Underlying Working Mechanisms Research Articles

Opening the Black Box: The Underlying Working Mechanisms in Virtual-Reality Exposure Therapy for Anxiety Disorders

Although research on virtual-reality (VR) exposure therapy (VRET) in anxiety disorders has primarily focused on effectiveness and acceptability, the underlying working mechanisms have received scant attention. To fill this knowledge gap, we discuss potential theoretical underpinnings of VRET based on three dominant theoretical accounts on exposure: inhibitory-learning theory (expectancy violation), emotional-processing theory (habituation), and self-efficacy theory. Whereas theoretically speaking, habituation and self-efficacy seem plausible candidate mechanisms to explain the effects of VRET, the role of expectancy violation is less straightforward. Because of the simulated nature of VR, some feared outcomes cannot occur, and therefore, possibilities to violate expectancies about their occurrence may be compromised. Empirical evidence on the working mechanisms of VRET is scarce and has important limitations. Avenues for future research are provided. Insights into the mechanisms of VRET not only are of theoretical importance but also can provide theory-based directions to optimize the application of VRET.

Underlying Working Mechanisms of Virtual Reality Exposure: Exploring the Role of Fearful Expectancies and Habituation

While research has primarily focused on establishing the efficacy of virtual reality (VR) exposure, relatively scant attention has been paid to the underlying working mechanisms that drive the effects. The present study examined the role of fearful expectancies and fear reduction (habituation) in VR exposure. Fearful expectancies were measured before, during (retrospectively), and after a VR exposure session in 121 participants with elevated fear of spiders. In addition, skin-conductance and heart rate were measured throughout the exposure session to examine fear reduction within the exercises and across the session. Fearful expectancies decreased after VR exposure. Larger decreases were associated with better outcomes 1 week (in the verbal and behavioral measures) and 3 months (in one of the verbal measures) after exposure. Levels of expectancies during exposure were not associated with the outcome. We did not find evidence that expectancies about own reactions were better testable in VR exposure than expectancies about the spider. Fear reduction within the exercises or across the session did generally not predict VR exposure outcome. It is recommended to focus on various operationalizations and experimental manipulations of the mechanisms, as well as to compare these mechanisms between VR and in vivo exposure in future research.

Mechanisms for HNH-mediated target DNA cleavage in type I CRISPR-Cas systems

The metagenome-derived type I-E and type I-F variant CRISPR-associated complex for antiviral defense (Cascade) complexes, fused with HNH domains, precisely cleave target DNA, representing recently identified genome editing tools. However, the underlying working mechanisms remain unknown. Here, structures of type I-FHNH and I-EHNH Cascade complexes at different states are reported. In type I-FHNH Cascade, Cas8fHNH loosely attaches to Cascade head and is adjacent to the 5' end of the target single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). Formation of the full R-loop drives the Cascade head to move outward, allowing Cas8fHNH to detach and rotate ∼150° to accommodate target ssDNA for cleavage. In type I-EHNH Cascade, Cas5eHNH domain is adjacent to the 5' end of the target ssDNA. Full crRNA-target pairing drives the lift of the Cascade head, widening the substrate channel for target ssDNA entrance. Altogether, these analyses into both complexes revealed that crRNA-guided positioning of target DNA and target DNA-induced HNH unlocking are two key factors for their site-specific cleavage of target DNA.

Two-dimensional layered material photodetectors: what could be the upcoming downstream applications beyond prototype devices?

With distinctive advantages spanning excellent flexibility, rich physical properties, strong electrostatic tunability, dangling-bond-free surface, and ease of integration, 2D layered materials (2DLMs) have demonstrated tremendous potential for photodetection. However, to date, most of the research enthusiasm has been merely focused on developing novel prototype devices. In the past few years, researchers have also been devoted to developing various downstream applications based on 2DLM photodetectors to contribute to promoting them from fundamental research to practical commercialization, and extensive accomplishments have been realized. In spite of the remarkable advancements, these fascinating research findings are relatively scattered. To date, there is still a lack of a systematic and profound summarization regarding this fast-evolving domain. This is not beneficial to researchers, especially researchers just entering this research field, who want to have a quick, timely, and comprehensive inspection of this fascinating domain. To address this issue, in this review, the emerging downstream applications of 2DLM photodetectors in extensive fields, including imaging, health monitoring, target tracking, optoelectronic logic operation, ultraviolet monitoring, optical communications, automatic driving, and acoustic signal detection, have been systematically summarized, with the focus on the underlying working mechanisms. At the end, the ongoing challenges of this rapidly progressing domain are identified, and the potential schemes to address them are envisioned, which aim at navigating the future exploration as well as fully exerting the pivotal roles of 2DLMs towards the practical optoelectronic industry.

Emerging Schemes for Advancing 2D Material Photoconductive-Type Photodetectors.

By virtue of the widely tunable band structure, dangling-bond-free surface, gate electrostatic controllability, excellent flexibility, and high light transmittance, 2D layered materials have shown indisputable application prospects in the field of optoelectronic sensing. However, 2D materials commonly suffer from weak light absorption, limited carrier lifetime, and pronounced interfacial effects, which have led to the necessity for further improvement in the performance of 2D material photodetectors to make them fully competent for the numerous requirements of practical applications. In recent years, researchers have explored multifarious improvement methods for 2D material photodetectors from a variety of perspectives. To promote the further development and innovation of 2D material photodetectors, this review epitomizes the latest research progress in improving the performance of 2D material photodetectors, including improvement in crystalline quality, band engineering, interface passivation, light harvesting enhancement, channel depletion, channel shrinkage, and selective carrier trapping, with the focus on their underlying working mechanisms. In the end, the ongoing challenges in this burgeoning field are underscored, and potential strategies addressing them have been proposed. On the whole, this review sheds light on improving the performance of 2D material photodetectors in the upcoming future.

Working Mechanisms of Exposure and Response Prevention in the Treatment of Tourette Syndrome and Tic Disorders Revisited: No Evidence for within-Session Habituation to Premonitory Urges.

Exposure and response prevention (ERP) has been shown to be an effective treatment for Tourette syndrome (TS) and chronic tic disorders (CTD). ERP is based on voluntary tic suppression in combination with prolonged exposure to premonitory urges preceding tics. A prevailing hypothesis of the working mechanism underlying ERP in tics is habituation to the premonitory urges as a result of prolonged exposure. However, results so far are equivocal. This study aims to further explore the relation between urges and ERP in tics, by investigating the course of premonitory urges during ERP sessions. Using a data-driven approach, within-session habituation to premonitory urge intensity was investigated. In total, 29 TS patients rated urge intensity at seven timepoints during ten 1 h ERP sessions. Latent growth modeling showed an increase in urge intensity during the first 15 min of each session followed by a plateau in the remaining 45 min of the session. This does not support the idea of within-session habituation to premonitory urges as a working mechanism of ERP. Other potential underlying working mechanisms are discussed and should be tested in future research.

G-FORCE: the effectiveness of group psychotherapy for Cluster-C personality disorders: protocol of a pragmatic RCT comparing psychodynamic and two forms of schema group therapy

BackgroundCluster-C personality disorders (PDs), characterized by a high level of fear and anxiety, are related to high levels of distress, societal dysfunctioning and chronicity of various mental health disorders. Evidence for the optimal treatment is extremely scarce. Nevertheless, the need to treat these patients is eminent. In clinical practice, group therapy is one of the frequently offered approaches, with two important frameworks: schema therapy and psychodynamic therapy. These two frameworks suggest different mechanisms of change, but until now, this has not yet been explored. The purpose of the present G-FORCE trial is to find evidence on the differential (cost)effectiveness of two forms of schema group therapy and psychodynamic group therapy in the routine clinical setting of an outpatient clinic and to investigate the underlying working mechanisms and predictors of outcome of these therapies.MethodsIn this mono-centre pragmatic randomized clinical trial, 290 patients with Cluster-C PDs or other specified PD with predominantly Cluster-C traits, will be randomized to one of three treatment conditions: group schema therapy for Cluster-C (GST-C, 1 year), schema-focused group therapy (SFGT, 1.5 year) or psychodynamic group therapy (PG, 2 years). Randomization will be pre-stratified on the type of PD. Change in severity of PD (APD-IV) over 24 months will be the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcome measures are personality functioning, psychiatric symptoms and quality of life. Potential predictors and mediators are selected and measured repeatedly. Also, a cost-effectiveness study will be performed, primarily based on a societal perspective, using both clinical effects and quality-adjusted life years. The time-points of assessment are at baseline, start of treatment and after 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months.DiscussionThis study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of three formats of group psychotherapy for Cluster-C PDs. Additionally, predictors, procedure and process variables are analysed to investigate the working mechanisms of the therapies. This is the first large RCT on group therapy for Cluster-C PDs and will contribute improving the care of this neglected patient group. The absence of a control group can be considered as a limitation.Trial registrationCCMO, NL72826.029.20. Registered on 31 August 2020, first participant included on 18 October 2020.

Peripheral focused ultrasound stimulation and its applications: From therapeutics to human-computer interaction.

Peripheral focused ultrasound stimulation (pFUS) has gained increasing attention in the past few decades, because it can be delivered to peripheral nerves, neural endings, or sub-organs. With different stimulation parameters, ultrasound stimulation could induce different modulation effects. Depending on the transmission medium, pFUS can be classified as body-coupled US stimulation, commonly used for therapeutics or neuromodulation, or as an air-coupled contactless US haptic system, which provides sensory inputs and allows distinct human-computer interaction paradigms. Despite growing interest in pFUS, the underlying working mechanisms remain only partially understood, and many applications are still in their infancy. This review focused on existing applications, working mechanisms, the latest progress, and future directions of pFUS. In terms of therapeutics, large-sample randomized clinical trials in humans are needed to translate these state of art techniques into treatments for specific diseases. The airborne US for human-computer interaction is still in its preliminary stage, but further efforts in task-oriented US applications might provide a promising interaction tool soon.

Individual psychotherapy for cluster-C personality disorders: protocol of a pragmatic RCT comparing short-term psychodynamic supportive psychotherapy, affect phobia therapy and schema therapy (I-FORCE)

BackgroundCluster-C personality disorders (PDs) are highly prevalent in clinical practice and are associated with unfavourable outcome and chronicity of all common mental health disorders (e.g. depression and anxiety disorders). Although several forms of individual psychotherapy are commonly offered in clinical practice for this population, evidence for differential effectiveness of different forms of psychotherapy is lacking. Also, very little is known about the underlying working mechanisms of these psychotherapies. Finding evidence on the differential (cost)-effectiveness for this group of patients and the working mechanisms of change is important to improve the quality of care for this vulnerable group of patients.ObjectiveIn this study, we will compare the differential (cost)-effectiveness of three individual psychotherapies: short-term psychodynamic supportive psychotherapy (SPSP), affect phobia therapy (APT) and schema therapy (ST). Although these psychotherapies are commonly used in clinical practice, evidence for the Cluster-C PDs is limited. Additionally, we will investigate predictive factors, non-specific and therapy-specific mediators.MethodsThis is a mono-centre randomized clinical trial with three parallel groups: (1) SPSP, (2) APT, (3) ST. Randomization on patient level will be pre-stratified according to type of PD. The total study population to be included consists of 264 patients with Cluster-C PDs or other specified PD with mainly Cluster-C traits, aged 18–65 years, seeking treatment at NPI, a Dutch mental health care institute specialized in PDs. SPSP, APT and ST (50 sessions per treatment) are offered twice a week in sessions of 50 min for the first 4 to 5 months. After that, session frequency decreases to once a week. All treatments have a maximum duration of 1 year. Change in the severity of the PD (ADP-IV) will be the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcome measures are personality functioning, psychiatric symptoms and quality of life. Several potential mediators, predictors and moderators of outcome are also assessed. The effectiveness study is complemented with a cost-effectiveness/utility study, using both clinical effects and quality-adjusted life-years, and primarily based on a societal approach. Assessments will take place at baseline, start of treatment and at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months.DiscussionThis is the first study comparing psychodynamic treatment to schema therapy for Cluster-C PDs. The naturalistic design enhances the clinical validity of the outcome. A limitation is the lack of a control group for ethical reasons.Trial registrationNL72823.029.20 [Registry ID: CCMO]. Registered on 31 August 2020. First participant included on 23 October 2020.

Attention-Based Adversarial Robust Distillation in Radio Signal Classifications for Low-Power IoT Devices

Due to great success of transformers in many applications, such as natural language processing and computer vision, transformers have been successfully applied in automatic modulation classification. We have shown that transformer-based radio signal classification is vulnerable to imperceptible and carefully crafted attacks called adversarial examples. Therefore, we propose a defense system against adversarial examples in transformer-based modulation classifications. Considering the need for computationally efficient architecture particularly for Internet of Things (IoT)-based applications or operation of devices in an environment where power supply is limited, we propose a compact transformer for modulation classification. The advantages of robust training such as adversarial training in transformers may not be attainable in compact transformers. By demonstrating this, we propose a novel compact transformer that can enhance robustness in the presence of adversarial attacks. The new method is aimed at transferring the adversarial attention map from the robustly trained large transformer to a compact transformer. The proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art techniques for the considered white-box scenarios, including the fast gradient method and projected gradient descent attacks. We have provided reasoning of the underlying working mechanisms and investigated the transferability of the adversarial examples between different architectures. The proposed method has the potential to protect the transformer from the transferability of adversarial examples.

Global Sensitivity Analysis of 0-D Lithium Sulfur Electrochemical Model

This paper examines global parameter sensitivity in a zero-dimensional lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery model. Li-S batteries are an appealing cell chemistry due to their high theoretical energy density, abundant supply, and low cost. Due to the lack of complete understanding of the underlying working mechanisms for Li-S cells, the development of mathematical models and state estimation is still in its early stages. Model development and parameter Identification are closely associated. Both are essential for developing battery management systems (BMS) in commercialized Li-S powered applications. This paper highlights the parameter Identification challenges associated with Li-S models. Sensitivity analysis helps for parameter Identification by revealing information about parameter relevance and interdependence. Sensitivity analysis also helps in understanding different physical ranges of parameters, and their impact on model performance/response. In this work, we examine global sensitivity analysis (GSA). A key challenge for GSA, especially in Li-S batteries, is a lack of available information in the literature about a-priori distributions of Li-S parameters. This paper aims to elucidate this challenge by comparing GSA under different parameter distributions. Three model parameters are chosen in this analysis, and their sensitivities are compared under three different distributions. We find that, under certain distributions of parameters, relative importance of the parameters shifts.

High‐Performance 3D Li‐B‐C‐Al Alloy Anode and its Twofold Li Electrostripping and Plating Mechanism Revealed by Synchrotron X‐Ray Tomography

The uncontrollable Li electrostripping and plating process that results in dendritic Li growth and huge volume change of Li anode limits the practicality of Li metal batteries (LMBs). To simultaneously address these issues, designing three‐dimensional (3D), lithiophilic and mechanically robust electrodes seems to be one of the cost‐effective strategies. Herein, a new 3D Li‐B‐C‐Al alloy anode is designed and fabricated. The prepared 3D alloy anode exhibits not only superior lithiophilicity that facilitates uniform Li nucleation and growth but also sufficient mechanical stability that maintains its structural integrity. Superior performance of the prepared 3D alloy is demonstrated through comprehensive electrochemical tests. In addition, non‐destructive and 3D synchrotron X‐ray computed tomography (SX‐CT) technique is employed to investigate the underlying working mechanisms of the prepared alloy anode. A unique twofold Li electrostripping and plating mechanism under different electrochemical cycling conditions is revealed. Lastly, improved performance of the full cells built with the 3D alloy anode and LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM811) cathode corroborate its potential application capability. Overall, the current work not only showcases the superiority of the 3D alloy as potential anode material for LMBs but also provides fundamental insights into its underlying working mechanisms that may further propel its research and development.

Carbon Dots for Intracellular Sensing

Carbon dots (CDs), a type of small, carbon element‐based nanomaterials, have found numerous applications in many fields due to their outstanding properties like fascinating photoluminescence characteristic, great biocompatibility, easy and economical synthesis, and facile functionalization. Over the last decade, huge progress and achievements have been made in terms of the applications of CDs in cellular detection. However, a comprehensive review focusing on this topic is still lacking. Herein, the recent progress in CDs‐mediated intracellular detection, including the fluorescence imaging of cellular structures (e.g., nucleus/nucleolus, mitochondrion, lysosome, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and lipid droplet), the fluorescence detection of a large variety of cellular substances (including endogenous biomacromolecules and their monomers, vitamins, important metabolites, adenosine triphosphate, reactive oxygen species, biothiols, ions, and exogenous compounds), and the monitoring of cellular parameters (pH, temperature, and mitochondrial membrane potential), is thoroughly reviewed. The synthesis, functionalization, and performance of the CDs that serve as fluorescent nanoprobes in living cells are presented. Their underlying working mechanisms are also discussed if available. Finally, the challenges and future research directions of the related research field are listed. This review may foster the future development of more CDs with better cellular sensing performance.

Effect of a novel shrinkage-reducing polycarboxylate superplasticiser on plastic shrinkage cracking of mortars

Plastic shrinkage cracking propagating at early ages inevitably impairs the performance of concrete structures. To mitigate this, using a recently developed shrinkage-reducing polycarboxylate superplasticiser (SR-PCA) with outstanding shrinkage-reducing and water-reducing effectiveness can be a promising approach. The present work aims to investigate the effect of SR-PCA on plastic shrinkage cracking and to clarify the underlying mechanisms. For comparison, a traditional polyether type shrinkage reducing admixture (SRA) and a polycarboxylate superplasticiser (PCA) were also used. Based on the investigations on horizontal shrinkage, settlement, bleeding, evaporation mass loss, cement hydration, surface tension of pore fluid and capillary pressure, the underlying working mechanisms of SR-PCA were identified. The results indicate that SR-PCA is able to reduce the crack area, maximum crack width and average crack width by up to 55, 48 and 50%, respectively. Furthermore, prolonging the bleeding duration and initial time of capillary pressure build-up caused by retarding the cement hydration, lowering the evaporation mass loss, and a lower development rate of capillary stresses and capillary pressure peak value induced by decreasing the surface tension of pore fluid are responsible for preventing the plastic shrinkage cracking of mortars containing SR-PCA.

A renewable admixture to enhance the performance of cement mortars through a pre-hydration method

Aiming to reduce the carbon emission associated with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) based cementitious materials, this study explores a ubiquitous biomolecule, Tannic Acid (TA) to enhance the eco-efficiency of cement mortars through a pre-hydration process. To this end, a small amount of cement is first hydrated in the presence of TA. Due to multiple interactions between the TA and the hydration products of cement, nanoparticles are in situ produced and well-dispersed in the produced cement slurry, which is then used to mix cement mortar. The filler effect of these nanoparticles, together with the dispersing effect of the residual TA in the slurry, can improve the particle packing of the mortar, leading to significant enhancement on the mechanical properties of the produced mortars. Aiming to understand the underlying working mechanisms of the proposed method, a comprehensive experimental program was carried out to characterize the produced nanoparticles and evaluate the effects of the proposed method on the hydration kinetics, workability, setting time, compressive strength, pore structure, and nanomechanical properties of the cement mortar. Testing results show that the proposed method alters the hydration kinetic, increases in the workability of the mortar by up to 7.58%, and reduces the porosity of the cement pastes by more than 17.50%. As a result, the proposed method improves the compressive strengths of the mortars at 180d by up to 45%, significantly enhancing the eco-efficiency of the produced mortars. This study opens news routs and creates new opportunities to identify and design a new generation of chemical admixtures. Unlike traditional, nonrenewable fossil carbon-based admixtures, the new admixtures are renewable, low-cost, and nontoxic.

To whom should I be kind? A randomized trial about kindness for strong and weak social ties on mental wellbeing and its specific mechanisms of change

The current study examines the role of social ties in performing kind acts to enhance university students’ wellbeing. Due to facing multifaceted challenges, university students form a group that is particularly vulnerable in terms of their mental health. Interventions harnessing prosocial behaviour have the potential to increase students’ wellbeing, strengthen personal competencies, and broaden social networks. The first aim of the trial (N = 222) was to explore whether a 4-week acts-of-kindness intervention targeting either (1) strong social ties, (2) weak social ties or (3) unspecified receivers (treatment-as-usual) differ in their impact on students’ mental wellbeing, positive relations, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and perceived stress. The second aim was to examine whether kindness for strong versus weak social ties have different underlying working mechanisms (i.e., positive emotions versus self-esteem) and who benefits most from these instructions (i.e., those with high or low levels of self-esteem and positive relations). Results demonstrated that the most significant improvements in mental wellbeing were found in the kindness for strong social ties condition compared to the other conditions. No mediation effects of positive emotions and self-esteem were found. Moderation analyses revealed that participants who performed kind acts for weak social ties reported significantly less positive effects on mental wellbeing, but only when their levels of self-esteem at baseline were medium or high. Independent of group allocation, participants’ mental wellbeing increased throughout the intervention, but so did the experience of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and perceived stress. More research is needed to examine the timing of kindness interventions and investigate how they can improve mental wellbeing and psychological distress in acute phases of academic stress in university students.

Body Exposure, its Forms of Delivery and Potentially Associated Working Mechanisms: How to Move the Field Forward.

Body image disturbance (BID) is a hallmark feature of eating disorders (EDs) and has proven to be involved in their etiology and maintenance. Therefore, the targeting of BID in treatment is crucial, and has been incorporated in various treatment manuals. One of the most common techniques in the treatment of BID is body exposure (BE), the confrontation with one's own body. BE has been found to be effective in individuals with EDs or high body dissatisfaction. However, BE is applied in a multitude of ways, most of which are based on one or a combination of the hypothesized underlying working mechanisms, with no differential effectiveness known so far. The aim of this paper is to selectively review the main hypothesized working mechanisms of BE and their translation into therapeutic approaches. Specifically, we underline that studies are needed to pinpoint the proposed mechanisms and to develop an empirically informed theoretical model of BE. We provide a framework for future studies in order to identify working mechanisms and increase effectiveness of BE.

Downregulation of CD151 restricts VCAM-1 mediated leukocyte infiltration to reduce neurobiological injuries after experimental stroke

BackgroundTranslational failures in anti-adhesion molecule therapies after stroke reveal the necessity of developing new strategies that not only interrupt leukocyte recruitment but also consider the inhibition of endothelial cell inflammation, verification of therapeutic time window, and normal function maintenance of circulating leukocytes. Our study focused on the potential therapeutic value of CD151 downregulation in improving current anti-adhesion molecule therapies.MethodsLentivirus intracerebroventricular administration was conducted to inhibit the CD151 expression and observe its functional influence on neurological injuries and outcomes. Then, immunohistochemistry and myeloperoxidase activity assessment were performed to explore the effects of CD151 expression on neutrophil and monocyte recruitment after rat cerebral ischemia. Primary rat brain microvascular endothelial cells were subjected to oxygen glucose deprivation and reoxygenation to elucidate the underlying working mechanisms between CD151 and VCAM-1.ResultsThe CD151 downregulation remarkably reduced neurological injuries and improved neurological outcomes, which were accompanied with reduced neutrophil and monocyte infiltration after the CD151 downregulation. The VCAM-1 expression was remarkably decreased among the adhesion molecules on the endothelial cell responsible for neutrophil and monocyte infiltration. The activation of p38 MAPK and NF-κB pathways was restricted after the CD151 downregulation. p38 MAPK and NF-κB inhibitors decreased the VCAM-1 expression, and p38 acted as an upstream regulator of NF-κB. However, CD151 downregulation did not directly influence the neutrophil and monocyte activation.ConclusionsOverall, CD151 regulated the expression of adhesion molecules. It also played a critical role in suppressing VCAM-1-mediated neutrophil and monocyte infiltration via the p38/NF-κB pathway. This study possibly provided a new basis for improving current anti-adhesion molecule therapies.

Sodiophilic and conductive carbon cloth guides sodium dendrite-free Na metal electrodeposition

Sodium metal battery (SMB) technology is one of the most promising candidates for next-generation rechargeable energy storage systems due to its high theoretical capacity and economical cost-effectiveness. Unfortunately, its practical implementation is hindered by several challenges including short life-span and fast capacity decay, which is closely related to the uncontrollable generation of the sodium dendrites. Herein, a nitrogen and oxygen co-doped three-dimensional carbon cloth with hollow tubular fiber units was constructed as the host material for Na plating (Na@CC) to tackle these challenges. The obtained composite electrode can effectively reduce the nucleation overpotential of Na, guide the homogeneous Na+ flux, increase the kinetics of Na electrodeposition, lower the effective current density and eventually suppress the formation of electrochemically inactive Na dendrites. As a result, batteries built with the Na@CC composites exhibited stable long-term cycling stability. To gain an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of such phenomena, non-destructive and three-dimensional synchrotron X-ray tomography was employed to investigate the cycled batteries. Moreover, the COMSOL Multiphysics simulation was further employed to reveal the Na electrodeposition mechanisms. The current work not only showcases the feasibility of currently proposed sodiophilic 3D Na@CC composite electrode but also provides fundamental insights into the underlying working mechanisms that govern its outstanding electrochemical performance.

Depression, Mindfulness, and Psilocybin: Possible Complementary Effects of Mindfulness Meditation and Psilocybin in the Treatment of Depression. A Review.

Depression is a major public health problem that affects approximately 4.4% of the global population. Since conventional pharmacotherapies and psychotherapies are only partially effective, as demonstrated by the number of patients failing to achieve remission, alternative treatments are needed. Mindfulness meditation (MM) and psilocybin represent two promising novel treatments that might even have complementary therapeutic effects when combined. Since the current literature is limited to theoretical and empirical underpinnings of either treatment alone, the present review aimed to identify possible complementary effects that may be relevant to the treatment of depression. To that end, the individual effects of MM and psilocybin, and their underlying working mechanisms, were compared on a non-exhaustive selection of six prominent psychological and biological processes that are well known to show impairments in patients suffering from major depression disorder, that is mood, executive functioning, social skills, neuroplasticity, core neural networks, and neuroendocrine and neuroimmunological levels. Based on predefined search strings used in two online databases (PubMed and Google Scholar) 1129 articles were identified. After screening title and abstract for relevance related to the question, 82 articles were retained and 11 were added after reference list search, resulting in 93 articles included in the review. Findings show that MM and psilocybin exert similar effects on mood, social skills, and neuroplasticity; different effects were found on executive functioning, neural core networks, and neuroendocrine and neuroimmune system markers. Potential mechanisms of MM’s effects are enhanced affective self-regulation through mental strategies, optimization of stress reactivity, and structural and functional adjustments of prefrontal and limbic areas; psilocybin’s effects might be established via attenuation of cognitive associations through deep personal insights, cognitive disinhibition, and global neural network disintegration. It is suggested that, when used in combination, MM and psilocybin could exert complementary effects by potentiating or prolonging mutual positive effects, for example, MM potentially facilitating psilocybin-induced peak experiences. Future placebo-controlled double-blind randomized trials focusing on psilocybin-assisted mindfulness-based therapy will provide knowledge about whether the proposed combination of therapies maximizes their efficacy in the treatment of depression or depressive symptomatology.