Aims
Negative and positive urgency are emotion‐related impulsivity traits that are thought to be transdiagnostic factors in psychopathology. However, it has recently been claimed that these two ...traits are closely related to each other and that considering them separately might have limited conceptual and methodological value. The present study aimed to examine whether positive and negative urgency constructs constitute separate impulsivity traits.
Methods
In contrast to previous studies that have used latent variable approaches, this study employed an item‐based network analysis conducted in two different samples: a large sample of non‐clinical participants (N = 18,568) and a sample of clinical participants with psychiatric disorders (N = 385).
Results
The network analysis demonstrated that items denoting both positive and negative urgency cohere as a single cluster of items termed “general urgency” in both clinical and non‐clinical samples, thereby suggesting that differentiating positive and negative urgency as separate constructs is not necessary.
Conclusion
These findings have important implications for the conceptualization and assessment of urgency and, more broadly, for future research on impulsivity, personality, and psychopathology.
The world’s herbaria collectively house millions of diverse plant specimens, including endangered or extinct species and type specimens. Unlocking genetic data from the typically highly degraded DNA ...obtained from herbarium specimens was difficult until the arrival of high-throughput sequencing approaches, which can be applied to low quantities of severely fragmented DNA. Target enrichment involves using short molecular probes that hybridise and capture genomic regions of interest for high-throughput sequencing. In this study on herbariomics, we used this targeted sequencing approach and the Angiosperms353 universal probe set to recover up to 351 nuclear genes from 435 herbarium specimens that are up to 204 years old and span the breadth of angiosperm diversity. We show that on average 207 genes were successfully retrieved from herbarium specimens, although the mean number of genes retrieved and target enrichment efficiency is significantly higher for silica gel-dried specimens. Forty-seven target nuclear genes were recovered from a herbarium specimen of the critically endangered St Helena boxwood,
Mellissia begoniifolia
, collected in 1815. Herbarium specimens yield significantly less high-molecular-weight DNA than silica gel-dried specimens, and genomic DNA quality declines with sample age, which is negatively correlated with target enrichment efficiency. Climate, taxon-specific traits, and collection strategies additionally impact target sequence recovery. We also detected taxonomic bias in targeted sequencing outcomes for the 10 most numerous angiosperm families that were investigated in depth. We recommend that (1) for species distributed in wet tropical climates, silica gel-dried specimens should be used preferentially; (2) for species distributed in seasonally dry tropical climates, herbarium and silica gel-dried specimens yield similar results, and either collection can be used; (3) taxon-specific traits should be explored and established for effective optimisation of taxon-specific studies using herbarium specimens; (4) all herbarium sheets should, in future, be annotated with details of the preservation method used; (5) long-term storage of herbarium specimens should be in stable, low-humidity, and low-temperature environments; and (6) targeted sequencing with universal probes, such as Angiosperms353, should be investigated closely as a new approach for DNA barcoding that will ensure better exploitation of herbarium specimens than traditional Sanger sequencing approaches.
Actuators play a central role in industrial automation systems. They are costly, and therefore studying their dependability needs all attention. Usually, an actuator is inserted in a feedback control ...system, and its mission is to implement a control action delivered by a controller. In this paper, a monotonic actuator deterioration is considered and it is assumed that a relationship exists between the control action and the physical actuator׳s deterioration. A modeling framework is proposed including a non-decreasing stochastic degradation process driving the inability for an actuator to fully implement its role. The prognosis of the actuator׳s residual useful lifetime is derived and used to update the controller׳s setting. The controller reconfiguration completes the maintenance corrective and preventive actions. This new action is suggested as an alternative for maintenance strategy.
•A degrading control system model is proposed focusing on actuator deterioration.•It is assumed a relationship between this degradation and its loss of efficiency.•The actuator RUL is quantified as a quantile of its conditional survival function.•RUL prognosis is used to reconfigure the control input law.•This new action is suggested as an alternative for maintenance strategy.
Arterial stiffness is a major condition related to many cardiovascular diseases. Traditional approaches in the assessment of arterial stiffness supported by machine learning techniques are limited to ...the pulse wave velocity (PWV) estimation based on pressure signals from the peripheral arteries. Nevertheless, arterial stiffness can be assessed based on the pressure-strain relationship by analyzing its hysteresis loop. In this work, the capacity of deep learning models based on generative adversarial networks (GANs) to transfer pressure signals from the peripheral arterial region to pressure and area signals located in the central arterial region is explored. The studied signals are from a public and validated virtual database. Compared to other works in which the assessment of arterial stiffness was performed via PWV, in the present work the pressure-strain hysteresis loop is reconstructed and evaluated in terms of classical machine learning metrics and clinical parameters. Least-square GAN (LSGAN) and Wasserstein GAN with gradient penalty (WGAN-GP) adversarial losses are compared, yielding better results with LSGAN. LSGAN mean ± standard deviation of error for pressure and area pulse waveforms are 0.8 ± 0.4 mmHg and 0.1 ± 0.1 cm
, respectively. Regarding the pressure-strain elastic modulus, it is achieved a mean absolute percentage error of 6.5 ± 5.1%. GAN-based deep learning models can recover the pressure-strain loop of central arteries while observing pressure signals from peripheral arteries.
Abstract Background Compartment syndrome occurs when an increase in pressure results in vascular and functional impairment of the underlying nerve and muscles. Thigh compartment syndrome (TCS) is ...uncommon, but clinical suspicion warrants emergent surgical consultation and fasciotomy. Case Report We present a 42-year-old man evaluated for right lateral thigh pain, without a history of trauma, deep venous thrombosis (DVT), previous surgery, or intravenous drug use. He was febrile, tachycardic, with a mild leukocytosis, an elevated C-reactive protein level, and an elevated creatinine kinase level. Radiographs showed no abnormality and right lower extremity duplex ultrasound showed no DVT. A computed tomography scan of the right lower extremity was concerning for compartment syndrome. Surgical consultation was obtained, and the patient was taken to the operating room for fasciotomy. He was diagnosed with compartment syndrome intraoperatively. The patient was discharged on hospital day 10. Why Should an Emergency Physician be Aware of This? TCS is exceedingly rare, especially in the absence of underlying traumatic and nontraumatic etiologies. The diagnosis is challenging because more elastic fascia with larger space in the thigh allows for accommodation of acute increases in pressure. Consequently, there may not be the expected acute rise in compartment pressures; increased compartment pressure may only be a late sign, when underlying neurovascular damage has already occurred. TCS is complicated by high morbidity and mortality. Emergent surgical consultation should be obtained when there is a high clinical suspicion for TCS, and limb-saving fasciotomy should not be delayed. This case shows the importance of a high level of suspicion for TCS in patients with no identifiable etiology and no historical risk factors for development of compartment syndrome, because TCS may not present with classic symptoms.
In recent decades, the technology and techniques for condition monitoring have experienced a rapid development. However, there is still a need for reducing unnecessary inspections and/or preventive ...maintenance actions and their associated cost, through optimal design of condition-based maintenance (CBM) strategies. Accordingly, mathematical modelling and optimization of CBM has become of interest for industry managers and researchers. This work explores on the application of a piecewise deterministic Markov process (PDMP) to encompass different modelling assumptions as non-negligible maintenance delays and inspection-based condition monitoring. These assumptions are relevant for many critical infrastructures in civil engineering or in oil & gas industry whose deterioration states are classified at a very high level of abstraction among a finite and small set of possible states. A formalism to model this type of problems is proposed in which the deterministic motion of the PDMP is reduced to a trivial differential equation to track the time elapsed between events. A numerical scheme for quantification, as an approximation of the Chapman–Kolmogorov equation, is presented. Later, an illustration case dealing with CBM of road bridges by the NPRA (Norwegian Public Roads Administration) is presented, guiding through the modelling and quantification approach.
•Piecewise Deterministic Markov Process for condition-based maintenance modelling.•Numerical approach for the approximation of time-dependent states probabilities.•Illustration case related to road bridge management in Norway.•Guidelines for modelling, quantification and maintenance optimization.
Suspense not only creates a strong psychological tension
within individuals, but it does so reliably across viewers who become
collectively engaged with the story. Despite its prevalence in media ...psychology,
limited work has examined suspense from a media neuroscience perspective, and
thus the biological underpinnings of suspense remain unknown. Here we examine
continuous brain responses of 494 viewers watching a suspenseful movie. To
create a time-resolved measure of the degree to which a movie aligns
audience-wide brain responses, we computed dynamic inter-subject correlations of
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) time series among all viewers using
sliding-window analysis. In parallel, we captured in-the-moment reports of
suspense in an independent sample via continuous response measurement (CRM). We
found that dynamic inter-subject correlations over the course of the movie
tracked well with the reported suspense in the CRM sample, particularly in
regions associated with emotional salience and higher cognitive processes. These
results are compatible with theoretical views on motivated attention and
psychological tension. The finding that fMRI-based audience response measurement
relates to audience reports of suspense creates new opportunities for research
on the mechanisms of suspense and other entertainment phenomena and has applied
potential for measuring audience responses in a nonreactive and objective
fashion.
Background and aims
Pre‐clinical studies suggest that the simultaneous blockade of the α1b and 5HT2A receptors may be effective in reducing alcohol consumption. This study aimed to assess the ...efficacy and safety of prazosin (α1b blocker) and cyproheptadine (5HT2A blocker) combination in decreasing total alcohol consumption (TAC) in alcohol use disorder (AUD).
Design, setting and participants
This was a double‐blind, parallel group, placebo‐controlled, Phase 2, randomized clinical trial conducted in 32 addiction treatment centres in France. A total of 108 men and 46 women with severe AUD took part.
Intervention
Participants were randomly assigned to one of the following 3‐month treatments: (1) low‐dose group (LDG) receiving 8 mg cyproheptadine and 5 mg prazosin extended‐release (ER) formulation daily; (2) high‐dose group (HDG) receiving 12 mg cyproheptadine and 10 mg prazosin ER daily; and (3) placebo group (PG) receiving placebo of cyproheptadine and prazosin ER. A total of 154 patients were randomized: 54 in the PG, 54 in the LDG and 46 in the HDG.
Measurements
The primary outcome was TAC change from baseline to month 3.
Findings
A significant main treatment effect in the change in TAC was found in the intent‐to‐treat population (P = 0.039). The HDG and LDG showed a benefit in the change in TAC from baseline to month 3 compared with PG: −23.6 g/day, P = 0.016, Cohen's d = −0.44; −18.4 g/day, P = 0.048 (Bonferroni correction P < 0.025), Cohen's d = −0.36. In a subgroup of very high‐risk drinking‐level participants (> 100 g/day of pure alcohol for men and > 60 g/day for women), the difference between the HDG and the PG in the primary outcome was −29.8 g/day (P = 0.031, Cohen's d = −0.51). The high and low doses were well‐tolerated with a similar safety profile.
Conclusions
A randomized controlled trial of treatment of severe alcohol use disorder with a cyproheptadine−prazosin combination for 3 months reduced drinking by more than 23 g per day compared with placebo. A higher dose combination was associated with a larger magnitude of drinking reduction than a lower dose combination while showing similar safety profile.
So-called 'naturalistic' stimuli have risen in popularity in cognitive, social and affective neuroscience over the last 15 years. However, a critical property of these stimuli is frequently ...overlooked: Media--like film, television, books and podcasts--are 'fundamentally not natural'. They are deliberately crafted products meant to elicit particular human thought, emotion and behavior. Here, we argue for a more informed approach to adopting media stimuli in experimental paradigms. We discuss the pitfalls of combining stimuli that are designed for research with those that are designed for other purposes (e.g. entertainment) under the umbrella term of 'naturalistic' and present strategies to improve rigor in the stimulus selection process. We assert that experiencing media should be considered a task akin to any other experimental task(s) and explain how this shift in perspective will compel more nuanced and generalizable research using these stimuli. Throughout, we offer theoretical and practical knowledge from multidisciplinary media research to raise the standard for the treatment of media stimuli in neuroscience research.
Anti-staphylococcal penicillins (ASPs) are recommended as first-line agents in methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteraemia. Concerns about their safety profile have contributed ...to the increased use of cefazolin. The comparative clinical effectiveness and safety profile of cefazolin versus ASPs for such infections remain unclear. Furthermore, uncertainty persists concerning the use of cefazolin due to controversies over its efficacy in deep MSSA infections and its possible negative ecological impact.
The aim of this narrative review was to gather and balance available data on the efficacy and safety of cefazolin versus ASPs in the treatment of MSSA bacteraemia and to discuss the potential negative ecological impact of cefazolin.
PubMed and EMBASE electronic databases were searched up to May 2017 to retrieve available studies on the topic.
Although described in vitro and in experimental studies, the clinical relevance of the inoculum effect during cefazolin treatment of deep MSSA infections remains unclear. It appears that there is no significant difference in rate of relapse or mortality between ASPs and cefazolin for the treatment of MSSA bacteraemia but these results should be cautiously interpreted because of the several limitations of the available studies. Compared with cefazolin, there is more frequent discontinuation for adverse effects with ASP use, especially because of cutaneous and renal events. No study has evidenced any change in the gut microbiota after the use of cefazolin.
Based on currently available studies, there are no data that enable a choice to be made of one antibiotic over the other except in patients with allergy or renal impairment. This review points out the need for future prospective studies and randomized controlled trials to better address these questions.
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