Negative emotional reactivity as a marker of vulnerability in the development of borderline personality disorder symptoms

Negative emotionality is a distinguishing feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, this person-level characteristic has not been examined as a marker of vulnerability in the development of this disorder. The current study utilized a multi-method approach to examine the interplay between negative emotional reactivity and cumulative exposure to family adversity on the development of BPD symptoms across three years (ages 16–18) in a diverse, at-risk sample of adolescent girls (N=113). A latent variable of negative emotional reactivity was created from multiple assessments at age 16: (1) self-report, (2) emotion ratings to stressors from ecological assessments across one week, and (3) observer-rated negative affectivity during a mother-daughter conflict discussion task. Exposure to family adversity was measured cumulatively between ages 5 and 16 from annual assessments of family poverty, single parent household, and difficult life circumstances. Results from latent growth curve models demonstrated a significant interaction between negative emotional reactivity and family adversity, such that exposure to adversity strengthened the association between negative emotional reactivity and BPD symptoms. Additionally, family adversity predicted increasing BPD symptoms during late adolescence. These findings highlight negative emotional reactivity as a marker of vulnerability that ultimately increases risk for the development of BPD symptoms

Statistical modeling of ground motion relations for seismic hazard analysis

We introduce a new approach for ground motion relations (GMR) in the probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA), being influenced by the extreme value theory of mathematical statistics. Therein, we understand a GMR as a random function. We derive mathematically the principle of area-equivalence; wherein two alternative GMRs have an equivalent influence on the hazard if these GMRs have equivalent area functions. This includes local biases. An interpretation of the difference between these GMRs (an actual and a modeled one) as a random component leads to a general overestimation of residual variance and hazard. Beside this, we discuss important aspects of classical approaches and discover discrepancies with the state of the art of stochastics and statistics (model selection and significance, test of distribution assumptions, extreme value statistics). We criticize especially the assumption of logarithmic normally distributed residuals of maxima like the peak ground acceleration (PGA). The natural distribution of its individual random component (equivalent to exp(epsilon_0) of Joyner and Boore 1993) is the generalized extreme value. We show by numerical researches that the actual distribution can be hidden and a wrong distribution assumption can influence the PSHA negatively as the negligence of area equivalence does. Finally, we suggest an estimation concept for GMRs of PSHA with a regression-free variance estimation of the individual random component. We demonstrate the advantages of event-specific GMRs by analyzing data sets from the PEER strong motion database and estimate event-specific GMRs. Therein, the majority of the best models base on an anisotropic point source approach. The residual variance of logarithmized PGA is significantly smaller than in previous models. We validate the estimations for the event with the largest sample by empirical area functions. etc

The Decreasing Significance of Stigma in the Lives of Bisexual Men: Keynote Address, Bisexual Research Convention, London

This article is constructed around a keynote address given at the Bisexual Research Convention, held in London 2010. The keynote was delivered by sociologist Eric Anderson, on behalf of himself and the other authors of this article. The keynote reflected upon a body of ongoing research, funded by the American Institute of Bisexuality and collected by this team of researchers, into the changing relationship between men and homophobia. It first contextualizes 20th-century attitudes toward homo/bisexuality before showing a declining significance of biphobia and homophobia in men's lives today. In accordance with the keynote, this article draws from preliminary findings of multiple ongoing studies of bisexual men in the United States and the United Kingdom

Host cell restriction factors that limit transcription and replication of human papillomavirus

The life cycle of human papillomaviruses (HPV) is tightly regulated by the differentiation state of mucosal and cutaneous keratinocytes. To counteract viral infection, constitutively expressed cellular factors, which are defined herein as restriction factors, directly mitigate viral gene expression and replication. In turn, some HPV gene products target these restriction factors and abrogate their anti-viral effects to establish efficient gene expression and replication programs. Ironically, in certain circumstances, this delicate counterbalance between viral gene products and restriction factors facilitates persistent infection by HPVs. This review serves to recapitulate the current knowledge of nuclear restriction factors that directly affect the HPV infectious cycle

Solutions For Grand Challenges In Goat And Sheep Production

Goats and sheep are valuable livestock as they produce food, such as meat, milk, fleece, and other products. In addition, goats and sheep are important both for agriculture and biomedical research. Even though these small ruminants provide essential goods, there are major obstacles preventing the efficient, sustainable, and profitable production of goats and sheep. This review is significant because it summarizes major challenges facing goat and sheep production, their negative impacts, and specific science-based solutions to overcome them. These challenge areas are education and training, research, translational research/biotechnology, goat and sheep health, and effective/efficient/sustainable/profitable agribusiness. The solutions include effective teaching of goat and sheep science to next generation and empowering the public, supporting and pursuing innovative and translational research, preventing and treating diseases, facilitating technology transfer, and developing sound agribusinesses. This resource is expected to be helpful to scientists, students, and goat and sheep producers. In addition, the information on the current state of goat and sheep agriculture will help the public better understand and appreciate challenges and opportunities in small ruminant production

The future of medical diagnostics: Review paper

While histopathology of excised tissue remains the gold standard for diagnosis, several new, non-invasive diagnostic techniques are being developed. They rely on physical and biochemical changes that precede and mirror malignant change within tissue. The basic principle involves simple optical techniques of tissue interrogation. Their accuracy, expressed as sensitivity and specificity, are reported in a number of studies suggests that they have a potential for cost effective, real-time, in situ diagnosis. We review the Third Scientific Meeting of the Head and Neck Optical Diagnostics Society held in Congress Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria on the 11th May 2011. For the first time the HNODS Annual Scientific Meeting was held in association with the International Photodynamic Association (IPA) and the European Platform for Photodynamic Medicine (EPPM). The aim was to enhance the interdisciplinary aspects of optical diagnostics and other photodynamic applications. The meeting included 2 sections: oral communication sessions running in parallel to the IPA programme and poster presentation sessions combined with the IPA and EPPM posters sessions. © 2011 Jerjes et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

The Learning from the Large Scale Lotung Soil-Structure Interaction Experiments

Blind prediction analyses and subsequent correlation studies of a 1/4-scale reinforced concrete containment model constructed at Lotung, Taiwan subject to forced vibration tests and actual earthquakes are evaluated with the objective of validating soil-structure interaction (SSI) analysis methodologies commonly used in U.S. practice. The SSI methods used range from simple soil-spring representation to more complex finite-element methods and sub structuring techniques. Both forced vibration test (FVT) data and actual earthquake induced response data have been obtained for use in validating selected SSI analysis methodologies. Considering that for forced vibration tests only the stiffness and damping characteristics of the foundation are required (complexities of site response, wave scattering and stiffness degradation of soils are absent), the FVT evaluation shows that acceptable frequency predictions can be obtained by most of the methods; however, soil damping as obtained from geophysical methods does not seem to account for the total energy dissipation during SSI. A number of insights have been obtained with respect to the validity of SSI analysis methodologies for earthquake response. Among these are the following: vertical wave propagation assumption in performing SSI is adequate to describe the wave field; equivalent linear analysis of soil response for SSI analysis, such as performed by the SHAKE code, provides acceptable results; a significant but non-permanent degradation of soil modulus occurs during earthquakes; the development of soil stiffness degradation and damping curves as a function of strain, based on geophysical and laboratory tests, requires improvement to reduce variability and uncertainty; backfill stiffness plays an important role in determining impedance functions and possibly input motions; scattering of ground motion due to embedment is an important element in performing SSI analysis; more than the calculational techniques, the differences in response predictions are due to the modeling of the soil-structure system

Second-scale rotational coherence and dipolar interactions in a gas of ultracold polar molecules

Ultracold polar molecules combine a rich structure of long-lived internal states with access to controllable long-range anisotropic dipole–dipole interactions. In particular, the rotational states of polar molecules confined in optical tweezers or optical lattices may be used to encode interacting qubits for quantum computation or pseudo-spins for simulating quantum magnetism. As with all quantum platforms, the engineering of robust coherent superpositions of states is vital. However, for optically trapped molecules, the coherence time between rotational states is typically limited by inhomogeneous differential light shifts. Here we demonstrate a rotationally magic optical trap for 87Rb133Cs molecules that supports a Ramsey coherence time of 0.78(4) s in the absence of dipole–dipole interactions. This is estimated to extend to >1.4 s at the 95% confidence level using a single spin-echo pulse. In our trap, dipolar interactions become the dominant mechanism by which Ramsey contrast is lost for superpositions that generate oscillating dipoles. By changing the states forming the superposition, we tune the effective dipole moment and show that the coherence time is inversely proportional to the strength of the dipolar interaction. Our work unlocks the full potential of the rotational degree of freedom in molecules for quantum computation and quantum simulation

Protective role of Cav-1 in pneumolysin-induced endothelial barrier dysfunction

Pneumolysin (PLY) is a bacterial pore forming toxin and primary virulence factor of Streptococcus pneumonia, a major cause of pneumonia. PLY binds cholesterol-rich domains of the endothelial cell (EC) plasma membrane resulting in pore assembly and increased intracellular (IC) Ca2+ levels that compromise endothelial barrier integrity. Caveolae are specialized plasmalemma microdomains of ECs enriched in cholesterol. We hypothesized that the abundance of cholesterol-rich domains in EC plasma membranes confers cellular susceptibility to PLY. Contrary to this hypothesis, we found increased PLY-induced IC Ca2+ following membrane cholesterol depletion. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) is an essential structural protein of caveolae and its regulation by cholesterol levels suggested a possible role in EC barrier function. Indeed, Cav-1 and its scaffolding domain peptide protected the endothelial barrier from PLY-induced disruption. In loss of function experiments, Cav-1 was knocked-out using CRISPR-Cas9 or silenced in human lung microvascular ECs. Loss of Cav-1 significantly enhanced the ability of PLY to disrupt endothelial barrier integrity. Rescue experiments with re-expression of Cav-1 or its scaffolding domain peptide protected the EC barrier against PLY-induced barrier disruption. Dynamin-2 (DNM2) is known to regulate caveolar membrane endocytosis. Inhibition of endocytosis, with dynamin inhibitors or siDNM2 amplified PLY induced EC barrier dysfunction. These results suggest that Cav-1 protects the endothelial barrier against PLY by promoting endocytosis of damaged membrane, thus reducing calcium entry and PLY-dependent signaling