Suboptimal Balance Research Articles

Reversible jump attack to textual classifiers with modification reduction

Recent studies on adversarial examples expose vulnerabilities of natural language processing models. Existing techniques for generating adversarial examples are typically driven by deterministic hierarchical rules that are agnostic to the optimal adversarial examples, a strategy that often results in adversarial samples with a suboptimal balance between magnitudes of changes and attack successes. To this end, in this research we propose two algorithms, Reversible Jump Attack (RJA) and Metropolis–Hasting Modification Reduction (MMR), to generate highly effective adversarial examples and to improve the imperceptibility of the examples, respectively. RJA utilizes a novel randomization mechanism to enlarge the search space and efficiently adapts to a number of perturbed words for adversarial examples. With these generated adversarial examples, MMR applies the Metropolis–Hasting sampler to enhance the imperceptibility of adversarial examples. Extensive experiments demonstrate that RJA-MMR outperforms current state-of-the-art methods in attack performance, imperceptibility, fluency and grammar correctness.

A neoclassical realist model of overconfidence and the Japan–Soviet Neutrality Pact in 1941

Why did Japan conclude the Japan–Soviet Neutrality Pact in 1941, even though it knew the German-Soviet relations were deteriorating and heading towards a disastrous war? Under the Tripartite Pact, it would be irrational for Japan to approach the USSR, which Germany had decided to invade. This article examines this long-standing puzzle in Japanese diplomatic history (also an anomaly of neorealism) by developing a new neoclassical realist model termed ‘neoclassical realist model of overconfidence’ based on self-deception in evolutionary psychology using scientific realism in the philosophy of science as a metatheoretical foundation. Drawing on neoclassical realism, I argue that Japan’s balancing strategy during 1940–41, which initially reflected the tripolar structure of the international system (independent variable), ultimately resulted in the suboptimal balancing of the Japan–Soviet Neutrality Pact (dependent variable) due to Yosuke Matsuoka’s (Japanese foreign minister) self-deception, including the positive illusion and cognitive dissonance effect (intervening variable).

Microbial dysbiosis and childhood asthma development: Integrated role of the airway and gut microbiome, environmental exposures, and host metabolic and immune response.

Asthma is a chronic and heterogeneous respiratory disease with many risk factors that typically originate during early childhood. A complex interplay between environmental factors and genetic predisposition is considered to shape the lung and gut microbiome in early life. The growing literature has identified that changes in the relative abundance of microbes (microbial dysbiosis) and reduced microbial diversity, as triggers of the airway-gut axis crosstalk dysregulation, are associated with asthma development. There are several mechanisms underlying microbial dysbiosis to childhood asthma development pathways. For example, a bacterial infection in the airway of infants can lead to the activation and/or dysregulation of inflammatory pathways that contribute to bronchoconstriction and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. In addition, gut microbial dysbiosis in infancy can affect immune development and differentiation, resulting in a suboptimal balance between innate and adaptive immunity. This evolving dysregulation of secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators has been associated with persistent airway inflammation and subsequent asthma development. In this review, we examine current evidence around associations between the airway and gut microbial dysbiosis with childhood asthma development. More specifically, this review focuses on discussing the integrated roles of environmental exposures, host metabolic and immune responses, airway and gut microbial dysbiosis in driving childhood asthma development.

Transferrin Receptor Binding BBB-Shuttle Facilitates Brain Delivery of Anti-Aβ-Affibodies

Affibodies targeting amyloid-beta (Aβ) could potentially be used as therapeutic and diagnostic agents in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Affibodies display suitable characteristics for imaging applications such as high stability and a short biological half-life. The aim of this study was to explore brain delivery and retention of Aβ protofibril-targeted affibodies in wild-type (WT) and AD transgenic mice and to evaluate their potential as imaging agents. Two affibodies, Z5 and Z1, were fused with the blood–brain barrier (BBB) shuttle single-chain variable fragment scFv8D3. In vitro binding of 125I-labeled affibodies with and without scFv8D3 was evaluated by ELISA and autoradiography. Brain uptake and retention of the affibodies at 2 h and 24 h post injection was studied ex vivo in WT and transgenic (tg-Swe and tg-ArcSwe) mice. At 2 h post injection, [125I]I-Z5 and [125I]I-Z1 displayed brain concentrations of 0.37 ± 0.09% and 0.46 ± 0.08% ID/g brain, respectively. [125I]I-scFv8D3-Z5 and [125I]I-scFv8D3-Z1 showed increased brain concentrations of 0.53 ± 0.16% and 1.20 ± 0.35%ID/g brain. At 24 h post injection, brain retention of [125I]I-Z1 and [125I]I-Z5 was low, while [125I]I-scFv8D3-Z1 and [125I]I-scFv8D3-Z5 showed moderate brain retention, with a tendency towards higher retention of [125I]I-scFv8D3-Z5 in AD transgenic mice. Nuclear track emulsion autoradiography showed greater parenchymal distribution of [125I]I-scFv8D3-Z5 and [125I]I-scFv8D3-Z1 compared with the affibodies without scFv8D3, but could not confirm specific affibody accumulation around Aβ deposits. Affibody-scFv8D3 fusions displayed increased brain and parenchymal delivery compared with the non-fused affibodies. However, fast brain washout and a suboptimal balance between Aβ and mTfR1 affinity resulted in low intrabrain retention around Aβ deposits.

Impact of Canal-Otolith Integration on Postural Control.

Roll tilt vestibular perceptual thresholds, an assay of vestibular noise, have recently been shown to be associated with suboptimal balance performance in healthy older adults. However, despite the strength of this correlation, the use of a categorical (i.e., pass/fail) balance assessment limits insight into the impacts of vestibular noise on postural sway. As a result, an explanation for this correlation has yet to be determined. We hypothesized that the correlation between roll tilt vestibular thresholds and postural control reflects a shared influence of sensory noise. To address this hypothesis, we measured roll tilt perceptual thresholds at multiple frequencies (0.2 Hz, 0.5 Hz, 1 Hz) and compared each threshold to quantitative measures of quiet stance postural control in 33 healthy young adults (mean = 24.9 years, SD = 3.67). Our data showed a significant linear association between 0.5 Hz roll tilt thresholds and the root mean square distance (RMSD) of the center of pressure in the mediolateral (ML; β = 5.31, p = 0.002, 95% CI = 2.1–8.5) but not anteroposterior (AP; β = 5.13, p = 0.016, 95% CI = 1.03–9.23) direction (Bonferroni corrected α of 0.006). In contrast, vestibular thresholds measured at 0.2 Hz and 1 Hz did not show a significant correlation with ML or AP RMSD. In a multivariable regression model, controlling for both 0.2 Hz and 1 Hz thresholds, the significant effect of 0.5 Hz roll tilt thresholds persisted (β = 5.44, p = 0.029, CI = 0.60–10.28), suggesting that the effect cannot be explained by elements shared by vestibular thresholds measured at the three frequencies. These data suggest that vestibular noise is significantly associated with the temporospatial control of quiet stance in the mediolateral plane when visual and proprioceptive cues are degraded (i.e., eyes closed, standing on foam). Furthermore, the selective association of quiet-stance sway with 0.5 Hz roll tilt thresholds, but not thresholds measured at lower (0.2 Hz) or higher (1.0 Hz) frequencies, may reflect the influence of noise that results from the temporal integration of noisy canal and otolith cues.

To View Your Biomolecule, Click inside the Cell.

The surging development of bioorthogonal chemistry has profoundly transformed chemical biology over the last two decades. Involving chemical partners that specifically react together in highly complex biological fluids, this branch of chemistry now allows researchers to probe biomolecules in their natural habitat through metabolic labelling technologies. Chemical reporter strategies include metabolic glycan labelling, site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids in proteins, and post-synthetic labelling of nucleic acids. While a majority of literature reports mark cell-surface exposed targets, implementing bioorthogonal ligations in the interior of cells constitutes a more challenging task. Owing to limiting factors such as membrane permeability of reagents, fluorescence background due to hydrophobic interactions and off-target covalent binding, and suboptimal balance between reactivity and stability of the designed molecular reporters and probes, these strategies need mindful planning to achieve success. In this review, we discuss the hurdles encountered when targeting biomolecules localized in cell organelles and give an easily accessible summary of the strategies at hand for imaging intracellular targets.

To View Your Biomolecule, Click inside the Cell

AbstractThe surging development of bioorthogonal chemistry has profoundly transformed chemical biology over the last two decades. Involving chemical partners that specifically react together in highly complex biological fluids, this branch of chemistry now allows researchers to probe biomolecules in their natural habitat through metabolic labelling technologies. Chemical reporter strategies include metabolic glycan labelling, site‐specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids in proteins, and post‐synthetic labelling of nucleic acids. While a majority of literature reports mark cell‐surface exposed targets, implementing bioorthogonal ligations in the interior of cells constitutes a more challenging task. Owing to limiting factors such as membrane permeability of reagents, fluorescence background due to hydrophobic interactions and off‐target covalent binding, and suboptimal balance between reactivity and stability of the designed molecular reporters and probes, these strategies need mindful planning to achieve success. In this review, we discuss the hurdles encountered when targeting biomolecules localized in cell organelles and give an easily accessible summary of the strategies at hand for imaging intracellular targets.

Prophylactic cholecystectomy is not mandatory in patients candidate to the resection for small intestine neuroendocrine neoplasms: a propensity score-matched and cost-minimization analysis

To evaluate two competitive strategies in patients undergoing resection of Small-intestine neuroendocrine neoplasms (Si-NEN): prophylactic cholecystectomy (PC) versus On-demand delayed (OC) cholecystectomy. None comparative studies are available. This is a retrospective study based on 247 Si-NENs candidates for the primary tumor resection. Patients were divided into two arms: PC and OC. Propensity score matching was performed, reporting the d value. The primary outcome was the rehospitalization rate for any cause. The secondary endpoints were: the rehospitalization rate for biliary stone disease (BSD), the mean number of rehospitalization (any cause and BSD), the complication rate (all and severe). A P value < 0.05 was considered significant, and the number needed to treat (NNT) < 10 was considered clinically relevant. Before matching, 52 (21.1%) were in the PC arm and 195 (78.9%) in the OC group. The two arms have a sub-optimal balance for age (d = 0.575), symptoms (d = 0.661), ENETS TNM stage (d = 0.661). After matching, we included 52 patients in PC and 104 in OC one. The two groups are well balanced (all d values < 0.5). The rehospitalization rate was similar in the two groups (36% vs 31; P = 0.594; NNT = 21). The rehospitalization rate for BSD was lower in the PC arm than OC one (0% vs 7%) without statistical significance (P = 0.096) and relevance (NNT = 15). The mean number of readmission (any cause and BSD) and the complication rate (all and severe) were similar. PC was not mandatory in patients having Si-NEN and candidates to the resection of primary tumors.

A novel non-invasive electrocardiographic imaging technique facilitates the preprocedural diagnostic workup of patients with infrequent ventricular arrhythmias

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Catheter ablation (CA) fails in considerable numbers of patients with ventricular arrhythmias (VAs). Possible reasons include absence and non-inducibility, multifocal origin and anatomically difficult locations of premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) and ventricular tachycardias (VTs). A novel non-invasive electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI) diagnostic tool may help to determine the best treatment strategy of these patients. Purpose To evaluate outpatient ECGI (VIVO, View Into Ventricular Onset, Catheter Precision, NJ) to tailor treatment of patients with infrequent ventricular arrhythmias referred for CA. Methods Thirteen patients in an outpatient setting with VAs were included in this pilot-study. All patients underwent ECGI mapping using VIVO. It is a novel technique that localize the origin of VAs using a combination of 12-lead ECG and a patient specific 3D anatomical reconstruction of the heart and thorax using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or cardiac computed tomography imaging (CT). The technique is based on virtual simulation of pace-mapping and has a unique feature that the imaging can be performed independently from recording of the arrhythmias. Suitability for ablation was based on the VIVO mapping in this cohort. Results Among the 13 patients enrolled (10 female, 3 male, age 39 ±15 years), a total of 16 PVC/VT morphologies were analyzed using VIVO. Ten of them had a low PVC burden (&amp;lt;8%). Ten patients underwent pre-procedural cardiac MRI and 4 had CT imaging. Seven of the patients had structurally normal hearts, while the remaining 6 had non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. Based on the VIVO mapping findings the patients were divided in two groups. Group A: 7 patients in whom ablation was considered suitable. In this group a VIVO based anatomy CA was attempted in 3 patients for PVCs. Two out of these were successful. Three patients were offered CA but was declined by patient decision (suboptimal balance between burden, complaints and the offered success rates without procedural hard endpoint). Another patient is offered and is waiting for CA. The other group B: 6 patients in whom VIVO mapping was consistent with an unacceptable chance for treatment success were not offered CA. This included: 4 patients with a multifocal origin and a low burden of PVCs. One patient had different diagnosis (atrial fibrillation) and another had no PVC’s during 12-lead ECG monitoring. Conclusions Non-invasive ECGI pace-map is a unique tool that can identify the origin of infrequent VAs in an outpatient clinical setting in order to screen out patients not feasible for CA. Low burden PVCs maybe attempted to be ablated when the source is clearly associated of certain anatomical structures.

Human papillomavirus genotype-specific risks for cervical intraepithelial lesions

ABSTRACT Prevalence of different HPV genotypes is changing after HPV vaccination. The associated risks are needed for optimizing cervical cancer screening. To estimate HPV type-specific prevalence, odds ratio (OR), and positive predictive value (PPV) for cervical cytological abnormalities, we determined 41 different HPV genotypes in cervical samples from a population-based sample of 8351 women aged 18–51 years before HPV vaccination era (V501-033; NCT01077856). Prevalence of HPV16 was 4.9% (95% CI: 4.4–5.5) with the PPV for high-grade cytology 11.2%, and OR 11.9 (95% CI: 8.5–16.5). Carcinogenic HPVs included in the nonavalent vaccine (HPV16,18,31,33,45,52,58) had a population prevalence of 14.4% (95% CI: 13.5–15.4), with PPV of 8.0% (95% CI: 6.8–9.3) and OR 23.7 (95% CI: 16.0–63.5) for high-grade cytology. HPV types currently included in most screening tests, but not vaccinated against (HPV35,39,51,56,59,66,68) had a joint prevalence of 8.5% (95% CI: 7.8–9.2) with PPV of 4.4% (95% CI: 3.3–5.7) and OR of 2.9 (95% CI: 2.0–4.0) for high-grade cytology. The other 27 non-carcinogenic genotypes had a prevalence of 11.8%, PPV of 2.9% (95% CI:2.1–3.9), and OR 1.5 (95% CI: 1.1–2.2.) for high-grade cytology. These results suggest that HPV screening tests in the post-vaccination era might perform better if restricted to the HPV types in the nonavalent vaccine and screening for all 14 HPV types might result in suboptimal balance of harms and benefits.

Association of Dynamic Balance With Sports-Related Concussion: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background: Concussion is one of the most common sports-related injuries, with little understood about the modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors. Researchers have yet to evaluate the association between modifiable sensorimotor function variables and concussive injury. Purpose: To investigate the association between dynamic balance performance, a discrete measure of sensorimotor function, and concussive injuries. Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A total of 109 elite male rugby union players were baseline tested in dynamic balance performance while wearing an inertial sensor and prospectively followed during the 2016-2017 rugby union season. The sample entropy of the inertial sensor gyroscope magnitude signal was derived to provide a discrete measure of dynamic balance performance. Logistic regression modeling was then used to investigate the association among the novel digital biomarker of balance performance, known risk factors of concussion (concussion history, age, and playing position), and subsequent concussive injury. Results: Participant demographic data (mean ± SD) were as follows: age, 22.6 ± 3.6 years; height, 185 ± 6.5 cm; weight, 98.9 ± 12.5 kg; body mass index, 28.9 ± 2.9 kg/m2; and leg length, 98.8 ± 5.5 cm. Of the 109 players, 44 (40.3%) had a history of concussion, while 21 (19.3%) sustained a concussion during the follow-up period. The receiver operating characteristic analysis for the anterior sample entropy demonstrated a statistically significant area under the curve (0.64; 95% CI, 0.52-0.76; P < .05), with the cutoff score of anterior sample entropy ≥1.2, which maximized the sensitivity (76.2%) and specificity (53.4%) for identifying individuals who subsequently sustained a concussion. Players with suboptimal balance performance at baseline were at a 2.81-greater odds (95% CI, 1.02-7.74) of sustaining a concussion during the rugby union season than were those with optimal balance performance, even when controlling for concussion history. Conclusion: Rugby union players who possess poorer dynamic balance performance, as measured by a wearable inertial sensor during the Y balance test, have a 3-times-higher relative risk of sustaining a sports-related concussion, even when controlling for history of concussion. These findings have important implications for research and clinical practice, as it identifies a potential modifiable risk factor. Further research is required to investigate this association in a large cohort consisting of males and females across a range of sports.

Research on suboptimal energy balance of non-uniform distributed nodes in WSN

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are widely used in industrial production, environmental monitoring, and military applications. In the process of using, the node non-uniform distribution strategy can mitigate the energy hole and node suboptimal energy balance technology in wireless sensor networks. This paper discusses this strategy theoretically, proposes a node non-uniform distribution strategy, and it constructs a suboptimal energy balance algorithm, which based on the non-uniform distribution theory system. It has proved that in the circular network with non-uniform distribution of nodes, the uniform distributed method and the random non-uniform distributed method are tested and compared. The experimental results show that the non-uniform distributed method has high efficiency and good scalability, and it can be used to achieve the suboptimal energy balance. The simulation results also show that the nodes in the WSN are almost equal to the energy consumption.

Cognitive and behavioural dispositions in offspring at high risk for alcoholism.

Offspring with family history of alcoholism are considered to be at high risk for alcoholism. The present study sought to expand our understanding of cognitive and behavioural dispositions associated with executive control and self-regulation in alcohol naïve offspring with and without family history of alcoholism. Sample comprised of alcohol naive offspring in two groups: (i) at high risk (n = 34) and (ii) at low risk for alcoholism (n = 34). Both groups were matched on age (+/-1 year), education (+/-1 year) and gender. Measures used were: Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Family Interview for Genetic Studies, Socio-demographic Data Sheet, Annett's Handedness Questionnaire, Barratt's Impulsiveness Scale-version 11, Digit Span Test, Spatial Span Test, Tower of London, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and Game of Dice Task (GDT). Results showed that alcohol naive offspring at high risk for alcoholism reported significantly high impulsivity and demonstrated significant differences on executive functions and decision making tasks. Correlation analysis revealed that high impulsivity was significantly associated with poor performance on explicit decision making task (GDT) and executive function task (WCST). There was no significant correlation between two decision making tasks (IGT and GDT) in both groups and performance on IGT was not significantly associated with impulsivity and executive functions. The present study indicates cognitive and behavioural dispositions in alcohol naive offspring at high risk for alcoholism and support the sub-optimal balance between reflective and impulsive system responsible for addiction. Furthermore, present study supports separability between two different types of decision making tasks.

Recycling of biogas digestates in plant production: NPK fertilizer value and risk of leaching

PurposeThe main purposes of the study were to assess the NPK fertilizer value of biogas digestates in different soils and to evaluate the risk of unwanted nutrient leaching.MethodsThe fertilizer value of digestates from anaerobic digesters was investigated in a greenhouse pot experiment with wheat in three different soils; silt, loam and sand. The digestates were based on different feedstock and had a low, dry matter content. The fertilizing effect of digestates was compared to mineral fertilizer and manure. To investigate the fate of excess nutrients in soil after the growing season, the pots were leached after harvest. A complementary soil column leaching experiment without plants was carried out in the laboratory.ResultsThe concentration of ammonium in digestates provided a good indicator of the nitrogen fertilizer value of the digestates. In the silt and loam, the ammonium N fraction in digestates had a fertilizer replacement value equal to that of mineral fertilizer N, whereas the replacement value was higher in the nutrient poor sandy soil. Digestates often have a ratio between nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium which is not favourable for plant growth. However, the suboptimal balance did not result in reduced plant growth or unwanted leaching from soil.ConclusionsThe results show that digestates from biogas production based on fundamentally different feedstock are promising as NPK fertilizers. The N fertilization can simply be based on the digestate NH4+ concentration and, at least for wheat production, considerable variation in the concentrations of K and P can be tolerated.

Эквайринг и безналичные расчеты в свете экономического роста

This paper examines the impact of acquiring on the growth of the economy and its place in a new technological way. The article illustrates the correlation of GDP from acquiring. The economic effects of acquiring and their influence on the development of open innovation in the modern world are presented. Key indicators and acquiring of payment cards of different types in the dynamics of recent years are analyzed. The author considers sub-optimal balance between the cash and non-cash means of payment and three dimensions to exit this equilibrium.

Different (key)strokes for different folks: How standard and nonstandard typists balance Fitts' law and Hick's law.

Fine motor skills like typing involve a mapping problem that trades Fitts' law against Hick's law. Eight fingers have to be mapped onto 26 keys. Movement time increases with distance, so Fitts' law is optimized by recruiting more fingers. Choice difficulty increases with the number of alternatives, so Hick's law is optimized by recruiting fewer fingers. The effect of the number of alternatives decreases with consistent practice, so skilled typists achieve a balance between Fitts' law and Hick's law through learning. We tested this hypothesis by comparing standard typists who use the standard QWERTY mapping consistently with nonstandard typists who use fewer fingers less consistently. Typing speed and accuracy were lower for nonstandard typists, especially when visual guidance was reduced by removing the letters from the keys or covering the keyboard. Regression analyses showed that accommodation to Fitts' law (number of fingers) and Hick's law (consistency) predicted typing speed and accuracy. We measured the automaticity of typing in both groups, testing for hierarchical control in 3 tasks: word priming, which measures parallel activation of keystrokes, keyboard recall, which measures explicit knowledge of letter locations, and hand cuing, which measures explicit knowledge of which hand types which letter. Standard and nonstandard typists showed similar degrees of hierarchical control in all 3 tasks, suggesting that nonstandard typists type as automatically as standard typists, but their suboptimal balance between Fitts' law and Hick's law limits their ability to type quickly and accurately. (PsycINFO Database Record

Determinants of sport-specific postural control strategy and balance performance of amateur rugby players.

Postural control strategy and balance performance of rugby players are important yet under-examined issues. This study aimed to examine the differences in balance strategy and balance performance between amateur rugby players and non-players, and to explore training- and injury-related factors that may affect rugby players' balance outcomes. Cross-sectional and exploratory study. Forty-five amateur rugby players and 41 healthy active individuals participated in the study. Balance performance and balance strategies were assessed using the sensory organization test (SOT) of the Smart Equitest computerized dynamic posturography machine. Rugby training history and injury history were solicited from the participants. The SOT strategy scores were 1.99-54.90% lower in the rugby group than in the control group (p<0.05), and the equilibrium scores were 1.06-14.29% lower in the rugby group than in the control group (p<0.05). After accounting for age, sex and body mass index, only length of rugby training (in years) was independently associated with the SOT condition 6 strategy score, explaining 15.7% of its variance (p=0.006). There was no association between SOT condition 6 strategy/equilibrium scores and injury history among the rugby players (p>0.05). Amateur rugby players demonstrated inferior balance strategy and balance performance compared to their non-training counterparts. Their suboptimal balance strategy was associated with insufficient training experience but not with history of injury.

A Non-Uniform Node Distribution Policy for Routing Holes Avoidance

The wireless sensor networks are mainly employed on purpose of collection or supervision hence most of the data will flow into the base station finally. And the quantity asymmetry resulted from more source nodes often much more than the target nodes leads to unbalance of network traffic. As a result, nodes which are near the base station cost more energy, and this is the so-called "hot spot" effect followed by the energy hole problem. Aiming at these problems, this paper introduces a non-uniform distribution strategy on the basis of the MEBC algorithm (Mult-energy Balance Clustering Hierarchy), so that the inner layer has more number of nodes. Through theoretical and experimental simulation, the non-uniform node distribution strategy can effectively deal with the hot spot effect, realize the suboptimal balance of energy consumption in wireless sensor networks, and is effective to alleviate the energy hole problem. In addition, the simulation shows that with the expansion of network scale, it does not shorten network life cycle because of the non-uniform distribution strategy. Therefore the non-uniform distribution strategy is a good solution to the problem of large-scale network deployment.

Genome-scale in silico modeling and analysis for designing synthetic terpenoid-producing microbial cell factories

Terpenoids are a large and diverse group of plant secondary metabolites with important applications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. However, low yields obtained from natural plant sources necessitate the search for alternative ways to increase the throughput of terpenoid production. Thus, fast-growing microbial systems, such as Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, can be genetically engineered to achieve high productivity by systematically designing terpenoid synthetic routes and improving its precursor, isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) production. To this end, we develop an in silico model-based rational framework where the cellular metabolism in natural terpenoid producer is analyzed to provide a basis for designing its synthetic pathways in microbial hosts. At the outset, we updated the genome-scale Arabidopsis thaliana metabolic model to characterize optimal metabolic utilization patterns that were subsequently incorporated into the in silico models of microbial hosts for improving terpenoid yield. We also developed a novel computational approach, cofactor modification analysis (CMA), to tackle potential limitations in terpenoid production caused by suboptimal balance of the different redox cofactors. The enzyme targets identified by CMA can potentially lead to better metabolic engineering strategies for enhancing terpenoid production in microbial systems.

Sensory organization of balance control in children with developmental coordination disorder

This study aimed to (1) compare functional balance performance and sensory organization of postural control between children with and without developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and (2) determine the association between postural control and participation diversity among children with DCD. We recruited 81 children with DCD and 67 typically developing children. Balance was evaluated with the Sensory Organization Test (SOT) and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (Movement ABC-2). Participation patterns were evaluated using the Children Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment assessment. Analysis of variance was used to compare outcome variables between the two groups. A multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between participation diversity and balance performance in children with DCD. The DCD group had significantly lower Movement ABC-2 balance scores, SOT-derived equilibrium scores, and sensory ratios than the control group (p<0.05). However, only the Movement ABC-2 balance score was significantly associated with participation diversity in children with DCD. After accounting for the effects of age and gender, Movement ABC-2 balance score remained significantly associated with participation diversity, explaining 10.9% of the variance (F(change1,77) = 9.494, p = 0.003). Children with DCD demonstrate deficits in sensory organization of balance control. This suboptimal balance ability contributes to limited participation in activities.