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Decision making under acute stress is frequent in daily life. While evidence suggests for a modulatory role of neuroticism on risky decision-making behaviors, the neural correlates underlying the association between neuroticism and risky decision-making under acute stress remain to be elucidated. Based on a modified Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) with concurrent functional magnetic resonance imaging, we evaluated the effect of acute stress on risk-taking behavior in 27 healthy male adults, and further assessed stress-induced changes in brain activation according to the individual differences in neuroticism. Higher trait neuroticism levels positively correlated with increased stress-modulated activation of the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex during risk-taking, and negatively correlated with decreased stress-modulated activation of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during cash-outs. Only male participants were recruited. We found a positive correlation between neuroticism and greater risk-taking behavior under acute stress. These results extend our understanding of the increased risk-taking propensity in high neurotic individuals under acute stress. • Neuroticism correlates positively with risk-taking behavior under acute stress. • Neuroticism correlates positively with right dACC activation during risk-taking. • Neuroticism correlates negatively with right dlPFC activation during cash-outs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Determining drought vulnerability assessment considering AD, HD, MD and S-ED groups. • AHP, RF and BART models were used to assess drought vulnerability. • Relevant risk factors and weighting criteria were taken into account. • Highest areal extent of severe and high drought vulnerability is found in AD group. Drought is a complicated and diverse natural calamity that causes huge global economic losses. Drought, particularly in dominant agricultural areas, is becoming more severe, posing a threat to global food security. Drought stress has a wide range of effects on a region, and it is largely dependent upon climate variability, groundwater availability and soil moisture condition. Droughts are influenced by a wide range of factors, including climatic factors like rainfall and temperature and economic factors like population density, irrigated land, and so on. In India, the recurrence of drought is largely owed to sole physical and climatic susceptibilities. As a result, this research study makes an intensive effort to assess drought vulnerability assessment in India considering "meteorological, hydrological, agricultural and socio-economic drought" groups. The statistical method of "analytical hierarchy process (AHP)" and machine learning algorithms of "random forest (RF)" and "Bayesian additive regression trees (BART)" were used for respective modelling purposes. The modelling outcomes were assessed using "receiver operating characteristics area under the curve (ROC-AUC)", "mean square error (MSE)", "root mean square error (RMSE)", and the Taylor diagram. The evaluation measure indicates that BART is the most optimal (AUC = 0.901, r = 0.931) followed by RF (AUC = 0.872, r = 0.901). The findings suggest that the method used to determine drought vulnerability in the region is successful, which will aid planners in developing drought mitigation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous experience often guides people's decision-making. How the corresponding consecutive outcomes in the gain-loss frame modulate feedback evaluation in dynamic situations remains unclear. In this study, we used event-related potentials (ERPs) with a Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) to investigate the effect of the consistency with previous feedback on current choices under the gain-loss frame and the neural mechanism by coding ERP signals evoked by consecutive outcomes among adults (N = 42). Results indicated that the framing effect on feedback-related negativity (FRN) amplitudes following current feedback in decision-making was insensitive to prior feedback. In contrast, the P300 amplitudes following two inconsistent consecutive rounds of feedback were greater than that following two consistent consecutive rounds of feedback in the gain frame, while this effect was absent in the loss frame, revealing a more significant valance-framing effect. These findings demonstrate that two inconsistent rounds of feedback enhance the framing effect, and suggest that the framing effect is sensitive to prior feedback in a late cognitive appraisal stage in decision-making under uncertainty, rather than in an early feedback processing stage. The present study provides novel insights into how consecutive outcomes in the gain-loss frame modulate feedback evaluation in dynamic situations. • FRN amplitudes are only sensitive to the valence of outcome feedback in the gain frame. • Two inconsistent rounds of feedback enhance the framing effect on the P300. • The framing effect is only sensitive to prior feedback in a late processing stage of decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We investigate the effect of policy changes in Denmark on BEV adoption. • We examine the socioeconomic factors influencing BEV adoption. • We use actual car purchase data and administrative records covering 2013–2019. • We employ Bayesian additive regression trees (BART) and a probit model. • Policy change impact on BEV adoption percentage. Large-scale deployment of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is strategically important for the transition toward a low-carbon economy. Denmark has traditionally stimulated BEV diffusion through a registration tax exemption that was lifted in 2016 and partially reintroduced in 2018. Exploiting car registration and detailed population data covering the period 2013–2019 and using Bayesian additive regression trees, this paper provides new evidence on (i) the effects of the changes in the registration tax on the adoption of BEVs in Denmark, (ii) the socioeconomic factors that influence BEV adoption, and (iii) the presence of freerider effects. The results suggest that the number of BEVs would have been higher had the tax exemption remained. Moreover, we detect heterogenous treatment effects that are larger the more likely a socioeconomic group is to purchase a BEV. Consequently, we expect that there are substantial freerider effects in the promotion of BEVs via the tax system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasound Core Laboratories (UCL) are used in multicenter trials to assess imaging biomarkers to define robust phenotypes, to reduce imaging variability and to allow blinded independent review with the purpose of optimizing endpoint measurement precision. The Household Air Pollution Intervention Network, a multicountry randomized controlled trial (Guatemala, Peru, India and Rwanda), evaluates the effects of reducing household air pollution on health outcomes. Field studies using portable ultrasound evaluate fetal, lung and vascular imaging endpoints. The objective of this report is to describe administrative methods and training of a centralized clinical research UCL. A comprehensive administrative protocol and training curriculum included standard operating procedures, didactics, practical scanning and written/practical assessments of general ultrasound principles and specific imaging protocols. After initial online training, 18 sonographers (three or four per country and five from the UCL) participated in a 2 wk on-site training program. Written and practical testing evaluated ultrasound topic knowledge and scanning skills, and surveys evaluated the overall course. The UCL developed comprehensive standard operating procedures for image acquisition with a portable ultrasound system, digital image upload to cloud-based storage, off-line analysis and quality control. Pre- and post-training tests showed significant improvements (fetal ultrasound: 71% ± 13% vs. 93% ± 7%, p < 0.0001; vascular lung ultrasound: 60% ± 8% vs. 84% ± 10%, p < 0.0001). Qualitative and quantitative feedback showed high satisfaction with training (mean, 4.9 ± 0.1; scale: 1 = worst, 5 = best). The UCL oversees all stages: training, standardization, performance monitoring, image quality control and consistency of measurements. Sonographers who failed to meet minimum allowable performance were identified for retraining. In conclusion, a UCL was established to ensure accurate and reproducible ultrasound measurements in clinical research. Standardized operating procedures and training are aimed at reducing variability and enhancing measurement precision from study sites, representing a model for use of portable digital ultrasound for multicenter field studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of effective automatic summarization approaches for legal documents suffer from several challenges like extremely long document-summary pairs, lack of large scale training datasets with tractable document-summary token lengths, etc. In this work, we deal with the problem of legal document summarization by building a modified abstractive dataset from the original dataset. This ensures that the length of each document-summary pair is manageable and can be processed by the state of the art summarization approaches (such as BART). Secondly, we deal with the data scarcity problem by creating more number of training samples, from each of the original document-summary pair. This is done by creating multiple extractive summaries from each sample in the original dataset, following which ground-truth summary sentences are assigned to each of the extractive summary to generate new training samples. This results in a larger training dataset that can be utilized for fine-tuning summarization models. Our proposed approach has been evaluated on two different legal datasets- BillSum and Forum of Information Retrieval Evaluation (FIRE). With respect to the ROUGE metrics, the proposed approach is able to outperform pre-trained BART model fine-tuned on original dataset by (3 − 8) % for FIRE test sets, and by (1 − 3) % for the BillSum test sets. Considering the BERTScore metrics, the proposed approach obtains (1 − 2) % improvements on the FIRE test sets, while for the BillSum test sets (3 − 8) % improvements are observed. Such improvements suggest that the proposed dataset building approach can help achieve improved abstractive summarization of lengthy legal documents. • Lengthy nature and data scarcity are the two main challenges with legal documents. • Lengthy legal document summarization is handled by the proposed approach. • The data scarcity problem is handled by creating a feasible abstractive dataset. • A novel Extract-Then-Assign (ETA) approach is proposed. • ETA approach can greatly improve abstractive summarization of legal documents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Marijuana use has been associated with increased risk-taking and impulsive behavior. While pharmacologic effects of marijuana can lead to inhibitory impairment, expectancy of potential impairment may result in compensatory behavioral response by decreasing impulsive decisions and risky behaviors. With the increases in marijuana use and related problems, a better understanding of the individual characteristics associated with marijuana intoxication and risky behavior is needed. This study examined the role of impairment expectancies in marijuana's acute effects on behavioral measures of impulsivity and risk-taking.Methods: Participants (N=136) were regular marijuana users. A balanced placebo design (BPD) was used crossing marijuana administration (i.e., 0% Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) vs. 2.8% THC) with stimulus expectancy (i.e., Told Placebo vs. Told THC). Marijuana outcome expectancies were measured by self-report and dependent measures included a number of behavioral impulsivity tasks and the balloon analogue risk task (BART).Results: Among participants who received THC, higher expectancies for cognitive-behavioral impairment (CBI) were related to lower risk-taking on the BART. Among those who received placebo, there was no association between CBI expectancies and BART performance. CBI expectancies did not moderate the stimulus expectancy effect on the BART nor drug or stimulus expectancy effects on impulsivity measures.Conclusions: Results provide initial evidence that expectancies of greater impairment are associated with compensatory behavior on a risk-taking task under acute marijuana intoxication. Future studies should examine the role of impairment expectancies on risk behaviors of substantial public health concern, such as driving while under the influence of marijuana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background A wide range of neuroimaging and neuromodulation studies have shown that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) plays a pivotal role in decision-making. Of particular interest is the question of its role in decision-making when conditions are uncertain and whether manipulating this neural substrate through neuromodulation changes subsequent risk-taking behaviour. Previous work using the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) suggests that bilateral tDCS stimulation of the DLPFC reduces risk-taking behaviour but unilateral stimulation has no effect. However, participant numbers have been limited and may have biased the estimate of the size of the effect of the stimulation on task performance. Objectives/hypothesis We aimed to test the robustness and generalizability of these previous findings by using a very similar methodology but with a much larger sample. Methods During both 20- and 30-min tDCS stimulation at 2 mA, we administered the BART to about 200 participants assigned to bilateral DLPFC stimulation of either right anodal/left cathodal, left anodal/right cathodal or sham (Study 1 and Study 2); and to unilateral stimulation conditions (Study 2): right anodal, left anodal or sham with the referent electrode over the contralateral supraorbital region. Results In the first bilateral study, we found that risk-taking was greater for participants in the right anodal/left cathodal stimulation group compared to those who received left anodal/right cathodal stimulation, but not compared to sham. The results obtained in the bilateral and unilateral stimulation protocols implemented in Study 2 yielded no evidence of any effect of stimulation. Combining the data from both studies, we found no statistically significant differences between mean performances of the nine stimulation groups. Indeed, all 95% confidence intervals for the nine means overlapped, suggesting that these randomly vary around a common population mean. Conclusions This study showed that there was no detectable effect of tDCS stimulation on risky decision-making under ambiguity, compared to sham stimulation. Hence, using a much larger sample, we did not replicate previous work reporting a reduction in risky decision-making by bilateral stimulation of the DLPFC compared to sham. When the results of our bilateral and unilateral stimulation studies were combined, it emerged that the most likely explanation for the apparent significant results in our bilateral stimulation study was random variation in performance. This outcome is a further reminder of the need for appropriately sized samples to potentially achieve reliable outcomes in brain modulation studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pubertal development is a potential trigger for increases in risk-taking behaviours during adolescence. Here, we sought to investigate the relationship between puberty and neural activation during risky decision-making in males using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Forty-seven males aged 12.5–14.5 years completed an fMRI risk-taking task (BART) and reported their tendencies for risky decision-making using a self-report questionnaire. Puberty was assessed through self-reported pubertal status and salivary testosterone levels. Testosterone concentration, but not physical pubertal status, was positively correlated with self-reported risk-taking behaviour, while neither was correlated with BART performance. Across the whole sample, participants had greater activation of the bilateral nucleus accumbens and right caudate on trials when they made a successful risky decision compared to trials when they made a safe choice or when their risky decision was unsuccessful. There was a negative correlation between pubertal stage and brain activation during unsuccessful risky decision-making trials compared within unsuccessful control trials. Males at a lower stage of pubertal development showed increased activation in the left insula, right cingulate cortex, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), right putamen and right orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) relative to more pubertally mature males during trials when they chose to take a risk and the balloon popped compared to when they watched the computer make an unsuccessful risky decision. Less pubertally mature males also showed greater activation in brain regions including the dmPFC, right temporal and frontal cortices, right OFC, right hippocampus and occipital cortex in unsuccessful risky trials compared to successful risky trials. These results suggest a puberty-related shift in neural activation within key brain regions when processing outcomes of risky decisions, which may reduce their sensitivity to negative feedback, and in turn contribute to increases in adolescent risk-taking behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By definition, risk taking involves uncertainty surrounding potential outcomes. However, risky decisions can vary in the amount of ambiguity about the likelihood of each outcome occurring. The current study tested the hypothesis that the amount of ambiguity in risky-decisions would moderate the relationship between risk taking and anxiety. In this study, participants completed individual difference measures and then a version of the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) with either high or low ambiguity about the likelihood of a negative outcome. As hypothesized, higher levels of anxiety predicted less risk taking in the high ambiguity version of the BART, but anxiety and risk taking were unrelated to one another in the low ambiguity version. This study demonstrates that in order to understand the relationship between anxiety and risk taking, ambiguity level must be taken into account. Furthermore, this finding provides support for cognitive models of anxiety suggesting that anxious individuals interpret negative outcomes as more likely to occur than less anxious individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Purpose: To describe and analyze how women with breast cancer experience breathing adapted radiation therapy (BART) and to explore how women manage daily radiation therapy. Method: Individual interviews were conducted with 20 women treated with BART for breast cancer concerning their perception of radiation therapy. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: ‘The breath of life’ was the overall theme, as the women experienced the breathing as a way in which to influence their treatment and thus their survival. ‘Participating in one's treatment, for good or ill’, was the main category with four subcategories, ‘Knowing one has done something good’, ‘Getting an extra bonus – healthwise’, ‘The experience of being in control’ and ‘Being in a high-technology environment’. The breathing technique became the strategy by which they could manage their treatment and gave them a sense of participation which led to a feeling of being in control. The women also felt that breathing benefited their health both mentally and physically. The high-technology environment was experienced as both hopeful and frightening. Conclusion: Survival or increasing the chances of survival, are of ultimate importance for a woman with breast cancer. BART requires commitment from the women, which was perceived as offering them an opportunity to participate in their own treatment, for their survival. Increasing the women's possibilities to participate in their treatment benefits their health and welfare during an otherwise turbulent time and allow the rehabilitation process to start during treatment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Although adolescents frequently engage in a variety of risky behaviors, much remains unknown about the specific etiologies of such tendencies. Candidate genetic variants, such as the COMT Val158Met polymorphism, may be related to risk-taking propensity, particularly as this variant is linked to functional enzymatic differences influencing dopamine function in regions including the prefrontal cortex. The present study aimed to examine the COMT Val158Met variant in relation to risk-taking propensity in a community sample of youth. As part of a larger longitudinal study on adolescent risk behaviors, 223 youths (average age 11.3 years) from the metropolitan Washington D.C. area completed a measure of risk-taking propensity, the Balloon Analog Risk Task-Youth Version (BART-Y), and provided saliva samples for DNA extraction and genotyping. Results indicate that females, but not males, who are carriers of the COMT 158Met allele had higher risk-taking propensity scores on the BART-Y compared to Val homozygotes. Analyses were also conducted in the 111 European American participants, and results were consistent with those of the full sample analyses. This study represents the first investigation of a genetic substrate of risk-taking propensity, measured by a behavioral task, in youth. Results should be taken as quite preliminary, given the small sample. Implications are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is an oncogenic Herpes virus involved in the induction of a variety of human tumours. It was the first virus found to encode microRNAs (miRNAs). MiRNAs are short, non-coding RNAs that in most cases negatively regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. EBV-transformed cells express at least 44 mature viral miRNAs that target viral and cellular genes. In addition, EBV-infection severely deregulates the miRNA profile of the host cell. The presently available information indicates that the virus uses its miRNAs to inhibit the apoptotic response of the infected cell as a means to establish a latent infection. Likewise, EBV-encoded miRNAs interfere in the expression of viral genes in order to mask the infected cell from the immune response. Cellular targets of viral miRNAs are involved in protein traffic within the cell and regulate innate immunity. MiRNA profiling of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma (NKTL) showed that only 2% of the miRNAs are derived from the virus, while viral miRNAs comprise up to 20% of the total miRNA in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and probably contribute to the formation or maintenance of NPC. The presence of viral miRNAs in exosomes raises the fascinating possibility that virus-infected cells regulate gene expression in the surrounding tissue to avert destruction by the immune system. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: MicroRNAs in viral gene regulation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In our previous work [8], we have shown that resting state (RS) functional connectivity metrics are significantly related with behavioural performance at Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART). In the present study we investigated the hypothesis of an association between RS metrics and neural activity evoked by BART execution. A group-level whole-brain regression was run to assess whether RS metrics predict brain activation during the BART, in a sample of 35 young healthy adults (mean age 23 ± 2 years, 25 F). Results complete the previous findings showing that RS is also significantly associated with the neural activity during BART execution. Specifically, ALFF is positively associated with the activity of both the right inferior parietal lobule and the left caudate. These new results are coherent with previous evidence indicating RS abnormalities in clinical conditions characterised by symptoms of impulse control disorders, and further suggest that RS might be a stable predictor of both behavioural indices and neural correlates of impulsivity and of reward-guided decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Alcoholism is characterized by impaired decision-making (i.e., choosing intoxication in the face of mounting negative consequences). This impairment may involve a reduced brain response to the negative consequences of behavior, which supports an inclination to engage in risky behaviors. The feedback error-related negativity (F-ERN) is hypothesized to reflect the valence attached to the negative consequences of behavior. Performance on the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) measures risk-taking propensity. We recorded F-ERNs during the BART and during a BART simulation, where individuals observed the rewards and consequences of (someone else''s) BART performance. Methods: EEGs were recorded on 22 actively drinking, treatment-naïve alcoholics during the BART and BART simulation. F-ERNs were measured and their association with psychological and alcohol use measures was examined. Results: F-ERNs over fronto-central electrode sites were observed to balloon pops in the BART and BART simulation. F-ERNs during the BART were more than twice the amplitude of F-ERNs during the BART simulation. Smaller F-ERN amplitudes from the BART (but not the BART simulation) were associated with a greater family history density of alcohol problems. Conclusion: The results suggest a possible link between the genetic vulnerability toward developing alcoholism and the brain''s response to the negative consequences of behavior. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Myasthenia gravis was first recognised as a distinct clinical entity by Thomas Willis, a 17th century Oxford physician, whose 1672 account in Latin was largely unnoticed until 1903. The first modern description was made in 1877 by Samuel Wilks, a London physician. Towards the close of the 19th century, primary muscle diseases and diseases due to denervation of muscle were studied by English, French, and German physicians. The first full descriptions of myasthenia gravis were by Wilhelm Erb, of Heidelberg, and Samuel Goldflam of Warsaw. The account by Willis, and the 19th century literature of myasthenia gravis are reviewed, revealing the dominance of German physicians and neuropathologists in the early understanding of the disease. The development in pathology, aetiology, and therapy in the first half of the 20th century are described. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

: ObjectivesOur objective was to determine if long-term daily administration of phytonutrient supplements can prevent the immediate adverse impact of a high-fat meal and increase the production of nitric oxide.: BackgroundIngestion of a high-fat meal impairs flow-mediated vasodilation of the brachial artery for at least 4 h; however, co-ingestion of vitamin antioxidants or a green salad has been shown to prevent this effect.: MethodsFlow-mediated brachial artery reactivity test (BART) both before and 3 h after a 900 calorie 50 g fat meal was evaluated in 38 healthy volunteers (age 36.4 ± 10.1 years). Subjects were randomized to four weeks of daily supplementation with a powdered fruit vegetable juice concentrate (Juice Plus [JP]) along with a complex supplement providing nutritional antioxidants and various herbal extracts (Vineyard [V]), JP alone, or a matching placebo. At three and four weeks, BART was repeated both before and after the high-fat meal. Serum nitrate/nitrite concentrations were measured at baseline and at four weeks.: ResultsFour weeks of the JP-V combination blunted the detrimental effect of the high-fat meal (−47.5 ± 23.4% at baseline vs. −1.7 ± 9.7% at four weeks [p < 0.05]). Four weeks of JP alone had a similar beneficial effect (−45.1 ± 19.7% at baseline vs. −16.6 ± 10.3% at four weeks [p < 0.05]), whereas there was no substantial effect of the placebo. In the subjects treated with supplements, concentrations of serum nitrate/nitrite increased from 78 ± 39 to 114 ± 62 μm/l (p < 0.02).: ConclusionsDaily ingestion of modest amounts of a fruit/vegetable juice concentrate with or without adjunctive phytonutrient supplementation can reduce the immediate adverse impact of high-fat meals on flow-mediated vasoactivity and increase nitrate/nitrite blood concentration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The purpose of this ERP P3 study was to test a peer observation manipulation (being observed by a peer versus being alone) on neural markers of attention to reward (win-feedback) and punishment (loss-feedback) during the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. Participants (126 children, 53 % male, 8–10 years; 196 early adolescents, 50 % male, 11–13 years; and 121 mid-adolescents, 52 % male, 14–16 years) were assessed by age group and pubertal status. Individual differences in how participants felt about being observed by a peer, and self-report personality factors, also were examined. Findings indicated that early and mid-adolescents (and individuals in mid-puberty and late-puberty) were sensitive to peer observation as both groups showed larger neural responses to loss-feedback in the peer condition than in the alone condition. Conversely, children (and individuals in pre- and early-puberty) were unaffected by peer observation. In addition, there clearly were individual differences in how rewarding versus anxiety-provoking participants found the peer experience. Early adolescents and mid-adolescents (and individuals in mid- and late-puberty) who reported feeling more anxious about the peer observation elicited larger neural responses to loss-feedback, and individuals in mid- and late-puberty in particular reported higher worry and lower sensation-seeking scores than those who reported a positive experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coupling loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) with a bioluminescent assay in real-time (LAMP-BART) is a strategy that can be readily leveraged to detect bacteria in particular samples of interest without the need for costly or complicated equipments. However, this approach exhibits poor sensitivity, and it additionally amplifies all target DNA including that derived from non-viable cells. Herein, we sought to overcome these traditional pyrophosphate bioluminescent assay limitations by utilizing 2-deoxyadenosine-5-(α-thio) -triphosphate (dATPαS) in place of dATP when conducting LAMP, thereby markedly reducing and stabilizing overall background signal levels, resulting in a detection limit of 3 CFU/μL. We were additionally able to ouple this LAMP-BART with propidium monoazide (PMAxx™) as a means of eliminating false-positive signals derived from nonviable cells. Herein, we detail the development of this PMAxx™–LAMP–BART assay and its use for the detection of live Lactobacillus salivarius. Our developed approach exhibited 100% specificity, with a 3 CFU/μL limit of detection (LOD) pure culture. In the application of feed, the LOD was 103 CFU per 10 g of spiked dry dog food and 102 CFU per 10 g of spiked chicken feed without enrichment. Traditional culture methods and a MALDI Biotyper were also used to confirm the accuracy of our novel assay system. • This research paper studied the optimization of Novel LAMP-BART assay combined with PMAxx™dye for detection of L.salivarius bacteria in feed samples. The PMA-LAMP- BART assay exhibited 100% specificity, with a 3 CFU/μL limit of detection (LOD) pure culture. • This is the second report to our knowledge to have reported the use of a LAMP-based assay to detect bacteria in a range of feed sample types. the LOD of it was 103 CFU per 10 g of spiked dry dog food and 102 CFU per 10 g of spiked chicken feed without the need for enrichment • The assay in this study shown improved sensitivity and specificity compared to conventional LAMP assay in detection of live bacteria in feed samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Studied dorsolateral prefrontal (rDLPFC) and insula activity in risk-taking task. • Risk affects rDLPFC activity less in alcohol-dependent vs. control subjects. • Insula is less sensitive to loss in alcohol-dependent vs. control subjects. Risky decision-making is an important facet of addiction. Individuals with alcohol dependence show abnormalities in gambling and other risk-taking tasks. In one such measure, the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), participants sequentially choose to pump a virtual balloon to increase potential reward while the risk of explosion increases, or to cash-out and take earnings. In a prior study, alcohol-dependent participants differed from controls in brain activation during decision-making on the BART, but the relationship between risk/reward magnitude and brain activation was not studied, nor were participants compared to controls. Here we compared the degree to which risk and magnitude of reward influenced brain activation in alcohol-dependent participants vs. controls during decision-making on the BART. Thirty-two participants (16 alcohol-dependent, 16 control; 5 females/group) performed the BART during fMRI. A parametric analysis tested for a relationship between risk/reward magnitude and activation in rDLPFC and bilateral striatum regions of interest when participants chose to take risk or to cash out. An exploratory whole-brain voxel-wise analysis of mean activation during pumping, cash-out, and explosion events was also conducted. Compared with controls, alcohol-dependent participants displayed less modulation of activation in the rDLPFC when taking risk. Exploratory analyses found that alcohol-dependent participants showed less activation than controls during explosions in a cluster including the insula. No differences were seen in striatal activation. Insensitivity of the rDLPFC to risk and of the insula to loss may contribute to decision-making deficits in alcohol dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Risky decision-making is an important facet of addiction. Individuals with alcohol dependence show abnormalities in gambling and other risk-taking tasks. In one such measure, the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), participants sequentially choose to pump a virtual balloon to increase potential reward while the risk of explosion increases, or to cash-out and take earnings. In a prior study, alcohol-dependent participants differed from controls in brain activation during decision-making on the BART, but the relationship between risk/reward magnitude and brain activation was not studied, nor were participants compared to controls. Here we compared the degree to which risk and magnitude of reward influenced brain activation in alcohol-dependent participants vs. controls during decision-making on the BART.Methods: Thirty-two participants (16 alcohol-dependent, 16 control; 5 females/group) performed the BART during fMRI. A parametric analysis tested for a relationship between risk/reward magnitude and activation in rDLPFC and bilateral striatum regions of interest when participants chose to take risk or to cash out. An exploratory whole-brain voxel-wise analysis of mean activation during pumping, cash-out, and explosion events was also conducted.Results: Compared with controls, alcohol-dependent participants displayed less modulation of activation in the rDLPFC when taking risk. Exploratory analyses found that alcohol-dependent participants showed less activation than controls during explosions in a cluster including the insula. No differences were seen in striatal activation.Conclusions: Insensitivity of the rDLPFC to risk and of the insula to loss may contribute to decision-making deficits in alcohol dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Poor decision-making in schizophrenia may reflect risky or inhibited behaviors. • Balloon Analogue Risk Task compared risky behavior in schizophrenia versus controls. • Healthy participants improved their performance over three successive trials. • Schizophrenia group showed no learning effects and had less risk-taking behavior. • Suboptimally balanced risk and reward, making them more vulnerable to poor choices. The underpinnings of poor decision-making in schizophrenia could reflect excessively risky or inhibited behaviors. This study employed the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) to compare decision-making in schizophrenia cases to that of healthy controls. Individuals with schizophrenia performed significantly differently across three trials, failing to improve their performance as shown by the control group. In the control group, cognitive ability, measured with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III) showed that Perceptual Organization scores predicted Average Inflations per Trial, Total Balloon Pops, and Total Earnings. Although the schizophrenia cases failed to learn, group performance on the BART was not associated with cognitive ability, but regression analyses showed 41.4% of average inflations per trial were explained by Excitement, Delusions, Emotional Withdrawal, and Poor Rapport; total balloon pops were only explained by emotional withdrawal and Total Earnings were reduced by Delusions, Excitement and Poor Rapport. Only healthy participants demonstrated a relation between cognitive ability performance improvement across trials. Schizophrenia cases showed less risk-taking, and earned significantly less money overall. Identifying the determinants of poor decision-making could inform interventions and possible treatments to improve their function and perhaps be of relevance to public safety if decisions are overly risky. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Adolescents' neural responses to risky decisions may modulate their conformity to different types of peer influence. • Neural activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) predicted conformity to risky peers while driving. • Connectivity between VS and risk processing regions (including insula and ACC) predicted safer driving under risky influence. Adolescents demonstrate both heightened sensitivity to peer influence and increased risk-taking. The current study provides a novel test of how these two phenomena are related at behavioral and neural levels. Adolescent males (N = 83, 16–17 years) completed the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) in an fMRI scanner. One week later, participants completed a driving task in which they drove alone and with a safety- or risk-promoting peer passenger. Results showed that neural responses during BART were associated with participants' behavioral conformity to safe vs. risky peer influence while later driving. First, the extent that neural activation in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) scaled with decision stakes in BART was associated with conformity to risky peer influence. Additionally, stake-modulated functional connectivity between ventral striatum (VS) and risk processing regions (including ACC and insula) was associated with safer driving under risky peer influence (i.e. resistance to risky peer influence), suggesting that connectivity between VS and ACC as well as insula may serve a protective role under risky peer influence. Together, these results suggest that adolescents' neural responses to risky decision making may modulate their behavioral conformity to different types of peer influence on risk taking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]