We used Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to simultaneously measure brain activity in two people while they played a computer-based cooperation game side by side. Inter-brain activity coherence was ...calculated between the two participants. We found that the coherence between signals generated by participants' right superior frontal cortices increased during cooperation, but not during competition. Increased coherence was also associated with better cooperation performance. To our knowledge, this work represents the first use of a single NIRS instrument for simultaneous measurements of brain activity in two people. This study demonstrates the use of NIRS-based hyperscanning in studies of social interaction in a naturalistic environment.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is an increasingly popular technology for studying brain function. NIRS presents several advantages relative to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), such as ...measurement of concentration changes in both oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin, finer temporal resolution, and ease of administration, as well as disadvantages, most prominently inferior spatial resolution and decreased signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). While fMRI has become the gold standard for in vivo imaging of the human brain, in practice NIRS is a more convenient and less expensive technology than fMRI. It is therefore of interest to many researchers how NIRS compares to fMRI in studies of brain function. In the present study we scanned participants with simultaneous NIRS and fMRI on a battery of cognitive tasks, placing NIRS probes over both frontal and parietal brain regions. We performed detailed comparisons of the signals in both temporal and spatial domains. We found that NIRS signals have significantly weaker SNR, but are nonetheless often highly correlated with fMRI measurements. Both SNR and the distance between the scalp and the brain contributed to variability in the NIRS/fMRI correlations. In the spatial domain, we found that a photon path forming an ellipse between the NIRS emitter and detector correlated most strongly with the BOLD response. Taken together these findings suggest that, while NIRS can be an appropriate substitute for fMRI for studying brain activity related to cognitive tasks, care should be taken when designing studies with NIRS to ensure that: 1) the spatial resolution is adequate for answering the question of interest and 2) the design accounts for weaker SNR, especially in brain regions more distal from the scalp.
► We performed simultaneous NIRS/fMRI recording during motor and cognitive tasks. ► NIRS signals have weaker signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio, but correlate with fMRI. ► SNR and scalp-brain distance contributed to variability in NIRS/fMRI correlations. ► NIRS correlated with BOLD from an ellipse between emitter and detector (~14mm depth).
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Adverse childhood experiences, which is defined by different forms of abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction occurring before the age of 18 years, is a major public health problem in the United ...States that has the potential to worsen in the current COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the challenge is even greater for children and youth from low-income communities and communities of color. Thus, there is a greater need for investments in youth-serving systems within and beyond health care and public health to effectively address adverse childhood experiences and prevent its short- and long-term negative health and social sequelae well beyond the current public health crisis.
Clinical Impact Statement
Given the likely increase in adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) during the coronavirus pandemic, it is vital that we assess for these experiences more intentionally and more broadly when this pandemic concludes. Assessing for ACEs is standard practice in some places already but must become a standard practice in all pediatric care so we can mitigate the impact of these ACEs for a generation of children.
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CEKLJ, FFLJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PEFLJ, UPUK
When considering proposed reforms of the U.S. health care system, some physicians dismiss the single-payer model (Medicare for All or state-based universal health care proposals) out of concern that ...their reimbursement and thus their income would be reduced. This study is an effort to quantitate that concern in the case of state-based plans and, in so doing, to suggest a template for evaluating the financial consequences for physicians of single-payer health care reform in general. To put the data into concrete, practical terms, I envision a hypothetical primary care physician's practice and develop its plausible financial components in the present multi-payer system and in five proposed state-based, single-payer systems. The calculations reveal that in all five single-payer plans evaluated, the hypothetical physician's Total Net Income (take-home pay) would exceed that in the current multi-payer system. Whether these results apply to actual practices or not, they suggest that, when considering the financial impact of single-payer reform on their practices, physicians should consider all the financial consequences of such reform, not just the proposed reimbursement level. More quantitative analyses of these important financial variables in different practice settings must be pursued.
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NUK, OILJ, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
Ion migration has been proposed as a possible cause of photovoltaic current-voltage hysteresis in hybrid perovskite solar cells. A major objection to this hypothesis is that hysteresis can be reduced ...by changing the interfacial contact materials; however, this is unlikely to significantly influence the behaviour of mobile ionic charge within the perovskite phase. Here, we show that the primary effects of ion migration can be observed regardless of whether the contacts were changed to give devices with or without significant hysteresis. Transient optoelectronic measurements combined with device simulations indicate that electric-field screening, consistent with ion migration, is similar in both high and low hysteresis CH
NH
PbI
cells. Simulation of the photovoltage and photocurrent transients shows that hysteresis requires the combination of both mobile ionic charge and recombination near the perovskite-contact interfaces. Passivating contact recombination results in higher photogenerated charge concentrations at forward bias which screen the ionic charge, reducing hysteresis.
(North American ginseng, NAG) is a popular medicinal plant used widely in traditional medicine. NAG products are currently available in various forms such as roots, extracts, nutraceuticals, dietary ...supplements, energy drinks, etc. NAG polysaccharides are recognized as one of the major bioactive ingredients. However, most NAG reviews are focused on ginsenosides with little information on polysaccharides. NAG polysaccharides have demonstrated a therapeutic activity in numerous studies, in which many of the bioactivities involve regulation of the immune response. The purpose of this review is to summarize the structural features and the immunomodulatory properties of crude, partially purified, and pure polysaccharides isolated from NAG. Receptors of the innate immune system that potentially bind to NAG polysaccharides and the respective signal transduction pathways initiated by these compounds are discussed. Major challenges, recent innovations, and future directions in NAG polysaccharide research are also summarized.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Here, we demonstrate that light and oxygen-induced degradation is the main reason for the low operational stability of methylammonium lead triiodide (MeNH sub(3)PbI sub(3)) perovskite solar cells ...exposed to ambient conditions. When exposed to both light and dry air, unencapsulated MeNH sub(3)PbI sub(3) solar cells rapidly degrade on timescales of minutes to a few hours. This rapid degradation is also observed under electrically bias driven current flow in the dark in the presence of O sub(2). In contrast, significantly slower degradation is observed when the MeNH sub(3)PbI sub(3) devices are exposed to moisture alone (e.g. 85% relative humidity in N sub(2)). We show that this light and oxygen induced degradation can be slowed down by the use of interlayers that are able to remove electrons from the perovskite film before they can react with oxygen to form O sub(2) super(-). These observations demonstrate that the operational stability of electronic and optoelectronic devices that exploit the electron transporting properties of MeNH sub(3)PbI sub(3) will be critically dependent upon the use of suitable barrier layers and device configurations to mitigate the oxygen sensitivity of this remarkable material.
The optical constants of methylammonium lead halide single crystals CH3NH3PbX3 (X = I, Br, Cl) are interpreted with high level ab initio calculations using the relativistic quasiparticle ...self-consistent GW approximation (QSGW). Good agreement between the optical constants derived from QSGW and those obtained from spectroscopic ellipsometry enables the assignment of the spectral features to their respective inter-band transitions. We show that the transition from the highest valence band (VB) to the lowest conduction band (CB) is responsible for almost all the optical response of MAPbI3 between 1.2 and 5.5 eV (with minor contributions from the second highest VB and the second lowest CB). The calculations indicate that the orientation of CH3NH3(+) cations has a significant influence on the position of the bandgap suggesting that collective orientation of the organic moieties could result in significant local variations of the optical properties. The optical constants and energy band diagram of CH3NH3PbI3 are then used to simulate the contributions from different optical transitions to a typical transient absorption spectrum (TAS).
Synthetic CRISPR–Cas transcription factors enable the construction of complex gene‐expression programs, and chemically inducible systems allow precise control over the expression dynamics. To provide ...additional modes of regulatory control, we have constructed a chemically inducible CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) system in yeast that is mediated by recruitment to MS2‐functionalized guide RNAs. We use reporter gene assays to systematically map the dose dependence, time dependence, and reversibility of the system. Because the recruitment function is encoded at the level of the guide RNA, it is straightforward to target multiple genes and independently regulate expression dynamics at individual targets. This approach provides a new method to engineer sophisticated, multigene programs with precise control over the dynamics of gene expression.
Chemically inducible recruitment to the CRISPR–Cas complex enables the control of transcriptional dynamics. Recruitment is mediated by chemical dimerization domains that link effector proteins to an RNA‐binding domain. Each guide RNA encodes the gene target and the effector protein to be recruited; this enables independent control of gene expression timing at distinct gene targets.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
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