University of Cyprus

About: University of Cyprus is a education organization based out in Nicosia, Cyprus. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Large Hadron Collider & Context (language use). The organization has 3624 authors who have published 15157 publications receiving 412135 citations.

The EU-AIMS Longitudinal European Autism Project (LEAP): Clinical characterisation

Abstract: The EU-AIMS Longitudinal European Autism Project (LEAP) is to date the largest multi-centre, multi-disciplinary observational study on biomarkers for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) The current paper describes the clinical characteristics of the LEAP cohort and examines age, sex and IQ differences in ASD core symptoms and common co-occurring psychiatric symptoms A companion paper describes the overall design and experimental protocol and outlines the strategy to identify stratification biomarkers From six research centres in four European countries, we recruited 437 children and adults with ASD and 300 controls between the ages of 6 and 30 years with IQs varying between 50 and 148 We conducted in-depth clinical characterisation including a wide range of observational, interview and questionnaire measures of the ASD phenotype, as well as co-occurring psychiatric symptoms The cohort showed heterogeneity in ASD symptom presentation, with only minimal to moderate site differences on core clinical and cognitive measures On both parent-report interview and questionnaire measures, ASD symptom severity was lower in adults compared to children and adolescents The precise pattern of differences varied across measures, but there was some evidence of both lower social symptoms and lower repetitive behaviour severity in adults Males had higher ASD symptom scores than females on clinician-rated and parent interview diagnostic measures but not on parent-reported dimensional measures of ASD symptoms In contrast, self-reported ASD symptom severity was higher in adults compared to adolescents, and in adult females compared to males Higher scores on ASD symptom measures were moderately associated with lower IQ Both inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive ADHD symptoms were lower in adults than in children and adolescents, and males with ASD had higher levels of inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive ADHD symptoms than females The established phenotypic heterogeneity in ASD is well captured in the LEAP cohort Variation both in core ASD symptom severity and in commonly co-occurring psychiatric symptoms were systematically associated with sex, age and IQ The pattern of ASD symptom differences with age and sex also varied by whether these were clinician ratings or parent- or self-reported which has important implications for establishing stratification biomarkers and for their potential use as outcome measures in clinical trials

Genotype-Renal Function Correlation in Type 2 Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease

Abstract: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a common Mendelian disorder that affects approximately 1 in 1000 live births. Mutations of two genes, PKD1 and PKD2, account for the disease in approximately 80 to 85% and 10 to 15% of the cases, respectively. Significant interfamilial and intrafamilial renal disease variability in ADPKD has been well documented. Locus heterogeneity is a major determinant for interfamilial disease variability (i.e., patients from PKD1-linked families have a significantly earlier onset of ESRD compared with patients from PKD2-linked families). More recently, two studies have suggested that allelic heterogeneity might influence renal disease severity. The current study examined the genotype-renal function correlation in 461 affected individuals from 71 ADPKD families with known PKD2 mutations. Fifty different mutations were identified in these families, spanning between exon 1 and 14 of PKD2. Most (94%) of these mutations were predicted to be inactivating. The renal outcomes of these patients, including the age of onset of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and chronic renal failure (CRF; defined as creatinine clearance < or = 50 ml/min, calculated using the Cockroft and Gault formula), were analyzed. Of all the affected individuals clinically assessed, 117 (25.4%) had ESRD, 47 (10.2%) died without ESRD, 65 (14.0%) had CRF, and 232 (50.3%) had neither CRF nor ESRD at the last follow-up. Female patients, compared with male patients, had a later mean age of onset of ESRD (76.0 [95% CI, 73.8 to 78.1] versus 68.1 [95% CI, 66.0 to 70.2] yr) and CRF (72.5 [95% CI, 70.1 to 74.9] versus 63.7 [95% CI, 61.4 to 66.0] yr). Linear regression and renal survival analyses revealed that the location of PKD2 mutations did not influence the age of onset of ESRD. However, patients with splice site mutations appeared to have milder renal disease compared with patients with other mutation types (P < 0.04 by log rank test; adjusted for the gender effect). Considerable renal disease variability was also found among affected individuals with the same PKD2 mutations. This variability can confound the determination of allelic effects and supports the notion that additional genetic and/or environmental factors may modulate the renal disease severity in ADPKD.

Cationic Nanoparticles Have Superior Transvascular Flux into Solid Tumors: Insights from a Mathematical Model

Abstract: Despite their great promise, only a few nanoparticle formulations have been approved for clinical use in oncology. The failure of nano-scale drugs to enhance cancer therapy is in large part due to inefficient delivery. To overcome this outstanding problem, a better understanding of how the physical properties (i.e., size, surface chemistry, and shape) of nanoparticles affect their transvascular transport in tumors is required. In this study, we developed a mathematical model for nanoparticle delivery to solid tumors taking into account electrostatic interactions between the particles and the negatively-charged pores of the vessel wall. The model predictions suggest that electrostatic repulsion has a minor effect on the transvascular transport of nanoparticles. On the contrary, electrostatic attraction, caused even by small cationic charges (surface charge density less than 3 × 10−3 C/m2) can lead to a twofold or more increase in the transvascular flux of nanoparticles into the tumor interstitial space. Importantly, for every nanoparticle size, there is a value of charge density above which a steep increase in transvascular transport is predicted. Our model provides important guidelines for the optimal design of nanoparticle formulation for delivery to solid tumors.

Comparative Analysis of Artificial Neural Network Models: Application in Bankruptcy Prediction

Abstract: This study compares the predictive performance of three neural network methods, namely the learning vector quantization, the radial basis function, and the feedforward network that uses the conjugate gradient optimization algorithm, with the performance of the logistic regression and the backpropagation algorithm. All these methods are applied to a dataset of 139 matched-pairs of bankrupt and non-bankrupt US firms for the period 1983–1994. The results of this study indicate that the contemporary neural network methods applied in the present study provide superior results to those obtained from the logistic regression method and the backpropagation algorithm.

The Cyprus Conflict: Root Causes and Implications for Peacebuilding

Abstract: A survey in 2000--02 in both the Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot communities examines the beliefs about the root causes of the Cyprus conflict, the political culture, social attitudes, and future solutions. This article shows that both external and internal factors, both psychological and contextual, have played an influential role in the creation and perpetuation of the conflict -- a view that challenges the selective official positions that define the problem as either a problem of external factors or merely an internal discord between the majority and minority population. The article highlights the complexity that characterizes intractable conflicts. It promotes the view that internal, contextual, and psychological factors are equally significant, as are legal and political factors, to be taken into account when addressing peacebuilding and future solutions. Some generalizations will be made with regard to the value of micro-level (i.e. societal studies) research in the field of conflict resolution and political psychology.