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Many copy number variants (CNVs) confer risk for the same range of neurodevelopmental symptoms and psychiatric conditions including autism and schizophrenia. Yet, to date neuroimaging studies have typically been carried out one mutation at a time, showing that CNVs have large effects on brain anatomy. Here, we aimed to characterize and quantify the distinct brain morphometry effects and latent dimensions across 8 neuropsychiatric CNVs. We analyzed T1-weighted MRI data from clinically and non-clinically ascertained CNV carriers (deletion/duplication) at the 1q21.1 (n = 39/28), 16p11.2 (n = 87/78), 22q11.2 (n = 75/30), and 15q11.2 (n = 72/76) loci as well as 1296 non-carriers (controls). Case-control contrasts of all examined genomic loci demonstrated effects on brain anatomy, with deletions and duplications showing mirror effects at the global and regional levels. Although CNVs mainly showed distinct brain patterns, principal component analysis (PCA) loaded subsets of CNVs on two latent brain dimensions, which explained 32 and 29% of the variance of the 8 Cohen’s d maps. The cingulate gyrus, insula, supplementary motor cortex, and cerebellum were identified by PCA and multi-view pattern learning as top regions contributing to latent dimension shared across subsets of CNVs. The large proportion of distinct CNV effects on brain morphology may explain the small neuroimaging effect sizes reported in polygenic psychiatric conditions. Nevertheless, latent gene brain morphology dimensions will help subgroup the rapidly expanding landscape of neuropsychiatric variants and dissect the heterogeneity of idiopathic conditions.

Morphology of organisms is an important source of evidence for biodiversity assessment, taxonomic decisions, and understanding of evolution. Shape information about zoological and botanical objects is often treated quantitatively and in this form improves species identification. In studies of fungi, quantitative shape analysis was almost ignored. The disseminated propagules of fungi, the spores, are crucial for their taxonomy – currently in the form of linear measurements or subjectively defined shape categories. It remains unclear how much quantifying spore shape information can improve species identification. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that shape, as a richer source of information, overperforms size when performing automated identification of fungal species. We used the fungi of the genus Subulicystidium (Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota) as a study object. We analysed 2D spore shape data via elliptic Fourier and Principal Component analyses. With flexible discriminant analysis, we achieved a slightly higher species identification success rate for shape predictors (61.5%) than for size predictors (59.1%). However, we achieved the highest rate for a combination of both (64.7%). We conclude that quantifying fungal spore shapes is worth the effort. We provide an open access protocol which, we hope, will stimulate a broader use of quantitative shape analysis in fungal taxonomy. We also discuss the challenges of such analyses that are specific to fungal spores.

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Contains fulltext : 167711.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) IMPORTANCE: The 16p11.2 BP4-BP5 duplication is the copy number variant most frequently associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia, and comorbidities such as decreased body mass index (BMI). OBJECTIVES: To characterize the effects of the 16p11.2 duplication on cognitive, behavioral, medical, and anthropometric traits and to understand the specificity of these effects by systematically comparing results in duplication carriers and reciprocal deletion carriers, who are also at risk for ASD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This international cohort study of 1006 study participants compared 270 duplication carriers with their 102 intrafamilial control individuals, 390 reciprocal deletion carriers, and 244 deletion controls from European and North American cohorts. Data were collected from August 1, 2010, to May 31, 2015 and analyzed from January 1 to August 14, 2015. Linear mixed models were used to estimate the effect of the duplication and deletion on clinical traits by comparison with noncarrier relatives. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Findings on the Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ), Nonverbal IQ, and Verbal IQ; the presence of ASD or other DSM-IV diagnoses; BMI; head circumference; and medical data. RESULTS: Among the 1006 study participants, the duplication was associated with a mean FSIQ score that was lower by 26.3 points between proband carriers and noncarrier relatives and a lower mean FSIQ score (16.2-11.4 points) in nonproband carriers. The mean overall effect of the deletion was similar (-22.1 points; P < .001). However, broad variation in FSIQ was found, with a 19.4- and 2.0-fold increase in the proportion of FSIQ scores that were very low (100) compared with the deletion group (P < .001). Parental FSIQ predicted part of this variation (approximately 36.0% in hereditary probands). Although the frequency of ASD was similar in deletion and duplication proband carriers (16.0% and 20.0%, respectively), the FSIQ was significantly lower (by 26.3 points) in the duplication probands with ASD. There also were lower head circumference and BMI measurements among duplication carriers, which is consistent with the findings of previous studies. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The mean effect of the duplication on cognition is similar to that of the reciprocal deletion, but the variance in the duplication is significantly higher, with severe and mild subgroups not observed with the deletion. These results suggest that additional genetic and familial factors contribute to this variability. Additional studies will be necessary to characterize the predictors of cognitive deficits.

ECOMOS is a multinational effort within the framework of an EDA Project Arrangement. Its aim is to provide a generally accepted and harmonized European computer model for computing nominal Target Acquisition (TA) ranges of optronic imagers operating in the Visible or thermal Infrared (IR). The project involves close co-operation of defence and security industry and public research institutes from France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands and Sweden. ECOMOS uses and combines well-accepted existing European tools to build up a strong competitive position. This includes two TA models: The analytical TRM4 model and the image-based TOD model. In addition, it uses the atmosphere model MATISSE. In this paper, the central idea of ECOMOS is exposed. The overall software structure and the underlying models are shown and elucidated. The status of the project development is given as well as a short discussion of validation tests and an outlook on the future potential of simulation for sensor assessment. © 2017 SPIE. The Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

Generalist pollinators like the buff-tailed bumble bee, Bombus terrestris, encounter both nutrients and toxins in the floral nectar they collect from flowering plants. Only a few studies have described the gustatory responses of bees toward toxins in food, and these experiments have mainly used the proboscis extension response on restrained honey bees. Here, a new behavioral assay is presented for measuring the feeding responses of freely-moving, individual worker bumble bees to nutrients and toxins. This assay measures the amount of solution ingested by each bumble bee and identifies how tastants in food influence the microstructure of the feeding behavior. The solutions are presented in a microcapillary tube to individual bumble bees that have been previously starved for 2-4 hr. The behavior is captured on digital video. The fine structure of the feeding behavior is analyzed by continuously scoring the position of the proboscis (mouthparts) from video recordings using event logging software. The position of the proboscis is defined by three different behavioral categories: (1) proboscis is extended and in contact with the solution, (2) proboscis is extended but not in contact with the solution and (3) proboscis is stowed under the head. Furthermore the speed of the proboscis retracting away from the solution is also estimated. In the present assay the volume of solution consumed, the number of feeding bouts, the duration of the feeding bouts and the speed of the proboscis retraction after the first contact is used to evaluate the phagostimulatory or the deterrent activity of the compounds tested. This new taste assay will allow researchers to measure how compounds found in nectar influence the feeding behavior of bees and will also be useful to pollination biologists, toxicologists and neuroethologists studying the bumble bee's taste system.

Der zunehmenden Individualisierung von Kundenwünschen bei gleichzeitig steigenden Anforderungen an die Verfügbarkeit von Produkten kann effektiv mithilfe innovativer Fabrik- und Fertigungsstrukturen begegnet werden. Dieser Fachbeitrag gibt einen Einblick in die Einführung von Fertigungssegmenten am Beispiel eines Projekts im Bereich der Schlossfertigung der BKS GmbH. Basierend auf systematischen, fundierten Analysten sowie einer prozessorientierten Planung konnten für den betrachteten Produktionsbereich unternehmensspezifisch maßgeschneiderte Segmente entwickelt werden, welche das Unternehmen in die Lage versetzten, den künftigen Anforderungen optimal zu begegnen.

By now there exist several methods to predict durability of reinforced concrete structures. In most cases one dominant deteriorating process such as carbonation or chloride penetration is taken into consideration. Experimental results as well as observation in practice show that this is not a realistic and certainly not a conservative approach. To develop more realistic test methods, RILEMTC 246-TDC has worked on the determination of durability of concrete under combined environmental actions and mechanical load since September 2011. This report introduces a test method which can realistically determine the chloride ion diffusion coefficient of concrete under compressive and tensile stress. Comparative test results among 5 international labs showed that the combination of mechanical and environmental loads may turn out to be much more severe than each single environmental load alone in the mechanically unloaded case. Modelling and probabilistic analysis also showed that the obvious synergetic effects can’t be neglected in service life prediction.

The potential mapping method is the most suitable inspection method to detect ongoing corrosion in reinforced concrete structures. The accuracy of this measurement method is expressed by the Probability of Detection. In combination with potential mapping data gained from inspection the information about the Probability of Detection delivers the needed information to update the service life prediction of reinforced concrete structures. Potential mapping data includes information about the temporal development and the spatial variability of corrosion. In this way, the condition of existing structures can be evaluated more realistic. This paper presents a case study for updating the service life prediction with concrete cover data and potential mapping.

Elemental compositions of organic aerosol (OA) particles provide useful constraints on OA sources, chemical evolution, and effects. The Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) is widely used to measure OA elemental composition. This study evaluates AMS measurements of atomic oxygen-to-carbon (O : C), hydrogen-to-carbon (H : C), and organic mass-to-organic carbon (OM : OC) ratios, and of carbon oxidation state (OSC) for a vastly expanded laboratory data set of multifunctional oxidized OA standards. For the expanded standard data set, the method introduced by Aiken et al. (2008), which uses experimentally measured ion intensities at all ions to determine elemental ratios (referred to here as "Aiken-Explicit"), reproduces known O : C and H : C ratio values within 20% (average absolute value of relative errors) and 12%, respectively. The more commonly used method, which uses empirically estimated H2O+ and CO+ ion intensities to avoid gas phase air interferences at these ions (referred to here as "Aiken-Ambient"), reproduces O : C and H : C of multifunctional oxidized species within 28 and 14% of known values. The values from the latter method are systematically biased low, however, with larger biases observed for alcohols and simple diacids. A detailed examination of the H2O+, CO+, and CO2+ fragments in the high-resolution mass spectra of the standard compounds indicates that the Aiken-Ambient method underestimates the CO+ and especially H2O+ produced from many oxidized species. Combined AMS–vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) ionization measurements indicate that these ions are produced by dehydration and decarboxylation on the AMS vaporizer (usually operated at 600 °C). Thermal decomposition is observed to be efficient at vaporizer temperatures down to 200 °C. These results are used together to develop an "Improved-Ambient" elemental analysis method for AMS spectra measured in air. The Improved-Ambient method uses specific ion fragments as markers to correct for molecular functionality-dependent systematic biases and reproduces known O : C (H : C) ratios of individual oxidized standards within 28% (13%) of the known molecular values. The error in Improved-Ambient O : C (H : C) values is smaller for theoretical standard mixtures of the oxidized organic standards, which are more representative of the complex mix of species present in ambient OA. For ambient OA, the Improved-Ambient method produces O : C (H : C) values that are 27% (11%) larger than previously published Aiken-Ambient values; a corresponding increase of 9% is observed for OM : OC values. These results imply that ambient OA has a higher relative oxygen content than previously estimated. The OSC values calculated for ambient OA by the two methods agree well, however (average relative difference of 0.06 OSC units). This indicates that OSC is a more robust metric of oxidation than O : C, likely since OSC is not affected by hydration or dehydration, either in the atmosphere or during analysis.

We assessed reported communication with HIV providers about reproductive plans among HIV+ men in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and factors associated with having had such communication. A total of N=311 HIV+ men (18–50 years) receiving HIV care at one of six public primary care clinics in Rio de Janeiro between 2008–2009 were surveyed. We used descriptive statistics, and multivariate logistic regression to identify factors associated with communication about childbearing with an HIV provider. HIV+ male patients (mean age=42.7 years, 57% mixed race; 23% bisexual, 51% married/committed partner, 61% with at least one biological child, 77% on ART) reported accepting attitudes of HIV and childbearing (51%), the desire (39%), and/or intention (19%) to have a future child, and reported communication with the HIV provider (14%) or their primary partner (28%) about having children. There were no significant differences between the responses of HIV+ heterosexual and bisexual men on the above outcomes. Men who discussed childbearing with their HIV provider were more likely to have accepting attitudes about HIV and childbearing [AOR 2.8, 95%CI (1.2–6.4), p=0.014], and intend to have a child [AOR 2.6, 95% CI (1.2–5.6), p=0.018], but less likely to have discussed this topic with their partner [AOR 0.32 (0.15–0.68), p=0.003]. Among men reporting communication, 40% (17/42) reported advice against having a child. An unmet need for collaborative, nonjudgmental, and provider-initiated communication about childbearing goals exists for HIV+ men in clinical care.

Stadieneinteilung, Behandlungsmöglichkeiten (operativ /konservativ), Therapiedauer, Nachbehandlung, Erfolgsaussichte[for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], 45. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft der Plastischen, Rekonstruktiven und Ästhetischen Chirurgen (DGPRÄC), 19. Jahrestagung der Vereinigung der Deutschen Ästhetisch-Plastischen Chirurgen (VDÄPC), 52. Jahrestagung der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Plastische, Ästhetische und Rekonstruktive Chirurgie (ÖGPRÄC)

Fragestellung: Beim Charcot Fuß kommt es häufig zu einem Einbruch im Bereich des Mittelfußes. Durch den durch den dislozierten Knochen hervorgerufenen Druck auf die umgebenden Weichteile sind Ulzerationen häufig die Folge. Die optimale Therapie, ob operativ oder konservativ, wird[for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], Deutscher Kongress für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie (DKOU 2013)

Vasculitis can lead to skin necrosis, which typically shows decayed recovery tendency and is able to lead to local as well as systemic inflammation. By repeated necrosectomy, vacuum therapy, split skin graft transplantation as well as simultaneous immunosuppression and systemic antibiotics, the cutaneous manifestations of vasculitis where cured.

Um die Korrosion von Stahl in Beton infolge Chlorideinwirkung zu ver- oder zumindest zu behindern, werden bisher vornehmlich in Nordamerika beachtliche Mengen epoxidharzbeschichteter Bewehrung (ECR) eingesetzt. Die Wirkungsweise und damit das Korrosionsschutzpotential von ECR werden in der Wissenschaft zum Teil kontrovers diskutiert. Im Jahr 1991 wurde diese Art des Korrosionsschutzes in einem deutschen Pilotprojekt an einer Brücke in Leverkusen erstmalig eingesetzt. Nicht zuletzt aufgrund fehlender Informationen über das Langzeitverhalten von ECR fand bisher kein nachhaltiger Technologietransfer nach Deutschland bzw. Europa statt. Die dargestellten Untersuchungsergebnisse im Zuge einer Bauwerksinspektion nach 21 Jahren Nutzungsdauer liefern einen entscheidenden Baustein zur quantitativen Bewertung des Korrosionsschutzpotentials epoxidharzbeschichteter Bewehrung.

Einleitung: Infektionen beim diabetischen Fuß sind neben der PAVK die Ursachen für die hohe Zahl von Amputationen. Am Rückfuß (RF) entstehen diese meist auf dem Boden eines Charcotfußes, indem nach spontanem Einbruch des Fußskeletts Knochenanteile auf die empfindungslose[for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], 127. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Chirurgie

Einleitung: In der BRD werden jährlich über 55.000 Amputationen hauptsächlich bei Diabetikern vorgenommen. Etwa die Hälfte der Amputationen ist durch Infektionen bedingt. Trotz der hohen Inzidenz, gibt es in der Literatur keine systematischen Abhandlungen zur Diagnostik und Therapie.[for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], 127. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Chirurgie

The service life of reinforced concrete structures strongly depends on the durability of the used materials. The reinforcement often deteriorates due to chloride-induced corrosion. Nowadays, fully probabilistic design models are available that allow prediction of service life of new structures as well as condition assessment of existing structures. The initiation time, i.e. the time span until the chloride content surrounding the reinforcement reaches a critical level below which depassivation takes place and the degradation period with active corrosion begins. At the point in time when the corrosion process is initiated, corroding areas can only be detected non-destructively with the aid of potential mapping measurements. Hereby, the spatial information gained in executing potential mapping can be used for updating the service life prediction with consideration of the spatial variability of the corrosion process. A more accurate condition assessment of the structure can therefore be provided. This paper presents a case study for spatial updating of the service life prediction with potential mapping.

Fragestellung: Die Charcotarthropathie des Fußes bietet eine Vielzahl von schwerwiegenden Behandlungsproblemen. Vor allem bei Beteiligung des Talus ist die Behandlung oft langwierig und unbefriedigend aufgrund seiner besonderen anatomischen und funktionellen Gegebenheiten in zentraler Position [for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], Deutscher Kongress für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie; 73. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Unfallchirurgie, 95. Tagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Orthopädie und Orthopädische Chirurgie, 50. Tagung des Berufsverbandes der Fachärzte für Orthopädie

Fragestellung: Die neuropathische Osteoarthropathie des Mittelfußes mit und ohne Infektion stellt ein schwerwiegendes Behandlungsproblem dar. Die fortschreitenden Skelettdestruktionen mit rezidivierenden Ulzera erschweren die Therapie und verschlechtern die Prognose des Extremitätenerhaltes.[for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], Deutscher Kongress für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie; 73. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Unfallchirurgie, 95. Tagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Orthopädie und Orthopädische Chirurgie, 50. Tagung des Berufsverbandes der Fachärzte für Orthopädie

Fragestellung: Tiefe Rückfußinfektionen sind eine typische Komplikation der Osteoarthropathie, des Charcotfußes. Nach Einbruch des Fußskeletts entstehen durch die dislozierten Knochenfragmente Druckulzerationen, die dann zu Eintrittspforten für Knochen-Weichteil-Infekte werden.[for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], Deutscher Kongress für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie; 73. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Unfallchirurgie, 95. Tagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Orthopädie und Orthopädische Chirurgie, 50. Tagung des Berufsverbandes der Fachärzte für Orthopädie

Investigation of an abnormally high incidence of respiratory and enteric disease was noted in a herd of spring born Angus calves of 1-3 months of age., American Association of Bovine Practitioners Proceedings of the Annual Conference, 2007