Re. 'Doppler Ultrasound Examination of Multiple Sclerosis Patients and Control Participants: Inter-observer Agreement and Association with Disease'

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Unfolding political attitudes through the face: facial expressions when reading emotion language of left- and right-wing political leaders

Spontaneous emotionally congruent facial responses (ECFR) to others\u2019 emotional expressions can occur by simply observing others\u2019 faces (i.e., smiling) or by reading emotion related words (i.e., to smile). The goal of the present study was to examine whether language describing political leaders\u2019 emotions affects voters by inducing emotionally congruent facial reactions as a function of readers\u2019 and politicians\u2019 shared political orientation. Participants read sentences describing politicians\u2019 emotional expressions, while their facial muscle activation was measured by means of electromyography (EMG). Results showed that reading sentences describing left and right-wing politicians \u201csmiling\u201d or \u201cfrowning\u201d elicits ECFR for ingroup but not outgroup members. Remarkably, ECFR were sensitive to attitudes toward individual leaders beyond the ingroup vs. outgroup political divide. Through integrating behavioral and physiological methods we were able to consistently tap on a \u2018favored political leader effect\u2019 thus capturing political attitudes towards an individual politician at a given moment of time, at multiple levels (explicit responses and automatic ECFR) and across political party membership lines. Our findings highlight the role of verbal behavior of politicians in affecting voters\u2019 facial expressions with important implications for social judgment and behavioral outcomes

On the significance of diffuse crack width self-evolution in the phase-field model for residually stressed brittle materials

The Phase-Field method is an attractive numerical technique to simulate fracture propagation in materials relying on Finite Element Method. Its peculiar diffuse representation of cracks makes it suitable for a myriad of problems, especially those involving multiple physics and complex-shaped crack patterns. Recent literature provided linear relationships between the width of the diffuse crack and the material intrinsic fracture toughness, through a material characteristic length. However, lately, it was shown how the existence of a residual stress field can affect the represented crack width even for fully homogeneous materials, in terms of toughness. In this short note, the authors tried to shed some light on the factors influencing the width of the diffuse crack representation. By simulating crack propagation in several residually stressed brittle materials, it was shown how the width of the diffuse crack is affected by the ratio between the driving force - due to the externally applied load - and the driving force required to propagate the crack. In other words, the diffuse crack extent can be linked to the degree of crack propagation stability/instability. Monitoring the evolution of the studied quantity can be of great interest to rapidly assess crack instability circumstances, under displacement control

Plethysmography system to monitor the jugular venous pulse: A feasibility study

Cerebral venous outflow is investigated in the diagnosis of heart failure through the monitoring of jugular venous pulse, an indicator to assess cardiovascular diseases. The jugular venous pulse is a weak signal stemming from the lying internal jugular vein and often invasive methodolo-gies requiring surgery are mandatory to detect it. Jugular venous pulse can also be extrapolated via the ultrasound technique, but it requires a qualified healthcare operator to perform the exami-nation. In this work, a wireless, user-friendly, wearable device for plethysmography is developed to investigate the possibility of monitoring the jugular venous pulse non-invasively. The proposed device can monitor the jugular venous pulse and the electrocardiogram synchronously. To study the feasibility of using the proposed device to detect physiological variables, several measurements were carried out on healthy subjects by considering three different postures: supine, sitting, and upright. Data acquired in the experiment were properly filtered to highlight the cardiac oscillation and remove the breathing contribution, which causes a considerable shift in the amplitude of signals. To evaluate the proper functioning of the wearable device for plethysmography, a comparison with the ultrasound technique was carried out. As a satisfactory result, the acquired signals resemble the typical jugular venous pulse waveforms found in literature

The Ginevra de\u2019 Benci Effect: Competence, Morality, and Attractiveness Inferred From Faces Predict Hiring Decisions for Women

The present study examined the role of morality, competence, and attractiveness as perceived from faces in predicting hiring decisions for men and women. Results showed that for both female and male applicants, facial competence significantly predicted the hiring decision directly and indirectly, through the mediation of the overall impression. Decisions concerning female applicants were, however, significantly predicted by multiple dimensions\u2014that is, facial morality, facial competence, and attractiveness\u2014with the mediation of the overall impression. Facial competence was the only significant predictor of impression and, in turn, hiring decision about men. These findings resonate the motto Virtutem forma decorat, \u201cBeauty adorns virtue,\u201d painted by Leonardo da Vinci on the reverse side of the portrait of Ginevra de\u2019 Benci, and suggest that women\u2019s chances of getting a job are less than those of men whenever they do not show a moral and competent and attractive face

FIELD INVERSION AND MACHINE LEARNING STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING RANS MODELLING IN TURBOMACHINERY

Turbulence and transition modelling are critical aspects in the prediction of the flow field in turbomachinery. Recently, several research efforts have been devoted to the use of machine learning techniques for improving Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) models. In this framework, a promising technique is represented by field inversion which requires to find an optimal correction field that minimises the error between numerical predictions and experimental data. In this work, Artificial Neural Networks and Random Forests are investigated as tools to generalise the correction provided by field inversion. An approach to automatically identify the regions where the correction model should be computed is proposed: this improves the fitting and reduces the calls to the model during the predictions. Furthermore, a correction-based weighting of the database is introduced in order to improve the training performances. The potential and the issues of the methods are investigated on a high-lift gas turbine cascade at low Reynolds number

Brain-Computer Interface meets ROS: A robotic approach to mentally drive telepresence robots

This paper shows and evaluates a novel approach to integrate a non-invasive Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) with the Robot Operating System (ROS) to mentally drive a telepresence robot. Controlling a mobile device by using human brain signals might improve the quality of life of people suffering from severe physical disabilities or elderly people who cannot move anymore. Thus, the BCI user can actively interact with relatives and friends located in different rooms thanks to a video streaming connection to the robot. To facilitate the control of the robot via BCI, we explore new ROS-based algorithms for navigation and obstacle avoidance in order to make the system safer and more reliable. In this regard, the robot exploits two maps of the environment, one for localization and one for navigation, and both are used as additional visual feedback for the BCI user to control the robot position. Experimental results show a decrease of the number of commands needed to complete the navigation task, suggesting a reduction user’s cognitive workload. The novelty of this work is to provide a first evidence of an integration between BCI and ROS that can simplify and foster the development of software for BCI driven robotics devices

Geology and geochemistry of alkaline basic bodies from south of Colhué Huapí and Musters lakes, Gulf of San Jorge Basin, Chubut

En la región de los lagos Colhué Huapí y Musters, situada en la sierra de San Bernardo en el centro sur de la provincia del Chubut, afloran cuerpos ígneos básicos de carácter alcalino con estructuras de stocks, sills, lopolitos y diques, con edades comprendidas entre el Eoceno y Pleistoceno. En este trabajo, se presentan los resultados obtenidos del estudio efectuado en los cerros Negro, Cresta-Puricelli, Guacho, Solo, San Bernardo, Cresta-Trompete y Los Leones-Tumba del Indio, todos ellos localizados al sur de la localidad de Sarmiento. La litología identificada corresponde a gabro, monzogabro nefelínico, sienita nefelínica, basalto y basanita, siendo el gabro la variedad predominante. De acuerdo a la forma, el tamaño, los gradientes texturales y la presencia de zeolitas que presentan los cuerpos intrusivos, se considera que éstos se emplazaron en niveles corticales altos (<1 km). La mayoría de las rocas analizadas son básicas con un porcentaje de SiO2 entre 44 y 48 %, y se caracterizan por el alto contenido en Fe2O3 (10,66-14,67 %), TiO2 (1,23-3,37 %) y álcalis (3,35-5,91 %). Los diagramas normalizados tienen el diseño típico de basaltos alcalinos de intraplaca, compatibles con una fuente de tipo OIB enriquecida en elementos incompatibles, con residuo granatífero en la fuente y ausencia de contaminación con la placa subducida o cortical. La pendiente pronunciada de la curva normalizada de REE (La/Yb = 10,2-22,4) señala relativamente bajos grados de fusión parcial. A partir del análisis estructural se plantea un ambiente extensional para el emplazamiento de estos cuerpos que es coherente con lo que indican las características geoquímicas.In the region of Colhué Huapí and Musters lakes, south central province of Chubut, crop out Eocene-Pleistocene igneous alkaline basic bodies which corresponds to stocks, sills, lopoliths and dikes structures. In this paper, we present the results of the survey conducted in the Cerros Negro, Cresta-Puricelli, Guacho, Solo, San Bernardo, Cresta-Leones-Trompete and Tumba del Indio, located south of Sarmiento town. Lithological and textural varieties allowed to classify the rocks as gabbro, nepheline monzogabbro, nepheline syenite, basalt and basanite, being gabbro the predominant variety. On the basis of their shape and size, the presence of textural gradients and zeolites among others, the outcrops studied were characterized as intrusives bodies emplaced at high crustal levels (< 1 km). Most of the analyzed samples are basic with a SiO2 content between 44 % and 48 %. They are characterized by the high Fe2O3 (10.66-14.67 %), TiO2 (1.23-3.37) and alkalis (3.35-5.91 %) content. The patterns of the normalized diagrams are typical of intraplate alkaline basalts compatible with an OIB type with garnet present source without subducted plate or crustal contamination. The steep slope of the normalized REE (La/Yb = 10.2- 22.4) points out relatively low degrees of partial melting. An extensional environment for the emplacement of these bodies is suggested by the structural analysis which is coherent with the geochemical characteristics.Fil: Menegatti, Nilda D.. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Departamento de Geología. Comodoro Rivadavia; ArgentinaFil: Massaferro, Gabriela Isabel. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Departamento de Geología. Puerto Madryn; ArgentinaFil: Fernández, María Isabel. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Departamento de Geología. Comodoro Rivadavia; ArgentinaFil: Giacosa, Raúl E.. Secretaría de Industria y Minería. Servicio Geologico Minero Argentino; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rio Negro; Argentin

3pHLA-score improves structure-based peptide-HLA binding affinity prediction

Binding of peptides to Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) receptors is a prerequisite for triggering immune response. Estimating peptide-HLA (pHLA) binding is crucial for peptide vaccine target identification and epitope discovery pipelines. Computational methods for binding affinity prediction can accelerate these pipelines. Currently, most of those computational methods rely exclusively on sequence-based data, which leads to inherent limitations. Recent studies have shown that structure-based data can address some of these limitations. In this work we propose a novel machine learning (ML) structure-based protocol to predict binding affinity of peptides to HLA receptors. For that, we engineer the input features for ML models by decoupling energy contributions at different residue positions in peptides, which leads to our novel per-peptide-position protocol. Using Rosetta’s ref2015 scoring function as a baseline we use this protocol to develop 3pHLA-score. Our per-peptide-position protocol outperforms the standard training protocol and leads to an increase from 0.82 to 0.99 of the area under the precision-recall curve. 3pHLA-score outperforms widely used scoring functions (AutoDock4, Vina, Dope, Vinardo, FoldX, GradDock) in a structural virtual screening task. Overall, this work brings structure-based methods one step closer to epitope discovery pipelines and could help advance the development of cancer and viral vaccines

Volume control of the lower limb with graduated compression during different muscle pump activation conditions and the relation to limb circumference variation

Background: The literature supports the use of graduated compression stockings (GCS) for leg edema. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of data on the GCS effect on limb edema related to sitting, standing, and walking. Data of different limb shapes and their impact on GCS-exerted pressure are lacking. This investigation provides evidence-based information on the effect of GCS on edema reduction and the impact of limb circumference gradients on GCS pressure. Methods: Thirty healthy individuals (15 men and 15 women; mean age, 32 ± 5 years) were included. All the participants underwent lower limb volume (Kuhnke formula) measurement, before and after sitting for 30 minutes, wearing below-ankle noncompressive socks. The same assessment was repeated 7 days later, in the same participants, but with wearing of below-knee 16 to 20 mm Hg GCS. At 7-day intervals, 1 week with below-ankle noncompressive socks and 1 week with below-knee 16 to 20 mm Hg GCS, all the participants repeated the same protocol including standing and walking. Ten participants underwent bioimpedance assessment (Biody Xpert II; eBIODY, La Ciotat, France) before and after sitting, standing, and walking. In the same group, B and B1 interface pressure values were measured. Results: Data collection was completed in all 60 limbs. Sitting or walking without GCS led to no significant volume changes, whereas volume was decreased by the use of GCS (−4.8% [P &lt;.00001] and −4.4% [P &lt;.00001], respectively). Standing up without GCS led to an increase in volume (2.7%; P &lt;.0001), whereas limb volume was decreased (4.6%; P &lt;.0001) by use of GCS. Bioimpedance showed extracellular water reduction only while walking with GCS (from 40.55% ± 1.66% to 40.45% ± 1.71%; P &lt;.017). Mean interface pressure was 19 ± 5 mm Hg (B) and 16 ± 5 mm Hg (B1). The interface pressure variation from B to B1 was not homogeneous among participants (mean percentage variation of −13% ± 25%, ranging from −54% to 16%). A negative linear trend between pressure variation and circumference percentage increase was found; the subanalysis excluding the two outliers showed a strong negative linear correlation (Pearson coefficient r = −0.96). Conclusions: GCS led to a significant limb volume reduction irrespective of limb position and muscle pump function. However, extracellular fluid is mobilized only during muscle contraction while walking with GCS. Interestingly, different lower limb circumference variations influence the interface pressure gradient, indicating the importance of proper fitting of both B and B1 during prescription. These data provide a foundation to future investigations dealing with GCS effect on fluid mobilization and with limb geometry impact on compression performance