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Background: The use of computerized devices for neuropsychological assessment (CNADs) as an effective alternative to the traditional pencil-and-paper modality has recently increased exponentially, both in clinical practice and research, especially due to the pandemic. However, several authors underline that the computerized modality requires the same psychometric validity as "in-presence" tests. The current study aimed at building and validating a computerized version of the verbal and non-verbal recognition memory test (RMT) for words, unknown faces and buildings. Methods: Seventy-two healthy Italian participants, with medium–high education and ability to proficiently use computerized systems, were enrolled. The sample was subdivided into six groups, one for each age decade. Twelve neurological patients with mixed aetiology, age and educational level were also recruited. Both the computerized and the paper-and-pencil versions of the RMT were administered in two separate sessions. Results: In healthy participants, the computerized and the paper-and-pencil versions of the RMT showed statistical equivalence for words, unknown faces and buildings. In the neurological patients, no statistical difference was found between the performance at the two versions of the RMT. A moderate-to-good inter-rater reliability between the two versions was also found in both samples. Finally, the computerized version of the RMT was perceived as acceptable by both healthy participants and neurological patients at System Usability Scale (SUS). Conclusion: The computerized version of the RMT can be used as a reliable alternative to the traditional version. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with the potential of digitalization to improve participants' skills in the agri-food market. The topic of improving technical mechanisms and software technologies aimed at the qualitative development of e-education in Russia is being updated. The problems of providing the agri-food market with skilled personnel are analyzed. The problems of terminological uncertainty concerning the concepts of digitalization and distance education in computer sciences (informatics), information sciences, and other related scientific fields that have a negative impact on the overall wide turnover of scientific research, are touched upon. The authors propose a single generalized nonhierarchical technological model of the organization of e-education, schematically describing a set of software technologies in the form of a cloud telecommunications system. Particularly, it is recommended to use multicasting technologies and adaptive network means of signal delivery to promote educational content in the form of internet television. The basic integrative network tools and protocols for the specific organization of electronic educational activities via internet television are technically annotated. The conclusions briefly and conceptually reflect the course of the research, as well as the logic of the material analyzed by the authors, summarizing the research work done and to provide some recommendations for the operation of multicasting technology in the form of internet television in Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reliability of an RMT can be regarded as an important indicator customers can use to recognize its quality; however, it is difficult to implement a full-state reliability analysis of an RMT due to its complicated structural functions. Therefore, a full-state reliability analysis model is proposed herein based on meta action (MA) and a Markov chain for remanufactured exercise machine tools (REMTs). First, an analysis was carried out on individual levels by integrating the MAU decomposition method, and an MAU fault tree model was established layer by layer for the REMT. Second, full-state modeling was performed in view of the MAU characteristics of the REMT, whose operation processes are divided into MAU normal and failure states. A Markov decision-making process was introduced to integrate MAU states and establish our model, which was solved by means of an analytical method for the evaluation of reliability. Finally, an example of a remanufactured machine tool spindle is given to verify the effectiveness of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correlation exists in all practical channels, and each channel's correlation level varies. Determining correlation matrices while estimating the channel and precoding is vital in providing spatial directivity to the signals. This paper considers the performance analysis of the downlink multi-cell multiuser Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (mMIMO) system with user-specific correlation matrices for the Rician Fading channel. Using the Random Matrix Theory (RMT) results, the closed-form for the asymptotic analysis of ergodic downlink rate per user terminal (UT) is derived for the spatially correlated system with Regularized Zero-Forcing (RZF) scheme. A realistic multipath environment consisting of a dominant line-of-sight (LOS) path along the non-deterministic non-line-of-sight (NLOS) component with imperfect channel information and pilot contamination is considered for deriving the expression. The system is evaluated for the carrier frequency of 30 G H z in the mmWave range with different parameters using Monte Carlo simulations to validate the derived expression. The numerical results show that the derived expression for ergodic user rate provides a tight approximation for the large-dimensional system and accurate results for small values. As for the Rician Factor, κ = 0.5 , transmit power of 10 d B and training power of 6 d B , the average user rate obtained for M = 100 and K = 50 is 1.1233 bits/sec/Hz/User/cell for simulated value and 1.1243 bits/sec/Hz/User/cell for theoretical value. The proposed correlated multicellular mMIMO system is shifted from the mmWave range to s u b - 6 G H z to compare it with the existing system in (Sanguinetti et al. in IEEE Transactions on Communications 67:1939–1955, 2018). The derived results show the improvement in system throughput for the proposed system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian design research tipe validation study yang bertujuan untuk mengembangkan learning trajectory pada pembelajaran geometri topik geometri tiga dimensi untuk menunjang kemampuan berpikir kualitatif siswa dengan pendekatan Rigorous Mathematical Thinking (RMT). Hypothetical Learning Trajectory (HLT) akan disempurnakan sepanjang pembelajaran yang dilakukan di dalam kelas. Kegiatan dibuat dan dirancang dalam bentuk lembar kerja siswa (LKPD) untuk menunjang proses pembelajaran. Subjek penelitian ini adalah siswa kelas XII SMA Negeri 1 Palembang, sedangkan kelompok fokus penelitian ini adalah 6 siswa dengan kemampuan yang bervariasi yaitu tinggi, sedang, dan rendah yang dipilih berdasarkan hasil prestasi yang didokumentasikan oleh guru dalam semester sebelumnya serta rekomendasi guru mata pelajaran matematika. Ada tiga tahapan dalam melakukan penelitian ini, yaitu: (1) preparing the experiment; (2) design experiment dibagi menjadi preliminary experiment dan teaching experiment; (3) retrospective analysis. Data penelitian dikumpulkan dan akan dianalisis secara kualitatif. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa lintasan belajar yang dibuat menggunakan tingkat berpikir kualitatif dengan indikator yang sering terlihat pada siswa kelas XII MIPA 7 SMA Negeri 1 Palembang adalah indikator visualisasi dan pelabelan. Lintasan belajar yang diperoleh dari penelitian ini didasarkan pada LKPD yang telah dilakukan oleh siswa dimana masalah berkontribusi untuk membangun micro teaching dalam pembelajaran dimensi ketiga. (10pt) This research is a research design type validation study that aims to develop a learning trajectory on the study of geometry topics of three-dimensional geometry to support students' qualitative thinking skills with a Rigorous Mathematical Thinking (RMT) approach. Hypothetical Learning Trajectory (HLT) will be refined throughout the lesson carried out in the classroom. The activities were created and designed using student worksheets (LKPD) to support the learning process. The subjects of the study were students of SMA Negeri 1 Palembang class XII, meanwhile, the focus group of this study was 6 students with varied abilities, namely high, medium, and low who were selected based on the achievement result documented by the teacher in the previous semester as well as the recommendations of teachers of mathematics subjects. There are three stages in conducting this research, namely: (1) Preparation Phase; (2) Design experiments divided into pilot experiments and teaching experiments; (3) retrospective analysis. Research data is collected and will be analyzed qualitatively. The results showed that the learning trajectory made using qualitative thinking levels with indicators often seen in students of SMA Negeri 1 Palembang class XII MIPA 7 is an indicator of visualization and labeling. The learning trajectory obtained from this study is based on LKPD that has been done by students where the problem contributes to building micro-teaching in third-dimensional learning.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS), epilepsy, and depression are chronic central nervous system conditions in which remote measurement technology (RMT) may offer benefits compared with usual assessment. We previously worked with clinicians, patients, and researchers to develop 13 use cases for RMT: 5 in epilepsy (seizure alert, seizure counting, risk scoring, triage support, and trend analysis), 3 in MS (detecting silent progression, detecting depression in MS, and donating data to a biobank), and 5 in depression (detecting trends, reviewing treatment, self-management, comorbid monitoring, and carer alert). Objective: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the use cases and related implementation issues with an expert panel of clinicians external to our project consortium. Methods: We used a Delphi exercise to validate the use cases and suggest a prioritization among them and to ascertain the importance of a variety of implementation issues related to RMT. The expert panel included clinicians from across Europe who were external to the project consortium. The study had 2 survey rounds (n=23 and n=17) and a follow-up interview round (n=9). Data were analyzed for consensus between participants and for stability between survey rounds. The interviews explored the reasons for answers given in the survey. Results: The findings showed high stability between rounds on questions related to specific use cases but lower stability on questions relating to wider issues around the implementation of RMT. Overall, questions on wider issues also had less consensus. All 5 use cases for epilepsy (seizure alert, seizure counting, risk scoring, triage support, and trend analysis) were considered beneficial, with consensus among participants above the a priori threshold for most questions, although use case 3 (risk scoring) was considered less likely to facilitate or catalyze care. There was very little consensus on the benefits of the use cases in MS, although this may have resulted from a higher dropout rate of MS clinicians (50%). Participants agreed that there would be benefits for all 5 of the depression use cases, although fewer questions on use case 4 (triage support) reached consensus agreement than for depression use cases 1 (detecting trends), 2 (reviewing treatment), 3 (self-management), and 5 (carer alert). The qualitative analysis revealed further insights into each use case and generated 8 themes on practical issues related to implementation. Conclusions: Overall, these findings inform the prioritization of use cases for RMT that could be developed in future work, which may include clinical trials, cost-effectiveness studies, and the commercial development of RMT products and services. Priorities for further development include the use of RMT to provide more accurate records of symptoms and treatment response than is currently possible and to provide data that could help inform patient triage and generate timely alerts for patients and carers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background This study explores the difference in COVID-19 corpse handling protocol rejection before and after the innovation in rapid molecular test (RMT) postmortem examination and providing negative pressure mortuary rooms. This study is a retrospective observational study. Each of the corpse’s immediate family was explained the procedure for handling the body based on the fatwa of the religious institution and the hospital’s standard operating system. The acceptance or rejection of the protocol, general characteristics of the corpse, and the reasons for refusal are documented. Results From March to May 2020, there were 16 probable COVID-19 corpses and 3 confirmed COVID-19 corpses. Rejection of the COVID-19 corpse protocol occurred six times. The main reason for rejection is that the death might not necessarily be caused by COVID-19, the body’s handling in the hospital is not following religious law, and the negative stigma of COVID-19. From June to August 2020, there were 42 probable COVID-19 corpses and 49 confirmed COVID-19 corpses. Rejection of the COVID-19 corpse protocol occurred eight times. The most rejection reason is that the deceased families do not believe the deceased died because of COVID-19. Conclusions The decline in the COVID-19 corpse protocol rejection has occurred after applying RMT and providing a negative pressure mortuary room. This decline proves that religious conservative groups can accept this innovation to reduce rejection on religious grounds.

This paper is concerned with optimizing the weights of the global minimum-variance portfolio (GMVP) in high-dimensional settings where both observation and population dimensions grow at a bounded ratio. Optimizing the GMVP weights is highly influenced by the data covariance matrix estimation. In a high-dimensional setting, it is well known that the sample covariance matrix is not a proper estimator of the true covariance matrix since it is not invertible when we have fewer observations than the data dimension. Even with more observations, the sample covariance matrix may not be well-conditioned. This paper determines the GMVP weights based on a regularized covariance matrix estimator to overcome the abovementioned difficulties. Unlike other methods, the proper selection of the regularization parameter is achieved by minimizing the mean squared error of an estimate of the noise vector that accounts for the uncertainty in the data mean estimation. Using random-matrix-theory tools, we derive a consistent estimator of the achievable mean squared error that allows us to find the optimal regularization parameter using a simple line search. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method when the data dimension is larger than, or of the same order of, the number of data samples.

The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a major hurdle in drug discovery for central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Particularly, mid-size molecules and macromolecules (e.g., peptides and antibodies) that modulate intractable drug targets such as protein-protein interaction are prevented from entering the CNS via BBB. The receptor-mediated transcytosis (RMT) pathway has been examined to deliver these molecules to CNS. Among the receptors, low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) has been emerged as one of the promising receptors for RMT. Although several LRP1-binding peptides have been reported, no drugs are available on the market based on the combination of reported LRP1-binding peptides and therapeutic molecules. One reason may be stability in vivo and BBB-permeability of the peptides. The present study aims to identify a novel LRP1-binding peptide for RMT, where we successfully generated a 15-mer cyclic peptide named KS-487. It explicitly bound to Cluster 4 domain of LRP1 with the binding EC50 value of 10.5 nM and was relatively stable in mouse plasma within 24 h. Moreover, its high BBB permeability was demonstrated using in vitro rat and monkey BBB models. By 24 h incubation, 13% and 17% of the added amount of KS-487 (10 μM) penetrated rat BBB and monkey BBB, respectively. KS-487 would be a potential candidate for the LRP1-mediated transcytosis-based drug delivery to CNS, as these values were significantly higher than those of the known LRP1-binding peptides—Angiopep-2 and L57.

Many people who received amputation wear sEMG prostheses to assist in their daily lives. How these prostheses promote muscle growth and change neural activity remains elusive. We recruited a subject who had his left hand amputated for over 53 years to participate in a six-week rehabilitation training using an sEMG prosthesis. We tracked the muscle growth of his left forearm and changes in neural activity over six weeks. The subject showed an increase in fast muscle fiber in his left forearm during the training period. In an analysis of complex networks of neural activity, we observed that the α -band network decreased in efficiency but increased in its capability to integrate information. This could be due to an expansion of the network to accommodate new movements enabled by rehabilitation training. Differently, we found that in the β -band network, a band frequency related to motor functions, the efficiency of the network initially decreased but started to increase after approximately three weeks. The ability to integrate network information showed an opposite trend compared with its efficiency. rMT values, a measure that negatively correlates with cortical excitability, showed a sharp decrease in the first three weeks, suggesting an increase in cortical excitability. In the last three weeks, there was little to no change. These data indicate that rehabilitation training promoted fast muscle fiber growth and introduced neural activity changes in the subject during the first three weeks of training. Our study gave insights into how rehabilitation training with an sEMG prosthesis could lead to physiological and neural changes in amputees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study explores the difference in COVID-19 corpse handling protocol rejection before and after the innovation in rapid molecular test (RMT) postmortem examination and providing negative pressure mortuary rooms. This study is a retrospective observational study. Each of the corpse's immediate family was explained the procedure for handling the body based on the fatwa of the religious institution and the hospital's standard operating system. The acceptance or rejection of the protocol, general characteristics of the corpse, and the reasons for refusal are documented. Results: From March to May 2020, there were 16 probable COVID-19 corpses and 3 confirmed COVID-19 corpses. Rejection of the COVID-19 corpse protocol occurred six times. The main reason for rejection is that the death might not necessarily be caused by COVID-19, the body's handling in the hospital is not following religious law, and the negative stigma of COVID-19. From June to August 2020, there were 42 probable COVID-19 corpses and 49 confirmed COVID-19 corpses. Rejection of the COVID-19 corpse protocol occurred eight times. The most rejection reason is that the deceased families do not believe the deceased died because of COVID-19. Conclusions: The decline in the COVID-19 corpse protocol rejection has occurred after applying RMT and providing a negative pressure mortuary room. This decline proves that religious conservative groups can accept this innovation to reduce rejection on religious grounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eigenvalues statistics of various many-body systems have been widely studied using the nearest neighbor spacing distribution under the random matrix theory framework. Here, we numerically analyze eigenvalue ratio statistics of multiplex networks consisting of directed Erdős-Rényi random networks layers represented as, first, weighted non-Hermitian random matrices and then weighted Hermitian random matrices. We report that the multiplexing strength rules the behavior of average spacing ratio statistics for multiplexing networks represented by the non-Hermitian and Hermitian matrices, respectively. Additionally, for both these representations of the directed multiplex networks, the multiplexing strength appears as a guiding parameter for the eigenvector delocalization of the entire system. These results could be important for driving dynamical processes in several real-world multilayer systems, particularly, understanding the significance of multiplexing in comprehending network properties.

Abstract Background A mixed methods study was conducted to look at the magnitude of residual malaria transmission (RMT) and factors contributing to low (

This paper investigates the orthographies of the word rmṯ in the Old Kingdom and the factors impacting them. It is based on a survey of texts that include this word. It aims to identify features of spelling originality and means of dissemination of orthographical forms. The study also urged with its pronunciation, its plurality and singularity, the nature and significance of its determinatives. Finally, the study concluded that there is an obvious orthography-system of this word which could be geographically, and chronology traced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Lateral wall ruptures in women with a history of cesarean section are less common but more complicated than anterior wall ruptures. Residual myometrial thickness (RMT) is believed to be valuable for assessing the probability of ruptures. This study aimed to assess the utility of OmniView (a sonographic reslicing technique) in evaluating the lateral uterine wall after cesarean section and evaluate the relationship between lateral and anterior wall RMT using OmniView and sagittal two-dimensional ultrasound.Study Design: This cross-sectional study examined changes in both the anterior and lateral uterine wall in women with a history of cesarean section in the past 12-18 months. OmniView with volume contrast imaging with a 2-mm slice thickness was used to generate coronal planes, and the OmniView RMT (OV-RMT) was calculated as a percentage. Blinded to the OV-RMT results, sonographic multiplanar views were used to acquire the optimum sagittal plane for evaluating the RMT, and the sagittal RMT (S-RMT) was calculated as a percentage. The reproducibility of OV-RMT and S-RMT between two observers was tested using interclass correlation (ICC). The relationship between two variables was tested using Spearman's rank correlation.Results: In 208 recruited patients, the prevalence of lateral uterine wall defects was 79 %. The interobserver and intraobserver reproducibility of S-RMT and OV-RMT had ICC coefficients over 0.9 with a p-value <0.001. S-RMT and OV-RMT did not follow a normal distribution, and the medians were significantly different (55.5 and 85.7, respectively). Spearman's rank correlation between OV-RMT and S-RMT had a rho (ρ) value of 0.24 (p < 0.05). Passing-Bablok regression had an intercept of 47.95 and a slope of 0.65.Conclusion: OmniView can be used to assess lateral uterine wall defects, and OV-RMT is a reproducible and reliable method for quantifying this assessment. The RMT on the coronal plane was independently more intact than that on the sagittal plane, which might account for the lower incidence of lateral ruptures. Further studies could reveal a critical OV-RMT value that is safe for a trial of labor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• TMS combined with EMG permits the generation of key neurophysiological indices in the cortex. • AD patients had increased motor cortical excitability and decreased cholinergic and GABAergic functions compared with HC. • MCI patients had increased motor cortical excitability and decreased cholinergic function compared with HC. • TMS neurophysiology are useful measure to understand the pathophysiology of AD and MCI. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive neurophysiological tool that enables the investigation of cortical excitability in the human brain. Paired-pulse TMS paradigms include short- and long-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI/LICI), intracortical facilitation (ICF), and short-latency afferent inhibition (SAI), which can assess neurophysiological functions of GABAergic, glutamatergic, and cholinergic neural circuits, respectively. We conducted the first systematic review and meta-analysis to compare these TMS indices among patients with AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and healthy controls (HC). Our meta-analyses indicated that RMT, SAI, SICI, and LICI were significantly lower in patients with AD, while ICF did not show a difference in patients with AD compared with HC. In patients with MCI, RMT and SAI were significantly lower than in HC. In conclusion, motor cortical excitability was increased, while cholinergic function was decreased in AD and MCI in comparison with HC and patients with AD had decreased GABAergic and glutamatergic functions compared with HC. Our results warrant further studies to differentiate AD, MCI, and HC, employing multimodal TMS neurophysiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses ground penetrating radar (GPR) data as constraints in the inversion of radio-magnetotelluric (RMT) data, to provide an improved model at shallow depth. We show that modification of the model regularization matrix using all GPR common-offset (CO) reflections can mislead the constrained inversion of RMT data. To avoid such problems, common mid-point (CMP) GPR data are translated to a resistivity model by introducing a new petrophysical relationship based on a combination of Topp's and Archie's equations. This model is updated through a semi-iterative method and is employed as an initial and prior model in the subsequent inversion of RMT data. Finally, a water content model that fits the GPR CMP and RMT data is derived from the resistivity model computed by the constrained inversion of RMT data. To assess the proposed scheme, it is applied to a synthetic data set. Then, real RMT data collected along an 870 m-long profile across a known aquifer situated in the north of Heby, central Sweden, are inverted. By removing the smoothness constraints across GPR CO interfaces or using CMP-based inversion, thick (> 10 m) vadose and saturated zones are resolved and shown to correlate with logs from nearby boreholes. Nevertheless, the application of our CMP-based inversion was the only efficient scheme to retrieve thin (~ 3 m) saturated zones and the water table at a depth of 7–15 m in the RMT models. The estimated models of water content are in good agreement with the available hydrogeological information in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Targeted delivery to specific tissues and subcellular compartments is of paramount importance to optimize therapeutic or diagnostic interventions while minimizing side-effects. Using recently identified LDL receptor (LDLR) -targeting small synthetic peptide-vectors conjugated to model cargos of different nature and size, we investigated in LDLR-expressing cells the impact of vector-cargo molecular engineering and coupling valency, as well as the cellular exposure duration on their target engagement and intracellular trafficking and delivery profiles. All vector-cargo conjugates evaluated were found to be delivered to late compartments together with the natural ligand LDL, although to varying extents and with different kinetics. Partial recycling together with the LDLR was also consistently observed. Under continuous cellular exposure, the extent of intracellular vector-cargo delivery primarily relies on their endosomal unloading potential. In this condition, the highest intracellular delivery potential was observed with a monovalent conjugate displaying a rather high LDLR dissociation rate. On the contrary, under transient cellular exposure followed by chase, low dissociation-rate bivalent conjugates revealed a higher intracellular delivery potential than the monovalent conjugate. This was shown to rely on their ability to undergo multiple endocytosis-recycling rounds, with limited release in the ligand-free medium. The absence of reciprocal competition with the natural ligand LDL on their respective intracellular trafficking was also demonstrated, which is essential in terms of potential safety liabilities. These results demonstrate that not only molecular engineering of new therapeutic conjugates of interest, but also the cellular exposure mode used during in vitro evaluations are critical to anticipate and optimize their delivery potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can enhance cognitive function in healthy individuals, with promising applications as a therapeutic intervention. Despite this potential, variability in the efficacy of tDCS has been a considerable concern. /Hypothesis : Given that tDCS is always applied at a set intensity, we examined whether individual differences in sensitivity to brain stimulation might be one variable that modulates the efficacy of tDCS in a motor learning task. In the first part of the experiment, single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over primary motor cortex (M1) was used to determine each participant's resting motor threshold (rMT). This measure was used as a proxy of individual sensitivity to brain stimulation. In an experimental group of 28 participants, 2 mA tDCS was then applied during a motor learning task with the anodal electrode positioned over left M1. Another 14 participants received sham stimulation. M1-Anodal tDCS facilitated learning relative to participants who received sham stimulation. Of primary interest was a within-group analysis of the experimental group, showing that the rate of learning was positively correlated with rMT: Participants who were more sensitive to brain stimulation as operationalized by our TMS proxy (low rMT), showed faster adaptation. Methodologically, the results indicate that TMS sensitivity can predict tDCS efficacy in a behavioral task, providing insight into one source of variability that may contribute to replication problems with tDCS. Theoretically, the results provide further evidence of a role of sensorimotor cortex in adaptation, with the boost from tDCS observed during acquisition. • Study examines individual differences in tDCS efficacy, using motor learning task. • TMS threshold used as a proxy of variation in sensitivity to brain stimulation. • tDCS, with anode over M1, was applied during sensorimotor adaptation task. • rMT was positively correlated with efficacy of tDCS in accelerating learning. • Study identifies one source of between-subject variability in efficacy of tDCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-Alzheimer's dementia (NAD) accounts for 30% of all neurodegenerative conditions and is characterized by cognitive decline beyond mere memory dysfunction. Diagnosing NAD remains challenging due to the lack of established biomarkers. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive neurophysiological tool that enables the investigation of cortical excitability in the human brain. Paired-pulse TMS paradigms include short- and long-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI/LICI), intracortical facilitation (ICF), and short-latency afferent inhibition (SAI), which can assess neurophysiological functions of GABAergic, glutamatergic, and cholinergic neural circuits, respectively. We conducted the first systematic review and meta-analysis to compare these TMS indices among patients with NAD and healthy controls. Our meta-analyses indicated that TMS neurophysiological examinations revealed decreased glutamatergic function in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and decreased GABAergic function in patients with FTD, progressive supranuclear palsy, Huntington's disease, cortico-basal syndrome, and multiple system atrophy-parkinsonian type. In addition, decreased cholinergic function was found in dementia with Lewy body and vascular dementia. These results suggest the potential of TMS as an additional diagnostic tool to differentiate NAD. • Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) combined with electromyography can assess neurophysiological indices in the cortex. • In non-Alzheimer's dementia (NAD) patients, GABAergic functions were decreased compared to HC. • Decreased glutamatergic function in FTD and decreased cholinergic function inDLB and VaD were identified. • TMS neurophysiology is a useful measure to understand the pathophysiology of NAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a simple algorithm for improving the MDL (minimum description length) estimator of the number of sources of signals impinging on multiple sensors. The algorithm is based on the norms of vectors whose elements are the normalized and nonlinearly scaled eigenvalues of the received signal covariance matrix and the corresponding normalized indexes. Such norms are used to discriminate the largest eigenvalues from the remaining ones, thus allowing for the estimation of the number of sources. The MDL estimate is used as the input data of the algorithm. Numerical results unveil that the so-called norm-based improved MDL (iMDL) algorithm can achieve performances that are better than those achieved by the MDL estimator alone. Comparisons are also made with the well-known AIC (Akaike information criterion) estimator and with a recently-proposed estimator based on the random matrix theory (RMT). It is shown that our algorithm can also outperform the AIC and the RMT-based estimator in some situations.

In the 1980s, the first doubts about the validity of the Sharpe Single Index Model to explain the cross-sectional expected returns of financial assets appeared. Since then, the financial literature has proposed a wide variety of new factors, while many empirical studies have tried to determine their plausibility. In this paper, we present a new approach from the Random Matrix Theory to determine if the Arbitrage Pricing Theory models are better than the Sharpe Model to explain the cross-sectional expected returns. We will show that, except for periods of high volatility, just one factor is significant in the sample. We will also prove that this factor is the Market one. • We use RMT to provide new evidence on the significance of APT factors. • Our approach is purely statistical. • We found only one significant factor among all the periods: the Market one. • We show that Sharpe's one-factor model performs better than APT models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy in epileptic children can be optimized via an anticipation of AED efficacy during early stages of therapy. We hypothesize that the comprehensive electroencephalography (EEG) evaluation can determine AED efficacy in epileptic children. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the alteration of characteristics of interictal EEG during the AED therapy. Methods: Forty-three children aged 3–9 were investigated. EEGs were recorded three times: prior to valproic acid-Depakine (Dep) monotherapy and twice under the Dep therapy (at three and six/eight months). Baseline EEG was analyzed for quantitative characteristics of interictal EEG, such as absolute values of the power (AVP) spectra and EEG topography/brain mapping. The study involved epileptiform EEG and clinical condition assessments. Results: Dep decreased AVP spectra in a low-frequency range, suppressed spontaneous epileptic discharge, and spike-wave complex 3/s. Dep partially decreased spikes-polyspikes, sharp waves, and generalized paroxysmal bursts during functional trials. Dep did not diminish rhythmic monomorphic theta-waves (RMT) of tempo-parietal localization observed by brain mapping. The presence of RMT correlated with the reoccurrence of seizures if Dep was withdrawn. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that the presence of RMT with tempo-parietal localization on the interictal EEG can anticipate reoccurrence of seizures if Dep dose will be reduced or withdrawn. The efficacy of the AED therapy can be revealed via reduction of low-frequency waves and suppression of epileptiform EEG elements parallel to clinical improvement. Thus, optimal treatment strategies can be tailored based on the evaluation of background EEG characteristics using spectral analysis, EEG mapping, and the quantitative EEG approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Random Matrix Theory (RMT) and the decomposition of correlation matrix method are employed to analyze spatial structure of stocks interactions and collective behavior in the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets in China. The result shows that there exists prominent sector structures, with subsectors including the Real Estate (RE), Commercial Banks (CB), Pharmaceuticals (PH), Distillers&Vintners (DV) and Steel (ST) industries. Furthermore, the RE and CB subsectors are mostly anti-correlated. We further study the temporal behavior of the dataset and find that while the sector structures are relatively stable from 2007 through 2013, the correlation between the real estate and commercial bank stocks shows large variations. By employing the ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) method, we show that this anti-correlation behavior is closely related to the monetary and austerity policies of the Chinese government during the period of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a simple algorithm for improving the MDL (minimum description length) estimator of the number of sources of signals impinging on multiple sensors. The algorithm is based on the norms of vectors whose elements are the normalized and nonlinearly scaled eigenvalues of the received signal covariance matrix and the corresponding normalized indexes. Such norms are used to discriminate the largest eigenvalues from the remaining ones, thus allowing for the estimation of the number of sources. The MDL estimate is used as the input data of the algorithm. Numerical results unveil that the so-called norm-based improved MDL (iMDL) algorithm can achieve performances that are better than those achieved by the MDL estimator alone. Comparisons are also made with the well-known AIC (Akaike information criterion) estimator and with a recently-proposed estimator based on the random matrix theory (RMT). It is shown that our algorithm can also outperform the AIC and the RMT-based estimator in some situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract: Converging evidence from animal and human studies has revealed that increased or decreased use of an extremity can lead to changes in cortical representation of the involved muscles. However, opposite experimental manipulations such as immobilization and motor training have sometimes been associated with similar cortical changes. Therefore, the behavioral relevance of these changes remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to observe the effect of the amount of use on hand muscle motor cortex representation by contrasting the effect of unspecific motor training and immobilization. Nine healthy volunteers were tested prior and after a 4-day exposure to two experimental conditions using a randomized cross-over design: a motor training condition (to play Guitar Hero 2h/day with the tested (nondominant) hand on the fret board) and an immobilization condition (to wear an immobilization splint 24h/day). Before and after each condition, motor cortex representation of the nondominant first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle was mapped using image-guided transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). At the behavioral level, results show that the training condition led to a 20% improvement in the trained task, while the immobilization condition resulted in a 36% decrease in the FDI maximal voluntary contraction. At the neurophysiological level, corticospinal excitability (e.g. Motor-evoked potential amplitude) was found to be decreased in response to immobilization, while no change was observed in response to motor training. No change was found for other TMS variables (motor thresholds or map location/volume/area) in either condition. In conclusion, our results indicate that a 4-day decrease, but not increase, in the amount of use of nondominant hand muscles is sufficient to induce a change in corticospinal excitability. The lack of a training effect might be explained by the use of an unspecific task (that is nevertheless representative of “real-life” training situations) and/or by insufficient duration/intensity to induce long-lasting changes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To recognize transient control-flow and data faults, caused by Single-Event Upsets (SEUs) in a microprocessor pipeline, several mechanisms to check the execution in the retirement have been proposed and discussed over the years. In this paper, we suggest a compression-based and compression-free checksum-scheme, which is able to recognize transient faults before commitment and preserves binary compatibility. The scheme is applicable for time-redundant (virtual duplex and redundantly multithreaded systems) as well as structural redundant systems. It can localize a fault by partial re-execution within the pipeline. By additionally introducing a modified micro-rollback, single or multiple pipeline stages can be rolled back for a retry. In the best case, a fault can be localized, detected and corrected in four clock cycles within a fine-grained redundantly threaded microprocessor. We validate and analyze the scheme through an FPGA and standard-cell implementation and conclude that it is able to replace the well-known parity-computation for high-performance designs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study examined the classification accuracy of measures of cognitive effort, as well as the impact of estimated IQ and psychiatric symptoms on these measures in a sample of hospitalized pretrial criminal defendants. A criterion-groups design was used to classify patients into those suspected of feigning (n = 25) and those believed to be genuinely mentally ill (n = 93). The Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM), Dot Counting Test (DCT), and Rey Fifteen-Item Memory Test (RMT) were roughly comparable to the SIRS-2 in classifying patient groups but the Validity Indicator Profile (VIP) Verbal subscale was not. Several measures of cognitive effort increased detection of suspected feigning over the SIRS-2 alone. However, among genuinely mentally ill psychiatric patients, level of estimated intelligence was significantly associated with scores on each of the measures of cognitive effort (r s = .38 to .65), with false positive rates in excess of 30% for patients with estimated intelligence in the Extremely Low range. Performance on measures of cognitive effort was only modestly associated with types, but not total severity of psychiatric symptoms. Implications for the assessment of feigning in clinical settings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies investigating motor cortex reorganization in clinical populations use a variety of measurements, with some performed at rest and others with the muscle slightly contracted. Surprisingly there are still a limited number of studies focusing on relationship between TMS-measures obtained at rest and during active muscle contraction in healthy individuals. The purpose of this study was to: (1) compare resting and active TMS-measures and assess their association; (2) determine their respective short- and long-term reliability. Motor threshold (MT), motor evoked potentials (MEP) amplitude, map area, normalized map volume, map center of gravity (CoG) and short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) of the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle were assessed in 12 healthy subjects. Subjects were tested three times (with a short (four days) and a long (>1 month) inter-session interval). No significant difference was found between resting and active measures, except for MT. Active MT was on average at 82% of resting MT. Good short- and long-term reliability were found for MT and CoG (in resting and active conditions), for the SICI and MEP amplitude at rest and for the normalized map volume under active condition. In conclusion, maps of FDI muscle obtained at rest and during active contraction are very similar to each other in healthy individuals when differences in MT are taken into account. Most TMS measures present good reliability when obtained under the appropriate condition, with comparable short-term and long-term reliability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: The resting motor threshold (rMT) is an important factor in the selection of treatment intensity for patients receiving repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). In many clinical studies to date, because of the concerns about potential drift, the rMT has been routinely remeasured weekly or every fifth session. Objective: Our aim is to investigate whether ongoing treatment with rTMS affects the rMT, the degree of change, and whether frequent remeasurement is needed. Methods: Clinical data were drawn from 50 medication-free patients who were receiving treatment for major depression with rTMS in a large US National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored multisite study. Four measurements of rMT were obtained, including before and after the double-blind phase, followed by weekly measurements during the open phase. Active treatment consisted of 75 four-second trains of 10-Hz stimulation applied over 37.5 minutes with the coil over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) at 120% rMT. Results: For the group as a whole, there was no significant change in the rMT during a minimum of 2 weeks of treatment with prefrontal rTMS (P = .911, 1-way analysis of variance). The average within-subject coefficient of variation was 6.58%. On average, the last rMT was 2.45% less than the baseline rMT (range: 32.3% increase, 40.6% decrease). Conclusions: Daily left prefrontal rTMS over several weeks as delivered in this trial does not cause systematic changes in rMT. Although most subjects had less than 10% variance in rMT over time, five subjects had changes of approximately 20% from baseline, raising dosing and safety issues if undetected. We recommend that clinical trials of rTMS have periodic retesting of rMT, especially if the dose is at or near the edge of the TMS safety tables. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The global market for virtual items, characters and currencies was estimated to exceed 2.1 Billion USD in 2007. Selling virtual goods for real money is an increasingly common revenue model not only for online games and virtual worlds, but for social networking sites and other mainstream online services as well. What drives consumer spending on virtual items is an increasingly relevant question, but little research has been devoted to the topic so far. Previous literature suggests that demand for virtual items is based on the items’ ability to confer gameplay advantages on one hand, and on the items’ decorative value on the other hand. In this paper, I adopt a perspective from the sociology of consumption and analyse examples from 14 virtual asset platforms to suggest a more detailed set of item attributes that drive virtual item purchase decisions, consisting of functional, hedonic and social attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The interpretation of airborne VLF data represents an important aspect of geophysical mapping of the upper few hundred meters of the Earth''s crust, especially in areas with crystalline rocks. We have examined the ability of the single frequency VLF method to provide quantitative subsurface resistivity information using two generic models and standard airborne parameters with a flight altitude of 70 m and a frequency of 16 kHz. The models are long thin conductor (10 m thick, 10 Ω m resistivity and 1 km long) and a wider buried conductive dike (100 Ω m resistivity and 500 m wide). Using standard regularized inversion it turned out that for both models the conductivity of the conductors are underestimated and the vertical resolution is rather poor. The lateral positions of the minimum of the resistivity distributions coincide well with the true positions of the shallow conductors. For deeper conductors the position of the minimum resistivity moves from the edges of the conductor into the conductor. The depth to the minimum of the resistivity anomalies correlates well with the true depth to the top of the conductors although the latter is always smaller than the former. Interpretation of field airborne data collected at 70 m flight height resolved both small scale and large scale near surface conductors (conductance ∼1 S). Deeper conductors show up in the VLF data as very long wavelength anomalies that are particularly powerful in delineating the lateral boundaries of the conductors. Many of the VLF anomalies in the Stockholm area are dominated by these deep conductor responses with some near surface conductors superimposed. The deep conductors often follow topographic lows coinciding with metasediments. We interpret the frequent absence of near surface responses at 70 m flight height as a result of weak coupling between the primary VLF wave and the small scale (in all three dimensions) near-surface conductors. Radio magnetotelluric (RMT) ground measurements were carried out along a short profile coinciding with part of an airborne profile. Using data at 9 frequencies (14–250 kHz) small scale conductors in the upper few tens of meters, not identified from the airborne data, could be well resolved. Large scale deeper conductors could be identified by both methods at nearly the same positions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We compare the resolution power of single frequency very low frequency (VLF) electromagnetic data (real and imaginary parts of the tipper) and multi-frequency RadioMagnetoTelluric (RMT) data in delineating conductive structures typical for the sedimentary cover over crystalline basement in Scandinavia. Using VLF field data from five parallel profiles reveals that the estimated models have responses that fit the observed data well, and the models show an overall agreement with more detailed models derived from broadband RMT data. It is suggested that VLF data be used as a fast mapping tool to fill in the gaps between profiles along which more detailed RMT measurements are made. A generic model with conductive clay lenses and sandy formations over crystalline basement is used to generate synthetic data for the two cases. Using regularized inversion the corresponding estimated models clearly shows the strength and the weakness of both methods. Being inductive methods, they both have difficulties in clearly resolving the depth transition from conductive to resistive units. Especially the single frequency VLF data can be interpreted with very smooth models at depth. However, both methods resolve very well the lateral boundaries of the clay lenses and the RMT data also constrain the thickness of the clays quite well compared with the VLF models, which are less distinct at depth. Single frequency scalar VLF data emphasize those conductive structures that have dominant strikes in the direction of the transmitter. Multi-frequency VLF (tensor VLF) measurements provide the tipper vector which depends upon the underlying conductivity structure only. Real conductivity structures have significant 3D components which can be delineated easily by tensor VLF measurements. We propose that new VLF instrumentation be developed with this in mind. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The effect of displacement currents on radiomagnetotelluric (RMT) measurements was analysed. It is shown that under normal crystalline bedrock conditions, displacement currents must be taken into consideration when modelling the RMT data. This is illustrated by the 1D inversion of the synthetic data, both for a homogeneous half-space as well as a layered earth. Finally, we show that the 1D inversion of the field data from Northern Sweden give more realistic, less conductive models of the sedimentary cover, when displacement currents are taken into account. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We investigate the spectra of adjacency matrices of multiplex networks under random matrix theory (RMT) framework. Through extensive numerical experiments, we demonstrate that upon multiplexing two random networks, the spectra of the combined multiplex network exhibit superposition of two Gaussian orthogonal ensemble (GOE)s for very small multiplexing strength followed by a smooth transition to the GOE statistics with an increase in the multiplexing strength. Interestingly, randomness in the connection architecture, introduced by random rewiring to 1D lattice, of at least one layer may govern nearest neighbor spacing distribution (NNSD) of the entire multiplex network, and in fact, can drive to a transition from the Poisson to the GOE statistics or vice versa. Notably, this transition transpires for a very small number of the random rewiring corresponding to the small-world transition. Ergo, only one layer being represented by the small-world network is enough to yield GOE statistics for the entire multiplex network. Spectra of adjacency matrices of underlying interaction networks have been contemplated to be related with dynamical behavior of the corresponding complex systems, the investigations presented here have implications in achieving better structural and dynamical control to the systems represented by multiplex networks against structural perturbation in only one of the layers. • Impact of structural randomness on the spectra of an entire multiplex network. • The interplay of spectra, interlayer coupling, and structural randomness in multiplex networks. • Poisson-GOE transition is observed in the course of SW transition in one of the layers. • Results are consistent with different kind of randomness and 3-layer multiplex networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using an efficient one and two qubit gate simulator operating on graphical processing units, we investigate ergodic properties of a quantum Ising spin $1/2$ model on a two-dimensional lattice, which is periodically driven by a δ -pulsed transverse magnetic field. We consider three different dynamical properties: (i) level density, (ii) level spacing distribution of the Floquet quasienergy spectrum, and (iii) time-averaged autocorrelation function of magnetization components. Varying the parameters of the model, we found transitions between ordered (non-ergodic) and quantum chaotic (ergodic) phases, but the transitions between flat and non-flat spectral density do not correspond to transitions between ergodic and non-ergodic local observables. Even more surprisingly, we found good agreement of level spacing distribution with the Wigner surmise of random matrix theory for almost all values of parameters except where the model is essentially non-interacting, even in regions where local observables are not ergodic or where spectral density is non-flat. These findings question the versatility of the interpretation of level spacing distribution in many-body systems and stress the importance of the concept of locality.

Background: A mixed methods study was conducted to look at the magnitude of residual malaria transmission (RMT) and factors contributing to low (< 1% prevalence), but sustained transmission in rural communities on the Thai–Myanmar border. Methods: A cross-sectional behaviour and net survey, observational surveys and entomological collections in both villages and forested farm huts frequented by community members for subsistence farming practices were conducted. Results: Community members frequently stayed overnight at subsistence farm huts or in the forest. Entomological collections showed higher biting rates of primary vectors in forested farm hut sites and in a more forested village setting compared to a village with clustered housing and better infrastructure. Despite high levels of outdoor biting, biting exposure occurred predominantly indoors, particularly for non-users of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs). Risk of biting exposure was exacerbated by sub-optimal coverage of LLINs, particularly in subsistence farm huts and in the forest. Furthermore, early waking hours when people had left the safety of their nets coincided with peaks in biting in later morning hours. Conclusions: Entomological and epidemiological findings suggest drivers and modulators of sustained infection prevalence in the area to be: higher mosquito abundance in forested areas where LLINs were used less frequently or could not be used; late sleeping and waking times coinciding with peak biting hours; feeding preferences of Anopheles taking them away from contact with LLIN and indoor residual spraying (IRS), e.g. exophagy and zoophagy; non-use of LLIN and use of damaged/torn LLIN; high population movement across the border and into forested areas thereby increasing risk of exposure, decreasing use of protection and limiting access to healthcare; and, Plasmodium vivax predominance resulting in relapse(s) of previous infection. The findings highlight gaps in current intervention coverage beyond the village setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) paradigms could be of help to get information on cortical excitability. This would enable a better understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms of various diseases and testing therapeutic responses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cortical excitability of treated and untreated patients with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods 34 patients were initially included and separated in two groups based on whether they are receiving or not disease-modifying therapies. Evaluation took place at baseline, 6 months and 12 months. Clinical evaluation included the expanded disability status scale (EDSS). Cortical excitability was assessed by TMS via various measures. Results 25 patients completed the study. At baseline, treated patients had significantly higher motor evoked potentials (MEP) amplitude, and EDSS scores were inversely correlated with the resting MEP amplitude. At one year, contrarily to treated patients who did not experience any significant clinical or neurophysiological changes, untreated patients exhibited significant increase in resting motor threshold (rMT) and a reduction of short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI). These changes were accompanied by an increase in EDSS score. Discussion This pilot study illustrates the changes in cortical excitability parameters in untreated patients with progressive MS over a one-year follow-up. Conclusions Disease modifying therapies might stabilize cortical excitability during the progressive phase of MS. Significance Some cortical excitability measures may constitute biomarkers for monitoring the disease progression in MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy in epileptic children can be optimized via an anticipation of AED efficacy during early stages of therapy. We hypothesize that the comprehensive EEG evaluation can determine AED efficacy in epileptic children. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the alteration of characteristics of interictal EEG during AED therapy., Methods: Forty-three children aged 3-9 were investigated. EEGs were recorded three times: prior to Valproic Acid-Depakin (Dep) monotherapy and twice under Dep therapy (at three and six/eight months). Baseline EEG was analyzed for quantitative characteristics of interictal EEG such as absolute values of the power (AVP) spectra and EEG topography/Brain Mapping. The study involved epileptiform EEG and clinical condition assessments., Results: Dep decreased AVP spectra in a low-frequency range, suppressed spontaneous epileptic discharge, and spike-wave complex 3/s. Dep partially decreased spikes-polyspikes, sharp waves, and generalized paroxysmal bursts during functional trials. Dep did not diminish rhythmic monomorphic theta-waves (RMT) of tempo-parietal localization observed by Brain Mapping. The presence of RMT correlated with the reocurrence of seizures if Dep was withdrawn., Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that the presence of RMT with tempo-parietal localization on the interictal EEG can anticipate reocurrence of seizures if Dep dose will be reduced or withdrawn. The efficacy of AED-therapy can be revealed via reduction of low-frequency waves and suppression of epileptiform EEG elements parallel to clinical improvement. Thus, optimal treatment strategies can be tailored based on the evaluation of background EEG characteristics using spectral analysis, EEG mapping and the quantitative EEG approach.

Low frequency repetitive TMS (rTMS) of a cortical seizure focus is emerging as an antiepileptic treatment. While conventional rTMS stimulators activate only superficial cortical areas, reaching deep epileptic foci, for example in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), is possible using specially designed H-coils. We report the results of rTMS in a young adult with pharmacoresistant bilateral TLE who underwent three courses (of 10, 15, and 30 daily sessions) of unilateral rTMS over the hemisphere from which seizures originated most often. Seizure frequency was assessed before and after each block of rTMS sessions, as was the tolerability of the procedure. Seizure frequency declined significantly, by 50 to 70% following each rTMS course. All sessions were well-tolerated.

The relationship between brain structure, cortical physiology, and learning ability in older adults is of particular interest in understanding mechanisms of age-related cognitive decline. Only a few studies addressed this issue so far, yielding mixed results. Here, we used comprehensive multiple regression analyses to investigate associations between brain structure on the one hand, i.e., cortical thickness (CT), fractional anisotropy (FA) of the pyramidal tract and individual coil-to-cortex distance, and cortical physiology on the other hand, i.e. motor cortex excitability and long-term potentiation (LTP)-like cortical plasticity, in healthy older adults (mean age 64 years, 14 women). Additional exploratory analyses assessed correlations between cortical physiology and learning ability in the verbal domain. In the regression models, we found that cortical excitability could be best predicted by CT of the hand knob of the primary motor cortex (CT-M1HAND) and individual coil-to-cortex distance, while LTP-like cortical plasticity was predicted by CT-M1HAND and FA of the pyramidal tract. Exploratory analyses revealed a significant inverse correlation between cortical excitability and learning ability. In conclusion, higher cortical excitability was associated with lower CT and lower learning ability in a cohort of healthy older adults, in line with previous reports of increased cortical excitability in patients with cortical atrophy and cognitive deficits due to Alzheimer's Disease. Cortical excitability may thus be a parameter to identify individuals at risk for cognitive decline and gray matter atrophy, a hypothesis to be explored in future longitudinal studies., (© 2013.)

This study investigated the effects of a long-term transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) treatment on cortical motor representation in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). In this double-blind crossover design, patients received either TENS or sham stimulation for 3 weeks (1h per day) on the median nerve region of the most impaired hand, followed by the other stimulation condition after a washout period of 6 months. Cortical motor representation was mapped using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) at the baseline and after the 3-week stimulation protocol. Our results revealed that 3 weeks of daily stimulation with TENS significantly decreased the cortical motor representation of the stimulated muscle in MS patients. Although the mechanisms underlying this decrease remain unclear, our findings indicate that TENS has the ability to induce long-term reorganization in the motor cortex of MS patients., (Copyright © 2013 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To determine the effects of a short-duration, combined (inspiratory and expiratory), progressive resistance respiratory muscle training (RMT) protocol on respiratory muscle strength, fatigue, health-related quality of life, and functional performance in individuals with mild-to-moderate multiple sclerosis (MS)., Design: Quasi-experimental before-after trial., Setting: University rehabilitation research laboratory., Participants: Volunteers with MS (N=21) were divided into 2 groups: RMT (n=11; 9 women, 2 men; mean age ± SD, 50.9 ± 5.7y, mean Expanded Disability Status Scale score ± SD, 3.2 ± 1.9) and a control group that did not train (n=10; 7 women, 3 men; mean age ± SD, 56.2 ± 8.8y, mean Expanded Disability Status Scale score ± SD, 4.4 ± 2.1). Expanded Disability Status Scale scores ranged from 1 to ≤6.5. No patients withdrew from the study., Intervention: Training was a 5-week combined progressive resistance RMT program, 3d/wk, 30 minutes per session., Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome measures were maximal inspiratory pressure and expiratory pressure and the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale. All subjects completed secondary measures of pulmonary function, the six-minute walk test, the timed stair climb, the Multiple Sclerosis Self-Efficacy Scale, the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, and the Physical Activity Disability Scale., Results: Maximal inspiratory pressure and expiratory pressure (mean ± SD) increased 35% ± 22% (P<.001) and 26% ± 17% (P<.001), respectively, whereas no changes were noted in the control group (12% ± 23% and -4% ± 17%, respectively). RMT improved fatigue (Modified Fatigue Impact Scale, P<.029), with no change or worsening in the control group. No changes were noted in the six-minute walk test, stair climb, Multiple Sclerosis Self-Efficacy Scale, or Physical Activity Disability Scale in the RMT group. The control group had decreases in emotional well-being and general health (Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey)., Conclusions: A short-duration, combined RMT program improved inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength and reduced fatigue in patients with mild to moderate MS., (Copyright © 2013 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of diurnal variability on cortical excitability using single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), in drug naive patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) and to look for any differences in cortical excitability between males and females., Methods: Thirty drug-naive patients with JME and 10 healthy controls were studied. Resting motor threshold (RMT), motor evoked potential (MEP), the duration of central motor conduction time (CMCT) and cortical silent period (CSP) were measured, twice, first early in the morning and again in the afternoon of the same day., Results: Diurnal variation with higher evening values of CMCT and CSP were observed in the control group. In the study group, diurnal variation in RMT, CMCT and CSP was found with higher values in the morning than in control group. However, only the raised values of CSP [mean, 110.7ms, morning and 96.44ms, evening] were of statistical significance [p=0.005, morning and 0.039, evening] as compared to controls. In the study group, males had higher values of RMT, CMCT and CSP than in females. However, the CMCT in males was lower in the evening study than in females. Further, RMT and morning CMCT was lower in females than in controls. In females, the morning CSP [mean, 100.91ms, morning versus 87.86ms, evening] was significantly prolonged [p=0.017, morning versus 0.221, evening] as compared to controls., Conclusion: The study is suggestive of the existence of impaired supraspinal/intracortical inhibitory circuits which may account for the hyperexcitability of the motor system being prominent in the morning among drug naïve patients with JME. In this study, increased activity of cortical inhibitory networks, as evidenced by prolonged cortical silent period existed among drug naïve JME patients, but was found to be significant only in female patients. This may explain the increased seizure susceptibility in this cohort, at this time of the day and an increased manifestation of JME in females., (Copyright © 2013 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The long-lasting effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on electroencephalogram (EEG) activity are not clear. We aimed to investigate the cumulative rTMS effects on EEG and clinical outcomes in patients with major depression. Twenty-five patients with medication-resistant depression underwent 10 daily rTMS sessions over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. We measured resting EEG and spectrum-power before and after the rTMS course. Clinical efficacy was evaluated with the Hamilton's Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). In an ANOVA model, including all prefrontal electrodes, post hoc analyses revealed significant time effects on the theta (F1,24 = 7.89, P = 0.010; +43%), delta (F1,24 = 6.58, P = 0.017; +26%), and alpha (F1,24 = 4.64, P = 0.042; 31%) bands without site specificity. Clinical correlations were observed between F4 alpha power increases and improvements in HAM-D retardation, F3 alpha power increases and improvements of the absolute changes in perseveration and error number on the WCST, and C3 and C4 theta power increases and improvements of the percent change in perseveration and error number on the WCST following rTMS. Consecutive prefrontal rTMS could induce long-lasting EEG potentiations beyond the aftereffects, resulting in improved cognitive and depressive symptoms., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.)

We previously observed that transient vascular occlusion in volunteers increased the estimation of force exertion with no change in peripheral nerves or muscles. We hypothesized that the primary factor responsible for the overestimation of force exertion during occlusion was the centrally generated motor command, as hypothesized by McCloskey et al. (1974) and McCloskey (1978, 1981). In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that transient vascular occlusion increases the excitability of the primary motor cortex (M1) during force exertion. Healthy human volunteers lay on a bed and squeezed a dynamometer in their right hand. Repetitive gripping forces were exerted at 20%, 40%, or 60% of maximum force, with or without transient (20s) vascular occlusion of the proximal portion of the right upper arm. During the task, single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation was applied to the contralateral M1 to induce motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in the flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) muscle. The MEP amplitudes were enhanced with occlusion under all conditions, with the exception of 60% contraction. In contrast, no significant difference was observed between the MEP amplitudes obtained from the occluded or non-occluded, relaxed FCU muscle. These results suggest that transient vascular occlusion increases the excitability of M1 only during force exertion., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.)