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Cross jurisdictional collaboration efforts and emergency vaccine plans that are consistent with Tribal sovereignty are essential to public health emergency preparedness. The widespread adoption of clearly written federal, state, and local vaccine plans that address fundamental assumptions in vaccine distribution to Tribal nations is imperative for future pandemic response.
The peristyle house kitchen in the legionary camp at Vindonissa is one of the few examples of a Mediterranean-style kitchen with a raised hearth in the northwestern provinces. The exceptional preservation of the kitchen made possible an interdisciplinary investigation combining archaeological, archaeobiological, and micromorphological analyses in order to reconstruct dietary and food-processing practices, kitchen maintenance, and waste disposal management in a 1st-c. CE legionary camp household in Germania Superior. The kitchen infrastructure, the large ceramic inventory, and the amphorae finds together indicate a sophisticated cuisine and also food preparation for a large number of people, most likely by servants. The archaeobiological finds provide evidence that the diet was strongly Roman influenced and luxurious. These results confirm that the diet and in general the whole lifestyle of military members was strongly determined by military rank. The house was most likely inhabited by a high-ranking officer of the 11th legion.
We previously demonstrated that the difference between 11 PM and 8 AM TSH response to protirelin (TRH) tests on the same day (∆∆TSH test) is an improved measure in detecting hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis dysregulation in depression. This chronobiological index is normalized after successful antidepressant treatment.
Objectives
The present study aimed at assessing the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on the HPT axis activity in treatment resistant depressed inpatients (TRDs) (defined as having at least 2 treatment failures).
Methods
The ∆∆TSH test was performed in 13 TRDs and 14 healthy hospitalized control subjects (HCs). To be enrolled in this study, patients had to show reduced ∆∆TSH values (i.e., < 2.5 mU/L) at baseline (BL). After 20 sessions of rTMS (using daily theta-burst stimulation; 100% resting motor threshold; number of pulses/session: 900), the ∆∆TSH test was repeated in all inpatients. The 17-item Hamilton depression rating scale (HAM-D) was used to assess the severity of depression. Remission was defined by a final HAM-D score ≤ 8.
Results
Compared to BL, HAM-D scores decreased and ∆∆ TSH values increased after 20 sessions of rTMS (both p< 0.05 by T-test). There was a relationship between the reduction in HAM-D scores from BL to endpoint and the increase in ∆∆TSH values (rho = - 0.64; n = 13; p = 0.018). At endpoint, 7 patients showed ∆∆TSH normalization (among them 6 were remitters), while 6 patients did not normalize their ∆∆TSH (all were non-remitters) (p < 0.005 by Fisher Exact test).
Conclusions
Our results suggest that after 20 sessions of rTMS, chronobiological restoration of the HPT axis activity is associated with clinical remission. Further investigation of the specific effects of rTMS on the HPT axis activity in TRDs is warranted.
In the inherently noisy real world, we can rarely have full certainty about what we have just seen or heard. Thus, making a perceptual decision on sensory information, and simultaneously tracking our varying levels of certainty in these decisions (i.e., metacognitive abilities) are crucial components of everyday life.
Hallucinations, such as confidently reporting a human voice or face when none was present, are a hallmark of psychotic disorders but also occur among the normal population. Particularly in patients with psychotic disorders, these misperceptions are linked to confident beliefs in their actual existence. However, whether patients’ confidence is only increased during such erroneous perceptions and whether perceptual and metacognitive decisions arise from supramodal mechanisms across sensory modalities remains unknown.
Objectives
In the laboratory, we tested perceptual and metacognitive decisions under varying levels of sensory certainty in healthy adults and patients with psychotic disorders admitted to a psychiatry ward (Ncon=32, Npat=12; age = 19-49; F2x.x diagnoses).
Methods
Specifically, participants had to detect human voices or faces against briefly presented noisy backdrops and subsequently rate their confidence in the accuracy of their perceptual decision (Fig 1A,B,C). We further hypothesised that probabilistic cues prior to blocks of trials can bias participants’ choices and hallucination probability (i.e., confident false alarms).
Results
Patients exhibited higher perceptual sensitivity in the auditory than the visual task, alongside a generally stronger decision bias towards fewer ‘voice/face’ choices (Fig 2A,B). This bias was more pronounced in the visual domain. Decision performance was overall higher on the auditory task but lower for patients (predicted minimum > 55%; Fig 2C). Strong correlations between auditory accuracy and PANSS hallucination scores of patients and LSHS scores of healthy participants suggest an effect of these hallucinatory experiences on accurate perception.
Metacognitive abilities were reduced in patients across both modalities: They exhibited general overconfidence, which was stronger for incorrect trials (Fig 3A). Patients’ confidence ratings were inversely related to the probability of choosing ‘voice/face’. Combining both perceptual and confidence decisions, patients showed higher hallucinations probability in the auditory task, particularly in more difficult trials (i.e., with less informative sensory evidence; Fig 3B).
Image:
Image 2:
Image 3:
Conclusions
In sum, patients with psychotic disorders exhibit increased decision bias accompanied by increased confidence, and thus a reduced fidelity in their metacognitive abilities. The modality differences are in line with phenomenology and reported hallucination rates. These results suggest stronger priors in psychotic disorders resulting in worse perceptual acuity and assessment of this perception.
The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the welfare of pregnant mares kept in straight stalls and given only limited exercise, conditions that are similar to those encountered in the pregnant mare urine industry. Sixteen pregnant mares (eight in each of two years) were randomly assigned to two groups: Ex (exercised in a paddock for 30 min per day) or NoEx (exercised for one 30 min period every 14 days). The horses were housed in straight (or ‘tie’) stalls for six months and had ad libitum access to grass hay. Each horse's behaviour was recorded on videotape once per week for 24 h. The major behaviours were eating hay, standing, and stand-resting (head down and one hind limb flexed). There was no difference between the behaviours or the number of foot lifts per min of the Ex and NoEx groups in their stalls. Nine of 16 mares were not observed in recumbency throughout the whole of the six-month observation period, suggesting that horses with no previous experience in straight stalls may be reluctant to lie down. Thirteen of 16 mares dropped to their knees at least once, probably when they were REM sleeping while standing. There were no significant differences between the Ex and the NoEx mares in baseline plasma Cortisol levels or in Cortisol response to ACTH. Following 30 min of exercise, NoEx mares showed an increase in Cortisol from 5.0 to 5.4 μg dL−1, whereas Ex mares showed a decrease from 4.6 to 3.6 µg dL−1. The NoEx horses that had been confined for two weeks trotted more (NoEx = 22 [6-38; median and range]% of time; Ex = 2.4 [0-8.7]%) and galloped more (NoEx = 6 [2-8]%; Ex = 0 [0-4]%) than the Ex that were released daily, but walked less (NoEx = 17 [10-26]%; Ex = 35 [20-40]%) and grazed less (NoEx = 0%; Ex = 3 [0-12]%). Confined horses show rebound locomotion — that is, a compensatory increase — when released from confinement, indicating a response to exercise deprivation.
In this interview, Tom Erbe reflects on his three decades as a developer of computer music software and hardware, both freeware and commercial. Tom met with Theodore Gordon on 8 December 2021 and discussed the beginnings of SoundHack and its roots in experimental music studio practice and hacker culture, ideas behind the design of sound processor interface and the shift from experimental software development to Eurorack modular hardware design.
For slightly more than 30 years I have been developing audio software and hardware under the moniker soundhack. Through these years I have programmed applications, plugins, externals, hardware and Eurorack modules – usually focusing on signal processing techniques and applications that are not easily available or offered by mainstream software companies. In this article, I would like to share my point of view and relate the rationale behind the development of these tools, my evolving sonic and design aesthetic, and some of the advantages, disadvantages and other differences between the the various hardware and software contexts.
Discussions of spatial relationships are persistent features of research on the organization of craft production. Despite the centrality of spatial issues, the correspondence between spatial patterning and economic organization remains relatively under-theorized, especially around questions of power and control. Drawing from the literature on craft ecology, specialization and landscape archaeology, I develop an approach that considers spatial scales of patterning, the power projection of elites and institutions and the articulation between elements of the crafting landscape. This approach recognizes the complex sets of factors affecting spatial patterning and ultimately produces a more robust understanding of how ancient economic systems were organized. These ideas are explored through a case study on Late Bronze and Early Iron Age metal production in the Caucasus, clarifying the organizational logics of the metal economy and highlighting how this industry differed in significant ways from other contemporary metal-producing regions in the ancient Near East.
The odd-nosed monkeys represent a monophyletic group of phenotypically unique primates. They include five species of snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus), three species of doucs (Pygathrix) as well as simakobu (Simias concolor) and the proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus). These species are ecologically diverse and inhabit a gradient of environments in China and southeast Asia, from wet equatorial forests to alpine forests. Odd-nosed monkeys tend to be shy and difficult to habituate, and often range over relatively large areas. Many are also renowned for inhabiting remote areas with rugged terrain and inclement climatic conditions. It is thus not surprising that, until fairly recently, they were among the least studied and most enigmatic extant diurnal primates. However, since the beginning of the new millennium, an expanse of new and exciting research has been conducted on these colobines. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the current knowledge of the ecology and behaviour of odd-nosed monkeys and analyse some of their key behavioural traits and ecological adaptations in light of what is known about other colobines and primates as a whole.
The aim of the present study was to compare the cerebral activation associated with encoding and retrieval in individual subjects with the average activation in the same group of subjects. Twelve volunteers performed two paradigms: 1) intentional encoding of words, and 2) recognition of learned words intermixed with new distracters. Echo-planar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of BOLD signal changes was used to compare cerebral activation between active and resting conditions. During encoding, activation of the left precentral gyrus related to the motor response was observed in some subjects. Averaged data showed increased activation of the left precentral gyrus, the supplementary motor area (SMA), the left inferior frontal gyrus and in the left temporo-occipital junction. During recognition, motor response-related activity was found in the precentral cortex and SMA in most subjects. Activation in other brain areas showed considerable interindividual variation. In the entire group, recognition showed activation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the precentral gyrus, the SMA, and the temporo-occipital junction. The total amount and the distribution of task-related cerebral activation varies considerably between individuals and might correspond to individual preferences of cognitive strategies. The investigation of these interindividual variations will be an exciting scientific challenge in the near future.
Objectives. – Studies on the relation between local cerebral activation and retrieval success usually compared high and low performance conditions, and thus showed performance-related activation of different brain areas. Only a few studies directly compared signal intensities of different response categories during retrieval. During verbal recognition, we recently observed increased parieto-occipital activation related to false alarms. The present study intends to replicate and extend this observation by investigating common and differential activation by veridical and false recognition.
Methods. – Fifteen healthy volunteers performed a verbal recognition paradigm using 160 learned target and 160 new distracter words. The subjects had to indicate whether they had learned the word before or not. Echo-planar MRI of blood-oxygen-level-dependent signal changes was performed during this recognition task. Words were classified post hoc according to the subjects’ responses, i.e. hits, false alarms, correct rejections and misses. Response-related fMRI-analysis was used to compare activation associated with the subjects’ recognition success, i.e. signal intensities related to the presentation of words were compared by the above-mentioned four response types.
Results. – During recognition, all word categories showed increased bilateral activation of the inferior frontal gyrus, the inferior temporal gyrus, the occipital lobe and the brainstem in comparison with the control condition. Hits and false alarms activated several areas including the left medial and lateral parieto-occipital cortex in comparison with subjectively unknown items, i.e. correct rejections and misses. Hits showed more pronounced activation in the medial, false alarms in the lateral parts of the left parieto-occipital cortex.
Conclusions. – Veridical and false recognition show common as well as different areas of cerebral activation in the left parieto-occipital lobe: increased activation of the medial parietal cortex by hits may correspond to true recognition, increased activation of the parieto-occipital cortex by false alarms may correspond to familiarity decisions. Further studies are needed to investigate the reasons for false decisions in healthy subjects and patients with memory problems.
Attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects about 60% of adults who suffered from ADHD in childhood. Methylphenidate is a common off-label treatment.
Objectives:
The aim of this pilot study was to assess the neuropsychological effects of a single dose of methylphenidate (10 mg orally) on different attention components and executive functions by using the computerized attention assessment battery TAP 2.2 (Testbatterie zur Aufmerksamkeitsprüfung).
Methods:
Fifteen DSM IV-ADHD adult patients were enrolled into this study. Neuropsychological evaluations were performed at baseline and after the methylphenidate test. Patients were subsequently treated with adequate dose of methylphenidate and followed over a period of 6 months.
Results:
Compared with baseline, a single dose of methylphenidate induced a significant improvement in working memory (p = 0.001), sustained attention (p = 0.0007) and visual scanning (p = 0.0007) in terms of omissions and mistakes. Reaction times also decreased in tonic arousal (p = 0.002), incompatibility (p = 0.008) and flexibility tasks (p < 0.00001). There was a significant correlation between working memory and sustained attention before and after methylphenidate (both p < 0.01). Among our patients, 12 who responded positively to the methylphenidate test, showed favorable long-term outcome with methylphenidate treatment.
Conclusions:
Adults with ADHD showed neurocognitive improvements after a single 10 mg dose of methylphenidate. Our results suggest that the methylphenidate test would be useful in predicting subsequent response to methylphenidate treatment in ADHD adult patients. Controlled prospective studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis.
We previously demonstrated that the difference between 23.00h and 08.00h TSH response to TRH tests on the same day (ΔΔTSH test) is reduced in about 75% of drug-free depressed inpatients. This study sought to determine whether this chronobiological index, at baseline and after 2 weeks of treatment, could predict antidepressant response.
Methods
The ΔΔTSH test was performed in 50 drug-free DSM-IV euthyroid major depressed inpatients and 50 hospitalized controls. After 2 weeks of antidepressant treatment the ΔΔTSH test was repeated in all inpatients. Antidepressant response was evaluated after 6 weeks of treatment.
Results
At baseline, ΔΔTSH values were significantly lower in patients compared to controls (p< 0.000001): 38 patients showed reduced values (i.e. ΔΔTSH ≤ 2.5 mIU/L; sensitivity, 76%; specificity, 98%). After two weeks of treatment, 20 patients showed ΔΔTSH normalization (among them 18 were subsequent remitters), while 18 patients did not normalize their ΔΔTSH (among them 15 were non remitters) (p < 0.00001). Among the 12 patients who had normal ΔΔTSH values at baseline, 8 out 9 who had still normal values after 2 weeks of treatment were remitters, while the 3 with worsening thyroid axis function (i.e. reduced ΔΔTSH value after 2 weeks of treatment) were non-remitters (p< 0.02).
Conclusion
Our results suggest that after 2 weeks of antidepressant treatment: 1) an abnormal ΔΔTSH test could predict non-remission, and 2) ΔΔTSH normalization is associated with subsequent remission. Thus, chronobiological restoration of the thyroid axis activity precedes clinical improvement and may predict the therapeutic outcome in major depression.
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between suicidal behavior and chronobiological thyroid axis activity in depressed patients.
Methods:
The serum levels of TSH, were evaluated before and after 8 AM and 11 PM TRH challenges, on the same day, in 230 medication-free DSM-IV euthyroid major depressed inpatients and 50 healthy hospitalized controls.
Results:
Compared to controls: 1) patients with a recent suicide attempt (n = 71) showed lower TSH response to TRH (ΔTSH) at 11 PM, lower ΔΔTSH values (differences between 11PM-ΔTSH and 8AM-ΔTSH) (p < 0.03 and p < 0.00001, respectively), and lower free thyroxine (FT4) levels (p < 0.00001); 2) patients with a past suicide attempt (n = 52) showed no major alteration of the HPT axis activity; 3) patients without a suicide attempt history (n = 107) showed both lower 8 AM-ΔTSH and 11-PM ΔTSH (p < 0.04 and p < 0.000001), and lower ΔΔTSH values (p < 0.000001), but no alteration of circulating thyroid hormone levels.
Conclusions:
Our results suggest that in patients without a suicide attempt history increased hypothalamic TRH stimulation (as evidenced by reduced TSH responses to TRH) might be a compensatory mechanism. in patients with a suicide history this compensatory mechanism is not effective. in patients with a recent suicide attempt the evening TSH blunting, associated with reduced FT4 levels, might be indicative of a decreased central TRH activity leading to a reduction in the TSH resynthesis in the thyrotrophs during the day after the morning challenge.
The south-eastern Black Sea area is a key region for understanding the history of iron metallurgy. While Classical texts mention the people living in this area as producers, and perhaps even inventors, of iron, material evidence has been lacking. Recent archaeological survey and scientific analyses now make it possible to investigate iron technologies in the region during the mid to late first millennium BC and the medieval period, providing new insights into the metallurgical tradition that inspired such admiration in the Graeco-Roman world. These results have implications for the smelting of iron in liquid state, although it remains unclear where and when this technology first appeared in Western Eurasia.
The South Caucasus has been largely absent in broader discussions of prehistoric population aggregation in Greater Eurasia. The authors use remote sensing, surface collection and magnetometry to investigate two hilltop fortress settlements at the margins of the Kura River Basin, with a particular emphasis on satellite settlements around the main hills. The results support a model of settlement growth in which previously mobile groups settled around the fortress, while maintaining a degree of spatial and social separation. The use of multiple survey techniques reveals a complex picture of settlement organisation, with implications for comparative analysis of prehistoric population aggregation models.