Meta-analytic connectivity modelling of deception-related brain regions

Brain-based deception research began only two decades ago and has since included a wide variety of contexts and response modalities for deception paradigms. Investigations of this sort serve to better our neuroscientific and legal knowledge of the ways in which individuals deceive others. To this end, we conducted activation likelihood estimation (ALE) and meta-analytic connectivity modelling (MACM) using BrainMap software to examine 45 task-based fMRI brain activation studies on deception. An activation likelihood estimation comparing activations during deceptive versus honest behavior revealed 7 significant peak activation clusters (bilateral insula, left superior frontal gyrus, bilateral supramarginal gyrus, and bilateral medial frontal gyrus). Meta-analytic connectivity modelling revealed an interconnected network amongst the 7 regions comprising both unidirectional and bidirectional connections. Together with subsequent behavioral and paradigm decoding, these findings implicate the supramarginal gyrus as a key component for the sociocognitive process of deception.

Meta-analytic connectivity modelling of deception-related brain regions

Brain-based deception research began only two decades ago and has since included a wide variety of contexts and response modalities for deception paradigms. Investigations of this sort serve to better our neuroscientific and legal knowledge of the ways in which individuals deceive others. To this end, we conducted activation likelihood estimation (ALE) and meta-analytic connectivity modelling (MACM) using BrainMap software to examine 45 task-based fMRI brain activation studies on deception. An activation likelihood estimation comparing activations during deceptive versus honest behavior revealed 7 significant peak activation clusters (bilateral insula, left superior frontal gyrus, bilateral supramarginal gyrus, and bilateral medial frontal gyrus). Meta-analytic connectivity modelling revealed an interconnected network amongst the 7 regions comprising both unidirectional and bidirectional connections. Together with subsequent behavioral and paradigm decoding, these findings implicate the supramarginal gyrus as a key component for the sociocognitive process of deception.

Abstract P109: Geography Not a Factor in 2020 Stroke Consults; A Telestroke Experience During the Covid19 Pandemic

Introduction: The COVID19 pandemic causes strokes in younger patient populations with higher deficits. We examined recent numbers of stroke consults, their age and deficits in a large telestroke program and compared them to 2019 Hypothesis: Increased younger stroke consults in 2020 would involve higher deficits associated with COVID19. Methods: The Institute for Digital Health & Innovation-Stroke Program provides neurology support to 54 spoke hospitals across Arkansas. Stroke consults who received Alteplase during 01/01/20 to 07/31/20 were compared to the same months in 2019. Retrospective analysis included consult age, geographical region, mechanical thrombectomy (MT), deficits (initial and post NIHSS) and outcomes. Age was listed as < 65 or >/=65 yrs. The state was blocked into seven geographical regions. MT was noted and deficits as improved, worsened, same (no improvement) or unknown. COVID19 positivity was unknown. Results: Consult numbers declined in 2020 vs. 2019, 285 vs. 370, respectively. Both years saw MT in approximately 10%; however, 27% went to hospice or expired in 2020 vs. 7.7% in 2019. In 2020 and 2019, those < 65 consults who received MT were similar at 37 and 41% of total procedures, respectively. Pre-pandemic, there were significant differences in consult numbers among the seven regions (X2=30.1,n=370,p=0.037) in 2020, there were none (p=NS). The number of consults < 65 or >/= 65 years were not different between years(p=0.61); however, age had a similar significant effect on the initial NIHSS in both 2019 and 2020 (X2=13.5,n=370,p=0.0037 and X2=10.8,n=285,p=0.012, respectively). Improvement in initial deficit scores did not change (X2=6.9,n=655,p=0.074). No geographical differences were seen (p=0.66). Monthly initial deficits indicated a significant peak rise in the younger consults (< 65) in April 2020. Conclusion: Stroke consult numbers declined by 13% in 2020 but the proportion of young and old were unchanged. In April 2020, younger consults (< 65) experienced a spike in deficits. Further evaluation throughout 2020 is warranted as COVID19 cases spread.

Metal-induced stress in survivor plants following the end-Permian collapse of land ecosystems

Teratological spores and pollen are widespread in sediments that record the Permian- Triassic mass extinction. The malformations are thought to be the result of extreme environmental conditions at that time, but the mutagenic agents and the precise timing of the events remain unclear. We examined the abundance of teratological sporomorphs and metal concentrations in a Permian-Triassic tropical peatland succession of southwestern China. We find a significant peak of spore tetrads of lycopsid plants (as much as 19% of all sporomorphs) coeval with increases in Cu and Hg concentrations above the main terrestrial extinction interval, which marks the loss of Permian Gigantopteris forests, increased wildfire activity, and the disappearance of coal beds. Thus, in tropical peatlands, mutagenesis affected only surviving plants. Mutagenesis was likely caused by metal toxicity, linked to increased Hg and Cu loading, but was not itself a direct cause of the terrestrial crisis.

A SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED SURVEY AMONG HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS TO EVALUATE THE INCIDENCE OF COVID19-LIKE PNEUMONIA FROM NOVEMBER 2019 IN INDIA

The COVID-19 pandemic has been responsible for over 500,000 deaths and 12 million infections as of July 2020. Though the number of cases in India is growing, the rate of rise rising in infections and the relative mortality rate has been lower than predicted. While many hypotheses have been laid out as possible reasons, a few physicians noticed a significant peak in COVID19-like respiratory infections through November – January 2020, and. They attributed this as the reason behind the lower mortality rate as a result of some kind of pre-existing immunity to the virus. A social media survey instrument was used to gather inputs from doctors and other individuals in the healthcare industry to understand the volume of doctors who noticed rising COVID19-like viral URTI cases during November – January 2020. The survey specifically asked about symptoms associated with coronavirus infections and about any rise in cases noted by treating physicians. 174 individuals answered the survey (46% treating physicians and 54% other healthcare professionals). The survey covered 41 cities in India and reported a growth of cases from before November 2019 to a peak in January 2020. Physicians surveyed, reported a rise in upper respiratory cases up to 50% during that time. 91% of all individuals surveyed had some or all of the symptoms associated with coronavirus infection. These findings may indicate the presence of an earlier strain of coronavirus or similar virus and be a contributing factor to the slower initial spread and lowered mortality noted in India. Further epidemiological studies are needed to draw any definitive conclusions.

On the interconnections among major climate modes and their common driving factors

The variations in oceanic and atmospheric modes on various timescales play important roles in generating global and regional climate variability. Many efforts have been devoted to identifying the relationships between the variations in climate modes and regional climate variability, but these have rarely explored the interconnections among these climate modes. Here we use climate indices to represent the variations in major climate modes and examine the harmonic relationship among the driving forces of climate modes using slow feature analysis (SFA) and wavelet analysis. We find that all of the significant peak periods of driving-force signals in the climate indices can be represented as harmonics of four base periods: 2.32, 3.90, 6.55, and 11.02 years. We infer that the period of 2.32 years is associated with the signal of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO). The periods of 3.90 and 6.55 years are linked to the intrinsic variability of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and the period of 11.02 years arises from the sunspot cycle. Results suggest that the base periods and their harmonic oscillations related to QBO, ENSO, and solar activities act as key connections among the climatic modes with synchronous behaviors, highlighting the important roles of these three oscillations in the variability of the Earth's climate. Highlights. i. The harmonic relationship among the driving forces of climate modes was investigated by using slow feature analysis and wavelet analysis.ii. All of the significant peak periods of driving-force signals in climate indices can be represented as the harmonics of four base periods.iii. The four base periods related to QBO, ENSO, and solar activities act as the key linkages among different climatic modes with synchronous behaviors.

Moisture Absorption Behaviour, Extract Yields and Sensory Evaluation of Soaked Cyperus esculentus

This work investigated the comparison in the moisture absorption behavior, the extract yields and sensory evaluation of brown and yellow varieties of tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus) tubers when soaked in water for tiger nut beverage production. For each tuber variety, 3 g of it was steeped in 30 ml of distilled water for 5 days and periodically re-weighed at 24-hour intervals until the tubers had attained saturated moisture content. Furthermore, 200 g of each variety was steeped in 800 ml of sterile distilled water for periods of 0 hour (control), 24 hours, 48 hours and 96 hours, respectively. At the end of each time interval, the tubers were removed, ground in 800 ml sterile distilled water, sieved, and the beverage liquid filtrate obtained measured as the percentage extract yield for the tuber sample. Aroma, colour, taste and acceptance were the parameters used for sensory evaluation. The brown tubers showed a significantly (P≤0.05) higher moisture absorption behavior than the yellow tubers; the brown and yellow had the highest rate of moisture absorption ability of 52.22% and 35.56%, respectively, occurring after soaking for 24 hours. At same 24 hours of the soaking period, the resultant extracts obtained from the brown and yellow tubers were at a significant peak yields of 92% and 89.5%, respectively. Extracts from the brown tubers were preferred in taste and colour to those from the yellow variety. Water absorption potentials of tiger nut tubers during soaking process, has potential effects on the beverage extraction and quality.

Plantar Loading Asymmetry in American Indians with Diabetes and Peripheral Neuropathy, with Diabetes Only, and Without Diabetes

Background: We investigated plantar loading asymmetry during gait in American Indians with and without diabetes and with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy. Methods: A convenience sample of 96 American Indians with and without diabetes was divided into three groups: 20 with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy, 16 with diabetes without peripheral neuropathy, and 60 with no history of diabetes (control group). Plantar loading was measured during barefoot walking across a pressure platform. Five trials were collected per foot during level walking at a self-selected speed using the two-step method. Asymmetry in peak pressure-time integral and peak plantar pressure were calculated from ten plantar regions and compared among groups. Results: Significant pressure-time integral asymmetry occurred across the forefoot regions in American Indians with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy compared with the other two groups. Significant peak plantar pressure asymmetry occurred in the third metatarsal region in both groups with diabetes (with and without peripheral neuropathy) compared with the control group. Conclusions: Overall, American Indians with diabetes seemed to show greater asymmetry in plantar loading variables across the forefoot region compared with those in the control group. Specifically, individuals with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy had the greatest amount of forefoot pressure-time integral asymmetry. Significant peak plantar pressure asymmetry occurred in the third metatarsal region of the forefoot in those with diabetes with and without peripheral neuropathy. Loading asymmetry may play a role in the development of foot ulcers in the forefoot region of American Indians with peripheral neuropathy and diabetes. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 103(2): 106–112, 2013)

Seasonal variation in the occurrence of delirium in patients admitted to medical units of a general hospital in Italy

ObjectiveDelirium syndrome is common in the hospitalised population. However, data on its aetiological factors are scarce. Clinical observations suggest a relationship between delirium occurrence and seasons. The aim of study was to determine whether a seasonal variation exists in the occurrence of delirium events in‐hospital patients.MethodsThe study included all admissions to the medical units of the Hospital of Ferrara, Italy, between January 2002 and December 2010. On the basis of date admission, cases have been analysed for seasonal variation (four 3‐month intervals by seasons) by means of conventional statistics. Moreover, cases categorised into twelve 1‐month intervals were also analysed by means of a validated chronobiologic inferential method (single cosinor) to search for cyclic variability.ResultsDuring the analysed period, the hospital database contained 74 379 records referring to 42 625 subjects (52.7% females). Delirium diagnoses were 1300 (1.7% of total sample), 668 of whom in females (51.4%) and 632 in males (48.6%). Events of delirium were more frequent in winter and autumn (26.6 and 26.5%, respectively) than in spring (23.5%) and summer (23.4%). Chronobiological analysis yielded a significant peak of delirium events in January, when considering both the total raw number of cases and the percent of admissions.ConclusionsThe study seems to indicate in patients hospitalised in medical units, a higher rate of occurrence of delirium in autumn‐winter, similar to that reported for acute medical diseases. The role of possible underlying favouring or triggering factors deserves further research.

Discharge Properties of Motor Units of the Abductor Hallucis Muscle During Cramp Contractions

We analyzed individual motor units during electrically elicited cramp contractions with the aim of characterizing the variability and degree of common oscillations in their discharges. Intramuscular and surface electromyographic (EMG) signals were detected from the abductor hallucis muscle of 11 healthy subjects (age 27.0 ± 3.7 yr) during electrically elicited cramps. In all, 48 motor units were identified from the intramuscular EMG. These motor units were active for 23.6 ± 16.2 s, during which their average discharge rate was 14.5 ± 5.1 pulses/s (pps) and their minimum and maximum rates were, respectively, 6.0 ± 0.8 and 25.0 ± 8.0 pps ( P < 0.001). The coefficient of variation for the interspike interval (ISI) was 44.6 ± 9.7% and doublet discharges constituted 4.1 ± 4.7% of the total number of discharges. In 38 motor units, the SD of the ISI was positively correlated to the mean ISI ( R2 = 0.37, P < 0.05). The coherence spectrum between smoothed discharge rates of pairs of motor units showed one significant peak at 1.4 ± 0.4 Hz for 29 of the 96 motor unit pairs and two significant peaks at 1.3 ± 0.5 and 1.5 ± 0.5 Hz for 8 motor unit pairs. The cross-correlation function between pairs of discharge rates showed a significant peak (0.52 ± 0.11) in 26 motor unit pairs. In conclusion, motor units active during cramps showed a range of discharge rates similar to that observed during voluntary contractions but larger ISI variability, probably due to large synaptic noise. Moreover, the discharge rates of the active motor units showed common oscillations.