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Ocular artifacts, including blinks and saccades, pose significant challenges in the analysis of electroencephalographic (EEG) data, often obscuring crucial neural signals. This tutorial provides a comprehensive guide to the most effective methods for correcting these artifacts, with a focus on algorithms designed for both laboratory and real-world settings. We review traditional approaches, such as regression-based techniques and Independent Component Analysis (ICA), alongside more advanced methods like Artifact Subspace Reconstruction (ASR) and deep learning-based algorithms. Through detailed step-by-step instructions and comparative analysis, this tutorial equips researchers with the tools necessary to maintain the integrity of EEG data, ensuring accurate and reliable results in neurophysiological studies. The strategies discussed are particularly relevant for wearable EEG systems and real-time applications, reflecting the growing demand for robust and adaptable solutions in applied neuroscience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Given the importance of emotion recognition for communication purposes, and the impairment for such skill in CI users despite impressive language performances, the aim of the present study was to investigate the neural correlates of emotion recognition skills, apart from language, in adult unilateral CI (UCI) users during a music in noise (happy/sad) recognition task. Furthermore, asymmetry was investigated through electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythm, given the traditional concept of hemispheric lateralization for emotional processing, and the intrinsic asymmetry due to the clinical UCI condition. Methods: Twenty adult UCI users and eight normal hearing (NH) controls were recruited. EEG gamma and alpha band power was assessed as there is evidence of a relationship between gamma and emotional response and between alpha asymmetry and tendency to approach or withdraw from stimuli. The TAS-20 questionnaire (alexithymia) was completed by the participants. Results: The results showed no effect of background noise, while supporting that gamma activity related to emotion processing shows alterations in the UCI group compared to the NH group, and that these alterations are also modulated by the etiology of deafness. In particular, relative higher gamma activity in the CI side corresponds to positive processes, correlated with higher emotion recognition abilities, whereas gamma activity in the non-CI side may be related to positive processes inversely correlated with alexithymia and also inversely correlated with age; a correlation between TAS-20 scores and age was found only in the NH group. Conclusions: EEG gamma activity appears to be fundamental to the processing of the emotional aspect of music and also to the psychocognitive emotion-related component in adults with CI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cochlear implants (CI) allow deaf patients to improve language perception and improving their emotional valence assessment. Electroencephalographic (EEG) measures were employed so far to improve CI programming reliability and to evaluate listening effort in auditory tasks, which are particularly useful in conditions when subjective evaluations are scarcely appliable or reliable. Unfortunately, the presence of CI on the scalp introduces an electrical artifact coupled to EEG signals that masks physiological features recorded by electrodes close to the site of implant. Currently, methods for CI artifact removal have been developed for very specific EEG montages or protocols, while others require many scalp electrodes. In this study, we propose a method based on the Multi-channel Wiener filter (MWF) to overcome those shortcomings. Nine children with unilateral CI and nine age-matched normal hearing children (control) participated in the study. EEG data were acquired on a relatively low number of electrodes (n = 16) during resting condition and during an auditory task. The obtained results obtained allowed to characterize CI artifact on the affected electrode and to significantly reduce, if not remove it through MWF filtering. Moreover, the results indicate, by comparing the two sample populations, that the EEG data loss is minimal in CI users after filtering, and that data maintain EEG physiological characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current standard oncotherapy for glioblastoma is limited by several adverse side effects, leading to a short-term patient survival rate paralleled by a worsening quality of life (QoL). Recently, Complementary and Integrative Medicine's (CIM) innovative approaches have shown positive impacts in terms of better response to treatment, side effect reduction, and QoL improvement. In particular, promising potential in cancer therapy has been found in compounds coming from phyto- and mycotherapy. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the beneficial effects of a new phyto-mycotherapy supplement, named Ganostile, in the human glioblastoma cell line U251, in combination with chemotherapeutic agents, i.e., Cisplatin and a new platinum-based prodrug. Choosing a supplement dosage that mimicked oral supplementation in humans (about 1 g/day), through in vitro assays, microscopy, and cytometric analysis, it has emerged that the cells, after 48hr continuous exposure to Ganostile in combination with the chemical compounds, showed a higher mortality and a lower proliferation rate than the samples subjected to the different treatments administered individually. In conclusion, our data support the use of Ganostile in integrative oncology protocols as a promising adjuvant able to amplify conventional and new drug effects and also reducing resistance mechanisms often observed in brain tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite substantial progress in investigating its psychophysical complexity, tinnitus remains a scientific and clinical enigma. The present study, through an ecological and multidisciplinary approach, aims to identify associations between electroencephalographic (EEG) and psycho-audiological variables. Methods: EEG beta activity, often related to stress and anxiety, was acquired from 12 tinnitus patients (TIN group) and 7 controls (CONT group) during an audio cognitive task and at rest. We also investigated psychological (SCL-90-R; STAI-Y; BFI-10) and audiological (THI; TQ12-I; Hyperacusis) variables using non-parametric statistics to assess differences and relationships between and within groups. Results: In the TIN group, frontal beta activity positively correlated with hyperacusis, parietal activity, and trait anxiety; the latter is also associated with depression in CONT. Significant differences in paranoid ideation and openness were found between groups. Conclusions: The connection between anxiety trait, beta activity in the fronto-parietal cortices and hyperacusis provides insights into brain functioning in tinnitus patients, offering quantitative descriptions for clinicians and new multidisciplinary treatment hypotheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new class of superfluids and superconductors with spatially periodic modulation of the superfluid density is arising1–12. It might be related to the supersolid phase of matter, in which the spontaneous breaking of gauge and translational symmetries leads to a spatially modulated macroscopic wavefunction13–16. This relation was recognized only in some cases1,2,5–9 and there is the need for a universal property quantifying the differences between supersolids and ordinary matter, such as the superfluid fraction, which measures the reduction in superfluid stiffness resulting from the spatial modulation16–18. The superfluid fraction was introduced long ago16, but it has not yet been assessed experimentally. Here we demonstrate an innovative method to measure the superfluid fraction based on the Josephson effect, a ubiquitous phenomenon associated with the presence of a physical barrier between two superfluids or superconductors19, which might also be expected for supersolids20, owing to the spatial modulation. We demonstrate that individual cells of a supersolid can sustain Josephson oscillations and we show that, from the current–phase dynamics, we can derive directly the superfluid fraction. Our study of a cold-atom dipolar supersolid7 reveals a relatively large sub-unity superfluid fraction that makes realistic the study of previously unknown phenomena such as partially quantized vortices and supercurrents16–18. Our results open a new direction of research that may unify the description of all supersolid-like systems.A new method based on the Josephson effect is described, allowing to measure the superfluid fraction of a supersolid, which captures the effect of spatially periodic modulation leading to reduction in the stiffness of superfluids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The identification and staging of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) represent a challenge, especially in the prodromal stage of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), when cognitive changes can be subtle. Worldwide efforts were dedicated to select and harmonize available neuropsychological instruments. In Italy, the Italian Network of Neuroscience and Neuro-Rehabilitation has promoted the adaptation of the Uniform Data Set Neuropsychological Test Battery (I-UDSNB), collecting normative data from 433 healthy controls (HC). Here, we aimed to explore the ability of I-UDSNB to differentiate between a) MCI and HC, b) AD and HC, c) MCI and AD. Methods: One hundred thirty-seven patients (65 MCI, 72 AD) diagnosed after clinical-neuropsychological assessment, and 137 HC were included. We compared the I-UDSNB scores between a) MCI and HC, b) AD and HC, c) MCI and AD, with t-tests. To identify the test(s) most capable of differentiating between groups, significant scores were entered in binary logistic and in stepwise regressions, and then in Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analyses. Results: Two episodic memory tests (Craft Story and Five Words test) differentiated MCI from HC subjects; Five Words test, Semantic Fluency (vegetables), and TMT-part B differentiated AD from, respectively, HC and MCI. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the I-UDSNB is a suitable tool for the harmonized and concise assessment of patients with cognitive decline, showing high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of MCI and AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vigilance refers to the capability of humans to respond accordingly to relevant and unpredictable tasks and surrounding environment changes over prolonged periods of time. Identifying vigilance decrements can, therefore, have huge and vital impacts on several operational environments in which a simple slip of mind or a deficit in attention can bear life-threatening and disastrous consequences. Several methodologies have been proposed to assess and characterize vigilance, and the results have indicated that the sole measure of performance and self-reports are not enough to obtain reliable and real-time vigilance measure. Nowadays, monitoring head and body movements to obtain information about performance in daily activities, health conditions, and mental states has become very simple and cheap due to the miniaturization of inertial measurement units and their widespread integration into common electronic devices (e.g., smart glasses, smartwatches). The present study aimed to understand the relationship between head micromovements and body posture changes to vigilance decrease while performing the psychomotor vigilance task. The results highlighted that head micromovements can be employed to track vigilance decrement during prolonged periods of time and discriminate between conditions of high or low vigilance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ex vivo treatment of a limited volume of blood with gaseous oxygen–ozone (O2–O3) mixtures and its rapid reinfusion into the patient is a widespread medical procedure. O3 instantly reacts with the blood's antioxidant systems, disappearing before reinfusion, although the molecules formed act as messengers in the organism, inducing multiple antioxidant and anti-inflammatory responses. An appropriate dose of O3 is obviously essential to ensure both safety and therapeutic efficacy, and in recent years, the low-dose O3 concept has led to a significant reduction in the administered O3 concentrations. However, the molecular events triggered by such low concentrations in the blood still need to be fully elucidated. In this basic study, we analysed the molecular modifications induced ex vivo in sheep blood by 5 and 10 µg O3/mL O2 by means of a powerful metabolomics analysis in association with haemogas, light microscopy and bioanalytical assays. This combined approach revealed increased oxygenation and an increased antioxidant capacity in the O3-treated blood, which accorded with the literature. Moreover, original information was obtained on the impact of these low O3 concentrations on the metabolic pathways of amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids and nucleotides, with the modified metabolites being mostly involved in the preservation of the oxidant–antioxidant balance and in energy production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the plethora of studies investigating listening effort and the amount of research concerning music perception by cochlear implant (CI) users, the investigation of the influence of background noise on music processing has never been performed. Given the typical speech in noise recognition task for the listening effort assessment, the aim of the present study was to investigate the listening effort during an emotional categorization task on musical pieces with different levels of background noise. The listening effort was investigated, in addition to participants' ratings and performances, using EEG features known to be involved in such phenomenon, that is alpha activity in parietal areas and in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), that includes the Broca's area. Results showed that CI users performed worse than normal hearing (NH) controls in the recognition of the emotional content of the stimuli. Furthermore, when considering the alpha activity corresponding to the listening to signal to noise ratio (SNR) 5 and SNR10 conditions subtracted of the activity while listening to the Quiet condition—ideally removing the emotional content of the music and isolating the difficulty level due to the SNRs- CI users reported higher levels of activity in the parietal alpha and in the homologous of the left IFG in the right hemisphere (F8 EEG channel), in comparison to NH. Finally, a novel suggestion of a particular sensitivity of F8 for SNR-related listening effort in music was provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auditory stimulation activates brain areas associated with higher cognitive processes, like the prefrontal cortex (PFC), and plays a role in postural control regulation. However, the effects of specific frequency stimuli on upright posture maintenance and PFC activation patterns remain unknown. Therefore, the study aims at filling this gap. Twenty healthy adults performed static double- and single-leg stance tasks of 60s each under four auditory conditions: 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000Hz, binaurally delivered through headphones, and in quiet condition. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy was used to measure PFC activation through changes in oxygenated hemoglobin concentration, while an inertial sensor (sealed at the L5 vertebra level) quantified postural sway parameters. Perceived discomfort and pleasantness were rated through a 0-100 visual analogue scale (VAS). Results showed that in both motor tasks, different PFC activation patterns were displayed at the different auditory frequencies and the postural performance worsened with auditory stimuli, compared to quiet conditions. VAS results showed that higher frequencies were considered more discomfortable than lower ones. Present data prove that specific sound frequencies play a significant role in cognitive resources recruitment and in the regulation of postural control. Furthermore, it supports the importance of exploring the relationship among tones, cortical activity, and posture, also considering possible applications with neurological populations and people with hearing dysfunctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background noise elicits listening effort. What else is tinnitus if not an endogenous background noise? From such reasoning, we hypothesized the occurrence of increased listening effort in tinnitus patients during listening tasks. Such a hypothesis was tested by investigating some indices of listening effort through electroencephalographic and skin conductance, particularly parietal and frontal alpha and electrodermal activity (EDA). Furthermore, tinnitus distress questionnaires (THI and TQ12-I) were employed. Parietal alpha values were positively correlated to TQ12-I scores, and both were negatively correlated to EDA; Pre-stimulus frontal alpha correlated with the THI score in our pilot study; finally, results showed a general trend of increased frontal alpha activity in the tinnitus group in comparison to the control group. Parietal alpha during the listening to stimuli, positively correlated to the TQ12-I, appears to reflect a higher listening effort in tinnitus patients and the perception of tinnitus symptoms. The negative correlation between both listening effort (parietal alpha) and tinnitus symptoms perception (TQ12-I scores) with EDA levels could be explained by a less responsive sympathetic nervous system to prepare the body to expend increased energy during the "fight or flight" response, due to pauperization of energy from tinnitus perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Down syndrome (DS) is a genetically-based disease based on the trisomy of chromosome 21 (Hsa21). DS is characterized by intellectual disability in association with several pathological traits among which early aging and altered motor coordination are prominent. Physical training or passive exercise were found to be useful in counteracting motor impairment in DS subjects. In this study we used the Ts65Dn mouse, a widely accepted animal model of DS, to investigate the ultrastructural architecture of the medullary motor neuron cell nucleus taken as marker of the cell functional state. Using transmission electron microscopy, ultrastructural morphometry, and immunocytochemistry we carried out a detailed investigation of possible trisomy-related alteration(s) of nuclear constituents, which are known to vary their amount and distribution as a function of nuclear activity, as well as the effect of adapted physical training upon them. Results demonstrated that trisomy per se affects nuclear constituents to a limited extent; however, adapted physical training is able to chronically stimulate pre-mRNA transcription and processing activity in motor neuron nuclei of trisomic mice, although to a lesser extent than in their euploid mates. These findings are a step towards understanding the mechanisms underlying the positive effect of physical activity in DS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mild oxidative stress induced by low doses of gaseous ozone (O3) activates the antioxidant cell response through the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), thus inducing beneficial effects without cell damage. Mitochondria are sensitive to mild oxidative stress and represent a susceptible O3 target. In this in vitro study, we investigated the mitochondrial response to low O3 doses in the immortalized, non-tumoral muscle C2C12 cells; a multimodal approach including fluorescence microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and biochemistry was used. Results demonstrated that mitochondrial features are finely tuned by low O3 doses. The O3 concentration of 10 μg maintained normal levels of mitochondria-associated Nrf2, promoted the mitochondrial increase of size and cristae extension, reduced cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and prevented cell death. Conversely, in 20 μg O3-treated cells, where the association of Nrf2 with the mitochondria drastically dropped, mitochondria underwent more significant swelling, and ROS and cell death increased. This study, therefore, adds original evidence for the involvement of Nrf2 in the dose-dependent response to low O3 concentrations not only as an Antioxidant Response Elements (ARE) gene activator but also as a regulatory/protective factor of mitochondrial function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serum samples from eight participants during the XV winter-over at Concordia base (Antarctic expedition) collected at defined time points, including predeparture, constituted the key substrates for a specific metabolomics study. To ascertain acute changes and chronic adaptation to hypoxia, the metabolic profiles of the serum samples were analyzed using NMR spectroscopy, with principal components analysis (PCA) followed by partial least squares and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analyses (PLS-DA and OPLS-DA) used as supervised classification methods. Multivariate data analyses clearly highlighted an adaptation period characterized by an increase in the levels of circulating glutamine and lipids, mobilized to supply the body energy needs. At the same time, a reduction in the circulating levels of glutamate and N-acetyl glycoproteins, stress condition indicators, and proinflammatory markers were also found in the NMR data investigation. Subsequent pathway analysis showed possible perturbations in metabolic processes, potentially related to the physiological adaptation, predominantly found by comparing the baseline (at sea level, before mission onset), the base arrival, and the mission ending collected values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Art experience is not solely the observation of artistic objects, but great relevance is also placed on the environment in which the art experience takes place, often in museums and galleries. Interestingly, in the last few years, the introduction of some forms of virtual reality (VR) in museum contexts has been increasing. This has solicited enormous research interest in investigating any eventual differences between looking at the same artifact either in a real context (e.g. a museum) and in VR. To address such a target, a neuroaesthetic study was performed in which electroencephalography (EEG) and autonomic signals (heart rate and skin conductance) were recorded during the observation of the Etruscan artifact "Sarcophagus of the Spouses", both in the museum and in a VR reproduction. Results from EEG analysis showed a higher level of the Workload Index during observation in the museum compared to VR (p = 0.04), while the Approach–Withdrawal Index highlighted increased levels during the observation in VR compared to the observation in the museum (p = 0.03). Concerning autonomic indices, the museum elicited a higher Emotional Index response than the VR (p = 0.03). Overall, preliminary results suggest a higher engagement potential of the museum compared to VR, although VR could also favour higher embodiment than the museum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate in a group of elderly CI users working memory and attention, conventionally considered as predictors of better CI performance and to try to disentangle the effects of these cognitive domains on speech perception, finding potential markers of cognitive decline related to audiometric findings. Methods Thirty postlingually deafened CI users aged >60 underwent an audiological evaluation followed by a cognitive assessment of attention and verbal working memory. A correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the associations between cognitive variables while a simple regression investigated the relationships between cognitive and audiological variables. Comparative analysis was performed to compare variables on the basis of subjects' attention performance. Results: Attention was found to play a significant role in sound field and speech perception. Univariate analysis found a significant difference between poor and high attention performers, while regression analysis showed that attention significantly predicted recognition of words presented at Signal/Noise +10. Further, the high attention performers showed significantly higher scores than low attentional performers for all working memory tasks. Conclusion: Overall findings confirmed that a better cognitive performance may positively contribute to better speech perception outcomes, especially in complex listening situations. WM may play a crucial role in storage and processing of auditory-verbal stimuli and a robust attention may lead to better performance for speech perception in noise. Implementation of cognitive training in auditory rehabilitation of CI users should be investigated in order to improve cognitive and audiological performance in elderly CI users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poetry elicits emotions, and emotion is a fundamental component of human ontogeny. Although neuroaesthetics is a rapidly developing field of research, few studies focus on poetry, and none address its different modalities of fruition (MOF) of universal cultural heritage works, such as the Divina Commedia (DC) poem. Moreover, alexithymia (AX) resulted in being a psychological risk factor during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aims to investigate the emotional response to poetry excerpts from different cantica (Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso) of DC with the dual objective of assessing the impact of both the structure of the poem and MOF and that of the characteristics of the acting voice in experts and non-experts, also considering AX. Online emotion facial coding biosignal (BS) techniques, self-reported and psychometric measures were applied to 131 literary (LS) and scientific (SS) university students. BS results show that LS globally manifest more JOY than SS in both reading and listening MOF and more FEAR towards Inferno. Furthermore, LS and SS present different results regarding NEUTRAL emotion about acting voice. AX influences listening in NEUTRAL and SURPRISE expressions. DC's structure affects DISGUST and SADNESS during listening, regardless of participant characteristics. PLEASANTNESS varies according to DC's structure and the acting voice, as well as AROUSAL, which is also correlated with AX. Results are discussed in light of recent findings in affective neuroscience and neuroaesthetics, suggesting the critical role of poetry and listening in supporting human emotional processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around 40 years have passed since the first pioneering works introduced the possibility of using quantum physics to enhance communications safety. Nowadays, quantum key distribution (QKD) exited the physics laboratories to become a mature technology, triggering the attention of States, military forces, banks, and private corporations. This work takes on the challenge of bringing QKD closer to a consumer technology: deployed optical fibers by telecommunication companies of different States have been used to realize a quantum network, the first‐ever connecting three different countries. This work also emphasizes the necessity of networks where QKD can come up besides classical communications, whose coexistence currently represents the main limitation of this technology. This network connects Trieste to Rijeka and Ljubljana via a trusted node in Postojna. A key rate of over 3 kbps in the shortest link and a 7‐hour‐long measurement demonstrate the system's stability and reliability. The network has been used to present the QKD at the G20 Digital Ministers' Meeting in Trieste. The experimental results, together with the interest that one of the most important events of international politics has attracted, showcase the maturity of the QKD technology bundle, placing it in the spotlight for consumer applications in the near term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the psychological characteristics of online learning on Italian students with and without hearing loss (HL) and on their parents, who were forced into isolation during the Covid‐19 pandemic. An online survey collected information on socio‐demographic data and opinions concerning online learning from 61 children (mean age 11; 25 males, 36 females), including 43 with HL and also from their parents; additionally, school wellbeing and anxiety were assessed. The results showed that, in both the student and parent groups, no significant effect of HL on school wellbeing and anxiety was found. Additionally, in parents, State Anxiety was significantly higher than Trait Anxiety, suggesting one possible impact of lockdown on psychological wellbeing. Differences due to HL were observed and discussed in correlation analyses. The Authors believe that this study is the first contribution to the psychological evaluation of the impact of online learning on families with hearing‐impaired children, from the perspective of a successful, inclusive didactic. Practitioner points: Deafness globally did not impact school wellbeing during online learning for the Covid‐19 pandemicTeacher's relationship with deaf students as a protective factor against anxiety.The family environment was a protective factor during quarantine in Spring 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Auditory selective attention (ASA) is crucial to focus on significant auditory stimuli without being distracted by irrelevant auditory signals and plays an important role in language development. The present study aimed to investigate the unique contribution of ASA to the linguistic levels achieved by a group of cochlear implanted (CI) children. Methods: Thirty-four CI children with a median age of 10.05 years were tested using both the "Batteria per la Valutazione dell'Attenzione Uditiva e della Memoria di Lavoro Fonologica nell'età evolutiva-VAUM-ELF" to assess their ASA skills, and two Italian standardized tests to measure lexical and morphosyntactic skills. A regression analysis, including demographic and audiological variables, was conducted to assess the unique contribution of ASA to language skills. Results: The percentages of CI children with adequate ASA performances ranged from 50 to 29.4%. Bilateral CI children performed better than their monolateral peers. ASA skills contributed significantly to linguistic skills, accounting alone for the 25% of the observed variance. Conclusions: The present findings are clinically relevant as they highlight the importance to assess ASA skills as early as possible, reflecting their important role in language development. Using simple clinical tools, ASA skills could be studied at early developmental stages. This may provide additional information to outcomes from traditional auditory tests and may allow us to implement specific training programs that could positively contribute to the development of neural mechanisms of ASA and, consequently, induce improvements in language skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen‐ozone (O2‐O3) therapy is an adjuvant/complementary treatment based on the activation of antioxidant and cytoprotective pathways driven by the nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2 (Nrf2). Many drugs, including dimethyl fumarate (DMF), that are used to reduce inflammation in oxidative‐stress‐related neurodegenerative diseases, act through the Nrf2‐pathway. The scope of the present investigation was to get a deeper insight into the mechanisms responsible for the beneficial result of O2‐O3 treatment in some neurodegenerative diseases. To do this, we used an integrated approach of multimodal microscopy (bright‐field and fluorescence microscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopy) and biomolecular techniques to investigate the effects of the low O3 concentrations currently used in clinical practice in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐activated microglial cells human microglial clone 3 (HMC3) and in DMF‐treated LPS‐activated (LPS + DMF) HMC3 cells. The results at light and electron microscopy showed that LPS‐activation induced morphological modifications of HMC3 cells from elongated/branched to larger roundish shape, cytoplasmic accumulation of lipid droplets, decreased electron density of the cytoplasm and mitochondria, decreased amount of Nrf2 and increased migration rate, while biomolecular data demonstrated that Heme oxygenase 1 gene expression and the secretion of the pro‐inflammatory cytokines, Interleukin‐6, and tumor necrosis factor‐α augmented. O3 treatment did not affect cell viability, proliferation, and morphological features of both LPS‐activated and LPS + DMF cells, whereas the cell motility and the secretion of pro‐inflammatory cytokines were significantly decreased. This evidence suggests that modulation of microglia activity may contribute to the beneficial effects of the O2‐O3 therapy in patients with neurodegenerative disorders characterized by chronic inflammation. Highlights: Low‐dose ozone (O3) does not damage activated microglial cells in vitroLow‐dose O3 decreases cell motility and pro‐inflammatory cytokine secretion in activated microglial cells in vitroLow‐dose O3 potentiates the effect of an anti‐inflammatory drug on activated microglial cells [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This pilot study investigates the neurophysiological patterns of visual and auditory verbal working memory (VWM) in unilateral cochlear implant users (UCIs). We compared the task-related electroencephalogram (EEG) power spectral density of 7- to 13-year-old UCIs (n = 7) with a hearing control group (HC, n = 10) during the execution of a three-level n-back task with auditory and visual verbal (letters) stimuli. Performances improved as memory load decreased regardless of sensory modality (SM) and group factors. Theta EEG activation over the frontal area was proportionally influenced by task level; the left hemisphere (LH) showed greater activation in the gamma band, suggesting lateralization of VWM function regardless of SM. However, HCs showed stronger activation patterns in the LH than UCIs regardless of SM and in the parietal area (PA) during the most challenging audio condition. Linear regressions for gamma activation in the PA suggest the presence of a pattern-supporting auditory VWM only in HCs. Our findings seem to recognize gamma activation in the PA as the signature of effective auditory VWM. These results, although preliminary, highlight this EEG pattern as a possible cause of the variability found in VWM outcomes in deaf children, opening up new possibilities for interdisciplinary research and rehabilitation intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hearing loss has been the most common sensory impairment and one of the most challenging disabilities in the elderly population, with a multitude of consequences for the quality of life and psychosocial well-being. The present work was a narrative review on the effectiveness of communicative/psychosocial interventions that were designed for the elderly with hearing impairment. A search of the academic database identified relevant articles based upon seven search facets ("quality of life," "psychological," "psychosocial wellbeing," "hearing impaired," "deaf," "elderly") up to November 2019. Inclusion criteria concerned the combined following terms: "quality of life," "psychological" and "psychosocial wellbeing," with the terms "hearing impaired" "deaf," "elderly" and "interventions" and their possible variations. Only 9 out of 950 identified studies explicitly focused on psychosocial wellness and/or quality of life. Outcomes were sometimes contradictory in terms of the efficacy in quality of life and psychological wellbeing improvements. Findings were promising in terms of quality of life improvement but did not allow for definitive conclusions, since study populations were heterogeneous and primary outcome measures did not always focus on deafness. Future research is needed to define effective protocols and evaluation measures that will be able to enlighten benefits in terms of psychosocial wellness and quality of life in the hearing impaired elderly population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of the Active Communication Education (ACE) program on the social/emotional impacts of hearing loss (HL) in a group of older adults with a cochlear implant (CI). Design: Prospective cohort study design, with a "within-subject" control procedure. Study Sample: Twenty adults over-65 post-lingually deafened CI users. All subjects were required to be native Italian speakers, to have normal cognitive level, have no significant psychiatric conditions and/or diagnosed incident dementia, and used CI for at least 9 months. Materials and Methods: Twenty participants were assessed using the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE), the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) before, during, and after ACE program, with a one and 6-month follow up. The cognitive and audiological evaluation was carried out before commencing the ACE program. Results: The ACE program had a positive impact by reducing HL's social/emotional effects. Participants benefited from a rehabilitative approach by improving multilevel skills: comprehension of audiological and hearing dimensions, acquisition of communicative, pragmatic and problem-solving strategies, and interaction and sharing of experiences with peers. Conclusion: Although targeting the older adults with moderate HL, the ACE program also seemed to benefit older adult CI users. An improvement in social and emotional adaptation to hearing difficulties can, in turn, significantly promote optimal use of CI in the older adults, thereby possibly reducing the risk of losing motivation and engagement in device use and in rehabilitation protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This pilot case-control study is aimed to estimate 'musical effort' and 'musical pleasantness' in adults normal hearing (NH) and Unilateral Cochlear Implant (UCI) users via neurophysiological indices and a cognitive-behavioural approach. 7 NH and 7 UCI subjects underwent electroencephalographic (EEG) recording with two EEG indices, Approach Withdrawal (AW) and Workload (WI), and behavioural tests conducted during a forced-choice musical emotion recognition task performed in quiet and noise in two emotional conditions. Musical effort in terms of WI did not vary between conditions and groups. Inversely, for AW, statistically significant differences in noisy conditions were observed between groups, indicating a difficulty for the patients in discriminating the musical pleasantness in noise. However, self-reported data suggest the ability of UCI to cognitively evaluate the stimulus in terms of both auditory difficulty and pleasantness. Findings suggest the possible relevance of the Cochlear Implant in supporting the patients' effort in listening to music in noise, allowing a pleasant enjoyment in the quiet condition. Overall, this study appears worthy of interest and paves the way for further investigation by providing data on the neurophysiological perception of music. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Exploration of specific brain areas involved in verbal working memory (VWM) is a powerful but not widely used tool for the study of different sensory modalities, especially in children. In this study, for the first time, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to investigate neurophysiological similarities and differences in response to the same verbal stimuli, expressed in the auditory and visual modality during the n-back task with varying memory load in children. Since VWM plays an important role in learning ability, we wanted to investigate whether children elaborated the verbal input from auditory and visual stimuli through the same neural patterns and if performance varies depending on the sensory modality. Performance in terms of reaction times was better in visual than auditory modality (p = 0.008) and worse as memory load increased regardless of the modality (p < 0.001). EEG activation was proportionally influenced by task level and was evidenced in theta band over the prefrontal cortex (p = 0.021), along the midline (p = 0.003), and on the left hemisphere (p = 0.003). Differences in the effects of the two modalities were seen only in gamma band in the parietal cortices (p = 0.009). The values of a brainwave-based engagement index, innovatively used here to test children in a dual-modality VWM paradigm, varied depending on n-back task level (p = 0.001) and negatively correlated (p = 0.002) with performance, suggesting its computational effectiveness in detecting changes in mental state during memory tasks involving children. Overall, our findings suggest that auditory and visual VWM involved the same brain cortical areas (frontal, parietal, occipital, and midline) and that the significant differences in cortical activation in theta band were more related to memory load than sensory modality, suggesting that VWM function in the child's brain involves a cross-modal processing pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In quantum fluids, the quantization of circulation forbids the diffusion of a vortex swirling flow seen in classical viscous fluids. Yet, accelerating quantum vortices may lose their energy into acoustic radiations1,2, similar to the way electric charges decelerate on emitting photons. The dissipation of vortex energy underlies central problems in quantum hydrodynamics3, such as the decay of quantum turbulence, highly relevant to systems as varied as neutron stars, superfluid helium and atomic condensates4,5. A deep understanding of the elementary mechanisms behind irreversible vortex dynamics has been a goal for decades3,6, but it is complicated by the shortage of conclusive experimental signatures7. Here we address this challenge by realizing a programmable vortex collider in a planar, homogeneous atomic Fermi superfluid with tunable inter-particle interactions. We create on-demand vortex configurations and monitor their evolution, taking advantage of the accessible time and length scales of ultracold Fermi gases8,9. Engineering collisions within and between vortex–antivortex pairs allows us to decouple relaxation of the vortex energy due to sound emission and that due to interactions with normal fluid (that is, mutual friction). We directly visualize how the annihilation of vortex dipoles radiates a sound pulse. Further, our few-vortex experiments extending across different superfluid regimes reveal non-universal dissipative dynamics, suggesting that fermionic quasiparticles localized inside the vortex core contribute significantly to dissipation, thereby opening the route to exploring new pathways for quantum turbulence decay, vortex by vortex.By controlling the generation and collision of individual vortices in atomic Fermi superfluids, a study provides a comprehensive view of vortex decay due to mutual friction and vortex–sound interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smartphone misuse, also known as Nomophobia is the fear of not being able to consult your own mobile phone, of not being connected or traceable. During the Italian lockdown caused by COVID-19, while the use of technology was the fundamental basis of adaptation for smart working, school and professional training, leading to a change in the population's lifestyle, smartphone dependency caused impaired social relationships. To date, the impact of smartphone dependency in men and women is unclear. We conducted this study with the hypothesis that a period of lockdown fosters the growth of a pathological use of the cell phone different in women and men. The purpose of this work is to investigate gender differences in the level of smartphone dependency in teens and adults during the COVID-19 lockdown period. The NoMobilePhobia-Questionnaire (NMP-Q) was presented online to 1264 participants between the ages of 15 and 67. The results show no significant main effects for the two factors taken into account (Gender and Age of participants). However, the significant interaction shows that female participants reported on average higher scores on NMP-Q than males, [F(4,1253) =7.06 and p<.001, observed power close to 1 (0.99) and effect size = 0.03 (ETA partial squared)] for the younger age group (15–44), while for those over the age of 44, the average highest scores were for male participants. One of the "positive" aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic is the use of the Internet and smartphones, and our analysis aimed to document the frequency of use in the Italian context with the NMP-Q. However, we can also conclude that this research is relevant because it can give us a glimpse of the relationship between dependency and mental issues. The results reveal the risk in some of the Italian population of developing forms of smartphone dependency, especially in circumstances that prohibit direct social interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In deaf children, huge emphasis was given to language; however, emotional cues decoding and production appear of pivotal importance for communication capabilities. Concerning neurophysiological correlates of emotional processing, the gamma band activity appears a useful tool adopted for emotion classification and related to the conscious elaboration of emotions. Starting from these considerations, the following items have been investigated: (i) whether emotional auditory stimuli processing differs between normal-hearing (NH) children and children using a cochlear implant (CI), given the non-physiological development of the auditory system in the latter group; (ii) whether the age at CI surgery influences emotion recognition capabilities; and (iii) in light of the right hemisphere hypothesis for emotional processing, whether the CI side influences the processing of emotional cues in unilateral CI (UCI) children. To answer these matters, 9 UCI (9.47 ± 2.33 years old) and 10 NH (10.95 ± 2.11 years old) children were asked to recognize nonverbal vocalizations belonging to three emotional states: positive (achievement, amusement, contentment, relief), negative (anger, disgust, fear, sadness), and neutral (neutral, surprise). Results showed better performances in NH than UCI children in emotional states recognition. The UCI group showed increased gamma activity lateralization index (LI) (relative higher right hemisphere activity) in comparison to the NH group in response to emotional auditory cues. Moreover, LI gamma values were negatively correlated with the percentage of correct responses in emotion recognition. Such observations could be explained by a deficit in UCI children in engaging the left hemisphere for more demanding emotional task, or alternatively by a higher conscious elaboration in UCI than NH children. Additionally, for the UCI group, there was no difference between the CI side and the contralateral side in gamma activity, but a higher gamma activity in the right in comparison to the left hemisphere was found. Therefore, the CI side did not appear to influence the physiologic hemispheric lateralization of emotional processing. Finally, a negative correlation was shown between the age at the CI surgery and the percentage of correct responses in emotion recognition and then suggesting the occurrence of a sensitive period for CI surgery for best emotion recognition skills development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neurophysiological analysis of cooperation has evolved over the past 20 years, moving towards the research of common patterns in neurophysiological signals of people interacting. Social physiological compliance (SPC) and hyperscanning represent two frameworks for the joint analysis of autonomic and brain signals, respectively. Each of the two approaches allows to know about a single layer of cooperation according to the nature of these signals: SPC provides information mainly related to emotions, and hyperscanning that related to cognitive aspects. In this work, after the analysis of the state of the art of SPC and hyperscanning, we explored the possibility to unify the two approaches creating a complete neurophysiological model for cooperation considering both affective and cognitive mechanisms We synchronously recorded electrodermal activity, cardiac and brain signals of 14 cooperative dyads. Time series from these signals were extracted, and multivariate Granger causality was computed. The results showed that only when subjects in a dyad cooperate there is a statistically significant causality between the multivariate variables representing each subject. Moreover, the entity of this statistical relationship correlates with the dyad's performance. Finally, given the novelty of this approach and its exploratory nature, we provided its strengths and limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broadband, quantum-engineered, quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are the most powerful chip-scale sources of optical frequency combs (FCs) across the mid-infrared and the terahertz (THz) frequency range. The inherently short intersubband upper state lifetime spontaneously allows mode proliferation, with large quantum efficiencies, as a result of the intracavity four-wave mixing. QCLs can be easily integrated with external elements or engineered for intracavity embedding of nonlinear optical components and can inherently operate as quantum detectors, providing an intriguing technological platform for on-chip quantum investigations at the nanoscale. The research field of THz FCs is extremely vibrant and promises major impacts in several application domains crossing dual-comb spectroscopy, hyperspectral imaging, time-domain nanoimaging, quantum science and technology, metrology and nonlinear optics in a miniaturized and compact architecture. Here, we discuss the fundamental physical properties and the technological performances of THz QCL FCs, highlighting the future perspectives of this frontier research field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public service antismoke announcements (PSA) are essential tools for promoting messages worthy of society. In 2015 the Italian Government released an anti-smoking PSA to raise young people's awareness of the smoking dangers. To demonstrate the effectiveness of that campaign, the present study investigated the mental response of 56 participants while watching the PSA through the Electroencephalogram (EEG). The EEG is frequently employed in neuromarketing to face the limitations of verbal declarations, allowing to evaluate the advertisings' efficacy objectively. The present study analyzed the PSA, considering the smoking habit of participants by dividing them into smokers and nonsmokers. Some main segments of the PSA were identified and separately analyzed for evidencing the most effective part for the anti-smoking message. Three main EEG indexes have been explored in the analysis: mental engagement index (ME), spectral asymmetry index (SASI), and the mental effort index. The t-test performed on the index values showed an increase of the ME and the SASI for smokers compared to non-smokers (p<0.005). While the repeated measures ANOVA pointed out that the indexes were differently modulated by the parts of the PSA, showing the effectiveness of the smoking symptoms' description and the claim at the brain level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Psicoterapia Cognitiva e Comportamentale is the property of Edizioni Centro Studi Erickson SpA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Quantum key distribution (QKD) based on entangled photon pairs holds the potential for repeater-based quantum networks connecting clients over long distance. We demonstrate long-distance entanglement distribution by means of polarisation-entangled photon pairs through two successive deployed 96 km-long telecommunications fibres in the same submarine cable. One photon of each pair was detected directly after the source, while the other travelled the fibre cable in both directions for a total distance of 192 km and attenuation of 48 dB. The observed two-photon Bell state exhibited a fidelity 85 ± 2% and was stable over several hours. We employed neither active stabilisation of the quantum state nor chromatic dispersion compensation for the fibre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This study aims to investigate the effects of combining 12-week group psychotherapy with yoga exercises on stress perception and quality of life in mental health professionals. Design/methodology/approach - This study was a parallel-arm randomized controlled trial, in which the participants was unaware of which group was the experimental one. Participants involved in our research were assigned to two groups of separate treatment that followed for three months group psychotherapy combined with yoga program for stress management or usual stress coping strategies. Findings - The findings did not reveal a significant difference in stress perception assessed in the two groups either before or after intervention but reveal a significant difference in the quality of life in the two groups before and after the psycho behavioral interventions. Originality/value - The findings did not reveal a significant difference in stress perception assessed in the two groups either before or after intervention but reveal a significant difference in the quality of life in the two groups before and after the psycho behavioral interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human factors' aim is to understand and evaluate the interactions between people and tasks, technologies, and environment. Among human factors, it is possible then to include the subjective reaction to external stimuli, due to individual's characteristics and states of mind. These processes are also involved in the perception of antismoking public service announcements (PSAs), the main tool for governments to contrast the first cause of preventable deaths in the world: tobacco addiction. In the light of that, in the present article, it has been investigated through the comparison of different electroencephalographic (EEG) indices a typical item known to be able of influencing PSA perception, that is gender. In order to investigate the neurophysiological underpinnings of such different perception, we tested two PSAs: one with a female character and one with a male character. Furthermore, the experimental sample was divided into men and women, as well as smokers and nonsmokers. The employed EEG indices were the mental engagement (ME: the ratio between beta activity and the sum of alpha and theta activity); the approach/withdrawal (AW: the frontal alpha asymmetry in the alpha band); and the frontal theta activity and the spectral asymmetry index (SASI: the ratio between beta minus theta and beta plus theta). Results suggested that the ME and the AW presented an opposite trend, with smokers showing higher ME and lower AW than nonsmokers. The ME and the frontal theta also evidenced a statistically significant interaction between the kind of the PSA and the gender of the observers; specifically, women showed higher ME and frontal theta activity for the male character PSA. This study then supports the usefulness of the ME and frontal theta for purposes of PSAs targeting on the basis of gender issues and of the ME and the AW and for purposes of PSAs targeting on the basis of smoking habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum entanglement is one of the most extraordinary effects in quantum physics, with many applications in the emerging field of quantum information science. In particular, it provides the foundation for quantum key distribution (QKD), which promises a conceptual leap in information security. Entanglement-based QKD holds great promise for future applications owing to the possibility of device-independent security and the potential of establishing global-scale quantum repeater networks. While other approaches to QKD have already reached the level of maturity required for operation in absence of typical laboratory infrastructure, comparable field demonstrations of entanglement-based QKD have not been performed so far. Here, we report on the successful distribution of polarization-entangled photon pairs between Malta and Sicily over 96 km of submarine optical telecommunications fiber. We observe around 257 photon pairs per second, with a polarization visibility above 90%. Our results show that QKD based on polarization entanglement is now indeed viable in long-distance fiber links. This field demonstration marks the longest-distance distribution of entanglement in a deployed telecommunications network and demonstrates an international submarine quantum communication channel. This opens up myriad possibilities for future experiments and technological applications using existing infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizophrenia is a serious psychiatric disorder characterized by positive symptoms, negative symptoms and neurocognitive deficits. The aim of this study was to estimate relationships between wellness, yoga and quality of life in patients affected by schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Participants were 30 patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia in care at the Rehabilitative Psychiatry and Research Villa Chiara Clinic in Mascalucia (Catania, Italy), after that randomly assigned to two groups. The first group followed the experimental treatment with sets of yoga exercises conducted by a yoga trainer and a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist expert in yoga, while a second control group was treated with usual care. The results revealed a significant difference, before and after treatment, between the experimental group and the control group in quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequency of seven rovibrational transitions in the ν3 band, Q branch of 188OsO4 have been measured with high accuracy. The spectrometer used consists of two CO2 lasers [∼3 W on the 10R(0)], the first of which is stabilized on the 4.3 μm fluorescence Lamb dip of the CO2 and the second on the saturated absorption dip of the rovibrational transitions of 188OsO4. The OsO4 transition frequencies are obtained combining the known frequency of the first laser with the measured frequency of the beat note between the two laser beams. For the assignment of the transitions the recent Fourier transform analysis by Bobin et al. [J. Mol. Spectrosc. 122, 229 (1987)] was used. The access to the 10R(0) laser line has made it possible to investigate, for the first time, the Q branch of the ν3 band of OsO4 in a sub-Doppler regime. Furthermore, the tetrahedral fine structure in the ground and in the ν3 state has been analyzed using the infrared–radio frequency double resonance technique. The tetrahedral splitting constants, Dt for the ground state and Z3t for the ν3 state, have been calculated with higher accuracy than in previous works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The result of a Doppler-limited and sub-Doppler optical laser spectroscopic investigation of atomic oxygen is presented. Atomic oxygen is produced in a O2–noble gas radio-frequency discharge of moderate power. The analysis of the atoms produced is performed by monitoring both fluorescence and the optogalvanic signal for oxygen optical transitions between highly excited levels. Doppler broadening measurements illustrate a nonequilibrium thermal distribution selective on the spin value and on the gas used to sustain the discharge. A simple model based on energy transfer processes is proposed to explain the observed phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which investigated the behavior of tungsten-nickel oxide-nickel point contact diodes at different laser frequencies and mixing orders with diodes having different tip radii. Information on the diode; Tests on differing tip radii; Conclusions.