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How behavior arises from brain physiology has been one central topic of investigation in neuroscience. Considering the recent interest in predicting behavior from brain imaging using open datasets, there is the need for a principled approach to the categorization of behavioral variables. However, this is not trivial, as the definitions of psychological constructs and their relationships—their ontology—are not always clear. Here, we propose to use exploratory factor analysis (EFA) as a data-driven approach to find robust and interpretable domains of behavior in the Human Connectome Project (HCP) dataset. Additionally, we explore the clustering of behavioral variables using consensus clustering. We find that four and five factors offer the best description of the data, a result corroborated by the consensus clustering. In the four-factor solution, factors for Mental Health, Cognition, Processing Speed, and Substance Use arise. With five factors, Mental Health splits into Well-Being and Internalizing. Clustering results show a similar pattern, with clusters for Cognition, Processing Speed, Positive Affect, Negative Affect, and Substance Use. The factor structure is replicated in an independent dataset using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). We discuss how the content of the factors fits with previous conceptualizations of general behavioral domains.

Stepping away from traditional crash-based road safety measurements, several safety performance indicators (SPI) have been proposed in the past few years. SPI can incorporate quantitative and qualitative information on specific aspects that are known to have influence in the safety levels and, not only measure the influence of various safety interventions but also enable comparisons between different road systems. This paper presents the results of the application of a road network SPI to the entire Portuguese road network. This SPI aims at evaluating at the network level, if the connections between urban centres within a region are made by the adequate type of roads regarding generic safety criteria. To this end, the connections to be assessed were classified into pre-defined theoretical safety classes, based on the population of the connected urban centres. Then, the observed safety class of these connections was assessed according to the characteristics of their cross-section and associated road environment of the existing connection between the two urban centres. If the observed class is ensured by a road of higher or equal class than the pre-defined theoretical level in all its extension, the link is considered to be of the appropriate class. For each connection, the results of its evaluation are expressed as a binary value: 0 when the class is not appropriate; and 1 when it is appropriate. The evaluation results are weighted by the road length and aggregated by connection class and throughout the whole road network. The results show a satisfactory network configuration with an SPI of 94% connections with class equal to or higher than the adequate for the type of connection between urban centres they established. The above insights can help in the identification of potential operational inconsistencies that may require safety-related interventions and used for international benchmarks against existing SPI evaluations.

Background and purpose While favourable long-term outcomes have been reported in organ-confined prostate cancer treated with 5 × 7–8 Gy extreme hypofractionation, dose escalation to 5 × 9–10 Gy improved local control but was associated with unacceptable rates of late rectal and urinary toxicities. The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of intra-fractional prostate immobilization in reducing toxicity, to promote dose escalation with extreme hypofractionated radiotherapy in prostate cancer. Material and methods 207 patients received 5 consecutive fractions of 9 Gy. An air-inflated (150 cm3) endorectal balloon and an intraurethral Foley catheter with 3 beacon transponders were used to immobilize the prostate and monitor intra-fractional target motion. VMAT-IGRT with inverse dose-painting was employed in delivering the PTV dose and in sculpting exposure of normal organs at risk to fulfil dose-volume constraints. Results Introduction of air-filled balloon induced repeatable rectum/prostate complex migration from its resting position to a specific retropubic niche, affording the same 3D anatomical configuration daily. Intra-fractional target deviations ≤1 mm occurred in 95% of sessions, while target realignment in ≥2 mm deviations enabled treatment completion as scheduled. Nadir PSA at median 54 months follow-up was 0.19 ng/mL, and bRFS was 100%, 92.4% and 71.4% in low-, intermediate- and high-risk categories, respectively. Late Grade 2 GU and GI toxicities were 2.9% and 2.4%, respectively. No adverse changes in patient-reported quality of life scores were observed. Conclusion The unique spatial configuration of this prostate motion mitigation protocol enabled precise treatment planning and delivery that optimized outcomes of ultra-high 5 × 9 Gy hypofractionated radiotherapy of organ-confined prostate cancer.

DCoH and DCoHalpha are bifunctional proteins that function as 4a-hydroxytetrahydrobiopterin dehydratases and as coactivators of HNF1alpha-dependent transcription. Although these isoforms share sequence and structural similarity and equivalent enzyme activities, DCoH is a hyperstable tetramer whereas DCoHalpha readily forms dimers. Differences in quaternary structure affect the formation of the DCoH(alpha):HNF1alpha complex. Because the interface used to bind HNF1alpha is masked in tetrameric DCoH, the DCoH:HNF1alpha complex is only formed in vivo, presumably by co-translational folding. Conversely, the DCoHalpha:HNF1alpha complex readily forms in vitro. We identified residues in DCoHalpha that differed from those in the dimer-dimer interface of tetrameric DCoH. Mutating these residues altered the quaternary state and concomitantly the ability of the mutated proteins to affect HNF1alpha-dependent DNA binding. Our results indicate that three residues, Asn61, Gln45, and Lys98 in DCoHalpha play a role in oligomeric flexibility, which enables DCoHalpha to more readily interact with HNF1alpha and increase DNA binding.