Topographical working memory in children and adolescents with motor disabilities

Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate topographical working memory in individuals with motor disabilities. Methods: Topographical working memory was investigated using the Walking Corsi Test in 89 participants with motor disability, mean age 11.5 years, of which 40 with cerebral palsy, 31 with spina bifida, and 18 with orthopaedic or peripheral symptoms. The participants were grouped according to everyday mobility, i.e. walking outdoors, walking indoors, and using wheelchair. A control group constituted 120 typically developing participants, mean age 9.9 years. Results: Individuals with spina bifida, orthopaedic or peripheral symptoms as well as typically developing participants performed significantly larger walking spans than the cerebral palsy group. With respect to mobility, those walking outdoors had significantly larger span than those walking indoors and those using wheelchair for mobility. Conclusions: Participants with outdoor walking in the community, apart from type of motor disability, seem to have improved topographic memory compared to individuals who don’t walk outside and individuals who are mobile through wheelchair. The results highlight the question of development of spatial cognition to enhance participation in social environments. Future research should focus on prematurity in the cerebral palsy group, and on hydrocephalus in the spina bifida group

To what extent does corporate liquidity affect M&A decisions, method of payment and performance? Evidence from China

Using a panel of Chinese listed firms over the period 1998–2015, we examine the extent to which liquidity impacts firms' acquisition decisions, method of payment choice, and performance following mergers. We observe that cash-rich firms are more likely to attempt acquisitions, especially if they are subject to tunneling. Next, we find that bidders with higher growth opportunities are less likely to use cash payments in acquisitions. This effect is stronger for financially constrained bidders, who face greater opportunity costs of holding cash. Our last set of results highlights the under-performance of cash acquisitions in both the short and long term

Peculiar body representation alterations in hemineglect:a case report

We report the case of FP affected by personal and extrapersonal neglect and a body representation deficit characterized by delusional ideas. When FP performed the human figure, he placed body parts to the left, despite his extrapersonal neglect. Differently, when he performed the car figure, he placed all parts to the right, in line with his deficit. Comparing FP with a small patient group with the same clinical features without delusional ideas about body emerged that he was the only one to suffer from a specific body representation deficit characterized by a lack of body ownership sense

The Contribution of Cognitive Factors to Compulsive Buying Behaviour: Insights from Shopping Habit Changes during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The last decade has seen an increase in compulsive behaviours among young adults worldwide, particularly in 2020, during restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Importantly, even if shopping is an ordinary activity in everyday life, it can become a compulsive behaviour for certain individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of working memory and decision-making style in compulsive behaviour. A total of 105 participants (65 F, 40 M) were recruited online from May 2020 to December 2020. They completed a series of questionnaires to measure shopping compulsive behaviour, decision-making styles, deficits in working memory and online shopping habits. The results show that during the COVID-19 pandemic, people spent much more time shopping online, made more purchases and spent more money than prior to the pandemic. Moreover, both higher working memory deficits and spontaneous decision-making style predicted a greater tendency to engage in compulsive buying. These results suggest the need to develop specific training programs to improve cognitive aspects related to compulsive shopping behaviour

Serotonin 1A receptor-mediated signaling through ERK and PKCα is essential for normal synaptogenesis in neonatal mouse hippocampus

Aberrant expression of the presynaptic serotonin 1A receptor (5-HT1A-R) because of a polymorphism in the 5-HT1A-R gene is associated with severe depression in human, whereas its absence up to postnatal day 21 (P21) in the forebrain of mice results in heightened anxiety in adulthood. These observations collectively indicate that the 5-HT1A-R has a crucial role in brain development. To understand the mechanistic underpinnings of this phenomenon, we used organotypic slice cultures of hippocampi from C57BL6 mice (C57) at P15, which coincides with the peak of neonatal synaptogenesis. Stimulation of the hippocampal 5-HT1A-R caused a dramatic increase in PSD95 expression and dendritic spine and synapse formation through sequential activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase isozymes Erk1/2 and protein kinase C (PKC). Intrahippocampal infusion of 5-HT1A-R agonists and signaling inhibitors at P15 revealed that the same pathway through PKCα augments PSD95 expression and synaptogenesis in vivo in 24 h in both C57 as well as Swiss Webster mice. Furthermore, intrahippocampal infusion of the antidepressant fluoxetine, a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, also augmented PSD95 expression and synaptogenesis through the same pathway. This increased synaptogenesis was observed even 5 days after treatment. Finally, compared with the wild type, the 5-HT1A-R(−/−) mice harbor significantly less synapses in the hippocampus, but infusion of the PKC-stimulator and Alzheimer drug bryostatin into the 5-HT1A-R(−/−) mice to bypass the non-existent 5-HT1A-R boosted PSD95 expression and synaptogenesis. The elucidated signaling cascade explains how 5-HT1A-R regulates hippocampal sculpting and function, which may determine the affective phenotype of an adult

A multisource approach for coastline mapping and identification of shoreline changes

Coastal dynamics are driven by phenomena of exogenous and endogenous nature. Characterizing factors that influence their equilibrium and continuous monitoring are fundamental for effective environmental planning and management of coastal areas. In order to monitor shoreline changes, we developed a methodology based on a multisource and multitemporal approach. A database, related to the Ionian coast of Basilicata region (about 50 km), was implemented by using cartographic data (IGMI data), satellite imagery (SPOT-PX/XS, Landsat-TM, Corona) and aerial data covering the period form 1949 to 2001. In particular, airborne data (1 m spatial resolution) were acquired during a specific campaign we performed in 2000 and 2001. To obtain the best performance from the available data, we applied a data fusion procedure on visible and thermal information. Different algorithms were tested, such as band ratios and clustering for extracting the coastline. The best results from multispectral data were obtained using a threshold algorithm we devised by exploiting the green, red and NIR bands, whereas for panchromatic data we selected clustering as the more suitable method. Moreover, a GPS survey was performed to evaluate the influence of tidal effects

Biological age estimation using circulating blood biomarkers

Biological age captures physiological deterioration better than chronological age and is amenable to interventions. Blood-based biomarkers have been identified as suitable candidates for biological age estimation. This study aims to improve biological age estimation using machine learning models and a feature-set of 60 circulating biomarkers available from the UK Biobank (n = 306,116). We implement an Elastic-Net derived Cox model with 25 selected biomarkers to predict mortality risk (C-Index = 0.778; 95% CI [0.767–0.788]), which outperforms the well-known blood-biomarker based PhenoAge model (C-Index = 0.750; 95% CI [0.739–0.761]), providing a C-Index lift of 0.028 representing an 11% relative increase in predictive value. Importantly, we then show that using common clinical assay panels, with few biomarkers, alongside imputation and the model derived on the full set of biomarkers, does not substantially degrade predictive accuracy from the theoretical maximum achievable for the available biomarkers. Biological age is estimated as the equivalent age within the same-sex population which corresponds to an individual’s mortality risk. Values ranged between 20-years younger and 20-years older than individuals’ chronological age, exposing the magnitude of ageing signals contained in blood markers. Thus, we demonstrate a practical and cost-efficient method of estimating an improved measure of Biological Age, available to the general population

Negative investment in China: financing constraints and restructuring versus growth

This paper addresses an interesting phenomenon in China’s investment pattern: despite high aggregate investment and remarkable economic growth, negative investment is commonly found at the microeconomic level. Using a large firm-level data set mainly made up of unlisted companies, we show that private firms undertake negative investment in order to raise capital. We also find that, owing to overinvestment and misinvestment in the past, state-owned firms have had to restructure by getting rid of obsolete capital in the face of increasing competition and hardening budget constraints. Finally, rapid economic growth counterweighs both effects for all types of firms, with a larger impact in the private and foreign sectors. Thus, the needs to redeploy resources and to overcome capital market imperfections help to explain the negative investment of many Chinese firms