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Purpose: The aim of this neurophysiological study was to retrospectively analyze visual evoked potentials (VEPs) acquired during an examination for diagnosing optic nerve involvement in patients with Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB). Attention was focused on LNB patients with peripheral facial palsy (PFP) and optic nerve involvement., Methods: A total of 241 Czech patients were classified as having probable/definite LNB (193/48); of these, 57 were younger than 40 years, with a median age of 26.3 years, and 184 were older than 40 years, with a median age of 58.8 years. All patients underwent pattern-reversal (PVEP) and motion-onset (MVEP) VEP examinations., Results: Abnormal VEP results were observed in 150/241 patients and were noted more often in patients over 40 years (p = 0.008). Muscle/joint problems and paresthesia were observed to be significantly more common in patients older than 40 years (p = 0.002, p = 0.030), in contrast to headache and decreased visual acuity, which were seen more often in patients younger than 40 years (p = 0.001, p = 0.033). Peripheral facial palsy was diagnosed in 26/241 LNB patients. Among patients with PFP, VEP peak times above the laboratory limit was observed in 22 (84.6%) individuals. Monitoring of patients with PFP and pathological VEP showed that the adjustment of visual system function occurred in half of the patients in one to more years, in contrast to faster recovery from peripheral facial palsy within months in most patients., Conclusion: In LNB patients, VEP helps to increase sensitivity of an early diagnostic process., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Despite positive prior results obtained by using event-related potentials (ERPs) in psychiatric patients, they are not routinely used in the clinical setting. This may in part be due to problems regarding a lack of transportable equipment availability. It can be difficult for these patients to repeatedly visit electrophysiological laboratories. To address this issue, we propose using a new, fully portable device for visually evoked potentials (VEP) and cognitive function assessment, that can be used for quick examinations (https://www.veppeak.com). Our device, called "VEPpeak", is built into a headset with a color LED visual stimulator. It weighs 390 g and is connected to a notebook (PC) with evaluation software via USB. In this pilot study, we verified the device's usability in 31 patients with schizophrenia. We used the oddball paradigm with the recognition of colors for the P300 wave and choice reaction time evaluation. The examination lasted only about ten minutes. The results indicated good reproducibility of large cognitive potentials (P300) with prolonged P300 latencies and reduced amplitudes in patients compared to 15 control subjects. The P300 latency and reaction time prolongation in patients correlated with their age and the sedative effect of the pharmacotherapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All authors declare that their potential conflict of interest could be related only to the eventual routine use of the device in healthcare, which may be connected with a financial benefit. This will only be applicable after the device has been certified as a “medical device”., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ultrasmall Pd 4 clusters form in the micropores of FER zeolite during low-temperature treatment (100 °C) in the presence of humid CO gas. They effectively catalyze CO oxidation below 100 °C, whereas Pd nanoparticles are not active as they are poisoned by CO. Using catalytic measurements, infrared (IR) spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (EXAFS), microscopy, and density functional theory calculations, we provide the molecular-level insight into this previously unreported phenomenon. Pd nanoparticles get covered with CO at low temperatures, which effectively blocks O 2 activation until CO desorption occurs. Small Pd clusters in zeolites, in contrast, demonstrate fluxional behavior in the presence of CO, which significantly increases the affinity for binding O 2 . Our study provides a pathway to achieve low-temperature CO oxidation activity on the basis of a well-defined Pd/zeolite system.

The ability for vaccines to protect against infectious diseases varies among individuals, but computational models employed to inform policy typically do not account for this variation. Here we examine this issue: we implement a model of vaccine efficacy developed in the context of SARS-CoV-2 in order to evaluate the general implications of modelling correlates of protection on the individual level. Due to high levels of variation in immune response, the distributions of individual-level protection emerging from this model tend to be highly dispersed, and are often bimodal. We describe the specification of the model, provide an intuitive parameterisation, and comment on its general robustness. We show that the model can be viewed as an intermediate between the typical approaches that consider the mode of vaccine action to be either "all-or-nothing" or "leaky". Our view based on this analysis is that individual variation in correlates of protection is an important consideration that may be crucial to designing and implementing models for estimating population-level impacts of vaccination programs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Cameron Zachreson reports financial support was provided by Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. Nicholas Geard reports financial support was provided by Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. Allen Cheng reports financial support was provided by Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. Joshua Szanyi reports a relationship with Moderna Inc that includes: funding grants. Co-author Allen Cheng is a member of Australian government advisory committees; the views in this paper may not necessarily reflect those of the Australian government., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Long COVID symptoms occur for a proportion of acute COVID-19 survivors, with reduced risk among the vaccinated and for Omicron compared with Delta variant infections. The health loss attributed to pre-Omicron long COVID has previously been estimated using only a few major symptoms., Methods: The years lived with disability (YLDs) due to long COVID in Australia during the 2021-22 Omicron BA.1/BA.2 wave were calculated using inputs from previously published case-control, cross-sectional or cohort studies examining the prevalence and duration of individual long COVID symptoms. This estimated health loss was compared with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection YLDs and years of life lost (YLLs) from SARS-CoV-2. The sum of these three components equals COVID-19 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs); this was compared with DALYs from other diseases., Results: A total of 5200 [95% uncertainty interval (UI) 2200-8300] YLDs were attributable to long COVID and 1800 (95% UI 1100-2600) to acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, suggesting long COVID caused 74% of the overall YLDs from SARS-CoV-2 infections in the BA.1/BA.2 wave. Total DALYs attributable to SARS-CoV-2 were 50 900 (95% UI 21 000-80 900), 2.4% of expected DALYs for all diseases in the same period., Conclusion: This study provides a comprehensive approach to estimating the morbidity due to long COVID. Improved data on long COVID symptoms will improve the accuracy of these estimates. As data accumulate on SARS-CoV-2 infection sequelae (e.g. increased cardiovascular disease rates), total health loss is likely to be higher than estimated in this study. Nevertheless, this study demonstrates that long COVID requires consideration in pandemic policy planning, given it is responsible for the majority of direct SARS-CoV-2 morbidity, including during an Omicron wave in a highly vaccinated population., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association.)

Research interest in single-atom catalysts (SACs) has been continuously increasing. However, the lack of understanding of the dynamic behaviors of SACs during applications hinders catalyst development and mechanistic understanding. Herein, we report on the evolution of active sites over Pd/TiO 2 -anatase SAC (Pd 1 /TiO 2 ) in the reverse water-gas shift (rWGS) reaction. Combining kinetics, in situ characterization, and theory, we show that at T ≥ 350 °C, the reduction of TiO 2 by H 2 alters the coordination environment of Pd, creating Pd sites with partially cleaved Pd-O interfacial bonds and a unique electronic structure that exhibit high intrinsic rWGS activity through the carboxyl pathway. The activation by H 2 is accompanied by the partial sintering of single Pd atoms (Pd 1 ) into disordered, flat, ∼1 nm diameter clusters (Pd n ). The highly active Pd sites in the new coordination environment under H 2 are eliminated by oxidation, which, when performed at a high temperature, also redisperses Pd n and facilitates the reduction of TiO 2 . In contrast, Pd 1 sinters into crystalline, ∼5 nm particles (Pd NP ) during CO treatment, deactivating Pd 1 /TiO 2 . During the rWGS reaction, the two Pd evolution pathways coexist. The activation by H 2 dominates, leading to the increasing rate with time-on-stream, and steady-state Pd active sites similar to the ones formed under H 2 . This work demonstrates how the coordination environment and nuclearity of metal sites on a SAC evolve during catalysis and pretreatments and how their activity is modulated by these behaviors. These insights on SAC dynamics and the structure-function relationship are valuable to mechanistic understanding and catalyst design.

Atom trapping leads to catalysts with atomically dispersed Ru 1 O 5 sites on (100) facets of ceria, as identified by spectroscopy and DFT calculations. This is a new class of ceria-based materials with Ru properties drastically different from the known M/ceria materials. They show excellent activity in catalytic NO oxidation, a critical step that requires use of large loadings of expensive noble metals in diesel aftertreatment systems. Ru 1 /CeO 2 is stable during continuous cycling, ramping, and cooling as well as the presence of moisture. Furthermore, Ru 1 /CeO 2 shows very high NO x storage properties due to formation of stable Ru-NO complexes as well as a high spill-over rate of NO x onto CeO 2 . Only ∼0.05 wt % of Ru is required for excellent NO x storage. Ru 1 O 5 sites exhibit much higher stability during calcination in air/steam up to 750 °C in contrast to RuO 2 nanoparticles. We clarify the location of Ru(II) ions on the ceria surface and experimentally identify the mechanism of NO storage and oxidation using DFT calculations and in situ DRIFTS/mass spectroscopy. Moreover, we show excellent reactivity of Ru 1 /CeO 2 for NO reduction by CO at low temperatures: only 0.1-0.5 wt % of Ru is sufficient to achieve high activity. Modulation-excitation in situ infrared and XPS measurements reveal the individual elementary steps of NO reduction by CO on an atomically dispersed Ru ceria catalyst, highlighting unique properties of Ru 1 /CeO 2 and its propensity to form oxygen vacancies/Ce +3 sites that are critical for NO reduction, even at low Ru loadings. Our study highlights the applicability of novel ceria-based single-atom catalysts to NO and CO abatement.

Background: Identifying optimal COVID-19 policies is challenging. For Victoria, Australia (6.6 million people), we evaluated 104 policy packages (two levels of stringency of public health and social measures [PHSMs], by two levels each of mask-wearing and respirator provision during large outbreaks, by 13 vaccination schedules) for nine future SARS-CoV-2 variant scenarios., Methods: We used an agent-based model to estimate morbidity, mortality, and costs over 12 months from October 2022 for each scenario. The 104 policies (each averaged over the nine future variant scenarios) were ranked based on four evenly weighted criteria: cost-effectiveness from (a) health system only and (b) health system plus GDP perspectives, (c) deaths and (d) days exceeding hospital occupancy thresholds., Findings: More compared to less stringent PHSMs reduced cumulative infections, hospitalisations and deaths but also increased time in stage ≥3 PHSMs. Any further vaccination from October 2022 decreased hospitalisations and deaths by 12% and 27% respectively compared to no further vaccination and was usually a cost-saving intervention from a health expenditure plus GDP perspective. High versus low vaccine coverage decreased deaths by 15% and reduced time in stage ≥3 PHSMs by 20%. The modelled mask policies had modest impacts on morbidity, mortality, and health system pressure. The highest-ranking policy combination was more stringent PHSMs, two further vaccine doses (an Omicron-targeted vaccine followed by a multivalent vaccine) for ≥30-year-olds with high uptake, and promotion of increased mask wearing (but not Government provision of respirators)., Interpretation: Ongoing vaccination and PHSMs continue to be key components of the COVID-19 pandemic response. Integrated epidemiologic and economic modelling, as exemplified in this paper, can be rapidly updated and used in pandemic decision making., Funding: Anonymous donation, University of Melbourne funding., Competing Interests: Separate to the current study, the research group will likely soon receive funding from Moderna to conduct vaccine effectiveness studies in Australia. Moderna had no role in the current study., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Introduction: We developed a new portable device called "VEPpeak" for the examination of visual evoked potentials (VEPs) to extend VEP examination beyond specialized electrophysiological laboratories and to simplify the use of this objective, noninvasive, and low-cost method for diagnostics of visual and central nervous system dysfunctions., Methods: VEPpeak consists of a plastic headset with a total weight of 390 g containing four EEG amplifiers, an A/D converter, a control unit, and a visual LED stimulator built in the front, vertically adjustable peak. The device is powered and controlled via USB connection from a standard PC/notebook using custom software for visual stimuli generation and for VEP recording and processing. Up to four electrodes can be placed at any scalp location or in combination with two dry electrodes incorporated into the headset. External visual stimulators, such as a tablet, can be used with synchronization. Feasibility and validation studies were conducted with 86 healthy subjects and 76 neuro-ophthalmological patients including 67 who were during the same session also tested with a conventional VEP system., Results: VEPpeak recordings to standard (pattern-reversal) and non-standard (motion-onset, red-green alternation) were robust and repeatable and obtained also in immobilized patients. Good comparability of results was achieved between VEPpeak and standard examination. Some systematic differences in peak latencies and amplitudes are consistent with differences in stimulus characteristics of the two compared systems., Discussion: VEPpeak provides an inexpensive system for clinical use requiring portability. In addition to ISCEV standard VEP protocols, free choice of stimuli and bio-signal recordings make the device universal for many electrophysiological purposes., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Introduction: The objective of this prospective study was to evaluate the effects of intraocular macular lens implantation and visual rehabilitation on the quality of life of patients with geographic atrophy (GA) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD)., Methods: Patients with bilaterally decreased near vision (not better than 0.3 logMAR with the best correction), pseudophakia, were included in the project. The Scharioth macula lens (SML) was implanted into the patients' better-seeing eye. Intensive visual rehabilitation of the ability to perform nearby activities was performed for 20 consecutive postoperative days. All subjects were examined before and after SML implantation ophthalmologically. The National Eye Institute 25-Item Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25) was administered before and 6 months after surgery., Results: Twenty eligible patients with mean age 81 years (63 to 92 years) were included in the project: 7 males and 13 females. Nineteen of them completed the 6-month follow-up. Near uncorrected visual acuity was 1.321 ± 0.208 logMAR before SML implantation and improved to 0.547 ± 0.210 logMAR after 6 months (dz =  - 2.846, p < 0.001, BF 10  = 3.29E + 07). In the composite score of the NEI VFQ-25, there was an improvement in the general score and the specific domains related to the implantation. Participants reported fewer difficulties in performing near activities (dz = 0.91, p = 0.001, BF 10  = 39.718) and upturns in mental health symptoms related to vision (dz = 0.62, p = .014, BF 10  = 3.937)., Conclusion: SML implantation, followed by appropriate rehabilitation, improved near vision and increased the quality of life of visually handicapped patients with AMD in our project., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objective: The role of HIV exposure in determining growth among HIV-uninfected children is debated. We determined whether intrauterine HIV exposure influences linear growth in a cohort of Ethiopian children followed up to 18 months of age in public health facilities in Adama city, Ethiopia., Methods: Participants were offspring of pregnant women enrolled in a prospective cohort study that included screening for HIV infection during antenatal care. Growth patterns of HIV-exposed and uninfected (HEU) and HIV-unexposed (HU) children were compared up to 18 months of age, with length-for-age z-score (LAZ) and proportion with stunting as primary outcomes. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were constructed to investigate the associations between HIV exposure and linear growth, controlling for socio-demographic factors and breastfeeding status., Results: Of 1705 included infants (164 HEU), 1276 remained in follow-up at 18 months. Among HIV-positive mothers, 132 (80.5%) were receiving antiretroviral therapy at enrolment. At the 18-month visit, mean LAZ was -1.08 among HEU children and -0.74 among HU children (p = 0.052). Proportions of HEU and HU children with stunting at the 18-month visit were 27.8% and 18.7%, respectively (p = 0.010). In multivariable models, HIV exposure was associated with lower LAZ at all follow-up visits, and with stunting at the 18-month visit (adjusted odds ratio 2.29, 95% confidence interval 1.40-3.71). HIV exposure was not associated with weight-related growth outcomes., Conclusions: HEU children in Ethiopia had inferior linear growth compared with HU children, implying that intrauterine HIV exposure impacts early childhood growth in this setting., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Cu/zeolites efficiently catalyze selective reduction of environmentally harmful nitric oxide with ammonia. Despite over a decade of research, the exact NO reduction steps remain unknown. Herein, using a combined spectroscopic, catalytic and DFT approach, we show that nitrosyl ions (NO + ) in zeolitic micropores are the key intermediates for NO reduction. Remarkably, they react with ammonia even below room temperature producing molecular nitrogen (the reaction central to turning the NO pollutant to benign nitrogen) through the intermediacy of the diazo N 2 H + cation. Experiments with isotopically labeled N-compounds confirm our proposed reaction path. No copper is required for N 2 formation to occur during this step. However, at temperatures below 100 °C, when NO + reacts with NH 3 , the bare Brønsted acid site becomes occupied by NH 3 to form strongly bound NH 4 + , and consequently, this stops the catalytic cycle, because NO + cannot form on NH 4 -zeolites when their H + sites are already occupied by NH 4 + . On the other hand, we show that the reaction becomes catalytic on H-zeolites at temperatures when some ammonia desorption can occur (>120 °C). We suggest that the role of Cu(ii) ions in Cu/zeolite catalysts for low-temperature NO reduction is to produce abundant NO + by the reaction: Cu(ii) + NO → Cu(i)⋯NO + . NO + then reacts with ammonia to produce nitrogen and water. Furthermore, when Cu(i) gets re-oxidized, the catalytic cycle can then continue. Our findings provide novel understanding of the hitherto unknown steps of the SCR mechanism pertinent to N-N coupling. The observed chemistry of Cu ions in zeolites bears striking resemblance to the copper-containing denitrification and annamox enzymes, which catalyze transformation of NO x species to N 2 , via di-azo compounds., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 following vaccination wanes over time in a non-linear fashion, making modelling of likely population impacts of COVID-19 policy options challenging. We observed that it was possible to mathematize non-linear waning of vaccine effectiveness (VE) on the percentage scale as linear waning on the log-odds scale, and developed a random effects logistic regression equation based on UK Health Security Agency data to model VE against Omicron following two and three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. VE on the odds scale reduced by 47% per month for symptomatic infection after two vaccine doses, lessening to 35% per month for hospitalisation. Waning on the odds scale after triple dose vaccines was 35% per month for symptomatic disease and 19% for hospitalisation. This log-odds system for estimating waning and boosting of COVID-19 VE provides a simple solution that may be used to parametrize SARS-CoV-2 immunity over time parsimoniously in epidemiological models., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Steamed zeolites exhibit improved catalytic properties for hydrocarbon activation (alkane cracking and dehydrogenation). The nature of this practically important phenomenon has remained a mystery for the last six decades and was suggested to be related to the increased strength of zeolitic Bronsted acid sites after dealumination. We now utilize state-of-the-art infrared spectroscopy measurements and prove that during steaming, aluminum oxide clusters evolve (due to hydrolysis of Al out of framework positions with the following clustering) in the zeolitic micropores with properties very similar to (nano) facets of hydroxylated transition alumina surfaces. The Bronsted acidity of the zeolite does not increase and the total number of Bronsted acid sites decreases during steaming. O 5 Al(VI)-OH surface sites of alumina clusters dehydroxylate at elevated temperatures to form penta-coordinate Al 1 O 5 sites that are capable of initiating alkane cracking by breaking the first C-H bond very effectively with much lower barriers (at lower temperatures) than for protolytic C-H bond activation, with the following reaction steps catalyzed by nearby zeolitic Bronsted acid sites. This explains the underlying mechanism behind the improved alkane cracking and alkane dehydrogenation activity of steamed zeolites: heterolytic C-H bond breaking occurs on Al-O sites of aluminum oxide clusters confined in zeolitic pores. Our findings explain the origin of enhanced activity of steamed zeolites at the molecular level and provide the missing understanding of the nature of extra-framework Al species formed in steamed/dealuminated zeolites.

Pd-loaded FER and SSZ-13 zeolites as low-temperature passive NOx adsorbers (PNA) are compared under practical conditions. Vehicle cold start exposes the material to CO under a range of concentrations, necessitating a systematic exploration of the effect of CO on the performance of isolated Pd ions in PNA. The NO release temperature of both adsorbers decreases gradually with an increase in CO concentration from a few hundred to a few thousand ppm. This beneficial effect results from local nano-"hot spot" formation during CO oxidation. Dissimilar to Pd/SSZ-13, increasing the CO concentration above ≈1000 ppm improves the NOx storage significantly for Pd/FER, which was attributed to the presence of Pd ions in FER sites that are shielded from NOx. CO mobilizes this Pd atom to the NOx accessible position where it becomes active for PNA. This behavior explains the very high resistance of Pd/FER to hydrothermal aging: Pd/FER materials survive hydrothermal aging at 800 °C in 10 % H 2 O vapor for 16 hours with no deterioration in NOx uptake/release behavior. Thus, by allocating Pd ions to the specific microporous pockets in FER, we have produced (hydro)thermally stable and active PNA materials., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

CO oxidation is of importance both for inorganic and living systems. Transition and precious metals supported on various materials can oxidize CO to CO 2 . Among them, few systems, such as Au/TiO 2 , can perform CO oxidation at temperatures as low as -70 °C. Living (an)aerobic organisms perform CO oxidation with nitrate using complex enzymes under ambient temperatures representing an essential pathway for life, which enables respiration in the absence of oxygen and leads to carbonate mineral formation. Herein, we report that CO can be oxidized to CO 2 by nitrate at -140 °C within an inorganic, nonmetallic zeolitic system. The transformation of NO x and CO species in zeolite as well as the origin of this unique activity is clarified using a joint spectroscopic and computational approach., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

The analogy between single-atom catalysts (SACs) and molecular catalysts predicts that the specific catalytic activity of these systems is constant. We provide evidence that this prediction is not necessarily true. As a case in point, we show that the specific activity over ceria-supported single Pd atoms linearly increases with metal atom density, originating from the cumulative enhancement of CeO 2 reducibility. The long-range electrostatic footprints (≈1.5 nm) around each Pd site overlap with each other as surface Pd density increases, resulting in an observed deviation from constant specific activity. These cooperative effects exhaust previously active O atoms above a certain Pd density, leading to their permanent removal and a consequent drop in reaction rate. The findings of our combined experimental and computational study show that the specific catalytic activity of reducible oxide-supported single-atom catalysts can be tuned by varying the surface density of single metal atoms., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

γ-alumina is one of the oldest and most important commercial catalytic materials with high surface area and stability. These attributes enabled its use as the first commercial large-scale heterogeneous catalyst for ethanol dehydration. Despite progress in materials characterization the nature of the specific sites on the surface of γ-alumina that are responsible for its unique catalytic properties has remained obscure and controversial. By using combined infrared spectroscopy, electron microscopy and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance measurements we identify the octahedral, amphoteric (O) 5 Al(VI)-OH sites on the (100) segments of massively restructured (110) facets on typical rhombus-platelet γ-alumina as well as the (100) segments of irrational surfaces (invariably always present in all γ-alumina samples) responsible for its unique catalytic activity. Such (O) 5 Al(VI)-OH sites are also present on the macroscopically defined (100) facets of γ-alumina with elongated/rod-like geometry. The mechanism by which these sites lose -OH groups upon thermal dehydroxylation resulting in coordinatively unsaturated penta-coordinate Al +3 O 5 sites is clarified. These coordinatively unsaturated penta-coordinate Al sites produce well-defined thermally stable Al-carbonyl complexes. Our findings contribute to the understanding of the nature of coordinatively unsaturated Al sites on the surface of γ-alumina and their role as catalytically active sites., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background: For patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a special intraocular lens implantation partially compensates for the loss in the central part of the visual field. For six months, we evaluated changes in neurophysiological parameters in patients implanted with a "Scharioth macula lens" (SML; a center near high add + 10 D and peripheral plano carrier bifocal lens designed to be located between the iris and an artificial lens)., Methods: Fourteen patients (5 M, 9 F, 63-87 years) with dry AMD were examined prior to and at 3 days after, as well as 1, 2, and 6 months after, implantation using pattern-reversal, motion-onset, and cognitive evoked potentials, psychophysical tests evaluating distant and near visual acuity, and contrast sensitivity., Results: Near visual acuity without an external aid was significantly better six months after implantation than before implantation (Jaeger table median (lower; upper quartile): 4 (1; 6) vs. 15 (13; 17)). Distant visual acuity was significantly altered between the pre- (0.7 (0.5; 0.8) logMAR) and last postimplantation visits (0.8 (0.7; 0.8) logMAR), which matched prolongation of the P100 peak time (147 (135; 151) ms vs. 161 (141; 166) ms) of 15 arc min pattern-reversal VEPs and N2 peak time (191.5 (186.5; 214.5) ms vs. 205 (187; 218) ms) of peripheral motion-onset VEPs., Conclusion: SML implantation significantly improved near vision. We also observed a slight but significant decrease in distant and peripheral vision. The most efficient electrophysiological approach to test patients with SML was the peripheral motion-onset stimulation, which evoked repeatable and readable VEPs.

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) often exhibit dynamic responses to the reaction and pretreatment environment that affect their activity. The lack of understanding of these behaviors hinders the development of effective, stable SACs, and makes their investigations rather difficult. Here we report a reduction-oxidation cycle that induces nearly 5-fold activity enhancement on Pt/TiO 2 SACs for the reverse water-gas shift (rWGS) reaction. We combine microscopy (STEM) and spectroscopy (XAS and IR) studies with kinetic measurements, to convincingly show that the low activity on the fresh SAC is a result of limited accessibility of Pt single atoms (Pt 1 ) due to high Pt-O coordination. The reduction step mobilizes Pt 1 , forming small, amorphous, and unstable Pt aggregates. The reoxidation step redisperses Pt into Pt 1 , but in a new, less O-coordinated chemical environment that makes the single metal atoms more accessible and, consequently, more active. After the cycle, the SAC exhibits superior rWGS activity to nonatomically dispersed Pt/TiO 2 . During the rWGS, the activated Pt 1 experience slow deactivation, but can be reactivated by mild oxidation. This work demonstrates a clear picture of how the structural evolution of Pt/TiO 2 SACs leads to ultimate catalytic efficiency, offering desired understanding on the rarely explored dynamic chemical environment of supported single metal atoms and its catalytic consequences., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Single-atom catalysts are often reported to have catalytic properties that surpass those of nanoparticles, while a direct comparison of sites common and different for both is lacking. Here we show that single atoms of Pt-group metals embedded into the surface of Fe 3 O 4 have a greatly enhanced interaction strength with CO 2 compared with the Fe 3 O 4 surface. The strong CO 2 adsorption on single Rh atoms and corresponding low activation energies lead to 2 orders of magnitude higher conversion rates of CO 2 compared to Rh nanoparticles. This high activity of single atoms stems from the partially oxidic state imposed by their coordination to the support. Fe 3 O 4 -supported Rh nanoparticles follow the behavior of single atoms for CO 2 interaction and reduction, which is attributed to the dominating role of partially oxidic sites at the Fe 3 O 4 -Rh interface. Thus, we show a likely common catalytic chemistry for two kinds of materials thought to be different, and we show that single atoms of Pt-group metals on Fe 3 O 4 are especially successful materials for catalyzed reactions that depend primarily upon sites with the metal-O-Fe environment.

Industrial low-temperature methane combustion catalyst Pd/Al 2 O 3 suffers from H 2 O-induced deactivation. It is imperative to design Pd catalysts free from this deactivation and with high atomic efficiency. Using a small-pore zeolite SSZ-13 as support, herein we report well-defined Pd catalysts with dominant active species as finely dispersed Pd cations, uniform PdO particles embedded inside the zeolite framework, or PdO particles decorating the zeolite external surface. Through detailed reaction kinetics and spectroscopic and microscopic studies, we show that finely dispersed sites are much less active than PdO nanoparticles. We further demonstrate that H 2 O-induced deactivation can be readily circumvented by using zeolite supports with high Si/Al ratios. Finally, we provide a few rational catalyst design suggestions for methane oxidation based on the new knowledge learned in this study., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Controlling the selectivity of CO 2 hydrogenation catalysts is a fundamental challenge. In this study, the selectivity of supported Ni catalysts prepared by the traditional impregnation method was found to change after a first CO 2 hydrogenation reaction cycle from 100 to 800 °C. The usually high CH 4 formation was suppressed leading to full selectivity toward CO. This behavior was also observed after the catalyst was treated under methane or propane atmospheres at elevated temperatures. In situ spectroscopic studies revealed that the accumulation of carbon species on the catalyst surface at high temperatures leads to a nickel carbide-like phase. The catalyst regains its high selectivity to CH 4 production after carbon depletion from the surface of the Ni particles by oxidation. However, the selectivity readily shifts back toward CO formation after exposing the catalysts to a new temperature-programmed CO 2 hydrogenation cycle. The fraction of weakly adsorbed CO species increases on the carbide-like surface when compared to a clean nickel surface, explaining the higher selectivity to CO. This easy protocol of changing the surface of a common Ni catalyst to gain selectivity represents an important step for the commercial use of CO 2 hydrogenation to CO processes toward high-added-value products.

We show for the first time that atomically dispersed Rh cations on ceria, prepared by a high-temperature atom-trapping synthesis, are the active species for the (CO+NO) reaction. This provides a direct link with the organometallic homogeneous Rh I complexes capable of catalyzing the dry (CO+NO) reaction. The thermally stable Rh cations in 0.1 wt % Rh 1 /CeO 2 achieve full NO conversion with a turn-over-frequency (TOF) of around 330 h -1 per Rh atom at 120 °C. Under dry conditions, the main product above 100 °C is N 2 with N 2 O being the minor product. The presence of water promotes low-temperature activity of 0.1 wt % Rh 1 /CeO 2 . In the wet stream, ammonia and nitrogen are the main products above 120 °C. The uniformity of Rh ions on the support, allows us to detect the intermediates of (CO+NO) reaction via IR measurements on Rh cations on zeolite and ceria. We also show that NH 3 formation correlates with the water gas shift (WGS) activity of the material and detect the formation of Rh hydride species spectroscopically., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

High-temperature treatment of γ-Al 2 O 3 can lead to a series of polymorphic transformations, including the formation of δ-Al 2 O 3 and θ-Al 2 O 3 . Quantification of the microstructure in the range where δ- and θ-Al 2 O 3 are formed represents a formidable challenge, as both phases accommodate a high degree of structural disorder. In this work, we explore the use of an XRD recursive-stacking formalism for the quantification of high-temperature transition aluminas. We formulate the recursive-stacking methodology for modelling of disorder in δ-Al 2 O 3 and twinning in θ-Al 2 O 3 and show that explicitly accounting for the disorder is necessary to reliably model the XRD patterns of high-temperature transition alumina. We also use the recursive stacking approach to study phase transformation during high-temperature (1050 °C) treatment. We show that the two different intergrowth modes of δ-Al 2 O 3 have different transformation characteristics and that a significant portion of δ-Al 2 O 3 is stabilized with θ-Al 2 O 3 even after prolonged high-temperature exposures., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The application of single-atom catalysts (SACs) to high-temperature hydrogenation requires materials that thermodynamically favor metal atom isolation over cluster formation. We demonstrate that Pd can be predominantly dispersed as isolated atoms onto TiO 2 during the reverse water-gas shift (rWGS) reaction at 400 °C. Achieving atomic dispersion requires an artificial increase of the absolute TiO 2 surface area by an order of magnitude and can be accomplished by physically mixing a precatalyst (Pd/TiO 2 ) with neat TiO 2 prior to the rWGS reaction. The in situ dispersion of Pd was reflected through a continuous increase of rWGS activity over 92 h and supported by kinetic analysis, infrared and X-ray absorption spectroscopies and scanning transmission electron microscopy. The thermodynamic stability of Pd under high-temperature rWGS conditions is associated with Pd-Ti coordination, which manifests upon O-vacancy formation, and the artificial increase in TiO 2 surface area., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The groundwater of volcanic aquifers, dissected by various structures and affected by several volcanic eruption events, varies in quality. A large number of rural people depend on shallow aquifers tapped by shallow hand wells and springs. On the other hand, the urban population is dependant on deep aquifers using drilled boreholes. The location of springs, shallow hand-dug wells and boreholes inside or close to farmlands, and the advancement of irrigation water use from groundwater by the government entail the assessment of groundwater quality. Therefore, the focus of the present study is to determine the quality and suitability of groundwater around Dangila Town, Northwest Ethiopia, for drinking and irrigation uses. The water quality assessment was conducted by collecting groundwater samples from 14 shallow hand-dug wells, 4 springs, and 7 deep boreholes then analysing for different physical and chemical parameters. A total of 25 selected groundwater samples from shallow and deep aquifers were analysed in a laboratory for physical and chemical parameters. The physical parameters measured both in the field and the laboratory included pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and total dissolved solids (TDS). The chemical parameters analysed in the laboratory comprised cations of calcium (Ca 2+ ), magnesium (Mg 2+ ), sodium (Na + ), potassium ( K + ), Iron (Fe), manganese (Mn 2+ ) and anions of bicarbonate (HCO 3 - ), sulfate (SO 4 2- ), carbonate (CO 3 2- ), chlorine (Cl - ), nitrate (NO 3 - ), fluoride (F - ), and boron (B). Based on the laboratory results, the variation in groundwater facies, and major cation and anion sources were determined. Furthermore, the groundwater quality for human consumption was assessed and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), Na%, and the residual sodium carbonate (RSC) values, which are crucial to determine the overall groundwater quality for irrigational uses, were calculated. Detailed interpretations of the data have been presented in the paper entitled "Hydrogeological framework of the volcanic aquifers and groundwater quality in Dangila Town and the surrounding area, Northwest Ethiopia" [1]. The presented dataset demonstrates the necessity of water quality assessments that would be helpful to water sectors, government, and policymakers for sustainable groundwater management., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships which have or could be perceived to have, influenced the work reported in this article., (© 2020 The Author(s).)

Purpose: The aim of this neurophysiological study was to monitor changes in the visual and cognitive function of HIV-infected patients treated with combination antiretroviral therapy., Methods: Eleven adult Czech HIV+ patients, with a mean age of 35 years and CD4 cell count ≥ 230 × 10 6  cells/L of blood at the time of enrollment, underwent four to six examinations over the course of 2.5 years to evaluate pattern-reversal and motion-onset visual evoked potentials (P-VEPs and M-VEPs), visually driven oddball event-related potentials (ERPs) and Montreal Cognitive Assessments. In addition to evaluating the intraindividual change in the observed parameters, we also compared patient data to data from eleven age- and gender-matched controls., Results: We did not find any significant differences in P-VEPs between the patients and controls or in the paired comparison of the first and last visit. The only significant finding for P-VEPs was a linear trend in prolongation of the 20' P-VEP P100 peak time. In M-VEPs, we found a significant intergroup difference in the N160 peak time recorded during the first visit for peripheral M-VEPs only. During the last visit, all N160 peak times for patients differed significantly from those of the control group. The only intervisit difference close to the level of significance was for peripheral M-VEPs, which confirmed the trend analysis. No significant differences between patients and controls were found in the ERPs, but the P300 peak time showed a significant difference between the first and last visits, as confirmed by the trend. Patient reaction time was not significantly delayed at the first visit; however, it was prolonged with time, as confirmed by the trend., Conclusion: Our aim was to evaluate whether antiretroviral treatment in HIV+ patients is sufficient to preserve brain visual function. The optic nerve and primary visual cortex function tested by the P-VEPs seem to be preserved. The prolongation of the M-VEPs suggests an individually detectable decline in CNS function, but these changes did not show a progression during the follow-up. From a longitudinal perspective, the trends in peak time prolongation of the 20' P-VEP, peripheral M-VEP, ERP and reaction time suggest a faster decline than that caused by aging in healthy populations, as previously described in a cross-sectional study.

In 2017, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) passed a resolution advocating for empirically supported juvenile probation reform nationwide. Here, we review the adolescent development and behavioral decision-making research underlying the principles enumerated in the NCJFCJ resolution and describe several of its critical elements. Then, to provide guidance to jurisdictions seeking to revise local policy and practice, we suggest a series of steps that would help juvenile justice professionals translate NCJFCJ resolution principles into innovative probation reform. Finally, we describe how two jurisdictions-Pierce County, Washington and Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania-have engaged in ongoing juvenile probation reform efforts to provide real-world models of how this translational work can be carried out successfully.

Commercial Cu/SAPO-34 selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts have experienced unexpected and quite perplexing failure. Understanding the causes at an atomic level is vital for the synthesis of more robust Cu/SAPO-34 catalysts. Here we show, via application of model catalysts with homogeneously dispersed isolated Cu ions, that Cu transformations resulting from low-temperature hydrothermal aging and ambient temperature storage can be semi-quantitatively probed with 2-dimensional pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance. Coupled with kinetics, additional material characterizations and DFT simulations, we propose the following catalyst deactivation steps: (1) detachment of Cu(II) ions from cationic positions in the form of Cu(OH) 2 ; (2) irreversible hydrolysis of the SAPO-34 framework forming terminal Al species; and (3) interaction between Cu(OH) 2 and terminal Al species forming SCR inactive, Cu-aluminate like species. Especially significant is that these reactions are greatly facilitated by condensed water molecules under wet ambient conditions, causing low temperature failure of the commercial Cu/SAPO-34 catalysts.

The majority of harmful atmospheric CO and NO x emissions are from vehicle exhausts. Although there has been success addressing NO x emissions at temperatures above 250 °C with selective catalytic reduction technology, emissions during vehicle cold start (when the temperature is below 150 °C), are a major challenge. Herein, we show we can completely eliminate both CO and NO x emissions simultaneously under realistic exhaust flow, using a highly loaded (2 wt %) atomically dispersed palladium in the extra-framework positions of the small-pore chabazite material as a CO and passive NO x adsorber. Until now, atomically dispersed highly loaded (>0.3 wt %) transition-metal/SSZ-13 materials have not been known. We devised a general, simple, and scalable route to prepare such materials for Pt II and Pd II . Through spectroscopy and materials testing we show that both CO and NO x can be simultaneously completely abated with 100 % efficiency by the formation of mixed carbonyl-nitrosyl palladium complex in chabazite micropore., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Catalytic CO 2 conversion to energy carriers and intermediates is of utmost importance to energy and environmental goals. However, the lack of fundamental understanding of the reaction mechanism renders designing a selective catalyst inefficient. Here we show the correlation between the kinetics of product formation and those of surface species conversion during CO 2 reduction over Pd/Al 2 O 3 catalysts. The operando transmission FTIR/SSITKA (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy/steady-state isotopic transient kinetic analysis) experiments demonstrates that the rate-determining step for CO formation is the conversion of adsorbed formate, whereas that for CH 4 formation is the hydrogenation of adsorbed carbonyl. The balance of the hydrogenation kinetics between adsorbed formates and carbonyls governs the selectivities to CH 4 and CO. We apply this knowledge to the catalyst design and achieve high selectivities to desired products.Understanding the mechanism of CO 2 reduction on a catalyst surface is essential for achieving the desired product selectivity. Here, the authors show an operando kinetic analysis of CO 2 hydrogenation over a palladium catalyst in order to address the factors governing the selectivity of the process.

Active centers in Cu/SSZ-13 selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts have been recently identified as isolated Cu 2+ and [Cu II (OH)] + ions. A redox reaction mechanism has also been established, where Cu ions cycle between Cu I and Cu II oxidation states during SCR reaction. While the mechanism for the reduction half-cycle (Cu II → Cu I ) is reasonably well-understood, that for the oxidation half-cycle (Cu I → Cu II ) remains an unsettled debate. Herein we report detailed reaction kinetics on low-temperature standard NH 3 -SCR, supplemented by DFT calculations, as strong evidence that the low-temperature oxidation half-cycle occurs with the participation of two isolated Cu I ions via formation of a transient [Cu I (NH 3 ) 2 ] + -O 2 -[Cu I (NH 3 ) 2 ] + intermediate. The feasibility of this reaction mechanism is confirmed from DFT calculations, and the simulated energy barrier and rate constants are consistent with experimental findings. Significantly, the low-temperature standard SCR mechanism proposed here provides full consistency with low-temperature SCR kinetics.

Purpose: The goal of the current study was to explore visual function in virally suppressed HIV patients undergoing combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) by using pattern-reversal and motion-onset visual evoked potentials (VEPs)., Methods: The pattern-reversal and motion-onset VEPs were recorded in 20 adult HIV+ patients with a mean age of 38 years and CD4 cell counts ≥230 × 10 6 cells/L of blood., Results: Nine out of 20 patients displayed VEP abnormalities. Pattern-reversal VEPs pathology was observed in 20% of subjects, and 45% HIV patients had impaired motion-onset VEPs. Five out of 16 neurologically asymptomatic HIV patients had prolonged motion-onset VEP latencies in both eyes. Four neurologically symptomatic patients displayed simultaneously abnormal motion-onset and pattern-reversal VEP latencies: monocular involvement was observed in two patients with Lyme and cytomegalovirus unilateral optic neuritis. Binocular involvement was noted in two patients with cognitive deficits. Correlation analysis between disease duration, CD4 cell count, HIV copies in plasma, MoCA and electrophysiological parameters did not show any significant relationships., Conclusions: The functional changes of the visual system in neurologically asymptomatic virally suppressed HIV patients displayed higher motion-onset VEP sensitivity than in standard pattern-reversal VEP examinations. This promising marker, however, has no significant association with clinical conditions. Further exploration is warranted.

The sexualised use of recreational drugs (Mephedrone, GBL/GHB, Crystal Meth) generally known as 'chemsex' in men who have sex with men (MSM) is thought to be associated with sexually transmitted infection (STI) acquisition; however there is little data showing a direct relationship. We reviewed 130 randomly selected cases of MSM with an STI attending our STI service and 130 controls (MSM attending the STI service who did not have an STI) between 5 May 2015 and 2 November 2015. Reported condomless anal sex was significantly higher in cases 90/121 (74%) compared with controls 65/122 (53%); ( χ 2  = 11.71, p < 0.005, OR 2.54). Recreational drug use in the cases 38/122 (31%) was significantly greater than in controls 20/125 (16%); ( χ 2  = 7.88, p < 0.005, OR 2.37). This demonstrates a link between STI acquisition and recreational drug use in MSM. Harm reduction initiatives identifying and addressing party drug use can help to improve the sexual health of MSM, including reducing risk-taking behaviours.

The IR spectra of adsorbed CO and NO probe molecules were used to characterize the coordination chemistry of Fe(2+) ions in solution ion exchanged Fe,H/SSZ-13 zeolites. The effects of Fe ion exchange levels, as well as the sample pre-treatment conditions, on the adsorption of these probe molecules were investigated. The ion exchange levels (in the range of the study) did not affect significantly the IR spectra of either probe molecule, and the IR features and their intensity ratios were very similar. Experiments with both probe molecules substantiated the presence of two distinct types of Fe(2+) ions in cationic positions. We assign these two Fe(2+) ions to two distinct cationic positions: Fe(2+) in 6R and 8R positions. NO initially adsorbs preferentially onto Fe(2+) sites in the 6R position, and then populates sites in the 8R. Fe(2+) ions in the 8R positions require the interaction of more than one NO molecule to move them out from their adsorbate-free cationic positions. As soon as they move from their stable positions, they are able to bind to multiple NO molecules, and form mostly tri-nitrosyls. These tri-nitrosyls, however, are only stable in the presence of gas phase NO; under dynamic vacuum they lose one of the NO molecules from their coordination sphere and form stable di-nitrosyls. The adsorption of CO is much weaker on Fe(2+) sites than that of NO, and requires cryogenic sample temperatures to initiate CO adsorption. Under the conditions applied in this study, only mono-carbonyl formation was observed. Reduction in H2 at 773 K increased the number of Fe(2+) adsorption sites, primarily in the 8R locations. Oxidation by N2O, on the other hand, selectively reduced the adsorption of both CO and NO on the Fe(2+) sites in 8R positions. Adsorbed oxygen left behind from the decomposition of N2O at 573 K readily reacted with CO to produce CO2 even at 150 K.

Standard pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (VEPs) and motion-onset VEPs (M-VEPs) were tested in 19 dyslexics and 19 normal readers aged 7-13 years in order to evaluate the feasibility of M-VEPs for the objective diagnostics of a visual subtype of dyslexia, in which a dysfunction of the magnocellular subsystem/dorsal stream of the visual pathway is suspected. The set of VEPs consisted of the pattern-reversal VEPs with check sizes of 20', two types of translational motion (with low and high contrast) and two types of radial motion (in the full field or the periphery). While the P100 peak parameters in pattern-reversal VEPs did not differ between the group of dyslexics and controls, the group of dyslexics displayed significantly longer N2 latencies in all types of M-VEPs. Abnormal N2 latencies were found in 35-56% of dyslexics in different types of M-VEPs, with translational motion with high contrast being the most sensitive stimulation. A receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the latencies of M-VEPs displayed higher discrimination potential than M-VEPs amplitudes. The study confirms a "magnocellular pathway/dorsal stream deficit" in approximately half of dyslexics., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The adsorption of CO2 and CO was investigated on a pure γ-Al2O3 support material that has been used in Pd and Ru catalysts for the reduction of CO2. The adsorption of CO2 resulted in the formation of carbonates, bicarbonates and linearly adsorbed CO2 species. The amount and the nature of the adsorbed species were dependent on the annealing temperature of the alumina support. On γ-Al2O3 annealed at 473 K mostly bicarbonates formed, while no adsorbed CO2 was seen on this highly hydroxylated surface. With increasing calcination temperature the amount of both surface carbonates and linearly adsorbed CO2 increased, but still the most abundant surface species were bicarbonates. Surface carbonates and adsorbed CO2 can readily be removed from the alumina surface, while bicarbonates are stable to elevated temperatures. The interaction of CO with γ-Al2O3 is much weaker than that of CO2. At room temperature CO adsorbs only on Lewis acid sites, and can be readily removed by evacuation. At 100 K CO can probe different defect sites on the alumina surface. Under no conditions we have observed the formation of any carbonates or bicarbonates upon the interaction of CO with the pure alumina support. In co-adsorption experiments CO competes for adsorption sites with the linearly adsorbed CO2 on the 773 K-annealed γ-Al2O3 surface, but it does not result in the desorption of CO2, rather in the increased production of weakly held carbonates. After the removal of adsorbed CO, CO2 moves back to its original adsorption sites, i.e., Lewis acidic Al(3+) centers. The exposure of a CO2-saturated γ-Al2O3 to H2O did not affect any of the adsorbed surface species. The findings of this study will be used to rationalize the results of our ongoing in situ and in operando studies on the reduction of CO2 on supported Pd and Ru catalysts.

Alumina supported Pd catalysts with metal loadings of 0.5, 2.5 and 10 wt% were investigated by in situ FTIR spectroscopy in order to understand the nature of adsorbed species formed during their exposure to CO2 and CO. Exposing the annealed samples to CO2 at 295 K resulted in the formation of alumina support-bound surface species only: linear adsorbed CO2, bidentate carbonates and bicarbonates. Room temperature exposure of all three samples to CO produced IR features characteristic of both ionic and metallic Pd, as well as bands we observed upon CO2 adsorption (alumina support-bound species). Low temperature (100 K) adsorption of CO on the three samples provided information about the state of Pd after oxidation and reduction. Oxidized samples contained exclusively ionic Pd, while mostly metallic Pd was present in the reduced samples. Subsequent annealing of the CO-saturated samples revealed the facile (low temperature) reduction of PdO(x) species by adsorbed CO. This process was evidenced by the variations in IR bands characteristic of ionic and metallic Pd-bound CO, as well as by the appearance of IR bands associated with CO2 adsorption as a function of annealing temperature. Samples containing oxidized Pd species (oxidized, annealed or reduced) always produced CO2 upon their exposure to CO, while no CO2-related surface entities were observed on samples having only fully reduced (metallic) Pd.

Background: In adults, motion-onset visual evoked potentials (M-VEPs) with a dominant N2 peak represent a useful diagnostic tool. However, it is difficult to use this type of VEP in children because of the long maturation (up to 18 years) of M-VEPs, which is characterised by a gradual decrease in N2 peak latency and shape development. Moreover, in some children, M-VEPs are difficult to identify with standard stimuli., Methods: We tested features of M-VEPs in 30 children (7-12 years) with the following set of standard stimuli used in our lab for examining adults ( https://web.lfhk.cuni.cz/elf ): low-contrast translation motion (TM) and expansion/contraction motion (ExCoM) in full field and in periphery (with central 20° masked). In 16 children, a high-contrast TM was also tested., Results: With standard (low-contrast) stimuli, a common M-VEP to TM and to ExCoM was detected in 77 and 83 % of children, respectively. The M-VEPs to ExCoM in the periphery were detected in only 43 % of children. An abnormal dominant P1 peak was found in 9 % of VEPs to TM, 12 % of VEPs to full-field ExCoM and 14 % of VEPs to peripheral ExCoM. The M-VEPs to all low-contrast stimuli displayed large inter-individual latency variability (N2 peak latency differed for more than 100 ms). High contrast (more suitable for the non-mature magnocellular pathway) shortened M-VEP latencies and improved amplitudes., Conclusions: Our findings show that the maturation of motion perception in children is inter-individually variable, which limits the diagnostic use of M-VEPs.

Side on! Combined FTIR and NMR studies revealed the presence of a side-on nitrosyl species in the zeolite Cu-SSZ-13. This intermediate is very similar to those found in nitrite reductase enzyme systems. The identification of this intermediate led to the proposal of a reaction mechanism that is fully consistent with the results of both kinetic and spectroscopic studies., (Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The manipulation of attention can produce mismatch negativity-like components that are not necessarily connected to the unintentional sensory registration of the violation of probability-based regularity. For clinical purposes, attentional bias should be quantified because it can vary substantially among subjects and can decrease the specificity of the examination. This experiment targets the role of attention in the generation of visual mismatch negativity (vMMN). The visual regularity was generated by a sequence of two radial motions while subjects focused on visual tasks in the central part of the display. Attentional load was systematically varied and had three levels, no-load, easy, and difficult. Rare, deviant, and frequent standard motions were presented with a 10/60 ratio in oddball sequences. Data from 12 subjects was recorded from 64 channels and processed. vMMN was identified within the interval of 142-198 ms. The mean amplitude was evaluated during the aforementioned interval in the parietal and fronto-central regions. A general linear model for repeated measures was applied to the mean amplitude with a three-factor design and showed a significant difference [F (1, 11) = 17.40, p = 0.002] between standard and deviant stimuli and between regions [F (1, 11) = 8.40, p = 0.01]; however, no significant effect of the task [F (2, 22) = 1.26, p = 0.30] was observed. The unintentional detection of irregularity during the processing of the visual motion was independent of the attentional load associated with handling the central visual task. The experiment did not demonstrate an effect of attentional load manipulation on mismatch negativity (MMN) induced by the motion-sequence, which supports the clinical utility of this examination. However, used stimulation paradigm should be further optimized to generate mismatch negativity that is stable enough to be usable not only for group comparisons but also for a single subject assessment.

We examined the visual and cognitive functions of a 72-year-old subject, KP, who recovered his sight after 53 years of visual deprivation. We used visual evoked potentials (VEPs) to pattern-reversal and motion-onset stimuli and cognitive responses (ERPs) during the oddball paradigm to assess the effect of long-term deprivation on a mature visual system. KP lost his sight at the age of 17 years, and light projection onto his right retina was restored at 71 years by a corneal implant. Nine months after sight recovery we recorded reproducible responses to all examined stimuli. The response to pattern reversal contained two P100-like peaks with the later peak being dominant and significantly delayed (260 ms) when compared to the P100s of two control subjects, to whom the stimuli were adjusted in size and contrast to mimic KP's vision. KP's motion-onset VEPs to full-field and peripheral stimuli had a characteristic shape with a well-defined N2 peak; however, both peaks were significantly delayed (262 and 272 ms) compared to control responses. Unlike the P100 and N2 peaks, which represent sensory detection, the P3b/P300 component of the ERP to a target event in the oddball paradigm was not further delayed. In spite of degraded vision and sensory deprivation lasting 53 years, KP displayed reproducible responses to all reported stimuli. Long-term visual deprivation and retinal detachment degraded KP's visual sensory processing, assessed by pattern-reversal and motion-onset VEPs, whereas the cognitive processing of appropriate visual stimuli was not compromised.

The adsorption of CO and NO over Cu-SSZ-13 zeolite catalysts, highly active in the selective catalytic reduction of NO(x) with NH(3), was investigated by FTIR spectroscopy, and the results obtained were compared to those collected from other Cu-ion exchanged zeolites (Y,FAU and ZSM-5). Under low CO pressures and at room temperature (295 K), CO forms monocarbonyls exclusively on the Cu(+) ions, while in the presence of gas phase CO dicarbonyls on Cu(+) and adsorbed CO on Cu(2+) centers form, as well. At low (cryogenic) sample temperatures, tricarbonyl formation on Cu(+) sites was also observed. The adsorption of NO produces IR bands that can be assigned to nitrosyls bound to both Cu(+) and Cu(2+) centers, and NO(+) species located in charge compensating cationic positions of the chabasite framework. On the reduced Cu-SSZ-13 samples the formation of N(2)O was also detected. The assignment of the adsorbed NO(x) species was aided by adsorption experiments with isotopically labeled (15)NO. The movement of Cu ions from the sterically hindered six member ring position to the more accessible cavity positions as a result of their interaction with adsorbates (NO and H(2)O) was clearly evidenced. Comparisons of the spectroscopy data obtained in the static transmission IR system to those collected in the flow-through diffuse reflectance cell points out that care must be taken when general conclusions are drawn about the adsorptive and reactive properties of metal cation centers based on a set of data collected under well defined, specific experimental conditions.

Highly contagious diseases are caused by various biological agents that pose a risk to individuals and may have a potential for public health impact. They result in high mortality and morbidity rates, might cause public panic and therefore require special measures. The pathogens that can be easily disseminated or transmitted from person to person are the riskiest for clinicians (Ebola virus, Marburg virus, Lassa virus, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, Variola major, SARS virus and Yersinia pestis). Human-to-human transmission has not been confirmed for the other biological agents and therefore they pose a very low risk for population.

An electrophysiological study on the effect of aging on the visual pathway and various levels of visual information processing (primary cortex, associate visual motion processing cortex and cognitive cortical areas) was performed. We examined visual evoked potentials (VEPs) to pattern-reversal, motion-onset (translation and radial motion) and visual stimuli with a cognitive task (cognitive VEPs - P300 wave) at luminance of 17 cd/m(2). The most significant age-related change in a group of 150 healthy volunteers (15-85 years of age) was the increase in the P300 wave latency (2 ms per 1 year of age). Delays of the motion-onset VEPs (0.47 ms/year in translation and 0.46 ms/year in radial motion) and the pattern-reversal VEPs (0.26 ms/year) and the reductions of their amplitudes with increasing subject age (primarily in P300) were also found to be significant. The amplitude of the motion-onset VEPs to radial motion remained the most constant parameter with increasing age. Age-related changes were stronger in males. Our results indicate that cognitive VEPs, despite larger variability of their parameters, could be a useful criterion for an objective evaluation of the aging processes within the CNS. Possible differences in aging between the motion-processing system and the form-processing system within the visual pathway might be indicated by the more pronounced delay in the motion-onset VEPs and by their preserved size for radial motion (a biologically significant variant of motion) compared to the changes in pattern-reversal VEPs., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)