Production of phase screens for simulation of atmospheric turbulence.

The ability to simulate atmospheric turbulence in the laboratory is a crucial part of testing and developing astronomical adaptive optics (AO) technology. We report on the development of a technique for creating phase plates that involves the strategic application of clear acrylic paint onto a transparent substrate. Results of interferometric characterization of these plates are described and compared to Kolmogorov statistics.

The effect of long term storage on tobacco smoke particulate matter in in vitro genotoxicity and cytotoxicity assays.

Particulate matter (PM) collected from mainstream tobacco smoke is a test article commonly used for in vitro genotoxicity and cytotoxicity testing of combustible tobacco products. However, little published data exists concerning the stability of PM. We completed a 2 year study to quantify the effect of PM storage at -80 °C, on the genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of PM generated from 3R4F and M4A reference cigarettes.

Prognostic Factors for Patients with Breast Cancer: Traditional and New.

At the time of breast cancer diagnosis, multiple features of the tumor are routinely assessed to evaluate for prognostic and predictive factors. Prognostic factors provide information about the patient's likely clinical course and include tumor stage (composed of lymph node status, tumor size, and presence of chest wall involvement), tumor histologic type and grade, estrogen and progesterone receptor expression, and HER2 status. These traditional prognostic factors are reviewed with particular attention to problematic areas in classification.

Microcytic anaemia predominates in adolescent school girls in the delta region of Myanmar.

Objective: Anaemia is one of major nutritional problems in Myanmar affecting all age groups. However, there is lack of recent information and a study was conducted to acquire information on the current status of anaemia among adolescent schoolgirls in Nyaung Done township, Ayeyarwady division where an intervention study was planned.

Subjects And Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 1269 subjects to obtain complete blood count, anthropometry and socioeconomic characteristics were obtained by questionnaire.

The effect of a novel tobacco process on the in vitro cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of cigarette smoke particulate matter.

Some of the toxic effects of smoking have been attributed to the combustion of nitrogenous protein in tobacco. The effects of a treatment which reduces tobacco's protein nitrogen level, on the in vitro cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of cigarette smoke particulate matter (PM), were measured. PMs were tested in the Neutral Red Uptake (NRU) test; the Salmonella mutagenicity assay (SAL); the mouse lymphoma mammalian cell mutation assay (MLA) and the in vitro micronucleus test (IVMNT).

Decreased cognitive control in response to negative information in patients with remitted depression: an event-related potential study.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with difficulty disengaging attention from emotionally negative information. Few studies have investigated whether euthymic individuals with a history of depression (remitted MDD [rMDD]) show similar deficits, and little is known about concomitant neurophysiological features of such deficits. To fill these gaps, we investigated cognitive control over emotional stimuli in participants with rMDD and controls without history of depression or psychopathology.

Breast cancer phenotype in women with TP53 germline mutations: a Li-Fraumeni syndrome consortium effort.

Breast cancer is the most common tumor in women with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS), an inherited cancer syndrome associated with germline mutations in the TP53 tumor suppressor gene. Their lifetime breast cancer risk is 49% by age 60. Breast cancers in TP53 mutation carriers recently have more often been reported to be hormone receptor and HER-2 positive by immunohistochemistry and FISH in small series.

IQGAP1 protein binds human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and modulates trastuzumab resistance.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is overexpressed in 20-25% of breast cancers. Increased HER2 expression is an adverse prognostic factor and correlates with decreased patient survival. HER2-positive (HER2(+)) breast cancer is treated with trastuzumab.

From Basic Processes to Real-World Problems: How Research on Emotion and Emotion Regulation Can Inform Understanding of Psychopathology, and Vice Versa.

Research on emotion and emotion regulation is expected to improve our understanding of psychopathology. However, achieving this understanding requires overcoming several obstacles, including the paucity of objective markers of specific emotions or psychiatric diagnoses, and the fact that emotion regulation is a concept that can be difficult to operationalize. We review affective neuroscience research that has addressed these issues by focusing on psychological and neural mechanisms implicated in approach and avoidance behaviors, as revealed by studies of fear, anxiety, and reward processing.

Low-grade recurrence of a congenital high-grade supratentorial tumor with astrocytic features in the absence of adjuvant therapy.

The biological behavior of pediatric gliomas and embryonal tumors can be highly variable. A few case reports have described differentiation of primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) and medulloblastomas, presumably induced by adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiation. Herein we describe a case of a congenital supratentorial high-grade tumor with astrocytic features that, after near-total surgical resection, was not treated with adjuvant therapies.

Wavefront aberration measurements and corrections through thick tissue using fluorescent microsphere reference beacons.

We present a new method to directly measure and correct the aberrations introduced when imaging through thick biological tissue. A Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor is used to directly measure the wavefront error induced by a Drosophila embryo. The wavefront measurements are taken by seeding the embryo with fluorescent microspheres used as "artificial guide-stars.

Mx gene diversity and influenza association among five wild dabbling duck species (Anas spp.) in Alaska.

Mx (myxovirus-resistant) proteins are induced by interferon and inhibit viral replication as part of the innate immune response to viral infection in many vertebrates. Influenza A virus appears to be especially susceptible to Mx antiviral effects. We characterized exon 13 and the 3' UTR of the Mx gene in wild ducks, the natural reservoir of influenza virus and explored its potential relevance to influenza infection.

PIK3CA mutations in in situ and invasive breast carcinomas.

The PIK3 signaling pathway has been identified as one of the most important and most frequently mutated pathways in breast cancer. Somatic mutations in the catalytic subunit of PIK3CA have been found in a significant fraction of breast carcinomas, and it has been proposed that mutant PIK3CA plays a role in tumor initiation. However, the majority of primary human tumors analyzed for genetic alterations in PIK3CA have been invasive breast carcinomas and the frequency of PIK3CA mutations in preinvasive lesions has not been explored.

Food and personal hygiene perceptions and practices among caregivers whose children have diarrhea: a qualitative study of urban mothers in Tangerang, Indonesia.

Objective: To examine caregivers' perceptions and practices related to food and personal hygiene and its association with diarrhea in children 6 to 36 months of age who suffered recurrent diarrhea.

Design: This qualitative study, conducted in March and April 2006, used both in-depth interviews and direct observation data.

Setting: Urban Tangerang, near Jakarta, Indonesia.

We're not just playing games: Into aging--an aging simulation game.

The elderly represent the largest-growing segment of the population. Specialized training in geriatrics is essential for healthcare professionals to provide optimal health care. As part of an ongoing education program on geriatrics, the game Into Aging: Understanding Issues Affecting the Later Stages of Life, 2nd ed.

A comparison of estrogen receptor SP1 and 1D5 monoclonal antibodies in routine clinical use reveals similar staining results.

Clinical therapies for breast cancer are guided by estrogen receptor (ER) status determined by immunohistochemical analysis. A previous retrospective study comparing the recently generated rabbit SP1 monoclonal antibody (MAb) with the conventionally used mouse 1D5 MAb reported that 8% of breast carcinomas were SP1+/1D5- (correlating with good outcomes), and 2% were SP1-/1D5+ (correlating with poorer outcomes). This study on mostly previously frozen tissue implied that 1D5 fails to identify some women who may benefit from endocrine therapy.

Amplitude variations on a MEMS-based extreme adaptive optics coronagraph testbed.

High-contrast imaging techniques such as coronagraphy are expected to play an important role in the imaging of extrasolar planets. Instruments like the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) or the Spectro-Polar-Imetric High-Contrast Exoplanet Research (SPHERE) require high-dynamic range, achieved using coronagraphs to block light coming from the parent star. An extremely good adaptive optics (AO) system is required to reduce dynamic atmospheric wavefront errors to 50-100 nm rms.

Variation in TREK1 gene linked to depression-resistant phenotype is associated with potentiated neural responses to rewards in humans.

The TREK1 gene has been linked to a depression-resistant phenotype in rodents and antidepressant response in humans, but the neural mechanisms underlying these links are unclear. Because TREK1 is expressed in reward-related basal ganglia regions, it has been hypothesized that TREK1 genetic variation may be associated with anhedonic symptoms of depression. To investigate whether TREK1 genetic variation influences reward processing, we genotyped healthy individuals (n = 31) who completed a monetary incentive delay task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

The effect of a small heat source on PSF stability for high-contrast imaging.

High-contrast adaptive optics systems, such as those needed to image extrasolar planets, are known to require excellent wavefront control and diffraction suppression. The Laboratory for Adaptive Optics at UC Santa Cruz is investigating limits to high-contrast imaging in support of the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI). In this paper we examine the effect of heat sources in the testbed on point-spread-function (PSF) stability.

Lesions of the Nipple.

Because of the singular anatomic structure of the nipple, some breast lesions only occur at this site. The overlying skin includes normal Toker cells near the duct orifices. These cells are occasionally so numerous as to be called Toker cell hyperplasia.

The role of the nucleus accumbens and rostral anterior cingulate cortex in anhedonia: integration of resting EEG, fMRI, and volumetric techniques.

Anhedonia, the reduced propensity to experience pleasure, is a promising endophenotype and vulnerability factor for several psychiatric disorders, including depression and schizophrenia. In the present study, we used resting electroencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and volumetric analyses to probe putative associations between anhedonia and individual differences in key nodes of the brain's reward system in a non-clinical sample. We found that anhedonia, but not other symptoms of depression or anxiety, was correlated with reduced nucleus accumbens (NAcc) responses to rewards (gains in a monetary incentive delay task), reduced NAcc volume, and increased resting delta current density (i.

Reduced caudate and nucleus accumbens response to rewards in unmedicated individuals with major depressive disorder.

Objective: Major depressive disorder is characterized by impaired reward processing, possibly due to dysfunction in the basal ganglia. However, few neuroimaging studies of depression have distinguished between anticipatory and consummatory phases of reward processing. Using functional MRI (fMRI) and a task that dissociates anticipatory and consummatory phases of reward processing, the authors tested the hypothesis that individuals with major depression would show reduced reward-related responses in basal ganglia structures.

Cystinosis of the brain and spinal cord with associated vasculopathy.

Cystinosis is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease that results in renal failure. CNS manifestations are rare. We report a 29-year man who presented with a cervical myelopathy due to cystinosis.

Childhood adversity is associated with left basal ganglia dysfunction during reward anticipation in adulthood.

Background: Childhood adversity increases the risk of psychopathology, but the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this vulnerability are not well-understood. In animal models, early adversity is associated with dysfunction in basal ganglia regions involved in reward processing, but this relationship has not been established in humans.

Methods: Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to examine basal ganglia responses to: 1) cues signaling possible monetary rewards and losses; and 2) delivery of monetary gains and penalties, in 13 young adults who experienced maltreatment before age 14 years and 31 nonmaltreated control subjects.

Stroke saturation on a MEMS deformable mirror for woofer-tweeter adaptive optics.

High-contrast imaging of extrasolar planet candidates around a main-sequence star has recently been realized from the ground using current adaptive optics (AO) systems. Advancing such observations will be a task for the Gemini Planet Imager, an upcoming "extreme" AO instrument. High-order "tweeter" and low-order "woofer" deformable mirrors (DMs) will supply a >90%-Strehl correction, a specialized coronagraph will suppress the stellar flux, and any planets can then be imaged in the "dark hole" region.