Alternative Diagnostic Models of the Psychotic Disorders: Evidence-Based Choices

Standard diagnostic systems, the predominantly categorical DSM-5 and ICD-11, have limitations in validity, utility, and predictive and descriptive power. For psychotic disorders, these issues were partly addressed in current versions, but additional modifications are thought to be needed. Changes should be evidence based. We reviewed categorical, modified-categorical, and continuum-based models versus factor-based models of psychosis. Factors are clusters of symptoms or single prominent aspects of illness. Consistent evidence from studies of the genetics, pathobiology, and clinical presentation of psychotic disorders all support an underlying structure of factors, not categories, as best characterizing psychoses. Factors are not only the best fit but also comprehensive, as they can encompass any key feature of illness, including symptoms and course, as well as determinants of risk or response. Factors are inherently dimensional, even multidimensional, as are the psychoses themselves, and they provide the detail needed for either grouping or distinguishing patients for treatment decisions. The tools for making factor-based diagnoses are available, reliable, and concordant with actual practices used for clinical assessments. If needed, factors can be employed to create categories similar to those in current use. In addition, they can be used to define unique groupings of patients relevant to specific treatments or studies of the psychoses. Lastly, factor-based classifications are concordant with other comprehensive approaches to psychiatric nosology, including personalized (precision treatment) models and hierarchical models, both of which are currently being explored. Factors might be considered as the right primary structural choice for future versions of standard diagnostic systems, both DSM and ICD.

Secondary structural choice of DNA and RNA associated with CGG/CCG trinucleotide repeat expansion rationalizes the RNA misprocessing in FXTAS

CGG tandem repeat expansion in the 5′-untranslated region of the fragile X mental retardation-1 (FMR1) gene leads to unusual nucleic acid conformations, hence causing genetic instabilities. We show that the number of G…G (in CGG repeat) or C…C (in CCG repeat) mismatches (other than A…T, T…A, C…G and G…C canonical base pairs) dictates the secondary structural choice of the sense and antisense strands of the FMR1 gene and their corresponding transcripts in fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS). The circular dichroism (CD) spectra and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) reveal that CGG DNA (sense strand of the FMR1 gene) and its transcript favor a quadruplex structure. CD, EMSA and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations also show that more than four C…C mismatches cannot be accommodated in the RNA duplex consisting of the CCG repeat (antisense transcript); instead, it favors an i-motif conformational intermediate. Such a preference for unusual secondary structures provides a convincing justification for the RNA foci formation due to the sequestration of RNA-binding proteins to the bidirectional transcripts and the repeat-associated non-AUG translation that are observed in FXTAS. The results presented here also suggest that small molecule modulators that can destabilize FMR1 CGG DNA and RNA quadruplex structures could be promising candidates for treating FXTAS.

Billy Woods’s Literary Intertexts

While—like all artistic forms—it allows for deviation from this standard rule, rap is heavily reliant on building blocks of sixteen bars and a refrain. In addition, rhyme plays a prominent role in structuring rap, which is why the form is also colloquially referred to as “rhyming.” In view of this, Billy Woods’s record Today, I Wrote Nothing was a considerable departure from the existing rap norm. On the record, Woods stylistically adapted a collection of works by Russian absurdist writer Daniil Kharms, which was also called Today, I Wrote Nothing. Kharms was known for writing short prose without any formal structure. Most of his stories deal with absurd situations and slapstick humour. The structure of the fragmented fiction is adapted into rap on Woods’s record. The long rap verses are replaced by short songs without any specific narrative. The record maintains the non-structure of Kharms’s writing, as well as its absurdity, but it abandons any semblance of traditional rap. The second important stylistic and structural choice made in Woods’s record was the integration of aspects of Flannery O’Connor’s writing, particularly its humour and darkness. The article will focus on how Billy Woods integrates intertextuality into his lyrics to give the songs additional layers of meaning.

Portfolio Theory in Solving the Problem Structural Choice

The purpose of the article is to reveal the problem (and to determine the possibility of solving the structural choice problem) as one of the areas in modern portfolio theory development. The article also argues that portfolio analysis is a method of structural analysis for various economic units. The research methodology is defined by the portfolio theory, optimization models implemented by the numerical gradient projection method, the empirical static method of analysis and simulation cases when the models are implemented. The research supported by the above- mentioned methodology aimed to reach the goal results in substantiating the structural choice. This choice differs from the classical portfolio choice as it is necessary to find how the investments are allocated for the portfolio units, and the same should be done for the characteristics points, where it is a challenge to apply the efficient set theorem, because different structures for the allocation of the resources, investments give the same or nearly the same combination of the expected return and total portfolio risk. Economic sectors characterized by the profitability and business risk are seen to be the portfolio units in terms of the macroeconomic approach from the portfolio theory developed by Tobin. Total income maximization model and total portfolio risk minimization demonstrate both the structural choice problem, including at the characteristic points, and choice dependence on the expansion of the resource allocated to the portfolio, and on the number of portfolio units. The analysis and model simulations enhance the efficient set theorem with the criteria for structural choice—income and risk correlation on the effective distribution curve, among other factors. A portfolio with two real sectors of the Russian economy illustrates that profitability and risk ratio determines the resource allocation between them under the income maximization model, so one sector grabs a more substantial resource. Thus, being a tool to support the structural choice, portfolio analysis gives structural diagnostics for the resource distribution, investments allocation by portfolio units.

Attention and Structural Choice in Sentence Production

This chapter offers a review of experimental evidence about the role of the speaker’s attention in the choice of syntactic structure and the corresponding word order during sentence production. Here, we describe how the speaker’s syntactic choices reflect the regular mapping mechanism that reflects the features of the described event in the produced sentence. One of the most important event parameters that the speaker considers is the changing salience status of the event’s referents. This chapter summarizes current theoretical debate about the interplay between attention and sentence production mechanisms. Finally, it reviews the corresponding experimental evidence from languages with both restricted and flexible word orders.