Adaptation and Feasibility of KONTAKT™ Social Skills Toolbox Group Program for Australian Autistic Children.

Background: Although autistic individuals are interested in interacting with peers, they express a need for social skills programs that could support them in navigating their daily social world, which is governed by neurotypical social norms.

Aim: This study investigated the feasibility and adaptability of the manualised and evidence-based program KONTAKT™ Social Skills Toolbox Group Program in supporting autistic children aged 8 to 12 years in navigating their everyday social worlds.

Material And Methods: KONTAKT™ was delivered to 15 autistic children (Mage=10.

Evaluation of Vestibular Schwannoma Size Over Time: How Well do the Experts Perform and What can be Improved?

Background And Purpose: 2D linear measurements are often used in routine clinical practice during vestibular schwannoma (VS) follow-up, primarily due to wider availability and ease of use. We sought to determine radiologist performance compared to 3D-volumetry, along with the impact of number of linear measurements, slice thickness and tumor volumes on these parameters.

Materials And Methods: Single center retrospective study with 97 patients (592 MRI studies).

A Comprehensive LC-MS Metabolomics Assay for Quantitative Analysis of Serum and Plasma.

Targeted metabolomics is often criticized for the limited metabolite coverage that it offers. Indeed, most targeted assays developed or used by researchers measure fewer than 200 metabolites. In an effort to both expand the coverage and improve the accuracy of metabolite quantification in targeted metabolomics, we decided to develop a comprehensive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay that could quantitatively measure more than 700 metabolites in serum or plasma.

Out with the old, in with the new? Institutional experimentation and decent work in the UK.

Drawing on an extended critical case study of the Greater Manchester (GM) city region in the UK, this article contributes to debates around the changing role of social actors within local labour markets, and how they contribute to processes of regulatory experimentation and innovation. While recent literature has drawn attention to new actors and novel strategies in responding to labour market disruptions, in this article the authors argue that there is still room for embedded actors and established practices in defending, and advancing, decent minimum standards. This may be through political lobbying, workplace organising, industrial action, extending collectively agreed standards to outsourced workers, or through hybrid forms of trade union-community campaigning.

Quinone-mediated hydrogen anode for non-aqueous reductive electrosynthesis.

Electrochemical synthesis can provide more sustainable routes to industrial chemicals. Electrosynthetic oxidations may often be performed 'reagent-free', generating hydrogen (H) derived from the substrate as the sole by-product at the counter electrode. Electrosynthetic reductions, however, require an external source of electrons.

Does antibiotic treatment before bone biopsy affect the identification of bacterial pathogens from bone culture?

There is a common belief and practice that any exposure to oral or parenteral antibiotics prior to bone biopsy makes culture results unreliable. The aim of this article was to evaluate the effect of antibiotic exposure on bacterial yield in DFO microbiology specimens. The authors retrospectively evaluated 114 patients with DFO confirmed by histology.

MagMet: A fully automated web server for targeted nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics of plasma and serum.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectral analysis of biofluids can be a time-consuming process, requiring the expertise of a trained operator. With NMR becoming increasingly popular in the field of metabolomics, there is a growing need to change this paradigm and to automate the process. Here we introduce MagMet, an online web server, that automates the processing and quantification of 1D H NMR spectra from biofluids-specifically, human serum/plasma metabolites, including those associated with inborn errors of metabolism (IEM).

Heterogeneous M-N-C Catalysts for Aerobic Oxidation Reactions: Lessons from Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts.

Nonprecious metal heterogeneous catalysts composed of first-row transition metals incorporated into nitrogen-doped carbon matrices (M-N-Cs) have been studied for decades as leading alternatives to Pt for the electrocatalytic O reduction reaction (ORR). More recently, similar M-N-C catalysts have been shown to catalyze the aerobic oxidation of organic molecules. This Focus Review highlights mechanistic similarities and distinctions between these two reaction classes and then surveys the aerobic oxidation reactions catalyzed by M-N-Cs.

Chemical and Electrochemical O Reduction on Earth-Abundant M-N-C Catalysts and Implications for Mediated Electrolysis.

M-N-C catalysts, incorporating non-precious-metal ions (e.g. M = Fe, Co) within a nitrogen-doped carbon support, have been the focus of broad interest for electrochemical O reduction and aerobic oxidation reactions.

A Comprehensive Targeted Metabolomics Assay for Crop Plant Sample Analysis.

Metabolomics plays an important role in various fields from health to agriculture. However, the comprehensive quantitative metabolomic analysis of plants and plant metabolites has not been widely performed. Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based plant metabolomics offers the sensitivity and breadth of coverage for both phenotyping and disease diagnosis of plants.

Gaseous Oxidized Mercury Dry Deposition Measurements in the Four Corners Area, U.S.A., after Large Power Plant Mercury Emission Reductions.

Gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) dry deposition measurements using surrogate surface passive samplers were collected at six sites in the Four Corners area, U.S.A.

Anthraquinone-Mediated Fuel Cell Anode with an Off-Electrode Heterogeneous Catalyst Accessing High Power Density when Paired with a Mediated Cathode.

The development of processes for electrochemical energy conversion and chemical production could benefit from new strategies to interface chemical redox reactions with electrodes. Here, we employ a diffusible low-potential organic redox mediator, 9,10-anthraquinone-2,7-disulfonic acid (AQDS), to promote efficient electrochemical oxidation of H at an off-electrode heterogeneous catalyst. This unique approach to integrate chemical and electrochemical redox processes accesses power densities up to 228 mW/cm (528 mW/cm with iR-correction).

Comprehensive Targeted Metabolomic Assay for Urine Analysis.

Among all the human biological fluids used for disease biomarker discovery or clinical chemistry, urine stands out. It can be collected easily and noninvasively, it is readily available in large volumes, it is typically free from protein contamination, and it is chemically complex-reflecting a wide range of physiological states and functions. However, the comprehensive metabolomic analysis of urine has been somewhat less studied compared to blood.

Lower expression of tumor microRNA-26a is associated with higher recurrence in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing surgical treatment.

Background And Objectives: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) exhibit lower tumor microRNA-26a (miR-26a) expression which is associated with worse outcomes. It is unknown if similar miR-26a loss occurs in HCC developed in other liver diseases. We examined tumor miR-26a expression and its impact on recurrence and mortality in a North American HCC cohort.

Associated Mortality of Liberal Fluid Administration in Sepsis.

Fluid resuscitation, to restore intravascular volume and improve oxygen delivery, is a crucial step in early resuscitation efforts of patients with sepsis or septic shock. The 2016 Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines suggest the use of dynamic versus static measures of fluid responsiveness and fluid resuscitation with at least 30 mL/kg of intravenous crystalloid within the first 3 hours followed by fluid administration if hemodynamic factors continue to improve. Despite these recommendations, risks to this practice may exist as multiple studies have demonstrated an association between a positive fluid balance and/or administration of large fluid volume and increase in mortality.

The role of nonmotor brain regions during human motor control.

Neural prostheses have generally relied on signals from cortical motor regions to control reaching movements of a robotic arm. However, little work has been done in exploring the involvement of nonmotor cortical and associative regions during motor tasks. In this study, we identify regions which may encode direction during planning and movement of a center-out motor task.

The Role of Associative Cortices and Hippocampus during Movement Perturbations.

Although motor control has been extensively studied, most research involving neural recordings has focused on primary motor cortex, pre-motor cortex, supplementary motor area, and cerebellum. These regions are involved during normal movements, however, associative cortices and hippocampus are also likely involved during perturbed movements as one must detect the unexpected disturbance, inhibit the previous motor plan, and create a new plan to compensate. Minimal data is available on these brain regions during such "robust" movements.

Adjuvanting a Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Vaccine with Toll-Like Receptor Ligands Encapsulated in Nanoparticles Induces Persistent Antibody Responses and Enhanced Protection in TRIM5α Restrictive Macaques.

Unlabelled: Our previous work has shown that antigens adjuvanted with ligands specific for Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and TLR7/8 encapsulated in poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA)-based nanoparticles (NPs) induce robust and durable immune responses in mice and macaques. We investigated the efficacy of these NP adjuvants in inducing protective immunity against simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). Rhesus macaques (RMs) were immunized with NPs containing TLR4 and TLR7/8 agonists mixed with soluble recombinant SIVmac239-derived envelope (Env) gp140 and Gag p55 (protein) or with virus-like particles (VLPs) containing SIVmac239 Env and Gag.

Modulation of Neuronal Activity in the Motor Thalamus during GPi-DBS in the MPTP Nonhuman Primate Model of Parkinson's Disease.

Background: The motor thalamus is a key nodal point in the pallidothalamocortical "motor" circuit, which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) and other movement disorders. Although a critical structure in the motor circuit, the role of the motor thalamus in mediating the therapeutic effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the internal segment of the globus pallidus (GPi) is not fully understood.

Objective: To characterize the changes in neuronal activity in the pallidal (ventralis lateralis pars oralis (VLo) and ventralis anterior (VA)) and cerebellar (ventralis posterior lateralis pars oralis (VPLo)) receiving areas of the motor thalamus during therapeutic GPi DBS.

Defining Planktonic Protist Functional Groups on Mechanisms for Energy and Nutrient Acquisition: Incorporation of Diverse Mixotrophic Strategies.

Arranging organisms into functional groups aids ecological research by grouping organisms (irrespective of phylogenetic origin) that interact with environmental factors in similar ways. Planktonic protists traditionally have been split between photoautotrophic "phytoplankton" and phagotrophic "microzooplankton". However, there is a growing recognition of the importance of mixotrophy in euphotic aquatic systems, where many protists often combine photoautotrophic and phagotrophic modes of nutrition.

Gaseous oxidized mercury dry deposition measurements in the southwestern USA: a comparison between Texas, eastern Oklahoma, and the Four Corners area.

Gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) dry deposition measurements using aerodynamic surrogate surface passive samplers were collected in central and eastern Texas and eastern Oklahoma, from September 2011 to September 2012. The purpose of this study was to provide an initial characterization of the magnitude and spatial extent of ambient GOM dry deposition in central and eastern Texas for a 12-month period which contained statistically average annual results for precipitation totals, temperature, and wind speed. The research objective was to investigate GOM dry deposition in areas of Texas impacted by emissions from coal-fired utility boilers and compare it with GOM dry deposition measurements previously observed in eastern Oklahoma and the Four Corners area.

Dioctyl sulfosuccinate analysis in near-shore Gulf of Mexico water by direct-injection liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Dioctyl sulfosuccinate (DOSS) was a major component of the dispersants most used in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill incident response. This analytical method quantifies salt water DOSS concentrations to a reporting limit of 20 μg/L, which was below the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (U.S.