Perceptions of family functioning and self-concept in adolescent anorexia nervosa [R]

Authors have highlighted the importance of the family for the development of positive self-concept and identity, not only in mental health research but also in various developmental and social psychology fields. With the increase in the incidence and prevalence of eating disorders in Australia and around the world, some researchers have attempted to understand how aspects of family functioning affect the onset and maintenance of the chronic illness, particularly for younger patients who are still undergoing drastic psychological changes and development. This study attempted to bridge gaps in the literature examining functioning and dyadic relations in families affected by eating disorders. More specifically, this study compared the perceptions of mothers, fathers and daughters about general family functioning to determine whether any discrepancies between the perceptions of family and how these affect self-concept in adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa.<br /

Body image and self-concept in adolescent girls [R]

Anorexia Nervosa has been recently recognized as one of the most common chronic illnesses that affects the female adolescent population today. Although there has been an abundance of research into eating disorders in a variety of fields, significant limitations within the research still exist. Since very early descriptions of the disorder, self-concept and body image have been identified as core components of the anorexia nervosa. However, research has been somewhat limited in that there have not been any consistent theoretical underpinnings for self-concept and body image within the eating disorders field. Furthermore, researchers have tended to adopt traditional inferential statistics and multivariate methods to assess the role of self-concept and body image. As a result there has been very little consistency in research results. The current paper summarizes the significant findings from a doctoral thesis that attempted to address current limitations in self-concept and body image literature within the field of eating disorders.<br /

Model Order Reduction for Determining Bubble Parameters to Attain a Desired Fluid Surface Shape

In this paper, a new methodology for predicting fluid free surface shape using Model Order Reduction (MOR) is presented. Proper Orthogonal Decomposition combined with a linear interpolation procedure for its coefficient is applied to a problem involving bubble dynamics near to a free surface. A model is developed to accurately and efficiently capture the variation of the free surface shape with different bubble parameters. In addition, a systematic approach is developed within the MOR framework to find the best initial locations and pressures for a set of bubbles beneath the quiescent free surface such that the resultant free surface attained is close to a desired shape. Predictions of the free surface in two-dimensions and three-dimensions are presented.Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA

Indochinese bamboos: biodiversity informatics to assist the identification of “vernacular taxa”

Bamboo (Bambusoides – Gramineae) is one of the most important natural resource in Southeast Asia. However, bamboo identification has many difficulties. In the area of SEP programme «Indochina Bamboos» (2008-2010), the final objective is to update the bamboo flora of Indochine (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodege) and to publish an e-flora including free access keys, digital images and information about the traditional and economic use of bamboos. During field trips in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodgia, samples, pictures and morphological description sheets were collected in various locations and previously assigned to the local vernacular names. We use an informatic program, Xper2, to assist the comparison and identification of “vernacular bamboo taxa” based on morphological characteristics

Exploring responses of type I and type III interferons in human macrophages

Interferons are antiviral cytokines induced during viral infection. Type I and III IFNs are thought to share some of the same transcriptional outputs, yet some biological responses are distinct. IFN-λ receptor (IFNLR1) expression is not ubiquitous like the type I receptor and is strongly expressed in epithelial cells such as the respiratory tract and intestine. The molecular mechanisms underlying the different biological effects and cell-specific responses of type I and type III IFN are poorly understood. The extent to which type III IFNs can affect immune cells is controversial. This work aimed to investigate if human primary monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) express IFNLR1, whether IFN-λ1 induces antiviral and innate immune genes, and has antiviral activity against respiratory virus human metapneumovirus (HMPV) and its IFN-λ1 effects depend on IFNLR1 in MDMs. We found that type III IFNs were induced in response to HMPV infection in MDMs. Also, we found that human MDMs exhibit higher expression of both sIFNLR1 and mIFNLR1 compared with the analyzed epithelial cell types. At 24 hours post-exposure, pretreatment with type III reaches maximal ISG induction earlier than IFNs type I. 48-hour pretreatment with type I IFNs and III is able to reduce HMPV replication after 48-hour infection. Our result showed that type I and III IFNs induce a similar subset of ISG genes, but with differences in potency and kinetics. Type III IFN is slower and weaker in ISG induction, and could be less inflammatory and may provide therapeutic benefits with fewer side effects compared to type I IFN. siRNA-mediated reduction of IFNLR1 level significant suppress Viperin expression with concomitant increase in CXCL-10 and inflammatory cytokine IL-6. Also, we found that the JAK/STAT inhibitor Ruxolitinib can inhibits IFN-λ1-induced ISG pathways in human MDMs. Collectively, these results suggest that human MDMs express a functional IFNLR1