Search

Integrating active research into educational laboratory experiences is critical for exposing students to the impact research can have. By using discoveries and experiments from ongoing active research, these laboratories create a crucial early career opportunity for students to directly engage in current scientific research. A summer laboratory program for incoming undergraduate chemistry majors was designed and implemented. Students with no required prior laboratory experience took part in experiments and discussions relating to Au–Sn alloy nanoparticles, focusing on concepts from nanoscience, solid state chemistry, and photonics. Societal impacts on sustainability and critical materials were also discussed. A strong emphasis is placed on teaching solid state chemistry and nanoscience, which can be challenging to incorporate into existing introductory laboratory experiences due to time, safety, and approachability limitations. This experiment is aqueous, can be performed in a single session, and requires no sophisticated equipment. The laboratory was reproduced solely using reagents and equipment available in our general chemistry stockroom. Instructor materials are also included that adapt this laboratory for teaching crystal structures and X-ray diffraction at an advanced level.

AbstractObjectiveThere is limited literature on associations between inflammatory tone and response to sequential pharmacotherapies in major depressive disorder (MDD).MethodsIn a 16-week open-label clinical trial, 211 participants with MDD were treated with escitalopram 10–20 mg daily for 8 weeks. Responders continued escitalopram while non-responders received adjunctive aripiprazole 2–10 mg daily for 8 weeks. Plasma levels of pro-inflammatory markers—C-reactive protein, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-17, interferon-gamma (IFN)-Γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and Chemokine C–C motif ligand-2 (CCL-2)—measured at baseline, and after 2, 8 and 16 weeks were included in logistic regression analyzes to assess associations between inflammatory markers and treatment response.ResultsPre-treatment IFN-Γ and CCL-2 levels were significantly associated with a lower of odds of response to escitalopram at 8 weeks. Increases in CCL-2 levels from weeks 8 to 16 in escitalopram non-responders were significantly associated with higher odds of non-response to adjunctive aripiprazole at week 16.ConclusionHigher pre-treatment levels of IFN-Γ and CCL-2 were associated with non-response to escitalopram. Increasing levels of these pro-inflammatory markers may be associated with non-response to adjunctive aripiprazole. These findings require validation in independent clinical populations.

The design of new plasmonic materials is essential for continued progress in light manipulation at nanometer length scales.Often, multimetallic nanoparticles exhibit superior catalytic, mechanical, or corrosion-resistant behavior compared with their unary counterparts. Despite these advantages, designing multimetallic plasmonic materials remains challenging because, except for Au, Ag, and Al, most metallic elements exhibit poor plasmonic behavior. Here, we describe a strategy for manipulating the plasmon resonances of noble metal nanoparticles by post-transition metal alloying. We show how the metallic properties of post-transition metals—Bi, Ga, In, and Sn—can be imparted onto noble metals, enabling tunable higher-energy plasmon resonances that maintain high extinction coefficients and enter the UV. Theoretical modeling of simulated metallic mixtures and idealized Drude free-electron materials shows how this tunability is generalizable. Consequently, post-transition metal alloying provides a powerful strategy for realizing a new chemically diverse class of tunable plasmonic materials.

Although several studies and reports have shown the potential analgesic use of serotonergic psychedelics in cancer pain, phantom limb pain and cluster headache, evidence supporting their use for chronic pain is still limited. The past years have seen a considerable renewal of interest toward the therapeutic use of these compounds for mood disorders, resulting in a marked increase in the number of people turning to psychedelics in an attempt to self-medicate a health condition or improve their wellbeing. In western countries particularly, this population of users overlaps substantially with chronic pain sufferers, representing a unique opportunity to evaluate the effects these compounds have on pain and wellbeing. Here, we report results from an online survey conducted between August 2020 and July 2021 in a population of 250 chronic pain sufferers who had experience with psychedelics, either in microdoses (small sub-hallucinogenic doses), macrodoses (hallucinogenic doses), or both. Macrodoses, while less often used for analgesic purposes than microdoses, were reported to induce a higher level of pain relief than both microdoses and conventional pain medications (including opioids and cannabis). Although the effects were weaker and potentially more prone to expectation bias than with macrodoses, our results also suggested some benefits of psychedelics in microdoses for pain management. The reported analgesic effect appeared unrelated to mood improvements associated with psychedelic use, or the advocacy of psychedelic use. Taken together, our findings indicate interesting potential analgesic applications for psychedelics that warrant further clinical research.

The optimum method for evaluating disease progression in Parkinson's disease (PD) has not been established, and this has implications for clinical trials. The majority of previous studies have utilized change on the Unified Parkinson's disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) as an index of progression. However, the UPDRS has not been validated for this purpose. We utilized exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to evaluate the longitudinal properties of the UPDRS as an index of disease progression in PD. Data was derived from a representative cohort of 122 PD patients followed from diagnosis and assessed every 18–24 months for up to 7.9 years. For each subject the rate of change of each item on the UPDRS-3 was calculated and an EFA was performed using this data. Results were compared with those of previously published EFAs in cross-sectional PD cohorts. The UPDRS-3 retains a stable factor structure when used as an index of disease evolution. The 27 items reduced to 6 factors which accounted for 61.0% of the variance in disease progression. A dominant factor was identified which incorporated axial (gait/postural stability) symptoms and signs. Our analysis indicates that the UPDRS captures meaningful aspects of disease progression in PD, and that it is possible to identify symptom/sign complexes which evolve independently of one another. Progression in PD is predominantly characterized by the development of axial symptoms and signs. This result has implications for pathogenesis and should also inform natural history models of PD thereby allowing identification of meaningful outcome measures for clinical trials of disease-modifying therapies.

Mass spectrometry-based shotgun glycomics (MS-SG) is a rapid, sensitive, label-, and immobilization-free approach for the discovery of natural ligands of glycan-binding proteins (GBPs). To perform MS-SG, natural libraries of glycans derived from glycoconjugates in cells or tissues are screened against a target GBP using catch-and-release electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (CaR-ESI-MS). Because glycan concentrations are challenging to determine, ligand affinities cannot be directly measured. In principle, relative affinities can be ranked by combining CaR-ESI-MS data with relative concentrations established by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) performed on the fluorophore-labeled glycan library. To validate this approach, as well as the feasibility of performing CaR-ESI-MS directly on labeled glycans, libraries of labeled N-glycans extracted from the human monocytic U937 cells or intestinal tissues were labeled with 2-aminobenzamide (2-AB), 2-aminobenzoic acid (2-AA), or procainamide (proA). The libraries were screened against plant and human GBPs with known specificities for α2-3- and α2-6-linked sialosides and quantified by HILIC. Dramatic differences, in some cases, were found for affinity rankings obtained with libraries labeled with different fluorophores, as well as those produced using the combined unlabeled/labeled library approach. The origin of these differences could be explained by differential glycan labeling efficiencies, the impact of specific labels on glycan affinities for the GBPs, and the relative efficiency of release of ligands from GBPs in CaR-ESI-MS. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the 2-AB(CaR-ESI-MS)/2-AB(HILIC) combination provides the most reliable description of the binding specificities of GBPs for N-glycans and is recommended for MS-SG applications.

Recent studies have suggested that mitochondrial dysfunction and dysregulated neuroinflammatory pathways are involved in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). Here, we aimed to assess the differences in markers of mitochondrial dynamics, mitophagy, general autophagy, and apoptosis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of MDD patients (n= 77) and healthy controls (HCs, n= 24). Moreover, we studied inflammation engagement as a moderator of mitochondria dysfunctions on the severity of depressive symptoms. We found increased levels of Mfn-2 (p< 0.001), short Opa-1 (S-Opa-1) (p < 0.001) and Fis-1 (p< 0.001) in MDD patients, suggesting an increase in the mitochondrial fragmentation. We also found that MDD patients had higher levels of Pink-1 (p< 0.001), p62/SQSTM1 (p< 0.001), LC3B (p= 0.002), and caspase-3 active (p= 0.001), and lower levels of parkin (p< 0.001) compared with HCs. Moreover, we showed that that MDD patients with higher CRP levels had higher levels of Mfn-2 (p= 0.001) and LC3B (p= 0.002) when compared with MDD patients with low CRP. Another notable finding was that the severity of depressive symptoms in MDD is associated with changes in protein levels in pathways related to mitochondrial dynamics and mitophagy, and can be dependent on the inflammatory status. Overall, our study demonstrated that a disruption in the mitochondrial dynamics network could initiate a cascade of abnormal changes relevant to the critical pathological changes during the course of MDD and lead to poor outcomes.

Informed by insights drawn from stratification economics and deploying dynamic game theory, we project the long-term outcome of racial/ethnic wealth disparities under multiple policy scenarios. At the core of the analysis is the character of investment individuals make in-group identity. The scenarios involve six regimes where color blindness is the norm, an equal opportunity principle is operative, the equal results principle prevails, strict apartheid is practiced, discrimination on the basis of phenotype is practiced, and a final scenario where reparations on behalf of the subordinate group have been implemented. Utilizing a series of simulation exercises, we explore the long-term outcomes on polarization, racialization, and wealth disparities under the reach of the scenarios.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

Evidence of strong photoelectron–valence electron (PEVE) interactions has been observed in the anion photoelectron (PE) spectra of several lanthanide suboxide clusters, which are exceptionally complex from an electronic structure standpoint and are strongly correlated systems. The PE spectrum of Gd2O–, which should have relatively simple electronic structure because of its half-filled 4f subshell, exhibits numerous electronic transitions. The electron affinity determined from the spectrum is 0.26 eV. The intensities of transitions to excited states increase relative to the lower-energy states with lower photon energy, which is consistent with shakeup transitions driven by time-dependent electron–neutral interactions. A group of intense spectral features that lie between electron binding energies of 0.7 and 2.3 eV are assigned to transitions involving detachment of an electron from outer-valence σuand σgorbitals that have large Gd 6s contributions. The spectra show parallel transition manifolds in general, which is consistent with detachment from these orbitals. However, several distinct perpendicular transitions are observed adjacent to several of the vertical transitions. A possible explanation invoking interaction between the ejected electron and the high-spin neutral is proposed. Specifically, the angular momentum of electrons ejected from σuor σgorbitals, which is l= 1, can switch to l= 0, 2 with an associated change in the Msof the remnant neutral, which is spin–orbit coupling between a free electron and the spin of a neutral.

The Department of Defense utilizes complex technologies in numerous fields; each technology must comply with specific parameters and system capabilities. In this selection of a complex technology best meeting prescribed capabilities, the parameter set includes nine areas, which have sub-areas. To handle the complexity of the process, the team identified the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), a methodology providing a reliable solution. The AHP produced an importance coefficient for each area and sub-area, which were combined in the final phase of the ranking process. Users and technical support personnel agreed that the selected system met the requirements, field operational needs, and maintenance requisites. The AHP approach represents a viable tool to handle group decisions in support of technology management and related selection processes.

The current study evaluated the use of precision teaching to address the verbal behavior deficits of children with autism and other language disorders. From 2013 to 2018, a high-research-activity doctoral university in the south-central United States operated a free clinic that provided applied behavior anlaysis services to early learners in the local community. Participants received referent-based verbal behavior instruction to strengthen their functional language skills by systematically transferring stimulus control across 4 primary verbal operants: mands, echoics, tacts, and sequelics. Referent-based instruction is premised on the notion that proportionate levels of strength among these 4 operants provide the relational flexibility of naturalistic speaking observed in typical language development. This article details the language gains made by 49 participants who received 13 weeks of intervention for 90 min a day, 4 days a week. Relative strengths and weaknesses were identified in the verbal repertoire of each participant, and individualized fluency aims were subsequently developed. Results of pretest and posttest comparisons show that there was a large effect size within the verbal behavior gains of participants who received precision teaching. Implications for implementing referent-based instruction, as well as future areas of research, are discussed.

AbstractThis study sought to identify factors that affect teachers’ beliefs about teaching computing in their classrooms. By reviewing existing scales and research on computing, we created the Teacher Beliefs about Coding and Computational Thinking (TBaCCT) scale. Through confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling we validated the scale with data from 245 elementary teachers from eight U.S. school districts who participated in computing teacher development and taught coding to elementary students over one school year. Teachers’ self-efficacy for coding and computational thinking increased significantly as they taught coding, while their teaching efficacy for computing increased the most. The resulting 33-item TBaCCT provides a validated scale that can be used to measure elementary teacher beliefs about computing education as they engage in teacher professional development.

Photoelectron spectra of Gd2O2–obtained with photon energies ranging from 2.033 to 3.495 eV exhibit numerous close-lying neutral states with photon-energy-dependent relative intensities. Transitions to these states, which fall within the electron binding energy window of 0.9 and 1.6 eV, are attributed to one- or two-electron transitions to the ground and low-lying excited neutral states. An additional, similar manifold of electronic states is observed in an electron binding energy window of 2.1–2.8 eV, which cannot be assigned to any simple one-electron transitions. This study expands on previous work on the Sm2O–triatomic, which has a more complex electronic structure because of the 4f6subshell occupancy of each Sm center. Because of the simpler electronic structure from the half-filled 4f7subshell occupancy in Gd2O2and Gd2O2–, the numerous close-lying transitions observed in the spectra are better resolved, allowing a more detailed view of the changes in relative intensities of individual transitions with photon energy. With supporting calculations on numerous possible close-lying electronic states, we suggest a potential description of the strong photoelectron–valence electron interactions that may result in the photon-energy-dependent changes in the observed spectra.

Emerging evidence suggests that host glycans influence severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Here, we reveal that the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike (S) protein on SARS-CoV-2 recognizes oligosaccharides containing sialic acid (Sia), with preference for monosialylated gangliosides. Gangliosides embedded within an artificial membrane also bind to the RBD. The monomeric affinities (Kd= 100–200 μM) of gangliosides for the RBD are similar to another negatively charged glycan ligand of the RBD proposed as a viral co-receptor, heparan sulfate (HS) dp2–dp6 oligosaccharides. RBD binding and infection of SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped lentivirus to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)-expressing cells is decreased following depletion of cell surface Sia levels using three approaches: sialyltransferase (ST) inhibition, genetic knockout of Sia biosynthesis, or neuraminidase treatment. These effects on RBD binding and both pseudotyped and authentic SARS-CoV-2 viral entry are recapitulated with pharmacological or genetic disruption of glycolipid biosynthesis. Together, these results suggest that sialylated glycans, specifically glycolipids, facilitate viral entry of SARS-CoV-2.

Acute cannabis intoxication may induce neurocognitive impairment and is a possible cause of human error, injury and psychological distress. One of the major concerns raised about increasing cannabis legalization and the therapeutic use of cannabis is that it will increase cannabis‐related harm. However, the impairing effect of cannabis during intoxication varies among individuals and may not occur in all users. There is evidence that the neurocognitive response to acute cannabis exposure is driven by changes in the activity of the mesocorticolimbic and salience networks, can be exacerbated or mitigated by biological and pharmacological factors, varies with product formulations and frequency of use and can differ between recreational and therapeutic use. It is argued that these determinants of the cannabis-induced neurocognitive state should be taken into account when defining and evaluating levels of cannabis impairment in the legal arena, when prescribing cannabis in therapeutic settings and when informing society about the safe and responsible use of cannabis.

There is growing interest in the therapeutic utility of psychedelic substances, like psilocybin, for disorders characterized by distortions of the self-experience, like depression. Accumulating preclinical evidence emphasizes the role of the glutamate system in the acute action of the drug on brain and behavior; however this has never been tested in humans. Following a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group design, we utilized an ultra-high field multimodal brain imaging approach and demonstrated that psilocybin (0.17 mg/kg) induced region-dependent alterations in glutamate, which predicted distortions in the subjective experience of one’s self (ego dissolution). Whereas higher levels of medial prefrontal cortical glutamate were associated with negatively experienced ego dissolution, lower levels in hippocampal glutamate were associated with positively experienced ego dissolution. Such findings provide further insights into the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of the psychedelic, as well as the baseline, state. Importantly, they may also provide a neurochemical basis for therapeutic effects as witnessed in ongoing clinical trials.

Huntington’s disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder that typically manifests between the ages of 30 and 50 years. However, the disease can present at any age, and phenotypic differences between younger and later-onset patients have received limited attention. To compare clinical features of late- (>70 years of age) and younger-onset (<30 years of age) HD patients. Patients presenting to our regional NHS HD clinic with new-onset manifest HD diagnosed over the age of 70 years (LoHD) (n = 18) were compared with a younger cohort who developed disease under the age of 30 years (YoHD) (n = 12). Rate of progression over time on standard cognitive and motor measures was compared. At first clinic presentation, both groups had the same total UHDRS scores. However, the LoHD group had higher chorea scores (F (1,28) = 6.52, p = 0.016), while the YoHD group had more dystonia (F (1,28) = 8.69, p = 0.006) and eye movement abnormalities (F (1,28) = 16.991, p < 0.001). The YoHD group also had a greater rate of motor progression, especially for bulbar measures (F (1, 28) = 6.96, p = 0.013) and bradykinesia (F (1, 28) = 7.99, p = 0.009). No differences were found in the rate of cognitive change (F (1,21) = 1.727, p = 0.203) nor functional capacity (F (1,28) = 1.388, p = 0.249) between the groups. Phenotypic differences between YoHD and LoHD patients were found in terms of initial presentation and rate of motor progression. This has implications for therapeutic trials involving HD patients of different ages, given their different clinical features and progression.

The immune system is a complex, dynamic regulatory network that affects many aspects of human health and dysfunction. This system has been implicated in various psychiatric diseases, including schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. These psychiatric diseases also seem to be comorbid with inflammatory diseases or disease processes, including autoimmune disease. Infectious agents have been hypothesized as a causal factor in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder for many years, with several identified links with infectious disease exposure and inappropriate immune responses. Autoantibodies targeted at neurological processes are strongly implicated as pathological processes, at least in a subset of disorders, the most likely of which being psychosis. The interactions between immune processes and psychiatric illness are broad and may be causal, but there is still much to be understood about how immune processes can affect the expression of psychiatric illnesses and how immune markers may become clinically relevant biomarkers. The immune system is a complex, dynamic regulatory network that affects many aspects of human health and dysfunction. This system has been implicated in various psychiatric diseases, including schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. These psychiatric diseases also seem to be comorbid with inflammatory diseases or disease processes, including autoimmune disease. Infectious agents have been hypothesized as a causal factor in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder for many years, with several identified links with infectious disease exposure and inappropriate immune responses. Autoantibodies targeted at neurological processes are strongly implicated as pathological processes, at least in a subset of disorders, the most likely of which being psychosis. The interactions between immune processes and psychiatric illness are broad and may be causal, but there is still much to be understood about how immune processes can affect the expression of psychiatric illnesses and how immune markers may become clinically relevant biomarkers. [[Psychiatr Ann. 2020;50(6):244–249.]

Using data from the 1989–2009 Panel Study of Income Dynamics, this research examines racial differences in wealth accumulation over the life course. We ask: (1) How have racial differences in wealth changed over time? (2) Do racial wealth gaps change over the life course? (3) Are racial gaps in net worth expanding, contracting, or staying the same over time and over the life course? and (4) Do these patterns differ by cohort? The analysis is informed by (1) the declining significance of race and post-racial perspectives; (2) the cumulative effects of discrimination explanation; and (3) the vintage hypothesis. Results show that African Americans’ wealth as a percentage of whites’ wealth fell in 2009. Results do not support the declining significance of race and post-racial perspectives. Partially consistent with the vintage hypothesis, post-1960s African Americans are relatively better off than are pre-1960s African Americans (compared with whites of the same cohort). Consistent with the cumulative effects of discrimination model, the African American-white wealth gap increases over the life course for each historical period. If current patterns persist, presumed gains made by young African Americans relative to young whites may turn out to be illusory as they progress through the life course.

ObjectiveThe clinical benefit of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) has never been reported in absolute measures. The aim of this study was to assess the number needed to treat (NNT) with UDCA to prevent liver transplantation (LT) or death among patients with PBC.MethodsThe NNT was calculated based on the untreated LT-free survival and HR of UDCA with respect to LT or death as derived from inverse probability of treatment weighting-adjusted Cox proportional hazard analyses within the Global PBC Study Group database.ResultsWe included 3902 patients with a median follow-up of 7.8 (4.1–12.1) years. The overall HR of UDCA was 0.46 (95% CI 0.40 to 0.52) and the 5-year LT-free survival without UDCA was 81% (95% CI 79 to 82). The NNT to prevent one LT or death within 5 years (NNT5y) was 11 (95% CI 9 to 13). Although the HR of UDCA was similar for patients with and without cirrhosis (0.33 vs 0.31), the NNT5ywas 4 (95% CI 3 to 5) and 20 (95% CI 14 to 34), respectively. Among patients with low alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (≤2× the upper limit of normal (ULN)), intermediate ALP (2–4× ULN) and high ALP (>4× ULN), the NNT5yto prevent one LT or death was 26 (95% CI 15 to 70), 11 (95% CI 8 to 17) and 5 (95% CI 4 to 8), respectively.ConclusionThe absolute clinical efficacy of UDCA with respect to LT or death varied with baseline prognostic characteristics, but was high throughout. These findings strongly emphasise the incentive to promptly initiate UDCA treatment in all patients with PBC and may improve patient compliance.

ObjectivesAlterations in dopamine neurotransmission underlie some of the clinical features of Huntington’s disease (HD) and as such are a target for therapeutic intervention, especially for the treatment of chorea and some behavioural problems. However, justification for such an intervention is mainly based on case reports and small open label studies and the effects these drugs have on cognition in HD remain unclear.MethodsIn this study, we used the Enroll-HD observational database to assess the effects of antidopaminergic medication on motor, psychiatric and cognitive decline, over a 3-year period. We first looked at the annual rate of decline of a group of HD patients taking antidopaminergic medication (n=466) compared with an untreated matched group (n=466). The groups were matched on specified clinical variables using propensity score matching. Next, we studied a separate group of HD patients who were prescribed such medications part way through the study (n=90) and compared their rate of change before and after the drugs were introduced and compared this to a matched control group.ResultsWe found that HD patients taking antidopaminergic medication had a slower progression in chorea and irritability compared with those not taking such medications. However, this same group of patients also displayed significantly greater rate of decline in a range of cognitive tasks.ConclusionIn conclusion we found that antidopaminergic treatment is associated with improvements in the choreic movements and irritability of HD but worsens cognition. However, further research is required to prospectively investigate this and whether these are causally linked, ideally in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

Lanthanide (Ln) oxide clusters and molecular systems provide a bottom-up look at the electronic structures of the bulk materials because of close parallels in the patterns of Ln4fNsubshell occupancy between the molecular and bulk Ln2O3size limits. At the same time, these clusters and molecules offer a challenge to the theory community to find appropriate and robust treatments for the 4fNpatterns across the Lnseries. Anion photoelectron (PE) spectroscopy provides a powerful experimental tool for studying these systems, mapping the energies of the ground and low-lying excited states of the neutral relative to the initial anion state, providing spectroscopic patterns that reflect the Ln4fNoccupancy. In this Account, we review our anion PE spectroscopic and computational studies on a range of small lanthanide molecules and cluster species. The PE spectra of LnO–(Ln= Ce, Pr, Sm, Eu) diatomic molecules show spectroscopic signatures associated with detachment of an electron from what can be described as a diffuse Ln6s-like orbital. While the spectra of all four diatomics share this common transition, the fine structure in the transition becomes more complex with increasing 4f occupancy. This effect reflects increased coupling between the electrons occupying the corelike 4f and diffuse 6s orbitals with increasing N. Understanding the PE spectra of these diatomics sets the stage for interpreting the spectra of polyatomic molecular and cluster species.

We analyze and compare atmospheric temperature data from three landed missions: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover, Phoenix lander, and Pathfinder lander. Pathfinder and Phoenix were lander missions that operated for 84 and 151 sols, respectively. MSL Curiosity is a rover that operates on the surface of Mars. It has recorded air temperature for more than five Mars Years (MY). We denoise and detrend temperature data from each mission and use those results to calculate variance in air temperature as a diagnostic for atmospheric variability at the surface. The results show a consistent seasonal pattern in MSL air temperature variance with little interannual variability outside major dust storms. The global dust storm in MY 34 was accompanied by a decrease in temperature variance and a muted response in peak MY 35 variance the following year. Phoenix (68°N, 2 m measurement height) and Pathfinder (19.7°N, 1.1 m measurement height) air temperatures have larger variance than air temperature from environmental data records at the MSL location (5.4°S, 1.6 m measurement height) at its equatorial latitude. Pathfinder variances per sol are larger than those of Phoenix, possibly due to a combination of Pathfinder's lower albedo surface and lower latitude. This occurs despite the Pathfinder location's higher thermal inertia, which would act to decrease noontime variance relative to a lower thermal inertia surface. Comparison of MSL temperature variance to pressure drops related to convective vortex activity shows consistent seasonal patterns; however, pressure drops tend to increase with increasing rover elevation, while variance remains consistent. Landed surface missions have collected a long record of meteorological data dating back to the 1970s. Atmospheric temperature, pressure, relative humidity, and winds have been typically measured with each new mission. The atmospheric surface layer consists of the lowest layer of the atmosphere that is directly influenced by the surface. Temperature is a highly consistent measurement and contains signatures of atmospheric surface layer activity in the form of temperature fluctuations. These fluctuations are on the order of seconds to minutes and can be caused by rising thermals, dust devils and convective vortices, changes in wind, and large‐scale dynamics. This work compares temperature fluctuations by detrending air temperature data over three missions: the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Mission, Phoenix mission, and Pathfinder mission. The results show that these fluctuations change with season and time of day. Greater fluctuations are observed in the afternoon for all three missions and when seasonal insolation is highest. Comparison of MSL temperature fluctuations to pressure drops shows similar trends and decreases during large dust events. However, pressure drops tend to increase over the mission with increasing rover elevation, while temperature variance remains the same with elevation. Diurnal air temperature fluctuations measured by Phoenix, Pathfinder and Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) follow solar forcing cyclesThe MSL daytime temperature variance is lower than Phoenix and Pathfinder daytime temperature variancesChanges in the MSL temperature fluctuations correlate with the seasonal and diurnal timing of pressure drops and dust storm activity Diurnal air temperature fluctuations measured by Phoenix, Pathfinder and Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) follow solar forcing cycles The MSL daytime temperature variance is lower than Phoenix and Pathfinder daytime temperature variances Changes in the MSL temperature fluctuations correlate with the seasonal and diurnal timing of pressure drops and dust storm activity

As research on psychedelics (hallucinogenic 5-HT2Aagonists) progresses, it is important to delineate the reliability of supposedly unique effects across this drug class. One such effect is how psychedelics impair the formation (i.e., encoding) of hippocampal-dependent recollections (retrieval of specific details) while potentially enhancing the encoding of cortical-dependent familiarity (a feeling of knowing that a stimulus has been previously experienced).

Psilocybin is a widely studied psychedelic substance that leads to the psychedelic state, a specific altered state of consciousness. To date, the relationship between the psychedelic state’s neurobiological and experiential patterns remains undercharacterized because they are often analyzed separately. We investigated the relationship between neurobiological and experiential patterns after psilocybin by focusing on the link between dynamic cerebral connectivity and retrospective questionnaire assessment.

Cognitive disturbances occur early in Huntington's disease (HD) and place a significant burden on the lives of patients and family members. Whilst these impairments are typically attributed to deterioration of the frontal-striatal pathways, accumulating evidence suggests that hippocampal dysfunction may also contribute to such impairments. Here, we employ a novel spatial memory task that has previously been shown to elicit impairments in individuals with focal hippocampal lesions, as a means to further investigate the role of hippocampal dysfunction in HD.

A coumarin–tetrapeptide conjugate, EFEK(DAC)–NH2(1), is reported to undergo a pH-dependent interconversion between nanotubes and nanoribbons. An examination of zeta potential measurements, circular dichroism (CD) spectra, and microscopy imaging (transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy) identified three different self-assembly regimes based on pH: (1) pH 2–5, positively charged, left-handed helical nanotubes; (2) pH 6–8, negatively charged, right-handed helical nanoribbons; and (3) pH ≥ 9.0, a monomeric/disassembled peptide. The nanotubes exhibited uniform diameters of 41 ± 5 nm and wall thicknesses of 4.8 ± 0.8 nm, whereas the nanoribbons existed as either flat or twisted sheets ranging in width from 11 to 60 nm with heights of 8 ± 1 nm. The UV–vis and CD spectra of the most common antiparallel, β-sheet conformation of 1-dimer were simulated at the B3LYP/def2svpd level of theory in implicit water. These studies indicated that the transition from nanotubes to nanoribbons was coupled to an M → P helical inversion of the coumarin packing orientation, respectively, within the nanostructures. The assembly process was driven by β-sheet aggregation and π–π interactions, leading to the formation of nanoribbons, which progressively wound into helical ribbons and laterally grew into smooth nanotubes as the pH decreased.

Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are compounds designed to mimic the effects of existing recreational drugs (classical psychoactive substances [CPS]), while eluding established legal frameworks. Little is known about their effects and potential harms, rendering the increasing number of NPS a challenge to policy makers and researchers alike. Quantitative studies on the motives underlying NPS use are limited, though understanding them is crucial for the design of effective harm prevention strategies. The present study therefore aimed to compare motivational patterns for NPS, CPS, and legal psychoactive substance (LPS) use. An online survey including questions about lifetime drug use, demographics, and motives for use was completed by 2,319 participants of which 1,967 consented and were 18 years or older. Data on lifetime use and endorsed motives are presented for 12 psychoactive substances classified into LPS (alcohol, nicotine), CPS (cannabis, MDMA/ecstasy, amphetamines, cocaine, psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca), and NPS (synthetic cannabinoids, stimulant, and hallucinogenic) and compared between classes. Across substances, the most frequently endorsed motives were to feel euphoric(58.0%), enhance an activity(52.3%), and broaden consciousness(48.1%). Motives for use were found to differ by substance and gender, with coping-related reasonsbeing more frequent among femaleparticipants compared to males who indicated to use for a broad range of reasons. Motivational patterns of CPS and NPS use were largely similar to their classical analogues, this was not the case for synthetic cannabinoids, which had as main endorsed motive getting intoxicated, indiscriminate of specific qualities. This information can feed into tailoring of educational campaigns and prevention strategies.

Predicting the resisting forces against a vehicle’s wheel during movement in loose sand is critical for optimizing tractive capabilities in desert regions, sand dunes, and beaches. We review existing braked, powered, and towed motion resistance equations and present improved algorithms based on field and laboratory measurements when the cone index is used to define soil strength. The algorithm predictions are compared against measured values available through Database Records for Off-road Vehicle Environments (DROVE), a database of tests conducted with wheeled vehicles. The examination of braked, towed, and powered motion resistance algorithms is considered for loads varying from 0.187 to 4.49 kN, tire diameters from 0.377 to 1.05 m, and soil strengths from 50 to 800 kPa. A simplified motion resistance algorithm was developed for each operation type utilizing a bootstrap technique. Simple relationships using wheel slip and the ratio of the contact pressure to the cone index are shown to provide predictions of motion resistance with accuracy comparable to more complex empirical models.