Negative Cluster Research Articles

Resilience Development Among Adult Patients With DeNovo Acute Leukemia: A Qualitative Study.

This study aimed to explore the development process of psychological resilience among adult patients with de novo acute leukemia. This study utilized a descriptive qualitative approach, employing a purposeful sampling method to select a sample of 15 newly diagnosed patients with acute leukemia (AL) who underwent their initial induction chemotherapy treatment at the Hematology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the selected patients. Content analysis methodology was used to analyze, summarize, and extract themes from the collected data. Three categories emerged-namely, (1) negative period, (2) adaptive response phase, and (3) growth transformation period. The negative period occurs during the initial diagnosis and throughout the treatment cycle. However, influenced by both internal and external protective factors, including personal characteristics and social support, individuals enhance their psychological resilience through emotional regulation, mental adjustment, and adaptive strategies vis-à-vis healthcare decision-making and disease management. Overall, psychological resilience development follows an upward spiral trajectory. This study identified that negative emotions and symptom clusters impede the development of patients' psychological resilience. Moreover, it revealed a substantial need for disease-related information among patients. Therefore, healthcare professionals should prioritize addressing the negative emotions of patients, early identification of protective factors, dynamic monitoring of symptom clusters, effective management, and provision of psychological counseling and interventions. Simultaneously, providing personalized, professional, and systematic disease-related information is vital for promoting psychological resilience development.

여자 대학생의 학업 정서 군집과 유형: 군집 간 수업 참여 및 학업성취도 차이 분석

Learners can experience mixed emotions simultaneously. This study identified the emotion clusters based on positive activated (e.g., energetic) positive deactivated (e.g., calm), negative activated (e.g., angry), and negative deactivated (e.g., fatigued) emotions experienced by students in academic situations. We also examined differences in behavioral engagement, cognitive engagement, disengagement, and academic achievement among the derived emotion clusters. A total of 159 undergraduate students enrolled at a university in the Seoul metropolitan area participated in this study. As results, first, four different emotion clusters were identified: Positive (37%), Negative (16%), High-Mixed (31%), Moderate-Mixed (16%) clusters. Second, there were significant differences in the level of class engagement among the four clusters, with the Positive cluster generally showing a higher level of class engagement and the Negative cluster showing a lower level of class engagement. The High-Mixed cluster showed a similar level of class engagement to the Positive cluster but also displayed a higher level of disengagement. However, there were no significant differences in academic achievement according to the emotion clusters. This study empirically confirms that undergraduate students in academic situations often feel mixed rather than singular affects, through person-oriented analysis. Additionally, by examining the relations between the emotion clusters and academic-related variables, this study provides implications on which emotions should be educationally supported to enhance learning experiences.

Metastable Evaporation of Molecules from Water Clusters.

We probe the stability of water clusters by means of their metastable decay probability extracted from two-dimensional reflectron time-of-flight mass spectra. Two different methods are used to ionize and potentially excite the clusters and trigger the evaporation: (i) attachment of electrons with near-zero energies, producing negatively charged clusters, and (ii) electron impact ionization, producing protonated (H2O)nH+ clusters. The electron attachment is a soft ionization and therefore provides information about the size distribution of the neutral clusters in the beam due to a very limited amount of post-ionization loss of water molecules. A dependence of metastable fractions on the conditions of neutral clusters production prior to the electron attachment is reported. For the cations, the higher energy electron impact ionization leads to a more extensive metastable loss of water molecules. The results are discussed in the light of neutral cluster excitation energy distributions and, for negative clusters, also in terms of binding energies. The experiments demonstrate clearly the role of the excess electron vs the excess proton in the two different charge states of the clusters around sizes N = 50-55, for which binding energies of the anions are derived from the data.

Generation of seed electrons in guided ionization waves in He–O2 mixtures: The effect of negative ion cluster formation

The kinetics of electrons and negative ions was numerically studied under the conditions, which are typical for multi-pulsed guided ionization waves in He flows ejected into ambient air. It was shown that, in He with a small admixture of O2 or air, O2− ions formed due to three-body electron attachment in the discharge afterglow are rapidly converted to O4− cluster ions in pulse off time. We suggested that seed electrons are generated at the leading edge of a pulse in two steps, and these steps are dissociation of O4− ions to form O2− ions followed by electron detachment from the O2− ions. The rate of O4− dissociation was calculated in He–O2 mixtures for various reduced electric fields on the basis of a Monte Carlo simulation. This rate, as well as the rate of electron detachment from O2− ions calculated previously, was used to simulate seed electron generation in a high-voltage nanosecond pulse in He–O2 mixtures for different gas pressures. It was shown that the formation of O4− ions drastically hinders the generation of seed electrons in multi-pulsed guided ionization waves in He–O2 and He–air mixtures.

Sub‐Nanosheet Induced Inverse Growth of Negative Valency Au Clusters for Tumor Treatment by Enhanced Oxidative Stress

AbstractCluster aggregation states are thermodynamically favored at the subnanoscale, for which an inverse growth from nanoparticles to clusters may be realized on subnanometer supports. Herein, we develop Au‐polyoxometalate‐layered double hydroxide (Au‐POM‐LDH) sub‐1 nm nanosheets (Sub‐APL) based on the above strategy, where sub‐1 nm Au clusters with negative valence are generated by the in situ disintegration of Au nanoparticles on POM‐LDH supports. Sub‐1 nm Au clusters with ultrahigh surface atom ratios exhibit remarkable efficiency for glutathione (GSH) depletion. The closely connected sub‐1 nm Au with negative valence and POM hetero‐units can promote the separation of hole‐electrons, resulting in the enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation under ultrasound (US). Besides, the reversible redox of Mo in POM is able to deplete GSH and trigger chemodynamic therapy (CDT) simultaneously, further enhancing the oxidative stress. Consequently, the Sub‐APL present 2‐fold ROS generation under US and 7‐fold GSH depletion compared to the discrete Au and POM‐LDH mixture. Therefore, the serious imbalance of redox in the TME caused by the sharp increase of ROS and rapid decrease of GSH leads to death of tumor ultimately.

Sub-Nanosheet Induced Inverse Growth of Negative Valency Au Clusters for Tumor Treatment by Enhanced Oxidative Stress.

Cluster aggregation states are thermodynamically favored at the subnanoscale, for which an inverse growth from nanoparticles to clusters may be realized on subnanometer supports. Herein, we develop Au-polyoxometalate-layered double hydroxide (Au-POM-LDH) sub-1 nm nanosheets (Sub-APL) based on the above strategy, where sub-1 nm Au clusters with negative valence are generated by the in situ disintegration of Au nanoparticles on POM-LDH supports. Sub-1 nm Au clusters with ultrahigh surface atom ratios exhibit remarkable efficiency for glutathione (GSH) depletion. The closely connected sub-1 nm Au with negative valence and POM hetero-units can promote the separation of hole-electrons, resulting in the enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation under ultrasound (US). Besides, the reversible redox of Mo in POM is able to deplete GSH and trigger chemodynamic therapy (CDT) simultaneously, further enhancing the oxidative stress. Consequently, the Sub-APL present 2-fold ROS generation under US and 7-fold GSH depletion compared to the discrete Au and POM-LDH mixture. Therefore, the serious imbalance of redox in the TME caused by the sharp increase of ROS and rapid decrease of GSH leads to death of tumor ultimately.

Investigating the transdiagnostic potential of rumination in relation to Cluster B personality disorder symptoms.

This study examined several forms of repetitive negative thinking in relation to measures of Cluster B disorders to identify unique and co-occurring cognitive mechanisms contributing to these symptom presentations. MTurk participants (N = 725; 53% men; 76% White) completed categorical and dimensional trait-based measures of Cluster B disorders alongside six measures of rumination and worry. Oversampling strategies were used during participant recruitment to obtain a sample with clinically relevant personality features. Path analyses examined each form of repetitive negative thinking in relation to Cluster B measures while controlling for shared variance between each construct. Anger rumination demonstrated notable relations across all four Cluster B personality disorders. Similarly, sadness rumination was positively associated with all four Cluster B personality disorders. Self-critical rumination and depressive rumination were uniquely associated with borderline symptoms. Worry demonstrated negative associations with measures of narcissistic, histrionic, and antisocial/psychopathy symptoms. Findings expand previous research by highlighting probable transdiagnostic and distinguishing cognitive process contributing to the presentation of Cluster B personality pathology. However, partialling the influence of overlapping constructs presents notable challenges in identifying and interpreting unique relations between various forms of repetitive negative thinking and Cluster B symptoms. Future research investigating these relations within outpatient and inpatient samples may provide avenues for the development of effective cognitive-based interventions for treating these symptoms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Formation of ions under the action of cosmic rays in humid air

The processes of ion formation in humid tropospheric air under the action of cosmic rays are considered. In this case, positive and negative cluster ions appear. For this analysis, a kinetic model was developed that includes 55 components and 161 reactions. The calculation was carried out using the KINET software package. It is shown that the ionization of air by cosmic rays at altitudes of 5–35 km leads to the formation of plasma consisting mainly of NH4+⋅NH3⋅H2O, H+⋅(H2O)4 and O2−⋅(H2O)2 ions. The maximum concentrations of ions under conditions of minimum magnetic rigidity are observed at altitudes from 10 to 18 km. These results differ sharply from the calculation results obtained for the dry air model.

Connecting the dots: using a network approach to study the wellbeing spectrum

In positive psychology, defining the wellbeing construct has been a challenge. We used the psychometric network approach to study the structure of wellbeing. The sample consisted of Dutch adults registered with the Netherlands Twin Register. The variables were measured through standardized surveys. The network was estimated using the Mixed Graphical Models method and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regularization to limit the number of spurious edges. We estimated a network in a trimming sample (N=1343, 63% females, Mage = 53.18, SDage = 9.45) and in an estimation sample (N=726, 75% females, Mage = 45.27, SDage = 11.12) to examine its performance and accuracy. Our final network consists of a positive cluster including satisfaction with life, subjective happiness, and flourishing items, and a negative cluster including depressive symptoms, loneliness, and neuroticism items. We identified the four most central nodes: one satisfaction with life item, one neuroticism item, and two depression items. This suggests that to get a general sense of the wellbeing construct, these items would serve as most informative. The network approach clearly demonstrates the different, yet connected positive and negative clusters of wellbeing and therefore re-affirms the complex interconnectivity of wellbeing phenotypes. In addition, the network results reject the view of strictly delineated wellbeing domains. Having identified the most central nodes in the network, these can be used in futures studies with limited resources, as they are likely to be the most representative of the wellbeing spectrum.

Encrypted Access Mapping in a Distinctly Routed Optimized Immune System to Prevent DoS Attack Variants in VANET Architecture

The use of vehicle ad hoc networks (VANET) is increasing, VANET is a network in which two or more vehicles communicate with each other. The VANET architecture is vulnerable to various attacks, such as DoS and DDoS attacks hence various strategies were previously employed to combat these attacks, but the presence of end-to-end transparency and N-to-1 mapping of different IP addresses create failure in the blockage and not able to determine the twelve variants of DDoS attacks hence a novel technique, Encrypted Access Hex-tuple Mapping Attack detection was proposed, which uses triple random hyperbolic encryption, which performs triple random encoding to encrypt traffic signals and obtains the public key by plotting random values in hyperbola to strengthen the access control in the middlebox and Deep auto sparse impasse NN is used to detect twelve variant DDoS attacks in the VANET architecture. Moreover, to provide immunity against attack, the existing approach uses various artificial immune systems to prevent DDoS attacks but the selection of positive and negative clusters generates too many indicator packets. Hence a novel technique, Stable Automatic Optimized Cache Routing proposed, which uses a Deep trust factorization NN to detect irrational nodes without requiring prior negotiation about local outliner factor and direct evidence by automatically extracting trust factors of each node to manage the packet flows and detecting transmission of dangerous malware files in the network to prevent various types of hybrid DDoS attacks at VANET architecture. The proposed model is implemented in NS-3 to detect and prevent hybrid DDoS attacks.

Diverse crystalline protein scaffolds through metal-dependent polymorphism.

As protein crystals are increasingly finding diverse applications as scaffolds, controlled crystal polymorphism presents a facile strategy to form crystalline assemblies with controllable porosity with minimal to no protein engineering. Polymorphs of consensus tetratricopeptide repeat proteins with varying porosity were obtained through co-crystallization with metal salts, exploiting the innate metal ion geometric requirements. A single structurally exposed negative amino acid cluster was responsible for metal coordination, despite the abundance of negatively charged residues. Density functional theory calculations showed that while most of the crystals were the most thermodynamically stable assemblies, some were kinetically trapped states. Thus, crystalline porosity diversity is achieved and controlled with metal coordination, opening a new scope in the application of proteins as biocompatible protein-metal-organic frameworks (POFs). In addition, metal-dependent polymorphic crystals allow direct comparison of metal coordination preferences.

Charge cluster occurrence in land plants’ mitochondrial proteomes with functional and structural insights

The Charge Clusters (CCs) are involved in key functions and are distributed according to the organism, the protein’s type, and the charge of amino acids. In the present study, we have explored the occurrence, position, and annotation as a first large-scale study of the CCs in land plants mitochondrial proteomes. A new python script was used for data curation. The Finding Clusters Charge in Protein Sequences Program was performed after adjusting the reading window size. A 44316 protein sequences belonging to 52 species of land plants were analysed. The occurrence of Negative Charge Clusters (NCCs) (1.2%) is two times more frequent than the Positive Charge Clusters (PCCs) (0.64%). Moreover, 39 and 30 NCCs were conserved in 88 and 41 proteins in intra and in inter proteomes respectively, while 14 and 21 PCCs were conserved in 53 and 85 protein sequences in intra and inter proteomes consecutively. Sequences carrying mixed CCs are rare (0.12%). Despite this low abundance, CCs play a crucial role in protein function. The CCs tend to be located mainly in the terminal regions of proteins which guarantees specific protein targeting and import into the mitochondria. In addition, the functional annotation of CCs according to Gene Ontology shows that CCs are involved in binding functions of either proteins or macromolecules which are deployed in different metabolic and cellular processes such as RNA editing and transcription. This study may provide valuable information while considering the CCs in understanding the environmental adaptation of plants. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Neuroticism’s ties to relationship satisfaction: the role of conflict tactic behaviors

A significant body of research has demonstrated a negative relationship between neuroticism and relationship satisfaction. Yet, the exact behaviors that link neuroticism to lower relationship satisfaction are not well established. This seven–day daily diary study (N = 246) identified specific, everyday behaviors that might explain how neuroticism and relationship satisfaction are linked. Using exploratory factor analysis, we identified sets of positive (e.g. complimenting your partner) and negative behaviors (e.g. making your partner cry). Then, post-hoc, we ran another exploratory factor analysis to establish a subcategory of conflict tactic behaviors within the negative behavior cluster and a subcategory of emotionally expressive behaviors within the positive behavior cluster. We then examined which of these clusters of behaviors mediate the relationship between neuroticism and relationship satisfaction. The broad category of negative behaviors explained the association; the broad category of positive behaviors did not. The subcategory of conflict tactics mediated the relationship over and beyond the mediational impact of the broader negative behaviors factor. These findings suggest couple therapists might aim to increase relationship satisfaction by working to reduce specific negative behaviors associated with neuroticism.

An NLP‐Based Framework to Spot Extremist Networks in Social Media

Governments and law enforcement agencies (LEAs) are increasingly concerned about growing illicit activities in cyberspace, such as cybercrimes, cyberespionage, cyberterrorism, and cyberwarfare. In the particular context of cyberterrorism, hostile social manipulation (HSM) represents a strategy that employs different manipulation methods, mostly through social media, to promote extremism in social groups and encourage hostile behavior against a target. Thus, this paper proposes a framework based on natural language processing (NLP) that detects and inspects supposed HSM actions to support law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in the prevention of cyberterrorism. The proposal integrates different NLP techniques through three models: (i) a similarity model that relates content with similar semantic meaning, (ii) a polarity analysis model that estimates polarity, and (iii) a named‐entity recognition (NER) model that recognizes relevant entities. In addition, our proposed framework is evaluated in each of its components through exhaustive experiments and is tested with a particular use case related to violent protests in Ecuador in October 2021. Use case’s results indicate that 3 and 4 clusters are obtained when Spanish and English‐translated tweets are used, respectively. An analysis of polarity over English‐translated tweets allows us to identify, through two different methods, the most negative cluster (#1). The results of the extraction of the mentions show that our framework is able to identify entities of the type of person that may be at risk with a precision of 89.91%. Knowledge graphs achieved in our use case allow us to identify how nodes that promote HSM are interconnected and work collaboratively. Finally, the computational costs of our proposal are quite favorable as memory consumption of similarity and polarity models is proportional to the number of processed tweets, confirming the feasibility of the solution in a real context.

Effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation on cortical structures during motor imagination performance in the brain-computer interface

The aftermath of a stroke can frequently result in impaired motor functions causing problems performing habitual limb movements. These movement disorders stem from damage to the cerebral cortex and disruptions to neuronal connections in the central pyramidal pathways [1]. Restoring motor skills following a stroke is a time-consuming and challenging process, requiring resources from both external medical sources and the patient. Despite these challenges, it is still feasible for patients to regain control over their limb movements. The common approach for stroke neurorehabilitation consists of therapeutic physical activities and kinesiotherapy. These methods rely on afferent information during motor tasks to repair connections between intact brain areas [2]. Through exercising the impacted limbs, synaptic rearrangement happens in the cortex, awakening dormant neurons and increasing cortical areas adjacent to inactive regions. Although these techniques can partially restore movement, a significant number of stroke patients still face impairments. It is crucial to acknowledge the limitations of the current interventions and explore new approaches for better outcomes. Traditional rehabilitation methods often do not fully restore movement control, prompting researchers to explore alternative approaches. Motor-imagery-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have gained attention recently [3, 4]. They allow for integrating various feedback mechanisms, which can be combined with upper and lower limb exoskeletons. The level of control a subject has over a BCI system directly affects the recovery process [5]. Introducing transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) into motor-imagery BCIs shows promise for developing a unified and highly efficient approach to post-stroke rehabilitation. Twenty-nine healthy adult participants (21 females) with a mean age of 20.93±2.14 years were recruited for this experiment. All participants were right-handed and had no prior experience with brain-computer interfaces. Ethical approval was obtained from the local ethics committee of Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod (ethical approval No. 2, dated 03/19/2021), and written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive either a sham intervention (n=15) or active TMS (n=14). The experiment displayed tasks on a 24-inch LCD screen placed 2 meters away. Participants sat in a reclining chair with hands on adjustable armrests for EEG signal recording. Motor-imagery-based BCI training took place over two days with four daily tasks: motor performance, quasi-motor, and two motor imaginations of the dominant hand. EEG activity was recorded prior to and after completing the tasks. Each task comprised of 20 trials, each lasting 10 seconds. TMS was administered in between two motor imagination tasks, and a rest period of 2 minutes followed the stimulation. The researcher objectively monitored electromyography (EMG) in real-time during motor tasks. Certified NVX 52 amplifiers with 32 Cl/Ag electrodes positioned according to the international 10-10 system recorded electroencephalography (EEG) signals. The EEG was digitized at a sampling rate of 1000 Hz and filtered with a 50 Hz Notch filter. Disposable electrodes were used to record EMG data from musculus flexor digitorum superficialis on the right hand. EMG signals were digitized at 1000 Hz and filtered using a 50 Hz Notch filter. TMS was applied to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) using a figure-8 coil connected to a Neuro MS/D magnetic stimulator. Sham stimulation was performed with the same parameters, except the coil was tilted 90 degrees to simulate the sound of real stimulation. A nonparametric permutation test was conducted to assess the statistically significant dissimilarities between rest periods and periods subsequent to conducting motor imagery after TMS. Significant clusters of the highest event-related desynchronization (ERD) were observed. The analysis demonstrated a significant negative cluster in the theta rhythm (0–6 Hz) that was distinct from the magnetic stimulation site. Similar significant ERD clusters were identified during the first and second series of imaginary movements. The study examined alterations in motor cortex function following targeted rTMS. The results demonstrated that TMS using particular parameters resulted in the pre-activation of brain regions comparable to those stimulated during motor imagery. The implementation of this stimulation protocol increased activity in cortical regions related to motor imagery. The outcomes propose the probable effectiveness of TMS in elevating motor cortex activation during the rehabilitation process.

Altered cerebrovascular reactivity along functional networks in older adults with long COVID

AbstractBackgroundCerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), an indicator of neurovascular function associated with cognitive decline, relies on vascular and inflammatory processes, making it a potential mechanism of interest driving neurological changes in long COVID among older adults. Given the variability in symptoms associated with long COVID, distribution corrected z‐scores (DisCo‐Z), a subject‐specific abnormalities (SSA) approach more suited for heterogenous conditions, was employed to examine CVR and long COVID in older adults. Relationships between CVR, post‐COVID subjective cognitive decline (pcSCD), and cognitive function were examined.Methods15 older adults with long COVID (M age = 63.9, 6 males) and 24 healthy older adults (M age = 66.7, 6 males) performed a breath‐holding task while in the MR scanner to examine CVR. DisCo‐Z was used to examine the presence and size of extreme clusters of increased or decreased CVR (>100 voxels) within the 7 Yeo functional networks. Non‐parametric tests were used to examine group differences in presence and mean size of extreme clusters. Finally, relationships between: 1) extent of pcSCD and extreme cluster values in long COVID, and 2) cognitive testing scores and global “burden” (cluster size mean and sum) were examined.ResultsGroups did not differ significantly on gender (p = .323) or age (p = .324). Greater incidence of positive extreme clusters within Ventral Attention (p = .028) and Limbic (p = .049) networks were observed in long COVID (with minimal incidences of negative extreme clusters across networks). Group differences were observed for mean cluster size in the Ventral Attention network (p = .016), as well. Extent of pcSCD was positively correlated with DisCo‐Z values for the Ventral Attention network (p = .021) with a trending level of significance for the Limbic network (p = 0.053). Finally, within the full sample, global CVR burden was negatively correlated with memory test scores (p = 0.014).ConclusionsUsing the SSA approach, group differences in CVR were observed in older adults experiencing long COVID. In particular, differences were observed within functional networks thought to drive attention, executive function, and emotional control, which was correlated with pcSCD. Finally, global CVR burden was negatively correlated with memory. These findings, though preliminary, suggest CVR may represent a potential neurobiological mechanism driving pcSCD in older adults.

Altered cerebrovascular reactivity along functional networks in older adults with long COVID

AbstractBackgroundCerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), an indicator of neurovascular function associated with cognitive decline, relies on vascular and inflammatory processes, making it a potential mechanism of interest driving neurological changes in long COVID among older adults. Given the variability in symptoms associated with long COVID, distribution corrected z‐scores (DisCo‐Z), a subject‐specific abnormalities (SSA) approach more suited for heterogenous conditions, was employed to examine CVR and long COVID in older adults. Relationships between CVR, post‐COVID subjective cognitive decline (pcSCD), and cognitive function were examined.Method15 older adults with long COVID (M age = 63.9, 6 males) and 24 healthy older adults (M age = 66.7, 6 males) performed a breath‐holding task while in the MR scanner to examine CVR. DisCo‐Z was used to examine the presence and size of extreme clusters of increased or decreased CVR (>100 voxels) within the 7 Yeo functional networks. Non‐parametric tests were used to examine group differences in presence and mean size of extreme clusters. Finally, relationships between: 1) extent of pcSCD and extreme cluster values in long COVID, and 2) cognitive testing scores and global “burden” (cluster size mean and sum) were examined.ResultGroups did not differ significantly on gender (p = .323) or age (p = .324). Greater incidence of positive extreme clusters within Ventral Attention (p = .028) and Limbic (p = .049) networks were observed in long COVID (with minimal incidences of negative extreme clusters across networks). Group differences were observed for mean cluster size in the Ventral Attention network (p = .016), as well. Extent of pcSCD was positively correlated with DisCo‐Z values for the Ventral Attention network (p = .021) with a trending level of significance for the Limbic network (p = 0.053). Finally, within the full sample, global CVR burden was negatively correlated with memory test scores (p = 0.014).ConclusionUsing the SSA approach, group differences in CVR were observed in older adults experiencing long COVID. In particular, differences were observed within functional networks thought to drive attention, executive function, and emotional control, which was correlated with pcSCD. Finally, global CVR burden was negatively correlated with memory. These findings, though preliminary, suggest CVR may represent a potential neurobiological mechanism driving pcSCD in older adults.

Identification Of Local Clusters Of Hand Foot And Mouth Disease Based On Local Geary C Statistic

Background: Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common childhood illness caused by enteroviruses. Increasingly, the disease has a substantial burden throughout Vietnam. To better understand of the epidemiology of HFMD, this study aims to investigate the use of local Geary’s C statistic in the identification of local clusters of HFMD in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. Methods: Histogram was first used to study the distribution of HFMD cases the incidence of HFMD. Local Geary C statistics was then applied to identify the spatial clusters of HFMD cases and HFMD incidence including high-high, low-low, negative and other positive clusters. Finally, HFMD cases and infection rates collected in Ho Chi Minh were used to explore the spatial clusters of HFMD. Results: It was found that, in the case of using HFMD cases, two high-high clusters in District 12 and Binh Tan in the city center, one low-low cluster in District 5 in the east of the city center and two negative clusters in Binh Thanh and District 7 in the west of the city were successfully detected. On the other hand, in the case of using HFMD infection rates, a total of three high-high clusters, one low-low cluster, one negative and one other positive clusters were successfully detected, in which, the three high-high clusters were found in the districts of Binh Tan (289 cases/100,000 inhabitants), Binh Chanh (283 cases/100,000 inhabitants) and Tan Phu (281 cases/100,000 inhabitants) in the east of the city. Conclusions: findings in this study confirm the usefulness of local Geary’s C statistic in the identification of spatial clusters of HFMD.

Two subtypes of compulsive sexual behavior disorder.

Models explaining addictive behaviors such as the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model emphasize the importance of reinforcement mechanisms for developing and maintaining these behaviors, including compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD) as well as personal characteristics as vulnerability factors. This study aimed to determine whether there are CSBD subtypes distinguished by reinforcement sensitivity. We hypothesize that one subtype is sensitive to positive reinforcement (C+subtype) and one is sensitive to negative reinforcement (Ȼ-subtype). We calculated a cluster analysis with data from 62 patients with CSBD and tested differences between the identified clusters by t-test. The sample consisted only of men. Cluster variables were: the sensitivity to the Behavioral Inhibition and Approach System (BIS/BAS), the severity of depressive symptoms (BDI-II), the severity of Trait Anxiety (STAI-T), Sexual Sensation Seeking (SSSS), Thrill- and Adventure-Seeking (SSS-V subscale), Disinhibition (SSS-V subscale), Experience Seeking (SSS-V subscale), and Boredom Susceptibility (SSS-V subscale). Between-cluster differences were analyzed for Trait Sexual Motivation (TSMQ) and Sexual Compulsivity (SCS). The results showed a two-cluster solution with cluster 1 representing patients sensitive to negative reinforcement (Ȼ-subtype) and cluster 2 representing patients sensitive to positive reinforcement (C+subtype). No significant difference in symptom severity of Sexual Compulsivity between clusters was found. Cluster 2 showed higher Importance of Sex and a higher motivation to seek sexual encounters than cluster 2. We found a two-cluster solution regarding reinforcement sensitivity in patients with CSBD. This may have clinical implications regarding individual therapy by focusing on the underlying maintenance mechanisms.

Carboxymethyl cellulose capped zinc oxide nanoparticles dispersed in ionic liquid and its antimicrobial effects against foodborne pathogens

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have been proven with antimicrobial function, but the high tendency to aggregate hinders their practical applications. To improve the dispersibility of ZnO NPs as antimicrobial agent, choline acetate (ChAc), a class of ionic liquids, was employed to facilitate the dispersion of ZnO NPs capped with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). In this study, ZnO-CMC NPs at various concentrations were added in DI water with or without ChAc followed by sonication. Uniform and small particles were observed in ChAc-dispersed ZnO-CMC (ChAc/ZnO-CMC) by atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, due to the formation of a double layer on their surface via the positive and negative charged ionic clusters from ChAc, thereby enhancing repulsion and inhibiting aggregation. The antimicrobial capacity was tested against two strains - Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) and Escherichia coli K-12 (E. coli K-12), based on minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and bacteria growth kinetics. The ChAc/ZnO-CMC exhibited the strongest antimicrobial activities as compared with commercial ZnO and as-prepared ZnO-CMC without ChAc. The antimicrobial capacity was related to occurrence of cytolysis, disruption of cell walls and ROS production. Overall, ChAc/ZnO-CMC NPs hold great potential as an antimicrobial agent and may be incorporated into different food packaging films and coatings.