Electrocortical Reactivity to Emotional Faces in Young Children and Associations with Maternal and Paternal Depression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kujawa, Autumn; Hajcak, Greg; Torpey, Dana; Kim, Jiyon; Klein, Daniel N.

2012-01-01

Background: The late positive potential (LPP) is an event-related potential component that indexes selective attention toward motivationally salient information and is sensitive to emotional stimuli. Few studies have examined the LPP in children. Depression has been associated with reduced reactivity to negative and positive emotional stimuli,…

Behavioral observations of positive and negative valence systems in early childhood predict physiological measures of emotional processing three years later.

PubMed

Kessel, Ellen M; Kujawa, Autumn; Goldstein, Brandon; Hajcak, Greg; Bufferd, Sara J; Dyson, Margaret; Klein, Daniel N

2017-07-01

The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) constructs of Positive Valence Systems (PVS) and Negative Valence Systems (NVS) are presumed to manifest behaviorally through early-emerging temperamental negative affectivity (NA) and positive affectivity (PA). The late positive potential (LPP) is a physiological measure of attention towards both negative and positive emotional stimuli; however, its associations with behavioral aspects of PVS and NVS have yet to be examined. In a community sample of children (N = 340), we examined longitudinal relationships between observational measures of temperamental PA and NA assessed at age 6, and the LPP to both pleasant and unpleasant images assessed at age 9. Lower PA at age 6 predicted reduced LPP amplitudes to pleasant, but not unpleasant, images. NA as a composite measure was not related to the LPP, but specific associations were observed with facets of NA: greater fear predicted an enhanced LPP to unpleasant images, whereas greater sadness predicted a reduced LPP to unpleasant images. We were unable to evaluate concurrent associations between behavioral observations of temperament and the LPP, and effect sizes were modest. Results support correspondence between behavioral and physiological measures of emotional processing across development, and provide evidence of discriminant validity in that PA was specifically related to the LPP to pleasant images, while facets of NA were specifically linked to the LPP to unpleasant images. Distinct associations of temperamental sadness and fear with the LPP highlight the importance of further evaluating subconstructs of NVS. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The impact of emotional involvement on online service buying decisions: an event-related potentials perspective

PubMed Central

Wang, Jing; Han, Weiwei

2015-01-01

When examining a buying process, changes in human brain signals and their event-related potential (ERP) components can be considered a reflection of the consumers’ emotions. In this experiment, participants were shown 12 products and related services that were available for purchase. After recording ERP components, we used a questionnaire to measure the individuals’ emotional involvement toward the services (i.e. the same services shown in the stimuli) of the 12 products to measure the emotional valence of the services. The emotional ERP components and the late positive potential (LPP) were elicited under the service conditions and distributed over the left frontal regions. We determined that the services may evoke an LPP and that services with a high emotional value may evoke a larger LPP, which suggests that positive emotion may be measured using the LPP amplitude in the left frontal regions. This result helps elucidate whether positive emotions are stimulated during the product-service system decision-making process and helps understand the emotional valences of different services. Our analysis of the emotional motivation of the consumer suggests that the LPP may be useful as an emotional indicator for measuring consumers’ evaluation of services that provides a neural view of product-service system buying decisions. PMID:26457370

The impact of emotional involvement on online service buying decisions: an event-related potentials perspective.

PubMed

Zhao, Meina; Wang, Jing; Han, Weiwei

2015-12-02

When examining a buying process, changes in human brain signals and their event-related potential (ERP) components can be considered a reflection of the consumers' emotions. In this experiment, participants were shown 12 products and related services that were available for purchase. After recording ERP components, we used a questionnaire to measure the individuals' emotional involvement toward the services (i.e. the same services shown in the stimuli) of the 12 products to measure the emotional valence of the services. The emotional ERP components and the late positive potential (LPP) were elicited under the service conditions and distributed over the left frontal regions. We determined that the services may evoke an LPP and that services with a high emotional value may evoke a larger LPP, which suggests that positive emotion may be measured using the LPP amplitude in the left frontal regions. This result helps elucidate whether positive emotions are stimulated during the product-service system decision-making process and helps understand the emotional valences of different services. Our analysis of the emotional motivation of the consumer suggests that the LPP may be useful as an emotional indicator for measuring consumers' evaluation of services that provides a neural view of product-service system buying decisions.

Antibody Production and Th1-biased Response Induced by an Epitope Vaccine Composed of Cholera Toxin B Unit and Helicobacter pylori Lpp20 Epitopes.

PubMed

Li, Yan; Chen, Zhongbiao; Ye, Jianbin; Ning, Lijun; Luo, Jun; Zhang, Lili; Jiang, Yin; Xi, Yue; Ning, Yunshan

2016-06-01

The epitope vaccine is an attractive potential for prophylactic and therapeutic vaccination against Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. Lpp20 is one of major protective antigens which trigger immune response after H. pylori invades host and has been considered as an excellent vaccine candidate for the control of H. pylori infection. In our previous study, one B-cell epitope and two CD4(+) T-cell epitopes of Lpp20 were identified. In this study, an epitope vaccine composed of mucosal adjuvant cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) and these three identified Lpp20 epitopes were constructed to investigate the efficacy of this epitope vaccine in mice. The epitope vaccine including CTB, one B-cell, and two CD4(+) T-cell epitopes of Lpp20 was constructed and named CTB-Lpp20, which was then expressed in Escherichia coli and used for intraperitoneal immunization in BALB/c mice. The immunogenicity, specificity, and ability to induce antibodies against Lpp20 and cytokine secretion were evaluated. After that, CTB-Lpp20 was intragastrically immunized to investigate the prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy in infected mice. The results indicated that the epitope vaccine CTB-Lpp20 possessed good immunogenicity and immunoreactivity and could elicit specific high level of antibodies against Lpp20 and the cytokine of IFN-γ and IL-17. Additionally, CTB-Lpp20 significantly decreased H. pylori colonization in H. pylori challenging mice, and the protection was correlated with IgG, IgA, and sIgA antibody and Th1-type cytokines. This study will be better for understanding the protective immunity of epitope vaccine, and CTB-Lpp20 may be an alternative strategy for combating H. pylori invasion. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Lipoproteins of Gram-Positive Bacteria: Key Players in the Immune Response and Virulence

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Minh Thu

2016-01-01

SUMMARY Since the discovery in 1973 of the first of the bacterial lipoproteins (Lpp) in Escherichia coli, Braun's lipoprotein, the ever-increasing number of publications indicates the importance of these proteins. Bacterial Lpp belong to the class of lipid-anchored proteins that in Gram-negative bacteria are anchored in both the cytoplasmic and outer membranes and in Gram-positive bacteria are anchored only in the cytoplasmic membrane. In contrast to the case for Gram-negative bacteria, in Gram-positive bacteria lipoprotein maturation and processing are not vital. Physiologically, Lpp play an important role in nutrient and ion acquisition, allowing particularly pathogenic species to better survive in the host. Bacterial Lpp are recognized by Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) of the innate immune system. The important role of Lpp in Gram-positive bacteria, particularly in the phylum Firmicutes, as key players in the immune response and pathogenicity has emerged only in recent years. In this review, we address the role of Lpp in signaling and modulating the immune response, in inflammation, and in pathogenicity. We also address the potential of Lpp as promising vaccine candidates. PMID:27512100

Intramuscular Immunization of Mice with a Live-Attenuated Triple Mutant of Yersinia pestis CO92 Induces Robust Humoral and Cell-Mediated Immunity To Completely Protect Animals against Pneumonic Plague.

PubMed

Tiner, Bethany L; Sha, Jian; Ponnusamy, Duraisamy; Baze, Wallace B; Fitts, Eric C; Popov, Vsevolod L; van Lier, Christina J; Erova, Tatiana E; Chopra, Ashok K

2015-12-01

Earlier, we showed that the Δlpp ΔmsbB Δail triple mutant of Yersinia pestis CO92 with deleted genes encoding Braun lipoprotein (Lpp), an acyltransferase (MsbB), and the attachment invasion locus (Ail), respectively, was avirulent in a mouse model of pneumonic plague. In this study, we further evaluated the immunogenic potential of the Δlpp ΔmsbB Δail triple mutant and its derivative by different routes of vaccination. Mice were immunized via the subcutaneous (s.c.) or the intramuscular (i.m.) route with two doses (2 × 10(6) CFU/dose) of the above-mentioned triple mutant with 100% survivability of the animals. Upon subsequent pneumonic challenge with 70 to 92 50% lethal doses (LD(50)) of wild-type (WT) strain CO92, all of the mice survived when immunization occurred by the i.m. route. Since Ail has virulence and immunogenic potential, a mutated version of Ail devoid of its virulence properties was created, and the genetically modified ail replaced the native ail gene on the chromosome of the Δlpp ΔmsbB double mutant, creating a Δlpp ΔmsbB::ailL2 vaccine strain. This newly generated mutant was attenuated similarly to the Δlpp ΔmsbB Δail triple mutant when administered by the i.m. route and provided 100% protection to animals against subsequent pneumonic challenge. Not only were the two above-mentioned mutants cleared rapidly from the initial i.m. site of injection in animals with no histopathological lesions, the immunized mice did not exhibit any disease symptoms during immunization or after subsequent exposure to WT CO92. These two mutants triggered balanced Th1- and Th2-based antibody responses and cell-mediated immunity. A substantial increase in interleukin-17 (IL-17) from the T cells of vaccinated mice, a cytokine of the Th17 cells, further augmented their vaccine potential. Thus, the Δlpp ΔmsbB Δail and Δlpp ΔmsbB::ailL2 mutants represent excellent vaccine candidates for plague, with the latter mutant still retaining Ail immunogenicity but with a much diminished virulence potential. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Distinct electrocortical and behavioral evidence for increased attention to threat in generalized anxiety disorder.

PubMed

MacNamara, Annmarie; Hajcak, Greg

2010-03-01

Neural activity is increasingly used in addition to behavioral measures to study anxiety and attentional biases toward threatening stimuli. Event-related potentials (ERPs) might be particularly useful because of their excellent temporal resolution. In particular, the late positive potential (LPP) reflects increased attention to emotional stimuli-and was recently found to be larger with increasing state anxiety. This study sought to examine the LPP among individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Fifteen individuals with GAD and 15 healthy controls (HCs) viewed briefly presented pairs of aversive and neutral pictures that were presented to the left and right of, as well as above and below, fixation on each trial; ERP and behavioral measures were recorded as participants indicated whether the horizontal or vertical image pairs were the same or different. Aversive pictures presented in unattended locations were associated with more errors overall, and this effect was larger in GAD than HC participants. Moreover, aversive targets elicited larger LPPs across all participants; this difference was larger in GAD than HC participants when distracters were neutral. Threatening stimuli presented in both target and distracting spatial locations have a greater impact on GAD than HC participants. Behavioral and ERP measures provide complimentary indices of attention toward threat in GAD. In terms of attentional control theory, behavioral interference indexes impaired processing effectiveness, whereas the LPP might index reduced processing efficiency in GAD. Both measures may provide unique windows onto how increased stimulus-driven attention to threat impacts and characterizes GAD. (c) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

An adenoviral vector expressing lipoprotein A, a major antigen of Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides, elicits robust immune responses in mice.

PubMed

Carozza, Marlène; Rodrigues, Valérie; Unterfinger, Yves; Galea, Sandra; Coulpier, Muriel; Klonjkowski, Bernard; Thiaucourt, François; Totté, Philippe; Richardson, Jennifer

2015-01-01

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides small colony type (MmmSC), is a devastating respiratory disease of cattle. In sub-Saharan Africa, where CBPP is enzootic, live attenuated vaccines are deployed but afford only short-lived protection. In cattle, recovery from experimental MmmSC infection has been associated with the presence of CD4(+) T lymphocytes that secrete interferon gamma in response to MmmSC, and in particular to the lipoprotein A (LppA) antigen. In an effort to develop a better vaccine against CBPP, a viral vector (Ad5-LppA) that expressed LppA was generated from human adenovirus type 5. The LppA-specific immune responses elicited by the Ad5-LppA vector were evaluated in mice, and compared to those elicited by recombinant LppA formulated with a potent adjuvant. Notably, a single administration of Ad5-LppA, but not recombinant protein, sufficed to elicit a robust LppA-specific humoral response. After a booster administration, both vector and recombinant protein elicited strong LppA-specific humoral and cell-mediated responses. Ex vivo stimulation of splenocytes induced extensive proliferation of CD4(+) T cells for mice immunized with vector or protein, and secretion of T helper 1-associated and proinflammatory cytokines for mice immunized with Ad5-LppA. Our study - by demonstrating the potential of a viral-vectored prototypic vaccine to elicit prompt and robust immune responses against a major antigen of MmmSC - represents a first step in developing a recombinant vaccine against CBPP. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An electrophysiological investigation of emotional abnormalities in groups at risk for schizophrenia-spectrum personality disorders.

PubMed

Martin, Elizabeth A; Karcher, Nicole R; Bartholow, Bruce D; Siegle, Greg J; Kerns, John G

2017-03-01

Both extreme levels of social anhedonia (SocAnh) and perceptual aberration/magical ideation (PerMag) are associated with risk for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and with emotional abnormalities. Yet, the nature of any psychophysiological-measured affective abnormality, including the role of automatic/controlled processes, is unclear. We examined the late positive potential (LPP) during passive viewing (to assess automatic processing) and during cognitive reappraisal (to assess controlled processing) in three groups: SocAnh, PerMag, and controls. The SocAnh group exhibited an increased LPP when viewing negative images. Further, SocAnh exhibited greater reductions in the LPP for negative images when told to use strategies to alter negative emotion. Similar to SocAnh, PerMag exhibited an increased LPP when viewing negative images. However, PerMag also exhibited an increased LPP when viewing positive images as well as an atypical decreased LPP when increasing positive emotion. Overall, these results suggest that at-risk groups are associated with shared and unique automatic and controlled abnormalities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Emotional event-related potentials are reduced if negative pictures presented at fixation are unattended.

PubMed

Wiens, Stefan; Sand, Anders; Norberg, Joakim; Andersson, Per

2011-05-20

Viewing of emotional pictures elicits two event-related potentials (ERPs) to emotional versus neutral pictures: an early posterior negativity (EPN) and a late positive potential (LPP). Because it is unresolved whether these indexes of emotional processing are reduced to task-irrelevant pictures at fixation, negative and neutral pictures from the International Affective Picture Set (IAPS) were shown at fixation together with 6 letters that surrounded the pictures. In separate tasks, participants were instructed to attend either the pictures or the letters. When the pictures were task relevant, results showed an EPN and LPP. In contrast, when the pictures were task irrelevant, the EPN was eliminated and the LPP reduced. Performance was high in both tasks (hit rates>87%), but somewhat better when the pictures were relevant. However, analyses showed no relationship between this performance difference and the differences in EPN and LPP between tasks. These results suggest that emotional processing of strong, negative pictures is sensitive to manipulations of attention even if the pictures are shown at fixation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contextual blending of ingroup/outgroup face stimuli and word valence: LPP modulation and convergence of measures.

PubMed

Hurtado, Esteban; Haye, Andrés; González, Ramiro; Manes, Facundo; Ibáñez, Agustiń

2009-06-26

Several event related potential (ERP) studies have investigated the time course of different aspects of evaluative processing in social bias research. Various reports suggest that the late positive potential (LPP) is modulated by basic evaluative processes, and some reports suggest that in-/outgroup relative position affects ERP responses. In order to study possible LPP blending between facial race processing and semantic valence (positive or negative words), we recorded ERPs while indigenous and non-indigenous participants who were matched by age and gender performed an implicit association test (IAT). The task involved categorizing faces (ingroup and outgroup) and words (positive and negative). Since our paradigm implies an evaluative task with positive and negative valence association, a frontal distribution of LPPs similar to that found in previous reports was expected. At the same time, we predicted that LPP valence lateralization would be modulated not only by positive/negative associations but also by particular combinations of valence, face stimuli and participant relative position. Results showed that, during an IAT, indigenous participants with greater behavioral ingroup bias displayed a frontal LPP that was modulated in terms of complex contextual associations involving ethnic group and valence. The LPP was lateralized to the right for negative valence stimuli and to the left for positive valence stimuli. This valence lateralization was influenced by the combination of valence and membership type relevant to compatibility with prejudice toward a minority. Behavioral data from the IAT and an explicit attitudes questionnaire were used to clarify this finding and showed that ingroup bias plays an important role. Both ingroup favoritism and indigenous/non-indigenous differences were consistently present in the data. Our results suggest that frontal LPP is elicited by contextual blending of evaluative judgments of in-/outgroup information and positive vs. negative valence association and confirm recent research relating in-/outgroup ERP modulation and frontal LPP. LPP modulation may cohere with implicit measures of attitudes. The convergence of measures that were observed supports the idea that racial and valence evaluations are strongly influenced by context. This result adds to a growing set of evidence concerning contextual sensitivity of different measures of prejudice.

Effect of empathy trait on attention to various facial expressions: evidence from N170 and late positive potential (LPP)

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The present study sought to clarify the relationship between empathy trait and attention responses to happy, angry, surprised, afraid, and sad facial expressions. As indices of attention, we recorded event-related potentials (ERP) and focused on N170 and late positive potential (LPP) components. Methods Twenty-two participants (12 males, 10 females) discriminated facial expressions (happy, angry, surprised, afraid, and sad) from emotionally neutral faces under an oddball paradigm. The empathy trait of participants was measured using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI, J Pers Soc Psychol 44:113–126, 1983). Results Participants with higher IRI scores showed: 1) more negative amplitude of N170 (140 to 200 ms) in the right posterior temporal area elicited by happy, angry, surprised, and afraid faces; 2) more positive amplitude of early LPP (300 to 600 ms) in the parietal area elicited in response to angry and afraid faces; and 3) more positive amplitude of late LPP (600 to 800 ms) in the frontal area elicited in response to happy, angry, surprised, afraid, and sad faces, compared to participants with lower IRI scores. Conclusions These results suggest that individuals with high empathy pay attention to various facial expressions more than those with low empathy, from very-early stage (reflected in N170) to late-stage (reflected in LPP) processing of faces. PMID:24975115

Individual differences in automatic emotion regulation affect the asymmetry of the LPP component.

PubMed

Zhang, Jing; Zhou, Renlai

2014-01-01

The main goal of this study was to investigate how automatic emotion regulation altered the hemispheric asymmetry of ERPs elicited by emotion processing. We examined the effect of individual differences in automatic emotion regulation on the late positive potential (LPP) when participants were viewing blocks of positive high arousal, positive low arousal, negative high arousal and negative low arousal pictures from International affect picture system (IAPS). Two participant groups were categorized by the Emotion Regulation-Implicit Association Test which has been used in previous research to identify two groups of participants with automatic emotion control and with automatic emotion express. The main finding was that automatic emotion express group showed a right dominance of the LPP component at posterior electrodes, especially in high arousal conditions. But no right dominance of the LPP component was observed for automatic emotion control group. We also found the group with automatic emotion control showed no differences in the right posterior LPP amplitude between high- and low-arousal emotion conditions, while the participants with automatic emotion express showed larger LPP amplitude in the right posterior in high-arousal conditions compared to low-arousal conditions. This result suggested that AER (Automatic emotion regulation) modulated the hemispheric asymmetry of LPP on posterior electrodes and supported the right hemisphere hypothesis.

Motivated attention to cocaine and emotional cues in abstinent and current cocaine users--an ERP study.

PubMed

Dunning, Jonathan P; Parvaz, Muhammad A; Hajcak, Greg; Maloney, Thomas; Alia-Klein, Nelly; Woicik, Patricia A; Telang, Frank; Wang, Gene-Jack; Volkow, Nora D; Goldstein, Rita Z

2011-05-01

Event-related potentials (ERPs) are a direct measure of neural activity and are ideally suited to study the time-course of attentional engagement with emotional and drug-related stimuli in addiction. In particular, the late positive potential (LPP) appears to be enhanced following cocaine-related compared with neutral stimuli in human participants with cocaine use disorders (CUD). However, previous studies have not directly compared cocaine-related with emotional stimuli while examining potential differences between abstinent and current cocaine users. The present study examined ERPs in 55 CUD (27 abstinent and 28 current users) and 29 matched healthy controls while they passively viewed pleasant, unpleasant, neutral and cocaine-related pictures. To examine the time-course of attention to these stimuli, we analysed both an early and later window in the LPP as well as the early posterior negativity (EPN), established in assessing motivated attention. Cocaine pictures elicited increased electrocortical measures of motivated attention in ways similar to affectively pleasant and unpleasant pictures in all CUD, an effect that was no longer discernible during the late LPP window for the current users. This group also exhibited deficient processing of the other emotional stimuli (early LPP window - pleasant pictures; late LPP window - pleasant and unpleasant pictures). Results were unique to the LPP and not EPN. Taken together, results support a relatively early attention bias to cocaine stimuli in cocaine-addicted individuals, further suggesting that recent cocaine use decreases such attention bias during later stages of processing but at the expense of deficient processing of other emotional stimuli. European Journal of Neuroscience © 2011 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and Blackwell Publishing Ltd. No claim to original US government works.

Electrophysiological responses to evaluative priming: the LPP is sensitive to incongruity.

PubMed

Herring, David R; Taylor, Jennifer H; White, Katherine R; Crites, Stephen L

2011-08-01

Previous studies examining event-related potentials and evaluative priming have been mixed; some find evidence that evaluative priming influences the N400, whereas others find evidence that it affects the late positive potential (LPP). Three experiments were conducted using either affective pictures (Experiments 1 and 2) or words (Experiment 3) in a sequential evaluative priming paradigm. In line with previous behavioral findings, participants responded slower to targets that were evaluatively incongruent with the preceding prime (e.g., negative preceded by positive) compared to evaluatively congruent targets (e.g., negative preceded by negative). In all three studies, the LPP was larger to evaluatively incongruent targets compared to evaluatively congruent ones, and there was no evidence that evaluative incongruity influenced the N400 component. Thus, the present results provide additional support for the notion that evaluative priming influences the LPP and not the N400. We discuss possible reasons for the inconsistent findings in prior research and the theoretical implications of the findings for both evaluative and semantic priming. 2011 APA, all rights reserved

Acute Stress Dysregulates the LPP ERP Response to Emotional Pictures and Impairs Sustained Attention: Time-Sensitive Effects

PubMed Central

Alomari, Rima A.; Fernandez, Mercedes; Banks, Jonathan B.; Acosta, Juliana; Tartar, Jaime L.

2015-01-01

Stress can increase emotional vigilance at the cost of a decrease in attention towards non-emotional stimuli. However, the time-dependent effects of acute stress on emotion processing are uncertain. We tested the effects of acute stress on subsequent emotion processing up to 40 min following an acute stressor. Our measure of emotion processing was the late positive potential (LPP) component of the visual event-related potential (ERP), and our measure of non-emotional attention was the sustained attention to response task (SART). We also measured cortisol levels before and after the socially evaluated cold pressor test (SECPT) induction. We found that the effects of stress on the LPP ERP emotion measure were time sensitive. Specifically, the LPP ERP was only altered in the late time-point (30–40 min post-stress) when cortisol was at its highest level. Here, the LPP no longer discriminated between the emotional and non-emotional picture categories, most likely because neutral pictures were perceived as emotional. Moreover, compared to the non-stress condition, the stress-condition showed impaired performance on the SART. Our results support the idea that a limit in attention resources after an emotional stressor is associated with the brain incorrectly processing non-emotional stimuli as emotional and interferes with sustained attention. PMID:26010485

Deconstructing the Emotion Regulatory Properties of Mindfulness: An Electrophysiological Investigation

PubMed Central

Lin, Yanli; Fisher, Megan E.; Roberts, Sean M. M.; Moser, Jason S.

2016-01-01

The present study sought to uncover the emotion regulatory properties of mindfulness by examining its effects—differentiated as a meditative practice, state of mind and dispositional trait—on the late positive potential (LPP), an event-related potentials (ERPs) indexing emotional processing. Results revealed that mindfulness as a meditative practice produced a reduction in the difference between the LPP response to negative high arousing and neutral stimuli across time. In contrast, a state mindfulness induction (i.e., instructions to attend to the stimuli mindfully) failed to modulate the LPP. Dispositional mindfulness, however, was related to modulation of the LPP as a function of meditation practice. Dispositional mindfulness was associated with a reduction of the LPP response to negative high arousal stimuli and the difference between negative high arousal and neutral stimuli in participants who listened to a control audio recording but not for those who engaged in the guided meditation practice. Together, these findings provide experimental evidence demonstrating that brief mindfulness meditation, but not deliberate engagement in state mindfulness, produces demonstrable changes in emotional processing indicative of reduced emotional reactivity. Importantly, these effects are akin to those observed in individuals with naturally high dispositional mindfulness, suggesting that the benefits of mindfulness can be cultivated through practice. PMID:27656139

Decision ambiguity is mediated by a late positive potential originating from cingulate cortex.

PubMed

Sun, Sai; Zhen, Shanshan; Fu, Zhongzheng; Wu, Daw-An; Shimojo, Shinsuke; Adolphs, Ralph; Yu, Rongjun; Wang, Shuo

2017-08-15

People often make decisions in the face of ambiguous information, but it remains unclear how ambiguity is represented in the brain. We used three types of ambiguous stimuli and combined EEG and fMRI to examine the neural representation of perceptual decisions under ambiguity. We identified a late positive potential, the LPP, which differentiated levels of ambiguity, and which was specifically associated with behavioral judgments about choices that were ambiguous, rather than passive perception of ambiguous stimuli. Mediation analyses together with two further control experiments confirmed that the LPP was generated only when decisions are made (not during mere perception of ambiguous stimuli), and only when those decisions involved choices on a dimension that is ambiguous. A further control experiment showed that a stronger LPP arose in the presence of ambiguous stimuli compared to when only unambiguous stimuli were present. Source modeling suggested that the LPP originated from multiple loci in cingulate cortex, a finding we further confirmed using fMRI and fMRI-guided ERP source prediction. Taken together, our findings argue for a role of an LPP originating from cingulate cortex in encoding decisions based on task-relevant perceptual ambiguity, a process that may in turn influence confidence judgment, response conflict, and error correction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Acute Stress Dysregulates the LPP ERP Response to Emotional Pictures and Impairs Sustained Attention: Time-Sensitive Effects.

PubMed

Alomari, Rima A; Fernandez, Mercedes; Banks, Jonathan B; Acosta, Juliana; Tartar, Jaime L

2015-05-20

Stress can increase emotional vigilance at the cost of a decrease in attention towards non-emotional stimuli. However, the time-dependent effects of acute stress on emotion processing are uncertain. We tested the effects of acute stress on subsequent emotion processing up to 40 min following an acute stressor. Our measure of emotion processing was the late positive potential (LPP) component of the visual event-related potential (ERP), and our measure of non-emotional attention was the sustained attention to response task (SART). We also measured cortisol levels before and after the socially evaluated cold pressor test (SECPT) induction. We found that the effects of stress on the LPP ERP emotion measure were time sensitive. Specifically, the LPP ERP was only altered in the late time-point (30-40 min post-stress) when cortisol was at its highest level. Here, the LPP no longer discriminated between the emotional and non-emotional picture categories, most likely because neutral pictures were perceived as emotional. Moreover, compared to the non-stress condition, the stress-condition showed impaired performance on the SART. Our results support the idea that a limit in attention resources after an emotional stressor is associated with the brain incorrectly processing non-emotional stimuli as emotional and interferes with sustained attention.

Low NO(x) potential of gas turbine engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tacina, Robert R.

1990-01-01

The purpose is to correlate emission levels of gas turbine engines. The predictions of NO(x) emissions are based on a review of the literature of previous low NO(x) combustor programs and analytical chemical kinetic calculations. Concepts included in the literature review consisted of lean-premixed-prevaporized (LPP), rich burn/quick quench/lean burn (RQL), and direct injection. The NO(x) emissions were found to be an exponential function of adiabatic combustion temperature over a wide range of inlet temperatures, pressures and (lean) fuel-air ratios. A simple correlation of NO(x) formation with time was not found. The LPP and direct injection (using gaseous fuels) concepts have the lowest NO(x) emissions of the three concepts. The RQL data has higher values of NO(x) than the LPP concept, probably due to the stoichiometric temperatures and NO(x) production that occur during the quench step. Improvements in the quick quench step could reduce the NO(x) emissions to the LPP levels. The low NO(x) potential of LPP is offset by the operational disadvantages of its narrow stability limits and its susceptibility to autoignition/flashback. The Rich-Burn/Quick-Quench/Lean-Burn (RQL) and the direct injection concepts have the advantage of wider stability limits comparable to conventional combustors.

Electrocortical and ocular indices of attention to fearful and neutral faces presented under high and low working memory load.

PubMed

MacNamara, Annmarie; Schmidt, Joseph; Zelinsky, Gregory J; Hajcak, Greg

2012-12-01

Working memory load reduces the late positive potential (LPP), consistent with the notion that functional activation of the DLPFC attenuates neural indices of sustained attention. Visual attention also modulates the LPP. In the present study, we sought to determine whether working memory load might exert its influence on ERPs by reducing fixations to arousing picture regions. We simultaneously recorded eye-tracking and EEG while participants performed a working memory task interspersed with the presentation of task-irrelevant fearful and neutral faces. As expected, fearful compared to neutral faces elicited larger N170 and LPP amplitudes; in addition, working memory load reduced the N170 and the LPP. Participants made more fixations to arousing regions of neutral faces and faces presented under high working memory load. Therefore, working memory load did not induce avoidance of arousing picture regions and visual attention cannot explain load effects on the N170 and LPP. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pregnancy-Related Lumbopelvic Pain: Listening to Australian Women

PubMed Central

Pierce, Heather; Homer, Caroline S. E.; Dahlen, Hannah G.; King, Jenny

2012-01-01

Objective. To investigate the prevalence and nature of lumbo-pelvic pain (LPP), that is experienced by women in the lumbar and/or sacro-iliac area and/or symphysis pubis during pregnancy. Design. Cross-sectional, descriptive study. Setting. An Australian public hospital antenatal clinic. Sample population: Women in their third trimester of pregnancy. Method. Women were recruited to the study as they presented for their antenatal appointment. A survey collected demographic data and was used to self report LPP. A pain diagram differentiated low back, pelvic girdle or combined pain. Closed and open ended questions explored the experiences of the women. Main Outcome Measures. The Visual Analogue Scale and the Oswestry Disability Index (Version 2.1a). Results. There was a high prevalence of self reported LPP during the pregnancy (71%). An association was found between the reporting of LPP, multiparity, and a previous history of LPP. The mean intensity score for usual pain was 6/10 and four out of five women reported disability associated with the condition. Most women (71%) had reported their symptoms to their maternity carer however only a small proportion of these women received intervention. Conclusion. LPP is a potentially significant health issue during pregnancy. PMID:22685643

The impact of verbal framing on brain activity evoked by emotional images.

PubMed

Kisley, Michael A; Campbell, Alana M; Larson, Jenna M; Naftz, Andrea E; Regnier, Jesse T; Davalos, Deana B

2011-12-01

Emotional stimuli generally command more brain processing resources than non-emotional stimuli, but the magnitude of this effect is subject to voluntary control. Cognitive reappraisal represents one type of emotion regulation that can be voluntarily employed to modulate responses to emotional stimuli. Here, the late positive potential (LPP), a specific event-related brain potential (ERP) component, was measured in response to neutral, positive and negative images while participants performed an evaluative categorization task. One experimental group adopted a "negative frame" in which images were categorized as negative or not. The other adopted a "positive frame" in which the exact same images were categorized as positive or not. Behavioral performance confirmed compliance with random group assignment, and peak LPP amplitude to negative images was affected by group membership: brain responses to negative images were significantly reduced in the "positive frame" group. This suggests that adopting a more positive appraisal frame can modulate brain activity elicited by negative stimuli in the environment.

Attending to affect: appraisal strategies modulate the electrocortical response to arousing pictures.

PubMed

Hajcak, Greg; Moser, Jason S; Simons, Robert F

2006-08-01

Arousing (unpleasant and pleasant) pictures elicit increased neurophysiological measures of perceptual processing. In particular, the electrocortical late positive potential (LPP) is enhanced for arousing, compared with neutral, pictures. To determine whether the magnitude of the LPP is sensitive to the way stimuli are appraised, 16 participants viewed both pleasant and unpleasant pictures and categorized them along an affective or nonaffective dimension. Results indicate that the LPP was reduced for both pleasant and unpleasant pictures when participants made nonaffective, compared with affective, judgments. These results are consistent with previous studies that have used functional neuroimaging to investigate the role of appraisal on emotional processing. The results are further discussed in terms of the utility of using the LPP to study emotion regulation. (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved

Valence and arousal influence the late positive potential during central and lateralized presentation of images.

PubMed

O'Hare, Aminda J; Atchley, Ruth Ann; Young, Keith M

2017-09-01

The motivated attention network is believed to be the system that allocates attention toward motivationally relevant, emotional stimuli in order to better prepare an organism for action [Lang, P. J., Bradley, M. M., & Cuthbert, B. N. (1997). Motivated attention: Affect, activation, and action. In P. J. Lang, R. F. Simons, M. Balaban, & R. Simons (Eds.), Attention and orienting: Sensory and motivational processes (pp. 97-135). Psychology Press]. The late positive potential (LPP), an event-related potential (ERP) that is a manifestation of the motivated attention network, has not been found to reliably differentiate the valence of emotionally relevant stimuli. In two studies, we systematically varied epoch, stimulus arousal, stimulus valence, and hemisphere of presentation (Study 2) to investigate valence effects in the LPP. Both central and divided visual field presentations of emotional stimuli found the LPP to be sustained in later windows for high-arousing unpleasant images compared to pleasant images. Further, this effect was driven by sustained LPP responses following left hemisphere presentations of unpleasant stimuli compared to right. Findings are discussed regarding hemispheric processing of emotion and how lateralized emotion processes might contribute to psychopathology.

Proposal of leak path passivation for InGaN solar cells to reduce the leakage current

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Ke, E-mail: ke.wang@chiba-u.jp; Imai, Daichi; Kusakabe, Kazuhide

2016-01-25

We propose some general ways to passivate the leak paths in InGaN solar cells and report some experimental evidences of its effectiveness. By adopting an AlOx passivation process, the photovoltaic performances of GaN pn-junctions and InGaN solar cells, grown by molecular beam epitaxy, have been significantly improved. The open circuit voltage under 1 sun illumination increases from 1.46 to 2.26 V for a GaN pn junction, and from 0.95 to 1.27 V for an InGaN solar cell, demonstrating evidence of leak path passivation (LPP) by AlOx. The proposed LPP is expected to be a realistic way to exploit the potential of thickmore » and relaxed but defective InGaN for solar cell applications.« less

Cognitive reappraisal of snake and spider pictures: An event-related potentials study.

PubMed

Langeslag, Sandra J E; van Strien, Jan W

2018-05-30

Fear of snakes and spiders are common animal phobias. Emotion regulation can change the response to emotional stimuli, including snakes and spiders. It is well known that emotion regulation modulates the late positive potential (LPP), which reflects sustained motivated attention. However, research concerning the effect of emotion regulation on the early posterior negativity (EPN), which reflects early selective attention, is scarce. The present research question was whether the EPN and LPP amplitudes are modulated by regulation of emotional responses to snake and spider stimuli. Emotion up- and down-regulation were expected to enhance and reduce the LPP amplitude, respectively, but emotion regulation was not expected to modulate the EPN amplitude. Female participants passively viewed snake, spider, and bird pictures, and up- and down-regulated their emotional responses to the snake and spider pictures using self-focused reappraisal, while their electroencephalogram was recorded. There were EPNs for snakes and spiders vs. birds, as well as for snakes vs. spiders. The LPP amplitude tended to be enhanced for snakes and spiders compared to birds. Most importantly, the LPP amplitude was larger in the up-regulate than in the down-regulate condition for both snakes and spiders, but there was no evidence that the EPN amplitude was modulated by emotion regulation. This suggests that emotion regulation modulated sustained motivated attention, but not early selective attention, to snakes and spiders. The findings are in line with the notion that the emotional modulation of the EPN is more automatic than the emotional modulation of the LPP. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Sex Differences in Regulating Unpleasant Emotion by Expressive Suppression: Extraversion Matters

PubMed Central

Cai, Ayan; Lou, Yixue; Long, Quanshan; Yuan, Jiajin

2016-01-01

Males are known for more suppression of emotional displays than females. However, when the emotion regulation effect of expressive suppression is greater in males, and how this sex difference varies with emotion display-related personality (e.g., extraversion), are undetermined. Event-related potentials were recorded while male and female participants different in extraversion were required to attend to or suppress emotional expression to negative pictures. Sex and extraversion did not modulate self-reported emotional experience. However, late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes showed an extraversion-moderated sex difference in the 2000–3000 ms and the 3000–4000 ms time epochs. LPP amplitudes were decreased during suppression versus viewing conditions in ambivert males, while this effect was absent in ambivert females. However, the LPP amplitudes of extraverts were similar for suppression and viewing conditions, irrespective of sex and timing. Regardless of early, middle, or late time windows, LPP amplitudes were positively related to self-reported emotion. These results suggest a male advantage for using expressive suppression for emotion regulation in non-extraverted, ambivert individuals. PMID:27458408

The Sex Differences in Regulating Unpleasant Emotion by Expressive Suppression: Extraversion Matters.

PubMed

Cai, Ayan; Lou, Yixue; Long, Quanshan; Yuan, Jiajin

2016-01-01

Males are known for more suppression of emotional displays than females. However, when the emotion regulation effect of expressive suppression is greater in males, and how this sex difference varies with emotion display-related personality (e.g., extraversion), are undetermined. Event-related potentials were recorded while male and female participants different in extraversion were required to attend to or suppress emotional expression to negative pictures. Sex and extraversion did not modulate self-reported emotional experience. However, late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes showed an extraversion-moderated sex difference in the 2000-3000 ms and the 3000-4000 ms time epochs. LPP amplitudes were decreased during suppression versus viewing conditions in ambivert males, while this effect was absent in ambivert females. However, the LPP amplitudes of extraverts were similar for suppression and viewing conditions, irrespective of sex and timing. Regardless of early, middle, or late time windows, LPP amplitudes were positively related to self-reported emotion. These results suggest a male advantage for using expressive suppression for emotion regulation in non-extraverted, ambivert individuals.

Fluctuations of estradiol during women's menstrual cycle: Influences on reactivity towards erotic stimuli in the late positive potential.

PubMed

Munk, Aisha J L; Zoeller, Aaron C; Hennig, Juergen

2018-05-01

While several studies examined the reactivity towards negative emotional stimuli across women's menstrual cycle, only few investigated responses to positive emotional cues in association with sexual hormones on a neural level. Therefore, the aim of the current EEG-experiment was to study the differential reactivity towards positive (erotic) words during the menstrual cycle (i.e. with fluctuations in the steroids estradiol and progesterone) in the late positive potential (LPP). Regarding reactivity towards erotic stimuli, the LPP is seen as the most relevant ERP-component, as more positive amplitudes in the LPP reflect larger incentive salience and higher arousal. The LPP towards erotic words was expected to be more pronounced during fertile phases of the menstrual cycle (around ovulation). Furthermore, associations with hormonal concentrations of estradiol and progesterone were investigated. 19 young, free cycling women were tested in an Erotic Stroop paradigm during the follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase in a balanced cross-over design, while electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. LPPs in reaction to erotic compared to neutral words were larger in every phase. During the follicular phase and ovulation, higher estradiol-concentrations were associated with more positive LPP-amplitudes towards erotic- than to neutral words. No effects of progesterone, as well as no effects of cycle phase, were evident. Results are being discussed regarding implications for further research. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The late positive potential as a marker of motivated attention to underweight bodies in girls with anorexia nervosa.

PubMed

Horndasch, Stefanie; Heinrich, Hartmut; Kratz, Oliver; Moll, Gunther H

2012-12-01

In anorexia nervosa (AN), aspects of motivational salience and reward are increasingly discussed. Event related potentials, particularly the late positive potential (LPP), have been investigated as a marker for motivational salience of stimuli, for example in addictive disorders. The aim of this study was to assess the LPP as a possible indicator of motivated attention towards disease-specific pictures of underweight female bodies in adolescents with AN in comparison to typically developing (TD) adolescent girls. 13 girls with AN and 18 TD adolescent girls (aged 12 to 18 years) viewed pictures of underweight, normal-weight and overweight women while EEG activity was recorded. An earlier (450-680 ms after stimulus onset) as well as a later time window (850-1250 ms after stimulus onset) of the LPP were examined for the different picture categories. Participants were also asked to rate subjective emotions (fear, disgust, happiness) elicited by the pictures. Subjective ratings showed no differential experience of emotions for the two groups. For AN patients, highest LPP amplitudes were found for underweight women in the earlier as well as in the later time window. In TD girls, highest amplitudes for pictures of overweight women were observed in the earlier time window. A differential LPP pattern for girls with AN and TD girls when viewing pictures of women's bodies of different weight categories was obtained. Highest amplitudes in AN patients for pictures of underweight women may reflect motivational significance of strongly underweight body shapes. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Further characterization of a highly attenuated Yersinia pestis CO92 mutant deleted for the genes encoding Braun lipoprotein and plasminogen activator protease in murine alveolar and primary human macrophages.

PubMed

van Lier, Christina J; Tiner, Bethany L; Chauhan, Sadhana; Motin, Vladimir L; Fitts, Eric C; Huante, Matthew B; Endsley, Janice J; Ponnusamy, Duraisamy; Sha, Jian; Chopra, Ashok K

2015-03-01

We recently characterized the Δlpp Δpla double in-frame deletion mutant of Yersinia pestis CO92 molecularly, biologically, and immunologically. While Braun lipoprotein (Lpp) activates toll-like receptor-2 to initiate an inflammatory cascade, plasminogen activator (Pla) protease facilitates bacterial dissemination in the host. The Δlpp Δpla double mutant was highly attenuated in evoking bubonic and pneumonic plague, was rapidly cleared from mouse organs, and generated humoral and cell-mediated immune responses to provide subsequent protection to mice against a lethal challenge dose of wild-type (WT) CO92. Here, we further characterized the Δlpp Δpla double mutant in two murine macrophage cell lines as well as in primary human monocyte-derived macrophages to gauge its potential as a live-attenuated vaccine candidate. We first demonstrated that the Δpla single and the Δlpp Δpla double mutant were unable to survive efficiently in murine and human macrophages, unlike WT CO92. We observed that the levels of Pla and its associated protease activity were not affected in the Δlpp single mutant, and, likewise, deletion of the pla gene from WT CO92 did not alter Lpp levels. Further, our study revealed that both Lpp and Pla contributed to the intracellular survival of WT CO92 via different mechanisms. Importantly, the ability of the Δlpp Δpla double mutant to be phagocytized by macrophages, to stimulate production of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6, and to activate the nitric oxide killing pathways of the host cells remained unaltered when compared to the WT CO92-infected macrophages. Finally, macrophages infected with either the WT CO92 or the Δlpp Δpla double mutant were equally efficient in their uptake of zymosan particles as determined by flow cytometric analysis. Overall, our data indicated that although the Δlpp Δpla double mutant of Y. pestis CO92 was highly attenuated, it retained the ability to elicit innate and subsequent acquired immune responses in the host similar to that of WT CO92, which are highly desirable in a live-attenuated vaccine candidate. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rumination and Rebound from Failure as a Function of Gender and Time on Task

PubMed Central

Whiteman, Ronald C.; Mangels, Jennifer A.

2016-01-01

Rumination is a trait response to blocked goals that can have positive or negative outcomes for goal resolution depending on where attention is focused. Whereas “moody brooding” on affective states may be maladaptive, especially for females, “reflective pondering” on concrete strategies for problem solving may be more adaptive. In the context of a challenging general knowledge test, we examined how Brooding and Reflection rumination styles predicted students’ subjective and event-related responses (ERPs) to negative feedback, as well as use of this feedback to rebound from failure on a later surprise retest. For females only, Brooding predicted unpleasant feelings after failure as the task progressed. It also predicted enhanced attention to errors through both bottom-up and top-down processes, as indexed by increased early (400–600 ms) and later (600–1000 ms) late positive potentials (LPP), respectively. Reflection, despite increasing females’ initial attention to negative feedback (i.e., early LPP), as well as both genders’ recurring negative thoughts, did not result in sustained top-down attention (i.e., late LPP) or enhanced negative feelings toward errors. Reflection also facilitated rebound from failure in both genders, although Brooding did not hinder it. Implications of these gender and time-related rumination effects for learning in challenging academic situations are discussed. PMID:26901231

Neurophysiological Response to Olfactory Stimuli in Combat Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

PubMed

Bedwell, Jeffrey S; Bohil, Corey J; Neider, Mark B; Gramlich, Michael A; Neer, Sandra M; OʼDonnell, John P; Beidel, Deborah C

2018-06-01

There is a need for a better understanding of underlying pathology in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to develop more effective treatments. The late positive potential (LPP) amplitude from electroencephalogram has been used to assess individual differences in emotional reactivity. There is evidence that olfaction is particularly important in emotional processing in PTSD. The current study examined LPP amplitudes in response to olfactory stimuli in 24 combat veterans with PTSD and 24 nonmilitary/non-PTSD controls. An olfactometer delivered three negatively valenced odorants, with 12 trials of each delivered in a random order. The groups did not differ in LPP amplitude across odorants. However, within the PTSD group, higher Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale scores related to an increased LPP amplitude after diesel fuel and rotten egg, but not n_butanol, odorants. Results provide specific targets and theory for further research into clinical applications such as selection of idiographic odorants for use in virtual-reality exposure therapy.

Event-related potentials reveal task-dependence and inter-individual differences in negation processing during silent listening and explicit truth-value evaluation.

PubMed

Herbert, C; Kissler, J

2014-09-26

In sentences such as dogs cannot fly/bark, evaluation of the truth-value of the sentence is assumed to appear after the negation has been integrated into the sentence structure. Moreover negation processing and truth-value processing are considered effortful processes, whereas processing of the semantic relatedness of the words within sentences is thought to occur automatically. In the present study, modulation of event-related brain potentials (N400 and late positive potential, LPP) was investigated during an implicit task (silent listening) and active truth-value evaluation to test these theoretical assumptions and determine if truth-value evaluation will be modulated by the way participants processed the negated information implicitly prior to truth-value verification. Participants first listened to negated sentences and then evaluated these sentences for their truth-value in an active evaluation task. During passive listening, the LPP was generally more pronounced for targets in false negative (FN) than true negative (TN) sentences, indicating enhanced attention allocation to semantically-related but false targets. N400 modulation by truth-value (FN>TN) was observed in 11 out of 24 participants. However, during active evaluation, processing of semantically-unrelated but true targets (TN) elicited larger N400 and LPP amplitudes as well as a pronounced frontal negativity. This pattern was particularly prominent in those 11 individuals, whose N400 modulation during silent listening indicated that they were more sensitive to violations of the truth-value than to semantic priming effects. The results provide evidence for implicit truth-value processing during silent listening of negated sentences and for task dependence related to inter-individual differences in implicit negation processing. Copyright © 2014 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Event-related potential components as measures of aversive conditioning in humans.

PubMed

Bacigalupo, Felix; Luck, Steven J

2018-04-01

For more than 60 years, the gold standard for assessing aversive conditioning in humans has been the skin conductance response (SCR), which arises from the activation of the peripheral nervous system. Although the SCR has been proven useful, it has some properties that impact the kinds of questions it can be used to answer. In particular, the SCR is slow, reaching a peak 4-5 s after stimulus onset, and it decreases in amplitude after a few trials (habituation). The present study asked whether the late positive potential (LPP) of the ERP waveform could be a useful complementary method for assessing aversive conditioning in humans. The SCR and LPP were measured in an aversive conditioning paradigm consisting of three blocks in which one color was paired with a loud noise (CS+) and other colors were not paired with the noise (CS-). Participants also reported the perceived likelihood of being exposed to the noise for each color. Both SCR and LPP were significantly larger on CS+ trials than on CS- trials. However, SCR decreased steeply after the first conditioning block, whereas LPP and self-reports were stable over blocks. These results indicate that the LPP can be used to assess aversive conditioning and has several useful properties: (a) it is a direct response of the central nervous system, (b) it is fast, with an onset latency of 300 ms, (c) it does not habituate over time. © 2017 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Age-related changes in emotional face processing across childhood and into young adulthood: evidence from event-related potentials

PubMed Central

MacNamara, Annmarie; Vergés, Alvaro; Kujawa, Autumn; Fitzgerald, Kate D.; Monk, Christopher S.; Phan, K. Luan

2016-01-01

Socio-emotional processing is an essential part of development, and age-related changes in its neural correlates can be observed. The late positive potential (LPP) is a measure of motivated attention that can be used to assess emotional processing; however, changes in the LPP elicited by emotional faces have not been assessed across a wide age range in childhood and young adulthood. We used an emotional face matching task to examine behavior and event-related potentials (ERPs) in 33 youth aged 7 to 19 years old. Younger children were slower when performing the matching task. The LPP elicited by emotional faces but not control stimuli (geometric shapes) decreased with age; by contrast, an earlier ERP (the P1) decreased with age for both faces and shapes, suggesting increased efficiency of early visual processing. Results indicate age-related attenuation in emotional processing that may stem from increased efficiency and regulatory control when performing a socio-emotional task. PMID:26220144

State Anxiety Carried Over From Prior Threat Increases Late Positive Potential Amplitude During an Instructed Emotion Regulation Task

PubMed Central

Pedersen, Walker S.; Larson, Christine L.

2018-01-01

Emotion regulation has important consequences for emotional and mental health (Saxena, Dubey & Pandey, 2011) and is dependent on executive function (Eisenberg, Smith & Spinrad, 2011). Because state anxiety disrupts executive function (Robinson, Vytal, Cornwell & Grillon, 2013), we tested whether state anxiety disrupts emotion regulation by having participants complete an instructed emotion regulation task, while under threat of unpredictable shock and while safe from shock. We used the late positive potential (LPP) component of the event related potential to measure emotion regulation success. We predicted that LPP responses to negatively valenced images would be modulated by participants’ attempts to increase and decrease their emotions when safe from shock, but not while under threat of shock. Our manipulation check revealed an order effect such that for participants who completed the threat of shock condition first self-reported state anxiety carried over into the subsequent safe condition. Additionally, we found that although instructions to regulate affected participants’ ratings of how unpleasant the images made them feel, instructions to regulate had no effect on LPP amplitude regardless of threat condition. Instead we found that participants who received the threat condition prior to safe had greater LPP responses to all images in the safe condition. We posit that the carryover of anxiety resulted in misattribution of arousal and potentiation of neural responses to the images in the safe condition. Thus, our results imply that physiological arousal and cognition combine to influence the basic neural response to emotional stimuli. PMID:27055095

The impact of oxytocin administration and maternal love withdrawal on event-related potential (ERP) responses to emotional faces with performance feedback.

PubMed

Huffmeijer, Renske; Alink, Lenneke R A; Tops, Mattie; Grewen, Karen M; Light, Kathleen C; Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian J; van Ijzendoorn, Marinus H

2013-03-01

This is the first experimental study on the effect of oxytocin administration on the neural processing of facial stimuli conducted with female participants that uses event-related potentials (ERPs). Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled within-subjects design, we studied the effects of 16 IU of intranasal oxytocin on ERPs to pictures combining performance feedback with emotional facial expressions in 48 female undergraduate students. Participants also reported on the amount of love withdrawal they experienced from their mothers. Vertex positive potential (VPP) and late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes were more positive after oxytocin compared to placebo administration. This suggests that oxytocin increased attention to the feedback stimuli (LPP) and enhanced the processing of emotional faces (VPP). Oxytocin heightened processing of the happy and disgusted faces primarily for those reporting less love withdrawal. Significant associations with LPP amplitude suggest that more maternal love withdrawal relates to the allocation of attention toward the motivationally relevant combination of negative feedback with a disgusted face. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identification and physiological characterization of phosphatidic acid phosphatase enzymes involved in triacylglycerol biosynthesis in Streptomyces coelicolor

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Phosphatidic acid phosphatase (PAP, EC 3.1.3.4) catalyzes the dephosphorylation of phosphatidate yielding diacylglycerol (DAG), the lipid precursor for triacylglycerol (TAG) biosynthesis. Despite the importance of PAP activity in TAG producing bacteria, studies to establish its role in lipid metabolism have been so far restricted only to eukaryotes. Considering the increasing interest of bacterial TAG as a potential source of raw material for biofuel production, we have focused our studies on the identification and physiological characterization of the putative PAP present in the TAG producing bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor. Results We have identified two S. coelicolor genes, named lppα (SCO1102) and lppβ (SCO1753), encoding for functional PAP proteins. Both enzymes mediate, at least in part, the formation of DAG for neutral lipid biosynthesis. Heterologous expression of lppα and lppβ genes in E. coli resulted in enhanced PAP activity in the membrane fractions of the recombinant strains and concomitantly in higher levels of DAG. In addition, the expression of these genes in yeast complemented the temperature-sensitive growth phenotype of the PAP deficient strain GHY58 (dpp1lpp1pah1). In S. coelicolor, disruption of either lppα or lppβ had no effect on TAG accumulation; however, the simultaneous mutation of both genes provoked a drastic reduction in de novo TAG biosynthesis as well as in total TAG content. Consistently, overexpression of Lppα and Lppβ in the wild type strain of S. coelicolor led to a significant increase in TAG production. Conclusions The present study describes the identification of PAP enzymes in bacteria and provides further insights on the genetic basis for prokaryotic oiliness. Furthermore, this finding completes the whole set of enzymes required for de novo TAG biosynthesis pathway in S. coelicolor. Remarkably, the overexpression of these PAPs in Streptomyces bacteria contributes to a higher productivity of this single cell oil. Altogether, these results provide new elements and tools for future cell engineering for next-generation biofuels production. PMID:23356794

This person is saying bad things about you: The influence of physically and socially threatening context information on the processing of inherently neutral faces.

PubMed

Klein, Fabian; Iffland, Benjamin; Schindler, Sebastian; Wabnitz, Pascal; Neuner, Frank

2015-12-01

Recent studies have shown that the perceptual processing of human faces is affected by context information, such as previous experiences and information about the person represented by the face. The present study investigated the impact of verbally presented information about the person that varied with respect to affect (neutral, physically threatening, socially threatening) and reference (self-referred, other-referred) on the processing of faces with an inherently neutral expression. Stimuli were presented in a randomized presentation paradigm. Event-related potential (ERP) analysis demonstrated a modulation of the evoked potentials by reference at the EPN (early posterior negativity) and LPP (late positive potential) stage and an enhancing effect of affective valence on the LPP (700-1000 ms) with socially threatening context information leading to the most pronounced LPP amplitudes. We also found an interaction between reference and valence with self-related neutral context information leading to more pronounced LPP than other related neutral context information. Our results indicate an impact of self-reference on early, presumably automatic processing stages and also a strong impact of valence on later stages. Using a randomized presentation paradigm, this study confirms that context information affects the visual processing of faces, ruling out possible confounding factors such as facial configuration or conditional learning effects.

Sex differences and emotion regulation: an event-related potential study.

PubMed

Gardener, Elyse K T; Carr, Andrea R; Macgregor, Amy; Felmingham, Kim L

2013-01-01

Difficulties in emotion regulation have been implicated as a potential mechanism underlying anxiety and mood disorders. It is possible that sex differences in emotion regulation may contribute towards the heightened female prevalence for these disorders. Previous fMRI studies of sex differences in emotion regulation have shown mixed results, possibly due to difficulties in discriminating the component processes of early emotional reactivity and emotion regulation. The present study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine sex differences in N1 and N2 components (reflecting early emotional reactivity) and P3 and LPP components (reflecting emotion regulation). N1, N2, P3, and LPP were recorded from 20 men and 23 women who were instructed to "increase," "decrease," and "maintain" their emotional response during passive viewing of negative images. Results indicated that women had significantly greater N1 and N2 amplitudes (reflecting early emotional reactivity) to negative stimuli than men, supporting a female negativity bias. LPP amplitudes increased to the "increase" instruction, and women displayed greater LPP amplitudes than men to the "increase" instruction. There were no differences to the "decrease" instruction in women or men. These findings confirm predictions of the female negativity bias hypothesis and suggest that women have greater up-regulation of emotional responses to negative stimuli. This finding is highly significant in light of the female vulnerability for developing anxiety disorders.

Do reward-processing deficits in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders promote cannabis use? An investigation of physiological response to natural rewards and drug cues

PubMed Central

Cassidy, Clifford M.; Brodeur, Mathieu B.; Lepage, Martin; Malla, Ashok

2014-01-01

Background Dysfunctional reward processing is present in individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SSD) and may confer vulnerability to addiction. Our objective was to identify a deficit in patients with SSD on response to rewarding stimuli and determine whether this deficit predicts cannabis use. Methods We divided a group of patients with SSD and nonpsychotic controls into cannabis users and nonusers. Response to emotional and cannabis-associated visual stimuli was assessed using self-report, event-related potentials (using the late positive potential [LPP]), facial electromyography and skin-conductance response. Results Our sample comprised 35 patients with SSD and 35 nonpsychotic controls. Compared with controls, the patients with SSD showed blunted LPP response to pleasant stimuli (p = 0.003). Across measures, cannabis-using controls showed greater response to pleasant stimuli than to cannabis stimuli whereas cannabis-using patients showed little bias toward pleasant stimuli. Reduced LPP response to pleasant stimuli was predictive of more frequent subsequent cannabis use (β = −0.24, p = 0.034). Limitations It is not clear if the deficit associated with cannabis use is specific to rewarding stimuli or nonspecific to any kind of emotionally salient stimuli. Conclusion The LPP captures a reward-processing deficit in patients with SSD and shows potential as a biomarker for identifying patients at risk of heavy cannabis use. PMID:24913137

Do reward-processing deficits in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders promote cannabis use? An investigation of physiological response to natural rewards and drug cues.

PubMed

Cassidy, Clifford M; Brodeur, Mathieu B; Lepage, Martin; Malla, Ashok

2014-09-01

Dysfunctional reward processing is present in individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SSD) and may confer vulnerability to addiction. Our objective was to identify a deficit in patients with SSD on response to rewarding stimuli and determine whether this deficit predicts cannabis use. We divided a group of patients with SSD and nonpsychotic controls into cannabis users and nonusers. Response to emotional and cannabis-associated visual stimuli was assessed using self-report, event-related potentials (using the late positive potential [LPP]), facial electromyography and skin-conductance response. Our sample comprised 35 patients with SSD and 35 nonpsychotic controls. Compared with controls, the patients with SSD showed blunted LPP response to pleasant stimuli (p = 0.003). Across measures, cannabis-using controls showed greater response to pleasant stimuli than to cannabis stimuli whereas cannabis-using patients showed little bias toward pleasant stimuli. Reduced LPP response to pleasant stimuli was predictive of more frequent subsequent cannabis use (β = -0.24, p = 0.034). It is not clear if the deficit associated with cannabis use is specific to rewarding stimuli or nonspecific to any kind of emotionally salient stimuli. The LPP captures a reward-processing deficit in patients with SSD and shows potential as a biomarker for identifying patients at risk of heavy cannabis use.

Processing of unattended, simple negative pictures resists perceptual load.

PubMed

Sand, Anders; Wiens, Stefan

2011-05-11

As researchers debate whether emotional pictures can be processed irrespective of spatial attention and perceptual load, negative and neutral pictures of simple figure-ground composition were shown at fixation and were surrounded by one, two, or three letters. When participants performed a picture discrimination task, there was evidence for motivated attention; that is, an early posterior negativity (EPN) and late positive potential (LPP) to negative versus neutral pictures. When participants performed a letter discrimination task, the EPN was unaffected whereas the LPP was reduced. Although performance decreased substantially with the number of letters (one to three), the LPP did not decrease further. Therefore, attention to simple, negative pictures at fixation seems to resist manipulations of perceptual load.

Working Memory Load and Negative Picture Processing: Neural and Behavioral Associations With Panic, Social Anxiety, and Positive Affect.

PubMed

MacNamara, Annmarie; Jackson, T Bryan; Fitzgerald, Jacklynn M; Hajcak, Greg; Phan, K Luan

2018-04-22

Internalizing disorders such as anxiety may be characterized by an imbalance between bottom-up (stimulus-driven) and top-down (goal-directed) attention. The late positive potential (LPP) can be used to assess these processes when task-irrelevant negative and neutral pictures are presented within a working memory paradigm. Prior work using this paradigm has found that working memory load reduces the picture-elicited LPP across participants; however, anxious individuals showed a reduced effect of working memory load on the LPP, suggesting increased distractibility. The current study assessed transdiagnostic associations between specific symptom dimensions of anxiety, the LPP, and behavior in a clinically representative, heterogeneous group of 76 treatment-seeking patients with internalizing disorders, who performed a working memory task interspersed with negative and neutral pictures. As expected, negative pictures enhanced the LPP, and working memory load reduced the LPP. Participants with higher social anxiety showed increased LPPs to negative stimuli during early and late portions of picture presentation. Panic symptoms were associated with reduced LPPs to negative pictures compared with neutral pictures as well as a reduced effect of working memory load on the LPP during the late time window. Reduced positive affect was associated with greater behavioral interference from negative pictures. Hypervigilance for negative stimuli was uniquely explained by social anxiety symptoms, whereas panic symptoms were associated with the opposing effect-blunted processing/avoidance of these stimuli. Panic symptoms were uniquely associated with reduced top-down control. Results reveal distinct associations between neural reactivity and anxiety symptom dimensions that transcend traditional diagnostic boundaries. Copyright © 2018 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Late Positive Potential (LPP) in Response to Varying Types of Emotional and Cigarette Stimuli in Smokers: A Content Comparison

PubMed Central

Minnix, Jennifer A.; Versace, Francesco; Robinson, Jason D.; Lam, Cho Y.; Engelmann, Jeffrey M.; Cui, Yong; Brown, Victoria L.; Cinciripini, Paul M.

2013-01-01

Identifying neural mechanisms associated with addiction has substantially improved the overall understanding of addictive processes. Indeed, research suggests that drug-associated cues may take advantage of neural mechanisms originally intended for emotional processing of stimuli relevant to survival. In this study, we investigated cortical responses to several categories of emotional cues (erotic, romance, pleasant objects, mutilation, sadness, unpleasant objects) as well as two types of smoking-related cues (people smoking and cigarette-related objects). We recorded ERPs from 180 smokers prior to their participation in a smoking cessation clinical trial and assessed emotional salience by measuring the amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP; 400 to 600 ms after picture onset). As expected, emotional and cigarette-related pictures prompted a significantly larger LPP than neutral pictures. The amplitude of the LPP increased as a function of picture arousal level, with high-arousing erotic and mutilation pictures showing the largest response in contrast to low-arousing pleasant and unpleasant objects, which showed the smallest response (other than neutral). Compared to females, male participants showed larger LPPs for high-arousing erotic and mutilation pictures. However, unlike emotional pictures, no difference was noted for the LPP between cigarette stimuli containing people versus those containing only objects, suggesting that in contrast to emotional objects, cigarette-related objects are highly relevant for smokers. We also compared the smokers to a small (N=40), convenience sample of never-smokers. We found that never-smokers had significantly smaller LPPs in response to erotic and cigarette stimuli containing only objects compared to smokers. PMID:23643564

Individual differences in processing emotional images after reading disgusting and neutral sentences.

PubMed

Hartigan, Alex; Richards, Anne

2017-11-21

The present study examined the extent to which Event Related Potentials (ERPs) evoked by disgusting, threatening and neutral photographic images were influenced by disgust propensity, disgust sensitivity and attentional control following exposure to disgusting information. Emotional cognition was manipulated by instructing participants to remember either disgusting or neutral sentences; participants in both groups then viewed emotional images while ERPs were recorded. Disgust propensity was associated with a reduced Late Positive Potential (LPP) gap between threatening and neutral stimuli (an effect driven by a rise in the LPP for neutral images) but only amongst individuals who were exposed to disgusting sentences. The typical LPP increase for disgust over neutral was reduced by attentional shifting capacity but only for individuals who were not previously exposed to disgust. There was also a persistent occipital shifted late positivity that was enhanced for disgust for the entire LPP window and was independent of exposure. Results suggest that emotion specific ERP effects can emerge within the broad unpleasant emotional category in conjunction with individual differences and prior emotional exposure. These results have important implications for the ways in which the perception of emotion is impacted by short term cognitive influences and longer term individual differences. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring deficient emotion regulation in adult ADHD: electrophysiological evidence.

PubMed

Shushakova, Anna; Ohrmann, Patricia; Pedersen, Anya

2018-06-01

Emotional dysregulation (ED) is being increasingly recognized as a core feature of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but the pathophysiological underpinnings remain unclear. In this study, we provide meaningful electrophysiological evidence of ED in adult patients with ADHD (n = 39) compared to healthy controls (n = 40) by exploring the electrophysiological correlates of the emotion regulation strategies reappraisal, distraction, and expressive suppression. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded during passive viewing of neutral and negative images, as well as during emotion regulation. The patients with ADHD exhibited increased frontal late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes during passive viewing of the aversive images and during emotion regulation. Compared with the healthy controls, a subgroup of medication-naïve patients with ADHD (n = 25) also exhibited larger centroparietal LPP amplitudes and provided more negative ratings of the aversive and neutral images. Both the frontal and centroparietal LPP amplitudes were associated with ADHD symptom severity. However, no significant deficit in LPP modulation during emotion regulation was found. These findings strongly support the clinical observation of increased emotional responsivity toward negative stimuli and difficulty during the implementation of emotion regulation strategies and thus encourage the implementation of emotion regulation modules in the treatment of adult patients with ADHD.

Existential neuroscience: neurophysiological correlates of proximal defenses against death-related thoughts

PubMed Central

Jonas, Eva; Kronbichler, Martin

2013-01-01

A great deal of evidence suggests that reminders of mortality increase ingroup support and worldview defense, presumably in order to deal with the potential for anxiety that roots in the knowledge that death is inevitable. Interestingly, these effects are obtained solely when thoughts of death are not in the focus of consciousness. When conscious, death-related thoughts are usually defended against using proximal defenses, which entail distraction or suppression. The present study aimed at demonstrating neurophysiological correlates of proximal defenses. We focused on the late positive potential (LPP), which is thought to reflect an increased allocation of attention toward, and processing of, motivationally relevant stimuli. Our prediction was that the LPP should be increased for death-related relative to death-unrelated, but equally unpleasant stimulus words. In Experiment 1, this prediction was confirmed. This finding was replicated in Experiment 2, which used a target word detection task. In Experiment 2, both death-related and pleasant words elicited an enhanced LPP, presumably because during the less demanding task, people might have distracted themselves from the mortality reminders by focusing on pleasant words. To summarize, we were able to identify a plausible neurophysiological marker of proximal defenses in the form of an increased LPP to death-related words. PMID:22267519

Role of lipid phosphate phosphatase 3 in human aortic endothelial cell function

PubMed Central

Touat-Hamici, Zahia; Weidmann, Henri; Blum, Yuna; Proust, Carole; Durand, Hervé; Iannacci, Francesca; Codoni, Veronica; Gaignard, Pauline; Thérond, Patrice; Civelek, Mete; Karabina, Sonia A.; Lusis, Aldons J.; Cambien, François; Ninio, Ewa

2016-01-01

Aims Lipid phosphate phosphatase 3; type 2 phosphatidic acid phosphatase β (LPP3; PPAP2B) is a transmembrane protein dephosphorylating and thereby terminating signalling of lipid substrates including lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). Human LPP3 possesses a cell adhesion motif that allows interaction with integrins. A polymorphism (rs17114036) in PPAP2B is associated with coronary artery disease, which prompted us to investigate the possible role of LPP3 in human endothelial dysfunction, a condition promoting atherosclerosis. Methods and results To study the role of LPP3 in endothelial cells we used human primary aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) in which LPP3 was silenced or overexpressed using either wild type or mutated cDNA constructs. LPP3 silencing in HAECs enhanced secretion of inflammatory cytokines, leucocyte adhesion, cell survival, and migration and impaired angiogenesis, whereas wild-type LPP3 overexpression reversed these effects and induced apoptosis. We also demonstrated that LPP3 expression was negatively correlated with vascular endothelial growth factor expression. Mutations in either the catalytic or the arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) domains impaired endothelial cell function and pharmacological inhibition of S1P or LPA restored it. LPA was not secreted in HAECs under silencing or overexpressing LPP3. However, the intra- and extra-cellular levels of S1P tended to be correlated with LPP3 expression, indicating that S1P is probably degraded by LPP3. Conclusions We demonstrated that LPP3 is a negative regulator of inflammatory cytokines, leucocyte adhesion, cell survival, and migration in HAECs, suggesting a protective role of LPP3 against endothelial dysfunction in humans. Both the catalytic and the RGD functional domains were involved and S1P, but not LPA, might be the endogenous substrate of LPP3. PMID:27694435

Treating a novel plasticity defect rescues episodic memory in Fragile X model mice

PubMed Central

Wang, Weisheng; Cox, Brittney M.; Jia, Yousheng; Le, Aliza A.; Cox, Conor D.; Jung, Kwang M.; Hou, Bowen; Piomelli, Daniele; Gall, Christine M.; Lynch, Gary

2017-01-01

Episodic memory, a fundamental component of human cognition, is significantly impaired in autism. We report the first evidence for this problem in the Fmr1-knockout (KO) mouse model of Fragile X syndrome and describe potentially treatable underlying causes. The hippocampus is critical for the formation and use of episodes, with semantic (cue identity) information relayed to the structure via the lateral perforant path (LPP). The unusual form of synaptic plasticity expressed by the LPP (lppLTP) was profoundly impaired in Fmr1-KOs relative to wild type mice. Two factors contributed to this defect: i) reduced GluN1 subunit levels in synaptic NMDA receptors and related currents, and ii) impaired retrograde synaptic signaling by the endocannabinoid 2-archadonolglycerol (2-AG). Studies using a novel serial cue paradigm showed that episodic encoding is dependent on both the LPP and the endocannabinoid receptor CB1, and is strikingly impaired in Fmr1-KOs. Enhancing 2-AG signaling rescued both lppLTP and learning in the mutants. Thus, two consequences of the Fragile-X mutation converge on plasticity at one site in hippocampus to prevent encoding of a basic element of cognitive memory. Collectively, the results suggest a clinically plausible approach to treatment. PMID:29133950

Exposure therapy leads to enhanced late frontal positivity in 8- to 13-year-old spider phobic girls

PubMed Central

Leutgeb, Verena; Schäfer, Axel; Köchel, Angelika; Schienle, Anne

2012-01-01

Neurobiological studies have demonstrated that psychotherapy is able to alter brain function in adults, however little exists on this topic with respect to children. This waiting-list controlled investigation focused on therapy-related changes of the P300 and the late positive potential (LPP) in 8- to 13-year-old spider phobic girls. Thirty-two patients were presented with phobia-relevant, generally disgust-inducing, fear-inducing, and affectively neutral pictures while an electroencephalogram was recorded. Participants received one session of up to 4 h of cognitive-behavioral exposure therapy. Treated children showed enhanced amplitudes of the LPP at frontal sites in response to spider pictures. This result is interpreted to reflect an improvement in controlled attentional engagement and is in line with already existing data for adult females. Moreover, the girls showed a therapy-specific reduction in overall disgust proneness, as well as in experienced arousal and disgust when viewing disgust pictures. Thus, exposure therapy seems to have broad effects in children. PMID:22388043

Can older adults resist the positivity effect in neural responding? The impact of verbal framing on event-related brain potentials elicited by emotional images.

PubMed

Rehmert, Andrea E; Kisley, Michael A

2013-10-01

Older adults have demonstrated an avoidance of negative information, presumably with a goal of greater emotional satisfaction. Understanding whether avoidance of negative information is a voluntary, motivated choice or an involuntary, automatic response will be important to differentiate, as decision making often involves emotional factors. With the use of an emotional framing event-related potential (ERP) paradigm, the present study investigated whether older adults could alter neural responses to negative stimuli through verbal reframing of evaluative response options. The late positive potential (LPP) response of 50 older adults and 50 younger adults was recorded while participants categorized emotional images in one of two framing conditions: positive ("more or less positive") or negative ("more or less negative"). It was hypothesized that older adults would be able to overcome a presumed tendency to down-regulate neural responding to negative stimuli in the negative framing condition, thus leading to larger LPP wave amplitudes to negative images. A similar effect was predicted for younger adults, but for positively valenced images, such that LPP responses would be increased in the positive framing condition compared with the negative framing condition. Overall, younger adults' LPP wave amplitudes were modulated by framing condition, including a reduction in the negativity bias in the positive frame. Older adults' neural responses were not significantly modulated, even though task-related behavior supported the notion that older adults were able to successfully adopt the negative framing condition.

Can Older Adults Resist the Positivity Effect in Neural Responding: The Impact of Verbal Framing on Event-Related Brain Potentials Elicited by Emotional Images

PubMed Central

Rehmert, Andrea E.; Kisley, Michael A.

2014-01-01

Older adults have demonstrated an avoidance of negative information presumably with a goal of greater emotional satisfaction. Understanding whether avoidance of negative information is a voluntary, motivated choice, or an involuntary, automatic response will be important to differentiate, as decision-making often involves emotional factors. With the use of an emotional framing event-related potential (ERP) paradigm, the present study investigated whether older adults could alter neural responses to negative stimuli through verbal reframing of evaluative response options. The late-positive potential (LPP) response of 50 older adults and 50 younger adults was recorded while participants categorized emotional images in one of two framing conditions: positive (“more or less positive”) or negative (“more or less negative”). It was hypothesized that older adults would be able to overcome a presumed tendency to down-regulate neural responding to negative stimuli in the negative framing condition thus leading to larger LPP wave amplitudes to negative images. A similar effect was predicted for younger adults but for positively valenced images such that LPP responses would be increased in the positive framing condition compared to the negative framing condition. Overall, younger adults' LPP wave amplitudes were modulated by framing condition, including a reduction in the negativity bias in the positive frame. Older adults' neural responses were not significantly modulated even though task-related behavior supported the notion that older adults were able to successfully adopt the negative framing condition. PMID:23731435

Changes in attention to an emotional task after sleep deprivation: neurophysiological and behavioral findings.

PubMed

Alfarra, Ramey; Fins, Ana I; Chayo, Isaac; Tartar, Jaime L

2015-01-01

While sleep loss is shown to have widespread effects on cognitive processes, little is known about the impact of sleep loss on emotion processes. In order to expand on previous behavioral and physiological findings on how sleep loss influences emotion processing, we administered positive, negative, and neutral affective visual stimuli to individuals after one night of sleep deprivation while simultaneously acquiring EEG event related potential (ERP) data and recording affective behavioral responses. We compared these responses to a baseline testing session. We specifically looked at the late positive potential (LPP) component of the visual ERP as an established sensitive measure of attention to emotionally-charged visual stimuli. Our results show that after sleep deprivation, the LPP no longer discriminates between emotional and non-emotional pictures; after sleep deprivation the LPP amplitude was of similar amplitude for neutral, positive, and negative pictures. This effect was driven by an increase in the LPP to neutral pictures. Our behavioral measures show that, relative to baseline testing, emotional pictures are rated as less emotional following sleep deprivation with a concomitant reduction in emotional picture-induced anxiety. We did not observe any change in cortisol concentrations after sleep deprivation before or after emotional picture exposure, suggesting that the observed changes in emotion processing are independent of potential stress effects of sleep deprivation. Combined, our findings suggest that sleep loss interferes with proper allocation of attention resources during an emotional task. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Differential localization of lipid phosphate phosphatases 1 and 3 to cell surface subdomains in polarized MDCK cells.

PubMed

Jia, Yan-Jun; Kai, Masahiro; Wada, Ikuo; Sakane, Fumio; Kanoh, Hideo

2003-09-25

Lipid phosphate phosphatases (LPPs) are integral membrane proteins with six transmembrane domains that act as ecto-enzymes dephosphorylating a variety of extracellular lipid phosphates. Using polarized MDCK cells stably expressing human LPP1 and LPP3, we found that LPP1 was located exclusively at the apical surface whereas LPP3 was distributed mostly in the basolateral subdomain. We identified a novel apical sorting signal at the N-terminus of LPP1 composed of F(2)DKTRL(7). In the case of LPP3, a dityrosine motif present in the second cytoplasmic portion was identified as basolateral targeting signal. Our work shows that LPP1 and LPP3 are equipped with distinct sorting signals that cause them to differentially localize to the apical vs. the basolateral subdomain, respectively.

Emotional self-other voice processing in schizophrenia and its relationship with hallucinations: ERP evidence.

PubMed

Pinheiro, Ana P; Rezaii, Neguine; Rauber, Andréia; Nestor, Paul G; Spencer, Kevin M; Niznikiewicz, Margaret

2017-09-01

Abnormalities in self-other voice processing have been observed in schizophrenia, and may underlie the experience of hallucinations. More recent studies demonstrated that these impairments are enhanced for speech stimuli with negative content. Nonetheless, few studies probed the temporal dynamics of self versus nonself speech processing in schizophrenia and, particularly, the impact of semantic valence on self-other voice discrimination. In the current study, we examined these questions, and additionally probed whether impairments in these processes are associated with the experience of hallucinations. Fifteen schizophrenia patients and 16 healthy controls listened to 420 prerecorded adjectives differing in voice identity (self-generated [SGS] versus nonself speech [NSS]) and semantic valence (neutral, positive, and negative), while EEG data were recorded. The N1, P2, and late positive potential (LPP) ERP components were analyzed. ERP results revealed group differences in the interaction between voice identity and valence in the P2 and LPP components. Specifically, LPP amplitude was reduced in patients compared with healthy subjects for SGS and NSS with negative content. Further, auditory hallucinations severity was significantly predicted by LPP amplitude: the higher the SAPS "voices conversing" score, the larger the difference in LPP amplitude between negative and positive NSS. The absence of group differences in the N1 suggests that self-other voice processing abnormalities in schizophrenia are not primarily driven by disrupted sensory processing of voice acoustic information. The association between LPP amplitude and hallucination severity suggests that auditory hallucinations are associated with enhanced sustained attention to negative cues conveyed by a nonself voice. © 2017 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

The late positive potential (LPP) in response to varying types of emotional and cigarette stimuli in smokers: a content comparison.

PubMed

Minnix, Jennifer A; Versace, Francesco; Robinson, Jason D; Lam, Cho Y; Engelmann, Jeffrey M; Cui, Yong; Brown, Victoria L; Cinciripini, Paul M

2013-07-01

Identifying neural mechanisms associated with addiction has substantially improved the overall understanding of addictive processes. Indeed, research suggests that drug-associated cues may take advantage of neural mechanisms originally intended for emotional processing of stimuli relevant to survival. In this study, we investigated cortical responses to several categories of emotional cues (erotic, romance, pleasant objects, mutilation, sadness, and unpleasant objects) as well as two types of smoking-related cues (people smoking and cigarette-related objects). We recorded ERPs from 180 smokers prior to their participation in a smoking cessation clinical trial and assessed emotional salience by measuring the amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP; 400 to 600 ms after picture onset). As expected, emotional and cigarette-related pictures prompted a significantly larger LPP than neutral pictures. The amplitude of the LPP increased as a function of picture arousal level, with high-arousing erotic and mutilation pictures showing the largest response in contrast to low-arousing pleasant and unpleasant objects, which showed the smallest response (other than neutral). Compared to females, male participants showed larger LPPs for high-arousing erotic and mutilation pictures. However, unlike emotional pictures, no difference was noted for the LPP between cigarette stimuli containing people versus those containing only objects, suggesting that in contrast to emotional objects, cigarette-related objects are highly relevant for smokers. We also compared the smokers to a small (N=40), convenience sample of never-smokers. We found that never-smokers had significantly smaller LPPs in response to erotic and cigarette stimuli containing only objects compared to smokers. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Brain dynamics of visual attention during anticipation and encoding of threat- and safe-cues in spider-phobic individuals

PubMed Central

Pané-Farré, Christiane A.; Löw, Andreas; Hamm, Alfons O.

2015-01-01

This study systematically investigated the sensitivity of the phobic attention system by measuring event-related potentials (ERPs) in spider-phobic and non-phobic volunteers in a context where spider and neutral pictures were presented (phobic threat condition) and in contexts where no phobic but unpleasant and neutral or only neutral pictures were displayed (phobia-irrelevant conditions). In a between-group study, participants were assigned to phobia-irrelevant conditions either before or after the exposure to spider pictures (pre-exposure vs post-exposure participants). Additionally, each picture was preceded by a fixation cross presented in one of three different colors that were informative about the category of an upcoming picture. In the phobic threat condition, spider-phobic participants showed a larger P1 than controls for all pictures and signal cues. Moreover, individuals with spider phobia who were sensitized by the exposure to phobic stimuli (i.e. post-exposure participants) responded with an increased P1 also in phobia-irrelevant conditions. In contrast, no group differences between spider-phobic and non-phobic individuals were observed in the P1-amplitudes during viewing of phobia-irrelevant stimuli in the pre-exposure group. In addition, cues signaling neutral pictures elicited decreased stimulus-preceding negativity (SPN) compared with cues signaling emotional pictures. Moreover, emotional pictures and cues signaling emotional pictures evoked larger early posterior negativity (EPN) and late positive potential (LPP) than neutral stimuli. Spider phobics showed greater selective attention effects than controls for phobia-relevant pictures (increased EPN and LPP) and cues (increased LPP and SPN). Increased sensitization of the attention system observed in spider-phobic individuals might facilitate fear conditioning and promote generalization of fear playing an important role in the maintenance of anxiety disorders. PMID:25608985

Impaired Emotion Regulation in Schizophrenia: Evidence From Event-Related Potentials

PubMed Central

Horan, William P.; Hajcak, Greg; Wynn, Jonathan K.; Green, Michael F.

2014-01-01

Background Although several aspects of emotion appear intact in schizophrenia, there is emerging evidence that patients show an impaired ability to adaptively regulate their emotions. This ERP study examined whether schizophrenia is associated with impaired neural responses to appraisal frames – i.e., when negative stimuli are presented in a less negative context. Methods 31 schizophrenia outpatients and 27 healthy controls completed a validated picture viewing task with three conditions: 1) Neutral pictures preceded by neutral descriptions (“Neutral”), 2) Unpleasant pictures preceded by negative descriptions (“Preappraised negative”), 3) Unpleasant pictures preceded by more neutral descriptions (“Preappraised neutral”). Analyses focused on the Late Positive Potential (LPP), an index of facilitated attention to emotional stimuli that is reduced following cognitive emotion regulation strategies, during four time windows from 300 – 2000 ms post picture onset. Results Replicating prior studies, controls showed smaller LPP in Preappraised neutral and Neutral vs. Preappraised negative conditions throughout 300 – 2000 ms. In contrast, patients showed (a) larger LPP in Preappraised neutral and Preappraised negative vs. Neutral conditions in the initial period (300 – 600 ms) and (b) an atypical pattern of larger LPP to Preappraised neutral vs. Preappraised negative and Neutral conditions in the 600–1500 ms epochs. Conclusions Modulation of neural responses by a cognitive emotion regulation strategy appears impaired in schizophrenia during the first two seconds after exposure to unpleasant stimuli. PMID:23360592

Self-Referential Processing in Depressed Adolescents: A High-Density ERP Study

PubMed Central

Auerbach, Randy P.; Stanton, Colin H.; Proudfit, Greg Hajcak; Pizzagalli, Diego A.

2015-01-01

Despite the alarming increase in the prevalence of depression during adolescence, particularly among female adolescents, the pathophysiology of depression in adolescents remains largely unknown. Event-related potentials (ERPs) provide an ideal approach to investigate cognitive-affective processes associated with depression in adolescents, especially in the context of negative self-referential processing biases. In this study, healthy (n = 30) and depressed (n = 22) female adolescents completed a self-referential encoding task while ERP data were recorded. To examine cognitive-affective processes associated with self-referential processing, P1, P2, and late positive potential (LPP) responses to negative and positive words were investigated, and intracortical sources of scalp effects were probed using Low Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA). Additionally, we tested whether key cognitive processes (e.g., maladaptive self-view, self-criticism) previously implicated in depression related to ERP components. Relative to healthy female subjects, depressed females endorsed more negative and fewer positive words, and free recalled and recognized fewer positive words. With respect to ERPs, compared to healthy female adolescents, depressed adolescents exhibited greater P1 amplitudes following negative words, which was associated with a more maladaptive self-view and self-criticism. In both early and late LPP responses, depressed females showed greater activity following negative versus positive words, whereas healthy females demonstrated the opposite pattern. For both P1 and LPP, LORETA revealed reduced inferior frontal gyrus activity in response to negative words in depressed versus healthy female adolescents. Collectively, these findings suggest that the P1 and LPP reflect biased self-referential processing in female adolescents with depression. Potential treatment implications are discussed. PMID:25643205

Uncertainty increases neural indices of attention in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

PubMed

Dieterich, Raoul; Endrass, Tanja; Kathmann, Norbert

2017-11-01

Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) experience abnormally high levels of uncertainty, and unpredictability is evaluated negatively and not well tolerated. The current study examined neural correlates of attentional processing in response to experimentally induced uncertainty in OCD. Twenty-four OCD patients and 24 healthy controls performed a task where neutral and negative pictures were preceded by a cue, either being predictive (certain condition) or nonpredictive (uncertain condition) of subsequent picture valence. We examined prepicture anticipatory attention through α (∼8-12 Hz) suppression, and attentional allocation during picture presentation with the P1, N1, P2, N2, and late positive potential (LPP) of the event-related potential. Additionally, we tested how clinical measures related to these attentional markers. Subjectively, patients overestimated the frequency of negative pictures after nonpredictive cues. Patients, but not controls, showed upper α(10-12 Hz) suppression after nonpredictive and predictive negative cues relative to predictive neutral cues. Only patients showed increased P2 and decreased N2 amplitudes for pictures after nonpredictive cues, and, whereas both groups showed increased LPP amplitudes for pictures after nonpredictive cues, this modulation was more pronounced in OCD during the early LPP (<1,000 ms). In patients, P2 and LPP amplitudes for negative pictures were associated positively with anxiety and negatively with depression. These results suggest that OCD patients process anticipation of inevitable and potential threat similarly and highlight the substantial motivational impact of uncertain events to OCD patients. Finally, the correlation with anxiety implies that anxiety represents the source of hypervigilance during uncertainty resolution. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cloning and characterization of three Eimeria tenella lipid phosphate phosphatases.

PubMed

Guo, Aijiang; Cai, Jianping; Luo, Xuenong; Zhang, Shaohua; Hou, Junling; Li, Hui; Cai, Xuepeng

2015-01-01

Although lipid phosphate phosphatases (LPPs) play an important role in cellular signaling in addition to lipid biosynthesis, little is thus far known about parasite LPPs. In this study, we characterized three Eimeria tenella cDNA clones encoding LPP named EtLPP1, EtLPP2 and EtLPP3. Key structural features previously described in LPPs, including the three conserved domains proposed as catalytic sites, a single conserved N-glycosylation site, and putative transmembrane domains were discovered in the three resulting EtLPP amino acid sequences. Expression of His6-tagged EtLPP1, -2, and -3 in HEK293 cells produced immunoreactive proteins with variable molecular sizes, suggesting the presence of multiple forms of each of the three EtLPPs. The two faster-migrating protein bands below each of the three EtLPP proteins were found to be very similar to the porcine 35-kDa LPP enzyme in their molecular size and the extent of their N-glycosylation, suggesting that the three EtLPPs are partially N-glycosylated. Kinetic analyses of the activity of the three enzymes against PA, LPA, C1P and S1P showed that Km values for each of the substrates were (in μM) 284, 46, 28, and 22 for EtLPP1; 369, 179, 237, and 52 for EtLPP2; and 355, 83, and 260 for EtLPP3. However, EtLPP3 showed negligible activity on S1P. These results confirmed that the three EtLPPs have broad substrate specificity. The results also indicated that despite structural similarities, the three EtLPPs may play distinct functions through their different models of substrate preference. Furthermore, particularly high expression levels of the three EtLPP genes were detected in the sporozoite stage of the E. tenella life cycle (p<0.001), suggesting that their encoded proteins might play an important biological function in the sporozoite stage.

Fine mapping of the celiac disease-associated LPP locus reveals a potential functional variant.

PubMed

Almeida, Rodrigo; Ricaño-Ponce, Isis; Kumar, Vinod; Deelen, Patrick; Szperl, Agata; Trynka, Gosia; Gutierrez-Achury, Javier; Kanterakis, Alexandros; Westra, Harm-Jan; Franke, Lude; Swertz, Morris A; Platteel, Mathieu; Bilbao, Jose Ramon; Barisani, Donatella; Greco, Luigi; Mearin, Luisa; Wolters, Victorien M; Mulder, Chris; Mazzilli, Maria Cristina; Sood, Ajit; Cukrowska, Bozena; Núñez, Concepción; Pratesi, Riccardo; Withoff, Sebo; Wijmenga, Cisca

2014-05-01

Using the Immunochip for genotyping, we identified 39 non-human leukocyte antigen (non-HLA) loci associated to celiac disease (CeD), an immune-mediated disease with a worldwide frequency of ∼1%. The most significant non-HLA signal mapped to the intronic region of 70 kb in the LPP gene. Our aim was to fine map and identify possible functional variants in the LPP locus. We performed a meta-analysis in a cohort of 25 169 individuals from six different populations previously genotyped using Immunochip. Imputation using data from the Genome of the Netherlands and 1000 Genomes projects, followed by meta-analysis, confirmed the strong association signal on the LPP locus (rs2030519, P = 1.79 × 10(-49)), without any novel associations. The conditional analysis on this top SNP-indicated association to a single common haplotype. By performing haplotype analyses in each population separately, as well as in a combined group of the four populations that reach the significant threshold after correction (P < 0.008), we narrowed down the CeD-associated region from 70 to 2.8 kb (P = 1.35 × 10(-44)). By intersecting regulatory data from the ENCODE project, we found a functional SNP, rs4686484 (P = 3.12 × 10(-49)), that maps to several B-cell enhancer elements and a highly conserved region. This SNP was also predicted to change the binding motif of the transcription factors IRF4, IRF11, Nkx2.7 and Nkx2.9, suggesting its role in transcriptional regulation. We later found significantly low levels of LPP mRNA in CeD biopsies compared with controls, thus our results suggest that rs4686484 is the functional variant in this locus, while LPP expression is decreased in CeD.

Regulation of Cellular Diacylglycerol through Lipid Phosphate Phosphatases Is Required for Pathogenesis of the Rice Blast Fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae

PubMed Central

Mir, Albely Afifa; Choi, Jaeyoung; Choi, Jaehyuk; Lee, Yong-Hwan

2014-01-01

Considering implication of diacylglycerol in both metabolism and signaling pathways, maintaining proper levels of diacylglycerol (DAG) is critical to cellular homeostasis and development. Except the PIP2-PLC mediated pathway, metabolic pathways leading to generation of DAG converge on dephosphorylation of phosphatidic acid catalyzed by lipid phosphate phosphatases. Here we report the role of such enzymes in a model plant pathogenic fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae. We identified five genes encoding putative lipid phosphate phosphatases (MoLPP1 to MoLPP5). Targeted disruption of four genes (except MoLPP4) showed that MoLPP3 and MoLPP5 are required for normal progression of infection-specific development and proliferation within host plants, whereas MoLPP1 and MoLPP2 are indispensable for fungal pathogenicity. Reintroduction of MoLPP3 and MoLPP5 into individual deletion mutants restored all the defects. Furthermore, exogenous addition of saturated DAG not only restored defect in appressorium formation but also complemented reduced virulence in both mutants. Taken together, our data indicate differential roles of lipid phosphate phosphatase genes and requirement of proper regulation of cellular DAGs for fungal development and pathogenesis. PMID:24959955

Neural signals of selective attention are modulated by subjective preferences and buying decisions in a virtual shopping task.

PubMed

Goto, Nobuhiko; Mushtaq, Faisal; Shee, Dexter; Lim, Xue Li; Mortazavi, Matin; Watabe, Motoki; Schaefer, Alexandre

2017-09-01

We investigated whether well-known neural markers of selective attention to motivationally-relevant stimuli were modulated by variations in subjective preference towards consumer goods in a virtual shopping task. Specifically, participants viewed and rated pictures of various goods on the extent to which they wanted each item, which they could potentially purchase afterwards. Using the event-related potentials (ERP) method, we found that variations in subjective preferences for consumer goods strongly modulated positive slow waves (PSW) from 800 to 3000 milliseconds after stimulus onset. We also found that subjective preferences modulated the N200 and the late positive potential (LPP). In addition, we found that both PSW and LPP were modulated by subsequent buying decisions. Overall, these findings show that well-known brain event-related potentials reflecting selective attention processes can reliably index preferences to consumer goods in a shopping environment. Based on a large body of previous research, we suggest that early ERPs (e.g. the N200) to consumer goods could be indicative of preferences driven by unconditional and automatic processes, whereas later ERPs such as the LPP and the PSW could reflect preferences built upon more elaborative and conscious cognitive processes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Negative attention bias and processing deficits during the cognitive reappraisal of unpleasant emotions in HIV+ women.

PubMed

McIntosh, Roger C; Tartar, Jaime L; Widmayer, Susan; Rosselli, Monica

2015-01-01

Deficits in emotional processing may be attributed to HIV disease or comorbid psychiatric disorders. Electrocortical markers of emotional attention, i.e., amplitude of the P2 and late positive potential (LPP), were compared between 26 HIV+ women and 25 healthy controls during an emotional regulation paradigm. HIV+ women showed early attention bias to negative stimuli indexed by greater P2 amplitude. In contrast, compared with the passive viewing of unpleasant images, HIV+ women demonstrated attenuation of the early and late LPP during positive reappraisal. This interaction remained significant after adjusting for individual differences in apathy, anxiety, and depression. Post hoc analyses implicated time since HIV diagnosis with LPP attenuation during positive reappraisal. Advancing HIV disease may disrupt neural generators associated with the cognitive reappraisal of emotions independent of psychiatric function.

Brain dynamics in spider-phobic individuals exposed to phobia-relevant and other emotional stimuli.

PubMed

Michalowski, Jaroslaw M; Melzig, Christiane A; Weike, Almut I; Stockburger, Jessica; Schupp, Harald T; Hamm, Alfons O

2009-06-01

Dense sensor event-related brain potentials were measured in participants with spider phobia and nonfearful controls during viewing of phobia-relevant spider and standard emotional (pleasant, unpleasant, neutral) pictures. Irrespective of the picture content, spider phobia participants responded with larger P1 amplitudes than controls, suggesting increased vigilance in this group. Furthermore, spider phobia participants showed a significantly enlarged early posterior negativity (EPN) and late positive potential (LPP) during the encoding of phobia-relevant pictures compared to nonfearful controls. No group differences were observed for standard emotional materials indicating that these effects were specific to phobia-relevant material. Within group comparisons of the spider phobia group, though, revealed comparable EPN and LPP evoked by spider pictures and emotional (unpleasant and pleasant) picture contents. These results demonstrate a temporal unfolding in perceptual processing from unspecific vigilance (P1) to preferential responding (EPN and LPP) to phobia-relevant materials in the spider phobia group. However, at the level of early stimulus processing, these effects of increased attention seem to be related to emotional relevance of the stimulus cues rather than reflecting a fear-specific response.

New colored optical security elements using Rolic's LPP/LCP technology: devices for first- to third-level inspection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moia, Franco

2002-04-01

With linear photo-polymerization (LPP) ROLIC has invented a photo-patternable technology enabling to align not only conventional liquid crystals but also liquid crystals polymers (LCP). ROLIC's optical security device technology derives from its LPP/LCP technology. LPP/LCP security devices are created by structured photo-alignment of an LPP layer through phot-masks, thus generating a high resolution, photo-patterned aligning layer which carries the aligning information of the image to be created. The subsequent LCP layer transforms the aligning information into an optical phase image with low and/or very high information content, such as invisible photographic pictures. The building block capability of the LPP/LCP technology allows the manufacturing of cholesteric and non-cholesteric LPP/LCP devices which cover 1st and/or 2nd level applications. Apart from black/white security devices colored information zones can be integrated. Moreover, we have developed an LPP/LCP security device which covers all three- 1st, 2nd and 3rd- inspection levels in one and the same authentication device: besides a color shift by tilting the device (1st level) and the detection of normally hidden information by use of a simple sheet polarizer (2nd level) the new device contains encrypted hidden information which can be visualized only by superimposing an LPP/LCP inspection tool (key) for decryption (3rd level). This optical key is also based on the LPP/LCP technology and is itself a 3rd level security device.

Neural Reactivity to Emotional Stimuli Prospectively Predicts the Impact of a Natural Disaster on Psychiatric Symptoms in Children.

PubMed

Kujawa, Autumn; Hajcak, Greg; Danzig, Allison P; Black, Sarah R; Bromet, Evelyn J; Carlson, Gabrielle A; Kotov, Roman; Klein, Daniel N

2016-09-01

Natural disasters expose entire communities to stress and trauma, leading to increased risk for psychiatric symptoms. Yet, the majority of exposed individuals are resilient, highlighting the importance of identifying underlying factors that contribute to outcomes. The current study was part of a larger prospective study of children in Long Island, New York (n = 260). At age 9, children viewed unpleasant and pleasant images while the late positive potential (LPP), an event-related potential component that reflects sustained attention toward salient information, was measured. Following the event-related potential assessment, Hurricane Sandy, the second costliest hurricane in United States history, hit the region. Eight weeks after the hurricane, mothers reported on exposure to hurricane-related stress and children's internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Symptoms were reassessed 8 months after the hurricane. The LPP predicted both internalizing and externalizing symptoms after accounting for prehurricane symptomatology and interacted with stress to predict externalizing symptoms. Among children exposed to higher levels of hurricane-related stress, enhanced neural reactivity to unpleasant images predicted greater externalizing symptoms 8 weeks after the disaster, while greater neural reactivity to pleasant images predicted lower externalizing symptoms. Moreover, interactions between the LPP and stress continued to predict externalizing symptoms 8 months after the hurricane. Results indicate that heightened neural reactivity and attention toward unpleasant information, as measured by the LPP, predispose children to psychiatric symptoms when exposed to higher levels of stress related to natural disasters, while greater reactivity to and processing of pleasant information may be a protective factor. Copyright © 2015 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Timing effects of antecedent- and response-focused emotion regulation strategies.

PubMed

Paul, Sandra; Simon, Daniela; Kniesche, Rainer; Kathmann, Norbert; Endrass, Tanja

2013-09-01

Distraction and cognitive reappraisal influence the emotion-generative process at early stages and have been shown to effectively attenuate emotional responding. Inhibiting emotion-expressive behavior is thought to be less beneficial due to later implementation, but empirical results are mixed. Thus, the current study examined the temporal dynamics of these emotion regulation strategies at attenuating the late positive potential (LPP) while participants were shown unpleasant pictures. Results revealed that all strategies successfully reduced the LPP and self-reported negative affect. We confirmed that distraction attenuated the LPP earlier than cognitive reappraisal. Surprisingly, expressive suppression affected emotional responding as early as distraction. This suggests that suppression was used preventively and disrupted the emotion-generative process from the very beginning instead of targeting the emotional response itself. Thus, the obtained results point to the importance of considering the point in time when response-focused emotion regulation strategies are being implemented. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Integration of moral values during L2 sentence processing.

PubMed

Foucart, Alice; Moreno, Eva; Martin, Clara D; Costa, Albert

2015-11-01

This study reports an event-related potential (ERP) experiment examining whether valuation (i.e., one's own values) is integrated incrementally and whether it affects L2 speakers' online interpretation of the sentence. We presented Spanish native speakers and French-Spanish mid-proficiency late L2 speakers with visual sentences containing value-consistent and value-inconsistent statements (e.g., 'Nowadays, paedophilia should be prohibited/tolerated across the world.'). Participants' brain activity was recorded as they were reading the sentences and indicating whether they agreed with the statements or not. Behaviourally, the two groups revealed identical valuation. The ERP analyses showed both a semantic (N400) and an affect-related response (LPP) to value-inconsistent statements in the native group, but only an LPP in the non-native group. These results suggest that valuation is integrated online (presence of LPP) during L2 sentence comprehension but that it does not interfere with semantic processing (absence of N400).

An event-related potential paradigm for identifying (rare negative) attitude stimuli that people intentionally misreport.

PubMed

Crites, Stephen L; Mojica, Andrew J; Corral, Guadalupe; Taylor, Jennifer H

2010-09-01

This experiment explored whether a late positive potential (LPP) of the event-related brain potential is useful for examining attitudes that people attempt to conceal. Participants identified a set of liked, neutral, and disliked people and viewed sequences consisting of either names or pictures of these people. Disliked people appeared rarely among liked people, and participants either: (1) always accurately reported their negative attitudes toward the people; (2) misreported negative attitudes as positive when they saw a picture of a disliked person; or (3) misreported negative attitudes as positive when they saw a name of a disliked person. Rare negative stimuli evoked a larger-amplitude LPP than frequent positive stimuli. Misreporting attitudes significantly reduced the amplitude difference between rare negative and frequent positive stimuli, though it remained significant.

Social and emotional relevance in face processing: happy faces of future interaction partners enhance the late positive potential

PubMed Central

Bublatzky, Florian; Gerdes, Antje B. M.; White, Andrew J.; Riemer, Martin; Alpers, Georg W.

2014-01-01

Human face perception is modulated by both emotional valence and social relevance, but their interaction has rarely been examined. Event-related brain potentials (ERP) to happy, neutral, and angry facial expressions with different degrees of social relevance were recorded. To implement a social anticipation task, relevance was manipulated by presenting faces of two specific actors as future interaction partners (socially relevant), whereas two other face actors remained non-relevant. In a further control task all stimuli were presented without specific relevance instructions (passive viewing). Face stimuli of four actors (2 women, from the KDEF) were randomly presented for 1s to 26 participants (16 female). Results showed an augmented N170, early posterior negativity (EPN), and late positive potential (LPP) for emotional in contrast to neutral facial expressions. Of particular interest, face processing varied as a function of experimental tasks. Whereas task effects were observed for P1 and EPN regardless of instructed relevance, LPP amplitudes were modulated by emotional facial expression and relevance manipulation. The LPP was specifically enhanced for happy facial expressions of the anticipated future interaction partners. This underscores that social relevance can impact face processing already at an early stage of visual processing. These findings are discussed within the framework of motivated attention and face processing theories. PMID:25076881

An enteric pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium suppresses tumor growth by downregulating CD44high and CD4T regulatory (Treg) cell expression in mice: the critical role of lipopolysaccharide and Braun lipoprotein in modulating tumor growth.

PubMed

Liu, T; Chopra, A K

2010-02-01

An antitumor activity associated with several bacterial pathogens, including Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, has been reported; however, the underlying immunological mechanism(s) that lead to an antitumor effect are currently unclear. Furthermore, such pathogens cannot be used to suppress tumor growth because of their potential for causing sepsis. Recently, we reported the characterization of S. Typhimurium isogenic mutants from which Braun lipoprotein genes (lppA and B) and the multicopy repressor of high temperature requirement (msbB) gene were deleted. In a mouse infection model, two mutants, namely, lppB/msbB and lppAB/msbB, minimally induced proinflammatory cytokine production at high doses and were nonlethal to animals. We showed that immunization of mice with these mutants, followed by challenge with the wild-type S. Typhimurium, could significantly suppress tumor growth, as evidenced by an 88% regression in tumor size in lppB/msbB mutant-immunized animals over a 24-day period. However, the lppAB/msbB mutant alone was not effective in modulating tumor growth in mice, although the lppB/msbB mutant alone caused marginal regression in tumor size. Importantly, we showed that CD44(+) cells grew much faster than CD44(-) cells from human liver tumors in mice, leading us to examine the possibility that S. Typhimurium might downregulate CD44 in tumors and splenocytes of mice. Consequently, we found in S. Typhimurium-infected mice that tumor size regression could indeed be related to the downregulation of CD44(high) and CD4(+)CD25(+) T(reg) cells. Importantly, the role of lipopolysaccharide and Braun lipoprotein was critical in S. Typhimurium-induced antitumor immune responses. Taken together, we have defined new immune mechanisms leading to tumor suppression in mice by S. Typhimurium.

Feedback-related negativity in children with two subtypes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Gong, Jingbo; Yuan, Jiajin; Wang, Suhong; Shi, Lijuan; Cui, Xilong; Luo, Xuerong

2014-01-01

The current model of ADHD suggests abnormal reward and punishment sensitivity, although differences in ADHD subgroups are unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of feedback valence (reward or punishment) and punishment magnitude (small or large) on Feedback-Related Negativity (FRN) and Late Positive Potential (LPP) in two subtypes of ADHD (ADHD-C and ADHD-I) compared to typically developing children (TD) during a children's gambling task. Children with ADHD-C (n = 16), children with ADHD-I (n = 15) and typically developing children (n = 15) performed a children's gambling task under three feedback conditions: large losses, small losses and gains. FRN and LPP components in brain potentials were recorded and analyzed. In TD children and children with ADHD-C, large loss feedback evoked more negative FRN amplitudes than small loss feedback, suggesting that brain sensitivity to the punishment and its magnitude is not impaired in children with ADHD-C. In contrast to these two groups, the FRN effect was absent in children with ADHD-I. The LPP amplitudes were larger in children with ADHD-C in comparison with those with ADHD-I, regardless of feedback valence and magnitude. Children with ADHD-C exhibit intact brain sensitivity to punishment similar to TD children. In contrast, children with ADHD-I are significantly impaired in neural sensitivity to the feedback stimuli and in particular, to punishment, compared to TD and ADHD-C children. Thus, FRN, rather than LPP, is a reliable index of the difference in reward and punishment sensitivity across different ADHD-subcategories.

Brain dynamics of visual attention during anticipation and encoding of threat- and safe-cues in spider-phobic individuals.

PubMed

Michalowski, Jaroslaw M; Pané-Farré, Christiane A; Löw, Andreas; Hamm, Alfons O

2015-09-01

This study systematically investigated the sensitivity of the phobic attention system by measuring event-related potentials (ERPs) in spider-phobic and non-phobic volunteers in a context where spider and neutral pictures were presented (phobic threat condition) and in contexts where no phobic but unpleasant and neutral or only neutral pictures were displayed (phobia-irrelevant conditions). In a between-group study, participants were assigned to phobia-irrelevant conditions either before or after the exposure to spider pictures (pre-exposure vs post-exposure participants). Additionally, each picture was preceded by a fixation cross presented in one of three different colors that were informative about the category of an upcoming picture. In the phobic threat condition, spider-phobic participants showed a larger P1 than controls for all pictures and signal cues. Moreover, individuals with spider phobia who were sensitized by the exposure to phobic stimuli (i.e. post-exposure participants) responded with an increased P1 also in phobia-irrelevant conditions. In contrast, no group differences between spider-phobic and non-phobic individuals were observed in the P1-amplitudes during viewing of phobia-irrelevant stimuli in the pre-exposure group. In addition, cues signaling neutral pictures elicited decreased stimulus-preceding negativity (SPN) compared with cues signaling emotional pictures. Moreover, emotional pictures and cues signaling emotional pictures evoked larger early posterior negativity (EPN) and late positive potential (LPP) than neutral stimuli. Spider phobics showed greater selective attention effects than controls for phobia-relevant pictures (increased EPN and LPP) and cues (increased LPP and SPN). Increased sensitization of the attention system observed in spider-phobic individuals might facilitate fear conditioning and promote generalization of fear playing an important role in the maintenance of anxiety disorders. © The Author (2015). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Low NOx, Lean Direct Wall Injection Combustor Concept Developed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tacina, Robert R.; Wey, Changlie; Choi, Kyung J.

2003-01-01

The low-emissions combustor development at the NASA Glenn Research Center is directed toward advanced high-pressure aircraft gas turbine applications. The emphasis of this research is to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) at high-power conditions and to maintain carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons at their current low levels at low-power conditions. Low-NOx combustors can be classified into rich burn and lean burn concepts. Lean burn combustors can be further classified into lean-premixed-prevaporized (LPP) and lean direct injection (LDI) combustors. In both concepts, all the combustor air, except for liner cooling flow, enters through the combustor dome so that the combustion occurs at the lowest possible flame temperature. The LPP concept has been shown to have the lowest NOx emissions, but for advanced high-pressure-ratio engines, the possibly of autoignition or flashback precludes its use. LDI differs from LPP in that the fuel is injected directly into the flame zone and, thus, does not have the potential for autoignition or flashback and should have greater stability. However, since it is not premixed and prevaporized, the key is good atomization and mixing of the fuel quickly and uniformly so that flame temperatures are low and NOx formation levels are comparable to those of LPP.

Evidence for a differential contribution of early perceptual and late cognitive processes during encoding to episodic memory impairment in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Green, Amity E; Fitzgerald, Paul B; Johnston, Patrick J; Nathan, Pradeep J; Kulkarni, Jayashri; Croft, Rodney J

2017-08-01

Schizophrenia is characterised by significant episodic memory impairment that is thought to be related to problems with encoding, however the neuro-functional mechanisms underlying these deficits are not well understood. The present study used a subsequent recognition memory paradigm and event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate temporal aspects of episodic memory encoding deficits in schizophrenia. Electroencephalographic data was recorded in 24 patients and 19 healthy controls whilst participants categorised single words as pleasant/unpleasant. ERPs were generated to subsequently recognised versus unrecognised words on the basis of a forced-choice recognition memory task. Subsequent memory effects were examined with the late positive component (LPP). Group differences in N1, P2, N400 and LPP were examined for words correctly recognised. Patients performed more poorly than controls on the recognition task. During encoding patients had significantly reduced N400 and LPP amplitudes than controls. LPP amplitude correlated with task performance however amplitudes did not differ between patients and controls as a function of subsequent memory. No significant differences in N1 or P2 amplitude or latency were observed. The present results indicate that early sensory processes are intact and dysfunctional higher order cognitive processes during encoding are contributing to episodic memory impairments in schizophrenia.

Motivational intensity modulates attentional scope: evidence from behavioral and ERP studies.

PubMed

Liu, Lei; Zhang, Guangnan; Zhou, Renlai; Wang, Zuowei

2014-10-01

Previous studies have found that affective states with high motivational intensity narrow attentional scope, whereas affective states with low motivational intensity broaden attentional scope. This conclusion, however, is based on fragmented evidence based on several separate studies. The present study tests this conclusion within a single study using both behavioral (Experiment 1) and neurophysiological (Experiment 2) measures. Experiment 1 showed that individuals had the global precedence effect in the neutral affective state. However, the global precedence effect was reduced for affective states with high motivational intensity, whereas the global precedence effect was not significantly enhanced for those with low motivational intensity. Experiment 2 replicated these results with event-related potential (ERP) recording. ERP results showed that affective states with high motivational intensity induced smaller N2 and greater late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes than low motivational intensity and neutral affective states. However, no differences were found between the low motivational intensity and neutral affective states. Furthermore, smaller LPP predicted the tendency a global attentional focus in the frontal and central areas and larger LPP predicted a narrowed focus in the frontal area. The findings suggested that high motivational intensity of affective states can affect attentional scope.

Implicit and explicit categorization of natural scenes.

PubMed

Codispoti, Maurizio; Ferrari, Vera; De Cesarei, Andrea; Cardinale, Rossella

2006-01-01

Event-related potential (ERP) studies have consistently found that emotionally arousing (pleasant and unpleasant) pictures elicit a larger late positive potential (LPP) than neutral pictures in a window from 400 to 800 ms after picture onset. In addition, an early ERP component has been reported to vary with emotional arousal in a window from about 150 to 300 ms with affective, compared to neutral stimuli, prompting significantly less positivity over occipito-temporal sites. Similar early and late ERP components have been found in explicit categorization tasks, suggesting that selective attention to target features results in similar cortical changes. Several studies have shown that the affective modulation of the LPP persisted even when the same pictures are repeated several times, when they are presented as distractors, or when participants are engaged in a competing task. These results indicate that categorization of affective stimuli is an obligatory process. On the other hand, perceptual factors (e.g., stimulus size) seem to affect the early ERP component but not the affective modulation of the LPP. Although early and late ERP components vary with stimulus relevance, given that they are differentially affected by stimulus and task manipulations, they appear to index different facets of picture processing.

Narrowband UVB-induced lichen planus pemphigoide

PubMed Central

Mandy Chan, Wai Man; See Lee, Joyce Siong; Thiam Theng, Colin Seng; Chua, Sze Hon; Boon Oon, Hazel Hwee

2011-01-01

Lichen planus pemphigoides (LPP) is an autoimmune disease characterised by evolution of subepidermal blisters on normal and lichen planus affected skin. We describe a case of LPP in a 54-year-old Chinese woman. The patient presented with psoriasiform plaques and was diagnosed with guttate psoriasis. Narrowband ultraviolet B (NBUVB) therapy was commenced, and she experienced a generalised eruption of violaceous papules, bullae over the lower limbs, and Wickham's striae over the buccal mucosa. Histology from a plaque revealed interface dermatitis, while a specimen from a blister showed subepidermal bulla. Direct immunofluorescence showed linear deposition of IgG and C3 along the basement membrane. A diagnosis of LPP was made on clinicopathological grounds. This is the first case report of NBUVB alone in unmasking LPP. In this case report, we describe the pathological mechanism of NBUVB in the development of LPP and key features distinguishing LPP from bullous lupus erythematosus, bullous lichen planus, bullous pemphigoid, and psoriasis. PMID:25386295

Harm avoidance in adolescents modulates late positive potentials during affective picture processing.

PubMed

Zhang, Wenhai; Lu, Jiamei; Ni, Ziyin; Liu, Xia; Wang, Dahua; Shen, Jiliang

2013-08-01

Research in adults has shown that individual differences in harm avoidance (HA) modulate electrophysiological responses to affective stimuli. To determine whether HA in adolescents modulates affective information processing, we collected event-related potentials from 70 adolescents while they viewed 90 pictures from the Chinese affective picture system. Multiple regressions revealed that HA negatively predicted late positive potential (LPP) for positive pictures and positively predicted for negative pictures; however, HA did not correlate with LPP for neutral pictures. The results suggest that at the late evaluative stage, high-HA adolescents display attentional bias to negative pictures while low-HA adolescents display attentional bias to negative pictures. Moreover, these dissociable attentional patterns imply that individual differences in adolescents' HA modulate the late selective attention mechanism of affective information. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Emotional processing and psychopathic traits in male college students: An event-related potential study.

PubMed

Medina, Amy L; Kirilko, Elvira; Grose-Fifer, Jillian

2016-08-01

Emotional processing deficits are often considered a hallmark of psychopathy. However, there are relatively few studies that have investigated how the late positive potential (LPP) elicited by both positive and negative emotional stimuli is modulated by psychopathic traits, especially in undergraduates. Attentional deficits have also been posited to be associated with emotional blunting in psychopathy, consequently, results from previous studies may have been influenced by task demands. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between the neural correlates of emotional processing and psychopathic traits by measuring event-related potentials (ERPs) during a task with a relatively low cognitive load. A group of male undergraduates were classified as having either high or low levels of psychopathic traits according to their total scores on the Psychopathic Personality Inventory - Revised (PPI-R). A subgroup of these participants then passively viewed complex emotional and neutral images from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) while their EEGs were recorded. As hypothesized, in general the late LPP elicited by emotional pictures was found to be significantly reduced for participants with high Total PPI-R scores relative to those with low scores, especially for pictures that were rated as less emotionally arousing. Our data suggest that male undergraduates with high, but subclinical levels of psychopathic traits did not maintain continued higher-order processing of affective information, especially when it was perceived to be less arousing in nature. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Deletion of the Braun Lipoprotein-Encoding Gene and Altering the Function of Lipopolysaccharide Attenuate the Plague Bacterium

PubMed Central

Sha, Jian; Kirtley, Michelle L.; van Lier, Christina J.; Wang, Shaofei; Erova, Tatiana E.; Kozlova, Elena V.; Cao, Anthony; Cong, Yingzi; Fitts, Eric C.; Rosenzweig, Jason A.

2013-01-01

Braun (murein) lipoprotein (Lpp) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are major components of the outer membranes of Enterobacteriaceae family members that are capable of triggering inflammatory immune responses by activating Toll-like receptors 2 and 4, respectively. Expanding on earlier studies that demonstrated a role played by Lpp in Yersinia pestis virulence in mouse models of bubonic and pneumonic plague, we characterized an msbB in-frame deletion mutant incapable of producing an acyltransferase that is responsible for the addition of lauric acid to the lipid A moiety of LPS, as well as a Δlpp ΔmsbB double mutant of the highly virulent Y. pestis CO92 strain. Although the ΔmsbB single mutant was minimally attenuated, the Δlpp single mutant and the Δlpp ΔmsbB double mutant were significantly more attenuated than the isogenic wild-type (WT) bacterium in bubonic and pneumonic animal models (mouse and rat) of plague. These data correlated with greatly reduced survivability of the aforementioned mutants in murine macrophages. Furthermore, the Δlpp ΔmsbB double mutant was grossly compromised in its ability to disseminate to distal organs in mice and in evoking cytokines/chemokines in infected animal tissues. Importantly, mice that survived challenge with the Δlpp ΔmsbB double mutant, but not the Δlpp or ΔmsbB single mutant, in a pneumonic plague model were significantly protected against a subsequent lethal WT CO92 rechallenge. These data were substantiated by the fact that the Δlpp ΔmsbB double mutant maintained an immunogenicity comparable to that of the WT strain and induced long-lasting T-cell responses against heat-killed WT CO92 antigens. Taken together, the data indicate that deletion of the msbB gene augmented the attenuation of the Δlpp mutant by crippling the spread of the double mutant to the peripheral organs of animals and by inducing cytokine/chemokine responses. Thus, the Δlpp ΔmsbB double mutant could provide a new live-attenuated background vaccine candidate strain, and this should be explored in the future. PMID:23275092

Influence of Toothbrushing on the Antierosive Effect of Film-Forming Agents.

PubMed

Scaramucci, Taís; João-Souza, Samira Helena; Lippert, Frank; Eckert, George J; Aoki, Idalina V; Hara, Anderson T

2016-01-01

This study evaluated the influence of toothbrushing on the antierosive effect of solutions containing sodium fluoride (225 ppm/F), stannous chloride (800 ppm/Sn), sodium linear polyphosphate (2%/LPP), and their combinations, and deionized water as negative control (C). Solutions were tested in a 5-day erosion-remineralization-abrasion cycling model, using enamel and dentin specimens (n = 8). Erosion was performed 6 times/day for 5 min, exposure to the test solutions 3 times/day for 2min, and toothbrushing (or not) with toothpaste slurry 2 times/day for 2 min (45 strokes). Surface loss (SL) was determined by noncontact profilometry. Data were analyzed using three-way ANOVA (α = 0.05). Brushing caused more SL than no brushing for enamel (mean ± SD, in micrometers: 52.7 ± 6.6 and 33.0 ± 4.5, respectively), but not for dentin (28.2 ± 1.9 and 26.6 ± 1.8, respectively). For enamel without brushing, F+LPP+Sn showed the lowest SL (23.8 ± 3.4), followed by F+Sn (30.6 ± 4.9) and F+LPP (31.7 ± 1.7), which did not differ from each other. No differences were found between the other groups and C (37.8 ± 2.1). When brushing, F+LPP+Sn exhibited the lowest SL (36.7 ± 2.4), not differing from F+LPP (39.1 ± 1.8). F, F+Sn and LPP+Sn were similar (46.7 ± 2.9, 42.1 ± 2.8 and 45.3 ± 4.6, respectively) and better than C (52.7 ± 4.3). Sn (55.0 ± 2.4) and LPP (51.0 ± 4.3) did not differ from C. For dentin, neither groups differed from C, regardless of brushing. In conclusion, toothbrushing did not affect the antierosive effect of F+Sn, F+LPP and F+LPP+Sn on enamel, although overall it led to more erosion than nonbrushing. F and LPP+Sn showed a protective effect only under brushing conditions, whereas Sn and LPP did not exhibit any protection. For dentin, neither toothbrushing nor the test solutions influenced the development of erosion. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

LppX is a lipoprotein required for the translocation of phthiocerol dimycocerosates to the surface of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

PubMed Central

Sulzenbacher, Gerlind; Canaan, Stéphane; Bordat, Yann; Neyrolles, Olivier; Stadthagen, Gustavo; Roig-Zamboni, Véronique; Rauzier, Jean; Maurin, Damien; Laval, Françoise; Daffé, Mamadou; Cambillau, Christian; Gicquel, Brigitte; Bourne, Yves; Jackson, Mary

2006-01-01

Cell envelope lipids play an important role in the pathogenicity of mycobacteria, but the mechanisms by which they are transported to the outer membrane of these prokaryotes are largely unknown. Here, we provide evidence that LppX is a lipoprotein required for the translocation of complex lipids, the phthiocerol dimycocerosates (DIM), to the outer membrane of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Abolition of DIM transport following disruption of the lppX gene is accompanied by an important attenuation of the virulence of the tubercle bacillus. The crystal structure of LppX unveils an U-shaped β-half-barrel dominated by a large hydrophobic cavity suitable to accommodate a single DIM molecule. LppX shares a similar fold with the periplasmic molecular chaperone LolA and the outer membrane lipoprotein LolB, which are involved in the localization of lipoproteins to the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Based on the structure and although an indirect participation of LppX in DIM transport cannot yet be ruled out, we propose LppX to be the first characterized member of a family of structurally related lipoproteins that carry lipophilic molecules across the mycobacterial cell envelope. PMID:16541102

Females are sensitive to unpleasant human emotions regardless of the emotional context of photographs.

PubMed

Kato, Ryousuke; Takeda, Yuji

2017-06-09

Previous studies have demonstrated that females exhibit higher sensitivity than males to the emotional state of a person in a photograph. The present study examined whether such females' sensitivity to human emotions could be observed even when the background emotional contexts were incongruent with facial expressions. The late positive potential (LPP) was measured while 19-female and 15-male participants viewed a photograph of a face with varied emotional expressions (pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant) superimposed on a background photograph with varied valences (pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant). The results showed that unpleasant background photographs elicited a larger LPP compared to pleasant and neutral background photographs in both female and male participants. In contrast, a larger LPP for the unpleasant face photographs was observed only in female participants. Furthermore, the effect of face photographs did not interact with the effect of background photographs. These results suggest that females are sensitive to human emotions regardless of the emotional context. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Directed attention reduces processing of emotional distracters irrespective of valence and arousal level.

PubMed

Wiens, Stefan; Syrjänen, Elmeri

2013-09-01

Emotional stimuli tend to capture attention, and this so-called motivated attention is commonly measured using the early posterior negativity (EPN) and the late positive potential (LPP). We hypothesized that voluntary, directed attention reduces motivated attention more strongly for highly than moderately arousing pleasant or unpleasant pictures. Participants were instructed to direct their attention to either a picture at fixation or the letters flanking the picture. Pictures varied substantially in arousal and valence. When the pictures were attended to, EPN and LPP increased linearly with arousal. When the letters were attended to, these linear effects decreased in the EPN for pleasant and unpleasant pictures and in the LPP for pleasant pictures. Thus, directed attention decreases processing of emotional distracters more strongly for highly than moderately arousing pleasant and unpleasant pictures. These results are consistent with the view that directed attention decreases emotion effects on sensory gain. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Increased neural and pupillary reactivity to emotional faces in adolescents with current and remitted major depressive disorder.

PubMed

Burkhouse, Katie L; Owens, Max; Feurer, Cope; Sosoo, Effua; Kudinova, Anastacia; Gibb, Brandon E

2017-05-01

This study combined multiple levels of analysis to examine whether disrupted neural and pupillary reactivity to emotional faces serves as a state- or trait-like marker of adolescent major depressive disorder (MDD). The study examined differences in pupil dilation and the event-related potential (ERP) late positive potential (LPP) component to emotional faces before and after a negative mood induction between 71 adolescents (age 11-18 years) with (i) a current diagnosis of MDD, (ii) a past episode of MDD currently in full remission and (iii) no lifetime history of any Axis I disorder. Relative to healthy control (HC) youth, adolescents with current or remitted MDD exhibited an enhanced LPP and pupillary response to all emotional facial expressions (fearful, happy and sad). This difference in reactivity between remitted depressed and HC adolescents persisted following the negative mood induction. Results also revealed that LPP and pupillary responses to emotional faces were significantly related, but only among the currently depressed adolescents. This study suggests that increased physiological and neural activation in response to social-emotional stimuli may not only characterize currently depressed adolescents, but also remains following MDD remission, potentially serving as a mechanism of risk for future depression relapse. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Neurocognitive mechanisms underlying deceptive hazard evaluation: An event-related potentials investigation.

PubMed

Fu, Huijian; Qiu, Wenwei; Ma, Haiying; Ma, Qingguo

2017-01-01

Deceptive behavior is common in human social interactions. Researchers have been trying to uncover the cognitive process and neural basis underlying deception due to its theoretical and practical significance. We used Event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate the neural correlates of deception when the participants completed a hazard judgment task. Pictures conveying or not conveying hazard information were presented to the participants who were then requested to discriminate the hazard content (safe or hazardous) and make a response corresponding to the cues (truthful or deceptive). Behavioral and electrophysiological data were recorded during the entire experiment. Results showed that deceptive responses, compared to truthful responses, were associated with longer reaction time (RT), lower accuracy, increased N2 and reduced late positive potential (LPP), suggesting a cognitively more demanding process to respond deceptively. The decrement in LPP correlated negatively with the increment in RT for deceptive relative to truthful responses, regardless of hazard content. In addition, hazardous information evoked larger N1 and P300 than safe information, reflecting an early processing bias and a later evaluative categorization process based on motivational significance, respectively. Finally, the interaction between honesty (truthful/deceptive) and safety (safe/hazardous) on accuracy and LPP indicated that deceptive responses towards safe information required more effort than deceptive responses towards hazardous information. Overall, these results demonstrate the neurocognitive substrates underlying deception about hazard information.

Neurocognitive mechanisms underlying deceptive hazard evaluation: An event-related potentials investigation

PubMed Central

Qiu, Wenwei; Ma, Haiying; Ma, Qingguo

2017-01-01

Deceptive behavior is common in human social interactions. Researchers have been trying to uncover the cognitive process and neural basis underlying deception due to its theoretical and practical significance. We used Event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate the neural correlates of deception when the participants completed a hazard judgment task. Pictures conveying or not conveying hazard information were presented to the participants who were then requested to discriminate the hazard content (safe or hazardous) and make a response corresponding to the cues (truthful or deceptive). Behavioral and electrophysiological data were recorded during the entire experiment. Results showed that deceptive responses, compared to truthful responses, were associated with longer reaction time (RT), lower accuracy, increased N2 and reduced late positive potential (LPP), suggesting a cognitively more demanding process to respond deceptively. The decrement in LPP correlated negatively with the increment in RT for deceptive relative to truthful responses, regardless of hazard content. In addition, hazardous information evoked larger N1 and P300 than safe information, reflecting an early processing bias and a later evaluative categorization process based on motivational significance, respectively. Finally, the interaction between honesty (truthful/deceptive) and safety (safe/hazardous) on accuracy and LPP indicated that deceptive responses towards safe information required more effort than deceptive responses towards hazardous information. Overall, these results demonstrate the neurocognitive substrates underlying deception about hazard information. PMID:28793344

Salutary effect of gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 in two different stress urinary incontinence models in female rats.

PubMed

Jandric, Ivan; Vrcic, Hrvoje; Jandric Balen, Marica; Kolenc, Danijela; Brcic, Luka; Radic, Bozo; Drmic, Domagoj; Seiwerth, Sven; Sikiric, Predrag

2013-03-12

Since an originally anti-ulcer stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 (PL 14736) was shown to promote healing of injured striated muscle and smooth muscle in the gastrointestinal tract, we explored its therapeutic potentials for leak point pressure (LPP) recovery in rat stress urinary incontinence (SUI) after transabdominal urethrolysis (TU) and prolonged vaginal dilatation (VD). During a 7-day period, TU-rats and VD-rats (or healthy rats) received BPC 157, either (i) intraperitoneally, 10 µg/kg or 10 ng/kg, once daily (first administration 30 min after surgery, last 24 h before LPP-testing and sacrifice), or (ii) per-orally, 10 µg/kg in drinking water (0.16 µg/mL, 12 mL/rat/day). Vesicourethral segments were harvested for immunohistochemical evaluation. All BPC 157 regimens counteracted decrease of LPP values in TU-rats and VD-rats. Additionally, BPC 157-TU rats (µg-intraperitoneally or per-orally) and BPC 157-VD rats (µg intraperitoneally) reached LPP values originally noted in healthy rats. Conversely, in healthy rats, BPC 157 did not alter LPP. Immunohistochemical studies revealed higher desmin (delineates striated organization of skeletal muscle), smooth muscle actin, and CD34 (angiogenic marker) positivity within the urethral wall in BPC 157-treated rats vs. controls, as well as overall preserved muscle/connective tissue ratio assessed with Mallory's trichrome staining. Pentadecapeptide BPC 157, applied parenterally or per-orally, appears to ameliorate the SUI in rat models, improving the otherwise detrimental course of healing after VD and TU, which may be analogous to human injury. These beneficial effects may possibly be selectively used in future strategies for treatment of SUI.

Salutary effect of gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 in two different stress urinary incontinence models in female rats

PubMed Central

Jandric, Ivan; Vrcic, Hrvoje; Balen, Marica Jandric; Kolenc, Danijela; Brcic, Luka; Radic, Bozo; Drmic, Domagoj; Seiwerth, Sven; Sikiric, Predrag

2013-01-01

Background Since an originally anti-ulcer stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 (PL 14736) was shown to promote healing of injured striated muscle and smooth muscle in the gastrointestinal tract, we explored its therapeutic potentials for leak point pressure (LPP) recovery in rat stress urinary incontinence (SUI) after transabdominal urethrolysis (TU) and prolonged vaginal dilatation (VD). Material/Methods During a 7-day period, TU-rats and VD-rats (or healthy rats) received BPC 157, either (i) intraperitoneally, 10 μg/kg or 10 ng/kg, once daily (first administration 30 min after surgery, last 24 h before LPP-testing and sacrifice), or (ii) per-orally, 10 μg/kg in drinking water (0.16 μg/mL, 12 mL/rat/day). Vesicourethral segments were harvested for immunohistochemical evaluation. Results All BPC 157 regimens counteracted decrease of LPP values in TU-rats and VD-rats. Additionally, BPC 157-TU rats (μg-intraperitoneally or per-orally) and BPC 157-VD rats (μg intraperitoneally) reached LPP values originally noted in healthy rats. Conversely, in healthy rats, BPC 157 did not alter LPP. Immunohistochemical studies revealed higher desmin (delineates striated organization of skeletal muscle), smooth muscle actin, and CD34 (angiogenic marker) positivity within the urethral wall in BPC 157-treated rats vs. controls, as well as overall preserved muscle/connective tissue ratio assessed with Mallory’s trichrome staining. Conclusions Pentadecapeptide BPC 157, applied parenterally or per-orally, appears to ameliorate the SUI in rat models, improving the otherwise detrimental course of healing after VD and TU, which may be analogous to human injury. These beneficial effects may possibly be selectively used in future strategies for treatment of SUI. PMID:23478678

Intentional modulation of the late positive potential in response to smoking cues by cognitive strategies in smokers.

PubMed

Littel, Marianne; Franken, Ingmar H A

2011-01-01

Attentional bias is considered an important concept in addiction since it has been found to correlate with subjective craving and is strongly associated with relapse after periods of abstinence. Hence, investigating in ways to regulate attention for drug cues would be of major clinical relevance. The present study examined deliberate, cognitive modulation of motivated attention for smoking cues in smokers. The effects of three different reappraisal strategies on an electrophysiological measure of attentive processing were investigated. Early and late LPP components in response to passively viewed neutral and smoking pictures were compared with LPPs in response to smoking pictures that were reappraised with three different reappraisal strategies. Results show that when smokers actively imagine how pleasant it would be to smoke (pleasant condition), their early LPP in response to smoking cues increases, but when smokers actively focus on an alternative stimulus (distraction condition) or think of a rational, uninvolved interpretation of the situation (rational condition), smoking-related late LPP amplitude decreases to the processing level of neutral stimuli. Present results are the first to indicate that smoking cue-elicited LPP amplitudes can be modulated by cognitive strategies, suggesting that attentive processing of smoking cues can be intentionally regulated by smokers with various levels of dependence. Although cognitive strategies can lead to enhanced processing of smoking cues, it is not completely clear whether cognitive strategies are also successful in reducing smoking-related motivated attention. Although findings do point in this direction, present study is best considered preliminary and a starting point for other research on this topic. A focus on the distraction strategy is proposed, as there are indications that this strategy is more successful than the rational strategy in decreasing LPP amplitude.

Distress intolerance moderation of motivated attention to cannabis and negative stimuli after induced stress among cannabis users: an ERP study.

PubMed

Macatee, Richard J; Okey, Sarah A; Albanese, Brian J; Schmidt, Norman B; Cougle, Jesse R

2018-05-07

Prevalence of cannabis use is increasing, but many regular users do not develop cannabis use disorder (CUD); thus, CUD risk identification among current users is vital for targeted intervention development. Existing data suggest that high distress intolerance (DI), an individual difference reflective of the ability to tolerate negative affect, may be linked to CUD, but no studies have tested possible neurophysiological mechanisms. Increased motivated attentional processing of cannabis and negative emotional stimuli as indexed by neurophysiology [i.e. the late positive potential (LPP)], particularly during acute stress, may contribute to CUD among high DI users. Frequent cannabis users with high (n = 61) and low DI (n = 44) viewed cannabis, negative, and matched neutral images during electroencephalography (EEG) recording before and after a laboratory stressor. Cannabis cue-elicited modulation of the 1000- to 3000-milliseconds LPP was larger in high DI users at post-stressor only, although the effect was only robust in the 1000- to 2000-milliseconds window. Further, modulation magnitude in the high DI group covaried with stress-relief craving and some CUD indices in the 400- to 1000-milliseconds and 1000- to 3000-milliseconds windows, respectively. No significant effects of DI on negative stimuli-elicited LPP modulation were found, although inverse associations with some CUD indices were observed. Finally, exploratory analyses revealed some evidence for DI moderation of the relation between subjective stressor reactivity and negative stimuli-elicited LPP modulation such that greater stressor reactivity was associated with blunted versus enhanced modulation in the high and low DI groups, respectively. Negative and cannabis stimuli-elicited LPP modulation appear to index distinct, CUD-relevant neural processes in high DI cannabis users. © 2018 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Self-enhancement among Westerners and Easterners: a cultural neuroscience approach

PubMed Central

Cai, Huajian; Shi, Yuanyuan; Gu, Ruolei; Sedikides, Constantine

2016-01-01

We adopted a cultural neuroscience approach to the investigation of self-enhancement. Western and Eastern participants made self-referent judgments on positive and negative traits while we recorded their electroencephalography signals. At the judgmental level, we assessed trait endorsement (judgments of traits self-descriptiveness) and reaction times (speed of such judgments). Participants endorsed more positive traits as self-descriptive and more negative traits as non-self-descriptive, although the magnitude of this effect (level of self-positivity) was higher in the Western than Eastern sample. Moreover, all participants responded faster to positive self-descriptive traits and to negative non-self-descriptive traits, indicating that the self-enhancement motive is equally potent across cultures. At the neurophysiological level, we assessed N170 and LPP. Negative traits elicited larger N170 among Easterners, indicating initial allocation of attentional resources to the processing of negative information. However, negative compared to positive self-descriptive traits elicited a larger LPP, whereas negative and positive non-self-descriptive traits did not differ in the LPP they elicited. This pattern generalized across samples, pointing to a pancultural physiological correlate of the self-enhancement motive. PMID:27217110

Potts glass reflection of the decoding threshold for qudit quantum error correcting codes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Yi; Kovalev, Alexey A.; Pryadko, Leonid P.

We map the maximum likelihood decoding threshold for qudit quantum error correcting codes to the multicritical point in generalized Potts gauge glass models, extending the map constructed previously for qubit codes. An n-qudit quantum LDPC code, where a qudit can be involved in up to m stabilizer generators, corresponds to a ℤd Potts model with n interaction terms which can couple up to m spins each. We analyze general properties of the phase diagram of the constructed model, give several bounds on the location of the transitions, bounds on the energy density of extended defects (non-local analogs of domain walls), and discuss the correlation functions which can be used to distinguish different phases in the original and the dual models. This research was supported in part by the Grants: NSF PHY-1415600 (AAK), NSF PHY-1416578 (LPP), and ARO W911NF-14-1-0272 (LPP).

Abstinence reverses EEG-indexed attention bias between drug-related and pleasant stimuli in cocaine-addicted individuals

PubMed Central

Parvaz, Muhammad A.; Moeller, Scott J.; Malaker, Pias; Sinha, Rajita; Alia-Klein, Nelly; Goldstein, Rita Z.

2017-01-01

Background Increased attention bias toward drug-related cues over non–drug-related intrinsically pleasant reinforcers is a hallmark of drug addiction. In this study we used the late positive potential (LPP) to investigate whether such increased attention bias toward drug-related relative to non–drug-related cues changes over a protracted period of reduced drug use in treatment-seeking individuals with a cocaine use disorder (CUD). Methods Treatment-seeking individuals with CUD and matched healthy controls passively viewed a series of pleasant, neutral and drug-related pictures while their event-related potentials were recorded at baseline (≤ 3 weeks after treatment initiation) and at 6-month follow-up (only CUD). Results We included 19 treatment-seeking individuals with CUD and 18 matched controls in our analyses. The results showed a reversal in attention bias (i.e., LPP amplitude) from baseline (i.e., drug > pleasant) to follow-up (i.e., pleasant > drug) driven by an increased attentional engagement with pleasant pictures; this LPP reversal was paralleled by a concomitant reduction in self-reported wanting and craving for cocaine in the CUD group. Furthermore, reduced attention bias toward drug-related cues (relative to pleasant cues) was correlated with longer duration of abstinence at baseline, and the extent of its longitudinal reversal was correlated with decreased craving at follow-up, providing support for abstinence as a putative mechanism of this bottom–up attentional change. Limitations A limited sample size and the use of the same set of pictures at baseline and follow-up were the major limitations of this study. Conclusion Results collectively indicate that, by tracking with drug abstinence, LPP in response to drug-related relative to pleasant cues may serve as an indicator of clinical progress in treatment-seeking individuals with CUD. PMID:28245173

Abstinence reverses EEG-indexed attention bias between drug-related and pleasant stimuli in cocaine-addicted individuals.

PubMed

Parvaz, Muhammad A; Moeller, Scott J; Malaker, Pias; Sinha, Rajita; Alia-Klein, Nelly; Goldstein, Rita Z

2017-03-01

Increased attention bias toward drug-related cues over non-drug-related intrinsically pleasant reinforcers is a hallmark of drug addiction. In this study we used the late positive potential (LPP) to investigate whether such increased attention bias toward drug-related relative to non-drug-related cues changes over a protracted period of reduced drug use in treatment-seeking individuals with a cocaine use disorder (CUD). Treatment-seeking individuals with CUD and matched healthy controls passively viewed a series of pleasant, neutral and drug-related pictures while their event-related potentials were recorded at baseline (≤ 3 weeks after treatment initiation) and at 6-month follow-up (only CUD). We included 19 treatment-seeking individuals with CUD and 18 matched controls in our analyses. The results showed a reversal in attention bias (i.e., LPP amplitude) from baseline (i.e., drug > pleasant) to follow-up (i.e., pleasant > drug) driven by an increased attentional engagement with pleasant pictures; this LPP reversal was paralleled by a concomitant reduction in self-reported wanting and craving for cocaine in the CUD group. Furthermore, reduced attention bias toward drug-related cues (relative to pleasant cues) was correlated with longer duration of abstinence at baseline, and the extent of its longitudinal reversal was correlated with decreased craving at follow-up, providing support for abstinence as a putative mechanism of this bottom-up attentional change. A limited sample size and the use of the same set of pictures at baseline and follow-up were the major limitations of this study. Results collectively indicate that, by tracking with drug abstinence, LPP in response to drug-related relative to pleasant cues may serve as an indicator of clinical progress in treatment-seeking individuals with CUD.

The neurophysiology of biological motion perception in schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Jahshan, Carol; Wynn, Jonathan K; Mathis, Kristopher I; Green, Michael F

2015-01-01

Introduction The ability to recognize human biological motion is a fundamental aspect of social cognition that is impaired in people with schizophrenia. However, little is known about the neural substrates of impaired biological motion perception in schizophrenia. In the current study, we assessed event-related potentials (ERPs) to human and nonhuman movement in schizophrenia. Methods Twenty-four subjects with schizophrenia and 18 healthy controls completed a biological motion task while their electroencephalography (EEG) was simultaneously recorded. Subjects watched clips of point-light animations containing 100%, 85%, or 70% biological motion, and were asked to decide whether the clip resembled human or nonhuman movement. Three ERPs were examined: P1, N1, and the late positive potential (LPP). Results Behaviorally, schizophrenia subjects identified significantly fewer stimuli as human movement compared to healthy controls in the 100% and 85% conditions. At the neural level, P1 was reduced in the schizophrenia group but did not differ among conditions in either group. There were no group differences in N1 but both groups had the largest N1 in the 70% condition. There was a condition × group interaction for the LPP: Healthy controls had a larger LPP to 100% versus 85% and 70% biological motion; there was no difference among conditions in schizophrenia subjects. Conclusions Consistent with previous findings, schizophrenia subjects were impaired in their ability to recognize biological motion. The EEG results showed that biological motion did not influence the earliest stage of visual processing (P1). Although schizophrenia subjects showed the same pattern of N1 results relative to healthy controls, they were impaired at a later stage (LPP), reflecting a dysfunction in the identification of human form in biological versus nonbiological motion stimuli. PMID:25722951

Comparison of the sonographic features of the abdominal wall muscles and connective tissues in individuals with and without lumbopelvic pain.

PubMed

Whittaker, Jackie L; Warner, Martin B; Stokes, Maria

2013-01-01

Cross-sectional, case-control study. To measure and compare the resting thickness of the 4 abdominal wall muscles, their associated perimuscular connective tissue (PMCT), and interrecti distance (IRD) in persons with and without lumbopelvic pain (LPP), using ultrasound imaging. The muscles and PMCT of the abdominal wall assist in controlling the spine. Functional deficits of the abdominal wall muscles have been detected in populations with LPP. Investigations of the abdominal wall in those with LPP are primarily concerned with muscle, most commonly the transversus abdominis (TrA) and internal oblique (IO). Because the abdominal wall functions as a unit, all 4 abdominal muscles and their associated connective tissues should be considered concurrently. B-mode ultrasound imaging was used to measure the resting thickness of the rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique, IO, and TrA muscles; the PMCT planes; and IRD in 50 male and female subjects, 25 with and 25 without LPP (mean ± SD age, 36.3 ± 9.4 and 46.6 ± 8.0 years, respectively). Univariate correlation analysis was used to identify covariates. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) and the Kruskal-Wallis test (IRD) were used to compare cohorts (α = .05). The LPP cohort had less total abdominal muscle thickness (LPP mean ± SD, 18.9 ± 3.0 mm; control, 20.3 ± 3.0 mm; ANCOVA adjusted for body mass index, P = .03), thicker PMCT (LPP, 5.5 ± 0.2 mm; control, 4.3 ± 0.2 mm; ANCOVA adjusted for body mass index, P = .007), and wider IRD (LPP, 11.5 ± 2.0 mm; control, 8.4 ± 1.8 mm; Kruskal-Wallis, P = .005). Analysis of individual muscle thickness revealed no difference in the external oblique, IO, and TrA, but a thinner RA in the LPP cohort (LPP mean ± SD, 7.8 ± 1.5 mm; control, 9.1 ± 1.2 mm; ANCOVA adjusted for body mass index, P<.001). To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the morphological characteristics of all 4 abdominal muscles and PMCT in individuals with LPP. The results suggest that there may be altered loading of the PMCT and linea alba secondary to an altered motor control strategy involving a reduced contribution of the RA. Further, the change in RA and connective tissue morphology may be more evident than changes in external oblique, IO, and TrA thickness in persons with LPP. The causes and functional implications of these changes warrant further investigation, as does the role of the RA muscle in the development and persistence of LPP.

Sex Differences in Orienting to Pictures with and without Humans: Evidence from the Cardiac Evoked Response (ECR) and the Cortical Long Latency Parietal Positivity (LPP)

PubMed Central

Althaus, Monika; Groen, Yvonne; van der Schaft, Lutske; Minderaa, Ruud B.; Tucha, Oliver; Mulder, Lambertus J. M.; Wijers, Albertus A.

2014-01-01

Objective This study investigated the effect of social relevance in affective pictures on two orienting responses, i.e. the evoked cardiac response (ECR), and a long latency cortical evoked potential (LPP) and whether this effect would differ between males and females. Assuming that orienting to affective social information is fundamental to experiencing affective empathy, associations between self-report measures of empathy and the two orienting responses were investigated. Method ECRs were obtained from 34 female and 30 male students, and LPPs from 25 female and 27 male students viewing 414 pictures from the International Affective Picture System. Pictures portrayed pleasant, unpleasant and neutral scenes with and without humans. Results Both the ECR and LPP showed the largest response to pictures with humans in unpleasant situations. For both measures, the responses to pictures with humans correlated with self-report measures of empathy. While we found a greater male than female responsiveness to the pictures without humans in the ECR, a greater female than male responsiveness was observed in the LPP response to pictures with humans. Conclusion and Significance The sensitivity of these orienting responses to social relevance and their differential contribution to the prediction of individual differences underline the validity of their combined use in clinical studies investigating individuals with social disabilities. PMID:25330003

Molluscicidal potential of Heterorhabditis baujardi (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae), strain LPP7, on Lymnaea columella (Gastropoda: Pulmonata): An alternative for biological control of fasciolosis.

PubMed

Tunholi, Victor Menezes; Lorenzoni, P O; da Silva, Ygor Henrique; Tunholi-Alves, Vinícius Menezes; Boeloni, Jankerle Neves; da Silva, Maria Aparecida; Monteiro, Caio Oliveira; Prata, M C A; Pinheiro, J; Martins, Isabella Vilhena Freire

2017-09-01

This study elucidated for the first time, under laboratory conditions, the susceptibility of Lymnaea columella to infective juveniles of Heterorhabditis baujardi LPP7. Exposure to the nematodes induced an average mortality rate of 66.66% in the population of L. columella, with the highest values attained from the second week after exposure onward. In addition, all the reproductive parameters analyzed (total number of eggs, number of egg masses, number of eggs laid/snail, embryo hatching rate and content of galactogen stored in the albumen gland) changed as a result of the infection. The results indicate the occurrence of the phenomenon of parasitic castration in L. columella infected by H. baujardi LPP7, probably through depletion of energy reserves such as galactogen, necessary to meet the intense metabolic demands of the nematode's larval stages. Finally, histopathological analysis demonstrated an intense process of cell disorganization, characterized by the occurrence of granulomatous inflammatory reactions in tissues of exposed snails, induced by the spoliative action of the bacteria/nematode. The results suggest the use of H. baujardi LPP7 as an alternative for biological control of the population of this intermediate host, and thus of the diseases in whose epidemiological chain it participates, especially fasciolosis, in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Peptidoglycan Association of Murein Lipoprotein Is Required for KpsD-Dependent Group 2 Capsular Polysaccharide Expression and Serum Resistance in a Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Isolate

PubMed Central

Diao, Jingyu; Bouwman, Catrien; Yan, Donghong; Kang, Jing; Katakam, Anand K.; Liu, Peter; Pantua, Homer; Abbas, Alexander R.; Nickerson, Nicholas N.; Austin, Cary; Reichelt, Mike; Sandoval, Wendy; Xu, Min

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Murein lipoprotein (Lpp) and peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein (Pal) are major outer membrane lipoproteins in Escherichia coli. Their roles in cell-envelope integrity have been documented in E. coli laboratory strains, and while Lpp has been linked to serum resistance in vitro, the underlying mechanism has not been established. Here, lpp and pal mutants of uropathogenic E. coli strain CFT073 showed reduced survival in a mouse bacteremia model, but only the lpp mutant was sensitive to serum killing in vitro. The peptidoglycan-bound Lpp form was specifically required for preventing complement-mediated bacterial lysis in vitro and complement-mediated clearance in vivo. Compared to the wild-type strain, the lpp mutant had impaired K2 capsular polysaccharide production and was unable to respond to exposure to serum by elevating capsular polysaccharide amounts. These properties correlated with altered cellular distribution of KpsD, the predicted outer membrane translocon for “group 2” capsular polysaccharides. We identified a novel Lpp-dependent association between functional KpsD and peptidoglycan, highlighting important interplay between cell envelope components required for resistance to complement-mediated lysis in uropathogenic E. coli isolates. PMID:28536290

Analgesic, anticonvulsant and antioxidant activities of 3-[4-(3-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-piperazin-1-yl]-dihydrofuran-2-one dihydrochloride in mice.

PubMed

Salat, Kinga; Moniczewski, Andrzej; Salat, Robert; Janaszek, Monika; Filipek, Barbara; Malawska, Barbara; Wieckowski, Krzysztof

2012-03-01

Recently we have shown that 3-[4-(3-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-piperazin-1-yl]-dihydrofuran-2-one dihydrochloride (LPP1) is an antinociceptive and local anesthetic agent in rodents. Below an extended study of the pharmacological activity of LPP1 is described. In vitro LPP1 has no affinity for GABA(A), opioidergic μ and serotonergic 5-HT(1A) receptors. The total antioxidant capacity of LPP1 (1-10mM) measured as ABTS radical cation-scavenging activity showed that LPP1 has dose-dependent antioxidant properties in vitro. Low plasma concentration of this compound detected by means of HPLC method 30min after its intraperitoneal administration suggests a rapid conversion to metabolite(s) which may be responsible for its analgesic and anticonvulsant activities in vivo. In vivo the compound's influence on the electroconvulsive threshold and its activity in the maximal electroshock seizure test (MES) were evaluated. The results demonstrated that LPP1 had an anticonvulsant activity in the MES model (ED(50)=112mg/kg) and at a dose of 50mg/kg was able to elevate the electroconvulsive threshold for 8mA as compared to the vehicle-treated mice. The analgesic activity of LPP1 was investigated in the acetic acid-induced writhing test in two groups of mice: animals with sensory C-fibers ablated, and mice with C-fibers unimpaired. It proved the potent activity of this compound in both groups (approximately 85% as compared to the vehicle-treated mice). The adverse effects of LPP1 were evaluated as acute toxicity (LD(50)=747.8mg/kg) and motor coordination impairments in the rotarod and chimney tests. The results from these tests show that LPP1 at doses higher than 100mg/kg is likely to impair the motor performance of experimental animals. Concluding, LPP1 is an analgesic and anticonvulsant compound which has antioxidant properties in vitro. Further studies are necessary to assess whether the antioxidant activity and the receptor profiling demonstrated in vitro can be confirmed for its metabolite(s) that are formed in vivo. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mutual interaction between high and low stereo-regularity components for crystallization and melting behaviors of polypropylene blend fibers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kawai, Kouya; Takarada, Wataru; Kikutani, Takeshi, E-mail: kikutani.t.aa@m.titech.ac.jp

Crystallization and melting behaviors of blend fibers of two types of polypropylene (PP), i.e. high stereo-regularity/high molecular weight PP (HPP) and low stereo-regularity/low molecular weight PP (LPP), was investigated. Blend fibers consisting of various HPP/LPP compositions were prepared through the melt spinning process. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), temperature modulated DSC (TMDSC) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) analysis were applied for clarifying the crystallization and melting behaviors of individual components. In the DSC measurement of blend fibers with high LPP composition, continuous endothermic heat was detected between the melting peaks of LPP at around 40 °C and that of HPP atmore » around 160 °C. Such endothermic heat was more distinct for the blend fibers with higher LPP composition indicating that the melting of LPP in the heating process was hindered because of the presence of HPP crystals. On the other hand, heat of crystallization was detected at around 90 °C in the case of blend fibers with LPP content of 30 to 70 wt%, indicating that the crystallization of HPP component was taking place during the heating of as-spun blend fibers in the DSC measurement. Through the TMDSC analysis, re-organization of the crystalline structure through the simultaneous melting and re-crystallization was detected in the cases of HPP and blend fibers, whereas re-crystallization was not detected during the melting of LPP fibers. In the WAXD analysis during the heating of fibers, amount of a-form crystal was almost constant up to the melting in the case of single component HPP fibers, whereas there was a distinct increase of the intensity of crystalline reflections from around 100 °C, right after the melting of LPP in the case of blend fibers. These results suggested that the crystallization of HPP in the spinning process as well as during the conditioning process after spinning was hindered by the presence of LPP.« less

An event-related potential study of maternal love in mothers.

PubMed

Lu, Jiamei; Li, Da; Xu, Jingwei

2012-10-01

Feeling is stable and implicit and can be explicated in concrete situations in the form of emotion. To map the time course of feeling processing, the present study explored electrophysiological responses relevant to inner feeling by creating situations to evoke the explicit response of feeling. Fourteen mothers were asked to listen to TS and NS. Although the early event-related potential components (P1, N1 and P2) elicited by story pictures were not affected by the emotional valence of stories, the pictures relevant to TS elicited larger P3 and late positive potential (LPP) components than did neutral story pictures, indicating that feeling processing occurred at the post-perceptual stage. Feeling-related positive potential was separated using the difference wave analysis technique, which consisted of two sub-components: FRBB1 and FRBB2 based on P3 and LPP modulations, respectively. These data provide new electrophysiological evidence for the time course of feeling processing related to maternal love.

Cultures differ in the ability to enhance affective neural responses.

PubMed

Varnum, Michael E W; Hampton, Ryan S

2017-10-01

The present study (N = 55) used an event-related potential paradigm to investigate whether cultures differ in the ability to upregulate affective responses. Using stimuli selected from the International Affective Picture System, we found that European-Americans (N = 29) enhanced central-parietal late positive potential (LPP) (400-800 ms post-stimulus) responses to affective stimuli when instructed to do so, whereas East Asians (N = 26) did not. We observed cultural differences in the ability to enhance central-parietal LPP responses for both positively and negativelyvalenced stimuli, and the ability to enhance these two types of responses was positively correlated for Americans but negatively for East Asians. These results are consistent with the notion that cultural variations in norms and values regarding affective expression and experiences shape how the brain regulates emotions.

Aging and emotional memory: the co-occurrence of neurophysiological and behavioral positivity effects.

PubMed

Langeslag, Sandra J E; van Strien, Jan W

2009-06-01

The positivity effect is a trend for adults to increasingly process positive and/or decreasingly process negative information compared with other information with advancing age. The positivity effect has been observed with behavioral measures, such as in attention and memory tests, and with measures of neurophysiological activity, such as in amygdala activation and the late positive potential (LPP). In this study, it was investigated whether these behavioral and neurophysiological positivity effects co-occur. The electroencephalogram of younger (19-26 years) and older (65-82 years) adults was recorded while they encoded unpleasant, neutral, and pleasant pictures for retrieval in free and cued recall tests. Positivity effects occurred in the late LPP amplitude (700-1,000 ms) and in the free recall test, with negativity biases in younger adults and no biases in older adults. The occurrence of a valence bias in the LPP was substantially but nonsignificantly correlated with the occurrence of a similar valence bias in memory in the older adults. In conclusion, neurophysiological and behavioral positivity effects appear to co-occur, a finding that awaits expansion using different neurophysiological and behavioral measures.

Risk factors for new-onset late postpartum preeclampsia in women without a history of preeclampsia.

PubMed

Bigelow, Catherine A; Pereira, Guilherme A; Warmsley, Amber; Cohen, Jennifer; Getrajdman, Chloe; Moshier, Erin; Paris, Julia; Bianco, Angela; Factor, Stephanie H; Stone, Joanne

2014-04-01

Risk factors for the development of new-onset late postpartum preeclampsia (LPP) in women without any history of preeclampsia are not known. Because identification of women who are at risk may lead to an earlier diagnosis of disease and improved maternal outcomes, this study identified risk factors (associated patient characteristics) for new-onset LPP. A case-control study of 34 women with new-onset LPP and 68 women without new-onset LPP after normal delivery, who were matched on date of delivery, was conducted at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY. Data were collected by chart review. Exact conditional logistic regression identified patient characteristics that were associated with new-onset LPP. New-onset LPP was associated with age ≥40 years (adjusted odds ratio, 24.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.43-infinity; P = .03), black race (adjusted odds ratio, 78.35; 95% CI, 7.25-infinity; P < .001), Latino ethnicity (adjusted odds ratio, 19.08; 95% CI, 2.73-infinity; P = .001), final pregnancy body mass index of ≥30 kg/m(2) (adjusted odds ratio, 13.38; 95% CI, 1.87-infinity; P = .01), and gestational diabetes mellitus (adjusted odds ratio, 72.91; 95% CI, 5.52-infinity; P < .001). As predictive tests for new-onset LPP, the sensitivity and specificity of having ≥1 of these characteristics was 100% and 59%, respectively, and the sensitivity and specificity of having ≥2 was 56% and 93%, respectively. Older age, black race, Latino ethnicity, obesity, and a pregnancy complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus all are associated positively with the development of new-onset LPP. Closer observation may be warranted in these populations. Copyright © 2014 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Pneumoperitoneum pressures during pelvic laparoscopic surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Bogani, Giorgio; Martinelli, Fabio; Ditto, Antonino; Chiappa, Valentina; Lorusso, Domenica; Ghezzi, Fabio; Raspagliesi, Francesco

2015-12-01

Growing evidence suggests that the level of pneumoperitoneal pressure is directly correlated with postoperative pain in patients undergoing laparoscopic procedures. However, only limited evidence is available in the field of gynaecologic surgery. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effects of low (8mmHg), standard (12mmHg) and high (15mmHg) pneumoperitoneal pressures (LPP

Self-enhancement among Westerners and Easterners: a cultural neuroscience approach.

PubMed

Cai, Huajian; Wu, Lili; Shi, Yuanyuan; Gu, Ruolei; Sedikides, Constantine

2016-10-01

We adopted a cultural neuroscience approach to the investigation of self-enhancement. Western and Eastern participants made self-referent judgments on positive and negative traits while we recorded their electroencephalography signals. At the judgmental level, we assessed trait endorsement (judgments of traits self-descriptiveness) and reaction times (speed of such judgments). Participants endorsed more positive traits as self-descriptive and more negative traits as non-self-descriptive, although the magnitude of this effect (level of self-positivity) was higher in the Western than Eastern sample. Moreover, all participants responded faster to positive self-descriptive traits and to negative non-self-descriptive traits, indicating that the self-enhancement motive is equally potent across cultures. At the neurophysiological level, we assessed N170 and LPP. Negative traits elicited larger N170 among Easterners, indicating initial allocation of attentional resources to the processing of negative information. However, negative compared to positive self-descriptive traits elicited a larger LPP, whereas negative and positive non-self-descriptive traits did not differ in the LPP they elicited. This pattern generalized across samples, pointing to a pancultural physiological correlate of the self-enhancement motive. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Biological, biochemical and histological features of Bradybaena similaris (Gastropoda: Pulmonata) infected by Heterorabditis indica (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae) strain LPP1.

PubMed

Tunholi, Victor Menezes; Tunholi-Alves, Vinícius Menezes; Monteiro, Caio Oliveira; Silva, Lidiane Cristina da; Dolinski, Cláudia de Melo; Castro, Rosane Nora; Bittencourt, Vânia Rita Elias Pinheiro; Silva, Jairo Pinheiro da; Freire Martins, Isabella Vilhena

2017-08-01

This study investigated the possible biological, biochemical and histological changes in Bradybaena similaris(Gastropoda: Pulmonata) infected by Heterorhabditis indica (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae), strain LPP1. Two groups of 16 snails were formed: the control group (unexposed) and the treated group, which was exposed for three weeks to infective juveniles (J 3 ) of H. indica LPP1. The experiment was conducted in duplicate, using a total of 64 snails. After the exposure period, the snails were dissected to collect the hemolymph and tissues, for evaluation of the physiological changes caused by the infection. The number of eggs laid/snail and the viability of these eggs were also assessed as indicators of the reproductive activity of B. similaris. Intense glycogenolysis was accompanied by a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in the glucose content of the hemolymph of the exposed snails, indicating that infection by H. indica induces breakdown of the host's glycemic homeostasis. Significant variations (p < 0.05) in the lactate dehydrogenase activity occurred together with changes in the concentration of pyruvic and lactic acid in the hemolymph of the infected B. similaris snails, corroborating the transition from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism in the hosts. These metabolic alterations reflect the parasitic castration process in this interface. The results suggest that the use of H. indica LPP1 is a potential alternative for biological control of B. similaris. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Activation of Murine Macrophages by Lipoprotein and Lipooligosaccharide of Treponema denticola

PubMed Central

Rosen, Graciela; Sela, Michael N.; Naor, Ronit; Halabi, Amal; Barak, Vivian; Shapira, Lior

1999-01-01

We have recently demonstrated that the periodontopathogenic oral spirochete Treponema denticola possesses membrane-associated lipoproteins in addition to lipooligosaccharide (LOS). The aim of the present study was to test the potential of these oral spirochetal components to induce the production of inflammatory mediators by human macrophages, which in turn may stimulate tissue breakdown as observed in periodontal diseases. An enriched lipoprotein fraction (dLPP) from T. denticola ATCC 35404 obtained upon extraction of the treponemes with Triton X-114 was found to stimulate the production of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-1 (IL-1) by mouse macrophages in a dose-dependent manner. Induction of NO by dLPP was at 25% of the levels obtained by Salmonella typhosa lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at similar concentrations, while IL-1 was produced at similar levels by both inducers. dLPP-mediated macrophage activation was unaffected by amounts of polymyxin B that neutralized the induction produced by S. typhosa LPS. dLPP also induced NO and TNF-α secretion from macrophages isolated from endotoxin-unresponsive C3H/HeJ mice to an extent similar to the stimulation produced in endotoxin-responsive mice. Purified T. denticola LOS also produced a concentration-dependent activation of NO and TNF-α in LPS-responsive and -nonresponsive mouse macrophages. However, macrophage activation by LOS was inhibited by polymyxin B. These results suggest that T. denticola lipoproteins and LOS may play a role in the inflammatory processes that characterize periodontal diseases. PMID:10024558

Activation of murine macrophages by lipoprotein and lipooligosaccharide of Treponema denticola.

PubMed

Rosen, G; Sela, M N; Naor, R; Halabi, A; Barak, V; Shapira, L

1999-03-01

We have recently demonstrated that the periodontopathogenic oral spirochete Treponema denticola possesses membrane-associated lipoproteins in addition to lipooligosaccharide (LOS). The aim of the present study was to test the potential of these oral spirochetal components to induce the production of inflammatory mediators by human macrophages, which in turn may stimulate tissue breakdown as observed in periodontal diseases. An enriched lipoprotein fraction (dLPP) from T. denticola ATCC 35404 obtained upon extraction of the treponemes with Triton X-114 was found to stimulate the production of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), and interleukin-1 (IL-1) by mouse macrophages in a dose-dependent manner. Induction of NO by dLPP was at 25% of the levels obtained by Salmonella typhosa lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at similar concentrations, while IL-1 was produced at similar levels by both inducers. dLPP-mediated macrophage activation was unaffected by amounts of polymyxin B that neutralized the induction produced by S. typhosa LPS. dLPP also induced NO and TNF-alpha secretion from macrophages isolated from endotoxin-unresponsive C3H/HeJ mice to an extent similar to the stimulation produced in endotoxin-responsive mice. Purified T. denticola LOS also produced a concentration-dependent activation of NO and TNF-alpha in LPS-responsive and -nonresponsive mouse macrophages. However, macrophage activation by LOS was inhibited by polymyxin B. These results suggest that T. denticola lipoproteins and LOS may play a role in the inflammatory processes that characterize periodontal diseases.

Oral lichen planus preceding concomitant lichen planopilaris.

PubMed

Stoopler, Eric T; Alfaris, Sausan; Alomar, Dalal; Alawi, Faizan

2016-09-01

Lichen planus (LP) is an immune-mediated mucocutaneous disorder with a wide array of clinical presentations. Oral lichen planus (OLP) is characterized clinically by striae, desquamation, and/or ulceration. Lichen planopilaris (LPP), a variant of LP, affects the scalp, resulting in perifollicular erythema and scarring of cutaneous surfaces accompanied by hair loss. The association between OLP and LPP has been reported previously with scant information on concomitant or sequential disease presentation. We describe a patient with concomitant OLP and LPP, and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on OLP preceding the onset of LPP. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lipid phosphate phosphatase 3 regulates adipocyte sphingolipid synthesis, but not developmental adipogenesis or diet-induced obesity in mice.

PubMed

Federico, Lorenzo; Yang, Liping; Brandon, Jason; Panchatcharam, Manikandan; Ren, Hongmei; Mueller, Paul; Sunkara, Manjula; Escalante-Alcalde, Diana; Morris, Andrew J; Smyth, Susan S

2018-01-01

Dephosphorylation of phosphatidic acid (PA) is the penultimate step in triglyceride synthesis. Adipocytes express soluble intracellular PA-specific phosphatases (Lipins) and broader specificity membrane-associated lipid phosphate phosphatases (LPPs) that can also dephosphorylate PA. Inactivation of lipin1 causes lipodystrophy in mice due to defective developmental adipogenesis. Triglyceride synthesis is diminished but not ablated by inactivation of lipin1 in differentiated adipocytes implicating other PA phosphatases in this process. To investigate the possible role of LPPs in adipocyte lipid metabolism and signaling we made mice with adipocyte-targeted inactivation of LPP3 encoded by the Plpp3(Ppap2b) gene. Adipocyte LPP3 deficiency resulted in blunted ceramide and sphingomyelin accumulation during diet-induced adipose tissue expansion, accumulation of the LPP3 substrate sphingosine 1- phosphate, and reduced expression of serine palmitoyl transferase. However, adiposity was unaffected by LPP3 deficiency on standard, high fat diet or Western diets, although Western diet-fed mice with adipocyte LPP3 deficiency exhibited improved glucose tolerance. Our results demonstrate functional compartmentalization of lipid phosphatase activity in adipocytes and identify an unexpected role for LPP3 in the regulation of diet-dependent sphingolipid synthesis that may impact on insulin signaling.

Electrophysiology of blunted emotional bias in psychopathic personality.

PubMed

Carolan, Patrick L; Jaspers-Fayer, Fern; Asmaro, Deyar T; Douglas, Kevin S; Liotti, Mario

2014-01-01

Diminished emotional capacity is a core characteristic of psychopathic personality. We examined behavioral and electrophysiological differences in attentional bias to emotional material in 34 healthy individuals rated high or low in psychopathic traits using the short form of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised (18 high-trait, 16 low-trait). While performing an emotional Stroop task, high-trait participants displayed reduced emotional modulation of the late positive potential (LPP, 400-600 ms), and early anterior positivity (EAP, 200-300 ms) amplitudes. Results suggest blunted bias to affective content in psychopathic personality, characterized by diminished early capture to emotional salience (EAP) and dampened cognitive emotional processing (LPP). Copyright © 2013 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Cardiac-specific inactivation of LPP3 in mice leads to myocardial dysfunction and heart failure.

PubMed

Chandra, Mini; Escalante-Alcalde, Diana; Bhuiyan, Md Shenuarin; Orr, Anthony Wayne; Kevil, Christopher; Morris, Andrew J; Nam, Hyung; Dominic, Paari; McCarthy, Kevin J; Miriyala, Sumitra; Panchatcharam, Manikandan

2018-04-01

Lipid Phosphate phosphatase 3 (LPP3), encoded by the Plpp3 gene, is an enzyme that dephosphorylates the bioactive lipid mediator lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). To study the role of LPP3 in the myocardium, we generated a cardiac specific Plpp3 deficient mouse strain. Although these mice were viable at birth in contrast to global Plpp3 knockout mice, they showed increased mortality ~ 8 months. LPP3 deficient mice had enlarged hearts with reduced left ventricular performance as seen by echocardiography. Cardiac specific Plpp3 deficient mice had longer ventricular effective refractory periods compared to their Plpp3 littermates. We observed that lack of Lpp3 enhanced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy based on analysis of cell surface area. We found that lack of Lpp3 signaling was mediated through the activation of Rho and phospho-ERK pathways. There are increased levels of fetal genes Natriuretic Peptide A and B (Nppa and Nppb) expression indicating myocardial dysfunction. These mice also demonstrate mitochondrial dysfunction as evidenced by a significant decrease (P < 0.001) in the basal oxygen consumption rate, mitochondrial ATP production, and spare respiratory capacity as measured through mitochondrial bioenergetics. Histology and transmission electron microscopy of these hearts showed disrupted sarcomere organization and intercalated disc, with a prominent disruption of the cristae and vacuole formation in the mitochondria. Our findings suggest that LPA/LPP3-signaling nexus plays an important role in normal function of cardiomyocytes. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mice with targeted inactivation of ppap2b in endothelial and hematopoietic cells display enhanced vascular inflammation and permeability.

PubMed

Panchatcharam, Manikandan; Salous, Abdel K; Brandon, Jason; Miriyala, Sumitra; Wheeler, Jessica; Patil, Pooja; Sunkara, Manjula; Morris, Andrew J; Escalante-Alcalde, Diana; Smyth, Susan S

2014-04-01

Lipid phosphate phosphatase 3 (LPP3), encoded by the PPAP2B gene, is an integral membrane enzyme that dephosphorylates, and thereby terminates, the G-protein-coupled receptor-mediated signaling actions of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingosine-1-phosphate. LPP3 is essential for normal vascular development in mice, and a common PPAP2B polymorphism is associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease in humans. Herein, we investigate the function of endothelial LPP3 to understand its role in the development and human disease. We developed mouse models with selective LPP3 deficiency in endothelial and hematopoietic cells. Tyrosine kinase Tek promoter-mediated inactivation of Ppap2b resulted in embryonic lethality because of vascular defects. LPP3 deficiency in adult mice, achieved using a tamoxifen-inducible Cre transgene under the control of the Tyrosine kinase Tek promoter, enhanced local and systemic inflammatory responses. Endothelial, but not hematopoietic, cell LPP3 deficiency led to significant increases in vascular permeability at baseline and enhanced sensitivity to inflammation-induced vascular leak. Endothelial barrier function was restored by pharmacological or genetic inhibition of either LPA production by the circulating lysophospholipase D autotaxin or of G-protein-coupled receptor-dependent LPA signaling. Our results identify a role for the autotaxin/LPA-signaling nexus as a mediator of endothelial permeability in inflammation and demonstrate that LPP3 limits these effects. These findings have implications for therapeutic targets to maintain vascular barrier function in inflammatory states.

Mitochondria as a source and target of lipid peroxidation products in healthy and diseased heart.

PubMed

Anderson, Ethan J; Katunga, Lalage A; Willis, Monte S

2012-02-01

The heart is a highly oxidative organ in which cardiomyocyte turnover is virtually absent, making it particularly vulnerable to accumulation of lipid peroxidation products (LPP) formed as a result of oxidative damage. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species are the most common electrophiles formed during lipid peroxidation and lead to the formation of both stable and unstable LPP. Of the LPP formed, highly reactive aldehydes are a well-recognized causative factor in ageing and age-associated diseases, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Recent studies have identified that the mitochondria are both a primary source and target of LPP, with specific emphasis on aldehydes in cardiomyocytes and how these affect the electron transport system and Ca(2+) balance. Numerous studies have found that there are functional consequences in the heart following exposure to specific aldehydes (acrolein, trans-2-hexanal, 4-hydroxynonenal and acetaldehyde). Because these LPP are known to form in heart failure, cardiac ischaemia-reperfusion injury and diabetes, they may have an underappreciated role in the pathophysiology of these disease processes. Lipid peroxidation products are involved in the transcriptional regulation of endogenous anti-oxidant systems. Recent evidence demonstrates that transient increases in LPP may be beneficial in cardioprotection by contributing to mitohormesis (i.e. induction of anti-oxidant systems) in cardiomyocytes. Thus, exploitation of the cardioprotective actions of the LPP may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for future treatment of heart disease. © 2011 The Authors. Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

The Late Positive Potential: A Neurophysiological Marker for Emotion Regulation in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dennis, Tracy A.; Hajcak, Greg

2009-01-01

Background: The ability to modulate emotional responses, or emotion regulation, is a key mechanism in the development of mood disruptions. Detection of a neural marker for emotion regulation thus has the potential to inform early detection and intervention for mood problems. One such neural marker may be the late positive potential (LPP), which is…

Negative Mood State Enhances the Susceptibility to Unpleasant Events: Neural Correlates from a Music-Primed Emotion Classification Task

PubMed Central

Yuan, Jiajin; Chen, Jie; Yang, Jiemin; Ju, Enxia; Norman, Greg J.; Ding, Nanxiang

2014-01-01

Background Various affective disorders are linked with enhanced processing of unpleasant stimuli. However, this link is likely a result of the dominant negative mood derived from the disorder, rather than a result of the disorder itself. Additionally, little is currently known about the influence of mood on the susceptibility to emotional events in healthy populations. Method Event-Related Potentials (ERP) were recorded for pleasant, neutral and unpleasant pictures while subjects performed an emotional/neutral picture classification task during positive, neutral, or negative mood induced by instrumental Chinese music. Results Late Positive Potential (LPP) amplitudes were positively related to the affective arousal of pictures. The emotional responding to unpleasant pictures, indicated by the unpleasant-neutral differences in LPPs, was enhanced during negative compared to neutral and positive moods in the entire LPP time window (600–1000 ms). The magnitude of this enhancement was larger with increasing self-reported negative mood. In contrast, this responding was reduced during positive compared to neutral mood in the 800–1000 ms interval. Additionally, LPP reactions to pleasant stimuli were similar across positive, neutral and negative moods except those in the 800–900 ms interval. Implications Negative mood intensifies the humans' susceptibility to unpleasant events in healthy individuals. In contrast, music-induced happy mood is effective in reducing the susceptibility to these events. Practical implications of these findings were discussed. PMID:24587070

Electrocortical Reactivity During Self-referential Processing in Female Youth With Borderline Personality Disorder.

PubMed

Auerbach, Randy P; Tarlow, Naomi; Bondy, Erin; Stewart, Jeremy G; Aguirre, Blaise; Kaplan, Cynthia; Yang, Wenhui; Pizzagalli, Diego A

2016-07-01

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is debilitating, and theoretical models have postulated that cognitive-affective biases contribute to the onset and maintenance of BPD symptoms. Despite advances, our understanding of BPD pathophysiology in youth is limited. The present study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to identify cognitive-affective processes that underlie negative self-referential processing in BPD youth. Healthy females ( n = 33) and females with BPD ( n = 26) 13 to 22 years of age completed a self-referential encoding task while 128-channel electroencephalography data were recorded to examine early (i.e., P1 and P2) and late (late positive potential [LPP]) ERP components. Whole-brain standardized low-resolution electromagnetic tomography explored intracortical sources underlying significant scalp ERP effects. Compared to healthy females, participants with BPD endorsed, recalled, and recognized fewer positive and more negative words. Moreover, unlike the healthy group, females with BPD had faster reaction times to endorse negative versus positive words. In the scalp ERP analyses, the BPD group had greater P2 and late LPP positivity to negative as opposed to positive words. For P2 and late LPP, whole-brain standardized low-resolution electromagnetic tomography analyses suggested that females with BPD overrecruit frontolimbic circuitry in response to negative stimuli. Collectively, these findings show that females with BPD process negative self-relevant information differently than healthy females. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.

Electrocortical Reactivity During Self-referential Processing in Female Youth With Borderline Personality Disorder

PubMed Central

Auerbach, Randy P.; Tarlow, Naomi; Bondy, Erin; Stewart, Jeremy G.; Aguirre, Blaise; Kaplan, Cynthia; Yang, Wenhui; Pizzagalli, Diego A.

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is debilitating, and theoretical models have postulated that cognitive-affective biases contribute to the onset and maintenance of BPD symptoms. Despite advances, our understanding of BPD pathophysiology in youth is limited. The present study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to identify cognitive-affective processes that underlie negative self-referential processing in BPD youth. METHODS Healthy females (n = 33) and females with BPD (n = 26) 13 to 22 years of age completed a self-referential encoding task while 128-channel electroencephalography data were recorded to examine early (i.e., P1 and P2) and late (late positive potential [LPP]) ERP components. Whole-brain standardized low-resolution electromagnetic tomography explored intracortical sources underlying significant scalp ERP effects. RESULTS Compared to healthy females, participants with BPD endorsed, recalled, and recognized fewer positive and more negative words. Moreover, unlike the healthy group, females with BPD had faster reaction times to endorse negative versus positive words. In the scalp ERP analyses, the BPD group had greater P2 and late LPP positivity to negative as opposed to positive words. For P2 and late LPP, whole-brain standardized low-resolution electromagnetic tomography analyses suggested that females with BPD overrecruit frontolimbic circuitry in response to negative stimuli. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, these findings show that females with BPD process negative self-relevant information differently than healthy females. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed. PMID:28626812

The effect of arousal on regulation of negative emotions using cognitive reappraisal: An ERP study.

PubMed

Langeslag, Sandra J E; Surti, Kruti

2017-08-01

Because the effectiveness of the emotion regulation strategy cognitive reappraisal may vary with emotion intensity, we investigated how stimulus arousal affects reappraisal success. Participants up- and down-regulated emotional responses using cognitive reappraisal to low and high arousing unpleasant pictures while the electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. Up-regulation resulted in more negative self-reported valence, while down-regulation resulted in less negative self-reported valence regardless of stimulus arousal, suggesting that subjective reappraisal success does not vary with emotional intensity. Participants felt that down-regulation of emotional responses to low arousing unpleasant pictures was easiest, which is in line with previous findings that participants showed a greater preference for reappraisal in low than high arousing situations. The late positive potential (LPP) amplitude was enhanced by down-regulation of high arousing unpleasant pictures. Even though this effect was unexpected and is opposite to the typical effect of down-regulation on the LPP, it is in line with several previous studies. Potential explanations for LPP regulation effects in the unexpected direction, such as strategy selection and task design, are evaluated. Suggestions and recommendations for future research are discussed, including using trial-by-trial manipulation of regulation instructions and studying the effect of stimulus arousal on up- and down-regulation of positive emotions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A systematic review of randomised controlled trials on the effectiveness of exercise programs on Lumbo Pelvic Pain among postnatal women.

PubMed

Tseng, Pei-Ching; Puthussery, Shuby; Pappas, Yannis; Gau, Meei-Ling

2015-11-26

A substantial number of women tend to be affected by Lumbo Pelvic Pain (LPP) following child birth. Physical exercise is indicated as a beneficial method to relieve LPP, but individual studies appear to suggest mixed findings about its effectiveness. This systematic review aimed to synthesise evidence from randomised controlled trials on the effectiveness of exercise on LPP among postnatal women to inform policy, practice and future research. A systematic review was conducted of all randomised controlled trials published between January 1990 and July 2014, identified through a comprehensive search of following databases: PubMed, PEDro, Embase, Cinahl, Medline, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register, and electronic libraries of authors'institutions. Randomised controlled trials were eligible for inclusion if the intervention comprised of postnatal exercise for women with LPP onset during pregnancy or within 3 months after delivery and the outcome measures included changes in LPP. Selected articles were assessed using the PEDro Scale for methodological quality and findings were synthesised narratively as meta-analysis was found to be inappropriate due to heterogeneity among included studies. Four randomised controlled trials were included, involving 251 postnatal women. Three trials were rated as of 'good' methodological quality. All trials, except one, were at low risk of bias. The trials included physical exercise programs with varying components, differing modes of delivery, follow up times and outcome measures. Intervention in one trial, involving physical therapy with specific stabilising exercises, proved to be effective in reducing LPP intensity. An improvement in gluteal pain on the right side was reported in another trial and a significant difference in pain frequency in another. Our review indicates that only few randomised controlled trials have evaluated the effectiveness of exercise on LPP among postnatal women. There is also a great amount of variability across existing trials in the components of exercise programs, modes of delivery, follow up times and outcome measures. While there is some evidence to indicate the effectiveness of exercise for relieving LPP, further good quality trials are needed to ascertain the most effective elements of postnatal exercise programs suited for LPP treatment.

Modulation of late positive potentials by sexual images in problem users and controls inconsistent with "porn addiction".

PubMed

Prause, Nicole; Steele, Vaughn R; Staley, Cameron; Sabatinelli, Dean; Hajcak, Greg

2015-07-01

"Excessive" viewing of visual sexual stimuli (VSS) is the most commonly reported hypersexual behavior problem and is especially amenable to laboratory study. A pattern of enhanced sexual cue responsiveness is expected in this sample if hypersexuality shares features of other addiction models. Participants (N=122) who either reported or denied problematic VSS use were presented with emotional, including explicit sexual, images while their evoked response potentials were recorded. An interaction of hypersexual problem group and the level of desire for sex with a partner predicted LPP amplitude. Specifically, those reporting problems regulating their VSS use who also reported higher sexual desire had lower LPP in response to VSS. This pattern appears different from substance addiction models. These are the first functional physiological data of persons reporting VSS regulation problems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Attitudes to the right- and left: frontal ERP asymmetries associated with stimulus valence and processing goals.

PubMed

Cunningham, William A; Espinet, Stacey D; DeYoung, Colin G; Zelazo, Philip David

2005-12-01

We used dense-array event-related potentials (ERP) to examine the time course and neural bases of evaluative processing. Participants made good vs. bad (evaluative) and abstract vs. concrete (nonevaluative) judgments of socially relevant concepts (e.g., "murder," "welfare"), and then rated all concepts for goodness and badness. Results revealed a late positive potential (LPP) beginning at about 475 ms post-stimulus and maximal over anterior sites. The LPP was lateralized (higher amplitude and shorter latency) on the right for concepts later rated bad, and on the left for concepts later rated good. Moreover, the degree of lateralization for the amplitude but not the latency was larger when participants were making evaluative judgments than when they were making nonevaluative judgments. These data are consistent with a model in which discrete regions of prefrontal cortex (PFC) are specialized for the evaluative processing of positive and negative stimuli.

Psychological theory and pedagogical effectiveness: the learning promotion potential framework.

PubMed

Tomlinson, Peter

2008-12-01

After a century of educational psychology, eminent commentators are still lamenting problems besetting the appropriate relating of psychological insights to teaching design, a situation not helped by the persistence of crude assumptions concerning the nature of pedagogical effectiveness. To propose an analytical or meta-theoretical framework based on the concept of learning promotion potential (LPP) as a basis for understanding the basic relationship between psychological insights and teaching strategies, and to draw out implications for psychology-based pedagogical design, development and research. This is a theoretical and meta-theoretical paper relying mainly on conceptual analysis, though also calling on psychological theory and research. Since teaching consists essentially in activity designed to promote learning, it follows that a teaching strategy has the potential in principle to achieve particular kinds of learning gains (LPP) to the extent that it embodies or stimulates the relevant learning processes on the part of learners and enables the teacher's functions of on-line monitoring and assistance for such learning processes. Whether a teaching strategy actually does realize its LPP by way of achieving its intended learning goals depends also on the quality of its implementation, in conjunction with other factors in the situated interaction that teaching always involves. The core role of psychology is to provide well-grounded indication of the nature of such learning processes and the teaching functions that support them, rather than to directly generate particular ways of teaching. A critically eclectic stance towards potential sources of psychological insight is argued for. Applying this framework, the paper proposes five kinds of issue to be attended to in the design and evaluation of psychology-based pedagogy. Other work proposing comparable ideas is briefly reviewed, with particular attention to similarities and a key difference with the ideas of Oser and Baeriswyl (2001).

Effects of Uncertainty on ERPs to Emotional Pictures Depend on Emotional Valence

PubMed Central

Lin, Huiyan; Jin, Hua; Liang, Jiafeng; Yin, Ruru; Liu, Ting; Wang, Yiwen

2015-01-01

Uncertainty about the emotional content of an upcoming event has found to modulate neural activity to the event before its occurrence. However, it is still under debate whether the uncertainty effects occur after the occurrence of the event. To address this issue, participants were asked to view emotional pictures that were shortly after a cue, which either indicated a certain emotion of the picture or not. Both certain and uncertain cues were used by neutral symbols. The anticipatory phase (i.e., inter-trial interval, ITI) between the cue and the picture was short to enhance the effects of uncertainty. In addition, we used positive and negative pictures that differed only in valence but not in arousal to investigate whether the uncertainty effect was dependent on emotional valence. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded during the presentation of the pictures. Event-related potential (ERP) results showed that negative pictures evoked smaller P2 and late LPP but larger N2 in the uncertain as compared to the certain condition; whereas we did not find the uncertainty effect in early LPP. For positive pictures, the early LPP was larger in the uncertain as compared to the certain condition; however, there were no uncertainty effects in some other ERP components (e.g., P2, N2, and late LPP). The findings suggest that uncertainty modulates neural activity to emotional pictures and this modulation is altered by the valence of the pictures, indicating that individuals alter the allocation of attentional resources toward uncertain emotional pictures dependently on the valence of the pictures. PMID:26733916

Time course of implicit processing and explicit processing of emotional faces and emotional words.

PubMed

Frühholz, Sascha; Jellinghaus, Anne; Herrmann, Manfred

2011-05-01

Facial expressions are important emotional stimuli during social interactions. Symbolic emotional cues, such as affective words, also convey information regarding emotions that is relevant for social communication. Various studies have demonstrated fast decoding of emotions from words, as was shown for faces, whereas others report a rather delayed decoding of information about emotions from words. Here, we introduced an implicit (color naming) and explicit task (emotion judgment) with facial expressions and words, both containing information about emotions, to directly compare the time course of emotion processing using event-related potentials (ERP). The data show that only negative faces affected task performance, resulting in increased error rates compared to neutral faces. Presentation of emotional faces resulted in a modulation of the N170, the EPN and the LPP components and these modulations were found during both the explicit and implicit tasks. Emotional words only affected the EPN during the explicit task, but a task-independent effect on the LPP was revealed. Finally, emotional faces modulated source activity in the extrastriate cortex underlying the generation of the N170, EPN and LPP components. Emotional words led to a modulation of source activity corresponding to the EPN and LPP, but they also affected the N170 source on the right hemisphere. These data show that facial expressions affect earlier stages of emotion processing compared to emotional words, but the emotional value of words may have been detected at early stages of emotional processing in the visual cortex, as was indicated by the extrastriate source activity. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Neurophysiological Markers of Emotion Processing in Burnout Syndrome.

PubMed

Golonka, Krystyna; Mojsa-Kaja, Justyna; Popiel, Katarzyna; Marek, Tadeusz; Gawlowska, Magda

2017-01-01

The substantial body of research employing subjective measures indicates that burnout syndrome is associated with cognitive and emotional dysfunctions. The growing amount of neurophysiological and neuroimaging research helps in broadening existing knowledge of the neural mechanisms underlying core burnout components (emotional exhaustion and depersonalization/cynicism) that are inextricably associated with emotional processing. In the presented EEG study, a group of 93 participants (55 women; mean age = 35.8) were selected for the burnout group or the demographically matched control group on the basis of the results of the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS) and the Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS). Subjects then participated in an EEG experiment using two experimental procedures: a facial recognition task and viewing of passive pictures. The study focuses on analyzing event-related potentials (ERPs): N170, VPP, EPN, and LPP, as indicators of emotional information processing. Our results show that burnout subjects, as compared to the control group, demonstrate significantly weaker response to affect-evoking stimuli, indexed by a decline in VPP amplitude to emotional faces and decreased EPN amplitude in processing emotional scenes. The analysis of N170 and LPP showed no significant between-group difference. The correlation analyses revealed that VPP and EPN, which are ERP components related to emotional processing, are associated with two core burnout symptoms: emotional exhaustion and cynicism. To our knowledge, we are one of the first research groups to use ERPs to demonstrate such a relationship between neurophysiological activity and burnout syndrome in the context of emotional processing. Thus, in conclusion we emphasized that the decreased amplitude of VPP and EPN components in the burnout group may be a neurophysiological manifestation of emotional blunting and may be considered as neurophysiological markers of emotional exhaustion and cynicism. Additionally, we did not observe a decrease in LPP, which may be considered as a marker that significantly differentiates burnout from depression.

Neurophysiological Markers of Emotion Processing in Burnout Syndrome

PubMed Central

Golonka, Krystyna; Mojsa-Kaja, Justyna; Popiel, Katarzyna; Marek, Tadeusz; Gawlowska, Magda

2017-01-01

The substantial body of research employing subjective measures indicates that burnout syndrome is associated with cognitive and emotional dysfunctions. The growing amount of neurophysiological and neuroimaging research helps in broadening existing knowledge of the neural mechanisms underlying core burnout components (emotional exhaustion and depersonalization/cynicism) that are inextricably associated with emotional processing. In the presented EEG study, a group of 93 participants (55 women; mean age = 35.8) were selected for the burnout group or the demographically matched control group on the basis of the results of the Maslach Burnout Inventory – General Survey (MBI-GS) and the Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS). Subjects then participated in an EEG experiment using two experimental procedures: a facial recognition task and viewing of passive pictures. The study focuses on analyzing event-related potentials (ERPs): N170, VPP, EPN, and LPP, as indicators of emotional information processing. Our results show that burnout subjects, as compared to the control group, demonstrate significantly weaker response to affect-evoking stimuli, indexed by a decline in VPP amplitude to emotional faces and decreased EPN amplitude in processing emotional scenes. The analysis of N170 and LPP showed no significant between-group difference. The correlation analyses revealed that VPP and EPN, which are ERP components related to emotional processing, are associated with two core burnout symptoms: emotional exhaustion and cynicism. To our knowledge, we are one of the first research groups to use ERPs to demonstrate such a relationship between neurophysiological activity and burnout syndrome in the context of emotional processing. Thus, in conclusion we emphasized that the decreased amplitude of VPP and EPN components in the burnout group may be a neurophysiological manifestation of emotional blunting and may be considered as neurophysiological markers of emotional exhaustion and cynicism. Additionally, we did not observe a decrease in LPP, which may be considered as a marker that significantly differentiates burnout from depression. PMID:29326619

Laser Absorption Measurements of Equivalence Ratios Studied Along With Their Coupling to Pressure Fluctuations in Lean Premixed Prevaporized (LPP) Combustion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Quang-Viet

2001-01-01

Concerns about damaging the Earth's ozone layer as a result of high levels of nitrogen oxides (known collectively as NOx) from high-altitude, high-speed aircraft have prompted the study of lean premixed prevaporized (LPP) combustion in aircraft engines. LPP combustion reduces NOx emissions principally by reducing the peak flame temperatures inside an engine. Recent advances in LPP technologies have realized exceptional reductions in pollutant emissions (single-digit ppm NOx for example). However, LPP combustion also presents major challenges: combustion instability and dynamic coupling effects between fluctuations in heat-release rate, dynamic pressure, and fuel pressure. These challenges are formidable and can literally shake an engine apart if uncontrolled. To better understand this phenomenon so that it can be controlled, we obtained real-time laser absorption measurements of the fuel vapor concentration (and equivalence ratio) simultaneously with the dynamic pressure, flame luminosity, and time-averaged gaseous emissions measurements in a research-type jet-A-fueled LPP combustor. The measurements were obtained in NASA Glenn Research Center's CE-5B optically accessible flame tube facility. The CE-5B facility provides inlet air temperatures and pressures similar to the actual operating conditions of real aircraft engines. The laser absorption measurements were performed using an infrared 3.39 micron HeNe laser in conjunction with a visible HeNe laser for liquid droplet scattering compensation.

A hybrid liquid-phase precipitation (LPP) process in conjunction with membrane distillation (MD) for the treatment of the INEEL sodium-bearing liquid waste.

PubMed

Bader, M S H

2005-05-20

A novel hybrid system combining liquid-phase precipitation (LPP) and membrane distillation (MD) is integrated for the treatment of the INEEL sodium-bearing liquid waste. The integrated system provides a "full separation" approach that consists of three main processing stages. The first stage is focused on the separation and recovery of nitric acid from the bulk of the waste stream using vacuum membrane distillation (VMD). In the second stage, polyvalent cations (mainly TRU elements and their fission products except cesium along with aluminum and other toxic metals) are separated from the bulk of monovalent anions and cations (dominantly sodium nitrate) by a front-end LPP. In the third stage, MD is used first to concentrate sodium nitrate to near saturation followed by a rear-end LPP to precipitate and separate sodium nitrate along with the remaining minor species from the bulk of the aqueous phase. The LPP-MD hybrid system uses a small amount of an additive and energy to carry out the treatment, addresses multiple critical species, extracts an economic value from some of waste species, generates minimal waste with suitable disposal paths, and offers rapid deployment. As such, the LPP-MD could be a valuable tool for multiple needs across the DOE complex where no effective or economic alternatives are available.

Differential effects of uncertainty on LPP responses to emotional events during explicit and implicit anticipation.

PubMed

Lin, Huiyan; Liang, Jiafeng; Jin, Hua; Zhao, Dongmei

2018-07-01

Previous studies have investigated whether uncertainty influences neural responses to emotional events. The findings of such studies, particularly with respect to event-related potentials (ERPs), have been controversial due to several factors, such as the stimuli that serve as cues and the emotional content of the events. However, it is still unknown whether the effects of uncertainty on ERP responses to emotional events are influenced by anticipation patterns (e.g., explicit or implicit anticipation). To address this issue, participants in the present study were presented with anticipatory cues and then emotional (negative and neutral) pictures. The cues either did or did not signify the emotional content of the upcoming picture. In the inter-stimulus intervals between cues and pictures, participants were asked to estimate the expected probability of the occurrence of a specific emotional category of the subsequent picture based on a scale in the explicit anticipation condition, while in the implicit condition, participants were asked to indicate, using a number on a scale, which color was different from the others. The results revealed that in the explicit condition, uncertainty increased late positive potential (LPP) responses, particularly for negative pictures, whereas LPP responses were larger for certain negative pictures than for uncertain negative pictures in the implicit condition. The findings in the present study suggest that the anticipation pattern influences the effects of uncertainty when evaluation of negative events. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The motivational salience of cigarette-related stimuli among former, never, and current smokers

PubMed Central

Robinson, Jason D.; Versace, Francesco; Engelmann, Jeffery M.; Cui, Yong; Slapin, Aurelija; Oum, Robert; Cinciripini, Paul M.

2014-01-01

While smokers are known to find smoking-related stimuli to be motivationally salient, the extent to which former smokers do so is largely unknown. In this study, we collected event-related potential (ERP) data from former and never smokers and compared them to a sample of current smokers interested in quitting who completed the same ERP paradigm prior to smoking cessation treatment. All participants (n = 180) attended one laboratory session where we recorded dense-array ERPs in response to cigarette-related, pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral pictures, and where we collected valence and arousal ratings of the pictures. We identified three spatial and temporal regions of interest, corresponding to the P1 (120-132 ms), early posterior negativity (EPN; 244-316 ms), and late positive potential (LPP; 384-800 ms) ERP components. We found that all participants produced larger P1 responses to cigarette-related pictures compared to the other picture categories. With the EPN component, we found that, similar to pleasant and unpleasant pictures, cigarette-related pictures attracted early attentional resources, regardless of smoking status. Both former and never smokers produced reduced LPP responses to cigarette-related and pleasant pictures compared to current smokers. Current smokers rated the cigarette-related pictures as being more pleasant and arousing than the former and never smokers. The LPP and picture rating results suggest that former smokers, like never smokers, do not find cigarette-related stimuli to be as motivationally salient as current smokers. PMID:25436840

Affective picture modulation: valence, arousal, attention allocation and motivational significance.

PubMed

Leite, Jorge; Carvalho, Sandra; Galdo-Alvarez, Santiago; Alves, Jorge; Sampaio, Adriana; Gonçalves, Oscar F

2012-03-01

The present study analyses the modulatory effects of affective pictures in the early posterior negativity (EPN), the late positive potential (LPP) and the human startle response on both the peripheral (eye blink EMG) and central neurophysiological levels (Probe P3), during passive affective pictures viewing. The affective pictures categories were balanced in terms of valence (pleasant; unpleasant) and arousal (high; low). The data shows that EPN may be sensitive to specific stimulus characteristics (affective relevant pictures versus neutral pictures) associated with early stages of attentional processing. In later stages, the heightened attentional resource allocation as well as the motivated significance of the affective stimuli was found to elicit enhanced amplitudes of slow wave processes thought to be related to enhanced encoding, namely LPP,. Although pleasant low arousing pictures were effective in engaging the resources involved in the slow wave processes, the highly arousing affective stimuli (pleasant and unpleasant) were found to produce the largest enhancement of the LPP, suggesting that high arousing stimuli may are associated with increased motivational significance. Additionally the response to high arousing stimuli may be suggestive of increased motivational attention, given the heightened attentional allocation, as expressed in the P3 probe, especially for the pleasant pictures. The hedonic valence may then serve as a mediator of the attentional inhibition to the affective priming, potentiating or inhibiting a shift towards defensive activation, as measured by the startle reflex. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Liquid Phase Plasma Synthesis of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on Nitrogen-Doped Activated Carbon Resulting in Nanocomposite for Supercapacitor Applications.

PubMed

Lee, Heon; Lee, Won-June; Park, Young-Kwon; Ki, Seo Jin; Kim, Byung-Joo; Jung, Sang-Chul

2018-03-25

Iron oxide nanoparticles supported on nitrogen-doped activated carbon powder were synthesized using an innovative plasma-in-liquid method, called the liquid phase plasma (LPP) method. Nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) was prepared by a primary LPP reaction using an ammonium chloride reactant solution, and an iron oxide/NC composite (IONCC) was prepared by a secondary LPP reaction using an iron chloride reactant solution. The nitrogen component at 3.77 at. % formed uniformly over the activated carbon (AC) surface after a 1 h LPP reaction. Iron oxide nanoparticles, 40~100 nm in size, were impregnated homogeneously over the NC surface after the LPP reaction, and were identified as Fe₃O₄ by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. NC and IONCCs exhibited pseudo-capacitive characteristics, and their specific capacitance and cycling stability were superior to those of bare AC. The nitrogen content on the NC surface increased the compatibility and charge transfer rate, and the composites containing iron oxide exhibited a lower equivalent series resistance.

A novel Heart Rate Variability analysis using Lagged Poincaré plot: A study on hedonic visual elicitation.

PubMed

Nardelli, M; Greco, A; Valenza, G; Lanata, A; Bailon, R; Scilingo, E P

2017-07-01

This paper reports on a novel method for the analysis of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) through Lagged Poincaré Plot (LPP) theory. Specifically a hybrid method, LPP symb , including LPP quantifiers and related symbolic dynamics was proposed. LPP has been applied to investigate the autonomic response to pleasant and unpleasant pictures extracted from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). IAPS pictures are standardized in terms of level of arousal, i.e. the intensity of the evoked emotion, and valence, i.e. the level of pleasantness/unpleasantness, according to the Circumplex model of Affects (CMA). Twenty-two healthy subjects were enrolled in the experiment, which comprised four sessions with increasing arousal level. Within each session valence increased from positive to negative. An ad-hoc pattern recognition algorithm using a Leave-One-Subject-Out (LOSO) procedure based on a Quadratic Discriminant Classifier (QDC) was implemented. Our pattern recognition system was able to classify pleasant and unpleasant sessions with an accuracy of 71.59%. Therefore, we can suggest the use of the LPP symb for emotion recognition.

Event-Related Potentials of Bottom-Up and Top-Down Processing of Emotional Faces

PubMed Central

Moradi, Afsane; Mehrinejad, Seyed Abolghasem; Ghadiri, Mohammad; Rezaei, Farzin

2017-01-01

Introduction: Emotional stimulus is processed automatically in a bottom-up way or can be processed voluntarily in a top-down way. Imaging studies have indicated that bottom-up and top-down processing are mediated through different neural systems. However, temporal differentiation of top-down versus bottom-up processing of facial emotional expressions has remained to be clarified. The present study aimed to explore the time course of these processes as indexed by the emotion-specific P100 and late positive potential (LPP) event-related potential (ERP) components in a group of healthy women. Methods: Fourteen female students of Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran aged 18–30 years, voluntarily participated in the study. The subjects completed 2 overt and covert emotional tasks during ERP acquisition. Results: The results indicated that fearful expressions significantly produced greater P100 amplitude compared to other expressions. Moreover, the P100 findings showed an interaction between emotion and processing conditions. Further analysis indicated that within the overt condition, fearful expressions elicited more P100 amplitude compared to other emotional expressions. Also, overt conditions created significantly more LPP latencies and amplitudes compared to covert conditions. Conclusion: Based on the results, early perceptual processing of fearful face expressions is enhanced in top-down way compared to bottom-up way. It also suggests that P100 may reflect an attentional bias toward fearful emotions. However, no such differentiation was observed within later processing stages of face expressions, as indexed by the ERP LPP component, in a top-down versus bottom-up way. Overall, this study provides a basis for further exploring of bottom-up and top-down processes underlying emotion and may be typically helpful for investigating the temporal characteristics associated with impaired emotional processing in psychiatric disorders. PMID:28446947

Different Timing Features in Brain Processing of Core and Moral Disgust Pictures: An Event-Related Potentials Study

PubMed Central

Zhang, Youxue; Lou, Liandi; Ding, Daoqun

2015-01-01

Disgust, an emotion motivating withdrawal from offensive stimuli, protects us from the risk of biological pathogens and sociomoral violations. Homogeneity of its two types, namely, core and moral disgust has been under intensive debate. To examine the dynamic relationship between them, we recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) for core disgust, moral disgust and neutral pictures while participants performed a modified oddball task. ERP analysis revealed that N1 and P2 amplitudes were largest for the core disgust pictures, indicating automatic processing of the core disgust-evoking pictures. N2 amplitudes were higher for pictures evoking moral disgust relative to core disgust and neutral pictures, reflecting a violation of social norms. The core disgust pictures elicited larger P3 and late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes in comparison with the moral disgust pictures which, in turn, elicited larger P3 and LPP amplitudes when compared to the neutral pictures. Taken together, these findings indicated that core and moral disgust pictures elicited different neural activities at various stages of information processing, which provided supporting evidence for the heterogeneity of disgust. PMID:26011635

Different timing features in brain processing of core and moral disgust pictures: an event-related potentials study.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiangyi; Guo, Qi; Zhang, Youxue; Lou, Liandi; Ding, Daoqun

2015-01-01

Disgust, an emotion motivating withdrawal from offensive stimuli, protects us from the risk of biological pathogens and sociomoral violations. Homogeneity of its two types, namely, core and moral disgust has been under intensive debate. To examine the dynamic relationship between them, we recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) for core disgust, moral disgust and neutral pictures while participants performed a modified oddball task. ERP analysis revealed that N1 and P2 amplitudes were largest for the core disgust pictures, indicating automatic processing of the core disgust-evoking pictures. N2 amplitudes were higher for pictures evoking moral disgust relative to core disgust and neutral pictures, reflecting a violation of social norms. The core disgust pictures elicited larger P3 and late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes in comparison with the moral disgust pictures which, in turn, elicited larger P3 and LPP amplitudes when compared to the neutral pictures. Taken together, these findings indicated that core and moral disgust pictures elicited different neural activities at various stages of information processing, which provided supporting evidence for the heterogeneity of disgust.

Effect of agmatine on long-term potentiation in morphine-treated rats.

PubMed

Lu, Wei; Dong, Hua-Jin; Bi, Guo-Hua; Zhao, Yong-Qi; Yang, Zheng; Su, Rui-Bin; Li, Jin

2010-08-01

Agmatine is an endogenous amine derived from l-arginine that potentiates morphine analgesia and inhibits naloxone precipitated abstinent symptoms in morphine dependent rats. In this study, the effects of agmatine on long-term potentiation (LTP) in the lateral perforant path (LPP)-granule cell synapse of the rat dentate gyrus (DG) on saline or morphine-treated rats were investigated. Population spikes (PS), evoked by stimulation of the LPP, was recorded from DG region. Acute agmatine (2.5-10mg/kg, s.c.) treatment facilitated hippocampal LTP. Acute morphine (30mg/kg, s.c.) treatment significantly attenuated hippocampal LTP and agmatine (10mg/kg, s.c.) restored the amplitude of PS that was attenuated by morphine. Chronic morphine treatment resulted in the enhancement of hippocampal LTP, agmatine co-administered with morphine significantly attenuated the enhancement of morphine on hippocampal LTP. Imidazoline receptor antagonist idazoxan (5mg/kg, i.p.) reversed the effect of agmatine. These results suggest that agmatine attenuated the effect of morphine on hippocampal LTP, possibly through activation of imidazoline receptor. Crown Copyright 2010. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Regulation of Romantic Love Feelings: Preconceptions, Strategies, and Feasibility.

PubMed

Langeslag, Sandra J E; van Strien, Jan W

2016-01-01

Love feelings can be more intense than desired (e.g., after a break-up) or less intense than desired (e.g., in long-term relationships). If only we could control our love feelings! We present the concept of explicit love regulation, which we define as the use of behavioral and cognitive strategies to change the intensity of current feelings of romantic love. We present the first two studies on preconceptions about, strategies for, and the feasibility of love regulation. Questionnaire responses showed that people perceive love feelings as somewhat uncontrollable. Still, in four open questions people reported to use strategies such as cognitive reappraisal, distraction, avoidance, and undertaking (new) activities to cope with break-ups, to maintain long-term relationships, and to regulate love feelings. Instructed up-regulation of love using reappraisal increased subjective feelings of attachment, while love down-regulation decreased subjective feelings of infatuation and attachment. We used the late positive potential (LPP) amplitude as an objective index of regulation success. Instructed love up-regulation enhanced the LPP between 300-400 ms in participants who were involved in a relationship and in participants who had recently experienced a romantic break-up, while love down-regulation reduced the LPP between 700-3000 ms in participants who were involved in a relationship. These findings corroborate the self-reported feasibility of love regulation, although they are complicated by the finding that love up-regulation also reduced the LPP between 700-3000 ms in participants who were involved in a relationship. To conclude, although people have the preconception that love feelings are uncontrollable, we show for the first time that intentional regulation of love feelings using reappraisal, and perhaps other strategies, is feasible. Love regulation will benefit individuals and society because it could enhance positive effects and reduce negative effects of romantic love.

State rumination enhances elaborative processing of negative material as evidenced by the late positive potential.

PubMed

Lewis, Kimberly L; Taubitz, Lauren E; Duke, Michael W; Steuer, Elizabeth L; Larson, Christine L

2015-12-01

Rumination has been shown to increase negative affect and is highly associated with increased duration of depressive episodes. Previous research has shown that enhanced elaborative processing of negative stimuli is often associated with depression and trait rumination. We hypothesized that engaging in rumination would result in sustained elaborative processing of negative information, as measured by late positive potential (LPP) asymmetry, regardless of depression. Participants were experimentally induced to engage in ruminative- or distraction-oriented thoughts and subsequently viewed negative, positive, and neutral images. Our results showed a very specific right-dominant frontal and parietal LPP to negative, but not neutral or positive, pictures in the rumination condition only that was not correlated with any measures of trait rumination or depression symptoms. This suggests that state rumination alone may lead to an enhanced, sustained processing of negative material that is typically associated with depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

'I love Rock 'n' Roll'--music genre preference modulates brain responses to music.

PubMed

Istók, Eva; Brattico, Elvira; Jacobsen, Thomas; Ritter, Aileen; Tervaniemi, M

2013-02-01

The present study examined the effect of participants' music genre preference on the neural processes underlying evaluative and cognitive judgements of music using the event-related potential technique. To this aim, two participant groups differing in their preference for Latin American and Heavy Metal music performed a liking judgement and a genre classification task on a variety of excerpts of either music genre. A late positive potential (LPP) was elicited in all conditions between 600 and 900 ms after stimulus onset. During the genre classification task, an early negativity was elicited by the preferred compared to the non-preferred music at around 230-370 ms whereas the non-preferred genre was characterized by a larger LPP. The findings suggest that evaluative and cognitive judgements of music are accompanied by affective responses and that the valence of music may spontaneously modulate early processes of music categorization even when no overt liking judgement is required. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Differences in emotion modulation using cognitive reappraisal in individuals with and without suicidal ideation: An ERP study.

PubMed

Kudinova, Anastacia Y; Owens, Max; Burkhouse, Katie L; Barretto, Kenneth M; Bonanno, George A; Gibb, Brandon E

2016-08-01

Difficulties in emotion regulation have been associated with increased suicidal thoughts and behaviours. The majority of studies have examined self-reported use of emotion regulation strategies. In contrast, the current study focused on a direct measure of individuals' ability to use a specific emotion regulation strategy, cognitive reappraisal, using the late positive potential (LPP), an event-related potential component that reflects attention to emotional stimuli. Specifically, the cognitive reappraisal ability of 33 undergraduate students was assessed via an image-viewing task during which the participants had to passively view, increase or reduce their emotions in response to looking at neutral, positive or dysphoric images. We found that participants with a history of suicidal ideation (SI) had significantly higher LPP when asked to reduce negative emotion in response to dysphoric images, compared to individuals with no history of SI. These findings suggest that difficulties with using cognitive reappraisal, specifically to decrease negative affect, might be linked to suicide risk.

Brain Responses to Emotional Images Related to Cognitive Ability in Older Adults

PubMed Central

Foster, Shannon M.; Davis, Hasker P.; Kisley, Michael A.

2013-01-01

Older adults have been shown to exhibit a positivity effect in processing of emotional stimuli, seemingly focusing more on positive than negative information. Whether this reflects purposeful changes or an unintended side-effect of declining cognitive abilities is unclear. For the present study older adults displaying a wide range of cognitive abilities completed measures of attention, visual and verbal memory, executive functioning, and processing speed, as well as a socioemotional measure of time perspective. Regression analyses examined the ability of these variables to predict neural responsivity to select emotional stimuli as measured with the late positive potential (LPP), an event-related brain potential (ERP). Stronger cognitive functioning was associated with higher LPP amplitude in response to negative images (i.e., greater processing). This does not support a voluntary avoidance of negative information processing in older adults for this particular measure of attentional allocation. A model is proposed to reconcile this finding with the extant literature that has demonstrated positivity effects in measures of later, controlled attentional allocation. PMID:23276213

Experimental comparisons of hypothesis test and moving average based combustion phase controllers.

PubMed

Gao, Jinwu; Wu, Yuhu; Shen, Tielong

2016-11-01

For engine control, combustion phase is the most effective and direct parameter to improve fuel efficiency. In this paper, the statistical control strategy based on hypothesis test criterion is discussed. Taking location of peak pressure (LPP) as combustion phase indicator, the statistical model of LPP is first proposed, and then the controller design method is discussed on the basis of both Z and T tests. For comparison, moving average based control strategy is also presented and implemented in this study. The experiments on a spark ignition gasoline engine at various operating conditions show that the hypothesis test based controller is able to regulate LPP close to set point while maintaining the rapid transient response, and the variance of LPP is also well constrained. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Late Positive Potential ERP Responses to Social and Nonsocial Stimuli in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benning, Stephen D.; Kovac, Megan; Campbell, Alana; Miller, Stephanie; Hanna, Eleanor K.; Damiano, Cara R.; Sabatino-DiCriscio, Antoinette; Turner-Brown, Lauren; Sasson, Noah J.; Aaron, Rachel V.; Kinard, Jessica; Dichter, Gabriel S.

2016-01-01

We examined the late positive potential (LPP) event related potential in response to social and nonsocial stimuli from youths 9 to 19 years old with (n = 35) and without (n = 34) ASD. Social stimuli were faces with positive expressions and nonsocial stimuli were related to common restricted interests in ASD (e.g., electronics, vehicles, etc.). The…

Medical comorbidities in patients with lichen planopilaris, a retrospective case-control study.

PubMed

Fertig, Raymond M; Hu, Shasa; Maddy, Austin J; Balaban, Alexandra; Aleid, Nouf; Aldahan, Adam; Tosti, Antonella

2018-04-16

Lichen planopilaris (LPP) is a rare inflammatory lymphocyte-mediated disease of the scalp considered to have an autoimmune pathogenesis. To identify the prevalence of medical comorbidities in patients with classic LPP (CLPP) and frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA). The medical records of 206 LPP patients and 323 control patients were retrospectively reviewed for existing comorbidities. The control group consisted of 257 patients with androgenetic alopecia (ICD 9 = 704.0 or ICD 10 = L64.9) and 66 patients with actinic keratosis (ICD 9 = 702.0 or ICD 10 = L57.0). Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was found in 4.37% of all patients with LPP (including CLPP and the FFA subtype) and in 0.31% of controls. Female patients with the FFA subtype were more likely to have SLE than controls (OR 31.034, 95% CI 2.405-400.382, P = 0.0085). This study is limited in that it is a retrospective chart review. Female patients with FFA are significantly more likely to have SLE. Patients with LPP (including CLPP and the FFA subtype) are less likely to have diabetes. Patients with CLPP excluding FFA are less likely to have hypertension, heart disease, and hypothyroidism. © 2018 The International Society of Dermatology.

Analysis of RF emissions from laser induced breakdown of atmospheric air and metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paturi, Prem Kiran; Lakshmi, Vinoth Kumar; Elle, Manikanta; Chelikani, Leela

2013-10-01

The low frequency (RF, microwave) emissions from laser produced plasma (LPP) are of great interest because of their variety of applications. The RF waves emitted by the nanosecond LPP of atmospheric air and metal (Al, Cu) targets were detected using antennas over frequency ranges (30 MHz-18 GHz) and were monitored using a spectrum analyzer (3 Hz-50 GHz). With different target materials, the dominant emission lines were observed to fall in different specific frequency ranges within the detection limit. The emissions from Cu were in the higher frequency range (100-200 MHz) than that of Al (30-100 MHz) may be due to the higher electron density of Cu, which contributes to the LPP conductivity. From the LPP of atmospheric air, the RF output was found to be increasing with the input laser energy up to certain value, beyond which almost no emission was observed. This effect is attributed to the modification in the net induced dipole moment due to the multiple plasma sources in the LPP at higher input laser energies. The detected radiation was observed to be dependent on laser and antenna polarization. Further studies may lead to an efficient technique for material identification from the RF characteristic peaks.

Cognitive emotion regulation in children: Reappraisal of emotional faces modulates neural source activity in a frontoparietal network.

PubMed

Wessing, Ida; Rehbein, Maimu A; Romer, Georg; Achtergarde, Sandra; Dobel, Christian; Zwitserlood, Pienie; Fürniss, Tilman; Junghöfer, Markus

2015-06-01

Emotion regulation has an important role in child development and psychopathology. Reappraisal as cognitive regulation technique can be used effectively by children. Moreover, an ERP component known to reflect emotional processing called late positive potential (LPP) can be modulated by children using reappraisal and this modulation is also related to children's emotional adjustment. The present study seeks to elucidate the neural generators of such LPP effects. To this end, children aged 8-14 years reappraised emotional faces, while neural activity in an LPP time window was estimated using magnetoencephalography-based source localization. Additionally, neural activity was correlated with two indexes of emotional adjustment and age. Reappraisal reduced activity in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during down-regulation and enhanced activity in the right parietal cortex during up-regulation. Activity in the visual cortex decreased with increasing age, more adaptive emotion regulation and less anxiety. Results demonstrate that reappraisal changed activity within a frontoparietal network in children. Decreasing activity in the visual cortex with increasing age is suggested to reflect neural maturation. A similar decrease with adaptive emotion regulation and less anxiety implies that better emotional adjustment may be associated with an advance in neural maturation. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Emotional reactivity and regulation in individuals with psychopathic traits: Evidence for a disconnect between neurophysiology and self-report.

PubMed

Ellis, Jennifer D; Schroder, Hans S; Patrick, Christopher J; Moser, Jason S

2017-10-01

Individuals with psychopathic traits often demonstrate blunted reactivity to negative emotional stimuli. However, it is not yet clear whether these individuals also have difficulty regulating their emotional responses to negative stimuli. To address this question, participants with varying levels of psychopathic traits (indexed by the Triarchic Measure of Psychopathy; Patrick, 2010) completed a task in which they passively viewed, increased, or decreased their emotions to negative picture stimuli while electrocortical activity was recorded. During passive viewing of negative images, higher boldness, but not higher disinhibition or meanness, was associated with reduced amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP), an ERP that indexes reactivity to emotionally relevant stimuli. However, all participants demonstrated expected enhancement of the LPP when asked to increase their emotional response. Participants did not show expected suppression of the LPP when asked to decrease their emotional response. Contrary to the electrophysiological data, individuals with higher boldness did not self-report experiencing blunted emotional response during passive viewing trials, and they reported experiencing greater emotional reactivity relative to other participants when regulating (e.g., both increasing and decreasing) their emotions. Results suggest inconsistency between physiological and self-report indices of emotion among high-bold individuals during both affective processing and regulation. © 2017 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Identification of New Virulence Factors and Vaccine Candidates for Yersinia pestis

PubMed Central

Andersson, Jourdan A.; Sha, Jian; Erova, Tatiana E.; Fitts, Eric C.; Ponnusamy, Duraisamy; Kozlova, Elena V.; Kirtley, Michelle L.; Chopra, Ashok K.

2017-01-01

Earlier, we reported the identification of new virulence factors/mechanisms of Yersinia pestis using an in vivo signature-tagged mutagenesis (STM) screening approach. From this screen, the role of rbsA, which encodes an ATP-binding protein of ribose transport system, and vasK, an essential component of the type VI secretion system (T6SS), were evaluated in mouse models of plague and confirmed to be important during Y. pestis infection. However, many of the identified genes from the screen remained uncharacterized. In this study, in-frame deletion mutants of ypo0815, ypo2884, ypo3614-3168 (cyoABCDE), and ypo1119-1120, identified from the STM screen, were generated. While ypo0815 codes for a general secretion pathway protein E (GspE) of the T2SS, the ypo2884-encoded protein has homology to the βγ crystallin superfamily, cyoABCDE codes for the cytochrome o oxidase operon, and the ypo1119-1120 genes are within the Tol-Pal system which has multiple functions. Additionally, as our STM screen identified three T6SS-associated genes, and, based on in silico analysis, six T6SS clusters and multiple homologs of the T6SS effector hemolysin-coregulated protein (Hcp) exist in Y. pestis CO92, we also targeted these T6SS clusters and effectors for generating deletion mutants. These deletion mutant strains exhibited varying levels of attenuation (up to 100%), in bubonic or pneumonic murine infection models. The attenuation could be further augmented by generation of combinatorial deletion mutants, namely ΔlppΔypo0815, ΔlppΔypo2884, ΔlppΔcyoABCDE, ΔvasKΔhcp6, and Δypo2720-2733Δhcp3. We earlier showed that deletion of the lpp gene, which encodes Braun lipoprotein (Lpp) and activates Toll-like receptor-2, reduced virulence of Y. pestis CO92 in murine models of bubonic and pneumonic plague. The surviving mice infected with ΔlppΔcyoABCDE, ΔvasKΔhcp6, and Δypo2720-2733Δhcp3 mutant strains were 55–100% protected upon subsequent re-challenge with wild-type CO92 in a pneumonic model. Further, evaluation of the attenuated T6SS mutant strains in vitro revealed significant alterations in phagocytosis, intracellular survival in murine macrophages, and their ability to induce cytotoxic effects on macrophages. The results reported here provide further evidence of the utility of the STM screening approach for the identification of novel virulence factors and to possibly target such genes for the development of novel live-attenuated vaccine candidates for plague. PMID:29090192

Identification of New Virulence Factors and Vaccine Candidates for Yersinia pestis.

PubMed

Andersson, Jourdan A; Sha, Jian; Erova, Tatiana E; Fitts, Eric C; Ponnusamy, Duraisamy; Kozlova, Elena V; Kirtley, Michelle L; Chopra, Ashok K

2017-01-01

Earlier, we reported the identification of new virulence factors/mechanisms of Yersinia pestis using an in vivo signature-tagged mutagenesis (STM) screening approach. From this screen, the role of rbsA , which encodes an ATP-binding protein of ribose transport system, and vasK , an essential component of the type VI secretion system (T6SS), were evaluated in mouse models of plague and confirmed to be important during Y. pestis infection. However, many of the identified genes from the screen remained uncharacterized. In this study, in-frame deletion mutants of ypo0815, ypo2884, ypo3614-3168 (cyoABCDE) , and ypo1119-1120 , identified from the STM screen, were generated. While ypo0815 codes for a general secretion pathway protein E (GspE) of the T2SS, the ypo2884 -encoded protein has homology to the βγ crystallin superfamily, cyoABCDE codes for the cytochrome o oxidase operon, and the ypo1119-1120 genes are within the Tol-Pal system which has multiple functions. Additionally, as our STM screen identified three T6SS-associated genes, and, based on in silico analysis, six T6SS clusters and multiple homologs of the T6SS effector hemolysin-coregulated protein (Hcp) exist in Y. pestis CO92, we also targeted these T6SS clusters and effectors for generating deletion mutants. These deletion mutant strains exhibited varying levels of attenuation (up to 100%), in bubonic or pneumonic murine infection models. The attenuation could be further augmented by generation of combinatorial deletion mutants, namely Δ lpp Δ ypo0815 , Δ lpp Δ ypo2884 , Δ lpp Δ cyoABCDE , Δ vasK Δ hcp6 , and Δ ypo2720-2733 Δ hcp3 . We earlier showed that deletion of the lpp gene, which encodes Braun lipoprotein (Lpp) and activates Toll-like receptor-2, reduced virulence of Y. pestis CO92 in murine models of bubonic and pneumonic plague. The surviving mice infected with Δ lpp Δ cyoABCDE , Δ vasK Δ hcp6 , and Δ ypo2720-2733 Δ hcp3 mutant strains were 55-100% protected upon subsequent re-challenge with wild-type CO92 in a pneumonic model. Further, evaluation of the attenuated T6SS mutant strains in vitro revealed significant alterations in phagocytosis, intracellular survival in murine macrophages, and their ability to induce cytotoxic effects on macrophages. The results reported here provide further evidence of the utility of the STM screening approach for the identification of novel virulence factors and to possibly target such genes for the development of novel live-attenuated vaccine candidates for plague.

The role of hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of lichen planopilaris: A retrospective case series and review.

PubMed

Nic Dhonncha, E; Foley, C C; Markham, T

2017-05-01

A variety of systemic agents are used to treat lichen planopilaris (LPP) with a limited evidence base. The aim of our study was to retrospectively review the response rate to and tolerability of hydroxychloroquine in a cohort of patients with LPP in an effort to add to the evidence base for its use. Twenty-three patients with a clinical and histopathological diagnosis of LPP who had been treated with hydroxychloroquine for their disease in a single center were identified. A retrospective review of these patients' medical records was performed and physician rated response was documented. Complete response was observed in 61% of our patients, and a further 9% of patients demonstrated partial response. Thirteen percent of patients withdrew from treatment because of suspected adverse effects. Our sample size was small, and data was collected retrospectively. We found hydroxychloroquine to be a reasonable therapeutic choice in LPP. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Life Participation for Parents: a tool for family-centered occupational therapy.

PubMed

Fingerhut, Patricia E

2013-01-01

This study describes the continued development of the Life Participation for Parents (LPP), a measurement tool to facilitate family-centered pediatric practice. LPP questionnaires were completed by 162 parents of children with special needs receiving intervention at 15 pediatric private practice clinics. Results were analyzed to establish instrument reliability and validity. Good internal consistency (α = .90) and test-retest reliability (r = .89) were established. Construct validity was examined through assessment of internal structure and comparison of the instrument to related variables. A principal components analysis resulted in a two-factor model accounting for 43.81% of the variance. As hypothesized, the LPP correlated only moderately with the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (r = .54). The variables of child's diagnoses, age, and time in therapy did not predict parental responses. The LPP is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring satisfaction with parental participation in life occupations. Copyright © 2013 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Event-related potentials reveal preserved attention allocation but impaired emotion regulation in patients with epilepsy and comorbid negative affect.

PubMed

De Taeye, Leen; Pourtois, Gilles; Meurs, Alfred; Boon, Paul; Vonck, Kristl; Carrette, Evelien; Raedt, Robrecht

2015-01-01

Patients with epilepsy have a high prevalence of comorbid mood disorders. This study aims to evaluate whether negative affect in epilepsy is associated with dysfunction of emotion regulation. Event-related potentials (ERPs) are used in order to unravel the exact electrophysiological time course and investigate whether a possible dysfunction arises during early (attention) and/or late (regulation) stages of emotion control. Fifty epileptic patients with (n = 25) versus without (n = 25) comorbid negative affect plus twenty-five matched controls were recruited. ERPs were recorded while subjects performed a face- or house-matching task in which fearful, sad or neutral faces were presented either at attended or unattended spatial locations. Two ERP components were analyzed: the early vertex positive potential (VPP) which is normally enhanced for faces, and the late positive potential (LPP) that is typically larger for emotional stimuli. All participants had larger amplitude of the early face-sensitive VPP for attended faces compared to houses, regardless of their emotional content. By contrast, in patients with negative affect only, the amplitude of the LPP was significantly increased for unattended negative emotional expressions. These VPP results indicate that epilepsy with or without negative affect does not interfere with the early structural encoding and attention selection of faces. However, the LPP results suggest abnormal regulation processes during the processing of unattended emotional faces in patients with epilepsy and comorbid negative affect. In conclusion, this ERP study reveals that early object-based attention processes are not compromised by epilepsy, but instead, when combined with negative affect, this neurological disease is associated with dysfunction during the later stages of emotion regulation. As such, these new neurophysiological findings shed light on the complex interplay of epilepsy with negative affect during the processing of emotional visual stimuli and in turn might help to better understand the etiology and maintenance of mood disorders in epilepsy.

Quantitative Evaluation of Electrodes for External Urethral Sphincter Electromyography during Bladder-to-Urethral Guarding Reflex

PubMed Central

Steward, James E.; Clemons, Jessica D.; Zaszczurynski, Paul J.; Butler, Robert S.; Damaser, Margot S.; Jiang, Hai-Hong

2009-01-01

Purpose Accuracy in the recording of external urethral sphincter (EUS) electromyography (EMG) is an important goal in the quantitative evaluation of urethral function. This study aim was to quantitatively compare electrode recordings taken during tonic activity and leak point pressure (LPP) testing. Methods Several electrodes, including the surface electrode (SE), concentric electrode (CE), and wire electrode (WE), were placed on the EUS singly and simultaneously in six female Sprague-Dawley rats under urethane anesthesia. The bladder was filled via a retropubic catheter while LPP testing and EUS EMG recording were done. Quantitative baseline correction of the EUS EMG signal was performed to reduce baseline variation. Amplitude and frequency of one-second samples of the EUS EMG signal were measured before LPP (tonic activity) and during peak LPP activity. Results The SE, CE, and WE signals demonstrated tonic activity before LPP and an increase in activity during LPP, suggesting that the electrodes accurately recorded EUS activity during tonic activity and during the bladder-to-EUS guarding reflex, regardless of the size or location of detection areas. SE recordings required significantly less baseline correction than both CE and WE recordings. The activity in CE-recorded EMG was significantly higher than that of the SE and WE both in single and simultaneous recordings. Conclusions These electrodes may be suitable for testing EUS EMG activity. The SE signal had significantly less baseline variation and the CE detected local activity more sensitively than the other electrodes, which may provide insight into choosing an appropriate electrode for EUS EMG recording. PMID:19680661

Spike sorting using locality preserving projection with gap statistics and landmark-based spectral clustering.

PubMed

Nguyen, Thanh; Khosravi, Abbas; Creighton, Douglas; Nahavandi, Saeid

2014-12-30

Understanding neural functions requires knowledge from analysing electrophysiological data. The process of assigning spikes of a multichannel signal into clusters, called spike sorting, is one of the important problems in such analysis. There have been various automated spike sorting techniques with both advantages and disadvantages regarding accuracy and computational costs. Therefore, developing spike sorting methods that are highly accurate and computationally inexpensive is always a challenge in the biomedical engineering practice. An automatic unsupervised spike sorting method is proposed in this paper. The method uses features extracted by the locality preserving projection (LPP) algorithm. These features afterwards serve as inputs for the landmark-based spectral clustering (LSC) method. Gap statistics (GS) is employed to evaluate the number of clusters before the LSC can be performed. The proposed LPP-LSC is highly accurate and computationally inexpensive spike sorting approach. LPP spike features are very discriminative; thereby boost the performance of clustering methods. Furthermore, the LSC method exhibits its efficiency when integrated with the cluster evaluator GS. The proposed method's accuracy is approximately 13% superior to that of the benchmark combination between wavelet transformation and superparamagnetic clustering (WT-SPC). Additionally, LPP-LSC computing time is six times less than that of the WT-SPC. LPP-LSC obviously demonstrates a win-win spike sorting solution meeting both accuracy and computational cost criteria. LPP and LSC are linear algorithms that help reduce computational burden and thus their combination can be applied into real-time spike analysis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The influence of color on emotional perception of natural scenes.

PubMed

Codispoti, Maurizio; De Cesarei, Andrea; Ferrari, Vera

2012-01-01

Is color a critical factor when processing the emotional content of natural scenes? Under challenging perceptual conditions, such as when pictures are briefly presented, color might facilitate scene segmentation and/or function as a semantic cue via association with scene-relevant concepts (e.g., red and blood/injury). To clarify the influence of color on affective picture perception, we compared the late positive potentials (LPP) to color versus grayscale pictures, presented for very brief (24 ms) and longer (6 s) exposure durations. Results indicated that removing color information had no effect on the affective modulation of the LPP, regardless of exposure duration. These findings imply that the recognition of the emotional content of scenes, even when presented very briefly, does not critically rely on color information. Copyright © 2011 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

LPP-EUV light source for HVM lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, T.; Ueno, Y.; Yabu, T.; Kurosawa, A.; Nagai, S.; Yanagida, T.; Hori, T.; Kawasuji, Y.; Abe, T.; Kodama, T.; Nakarai, H.; Yamazaki, T.; Mizoguchi, H.

2017-01-01

We have been developing a laser produced plasma extremely ultra violet (LPP-EUV) light source for a high volume manufacturing (HVM) semiconductor lithography. It has several unique technologies such as the high power short pulse carbon dioxide (CO2) laser, the short wavelength solid-state pre-pulse laser and the debris mitigation technology with the magnetic field. This paper presents the key technologies for a high power LPP-EUV light source. We also show the latest performance data which is 188W EUV power at intermediate focus (IF) point with 3.7% conversion efficiency (CE) at 100 kHz.

Myxobacterium-Produced Antibiotic TA (Myxovirescin) Inhibits Type II Signal Peptidase

PubMed Central

Xiao, Yao; Gerth, Klaus; Müller, Rolf

2012-01-01

Antibiotic TA is a macrocyclic secondary metabolite produced by myxobacteria that has broad-spectrum bactericidal activity. The structure of TA is unique, and its molecular target is unknown. Here, we sought to elucidate TA's mode of action (MOA) through two parallel genetic approaches. First, chromosomal Escherichia coli TA-resistant mutants were isolated. One mutant that showed specific resistance toward TA was mapped and resulted from an IS4 insertion in the lpp gene, which encodes an abundant outer membrane (Braun's) lipoprotein. In a second approach, the comprehensive E. coli ASKA plasmid library was screened for overexpressing clones that conferred TAr. This effort resulted in the isolation of the lspA gene, which encodes the type II signal peptidase that cleaves signal sequences from prolipoproteins. In whole cells, TA was shown to inhibit Lpp prolipoprotein processing, similar to the known LspA inhibitor globomycin. Based on genetic evidence and prior globomycin studies, a block in Lpp expression or prevention of Lpp covalent cell wall attachment confers TAr by alleviating a toxic buildup of mislocalized pro-Lpp. Taken together, these data argue that LspA is the molecular target of TA. Strikingly, the giant ta biosynthetic gene cluster encodes two lspA paralogs that we hypothesize play a role in producer strain resistance. PMID:22232277

Lichen Planus Pigmentosus: The Controversial Consensus

PubMed Central

Ghosh, Aparajita; Coondoo, Arijit

2016-01-01

A pigmented variant of lichen planus (LP) was first reported from India in 1974 by Bhutani et al. who coined the term LP pigmentosus (LPP) to give a descriptive nomenclature to it. LP has a number of variants, one of which is LPP. This disease has also later been reported from the Middle East, Latin America, Korea, and Japan, especially in people with darker skin. It has an insidious onset. Initially, small, black or brown macules appear on sun-exposed areas. They later merge to form large hyperpigmented patches. The disease principally affects the sun-exposed areas of the body such as the face, trunk, and upper extremities. The oral mucosa may rarely be involved. However, the palms, soles, and nails are not affected. Histologically, the epidermis is atrophic along with vacuolar degeneration of basal cell layer. The dermis exhibits incontinence of pigment with scattered melanophages and a sparse follicular or perivascular infiltrate. There is a considerable similarity in histopathological findings between LPP and erythema dyschromicum perstans. However, there are immunologic and clinical differences between the two. These observations have led to a controversy regarding the identity of the two entities. While some dermatologists consider them to be the same, others have opined that the two should be considered as distinctly different diseases. A number of associations such as hepatitis C virus infection, frontal fibrosing alopecia, acrokeratosis of Bazex and nephrotic syndrome have been reported with LPP. A rare variant, LPP inversus, with similar clinical and histopathological findings was reported in 2001. As opposed to LPP, this variant occurs in covered intertriginous locations such as groins and axillae and mostly affects white-skinned persons. PMID:27688435

Effect of 4-Week Ingestion of Tomato-Based Carotenoids on Exercise-Induced Inflammation, Muscle Damage, and Oxidative Stress in Endurance Runners.

PubMed

Nieman, David C; Capps, Courtney L; Capps, Christopher R; Shue, Zack L; McBride, Jennifer E

2018-05-03

This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial determined if ingestion of a supplement containing a tomato complex with lycopene, phytoene, and phytofluene (T-LPP) and other compounds for 4 weeks would attenuate inflammation, muscle damage, and oxidative stress postexercise and during recovery from a 2-hr running bout that included 30 min of -10% downhill running. Study participants ingested the T-LPP supplement or placebo with the evening meal for 4 weeks prior to running 2 hr at high intensity. Blood samples and delayed onset muscle soreness ratings were taken pre- and post-4-week supplementation, and immediately following the 2-hr run, and then 1-hr, 24-hr, and 48-hr postrun. After a 2-week washout period, participants crossed over to the opposite treatment and repeated all procedures. Plasma lycopene, phytoene, and phytofluene increased significantly in T-LPP compared with placebo (p < .001 for each). Significant time effects were shown for serum creatine kinase, delayed onset muscle soreness, C-reactive protein, myoglobin, 9- and 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acids, ferric reducing ability of plasma, and six plasma cytokines (p < .001 for each). The pattern of increase for serum myoglobin differed between T-LPP and placebo (interaction effect, p = .016, with lower levels in T-LPP), but not for creatine kinase, delayed onset muscle soreness, C-reactive protein, the six cytokines, 9- and 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acids, and ferric reducing ability of plasma. No significant time or interaction effects were measured for plasma-oxidized low-density lipoprotein or serum 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine. In summary, supplementation with T-LPP over a 4-week period increased plasma carotenoid levels 73% and attenuated postexercise increases in the muscle damage biomarker myoglobin, but not inflammation and oxidative stress.

Integration of QFD, AHP, and LPP methods in supplier development problems under uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shad, Zahra; Roghanian, Emad; Mojibian, Fatemeh

2014-04-01

Quality function deployment (QFD) is a customer-driven approach, widely used to develop or process new product to maximize customer satisfaction. Last researches used linear physical programming (LPP) procedure to optimize QFD; however, QFD issue involved uncertainties, or fuzziness, which requires taking them into account for more realistic study. In this paper, a set of fuzzy data is used to address linguistic values parameterized by triangular fuzzy numbers. Proposed integrated approach including analytic hierarchy process (AHP), QFD, and LPP to maximize overall customer satisfaction under uncertain conditions and apply them in the supplier development problem. The fuzzy AHP approach is adopted as a powerful method to obtain the relationship between the customer requirements and engineering characteristics (ECs) to construct house of quality in QFD method. LPP is used to obtain the optimal achievement level of the ECs and subsequently the customer satisfaction level under different degrees of uncertainty. The effectiveness of proposed method will be illustrated by an example.

Peptidoglycan Association of Murein Lipoprotein Is Required for KpsD-Dependent Group 2 Capsular Polysaccharide Expression and Serum Resistance in a Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Isolate.

PubMed

Diao, Jingyu; Bouwman, Catrien; Yan, Donghong; Kang, Jing; Katakam, Anand K; Liu, Peter; Pantua, Homer; Abbas, Alexander R; Nickerson, Nicholas N; Austin, Cary; Reichelt, Mike; Sandoval, Wendy; Xu, Min; Whitfield, Chris; Kapadia, Sharookh B

2017-05-23

Murein lipoprotein (Lpp) and peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein (Pal) are major outer membrane lipoproteins in Escherichia coli Their roles in cell-envelope integrity have been documented in E. coli laboratory strains, and while Lpp has been linked to serum resistance in vitro , the underlying mechanism has not been established. Here, lpp and pal mutants of uropathogenic E. coli strain CFT073 showed reduced survival in a mouse bacteremia model, but only the lpp mutant was sensitive to serum killing in vitro The peptidoglycan-bound Lpp form was specifically required for preventing complement-mediated bacterial lysis in vitro and complement-mediated clearance in vivo Compared to the wild-type strain, the lpp mutant had impaired K2 capsular polysaccharide production and was unable to respond to exposure to serum by elevating capsular polysaccharide amounts. These properties correlated with altered cellular distribution of KpsD, the predicted outer membrane translocon for "group 2" capsular polysaccharides. We identified a novel Lpp-dependent association between functional KpsD and peptidoglycan, highlighting important interplay between cell envelope components required for resistance to complement-mediated lysis in uropathogenic E. coli isolates. IMPORTANCE Uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) isolates represent a significant cause of nosocomial urinary tract and bloodstream infections. Many UPEC isolates are resistant to serum killing. Here, we show that a major cell-envelope lipoprotein (murein lipoprotein) is required for serum resistance in vitro and for complement-mediated bacterial clearance in vivo This is mediated, in part, through a novel mechanism by which murein lipoprotein affects the proper assembly of a key component of the machinery involved in production of "group 2" capsules. The absence of murein lipoprotein results in impaired production of the capsule layer, a known participant in complement resistance. These results demonstrate an important role for murein lipoprotein in complex interactions between different outer membrane biogenesis pathways and further highlight the importance of lipoprotein assembly and transport in bacterial pathogenesis. Copyright © 2017 Diao et al.

Subjective craving and event-related brain response to olfactory and visual chocolate cues in binge-eating and healthy individuals.

PubMed

Wolz, I; Sauvaget, A; Granero, R; Mestre-Bach, G; Baño, M; Martín-Romera, V; Veciana de Las Heras, M; Jiménez-Murcia, S; Jansen, A; Roefs, A; Fernández-Aranda, F

2017-02-03

High-sugar/high-fat foods are related to binge-eating behaviour and especially people with low inhibitory control may encounter elevated difficulties to resist their intake. Incentive sensitization to food-related cues might lead to increased motivated attention towards these stimuli and to cue-induced craving. To investigate the combined influence of olfactory and visual stimuli on craving, inhibitory control and motivated attention, 20 healthy controls and 19 individuals with binge-eating viewed chocolate and neutral pictures, primed by chocolate or neutral odours. Subjective craving and electroencephalogram activity were recorded during the task. N2 and Late Positive Potential (LPP) amplitudes were analysed. Patients reported higher craving than controls. Subjective craving, N2 and LPP amplitudes were higher for chocolate versus neutral pictures. Patients showed a higher relative increase in N2 amplitudes to chocolate versus neutral pictures than controls. Chocolate images induced significant increases in craving, motivated attention and measures of cognitive control. Chocolate odour might potentiate the craving response to visual stimuli, especially in patients with binge-eating.

High working memory load impairs the effect of cognitive reappraisal on emotional response: Evidence from an event-related potential study.

PubMed

Gan, Shuzhen; Yang, Jianfeng; Chen, Xuhai; Zhang, Xiuping; Yang, Yufang

2017-02-03

This study investigates how the working memory (WM) load influenced the efficacy of cognitive reappraisal, a frequently used strategy for emotion regulation. In a dual-task paradigm, the participants were required to perform a high-load or a low-load memory task and simultaneously reappraise aversive pictures with a negative or a neutral meaning. In the low-load condition, we found that the amplitude of emotion-enhanced late positive potential (LPP) was significantly decreased by neutral reappraisal compared to negative reappraisal. In the high-load condition, this regulatory effect of reappraisal disappeared. These results suggest that successful reappraisal relies on cognitive resources and WM processes. If the necessary resources involved in reappraisal are over-depleted by a concurrent memory task, the reappraisal effect will be impaired. Moreover, we found that emotion-enhanced LPP was significant in both of the high-load and low-load tasks, which suggests that emotional electrocortical response may not be susceptible to the available resources. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Description-based reappraisal regulate the emotion induced by erotic and neutral images in a Chinese population.

PubMed

Peng, Jiaxin; Qu, Chen; Gu, Ruolei; Luo, Yue-Jia

2012-01-01

Previous emotion-regulation research has shown that the late positive potential (LPP) is sensitive to the down-regulation of emotion; however, whether LPP is also sensitive to the up-regulation of emotion remains unclear. The present study examined the description-based reappraisal effects on the up-regulation of positive emotions induced by erotic and neutral images in a Chinese population. Self-reported ratings and event-related potential (ERP) were recorded when subjects viewed pleasant and neutral images, which were shown after either a neutral or positive description. Self-reported results showed that images following positive descriptions were rated as more pleasant compared to images following neutral descriptions. ERP results revealed that the P2, P3, and slow wave (SW) components were larger for erotic pictures than for neutral pictures, while the positive description condition yielded attenuated erotic image-induced P2, P3 and SW and increased SW induced by neutral images. The results demonstrated that description-based reappraisal, as a method of reappraisal, significantly modulates the emotional experience and ERP responses to erotic and neutral images.

An electrocortical investigation of emotional face processing in military-related posttraumatic stress disorder.

PubMed

DiGangi, Julia A; Burkhouse, Katie L; Aase, Darrin M; Babione, Joseph M; Schroth, Christopher; Kennedy, Amy E; Greenstein, Justin E; Proescher, Eric; Phan, K Luan

2017-09-01

PTSD is a disorder of emotion dysregulation. Although much work has intended to elucidate the neural underpinnings of the disorder, much remains unknown about the neurobiological substrates of emotion dysregulation in PTSD. In order to assess the relationship between a neural measure of attention to emotion (i.e. the late positive potential; LPP) and PTSD symptoms, EEG was recorded and examined as a potential predictor of military-related PTSD symptoms in a sample of 73 OEF/OIF/OND veterans. Results revealed that higher PTSD symptoms were related to an attenuated LPP response to angry facial expressions. This finding was not observed for happy or fearful faces. The current study provides initial evidence that, in a relatively young, mostly male sample of OEF/OIF/OND veterans, hyporeactivity to angry faces at the neural level may provide phenotypic data to characterize individual differences in PTSD symptom severity. This work may assist in future studies that seek to examine useful psychophysiologic targets for treatment and early interventions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Description-based reappraisal regulate the emotion induced by erotic and neutral images in a Chinese population

PubMed Central

Peng, Jiaxin; Qu, Chen; Gu, Ruolei; Luo, Yue-Jia

2013-01-01

Previous emotion-regulation research has shown that the late positive potential (LPP) is sensitive to the down-regulation of emotion; however, whether LPP is also sensitive to the up-regulation of emotion remains unclear. The present study examined the description-based reappraisal effects on the up-regulation of positive emotions induced by erotic and neutral images in a Chinese population. Self-reported ratings and event-related potential (ERP) were recorded when subjects viewed pleasant and neutral images, which were shown after either a neutral or positive description. Self-reported results showed that images following positive descriptions were rated as more pleasant compared to images following neutral descriptions. ERP results revealed that the P2, P3, and slow wave (SW) components were larger for erotic pictures than for neutral pictures, while the positive description condition yielded attenuated erotic image-induced P2, P3 and SW and increased SW induced by neutral images. The results demonstrated that description-based reappraisal, as a method of reappraisal, significantly modulates the emotional experience and ERP responses to erotic and neutral images. PMID:23335894

Subjective craving and event-related brain response to olfactory and visual chocolate cues in binge-eating and healthy individuals

PubMed Central

Wolz, I.; Sauvaget, A.; Granero, R.; Mestre-Bach, G.; Baño, M.; Martín-Romera, V.; Veciana de las Heras, M.; Jiménez-Murcia, S.; Jansen, A.; Roefs, A.; Fernández-Aranda, F.

2017-01-01

High-sugar/high-fat foods are related to binge-eating behaviour and especially people with low inhibitory control may encounter elevated difficulties to resist their intake. Incentive sensitization to food-related cues might lead to increased motivated attention towards these stimuli and to cue-induced craving. To investigate the combined influence of olfactory and visual stimuli on craving, inhibitory control and motivated attention, 20 healthy controls and 19 individuals with binge-eating viewed chocolate and neutral pictures, primed by chocolate or neutral odours. Subjective craving and electroencephalogram activity were recorded during the task. N2 and Late Positive Potential (LPP) amplitudes were analysed. Patients reported higher craving than controls. Subjective craving, N2 and LPP amplitudes were higher for chocolate versus neutral pictures. Patients showed a higher relative increase in N2 amplitudes to chocolate versus neutral pictures than controls. Chocolate images induced significant increases in craving, motivated attention and measures of cognitive control. Chocolate odour might potentiate the craving response to visual stimuli, especially in patients with binge-eating. PMID:28155875

Pictures cueing threat: brain dynamics in viewing explicitly instructed danger cues

PubMed Central

Schupp, Harald T.

2012-01-01

Recent event-related brain potential studies revealed the selective processing of emotional and threatening pictures. Integrating the picture viewing and threat-of-shock paradigm, the present study examined the processing of emotional pictures while they were explicitly instructed to cue threat of real world danger (i.e. electric shocks). Toward this end, 60 pleasant, neutral and unpleasant IAPS-pictures were presented (1 s) as a continuous random stream while high-density EEG and self-reported threat were assessed. In three experimental runs, each picture category was used once as a threat-cue, whereas in the other conditions the same category served as safety-cue. An additional passive viewing run served as a no-threat condition, thus, establishing a threat–safety continuum (threat-cue–safety-cue–no-threat) for each picture category. Threat-of-shock modulated P1, P2 and parieto-occipital LPP amplitudes. While the P1 component differentiated among threat- and no-threat conditions, the P2 and LPP effects were specific to pictures signaling threat-of-shock. Thus, stimulus processing progressively gained more accurate information about environmental threat conditions. Interestingly, the finding of increased EPN and centro-parietal LPP amplitudes to emotional pictures was independent from threat-of-shock manipulation. Accordingly, the results indicate distinct effects associated with the intrinsic significance of emotional pictures and explicitly instructed threat contingencies. PMID:21719425

Analysis of Lean Premixed/Prevaporized Combustion with KIVA-2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deur, J. M.; Kundu, K. P.; Darling, D. D.; Cline, M. C.; Micklow, G. J.; Harper, M. R.; Simons, T. A.

1994-01-01

Requirements to reduce the emissions of pollutants from gas turbines used in aircraft propulsion and ground based power generation have led to consideration of lean premixed/prevaporized (LPP) combustion concept. This paper describes some of the LPP flame tube analyses performed at the NASA Research Center with KIVA-2, a well-known multi-dimensional CFD code for problems including sprays, turbulence, and combustion. Modifications to KIVA-2's boundary condition and chemistry treatments have been made to meet the needs of the present study. The study itself focuses on two key aspects of the LPP concept, low emissions and flame stability (including flashback and lean blowoff.

Children prenatally exposed to maternal anxiety devote more attentional resources to neutral pictures.

PubMed

van den Heuvel, Marion I; Henrichs, Jens; Donkers, Franc C L; Van den Bergh, Bea R H

2017-10-22

Maternal anxiety during pregnancy can negatively affect fetal neurodevelopment, predisposing the offspring to a higher risk of behavioral and emotional problems later in life. The current study investigates the association between maternal anxiety during pregnancy and child affective picture processing using event-related brain potentials (ERPs). Mothers reported anxiety during the second trimester using the anxiety subscale of the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90). At age 4 years, child affective picture processing (N = 86) was measured by recording ERPs during viewing of neutral, pleasant, and unpleasant pictures selected from the International Affective Pictures System. The late positive potential (LPP)-an ERP component reflecting individual differences in affective processing-was used as child outcome. The expected positive association between maternal anxiety and LPP amplitude for unpleasant pictures was not found. Nevertheless, we found a positive association between maternal anxiety during pregnancy and LPP amplitudes for neutral pictures in the middle and late time window at anterior locations (all p < .05). These associations remained significant after adjusting for maternal postnatal anxiety and gestational age at birth and after FDR correction for multiple comparisons. Our study provides neurophysiological evidence that children prenatally exposed to higher maternal anxiety devote more attentional resources to neutral pictures, but not to unpleasant pictures. Possibly, these children show enhanced vigilance for threat when viewing neutral pictures. Although useful in dangerous environments, this enhanced vigilance may predispose children prenatally exposed to higher maternal anxiety to developing behavioral and/or emotional problems later in life. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEzYi6IS2HA. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Attention modulations on the perception of social hierarchy at distinct temporal stages: an electrophysiological investigation.

PubMed

Feng, Chunliang; Tian, Tengxiang; Feng, Xue; Luo, Yue-Jia

2015-04-01

Recent behavioral and neuroscientific studies have revealed the preferential processing of superior-hierarchy cues. However, it remains poorly understood whether top-down controlled mechanisms modulate temporal dynamics of neurocognitive substrates underlying the preferential processing of these biologically and socially relevant cues. This was investigated in the current study by recording event-related potentials from participants who were presented with superior or inferior social hierarchy. Participants performed a hierarchy-judgment task that required attention to hierarchy cues or a gender-judgment task that withdrew their attention from these cues. Superior-hierarchy cues evoked stronger neural responses than inferior-hierarchy cues at both early (N170/N200) and late (late positive potential, LPP) temporal stages. Notably, the modulations of top-down attention were identified on the LPP component, such that superior-hierarchy cues evoked larger LPP amplitudes than inferior-hierarchy cues only in the attended condition; whereas the modulations of the N170/N200 component by hierarchy cues were evident in both attended and unattended conditions. These findings suggest that the preferential perception of superior-hierarchy cues involves both relatively automatic attentional bias at the early temporal stage as well as flexible and voluntary cognitive evaluation at the late temporal stage. Finally, these hierarchy-related effects were absent when participants were shown the same stimuli which, however, were not associated with social-hierarchy information in a non-hierarchy task (Experiment 2), suggesting that effects of social hierarchy at early and late temporal stages could not be accounted for by differences in physical attributes between these social cues. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The presence of a culturally similar or dissimilar social partner affects neural responses to emotional stimuli

PubMed Central

Woodcock, Kate A.; Yu, Dian; Liu, Yi; Han, Shihui

2013-01-01

Background Emotional responding is sensitive to social context; however, little emphasis has been placed on the mechanisms by which social context effects changes in emotional responding. Objective We aimed to investigate the effects of social context on neural responses to emotional stimuli to inform on the mechanisms underpinning context-linked changes in emotional responding. Design We measured event-related potential (ERP) components known to index specific emotion processes and self-reports of explicit emotion regulation strategies and emotional arousal. Female Chinese university students observed positive, negative, and neutral photographs, whilst alone or accompanied by a culturally similar (Chinese) or dissimilar researcher (British). Results There was a reduction in the positive versus neutral differential N1 amplitude (indexing attentional capture by positive stimuli) in the dissimilar relative to alone context. In this context, there was also a corresponding increase in amplitude of a frontal late positive potential (LPP) component (indexing engagement of cognitive control resources). In the similar relative to alone context, these effects on differential N1 and frontal LPP amplitudes were less pronounced, but there was an additional decrease in the amplitude of a parietal LPP component (indexing motivational relevance) in response to positive stimuli. In response to negative stimuli, the differential N1 component was increased in the similar relative to dissimilar and alone (trend) context. Conclusion These data suggest that neural processes engaged in response to emotional stimuli are modulated by social context. Possible mechanisms for the social-context-linked changes in attentional capture by emotional stimuli include a context-directed modulation of the focus of attention, or an altered interpretation of the emotional stimuli based on additional information proportioned by the context. PMID:24693352

Processing of Continuously Provided Punishment and Reward in Children with ADHD and the Modulating Effects of Stimulant Medication: An ERP Study

PubMed Central

Groen, Yvonne; Tucha, Oliver; Wijers, Albertus A.; Althaus, Monika

2013-01-01

Objectives Current models of ADHD suggest abnormal reward and punishment sensitivity, but the exact mechanisms are unclear. This study aims to investigate effects of continuous reward and punishment on the processing of performance feedback in children with ADHD and the modulating effects of stimulant medication. Methods 15 Methylphenidate (Mph)-treated and 15 Mph-free children of the ADHD-combined type and 17 control children performed a selective attention task with three feedback conditions: no-feedback, gain and loss. Event Related Potentials (ERPs) time-locked to feedback and errors were computed. Results All groups performed more accurately with gain and loss than without feedback. Feedback-related ERPs demonstrated no group differences in the feedback P2, but an enhanced late positive potential (LPP) to feedback stimuli (both gains and losses) for Mph-free children with ADHD compared to controls. Feedback-related ERPs in Mph-treated children with ADHD were similar to controls. Correlational analyses in the ADHD groups revealed that the severity of inattention problems correlated negatively with the feedback P2 amplitude and positively with the LPP to losses and omitted gains. Conclusions The early selective attention for rewarding and punishing feedback was relatively intact in children with ADHD, but the late feedback processing was deviant (increased feedback LPP). This may explain the often observed positive effects of continuous reinforcement on performance and behaviour in children with ADHD. However, these group findings cannot be generalised to all individuals with the ADHD, because the feedback-related ERPs were associated with the severity of the inattention problems. Children with ADHD-combined type with more inattention problems showed both deviant early attentional selection of feedback stimuli, and deviant late processing of non-reward and punishment. PMID:23555639

Processing of continuously provided punishment and reward in children with ADHD and the modulating effects of stimulant medication: an ERP study.

PubMed

Groen, Yvonne; Tucha, Oliver; Wijers, Albertus A; Althaus, Monika

2013-01-01

Current models of ADHD suggest abnormal reward and punishment sensitivity, but the exact mechanisms are unclear. This study aims to investigate effects of continuous reward and punishment on the processing of performance feedback in children with ADHD and the modulating effects of stimulant medication. 15 Methylphenidate (Mph)-treated and 15 Mph-free children of the ADHD-combined type and 17 control children performed a selective attention task with three feedback conditions: no-feedback, gain and loss. Event Related Potentials (ERPs) time-locked to feedback and errors were computed. All groups performed more accurately with gain and loss than without feedback. Feedback-related ERPs demonstrated no group differences in the feedback P2, but an enhanced late positive potential (LPP) to feedback stimuli (both gains and losses) for Mph-free children with ADHD compared to controls. Feedback-related ERPs in Mph-treated children with ADHD were similar to controls. Correlational analyses in the ADHD groups revealed that the severity of inattention problems correlated negatively with the feedback P2 amplitude and positively with the LPP to losses and omitted gains. The early selective attention for rewarding and punishing feedback was relatively intact in children with ADHD, but the late feedback processing was deviant (increased feedback LPP). This may explain the often observed positive effects of continuous reinforcement on performance and behaviour in children with ADHD. However, these group findings cannot be generalised to all individuals with the ADHD, because the feedback-related ERPs were associated with the severity of the inattention problems. Children with ADHD-combined type with more inattention problems showed both deviant early attentional selection of feedback stimuli, and deviant late processing of non-reward and punishment.

No laughing matter: How the presence of laughing witnesses changes the perception of insults.

PubMed

Otten, Marte; Mann, Liesbeth; van Berkum, Jos J A; Jonas, Kai J

2017-04-01

Insults always sting, but the context in which they are delivered can make the effects even worse. Here we test how the brain processes insults, and whether and how the neurocognitive processing of insults is changed by the presence of a laughing crowd. Event-related potentials showed that insults, compared to compliments, evoked an increase in N400 amplitude (indicating increased lexical-semantic processing) and LPP amplitude (indicating emotional processing) when presented in isolation. When insults were perceived in the presence of a laughing crowd, the difference in N400 amplitude disappeared, while the difference in LPP activation increased. These results show that even without laughter, verbal insults receive additional neural processing over compliments, both at the lexical-semantic and emotional level. The presence of a laughing crowd has a direct effect on the neurocognitive processing of insults, leading to stronger and more elongated emotional processing.

Fairness influences early signatures of reward-related neural processing.

PubMed

Massi, Bart; Luhmann, Christian C

2015-12-01

Many humans exhibit a strong preference for fairness during decision-making. Although there is evidence that social factors influence reward-related and affective neural processing, it is unclear if this effect is mediated by compulsory outcome evaluation processes or results from slower deliberate cognition. Here we show that the feedback-related negativity (FRN) and late positive potential (LPP), two signatures of early hedonic processing, are modulated by the fairness of rewards during a passive rating task. We find that unfair payouts elicit larger FRNs than fair payouts, whereas fair payouts elicit larger LPPs than unfair payouts. This is true both in the time-domain, where the FRN and LPP are related, and in the time-frequency domain, where the two signals are largely independent. Ultimately, this work demonstrates that fairness affects the early stages of reward and affective processing, suggesting a common biological mechanism for social and personal reward evaluation.

Ethnography of Language Planning and Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hornberger, Nancy H.; Tapia, Aldo Anzures; Hanks, David H.; Dueñas, Frances Kvietok

2018-01-01

A decade ago, Hornberger & Johnson proposed that the ethnography of language planning and policy (ELPP) offers a useful way to understand how people create, interpret, and at times resist language policy and planning (LPP). They envisioned ethnographic investigation of layered LPP ideological and implementational spaces, taking up Hornberger's…

Braun lipoprotein (Lpp) contributes to virulence of yersiniae: potential role of Lpp in inducing bubonic and pneumonic plague.

PubMed

Sha, Jian; Agar, Stacy L; Baze, Wallace B; Olano, Juan P; Fadl, Amin A; Erova, Tatiana E; Wang, Shaofei; Foltz, Sheri M; Suarez, Giovanni; Motin, Vladimir L; Chauhan, Sadhana; Klimpel, Gary R; Peterson, Johnny W; Chopra, Ashok K

2008-04-01

Yersinia pestis evolved from Y. pseudotuberculosis to become the causative agent of bubonic and pneumonic plague. We identified a homolog of the Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium lipoprotein (lpp) gene in Yersinia species and prepared lpp gene deletion mutants of Y. pseudotuberculosis YPIII, Y. pestis KIM/D27 (pigmentation locus minus), and Y. pestis CO92 with reduced virulence. Mice injected via the intraperitoneal route with 5 x 10(7) CFU of the Deltalpp KIM/D27 mutant survived a month, even though this would have constituted a lethal dose for the parental KIM/D27 strain. Subsequently, these Deltalpp KIM/D27-injected mice were solidly protected against an intranasally administered, highly virulent Y. pestis CO92 strain when it was given as five 50% lethal doses (LD(50)). In a parallel study with the pneumonic plague mouse model, after 72 h postinfection, the lungs of animals infected with wild-type (WT) Y. pestis CO92 and given a subinhibitory dose of levofloxacin had acute inflammation, edema, and masses of bacteria, while the lung tissue appeared essentially normal in mice inoculated with the Deltalpp mutant of CO92 and given the same dose of levofloxacin. Importantly, while WT Y. pestis CO92 could be detected in the bloodstreams and spleens of infected mice at 72 h postinfection, the Deltalpp mutant of CO92 could not be detected in those organs. Furthermore, the levels of cytokines/chemokines detected in the sera were significantly lower in animals infected with the Deltalpp mutant than in those infected with WT CO92. Additionally, the Deltalpp mutant was more rapidly killed by macrophages than was the WT CO92 strain. These data provided evidence that the Deltalpp mutants of yersiniae were significantly attenuated and could be useful tools in the development of new vaccines.

Regulation of Romantic Love Feelings: Preconceptions, Strategies, and Feasibility

PubMed Central

Langeslag, Sandra J. E.; van Strien, Jan W.

2016-01-01

Love feelings can be more intense than desired (e.g., after a break-up) or less intense than desired (e.g., in long-term relationships). If only we could control our love feelings! We present the concept of explicit love regulation, which we define as the use of behavioral and cognitive strategies to change the intensity of current feelings of romantic love. We present the first two studies on preconceptions about, strategies for, and the feasibility of love regulation. Questionnaire responses showed that people perceive love feelings as somewhat uncontrollable. Still, in four open questions people reported to use strategies such as cognitive reappraisal, distraction, avoidance, and undertaking (new) activities to cope with break-ups, to maintain long-term relationships, and to regulate love feelings. Instructed up-regulation of love using reappraisal increased subjective feelings of attachment, while love down-regulation decreased subjective feelings of infatuation and attachment. We used the late positive potential (LPP) amplitude as an objective index of regulation success. Instructed love up-regulation enhanced the LPP between 300–400 ms in participants who were involved in a relationship and in participants who had recently experienced a romantic break-up, while love down-regulation reduced the LPP between 700–3000 ms in participants who were involved in a relationship. These findings corroborate the self-reported feasibility of love regulation, although they are complicated by the finding that love up-regulation also reduced the LPP between 700–3000 ms in participants who were involved in a relationship. To conclude, although people have the preconception that love feelings are uncontrollable, we show for the first time that intentional regulation of love feelings using reappraisal, and perhaps other strategies, is feasible. Love regulation will benefit individuals and society because it could enhance positive effects and reduce negative effects of romantic love. PMID:27529751

Makiguchian Perspectives in Language Policy and Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hatano, Kazuma

2013-01-01

In this article, the author applies Makiguchi Tsunesaburo's (1871-1944) perspectives to language policy and planning (LPP). One theoretical question in LPP theory is why individuals opt to use particular languages and varieties of languages in certain contexts. The author contends that Makiguchi's theory of value can be used to systematically…

Languages and Lives through a Critical Eye: The Case of Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skerrett, Delaney Michael

2011-01-01

This article seeks to situate Estonian language use and policy within the emerging field of critical language policy and planning (LPP). Critical LPP draws on poststructuralist theory to deconstruct normalized categories that maintain systems of inequality. It is akin to the queer theory project for gender and sexuality. Since the country regained…

Investigating the Detrimental Effects of Low Pressure Plasma Sterilization on the Survival of Bacillus subtilis Spores Using Live Cell Microscopy.

PubMed

Fuchs, Felix M; Raguse, Marina; Fiebrandt, Marcel; Madela, Kazimierz; Awakowicz, Peter; Laue, Michael; Stapelmann, Katharina; Moeller, Ralf

2017-11-30

Plasma sterilization is a promising alternative to conventional sterilization methods for industrial, clinical, and spaceflight purposes. Low pressure plasma (LPP) discharges contain a broad spectrum of active species, which lead to rapid microbial inactivation. To study the efficiency and mechanisms of sterilization by LPP, we use spores of the test organism Bacillus subtilis because of their extraordinary resistance against conventional sterilization procedures. We describe the production of B. subtilis spore monolayers, the sterilization process by low pressure plasma in a double inductively coupled plasma reactor, the characterization of spore morphology using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the analysis of germination and outgrowth of spores by live cell microscopy. A major target of plasma species is genomic material (DNA) and repair of plasma-induced DNA lesions upon spore revival is crucial for survival of the organism. Here, we study the germination capacity of spores and the role of DNA repair during spore germination and outgrowth after treatment with LPP by tracking fluorescently-labelled DNA repair proteins (RecA) with time-resolved confocal fluorescence microscopy. Treated and untreated spore monolayers are activated for germination and visualized with an inverted confocal live cell microscope over time to follow the reaction of individual spores. Our observations reveal that the fraction of germinating and outgrowing spores is dependent on the duration of LPP-treatment reaching a minimum after 120 s. RecA-YFP (yellow fluorescence protein) fluorescence was detected only in few spores and developed in all outgrowing cells with a slight elevation in LPP-treated spores. Moreover, some of the vegetative bacteria derived from LPP-treated spores showed an increase in cytoplasm and tended to lyse. The described methods for analysis of individual spores could be exemplary for the study of other aspects of spore germination and outgrowth.

Combinational Deletion of Three Membrane Protein-Encoding Genes Highly Attenuates Yersinia pestis while Retaining Immunogenicity in a Mouse Model of Pneumonic Plague

PubMed Central

Tiner, Bethany L.; Kirtley, Michelle L.; Erova, Tatiana E.; Popov, Vsevolod L.; Baze, Wallace B.; van Lier, Christina J.; Ponnusamy, Duraisamy; Andersson, Jourdan A.; Motin, Vladimir L.; Chauhan, Sadhana

2015-01-01

Previously, we showed that deletion of genes encoding Braun lipoprotein (Lpp) and MsbB attenuated Yersinia pestis CO92 in mouse and rat models of bubonic and pneumonic plague. While Lpp activates Toll-like receptor 2, the MsbB acyltransferase modifies lipopolysaccharide. Here, we deleted the ail gene (encoding the attachment-invasion locus) from wild-type (WT) strain CO92 or its lpp single and Δlpp ΔmsbB double mutants. While the Δail single mutant was minimally attenuated compared to the WT bacterium in a mouse model of pneumonic plague, the Δlpp Δail double mutant and the Δlpp ΔmsbB Δail triple mutant were increasingly attenuated, with the latter being unable to kill mice at a 50% lethal dose (LD50) equivalent to 6,800 LD50s of WT CO92. The mutant-infected animals developed balanced TH1- and TH2-based immune responses based on antibody isotyping. The triple mutant was cleared from mouse organs rapidly, with concurrent decreases in the production of various cytokines and histopathological lesions. When surviving animals infected with increasing doses of the triple mutant were subsequently challenged on day 24 with the bioluminescent WT CO92 strain (20 to 28 LD50s), 40 to 70% of the mice survived, with efficient clearing of the invading pathogen, as visualized in real time by in vivo imaging. The rapid clearance of the triple mutant, compared to that of WT CO92, from animals was related to the decreased adherence and invasion of human-derived HeLa and A549 alveolar epithelial cells and to its inability to survive intracellularly in these cells as well as in MH-S murine alveolar and primary human macrophages. An early burst of cytokine production in macrophages elicited by the triple mutant compared to WT CO92 and the mutant's sensitivity to the bactericidal effect of human serum would further augment bacterial clearance. Together, deletion of the ail gene from the Δlpp ΔmsbB double mutant severely attenuated Y. pestis CO92 to evoke pneumonic plague in a mouse model while retaining the required immunogenicity needed for subsequent protection against infection. PMID:25605764

Combinational deletion of three membrane protein-encoding genes highly attenuates yersinia pestis while retaining immunogenicity in a mouse model of pneumonic plague.

PubMed

Tiner, Bethany L; Sha, Jian; Kirtley, Michelle L; Erova, Tatiana E; Popov, Vsevolod L; Baze, Wallace B; van Lier, Christina J; Ponnusamy, Duraisamy; Andersson, Jourdan A; Motin, Vladimir L; Chauhan, Sadhana; Chopra, Ashok K

2015-04-01

Previously, we showed that deletion of genes encoding Braun lipoprotein (Lpp) and MsbB attenuated Yersinia pestis CO92 in mouse and rat models of bubonic and pneumonic plague. While Lpp activates Toll-like receptor 2, the MsbB acyltransferase modifies lipopolysaccharide. Here, we deleted the ail gene (encoding the attachment-invasion locus) from wild-type (WT) strain CO92 or its lpp single and Δlpp ΔmsbB double mutants. While the Δail single mutant was minimally attenuated compared to the WT bacterium in a mouse model of pneumonic plague, the Δlpp Δail double mutant and the Δlpp ΔmsbB Δail triple mutant were increasingly attenuated, with the latter being unable to kill mice at a 50% lethal dose (LD50) equivalent to 6,800 LD50s of WT CO92. The mutant-infected animals developed balanced TH1- and TH2-based immune responses based on antibody isotyping. The triple mutant was cleared from mouse organs rapidly, with concurrent decreases in the production of various cytokines and histopathological lesions. When surviving animals infected with increasing doses of the triple mutant were subsequently challenged on day 24 with the bioluminescent WT CO92 strain (20 to 28 LD50s), 40 to 70% of the mice survived, with efficient clearing of the invading pathogen, as visualized in real time by in vivo imaging. The rapid clearance of the triple mutant, compared to that of WT CO92, from animals was related to the decreased adherence and invasion of human-derived HeLa and A549 alveolar epithelial cells and to its inability to survive intracellularly in these cells as well as in MH-S murine alveolar and primary human macrophages. An early burst of cytokine production in macrophages elicited by the triple mutant compared to WT CO92 and the mutant's sensitivity to the bactericidal effect of human serum would further augment bacterial clearance. Together, deletion of the ail gene from the Δlpp ΔmsbB double mutant severely attenuated Y. pestis CO92 to evoke pneumonic plague in a mouse model while retaining the required immunogenicity needed for subsequent protection against infection. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Late positive potential to explicit sexual images associated with the number of sexual intercourse partners

PubMed Central

Steele, Vaughn R.; Staley, Cameron; Sabatinelli, Dean

2015-01-01

Risky sexual behaviors typically occur when a person is sexually motivated by potent, sexual reward cues. Yet, individual differences in sensitivity to sexual cues have not been examined with respect to sexual risk behaviors. A greater responsiveness to sexual cues might provide greater motivation for a person to act sexually; a lower responsiveness to sexual cues might lead a person to seek more intense, novel, possibly risky, sexual acts. In this study, event-related potentials were recorded in 64 men and women while they viewed a series of emotional, including explicit sexual, photographs. The motivational salience of the sexual cues was varied by including more and less explicit sexual images. Indeed, the more explicit sexual stimuli resulted in enhanced late positive potentials (LPP) relative to the less explicit sexual images. Participants with fewer sexual intercourse partners in the last year had reduced LPP amplitude to the less explicit sexual images than the more explicit sexual images, whereas participants with more partners responded similarly to the more and less explicit sexual images. This pattern of results is consistent with a greater responsivity model. Those who engage in more sexual behaviors consistent with risk are also more responsive to less explicit sexual cues. PMID:24526189

Neural processing of emotional-intensity predicts emotion regulation choice.

PubMed

Shafir, Roni; Thiruchselvam, Ravi; Suri, Gaurav; Gross, James J; Sheppes, Gal

2016-12-01

Emotional-intensity is a core characteristic of affective events that strongly determines how individuals choose to regulate their emotions. Our conceptual framework suggests that in high emotional-intensity situations, individuals prefer to disengage attention using distraction, which can more effectively block highly potent emotional information, as compared with engagement reappraisal, which is preferred in low emotional-intensity. However, existing supporting evidence remains indirect because prior intensity categorization of emotional stimuli was based on subjective measures that are potentially biased and only represent the endpoint of emotional-intensity processing. Accordingly, this study provides the first direct evidence for the role of online emotional-intensity processing in predicting behavioral regulatory-choices. Utilizing the high temporal resolution of event-related potentials, we evaluated online neural processing of stimuli's emotional-intensity (late positive potential, LPP) prior to regulatory-choices between distraction and reappraisal. Results showed that enhanced neural processing of intensity (enhanced LPP amplitudes) uniquely predicted (above subjective measures of intensity) increased tendency to subsequently choose distraction over reappraisal. Additionally, regulatory-choices led to adaptive consequences, demonstrated in finding that actual implementation of distraction relative to reappraisal-choice resulted in stronger attenuation of LPPs and self-reported arousal. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Snake pictures draw more early attention than spider pictures in non-phobic women: evidence from event-related brain potentials.

PubMed

Van Strien, J W; Eijlers, R; Franken, I H A; Huijding, J

2014-02-01

Snakes were probably the first predators of mammals and may have been important agents of evolutionary changes in the primate visual system allowing rapid visual detection of fearful stimuli (Isbell, 2006). By means of early and late attention-related brain potentials, we examined the hypothesis that more early visual attention is automatically allocated to snakes than to spiders. To measure the early posterior negativity (EPN), 24 healthy, non-phobic women watched the random rapid serial presentation of 600 snake pictures, 600 spider pictures, and 600 bird pictures (three pictures per second). To measure the late positive potential (LPP), they also watched similar pictures (30 pictures per stimulus category) in a non-speeded presentation. The EPN amplitude was largest for snake pictures, intermediate for spider pictures and smallest for bird pictures. The LPP was significantly larger for both snake and spider pictures when compared to bird pictures. Interestingly, spider fear (as measured by a questionnaire) was associated with EPN amplitude for spider pictures, whereas snake fear was not associated with EPN amplitude for snake pictures. The results suggest that ancestral priorities modulate the early capture of visual attention and that early attention to snakes is more innate and independent of reported fear. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Distinct Patterns of Dysfunctional Appetitive and Aversive Motivation in Bipolar Disorder Versus Schizophrenia: An Event Related Potential Study

PubMed Central

Horan, William P.; Wynn, Jonathan K.; Hajcak, Greg; Altshuler, Lori; Green, Michael F.

2016-01-01

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are associated with different clinical profiles of disturbances in motivation, yet few studies have compared the neurophysiological correlates of such disturbances. Outpatients with schizophrenia (n = 34), or bipolar disorder I (n = 33), and healthy controls (n = 31) completed a task in which the Late Positive Potential (LPP), an index of motivated attention, was assessed along motivational gradients determined by apparent distance from potential rewards or punishments. Sequences of cues signaling possible monetary gains or losses appeared to loom progressively closer to the viewer; a reaction time (RT) task after the final cue determined the outcome. Controls showed the expected pattern with LPPs for appetitive and aversive cues that were initially elevated, smaller during intermediate positions, and escalated just prior to the RT task. The clinical groups showed different patterns in the final positions just prior to the RT task: the bipolar group’s LPPs to both types of cues peaked relatively early during looming sequences and subsequently decreased, whereas the schizophrenia group showed relatively small LPP escalations, particularly for aversive cues. These distinct patterns suggest that the temporal unfolding of attentional resource allocation for motivationally significant events may qualitatively differ between these disorders. PMID:26845261

[The spectra of a laser-produced plasma source with CO2, O2 and CF4 liquid aerosol spray target].

PubMed

Ni, Qi-Liang; Chen, Bo

2008-11-01

A laser-produced plasma (LPP) source with liquid aerosol spray target and nanosecond laser was developed, based on both soft X-ray radiation metrology and extreme ultraviolet projection lithography (EUVL). The LPP source is composed of a stainless steel solenoid valve whose temperature can be continuously controlled, a Nd : YAG laser with pulse width, working wavelength and pulse energy being 7 ns, 1.064 microm and 1J respectively, and a pulse generator which can synchronously control the valve and the laser. A standard General Valve Corporation series 99 stainless steel solenoid valve with copper gasket seals and a Kel-F poppet are used in order to minimize leakage and poppet deformation during high-pressure cryogenic operation. A close fitting copper cooling jacket surrounds the valve body. The jacket clamps a copper coolant carrying tube 3 mm in diameter, which is fed by an automatically pressurized liquid nitrogen-filled dewar. The valve temperature can be controlled between 77 and 473 K. For sufficiently high backing pressure and low temperature, the valve reservoir gas can undergo a gas-to-liquid phase transition. Upon valve pulsing, the liquid is ejected into a vacuum and breaks up into droplets, which is called liquid aerosol spray target. For the above-mentioned LPP source, firstly, by the use of Cowan program on the basis of non-relativistic quantum mechanics, the authors computed the radiative transition wavelengths and probabilities in soft X-ray region for O4+, O5+, O6+, O7+, F5+, F6+ and F7+ ions which were correspondingly produced from the interaction of the 10(11)-10(12) W x cm(-2) power laser with liquid O2, CO2 and CF4 aerosol spray targets. Secondly, the authors measured the spectra of liquid O2, CO2 and CF4 aerosol spray target LPP sources in the 6-20 nm band for the 8 x 10(11) W x cm(-2) laser irradiance. The measured results were compared with the Cowan calculated results ones, and the radiative transition wavelength and probability for the measured spectral lines were obtained.

Learning Physics through Play in an Augmented Reality Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enyedy, Noel; Danish, Joshua A.; Delacruz, Girlie; Kumar, Melissa

2012-01-01

The Learning Physics through Play Project (LPP) engaged 6-8-year old students (n = 43) in a series of scientific investigations of Newtonian force and motion including a series of augmented reality activities. We outline the two design principles behind the LPP curriculum: 1) the use of socio-dramatic, embodied play in the form of participatory…

Uncertainty is associated with increased selective attention and sustained stimulus processing.

PubMed

Dieterich, Raoul; Endrass, Tanja; Kathmann, Norbert

2016-06-01

Uncertainty about future threat has been found to be associated with an overestimation of threat probability and is hypothesized to elicit additional allocation of attention. We used event-related potentials to examine uncertainty-related dynamics in attentional allocation, exploiting brain potentials' high temporal resolution and sensitivity to attention. Thirty participants performed a picture-viewing task in which cues indicated the subsequent picture valence. A certain-neutral and a certain-aversive cue accurately predicted subsequent picture valence, whereas an uncertain cue did not. Participants overestimated the effective frequency of aversive pictures following the uncertain cue, both during and after the task, signifying expectancy and covariation biases, and they tended to express lower subjective valences for aversive pictures presented after the uncertain cue. Pictures elicited increased P2 and LPP amplitudes when their valence could not be predicted from the cue. For the LPP, this effect was more pronounced in response to neutral pictures. Uncertainty appears to enhance the engagement of early phasic and sustained attention for uncertainly cued targets. Thus, defensive motivation related to uncertainty about future threat elicits specific attentional dynamics implicating prioritization at various processing stages, especially for nonthreatening stimuli that tend to violate expectations.

Passing faces: sequence-dependent variations in the perceptual processing of emotional faces.

PubMed

Karl, Christian; Hewig, Johannes; Osinsky, Roman

2016-10-01

There is broad evidence that contextual factors influence the processing of emotional facial expressions. Yet temporal-dynamic aspects, inter alia how face processing is influenced by the specific order of neutral and emotional facial expressions, have been largely neglected. To shed light on this topic, we recorded electroencephalogram from 168 healthy participants while they performed a gender-discrimination task with angry and neutral faces. Our event-related potential (ERP) analyses revealed a strong emotional modulation of the N170 component, indicating that the basic visual encoding and emotional analysis of a facial stimulus happen, at least partially, in parallel. While the N170 and the late positive potential (LPP; 400-600 ms) were only modestly affected by the sequence of preceding faces, we observed a strong influence of face sequences on the early posterior negativity (EPN; 200-300 ms). Finally, the differing response patterns of the EPN and LPP indicate that these two ERPs represent distinct processes during face analysis: while the former seems to represent the integration of contextual information in the perception of a current face, the latter appears to represent the net emotional interpretation of a current face.

A type IV translocated Legionella cysteine phytase counteracts intracellular growth restriction by phytate.

PubMed

Weber, Stephen; Stirnimann, Christian U; Wieser, Mara; Frey, Daniel; Meier, Roger; Engelhardt, Sabrina; Li, Xiaodan; Capitani, Guido; Kammerer, Richard A; Hilbi, Hubert

2014-12-05

The causative agent of Legionnaires' pneumonia, Legionella pneumophila, colonizes diverse environmental niches, including biofilms, plant material, and protozoa. In these habitats, myo-inositol hexakisphosphate (phytate) is prevalent and used as a phosphate storage compound or as a siderophore. L. pneumophila replicates in protozoa and mammalian phagocytes within a unique "Legionella-containing vacuole." The bacteria govern host cell interactions through the Icm/Dot type IV secretion system (T4SS) and ∼300 different "effector" proteins. Here we characterize a hitherto unrecognized Icm/Dot substrate, LppA, as a phytate phosphatase (phytase). Phytase activity of recombinant LppA required catalytically essential cysteine (Cys(231)) and arginine (Arg(237)) residues. The structure of LppA at 1.4 Å resolution revealed a mainly α-helical globular protein stabilized by four antiparallel β-sheets that binds two phosphate moieties. The phosphates localize to a P-loop active site characteristic of dual specificity phosphatases or to a non-catalytic site, respectively. Phytate reversibly abolished growth of L. pneumophila in broth, and growth inhibition was relieved by overproduction of LppA or by metal ion titration. L. pneumophila lacking lppA replicated less efficiently in phytate-loaded Acanthamoeba castellanii or Dictyostelium discoideum, and the intracellular growth defect was complemented by the phytase gene. These findings identify the chelator phytate as an intracellular bacteriostatic component of cell-autonomous host immunity and reveal a T4SS-translocated L. pneumophila phytase that counteracts intracellular bacterial growth restriction by phytate. Thus, bacterial phytases might represent therapeutic targets to combat intracellular pathogens. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

A study on uterine lymphatic anatomy for standardization of pelvic sentinel lymph node detection in endometrial cancer.

PubMed

Geppert, Barbara; Lönnerfors, Céline; Bollino, Michele; Arechvo, Anastasija; Persson, Jan

2017-05-01

To describe the anatomy of uterine lymphatic drainage following cervical or fundal tracer injection to enable standardization of a pelvic sentinel lymph node (SLN) concept in endometrial cancer (EC). A prospective consecutive study of women with EC was conducted. A fluorescent dye (Indocyanine green) was injected into the cervix (n=60) or the uterine fundus (n=30). A systematic trans- and retroperitoneal mapping of uterine lymphatic drainage was performed. Positions of the pelvic SLNs, defined by afferent lymph vessels, and lymph node metastases were compared. Two consistent lymphatic pathways with pelvic SLNs were identified irrespective of injection site; an upper paracervical pathway (UPP) with draining medial external and/or obturator lymph nodes and a lower paracervical pathway (LPP) with draining internal iliac and/or presacral lymph nodes. Bilateral display of at least one pelvic pathway following cervical and fundal injection occurred in 98% and 80% respectively (p=0.005). Bilateral display of both pelvic pathways occurred in 30% and 20% respectively (p=0.6) as the LPP was less often displayed. Nearly one third of the 19% node positive patients had metastases along the LPP. No false negative SLNs were identified. Based on uterine lymphatic anatomy a bilateral detection of at least one SLN in both the UPP and LPP should be aimed for. Absence of display of the LPP may warrant a full presacral lymphadenectomy. Although pelvic pathways and positions of SLNs are independent of the tracer injection site, cervical injection is preferable due to a higher technical success rate. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Legitimate Peripheral Participation in Communities of Practice: Participation Support Structures for Newcomers in Faculty Student Councils

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eberle, Julia; Stegmann, Karsten; Fischer, Frank

2014-01-01

Participating in communities of practice (CoPs) is an important way of learning. For newcomers in such communities, the learning process can be described as legitimate peripheral participation (LPP). Although a body of knowledge on LPP has been accumulated from qualitative case studies, mostly focusing on the use of practices, the concrete…

Judging emotional congruency: Explicit attention to situational context modulates processing of facial expressions of emotion.

PubMed

Diéguez-Risco, Teresa; Aguado, Luis; Albert, Jacobo; Hinojosa, José Antonio

2015-12-01

The influence of explicit evaluative processes on the contextual integration of facial expressions of emotion was studied in a procedure that required the participants to judge the congruency of happy and angry faces with preceding sentences describing emotion-inducing situations. Judgments were faster on congruent trials in the case of happy faces and on incongruent trials in the case of angry faces. At the electrophysiological level, a congruency effect was observed in the face-sensitive N170 component that showed larger amplitudes on incongruent trials. An interactive effect of congruency and emotion appeared on the LPP (late positive potential), with larger amplitudes in response to happy faces that followed anger-inducing situations. These results show that the deliberate intention to judge the contextual congruency of facial expressions influences not only processes involved in affective evaluation such as those indexed by the LPP but also earlier processing stages that are involved in face perception. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Hello handsome! Male's facial attractiveness gives rise to female's fairness bias in Ultimatum Game scenarios—An ERP study

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The current study delineated how male proposers’ facial attractiveness affect female responders’ fairness considerations and their subsequent decision outcome during the Ultimatum Game (UG). Event Related Potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 17 female subjects, who played the role as responders and had to decide whether to accept offers from either attractive or unattractive male proposers. Behavioral data (Acceptance Ratio and Response time) revealed that, more offers were accepted from attractive-face conditions; subjects typically responded quicker to unfair offers from unattractive proposers as compared with slower to unfair offers from attractive proposers. The ERP data demonstrated similar N2 amplitudes elicited by both attractive and unattractive faces, and a larger early frontal LPP elicited by the attractive faces compared with unattractive ones, but no significant differences of both late posterior LPP and typical parietal LPP amplitudes were observed between these two face conditions, which was different from our previous study with similar paradigm but male participants. The results suggest that, in comparison to males, females might not experience the potential attention bias towards unattractive opposite-sex faces and are less likely to possess an enhanced processing and evaluation of those faces. This phenomenon might be explained by endogenous gender differences in mate preference. The feedback-related negativity (FRN) and P300 responses during an offer presentation were further measured in both attractive-face and unattractive-face conditions and the results demonstrated that the amplitudes elicited by fair and unfair offers were not statistically different in the former condition, but were different in the latter condition. More specifically, unfair offers generated larger FRN and smaller P300 than fair ones in the unattractive-face condition. Findings suggest that, although females tend to possess less salient evaluation of male’s facial attractiveness, the attractiveness of male proposers would still attenuate female responders’ fairness consideration during the UG. PMID:28678888

Hello handsome! Male's facial attractiveness gives rise to female's fairness bias in Ultimatum Game scenarios-An ERP study.

PubMed

Ma, Qingguo; Qian, Da; Hu, Linfeng; Wang, Lei

2017-01-01

The current study delineated how male proposers' facial attractiveness affect female responders' fairness considerations and their subsequent decision outcome during the Ultimatum Game (UG). Event Related Potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 17 female subjects, who played the role as responders and had to decide whether to accept offers from either attractive or unattractive male proposers. Behavioral data (Acceptance Ratio and Response time) revealed that, more offers were accepted from attractive-face conditions; subjects typically responded quicker to unfair offers from unattractive proposers as compared with slower to unfair offers from attractive proposers. The ERP data demonstrated similar N2 amplitudes elicited by both attractive and unattractive faces, and a larger early frontal LPP elicited by the attractive faces compared with unattractive ones, but no significant differences of both late posterior LPP and typical parietal LPP amplitudes were observed between these two face conditions, which was different from our previous study with similar paradigm but male participants. The results suggest that, in comparison to males, females might not experience the potential attention bias towards unattractive opposite-sex faces and are less likely to possess an enhanced processing and evaluation of those faces. This phenomenon might be explained by endogenous gender differences in mate preference. The feedback-related negativity (FRN) and P300 responses during an offer presentation were further measured in both attractive-face and unattractive-face conditions and the results demonstrated that the amplitudes elicited by fair and unfair offers were not statistically different in the former condition, but were different in the latter condition. More specifically, unfair offers generated larger FRN and smaller P300 than fair ones in the unattractive-face condition. Findings suggest that, although females tend to possess less salient evaluation of male's facial attractiveness, the attractiveness of male proposers would still attenuate female responders' fairness consideration during the UG.

Cerebral Correlates of Automatic Associations Towards Performance Enhancing Substances

PubMed Central

Schindler, Sebastian; Wolff, Wanja

2015-01-01

The direct assessment of explicit attitudes toward performance enhancing substances, for example Neuroenhancement or doping in sports, can be affected by social desirability biases and cheating attempts. According to Dual Process Theories of cognition, indirect measures like the Implicit Association Test (IAT) measure automatic associations toward a topic (as opposed to explicit attitudes measured by self-report measures). Such automatic associations are thought to occur rapidly and to evade voluntary control. However, whether or not such indirect tests actually reflect automatic associations is difficult to validate. Electroencephalography (EEG) has a superior time resolution which can differentiate between highly automatic compared to more elaborate processing stages. We therefore used EEG to examine on which processing stages cortical differences between negative or positive attitudes to doping occur, and whether or not these differences can be related to BIAT scores. We tested 42 university students (31 females, 24.43 ± 3.17 years old), who were requested to complete a brief doping IAT (BIAT) on attitudes toward doping. Cerebral activity during doping BIAT completion was assessed using high-density EEG. Behaviorally, participants D-scores exhibited negative attitudes toward doping, represented by faster reaction times in the doping + dislike pairing task. Event-related potentials (ERPs) revealed earliest effects between 200 and 300 ms. Here, a relatively larger occipital positivity was found for the doping + dislike pairing task. Further, in the LPP time range between 400 and 600 ms a larger late positive potential was found for the doping + dislike pairing task over central regions. These LPP amplitude differences were successfully predicting participants' BIAT D-scores. Results indicate that event-related potentials differentiate between positive and negative doping attitudes at stages of mid-latency. However, it seems that IAT scores can be predicted only by the later occurring LPP. Our study is the first to investigate the cerebral correlates that contribute to test scores obtained in the indirect testing of automatic associations toward doping. The implications of our results for the broader NE concept are discussed in light of the conceptual similarity of doping and NE. PMID:26733914

Cognitive conflict increases processing of negative, task-irrelevant stimuli.

PubMed

Ligeza, Tomasz S; Wyczesany, Miroslaw

2017-10-01

The detection of cognitive conflict is thought to trigger adjustments in executive control. It has been recently shown that cognitive conflict increases processing of stimuli that are relevant to the ongoing task and that these modulations are exerted by the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). However, it is still unclear whether such control influences are unspecific and might also affect the processing of task-irrelevant stimuli. The aim of the study was to examine if cognitive conflict affects processing of neutral and negative, task-irrelevant pictures. Participants responded to congruent (non-conflict) or to incongruent (conflict-eliciting) trials of a modified flanker task. Each response was followed by a presentation of a neutral or negative picture. The late positive potential (LPP) in response to picture presentation was used to assess the level of picture processing after conflict vs non-conflict trials. Connectivity between the DLPFC and attentional and perceptual areas during picture presentation was analysed to check if the DLPFC might be a source of these modulations. ERP results showed an effect of cognitive conflict only on processing of negative pictures: LPP in response to negative pictures was increased after conflict trials, whereas LPP in response to neutral pictures remained unchanged. Cortical connectivity analysis showed that conflict trials intensified information flow from the DLPFC towards attentional and perceptual regions. Results suggest that cognitive conflict increases processing of task-irrelevant stimuli; however, they must display high biological salience. Increase in cognitive control exerted by the DLPFC over attentional and perceptual regions is a probable mechanism of the effect. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

miR-124a expression contributes to the monophasic pattern of insulin secretion in islets from pregnant rats submitted to a low-protein diet.

PubMed

de Siqueira, Kariny Cassia; de Lima, Faena Moura; Lima, Fernanda Souza; Taki, Marina Satie; da Cunha, Clarissa Felfili; de Lima Reis, Sílvia Regina; Camargo, Rafael Ludemann; Batista, Thiago Martins; Vanzela, Emerielle Cristine; Nardelli, Tarlliza Romanna; Carneiro, Everardo Magalhães; Bordin, Silvana; Ignácio-Souza, Letícia Martins; Latorraca, Márcia Queiroz

2018-06-01

To evaluate the role of miR-124a in the regulation of genes involved in insulin exocytosis and its effects on the kinetics of insulin secretion in pancreatic islets from pregnant rats submitted to a low-protein diet. Adult control non-pregnant (CNP) and control pregnant (CP) rats were fed a normal protein diet (17%), whereas low-protein non-pregnant (LPNP) and low-protein pregnant (LPP) rats were fed a low-protein diet (6%) from days 1 to 15 of pregnancy. Kinetics of the glucose-induced insulin release and measurement of [Ca 2+ ] i in pancreatic islets were assessed by standard protocols. The miR-124a expression and gene transcriptions from pancreatic islets were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. In islets from LPP rats, the first phase of insulin release was abrogated. The AUC [Ca 2+ ] i from the LPP group was lower compared with the other groups. miR-124a expression was reduced by a low-protein diet. SNAP-25 mRNA, protein expression, and Rab3A protein content were lower in the LPP rats than in CP rats. Syntaxin 1A and Kir6.2 mRNA levels were decreased in islets from low-protein rats compared with control rats, whereas their protein content was reduced in islets from pregnant rats. Loss of biphasic insulin secretion in islets from LPP rats appears to have resulted from reduced [Ca 2+ ] i due, at least in part, to Kir6.2 underexpression and from the changes in exocytotic elements that are influenced either directly or indirectly by miR-124a.

Improvement in Renal Function and Symptoms of Patients Treated with Laparoscopic Pyeloplasty for Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction with Less Than 20% Split Renal Function.

PubMed

Nishi, Morihiro; Matsumoto, Kazumasa; Fujita, Tetsuo; Iwamura, Masatsugu

2016-11-01

To evaluate the efficacy of laparoscopic pyeloplasty (LPP) for lower functioning kidney, we investigated the outcome of this procedure for patients with ureteropelvic junction obstruction with decreased renal function, defined as less than 20% split renal function. Between October 1998 and June 2015, we performed transperitoneal dismembered LPP in 224 patients. Among them, 15 patients with less than 20% split renal function were included in this study. Patient characteristics, perioperative split renal functions, complications, and surgical outcomes were retrospectively investigated. Fourteen of 15 patients had preoperative symptoms, including flank pain in 13 patients and gross hematuria in 1 patient. Preoperative 99mTc-mercaptoacetyltriglycine (MAG3) renogram revealed no response to diuretic injection and median split renal function was 16.5%. Median operative time and blood loss were 170 minutes and 20 mL, respectively. There were no complications during the perioperative period. Postoperative MAG3 renogram at 6 and 12 months after the operation revealed significantly increased split renal function (median: 23.8% and 23.7%, p = 0.001 and 0.008, respectively) and response to diuretic injection in all patients. Preoperative symptoms disappeared and no recurrence was seen during the follow-up period for all patients except for one who experienced flank pain again 4 months after the surgery. He subsequently underwent open pyeloplasty, and flank pain disappeared soon after. LPP for patients with low split renal function and flank pain significantly improved symptoms and split renal functions. Although the long-term clinical effects of LPP are unknown, we recommend performing LPP before considering nephrectomy for patients with lower functioning kidney.

Emotion self-regulation and empathy depend upon longer stimulus exposure.

PubMed

Ikezawa, Satoru; Corbera, Silvia; Wexler, Bruce E

2014-10-01

Observation of others in pain induces positive elevation (pain effect) in late event-related potentials (ERP). This effect is associated with top-down attention regulating processes. It has previously been shown that stimulus exposure duration can affect top-down attentional modulation of response to threat-related stimuli. We investigated the effect of exposure duration on ERP response to others in pain. Two late ERP components, P3 and late positive potentials (LPP), from 18 healthy people were measured while they viewed pictures of hands in painful or neutral situations for either 200 or 500 ms, during two task conditions (pain judgment and counting hands). P3 and LPP pain effects during the pain judgment condition were significantly greater with 500 ms than 200 ms stimulus presentation. Ours is the first study to suggest that engagement of empathy-related self-regulatory processes reflected in late potentials requires longer exposure to the pain-related stimulus. Although this is important information about the relationship between early sensory and subsequent brain processing, and about engagement of self-regulatory processes, the neural basis of this time-dependence remains unclear. It might be important to investigate the relationship between stimulus duration and empathic response in clinical populations where issues of self-regulation, empathic response and speed of information processing exist. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A hemispherical Langmuir probe array detector for angular resolved measurements on droplet-based laser-produced plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gambino, Nadia, E-mail: gambinon@ethz.ch; Brandstätter, Markus; Rollinger, Bob

2014-09-15

In this work, a new diagnostic tool for laser-produced plasmas (LPPs) is presented. The detector is based on a multiple array of six motorized Langmuir probes. It allows to measure the dynamics of a LPP in terms of charged particles detection with particular attention to droplet-based LPP sources for EUV lithography. The system design permits to temporally resolve the angular and radial plasma charge distribution and to obtain a hemispherical mapping of the ions and electrons around the droplet plasma. The understanding of these dynamics is fundamental to improve the debris mitigation techniques for droplet-based LPP sources. The device hasmore » been developed, built, and employed at the Laboratory for Energy Conversion, ETH Zürich. The experimental results have been obtained on the droplet-based LPP source ALPS II. For the first time, 2D mappings of the ion kinetic energy distribution around the droplet plasma have been obtained with an array of multiple Langmuir probes. These measurements show an anisotropic expansion of the ions in terms of kinetic energy and amount of ion charge around the droplet target. First estimations of the plasma density and electron temperature were also obtained from the analysis of the probe current signals.« less

Low temperature plasmas induced in SF6 by extreme ultraviolet (EUV) pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartnik, A.; Skrzeczanowski, W.; Czwartos, J.; Kostecki, J.; Fiedorowicz, H.; Wachulak, P.; Fok, T.

2018-06-01

In this work, a comparative study of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) induced low temperature SF6-based plasmas, created using two different irradiation systems, was performed. Both systems utilized laser-produced plasma (LPP) EUV sources. The essential difference between the systems concerned the formation of the driving EUV beam. The first one contained an efficient ellipsoidal EUV collector allowing for focusing of the EUV radiation at a large distance from the LPP source. The spectrum of focused radiation was limited to the long-wavelength part of the total LPP emission, λ > 8 nm, due to the reflective properties of the collector. The second system did not contain any EUV collector. The gas to be ionized was injected in the vicinity of the LPP, at a distance of the order of 10 mm. In both systems, energies of the driving photons were high enough for dissociative ionization of the SF6 molecules and ionization of atoms or even singly charged ions. Plasmas, created due to these processes, were investigated by spectral measurements in the EUV, ultraviolet (UV), and visible (VIS) spectral ranges. These low temperature plasmas were employed for preliminary experiments concerning surface treatment. The formation of pronounced nanostructures on the silicon surface after plasma treatment was demonstrated.

Computer-mediated communication preferences predict biobehavioral measures of social-emotional functioning.

PubMed

Babkirk, Sarah; Luehring-Jones, Peter; Dennis-Tiwary, Tracy A

2016-12-01

The use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) as a form of social interaction has become increasingly prevalent, yet few studies examine individual differences that may shed light on implications of CMC for adjustment. The current study examined neurocognitive individual differences associated with preferences to use technology in relation to social-emotional outcomes. In Study 1 (N = 91), a self-report measure, the Social Media Communication Questionnaire (SMCQ), was evaluated as an assessment of preferences for communicating positive and negative emotions on a scale ranging from purely via CMC to purely face-to-face. In Study 2, SMCQ preferences were examined in relation to event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with early emotional attention capture and reactivity (the frontal N1) and later sustained emotional processing and regulation (the late positive potential (LPP)). Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded while 22 participants passively viewed emotional and neutral pictures and completed an emotion regulation task with instructions to increase, decrease, or maintain their emotional responses. A greater preference for CMC was associated with reduced size of and satisfaction with social support, greater early (N1) attention capture by emotional stimuli, and reduced LPP amplitudes to unpleasant stimuli in the increase emotion regulatory task. These findings are discussed in the context of possible emotion- and social-regulatory functions of CMC.

Computer-Mediated Communication Preferences and Individual Differences in Neurocognitive Measures of Emotional Attention Capture, Reactivity and Regulation

PubMed Central

Babkirk, Sarah; Luehring-Jones, Peter; Dennis, Tracy A.

2016-01-01

The use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) to engage socially has become increasingly prevalent, yet few studies examined individual differences that may shed light on implications of CMC for adjustment. The current study examined neurocognitive individual differences associated with preferences to use technology in relation to social-emotional outcomes. In Study 1 (N =91), a self-report measure, the Social Media Communication Questionnaire (SMCQ), was evaluated as an assessment of preferences for communicating positive and negative emotions on a scale ranging from purely via CMC to purely face-to-face. In Study 2, SMCQ preferences were examined in relation to event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with early emotional attention capture and reactivity (the frontal N1) and later sustained emotional processing and regulation [the late positive potential (LPP)]. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded while 22 participants passively viewed emotional and neutral pictures and completed an emotion regulation task with instructions to increase, decrease or maintain their emotional responses. A greater preference for CMC was associated with reduced size of and satisfaction with social support, greater early (N1) attention capture by emotional stimuli, and reduced LPP amplitudes to unpleasant stimuli in the increase emotion regulatory task. These findings are discussed in the context of possible emotion- and social-regulatory functions of CMC. PMID:26613269

ERP dynamics underlying successful directed forgetting of neutral but not negative pictures

PubMed Central

Hauswald, Anne; Schulz, Hannah; Iordanov, Todor

2011-01-01

Subjective experience suggests that negatively arousing memories are harder to control than neutral ones. Here, we investigate this issue in an item-cued directed forgetting experiment. Electroencephalogram event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded as participants viewed un-arousing neutral and highly arousing negative photographs, each followed by a cue to remember or forget it. Directed forgetting, that is reduced recognition of ‘to-be-forgotten’ items, occurred for neutral but not negative pictures. ERPs revealed three underlying effects: first, during picture viewing a late parietal positive potential (LPP) was more pronounced for negative than for neutral pictures. Second, ‘remember’ cues were associated with larger LPPs than ‘forget’ cues. Third, an enhanced frontal positivity appeared for ‘forget’ cues. This frontal positivity was generated in right dorso-lateral prefrontal regions following neutral pictures and in medial frontal cortex following negative pictures. LPP magnitude when viewing negative pictures was correlated with reduced directed forgetting, whereas both the enhanced frontal positivity for forget cues and the larger parietal positivity for remember cues predicted more directed forgetting. This study indicates that both processes of selective rehearsal (parietal positivities) and frontally controlled inhibition contribute to successful directed forgetting. However, due to their deeper incidental processing, highly arousing negative pictures are exempt from directed forgetting. PMID:20601423

The Time Course of Neural Responses to Social versus Non-social Unfairness in the Ultimatum Game.

PubMed

Chen, Mingliang; Zhao, Zhen; Lai, Hongxia

2018-06-08

The unfairness effects are always the hotspot within social psychology and cognitive neuroscience. However, people's neural responses to social versus non-social unfairness remain under-researched, especially about temporal features. We engaged participants in the Ultimatum Game to respond to human and computer proposers (representing social and non-social contexts respectively) and recorded their event-related potentials. The interactions elicited three components of interest: medial frontal negativity (MFN), late positive potential (LPP) and response related negativity (RRN). First, unfair human offers elicited larger MFN than unfair computer offers did, suggesting a greater perception of unfairness in the social context. Second, rejected unfair human offers elicited smaller LPP than rejected unfair computer offers did. This finding implies that the rejection to social unfairness could down-regulate the unfairness-aversive emotions. These two mechanisms explained the stronger resistance to social unfairness in behavioural results. Last, the RRN for unfairness rejections were larger than for fairness acceptances, but showed no variance to the two types of proposers, signifying a similar degree of response conflict behind rejections to social and non-social unfairness. These results of our exploratory study will be helpful in revealing the sociality effect on the perceptual, emotional and reappraisal processing during the unfairness response.

Emotion blocks the path to learning under stereotype threat

PubMed Central

Good, Catherine; Whiteman, Ronald C.; Maniscalco, Brian; Dweck, Carol S.

2012-01-01

Gender-based stereotypes undermine females’ performance on challenging math tests, but how do they influence their ability to learn from the errors they make? Females under stereotype threat or non-threat were presented with accuracy feedback after each problem on a GRE-like math test, followed by an optional interactive tutorial that provided step-wise problem-solving instruction. Event-related potentials tracked the initial detection of the negative feedback following errors [feedback related negativity (FRN), P3a], as well as any subsequent sustained attention/arousal to that information [late positive potential (LPP)]. Learning was defined as success in applying tutorial information to correction of initial test errors on a surprise retest 24-h later. Under non-threat conditions, emotional responses to negative feedback did not curtail exploration of the tutor, and the amount of tutor exploration predicted learning success. In the stereotype threat condition, however, greater initial salience of the failure (FRN) predicted less exploration of the tutor, and sustained attention to the negative feedback (LPP) predicted poor learning from what was explored. Thus, under stereotype threat, emotional responses to negative feedback predicted both disengagement from learning and interference with learning attempts. We discuss the importance of emotion regulation in successful rebound from failure for stigmatized groups in stereotype-salient environments. PMID:21252312

Decomposing fear perception: A combination of psychophysics and neurometric modeling of fear perception

PubMed Central

Forscher, Emily C.; Zheng, Yan; Ke, Zijun; Folstein, Jonathan; Li, Wen

2016-01-01

Emotion perception is known to involve multiple operations and waves of analysis, but specific nature of these processes remains poorly understood. Combining psychophysical testing and neurometric analysis of event-related potentials (ERPs) in a fear detection task with parametrically-varied fear intensities (N=45), we sought to elucidate key processes in fear perception. Building on psychophysics marking fear perception thresholds, our neurometric model fitting identified several putative operations and stages: four key processes arose in sequence following face presentation—fear-neutral categorization (P1 at 100 ms), fear detection (P300 at 320 ms), valuation (early subcomponent of the late positive potential/LPP at 400–500 ms) and conscious awareness (late subcomponent LPP at 500–600 ms). Furthermore, within-subject brain-behavior association suggests that initial emotion categorization was mandatory and detached from behavior whereas valuation and conscious awareness directly impacted behavioral outcome (explaining 17% and 31% of the total variance, respectively). The current study thus reveals the chronometry of fear perception, ascribing psychological meaning to distinct underlying processes. The combination of early categorization and late valuation of fear reconciles conflicting (categorical versus dimensional) emotion accounts, lending support to a hybrid model. Importantly, future research could specifically interrogate these psychological processes in various behaviors and psychopathologies (e.g., anxiety and depression). PMID:27546075

Social provocation modulates decision making and feedback processing: Examining the trajectory of development in adolescent participants.

PubMed

Pincham, Hannah L; Wu, Claire; Killikelly, Clare; Vuillier, Laura; Fearon, R M Pasco

2015-10-01

Increasingly, research is turning to the ways in which social context impacts decision making and feedback processing in adolescents. The current study recorded electroencephalography to examine the trajectory of development across adolescence, with a focus on how social context impacts cognition and behaviour. To that end, younger (10-12 years) and older (14-16 years) adolescents played a modified Taylor Aggression Paradigm against two virtual opponents: a low-provoker and a high-provoker. During the task's decision phase (where participants select punishment for their opponent), we examined two event-related potentials: the N2 and the late positive potential (LPP). During the outcome phase (where participants experience win or loss feedback), we measured the feedback related negativity (FRN). Although N2 amplitudes did not vary with provocation, LPP amplitudes were enhanced under high provocation for the younger group, suggesting that emotional reactivity during the decision phase was heightened for early adolescents. During the outcome phase, the FRN was reduced following win outcomes under high provocation for both groups, suggesting that a highly provocative social opponent may influence the reward response. Collectively, the data argue that social context is an important factor modulating neural responses in adolescent behavioural and brain development. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Time course of emotion-related responding during distraction and reappraisal

PubMed Central

Schönfelder, Sandra; Kanske, Philipp; Heissler, Janine

2014-01-01

Theoretical accounts of emotion regulation (ER) discriminate various cognitive strategies to voluntarily modify emotional states. Amongst these, attentional deployment (i.e. distraction) and cognitive change (i.e. reappraisal), have been shown to successfully down-regulate emotions. Neuroimaging studies found that both strategies differentially engage neural structures associated with selective attention, working memory and cognitive control. The aim of this study was to further delineate similarities and differences between the ER strategies reappraisal and distraction by investigating their temporal brain dynamics using event-related potentials (ERPs) and their patterns of facial expressive behavior. Twenty-one participants completed an ER experiment in which they had to either passively view positive, neutral and negative pictures, reinterpret them to down-regulate affective responses (reappraisal), or solve a concurrently presented mathematical equation (distraction). Results demonstrate the efficacy of both strategies in the subjective control of emotion, accompanied by reductions of facial expressive activity (Corrugator supercilii and Zygomaticus major). ERP results indicated that distraction, compared with reappraisal, yielded a stronger and earlier attenuation of the late positive potential (LPP) magnitude for negative pictures. For positive pictures, only distraction but not reappraisal had significant effect on LPP attenuation. The results support the process model of ER, separating subtypes of cognitive strategies based on their specific time course. PMID:23988760

Emotion-modulated startle in psychopathy: Clarifying familiar effects

PubMed Central

Baskin-Sommers, Arielle R.; Curtin, John J.; Newman, Joseph P.

2012-01-01

The behavior of psychopathic individuals is thought to reflect a core fear deficit that prevents these individuals from appreciating the consequences of their choices and actions. However, growing evidence suggests that psychopathy-related emotion deficits are moderated by attention and, thus, may not reflect a reduced capacity for emotion responding. The present study attempts to reconcile this attention perspective with one of the most cited findings in psychopathy, which reports emotion-modulated startle deficits among psychopathic individuals during picture viewing. In this study, we evaluate the potential effects of a putative attention bottleneck on the emotion processing of psychopathic offenders during picture viewing by manipulating picture familiarity and examining emotion-modulated startle and late positive potential (LPP). As predicted, psychopathic individuals displayed the classic deficit in emotion-modulated startle during novel pictures, but they showed no deficit in emotion-modulated startle during familiar pictures. Conversely, results for LPP responses revealed psychopathy-related differences during familiar pictures and no psychopathy-related differences during novel pictures. Important differences related to the two Factors of psychopathy are also discussed. Overall, the results of this study not only highlight the differential importance of perceptual load on emotion processing in psychopathy, but also raise interesting questions about the varied effects of attention on psychopathy-related emotion deficits. PMID:23356218

The Integrative Effects of Cognitive Reappraisal on Negative Affect: Associated Changes in Secretory Immunoglobulin A, Unpleasantness and ERP Activity

PubMed Central

Zhang, Wencai; Li, Fan; Qin, Shaozheng; Luo, Jing

2012-01-01

Although the regulatory role of cognitive reappraisal in negative emotional responses is widely recognized, this reappraisal's effect on acute saliva secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA), as well as the relationships among affective, immunological, and event-related potential (ERP) changes, remains unclear. In this study, we selected only people with low positive coping scores (PCSs) as measured by the Trait Coping Style Questionnaire to avoid confounding by intrinsic coping styles. First, we found that the acute stress of viewing unpleasant pictures consistently decreased SIgA concentration and secretion rate, increased perceptions of unpleasantness and amplitude of late positive potentials (LPPs) between 200–300 ms and 400–1000 ms. After participants used cognitive reappraisal, their SIgA concentration and secretion rate significantly increased and their unpleasantness and LPP amplitudes significantly decreased compared with a control condition. Second, we found a significantly positive correlation between the increases in SIgA and the decreases in unpleasantness and a significantly negative correlation between the increases in SIgA and the increases in LPP across the two groups. This study is the first to demonstrate that cognitive reappraisal reverses the decrease of SIgA. In addition, it revealed strong correlations among affective, SIgA and electrophysiological changes with convergent multilevel evidence. PMID:22319586

Differential effects of face-realism and emotion on event-related brain potentials and their implications for the uncanny valley theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schindler, Sebastian; Zell, Eduard; Botsch, Mario; Kissler, Johanna

2017-03-01

Cartoon characters are omnipresent in popular media. While few studies have scientifically investigated their processing, in computer graphics, efforts are made to increase realism. Yet, close approximations of reality have been suggested to evoke sometimes a feeling of eeriness, the “uncanny valley” effect. Here, we used high-density electroencephalography to investigate brain responses to professionally stylized happy, angry, and neutral character faces. We employed six face-stylization levels varying from abstract to realistic and investigated the N170, early posterior negativity (EPN), and late positive potential (LPP) event-related components. The face-specific N170 showed a u-shaped modulation, with stronger reactions towards both most abstract and most realistic compared to medium-stylized faces. For abstract faces, N170 was generated more occipitally than for real faces, implying stronger reliance on structural processing. Although emotional faces elicited highest amplitudes on both N170 and EPN, on the N170 realism and expression interacted. Finally, LPP increased linearly with face realism, reflecting activity increase in visual and parietal cortex for more realistic faces. Results reveal differential effects of face stylization on distinct face processing stages and suggest a perceptual basis to the uncanny valley hypothesis. They are discussed in relation to face perception, media design, and computer graphics.

ERPs associated with monitoring and evaluation of monetary reward and punishment in children with ADHD.

PubMed

van Meel, Catharina S; Heslenfeld, Dirk J; Oosterlaan, Jaap; Luman, Marjolein; Sergeant, Joseph A

2011-09-01

Several models of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) propose abnormalities in the response to behavioural contingencies. Using event-related potentials (ERPs), the present study investigated the monitoring and subsequent evaluation of performance feedback resulting in either reward or punishment in children with ADHD (N = 18) and normal controls (N = 18) aged 8 to 12 years. Children performed a time production task, in which visual performance feedback was given after each response. To manipulate its motivational salience, feedback was coupled with monetary gains, losses or no incentives. Performance feedback signalling omitted gains as well as omitted losses evoked a feedback-related negativity (FRN) in control children. The FRN, however, was entirely absent in children with ADHD in all conditions. Moreover, while losses elicited enhanced amplitudes of the late positive potential (LPP) in controls, omitted rewards had this effect in ADHD. The lack of modulation of the FRN by contingencies in ADHD suggests deficient detection of environmental cues as a function of their motivational significance. LPP findings suggest diminished response to punishment, but oversensitivity to the loss of desired rewards. These findings suggest that children with ADHD have problems assigning relative motivational significance to outcomes of their actions. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry © 2011 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Emotion blocks the path to learning under stereotype threat.

PubMed

Mangels, Jennifer A; Good, Catherine; Whiteman, Ronald C; Maniscalco, Brian; Dweck, Carol S

2012-02-01

Gender-based stereotypes undermine females' performance on challenging math tests, but how do they influence their ability to learn from the errors they make? Females under stereotype threat or non-threat were presented with accuracy feedback after each problem on a GRE-like math test, followed by an optional interactive tutorial that provided step-wise problem-solving instruction. Event-related potentials tracked the initial detection of the negative feedback following errors [feedback related negativity (FRN), P3a], as well as any subsequent sustained attention/arousal to that information [late positive potential (LPP)]. Learning was defined as success in applying tutorial information to correction of initial test errors on a surprise retest 24-h later. Under non-threat conditions, emotional responses to negative feedback did not curtail exploration of the tutor, and the amount of tutor exploration predicted learning success. In the stereotype threat condition, however, greater initial salience of the failure (FRN) predicted less exploration of the tutor, and sustained attention to the negative feedback (LPP) predicted poor learning from what was explored. Thus, under stereotype threat, emotional responses to negative feedback predicted both disengagement from learning and interference with learning attempts. We discuss the importance of emotion regulation in successful rebound from failure for stigmatized groups in stereotype-salient environments.

Differential effects of face-realism and emotion on event-related brain potentials and their implications for the uncanny valley theory

PubMed Central

Schindler, Sebastian; Zell, Eduard; Botsch, Mario; Kissler, Johanna

2017-01-01

Cartoon characters are omnipresent in popular media. While few studies have scientifically investigated their processing, in computer graphics, efforts are made to increase realism. Yet, close approximations of reality have been suggested to evoke sometimes a feeling of eeriness, the “uncanny valley” effect. Here, we used high-density electroencephalography to investigate brain responses to professionally stylized happy, angry, and neutral character faces. We employed six face-stylization levels varying from abstract to realistic and investigated the N170, early posterior negativity (EPN), and late positive potential (LPP) event-related components. The face-specific N170 showed a u-shaped modulation, with stronger reactions towards both most abstract and most realistic compared to medium-stylized faces. For abstract faces, N170 was generated more occipitally than for real faces, implying stronger reliance on structural processing. Although emotional faces elicited highest amplitudes on both N170 and EPN, on the N170 realism and expression interacted. Finally, LPP increased linearly with face realism, reflecting activity increase in visual and parietal cortex for more realistic faces. Results reveal differential effects of face stylization on distinct face processing stages and suggest a perceptual basis to the uncanny valley hypothesis. They are discussed in relation to face perception, media design, and computer graphics. PMID:28332557

Social information affects adults' evaluation of fairness in distributions: An ERP approach.

PubMed

Ishikawa, Mitsuhiko; Park, Yun-Hee; Kitazaki, Michiteru; Itakura, Shoji

2017-01-01

The sense of fairness has been observed in early infancy. Because many studies of fairness in adults have used economic games such as the Ultimatum Game, it has been difficult to compare fairness between adults and infants. Further, recent studies have suggested that social information about actors who behave fairly or unfairly may influence the judgement of fairness in infants. Therefore, to compare the sense of fairness between infants and adults, the study using paradigm in infant research is required. We examined how social information about two characters, either prosocial or antisocial, affects the event-related potential response (ERP) to fair or unfair resource distributions in adults. In the habituation phase, participants were informed about characters' social information through their actions. One character then distributed resources fairly or unfairly, and ERP was measured at the end of the distribution. Data from eighteen adult participants were analysed. A significant interaction of social information and fairness was found for late positive potential (LPP), but a post-hoc t test revealed a significant difference between fair and unfair conditions only for actions of the antisocial character. We found that LPP can reflect the sense of fairness affected by social information. Comparison with infant studies suggests that the sense of fairness may change during development.

Cortical associates of emotional reactivity and regulation in childhood stuttering.

PubMed

Zengin-Bolatkale, Hatun; Conture, Edward G; Key, Alexandra P; Walden, Tedra A; Jones, Robin M

2018-06-01

This study sought to determine the cortical associates of emotional reactivity and emotion regulation (as indexed by the amplitude of evoked response potentials [ERP]) in young children who do and do not stutter during passive viewing of pleasant, unpleasant and neutral pictures. Participants were 17 young children who stutter and 22 young children who do not stutter (between 4 years 0 months to 6 years 11 months). The dependent measures were (1) mean amplitude of late positive potential (LPP, an ERP sensitive to emotional stimuli) during passive (i.e., no response required) picture viewing and directed reappraisal tasks and (2) emotional reactivity and regulation related scores on caregiver reports of young children's temperament (Children's Behavior Questionnaire, CBQ). Young CWS, when compared to CWNS, exhibited significantly greater LPP amplitudes when viewing unpleasant pictures, but no significant between-group difference when viewing pleasant pictures and during the emotion regulation condition. There were, however, for CWS, but not CWNS, significant correlations between temperament-related measures of emotion and cortical measures of emotional reactivity and regulation. Findings provide further empirical support for the notion that emotional processes are associated with childhood stuttering, and that CWS's inherent temperamental proclivities need to be taken into account when empirically studying or theorizing about this association. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lichen Planus Pigmentosus-like Reaction to Guasha.

PubMed

Yang, Gang; Tan, Cheng

2016-11-01

Lichen planus pigmentosus (LPP) is an uncommon variant of lichen planus (LP) that manifests as macular hyperpigmentation involving chiefly the face and upper limbs. Although its etiology has not been fully elucidated, a relationship with hepatitis C infection, restrictive underwear, localized friction, and sun exposure have been proposed. Rarely, exposure to mustard oil, amla oil, henna, or hair dyes has been reported. We herein describe an LPP-like reaction to Guasha. © The Author(s) 2016.

Graphs and matroids weighted in a bounded incline algebra.

PubMed

Lu, Ling-Xia; Zhang, Bei

2014-01-01

Firstly, for a graph weighted in a bounded incline algebra (or called a dioid), a longest path problem (LPP, for short) is presented, which can be considered the uniform approach to the famous shortest path problem, the widest path problem, and the most reliable path problem. The solutions for LPP and related algorithms are given. Secondly, for a matroid weighted in a linear matroid, the maximum independent set problem is studied.

Laser projection positioning of spatial contour curves via a galvanometric scanner

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tu, Junchao; Zhang, Liyan

2018-04-01

The technology of laser projection positioning is widely applied in advanced manufacturing fields (e.g. composite plying, parts location and installation). In order to use it better, a laser projection positioning (LPP) system is designed and implemented. Firstly, the LPP system is built by a laser galvanometric scanning (LGS) system and a binocular vision system. Applying Single-hidden Layer Feed-forward Neural Network (SLFN), the system model is constructed next. Secondly, the LGS system and the binocular system, which are respectively independent, are integrated through a datadriven calibration method based on extreme learning machine (ELM) algorithm. Finally, a projection positioning method is proposed within the framework of the calibrated SLFN system model. A well-designed experiment is conducted to verify the viability and effectiveness of the proposed system. In addition, the accuracy of projection positioning are evaluated to show that the LPP system can achieves the good localization effect.

Locality-preserving sparse representation-based classification in hyperspectral imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Lianru; Yu, Haoyang; Zhang, Bing; Li, Qingting

2016-10-01

This paper proposes to combine locality-preserving projections (LPP) and sparse representation (SR) for hyperspectral image classification. The LPP is first used to reduce the dimensionality of all the training and testing data by finding the optimal linear approximations to the eigenfunctions of the Laplace Beltrami operator on the manifold, where the high-dimensional data lies. Then, SR codes the projected testing pixels as sparse linear combinations of all the training samples to classify the testing pixels by evaluating which class leads to the minimum approximation error. The integration of LPP and SR represents an innovative contribution to the literature. The proposed approach, called locality-preserving SR-based classification, addresses the imbalance between high dimensionality of hyperspectral data and the limited number of training samples. Experimental results on three real hyperspectral data sets demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms the original counterpart, i.e., SR-based classification.

Face recognition algorithm based on Gabor wavelet and locality preserving projections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xiaojie; Shen, Lin; Fan, Honghui

2017-07-01

In order to solve the effects of illumination changes and differences of personal features on the face recognition rate, this paper presents a new face recognition algorithm based on Gabor wavelet and Locality Preserving Projections (LPP). The problem of the Gabor filter banks with high dimensions was solved effectively, and also the shortcoming of the LPP on the light illumination changes was overcome. Firstly, the features of global image information were achieved, which used the good spatial locality and orientation selectivity of Gabor wavelet filters. Then the dimensions were reduced by utilizing the LPP, which well-preserved the local information of the image. The experimental results shown that this algorithm can effectively extract the features relating to facial expressions, attitude and other information. Besides, it can reduce influence of the illumination changes and the differences in personal features effectively, which improves the face recognition rate to 99.2%.

Novel Treatment Using Low-Dose Naltrexone for Lichen Planopilaris.

PubMed

Strazzulla, Lauren C; Avila, Lorena; Lo Sicco, Kristen; Shapiro, Jerry

2017-11-01

Lichen planopilaris (LPP) is a variant of lichen planus that affects the scalp causing scarring hair loss. Patients also frequently experience symptoms of scalp itch, pain, and burning. To date, there are no long-term remittive nor curative therapies available. Low-dose naltrexone has anti-inflammatory properties and has recently been described in the context of treating autoimmune conditions. This retrospective medical record review describes four LPP patients treated with low-dose (3 milligrams per day) naltrexone. This medication provided benefit in these four patients including reduction in symptoms of pruritus, clinical evidence of inflammation of the scalp, and disease progression. All patients tolerated naltrexone without adverse effects. This is the first case series demonstrating the beneficial effects of low-dose naltrexone for patients with LPP. This medication was well-tolerated by the patients and is cost-effective.

J Drugs Dermatol. 2017;16(11):1140-1142.

Working memory load modulates the neural response to other's pain: Evidence from an ERP study.

PubMed

Cui, Fang; Zhu, Xiangru; Luo, Yuejia; Cheng, Jiaping

2017-03-22

The present study investigated the time course of processing other's pain under different conditions of working memory (WM) load. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while the participants held two digits (low WM load) or six digits (high WM load) in WM and viewed pictures that showed others who were in painful or non-painful situations. Robust WM-load×Picture interactions were found for the N2 and LPP components. In the high WM-load condition, painful pictures elicited significantly larger amplitudes than non-painful pictures. In the low WM load condition, the difference between the painful and non-painful pictures was not significant. These ERP results indicate that WM load can influence both the early automatic N2 component and late cognitive LPP component. Compared with high WM load, low WM load reduced affective arousal and emotional sharing in response to other's pain and weakened the cognitive evaluation of task irrelevant stimuli. These findings are explained from the load theory perspective. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Interaction of Arousal and Valence in Affective Priming: Behavioral and Electrophysiological Evidence

PubMed Central

Zhang, Qin; Kong, Lingyue; Jiang, Yang

2013-01-01

The affective priming paradigm has been studied extensively and applied in many fields during the past two decades. Most research thus far has focused on the valence dimension. Whether emotional arousal influences affective priming remains poorly understood. The present study demonstrates how arousal impacts evaluation of affective words using reaction time and event-related potential (ERP) measures. Eighteen younger subjects evaluated pleasantness of target words after seeing affective pictures as primes. The participants’ responses were faster and/or more accurate for valence-congruent trials than for incongruent trials, particularly with high-arousal stimuli. An ERP affective priming effect (N400) also occurred mainly in high-arousing stimulus pairs. In addition, whereas valence congruency influenced both the N400 and the LPP, arousal congruency influenced only the LPP, suggesting that arousal congruency mainly modulates post-semantic processes, but valence congruency effects begin with semantic processes. Overall, our current findings indicate that the arousal level of visual images impacts both behavioral and ERP effects of affective priming. Section Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience PMID:22820299

Prediction of breast cancer risk using a machine learning approach embedded with a locality preserving projection algorithm.

PubMed

Heidari, Morteza; Khuzani, Abolfazl Zargari; Hollingsworth, Alan B; Danala, Gopichandh; Mirniaharikandehei, Seyedehnafiseh; Qiu, Yuchen; Liu, Hong; Zheng, Bin

2018-01-30

In order to automatically identify a set of effective mammographic image features and build an optimal breast cancer risk stratification model, this study aims to investigate advantages of applying a machine learning approach embedded with a locally preserving projection (LPP) based feature combination and regeneration algorithm to predict short-term breast cancer risk. A dataset involving negative mammograms acquired from 500 women was assembled. This dataset was divided into two age-matched classes of 250 high risk cases in which cancer was detected in the next subsequent mammography screening and 250 low risk cases, which remained negative. First, a computer-aided image processing scheme was applied to segment fibro-glandular tissue depicted on mammograms and initially compute 44 features related to the bilateral asymmetry of mammographic tissue density distribution between left and right breasts. Next, a multi-feature fusion based machine learning classifier was built to predict the risk of cancer detection in the next mammography screening. A leave-one-case-out (LOCO) cross-validation method was applied to train and test the machine learning classifier embedded with a LLP algorithm, which generated a new operational vector with 4 features using a maximal variance approach in each LOCO process. Results showed a 9.7% increase in risk prediction accuracy when using this LPP-embedded machine learning approach. An increased trend of adjusted odds ratios was also detected in which odds ratios increased from 1.0 to 11.2. This study demonstrated that applying the LPP algorithm effectively reduced feature dimensionality, and yielded higher and potentially more robust performance in predicting short-term breast cancer risk.

Prediction of breast cancer risk using a machine learning approach embedded with a locality preserving projection algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heidari, Morteza; Zargari Khuzani, Abolfazl; Hollingsworth, Alan B.; Danala, Gopichandh; Mirniaharikandehei, Seyedehnafiseh; Qiu, Yuchen; Liu, Hong; Zheng, Bin

2018-02-01

In order to automatically identify a set of effective mammographic image features and build an optimal breast cancer risk stratification model, this study aims to investigate advantages of applying a machine learning approach embedded with a locally preserving projection (LPP) based feature combination and regeneration algorithm to predict short-term breast cancer risk. A dataset involving negative mammograms acquired from 500 women was assembled. This dataset was divided into two age-matched classes of 250 high risk cases in which cancer was detected in the next subsequent mammography screening and 250 low risk cases, which remained negative. First, a computer-aided image processing scheme was applied to segment fibro-glandular tissue depicted on mammograms and initially compute 44 features related to the bilateral asymmetry of mammographic tissue density distribution between left and right breasts. Next, a multi-feature fusion based machine learning classifier was built to predict the risk of cancer detection in the next mammography screening. A leave-one-case-out (LOCO) cross-validation method was applied to train and test the machine learning classifier embedded with a LLP algorithm, which generated a new operational vector with 4 features using a maximal variance approach in each LOCO process. Results showed a 9.7% increase in risk prediction accuracy when using this LPP-embedded machine learning approach. An increased trend of adjusted odds ratios was also detected in which odds ratios increased from 1.0 to 11.2. This study demonstrated that applying the LPP algorithm effectively reduced feature dimensionality, and yielded higher and potentially more robust performance in predicting short-term breast cancer risk.

Changing roles of propagule, climate, and land use during extralimital colonization of a rose chafer beetle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horak, Jakub; Hui, Cang; Roura-Pascual, Núria; Romportl, Dusan

2013-04-01

Regardless of their ecosystem functions, some insects are threatened when facing environmental changes and disturbances, while others become extremely successful. It is crucial for successful conservation to differentiate factors supporting species' current distributions from those triggering range dynamics. Here, we studied the sudden extralimital colonization of the rose chafer beetle, Oxythyrea funesta, in the Czech Republic. Specifically, we depicted the range expansion using accumulated historical records of first known occurrences and then explained the colonization events using five transformed indices depicting changes in local propagule pressure (LPP), climate, land use, elevation, and landscape structure. The slow occupancy increase of O. funesta before 1990 changed to a phase of rapid occupancy increase after 1990, driven not only by changes in the environment (climate and land use) but also by the spatial accumulation of LPP. Climate was also found to play a significant role but only during the niche-filling stage before 1990, while land use became important during the phase of rapid expansion after 1990. Inland waters (e.g., riparian corridors) also contributed substantially to the spread in the Czech Republic. Our method of using spatially transformed variables to explain the colonization events provides a novel way of detecting factors triggering range dynamics. The results highlight the importance of LPP in driving sudden occupancy increase of extralimital species and recommend the use of LPP as an important predictor for modeling range dynamics.

The temporal dynamics of reversal learning: P3 amplitude predicts valence-specific behavioral adjustment.

PubMed

Donaldson, Kayla R; Ait Oumeziane, Belel; Hélie, Sebastien; Foti, Dan

2016-07-01

Adapting behavior to dynamic stimulus-reward contingences is a core feature of reversal learning and a capacity thought to be critical to socio-emotional behavior. Impairment in reversal learning has been linked to multiple psychiatric outcomes, including depression, Parkinson's disorder, and substance abuse. A recent influential study introduced an innovative laboratory reversal-learning paradigm capable of disentangling the roles of feedback valence and expectancy. Here, we sought to use this paradigm in order to examine the time-course of reward and punishment learning using event-related potentials among a large, representative sample (N=101). Three distinct phases of processing were examined: initial feedback evaluation (reward positivity, or RewP), allocation of attention (P3), and sustained processing (late positive potential, or LPP). Results indicate a differential pattern of valence and expectancy across these processing stages: the RewP was uniquely related to valence (i.e., positive vs. negative feedback), the P3 was uniquely associated with expectancy (i.e., unexpected vs. expected feedback), and the LPP was sensitive to both valence and expectancy (i.e., main effects of each, but no interaction). The link between ERP amplitudes and behavioral performance was strongest for the P3, and this association was valence-specific. Overall, these findings highlight the potential utility of the P3 as a neural marker for feedback processing in reversal-based learning and establish a foundation for future research in clinical populations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reward Promotes Self-Face Processing: An Event-Related Potential Study

PubMed Central

Zhan, Youlong; Chen, Jie; Xiao, Xiao; Li, Jin; Yang, Zilu; Fan, Wei; Zhong, Yiping

2016-01-01

The present study adopted a reward-priming paradigm to investigate whether and how monetary reward cues affected self-face processing. Event-related potentials were recorded during judgments of head orientation of target faces (self, friend, and stranger), with performance associated with a monetary reward. The results showed self-faces elicited larger N2 mean amplitudes than other-faces, and mean N2 amplitudes increased after monetary reward as compared with no reward cue. Moreover, an interaction effect between cue type and face type was observed for the P3 component, suggesting that both self-faces and friend-faces elicited larger P3 mean amplitudes than stranger-faces after no reward cue, with no significant difference between self-faces and friend-faces under this condition. However, self-faces elicited larger P3 mean amplitudes than friend-faces when monetary reward cues were provided. Interestingly, the enhancement of reward on friend-faces processing was observed at late positive potentials (LPP; 450–600 ms), suggesting that the LPP difference between friend-faces and stranger-faces was enhanced with monetary reward cues. Thus, we found that the enhancement effect of reward on self-relevant processing occurred at the later stages, but not at the early stage. These findings suggest that the activation of the reward expectations can enhance self-face processing, yielding a robust and sustained modulation over their overlapped brain areas where reward and self-relevant processing mechanisms may operate together. PMID:27242637

The prediction of the level of personality organization on reduction of psychiatric symptoms and improvement of work ability in short- versus long-term psychotherapies during a 5-year follow-up.

PubMed

Knekt, Paul; Lindfors, Olavi; Keinänen, Matti; Heinonen, Erkki; Virtala, Esa; Härkänen, Tommi

2017-09-01

How level of personality organization (LPO) predicts psychiatric symptoms and work ability in short- versus long-term psychotherapies is poorly known. We investigated the importance of the LPO on the benefits of short-term versus long-term psychotherapies. A cohort study based on 326 outpatients with mood or anxiety disorder was allocated to long-term (LPP) and short-term (SPP) psychodynamic psychotherapy, and solution-focused therapy (SFT). The LPO was assessed by interview at baseline and categorized into neuroses and higher level borderline. Outcome was assessed at baseline and 4-9 times during a 5-year follow-up, using self-report and interview-based measures of symptoms and work ability. For patients receiving SPP, improvement in work ability, symptom reduction, and the remission rate were more considerable in patients with neuroses than in higher level borderline patients, whereas LPP or SFT showed no notable differences in effectiveness in the two LPO groups. In patients with neuroses, improvement was more considerable in the short-term therapy groups during the first year of follow-up, and in higher level borderline patients LPP was more effective after 3 years of follow-up. The remission rate, defined as both symptom reduction and lack of auxiliary treatment, was higher in LPP than in SPP for both the LPO groups considered. In neuroses, short-term psychotherapy was associated with a more rapid reduction of symptoms and increase in work ability, whereas LPP was more effective for longer follow-ups in both LPO groups. Further large-scale studies are needed. Level of personality organization is relevant for selection between short- and long-term psychotherapies. Short-term therapy gives faster benefits for neurotic patients but not for patients with higher level borderline personality organization. Sustained remission from symptoms is more probable after long-term than short-term therapy. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

Source estimation of pharmaceuticals based on catchment population and in-stream attenuation in Yodo River watershed, Japan.

PubMed

Hanamoto, Seiya; Nakada, Norihide; Yamashita, Naoyuki; Tanaka, Hiroaki

2018-02-15

Fifty-five pharmaceuticals were monitored at four rivers and inlets and/or outlets of three sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Yodo River watershed, Japan over 17 sampling events. Twenty-six quantified pharmaceuticals were classified by source and fate. The load per person (LPP) of nine pharmaceuticals, including six with observed mass balance in studied river stretch of <80%, was appreciably lower in river water (RW) than in the effluent (EF) of STPs (RW/EF <0.5), indicating that they were susceptible to in-stream attenuation in the study area, while the others were relatively conservative. The LPP of 12 pharmaceuticals in RW were within ±50% of that in EF. Because their mass loadings in rivers were correlated with human population in the catchment and most people use the sewer system, the major source of the 12 pharmaceuticals was considered to be STPs. The LPP of the three most labile pharmaceuticals in STPs (caffeine, theophylline, and acetaminophen) was >1.5 in RW/EF and <1.0 in RW/influent (IF) of STPs. Poorly treated sewage discharged from households without using the sewer system was considered to be influential source of the three pharmaceuticals. The LPP (RW/EF) of caffeine, a pharmaceutical contained in food and beverage, was considerably higher than that of the other two, and this is attributable to untreated gray water discharged at households using the night-soil treatment system. The LPP of two veterinary drugs (sulfamonomethoxine and lincomycin) were >1.5 (RW/EF) and >1.0 (RW/IF). Their mass loadings in rivers showed a positive correlation with swine population in the catchment, although sulfamonomethoxine is equally used in both cattle and swine farming. This was attributable to application of cattle excrement as manure, and lability of sulfamonomethoxine during composting processes. The major source of the two veterinary drugs was considered to be on-site treatment facilities of swine urine. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Deletion of Braun lipoprotein and plasminogen-activating protease-encoding genes attenuates Yersinia pestis in mouse models of bubonic and pneumonic plague.

PubMed

van Lier, Christina J; Sha, Jian; Kirtley, Michelle L; Cao, Anthony; Tiner, Bethany L; Erova, Tatiana E; Cong, Yingzi; Kozlova, Elena V; Popov, Vsevolod L; Baze, Wallace B; Chopra, Ashok K

2014-06-01

Currently, there is no FDA-approved vaccine against Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of bubonic and pneumonic plague. Since both humoral immunity and cell-mediated immunity are essential in providing the host with protection against plague, we developed a live-attenuated vaccine strain by deleting the Braun lipoprotein (lpp) and plasminogen-activating protease (pla) genes from Y. pestis CO92. The Δlpp Δpla double isogenic mutant was highly attenuated in evoking both bubonic and pneumonic plague in a mouse model. Further, animals immunized with the mutant by either the intranasal or the subcutaneous route were significantly protected from developing subsequent pneumonic plague. In mice, the mutant poorly disseminated to peripheral organs and the production of proinflammatory cytokines concurrently decreased. Histopathologically, reduced damage to the lungs and livers of mice infected with the Δlpp Δpla double mutant compared to the level of damage in wild-type (WT) CO92-challenged animals was observed. The Δlpp Δpla mutant-immunized mice elicited a humoral immune response to the WT bacterium, as well as to CO92-specific antigens. Moreover, T cells from mutant-immunized animals exhibited significantly higher proliferative responses, when stimulated ex vivo with heat-killed WT CO92 antigens, than mice immunized with the same sublethal dose of WT CO92. Likewise, T cells from the mutant-immunized mice produced more gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and interleukin-4. These animals had an increasing number of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-producing CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells than WT CO92-infected mice. These data emphasize the role of TNF-α and IFN-γ in protecting mice against pneumonic plague. Overall, our studies provide evidence that deletion of the lpp and pla genes acts synergistically in protecting animals against pneumonic plague, and we have demonstrated an immunological basis for this protection.

Deletion of Braun Lipoprotein and Plasminogen-Activating Protease-Encoding Genes Attenuates Yersinia pestis in Mouse Models of Bubonic and Pneumonic Plague

PubMed Central

van Lier, Christina J.; Sha, Jian; Kirtley, Michelle L.; Cao, Anthony; Tiner, Bethany L.; Erova, Tatiana E.; Cong, Yingzi; Kozlova, Elena V.; Popov, Vsevolod L.; Baze, Wallace B.

2014-01-01

Currently, there is no FDA-approved vaccine against Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of bubonic and pneumonic plague. Since both humoral immunity and cell-mediated immunity are essential in providing the host with protection against plague, we developed a live-attenuated vaccine strain by deleting the Braun lipoprotein (lpp) and plasminogen-activating protease (pla) genes from Y. pestis CO92. The Δlpp Δpla double isogenic mutant was highly attenuated in evoking both bubonic and pneumonic plague in a mouse model. Further, animals immunized with the mutant by either the intranasal or the subcutaneous route were significantly protected from developing subsequent pneumonic plague. In mice, the mutant poorly disseminated to peripheral organs and the production of proinflammatory cytokines concurrently decreased. Histopathologically, reduced damage to the lungs and livers of mice infected with the Δlpp Δpla double mutant compared to the level of damage in wild-type (WT) CO92-challenged animals was observed. The Δlpp Δpla mutant-immunized mice elicited a humoral immune response to the WT bacterium, as well as to CO92-specific antigens. Moreover, T cells from mutant-immunized animals exhibited significantly higher proliferative responses, when stimulated ex vivo with heat-killed WT CO92 antigens, than mice immunized with the same sublethal dose of WT CO92. Likewise, T cells from the mutant-immunized mice produced more gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and interleukin-4. These animals had an increasing number of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-producing CD4+ and CD8+ T cells than WT CO92-infected mice. These data emphasize the role of TNF-α and IFN-γ in protecting mice against pneumonic plague. Overall, our studies provide evidence that deletion of the lpp and pla genes acts synergistically in protecting animals against pneumonic plague, and we have demonstrated an immunological basis for this protection. PMID:24686064

[Alanine dehydrogenase of the cyanobacterium Plectonema boryanum in the early period of cyanophage LPP-3 development].

PubMed

Perepelitsa, S I; Koltukova, N V; Mendzhul, M I

1995-01-01

It has been studied how reproduction of LPP-3 in Plectonema boryanum cells influences the alanine dehydrogenase activity. It has been found that immediately after the virus adsorption the enzyme activity falls by 50% and the anabolic reaction is blocked. Physicochemical properties of the enzyme vary as well. An infected cell has one isoenzyme-octamer with pl 9.1-9.2, pH-optimum by action 9-10, molecular weight about 27 kDa.

Lewis pair polymerization by classical and frustrated Lewis pairs: acid, base and monomer scope and polymerization mechanism.

PubMed

Zhang, Yuetao; Miyake, Garret M; John, Mallory G; Falivene, Laura; Caporaso, Lucia; Cavallo, Luigi; Chen, Eugene Y-X

2012-08-14

Classical and frustrated Lewis pairs (LPs) of the strong Lewis acid (LA) Al(C(6)F(5))(3) with several Lewis base (LB) classes have been found to exhibit exceptional activity in the Lewis pair polymerization (LPP) of conjugated polar alkenes such as methyl methacrylate (MMA) as well as renewable α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone (MBL) and γ-methyl-α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone (γ-MMBL), leading to high molecular weight polymers, often with narrow molecular weight distributions. This study has investigated a large number of LPs, consisting of 11 LAs as well as 10 achiral and 4 chiral LBs, for LPP of 12 monomers of several different types. Although some more common LAs can also be utilized for LPP, Al(C(6)F(5))(3)-based LPs are far more active and effective than other LA-based LPs. On the other hand, several classes of LBs, when paired with Al(C(6)F(5))(3), can render highly active and effective LPP of MMA and γ-MMBL; such LBs include phosphines (e.g., P(t)Bu(3)), chiral chelating diphosphines, N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs), and phosphazene superbases (e.g., P(4)-(t)Bu). The P(4)-(t)Bu/Al(C(6)F(5))(3) pair exhibits the highest activity of the LP series, with a remarkably high turn-over frequency of 9.6 × 10(4) h(-1) (0.125 mol% catalyst, 100% MMA conversion in 30 s, M(n) = 2.12 × 10(5) g mol(-1), PDI = 1.34). The polymers produced by LPs at RT are typically atactic (P(γ)MMBL with ∼47% mr) or syndio-rich (PMMA with ∼70-75% rr), but highly syndiotactic PMMA with rr ∼91% can be produced by chiral or achiral LPs at -78 °C. Mechanistic studies have identified and structurally characterized zwitterionic phosphonium and imidazolium enolaluminates as the active species of the current LPP system, which are formed by the reaction of the monomer·Al(C(6)F(5))(3) adduct with P(t)Bu(3) and NHC bases, respectively. Kinetic studies have revealed that the MMA polymerization by the (t)Bu(3)P/Al(C(6)F(5))(3) pair is zero-order in monomer concentration after an initial induction period, and the polymerization is significantly catalyzed by the LA, thus pointing to a bimetallic, activated monomer propagation mechanism. Computational study on the active species formation as well as the chain initiation and propagation events involved in the LPP of MMA with some of the most representative LPs has added our understanding of fundamental steps of LPP. The main difference between NHC and PR(3) bases is in the energetics of zwitterion formation, with the NHC-based zwitterions being remarkably more stable than the PR(3)-based zwitterions. Comparison of the monometallic and bimetallic mechanisms for MMA addition shows a clear preference for the bimetallic mechanism.

Fuel-Air Mixing Effect on Nox Emissions for a Lean Premixed-Prevaporized Combustion System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Chi-Ming; Chun, Kue S.; Locke, Randy J.

1995-01-01

The lean premixed-prevaporized (LPP) concept effectively meets low nitrogen oxides (NOx) emission requirements for combustors with the high inlet temperature and pressure typical of the High-Speed Civil Transport (HSCT). For the LPP system fuel-air mixture uniformity is probably the most important factor for low NOx emissions. Previous studies have suggested that the fuel-air mixture uniformity can be severely affected by changing the number and configuration of fuel injection points. Therefore, an experimental study was performed to determine how the number of fuel injection points and their arrangement affect NOx emissions from an LPP system. The NOx emissions were measured by a gas-sampling probe in a flame-tube rig at the following conditions: inlet temperature of 810 K (1000 F), rig pressure of 10 atm, reference velocity of 150 ft/s, and residence time near 0.005 s. Additionally, a focused Schlieren diagnostic technique coupled with a high speed camera was used to provide a qualitative description of the spatial flow field.

Neural correlates of cigarette health warning avoidance among smokers.

PubMed

Stothart, George; Maynard, Olivia; Lavis, Rosie; Munafò, Marcus

2016-04-01

Eye-tracking technology has indicated that daily smokers actively avoid pictorial cigarette package health warnings. Avoidance may be due to a pre-cognitive perceptual bias or a higher order cognitive bias, such as reduced emotional processing. Using electroencephalography (EEG), this study aimed to identify the temporal point at which smokers' responses to health warnings begin to differ. Non-smokers (n=20) and daily smokers (n=20) viewed pictorial cigarette package health warnings and neutral control stimuli. These elicited Event Related Potentials reflecting early perceptual processing (visual P1), pre-attentive change detection (visual Mismatch Negativity), selective attentional orientation (P3) and a measure of emotional processing, the Late Positive Potential (LPP). There was no evidence for a difference in P1 responses between smokers and non-smokers. There was no difference in vMMN and P3 amplitude but some evidence for a delay in vMMN latency amongst smokers. There was strong evidence for delayed and reduced LPP to health warning stimuli amongst smokers compared to non-smokers. We find no evidence for an early perceptual bias in smokers' visual perception of health warnings but strong evidence that smokers are less sensitive to the emotional content of cigarette health warnings. Future health warning development should focus on increasing the emotional salience of pictorial health warning content amongst smokers. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Empathy, Pain and Attention: Cues that Predict Pain Stimulation to the Partner and the Self Capture Visual Attention

PubMed Central

Wu, Lingdan; Kirmse, Ursula; Flaisch, Tobias; Boiandina, Ganna; Kenter, Anna; Schupp, Harald T.

2017-01-01

Empathy motivates helping and cooperative behaviors and plays an important role in social interactions and personal communication. The present research examined the hypothesis that a state of empathy guides attention towards stimuli significant to others in a similar way as to stimuli relevant to the self. Sixteen couples in romantic partnerships were examined in a pain-related empathy paradigm including an anticipation phase and a stimulation phase. Abstract visual symbols (i.e., arrows and flashes) signaled the delivery of a Pain or Nopain stimulus to the partner or the self while dense sensor event-related potentials (ERPs) were simultaneously recorded from both persons. During the anticipation phase, stimuli predicting Pain compared to Nopain stimuli to the partner elicited a larger early posterior negativity (EPN) and late positive potential (LPP), which were similar in topography and latency to the EPN and LPP modulations elicited by stimuli signaling pain for the self. Noteworthy, using abstract cue symbols to cue Pain and Nopain stimuli suggests that these effects are not driven by perceptual features. The findings demonstrate that symbolic stimuli relevant for the partner capture attention, which implies a state of empathy to the pain of the partner. From a broader perspective, states of empathy appear to regulate attention processing according to the perceived needs and goals of the partner. PMID:28979199

Time course of emotion-related responding during distraction and reappraisal.

PubMed

Schönfelder, Sandra; Kanske, Philipp; Heissler, Janine; Wessa, Michèle

2014-09-01

Theoretical accounts of emotion regulation (ER) discriminate various cognitive strategies to voluntarily modify emotional states. Amongst these, attentional deployment (i.e. distraction) and cognitive change (i.e. reappraisal), have been shown to successfully down-regulate emotions. Neuroimaging studies found that both strategies differentially engage neural structures associated with selective attention, working memory and cognitive control. The aim of this study was to further delineate similarities and differences between the ER strategies reappraisal and distraction by investigating their temporal brain dynamics using event-related potentials (ERPs) and their patterns of facial expressive behavior. Twenty-one participants completed an ER experiment in which they had to either passively view positive, neutral and negative pictures, reinterpret them to down-regulate affective responses (reappraisal), or solve a concurrently presented mathematical equation (distraction). Results demonstrate the efficacy of both strategies in the subjective control of emotion, accompanied by reductions of facial expressive activity (Corrugator supercilii and Zygomaticus major). ERP results indicated that distraction, compared with reappraisal, yielded a stronger and earlier attenuation of the late positive potential (LPP) magnitude for negative pictures. For positive pictures, only distraction but not reappraisal had significant effect on LPP attenuation. The results support the process model of ER, separating subtypes of cognitive strategies based on their specific time course. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Decomposing fear perception: A combination of psychophysics and neurometric modeling of fear perception.

PubMed

Forscher, Emily C; Zheng, Yan; Ke, Zijun; Folstein, Jonathan; Li, Wen

2016-10-01

Emotion perception is known to involve multiple operations and waves of analysis, but specific nature of these processes remains poorly understood. Combining psychophysical testing and neurometric analysis of event-related potentials (ERPs) in a fear detection task with parametrically varied fear intensities (N=45), we sought to elucidate key processes in fear perception. Building on psychophysics marking fear perception thresholds, our neurometric model fitting identified several putative operations and stages: four key processes arose in sequence following face presentation - fear-neutral categorization (P1 at 100ms), fear detection (P300 at 320ms), valuation (early subcomponent of the late positive potential/LPP at 400-500ms) and conscious awareness (late subcomponent LPP at 500-600ms). Furthermore, within-subject brain-behavior association suggests that initial emotion categorization was mandatory and detached from behavior whereas valuation and conscious awareness directly impacted behavioral outcome (explaining 17% and 31% of the total variance, respectively). The current study thus reveals the chronometry of fear perception, ascribing psychological meaning to distinct underlying processes. The combination of early categorization and late valuation of fear reconciles conflicting (categorical versus dimensional) emotion accounts, lending support to a hybrid model. Importantly, future research could specifically interrogate these psychological processes in various behaviors and psychopathologies (e.g., anxiety and depression). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Heritability of the neural response to emotional pictures: evidence from ERPs in an adult twin sample.

PubMed

Weinberg, Anna; Venables, Noah C; Proudfit, Greg Hajcak; Patrick, Christopher J

2015-03-01

Affect-modulated event-related potentials (ERPs) are increasingly used to study psychopathology and individual differences in emotion processing. Many have suggested that variation in these neural responses reflects genetically mediated risk. However, to date, no studies have demonstrated genetic contributions to affect-modulated ERPs. The present study therefore sought to examine the heritability of a range of ERPs elicited during affective picture viewing. One hundred and thirty monozygotic and 124 dizygotic twin pairs passively viewed 30 pleasant, 30 neutral and 30 unpleasant images for 6 s each. The early posterior negativity was scored for each subject; in addition, the P300/late positive potential (LPP) was scored in multiple time windows and sites. Results indicate that the centro-parietal P300 (occurring between 300 and 600 ms) is subject to substantial genetic contributions. Furthermore, variance in the P300 elicited by affective stimuli was moderately heritable even after controlling for the P300 elicited by neutral stimuli. Later and more frontal activation (i.e. between 1000 and 3000 ms) also showed evidence of heritablity. Early parietal, and perhaps later frontal portions of the P300/LPP complex, may therefore represent promising neurobehavioral markers of genetically influenced processing of emotional information. © The Author (2014). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

HIV-positive females show blunted neurophysiological responses in an emotion-attention dual task paradigm.

PubMed

Tartar, Jaime L; McIntosh, Roger C; Rosselli, Monica; Widmayer, Susan M; Nash, Allan J

2014-06-01

Although HIV is associated with decreased emotional and cognitive functioning, the mechanisms through which affective changes can alter cognitive processes in HIV-infected individuals are unknown. We aimed to clarify this question through testing the extent to which emotionally negative stimuli prime attention to a subsequent infrequently occurring auditory tone in HIV+ compared to HIV- females. Attention to emotional compared to non-emotional pictures was measured via the LPP ERP. Subsequent attention was indexed through the N1 and late processing negativity ERP. We also assessed mood and cognitive functioning in both groups. In HIV- females, emotionally negative pictures, compared to neutral pictures, resulted in an enhanced LPP to the pictures and an enhanced N1 to subsequent tones. The HIV+ group did not show a difference in the LPP measure between picture categories, and accordingly, did not show a priming effect to the subsequent infrequent tones. The ERP findings, combined with neuropsychological deficits, suggest that HIV+ females show impairments in attention to emotionally-laden stimuli and that this impairment might be related to a loss of affective priming. This study is the first to provide physiological evidence that the LPP, a measure of attention to emotionally-charged visual stimuli, is reduced in HIV-infected individuals. These results set the stage for future work aimed at localizing brain activation to emotional stimuli in HIV+ individuals. Copyright © 2013 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Accumulation, internalization and therapeutic efficacy of neuropilin-1-targeted liposomes

PubMed Central

Paoli, Eric E.; Ingham, Elizabeth S.; Zhang, Hua; Mahakian, Lisa M.; Fite, Brett Z.; Gagnon, M. Karen; Tam, Sarah; Kheirolomoom, Azadeh; Cardiff, Robert D.; Ferrara, Katherine W.

2014-01-01

Advancements in liposomal drug delivery have produced long circulating and very stable drug formulations. These formulations minimize systemic exposure; however, unfortunately, therapeutic efficacy has remained limited due to the slow diffusion of liposomal particles within the tumor and limited release or uptake of the encapsulated drug. Here, the carboxyl-terminated CRPPR peptide, with affinity for the receptor neuropilin-1 (NRP), which is expressed on both endothelial and cancer cells, was conjugated to liposomes to enhance the tumor accumulation. Using a pH sensitive probe, liposomes were optimized for specific NRP binding and subsequent cellular internalization using in vitro cellular assays. Liposomes conjugated with the carboxyl-terminated CRPPR peptide (termed C-LPP liposomes) bound to the NRP-positive primary prostatic carcinoma cell line (PPC-1) but did not bind to the NRP-negative PC-3 cell line, and binding was observed with liposomal peptide concentrations as low as 0.16 mol%. Binding of the C-LPP liposomes was receptor-limited, with saturation observed at high liposome concentrations. The identical peptide sequence bearing an amide terminus did not bind specifically, accumulating only with a high (2.5 mol%) peptide concentration and adhering equally to NRP positive and negative cell lines. The binding of C-LPP liposomes conjugated with 0.63 mol% of the peptide was 83-fold greater than liposomes conjugated with the amide version of the peptide. Cellular internalization was also enhanced with C-LPP liposomes, with 80% internalized following 3hr incubation. Additionally, fluorescence in the blood pool (~40% of the injected dose) was similar for liposomes conjugated with 0.63 mol% of carboxyl-terminated peptide and non-targeted liposomes at 24 hr after injection, indicating stable circulation. Prior to doxorubicin treatment, in vivo tumor accumulation and vascular targeting were increased for peptide-conjugated liposomes compared to non-targeted liposomes based on confocal imaging of a fluorescent cargo, and the availability of the vascular receptor was confirmed with ultrasound molecular imaging. Finally, over a 4-week course of therapy, tumor knockdown resulting from doxorubicin-loaded, C-LPP liposomes was similar to non-targeted liposomes in syngeneic tumor-bearing FVB mice and C-LPP liposomes reduced doxorubicin accumulation in the skin and heart and eliminated skin toxicity. Taken together, our results demonstrate that a carboxyl-terminated RXXR peptide sequence, conjugated to liposomes at a concentration of 0.63 mol%, retains long circulation but enhances binding and internalization, and reduces toxicity. PMID:24434424

LACIE performance predictor final operational capability program description, volume 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

The requirements and processing logic for the LACIE Error Model program (LEM) are described. This program is an integral part of the Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE) system. LEM is that portion of the LPP (LACIE Performance Predictor) which simulates the sample segment classification, strata yield estimation, and production aggregation. LEM controls repetitive Monte Carlo trials based on input error distributions to obtain statistical estimates of the wheat area, yield, and production at different levels of aggregation. LEM interfaces with the rest of the LPP through a set of data files.

Effects of expectation congruency on event-related potentials (ERPs) to facial expressions depend on cognitive load during the expectation phase.

PubMed

Lin, Huiyan; Schulz, Claudia; Straube, Thomas

2016-10-01

Previous studies have shown that event-related potentials (ERPs) to facial expressions are modulated by expectation (congruency) and that the ERP effects of expectation congruency are altered by cognitive tasks during the expectation phase. However, it is as yet unknown whether the congruency ERP effects can be modulated by the amount of cognitive load during the expectation phase. To address this question, electroencephalogram (EEG) was acquired when participants viewed fearful and neutral facial expressions. Before the presentation of facial expressions, a cue indicating the expression of a face and subsequently, an expectation interval without any cues were presented. Facial expressions were congruent with the cues in 75% of all trials. During the expectation interval, participants had to solve a cognitive task, in which several letters were presented for target letter detection. The letters were all the same under low load, but differed under high load. Event-related potential (ERP) results showed that the amount of cognitive load during the expectation phase altered the congruency effect in N2 and EPN amplitudes for fearful faces. Congruent as compared to incongruent fearful expressions elicited larger N2 and smaller EPN amplitudes under low load, but these congruency effects were not observed under high load. For neutral faces, a congruency effect in late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes was modulated by cognitive load during the expectation phase. The LPP was more positive for incongruent as compared to congruent faces under low load, but the congruency effect was not evident under high load. The findings indicate that congruency effects on ERPs are modulated by the amount of cognitive load the expectation phase and that this modulation is altered by facial expression. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Beauty is in the belief of the beholder: cognitive influences on the neural response to facial attractiveness

PubMed Central

Thiruchselvam, Ravi; Harper, Jessica; Homer, Abigail L.

2016-01-01

Judgments of facial attractiveness are central to decision-making in various domains, but little is known about the extent to which they are malleable. In this study, we used EEG/ERP methods to examine two novel influences on neural and subjective responses to facial attractiveness: an observer’s expectation and repetition. In each trial of our task, participants viewed either an ordinary or attractive face. To alter expectations, the faces were preceded by a peer-rating that ostensibly reflected the overall attractiveness value assigned to that face by other individuals. To examine the impact of repetition, trials were presented twice throughout the experimental session. Results showed that participants’ expectations about a person’s attractiveness level powerfully altered both the neural response (i.e. the late positive potential; LPP) and self-reported attractiveness ratings. Intriguingly, repetition enhanced both the LPP and self-reported attractiveness as well. Exploratory analyses further suggested that both observer expectation and repetition modulated early neural responses (i.e. the early posterior negativity; EPN) elicited by facial attractiveness. Collectively, these results highlight novel influences on a core social judgment that underlies individuals’ affective lives. PMID:27522090

Incongruence between Verbal and Non-Verbal Information Enhances the Late Positive Potential.

PubMed

Morioka, Shu; Osumi, Michihiro; Shiotani, Mayu; Nobusako, Satoshi; Maeoka, Hiroshi; Okada, Yohei; Hiyamizu, Makoto; Matsuo, Atsushi

2016-01-01

Smooth social communication consists of both verbal and non-verbal information. However, when presented with incongruence between verbal information and nonverbal information, the relationship between an individual judging trustworthiness in those who present the verbal-nonverbal incongruence and the brain activities observed during judgment for trustworthiness are not clear. In the present study, we attempted to identify the impact of incongruencies between verbal information and facial expression on the value of trustworthiness and brain activity using event-related potentials (ERP). Combinations of verbal information [positive/negative] and facial expressions [smile/angry] expressions were presented randomly on a computer screen to 17 healthy volunteers. The value of trustworthiness of the presented facial expression was evaluated by the amount of donation offered by the observer to the person depicted on the computer screen. In addition, the time required to judge the value of trustworthiness was recorded for each trial. Using electroencephalography, ERP were obtained by averaging the wave patterns recorded while the participants judged the value of trustworthiness. The amount of donation offered was significantly lower when the verbal information and facial expression were incongruent, particularly for [negative × smile]. The amplitude of the early posterior negativity (EPN) at the temporal lobe showed no significant difference between all conditions. However, the amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP) at the parietal electrodes for the incongruent condition [negative × smile] was higher than that for the congruent condition [positive × smile]. These results suggest that the LPP amplitude observed from the parietal cortex is involved in the processing of incongruence between verbal information and facial expression.

Specific Reaction Patterns to Distinct Positive Emotional Cues Related to Incentive Motivation in Dependence of the Taq1A-Polymorphism: Molecular Genetic Associations of Early and Late Event-Related Potentials.

PubMed

Munk, Aisha J L; Wielpuetz, Catrin; Osinsky, Roman; Müller, Erik M; Grant, Phillip; Hennig, Jürgen

2016-01-01

Early and late event-related potential (ERP) responses, representing early subconscious and late motivational processes, were recorded for positive emotional words related to 'wanting' and 'liking', in dependence of the dopamine-related Taq1A genotype (ANKK1/DRD2). Research suggests that 'wanting' as opposed to 'liking' is related to dopaminergic processes. Therefore, it was hypothesized that risk allele carriers of the Taq1A polymorphism exhibit late ERP changes in reaction to words representing incentive motivation, i.e. 'wanting' (word categories 'lust' and 'anticipation'), but not to words representing 'liking' ('closeness'). Seventy-two male participants performed an emotional-word Stroop task during EEG recording and were genotyped according to the Taq1A polymorphism of ANKK1/DRD2. Positive emotional words related to anticipation and lust revealed blunted responses in the late positive potential (LPP) in carriers of the A1 allele, an effect absent in response to 'liking'-related words. These differences were not evident in the earlier posterior negativity (EPN). As no differences in dependence of the Taq1A genotype were observed in reaction to 'wanting'- and 'liking'-related words in the EPN, but merely in the LPP, it can be assumed that incentive-motivational stimuli only modify motivation-related ERP responses in carriers of the A1 allele of the Taq1A polymorphism, indicating the role of dopamine in late ERP components. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

A step into the anarchist’s mind: examining political attitudes and ideology through event-related brain potentials

PubMed Central

Van Hiel, Alain; Pattyn, Sven; Onraet, Emma; Severens, Els

2012-01-01

The present study investigates patterns of event-related brain potentials following the presentation of attitudinal stimuli among political moderates (N = 12) and anarchists (N = 11). We used a modified oddball paradigm to investigate the evaluative inconsistency effect elicited by stimuli embedded in a sequence of contextual stimuli with an opposite valence. Increased late positive potentials (LPPs) of extreme political attitudes were observed. Moreover, this LPP enhancement was larger among anarchists than among moderates, indicating that an extreme political attitude of a moderate differs from an extreme political attitude of an anarchist. The discussion elaborates on the meaning of attitude extremity for moderates and extremists. PMID:21421734

Ion flux enhancements and oscillations in spatially confined laser produced aluminum plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, S. C.; Fallon, C.; Hayden, P.; Mujawar, M.; Yeates, P.; Costello, J. T.

2014-09-01

Ion signals from laser produced plasmas (LPPs) generated inside aluminum rectangular cavities at a fixed depth d = 2 mm and varying width, x = 1.0, 1.6, and 2.75 mm were obtained by spatially varying the position of a negatively biased Langmuir probe. Damped oscillatory features superimposed on Maxwellian distributed ion signals were observed. Depending on the distance of the probe from the target surface, three to twelve fold enhancements in peak ion density were observed via confinement of the LPP, generated within rectangular cavities of varying width which constrained the plasma plume to near one dimensional expansion in the vertical plane. The effects of lateral spatial confinement on the expansion velocity of the LPP plume front, the temperature, density and expansion velocity of ions, enhancement of ion flux, and ion energy distribution were recorded. The periodic behavior of ion signals was analyzed and found to be related to the electron plasma frequency and electron-ion collision frequency. The effects of confinement and enhancement of various ion parameters and expansion velocities of the LPP ion plume are explained on the basis of shock wave theory.

Hollow laser plasma self-confined microjet generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sizyuk, Valeryi; Hassanein, Ahmed; CenterMaterials under Extreme Environment Team

2017-10-01

Hollow laser beam produced plasma (LPP) devices are being used for the generation of the self-confined cumulative microjet. Most important place by this LPP device construction is achieving of an annular distribution of the laser beam intensity by spot. An integrated model is being developed to detailed simulation of the plasma generation and evolution inside the laser beam channel. The model describes in two temperature approximation hydrodynamic processes in plasma, laser absorption processes, heat conduction, and radiation energy transport. The total variation diminishing scheme in the Lax-Friedrich formulation for the description of plasma hydrodynamic is used. Laser absorption and radiation transport models on the base of Monte Carlo method are being developed. Heat conduction part on the implicit scheme with sparse matrixes using is realized. The developed models are being integrated into HEIGHTS-LPP computer simulation package. The integrated modeling of the hollow beam laser plasma generation showed the self-confinement and acceleration of the plasma microjet inside the laser channel. It was found dependence of the microjet parameters including radiation emission on the hole and beam radiuses ratio. This work is supported by the National Science Foundation, PIRE project.

Sector Tests of a Low-NO(sub x), Lean, Direct- Injection, Multipoint Integrated Module Combustor Concept Conducted

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tacina, Robert R.; Wey, Chang-Lie; Laing, Peter; Mansour, Adel

2002-01-01

The low-emissions combustor development described is directed toward advanced high pressure aircraft gas-turbine applications. The emphasis of this research is to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) at high-power conditions and to maintain carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons at their current low levels at low power conditions. Low-NOx combustors can be classified into rich-burn and lean-burn concepts. Lean-burn combustors can be further classified into lean-premixed-prevaporized (LPP) and lean direct injection (LDI) concepts. In both concepts, all the combustor air, except for liner cooling flow, enters through the combustor dome so that the combustion occurs at the lowest possible flame temperature. The LPP concept has been shown to have the lowest NOx emissions, but for advanced high-pressure-ratio engines, the possibility of autoignition or flashback precludes its use. LDI differs from LPP in that the fuel is injected directly into the flame zone, and thus, it does not have the potential for autoignition or flashback and should have greater stability. However, since it is not premixed and prevaporized, good atomization is necessary and the fuel must be mixed quickly and uniformly so that flame temperatures are low and NOx formation levels are comparable to those of LPP. The LDI concept described is a multipoint fuel injection/multiburning zone concept. Each of the multiple fuel injectors has an air swirler associated with it to provide quick mixing and a small recirculation zone for burning. The multipoint fuel injection provides quick, uniform mixing and the small multiburning zones provide for reduced burning residence time, resulting in low NOx formation. An integrated-module approach was used for the construction where chemically etched laminates, diffusion bonded together, combine the fuel injectors, air swirlers, and fuel manifold into a single element. The multipoint concept combustor was demonstrated in a 15 sector test. The configuration tested had 36 fuel injectors and fuel-air mixers that replaced two fuel injectors in a conventional dual-annular combustor. During tests, inlet temperatures were up to 870 K and inlet pressures were up to 5400 kPa. A correlation was developed that related the NOx emissions with the inlet temperature, inlet pressure, fuel-air ratio, and pressure drop. At low-power conditions, fuel staging was used so that high combustion efficiency was obtained with only one-fourth of the fuel injectors flowing. The test facility had optical access, and visual images showed the flame to be very short, approximately 25 mm long.

High-Throughput, Signature-Tagged Mutagenic Approach To Identify Novel Virulence Factors of Yersinia pestis CO92 in a Mouse Model of Infection

PubMed Central

Ponnusamy, Duraisamy; Fitts, Eric C.; Erova, Tatiana E.; Kozlova, Elena V.; Kirtley, Michelle L.; Tiner, Bethany L.; Andersson, Jourdan A.

2015-01-01

The identification of new virulence factors in Yersinia pestis and understanding their molecular mechanisms during an infection process are necessary in designing a better vaccine or to formulate an appropriate therapeutic intervention. By using a high-throughput, signature-tagged mutagenic approach, we created 5,088 mutants of Y. pestis strain CO92 and screened them in a mouse model of pneumonic plague at a dose equivalent to 5 50% lethal doses (LD50) of wild-type (WT) CO92. From this screen, we obtained 118 clones showing impairment in disseminating to the spleen, based on hybridization of input versus output DNA from mutant pools with 53 unique signature tags. In the subsequent screen, 20/118 mutants exhibited attenuation at 8 LD50 when tested in a mouse model of bubonic plague, with infection by 10/20 of the aforementioned mutants resulting in 40% or higher survival rates at an infectious dose of 40 LD50. Upon sequencing, six of the attenuated mutants were found to carry interruptions in genes encoding hypothetical proteins or proteins with putative functions. Mutants with in-frame deletion mutations of two of the genes identified from the screen, namely, rbsA, which codes for a putative sugar transport system ATP-binding protein, and vasK, a component of the type VI secretion system, were also found to exhibit some attenuation at 11 or 12 LD50 in a mouse model of pneumonic plague. Likewise, among the remaining 18 signature-tagged mutants, 9 were also attenuated (40 to 100%) at 12 LD50 in a pneumonic plague mouse model. Previously, we found that deleting genes encoding Braun lipoprotein (Lpp) and acyltransferase (MsbB), the latter of which modifies lipopolysaccharide function, reduced the virulence of Y. pestis CO92 in mouse models of bubonic and pneumonic plague. Deletion of rbsA and vasK genes from either the Δlpp single or the Δlpp ΔmsbB double mutant augmented the attenuation to provide 90 to 100% survivability to mice in a pneumonic plague model at 20 to 50 LD50. The mice infected with the Δlpp ΔmsbB ΔrbsA triple mutant at 50 LD50 were 90% protected upon subsequent challenge with 12 LD50 of WT CO92, suggesting that this mutant or others carrying combinational deletions of genes identified through our screen could potentially be further tested and developed into a live attenuated plague vaccine(s). PMID:25754198

High-throughput, signature-tagged mutagenic approach to identify novel virulence factors of Yersinia pestis CO92 in a mouse model of infection.

PubMed

Ponnusamy, Duraisamy; Fitts, Eric C; Sha, Jian; Erova, Tatiana E; Kozlova, Elena V; Kirtley, Michelle L; Tiner, Bethany L; Andersson, Jourdan A; Chopra, Ashok K

2015-05-01

The identification of new virulence factors in Yersinia pestis and understanding their molecular mechanisms during an infection process are necessary in designing a better vaccine or to formulate an appropriate therapeutic intervention. By using a high-throughput, signature-tagged mutagenic approach, we created 5,088 mutants of Y. pestis strain CO92 and screened them in a mouse model of pneumonic plague at a dose equivalent to 5 50% lethal doses (LD50) of wild-type (WT) CO92. From this screen, we obtained 118 clones showing impairment in disseminating to the spleen, based on hybridization of input versus output DNA from mutant pools with 53 unique signature tags. In the subsequent screen, 20/118 mutants exhibited attenuation at 8 LD50 when tested in a mouse model of bubonic plague, with infection by 10/20 of the aforementioned mutants resulting in 40% or higher survival rates at an infectious dose of 40 LD50. Upon sequencing, six of the attenuated mutants were found to carry interruptions in genes encoding hypothetical proteins or proteins with putative functions. Mutants with in-frame deletion mutations of two of the genes identified from the screen, namely, rbsA, which codes for a putative sugar transport system ATP-binding protein, and vasK, a component of the type VI secretion system, were also found to exhibit some attenuation at 11 or 12 LD50 in a mouse model of pneumonic plague. Likewise, among the remaining 18 signature-tagged mutants, 9 were also attenuated (40 to 100%) at 12 LD50 in a pneumonic plague mouse model. Previously, we found that deleting genes encoding Braun lipoprotein (Lpp) and acyltransferase (MsbB), the latter of which modifies lipopolysaccharide function, reduced the virulence of Y. pestis CO92 in mouse models of bubonic and pneumonic plague. Deletion of rbsA and vasK genes from either the Δlpp single or the Δlpp ΔmsbB double mutant augmented the attenuation to provide 90 to 100% survivability to mice in a pneumonic plague model at 20 to 50 LD50. The mice infected with the Δlpp ΔmsbB ΔrbsA triple mutant at 50 LD50 were 90% protected upon subsequent challenge with 12 LD50 of WT CO92, suggesting that this mutant or others carrying combinational deletions of genes identified through our screen could potentially be further tested and developed into a live attenuated plague vaccine(s). Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

A simple ERP method for quantitative analysis of cognitive workload in myoelectric prosthesis control and human-machine interaction.

PubMed

Deeny, Sean; Chicoine, Caitlin; Hargrove, Levi; Parrish, Todd; Jayaraman, Arun

2014-01-01

Common goals in the development of human-machine interface (HMI) technology are to reduce cognitive workload and increase function. However, objective and quantitative outcome measures assessing cognitive workload have not been standardized for HMI research. The present study examines the efficacy of a simple event-related potential (ERP) measure of cortical effort during myoelectric control of a virtual limb for use as an outcome tool. Participants trained and tested on two methods of control, direct control (DC) and pattern recognition control (PRC), while electroencephalographic (EEG) activity was recorded. Eighteen healthy participants with intact limbs were tested using DC and PRC under three conditions: passive viewing, easy, and hard. Novel auditory probes were presented at random intervals during testing, and significant task-difficulty effects were observed in the P200, P300, and a late positive potential (LPP), supporting the efficacy of ERPs as a cognitive workload measure in HMI tasks. LPP amplitude distinguished DC from PRC in the hard condition with higher amplitude in PRC, consistent with lower cognitive workload in PRC relative to DC for complex movements. Participants completed trials faster in the easy condition using DC relative to PRC, but completed trials more slowly using DC relative to PRC in the hard condition. The results provide promising support for ERPs as an outcome measure for cognitive workload in HMI research such as prosthetics, exoskeletons, and other assistive devices, and can be used to evaluate and guide new technologies for more intuitive HMI control.

A step into the anarchist's mind: examining political attitudes and ideology through event-related brain potentials.

PubMed

Dhont, Kristof; Van Hiel, Alain; Pattyn, Sven; Onraet, Emma; Severens, Els

2012-03-01

The present study investigates patterns of event-related brain potentials following the presentation of attitudinal stimuli among political moderates (N=12) and anarchists (N=11). We used a modified oddball paradigm to investigate the evaluative inconsistency effect elicited by stimuli embedded in a sequence of contextual stimuli with an opposite valence. Increased late positive potentials (LPPs) of extreme political attitudes were observed. Moreover, this LPP enhancement was larger among anarchists than among moderates, indicating that an extreme political attitude of a moderate differs from an extreme political attitude of an anarchist. The discussion elaborates on the meaning of attitude extremity for moderates and extremists. © The Author (2011). Published by Oxford University Press.

Repetitive Religious Chanting Modulates the Late-Stage Brain Response to Fear- and Stress-Provoking Pictures.

PubMed

Gao, Junling; Fan, Jicong; Wu, Bonnie W; Halkias, Georgios T; Chau, Maggie; Fung, Peter C; Chang, Chunqi; Zhang, Zhiguo; Hung, Yeung-Sam; Sik, Hinhung

2016-01-01

Chanting and praying are among the most popular religious activities, which are said to be able to alleviate people's negative emotions. However, the neural mechanisms underlying this mental exercise and its temporal course have hardly been investigated. Here, we used event-related potentials (ERPs) to explore the effects of chanting the name of a Buddha (Amitābha) on the brain's response to viewing negative pictures that were fear- and stress-provoking. We recorded and analyzed electroencephalography (EEG) data from 21 Buddhists with chanting experience as they viewed negative and neutral pictures. Participants were instructed to chant the names of Amitābha or Santa Claus silently to themselves or simply remain silent (no-chanting condition) during picture viewing. To measure the physiological changes corresponding to negative emotions, electrocardiogram and galvanic skin response data were also collected. Results showed that viewing negative pictures (vs. neutral pictures) increased the amplitude of the N1 component in all the chanting conditions. The amplitude of late positive potential (LPP) also increased when the negative pictures were viewed under the no-chanting and the Santa Claus condition. However, increased LPP was not observed when chanting Amitābha. The ERP source analysis confirmed this finding and showed that increased LPP mainly originated from the central-parietal regions of the brain. In addition, the participants' heart rates decreased significantly when viewing negative pictures in the Santa Claus condition. The no-chanting condition had a similar decreasing trend although not significant. However, while chanting Amitābha and viewing negative pictures participants' heart rate did not differ significantly from that observed during neutral picture viewing. It is possible that the chanting of Amitābha might have helped the participants to develop a religious schema and neutralized the effect of the negative stimuli. These findings echo similar research findings on Christian religious practices and brain responses to negative stimuli. Hence, prayer/religious practices may have cross-cultural universality in emotion regulation. This study shows for the first time that Buddhist chanting, or in a broader sense, repetition of religious prayers will not modulate brain responses to negative stimuli during the early perceptual stage, but only during the late-stage emotional/cognitive processing.

Repetitive Religious Chanting Modulates the Late-Stage Brain Response to Fear- and Stress-Provoking Pictures

PubMed Central

Gao, Junling; Fan, Jicong; Wu, Bonnie W.; Halkias, Georgios T.; Chau, Maggie; Fung, Peter C.; Chang, Chunqi; Zhang, Zhiguo; Hung, Yeung-Sam; Sik, Hinhung

2017-01-01

Chanting and praying are among the most popular religious activities, which are said to be able to alleviate people’s negative emotions. However, the neural mechanisms underlying this mental exercise and its temporal course have hardly been investigated. Here, we used event-related potentials (ERPs) to explore the effects of chanting the name of a Buddha (Amitābha) on the brain’s response to viewing negative pictures that were fear- and stress-provoking. We recorded and analyzed electroencephalography (EEG) data from 21 Buddhists with chanting experience as they viewed negative and neutral pictures. Participants were instructed to chant the names of Amitābha or Santa Claus silently to themselves or simply remain silent (no-chanting condition) during picture viewing. To measure the physiological changes corresponding to negative emotions, electrocardiogram and galvanic skin response data were also collected. Results showed that viewing negative pictures (vs. neutral pictures) increased the amplitude of the N1 component in all the chanting conditions. The amplitude of late positive potential (LPP) also increased when the negative pictures were viewed under the no-chanting and the Santa Claus condition. However, increased LPP was not observed when chanting Amitābha. The ERP source analysis confirmed this finding and showed that increased LPP mainly originated from the central-parietal regions of the brain. In addition, the participants’ heart rates decreased significantly when viewing negative pictures in the Santa Claus condition. The no-chanting condition had a similar decreasing trend although not significant. However, while chanting Amitābha and viewing negative pictures participants’ heart rate did not differ significantly from that observed during neutral picture viewing. It is possible that the chanting of Amitābha might have helped the participants to develop a religious schema and neutralized the effect of the negative stimuli. These findings echo similar research findings on Christian religious practices and brain responses to negative stimuli. Hence, prayer/religious practices may have cross-cultural universality in emotion regulation. This study shows for the first time that Buddhist chanting, or in a broader sense, repetition of religious prayers will not modulate brain responses to negative stimuli during the early perceptual stage, but only during the late-stage emotional/cognitive processing. PMID:28119651

Psychosocial intervention in at-risk adolescents: using event-related potentials to assess changes in decision making and feedback processing.

PubMed

Pincham, H L; Bryce, D; Fonagy, P; Fearon, R M Pasco

2018-05-25

Decision making and feedback processing are two important cognitive processes that are impacted by social context, particularly during adolescence. The current study examined whether a psychosocial intervention could improve psychological wellbeing in at-risk adolescent boys, thereby improving their decision making and feedback processing skills. Two groups of at-risk adolescents were compared: those who were relatively new to a psychosocial intervention, and those who had engaged over a longer time period. Electroencephalography was recorded while the young people participated in a modified version of the Taylor Aggression Paradigm. The late positive potential (LPP) was measured during the decision phase of the task (where participants selected punishments for their opponents). The feedback-related negativity (FRN) and P3 components were measured during the task's outcome phase (where participants received 'win' or 'lose' feedback). Adolescents who were new to the intervention (the minimal-intervention group) were harsher in their punishment selections than those who had been engaged in the program for much longer. The minimal-intervention group also showed an enhanced LPP during the decision phase of the task, which may be indicative of immature decision making in that group. Analysis of the FRN and P3 amplitudes revealed that the minimal-intervention group was physiologically hypo-sensitive to feedback, compared with the extended-intervention group. Overall, these findings suggest that long-term community-based psychosocial intervention programs are beneficial for at-risk adolescents, and that event-related potentials can be employed as biomarkers of therapeutic change. However, because participants were not randomly allocated to treatment groups, alternative explanations cannot be excluded until further randomized controlled trials are undertaken.

Defensive motivation and attention in anticipation of different types of predictable and unpredictable threat: A startle and event-related potential investigation.

PubMed

Nelson, Brady D; Hajcak, Greg

2017-08-01

Predictability is an important characteristic of threat that impacts defensive motivation and attentional engagement. Supporting research has primarily focused on actual threat (e.g., shocks), and it is unclear whether the predictability of less intense threat (e.g., unpleasant pictures) similarly affects motivation and attention. The present study utilized a within-subject design and examined defensive motivation (startle reflex and self-reported anxiety) and attention (probe N100 and P300) in anticipation of shocks and unpleasant pictures during a no, predictable, and unpredictable threat task. This study also examined the impact of predictability on the P300 to shocks and late positive potential (LPP) to unpleasant pictures. The startle reflex and self-reported anxiety were increased in anticipation of both types of threat relative to no threat. Furthermore, startle potentiation in anticipation of unpredictable threat was greater for shocks compared to unpleasant pictures, but there was no difference for predictable threat. The probe N100 was enhanced in anticipation of unpredictable threat relative to predictable threat and no threat, and the probe P300 was suppressed in anticipation of predictable and unpredictable threat relative to no threat. These effects did not differ between the shock and unpleasant picture trials. Finally, the P300 and early LPP component were increased in response to unpredictable relative to predictable shocks and unpleasant pictures, respectively. The present study suggests that the unpredictability of unpleasant pictures increases defensive motivation, but to a lesser degree relative to actual threat. Moreover, unpredictability enhances attentional engagement in anticipation of, and in reaction to, both types of threat. © 2017 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Brain-behavioral adaptability predicts response to cognitive behavioral therapy for emotional disorders: A person-centered event-related potential study.

PubMed

Stange, Jonathan P; MacNamara, Annmarie; Kennedy, Amy E; Hajcak, Greg; Phan, K Luan; Klumpp, Heide

2017-06-23

Single-trial-level analyses afford the ability to link neural indices of elaborative attention (such as the late positive potential [LPP], an event-related potential) with downstream markers of attentional processing (such as reaction time [RT]). This approach can provide useful information about individual differences in information processing, such as the ability to adapt behavior based on attentional demands ("brain-behavioral adaptability"). Anxiety and depression are associated with maladaptive information processing implicating aberrant cognition-emotion interactions, but whether brain-behavioral adaptability predicts response to psychotherapy is not known. We used a novel person-centered, trial-level analysis approach to link neural indices of stimulus processing to behavioral responses and to predict treatment outcome. Thirty-nine patients with anxiety and/or depression received 12 weeks of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Prior to treatment, patients performed a speeded reaction-time task involving briefly-presented pairs of aversive and neutral pictures while electroencephalography was recorded. Multilevel modeling demonstrated that larger LPPs predicted slower responses on subsequent trials, suggesting that increased attention to the task-irrelevant nature of pictures interfered with reaction time on subsequent trials. Whereas using LPP and RT averages did not distinguish CBT responders from nonresponders, in trial-level analyses individuals who demonstrated greater ability to benefit behaviorally (i.e., faster RT) from smaller LPPs on the previous trial (greater brain-behavioral adaptability) were more likely to respond to treatment and showed greater improvements in depressive symptoms. These results highlight the utility of trial-level analyses to elucidate variability in within-subjects, brain-behavioral attentional coupling in the context of emotion processing, in predicting response to CBT for emotional disorders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatiotemporal neural dynamics of moral judgment: A high-density ERP study

PubMed Central

Yoder, Keith J.

2014-01-01

Morality is a pervasive aspect of human nature across all cultures, and neuroscience investigations are necessary for identifying what computational mechanisms underpin moral cognition. The current study used high-density ERPs to examine how moral evaluations are mediated by automatic and controlled processes as well as how quickly information and causal-intentional representations can be extracted when viewing morally laden behavior. The study also explored the extent to which individual dispositions in affective and cognitive empathy as well as justice sensitivity influence the encoding of moral valence when healthy participants make moral judgments about prosocial (interpersonal assistance) and antisocial (interpersonal harm) actions. Moral judgment differences were reflected in differential amplitudes for components associated with cognitive appraisal (LPP) as well as early components associated with emotional salience (N1 and N2). Moreover, source estimation was performed to indicate potential neural generators. A posterior-to-anterior shift was observed, with current density peaks first in right inferior parietal cortex (at the temporoparietal junction), then later in medial prefrontal cortex. Cognitive empathy scores predicted behavioral ratings of blame as well as differential amplitudes in LPP and component activity at posterior sites. Overall, this study offers important insights into the temporal unfolding of moral evaluations, including when in time individual differences in empathy influence neural encoding of moral valence. PMID:24905282

Processing of visual food cues during bitter taste perception in female patients with binge-eating symptoms: A cross-modal ERP study.

PubMed

Schienle, Anne; Scharmüller, Wilfried; Schwab, Daniela

2017-11-01

In healthy individuals, the perception of an intense bitter taste decreased the reward value of visual food cues, as reflected by the reduction of a specific event-related brain potential (ERP), frontal late positivity. The current cross-modal ERP study investigated responses of female patients with binge-eating symptoms (BES) to this type of visual-gustatory stimulation. Women with BES (n=36) and female control participants (n=38) viewed food images after they rinsed their mouth with either bitter wormwood tea or water. Relative to controls, the patients showed elevated late positivity (LPP: 400-700ms) to the food images in the bitter condition. The LPP source was located in the medial prefrontal cortex. Both groups did not differ in the ratings for the fluids (intensity, bitterness, disgust). This ERP study showed that a bitter taste did not decrease late positivity to visual food cues (reflecting food reward) in women with BES. The atypical bitter responding might be a biological marker of this condition and possibly contributes to overeating. Future studies should additionally record food intake behavior to further investigate this mechanism. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Beauty is in the belief of the beholder: cognitive influences on the neural response to facial attractiveness.

PubMed

Thiruchselvam, Ravi; Harper, Jessica; Homer, Abigail L

2016-12-01

Judgments of facial attractiveness are central to decision-making in various domains, but little is known about the extent to which they are malleable. In this study, we used EEG/ERP methods to examine two novel influences on neural and subjective responses to facial attractiveness: an observer's expectation and repetition. In each trial of our task, participants viewed either an ordinary or attractive face. To alter expectations, the faces were preceded by a peer-rating that ostensibly reflected the overall attractiveness value assigned to that face by other individuals. To examine the impact of repetition, trials were presented twice throughout the experimental session. Results showed that participants' expectations about a person's attractiveness level powerfully altered both the neural response (i.e. the late positive potential; LPP) and self-reported attractiveness ratings. Intriguingly, repetition enhanced both the LPP and self-reported attractiveness as well. Exploratory analyses further suggested that both observer expectation and repetition modulated early neural responses (i.e. the early posterior negativity; EPN) elicited by facial attractiveness. Collectively, these results highlight novel influences on a core social judgment that underlies individuals' affective lives. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Emotional intensity influences pre-implementation and implementation of distraction and reappraisal

PubMed Central

Shafir, Roni; Schwartz, Naama; Blechert, Jens

2015-01-01

Although emotional intensity powerfully challenges regulatory strategies, its influence remains largely unexplored in affective-neuroscience. Accordingly, the present study addressed the moderating role of emotional intensity in two regulatory stages—implementation (during regulation) and pre-implementation (prior to regulation), of two major cognitive regulatory strategies—distraction and reappraisal. According to our framework, because distraction implementation involves early attentional disengagement from emotional information before it gathers force, in high-intensity it should be more effective in the short-term, relative to reappraisal, which modulates emotional processing only at a late semantic meaning phase. Supporting findings showed that in high (but not low) intensity, distraction implementation resulted in stronger modulation of negative experience, reduced neural emotional processing (centro-parietal late positive potential, LPP), with suggestive evidence for less cognitive effort (frontal-LPP), relative to reappraisal. Related pre-implementation findings confirmed that anticipating regulation of high-intensity stimuli resulted in distraction (over reappraisal) preference. In contrast, anticipating regulation of low-intensity stimuli resulted in reappraisal (over distraction) preference, which is most beneficial for long-term adaptation. Furthermore, anticipating cognitively demanding regulation, either in cases of regulating counter to these preferences or via the more effortful strategy of reappraisal, enhanced neural attentional resource allocation (Stimulus Preceding Negativity). Broad implications are discussed. PMID:25700568

An experimental study of the stable and unstable operation of an LPP gas turbine combustor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhanuka, Sulabh Kumar

A study was performed to better understand the stable operation of an LPP combustor and formulate a mechanism behind the unstable operation. A unique combustor facility was developed at the University of Michigan that incorporates the latest injector developed by GE Aircraft Engines and enables operation at elevated pressures with preheated air at flow-rates reflective of actual conditions. The large optical access has enabled the use of a multitude of state-of-the-art laser diagnostics such as PIV and PLIF, and has shed invaluable light not only into the GE injector specifically but also into gas turbine combustors in general. Results from Particle Imaging Velocimetry (PIV) have illustrated the role of velocity, instantaneous vortices, and key recirculation zones that are all critical to the combustor's operation. It was found that considerable differences exist between the iso-thermal and reacting flows, and between the instantaneous and mean flow fields. To image the flame, Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) of the formaldehyde radical was successfully utilized for the first time in a Jet-A flame. Parameters regarding the flame's location and structure have been obtained that assist in interpreting the velocity results. These results have also shown that some of the fuel injected from the main fuel injectors actually reacts in the diffusion flame of the pilot. The unstable operation of the combustor was studied in depth to obtain the stability limits of the combustor, behavior of the flame dynamics, and frequencies of the oscillations. Results from simultaneous pressure and high speed chemiluminescence images have shown that the low frequency dynamics can be characterized as flashback oscillations. The results have also shown that the stability of the combustor can be explained by simple and well established premixed flame stability mechanisms. This study has allowed the development of a model that describes the instability mechanism and accurately captures the frequencies of the oscillations. By demonstrating how these classical understandings can be applied to the extremely complicated flow within LPP gas turbine combustors, new insight has been provided that will aid in the development of the next generation of cleaner, more stable gas turbine combustors.

Face the hierarchy: ERP and oscillatory brain responses in social rank processing.

PubMed

Breton, Audrey; Jerbi, Karim; Henaff, Marie-Anne; Cheylus, Anne; Baudouin, Jean-Yves; Schmitz, Christina; Krolak-Salmon, Pierre; Van der Henst, Jean-Baptiste

2014-01-01

Recognition of social hierarchy is a key feature that helps us navigate through our complex social environment. Neuroimaging studies have identified brain structures involved in the processing of hierarchical stimuli but the precise temporal dynamics of brain activity associated with such processing remains largely unknown. Here, we used electroencephalography to examine the effect of social hierarchy on neural responses elicited by faces. In contrast to previous studies, the key manipulation was that a hierarchical context was constructed, not by varying facial expressions, but by presenting neutral-expression faces in a game setting. Once the performance-based hierarchy was established, participants were presented with high-rank, middle-rank and low-rank player faces and had to evaluate the rank of each face with respect to their own position. Both event-related potentials and task-related oscillatory activity were investigated. Three main findings emerge from the study. First, the experimental manipulation had no effect on the early N170 component, which may suggest that hierarchy did not modulate the structural encoding of neutral-expression faces. Second, hierarchy significantly modulated the amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP) within a 400-700 ms time-window, with more a prominent LPP occurring when the participants processed the face of the highest-rank player. Third, high-rank faces were associated with the highest reduction of alpha power. Taken together these findings provide novel electrophysiological evidence for enhanced allocation of attentional resource in the presence of high-rank faces. At a broader level, this study brings new insights into the neural processing underlying social categorization.

Gender Difference in Event Related Potentials to Masked Emotional Stimuli in the Oddball Task

PubMed Central

Kim, Eun Young; Park, Gewnhi; Kim, Sangrae; Kim, Imyel; Chae, Jeong-Ho; Kim, Hyun Taek

2013-01-01

Objective We investigated gender differences in event-related potential (ERP) responses to subliminally presented threat-related stimuli. Methods Twenty-four participants were presented with threat-related and neutral pictures for a very brief period of time (17 ms). To explore gender differences in ERP responses to subliminally presented stimuli, we examined six ERP components [P1, N170, N250, P300, Early Posterior Negativity (EPN) and Late Positive Potential (LPP)]. Results The result revealed that only female participants showed significant increases in the N170 and the EPN in response to subliminally presented threat-related stimuli compared to neutral stimuli. Conclusion Our results suggest that female participants exhibit greater cortical processing of subliminally presented threat-related stimuli than male participants. PMID:23798965

Compartmentalizing the embryo

PubMed Central

Ile, Kristina E.; Renault, Andrew D.

2013-01-01

Lipid phosphate phosphatases (LPPs) are a class of enzymes that can dephosphorylate a number of lysophopholipids in vitro. Analysis of knockouts of LPP family members has demonstrated striking but diverse developmental roles for these enzymes. LPP3 is required for mouse vascular development while the Drosophila LPPs Wunen (Wun) and Wunen2 (Wun2) are required during embryogenesis for germ cell migration and survival. In a recent publication we examined if these fly LPPs have further developmental roles and found that Wun is required for proper tracheal formation. In particular we highlight a role for Wun in septate junction mediated barrier function in the tracheal system. In this paper we discuss further the possible mechanisms by which LPPs may influence barrier activity. PMID:23221483

Computer-assisted prediction of HLA-DR binding and experimental analysis for human promiscuous Th1-cell peptides in the 24 kDa secreted lipoprotein (LppX) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

PubMed

Al-Attiyah, R; Mustafa, A S

2004-01-01

The secreted 24 kDa lipoprotein (LppX) is an antigen that is specific for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and M. leprae. The present study was carried out to identify the promiscuous T helper 1 (Th1)-cell epitopes of the M. tuberculosis LppX (MT24, Rv2945c) antigen by using 15 overlapping synthetic peptides (25 mers overlapping by 10 residues) covering the sequence of the complete protein. The analysis of Rv2945c sequence for binding to 51 alleles of nine serologically defined HLA-DR molecules, by using a virtual matrix-based prediction program (propred), showed that eight of the 15 peptides of Rv2945c were predicted to bind promiscuously to >/=10 alleles from more than or equal to three serologically defined HLA-DR molecules. The Th1-cell reactivity of all the peptides was assessed in antigen-induced proliferation and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)-secretion assays with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 37 bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-vaccinated healthy subjects. The results showed that 17 of the 37 donors, which represented an HLA-DR-heterogeneous group, responded to one or more peptides of Rv2945c in the Th1-cell assays. Although each peptide stimulated PBMCs from one or more donors in the above assays, the best positive responses (12/17 (71%) responders) were observed with the peptide p14 (aa 196-220). This suggested a highly promiscuous presentation of p14 to Th1 cells. In addition, the sequence of p14 is completely identical among the LppX of M. tuberculosis, M. bovis and M. leprae, which further supports the usefulness of Rv2945c and p14 in the subunit vaccine design against both tuberculosis and leprosy.

Atomic processes and equation of state of high Z plasmas for EUV sources and their effects on the spatial and temporal evolution of the plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasaki, Akira; Sunahara, Atushi; Furukawa, Hiroyuki; Nishihara, Katsunobu; Nishikawa, Takeshi; Koike, Fumihiro

2016-03-01

Laser-produced plasma (LPP) extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light sources have been intensively investigated due to potential application to next-generation semiconductor technology. Current studies focus on the atomic processes and hydrodynamics of plasmas to develop shorter wavelength sources at λ = 6.x nm as well as to improve the conversion efficiency (CE) of λ = 13.5 nm sources. This paper examines the atomic processes of mid-z elements, which are potential candidates for λ = 6.x nm source using n=3-3 transitions. Furthermore, a method to calculate the hydrodynamics of the plasmas in terms of the initial interaction between a relatively weak prepulse laser is presented.

Evaluation of immunogenicity and protective efficacy of recombinant outer membrane proteins of Haemophilus parasuis serovar 5 in a murine model.

PubMed

Li, Miao; Cai, Ru-Jian; Song, Shuai; Jiang, Zhi-Yong; Li, Yan; Gou, Hong-Chao; Chu, Pin-Pin; Li, Chun-Ling; Qiu, Hua-Ji

2017-01-01

Glässer's disease is an economically important infectious disease of pigs caused by Haemophilus parasuis. Few vaccines are currently available that could provide effective cross-protection against various serovars of H. parasuis. In this study, five OMPs (OppA, TolC, HxuC, LppC, and HAPS_0926) identified by bioinformatic approaches, were cloned and expressed as recombinant proteins. Antigenicity of the purified proteins was verified through Western blotting, and primary screening for protective potential was evaluated in vivo. Recombinant TolC (rTolC), rLppC, and rHAPS_0926 proteins showing marked protection of mice against H. parasuis infection, and were further evaluated individually or in combination. Mice treated with these three OMPs produced humoral and host cell-mediated responses, with a significant rise in antigen-specific IgG titer and lymphoproliferative response in contrast with the mock-immunized group. Significant increases were noted in CD4+, CD8+ T cells, and three cytokines (IL-2, IL-4, and IFN-γ) in vaccinated animals. The antisera against candidate antigens could efficiently impede bacterial survival in whole blood bactericidal assay against H. parasuis infection. The multi-protein vaccine induced more pronounced immune responses and offered better protection than individual vaccines. Our findings indicate that these three OMPs are promising antigens for the development of multi-component subunit vaccines against Glässer's disease.

A simulation study of Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE) technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ziegler, L. (Principal Investigator); Potter, J.

1979-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. The LACIE performance predictor (LPP) was used to replicate LACIE phase 2 for a 15 year period, using accuracy assessment results for phase 2 error components. Results indicated that the (LPP) simulated the LACIE phase 2 procedures reasonably well. For the 15 year simulation, only 7 of the 15 production estimates were within 10 percent of the true production. The simulations indicated that the acreage estimator, based on CAMS phase 2 procedures, has a negative bias. This bias was too large to support the 90/90 criterion with the CV observed and simulated for the phase 2 production estimator. Results of this simulation study validate the theory that the acreage variance estimator in LACIE was conservative.

Synthesis of arbitrary pulse waveforms in QCL-seeded ns-pulse CO₂ laser for optimization of an LPP EUV source.

PubMed

Nowak, Krzysztof M; Kurosawa, Yoshiaki; Suganuma, Takashi; Kawasuji, Yasufumi; Nakarai, Hiroaki; Saito, Takashi; Fujimoto, Junichi; Mizoguchi, Hakaru

2016-07-01

One of the unique features of the quantum-cascade-laser-seeded, nanosecond-pulse CO₂ laser, invented for the purpose of generation of extreme UV by laser-produced-plasma, is a robust synthesis of arbitrary pulse waveforms. In the present Letter we report on experimental results that are, to our best knowledge, the first demonstration of such functionality obtainable from nanosecond-pulse CO₂ laser technology. An online pulse duration adjustment within 10-40 ns was demonstrated, and a few exemplary pulse waveforms were synthesized, such as "tophat," "tailspike," and "leadspike" shapes. Such output characteristics may be useful to optimize the performance of LPP EUV source.

Effect of mental fatigue caused by mobile 3D viewing on selective attention: an ERP study.

PubMed

Mun, Sungchul; Kim, Eun-Soo; Park, Min-Chul

2014-12-01

This study investigated behavioral responses to and auditory event-related potential (ERP) correlates of mental fatigue caused by mobile three-dimensional (3D) viewing. Twenty-six participants (14 women) performed a selective attention task in which they were asked to respond to the sounds presented at the attended side while ignoring sounds at the ignored side before and after mobile 3D viewing. Considering different individual susceptibilities to 3D, participants' subjective fatigue data were used to categorize them into two groups: fatigued and unfatigued. The amplitudes of d-ERP components were defined as differences in amplitudes between time-locked brain oscillations of the attended and ignored sounds, and these values were used to calculate the degree to which spatial selective attention was impaired by 3D mental fatigue. The fatigued group showed significantly longer response times after mobile 3D viewing compared to before the viewing. However, response accuracy did not significantly change between the two conditions, implying that the participants used a behavioral strategy to cope with their performance accuracy decrement by increasing their response times. No significant differences were observed for the unfatigued group. Analysis of covariance revealed group differences with significant and trends toward significant decreases in the d-P200 and d-late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes at the occipital electrodes of the fatigued and unfatigued groups. Our findings indicate that mentally fatigued participants did not effectively block out distractors in their information processing mechanism, providing support for the hypothesis that 3D mental fatigue impairs spatial selective attention and is characterized by changes in d-P200 and d-LPP amplitudes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Perception of Dynamic and Static Facial Expressions of Happiness and Disgust Investigated by ERPs and fMRI Constrained Source Analysis

PubMed Central

Trautmann-Lengsfeld, Sina Alexa; Domínguez-Borràs, Judith; Escera, Carles; Herrmann, Manfred; Fehr, Thorsten

2013-01-01

A recent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study by our group demonstrated that dynamic emotional faces are more accurately recognized and evoked more widespread patterns of hemodynamic brain responses than static emotional faces. Based on this experimental design, the present study aimed at investigating the spatio-temporal processing of static and dynamic emotional facial expressions in 19 healthy women by means of multi-channel electroencephalography (EEG), event-related potentials (ERP) and fMRI-constrained regional source analyses. ERP analysis showed an increased amplitude of the LPP (late posterior positivity) over centro-parietal regions for static facial expressions of disgust compared to neutral faces. In addition, the LPP was more widespread and temporally prolonged for dynamic compared to static faces of disgust and happiness. fMRI constrained source analysis on static emotional face stimuli indicated the spatio-temporal modulation of predominantly posterior regional brain activation related to the visual processing stream for both emotional valences when compared to the neutral condition in the fusiform gyrus. The spatio-temporal processing of dynamic stimuli yielded enhanced source activity for emotional compared to neutral conditions in temporal (e.g., fusiform gyrus), and frontal regions (e.g., ventromedial prefrontal cortex, medial and inferior frontal cortex) in early and again in later time windows. The present data support the view that dynamic facial displays trigger more information reflected in complex neural networks, in particular because of their changing features potentially triggering sustained activation related to a continuing evaluation of those faces. A combined fMRI and EEG approach thus provides an advanced insight to the spatio-temporal characteristics of emotional face processing, by also revealing additional neural generators, not identifiable by the only use of an fMRI approach. PMID:23818974

Free-electron laser emission architecture impact on extreme ultraviolet lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosler, Erik R.; Wood, Obert R.; Barletta, William A.

2017-10-01

Laser-produced plasma (LPP) EUV sources have demonstrated ˜125 W at customer sites, establishing confidence in EUV lithography (EUVL) as a viable manufacturing technology. However, for extension to the 3-nm technology node and beyond, existing scanner/source technology must enable higher-NA imaging systems (requiring increased resist dose and providing half-field exposures) and/or EUV multipatterning (requiring increased wafer throughput proportional to the number of exposure passes). Both development paths will require a substantial increase in EUV source power to maintain the economic viability of the technology, creating an opportunity for free-electron laser (FEL) EUV sources. FEL-based EUV sources offer an economic, high-power/single-source alternative to LPP EUV sources. Should FELs become the preferred next-generation EUV source, the choice of FEL emission architecture will greatly affect its operational stability and overall capability. A near-term industrialized FEL is expected to utilize one of the following three existing emission architectures: (1) self-amplified spontaneous emission, (2) regenerative amplifier, or (3) self-seeding. Model accelerator parameters are put forward to evaluate the impact of emission architecture on FEL output. Then, variations in the parameter space are applied to assess the potential impact to lithography operations, thereby establishing component sensitivity. The operating range of various accelerator components is discussed based on current accelerator performance demonstrated at various scientific user facilities. Finally, comparison of the performance between the model accelerator parameters and the variation in parameter space provides a means to evaluate the potential emission architectures. A scorecard is presented to facilitate this evaluation and provides a framework for future FEL design and enablement for EUVL applications.

Benefits of varenicline vs. bupropion for smoking cessation: a Bayesian analysis of the interaction of reward sensitivity and treatment

PubMed Central

Green, Charles E.; Robinson, Jason D.; Karam-Hage, Maher; Engelmann, Jeffrey M.; Minnix, Jennifer A.; Wetter, David W.; Versace, Francesco

2018-01-01

Rationale We have shown that differences in the level of neural activation to stimuli associated with smoking vs. natural rewards, a biomarker related to reward sensitivity, predict treatment outcome. Objectives This paper examined whether this biomarker moderates the impact of bupropion or varenicline on smoking cessation. Methods Prior to treatment randomization, smokers (N = 180) in a placebo-controlled trial using bupropion and varenicline completed event-related potential recording (late positive potential, LPP) while viewing pleasant (P), cigarette (C)-related, and other pictures. We used Bayesian models to estimate the probability of interaction between treatment and the LPP for both efficacy and comparative effectiveness analyses. Results Efficacy analysis showed that smokers with more neural activation to pleasant vs. cigarette-related stimuli (P > C) had a 98–99% chance of achieving greater abstinence than placebo (OR >1.00), using either medication from the end of treatment (EOT, primary outcome) through the 3-month follow-up. Relative to placebo, smokers with higher activation to cigarette-related vs. pleasant stimuli (C > P) had a 99% chance of increased benefit from varenicline at both time points (OR >1), but only 67 and 43% with bupropion at the EOT and 3-month follow-up, respectively. Comparative effectiveness analysis found that smokers with the C > P activation pattern had a 95–98% chance of benefit from varenicline vs. bupropion, while P > C smokers had a 50–58% chance of similar improvement with varenicline at the EOT and 3 months. Conclusions Varenicline appears to be the treatment of choice for smokers with the C > P pattern of neural activation, while for those showing P > C, varenicline and bupropion have similar efficacy. PMID:28275830

Laser-plasma extreme ultraviolet and soft X-ray sources based on a double stream gas puff target: interaction of the radiation pulses with matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartnik, A.

2015-06-01

In this work a review of investigations concerning interaction of intense extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft X-ray (SXR) pulses with matter is presented. The investigations were performed using laser-produced plasma (LPP) EUV/SXR sources based on a double stream gas puff target. The sources are equipped with dedicated collectors allowing for efficient focusing of the EUV/SXR radiation pulses. Intense radiation in a wide spectral range, as well as a quasi-monochromatic radiation can be produced. In the paper different kinds of LPP EUV/SXR sources developed in the Institute of Optoelectronics, Military University of Technology are described. Radiation intensities delivered by the sources are sufficient for different kinds of interaction experiments including EUV/SXR induced ablation, surface treatment, EUV fluorescence or photoionized plasma creation. A brief review of the main results concerning this kind of experiments performed by author of the paper are presented. However, since the LPP sources cannot compete with large scale X-ray sources like synchrotrons, free electron lasers or high energy density plasma sources, it was indicated that some investigations not requiring extreme irradiation parameters can be performed using the small scale installations. Some results, especially concerning low temperature photoionized plasmas are very unique and could be hardly obtained using the large facilities.

Growth-related Metabolism of the Carbon Storage Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate in Legionella pneumophila.

PubMed

Gillmaier, Nadine; Schunder, Eva; Kutzner, Erika; Tlapák, Hana; Rydzewski, Kerstin; Herrmann, Vroni; Stämmler, Maren; Lasch, Peter; Eisenreich, Wolfgang; Heuner, Klaus

2016-03-18

Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires disease, has a biphasic life cycle with a switch from a replicative to a transmissive phenotype. During the replicative phase, the bacteria grow within host cells in Legionella-containing vacuoles. During the transmissive phenotype and the postexponential (PE) growth phase, the pathogens express virulence factors, become flagellated, and leave the Legionella-containing vacuoles. Using (13)C labeling experiments, we now show that, under in vitro conditions, serine is mainly metabolized during the replicative phase for the biosynthesis of some amino acids and for energy generation. During the PE phase, these carbon fluxes are reduced, and glucose also serves as an additional carbon substrate to feed the biosynthesis of poly-3-hydroxybuyrate (PHB), an essential carbon source for transmissive L. pneumophila. Whole-cell FTIR analysis and comparative isotopologue profiling further reveal that a putative 3-ketothiolase (Lpp1788) and a PHB polymerase (Lpp0650), but not enzymes of the crotonyl-CoA pathway (Lpp0931-0933) are involved in PHB metabolism during the PE phase. However, the data also reflect that additional bypassing reactions for PHB synthesis exist in agreement with in vivo competition assays using Acanthamoeba castellannii or human macrophage-like U937 cells as host cells. The data suggest that substrate usage and PHB metabolism are coordinated during the life cycle of the pathogen. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Identification of a novel dynamic red blindness in human by event-related brain potentials.

PubMed

Zhang, Jiahua; Kong, Weijia; Yang, Zhongle

2010-12-01

Dynamic color is an important carrier that takes information in some special occupations. However, up to the present, there are no available and objective tests to evaluate dynamic color processing. To investigate the characteristics of dynamic color processing, we adopted two patterns of visual stimulus called "onset-offset" which reflected static color stimuli and "sustained moving" without abrupt mode which reflected dynamic color stimuli to evoke event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in primary color amblyopia patients (abnormal group) and subjects with normal color recognition ability (normal group). ERPs were recorded by Neuroscan system. The results showed that in the normal group, ERPs in response to the dynamic red stimulus showed frontal positive amplitudes with a latency of about 180 ms, a negative peak at about 240 ms and a peak latency of the late positive potential (LPP) in a time window between 290 and 580 ms. In the abnormal group, ERPs in response to the dynamic red stimulus were fully lost and characterized by vanished amplitudes between 0 and 800 ms. No significant difference was noted in ERPs in response to the dynamic green and blue stimulus between the two groups (P>0.05). ERPs of the two groups in response to the static red, green and blue stimulus were not much different, showing a transient negative peak at about 170 ms and a peak latency of LPP in a time window between 350 and 650 ms. Our results first revealed that some subjects who were not identified as color blindness under static color recognition could not completely apperceive a sort of dynamic red stimulus by ERPs, which was called "dynamic red blindness". Furthermore, these results also indicated that low-frequency ERPs induced by "sustained moving" may be a good and new method to test dynamic color perception competence.

The strength of a remorseful heart: psychological and neural basis of how apology emolliates reactive aggression and promotes forgiveness

PubMed Central

Beyens, Urielle; Yu, Hongbo; Han, Ting; Zhang, Li; Zhou, Xiaolin

2015-01-01

Apology from the offender facilitates forgiveness and thus has the power to restore a broken relationship. Here we showed that apology from the offender not only reduces the victim’s propensity to react aggressively but also alters the victim’s implicit attitude and neural responses toward the offender. We adopted an interpersonal competitive game which consisted of two phases. In the first, “passive” phase, participants were punished by high or low pain stimulation chosen by the opponents when losing a trial. During the break, participants received a note from each of the opponents, one apologizing and the other not. The second, “active” phase, involved a change of roles where participants could punish the two opponents after winning. Experiment 1 included an Implicit Association Test (IAT) in between the reception of notes and the second phase. Experiment 2 recorded participants’ brain potentials in the second phase. We found that participants reacted less aggressively toward the apologizing opponent than the non-apologizing opponent in the active phase. Moreover, female, but not male, participants responded faster in the IAT when positive and negative words were associated with the apologizing and the non-apologizing opponents, respectively, suggesting that female participants had enhanced implicit attitude toward the apologizing opponent. Furthermore, the late positive potential (LPP), a component in brain potentials associated with affective/motivational reactions, was larger when viewing the portrait of the apologizing than the non-apologizing opponent when participants subsequently selected low punishment. Additionally, the LPP elicited by the apologizing opponents’ portrait was larger in the female than in the male participants. These findings confirm the apology’s role in reducing reactive aggression and further reveal that this forgiveness process engages, at least in female, an enhancement of the victim’s implicit attitude and a prosocial motivational change toward the offender. PMID:26579005

The strength of a remorseful heart: psychological and neural basis of how apology emolliates reactive aggression and promotes forgiveness.

PubMed

Beyens, Urielle; Yu, Hongbo; Han, Ting; Zhang, Li; Zhou, Xiaolin

2015-01-01

Apology from the offender facilitates forgiveness and thus has the power to restore a broken relationship. Here we showed that apology from the offender not only reduces the victim's propensity to react aggressively but also alters the victim's implicit attitude and neural responses toward the offender. We adopted an interpersonal competitive game which consisted of two phases. In the first, "passive" phase, participants were punished by high or low pain stimulation chosen by the opponents when losing a trial. During the break, participants received a note from each of the opponents, one apologizing and the other not. The second, "active" phase, involved a change of roles where participants could punish the two opponents after winning. Experiment 1 included an Implicit Association Test (IAT) in between the reception of notes and the second phase. Experiment 2 recorded participants' brain potentials in the second phase. We found that participants reacted less aggressively toward the apologizing opponent than the non-apologizing opponent in the active phase. Moreover, female, but not male, participants responded faster in the IAT when positive and negative words were associated with the apologizing and the non-apologizing opponents, respectively, suggesting that female participants had enhanced implicit attitude toward the apologizing opponent. Furthermore, the late positive potential (LPP), a component in brain potentials associated with affective/motivational reactions, was larger when viewing the portrait of the apologizing than the non-apologizing opponent when participants subsequently selected low punishment. Additionally, the LPP elicited by the apologizing opponents' portrait was larger in the female than in the male participants. These findings confirm the apology's role in reducing reactive aggression and further reveal that this forgiveness process engages, at least in female, an enhancement of the victim's implicit attitude and a prosocial motivational change toward the offender.

Neurophysiological correlates of emotional directed-forgetting in persons with Schizophrenia: An event-related brain potential study.

PubMed

Patrick, Regan E; Kiang, Michael; Christensen, Bruce K

2015-12-01

Recent research has shown that patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) exhibit reduced directed forgetting (DF) for negative words, suggesting impaired ability to instantiate goal-directed inhibition in order to suppress a competing, emotion-driven responses (i.e., emotional memory enhancement). However, disrupted inhibition is not the only possible mechanism by which patients could manifest reduced emotional DF. Therefore, the primary objective of the current study was to use event-related brain potential (ERP) recordings to investigate alternative hypotheses. ERPs were recorded while patients and controls completed an item-method DF paradigm using negative and neutral words. The N2 indexed goal-directed inhibition of to-be-forgotten items. The late positive potential (LPP) indexed emotional memory enhancement for negative study items. The P300 indexed selective rehearsal of to-be-remembered items. The SCZ group exhibited a reduced DF effect overall, but this was not modulated by emotion. N2 amplitude at anterior sites was larger for forget versus remember cues in the control group only, but this effect was not modulated by emotion. LPP amplitude was greater for negative versus neutral words in both groups, independent of region. P300 amplitude at posterior sites was greater for remember versus forget cues in the control group only. These data suggest that reduced DF in SCZ may be due, in part, to both diminished goal-directed inhibition of to-be-forgotten items and reduced selective rehearsal of to-be-remembered items. However, these data do not support the hypothesis that goal-directed, inhibitory processes are disrupted by competing, emotion-driven processes in SCZ. Patients' ERP data also suggested that they did not exhibit disproportionately heightened encoding of emotional stimuli, nor did they have deficient selective rehearsal of to-be-remembered emotional items. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Motivated To Win: Relationship between Anticipatory and Outcome Reward-Related Neural Activity

PubMed Central

Nusslock, Robin

2015-01-01

Reward-processing involves two temporal stages characterized by two distinct neural processes: reward-anticipation and reward-outcome. Intriguingly, very little research has examined the relationship between neural processes involved in reward-anticipation and reward-outcome. To investigate this, one needs to consider the heterogeneity of reward-processing within each stage. To identify different stages of reward processing, we adapted a reward time-estimation task. While EEG data were recorded, participants were instructed to button-press 3.5 s after the onset of an Anticipation-Cue and received monetary reward for good time-estimation on the Reward trials, but not on No-Reward trials. We first separated reward-anticipation into event related potentials (ERPs) occurring at three sub-stages: reward/no-reward cue-evaluation, motor-preparation and feedback-anticipation. During reward/no-reward cue-evaluation, the Reward-Anticipation Cue led to a smaller N2 and larger P3. During motor-preparation, we report, for the first time, that the Reward-Anticipation Cue enhanced the Readiness Potential (RP), starting approximately 1 s before movement. At the subsequent feedback-anticipation stage, the Reward-Anticipation Cue elevated the Stimulus-Preceding Negativity (SPN). We also separated reward-outcome ERPs into different components occurring at different time-windows: the Feedback-Related Negativity (FRN), Feedback-P3 (FB-P3) and Late-Positive Potentials (LPP). Lastly, we examined the relationship between reward-anticipation and reward-outcome ERPs. We report that individual-differences in specific reward-anticipation ERPs uniquely predicted specific reward-outcome ERPs. In particular, the reward-anticipation Early-RP (1 to .8 s before movement) predicted early reward-outcome ERPs (FRN and FB-P3), whereas, the reward-anticipation SPN most strongly predicted a later reward-outcome ERP (LPP). Results have important implications for understanding the nature of the relationship between reward-anticipation and reward-outcome neural-processes. PMID:26433773

Rapid Conversion from Carbohydrates to Large-Scale Carbon Quantum Dots for All-Weather Solar Cells.

PubMed

Tang, Qunwei; Zhu, Wanlu; He, Benlin; Yang, Peizhi

2017-02-28

A great challenge for state-of-the-art solar cells is to generate electricity in all weather. We present here the rapid conversion of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) from carbohydrates (including glucose, maltol, sucrose) for an all-weather solar cell, which comprises a CQD-sensitized mesoscopic titanium dioxide/long-persistence phosphor (m-TiO 2 /LPP) photoanode, a I - /I 3 - redox electrolyte, and a platinum counter electrode. In virtue of the light storing and luminescent behaviors of LPP phosphors, the generated all-weather solar cells can not only convert sunlight into electricity on sunny days but persistently realize electricity output in all dark-light conditions. The maximized photoelectric conversion efficiency is as high as 15.1% for so-called all-weather CQD solar cells in dark conditions.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hershkovitz, N.; Oren, A.; Cohen, Y.

The drought-resistant cyanobacteria Phormidium autumnale, strain LPP{sub 4}, and a Chroococcidiopsis sp. accumulated trehalose, sucrose, and both trehalose and sucrose, respectively, in response to matric water stress. Accumulated sugar concentrations reached values of up to 6.2 {mu}g of trehalose per {mu}g of chlorophyll in P. autumnale, 6.9 {mu}g of sucrose per {mu}g of chlorophyll in LPP{sub 4}, and 4.1 {mu}g of sucrose and 3.2 {mu}g of trehalose per {mu}g of chlorophyll in the Chroococcidiopsis sp. The same sugars were accumulated by these cyanobacteria in similar concentrations under osmotic water stress. Cyanobacteria that did not show drought resistance (Plectonema boryanum andmore » Synechococcus strain PCC 7942) did not accumulate significant amounts of sugars when matric water stress was applied.« less

Test of an argon cusp plasma for tin LPP power scaling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGeoch, Malcolm W.

2015-03-01

Scaling the power of the tin droplet laser-produced-plasma (LPP) extreme ultraviolet (EUV) source to 500W has eluded the industry after a decade of effort. In 2014 we proposed [2] a solution: placing the laser-plasma interaction region within an argon plasma in a magnetic cusp. This would serve to ionize tin atoms and guide them to a large area annular beam dump. We have since demonstrated the feasibility of this approach. We present first results from a full-scale test plasma at power levels relevant to the generation of at least 200W, showing both that the argon cusp plasma is very stable, and that its geometrical properties are ideal for the transport of exhaust power and tin to the beam dump.

Time dependent effects of stress prior to encoding on event-related potentials and 24 h delayed retrieval.

PubMed

Quaedflieg, Conny W E M; Schwabe, Lars; Meyer, Thomas; Smeets, Tom

2013-12-01

Stress can exert profound effects on memory encoding. Here, we investigated whether (sub)cortical information processing during encoding and memory retrieval at a 24 h delayed test are affected by the temporal proximity between stress and memory encoding. Sixty-four participants engaged in the Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST) or a no-stress control condition either immediately before (i.e., proximate condition) or 30 min before (i.e., distant condition) a picture encoding task. In general, stress decreased the number of freely recalled and recognized pictures and increased the number of false alarms. However, timing of stress exposure did not differentially affect picture recall, recognition or selective attention processes (i.e., LPP). Nevertheless, stress-induced cortisol responses and correctly recognized neutral pictures were positively associated within the proximate stress condition but negatively associated within the distant stress condition. These findings suggest that the time at which a stressor is applied might differentially impact the association between stress-induced cortisol elevations and memory formation and indicate the need for a finer delineation of the time window during which glucocorticoids affect memory formation processes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adapting another person's affective state modulates brain potentials to unpleasant pictures.

PubMed

Paul, Sandra; Endrass, Tanja; Kathmann, Norbert; Simon, Daniela

2016-10-01

Emotional processing is influenced by top-down processes such as reappraisal of emotion-inducing events. Besides one's own stimulus appraisal, information from the social environment can be used to modify the stimulus' meaning. This study investigated whether perspective taking changes participants' brain potentials to unpleasant pictures. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were measured while twenty-nine participants evaluated arousal of neutral or negative pictures. Subsequently, they received bogus feedback about another person's picture evaluation. Then, the same picture was presented again and participants were instructed to view the picture from the other person's perspective. Higher bogus- versus self-ratings of picture arousal increased P300 and late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes to unpleasant stimuli, whereas lower bogus- versus self-ratings did not influence ERPs. Thus, perspective taking only modulated ERPs when bogus ratings signaled potential underestimation of arousal. Resulting increases in responsiveness might constitute an adaptive mechanism preparing the organism against harm. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Selective visual attention to emotional words: Early parallel frontal and visual activations followed by interactive effects in visual cortex.

PubMed

Schindler, Sebastian; Kissler, Johanna

2016-10-01

Human brains spontaneously differentiate between various emotional and neutral stimuli, including written words whose emotional quality is symbolic. In the electroencephalogram (EEG), emotional-neutral processing differences are typically reflected in the early posterior negativity (EPN, 200-300 ms) and the late positive potential (LPP, 400-700 ms). These components are also enlarged by task-driven visual attention, supporting the assumption that emotional content naturally drives attention. Still, the spatio-temporal dynamics of interactions between emotional stimulus content and task-driven attention remain to be specified. Here, we examine this issue in visual word processing. Participants attended to negative, neutral, or positive nouns while high-density EEG was recorded. Emotional content and top-down attention both amplified the EPN component in parallel. On the LPP, by contrast, emotion and attention interacted: Explicit attention to emotional words led to a substantially larger amplitude increase than did explicit attention to neutral words. Source analysis revealed early parallel effects of emotion and attention in bilateral visual cortex and a later interaction of both in right visual cortex. Distinct effects of attention were found in inferior, middle and superior frontal, paracentral, and parietal areas, as well as in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Results specify separate and shared mechanisms of emotion and attention at distinct processing stages. Hum Brain Mapp 37:3575-3587, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Evaluation of immunogenicity and protective efficacy of recombinant outer membrane proteins of Haemophilus parasuis serovar 5 in a murine model

PubMed Central

Li, Miao; Cai, Ru-Jian; Song, Shuai; Jiang, Zhi-Yong; Li, Yan; Gou, Hong-Chao; Chu, Pin-Pin; Li, Chun-Ling; Qiu, Hua-Ji

2017-01-01

Glässer’s disease is an economically important infectious disease of pigs caused by Haemophilus parasuis. Few vaccines are currently available that could provide effective cross-protection against various serovars of H. parasuis. In this study, five OMPs (OppA, TolC, HxuC, LppC, and HAPS_0926) identified by bioinformatic approaches, were cloned and expressed as recombinant proteins. Antigenicity of the purified proteins was verified through Western blotting, and primary screening for protective potential was evaluated in vivo. Recombinant TolC (rTolC), rLppC, and rHAPS_0926 proteins showing marked protection of mice against H. parasuis infection, and were further evaluated individually or in combination. Mice treated with these three OMPs produced humoral and host cell-mediated responses, with a significant rise in antigen-specific IgG titer and lymphoproliferative response in contrast with the mock-immunized group. Significant increases were noted in CD4+, CD8+ T cells, and three cytokines (IL-2, IL-4, and IFN-γ) in vaccinated animals. The antisera against candidate antigens could efficiently impede bacterial survival in whole blood bactericidal assay against H. parasuis infection. The multi-protein vaccine induced more pronounced immune responses and offered better protection than individual vaccines. Our findings indicate that these three OMPs are promising antigens for the development of multi-component subunit vaccines against Glässer's disease. PMID:28448603

Early visual processing is enhanced in the midluteal phase of the menstrual cycle.

PubMed

Lusk, Bethany R; Carr, Andrea R; Ranson, Valerie A; Bryant, Richard A; Felmingham, Kim L

2015-12-01

Event-related potential (ERP) studies have revealed an early attentional bias in processing unpleasant emotional images in women. Recent neuroimaging data suggests there are significant differences in cortical emotional processing according to menstrual phase. This study examined the impact of menstrual phase on visual emotional processing in women compared to men. ERPs were recorded from 28 early follicular women, 29 midluteal women, and 27 men while they completed a passive viewing task of neutral and low- and high- arousing pleasant and unpleasant images. There was a significant effect of menstrual phase in early visual processing, as midluteal women displayed significantly greater P1 amplitude at occipital regions to all visual images compared to men. Both midluteal and early follicular women displayed larger N1 amplitudes than men (although this only reached significance for the midluteal group) to the visual images. No sex or menstrual phase differences were apparent in later N2, P3, or LPP. A condition effect demonstrated greater P3 and LPP amplitude to highly-arousing unpleasant images relative to all other stimuli conditions. These results indicate that women have greater early automatic visual processing compared to men, and suggests that this effect is particularly strong in women in the midluteal phase at the earliest stage of visual attention processing. Our findings highlight the importance of considering menstrual phase when examining sex differences in the cortical processing of visual stimuli. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electrophysiological differences in the processing of affect misattribution.

PubMed

Hashimoto, Yohei; Minami, Tetsuto; Nakauchi, Shigeki

2012-01-01

The affect misattribution procedure (AMP) was proposed as a technique to measure an implicit attitude to a prime image [1]. In the AMP, neutral symbols (e.g., a Chinese pictograph, called the target) are presented, following an emotional stimulus (known as the prime). Participants often misattribute the positive or negative affect of the priming images to the targets in spite of receiving an instruction to ignore the primes. The AMP effect has been investigated using behavioral measures; however, it is difficult to identify when the AMP effect occurs in emotional processing-whether the effect may occur in the earlier attention allocation stage or in the later evaluation stage. In this study, we examined the neural correlates of affect misattribution, using event-related potential (ERP) dividing the participants into two groups based on their tendency toward affect misattribution. The ERP results showed that the amplitude of P2 was larger for the prime at the parietal location in participants showing a low tendency to misattribution than for those showing a high tendency, while the effect of judging neutral targets amiss according to the primes was reflected in the late processing of targets (LPP). In addition, the topographic pattern analysis revealed that EPN-like component to targets was correlated with the difference of AMP tendency as well as P2 to primes and LPP to targets. Taken together, the mechanism of the affective misattribution was closely related to the attention allocation processing. Our findings provide neural evidence that evaluations of neutral targets are misattributed to emotional primes.

Expression of β-glucuronidase on the surface of bacteria enhances activation of glucuronide prodrugs.

PubMed

Cheng, C-M; Chen, F M; Lu, Y-L; Tzou, S-C; Wang, J-Y; Kao, C-H; Liao, K-W; Cheng, T-C; Chuang, C-H; Chen, B-M; Roffler, S; Cheng, T-L

2013-05-01

Extracellular activation of hydrophilic glucuronide prodrugs by β-glucuronidase (βG) was examined to increase the therapeutic efficacy of bacteria-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (BDEPT). βG was expressed on the surface of Escherichia coli by fusion to either the bacterial autotransporter protein Adhesin (membrane βG (mβG)/AIDA) or the lipoprotein (lpp) outermembrane protein A (mβG/lpp). Both mβG/AIDA and mβG/lpp were expressed on the bacterial surface, but only mβG/AIDA displayed enzymatic activity. The rate of substrate hydrolysis by mβG/AIDA-BL21cells was 2.6-fold greater than by pβG-BL21 cells, which express periplasmic βG. Human colon cancer HCT116 cells that were incubated with mβG/AIDA-BL21 bacteria were sensitive to a glucuronide prodrug (p-hydroxy aniline mustard β-D-glucuronide, HAMG) with an half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 226.53±45.4 μM, similar to the IC50 value of the active drug (p-hydroxy aniline mustard, pHAM; 70.6±6.75 μM), indicating that mβG/AIDA on BL21 bacteria could rapidly and efficiently convert HAMG to an active anticancer agent. These results suggest that surface display of functional βG on bacteria can enhance the hydrolysis of glucuronide prodrugs and may increase the effectiveness of BDEPT.

Immunologic properties and therapeutic efficacy of a multivalent epitope-based vaccine against four Helicobacter pylori adhesins (urease, Lpp20, HpaA, and CagL) in Mongolian gerbils.

PubMed

Guo, Le; Yin, Runting; Xu, Guangxian; Gong, Xiaojuan; Chang, Zisong; Hong, Dantong; Liu, Hongpeng; Ding, Shuqin; Han, Xuebo; Li, Yuan; Tang, Feng; Liu, Kunmei

2017-12-01

Therapeutic vaccination is a desirable alternative for controlling Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. Attachment to the gastric mucosa is the first step in establishing bacterial colonization, and adhesins, which are on the surface of H. pylori, play a pivotal role in binding to human gastric mucosa. In the present study, we constructed a multivalent epitope-based vaccine named CFAdE with seven carefully selected antigenic fragments from four H. pylori adhesins (urease, Lpp20, HpaA and CagL). The specificity, immunogenicity and ability to produce neutralizing antibodies of CFAdE were evaluated in BALB/c mice. After that, its therapeutic efficacy and protective immune mechanisms were explored in H. pylori-infected Mongolian gerbils. The results indicated that CFAdE could induce comparatively high levels of specific antibodies against urease, Lpp20, HpaA and CagL. Additionally, oral therapeutic immunization with CFAdE plus polysaccharide adjuvant (PA) significantly decreased H. pylori colonization compared with oral immunization with urease plus PA, and the protection was correlated with IgG and sIgA antibody and antigen-specific CD4 + T cells. This study indicated that the multivalent epitope-based vaccine, which targeted multiple adhesins in adherence of H. pylori to the gastric mucosa, is more effective than the univalent vaccine targeting urease only. This multivalent epitope-based vaccine may be a promising therapeutic candidate vaccine against H. pylori infection. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Identification of hemostatic genes expressed in human and rat leg muscles and a novel gene (LPP1/PAP2A) suppressed during prolonged physical inactivity (sitting)

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Partly because of functional genomics, there has been a major paradigm shift from solely thinking of skeletal muscle as contractile machinery to an understanding that it can have roles in paracrine and endocrine functions. Physical inactivity is an established risk factor for some blood clotting disorders. The effects of inactivity during sitting are most alarming when a person develops the enigmatic condition in the legs called deep venous thrombosis (DVT) or “coach syndrome,” caused in part by muscular inactivity. The goal of this study was to determine if skeletal muscle expresses genes with roles in hemostasis and if their expression level was responsive to muscular inactivity such as occurs in prolonged sitting. Methods Microarray analyses were performed on skeletal muscle samples from rats and humans to identify genes associated with hemostatic function that were significantly expressed above background based on multiple probe sets with perfect and mismatch sequences. Furthermore, we determined if any of these genes were responsive to models of physical inactivity. Multiple criteria were used to determine differential expression including significant expression above background, fold change, and non-parametric statistical tests. Results These studies demonstrate skeletal muscle tissue expresses at least 17 genes involved in hemostasis. These include the fibrinolytic factors tetranectin, annexin A2, and tPA; the anti-coagulant factors TFPI, protein C receptor, PAF acetylhydrolase; coagulation factors, and genes necessary for the posttranslational modification of these coagulation factors such as vitamin K epoxide reductase. Of special interest, lipid phosphate phosphatase-1 (LPP1/PAP2A), a key gene for degrading prothrombotic and proinflammatory lysophospholipids, was suppressed locally in muscle tissue within hours after sitting in humans; this was also observed after acute and chronic physical inactivity conditions in rats, and exercise was relatively ineffective at counteracting this effect in both species. Conclusions These findings suggest that skeletal muscle may play an important role in hemostasis and that muscular inactivity may contribute to hemostatic disorders not only because of the slowing of blood flow per se, but also potentially because of the contribution from genes expressed locally in muscles, such as LPP1. PMID:23061662

Developmental and Individual Differences in the Neural Processing of Dynamic Expressions of Pain and Anger

PubMed Central

Missana, Manuela; Grigutsch, Maren; Grossmann, Tobias

2014-01-01

We examined the processing of facial expressions of pain and anger in 8-month-old infants and adults by measuring event-related brain potentials (ERPs) and frontal EEG alpha asymmetry. The ERP results revealed that while adults showed a late positive potential (LPP) to emotional expressions that was enhanced to pain expressions, reflecting increased evaluation and emotional arousal to pain expressions, infants showed a negative component (Nc) to emotional expressions that was enhanced to angry expressions, reflecting increased allocation of attention to angry faces. Moreover, infants and adults showed opposite patterns in their frontal asymmetry responses to pain and anger, suggesting developmental differences in the motivational processes engendered by these facial expressions. These findings are discussed in the light of associated individual differences in infant temperament and adult dispositional empathy. PMID:24705497

LACIE performance predictor FOC users manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

The LACIE Performance Predictor (LPP) is a computer simulation of the LACIE process for predicting worldwide wheat production. The simulation provides for the introduction of various errors into the system and provides estimates based on these errors, thus allowing the user to determine the impact of selected error sources. The FOC LPP simulates the acquisition of the sample segment data by the LANDSAT Satellite (DAPTS), the classification of the agricultural area within the sample segment (CAMS), the estimation of the wheat yield (YES), and the production estimation and aggregation (CAS). These elements include data acquisition characteristics, environmental conditions, classification algorithms, the LACIE aggregation and data adjustment procedures. The operational structure for simulating these elements consists of the following key programs: (1) LACIE Utility Maintenance Process, (2) System Error Executive, (3) Ephemeris Generator, (4) Access Generator, (5) Acquisition Selector, (6) LACIE Error Model (LEM), and (7) Post Processor.

Studying Electromagnetic Beam Instabilities in Laser Plasmas for Alfvénic Parallel Shock Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorst, R. S.; Heuer, P. V.; Weidl, M. S.; Schaeffer, D. B.; Constantin, C. G.; Vincena, S.; Tripathi, S.; Gekelman, W.; Winske, D.; Niemann, C.

2017-10-01

We present measurements of the collisionless interaction between an exploding laser-produced plasma (LPP) and a large, magnetized ambient plasma. The LPP is created by focusing a high energy laser on a target embedded in the ambient Large Plasma Device (LAPD) plasma at the University of California, Los Angeles. The resulting super-Alfvénic (MA = 5) ablated material moves parallel to the background magnetic field (300 G) through 12m (80 δ i) of the LAPD, interacting with the ambient Helium plasma (ni = 9 ×1012 cm-3) through electromagnetic beam instabilities. The debris is characterized by Langmuir probes and a time-resolved fluorescence monochromator. Waves in the magnetic field produced by the instabilities are diagnosed by an array of 3-axis `bdot' magnetic field probes. Measurements are compared to hybrid simulations of both the experiment and of parallel shocks.

Lichen planus pemphigoides treated with ustekinumab.

PubMed

Knisley, Raymond R; Petropolis, Angelo A; Mackey, Vernon T

2017-12-01

A 71-year-old woman presented with pink to violaceous, flat-topped, polygonal papules on the volar wrists, extensor elbows, and bilateral lower legs of 3 years' duration. She also had erythematous, violaceous, infiltrated plaques with microvesiculation on the bilateral thighs of several months' duration. She reported pruritus, burning, and discomfort. Her medical history included type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and asthma with no history of skin rashes. Workup revealed lichen planus pemphigoides (LPP), a rare papulosquamous and vesiculobullous dermatosis that shares features of both lichen planus (LP) and bullous pemphigoid (BP). Despite multiple traditional therapies, her disease continued to progress, further developing mucosal disease. After a review of the literature on LP, BP, and LPP, it was noted that tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), along with other cytokines, plays a pivotal role in all 3 diseases. After several conventional systemic therapies failed, we treated our patient with ustekinumab with favorable results.

Spectral characteristics of quantum-cascade laser operating at 10.6 μm wavelength for a seed application in laser-produced-plasma extreme UV source.

PubMed

Nowak, Krzysztof M; Ohta, Takeshi; Suganuma, Takashi; Yokotsuka, Toshio; Fujimoto, Junichi; Mizoguchi, Hakaru; Endo, Akira

2012-11-15

In this Letter, we investigate, for the first time to our knowledge, the spectral properties of a quantum-cascade laser (QCL) from a point of view of a new application as a laser seeder for a nanosecond-pulse high-repetition frequency CO(2) laser operating at 10.6 μm wavelength. The motivation for this work is a renewed interest in such a pulse format and wavelength driven by a development of extreme UV (EUV) laser-produced-plasma (LPP) sources. These sources use pulsed multikilowatt CO(2) lasers to drive the EUV-emitting plasmas. Basic spectral performance characteristics of a custom-made QCL chip are measured, such as tuning range and chirp rate. The QCL is shown to have all essential qualities of a robust seed source for a high-repetition nanosecond-pulsed CO(2) laser required by EUV LPP sources.

Pump-probe imaging of nanosecond laser-induced bubbles in distilled water solutions: Observations of laser-produced-plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Evans, R.; Camacho-Lopez, S.

2010-11-15

This article presents the analysis of the laser-produced-plasma (LPP) formed by the focusing of a 9 ns laser pulse, {lambda}=532 nm, with a NA=0.6 aspherical lens using energies between 100-1500 {mu}J, into distilled water with varying solutions of table salt. Observations of the filamentation plasma were made, which are explained by self-focusing of the laser pulse by the LPP through ponderomotive cavitation of the electron plasma in the center of the beam. The filamentation of the beam through a low density plasma wave guide explains why the transmission of the pump laser through the interaction region was notably higher onmore » previous experiments that we performed [R. Evans et al., Opt. Express 16, 7481 (2008)], than a very similar set of experiments performed by Noack and Vogel [IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 35, 1156 (1999)].« less

Microstructure Characterization and Corrosion Resistance Behavior of New Cobalt-Free Maraging Steel Produced Through ESR Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seikh, Asiful H.; Halfa, Hossam; Baig, Muneer; Khan, Sohail M. A.

2017-04-01

In this study, two different grades (M23 and M29) of cobalt-free low nickel maraging steel have been produced through electroslag remelting (ESR) process. The corrosion resistance of these ESR steels was investigated in 1 M H2SO4 solution using linear potentiodynamic polarization (LPP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The experiments were performed for different immersion time and solution temperature. To evaluate the corrosion resistance of the ESR steels, some significant characterization parameters from LPP and EIS curves were analyzed and compared with that of conventional C250 maraging steel. Irrespective of measurement techniques used, the results show that the corrosion resistance of the ESR steels was higher than the C250 steel. The microstructure of ESR steels was composed of uniform and well-distributed martensite accompanied with little amount of retained austenite in comparison with C250 steel.

Electrophysiological correlates of implicit valenced self-processing in high vs. low self-esteem individuals.

PubMed

Grundy, John G; Benarroch, Miriam F F; Lebarr, A Nicole; Shedden, Judith M

2015-01-01

We provide the first high-temporal resolution account of the self-esteem implicit association test (IAT; Greenwald & Farnham, 2000) to highlight important similarities and differences between the cognitive processes corresponding to implicit valenced self-processing in high vs. low self-esteem individuals. We divided individuals into high and low self-esteem groups based on the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (Rosenberg, 1965) and administered the self-esteem IAT while recording electroencephalographic data. We show that the P2 captured group (high vs. low self-esteem) differences, the N250 and the late parietal positivity (LPP) captured differences corresponding to category pairing (self/positive vs. self/negative pairing), and the N1, P2, and P300-400 components captured interactions between self-esteem groups and whether the self was paired with positive or negative categories in the IAT. Overall, both high and low self-esteem groups were sensitive to the distinction between positive and negative information in relation to the self (me/negative generally displayed larger event-related potential amplitudes than me/positive), but for high self-esteem individuals, this difference was generally larger, earlier, and most pronounced over left-hemisphere electrodes. These electrophysiological differences may reflect differences in attentional resources devoted to teasing apart these two oppositely valenced associations. High self-esteem individuals appear to devote more automatic (early) attentional resources to strengthen the distinction between positively or negatively valenced information in relation to the self.

Pre-breeding of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) for herbicide resistance through seed mutagenesis

PubMed Central

Rizwan, Muhammad; Aslam, Muhammad; Asghar, Muhammad Jawad; Abbas, Ghulam; Shah, Tariq Mahmud; Shimelis, Hussein

2017-01-01

Lentil is a poor competitor of weeds and its sensitivity to herbicides is a major hurdle for large scale production. The present study was conducted to select herbicide resistant lentil genotypes through seed mutagenesis. Seeds of three advanced lentil genotypes (LPP 11001, LPP 11100 and LPP 11116) were treated with two different concentrations of ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS; 0.1 and 0.2%), hydrazine hydrate (HH; 0.02 and 0.03%) and sodium azide (SA; 0.01 and 0.02%) to develop M1 seed. The M2 was screened against two herbicides including Ally Max 28.6% SG (X = 34.58 g/ha and 1.5X = 51.87 g/ha) and Atlantis 3.6% WG (X = 395.2 g/ha and 1.5X = 592.8 g/ha) using the following three screening methods: post plant emergence (PPE), pre-plant incorporation (PPI) and seed priming (SP). Data were recorded on survival index and survival percentage from each experimental unit of every population. Plants in all populations were categorized following their reaction to herbicides. The newly developed populations showed greater variation for herbicide resistance when compared to their progenitors. Phenotypic traits were significantly reduced in all the screening environments. Overall, 671 herbicide resistant mutants were selected from all testing environments. The seeds from selected plants were re-mutagenized at 150 Gy of gamma radiation and evaluated against higher dose of herbicides. This allowed selection of 134 herbicide resistant mutants. The selected mutants are useful germplasm for herbicide resistance breeding of lentil. PMID:28196091

Pre-breeding of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) for herbicide resistance through seed mutagenesis.

PubMed

Rizwan, Muhammad; Aslam, Muhammad; Asghar, Muhammad Jawad; Abbas, Ghulam; Shah, Tariq Mahmud; Shimelis, Hussein

2017-01-01

Lentil is a poor competitor of weeds and its sensitivity to herbicides is a major hurdle for large scale production. The present study was conducted to select herbicide resistant lentil genotypes through seed mutagenesis. Seeds of three advanced lentil genotypes (LPP 11001, LPP 11100 and LPP 11116) were treated with two different concentrations of ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS; 0.1 and 0.2%), hydrazine hydrate (HH; 0.02 and 0.03%) and sodium azide (SA; 0.01 and 0.02%) to develop M1 seed. The M2 was screened against two herbicides including Ally Max 28.6% SG (X = 34.58 g/ha and 1.5X = 51.87 g/ha) and Atlantis 3.6% WG (X = 395.2 g/ha and 1.5X = 592.8 g/ha) using the following three screening methods: post plant emergence (PPE), pre-plant incorporation (PPI) and seed priming (SP). Data were recorded on survival index and survival percentage from each experimental unit of every population. Plants in all populations were categorized following their reaction to herbicides. The newly developed populations showed greater variation for herbicide resistance when compared to their progenitors. Phenotypic traits were significantly reduced in all the screening environments. Overall, 671 herbicide resistant mutants were selected from all testing environments. The seeds from selected plants were re-mutagenized at 150 Gy of gamma radiation and evaluated against higher dose of herbicides. This allowed selection of 134 herbicide resistant mutants. The selected mutants are useful germplasm for herbicide resistance breeding of lentil.

Lasp1 gene disruption is linked to enhanced cell migration and tumor formation Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: C. S. Chew, Inst. of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Sanders R&E Bldg., Rm. CB 2803, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30912-3175 (e-mail: cchew@mcg.edu).

PubMed Central

Zhang, Han; Chen, Xunsheng; Bollag, Wendy B.; Bollag, Roni J.; Sheehan, Daniel J.; Chew, Catherine S.

2009-01-01

Lasp1 is an actin-binding, signaling pathway-regulated phosphoprotein that is overexpressed in several cancers. siRNA knockdown in cell lines retards cell migration, suggesting the possibility that Lasp1 upregulation influences cancer metastasis. Herein, we utilized a recently developed gene knockout model to assess the role of Lasp1 in modulating nontransformed cell functions. Wound healing and tumor initiation progressed more rapidly in Lasp1−/− mice compared with Lasp1+/+ controls. Embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) derived from Lasp1−/− mice also migrated more rapidly in vitro. These MEFs characteristically possessed increased focal adhesion numbers and displayed more rapid attachment compared with wild-type MEFs. Differential microarray analyses revealed alterations in message expression for proteins implicated in cell migration, adhesion, and cytoskeletal organization. Notably, the focal adhesion protein, lipoma preferred partner (LPP), a zyxin family member and putative Lasp1 binding protein, was increased about twofold. Because LPP gene disruption reduces cell migration, we hypothesize that LPP plays a role in enhancing the migratory capacity of Lasp1−/− MEFs, perhaps by modifying the subcellular localization of other motility-associated proteins. The striking contrast in the functional effects of loss of Lasp1 in innate cells compared with cell lines reveals distinct differences in mechanisms of motility and attachment in these models. PMID:19531578

Electrophysiological Differences in the Processing of Affect Misattribution

PubMed Central

Hashimoto, Yohei; Minami, Tetsuto; Nakauchi, Shigeki

2012-01-01

The affect misattribution procedure (AMP) was proposed as a technique to measure an implicit attitude to a prime image [1]. In the AMP, neutral symbols (e.g., a Chinese pictograph, called the target) are presented, following an emotional stimulus (known as the prime). Participants often misattribute the positive or negative affect of the priming images to the targets in spite of receiving an instruction to ignore the primes. The AMP effect has been investigated using behavioral measures; however, it is difficult to identify when the AMP effect occurs in emotional processing—whether the effect may occur in the earlier attention allocation stage or in the later evaluation stage. In this study, we examined the neural correlates of affect misattribution, using event-related potential (ERP) dividing the participants into two groups based on their tendency toward affect misattribution. The ERP results showed that the amplitude of P2 was larger for the prime at the parietal location in participants showing a low tendency to misattribution than for those showing a high tendency, while the effect of judging neutral targets amiss according to the primes was reflected in the late processing of targets (LPP). In addition, the topographic pattern analysis revealed that EPN-like component to targets was correlated with the difference of AMP tendency as well as P2 to primes and LPP to targets. Taken together, the mechanism of the affective misattribution was closely related to the attention allocation processing. Our findings provide neural evidence that evaluations of neutral targets are misattributed to emotional primes. PMID:23145097

The Effects of Money on Fake Rating Behavior in E-Commerce: Electrophysiological Time Course Evidence From Consumers

PubMed Central

Wang, Cuicui; Li, Yun; Luo, Xuan; Ma, Qingguo; Fu, Weizhong; Fu, Huijian

2018-01-01

Online ratings impose significant effects on the behaviors of potential customers. Thus, online merchants try to adopt strategies that affect this rating behavior, and most of these strategies are connected to money, such as the strategies of returning cash coupons if a consumer gives a five-star rating (RI strategy, an acronym for “returning” and “if”) or returning cash coupons directly with no additional requirements (RN strategy, an acronym for “returning” and “no”). The current study explored whether a certain strategy (RN or RI) was more likely to give rise to false rating behaviors, as assessed by event-related potentials. A two-stimulus paradigm was used in this experiment. The first stimulus (S1) was the picture of a product with four Chinese characters that reflected the product quality (slightly defective vs. seriously defective vs. not defective), and the second stimulus (S2) displayed the coupon strategy (RN or RI). The participants were asked to decide whether or not to give a five-star rating. The behavioral results showed that the RI strategy led to a higher rate of five-star ratings than the RN strategy. For the electrophysiological time courses, the N1, N2, and LPP components were evaluated. The slightly defective products elicited a larger amplitude of the N1 component than the seriously defective and not-defective products, reflecting that perceptual difficulty was associated with the processing of the slightly defective products. The RI strategy evoked a less negative N2 and a more positive LPP than the RN strategy, indicating that the subjects perceived less conflict and experienced stronger incentives when processing the RI strategy. These findings will benefit future studies of fake online comments and provide evidence supporting the policy of forbidding the use of the RI strategy in e-commerce. PMID:29615851

The Effects of Money on Fake Rating Behavior in E-Commerce: Electrophysiological Time Course Evidence From Consumers.

PubMed

Wang, Cuicui; Li, Yun; Luo, Xuan; Ma, Qingguo; Fu, Weizhong; Fu, Huijian

2018-01-01

Online ratings impose significant effects on the behaviors of potential customers. Thus, online merchants try to adopt strategies that affect this rating behavior, and most of these strategies are connected to money, such as the strategies of returning cash coupons if a consumer gives a five-star rating (RI strategy, an acronym for "returning" and "if") or returning cash coupons directly with no additional requirements (RN strategy, an acronym for "returning" and "no"). The current study explored whether a certain strategy (RN or RI) was more likely to give rise to false rating behaviors, as assessed by event-related potentials. A two-stimulus paradigm was used in this experiment. The first stimulus (S1) was the picture of a product with four Chinese characters that reflected the product quality (slightly defective vs. seriously defective vs. not defective), and the second stimulus (S2) displayed the coupon strategy (RN or RI). The participants were asked to decide whether or not to give a five-star rating. The behavioral results showed that the RI strategy led to a higher rate of five-star ratings than the RN strategy. For the electrophysiological time courses, the N1, N2, and LPP components were evaluated. The slightly defective products elicited a larger amplitude of the N1 component than the seriously defective and not-defective products, reflecting that perceptual difficulty was associated with the processing of the slightly defective products. The RI strategy evoked a less negative N2 and a more positive LPP than the RN strategy, indicating that the subjects perceived less conflict and experienced stronger incentives when processing the RI strategy. These findings will benefit future studies of fake online comments and provide evidence supporting the policy of forbidding the use of the RI strategy in e-commerce.

The CHRNA3 rs578776 Variant is Associated with an Intrinsic Reward Sensitivity Deficit in Smokers.

PubMed

Robinson, Jason D; Versace, Francesco; Lam, Cho Y; Minnix, Jennifer A; Engelmann, Jeffrey M; Cui, Yong; Karam-Hage, Maher; Shete, Sanjay S; Tomlinson, Gail E; Chen, Tina T-L; Wetter, David W; Green, Charles E; Cinciripini, Paul M

2013-01-01

A compromised brain reward system has been postulated as a key feature of drug dependence. We examined whether several polymorphisms of genes found to regulate nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) and dopamine expression were related to an intrinsic reward sensitivity (IRS) deficit we previously identified among a subgroup of smokers using event-related potentials (ERPs). We examined genetic polymorphisms within the CHRNA5-A3-B4 gene cluster (CHRNA3 rs578776, CHRNA5 rs16969968, LOC123688 rs8034191, and CHRNA3 rs1051730), the ANKK1 gene (rs1800497), and the D2 dopamine receptor gene (DRD2 rs1079597, DRD2 rs1799732) from 104 smokers of European ancestry in a smoking cessation trial. Prior to treatment, we recorded ERPs evoked by emotional (both pleasant and unpleasant), neutral, and cigarette-related pictures. Smokers were assigned to two groups (IRS+/IRS-) based on the amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP) component to the pictures, a neural marker of motivational salience. Smokers (n = 42) with blunted brain responses to intrinsically rewarding (pleasant) pictures and enhanced responses to cigarette pictures were assigned to the IRS- group, while smokers (n = 62) with the opposite pattern of LPP responding were assigned to the IRS+ group. Carriers of the protective minor T allele (T/T, C/T) of the CHRNA3 rs578776 were less likely to be members of the IRS- group than those homozygous for the at-risk C allele (C/C). The CHRNA3 rs578776 polymorphism did not differ on questionnaires of nicotine dependence, depressed mood, or trait affective disposition and did not predict abstinence at 6 months after the quit date. These results suggest that polymorphisms of genes influencing nAChR expression are related to an endophenotype of reward sensitivity in smokers.

Real-Time Control of Lean Blowout in a Turbine Engine for Minimizing No(x) Emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zinn, Ben

2004-01-01

This report describes research on the development and demonstration of a controlled combustor operates with minimal NO, emissions, thus meeting one of NASA s UEET program goals. NO(x) emissions have been successfully minimized by operating a premixed, lean burning combustor (modeling a lean prevaporized, premixed LPP combustor) safely near its lean blowout (LBO) limit over a range of operating conditions. This was accomplished by integrating the combustor with an LBO precursor sensor and closed-loop, rule-based control system that allowed the combustor to operate far closer to the point of LBO than an uncontrolled combustor would be allowed to in a current engine. Since leaner operation generally leads to lower NO, emissions, engine NO, was reduced without loss of safety.

Protective role of Nrf2 against mechanical-stretch-induced apoptosis in mouse fibroblasts: a potential therapeutic target of mechanical-trauma-induced stress urinary incontinence.

PubMed

Li, Qiannan; Li, Bingshu; Liu, Cheng; Wang, Linlin; Tang, Jianming; Hong, Li

2018-01-10

We investigated the protective effect and underlying molecular mechanism of nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) against mechanical-stretch-induced apoptosis in mouse fibroblasts. Normal cells, Nrf2 silencing cells, and Nrf2 overexpressing cells were respectively divided into two groups-nonintervention and cyclic mechanical strain (CMS)-subjected to CMS of 5333 μ (1.0 Hz for 4 h), six groups in total (control, CMS, shNfe212, shNfe212 + CMS, LV-shNfe212, and LV-shNfe212 + CMS). After treatment, cell apoptosis; cell-cycle distribution; expressions of Nrf2, Bax, Bcl-2, Cyt-C, caspase-3, caspase-9, cleaved-caspase-3, and cleaved-caspase-9; mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm); reactive oxygen species (ROS); and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were measured. Thirty virgin female C57BL/6 mice were divided into two groups: control (without intervention) and vaginal distension (VD) groups, which underwent VD for 1 h with an 8-mm dilator (0.3 ml saline). Leak-point pressure (LPP) was tested on day 7 after VD; Nrf2 expression, apoptosis, and MDA levels were then measured in urethra and anterior vaginal wall. Mechanical stretch decreased Nrf2 messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expressions. Overexpression of Nrf2 alleviated mechanical-stretch-induced cell apoptosis; S-phase arrest of cell cycle; up-regulation of Bax, cytochrome C (Cyt-C), ROS, MDA, ratio of cleaved-caspase-3/caspase-3 and cleaved-caspase-9/caspase-9; and exacerbated the decrease of Bcl2 and ΔΨm in L929 cells. On the contrary, silencing of Nrf2 showed opposite effects. Besides, VD reduced LPP levels and Nrf2 expression and increased cell apoptosis and MDA generation in the urethra and anterior vaginal wall. Nrf2 exhibits a protective role against mechanical-stretch -induced apoptosis on mouse fibroblasts, which might indicate a potential therapeutic target of mechanical-trauma-induced stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

Effects of subcallosal cingulate deep brain stimulation on negative self-bias in patients with treatment-resistant depression.

PubMed

Hilimire, Matthew R; Mayberg, Helen S; Holtzheimer, Paul E; Broadway, James M; Parks, Nathan A; DeVylder, Jordan E; Corballis, Paul M

2015-01-01

The cognitive neuropsychological model states that antidepressant treatment alters emotional biases early in treatment, and after this initial change in emotional processing, environmental and social interactions allow for long-term/sustained changes in mood and behavior. Changes in negative self-bias after chronic subcallosal cingulate (SCC) deep brain stimulation (DBS) were investigated with the hypothesis that treatment would lead to changes in emotional biases followed by changes in symptom severity. Patients (N = 7) with treatment-resistant depression were assessed at three time points: pre-treatment; after one month stimulation; and after six months stimulation. The P1, P2, P3, and LPP (late positive potential) components of the event-related potential elicited by positive and negative trait adjectives were recorded in both a self-referential task and a general emotion recognition task. Results indicate that DBS reduced automatic attentional bias toward negative words early in treatment, as indexed by the P1 component, and controlled processing of negative words later in treatment, as indexed by the P3 component. Reduction in negative words endorsed as self-descriptive after six months DBS was associated with reduced depression severity after six months DBS. Change in emotional processing may be restricted to the self-referential task. Together, these results suggest that the cognitive neuropsychological model, developed to explain the time-course of monoamine antidepressant treatment, may also be used as a framework to interpret the antidepressant effects of SCC DBS. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rapid strain improvement through optimized evolution in the cytostat.

PubMed

Gilbert, Alan; Sangurdekar, Dipen P; Srienc, Friedrich

2009-06-15

Acetate is present in lignocellulosic hydrolysates at growth inhibiting concentrations. Industrial processes based on such feedstock require strains that are tolerant of this and other inhibitors present. We investigated the effect of acetate on Saccharomyces cerevisiae and show that elevated acetate concentrations result in a decreased specific growth rate, an accumulation of cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle, and an increased cell size. With the cytostat cultivation technology under previously derived optimal operating conditions, several acetate resistant mutants were enriched and isolated in the shortest possible time. In each case, the isolation time was less than 5 days. The independently isolated mutant strains have increased specific growth rates under conditions of high acetate concentrations, high ethanol concentrations, and high temperature. In the presence of high acetate concentrations, the isolated mutants produce ethanol at higher rates and titers than the parental strain and a commercial ethanol producing strain that has been analyzed for comparison. Whole genome microarray analysis revealed gene amplifications in each mutant. In one case, the LPP1 gene, coding for lipid phosphate phosphatase, was amplified. Two mutants contained amplified ENA1, ENA2, and ENA5 genes, which code for P-type ATPase sodium pumps. LPP1 was overexpressed on a plasmid, and the growth data at elevated acetate concentrations suggest that LPP1 likely contributes to the phenotype of acetate tolerance. A diploid cross of the two mutants with the amplified ENA genes grew faster than either individual haploid parent strain when 20 g/L acetate was supplemented to the medium, which suggests that these genes contribute to acetate tolerance in a gene dosage dependent manner. 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Applying a machine learning model using a locally preserving projection based feature regeneration algorithm to predict breast cancer risk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heidari, Morteza; Zargari Khuzani, Abolfazl; Danala, Gopichandh; Mirniaharikandehei, Seyedehnafiseh; Qian, Wei; Zheng, Bin

2018-03-01

Both conventional and deep machine learning has been used to develop decision-support tools applied in medical imaging informatics. In order to take advantages of both conventional and deep learning approach, this study aims to investigate feasibility of applying a locally preserving projection (LPP) based feature regeneration algorithm to build a new machine learning classifier model to predict short-term breast cancer risk. First, a computer-aided image processing scheme was used to segment and quantify breast fibro-glandular tissue volume. Next, initially computed 44 image features related to the bilateral mammographic tissue density asymmetry were extracted. Then, an LLP-based feature combination method was applied to regenerate a new operational feature vector using a maximal variance approach. Last, a k-nearest neighborhood (KNN) algorithm based machine learning classifier using the LPP-generated new feature vectors was developed to predict breast cancer risk. A testing dataset involving negative mammograms acquired from 500 women was used. Among them, 250 were positive and 250 remained negative in the next subsequent mammography screening. Applying to this dataset, LLP-generated feature vector reduced the number of features from 44 to 4. Using a leave-onecase-out validation method, area under ROC curve produced by the KNN classifier significantly increased from 0.62 to 0.68 (p < 0.05) and odds ratio was 4.60 with a 95% confidence interval of [3.16, 6.70]. Study demonstrated that this new LPP-based feature regeneration approach enabled to produce an optimal feature vector and yield improved performance in assisting to predict risk of women having breast cancer detected in the next subsequent mammography screening.

Sharpening of the 6.8 nm peak in an Nd:YAG laser produced Gd plasma by using a pre-formed plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tian, Yong; Song, Xiaolin; Xie, Zhuo

For effective use of a laser-produced-plasma (LPP) light source, an LPP is desired to emit a narrow spectral peak because the reflection spectrum of multilayer mirrors for guiding emission from the source is very narrow. While a Gd plasma has been studied extensively as an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source at around 6.8 nm, where La/B{sub 4}C multilayer is reported to have a high reflectivity with a bandwidth of about 0.6 %, all previous works using an Nd:YAG laser reported very broad spectra. This paper reports the first narrowing of the 6.8 nm peak in the case of using anmore » Nd:YAG laser to generate a Gd plasma by using a pre-pulse. The best peak narrowing is observed when a pre-formed plasma is heated by a 1064 nm main laser pulse with a duration of 10 ns at the irradiation density of 4x 10{sup 11} W/cm{sup 2} at a delay time of 50 ns after the pre-pulse irradiation. The observed spectral width of about 0.3 nm is about one fifth of the value for no pre-formed plasma. The peak wavelength of the 6.8 nm band shifted to a longer wavelength side and the peak was broadened both for lower and higher laser irradiation density. It is discussed that this robustness of the peak position of the 6.8 nm Gd peak against temperature change is suitable to achieve a narrow bandwidth from an LPP generated on solid. The observed spectra are compared with those previously reported in various conditions.« less

Revisiting genome wide association studies (GWAS) in coeliac disease: replication study in Spanish population and expression analysis of candidate genes.

PubMed

Plaza-Izurieta, Leticia; Castellanos-Rubio, Ainara; Irastorza, Iñaki; Fernández-Jimenez, Nora; Gutierrez, Galder; Bilbao, Jose Ramon

2011-07-01

Recent genome wide association studies (GWAS) on coeliac disease (CD) have identified risk loci harbouring genes that fit the accepted pathogenic model and are considered aetiological candidates. Using Taqman single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and expression assays, the study genotyped 11 SNPs tagging eight GWAS regions (1q31, 2q11-2q12, 3p21, 3q25-3q26, 3q28, 4q27, 6q25 and 12q24) in a Spanish cohort of 1094 CD patients and 540 controls, and performed expression analyses of candidate genes (RGS1, IL18R1/IL18RAP, CCR3, IL12A/SCHIP1, LPP, IL2/IL21-KIAA1109, TAGAP, and SH2B3) in intestinal mucosa from 29 CD children and eight controls. Polymorphisms in 1q31, 2q11-2q12, and 3q25 showed association in our cohort, and also 3q28 and 4q27 when combined with a previous study. Expression levels of IL12A, IL18RAP, IL21, KIAA1109, LPP, SCHIP1, and SH2B3 were affected by disease status, but the correlation between genotype and mRNA levels was observed only in IL12A, LPP, SCHIP1, and SH2B3. Expression differences between treated CD patients and controls along with SNP expression associations suggest a possible primary role for these four genes and their variants in pathogenesis. The lack of SNP effect in the remaining genes is probably a consequence of arbitrary candidate gene selection within association signals that are not based on functional studies.

Cardiomyocyte Regulation of Systemic Lipid Metabolism by the Apolipoprotein B-Containing Lipoproteins in Drosophila

PubMed Central

Ishikawa, Zachary

2017-01-01

The heart has emerged as an important organ in the regulation of systemic lipid homeostasis; however, the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we show that Drosophila cardiomyocytes regulate systemic lipid metabolism by producing apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins (apoB-lipoproteins), essential lipid carriers that are so far known to be generated only in the fat body. In a Drosophila genetic screen, we discovered that when haplo-insufficient, microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (mtp), required for the biosynthesis of apoB-lipoproteins, suppressed the development of diet-induced obesity. Tissue-specific inhibition of Mtp revealed that whereas knockdown of mtp only in the fat body decreases systemic triglyceride (TG) content on normal food diet (NFD) as expected, knockdown of mtp only in the cardiomyocytes also equally decreases systemic TG content on NFD, suggesting that the cardiomyocyte- and fat body-derived apoB-lipoproteins serve similarly important roles in regulating whole-body lipid metabolism. Unexpectedly, on high fat diet (HFD), knockdown of mtp in the cardiomyocytes, but not in fat body, protects against the gain in systemic TG levels. We further showed that inhibition of the Drosophila apoB homologue, apolipophorin or apoLpp, another gene essential for apoB-lipoprotein biosynthesis, affects systemic TG levels similarly to that of Mtp inhibition in the cardiomyocytes on NFD or HFD. Finally, we determined that HFD differentially alters Mtp and apoLpp expression in the cardiomyocytes versus the fat body, culminating in higher Mtp and apoLpp levels in the cardiomyocytes than in fat body and possibly underlying the predominant role of cardiomyocyte-derived apoB-lipoproteins in lipid metabolic regulation. Our findings reveal a novel and significant function of heart-mediated apoB-lipoproteins in controlling lipid homeostasis. PMID:28095410

Globally maximizing, locally minimizing: unsupervised discriminant projection with applications to face and palm biometrics.

PubMed

Yang, Jian; Zhang, David; Yang, Jing-Yu; Niu, Ben

2007-04-01

This paper develops an unsupervised discriminant projection (UDP) technique for dimensionality reduction of high-dimensional data in small sample size cases. UDP can be seen as a linear approximation of a multimanifolds-based learning framework which takes into account both the local and nonlocal quantities. UDP characterizes the local scatter as well as the nonlocal scatter, seeking to find a projection that simultaneously maximizes the nonlocal scatter and minimizes the local scatter. This characteristic makes UDP more intuitive and more powerful than the most up-to-date method, Locality Preserving Projection (LPP), which considers only the local scatter for clustering or classification tasks. The proposed method is applied to face and palm biometrics and is examined using the Yale, FERET, and AR face image databases and the PolyU palmprint database. The experimental results show that UDP consistently outperforms LPP and PCA and outperforms LDA when the training sample size per class is small. This demonstrates that UDP is a good choice for real-world biometrics applications.

Did you or I say pretty, rude or brief? An ERP study of the effects of speaker's identity on emotional word processing.

PubMed

Pinheiro, Ana P; Rezaii, Neguine; Nestor, Paul G; Rauber, Andréia; Spencer, Kevin M; Niznikiewicz, Margaret

2016-02-01

During speech comprehension, multiple cues need to be integrated at a millisecond speed, including semantic information, as well as voice identity and affect cues. A processing advantage has been demonstrated for self-related stimuli when compared with non-self stimuli, and for emotional relative to neutral stimuli. However, very few studies investigated self-other speech discrimination and, in particular, how emotional valence and voice identity interactively modulate speech processing. In the present study we probed how the processing of words' semantic valence is modulated by speaker's identity (self vs. non-self voice). Sixteen healthy subjects listened to 420 prerecorded adjectives differing in voice identity (self vs. non-self) and semantic valence (neutral, positive and negative), while electroencephalographic data were recorded. Participants were instructed to decide whether the speech they heard was their own (self-speech condition), someone else's (non-self speech), or if they were unsure. The ERP results demonstrated interactive effects of speaker's identity and emotional valence on both early (N1, P2) and late (Late Positive Potential - LPP) processing stages: compared with non-self speech, self-speech with neutral valence elicited more negative N1 amplitude, self-speech with positive valence elicited more positive P2 amplitude, and self-speech with both positive and negative valence elicited more positive LPP. ERP differences between self and non-self speech occurred in spite of similar accuracy in the recognition of both types of stimuli. Together, these findings suggest that emotion and speaker's identity interact during speech processing, in line with observations of partially dependent processing of speech and speaker information. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

BIODEGRADATION OF ORGANOPHOSPHORUS PESTICIDES BY SURFACE-EXPRESSED ORGANOPHOSPHORUS HYDROLASE. (R823663)

EPA Science Inventory

Organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH) was displayed and anchored onto the surface of
Escherichia coli using an Lpp-OmpA fusion system. Production of the fusion proteins in membrane
fractions was verified by immunoblotting with OmpA antisera. inclusion of the organophosphorus
...

Patient- and Physician-reported Satisfaction With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Treatment in US Clinical Practice.

PubMed

Pascoe, Katie; Lobosco, Steve; Bell, David; Hoskin, Ben; Chang, David J; Pobiner, Bonnie; Ramachandran, Sulabha

2017-09-01

This two-part study comprised two descriptive, cross-sectional surveys to evaluate treatment satisfaction among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and their physicians from US clinical practices. The Lupus Plus Project (LPP; part one) involved belimumab-containing regimens; the Disease Specific Program (DSP; part two) included all treatments and was designed to build on the body of evidence from part one. The LPP recruited patients receiving belimumab, and comprised 2 paper questionnaires: a patient self-completion questionnaire (PSC) and a patient record form (PRF) completed by the physician. The DSP enrolled patients with SLE receiving any treatment and comprised four parts: a PSC, a PRF completed by the physician after patient consultation, face-to-face physician interviews, and a workload form completed by the physicians to indicate their total SLE patient workload. The key objective of this study was to assess physician and patient satisfaction with current treatment. From the PSCs, data regarding patient-reported satisfaction with current treatment were available for 263 patients who were receiving belimumab combination therapy (LPP) and 250 patients who were receiving non-belimumab treatment (DSP). The majority of patients (belimumab, 86.3% [227/263]; non-belimumab, 78.4% [196/250]) responded positively (at least "somewhat satisfied") when asked about current treatment satisfaction, as did physicians (belimumab, 82.9% [311/375]; non-belimumab, 74.3% [326/439]). In multivariate analysis, factors most strongly associated with patient-reported satisfaction for patients receiving belimumab were patient-reported improvements in leisure activities since taking belimumab (odds ratio [OR] = 4.66), physician-reported improvements in fatigue (OR = 3.72), patient-reported improvements in general symptoms (OR = 3.02), and pain/achiness (OR = 2.71). Physician satisfaction was associated with clinical outcome such as improvements in pain/achiness (OR = 6.16), fatigue (OR = 3.76), and patient-reported satisfaction with treatment frequency (OR = 3.91). In patients receiving other SLE treatments, dosing frequency of current treatment (OR = 3.64) and a reduction in fatigue severity (OR = 3.61) were most strongly associated with patient-reported satisfaction; physician satisfaction was most strongly associated with a reduction in fatigue (OR = 6.22) and current remission status (OR = 6.05). When considering SLE treatment satisfaction patients tend to consider impact on daily functioning, whereas physicians take into account a wider range of clinical outcomes; however, both strongly consider improvements in fatigue. These surveys provide insights into treatment satisfaction among prescribers and patients with SLE. GSK-ClinicalStudyRegister.com identifiers: GSK study 202146 [HO 15-15509] and 205086 [HO 15-16709]. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved.

Actors and Agency in Academic Language Policy and Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fenton-Smith, Ben; Gurney, Laura

2016-01-01

Nearly two decades have passed since Kaplan and Baldauf [1997. "Language planning from practice to theory." Clevedon: Multilingual Matters] drew attention to the dearth of language policy and planning (LPP) in higher education. Despite the continuing inflow of English as an additional language students into Anglophone universities, and a…

The effect of a brief mindfulness induction on processing of emotional images: an ERP study.

PubMed

Eddy, Marianna D; Brunyé, Tad T; Tower-Richardi, Sarah; Mahoney, Caroline R; Taylor, Holly A

2015-01-01

The ability to effectively direct one's attention is an important aspect of regulating emotions and a component of mindfulness. Mindfulness practices have been established as effective interventions for mental and physical illness; however, the underlying neural mechanisms of mindfulness and how they relate to emotional processing have not been explored in depth. The current study used a within-subjects repeated measures design to examine if focused breathing, a brief mindfulness induction, could modulate event-related potentials (ERPs) during emotional image processing relative to a control condition. We related ERP measures of processing positive, negative, and neutral images (the P300 and late positive potential - LPP) to state and trait mindfulness measures. Overall, the brief mindfulness induction condition did not influence ERPs reflecting emotional processing; however, in the brief mindfulness induction condition, those participants who reported feeling more decentered (a subscale of the Toronto Mindfulness Scale) after viewing the images had reduced P300 responses to negative versus neutral images.

Neural Markers of Attention to Aversive Pictures Predict Response to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Anxiety and Depression

PubMed Central

Stange, Jonathan P.; MacNamara, Annmarie; Barnas, Olga; Kennedy, Amy E.; Hajcak, Greg; Phan, K Luan; Klumpp, Heide

2016-01-01

Excessive attention toward aversive information may be a core mechanism underlying emotional disorders, but little is known about whether this is predictive of response to treatments. We evaluated whether enhanced attention toward aversive stimuli, as indexed by an event-related potential component, the late positive potential (LPP), would predict response to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in patients with social anxiety disorder and/or major depressive disorder. Thirty-two patients receiving 12 weeks of CBT responded to briefly-presented pairs of aversive and neutral pictures that served as targets or distracters while electroencephaolography was recorded. Patients with larger pre-treatment LPPs to aversive relative to neutral distracters (when targets were aversive) were more likely to respond to CBT, and demonstrated larger reductions in symptoms of depression and anxiety following treatment. Increased attention toward irrelevant aversive stimuli may signal attenuated top-down control, so treatments like CBT that improve this control could be beneficial for these individuals. PMID:27784617

Eat your troubles away: electrocortical and experiential correlates of food image processing are related to emotional eating style and emotional state.

PubMed

Blechert, Jens; Goltsche, Julia E; Herbert, Beate M; Wilhelm, Frank H

2014-02-01

Emotional eating, a trait-like style of food intake in response to negative emotion states, represents an important aspect of overeating and eating related psychopathology. The mechanisms of emotional eating both on experiential and neuronal levels are not well delineated. We recorded event related potentials (ERPs) while individuals with high or low emotional eating style (HEE, n=25; LEE, n=20) viewed and rated pictures of high-caloric food during neutral state vs. negative idiosyncratic emotion induction. Craving ratings increased in HEE and decreased in LEE during negative relative to neutral states. ERPs to food pictures showed an enhanced late positive potential (LPP) over parieto-occipital regions for HEE compared to LEE. Emotional state modulated food picture evoked ERPs over right frontal regions in HEE only. This suggests that appetitive food processing is susceptible to both concurrent emotion and habitual eating style which is of relevance for overeating in healthy and abnormal eating. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Neural markers of attention to aversive pictures predict response to cognitive behavioral therapy in anxiety and depression.

PubMed

Stange, Jonathan P; MacNamara, Annmarie; Barnas, Olga; Kennedy, Amy E; Hajcak, Greg; Phan, K Luan; Klumpp, Heide

2017-02-01

Excessive attention toward aversive information may be a core mechanism underlying emotional disorders, but little is known about whether this is predictive of response to treatments. We evaluated whether enhanced attention toward aversive stimuli, as indexed by an event-related potential component, the late positive potential (LPP), would predict response to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in patients with social anxiety disorder and/or major depressive disorder. Thirty-two patients receiving 12 weeks of CBT responded to briefly-presented pairs of aversive and neutral pictures that served as targets or distracters while electroencephaolography was recorded. Patients with larger pre-treatment LPPs to aversive relative to neutral distracters (when targets were aversive) were more likely to respond to CBT, and demonstrated larger reductions in symptoms of depression and anxiety following treatment. Increased attention toward irrelevant aversive stimuli may signal attenuated top-down control, so treatments like CBT that improve this control could be beneficial for these individuals. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effect of a brief mindfulness induction on processing of emotional images: an ERP study

PubMed Central

Eddy, Marianna D.; Brunyé, Tad T.; Tower-Richardi, Sarah; Mahoney, Caroline R.; Taylor, Holly A.

2015-01-01

The ability to effectively direct one’s attention is an important aspect of regulating emotions and a component of mindfulness. Mindfulness practices have been established as effective interventions for mental and physical illness; however, the underlying neural mechanisms of mindfulness and how they relate to emotional processing have not been explored in depth. The current study used a within-subjects repeated measures design to examine if focused breathing, a brief mindfulness induction, could modulate event-related potentials (ERPs) during emotional image processing relative to a control condition. We related ERP measures of processing positive, negative, and neutral images (the P300 and late positive potential – LPP) to state and trait mindfulness measures. Overall, the brief mindfulness induction condition did not influence ERPs reflecting emotional processing; however, in the brief mindfulness induction condition, those participants who reported feeling more decentered (a subscale of the Toronto Mindfulness Scale) after viewing the images had reduced P300 responses to negative versus neutral images. PMID:26441766

Different Paradigms in the History of Spanish Language Policy and Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amorós-Negre, Carla

2017-01-01

The current "glocal" dynamics poses new questions and challenges for scholars engaged in the study of language policy and planning (LPP), especially with regard to the adoption of measures for the democratisation of languages and their speakers. The latest studies have highlighted the role of speakers' agency (their attitudes, beliefs…

Language Policy and Planning: Challenges for Latin American Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamel, Rainer Enrique; Álvarez López, Elisa; Carvalhal, Tatiana Pereira

2016-01-01

This article starts with an overview of the sociolinguistic situation in Latin America as a context for language policy and planning (LPP) decisions in the academic field. Then it gives a brief overview of the language policy challenges faced by universities to cope with neoliberal internationalisation. A conceptualisation of the domain as a…

Language Policy and Planning in Language Education: Legacies, Consequences, and Possibilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiley, Terrence G.; García, Ofelia

2016-01-01

This article considers the relevance of language policy and planning (LPP) for language education in the United States in relation to the country's longstanding and continuing multilingualism. In reflecting on the U.S. context, one striking feature is the absence of a guiding overarching explicit national educational language policy. Language…

"In Practice It Doesn't Always Work out Like That." Undergraduate Experiences in a Research Community of Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

John, Joanna; Creighton, John

2013-01-01

This paper examines the extent to which a structured undergraduate research intervention, UROP, permits undergraduate students early access to legitimate peripheral participation (LPP) in a research community of practice. Accounts of placement experiences suggest that UROP affords rich possibilities for engagement with research practice.…

Language Policy as a Sociocultural Tool: Insights from the University of Cape Town

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karjalainen, Magda

2016-01-01

This theoretically oriented article draws on the author's previous research, which examined language policy and planning (LPP) of the University of Cape Town within the context of post-apartheid transformation driven by need to redress inequalities of the past, and demands of globalization. Drawing on critical linguistics, but indicating…

Synthesis design of Y3Al5O12: Ce3+ phosphor for fabrication of ceramic converter in automotive application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwon, Seok Bin; Choi, Seung Hee; Yoo, Jung Hyeon; Jeong, Seong Guk; Song, Young Hyun; Yoon, Dae Ho

2018-06-01

A cellulose-assisted, liquid-phase precursor (LPP) was used to synthesize a YAG phosphor radiating near 530 nm with a particle size of 400 nm, which may be implemented in many applications. The mixture of the materials was homogeneous, and the cellulose-assisted LPP method involved a liquid-phase reaction at a lower temperature compared to a solid-state reaction (SSR). The reaction was performed at 1200, 1300 and 1400 °C, and the composition ratio of the samples was controlled based on yttrium (L1: 2.7, L2: 2.8, L3: 2.9, L4: 2.95, and L5: 3.1 M). ∼400 nm particles were obtained at 1200 °C and ∼1 μm at 1300 °C. At 1200 °C, the PL intensity was the highest in the Y3.1Al5O12 sample. At 1300 and 1400 °C, the strongest intensity was evident in the Y2.9Al5O12 sample. The XRD patterns for all temperatures showed a YAG phase in JCPDS.

The effect of aging on the (mis)perception of intentionality - an ERP study.

PubMed

Pasion, R; Fernandes, C; Gonçalves, A R; Ferreira-Santos, F; Páscoa, R; Barbosa, F; Marques-Teixeira, J

2018-01-23

Despite the accumulated knowledge on moral decision-making in the early stages of development, empirical evidence is still limited in the old-aged adults. The current study contributes to unveil the neural correlates of judgments of moral transgressions as a function of aging, by examining the temporal dynamics of neural activation elicited by intentional and accidental harmful actions in three groups of healthy participants: young adults (18-35), adults (40-55), and older adults (60-75). Older adults were slower and less accurate in rating intentionality, compared to the younger groups. In ERP analysis, the older group showed increased P2 amplitude, which was predicted by poorer performance on neuropsychological tests. Reduced amplitudes were found on critical ERP components to moral cognition (N2 and LPP), namely while processing intentional harmful scenarios. Older adults seem to allocate more attentional resources (P2) to the task, probably to compensate the age-related decline in executive functioning, while younger groups show a pronounced negativity while detecting harm (N2) and increased neural activation to encode the intentions behind the acts (LPP).

Additive effects of affective arousal and top-down attention on the event-related brain responses to human bodies.

PubMed

Hietanen, Jari K; Kirjavainen, Ilkka; Nummenmaa, Lauri

2014-12-01

The early visual event-related 'N170 response' is sensitive to human body configuration and it is enhanced to nude versus clothed bodies. We tested whether the N170 response as well as later EPN and P3/LPP responses to nude bodies reflect the effect of increased arousal elicited by these stimuli, or top-down allocation of object-based attention to the nude bodies. Participants saw pictures of clothed and nude bodies and faces. In each block, participants were asked to direct their attention towards stimuli from a specified target category while ignoring others. Object-based attention did not modulate the N170 amplitudes towards attended stimuli; instead N170 response was larger to nude bodies compared to stimuli from other categories. Top-down attention and affective arousal had additive effects on the EPN and P3/LPP responses reflecting later processing stages. We conclude that nude human bodies have a privileged status in the visual processing system due to the affective arousal they trigger. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Short-wavelength out-of-band EUV emission from Sn laser-produced plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torretti, F.; Schupp, R.; Kurilovich, D.; Bayerle, A.; Scheers, J.; Ubachs, W.; Hoekstra, R.; Versolato, O. O.

2018-02-01

We present the results of spectroscopic measurements in the extreme ultraviolet regime (7-17 nm) of molten tin microdroplets illuminated by a high-intensity 3 J, 60 ns Nd:YAG laser pulse. The strong 13.5 nm emission from this laser-produced plasma (LPP) is of relevance for next-generation nanolithography machines. Here, we focus on the shorter wavelength features between 7 and 12 nm which have so far remained poorly investigated despite their diagnostic relevance. Using flexible atomic code calculations and local thermodynamic equilibrium arguments, we show that the line features in this region of the spectrum can be explained by transitions from high-lying configurations within the Sn{}8+-Sn{}15+ ions. The dominant transitions for all ions but Sn{}8+ are found to be electric-dipole transitions towards the n = 4 ground state from the core-excited configuration in which a 4p electron is promoted to the 5s subshell. Our results resolve some long-standing spectroscopic issues and provide reliable charge state identification for Sn LPP, which could be employed as a useful tool for diagnostic purposes.

The special status of sad infant faces: age and valence differences in adults' cortical face processing.

PubMed

Colasante, Tyler; Mossad, Sarah I; Dudek, Joanna; Haley, David W

2017-04-01

Understanding the relative and joint prioritization of age- and valence-related face characteristics in adults' cortical face processing remains elusive because these two characteristics have not been manipulated in a single study of neural face processing. We used electroencephalography to investigate adults' P1, N170, P2 and LPP responses to infant and adult faces with happy and sad facial expressions. Viewing infant vs adult faces was associated with significantly larger P1, N170, P2 and LPP responses, with hemisphere and/or participant gender moderating this effect in select cases. Sad faces were associated with significantly larger N170 responses than happy faces. Sad infant faces were associated with significantly larger N170 responses in the right hemisphere than all other combinations of face age and face valence characteristics. We discuss the relative and joint neural prioritization of infant face characteristics and negative facial affect, and their biological value as distinct caregiving and social cues. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

EUV near normal incidence collector development at SAGEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mercier Ythier, R.; Bozec, X.; Geyl, R.; Rinchet, A.; Hecquet, Christophe; Ravet-Krill, Marie-Françoise; Delmotte, Franck; Sassolas, Benoît; Flaminio, Raffaele; Mackowski, Jean-Marie; Michel, Christophe; Montorio, Jean-Luc; Morgado, Nazario; Pinard, Laurent; Roméo, Elodie

2008-03-01

Through its participation to European programs, SAGEM has worked on the design and manufacturing of normal incidence collectors for EUV sources. By opposition to grazing incidence, normal incidence collectors are expected to collect more light with a simpler and cheaper design. Designs are presented for the two current types of existing sources: Discharge Produced Plasma (DPP) and Laser Produced Plasma (LPP). Collection efficiency is calculated in both cases. It is shown that these collectors can achieve about 10 % efficiency for DPP sources and 40 % for LPP sources. SAGEM works on the collectors manufacturability are also presented, including polishing, coating and cooling. The feasibility of polishing has been demonstrated with a roughness better than 2 angstroms obtained on several materials (glass, silicon, Silicon Carbide, metals...). SAGEM is currently working with the Institut d'Optique and the Laboratoire des Materiaux Avancés on the design and the process of EUV coatings for large mirrors. Lastly, SAGEM has studied the design and feasibility of an efficient thermal control, based on a liquid cooling through slim channels machined close to the optical surface.

Neural correlates of perceived risk: the case of HIV

PubMed Central

Renner, Britta; Schupp, Harald T.

2012-01-01

Research indicates that many people do not use condoms consistently but rather rely on illusory control strategies for avoiding an infection with HIV. Preliminary evidence suggests that people form impressions of a partner’s HIV risk based on his or her physical appearance. To examine the neural correlates of such appearance-based HIV risk impressions, event-related potentials were recorded while participants viewed portraits of unacquainted persons. Participants’ explicit HIV risk ratings for each of the presented unacquainted persons were used to form categories of low and high HIV risk persons. Results showed that risky, compared to safe persons elicited distinct event-related potential (ERP) modulations. Viewing risky persons was associated with an increased positivity over right frontal regions between 180 and 240 ms. This suggests that impressions related to HIV risk occur rapidly, presumably reflecting automatic person evaluations eluding introspection. In a time window between 450 and 600 ms, risky persons elicited an increased late positive potential. Consistent with previous findings reporting augmented late positive potentials (LPP) amplitudes to affectively significant stimuli, the results support the assumption that risky faces draw more attention resources. These findings are in accordance with the ‘risk as feeling’ notion. PMID:21672948

New covalent modifications of phosphatidylethanolamine by alkanals: mass spectrometry based structural characterization and biological effects

PubMed Central

Annibal, Andrea; Schubert, Kristin; Wagner, Ulf; Hoffmann, Ralf; Schiller, Jürgen; Fedorova, Maria

2014-01-01

The pathophysiology of numerous human disorders, such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, obesity and Alzheimer's disease, is accompanied by increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS can oxidatively damage nearly all biomolecules, including lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. In particular, (poly)unsaturated fatty acids within the phospholipid (PL) structure are easily oxidized by ROS to lipid peroxidation products (LPP) carrying reactive carbonyl groups. Carbonylated LPP are characterized by high in vivo toxicity due to their reactivity with nucleophilic substrates (Lys-, Cys-and His-residues in proteins or amino groups of phosphatidylethanolamines [PE]). Adducts of unsaturated LPP with PE amino groups have been reported before, whereas less is known about the reactivity of saturated alkanals – which are significantly increased in vivo under oxidative stress conditions – towards nucleophilic groups of PLs. Here, we present a study of new alkanal-dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine (DPPE) adducts by MS-based approaches, using consecutive fragmentation (MSn) and multiple reaction monitoring techniques. At least eight different DPPE–hexanal adducts were identified, including Schiff base and amide adducts, six of which have not been reported before. The structures of these new compounds were determined by their fragmentation patterns using MSn experiments. The new PE-hexanal adducts contained dimeric and trimeric hexanal conjugates, including cyclic adducts. A new pyridine ring containing adduct of DPPE and hexanal was purified by HPLC, and its biological effects were investigated. Incubation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and monocytes with modified DPPE did not result in increased production of TNF-α as one selected inflammation marker. However, incorporation of modified DPPE into 1,2-dipalmitoleoyl-sn-phosphatidylethanolamine multilamellar vesicles resulted in a negative shift of the transition temperature, indicating a possible role of alkanal-derived modifications in changes of membrane structure. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Mass Spectrometry published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. PMID:25044840

Are Happy Faces Attractive? The Roles of Early vs. Late Processing

PubMed Central

Sun, Delin; Chan, Chetwyn C. H.; Fan, Jintu; Wu, Yi; Lee, Tatia M. C.

2015-01-01

Facial attractiveness is closely related to romantic love. To understand if the neural underpinnings of perceived facial attractiveness and facial expression are similar constructs, we recorded neural signals using an event-related potential (ERP) methodology for 20 participants who were viewing faces with varied attractiveness and expressions. We found that attractiveness and expression were reflected by two early components, P2-lateral (P2l) and P2-medial (P2m), respectively; their interaction effect was reflected by LPP, a late component. The findings suggested that facial attractiveness and expression are first processed in parallel for discrimination between stimuli. After the initial processing, more attentional resources are allocated to the faces with the most positive or most negative valence in both the attractiveness and expression dimensions. The findings contribute to the theoretical model of face perception. PMID:26648885

Self-Reported Trait Mindfulness and Affective Reactivity: A Motivational Approach Using Multiple Psychophysiological Measures

PubMed Central

Cosme, Danielle; Wiens, Stefan

2015-01-01

As a form of attention, mindfulness is qualitatively receptive and non-reactive, and is thought to facilitate adaptive emotional responding. One suggested mechanism is that mindfulness facilitates disengagement from an affective stimulus and thereby decreases affective reactivity. However, mindfulness has been conceptualized as a state, intervention, and trait. Because evidence is mixed as to whether self-reported trait mindfulness decreases affective reactivity, we used a multi-method approach to study the relationship between individual differences in self-reported trait mindfulness and electrocortical, electrodermal, electromyographic, and self-reported responses to emotional pictures. Specifically, while participants (N = 51) passively viewed pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant IAPS pictures, we recorded high-density (128 channels) electrocortical, electrodermal, and electromyographic data to the pictures as well as to acoustic startle probes presented during the pictures. Afterwards, participants rated their subjective valence and arousal while viewing the pictures again. If trait mindfulness spontaneously reduces general emotional reactivity, then for individuals reporting high rather than low mindfulness, response differences between emotional and neutral pictures would show relatively decreased early posterior negativity (EPN) and late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes, decreased skin conductance responses, and decreased subjective ratings for valence and arousal. High mindfulness would also be associated with decreased emotional modulation of startle eyeblink and P3 amplitudes. Although results showed clear effects of emotion on the dependent measures, in general, mindfulness did not moderate these effects. For most measures, effect sizes were small with rather narrow confidence intervals. These data do not support the hypothesis that individual differences in self-reported trait mindfulness are related to spontaneous emotional responses during picture viewing. PMID:25749431

CELL-SURFACE DISPLAY OF SYNTHETIC PHYTOCHELATINS USING ICE NUCLEATION PROTEIN FOR ENHANCED HEAVY-METAL BIOACCUMULATION. (R827227)

EPA Science Inventory

Synthetic phytochelatins (ECs) composed of (Glu–Cys)_nGly are protein analogs of phytochelatin that exhibit improved metal-binding capacity over metallothioneins (MTs). Expression of EC20 on the surface of E. coli using the Lpp-OmpA anchor resulted in i...

A Proposed Theory Seeded Methodology for Design Based Research into Effective Use of MUVES in Vocational Education Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cochrane, Todd; Davis, Niki; Morrow, Donna

2013-01-01

A methodology for design based research (DBR) into effective development and use of Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVE) in vocational education is proposed. It blends software development with DBR with two theories selected to inform the methodology. Legitimate peripheral participation LPP (Lave & Wenger, 1991) provides a filter when…

Slicing the Onion Ethnographically: Layers and Spaces in Multilingual Language Education Policy and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hornberger, Nancy H.; Johnson, David Cassels

2007-01-01

In this article, we take up the call for more multilayered and ethnographic approaches to language policy and planning (LPP) research by sharing two examples of how ethnography can illuminate local interpretation and implementation. We offer ethnographic data collected in two very different institutions--the School District of Philadelphia and the…

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yokosawa, A.

We summarize activities concerning the Fermilab polarized beams. They include a brief description of the polarized-beam facility, measurements of beam polarization by polarimeters, asymmetry measurements in the {pi}{degree} production at high p{sub {perpendicular}} and in the {Lambda} ({Sigma}{degree}), {pi}{sup {plus minus}}, {pi}{degree} production at large x{sub F}, and {Delta}{sigma}{sub L}(pp, {bar p}p) measurements. 18 refs.

The English in Public Elementary Schools Program of a Mexican State: A Critical, Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perales Escudero, Moises Damian; Reyes Cruz, Maria del Rosario; Loyo, Griselda Murrieta

2012-01-01

The quality of English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) instruction in elementary schools worldwide is an issue of concern for language policy and planning (LPP) scholars, as are examinations of power and ideologies operating in policy creation and implementation. This critical, exploratory study blends these two strands of inquiry by examining…

Language Planning and Policy in a School Site: A Diachronic Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kemp, Shaun

2017-01-01

This article engages with diachronic analysis, an analysis of changes over time, as it relates to the field of language planning and policy (LPP) through a case study of a local language problem: the introduction of Chinese language into an established government school over a 10-year period. Using cultural-historical activity theory, expanding…

Current Issues in LPP Research and Their Impact on Society

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darquennes, Jeroen

2013-01-01

After a very broad description of what language policy and planning is about this paper presents an overview of some of the current preoccupations of researchers focusing on language policy and planning as one of the blooming fields of applied linguistics. The current issues in language policy and planning research that are dealt with include…

Brain Processing of Emotional Scenes in Aging: Effect of Arousal and Affective Context

PubMed Central

Mathieu, Nicolas Gilles; Gentaz, Edouard; Harquel, Sylvain; Vercueil, Laurent; Chauvin, Alan; Bonnet, Stéphane; Campagne, Aurélie

2014-01-01

Research on emotion showed an increase, with age, in prevalence of positive information relative to negative ones. This effect is called positivity effect. From the cerebral analysis of the Late Positive Potential (LPP), sensitive to attention, our study investigated to which extent the arousal level of negative scenes is differently processed between young and older adults and, to which extent the arousal level of negative scenes, depending on its value, may contextually modulate the cerebral processing of positive (and neutral) scenes and favor the observation of a positivity effect with age. With this aim, two negative scene groups characterized by two distinct arousal levels (high and low) were displayed into two separate experimental blocks in which were included positive and neutral pictures. The two blocks only differed by their negative pictures across participants, as to create two negative global contexts for the processing of the positive and neutral pictures. The results show that the relative processing of different arousal levels of negative stimuli, reflected by LPP, appears similar between the two age groups. However, a lower activity for negative stimuli is observed with the older group for both tested arousal levels. The processing of positive information seems to be preserved with age and is also not contextually impacted by negative stimuli in both younger and older adults. For neutral stimuli, a significantly reduced activity is observed for older adults in the contextual block of low-arousal negative stimuli. Globally, our study reveals that the positivity effect is mainly due to a modulation, with age, in processing of negative stimuli, regardless of their arousal level. It also suggests that processing of neutral stimuli may be modulated with age, depending on negative context in which they are presented to. These age-related effects could contribute to justify the differences in emotional preference with age. PMID:24932857

Still feeling it: the time course of emotional recovery from an attentional perspective

PubMed Central

Morriss, Jayne; Taylor, Alexander N. W.; Roesch, Etienne B.; van Reekum, Carien M.

2013-01-01

Emotional reactivity and the time taken to recover, particularly from negative, stressful, events, are inextricably linked, and both are crucial for maintaining well-being. It is unclear, however, to what extent emotional reactivity during stimulus onset predicts the time course of recovery after stimulus offset. To address this question, 25 participants viewed arousing (negative and positive) and neutral pictures from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) followed by task-relevant face targets, which were to be gender categorized. Faces were presented early (400–1500 ms) or late (2400–3500 ms) after picture offset to capture the time course of recovery from emotional stimuli. Measures of reaction time (RT), as well as face-locked N170 and P3 components were taken as indicators of the impact of lingering emotion on attentional facilitation or interference. Electrophysiological effects revealed negative and positive images to facilitate face-target processing on the P3 component, regardless of temporal interval. At the individual level, increased reactivity to: (1) negative pictures, quantified as the IAPS picture-locked Late Positive Potential (LPP), predicted larger attentional interference on the face-locked P3 component to faces presented in the late time window after picture offset. (2) Positive pictures, denoted by the LPP, predicted larger facilitation on the face-locked P3 component to faces presented in the earlier time window after picture offset. These results suggest that subsequent processing is still impacted up to 3500 ms after the offset of negative pictures and 1500 ms after the offset of positive pictures for individuals reacting more strongly to these pictures, respectively. Such findings emphasize the importance of individual differences in reactivity when predicting the temporality of emotional recovery. The current experimental model provides a novel basis for future research aiming to identify profiles of adaptive and maladaptive recovery. PMID:23734116

Language, Faith and Identity: A Historical Insight into Discourses of Language Ideology and Planning by the Lutheran Church of Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hatoss, Aniko

2012-01-01

While most language-planning and policy (LPP) studies have focussed on language decisions made by government bodies, in recent years there has been an increased interest in micro-level language planning in immigrant contexts. Few studies, however, have used this framework to retrospectively examine the planning decisions of religious institutions,…

Policy as Practice: Local Appropriation of Language and Education Policies in Lesotho Primary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Backman, Stephen

2009-01-01

This dissertation study sets out to take a close look at the complex mix of factors on the ground, which influence the appropriation of language and education policies by local education stakeholders at Lesotho primary schools. I argue that much of the research in language policy and planning (LPP) has focused too largely on the macro-level…

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yokosawa, A.

We summarize activities concerning the Fermilab polarized beams. They include a brief description of the polarized-beam facility, measurements of beam polarization by polarimeters, asymmetry measurements in the {pi}{degree} production at high p{sub {perpendicular}} and in the {Lambda} ({Sigma}{degree}), {pi}{sup {plus minus}}, {pi}{degree} production at large x{sub F}, and {Delta}{sigma}{sub L}(pp, {bar p}p) measurements. 20 refs., 5 figs.

HSCT Sector Combustor Evaluations for Demonstration Engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenfield, Stuart; Heberling, Paul; Kastl, John; Matulaitis, John; Huff, Cynthia

2004-01-01

In LET Task 10, critical development issues of the HSCT lean-burn low emissions combustor were addressed with a range of engineering tools. Laser diagnostics and CFD analysis were applied to develop a clearer understanding of the fuel-air premixing process and premixed combustion. Subcomponent tests evaluated the emissions and operability performance of the fuel-air premixers. Sector combustor tests evaluated the performance of the integrated combustor system. A 3-cup sector was designed and procured for laser diagnostics studies at NASA Glenn. The results of these efforts supported the earlier selection of the Cyclone Swirler as the pilot stage premixer and the IMFH (Integrated Mixer Flame Holder) tube as the main stage premixer of the LPP combustor. In the combustor system preliminary design subtask, initial efforts to transform the sector combustor design into a practical subscale engine combustor met with significant challenges. Concerns about the durability of a stepped combustor dome and the need for a removable fuel injection system resulted in the invention and refinement of the MRA (Multistage Radial Axial) combustor system in 1994. The MRA combustor was selected for the HSR Phase II LPP subscale combustor testing in the CPC Program.

Vibrational spectra and natural bond orbital analysis of organic crystal L-prolinium picrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwin, Bismi; Amalanathan, M.; Hubert Joe, I.

2012-10-01

Vibrational spectral analysis and quantum chemical computations based on density functional theory (DFT) have been performed on the organic crystal L-prolinium picrate (LPP). The equilibrium geometry, various bonding features and harmonic vibrational wavenumbers of LPP have been investigated using B3LYP method. The calculated molecular geometry has been compared with the experimental data. The detailed interpretation of the vibrational spectra has been carried out with the aid of VEDA 4 program. The various intramolecular interactions confirming the biological activity of the compound have been exposed by natural bond orbital analysis. The distribution of Mulliken atomic charges and bending of natural hybrid orbitals associated with hydrogen bonding also reflects the presence of intramolecular hydrogen bonding thereby enhancing bioactivity. The analysis of the electron density of HOMO and LUMO gives an idea of the delocalization and low value of energy gap indicates electron transport in the molecule and thereby bioactivity. Vibrational analysis reveals the presence of strong O-H⋯O and N-H⋯O interaction between L-prolinium and picrate ions providing evidence for the charge transfer interaction between the donor and acceptor groups and is responsible for its bioactivity.

Spectral lines and characteristic of temporal variations in photoionized plasmas induced with laser-produced plasma extreme ultraviolet source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saber, I.; Bartnik, A.; Wachulak, P.; Skrzeczanowski, W.; Jarocki, R.; Fiedorowicz, H.

2017-11-01

Spectral lines for Kr/Ne/H2 photoionized plasma in the ultraviolet and visible (UV/Vis) wavelength ranges have been created using a laser-produced plasma (LPP) EUV source. The source is based on a double-stream gas puff target irradiated with a commercial Nd:YAG laser. The laser pulses were focused onto a gas stream, injected into a vacuum chamber synchronously with the EUV pulses. Spectral lines from photoionization in neutral Kr/Ne/H2 and up to few charged states were observed. The intense emission lines were associated with the Kr transition lines. Experimental and theoretical investigations on intensity variations for some ionic lines are presented. A decrease in the intensity with the delay time between the laser pulse and the spectrum acquisition was revealed. Electron temperature and electron density in the photoionized plasma have been estimated from the characteristic emission lines. Temperature was obtained using Boltzmann plot method, assuming that the population density of atoms and ions are considered in a local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). Electron density was calculated from the Stark broadening profile. The temporal evaluation of the plasma and the way of optimizing the radiation intensity of LPP EUV sources is discussed.

Influence of trait behavioral inhibition and behavioral approach motivation systems on the LPP and frontal asymmetry to anger pictures.

PubMed

Gable, Philip A; Poole, Bryan D

2014-02-01

Behavioral approach and avoidance are fundamental to the experience of emotion and motivation, but the motivational system associated with anger is not well established. Some theories posit that approach motivational processes underlie anger, whereas others posit that avoidance motivational processes underlie anger. The current experiment sought to address whether traits related to behavioral approach or avoidance influence responses to anger stimuli using multiple measures: ERP, electroencephalographic (EEG) α-asymmetry and self-report. After completing the behavioral inhibition system/behavioral approach system (BIS/BAS) scales, participants viewed anger pictures and neutral pictures. BAS predicted larger late positive potentials (LPPs) to anger pictures, but not to neutral pictures. In addition, BAS predicted greater left-frontal asymmetry to anger pictures. Moreover, larger LPPs to anger pictures related to greater left-frontal EEG asymmetry during anger pictures. These results suggest that trait approach motivation relates to neurophysiological responses of anger.

Influence of trait behavioral inhibition and behavioral approach motivation systems on the LPP and frontal asymmetry to anger pictures

PubMed Central

Poole, Bryan D.

2014-01-01

Behavioral approach and avoidance are fundamental to the experience of emotion and motivation, but the motivational system associated with anger is not well established. Some theories posit that approach motivational processes underlie anger, whereas others posit that avoidance motivational processes underlie anger. The current experiment sought to address whether traits related to behavioral approach or avoidance influence responses to anger stimuli using multiple measures: ERP, electroencephalographic (EEG) α-asymmetry and self-report. After completing the behavioral inhibition system/behavioral approach system (BIS/BAS) scales, participants viewed anger pictures and neutral pictures. BAS predicted larger late positive potentials (LPPs) to anger pictures, but not to neutral pictures. In addition, BAS predicted greater left-frontal asymmetry to anger pictures. Moreover, larger LPPs to anger pictures related to greater left-frontal EEG asymmetry during anger pictures. These results suggest that trait approach motivation relates to neurophysiological responses of anger. PMID:23175676

Investigating the effect of respiratory bodily threat on the processing of emotional pictures.

PubMed

Juravle, Georgiana; Stoeckel, Maria Cornelia; Rose, Michael; Gamer, Matthias; Büchel, Christian; Wieser, Matthias Johannes; von Leupoldt, Andreas

2014-12-01

It has been demonstrated that emotions can substantially impact the perception and neural processing of breathlessness, but little is known about the reverse interaction. Here, we examined the impact of breathlessness on emotional picture processing. The continuous EEG was recorded while volunteers viewed positive/neutral/negative emotional pictures under conditions of resistive-load-induced breathlessness, auditory noise, and an unloaded baseline. Breathlessness attenuated P1 and early posterior negativity (EPN) ERP amplitudes, irrespective of picture valence. Moreover, as expected, larger amplitudes for positive and negative pictures relative to neutral pictures were found for EPN and the late positive potential (LPP) ERPs, which were not affected by breathlessness. The results suggest that breathlessness impacts on the early attention-related neural processing of picture stimuli without influencing the later cognitive processing of emotional contents. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Maternal report of infant negative affect predicts attenuated brain response to own infant.

PubMed

Kuzava, Sierra; Bernard, Kristin

2018-06-24

Parent-infant interaction is known to be influenced bidirectionally by parent and infant characteristics. However, it is unclear whether infant temperament affects parents' neural responses to infant stimuli. 85 infants (6-12 months) were filmed in distress-eliciting tasks, which were coded for infants' negative affect. Mothers' reported infant affect was obtained from the Infant Behavior Questionnaire Very Short Form-Revised. Mothers' EEG activity was recorded while passively viewing photos of own, familiarized, and unfamiliar infants. Multiple regression indicated that mothers who reported greater infant negative affect showed a smaller difference in the late positive potential (LPP) response to own infant versus familiarized infant, controlling for researcher-coded infant negative affect. The findings suggest that parents' perceptions of their infant's temperament, but not independent measures of infant temperament, are related to electrocortical indices of emotional attention. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Neural correlates of the implicit association test: evidence for semantic and emotional processing.

PubMed

Williams, John K; Themanson, Jason R

2011-09-01

The implicit association test (IAT) has been widely used in social cognitive research over the past decade. Controversies have arisen over what cognitive processes are being tapped into using this task. While most models use behavioral (RT) results to support their claims, little research has examined neurocognitive correlates of these behavioral measures. The present study measured event-related brain potentials (ERPs) of participants while completing a gay-straight IAT in order to further understand the processes involved in a typical group bias IAT. Results indicated significantly smaller N400 amplitudes and significantly larger LPP amplitudes for compatible trials than for incompatible trials, suggesting that both the semantic and emotional congruence of stimuli paired together in an IAT trial contribute to the typical RT differences found, while no differences were present for earlier ERP components including the N2. These findings are discussed with respect to early and late processing in group bias IATs.

Effect of vane twist on the performance of dome swirlers for gas turbine airblast atomizers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Micklow, Gerald J.; Dogra, Anju S.; Nguyen, H. Lee

1990-01-01

For advanced gas turbine engines, two combustor systems, the lean premixed/prevaporized (LPP) and the rich burn/quick quench/lean burn (RQL) offer great potential for reducing NO(x) emissions. An important consideration for either concept is the development of an advanced fuel injection system that will provide a stable, efficient, and very uniform combustion system over a wide operating range. High-shear airblast fuel injectors for gas turbine combustors have exhibited superior atomization and mixing compared with pressure-atomizing fuel injectors. This improved mixing has lowered NO(x) emissions and the pattern factor, and has enabled combustors to alternate fuels while maintaining a stable, efficient combustion system. The performance of high-shear airblast fuel injectors is highly dependent on the design of the dome swirl vanes. The type of swirl vanes most widely used in gas turbine combustors are usually flat for ease of manufacture, but vanes with curvature will, in general, give superior aerodynamic performance. The design and performance of high-turning, low-loss curved dome swirl vanes with twist along the span are investigated. The twist induces a secondary vortex flow pattern which will improve the atomization of the fuel, thereby producing a more uniform fuel-air distribution. This uniform distribution will increase combustion efficiency while lowering NO(x) emissions. A systematic swirl vane design system is presented based on one-, two-, and three-dimensional flowfield calculations, with variations in vane-turning angle, rate of turning, vane solidity, and vane twist as design parameters.

Effect of vane twist on the performance of dome swirlers for gas turbine airblast atomizers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Micklow, Gerald J.; Dogra, Anju S.; Nguyen, H. Lee

1990-07-01

For advanced gas turbine engines, two combustor systems, the lean premixed/prevaporized (LPP) and the rich burn/quick quench/lean burn (RQL) offer great potential for reducing NO(x) emissions. An important consideration for either concept is the development of an advanced fuel injection system that will provide a stable, efficient, and very uniform combustion system over a wide operating range. High-shear airblast fuel injectors for gas turbine combustors have exhibited superior atomization and mixing compared with pressure-atomizing fuel injectors. This improved mixing has lowered NO(x) emissions and the pattern factor, and has enabled combustors to alternate fuels while maintaining a stable, efficient combustion system. The performance of high-shear airblast fuel injectors is highly dependent on the design of the dome swirl vanes. The type of swirl vanes most widely used in gas turbine combustors are usually flat for ease of manufacture, but vanes with curvature will, in general, give superior aerodynamic performance. The design and performance of high-turning, low-loss curved dome swirl vanes with twist along the span are investigated. The twist induces a secondary vortex flow pattern which will improve the atomization of the fuel, thereby producing a more uniform fuel-air distribution. This uniform distribution will increase combustion efficiency while lowering NO(x) emissions. A systematic swirl vane design system is presented based on one-, two-, and three-dimensional flowfield calculations, with variations in vane-turning angle, rate of turning, vane solidity, and vane twist as design parameters.

Effect of vane twist on the performance of dome swirlers for gas turbine airblast atomizers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Micklow, Gerald J.; Dogra, Anju S.; Nguyen, H. Lee

1990-06-01

For advanced gas turbine engines, two combustor systems, the lean premixed/prevaporized (LPP) and the rich burn/quick quench/lean burn (RQL) offer great potential for reducing NO(x) emissions. An important consideration for either concept is the development of an advanced fuel injection system that will provide a stable, efficient, and very uniform combustion system over a wide operating range. High-shear airblast fuel injectors for gas turbine combustors have exhibited superior atomization and mixing compared with pressure-atomizing fuel injectors. This improved mixing has lowered NO(x) emissions and the pattern factor, and has enabled combustors to alternate fuels while maintaining a stable, efficient combustion system. The performance of high-shear airblast fuel injectors is highly dependent on the design of the dome swirl vanes. The type of swirl vanes most widely used in gas turbine combustors are usually flat for ease of manufacture, but vanes with curvature will, in general, give superior aerodynamic performance. The design and performance of high-turning, low-loss curved dome swirl vanes with twist along the span are investigated. The twist induces a secondary vortex flow pattern which will improve the atomization of the fuel, thereby producing a more uniform fuel-air distribution. This uniform distribution will increase combustion efficiency while lowering NO(x) emissions. A systematic swirl vane design system is presented based on one-, two-, and three-dimensional flowfield calculations, with variations in vane-turning angle, rate of turning, vane solidity, and vane twist as design parameters.

Trojan particles: Large porous carriers of nanoparticles for drug delivery

PubMed Central

Tsapis, N.; Bennett, D.; Jackson, B.; Weitz, D. A.; Edwards, D. A.

2002-01-01

We have combined the drug release and delivery potential of nanoparticle (NP) systems with the ease of flow, processing, and aerosolization potential of large porous particle (LPP) systems by spray drying solutions of polymeric and nonpolymeric NPs into extremely thin-walled macroscale structures. These hybrid LPPs exhibit much better flow and aerosolization properties than the NPs; yet, unlike the LPPs, which dissolve in physiological conditions to produce molecular constituents, the hybrid LPPs dissolve to produce NPs, with the drug release and delivery advantages associated with NP delivery systems. Formation of the large porous NP (LPNP) aggregates occurs via a spray-drying process that ensures the drying time of the sprayed droplet is sufficiently shorter than the characteristic time for redistribution of NPs by diffusion within the drying droplet, implying a local Peclet number much greater than unity. Additional control over LPNPs physical characteristics is achieved by adding other components to the spray-dried solutions, including sugars, lipids, polymers, and proteins. The ability to produce LPNPs appears to be largely independent of molecular component type as well as the size or chemical nature of the NPs. PMID:12200546

Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention.

PubMed

O'Hare, Aminda J; Atchley, Ruth Ann; Young, Keith M

2017-11-16

Two dominant theories on lateralized processing of emotional information exist in the literature. One theory posits that unpleasant emotions are processed by right frontal regions, while pleasant emotions are processed by left frontal regions. The other theory posits that the right hemisphere is more specialized for the processing of emotional information overall, particularly in posterior regions. Assessing the different roles of the cerebral hemispheres in processing emotional information can be difficult without the use of neuroimaging methodologies, which are not accessible or affordable to all scientists. Divided visual field presentation of stimuli can allow for the investigation of lateralized processing of information without the use of neuroimaging technology. This study compared central versus divided visual field presentations of emotional images to assess differences in motivated attention between the two hemispheres. The late positive potential (LPP) was recorded using electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potentials (ERPs) methodologies to assess motivated attention. Future work will pair this paradigm with a more active behavioral task to explore the behavioral impacts on the attentional differences found.

The Neural Response to Maternal Stimuli: An ERP Study

PubMed Central

Wu, Lili; Gu, Ruolei; Cai, Huajian; Luo, Yu L. L.; Zhang, Jianxin

2014-01-01

Mothers are important to all humans. Research has established that maternal information affects individuals' cognition, emotion, and behavior. We measured event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine attentional and evaluative processing of maternal stimuli while participants completed a Go/No-go Association Task that paired mother or others words with good or bad evaluative words. Behavioral data showed that participants responded faster to mother words paired with good than the mother words paired with bad but showed no difference in response to these others across conditions, reflecting a positive evaluation of mother. ERPs showed larger P200 and N200 in response to mother than in response to others, suggesting that mother attracted more attention than others. In the subsequent time window, mother in the mother + bad condition elicited a later and larger late positive potential (LPP) than it did in the mother + good condition, but this was not true for others, also suggesting a positive evaluation of mother. These results suggest that people differentiate mother from others during initial attentional stage, and evaluative mother positively during later stage. PMID:25375157

Hydrodynamic Models for Multicomponent Plasmas with Collisional-Radiative Kinetics

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

16, 17]. The plasma, typically created by electric discharges , can deposit heat locally in the vicinity the flame, which quickly raises the gas...the corona layer of laser produced plasmas (LPP). Secondly, the self-consistent coupling of the plasma with the field gives rise to particle...excited species and reaction radicals; 7 n ncr solid transport layer (overdense) corona layer (underdense) temperature density shock wave ablation

The CsgA and Lpp proteins affect HEp-2 cell invasion, motility, and biofilm formation in a strain of Escherichia coli O157:H7

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In Escherichia coli O157:H7 strain ATCC 43895, a guanine to thymine transversion in the csgD promoter created strain 43895OR. Strain 43895OR produces an abundant extracellular matrix rich in curli fibers, forms biofilm on solid surfaces, invades cultured epithelial cells, and is more virulent in mic...

Evolution of Elemental Composition and Morphology in Fusion Reactor's First Wall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Yong W.

2007-11-01

Forcing of a multi-element alloy by a gradient field can modify the spatial profile of its elemental composition. The gradient field may be in the imposed temperature or the flux of impinging particles. In a fusion device, both scenarios apply. The consequences must be well understood because they change the thermal transport properties as well as the strength, corrosion and wear characteristics of the first wall materials. Given the large number of directions material evolution can take, new robust methods of near-surface composition analyses are needed. This paper presents a new measurement methodology and requisite instrumentation, which can provide measures of local elemental composition and transport properties simultaneously by time-resolved spectroscopy of laser-produced plasma (LPP) plume emissions from the specimen surfaces. The studies to date show that the composition profiles can be modified thermally in a reproducible manner; disparate thermal transport of constituent atoms can incur modifications of near-surface composition profiles.[Y.W. Kim, Int. J. Thermophysics 28, 732 (2007)] Also, disparate fluxes of fuel particles, fusion products and impurities force the first walls in myriad ways. Repetitive application of the LPP analysis can resolve the near-surface composition profile as well as transport properties over several microns with depth resolutions to 20 nm. Work supported in part by NSF-DMR.

Flashback Arrestor for LPP, Low NOx Combustors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kraemer, Gil; Lee, Chi-Ming

1998-01-01

Lean premixed, prevaporized (LPP) high temperature combustor designs as explored for the Advanced Subsonic Transport (AST) and High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) combustors can achieve low NO(x), emission levels. An enabling device is needed to arrest flashback and inhibit preignition at high power conditions and during transients (surge and rapid spool down). A novel flashback arrestor design has demonstrated the ability to arrest flashback and inhibit preignition in a 4.6 cm diameter tubular reactor at full power inlet temperatures (725 C) using Jet-A fuel at 0.4 less than or equal To phi less than or equal to 3.5. Several low pressure loss (0.2 to 0.4% at 30 m/s) flashback arrestor designs were developed which arrested flashback at all of the test conditions. Flame holding was also inhibited off the flash arrestor face or within the downstream tube even velocities (less than or equal to 3 to 6 m/s), thus protecting the flashback arrestor and combustor components. Upstream flow conditions influence the specific configuration based on using either a 45% or 76% upstream geometric blockage. Stationary, lean premixed dry low NO(x) gas turbine combustors would also benefit from this low pressure drop flashback arrestor design which can be easily integrated into new and existing designs.

A 1kW EUV source for lithography based on FEL emission in a compact storage ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feser, Michael; Ruth, Ron; Loewen, Rod

2017-10-01

EUV has long been hailed as the next generation lithography technology. Its adoption into high volume manufacturing (HVM), however, has been delayed several technology nodes due to technical issues, many of which can be attributed to the EUV source performance. Today's EUV lithography scanners are powered by laser produce plasma (LPP) sources. They have issues with power scaling beyond 300 W, reliability and contamination. Free Electron Lasers (FELs) have been considered as an alternative EUV source. Advantages of accelerator based sources are the maturity of the accelerator technology, lack of debris/contamination, and ability to provide high power. Industry turned away from this technology because of the requirement to feed up to 10 scanners from one linear FEL to make it economically feasible, the large footprint, and generation of radioactive byproducts. All of these issues are overcome in the presented concept using a compact storage ring with steady-state FEL lasing action. At 1 kW output power, comparable cost and footprint to an LPP source, this source is ideally suited for use on a single scanner and promises reliable, contamination free operation. FEL action in the storage ring is sustained by operating the FEL well below the saturation regime and preserving the equilibrium low emittance and energy distribution of the ring.

Performance of 100-W HVM LPP-EUV source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mizoguchi, Hakaru; Nakarai, Hiroaki; Abe, Tamotsu; Nowak, Krzysztof M.; Kawasuji, Yasufumi; Tanaka, Hiroshi; Watanabe, Yukio; Hori, Tsukasa; Kodama, Takeshi; Shiraishi, Yutaka; Yanagida, Tatsuya; Soumagne, Georg; Yamada, Tsuyoshi; Yamazaki, Taku; Okazaki, Shinji; Saitou, Takashi

2015-08-01

At Gigaphoton Inc., we have developed unique and original technologies for a carbon dioxide laser-produced tin plasma extreme ultraviolet (CO2-Sn-LPP EUV) light source, which is the most promising solution for high-power high-volume manufacturing (HVM) EUV lithography at 13.5 nm. Our unique technologies include the combination of a pulsed CO2 laser with Sn droplets, the application of dual-wavelength laser pulses for Sn droplet conditioning, and subsequent EUV generation and magnetic field mitigation. Theoretical and experimental data have clearly shown the advantage of our proposed strategy. Currently, we are developing the first HVM light source, `GL200E'. This HVM light source will provide 250-W EUV power based on a 20-kW level pulsed CO2 laser. The preparation of a high average-power CO2 laser (more than 20 kW output power) has been completed in cooperation with Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. Recently, we achieved 140 W at 50 kHz and 50% duty cycle operation as well as 2 h of operation at 100 W of power level. Further improvements are ongoing. We will report the latest status and the challenge to reach stable system operation of more than 100 W at about 4% conversion efficiency with 20-μm droplets and magnetic mitigation.

Experiments on and observations of intense Alfvén waves in the laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gekelman, W.; Vanzeeland, M.; Vincena, S.

2002-11-01

There are many situations, which occur in space (coronal mass ejections, supernovas), or are man-made (upper atmospheric detonations) in which a dense plasma expands into a background magnetized plasma, that can support Alfvén waves. The LArge Plasma Device ( LAPD) is a machine, at UCLA, in which Alfvén wave propagation in homogeneous and inhomogeneous plasmas has been studied. We describe a series of experiments which involve the expansion of a dense (initially, n_lpp/n_0>>1) laser-produced plasma into an ambient highly magnetized background plasma capable of supporting Alfvén waves. The interaction results in the production of intense shear and compressional Alfvén waves, as well as large density perturbations. The magnetic fields of the waves are obtained with a 3-axis inductive probe. Spatial patterns of the magnetic fields associated with the waves and density perturbations are measured at over 10^4 locations. The wave generation mechanism is due to currents from fast electrons which leave the lpp and field aligned return currents provided by the plasma to neutralize space charge. Dramatic movies of the measured wave fields and their associated currents will be presented. *Work supported by the ONR, and DOE/NSF.

Trust at first sight: evidence from ERPs.

PubMed

Marzi, Tessa; Righi, Stefania; Ottonello, Sara; Cincotta, Massimo; Viggiano, Maria Pia

2014-01-01

We used event-related potentials (ERPs) to tap the temporal dynamics of first impressions based on face appearance. Participants were asked to evaluate briefly presented faces for trustworthiness and political choice. Behaviorally, participants were better at discriminating faces that were pre-rated as untrustworthy. The ERP results showed that the P100 component was enhanced for untrustworthy faces, consistently with the view that signals of potential threat are given precedence in neural processing. The enhanced ERP responses to untrustworthy faces persisted throughout the processing sequence and the amplitude of early posterior negativity (EPN), and subsequent late positive potential (LPP) was increased with respect to trustworthy faces which, in contrast, elicited an enhanced positivity around 150 ms on frontal sites. These ERP patterns were found specifically for the trustworthiness evaluation and not for the political decision task. Political decision yielded an increase in the N170 amplitude, reflecting a more demanding and taxing structural encoding. Similar ERP responses, as previously reported in the literature for facial expressions processing, were found throughout the entire time course specifically elicited by faces explicitly judged as untrustworthy. One possibility might be that evolution has provided the brain with a 'special toolkit' for trust evaluation that is fast and triggers ERPs related to emotional processing.

Lean, Premixed-Prevaporized (LPP) combustor conceptual design study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dickman, R. A.; Dodds, W. J.; Ekstedt, E. E.

1979-01-01

Four combustion systems were designed and sized for the energy efficient engine. A fifth combustor was designed for the cycle and envelope of the twin-spool, high bypass ratio, high pressure ratio turbofan engine. Emission levels, combustion performance, life, and reliability assessments were made for these five combustion systems. Results of these design studies indicate that cruise NOx emission can be reduced by the use of lean, premixed-prevaporaized combustion and airflow modulation.

Face-to-face: Perceived personal relevance amplifies face processing

PubMed Central

Pittig, Andre; Schupp, Harald T.; Alpers, Georg W.

2017-01-01

Abstract The human face conveys emotional and social information, but it is not well understood how these two aspects influence face perception. In order to model a group situation, two faces displaying happy, neutral or angry expressions were presented. Importantly, faces were either facing the observer, or they were presented in profile view directed towards, or looking away from each other. In Experiment 1 (n = 64), face pairs were rated regarding perceived relevance, wish-to-interact, and displayed interactivity, as well as valence and arousal. All variables revealed main effects of facial expression (emotional > neutral), face orientation (facing observer > towards > away) and interactions showed that evaluation of emotional faces strongly varies with their orientation. Experiment 2 (n = 33) examined the temporal dynamics of perceptual-attentional processing of these face constellations with event-related potentials. Processing of emotional and neutral faces differed significantly in N170 amplitudes, early posterior negativity (EPN), and sustained positive potentials. Importantly, selective emotional face processing varied as a function of face orientation, indicating early emotion-specific (N170, EPN) and late threat-specific effects (LPP, sustained positivity). Taken together, perceived personal relevance to the observer—conveyed by facial expression and face direction—amplifies emotional face processing within triadic group situations. PMID:28158672

Cognitive processing of visual images in migraine populations in between headache attacks.

PubMed

Mickleborough, Marla J S; Chapman, Christine M; Toma, Andreea S; Handy, Todd C

2014-09-25

People with migraine headache have altered interictal visual sensory-level processing in between headache attacks. Here we examined the extent to which these migraine abnormalities may extend into higher visual processing such as implicit evaluative analysis of visual images in between migraine events. Specifically, we asked two groups of participants--migraineurs (N=29) and non-migraine controls (N=29)--to view a set of unfamiliar commercial logos in the context of a target identification task as the brain electrical responses to these objects were recorded via event-related potentials (ERPs). Following this task, participants individually identified those logos that they most liked or disliked. We applied a between-groups comparison of how ERP responses to logos varied as a function of hedonic evaluation. Our results suggest migraineurs have abnormal implicit evaluative processing of visual stimuli. Specifically, migraineurs lacked a bias for disliked logos found in control subjects, as measured via a late positive potential (LPP) ERP component. These results suggest post-sensory consequences of migraine in between headache events, specifically abnormal cognitive evaluative processing with a lack of normal categorical hedonic evaluation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Buffering effect of money priming on negative emotions—An ERP study.

PubMed

Ma, Qingguo; Hu, Yue; Pei, Guanxiong; Xiang, Ting

2015-10-08

Recent studies have accumulated evidences that merely reminding people of money could lead to behavioral changes including alleviating both physical pain and social distress. However, the underlying neural mechanism regarding such pain-buffering effect of money is not clear. In this paper, we applied event-related potentials (ERP) to investigate the neural effect of money reminders on induced negative emotions. Subjects were first primed of money images and subsequently viewing unpleasant pictures, while EEG was recorded. Behavioral results suggested a reduced sensitivity to unpleasant pictures after participants being reminded of money. ERP data showed that money priming, compared to neutral priming, generated a larger N2 in frontal and posterior areas, reflecting an endogenous mental conflict and the recruitment of attention resources, and a smaller late positive potential (LPP) in parietal and occipital regions, indicating a regulating process of negative emotions. Additionally, how brain responded to money and neutral stimuli were also examined, indexed by "N170-P2" complex. This study provided additional neurophysiological evidences to support previous behavioral researches on money priming and discussed the two separated neural dynamic stages involved in emotion regulation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

How does mindfulness modulate self-regulation in pre-adolescent children? An integrative neurocognitive review.

PubMed

Kaunhoven, Rebekah Jane; Dorjee, Dusana

2017-03-01

Pre-adolescence is a key developmental period in which complex intrinsic volitional methods of self-regulation are acquired as a result of rapid maturation within the brain networks underlying the self-regulatory processes of attention control and emotion regulation. Fostering adaptive self-regulation skills during this stage of development has strong implications for physical health, emotional and socio-economic outcomes during adulthood. There is a growing interest in mindfulness-based programmes for pre-adolescents with initial findings suggesting self-regulation improvements, however, neurodevelopmental studies on mindfulness with pre-adolescents are scarce. This analytical review outlines an integrative neuro-developmental approach, which combines self-report and behavioural assessments with event related brain potentials (ERPs) to provide a systemic multilevel understanding of the neurocognitive mechanisms of mindfulness in pre-adolescence. We specifically focus on the N2, error related negativity (ERN), error positivity (Pe), P3a, P3b and late positive potential (LPP) ERP components as indexes of mindfulness related modulations in non-volitional bottom-up self-regulatory processes (salience detection, stimulus driven orienting and mind wandering) and volitional top-down self-regulatory processes (endogenous orienting and executive attention). Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Facial and semantic emotional interference: A pilot study on the behavioral and cortical responses to the dual valence association task

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Integration of compatible or incompatible emotional valence and semantic information is an essential aspect of complex social interactions. A modified version of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) called Dual Valence Association Task (DVAT) was designed in order to measure conflict resolution processing from compatibility/incompatibly of semantic and facial valence. The DVAT involves two emotional valence evaluative tasks which elicits two forms of emotional compatible/incompatible associations (facial and semantic). Methods Behavioural measures and Event Related Potentials were recorded while participants performed the DVAT. Results Behavioural data showed a robust effect that distinguished compatible/incompatible tasks. The effects of valence and contextual association (between facial and semantic stimuli) showed early discrimination in N170 of faces. The LPP component was modulated by the compatibility of the DVAT. Conclusions Results suggest that DVAT is a robust paradigm for studying the emotional interference effect in the processing of simultaneous information from semantic and facial stimuli. PMID:21489277

Anxiety and spatial attention moderate the electrocortical response to aversive pictures.

PubMed

MacNamara, Annmarie; Hajcak, Greg

2009-11-01

Aversive stimuli capture attention and elicit increased neural activity, as indexed by behavioral, electrocortical and hemodynamic measures; moreover, individual differences in anxiety relate to a further increased sensitivity to threatening stimuli. Evidence has been mixed, however, as to whether aversive pictures elicit increased neural response when presented in unattended spatial locations. In the current study, ERP and behavioral data were recorded from 49 participants as aversive and neutral pictures were simultaneously presented in spatially attended and unattended locations; on each trial, participants made same/different judgments about pictures presented in attended locations. Aversive images presented in unattended locations resulted in increased error rate and reaction time. The late positive potential (LPP) component of the ERP was only larger when aversive images were presented in attended locations, and this increase was positively correlated with self-reported state anxiety. Findings are discussed in regard to the sensitivity of ERP and behavioral responses to aversive distracters, and in terms of increased neural processing of threatening stimuli in anxiety.

Controlled release of insulin-like growth factor 1 enhances urethral sphincter function and histological structure in the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence in a rat model.

PubMed

Yan, Hao; Zhong, Liren; Jiang, Yaodong; Yang, Jian; Deng, Junhong; Wei, Shicheng; Opara, Emmanuel; Atala, Anthony; Mao, Xiangming; Damaser, Margot S; Zhang, Yuanyuan

2018-02-01

To determine the effects of controlled release of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) from alginate-poly-L-ornithine-gelatine (A-PLO-G) microbeads on external urethral sphincter (EUS) tissue regeneration in a rat model of stress urinary incontinence (SUI), as SUI diminishes the quality of life of millions, particularly women who have delivered vaginally, which can injure the urethral sphincter. Despite several well-established treatments for SUI, growth factor therapy might provide an alternative to promote urethral sphincter repair. In all, 44 female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomised into four groups: vaginal distension (VD) followed by periurethral injection of IGF-1-A-PLO-G microbeads (VD + IGF-1 microbeads; 1 × 10 4 microbeads/1 mL normal saline); VD + empty microbeads; VD + saline; or sham-VD + saline (sham). Urethral function (leak-point pressure, LPP) was significantly lesser 1 week after VD + saline [mean (sem) 23.9 (1.3) cmH 2 O] or VD + empty microbeads [mean (sem) 21.7 (0.8) cmH 2 O) compared to the sham group [mean (sem) 44.4 (3.4) cmH 2 O; P < 0.05), indicating that the microbeads themselves do not create a bulking or obstructive effect in the urethra. The LPP was significantly higher 1 week after VD + IGF-1 microbeads [mean (sem) 28.4 (1.2) cmH 2 O] compared to VD + empty microbeads (P < 0.05), and was not significantly different from the LPP in sham rats, demonstrating an initiation of a reparative effect even at 1 week after VD. Histological analysis showed well-organised skeletal muscle fibres and vascular development in the EUS at 1 week after VD + IGF-1 microbeads, compared to substantial muscle fibre attenuation and disorganisation, and less vascular formation at 1 week after VD + saline or VD + empty microbeads. Periurethral administration of IGF-1-A-PLO-G microbeads facilitates recovery from SUI by promoting skeletal myogenesis and revascularisation. This therapy is promising, but detailed and longer term studies in animal models and humans are needed. © 2017 The Authors BJU International © 2017 BJU International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Synergistic Effect between Electrical and Chemical Factors in Plasma Gene/Molecule-Transfection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jinno, Masafumi

2016-09-01

This study has been done to know what kind of factors in plasma and processes on cells promote plasma gene/molecule transfection. We have discovered a new plasma source using a microcapillary electrode which enables high transfection efficiency and high cell survivability simultaneously. However, the mechanism of the transfection by plasma was not clear. To clarify the transfection mechanisms by micro plasma, we focused on the effects of electrical (current, charge, field, etc.) and chemical (radicals, RONS, etc.) factors generated by the micro plasma and evaluated the contribution weight of three groups of the effects and processes, i.e. electrical, chemical and biochemical ones. At first, the necessity of the electrical factors was estimated by the laser produced plasma (LPP). Mouse L-929 fibroblast cell was cultured on a 96-well plate or 12-well micro slide chamber. Plasmids pCX-EGFP in Tris-EDTA buffer was dropped on the cells and they were exposed to the capillary discharge plasma (CDP) or the LPP. In the case of the CDP, the plasma was generated between the tip of the capillary electrode and the cells so that both electrical and chemical factors were supplied to the cells. In this setup, about 20% of average transfection efficiency was obtained. In the case of the LPP, the plasma was generated apart from the cells so that electrical factors were not supplied to the cells. In this setup, no transfection was observed. These results show that the electrical factors are necessary for the plasma gene transfection. Next, the necessity of the chemical factors was estimated the effect of catalase to remove H2O2 in CDP. The transfection efficiency decreased to 0.4 by scavenging H2O2 with catalase. However, only the solution of H2O2 caused no gene transfection in cells. These results shows that H2O2 is important species to cause gene/molecule transfection but still needs a synergistic effect with electrical or other chemical factors. This work was partly supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (25108509 and 15H00896) from JSPS and a grant from Ehime University. The plasmids are prepared by ADRES Shigenobu of Ehime University.

Saugus River and Tributaries Flood Damage Reduction Study: Lynn, Malden, Revere and Saugus, Massachusetts. Section 1. Feasibility Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-01

57 Table 5 Sensitivity Analysis - Point of Pines LPP 61 Table 6 Plan Comparison 64 Table 7 NED Plan Project Costs 96 Table 8 Estimated Operation...Costs 99 Table 13 Selected Plan/Estimated Annual Benefits 101 Table 14 Comparative Impacts - NED Regional Floodgate Plan 102 Table 15 Economic Analysis ...Includes detailed descriptions, plans and profiles and design considerations of the selected plan; coastal analysis of the shorefront; detailed project

Optimization of suture-free laser-assisted vessel repair by solder-doped electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) scaffold.

PubMed

Pabittei, Dara R; Heger, Michal; Beek, Johan F; van Tuijl, Sjoerd; Simonet, Marc; van der Wal, Allard C; de Mol, Bas A; Balm, Ron

2011-01-01

Poor welding strength constitutes an obstacle in the clinical employment of laser-assisted vascular repair (LAVR) and anastomosis. We therefore investigated the feasibility of using electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffold as reinforcement material in LAVR of medium-sized vessels. In vitro solder-doped scaffold LAVR (ssLAVR) was performed on porcine carotid arteries or abdominal aortas using a 670-nm diode laser, a solder composed of 50% bovine serum albumin and 0.5% methylene blue, and electrospun PCL scaffolds. The correlation between leaking point pressures (LPPs) and arterial diameter, the extent of thermal damage, structural and mechanical alterations of the scaffold following ssLAVR, and the weak point were investigated. A strong negative correlation existed between LPP and vessel diameter, albeit LPP (484±111 mmHg) remained well above pathophysiological pressures. Histological analysis revealed that thermal damage extended into the medial layer with a well-preserved internal elastic lamina and endothelial cells. Laser irradiation of PCL fibers and coagulation of solder material resulted in a strong and stiff scaffold. The weak point of the ssLAVR modality was predominantly characterized by cohesive failure. In conclusion, ssLAVR produced supraphysiological LPPs and limited tissue damage. Despite heat-induced structural/mechanical alterations of the scaffold, PCL is a suitable polymer for weld reinforcement in medium-sized vessel ssLAVR.

Characterization of doctor-patient communication using heartbeat nonlinear dynamics: A preliminary study using Lagged Poincaré Plots.

PubMed

Nardelli, M; Del Piccolo, L; Danzi, Op; Perlini, C; Tedeschi, F; Greco, A; Scilingo, Ep; Valenza, G

2017-07-01

Emphatic doctor-patient communication has been associated with an improved psycho-physiological well-being involving cardiovascular and neuroendocrine responses. Nevertheless, a comprehensive assessment of heartbeat linear and nonlinear/complex dynamics throughout the communication of a life-threatening disease has not been performed yet. To this extent, we here study heart rate variability (HRV) series gathered from 17 subjects while watching a video where an oncologist discloses the diagnosis of a cancer metastasis to a patient. Further 17 subjects watched the same video including additional affective emphatic contents. For the assessment of the two groups, linear heartbeat dynamics was quantified through measures defined in the time and frequency domains, whereas nonlinear/complex dynamics referred to measures of entropy, and combined Lagged Poincare Plots (LPP) and symbolic analyses. Considering differences between the beginning and the end of the video, results from non-parametric statistical tests demonstrated that the group watching emphatic contents showed HRV changes in the LF/HF ratio exclusively. Conversely, the group watching the purely informative video showed changes in vagal activity (i.e., HF power), LF/HF ratio, as well as LPP measures. Additionally, a Support Vector Machine algorithm including HRV nonlinear/complex information was able to automatically discern between groups with an accuracy of 76.47%. We therefore propose the use of heartbeat nonlinear/complex dynamics to objectively assess the empathy level of healthy women.

Ameliorative effects of Bacopa monniera on lead-induced oxidative stress in different regions of rat brain.

PubMed

Velaga, Manoj Kumar; Basuri, Charan Kumar; Robinson Taylor, Kendra S; Yallapragada, Prabhakara Rao; Rajanna, Sharada; Rajanna, Bettaiya

2014-07-01

Bacopa monniera is a rejuvenating herb for brain cells enhancing learning and cognitive ability. In the present investigation, the ameliorative effects of Bacopa monniera were examined against lead-induced oxidative stress in different regions of rat brain. Male rats were divided into five groups: control (1000 ppm sodium acetate) and exposed (1000 ppm lead acetate) for 4 weeks; DMSA (Meso-2,3-Dimercaptosuccinic acid)-treated (90 mg/kg body weight/day); Bacopa monniera-treated (BM) (10 mg/kg body weight/day) and a combination of BM + DMSA for seven consecutive days after 4 weeks of lead exposure. After treatment, the whole brain was isolated by sacrificing rats and four regions were separated namely cerebellum, hippocampus, frontal cortex and brain stem. Results indicated a significant (p < 0.05) increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation products (LPP) and total protein carbonyl content (TPCC) in association with tissue metal content in all the four regions of brain for exposed group compared with their respective controls. However, the lead-induced ROS, LPP, TPCC and tissue metal content were lowered on treatment with Bacopa monniera, almost reaching the control group values in all the above brain regions compared to DMSA and a combination therapy. Results suggest that Bacopa monniera can mitigate the lead induced-oxidative stress tissue specifically by pharmacologic interventions which encompass both chelation as well as antioxidant functions.

The development of cognitive empathy and concern in preschool children: A behavioral neuroscience investigation.

PubMed

Decety, Jean; Meidenbauer, Kimberly L; Cowell, Jason M

2018-05-01

This developmental neuroscience study examined the electrophysiological responses (EEG and ERPs) associated with perspective taking and empathic concern in preschool children, as well as their relation to parental empathy dispositions and children's own prosocial behavior. Consistent with a body of previous studies using stimuli depicting somatic pain in both children and adults, larger early (~200 ms) ERPs were identified when perceiving painful versus neutral stimuli. In the slow wave window (~800 ms), a significant interaction of empathy condition and stimulus type was driven by a greater difference between painful and neutral images in the empathic concern condition. Across early development, children exhibited enhanced N2 to pain when engaging in empathic concern. Greater pain-elicited N2 responses in the cognitive empathy condition also related to parent dispositional empathy. Children's own prosocial behavior was predicted by several individual differences in neural function, including larger early LPP responses during cognitive empathy and greater differentiation in late LPP and slow wave responses to empathic concern versus affective perspective taking. Left frontal activation (greater alpha suppression) while engaging in affective perspective taking was also related to higher levels of parent cognitive empathy. Together, this multilevel analysis demonstrates the important distinction between facets of empathy in children; the value of examining neurobehavioral processes in development. It provides provoking links between children's neural functioning and parental dispositions in early development. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Kr photoionized plasma induced by intense extreme ultraviolet pulses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bartnik, A., E-mail: andrzej.bartnik@wat.edu.pl; Wachulak, P.; Fiedorowicz, H.

Irradiation of any gas with an intense EUV (extreme ultraviolet) radiation beam can result in creation of photoionized plasmas. The parameters of such plasmas can be significantly different when compared with those of the laser produced plasmas (LPP) or discharge plasmas. In this work, the photoionized plasmas were created in a krypton gas irradiated using an LPP EUV source operating at a 10 Hz repetition rate. The Kr gas was injected into the vacuum chamber synchronously with the EUV radiation pulses. The EUV beam was focused onto a Kr gas stream using an axisymmetrical ellipsoidal collector. The resulting low temperature Krmore » plasmas emitted electromagnetic radiation in the wide spectral range. The emission spectra were measured either in the EUV or an optical range. The EUV spectrum was dominated by emission lines originating from Kr III and Kr IV ions, and the UV/VIS spectra were composed from Kr II and Kr I lines. The spectral lines recorded in EUV, UV, and VIS ranges were used for the construction of Boltzmann plots to be used for the estimation of the electron temperature. It was shown that for the lowest Kr III and Kr IV levels, the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) conditions were not fulfilled. The electron temperature was thus estimated based on Kr II and Kr I species where the partial LTE conditions could be expected.« less

Optimization of Suture-Free Laser-Assisted Vessel Repair by Solder-Doped Electrospun Poly(ε-caprolactone) Scaffold

PubMed Central

Pabittei, Dara R.; Heger, Michal; Beek, Johan F.; van Tuijl, Sjoerd; Simonet, Marc; van der Wal, Allard C.; de Mol, Bas A.

2010-01-01

Poor welding strength constitutes an obstacle in the clinical employment of laser-assisted vascular repair (LAVR) and anastomosis. We therefore investigated the feasibility of using electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffold as reinforcement material in LAVR of medium-sized vessels. In vitro solder-doped scaffold LAVR (ssLAVR) was performed on porcine carotid arteries or abdominal aortas using a 670-nm diode laser, a solder composed of 50% bovine serum albumin and 0.5% methylene blue, and electrospun PCL scaffolds. The correlation between leaking point pressures (LPPs) and arterial diameter, the extent of thermal damage, structural and mechanical alterations of the scaffold following ssLAVR, and the weak point were investigated. A strong negative correlation existed between LPP and vessel diameter, albeit LPP (484 ± 111 mmHg) remained well above pathophysiological pressures. Histological analysis revealed that thermal damage extended into the medial layer with a well-preserved internal elastic lamina and endothelial cells. Laser irradiation of PCL fibers and coagulation of solder material resulted in a strong and stiff scaffold. The weak point of the ssLAVR modality was predominantly characterized by cohesive failure. In conclusion, ssLAVR produced supraphysiological LPPs and limited tissue damage. Despite heat-induced structural/mechanical alterations of the scaffold, PCL is a suitable polymer for weld reinforcement in medium-sized vessel ssLAVR. PMID:20835847

IroT/mavN, a new iron-regulated gene involved in Legionella pneumophila virulence against amoebae and macrophages.

PubMed

Portier, Emilie; Zheng, Huaixin; Sahr, Tobias; Burnside, Denise M; Mallama, Celeste; Buchrieser, Carmen; Cianciotto, Nicholas P; Héchard, Yann

2015-04-01

Legionella pneumophila is a pathogenic bacterium commonly found in water. Eventually, it could be transmitted to humans via inhalation of contaminated aerosols. Iron is known as a key requirement for the growth of L. pneumophila in the environment and within its hosts. Many studies were performed to understand iron utilization by L. pneumophila but no global approaches were conducted. In this study, transcriptomic analyses were performed, comparing gene expression in L. pneumophila in standard versus iron restricted conditions. Among the regulated genes, a newly described one, lpp_2867, was highly induced in iron-restricted conditions. Mutants lacking this gene in L. pneumophila were not affected in siderophore synthesis or utilization. On the contrary, they were defective for growth on iron-depleted solid media and for ferrous iron uptake. A sequence analysis predicts that Lpp_2867 is a membrane protein, suggesting that it is involved in ferrous iron transport. We thus named it IroT, for iron transporter. Infection assays showed that the mutants are highly impaired in intracellular growth within their environmental host Acanthamoeba castellanii and human macrophages. Taken together, our results show that IroT is involved, directly or indirectly, in ferrous iron transport and is a key virulence factor for L. pneumophila. © 2014 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Kr photoionized plasma induced by intense extreme ultraviolet pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartnik, A.; Wachulak, P.; Fiedorowicz, H.; Skrzeczanowski, W.

2016-04-01

Irradiation of any gas with an intense EUV (extreme ultraviolet) radiation beam can result in creation of photoionized plasmas. The parameters of such plasmas can be significantly different when compared with those of the laser produced plasmas (LPP) or discharge plasmas. In this work, the photoionized plasmas were created in a krypton gas irradiated using an LPP EUV source operating at a 10 Hz repetition rate. The Kr gas was injected into the vacuum chamber synchronously with the EUV radiation pulses. The EUV beam was focused onto a Kr gas stream using an axisymmetrical ellipsoidal collector. The resulting low temperature Kr plasmas emitted electromagnetic radiation in the wide spectral range. The emission spectra were measured either in the EUV or an optical range. The EUV spectrum was dominated by emission lines originating from Kr III and Kr IV ions, and the UV/VIS spectra were composed from Kr II and Kr I lines. The spectral lines recorded in EUV, UV, and VIS ranges were used for the construction of Boltzmann plots to be used for the estimation of the electron temperature. It was shown that for the lowest Kr III and Kr IV levels, the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) conditions were not fulfilled. The electron temperature was thus estimated based on Kr II and Kr I species where the partial LTE conditions could be expected.

Left passage probability of Schramm-Loewner Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Najafi, M. N.

2013-06-01

SLE(κ,ρ⃗) is a variant of Schramm-Loewner Evolution (SLE) which describes the curves which are not conformal invariant, but are self-similar due to the presence of some other preferred points on the boundary. In this paper we study the left passage probability (LPP) of SLE(κ,ρ⃗) through field theoretical framework and find the differential equation governing this probability. This equation is numerically solved for the special case κ=2 and hρ=0 in which hρ is the conformal weight of the boundary changing (bcc) operator. It may be referred to loop erased random walk (LERW) and Abelian sandpile model (ASM) with a sink on its boundary. For the curve which starts from ξ0 and conditioned by a change of boundary conditions at x0, we find that this probability depends significantly on the factor x0-ξ0. We also present the perturbative general solution for large x0. As a prototype, we apply this formalism to SLE(κ,κ-6) which governs the curves that start from and end on the real axis.

Left passage probability of Schramm-Loewner Evolution.

PubMed

Najafi, M N

2013-06-01

SLE(κ,ρ[over arrow]) is a variant of Schramm-Loewner Evolution (SLE) which describes the curves which are not conformal invariant, but are self-similar due to the presence of some other preferred points on the boundary. In this paper we study the left passage probability (LPP) of SLE(κ,ρ[over arrow]) through field theoretical framework and find the differential equation governing this probability. This equation is numerically solved for the special case κ=2 and h(ρ)=0 in which h(ρ) is the conformal weight of the boundary changing (bcc) operator. It may be referred to loop erased random walk (LERW) and Abelian sandpile model (ASM) with a sink on its boundary. For the curve which starts from ξ(0) and conditioned by a change of boundary conditions at x(0), we find that this probability depends significantly on the factor x(0)-ξ(0). We also present the perturbative general solution for large x(0). As a prototype, we apply this formalism to SLE(κ,κ-6) which governs the curves that start from and end on the real axis.

The role of hunger state and dieting history in neural response to food cues: An event-related potential study.

PubMed

Feig, Emily H; Winter, Samantha R; Kounios, John; Erickson, Brian; Berkowitz, Staci A; Lowe, Michael R

2017-10-01

A history of dieting to lose weight has been shown to be a robust predictor of future weight gain. A potential factor in propensity towards weight gain is the nature of people's reactions to the abundance of highly palatable food cues in the environment. Event Related Potentials (ERPs) have revealed differences in how the brain processes food cues between obese and normal weight individuals, as well as between restrained and unrestrained eaters. However, comparisons by weight status are not informative regarding whether differences predate or follow weight gain in obese individuals and restrained eating has not consistently been found to predict future weight gain. The present study compared ERP responses to food cues in non-obese historic dieters (HDs) to non-obese never dieters (NDs). HDs showed a blunted N1 component relative to NDs overall, and delayed N1 and P2 components compared to NDs in the hungry state, suggesting that early, perceptual processing of food cues differs between these groups, especially when food-deprived. HDs also showed a more hunger-dependent sustained ERP (LPP) compared to NDs. Future research should test ERP-based food cue responsivity as a mediator between dieting history and future weight gain to better identify those most at risk for weight gain as well as the nature of their vulnerability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dread of uncertain pain: An event-related potential study

PubMed Central

Huang, Yujing; Shang, Qian; Dai, Shenyi; Ma, Qingguo

2017-01-01

Humans experience more stress about uncertain situations than certain situations. However, the neural mechanism underlying the uncertainty of a negative stimulus has not been determined. In the present study, event-related potential was recorded to examine neural responses during the dread of unpredictable pain. We used a cueing paradigm in which predictable cues were always followed by electric shocks, unpredictable cues by electric shocks at a 50/50 ratio and safe cues by no electric shock. Visual analogue scales following electric shocks were presented to quantify subjective anxiety levels. The behavioral results showed that unpredictable cues evoked high-level anxiety compared with predictable cues in both painful and unpainful stimulation conditions. More importantly, the ERPs results revealed that unpredictable cues elicited a larger P200 at parietal sites than predictable cues. In addition, unpredictable cues evoked larger P200 compared with safe cues at frontal electrodes and compared with predictable cues at parietal electrodes. In addition, larger P3b and LPP were observed during perception of safe cues compared with predictable cues at frontal and central electrodes. The similar P3b effect was also revealed in the left sites. The present study underlined that the uncertain dread of pain was associated with threat appraisal process in pain system. These findings on early event-related potentials were significant for a neural marker and development of therapeutic interventions. PMID:28832607

Implicit processing of heroin and emotional cues in abstinent heroin users: early and late event-related potential effects.

PubMed

Yang, Ling; Zhang, Jianxun; Zhao, Xin

2015-05-01

The abnormal cognitive processing of drug cues is a core characteristic of drug dependence. Previous research has suggested that the late positive potential (LPP) of heroin users is increased by heroin-related stimuli because of the attention-grabbing nature of such stimuli. The present research used a modified emotional Stroop (eStroop) task to examine whether there was an early posterior negativity (EPN) modulation to heroin cues compared with emotional or neutral stimuli in heroin dependent subjects. Fifteen former heroin users and 15 matched controls performed the eStroop task, which was composed of positive, negative, heroin-related, and neutral pictures with superimposed color squares. Participants responded to the color of the square and not to the picture while behavioral data and event-related potentials were recorded. There were no significant differences of EPN amplitudes to emotional and neutral stimuli between heroin users and controls. However, heroin users displayed increased EPN modulation for heroin cues, whereas this modulation was absent in controls. Drug-related cues acquire motivational salience and automatically capture the attention of heroin users at early processing stages, even when engaged in a non-drug-related task. The EPN to heroin cues could represent a novel electrophysiological index with clinical implications for selecting abstinent drug users who are at increased risk of relapse or to evaluate treatment interventions.

1983 Annual Report on Laser Dyes.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-04-01

Dye II). lThe laser portitm f 1327 11982) 311 the work was sLpp orted b , the National Aerollautics 10 (; II. \\s , .K. Jack-1 amnd AMI . ialpern. (hem...to be the longest-lived. ni)lciatc iu,pui , laser dive solution ol ami that hawe been reported. 1. Introduction We itade a tnore lhiirough evaluation...J. E. Colbert 01) E. White (1) I Riverside Research Institute. Arlington, VA (Suite 714. R. Pamst) 2 Riverside Research Institute. New York, NY Dr. M

Marine Corps Provisioning Policy Review Staff Study Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-10-28

H.DErw,MCLB,Albany,Ga. major P.P.Darling,Hr.MC,Cb) de LPP Captain D.L. Chadwick,HOMC,Cocle LIPS Captain C.G.Durand,HCMC,Cbde M Mr.K.R.Storms,HQt4C...8217ros:iZicnir." packaoes for selected: iti . h.ve bZen a.-: .. c - .. as a c:$Jter tao? file. " ioa s ... been reqiestei frcm Alanv for inclusion in tniz...the orograns develoo:-5 to calculate the measures of effectiveness. The likelihood of programaing errors increases withcomplexity, thereby extending

Monoamine polygenic liability in health and cocaine dependence: imaging genetics study of aversive processing and associations with depression symptomatology*

PubMed Central

Moeller, Scott J.; Parvaz, Muhammad A.; Shumay, Elena; Wu, Salina; Beebe-Wang, Nicasia; Konova, Anna B.; Misyrlis, Michail; Alia-Klein, Nelly; Goldstein, Rita Z.

2014-01-01

Background Gene polymorphisms that affect serotonin signaling modulate reactivity to salient stimuli and risk for emotional disturbances. Here, we hypothesized that these serotonin genes, which have been primarily explored in depressive disorders, could also have important implications for drug addiction, with the potential to reveal important insights into drug symptomatology, severity, and/or possible sequelae such as dysphoria. Methods Using an imaging genetics approach, the current study tested in 62 cocaine abusers and 57 healthy controls the separate and combined effects of variations in the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) and monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) genes on processing of aversive information. Reactivity to standardized unpleasant images was indexed by a psychophysiological marker of stimulus salience (i.e., the late positive potential (LPP) component of the event-related potential) during passive picture viewing. Depressive symptomatology was assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results Results showed that, independent of diagnosis, the highest unpleasant LPPs emerged in individuals with MAOA-Low and at least one ‘Short’ allele of 5-HTTLPR. Uniquely in the cocaine participants with these two risk variants, higher unpleasant LPPs correlated with higher BDI scores. Conclusions Taken together, these results suggest that a multilocus genetic composite of monoamine signaling relates to depression symptomatology through brain function associated with the experience of negative emotions. This research lays the groundwork for future studies that can investigate clinical outcomes and/or pharmacogenetic therapies in drug addiction and potentially other psychopathologies of emotion dysregulation. PMID:24837582

Onabotulinumtoxin A for treating overactive/poor compliant bladders in children and adolescents with neurogenic bladder secondary to myelomeningocele.

PubMed

Marte, Antonio

2012-12-28

This retrospective study was performed to verify the efficacy and safety of Onabotulinumtoxin A (BTX-A) in treating children with neurogenic bladder (NB) secondary to myelomeningocele (MMC) with detrusor overactivity/low compliance. From January 2002 to June 2011, 47 patients out of 68 with neuropathic bladder were selected (22 females, 25 males, age range 5-17 years; mean age 10.7 years at first injection). They presented overactive/poor compliant neurogenic bladders on clean intermittent catheterization, and were resistant or non compliant to pharmacological therapy. Ten patients presented second to fourth grade concomitant monolateral/bilateral vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). All patients were incontinent despite catheterization. In the majority of patients Botulinum-A toxin was administered under general/local anesthesia by the injection of 200 IU of toxin, without exceeding the dosage of 12 IU/kg body weight, diluted in 20 cc of saline solution in 20 sites, except in the periureteral areas. Follow-up included clinical and ultrasound examination, urodynamics performed at 6, 12 and 24 weeks, and annually thereafter. Seven patients remained stable, 21 patients required a second injection after 6-9 months and 19 a third injection. VUR was corrected, when necessary, in the same session after the BT-A injection, by 1-3 cc of subureteral Deflux®. Urodynamic parameters considered were leak point pressure (LPP), leak point volume (LPV) and specific volume at 20 cm H(2)O pressure. The results were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test. All patients experienced a significant 66.45% average increase of LPV (Wilcoxon paired rank test = 7169 × 10(-10)) and a significant 118.57% average increase of SC 20 (Wilcoxon paired rank test = 2.466 × 10(-12)). The difference between preoperative and postoperative LPP resulted not significant (Wilcoxon paired rank test = 0.8858) No patient presented severe systemic complications; 38/47 patients presented slight hematuria for 2-3 days. Two patients had postoperative urinary tract infection. All patients were hospitalized for 24 h with catheterization. Thirty-eight out of 47 patients achieved dryness between CIC; nine patients improved their incontinence but still need pads. Ten patients have resumed anticholinergic agents. Our results suggest that the use of BTX-A is safe and effective in patients with MMC with a positive effect on their dryness and quality of life.

Onabotulinumtoxin A for Treating Overactive/Poor Compliant Bladders in Children and Adolescents with Neurogenic Bladder Secondary to Myelomeningocele

PubMed Central

Marte, Antonio

2012-01-01

This retrospective study was performed to verify the efficacy and safety of Onabotulinumtoxin A (BTX-A) in treating children with neurogenic bladder (NB) secondary to myelomeningocele (MMC) with detrusor overactivity/low compliance. From January 2002 to June 2011, 47 patients out of 68 with neuropathic bladder were selected (22 females, 25 males, age range 5–17 years; mean age 10.7 years at first injection). They presented overactive/poor compliant neurogenic bladders on clean intermittent catheterization, and were resistant or non compliant to pharmacological therapy. Ten patients presented second to fourth grade concomitant monolateral/bilateral vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). All patients were incontinent despite catheterization. In the majority of patients Botulinum-A toxin was administered under general/local anesthesia by the injection of 200 IU of toxin, without exceeding the dosage of 12IU/kg body weight, diluted in 20 cc of saline solution in 20 sites, except in the periureteral areas. Follow-up included clinical and ultrasound examination, urodynamics performed at 6, 12 and 24 weeks, and annually thereafter. Seven patients remained stable, 21 patients required a second injection after 6–9 months and 19 a third injection. VUR was corrected, when necessary, in the same session after the BT-A injection, by 1–3 cc of subureteral Deflux®. Urodynamic parameters considered were leak point pressure (LPP), leak point volume (LPV) and specific volume at 20 cm H2O pressure. The results were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test. All patients experienced a significant 66.45% average increase of LPV (Wilcoxon paired rank test = 7169 × 10 −10) and a significant 118.57% average increase of SC 20 (Wilcoxon paired rank test = 2.466 × 10 −12). The difference between preoperative and postoperative LPP resulted not significant (Wilcoxon paired rank test = 0.8858) No patient presented severe systemic complications; 38/47 patients presented slight hematuria for 2–3 days. Two patients had postoperative urinary tract infection. All patients were hospitalized for 24 h with catheterization. Thirty-eight out of 47 patients achieved dryness between CIC; nine patients improved their incontinence but still need pads. Ten patients have resumed anticholinergic agents. Our results suggest that the use of BTX-A is safe and effective in patients with MMC with a positive effect on their dryness and quality of life. PMID:23274271

Disgust evoked by strong wormwood bitterness influences the processing of visual food cues in women: An ERP study.

PubMed

Schwab, Daniela; Giraldo, Matteo; Spiegl, Benjamin; Schienle, Anne

2017-01-01

The perception of intense bitterness is associated with disgust and food rejection. The present cross-modal event-related potential (ERP) study investigated whether a bitter aftertaste is able to influence affective ratings and the neuronal processing of visual food cues. We presented 39 healthy normal-weight women (mean age: 22.5 years) with images depicting high-caloric meat dishes, high-caloric sweets, and low-caloric vegetables after they had either rinsed their mouth with wormwood tea (bitter group; n = 20) or water (control group; n = 19) for 30s. The bitter aftertaste of wormwood enhanced fronto-central early potentials (N100, N200) and reduced P300 amplitudes for all food types (meat, sweets, vegetables). Moreover, meat and sweets elicited higher fronto-central LPPs than vegetables in the water group. This differentiation was absent in the bitter group, which gave lower arousal ratings for the high-caloric food. We found that a minor intervention ('bitter rinse') was sufficient to induce changes in the neuronal processing of food images reflecting increased early attention (N100, N200) as well as reduced affective value (P300, LPP). Future studies should investigate whether this intervention is able to influence eating behavior. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Women in the midluteal phase of the menstrual cycle have difficulty suppressing the processing of negative emotional stimuli: An event-related potential study.

PubMed

Lusk, Bethany R; Carr, Andrea R; Ranson, Valerie A; Felmingham, Kim L

2017-08-01

Emotion regulation deficits have been implicated in anxiety and depressive disorders, and these internalising disorders are more prevalent in women than men. Few electrophysiological studies have investigated sex differences in emotional reactivity and emotion regulation controlling for menstrual phase. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 28 early follicular women, 29 midluteal women, and 27 men who completed an emotion regulation task. A novel finding of increased N2 amplitude during suppression was found for midluteal women compared with men. These findings suggest midluteal women may be significantly less able to suppress cortical processing of negative stimuli compared to men. This ERP finding was complemented by behavioral ratings data which revealed that while both early follicular and midluteal women reported more distress than men, midluteal women also reported greater effort when suppressing their responses than men. P1 and N1 components were increased in midluteal women compared to men regardless of instructional set, suggesting greater early attentional processing. No sex or menstrual phase differences were apparent in P3 or LPP. This study underscores the importance of considering menstrual phase when examining sex differences in the cortical processing of emotion regulation and demonstrates that midluteal women may have deficits in down-regulating their neural and behavioural responses.

Face-to-face: Perceived personal relevance amplifies face processing.

PubMed

Bublatzky, Florian; Pittig, Andre; Schupp, Harald T; Alpers, Georg W

2017-05-01

The human face conveys emotional and social information, but it is not well understood how these two aspects influence face perception. In order to model a group situation, two faces displaying happy, neutral or angry expressions were presented. Importantly, faces were either facing the observer, or they were presented in profile view directed towards, or looking away from each other. In Experiment 1 (n = 64), face pairs were rated regarding perceived relevance, wish-to-interact, and displayed interactivity, as well as valence and arousal. All variables revealed main effects of facial expression (emotional > neutral), face orientation (facing observer > towards > away) and interactions showed that evaluation of emotional faces strongly varies with their orientation. Experiment 2 (n = 33) examined the temporal dynamics of perceptual-attentional processing of these face constellations with event-related potentials. Processing of emotional and neutral faces differed significantly in N170 amplitudes, early posterior negativity (EPN), and sustained positive potentials. Importantly, selective emotional face processing varied as a function of face orientation, indicating early emotion-specific (N170, EPN) and late threat-specific effects (LPP, sustained positivity). Taken together, perceived personal relevance to the observer-conveyed by facial expression and face direction-amplifies emotional face processing within triadic group situations. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press.

Transgenic animal model for studying the mechanism of obesity-associated stress urinary incontinence.

PubMed

Wang, Lin; Lin, Guiting; Lee, Yung-Chin; Reed-Maldonado, Amanda B; Sanford, Melissa T; Wang, Guifang; Li, Huixi; Banie, Lia; Xin, Zhengcheng; Lue, Tom F

2017-02-01

To study and compare the function and structure of the urethral sphincter in female Zucker lean (ZL) and Zucker fatty (ZF) rats and to assess the viability of ZF fats as a model for female obesity-associated stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Two study arms were created: a ZL arm including 16-week-old female ZL rats (ZUC-Lepr fa 186; n = 12) and a ZF arm including 16-week-old female ZF rats (ZUC-Lepr fa 185; n = 12). I.p. insulin tolerance testing was carried out before functional study. Metabolic cages, conscious cystometry and leak point pressure (LPP) assessments were conducted. Urethral tissues were harvested for immunofluorescence staining to check intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) and sphincter muscle (smooth muscle and striated muscle) composition. The ZF rats had insulin resistance, a greater voiding frequency and lower LPP compared with ZL rats (P < 0.05), with more IMCL deposition localized in the urethral striated muscle fibres of the ZF rats (P < 0.05). The thickness of the striated muscle layer and the ratio of striated muscle to smooth muscle were lower in ZF than in ZL rats. Obesity impairs urethral sphincter function via IMCL deposition and leads to atrophy and distortion of urethral striated muscle. The ZF rats could be a consistent and reliable animal model in which to study obesity-associated SUI. © 2016 The Authors BJU International © 2016 BJU International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Rapid destruction of the rhodamine B using TiO2 photocatalyst in the liquid phase plasma

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Rhodamine B (RhB) is widely used as a colorant in textiles and food stuffs, and is also a well-known water tracer fluorescent. It is harmful to human beings and animals, and causes irritation of the skin, eyes and respiratory tract. The carcinogenicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity and chronic toxicity toward humans and animals have been experimentally proven. RhB cannot be effectively removed by biological treatment due to the slow kinetics. Therefore, RhB is chosen as a model pollutant for liquid phase plasma (LPP) treatment in the present investigation. Results This paper presents experimental results for the bleaching of RhB from aqueous solutions in the presence of TiO2 photocatalyst with LPP system. Properties of generated plasma were investigated by optical emission spectroscopy methods. The results of electrical-discharge degradation of RhB showed that the decomposition rate increased with the applied voltage, pulse width, and frequency. The oxygen gas addition to reactant solution increases the degradation rate by active oxygen species. The RhB decomposition rate was shown to increase with the TiO2 particle dosage. Conclusion This work presents the conclusions on the photocatalytic oxidation of RhB, as a function of plasma conditions, oxygen gas bubbling as well as TiO2 particle dosage. We knew that using the liquid phase plasma system with TiO2 photocatalyst at high speed we could remove the organic matter in the water. PMID:24041151

Investigation of type 1 diabetes and coeliac disease susceptibility loci for association with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

PubMed

Hinks, Anne; Martin, Paul; Flynn, Edward; Eyre, Steve; Packham, Jon; Barton, Anne; Worthington, Jane; Thomson, Wendy

2010-12-01

There is strong evidence suggesting that juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) shares many susceptibility loci with other autoimmune diseases. To investigate variants robustly associated with type 1 diabetes (T1D) or coeliac disease (CD) for association with JIA. Sixteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) already identified as susceptibility loci for T1D/CD were selected for genotyping in patients with JIA (n=1054) and healthy controls (n=3129). Genotype and allele frequencies were compared using the Cochrane-Armitage trend test implemented in PLINK. One SNP in the LPP gene, rs1464510, showed significant association with JIA (p(trend)=0.002, OR=1.18, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.30). A second SNP, rs653178 in ATXN2, also showed nominal evidence for association with JIA (p(trend)=0.02, OR=1.13, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.25). The SNP, rs17810546, in IL12A showed subtype-specific association with enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) subtype (p(trend)=0.005, OR=1.88, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.94). Evidence for a novel JIA susceptibility locus, LPP, is presented. Association at the SH2B3/ATXN2 locus, previously reported to be associated with JIA in a US series, also supports this region as contributing to JIA susceptibility. In addition, a subtype-specific association of IL12A with ERA is identified. All findings will require validation in independent JIA cohorts.

Immunogenicity of amino acids 1-150 of Streptococcus GapC displayed on the surface of Escherichia coli.

PubMed

Song, Baifen; Yang, Xijing; Sun, Hunan; Yu, Liquan; Ma, Jinzhu; Wu, Zhijun; Cui, Yudong

2017-04-01

Streptococcus is one of the main pathogens that cause bovine mastitis. They includes into S.agalactiae, S.dysgalactiae, and S.uberis. The GapC protein is a virulence factor that is expressed on the surface of Streptococcus species. GapC is highly antigenic and immunization with GapC confers cross-protection against all three species. Our previous data showed that amino acids 1-150 of GapC (GapC 1-150 ) of S. dysgalactiae conferred similar immunoprotection compared to full-length GapC. Thus, the present study aimed to construct a recombinant Escherichia coli XL1-Blue strain that displayed GapC 1-150 on its surface, and to investigate the immunogenicity of the surface-localized GapC 1-150 . To do so, the ompA gene of the E. coli XL1-Blue strain was replaced with the lpp'-ompA-gapC1 1-150 or lpp'-ompA genes by λ Red recombination, the former of which fused GapC 1-150 to an Lpp lipoprotein signal peptide and amino acids 1-159 of OmpA; the recombinant strains were named XL1-Blue/LOG76 and XL1-Blue/LO11, respectively. GapC 1-150 was confirmed to localize to the surface of the XL1-Blue/LOG76 strain by an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), a fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis, and laser-scanning confocal microscopy. Then, ICR mice were immunized intramuscularly with the XL1-Blue/LOG76 or XL1-Blue/LO11 strains, or recombinant GapC 1-150 . The sera of the immunized mice were collected and the anti-GapC 1-150 antibody levels were detected by ELISA. Lymphocytes secreting interleukin (IL)-4 and interferon-γ were detected by an enzyme-linked ImmunoSpot assay, as was the level of IL-17A level in the supernatant of cultured splenic lymphocytes. The mice immunized with the XL1-Blue/LOG76 strain or GapC 1-150 exhibited better cellular and humoral immunity. Lastly, the immunized mice were challenged with S. uberis, S. dysgalactiae, and S. agalactiae strains, and mice that were immunized with the XL1-Blue/LOG76 strain were better protected than those that were immunized with the XL1-Blue/LO11 strain. These results indicate that it is feasible to display GapC 1-150 on the E. coli surface as a vaccine against Streptococcus species. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A different pattern of lateralised brain activity during processing of loved faces in men and women: a MEG study.

PubMed

Tiedt, Hannes O; Beier, Klaus M; Lueschow, Andreas; Pauls, Alfred; Weber, Joachim E

2014-12-01

Viewing personally familiar and loved faces evokes a distinct pattern of brain activity as demonstrated by research employing imaging and electrophysiological methods. The aim of the current investigation was to study the perception of loved faces combined with recalling past emotional experiences using whole-head magnetoencephalograpy (MEG). Twenty-eight participants (fourteen female) viewed photographs of their romantic partner as well as of two long-term friends while imagining a positive emotional encounter with the respective person. Face-stimuli evoked a slow and sustained shift of magnetic activity from 300ms post-stimulus onwards which differentiated loved from friends' faces in female participants and left-sided sensors only. This late-latency evoked magnetic field resembled (as its magnetic counterpart) ERP-modulations by affective content and memory, most notably the late positive potential (LPP). We discuss our findings in the light of studies suggesting greater responsiveness to affective cues in women as well as sex differences in autobiographical and emotional memory. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

'Faceness' and affectivity: evidence for genetic contributions to distinct components of electrocortical response to human faces.

PubMed

Shannon, Robert W; Patrick, Christopher J; Venables, Noah C; He, Sheng

2013-12-01

The ability to recognize a variety of different human faces is undoubtedly one of the most important and impressive functions of the human perceptual system. Neuroimaging studies have revealed multiple brain regions (including the FFA, STS, OFA) and electrophysiological studies have identified differing brain event-related potential (ERP) components (e.g., N170, P200) possibly related to distinct types of face information processing. To evaluate the heritability of ERP components associated with face processing, including N170, P200, and LPP, we examined ERP responses to fearful and neutral face stimuli in monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins. Concordance levels for early brain response indices of face processing (N170, P200) were found to be stronger for MZ than DZ twins, providing evidence of a heritable basis to each. These findings support the idea that certain key neural mechanisms for face processing are genetically coded. Implications for understanding individual differences in recognition of facial identity and the emotional content of faces are discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Land Suitability and Potential Production of Gambir Uncaria gambir Roxb. L) at Salido Saribulan, Pesisir Selatan Regency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuni, Juniarti

2017-04-01

Gambir (Uncaria gambir Roxb. L) is a specific commodity of export in West Sumatra. Area of Gambir tree increases about 8 % per year in West Sumatera and until 1998 its production increased about 17% per year. However, in 1999 its area does not parallel with its production. In the last five years, the volume of export increases about 82.81%, while its value of export reaches US 2.5/kg. Therefore, this commodity has a strategic value for city's earnings. One of predicted causes is the use of unappropriated land. The aim of this research is to measure levels of land suitability in the buffer zone. TNKS (The National Park Kerinci-Seblat) in order to get the area, which is suitable for growing commodity of Gambir tree. To evaluate land suitability, quantitative model from FAO is used by combining environmental data, climate and condition of land (physical and chemical characteristic of the land). Estimation of Radiation Thermal Production Potential (RPP). Every data is measured (rating) individually and included in several mathematical formulas. After that, potential production of a land based on climate (Climate Production Potential) = CPP) is obtained quantitatively. By changing certain variant of this model program, it can predict the result of the plant in another area. By entering the real data of a land plant production, this model can predict the real plant production of land (Land Production Potential= LPP). Salido Saribulan area is included in class of land suitability S3f which is suitable for growing Gambir tree with a limitation factor of nutrient retention. Potential of actual gambir production at Salido Saribulan is 5 ton/ha, which is higher than actual gambir production.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yokosawa, A.

We summarize activities concerning the Fermilab polarized beams. They include a brief description of the polarized-beam facility, measurements of beam polarization by polarimeters, asymmetry measurements in the {pi}{degree} production at high p{sub {perpendicular}} and in the {Lambda} ({Sigma}{degree}), {pi}{sup {plus minus}}, {pi}{degree} production at large x{sub F}, and {Delta}{sigma}{sub L}(pp, {anti p}p) measurements (Fermilab E-704). In the future we plan to investigate the proton-spin crisis by determining the gluon spin distribution in inclusive production of direct gamma, {chi}2, and J/{psi}. 20 refs., 5 figs.

New Anabaena and Nostoc cyanophages from sewage settling ponds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hu, N.; Thiel, T.; Giddings, T.H., Jr.

1981-10-15

We have isolated, from sewage settling ponds, 16 cyanophages for heterocyst forming, filamentous cyanobacteria of the genera Anabaena and Nostoc. These phages fall into three groups based on morphology, host range, one-step growth curves, and restriction digests. On the basis of these criteria they can be distinguished from cyanophages A-1(L), A-4(L), N-1, and AN-10 which we received from other laboratories. Certain of the newly described phages are similar in morphology to the short-tailed LPP cyanophages, and others to the long-tailed AS cyanophages.

Influence of spatial frequency and emotion expression on face processing in patients with panic disorder.

PubMed

Shim, Miseon; Kim, Do-Won; Yoon, Sunkyung; Park, Gewnhi; Im, Chang-Hwan; Lee, Seung-Hwan

2016-06-01

Deficits in facial emotion processing is a major characteristic of patients with panic disorder. It is known that visual stimuli with different spatial frequencies take distinct neural pathways. This study investigated facial emotion processing involving stimuli presented at broad, high, and low spatial frequencies in patients with panic disorder. Eighteen patients with panic disorder and 19 healthy controls were recruited. Seven event-related potential (ERP) components: (P100, N170, early posterior negativity (EPN); vertex positive potential (VPP), N250, P300; and late positive potential (LPP)) were evaluated while the participants looked at fearful and neutral facial stimuli presented at three spatial frequencies. When a fearful face was presented, panic disorder patients showed a significantly increased P100 amplitude in response to low spatial frequency compared to high spatial frequency; whereas healthy controls demonstrated significant broad spatial frequency dependent processing in P100 amplitude. Vertex positive potential amplitude was significantly increased in high and broad spatial frequency, compared to low spatial frequency in panic disorder. Early posterior negativity amplitude was significantly different between HSF and BSF, and between LSF and BSF processing in both groups, regardless of facial expression. The possibly confounding effects of medication could not be controlled. During early visual processing, patients with panic disorder prefer global to detailed information. However, in later processing, panic disorder patients overuse detailed information for the perception of facial expressions. These findings suggest that unique spatial frequency-dependent facial processing could shed light on the neural pathology associated with panic disorder. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Temporal and spatial dynamics of optical emission from laser ablation of the first wall materials of fusion device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dongye, ZHAO; Cong, LI; Yong, WANG; Zhiwei, WANG; Liang, GAO; Zhenhua, HU; Jing, WU; Guang-Nan, LUO; Hongbin, DING

2018-01-01

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been developed to in situ diagnose the chemical compositions of the first wall in the EAST tokamak. However, the dynamics of optical emission of the key plasma-facing materials, such as tungsten, molybdenum and graphite have not been investigated in a laser produced plasma (LPP) under vacuum. In this work, the temporal and spatial dynamics of optical emission were investigated using the spectrometer with ICCD. Plasma was produced by an Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm) with pulse duration of 6 ns. The results showed that the typical lifetime of LPP is less than 1.4 μs, and the lifetime of ions is shorter than atoms at ˜10-6 mbar. Temporal features of optical emission showed that the optimized delay times for collecting spectra are from 100 to 400 ns which depended on the corresponding species. For spatial distribution, the maximum LIBS spectral intensity in plasma plume is obtained in the region from 1.5 to 3.0 mm above the sample surface. Moreover, the plasma expansion velocity involving the different species in a multicomponent system was measured for obtaining the proper timing (gate delay time and gate width) of the maximum emission intensity and for understanding the plasma expansion mechanism. The order of expansion velocities for various species is {V}{{{C}}+}> {V}{{H}}> {V}{{{Si}}+}> {V}{{Li}}> {V}{{Mo}}> {V}{{W}}. These results could be attributed to the plasma sheath acceleration and mass effect. In addition, an optimum signal-to-background ratio was investigated by varying both delay time and detecting position.

Association between entomopathogenic nematodes and fungi for control of Rhipicephalus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae).

PubMed

Monteiro, Caio Márcio Oliveira; Araújo, Laryssa Xavier; Matos, Renata Silva; da Silva Golo, Patrícia; Angelo, Isabele Costa; de Souza Perinotto, Wendell Marcelo; Coelho Rodrigues, Camila Aparecida; Furlong, John; Bittencourt, Vânia Rita Elias Pinheiro; Prata, Márcia Cristina Azevedo

2013-10-01

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of the association of entomopathogenic nematodes and fungi on Rhipicephalus microplus. The nematodes used were Heterorhabditis bacteriophora HP88 and Heterorhabditis indica LPP1 and the fungi were Metarhizium anisopliae IBCB 116 and Beauveria bassiana ESALQ 986. In the groups treated with the fungi, the females were immersed for 3 min in a conidial suspension, while in the groups treated with the nematodes, the ticks were exposed to infective juveniles. To evaluate the interaction between entomopathogens, the females were first immersed in a conidial suspension and then exposed to the nematodes. The egg mass weight and hatching percentage values of the groups treated with M. anisopliae IBCB 116 and B. bassiana ESALQ 986 in the two experiments were statistically similar (p > 0.05) to the values of the control group. In the groups treated only with nematodes, there was a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in the egg mass weight, a fact also observed for the hatching percentage of the group treated with H. indica LPP1. In all the groups treated with nematodes in association with fungi, there was a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in the egg mass weight and hatching percentage. The percentage of control of the groups treated with fungi alone varied from 31 to 55%. In the groups treated with nematodes associated or not with fungi, the control percentage was always greater than 90% and reached 100% in the group treated with H. bacteriophora HP88 associated with the fungus M. anisopliae IBCB 116.

Exogenous attention to fear: Differential behavioral and neural responses to snakes and spiders.

PubMed

Soares, Sandra C; Kessel, Dominique; Hernández-Lorca, María; García-Rubio, María J; Rodrigues, Paulo; Gomes, Nuno; Carretié, Luis

2017-05-01

Research has consistently shown that threat stimuli automatically attract attention in order to activate the defensive response systems. Recent findings have provided evidence that snakes tuned the visual system of evolving primates for their astute detection, particularly under challenging perceptual conditions. The goal of the present study was to measure behavioral and electrophysiological indices of exogenous attention to snakes, compared with spiders - matched for rated fear levels but for which sources of natural selection are less well grounded, and to innocuous animals (birds), which were presented as distracters, while participants were engaged in a letter discrimination task. Duration of stimuli, consisting in a letter string and a concurrent distracter, was either presented for 180 or 360ms to explore if the stimulus duration was a modulating effect of snakes in capturing attention. Results showed a specific early (P1) exogenous attention-related brain potential with maximal amplitude to snakes in both durations, which was followed by an enhanced late attention-related potential (LPP) showing enhanced amplitudes to spiders, particularly under the longer exposure durations. These results suggest that exogenous attention to different classes of threat stimuli follows a gradual process, with the most evolutionary-driven stimulus, i.e., snakes, being more efficient at attracting early exogenous attention, thus more dependent on bottom-up processes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Do emotion-induced blindness and the attentional blink share underlying mechanisms? An event-related potential study of emotionally-arousing words.

PubMed

MacLeod, Jeffrey; Stewart, Brandie M; Newman, Aaron J; Arnell, Karen M

2017-06-01

When two targets are presented within approximately 500 ms of each other in the context of rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP), participants' ability to report the second target is reduced compared to when the targets are presented further apart in time. This phenomenon is known as the attentional blink (AB). The AB is increased in magnitude when the first target is emotionally arousing. Emotionally arousing stimuli can also capture attention and create an AB-like effect even when these stimuli are presented as to-be-ignored distractor items in a single-target RSVP task. This phenomenon is known as emotion-induced blindness (EIB). The phenomenological similarity in the behavioral results associated with the AB with an emotional T1 and EIB suggest that these effects may result from similar underlying mechanisms - a hypothesis that we tested using event-related electrical brain potentials (ERPs). Behavioral results replicated those reported previously, demonstrating an enhanced AB following an emotionally arousing target and a clear EIB effect. In both paradigms highly arousing taboo/sexual words resulted in an increased early posterior negativity (EPN) component that has been suggested to represent early semantic activation and selection for further processing in working memory. In both paradigms taboo/sexual words also produced an increased late positive potential (LPP) component that has been suggested to represent consolidation of a stimulus in working memory. Therefore, ERP results provide evidence that the EIB and emotion-enhanced AB effects share a common underlying mechanism.

The effect of incomplete fuel-air mixing on the lean limit and emissions characteristics of a Lean Prevaporized Premixed (LPP) combustor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santavicca, D. A.; Steinberger, R. L.; Gibbons, K. A.; Citeno, J. V.; Mills, S.

1993-01-01

Results are presented from an experimental study of the effect of incomplete fuel-air mixing on the lean limit and emissions characteristics of a lean, prevaporized, premixed (LPP), coaxial mixing tube combustor. Two-dimensional exciplex fluorescence was used to characterize the degree of fuel vaporization and mixing at the combustor inlet under non-combusting conditions. These tests were conducted at a pressure of 4 atm., a temperature of 400 C, a mixer tube velocity of 100 m/sec and an equivalence ratio of .8, using a mixture of tetradecane, 1 methyl naphthalene and TMPD as a fuel simulant. Fuel-air mixtures with two distinct spatial distributions were studied. The exciplex measurements showed that there was a significant amount of unvaporized fuel at the combustor entrance in both cases. One case, however, exhibited a very non-uniform distribution of fuel liquid and vapor at the combustor entrance, i.e., with most of the fuel in the upper half of the combustor tube, while in the other case, both the fuel liquid and vapor were much more uniformly distributed across the width of the combustor entrance. The lean limit and emissions measurements were all made at a pressure of 4 atm. and a mixer tube velocity of 100 m/sec, using Jet A fuel and both fuel-air mixture distributions. Contrary to what was expected, the better mixed case was found to have a substantially leaner operating limit. The two mixture distributions also unexpectedly resulted in comparable NO(x) emissions, for a given equivalence ratio and inlet temperature, however, lower NO(x) emissions were possible in the better mixed case due to its leaner operating limit.

Simultaneous detection of low and high molecular weight carbonylated compounds derived from lipid peroxidation by electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Milic, Ivana; Hoffmann, Ralf; Fedorova, Maria

2013-01-02

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and other oxidative agents such as free radicals can oxidize polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) as well as PUFA in lipids. The oxidation products can undergo consecutive reactions including oxidative cleavages to yield a chemically diverse group of products, such as lipid peroxidation products (LPP). Among them are aldehydes and ketones ("reactive carbonyls") that are strong electrophiles and thus can readily react with nucleophilic side chains of proteins, which can alter the protein structure, function, cellular distribution, and antigenicity. Here, we report a novel technique to specifically derivatize both low molecular and high molecular weight carbonylated LPP with 7-(diethylamino)coumarin-3-carbohydrazide (CHH) and analyze all compounds by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) in positive ion mode. CHH-derivatized compounds were identified by specific neutral losses or fragment ions. The fragment ion spectra displayed additional signals that allowed unambiguous identification of the lipid, fatty acids, cleavage sites, and oxidative modifications. Oxidation of docosahexaenoic (DHA, 22:6), arachidonic (AA, 20:4), linoleic (LA, 18:2), and oleic acids (OA, 18:1) yielded 69 aliphatic carbonyls, whose structures were all deduced from the tandem mass spectra. When four phosphatidylcholine (PC) vesicles containing the aforementioned unsaturated fatty acids were oxidized, we were able to deduce the structures of 122 carbonylated compounds from the tandem mass spectra of a single shotgun analysis acquired within 15 min. The high sensitivity (LOD ∼ 1 nmol/L for 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, HNE) and a linear range of more than 3 orders of magnitude (10 nmol/L to 10 μmol/L for HNE) will allow further studies on complex biological samples including plasma.

Protective effect of Allium sativum (garlic) aqueous extract against lead-induced oxidative stress in the rat brain, liver, and kidney.

PubMed

Manoj Kumar, V; Henley, A K; Nelson, C J; Indumati, O; Prabhakara Rao, Y; Rajanna, S; Rajanna, B

2017-01-01

The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the ameliorative activity of Allium sativum against lead-induced oxidative stress in the brain, liver, and kidney of male rats. Four groups of male Wistar strain rats (100-120 g) were taken: group 1 received 1000 mg/L sodium acetate and group 2 was given 1000 mg/L lead acetate through drinking water for 2 weeks. Group 3 and 4 were treated with 250 mg/kg body weight/day of A. sativum and 500 mg/kg body weight/day of A. sativum, respectively, by oral intubation for a period of 2 weeks along with lead acetate. The rats were sacrificed after treatment and the brain, liver, and kidney were isolated on ice. In the brain, four important regions namely the hippocampus, cerebellum, cerebral cortex, and brain stem were separated and used for the present investigation. Blood was also drawn by cardiac puncture and preserved in heparinized vials at 4 °C for estimation of delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) activity. The results showed a significant (p < 0.05) increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation products (LPP), total protein carbonyl content (TPCC), and lead in the selected brain regions, liver, and kidney of lead-exposed group compared with their respective controls. Blood delta-ALAD activity showed a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in the lead-exposed rats. However, the concomitant administration of A. sativum resulted in tissue-specific recovery of oxidative stress parameters namely ROS, LPP, and TPCC. A. sativum treatment also restored the blood delta-ALAD activity back to control. Overall, our results indicate that A. sativum administration could be an effective antioxidant treatment strategy for lead-induced oxidative insult.

Hydrolyzed Formula With Reduced Protein Content Supports Adequate Growth: A Randomized Controlled Noninferiority Trial.

PubMed

Ahrens, Birgit; Hellmuth, Christian; Haiden, Nadja; Olbertz, Dirk; Hamelmann, Eckard; Vusurovic, Milica; Fleddermann, Manja; Roehle, Robert; Knoll, Anette; Koletzko, Berthold; Wahn, Ulrich; Beyer, Kirsten

2018-05-01

A high protein content of nonhydrolyzed infant formula exceeding metabolic requirements can induce rapid weight gain and obesity. Hydrolyzed formula with too low protein (LP) content may result in inadequate growth. The aim of this study was to investigate noninferiority of partial and extensively hydrolyzed formulas (pHF, eHF) with lower hydrolyzed protein content than conventionally, regularly used formulas, with or without synbiotics for normal growth of healthy term infants. In an European multi-center, parallel, prospective, controlled, double-blind trial, 402 formula-fed infants were randomly assigned to four groups: LP-formulas (1.9 g protein/100 kcal) as pHF with or without synbiotics, LP-eHF formula with synbiotics, or regular protein eHF (2.3 g protein/100 kcal). One hundred and one breast-fed infants served as observational reference group. As primary endpoint, noninferiority of daily weight gain during the first 4 months of life was investigated comparing the LP-group to a regular protein eHF group. A comparison of daily weight gain in infants receiving LPpHF (2.15 g/day CI -0.18 to inf.) with infants receiving regular protein eHF showed noninferior weight gain (-3.5 g/day margin; per protocol [PP] population). Noninferiority was also confirmed for the other tested LP formulas. Likewise, analysis of metabolic parameters and plasma amino acid concentrations demonstrated a safe and balanced nutritional composition. Energetic efficiency for growth (weight) was slightly higher in LPeHF and synbiotics compared with LPpHF and synbiotics. All tested hydrolyzed LP formulas allowed normal weight gain without being inferior to regular protein eHF in the first 4 months of life. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01143233.

Impact of the long chain omega-acylceramides on the stratum corneum lipid nanostructure. Part 1: Thermotropic phase behaviour of CER[EOS] and CER[EOP] studied using X-ray powder diffraction and FT-Raman spectroscopy.

PubMed

Kessner, Doreen; Brezesinski, Gerald; Funari, Sergio S; Dobner, Bodo; Neubert, Reinhard H H

2010-01-01

The stratum corneum (SC), the outermost layer of the mammalian skin, is the main skin barrier. Ceramides (CERs) as the major constituent of the SC lipid matrix are of particular interest. At the moment, 11 classes of CERs are identified, but the effect of each single ceramide species is still not known. Therefore in this article, the thermotropic behaviour of the long chain omega-acylceramides CER[EOS] and CER[EOP] was studied using X-ray powder diffraction and FT-Raman spectroscopy. It was found that the omega-acylceramides CER[EOS] and CER[EOP] do not show a pronounced polymorphism which is observed for shorter chain ceramides as a significant feature. The phase behaviour of both ceramides is strongly influenced by the extremely long acyl-chain residue. The latter has a much stronger influence compared with the structure of the polar head group, which is discussed as extremely important for the appearance of a rich polymorphism. Despite the strong influence of the long chain, the additional OH-group of the phyto-sphingosine type CER[EOP] influences the lamellar repeat distance and the chain packing. The less polar sphingosine type CER[EOS] is stronger influenced by the long acyl-chain residue. Hydration is necessary for the formation of an extended hydrogen-bonding network between the polar head groups leading to the appearance of a long-periodicity phase (LPP). In contrast, the more polar CER[EOP] forms the LPP with densely packed alkyl chains already in the dry state.

Evaluation of the molecular lipid organization in millimeter-sized stratum corneum by synchrotron X-ray diffraction.

PubMed

Suzuki, T; Uchino, T; Hatta, I; Miyazaki, Y; Kato, S; Sasaki, K; Kagawa, Y

2018-04-29

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the lamellar and lateral structure of intercellular lipid of stratum corneum (SC) can be evaluated from millimeter-sized SC (MSC) by X-ray diffraction. A 12 mm × 12 mm SC sheet from hairless mouse was divided into 16 pieces measuring 3 mm × 3 mm square. From another sheet, 4 pieces of ultramillimeter-sized SC (USC:1.5 mm × 1.5 mm square) were prepared. Small and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (SAXD and WAXD) measurements were performed on each piece. For MSC and USC, changes in the lamellar and lateral structure after the application of d-limonene were measured. The intensity of SAXD peaks due to the lamellar phase of long periodicity phase (LPP) and WAXD peaks due to the lateral hydrocarbon chain-packing structures varied in MSC and USC pieces, although over the 12 mm × 12 mm SC sheet. These results indicated that the intercellular lipid components and their proportion appeared nearly uniform. Application of d-limonene on MSC and USC piece with strong peaks in SAXD and the WAXD resulted in the disappearance of peaks due to the lamellar phase of LPP and decrease in peak intensity for the lateral hydrocarbon chain-packing structures. These changes are consistent with normal-sized sample results. We found that the selection of a sample piece with strong diffraction peaks due to the lamellar and lateral structure enabled evaluation of the SC structure in small-sized samples by X-ray diffraction. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Development of a compact laser-produced plasma soft X-ray source for radiobiology experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adjei, Daniel; Ayele, Mesfin Getachew; Wachulak, Przemyslaw; Bartnik, Andrzej; Wegrzynski, Łukasz; Fiedorowicz, Henryk; Vyšín, Luděk; Wiechec, Anna; Lekki, Janusz; Kwiatek, Wojciech M.; Pina, Ladislav; Davídková, Marie; Juha, Libor

2015-12-01

A desk-top laser-produced plasma (LPP) source of soft X-rays (SXR) has been developed for radiobiology research. The source is based on a double-stream gas puff target, irradiated with the focused beam of a commercial Nd:YAG laser. The source has been optimized to get a maximum photon emission from LPP in the X-ray "water window" spectral wavelength range from 2.3 nm (i.e., an absorption edge of oxygen) to 4.4 nm (i.e., an absorption edge of carbon) (280-540 eV in photon energy units) by using argon gas-puff target and spectral filtering by free-standing thin foils. The present source delivers nanosecond pulses of soft X-rays at a fluence of about 4.2 × 103 photons/μm2/pulse on a sample placed inside the vacuum chamber. In this paper, the source design, radiation output characterization measurements and initial irradiation experiments are described. The source can be useful in addressing observations related to biomolecular, cellular and organisms' sensitivity to pulsed radiation in the "water window", where carbon atoms absorb X-rays more strongly than the oxygen, mostly present in water. The combination of the SXR source and the radiobiology irradiation layout, reported in this article, make possible a systematic investigation of relationships between direct and indirect action of ionizing radiation, an increase of a local dose in carbon-rich compartments of the cell (e.g., lipid membranes), an experimental estimation of a particular role of the Auger effect (in particular in carbon atoms) in the damage to biological systems, and the study of ionization/excitation-density (LET - Linear Energy Transfer) and dose-rate effects in radiobiology.

Sarcopenia according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) versus dynapenia as a risk factor for mortality in the elderly.

PubMed

Alexandre, T da Silva; Duarte, Y A de Oliveira; Santos, J L Ferreira; Wong, R; Lebrão, M L

2014-01-01

Sarcopenia and dynapenia have been associated with poorer physical performance, disability and death. The aim of this study was to compare the association between sarcopenia and dynapenia with mortality. We studied 1,149 Brazilians aged 60 years or older residing in São Paulo. Sarcopenia was defined according to the consensus of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP), which includes three components: low muscle mass (LMM) assessed by skeletal muscle mass index ≤ 8.90kg/m2 (men) and ≤ 6.37kg/m2 (women); low muscle strength (LMS) assessed by handgrip strength <30kg (men) and < 20kg (women); and low physical performance (LPP) assessed by walking speed ≤ 0.8m/s. Diagnosis of sarcopenia required presence of LMM plus LMS or LPP. Dynapenia was defined as handgrip strength < 30kg (men) and < 20kg (women). Covariates included socio-demographic and behavioral variables, medical conditions, hospitalization, depressive symptoms, cognition, and disability in activities of daily living or instrumental activities of daily living. The outcome was all-cause mortality over five-year follow-up. During the five-year follow-up, 187 subjects died. The mortality rate for those with or without sarcopenia were 65.9/1,000 person/years and 20.1/1,000 person/years and for dynapenia were 44.3/1,000 person/years and 14.9/1,000 person/years. The adjusted model showed that sarcopenia (HR=1.52, 95%CI: 1.06 - 2.19) and dynapenia (HR=2.04, 95%CI: 1.24 - 3.37) are independent risk factors for death. The EWGSOP definition of sarcopenia and dynapenia can help to determine risk for mortality and can be used as a screening instrument in public health.

Sarcopenia according to the european working group on sarcopenia in older people (EWGSOP) versus Dynapenia as a risk factor for disability in the elderly.

PubMed

da Silva Alexandre, T; de Oliveira Duarte, Y A; Ferreira Santos, J L; Wong, R; Lebrão, M L

2014-05-01

Sarcopenia, defined as low muscle mass (LMM), and dynapenia have been associated with adverse outcomes in elderly. Contrast the association of sarcopenia versus dynapenia with incidence of disability. A four-year prospective study (2006-2010). São Paulo, Brazil. 478 individuals aged 60 and older from the Saúde, Bem-Estar e Envelhecimento (SABE) study who were non-disabled at baseline. Sarcopenia, measured according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP), includes: LMM assessed by skeletal muscle mass index ≤8.90kg/m2 (men) and ≤6.37kg/m2 (women); low muscle strength (LMS) assessed by handgrip strength <30kg (men) and <20kg (women); and low physical performance (LPP) assessed by gait speed ≤0.8m/s. Diagnosis of sarcopenia required LMM plus LMS or LPP. Dynapenia was defined as handgrip strength <30kg (men) and <20kg (women). Covariates included socio-demographic and behavioral variables, medical conditions, hospitalization, depressive symptoms, cognition, perception of vision, hearing and body mass index. Disability in mobility or instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) or disability in activities of daily living (ADL) and IADL. The incidence density of mobility or IADL disability was 43.4/1000 person/year and 22.6/1000 person/year for IADL and ADL disability. There was no significant difference in incidence density according sarcopenia or dynapenia status. After controlling for all covariates, sarcopenia was associated with mobility or IADL disability (relative risk ratio = 2.23, 95%Confidence Interval: 1.03-4.85). Dynapenia was not associated with disability. Sarcopenia according to the EWGSOP definition can be used in clinical practice as a screening tool for early functional decline (mobility or IADL disability).

Histone acetyltransferase general control non-repressed protein 5 (GCN5) affects the fatty acid composition of Arabidopsis thaliana seeds by acetylating fatty acid desaturase3 (FAD3).

PubMed

Wang, Tianya; Xing, Jiewen; Liu, Xinye; Liu, Zhenshan; Yao, Yingyin; Hu, Zhaorong; Peng, Huiru; Xin, Mingming; Zhou, Dao-Xiu; Zhang, Yirong; Ni, Zhongfu

2016-12-01

Seed oils are important natural resources used in the processing and preparation of food. Histone modifications represent key epigenetic mechanisms that regulate gene expression, plant growth and development. However, histone modification events during fatty acid (FA) biosynthesis are not well understood. Here, we demonstrate that a mutation of the histone acetyltransferase GCN5 can decrease the ratio of α-linolenic acid (ALA) to linoleic acid (LA) in seed oil. Using RNA-Seq and ChIP assays, we identified FAD3, LACS2, LPP3 and PLAIIIβ as the targets of GCN5. Notably, the GCN5-dependent H3K9/14 acetylation of FAD3 determined the expression levels of FAD3 in Arabidopsis thaliana seeds, and the ratio of ALA/LA in the gcn5 mutant was rescued to the wild-type levels through the overexpression of FAD3. The results of this study indicated that GCN5 modulated FA biosynthesis by affecting the acetylation levels of FAD3. We provide evidence that histone acetylation is involved in FA biosynthesis in Arabidopsis seeds and might contribute to the optimization of the nutritional structure of edible oils through epigenetic engineering. © 2016 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Do blood plasma levels of oxytocin moderate the effect of nasally administered oxytocin on social orienting in high-functioning male adults with autism spectrum disorder?

PubMed

Althaus, Monika; Groen, Yvonne; A Wijers, Albertus; Noltes, Henriette; Tucha, Oliver; Sweep, Fred C; Calcagnoli, Federica; Hoekstra, Pieter J

2016-07-01

The study investigated whether baseline plasma oxytocin (OXT) concentrations might moderate the effects of nasally administered OXT on social orienting. Thirty-one males with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and thirty healthy males participated in a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial. After administration of the compound, participants were viewing pictures from the International Affective Picture System that represented a systematic variation of pleasant, unpleasant and neutral scenes with and without humans. The outcome measures were a cardiac evoked response (ECR) and a cortical evoked long latency parietal positivity (LPP). Males with ASD had significantly higher plasma baseline levels than the controls. In the absence of general treatment effects, higher baseline concentrations were found to be associated with larger treatment effects, particularly in the group of males with ASD. Higher post-treatment plasma OXT concentrations were found to be associated with smaller treatment effects and larger orienting responses in the placebo situation in the group of controls. We interpret our findings as suggesting that it is the central availability of OXT determining how much of the nasally administered OXT will become centrally absorbed and how much of it will become released into the bloodstream.

High-Temperature Optical Window Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roeloffs, Norman; Taranto, Nick

1995-01-01

A high-temperature optical window is essential to the optical diagnostics of high-temperature combustion rigs. Laser Doppler velocimetry, schlieren photography, light sheet visualization, and laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy are a few of the tests that require optically clear access to the combustor flow stream. A design was developed for a high-temperature window that could withstand the severe environment of the NASA Lewis 3200 F Lean Premixed Prevaporized (LPP) Flame Tube Test Rig. The development of this design was both time consuming and costly. This report documents the design process and the lessons learned, in an effort to reduce the cost of developing future designs for high-temperature optical windows.

QCL seeded, ns-pulse, multi-line, CO2 laser oscillator for laser-produced-plasma extreme-UV source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nowak, Krzysztof Michał; Suganuma, Takashi; Kurosawa, Yoshiaki; Ohta, Takeshi; Kawasuji, Yasufumi; Nakarai, Hiroaki; Saitou, Takashi; Fujimoto, Junichi; Mizoguchi, Hakaru; Sumitani, Akira; Endo, Akira

2017-01-01

Successful merger of state-of-the-art, semiconductor quantum-cascade lasers (QCL), with the mature CO2 laser technology, resulted in a delivery of highly-desired qualities of CO2 laser output that were not available previously without much effort. These qualities, such as multi-line operation, excellent spectro-temporal stability and pulse waveform control, became available from a single device of moderate complexity. This paper describes the operation principle and the unique properties of the solid{state seeded CO2 laser, invented for an application in laser-produced-plasma (LPP), extreme-UV (EUV) light source.

How consumers are affected by product descriptions in online shopping: Event-related potentials evidence of the attribute framing effect.

PubMed

Jin, Jia; Zhang, Wuke; Chen, Mingliang

2017-12-01

Due to the limitations of the human ability to process information, e-consumers' decisions are likely to be influenced by various cognitive biases, such as the attribute framing effect. This effect has been well studied by numerous scholars; however, the associated underlying neural mechanisms with a critical temporal resolution have not been revealed. Thus, this study applies the measurement of event-related potentials (ERPs) to directly examine the role of attribute framing in information processing and decision-making in online shopping. The behavioral results showed that participants demonstrated a higher purchase intention with a shorter reaction time under a positive framing condition compared to participants under a negative framing condition. Compared with positive framing messages, the results of ERPs indicated that negative framing messages attracted more attention resources at the early stage of rapid automatic processing (larger P2 amplitude) and resulted in greater cognitive conflict and decision difficulty (larger P2-N2 complex). Moreover, compared with negative messages, positive framing messages allowed consumers to perceive a better future performance of products and classify these products as a categorization of higher evaluation (larger LPP amplitude) at the late cognitive processing stage of evaluation. Based on these results, we provide evidence for a better understanding of how different attribute framing messages are processed and ultimately lead to the framing effect. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

Preferential processing of task-irrelevant beloved-related information and task performance: Two event-related potential studies.

PubMed

Langeslag, Sandra J E; van Strien, Jan W

2017-09-18

People who are in love have better attention for beloved-related information, but report having trouble focusing on other tasks, such as (home)work. So, romantic love can both improve and hurt cognition. Emotional information is preferentially processed, which improves task performance when the information is task-relevant, but hurts task performance when it is task-irrelevant. Because beloved-related information is highly emotional, the effects of romantic love on cognition may resemble these effects of emotion on cognition. We examined whether beloved-related information is preferentially processed even when it is task-irrelevant and whether this hurts task performance. In two event-related potential studies, participants who had recently fallen in love performed a visuospatial short-term memory task. Task-irrelevant beloved, friend, and stranger faces were presented during maintenance (Study 1), or encoding (Study 2). The Early Posterior Negativity (EPN) reflecting early automatic attentional capturing and the Late Positive Potential (LPP) reflecting sustained motivated attention were largest for beloved pictures. Thus, beloved pictures are preferentially processed even when they are task-irrelevant. Task performance and reaction times did not differ between beloved, friend, and stranger conditions. Nevertheless, self-reported obsessive thinking about the beloved tended to correlate negatively with task performance, and positively with reaction times, across conditions. So, although task-irrelevant beloved-related information does not impact task performance, more obsessive thinking about the beloved might relate to poorer and slower overall task performance. More research is needed to clarify why people experience trouble focusing on beloved-unrelated tasks and how this negative effect of love on cognition could be reduced. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous odour-face presentation strengthens hedonic evaluations and event-related potential responses influenced by unpleasant odour.

PubMed

Cook, Stephanie; Kokmotou, Katerina; Soto, Vicente; Wright, Hazel; Fallon, Nicholas; Thomas, Anna; Giesbrecht, Timo; Field, Matt; Stancak, Andrej

2018-04-13

Odours alter evaluations of concurrently presented visual stimuli, such as faces. Stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) is known to affect evaluative priming in various sensory modalities. However, effects of SOA on odour priming of visual stimuli are not known. The present study aimed to analyse whether subjective and cortical activation changes during odour priming would vary as a function of SOA between odours and faces. Twenty-eight participants rated faces under pleasant, unpleasant, and no-odour conditions using visual analogue scales. In half of trials, faces appeared one-second after odour offset (SOA 1). In the other half of trials, faces appeared during the odour pulse (SOA 2). EEG was recorded continuously using a 128-channel system, and event-related potentials (ERPs) to face stimuli were evaluated using statistical parametric mapping (SPM). Faces presented during unpleasant-odour stimulation were rated significantly less pleasant than the same faces presented one-second after offset of the unpleasant odour. Scalp-time clusters in the late-positive-potential (LPP) time-range showed an interaction between odour and SOA effects, whereby activation was stronger for faces presented simultaneously with the unpleasant odour, compared to the same faces presented after odour offset. Our results highlight stronger unpleasant odour priming with simultaneous, compared to delayed, odour-face presentation. Such effects were represented in both behavioural and neural data. A greater cortical and subjective response during simultaneous presentation of faces and unpleasant odour may have an adaptive role, allowing for a prompt and focused behavioural reaction to a concurrent stimulus if an aversive odour would signal danger, or unwanted social interaction. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Light sources for high-volume manufacturing EUV lithography: technology, performance, and power scaling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fomenkov, Igor; Brandt, David; Ershov, Alex; Schafgans, Alexander; Tao, Yezheng; Vaschenko, Georgiy; Rokitski, Slava; Kats, Michael; Vargas, Michael; Purvis, Michael; Rafac, Rob; La Fontaine, Bruno; De Dea, Silvia; LaForge, Andrew; Stewart, Jayson; Chang, Steven; Graham, Matthew; Riggs, Daniel; Taylor, Ted; Abraham, Mathew; Brown, Daniel

2017-06-01

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is expected to succeed in 193-nm immersion multi-patterning technology for sub-10-nm critical layer patterning. In order to be successful, EUV lithography has to demonstrate that it can satisfy the industry requirements in the following critical areas: power, dose stability, etendue, spectral content, and lifetime. Currently, development of second-generation laser-produced plasma (LPP) light sources for the ASML's NXE:3300B EUV scanner is complete, and first units are installed and operational at chipmaker customers. We describe different aspects and performance characteristics of the sources, dose stability results, power scaling, and availability data for EUV sources and also report new development results.

Stress sensitizes the brain: increased processing of unpleasant pictures after exposure to acute stress.

PubMed

Weymar, Mathias; Schwabe, Lars; Löw, Andreas; Hamm, Alfons O

2012-07-01

A key component of acute stress is a surge in vigilance that enables a prioritized processing of highly salient information to promote the organism's survival. In this study, we investigated the neural effects of acute stress on emotional picture processing. ERPs were measured during a deep encoding task, in which 40 male participants categorized 50 unpleasant and 50 neutral pictures according to arousal and valence. Before picture encoding, participants were subjected either to the Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Test (SECPT) or to a warm water control procedure. The exposure to the SECPT resulted in increased subjective and autonomic (heart rate and blood pressure) stress responses relative to the control condition. Viewing of unpleasant relative to neutral pictures evoked enhanced late positive potentials (LPPs) over centro-parietal scalp sites around 400 msec after picture onset. Prior exposure to acute stress selectively increased the LPPs for unpleasant pictures. Moreover, the LPP magnitude for unpleasant pictures following the SECPT was positively associated with incidental free recall performance 24 hr later. The present results suggest that acute stress sensitizes the brain for increased processing of cues in the environment, particularly priming the processing of unpleasant cues. This increased processing is related to later long-term memory performance.

Within- and between-session replicability of cognitive brain processes: An MEG study with an N-back task.

PubMed

Ahonen, L; Huotilainen, M; Brattico, E

2016-05-01

In the vast majority of electrophysiological studies on cognition, participants are only measured once during a single experimental session. The dearth of studies on test-retest reliability in magnetoencephalography (MEG) within and across experimental sessions is a preventing factor for longitudinal designs, imaging genetics studies, and clinical applications. From the recorded signals, it is not straightforward to draw robust and steady indices of brain activity that could directly be used in exploring behavioral effects or genetic associations. To study the variations in markers associated with cognitive functions, we extracted three event-related field (ERF) features from time-locked global field power (GFP) epochs using MEG while participants were performing a numerical N-back task in four consecutive measurements conducted during two different days separated by two weeks. We demonstrate that the latency of the M170, a neural correlate associated with cognitive functions such as working memory, was a stable parameter and did not show significant variations over time. In addition, the M170 peak amplitude and the mean amplitude of late positive component (LPP) also expressed moderate-to-strong reliability across multiple measures over time over many sensor spaces and between participants. The M170 amplitude varied more significantly between the measurements in some conditions but showed consistency over the participants over time. In addition we demonstrated significant correlation with the M170 and LPP parameters and cognitive load. The results are in line with the literature showing less within-subject fluctuation for the latency parameters and more consistency in between-subject comparisons for amplitude based features. The within-subject consistency was apparent also with longer delays between the measurements. We suggest that with a few limitations the ERF features show sufficient reliability and stability for longitudinal research designs and clinical applications for cognitive functions in single as well as cross-subject designs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Performance of one hundred watt HVM LPP-EUV source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mizoguchi, Hakaru; Nakarai, Hiroaki; Abe, Tamotsu; Nowak, Krzysztof M.; Kawasuji, Yasufumi; Tanaka, Hiroshi; Watanabe, Yukio; Hori, Tsukasa; Kodama, Takeshi; Shiraishi, Yutaka; Yanagida, Tatsuya; Soumagne, Georg; Yamada, Tsuyoshi; Yamazaki, Taku; Okazaki, Shinji; Saitou, Takashi

2015-03-01

We have been developing CO2-Sn-LPP EUV light source which is the most promising solution as the 13.5nm high power light source for HVM EUVL. Unique and original technologies such as: combination of pulsed CO2 laser and Sn droplets, dual wavelength laser pulses shooting, and mitigation with magnetic field, have been developed in Gigaphoton Inc. The theoretical and experimental data have clearly showed the advantage of our proposed strategy. Based on these data we are developing first practical source for HVM - "GL200E". This data means 250W EUV power will be able to realize around 20kW level pulsed CO2 laser. We have reported engineering data from our recent test such around 43W average clean power, CE=2.0%, with 100kHz operation and other data 19). We have already finished preparation of higher average power CO2 laser more than 20kW at output power cooperate with Mitsubishi Electric Corporation 14). Recently we achieved 92W with 50kHz, 50% duty cycle operation 20). We have reported component technology progress of EUV light source system. We report promising experimental data and result of simulation of magnetic mitigation system in Proto #1 system. We demonstrated several data with Proto #2 system: (1) emission data of 140W in burst under 70kHz 50% duty cycle during 10 minutes. (2) emission data of 118W in burst under 60kHz 70% duty cycle during 10 minutes. (3) emission data of 42W in burst under 20kHz 50% duty cycle (10000pls/0.5ms OFF) during 3 hours (110Mpls). Also we report construction of Pilot #1 system. Final target is week level operation with 250W EUV power with CE=4%, more than 27kW CO2 laser power by the end of Q2 of 2015.

Real-Time Optical Fuel-to-Air Ratio Sensor for Gas Turbine Combustors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Quang-Viet; Mongia, Rajiv K.; Dibble, Robert W.

1999-01-01

The measurement of the temporal distribution of fuel in gas turbine combustors is important in considering pollution, combustion efficiency and combustor dynamics and acoustics. Much of the previous work in measuring fuel distributions in gas turbine combustors has focused on the spatial aspect of the distribution. The temporal aspect however, has often been overlooked, even though it is just as important. In part, this is due to the challenges of applying real-time diagnostic techniques in a high pressure and high temperature environment. A simple and low-cost instrument that non-intrusively measures the real-time fuel-to-air ratio (FAR) in a gas turbine combustor has been developed. The device uses a dual wavelength laser absorption technique to measure the concentration of most hydrocarbon fuels such as jet fuel, methane, propane, etc. The device can be configured to use fiber optics to measure the local FAR inside a high pressure test rig without the need for windows. Alternatively, the device can readily be used in test rigs that have existing windows without modifications. An initial application of this instrument was to obtain time-resolved measurements of the FAR in the premixer of a lean premixed prevaporized (LPP) combustor at inlet air pressures and temperatures as high as 17 atm at 800 K, with liquid JP-8 as the fuel. Results will be presented that quantitatively show the transient nature of the local FAR inside a LPP gas turbine combustor at actual operating conditions. The high speed (kHz) time resolution of this device, combined with a rugged fiber optic delivery system, should enable the realization of a flight capable active-feedback and control system for the abatement of noise and pollutant emissions in the future. Other applications that require an in-situ and time-resolved measurement of fuel vapor concentrations should also find this device to be of use.

Lactate and acid base changes during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

PubMed

Ibraheim, Osama A; Samarkandi, Abdulhamid H; Alshehry, Hassan; Faden, Awatif; Farouk, Eltinay Omar

2006-02-01

The observation of hemodynamic and metabolic impairment related to CO2 pneumoperitoneum and postoperative mesenteric ischemia reports following laparoscopic procedures have raised concern about local and systemic effects of increase intraabdominal pressure during laparoscopic procedures. The present study aims to evaluate the metabolic and acid base responses of using high pressure versus low pressure pneumoperitonium in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a prospective randomized clinical trial. 20 ASA I-II patients scheduled for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomly allocated to one of two study groups; high pressure pneumoperitoneum 12-14mmHg (HPP, n=10) versus low pressure pneumoperitoneum 6-8mmHg (LPP, n=10) undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Arterial blood gases and lactate levels were determined after induction of anesthesia (before pneumoperitonium), then after 10 min, then 30 min after insufflations and at the end of surgery and 1 hour postoperatively. Nurses in recovery unit reported pain assessment starting postoperatively until 3 hours on a 10mm VAS (0-10). Statistical significant was established at P<0.05. Bicarbonate was significantly (P>0.0412) lower in high pressure group at 30 min and 60 min after insufflations. In high pressure group lactate levels increased significantly as compared to low pressure group, (at 30 minutes after the establishment of abdominal pneumatic inflation P<0.006 and remained significantly increased (P<0.001) until the end of surgery and one hour thereafter) (P<0.001). The mean postoperative pain score during second hour (VAS) at HPP group was 7.4 +/- 1.17 which is significantly (P < or = 0.006) higher than pain score in LPP group 5.0 +/- 1.886. Shoulder tip pain was reported in 3 patients in the high pressure group and only one patient in the lower pressure group. High-pressure pneumoperitonium causes statistically significant elevation in the arterial lactate level intraoperatively until one hour post operatively. It also causes higher pain score and shoulder tip pain.

Scaling mechanisms of vapour/plasma shielding from laser-produced plasmas to magnetic fusion regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sizyuk, Tatyana; Hassanein, Ahmed

2014-02-01

The plasma shielding effect is a well-known mechanism in laser-produced plasmas (LPPs) reducing laser photon transmission to the target and, as a result, significantly reducing target heating and erosion. The shielding effect is less pronounced at low laser intensities, when low evaporation rate together with vapour/plasma expansion processes prevent establishment of a dense plasma layer above the surface. Plasma shielding also loses its effectiveness at high laser intensities when the formed hot dense plasma plume causes extensive target erosion due to radiation fluxes back to the surface. The magnitude of emitted radiation fluxes from such a plasma is similar to or slightly higher than the laser photon flux in the low shielding regime. Thus, shielding efficiency in LPPs has a peak that depends on the laser beam parameters and the target material. A similar tendency is also expected in other plasma-operating devices such as tokamaks of magnetic fusion energy (MFE) reactors during transient plasma operation and disruptions on chamber walls when deposition of the high-energy transient plasma can cause severe erosion and damage to the plasma-facing and nearby components. A detailed analysis of these abnormal events and their consequences in future power reactors is limited in current tokamak reactors. Predictions for high-power future tokamaks are possible only through comprehensive, time-consuming and rigorous modelling. We developed scaling mechanisms, based on modelling of LPP devices with their typical temporal and spatial scales, to simulate tokamak abnormal operating regimes to study wall erosion, plasma shielding and radiation under MFE reactor conditions. We found an analogy in regimes and results of carbon and tungsten erosion of the divertor surface in ITER-like reactors with erosion due to laser irradiation. Such an approach will allow utilizing validated modelling combined with well-designed and well-diagnosed LPP experimental studies for predicting consequences of plasma instabilities in complex fusion environment, which are of serious concern for successful energy production.

Different brain mechanisms between stereotype activation and application: evidence from an ERP study.

PubMed

Jia, Lei; Dickter, Cheryl L; Luo, Junlong; Xiao, Xiao; Yang, Qun; Lei, Ming; Qiu, Jiang; Zhang, Qinglin

2012-01-01

Stereotyping involves two processes in which first, social stereotypes are activated (stereotype activation), and then, stereotypes are applied to given targets (stereotype application). Previous behavioral studies have suggested that these two processes are independent of each other and may have different mechanisms. As few psychophysiological studies have given an integrated account of these stages in stereotyping so far, this study utilized a trait categorization task in which event-related potentials (ERPs) were used to explore the brain mechanisms associated with the processes of stereotype activation and its application. The behavioral (reaction time) and electrophysiological data showed that stereotype activation and application were elicited respectively in an affective valence identification subtask and in a semantic content judgment subtask. The electrophysiological results indicated that the categorization processes involved in stereotype activation to quickly identify stereotypic and nonstereotypic information were quite different from those involved in the application. During the process of stereotype activation, a P2 and N2 effect was observed, indicating that stereotype activation might be facilitated by an early attentional bias. Also, a late positive potential (LPP) was elicited, suggesting that social expectancy violation might be involved. During the process of the stereotype application, electrophysiological data showed a P2 and P3 effect, indicating that stereotype application might be related to the rapid social knowledge identification in semantic representation and thus may be associated with an updating of existing stereotypic contents or a motivation to resolve the inconsistent information. This research strongly suggested that different mechanisms are involved in the stereotype activation and application processes.

The Temptation of Zero Price: Event-Related Potentials Evidence of How Price Framing Influences the Purchase of Bundles.

PubMed

Ma, Haiying; Mo, Zan; Zhang, Huijun; Wang, Cuicui; Fu, Huijian

2018-01-01

Studies have revealed that consumers are susceptible to price framing effect, a common cognitive bias, due to their limited capacity in processing information. The effect of price framing in a bundling context and its neural correlates, however, remain not clearly characterized. The present study applied the event-related potentials (ERPs) approach to investigate the role of price framing in information processing and purchase decision making in a bundling context. Three price frames were created with practically identical total prices (with a maximum difference of ¥0.1, which was about equal to 0.016 US dollars) for a bundle with two components, a focal product and a tie-in product. In normal price condition (NP), both the focal and tie-in products were offered at a normal discounted price; in zero price condition (ZP), the tie-in product was offered free while the total price of the bundle remained the same as NP; whereas in low price condition (LP), the tie-in product was offered at a low token price (¥0.1), and the focal product shared the same price as the focal product of ZP. The behavioral results showed a higher purchase rate and a shorter reaction time for ZP in contrast to NP. Neurophysiologically, enlarged LPP amplitude was elicited by ZP relative to NP, suggesting that ZP triggered a stronger positive affect that could motivate decision to buy. Thus, this study provides both behavioral and neural evidence for how different price framing information is processed and ultimately gives rise to price framing effect in purchase decision making.

Imaging of Combustion Species in a Radially-Staged Gas Turbine Combustor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Locke, Randy J.; Hicks, Yolanda R.; Anderson, Robert C.; Ockunzzi, Kelly A.; Schock, Harold J.

1996-01-01

Plannar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) is used to characterize the complex flowfield of a unique fuel-lean, radially-staged high pressure gas turbine combustor. PLIF images of OH are presented for two fuel injector configurations. PLIF images of NO, the first acquired at these conditions, are presented and compared with gas sample extraction probe measurements. Flow field imaging of nascent C2 chemiluminescence is also investigated. An examination is made of the interaction between adjoining lean premixed prevaporized (LPP) injectors. Fluorescence interferences at conditions approaching 2000 K and 15 atm are observed and attributed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions. All images are acquired at a position immediately downstream of the fuel injectors with combustor burning JP-5 fuel.

Imaging of Combustion Species in a Radially-Staged Gas Turbine Combustor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Locke, Randy J.; Hicks, Yolanda R.; Anderson, Robert C.; Ockunzzi, Kelly A.; Schock, Harold J.

1996-01-01

Planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) is used to characterize the complex flowfield of a unique fuel-lean, radially-staged, high pressure gas turbine combustor. PLIF images of OH are presented for two fuel injector configurations. PLIF images of NO, the first acquired at these conditions, are presented and compared with gas sample extraction probe measurements. Flow field imaging of nascent C2 chemiluminescence is also investigated. An examination is made of the interaction between adjoining lean premixed prevaporized (LPP) injectors. Fluorescence interferences at conditions approaching 2000 K and 15 atm are observed and attributed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions. All images are acquired at a position immediately downstream of the fuel injectors with the combustor burning JP-5 fuel.

Surface display of metal binding domain derived from PbrR on Escherichia coli specifically increases lead(II) adsorption.

PubMed

Hui, Chang-Ye; Guo, Yan; Yang, Xue-Qin; Zhang, Wen; Huang, Xian-Qing

2018-05-01

To improve the Pb 2+ biosorption capacity of the potential E. coli biosorbent, a putative Pb 2+ binding domain (PbBD) derived from PbrR was efficiently displayed on to the E. coli cell surface. The PbBD was obtained by truncating the N-terminal DNA-binding domain and C-terminal redundant amino acid residues of the Pb 2+ -sensing transcriptional factor PbrR. Whole-cell sorbents were constructed with the full-length PbrR and PbBD of PbrR genetically engineered onto the surface of E. coli cells using Lpp-OmpA as the anchor. Followed by a 1.71-fold higher display of PbBD than PbrR, the presence of PbBD on the surface of E. coli cells enabled a 1.92-fold higher Pb 2+ biosorption than that found in PbrR-displayed cells. Specific Pb 2+ binding via PbBD was the same as Pb 2+ binding via the full-length PbrR, with no observable decline even in the presence of Zn 2+ and Cd 2+ . Since surface-engineered E. coli cells with PbBD increased the Pb 2+ binding capacity and did not affect the adsorption selectivity, this suggests that surface display of the metal binding domain derived from MerR-like proteins may be used for the bioremediation of specific toxic heavy metals.

Individual differences in cardiac vagal tone are associated with differential neural responses to facial expressions at different spatial frequencies: an ERP and sLORETA study.

PubMed

Park, Gewnhi; Moon, Eunok; Kim, Do-Won; Lee, Seung-Hwan

2012-12-01

A previous study has shown that greater cardiac vagal tone, reflecting effective self-regulatory capacity, was correlated with superior visual discrimination of fearful faces at high spatial frequency Park et al. (Biological Psychology 90:171-178, 2012b). The present study investigated whether individual differences in cardiac vagal tone (indexed by heart rate variability) were associated with different event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in response to fearful and neutral faces. Thirty-six healthy participants discriminated the emotion of fearful and neutral faces at broad, high, and low spatial frequencies, while ERPs were recorded. Participants with low resting heart rate variability-characterized by poor functioning of regulatory systems-exhibited significantly greater N200 activity in response to fearful faces at low spatial frequency and greater LPP responses to neutral faces at high spatial frequency. Source analyses-estimated by standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA)-tended to show that participants with low resting heart rate variability exhibited increased source activity in visual areas, such as the cuneus and the middle occipital gyrus, as compared with participants with high resting heart rate variability. The hyperactive neural activity associated with low cardiac vagal tone may account for hypervigilant response patterns and emotional dysregulation, which heightens the risk of developing physical and emotional problems.

Review of modern low emissions combustion technologies for aero gas turbine engines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yize; Sun, Xiaoxiao; Sethi, Vishal; Nalianda, Devaiah; Li, Yi-Guang; Wang, Lu

2017-10-01

Pollutant emissions from aircraft in the vicinity of airports and at altitude are of great public concern due to their impact on environment and human health. The legislations aimed at limiting aircraft emissions have become more stringent over the past few decades. This has resulted in an urgent need to develop low emissions combustors in order to meet legislative requirements and reduce the impact of civil aviation on the environment. This article provides a comprehensive review of low emissions combustion technologies for modern aero gas turbines. The review considers current high Technologies Readiness Level (TRL) technologies including Rich-Burn Quick-quench Lean-burn (RQL), Double Annular Combustor (DAC), Twin Annular Premixing Swirler combustors (TAPS), Lean Direct Injection (LDI). It further reviews some of the advanced technologies at lower TRL. These include NASA multi-point LDI, Lean Premixed Prevaporised (LPP), Axially Staged Combustors (ASC) and Variable Geometry Combustors (VGC). The focus of the review is placed on working principles, a review of the key technologies (includes the key technology features, methods of realising the technology, associated technology advantages and design challenges, progress in development), technology application and emissions mitigation potential. The article concludes the technology review by providing a technology evaluation matrix based on a number of combustion performance criteria including altitude relight auto-ignition flashback, combustion stability, combustion efficiency, pressure loss, size and weight, liner life and exit temperature distribution.

The importance of skin color and facial structure in perceiving and remembering others: an electrophysiological study.

PubMed

Brebner, Joanne L; Krigolson, Olav; Handy, Todd C; Quadflieg, Susanne; Turk, David J

2011-05-04

The own-race bias (ORB) is a well-documented recognition advantage for own-race (OR) over cross-race (CR) faces, the origin of which remains unclear. In the current study, event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while Caucasian participants age-categorized Black and White faces which were digitally altered to display either a race congruent or incongruent facial structure. The results of a subsequent surprise memory test indicated that regardless of facial structure participants recognized White faces better than Black faces. Additional analyses revealed that temporally-early ERP components associated with face-specific perceptual processing (N170) and the individuation of facial exemplars (N250) were selectively sensitive to skin color. In addition, the N200 (a component that has been linked to increased attention and depth of encoding afforded to in-group and OR faces) was modulated by color and structure, and correlated with subsequent memory performance. However, the LPP component associated with the cognitive evaluation of perceptual input was influenced by racial differences in facial structure alone. These findings suggest that racial differences in skin color and facial structure are detected during the encoding of unfamiliar faces, and that the categorization of conspecifics as members of our social in-group on the basis of their skin color may be a determining factor in our ability to subsequently remember them. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Temptation of Zero Price: Event-Related Potentials Evidence of How Price Framing Influences the Purchase of Bundles

PubMed Central

Ma, Haiying; Mo, Zan; Zhang, Huijun; Wang, Cuicui; Fu, Huijian

2018-01-01

Studies have revealed that consumers are susceptible to price framing effect, a common cognitive bias, due to their limited capacity in processing information. The effect of price framing in a bundling context and its neural correlates, however, remain not clearly characterized. The present study applied the event-related potentials (ERPs) approach to investigate the role of price framing in information processing and purchase decision making in a bundling context. Three price frames were created with practically identical total prices (with a maximum difference of ¥0.1, which was about equal to 0.016 US dollars) for a bundle with two components, a focal product and a tie-in product. In normal price condition (NP), both the focal and tie-in products were offered at a normal discounted price; in zero price condition (ZP), the tie-in product was offered free while the total price of the bundle remained the same as NP; whereas in low price condition (LP), the tie-in product was offered at a low token price (¥0.1), and the focal product shared the same price as the focal product of ZP. The behavioral results showed a higher purchase rate and a shorter reaction time for ZP in contrast to NP. Neurophysiologically, enlarged LPP amplitude was elicited by ZP relative to NP, suggesting that ZP triggered a stronger positive affect that could motivate decision to buy. Thus, this study provides both behavioral and neural evidence for how different price framing information is processed and ultimately gives rise to price framing effect in purchase decision making. PMID:29731705

Frontal fibrosing alopecia treatment options.

PubMed

Fertig, Raymond; Tosti, Antonella

2016-11-01

Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) is a rare dermatologic disease that causes scarring and hair loss and is increasing in prevalence worldwide. FFA patients typically present with hair loss in the frontal scalp region and eyebrows which may be associated with sensations of itching or burning. FFA is a clinically distinct variant of lichen planopilaris (LPP) that affects predominantly postmenopausal women, although men and premenopausal women may also be affected. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are necessary to prevent definitive scarring and permanent hair loss. Data from retrospective studies indicate that 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors (5aRIs) are effective in stabilizing the disease. In our clinical experience, we have seen optimal results treating FFA patients with oral finasteride in conjunction with hydroxychloroquine, topical calcineurin inhibitors (tacrolimus) and excimer laser in patients with signs of active inflammation.

Structural and optical characterization of Eu3+ doped beta-Ga2O3 nanoparticles using a liquid-phase precursor method.

PubMed

Kim, Moung-O; Kang, Bongkyun; Yoon, Daeho

2013-08-01

Eu3+ doped beta-Ga2O3 and non-doped beta-Ga2O3 nanoparticles were synthesized at 800 degrees C using a liquid-phase precursor (LPP) method, with different annealing times and Eu3+ ion concentrations. Eu3+ doped beta-Ga2O3 nanoparticles showed broad XRD peaks, revealing a second phase compared with the non-doped beta-Ga2O3 nanoparticles. The cathode luminescence (CL) spectra of beta-Ga2O3 and Eu3+ doped beta-Ga2O3 nanoparticles showed a broad band emission (300-500 nm) of imperfection and two component emissions. The luminescence quenching properties of Eu3+ dopant ion concentration appeared gradually beyond 5 mol% in our investigation.

Pay attention to me! Late ERPs reveal gender differences in attention allocated to romantic partners.

PubMed

Burdwood, Erin N; Simons, Robert F

2016-04-01

The present study employed late ERPs to examine differences in the association between neural responses to romantic partners and relationship quality factors across men and women. Participants passively viewed photos of their romantic partners, celebrities, and strangers during a computerized facial processing task. All participants demonstrated enhanced positivity to partner faces at late ERP components (P3 and LPP), furthering the notion that significant others elicit more motivated and sustained attention than do other familiar or unfamiliar individuals. Neural responses to romantic partner faces were influenced by factors including overall relationship quality, investment, and communication quality, with associations varying by gender. Results highlight the key role that relationship quality factors play in the immediate processing of romantic partners-a finding with implications for couples counseling and research. © 2015 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Food product health warnings promote dietary self-control through reductions in neural signals indexing food cue reactivity.

PubMed

Rosenblatt, Daniel H; Summerell, Patrick; Ng, Alyssa; Dixon, Helen; Murawski, Carsten; Wakefield, Melanie; Bode, Stefan

2018-01-01

Modern societies are replete with palatable food cues. A growing body of evidence suggests that food cue exposure activates conditioned appetitive physiological and psychological responses that may override current metabolic needs and existing eating goals, such as the desire to maintain a healthy diet. This conditioned response results in unhealthy dietary choices and is a contributing factor in the current obesity epidemic. Prime based obesity prevention measures such as health warnings at point-of-sale or on product packaging may have the potential to counteract the influence of the obesogenic environment at the crucial moment when people make food purchasing or consumption decisions. Existing research into the efficacy of these intervention strategies has predominantly employed self-report and population level measures, and little evidence exists to support the contention that these measures counteract food cue reactivity at the time of decision making. Using a dietary self-control priming paradigm, we demonstrated that brief exposure to food product health warnings enhanced dietary self-control. Further, we analysed electroencephalographic correlates of selective attention and food cue evoked craving (N1, P3, LPP) to show that health warning exposure reduced the automatic appetitive response towards palatable food cues. These findings contribute to existing evidence that exogenous information can successfully prime latent goals, and substantiate the notion that food product health warnings may provide a new avenue through which to curb excessive energy intake and reduce rising obesity rates.

Lipid phosphate phosphatase activity regulates dispersal and bilateral sorting of embryonic germ cells in Drosophila

PubMed Central

Renault, Andrew D.; Kunwar, Prabhat S.; Lehmann, Ruth

2010-01-01

In Drosophila, germ cell survival and directionality of migration are controlled by two lipid phosphate phosphatases (LPP), wunen (wun) and wunen-2 (wun2). wun wun2 double mutant analysis reveals that the two genes, hereafter collectively called wunens, act redundantly in primordial germ cells. We find that wunens mediate germ cell-germ cell repulsion and that this repulsion is necessary for germ cell dispersal and proper transepithelial migration at the onset of migration and for the equal sorting of the germ cells between the two embryonic gonads during their migration. We propose that this dispersal function optimizes adult fecundity by assuring maximal germ cell occupancy of both gonads. Furthermore, we find that the requirement for wunens in germ cell survival can be eliminated by blocking germ cell migration. We suggest that this essential function of Wunen is needed to maintain cell integrity in actively migrating germ cells. PMID:20431117

Evaluation of local free carrier concentrations in individual heavily-doped GaN:Si micro-rods by micro-Raman spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohajerani, M. S.; Khachadorian, S.; Schimpke, T.; Nenstiel, C.; Hartmann, J.; Ledig, J.; Avramescu, A.; Strassburg, M.; Hoffmann, A.; Waag, A.

2016-02-01

Three-dimensional III-nitride micro-structures are being developed as a promising candidate for the future opto-electrical devices. In this study, we demonstrate a quick and straight-forward method to locally evaluate free-carrier concentrations and a crystalline quality in individual GaN:Si micro-rods. By employing micro-Raman mapping and analyzing lower frequency branch of A1(LO)- and E1(LO)-phonon-plasmon-coupled modes (LPP-), the free carrier concentrations are determined in axial and planar configurations, respectively. Due to a gradual doping profile along the micro-rods, a highly spatially resolved mapping on the sidewall is exploited to reconstruct free carrier concentration profile along the GaN:Si micro-rods. Despite remarkably high free carrier concentrations above 1 × 1020 cm-3, the micro-rods reveal an excellent crystalline quality, without a doping-induced stress.

RNA Replicon Delivery via Lipid-Complexed PRINT Protein Particles

PubMed Central

Xu, Jing; Luft, J. Christopher; Yi, Xianwen; Tian, Shaomin; Owens, Gary; Wang, Jin; Johnson, Ashley; Berglund, Peter; Smith, Jonathan; Napier, Mary E.; DeSimone, Joseph M.

2013-01-01

Herein we report the development of a non-viral lipid-complexed PRINT® (particle replication in non-wetting templates) protein particle system (LPP particle) for RNA replicon delivery with a view towards RNA replicon-based vaccination. Cylindrical bovine serum albumin (BSA) particles (diameter (d) 1 µm, height (h) 1 µm) loaded with RNA replicon and stabilized with a fully reversible disulfide cross-linker were fabricated using PRINT technology. Highly efficient delivery of the particles to Vero cells was achieved by complexing particles with a mixture of 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane (DOTAP) and 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE) lipids. Our data suggest that: 1) this lipid-complexed protein particle is a promising system for delivery of RNA replicon-based vaccines, and 2) it is necessary to use a degradable cross-linker for successful delivery of RNA replicon via protein-based particles. PMID:23924216