Examining the impact of prenatal maternal internalizing symptoms and socioeconomic status on children's frontal alpha asymmetry and psychopathology.

Prenatal maternal internalizing psychopathology (depression and anxiety) and socioeconomic status (SES) have been independently associated with higher risk for internalizing and externalizing problems in children. However, the pathways behind these associations are not well understood. Numerous studies have linked greater right frontal alpha asymmetry to internalizing problems; however, findings have been mixed. Several studies have also linked maternal internalizing psychopathology to children's frontal alpha asymmetry. Additionally, emerging studies have linked SES to children's frontal alpha asymmetry. To date, only a limited number of studies have examined these associations within a longitudinal design, and the majority have utilized relatively small samples. The current preregistered study utilizes data from a large prospective study of young children (N = 415; Meanage  = 7.27 years; Rangeage  = 5-11 years) to examine the association between prenatal maternal internalizing symptoms, children's frontal alpha asymmetry, and behavior problems. Prenatal maternal internalizing symptoms did not predict children's frontal alpha asymmetry, and there was no association between frontal alpha asymmetry and behavior problems. However, mothers' internalizing symptoms during pregnancy predicted children's internalizing and externalizing outcomes. Non-preregistered analyses showed that lower prenatal maternal SES predicted greater child right frontal alpha asymmetry and internalizing problems. Additional non-preregistered analyses did not find evidence for frontal alpha asymmetry as a moderator of the relation between prenatal maternal internalizing psychopathology and SES to children's behavior problems. Future research should examine the impact of SES on children's frontal alpha asymmetry in high-risk samples.

Maternal education prospectively predicts child neurocognitive function: An environmental influences on child health outcomes study.

A large body of research has established a relation between maternal education and children's neurocognitive functions, such as executive function and language. However, most studies have focused on early childhood and relatively few studies have examined associations with changes in maternal education over time. Consequently, it remains unclear if early maternal education is longitudinally related to neurocognitive functions in children, adolescents, and young adults. In addition, the associations between changes in maternal education across development and more broadly defined neurocognitive outcomes remain relatively untested. The current study leveraged a large multicohort sample to examine the longitudinal relations between perinatal maternal education and changes in maternal education during development with children's, adolescents', and young adults' neurocognitive functions (N = 2,688; Mage = 10.32 years; SDage = 4.26; range = 3-20 years). Moreover, we examined the differential effects of perinatal maternal education and changes in maternal education across development on executive function and language performance. Perinatal maternal education was positively associated with children's later overall neurocognitive function. This longitudinal relation was stronger for language than executive function. In addition, increases in maternal education were related to improved language performance but were not associated with executive functioning performance. Our findings support perinatal maternal education as an important predictor of neurocognitive outcomes later in development. Moreover, our results suggest that examining how maternal education changes across development can provide important insights that can help inform policies and interventions designed to foster neurocognitive development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Investigation of optimized observation periods for estimating a representative home range of free-roaming domestic dogs.

Free-roaming domestic dogs (FRDD), as vectors of zoonotic diseases, are of high relevance for public health. Understanding roaming patterns of dogs can help to design disease control programs and disease transmission simulation models. Studies on GPS tracking of dogs report stark differences in recording periods. So far, there is no accepted number of days required to capture a representative home range (HR) of FRDD. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in HR size and shape over time of FRDD living in Chad, Guatemala, Indonesia and Uganda and identify the period required to capture stable HR values. Dogs were collared with GPS units, leading to a total of 46 datasets with, at least, 19 recorded days. For each animal and recorded day, HR sizes were estimated using the Biased Random Bridge method and percentages of daily change in size and shape calculated and taken as metrics. The analysis revealed that the required number of days differed substantially between individuals, isopleths, and countries, with the extended HR (95% isopleth value) requiring a longer recording period. To reach a stable HR size and shape values for 75% of the dogs, 26 and 21 days, respectively, were sufficient. However, certain dogs required more extended observational periods.

Effect of Vancomycin Applied to the Surgical Site on Fracture Healing in a Diabetic Rat Model.

BACKGROUND: Prophylactic vancomycin treatment decreases the prevalence of surgical site and deep infections by >70% in diabetic patients undergoing reconstructive foot and ankle surgery. Thus, determining whether clinically relevant local vancomycin doses affect diabetic fracture healing is of medical interest. We hypothesized that application of vancomycin powder to the fracture site during surgery would not affect healing outcomes, but continuous exposure of vancomycin would inhibit differentiation of osteoblast precursor cells and their osteogenic activity in vitro. METHODS: The vancomycin dose used to treat the diabetic rats was a modest increase to routine surgical site vancomycin application of 1 to 2 g for a 70-kg adult (21 mg/kg). After femur fracture in BB-Wistar type 1 diabetic rats, powdered vancomycin (25 mg/kg) was administered to the fracture site. Bone marrow and periosteal cells isolated from diabetic bones were cultured and treated with increasing levels of vancomycin (0, 5, 50, 500, or 5000 µg/mL). RESULTS: Radiographic scoring, micro-computed tomography (µCT) analysis, and torsion mechanical testing failed to identify any statistical difference between the vancomycin-treated and the untreated fractured femurs 6 weeks postfracture. Low to moderate levels of vancomycin treatment (5 and 50 µg/mL) did not impair cell viability, osteoblast differentiation, or calcium deposition in either the periosteum or bone marrow-derived cell cultures. In contrast, high doses of vancomycin (5000 µg/mL) did impair viability, differentiation, and calcium deposition. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In this diabetic rodent fracture model, vancomycin powder application at clinically relevant doses did not affect fracture healing or osteogenesis.

A diagnostic model for overweight and obesity from untargeted urine metabolomics of soldiers.

Soldiers in active military service need optimal physical fitness for successfully carrying out their operations. Therefore, their health status is regularly checked by army doctors. These inspections include physical parameters such as the body-mass index (BMI), functional tests, and biochemical studies. If a medical exam reveals an individual's excess weight, further examinations are made, and corrective actions for weight lowering are initiated. The collection of urine is non-invasive and therefore attractive for frequent metabolic screening. We compared the chemical profiles of urinary samples of 146 normal weight, excess weight, and obese soldiers of the Mexican Army, using untargeted metabolomics with liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-MS). In combination with data mining, statistical and metabolic pathway analyses suggest increased S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) levels and changes of amino acid metabolites as important variables for overfeeding. We will use these potential biomarkers for the ongoing metabolic monitoring of soldiers in active service. In addition, after validation of our results, we will develop biochemical screening tests that are also suitable for civil applications.

Mobile Health Tobacco Cessation Interventions to Promote Health Equity: Current Perspectives.

Although US tobacco use trends show overall improvement, social disadvantage continues to drive significant disparities. Traditional tobacco cessation interventions and public policy initiatives have failed to equitably benefit socially-disadvantaged populations. Advancements in mobile digital technologies have created new opportunities to develop resource-efficient mobile health (mHealth) interventions that, relative to traditional approaches, have greater reach while still maintaining comparable or greater efficacy. Their potential for affordability, scalability, and efficiency gives mHealth tobacco cessation interventions potential as tools to help redress tobacco use disparities. We discuss our perspectives on the state of the science surrounding mHealth tobacco cessation interventions for use by socially-disadvantaged populations. In doing so, we outline existing models of health disparities and social determinants of health (SDOH) and discuss potential ways that mHealth interventions might be optimized to offset or address the impact of social determinants of tobacco use. Because smokers from socially-disadvantaged backgrounds face multi-level barriers that can dynamically heighten the risks of tobacco use, we discuss cutting-edge mHealth interventions that adapt dynamically based on context. We also consider complications and pitfalls that could emerge when designing, evaluating, and implementing mHealth tobacco cessation interventions for socially-disadvantaged populations. Altogether, this perspective article provides a conceptual foundation for optimizing mHealth tobacco cessation interventions for the socially-disadvantaged populations in greatest need.

Polarization inhibits the phase transition of Axelrod's model.

We study the effect of polarization in Axelrod's model of cultural dissemination. This is done through the introduction of a cultural feature that takes only two values, while the other features can present a larger number of possible traits. Our numerical results and mean-field approximations show that polarization reduces the characteristic phase transition of the original model to a finite-size effect, since at the thermodynamic limit only the ordered phase is present. Furthermore, for finite system sizes, the stationary state depends on the percolation threshold of the network where the model is implemented: a polarized phase is obtained for percolation thresholds below 1/2, and a fragmented multicultural one otherwise.

Predictors of free-roaming domestic dogs' contact network centrality and their relevance for rabies control.

Free roaming domestic dogs (FRDD) are the main vectors for rabies transmission to humans worldwide. To eradicate rabies from a dog population, current recommendations focus on random vaccination with at least 70% coverage. Studies suggest that targeting high-risk subpopulations could reduce the required vaccination coverage, and increase the likelihood of success of elimination campaigns. The centrality of a dog in a contact network can be used as a measure of its potential contribution to disease transmission. Our objectives were to investigate social networks of FRDD in eleven study sites in Chad, Guatemala, Indonesia and Uganda, and to identify characteristics of dogs, and their owners, associated with their centrality in the networks. In all study sites, networks had small-world properties and right-skewed degree distributions, suggesting that vaccinating highly connected dogs would be more effective than random vaccination. Dogs were more connected in rural than urban settings, and the likelihood of contacts was negatively correlated with the distance between dogs' households. While heterogeneity in dog's connectedness was observed in all networks, factors predicting centrality and likelihood of contacts varied across networks and countries. We therefore hypothesize that the investigated dog and owner characteristics resulted in different contact patterns depending on the social, cultural and economic context. We suggest to invest into understanding of the sociocultural structures impacting dog ownership and thus driving dog ecology, a requirement to assess the potential of targeted vaccination in dog populations.

Comparative Study of Free-Roaming Domestic Dog Management and Roaming Behavior Across Four Countries: Chad, Guatemala, Indonesia, and Uganda.

Dogs play a major role in public health because of potential transmission of zoonotic diseases, such as rabies. Dog roaming behavior has been studied worldwide, including countries in Asia, Latin America, and Oceania, while studies on dog roaming behavior are lacking in Africa. Many of those studies investigated potential drivers for roaming, which could be used to refine disease control measures. However, it appears that results are often contradictory between countries, which could be caused by differences in study design or the influence of context-specific factors. Comparative studies on dog roaming behavior are needed to better understand domestic dog roaming behavior and address these discrepancies. The aim of this study was to investigate dog demography, management, and roaming behavior across four countries: Chad, Guatemala, Indonesia, and Uganda. We equipped 773 dogs with georeferenced contact sensors (106 in Chad, 303 in Guatemala, 217 in Indonesia, and 149 in Uganda) and interviewed the owners to collect information about the dog [e.g., sex, age, body condition score (BCS)] and its management (e.g., role of the dog, origin of the dog, owner-mediated transportation, confinement, vaccination, and feeding practices). Dog home range was computed using the biased random bridge method, and the core and extended home range sizes were considered. Using an AIC-based approach to select variables, country-specific linear models were developed to identify potential predictors for roaming. We highlighted similarities and differences in term of demography, dog management, and roaming behavior between countries. The median of the core home range size was 0.30 ha (95% range: 0.17-0.92 ha) in Chad, 0.33 ha (0.17-1.1 ha) in Guatemala, 0.30 ha (0.20-0.61 ha) in Indonesia, and 0.25 ha (0.15-0.72 ha) in Uganda. The median of the extended home range size was 7.7 ha (95% range: 1.1-103 ha) in Chad, 5.7 ha (1.5-27.5 ha) in Guatemala, 5.6 ha (1.6-26.5 ha) in Indonesia, and 5.7 ha (1.3-19.1 ha) in Uganda. Factors having a significant impact on the home range size in some of the countries included being male dog (positively), being younger than one year (negatively), being older than 6 years (negatively), having a low or a high BCS (negatively), being a hunting dog (positively), being a shepherd dog (positively), and time when the dog was not supervised or restricted (positively). However, the same outcome could have an impact in a country and no impact in another. We suggest that dog roaming behavior is complex and is closely related to the owner's socioeconomic context and transportation habits and the local environment. Free-roaming domestic dogs are not completely under human control but, contrary to wildlife, they strongly depend upon humans. This particular dog-human bound has to be better understood to explain their behavior and deal with free-roaming domestic dogs related issues.

Zinc chloride affects chondrogenesis via VEGF signaling.

Insulin mimetics, including zinc containing compounds, have previously been shown to influence chondrogenesis as it relates to healing of fractures in various preclinical models. However, the mechanism by which these compounds drive chondrogenic differentiation is yet undefined. Here, via next-generation sequencing (NGS) and in vitro functional validation, we show that Zinc Chloride (ZnCl2) induces expression of both chondrogenic genes (Sox9, Runx1, collagen) as well as genes associated with VEGF-mediated signal transduction, including VEGF receptors 1 and 2 and their ligands; VEGF-A and VEGF-B. Noticeably, although insulin was able to also induce expression of these pro-angiogenic and pro-chondrogenic genes, the impact of insulin on expression of VEGF receptor and ligand genes was marginal when compared to that of ZnCl2. Furthermore, while the VEGFR antagonist, Axitinib, was able to attenuate the pro-chondrogenic effects of both insulin and ZnCl2; a reduction in gene and protein expression was most profoundly observed when the antagonist was applied to cells treated with ZnCl2. Taken together, these data suggest an important role for the VEGF-mediated signal transduction pathways in the positive effects observed when applying zinc-based compounds as adjuvants for chondrogenesis-mediated fracture healing. In this regard, further mechanistic evaluation of ZnCl2 and other zinc-containing insulin mimetics may support rational design of therapies targeted for disease indications associated with impaired fracture healing.

Estimation of free-roaming domestic dog population size: Investigation of three methods including an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) based approach.

Population size estimation is performed for several reasons including disease surveillance and control, for example to design adequate control strategies such as vaccination programs or to estimate a vaccination campaign coverage. In this study, we aimed at investigating the possibility of using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to estimate the size of free-roaming domestic dog (FRDD) populations and compare the results with two regularly used methods for population estimations: foot-patrol transect survey and the human: dog ratio estimation. Three studies sites of one square kilometer were selected in Petén department, Guatemala. A door-to-door survey was conducted in which all available dogs were marked with a collar and owner were interviewed. The day after, UAV flight were performed twice during two consecutive days per study site. The UAV's camera was set to regularly take pictures and cover the entire surface of the selected areas. Simultaneously to the UAV's flight, a foot-patrol transect survey was performed and the number of collared and non-collared dogs were recorded. Data collected during the interviews and the number of dogs counted during the foot-patrol transects informed a capture-recapture (CR) model fit into a Bayesian inferential framework to estimate the dog population size, which was found to be 78, 259, and 413 in the three study sites. The difference of the CR model estimates compared to previously available dog census count (110 and 289) can be explained by the fact that the study population addressed by the different methods differs. The human: dog ratio covered the same study population as the dog census and tended to underestimate the FRDD population size (97 and 161). Under the conditions within this study, the total number of dogs identified on the UAV pictures was 11, 96, and 71 for the three regions (compared to the total number of dogs counted during the foot-patrol transects of 112, 354 and 211). In addition, the quality of the UAV pictures was not sufficient to assess the presence of a mark on the spotted dogs. Therefore, no CR model could be implemented to estimate the size of the FRDD using UAV. We discussed ways for improving the use of UAV for this purpose, such as flying at a lower altitude in study area wisely chosen. We also suggest to investigate the possibility of using infrared camera and automatic detection of the dogs to increase visibility of the dogs in the pictures and limit workload of finding them. Finally, we discuss the need of using models, such as spatial capture-recapture models to obtain reliable estimates of the FRDD population. This publication may provide helpful directions to design dog population size estimation methods using UAV.

Intergenerational Transmission of Frontal Alpha Asymmetry Among Mother-Infant Dyads.

BACKGROUND: Frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) is a well-established neurobiological indicator of depression risk. Reduced FAA relates to current and remitted depression in adults and is seen in offspring of mothers with depression as young as 3 months of age, suggesting a potentially transmittable mechanism of depression risk. It is unclear, however, whether direct familial associations exist for FAA. To address this gap, we evaluated the intergenerational transmission of FAA in a nonclinical cohort of mother-infant dyads. METHODS: Mothers and their 12-month-old infants (n = 34 dyads) completed parallel resting-state tasks while electroencephalography was recorded. We measured FAA across a range of putative frequency bands and calculated its reliability in mothers and infants. Finally, we evaluated the heritability of FAA based on the parent-offspring correlation. RESULTS: Mother and infant FAA convergence was strongest in the high alpha range for mothers (11-13 Hz) and broad alpha range for infants (6-9 Hz). Mother high FAA exhibited excellent split-half reliability (rSB = .99) and internal consistency after 80 seconds (α = .90); infant FAA exhibited good split-half reliability (rSB = .81) and fair internal consistency after 70 seconds (α = .74). Mother-infant FAA were moderately correlated (r = .41), which indicates narrow-sense heritability of up to 82%. CONCLUSIONS: FAA can be assessed reliably and relatively quickly in both adults and infants. There is a robust association of FAA between mothers and their infants, supporting intergenerational transmission. This finding is consistent with the possibility that reduced FAA may directly confer depression risk at the individual-family level.

Analyzing a networked social algorithm for collective selection of representative committees.

A recent work (Hernández, et al., 2018) introduced a networked voting rule supported by a trust-based social network, where indications of possible representatives were based on individuals opinions. Individual contributions went beyond a simple vote-counting and were based on proxy voting. This mechanism selects committees with high levels of representativeness, weakening the possibility of patronage relations. By incorporating the integrity of individuals and its perception, we here address the question of the resulting committee's trustability. Our results show that this voting rule provides sufficiently small committees with high levels of representativeness and integrity. Furthermore, the voting system displays robustness to strategic and untruthful application of the voting algorithm.

Bacteriemias en la unidad de cuidados intensivos / Bacteremia in the intensive care unit

Introducción: La bacteriemia es la infección caracterizada por la presencia de bacterias en la sangre, fenómeno frecuente en el medio hospitalario y más en las unidades de cuidados intensivos. Objetivo: Determinar las características clínicas y epidemiológicas de pacientes con bacteriemias en la unidad de cuidados intensivos. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo, en la unidad de cuidados intensivos del Hospital Militar Central "Dr. Carlos J. Finlay", durante los años 2016 y 2017. De 397 pacientes con bacteriemia, fueron incluidos quienes tenían 18 años o más de edad, con ingreso en cuidados intensivos durante 48 horas o más y con hemocultivos positivos. Resultados: Hemocultivos; resultaron positivos 143 (5,75 por ciento). Pacientes: el 37,1 por ciento resultó mayor de 60 años. Fueron bacteriemias secundarias el 87,41 por ciento, el foco de infección más frecuente fue el catéter venoso central (44,05 por ciento) y el sistema respiratorio (40,55 por ciento). Los gérmenes que crecieron en los hemocultivos fueron Estafilococo coagulasa positivo (23,77 por ciento) seguido del Acinetobacter (16,78 por ciento). Fueron monomicrobianos 103 cultivos y 40 polimicrobianos. Hubo shock séptico en 54 pacientes (37,76 por ciento) y fallecieron 47. La mortalidad global fue de 32,86 por ciento. Conclusiones: La incidencia de bacteriemias secundarias fue superior a las primarias, así como las monomicrobianas sobre las polimicrobianas. El foco de infección más frecuente fue el sistema respiratorio y los factores de riesgo presentes fueron: nutrición parenteral, diabetes mellitus, neoplasia y edad superior a los 60 años. El germen más frecuente fue el estafilococo coagulasa positivo. La incidencia de shock séptico y la mortalidad fueron elevadas(AU)

Introduction: Bacteremia is the infection characterized by the presence of bacteria in the blood, a frequent phenomenon in the hospital environment and more in the intensive care units. Objective: To determine the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients with bacteremia in the intensive care unit. Method: Descriptive study in the intensive care unit of the Central Military Hospital "Dr. Carlos J. Finlay ", during the years 2016 and 2017. Of 397 patients with bacteremia, those aged 18 years and over were included, admitted to intensive care for 48 hours or more and with positive blood cultures. Results: 143 blood cultures (5.75 percent) were positive; 37.1 percent of the patients were older than 60 years. Secondary bacteremia was 87.41%, the most common source of infection was the central venous catheter (44.05 percent) and the respiratory system (40.55 percent). Germs that grew in blood cultures: positive coagulase staphylococcus (23.77 percent) followed by Acinetobacter (16.78 percent); 103 cultures were monomicrobial and 40 polymicrobial. There was septic shock in 54 patients (37.76 percent) and 47 died. The overall mortality was 32.86 percent. Conclusions: The incidence of secondary bacteremia was higher than the primary, as well as the monomicrobial over the polymicrobial. The most frequent source of infection was the respiratory system and the risk factors present were: parenteral nutrition, diabetes mellitus, neoplasia and age over 60 years. Staphylococcus coagulase positive was the most frequent germ. The incidence of septic shock and mortality were high(AU)

Hallazgos de la ecoencefalografía transfontanelar en niños con fontanela anterior abierta y factores de riesgo asociados / Findings of trans-fontanel echography in children with open fontanel and associated risk factors

Fundamento: el uso del ultrasonido en pediatría favorece el diagnóstico primario de algunas enfermedades. El ultrasonido transfontanelar es el más usado para detectar alteraciones intracraneales.Objetivo: identificar tipo de hallazgo ultrasonográfico en niños con fontanela anterior abierta y factores de riesgo asociados. Métodos: estudio descriptivo realizado en el Hospital Pediátrico de Cienfuegos de enero de 2014 a enero de 2015. Se incluyeron todos los pacientes con fontanela anterior abierta e indicación de ultrasonido transfontanelar. Se analizaron: edad del niño, sexo, edad materna, complicaciones del embarazo, tipo de parto, complicaciones al nacimiento, variantes anatómicas intracerebrales y malformaciones intracerebrales. Resultados: se estudiaron 221 pacientes entre uno y 24 meses con una media de cuatro meses; el 59,3 % masculinos; existieron alteraciones ultrasonográficas en el 21,3 % (66 % masculinos). La asimetría ventricular estuvo como variante anatómica más frecuente (6,8 %) seguida de macrocefalia benigna (5,9 %) y cavum septum pellucidum (4,1 %). La principal malformación fue la mega cisterna magna (1,4 %) seguida del quiste del tercer ventrículo (0,9 %) y del quiste subependimario (0, 5 %). El parto distócico y la hipertensión arterial en la madre, la prematuridad y la enfermedad hipóxico isquémica en el niño, fueron los factores de riesgo más observados. Conclusiones: la ultrasonografía cerebral es un método útil, no invasivo y de fácil interpretación para la determinación precoz de entidades nosológicas en el infante, mientras permanece abierta su fontanela anterior. La interacción de factores de riesgo tanto maternos como en el niño incide en la aparición de malformaciones intracerebrales.

Foundation: the use of ultrasound in pediatrics favors the primary diagnosis of some diseases. Trans-fontanel ultrasound is the most used to detect intracranial disturbances. Objective: to identify the type of ultrasound finding in children with open front fontanel and associated risk factors. Methods: decriptive study realized at the Pediatric Hospital of Cienfuegos from January 2014 to January 2015. All patients with open front fontanel and indicated trans-fontanel ultrasound were included. Children´s age and sex were analyzed and mother´s age, pregnancy complications, type of delivery and its complications, anatomic intracerebral variants and malformations as well. Results: 221 patients were studied between 1 and 24 months old with a mean of four months; 59.3% were male; ultrasonography disturbances in 21,3% (66% male). Ventricular Asymmetry was the most frequent anatomic variant. (6.8%) followed by benign macro-cephalic (5.9 %) and cavum septum pellucidum (4,1 %). The main malformation was mega cisterna magna (1,4 %) followed by subependymal cyst (0, 5 %). Dystocic delivery and maternal arterial hypertension, prematurity and hypoxic ischemic disease were the most frequently observed risk factors. Conclusion: brain ultrasonography is a useful, non-invasive method of easy interpretation for the early determination of nosology conditions of children, while the front fontanel is still opened. The interaction of risk factors in the mother so as in the child influence in the appearance of intra-cerebral malformations.

A networked voting rule for democratic representation.

We introduce a general framework for exploring the problem of selecting a committee of representatives with the aim of studying a networked voting rule based on a decentralized large-scale platform, which can assure a strong accountability of the elected. The results of our simulations suggest that this algorithm-based approach is able to obtain a high representativeness for relatively small committees, performing even better than a classical voting rule based on a closed list of candidates. We show that a general relation between committee size and representatives exists in the form of an inverse square root law and that the normalized committee size approximately scales with the inverse of the community size, allowing the scalability to very large populations. These findings are not strongly influenced by the different networks used to describe the individuals' interactions, except for the presence of few individuals with very high connectivity which can have a marginal negative effect in the committee selection process.

Species identification in forensic samples using the SPInDel approach: A GHEP-ISFG inter-laboratory collaborative exercise.

DNA is a powerful tool available for forensic investigations requiring identification of species. However, it is necessary to develop and validate methods able to produce results in degraded and or low quality DNA samples with the high standards obligatory in forensic research. Here, we describe a voluntary collaborative exercise to test the recently developed Species Identification by Insertions/Deletions (SPInDel) method. The SPInDel kit allows the identification of species by the generation of numeric profiles combining the lengths of six mitochondrial ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene regions amplified in a single reaction followed by capillary electrophoresis. The exercise was organized during 2014 by a Working Commission of the Spanish and Portuguese-Speaking Working Group of the International Society for Forensic Genetics (GHEP-ISFG), created in 2013. The 24 participating laboratories from 10 countries were asked to identify the species in 11 DNA samples from previous GHEP-ISFG proficiency tests using a SPInDel primer mix and control samples of the 10 target species. A computer software was also provided to the participants to assist the analyses of the results. All samples were correctly identified by 22 of the 24 laboratories, including samples with low amounts of DNA (hair shafts) and mixtures of saliva and blood. Correct species identifications were obtained in 238 of the 241 (98.8%) reported SPInDel profiles. Two laboratories were responsible for the three cases of misclassifications. The SPInDel was efficient in the identification of species in mixtures considering that only a single laboratory failed to detect a mixture in one sample. This result suggests that SPInDel is a valid method for mixture analyses without the need for DNA sequencing, with the advantage of identifying more than one species in a single reaction. The low frequency of wrong (5.0%) and missing (2.1%) alleles did not interfere with the correct species identification, which demonstrated the advantage of using a method based on the analysis of multiple loci. Overall, the SPInDel method was easily implemented by laboratories using different genotyping platforms, the interpretation of results was straightforward and the SPInDel software was used without any problems. The results of this collaborative exercise indicate that the SPInDel method can be applied successfully in forensic casework investigations.

Torsional Performance of ProTaper Gold Rotary Instruments during Shaping of Small Root Canals after 2 Different Glide Path Preparations.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to assess the ex vivo torsional performance of a novel rotary system in small root canals after 2 different glide path preparations. METHODS: Each independent canal of 8 mesial roots of mandibular molars was randomly assigned to achieve a reproducible glide path with a new set of either PathFile #1 (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) and #2 or ProGlider (Dentsply Maillefer) after negotiation with a 10 K-file. After glide path preparation, root canals in both groups were shaped with the same sequence of ProTaper Gold (Dentsply Tulsa Dental Specialties, Tulsa, OK) following the directions for use recommended by the manufacturer. A total of 16 new sets of each instrument of the ProTaper Gold (PTG) system were used. The tests were run in a standardized fashion in a torque-testing platform. Peak torque (Ncm) and force (N) were registered during the shaping procedure and compared with Student t tests after normal distribution of data was confirmed. RESULTS: No significant differences were found for any of the instruments in peak torque or force after the 2 different glide path preparations (P > .05). Data presented in this study also serve as a basis for the recommended torque for the use of PTG instruments. CONCLUSIONS: Under the conditions of this study, differences in the torsional performance of PTG rotary instruments after 2 different glide path preparations could not be shown. The different geometry of glide path rotary systems seemed to have no effect on peak torque and force induced by PTG rotary instruments when shaping small root canals in extracted teeth.

A 50/50 electronic beam splitter in graphene nanoribbons as a building block for electron optics.

Based on the investigation of the multi-terminal conductance of a system composed of two graphene nanoribbons, in which one is on top of the other and rotated by [Formula: see text], we propose a setup for a 50/50 electronic beam splitter that neither requires large magnetic fields nor ultra low temperatures. Our findings are based on an atomistic tight-binding description of the system and on the Green function method to compute the Landauer conductance. We demonstrate that this system acts as a perfect 50/50 electronic beam splitter, in which its operation can be switched on and off by varying the doping (Fermi energy). We show that this device is robust against thermal fluctuations and long range disorder, as zigzag valley chiral states of the nanoribbons are protected against backscattering. We suggest that the proposed device can be applied as the fundamental element of the Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer, as well as a building block of many devices in electron optics.

Hemorragia intraventricular en recién nacido. Presentación de un caso / Intraventricular Hemorrhage in the Newborn. A Case Report

La hemorragia intraventricular es una grave enfermedad que suele presentarse en las primeras horas o días después del nacimiento pretérmino en niños con peso inferior a 1 500 g. Se presenta el caso de un recién nacido a término, con peso adecuado, masculino, producto de parto no institucional, que a los 17 días fue remitido al Hospital Paquito González Cueto, con fiebre y convulsiones. Ingresó en Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos. Se constató aumento del perímetro cefálico, fontanela anterior tensa e hipertonía global. La ecografía transfontanelar reveló hemorragia subependimaria/intraventricular. Se realizó tomografía computarizada y resonancia magnética para confirmar diagnóstico. La sintomatología y resultados ecoencefalográficos presentaron una evolución satisfactoria como ocurre en el 65 % de casos. Se decidió la presentación del caso por manifestarse la entidad en un recién nacido a término y con peso adecuado, lo que es poco usual y por darse la circunstancia de haber nacido fuera de una institución hospitalaria, por lo que, aunque no se pudo establecer la relación entre este hecho y la enfermedad, contribuye a que los médicos generalistas desarrollen la habilidad de sospechar diagnósticos de tal gravedad en casos que no necesariamente se ajusten a lo que está clásicamente descrito como más frecuente.

Intraventricular hemorrhage is a serious disease that usually occurs in the first hours or days of life, especially in premature infants weighing less than 1500 g. We present the case of full-term newborn with normal birth weight who was non-institutionally delivered. At 17 days old, he was referred to the Paquito González Cueto Hospital because of fever and seizures. Subsequently, he was admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Increased head circumference, tense anterior fontanelle and global hypertonia were found. A transfontanelle ultrasound revealed a subependymal/intraventricular hemorrhage. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were used to confirm the diagnosis. Symptoms and echoencephalographic results improved as occurs in 65% of cases. We decided to present this case since the condition developed in a full-term newborn with normal weight, which is unusual, and the fact that he was born outside a hospital. Although the relationship between this fact and the disease could not be established, it helps general practitioners to develop the ability to consider such serious diseases in cases that do not necessarily meet what is classically described.