Carbon‐nanotube‐reinforced polyaniline fibers (see Figure) possess improved breaking strength and higher operating stress levels than neat polyaniline, potentially allowing generation of larger ...stresses by electrochemical actuators containing these fibers. The fibers have tensile strengths of 255 MPa and operate to stress levels in excess of 100 MPa, three times higher than previously reported for conducting‐polymer actuators.
Neuroimaging studies show structural differences in both cortical and subcortical brain regions in children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared with healthy subjects. Findings are ...inconsistent, however, and it is unclear how differences develop across the lifespan. The authors investigated brain morphometry differences between individuals with ASD and healthy subjects, cross-sectionally across the lifespan, in a large multinational sample from the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics Through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) ASD working group.
The sample comprised 1,571 patients with ASD and 1,651 healthy control subjects (age range, 2-64 years) from 49 participating sites. MRI scans were preprocessed at individual sites with a harmonized protocol based on a validated automated-segmentation software program. Mega-analyses were used to test for case-control differences in subcortical volumes, cortical thickness, and surface area. Development of brain morphometry over the lifespan was modeled using a fractional polynomial approach.
The case-control mega-analysis demonstrated that ASD was associated with smaller subcortical volumes of the pallidum, putamen, amygdala, and nucleus accumbens (effect sizes Cohen's d, 0.13 to -0.13), as well as increased cortical thickness in the frontal cortex and decreased thickness in the temporal cortex (effect sizes, -0.21 to 0.20). Analyses of age effects indicate that the development of cortical thickness is altered in ASD, with the largest differences occurring around adolescence. No age-by-ASD interactions were observed in the subcortical partitions.
The ENIGMA ASD working group provides the largest study of brain morphometry differences in ASD to date, using a well-established, validated, publicly available analysis pipeline. ASD patients showed altered morphometry in the cognitive and affective parts of the striatum, frontal cortex, and temporal cortex. Complex developmental trajectories were observed for the different regions, with a developmental peak around adolescence. These findings suggest an interplay in the abnormal development of the striatal, frontal, and temporal regions in ASD across the lifespan.
Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric condition characterized by episodes of elevated mood interspersed with episodes of depression. While treatment developments and understanding the disruptive nature ...of this illness have focused on these episodes, it is also evident that some patients may have chronic week-to-week mood instability. This is also a major morbidity. The longitudinal pattern of this mood instability is poorly understood as it has, until recently, been difficult to quantify. We propose that understanding this mood variability is critical for the development of cognitive neuroscience-based treatments. In this study, we develop a time-series approach to capture mood variability in two groups of patients with bipolar disorder who appear on the basis of clinical judgement to show relatively stable or unstable illness courses. Using weekly mood scores based on a self-rated scale (quick inventory of depressive symptomatology—self-rated; QIDS-SR) from 23 patients over a 220-week period, we show that the observed mood variability is nonlinear and that the stable and unstable patient groups are described by different nonlinear time-series processes. We emphasize the necessity in combining both appropriate measures of the underlying deterministic processes (the QIDS-SR score) and noise (uncharacterized temporal variation) in understanding dynamical patterns of mood variability associated with bipolar disorder.
Objective
To assess the association between muscle parameters (mass, strength, physical performance) and activities of daily living (ADL), quality of life (QoL), and health care costs.
Design
...Cross-sectional Maastricht Sarcopenia Study (MaSS).
Setting
Community-dwelling, assisted-living, residential living facility.
Participants
227 adults aged 65 and older.
Measurements
Muscle mass, hand grip strength and physical performance were assessed by bio-electrical impedance, JAMAR dynamometer and the Short Physical Performance Battery, respectively. Health outcomes were measured by the Groningen Activity Restriction Scale (disability in ADL) and the EQ-5D-5L (QoL). Health care costs were calculated based on health care use in the past three months.
Results
Muscle strength and physical performance showed a strong correlation with ADL, QoL, and health care costs (P<.01); for muscle mass no significant correlations were observed. Regression analyses showed that higher gait speed (OR 0.06, 95%CI 0.01-0.55) was associated with a lower probability of ADL disability. Furthermore, slower chair stand (OR 1.23, 95%CI 1.08-1.42), and more comorbidities (OR 1.58, 95%CI 1.23-2.02) were explanatory factors for higher ADL disability. Explanatory factors for QoL and costs were: more disability in ADL (OR 1.26, 95%CI 1.12-1.41 for QoL; B = 0.09, P<.01 for costs) and more comorbidities (OR 1.44, 95%CI 1.14-1.82 for QoL; B = 0.35, P<.01 for costs).
Conclusion
Lower gait speed and chair stand were potential drivers of disability in ADL. Disability in ADL and comorbidities were associated with QoL and health care costs in community-dwelling older adults. Improving physical performance may be a valuable target for future intervention and research to impact health burden and costs.
Efficient lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) is demonstrated at densities up to nover ¯_{e}≈1.5×10^{20} m^{-3} in diverted plasmas on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak by operating at increased plasma ...current-and therefore reduced Greenwald density fraction. This density exceeds the nominal "LH density limit" at nover ¯_{e}≈1.0×10^{20} m^{-3} reported previously, above which an anomalous loss of current drive efficiency was observed. The recovery of current drive efficiency to a level consistent with engineering scalings is correlated with a reduction in density shoulders and turbulence levels in the far scrape-off layer. Concurrently, rf wave interaction with the edge and/or scrape-off-layer plasma is reduced, as indicated by a minimal broadening of the wave frequency spectrum measured at the plasma edge. These results have important implications for sustaining steady-state tokamak operation and indicate a pathway forward for implementing efficient LHCD in a reactor.
Altered structural brain asymmetry in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been reported. However, findings have been inconsistent, likely due to limited sample sizes. Here we investigated 1,774 ...individuals with ASD and 1,809 controls, from 54 independent data sets of the ENIGMA consortium. ASD was significantly associated with alterations of cortical thickness asymmetry in mostly medial frontal, orbitofrontal, cingulate and inferior temporal areas, and also with asymmetry of orbitofrontal surface area. These differences generally involved reduced asymmetry in individuals with ASD compared to controls. Furthermore, putamen volume asymmetry was significantly increased in ASD. The largest case-control effect size was Cohen's d = -0.13, for asymmetry of superior frontal cortical thickness. Most effects did not depend on age, sex, IQ, severity or medication use. Altered lateralized neurodevelopment may therefore be a feature of ASD, affecting widespread brain regions with diverse functions. Large-scale analysis was necessary to quantify subtle alterations of brain structural asymmetry in ASD.
He'll weld with a mighty hand. Flash‐welded polyaniline nanofiber actuators demonstrate unprecedented reversible, rapid actuation upon doping. An intense flash of light creates an asymmetric ...structure (see figure) with a thin dense layer on top of a thick porous nanofibrillar layer. On exposure to camphor sulfonic acid the asymmetric film curls more than 720°.
Background Red cell distribution width (RDW) is a quantitative measure of variability in the size of circulating erythrocytes with higher values reflecting greater heterogeneity in cell sizes. Recent ...studies have shown that higher RDW is associated with increased mortality risk in patients with clinically significant cardiovascular disease (CVD). Whether RDW is prognostic in more representative community-based populations is unclear. Methods Seven relevant community-based studies of older adults with RDW measurement and mortality ascertainment were identified. Cox proportional hazards regression and meta-analysis on individual participant data were performed. Results Median RDW values varied across studies from 13.2% to 14.6%. During 68,822 person-years of follow-up of 11,827 older adults with RDW measured, there was a graded increased risk of death associated with higher RDW values (p < .001). For every 1% increment in RDW, total mortality risk increased by 14% (adjusted hazard ratio HR: 1.14; 95% confidence interval CI: 1.11–1.17). In addition, RDW was strongly associated with deaths from CVD (adjusted HR: 1.15; 95% CI: 1.12–1.25), cancer (adjusted HR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.07–1.20), and other causes (adjusted HR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.07–1.18). Furthermore, the RDW–mortality association occurred in all major demographic, disease, and nutritional risk factor subgroups examined. Among the subset of 1,603 older adults without major age-associated diseases, RDW remained strongly associated with total mortality (adjusted HR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.21–1.44). Conclusions RDW is a routinely reported test that is a powerful predictor of mortality in community-dwelling older adults with and without age-associated diseases. The biologic mechanisms underlying this association merit investigation.
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