Adaptive training interfaces for less-experienced,elderly users of electronic devices

A great number of complex electronic devices are now part of our everyday lives. While many of us learn to handle these products by trial and error; others, especially older users with little experience in using electronic devices, need support. In order to allow the user maximum flexibility in terms of learning time and location, a training programme is presented which is implemented as part of the software embedded in the product itself. Particular focus is placed on the effect of adaptive training on learning. In this study, the training versions differed in their ability to adjust their complexity to the user's experience (adaptive user interface complexity) and their capability to support the learner by prompting them during the learning process (adaptive training advice). The results show that the adjustment of complexity had a positive effect on users’ experience: elderly users who trained with an adaptive interface were more successful in learning to use a mobile phone. Adaptive training advice, however, was found to have no significant effects on learners’ success and reduced their self-efficacy. This work offers guidelines on how to design integrated training applications for electronic devices that successfully help elderly users with little prior experience.     

GraftFast Surface Engineering to Improve MOF Nanoparticles Furtiveness

Controlling the outer surface of nanometric metal–organic frameworks (nanoMOFs) and further understanding the in vivo effect of the coated material are crucial for the convenient biomedical applications of MOFs. However, in most studies, the surface modification protocol is often associated with significant toxicity and/or lack of selectivity. As an alternative, how the highly selective and general grafting GraftFast method leads, through a green and simple process, to the successful attachment of multifunctional biopolymers (polyethylene glycol (PEG) and hyaluronic acid) on the external surface of nanoMOFs is reported. In particular, effectively PEGylated iron trimesate MIL‐100(Fe) nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit suitable grafting stability and superior chemical and colloidal stability in different biofluids, while conserving full porosity and allowing the adsorption of bioactive molecules (cosmetic and antitumor agents). Furthermore, the nature of the MOF–PEG interaction is deeply investigated using high‐resolution soft X‐ray spectroscopy. Finally, a cell penetration study using the radio‐labeled antitumor agent gemcitabine monophosphate (³H‐GMP)‐loaded MIL‐100(Fe)@PEG NPs shows reduced macrophage phagocytosis, confirming a significant in vitro PEG furtiveness.     

Biogenic amines in Spanish beers: differences among breweries

Ten biogenic amines in Spanish beers were studied using HPLC. Agmatine, tyramine and putrescine were the prevailing amines, while histamine,-phenylethylamine, tryptamine, cadaverine, spermine and spermidine were detected at relatively low levels (in general <2 mg/l). On the basis of the wide range of levels observed for tyramine (from 1.90 to 31.55 mg/l), the consumption of beer requires restriction in patients receiving monoamine oxidase inhibitor drugs. Biogenic amine levels in beers of the same type from the same company and from different companies were monitored every month over 1 year. Agmatine and putrescine levels showed minimal fluctuations in beers from the same company as well as from different breweries. Raw materials and brewing conditions would not affect the levels of those amines. However, tyramine levels were subject to wide fluctuations in beers produced by particular breweries irrespective of whether they were produced by the same company. Relatively high levels of tyramine were specific to some breweries.     

Surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) as an alternative technique for rapid and quantitative screening of small molecules, useful in drug discovery

Surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) is a label free technology for biomolecular interaction, which gives access to binding kinetic parameters from real time acquisition. It offers the possibility to test in a single run a large number of interactions, allowing rapid identification of the most suitable compounds toward a given biological entity. Until now, this technique has proven to be relevant for interaction between relatively large molecules (protein, antibodies, DNA) but has not been challenged yet for the screening of small molecules that can be of interested in the field of drug discovery. As a proof a principle, we have used SPRi to screen for interaction of several small molecules, referred to as G4-ligands on G-quadruplex DNA. This technology allowed to easy discrimination of the binding properties of four G4-ligands on quadruplex DNA models.     

Pattern analysis of dermoscopic images based on Markov random fields

In this paper a method for detecting different patterns in dermoscopic images is presented. In order to diagnose a possible skin cancer, physicians assess the lesion based on different rules. While the most famous one is the ABCD rule (asymmetry, border, colour, diameter), the new tendency in dermatology is to classify the lesion performing a pattern analysis. Due to the colour textured appearance of these patterns, this paper presents a novel method based on Markov random field (MRF) extended for colour images that classifies images representing different dermatologic patterns. First, each image plane in L^*a^*b^* colour space is modelled as a MRF following a finite symmetric conditional model (FSCM). Coupling of colour components is taken into account by supposing that features of the MRF in the three colour planes follow a multivariate Normal distribution. Performance is analysed in different colour spaces. The best classification rate is 86% on average.     

Neurotrophic control of ovarian development

Substantial evidence now exists indicating that the neurotrophins, a family of growth factors required for the survival, development, and differentiation of various neuronal populations of the nervous system, are also important for the development of nonneuronal tissues. Such a function was first suggested by studies showing the presence of high-affinity neurotrophin receptors in a variety of nonneuronal tissues including those of the cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, and reproductive systems. Within the latter, the gonads appear to be a preferential site of neurotrophin action as suggested by the presence in the mammalian ovary of at least four of the five known neurotrophins and all of the neurotrophin receptors thus far identified. While the various functions that the neurotrophins may have in the ovary are still being elucidated, it is now clear that in addition to recruiting the ovarian innervation, they play a direct role in the regulation of two different maturational periods that are critical for the acquisition of female reproductive function: early follicular development and ovulation. Neurotrophins facilitate the development of newly formed follicles by promoting the initial differentiation and the subsequent growth of primordial follicles. These actions appear to be related to the ability of neurotrophins to sustain the proliferation of both mesenchymal and granulosa cells, and to induce the synthesis of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) receptors. At the time of the first ovulation, neurotrophins contribute to the ovulatory cascade by increasing prostaglandin E(2) release, reducing gap junction communication, and inducing cell proliferation within the thecal compartment of preovulatory follicles.     

Daily recovery experiences: The role of volunteer work during leisure time.

This study focused on the role of volunteer work for daily recovery from work. In a 1-week diary study with 166 employees, we assessed the amount of time spent on volunteer work during leisure time, and the recovery facets of psychological detachment from work (i.e., mentally switching off from work), mastery experiences (i.e., pursuing challenging activities), and community experiences (i.e., cultivating relationships) every day before participants went to bed. Results from hierarchical linear modeling (n = 529 days) showed volunteer work during leisure time to be positively related to mastery experiences and community experiences suggesting volunteer work to contribute to successful recovery by creating new resources. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Experimental renewal in human participants.

Two experiments with human participants are presented that differentiate renewal from other behavioral effects that can produce a response after extinction. Participants played a video game and learned to suppress their behavior when sensor stimuli predicted an attack. Contexts (A, B, & C) were provided by fictitious galaxies where the game play took place. In Experiment 1, participants who received conditioning in A, extinction in B, and testing in A showed some context specificity of conditioning during extinction and a recovery of suppression on test. Experiment 2 demonstrated recovery of extinguished responding when participants were conditioned in A, extinguished in B, and tested in C, a third, neutral context. The experiment also demonstrated that the context of extinction did not control performance by becoming inhibitory. Results are discussed in terms of mechanisms that can produce a response recovery after extinction. The experiments demonstrated a renewal effect: a response recovery that was not attributable to the contexts acting as simple conditioned stimuli and is the first work with human participants to conclusively do so. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of traumatic brain injury on working memory-related brain activation in adolescents.

Eight adolescents (ages 13-18 years) who sustained traumatic brain injury (TBI) and eight gender- and age-matched typically developing (TD) adolescents underwent event-related functional MRI (fMRI) while performing a Sternberg letter recognition task. Encoding, maintenance, and retrieval were examined with memory loads of one or four items during imaging. Both groups performed above a 70% accuracy criterion and did not differ in performance. TD adolescents showed greater increase in frontal and parietal activation during high-load relative to low-load maintenance than the TBI group. The TBI patients showed greater increase in activation during high-load relative to low-load encoding and retrieval than the TD group. Results from this preliminary study suggest that the capability to differentially allocate neural resources according to memory load is disrupted by TBI for the maintenance subcomponent of working memory. The overrecruitment of frontal and extrafrontal regions during encoding and retrieval following TBI may represent a compensatory process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Insights into the Pharmacokinetics and In Vitro Cell-Based Studies of the Imidazoline I2 Receptor Ligand B06

The impact of neurodegenerative diseases (ND) is becoming unbearable for humankind due to their vast prevalence and the lack of efficacious treatments. In this scenario, we focused on imidazoline I₂ receptors (I₂-IR) that are widely distributed in the brain and are altered in patients with brain disorders. We took the challenge of modulating I₂-IR by developing structurally new molecules, in particular, a family of bicyclic α-iminophosphonates, endowed with high affinity and selectivity to these receptors. Treatment of two murine models, one for age-related cognitive decline and the other for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), with representative compound B06 ameliorated their cognitive impairment and improved their behavioural condition. Furthermore, B06 revealed beneficial in vitro ADME-Tox properties. The pharmacokinetics (PK) and metabolic profile are reported to de-risk B06 for progressing in the preclinical development. To further characterize the pharmacological properties of B06, we assessed its neuroprotective properties and beneficial effect in an in vitro model of Parkinson’s disease (PD). B06 rescued the human dopaminergic cell line SH-SY5Y from death after treatment with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and showed a crucial anti-inflammatory effect in a cellular model of neuroinflammation. This research reveals B06 as a putative candidate for advancing in the difficult path of drug discovery and supports the modulation of I₂-IR as a fresh approach for the therapy of ND.