Concurrent Behavior Research Articles

Do nicotine dependence influencing and non-influencing behaviors have an association with high nicotine dependence in smokers?

INTRODUCTIONNicotine dependence (ND) is a maladaptive pattern of tobacco smoking with withdrawal symptoms similar to other drug addictive disorders. It is very common in clinical practice that smokers always have different degrees of nicotine dependence with the same amount of tobacco consumption. Behaviors may influence daily cigarette consumption or smoking status. Hence it is critical to ascertain the association between concurrent behaviors and high nicotine dependence among smokers.METHODSA total of 343 patients who attended a clinic for smoking cessation were recruited, and the information on concurrent behaviors were recorded. Factors associated and not associated with nicotine dependence were recorded. Nicotine dependence was determined by Fagerström test for nicotine dependence (FTND).RESULTSHigh ND patients (FTND >5) showed significant behaviors distribution compared with mild and moderate ND patients (FTND ≤5). There is no single behavior that was significantly different between high ND and mild and moderate ND smokers. However, the combined effects of nicotine dependence influencing behaviors of caffeine drinking and mental activities after dinner have an association with high ND (OR=1.939; 95% CI: 1.154–3.258, p=0.012). In addition, the combined effects of inadequate sleep time (<8 hours), caffeine drinking and mental activities after dinner significantly distinguished patients of high ND from those of low ND (OR=2.208; 95% CI: 1.032–4.737, p=0.042).CONCLUSIONSInteraction effects of mental activities after dinner and caffeine drinking have an association with high nicotine dependence. Sleep of less than 8 hours with behaviors of mental activities after dinner and caffeine drinking have the same effect.

A large open source neuromodulation dataset of concurrent EEG, ECG, behavior, and transcranial electrical stimulation

A large open source neuromodulation dataset of concurrent EEG, ECG, behavior, and transcranial electrical stimulation

Dataset of concurrent EEG, ECG, and behavior with multiple doses of transcranial electrical stimulation

We present a dataset combining human-participant high-density electroencephalography (EEG) with physiological and continuous behavioral metrics during transcranial electrical stimulation (tES). Data include within participant application of nine High-Definition tES (HD-tES) types, targeting three cortical regions (frontal, motor, parietal) with three stimulation waveforms (DC, 5 Hz, 30 Hz); more than 783 total stimulation trials over 62 sessions with EEG, physiological (ECG, EOG), and continuous behavioral vigilance/alertness metrics. Experiment 1 and 2 consisted of participants performing a continuous vigilance/alertness task over three 70-minute and two 70.5-minute sessions, respectively. Demographic data were collected, as well as self-reported wellness questionnaires before and after each session. Participants received all 9 stimulation types in Experiment 1, with each session including three stimulation types, with 4 trials per type. Participants received two stimulation types in Experiment 2, with 20 trials of a given stimulation type per session. Within-participant reliability was tested by repeating select sessions. This unique dataset supports a range of hypothesis testing including interactions of tDCS/tACS location and frequency, brain-state, physiology, fatigue, and cognitive performance.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Processing Therapy Delivered Sequentially to a Woman Veteran: A Promising Alternative to Concurrent Dialectical Behavior Therapy–Prolonged Exposure

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) are complex and chronic conditions that result in impairment across a number of clinically significant domains. Although the two diagnoses reflect distinct clinical syndromes, they often present comorbidly. Furthermore, the comorbidity of the two diagnoses predicts increased symptomatology and may also result in treatment difficulties that would not arise when treating PTSD without a concurrent BPD diagnosis. The challenging nature of comorbid PTSD and BPD diagnoses has led to an increased interest in integrative approaches to treating both diagnoses together. Recent research has suggested that the integration of prolonged exposure (PE; an evidence-based therapy for PTSD) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT; an evidence-based therapy for BPD) into one treatment approach (CBT–PE) can offer superior outcomes when compared to treating each diagnosis separately. However, at this time, the literature does not document any such examinations with regards to cognitive processing therapy (CPT), another evidence-based therapy for PTSD. This paper reflects a first step towards exploring the integration of CPT and DBT. In this case, a female-identified military Veteran seeking care at a Veterans Affairs healthcare system was treated utilizing integrated, though sequential, CPT and DBT. The clinical results of this case are discussed, as are the implications for other clinicians considering integrating CPT and DBT.

Generating Concurrent Programs From Sequential Data Structure Knowledge Using Answer Set Programming

We tackle the problem of automatically designing concurrent data structure operations given a sequential data structure specification and knowledge about concurrent behavior. Designing concurrent code is a non-trivial task even in simplest of cases. Humans often design concurrent data structure operations by transforming sequential versions into their respective concurrent versions. This requires an understanding of the data structure, its sequential behavior, thread interactions during concurrent execution and shared memory synchronization primitives. We mechanize this design process using automated commonsense reasoning. We assume that the data structure description is provided as axioms alongside the sequential code of its algebraic operations. This information is used to automatically derive concurrent code for that data structure, such as dictionary operations for linked lists and binary search trees. Knowledge in our case is expressed using Answer Set Programming (ASP), and we employ deduction and abduction -- just as humans do -- in the reasoning involved. ASP allows for succinct modeling of first order theories of pointer data structures, run-time thread interactions and shared memory synchronization. Our reasoner can systematically make the same judgments as a human reasoner, while constructing provably safe concurrent code. We present several reasoning challenges involved in transforming the sequential data structure into its equivalent concurrent version. All the reasoning tasks are encoded in ASP and our reasoner can make sound judgments to transform sequential code into concurrent code. To the best of our knowledge, our work is the first one to use commonsense reasoning to automatically transform sequential programs into concurrent code. We also have developed a tool that we describe that relies on state-of-the-art ASP solvers and performs the reasoning tasks involved to generate concurrent code.

Relative predictive utility of the original and Autism-Specific Five-Minute Speech Samples for child behaviour problems in autistic preschoolers: A preliminary study.

Parental Expressed Emotion refers to the intensity and nature of emotion shown when a parent talks about their child, and has been linked to child behaviour outcomes. Parental Expressed Emotion has typically been measured using the Five-Minute Speech Sample; however, the Autism-Specific Five-Minute Speech Sample was developed to better capture Expressed Emotion for parents of children on the autism spectrum. In each case, parents are asked to talk for 5 min about their child and how they get along with their child. Parents' statements are then coded for features such as number of positive and critical comments, or statements reflecting strong emotional involvement. While both the Five-Minute Speech Sample and Autism-Specific Five-Minute Speech Sample have been used with parents of autistic school-aged children, their relative usefulness for measuring Expressed Emotion in parents of preschool-aged children - including their links to child behaviour problems in this group - is unclear. We collected speech samples from 51 parents of newly diagnosed autistic preschoolers to investigate similarities and differences in results from the Five-Minute Speech Sample and Autism-Specific Five-Minute Speech Sample coding schemes. This included exploring the extent to which the Five-Minute Speech Sample and Autism-Specific Five-Minute Speech Sample, separately, or together, predicted current and future child behaviour problems. While the two measures were related, we found only the Autism-Specific Five-Minute Speech Sample - but not the Five-Minute Speech Sample - was related to child behavioural challenges. This adds support to the suggestion that the Autism-Specific Five-Minute Speech Sample may be a more useful measure of parental Expressed Emotion in this group, and provides a first step towards understanding how autistic children might be better supported by targeting parental Expressed Emotion.

Impacts of the respecting the circle of life teen pregnancy prevention program on risk and protective factors for early substance use among native American youth

BackgroundEarly substance use disproportionately impacts Native American (Native) youth and increases their risk for future abuse and dependence. The literature urges for interventions to move beyond focusing on single risk behaviors (e.g. substance use) and instead have capacity to improve health risk behaviors co-occuring during adolescence, particularly among Native populations for whom few evidence-based interventions (EBI) exist. We evaluated the effectiveness of the Respecting the Circle of Life program (RCL) on risk and protective factors for early substance use. RCL is a culturally tailored EBI shown to improve sexual health outcomes among Native youth. MethodsWe conducted secondary analyses of data collected through a community-based randomized controlled trial of RCL evaluated among Native youth (ages 11–19) residing on a rural reservation between 2015–2020 (N = 534, 47.4 % male). We used linear regression, controlling for baseline age and sex, to test between study group differences in outcomes at 3-, 9-, and 12-month post-intervention. Models were stratified by sex and age (11−12, 13−14, and 15+ years of age) to examine differences within these subgroups. ResultsYouth receiving RCL reported lower intention to use substances through 12-months follow-up (p = 0.006). Statistically significant improvements were also observed across peer, parent, and sexual partner risk and protective factors to delay substance use initiation, with notable differences among boys and participants ages 13−14. ConclusionsRCL is a primary prevention, skills-based program effective in preventing risks for substance use. This evaluation underscores the value in developing programs that influence concurrent adolescent risk behaviors, especially for Native communities who endure multiple health disparities.

Cortisol Reactivity and Socially Anxious Behavior in Previously Institutionalized Youth.

The current study investigated the association between cortisol stress reactivity to a social stressor and observed socially anxious behaviors both concurrently and over time among previously institutionalized (PI) (N = 132; ages 7-17) youth and a comparison non-adopted (NA) sample (N = 176). Cortisol reactivity was captured during the Trier Social Stress Test for Children (TSST-C; Yim et al., 2015) and youths' social anxiety behaviors were coded during the speech portion of the TSST-C. Autoregressive cross-lagged panel models with structured residuals showed that for PI youth, greater cortisol reactivity predicted increases in socially anxious behavior during the TSST-C across three sessions. However, greater cortisol reactivity was negatively associated with concurrent social anxiety behavior. Thus, increases in cortisol reactivity across adolescence may aid in behavioral control in social situations in the short-term but may exacerbate PI youths' socially anxious behavior over time. No significant associations emerged for NA youth.

EEG features of spontaneous recurrent seizures in a mouse model of extended hippocampal kindling

Introduction . Epilepsy is a disease characterized by an enduring predisposition to generate epileptic seizures and by the neurobiological, cognitive, psychological, and social consequences of this condition. Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common and often drug-resistant type of epilepsies in the adult and aging populations and has greatly diverse in etiologies and electro-clinical manifestations. Kindling through repeated brief stimulation of limbic structures has long been used as a model of TLE. While classic kindling in a few weeks does not induce spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRS), extended kindling is able to induce SRS in several animal species. The SRS induction by extended kindling is generally not associated with gross brain injury, but rather a loss of subgroups of GABAergic interneurons in the hippocampal hilar region. The lack of observed gross brain injury in extended kindled animals is different from post status epilepticus models in which SRS emergence is accompanied with pronounced brain damage. As such the extended kindling model may help explore epileptogenesis in the absence of major brain pathology as is seen in many patients with TLE. To data, there is limited insight about EEG characteristics of SRS in rodent models of extended kindling. We therefore attempted to provide more information in this area using a mouse model of extended hippocampal kindling (Song et al., 2018; Liu et al., 2019; Frontier Pharmacology). Methods . Male C57 black mice ages 11–13 months were operated to implant intracranial electrodes. Each mouse was implanted with two pairs of bipolar electrodes, one in the hippocampal CA3 for kindling stimulation and local recordings and another in contralateral/ipsilateral hippocampal CA3, dorsomedial thalamus, parietal cortex or entorhinal cortex. Hippocampal kindling (60 Hz for 2 sec) was applied twice daily, and SRS were detected by 24-hour EEG-video monitoring. Age-match mice that received similar electrode implantation and twice daily handling manipulation but not kindling were used as controls. Brain histological examinations were performed in a subset of mice to verify the location of implanted electrodes and to examine potential gross brain lesion. Results . (1) SRS were observed from 47 mice following 80–140 kindling stimulation; no spontaneous seizure was detected in 12 control mice. (2) SRS remained detectable in individual mice up to 4 months after termination of the kindling stimulation. SRS incidences varied in a range of 2–14 events per day but inter-SRS intervals were ≤2 hours for about 65% of SRS events. (3) Most of SRS were featured with EEG ictal discharges and concurrent motor seizures at the Racine scale 3–5. SRS that presented EEG ictal discharges without or with concurrent motor behaviors at the Racine scale 1–2 were also noticeable, particularly in mice with implanted electrode in the dorsomedial thalamus. (4) In ≥1500 SRS events examined, nearly all EEG ictal discharges presented low-voltage signals at onset and such ictal onset appeared to concur in the kindled CA3 and unkindled site despite the latter targeted to different brain structures. (5) CA3 and cortical EEG ictal discharges were not substantially affected by intra-peritoneal injection of lorazepam (a benzodiazepine positive GABAa receptor modulator) but concurrent severe motor seizures were greatly suppressed. Summary . We suggest that epileptogenic network activity encompassing multiple forebrain areas may be responsible for SRS initiation in the mouse model of extended hippocampal kindling. Subcortical structures involving the dorsomedial thalamic circuitry may play an important role in manifestation and/or control of severe motor seizures in this model. Support . EpLink – The Epilepsy Research Program of the Ontario Brain Institute and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Effect of sample thickness on concurrent steady spread behavior of floor- and ceiling flames

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the sample thickness effect on the concurrent flame steady spread behavior. Two configurations, ceiling flame and floor flame, as the fundamental diffusion combustion problems and representative scenarios of horizontal flame spread, are concerned herein. PMMA samples with thickness (δ) of 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9 mm were employed including both thermally-thin and thermally-thick conditions. A wind tunnel was used to provide the uniform concurrent airflow ranging from 0.3 m/s to 1.2 m/s in 0.3 m/s intervals. Flame characteristics and basic parameters to quantify the flame steady spread process have been studied, including flame spread rate (FSR), equivalent pyrolysis length as well as heat flux feedback in both pyrolysis and preheating zones. Results show that FSR decreases with sample thickness, being more sensitive to sample thickness for ceiling flame configuration than that for floor flame configuration. Equivalent pyrolysis length increases with sample thickness and ceiling flame's equivalent pyrolysis length is larger than floor flame's. Convection feedback is dominant under concurrent airflow regardless of the flame configuration, airflow velocity or sample thickness. In pyrolysis zone, the total heat flux to fuel surface of ceiling flame configuration is larger than that of floor flame configuration for thin samples due to buoyancy, but it decreases rapidly as sample thickness increases. In preheating zone, the heat flux decreases in power law for ceiling flame configuration while a piece-wise fitting is found for floor flame configuration, which is interpreted based on their inherent flame characteristic difference hence the thermal boundary layer conditions between these two configurations. To analyze the sample thickness effect on concurrent flame spread, a characteristic solid temperature (T*) is proposed by theoretical analysis, as an essential parameter to be used in the concurrent flame spread model to represent the coupling effect of heat input in gas phase and in-depth heat loss into the solid phase (or namely thermal inertia controlled by a characteristic thermal penetration depth). The calculated non-dimensional characteristic solid temperature (θ) shows to be less sensitive to flame configuration and concurrent airflow velocity for relatively thicker samples because the thermal penetration depth will tend to approach a limit. A general trend of its variation with sample thickness (δ) can be employed to predict the heat loss into solid phase and its predictive capability is verified by the experimental results. This work advances the fundamental understanding of the sample thickness effect on concurrent flame spread mechanism.

Psychiatric hospitalization among youth at high risk for HIV

ABSTRACT Youth at-risk for HIV are also at-risk for mental health disorders and psychiatric hospitalization. Understanding the association between engagement in HIV prevention, concurrent risk behaviors, and psychiatric hospitalization may lead to improvements in integrated prevention and mental health treatment efforts. Youth at-risk for HIV, aged 14–24 years old, predominantly Black/African American and Latinx (75%) were recruited through youth-serving clinics and community sites in Los Angeles (n = 839) and New Orleans (n = 647). We compared youth with and without histories of psychiatric hospitalization on engagement in HIV prevention, concurrent risk behaviors, and demographic characteristics. We examined predictors of hospitalization using multiple imputations for missing data. Hospitalized youth (30%) were more involved in HIV programs, but were less likely to use PrEP/PEP or condoms than non-hospitalized youth. The odds of hospitalization were higher for transgender/gender nonconforming youth relative to cisgender youth; the OR was increased after adjustment for concurrent risk behaviors. Hospitalization was associated with homelessness, trauma, incarceration, substance use, and involvement in substance abuse treatment programs. There is a continuing need to integrate the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders into HIV prevention programs to better address multiple challenges faced by vulnerable youth.

Behavioral Induction of a High Beta State in Sensorimotor Cortex Leads to Movement Slowing.

The sensorimotor beta rhythm (∼13-30 Hz) is commonly seen in relation to movement. It is important to understand its functional/behavioral significance in both health and disease. Sorting out competing theories of sensorimotor beta is hampered by a paucity of experimental protocols in humans that manipulate/induce beta oscillations and test their putative effects on concurrent behavior. Here, we developed a novel behavioral paradigm to generate beta and then test its functional relevance. In two human experiments with scalp EEG (n = 11 and 15), we show that a movement instruction generates a high beta state (postmovement beta rebound), which then slows down subsequent movements required during that state. We also show that this high initial beta rebound related to reduced mu-beta desynchronization for the subsequent movement and, further, that the temporal features of the beta state, that is, the beta bursts, related to the degree of slowing. These results suggest that increased sensorimotor beta in the postmovement period corresponds to an inhibitory state-insofar as it retards subsequent movement. By demonstrating a behavioral method by which people can proactively create a high beta state, our paradigm provides opportunities to test the effect of this state on sensations and affordances. It also suggests related experiments using motor imagery rather than actual movement, and this could later be clinically relevant, for example, in tic disorder.

A Women’s Group-Based Nutrition Behavior Change Intervention in India Has Limited Impacts Amidst Implementation Barriers and a Concurrent National Behavior Change Campaign

Abstract Objectives Women's self-help groups (SHGs) have become one of the world's largest institutional platforms of the poor, reaching over 70 million Indian women in 2020. Limited evidence exists on effects of nutrition interventions through SHGs on maternal and child nutrition outcomes. Methods The Women Improving Nutrition through Group-based Strategies (WINGS) study was a quasi-experimental impact evaluation, comparing 16 matched blocks where communities were provided support to form SHGs and improve women's livelihoods; 8 blocks (1 in each matched pair) received a 3-year nutrition intervention (NI) with nutrition education, agriculture- and rights-based information, facilitated by a trained female volunteer; the other 8 blocks received standard activities (STD) to support savings &amp; livelihoods. We conducted repeated cross-sectional surveys of mother-child pairs in 2017–18 (n = 1609 pairs) and 2019–20 (n = 1841 pairs). We matched treatment groups over time and applied difference-in-difference (DID) regression models to estimate NI impacts. Outcomes were knowledge domains (nutrition for pregnant women, breastfeeding, complementary feeding, child health), child feeding (e.g., early breastfeeding initiation, dietary diversity, animal source food (ASF) consumption), woman's diets, woman's BMI and child anthropometry. Matching covariates included woman, child, and community characteristics. Results About 40% of women were SHG members. Nutrition intervention exposure was low; only ∼10% of NI women had heard of intervention content at endline. There were large improvements in women's knowledge in both groups. DID estimation revealed a positive NI impact on knowledge of timely introduction of ASFs to children (P &amp;lt; 0.05), but knowledge of nutrition for pregnant women unexpectedly improved more in the STD group (P &amp;lt; 0.05). No impacts were observed for any anthropometry or diet indicators except child ASF consumption (P &amp;lt; 0.01). Conclusions Limited impacts on nutrition outcomes may be due to limited exposure, low motivation or skills of volunteers, and a concurrent national nutrition behavior change program targeting mothers and children in all study areas. Our findings add to a growing literature on SHG-based behavior change interventions and the conditions necessary for their success. Funding Sources Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation.

What We Do When We Watch Live Sports: An Analysis of Concurrent Viewing Behaviors

Using an active audience perspective, this study examines the wide-ranging in-person and second-screen behaviors that occur while viewing live sports. A national sample of participants (N = 630) was surveyed about their live sports viewing behaviors while watching a normal game, a close game, and one where the outcome was clear. Viewers concurrently engaged in a variety of game-related and unrelated activities, many involving additional screens and a social dimension (e.g., talking about the game with others in person and through media, hanging out with family/friends). Games that were not close encouraged more activity than games that were close. Sports fanship was positively associated with game-related behaviors but not unrelated behaviors. In all, live sports viewing involves a wide array of simultaneous in-person and second-screen activity, with some of that activity focused on the sporting events themselves, and other activities focused on meeting the responsibilities of daily life.

305-OR: Twenty-Eight Days of Meal Delivery Improves Time-in-Range for People with Type 2 Diabetes

Nutrition therapy is a cornerstone of care for people with T2D, yet implementing and sustaining healthy eating habits can be challenging. Meal delivery is a promising mechanism to couple healthy food intake with a behavior-change intervention. We assessed the impact of 28 days of T2D-friendly, home-delivered meals (3 meals/day) on time in range (TIR) for people with T2D in the virtual care delivery platform Level2. We enrolled 155 people with T2D, not taking insulin, with a TIR < 70% or glucose management index (GMI) > 7% in the month-long pre-inclusion period, 102 of whom opted to enroll 1-2 household members. Of the 155, 45 were excluded from analysis due to sparse CGM data in the baseline or intervention period. From the baseline period to the meal delivery period, on average, TIR improved by 6.8% (95% CI 4.0, 9.7; p < 0.001) and GMI improved by 0.22% (95% CI 0.11, 0.32; p < 0.001), with a 15.5% increase (from 33.6% to 49.1%) in the proportion of participants achieving a TIR above 70% (p = 0.028). Average TIR increased rapidly upon initiation of meal delivery but regressed with cessation of the meals. Our findings suggest the promise of meal delivery to simultaneously impact nutritional intake and change food behaviors, and they highlight the importance of deploying concurrent behavior change strategies to increase the durability of glycemic improvement beyond the meal delivery period.View largeDownload slideView largeDownload slide DisclosureC. Clark: Employee; Self; UnitedHealth Group, Stock/Shareholder; Self; UnitedHealth Group. B. Hart: Employee; Self; UnitedHealth Group.

Trauma-Informed Organizational Dynamics and Client Outcomes in Concurrent Disorder Treatment

Purpose: To test an empirical model of the effects of a trauma-informed organizational environment on service user outcomes in the context of concurrent disorder treatment. Methods: Service users ( n = 172) were surveyed while in treatment to determine the effects of trauma-informed organizational dynamics (i.e., safety, trust, choice, collaboration, and empowerment) on service user intrapersonal development outcomes (i.e., self-awareness, outlook, coping ability, self-worth, and self-determination) and improvements with concurrent disorder behaviors. After testing for validity and reliability of latent factors, data were analyzed using multivariate analysis. Results: As a concise analytical model, the trauma-informed organizational environment was found to significantly positively predict all service user intrapersonal outcomes as well as a reduction in concurrent disorder behaviors. Conclusions: This study informs developments in the design and implementation of trauma-informed practice frameworks for concurrent disorder treatment and emphasizes the importance of adapting organizational environments to support improved client outcomes.

Evaluating Visual Cues Modulates Their Representation in Mouse Visual and Cingulate Cortex.

Choosing an action in response to visual cues relies on cognitive processes, such as perception, evaluation, and prediction, which can modulate visual representations even at early processing stages. In the mouse, it is challenging to isolate cognitive modulations of sensory signals because concurrent overt behavior patterns, such as locomotion, can also have brainwide influences. To address this challenge, we designed a task, in which head-fixed mice had to evaluate one of two visual cues. While their global shape signaled the opportunity to earn reward, the cues provided equivalent local stimulation to receptive fields of neurons in primary visual (V1) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). We found that mice evaluated these cues within few hundred milliseconds. During this period, ∼30% of V1 neurons became cue-selective, with preferences for either cue being balanced across the recorded population. This selectivity emerged in response to the behavioral demands because the same neurons could not discriminate the cues in sensory control measurements. In ACC, cue evaluation affected a similar fraction of neurons; emerging selectivity, however, was stronger than in V1, and preferences in the recorded population were biased toward the cue promising reward. Such a biased selectivity regime might allow the mouse to infer the promise of reward simply by the overall level of activity. Together, these experiments isolate the impact of task demands on neural responses in mouse cerebral cortex, and document distinct neural signatures of cue evaluation in V1 and ACC.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Performing a cognitive task, such as evaluating visual cues, not only recruits frontal and parietal brain regions, but also modulates sensory processing stages. We trained mice to evaluate two visual cues, and show that, during this task, ∼30% of neurons recorded in V1 became selective for either cue, although they provided equivalent visual stimulation. We also show that, during cue evaluation, mice frequently move their eyes, even under head fixation, and that ignoring systematic differences in eye position can substantially obscure the modulations seen in V1 neurons. Finally, we document that modulations are stronger in ACC, and biased toward the reward-predicting cue, suggesting a transition in the neural representation of task-relevant information across processing stages in mouse cerebral cortex.

The prevalence and determinants of inappropriate sexual behaviour in people with acquired brain injury in nursing homes.

AimsEstablishing the prevalence of inappropriate sexual behaviour, concurrent challenging behaviours and the determinants of inappropriate sexual behaviour among patients with acquired brain injury ≤65 years of age in Dutch nursing homes.DesignCross‐sectional, observational study in acquired brain injury special care units spreads throughout the country.MethodsNursing homes were recruited through the national expertise network for patients with severe acquired brain injury, regional brain injury teams and by searching the Internet. Patient characteristics were collected through digital questionnaires. Inappropriate sexual behaviour was assessed with the St. Andrews Sexual Behaviour Assessment, concurrent challenging behaviours with the NeuroPsychiatric Inventory‐Nursing Home Version and the Cohen‐Mansfield Agitation Inventory, cognition with the Mini‐Mental State Examination and activities of daily living with the Disability Rating Scale. Psychotropic drug use was retrieved from the electronic prescription system. Associations between determinants and inappropriate sexual behaviour were examined using multilevel multivariate linear regression model analyses. Data collection started in June 2017 and ended in April 2019.ResultsOf the 118 included patients, 38.1% had one or more inappropriate sexual behaviours. Verbal comments (30.1%) and non‐contact behaviour (24.8%) were the most prevalent types of inappropriate sexual behaviour. Less severe behaviours were more common than more severe behaviours. The most frequent concurrent challenging behaviours were agitation, aggression and hyperactivity. Physical aggression was associated with more inappropriate sexual behaviour. Being married and pain were associated with less inappropriate sexual behaviour.ConclusionInappropriate sexual behaviour is prevalent in patients with acquired brain injury ≤65 years of age residing in nursing homes.ImpactInappropriate sexual behaviour may have impact not only on the patients themselves but also on nursing staff. Insight into the magnitude, severity, course and concurrent challenging behaviours, sexuality and quality of life could give direction to the kind of interventions and education that is needed. The ultimate goal is to develop appropriate care for this vulnerable group of patients, specifically psychosocial interventions and appropriate use of psychotropic drugs.

Polymer Electrolytes in Strong External Electric Fields: Modification of Structure and Dynamics

We present the results from an extensive atomistic molecular dynamics simulation study of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) doped with various amounts of lithium-bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide (LiTFSI) salt under the influence of external electric field strengths up to $1\,$V/nm. The motivation stems from recent experimental reports on the nonlinear response of mobilities to the application of an electric field in such electrolyte systems and arising speculations on field-induced alignment of the polymer chains, creating channel-like structures that facilitate ion passage. Hence, we systematically examine the electric field impact on the lithium coordination environment, polymer structure as well as ionic transport properties and further present a procedure to quantify the susceptibility of both structural and dynamical observables to the external field. Our investigation reveals indeed a coiled-to-stretched transformation of the PEO strands along with a concurrent nonlinear behavior of the dynamic properties. However, from studying the temporal response of the unperturbed electrolyte system to field application we are able to exclude a structurally conditioned enhancement of ion transport and surprisingly observe a slowing down. A microscopic understanding is supplied.

Verification of concurrent code from synchronous specifications

• Methodology to generate concurrent code automatically from SIGNAL specifications. • New clock calculus method to explore the clock relations among signals. • Verification of concurrent code from SIGNAL specifications. The synchronous language SIGNAL is a formal specification formalism for developing safety-critical real-time systems. It is a multi-clocked data-flow modeling language suitable for specifying deterministic concurrent behaviors. Its model of computation and communication very well matches recent trends to utilize multi-core processors for executing real-time systems, by taking advantage of its concurrent semantics. The SIGNAL compiler generates code from data-flow specifications while analyzing and verifying safety properties of the system under design: deadlock-freedom, determinism. However, most of recent works have focused on generating sequential code from SIGNAL. Choosing the parallel library OpenMP as the target, this paper proposes a methodology to generate and verify concurrent code automatically from SIGNAL specifications. This is done by first exploring clock relations among signals by application of a so-called clock calculus. Then, specifications are translated into EDGs (Equation-Dependency Graphs) to analyze global data-dependency relations. An EDG is then partitioned into concurrent tasks to help explore parallelism in the original specification while preserving its semantic. Combined with clock relations, parallel tasks are finally mapped onto the OpenMP structures. The proposed approach is illustrated by a realistic case study.