strategies for producing more inclusive interventions by using a broader social framework.

Developmental time windows for axon growth influence neuronal network topology.

PubMed

Lim, Sol; Kaiser, Marcus

2015-04-01

Early brain connectivity development consists of multiple stages: birth of neurons, their migration and the subsequent growth of axons and dendrites. Each stage occurs within a certain period of time depending on types of neurons and cortical layers. Forming synapses between neurons either by growing axons starting at similar times for all neurons (much-overlapped time windows) or at different time points (less-overlapped) may affect the topological and spatial properties of neuronal networks. Here, we explore the extreme cases of axon formation during early development, either starting at the same time for all neurons (parallel, i.e., maximally overlapped time windows) or occurring for each neuron separately one neuron after another (serial, i.e., no overlaps in time windows). For both cases, the number of potential and established synapses remained comparable. Topological and spatial properties, however, differed: Neurons that started axon growth early on in serial growth achieved higher out-degrees, higher local efficiency and longer axon lengths while neurons demonstrated more homogeneous connectivity patterns for parallel growth. Second, connection probability decreased more rapidly with distance between neurons for parallel growth than for serial growth. Third, bidirectional connections were more numerous for parallel growth. Finally, we tested our predictions with C. elegans data. Together, this indicates that time windows for axon growth influence the topological and spatial properties of neuronal networks opening up the possibility to a posteriori estimate developmental mechanisms based on network properties of a developed network.

Critical developmental windows for morphology and hematology revealed by intermittent and continuous hypoxic incubation in embryos of quail (Coturnix coturnix)

PubMed Central

Elmonoufy, Nourhan A.

2017-01-01

Hypoxia during embryonic growth in embryos is frequently a powerful determinant of development, but at least in avian embryos the effects appear to show considerable intra- and inter-specific variation. We hypothesized that some of this variation may arise from different protocols that may or may not result in exposure during the embryo’s critical window for hypoxic effects. To test this hypothesis, quail embryos (Coturnix coturnix) in the intact egg were exposed to hypoxia (~15% O2) during “early” (Day 0 through Day 5, abbreviated as D0-D5), “middle” (D6-D10) or “late” (D11-D15) incubation or for their entire 16–18 day incubation (“continuous hypoxia”) to determine critical windows for viability and growth. Viability, body mass, beak and toe length, heart mass, and hematology (hematocrit and hemoglobin concentration) were measured on D5, D10, D15 and at hatching typically between D16 and D18 Viability rate was ~50–70% immediately following the exposure period in the early, middle and late hypoxic groups, but viability improved in the early and late groups once normoxia was restored. Middle hypoxia groups showed continuing low viability, suggesting a critical period from D6-D10 for embryo viability. The continuous hypoxia group experienced viability reaching <10% after D15. Hypoxia, especially during late and continuous hypoxia, also inhibited growth of body, beak and toe when measured at D15. Full recovery to normal body mass upon hatching occurred in all other groups except for continuous hypoxia. Contrary to previous avian studies, heart mass, hematocrit and hemoglobin concentration were not altered by any hypoxic incubation pattern. Although hypoxia can inhibit embryo viability and organ growth during most incubation periods, the greatest effects result from continuous or middle incubation hypoxic exposure. Hypoxic inhibition of growth can subsequently be “repaired” by catch-up growth if a final period of normoxic development is available. Collectively, these data indicate a critical developmental window for hypoxia susceptibility during the mid-embryonic period of development. PMID:28926567

Critical developmental windows for morphology and hematology revealed by intermittent and continuous hypoxic incubation in embryos of quail (Coturnix coturnix).

PubMed

Burggren, Warren W; Elmonoufy, Nourhan A

2017-01-01

Hypoxia during embryonic growth in embryos is frequently a powerful determinant of development, but at least in avian embryos the effects appear to show considerable intra- and inter-specific variation. We hypothesized that some of this variation may arise from different protocols that may or may not result in exposure during the embryo's critical window for hypoxic effects. To test this hypothesis, quail embryos (Coturnix coturnix) in the intact egg were exposed to hypoxia (~15% O2) during "early" (Day 0 through Day 5, abbreviated as D0-D5), "middle" (D6-D10) or "late" (D11-D15) incubation or for their entire 16-18 day incubation ("continuous hypoxia") to determine critical windows for viability and growth. Viability, body mass, beak and toe length, heart mass, and hematology (hematocrit and hemoglobin concentration) were measured on D5, D10, D15 and at hatching typically between D16 and D18 Viability rate was ~50-70% immediately following the exposure period in the early, middle and late hypoxic groups, but viability improved in the early and late groups once normoxia was restored. Middle hypoxia groups showed continuing low viability, suggesting a critical period from D6-D10 for embryo viability. The continuous hypoxia group experienced viability reaching <10% after D15. Hypoxia, especially during late and continuous hypoxia, also inhibited growth of body, beak and toe when measured at D15. Full recovery to normal body mass upon hatching occurred in all other groups except for continuous hypoxia. Contrary to previous avian studies, heart mass, hematocrit and hemoglobin concentration were not altered by any hypoxic incubation pattern. Although hypoxia can inhibit embryo viability and organ growth during most incubation periods, the greatest effects result from continuous or middle incubation hypoxic exposure. Hypoxic inhibition of growth can subsequently be "repaired" by catch-up growth if a final period of normoxic development is available. Collectively, these data indicate a critical developmental window for hypoxia susceptibility during the mid-embryonic period of development.

Commonly dysregulated genes in murine APL cells

PubMed Central

Yuan, Wenlin; Payton, Jacqueline E.; Holt, Matthew S.; Link, Daniel C.; Watson, Mark A.; DiPersio, John F.; Ley, Timothy J.

2007-01-01

To identify genes that are commonly dysregulated in a murine model of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), we first defined gene expression patterns during normal murine myeloid development; serial gene expression profiling studies were performed with primary murine hematopoietic progenitors that were induced to undergo myeloid maturation in vitro with G-CSF. Many genes were reproducibly expressed in restricted developmental “windows,” suggesting a structured hierarchy of expression that is relevant for the induction of developmental fates and/or differentiated cell functions. We compared the normal myeloid developmental transcriptome with that of APL cells derived from mice expressing PML-RARα under control of the murine cathepsin G locus. While many promyelocyte-specific genes were highly expressed in all APL samples, 116 genes were reproducibly dysregulated in many independent APL samples, including Fos, Jun, Egr1, Tnf, and Vcam1. However, this set of commonly dysregulated genes was expressed normally in preleukemic, early myeloid cells from the same mouse model, suggesting that dysregulation occurs as a “downstream” event during disease progression. These studies suggest that the genetic events that lead to APL progression may converge on common pathways that are important for leukemia pathogenesis. PMID:17008535

Alterations in audiovisual simultaneity perception in amblyopia

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Amblyopia is a developmental visual impairment that is increasingly recognized to affect higher-level perceptual and multisensory processes. To further investigate the audiovisual (AV) perceptual impairments associated with this condition, we characterized the temporal interval in which asynchronous auditory and visual stimuli are perceived as simultaneous 50% of the time (i.e., the AV simultaneity window). Adults with unilateral amblyopia (n = 17) and visually normal controls (n = 17) judged the simultaneity of a flash and a click presented with both eyes viewing. The signal onset asynchrony (SOA) varied from 0 ms to 450 ms for auditory-lead and visual-lead conditions. A subset of participants with amblyopia (n = 6) was tested monocularly. Compared to the control group, the auditory-lead side of the AV simultaneity window was widened by 48 ms (36%; p = 0.002), whereas that of the visual-lead side was widened by 86 ms (37%; p = 0.02). The overall mean window width was 500 ms, compared to 366 ms among controls (37% wider; p = 0.002). Among participants with amblyopia, the simultaneity window parameters were unchanged by viewing condition, but subgroup analysis revealed differential effects on the parameters by amblyopia severity, etiology, and foveal suppression status. Possible mechanisms to explain these findings include visual temporal uncertainty, interocular perceptual latency asymmetry, and disruption of normal developmental tuning of sensitivity to audiovisual asynchrony. PMID:28598996

Alterations in audiovisual simultaneity perception in amblyopia.

PubMed

Richards, Michael D; Goltz, Herbert C; Wong, Agnes M F

2017-01-01

Amblyopia is a developmental visual impairment that is increasingly recognized to affect higher-level perceptual and multisensory processes. To further investigate the audiovisual (AV) perceptual impairments associated with this condition, we characterized the temporal interval in which asynchronous auditory and visual stimuli are perceived as simultaneous 50% of the time (i.e., the AV simultaneity window). Adults with unilateral amblyopia (n = 17) and visually normal controls (n = 17) judged the simultaneity of a flash and a click presented with both eyes viewing. The signal onset asynchrony (SOA) varied from 0 ms to 450 ms for auditory-lead and visual-lead conditions. A subset of participants with amblyopia (n = 6) was tested monocularly. Compared to the control group, the auditory-lead side of the AV simultaneity window was widened by 48 ms (36%; p = 0.002), whereas that of the visual-lead side was widened by 86 ms (37%; p = 0.02). The overall mean window width was 500 ms, compared to 366 ms among controls (37% wider; p = 0.002). Among participants with amblyopia, the simultaneity window parameters were unchanged by viewing condition, but subgroup analysis revealed differential effects on the parameters by amblyopia severity, etiology, and foveal suppression status. Possible mechanisms to explain these findings include visual temporal uncertainty, interocular perceptual latency asymmetry, and disruption of normal developmental tuning of sensitivity to audiovisual asynchrony.

Timing of androgen receptor disruption and estrogen exposure underlies a spectrum of congenital penile anomalies

PubMed Central

Armfield, Brooke A.; Cohn, Martin J.

2015-01-01

Congenital penile anomalies (CPAs) are among the most common human birth defects. Reports of CPAs, which include hypospadias, chordee, micropenis, and ambiguous genitalia, have risen sharply in recent decades, but the causes of these malformations are rarely identified. Both genetic anomalies and environmental factors, such as antiandrogenic and estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), are suspected to cause CPAs; however, little is known about the temporal window(s) of sensitivity to EDCs, or the tissue-specific roles and downstream targets of the androgen receptor (AR) in external genitalia. Here, we show that the full spectrum of CPAs can be produced by disrupting AR at different developmental stages and in specific cell types in the mouse genital tubercle. Inactivation of AR during a narrow window of prenatal development results in hypospadias and chordee, whereas earlier disruptions cause ambiguous genitalia and later disruptions cause micropenis. The neonatal phase of penile development is controlled by the balance of AR to estrogen receptor α (ERα) activity; either inhibition of androgen or augmentation of estrogen signaling can induce micropenis. AR and ERα have opposite effects on cell division, apoptosis, and regulation of Hedgehog, fibroblast growth factor, bone morphogenetic protein, and Wnt signaling in the genital tubercle. We identify Indian hedgehog (Ihh) as a novel downstream target of AR in external genitalia and show that conditional deletion of Ihh inhibits penile masculinization. These studies reveal previously unidentified cellular and molecular mechanisms by which antiandrogenic and estrogenic signals induce penile malformations and demonstrate that the timing of endocrine disruption can determine the type of CPA. PMID:26598695

IDENTIFYING CRITICAL WINDOWS OF EXPOSURE FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH

EPA Science Inventory

Several authors have considered the importance of exposure timing and how this affects the outcomes observed, but no one has systematically compiled preconceptional, prentatal, and postnatal developmental exposures and subsequent outcomes. Efforts were undertaken to examine the ...

In utero undernourishment perturbs the adult sperm methylome and is linked to metabolic disease transmission

PubMed Central

Radford, Elizabeth J.; Corish, Jennifer A.; Seisenberger, Stefanie; Hore, Timothy A.; Reik, Wolf; Erkek, Serap; Peters, Antoine H. F. M.; Patti, Mary-Elizabeth; Ferguson-Smith, Anne C.

2015-01-01

Adverse prenatal environments can promote metabolic disease in offspring and subsequent generations. Animal models and epidemiological data implicate epigenetic inheritance but mechanisms remain unknown. In an intergenerational developmental programming model affecting F2 metabolism, we demonstrate that the in utero nutritional environment of F1 embryos alters the germline DNA methylome of F1 adult males in a locus-specific manner. Differentially methylated regions are hypomethylated and enriched in nucleosome-retaining regions. A substantial fraction is resistant to early embryo methylation reprogramming, potentially impacting F2 development. Importantly, differential methylation is not maintained in F2 tissues, yet locus-specific expression is perturbed. Thus, in utero nutritional exposures during critical windows of germ cell development can impact the male germline methylome, associated with metabolic disease in offspring. PMID:25011554

High fat programming of beta cell compensation, exhaustion, death and dysfunction.

PubMed

Cerf, Marlon E

2015-03-01

Programming refers to events during critical developmental windows that shape progeny health outcomes. Fetal programming refers to the effects of intrauterine (in utero) events. Lactational programming refers to the effects of events during suckling (weaning). Developmental programming refers to the effects of events during both fetal and lactational life. Postnatal programming refers to the effects of events either from birth (lactational life) to adolescence or from weaning (end of lactation) to adolescence. Islets are most plastic during the early life course; hence programming during fetal and lactational life is most potent. High fat (HF) programming is the maintenance on a HF diet (HFD) during critical developmental life stages that alters progeny metabolism and physiology. HF programming induces variable diabetogenic phenotypes dependent on the timing and duration of the dietary insult. Maternal obesity reinforces HF programming effects in progeny. HF programming, through acute hyperglycemia, initiates beta cell compensation. However, HF programming eventually leads to chronic hyperglycemia that triggers beta cell exhaustion, death and dysfunction. In HF programming, beta cell dysfunction often co-presents with insulin resistance. Balanced, healthy nutrition during developmental windows is critical for preserving beta cell structure and function. Thus early positive nutritional interventions that coincide with the development of beta cells may reduce the overwhelming burden of diabetes and metabolic disease. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Life History theory hypotheses on child growth: Potential implications for short and long-term child growth, development and health.

PubMed

Said-Mohamed, Rihlat; Pettifor, John M; Norris, Shane A

2018-01-01

Life history theory integrates ecological, physiological, and molecular layers within an evolutionary framework to understand organisms' strategies to optimize survival and reproduction. Two life history hypotheses and their implications for child growth, development, and health (illustrated in the South African context) are reviewed here. One hypothesis suggests that there is an energy trade-off between linear growth and brain growth. Undernutrition in infancy and childhood may trigger adaptive physiological mechanisms prioritizing the brain at the expense of body growth. Another hypothesis is that the period from conception to infancy is a critical window of developmental plasticity of linear growth, the duration of which may vary between and within populations. The transition from infancy to childhood may mark the end of a critical window of opportunity for improving child growth. Both hypotheses emphasize the developmental plasticity of linear growth and the potential determinants of growth variability (including the role of parent-offspring conflict in maternal resources allocation). Implications of these hypotheses in populations with high burdens of undernutrition and infections are discussed. In South Africa, HIV/AIDS during pregnancy (associated with adverse birth outcomes, short duration of breastfeeding, and social consequences) may lead to a shortened window of developmental plasticity of growth. Furthermore, undernutrition and infectious diseases in children living in South Africa, a country undergoing a rapid nutrition transition, may have adverse consequences on individuals' cognitive abilities and risks of cardio-metabolic diseases. Studies are needed to identify physiological mechanisms underlying energy allocation between biological functions and their potential impacts on health. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Neuroendocrine models of social anxiety disorder

PubMed Central

van Honk, Jack; Bos, Peter A.; Terburg, David; Heany, Sarah; Stein, Dan J.

2015-01-01

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a highly prevalent and disabling disorder with key behavioral traits of social fearfulness, social avoidance, and submissiveness. Here we argue that hormonal systems play a key role in mediating social anxiety, and so may be important in SAD. Hormonal alterations, often established early in development through the interaction between biological and psychological factors (eg, genetic predisposition x early trauma), predispose to socially fearful, avoidant, and submissive behavior. However, whereas gene variants and histories of trauma persist, hormonal systems can be remodeled over the course of life. Hormones play a key role during the periods of all sensitive developmental windows (ie, prenatal, neonatal, puberty, aging), and are capable of opening up new developmental windows in adulthood. Indeed, the developmental plasticity of our social brain, and thus of social behavior in adulthood, critically depends on steroid hormones such as testosterone and peptide hormones such as oxytocin. These steroid and peptide hormones in interaction with social experiences may have potential for reprogramming the socially anxious brain. Certainly, single administrations of oxytocin and testosterone in humans reduce socially fearful, avoidant, and submissive behavior. Such work may ultimately lead to new approaches to the treatment of SAD. PMID:26487809

Hydrocephalus and arthrogryposis in an immunocompetent mouse model of ZIKA teratogeny: A developmental study

PubMed Central

Xavier-Neto, Jose; Carvalho, Murilo; Pascoalino, Bruno dos Santos; Cardoso, Alisson Campos; Costa, Ângela Maria Sousa; Pereira, Ana Helena Macedo; Santos, Luana Nunes; Saito, Ângela; Marques, Rafael Elias; Smetana, Juliana Helena Costa; Consonni, Silvio Roberto; Bandeira, Carla; Costa, Vivian Vasconcelos; Bajgelman, Marcio Chaim; de Oliveira, Paulo Sérgio Lopes; Cordeiro, Marli Tenorio; Gonzales Gil, Laura Helena Vega; Pauletti, Bianca Alves; Granato, Daniela Campos; Paes Leme, Adriana Franco; Freitas-Junior, Lucio; Holanda de Freitas, Carolina Borsoi Moraes; Teixeira, Mauro Martins; Bevilacqua, Estela; Franchini, Kleber

2017-01-01

The teratogenic mechanisms triggered by ZIKV are still obscure due to the lack of a suitable animal model. Here we present a mouse model of developmental disruption induced by ZIKV hematogenic infection. The model utilizes immunocompetent animals from wild-type FVB/NJ and C57BL/6J strains, providing a better analogy to the human condition than approaches involving immunodeficient, genetically modified animals, or direct ZIKV injection into the brain. When injected via the jugular vein into the blood of pregnant females harboring conceptuses from early gastrulation to organogenesis stages, akin to the human second and fifth week of pregnancy, ZIKV infects maternal tissues, placentas and embryos/fetuses. Early exposure to ZIKV at developmental day 5 (second week in humans) produced complex manifestations of anterior and posterior dysraphia and hydrocephalus, as well as severe malformations and delayed development in 10.5 days post-coitum (dpc) embryos. Exposure to the virus at 7.5–9.5 dpc induces intra-amniotic hemorrhage, widespread edema, and vascular rarefaction, often prominent in the cephalic region. At these stages, most affected embryos/fetuses displayed gross malformations and/or intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), rather than isolated microcephaly. Disrupted conceptuses failed to achieve normal developmental landmarks and died in utero. Importantly, this is the only model so far to display dysraphia and hydrocephalus, the harbinger of microcephaly in humans, as well as arthrogryposis, a set of abnormal joint postures observed in the human setting. Late exposure to ZIKV at 12.5 dpc failed to produce noticeable malformations. We have thus characterized a developmental window of opportunity for ZIKV-induced teratogenesis encompassing early gastrulation, neurulation and early organogenesis stages. This should not, however, be interpreted as evidence for any safe developmental windows for ZIKV exposure. Late developmental abnormalities correlated with damage to the placenta, particularly to the labyrinthine layer, suggesting that circulatory changes are integral to the altered phenotypes. PMID:28231241

Ube3a reinstatement identifies distinct developmental windows in a murine Angelman syndrome model

PubMed Central

Silva-Santos, Sara; van Woerden, Geeske M.; Bruinsma, Caroline F.; Mientjes, Edwin; Jolfaei, Mehrnoush Aghadavoud; Distel, Ben; Kushner, Steven A.; Elgersma, Ype

2015-01-01

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder that results from loss of function of the maternal ubiquitin protein ligase E3A (UBE3A) allele. Due to neuron-specific imprinting, the paternal UBE3A copy is silenced. Previous studies in murine models have demonstrated that strategies to activate the paternal Ube3a allele are feasible; however, a recent study showed that pharmacological Ube3a gene reactivation in adulthood failed to rescue the majority of neurocognitive phenotypes in a murine AS model. Here, we performed a systematic study to investigate the possibility that neurocognitive rescue can be achieved by reinstating Ube3a during earlier neurodevelopmental windows. We developed an AS model that allows for temporally controlled Cre-dependent induction of the maternal Ube3a allele and determined that there are distinct neurodevelopmental windows during which Ube3a restoration can rescue AS-relevant phenotypes. Motor deficits were rescued by Ube3a reinstatement in adolescent mice, whereas anxiety, repetitive behavior, and epilepsy were only rescued when Ube3a was reinstated during early development. In contrast, hippocampal synaptic plasticity could be restored at any age. Together, these findings suggest that Ube3a reinstatement early in development may be necessary to prevent or rescue most AS-associated phenotypes and should be considered in future clinical trial design. PMID:25866966

Sex differences in the developing brain as a source of inherent risk.

PubMed

McCarthy, Margaret M

2016-12-01

Brain development diverges in males and females in response to androgen production by the fetal testis. This sexual differentiation of the brain occurs during a sensitive window and induces enduring neuroanatomical and physiological changes that profoundly impact behavior. What we know about the contribution of sex chromosomes is still emerging, highlighting the need to integrate multiple factors into understanding sex differences, including the importance of context. The cellular mechanisms are best modeled in rodents and have provided both unifying principles and surprising specifics. Markedly distinct signaling pathways direct differentiation in specific brain regions, resulting in mosaicism of relative maleness, femaleness, and sameness through-out the brain, while canalization both exaggerates and constrains sex differences. Non-neuronal cells and inflammatory mediators are found in greater number and at higher levels in parts of male brains. This higher baseline of inflammation is speculated to increase male vulnerability to developmental neuropsychiatric disorders that are triggered by inflammation.

In utero effects. In utero undernourishment perturbs the adult sperm methylome and intergenerational metabolism.

PubMed

Radford, Elizabeth J; Ito, Mitsuteru; Shi, Hui; Corish, Jennifer A; Yamazawa, Kazuki; Isganaitis, Elvira; Seisenberger, Stefanie; Hore, Timothy A; Reik, Wolf; Erkek, Serap; Peters, Antoine H F M; Patti, Mary-Elizabeth; Ferguson-Smith, Anne C

2014-08-15

Adverse prenatal environments can promote metabolic disease in offspring and subsequent generations. Animal models and epidemiological data implicate epigenetic inheritance, but the mechanisms remain unknown. In an intergenerational developmental programming model affecting F2 mouse metabolism, we demonstrate that the in utero nutritional environment of F1 embryos alters the germline DNA methylome of F1 adult males in a locus-specific manner. Differentially methylated regions are hypomethylated and enriched in nucleosome-retaining regions. A substantial fraction is resistant to early embryo methylation reprogramming, which may have an impact on F2 development. Differential methylation is not maintained in F2 tissues, yet locus-specific expression is perturbed. Thus, in utero nutritional exposures during critical windows of germ cell development can impact the male germline methylome, associated with metabolic disease in offspring. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Endocrine disruptors and prostate cancer risk

PubMed Central

Prins, Gail S

2010-01-01

There is increasing evidence both from epidemiology studies and animal models that specific endocrine-disrupting compounds may influence the development or progression of prostate cancer. In large part, these effects appear to be linked to interference with estrogen signaling, either through interacting with ERs or by influencing steroid metabolism and altering estrogen levels within the body. In humans, epidemiologic evidence links specific pesticides, PCBs and inorganic arsenic exposures to elevated prostate cancer risk. Studies in animal models also show augmentation of prostate carcinogenesis with several other environmental estrogenic compounds including cadmium, UV filters and BPA. Importantly, there appears to be heightened sensitivity of the prostate to these endocrine disruptors during the critical developmental windows including in utero and neonatal time points as well as during puberty. Thus infants and children may be considered a highly susceptible population for ED exposures and increased risk of prostate cancers with aging. PMID:18524946

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins and Pax6 cooperate to inhibit in vivo reprogramming of the developing Drosophila eye.

PubMed

Zhu, Jinjin; Ordway, Alison J; Weber, Lena; Buddika, Kasun; Kumar, Justin P

2018-04-04

How different cells and tissues commit to and determine their fates has been a central question in developmental biology since the seminal embryological experiments conducted by Wilhelm Roux and Hans Driesch in sea urchins and frogs. Here, we demonstrate that Polycomb group (PcG) proteins maintain Drosophila eye specification by suppressing the activation of alternative fate choices. The loss of PcG in the developing eye results in a cellular reprogramming event in which the eye is redirected to a wing fate. This fate transformation occurs with either the individual loss of Polycomb proteins or the simultaneous reduction of the Pleiohomeotic repressive complex and Pax6. Interestingly, the requirement for retinal selector genes is limited to Pax6, as the removal of more downstream members does not lead to the eye-wing transformation. We also show that distinct PcG complexes are required during different developmental windows throughout eye formation. These findings build on earlier observations that the eye can be reprogrammed to initiate head epidermis, antennal and leg development. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Developmental outcome after a single episode of status epilepticus.

PubMed

Roy, Hélène; Lippé, Sarah; Lussier, Francine; Sauerwein, Hannelore Catherine; Lortie, Anne; Lacroix, Jacques; Lassonde, Maryse

2011-08-01

Consequences of status epilepticus (SE) on psychomotor development and the specific impact of the convulsive event on emerging executive functions remain controversial. Infants treated for a single episode of SE, those treated for a single febrile seizure, and healthy infants were tested with respect to motor development, language, personal, and social skills and self-regulation. The children were divided into two age groups to investigate the impact of the convulsive event at different windows of brain maturation. We found that infants who had had SE were inferior to healthy controls on the development scales. Age differentiated SE impact on visuomotor development versus sociolinguistic development. Children who had been treated for SE had significantly more difficulties delaying a response to an attractive stimulus in one of the long-delay conditions. A single episode of SE can interfere with psychomotor and cognitive development in children without previous developmental delay, and it seems that the functions that are emerging at the time of insult are most vulnerable. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bayesian distributed lag interaction models to identify perinatal windows of vulnerability in children's health.

PubMed

Wilson, Ander; Chiu, Yueh-Hsiu Mathilda; Hsu, Hsiao-Hsien Leon; Wright, Robert O; Wright, Rosalind J; Coull, Brent A

2017-07-01

Epidemiological research supports an association between maternal exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and adverse children's health outcomes. Advances in exposure assessment and statistics allow for estimation of both critical windows of vulnerability and exposure effect heterogeneity. Simultaneous estimation of windows of vulnerability and effect heterogeneity can be accomplished by fitting a distributed lag model (DLM) stratified by subgroup. However, this can provide an incomplete picture of how effects vary across subgroups because it does not allow for subgroups to have the same window but different within-window effects or to have different windows but the same within-window effect. Because the timing of some developmental processes are common across subpopulations of infants while for others the timing differs across subgroups, both scenarios are important to consider when evaluating health risks of prenatal exposures. We propose a new approach that partitions the DLM into a constrained functional predictor that estimates windows of vulnerability and a scalar effect representing the within-window effect directly. The proposed method allows for heterogeneity in only the window, only the within-window effect, or both. In a simulation study we show that a model assuming a shared component across groups results in lower bias and mean squared error for the estimated windows and effects when that component is in fact constant across groups. We apply the proposed method to estimate windows of vulnerability in the association between prenatal exposures to fine particulate matter and each of birth weight and asthma incidence, and estimate how these associations vary by sex and maternal obesity status in a Boston-area prospective pre-birth cohort study. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Multisensory integration and ADHD-like traits: Evidence for an abnormal temporal integration window in ADHD.

PubMed

Panagiotidi, Maria; Overton, Paul G; Stafford, Tom

2017-11-01

Abnormalities in multimodal processing have been found in many developmental disorders such as autism and dyslexia. However, surprisingly little empirical work has been conducted to test the integrity of multisensory integration in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The main aim of the present study was to examine links between symptoms of ADHD (as measured using a self-report scale in a healthy adult population) and the temporal aspects of multisensory processing. More specifically, a Simultaneity Judgement (SJ) and a Temporal Order Judgement (TOJ) task were used in participants with low and high levels of ADHD-like traits to measure the temporal integration window and Just-Noticeable Difference (JND) (respectively) between the timing of an auditory beep and a visual pattern presented over a broad range of stimulus onset asynchronies. The Point of Subjective Similarity (PSS) was also measured in both cases. In the SJ task, participants with high levels of ADHD-like traits considered significantly fewer stimuli to be simultaneous than participants with high levels of ADHD-like traits, and the former were found to have significantly smaller temporal windows of integration (although no difference was found in the PSS in the SJ or TOJ tasks, or the JND in the latter). This is the first study to identify an abnormal temporal integration window in individuals with ADHD-like traits. Perceived temporal misalignment of two or more modalities can lead to distractibility (e.g., when the stimulus components from different modalities occur separated by too large of a temporal gap). Hence, an abnormality in the perception of simultaneity could lead to the increased distractibility seen in ADHD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Detection with Enhanced Energy Windowing Phase I Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bass, David A.; Enders, Alexander L.

2016-12-01

This document reviews the progress of Phase I of the Detection with Enhanced Energy Windowing (DEEW) project. The DEEW project is the implementation of software incorporating an algorithm which reviews data generated by radiation portal monitors and utilizes advanced and novel techniques for detecting radiological and fissile material while not alarming on Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material. Independent testing indicated that the Enhanced Energy Windowing algorithm showed promise at reducing the probability of alarm in the stream of commerce compared to existing algorithms and other developmental algorithms, while still maintaining adequate sensitivity to threats. This document contains a brief description ofmore » the project, instructions for setting up and running the applications, and guidance to help make reviewing the output files and source code easier.« less

Motoneuron axon pathfinding errors in zebrafish: Differential effects related to concentration and timing of nicotine exposure

PubMed Central

Menelaou, Evdokia; Paul, Latoya T.; Perera, Surangi N.; Svoboda, Kurt R.

2015-01-01

Nicotine exposure during embryonic stages of development can affect many neurodevelopmental processes. In the developing zebrafish, exposure to nicotine was reported to cause axonal pathfinding errors in the later born secondary motoneurons (SMN). These alterations in SMN axon morphology coincided with muscle degeneration at high nicotine concentrations (15–30µM). Previous work showed that the paralytic mutant zebrafish known as sofa potato, exhibited nicotine-induced effects onto SMN axons at these high concentrations but in the absence of any muscle deficits, indicating that pathfinding errors could occur independent of muscle effects. In this study, we used varying concentrations of nicotine at different developmental windows of exposure to specifically isolate its effects onto subpopulations of motoneuron axons. We found that nicotine exposure can affect SMN axon morphology in a dose-dependent manner. At low concentrations of nicotine, SMN axons exhibited pathfinding errors, in the absence of any nicotine-induced muscle abnormalities. Moreover, the nicotine exposure paradigms used affected the 3 subpopulations of SMN axons differently, but the dorsal projecting SMN axons were primarily affected. We then identified morphologically distinct pathfinding errors that best described the nicotine-induced effects on dorsal projecting SMN axons. To test whether SMN pathfinding was potentially influenced by alterations in the early born primary motoneuron (PMN), we performed dual labeling studies, where both PMN and SMN axons were simultaneously labeled with antibodies. We show that only a subset of the SMN axon pathfinding errors coincided with abnormal PMN axonal targeting in nicotine-exposed zebrafish. We conclude that nicotine exposure can exert differential effects depending on the levels of nicotine and developmental exposure window. PMID:25668718

Individual differences in frontolimbic circuitry and anxiety emerge with adolescent changes in endocannabinoid signaling across species.

PubMed

Gee, Dylan G; Fetcho, Robert N; Jing, Deqiang; Li, Anfei; Glatt, Charles E; Drysdale, Andrew T; Cohen, Alexandra O; Dellarco, Danielle V; Yang, Rui R; Dale, Anders M; Jernigan, Terry L; Lee, Francis S; Casey, B J

2016-04-19

Anxiety disorders peak in incidence during adolescence, a developmental window that is marked by dynamic changes in gene expression, endocannabinoid signaling, and frontolimbic circuitry. We tested whether genetic alterations in endocannabinoid signaling related to a common polymorphism in fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), which alters endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA) levels, would impact the development of frontolimbic circuitry implicated in anxiety disorders. In a pediatric imaging sample of over 1,000 3- to 21-y-olds, we show effects of the FAAH genotype specific to frontolimbic connectivity that emerge by ∼12 y of age and are paralleled by changes in anxiety-related behavior. Using a knock-in mouse model of the FAAH polymorphism that controls for genetic and environmental backgrounds, we confirm phenotypic differences in frontoamygdala circuitry and anxiety-related behavior by postnatal day 45 (P45), when AEA levels begin to decrease, and also, at P75 but not before. These results, which converge across species and level of analysis, highlight the importance of underlying developmental neurobiology in the emergence of genetic effects on brain circuitry and function. Moreover, the results have important implications for the identification of risk for disease and precise targeting of treatments to the biological state of the developing brain as a function of developmental changes in gene expression and neural circuit maturation.

When can parents most influence their child's development? Expert knowledge and perceived local realities.

PubMed

Worthman, Carol M; Tomlinson, Mark; Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane

2016-04-01

Compelling evidence for the long-term impact of conditions in gestation and early childhood on both physical and psychosocial functioning and productivity has stimulated a focus in global health policy and social services on the "first 1000 days". Consequently, related initiatives may assume that rationale for this orientation and the agency of parents during this period is self-evident and widely shared among parents and communities. In 2012, we tested this assumption among a sample of 38 township-dwelling caregivers in Cape Town, by asking a question identified during a study of cultural models of parenting, namely: At what age or stage can a parent or caregiver have the most influence on a child's development? Formal cultural consensus analysis of responses met criteria for strong agreement that the period for greatest impact of parenting on a child's development occurs at adolescence, at a median age of 12 years. In follow-up focus groups and structured interviews, caregivers articulated clear ecological and developmental reasons for this view, related to protection both of developmental potential and against powerful, context-specific ecological risks (early pregnancy, substance ab/use, violence and gangs) that emerge during adolescence. Such risks threaten educational attainment, reproductive health, and social derailment with enduring consequences for lifetime well-being that caregivers are highly motivated to prevent. Developmental needs in pregnancy and early childhood, by contrast, were considered more manageable. These findings resonate with emerging evidence for multiple sensitive periods with corresponding developmental needs, and urge the value of complementing efforts to optimize early development with those to sustain and enhance it during later windows of developmental opportunity such as adolescence. Our results also indicate the need to consult local views of developmental risk and parenting practice in communicating with caregivers and planning interventions, and the value of using available methodological tools to do so. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

When can parents most influence their child’s development? Expert knowledge and perceived local realities

PubMed Central

Worthman, Carol M.; Tomlinson, Mark; Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane

2016-01-01

Compelling evidence for the long-term impact of conditions in gestation and early childhood on both physical and psychosocial functioning and productivity has stimulated a focus in global health policy and social services on the “first 1000 days”. Consequently, related initiatives may assume that rationale for this orientation and the agency of parents during this period is self-evident and widely shared among parents and communities. We tested this assumption in 2012 among a sample of 38 township-dwelling caregivers in Cape Town, by asking a question identified during a study of cultural models of parenting, namely: At what age or stage can a parent or caregiver have the most influence on a child’s development? Formal cultural consensus analysis of responses met criteria for strong agreement that the period for greatest impact of parenting on a child’s development occurs at adolescence, at a median age of 12 years. In follow-up focus groups and structured interviews, caregivers articulated clear ecological and developmental reasons for this view, related to protection both of developmental potential and against powerful, context-specific ecological risks (early pregnancy, substance ab/use, violence and gangs) that emerge during adolescence. Such risks threaten educational attainment, reproductive health, and social derailment with enduring consequences for lifetime well-being that caregivers are highly motivated to prevent. Developmental needs in pregnancy and early childhood, by contrast, were considered more manageable. These findings resonate with emerging evidence for multiple sensitive periods with corresponding developmental needs, and urge the value of complementing efforts to optimize early development with those to sustain and enhance it during later windows of developmental opportunity such as adolescence. Our results also indicate the need to consult local views of developmental risk and parenting practice in communicating with caregivers and planning interventions, and the value of using available methodological tools to do so. PMID:26945544

The retina as a window to the brain-from eye research to CNS disorders.

PubMed

London, Anat; Benhar, Inbal; Schwartz, Michal

2013-01-01

Philosophers defined the eye as a window to the soul long before scientists addressed this cliché to determine its scientific basis and clinical relevance. Anatomically and developmentally, the retina is known as an extension of the CNS; it consists of retinal ganglion cells, the axons of which form the optic nerve, whose fibres are, in effect, CNS axons. The eye has unique physical structures and a local array of surface molecules and cytokines, and is host to specialized immune responses similar to those in the brain and spinal cord. Several well-defined neurodegenerative conditions that affect the brain and spinal cord have manifestations in the eye, and ocular symptoms often precede conventional diagnosis of such CNS disorders. Furthermore, various eye-specific pathologies share characteristics of other CNS pathologies. In this Review, we summarize data that support examination of the eye as a noninvasive approach to the diagnosis of select CNS diseases, and the use of the eye as a valuable model to study the CNS. Translation of eye research to CNS disease, and deciphering the role of immune cells in these two systems, could improve our understanding and, potentially, the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.

Critical disease windows shaped by stress exposure alter allocation trade-offs between development and immunity.

PubMed

Kirschman, Lucas J; Crespi, Erica J; Warne, Robin W

2018-01-01

Ubiquitous environmental stressors are often thought to alter animal susceptibility to pathogens and contribute to disease emergence. However, duration of exposure to a stressor is likely critical, because while chronic stress is often immunosuppressive, acute stress can temporarily enhance immune function. Furthermore, host susceptibility to stress and disease often varies with ontogeny; increasing during critical developmental windows. How the duration and timing of exposure to stressors interact to shape critical windows and influence disease processes is not well tested. We used ranavirus and larval amphibians as a model system to investigate how physiological stress and pathogenic infection shape development and disease dynamics in vertebrates. Based on a resource allocation model, we designed experiments to test how exposure to stressors may induce resource trade-offs that shape critical windows and disease processes because the neuroendocrine stress axis coordinates developmental remodelling, immune function and energy allocation in larval amphibians. We used wood frog larvae (Lithobates sylvaticus) to investigate how chronic and acute exposure to corticosterone, the dominant amphibian glucocorticoid hormone, mediates development and immune function via splenocyte immunohistochemistry analysis in association with ranavirus infection. Corticosterone treatments affected immune function, as both chronic and acute exposure suppressed splenocyte proliferation, although viral replication rate increased only in the chronic corticosterone treatment. Time to metamorphosis and survival depended on both corticosterone treatment and infection status. In the control and chronic corticosterone treatments, ranavirus infection decreased survival and delayed metamorphosis, although chronic corticosterone exposure accelerated rate of metamorphosis in uninfected larvae. Acute corticosterone exposure accelerated metamorphosis increased survival in infected larvae. Interactions between stress exposure (via glucocorticoid actions) and infection impose resource trade-offs that shape optimal allocation between development and somatic function. As a result, critical disease windows are likely shaped by stress exposure because any conditions that induce changes in differentiation rates will alter the duration and susceptibility of organisms to stressors or disease. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2017 British Ecological Society.

Worldwide variability in growth and its association with health: Incorporating body composition, developmental plasticity, and intergenerational effects.

PubMed

Wells, Jonathan C K

2017-03-01

In their seminal book "Worldwide variation in human growth," published in 1976, Eveleth and Tanner highlighted substantial variability within and between populations in the magnitude and schedule of human growth. In the four decades since then, research has clarified why growth variability is so closely associated with human health. First, growth patterns are strongly associated with body composition, both in the short- and long-term. Poor growth in early life constrains the acquisition of lean tissue, while compensatory "catch-up" growth may elevate body fatness. Second, these data are examples of the fundamental link between growth and developmental plasticity. Growth is highly sensitive to ecological stresses and stimuli during early "critical windows," but loses much of this sensitivity as it undergoes canalization during early childhood. Crucially, the primary source of stimuli during early "critical windows" is not the external environment itself, but rather maternal phenotype, which transduces the impact of ecological conditions. Maternal phenotype, representing many dimensions of "capital," thus generates a powerful impact on the developmental trajectory of the offspring. There is increasing evidence that low levels of maternal capital impact the offspring's size at birth, schedule of maturation, and body composition and physiological function in adulthood. While evidence has accrued of substantial heritability in adult height, it is clear that the pathway through which it is attained has major implications for metabolic phenotype. Integrating these perspectives is important for understanding how developmental plasticity may on the one hand contribute to adaptation, while on the other shape susceptibility to non-communicable disease. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Abscisic acid (ABA) sensitivity regulates desiccation tolerance in germinated Arabidopsis seeds.

PubMed

Maia, Julio; Dekkers, Bas J W; Dolle, Miranda J; Ligterink, Wilco; Hilhorst, Henk W M

2014-07-01

During germination, orthodox seeds lose their desiccation tolerance (DT) and become sensitive to extreme drying. Yet, DT can be rescued, in a well-defined developmental window, by the application of a mild osmotic stress before dehydration. A role for abscisic acid (ABA) has been implicated in this stress response and in DT re-establishment. However, the path from the sensing of an osmotic cue and its signaling to DT re-establishment is still largely unknown. Analyses of DT, ABA sensitivity, ABA content and gene expression were performed in desiccation-sensitive (DS) and desiccation-tolerant Arabidopsis thaliana seeds. Furthermore, loss and re-establishment of DT in germinated Arabidopsis seeds was studied in ABA-deficient and ABA-insensitive mutants. We demonstrate that the developmental window in which DT can be re-established correlates strongly with the window in which ABA sensitivity is still present. Using ABA biosynthesis and signaling mutants, we show that this hormone plays a key role in DT re-establishment. Surprisingly, re-establishment of DT depends on the modulation of ABA sensitivity rather than enhanced ABA content. In addition, the evaluation of several ABA-insensitive mutants, which can still produce normal desiccation-tolerant seeds, but are impaired in the re-establishment of DT, shows that the acquisition of DT during seed development is genetically different from its re-establishment during germination. © 2014 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2014 New Phytologist Trust.

Constructing Sexuality and Identity in an Online Teen Chat Room

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Subrahmanyam, K.; Greenfield, P. M.; Tynes, B.

2004-01-01

In this article, we propose that adolescents' online interactions are both a literal and a metaphoric screen for representing major adolescent developmental issues, such as sexuality and identity. Because of the public nature of Internet chat rooms, they provide an open window into the expression of adolescent concerns. Our study utilizes this…

Neuroimaging: A Window to the Neurological Foundations of Learning and Behavior in Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lyon, G. Reid, Ed.; Rumsey, Judith M., Ed.

This book presents 11 papers on the use of neuroimaging technology in brain-related disorders. The text contains full-color neuroimaging scans and provides both theoretical and methodological explanations of the various neuroimaging techniques and their application to developmental disorders in children. The papers are grouped into three sections,…

Maternal di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate exposure during pregnancy causes fetal growth restriction in a stage-specific but gender-independent manner.

PubMed

Shen, Ru; Zhao, Ling-Li; Yu, Zhen; Zhang, Cheng; Chen, Yuan-Hua; Wang, Hua; Zhang, Zhi-Hui; Xu, De-Xiang

2017-01-01

Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is male developmental toxicant that impairs testis development with reduced anogenital distance. The present study aimed to investigate whether maternal DEHP exposure during pregnancy causes intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) in a gender-specific manner and to identify the critical window of DEHP-induced fetal IUGR. Pregnant mice were administered with DEHP (0, 50 or 200mg/kg) by gavage. Fetal IUGR was observed not only in males but also in females when litters were exposed to DEHP on gestational day (GD)0-GD17. Interestingly, fetal weight and crown-rump length were reduced, markedly in dams with DEHP on GD13-GD17, slightly in dams with on GD7-GD12, but not in dams with on GD0-GD6. Further analysis showed that maternal DEHP exposure on GD7-GD12 inhibited cell proliferation, lowered placental weight, and reduced blood sinusoid area in placental labyrinth layer. These results suggest that maternal DEHP exposure induces IUGR in a stage-specific but gender-independent manner. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Motoneuron axon pathfinding errors in zebrafish: Differential effects related to concentration and timing of nicotine exposure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Menelaou, Evdokia; Paul, Latoya T.; Perera, Surangi N.

Nicotine exposure during embryonic stages of development can affect many neurodevelopmental processes. In the developing zebrafish, exposure to nicotine was reported to cause axonal pathfinding errors in the later born secondary motoneurons (SMNs). These alterations in SMN axon morphology coincided with muscle degeneration at high nicotine concentrations (15–30 μM). Previous work showed that the paralytic mutant zebrafish known as sofa potato exhibited nicotine-induced effects onto SMN axons at these high concentrations but in the absence of any muscle deficits, indicating that pathfinding errors could occur independent of muscle effects. In this study, we used varying concentrations of nicotine at differentmore » developmental windows of exposure to specifically isolate its effects onto subpopulations of motoneuron axons. We found that nicotine exposure can affect SMN axon morphology in a dose-dependent manner. At low concentrations of nicotine, SMN axons exhibited pathfinding errors, in the absence of any nicotine-induced muscle abnormalities. Moreover, the nicotine exposure paradigms used affected the 3 subpopulations of SMN axons differently, but the dorsal projecting SMN axons were primarily affected. We then identified morphologically distinct pathfinding errors that best described the nicotine-induced effects on dorsal projecting SMN axons. To test whether SMN pathfinding was potentially influenced by alterations in the early born primary motoneuron (PMN), we performed dual labeling studies, where both PMN and SMN axons were simultaneously labeled with antibodies. We show that only a subset of the SMN axon pathfinding errors coincided with abnormal PMN axonal targeting in nicotine-exposed zebrafish. We conclude that nicotine exposure can exert differential effects depending on the levels of nicotine and developmental exposure window. - Highlights: • Embryonic nicotine exposure can specifically affect secondary motoneuron axons in a dose-dependent manner. • The nicotine-induced secondary motoneuron axonal pathfinding errors can occur independent of any muscle fiber alterations. • Nicotine exposure primarily affects dorsal projecting secondary motoneurons axons. • Nicotine-induced primary motoneuron axon pathfinding errors can influence secondary motoneuron axon morphology.« less

Sex differences in the developing brain as a source of inherent risk

PubMed Central

McCarthy, Margaret M.

2016-01-01

Brain development diverges in males and females in response to androgen production by the fetal testis. This sexual differentiation of the brain occurs during a sensitive window and induces enduring neuroanatomical and physiological changes that profoundly impact behavior. What we know about the contribution of sex chromosomes is still emerging, highlighting the need to integrate multiple factors into understanding sex differences, including the importance of context. The cellular mechanisms are best modeled in rodents and have provided both unifying principles and surprising specifics. Markedly distinct signaling pathways direct differentiation in specific brain regions, resulting in mosaicism of relative maleness, femaleness, and sameness through-out the brain, while canalization both exaggerates and constrains sex differences. Non-neuronal cells and inflammatory mediators are found in greater number and at higher levels in parts of male brains. This higher baseline of inflammation is speculated to increase male vulnerability to developmental neuropsychiatric disorders that are triggered by inflammation. PMID:28179808

Thyroid hormone regulates the expression of the sonic hedgehog signaling pathway in the embryonic and adult Mammalian brain.

PubMed

Desouza, Lynette A; Sathanoori, Malini; Kapoor, Richa; Rajadhyaksha, Neha; Gonzalez, Luis E; Kottmann, Andreas H; Tole, Shubha; Vaidya, Vidita A

2011-05-01

Thyroid hormone is important for development and plasticity in the immature and adult mammalian brain. Several thyroid hormone-responsive genes are regulated during specific developmental time windows, with relatively few influenced across the lifespan. We provide novel evidence that thyroid hormone regulates expression of the key developmental morphogen sonic hedgehog (Shh), and its coreceptors patched (Ptc) and smoothened (Smo), in the early embryonic and adult forebrain. Maternal hypo- and hyperthyroidism bidirectionally influenced Shh mRNA in embryonic forebrain signaling centers at stages before fetal thyroid hormone synthesis. Further, Smo and Ptc expression were significantly decreased in the forebrain of embryos derived from hypothyroid dams. Adult-onset thyroid hormone perturbations also regulated expression of the Shh pathway bidirectionally, with a significant induction of Shh, Ptc, and Smo after hyperthyroidism and a decline in Smo expression in the hypothyroid brain. Short-term T₃ administration resulted in a significant induction of cortical Shh mRNA expression and also enhanced reporter gene expression in Shh(+/LacZ) mice. Further, acute T₃ treatment of cortical neuronal cultures resulted in a rapid and significant increase in Shh mRNA, suggesting direct effects. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays performed on adult neocortex indicated enhanced histone acetylation at the Shh promoter after acute T₃ administration, providing further support that Shh is a thyroid hormone-responsive gene. Our results indicate that maternal and adult-onset perturbations of euthyroid status cause robust and region-specific changes in the Shh pathway in the embryonic and adult forebrain, implicating Shh as a possible mechanistic link for specific neurodevelopmental effects of thyroid hormone.

Influence of conduct problems and depressive symptomatology on adolescent substance use: developmentally proximal versus distal effects.

PubMed

Maslowsky, Julie; Schulenberg, John E; Zucker, Robert A

2014-04-01

The identification of developmentally specific windows at which key predictors of adolescent substance use are most influential is a crucial task for informing the design of appropriately targeted substance use prevention and intervention programs. The current study examined effects of conduct problems and depressive symptomatology on changes in alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana from 8th through 12th grade. We examined the effects of relatively developmentally distal versus proximal mental health problems on adolescent substance use and tested for gender differences. With a national, longitudinal sample from the Monitoring the Future study (N = 3,014), structural equation modeling was used to test the effects of 8th and 10th grade conduct problems and depressive symptomatology on subsequent changes in alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use from 8th through 12th grade. Results indicated that relatively distal (8th grade) mental health problems were stronger predictors of increases in alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use than were relatively more proximal (10th grade) mental health problems. Eighth grade conduct problems had the strongest effects on alcohol and marijuana use, and 8th grade depressive symptomatology had the strongest effects on cigarette use. Few gender differences were observed. These results suggest that intervening in earlier appearing conduct problems and depressive symptomatology may lead to a reduction in adolescent substance use in 10th and 12th grades and beyond. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Identifying a Window of Vulnerability during Fetal Development in a Maternal Iron Restriction Model

PubMed Central

Mihaila, Camelia; Schramm, Jordan; Strathmann, Frederick G.; Lee, Dawn L.; Gelein, Robert M.

2011-01-01

It is well acknowledged from observations in humans that iron deficiency during pregnancy can be associated with a number of developmental problems in the newborn and developing child. Due to the obvious limitations of human studies, the stage during gestation at which maternal iron deficiency causes an apparent impairment in the offspring remains elusive. In order to begin to understand the time window(s) during pregnancy that is/are especially susceptible to suboptimal iron levels, which may result in negative effects on the development of the fetus, we developed a rat model in which we were able to manipulate and monitor the dietary iron intake during specific stages of pregnancy and analyzed the developing fetuses. We established four different dietary-feeding protocols that were designed to render the fetuses iron deficient at different gestational stages. Based on a functional analysis that employed Auditory Brainstem Response measurements, we found that maternal iron restriction initiated prior to conception and during the first trimester were associated with profound changes in the developing fetus compared to iron restriction initiated later in pregnancy. We also showed that the presence of iron deficiency anemia, low body weight, and changes in core body temperature were not defining factors in the establishment of neural impairment in the rodent offspring. Our data may have significant relevance for understanding the impact of suboptimal iron levels during pregnancy not only on the mother but also on the developing fetus and hence might lead to a more informed timing of iron supplementation during pregnancy. PMID:21423661

Temporal Binding Window of the Sound-Induced Flash Illusion in Amblyopia.

PubMed

Narinesingh, Cindy; Goltz, Herbert C; Wong, Agnes M F

2017-03-01

Amblyopia is a neurodevelopmental visual disorder caused by abnormal visual experience in childhood. In addition to known visual deficits, there is evidence for changes in audiovisual integration in amblyopia using explicit tasks. We examined audiovisual integration in amblyopia using an implicit task that is more relevant in a real-world context. A total of 11 participants with amblyopia and 16 controls were tested binocularly and monocularly on the sound-induced flash illusion, in which flashes and beeps are presented concurrently and the perceived number of flashes is influenced by the number of beeps. The task used 1 to 2 rapid peripheral flashes presented with 0 to 2 beeps, at 5 stimulus onset asynchronies, that is, beep (-200 milliseconds, -100 milliseconds) or flash leading (100 milliseconds, 200 milliseconds) or simultaneous (0 milliseconds). Participants reported the number of perceived flashes. Susceptibility was indicated by a "2 flashes" response to "fission" (1 flash, 2 beeps) or "1 flash" to "fusion" (2 flashes, 1 beep). For fission with the beep leading during binocular viewing, controls showed an expected decrease in illusion strength as stimulus onset asynchronies increased, whereas the illusion strength remained constant in participants with amblyopia, indicating a wider temporal binding window in amblyopia (P = 0.007). For fusion, participants with amblyopia showed reduced illusion strength during amblyopic eye viewing (P = 0.044) with the flash leading. Amblyopia is associated with the widening of the temporal binding window, specifically for fission when viewing binocularly with the beep leading. This suggests a developmental adaptation to delayed amblyopic eye visual processing to optimize audiovisual integration.

A Motor-Skills Programme to Enhance Visual Motor Integration of Selected Pre-School Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Africa, Eileen K.; van Deventer, Karel J.

2017-01-01

Pre-schoolers are in a window period for motor skill development. Visual-motor integration (VMI) is the foundation for academic and sport skills. Therefore, it must develop before formal schooling. This study attempted to improve VMI skills. VMI skills were measured with the "Beery-Buktenica developmental test of visual-motor integration 6th…

Capturing specific abilities as a window into human individuality: the example of face recognition.

PubMed

Wilmer, Jeremy B; Germine, Laura; Chabris, Christopher F; Chatterjee, Garga; Gerbasi, Margaret; Nakayama, Ken

2012-01-01

Proper characterization of each individual's unique pattern of strengths and weaknesses requires good measures of diverse abilities. Here, we advocate combining our growing understanding of neural and cognitive mechanisms with modern psychometric methods in a renewed effort to capture human individuality through a consideration of specific abilities. We articulate five criteria for the isolation and measurement of specific abilities, then apply these criteria to face recognition. We cleanly dissociate face recognition from more general visual and verbal recognition. This dissociation stretches across ability as well as disability, suggesting that specific developmental face recognition deficits are a special case of a broader specificity that spans the entire spectrum of human face recognition performance. Item-by-item results from 1,471 web-tested participants, included as supplementary information, fuel item analyses, validation, norming, and item response theory (IRT) analyses of our three tests: (a) the widely used Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT); (b) an Abstract Art Memory Test (AAMT), and (c) a Verbal Paired-Associates Memory Test (VPMT). The availability of this data set provides a solid foundation for interpreting future scores on these tests. We argue that the allied fields of experimental psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and vision science could fuel the discovery of additional specific abilities to add to face recognition, thereby providing new perspectives on human individuality.

Changes in the Metabolome in Response to Low-Dose Exposure to Environmental Chemicals Used in Personal Care Products during Different Windows of Susceptibility.

PubMed

Houten, Sander M; Chen, Jia; Belpoggi, Fiorella; Manservisi, Fabiana; Sánchez-Guijo, Alberto; Wudy, Stefan A; Teitelbaum, Susan L

2016-01-01

The consequences of ubiquitous exposure to environmental chemicals remain poorly defined. Non-targeted metabolomic profiling is an emerging method to identify biomarkers of the physiological response to such exposures. We investigated the effect of three commonly used ingredients in personal care products, diethyl phthalate (DEP), methylparaben (MPB) and triclosan (TCS), on the blood metabolome of female Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were treated with low levels of these chemicals comparable to human exposures during prepubertal and pubertal windows as well as chronically from birth to adulthood. Non-targeted metabolomic profiling revealed that most of the variation in the metabolites was associated with developmental stage. The low-dose exposure to DEP, MPB and TCS had a relatively small, but detectable impact on the metabolome. Multiple metabolites that were affected by chemical exposure belonged to the same biochemical pathways including phenol sulfonation and metabolism of pyruvate, lyso-plasmalogens, unsaturated fatty acids and serotonin. Changes in phenol sulfonation and pyruvate metabolism were most pronounced in rats exposed to DEP during the prepubertal period. Our metabolomics analysis demonstrates that human level exposure to personal care product ingredients has detectable effects on the rat metabolome. We highlight specific pathways such as sulfonation that warrant further study.

Changes in the Metabolome in Response to Low-Dose Exposure to Environmental Chemicals Used in Personal Care Products during Different Windows of Susceptibility

PubMed Central

Chen, Jia; Belpoggi, Fiorella; Manservisi, Fabiana; Sánchez-Guijo, Alberto; Wudy, Stefan A.; Teitelbaum, Susan L.

2016-01-01

The consequences of ubiquitous exposure to environmental chemicals remain poorly defined. Non-targeted metabolomic profiling is an emerging method to identify biomarkers of the physiological response to such exposures. We investigated the effect of three commonly used ingredients in personal care products, diethyl phthalate (DEP), methylparaben (MPB) and triclosan (TCS), on the blood metabolome of female Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were treated with low levels of these chemicals comparable to human exposures during prepubertal and pubertal windows as well as chronically from birth to adulthood. Non-targeted metabolomic profiling revealed that most of the variation in the metabolites was associated with developmental stage. The low-dose exposure to DEP, MPB and TCS had a relatively small, but detectable impact on the metabolome. Multiple metabolites that were affected by chemical exposure belonged to the same biochemical pathways including phenol sulfonation and metabolism of pyruvate, lyso-plasmalogens, unsaturated fatty acids and serotonin. Changes in phenol sulfonation and pyruvate metabolism were most pronounced in rats exposed to DEP during the prepubertal period. Our metabolomics analysis demonstrates that human level exposure to personal care product ingredients has detectable effects on the rat metabolome. We highlight specific pathways such as sulfonation that warrant further study. PMID:27467775

Transient Overexposure of Neuregulin 3 during Early Postnatal Development Impacts Selective Behaviors in Adulthood

PubMed Central

Paterson, Clare; Law, Amanda J.

2014-01-01

Neuregulin 3 (NRG3), a specific ligand for ErbB4 and a neuronal-enriched neurotrophin is implicated in the genetic predisposition to a broad spectrum of neurodevelopmental, neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, autism and schizophrenia. Genetic studies in schizophrenia demonstrate that risk variants in NRG3 are associated with cognitive and psychotic symptom severity, accompanied by increased expression of prefrontal cortical NRG3. Despite our expanding knowledge of genetic involvement of NRG3 in neurological disorders, little is known about the neurodevelopmental mechanisms of risk. Here we exploited the fact that a paralog of NRG3, NRG1, readily penetrates the murine blood brain barrier (BBB). In this study we synthesized the bioactive epidermal growth factor (EGF) domain of NRG3, and using previously validated in-vivo peripheral injection methodologies in neonatal mice, demonstrate that NRG3 successfully crosses the BBB, where it activates its receptor ErbB4 and downstream Akt signaling at levels of bioactivity comparable to NRG1. To determine the impact of NRG3 overexpression during one critical developmental window, C57BL/6 male mice were subcutaneously injected daily with NRG1-EGF, NRG3-EGF or vehicle from postnatal days 2–10. Mice were tested in adulthood using a comprehensive battery of behavioral tasks relevant to neurocognitive and psychiatric disorders. In agreement with previous studies, developmental overexposure to NRG1 induced multiple non-CNS mediated peripheral effects as well as severely disrupting performance of prepulse inhibition of the startle response. In contrast, NRG3 had no effect on any peripheral measures investigated or sensorimotor gating. Specifically, developmental NRG3 overexposure produced an anxiogenic-like phenotype and deficits in social behavior in adulthood. These results provide primary data to support a role for NRG3 in brain development and function, which appears to be distinct from its paralog NRG1. Furthermore we demonstrate how perturbations in NRG3 expression at distinct developmental stages may contribute to the neurological deficits observed in brain disorders such as schizophrenia and autism. PMID:25093331

Cortical Development, Plasticity and Re-Organization in Children with Cochlear Implants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharma, Anu; Nash, Amy A.; Dorman, Michael

2009-01-01

A basic tenet of developmental neurobiology is that certain areas of the cortex will re-organize, if appropriate stimulation is withheld for long periods. Stimulation must be delivered to a sensory system within a narrow window of time (a sensitive period) if that system is to develop normally. In this article, we will describe age cut-offs for a…

Do convergent developmental mechanisms underlie convergent phenotypes?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wray, Gregory A.

2002-01-01

Convergence is a pervasive evolutionary process, affecting many aspects of phenotype and even genotype. Relatively little is known about convergence in developmental processes, however, nor about the degree to which convergence in development underlies convergence in anatomy. A switch in the ecology of sea urchins from feeding to nonfeeding larvae illustrates how convergence in development can be associated with convergence in anatomy. Comparisons to more distantly related taxa, however, suggest that this association may be limited to relatively close phylogenetic comparisons. Similarities in gene expression during development provide another window into the association between convergence in developmental processes and convergence in anatomy. Several well-studied transcription factors exhibit likely cases of convergent gene expression in distantly related animal phyla. Convergence in regulatory gene expression domains is probably more common than generally acknowledged, and can arise for several different reasons. Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Critical period plasticity is disrupted in the barrel cortex of Fmr1 knockout mice

PubMed Central

Harlow, Emily G.; Till, Sally M.; Russell, Theron A.; Wijetunge, Lasani S.; Kind, Peter; Contractor, Anis

2010-01-01

Summary Alterations in sensory processing constitute prominent symptoms of Fragile X syndrome; however, little is known about how disrupted synaptic and circuit development in sensory cortex contributes to these deficits. To investigate how the loss of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) impacts the development of cortical synapses, we examined excitatory thalamocortical synapses in somatosensory cortex during the perinatal critical period in Fmr1 knockout mice. FMRP ablation resulted in dysregulation of glutamatergic signaling maturation. The fraction of silent synapses persisting to later developmental times was increased, there was a temporal delay in the window for synaptic plasticity, while other forms of developmental plasticity were not altered in Fmr1 knockout mice. Our results indicate that FMRP is required for the normal developmental progression of synaptic maturation, and loss of this important RNA binding protein impacts the timing of the critical period for layer IV synaptic plasticity. PMID:20159451

Transient Exposure to Ethanol during Zebrafish Embryogenesis Results in Defects in Neuronal Differentiation: An Alternative Model System to Study FASD

PubMed Central

Joya, Xavier; Garcia-Algar, Oscar; Vall, Oriol; Pujades, Cristina

2014-01-01

Background The exposure of the human embryo to ethanol results in a spectrum of disorders involving multiple organ systems, including the impairment of the development of the central nervous system (CNS). In spite of the importance for human health, the molecular basis of prenatal ethanol exposure remains poorly understood, mainly to the difficulty of sample collection. Zebrafish is now emerging as a powerful organism for the modeling and the study of human diseases. In this work, we have assessed the sensitivity of specific subsets of neurons to ethanol exposure during embryogenesis and we have visualized the sensitive embryonic developmental periods for specific neuronal groups by the use of different transgenic zebrafish lines. Methodology/Principal Findings In order to evaluate the teratogenic effects of acute ethanol exposure, we exposed zebrafish embryos to ethanol in a given time window and analyzed the effects in neurogenesis, neuronal differentiation and brain patterning. Zebrafish larvae exposed to ethanol displayed small eyes and/or a reduction of the body length, phenotypical features similar to the observed in children with prenatal exposure to ethanol. When neuronal populations were analyzed, we observed a clear reduction in the number of differentiated neurons in the spinal cord upon ethanol exposure. There was a decrease in the population of sensory neurons mainly due to a decrease in cell proliferation and subsequent apoptosis during neuronal differentiation, with no effect in motoneuron specification. Conclusion Our investigation highlights that transient exposure to ethanol during early embryonic development affects neuronal differentiation although does not result in defects in early neurogenesis. These results establish the use of zebrafish embryos as an alternative research model to elucidate the molecular mechanism(s) of ethanol-induced developmental toxicity at very early stages of embryonic development. PMID:25383948

Thyroid Hormone Regulates the Expression of the Sonic Hedgehog Signaling Pathway in the Embryonic and Adult Mammalian Brain

PubMed Central

Desouza, Lynette A.; Sathanoori, Malini; Kapoor, Richa; Rajadhyaksha, Neha; Gonzalez, Luis E.; Kottmann, Andreas H.; Tole, Shubha

2011-01-01

Thyroid hormone is important for development and plasticity in the immature and adult mammalian brain. Several thyroid hormone-responsive genes are regulated during specific developmental time windows, with relatively few influenced across the lifespan. We provide novel evidence that thyroid hormone regulates expression of the key developmental morphogen sonic hedgehog (Shh), and its coreceptors patched (Ptc) and smoothened (Smo), in the early embryonic and adult forebrain. Maternal hypo- and hyperthyroidism bidirectionally influenced Shh mRNA in embryonic forebrain signaling centers at stages before fetal thyroid hormone synthesis. Further, Smo and Ptc expression were significantly decreased in the forebrain of embryos derived from hypothyroid dams. Adult-onset thyroid hormone perturbations also regulated expression of the Shh pathway bidirectionally, with a significant induction of Shh, Ptc, and Smo after hyperthyroidism and a decline in Smo expression in the hypothyroid brain. Short-term T3 administration resulted in a significant induction of cortical Shh mRNA expression and also enhanced reporter gene expression in Shh+/LacZ mice. Further, acute T3 treatment of cortical neuronal cultures resulted in a rapid and significant increase in Shh mRNA, suggesting direct effects. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays performed on adult neocortex indicated enhanced histone acetylation at the Shh promoter after acute T3 administration, providing further support that Shh is a thyroid hormone-responsive gene. Our results indicate that maternal and adult-onset perturbations of euthyroid status cause robust and region-specific changes in the Shh pathway in the embryonic and adult forebrain, implicating Shh as a possible mechanistic link for specific neurodevelopmental effects of thyroid hormone. PMID:21363934

Developmental Specificity in Targeting and Teaching Play Activities to Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lifter, Karin; Ellis, James; Cannon, Barbara; Anderson, Stephen R.

2005-01-01

Developmentally specific play programs were designed for three children with pervasive developmental disorders being served in a home-based program. Using the Developmental Play Assessment, six activities for each of three adjacent developmentally sequenced play categories were targeted for direct instruction using different toy sets. A modified…

Effects of resource variation during early life and adult social environment on contest outcomes in burying beetles: a context-dependent silver spoon strategy?

PubMed

Hopwood, Paul E; Moore, Allen J; Royle, Nick J

2014-06-22

Good early nutritional conditions may confer a lasting fitness advantage over individuals suffering poor early conditions (a 'silver spoon' effect). Alternatively, if early conditions predict the likely adult environment, adaptive plastic responses might maximize individual performance when developmental and adult conditions match (environmental-matching effect). Here, we test for silver spoon and environmental-matching effects by manipulating the early nutritional environment of Nicrophorus vespilloides burying beetles. We manipulated nutrition during two specific early developmental windows: the larval environment and the post-eclosion environment. We then tested contest success in relation to variation in adult social environmental quality experienced (defined according to whether contest opponents were smaller (good environment) or larger (poor environment) than the focal individual). Variation in the larval environment influenced adult body size but not contest success per se for a given adult social environment experienced (an 'indirect' silver spoon effect). Variation in post-eclosion environment affected contest success dependent on the quality of the adult environment experienced (a context-dependent 'direct' silver spoon effect). By contrast, there was no evidence for environmental-matching. The results demonstrate the importance of social environmental context in determining how variation in nutrition in early life affects success as an adult.

Lexical Processing Deficits in Children with Developmental Language Disorder: An Event-Related Potentials Study

PubMed Central

Kornilov, Sergey A.; Magnuson, James S.; Rakhlin, Natalia; Landi, Nicole; Grigorenko, Elena L.

2015-01-01

Lexical processing deficits in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) have been postulated to arise as sequelae of their grammatical deficits (either directly or via compensatory mechanisms) and vice versa. We examined event-related potential indices of lexical processing in children with DLD (n = 23) and their typically developing peers (n = 16) using a picture–word matching paradigm. We found that children with DLD showed markedly reduced N400 amplitudes in response both to auditorily presented words that had initial phonological overlap with the name of the pictured object and to words that were not semantically or phonologically related to the pictured object. Moreover, this reduction was related to behavioral indices of phonological and lexical but not grammatical development. We also found that children with DLD showed a depressed phonological mapping negativity component in the early time window, suggesting deficits in phonological processing or early lexical access. The results are partially consistent with the overactivation account of lexical processing deficits in DLD and point to the relative functional independence of lexical/phonological and grammatical deficits in DLD, supporting a multidimensional view of the disorder. The results also, although indirectly, support the neuroplasticity account of DLD, according to which language impairment affects brain development and shapes the specific patterns of brain responses to language stimuli. PMID:25997765

Intricacies of hedgehog signaling pathways: A perspective in tumorigenesis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kar, Swayamsiddha; Deb, Moonmoon; Sengupta, Dipta

The hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway is a crucial negotiator of developmental proceedings in the embryo governing a diverse array of processes including cell proliferation, differentiation, and tissue patterning. The overall activity of the pathway is significantly curtailed after embryogenesis as well as in adults, yet it retains many of its functional capacities. However, aberration in HH signaling mediates the initiation, proliferation and continued sustenance of malignancy in different tissues to varying degrees through different mechanisms. In this review, we provide an overview of the role of constitutively active aberrant HH signaling pathway in different types of human cancer and themore » underlying molecular and genetic mechanisms that drive tumorigenesis in that particular tissue. An insight into the various modes of anomalous HH signaling in different organs will provide a comprehensive knowledge of the pathway in these tissues and open a window for individually tailored, tissue-specific therapeutic interventions. The synergistic cross talking of HH pathway with many other regulatory molecules and developmentally inclined signaling pathways may offer many avenues for pharmacological advances. Understanding the molecular basis of abnormal HH signaling in cancer will provide an opportunity to inhibit the deregulated pathway in many aggressive and therapeutically challenging cancers where promising options are not available.« less

Do Nanoparticle Physico-Chemical Properties and Developmental Exposure Window Influence Nano ZnO Embryotoxicity in Xenopus laevis?

PubMed

Bonfanti, Patrizia; Moschini, Elisa; Saibene, Melissa; Bacchetta, Renato; Rettighieri, Leonardo; Calabri, Lorenzo; Colombo, Anita; Mantecca, Paride

2015-07-28

The growing global production of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) suggests a realistic increase in the environmental exposure to such a nanomaterial, making the knowledge of its biological reactivity and its safe-by-design synthesis mandatory. In this study, the embryotoxicity of ZnONPs (1-100 mg/L) specifically synthesized for industrial purposes with different sizes, shapes (round, rod) and surface coatings (PEG, PVP) was tested using the frog embryo teratogenesis assay-Xenopus (FETAX) to identify potential target tissues and the most sensitive developmental stages. The ZnONPs did not cause embryolethality, but induced a high incidence of malformations, in particular misfolded gut and abdominal edema. Smaller, round NPs were more effective than the bigger, rod ones, and PEGylation determined a reduction in embryotoxicity. Ingestion appeared to be the most relevant exposure route. Only the embryos exposed from the stomodeum opening showed anatomical and histological lesions to the intestine, mainly referable to a swelling of paracellular spaces among enterocytes. In conclusion, ZnONPs differing in shape and surface coating displayed similar toxicity in X. laevis embryos and shared the same target organ. Nevertheless, we cannot exclude that the physico-chemical characteristics may influence the severity of such effects. Further research efforts are mandatory to ensure the synthesis of safer nano-ZnO-containing products.

Periconceptional maternal micronutrient supplementation is associated with widespread gender related changes in the epigenome: a study of a unique resource in the Gambia.

PubMed

Khulan, Batbayar; Cooper, Wendy N; Skinner, Benjamin M; Bauer, Julien; Owens, Stephen; Prentice, Andrew M; Belteki, Gusztav; Constancia, Miguel; Dunger, David; Affara, Nabeel A

2012-05-01

In addition to the genetic constitution inherited by an organism, the developmental trajectory and resulting mature phenotype are also determined by mechanisms acting during critical windows in early life that influence and establish stable patterns of gene expression. This is the crux of the developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis that suggests undernutrition during gestation and infancy predisposes to ill health in later life. The hypothesis that periconceptional maternal micronutrient supplementation might affect fetal genome-wide methylation within gene promoters was explored in cord blood samples from offspring of Gambian women enrolled into a unique randomized, double blind controlled trial. Significant changes in the epigenome in cord blood DNA samples were further explored in a subset of offspring at 9 months. Gender-specific changes related to periconceptional nutritional supplementation were identified in cord blood DNA samples, some of which showed persistent changes in infant blood DNA samples. Significant effects of periconceptional micronutrient supplementation were also observed in postnatal samples which were not evident in cord blood. In this Gambian population, the increased death rate of individuals born in nutritionally poor seasons has been related to infection and it is of interest that we identified differential methylation at genes associated with defence against infection and immune response. Although the sample size was relatively small, these pilot data suggest that periconceptional nutrition in humans is an important determinant of newborn whole genome methylation patterns but may also influence postnatal developmental patterns of gene promoter methylation linking early with disease risk.

Exposure to a PBDE/OH-BDE mixture alters juvenile zebrafish (Danio rerio) development

PubMed Central

Macaulay, Laura J.; Chernick, Melissa; Chen, Albert; Hinton, David E.; Bailey, Jordan M.; Kullman, Seth W.; Levin, Edward D.; Stapleton, Heather M.

2017-01-01

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and halogenated phenolic compounds (e.g., hydroxylated BDEs (OH-BDEs)) arecontaminants detected together frequently in human tissues, and are structurally similar to thyroid hormones (TH). THs partially mediate metamorphic transitions between life stages in zebrafish, making this a critical developmental window which may be uniquely vulnerable to chemicals disrupting thyroid signaling. In this study, zebrafish were exposed to 6-OH-BDE-47 (30 nM) alone or to a low (30 μg/L) or high dose (600 μg/L) mixture of PentaBDEs, 6-OH-BDE-47 (0.5–6 μg/L), & 2,4,6 tribromophenol (TBP) (5–100 μg/L) during juvenile development (9–23 days post fertilization; dpf) and evaluated for developmental endpoints mediated by TH signaling. Fish were sampled at three time points and examined for developmental and skeletal morphology, apical thyroid and skeletal gene markers, and modifications in swimming behavior (as adults). Exposure to the high mixture resulted in > 85% mortality within one week of exposure, despite being below reported acute toxicity thresholds for individual congeners. The low mixture and 6-OH-BDE-47 groups exhibited reductions in body length and delayed maturation, specifically relating to swim bladder,?, fin, and pigmentation development. Reduced skeletal ossification was also observed in 6-OH-BDE-47 treated fish. Assessment of thyroid and osteochondral gene regulatory networks demonstrated significantly increased expression of genes that regulate skeletal development and THs. Overall, these results indicate that exposures to PBDEs/OH-BDEs mixtures adversely impact zebrafish maturation during metamorphosis. PMID:27329031

Spatiotemporal antagonism in mesenchymal-epithelial signaling in sweat versus hair fate decision.

PubMed

Lu, Catherine P; Polak, Lisa; Keyes, Brice E; Fuchs, Elaine

2016-12-23

The gain of eccrine sweat glands in hairy body skin has empowered humans to run marathons and tolerate temperature extremes. Epithelial-mesenchymal cross-talk is integral to the diverse patterning of skin appendages, but the molecular events underlying their specification remain largely unknown. Using genome-wide analyses and functional studies, we show that sweat glands are specified by mesenchymal-derived bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and fibroblast growth factors that signal to epithelial buds and suppress epithelial-derived sonic hedgehog (SHH) production. Conversely, hair follicles are specified when mesenchymal BMP signaling is blocked, permitting SHH production. Fate determination is confined to a critical developmental window and is regionally specified in mice. In contrast, a shift from hair to gland fates is achieved in humans when a spike in BMP silences SHH during the final embryonic wave(s) of bud morphogenesis. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

DREAMs make plant cells to cycle or to become quiescent.

PubMed

Magyar, Zoltán; Bögre, László; Ito, Masaki

2016-12-01

Cell cycle phase specific oscillation of gene transcription has long been recognized as an underlying principle for ordered processes during cell proliferation. The G1/S-specific and G2/M-specific cohorts of genes in plants are regulated by the E2F and the MYB3R transcription factors. Mutant analysis suggests that activator E2F functions might not be fully required for cell cycle entry. In contrast, the two activator-type MYB3Rs are part of positive feedback loops to drive the burst of mitotic gene expression, which is necessary at least to accomplish cytokinesis. Repressor MYB3Rs act outside the mitotic time window during cell cycle progression, and are important for the shutdown of mitotic genes to impose quiescence in mature organs. The two distinct classes of E2Fs and MYB3Rs together with the RETINOBLATOMA RELATED are part of multiprotein complexes that may be evolutionary related to what is known as DREAM complex in animals. In plants, there are multiple such complexes with distinct compositions and functions that may be involved in the coordinated cell cycle and developmental regulation of E2F targets and mitotic genes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biochemical basis for pharmacological intervention as a reprogramming strategy against hypertension and kidney disease of developmental origin.

PubMed

Tain, You-Lin; Chan, Samuel H H; Chan, Julie Y H

2018-07-01

The concept of "developmental origins of health and disease" (DOHaD) stipulates that both hypertension and kidney disease may take origin from early-life insults. The DOHaD concept also offers reprogramming strategies aiming at shifting therapeutic interventions from adulthood to early life, even before clinical symptoms are evident. Based on those two concepts, this review will present the evidence for the existence of, and the programming mechanisms in, kidney developmental programming that may lead to hypertension and kidney disease. This will be followed by potential pharmacological interventions that may serve as a reprogramming strategy to counter the rising epidemic of hypertension and kidney disease. We point out that before patients could benefit from this strategy, the most pressing issue is for the growing body of evidence from animal studies in support of pharmacological intervention as a reprogramming strategy to long-term protect against hypertension and kidney disease of developmental origins to be validated clinically and the critical window, drug dose, dosing regimen, and therapeutic duration identified. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The study on achievement of motor milestones and associated factors among children in rural North India

PubMed Central

Gupta, Arti; Kalaivani, Mani; Gupta, Sanjeev Kumar; Rai, Sanjay K.; Nongkynrih, Baridalyne

2016-01-01

Background: Nearly 14% of children worldwide do not reach their developmental potential in early childhood. The early identification of delays in achieving milestones is critical. The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed normal age ranges for the achievement of motor milestones by healthy children. This study aimed to assess the gross motor developmental achievements and associated factors among children in rural India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with rural children in North India. A pretested questionnaire was used to collect the data. The median age at the time of the highest observed milestone was calculated and compared with the WHO windows of achievement. Results: Overall, 221 children aged 4–18 months were included in the study. The median age of motor development exhibited a 0.1–2.1-month delay compared to the WHO median age of motor milestone achievement. The prevalence of the gross motor milestone achievements for each of the six milestones ranged from 91.6% to 98.4%. Developmental delay was observed in 6.3% of the children. After adjusting for different variables, children with birth order of second or more were found to be significantly associated with the timely achievement of gross motor milestones. Conclusion: The apparently healthy children of the rural area of Haryana achieved gross motor milestones with some delay with respect to the WHO windows of achievement. Although the median value of this delay was low, awareness campaigns should be implemented to promote timely identification of children with development delays. PMID:27843845

Age Differences in Prenatal Testosterone's Protective Effects on Disordered Eating Symptoms: Developmental Windows of Expression?

PubMed Central

Culbert, Kristen M.; Breedlove, S. Marc; Sisk, Cheryl L.; Keel, Pamela K.; Neale, Michael C.; Boker, Steven M.; Burt, S. Alexandra; Klump, Kelly L.

2015-01-01

Prenatal testosterone exposure may be protective against disordered eating. However, prior studies have produced mixed results. Developmental differences in prenatal testosterone's protective effects on disordered eating may explain these discrepancies. Indeed, studies have differed in the age of participants assessed, with data supporting prenatal testosterone effects on disordered eating in early adolescent and young adult samples but not in late adolescence. The present series of studies are the first to investigate age differences in prenatal testosterone's protective effects on disordered eating. Two indirect markers of higher prenatal testosterone were examined: 1) lower finger-length ratios [index (2D)/ring (4D) finger] (Study 1), and 2) lower disordered eating in females from opposite-sex twin pairs (who are thought to be exposed to higher prenatal testosterone from their male co-twin) relative to female controls (Study 2). Participants were twins from the Michigan State University Twin Registry (Study 1: n = 409; Study 2: n = 1,538) in early adolescence, late adolescence, or young adulthood. Disordered eating was assessed with well-validated questionnaires. Finger-length ratios were measured from hand scans, using electronic computer calipers. Findings were consistent across both studies. Higher prenatal testosterone (lower 2D:4D; females from opposite-sex twin pairs vs. controls) predicted lower disordered eating in early adolescence and young adulthood only. Prenatal testosterone-disordered eating associations were not observed during late adolescence. Results point to the possibility of developmental windows of expression for prenatal testosterone's protective effects on disordered eating and suggest that prior discrepant results may reflect age differences across samples. PMID:25621790

77 FR 12588 - Long Fence & Home, LLLP; Analysis of Proposed Consent Order To Aid Public Comment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-01

... homeowners can realize by replacing their windows, including the home's geographic location, size, insulation... window of a specific composition in a building having a specific level of insulation in a specific region..., energy savings, energy [[Page 12590

A Teacher's Window into the Child's Mind and Papers from the Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology. A Non-Invasive Approach to Solving Learning and Behavior Problems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goddard, Sally

This book describes a neuro-developmental approach to learning difficulty assessment and remediation through assessment of a student's reception of information through the sensory channels, processing of sensory information in the brain, and repertoire of responses for expression. Chapter 1, "Reflexes: Their Impact on Success or Failure in…

Children Who Desperately Want To Read, But Are Not Working at Grade Level: Use Movement Patterns as "Windows" To Discover Why.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corso, Marjorie

A qualitative longitudinal study, first of four parts, compared developmental movement levels and academic learning levels in young children. Subjects were 28 children of various ages who were not working up to grade level but who did not qualify for learning disability services. Parents completed a detailed demographic survey and a neurological…

Capturing specific abilities as a window into human individuality: The example of face recognition

PubMed Central

Wilmer, Jeremy B.; Germine, Laura; Chabris, Christopher F.; Chatterjee, Garga; Gerbasi, Margaret; Nakayama, Ken

2013-01-01

Proper characterization of each individual's unique pattern of strengths and weaknesses requires good measures of diverse abilities. Here, we advocate combining our growing understanding of neural and cognitive mechanisms with modern psychometric methods in a renewed effort to capture human individuality through a consideration of specific abilities. We articulate five criteria for the isolation and measurement of specific abilities, then apply these criteria to face recognition. We cleanly dissociate face recognition from more general visual and verbal recognition. This dissociation stretches across ability as well as disability, suggesting that specific developmental face recognition deficits are a special case of a broader specificity that spans the entire spectrum of human face recognition performance. Item-by-item results from 1,471 web-tested participants, included as supplementary information, fuel item analyses, validation, norming, and item response theory (IRT) analyses of our three tests: (a) the widely used Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT); (b) an Abstract Art Memory Test (AAMT), and (c) a Verbal Paired-Associates Memory Test (VPMT). The availability of this data set provides a solid foundation for interpreting future scores on these tests. We argue that the allied fields of experimental psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and vision science could fuel the discovery of additional specific abilities to add to face recognition, thereby providing new perspectives on human individuality. PMID:23428079

Varying Susceptibility of the Female Mammary Gland to In Utero Windows of BPA Exposure.

PubMed

Hindman, Andrea R; Mo, Xiaokui Molly; Helber, Hannah L; Kovalchin, Claire E; Ravichandran, Nanditha; Murphy, Alina R; Fagan, Abigail M; St John, Pamela M; Burd, Craig J

2017-10-01

In utero exposure to the endocrine disrupting compound bisphenol A (BPA) is known to disrupt mammary gland development and increase tumor susceptibility in rodents. It is unclear whether different periods of in utero development might be more susceptible to BPA exposure. We exposed pregnant CD-1 mice to BPA at different times during gestation that correspond to specific milestones of in utero mammary gland development. The mammary glands of early-life and adult female mice, exposed in utero to BPA, were morphologically and molecularly (estrogen receptor-α and Ki67) evaluated for developmental abnormalities. We found that BPA treatment occurring before mammary bud invasion into the mesenchyme [embryonic day (E)12.5] incompletely resulted in the measured phenotypes of mammary gland defects. Exposing mice up to the point at which the epithelium extends into the precursor fat pad (E16.5) resulted in a nearly complete BPA phenotype and exposure during epithelial extension (E15.5 to E18.5) resulted in a partial phenotype. Furthermore, the relative differences in phenotypes between exposure windows highlight the substantial correlations between early-life molecular changes (estrogen receptor-α and Ki67) in the stroma and the epithelial elongation defects in mammary development. These data further implicate BPA action in the stroma as a critical mediator of epithelial phenotypes. Copyright © 2017 Endocrine Society.

Multimodal lexical processing in auditory cortex is literacy skill dependent.

PubMed

McNorgan, Chris; Awati, Neha; Desroches, Amy S; Booth, James R

2014-09-01

Literacy is a uniquely human cross-modal cognitive process wherein visual orthographic representations become associated with auditory phonological representations through experience. Developmental studies provide insight into how experience-dependent changes in brain organization influence phonological processing as a function of literacy. Previous investigations show a synchrony-dependent influence of letter presentation on individual phoneme processing in superior temporal sulcus; others demonstrate recruitment of primary and associative auditory cortex during cross-modal processing. We sought to determine whether brain regions supporting phonological processing of larger lexical units (monosyllabic words) over larger time windows is sensitive to cross-modal information, and whether such effects are literacy dependent. Twenty-two children (age 8-14 years) made rhyming judgments for sequentially presented word and pseudoword pairs presented either unimodally (auditory- or visual-only) or cross-modally (audiovisual). Regression analyses examined the relationship between literacy and congruency effects (overlapping orthography and phonology vs. overlapping phonology-only). We extend previous findings by showing that higher literacy is correlated with greater congruency effects in auditory cortex (i.e., planum temporale) only for cross-modal processing. These skill effects were specific to known words and occurred over a large time window, suggesting that multimodal integration in posterior auditory cortex is critical for fluent reading. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Chemical rescue of cleft palate and midline defects in conditional GSK-3beta mice.

PubMed

Liu, Karen J; Arron, Joseph R; Stankunas, Kryn; Crabtree, Gerald R; Longaker, Michael T

2007-03-01

Glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) has integral roles in a variety of biological processes, including development, diabetes, and the progression of Alzheimer's disease. As such, a thorough understanding of GSK-3beta function will have a broad impact on human biology and therapeutics. Because GSK-3beta interacts with many different pathways, its specific developmental roles remain unclear. We have discovered a genetic requirement for GSK-3beta in midline development. Homozygous null mice display cleft palate, incomplete fusion of the ribs at the midline and bifid sternum as well as delayed sternal ossification. Using a chemically regulated allele of GSK-3beta (ref. 6), we have defined requirements for GSK-3beta activity during discrete temporal windows in palatogenesis and skeletogenesis. The rapamycin-dependent allele of GSK-3beta produces GSK-3beta fused to a tag, FRB* (FKBP/rapamycin binding), resulting in a rapidly destabilized chimaeric protein. In the absence of drug, GSK-3beta(FRB)*(/FRB)* mutants appear phenotypically identical to GSK-3beta-/- mutants. In the presence of drug, GSK-3betaFRB* is rapidly stabilized, restoring protein levels and activity. Using this system, mutant phenotypes were rescued by restoring endogenous GSK-3beta activity during two distinct periods in gestation. This technology provides a powerful tool for defining windows of protein function during development.

24 CFR 200.955 - Supplementary specific requirements under the HUD building product standard and certification...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... under the HUD building product standard and certification program for fenestration products (windows and... fenestration products (windows and doors). (a) Applicable standards. (1) All windows and doors shall be... Windows and Glass Doors. (2) This standard has been approved by the Director of the Federal Register for...

47 CFR 15.323 - Specific requirements for devices operating in the 1920-1930 MHz sub-band.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...] (c) Devices must incorporate a mechanism for monitoring the time and spectrum windows that its... transmission, devices must monitor the combined time and spectrum windows in which they intend to transmit for... windows without further monitoring. However, occupation of the same combined time and spectrum windows by...

Is There a Critical Period for the Developmental Neurotoxicity of Low-Level Tobacco Smoke Exposure?

PubMed

Slotkin, Theodore A; Stadler, Ashley; Skavicus, Samantha; Card, Jennifer; Ruff, Jonathan; Levin, Edward D; Seidler, Frederic J

2017-01-01

Secondhand tobacco smoke exposure in pregnancy increases the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders. We evaluated in rats whether there is a critical period during which tobacco smoke extract (TSE) affects the development of acetylcholine and serotonin systems, prominent targets for adverse effects of nicotine and tobacco smoke. We simulated secondhand smoke exposure by administering TSE so as to produce nicotine concentrations one-tenth those in active smoking, with 3 distinct, 10-day windows: premating, early gestation or late gestation. We conducted longitudinal evaluations in multiple brain regions, starting in early adolescence (postnatal day 30) and continued to full adulthood (day 150). TSE exposure in any of the 3 windows impaired presynaptic cholinergic activity, exacerbated by a decrement in nicotinic cholinergic receptor concentrations. Although the adverse effects were seen for all 3 treatment windows, there was a distinct progression, with lowest sensitivity for premating exposure and higher sensitivity for gestational exposures. Serotonin receptors were also reduced by TSE exposure with the same profile: little effect with premating exposure, intermediate effect with early gestational exposure and large effect with late gestational exposure. As serotonergic circuits can offset the neurobehavioral impact of cholinergic deficits, these receptor changes were maladaptive. Thus, there is no single 'critical period' for effects of low-level tobacco smoke but there is differential sensitivity dependent upon the developmental stage at the time of exposure. Our findings reinforce the need to avoid secondhand smoke exposure not only during pregnancy, but also in the period prior to conception, or generally for women of childbearing age. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Children Who Desperately Want To Read, But Are Not Working at Grade Level: Use Movement Patterns As "Windows" To Discover Why. Part II: The Transverse Midline.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corso, Marjorie

This paper discusses a multi-part longitudinal study which compared the developmental movement levels and the academic learning level in young children, noting that the relationship between movement education and academic education is based on the assumption that both realms of learning are dependent on the adequate development of the brain. The…

Specification of hepatopancreas progenitors in zebrafish by hnf1ba and wnt2bb

PubMed Central

Lancman, Joseph J.; Zvenigorodsky, Natasha; Gates, Keith P.; Zhang, Danhua; Solomon, Keely; Humphrey, Rohan K.; Kuo, Taiyi; Setiawan, Linda; Verkade, Heather; Chi, Young-In; Jhala, Ulupi S.; Wright, Christopher V. E.; Stainier, Didier Y. R.; Dong, P. Duc Si

2013-01-01

Although the liver and ventral pancreas are thought to arise from a common multipotent progenitor pool, it is unclear whether these progenitors of the hepatopancreas system are specified by a common genetic mechanism. Efforts to determine the role of Hnf1b and Wnt signaling in this crucial process have been confounded by a combination of factors, including a narrow time frame for hepatopancreas specification, functional redundancy among Wnt ligands, and pleiotropic defects caused by either severe loss of Wnt signaling or Hnf1b function. Using a novel hypomorphic hnf1ba zebrafish mutant that exhibits pancreas hypoplasia, as observed in HNF1B monogenic diabetes, we show that hnf1ba plays essential roles in regulating β-cell number and pancreas specification, distinct from its function in regulating pancreas size and liver specification, respectively. By combining Hnf1ba partial loss of function with conditional loss of Wnt signaling, we uncover a crucial developmental window when these pathways synergize to specify the entire ventrally derived hepatopancreas progenitor population. Furthermore, our in vivo genetic studies demonstrate that hnf1ba generates a permissive domain for Wnt signaling activity in the foregut endoderm. Collectively, our findings provide a new model for HNF1B function, yield insight into pancreas and β-cell development, and suggest a new mechanism for hepatopancreatic specification. PMID:23720049

Dynamic CRM occupancy reflects a temporal map of developmental progression.

PubMed

Wilczyński, Bartek; Furlong, Eileen E M

2010-06-22

Development is driven by tightly coordinated spatio-temporal patterns of gene expression, which are initiated through the action of transcription factors (TFs) binding to cis-regulatory modules (CRMs). Although many studies have investigated how spatial patterns arise, precise temporal control of gene expression is less well understood. Here, we show that dynamic changes in the timing of CRM occupancy is a prevalent feature common to all TFs examined in a developmental ChIP time course to date. CRMs exhibit complex binding patterns that cannot be explained by the sequence motifs or expression of the TFs themselves. The temporal changes in TF binding are highly correlated with dynamic patterns of target gene expression, which in turn reflect transitions in cellular function during different stages of development. Thus, it is not only the timing of a TF's expression, but also its temporal occupancy in refined time windows, which determines temporal gene expression. Systematic measurement of dynamic CRM occupancy may therefore serve as a powerful method to decode dynamic changes in gene expression driving developmental progression.

Developmental Timing of the Effects of Maternal Care on Gene Expression and Epigenetic Regulation of Hormone Receptor Levels in Female Rats

PubMed Central

Peña, Catherine Jensen; Neugut, Y. Dana

2013-01-01

Maternal care experienced during postnatal development has enduring effects on neuroendocrine function and behavior. Previous studies in rats have illustrated the effect of maternal licking/grooming (LG) on hormone receptors and maternal behavior of adult female offspring associated with altered DNA methylation. However, the developmental timing of these effects, which provide insight into the cellular and molecular pathways through which early experience alters later behavior, had not been explored. Here, we demonstrate the developmental emergence of these outcomes and use cross-fostering to identify sensitive periods for these effects. Estrogen receptor (ER)α and ERβ mRNA levels within the medial preoptic area (MPOA) of the hypothalamus were increased by postnatal day (PN)21 in female offspring of high LG dams; LG-associated increases in oxytocin receptor mRNA levels were observed beyond the weaning period. Quantification of ERα-immunoreactivity indicated a high degree of neuroanatomical specificity of LG effects within the MPOA that were observed by PN6. Reduced DNA methylation and histone 3 lysine 9 tri-methylation and increased histone 3 lysine 4 tri-methylation at the ERα gene promoter (Esr1) were detected at PN21 in high LG female offspring. Latency to engage in maternal behavior toward donor pups was significantly shorter among high LG females. Cross-fostering revealed that maternal sensitization and MPOA ERα levels are sensitive to maternal care experienced before but not after PN10. Differential windows of plasticity were identified for ERβ and oxytocin receptor mRNA levels. These studies contribute significantly to our understanding of the molecular, neurobiological, and behavioral pathways through which variation in maternal behavior is transmitted from one generation to the next. PMID:24002038

Directed Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells into Prostate Organoids In Vitro and its Perturbation by Low-Dose Bisphenol A Exposure.

PubMed

Calderon-Gierszal, Esther L; Prins, Gail S

2015-01-01

Studies using rodent and adult human prostate stem-progenitor cell models suggest that developmental exposure to the endocrine disruptor Bisphenol-A (BPA) can predispose to prostate carcinogenesis with aging. Unknown at present is whether the embryonic human prostate is equally susceptible to BPA during its natural developmental window. To address this unmet need, we herein report the construction of a pioneer in vitro human prostate developmental model to study the effects of BPA. The directed differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) into prostatic organoids in a spatial system was accomplished with precise temporal control of growth factors and steroids. Activin-induced definitive endoderm was driven to prostate specification by combined exposure to WNT10B and FGF10. Matrigel culture for 20-30 days in medium containing R-Spondin-1, Noggin, EGF, retinoic acid and testosterone was sufficient for mature prostate organoid development. Immunofluorescence and gene expression analysis confirmed that organoids exhibited cytodifferentiation and functional properties of the human prostate. Exposure to 1 nM or 10 nM BPA throughout differentiation culture disturbed early morphogenesis in a dose-dependent manner with 1 nM BPA increasing and 10 nM BPA reducing the number of branched structures formed. While differentiation of branched structures to mature organoids seemed largely unaffected by BPA exposure, the stem-like cell population increased, appearing as focal stem cell nests that have not properly entered lineage commitment rather than the rare isolated stem cells found in normally differentiated structures. These findings provide the first direct evidence that low-dose BPA exposure targets hESC and perturbs morphogenesis as the embryonic cells differentiate towards human prostate organoids, suggesting that the developing human prostate may be susceptible to disruption by in utero BPA exposures.

16 CFR 1201.40 - Interpretation concerning bathtub and shower doors and enclosures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... materials in a window that is located over a bathtub or within a shower stall and in the exterior wall of a...” contain no specific exemption for glazing materials in such windows. If read literally, the Standard could include glazing materials in an exterior wall window located above a bathtub because that window could be...

Periods of cardiovascular susceptibility to hypoxia in embryonic american alligators (Alligator mississippiensis)

PubMed Central

Tate, Kevin B.; Rhen, Turk; Eme, John; Kohl, Zachary F.; Crossley, Janna; Elsey, Ruth M.

2016-01-01

During embryonic development, environmental perturbations can affect organisms' developing phenotype, a process known as developmental plasticity. Resulting phenotypic changes can occur during discrete, critical windows of development. Critical windows are periods when developing embryos are most susceptible to these perturbations. We have previously documented that hypoxia reduces embryo size and increases relative heart mass in American alligator, and this study identified critical windows when hypoxia altered morphological, cardiovascular function and cardiac gene expression of alligator embryos. We hypothesized that incubation in hypoxia (10% O2) would increase relative cardiac size due to cardiac enlargement rather than suppression of somatic growth. We exposed alligator embryos to hypoxia during discrete incubation periods to target windows where the embryonic phenotype is altered. Hypoxia affected heart growth between 20 and 40% of embryonic incubation, whereas somatic growth was affected between 70 and 90% of incubation. Arterial pressure was depressed by hypoxic exposure during 50–70% of incubation, whereas heart rate was depressed in embryos exposed to hypoxia during a period spanning 70–90% of incubation. Expression of Vegf and PdgfB was increased in certain hypoxia-exposed embryo treatment groups, and hypoxia toward the end of incubation altered β-adrenergic tone for arterial pressure and heart rate. It is well known that hypoxia exposure can alter embryonic development, and in the present study, we have identified brief, discrete windows that alter the morphology, cardiovascular physiology, and gene expression in embryonic American alligator. PMID:27101296

Do Nanoparticle Physico-Chemical Properties and Developmental Exposure Window Influence Nano ZnO Embryotoxicity in Xenopus laevis?

PubMed Central

Bonfanti, Patrizia; Moschini, Elisa; Saibene, Melissa; Bacchetta, Renato; Rettighieri, Leonardo; Calabri, Lorenzo; Colombo, Anita; Mantecca, Paride

2015-01-01

The growing global production of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) suggests a realistic increase in the environmental exposure to such a nanomaterial, making the knowledge of its biological reactivity and its safe-by-design synthesis mandatory. In this study, the embryotoxicity of ZnONPs (1–100 mg/L) specifically synthesized for industrial purposes with different sizes, shapes (round, rod) and surface coatings (PEG, PVP) was tested using the frog embryo teratogenesis assay-Xenopus (FETAX) to identify potential target tissues and the most sensitive developmental stages. The ZnONPs did not cause embryolethality, but induced a high incidence of malformations, in particular misfolded gut and abdominal edema. Smaller, round NPs were more effective than the bigger, rod ones, and PEGylation determined a reduction in embryotoxicity. Ingestion appeared to be the most relevant exposure route. Only the embryos exposed from the stomodeum opening showed anatomical and histological lesions to the intestine, mainly referable to a swelling of paracellular spaces among enterocytes. In conclusion, ZnONPs differing in shape and surface coating displayed similar toxicity in X. laevis embryos and shared the same target organ. Nevertheless, we cannot exclude that the physico-chemical characteristics may influence the severity of such effects. Further research efforts are mandatory to ensure the synthesis of safer nano-ZnO-containing products. PMID:26225989

Interferometer for Space Station Windows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Gregory

2003-01-01

Inspection of space station windows for micrometeorite damage would be a difficult task insitu using current inspection techniques. Commercially available optical profilometers and inspection systems are relatively large, about the size of a desktop computer tower, and require a stable platform to inspect the test object. Also, many devices currently available are designed for a laboratory or controlled environments requiring external computer control. This paper presents an approach using a highly developed optical interferometer to inspect the windows from inside the space station itself using a self- contained hand held device. The interferometer would be capable as a minimum of detecting damage as small as one ten thousands of an inch in diameter and depth while interrogating a relatively large area. The current developmental state of this device is still in the proof of concept stage. The background section of this paper will discuss the current state of the art of profilometers as well as the desired configuration of the self-contained, hand held device. Then, a discussion of the developments and findings that will allow the configuration change with suggested approaches appearing in the proof of concept section.

Developmental Origins of Chronic Kidney Disease: Should We Focus on Early Life?

PubMed Central

Tain, You-Lin; Hsu, Chien-Ning

2017-01-01

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is becoming a global burden, despite recent advances in management. CKD can begin in early life by so-called “developmental programming” or “developmental origins of health and disease” (DOHaD). Early-life insults cause structural and functional changes in the developing kidney, which is called renal programming. Epidemiological and experimental evidence supports the proposition that early-life adverse events lead to renal programming and make subjects vulnerable to developing CKD and its comorbidities in later life. In addition to low nephron endowment, several mechanisms have been proposed for renal programming. The DOHaD concept opens a new window to offset the programming process in early life to prevent the development of adult kidney disease, namely reprogramming. Here, we review the key themes on the developmental origins of CKD. We have particularly focused on the following areas: evidence from human studies support fetal programming of kidney disease; insight from animal models of renal programming; hypothetical mechanisms of renal programming; alterations of renal transcriptome in response to early-life insults; and the application of reprogramming interventions to prevent the programming of kidney disease. PMID:28208659

Injuries Associated with Specific Motor Vehicle Hazards: Radiators, Batteries, Power Windows, and Power Roofs

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-07-01

This report provides estimates of the numbers of persons injured as a result of : hazards involving four specific motor vehicle components: radiators, batteries, : power windows, and power roofs. The injury estimates are based upon data from : the Co...

Developmental pathways in infants from 4 to 24 months.

PubMed

Valla, L; Birkeland, M S; Hofoss, D; Slinning, K

2017-07-01

There has been limited epidemiological research describing population-based samples regarding developmental pathways throughout infancy, and the research that exists has revealed substantial diversity. Identifying predictors for developmental pathways can inform early intervention services. The Ages and Stages Questionnaire was used to measure communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving and personal-social skills longitudinally in a large, population-based sample of 1555 infants recruited from well-baby clinics in five municipalities in southeast Norway. We conducted latent class analyses to identify common pathways within the five developmental areas. Our results indicated that most classes of infants showed generally positive and stable normative developmental pathways. However, for communication and gross motor areas, more heterogeneity was found. For gross motor development, a class of 10% followed a U-shaped curve. A class of 8% had a declining communication pathway and did not reach the level of the high stable communication class at 24 months. Low gestational age, low Apgar score, male sex, maternal depression symptoms, non-Scandinavian maternal ethnicity and high maternal education significantly predict less beneficial communication pathways. The results suggest that infants with low gestational age, low Apgar score, male sex and a mother with depression symptoms or non-Scandinavian ethnicity may be at risk of developing less beneficial developmental pathways, especially within the communication area. Targeting these infants for surveillance and support might be protective against delayed development in several areas during a critical window of development. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Functional specificity in the human brain: A window into the functional architecture of the mind

PubMed Central

Kanwisher, Nancy

2010-01-01

Is the human mind/brain composed of a set of highly specialized components, each carrying out a specific aspect of human cognition, or is it more of a general-purpose device, in which each component participates in a wide variety of cognitive processes? For nearly two centuries, proponents of specialized organs or modules of the mind and brain—from the phrenologists to Broca to Chomsky and Fodor—have jousted with the proponents of distributed cognitive and neural processing—from Flourens to Lashley to McClelland and Rumelhart. I argue here that research using functional MRI is beginning to answer this long-standing question with new clarity and precision by indicating that at least a few specific aspects of cognition are implemented in brain regions that are highly specialized for that process alone. Cortical regions have been identified that are specialized not only for basic sensory and motor processes but also for the high-level perceptual analysis of faces, places, bodies, visually presented words, and even for the very abstract cognitive function of thinking about another person’s thoughts. I further consider the as-yet unanswered questions of how much of the mind and brain are made up of these functionally specialized components and how they arise developmentally. PMID:20484679

Highly Insulating Windows Volume Purchase Program Final Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2013-04-01

This report documents the development, execution outcomes and lessons learned of the Highly Insulating Windows Volume Purchase (WVP) Program carried out over a three-year period from 2009 through 2012. The primary goals of the program were met: 1) reduce the incremental cost of highly insulating windows compared to ENERGY STAR windows; and 2) raise the public and potential buyers’ awareness of highly insulating windows and their benefits. A key outcome of the program is that the 2013 ENERGY STAR Most Efficient criteria for primary residential windows were adopted from the technical specifications set forth in the WVP program.

Application study of filamentary composites in a commercial jet aircraft fuselage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, R. W.; June, R. R.

1972-01-01

A study of applications of filamentary composite materials to aircraft fuselage structure was performed. General design criteria were established and material studies conducted using the 727-200 forebody as the primary structural component. Three design approaches to the use of composites were investigated: uniaxial reinforcement of metal structure, uniaxial and biaxial reinforcement of metal structure, and an all-composite design. Materials application studies for all three concepts were conducted on fuselage shell panels, keel beam, floor beams, floor panels, body frames, fail-safe straps, and window frames. Cost benefit studies were conducted and developmental program costs estimated. On the basis of weight savings, cost effectiveness, developmental program costs, and potential for early application on commercial aircraft, the unaxial design is recommended for a 5-year flight service evaluation program.

Parent-reported Temperament Trajectories among Infant Siblings of Children with Autism

PubMed Central

del Rosario, Mithi; Gillespie-Lynch, Kristen; Johnson, Scott; Sigman, Marian; Hutman, Ted

2013-01-01

Temperament atypicalities have been documented in infancy and early development in children who develop autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The current study investigates whether there are differences in developmental trajectories of temperament between infants and toddlers with and without ASD. Parents of infant siblings of children with autism completed the Carey Temperament Scales about their child at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months of age. Temperament trajectories of children with ASD reflected increases over time in activity level, and decreasing adaptability and approach behaviors relative to high-risk typically developing children. This study is the first to compare temperament trajectories between high-risk typically developing infants and infants subsequently diagnosed with ASD in the developmental window when overt symptoms of ASD first emerge. PMID:23820765

Early life stress-induced alterations in rat brain structures measured with high resolution MRI.

PubMed

Sarabdjitsingh, R Angela; Loi, Manila; Joëls, Marian; Dijkhuizen, Rick M; van der Toorn, Annette

2017-01-01

Adverse experiences early in life impair cognitive function both in rodents and humans. In humans this increases the vulnerability to develop mental illnesses while in the rodent brain early life stress (ELS) abnormalities are associated with changes in synaptic plasticity, excitability and microstructure. Detailed information on the effects of ELS on rodent brain structural integrity at large and connectivity within the brain is currently lacking; this information is highly relevant for understanding the mechanism by which early life stress predisposes to mental illnesses. Here, we exposed rats to 24 hours of maternal deprivation (MD) at postnatal day 3, a paradigm known to increase corticosterone levels and thereby activate glucocorticoid receptors in the brain. Using structural magnetic resonance imaging we examined: i) volumetric changes and white/grey matter properties of the whole cerebrum and of specific brain areas; and ii) whether potential alterations could be normalized by blocking glucocorticoid receptors with mifepristone during the critical developmental window of early adolescence, i.e. between postnatal days 26 and 28. The results show that MD caused a volumetric reduction of the prefrontal cortex, particularly the ventromedial part, and the orbitofrontal cortex. Within the whole cerebrum, white (relative to grey) matter volume was decreased and region-specifically in prefrontal cortex and dorsomedial striatum following MD. A trend was found for the hippocampus. Grey matter fractions were not affected. Treatment with mifepristone did not normalize these changes. This study indicates that early life stress in rodents has long lasting consequences for the volume and structural integrity of the brain. However, changes were relatively modest and-unlike behavior- not mitigated by blockade of glucocorticoid receptors during a critical developmental period.

Delayed Accumulation of H3K27me3 on Nascent DNA Is Essential for Recruitment of Transcription Factors at Early Stages of Stem Cell Differentiation.

PubMed

Petruk, Svetlana; Cai, Jingli; Sussman, Robyn; Sun, Guizhi; Kovermann, Sina K; Mariani, Samanta A; Calabretta, Bruno; McMahon, Steven B; Brock, Hugh W; Iacovitti, Lorraine; Mazo, Alexander

2017-04-20

Recruitment of transcription factors (TFs) to repressed genes in euchromatin is essential to activate new transcriptional programs during cell differentiation. However, recruitment of all TFs, including pioneer factors, is impeded by condensed H3K27me3-containing chromatin. Single-cell and gene-specific analyses revealed that, during the first hours of induction of differentiation of mammalian embryonic stem cells (ESCs), accumulation of the repressive histone mark H3K27me3 is delayed after DNA replication, indicative of a decondensed chromatin structure in all regions of the replicating genome. This delay provides a critical "window of opportunity" for recruitment of lineage-specific TFs to DNA. Increasing the levels of post-replicative H3K27me3 or preventing S phase entry inhibited recruitment of new TFs to DNA and significantly blocked cell differentiation. These findings suggest that recruitment of lineage-specifying TFs occurs soon after replication and is facilitated by a decondensed chromatin structure. This insight may explain the developmental plasticity of stem cells and facilitate their exploitation for therapeutic purposes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

KIRA1 and ORESARA1 terminate flower receptivity by promoting cell death in the stigma of Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Gao, Zhen; Daneva, Anna; Salanenka, Yuliya; Van Durme, Matthias; Huysmans, Marlies; Lin, Zongcheng; De Winter, Freya; Vanneste, Steffen; Karimi, Mansour; Van de Velde, Jan; Vandepoele, Klaas; Van de Walle, Davy; Dewettinck, Koen; Lambrecht, Bart N; Nowack, Moritz K

2018-05-28

Flowers have a species-specific functional life span that determines the time window in which pollination, fertilization and seed set can occur. The stigma tissue plays a key role in flower receptivity by intercepting pollen and initiating pollen tube growth toward the ovary. In this article, we show that a developmentally controlled cell death programme terminates the functional life span of stigma cells in Arabidopsis. We identified the leaf senescence regulator ORESARA1 (also known as ANAC092) and the previously uncharacterized KIRA1 (also known as ANAC074) as partially redundant transcription factors that modulate stigma longevity by controlling the expression of programmed cell death-associated genes. KIRA1 expression is sufficient to induce cell death and terminate floral receptivity, whereas lack of both KIRA1 and ORESARA1 substantially increases stigma life span. Surprisingly, the extension of stigma longevity is accompanied by only a moderate extension of flower receptivity, suggesting that additional processes participate in the control of the flower's receptive life span.

Do mitochondria play a role in remodelling lace plant leaves during programmed cell death?

PubMed

Lord, Christina E N; Wertman, Jaime N; Lane, Stephanie; Gunawardena, Arunika H L A N

2011-06-06

Programmed cell death (PCD) is the regulated death of cells within an organism. The lace plant (Aponogeton madagascariensis) produces perforations in its leaves through PCD. The leaves of the plant consist of a latticework of longitudinal and transverse veins enclosing areoles. PCD occurs in the cells at the center of these areoles and progresses outwards, stopping approximately five cells from the vasculature. The role of mitochondria during PCD has been recognized in animals; however, it has been less studied during PCD in plants. The following paper elucidates the role of mitochondrial dynamics during developmentally regulated PCD in vivo in A. madagascariensis. A single areole within a window stage leaf (PCD is occurring) was divided into three areas based on the progression of PCD; cells that will not undergo PCD (NPCD), cells in early stages of PCD (EPCD), and cells in late stages of PCD (LPCD). Window stage leaves were stained with the mitochondrial dye MitoTracker Red CMXRos and examined. Mitochondrial dynamics were delineated into four categories (M1-M4) based on characteristics including distribution, motility, and membrane potential (ΔΨm). A TUNEL assay showed fragmented nDNA in a gradient over these mitochondrial stages. Chloroplasts and transvacuolar strands were also examined using live cell imaging. The possible importance of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP) formation during PCD was indirectly examined via in vivo cyclosporine A (CsA) treatment. This treatment resulted in lace plant leaves with a significantly lower number of perforations compared to controls, and that displayed mitochondrial dynamics similar to that of non-PCD cells. Results depicted mitochondrial dynamics in vivo as PCD progresses within the lace plant, and highlight the correlation of this organelle with other organelles during developmental PCD. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of mitochondria and chloroplasts moving on transvacuolar strands to form a ring structure surrounding the nucleus during developmental PCD. Also, for the first time, we have shown the feasibility for the use of CsA in a whole plant system. Overall, our findings implicate the mitochondria as playing a critical and early role in developmentally regulated PCD in the lace plant.

Prism Window for Optical Alignment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tang, Hong

2008-01-01

A prism window has been devised for use, with an autocollimator, in aligning optical components that are (1) required to be oriented parallel to each other and/or at a specified angle of incidence with respect to a common optical path and (2) mounted at different positions along the common optical path. The prism window can also be used to align a single optical component at a specified angle of incidence. Prism windows could be generally useful for orienting optical components in manufacture of optical instruments. "Prism window" denotes an application-specific unit comprising two beam-splitter windows that are bonded together at an angle chosen to obtain the specified angle of incidence.

Preschool-Age Male Psychiatric Patients with Specific Developmental Disorders and Those Without: Do They Differ in Behavior Problems and Treatment Outcome?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Achtergarde, Sandra; Becke, Johanna; Beyer, Thomas; Postert, Christian; Romer, Georg; Müller, Jörg Michael

2014-01-01

Specific developmental disorders of speech, language, and motor function in children are associated with a wide range of mental health problems. We examined whether preschool-age psychiatric patients with specific developmental disorders and those without differed in the severity of emotional and behavior problems. In addition, we examined whether…

78 FR 22942 - Pilkington North America, Inc., Grant of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-17

... replacement rear windows manufactured for model year 2006 through 2009 Honda Civic two-door coupe passenger... approximately 206 replacement rear windows (National Auto Glass Specifications (NAGS) part number FB22692GTY...: Pilkington explains that the noncompliance for the 205 replacement rear windows exists due to Pilkington's...

High performance sapphire windows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bates, Stephen C.; Liou, Larry

1993-01-01

High-quality, wide-aperture optical access is usually required for the advanced laser diagnostics that can now make a wide variety of non-intrusive measurements of combustion processes. Specially processed and mounted sapphire windows are proposed to provide this optical access to extreme environment. Through surface treatments and proper thermal stress design, single crystal sapphire can be a mechanically equivalent replacement for high strength steel. A prototype sapphire window and mounting system have been developed in a successful NASA SBIR Phase 1 project. A large and reliable increase in sapphire design strength (as much as 10x) has been achieved, and the initial specifications necessary for these gains have been defined. Failure testing of small windows has conclusively demonstrated the increased sapphire strength, indicating that a nearly flawless surface polish is the primary cause of strengthening, while an unusual mounting arrangement also significantly contributes to a larger effective strength. Phase 2 work will complete specification and demonstration of these windows, and will fabricate a set for use at NASA. The enhanced capabilities of these high performance sapphire windows will lead to many diagnostic capabilities not previously possible, as well as new applications for sapphire.

High performance sapphire windows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bates, Stephen C.; Liou, Larry

1993-02-01

High-quality, wide-aperture optical access is usually required for the advanced laser diagnostics that can now make a wide variety of non-intrusive measurements of combustion processes. Specially processed and mounted sapphire windows are proposed to provide this optical access to extreme environment. Through surface treatments and proper thermal stress design, single crystal sapphire can be a mechanically equivalent replacement for high strength steel. A prototype sapphire window and mounting system have been developed in a successful NASA SBIR Phase 1 project. A large and reliable increase in sapphire design strength (as much as 10x) has been achieved, and the initial specifications necessary for these gains have been defined. Failure testing of small windows has conclusively demonstrated the increased sapphire strength, indicating that a nearly flawless surface polish is the primary cause of strengthening, while an unusual mounting arrangement also significantly contributes to a larger effective strength. Phase 2 work will complete specification and demonstration of these windows, and will fabricate a set for use at NASA. The enhanced capabilities of these high performance sapphire windows will lead to many diagnostic capabilities not previously possible, as well as new applications for sapphire.

Value of parents' estimates of children's developmental ages.

PubMed

Glascoe, F P; Sandler, H

1995-11-01

To determine whether parents' estimates of children's developmental ages can function as a prescreening technique. Parents of 234 children from birth to 77 months of age seeking well-child care in pediatric offices were queried in two separate studies. In the first study, parents were asked to give an estimate of their child's overall developmental age and, in the second study, to estimate ages in each of six developmental domains. Children were administered a range of screening measures of intelligence, speech-language, and adoptive behavior. The overall age-estimate, if less than chronologic age, was 75% sensitive to likely developmental problems and, if equal to or greater than chronologic age, was 90% specific in identifying children likely to have typical development. Age estimates for each developmental domain were 81% sensitive to likely developmental problems if less than chronologic age in the domains of fine motor, language, grass motor, or behavior, and 62% specific if equal to or greater than chronologic age. Estimates at or below chronologic age in receptive language or personal-social domains were 90% sensitive and 43% specific in identifying likely behavior problems. There were no differences in the accuracy of parents estimates on the basis of children's age, gender, race, parents' level of education, or parenting experience. Parents' overall age-estimates provided a sensitive and specific indicator of global developmental status, but insufficient information about strengths and weaknesses to enable focused referrals for services. In contrast, discrete patterns of age estimates in each developmental domain sensitively discriminated children with developmental versus behavioral problems, although specificity was limited. Age estimates appear to be a potentially helpful method for identifying a subset of children in need of thorough screening, although further research is needed on a larger sample given diagnostic rather than screening tests.

Transparency of 2μ m window of Titan's atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rannou, P.; Seignovert, B.; Le Mouélic, S.; Maltagliati, L.; Rey, M.; Sotin, C.

2018-02-01

Titan's atmosphere is optically thick and hides the surface and the lower layers from the view at almost all wavelengths. However, because gaseous absorptions are spectrally selective, some narrow spectral intervals are relatively transparent and allow to probe the surface. To use these intervals (called windows) a good knowledge of atmospheric absorption is necessary. Once gas spectroscopic linelists are well established, the absorption inside windows depends on the way the far wings of the methane absorption lines are cut-off. We know that the intensity in all the windows can be explained with the same cut-off parameters, except for the window at 2 μm. This discrepancy is generally treated with a workaround which consists in using a different cut-off description for this specific window. This window is relatively transparent and surface may have specific spectral signatures that could be detected. Thus, a good knowledge of atmosphere opacities is essential and our scope is to better understand what causes the difference between the 2 μm window and the other windows. In this work, we used scattered light at the limb and transmissions in occultation observed with VIMS (Visual Infrared Mapping Spectrometer) onboard Cassini, around the 2 μm window. Data shows an absorption feature that participates to the shape of this window. Our atmospheric model fits well the VIMS data at 2 μm with the same cut-off than for the other windows, provided an additional absorption is introduced in the middle of the window around ≃ 2.065 μm. It explains well the discrepency between the cut-off used at 2 μm, and we show that a gas with a fairly constant mixing ratio, possibly ethane, may be the cause of this absorption. Finally, we studied the impact of this absorption on the retrieval of the surface reflectivity and found that it is significant.

Support Vector Data Description Model to Map Specific Land Cover with Optimal Parameters Determined from a Window-Based Validation Set.

PubMed

Zhang, Jinshui; Yuan, Zhoumiqi; Shuai, Guanyuan; Pan, Yaozhong; Zhu, Xiufang

2017-04-26

This paper developed an approach, the window-based validation set for support vector data description (WVS-SVDD), to determine optimal parameters for support vector data description (SVDD) model to map specific land cover by integrating training and window-based validation sets. Compared to the conventional approach where the validation set included target and outlier pixels selected visually and randomly, the validation set derived from WVS-SVDD constructed a tightened hypersphere because of the compact constraint by the outlier pixels which were located neighboring to the target class in the spectral feature space. The overall accuracies for wheat and bare land achieved were as high as 89.25% and 83.65%, respectively. However, target class was underestimated because the validation set covers only a small fraction of the heterogeneous spectra of the target class. The different window sizes were then tested to acquire more wheat pixels for validation set. The results showed that classification accuracy increased with the increasing window size and the overall accuracies were higher than 88% at all window size scales. Moreover, WVS-SVDD showed much less sensitivity to the untrained classes than the multi-class support vector machine (SVM) method. Therefore, the developed method showed its merits using the optimal parameters, tradeoff coefficient ( C ) and kernel width ( s ), in mapping homogeneous specific land cover.

Targeting Oxidative Stress and Aberrant Critical Period Plasticity in the Developmental Trajectory to Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Do, Kim Q.; Cuenod, Michel; Hensch, Takao K.

2015-01-01

Schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder reflecting a convergence of genetic risk and early life stress. The slow progression to first psychotic episode represents both a window of vulnerability as well as opportunity for therapeutic intervention. Here, we consider recent neurobiological insight into the cellular and molecular components of developmental critical periods and their vulnerability to redox dysregulation. In particular, the consistent loss of parvalbumin-positive interneuron (PVI) function and their surrounding perineuronal nets (PNNs) as well as myelination in patient brains is consistent with a delayed or extended period of circuit instability. This linkage to critical period triggers (PVI) and brakes (PNN, myelin) implicates mistimed trajectories of brain development in mental illness. Strategically introduced antioxidant treatment or later reinforcement of molecular brakes may then offer a novel prophylactic psychiatry. PMID:26032508

A developmental perspective on the link between parents' employment and children's obesity.

PubMed

Crosnoe, Robert; Dunifon, Rachel

2017-01-01

Despite public concerns about the negative implications of the increased labor force participation of mothers for child development, decades of research have revealed few risks and some benefits. One potential risk-a consistently observed association between maternal employment and childhood obesity-offers a window into how some dimensions of family health may be undermined by work in an economic and policy context that is not family friendly. The purpose of this article is to identify ways that a developmental perspective can enrich the literature on how children's weight may be related to the work experiences of both mothers and fathers across diverse populations, a literature that heretofore has been dominated by economic and demographic perspectives, focused almost solely on women, and largely ignored racial/ethnic variation. After reviewing the extant literature, we put forward a conceptual model that uses ecological and developmental insights to identify the mechanisms by which parents' employment might matter to children's weight and discuss this model in the context of the contemporary landscape of family policy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

An approach to emotion recognition in single-channel EEG signals: a mother child interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gómez, A.; Quintero, L.; López, N.; Castro, J.

2016-04-01

In this work, we perform a first approach to emotion recognition from EEG single channel signals extracted in four (4) mother-child dyads experiment in developmental psychology. Single channel EEG signals are analyzed and processed using several window sizes by performing a statistical analysis over features in the time and frequency domains. Finally, a neural network obtained an average accuracy rate of 99% of classification in two emotional states such as happiness and sadness.

Developmental Origins of Common Disease: Epigenetic Contributions to Obesity.

PubMed

Kappil, Maya; Wright, Robert O; Sanders, Alison P

2016-08-31

The perinatal period is a window of susceptibility for later life disease. Recent epigenetic findings are beginning to increase our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that may contribute to the programming of obesity. This review summarizes recent evidence that supports the role of epigenetically mediated early life programming in the later onset of obesity. Establishing such links between environmental exposures and modifiable molecular changes ultimately holds promise to inform interventional efforts toward alleviating the environmentally mediated onset of obesity.

Developmental Origins of Common Disease: Epigenetic Contributions to Obesity

PubMed Central

Kappil, Maya; Wright, Robert O.; Sanders, Alison P.

2016-01-01

The perinatal period is a window of susceptibility for later life disease. Recent epigenetic findings are beginning to increase our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that may contribute to the programming of obesity. This review summarizes recent evidence that supports the role of epigenetically mediated early life programming in the later onset of obesity. Establishing such links between environmental exposures and modifiable molecular changes ultimately holds promise to inform interventional efforts toward alleviating the environmentally mediated onset of obesity. PMID:27216778

Influence of gravity and light on the developmental polarity of Ceratopteris richardii fern spores

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edwards, E. S.; Roux, S. J.

1998-01-01

The polarity of germinating single-celled spores of the fern Ceratopteris richardii Brogn. is influenced by gravity during a time period prior to the first cellular division designated a "polarity-determination window". After this window closes, control of polarity is seen in the downward (with respect to gravity) migration of the nucleus along the proximal face of the spore and the subsequent downward growth of the primary rhizoid. When spores are germinated on a clinostat the direction of nuclear migration and subsequent primary rhizoid growth is random. However, in each case the direction of nuclear migration predicts the direction of rhizoid elongation. Although it is the most obvious movement, the downward migration is not the first movement of the nucleus. During the polarity-determination window, the nucleus moves randomly within a region centered behind the trilete marking. While the polarity of many fern spores has been reported to be controlled by light, spores of C. richardii are the first documented to have their polarity influenced by gravity. Directional white light also affects the polarity of these spores, but this influence is slight and is secondary to that of gravity.

Long-Term Effects of Environmental Endocrine Disruptors on Reproductive Physiology and Behavior

PubMed Central

Patisaul, Heather B.; Adewale, Heather B.

2009-01-01

It is well established that, over the course of development, hormones shape the vertebrate brain such that sex specific physiology and behaviors emerge. Much of this occurs in discrete developmental windows that span gestation through the prenatal period, although it is now becoming clear that at least some of this process continues through puberty. Perturbation of this developmental progression can permanently alter the capacity for reproductive success. Wildlife studies have revealed that exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), either naturally occurring or man made, can profoundly alter reproductive physiology and ultimately impact entire populations. Laboratory studies in rodents and other species have elucidated some of the mechanisms by which this occurs and strongly indicate that humans are also vulnerable to disruption. Use of hormonally active compounds in human medicine has also unfortunately revealed that the developing fetus can be exposed to and affected by endocrine disruptors, and that it might take decades for adverse effects to manifest. Research within the field of environmental endocrine disruption has also contributed to the general understanding of how early life experiences can alter reproductive physiology and behavior through non-genomic, epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone acetylation. These types of effects have the potential to impact future generations if the germ line is affected. This review provides an overview of how exposure to EDCs, particularly those that interfere with estrogen action, impacts reproductive physiology and behaviors in vertebrates. PMID:19587848

Functions of Huntingtin in Germ Layer Specification and Organogenesis

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Giang D.; Molero, Aldrin E.; Gokhan, Solen; Mehler, Mark F.

2013-01-01

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by abnormal polyglutamine expansion in the huntingtin protein (Htt). Although both Htt and the HD pathogenic mutation (mHtt) are implicated in early developmental events, their individual involvement has not been adequately explored. In order to better define the developmental functions and pathological consequences of the normal and mutant proteins, respectively, we employed embryonic stem cell (ESC) expansion, differentiation and induction experiments using huntingtin knock-out (KO) and mutant huntingtin knock-in (Q111) mouse ESC lines. In KO ESCs, we observed impairments in the spontaneous specification and survival of ectodermal and mesodermal lineages during embryoid body formation and under inductive conditions using retinoic acid and Wnt3A, respectively. Ablation of BAX improves cell survival, but failed to correct defects in germ layer specification. In addition, we observed ensuing impairments in the specification and maturation of neural, hepatic, pancreatic and cardiomyocyte lineages. These developmental deficits occurred in concert with alterations in Notch, Hes1 and STAT3 signaling pathways. Moreover, in Q111 ESCs, we observed differential developmental stage-specific alterations in lineage specification and maturation. We also observed changes in Notch/STAT3 expression and activation. Our observations underscore essential roles of Htt in the specification of ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm, in the specification of neural and non-neural organ-specific lineages, as well as cell survival during early embryogenesis. Remarkably, these developmental events are differentially deregulated by mHtt, raising the possibility that HD-associated early developmental impairments may contribute not only to region-specific neurodegeneration, but also to non-neural co-morbidities. PMID:23967334

A technical assessment of the market for wood windows in Japanese post and beam construction

Treesearch

J. Roos; P. Boardman; I. Eastin

2004-01-01

This research was conducted to develop a better understanding of the problems and opportunities confronting U.S. wood window manufacturers in the post and beam segment of the Japanese residential construction industry. The specific objectives of this research were to (1) provide a description of the Japanese market for wood windows; (2) survey Japanese builders...

A pollen-specific RALF from tomato that regulates pollen tube elongation.

PubMed

Covey, Paul A; Subbaiah, Chalivendra C; Parsons, Ronald L; Pearce, Gregory; Lay, Fung T; Anderson, Marilyn A; Ryan, Clarence A; Bedinger, Patricia A

2010-06-01

Rapid Alkalinization Factors (RALFs) are plant peptides that rapidly increase the pH of plant suspension cell culture medium and inhibit root growth. A pollen-specific tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) RALF (SlPRALF) has been identified. The SlPRALF gene encodes a preproprotein that appears to be processed and released from the pollen tube as an active peptide. A synthetic SlPRALF peptide based on the putative active peptide did not affect pollen hydration or viability but inhibited the elongation of normal pollen tubes in an in vitro growth system. Inhibitory effects of SlPRALF were detectable at concentrations as low as 10 nm, and complete inhibition was observed at 1 mum peptide. At least 10-fold higher levels of alkSlPRALF, which lacks disulfide bonds, were required to see similar effects. A greater effect of peptide was observed in low-pH-buffered medium. Inhibition of pollen tube elongation was reversible if peptide was removed within 15 min of exposure. Addition of 100 nm SlPRALF to actively growing pollen tubes inhibited further elongation until tubes were 40 to 60 mum in length, after which pollen tubes became resistant to the peptide. The onset of resistance correlated with the timing of the exit of the male germ unit from the pollen grain into the tube. Thus, exogenous SlPRALF acts as a negative regulator of pollen tube elongation within a specific developmental window.

Data in support of energy performance of double-glazed windows.

PubMed

Shakouri, Mahmoud; Banihashemi, Saeed

2016-06-01

This paper provides the data used in a research project to propose a new simplified windows rating system based on saved annual energy ("Developing an empirical predictive energy-rating model for windows by using Artificial Neural Network" (Shakouri Hassanabadi and Banihashemi Namini, 2012) [1], "Climatic, parametric and non-parametric analysis of energy performance of double-glazed windows in different climates" (Banihashemi et al., 2015) [2]). A full factorial simulation study was conducted to evaluate the performance of 26 different types of windows in a four-story residential building. In order to generalize the results, the selected windows were tested in four climates of cold, tropical, temperate, and hot and arid; and four different main orientations of North, West, South and East. The accompanied datasets include the annual saved cooling and heating energy in different climates and orientations by using the selected windows. Moreover, a complete dataset is provided that includes the specifications of 26 windows, climate data, month, and orientation of the window. This dataset can be used to make predictive models for energy efficiency assessment of double glazed windows.

Assessment of Toxicological Perturbations and Variants of Pancreatic Islet Development in the Zebrafish Model

PubMed Central

Sant, Karilyn E.; Jacobs, Haydee M.; Xu, Jiali; Borofski, Katrina A.; Moss, Larry G.; Moss, Jennifer B.; Timme-Laragy, Alicia R.

2016-01-01

The pancreatic islets, largely comprised of insulin-producing beta cells, play a critical role in endocrine signaling and glucose homeostasis. Because they have low levels of antioxidant defenses and a high perfusion rate, the endocrine islets may be a highly susceptible target tissue of chemical exposures. However, this endpoint, as well as the integrity of the surrounding exocrine pancreas, is often overlooked in studies of developmental toxicology. Disruption of development by toxicants can alter cell fate and migration, resulting in structural alterations that are difficult to detect in mammalian embryo systems, but that are easily observed in the zebrafish embryo model (Danio rerio). Using endogenously expressed fluorescent protein markers for developing zebrafish beta cells and exocrine pancreas tissue, we documented differences in islet area and incidence rates of islet morphological variants in zebrafish embryos between 48 and 96 h post fertilization (hpf), raised under control conditions commonly used in embryotoxicity assays. We identified critical windows for chemical exposures during which increased incidences of endocrine pancreas abnormalities were observed following exposure to cyclopamine (2–12 hpf), Mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) (3–48 hpf), and Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) (3–48 hpf). Both islet area and length of the exocrine pancreas were sensitive to oxidative stress from exposure to the oxidant tert-butyl hydroperoxide during a highly proliferative critical window (72 hpf). Finally, pancreatic dysmorphogenesis following developmental exposures is discussed with respect to human disease. PMID:28393070

Sensitivity and Specificity of Emergency Physicians and Trainees for Identifying Internally Concealed Drug Packages on Abdominal Computed Tomography Scan: Do Lung Windows Improve Accuracy?

PubMed

Asha, Stephen Edward; Cooke, Andrew

2015-09-01

Suspected body packers may be brought to emergency departments (EDs) close to international airports for abdominal computed tomography (CT) scanning. Senior emergency clinicians may be asked to interpret these CT scans. Missing concealed drug packages have important clinical and forensic implications. The accuracy of emergency clinician interpretation of abdominal CT scans for concealed drugs is not known. Limited evidence suggests that accuracy for identification of concealed packages can be increased by viewing CT images on "lung window" settings. To determine the accuracy of senior emergency clinicians in interpreting abdominal CT scans for concealed drugs, and to determine if this accuracy was improved by viewing scans on both abdominal and lung window settings. Emergency clinicians blinded to all patient identifiers and the radiology report interpreted CT scans of suspected body packers using standard abdominal window settings and then with the addition of lung window settings. The reference standard was the radiologist's report. Fifty-five emergency clinicians reported 235 CT scans. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of interpretation using abdominal windows was 89.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 83.0-94.7), 81.9% (95% CI 73.7-88.4), and 86.0% (95% CI 81.5-90.4), respectively, and with both window settings was 94.1% (95% CI 88.3-97.6), 76.7% (95% CI 68.0-84.1), 85.5% (95% CI 81.0-90.0), respectively. Diagnostic accuracy was similar regardless of the clinician's experience. Interrater reliability was moderate (kappa 0.46). The accuracy of interpretation of abdominal CT scans performed for the purpose of detecting concealed drug packages by emergency clinicians is not high enough to safely discharge these patients from the ED. The use of lung windows improved sensitivity, but at the expense of specificity. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Biomarkers S100B and neuron-specific enolase predict outcome in hypothermia-treated encephalopathic newborns*.

PubMed

Massaro, An N; Chang, Taeun; Baumgart, Stephen; McCarter, Robert; Nelson, Karin B; Glass, Penny

2014-09-01

To evaluate if serum S100B protein and neuron-specific enolase measured during therapeutic hypothermia are predictive of neurodevelopmental outcome at 15 months in children with neonatal encephalopathy. Prospective longitudinal cohort study. A level IV neonatal ICU in a freestanding children's hospital. Term newborns with moderate to severe neonatal encephalopathy referred for therapeutic hypothermia during the study period. Serum neuron-specific enolase and S100B were measured at 0, 12, 24, and 72 hours of hypothermia. Of the 83 infants enrolled, 15 (18%) died in the newborn period. Survivors were evaluated by the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II at 15 months. Outcomes were assessed in 49 of 68 survivors (72%) at a mean age of 15.2 ± 2.7 months. Neurodevelopmental outcome was classified by Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II Mental Developmental Index and Psychomotor Developmental Index scores, reflecting cognitive and motor outcomes, respectively. Four-level outcome classifications were defined a priori: normal = Mental Developmental Index/Psychomotor Developmental Index within 1 SD (> 85), mild = Mental Developmental Index/Psychomotor Developmental Index less than 1 SD (70-85), moderate/severe = Mental Developmental Index/Psychomotor Developmental Index less than 2 SD (< 70), or died. Elevated serum S100B and neuron-specific enolase levels measured during hypothermia were associated with increasing outcome severity after controlling for baseline and socioeconomic characteristics in ordinal regression models. Adjusted odds ratios for cognitive outcome were 2.5 (95% CI, 1.3-4.8) for S100B and 2.1 (95% CI, 1.2-3.6) for neuron-specific enolase, and for motor outcome, 2.6 (95% CI, 1.2-5.6) for S100B and 2.1 (95% CI, 1.2-3.6) for neuron-specific enolase. Serum S100B and neuron-specific enolase levels in babies with neonatal encephalopathy are associated with neurodevelopmental outcome at 15 months. These putative biomarkers of brain injury may help direct care during therapeutic hypothermia.

The inability to mentally represent action may be associated with performance deficits in children with developmental coordination disorder.

PubMed

Gabbard, Carl; Bobbio, Tatiana

2011-03-01

Several research studies indicate that children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) show delays with an array of perceptual-motor skills. One of the explanations, based on limited research, is that these children have problems generating and/or monitoring a mental (action) representation of intended actions, termed the "internal modeling deficit" (IMD) hypothesis. According to the hypothesis, children with DCD have significant limitations in their ability to accurately generate and utilize internal models of motor planning and control. The focus of this review is on one of the methods used to examine action representation-motor imagery, which theorists argue provides a window into the process of action representation (e.g., Jeannerod, 2001 . Neural simulation of action: A unifying mechanism for motor cognition. Neuroimage, 14, 103-109.). Included in the review are performance studies of typically developing and DCD children, and possible brain structures involved.

Childhood Stuttering – Where are we and Where are we going?

PubMed Central

Smith, Anne; Weber, Christine

2017-01-01

Remarkable progress has been made over the past two decades in expanding our understanding of the behavioral, peripheral physiological, and central neurophysiological bases of stuttering in early childhood. It is clear that stuttering is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by atypical development of speech motor planning and execution networks. The speech motor system must interact in complex ways with neural systems mediating language, other cognitive, and emotional processes. During the time window when stuttering typically appears and follows its path to either recovery or persistence, all of these neurobehavioral systems are undergoing rapid and dramatic developmental changes. We summarize our current understanding of the various developmental trajectories relevant for the understanding of stuttering in early childhood. We also present theoretical and experimental approaches that we believe will be optimal for even more rapid progress toward developing better and more targeted treatment for stuttering in the preschool children who are more likely to persist in stuttering. PMID:27701705

Developmental timeframes for induction of microgyria and rapid auditory processing deficits in the rat.

PubMed

Threlkeld, Steven W; McClure, Melissa M; Rosen, Glenn D; Fitch, R Holly

2006-09-13

Induction of a focal freeze lesion to the skullcap of a 1-day-old rat pup leads to the formation of microgyria similar to those identified postmortem in human dyslexics. Rats with microgyria exhibit rapid auditory processing deficits similar to those seen in language-impaired (LI) children, and infants at risk for LI and these effects are particularly marked in juvenile as compared to adult subjects. In the current study, a startle response paradigm was used to investigate gap detection in juvenile and adult rats that received bilateral freezing lesions or sham surgery on postnatal day (P) 1, 3 or 5. Microgyria were confirmed in P1 and 3 lesion rats, but not in the P5 lesion group. We found a significant reduction in brain weight and neocortical volume in P1 and 3 lesioned brains relative to shams. Juvenile (P27-39) behavioral data indicated significant rapid auditory processing deficits in all three lesion groups as compared to sham subjects, while adult (P60+) data revealed a persistent disparity only between P1-lesioned rats and shams. Combined results suggest that generalized pathology affecting neocortical development is responsible for the presence of rapid auditory processing deficits, rather than factors specific to the formation of microgyria per se. Finally, results show that the window for the induction of rapid auditory processing deficits through disruption of neurodevelopment appears to extend beyond the endpoint for cortical neuronal migration, although, the persistent deficits exhibited by P1 lesion subjects suggest a secondary neurodevelopmental window at the time of cortical neuromigration representing a peak period of vulnerability.

Translational toxicology: a developmental focus for integrated research strategies.

PubMed

Hughes, Claude; Waters, Michael; Allen, David; Obasanjo, Iyabo

2013-09-30

Given that toxicology studies the potential adverse effects of environmental exposures on various forms of life and that clinical toxicology typically focuses on human health effects, what can and should the relatively new term of "translational toxicology" be taken to mean? Our assertion is that the core concept of translational toxicology must incorporate existing principles of toxicology and epidemiology, but be driven by the aim of developing safe and effective interventions beyond simple reduction or avoidance of exposure to prevent, mitigate or reverse adverse human health effects of exposures.The field of toxicology has now reached a point where advances in multiple areas of biomedical research and information technologies empower us to make fundamental transitions in directly impacting human health. Translational toxicology must encompass four action elements as follows: 1) Assessing human exposures in critical windows across the lifespan; 2) Defining modes of action and relevance of data from animal models; 3) Use of mathematical models to develop plausible predictions as the basis for: 4) Protective and restorative human health interventions. The discussion focuses on the critical window of in-utero development. Exposure assessment, basic toxicology and development of certain categories of mathematical models are not new areas of research; however overtly integrating these in order to conceive, assess and validate effective interventions to mitigate or reverse adverse effects of environmental exposures is our novel opportunity. This is what we should do in translational toxicology so that we have a portfolio of interventional options to improve human health that include both minimizing exposures and specific preventative/restorative/mitigative therapeutics.

2000 survey of window manufacturers on the subject of switchable glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LaPointe, Michael R.; Sottile, Gregory M.

2001-11-01

The results of a 2000 survey of United States window manufacturers on the subject of switchable glass are discussed. The areas covered in this paper include awareness of the overall product category of switchable glass and various types of switchable glass, attitudes toward specific features of switchable glass, expectations for manufacturer production of such products, expectations for market penetration rates among end-product consumers, levels of price sensitivity among window manufacturers regarding switchable glass, and expectations for the pace of new product development within the window industry over the next five years.

Developmental neurotoxic effects of two pesticides: Behavior and biomolecular studies on chlorpyrifos and carbaryl

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Iwa; Eriksson, Per; Fredriksson, Anders

In recent times, an increased occurrence of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as neurodevelopmental delays and cognitive abnormalities has been recognized. Exposure to pesticides has been suspected to be a possible cause of these disorders, as these compounds target the nervous system of pests. Due to the similarities of brain development and composition, these pesticides may also be neurotoxic to humans. We studied two different pesticides, chlorpyrifos and carbaryl, which specifically inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the nervous system. The aim of the study was to investigate if the pesticides can induce neurotoxic effects, when exposure occurs during a period of rapid brainmore » growth and maturation. The results from the present study show that both compounds can affect protein levels in the developing brain and induce persistent adult behavior and cognitive impairments, in mice neonatally exposed to a single oral dose of chlorpyrifos (0.1, 1.0 or 5 mg/kg body weight) or carbaryl (0.5, 5.0 or 20.0 mg/kg body weight) on postnatal day 10. The results also indicate that the developmental neurotoxic effects induced are not related to the classical mechanism of acute cholinergic hyperstimulation, as the AChE inhibition level (8–12%) remained below the threshold for causing systemic toxicity. The neurotoxic effects are more likely caused by a disturbed neurodevelopment, as similar behavioral neurotoxic effects have been reported in studies with pesticides such as organochlorines, organophosphates, pyrethroids and POPs, when exposed during a critical window of neonatal brain development. - Highlights: • A single neonatal exposure to chlorpyrifos or carbaryl induced developmental neurotoxic effects. • The neurotoxic effects were not caused by acute AChE inhibition. • The neurotoxic effects manifested as altered levels of neuroproteins in the developing brain. • The neurotoxic effects manifested as adult persistent aberrant behavior and cognitive function. • The neurotoxic effects are suggested to be caused by disrupted brain development.« less

Directed Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells into Prostate Organoids In Vitro and its Perturbation by Low-Dose Bisphenol A Exposure

PubMed Central

Calderon-Gierszal, Esther L.; Prins, Gail S.

2015-01-01

Studies using rodent and adult human prostate stem-progenitor cell models suggest that developmental exposure to the endocrine disruptor Bisphenol-A (BPA) can predispose to prostate carcinogenesis with aging. Unknown at present is whether the embryonic human prostate is equally susceptible to BPA during its natural developmental window. To address this unmet need, we herein report the construction of a pioneer in vitro human prostate developmental model to study the effects of BPA. The directed differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) into prostatic organoids in a spatial system was accomplished with precise temporal control of growth factors and steroids. Activin-induced definitive endoderm was driven to prostate specification by combined exposure to WNT10B and FGF10. Matrigel culture for 20–30 days in medium containing R-Spondin-1, Noggin, EGF, retinoic acid and testosterone was sufficient for mature prostate organoid development. Immunofluorescence and gene expression analysis confirmed that organoids exhibited cytodifferentiation and functional properties of the human prostate. Exposure to 1 nM or 10 nM BPA throughout differentiation culture disturbed early morphogenesis in a dose-dependent manner with 1 nM BPA increasing and 10 nM BPA reducing the number of branched structures formed. While differentiation of branched structures to mature organoids seemed largely unaffected by BPA exposure, the stem-like cell population increased, appearing as focal stem cell nests that have not properly entered lineage commitment rather than the rare isolated stem cells found in normally differentiated structures. These findings provide the first direct evidence that low-dose BPA exposure targets hESC and perturbs morphogenesis as the embryonic cells differentiate towards human prostate organoids, suggesting that the developing human prostate may be susceptible to disruption by in utero BPA exposures. PMID:26222054

Neonatal intensive care unit phthalate exposure and preterm infant neurobehavioral performance.

PubMed

Stroustrup, Annemarie; Bragg, Jennifer B; Andra, Syam S; Curtin, Paul C; Spear, Emily A; Sison, Denise B; Just, Allan C; Arora, Manish; Gennings, Chris

2018-01-01

Every year in the United States, more than 300,000 infants are admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICU) where they are exposed to a chemical-intensive hospital environment during a developmentally vulnerable period. The neurodevelopmental impact of environmental exposure to phthalates during the NICU stay is unknown. As phthalate exposure during the third trimester developmental window has been implicated in neurobehavioral deficits in term-born children that are strikingly similar to a phenotype of neurobehavioral morbidity common among children born premature, the role of early-life phthalate exposure on the neurodevelopmental trajectory of premature infants may be clinically important. In this study, premature newborns with birth weight <1500g were recruited to participate in a prospective environmental health cohort study, NICU-HEALTH (Hospital Exposures and Long-Term Health), part of the DINE (Developmental Impact of NICU Exposures) cohort of the ECHO (Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes) program. Seventy-six percent of eligible infants enrolled in the study. Sixty-four of 81 infants survived and are included in this analysis. 164 urine specimens were analyzed for phthalate metabolites using high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS) was performed prior to NICU discharge. Linear and weighted quantile sum regression quantified associations between phthalate biomarkers and NNNS performance, and between phthalate biomarkers and intensity of medical intervention. The sum of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate metabolites (∑DEHP) was associated with improved performance on the Attention and Regulation scales. Specific mixtures of phthalate biomarkers were also associated with improved NNNS performance. More intense medical intervention was associated with higher ∑DEHP exposure. NICU-based exposure to phthalates mixtures was associated with improved attention and social response. This suggests that the impact of phthalate exposure on neurodevelopment may follow a non-linear trajectory, perhaps accelerating the development of certain neural networks. The long-term neurodevelopmental impact of NICU-based phthalate exposure needs to be evaluated.

Ionic Liquids as Electrolytes for Electrochemical Double-Layer Capacitors: Structures that Optimize Specific Energy.

PubMed

Mousavi, Maral P S; Wilson, Benjamin E; Kashefolgheta, Sadra; Anderson, Evan L; He, Siyao; Bühlmann, Philippe; Stein, Andreas

2016-02-10

Key parameters that influence the specific energy of electrochemical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) are the double-layer capacitance and the operating potential of the cell. The operating potential of the cell is generally limited by the electrochemical window of the electrolyte solution, that is, the range of applied voltages within which the electrolyte or solvent is not reduced or oxidized. Ionic liquids are of interest as electrolytes for EDLCs because they offer relatively wide potential windows. Here, we provide a systematic study of the influence of the physical properties of ionic liquid electrolytes on the electrochemical stability and electrochemical performance (double-layer capacitance, specific energy) of EDLCs that employ a mesoporous carbon model electrode with uniform, highly interconnected mesopores (3DOm carbon). Several ionic liquids with structurally diverse anions (tetrafluoroborate, trifluoromethanesulfonate, trifluoromethanesulfonimide) and cations (imidazolium, ammonium, pyridinium, piperidinium, and pyrrolidinium) were investigated. We show that the cation size has a significant effect on the electrolyte viscosity and conductivity, as well as the capacitance of EDLCs. Imidazolium- and pyridinium-based ionic liquids provide the highest cell capacitance, and ammonium-based ionic liquids offer potential windows much larger than imidazolium and pyridinium ionic liquids. Increasing the chain length of the alkyl substituents in 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonimide does not widen the potential window of the ionic liquid. We identified the ionic liquids that maximize the specific energies of EDLCs through the combined effects of their potential windows and the double-layer capacitance. The highest specific energies are obtained with ionic liquid electrolytes that possess moderate electrochemical stability, small ionic volumes, low viscosity, and hence high conductivity, the best performing ionic liquid tested being 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide.

Prostaglandin E2 is an endogenous modulator of cerebellar development and complex behavior during a sensitive postnatal period.

PubMed

Dean, Shannon L; Knutson, Jessica F; Krebs-Kraft, Desiree L; McCarthy, Margaret M

2012-04-01

Prostaglandins are lipid-derived molecules that mediate the generation of fever in the central nervous system. In addition to their proinflammatory role, prostaglandins also impact neuronal development and synaptic plasticity, sometimes in a sex-specific manner. The cerebellum has a high expression of prostaglandin receptors during development, but the role that these molecules play during normal cerebellar maturation is unknown. We demonstrate here that disrupting prostaglandin synthesis with cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors during a time-sensitive window in early postnatal life alters cerebellar Purkinje cell development in rats, resulting in initially increased dendritic growth in both sexes. We show that this results in later cerebellar atrophy in males only, resulting in a sex-specific loss of cerebellar volume. Further, although performance in motor tasks is spared, social interaction and the sensory threshold are altered in males developmentally exposed to cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors. This work demonstrates a previously unknown role for prostaglandins in cerebellar development and emphasizes the role that the cerebellum plays outside motor tasks, in cognitive and sensory domains that may help to explain its connection to complex neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. © 2012 The Authors. European Journal of Neuroscience © 2012 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Changes in gene expression associated with reproductive maturation in wild female baboons.

PubMed

Babbitt, Courtney C; Tung, Jenny; Wray, Gregory A; Alberts, Susan C

2012-01-01

Changes in gene expression during development play an important role in shaping morphological and behavioral differences, including between humans and nonhuman primates. Although many of the most striking developmental changes occur during early development, reproductive maturation represents another critical window in primate life history. However, this process is difficult to study at the molecular level in natural primate populations. Here, we took advantage of ovarian samples made available through an unusual episode of human-wildlife conflict to identify genes that are important in this process. Specifically, we used RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) to compare genome-wide gene expression patterns in the ovarian tissue of juvenile and adult female baboons from Amboseli National Park, Kenya. We combined this information with prior evidence of selection occurring on two primate lineages (human and chimpanzee). We found that in cases in which genes were both differentially expressed over the course of ovarian maturation and also linked to lineage-specific selection this selective signature was much more likely to occur in regulatory regions than in coding regions. These results suggest that adaptive change in the development of the primate ovary may be largely driven at the mechanistic level by selection on gene regulation, potentially in relationship to the physiology or timing of female reproductive maturation.

Changes in Gene Expression Associated with Reproductive Maturation in Wild Female Baboons

PubMed Central

Babbitt, Courtney C.; Tung, Jenny; Wray, Gregory A.; Alberts, Susan C.

2012-01-01

Changes in gene expression during development play an important role in shaping morphological and behavioral differences, including between humans and nonhuman primates. Although many of the most striking developmental changes occur during early development, reproductive maturation represents another critical window in primate life history. However, this process is difficult to study at the molecular level in natural primate populations. Here, we took advantage of ovarian samples made available through an unusual episode of human–wildlife conflict to identify genes that are important in this process. Specifically, we used RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) to compare genome-wide gene expression patterns in the ovarian tissue of juvenile and adult female baboons from Amboseli National Park, Kenya. We combined this information with prior evidence of selection occurring on two primate lineages (human and chimpanzee). We found that in cases in which genes were both differentially expressed over the course of ovarian maturation and also linked to lineage-specific selection this selective signature was much more likely to occur in regulatory regions than in coding regions. These results suggest that adaptive change in the development of the primate ovary may be largely driven at the mechanistic level by selection on gene regulation, potentially in relationship to the physiology or timing of female reproductive maturation. PMID:22155733

Measured Rattle Threshold of Residential House Windows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sizov, Natalia; Schultz, Troy; Hobbs, Christopher; Klos, Jacob

2008-01-01

Window rattle is a common indoor noise effect in houses exposed to low frequency noise from such sources as railroads, blast noise and sonic boom. Human perception of rattle can be negative that is a motivating factor of the current research effort to study sonic boom induced window rattle. A rattle study has been conducted on residential houses containing windows of different construction at a variety of geographic locations within the United States. Windows in these houses were excited by a portable, high-powered loudspeaker and enclosure specifically designed to be mounted on the house exterior to cover an entire window. Window vibration was measured with accelerometers placed on different window components. Reference microphones were also placed inside the house and inside of the loudspeaker box. Swept sine excitation was used to identify the vibration threshold at which the response of the structure becomes non-linear and begins to rattle. Initial results from this study are presented and discussed. Future efforts will continue to explore the rattle occurrence in windows of residential houses exposed to sonic booms.

Role of the immune modulator programmed cell death-1 during development and apoptosis of mouse retinal ganglion cells

PubMed Central

Chen, Ling; Sham, Caroline W.; Chan, Ann M.; Francisco, Loise M.; Wu, Yin; Mareninov, Sergey; Sharpe, Arlene H.; Freeman, Gordon J.; Yang, Xian-Jie; Braun, Jonathan; Gordon, Lynn K.

2011-01-01

PURPOSE Mammalian programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) is a membrane-associated receptor regulating the balance between T cell activation, tolerance and immunopathology, however its role in neurons has not yet been defined. We investigate the hypothesis that PD-1 signaling actively promotes retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death within the developing mouse retina. METHODS Mature retinal cell types expressing PD-1 were identified by immunofluorescence staining of vertical retina sections; developmental expression was localized by immunostaining and quantified by Western analysis. PD-1 involvement in developmental RGC survival was assessed in vitro using retina explants and in vivo using PD-1 knockout mice. PD-1 ligand gene expression was detected by RT-PCR. RESULTS PD-1 is expressed in most adult RGCs, and undergoes dynamic upregulation during the early postnatal window of retinal cell maturation and physiological programmed cell death (PCD). In vitro blockade of PD-1 signaling during this time selectively increases survival of RGCs. Furthermore, PD-1 deficient mice show a selective increase in RGC number in the neonatal retina at the peak of developmental RGC death. Lastly, throughout postnatal retina maturation, we find gene expression of both immune PD-1 ligand genes, PD-L1 and PD-L2. CONCLUSIONS These findings collectively support a novel role for a PD-1-mediated signaling pathway in developmental PCD during postnatal RGC maturation. PMID:19420345

Kinase-activating and kinase-impaired cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome alleles have activity during zebrafish development and are sensitive to small molecule inhibitors.

PubMed

Anastasaki, Corina; Estep, Anne L; Marais, Richard; Rauen, Katherine A; Patton, E Elizabeth

2009-07-15

The Ras/MAPK pathway is critical for human development and plays a central role in the formation and progression of most cancers. Children born with germ-line mutations in BRAF, MEK1 or MEK2 develop cardio-facio-cutaneous (CFC) syndrome, an autosomal dominant syndrome characterized by a distinctive facial appearance, heart defects, skin and hair abnormalities and mental retardation. CFC syndrome mutations in BRAF promote both kinase-activating and kinase-impaired variants. CFC syndrome has a progressive phenotype, and the availability of clinically active inhibitors of the MAPK pathway prompts the important question as to whether such inhibitors might be therapeutically effective in the treatment of CFC syndrome. To study the developmental effects of CFC mutant alleles in vivo, we have expressed a panel of 28 BRAF and MEK alleles in zebrafish embryos to assess the function of human disease alleles and available chemical inhibitors of this pathway. We find that both kinase-activating and kinase-impaired CFC mutant alleles promote the equivalent developmental outcome when expressed during early development and that treatment of CFC-zebrafish embryos with inhibitors of the FGF-MAPK pathway can restore normal early development. Importantly, we find a developmental window in which treatment with a MEK inhibitor can restore the normal early development of the embryo, without the additional, unwanted developmental effects of the drug.

State-of-the-art software for window energy-efficiency rating and labeling

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arasteh, D.; Finlayson, E.; Huang, J.

1998-07-01

Measuring the thermal performance of windows in typical residential buildings is an expensive proposition. Not only is laboratory testing expensive, but each window manufacturer typically offers hundreds of individual products, each of which has different thermal performance properties. With over a thousand window manufacturers nationally, a testing-based rating system would be prohibitively expensive to the industry and to consumers. Beginning in the early 1990s, simulation software began to be used as part of a national program for rating window U-values. The rating program has since been expanded to include Solar Hear Gain Coefficients and is now being extended to annualmore » energy performance. This paper describes four software packages available to the public from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). These software packages are used to evaluate window thermal performance: RESFEN (for evaluating annual energy costs), WINDOW (for calculating a product`s thermal performance properties), THERM (a preprocessor for WINDOW that determines two-dimensional heat-transfer effects), and Optics (a preprocessor for WINDOW`s glass database). Software not only offers a less expensive means than testing to evaluate window performance, it can also be used during the design process to help manufacturers produce windows that will meet target specifications. In addition, software can show small improvements in window performance that might not be detected in actual testing because of large uncertainties in test procedures.« less

Developmental stage related patterns of codon usage and genomic GC content: searching for evolutionary fingerprints with models of stem cell differentiation

PubMed Central

2007-01-01

Background The usage of synonymous codons shows considerable variation among mammalian genes. How and why this usage is non-random are fundamental biological questions and remain controversial. It is also important to explore whether mammalian genes that are selectively expressed at different developmental stages bear different molecular features. Results In two models of mouse stem cell differentiation, we established correlations between codon usage and the patterns of gene expression. We found that the optimal codons exhibited variation (AT- or GC-ending codons) in different cell types within the developmental hierarchy. We also found that genes that were enriched (developmental-pivotal genes) or specifically expressed (developmental-specific genes) at different developmental stages had different patterns of codon usage and local genomic GC (GCg) content. Moreover, at the same developmental stage, developmental-specific genes generally used more GC-ending codons and had higher GCg content compared with developmental-pivotal genes. Further analyses suggest that the model of translational selection might be consistent with the developmental stage-related patterns of codon usage, especially for the AT-ending optimal codons. In addition, our data show that after human-mouse divergence, the influence of selective constraints is still detectable. Conclusion Our findings suggest that developmental stage-related patterns of gene expression are correlated with codon usage (GC3) and GCg content in stem cell hierarchies. Moreover, this paper provides evidence for the influence of natural selection at synonymous sites in the mouse genome and novel clues for linking the molecular features of genes to their patterns of expression during mammalian ontogenesis. PMID:17349061

Tutorial Guide: Computer-Aided Structural Modeling (CASM). Version 5.00

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-04-01

2-3 SITE-SPECIFIC DATA DIALOG WINDOW ................. 2-4 SAVING PROJECT DATA ....................... 2-7 PRINTING PROJECT CRITERIA DATA...you to the main CASM screen without saving changes. REGIONAL DATA DIALOG WINDOW The Regonal• Dtadlalg windtow contim ms0•twrmofogoik hronimdon.The...Information so that It will be Included In your hardcopy output. 3. Select OK to save your Regional Data entries. The Regional Data dalog window will disappear

Do mitochondria play a role in remodelling lace plant leaves during programmed cell death?

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Programmed cell death (PCD) is the regulated death of cells within an organism. The lace plant (Aponogeton madagascariensis) produces perforations in its leaves through PCD. The leaves of the plant consist of a latticework of longitudinal and transverse veins enclosing areoles. PCD occurs in the cells at the center of these areoles and progresses outwards, stopping approximately five cells from the vasculature. The role of mitochondria during PCD has been recognized in animals; however, it has been less studied during PCD in plants. Results The following paper elucidates the role of mitochondrial dynamics during developmentally regulated PCD in vivo in A. madagascariensis. A single areole within a window stage leaf (PCD is occurring) was divided into three areas based on the progression of PCD; cells that will not undergo PCD (NPCD), cells in early stages of PCD (EPCD), and cells in late stages of PCD (LPCD). Window stage leaves were stained with the mitochondrial dye MitoTracker Red CMXRos and examined. Mitochondrial dynamics were delineated into four categories (M1-M4) based on characteristics including distribution, motility, and membrane potential (ΔΨm). A TUNEL assay showed fragmented nDNA in a gradient over these mitochondrial stages. Chloroplasts and transvacuolar strands were also examined using live cell imaging. The possible importance of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP) formation during PCD was indirectly examined via in vivo cyclosporine A (CsA) treatment. This treatment resulted in lace plant leaves with a significantly lower number of perforations compared to controls, and that displayed mitochondrial dynamics similar to that of non-PCD cells. Conclusions Results depicted mitochondrial dynamics in vivo as PCD progresses within the lace plant, and highlight the correlation of this organelle with other organelles during developmental PCD. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of mitochondria and chloroplasts moving on transvacuolar strands to form a ring structure surrounding the nucleus during developmental PCD. Also, for the first time, we have shown the feasibility for the use of CsA in a whole plant system. Overall, our findings implicate the mitochondria as playing a critical and early role in developmentally regulated PCD in the lace plant. PMID:21645374

Age at adoption from institutional care as a window into the lasting effects of early experiences

PubMed Central

Julian, Megan M.

2013-01-01

One of the major questions of human development is how early experience impacts the course of development years later. Children adopted from institutional care experience varying levels of deprivation in their early life followed by qualitatively better care in an adoptive home, providing a unique opportunity to study the lasting effects of early deprivation and its timing. The effects of age at adoption from institutional care are discussed for multiple domains of social and behavioral development within the context of several prominent developmental hypotheses about the effects of early deprivation (cumulative effects, experience-expectant developmental programming, and experience-adaptive developmental programming). Age at adoption effects are detected in a majority of studies, particularly when children experienced global deprivation and were assessed in adolescence. For most outcomes, institutionalization beyond a certain age is associated with a step-like increase in risk for lasting social and behavioral problems, with the step occurring at an earlier age for children who experienced more severe levels of deprivation. Findings are discussed in terms of their concordance and discordance with our current hypotheses, and speculative explanations for the findings are offered. PMID:23576122

Neurogenesis and Developmental Anesthetic Neurotoxicity

PubMed Central

Kang, Eunchai; Berg, Daniel A.; Furmanski, Orion; Jackson, William M.; Ryu, Yun Kyoung; Gray, Christy D.; Mintz, C. David

2017-01-01

The mechanism by which anesthetics might act on the developing brain in order to cause long term deficits remains incompletely understood. The hippocampus has been identified as a structure that is likely to be involved, as rodent models show numerous deficits in behavioral tasks of learning that are hippocampal-dependent. The hippocampus is an unusual structure in that it is the site of large amounts of neurogenesis postnatally, particularly in the first year of life in humans, and these newly generated neurons are critical to the function of this structure. Intriguingly, neurogenesis is a major developmental event that occurs during postulated windows of vulnerability to developmental anesthetic neurotoxicity across the different species in which it has been studied. In this review, we examine the evidence for anesthetic effects on neurogenesis in the early postnatal period and ask whether neurogenesis should be studied further as a putative mechanism of injury. Multiple anesthetics are considered, and both in vivo and in vitro work is presented. While there is abundant evidence that anesthetics act to suppress neurogenesis at several different phases, evidence of a causal link between these effects and any change in learning behavior remains elusive. PMID:27751818

Neurogenesis and developmental anesthetic neurotoxicity.

PubMed

Kang, Eunchai; Berg, Daniel A; Furmanski, Orion; Jackson, William M; Ryu, Yun Kyoung; Gray, Christy D; Mintz, C David

The mechanism by which anesthetics might act on the developing brain in order to cause long term deficits remains incompletely understood. The hippocampus has been identified as a structure that is likely to be involved, as rodent models show numerous deficits in behavioral tasks of learning that are hippocampal-dependent. The hippocampus is an unusual structure in that it is the site of large amounts of neurogenesis postnatally, particularly in the first year of life in humans, and these newly generated neurons are critical to the function of this structure. Intriguingly, neurogenesis is a major developmental event that occurs during postulated windows of vulnerability to developmental anesthetic neurotoxicity across the different species in which it has been studied. In this review, we examine the evidence for anesthetic effects on neurogenesis in the early postnatal period and ask whether neurogenesis should be studied further as a putative mechanism of injury. Multiple anesthetics are considered, and both in vivo and in vitro work is presented. While there is abundant evidence that anesthetics act to suppress neurogenesis at several different phases, evidence of a causal link between these effects and any change in learning behavior remains elusive. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Present and future of developmental neuropsychopharmacology.

PubMed

Arango, Celso

2015-05-01

The field of child and adolescent psychiatry has always lagged behind adult psychiatry. With recent evidence that the vast majority of mental disorders, even when they emerge in adulthood, cause abnormal neurodevelopment and resultant emphasis on prevention and early intervention, there is a need to put child psychiatry at the top of the agenda in mental health research. This should also be the case for developmental neuropsychopharmacology. The target of drug discovery should shift toward a population younger than the one that is typically included in clinical trials. This is not only a matter of trying to replicate what has been found in individuals with mature brains; it is about searching for new strategies that address developing brains while the therapeutic window for their effect is still open. At present, major concerns in developmental psychopharmacology are over-prescription rates and use of psychotropic medications for conditions with a particularly underdeveloped evidence base, as well as adverse effects, especially potentially life-shortening cardiometabolic effects and suicidal ideation. The future of research in this area should focus on the use of drugs for primary and secondary prevention that would modify abnormal brain development. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Polishing techniques for MEGARA pupil elements optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izazaga, R.; Carrasco, E.; Aguirre, D.; Salas, A.; Gil de Paz, A.; Gallego, J.; Iglesias, J.; Arroyo, J. M.; Hernández, M.; López, N.; López, V.; Quechol, J. T.; Salazar, M. F.; Carballo, C.; Cruz, E.; Arriaga, J.; De la Luz, J. A.; Huepa, A.; Jaimes, G. L.; Reyes, J.

2016-07-01

MEGARA (Multi-Espectrógrafo en GTC de Alta Resolución para Astronomía) is the new integral-field and multi-object optical spectrograph for the 10.4m Gran Telescopio Canarias.. It will offer RFWHM 6,000, 12,000 and 18,700 for the low- , mid- and high-resolution, respectively in the wavelength range 3650-9700Å. .The dispersive elements are volume phase holographic (VPH) gratings, sandwiched between two flat Fused Silica windows of high optical precision in large apertures. The design, based in VPHs in combination with Ohara PBM2Y prisms allows to keep the collimator and camera angle fixed. Seventy three optical elements are being built in Mexico at INAOE and CIO. For the low resolution modes, the VPHs windows specifications in irregularity is 1 fringe in 210mm x 170mm and 0.5 fringe in 190mm x 160mm. for a window thickness of 25 mm. For the medium and high resolution modes the irregularity specification is 2 fringes in 220mm x 180mm and 1 fringe in 205mm x 160mm, for a window thickness of 20mm. In this work we present a description of the polishing techniques developed at INAOE optical workshop to fabricate the 36 Fused Silica windows and 24 PBM2Y prisms that allows us to achieve such demanding specifications. We include the processes of mounting, cutting, blocking, polishing and testing.

Perinatal Origins of Adult Disease.

PubMed

Simeoni, Umberto; Armengaud, Jean-Baptiste; Siddeek, Benazir; Tolsa, Jean-François

2018-01-01

Epidemiological and experimental studies have shown that the peri-conception period, pregnancy, and infancy are windows of particular sensibility to environmental clues which influence lifelong trajectories across health and disease. Nutrition, stress, and toxins induce epigenetic marks that control long-term gene expression patterns and can be transmitted transgenerationally. Chronic diseases of adulthood such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity thus have early, developmental origins in the perinatal period. The early epigenome, in interaction with other actors such as the microbiome, add powerful layers of diversity to the biological predisposition generated by the genome. Such "programming" is a normal, adaptive component of development, including in normal pregnancies and births. However, perinatal disease, either maternal (such as pre-eclampsia, ges-tational diabetes, or inflammatory disease) or fetal, and neonatal diseases (such as intrauterine growth restriction and preterm birth) are major conditions of altered programming, translated into an increased risk for chronic disease in these patients when they reach adulthood. Early prevention, optimal perinatal nutrition, and specific follow-up measures are key factors in the early preservation of long-term health. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Can mutation-mediated effects occurring early in development cause long-term seizure susceptibility in genetic generalized epilepsies?

PubMed

Reid, Christopher Alan; Rollo, Ben; Petrou, Steven; Berkovic, Samuel F

2018-05-01

Epilepsy has a strong genetic component, with an ever-increasing number of disease-causing genes being discovered. Most epilepsy-causing mutations are germ line and thus present from conception. These mutations are therefore well positioned to have a deleterious impact during early development. Here we review studies that investigate the role of genetic lesions within the early developmental window, specifically focusing on genetic generalized epilepsy (GGE). Literature on the potential pathogenic role of sub-mesoscopic structural changes in GGE is also reviewed. Evidence from rodent models of genetic epilepsy support the idea that functional and structural changes can occur in early development, leading to altered seizure susceptibility into adulthood. Both animal and human studies suggest that sub-mesoscopic structural changes occur in GGE. The existence of sub-mesoscopic structural changes prior to seizure onset may act as biomarkers of excitability in genetic epilepsies. We also propose that presymptomatic treatment may be essential for limiting the long-term consequences of disease-causing mutations in genetic epilepsies. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2018 International League Against Epilepsy.

The Construct of the Multisensory Temporal Binding Window and its Dysregulation in Developmental Disabilities

PubMed Central

Wallace, Mark T.; Stevenson, Ryan A.

2014-01-01

Behavior, perception and cognition are strongly shaped by the synthesis of information across the different sensory modalities. Such multisensory integration often results in performance and perceptual benefits that reflect the additional information conferred by having cues from multiple senses providing redundant or complementary information. The spatial and temporal relationships of these cues provide powerful statistical information about how these cues should be integrated or “bound” in order to create a unified perceptual representation. Much recent work has examined the temporal factors that are integral in multisensory processing, with many focused on the construct of the multisensory temporal binding window – the epoch of time within which stimuli from different modalities is likely to be integrated and perceptually bound. Emerging evidence suggests that this temporal window is altered in a series of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, dyslexia and schizophrenia. In addition to their role in sensory processing, these deficits in multisensory temporal function may play an important role in the perceptual and cognitive weaknesses that characterize these clinical disorders. Within this context, focus on improving the acuity of multisensory temporal function may have important implications for the amelioration of the “higher-order” deficits that serve as the defining features of these disorders. PMID:25128432

Optical Evaluation of DMDs with UV-Grade FS, Sapphire, MgF2 Windows and Reflectance of Bare Devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quijada, Manuel A.; Heap, Sara; Travinsky, Anton; Vorobiev, Dmitry; Ninkov, Zoran; Raisanen, Alan; Roberto, Massimo

2016-01-01

Digital Micro-mirror Devices (DMDs) have been identified as an alternative to microshutter arrays for space-based multi-object spectrometers (MOS). Specifically, the MOS at the heart of a proposed Galactic Evolution Spectroscopic Explorer (GESE) that uses the DMD as a reprogrammable slit mask. Unfortunately, the protective borosilicate windows limit the use of DMDs in the UV and IR regimes, where the glass has insufficient throughput. In this work, we present our efforts to replace standard DMD windows with custom windows made from UV-grade fused silica, Low Absorption Optical Sapphire (LAOS) and magnesium fluoride. We present reflectance measurements of the antireflection coated windows and a reflectance study of the DMDs active area (window removed). Furthermore, we investigated the long-term stability of the DMD reflectance and recoating device with fresh Al coatings.

Perinatal BPA exposure alters body weight and composition in a dose specific and sex specific manner: The addition of peripubertal exposure exacerbates adverse effects in female mice

PubMed Central

Rubin, Beverly S.; Paranjpe, Maneesha; DaFonte, Tracey; Schaeberle, Cheryl; Soto, Ana M.; Obin, Martin; Greenberg, Andrew S.

2017-01-01

Body weight (BW) and body composition were examined in CD-1 mice exposed perinatally or perinatally and peripubertally to 0, 0.25, 2.5, 25, or 250 μg BPA/kg BW/day. Our goal was to identify the BPA dose (s) and the exposure window(s) that increased BW and adiposity, and to assess potential sex differences in this response. Both perinatal exposure alone and perinatal plus peripubertal exposure to environmentally relevant levels of BPA resulted in lasting effects on body weight and body composition. The effects were dose specific and sex specific and were influenced by the precise window of BPA exposure. The addition of peripubertal BPA exposure following the initial perinatal exposure exacerbated adverse effects in the females but appeared to reduce differences in body weight and body composition between control and BPA exposed males. Some effects of BPA on body weight and body composition showed a non-linear dose response. PMID:27496714

Descriptive Developmental Research: Why Only Time?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Labouvie, Erich W.

1975-01-01

The usefulness of the concepts of cohort and time of measurement in descriptive developmental research was examined by comparing the time-specific cross-sectional and cohort-specific longitudinal age gradients of stable and unstable children. (Author/ED)

Specific Language or Working Memory Impairments: A Small Scale Observational Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Archibald, Lisa M. D.; Joanisse, Marc; Edmunds, Alan

2011-01-01

Study of the developmental relationship between language and working memory skills has only just begun, despite the prominent role of their interdependency in some theoretical accounts of developmental language impairments. Recently, Archibald and Joanisse (2009) identified children with specific language impairment (SLI), or specific working…

Abnormal Functional Lateralization and Activity of Language Brain Areas in Typical Specific Language Impairment (Developmental Dysphasia)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Guibert, Clement; Maumet, Camille; Jannin, Pierre; Ferre, Jean-Christophe; Treguier, Catherine; Barillot, Christian; Le Rumeur, Elisabeth; Allaire, Catherine; Biraben, Arnaud

2011-01-01

Atypical functional lateralization and specialization for language have been proposed to account for developmental language disorders, yet results from functional neuroimaging studies are sparse and inconsistent. This functional magnetic resonance imaging study compared children with a specific subtype of specific language impairment affecting…

Broadband laser ranging precision and accuracy experiments with PDV benchmarking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catenacci, Jared; Daykin, Ed; Howard, Marylesa; Lalone, Brandon; Miller, Kirk

2017-06-01

Broadband laser ranging (BLR) is a developmental diagnostic designed to measure the precise position of surfaces and particle clouds moving at velocities of several kilometers per second. Recent single stage gas gun experiments were conducted to quantify the precision and accuracy possible with a typical BLR system. For these experiments, the position of a mirrored projectile is measured relative to the location of a stationary optical flat (uncoated window) mounted within the gun catch tank. Projectile velocity is constrained to one-dimensional motion within the gun barrel. A collimating probe is aligned to be orthogonal to both the target window and the mirrored impactor surface. The probe is used to simultaneously measure the position and velocity with a BLR and conventional Photonic Doppler Velocimetry (PDV) system. Since there is a negligible lateral component to the target velocity, coupled with strong signal returns from a mirrored surface, integrating the PDV measurement provides a high fidelity distance measurement reference to which the BLR measurement may be compared.

Optimized ex-ovo culturing of chick embryos to advanced stages of development.

PubMed

Cloney, Kellie; Franz-Odendaal, Tamara Anne

2015-01-24

Research in anatomy, embryology, and developmental biology has largely relied on the use of model organisms. In order to study development in live embryos model organisms, such as the chicken, are often used. The chicken is an excellent model organism due to its low cost and minimal maintenance, however they present observational challenges because they are enclosed in an opaque eggshell. In order to properly view the embryo as it develops, the shell must be windowed or removed. Both windowing and ex ovo techniques have been developed to assist researchers in the study of embryonic development. However, each of the methods has limitations and challenges. Here, we present a simple, optimized ex ovo culture technique for chicken embryos that enables the observation of embryonic development from stage HH 19 into late stages of development (HH 40), when many organs have developed. This technique is easy to adopt in both undergraduate classes and more advanced research laboratories where embryo manipulations are conducted.

War's enduring effects on the development of egalitarian motivations and in-group biases.

PubMed

Bauer, Michal; Cassar, Alessandra; Chytilová, Julie; Henrich, Joseph

2014-01-01

In suggesting that new nations often coalesce in the decades following war, historians have posed an important psychological question: Does the experience of war generate an enduring elevation in people's egalitarian motivations toward their in-group? We administered social-choice tasks to more than 1,000 children and adults differentially affected by wars in the Republic of Georgia and Sierra Leone. We found that greater exposure to war created a lasting increase in people's egalitarian motivations toward their in-group, but not their out-groups, during a developmental window starting in middle childhood (around 7 years of age) and ending in early adulthood (around 20 years of age). Outside this window, war had no measurable impact on social motivations in young children and had only muted effects on the motivations of older adults. These "war effects" are broadly consistent with predictions from evolutionary approaches that emphasize the importance of group cooperation in defending against external threats, though they also highlight key areas in need of greater theoretical development.

M13 phage-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes as nanoprobes for second near-infrared window fluorescence imaging of targeted tumors.

PubMed

Yi, Hyunjung; Ghosh, Debadyuti; Ham, Moon-Ho; Qi, Jifa; Barone, Paul W; Strano, Michael S; Belcher, Angela M

2012-03-14

Second near-infrared (NIR) window light (950-1400 nm) is attractive for in vivo fluorescence imaging due to its deep penetration depth in tissues and low tissue autofluorescence. Here we show genetically engineered multifunctional M13 phage can assemble fluorescent single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and ligands for targeted fluorescence imaging of tumors. M13-SWNT probe is detectable in deep tissues even at a low dosage of 2 μg/mL and up to 2.5 cm in tissue-like phantoms. Moreover, targeted probes show specific and up to 4-fold improved uptake in prostate specific membrane antigen positive prostate tumors compared to control nontargeted probes. This M13 phage-based second NIR window fluorescence imaging probe has great potential for specific detection and therapy monitoring of hard-to-detect areas. © 2012 American Chemical Society

M13 phage-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes as nanoprobes for second near-infrared window fluorescence imaging of targeted tumors

PubMed Central

HAM, MOON-HO; QI, JIFA; BARONE, PAUL W.; STRANO, MICHAEL S.; BELCHER, ANGELA M.

2014-01-01

Second near-infrared (NIR) window light (950-1,400 nm) is attractive for in vivo fluorescence imaging due to its deep penetration depth in tissues and low tissue autofluorescence. Here we show genetically engineered multifunctional M13 phage can assemble fluorescent single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and ligands for targeted fluorescence imaging of tumors. M13-SWNT probe is detectable in deep tissues even at a low dosage of 2 μg/mL and up to 2.5 cm in tissue-like phantoms. Moreover, targeted probes show specific and up to four-fold improved uptake in prostate specific membrane antigen positive prostate tumors compared to control non-targeted probes. This M13 phage-based second NIR window fluorescence imaging probe has great potential for specific detection and therapy monitoring of hard-to-detect areas. PMID:22268625

Epigenomic Landscape of Human Fetal Brain, Heart, and Liver.

PubMed

Yan, Liying; Guo, Hongshan; Hu, Boqiang; Li, Rong; Yong, Jun; Zhao, Yangyu; Zhi, Xu; Fan, Xiaoying; Guo, Fan; Wang, Xiaoye; Wang, Wei; Wei, Yuan; Wang, Yan; Wen, Lu; Qiao, Jie; Tang, Fuchou

2016-02-26

The epigenetic regulation of spatiotemporal gene expression is crucial for human development. Here, we present whole-genome chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high throughput DNA sequencing (ChIP-seq) analyses of a wide variety of histone markers in the brain, heart, and liver of early human embryos shortly after their formation. We identified 40,181 active enhancers, with a large portion showing tissue-specific and developmental stage-specific patterns, pointing to their roles in controlling the ordered spatiotemporal expression of the developmental genes in early human embryos. Moreover, using sequential ChIP-seq, we showed that all three organs have hundreds to thousands of bivalent domains that are marked by both H3K4me3 and H3K27me3, probably to keep the progenitor cells in these organs ready for immediate differentiation into diverse cell types during subsequent developmental processes. Our work illustrates the potentially critical roles of tissue-specific and developmental stage-specific epigenomes in regulating the spatiotemporal expression of developmental genes during early human embryonic development. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Identifying Support Functions in Developmental Relationships: A Self-Determination Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janssen, Suzanne; van Vuuren, Mark; de Jong, Menno D. T.

2013-01-01

This study examines the content of developmental networks from the perspective of self-determination theory. We qualitatively examine 18 proteges' constellations of developmental relationships to identify specific types of developmental support functions. Our study shows that the adoption of self-determination theory leads to a theory-based…

Launch window analysis of satellites in high eccentricity or large circular orbits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Renard, M. L.; Bhate, S. K.; Sridharan, R.

1973-01-01

Numerical methods and computer programs for studying the stability and evolution of orbits of large eccentricity are presented. Methods for determining launch windows and target dates are developed. Mathematical models are prepared to analyze the characteristics of specific missions.

Predicting progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia using neuropsychological data: a supervised learning approach using time windows.

PubMed

Pereira, Telma; Lemos, Luís; Cardoso, Sandra; Silva, Dina; Rodrigues, Ana; Santana, Isabel; de Mendonça, Alexandre; Guerreiro, Manuela; Madeira, Sara C

2017-07-19

Predicting progression from a stage of Mild Cognitive Impairment to dementia is a major pursuit in current research. It is broadly accepted that cognition declines with a continuum between MCI and dementia. As such, cohorts of MCI patients are usually heterogeneous, containing patients at different stages of the neurodegenerative process. This hampers the prognostic task. Nevertheless, when learning prognostic models, most studies use the entire cohort of MCI patients regardless of their disease stages. In this paper, we propose a Time Windows approach to predict conversion to dementia, learning with patients stratified using time windows, thus fine-tuning the prognosis regarding the time to conversion. In the proposed Time Windows approach, we grouped patients based on the clinical information of whether they converted (converter MCI) or remained MCI (stable MCI) within a specific time window. We tested time windows of 2, 3, 4 and 5 years. We developed a prognostic model for each time window using clinical and neuropsychological data and compared this approach with the commonly used in the literature, where all patients are used to learn the models, named as First Last approach. This enables to move from the traditional question "Will a MCI patient convert to dementia somewhere in the future" to the question "Will a MCI patient convert to dementia in a specific time window". The proposed Time Windows approach outperformed the First Last approach. The results showed that we can predict conversion to dementia as early as 5 years before the event with an AUC of 0.88 in the cross-validation set and 0.76 in an independent validation set. Prognostic models using time windows have higher performance when predicting progression from MCI to dementia, when compared to the prognostic approach commonly used in the literature. Furthermore, the proposed Time Windows approach is more relevant from a clinical point of view, predicting conversion within a temporal interval rather than sometime in the future and allowing clinicians to timely adjust treatments and clinical appointments.

Intelligent windows using new thermotropic layers with long-term stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Haruo

1995-08-01

This paper concerns the autonomous responsive type light adjustment window (intelligent windows) among smart windows which adjust the light upon receiving environmental energy. More specifically, this is a thermotropic window panel that laminates and seals a new type of highly viscous polymer aqueous solution gel. A conventional thermotropic window panel has never been put to practical use since the reversible change between the colorless, transparent state (water-clear) and translucent scattered state (paper-white) with uniformity was not possible. The change involved phase separation and generated non-uniformity. The author, after fundamental studies of hydrophobic bonding, successfully solved the problem by developing a polymer aqueous solution gel with amphiphatic molecule as the third component in addition to water and water-soluble polymer with hydrophobic radical, based on the molecular spacer concept. In addition, the author established peripheral technologies and succeeded in experimentally fabricating a panel type 'Affinity's Intelligent Window (AIW)' that has attained the level of practical use.

The Role of Maternal Nutrition During the Periconceptional Period and Its Effect on Offspring Phenotype.

PubMed

Fleming, Tom P; Eckert, Judith J; Denisenko, Oleg

2017-01-01

The early preimplantation embryo has been rigorously studied for decades to understand inherent reproductive and developmental mechanisms driving its morphogenesis from before fertilisation through to and beyond implantation. Recent research has demonstrated that this short developmental window is also critical for the embryo's interaction with external, maternal factors, particularly nutritional status. Here, maternal dietary quality has been shown to alter the pattern of development in an enduring way that can influence health throughout the lifetime. Thus, using mouse models, maternal protein restriction exclusively during the preimplantation period with normal nutrition thereafter is sufficient to cause adverse cardiometabolic and neurological outcomes in adult offspring. Evidence for similar effects whereby environmental factors during the periconceptional window can programme postnatal disease risk can be found in human and large animal models and also in response to in vitro conditions such as assisted conception and related infertility treatments. In this review, using mouse malnutrition models, we evaluate the step-by-step mechanisms that lead from maternal poor diet consumption though to offspring disease. We consider how adverse programming within the embryo may be induced, what nutrient factors and signalling pathways may be involved, and how these cues act to change the embryo in distinct ways across placental and foetal lineage paths, leading especially to changes in the growth trajectory which in turn associate with later disease risk. These mechanisms straddle epigenetic, molecular, cellular and physiological levels of biology and suggest, for health outcomes, preimplantation development to be the most important time in our lives.

Developmental Systems Theory and the Person-Oriented Approach. Commentary on: "An Interpretation of Part of Gilbert Gottlieb's Legacy: Developmental Systems Theory Contra Developmental Behavior Genetics"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergman, Lars R.

2015-01-01

Molenaar's (2015) article concerns Developmental Systems Theory (DST) in relation to behavior genetics and he presents implications of DST for empirical research, especially the need for subject-specific studies. In this commentary, the article is discussed from a broader developmental science perspective, particularly regarded through the lens of…

Phthalate and bisphenol A exposure during in utero windows of susceptibility in relation to reproductive hormones and pubertal development in girls.

PubMed

Watkins, Deborah J; Sánchez, Brisa N; Téllez-Rojo, Martha Maria; Lee, Joyce M; Mercado-García, Adriana; Blank-Goldenberg, Clara; Peterson, Karen E; Meeker, John D

2017-11-01

Over the past several decades, the age of pubertal onset in girls has shifted downward worldwide. As early pubertal onset is associated with increased risky behavior and psychological issues during adolescence and cardiometabolic disease and cancer in adulthood, this is an important public health concern. Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals during critical windows of in utero development may play a role in this trend. Our objective was to investigate trimester-specific phthalate and BPA exposure in relation to pubertal development among girls in the Early Life Exposure in Mexico to Environmental Toxicants (ELEMENT) birth cohort. We measured maternal urinary phthalate metabolites and BPA in samples collected during the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy. To assess reproductive development among their female children, we measured serum testosterone, estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), inhibin B, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and assessed sexual maturation, including Tanner staging for breast and pubic hair development and menarche status, at age 8-13 years (n = 120). We used linear and logistic regression to examine measures of trimester-specific in utero exposure as predictors of peripubertal hormone levels and pubertal onset, respectively. In secondary analyses, we evaluated estimated exposure at the midpoint of the first trimester and rates of change in exposure across pregnancy in relation to outcomes. Several phthalate metabolites measured throughout in utero development were associated with higher serum testosterone concentrations, while a number of metabolites measured in the third trimester were associated with higher DHEA-S. For example, an interquartile range (IQR) increase in mean monoethyl phthalate (MEP) levels across pregnancy was associated with 44% higher peripubertal testosterone (95% CI: 13-83%), while an IQR increase in di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate metabolites (ΣDEHP) specifically in the third trimester was associated with 25% higher DHEA-S (95%CI: 4.7-47%). In IQR increase in mean mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) levels across pregnancy was associated with lower odds of having a Tanner Stage >1 for breast development (OR = 0.32, 95%CI: 0.11-0.95), while MEHP in the third trimester was associated with higher odds of having a Tanner Stage >1 for pubic hair development (OR = 3.76, 95%CI: 1.1-12.8). Results from secondary analyses were consistent with findings from our main analysis. These findings suggest that female reproductive development may be more vulnerable to the effects of phthalate or BPA exposure during specific critical periods of in utero development. This highlights the need for comprehensive characterizations of in utero exposure and consideration of windows of susceptibility in developmental epidemiological studies. Future research should consider repeated measures of in utero phthalate and BPA exposure within each trimester and across pregnancy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sex-specific developmental models for Creophilus maxillosus (L.) (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae): searching for larger accuracy of insect age estimates.

PubMed

Frątczak-Łagiewska, Katarzyna; Matuszewski, Szymon

2018-05-01

Differences in size between males and females, called the sexual size dimorphism, are common in insects. These differences may be followed by differences in the duration of development. Accordingly, it is believed that insect sex may be used to increase the accuracy of insect age estimates in forensic entomology. Here, the sex-specific differences in the development of Creophilus maxillosus were studied at seven constant temperatures. We have also created separate developmental models for males and females of C. maxillosus and tested them in a validation study to answer a question whether sex-specific developmental models improve the accuracy of insect age estimates. Results demonstrate that males of C. maxillosus developed significantly longer than females. The sex-specific and general models for the total immature development had the same optimal temperature range and similar developmental threshold but different thermal constant K, which was the largest in the case of the male-specific model and the smallest in the case of the female-specific model. Despite these differences, validation study revealed just minimal and statistically insignificant differences in the accuracy of age estimates using sex-specific and general thermal summation models. This finding indicates that in spite of statistically significant differences in the duration of immature development between females and males of C. maxillosus, there is no increase in the accuracy of insect age estimates while using the sex-specific thermal summation models compared to the general model. Accordingly, this study does not support the use of sex-specific developmental data for the estimation of insect age in forensic entomology.

Investigation of Fuel Oil/Lube Oil Spray Fires On Board Vessels. Volume 3.

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-11-01

U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center 1082 Shennecossett Road, Groton, CT 06340-6096 Report No. CG-D-01-99, III Investigation of Fuel ...refinery). Developed the technical and mathematical specifications for BRAVO™2.0, a state-of-the-art Windows program for performing event tree and fault...tree analyses. Also managed the development of and prepared the technical specifications for QRA ROOTS™, a Windows program for storing, searching K-4

Developmental Dyslexia: An Evaluation of a Theory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Satz, Paul; Van Nostrand, Gary K.

The paper reviews a theory advanced by Satz and Sparrow (1970) which purports to explain the nature and cause of specific developmental dyslexia, and evaluates several developmental hypotheses which are generated bythe theory. The theory postulates that developmental dyslexia is not a unitary syndrome but rather reflects a lag in the maturation of…

Determining the frequency of open windows in motor vehicles: a pilot study using a video camera in Houston, Texas during high temperature conditions.

PubMed

Long, Tom; Johnson, Ted; Ollison, Will

2002-05-01

Researchers have developed a variety of computer-based models to estimate population exposure to air pollution. These models typically estimate exposures by simulating the movement of specific population groups through defined microenvironments. Exposures in the motor vehicle microenvironment are significantly affected by air exchange rate, which in turn is affected by vehicle speed, window position, vent status, and air conditioning use. A pilot study was conducted in Houston, Texas, during September 2000 for a specific set of weather, vehicle speed, and road type conditions to determine whether useful information on the position of windows, sunroofs, and convertible tops could be obtained through the use of video cameras. Monitoring was conducted at three sites (two arterial roads and one interstate highway) on the perimeter of Harris County located in or near areas not subject to mandated Inspection and Maintenance programs. Each site permitted an elevated view of vehicles as they proceeded through a turn, thereby exposing all windows to the stationary video camera. Five videotaping sessions were conducted over a two-day period in which the Heat Index (HI)-a function of temperature and humidity-varied from 80 to 101 degrees F and vehicle speed varied from 30 to 74 mph. The resulting videotapes were processed to create a master database listing vehicle-specific data for site location, date, time, vehicle type (e.g., minivan), color, window configuration (e.g., four windows and sunroof), number of windows in each of three position categories (fully open, partially open, and closed), HI, and speed. Of the 758 vehicles included in the database, 140 (18.5 percent) were labeled as "open," indicating a window, sunroof, or convertible top was fully or partially open. The results of a series of stepwise linear regression analyses indicated that the probability of a vehicle in the master database being "open" was weakly affected by time of day, vehicle type, vehicle color, vehicle speed, and HI. In particular, open windows occurred more frequently when vehicle speed was less than 50 mph during periods when HI exceeded 99.9 degrees F and the vehicle was a minivan or passenger van. Overall, the pilot study demonstrated that data on factors affecting vehicle window position could be acquired through a relatively simple experimental protocol using a single video camera. Limitations of the study requiring further research include the inability to determine the status of the vehicle air conditioning system; lack of a wide range of weather, vehicle speed, and road type conditions; and the need to exclude some vehicles from statistical analyses due to ambiguous window positions.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals affect the adipogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells in distinct ontogenetic windows

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Biemann, Ronald, E-mail: ronald.biemann@medizin.uni-halle.de; Navarrete Santos, Anne; Navarrete Santos, Alexander

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Endocrine disrupting chemicals affect adipogenesis in mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The adipogenic impact depends strongly on the window of exposure. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Bisphenol A reduces the potential of MSC to differentiate into adipocytes. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer DEHP and TBT trigger the adipogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer BPA, DEHP and TBT did not affect adipogenesis in embryonic stem cells. -- Abstract: Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) like bisphenol A (BPA), bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) and tributyltin (TBT) are ubiquitously present in the environment and in human tissues. They bind to nuclear hormone receptors and affect cellular and developmental processes. In this study,more » we show that BPA, DEHP and TBT affect the adipogenic differentiation of murine mesenchymal stem cells (MSC, C3H/10T1/2) in a concentration-, stage- and compound-specific manner. C3H/10T1/2 cells and embryonic stem cells (CGR8) were exposed to BPA, DEHP or TBT at different stages of cell determination and differentiation (undifferentiated growth, adipogenic induction and terminal adipogenic differentiation). The final amount of differentiated adipocytes, cellular triglyceride content and mRNA expression of adipogenic marker genes (adiponectin, FABP4, PPAR{gamma}2, LPL) were quantified and compared with corresponding unexposed cells. BPA (10 {mu}M) decreased subsequent adipogenic differentiation of MSC, when cells were exposed during undifferentiated growth. In contrast, DEHP (100 {mu}M) during the hormonal induction period, and TBT (100 nM) in all investigated stages, enhanced adipogenesis. Importantly, exposure of undifferentiated murine embryonic stem cells did not show any effect of the investigated EDC on subsequent adipogenic differentiation.« less

Alteration of infant attention and activity by polychlorinated biphenyls: unravelling critical windows of susceptibility using physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling.

PubMed

Verner, M-A; Plusquellec, P; Muckle, G; Ayotte, P; Dewailly, E; Jacobson, S W; Jacobson, J L; Charbonneau, M; Haddad, S

2010-09-01

Pre- and postnatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can impair behavioural function in animal models at doses within the range at which humans are commonly exposed. Yet, epidemiologic studies conducted in the US and Europe are inconsistent with regard to the developmental effects of lactational exposure to these chemicals. This inconsistency may be due to limitations in the current methodological approaches for assessing postnatal exposure to PCBs. Our study used a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model to simulate blood PCB levels during specific pre- and postnatal periods and to evaluate the relation of those levels to infant behaviour. A previously validated PBPK model was used to simulate infant blood PCB-153 levels at delivery and on a month-by-month basis during the first year of life for Inuit infants enrolled in a longitudinal birth cohort. Infant behaviour was assessed using the Behaviour Rating Scales (BRS) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID-II) at 11 months of age and video coding of inattention and activity measured during the administration of the mental development subscale of the BSID-II. The estimated pre- and postnatal PCB exposure measures predicted significant increases in inattention and activity at 11 months. Whereas inattention was related to prenatal exposure, activity level, measured by non-elicited activity, was best predicted by postnatal exposure, with the strongest association obtained for simulated PCB levels during the 4th month of life. These findings are consistent with previous reports indicating PCB-induced behavioural alteration in attention and activity level. Simulated infant toxicokinetic profiles for the first year of life revealed windows of susceptibility during which PCBs may impair infant attention and activity. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pulling the Internet Together with Mosaic.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheehan, Mark

1995-01-01

Presents the history of the Internet with specific emphasis on Mosaic; discusses hypertext and hypermedia information; and describes software and hardware requirements. Sidebars include information on the National Center for Super Computing Applications (NCSA); World Wide Web browsers for use in Windows, Macintosh, and X-Windows (UNIX); and…

Assessment of an aqueous seed extract of Parkia clappertoniana on reproductive performance and toxicity in rodents.

PubMed

Boye, Alex; Boampong, Victor Addai; Takyi, Nutifafa; Martey, Orleans

2016-06-05

The seeds of Parkia clappertoniana Keay (Family: Fabaceae) are extensively used in food in the form of a local condiment called 'Dawadawa' in Ghana and consumed by all class of people including sensitive groups such as pregnant women and children. Also, crudely pounded preparations of P. clappertoniana seeds are used as labor inducing agent in farm animals by local farmers across northern Ghana where nomadism is the livelihood of most indigenes. Ecologically, P. clappertoniana is extensively distributed across the savannah ecological zone of many African countries where just like Ghana it enjoys ethnobotanical usage. Although, many studies have investigated some aspects of the pharmacological activity of P. clappertoniana, none of these studies focused on the reproductive system, particularly its effects on reproductive performance and toxicity. To contribute, this study assessed the effect of aqueous seed extract of P. clappertoniana (PCE) on reproductive performance and toxicity in Sprague-Dawley rats and ICR mice. After preparation of PCE, it was then tested on rodents at different gestational and developmental windows (1-7, 8-14, and 15-term gestational days) to assess the following: mating behavior, implantation rate, maternal and developmental toxicities. Generally, animals were randomly grouped into five and treated as follows: normal saline group (5ml/kg po), cytotec (misoprostol) group (200mg/kg po), folic acid group (5mg/kg po), and PCE groups (100, 200, and 500mg/kg po), however, these groupings were varied to suit the specific requirements of some parameters. For acute toxicity, animals were orally administered PCE (3 and 5g/kg for mice and rats respectively). PCE-treated rats showed improved mating behavior compared to control rats. PCE improved implantation rate compared to misoprostol-treated rats. On the average, PCE-treated rats delivered termed live pubs at 21 days compared to that of folic acid-treated rats at 23 days. Also, PCE-treated rats showed no observable maternal and developmental toxicities compared to folic acid and control rats. PCE (3-5g/kg po) was orally tolerated in rodents. Oral administration of Parkia clappertoniana seed extract improves reproductive performance in rodents with no observable maternal and developmental toxicity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differential Language Markers of Pathology in Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified and Specific Language Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demouy, Julie; Plaza, Monique; Xavier, Jean; Ringeval, Fabien; Chetouani, Mohamed; Perisse, Didier; Chauvin, Dominique; Viaux, Sylvie; Golse, Bernard; Cohen, David; Robel, Laurence

2011-01-01

Language impairment is a common core feature in Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) and Specific Language Impairment (SLI). Many studies have tried to define the specific language profiles of these disorders, some claiming the existence of overlaps, and others conceiving of them as separate categories. Fewer have sought to determine whether…

Could Specific Braille Reading Difficulties Result from Developmental Dyslexia?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veispak, Anneli; Ghesquiere, Pol

2010-01-01

A proportion of children with visual impairments have specific reading difficulties that cannot be easily explained. This article reviews the data on problems with braille reading and interprets them from the framework of the temporal-processing deficit theory of developmental dyslexia.

Diagnosis of severe developmental disorders in children under three years of age.

PubMed

Markiewicz, Katarzyna; Pachalska, Maria

2007-02-01

Autism, intellectual disability, and specific language impairment (SLI) constitute three important forms of developmental disability that are often mistaken for each other, especially in very young children (under age 4). Diagnostic problems are caused by the fact that a fundamental problem in cognition, language, or behavior has secondary effects on the remaining areas, which makes it difficult to separate cause from effect. A wrong or absent diagnosis can be a major hindrance in providing properly targeted therapy for developmentally disabled children. From a population of 667 children referred to a specialized outpatient clinic for developmentally disabled children, we identified 35 children in whom the fundamental diagnosis of autism, intellectual disability, or SLI was unambiguous, and then analyzed these children's scores on 7 subtests from the Munich Functional Developmental Diagnosis, in order to identify specific features of each of the three syndromes. The most reliable differentiating factor in our research group proved to be the MFDD subtest for self-reliance. A model was constructed to assist in analyzing the complex interactions of symptoms, which frequently overlap. Cognitive and communicative limitations resulting from underlying perceptual dysfunctions can lead to inappropriate adaptive behavior in children with developmental disorders, such as autism, intellectual disability, and specific language impairment. Each of these syndromes has a specific profile in respect to measures of cognitive function, social skills, and verbal communication.

Perinatal BPA exposure alters body weight and composition in a dose specific and sex specific manner: The addition of peripubertal exposure exacerbates adverse effects in female mice.

PubMed

Rubin, Beverly S; Paranjpe, Maneesha; DaFonte, Tracey; Schaeberle, Cheryl; Soto, Ana M; Obin, Martin; Greenberg, Andrew S

2017-03-01

Body weight (BW) and body composition were examined in CD-1 mice exposed perinatally or perinatally and peripubertally to 0, 0.25, 2.5, 25, or 250μg BPA/kg BW/day. Our goal was to identify the BPA dose (s) and the exposure window(s) that increased BW and adiposity, and to assess potential sex differences in this response. Both perinatal exposure alone and perinatal plus peripubertal exposure to environmentally relevant levels of BPA resulted in lasting effects on body weight and body composition. The effects were dose specific and sex specific and were influenced by the precise window of BPA exposure. The addition of peripubertal BPA exposure following the initial perinatal exposure exacerbated adverse effects in the females but appeared to reduce differences in body weight and body composition between control and BPA exposed males. Some effects of BPA on body weight and body composition showed a non-linear dose response. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Psychosocially influenced cancer: diverse early-life stress experiences and links to breast cancer.

PubMed

Schuler, Linda A; Auger, Anthony P

2010-11-01

This perspective on Boyd et al. (beginning on page 1398 in this issue of the journal) discusses recent published research examining the interplay between social stress and breast cancer. Cross-disciplinary studies using genetically defined mouse models and established neonatal and peripubertal paradigms of social stress are illuminating biological programming by diverse early-life experiences for the risk of breast cancer. Understanding the mechanisms underlying this programming can lead to the identification of risk factors and sensitive developmental windows, enabling improved prevention and treatment strategies for this devastating disease. ©2010 AACR.

Early structural and functional plasticity alterations in a susceptibility period of DYT1 dystonia mouse striatum

PubMed Central

Maltese, Marta; Stanic, Jennifer; Tassone, Annalisa; Sciamanna, Giuseppe; Ponterio, Giulia; Vanni, Valentina; Martella, Giuseppina; Imbriani, Paola; Bonsi, Paola; Mercuri, Nicola Biagio

2018-01-01

The onset of abnormal movements in DYT1 dystonia is between childhood and adolescence, although it is unclear why clinical manifestations appear during this developmental period. Plasticity at corticostriatal synapses is critically involved in motor memory. In the Tor1a+/Δgag DYT1 dystonia mouse model, long-term potentiation (LTP) appeared prematurely in a critical developmental window in striatal spiny neurons (SPNs), while long-term depression (LTD) was never recorded. Analysis of dendritic spines showed an increase of both spine width and mature mushroom spines in Tor1a+/Δgag neurons, paralleled by an enhanced AMPA receptor (AMPAR) accumulation. BDNF regulates AMPAR expression during development. Accordingly, both proBDNF and BDNF levels were significantly higher in Tor1a+/Δgag mice. Consistently, antagonism of BDNF rescued synaptic plasticity deficits and AMPA currents. Our findings demonstrate that early loss of functional and structural synaptic homeostasis represents a unique endophenotypic trait during striatal maturation, promoting the appearance of clinical manifestations in mutation carriers. PMID:29504938

A systematic evaluation of the potential effects of trichloroethylene exposure on cardiac development.

PubMed

Makris, Susan L; Scott, Cheryl Siegel; Fox, John; Knudsen, Thomas B; Hotchkiss, Andrew K; Arzuaga, Xabier; Euling, Susan Y; Powers, Christina M; Jinot, Jennifer; Hogan, Karen A; Abbott, Barbara D; Hunter, E Sidney; Narotsky, Michael G

2016-10-01

The 2011 EPA trichloroethylene (TCE) IRIS assessment, used developmental cardiac defects from a controversial drinking water study in rats (Johnson et al. [51]), along with several other studies/endpoints to derive reference values. An updated literature search of TCE-related developmental cardiac defects was conducted. Study quality, strengths, and limitations were assessed. A putative adverse outcome pathway (AOP) construct was developed to explore key events for the most commonly observed cardiac dysmorphologies, particularly those involved with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of endothelial origin (EndMT); several candidate pathways were identified. A hypothesis-driven weight-of-evidence analysis of epidemiological, toxicological, in vitro, in ovo, and mechanistic/AOP data concluded that TCE has the potential to cause cardiac defects in humans when exposure occurs at sufficient doses during a sensitive window of fetal development. The study by Johnson et al. [51] was reaffirmed as suitable for hazard characterization and reference value derivation, though acknowledging study limitations and uncertainties. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Why Do Anxious Children Become Depressed Teenagers?: The Role of Social Evaluative Threat and Reward Processing

PubMed Central

Silk, Jennifer S.; Davis, Stephanie; McMakin, Dana L.; Dahl, Ronald E.; Forbes, Erika E.

2012-01-01

Background Depression is a leading cause of worldwide disability. Adolescence represents a key developmental window in which rates of this disorder increase markedly. Children with an anxiety disorder show a particular risk of developing depression during adolescence. Method We present and review evidence for a developmental model that considers the intersection of two vulnerabilities relevant to the trajectory from anxiety to depression: difficulties in response to potential social evaluation and changes in reward processing at puberty. Results Evidence suggests that these vulnerabilities (a) have been associated with depression, (b) are likely to be problematic in many but not all anxious youth, and (c) may be exacerbated by maturational processes that occur around pubertal development in ways that can create a negative spiral into a depressive disorder. Conclusions We discuss the possibility that early intervention strategies targeting key aspects of these vulnerabilities could alter the trajectory away from depression for many anxious youth. PMID:22340187

Detection of Early Ischemic Changes in Noncontrast CT Head Improved with "Stroke Windows".

PubMed

Mainali, Shraddha; Wahba, Mervat; Elijovich, Lucas

2014-01-01

Introduction. Noncontrast head CT (NCCT) is the standard radiologic test for patients presenting with acute stroke. Early ischemic changes (EIC) are often overlooked on initial NCCT. We determine the sensitivity and specificity of improved EIC detection by a standardized method of image evaluation (Stroke Windows). Methods. We performed a retrospective chart review to identify patients with acute ischemic stroke who had NCCT at presentation. EIC was defined by the presence of hyperdense MCA/basilar artery sign; sulcal effacement; basal ganglia/subcortical hypodensity; and loss of cortical gray-white differentiation. NCCT was reviewed with standard window settings and with specialized Stroke Windows. Results. Fifty patients (42% females, 58% males) with a mean NIHSS of 13.4 were identified. EIC was detected in 9 patients with standard windows, while EIC was detected using Stroke Windows in 35 patients (18% versus 70%; P < 0.0001). Hyperdense MCA sign was the most commonly reported EIC; it was better detected with Stroke Windows (14% and 36%; P < 0.0198). Detection of the remaining EIC also improved with Stroke Windows (6% and 46%; P < 0.0001). Conclusions. Detection of EIC has important implications in diagnosis and treatment of acute ischemic stroke. Utilization of Stroke Windows significantly improved detection of EIC.

Creative Counseling Interventions for Grieving Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slyter, Marty

2012-01-01

This article provides information on adolescent developmental issues and developmentally appropriate interventions that can help mental health practitioners work with adolescents grieving a death loss. Specific areas that are initially covered include core adolescent developmental issues that must be understood, including adolescent developmental…

Defining window-boundaries for genomic analyses using smoothing spline techniques

DOE PAGES

Beissinger, Timothy M.; Rosa, Guilherme J.M.; Kaeppler, Shawn M.; ...

2015-04-17

High-density genomic data is often analyzed by combining information over windows of adjacent markers. Interpretation of data grouped in windows versus at individual locations may increase statistical power, simplify computation, reduce sampling noise, and reduce the total number of tests performed. However, use of adjacent marker information can result in over- or under-smoothing, undesirable window boundary specifications, or highly correlated test statistics. We introduce a method for defining windows based on statistically guided breakpoints in the data, as a foundation for the analysis of multiple adjacent data points. This method involves first fitting a cubic smoothing spline to the datamore » and then identifying the inflection points of the fitted spline, which serve as the boundaries of adjacent windows. This technique does not require prior knowledge of linkage disequilibrium, and therefore can be applied to data collected from individual or pooled sequencing experiments. Moreover, in contrast to existing methods, an arbitrary choice of window size is not necessary, since these are determined empirically and allowed to vary along the genome.« less

Design and Verification of Critical Pressurised Windows for Manned Spaceflight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamoure, Richard; Busto, Lara; Novo, Francisco; Sinnema, Gerben; Leal, Mendes M.

2014-06-01

The Window Design for Manned Spaceflight (WDMS) project was tasked with establishing the state-of-art and explore possible improvements to the current structural integrity verification and fracture control methodologies for manned spacecraft windows.A critical review of the state-of-art in spacecraft window design, materials and verification practice was conducted. Shortcomings of the methodology in terms of analysis, inspection and testing were identified. Schemes for improving verification practices and reducing conservatism whilst maintaining the required safety levels were then proposed.An experimental materials characterisation programme was defined and carried out with the support of the 'Glass and Façade Technology Research Group', at the University of Cambridge. Results of the sample testing campaign were analysed, post-processed and subsequently applied to the design of a breadboard window demonstrator.Two Fused Silica glass window panes were procured and subjected to dedicated analyses, inspection and testing comprising both qualification and acceptance programmes specifically tailored to the objectives of the activity.Finally, main outcomes have been compiled into a Structural Verification Guide for Pressurised Windows in manned spacecraft, incorporating best practices and lessons learned throughout this project.

Probabilistic assessment of phenophase-wise agricultural drought risk under different sowing windows: a case study with rainfed soybean.

PubMed

Dhakar, Rajkumar; Sarath Chandran, M A; Nagar, Shivani; Visha Kumari, V

2017-11-23

A new methodology for crop-growth stage-specific assessment of agricultural drought risk under a variable sowing window is proposed for the soybean crop. It encompasses three drought indices, which include Crop-Specific Drought Index (CSDI), Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), and Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). The unique features of crop-growth stage-specific nature and spatial and multi-scalar coverage provide a comprehensive assessment of agricultural drought risk. This study was conducted in 10 major soybean-growing districts of Madhya Pradesh state of India. These areas contribute about 60% of the total soybean production for the country. The phenophase most vulnerable to agricultural drought was identified (germination and flowering in our case) for each district across four sowing windows. The agricultural drought risk was quantified at various severity levels (moderate, severe, and very severe) for each growth stage and sowing window. Validation of the proposed new methodology also yielded results with a high correlation coefficient between percent probability of agricultural drought risk and yield risk (r = 0.92). Assessment by proximity matrix yielded a similar statistic. Expectations for the proposed methodology are better mitigation-oriented management and improved crop contingency plans for planners and decision makers.

Maturation of the P3 and concurrent oscillatory processes during adolescence.

PubMed

Mathes, Birgit; Khalaidovski, Ksenia; Wienke, Annika S; Schmiedt-Fehr, Christina; Basar-Eroglu, Canan

2016-07-01

During adolescence event-related modulations of the neural response may increase. For slow event-related components, such as the P3, this developmental change may be masked due to increased amplitude levels of ongoing delta and theta oscillations in adolescents. In a cross-sectional study design, EEG was measured in 51 participants between 13 and 24years. A visual oddball paradigm was used to elicit the P3. Our analysis focused on fronto-parietal activations within the P3 time-window and the concurrent time-frequency characteristics in the delta (∼0.5-4Hz) and theta (∼4-7Hz) band. The parietal P3 amplitude was similar across the investigated age range, while the amplitude at frontal regions increased with age. The pre-stimulus amplitudes of delta and theta oscillations declined with age, while post-stimulus amplitude enhancement and inter-trial phase coherence increased. These changes affected fronto-parietal electrode sites. The parietal P3 maximum seemed comparable for adolescents and young adults. Detailed analysis revealed that within the P3 time-window brain maturation during adolescence may lead to reduced spontaneous slow-wave oscillations, increased amplitude modulation and time precision of event-related oscillations, and altered P3 scalp topography. Time-frequency analyses may help to distinguish selective neurodevelopmental changes within the P3 time window. Copyright © 2016 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Windows of susceptibility and consequences of early life exposures to 17β–estradiol on medaka (Oryzias latipes) reproductive success

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lee Pow, Crystal S. D.; Tilahun, Kedamawit; Creech, Kari; Law, J. Mac; Cope, W. Gregory; Kwak, Thomas J.; Rice, James A.; Aday, D. Derek; Kullman, Seth W.

2017-01-01

Estrogens and estrogen mimics are commonly found in surface waters and are associated with deleterious effects in fish populations. Impaired fertility and fecundity in fish following chronic exposures to estrogens and estrogen mimics during critical windows in development are well documented. However, information regarding differential reproductive effects of exposure within defined developmental stages remains sparse. In this study, reproductive capacity was assessed in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) after exposure to two concentrations of 17β–estradiol (E2β; 2 ng/L and 50 ng/L) during four distinct stages of development: gonad development, gonad differentiation, development of secondary sex characteristics (SSC) and gametogenesis. Exposure to E2β did not adversely impact survival, hatch success, growth, or genotypic ratios. In contrast, exposure to 50 ng/L E2β during SSC development altered phenotypic ratios and SSC. Exposure to both E2β treatments reduced reproductive capacity (fertility, fecundity) by 7.3–57.4% in adult medaka breeding pairs, with hindrance of SSC development resulting in the largest disruption in breeding capacity (51.6–57.4% decrease) in the high concentration. This study documents differential effects among four critical stages of development and provides insight into factors (window of exposure, exposure concentration and duration of exposure period) contributing to reproductive disruption in fish.

Resource quality affects weapon and testis size and the ability of these traits to respond to selection in the leaf-footed cactus bug, Narnia femorata.

PubMed

Sasson, Daniel A; Munoz, Patricio R; Gezan, Salvador A; Miller, Christine W

2016-04-01

The size of weapons and testes can be central to male reproductive success. Yet, the expression of these traits is often extremely variable. Studies are needed that take a more complete organism perspective, investigating the sources of variation in both traits simultaneously and using developmental conditions that mimic those in nature. In this study, we investigated the components of variation in weapon and testis sizes using the leaf-footed cactus bug, Narnia femorata (Hemiptera: Coreidae) on three natural developmental diets. We show that the developmental diet has profound effects on both weapon and testis expression and scaling. Intriguingly, males in the medium-quality diet express large weapons but have relatively tiny testes, suggesting complex allocation decisions. We also find that heritability, evolvability, and additive genetic variation are highest in the high-quality diet for testis and body mass. This result suggests that these traits may have an enhanced ability to respond to selection during a small window of time each year when this diet is available. Taken together, these results illustrate that normal, seasonal fluctuations in the nutritional environment may play a large role in the expression of sexually selected traits and the ability of these traits to respond to selection.

Evaluation of the developmental toxicity of lead in the Danio rerio body.

PubMed

Roy, Nicole M; DeWolf, Sarah; Carneiro, Bruno

2015-01-01

Lead has been utilized throughout history and is widely distributed and mobilized globally. Although lead in the environment has been somewhat mitigated, the nature of lead and its extensive uses in the past prohibit it from being completely absent from our environment and exposure to lead is still a public health concern. Most studies regarding lead toxicity have focused on the brain. However, little is found in the literature on the effects of lead in other tissues. Here, we utilize the zebrafish model system to investigate effects of lead exposure during early developmental time windows at 24, 48 and 72 h post fertilization in the body. We analyze whole body, notochord and somatic muscle changes, vascular changes of the body, as well as motor neuron alterations. We find lead exposure induces a curved body phenotype with concomitant changes in somite length, decreased notochord staining and abnormal muscle staining using live and in situ approaches. Furthermore, altered vasculature within the somatic regions, loss and/or alternations of motor neuron extension both dorsally and ventrally from the spinal cord, loss of Rohon-Beard sensory neurons, and increased areas of apoptosis were found. We conclude that lead is developmentally toxic to other areas of the developing embryo, not just the brain. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Computed Tomography Window Blending: Feasibility in Thoracic Trauma.

PubMed

Mandell, Jacob C; Wortman, Jeremy R; Rocha, Tatiana C; Folio, Les R; Andriole, Katherine P; Khurana, Bharti

2018-02-07

This study aims to demonstrate the feasibility of processing computed tomography (CT) images with a custom window blending algorithm that combines soft-tissue, bone, and lung window settings into a single image; to compare the time for interpretation of chest CT for thoracic trauma with window blending and conventional window settings; and to assess diagnostic performance of both techniques. Adobe Photoshop was scripted to process axial DICOM images from retrospective contrast-enhanced chest CTs performed for trauma with a window-blending algorithm. Two emergency radiologists independently interpreted the axial images from 103 chest CTs with both blended and conventional windows. Interpretation time and diagnostic performance were compared with Wilcoxon signed-rank test and McNemar test, respectively. Agreement with Nexus CT Chest injury severity was assessed with the weighted kappa statistic. A total of 13,295 images were processed without error. Interpretation was faster with window blending, resulting in a 20.3% time saving (P < .001), with no difference in diagnostic performance, within the power of the study to detect a difference in sensitivity of 5% as determined by post hoc power analysis. The sensitivity of the window-blended cases was 82.7%, compared to 81.6% for conventional windows. The specificity of the window-blended cases was 93.1%, compared to 90.5% for conventional windows. All injuries of major clinical significance (per Nexus CT Chest criteria) were correctly identified in all reading sessions, and all negative cases were correctly classified. All readers demonstrated near-perfect agreement with injury severity classification with both window settings. In this pilot study utilizing retrospective data, window blending allows faster preliminary interpretation of axial chest CT performed for trauma, with no significant difference in diagnostic performance compared to conventional window settings. Future studies would be required to assess the utility of window blending in clinical practice. Copyright © 2018 The Association of University Radiologists. All rights reserved.

Developmental defects in zebrafish for classification of EGF pathway inhibitors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pruvot, Benoist; Curé, Yoann; Djiotsa, Joachim

2014-01-15

One of the major challenges when testing drug candidates targeted at a specific pathway in whole animals is the discrimination between specific effects and unwanted, off-target effects. Here we used the zebrafish to define several developmental defects caused by impairment of Egf signaling, a major pathway of interest in tumor biology. We inactivated Egf signaling by genetically blocking Egf expression or using specific inhibitors of the Egf receptor function. We show that the combined occurrence of defects in cartilage formation, disturbance of blood flow in the trunk and a decrease of myelin basic protein expression represent good indicators for impairmentmore » of Egf signaling. Finally, we present a classification of known tyrosine kinase inhibitors according to their specificity for the Egf pathway. In conclusion, we show that developmental indicators can help to discriminate between specific effects on the target pathway from off-target effects in molecularly targeted drug screening experiments in whole animal systems. - Highlights: • We analyze the functions of Egf signaling on zebrafish development. • Genetic blocking of Egf expression causes cartilage, myelin and circulatory defects. • Chemical inhibition of Egf receptor function causes similar defects. • Developmental defects can reveal the specificity of Egf pathway inhibitors.« less

Does Successful Attainment of Developmental Tasks Lead to Happiness and Success in Later Developmental Tasks? A Test of Havighurst's (1948) Theses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seiffge-Krenke, Inge; Gelhaar, Tim

2008-01-01

This study tested Havighurst's (1948) contention that successful attainment of age-specific developmental tasks leads to happiness and success in achieving subsequent tasks. A longitudinal study on 146 participants was carried out to investigate the links between developmental progression in adolescence and young adulthood and happiness, which was…

Optical performance of segmented aperture windows for solar tower receivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buck, Reiner

2017-06-01

Segmented quartz windows are a concept to build larger windows for receivers that require a closed aperture. Reflection losses are a significant loss factor for such solar receivers. Without any additional measures, the reflection loss can reach about 12%. One important measure to improve transmission is the application of anti-reflective coatings, which is beneficial in any case. Another option is modifying the window geometry, especially the edge surfaces of the glass segments. A certain fraction of the reflection losses are caused by a light-guide effect in the glass body, for rays entering through the front surface. Changing the cut surfaces in a way reducing the light-guide effect can significantly improve transmission of a segmented window. Several possible configurations are evaluated and discussed. The results of ray-tracing simulations verify the improvement. The final selection of the window configuration depends on the optical properties and on mechanical strength, manufacturing and cost considerations. This has to be evaluated for any specific receiver design.

Student Success in Developmental Mathematics Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zientek, Linda Reichwein; Yetkiner Ozel, Z. Ebrar; Fong, Carlton J.; Griffin, Mel

2013-01-01

Mathematics is a particular stumbling block for community college students in developmental course work. The present study empirically investigated student-level and teacher-level factors that influence the success of community college students enrolled in developmental mathematics courses. Specifically, numerous variables in one statistical model…

APPLICATION OF BENCHMARK DOSE METHODOLOGY TO DATA FROM PRENATAL DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY STUDIES

EPA Science Inventory

The benchmark dose (BMD) concept was applied to 246 conventional developmental toxicity datasets from government, industry and commercial laboratories. Five modeling approaches were used, two generic and three specific to developmental toxicity (DT models). BMDs for both quantal ...

47 CFR 87.37 - Developmental license.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... understanding. The showing must be signed by the applicant. (c) Assignable frequencies. Developmental stations may be authorized to use frequencies available for the service and class of station proposed. The number of frequencies assigned will depend upon the specific requirements of the developmental program...

Developmental Dynamics of General and School-Subject-Specific Components of Academic Self-Concept, Academic Interest, and Academic Anxiety

PubMed Central

Gogol, Katarzyna; Brunner, Martin; Preckel, Franzis; Goetz, Thomas; Martin, Romain

2016-01-01

The present study investigated the developmental dynamics of general and subject-specific (i.e., mathematics, French, and German) components of students' academic self-concept, anxiety, and interest. To this end, the authors integrated three lines of research: (a) hierarchical and multidimensional approaches to the conceptualization of each construct, (b) longitudinal analyses of bottom-up and top-down developmental processes across hierarchical levels, and (c) developmental processes across subjects. The data stemmed from two longitudinal large-scale samples (N = 3498 and N = 3863) of students attending Grades 7 and 9 in Luxembourgish schools. Nested-factor models were applied to represent each construct at each grade level. The analyses demonstrated that several characteristics were shared across constructs. All constructs were multidimensional in nature with respect to the different subjects, showed a hierarchical organization with a general component at the apex of the hierarchy, and had a strong separation between the subject-specific components at both grade levels. Further, all constructs showed moderate differential stabilities at both the general (0.42 < r < 0.55) and subject-specific levels (0.45 < r < 0.73). Further, little evidence was found for top-down or bottom-up developmental processes. Rather, general and subject-specific components in Grade 9 proved to be primarily a function of the corresponding components in Grade 7. Finally, change in several subject-specific components could be explained by negative effects across subjects. PMID:27014162

Developmental Dynamics of General and School-Subject-Specific Components of Academic Self-Concept, Academic Interest, and Academic Anxiety.

PubMed

Gogol, Katarzyna; Brunner, Martin; Preckel, Franzis; Goetz, Thomas; Martin, Romain

2016-01-01

The present study investigated the developmental dynamics of general and subject-specific (i.e., mathematics, French, and German) components of students' academic self-concept, anxiety, and interest. To this end, the authors integrated three lines of research: (a) hierarchical and multidimensional approaches to the conceptualization of each construct, (b) longitudinal analyses of bottom-up and top-down developmental processes across hierarchical levels, and (c) developmental processes across subjects. The data stemmed from two longitudinal large-scale samples (N = 3498 and N = 3863) of students attending Grades 7 and 9 in Luxembourgish schools. Nested-factor models were applied to represent each construct at each grade level. The analyses demonstrated that several characteristics were shared across constructs. All constructs were multidimensional in nature with respect to the different subjects, showed a hierarchical organization with a general component at the apex of the hierarchy, and had a strong separation between the subject-specific components at both grade levels. Further, all constructs showed moderate differential stabilities at both the general (0.42 < r < 0.55) and subject-specific levels (0.45 < r < 0.73). Further, little evidence was found for top-down or bottom-up developmental processes. Rather, general and subject-specific components in Grade 9 proved to be primarily a function of the corresponding components in Grade 7. Finally, change in several subject-specific components could be explained by negative effects across subjects.

Sex-specific mouse liver gene expression: genome-wide analysis of developmental changes from pre-pubertal period to young adulthood

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Early liver development and the transcriptional transitions during hepatogenesis are well characterized. However, gene expression changes during the late postnatal/pre-pubertal to young adulthood period are less well understood, especially with regards to sex-specific gene expression. Methods Microarray analysis of male and female mouse liver was carried out at 3, 4, and 8 wk of age to elucidate developmental changes in gene expression from the late postnatal/pre-pubertal period to young adulthood. Results A large number of sex-biased and sex-independent genes showed significant changes during this developmental period. Notably, sex-independent genes involved in cell cycle, chromosome condensation, and DNA replication were down regulated from 3 wk to 8 wk, while genes associated with metal ion binding, ion transport and kinase activity were up regulated. A majority of genes showing sex differential expression in adult liver did not display sex differences prior to puberty, at which time extensive changes in sex-specific gene expression were seen, primarily in males. Thus, in male liver, 76% of male-specific genes were up regulated and 47% of female-specific genes were down regulated from 3 to 8 wk of age, whereas in female liver 67% of sex-specific genes showed no significant change in expression. In both sexes, genes up regulated from 3 to 8 wk were significantly enriched (p < E-76) in the set of genes positively regulated by the liver transcription factor HNF4α, as determined in a liver-specific HNF4α knockout mouse model, while genes down regulated during this developmental period showed significant enrichment (p < E-65) for negative regulation by HNF4α. Significant enrichment of the developmentally regulated genes in the set of genes subject to positive and negative regulation by pituitary hormone was also observed. Five sex-specific transcriptional regulators showed sex-specific expression at 4 wk (male-specific Ihh; female-specific Cdx4, Cux2, Tox, and Trim24) and may contribute to the developmental changes that lead to global acquisition of liver sex-specificity by 8 wk of age. Conclusions Overall, the observed changes in gene expression during postnatal liver development reflect the deceleration of liver growth and the induction of specialized liver functions, with widespread changes in sex-specific gene expression primarily occurring in male liver. PMID:22475005

Applying a Lifespan Developmental Perspective to Chronic Pain: Pediatrics to Geriatrics.

PubMed

Walco, Gary A; Krane, Elliot J; Schmader, Kenneth E; Weiner, Debra K

2016-09-01

An ideal taxonomy of chronic pain would be applicable to people of all ages. Developmental sciences focus on lifespan developmental approaches, and view the trajectory of processes in the life course from birth to death. In this article we provide a review of lifespan developmental models, describe normal developmental processes that affect pain processing, and identify deviations from those processes that lead to stable individual differences of clinical interest, specifically the development of chronic pain syndromes. The goals of this review were 1) to unify what are currently separate purviews of "pediatric pain," "adult pain," and "geriatric pain," and 2) to generate models so that specific elements of the chronic pain taxonomy might include important developmental considerations. A lifespan developmental model is applied to the forthcoming Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks-American Pain Society Pain Taxonomy to ascertain the degree to which general "adult" descriptions apply to pediatric and geriatric populations, or if age- or development-related considerations need to be invoked. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Proper Installation of Replacement Windows | Efficient Windows

Science.gov Websites

. Quality installation is critical for an airtight fit and a continuous water barrier to prevent drafts , water damage and condensation. The complexity of the installation depends on whether you are considering and specifications. Install level, plumb, and square. Install water tight: water must be prevented

A clinical approach to developmental delay and intellectual disability.

PubMed

Vasudevan, Pradeep; Suri, Mohnish

2017-12-01

Global developmental delay and intellectual disability are phenotypically and genetically heterogeneous and a specific diagnosis is not reached in many cases. This paper outlines a systematic approach to global developmental delay and intellectual disability. © Royal College of Physicians 2017. All rights reserved.

Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions: Empirically Validated Treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schreibman, Laura; Dawson, Geraldine; Stahmer, Aubyn C.; Landa, Rebecca; Rogers, Sally J.; McGee, Gail G.; Kasari, Connie; Ingersoll, Brooke; Kaiser, Ann P.; Bruinsma, Yvonne; McNerney, Erin; Wetherby, Amy; Halladay, Alycia

2015-01-01

Earlier autism diagnosis, the importance of early intervention, and development of specific interventions for young children have contributed to the emergence of similar, empirically supported, autism interventions that represent the merging of applied behavioral and developmental sciences. "Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions…

Gender Differences in Developmental Dyscalculia Depend on Diagnostic Criteria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Devine, Amy; Soltesz, Fruzsina; Nobes, Alison; Goswami, Usha; Szucs, Denes

2013-01-01

Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a learning difficulty specific to mathematics learning. The prevalence of DD may be equivalent to that of dyslexia, posing an important challenge for effective educational provision. Nevertheless, there is no agreed definition of DD and there are controversies surrounding cutoff decisions, specificity and gender…

Specific Language Impairment as a Language Learning Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bishop, Dorothy V. M.

2009-01-01

Compared with autistic disorder and developmental dyslexia, specific language impairment (SLI) attracts considerably less media coverage and research funding. Whereas most members of the public have some idea of the characteristics of autistic disorder and developmental dyslexia, this is not so for SLI. It is intriguing to consider why this might…

An Interpretative Model of Early Indicators of Specific Developmental Dyslexia in Preschool Age: A Comparative Presentation of Three Studies in Greece

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zakopoulou, Victoria; Anagnostopoulou, Areti; Christodoulides, Pavlos; Stavrou, Lambros; Sarri, Ioanna; Mavreas, Venetsanos; Tzoufi, Meropi

2011-01-01

The detection of specific factors of the developmental dyslexia at an early stage, and the identification of the role of those factors responsible for its manifestation, is a fundamental area of study on dyslexia in the recent literature. The objective of the present study is to clarify that dysfunctions in the following specific domains…

Effect of temperature and nutrients on the growth and development of seedlings of an invasive plant.

PubMed

Skálová, Hana; Moravcová, Lenka; Dixon, Anthony F G; Kindlmann, P; Pyšek, Petr

2015-04-28

Plant species distributions are determined by the response of populations to regional climates; however, little is known about how alien plants that arrive in central Europe from climatically warmer regions cope with the temperature conditions at the early stage of population development. Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed) is an invasive annual plant causing considerable health and economic problems in Europe. Although climate-based models predict that the whole of the Czech Republic is climatically suitable for this species, it is confined to the warmest regions. To determine the factors possibly responsible for its restricted occurrence, we investigated the effects of temperature and nutrient availability on its seedlings. The plants were cultivated at one of seven temperature regimes ranging from 10 to 34 °C, combined with three nutrient levels. The data on the rate of leaf development were used to calculate the lower developmental threshold (LDT, the temperature, in °C, below which development ceases), the sum of effective temperatures (SET, the amount of heat needed to complete a developmental stage measured in degree days above LDT) and width of the thermal window. The rate of development decreased with decrease in temperature and nutrient supply. Besides this, the decrease in the availability of nutrients resulted in decreased LDT, increased SET and wider thermal window. The dependence of LDT and SET on the availability of nutrients contradicts the concept that thermal constants do not vary. Our results highlight temperature as the main determinant of common ragweed's distribution and identify nutrient availability as a factor that results in the realized niche being smaller than the fundamental niche; both of these need to be taken into account when predicting the future spread of A. artemisiifolia. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company.

Exposure to butachlor causes thyroid endocrine disruption and promotion of metamorphosis in Xenopus laevis.

PubMed

Li, Shuying; Li, Meng; Wang, Qiangwei; Gui, Wenjun; Zhu, Guonian

2016-06-01

Butachlor is extensively applied in rice paddy ecosystem in china, and has been widespread contaminant in the aquatic environment. Here, Xenopus laevis was used for the evaluation of teratogenesis developmental toxicity, and disruption of thyroid system when exposure to different concentrations of butachlor by window phase exposure. Acute toxicity investigation shown that 96 h-LC50 value of butachlor was 1.424 mg L(-1) and 0.962 mg L(-1) for tadpoles (starting from stages 46/47) and embryos (starting from stages 8/9), respectively. Exposure to butachlor caused malformation, including abnormal eye, pericardial edema, enlarged proctodaeum and bent tail. Window phase exposure test indicated that butachlor significantly promote the contents of whole-body thyroid hormones (THs, T3 and T4) at higher levels, indicating thyroid endocrine disruption. At 7 days, exposure to butachlor up-regulated the mRNA expression of genes involved in THs synthesis and metabolism (tshα, tg, tpo and dio1) and THs receptors (trα and trβ). At 14 days, up-regulation of the mRNA expression of genes related to THs synthesis and metabolism (tshα, tshβ, tg, tpo, dio1, dio2 and ttr) and THs receptors (trβ) were also observed after the exposure to butachlor. At 21 days, butachlor up-regulated the mRNA expression of tshα, tg, tpo genes and down-regulated the mRNA expression of tshβ, tg, dio1, ttr and trα genes. These results showed that butachlor could change the mRNA expression of genes involved in the HPT axis and increase whole-body thyroid hormones levels of X. laevis tadpoles in a dose- and time-dependent manner, causing thyroid endocrine disruption and developmental toxicity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lace plant ethylene receptors, AmERS1a and AmERS1c, regulate ethylene-induced programmed cell death during leaf morphogenesis.

PubMed

Rantong, Gaolathe; Evans, Rodger; Gunawardena, Arunika H L A N

2015-10-01

The lace plant, Aponogeton madagascariensis, is an aquatic monocot that forms perforations in its leaves as part of normal leaf development. Perforation formation occurs through developmentally regulated programmed cell death (PCD). The molecular basis of PCD regulation in the lace plant is unknown, however ethylene has been shown to play a significant role. In this study, we examined the role of ethylene receptors during perforation formation. We isolated three lace plant ethylene receptors AmERS1a, AmERS1b and AmERS1c. Using quantitative PCR, we examined their transcript levels at seven stages of leaf development. Through laser-capture microscopy, transcript levels were also determined in cells undergoing PCD and cells not undergoing PCD (NPCD cells). AmERS1a transcript levels were significantly lower in window stage leaves (in which perforation formation and PCD are occurring) as compared to all other leaf developmental stages. AmERS1a and AmERS1c (the most abundant among the three receptors) had the highest transcript levels in mature stage leaves, where PCD is not occurring. Their transcript levels decreased significantly during senescence-associated PCD. AmERS1c had significantly higher transcript levels in NPCD compared to PCD cells. Despite being significantly low in window stage leaves, AmERS1a transcripts were not differentially expressed between PCD and NPCD cells. The results suggested that ethylene receptors negatively regulate ethylene-controlled PCD in the lace plant. A combination of ethylene and receptor levels determines cell fate during perforation formation and leaf senescence. A new model for ethylene emission and receptor expression during lace plant perforation formation and senescence is proposed.

Epigenetics as a mechanism linking developmental exposures to long-term toxicity.

PubMed

Barouki, R; Melén, E; Herceg, Z; Beckers, J; Chen, J; Karagas, M; Puga, A; Xia, Y; Chadwick, L; Yan, W; Audouze, K; Slama, R; Heindel, J; Grandjean, P; Kawamoto, T; Nohara, K

2018-05-01

A variety of experimental and epidemiological studies lend support to the Developmental Origin of Health and Disease (DOHaD) concept. Yet, the actual mechanisms accounting for mid- and long-term effects of early-life exposures remain unclear. Epigenetic alterations such as changes in DNA methylation, histone modifications and the expression of certain RNAs have been suggested as possible mediators of long-term health effects of environmental stressors. This report captures discussions and conclusions debated during the last Prenatal Programming and Toxicity meeting held in Japan. Its first aim is to propose a number of criteria that are critical to support the primary contribution of epigenetics in DOHaD and intergenerational transmission of environmental stressors effects. The main criteria are the full characterization of the stressors, the actual window of exposure, the target tissue and function, the specificity of the epigenetic changes and the biological plausibility of the linkage between those changes and health outcomes. The second aim is to discuss long-term effects of a number of stressors such as smoking, air pollution and endocrine disruptors in order to identify the arguments supporting the involvement of an epigenetic mechanism. Based on the developed criteria, missing evidence and suggestions for future research will be identified. The third aim is to critically analyze the evidence supporting the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in intergenerational and transgenerational effects of environmental exposure and to particularly discuss the role of placenta and sperm. While the article is not a systematic review and is not meant to be exhaustive, it critically assesses the contribution of epigenetics in the long-term effects of environmental exposures as well as provides insight for future research. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attenuation of bone morphogenetic protein signaling during amphibian limb development results in the generation of stage-specific defects.

PubMed

Jones, Tamsin E M; Day, Robert C; Beck, Caroline W

2013-11-01

The vertebrate limb is one of the most intensively studied organs in the field of developmental biology. Limb development in tetrapod vertebrates is highly conserved and dependent on the interaction of several important molecular pathways. The bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling cascade is one of these pathways and has been shown to be crucial for several aspects of limb development. Here, we have used a Xenopus laevis transgenic line, in which expression of the inhibitor Noggin is under the control of the heat-shock promoter hsp70 to examine the effects of attenuation of BMP signaling at different stages of limb development. Remarkably different phenotypes were produced at different stages, illustrating the varied roles of BMP in development of the limb. Very early limb buds appeared to be refractory to the effects of BMP attenuation, developing normally in most cases. Ectopic limbs were produced by overexpression of Noggin corresponding to a brief window of limb development at about stage 49/50, as recently described by Christen et al. (2012). Attenuation of BMP signaling in stage 51 or 52 tadpoles lead to a reduction in the number of digits formed, resulting in hypodactyly or ectrodactyly, as well as occasional defects in the more proximal tibia-fibula. Finally, inhibition at stage 54 (paddle stage) led to the formation of dramatically shortened digits resulting from loss of distal phalanges. Transcriptome analysis has revealed the possibility that more Noggin-sensitive members of the BMP family could be involved in limb development than previously suspected. Our analysis demonstrates the usefulness of heat-shock-driven gene expression as an effective method for inhibiting a developmental pathway at different times during limb development. © 2013 Anatomical Society.

Structural and Functional Features of a Developmentally Regulated Lipopolysaccharide-Binding Protein

PubMed Central

Krasity, Benjamin C.; Troll, Joshua V.; Lehnert, Erik M.; Hackett, Kathleen T.; Dillard, Joseph P.; Apicella, Michael A.; Goldman, William E.

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT Mammalian lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binding proteins (LBPs) occur mainly in extracellular fluids and promote LPS delivery to specific host cell receptors. The function of LBPs has been studied principally in the context of host defense; the possible role of LBPs in nonpathogenic host-microbe interactions has not been well characterized. Using the Euprymna scolopes-Vibrio fischeri model, we analyzed the structure and function of an LBP family protein, E. scolopes LBP1 (EsLBP1), and provide evidence for its role in triggering a symbiont-induced host developmental program. Previous studies showed that, during initial host colonization, the LPS of V. fischeri synergizes with peptidoglycan (PGN) monomer to induce morphogenesis of epithelial tissues of the host animal. Computationally modeled EsLBP1 shares some but not all structural features of mammalian LBPs that are thought important for LPS binding. Similar to human LBP, recombinant EsLBP1 expressed in insect cells bound V. fischeri LPS and Neisseria meningitidis lipooligosaccharide (LOS) with nanomolar or greater affinity but bound Francisella tularensis LPS only weakly and did not bind PGN monomer. Unlike human LBP, EsLBP1 did not bind N. meningitidis LOS:CD14 complexes. The eslbp1 transcript was upregulated ~22-fold by V. fischeri at 24 h postinoculation. Surprisingly, this upregulation was not induced by exposure to LPS but, rather, to the PGN monomer alone. Hybridization chain reaction-fluorescent in situ hybridization (HCR-FISH) and immunocytochemistry (ICC) localized eslbp1 transcript and protein in crypt epithelia, where V. fischeri induces morphogenesis. The data presented here provide a window into the evolution of LBPs and the scope of their roles in animal symbioses. PMID:26463160

Neural Activation During Cognitive Emotion Regulation in Previously Depressed Compared to Healthy Children: Evidence of Specific Alterations

PubMed Central

Belden, Andy C.; Pagliaccio, David; Murphy, Eric R.; Luby, Joan L.; Barch, Deanna M.

2015-01-01

Objective Impairments in cognitive emotion regulation (CER) have been linked to functional neural abnormalities and the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder (MDD). Few functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have investigated the neural underpinnings of CER in samples with depression. As CER develops in childhood, understanding dysfunctional CER-related alterations in brain function during this period could advance knowledge of the developmental psychopathology of MDD. Method This study tested whether neural activity in brain regions known to support cognitive reappraisal differed between healthy 7- to 15-year-old children and same-age peers with a history of MDD (MDD-ever). A total of 64 children participated in this event-related fMRI study, which used a developmentally appropriate and validated fMRI reappraisal task. Children were instructed to passively view sad or neutral images and to decrease negative emotions using cognitive reappraisal. Results MDD-ever and healthy children showed similar patterns of cortical activation during reappraisal, but with a significant difference found in 1 key CER region, the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). In addition, individual differences in CER were associated with left IFG activity during reappraisal. Conclusion Alterations in the neurocircuitry of reappraisal are evident in children with a depression history compared to healthy controls. The finding that MDD-ever children showed reappraisal-related neural responses in many regions similar to healthy controls has clinical implications. Findings suggest that identification of alterations in reappraisal in children with remitted depression, for whom much, although not all, of the neural circuitry remains intact, may be an important window of opportunity for intervention. PMID:26299299

FOXO Regulates Organ-Specific Phenotypic Plasticity In Drosophila

PubMed Central

Tang, Hui Yuan; Smith-Caldas, Martha S. B.; Driscoll, Michael V.; Salhadar, Samy; Shingleton, Alexander W.

2011-01-01

Phenotypic plasticity, the ability for a single genotype to generate different phenotypes in response to environmental conditions, is biologically ubiquitous, and yet almost nothing is known of the developmental mechanisms that regulate the extent of a plastic response. In particular, it is unclear why some traits or individuals are highly sensitive to an environmental variable while other traits or individuals are less so. Here we elucidate the developmental mechanisms that regulate the expression of a particularly important form of phenotypic plasticity: the effect of developmental nutrition on organ size. In all animals, developmental nutrition is signaled to growing organs via the insulin-signaling pathway. Drosophila organs differ in their size response to developmental nutrition and this reflects differences in organ-specific insulin-sensitivity. We show that this variation in insulin-sensitivity is regulated at the level of the forkhead transcription factor FOXO, a negative growth regulator that is activated when nutrition and insulin signaling are low. Individual organs appear to attenuate growth suppression in response to low nutrition through an organ-specific reduction in FOXO expression, thereby reducing their nutritional plasticity. We show that FOXO expression is necessary to maintain organ-specific differences in nutritional-plasticity and insulin-sensitivity, while organ-autonomous changes in FOXO expression are sufficient to autonomously alter an organ's nutritional-plasticity and insulin-sensitivity. These data identify a gene (FOXO) that modulates a plastic response through variation in its expression. FOXO is recognized as a key player in the response of size, immunity, and longevity to changes in developmental nutrition, stress, and oxygen levels. FOXO may therefore act as a more general regulator of plasticity. These data indicate that the extent of phenotypic plasticity may be modified by changes in the expression of genes involved in signaling environmental information to developmental processes. PMID:22102829

Unhappy (and Happy) in Their Own Way: A Developmental Psychopathology Perspective on Quality of Life for Families Living with Developmental Disability with and without Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardiner, Emily; Iarocci, Grace

2012-01-01

Research on families living with developmental disability generally and autism specifically is dominated by a deficit view that elicits an elaborate representation of problems and risks without the benefit of considering families' potential for adaptation and resilience. A central tenet of developmental psychopathology is that the study of…

Psychological Resources of Adults with Developmental Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lockiewicz, Marta; Bogdanowicz, Katarzyna M.; Bogdanowicz, Marta

2014-01-01

The aim of our study was to describe specific psychological resources of adults with developmental dyslexia and compare them with psychological resources of adults without developmental dyslexia. Potential differences were analyzed in visual-spatial, creative, and motivational abilities. No evidence was found for either creative, or visuospatial…

Survey of Developmental Students' Print and Online Metacognitive Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boudreaux, Mary Keller

2016-01-01

This quantitative study is a comparative analysis of developmental students' print and online support metacognitive strategy use. More specifically, a study was conducted utilizing the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI) to measure developmental college students' awareness and perceived use of support reading strategies…

A Window of Opportunity for Cognitive Training in Adolescence

PubMed Central

Knoll, Lisa J.; Fuhrmann, Delia; Sakhardande, Ashok L.; Stamp, Fabian; Speekenbrink, Maarten; Blakemore, Sarah-Jayne

2016-01-01

In the current study, we investigated windows for enhanced learning of cognitive skills during adolescence. Six hundred thirty-three participants (11–33 years old) were divided into four age groups, and each participant was randomly allocated to one of three training groups. Each training group completed up to 20 days of online training in numerosity discrimination (i.e., discriminating small from large numbers of objects), relational reasoning (i.e., detecting abstract relationships between groups of items), or face perception (i.e., identifying differences in faces). Training yielded some improvement in performance on the numerosity-discrimination task, but only in older adolescents or adults. In contrast, training in relational reasoning improved performance on that task in all age groups, but training benefits were greater for people in late adolescence and adulthood than for people earlier in adolescence. Training did not increase performance on the face-perception task for any age group. Our findings suggest that for certain cognitive skills, training during late adolescence and adulthood yields greater improvement than training earlier in adolescence, which highlights the relevance of this late developmental stage for education. PMID:27815519

Patterns of anomalies of structures of the middle ear and the facial nerve as revealed in newborn temporal bones.

PubMed

Tóth, Miklós; Sirirattanapan, Jarinratn; Mann, Wolf

2013-08-01

The purpose of this study is to offer new data about facial nerve malformations in the tympanic cavity. Prospective anatomic study of newborns to demonstrate the submacroscopic anatomy of the intratympanic facial nerve and its surrounding structures by malformations. Step-by-step microdissection of 12 newborn temporal bones and histologic evaluation of 4 middle ears showing multiple malformations. Four of 12 temporal bones presented malformation in the middle ear. All 4 temporal bones showed developmental failures of the stapes, and 3 of them had malposition of the tympanic portion of the facial nerve. In 3 cases, there was an oval window atresia, and in 1 case, the rim of the oval window was not ossified and was positioned medial to the stapes. Malformation or displacement of the stapes can be an indirect sign for facial nerve malformation. The most common site for facial nerve malformation is the tympanic portion. The tympanic segment of the nerve is devoid of bony covering in association with these anomalies of the stapes.

Seasonal heterogeneity of ocean warming: a mortality sink for ectotherm colonizers.

PubMed

Maffucci, Fulvio; Corrado, Raffaele; Palatella, Luigi; Borra, Marco; Marullo, Salvatore; Hochscheid, Sandra; Lacorata, Guglielmo; Iudicone, Daniele

2016-04-05

Distribution shifts are a common adaptive response of marine ectotherms to climate change but the pace of redistribution depends on species-specific traits that may promote or hamper expansion to northern habitats. Here we show that recently, the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) has begun to nest steadily beyond the northern edge of the species' range in the Mediterranean basin. This range expansion is associated with a significant warming of spring and summer sea surface temperature (SST) that offers a wider thermal window suitable for nesting. However, we found that post-hatchlings departing from this location experience low winter SST that may affect their survival and thus hamper the stabilization of the site by self-recruitment. The inspection of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change model projections and observational data on SST trends shows that, despite the annual warming for this century, winter SST show little or no trends. Therefore, thermal constraints during the early developmental phase may limit the chance of population growth at this location also in the near future, despite increasingly favourable conditions at the nesting sites. Quantifying and understanding the interplay between dispersal and environmental changes at all life stages is critical for predicting ectotherm range expansion with climate warming.

Seasonal heterogeneity of ocean warming: a mortality sink for ectotherm colonizers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maffucci, Fulvio; Corrado, Raffaele; Palatella, Luigi; Borra, Marco; Marullo, Salvatore; Hochscheid, Sandra; Lacorata, Guglielmo; Iudicone, Daniele

2016-04-01

Distribution shifts are a common adaptive response of marine ectotherms to climate change but the pace of redistribution depends on species-specific traits that may promote or hamper expansion to northern habitats. Here we show that recently, the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) has begun to nest steadily beyond the northern edge of the species’ range in the Mediterranean basin. This range expansion is associated with a significant warming of spring and summer sea surface temperature (SST) that offers a wider thermal window suitable for nesting. However, we found that post-hatchlings departing from this location experience low winter SST that may affect their survival and thus hamper the stabilization of the site by self-recruitment. The inspection of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change model projections and observational data on SST trends shows that, despite the annual warming for this century, winter SST show little or no trends. Therefore, thermal constraints during the early developmental phase may limit the chance of population growth at this location also in the near future, despite increasingly favourable conditions at the nesting sites. Quantifying and understanding the interplay between dispersal and environmental changes at all life stages is critical for predicting ectotherm range expansion with climate warming.

Auditory processing efficiency deficits in children with developmental language impairments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartley, Douglas E. H.; Moore, David R.

2002-12-01

The ``temporal processing hypothesis'' suggests that individuals with specific language impairments (SLIs) and dyslexia have severe deficits in processing rapidly presented or brief sensory information, both within the auditory and visual domains. This hypothesis has been supported through evidence that language-impaired individuals have excess auditory backward masking. This paper presents an analysis of masking results from several studies in terms of a model of temporal resolution. Results from this modeling suggest that the masking results can be better explained by an ``auditory efficiency'' hypothesis. If impaired or immature listeners have a normal temporal window, but require a higher signal-to-noise level (poor processing efficiency), this hypothesis predicts the observed small deficits in the simultaneous masking task, and the much larger deficits in backward and forward masking tasks amongst those listeners. The difference in performance on these masking tasks is predictable from the compressive nonlinearity of the basilar membrane. The model also correctly predicts that backward masking (i) is more prone to training effects, (ii) has greater inter- and intrasubject variability, and (iii) increases less with masker level than do other masking tasks. These findings provide a new perspective on the mechanisms underlying communication disorders and auditory masking.

A bibliometric analysis of occupational therapy publications.

PubMed

Brown, Ted; Gutman, Sharon A; Ho, Yuh-Shan; Fong, Kenneth N K

2018-01-01

Bibliometrics involves the statistical analysis of the publications in a specific discipline or subject area. A bibliometric analysis of the occupational therapy refereed literature is needed. A bibliometric analysis was completed of the occupational therapy literature from 1991-2014, indexed in the Science Citation Index-Expanded or the Social Sciences Citation Index. Publications were searched by title, abstract, keywords, and KeyWords Plus. Total number of article citations, citations per journal, and contributions per country, individual authors, and institution were calculated. 5,315 occupational therapy articles were published in 821 journals. It appears that there is a citation window of an approximate 10-year period between the time of publication and the peak number of citations an article receives. The top three most highly cited articles were published in Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, JAMA, and Lancet. AJOT, BJOT and AOTJ published the largest number of occupational therapy articles with the United States, Australia, and Canada producing the highest number of publications. McMaster University, the University of Queensland, and the University of Toronto were the institutions that published the largest number of occupational therapy journal articles. The occupational therapy literature is growing and the frequency of article citation is increasing.

Audio-Tactile Integration in Congenitally and Late Deaf Cochlear Implant Users

PubMed Central

Nava, Elena; Bottari, Davide; Villwock, Agnes; Fengler, Ineke; Büchner, Andreas; Lenarz, Thomas; Röder, Brigitte

2014-01-01

Several studies conducted in mammals and humans have shown that multisensory processing may be impaired following congenital sensory loss and in particular if no experience is achieved within specific early developmental time windows known as sensitive periods. In this study we investigated whether basic multisensory abilities are impaired in hearing-restored individuals with deafness acquired at different stages of development. To this aim, we tested congenitally and late deaf cochlear implant (CI) recipients, age-matched with two groups of hearing controls, on an audio-tactile redundancy paradigm, in which reaction times to unimodal and crossmodal redundant signals were measured. Our results showed that both congenitally and late deaf CI recipients were able to integrate audio-tactile stimuli, suggesting that congenital and acquired deafness does not prevent the development and recovery of basic multisensory processing. However, we found that congenitally deaf CI recipients had a lower multisensory gain compared to their matched controls, which may be explained by their faster responses to tactile stimuli. We discuss this finding in the context of reorganisation of the sensory systems following sensory loss and the possibility that these changes cannot be “rewired” through auditory reafferentation. PMID:24918766

Audio-tactile integration in congenitally and late deaf cochlear implant users.

PubMed

Nava, Elena; Bottari, Davide; Villwock, Agnes; Fengler, Ineke; Büchner, Andreas; Lenarz, Thomas; Röder, Brigitte

2014-01-01

Several studies conducted in mammals and humans have shown that multisensory processing may be impaired following congenital sensory loss and in particular if no experience is achieved within specific early developmental time windows known as sensitive periods. In this study we investigated whether basic multisensory abilities are impaired in hearing-restored individuals with deafness acquired at different stages of development. To this aim, we tested congenitally and late deaf cochlear implant (CI) recipients, age-matched with two groups of hearing controls, on an audio-tactile redundancy paradigm, in which reaction times to unimodal and crossmodal redundant signals were measured. Our results showed that both congenitally and late deaf CI recipients were able to integrate audio-tactile stimuli, suggesting that congenital and acquired deafness does not prevent the development and recovery of basic multisensory processing. However, we found that congenitally deaf CI recipients had a lower multisensory gain compared to their matched controls, which may be explained by their faster responses to tactile stimuli. We discuss this finding in the context of reorganisation of the sensory systems following sensory loss and the possibility that these changes cannot be "rewired" through auditory reafferentation.

Sex, Glia, and Development: interactions in health and disease

PubMed Central

Schwarz, Jaclyn M.; Bilbo, Staci D.

2012-01-01

Microglia and astrocytes are the primary immune cells within the central nervous system. Microglia influence processes including neural development, synaptic plasticity and cognition; while their activation and production of immune molecules can induce stereotyped sickness behaviors or pathologies including cognitive dysfunction. Given their role in health and disease, we propose that glia may be also be a critical link in understanding the etiology of many neuropsychiatric disorders that present with a strong sex-bias in their symptoms or prevalence. Specifically, males are more likely to be diagnosed with disorders that have distinct developmental origins such as autism or schizophrenia. In contrast, females are more likely to be diagnosed with disorders that present later in life, after the onset of adolescence, such as depression and anxiety disorders. In this review we will summarize the evidence suggesting that sex differences in the colonization and function of glia within the normal developing brain may contribute to distinct windows of vulnerability between males and females. We will also highlight the current gaps in our knowledge as well as the future directions and considerations of research aimed at understanding the link between neuroimmune function and sex differences in mental health disorders. PMID:22387107

MicroRNA Profiling as Tool for In Vitro Developmental Neurotoxicity Testing: The Case of Sodium Valproate

PubMed Central

Smirnova, Lena; Block, Katharina; Sittka, Alexandra; Oelgeschläger, Michael; Seiler, Andrea E. M.; Luch, Andreas

2014-01-01

Studying chemical disturbances during neural differentiation of murine embryonic stem cells (mESCs) has been established as an alternative in vitro testing approach for the identification of developmental neurotoxicants. miRNAs represent a class of small non-coding RNA molecules involved in the regulation of neural development and ESC differentiation and specification. Thus, neural differentiation of mESCs in vitro allows investigating the role of miRNAs in chemical-mediated developmental toxicity. We analyzed changes in miRNome and transcriptome during neural differentiation of mESCs exposed to the developmental neurotoxicant sodium valproate (VPA). A total of 110 miRNAs and 377 mRNAs were identified differently expressed in neurally differentiating mESCs upon VPA treatment. Based on miRNA profiling we observed that VPA shifts the lineage specification from neural to myogenic differentiation (upregulation of muscle-abundant miRNAs, mir-206, mir-133a and mir-10a, and downregulation of neural-specific mir-124a, mir-128 and mir-137). These findings were confirmed on the mRNA level and via immunochemistry. Particularly, the expression of myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) as well as muscle-specific genes (Actc1, calponin, myosin light chain, asporin, decorin) were found elevated, while genes involved in neurogenesis (e.g. Otx1, 2, and Zic3, 4, 5) were repressed. These results were specific for valproate treatment and―based on the following two observations―most likely due to the inhibition of histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity: (i) we did not observe any induction of muscle-specific miRNAs in neurally differentiating mESCs exposed to the unrelated developmental neurotoxicant sodium arsenite; and (ii) the expression of muscle-abundant mir-206 and mir-10a was similarly increased in cells exposed to the structurally different HDAC inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA). Based on our results we conclude that miRNA expression profiling is a suitable molecular endpoint for developmental neurotoxicity. The observed lineage shift into myogenesis, where miRNAs may play an important role, could be one of the developmental neurotoxic mechanisms of VPA. PMID:24896083

Annual Research Review: The role of the environment in the developmental psychopathology of autism spectrum condition.

PubMed

Mandy, William; Lai, Meng-Chuan

2016-03-01

Although autism spectrum condition (ASC) is strongly genetic in origin, accumulating evidence points to the critical roles of various environmental influences on its emergence and subsequent developmental course. A developmental psychopathology framework was used to synthesise literature on environmental factors associated with the onset and course of ASC (based on a systematic search of the literature using PubMed, PsychInfo and Google Scholar databases). Particular emphasis was placed on gene-environment interplay, including gene-environment interaction (G × E) and gene-environment correlation (rGE). Before conception, advanced paternal and maternal ages may independently enhance offspring risk for ASC. Exogenous prenatal risks are evident (e.g. valproate and toxic chemicals) or possible (e.g. selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), and processes endogenous to the materno-foeto-placental unit (e.g. maternal diabetes, enhanced steroidogenic activities and maternal immune activation) likely heighten offspring vulnerability to ASC. Folate intake is a prenatal protective factor, with a particular window of action around 4 weeks preconception and during the first trimester. These prenatal risks and protective mechanisms appear to involve G × E and potentially rGE. A variety of perinatal risks are related to offspring ASC risk, possibly reflecting rGE. Postnatal social factors (e.g. caregiver-infant interaction, severe early deprivation) during the first years of life may operate through rGE to influence the likelihood of manifesting a full ASC phenotype from a 'prodromal' phase (a proposal distinct to the discredited and harmful 'refrigerator mother hypothesis'); and later postnatal risks, after the full manifestation of ASC, shape life span development through transactions mediated by rGE. There is no evidence that vaccination is a postnatal risk for ASC. Future investigations should consider the specificity of risks for ASC versus other atypical neurodevelopmental trajectories, timing of risk and protective mechanisms, animal model systems to study mechanisms underlying gene-environment interplay, large-sample genome-envirome designs to address G × E and longitudinal studies to elucidate how rGE plays out over time. Clinical and public health implications are discussed. © 2016 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Treatment of Epilepsy in Children with Developmental Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Depositario-Cabacar, Dewi Frances T.; Zelleke, Tesfaye-Getaneh

2010-01-01

Children with developmental disabilities are at increased risk for epilepsy with a prevalence rate higher than the general population. Some of the more common developmental disorders in childhood and the features of epilepsy in these conditions are discussed. Specifically, autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and attention deficit and…

Developmental Trajectories of Structural and Pragmatic Language Skills in School-Aged Children with Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Den Heuvel, E.; Manders, E.; Swillen, A.; Zink, I.

2016-01-01

Background: This study aimed to compare developmental courses of structural and pragmatic language skills in school-aged children with Williams syndrome (WS) and children with idiopathic intellectual disability (IID). Comparison of these language trajectories could highlight syndrome-specific developmental features. Method: Twelve monolingual…

Specification of select hypothalamic circuits and innate behaviors by the embryonic patterning gene Dbx1

PubMed Central

Sokolowski, Katie; Esumi, Shigeyuki; Hirata, Tsutomu; Kamal, Yasman; Tran, Tuyen; Lam, Andrew; Oboti, Livio; Brighthaupt, Sherri-Chanelle; Zaghlula, Manar; Martinez, Jennifer; Ghimbovschi, Svetlana; Knoblach, Susan; Pierani, Alessandra; Tamamaki, Nobuaki; Shah, Nirao M; Jones, Kevin S; Corbin, Joshua G

2015-01-01

SUMMARY The hypothalamus integrates information required for the production of a variety of innate behaviors such as feeding, mating, aggression and predator avoidance. Despite an extensive knowledge of hypothalamic function, how embryonic genetic programs specify circuits that regulate these behaviors remains unknown. Here, we find that in the hypothalamus the developmentally regulated homeodomain-containing transcription factor Dbx1 is required for the generation of specific subclasses of neurons within the lateral hypothalamic area/zona incerta (LH) and the arcuate (Arc) nucleus. Consistent with this specific developmental role, Dbx1 hypothalamic-specific conditional-knockout mice display attenuated responses to predator odor and feeding stressors but do not display deficits in other innate behaviors such as mating or conspecific aggression. Thus, activity of a single developmentally regulated gene, Dbx1, is a shared requirement for the specification of hypothalamic nuclei governing a subset of innate behaviors. PMID:25864637

Single-Cell Resolution of Temporal Gene Expression during Heart Development.

PubMed

DeLaughter, Daniel M; Bick, Alexander G; Wakimoto, Hiroko; McKean, David; Gorham, Joshua M; Kathiriya, Irfan S; Hinson, John T; Homsy, Jason; Gray, Jesse; Pu, William; Bruneau, Benoit G; Seidman, J G; Seidman, Christine E

2016-11-21

Activation of complex molecular programs in specific cell lineages governs mammalian heart development, from a primordial linear tube to a four-chamber organ. To characterize lineage-specific, spatiotemporal developmental programs, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing of >1,200 murine cells isolated at seven time points spanning embryonic day 9.5 (primordial heart tube) to postnatal day 21 (mature heart). Using unbiased transcriptional data, we classified cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, and fibroblast-enriched cells, thus identifying markers for temporal and chamber-specific developmental programs. By harnessing these datasets, we defined developmental ages of human and mouse pluripotent stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes and characterized lineage-specific maturation defects in hearts of mice with heterozygous mutations in Nkx2.5 that cause human heart malformations. This spatiotemporal transcriptome analysis of heart development reveals lineage-specific gene programs underlying normal cardiac development and congenital heart disease. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Occupational Home Economics Education Series. Window Treatment Services. Competency Based Teaching Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lowe, Phyllis; And Others

This module, one of ten competency based modules developed for vocational home economics teachers, is based on a job cluster in window treatment services. It can be used for various types of learners such as the handicapped, slowlearners, high school students, and adults including senior citizens. Focusing on the specific job title of window…

Author Productivity and Publication Trends in Autism-Specific Journals from 1997 to 2004

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de la Cruz, Berenice; Cannella-Malone, Helen I.; Edrisinha, Chaturi; Sigafoos, Jeff; Robinson, Dan; Son, Seung-Hyun

2006-01-01

The 20 most productive authors (in terms of number of articles authored) were identified across three major autism-specific journals ("Autism: An International Journal of Research and Practice, Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities," and the "Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders") published between 1997…

Evolving Definitions of Autism and Impact on Eligibility for Developmental Disability Services: California Case Example

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Marian E.; Wheeler, Barbara Y.; Linder, Lisa; Jacobs, Robert A.

2017-01-01

When establishing eligibility for developmental disability (DD) services, definitions of specific diagnostic conditions, such as autism, impact policy. Under the Medicaid home and community-based waiver program, states have discretion in determining specific program or service eligibility criteria, the nature of supports to be provided, and the…

Early Domain-Specific Knowledge? Nonlinear Developmental Trajectories Further Erode a House of Sand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deak, Gedeon O.

2011-01-01

Rakison and Yermolayeva (this issue) argue that domain specificity is difficult to reconcile with U-, N-, or M-shaped developmental trends. They are justified because: (1) There is no compelling evidence that nonlinear trends require mechanisms beyond general, well-known cognitive processes; and (2) epigenetic neuroscience provides no clear…

Designing Class Activities to Meet Specific Core Training Competencies: A Developmental Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guth, Lorraine J.; McDonnell, Kelly A.

2004-01-01

This article presents a developmental model for designing and utilizing class activities to meet specific Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW) core training competencies for group workers. A review of the relevant literature about teaching group work and meeting core training standards is provided. The authors suggest a process by…

Neurological Soft Signs in Indian Children with Specific Developmental Disorders of Scholastic Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadhu, Raja; Mehta, Manju; Kalra, Veena; Sagar, Rajesh; Mongia, Monica

2008-01-01

Aim: To compare the occurrence of neurological soft signs (NSS) in children with specific developmental disorders of scholastic skills (SDDSS) and normal children. Methods: 36 cases of SDDSS were compared with 30 control children regarding sociodemographic and clinical variables and neurological soft signs. Results: Children with SDDSS had…

Melatonin Treatment in Children with Developmental Disabilities

PubMed Central

Schwichtenberg, A.J.; Malow, Beth A.

2015-01-01

Melatonin is commonly recommended to treat sleep problems in children with developmental disabilities. However, relatively few studies document the efficacy and safety of melatonin in pediatric populations with developmental diagnoses. This chapter reviews recent studies of melatonin efficacy across a wide breadth of developmental disabilities. Overall, short treatment trials (1 week to 3 months) of melatonin were associated with a significant decrease in sleep onset latency time for each of the disorders reviewed, with one notable exception, tuberous sclerosis. In general, reported side effects were uncommon and mild in nature. Across disorders, additional research is needed to draw disability-specific conclusions. However, studies to date provide positive support for future trials that include larger groups of children with specific disabilities/syndromes. PMID:26055866

Attenuating fearful memories: effect of cued extinction on intrusions.

PubMed

Marks, Elizabeth H; Zoellner, Lori A

2014-12-01

Exposure-based therapies for posttraumatic stress disorder are thought to reduce intrusive memories through extinction processes. Methods that enhance extinction may translate to improved treatment. Rat research suggests retrieving a memory via a conditioned stimulus (CS) cue, and then modifying the retrieved memory within a specific reconsolidation window may enhance extinction. In humans, studies (e.g., Kindt & Soeter, 2013; Schiller et al., 2010) using basic learning paradigms show discrepant findings. Using a distressing film paradigm, participants (N = 148) completed fear acquisition and extinction. At extinction, they were randomized to 1 of 3 groups: CS cue within reconsolidation window, CS cue outside window, or non-CS cue within window. Intrusions were assessed 24 hr after extinction. Participants receiving the CS cue and completing extinction within the reconsolidation window had more intrusions (M = 2.40, SD = 2.54) than those cued outside (M = 1.65, SD = 1.70) or those receiving a non-CS cue (M = 1.24, SD = 1.26), F(2, 145) = 4.52, p = .01, d = 0.55. Consistent with the reconsolidation hypothesis, presenting a CS cue does appear to activate a specific period of time during which a memory can be updated. However, the CS cue caused increased, rather than decreased, frequency of intrusions. Understanding parameters of preextinction cueing may help us better understand reconsolidation as a potential memory updating mechanism.

Software for illustrative presentation of basic clinical characteristics of laboratory tests--GraphROC for Windows.

PubMed

Kairisto, V; Poola, A

1995-01-01

GraphROC for Windows is a program for clinical test evaluation. It was designed for the handling of large datasets obtained from clinical laboratory databases. In the user interface, graphical and numerical presentations are combined. For simplicity, numerical data is not shown unless requested. Relevant numbers can be "picked up" from the graph by simple mouse operations. Reference distributions can be displayed by using automatically optimized bin widths. Any percentile of the distribution with corresponding confidence limits can be chosen for display. In sensitivity-specificity analysis, both illness- and health-related distributions are shown in the same graph. The following data for any cutoff limit can be shown in a separate click window: clinical sensitivity and specificity with corresponding confidence limits, positive and negative likelihood ratios, positive and negative predictive values and efficiency. Predictive values and clinical efficiency of the cutoff limit can be updated for any prior probability of disease. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves can be generated and combined into the same graph for comparison of several different tests. The area under the curve with corresponding confidence interval is calculated for each ROC curve. Numerical results of analyses and graphs can be printed or exported to other Microsoft Windows programs. GraphROC for Windows also employs a new method, developed by us, for the indirect estimation of health-related limits and change limits from mixed distributions of clinical laboratory data.

The unexpected teratogenicity of RXR antagonist UVI3003 via activation of PPARγ in Xenopus tropicalis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhu, Jingmin

2017-01-01

The RXR agonist (triphenyltin, TPT) and the RXR antagonist (UVI3003) both show teratogenicity and, unexpectedly, induce similar malformations in Xenopus tropicalis embryos. In the present study, we exposed X. tropicalis embryos to UVI3003 in seven specific developmental windows and identified changes in gene expression. We further measured the ability of UVI3003 to activate Xenopus RXRα (xRXRα) and PPARγ (xPPARγ) in vitro and in vivo. We found that UVI3003 activated xPPARγ either in Cos7 cells (in vitro) or Xenopus embryos (in vivo). UVI3003 did not significantly activate human or mouse PPARγ in vitro; therefore, the activation of Xenopus PPARγ by UVI3003more » is novel. The ability of UVI3003 to activate xPPARγ explains why UVI3003 and TPT yield similar phenotypes in Xenopus embryos. Our results indicate that activating PPARγ leads to teratogenic effects in Xenopus embryos. More generally, we infer that chemicals known to specifically modulate mammalian nuclear hormone receptors cannot be assumed to have the same activity in non-mammalian species, such as Xenopus. Rather they must be tested for activity and specificity on receptors of the species in question to avoid making inappropriate conclusions. - Highlights: • UVI3003 is a RXRs antagonist and shows teratogenicity to Xenopus embryos. • UVI3003 activated xPPARγ either in Cos7 cells or Xenopus embryos. • UVI3003 did not activate human or mouse PPARγ in Cos7 cells. • Activating PPARγ leads to teratogenic effects in Xenopus embryos.« less

Epidemiology of Environmental Exposures and Human Autoimmune Diseases: Findings from a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Expert Panel Workshop

PubMed Central

Alfredsson, Lars; Costenbader, Karen H.; Kamen, Diane L.; Nelson, Lorene; Norris, Jill M.; De Roos, Anneclaire J.

2012-01-01

Autoimmune diseases (AID) are a collection of many complex disorders of unknown etiology resulting in immune responses to self-antigens and are thought to result from interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Here we review the epidemiologic evidence for the role of environmental factors in the development of human AID, the conclusions that can be drawn from the existing data, critical knowledge gaps, and research needed to fill these gaps and to resolve uncertainties. We specifically summarize the state of knowledge and our levels of confidence in the role of specific agents in the development of autoimmune diseases, and we define the areas of greatest impact for future investigations. Among our consensus findings we are confident that: 1) crystalline silica exposure can contribute to the development of several AID; 2) solvent exposure can contribute to the development of systemic sclerosis; 3) smoking can contribute to the development of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis; and 4) an inverse association exists between ultraviolet radiation exposure and the risk of development of multiple sclerosis. We suggest that more studies of phenotypes, genotypes, and multiple exposures are needed. Additional knowledge gaps needing investigation include: defining important windows in the timing of exposures and latencies relating to age, developmental state, and hormonal changes; understanding dose-response relationships; and elucidating mechanisms for disease development. Addressing these essential issues will require more resources to support research, particularly of rare AID, but knowledge of the risks conferred by environmental factors in specific genetic contexts could pave the way for prevention of AID in the future. PMID:22739348

Environmental and epigenetic effects upon preimplantation embryo metabolism and development

PubMed Central

Chason, Rebecca J; Csokmay, John; Segars, James H.; DeCherney, Alan H.; Armant, D. Randall

2011-01-01

In vitro fertilization has provided a unique window into the metabolic processes that drive embryonic growth and development from a fertilized ovum to a competent blastocyst. Post-fertilization development is dependent upon a dramatic reshuffling of the parental genomes during meiosis, as well as epigenetic changes that provide a new and autonomous set of instructions to guide cellular differentiation both in the embryo and beyond. While early literature focused simply on the substrates and culture conditions required for progress through embryonic development, more recent insights lead us to suggest that the surrounding environment can alter the epigenome, which can, in turn, impact embryonic metabolism and developmental competence. PMID:21741268

Developmental Patterns of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Current Symptoms and Impairment in Youth Referred For Trauma-Specific Services.

PubMed

Grasso, Damion J; Dierkhising, Carly B; Branson, Christopher E; Ford, Julian D; Lee, Robert

2016-07-01

By the time children reach adolescence, most have experienced at least one type of severe adversity and many have been exposed to multiple types. However, whether patterns of adverse childhood experiences are consistent or change across developmental epochs in childhood is not known. Retrospective reports of adverse potentially traumatic childhood experiences in 3 distinct developmental epochs (early childhood, 0- to 5-years-old; middle childhood, 6- to 12-years-old; and adolescence, 13- to 18-years-old) were obtained from adolescents (N = 3485) referred to providers in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) for trauma-focused assessment and treatment. Results from latent class analysis (LCA) revealed increasingly complex patterns of adverse/traumatic experiences in middle childhood and adolescence compared to early childhood. Depending upon the specific developmental epoch assessed, different patterns of adverse/traumatic experiences were associated with gender and with adolescent psychopathology (e.g., internalizing/externalizing behavior problems), and juvenile justice involvement. A multiply exposed subgroup that had severe problems in adolescence was evident in each of the 3 epochs, but their specific types of adverse/traumatic experiences differed depending upon the developmental epoch. Implications for research and clinical practice are identified.

Error analysis and new dual-cosine window for estimating the sensor frequency response function from the step response data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Shuang-Long; Liang, Li-Ping; Liu, Hou-De; Xu, Ke-Jun

2018-03-01

Aiming at reducing the estimation error of the sensor frequency response function (FRF) estimated by the commonly used window-based spectral estimation method, the error models of interpolation and transient errors are derived in the form of non-parameter models. Accordingly, window effects on the errors are analyzed and reveal that the commonly used hanning window leads to smaller interpolation error which can also be significantly eliminated by the cubic spline interpolation method when estimating the FRF from the step response data, and window with smaller front-end value can restrain more transient error. Thus, a new dual-cosine window with its non-zero discrete Fourier transform bins at -3, -1, 0, 1, and 3 is constructed for FRF estimation. Compared with the hanning window, the new dual-cosine window has the equivalent interpolation error suppression capability and better transient error suppression capability when estimating the FRF from the step response; specifically, it reduces the asymptotic property of the transient error from O(N-2) of the hanning window method to O(N-4) while only increases the uncertainty slightly (about 0.4 dB). Then, one direction of a wind tunnel strain gauge balance which is a high order, small damping, and non-minimum phase system is employed as the example for verifying the new dual-cosine window-based spectral estimation method. The model simulation result shows that the new dual-cosine window method is better than the hanning window method for FRF estimation, and compared with the Gans method and LPM method, it has the advantages of simple computation, less time consumption, and short data requirement; the actual data calculation result of the balance FRF is consistent to the simulation result. Thus, the new dual-cosine window is effective and practical for FRF estimation.

Low-E Storm Windows Gain Acceptance as a Home Weatherization Measure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gilbride, Theresa L.; Cort, Katherine A.

This article for Home Energy Magazine describes work by the U.S. Department of Energy to develop low-emissivity storm windows as an energy efficiency-retrofit option for existing homes. The article describes the low-emissivity invisible silver metal coatings on the glass, which reflect heat back into the home in winter or back outside in summer and the benefits of low-e storm windows including insulation, air sealing, noise blocking, protection of antique windows, etc. The article also describes Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's efforts on behalf of DOE to overcome market barriers to adoption of the technology, including performance validation studies in the PNNLmore » Lab Homes, cost effectiveness analysis, production of reports, brochures, how-to guides on low-e storm window installation for the Building America Solution Center, and a video posted on YouTube. PNNL's efforts were reviewed by the Pacific Northwest Regional Technical Forum (RTF), which serves as the advisory board to the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning Council and Bonneville Power Administration. In late July 2015, the RTF approved the low-e storm window measure’s savings and specifications, a critical step in integrating low-e storm windows into energy-efficiency planning and utility weatherization and incentive programs. PNNL estimates that more than 90 million homes in the United States with single-pane or low-performing double-pane windows would benefit from the technology. Low-e storm windows are suitable not only for private residences but also for small commercial buildings, historic properties, and facilities that house residents, such as nursing homes, dormitories, and in-patient facilities. To further assist in the market transformation of low-e storm windows and other high-efficiency window attachments, DOE helped found the window Attachment Energy Rating Council (AERC) in 2015. AERC is an independent, public interest, non-profit organization whose mission is to rate, label, and certify the performance of window attachments.« less

Children's Coping Resources Subsequent to Parental Divorce: A Developmental Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurtz, Linda; And Others

The impact of divorce upon the children's adaptation has increasingly become a topic of concern in developmental research. This study investigates how specific coping resources (self-efficacy, self-esteem) vary according to age and as a correlate of developmental level in children from divorced and intact homes. Researchers also examined the…

Measuring Student Success from a Developmental Mathematics Course at an Elite Public Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsu, Julian; Gehring, William J.

2016-01-01

This paper asks whether placement recommendations for a developmental math course at an elite public institution impact students' future academic performance, course-taking, and college outcomes. Researchers use these specific outcomes to measure whether developmental courses help students develop the skills necessary to succeed in college,…

Successful Developmental Math Students in Traditional Format and Online Delivery: A Comparative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Jeremy Lloyd

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare student performance in online and traditional classroom based developmental math courses at Texas community colleges. This study specifically examined: (a) student performance in both delivery methods, (b) students who successfully completed the developmental math course, and (c) student performance in the…

Identifying Gender-Specific Developmental Trajectories of Nonviolent and Violent Delinquency from Adolescence to Young Adulthood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zheng, Yao; Cleveland, H. Harrington

2013-01-01

Most research examining gender differences in developmental trajectories of antisocial behavior does not consider subtypes of antisocial behavior and is difficult to generalize due to small non-representative samples. The current study investigated gender difference in developmental trajectories from adolescence to young adulthood while addressing…

CHEMICAL PRIORITIZATION FOR DEVELOPMENTAL ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Defining a predictive model of developmental toxicity from in vitro and high-throughput screening (HTS) assays can be limited by the availability of developmental defects data. ToxRefDB (www.epa.gov/ncct/todrefdb) was built from animal studies on data-rich environmental chemicals, and has been used as an anchor for predictive modeling of ToxCast™ data. Scaling to thousands of untested chemicals requires another approach. ToxPlorer™ was developed as a tool to query and extract specific facts about defined biological entities from the open scientific literature and to coherently synthesize relevant knowledge about relationships, pathways and processes in toxicity. Here, we investigated the specific application of ToxPlorer to weighting HTS assay targets for relevance to developmental defects as defined in the literature. First, we systemically analyzed 88,193 Pubmed abstracts selected by bulk query using harmonized terminology for 862 developmental endpoints (www.devtox.net) and 364,334 dictionary term entities in our VT-KB (virtual tissues knowledgebase). We specifically focused on entities corresponding to genes/proteins mapped across of >500 ToxCast HTS assays. The 88,193 devtox abstracts mentioned 244 gene/protein entities in an aggregated total of ~8,000 occurrences. Each of the 244 assays was scored and weighted by the number of devtox articles and relevance to developmental processes. This score was used as a feature for chemical prioritization by Toxic

Typological and Developmental Considerations on Specific Language Impairment in Monolingual and Bilingual Children: A Processability Theory Account

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Håkansson, Gisela

2017-01-01

This article suggests a method to deal with cross-linguistic differences in children with Specific Language Impairment. The differences in vulnerable structures reflect typological properties of the surrounding language (e.g., Leonard 2014a, 2014b). This article adds a developmental perspective to the discussion by interpreting the vulnerable…

Brain Hyper-Connectivity and Operation-Specific Deficits during Arithmetic Problem Solving in Children with Developmental Dyscalculia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenberg-Lee, Miriam; Ashkenazi, Sarit; Chen, Tianwen; Young, Christina B.; Geary, David C.; Menon, Vinod

2015-01-01

Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is marked by specific deficits in processing numerical and mathematical information despite normal intelligence (IQ) and reading ability. We examined how brain circuits used by young children with DD to solve simple addition and subtraction problems differ from those used by typically developing (TD) children who…

Working Memory and Learning in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder and Specific Language Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alloway, Tracy Packiam; Archibald, Lisa

2008-01-01

The authors compared 6- to 11-year-olds with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and those with specific language impairment (SLI) on measures of memory (verbal and visuospatial short-term and working memory) and learning (reading and mathematics). Children with DCD with typical language skills were impaired in all four areas of memory…

Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Specific Phobias with a Child Demonstrating Severe Problem Behavior and Developmental Delays

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Thompson E., III; Kurtz, Patricia F.; Gardner, Andrew W.; Carman, Nicole B.

2007-01-01

Cognitive-behavioral treatments (CBTs) are widely used for anxiety disorders in typically developing children; however, there has been no previous attempt to administer CBT for specific phobia (in this case study, one-session treatment) to developmentally or intellectually disabled children. This case study integrates both cognitive-behavioral and…

Seizure disorders and developmental disorders: impact on life of affected families-a structured interview.

PubMed

Spindler, Ulrike Petra; Hotopp, Lena Charlott; Bach, Vivien Angela; Hornemann, Frauke; Syrbe, Steffen; Andreas, Anna; Merkenschlager, Andreas; Kiess, Wieland; Bernhard, Matthias Karl; Bertsche, Thilo; Neininger, Martina Patrizia; Bertsche, Astrid

2017-08-01

Seizure disorder and developmental disorder are two of the most common chronic disorders in childhood. Data on perceived parental burden and specific effects on daily life is scarce. We performed a structured interview, consecutively talking to all parents of pediatric outpatients of our university hospital diagnosed with seizure or developmental disorder. Three hundred seven parents (of 317 affected children: 53 with seizure disorder, 44 with specific developmental disorder, 35 with learning disorder, 71 with intellectual disability, 15 with seizure + specific developmental disorder, 23 with seizure + learning disorder, 76 with seizure disorder + intellectual disability) were interviewed. Parents of children with both seizure disorder and intellectual disability stated the highest constraints in daily life, regarding friends, hobbies, emotional pressure, occupation, partnership, habitation, and financial burden. Due to diagnosis of seizure or developmental disorder, 155/307 (51%) parents reduced their working hours/stopped working, 62/307 (20%) changed their habitation, and 46/307 (15%) broke up. As judged by parents, 148/317 (47%) children are being discriminated against, even own family/friends and educators are held responsible. Parents perceive changes in their daily life and discrimination of their children due to their children's seizure and developmental disorders. An intellectual disability combined with seizure disorder caused the highest constraint. What is Known: • Seizure and/or developmental disorders of children may adversely influence quality of life for affected parents. • Caring for a child with special health care needs can take complete attention and own parental needs may therefore be difficult to meet. What is New: • Two out of three parents stated changes of their daily life such as quitting work, change of habitation, or breakup of partnership due to their child's diagnosis. • As judged by the parents, one in two children with developmental disorder of any kind is being discriminated against, even teachers and own family are held responsible.

Extraction and Refinement Strategy for detection of autism in 18-month-olds: a guarantee of higher sensitivity and specificity in the process of mass screening.

PubMed

Honda, Hideo; Shimizu, Yasuo; Nitto, Yukari; Imai, Miho; Ozawa, Takeshi; Iwasa, Mitsuaki; Shiga, Keiko; Hira, Tomoko

2009-08-01

For early detection of autism, it is difficult to maintain an efficient level of sensitivity and specificity based on observational data from a single screening. The Extraction and Refinement (E&R) Strategy utilizes a public children's health surveillance program to produce maximum efficacy in early detection of autism. In the extraction stage, all cases at risk of childhood problems, including developmental abnormality, are identified; in the refinement stage, cases without problems are excluded, leaving only cases with conclusive diagnoses. The city of Yokohama, Japan, conducts a routine child health surveillance program for children at 18 months in which specialized public health nurses administer YACHT-18 (Young Autism and other developmental disorders CHeckup Tool), a screening instrument to identify children at risk for developmental disorders. Children who screen positive undergo further observation, and those without disorders are subsequently excluded. To study the efficacy of early detection procedures for developmental disorders, including autism, 2,814 children born in 1988, examined at 18 months of age, and not already receiving treatment for diseases or disorders were selected. In the extraction stage, 402 (14.3%) children were identified for follow-up. In the refinement stage, 19 (.7%) of these were referred to the Yokohama Rehabilitation Center and diagnosed with developmental disorders. The extraction stage produced four false negatives, bringing total diagnoses of developmental disorders to 23 (.8%) - including 5 with autistic disorder and 9 with pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified (PDDNOS). Sensitivity was 60% for autistic disorder and 82.6% for developmental disorders. Specificity for developmental disorders rose to 100% with the E&R Strategy. Picture cards used in YACHT-18 provided a finer screen that excluded some false positive cases. An extraction and refinement methodology utilizing child health surveillance programs achieve high efficacy for early detection of autism.

Sensitivity of hiPSC-derived neural stem cells (NSC) to Pyrroloquinoline quinone depends on their developmental stage.

PubMed

Augustyniak, J; Lenart, J; Zychowicz, M; Lipka, G; Gaj, P; Kolanowska, M; Stepien, P P; Buzanska, L

2017-12-01

Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) is a factor influencing on the mitochondrial biogenesis. In this study the PQQ effect on viability, total cell number, antioxidant capacity, mitochondrial biogenesis and differentiation potential was investigated in human induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSC) - derived: neural stem cells (NSC), early neural progenitors (eNP) and neural progenitors (NP). Here we demonstrated that sensitivity to PQQ is dependent upon its dose and neural stage of development. Induction of the mitochondrial biogenesis by PQQ at three stages of neural differentiation was evaluated at mtDNA, mRNA and protein level. Changes in NRF1, TFAM and PPARGC1A gene expression were observed at all developmental stages, but only at eNP were correlated with the statistically significant increase in the mtDNA copy numbers and enhancement of SDHA, COX-1 protein level. Thus, the "developmental window" of eNP for PQQ-evoked mitochondrial biogenesis is proposed. This effect was independent of high antioxidant capacity of PQQ, which was confirmed in all tested cell populations, regardless of the stage of hiPSC neural differentiation. Furthermore, a strong induction of GFAP, with down regulation of MAP2 gene expression upon PQQ treatment was observed. This indicates a possibility of shifting the balance of cell differentiation in the favor of astroglia, but more research is needed at this point. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transient activation of dopaminergic neurons during development modulates visual responsiveness, locomotion and brain activity in a dopamine ontogeny model of schizophrenia.

PubMed

Calcagno, B; Eyles, D; van Alphen, B; van Swinderen, B

2013-01-08

It has been observed that certain developmental environmental risk factors for schizophrenia when modeled in rodents alter the trajectory of dopaminergic development, leading to persistent behavioural changes in adults. This has recently been articulated as the "dopamine ontogeny hypothesis of schizophrenia". To test one aspect of this hypothesis, namely that transient dopaminergic effects during development modulate attention-like behavior and arousal in adults, we turned to a small-brain model, Drosophila melanogaster. By applying genetic tools allowing transient activation or silencing of dopaminergic neurons in the fly brain, we investigated whether a critical window exists during development when altered dopamine (DA) activity levels could lead to impairments in arousal states in adult animals. We found that increased activity in dopaminergic neurons in later stages of development significantly increased visual responsiveness and locomotion, especially in adult males. This misallocation of visual salience and hyperactivity mimicked the effect of acute methamphetamine feeding to adult flies, suggesting up-regulated DA signaling could result from developmental manipulations. Finally, brain recordings revealed significantly reduced gamma-band activity in adult animals exposed to the transient developmental insult. Together, these data support the idea that transient alterations in DA signaling during development can permanently alter behavior in adults, and that a reductionist model such as Drosophila can be used to investigate potential mechanisms underlying complex cognitive disorders such as schizophrenia.

Understanding mental retardation in Down's syndrome using trisomy 16 mouse models.

PubMed

Galdzicki, Z; Siarey, R J

2003-06-01

Mental retardation in Down's syndrome, human trisomy 21, is characterized by developmental delays, language and memory deficits and other cognitive abnormalities. Neurophysiological and functional information is needed to understand the mechanisms of mental retardation in Down's syndrome. The trisomy mouse models provide windows into the molecular and developmental effects associated with abnormal chromosome numbers. The distal segment of mouse chromosome 16 is homologous to nearly the entire long arm of human chromosome 21. Therefore, mice with full or segmental trisomy 16 (Ts65Dn) are considered reliable animal models of Down's syndrome. Ts65Dn mice demonstrate impaired learning in spatial tests and abnormalities in hippocampal synaptic plasticity. We hypothesize that the physiological impairments in the Ts65Dn mouse hippocampus can model the suboptimal brain function occuring at various levels of Down's syndrome brain hierarchy, starting at a single neuron, and then affecting simple and complex neuronal networks. Once these elements create the gross brain structure, their dysfunctional activity cannot be overcome by extensive plasticity and redundancy, and therefore, at the end of the maturation period the mind inside this brain remains deficient and delayed in its capabilities. The complicated interactions that govern this aberrant developmental process cannot be rescued through existing compensatory mechanisms. In summary, overexpression of genes from chromosome 21 shifts biological homeostasis in the Down's syndrome brain to a new less functional state.

Timing of favorable conditions, competition and fertility interact to govern recruitment of invasive Chinese tallow tree in stressful environments.

PubMed

Gabler, Christopher A; Siemann, Evan

2013-01-01

The rate of new exotic recruitment following removal of adult invaders (reinvasion pressure) influences restoration outcomes and costs but is highly variable and poorly understood. We hypothesize that broad variation in average reinvasion pressure of Triadica sebifera (Chinese tallow tree, a major invader) arises from differences among habitats in spatiotemporal availability of realized recruitment windows. These windows are periods of variable duration long enough to permit establishment given local environmental conditions. We tested this hypothesis via a greenhouse mesocosm experiment that quantified how the duration of favorable moisture conditions prior to flood or drought stress (window duration), competition and nutrient availability influenced Triadica success in high stress environments. Window duration influenced pre-stress seedling abundance and size, growth during stress and final abundance; it interacted with other factors to affect final biomass and germination during stress. Stress type and competition impacted final size and biomass, plus germination, mortality and changes in size during stress. Final abundance also depended on competition and the interaction of window duration, stress type and competition. Fertilization interacted with competition and stress to influence biomass and changes in height, respectively, but did not affect Triadica abundance. Overall, longer window durations promoted Triadica establishment, competition and drought (relative to flood) suppressed establishment, and fertilization had weak effects. Interactions among factors frequently produced different effects in specific contexts. Results support our 'outgrow the stress' hypothesis and show that temporal availability of abiotic windows and factors that influence growth rates govern Triadica recruitment in stressful environments. These findings suggest that native seed addition can effectively suppress superior competitors in stressful environments. We also describe environmental scenarios where specific management methods may be more or less effective. Our results enable better niche-based estimates of local reinvasion pressure, which can improve restoration efficacy and efficiency by informing site selection and optimal management.

Timing of Favorable Conditions, Competition and Fertility Interact to Govern Recruitment of Invasive Chinese Tallow Tree in Stressful Environments

PubMed Central

Gabler, Christopher A.; Siemann, Evan

2013-01-01

The rate of new exotic recruitment following removal of adult invaders (reinvasion pressure) influences restoration outcomes and costs but is highly variable and poorly understood. We hypothesize that broad variation in average reinvasion pressure of Triadica sebifera (Chinese tallow tree, a major invader) arises from differences among habitats in spatiotemporal availability of realized recruitment windows. These windows are periods of variable duration long enough to permit establishment given local environmental conditions. We tested this hypothesis via a greenhouse mesocosm experiment that quantified how the duration of favorable moisture conditions prior to flood or drought stress (window duration), competition and nutrient availability influenced Triadica success in high stress environments. Window duration influenced pre-stress seedling abundance and size, growth during stress and final abundance; it interacted with other factors to affect final biomass and germination during stress. Stress type and competition impacted final size and biomass, plus germination, mortality and changes in size during stress. Final abundance also depended on competition and the interaction of window duration, stress type and competition. Fertilization interacted with competition and stress to influence biomass and changes in height, respectively, but did not affect Triadica abundance. Overall, longer window durations promoted Triadica establishment, competition and drought (relative to flood) suppressed establishment, and fertilization had weak effects. Interactions among factors frequently produced different effects in specific contexts. Results support our ‘outgrow the stress’ hypothesis and show that temporal availability of abiotic windows and factors that influence growth rates govern Triadica recruitment in stressful environments. These findings suggest that native seed addition can effectively suppress superior competitors in stressful environments. We also describe environmental scenarios where specific management methods may be more or less effective. Our results enable better niche-based estimates of local reinvasion pressure, which can improve restoration efficacy and efficiency by informing site selection and optimal management. PMID:23967212

Drosophila Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein Developmentally Regulates Activity-Dependent Axon Pruning

PubMed Central

Tessier, Charles R.; Broadie, Kendal

2014-01-01

Summary Fragile X Syndrome (FraX) is a broad-spectrum neurological disorder with symptoms ranging from hyperexcitability to mental retardation and autism. Loss of the fragile X mental retardation 1 (fmr1) gene product, the mRNA-binding translational regulator FMRP, causes structural over-elaboration of dendritic and axonal processes as well as functional alterations in synaptic plasticity at maturity. It is unclear, however, whether FraX is primarily a disease of development, a disease of plasticity or both; a distinction vital for engineering intervention strategies. To address this critical issue, we have used the Drosophila FraX model to investigate the developmental roles of Drosophila FMRP (dFMRP). dFMRP expression and regulation of chickadee/profilin coincides with a transient window of late brain development. During this time, dFMRP is positively regulated by sensory input activity, and required to limit axon growth and for efficient activity-dependent pruning of axon branches in the Mushroom Body learning/memory center. These results demonstrate that dFMRP has a primary role in activity-dependent neural circuit refinement in late brain development. PMID:18321984

Early structural and functional plasticity alterations in a susceptibility period of DYT1 dystonia mouse striatum.

PubMed

Maltese, Marta; Stanic, Jennifer; Tassone, Annalisa; Sciamanna, Giuseppe; Ponterio, Giulia; Vanni, Valentina; Martella, Giuseppina; Imbriani, Paola; Bonsi, Paola; Mercuri, Nicola Biagio; Gardoni, Fabrizio; Pisani, Antonio

2018-03-05

The onset of abnormal movements in DYT1 dystonia is between childhood and adolescence, although it is unclear why clinical manifestations appear during this developmental period. Plasticity at corticostriatal synapses is critically involved in motor memory. In the Tor1a +/Δgag DYT1 dystonia mouse model, long-term potentiation (LTP) appeared prematurely in a critical developmental window in striatal spiny neurons (SPNs), while long-term depression (LTD) was never recorded. Analysis of dendritic spines showed an increase of both spine width and mature mushroom spines in Tor1a +/Δgag neurons, paralleled by an enhanced AMPA receptor (AMPAR) accumulation. BDNF regulates AMPAR expression during development. Accordingly, both proBDNF and BDNF levels were significantly higher in Tor1a +/Δgag mice. Consistently, antagonism of BDNF rescued synaptic plasticity deficits and AMPA currents. Our findings demonstrate that early loss of functional and structural synaptic homeostasis represents a unique endophenotypic trait during striatal maturation, promoting the appearance of clinical manifestations in mutation carriers. © 2018, Maltese et al.

Audiovisual Simultaneity Judgment and Rapid Recalibration throughout the Lifespan.

PubMed

Noel, Jean-Paul; De Niear, Matthew; Van der Burg, Erik; Wallace, Mark T

2016-01-01

Multisensory interactions are well established to convey an array of perceptual and behavioral benefits. One of the key features of multisensory interactions is the temporal structure of the stimuli combined. In an effort to better characterize how temporal factors influence multisensory interactions across the lifespan, we examined audiovisual simultaneity judgment and the degree of rapid recalibration to paired audiovisual stimuli (Flash-Beep and Speech) in a sample of 220 participants ranging from 7 to 86 years of age. Results demonstrate a surprisingly protracted developmental time-course for both audiovisual simultaneity judgment and rapid recalibration, with neither reaching maturity until well into adolescence. Interestingly, correlational analyses revealed that audiovisual simultaneity judgments (i.e., the size of the audiovisual temporal window of simultaneity) and rapid recalibration significantly co-varied as a function of age. Together, our results represent the most complete description of age-related changes in audiovisual simultaneity judgments to date, as well as being the first to describe changes in the degree of rapid recalibration as a function of age. We propose that the developmental time-course of rapid recalibration scaffolds the maturation of more durable audiovisual temporal representations.

[Children with developmental coordination disorder have difficulty with action representation].

PubMed

Gabbard, Carl; Cacola, Priscila

The study of children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) has emerged as a vibrant line of inquiry over the last two decades. The literature indicates quite clearly that children with DCD display deficits with an array of perceptual-motor and daily living skills. The movements of children with DCD are often described as clumsy and uncoordinated and lead to difficulties with performing many of the activities of daily living and sports that typically developing children perform easily. It has been hypothesized, based on limited research, that an underlying problem is a deficit in generating and/or monitoring an action representation termed the internal modeling deficit hypothesis. According to the hypothesis, children with DCD have significant limitations in their ability to accurately generate and utilize internal models of motor planning and control. The focus of this review is on one of the methods used to examine action representation-motor imagery, which theorists argue provides a window into the process of action representation. Included are research methods and possible brain structures involved. An addition, a paradigm unique with this population-estimation of reachability (distance) via motor imagery, will be described.

Simplified Computation for Nonparametric Windows Method of Probability Density Function Estimation.

PubMed

Joshi, Niranjan; Kadir, Timor; Brady, Michael

2011-08-01

Recently, Kadir and Brady proposed a method for estimating probability density functions (PDFs) for digital signals which they call the Nonparametric (NP) Windows method. The method involves constructing a continuous space representation of the discrete space and sampled signal by using a suitable interpolation method. NP Windows requires only a small number of observed signal samples to estimate the PDF and is completely data driven. In this short paper, we first develop analytical formulae to obtain the NP Windows PDF estimates for 1D, 2D, and 3D signals, for different interpolation methods. We then show that the original procedure to calculate the PDF estimate can be significantly simplified and made computationally more efficient by a judicious choice of the frame of reference. We have also outlined specific algorithmic details of the procedures enabling quick implementation. Our reformulation of the original concept has directly demonstrated a close link between the NP Windows method and the Kernel Density Estimator.

Tuneable complementary metamaterial structures based on graphene for single and multiple transparency windows

PubMed Central

Ding, Jun; Arigong, Bayaner; Ren, Han; Zhou, Mi; Shao, Jin; Lu, Meng; Chai, Yang; Lin, Yuankun; Zhang, Hualiang

2014-01-01

Novel graphene-based tunable plasmonic metamaterials featuring single and multiple transparency windows are numerically studied in this paper. The designed structures consist of a graphene layer perforated with quadrupole slot structures and dolmen-like slot structures printed on a substrate. Specifically, the graphene-based quadrupole slot structure can realize a single transparency window, which is achieved without breaking the structure symmetry. Further investigations have shown that the single transparency window in the proposed quadrupole slot structure is more likely originated from the quantum effect of Autler-Townes splitting. Then, by introducing a dipole slot to the quadrupole slot structure to form the dolmen-like slot structure, an additional transmission dip could occur in the transmission spectrum, thus, a multiple-transparency-window system can be achieved (for the first time for graphene-based devices). More importantly, the transparency windows for both the quadrupole slot and the dolmen-like slot structures can be dynamically controlled over a broad frequency range by varying the Fermi energy levels of the graphene layer (through electrostatic gating). The proposed slot metamaterial structures with tunable single and multiple transparency windows could find potential applications in many areas such as multiple-wavelength slow-light devices, active plasmonic switching, and optical sensing. PMID:25146672

Tuneable complementary metamaterial structures based on graphene for single and multiple transparency windows.

PubMed

Ding, Jun; Arigong, Bayaner; Ren, Han; Zhou, Mi; Shao, Jin; Lu, Meng; Chai, Yang; Lin, Yuankun; Zhang, Hualiang

2014-08-22

Novel graphene-based tunable plasmonic metamaterials featuring single and multiple transparency windows are numerically studied in this paper. The designed structures consist of a graphene layer perforated with quadrupole slot structures and dolmen-like slot structures printed on a substrate. Specifically, the graphene-based quadrupole slot structure can realize a single transparency window, which is achieved without breaking the structure symmetry. Further investigations have shown that the single transparency window in the proposed quadrupole slot structure is more likely originated from the quantum effect of Autler-Townes splitting. Then, by introducing a dipole slot to the quadrupole slot structure to form the dolmen-like slot structure, an additional transmission dip could occur in the transmission spectrum, thus, a multiple-transparency-window system can be achieved (for the first time for graphene-based devices). More importantly, the transparency windows for both the quadrupole slot and the dolmen-like slot structures can be dynamically controlled over a broad frequency range by varying the Fermi energy levels of the graphene layer (through electrostatic gating). The proposed slot metamaterial structures with tunable single and multiple transparency windows could find potential applications in many areas such as multiple-wavelength slow-light devices, active plasmonic switching, and optical sensing.

A Process Evaluation of Project Developmental Continuity. Interim Report IV, Volume 2: Development of the Implementation and Cost Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Allen G.; And Others

This interim report describes the development of program implementation and cost studies for Year II of the process evaluation of Project Developmental Continuity (PDC), a Head Start demonstration program aimed at providing educational and developmental continuity between children's Head Start and primary school experiences. Specific areas focused…

The adolescent parent: A dual developmental crisis.

PubMed

Sadler, L S; Catrone, C

1983-06-01

This paper examines salient developmental characteristics of adolescents and beginning parents. In the case of many teenage parents, specific developmental tasks of adolescence affect and may potentially conflict with the tasks of early parenthood. A conceptual framework is presented which describes this conflict and serves as the basis for examining and explaining certain unique behaviors observed in young adolescent parents.

Key roles of Arf small G proteins and biosynthetic trafficking for animal development.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Francisco F; Harris, Tony J C

2017-04-14

Although biosynthetic trafficking can function constitutively, it also functions specifically for certain developmental processes. These processes require either a large increase to biosynthesis or the biosynthesis and targeted trafficking of specific players. We review the conserved molecular mechanisms that direct biosynthetic trafficking, and discuss how their genetic disruption affects animal development. Specifically, we consider Arf small G proteins, such as Arf1 and Sar1, and their coat effectors, COPI and COPII, and how these proteins promote biosynthetic trafficking for cleavage of the Drosophila embryo, the growth of neuronal dendrites and synapses, extracellular matrix secretion for bone development, lumen development in epithelial tubes, notochord and neural tube development, and ciliogenesis. Specific need for the biosynthetic trafficking system is also evident from conserved CrebA/Creb3-like transcription factors increasing the expression of secretory machinery during several of these developmental processes. Moreover, dysfunctional trafficking leads to a range of developmental syndromes.

Integration of wings and their eyespots in the speckled wood butterfly Pararge aegeria.

PubMed

Breuker, Casper J; Gibbs, Melanie; Van Dyck, Hans; Brakefield, Paul M; Klingenberg, Christian Peter; Van Dongen, Stefan

2007-07-15

We investigated both the phenotypic and developmental integration of eyespots on the fore- and hindwings of speckled wood butterflies Pararge aegeria. Eyespots develop within a framework of wing veins, which may not only separate eyespots developmentally, but may at the same time also integrate them by virtue of being both signalling sources and barriers during eyespot development. We therefore specifically investigated the interaction between wing venation patterns and eyespot integration. Phenotypic covariation among eyespots was very high, but only eyespots in neighbouring wing cells and in homologous wing cells on different wing surfaces were developmentally integrated. This can be explained by the fact that the wing cells of these eyespots share one or more wing veins. The wing venation patterns of fore- and hindwings were highly integrated, both phenotypically and developmentally. This did not affect overall developmental integration of the eyespots. The adaptive significance of integration patterns is discussed and more specifically we stress the need to conduct studies on phenotypic plasticity of integration.

HRCT Correlation with Round Window Identification during Cochlear Implantation in Children.

PubMed

Pendem, Sai Kiran; Rangasami, Rajeswaran; Arunachalam, Ravi Kumar; Mohanarangam, Venkata Sai Pulivadulu; Natarajan, Paarthipan

2014-01-01

To determine the accuracy of High Resolution Computer Tomography (HRCT) temporal bone measurements in predicting the actual visualization of round window niche as viewed through posterior tympanotomy (i.e. facial recess). This is a prospective study of 37 cochlear implant candidates, aged between 1and 6 years, who were referred for HRCT temporal bone during the period December 2013 to July 2014. Cochlear implantation was done in 37 children (25 in the right ear and 12 in the left ear). The distance between the short process of incus and the round window niche and the distance between the oval window and the round window niche were measured preoperatively on sub-millimeter (0.7 mm) HRCT images. We classified the visibility of round window niche based on the surgical view (i.e. through posterior tympanotomy) during surgery into three types: 1) Type 1- fully visible, 2) Type 2- partially visible, and 3) Type 3- difficult to visualize. The preoperative HRCT measurements were used to predict the type of visualization of round window niche before surgery and correlated with the findings during surgery. The mean and standard deviation for the distance between the short process of incus and the round window niche and for the distance between the oval window and the round window niche for Types 1, 2, and 3 were 8.5 ± 0.2 mm and 3.2 ± 0.2 mm, 8.0 ± 0.4 mm and 3.8 ± 0.2 mm, 7.5 ± 0.2 mm and 4.4 ± 0.2 mm respectively, and showed statistically significant difference (P < 0.01) between them. The preoperative HRCT measurements had a sensitivity and specificity of 92.3% and 96.2%, respectively, in determining the actual visualization of round window niche. This study shows preoperative HRCT temporal bone measurements are useful in predicting the actual visualization of round window niche as viewed through posterior tympanotomy.

"Just Good Different Things": Specific Accommodations Families Make to Positively Adapt to Their Children with Developmental Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maul, Christine A.; Singer, George H. S.

2009-01-01

Fifteen parents and two grandparents of children with developmental disabilities (DD) were interviewed to discover common themes regarding specific ways in which they devised positive adaptations to their everyday routines to accommodate the needs of their children with DD, how they decided upon the accommodations, and how much help they felt they…

A Music Program for Training Head Start Teachers Using a Sequential, Cognitive, Developmental Process with Pre-school Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brodhecker, Shirley G.

This practicum report addresses the need to supply Head Start teachers with: (1) specific preschool music objectives; (2) a sequential preschool developmental program in music to match the child's cognitive level; (3) how to choose instructional material to encourage specific basic school readiness skills; and (4) workshops to accomplish these…

Young Children’s Developmental Ecologies and Kindergarten Readiness

PubMed Central

Mollborn, Stefanie

2016-01-01

Children enter the crucial transition to school with sociodemographic disparities firmly established. Domain-specific research (e.g., on poverty and family structure) has shed light on these disparities, but we need broader operationalizations of children’s environments to explain them. Building on existing theory, this study articulates the concept of developmental ecology—those interrelated features of a child’s proximal environment that shape development and health. Developmental ecology links structural and demographic factors with interactional, psychological, and genetic factors. Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), this study conducts latent class analyses to identify how 41 factors from three domains—namely, household resources, health risks, and ecological changes—cluster within children as four overarching developmental ecologies. Because it documents how numerous factors co-occur within children, this method allows an approximation of their lived environments. Findings illuminate powerful relationships between race/ethnicity, parental age, socioeconomic background, and nativity and a child’s developmental ecology, as well as associations between developmental ecology and kindergarten cognition, behavior, and health. Developmental ecology represents a major pathway through which demographic characteristics shape school readiness. Because specific factors have different implications depending on the ecologies in which they are embedded, findings support the usefulness of a broad ecological approach. PMID:27873222

The Workstation Approach to Laboratory Computing

PubMed Central

Crosby, P.A.; Malachowski, G.C.; Hall, B.R.; Stevens, V.; Gunn, B.J.; Hudson, S.; Schlosser, D.

1985-01-01

There is a need for a Laboratory Workstation which specifically addresses the problems associated with computing in the scientific laboratory. A workstation based on the IBM PC architecture and including a front end data acquisition system which communicates with a host computer via a high speed communications link; a new graphics display controller with hardware window management and window scrolling; and an integrated software package is described.

Wavenumber selection based analysis in Raman spectroscopy improves skin cancer diagnostic specificity at high sensitivity levels (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Jianhua; Zeng, Haishan; Kalia, Sunil; Lui, Harvey

2017-02-01

Background: Raman spectroscopy is a non-invasive optical technique which can measure molecular vibrational modes within tissue. A large-scale clinical study (n = 518) has demonstrated that real-time Raman spectroscopy could distinguish malignant from benign skin lesions with good diagnostic accuracy; this was validated by a follow-up independent study (n = 127). Objective: Most of the previous diagnostic algorithms have typically been based on analyzing the full band of the Raman spectra, either in the fingerprint or high wavenumber regions. Our objective in this presentation is to explore wavenumber selection based analysis in Raman spectroscopy for skin cancer diagnosis. Methods: A wavenumber selection algorithm was implemented using variably-sized wavenumber windows, which were determined by the correlation coefficient between wavenumbers. Wavenumber windows were chosen based on accumulated frequency from leave-one-out cross-validated stepwise regression or least and shrinkage selection operator (LASSO). The diagnostic algorithms were then generated from the selected wavenumber windows using multivariate statistical analyses, including principal component and general discriminant analysis (PC-GDA) and partial least squares (PLS). A total cohort of 645 confirmed lesions from 573 patients encompassing skin cancers, precancers and benign skin lesions were included. Lesion measurements were divided into training cohort (n = 518) and testing cohort (n = 127) according to the measurement time. Result: The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) improved from 0.861-0.891 to 0.891-0.911 and the diagnostic specificity for sensitivity levels of 0.99-0.90 increased respectively from 0.17-0.65 to 0.20-0.75 by selecting specific wavenumber windows for analysis. Conclusion: Wavenumber selection based analysis in Raman spectroscopy improves skin cancer diagnostic specificity at high sensitivity levels.

Procedural learning in Parkinson's disease, specific language impairment, dyslexia, schizophrenia, developmental coordination disorder, and autism spectrum disorders: A second-order meta-analysis.

PubMed

Clark, Gillian M; Lum, Jarrad A G

2017-10-01

The serial reaction time task (SRTT) has been used to study procedural learning in clinical populations. In this report, second-order meta-analysis was used to investigate whether disorder type moderates performance on the SRTT. Using this approach to quantitatively summarise past research, it was tested whether autism spectrum disorder, developmental coordination disorder, dyslexia, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and specific language impairment differentially affect procedural learning on the SRTT. The main analysis revealed disorder type moderated SRTT performance (p=0.010). This report demonstrates comparable levels of procedural learning impairment in developmental coordination disorder, dyslexia, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and specific language impairment. However, in autism, procedural learning is spared. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

IT-25DEVELOPMENTALLY REGULATED ANTIGENS FOR IMMUNOLOGIC TARGETING OF MEDULLOBLASTOMA SUBTYPES

PubMed Central

Pham, Christina; Flores, Catherine; Pei, Yanxin; Wechsler-Reya, Robert; Mitchell, Duane

2014-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Medulloblastoma (MB) remains incurable in one third of patients despite aggressive multi-modality standard therapies. Immunotherapy presents a promising alternative by specifically targeting cancer cells. To date, there have been no successful immunologic applications targeting MB. Emerging evidence from integrated genomic studies has suggested MB variants arise from deregulation of pathways affecting proliferation of progenitor cell populations within the developing cerebellum. Using total embryonic RNA as a source of tumor rejection antigens is attractive because it can be delivered as a single vaccine, target both known and unknown fetal proteins, and can be refined to preferentially treat distinct MB subtypes. METHODS: We have created two transplantable, syngeneic animal MB models recapitulating human SHH and Group 3 variants to investigate the immunologic targeting of different MB subtypes. We generated T cells specific to the developing mouse cerebellum (P5) and tested their reactivity to target cells pulsed with total RNA from two MB subtypes and the normal brain. Immune responses were evaluated by measuring cytokine secretion following re-stimulation of activated T cells with both normal and tumor cell targets. In vivo antitumor efficacy was also tested in survival studies of intracranial tumor-bearing animals. RESULTS: We generated T cells specific to the developing cerebellum in vitro, confirming the immunogenicity of developmentally regulated antigens. Additionally, we have shown that developmental antigen-specific T cells produce high levels of Th1-type cytokines in response to tumor cells of two immunologically distinct subtypes of MB. Interestingly, developmental antigen specific T cells do not show cross reactivity with the normal brain or subsequent stages of the developing brain after P5. Targeting developmental antigens also conferred a significant survival benefit in a treatment model of Group 3 tumor bearing animals. CONCLUSIONS: Developmental antigens can safely target multiple MB subtypes with equal effectiveness compared to previously established total tumor strategies.

The Zebrafish Models to Explore Genetic and Epigenetic Impacts on Evolutionary Developmental Origins of Aging

PubMed Central

Kishi, Shuji

2014-01-01

Can we reset, reprogram, rejuvenate or reverse the organismal aging process? Certain genetic manipulations could at least reset and reprogram epigenetic dynamics beyond phenotypic plasticity and elasticity in cells, which can be further manipulated into organisms. However, in a whole complex aging organism, how can we rejuvenate intrinsic resources and infrastructures in an intact/noninvasive manner? The incidence of diseases increases exponentially with age, accompanied by progressive deteriorations of physiological functions in organisms. Aging-associated diseases are sporadic but essentially inevitable complications arising from senescence. Senescence is often considered the antithesis of early development, but yet there may be factors and mechanisms in common between these two phenomena to rejuvenate over the dynamic process of aging. The association between early development and late-onset disease with advancing age is thought to come from a consequence of developmental plasticity, the phenomenon by which one genotype can give rise to a range of physiologically and/or morphologically adaptive states based on diverse epigenotypes, in response to intrinsic or extrinsic environmental cues and genetic perturbations. We hypothesized that the future aging process can be predictive based on adaptivity during the early developmental period. Modulating the thresholds and windows of plasticity and its robustness by molecular genetic and chemical epigenetic approaches, we have successfully conducted experiments to isolate zebrafish mutants expressing apparently altered senescence phenotypes during their embryonic and/or larval stages (“embryonic/larval senescence”). Subsequently, at least some of these mutant animals were found to show shortened lifespan, while some others would be expected to live longer in adulthoods. We anticipate that previously uncharacterized developmental genes may mediate the aging process and play a pivotal role in senescence. On the other hand, unexpected senescence-related genes might also be involved in the early developmental process and its regulation. The ease of manipulation using the zebrafish system allows us to conduct an exhaustive exploration of novel genes/genotypes and epigenotype that can be linked to the senescence phenotype, and thereby facilitates searching for the evolutionary and developmental origins of aging in vertebrates. PMID:24239812

An Evidence-Based Forensic Taxonomy of Windows Phone Communication Apps.

PubMed

Cahyani, Niken Dwi Wahyu; Martini, Ben; Choo, Kim-Kwang Raymond; Ab Rahman, Nurul Hidayah; Ashman, Helen

2018-05-01

Communication apps can be an important source of evidence in a forensic investigation (e.g., in the investigation of a drug trafficking or terrorism case where the communications apps were used by the accused persons during the transactions or planning activities). This study presents the first evidence-based forensic taxonomy of Windows Phone communication apps, using an existing two-dimensional Android forensic taxonomy as a baseline. Specifically, 30 Windows Phone communication apps, including Instant Messaging (IM) and Voice over IP (VoIP) apps, are examined. Artifacts extracted using physical acquisition are analyzed, and seven digital evidence objects of forensic interest are identified, namely: Call Log, Chats, Contacts, Locations, Installed Applications, SMSs and User Accounts. Findings from this study would help to facilitate timely and effective forensic investigations involving Windows Phone communication apps. © 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Experimental and Numerical Examination of the Thermal Transmittance of High Performance Window Frames

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gustavsen Ph.D., Arild; Goudey, Howdy; Kohler, Christian

2010-06-17

While window frames typically represent 20-30percent of the overall window area, their impact on the total window heat transfer rates may be much larger. This effect is even greater in low-conductance (highly insulating) windows which incorporate very low conductance glazings. Developing low-conductance window frames requires accurate simulation tools for product research and development. The Passivhaus Institute in Germany states that windows (glazing and frames, combined) should have U-values not exceeding 0.80 W/(m??K). This has created a niche market for highly insulating frames, with frame U-values typically around 0.7-1.0 W/(m2 cdot K). The U-values reported are often based on numerical simulationsmore » according to international simulation standards. It is prudent to check the accuracy of these calculation standards, especially for high performance products before more manufacturers begin to use them to improve other product offerings. In this paper the thermal transmittance of five highly insulating window frames (three wooden frames, one aluminum frame and one PVC frame), found from numerical simulations and experiments, are compared. Hot box calorimeter results are compared with numerical simulations according to ISO 10077-2 and ISO 15099. In addition CFD simulations have been carried out, in order to use the most accurate tool available to investigate the convection and radiation effects inside the frame cavities. Our results show that available tools commonly used to evaluate window performance, based on ISO standards, give good overall agreement, but specific areas need improvement.« less

Evaluation of a human neurite growth assay as specific screen for developmental neurotoxicants.

PubMed

Krug, Anne K; Balmer, Nina V; Matt, Florian; Schönenberger, Felix; Merhof, Dorit; Leist, Marcel

2013-12-01

Organ-specific in vitro toxicity assays are often highly sensitive, but they lack specificity. We evaluated here examples of assay features that can affect test specificity, and some general procedures are suggested on how positive hits in complex biological assays may be defined. Differentiating human LUHMES cells were used as potential model for developmental neurotoxicity testing. Forty candidate toxicants were screened, and several hits were obtained and confirmed. Although the cells had a definitive neuronal phenotype, the use of a general cell death endpoint in these cultures did not allow specific identification of neurotoxicants. As alternative approach, neurite growth was measured as an organ-specific functional endpoint. We found that neurite extension of developing LUHMES was specifically inhibited by diverse compounds such as colchicine, vincristine, narciclasine, rotenone, cycloheximide, or diquat. These compounds reduced neurite growth at concentrations that did not compromise cell viability, and neurite growth was affected more potently than the integrity of developed neurites of mature neurons. A ratio of the EC50 values of neurite growth inhibition and cell death of >4 provided a robust classifier for compounds associated with a developmental neurotoxic hazard. Screening of unspecific toxicants in the test system always yielded ratios <4. The assay identified also compounds that accelerated neurite growth, such as the rho kinase pathway modifiers blebbistatin or thiazovivin. The negative effects of colchicine or rotenone were completely inhibited by a rho kinase inhibitor. In summary, we suggest that assays using functional endpoints (neurite growth) can specifically identify and characterize (developmental) neurotoxicants.

A new concept of imaging system: telescope windows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bourgenot, Cyril; Cowie, Euan; Young, Laura; Love, Gordon; Girkin, John; Courtial, Johannes

2018-02-01

A Telescope window is a novel concept of transformation-optics consisting of an array of micro-telescopes, in our configuration, of a Galilean type. When the array is considered as one multifaceted device, it acts as a traditional Galilean telescope with distinctive and attractive properties such as compactness and modularity. Each lenslet, can in principle, be independently designed for a specific optical function. In this paper, we report on the design, manufacture and prototyping, by diamond precision machining, of 2 concepts of telescope windows, and discuss both their performances and limitations with a view to use them as potential low vision aid devices to support patients with macular degeneration.

Environmental Estrogens Differentially Engage the Histone Methyltransferase EZH2 to Increase Risk of Uterine Tumorigenesis

PubMed Central

Greathouse, K. Leigh; Bredfeldt, Tiffany; Everitt, Jeffrey I.; Lin, Kevin; Berry, Tia; Kannan, Kurunthachalam; Mittelstadt, Megan L.; Ho, Shuk-mei; Walker, Cheryl L.

2013-01-01

Environmental exposures during sensitive windows of development can reprogram normal physiological responses and alter disease susceptibility later in life in a process known as developmental reprogramming. For example, exposure to the xenoestrogen diethylstilbestrol (DES) during reproductive tract development can reprogram estrogen-responsive gene expression in the myometrium, resulting in hyper-responsiveness to hormone in the adult uterus and promotion of hormone-dependent uterine leiomyoma. We show here that the environmental estrogens genistein (GEN), a soy phytoestrogen, and the plasticizer bisphenol A (BPA), differ in their pattern of developmental reprogramming and promotion of tumorigenesis (leiomyomas) in the uterus. While both GEN and BPA induce genomic estrogen receptor (ER) signaling in the developing uterus, only GEN induced PI3K/AKT non-genomic ER signaling to the histone methyltransferase Enhancer of Zeste homolog 2 (EZH2). As a result, this “pre-genomic” signaling phosphorylates and represses EZH2, and reduces levels of H3K27 repressive mark in chromatin. Furthermore, only GEN caused estrogen-responsive genes in the adult myometrium to become hyper-responsive to hormone; estrogen-responsive genes were repressed in BPA exposed uteri. Importantly, this pattern of EZH2 engagement to decrease versus increase H3K27 methylation correlated with the effect of these xenoestrogens on tumorigenesis. Developmental reprogramming by GEN promoted development of uterine leiomyomas, increasing tumor incidence and multiplicity, while BPA did not. These data demonstrate that environmental estrogens have distinct non-genomic effects in the developing uterus that determines their ability to engage the epigenetic regulator EZH2, decrease levels of the repressive epigenetic histone H3K27 methyl mark in chromatin during developmental reprogramming, and promote uterine tumorigenesis. PMID:22504913

Early neural disruption and auditory processing outcomes in rodent models: implications for developmental language disability

PubMed Central

Fitch, R. Holly; Alexander, Michelle L.; Threlkeld, Steven W.

2013-01-01

Most researchers in the field of neural plasticity are familiar with the “Kennard Principle,” which purports a positive relationship between age at brain injury and severity of subsequent deficits (plateauing in adulthood). As an example, a child with left hemispherectomy can recover seemingly normal language, while an adult with focal injury to sub-regions of left temporal and/or frontal cortex can suffer dramatic and permanent language loss. Here we present data regarding the impact of early brain injury in rat models as a function of type and timing, measuring long-term behavioral outcomes via auditory discrimination tasks varying in temporal demand. These tasks were created to model (in rodents) aspects of human sensory processing that may correlate—both developmentally and functionally—with typical and atypical language. We found that bilateral focal lesions to the cortical plate in rats during active neuronal migration led to worse auditory outcomes than comparable lesions induced after cortical migration was complete. Conversely, unilateral hypoxic-ischemic (HI) injuries (similar to those seen in premature infants and term infants with birth complications) led to permanent auditory processing deficits when induced at a neurodevelopmental point comparable to human “term,” but only transient deficits (undetectable in adulthood) when induced in a “preterm” window. Convergent evidence suggests that regardless of when or how disruption of early neural development occurs, the consequences may be particularly deleterious to rapid auditory processing (RAP) outcomes when they trigger developmental alterations that extend into subcortical structures (i.e., lower sensory processing stations). Collective findings hold implications for the study of behavioral outcomes following early brain injury as well as genetic/environmental disruption, and are relevant to our understanding of the neurologic risk factors underlying developmental language disability in human populations. PMID:24155699

Interactions between Auxin Transport and the Actin Cytoskeleton in Developmental Polarity of Fucus distichus Embryos in Response to Light and Gravity1

PubMed Central

Sun, Haiguo; Basu, Swati; Brady, Shari R.; Luciano, Randy L.; Muday, Gloria K.

2004-01-01

Land plants orient their growth relative to light and gravity through complex mechanisms that require auxin redistribution. Embryos of brown algae use similar environmental stimuli to orient their developmental polarity. These studies of the brown algae Fucus distichus examined whether auxin and auxin transport are also required during polarization in early embryos and to orient growth in already developed tissues. These embryos polarize with the gravity vector in the absence of a light cue. The auxin, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and auxin efflux inhibitors, such as naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA), reduced environmental polarization in response to gravity and light vectors. Young rhizoids are negatively phototropic, and NPA also inhibits rhizoid phototropism. The effect of IAA and NPA on gravity and photopolarization is maximal within 2.5 to 4.5 h after fertilization (AF). Over the first 6 h AF, auxin transport is relatively constant, suggesting that developmentally controlled sensitivity to auxin determines the narrow window during which NPA and IAA reduce environmental polarization. Actin patches were formed during the first hour AF and began to photolocalize within 3 h, coinciding with the time of NPA and IAA action. Treatment with NPA reduced the polar localization of actin patches but not patch formation. Latrunculin B prevented environmental polarization in a time frame that overlaps the formation of actin patches and IAA and NPA action. Latrunculin B also altered auxin transport. Together, these results indicate a role for auxin in the orientation of developmental polarity and suggest interactions between the actin cytoskeleton and auxin transport in F. distichus embryos. PMID:15122028

Optogenetic Examination of Prefrontal-Amygdala Synaptic Development.

PubMed

Arruda-Carvalho, Maithe; Wu, Wan-Chen; Cummings, Kirstie A; Clem, Roger L

2017-03-15

A brain network comprising the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and amygdala plays important roles in developmentally regulated cognitive and emotional processes. However, very little is known about the maturation of mPFC-amygdala circuitry. We conducted anatomical tracing of mPFC projections and optogenetic interrogation of their synaptic connections with neurons in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) at neonatal to adult developmental stages in mice. Results indicate that mPFC-BLA projections exhibit delayed emergence relative to other mPFC pathways and establish synaptic transmission with BLA excitatory and inhibitory neurons in late infancy, events that coincide with a massive increase in overall synaptic drive. During subsequent adolescence, mPFC-BLA circuits are further modified by excitatory synaptic strengthening as well as a transient surge in feedforward inhibition. The latter was correlated with increased spontaneous inhibitory currents in excitatory neurons, suggesting that mPFC-BLA circuit maturation culminates in a period of exuberant GABAergic transmission. These findings establish a time course for the onset and refinement of mPFC-BLA transmission and point to potential sensitive periods in the development of this critical network. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Human mPFC-amygdala functional connectivity is developmentally regulated and figures prominently in numerous psychiatric disorders with a high incidence of adolescent onset. However, it remains unclear when synaptic connections between these structures emerge or how their properties change with age. Our work establishes developmental windows and cellular substrates for synapse maturation in this pathway involving both excitatory and inhibitory circuits. The engagement of these substrates by early life experience may support the ontogeny of fundamental behaviors but could also lead to inappropriate circuit refinement and psychopathology in adverse situations. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/372976-10$15.00/0.

Roots from distinct plant developmental stages are capable of rapidly selecting their own microbiome without the influence of environmental and soil edaphic factors

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil microbes live in close association with plants and are crucial for plant health and fitness. Recent literature revealed that specific microbes were cultured at distinct developmental stages of Arabidopsis. It is not clear how fast the roots, depending on their developmental stage, can alter the...

An Examination of Specific Child Behavior Problems as Predictors of Parenting Stress among Families of Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Allyson L.; Neece, Cameron L.

2017-01-01

Introduction: Studies have shown that parents of children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) exhibit higher levels of stress than parents of typically developing children or children with other types of developmental delays (DD). This relationship appears to be mediated by elevated levels of behavior problems observed in children with…

Transcriptome profiles of embryos before and after cleavage in Eriocheir sinensis: identification of developmental genes at the earliest stages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hui, Min; Cui, Zhaoxia; Liu, Yuan; Song, Chengwen

2017-07-01

In crab, embryogenesis is a complicated developmental program marked by a series of critical events. RNA-Sequencing technology offers developmental biologists a way to identify many more developmental genes than ever before. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of the transcriptomes of Eriocheir sinensis oosperms (Os) and embryos at the 2-4 cell stage (Cs), which are separated by a cleavage event. A total of 18 923 unigenes were identified, and 403 genes matched with gene ontology (GO) terms related to developmental processes. In total, 432 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected between the two stages. Nine DEGs were specifically expressed at only one stage. These DEGs may be relevant to stage-specific molecular events during development. A number of DEGs related to `hedgehog signaling pathway', `Wnt signaling pathway' `germplasm', `nervous system', `sensory perception' and `segment polarity' were identified as being up-regulated at the Cs stage. The results suggest that these embryonic developmental events begin before the early cleavage event in crabs, and that many of the genes expressed in the two transcriptomes might be maternal genes. Our study provides ample information for further research on the molecular mechanisms underlying crab development.

Characteristics, correlates, and outcomes of childhood and adolescent depressive disorders

PubMed Central

Rao, Uma; Chen, Li-Ann

2009-01-01

Depressive illness beginning early in life can have serious developmental and functional consequences. Therefore, understanding the disorder during this developmental stage is critical for determining its etiology and course, as well as for deveiopinq effective intervention straieqies. This paper summarizes current knoviedqe reqardinq the etiology, phenomenoiogy, correlates, natural course, and consequences of unipolar depression in children and adolescents. Using adult depression as a framevork, the unique aspects of childhood and adolescence are considered in order to better understand depression within a developmental context. The data suggest that the clinical presentation, correlates, and natural course of depression are remarkably similar across the lifespan. There are, however, important developmental differences. Specifically, the familial and psychological context in which depression develops in youngsters is associated with variability in the frequency and nature of depressive symptoms and comorbid conditions among children and adolescents. Maturational differences have also been identified in the neurobiological correlates of depression. These developmental differences may be associated with the observed variability in clinical response to treatment and longitudinal course. Characterization of the developmental differences will be helpful in developing more specific and effective interventions for youngsters, thereby allowing them to reach their full potential as adults. PMID:19432387

The Usefulness of M-B CDI-K Short Form as Screening Test in Children With Language Developmental Delay.

PubMed

Kim, Seong Woo; Jeon, Ha Ra; Park, Eun Ji; Kim, Hyo In; Jung, Da Wa; Woo, Mee Ryung

2014-06-01

To investigate the usefulness of MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories-Korean (M-B CDI-K) short form as a screening test in children with language developmental delay. From April 2010 to May 2012, a total of 87 patients visited the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation of National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital with the complaint of language developmental delay and were enrolled in this study. All patients took M-B CDI-K short form and Sequenced Language Scale for Infants (SELSI) or Preschool Receptive-Expressive Language Scale (PRES) according to their age. The study group consisted of 58 male patients and 29 female patients and the mean age was 25.9 months. The diagnosis are global developmental delay in 26 patients, selective language impairment in 31 patients, articulation disorder in 7 patients, cerebral palsy in 8 patients, autism spectrum disorder in 4 patients, motor developmental delay in 4 patients, and others in 7 patients. Seventy-one patients are diagnosed with language developmental delay in SELSI or PRES and of them showed 69 patients a high risk in the M-B CDI-K short form. Sixteen patients are normal in SELSI or PRES and of them showed 14 patients non-high risk in the M-B CDI-K short form. The M-B CDI-K short form has 97.2% sensitivity, 87.5% specificity, a positive predictive value of 0.97, and a negative predictive value of 0.88. The M-B CDI-K short form has a high sensitivity and specificity so it is considered as an useful screening tool in children with language developmental delay. Additional researches targeting normal children will be continued to supply the specificity of the M-B CDI-K short form.

Norms for developmental milestones using VABS-II and association with anthropometric measures among apparently healthy urban Indian preschool children.

PubMed

Selvam, Sumithra; Thomas, Tinku; Shetty, Priya; Zhu, Jianjun; Raman, Vijaya; Khanna, Deepti; Mehra, Ruchika; Kurpad, Anura V; Srinivasan, Krishnamachari

2016-12-01

Assessment of developmental milestones based on locally developed norms is critical for accurate estimate of overall development of a child's cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional development. A cross-sectional study was done to develop age specific norms for developmental milestones using Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS-II) (Sparrow, Cicchetti, & Balla, 2005) for apparently healthy children from 2 to 5 years from urban Bangalore, India, and to examine its association with anthropometric measures. Mothers (or caregivers) of 412 children participated in the study. Age-specific norms using inferential norming method and adaptive levels for all domains and subdomains were derived. Low adaptive level, also called delayed developmental milestone, was observed in 2.3% of the children, specifically 2.7% in motor and daily living skills and 2.4% in communication skills. When these children were assessed on the existing U.S. norms, there was a significant overestimation of delayed development in socialization and motor skills, whereas delay in communication and daily living skills were underestimated (all p < .01). Multiple linear regression revealed that stunted and underweight children had significantly lower developmental scores for communication and motor skills compared with normal children (β coefficient ranges from 2.6-5.3; all p < .01). In the absence of Indian normative data for VABS-II in preschool children, the prevalence of developmental delay could either be under- or overestimated using Western norms. Thus, locally referenced norms are critical for reliable assessments of development in children. Stunted and underweight children are more likely to have poorer developmental scores compared with healthy children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Melatonin Treatment in Children with Developmental Disabilities.

PubMed

Schwichtenberg, A J; Malow, Beth A

2015-06-01

Melatonin is commonly recommended to treat sleep problems in children with developmental disabilities. However, few studies document the efficacy and safety of melatonin in these populations. This article reviews recent studies of melatonin efficacy in developmental disabilities. Overall, short treatment trials were associated with a significant decrease in sleep onset latency time for each of the disorders reviewed, with 1 notable exception-tuberous sclerosis. Reported side effects were uncommon and mild. Across disorders, additional research is needed to draw disability-specific conclusions. However, studies to date provide positive support for future trials that include larger groups of children with specific disabilities/syndromes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developmental link between sex and nutrition; doublesex regulates sex-specific mandible growth via juvenile hormone signaling in stag beetles.

PubMed

Gotoh, Hiroki; Miyakawa, Hitoshi; Ishikawa, Asano; Ishikawa, Yuki; Sugime, Yasuhiro; Emlen, Douglas J; Lavine, Laura C; Miura, Toru

2014-01-01

Sexual dimorphisms in trait expression are widespread among animals and are especially pronounced in ornaments and weapons of sexual selection, which can attain exaggerated sizes. Expression of exaggerated traits is usually male-specific and nutrition sensitive. Consequently, the developmental mechanisms generating sexually dimorphic growth and nutrition-dependent phenotypic plasticity are each likely to regulate the expression of extreme structures. Yet we know little about how either of these mechanisms work, much less how they might interact with each other. We investigated the developmental mechanisms of sex-specific mandible growth in the stag beetle Cyclommatus metallifer, focusing on doublesex gene function and its interaction with juvenile hormone (JH) signaling. doublesex genes encode transcription factors that orchestrate male and female specific trait development, and JH acts as a mediator between nutrition and mandible growth. We found that the Cmdsx gene regulates sex differentiation in the stag beetle. Knockdown of Cmdsx by RNA-interference in both males and females produced intersex phenotypes, indicating a role for Cmdsx in sex-specific trait growth. By combining knockdown of Cmdsx with JH treatment, we showed that female-specific splice variants of Cmdsx contribute to the insensitivity of female mandibles to JH: knockdown of Cmdsx reversed this pattern, so that mandibles in knockdown females were stimulated to grow by JH treatment. In contrast, mandibles in knockdown males retained some sensitivity to JH, though mandibles in these individuals did not attain the full sizes of wild type males. We suggest that moderate JH sensitivity of mandibular cells may be the default developmental state for both sexes, with sex-specific Dsx protein decreasing sensitivity in females, and increasing it in males. This study is the first to demonstrate a causal link between the sex determination and JH signaling pathways, which clearly interact to determine the developmental fates and final sizes of nutrition-dependent secondary-sexual characters.

Developmental Link between Sex and Nutrition; doublesex Regulates Sex-Specific Mandible Growth via Juvenile Hormone Signaling in Stag Beetles

PubMed Central

Gotoh, Hiroki; Miyakawa, Hitoshi; Ishikawa, Asano; Ishikawa, Yuki; Sugime, Yasuhiro; Emlen, Douglas J.; Lavine, Laura C.; Miura, Toru

2014-01-01

Sexual dimorphisms in trait expression are widespread among animals and are especially pronounced in ornaments and weapons of sexual selection, which can attain exaggerated sizes. Expression of exaggerated traits is usually male-specific and nutrition sensitive. Consequently, the developmental mechanisms generating sexually dimorphic growth and nutrition-dependent phenotypic plasticity are each likely to regulate the expression of extreme structures. Yet we know little about how either of these mechanisms work, much less how they might interact with each other. We investigated the developmental mechanisms of sex-specific mandible growth in the stag beetle Cyclommatus metallifer, focusing on doublesex gene function and its interaction with juvenile hormone (JH) signaling. doublesex genes encode transcription factors that orchestrate male and female specific trait development, and JH acts as a mediator between nutrition and mandible growth. We found that the Cmdsx gene regulates sex differentiation in the stag beetle. Knockdown of Cmdsx by RNA-interference in both males and females produced intersex phenotypes, indicating a role for Cmdsx in sex-specific trait growth. By combining knockdown of Cmdsx with JH treatment, we showed that female-specific splice variants of Cmdsx contribute to the insensitivity of female mandibles to JH: knockdown of Cmdsx reversed this pattern, so that mandibles in knockdown females were stimulated to grow by JH treatment. In contrast, mandibles in knockdown males retained some sensitivity to JH, though mandibles in these individuals did not attain the full sizes of wild type males. We suggest that moderate JH sensitivity of mandibular cells may be the default developmental state for both sexes, with sex-specific Dsx protein decreasing sensitivity in females, and increasing it in males. This study is the first to demonstrate a causal link between the sex determination and JH signaling pathways, which clearly interact to determine the developmental fates and final sizes of nutrition-dependent secondary-sexual characters. PMID:24453990

Sex-Specific Pathways to Early Puberty, Sexual Debut, and Sexual Risk Taking: Tests of an Integrated Evolutionary-Developmental Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Jenee; Ellis, Bruce J.; Schlomer, Gabriel L.; Garber, Judy

2012-01-01

The current study tested sex-specific pathways to early puberty, sexual debut, and sexual risk taking, as specified by an integrated evolutionary-developmental model of adolescent sexual development and behavior. In a prospective study of 238 adolescents (n = 129 girls and n = 109 boys) followed from approximately 12-18 years of age, we tested for…

2.5-month-old infants' reasoning about when objects should and should not be occluded.

PubMed

Aguiar, A; Baillargeon, R

1999-09-01

The present research examined 2.5-month-old infants' reasoning about occlusion events. Three experiments investigated infants' ability to predict whether an object should remain continuously hidden or become temporarily visible when passing behind an occluder with an opening in its midsection. In Experiment 1, the infants were habituated to a short toy mouse that moved back and forth behind a screen. Next, the infants saw two test events that were identical to the habituation event except that a portion of the screen's midsection was removed to create a large window. In one event (high-window event), the window extended from the screen's upper edge; the mouse was shorter than the bottom of the window and thus did not become visible when passing behind the screen. In the other event (low-window event), the window extended from the screen's lower edge; although the mouse was shorter than the top of the window and hence should have become fully visible when passing behind the screen, it never appeared in the window. The infants tended to look equally at the high- and low-window events, suggesting that they were not surprised when the mouse failed to appear in the low window. However, positive results were obtained in Experiment 2 when the low-window event was modified: a portion of the screen above the window was removed so that the left and right sections of the screen were no longer connected (two-screens event). The infants looked reliably longer at the two-screens than at the high-window event. Together, the results of Experiments 1 and 2 suggested that, at 2.5 months of age, infants possess only very limited expectations about when objects should and should not be occluded. Specifically, infants expect objects (1) to become visible when passing between occluders and (2) to remain hidden when passing behind occluders, irrespective of whether these have openings extending from their upper or lower edges. Experiment 3 provided support for this interpretation. The implications of these findings for models of the origins and development of infants' knowledge about occlusion events are discussed. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

A Drosophila LexA Enhancer-Trap Resource for Developmental Biology and Neuroendocrine Research

PubMed Central

Kockel, Lutz; Huq, Lutfi M.; Ayyar, Anika; Herold, Emma; MacAlpine, Elle; Logan, Madeline; Savvides, Christina; Kim, Grace E. S.; Chen, Jiapei; Clark, Theresa; Duong, Trang; Fazel-Rezai, Vahid; Havey, Deanna; Han, Samuel; Jagadeesan, Ravi; Kim, Eun Soo Jackie; Lee, Diane; Lombardo, Kaelina; Piyale, Ida; Shi, Hansen; Stahr, Lydia; Tung, Dana; Tayvah, Uriel; Wang, Flora; Wang, Ja-Hon; Xiao, Sarah; Topper, Sydni M.; Park, Sangbin; Rotondo, Cheryl; Rankin, Anne E.; Chisholm, Townley W.; Kim, Seung K.

2016-01-01

Novel binary gene expression tools like the LexA-LexAop system could powerfully enhance studies of metabolism, development, and neurobiology in Drosophila. However, specific LexA drivers for neuroendocrine cells and many other developmentally relevant systems remain limited. In a unique high school biology course, we generated a LexA-based enhancer trap collection by transposon mobilization. The initial collection provides a source of novel LexA-based elements that permit targeted gene expression in the corpora cardiaca, cells central for metabolic homeostasis, and other neuroendocrine cell types. The collection further contains specific LexA drivers for stem cells and other enteric cells in the gut, and other developmentally relevant tissue types. We provide detailed analysis of nearly 100 new LexA lines, including molecular mapping of insertions, description of enhancer-driven reporter expression in larval tissues, and adult neuroendocrine cells, comparison with established enhancer trap collections and tissue specific RNAseq. Generation of this open-resource LexA collection facilitates neuroendocrine and developmental biology investigations, and shows how empowering secondary school science can achieve research and educational goals. PMID:27527793

A Drosophila LexA Enhancer-Trap Resource for Developmental Biology and Neuroendocrine Research.

PubMed

Kockel, Lutz; Huq, Lutfi M; Ayyar, Anika; Herold, Emma; MacAlpine, Elle; Logan, Madeline; Savvides, Christina; Kim, Grace E S; Chen, Jiapei; Clark, Theresa; Duong, Trang; Fazel-Rezai, Vahid; Havey, Deanna; Han, Samuel; Jagadeesan, Ravi; Kim, Eun Soo Jackie; Lee, Diane; Lombardo, Kaelina; Piyale, Ida; Shi, Hansen; Stahr, Lydia; Tung, Dana; Tayvah, Uriel; Wang, Flora; Wang, Ja-Hon; Xiao, Sarah; Topper, Sydni M; Park, Sangbin; Rotondo, Cheryl; Rankin, Anne E; Chisholm, Townley W; Kim, Seung K

2016-10-13

Novel binary gene expression tools like the LexA-LexAop system could powerfully enhance studies of metabolism, development, and neurobiology in Drosophila However, specific LexA drivers for neuroendocrine cells and many other developmentally relevant systems remain limited. In a unique high school biology course, we generated a LexA-based enhancer trap collection by transposon mobilization. The initial collection provides a source of novel LexA-based elements that permit targeted gene expression in the corpora cardiaca, cells central for metabolic homeostasis, and other neuroendocrine cell types. The collection further contains specific LexA drivers for stem cells and other enteric cells in the gut, and other developmentally relevant tissue types. We provide detailed analysis of nearly 100 new LexA lines, including molecular mapping of insertions, description of enhancer-driven reporter expression in larval tissues, and adult neuroendocrine cells, comparison with established enhancer trap collections and tissue specific RNAseq. Generation of this open-resource LexA collection facilitates neuroendocrine and developmental biology investigations, and shows how empowering secondary school science can achieve research and educational goals. Copyright © 2016 Kockel et al.

Human Milk Bacterial and Glycosylation Patterns Differ by Delivery Mode.

PubMed

Hoashi, Marina; Meche, Lawrence; Mahal, Lara K; Bakacs, Elizabeth; Nardella, Deanna; Naftolin, Frederick; Bar-Yam, Naomi; Dominguez-Bello, Maria G

2016-07-01

Mammals have evolved to nourish their offspring exclusively with maternal milk for around half of the lactation period, a crucial developmental window. In view of oral-breast contact during lactation and the differences in oral microbiota between cesarean section (C-section) and vaginally delivered infants, we expected differences in milk composition by delivery mode. We performed a cross-sectional study of banked human milk and found changes related to time since delivery in bacterial abundance and glycosylation patterns only in milk from women who delivered vaginally. The results warrant further research into the effects of delivery mode on milk microbes, milk glycosylation, and postpartum infant development. © The Author(s) 2015.

Tuning the chemosensory window

PubMed Central

Zhou, Shanshan; Mackay, Trudy FC

2010-01-01

Accurate perception of chemical signals from the environment is critical for the fitness of most animals. Drosophila melanogaster experiences its chemical environment through families of chemoreceptors that include olfactory receptors, gustatory receptors and odorant binding proteins. Its chemical environment, however, changes during its life cycle and the interpretation of chemical signals is dependent on dynamic social and physical surroundings. Phenotypic plasticity of gene expression of the chemoreceptor repertoire allows flies to adjust the chemosensory window through which they “view” their world and to modify the ensemble of expressed chemoreceptor proteins in line with their developmental and physiological state and according to their needs to locate food and oviposition sites under different social and physical environmental conditions. Furthermore, males and females differ in their expression profiles of chemoreceptor genes. Thus, each sex experiences its chemical environment via combinatorial activation of distinct chemoreceptor ensembles. The remarkable phenotypic plasticity of the chemoreceptor repertoire raises several fundamental questions. What are the mechanisms that translate environmental cues into regulation of chemoreceptor gene expression? How are gustatory and olfactory cues integrated perceptually? What is the relationship between ensembles of odorant binding proteins and odorant receptors? And, what is the significance of co-regulated chemoreceptor transcriptional networks? PMID:20305396

Magnesium Object Manager Sandbox, A More Effective Sandbox Method for Windows 7

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

keys, synchronization primitives , etc.). The object body is specific to, and the same for, each object type; it contains information common to each...the Object Directory Specific Rights Synchronization Object (Event, Mutex, Semaphore , Timer) Synchronization objects allow multiple threads to... Synchronization Object Specific Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 2.5 File Object Specific Rights

Designing prospective cohort studies for assessing reproductive and developmental toxicity during sensitive windows of human reproduction and development--the LIFE Study.

PubMed

Buck Louis, Germaine M; Schisterman, Enrique F; Sweeney, Anne M; Wilcosky, Timothy C; Gore-Langton, Robert E; Lynch, Courtney D; Boyd Barr, Dana; Schrader, Steven M; Kim, Sungduk; Chen, Zhen; Sundaram, Rajeshwari

2011-09-01

The relationship between the environment and human fecundity and fertility remains virtually unstudied from a couple-based perspective in which longitudinal exposure data and biospecimens are captured across sensitive windows. In response, we completed the LIFE Study with methodology that intended to empirically evaluate a priori purported methodological challenges: implementation of population-based sampling frameworks suitable for recruiting couples planning pregnancy; obtaining environmental data across sensitive windows of reproduction and development; home-based biospecimen collection; and development of a data management system for hierarchical exposome data. We used two sampling frameworks (i.e., fish/wildlife licence registry and a direct marketing database) for 16 targeted counties with presumed environmental exposures to persistent organochlorine chemicals to recruit 501 couples planning pregnancies for prospective longitudinal follow-up while trying to conceive and throughout pregnancy. Enrolment rates varied from <1% of the targeted population (n = 424,423) to 42% of eligible couples who were successfully screened; 84% of the targeted population could not be reached, while 36% refused screening. Among enrolled couples, ∼ 85% completed daily journals while trying; 82% of pregnant women completed daily early pregnancy journals, and 80% completed monthly pregnancy journals. All couples provided baseline blood/urine samples; 94% of men provided one or more semen samples and 98% of women provided one or more saliva samples. Women successfully used urinary fertility monitors for identifying ovulation and home pregnancy test kits. Couples can be recruited for preconception cohorts and will comply with intensive data collection across sensitive windows. However, appropriately sized sampling frameworks are critical, given the small percentage of couples contacted found eligible and reportedly planning pregnancy at any point in time. © Published 2011. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Domain Specificity in Relationship History, Social-Information Processing, and Violent Behavior in Early Adulthood

PubMed Central

Pettit, Gregory S.; Lansford, Jennifer E.; Malone, Patrick S.; Dodge, Kenneth A.; Bates, John E.

2013-01-01

Using prospective longitudinal data, we tested 5 hypotheses: (a) that the relation between earlier developmental experiences (peer social rejection and victimization in a romantic relationship) and adult violent behavior toward peers and romantic partners is specific to relationship domain; (b) that the relation between social-information processing (SIP) biases and subsequent violence is also specific to relational domain (romantic partner vs. peer); (c) that the relation between developmental experiences and SIP biases is domain specific; (d) that domain-specific SIP mediates the impact of earlier developmental experiences on later violent behavior; and (e) that harsh parenting early in life is a domain-general predictor of SIP and later violent behavior. Harsh parenting was assessed through interviews with parents when their children were age 5 years. Classroom sociometric assessments indexing peer rejection were completed in elementary school, and self-report of victimization by romantic partners was provided at age 18 years. SIP was assessed via interview at age 22 years, and violent behavior was measured via self-and partner report at ages 23 years and 24 years. Structural equation analyses revealed specificity in the relation between developmental experiences and violence and in the prediction to and from SIP in the peer domain, but not in the romantic-relationship domain. The impact of early harsh treatment on violence toward peers was mediated by SIP biases in the peer domain. These findings provide support for domain specificity in the peer domain but for cross-domain generality in the romantic relationship domain in the development of violent behavior in early adulthood. PMID:20085394

Millisecond timing on PCs and Macs.

PubMed

MacInnes, W J; Taylor, T L

2001-05-01

A real-time, object-oriented solution for displaying stimuli on Windows 95/98, MacOS and Linux platforms is presented. The program, written in C++, utilizes a special-purpose window class (GLWindow), OpenGL, and 32-bit graphics acceleration; it avoids display timing uncertainty by substituting the new window class for the default window code for each system. We report the outcome of tests for real-time capability across PC and Mac platforms running a variety of operating systems. The test program, which can be used as a shell for programming real-time experiments and testing specific processors, is available at http://www.cs.dal.ca/~macinnwj. We propose to provide researchers with a sense of the usefulness of our program, highlight the ability of many multitasking environments to achieve real time, as well as caution users about systems that may not achieve real time, even under optimal conditions.

Oscillatory integration windows in neurons

PubMed Central

Gupta, Nitin; Singh, Swikriti Saran; Stopfer, Mark

2016-01-01

Oscillatory synchrony among neurons occurs in many species and brain areas, and has been proposed to help neural circuits process information. One hypothesis states that oscillatory input creates cyclic integration windows: specific times in each oscillatory cycle when postsynaptic neurons become especially responsive to inputs. With paired local field potential (LFP) and intracellular recordings and controlled stimulus manipulations we directly test this idea in the locust olfactory system. We find that inputs arriving in Kenyon cells (KCs) sum most effectively in a preferred window of the oscillation cycle. With a computational model, we show that the non-uniform structure of noise in the membrane potential helps mediate this process. Further experiments performed in vivo demonstrate that integration windows can form in the absence of inhibition and at a broad range of oscillation frequencies. Our results reveal how a fundamental coincidence-detection mechanism in a neural circuit functions to decode temporally organized spiking. PMID:27976720

Sapphire Viewports for a Venus Probe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bates, Stephen

2012-01-01

A document discusses the creation of a viewport suitable for use on the surface of Venus. These viewports are rated for 500 C and 100 atm pressure with appropriate safety factors and reliability required for incorporation into a Venus Lander. Sapphire windows should easily withstand the chemical, pressure, and temperatures of the Venus surface. Novel fixture designs and seals appropriate to the environment are incorporated, as are materials compatible with exploration vessels. A test cell was fabricated, tested, and leak rate measured. The window features polish specification of the sides and corners, soft metal padding of the sapphire, and a metal C-ring seal. The system safety factor is greater than 2, and standard mechanical design theory was used to size the window, flange, and attachment bolts using available material property data. Maintenance involves simple cleaning of the window aperture surfaces. The only weakness of the system is its moderate rather than low leak rate for vacuum applications.

AGCVIII Kinases: at the crossroads of cellular signaling

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

AGCVIII kinases regulate diverse developmental and cellular processes in plants. As putative mediators of secondary messengers, AGCVIII kinases potentially integrate developmental and environmental cues into specific cellular responses through substrate phosphorylation. Here we discuss the functiona...

LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF THE DEVELOPMENTAL ENVIRONMENT

EPA Science Inventory

Clinical and epidemiological studies have shown significant correlations between conditions during development and various diseases later in life. In humans, low birth weight has been used as a surrogate for adverse developmental conditions, but the specific conditions affecting...

Plants: Novel Developmental Processes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldberg, Robert B.

1988-01-01

Describes the diversity of plants. Outlines novel developmental and complex genetic processes that are specific to plants. Identifies approaches that can be used to solve problems in plant biology. Cites the advantages of using higher plants for experimental systems. (RT)

Growth of Reading Skills in Children with a History of Specific Language Impairment: The Role of Autistic Symptomatology and Language-Related Abilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

St. Clair, Michelle C.; Durkin, Kevin; Conti-Ramsden, Gina; Pickles, Andrew

2010-01-01

Individuals with a history of specific language impairment (SLI) often have subsequent problems with reading skills, but there have been some discrepant findings as to the developmental time course of these skills. This study investigates the developmental trajectories of reading skills over a 9-year time-span (from 7 to 16 years of age) in a…

POST-HARVEST EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT IN GINSENG SEEDS INCREASES DESICCATION SENSITIVITY AND NARROWS THE HYDRATION WINDOW FOR CRYOPRESERVATION.

PubMed

Han, E; Popova, E; Cho, G; Park, S; Lee, S; Pritchard, H W; Kim, H H

Despite its self-pollinating characteristics, Korean ginseng germplasm is mainly maintained in clonal gene banks as there is no defined approach to the long-term conservation of its seed, including the most appropriate stage of embryo development for storage. The aim of this study was to reveal the effect of embryo development on desiccation tolerance and cryopreservation success in ginseng seeds. Seeds of Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) at three post-harvest stages (immediately after harvesting and following treatments to enable internal growth of the embryo) were desiccated and cryopreserved. The hydration window for the >80% dehiscence and germination of cryopreserved ginseng seeds varied with embryo developmental stage: 3-9% moisture content (MC) for both unpulped and undehisced seeds when the embryo was 0.1 the length of the endosperm, 7-10% MC for dehisced seeds (0.5 embryo:endosperm) and 9-11% MC for seeds with fully developed embryos (0.9 embryo:endosperm). Whilst dried (4-8% moisture content) and undehisced seeds within fruits (unpulped seeds) lost more than half their viability during 1 year's storage at room temperature, cryopreservation enabled germination levels of c. 90%. Overall, 432 accessions of Korean ginseng landraces have been cryopreserved using undehisced seeds with or without fruits. Post-harvest treatment of Korean ginseng seeds to enable embryo development decreases tolerance of very low MCs, and thus narrows the hydration window for cryopreservation. Fresh-harvested and unpulped seeds that have been dried to c. 5% MC are recommended for long-term cryogenic storage.

Embryonic exposure to sodium arsenite perturbs vascular development in zebrafish.

PubMed

McCollum, Catherine W; Hans, Charu; Shah, Shishir; Merchant, Fatima A; Gustafsson, Jan-Åke; Bondesson, Maria

2014-07-01

Exposure to arsenic in its inorganic form, arsenite, causes adverse effects to many different organs and tissues. Here, we have investigated arsenite-induced adverse effects on vascular tissues in the model organism zebrafish, Danio rerio. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to arsenite at different exposure windows and the susceptibility to vascular tissue damage was recorded at 72hours post fertilization (hpf). Intersegmental vessel sprouting and growth was most perturbed by exposure to arsenite during the 24-48hpf window, while disruption in the condensation of the caudal vein plexus was more often observed at the 48-72hpf exposure window, reflecting when these structures develop during normal embryogenesis. The vascular growth rate was decreased by arsenite exposure, and deviated from that of control embryos at around 24-26.5hpf. We further mapped changes in expression of key regulators of angiogenesis and vasculogenesis. Downregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1/fms-related tyrosine kinase 1 (vegfr1/flt1) expression was evident already at 24hpf, coinciding with the decreased vascular growth rate. At later time points, matrix metalloproteinase 9 (mmp9) expression was upregulated, suggesting that arsenite affects the composition of the extracellular matrix. In total, the expression of eight key factors involved in different aspects of vascularization was significantly altered by arsenic exposure. In conclusion, our results show that arsenite is a potent vascular disruptor in the developing zebrafish embryo, a finding that calls for an evaluation of arsenite as a developmental vascular toxicant in mammalian model systems. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Efficient constraint handling in electromagnetism-like algorithm for traveling salesman problem with time windows.

PubMed

Yurtkuran, Alkın; Emel, Erdal

2014-01-01

The traveling salesman problem with time windows (TSPTW) is a variant of the traveling salesman problem in which each customer should be visited within a given time window. In this paper, we propose an electromagnetism-like algorithm (EMA) that uses a new constraint handling technique to minimize the travel cost in TSPTW problems. The EMA utilizes the attraction-repulsion mechanism between charged particles in a multidimensional space for global optimization. This paper investigates the problem-specific constraint handling capability of the EMA framework using a new variable bounding strategy, in which real-coded particle's boundary constraints associated with the corresponding time windows of customers, is introduced and combined with the penalty approach to eliminate infeasibilities regarding time window violations. The performance of the proposed algorithm and the effectiveness of the constraint handling technique have been studied extensively, comparing it to that of state-of-the-art metaheuristics using several sets of benchmark problems reported in the literature. The results of the numerical experiments show that the EMA generates feasible and near-optimal results within shorter computational times compared to the test algorithms.

Dynamic modeling of potentially conflicting energy reduction strategies for residential structures in semi-arid climates.

PubMed

Hester, Nathan; Li, Ke; Schramski, John R; Crittenden, John

2012-04-30

Globally, residential energy consumption continues to rise due to a variety of trends such as increasing access to modern appliances, overall population growth, and the overall increase of electricity distribution. Currently, residential energy consumption accounts for approximately one-fifth of total U.S. energy consumption. This research analyzes the effectiveness of a range of energy-saving measures for residential houses in semi-arid climates. These energy-saving measures include: structural insulated panels (SIP) for exterior wall construction, daylight control, increased window area, efficient window glass suitable for the local weather, and several combinations of these. Our model determined that energy consumption is reduced by up to 6.1% when multiple energy savings technologies are combined. In addition, pre-construction technologies (structural insulated panels (SIPs), daylight control, and increased window area) provide roughly 4 times the energy savings when compared to post-construction technologies (window blinds and efficient window glass). The model also illuminated the importance variations in local climate and building configuration; highlighting the site-specific nature of this type of energy consumption quantification for policy and building code considerations. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Large-scale fabrication of pseudocapacitive glass windows that combine electrochromism and energy storage.

PubMed

Yang, Peihua; Sun, Peng; Chai, Zhisheng; Huang, Langhuan; Cai, Xiang; Tan, Shaozao; Song, Jinhui; Mai, Wenjie

2014-10-27

Multifunctional glass windows that combine energy storage and electrochromism have been obtained by facile thermal evaporation and electrodeposition methods. For example, WO3 films that had been deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass exhibited a high specific capacitance of 639.8 F g(-1). Their color changed from transparent to deep blue with an abrupt decrease in optical transmittance from 91.3% to 15.1% at a wavelength of 633 nm when a voltage of -0.6 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) was applied, demonstrating its excellent energy-storage and electrochromism properties. As a second example, a polyaniline-based pseudocapacitive glass was also developed, and its color can change from green to blue. A large-scale pseudocapacitive WO3-based glass window (15×15 cm(2)) was fabricated as a prototype. Such smart pseudocapacitive glass windows show great potential in functioning as electrochromic windows and concurrently powering electronic devices, such as mobile phones or laptops. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Efficient Constraint Handling in Electromagnetism-Like Algorithm for Traveling Salesman Problem with Time Windows

PubMed Central

Yurtkuran, Alkın

2014-01-01

The traveling salesman problem with time windows (TSPTW) is a variant of the traveling salesman problem in which each customer should be visited within a given time window. In this paper, we propose an electromagnetism-like algorithm (EMA) that uses a new constraint handling technique to minimize the travel cost in TSPTW problems. The EMA utilizes the attraction-repulsion mechanism between charged particles in a multidimensional space for global optimization. This paper investigates the problem-specific constraint handling capability of the EMA framework using a new variable bounding strategy, in which real-coded particle's boundary constraints associated with the corresponding time windows of customers, is introduced and combined with the penalty approach to eliminate infeasibilities regarding time window violations. The performance of the proposed algorithm and the effectiveness of the constraint handling technique have been studied extensively, comparing it to that of state-of-the-art metaheuristics using several sets of benchmark problems reported in the literature. The results of the numerical experiments show that the EMA generates feasible and near-optimal results within shorter computational times compared to the test algorithms. PMID:24723834

Where Do Epigenetics and Developmental Origins Take the Field of Developmental Psychopathology?

PubMed

Nigg, Joel T

2016-04-01

The time is ripe for upgrading or rethinking the assumed paradigms for how we study developmental psychopathology. The classic transactional models appear robust but need specification in terms of biological and psychosocial processes. That specification is increasingly tractable due to developments in genetics, epigenetics, the measurement of psychosocial processes, and theory and data on developmental origins of health and disease. This essay offers a high-level view of where the field has been and where it may be going in regard to nosology and conceptions of etiology. Remarks seek to consider rapidly evolving contexts not only for children, but also for the science itself due to progress in our field and in neighboring fields. Illustrations are provided as to how syndromal nosology can be enriched and advanced by careful integration with biologically relevant behavioral dimensions and application of quantitative methods. It is concluded that a revised, forward-looking, transactional model of abnormal child psychology will incorporate prenatal and postnatal developmental programming, epigenetic mechanisms and their associated genotype x environment interactions, and inflammatory processes as a potential common mediator influencing numerous health and mental health conditions.

Homeodomain protein Otp affects developmental neuropeptide switching in oxytocin neurons associated with a long-term effect on social behavior

PubMed Central

Wircer, Einav; Blechman, Janna; Borodovsky, Nataliya; Tsoory, Michael; Nunes, Ana Rita; Oliveira, Rui F; Levkowitz, Gil

2017-01-01

Proper response to stress and social stimuli depends on orchestrated development of hypothalamic neuronal circuits. Here we address the effects of the developmental transcription factor orthopedia (Otp) on hypothalamic development and function. We show that developmental mutations in the zebrafish paralogous gene otpa but not otpb affect both stress response and social preference. These behavioral phenotypes were associated with developmental alterations in oxytocinergic (OXT) neurons. Thus, otpa and otpb differentially regulate neuropeptide switching in a newly identified subset of OXT neurons that co-express the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). Single-cell analysis revealed that these neurons project mostly to the hindbrain and spinal cord. Ablation of this neuronal subset specifically reduced adult social preference without affecting stress behavior, thereby uncoupling the contribution of a specific OXT cluster to social behavior from the general otpa−/− deficits. Our findings reveal a new role for Otp in controlling developmental neuropeptide balance in a discrete OXT circuit whose disrupted development affects social behavior. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.22170.001 PMID:28094761

Sensors and Clinical Mastitis—The Quest for the Perfect Alert

PubMed Central

Hogeveen, Henk; Kamphuis, Claudia; Steeneveld, Wilma; Mollenhorst, Herman

2010-01-01

When cows on dairy farms are milked with an automatic milking system or in high capacity milking parlors, clinical mastitis (CM) cannot be adequately detected without sensors. The objective of this paper is to describe the performance demands of sensor systems to detect CM and evaluats the current performance of these sensor systems. Several detection models based on different sensors were studied in the past. When evaluating these models, three factors are important: performance (in terms of sensitivity and specificity), the time window and the similarity of the study data with real farm data. A CM detection system should offer at least a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 99%. The time window should not be longer than 48 hours and study circumstances should be as similar to practical farm circumstances as possible. The study design should comprise more than one farm for data collection. Since 1992, 16 peer-reviewed papers have been published with a description and evaluation of CM detection models. There is a large variation in the use of sensors and algorithms. All this makes these results not very comparable. There is a also large difference in performance between the detection models and also a large variation in time windows used and little similarity between study data. Therefore, it is difficult to compare the overall performance of the different CM detection models. The sensitivity and specificity found in the different studies could, for a large part, be explained in differences in the used time window. None of the described studies satisfied the demands for CM detection models. PMID:22163637

Sensors and clinical mastitis--the quest for the perfect alert.

PubMed

Hogeveen, Henk; Kamphuis, Claudia; Steeneveld, Wilma; Mollenhorst, Herman

2010-01-01

When cows on dairy farms are milked with an automatic milking system or in high capacity milking parlors, clinical mastitis (CM) cannot be adequately detected without sensors. The objective of this paper is to describe the performance demands of sensor systems to detect CM and evaluats the current performance of these sensor systems. Several detection models based on different sensors were studied in the past. When evaluating these models, three factors are important: performance (in terms of sensitivity and specificity), the time window and the similarity of the study data with real farm data. A CM detection system should offer at least a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 99%. The time window should not be longer than 48 hours and study circumstances should be as similar to practical farm circumstances as possible. The study design should comprise more than one farm for data collection. Since 1992, 16 peer-reviewed papers have been published with a description and evaluation of CM detection models. There is a large variation in the use of sensors and algorithms. All this makes these results not very comparable. There is a also large difference in performance between the detection models and also a large variation in time windows used and little similarity between study data. Therefore, it is difficult to compare the overall performance of the different CM detection models. The sensitivity and specificity found in the different studies could, for a large part, be explained in differences in the used time window. None of the described studies satisfied the demands for CM detection models.

Seasonal heterogeneity of ocean warming: a mortality sink for ectotherm colonizers

PubMed Central

Maffucci, Fulvio; Corrado, Raffaele; Palatella, Luigi; Borra, Marco; Marullo, Salvatore; Hochscheid, Sandra; Lacorata, Guglielmo; Iudicone, Daniele

2016-01-01

Distribution shifts are a common adaptive response of marine ectotherms to climate change but the pace of redistribution depends on species-specific traits that may promote or hamper expansion to northern habitats. Here we show that recently, the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) has begun to nest steadily beyond the northern edge of the species’ range in the Mediterranean basin. This range expansion is associated with a significant warming of spring and summer sea surface temperature (SST) that offers a wider thermal window suitable for nesting. However, we found that post-hatchlings departing from this location experience low winter SST that may affect their survival and thus hamper the stabilization of the site by self-recruitment. The inspection of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change model projections and observational data on SST trends shows that, despite the annual warming for this century, winter SST show little or no trends. Therefore, thermal constraints during the early developmental phase may limit the chance of population growth at this location also in the near future, despite increasingly favourable conditions at the nesting sites. Quantifying and understanding the interplay between dispersal and environmental changes at all life stages is critical for predicting ectotherm range expansion with climate warming. PMID:27044321

The shape of the human language-ready brain

PubMed Central

Boeckx, Cedric; Benítez-Burraco, Antonio

2014-01-01

Our core hypothesis is that the emergence of our species-specific language-ready brain ought to be understood in light of the developmental changes expressed at the levels of brain morphology and neural connectivity that occurred in our species after the split from Neanderthals–Denisovans and that gave us a more globular braincase configuration. In addition to changes at the cortical level, we hypothesize that the anatomical shift that led to globularity also entailed significant changes at the subcortical level. We claim that the functional consequences of such changes must also be taken into account to gain a fuller understanding of our linguistic capacity. Here we focus on the thalamus, which we argue is central to language and human cognition, as it modulates fronto-parietal activity. With this new neurobiological perspective in place, we examine its possible molecular basis. We construct a candidate gene set whose members are involved in the development and connectivity of the thalamus, in the evolution of the human head, and are known to give rise to language-associated cognitive disorders. We submit that the new gene candidate set opens up new windows into our understanding of the genetic basis of our linguistic capacity. Thus, our hypothesis aims at generating new testing grounds concerning core aspects of language ontogeny and phylogeny. PMID:24772099

Brain function during probabilistic learning in relation to IQ and level of education.

PubMed

van den Bos, Wouter; Crone, Eveline A; Güroğlu, Berna

2012-02-15

Knowing how to adapt your behavior based on feedback lies at the core of successful learning. We investigated the relation between brain function, grey matter volume, educational level and IQ in a Dutch adolescent sample. In total 45 healthy volunteers between ages 13 and 16 were recruited from schools for pre-vocational and pre-university education. For each individual, IQ was estimated using two subtests from the WISC-III-R (similarities and block design). While in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, participants performed a probabilistic learning task. Behavioral comparisons showed that participants with higher IQ used a more adaptive learning strategy after receiving positive feedback. Analysis of neural activation revealed that higher IQ was associated with increased activation in DLPFC and dACC when receiving positive feedback, specifically for rules with low reward probability (i.e., unexpected positive feedback). Furthermore, VBM analyses revealed that IQ correlated positively with grey matter volume within these regions. These results provide support for IQ-related individual differences in the developmental time courses of neural circuitry supporting feedback-based learning. Current findings are interpreted in terms of a prolonged window of flexibility and opportunity for adolescents with higher IQ scores. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ca2+ signalling and early embryonic patterning during zebrafish development.

PubMed

Webb, Sarah E; Miller, Andrew L

2007-09-01

1. It has been proposed that Ca2+ signalling, in the form of pulses, waves and steady gradients, may play a crucial role in key pattern-forming events during early vertebrate development. 2. With reference to the embryo of the zebrafish (Danio rerio), herein we review the Ca2+ transients reported from the cleavage to segmentation periods. This time-window includes most of the major pattern-forming events of early development, which transform a single-cell zygote into a complex multicellular embryo with established primary germ layers and body axes. 3. Data are presented to support our proposal that intracellular Ca2+ waves are an essential feature of embryonic cytokinesis and that propagating intercellular Ca2+ waves (both long and short range) may play a crucial role in: (i) the establishment of the embryonic periderm and the coordination of cell movements during epiboly, convergence and extension; (ii) the establishment of the basic embryonic axes and germ layers; and (iii) definition of the morphological boundaries of specific tissue domains and embryonic structures, including future organ anlagen. 4. The potential downstream targets of these Ca2+ transients are also discussed, as well as how they may integrate with other pattern-forming signalling pathways known to modulate early developmental events.

Neurogliaform cortical interneurons derive from cells in the preoptic area

PubMed Central

Cadilhac, Christelle; Prados, Julien; Holtmaat, Anthony

2018-01-01

Delineating the basic cellular components of cortical inhibitory circuits remains a fundamental issue in order to understand their specific contributions to microcircuit function. It is still unclear how current classifications of cortical interneuron subtypes relate to biological processes such as their developmental specification. Here we identified the developmental trajectory of neurogliaform cells (NGCs), the main effectors of a powerful inhibitory motif recruited by long-range connections. Using in vivo genetic lineage-tracing in mice, we report that NGCs originate from a specific pool of 5-HT3AR-expressing Hmx3+ cells located in the preoptic area (POA). Hmx3-derived 5-HT3AR+ cortical interneurons (INs) expressed the transcription factors PROX1, NR2F2, the marker reelin but not VIP and exhibited the molecular, morphological and electrophysiological profile of NGCs. Overall, these results indicate that NGCs are a distinct class of INs with a unique developmental trajectory and open the possibility to study their specific functional contribution to cortical inhibitory microcircuit motifs. PMID:29557780

Evolution and coevolution of developmental programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacob, Christian

1999-09-01

The developmental processes of single organisms, such as growth and structure formation, can be described by parallel rewrite systems in the form of Lindenmayer systems, which also allow one to generate geometrical structures in 3D space using turtle interpretation. We present examples of L-systems for growth programs of plant-like structures. Evolution-based programming techniques are applied to design L-systems by Genetic L-system Programming (GLP), demonstrating how developmental programs for plants, exhibiting specific morphogenetic properties can be interactively bred or automatically evolved. Finally, we demonstrate coevolutionary effects among plant populations consisting of different species, interacting with each other, competing for resources like sunlight and nutrients, and evolving successful reproduction strategies in their specific environments.

A SYSTEMS BIOLOGY APPROACH TO DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICOLOGY

EPA Science Inventory

Abstract
Recent advances in developmental biology have yielded detailed models of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) involved in cell specification and other processes in embryonic differentiation. Such networks form the bedrock on which a systems biology approach to developme...

Developmental Education: A Proposed Model For Guidance and Counseling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gazda, George M.

1978-01-01

Coins a new term for counselors--"developmental education"--which the author defines as developing specific life-coping skills. The article also examines some ethical questions which are related to this intentional manipulation of the human condition. (Author/HMV)

Developmental plasticity of growth and digestive efficiency in dependence of early-life food availability

PubMed Central

Kotrschal, Alexander; Szidat, Sönke; Taborsky, Barbara

2014-01-01

Nutrition is a potent mediator of developmental plasticity. If food is scarce, developing organisms may invest into growth to outgrow size-dependent mortality (short-term benefit) and/or into an efficient digestion system (long-term benefit). We investigated this potential trade-off, by determining the influence of food availability on juvenile body and organ growth, and on adult digestive efficiency in the cichlid fish Simochromis pleurospilus. We reared two groups of fish at constant high or low food rations, and we switched four other groups between these two rations at an early and late juvenile period. We measured juvenile growth and organ sizes at different developmental stages and determined adult digestive efficiency. Fish kept at constant, high rations grew considerably faster than low-food fish. Nevertheless, S. pleurospilus partly buffered the negative effects of low food availability by developing heavier digestive organs, and they were therefore more efficient in digesting their food as adults. Results of fish exposed to a ration switch during either the early or late juvenile period suggest (i) that the ability to show compensatory growth after early exposure to low food availability persists during the juvenile period, (ii) that digestive efficiency is influenced by varying juvenile food availability during the late juvenile phase and (iii) that the efficiency of the adult digestive system is correlated with the growth rate during a narrow time window of juvenile period. PMID:25866430

Developmental neurotoxicity elicited by prenatal or postnatal chlorpyrifos exposure: effects on neurospecific proteins indicate changing vulnerabilities.

PubMed

Garcia, Stephanie J; Seidler, Frederic J; Slotkin, Theodore A

2003-03-01

The developmental neurotoxicity of the organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) is thought to involve both neurons and glia, thus producing a prolonged window of vulnerability. To characterize the cell types and brain regions involved in these effects, we administered CPF to developing rats and examined neuroprotein markers for oligodendrocytes (myelin basic protein, MBP), for neuronal cell bodies (neurofilament 68 kDa, NF68), and for developing axons (neurofilament 200 kDa, NF200). Prenatal CPF administration on gestational days (GDs) 17-20 elicited an immediate (GD21) enhancement of MBP and NF68; by postnatal day (PN) 30, however, there were deficits in all three biomarkers, with the effect restricted to females. Exposure in the early postnatal period, PN1-4, did not evoke significant short-term or long-term changes in the neuroproteins. However, with treatment on PN11-14, we found reductions in MBP in the immediate posttreatment period (PN15, PN20) throughout the brain, and deficiencies across all three proteins emerged by PN30. With this regimen, males were targeted preferentially. The sex-selective effects seen here for the GD17-20 and PN11-14 regimens match those reported earlier for subsequent behavioral performance. These results indicate a shift in the populations of neural cells targeted by CPF, dependent upon the period of exposure. Similarly, developmental differences in the sex selectivity of the biochemical mechanisms underlying neurotoxicant actions are likely to contribute to discrete behavioral outcomes.

Life-Long Implications of Developmental Exposure to Environmental Stressors: New Perspectives.

PubMed

Grandjean, Philippe; Barouki, Robert; Bellinger, David C; Casteleyn, Ludwine; Chadwick, Lisa H; Cordier, Sylvaine; Etzel, Ruth A; Gray, Kimberly A; Ha, Eun-Hee; Junien, Claudine; Karagas, Margaret; Kawamoto, Toshihiro; Paige Lawrence, B; Perera, Frederica P; Prins, Gail S; Puga, Alvaro; Rosenfeld, Cheryl S; Sherr, David H; Sly, Peter D; Suk, William; Sun, Qi; Toppari, Jorma; van den Hazel, Peter; Walker, Cheryl L; Heindel, Jerrold J

2015-10-01

The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) paradigm is one of the most rapidly expanding areas of biomedical research. Environmental stressors that can impact on DOHaD encompass a variety of environmental and occupational hazards as well as deficiency and oversupply of nutrients and energy. They can disrupt early developmental processes and lead to increased susceptibility to disease/dysfunctions later in life. Presentations at the fourth Conference on Prenatal Programming and Toxicity in Boston, in October 2014, provided important insights and led to new recommendations for research and public health action. The conference highlighted vulnerable exposure windows that can occur as early as the preconception period and epigenetics as a major mechanism than can lead to disadvantageous "reprogramming" of the genome, thereby potentially resulting in transgenerational effects. Stem cells can also be targets of environmental stressors, thus paving another way for effects that may last a lifetime. Current testing paradigms do not allow proper characterization of risk factors and their interactions. Thus, relevant exposure levels and combinations for testing must be identified from human exposure situations and outcome assessments. Testing of potential underpinning mechanisms and biomarker development require laboratory animal models and in vitro approaches. Only few large-scale birth cohorts exist, and collaboration between birth cohorts on a global scale should be facilitated. DOHaD-based research has a crucial role in establishing factors leading to detrimental outcomes and developing early preventative/remediation strategies to combat these risks.

Genetic and Environmental Influences on the Developmental Course of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms From Childhood to Adolescence.

PubMed

Pingault, Jean-Baptiste; Viding, Essi; Galéra, Cédric; Greven, Corina U; Zheng, Yao; Plomin, Robert; Rijsdijk, Frühling

2015-07-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is conceptualized as a neurodevelopmental disorder that is strongly heritable. However, to our knowledge, no study to date has examined the genetic and environmental influences explaining interindividual differences in the developmental course of ADHD symptoms from childhood to adolescence (ie, systematic decreases or increases with age). The reason ADHD symptoms persist in some children but decline in others is an important concern, with implications for prognosis and interventions. To assess the proportional impact of genes and the environment on interindividual differences in the developmental course of ADHD symptom domains of hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattention between ages 8 and 16 years. A prospective sample of 8395 twin pairs from the Twins Early Development Study, recruited from population records of births in England and Wales between January 1, 1994, and December 31, 1996. Data collection at age 8 years took place between November 2002 and November 2004; data collection at age 16 years took place between February 2011 and January 2013. Both DSM-IV ADHD symptom subscales were rated 4 times by participants' mothers. Estimates from latent growth curve models indicated that the developmental course of hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms followed a sharp linear decrease (mean score of 6.0 at age 8 years to 2.9 at age 16 years). Interindividual differences in the linear change in hyperactivity/impulsivity were under strong additive genetic influences (81%; 95% CI, 73%-88%). More than half of the genetic variation was specific to the developmental course and not shared with the baseline level of hyperactivity/impulsivity. The linear decrease in inattention symptoms was less pronounced (mean score of 5.8 at age 8 years to 4.9 at age 16 years). Nonadditive genetic influences accounted for a substantial amount of variation in the developmental course of inattention symptoms (54%; 95% CI, 8%-76%), with more than half being specific to the developmental course. The large genetic influences on the developmental course of ADHD symptoms are mostly specific and independent of those that account for variation in the baseline level of symptoms. Different sets of genes may be associated with the developmental course vs the baseline level of ADHD symptoms and explain why some children remit from ADHD, whereas others persist. Recent longitudinal imaging data indicate that the maintenance or increase in symptoms is underpinned by atypical trajectories of cortical development. This may reflect a specific genetic liability, distinct from that which contributes to baseline ADHD symptoms, and warrants closer follow-up.

A scan statistic for identifying optimal risk windows in vaccine safety studies using self-controlled case series design.

PubMed

Xu, Stanley; Hambidge, Simon J; McClure, David L; Daley, Matthew F; Glanz, Jason M

2013-08-30

In the examination of the association between vaccines and rare adverse events after vaccination in postlicensure observational studies, it is challenging to define appropriate risk windows because prelicensure RCTs provide little insight on the timing of specific adverse events. Past vaccine safety studies have often used prespecified risk windows based on prior publications, biological understanding of the vaccine, and expert opinion. Recently, a data-driven approach was developed to identify appropriate risk windows for vaccine safety studies that use the self-controlled case series design. This approach employs both the maximum incidence rate ratio and the linear relation between the estimated incidence rate ratio and the inverse of average person time at risk, given a specified risk window. In this paper, we present a scan statistic that can identify appropriate risk windows in vaccine safety studies using the self-controlled case series design while taking into account the dependence of time intervals within an individual and while adjusting for time-varying covariates such as age and seasonality. This approach uses the maximum likelihood ratio test based on fixed-effects models, which has been used for analyzing data from self-controlled case series design in addition to conditional Poisson models. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Optical Evaluation of Digital Micromirror Devices (DMDs) with UV-Grade Fused Silica, Sapphire, and Magnesium Fluoride Windows and Longterm Reflectance of Bare Devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quijada, Manuel A.; Travinsky, Anton; Vorobiev, Dmitry; Ninkov, Zoran; Raisanen, Alan; Robberto, Massimo; Heap, Sara

2016-01-01

Digital micromirror devices (DMDs) are commercial micro-electromechanical systems, consisting of millions of mirrors which can be individually addressed and tilted into one of two states (+/-12deg). These devices were developed to create binary patterns in video projectors, in the visible range. Commercially available DMDs are hermetically sealed and extremely reliable. Recently, DMDs have been identified as an alternative to microshutter arrays for space-based multi-object spectrometers (MOS). Specifically, the MOS at the heart of the proposed Galactic Evolution Spectroscopic Explorer (GESE) uses the DMD as a reprogrammable slit mask. Unfortunately, the protective borosilicate windows limit the use of DMDs in the UV and IR regimes, where the glass has insufficient throughput. In this work, we present our efforts to replace standard DMD windows with custom windows made from UV-grade fused silica, low-absorption optical sapphire (LAOS) and magnesium fluoride (MgF2). We present transmission measurements of the antireflection coated windows and the reflectance of bare (window removed) DMDs. Furthermore, we investigated the long-term stability of the DMD reflectance and experiments for coating DMD active area with a layer of pure aluminum (Al) to boost reflectance performance in the UV spectral range (200-400 nm).

Spatial-temporal modeling of the association between air pollution exposure and preterm birth: identifying critical windows of exposure.

PubMed

Warren, Joshua; Fuentes, Montserrat; Herring, Amy; Langlois, Peter

2012-12-01

Exposure to high levels of air pollution during the pregnancy is associated with increased probability of preterm birth (PTB), a major cause of infant morbidity and mortality. New statistical methodology is required to specifically determine when a particular pollutant impacts the PTB outcome, to determine the role of different pollutants, and to characterize the spatial variability in these results. We develop a new Bayesian spatial model for PTB which identifies susceptible windows throughout the pregnancy jointly for multiple pollutants (PM(2.5) , ozone) while allowing these windows to vary continuously across space and time. We geo-code vital record birth data from Texas (2002-2004) and link them with standard pollution monitoring data and a newly introduced EPA product of calibrated air pollution model output. We apply the fully spatial model to a region of 13 counties in eastern Texas consisting of highly urban as well as rural areas. Our results indicate significant signal in the first two trimesters of pregnancy with different pollutants leading to different critical windows. Introducing the spatial aspect uncovers critical windows previously unidentified when space is ignored. A proper inference procedure is introduced to correctly analyze these windows. © 2012, The International Biometric Society.

Optical evaluation of digital micromirror devices (DMDs) with UV-grade fused silica, sapphire, and magnesium fluoride windows and long-term reflectance of bare devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quijada, Manuel A.; Travinsky, Anton; Vorobiev, Dmitry; Ninkov, Zoran; Raisanen, Alan; Robberto, Massimo; Heap, Sara

2016-07-01

Digital micromirror devices (DMDs) are commercial micro-electromechanical systems, consisting of millions of mirrors which can be individually addressed and tilted into one of two states (+/-12°). These devices were developed to create binary patterns in video projectors, in the visible range. Commercially available DMDs are hermetically sealed and extremely reliable. Recently, DMDs have been identified as an alternative to microshutter arrays for space-based multi-object spectrometers (MOS). Specifically, the MOS at the heart of the proposed Galactic Evolution Spectroscopic Explorer (GESE) uses the DMD as a reprogrammable slit mask. Unfortunately, the protective borosilicate windows limit the use of DMDs in the UV and IR regimes, where the glass has insufficient throughput. In this work, we present our efforts to replace standard DMD windows with custom windows made from UV-grade fused silica, low-absorption optical sapphire (LAOS) and magnesium fluoride (MgF2). We present transmission measurements of the antireflection coated windows and the reflectance of bare (window removed) DMDs. Furthermore, we investigated the long-term stability of the DMD reflectance and experiments for coating DMD active area with a layer of pure aluminum (Al) to boost reflectance performance in the UV spectral range (200-400 nm).

Drosophila melanogaster as a model system for assessing development under conditions of microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbott, M. K.; Hilgenfeld, R. B.; Denell, R. E.; Spooner, B. S. (Principal Investigator)

1992-01-01

More is known about the regulation of early developmental events in Drosophila than any other animal. In addition, its size and short life cycle make it a facile experimental system. Since developmental perturbations have been demonstrated when both oogenesis and embryogenesis occur in the space environment, there is a strong rationale for using this organism for the elucidation of specific gravity-sensitive developmental events.

Correlation Between Mothers' Depression and Developmental Delay in Infants Aged 6-18 Months.

PubMed

Vameghi, Roshanak; Amir Ali Akbari, Sedigheh; Sajjadi, Homeira; Sajedi, Firoozeh; Alavimajd, Hamid

2015-08-23

Regarding the importance of children's developmental status and various factors that delay their development, this study was conducted to examine the correlation between mothers' depression levels and the developmental delay in infants. This descriptive study was performed on 1053 mothers and their infants' age 6 to18 month-old in medical centers affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2014-2015. The participants were selected through multi-stage random sampling. The following instruments were used in this study: A demographic and obstetric specification questionnaire, infant specification questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Ages and Stages Questionnaire to determine the status of the children's development. The data were analyzed using SPSS19 software, Mann-Whitney; independent T-test and logistic-Regression tests were used. The results showed that 491 mothers (46.7%) suffered mild to extremely severe depression. The delay in infant development was 11.8%. The Mann-Whitney test showed a correlation between mothers' depression levels and developmental delay in infants (P=0.001). Moreover, there was a significant correlation between mothers' depression and developmental delays in gross-motor and problem-solving skills (P<0/05). In logistic model age of infants showed significant correlation with developmental delay (P=0.004 OR=1.07), but unwanted pregnancy, gender of infants, type of delivery and socioeconomic status had no correlation with developmental delay. Given the correlation between mothers' depression and infant development, it is recommended to screen mothers for depression in order to perform early interventions in developmental delay.

Training loads and injury risk in Australian football-differing acute: chronic workload ratios influence match injury risk.

PubMed

Carey, David L; Blanch, Peter; Ong, Kok-Leong; Crossley, Kay M; Crow, Justin; Morris, Meg E

2017-08-01

(1) To investigate whether a daily acute:chronic workload ratio informs injury risk in Australian football players; (2) to identify which combination of workload variable, acute and chronic time window best explains injury likelihood. Workload and injury data were collected from 53 athletes over 2 seasons in a professional Australian football club. Acute:chronic workload ratios were calculated daily for each athlete, and modelled against non-contact injury likelihood using a quadratic relationship. 6 workload variables, 8 acute time windows (2-9 days) and 7 chronic time windows (14-35 days) were considered (336 combinations). Each parameter combination was compared for injury likelihood fit (using R 2 ). The ratio of moderate speed running workload (18-24 km/h) in the previous 3 days (acute time window) compared with the previous 21 days (chronic time window) best explained the injury likelihood in matches (R 2 =0.79) and in the immediate 2 or 5 days following matches (R 2 =0.76-0.82). The 3:21 acute:chronic workload ratio discriminated between high-risk and low-risk athletes (relative risk=1.98-2.43). Using the previous 6 days to calculate the acute workload time window yielded similar results. The choice of acute time window significantly influenced model performance and appeared to reflect the competition and training schedule. Daily workload ratios can inform injury risk in Australian football. Clinicians and conditioning coaches should consider the sport-specific schedule of competition and training when choosing acute and chronic time windows. For Australian football, the ratio of moderate speed running in a 3-day or 6-day acute time window and a 21-day chronic time window best explained injury risk. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Training loads and injury risk in Australian football—differing acute: chronic workload ratios influence match injury risk

PubMed Central

Carey, David L; Blanch, Peter; Ong, Kok-Leong; Crossley, Kay M; Crow, Justin; Morris, Meg E

2017-01-01

Aims (1) To investigate whether a daily acute:chronic workload ratio informs injury risk in Australian football players; (2) to identify which combination of workload variable, acute and chronic time window best explains injury likelihood. Methods Workload and injury data were collected from 53 athletes over 2 seasons in a professional Australian football club. Acute:chronic workload ratios were calculated daily for each athlete, and modelled against non-contact injury likelihood using a quadratic relationship. 6 workload variables, 8 acute time windows (2–9 days) and 7 chronic time windows (14–35 days) were considered (336 combinations). Each parameter combination was compared for injury likelihood fit (using R2). Results The ratio of moderate speed running workload (18–24 km/h) in the previous 3 days (acute time window) compared with the previous 21 days (chronic time window) best explained the injury likelihood in matches (R2=0.79) and in the immediate 2 or 5 days following matches (R2=0.76–0.82). The 3:21 acute:chronic workload ratio discriminated between high-risk and low-risk athletes (relative risk=1.98–2.43). Using the previous 6 days to calculate the acute workload time window yielded similar results. The choice of acute time window significantly influenced model performance and appeared to reflect the competition and training schedule. Conclusions Daily workload ratios can inform injury risk in Australian football. Clinicians and conditioning coaches should consider the sport-specific schedule of competition and training when choosing acute and chronic time windows. For Australian football, the ratio of moderate speed running in a 3-day or 6-day acute time window and a 21-day chronic time window best explained injury risk. PMID:27789430

Developmental Coordination Disorder in Children with Specific Language Impairment: Co-Morbidity and Impact on Quality of Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flapper, Boudien C. T.; Schoemaker, Marina M.

2013-01-01

Co-morbidity of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and the impact of DCD on quality-of-life (QOL) was investigated in 65 5-8 year old children with SLI (43 boys, age 6.8 [plus or minus] 0.8; 22 girls, age 6.6 [plus or minus] 0.8). The prevalence of DCD was assessed using DSM-IV-TR criteria…

The Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale: a cognitive-developmental measure of emotion.

PubMed

Lane, R D; Quinlan, D M; Schwartz, G E; Walker, P A; Zeitlin, S B

1990-01-01

The Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (LEAS) is based on a new cognitive-developmental model of emotional experience. The scale poses evocative interpersonal situations and elicits descriptions of the emotional responses of self and others which are scored using specific structural criteria. Forty undergraduates (20 of each sex) were tested. Interrater reliability and intratest homogeneity of the LEAS were strong. The LEAS was significantly correlated with two measures of maturity: the Washington University Sentence Completion Test (SCT) of Ego Development, and the Parental Descriptions Scale-a cognitive-developmental measure of object representation. In addition, the LEAS correlated positively with openness to experience and emotional range but not with measures of specific emotions, repression or the number of words used in the LEAS responses. These findings suggest that it is the level of emotion, not the specific quality of emotion, that is tapped by the LEAS.

Analysis of a ToxCast™ HTS Toxicity Signature for putative Vascular Disruptor Compounds

EPA Science Inventory

Recent studies have shown the importance of blood vessel formation during embryo development and the strong correlation to developmental toxicity. Several developmental toxicants, such as thalidomide, have been identified which specifically target the forming embryonic vasculatur...

47 CFR 80.33 - Developmental license.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... number of frequencies assignable to a particular station will depend upon the specific requirements of... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES STATIONS IN THE... about the licensing of developmental operations at stations subject to this part. (a) Supplemental...

Virtual Embryo: Systems Modeling in Developmental Toxicity

EPA Science Inventory

High-throughput screening (HTS) studies are providing a rich source of data that can be applied to chemical profiling to address sensitivity and specificity of molecular targets, biological pathways, cellular and developmental processes. EPA’s ToxCast project is testing 960 uniq...

Tailoring polarization of electromagnetically induced transparency based on non-centrosymmetric metasurfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Hai-ming; Xue, Feng

2017-09-01

In this manuscript, tailoring polarization of analogy of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT-like) based on non-centrosymmetric metasurfaces has been numerically and experimentally demonstrated. The EIT-like metamaterial is composed of a rectangle ring and two cut wires. The rectangle ring and the cut wire are chosen as the bright mode and the quasi-dark mode, respectively. Under the incident electromagnetic wave excitation, a polarization insensitive EIT-like transmission window can be observed at specific polarization angles. Within the transmission window, the phase steeply changes, which leads to the large group index. Tailoring polarization of EIT-like metamaterial with large group index at specific polarization angles may have potential application in slow light devices.

Are the special educational needs of children in their first year in primary school in Ireland being identified: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Curtin, Margaret; Baker, Denise; Staines, Anthony; Perry, Ivan J

2014-02-19

If the window of opportunity presented by the early years is missed, it becomes increasingly difficult to create a successful life-course. A biopsychosocial model of special educational need with an emphasis on participation and functioning moves the frame of reference from the clinic to the school and the focus from specific conditions to creating supportive environments cognisant of the needs of all children. However, evidence suggests that an emphasis on diagnosed conditions persists and that the needs of children who do not meet these criteria are not identified.The Early Development Instrument (EDI) is a well-validated, teacher-completed population-level measure of five domains of child development. It is uniquely placed, at the interface between health and education, to explore the developmental status of children with additional challenges within a typically developing population. The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which the special educational needs of children in their first year of formal education have been identified. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Ireland in 2011. EDI (teacher completed) scores were calculated for 1344 children. Data were also collected on special needs and on children identified by the teacher as needing assessment. Mean developmental scores were compared using one-way ANOVA. Eighty-three children in the sample population (6.2%) had identified special educational needs. A further 132 children were judged by the teacher as needing assessment. Children with special needs had lower mean scores than typically developing children, in all five developmental domains. Children considered by the teacher as needing assessment also had lower scores, which were not significantly different from those of children with special needs. Speech, emotional or behavioural difficulties were the most commonly reported problems among children needing further assessment. There was also a social gradient among this group. A small but significant number of children have not had their needs adequately assessed. Teacher observation is an effective means of identifying children with a level of impairment which prevents them from fully participating in their educational environment and could be integrated into a multi-disciplinary approach to meeting the needs of all children.

An Analysis of Peer-Reviewed Scores and Impact Factors with Different Citation Time Windows: A Case Study of 28 Ophthalmologic Journals

PubMed Central

Liu, Xue-Li; Gai, Shuang-Shuang; Zhang, Shi-Le; Wang, Pu

2015-01-01

Background An important attribute of the traditional impact factor was the controversial 2-year citation window. So far, several scholars have proposed using different citation time windows for evaluating journals. However, there is no confirmation whether a longer citation time window would be better. How did the journal evaluation effects of 3IF, 4IF, and 6IF comparing with 2IF and 5IF? In order to understand these questions, we made a comparative study of impact factors with different citation time windows with the peer-reviewed scores of ophthalmologic journals indexed by Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) database. Methods The peer-reviewed scores of 28 ophthalmologic journals were obtained through a self-designed survey questionnaire. Impact factors with different citation time windows (including 2IF, 3IF, 4IF, 5IF, and 6IF) of 28 ophthalmologic journals were computed and compared in accordance with each impact factor’s definition and formula, using the citation analysis function of the Web of Science (WoS) database. An analysis of the correlation between impact factors with different citation time windows and peer-reviewed scores was carried out. Results Although impact factor values with different citation time windows were different, there was a high level of correlation between them when it came to evaluating journals. In the current study, for ophthalmologic journals’ impact factors with different time windows in 2013, 3IF and 4IF seemed the ideal ranges for comparison, when assessed in relation to peer-reviewed scores. In addition, the 3-year and 4-year windows were quite consistent with the cited peak age of documents published by ophthalmologic journals. Research Limitations Our study is based on ophthalmology journals and we only analyze the impact factors with different citation time window in 2013, so it has yet to be ascertained whether other disciplines (especially those with a later cited peak) or other years would follow the same or similar patterns. Originality/ Value We designed the survey questionnaire ourselves, specifically to assess the real influence of journals. We used peer-reviewed scores to judge the journal evaluation effect of impact factors with different citation time windows. The main purpose of this study was to help researchers better understand the role of impact factors with different citation time windows in journal evaluation. PMID:26295157

An Analysis of Peer-Reviewed Scores and Impact Factors with Different Citation Time Windows: A Case Study of 28 Ophthalmologic Journals.

PubMed

Liu, Xue-Li; Gai, Shuang-Shuang; Zhang, Shi-Le; Wang, Pu

2015-01-01

An important attribute of the traditional impact factor was the controversial 2-year citation window. So far, several scholars have proposed using different citation time windows for evaluating journals. However, there is no confirmation whether a longer citation time window would be better. How did the journal evaluation effects of 3IF, 4IF, and 6IF comparing with 2IF and 5IF? In order to understand these questions, we made a comparative study of impact factors with different citation time windows with the peer-reviewed scores of ophthalmologic journals indexed by Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) database. The peer-reviewed scores of 28 ophthalmologic journals were obtained through a self-designed survey questionnaire. Impact factors with different citation time windows (including 2IF, 3IF, 4IF, 5IF, and 6IF) of 28 ophthalmologic journals were computed and compared in accordance with each impact factor's definition and formula, using the citation analysis function of the Web of Science (WoS) database. An analysis of the correlation between impact factors with different citation time windows and peer-reviewed scores was carried out. Although impact factor values with different citation time windows were different, there was a high level of correlation between them when it came to evaluating journals. In the current study, for ophthalmologic journals' impact factors with different time windows in 2013, 3IF and 4IF seemed the ideal ranges for comparison, when assessed in relation to peer-reviewed scores. In addition, the 3-year and 4-year windows were quite consistent with the cited peak age of documents published by ophthalmologic journals. Our study is based on ophthalmology journals and we only analyze the impact factors with different citation time window in 2013, so it has yet to be ascertained whether other disciplines (especially those with a later cited peak) or other years would follow the same or similar patterns. We designed the survey questionnaire ourselves, specifically to assess the real influence of journals. We used peer-reviewed scores to judge the journal evaluation effect of impact factors with different citation time windows. The main purpose of this study was to help researchers better understand the role of impact factors with different citation time windows in journal evaluation.

Prenatal particulate air pollution exposure and body composition in urban preschool children: Examining sensitive windows and sex-specific associations.

PubMed

Chiu, Yueh-Hsiu Mathilda; Hsu, Hsiao-Hsien Leon; Wilson, Ander; Coull, Brent A; Pendo, Mathew P; Baccarelli, Andrea; Kloog, Itai; Schwartz, Joel; Wright, Robert O; Taveras, Elsie M; Wright, Rosalind J

2017-10-01

Evolving animal studies and limited epidemiological data show that prenatal air pollution exposure is associated with childhood obesity. Timing of exposure and child sex may play an important role in these associations. We applied an innovative method to examine sex-specific sensitive prenatal windows of exposure to PM 2.5 on anthropometric measures in preschool-aged children. Analyses included 239 children born ≥ 37 weeks gestation in an ethnically-mixed lower-income urban birth cohort. Prenatal daily PM 2.5 exposure was estimated using a validated satellite-based spatio-temporal model. Body mass index z-score (BMI-z), fat mass, % body fat, subscapular and triceps skinfold thickness, waist and hip circumferences and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were assessed at age 4.0 ± 0.7 years. Using Bayesian distributed lag interaction models (BDLIMs), we examined sex differences in sensitive windows of weekly averaged PM 2.5 levels on these measures, adjusting for child age, maternal age, education, race/ethnicity, and pre-pregnancy BMI. Mothers were primarily Hispanic (55%) or Black (26%), had ≤ 12 years of education (66%) and never smoked (80%). Increased PM 2.5 exposure 8-17 and 15-22 weeks gestation was significantly associated with increased BMI z-scores and fat mass in boys, but not in girls. Higher PM 2.5 exposure 10-29 weeks gestation was significantly associated with increased WHR in girls, but not in boys. Prenatal PM 2.5 was not significantly associated with other measures of body composition. Estimated cumulative effects across pregnancy, accounting for sensitive windows and within-window effects, were 0.21 (95%CI = 0.01-0.37) for BMI-z and 0.36 (95%CI = 0.12-0.68) for fat mass (kg) in boys, and 0.02 (95%CI = 0.01-0.03) for WHR in girls, all per µg/m 3 increase in PM 2.5 . Increased prenatal PM 2.5 exposure was more strongly associated with indices of increased whole body size in boys and with an indicator of body shape in girls. Methods to better characterize vulnerable windows may provide insight into underlying mechanisms contributing to sex-specific associations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

SOSPEX, an interactive tool to explore SOFIA spectral cubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fadda, Dario; Chambers, Edward T.

2018-01-01

We present SOSPEX (SOFIA SPectral EXplorer), an interactive tool to visualize and analyze spectral cubes obtained with the FIFI-LS and GREAT instruments onboard the SOFIA Infrared Observatory. This software package is written in Python 3 and it is available either through Github or Anaconda.Through this GUI it is possible to explore directly the spectral cubes produced by the SOFIA pipeline and archived in the SOFIA Science Archive. Spectral cubes are visualized showing their spatial and spectral dimensions in two different windows. By selecting a part of the spectrum, the flux from the corresponding slice of the cube is visualized in the spatial window. On the other hand, it is possible to define apertures on the spatial window to show the corresponding spectral energy distribution in the spectral window.Flux isocontours can be overlapped to external images in the spatial window while line names, atmospheric transmission, or external spectra can be overplotted on the spectral window. Atmospheric models with specific parameters can be retrieved, compared to the spectra and applied to the uncorrected FIFI-LS cubes in the cases where the standard values give unsatisfactory results. Subcubes can be selected and saved as FITS files by cropping or cutting the original cubes. Lines and continuum can be fitted in the spectral window saving the results in Jyson files which can be reloaded later. Finally, in the case of spatially extended observations, it is possible to compute spectral momenta as a function of the position to obtain velocity dispersion maps or velocity diagrams.

Tissue Specificity and Dynamics of Sex-Biased Gene Expression in a Common Frog Population with Differentiated, Yet Homomorphic, Sex Chromosomes.

PubMed

Ma, Wen-Juan; Veltsos, Paris; Toups, Melissa A; Rodrigues, Nicolas; Sermier, Roberto; Jeffries, Daniel L; Perrin, Nicolas

2018-06-12

Sex-biased genes are central to the study of sexual selection, sexual antagonism, and sex chromosome evolution. We describe a comprehensive de novo assembled transcriptome in the common frog Rana temporaria based on five developmental stages and three adult tissues from both sexes, obtained from a population with karyotypically homomorphic but genetically differentiated sex chromosomes. This allows the study of sex-biased gene expression throughout development, and its effect on the rate of gene evolution while accounting for pleiotropic expression, which is known to negatively correlate with the evolutionary rate. Overall, sex-biased genes had little overlap among developmental stages and adult tissues. Late developmental stages and gonad tissues had the highest numbers of stage- or tissue-specific genes. We find that pleiotropic gene expression is a better predictor than sex bias for the evolutionary rate of genes, though it often interacts with sex bias. Although genetically differentiated, the sex chromosomes were not enriched in sex-biased genes, possibly due to a very recent arrest of XY recombination. These results extend our understanding of the developmental dynamics, tissue specificity, and genomic localization of sex-biased genes.

[From brain imaging to good teaching? implicating from neuroscience for research on learning and instruction].

PubMed

Stubenrauch, Christa; Krinzinger, Helga; Konrad, Kerstin

2014-07-01

Psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence, in particular attention deficit disorder or specific learning disorders like developmental dyslexia and developmental dyscalculia, affect academic performance and learning at school. Recent advances in neuroscientific research have incited an intensive debate both in the general public and in the field of educational and instructional science as well as to whether and to what extent these new findings in the field of neuroscience might be of importance for school-related learning and instruction. In this review, we first summarize neuroscientific findings related to the development of attention, working memory and executive functions in typically developing children and then evaluate their relevance for school-related learning. We present an overview of neuroimaging studies of specific learning disabilities such as developmental dyslexia and developmental dyscalculia, and critically discuss their practical implications for educational and teaching practice, teacher training, early diagnosis as well as prevention and disorder-specific therapy. We conclude that the new interdisciplinary field of neuroeducation cannot be expected to provide direct innovative educational applications (e.g., teaching methods). Rather, the future potential of neuroscience lies in creating a deeper understanding of the underlying cognitive mechanisms and pathomechanisms of learning processes and learning disorders.

Evaluation of third molar development in the estimation of chronological age.

PubMed

Soares, Caio Belém Rodrigues Barros; Figueiroa, José Natal; Dantas, Renata Moura Xavier; Kurita, Lúcio Mitsuo; Pontual, Andréa dos Anjos; Ramos-Perez, Flávia Maria de Moraes; Perez, Danyel Elias da Cruz; Pontual, Maria Luiza dos Anjos

2015-09-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between chronological age and the degree of third molar mineralization by Demirjian's developmental stages (Demirjian et al., 1973) using panoramic radiography. From a total of 11.396 digital panoramic radiographs of patients from three oral radiology private clinics from the northeast region of Brazil, obtained from January to June 2009, 2097 radiographic images from patients aged between 6 and 22 years were selected. The images were analyzed individually by two obsevers using a 21-inch computer screen and Windows Picture and Fax Viewer. Reliability was achieved by intra- and interobserver evaluation, using the Kappa test. Chronological age, calcification stage, gender and third molar were interrelated using a multiple linear regression model, considering age as a response variable. There was reliability with Demirjian et al.'s developmental stage assesment, displaying a significant relationship between mineralization stages and patients' age (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the average age and the calcification stage taking gender and localization of the third molar into consideration. It is possible to estimate chronological age based on Demirjian's stage of a third molar, regardless of gender and location. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Defining anural malformations in the context of a developmental problem

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meteyer, C.U.; Cole, Rebecca A.; Converse, K.A.; Docherty, D.E.; Wolcott, M.; Helgen, J.C.; Levey, R.; Eaton-Poole, L.; Burkhart, J.G.

2000-01-01

This paper summarizes terminology and general concepts involved in animal development for the purpose of providing background for the study and understanding of frog malformations. The results of our radiographic investigation of rear limb malformations in Rana pipiens provide evidence that frog malformations are the product of early developmental errors. Although bacteria, parasites and viruses were identified in these metamorphosed frogs, the relevant window to look for the teratogenic effect of these agents is in the early tadpole stage during limb development. As a result, our microbiological findings must be regarded as inconclusive relative to determining their contribution to malformations because we conducted our examinations on metamorphosed frogs not tadpoles. Future studies need to look at teratogenic agents (chemical, microbial, physical or mechanical) that are present in the embryo, tadpole, and their environments at the stages of development that are relevant for the malformation type. The impact of these teratogenic agents then needs to be assessed in appropriate animal models using studies that are designed to mimic field conditions. The results of these laboratory tests should then be analyzed in such a way that will allow comparison with the findings in the wild-caught tadpoles and frogs.

Computer aided diagnosis and treatment planning for developmental dysplasia of the hip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Bin; Lu, Hongbing; Cai, Wenli; Li, Xiang; Meng, Jie; Liang, Zhengrong

2005-04-01

The developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a congenital malformation affecting the proximal femurs and acetabulum that are subluxatable, dislocatable, and dislocated. Early diagnosis and treatment is important because failure to diagnose and improper treatment can result in significant morbidity. In this paper, we designed and implemented a computer aided system for the diagnosis and treatment planning of this disease. With the design, the patient received CT (computed tomography) or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan first. A mixture-based PV partial-volume algorithm was applied to perform bone segmentation on CT image, followed by three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction and display of the segmented image, demonstrating the special relationship between the acetabulum and femurs for visual judgment. Several standard procedures, such as Salter procedure, Pemberton procedure and Femoral Shortening osteotomy, were simulated on the screen to rehearse a virtual treatment plan. Quantitative measurement of Acetabular Index (AI) and Femoral Neck Anteversion (FNA) were performed on the 3D image for evaluation of DDH and treatment plans. PC graphics-card GPU architecture was exploited to accelerate the 3D rendering and geometric manipulation. The prototype system was implemented on PC/Windows environment and is currently under clinical trial on patient datasets.

Decreasing-Rate Pruning Optimizes the Construction of Efficient and Robust Distributed Networks.

PubMed

Navlakha, Saket; Barth, Alison L; Bar-Joseph, Ziv

2015-07-01

Robust, efficient, and low-cost networks are advantageous in both biological and engineered systems. During neural network development in the brain, synapses are massively over-produced and then pruned-back over time. This strategy is not commonly used when designing engineered networks, since adding connections that will soon be removed is considered wasteful. Here, we show that for large distributed routing networks, network function is markedly enhanced by hyper-connectivity followed by aggressive pruning and that the global rate of pruning, a developmental parameter not previously studied by experimentalists, plays a critical role in optimizing network structure. We first used high-throughput image analysis techniques to quantify the rate of pruning in the mammalian neocortex across a broad developmental time window and found that the rate is decreasing over time. Based on these results, we analyzed a model of computational routing networks and show using both theoretical analysis and simulations that decreasing rates lead to more robust and efficient networks compared to other rates. We also present an application of this strategy to improve the distributed design of airline networks. Thus, inspiration from neural network formation suggests effective ways to design distributed networks across several domains.

Decreasing-Rate Pruning Optimizes the Construction of Efficient and Robust Distributed Networks

PubMed Central

Navlakha, Saket; Barth, Alison L.; Bar-Joseph, Ziv

2015-01-01

Robust, efficient, and low-cost networks are advantageous in both biological and engineered systems. During neural network development in the brain, synapses are massively over-produced and then pruned-back over time. This strategy is not commonly used when designing engineered networks, since adding connections that will soon be removed is considered wasteful. Here, we show that for large distributed routing networks, network function is markedly enhanced by hyper-connectivity followed by aggressive pruning and that the global rate of pruning, a developmental parameter not previously studied by experimentalists, plays a critical role in optimizing network structure. We first used high-throughput image analysis techniques to quantify the rate of pruning in the mammalian neocortex across a broad developmental time window and found that the rate is decreasing over time. Based on these results, we analyzed a model of computational routing networks and show using both theoretical analysis and simulations that decreasing rates lead to more robust and efficient networks compared to other rates. We also present an application of this strategy to improve the distributed design of airline networks. Thus, inspiration from neural network formation suggests effective ways to design distributed networks across several domains. PMID:26217933

Polyploidization mechanisms: temperature environment can induce diploid gamete formation in Rosa sp.

PubMed

Pécrix, Yann; Rallo, Géraldine; Folzer, Hélène; Cigna, Mireille; Gudin, Serge; Le Bris, Manuel

2011-06-01

Polyploidy is an important evolutionary phenomenon but the mechanisms by which polyploidy arises still remain underexplored. There may be an environmental component to polyploidization. This study aimed to clarify how temperature may promote diploid gamete formation considered an essential element for sexual polyploidization. First of all, a detailed cytological analysis of microsporogenesis and microgametogenesis was performed to target precisely the key developmental stages which are the most sensitive to temperature. Then, heat-induced modifications in sporad and pollen characteristics were analysed through an exposition of high temperature gradient. Rosa plants are sensitive to high temperatures with a developmental sensitivity window limited to meiosis. Moreover, the range of efficient temperatures is actually narrow. 36 °C at early meiosis led to a decrease in pollen viability, pollen ectexine defects but especially the appearance of numerous diploid pollen grains. They resulted from dyads or triads mainly formed following heat-induced spindle misorientations in telophase II. A high temperature environment has the potential to increase gamete ploidy level. The high frequencies of diplogametes obtained at some extreme temperatures support the hypothesis that polyploidization events could have occurred in adverse conditions and suggest polyploidization facilitating in a global change context.

Prolonged in vivo imaging of Xenopus laevis.

PubMed

Hamilton, Paul W; Henry, Jonathan J

2014-08-01

While live imaging of embryonic development over long periods of time is a well established method for embryos of the frog Xenopus laevis, once development has progressed to the swimming stages, continuous live imaging becomes more challenging because the tadpoles must be immobilized. Current imaging techniques for these advanced stages generally require bringing the tadpoles in and out of anesthesia for short imaging sessions at selected time points, severely limiting the resolution of the data. Here we demonstrate that creating a constant flow of diluted tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222) over a tadpole greatly improves their survival under anesthesia. Based on this result, we describe a new method for imaging stage 48 to 65 X. laevis, by circulating the anesthetic using a peristaltic pump. This supports the animal during continuous live imaging sessions for at least 48 hr. The addition of a stable optical window allows for high quality imaging through the anesthetic solution. This automated imaging system provides for the first time a method for continuous observations of developmental and regenerative processes in advanced stages of Xenopus over 2 days. Developmental Dynamics 243:1011-1019, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Maternal Diet Modulates Placenta Growth and Gene Expression in a Mouse Model of Diabetic Pregnancy

PubMed Central

Kappen, Claudia; Kruger, Claudia; MacGowan, Jacalyn; Salbaum, J. Michael

2012-01-01

Unfavorable maternal diet during pregnancy can predispose the offspring to diseases later in life, such as hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. However, the molecular basis for this phenomenon of “developmental programming” is poorly understood. We have recently shown that a diet nutritionally optimized for pregnancy can nevertheless be harmful in the context of diabetic pregnancy in the mouse, associated with a high incidence of neural tube defects and intrauterine growth restriction. We hypothesized that placental abnormalities may contribute to impaired fetal growth in these pregnancies, and therefore investigated the role of maternal diet in the placenta. LabDiet 5015 diet was associated with reduced placental growth, commencing at midgestation, when compared to pregnancies in which the diabetic dam was fed LabDiet 5001 maintenance chow. Furthermore, by quantitative RT-PCR we identify 34 genes whose expression in placenta at midgestation is modulated by diet, diabetes, or both, establishing biomarkers for gene-environment interactions in the placenta. These results implicate maternal diet as an important factor in pregnancy complications and suggest that the early phases of placenta development could be a critical time window for developmental origins of adult disease. PMID:22701643

Developmentally defined forebrain circuits regulate appetitive and aversive olfactory learning.

PubMed

Muthusamy, Nagendran; Zhang, Xuying; Johnson, Caroline A; Yadav, Prem N; Ghashghaei, H Troy

2017-01-01

Postnatal and adult neurogenesis are region- and modality-specific, but the significance of developmentally distinct neuronal populations remains unclear. We demonstrate that chemogenetic inactivation of a subset of forebrain and olfactory neurons generated at birth disrupts responses to an aversive odor. In contrast, novel appetitive odor learning is sensitive to inactivation of adult-born neurons, revealing that developmentally defined sets of neurons may differentially participate in hedonic aspects of sensory learning.

Conscientiousness: Origins in Childhood?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eisenberg, Nancy; Duckworth, Angela L.; Spinrad, Tracy L.; Valiente, Carlos

2014-01-01

In this review, we evaluate developmental and personality research with the aim of determining whether the personality trait of conscientiousness can be identified in children and adolescents. After concluding that conscientiousness does emerge in childhood, we discuss the developmental origins of conscientiousness with a specific focus on…

A Pediatric Twin Study of Brain Morphometry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallace, Gregory L.; Schmitt, J. Eric; Lenroot, Rhoshel; Viding, Essi; Ordaz, Sarah; Rosenthal, Michael A.; Molloy, Elizabeth A.; Clasen, Liv S.; Kendler, Kenneth S.; Neale, Michael C.; Giedd, Jay N.

2006-01-01

Background: Longitudinal pediatric neuroimaging studies have demonstrated increasing volumes of white matter and regionally-specific inverted U shaped developmental trajectories of gray matter volumes during childhood and adolescence. Studies of monozygotic and dyzygotic twins during this developmental period allow exploration of genetic and…

Iterative image reconstruction for multienergy computed tomography via structure tensor total variation regularization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Dong; Bian, Zhaoying; Gong, Changfei; Huang, Jing; He, Ji; Zhang, Hua; Lu, Lijun; Feng, Qianjin; Liang, Zhengrong; Ma, Jianhua

2016-03-01

Multienergy computed tomography (MECT) has the potential to simultaneously offer multiple sets of energy- selective data belonging to specific energy windows. However, because sufficient photon counts are not available in the specific energy windows compared with that in the whole energy window, the MECT images reconstructed by the analytical approach often suffer from poor signal-to-noise (SNR) and strong streak artifacts. To eliminate this drawback, in this work we present a penalized weighted least-squares (PWLS) scheme by incorporating the new concept of structure tensor total variation (STV) regularization to improve the MECT images quality from low-milliampere-seconds (low-mAs) data acquisitions. Henceforth the present scheme is referred to as `PWLS- STV' for simplicity. Specifically, the STV regularization is derived by penalizing the eigenvalues of the structure tensor of every point in the MECT images. Thus it can provide more robust measures of image variation, which can eliminate the patchy artifacts often observed in total variation regularization. Subsequently, an alternating optimization algorithm was adopted to minimize the objective function. Experiments with a digital XCAT phantom clearly demonstrate that the present PWLS-STV algorithm can achieve more gains than the existing TV-based algorithms and the conventional filtered backpeojection (FBP) algorithm in terms of noise-induced artifacts suppression, resolution preservation, and material decomposition assessment.

Absorption characterization of immersion medium for multiphoton microscopy at the 1700nm window

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Wenhui; Qiu, Ping

2017-02-01

Larger imaging depth is the quest of almost all the imaging modalities, including multiphoton microscopy (MPM). Recently, it has been domonstrated that excitation at the 1700-nm helps extending imaging depth in MPM, optical coherence tomography, as well as photoacoustic imaging compared with excitation at other wavelengths. In MPM, immersion objective lenses with high numerical aperture (NA) are typically used to achieve better signal resolution, higer signal collection efficiency, and stronger signal generation. Although physically short ( mm), this extra optical path length traversed by the excitation light inevitably introduces absorption of the excitation light, and as a result leads to a decrease in the signal generation. Here we demonstrate experimental characterization of absorption spectrum of various immersion media at the 1700-nm window, including water (H2O), deuterium oxide (D2O), and several brands of immersion oil. Our results identify either the best immersion medium for a specific wavelength, or the best wavelength for a specific immersion medium at the 1700-nm window. Furthermore, through quantitative MPM experiments comparing different immersion media, we show that the MPM signal levels can be enhanced by more than ten fold simply by selecting the proper immersion medium, in good agreement with theoretical expectation based on the absorption measurement. Our results will offer guidelines for signal optimization in MPM at the 1700-nm window.

Age-Specific Patient Navigation Preferences Among Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer.

PubMed

Pannier, Samantha T; Warner, Echo L; Fowler, Brynn; Fair, Douglas; Salmon, Sara K; Kirchhoff, Anne C

2017-11-23

Patient navigation is increasingly being directed at adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients. This study provides a novel description of differences in AYA cancer patients' preferences for navigation services by developmental age at diagnosis. Eligible patients were diagnosed with cancer between ages 15 and 39 and had completed at least 1 month of treatment. Between October 2015 and January 2016, patients completed semi-structured interviews about navigation preferences. Summary statistics of demographic and cancer characteristics were generated. Differences in patient navigation preferences were examined through qualitative analyses by developmental age at diagnosis. AYAs were interviewed (adolescents 15-18 years N = 8; emerging adults 19-25 years N = 8; young adults 26-39 years N = 23). On average, participants were 4.5 years from diagnosis. All age groups were interested in face-to-face connection with a navigator and using multiple communication platforms (phone, text, email) to follow-up. Three of the most frequently cited needs were insurance, finances, and information. AYAs differed in support, healthcare, and resource preferences by developmental age; only adolescents preferred educational support. While all groups preferred financial and family support, the specific type of assistance (medical versus living expenses, partner/spouse, child, or parental assistance) varied by age group. AYAs with cancer have different preferences for patient navigation by developmental age at diagnosis. AYAs are not a one-size-fits-all population, and navigation programs can better assist AYAs when services are targeted to appropriate developmental ages. Future research should examine fertility and navigation preferences by time since diagnosis. While some navigation needs to span the AYA age range, other needs are specific to developmental age.

A dysmorphology score system for assessing embryo abnormalities in rat whole embryo culture.

PubMed

Zhang, Cindy X; Danberry, Tracy; Jacobs, Mary Ann; Augustine-Rauch, Karen

2010-12-01

The rodent whole embryo culture (WEC) system is a well-established model for characterizing developmental toxicity of test compounds and conducting mechanistic studies. Laboratories have taken various approaches in describing type and severity of developmental findings of organogenesis-stage rodent embryos, but the Brown and Fabro morphological score system is commonly used as a quantitative approach. The associated score criteria is based upon developmental stage and growth parameters, where a series of embryonic structures are assessed and assigned respective scores relative to their gestational stage, with a Total Morphological Score (TMS) assigned to the embryo. This score system is beneficial because it assesses a series of stage-specific anatomical landmarks, facilitating harmonized evaluation across laboratories. Although the TMS provides a quantitative approach to assess growth and determine developmental delay, it is limited to its ability to identify and/or delineate subtle or structure-specific abnormalities. Because of this, the TMS may not be sufficiently sensitive for identifying compounds that induce structure or organ-selective effects. This study describes a distinct morphological score system called the "Dysmorphology Score System (DMS system)" that has been developed for assessing gestation day 11 (approximately 20-26 somite stage) rat embryos using numerical scores to differentiate normal from abnormal morphology and define the respective severity of dysmorphology of specific embryonic structures and organ systems. This method can also be used in scoring mouse embryos of the equivalent developmental stage. The DMS system enhances capabilities to rank-order compounds based upon teratogenic potency, conduct structure- relationships of chemicals, and develop statistical prediction models to support abbreviated developmental toxicity screens. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Knowing when to assist: developmental issues in lifelong assistive robotics.

PubMed

Demiris, Yiannis

2009-01-01

Children and adults with sensorimotor disabilities can significantly increase their autonomy through the use of assistive robots. As the field progresses from short-term, task-specific solutions to long-term, adaptive ones, new challenges are emerging. In this paper a lifelong methodological approach is presented, that attempts to balance the immediate context-specific needs of the user, with the long-term effects that the robot's assistance can potentially have on the user's developmental trajectory.

Gene expression atlas of pigeonpea and its application to gain insights into genes associated with pollen fertility implicated in seed formation

PubMed Central

Pazhamala, Lekha T.; Purohit, Shilp; Saxena, Rachit K.; Garg, Vanika; Krishnamurthy, L.; Verdier, Jerome

2017-01-01

Abstract Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) is an important grain legume of the semi-arid tropics, mainly used for its protein rich seeds. To link the genome sequence information with agronomic traits resulting from specific developmental processes, a Cajanus cajan gene expression atlas (CcGEA) was developed using the Asha genotype. Thirty tissues/organs representing developmental stages from germination to senescence were used to generate 590.84 million paired-end RNA-Seq data. The CcGEA revealed a compendium of 28 793 genes with differential, specific, spatio-temporal and constitutive expression during various stages of development in different tissues. As an example to demonstrate the application of the CcGEA, a network of 28 flower-related genes analysed for cis-regulatory elements and splicing variants has been identified. In addition, expression analysis of these candidate genes in male sterile and male fertile genotypes suggested their critical role in normal pollen development leading to seed formation. Gene network analysis also identified two regulatory genes, a pollen-specific SF3 and a sucrose–proton symporter, that could have implications for improvement of agronomic traits such as seed production and yield. In conclusion, the CcGEA provides a valuable resource for pigeonpea to identify candidate genes involved in specific developmental processes and to understand the well-orchestrated growth and developmental process in this resilient crop. PMID:28338822

Pyrolaser Operating System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, Floyd E., III

1994-01-01

Software provides for control and acquisition of data from optical pyrometer. There are six individual programs in PYROLASER package. Provides quick and easy way to set up, control, and program standard Pyrolaser. Temperature and emisivity measurements either collected as if Pyrolaser in manual operating mode or displayed on real-time strip charts and stored in standard spreadsheet format for posttest analysis. Shell supplied to allow macros, which are test-specific, added to system easily. Written using Labview software for use on Macintosh-series computers running System 6.0.3 or later, Sun Sparc-series computers running Open-Windows 3.0 or MIT's X Window System (X11R4 or X11R5), and IBM PC or compatible computers running Microsoft Windows 3.1 or later.

SAR Interferometry: On the Coherence Estimation in non Stationary Scenes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballatore, P.

2005-05-01

The possibility of producing good quality satellite SAR interferometry allows observations of terrain mass movement as small as millimetric scales, with applicability in researches about landslides, volcanoes, seismology and others. SAR interferometric images is characterized by the presence of random speckle, whose pattern does not correspond to the underlying image structure. However the local brightness of speckle reflects the local echogenicity of the underlying scatters. Specifically, the coherence between interferometric pair is generally considered as an indicator of interferogram quality. Moreover, it leads to useful image segmentations and it can be employed in data mining and database browsing algorithms. SAR coherence is generally computed by substituting the ensemble averages with the spatial averages, by assuming ergodicity in the estimation window sub-areas. Nevertheless, the actual results may depend on the spatial size scale of the sampling window used for the computation. This is especially true in the cases of fast coherence estimator algorithms, which make use of the correlation coefficient's square root (Rignon and van Zyl, IEEE Trans. Geosci.Remote Sensing, vol. 31, n. 4, pp. 896-906, 1993; Guarnieri and Prati, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sensing, vol. 35, n. 3, pp. 660-669, 1997). In fact, the correlation coefficient is increased by image texture, due to non stationary absolute values within single sample estimation windows. For example, this can happen in the case of mountainous lands, and, specifically, in the case of the Italian Southern Appennini region around Benevento city, which is of specific geophysical attention for its numerous seismic and landslide terrain movements. In these cases, dedicated techniques are applied for compensating texture effects. This presentation shows an example of interferometric coherence image depending on the spatial size of sampling window. Moreover, the different methodologies present in literature for texture effect control are briefly summarized and applied to our specific exemplary case. A quantitative comparison among resulting coherences is illustrated and discussed in terms of different experimental applicability.

Prenatal Particulate Air Pollution and Neurodevelopment in Urban Children: Examining Sensitive Windows and Sex-specific Associations

PubMed Central

Chiu, Yueh-Hsiu Mathilda; Hsu, Hsiao-Hsien Leon; Coull, Brent A.; Bellinger, David C.; Kloog, Itai; Schwartz, Joel; Wright, Robert O.; Wright, Rosalind J.

2015-01-01

Background Brain growth and structural organization occurs in stages beginning prenatally. Toxicants may impact neurodevelopment differently dependent upon exposure timing and fetal sex. Objectives We implemented innovative methodology to identify sensitive windows for the associations between prenatal particulate matter with diameter≤2.5μm (PM2.5) and children’s neurodevelopment. Methods We assessed 267 full-term urban children’s prenatal daily PM2.5 exposure using a validated satellite-based spatio-temporally resolved prediction model. Outcomes included IQ (WISC-IV), attention (omission errors [OEs], commission errors [CEs], hit reaction time [HRT], and HRT standard error [HRT-SE] on the Conners’ CPT-II), and memory (general memory [GM] index and its components - verbal [VEM] and visual [VIM] memory, and attention-concentration [AC] indices on the WRAML-2) assessed at age 6.5±0.98 years. To identify the role of exposure timing, we used distributed lag models to examine associations between weekly prenatal PM2.5 exposure and neurodevelopment. Sex-specific associations were also examined. Results Mothers were primarily minorities (60% Hispanic, 25% black); 69% had ≤12 years of education. Adjusting for maternal age, education, race, and smoking, we found associations between higher PM2.5 levels at 31–38 weeks with lower IQ, at 20–26 weeks gestation with increased OEs, at 32–36 weeks with slower HRT, and at 22–40 weeks with increased HRT-SE among boys, while significant associations were found in memory domains in girls (higher PM2.5 exposure at 18–26 weeks with reduced VIM, at 12–20 weeks with reduced GM). Conclusions Increased PM2.5 exposure in specific prenatal windows was associated with poorer function across memory and attention domains with variable associations based on sex. Refined determination of time window- and sex-specific associations may enhance insight into underlying mechanisms and identification of vulnerable subgroups. PMID:26641520

Prenatal particulate air pollution and neurodevelopment in urban children: Examining sensitive windows and sex-specific associations.

PubMed

Chiu, Yueh-Hsiu Mathilda; Hsu, Hsiao-Hsien Leon; Coull, Brent A; Bellinger, David C; Kloog, Itai; Schwartz, Joel; Wright, Robert O; Wright, Rosalind J

2016-02-01

Brain growth and structural organization occurs in stages beginning prenatally. Toxicants may impact neurodevelopment differently dependent upon exposure timing and fetal sex. We implemented innovative methodology to identify sensitive windows for the associations between prenatal particulate matter with diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and children's neurodevelopment. We assessed 267 full-term urban children's prenatal daily PM2.5 exposure using a validated satellite-based spatio-temporally resolved prediction model. Outcomes included IQ (WISC-IV), attention (omission errors [OEs], commission errors [CEs], hit reaction time [HRT], and HRT standard error [HRT-SE] on the Conners' CPT-II), and memory (general memory [GM] index and its components - verbal [VEM] and visual [VIM] memory, and attention-concentration [AC] indices on the WRAML-2) assessed at age 6.5±0.98 years. To identify the role of exposure timing, we used distributed lag models to examine associations between weekly prenatal PM2.5 exposure and neurodevelopment. Sex-specific associations were also examined. Mothers were primarily minorities (60% Hispanic, 25% black); 69% had ≤12 years of education. Adjusting for maternal age, education, race, and smoking, we found associations between higher PM2.5 levels at 31-38 weeks with lower IQ, at 20-26 weeks gestation with increased OEs, at 32-36 weeks with slower HRT, and at 22-40 weeks with increased HRT-SE among boys, while significant associations were found in memory domains in girls (higher PM2.5 exposure at 18-26 weeks with reduced VIM, at 12-20 weeks with reduced GM). Increased PM2.5 exposure in specific prenatal windows may be associated with poorer function across memory and attention domains with variable associations based on sex. Refined determination of time window- and sex-specific associations may enhance insight into underlying mechanisms and identification of vulnerable subgroups. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Epigenetic medicine and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

PubMed Central

Resendiz, Marisol; Chen, Yuanyuan; Öztürk, Nail C; Zhou, Feng C

2013-01-01

Epigenetic medicine is still in its infancy. To date, only a handful of diseases have documented epigenetic correlates upstream of gene regulation including cancer, developmental syndromes and late-onset diseases. The finding that epigenetic markers are dynamic and heterogeneous at tissue and cellular levels, combined with recent identification of a new form of functionally distinct DNA methylation has opened a wider window for investigators to pry into the epigenetic world. It is anticipated that many diseases will be elucidated through this epigenetic inquiry. In this review, we discuss the normal course of DNA methylation during development, taking alcohol as a demonstrator of the epigenetic impact of environmental factors in disease etiology, particularly the growth retardation and neurodevelopmental deficits of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. PMID:23414322

Advances in asthma and allergy genetics in 2007.

PubMed

Vercelli, Donata

2008-08-01

This review discusses the main advances in the genetics of asthma and allergy published in the Journal in 2007. The association studies discussed herein addressed 3 main topics: the effect of the environment and gene-environment interactions on asthma/allergy susceptibility, the contribution of T(H)2 immunity gene variants to allergic inflammation, and the role of filaggrin mutations in atopic dermatitis and associated phenotypes. Other articles revealed novel, potentially important candidate genes or confirmed known ones. Collectively, the works published in 2007 reiterate that allergy and asthma are typical complex diseases; that is, they are disorders in which intricate interactions among environmental and genetic factors modify disease susceptibility by altering the fundamental structural and functional properties of target organs at critical developmental windows.

A decade of research on the 17q12-21 asthma locus: Piecing together the puzzle.

PubMed

Stein, Michelle M; Thompson, Emma E; Schoettler, Nathan; Helling, Britney A; Magnaye, Kevin M; Stanhope, Catherine; Igartua, Catherine; Morin, Andréanne; Washington, Charles; Nicolae, Dan; Bønnelykke, Klaus; Ober, Carole

2018-01-04

Chromosome 17q12-21 remains the most highly replicated and significant asthma locus. Genotypes in the core region defined by the first genome-wide association study correlate with expression of 2 genes, ORM1-like 3 (ORMDL3) and gasdermin B (GSDMB), making these prime candidate asthma genes, although recent studies have implicated gasdermin A (GSDMA) distal to and post-GPI attachment to proteins 3 (PGAP3) proximal to the core region as independent loci. We review 10 years of studies on the 17q12-21 locus and suggest that genotype-specific risks for asthma at the proximal and distal loci are not specific to early-onset asthma and mediated by PGAP3, ORMDL3, and/or GSDMA expression. We propose that the weak and inconsistent associations of 17q single nucleotide polymorphisms with asthma in African Americans is due to the high frequency of some 17q alleles, the breakdown of linkage disequilibrium on African-derived chromosomes, and possibly different early-life asthma endotypes in these children. Finally, the inconsistent association between asthma and gene expression levels in blood or lung cells from older children and adults suggests that genotype effects may mediate asthma risk or protection during critical developmental windows and/or in response to relevant exposures in early life. Thus studies of young children and ethnically diverse populations are required to fully understand the relationship between genotype and asthma phenotype and the gene regulatory architecture at this locus. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sci-Fri PM: Radiation Therapy, Planning, Imaging, and Special Techniques - 06: Patient-specific QA Procedure for Gated VMAT SABR Treatments using 10x Beam in Flattening-Filter Free Mode

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mestrovic, Ante; Chitsazzadeh, Shadi; Wells, Derek

2016-08-15

Purpose: To develop a highly sensitive patient specific QA procedure for gated VMAT stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) treatments. Methods: A platform was constructed to attach the translational stage of a Quasar respiratory motion phantom to a pinpoint ion chamber insert and move the ion chamber inside the ArcCheck. The Quasar phantom controller uses a patient-specific breathing pattern to translate the ion chamber in a superior-inferior direction inside the ArcCheck. With this system the ion chamber is used to QA the correct phase of the gated delivery and the ArcCheck diodes are used to QA the overall dose distribution. This novelmore » approach requires a single plan delivery for a complete QA of a gated plan. The sensitivity of the gating QA procedure was investigated with respect to the following parameters: PTV size, exhale duration, baseline drift, gating window size. Results: The difference between the measured dose to a point in the penumbra and the Eclipse calculated dose was under 2% for small residual motions. The QA procedure was independent of PTV size and duration of exhale. Baseline drift and gating window size, however, significantly affected the penumbral dose measurement, with differences of up to 30% compared to Eclipse. Conclusion: This study described a highly sensitive QA procedure for gated VMAT SABR treatments. The QA outcome was dependent on the gating window size and baseline drift. Analysis of additional patient breathing patterns is currently undergoing to determine a clinically relevant gating window size and an appropriate tolerance level for this procedure.« less

[Developmental amnesia as a focal cognitive sequela of a neonatal pathology].

PubMed

Sans, Anna; Colomé, Roser; López-Sala, Anna; Boix, Cristina; Muchart, Jordi; Rebollo, Mónica; Guitet, Montse; Callejón-Póo, Laura; Campistol, Jaume

2011-03-01

The developmental amnesia is a recently known entity that occurs as a consequence of hypoxic-ischemic events in the perinatal period. This is a specific deficit of episodic memory with greater preservation of semantic memory and other memory components such as the immediate and working memory. It occurs in patients without apparent neurological sequelae, with normal psychomotor development and general intelligence. The developmental amnesia has been associated with bilateral involvement of the hippocampus, which is evident in some cases on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as signal disturbance and signs of atrophy, or reduced size of the hippocampus in brain volumetric studies. We present six observations of developmental amnesia, their clinical, neuropsychological and neuroimaging findings. All of them show impaired episodic memory with preservation of semantic memory, have a normal general intelligence and follow a regular school with special educational needs. It is necessary to keep in mind this entity in monitoring risk newborns by their perinatal history and include the exploration of memory in neuropsychological study of these subjects. On the other hand, we highlight the specificity of the clinical and neuropsychological profile for the diagnosis of developmental amnesia even in the absence of hippocampal lesions on conventional MRI.

The Teachable Moment and the Handicapped Infant.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Langley, M. Beth

The report examines, from a cognitive developmental view, research on the teachable moment or critical learning period in handicapped infants. The author explains that developmental gaps are produced by a mismatch between the infant's readiness and opportunity to learn. Characteristics and educational implications of specific handicapping…

Anchoring ADHD Symptoms to Mental Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Callie; Dunham, Mardis; Patel, Samir H.; Contreras-Bloomdahl, Susana

2016-01-01

"The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5)," requires that symptoms of ADHD must be "developmentally inappropriate" in order for an ADHD diagnosis to be considered. Because the DSM-5 does not specifically outline procedure for determining developmental inappropriateness of behaviors,…

Towards Building an AOP-based Prenatal Developmental Toxicity Ontology (CEFIC LRI Workshop - Brussels)

EPA Science Inventory

Ontologies are a way to formalize domain-specific scientific knowledge. A developmental ontology would help researchers describe the pathways and processes critical to embryonic development and provide a way to link their chemical disruption to adverse outcomes. Designing one for...

Impaired Statistical Learning in Developmental Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gabay, Yafit; Thiessen, Erik D.; Holt, Lori L.

2015-01-01

Purpose: Developmental dyslexia (DD) is commonly thought to arise from phonological impairments. However, an emerging perspective is that a more general procedural learning deficit, not specific to phonological processing, may underlie DD. The current study examined if individuals with DD are capable of extracting statistical regularities across…

Controversial Therapies for Young Children with Developmental Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nickel, Robert E.

1996-01-01

This article examines reasons parents may choose a controversial alternative treatment for a child with developmental disabilities and reviews a few specific treatments--vitamin B-6 and magnesium, auditory integration training, megavitamins and minerals, Piracetam, intravenous immunoglobulin, and melatonin. Recommendations on talking with families…

Cumulative risk and developmental health: an argument for the importance of a family-wide science.

PubMed

Browne, Dillon T; Plamondon, Andre; Prime, Heather; Puente-Duran, Sofia; Wade, Mark

2015-01-01

A substantial body of research links social disadvantage and developmental health via a cascade running from poverty, to cumulative psychosocial risk, to disrupted family dynamics, to child biological regulatory systems and neurocognitive processing, and finally to morbidity across the lifespan. Most research in this area employs single-dyad or between-family methodology. While informative, there are limitations to this approach. Specifically, it is impossible to determine how risk alters psychosocial environments that are similar for all persons within a household, versus processes that are unique to particular children. This is important in light of literature citing the primacy of child-specific environments in driving developmental health. Methodologically speaking, there are both benefits and challenges to family-wide approaches that differentiate between- and within-family environments. This review describes literature linking cumulative risk and developmental health via family process, while articulating the importance of family-wide approaches. Areas of shortcoming and recommendations for a family-wide science are provided. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation of developmental delay in pediatric patients.

PubMed

Ali, Althaf S; Syed, Naziya P; Murthy, G S N; Nori, Madhavi; Abkari, Anand; Pooja, B K; Venkateswarlu, J

2015-01-01

Developmental delay is defined as significant delay in one or more developmental domains. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is the best modality to investigate such patients. Evaluation of a child with developmental delay is important not only because it allows early diagnosis and treatment but also helpful for parental counseling regarding the outcome of their child and to identify any possible risk of recurrence in the siblings. Thus this study was undertaken to evaluate the developmental delay in Indian children which will help the clinicians in providing an estimation of the child's ultimate developmental potential and organize specific treatment requirement and also relieve parental apprehension. To study the prevalence of normal and abnormal MRI in pediatric patients presenting with developmental delay and further categorize the abnormal MRI based on its morphological features. It is a prospective, observational & descriptive study of MRI Brain in 81 paediatric patients (46 Males and 35 Females), aged between three months to 12 years; presenting with developmental delay in Deccan College of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad; over a period of three years (Sept 2011 to Sept 2014). MRI brain was done on 1.5T Siemens Magnetom Essenza & 0.35T Magnetom C with appropriate sequences and planes after making the child sleep/sedated/ anesthetized. Various anatomical structures like Ventricles, Corpus callosum, etc were systematically assessed. The MRI findings were divided into various aetiological subgroups. Normal MRI findings were seen in 32% cases and 68% had abnormal findings of which the proportion of Traumatic/ Neurovascular Diseases, Congenital & Developmental, Metabolic and Degenerative, neoplastic and non specific were 31%, 17%, 10%, 2.5% and 7.5% respectively. The ventricles and white matter mainly the corpus callosum were the most commonly affected anatomical structures. The diagnostic yield was found to be 68% and higher yield was seen in patients presenting with developmental delay plus. The clinical diagnosis of developmental delay should not be the end point, but rather a springboard for an effective search for causal factors. MRI is the best investigation with a high yield in such patients.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Evaluation of Developmental Delay in Pediatric Patients

PubMed Central

Syed, Naziya P.; Murthy, G.S.N.; Nori, Madhavi; Abkari, Anand; Pooja, B.K.; Venkateswarlu, J.

2015-01-01

Introduction: Developmental delay is defined as significant delay in one or more developmental domains. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is the best modality to investigate such patients. Evaluation of a child with developmental delay is important not only because it allows early diagnosis and treatment but also helpful for parental counseling regarding the outcome of their child and to identify any possible risk of recurrence in the siblings. Thus this study was undertaken to evaluate the developmental delay in Indian children which will help the clinicians in providing an estimation of the child’s ultimate developmental potential and organize specific treatment requirement and also relieve parental apprehension. Aims and Objectives: To study the prevalence of normal and abnormal MRI in pediatric patients presenting with developmental delay and further categorize the abnormal MRI based on its morphological features. Materials and Methods: It is a prospective, observational & descriptive study of MRI Brain in 81 paediatric patients (46 Males and 35 Females), aged between three months to 12 years; presenting with developmental delay in Deccan College of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad; over a period of three years (Sept 2011 to Sept 2014). MRI brain was done on 1.5T Siemens Magnetom Essenza & 0.35T Magnetom C with appropriate sequences and planes after making the child sleep/sedated/ anesthetized. Various anatomical structures like Ventricles, Corpus callosum, etc were systematically assessed. The MRI findings were divided into various aetiological subgroups. Results: Normal MRI findings were seen in 32% cases and 68% had abnormal findings of which the proportion of Traumatic/ Neurovascular Diseases, Congenital & Developmental, Metabolic and Degenerative, neoplastic and non specific were 31%, 17%, 10%, 2.5% and 7.5% respectively. The ventricles and white matter mainly the corpus callosum were the most commonly affected anatomical structures. The diagnostic yield was found to be 68% and higher yield was seen in patients presenting with developmental delay plus. Conclusion: The clinical diagnosis of developmental delay should not be the end point, but rather a springboard for an effective search for causal factors. MRI is the best investigation with a high yield in such patients. PMID:25738057

Low-complexity image processing for real-time detection of neonatal clonic seizures.

PubMed

Ntonfo, Guy Mathurin Kouamou; Ferrari, Gianluigi; Raheli, Riccardo; Pisani, Francesco

2012-05-01

In this paper, we consider a novel low-complexity real-time image-processing-based approach to the detection of neonatal clonic seizures. Our approach is based on the extraction, from a video of a newborn, of an average luminance signal representative of the body movements. Since clonic seizures are characterized by periodic movements of parts of the body (e.g., the limbs), by evaluating the periodicity of the extracted average luminance signal it is possible to detect the presence of a clonic seizure. The periodicity is investigated, through a hybrid autocorrelation-Yin estimation technique, on a per-window basis, where a time window is defined as a sequence of consecutive video frames. While processing is first carried out on a single window basis, we extend our approach to interlaced windows. The performance of the proposed detection algorithm is investigated, in terms of sensitivity and specificity, through receiver operating characteristic curves, considering video recordings of newborns affected by neonatal seizures.

Using developmental cognitive neuroscience to study behavioral and attentional control.

PubMed

Astle, Duncan E; Scerif, Gaia

2009-03-01

Adult cognitive neuroscience employs a wide variety of techniques to investigate a broad range of behavioral and cognitive functions. One prominent area of study is that of executive control, complemented by a smaller but growing literature exploring the developmental cognitive neuroscience of executive control. To date this approach has often compared children with specific developmental disorders, such as ADHD and ASD, with typically developing controls. Whilst these comparisons have done much to advance our understanding of the neural markers that underpin behavioral difficulties at specific time-points in development, we contend that they should leave developmental cognitive neuroscientists wanting. Studying the neural correlates of typical changes in executive control in their own right can reveal how different neural mechanisms characteristic of the adult end-state emerge, and it can therefore inform the adult cognitive neuroscience of executive control itself. The current review addresses the extent to which developmentalists and adult cognitive neuroscientists have tapped this common ground. Some very elegant investigations illustrate how seemingly common processes in adulthood present as separable in childhood, on the basis of their distinctive developmental trajectories. These demonstrations have implications not only for an understanding of changing behavior from infancy through childhood and adolescence into adulthood, but, moreover, for our grasp of the adult end-state per se. We contend that, if used appropriately, developmental cognitive neuroscience could enable us to construct a more mechanistic account of executive control.

Smart windows based on cholesteric liquid crystals (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khandelwal, Hitesh; Debije, Michael G.; Schenning, Albert P. H. J.

2017-02-01

With increase in global warming, use of active cooling and heating devices are continuously increasing to maintain interior temperature of built environment, greenhouses and cars. To reduce the consumption of tremendous amount of energy on cooling and heating devices we need an improved control of transparent features (i.e. windows). In this respect, smart window which is capable for reflecting solar infrared energy without interfering with the visible light would be very attractive. Most of the technologies developed so far are to control the visible light. These technologies block visual contact to the outside world which cause negative effects on human health. An appealing method to selectively control infrared transmission is via utilizing the reflection properties of cholesteric liquid crystals. In our research, we have fabricated a smart window which is capable of reflecting different amount of solar infrared energy depending on the specific climate conditions. The reflection bandwidth can be tuned from 120 nm to 1100 nm in the infrared region without interfering with the visible solar radiations. Calculations reveal that between 8% and 45% of incident solar infrared light can be reflected with a single cell. Simulation studies predicted that more than 12% of the energy spent on heating, cooling and lighting in the built environment can be saved by using the fabricated smart window compared to standard double glazing window.

Cochlear third window in the scala vestibuli: an animal model.

PubMed

Preis, Michal; Attias, Joseph; Hadar, Tuvia; Nageris, Ben I

2009-08-01

Pathologic third window has been investigated in both animals and humans, with a third window located in the vestibular apparatus, specifically, dehiscence of the superior semicircular canal, serving as the clinical model. The present study sought to examine the effect of a cochlear third window in the scala vestibuli on the auditory thresholds in fat sand rats that have a unique anatomy of the inner ear that allows for easy surgical access. The experiment included 7 healthy 6-month-old fat sand rats (a total of 10 ears). A pathologic third window was induced by drilling a hole in the bony labyrinth over the scala vestibuli, with preservation of the membranous labyrinth. Auditory brainstem responses to high- and low-frequency acoustic stimuli delivered via air and bone conduction were recorded before and after the procedure. In the preoperative auditory brainstem response recordings, air-conduction thresholds (ACTs) to clicks and tone bursts averaged 9 and 10 dB, respectively, and bone-conduction thresholds averaged 4.5 and 2.9 dB, respectively. Postfenestration ACTs averaged 41 and 42.2 dB, and bone-conduction thresholds averaged 1.1 and 4.3 dB. The change in ACT was statistically significant (p < 0.01). The presence of a cochlear third window in the scala vestibuli affects auditory thresholds by causing a decrease in sensitivity to air-conducted sound stimuli. These findings agree with the theoretical model and clinical findings.

Laser-induced damage and fracture in fused silica vacuum windows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, John H.; Hurst, Patricia A.; Heggins, Dwight D.; Steele, William A.; Bumpas, Stanley E.

1997-05-01

Laser induced damage, that initiates catastrophic fracture, has been observed in large, fused silica lenses that also serve as vacuum barriers in high-fluence positions on the Nova and Beamlet lasers. In nearly all cases damage occurs on the vacuum side of the lens. The damage can lead to catastrophic crack growth if the flaw size exceeds the critical flaw size for SiO2. If the elastic stored energy in the lens in high enough, the lens will fracture into many pieces resulting in an implosion. The consequences of such an implosion can be severe, particularly for large vacuum systems. Three parameters control the degree of fracture in the vacuum barrier window: (1) the elastic stored energy, (2) the ratio of the window thickness to flaw depth and (3) secondary crack propagation. Fracture experiments have ben carried our on 15-cm diameter fused silica windows that contain surface flaws caused by laser damage. The results of these experiments, combined with data from window failures on Beamlet and Nova have been sued to develop design criteria for a 'fail-safe' lens. Specifically the window must be made thick enough such that the peak tensile stress is less than 500 psi and the corresponding ratio of the thickness to critical flaw size is less than 6. Under these conditions a properly mounted window, upon failure, will break into only tow pieces and will not implode. One caveat to these design criteria is that the air leak through the window before secondary crack growth occurs. Finite element stress calculations of a window before and immediately following fracture into two pieces show that the elastic stored energy is redistributed if the fragments 'lock' in place and thereby bridge the opening. In such cases, the peak stresses at the flaw site can increase leading to further crack growth.

Time-marching multi-grid seismic tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tong, P.; Yang, D.; Liu, Q.

2016-12-01

From the classic ray-based traveltime tomography to the state-of-the-art full waveform inversion, because of the nonlinearity of seismic inverse problems, a good starting model is essential for preventing the convergence of the objective function toward local minima. With a focus on building high-accuracy starting models, we propose the so-called time-marching multi-grid seismic tomography method in this study. The new seismic tomography scheme consists of a temporal time-marching approach and a spatial multi-grid strategy. We first divide the recording period of seismic data into a series of time windows. Sequentially, the subsurface properties in each time window are iteratively updated starting from the final model of the previous time window. There are at least two advantages of the time-marching approach: (1) the information included in the seismic data of previous time windows has been explored to build the starting models of later time windows; (2) seismic data of later time windows could provide extra information to refine the subsurface images. Within each time window, we use a multi-grid method to decompose the scale of the inverse problem. Specifically, the unknowns of the inverse problem are sampled on a coarse mesh to capture the macro-scale structure of the subsurface at the beginning. Because of the low dimensionality, it is much easier to reach the global minimum on a coarse mesh. After that, finer meshes are introduced to recover the micro-scale properties. That is to say, the subsurface model is iteratively updated on multi-grid in every time window. We expect that high-accuracy starting models should be generated for the second and later time windows. We will test this time-marching multi-grid method by using our newly developed eikonal-based traveltime tomography software package tomoQuake. Real application results in the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake (Mw 7.0) region in Japan will be demonstrated.

Supervision in School Psychology: The Developmental/Ecological/Problem-Solving Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simon, Dennis J.; Cruise, Tracy K.; Huber, Brenda J.; Swerdlik, Mark E.; Newman, Daniel S.

2014-01-01

Effective supervision models guide the supervisory relationship and supervisory tasks leading to reflective and purposeful practice. The Developmental/Ecological/Problem-Solving (DEP) Model provides a contemporary framework for supervision specific to school psychology. Designed for the school psychology internship, the DEP Model is also…

Screening for Developmental Neurotoxicity in Zebrafish Larvae: Assessment of Behavior and Malformations.

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is evaluating methods to screen and prioritize large numbers of chemicals for developmental toxicity. As part of this approach, it is important to be able to separate overt toxicity (Le., malformed larvae) from the more specific neurotoxic...

Developmental Education: The Recognition of Individual Differences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blimline, Carol; Klimek, Richard

1977-01-01

This article describes the historical, empirical, and theoretical aspects of a series of one-credit student development courses offered at a multicampus community college. The courses, ranging from "The Emerging Woman" to "Study Skills," were specifically designed to meet a variety of developmental needs for a diverse student…

The Developmental Dialectical Approach to Child Abuse & Neglect.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pakizegi, B.

A developmental dialectical approach to understanding and working with lower and middle class damaged parents--those identified as abusive and neglectful--has specific features and implications. The approach suggests that (1) the personality characteristics and interpersonal relations of parents are inseparable from their social conditions; (2)…

Planning Developmental Interventions for Adult Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Champagne, Delight E.

Student affairs professionals have come to realize that the student body on college campuses is changing. Adult students are filling the spaces left vacant by a diminishing traditional-aged student population. Interventions in student affairs, however, are often targeted for the specific developmental tasks of the traditional student. Student…

Active for Life: Developmentally Appropriate Movement Programs for Young Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanders, Stephen W.

This book provides guidance on what high-quality movement programs for young children should include, offering a curricular foundation, strategies for teaching, and assessment ideas. It defines and illustrates specific interrelated components of developmentally appropriate practice in providing movement education for young children. There are…

Incremental Validity in the Clinical Assessment of Early Childhood Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Xin; Zhou, Xiaobin; Lackaff, Julie

2013-01-01

The authors demonstrate the increment of clinical validity in early childhood assessment of physical impairment (PI), developmental delay (DD), and autism (AUT) using multiple standardized developmental screening measures such as performance measures and parent and teacher rating scales. Hierarchical regression and sensitivity/specificity analyses…

Creating Profiles of High Risk Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higbee, Jeanne L.; Dwinell, Patricia L.

Measures used at the Division of Developmental Studies at the University of Georgia in constructing a student profile (specifically, of high-risk college freshmen) are discussed. The areas measured concern: goals; learning styles; career exploration; stress and academic anxiety; developmental tasks; and locus of control. The goals checklist…

WP1: transgenic opto-animals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

UŻarowska, E.; Czajkowski, Rafał; Konopka, W.

2014-11-01

We aim to create a set of genetic tools where permanent opsin expression (ChR or NpHR) is precisely limited to the population of neurons that express immediate early gene c-fos during a specific temporal window of behavioral training. Since the c-fos gene is only expressed in neurons that form experience-dependent ensemble, this approach will result in specific labeling of a small subset of cells that create memory trace for the learned behavior. To this end we employ two alternative inducible gene expression systems: Tet Expression System and Cre/lox System. In both cases, the temporal window for opsin induction is controlled pharmacologically, by doxycycline or tamoxifen, respectively. Both systems will be used for creating lines of transgenic animals.

Activation of GABA-A receptors during postnatal brain development increases anxiety- and depression-related behaviors in a time- and dose-dependent manner in adult mice.

PubMed

Salari, Ali-Akbar; Bakhtiari, Amir; Homberg, Judith R

2015-08-01

Disturbances of the gamma-amino butyric acid-ergic (GABAergic) system during postnatal development can have long-lasting consequences for later life behavior, like the individual's response to stress. However, it is unclear which postnatal windows of sensitivity to GABA-ergic modulations are associated with what later-life behavioral outcomes. Therefore, we sought to determine whether neonatal activation of the GABA-A receptor during two postnatal periods, an early window (postnatal day 3-5) and a late window (postnatal day 14-16), can affect anxiety- and depression-related behaviors in male mice in later life. To this end, mice were treated with either saline or muscimol (50, 100, 200, 300 and 500μg/kg) during the early and late postnatal periods. An additional group of mice was treated with the GABA-A receptor antagonist bicuculline+muscimol. When grown to adulthood male mice were exposed to behavioral tests to measure anxiety- and depression-related behaviors. Baseline and stress-induced corticosterone (CORT) levels were also measured. The results indicate that early postnatal and to a lesser extent later postnatal exposure to the GABA-A receptor agonist muscimol increased anxiety-like behavior and stress-induced CORT levels in adults. Moreover, the early postnatal treatment with muscimol increased depression-like behavior with increasing baseline CORT levels. The anxiogenic and depression-like later-life consequences could be antagonized by bicuculline. Our findings suggest that GABA-A receptor signaling during early-life can influence anxiety- and depression-related behaviors in a time- and dose-dependent manner in later life. Our findings help to increase insight in the developmental mechanisms contributing to stress-related disorders. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Organizational effects of the antiandrogen, Vinclozolin, on penis development in the mouse.

PubMed

Amato, Ciro M; Boyd, Morgan; Yang, Joshua; McCoy, Krista A

2018-04-14

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are pollutants found throughout the environment that disrupt normal endocrine processes. In mice, penis development is thought to be most susceptible to EDCs during a critical developmental window occurring on embryonic days (E) 15.5-17.5. However, androgen signaling begins on E13.5 when Androgen Receptor (AR) protein is found in the genitalia and testosterone is circulating. We hypothesize that disrupting androgen signaling prior to the established critical window sensitizes the penis to future androgen disruption. To test this hypothesis, CD1 dams were exposed to Vinclozolin or a corn oil solvent control on E13.5 and E14.5 and AR levels were measured with immunohistochemistry on E14.5. Early antiandrogen exposure reduced AR within nuclei and decreased intensity of AR expression within E14.5 genitalia. To evaluate the influence of antiandrogen exposure before the known critical window of penis development, two groups of pregnant dams (n = 3) were exposed to Vinclozolin starting at either E13.5 or E14.5 and continued exposure through E16.5. Histology and M.O.U.S.E. scoring were used to quantify penis abnormalities. To account for differences in total doses mice experienced due to differences in length of dosing time, we compared animals that received the same total doses. Exposure to antiandrogens on E13.5 exacerbated malformations when exposure was continued through sexually dimorphic development. Both exposure time and Vinclozolin dose are important for severity of Vinclozolin-induced penis abnormalities in mice. This work shows, antiandrogen exposure prior to sensitive periods can exacerbate the effects of later antiandrogen exposure on reproductive development.

On Expression Patterns and Developmental Origin of Human Brain Regions.

PubMed

Kirsch, Lior; Chechik, Gal

2016-08-01

Anatomical substructures of the human brain have characteristic cell-types, connectivity and local circuitry, which are reflected in area-specific transcriptome signatures, but the principles governing area-specific transcription and their relation to brain development are still being studied. In adult rodents, areal transcriptome patterns agree with the embryonic origin of brain regions, but the processes and genes that preserve an embryonic signature in regional expression profiles were not quantified. Furthermore, it is not clear how embryonic-origin signatures of adult-brain expression interplay with changes in expression patterns during development. Here we first quantify which genes have regional expression-patterns related to the developmental origin of brain regions, using genome-wide mRNA expression from post-mortem adult human brains. We find that almost all human genes (92%) exhibit an expression pattern that agrees with developmental brain-region ontology, but that this agreement changes at multiple phases during development. Agreement is particularly strong in neuron-specific genes, but also in genes that are not spatially correlated with neuron-specific or glia-specific markers. Surprisingly, agreement is also stronger in early-evolved genes. We further find that pairs of similar genes having high agreement to developmental region ontology tend to be more strongly correlated or anti-correlated, and that the strength of spatial correlation changes more strongly in gene pairs with stronger embryonic signatures. These results suggest that transcription regulation of most genes in the adult human brain is spatially tuned in a way that changes through life, but in agreement with development-determined brain regions.

On Expression Patterns and Developmental Origin of Human Brain Regions

PubMed Central

Kirsch, Lior; Chechik, Gal

2016-01-01

Anatomical substructures of the human brain have characteristic cell-types, connectivity and local circuitry, which are reflected in area-specific transcriptome signatures, but the principles governing area-specific transcription and their relation to brain development are still being studied. In adult rodents, areal transcriptome patterns agree with the embryonic origin of brain regions, but the processes and genes that preserve an embryonic signature in regional expression profiles were not quantified. Furthermore, it is not clear how embryonic-origin signatures of adult-brain expression interplay with changes in expression patterns during development. Here we first quantify which genes have regional expression-patterns related to the developmental origin of brain regions, using genome-wide mRNA expression from post-mortem adult human brains. We find that almost all human genes (92%) exhibit an expression pattern that agrees with developmental brain-region ontology, but that this agreement changes at multiple phases during development. Agreement is particularly strong in neuron-specific genes, but also in genes that are not spatially correlated with neuron-specific or glia-specific markers. Surprisingly, agreement is also stronger in early-evolved genes. We further find that pairs of similar genes having high agreement to developmental region ontology tend to be more strongly correlated or anti-correlated, and that the strength of spatial correlation changes more strongly in gene pairs with stronger embryonic signatures. These results suggest that transcription regulation of most genes in the adult human brain is spatially tuned in a way that changes through life, but in agreement with development-determined brain regions. PMID:27564987

Effect of Data Assimilation Parameters on The Optimized Surface CO2 Flux in Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hyunjung; Kim, Hyun Mee; Kim, Jinwoong; Cho, Chun-Ho

2018-02-01

In this study, CarbonTracker, an inverse modeling system based on the ensemble Kalman filter, was used to evaluate the effects of data assimilation parameters (assimilation window length and ensemble size) on the estimation of surface CO2 fluxes in Asia. Several experiments with different parameters were conducted, and the results were verified using CO2 concentration observations. The assimilation window lengths tested were 3, 5, 7, and 10 weeks, and the ensemble sizes were 100, 150, and 300. Therefore, a total of 12 experiments using combinations of these parameters were conducted. The experimental period was from January 2006 to December 2009. Differences between the optimized surface CO2 fluxes of the experiments were largest in the Eurasian Boreal (EB) area, followed by Eurasian Temperate (ET) and Tropical Asia (TA), and were larger in boreal summer than in boreal winter. The effect of ensemble size on the optimized biosphere flux is larger than the effect of the assimilation window length in Asia, but the importance of them varies in specific regions in Asia. The optimized biosphere flux was more sensitive to the assimilation window length in EB, whereas it was sensitive to the ensemble size as well as the assimilation window length in ET. The larger the ensemble size and the shorter the assimilation window length, the larger the uncertainty (i.e., spread of ensemble) of optimized surface CO2 fluxes. The 10-week assimilation window and 300 ensemble size were the optimal configuration for CarbonTracker in the Asian region based on several verifications using CO2 concentration measurements.

Different Electrophysiological Responses to Informative Value of Feedback Between Children and Adults.

PubMed

Du, Bin; Cao, Bihua; He, Weiqi; Li, Fuhong

2018-01-01

The ability to learn from feedback is important for children's adaptive behavior and school learning. Feedback has two main components, informative value and valence. How to disentangle these two components and what is the developmental neural correlates of using the informative value of feedback is still an open question. In this study, 23 children (7-10 years old) and 19 adults (19-22 years old) were asked to perform a rule induction task, in which they were required to find a rule, based on the informative value of feedback. Behavioral results indicated that the likelihood of correct searching behavior under negative feedback was low for children. Event-related potentials showed that (1) the effect of valence was processed in a wide time window, particularly in the N2 component; (2) the encoding process of the informative value of negative feedback began later for children than for adults; (3) a clear P300 was observed for adults; for children, however, P300 was absent in the frontal region; and (4) children processed the informative value of feedback chiefly in the left sites during the P300 time window, whereas adults did not show this laterality. These results suggested that children were less sensitive to the informative value of negative feedback possibly because of the immature brain.

The AP-1 transcription factor component Fosl2 potentiates the rate of myocardial differentiation from the zebrafish second heart field.

PubMed

Jahangiri, Leila; Sharpe, Michka; Novikov, Natasha; González-Rosa, Juan Manuel; Borikova, Asya; Nevis, Kathleen; Paffett-Lugassy, Noelle; Zhao, Long; Adams, Meghan; Guner-Ataman, Burcu; Burns, Caroline E; Burns, C Geoffrey

2016-01-01

The vertebrate heart forms through successive phases of cardiomyocyte differentiation. Initially, cardiomyocytes derived from first heart field (FHF) progenitors assemble the linear heart tube. Thereafter, second heart field (SHF) progenitors differentiate into cardiomyocytes that are accreted to the poles of the heart tube over a well-defined developmental window. Although heart tube elongation deficiencies lead to life-threatening congenital heart defects, the variables controlling the initiation, rate and duration of myocardial accretion remain obscure. Here, we demonstrate that the AP-1 transcription factor, Fos-like antigen 2 (Fosl2), potentiates the rate of myocardial accretion from the zebrafish SHF. fosl2 mutants initiate accretion appropriately, but cardiomyocyte production is sluggish, resulting in a ventricular deficit coupled with an accumulation of SHF progenitors. Surprisingly, mutant embryos eventually correct the myocardial deficit by extending the accretion window. Overexpression of Fosl2 also compromises production of SHF-derived ventricular cardiomyocytes, a phenotype that is consistent with precocious depletion of the progenitor pool. Our data implicate Fosl2 in promoting the progenitor to cardiomyocyte transition and uncover the existence of regulatory mechanisms to ensure appropriate SHF-mediated cardiomyocyte contribution irrespective of embryonic stage. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Trematode infection causes malformations and population effects in a declining New Zealand fish.

PubMed

Kelly, David W; Thomas, Harriet; Thieltges, David W; Poulin, Robert; Tompkins, Daniel M

2010-03-01

1. Animal malformations engender wide public and scientific concern because of associated environmental health risks. This is highlighted by increased incidence of limb malformations in amphibians associated with trematode infections and disturbance. Malformations may signal new emerging disease threats, but whether the phenomenon is broadly applicable across taxa, or has population-scale impacts, is unknown. 2. Malformations are widely reported in fish and, until now, have been attributed mainly to contaminants. We tested whether the trematode Telogaster opisthorchis caused severe malformations, leading to population effects, in Galaxias anomalus, a threatened New Zealand freshwater fish. 3. Experimental infection of larval fish caused increasing spinal malformation and mortality with infection intensity that closely matched field patterns. Field malformation frequency peaked in January (65%), before declining sharply in February (25%) and remaining low thereafter. 4. The peak occurred during a 'critical window' of larval development, with the decline coincident with a population crash, indicating that malformation was causing mortality in the field. 5. The occurrence of such critical developmental windows may explain why this mechanism of population impact has been overlooked. With global environmental stressors predicted to enhance trematode infections, our results show that parasite-induced malformation, and its population-scale impacts, could be more widespread than previously considered.

Developmental Screening of Refugees: A Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Moore, Jessica A.; Welch, Therese R.; Halterman, Jill S.; Hyman, Susan L.

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Refugee children are at high developmental risk due to dislocation and deprivation. Standardized developmental screening in this diverse population is challenging. We used the Health Belief Model to guide key-informant interviews and focus groups with medical interpreters, health care providers, community collaborators, and refugee parents to explore key elements needed for developmental screening. Cultural and community-specific values and practices related to child development and barriers and facilitators to screening were examined. METHODS: We conducted 19 interviews and 2 focus groups involving 16 Bhutanese-Nepali, Burmese, Iraqi, and Somali participants, 7 community collaborators, and 6 providers from the Center for Refugee Health in Rochester, New York. Subjects were identified through purposive sampling until data saturation. Interviews were recorded, coded, and analyzed using a qualitative framework technique. RESULTS: Twenty-one themes in 4 domains were identified: values/beliefs about development/disability, practices around development/disability, the refugee experience, and feedback specific to the Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status screen. Most participants denied a word for “development” in their primary language and reported limited awareness of developmental milestones. Concern was unlikely unless speech or behavior problems were present. Physical disabilities were recognized but not seen as problematic. Perceived barriers to identification of delays included limited education, poor healthcare knowledge, language, and traditional healing practices. Facilitators included community navigators, trust in health care providers, in-person interpretation, visual supports, and education about child development. CONCLUSIONS: Refugee perspectives on child development may influence a parent’s recognition of and response to developmental concerns. Despite challenges, standardized screening was supported. PMID:27527798

Developmental Screening of Refugees: A Qualitative Study.

PubMed

Kroening, Abigail L H; Moore, Jessica A; Welch, Therese R; Halterman, Jill S; Hyman, Susan L

2016-09-01

Refugee children are at high developmental risk due to dislocation and deprivation. Standardized developmental screening in this diverse population is challenging. We used the Health Belief Model to guide key-informant interviews and focus groups with medical interpreters, health care providers, community collaborators, and refugee parents to explore key elements needed for developmental screening. Cultural and community-specific values and practices related to child development and barriers and facilitators to screening were examined. We conducted 19 interviews and 2 focus groups involving 16 Bhutanese-Nepali, Burmese, Iraqi, and Somali participants, 7 community collaborators, and 6 providers from the Center for Refugee Health in Rochester, New York. Subjects were identified through purposive sampling until data saturation. Interviews were recorded, coded, and analyzed using a qualitative framework technique. Twenty-one themes in 4 domains were identified: values/beliefs about development/disability, practices around development/disability, the refugee experience, and feedback specific to the Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status screen. Most participants denied a word for "development" in their primary language and reported limited awareness of developmental milestones. Concern was unlikely unless speech or behavior problems were present. Physical disabilities were recognized but not seen as problematic. Perceived barriers to identification of delays included limited education, poor healthcare knowledge, language, and traditional healing practices. Facilitators included community navigators, trust in health care providers, in-person interpretation, visual supports, and education about child development. Refugee perspectives on child development may influence a parent's recognition of and response to developmental concerns. Despite challenges, standardized screening was supported. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

CDC Kerala 15: Developmental Evaluation Clinic (2-10 y)--developmental diagnosis and use of home intervention package.

PubMed

Nair, M K C; Lakshmi, M A; Latha, S; Lakshmi, Geetha; Harikumaran Nair, G S; Bhaskaran, Deepa; George, Babu; Leena, M L; Russell, Paul Swamidhas Sudhakar

2014-12-01

To describe the last 5 years' experience of Child Development Centre (CDC), Kerala Developmental Evaluation Clinic II for children between 2 and 10 y, referred for suspicion of developmental lag in the preschool years and scholastic difficulty in the primary classes with specific focus on developmental profile and the experience of the home based intervention package taught to the mothers. A team of evaluators including developmental therapist, preschool teacher with special training in clinical child development, speech therapist, special educator, clinical psychologist and developmental pediatrician assessed all the children referred to CDC Kerala. Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST-II), Vineland Social Maturity Scale (VSMS) and Intelligent Quotient (IQ) tests were administered to all children below 6 y and those above 6 with apparent developmental delay. Speech/delay (35.9%), behavior problem (15.4%), global delay/ intellectual disability (15.4%), learning problem (10.9%), pervasive developmental disorders (7.7%), seizure disorder (1.7%), hearing impairment (0.7%), and visual impairment (0.7%) were the clinical diagnosis by a developmental pediatrician. Each child with developmental problem was offered a home based intervention package consisting of developmental therapy and special education items, appropriate to the clinical diagnosis of the individual child and the same was taught to the mother. The experience of conducting the developmental evaluation clinic for children between 2 and 10 y has shown that a team consisting of developmental therapist, speech therapist, preschool teacher, special educator, clinical child psychologist and developmental pediatrician, using appropriate test results of the child could make a clinical diagnosis good enough for providing early intervention therapy using a home based intervention package.

Family Context, Mexican-Origin Adolescent Mothers' Parenting Knowledge, and Children's Subsequent Developmental Outcomes

PubMed Central

Jahromi, Laudan B.; Guimond, Amy B.; Umaña-Taylor, Adriana J.; Updegraff, Kimberly A.; Toomey, Russell B.

2014-01-01

This study examined parenting knowledge among Mexican-origin adolescent mothers (N = 191; M age = 16.26 years), family contextual factors associated with adolescents' parenting knowledge, and toddlers' (M age = 2.01 years) subsequent developmental outcomes. Data came from home interviews and direct child assessments. Adolescents both under- and over-estimated children's developmental timing, and showed differences in their knowledge of specific developmental domains. Instrumental support from mother figures was positively linked to adolescents' knowledge accuracy, whereas emotional support was negatively related to adolescents' knowledge confidence. Furthermore, whereas mother figures' autonomy-granting was positively linked to knowledge confidence, psychological control was associated with less accurate adolescent parenting knowledge. Toddlers of adolescents with more accurate knowledge showed positive developmental functioning. Intervention implications are discussed. PMID:24004448

The Ecological and Developmental Role of Recovery High Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finch, Andrew J.; Frieden, Gina

2014-01-01

Recovery high schools are secondary schools designed specifically for students recovering from substance use or co-occurring disorders. Studies have affirmed the chronic nature of substance use disorders and the developmental value of social supports for adolescents. As part of understanding human growth and development, training programs for…

ASSESSMENT OF LITHIUM USING THE IEHR EVALUATIVE PROCESS FOR ASSESSING HUMAN DEVELOPMENTAL AND REPRODUCTIVE TOXICITY OF AGENTS

EPA Science Inventory

This document presents an evaluation of the reproductive and developmental effects of lithium and reviews toxicologic information on several specific lithium salts: ithium carbonate, lithium chloride, lithium citrate, and lithium hypochlorite. ithium (Li), an alkali metal, is a n...

Predictors of Primary School Teachers' Knowledge about Developmental Dyscalculia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sousa, Paula; Dias, Paulo C.; Cadime, Irene

2017-01-01

Developmental dyscalculia is a specific learning disability that is described as a heterogeneous and persistent cognitive disorder. Given the need to detect and intervene as early as possible to minimise its effects, teachers' knowledge about symptoms, characteristics and effective intervention strategies in dyscalculia is essential. Given the…

Neglected but Exciting Concepts in Developmental and Neurobiological Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jordan, Evan M.; Thomas, David G.

2017-01-01

This review provides an evaluative overview of five concepts specific to developmental and neurobiological psychology that are found to be largely overlooked in current textbooks. A sample of 19 introductory psychology texts was surveyed to develop a list, including glial cell signaling, grandmother cells, memory reconsolidation, brain plasticity,…

A Developmental Inventory of Sources of Stress.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higbee, Jeanne L.; Dwinell, Patricia L.

The Developmental Inventory of Sources of Stress (DISS) is an instructional tool designed to assist counselors, advisors, and faculty in reducing stress among college students (specifically, high risk college freshmen, although it can be utilized effectively with any college student population). The instrument focuses on sources of stress over…

Nutrition and Feeding for the Developmentally Disabled: "A How-To Manual."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heinrichs, Eberhard; Rokusek, Cecilia

This educational manual, an interdisciplinary effort of professionals throughout South Dakota, is intended to serve as a practical guidebook of ideas to better serve the nutritional needs of the developmentally disabled population. The manual addresses: dietary aids for specific disorders; appropriate foods or supplements for optimal nutrition;…

Implicit Learning Deficits among Adults with Developmental Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kahta, Shani; Schiff, Rachel

2016-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate implicit learning processes among adults with developmental dyslexia (DD) using a visual linguistic artificial grammar learning (AGL) task. Specifically, it was designed to explore whether the intact learning reported in previous studies would also occur under conditions including minimal training…

Paths Leading to Teenage Psychiatric Symptoms and Substance Use: Developmental Epidemiological Studies in Woodlawn.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kellam, Sheppard G.; And Others

Early predictors of two major areas of teenage outcome -- substance use and psychiatric symptoms -- were analyzed and specific developmental paths leading to each teenage outcome were identified in this long-term, follow-up study. Substance "use" rather than "abuse" and psychiatric "symptoms" rather than…

Defining the Developmental Parameters of Temper Loss in Early Childhood: Implications for Developmental Psychopathology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wakschlag, Lauren S.; Choi, Seung W.; Carter, Alice S.; Hullsiek, Heide; Burns, James; McCarthy, Kimberly; Leibenluft, Ellen; Briggs-Gowan, Margaret J.

2012-01-01

Background: Temper modulation problems are both a hallmark of early childhood and a common mental health concern. Thus, characterizing specific behavioral manifestations of temper loss along a dimension from normative misbehaviors to clinically significant problems is an important step toward identifying clinical thresholds. Methods:…

Exploring Attitudes and Achievement of Web-Based Homework in Developmental Algebra

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leong, Kwan Eu; Alexander, Nathan

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to understand how students' attitudes were connected to their mathematics learning. This investigation was specific to web-based homework in developmental courses in the community college environment. The mixed-methods approach was used to analyze the relationship between students' attitudes and mathematical…

Incorporating "omics" in the study of reproduction and development: Virtual Tissue Models in Developmental Toxicity Research

EPA Science Inventory

In recent years, ground breaking research in genomic applications in the area of reproductive and developmental toxicology have been successful in linking changes in the expression of specific genes and their higher-level biological processes to effects induced by drugs or chemic...

Life Satisfaction Among Korean Children and Youth: A Developmental Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Nansook

2005-01-01

A cross-sectional study of developmental differences and similarities in the levels and correlates of life satisfaction was conducted with 716 South Korean students in elementary, middle and high school. With age, global and domain-specific life satisfaction (with family, school, living environment and self) decreased; satisfaction with friends…

Psychotropic Medication Adherence among Community-Based Individuals with Developmental Disabilities and Mental Illness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Xi; Marshall, Vincent D.; Balkrishnan, Rajesh; Patel, Isha; Chang, Jongwha; Erickson, Steven R.

2015-01-01

Psychotropic medications are a common treatment for mental illness in people with developmental disabilities. Medication adherence is a critical determinant of the effectiveness of psychotropic drugs, but psychotropic medication adherence research specific to this population remains limited. This retrospective study analyzed Marketscan®…

The Down Syndrome Behavioural Phenotype: Taking a Developmental Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fidler, Deborah; Most, David; Philofsky, Amy

2009-01-01

Individuals with Down syndrome are predisposed to show a specific behavioural phenotype, or a pattern of strengths and challenges in functioning across different domains of development. It is argued that a developmental approach to researching the Down syndrome behavioural phenotype, including an examination of the dynamic process of the unfolding…

STAGE- AND SPECIES- SPECIFIC DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY OF ALL-TRANS RETINOIC ACID IN FOUR NATIVE NORTH AMERICAN RANIDS AND XENOPUS LAEVIS

EPA Science Inventory

Within the last decade there have been increasing reports of malformed amphibians across North America. Recently, it has been suggested that hindlimb malformations are a consequence of xenobiotic disruption of developmental pathways regulated by retinoids. To assess the validity ...

A Theoretical Examination of Psychosocial Issues for Asian Pacific American Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kodama, Corinne Maekawa; McEwen, Marylu K.; Liang, Christopher T. H.; Lee, Sunny

2001-01-01

Examines psychosocial issues for Asian Pacific American (APA) students, one of the fastest growing but most understudied college populations. Finds that general groupings of developmental issues align somewhat with traditional psychosocial theory, although the underlying assumptions and specific developmental tasks do not fit the experience of…

How to Increase Reading Ability; A Guide to Developmental and Remedial Methods.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Albert J.

Intended for beginning students concerned with reading instruction as well as for graduate students, reading teachers, or remedial specialists, the text deals with the overall classroom program, methods for evaluating and diagnosing group and individual needs, and developmental and remedial teaching of specific skills. Chapters explore the…

Developmental and Neurological Implications for Relating Cognition and Affect.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bart, William M.

Elements of a theory relating cognition and affect are outlined. The theory is heavily based upon neuroscience research regarding the hemispheric lateralization of various cognitive processes and emotions; specific examples are provided. Developmental research on intelligence as well as theories of intrinsic motivation, are also discussed.…

ERPs and Eye Movements Reflect Atypical Visual Perception in Pervasive Developmental Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kemner, Chantal; van Engeland, Herman

2006-01-01

Many studies of eye tracking or event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in subjects with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) have yielded inconsistent results on attentional processing. However, recent studies have indicated that there are specific abnormalities in early processing that are probably related to perception. ERP amplitudes in…

Everyday Memory in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, I-Chen; Tsai, Pei-Luen; Hsu, Yung-Wen; Ma, Hui-Ing; Lai, Hsuan-An

2013-01-01

Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) have deficits in working memory, but little is known about the everyday memory of these children in real-life situations. We investigated the everyday memory function in children with DCD, and explored the specific profile of everyday memory across different domains. Nineteen children with…

47 CFR 90.509 - Frequencies available for assignment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... assignment. Stations engaged in developmental operation may be authorized to use a frequency or frequencies available in the service in which they propose to operate. The number of channels assigned will depend upon the specific requirements of the developmental program and the number of frequencies available in the...

47 CFR 90.509 - Frequencies available for assignment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... assignment. Stations engaged in developmental operation may be authorized to use a frequency or frequencies available in the service in which they propose to operate. The number of channels assigned will depend upon the specific requirements of the developmental program and the number of frequencies available in the...

47 CFR 90.509 - Frequencies available for assignment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... assignment. Stations engaged in developmental operation may be authorized to use a frequency or frequencies available in the service in which they propose to operate. The number of channels assigned will depend upon the specific requirements of the developmental program and the number of frequencies available in the...

Cultural and Cognitive Development in Short-Term Study Abroad: Illuminating the 360 Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burton, Susan

2012-01-01

The three articles in this dissertation investigate leading others through developmental opportunities by facilitating their engagement in intercultural challenges. Specifically the research explores the meaning followers make of developmental challenges during short-term study abroad experiences and encounters with diversity. Data in the form of…

Different Underlying Neurocognitive Deficits in Developmental Dyslexia: A Comparative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Menghini, D.; Finzi, A.; Benassi, M.; Bolzani, R.; Facoetti, A.; Giovagnoli, S.; Ruffino, M.; Vicari, S.

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of several specific neurocognitive functions in developmental dyslexia (DD). The performances of 60 dyslexic children and 65 age-matched normally reading children were compared on tests of phonological abilities, visual processing, selective and sustained attention, implicit learning, and executive…

Development of auditory event-related potentials in infants prenatally exposed to methadone.

PubMed

Paul, Jonathan A; Logan, Beth A; Krishnan, Ramesh; Heller, Nicole A; Morrison, Deborah G; Pritham, Ursula A; Tisher, Paul W; Troese, Marcia; Brown, Mark S; Hayes, Marie J

2014-07-01

Developmental features of the P2 auditory ERP in a change detection paradigm were examined in infants prenatally exposed to methadone. Opiate dependent pregnant women maintained on methadone replacement therapy were recruited during pregnancy (N = 60). Current and historical alcohol and substance use, SES, and psychiatric status were assessed with a maternal interview during the third trimester. Medical records were used to collect information regarding maternal medications, monthly urinalysis, and breathalyzer to confirm comorbid drug and alcohol exposures. Between birth and 4 months infant ERP change detection performance was evaluated on one occasion with the oddball paradigm (.2 probability oddball) using pure-tone stimuli (standard = 1 kHz and oddball = 2 kHz frequency) at midline electrode sites, Fz, Cz, Pz. Infant groups were examined in the following developmental windows: 4-15, 16-32, or 33-120 days PNA. Older groups showed increased P2 amplitude at Fz and effective change detection performance at P2 not seen in the newborn group. Developmental maturation of amplitude and stimulus discrimination for P2 has been reported in developing infants at all of the ages tested and data reported here in the older infants are consistent with typical development. However, it has been previously reported that the P2 amplitude difference is detectable in neonates; therefore, absence of a difference in P2 amplitude between stimuli in the 4-15 days group may represent impaired ERP performance by neonatal abstinence syndrome or prenatal methadone exposure. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Universal, developmental, and variable aspects of young children's play: a cross-cultural comparison of pretending at home.

PubMed

Haight, W L; Wang, X L; Fung, H H; Williams, K; Mintz, J

1999-01-01

Using longitudinal data from five Irish American families in the United States and nine Chinese families in Taiwan, in conjunction with an emerging body of evidence in the cultural psychology literature, we propose universal, culturally variable, and developmental dimensions of young children's pretend play. Possible universal dimensions include the use of objects, and the predominantly social nature of pretend play. Developmental dimensions include increases in the proportion of social pretend play initiated by the child, the proportion of partner initiations elaborated upon by the child, and caregivers' use of pretend play initiations to serve other, nonplay social functions. Culturally variable dimensions include the centrality of objects, the participation of specific play partners, the extent of child initiations of social pretend play with caregivers, the various functions of social pretend play in interaction, and specific themes. These findings raise the theoretical issue of how universal and variable dimensions of pretend play interact in specific communities to create distinctive development pathways.

Separating math from anxiety: The role of inhibitory mechanisms.

PubMed

Mammarella, Irene C; Caviola, Sara; Giofrè, David; Borella, Erika

2017-07-06

Deficits in executive functions have been hypothesized and documented for children with severe mathematics anxiety (MA) or developmental dyscalculia, but the role of inhibition-related processes has not been specifically explored. The main aim of the present study was to shed further light on the specificity of these profiles in children in terms of working memory (WM) and the inhibitory functions involved. Four groups of children between 8 and 10 years old were selected: one group with developmental dyscalculia (DD) and no MA, one with severe MA and developmental dyscalculia (MA-DD), one with severe MA and no DD (MA), and one with typical development (TD). All children were presented with tasks measuring two inhibition-related functions, that is, proactive interference and prepotent response, and a WM task. The results showed that children with severe MA (but no DD) were specifically impaired in the proactive interference task, while children with DD (with or without MA) failed in the WM task. Our findings point to the importance of distinguishing the cognitive processes underlying these profiles.

Frequency of open windows in motor vehicles under varying temperature conditions: a videotape survey in Central North Carolina during 2001.

PubMed

Long, Tom; Johnson, Ted; Ollison, Will

2004-07-01

Air pollution exposures in the motor vehicle cabin are significantly affected by air exchange rate, a function of vehicle speed, window position, vent status, fan speed, and air conditioning use. A pilot study conducted in Houston, Texas, during September 2000 demonstrated that useful information concerning the position of windows, sunroofs, and convertible tops as a function of temperature and vehicle speed could be obtained through the use of video recorders. To obtain similar data representing a wide range of temperature and traffic conditions, a follow-up study was conducted in and around Chapel Hill, North Carolina at five sites representing a central business district, an arterial road, a low-income commercial district, an interstate highway, and a rural road. Each site permitted an elevated view of vehicles as they proceeded through a turn, thereby exposing all windows to the stationary camcorder. A total of 32 videotaping sessions were conducted between February and October 2001, in which temperature varied from 41 degrees F to 93 degrees F and average vehicle speed varied from 21 to 77 mph. The resulting video tapes were processed to create a vehicle-specific database that included site location, date, time, vehicle type, vehicle color, vehicle age, window configuration, number of windows in each of three position categories (fully open, partially open, and closed), meteorological factors, and vehicle speed. Of the 4715 vehicles included in the database, 1905 (40.4%) were labeled as "open," indicating a window, sunroof, or convertible top was fully or partially open. Stepwise linear regression analyses indicated that "open" window status was affected by wind speed, relative humidity, vehicle speed, cloud cover, apparent temperature, day of week, time of day, vehicle type, vehicle age, vehicle color, number of windows, sunroofs, location, and air quality season. Open windows tended to occur less frequently when relative humidity was high, apparent temperature (a parameter incorporating wind chill and heat index) was below 50 degrees F, or the vehicle was relatively new. Although the effects of the identified parameters were relatively weak, they are statistically significant and should be considered by researchers attempting to model vehicle air exchange rates.

Simple Estimation of Incident HIV Infection Rates in Notification Cohorts Based on Window Periods of Algorithms for Evaluation of Line-Immunoassay Result Patterns

PubMed Central

Schüpbach, Jörg; Gebhardt, Martin D.; Scherrer, Alexandra U.; Bisset, Leslie R.; Niederhauser, Christoph; Regenass, Stephan; Yerly, Sabine; Aubert, Vincent; Suter, Franziska; Pfister, Stefan; Martinetti, Gladys; Andreutti, Corinne; Klimkait, Thomas; Brandenberger, Marcel; Günthard, Huldrych F.

2013-01-01

Background Tests for recent infections (TRIs) are important for HIV surveillance. We have shown that a patient's antibody pattern in a confirmatory line immunoassay (Inno-Lia) also yields information on time since infection. We have published algorithms which, with a certain sensitivity and specificity, distinguish between incident (< = 12 months) and older infection. In order to use these algorithms like other TRIs, i.e., based on their windows, we now determined their window periods. Methods We classified Inno-Lia results of 527 treatment-naïve patients with HIV-1 infection < = 12 months according to incidence by 25 algorithms. The time after which all infections were ruled older, i.e. the algorithm's window, was determined by linear regression of the proportion ruled incident in dependence of time since infection. Window-based incident infection rates (IIR) were determined utilizing the relationship ‘Prevalence  =  Incidence x Duration’ in four annual cohorts of HIV-1 notifications. Results were compared to performance-based IIR also derived from Inno-Lia results, but utilizing the relationship ‘incident  =  true incident + false incident’ and also to the IIR derived from the BED incidence assay. Results Window periods varied between 45.8 and 130.1 days and correlated well with the algorithms' diagnostic sensitivity (R2 = 0.962; P<0.0001). Among the 25 algorithms, the mean window-based IIR among the 748 notifications of 2005/06 was 0.457 compared to 0.453 obtained for performance-based IIR with a model not correcting for selection bias. Evaluation of BED results using a window of 153 days yielded an IIR of 0.669. Window-based IIR and performance-based IIR increased by 22.4% and respectively 30.6% in 2008, while 2009 and 2010 showed a return to baseline for both methods. Conclusions IIR estimations by window- and performance-based evaluations of Inno-Lia algorithm results were similar and can be used together to assess IIR changes between annual HIV notification cohorts. PMID:23990968

Arlequin suite ver 3.5: a new series of programs to perform population genetics analyses under Linux and Windows.

PubMed

Excoffier, Laurent; Lischer, Heidi E L

2010-05-01

We present here a new version of the Arlequin program available under three different forms: a Windows graphical version (Winarl35), a console version of Arlequin (arlecore), and a specific console version to compute summary statistics (arlsumstat). The command-line versions run under both Linux and Windows. The main innovations of the new version include enhanced outputs in XML format, the possibility to embed graphics displaying computation results directly into output files, and the implementation of a new method to detect loci under selection from genome scans. Command-line versions are designed to handle large series of files, and arlsumstat can be used to generate summary statistics from simulated data sets within an Approximate Bayesian Computation framework. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Using computer graphics to design Space Station Freedom viewing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldsberry, B. S.; Lippert, B. O.; Mckee, S. D.; Lewis, J. L., Jr.; Mount, F. E.

1989-01-01

An important aspect of planning for Space Station Freedom at the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the placement of the viewing windows and cameras for optimum crewmember use. Researchers and analysts are evaluating the placement options using a three-dimensional graphics program called PLAID. This program, developed at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), is being used to determine the extent to which the viewing requirements for assembly and operations are being met. A variety of window placement options in specific modules are assessed for accessibility. In addition, window and camera placements are analyzed to insure that viewing areas are not obstructed by the truss assemblies, externally-mounted payloads, or any other station element. Other factors being examined include anthropometric design considerations, workstation interfaces, structural issues, and mechanical elements.

Exposure to altered gravity during specific developmental periods differentially affects growth, development, the cerebellum and motor functions in male and female rats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguon, K.; Ladd, B.; Sajdel-Sulkowska, E. M.

2006-01-01

We previously reported that perinatal exposure to hypergravity affects cerebellar structure and motor coordination in rat neonates. In the present study, we explored the hypothesis that neonatal cerebellar structure and motor coordination may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of hypergravity during specific developmental stages. To test this hypothesis, we compared neurodevelopment, motor behavior and cerebellar structure in rat neonates exposed to 1.65 G on a 24-ft centrifuge during discrete periods of time: the 2nd week of pregnancy [gestational day (G) 8 through G15; group A], the 3rd week of pregnancy (G15 through birth on G22/G23; group B), the 1st week of nursing [birth through postnatal day (P) 6; group C], the 2nd and 3rd weeks of nursing (P6 through P21; group D), the combined 2nd and 3rd weeks of pregnancy and nursing (G8 through P21; group E) and stationary control (SC) neonates (group F). Prenatal exposure to hypergravity resulted in intrauterine growth retardation as reflected by a decrease in the number of pups in a litter and lower average mass at birth. Exposure to hypergravity immediately after birth impaired the righting response on P3, while the startle response in both males and females was most affected by exposure during the 2nd and 3rd weeks after birth. Hypergravity exposure also impaired motor functions, as evidenced by poorer performance on a rotarod; while both males and females exposed to hypergravity during the 2nd and 3rd weeks after birth performed poorly on P21, male neonates were most dramatically affected by exposure to hypergravity during the second week of gestation, when the duration of their recorded stay on the rotarod was one half that of SC males. Cerebellar mass was most reduced by later postnatal exposure. Thus, for the developing rat cerebellum, the postnatal period that overlaps the brain growth spurt is the most vulnerable to hypergravity. However, male motor behavior is also affected by midpregnancy exposure to hypergravity, suggesting discrete and sexually dimorphic windows of vulnerability of the developing central nervous system to environmental perturbations.