Search

Recently, Bayesian diagnostic classification modeling has been becoming popular in health psychology, education, and sociology. Typically information criteria are used for model selection when researchers want to choose the best model among alternative models. In Bayesian estimation, posterior predictive checking is a flexible Bayesian model evaluation tool, which allows researchers to detect Q‐matrix misspecification. However, model selection methods using posterior predictive checking (PPC) for Bayesian DCM are not well investigated. Thus, this research aims to propose a novel model selection approach using posterior predictive checking with limited‐information statistics for selecting the correct Q‐matrix. A simulation study was conducted to examine the performance of the proposed method. Furthermore, an empirical example was provided to illustrate how it can be used in real scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Although the Brief COPE is a widely used instrument to measure coping, its factor structure is understudied in young adults. The purpose of this article was to determine the psychometric properties of the dispositional version of the Brief COPE among young adults. Methods: Two hundred young adults completed the dispositional version of the Brief COPE. Measures of depression, anxiety, and stress tested predictive validity. Confirmatory factor analyses and exploratory structural equation modeling were conducted. Results: The final model achieved good fit (minimum discrepancy/degrees of freedom = 1.59; comparative fit index =.93; standardized root mean square residual =.07). Three second-order factors were identified: adaptive (α =.81), support (α = 78), and disengaged coping (α = 71). Adaptive and disengaged coping were differentially associated with mental health outcomes. Conclusions: The results are consistent with a growing body of evidence to support the construct validity of the Brief COPE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serology is an important way to monitor SARS-CoV-2 infection in the population and support vaccine development. Here the authors develop a multiplex immunoassay including spike and nucleocapsid proteins of SARS-CoV-2 and the endemic human coronaviruses with high specificity and sensitivity.

Phytoplankton account for a large proportion of global primary production and comprise a number of phylogenetically distinct lineages. Here, Uwizeye et al. use FIB-SEM to study ultrastructural plasticity of 7 distinct taxa and describe how subcellular organisation is linked to energy metabolism.

Temperature, an important factor in the ecological niche, determines the individual fitness, distribution and abundance of many spider species. Typically, spiders from different habitats have different thermal preferences, which vary depending on the season, time of day, and reproductive status. Selected temperatures may also depend on thermal acclimation of animals. The study aimed at determining preferred temperatures of females of two spider species, synanthropic Eratigena atrica and garden Araneus diadematus, exposed to low (14°C) and high (23°C) acclimation temperatures. The mean preferred temperature observed in a thermal gradient varied between the species: E. atrica selected 13.7 ± 1.0°C, while A. diadematus selected 22.5 ± 1.5°C, irrespective of the acclimation temperature. Accordingly, thermal niche overlaps between the species were significantly lower than predicted by the random distribution. E. atrica changed their thermal environment on average 12.8 ± 1.9 times during the test, which made them more mobile than A. diadematus, changing their thermal environment 2.7 ± 0.5 times. On the other hand, the thermal niche breadth of A. diadematus acclimated to warm temperature was wider than that of E. atrica. The female behaviour may be related to the selection of optimal conditions with regard to food availability (location for web construction), shelter and/or, in the case of E. atrica, embryonic development.

In the current paper, we propose a latent interdependence approach to modeling psychometric data in social networks. The idea of latent interdependence is adopted from social relations models (SRMs), which formulate a mutual-rating process by both dyad members’ characteristics. Under the framework of the latent interdependence approach, we introduce two psychometric models: The first model includes the main effects of both rating-sender and rating-receiver, and the second model includes a latent distance effect to assess the influence from the dissimilarity between the latent characteristics of both sides. The latent distance effect is quantified by the Euclidean distance between both sides’ trait scores. Both models use Bayesian estimation via Markov chain Monte Carlo. How accurately model parameters were estimated was evaluated in a simulation study. Parameter recovery results showed that all parameters were accurately recovered under most of the conditions investigated. As expected, the accuracy of model estimation was significantly improved as network size grew. Also, through analyzing empirical data, we showed how to use the estimates of model parameters to predict the latent weight of connections among group members and rebuild either a univariate or multivariate network at a latent trait level. Finally, we discuss issues regarding model comparison and offer suggestions for future studies.

Background Controversy exists over whether sex has significant interaction with revascularization strategy for unprotected left main coronary artery disease. Higher mortality has been reported among women treated with percutaneous coronary intervention compared with coronary artery bypass grafting. Methods and Results The DELTA (Drug‐Eluting Stents for Left Main Coronary Artery Disease) and DELTA‐2 registries are international, multicentric registries evaluating the outcomes of subjects undergoing coronary revascularization for unprotected left main coronary artery disease. The primary outcome was a composite of death, myocardial infarction, or cerebrovascular accidents. The population consisted of 6253 patients, including 1689 (27%) women. Women were older and more likely to have diabetes and chronic kidney disease than men (P

Deposition of human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP, also known as amylin) as islet amyloid is a characteristic feature of the pancreas in type 2 diabetes, contributing to increased β-cell apoptosis and reduced β-cell mass. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is active in islets and cleaves hIAPP. We investigated whether hIAPP fragments arising from MMP-9 cleavage retain the potential to aggregate and cause toxicity, and whether overexpressing MMP-9 in amyloid-prone islets reduces amyloid burden and the resulting β-cell toxicity. Synthetic hIAPP was incubated with MMP-9 and the major hIAPP fragments observed by MS comprised residues 1-15, 1-25, 16-37, 16-25, and 26-37. The fragments 1-15, 1-25, and 26-37 did not form amyloid fibrils in vitro and they were not cytotoxic when incubated with β cells. Mixtures of these fragments with full-length hIAPP did not modulate the kinetics of fibril formation by full-length hIAPP. In contrast, the 16-37 fragment formed fibrils more rapidly than full-length hIAPP but was less cytotoxic. Co-incubation of MMP-9 and fragment 16-37 ablated amyloidogenicity, suggesting that MMP-9 cleaves hIAPP 16-37 into non-amyloidogenic fragments. Consistent with MMP-9 cleavage resulting in largely non-amyloidogenic degradation products, adenoviral overexpression of MMP-9 in amyloid-prone islets reduced amyloid deposition and β-cell apoptosis. These findings suggest that increasing islet MMP-9 activity might be a strategy to limit β-cell loss in type 2 diabetes.

Many 21st century careers rely on geospatial skills; yet, curricula and professional development lag behind in incorporating these skills. As a result, many teachers have limited experience or preparation for teaching geospatial skills. One strategy for overcoming such problems is the creation of a student/teacher/scientist (STS) partnership within schools. This study investigated the extent to which the use of geospatial technologies (GST) within a STS partnership improved the geospatial skills and atmospheric science concept knowledge of high school and junior high school students who were primarily from high-needs schools. During the course of a 5 d summer institute, scientists who use GST in their research taught teachers how to use the geospatial technologies of remote sensing, geographic information systems, and global positioning systems. This phase was followed by instruction in standards-based activities, taught by a master teacher, which participating teachers could use to integrate GST in their curriculum. During the school year following the summer institute, teachers taught their students the use of the geospatial skills. Students then applied these skills to collect field data, which were shared with scientists. Instruction culminated in the preparation of individual inquiry-based student projects that were presented to scientists, fellow students, and community members at a mini-conference. The research methodology involved testing students before any instruction in GST and then retesting them twice: (1) once during the elaboration phase of instruction, subsequent to formal instruction and field data collection, and (2) again during the evaluation phase of instruction, after student engagement with their individual projects. Substantial gains were found from the pretest to the evaluation phase test in both geospatial skills and atmospheric concept knowledge. No interaction effects of gender and socioeconomic status were found.

Hopa Mountain's StoryMakers program is an innovative, research-based program for donating high quality young children's books to parents. Hopa Mountain is a nonprofit organization based in Bozeman, Montana. Hopa Mountain works with groups of rural and tribal citizen leaders who form StoryMakers Community Teams to talk one-on-one with local parents about the importance of reading, singing, and talking with their children on a daily basis and to provide them with children's books and early learning resource materials. Hopa Mountain conducted a parent survey to assess parent needs and satisfaction with the StoryMakers program. Results indicate a clear trend that parents are taking advantage of the availability of books and the program support to sing, talk, tell stories, and read books with their children. Overall, the reading increases indicate more interaction between parents and their children toward the development of relationships and intergenerational closure.

Abstract Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging has become an important technique for non-invasive diagnosis of takotsubo syndrome (TTS). The long-term prognostic value of CMR imaging in TTS has not been fully elucidated yet. This study sought to evaluate the prognostic value of texture analysis (TA) based on CMR images in patients with TTS using machine learning. In this multicenter study (InterTAK Registry), we investigated CMR imaging data of 58 patients (56 women, mean age 68 ± 12 years) with TTS. CMR imaging was performed in the acute to subacute phase (median time after symptom onset 4 days) of TTS. TA of the left ventricle was performed using free-hand regions-of-interest in short axis late gadolinium-enhanced and on T2-weighted (T2w) images. A total of 608 TA features adding the parameters age, gender, and body mass index were included. Dimension reduction was performed removing TA features with poor intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC ≤ 0.6) and those being redundant (correlation matrix with Pearson correlation coefficient r > 0.8). Five common machine-learning classifiers (artificial neural network Multilayer Perceptron, decision tree J48, NaïveBayes, RandomForest, and Sequential Minimal Optimization) with tenfold cross-validation were applied to assess 5-year outcome including major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). Dimension reduction yielded 10 TA features carrying prognostic information, which were all based on T2w images. The NaïveBayes machine learning classifier showed overall best performance with a sensitivity of 82.9% (confidence interval (CI) 80–86.2), specificity of 83.7% (CI 75.7–92), and an area-under-the receiver operating characteristics curve of 0.88 (CI 0.83–0.92). This proof-of-principle study is the first to identify unique T2w-derived TA features that predict long-term outcome in patients with TTS. These features might serve as imaging prognostic biomarkers in TTS patients.

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to identify lifestyle and psychosocial factors associated with maintenance of normal body mass index (BMI, 18.5–24.9 kg/m2). Undergraduate students (n = 2781; 7.1% response rate) at a Big Ten university responded to a survey in 2018. BMI was calculated from the reported weight and height at the time of the survey and upon entering the university. Logistic regression analyses examined lifestyle and psychosocial health factors associated with maintenance of normal BMI by academic year. Results Current BMI was within normal range for 68.8% of freshmen and 60.6% of seniors. Never consuming fast food was a significant predictor for maintaining normal BMI in sophomores (OR 3.78; 95% CI 1.61, 8.88; p

In den Kurzfilmen des Künstler-Duos Djurberg/Berg treten Plastilin-Puppen als Handelnde auf, die Nathalie Djurberg selbst gestaltet und durch das Stop-Motion-Verfahren animiert hat. Die Puppen in diesen stummen, nur mit Musikkreationen von Hans Berg unterlegten Filmen verweisen mit ihren anthropomorphen Körpern und menschlichen Eigenschaften als künstliche Menschen auf die menschliche Existenz. Der vorliegende Beitrag fragt nach den Spielarten des Menschlichen und seiner ästhetischen Inszenierung bei Djurberg/Berg. Mit Blick auf menschliche Identitäten folgen die Filmwelten unter Radikalisierung romantischer Motive und poetischer Strategien einer Ästhetik der permanenten Verunsicherung und führen dissoziierte, entgrenzte Welten und Bewohner vor.

Abstract Background There are limited data regarding the impact of bioresorbable polymer drug eluting stent (BP-DES) compared to durable polymer drug eluting stent (DP-DES) in patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention using ultrathin stents in left main or bifurcations. Methods In the RAIN registry (ClinicalTrials NCT03544294, june 2018 retrospectively registered) patients with a ULM or bifurcation stenosis treated with PCI using ultrathin stents (struts thinner than 81 μm) were enrolled. The primary endpoint was the rate of target lesion revascularization (TLR); major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE, a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, TLR and stent thrombosis) and its components, along with target vessel revascularization (TVR) were the secondary ones. A propensity score with matching analysis to compare patients treated with BP-DES versus DP-DES was also assessed. Results From 3001 enrolled patients, after propensity score analysis 1400 patients (700 for each group) were selected. Among them, 352 had ULM disease and 1048 had non-LM bifurcations. At 16 months (12–22), rates of TLR (3.7% vs 2.9%, p = 0.22) and MACE were similar (12.3% vs. 11.6%, p = 0.74) as well as for the other endpoints. Sensitivity analysis of outcomes after a two-stents strategy, showed better outcome in term of MACE (20.4% vs 10%, p = 0.03) and TVR (12% vs 4.6%, p = 0.05) and a trend towards lower TLR in patients treated with BP-DES. Conclusion In patients with bifurcations or ULM treated with ultrathin stents BP-DES seems to perform similarly to DP-DES: the trends toward improved clinical outcomes in patients treated with the BP-DES might potentially be of value for speculating the stent choice in selected high-risk subgroups of patients at increased risk of ischemic events. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03544294 . Retrospectively registered June 1, 2018.

The global pandemic of COVID-19 shifted the methodology of this research project. The purpose of this perspective article is to discuss the feasibility and challenges of converting an in-person mixed methods study that examined associations among and beliefs about physical activity, motor competence, and perceived competence to an online format with parents and children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recruitment was conducted through a University research registry, social media, and public listservs. All correspondence with participants was through email and secure platforms. Physical activity was assessed with accelerometers mailed to participants. Motor competence was assessed through participant-filmed trials of motor skills. Perceived competence was assessed with the Self-Perception Profile for Adults and Children delivered on Qualtrics. Semi- structured interviews to examine beliefs were conducted over Zoom. Approximately 200 families expressed interest in the study, 76 parent-child dyads consented and assented, and 61 parent-child dyads completed at least one component of the study. It is feasible to conduct online research that contributes to scientific knowledge and has potential advantages. However, various challenges need to be considered regarding the application of online research. These challenges included recruitment, the data collection process, and data quality. Future research needs to address these challenges by utilizing wide-reaching and diverse recruitment methods, easing participants' burden with technology, and developing motor competence and perceived competence assessments that can be administered online. The way research was conducted changed due to COVID-19 and adapting to and/or integrating online methods is both necessary and feasible, but modifications must be taken into consideration.

Okadaic acid (OA) is a marine biotoxin that is produced by algae and accumulates in filter-feeding shellfish, through which it enters the human food chain, leading to diarrheic shellfish poisoning (DSP) after ingestion. Furthermore, additional effects of OA have been observed, such as cytotoxicity. Additionally, a strong downregulation of the expression of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in the liver can be observed. The underlying mechanisms of this, however, remain to be examined. In this study, we investigated a possible underlying mechanism of the downregulation of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes and the nuclear receptors pregnane X receptor (PXR) and retinoid-X-receptor alpha (RXRα) by OA through NF-κB and subsequent JAK/STAT activation in human HepaRG hepatocarcinoma cells. Our data suggest an activation of NF-κB signaling and subsequent expression and release of interleukins, which then activate JAK-dependent signaling and thus STAT3. Moreover, using the NF-κB inhibitors JSH-23 and Methysticin and the JAK inhibitors Decernotinib and Tofacitinib, we were also able to demonstrate a connection between OA-induced NF-κB and JAK signaling and the downregulation of CYP enzymes. Overall, we provide clear evidence that the effect of OA on the expression of CYP enzymes in HepaRG cells is regulated through NF-κB and subsequent JAK signaling.

Deep generative learning cannot only be used for generating new data with statistical characteristics derived from input data but also for anomaly detection, by separating nominal and anomalous instances based on their reconstruction quality. In this paper, we explore the performance of three unsupervised deep generative models—variational autoencoders (VAEs) with Gaussian, Bernoulli, and Boltzmann priors—in detecting anomalies in multivariate time series of commercial-flight operations. We created two VAE models with discrete latent variables (DVAEs), one with a factorized Bernoulli prior and one with a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM) with novel positive-phase architecture as prior, because of the demand for discrete-variable models in machine-learning applications and because the integration of quantum devices based on two-level quantum systems requires such models. To the best of our knowledge, our work is the first that applies DVAE models to anomaly-detection tasks in the aerospace field. The DVAE with RBM prior, using a relatively simple—and classically or quantum-mechanically enhanceable—sampling technique for the evolution of the RBM’s negative phase, performed better in detecting anomalies than the Bernoulli DVAE and on par with the Gaussian model, which has a continuous latent space. The transfer of a model to an unseen dataset with the same anomaly but without re-tuning of hyperparameters or re-training noticeably impaired anomaly-detection performance, but performance could be improved by post-training on the new dataset. The RBM model was robust to change of anomaly type and phase of flight during which the anomaly occurred. Our studies demonstrate the competitiveness of a discrete deep generative model with its Gaussian counterpart on anomaly-detection problems. Moreover, the DVAE model with RBM prior can be easily integrated with quantum sampling by outsourcing its generative process to measurements of quantum states obtained from a quantum annealer or gate-model device.

Natural organic materials such as protein and carbohydrates are abundant in nature, renewable, and biodegradable, desirable for the construction of artificial synaptic devices for emerging neuromorphic computing systems with energy efficient operation and environmentally friendly disposal. These artificial synaptic devices are based on memristors or transistors with the memristive layer or gate dielectric formed by natural organic materials. The fundamental requirement for these synaptic devices is the ability to mimic the memory and learning behaviors of biological synapses. This paper reviews the synaptic functions emulated by a variety of artificial synaptic devices based on natural organic materials and provides a useful guidance for testing and investigating more of such devices.

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) are migratory fish that are highly valued for subsistence, sport, and commercial fisheries throughout their native range. Populations of Chinook salmon in western Alaska have exhibited long- term declines, leading to restrictions on harvests. Management priorities require greater resolution for genetic stock identification (GSI) than is available with current methods. We leveraged RADseq, TaqMan, and GT-seq data originating from multiple sources, collected through time, to develop a set of GT-seq panels containing 1092 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that improved GSI resolution in western Alaska for at-sea and in-river sampling. We generated a dense linkage map to ensure that markers selected for panels spanned the entire genome. In addition, we identified multiple RADseq markers that were associated with sex; these aligned to a 5-centimorgan (cM) region on the sex chromosome. Finally, we developed a bioinformatic pipeline to streamline analysis of GT-seq data that is capable of genotyping microhaplotypes and paralogs, both of which can improve GSI resolution over traditional single-SNP data. Our panels and pipeline provide tools for management agencies to rapidly and easily analyze large-scale genotyping projects. Les saumons quinnats (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) sont des poissons migrateurs de grande valeur pour les peches sportive, commerciale et de subsistance dans toute leur aire de repartition indigene. Les populations de saumons quinnats dans l'ouest de l'Alaska ont connu des declins a long terme, ce qui a entrame l'imposition de restrictions visant leur peche. Les priorites de gestion necessitent une meilleure resolution de l'identification genetique au stock (IGS) que ce que permettent les methodes actuelles. Nous avons tire parti de donnees produites par les methodes RADseq, TaqMan et GT-seq provenant de sources multiples, recueillies au fil du temps, pour mettre au point un ensemble de panneaux GT-seq contenant 1092 polymorphismes mononucleotidiques (SNPs) qui ont accru la resolution de l'IGS dans l'ouest de l'Alaska pour l'echantillonnage en mer et en riviere. Nous avons genere une carte de liaison dense pour verifier que les marqueurs selectionnes pour les panneaux couvraient l'ensemble du genome. Nous avons en outre cerne plusieurs marqueurs RADseq associes au sexe, ceux-ci s'alignant avec une region 5-centimorgan (cM) sur le chromosome sexuel. Enfin, nous avons developpe un pipeline bioinformatique pour rationaliser l'analyse des donnees GT-seq qui peut genotyper les microhaplotypes et paralogues, tous deux pouvant ameliorer la resolution de l'IGS par rapport aux donnees traditionnelles de SNP unique. Nos panneaux et pipelines fournissent aux organismes de gestion des outils pour analyser rapidement et facilement des projets de genotypage a grande echelle. [Traduit par la Redaction], Introduction Genomic data have become a central feature of management and conservation of fish populations (e.g., Bernatchez et al. 2017; Sylvester et al. 2017). Conservation applications enabled by genome-wide data [...]

This paper reports the results of a ten-year effort to establish ethics as a learning objective for all business students, to assess the effectiveness in achieving that learning objective and to incorporate ethical conduct as a part of the school's organizational culture. First, it addresses the importance of ethics instruction for all business students. Then curricular concerns are addressed, specifically the establishment of ethics as an overarching learning objective and ensuring adequate coverage of ethics throughout the curriculum. Next, assessment mechanisms are described to demonstrate improvement in student's moral judgment and moral courage, in achieving the ethics learning objective using pre-tests and post-tests. These tests validated the use of ethical vignettes/cases to improve ethical awareness and exposure and writing about moral exemplars to increase student resolve to have moral courage. Finally, the paper addresses ways to measure and improve the ethical climate of the organization (faculty and students).

Background This study sought to investigate the role of postprocedural troponin elevations in mortality prediction after transcatheter aortic valve implantation and to define the threshold at which clinically relevant postprocedure myocardial injury determines mortality. Methods and Results A total of 1333 consecutive patients with transcatheter aortic valve implantation with available postprocedural high‐sensitivity cardiac troponin T measurements were included in the analysis. The threshold at which postprocedure myocardial injury determines long‐term mortality was identified using restricted cubic spline analysis. A >18.3‐fold increase of troponin above the upper reference limit was identified as threshold for relevant postprocedure myocardial injury. Associations remained significant in a landmark analysis between 30 days and 2 years (hazard ratio [HR], 1.61, [95% CI, 1.13–2.28]; P=0.01), after adjusting for known confounders (adjusted HR, 1.90 [95% CI, 1.40–2.57]; P

Recent reports proposing a potential association of influenza virus infection with cardiovascular diseases like Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) warrant a literature review to elucidate the demographics, clinical presentation, and outcomes in these cases. A thorough literature search was performed until March 2020. We systematically discussed TTS cases reported following influenza infection or flu vaccination and related outcomes. Ten patients (7 women/3 men) were identified who displayed diagnostic and clinical signs of TTS after influenza infection or flu-like illness and influenza (flu) vaccination. Of 10 cases reviewed (mean age 77.0 ± 11.7 years), 7 (70%) were females, of whom 71.4% (n = 5) were above 60 years of age. Seven patients had influenza A, one patient had influenza B, and two patients had received a flu vaccination. Total 70% of cases reported the flu-like event as a triggering event for TTS and, all of them occurred within 5 days of symptoms onset or vaccination. The classical apical ballooning pattern, elevated cardiac enzymes, ST-segment/T-wave changes on electrocardiogram, and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction were present in a majority of the cases. Only one patient died during the course due to cardiac arrest whereas 6 cases (60%) reported at least one cardiopulmonary complication. Physicians should remain vigilant about an infrequent association of TTS and consequent cardiopulmonary complications in influenza virus infection especially in aged patients with prevalent cardiovascular risk factors. The overall prognosis of influenza-associated TTS while looks promising, there is a need for larger studies to find more conclusive evidence.