Measuring the temporal dynamics of inter-personal neural entrainment in continuous child-adult EEG hyperscanning data.

Current approaches to analysing EEG hyperscanning data in the developmental literature typically consider interpersonal entrainment between interacting physiological systems as a time-invariant property. This approach obscures crucial information about how entrainment between interacting systems is established and maintained over time. Here, we describe methods, and present computational algorithms, that will allow researchers to address this gap in the literature. We focus on how two different approaches to measuring entrainment, namely concurrent (e.g., power correlations, phase locking) and sequential (e.g., Granger causality) measures, can be applied to three aspects of the brain signal: amplitude, power, and phase. We guide the reader through worked examples using simulated data on how to leverage these methods to measure changes in interbrain entrainment. For each, we aim to provide a detailed explanation of the interpretation and application of these analyses when studying neural entrainment during early social interactions.

Automatic classification of ICA components from infant EEG using MARA.

Automated systems for identifying and removing non-neural ICA components are growing in popularity among EEG researchers of adult populations. Infant EEG data differs in many ways from adult EEG data, but there exists almost no specific system for automated classification of source components from paediatric populations. Here, we adapt one of the most popular systems for adult ICA component classification for use with infant EEG data. Our adapted classifier significantly outperformed the original adult classifier on samples of naturalistic free play EEG data recorded from 10 to 12-month-old infants, achieving agreement rates with the manual classification of over 75% across two validation studies (n = 44, n = 25). Additionally, we examined both classifiers' ability to remove stereotyped ocular artifact from a basic visual processing ERP dataset compared to manual ICA data cleaning. Here, the new classifier performed on level with expert manual cleaning and was again significantly better than the adult classifier at removing artifact whilst retaining a greater amount of genuine neural signal operationalised through comparing ERP activations in time and space. Our new system (iMARA) offers developmental EEG researchers a flexible tool for automatic identification and removal of artifactual ICA components.

Interpersonal Neural Entrainment during Early Social Interaction.

Currently, we understand much about how children's brains attend to and learn from information presented while they are alone, viewing a screen - but less about how interpersonal social influences are substantiated in the brain. Here, we consider research that examines how social behaviors affect not one, but both partners in a dyad. We review studies that measured interpersonal neural entrainment during early social interaction, considering two ways of measuring entrainment: concurrent entrainment (e.g., 'when A is high, B is high' - also known as synchrony) and sequential entrainment ('changes in A forward-predict changes in B'). We discuss possible causes of interpersonal neural entrainment, and consider whether it is merely an epiphenomenon, or whether it plays an independent, mechanistic role in early attention and learning.

Estudio comparativo del manejo de las escalas de valoración del desarrollo psicomotor del niño, utilizadas por fisioterapeutas de la región de Lisboa y Vale do Tejo (Portugal) y fisioterapeutas extremeños / Comparative study of the management of psychomotor development assessment scales of the child, used by hysiotherapists in the Lisbon and Vale do Tejo (Portugal) region and by inhabitants of Extremadura

El objetivo principal de nuestro estudio es identificar cuáles son las formas y los modelos de exploración (escalas validadas o no validadas) más usados por los fisioterapeutas de la muestra, que trabajan o que han trabajado a lo largo de su carrera profesional, con niños con edades comprendidas entre 0-5 años con alteraciones del desarrollo psicomotor y realizar una comparación de ambas submuestras. El tipo de estudios es descriptivo transversal y se realizó durante los meses de mayo a noviembre del año 2002. La muestra del estudio está compuesta a su vez por dos submuestras: 36 fisioterapeutas de la Región de Lisboa y Vale do Tejo (Portugal) y la otra por 23 fisioterapeutas de Extremadura (Cáceres y Badajoz) que tienen por actividad diaria el tratamiento de niños con alteraciones del desarrollo psicomotor, con edades comprendidas entre 0-5 años. El instrumento utilizado para la recogida de datos fue mediante un cuestionario, compuesto por preguntas cerradas, abiertas y de respuesta múltiple, usando para esta última una escala Likert. El 87 % de los fisioterapeutas de la submuestra extremeña conoce la escala de Bobath, un 78 % la Valoración Clínica Factorial de M. Le Métayer y un 83 % la valoración según Vojta. La utilización de estas escalas es de un 22 % Bobath, 26 % M. Le Métayer y 2 % Vojta. Por otro lado, el 92 % de los fisioterapeutas de la submuestra portuguesa conoce la escala de Bobath y la usan siempre como protocolo de valoración en un 50 %, siendo las escalas de M. Le Métayer y Vojta prácticamente desconocidas. En cuanto a las escalas con validez internacional, la más conocida pero nada utilizada entre los fisioterapeutas ambas submuestras es The Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) siendo otras escalas, como Posture and Fine Motor Assessment of Infants (PFMAI) y Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI), grandes desconocidas para los fisioterapeutas que conforman el las muestra del estudio

The primary objective of our study is to identify as they are the forms and the models of exploration (validated or not validated scales) more used by physiotherapists of our sample that works or that they have worked throughout their professional race, with children with ages between 0-5 years with alterations of the psicomotor development and thus to make a comparison of both samples.The study is of cross-sectional descriptive type and it was made during the months of May to November of year 2002. The sample that conform the study is compound of two subsamples: 36 physiotherapists of the Region of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo (Portugal) and the other by 23 physiotherapists of Extremadura (Cáceres and Badajoz) that they have by daily activity the treatment of children with alterations of the psicomotor development, with ages between 0-5 years. The instrument used for the collection of data was a questionnaire, made up of closed, opened questions and of multiple answer, using for a this last Likert scale. The 87 % of physiotherapists of Extremadura know the scale Bobath, a 78 % the Factorial Clinical Valuation of M. Le Métayer and % the valuation according to Vojta. The use of these scales is a 22 % Bobath, 26 % M. Le Métayer and 2 % Vojta. On the other hand, 92 % of physiotherapists of the Portuguese sample know the scale Bobath always and use this like valuation protocol a 50 %, being the scales of M. Le Métayer and Vojta practically strangers.The most well-known scales validated internationally but nothig used in Spain and Portugal is Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) being other scales like PFMAI (Posture Scale and Motor Fine Assessment of Infants) and the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) great strangers for physiotherapists who conform the sample of the study

ICP22 and the UL13 protein kinase are both required for herpes simplex virus-induced modification of the large subunit of RNA polymerase II.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection alters the phosphorylation of the large subunit of RNA polymerase II (RNAP II), resulting in the depletion of the hypophosphorylated and hyperphosphorylated forms of this polypeptide (known as IIa and IIo, respectively) and induction of a novel, alternatively phosphorylated form (designated IIi). We previously showed that the HSV-1 immediate-early protein ICP22 is involved in this phenomenon, since induction of IIi and depletion of IIa are deficient in cells infected with 22/n199, an HSV-1 ICP22 nonsense mutant (S. A. Rice, M. C. Long, V. Lam, P. A. Schaffer, and C. A. Spencer, J. Virol. 69:5550-5559, 1995). However, depletion of IIo still occurs in 22/n199-infected cells. This suggests either that another viral gene product affects the RNAP II large subunit or that the truncated ICP22 polypeptide encoded by 22/n199 retains residual activity which leads to IIo depletion. To distinguish between these possibilities, we engineered an HSV-1 ICP22 null mutant, d22-lacZ, and compared it to 22/n199. The two mutants are indistinguishable in their effects on the RNAP II large subunit, suggesting that an additional viral gene product is involved in altering RNAP II. Two candidates are UL13, a protein kinase which has been implicated in ICP22 phosphorylation, and the virion host shutoff (Vhs) factor, the expression of which is positively regulated by ICP22 and UL13. To test whether UL13 is involved, a UL13-deficient viral mutant, d13-lacZ, was engineered. This mutant was defective in IIi induction and IIa depletion, displaying a phenotype very similar to that of d22-lacZ. In contrast, a Vhs mutant had effects that were indistinguishable from wild-type HSV-1. Therefore, UL13 but not the Vhs function plays a role in modifying the RNAP II large subunit. To study the potential role of UL13 in viral transcription, we carried out nuclear run-on transcription analyses in infected human embryonic lung cells. Infections with either UL13 or ICP22 mutants led to significantly reduced amounts of viral genome transcription at late times after infection. Together, our results suggest that ICP22 and UL13 are involved in a common pathway that alters RNAP II phosphorylation and that in some cell lines this change promotes viral late transcription.

Infectious laryngotracheitis virus in commercial hens: a serological study based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Serum samples collected from 23 flocks of commercial hens from three different companies were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for antibodies against infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) virus, and data were analyzed statistically. Geometric mean titers (GMTs) were compared from hens that were unvaccinated, once-vaccinated, or twice-vaccinated, from single-age farms or multiple-age farms, from molted or unmolted flocks, and from different companies. There were significant differences among the groups compared by vaccination, between the single-age and multiple-age groups, and between the molted and unmolted groups. The GMT of unvaccinated flocks and the GMT of molted flocks that had been vaccinated once as pullets with a chick-tissue-culture-origin (CTCO) live vaccine could not be differentiated. The ELISA is useful to detect and quantitate ILT vaccine-induced antibody, but it does not reliably identify older flocks that were vaccinated at a young age with CTCO vaccine.

Toxicosis in broiler chicks due to excess dietary ethoxyquin.

A commercial broiler company experienced a sudden increase of mortality in four flocks at two separate locations. Affected houses had red dust on inside walls and on the equipment. Affected chickens were 10 to 18 days old. Grossly, chickens had pale, swollen kidneys, dark-brown enlarged livers, and urates in joint spaces. Histologically, the kidneys had multifocal proximal tubular necrosis, the livers had dilated sinusoids, biliary hyperplasia, and accumulation of brown pigment in hepatocytes and bile ducts. One starter ration was analyzed, and it contained 6500 mg ethoxyquin/kg. The red dust in the houses and the brown pigment in livers were interpreted to be ethoxyquin. Clinical signs and histologic lesions were reproduced experimentally with 12,500 mg ethoxyquin/kg feed.

Role of guar and dietary fibre in the management of diabetes mellitus.

High-fibre diets, particularly with the addition of guar gum, have been reported to improve control of blood glucose concentration in diabetics. These studies are reviewed, and the results of a study of 22 obese, poorly controlled, poorly compliant diabetic outpatients are presented. In a random, single-blind controlled trial, either guar, or bran, or placebo were added to the previous diet. Over a three-month period, there were no changes in weight, fasting blood glucose levels, or random blood glucose levels. Problems of tolerance were experienced with guar gum. Therefore, supplementation of the diet of such patients with guar gum or bran does not produce long-term improvements in diabetic control in a clinical context. The use of naturally occurring high-fibre foods may slightly improve diabetic control in motivated patients, but further long-term trials are required to establish whether dietary fibre will have any significant role in the practical management of diabetes.