Predictors of age at diagnosis in autism spectrum disorders: the use of multiple regression analyses and a classification tree on a clinical sample.

The increasing prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has led to worldwide interest in factors influencing the age of ASD diagnosis. Parents or caregivers of 237 ASD children (193 boys, 44 girls) diagnosed using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) completed a simple descriptive questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the variable-centered multiple regression analysis and the person-centered classification tree method. We believed that the concurrent use of these two methods could produce robust results. The mean age at diagnosis was 5.8 ± 2.2 years (median 5.3 years). Younger ages for ASD diagnosis were predicted (using multiple regression analysis) by higher scores in the ADOS social domain, higher scores in ADOS restrictive and repetitive behaviors and interest domain, higher maternal education, and the shared household of parents. Using the classification tree method, the subgroup with the lowest mean age at diagnosis were children, in whom the summation of ADOS communication and social domain scores was ≥ 17, and paternal age at the delivery was ≥ 29 years. In contrast, the subgroup with the oldest mean age at diagnosis included children with summed ADOS communication and social domain scores < 17 and maternal education at the elementary school level. The severity of autism and maternal education played a significant role in both types of data analysis focused on age at diagnosis.

Colour Categorization and its Effect on Perception: A Conceptual Replication.

The presented study examines the question of colour categorization in relation to the hypothesis of linguistic relativity. The study is based on research conducted by Gilbert et al. (2006) and their claim that linguistic colour categorization in a particular language helps colour recognition and speeds the process of colour discrimination for colours from different linguistic categories but only for the right visual field. Our study approached the research question differently. We used the same methodology as Gilbert's team et al. (2006), but we used different colour categories in the Czech language and significantly enlarged the number of participants to 106 undergraduate psychology students. Our results show that the fastest reaction times were in trials when the target was located in the left visual field, quite opposite from the Gilbert's et al. (2006) study. We argue that this finding is based on different processes than simple colour linguistic categorisation and attentional processes actually play an important role in the task.

Nanocrystalline chloroxine possesses broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities and excellent skin tolerability in mice.

Background: Antimicrobial submicrometer particles are being studied as promising interventions against a wide range of skin conditions, such as fungal or bacterial infections. Aims: To submicronize chloroxine, the crystalline compound 5,7-dichloro-8-hydroxyquinoline, by nanoprecipitation and characterize the resulting assemblies. Methods: The chloroxine particles were stabilized by a nonionic surfactant and were studied by a broth microdilution assay against 20 medically important bacteria and fungi. The intervention was studied using a murine model of skin irritation. Results & conclusion: Chloroxine nanoparticles with a diameter of 600-800 nm exhibit good tolerability in terms of skin irritation in vivo and good antimicrobial activity. Thus, the fabricated formulation shows great promise for interventions for both cutaneous infection control and prophylaxis.

Item Analysis of the Czech Version of the WJ IV COG Battery from a Group of Romani Children.

The objective of the article is to present an item analysis of selected subtests of the Czech version of the WJ IV COG battery from a group of Romani children, ages 7-11. The research sample consisted of 400 school-aged Romani children from the Czech Republic who were selected by quota sampling. A partial comparative sample for the analysis was the Czech population collected as norms of the Czech edition of © Propsyco (n = 936). The Woodcock-Johnson IV COG was used as a research tool. Statistical analysis was performed in Winstep software using Differential Item Functioning; differences between groups were expressed in logits and tested via the Rasch-Welch T-test. It was discovered that higher item difficulty was noted in the verbal subtests, although variability in item difficulty was found across all subtests. The analysis of individual items makes it possible to discover which tasks are most culturally influenced.

Psychometric Properties of the Independent and Interdependent Self-Construal Questionnaire: Evidence From the Czech Republic.

This article introduces a validation study of the Czech version of an independent and interdependent self-construal questionnaire (SCS, Vignoles et al., 2016) conducted on 330 Czech subjects. In this study, the reliability, convergent validity and factor validity were verified. However, the confirmatory factor analysis revealed unsatisfactory factor structure (RMSEA = 0.053 [0.048, 0.057], SRMR = 0.080, CFI = 0.775, TLI = 0.755). These results are discussed with respect to other adaptations of individualism/collectivism scales in countries beyond typical West-East dichotomy. Hence, the article not only critically discusses the shortcoming of the Czech and original versions of the questionnaires, but also the general issues of the individualism-collectivism construct in the cross-cultural context as a whole.

γ-Butyrolactone Copolymerization with the Well-Documented Polymer Drug Carrier Poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone) to Fine-Tune Its Biorelevant Properties.

Polymeric drug carriers exhibit excellent properties that advance drug delivery systems. In particular, carriers based on poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone) are very useful in pharmacokinetics. In addition to their proven biocompatibility, there are several requirements for the efficacy of the polymeric drug carriers after internalization, e.g., nanoparticle behavior, cellular uptake, the rate of degradation, and cellular localization. The introduction of γ-butyrolactone units into the hydrophobic block enables the tuning of the abovementioned properties over a wide range. In this study, a relatively high content of γ-butyrolactone units with a reasonable yield of ≈60% is achieved by anionic ring-opening copolymerization using 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene as a very efficient catalyst in the nonpolar environment of toluene with an incorporated γ-butyrolactone content of ≈30%. The content of γ-butyrolactone units can be easily modulated according to the feed ratio of the monomers. This method enables control over the rate of degradation so that when the content of γ-butyrolactone increases, the rate of degradation increases. These findings broaden the application possibilities of polyester-polyether-based nanoparticles for biomedical applications, such as drug delivery systems.

Diffusion Tensor Imaging And Tractography In Autistic, Dysphasic, And Healthy Control Children.

BACKGROUND: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a powerful tool for investigating brain anatomical connectivity. The aim of our study was to compare brain connectivity among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), developmental dysphasia (DD), and healthy controls (HC) in the following tracts: the arcuate fasciculus (AF), inferior frontal occipital fasciculus (IFOF), inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), and uncinate fasciculus (UF). METHODS: Our sample consisted of 113 children with a mean age 8.7±2.2 years (77 boys, 36 girls), divided into three subgroups: ASD (n=39), DD (n=36), and HC (n=38). The International Classification of Diseases, 10th ed. was used to make clinical diagnoses. DTI images were collected using a 1.5 T Phillips Achieva MR imaging system. RESULTS: Detailed analyses of fractional anisotropy (FA) revealed significant differences among the ASD, DD, and HC groups in the left AF (p=0.014) and right AF (p=0.001), the left IFOF (p<0.001) and right IFOF (p<0.001), the left ILF (p<0.001) and right ILF (p<0.001), but not in the UF. Post-hoc analyses revealed three patterns of FA differences among the groups: (1) in the right AF, right IFOF, and right ILF, FA was significantly lower in the ASD group compared to the DD and HC groups; however, there was no difference in FA between DD and HC; (2) in the left AF and left IFOF, FA was significantly lower in the ASD than in the HC group, but there were no differences between DD vs HC nor DD vs ASD; and (3) in the left ILF, no difference in FA was seen between ASD and DD, but FA in both was significantly lower than in the HC. CONCLUSION: Microstructural white matter properties differed between ASD vs DD and HC subjects. The tract where FA impairment in ASD and DD subjects was the most similar was the left ILF.

Selectively Biodegradable Polyesters: Nature-Inspired Construction Materials for Future Biomedical Applications.

In the last half-century, the development of biodegradable polyesters for biomedical applications has advanced significantly. Biodegradable polyester materials containing external stimuli-sensitive linkages are favored in the development of therapeutic devices for pharmacological applications such as delivery vehicles for controlled/sustained drug release. These selectively biodegradable polyesters degrade after particular external stimulus (e.g., pH or redox potential change or the presence of certain enzymes). This review outlines the current development of biodegradable synthetic polyesters materials able to undergo hydrolytic or enzymatic degradation for various biomedical applications, including tissue engineering, temporary implants, wound healing and drug delivery.

Visual recognition memory for scenes in aerial photographs: Exploring the role of expertise.

Aerial photographs depict objects from an overhead position, which gives them several unusual visual characteristics that are challenging for viewers to perceive and memorize. However, even for untrained viewers, aerial photographs are still meaningful and rich with contextual information. Such visual stimulus properties are considered appropriate and important when testing for expertise effects in visual recognition memory. The current experiment investigated memory recognition in expert image analysts and untrained viewers using two types of aerial photographs. The experts were better than untrained viewers at recognizing both vertical aerial photographs, which is the domain of their expertise, and oblique aerial photographs. Thus, one notable finding is that the superior memory performance of experts is not limited to a domain of expertise but extends to a broader category of large-scale landscape scenes. Furthermore, the experts' recognition accuracy remained relatively stable throughout the experimental conditions, illustrating the ability to use semantic information over strictly visual information in memory processes.

Rifampicin Nanoformulation Enhances Treatment of Tuberculosis in Zebrafish.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the etiologic agent of tuberculosis, is an intracellular pathogen of alveolar macrophages. These cells avidly take up nanoparticles, even without the use of specific targeting ligands, making the use of nanotherapeutics ideal for the treatment of such infections. Methoxy poly(ethylene oxide)- block-poly(ε-caprolactone) nanoparticles of several different polymer blocks' molecular weights and sizes (20-110 nm) were developed and critically compared as carriers for rifampicin, a cornerstone in tuberculosis therapy. The polymeric nanoparticles' uptake, consequent organelle targeting and intracellular degradation were shown to be highly dependent on the nanoparticles' physicochemical properties (the cell uptake half-lives 2.4-21 min, the degradation half-lives 51.6 min-ca. 20 h after the internalization). We show that the nanoparticles are efficiently taken up by macrophages and are able to effectively neutralize the persisting bacilli. Finally, we demonstrate, using a zebrafish model of tuberculosis, that the nanoparticles are well tolerated, have a curative effect, and are significantly more efficient compared to a free form of rifampicin. Hence, these findings demonstrate that this system shows great promise, both in vitro and in vivo, for the treatment of tuberculosis.

Psychometric Properties of Screening Questionnaires for Children With Handwriting Issues.

Dysgraphia (D) is a complex specific learning disorder with a prevalence of up to 30%, which is linked with handwriting issues. The factors recognized for assessing these issues are legibility and performance time. Two questionnaires, the Handwriting Proficiency Screening Questionnaire (HPSQ) for teachers and its modification for children (HPSQ-C), were established as quick and valid screening tools along with a third factor - emotional and physical well-being. Until now, in the Czechia, there has been no validated screening tool for D diagnosis. A study was conducted on a set of 294 children from 3rd and 4th year of primary school (132 girls/162 boys; M age 8.96 ± 0.73) and 21 teachers who spent most of their time with them. Confirmatory factor analysis based on the theoretical background showed poor fit for HPSQ [χ2(32) = 115.07, p < 0.001; comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.95; Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.93; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.09; standard root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.05] and excellent fit for HPSQ-C [χ2(32) = 31.12, p = 0.51; CFI = 1.0; TLI = 1.0; RMSEA = 0.0; SRMR = 0.04]. For the HPSQ-C models, there were no differences between boys and girls [Δχ2(7) = 12.55, p = 0.08]. Values of McDonalds's ω indicate excellent (HPSQ, ω = 0.9) and acceptable (HPSQ-C, ω = 0.7) reliability. Boys were assessed as worse writers than girls based on the results of both questionnaires. The grades positively correlate with the total scores of both HPSQ (r = 0.54, p < 0.01) and HPSQ-C (r = 0.28, p < 0.01). Based on the results, for the assessment of handwriting difficulties experienced by Czech children, we recommend using the HPSQ-C questionnaire for research purposes.

A dual-fMRI investigation of the iterated Ultimatum Game reveals that reciprocal behaviour is associated with neural alignment.

Dyadic interactions often involve a dynamic process of mutual reciprocity; to steer a series of exchanges towards a desired outcome, both interactants must adapt their own behaviour according to that of their interaction partner. Understanding the brain processes behind such bidirectional reciprocity is therefore central to social neuroscience, but this requires measurement of both individuals' brains during real-world exchanges. We achieved this by performing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on pairs of male individuals simultaneously while they interacted in a modified iterated Ultimatum Game (iUG). In this modification, both players could express their intent and maximise their own monetary gain by reciprocating their partner's behaviour - they could promote generosity through cooperation and/or discourage unfair play with retaliation. By developing a novel model of reciprocity adapted from behavioural economics, we then show that each player's choices can be predicted accurately by estimating expected utility (EU) not only in terms of immediate payoff, but also as a reaction to their opponent's prior behaviour. Finally, for the first time we reveal that brain signals implicated in social decision making are modulated by these estimates of EU, and become correlated more strongly between interacting players who reciprocate one another.

Some children with autism have latent social skills that can be tested.

BACKGROUND: The idea of latent social skills in autism emerged as a possible interpretation of the rapid (but temporary) improvement of autistic subjects in oxytocin studies. We tested a hypothesis that a normal response to Item No 59 "Secure Base" from the third version of the Autism Diagnostic Interview - Revised (ADIR-59) could indicate the presence of latent social skills in autism. METHODS: We examined 110 autistic children (88 boys and 22 girls) with a mean age of 6.0±2.5 years (range: 2.2-14.8 years) using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) - Generic. A diagnosis of mental retardation was established in 68 autistic children (62%). RESULTS: The difference in the ADOS social domain between children aged ≤5 years on one side and children older than 5 years on the other side was significant in subjects with normal responses to ADIR-59 (9.60 vs 6.47; P=0.031) but not in those with abnormal responses to ADIR-59 (10.62 vs 9.63; P=0.537). In a predictive model, lower ADOS social domain scores were predicted by older age (P=0.001), lower scores on the ADIR-59 (P=0.01), and the absence of mental retardation (P=0.049). CONCLUSION: The results support the hypothesis that the normal response to item ADIR-59 "Secure Base" indicates the presence of latent social skills in autism that might foretell further social growth in older autistic subjects.

A possible role of the Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile in screening for autism: a proof-of-concept study in the specific sample of prematurely born children with birth weights <1,500 g.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to explore the potential of the Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile (ITSP) as a screening tool for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in prematurely born children. METHODS: Parents of 157 children with birth weights <1,500 g (aged 2 years, corrected for prematurity; 88 boys, 69 girls) completed a screening battery that included the ITSP, Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT), and the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile Infant-Toddler Checklist (CSBS-DP-ITC). Children with known disabilities were excluded. All the children who were screened positive on any of the screening tools subsequently underwent clinical examination including the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. RESULTS: We used classification trees to answer the question whether ITSP (or some of its subscales) could be combined with the M-CHAT and/or the CSBS-DP-ITC or its subscales into an effective ASD screening tool. Using the CSBS-DP-ITC, overall score, and the Sensation Seeking subscale of the ITSP, we obtained a screening tool that was able to identify all of the ASD children in our sample (confirmed by cross-validation). The proposed screening tool is scored as follows: 1) if the overall CSBS-DP-ITC value is <45.5, then the screening is positive; 2) if the overall CSBS-DP-ITC value is ≥45.5 and the z-score of the Sensation Seeking subscale of ITSP is ≥1.54, then the screening is positive; 3) otherwise, the screening is negative. CONCLUSION: The use of CSBS-DP-ITC in combination with the Sensation Seeking subscale of the ITSP improved the accuracy of autism screening in preterm children.

Déjà Vu Experiences in Healthy Czech Adults.

The study examines the prevalence of déjà vu in healthy Czech adults and explores its relationships with a number of variables: age, sex, neuroticism, depression, the degree of irritability in the limbic system, perceived stress, and finally attachment avoidance and anxiety. The participants were 365 healthy adults ranging from 18 to 70 years recruited in the Czech Republic (mean age = 29.05; SD = 11.17) who filled out online questionnaires. Déjà vu experiences were reported by 324 (88.8%) of them. Persons who experienced déjà vu were younger than the persons who had not experienced it. We found that sex, levels of neuroticism, depression, perceived stress, and attachment did not serve as predictors of experiences of déjà vu phenomena. Finally, those who had reported déjà vu experiences reported more limbic system irritability symptoms. We discuss the possibility that déjà vu reports together with other studied variables mainly reflect the participants' willingness to report "extraordinal" experiences.

What's the meaning of this? A behavioral and neurophysiological investigation into the principles behind the classification of visual emotional stimuli.

Two experiments were performed to investigate the principles by which emotional stimuli are classified on the dimensions of valence and arousal. In Experiment 1, a large sample of healthy participants rated emotional stimuli according to both broad dimensions. Hierarchical cluster analyses performed on these ratings revealed that stimuli were clustered according to their semantic content at the beginning of the agglomerative process. Example semantic themes include food, violence, nudes, death, and objects. Importantly, this pattern occurred in a parallel fashion for ratings on both dimensions. In Experiment 2, we investigated if the same semantic clusters were differentiated at the neurophysiological level. Intracerebral EEG was recorded from 18 patients with intractable epilepsy who viewed the same set of stimuli. Not only did electrocortical responses differentiate between these data-defined semantic clusters, they converged with the behavioral measurements to highlight the importance of categories associated with survival and reproduction. These findings provide strong evidence that the semantic content of affective material influences their classification along the broad dimensions of valence and arousal, and this principle of categorization exerts an effect on the evoked emotional response. Future studies should consider data-driven techniques rather than normative ratings to identify more specific, semantically related emotional images.

Investigating the effectiveness of working memory training in the context of Personality Systems Interaction theory.

Previous research has shown mixed results for the ability of working memory training to improve fluid intelligence. The aims of this study were first to replicate these improvements, and then to explore the moderating role of Personality Systems Interaction (PSI) personality factors. By using three different training methods and an active-contact control group, we examined the effects of 25 days of cognitive training on 142 participants. After examining our results in context of PSI theory, we found that different training methods yielded different IQ gains in participants, depending on their personality styles. In addition, these correlations suggested a meaningful pattern, indicating that PSI theory may be able to account for the different outcomes of cognitive training studies. Our findings may facilitate tailor-made cognitive training interventions in the future, and can contribute to explaining the mechanisms underlying the far transfer of working memory training to fluid intelligence.

Prediction accuracy measurements as a fitness function for software effort estimation.

This paper evaluates the usage of analytical programming and different fitness functions for software effort estimation. Analytical programming and differential evolution generate regression functions. These functions are evaluated by the fitness function which is part of differential evolution. The differential evolution requires a proper fitness function for effective optimization. The problem is in proper selection of the fitness function. Analytical programming and different fitness functions were tested to assess insight to this problem. Mean magnitude of relative error, prediction 25 %, mean squared error (MSE) and other metrics were as possible candidates for proper fitness function. The experimental results shows that means squared error performs best and therefore is recommended as a fitness function. Moreover, this work shows that analytical programming method is viable method for calibrating use case points method. All results were evaluated by standard approach: visual inspection and statistical significance.

It's all in the past: temporal-context effects modulate subjective evaluations of emotional visual stimuli, regardless of presentation sequence.

The aim of this study was to investigate if and how temporal context influences subjective affective responses to emotional images. To do so, we examined whether the subjective evaluation of a target image is influenced by the valence of its preceding image, and/or its overall position in a sequence of images. Furthermore, we assessed if these potentially confounding contextual effects can be moderated by a common procedural control: randomized stimulus presentation. Four groups of participants evaluated the same set of 120 pictures from the International Affective System (IAPS) presented in four different sequences. Our data reveal strong effects of both aspects of temporal context in all presentation sequences, modified only slightly in their nature and magnitude. Furthermore, this was true for both valence and arousal ratings. Subjective ratings of negative target images were influenced by temporal context most strongly across all sequences. We also observed important gender differences: females expressed greater sensitivity to temporal-context effects and design manipulations relative to males, especially for negative images. Our results have important implications for future emotion research that employs normative picture stimuli, and contributes to our understanding of context effects in general.