Religious Discrimination, Diaspora, and United Nations Voting on Israel

This study examines whether discrimination against religious minorities and diaspora politics influences United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voting on Israel and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict between 1990 and 2014. We test discrimination against Jews, discrimination against Muslims, and general discrimination against all religious minorities in 183 countries. Our results indicate that repressive countries vote against Israel in the UNGA partly as a diversionary tactic seeking to divert attention from their own poor behavior. This is because discriminating against both Jews and Muslims, as well as religious discrimination in general, predict anti-Israel voting. We also find that countries with larger Jewish minorities are more likely to support Israel and countries with larger Muslim minorities are less likely to support Israel, although the latter effect is more conditional and most consistently pronounced in countries where discrimination against Muslims is low. This suggests that diaspora politics and transnational religious ties influence UNGA voting on Israel.

Examining the Most and Least Changeable Elements of the Social Representation of Giftedness

Giftedness and high abilities have been broadly defined and this fact has led to many problems related to the detection and educational response given to gifted or highly able pupils due to the stereotyped social representations of the concepts. However, the main misconceptions might be changed with the aim of solving the mentioned problems. For this purpose, the aims of this study are to explore the main misconceptions of giftedness and to identify which among them seem to be most and least changeable. A questionnaire with the most extended myths and stereotypes about giftedness was applied in a sample of 824 participants. The items’ analyses were carried out by first studying item-test discrimination indices (test classical theory), and secondly, the a and b parameters of items (item response theory). The results show that there are items that would be easily changeable (9 items) and others less malleable (4 items). Therefore, it might be concluded that the social representation of giftedness would have peripheral elements that could be changed, while there would be less malleable central elements. Thus, different strategies to foster the change of the social representation of giftedness should be considered, which will have social and educational implications.

Abstract WP491: HUCBC Treatment Promotes White Matter Remodeling and Improves Glymphatic Function and Cognitive Outcome in Rats With Vascular Dementia

Aim: Vascular Dementia (VaD) accounts for nearly 20% of all dementia. We have investigated the therapeutic effects of human umbilical cord blood cells (HUCBCs) treatment of VaD and tested mechanisms such as that white matter (WM) remodeling and glymphatic function that contribute to improving cognitive outcome. Methods: Male rats (6-8m old) were subjected to a multiple microinfarct model (MMI, 500-800 cholesterol crystals injected into the internal carotid artery) of VaD, and 3 days later treated with PBS or HUCBC (5х10 6 , i.v.) n=6/group. Cognitive tests were conducted and rats sacrificed at 28 days after MMI. To evaluate glymphatic function, fluorescent tracers (Texas Red dextran, MW: 3 kD and FITC-dextran, MW: 500 kD) were injected into the cisterna magna over 30min at 14 days after MMI. Rats (6/group/time point) were sacrificed at 30min, 3h, and 6h and tracer movement analyzed using laser scanning confocal microscopy. Results: HUCBC treatment significantly improves short term memory (Novel object recognition test discrimination index: MMI: 35.6±3.6%; MMI+HUCBC: 74.2±4.3%; p<0.0001), long term memory (odor test discrimination index: MMI: 49.9±5.8%; MMI+HUCBC: 69.2±4.8%; p<0.01) and spatial learning and memory (Morris water maze test: decreased latency and increased % of time in target quadrant, p<0.05) compared to control MMI rats. HUCBC treatment significantly increases axon and myelin density, increases oligodendrocyte and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells number, and increases Synaptophysin expression in the brain compared to control MMI rats. HUCBC treatment of MMI in rats significantly improves glymphatic function by reversing MMI induced delay in cerebrospinal fluid penetration into the brain parenchyma via paravascular pathways as well as delayed waste clearance from the brain. HUCBC treatment significantly decreases serum protein expression of BACE1, S100, MCP-1, and TGF-β which may contribute to HUCBC induced therapeutic effects. Conclusions: HUCBC treatment of an MMI rat model of VaD promotes WM remodeling, anti-inflammatory effects and improves glymphatic function which in concert may contribute to the improvement in cognition and memory. Thus, HUCBC treatment warrants further investigation as a potential therapy for VaD.

Evaluation of vigor and tolerance of sweet corn seeds under hypoxia

Evaluation of the physiological potential of seeds by fast and efficient methods is an important step in the process of production and commercialization of sweet corn seeds. The aim of this study was to discriminate sweet corn seed lots by applying multivariate methods regarding the usual vigor tests to verify the sensitivity of these seeds to flood conditions and to verify if the submersion test has potential for classifying lots of this species regarding vigor. Five seed lots of sweet corn were tested for moisture content and physiological potential. Cluster analysis and principal component analysis were performed on the data to discriminate the seed lots regarding initial vigor. Subsequently, two of these lots were selected for the water submersion test, performed with four replicates of 150 seeds, which were submerged in 100 mL of distilled water for 0, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours at 25 ºC, and they then underwent the germination test. Discrimination of sweet corn seed lots is possible through multivariate analysis. Sweet corn seeds are sensitive to submersion in water; however, the test did not allow seed lots to be differentiated for vigor.

Liraglutide prevents metabolic side-effects and improves recognition and working memory during antipsychotic treatment in rats

Background: Antipsychotic drugs (APDs), olanzapine and clozapine, do not effectively address the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia and can cause serious metabolic side-effects. Liraglutide is a synthetic glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist with anti-obesity and neuroprotective properties. The aim of this study was to examine whether liraglutide prevents weight gain/hyperglycaemia side-effects and cognitive deficits when co-administered from the commencement of olanzapine and clozapine treatment. Methods: Rats were administered olanzapine (2 mg/kg, three times daily (t.i.d.)), clozapine (12 mg/kg, t.i.d.), liraglutide (0.2 mg/kg, twice daily (b.i.d.)), olanzapine + liraglutide co-treatment, clozapine + liraglutide co-treatment or vehicle (Control) ( n = 12/group, 6 weeks). Recognition and working memory were examined using Novel Object Recognition (NOR) and T-Maze tests. Body weight, food intake, adiposity, locomotor activity and glucose tolerance were examined. Results: Liraglutide co-treatment prevented olanzapine- and clozapine-induced reductions in the NOR test discrimination ratio ( p < 0.001). Olanzapine, but not clozapine, reduced correct entries in the T-Maze test ( p < 0.05 versus Control) while liraglutide prevented this deficit. Liraglutide reduced olanzapine-induced weight gain and adiposity. Olanzapine significantly decreased voluntary locomotor activity and liraglutide co-treatment partially reversed this effect. Liraglutide improved clozapine-induced glucose intolerance. Conclusion: Liraglutide co-treatment improved aspects of cognition, prevented obesity side-effects of olanzapine, and the hyperglycaemia caused by clozapine, when administered from the start of APD treatment. The results demonstrate a potential treatment for individuals at a high risk of experiencing adverse effects of APDs.

Performa Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (REMS) dalam Memprediksi Mortalitas 30 Hari Pasien Usia Lanjut di Instalasi Gawat Darurat

Pendahuluan. Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (REMS) merupakan suatu instrumen yang banyak digunakan untuk melakukan stratifikasi risiko pasien non-bedah di Instalasi Gawat Darurat (IGD). Namun, pasien usia lanjut yang datang ke IGD seringkali datang dengan manifestasi klinis yang atipikal, sehingga performa REMS untuk populasi khusus ini perlu diuji. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk menilai performa REMS pada populasi pasien usia lanjut yang datang ke IGD.Metode. Dilakukan penelitian kohort prospektif berbasis penelitian prognostik pada pasien usia >60 tahun yang datang ke IGD RS dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo (RSCM), Jakarta selama September hingga Oktober 2016. Subjek diikuti selama 30 hari sejak kedatangan ke IGD. Selanjutnya dilakukan perhitungan kalibrasi (uji Hosmer Lemeshow) dan diskriminasi (perhitungan Area under ROC Curve) REMS dalam memprediksi mortalitas 30 hari pasien usia lanjut.Hasil. Terdapat 321 pasien usia lanjut masuk IGD selama periode penelitian dan 306 di antaranya memenuhi kriteria pemilihan. Dari seluruh subjek, 163 (53,2% pasien adalah laki-laki. Insiden kematian 30 hari sebanyak 22,8% (IK95% 22,3-23,3). Rerata usia 68,3 (SB 6,7) tahun. Sebanyak 83 (27%) pasien dikategorikan triage merah. Terdapat 154 (50%) pasien dengan REMS 0-7, 140 (46%) dengan REMS 8-17 dan 12(4%) with REMS lebih dari 17. Plot kalibrasi menunjukkan r=0,23 dengan hasil uji Hosmer Lemeshow buruk (p=0,00). AUC REMS untuk memprediksi mortalitas 30 hari pasien usia lanjut adalah 0,45 (95% CI 0,23-0,66).Simpulan. REMS menunjukkan performa yang buruk dalam memprediksi mortalitas 30 hari pasien usia lanjut di IGD. Kata Kunci: IGD, mortalitas, REMS, usia lanjut Validation of Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (REMS) in Predicting 30 days Mortality in Elderly Visiting Emergency DepartmentIntroduction. Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (REMS) has been known as a useful instrument to stratify patients in emergency department (ED) based on its ability to predict short term mortality. As the clinical characteristics of elderly patients visiting ED are frequently aypical, validation of REMS in this specific population is very important. To measure predictive validity of REMS in elderly patients visiting ED Methods. Prospective cohort study in elderly visiting ED of Cipto Mangunkusumo between September to October 2016. Subjects were followed for 30 days after visiting ED. Calibration (Hosmer Lemeshow test), discrimination (Area Under ROC Curve) and REMS predictive value of 30 days mortality were measured. Result. Of 321 elderly subjects visiting ED during study period, 306 subjects were included in the study. Among them, 163 (53,2%) were men. 30 days mortality incidence was 22,8% (95% CI 22,3-23,3). Median age was 68,3 (6,7) year. As many as 83 (27%) subjects were in red triage. There were 154 (50%) patients with REMS 0-7, 140 (46%) with REMS 8-17 and 12(4%) with REMS more than 17. Calibration plot shows r=0,23 with poor calibration (p=0,00) in Hosmer Lemeshow test. AUC of REMS in predicting 30 days mortality in elderly was 0,45 (95% CI 0,23-0,66). Conclusion. REMS shows poor calibration and discrimination in eldery patients visiting ED.

Method for 3D Airway Topology Extraction

In lungs the number of conducting airway generations as well as bifurcation patterns varies across species and shows specific characteristics relating to illnesses or gene variations. A method to characterize the topology of the mouse airway tree using scanning laser optical tomography (SLOT) tomograms is presented in this paper. It is used to test discrimination between two types of mice based on detected differences in their conducting airway pattern. Based on segmentations of the airways in these tomograms, the main spanning tree of the volume skeleton is computed. The resulting graph structure is used to distinguish between wild type and surfactant protein (SP-D) deficient knock-out mice.

Spatial acuity of ultrasound hearing in flying crickets.

The minimum audible angle is the smallest angular separation at which two sounds are perceived as coming from distinct sources. To determine the spatial acuity of hearing in crickets, we measured minimum audible angles at various locations in azimuth and elevation. Crickets (Teleogryllus oceanicus) were able to discriminate between sources separated by 11.25 degrees (1/32 of a circle) in azimuth directly ahead of them; acuity declined to 45 degrees in azimuth for sound sources 90 degrees to the side and then improved to 33.75 degrees at the rear. Crickets were also able to discriminate between sources separated in elevation, although acuity was much poorer, ranging from 45 degrees at the front and rear of the animal to 90 degrees below the animal. A habituation-dishabituation test was used to test discrimination. This involved presenting a train of ultrasound pulses from one location, habituating the cricket's escape response. This train was followed by a test pulse of ultrasound from another location, after which a final pulse was presented from the original source. If the test pulse was discriminated from the habituating pulses, then the response to the final pulse was dishabituated. To determine the minimum audible angle, we repeated such tests while moving the two sound sources closer together until dishabituation no longer occurred.