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Background:. Following the repair of a mixed peripheral nerve, functional recovery requires successful nerve regeneration across the repair site and, eventually, reinnervation of distal targets. Reliably determining a failing nerve repair so that revision may be performed before irreversible muscle atrophy remains a challenge in peripheral nerve surgery. This study aimed to ascertain whether any commonly used clinical examination tests during surveillance after nerve repair can detect a failing repair and prompt earlier salvage intervention. Methods:. A prospective observational cohort study was performed to evaluate commonly used clinical determinants of neuron regeneration that may provide early surrogate recovery measures. Sequential cutaneous thermography was used to identify temperature differences between denervated and normal skin in the hand operated on, with the contralateral hand as a control. Results:. Six out of nine patients completed between 6 and 18 months of follow-up. Tinel sign progression was observed in all subjects. Tinel progression rate was associated with motor and sensory Medical Research Council grade. The delta temperature was calculated to document the size and direction of any temperature differentials in the hand detected by thermography, but we did not have sufficient data to calculate any correlations with motor and sensory Medical Research Council grade. Conclusions:. Specifically, the progression of Tinel sign is associated with recovery measured by progression of the British Medical Research Council motor and sensory grades. The use of thermographic imaging demonstrates that there is a difference in temperature between an injured and noninjured nerve. Future studies could investigate to what extent thermographic imaging predicts final nerve repair outcomes.

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is an obligate predator of bacteria ubiquitously found in the environment. Its life cycle is composed of two essential phases: a free-living, non-replicative, fast swimming attack phase (AP) wherein the predator searches for prey; and a non-motile, actively dividing growth phase (GP) in which it consumes the prey. The molecular regulatory mechanisms governing the switch between AP and GP are largely unknown. We used RNA-seq to generate a single-base-resolution map of the Bdellovibrio transcriptome in AP and GP, revealing a specific "AP" transcriptional program, which is largely mutually exclusive of the GP program. Based on the expression map, most genes in the Bdellovibrio genome are classified as "AP only" or "GP only". We experimentally generated a genome-wide map of 140 AP promoters, controlling the majority of AP-specific genes. This revealed a common sigma-like DNA binding site highly similar to the E. coli flagellar genes regulator sigma28 (FliA). Further analyses suggest that FliA has evolved to become a global AP regulator in Bdellovibrio. Our results also reveal a non-coding RNA that is massively expressed in AP. This ncRNA contains a c-di-GMP riboswitch. We suggest it functions as an intracellular reservoir for c-di-GMP, playing a role in the rapid switch from AP to GP.

This paper combines recent developments in theories of knowledge (complex dynamic systems), technologies (embodied interactions), and research tools (multimodal data collection and analysis) to offer new insights into how conceptual mathematical understanding can emerge. A complex dynamic system view models mathematics learning in terms of a multimodal agent who encounters a set of task constraints. The learning process in this context includes destabilizing a systemic configuration (for example, coordination of eye and hand movements) and forming new dynamic stability adapted to the task constraints. To test this model empirically, we applied a method developed to study complex systems, recurrence quantification analysis (RQA), to investigate students’ eye–hand dynamics during a touchscreen mathematics activity for the concept of proportionality. We found that across participants (n = 32), fluently coordinated hand-movement solutions coincided with more stable and predictable gaze patterns. We present a case study of a prototypical participant’s hand–eye RQA and audio–video data to show how the student’s cognitive system transitioned out of prior coordination reflective of additive thinking into a new coordination that can ground multiplicative thinking. These findings constitute empirical substantiation in mathematics education research for cognition as a complex system transitioning among dynamic equilibria.

The origin of the seed magnetic field that is amplified by the galactic dynamo is an open question in plasma astrophysics. Aside from primordial sources and the Biermann battery mechanism, plasma instabilities have also been proposed as a possible source of seed magnetic fields. Among them, thermal Weibel instability driven by temperature anisotropy has attracted broad interests due to its ubiquity in both laboratory and astrophysical plasmas. However, this instability has been challenging to measure in a stationary terrestrial plasma because of the difficulty in preparing such a velocity distribution. Here, we use picosecond laser ionization of hydrogen gas to initialize such an electron distribution function. We record the 2D evolution of the magnetic field associated with the Weibel instability by imaging the deflections of a relativistic electron beam with a picosecond temporal duration and show that the measured [Formula: see text]-resolved growth rates of the instability validate kinetic theory. Concurrently, self-organization of microscopic plasma currents is observed to amplify the current modulation magnitude that converts up to ~1% of the plasma thermal energy into magnetic energy, thus supporting the notion that the magnetic field induced by the Weibel instability may be able to provide a seed for the galactic dynamo.

Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) are used as bright chromatic fluorophores for energy-efficient displays. We focus here on the size-dependent Stokes shift for CsPbBr3 nanocrystals. The Stokes shift, i.e., the difference between the wavelengths of absorption and emission maxima, is crucial for display application, as it controls the degree to which light is reabsorbed by the emitting material reducing the energetic efficiency. One major impediment to the industrial adoption of NCs is that slight deviations in manufacturing conditions may result in a wide dispersion of the product's properties. A data-driven analysis of over 2000 reactions comparing two data sets, one produced via standard colloidal synthesis and the other via high-throughput automated synthesis is discussed. We show that differences in the reaction conditions of colloidal CsPbBr3 nanocrystals yield nanocrystals with opposite Stokes shift size-dependent trends. These match the morphologies of two-dimensional nanoplatelets (NPLs) and nanocrystal cubes. The Stokes shift size dependence trend of NPLs and nanocubes is non-monotonic indicating different physics is at play for the two nanocrystal morphologies. For nanocrystals with cubic shape, with the increase of edge length, there is a significant decrease in Stokes shift values. However, for NPLs with the increase of thickness (1-4 ML), Stokes shift values will increase. The study emphasizes the transition from a spectroscopic point of view and relates the two Stokes shift trends to 2D and 0D exciton dimensionalities for the two morphologies. Our findings highlight the importance of CsPbBr3 nanocrystal morphology for Stokes shift prediction.

Empirical observations of how labs conduct research indicate that the adoption rate of open practices for transparent, reproducible, and collaborative science remains in its infancy. This is at odds with the overwhelming evidence for the necessity of these practices and their benefits for individual researchers, scientific progress, and society in general. To date, information required for implementing open science practices throughout the different steps of a research project is scattered among many different sources. Even experienced researchers in the topic find it hard to navigate the ecosystem of tools and to make sustainable choices. Here, we provide an integrated overview of community-developed resources that can support collaborative, open, reproducible, replicable, robust and generalizable neuroimaging throughout the entire research cycle from inception to publication and across different neuroimaging modalities. We review tools and practices supporting study inception and planning, data acquisition, research data management, data processing and analysis, and research dissemination. An online version of this resource can be found at https://oreoni.github.io. We believe it will prove helpful for researchers and institutions to make a successful and sustainable move towards open and reproducible science and to eventually take an active role in its future development.

Results of neuroimaging datasets aggregated from multiple sites may be biased by site-specific profiles in participants' demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as MRI acquisition protocols and scanning platforms. We compared the impact of four different harmonization methods on results obtained from analyses of cortical thickness data: (1) linear mixed-effects model (LME) that models site-specific random intercepts (LMEINT), (2) LME that models both site-specific random intercepts and age-related random slopes (LMEINT+SLP), (3) ComBat, and (4) ComBat with a generalized additive model (ComBat-GAM). Our test case for comparing harmonization methods was cortical thickness data aggregated from 29 sites, which included 1,340 cases with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (6.2-81.8 years old) and 2,057 trauma-exposed controls without PTSD (6.3-85.2 years old). We found that, compared to the other data harmonization methods, data processed with ComBat-GAM was more sensitive to the detection of significant case-control differences (Χ2(3) = 63.704, p < 0.001) as well as case-control differences in age-related cortical thinning (Χ2(3) = 12.082, p = 0.007). Both ComBat and ComBat-GAM outperformed LME methods in detecting sex differences (Χ2(3) = 9.114, p = 0.028) in regional cortical thickness. ComBat-GAM also led to stronger estimates of age-related declines in cortical thickness (corrected p-values < 0.001), stronger estimates of case-related cortical thickness reduction (corrected p-values < 0.001), weaker estimates of age-related declines in cortical thickness in cases than controls (corrected p-values < 0.001), stronger estimates of cortical thickness reduction in females than males (corrected p-values < 0.001), and stronger estimates of cortical thickness reduction in females relative to males in cases than controls (corrected p-values < 0.001). Our results support the use of ComBat-GAM to minimize confounds and increase statistical power when harmonizing data with non-linear effects, and the use of either ComBat or ComBat-GAM for harmonizing data with linear effects.

Common beliefs regard women as being more emotional than men. However, assessing differences in emotional feelings holds methodological challenges because of being based on explicit reports. Such research often lacks an explicit measurement model, and reports are potentially biased by stereotypical knowledge and because of existing sex differences in the ease of emotion-label retrieval. This pre-registered analysis employed an evidence accumulation model that has previously been validated for describing binary (un)pleasantness reports made in response to normed emotion-eliciting pictures. This measurement model links overt binary (un)pleasantness reports with the latent variables processing efficiency and a bias to report a certain emotional feeling. Employing online rather than retrospective reports that do not involve intensity rating, together with an explicit measurement model overcome the aforementioned methodological challenges. Across nine different experiments (N = 355) women generated negative emotions more efficiently than men. There was no sex difference in the bias to report negative emotions and in positive emotions. Post hoc account of the results emphasizes the greater relevance of negative emotions for women, given their evolutionary role as primary caregivers who should show enhanced sensitivity for dangers to their offspring ("fitness threat"), given their heightened likelihood of being themselves exposed to physical violence and given their traditional social roles that still remain relevant in many societies., Author(s): Ella Givon [sup.1] , Rotem Berkovich [sup.1] , Elad Oz-Cohen [sup.1] , Kim Rubinstein [sup.1] , Ella Singer-Landau [sup.1] , Gal Udelsman-Danieli [sup.1] , Nachshon Meiran [sup.1] Author Affiliations: [...]

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is independently associated with hypertension and ischemic stroke. The goal of this study was to determine the interplay between TBI and incident hypertension in the occurrence of post-TBI stroke. This prospective study used a hospital-based registry to identify patients without pre-existing comorbidities. TBI patients (n?=?3664) were frequency matched on age, sex, and race to non-TBI patients (n?=?1848). Follow-up started 6 months post-TBI or study entry and extended up to 10 years. To examine hypertension's role in post-TBI stroke, we used logistic regression models to calculate the effect estimates for stroke in four exposure categories that included TBI or hypertension in isolation and in combination. Second, we calculated the conditional direct effect (CDE) of TBI in models that considered hypertension as intermediary. Third, we examined whether TBI effect was modified by antihypertensive medication use. The 10-year cumulative incidence of stroke was higher in the TBI group (4.7%) than the non-TBI group (1.3%; p?0.001). TBI patients who developed hypertension had the highest risk of stroke (odds ratio [OR]?=?4.83, 95% confidence interval [CI]?=?2.53?9.23, p?

Abstract. Background. The aim of this prospective randomized study was to evaluate the impact of visual guidelines (picture book) and parents tutoring on pediatric urological surgery on parent’s stress and anxiety, the number of postoperative contacts, and complications. Materials and methods. Following institutional ethical committee approval, a special picture book reflecting different stages of the convalescent period following multiple types of pediatric urological surgery was developed. Parents were randomly divided into 2 groups in which 33 parents in Group 1 received the picture book in addition to routine instructions prior to the surgery and 31 in Group 2 received only routine postoperative instructions. The parents were asked to answer a questionnaire (Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale) regarding the level of anxiety before surgery and immediately after surgery in the recovery room. The number of postoperative parent’s calls, nonplaned emergency room visits, and complications were recorded. Results. No statistically significant difference in perioperative parental anxiety was found (p = 0.88). The visual tutoring group had a significantly lower rate of emergency room admissions (6.6% vs. 18.6%, p = 0.0433), however parents from this group made a higher number of postoperative calls (9.9% vs. 3.1%, p = 0.38). Two (6.6%) from the tutoring group expressed their desire to omit visual counseling in future surgical preparation and 4 (13.2%) did not have an opinion. Overall satisfaction with regards to the preoperative counseling and information and the number of postoperative complications was similar in both groups. Conclusions. Visual tutoring does not add any value to parental anxiety but seems helpful in reducing postoperative emergency room visits. Some parents preferred to exclude visual information from future preoperative counseling.

Boarding schools are the common 'out-of-home' placements for adolescents, due to various historical, religiously orthodox, and traditional reasons and due to dysfunction within families. The purpose of the current study is to examine the relationship between a free versus an enforced decision to enroll in a boarding school in terms of personal well-being among emancipated graduates. Ninety alumni graduates (aged range 20-41) of out-of-home boarding schools in Israel were recruited during 2019. Participants were administered a self-report anonymous questionnaire consisting of the following measures: Free versus enforced decision to enroll in a boarding school, retrospective satisfaction with the boarding school, personal well-being and traumatic events. Results indicated that a free decision to enroll in an out-of-home boarding school was associated with current satisfaction with social relationships but not with quality of life. Additionally, the longer the period spent in a boarding school, the higher was the satisfaction from the period at school. Older graduates reported less satisfaction from school retrospectively. It was concluded that involving the adolescent in life changing decisions such as leaving home to a boarding school is likely to influence the person's well-being during and after emancipation.

Two cases of pain evoked by cold food ingestion, following root canal therapy, are presented. The source of pain was detected when cold application to the vestibular, periapical area corresponding to the teeth involved evoked strong pain of about 30-second durations. In the first case, the patient suffered from strong pain in the mandibular right area over the last 4 months. After successive root canal therapy of three mandibular right teeth, the spontaneous pain eased significantly, but strong pain evoked by cold food ingestion persisted. Cold application to the vestibular periapical area of teeth involved identified the source of pain, which was abolished by 80 mg/day of slow-release propranolol. In the second case, cold allodynia developed after root canal therapy. The root canal therapy was performed for prosthetic reasons with no prior pain. Pain could be duplicated by cold application to the vestibular area of the treated tooth. The patient preferred no treatment when the source of pain was explained. In both cases cold application did not produce any pain in other intraoral locations, including the contralateral vestibular area or the mid soft or hard palate. Pain mechanisms, neurovascular and neuropathic, which differ for each case are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]