BACKGROUND Literature states that parents of individuals affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can present social and cognitive deficits, restricted behavior patterns and psychiatric difficulties, without meeting standard diagnostic criteria for ASD ("Broader Autism Phenotype"). We explored the relationship between parenting of children affected by ASD and levels of empathy and lack of emotion understanding (alexithymia). METHODS We enlisted 58 families in which a child was affected by ASD. Parents' empathy and alexithymia were respectively assessed by means of Empathy Quotient (EQ) and Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Additionally, we included the assessment of the perception of children's behavior through the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). RESULTS Our findings suggest that most parents have normal empathy and do not show significant alexithymia. We found lower EQ and higher TAS-20 scores being more frequent in fathers. Moreover, each parent's empathy degree negatively relates to his/her alexithymia and vice versa, showing that these two features are inversely correlated. Our study unveiled a strong correlation between maternal empathy and alexithymia and child's externalizing problems, as reported by mothers. CONCLUSIONS Our data reveal differences in mothers and fathers' empathy and alexithymia profiles and confirm the importance of considering both parents' points of view either in the diagnostic and the therapeutic interventions. Parental empathy and alexithymia levels not only play a fundamental role in the evaluation of child's difficulties but can also influence the development of a good relationship with the child for what concerns affective resonance.In mid-September 2018, during a field survey in Chiat'ung, Sanjiangyuan (Three-River-Source) Region, Tibetan Plateau, China, we discovered the first active breeding den of the Chinese mountain cat (Felis bieti), inhabited by one adult female and two kittens. Based on fieldwork over the following months, five breeding dens were discovered, and 33 sightings were recorded. In addition, at least five individuals were confirmed to inhabit this overlooked region, and much previously unknown information concerning this cat species and its ecology was revealed for the first time.Recent advances in avian transgenic studies highlight the possibility of utilizing lentiviral vectors as tools to generate transgenic chickens. However, low rates of gonadal chimerism and germ line transmission efficiency still limit the broad usage of this method in creating transgenic chickens. In this study, we implemented a simple strategy using modified lentiviral vectors targeted to chicken primordial germ cells (PGCs) to generate transgenic chickens. The lentiviral vectors were pseudotyped with a modified Sindbis virus envelope protein (termed M168) and conjugated with an antibody specific to PGC membrane proteins. We demonstrated that these optimized M168-pseudotyped lentiviral vectors conjugated with SSEA4 antibodies successfully targeted transduction of PGCs in vitro and in vivo. Compared with the control, 50.0%-66.7% of chicken embryos expressed green fluorescent protein (GFP) in gonads transduced by the M168-pseudotyped lentivirus. This improved the targeted transduction efficiency by 30.0%-46.7%. Efficient chimerism of exogenous genes was also observed. This targeting technology could improve the efficiency of germ line transmission and provide greater opportunities for transgenic poultry studies.The main goal in biosimilar development is to increase CHO viability and productivity while maintaining product quality. Despite media and feed optimization during process development, depletion of amino acids still occurs. Aim of the work was to optimize an existing industrial fed batch process by preventing shortage of amino acids and to gather knowledge about CHO metabolism. Several process outputs were evaluated such as cell metabolism, cell viability, mAb production and product quality. First step was to develop and supplement an enriched feed containing depleted amino acids. Abundance of serine and glucose increased lactate production resulting in low viability and low productivity. In the next step, we developed an amino acid feed without serine to avoid the metabolic boost. Supplemented amino acids improved cell viability by 9%; however, mAb production did not increase significantly. In the final step, we limited glucose concentration ( less then 5.55mmol/L) in the cell culture to avoid the metabolic boost while supplementing an amino acid feed including serine. Data analysis showed that we were able to 1) replace depleted amino acids and avoid metabolic boost, 2) increase viability by 12%, 3) enhance mAb production by 0.5g/L (total by approx. 10g) and, 4) extend the overall process time of an already developed bioprocess. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. © 2020 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of three different methods of fiber reinforcement (glass fibers preimpregnated, glass fibers nonpreimpregnated, and polyethylene fibers) on the flexural strength and modulus of elasticity of poly-methyl-methacrylate resin (PMMA) and Bis-Gma materials. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 60 specimens of autopolymerizing PMMA resin specimens were fabricated using a stainless steel matrix with dimensions of (37.5± 2) × (3 ± 0.1) × (3 ± 0.1) mm according to the standards of ISO 10477. The autopolymerizing resins used in this study were (a) JET, (b) TRIM, (c) PROTEMP. The fibers used in this study were STICK (Glass fiber preimpregnated), POLYDENTIA (Glass fiber nonpreimpregnated), RIBBOND (Polyethylene fiber). The specimens were tested by three-point bending test and the flexural strength and modulus of elasticity were recorded. PF-07265807 The data of each resin type were analyzed by analysis of variance using a significance level of 0.05 to determine the mean differences. RESULTS The integration of reinforcing fibers in the mass of resins for provisional restorations increased both the flexural strength and the modulus of elasticity in all tested combinations compared to control groups. After the three-point bending test, the specimens were not completely fractured and the parts remained together due to the fibers. CONCLUSIONS Fiber reinforcement is an effective method to increase mechanical properties of provisional restorative resins. Reinforcement with fibers enhances the flexural strength and the modulus of elasticity of the specimens compared to unreinforced (control) group. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE The reinforcement of resin materials used for provisional restorations with fibers can increase mechanical strength and may improve the clinical performance and the longevity of provisional restorations during their clinical function. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.