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• tSMS is a portable, inhibitory, non-invasive brain stimulation technique. • Repeated sessions of home-based tSMS of the motor cortex are feasible and safe. • tSMS may provide subjective benefit for the treatment of levodopa-induced dyskinesias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anarchists have played a visible and significant role in global civil society since the 19th century and in the New Global Left since it emerged in the 1990s. Horizontalism and social libertarianism have been central components of the contemporary World Revolution and were also important in the world revolutions of 1968 and 1989. Anarchists have participated in the Social Forum process at the global, national and local levels and, in various ways, have influenced the contemporary world revolution far beyond their numbers. We use surveys from Social Forums to examine how self-identified actively involved anarchists are similar or different from other attendees. We also conduct a formal network analysis to examine the links that the anarchists have with other social movement themes. Despite the small number of self-identified anarchists, our findings suggest that anarchist organizational approaches and political values are widely shared among the activists who have been involved in the Social Forum process.

BackgroundNon-invasive neuromodulation is an emerging therapy for children with early brain injury but is difficult to apply to preschoolers when windows of developmental plasticity are optimal. Transcranial static magnetic field stimulation (tSMS) decreases primary motor cortex (M1) excitability in adults but effects on the developing brain are unstudied.Objective/HypothesisWe aimed to determine the effects of tSMS on cortical excitability and motor learning in healthy children. We hypothesized that tSMS over right M1 would reduce cortical excitability and inhibit contralateral motor learning.MethodsThis randomized, sham-controlled, double-blinded, three-arm, cross-over trial enrolled 24 healthy children aged 10–18 years. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) assessed cortical excitability via motor-evoked potential (MEP) amplitude and paired pulse measures. Motor learning was assessed via the Purdue Pegboard Test (PPT). A tSMS magnet (677 Newtons) or sham was held over left or right M1 for 30 min while participants trained the non-dominant hand. A linear mixed effect model was used to examine intervention effects.ResultsAll 72 tSMS sessions were well tolerated without serious adverse effects. Neither cortical excitability as measured by MEPs nor paired-pulse intracortical neurophysiology was altered by tSMS. Possible behavioral effects included contralateral tSMS inhibiting early motor learning (p < 0.01) and ipsilateral tSMS facilitating later stages of motor learning (p < 0.01) in the trained non-dominant hand.ConclusiontSMS is feasible in pediatric populations. Unlike adults, tSMS did not produce measurable changes in MEP amplitude. Possible effects of M1 tSMS on motor learning require further study. Our findings support further exploration of tSMS neuromodulation in young children with cerebral palsy.

Background: Non-invasive neuromodulation is an emerging therapy for children with early brain injury but is difficult to apply to preschoolers when windows of developmental plasticity are optimal. Transcranial static magnetic field stimulation (tSMS) decreases primary motor cortex (M1) excitability in adults but effects on the developing brain are unstudied. Objective/Hypothesis: We aimed to determine the effects of tSMS on cortical excitability and motor learning in healthy children. We hypothesized that tSMS over right M1 would reduce cortical excitability and inhibit contralateral motor learning. Methods: This randomized, sham-controlled, double-blinded, three-arm, cross-over trial enrolled 24 healthy children aged 10–18 years. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) assessed cortical excitability via motor-evoked potential (MEP) amplitude and paired pulse measures. Motor learning was assessed via the Purdue Pegboard Test (PPT). A tSMS magnet (677 Newtons) or sham was held over left or right M1 for 30 min while participants trained the non-dominant hand. A linear mixed effect model was used to examine intervention effects. Results: All 72 tSMS sessions were well tolerated without serious adverse effects. Neither cortical excitability as measured by MEPs nor paired-pulse intracortical neurophysiology was altered by tSMS. Possible behavioral effects included contralateral tSMS inhibiting early motor learning (p < 0.01) and ipsilateral tSMS facilitating later stages of motor learning (p < 0.01) in the trained non-dominant hand. Conclusion: tSMS is feasible in pediatric populations. Unlike adults, tSMS did not produce measurable changes in MEP amplitude. Possible effects of M1 tSMS on motor learning require further study. Our findings support further exploration of tSMS neuromodulation in young children with cerebral palsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anarchists have played a visible and significant role in global civil society since the 19th century and in the New Global Left since it emerged in the 1990s. Horizontalism and social libertarianism have been central components of the contemporary World Revolution and were also important in the world revolutions of 1968 and 1989. Anarchists have participated in the Social Forum process at the global, national and local levels and, in various ways, have influenced the contemporary world revolution far beyond their numbers. We use surveys from Social Forums to examine how self-identified actively involved anarchists are similar or different from other attendees. We also conduct a formal network analysis to examine the links that the anarchists have with other social movement themes. Despite the small number of self-identified anarchists, our findings suggest that anarchist organizational approaches and political values are widely shared among the activists who have been involved in the Social Forum process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transcranial static magnetic field stimulation (tSMS) is a novel non‐invasive brain stimulation technique that has been shown to locally increase alpha power in the parietal and occipital cortex. We investigated if tSMS locally increased alpha power in the left or right prefrontal cortex, as the balance of left/right prefrontal alpha power (frontal alpha asymmetry) has been linked to emotional processing and mood disorders. Therefore, altering frontal alpha asymmetry with tSMS may serve as a novel treatment to psychiatric diseases. We performed a crossover, double‐blind, sham‐controlled pilot study to assess the effects of prefrontal tSMS on neural oscillations. Twenty‐four right‐handed healthy participants were recruited and received left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) tSMS, right DLPFC tSMS, and sham tSMS in a randomized order. Electroencephalography data were collected before (2 min eyes‐closed, 2 min eyes‐open), during (10 min eyes‐open), and after (2 min eyes‐open) stimulation. In contrast with our hypothesis, neither left nor right tSMS locally increased frontal alpha power. However, alpha power increased in occipital cortex during left DLPFC tSMS. Right DLPFC tSMS increased post‐stimulation fronto‐parietal theta power, indicating possible relevance to memory and cognition. Left and right DLPFC tSMS increased post‐stimulation left hemisphere beta power, indicating possible changes to motor behavior. Left DLPFC tSMS also increased post‐stimulation right frontal beta power, demonstrating complex network effects that may be relevant to aggressive behavior. We concluded that DLPFC tSMS modulated the network oscillations in regions distant from the location of stimulation and that tSMS has region specific effects on neural oscillations. We applied transcranial static magnetic field stimulation to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and measured changes to neural oscillations. Contrary to prior findings of studies in the visual cortex, alpha power was unchanged at the site of stimulation, but we observed other alterations in the alpha, beta, and theta band. Our results indicate that the effect of transcranial static magnetic field stimulation on neural oscillations may be specific to the region stimulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Transcranial static magnetic field stimulation (tSMS) was recently added to the family of inhibitory non-invasive brain stimulation techniques. However, the application of tSMS for 10–20 min over the motor cortex (M1) induces only short-lasting effects that revert within few minutes. Objective We examined whether increasing the duration of tSMS to 30 min leads to long-lasting changes in cortical excitability, which is critical for translating tSMS toward clinical applications. Methods The study comprised 5 experiments in 45 healthy subjects. We assessed the impact of 30-min-tSMS over M1 on corticospinal excitability, as measured by the amplitude of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) and resting motor thresholds (RMTs) to single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) (experiments 1–2). We then assessed the impact of 30-min-tSMS on intracortical excitability, as measured by short-interval intracortical facilitation (SICF) and short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) using paired-pulse TMS protocols (experiments 2–4). We finally assessed the impact of 10-min-tSMS on SICF and SICI (experiment 5). Results 30-min-tSMS decreased MEP amplitude compared to sham for at least 30 min after the end of the stimulation. This long-lasting effect was associated with increased SICF and reduced SICI. 10-min-tSMS –previously reported to induce a short-lasting decrease in MEP amplitude– produced the opposite changes in intracortical excitability, decreasing SICF while increasing SICI. Conclusions These results suggest a dissociation of intracortical changes in the consolidation from short-lasting to long-lasting decrease of corticospinal excitability induced by tSMS. The long-lasting effects of 30-min-tSMS open the way to the translation of this simple, portable and low-cost technique toward clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Recently, it was reported that the application of a static magnetic field by placing a strong permanent magnet over the scalp for 10 min led to an inhibition of motor cortex excitability for at least 6 min after removing the magnet. When placing the magnet over the somatosensory cortex, a similar inhibitory after effect could be observed as well. Objective Our aim was to replicate the inhibitory effects of transcranial static magnetic field stimulation in the motor and somatosensory system. Methods The modulatory effect of static magnetic field stimulation was investigated in three experiments. In two experiments motor cortex excitability was measured before and after 10 or 15 min of magnet application, respectively. The second experiment included a sham condition and was designed in a double-blinded manner. In a third experiment, paired-pulse SSEPs were measured pre and four times post positioning the magnet over the somatosensory cortex for 10 min on both hemispheres, respectively. The SSEPs of the non stimulated hemisphere served as control condition. Results We did not observe any systematic effect of the static magnetic field neither on motor cortex excitability nor on SSEPs. Moreover, no SSEP paired-pulse suppression was found. Conclusion We provide a detailed analysis of possible confounding factors and differences to previous studies on tSMS. After all, our results could not confirm the static magnetic field effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) is a mainstream material for lightweight products from the end of the 20th century to the present day. Its compression molding process has obvious advantages in mass production. This paper attempts to establish the constitutive models of compression molding of the CFRP materials and study their mechanism. Based on anisotropic linear elastic mechanics, viscoelastic mechanics, and thermodynamics, as well as the Maxwell viscoelastic constitutive model, we first establish the constitutive model of thermorheologically simple CFRP materials (TSMs). Then, considering the influence of temperature on the initial stiffness and equilibrium stiffness, the concept of temperature stiffness coefficient is introduced, and the Cartier coordinate system is converted into a cylindrical coordinate system, thereby establishing the constitutive model of thermorheologically complex materials (TCMs) using the tensor form. Finally, by comparing to the structure of the Zocher model, the two constitutive models established in this study are verified. The research findings have important theoretical research significance for studying the compression molding mechanism of carbon fiber and further improving the quality of product molding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this work was to characterize the magnetic field (B-field) that arises in a human brain model from the application of transcranial static magnetic field stimulation (tSMS)., Materials and Methods: The spatial distribution of the B-field magnitude and gradient of a cylindrical, 5.08 cm × 2.54 cm NdFeB magnet were simulated in air and in a human head model using the finite element method and calibrated with measurements in air. The B-field was simulated for magnet placements over prefrontal, motor, sensory, and visual cortex targets. The impact of magnetic susceptibility of head tissues on the B-field was quantified., Results: Peak B-field magnitude and gradient respectively ranged from 179-245 mT and from 13.3-19.0 T/m across the cortical targets. B-field magnitude, focality, and gradient decreased with magnet-cortex distance. The variation in B-field strength and gradient across the anatomical targets largely arose from the magnet-cortex distance. Head magnetic susceptibilities had negligible impact on the B-field characteristics. The half-maximum focality of the tSMS B-field ranged from 7-12 cm 3 ., Significance: This is the first presentation and characterization of the three-dimensional (3D) spatial distribution of the B-field generated in a human brain model by tSMS. These data can provide quantitative dosing guidance for tSMS applications across various cortical targets and subjects. The finding that the B-field gradient is high near the magnet edges should be considered in studies where neural tissue is placed close to the magnet. The observation that susceptibility has negligible effects confirms assumptions in the literature., (© 2017 International Neuromodulation Society.)