Present Results Research Articles

Post-error slowing during motor sequence learning under extrinsic and intrinsic error feedback conditions.

Post-error slowing, described as an error-corrective index of response binding during motor sequence learning, has only been demonstrated in the serial reaction time task under conditions where extrinsic error feedback is presented. The present experiment investigated whether post-error slowing is dependent on, or is influenced by, extrinsic error feedback. Thirty participants (14 females, Mage = 21.9 ± 1.8 years) completed the serial reaction time task with or without presentation of extrinsic error feedback. Post-error slowing was observed following response error whether feedback was presented or not. However, presentation of extrinsic error feedback increased post-error slowing across practice and extended the number of responses that were slowed following an error. There was no evidence of feedback effects on motor sequence learning or explicit awareness. Instead, feedback appeared to function as a performance factor that reduced response error rates relative to no feedback conditions. These findings illustrate that post-error slowing in motor sequence learning is not reliant on or a result of presentation of extrinsic error information. More specific to the serial reaction time task paradigm, the present findings demonstrate that the common practice of presenting error feedback is not necessary for investigating motor sequence learning unless the aim is to maintain low error rate. However, doing so might inflate reaction time in latter training blocks.

The difference in clinical characteristics between patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment during partial and complete lock-down periods related to COVID-19 pandemics 2-year long follow-up results

BackgroundWe aimed to compare results of clinical presentation of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD), and the surgical approach during partial or complete lock-down periods (LP), and non-COVID periods in a tertiary ophthalmology clinic.MethodsThe medical data of the patients who were diagnosed with RRD in a tertiary hospital. The demographic data of patients, the duration from the beginning of the visual symptoms to hospital admission, the status of lens, the anatomical quadrant of retinal break, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at presentation, the type of intraocular tamponade, and final BCVA were recorded. The exclusion criteria were RD other than rhegmatogenous (tractional or exudative), and incomplete follow-up until 2nd-year.ResultsThe study included 20 eyes of 20 RRD cases in partial LP, 20 eyes of 20 RRD cases in complete LP, and 23 eyes of 23 RRD cases in non-COVID period. The ratio of perfluoropropane (C3F8) gas to silicone oil which was applied as intraocular tamponade at the end of the surgery for RRD was 15/8 in non-COVID period, 11/9 in partial LP, and 11/9 in complete LP (p = 0.730). In final visit at postoperative 2nd-year, the BCVA was logMAR 0.613 ± 0.425 in non-COVID period, logMAR 0.668 ± 0.348 in partial LP, and logMAR 0.730 ± 0.368 in complete LP (p = 0.612). In both inferior and superior quadrant RD, there was significant difference between baseline and final BCVA after surgery. (Baseline and final BCVA in inferior RD: logMAR 1.71 ± 0.40, and logMAR 0.950 ± 0.30 (p = 0.011) and, in superior RD: logMAR 1.35 ± 0.59, and logMAR 0.505 ± 0.321 (p = 0.0001), respectively.)ConclusionsAs a result, it seems that both partial and complete LP did not modify the typology of RRD surgeries.Trial registrationRetrospectively registered. The study followed the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki, and it was approved by the local ethical committee (2023-088).

Nano-reusable CuO-ZnO Catalyzed One-Pot Synthesis of 1-Amidoalkyl-2-Naphthols under Green Condition

Introduction: The Developed CuO-ZnO nanocomposite has been demonstrated as a new and environmentally friendly catalyst for one-pot multicomponent reaction between aldehydes, 2- naphthol and amides in the synthesis of 1-amidoalkyl-2-naphthols. Method: The new catalyst was synthesized by a ball-milling method by mixing a mixture of CuO and ZnO powder in various proportions and characterized by different spectroscopic methods such as powder X-ray diffraction (pXRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), UV-Visible analysis, EDAX elemental analysis and mapping. The advantages of the devised protocol include a green approach, simple work-up procedures, avoidance of hazardous solvents, and good to excellent yields. RE Sult: Evaluation of the catalyst performance in the synthesis of some 1-amidoalkyl-2-naphthols showed presentable results. Sixteen derivatives were synthesized in desirable yield by our new method (4a-4p). CuO-ZnO nanocomposite as a safe and efficient catalyst could be reused up to 5 runs for the synthesis of naphthol derivatives without any significant decrease in its potency. Conclusion: The High purity of the products and desirable yields are other points that make the present work more attractive.

WPConvNet: An Interpretable Wavelet Packet Kernel-Constrained Convolutional Network for Noise-Robust Fault Diagnosis.

Deep learning (DL) has present great diagnostic results in fault diagnosis field. However, the poor interpretability and noise robustness of DL-based methods are still the main factors limiting their wide application in industry. To address these issues, an interpretable wavelet packet kernel-constrained convolutional network (WPConvNet) is proposed for noise-robust fault diagnosis, which combines the feature extraction ability of wavelet bases and the learning ability of convolutional kernels together. First, the wavelet packet convolutional (WPConv) layer is proposed, and constraints are imposed to convolutional kernels, so that each convolution layer is a learnable discrete wavelet transform. Second, a soft threshold activation is proposed to reduce the noise component in feature maps, whose threshold is adaptively learned by estimating the standard deviation of noise. Third, we link the cascaded convolutional structure of convolutional neutral network (CNN) with wavelet packet decomposition and reconstruction using Mallat algorithm, which is interpretable in model architecture. Extensive experiments are carried out on two bearing fault datasets, and the results show that the proposed architecture outperforms other diagnosis models in terms of interpretability and noise robustness.

The call for hybrid work arrangement post-pandemic

COVID-19 has led to abrupt changes in work norms and practices. Despite receding pandemic restrictions, the popularity of remote or hybrid work has not subsided. As employees around the world continue to call for more flexibility and autonomy in the way they work, human resource leaders must continuously consider and evaluate decisions based on ever-changing sentiment, balancing the interests of employees and employers alike. In this perspective article, we review the current state of work in the Southeast Asian region, focusing on Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand, and present preliminary results from a region-wide mental health assessment that was conducted in late 2022. We argue for the continuation of hybrid work in the region and elaborate on the mental health risks that come with remote working.

The world of top sports people – the review of genetic, epigenetic and psychological factors underlying athletic achievements in terms of neural transmission

Background: Psychogenetics of sports is a fairly recent branch that combines research on genetic, environmental, and psychological factors influencing sports accomplishments. There has been a growing interest among scientists in analysing the results of polymorphic variants of genes that code for brain neurotransmitters. Epigenetics is also significant, especially in DNA methylation in selected promoters of candidate genes. Methods: The work includes a review of the available literature on the topic. The review concerned scientific publications on cerebral neurotransmission in sports from the last 20 years.Results: The analysis of publications on the researched topic results in a holistic presentation of a new, prospective area of research: psychogenetics in sport. For biological reasons, the authors focused on the dopaminergic system, which includes catechol-methyltransferase. Epigenetics, which has been shown to significantly impact sports psychogenetics, is also central to the study.Conclusion: It has been demonstrated that elite sports development depends to some extend on a genetic component. Nevertheless, our present understanding of the molecular basis of cognitive abilities and personality traits in athletes is still insufficient and the very discipline of sports genetics and epigenetics needs further extensive research.

A spatial threshold for astrocyte calcium surge.

There is a spatial threshold for the astrocyte intracellular calcium signal propagation that is determined by astrocyte intrinsic properties and controls gliotransmission.

Clinicopathologic features and outcomes of bilateral lacrimal gland lesions.

The present study reviewed the clinicopathological features and outcomes of bilateral lacrimal gland lesions. The data of 113 patients who underwent lacrimal gland biopsy at the West China Hospital of Sichuan University, China, between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2021, are presented in this case series. The patients all presented with bilateral lacrimal gland lesions. The collected data included patient demographics, clinical features, the results of laboratory examinations, imaging presentations, histopathological diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes. The mean age of the 113 enrolled patients was 47.4 ± 14.9 years (range, 11-77 years) with a predominance of females (54.9%, n = 62). The lacrimal gland was the source of the majority of biopsy tissue (98.2%, n = 111). The most prevalent etiology was immunoglobulin G4-related ophthalmic disease (IgG4-ROD) (32.7%, n = 37), followed by idiopathic orbital inflammation (IOI) (28.3%, n = 32), mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma (17.7%, n = 20), reactive lymphoid hyperplasia (RLH) (10.6%, n = 12), and mantle cell lymphoma (4.4%, n = 5). Patients with IOI were significantly younger than those with IgG4-ROD and MALT lymphoma (t = 2.932, P = 0.005; t = 3.865, P<0.001, respectively). Systemic symptoms were more prevalent among patients with IgG4-ROD (χ2 = 7.916, P = 0.005). The majority of patients were treated with surgery (53.1%, n = 60), with surgery combined with corticosteroid therapy (21.2%, n = 24) being the second most common treatment. The majority of patients (91.2%, n = 103) attained complete resolution, stable disease, or significant improvement. In conclusion, there are several aetiologies associated with bilateral lacrimal gland lesions, the most prevalent being IgG4-ROD, IOI, and MALT lymphoma. Systemic symptoms were more common in patients with IgG4-ROD. The majority of patients who presented with bilateral lesions of the lacrimal glands responded satisfactorily to treatment, with favorable results.

Analyzing the Nuclear Structure of 13O-13B and 13N-13C Mirror Nuclei

In the context of the shell model, electromagnetic transitions were used to analyze the nuclear structure of a mirror nucleus with the same mass number, A = 13. The shell model investigation was performed by calculating the root mean square (rms) for the proton, neutron, matter and charge radii, occupancies, the excitation energies, as well as electromagnetic moments, using the elements of a body density matrix of the PSDMOD two-body effective interactions carried out in the psdpn-shell model space. The present results adopted the harmonic oscillator's single particle eigen functions and Hartree-Fock approximation. In addition, the effect of core polarization was added using the effective charge and effective g factors to calculate electromagnetic moments. To acquire a fair analysis of the information, the core polarization has to be present. The outcomes were compared with experimental data

Pengembangan Media Papan Sosial Emosional (Pansos) untuk Meningkatkan Perkembangan Sosial Emosional Anak Usia 5-6 Tahun

Lilia Fitriyati (NIM: 214223046), Development of Social-emotional Board Media (Pansos) to Improve Social Emotional of 5-6 Years Old Children (PGPAUD), 2023.Early childhood is a golden age, a time when growth and development begin and are on going. One aspect of child development that needs to be developed by educators is the aspect of social development. Social development aspects can be developed with game media. Educators should use interesting media in their learning. One way to develop social-emotional aspects is with Social-emotional Board Media (Pansos).Adopting from the monopoly game This study aims to determine the social-emotional development of children before and after using Social-emotional Board Media (Pansos) for children aged 5-6 years at Kober Nur Ismail. The purpose of this research and development is to find out the increase in children's social-emotional abilities through the use of learning media Social-emotional Board (Pansos). This type of research is research and development by adopting Sugiyono's steps. The research method used in this research is Research and Development (R&amp;D) using steps from Borg and Gall which are simplified into stages, namely potential and problems, data collection, product design, design validation, design revision, product testing. The subjects of this study were children at Kober Nur Ismail who were 5-6 years old. From the results of the study it was known that there was an increase in social emotional development by 42.5% with the results of the initial presentation during the pre-test 40% and post-test 82.5%

Uncommon P1 Anchor-featured Viral T Cell Epitope Preference within HLA-A*2601 and HLA-A*0101 Individuals.

The individual HLA-related susceptibility to emerging viral diseases such as COVID-19 underscores the importance of understanding how HLA polymorphism influences peptide presentation and T cell recognition. Similar to HLA-A*0101, which is one of the earliest identified HLA alleles among the human population, HLA-A*2601 possesses a similar characteristic for the binding peptide and acts as a prevalent allomorph in HLA-I. In this study, we found that, compared with HLA-A*0101, HLA-A*2601 individuals exhibit distinctive features for the T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus after infection and/or vaccination. The heterogeneous T cell responses can be attributed to the distinct preference of HLA-A*2601 and HLA-A*0101 to T cell epitope motifs with negative-charged residues at the P1 and P3 positions, respectively. Furthermore, we determined the crystal structures of the HLA-A*2601 complexed to four peptides derived from SARS-CoV-2 and human papillomavirus, with one structure of HLA-A*0101 for comparison. The shallow pocket C of HLA-A*2601 results in the promiscuous presentation of peptides with "switchable" bulged conformations because of the secondary anchor in the median portion. Notably, the hydrogen bond network formed between the negative-charged P1 anchors and the HLA-A*2601-specific residues lead to a "closed" conformation and solid placement for the P1 secondary anchor accommodation in pocket A. This insight sheds light on the intricate relationship between HLA I allelic allomorphs, peptide binding, and the immune response and provides valuable implications for understanding disease susceptibility and potential vaccine design.

Plantar Flexor Muscle Activity and Fascicle Behavior in Gastrocnemius Medialis During Running in Highly Cushioned Shoes With Carbon-Fiber Plates.

The purposes of this study were to clarify the electromyography (EMG) of plantar flexors and to analyze the fascicle and tendon behaviors of the gastrocnemius medialis (GM) during running in the carbon-fiber plate embedded in thicker midsole racing shoes, such as the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly (VF) and traditional racing shoes (TRAD). We compared the fascicle and series elastic element behavior of the GM and EMG of the lower limb muscles during running (14km/h, 45s) in athletes wearing VF or TRAD. GM EMGs in the push-off phase were approximately 50% lower in athletes wearing VF than in TRAD. Although the series elastic element behavior and/or mean fascicle-shortening velocity during the entire stance phase were not significantly different between VF and TRAD, a significant difference was found in both the mean EMG and integral EMG of the GM during the push-off phase. EMG of the gastrocnemius lateralis (GL) during the first half of the push-off phase was significantly different between VF and TRAD. Present results suggest that VF facilitates running propulsion, resulting in a decrease in GM and GL EMGs at a given running velocity during the push-off phase, leading to a reduction in metabolic cost.

Analisis Stilistika dalam Lagu Jawa Widodari Karya Denny Caknan

The song Widodari is a song that uses the dangdut genre and is sung by Denny Caknan using the Javanese language. An interesting thing to study further is the use of diction, namely by looking at the style of language used. The purpose of this study was to analyze the diction contained in the lyrics of the song Denny Caknan. Stylistic studies are directed to discuss the content of literary works. In general, regulating stylistic studies includes diction or word choice (lexical choice), sentence structure, figure of speech, partnership, rhyme patterns, and dimensions used for authors or available in literary works. This study aims to analyze the use of diction and themes contained in Denny Caknan's Dangdut Song Lyrics. The method used is a qualitative descriptive method because the object is the text of the Song Lyrics. Data was taken from 1 album by random sampling and was considered representative. The theory used in this research is stylistic. The stylistic theory is used to see aesthetic beauty in song lyrics. The end of this research is the result of the data analysis presentation. The presentation of the results of the data analysis begins with the presentation of the diction on the data source contained in the lyrics of the song Denny Caknan. Then proceed with an explanation of the theme of the lyrics. The results of the research found are diction and themes in the Widodari song which was popularized by Denny Caknan.

The Spectrum of Response Bias in Trauma Reports: Overreporting, Underreporting, and Mixed Presentation

Typically, research on response bias in symptom reports covers two extreme ends of the spectrum: overreporting and underreporting. Yet, little is known about symptom presentation that includes both types of response bias simultaneously (i.e., mixed presentation). We experimentally checked how overreporting, underreporting, and mixed reporting reflect in trauma symptom reports. Undergraduate students (N = 151) were randomly allocated to one of four conditions: control group (n = 40), overreporting (n = 37), underreporting (n = 36), or a mixed reporting (n = 38) group. The control group was asked to be honest, whereas the simulation groups received instructions they were expected to be able to relate to. Participants were administered a PTSD checklist, the Supernormality Scale-Revised, which screens for symptom denial, and the Inventory of Problems-29, which gauges overreporting. For all three measures, group differences were significant (F(3, 147) > 13.78, ps < . 001, ɳ2 > .22), with the overreporting group exhibiting the most severe symptom presentation and the underreporting group endorsing the fewest symptoms, while the mixed group almost perfectly imitated the results of the control group on all measures. Thus, instructing individuals to strategically exhibit both overreporting, to a functional degree, and underreporting results in a symptom presentation that is relatively similar to genuine performance. To optimize accuracy statistics, researchers might want to consider including such mixed group condition in future simulation studies.

Linear statistics for Coulomb gases: higher order cumulants

We consider N classical particles interacting via the Coulomb potential in spatial dimension d and in the presence of an external trap, at equilibrium at inverse temperature β. In the large N limit, the particles are confined within a droplet of finite size. We study smooth linear statistics, i.e. the fluctuations of sums of the form LN=∑i=1Nf(xi) , where x i ’s are the positions of the particles and where f(xi) is a sufficiently regular function. There exists at present standard results for the first and second moments of LN in the large N limit, as well as associated Central Limit Theorems in general dimension and for a wide class of confining potentials. Here we obtain explicit expressions for the higher order cumulants of LN at large N, when the function f(x)=f(|x|) and the confining potential are both rotationnally invariant. A remarkable feature of our results is that these higher cumulants depend only on the value of f′(|x|) and its higher order derivatives evaluated exactly at the boundary of the droplet, which in this case is a d-dimensional sphere. In the particular two-dimensional case d = 2 at the special value β = 2, a connection to the Ginibre ensemble allows us to derive these results in an alternative way using the tools of determinantal point processes. Finally we also obtain the large deviation form of the full probability distribution function of LN .

Severe hypercalcemia as the presenting manifestation of bilateral primary adrenal lymphoma

ABSTRACT Primary adrenal lymphoma (PAL) is a rare tumor with fewer than 300 cases reported to date. In the absence of characteristic imaging features and diagnostic serum markers, a biopsy remains the definitive way to diagnose PAL. Although rituximab-based chemotherapeutic regimens have led to improved outcomes, late presentation, undetected, and untreated adrenal insufficiency result in a dismal prognosis. Although it is well known that hypercalcemia in malignancy carries a grave outcome, well documented cases of hypercalcemia association with PAL is very rarely described in the literature. Here, we describe a case of PAL that predominantly presented with gastrointestinal manifestations of hypercalcemia.

Night time heart rate predicts next-day pain in fibromyalgia and primary back pain.

Primary chronic pain is pain that persists for over 3 months without associated measurable tissue damage. One of the most consistent findings in primary chronic pain is its association with autonomic hyperactivation. Yet whether the autonomic hyperactivation causes the pain or results from it is still unclear. It is also unclear to what extent autonomic hyperactivation is related to experienced pain intensity in different subtypes or primary chronic pain. Our first aim was to test lagged relationships between the markers of autonomic activation (heart rate) and pain intensity to determine its directionality. The main question here was whether autonomic biomarkers predict pain intensity or whether pain intensity predicts autonomic biomarkers. The second aim was to test whether this relationship is different between people with primary back pain and people with fibromyalgia. Sixty-six patients with chronic pain were observed over an average of 81 days. Sleep heart rate and heart rate variability were measured with a wearable sensor, and pain intensity was assessed from daily subjective reports. The results showed a predictive relationship between sleep heart rate and next-day pain intensity (P < 0.05), but not between daily pain intensity and next night heart rate. There was no interaction with the type of chronic pain. These findings suggest that autonomic hyperactivation, whether stress-driven or arising from other causes, precedes increases in primary chronic pain. Moreover, the present results suggest that autonomic hyperactivation is a common mechanism underlying the pain experience in fibromyalgia and chronic back pain.

A novel heterogeneous biocatalyst based on graphene oxide for synthesis of pyran derivatives

Graphene oxide modified with tryptophan (GO-Trp) has been introduced as a new heterogeneous acid-base biocatalyst for synthesis of some pyran derivatives. GO was prepared according to the Hummer’s method and tryptophan as a low-cost green amino acid is covalently bonded to the surface of GO without any organic or toxic reagents in a green way. The new catalyst was characterized by different spectroscopic methods such as Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction (XRD), etc. …. The results of XRD patterns showed an increase in the distance between the GO plates in the presence of the modifying agent which specifies the presence of amino acid between the GO layers. XPS analysis also confirmed successful modification through the presence of C–N bonds in the structure of the catalyst. In addition, improvements in thermal stability and changes in the morphology of the samples were observed using thermogravimetric analysis and Field emission scanning electron microscopy analysis respectively. Evaluation of the catalyst performance in the synthesis of some benzo[b]pyran and pyrano[3,2-c] chromene derivatives showed presentable results. Seven benzo[b]pyran (4a–4g) and five pyrano[3,2-c] chromene (4h–4l) derivatives were synthesized. GO-Trp as a safe, natural and efficient catalyst, could be reused up to 5 runs for synthesis of pyran derivatives without any significant decrease in its potency. High purity of the products and desirable yields are other points that make the present work more attractive.

Lack of clinical utility of serum macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) for monitoring therapy response and estimating prognosis in advanced lung cancer.

Lung cancer is a major burden to global health and is still among the most frequent and most lethal malignant diseases. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a proinflammatory cytokine involved in a variety of processes including tumorigenesis, formation of a tumor microenvironment and metastasis. It is therefore a potential prognostic biomarker in malignant diseases. In this study, we investigated the applicability of MIF in serum samples as a biomarker in lung cancer. In a retrospective approach, we analyzed the sera of 79 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and 14 patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) before the start of chemotherapy, as well as before the second and third chemotherapy cycle, respectively. Serum MIF levels were measured using a sandwich immunoassay with a sulfo-tag-labelled detection antibody, while pro-gastrin releasing peptide (proGRP) levels were determined with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. No difference in serum MIF levels between responders and non-responders to chemotherapy was observed at all time points, while proGRP levels were significantly lower in responders before the second chemotherapy cycle (p = 0.012). No differences in biomarker levels depending on the histopathological classification of NSCLC patients was found. Moreover, in ROC curve analyses MIF was not able to distinguish between responders and non-responders to therapy. proGRP could differentiate between responders and non-responders before the second chemotherapy cycle (p = 0.015) with sensitivities of 43% at 90% and 95% specificity, respectively. Likewise, proGRP yielded significantly longer survival times of patients with low proGRP concentrations before the second chemotherapy cycle (p = 0.015) in Kaplan-Meier analyses, yet MIF showed no significant differences in survival times at all time points. Comparison with the biomarkers CEA and CYFRA 21-1 in the same cohort showed that these established biomarkers clearly performed superior to MIF and proGRP. From the present results, there is no indication that serum MIF may serve as a biomarker in prognosis and monitoring of response to therapy in lung cancer. Limitations of this study include its retrospective design, the inclusion of a larger NSCLC and a smaller SCLC subgroup, the classical chemotherapeutic treatment, the use of a non-diagnostic immunoassay (RUO-test) for MIF measurement and the lack of a validation cohort. Strengths of the study are its highly standardized procedures concerning sample collection, preanalytic treatment, measurements and quality control of the laboratory assays.

An in-depth look at the structural, electronic, optical, and thermal properties of the cubic Be x Mg y Zn1−x−y O quaternary alloys

In the present research work, the structural, electrical, optical, and thermodynamic properties of the BexMgyZn1−x-yO quaternary alloy were investigated. Its conventional structure, which is composed of the binary compounds ZnO, BeO, and MgO, and their ordered ternary alloys BexZn1−xO, BexMg1−xO, and MgxZn1−xO are examined. A non-linear variation of lattice constants (a) and bulk modulus (B) as a function of the compositions (x, y) in BexMgyZn1−x-yO alloys is observed due to varying atomic radii of the constituent elements leading to the structural distortion against compositional changes. Both the ternary and quaternary alloys exhibit semiconducting properties, characterized by a direct bandgap ranging from 2–4 eV. This indicates their absorption and emission of light in the visible region of the spectrum, making them promising candidates for optoelectronic applications. The results of optical characteristics display the variation of refractive index and absorption coefficient of these alloys with respect to composition and wavelength. Present results will forecast the possible applications and guidelines for synthesizing such alloys under extreme conditions.