Facing the music or burying our heads in the sand?: Adaptive emotion regulation in mid- and late-life

Psychological defense theories postulate that keeping threatening information out of awareness brings short-term reduction of anxiety at the cost of longer-term dysfunction. By contrast, Socioemotional Selectivity Theory suggests that preference for positively-valenced information is a manifestation of adaptive emotion regulation in later life. Using six decades of longitudinal data on 61 men, we examined links between emotion regulation indices informed by these distinct conceptualizations: defense patterns in earlier adulthood and selective memory for positively-valenced images in late life. Men who used more avoidant defenses in midlife recognized fewer emotionally-valenced and neutral images in a memory test 35-40 years later. Late-life satisfaction was positively linked with mid-life engaging defenses but negatively linked at the trend level with concurrent positivity bias

Grid Loss: Detecting Occluded Faces

Detection of partially occluded objects is a challenging computer vision problem. Standard Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) detectors fail if parts of the detection window are occluded, since not every sub-part of the window is discriminative on its own. To address this issue, we propose a novel loss layer for CNNs, named grid loss, which minimizes the error rate on sub-blocks of a convolution layer independently rather than over the whole feature map. This results in parts being more discriminative on their own, enabling the detector to recover if the detection window is partially occluded. By mapping our loss layer back to a regular fully connected layer, no additional computational cost is incurred at runtime compared to standard CNNs. We demonstrate our method for face detection on several public face detection benchmarks and show that our method outperforms regular CNNs, is suitable for realtime applications and achieves state-of-the-art performance.Comment: accepted to ECCV 201

New Treatment Approach in Indian Visceral Leishmaniasis: Single-Dose Liposomal Amphotericin B Followed by Short-Course Oral Miltefosine

Background. In Bihar, India, home to nearly one-half of the world's burden of visceral leishmaniasis, drug resistance has ended the usefulness of pentavalent antimony, which is the traditional first-line treatment. Although monotherapy with other agents is available, the use of 2 drugs with different modes of action might increase efficacy, shorten treatment duration, enhance compliance, and/or reduce the risk of parasite resistance. To test the feasibility of a new approach to combination therapy in visceral leishmaniasis (also known a kala-azar), we treated Indian patients with a single infusion of liposomal amphotericin B (L-AmB), followed 1 day later by short-course oral miltefosine. Methods. We used a randomized, noncomparative, group-sequential, triangular design and assigned 181 subjects to treatment with 5 mg/kg of L-AmB alone (group A; 45 subjects), 5 mg/kg of L-AmB followed by miltefosine for 10 days (group B; 46 subjects) or 14 days (group C; 45 subjects), or 3.75 mg/kg of L-AmB followed by miltefosine for 14 days (group D; 45 subjects). When it became apparent that all regimens were effective, 45 additional, nonrandomized patients were assigned to receive 5 mg/kg of L-AmB followed by miltefosine for 7 days (group E). Results. Each regimen was satisfactorily tolerated, and all 226 subjects showed initial apparent cure responses. Nine months after treatment, final cure rates were similar: group A, 91% (95% confidence interval [CI], 78%-97%]; group B, 98% (95% CI, 87%-100%); group C, 96% (95% CI, 84%-99%]; group D, 96% (95% CI, 84%-99%); and group E, 98% (95% CI, 87%-100%). Conclusions. These results suggest that treatment with single-dose L-AmB followed by 7-14 days of miltefosine is active against Indian kala-azar. This short-course, sequential regimen warrants additional testing in India and in those regions of endemicity where visceral leishmaniasis may be more difficult to treat. Trial registration. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT0037082

Evaluating the durability and performance of polyoxometalate-ionic liquid coatings on calcareous stones: Preventing biocolonisation in outdoor environments

Rock-based materials exposed to outdoor environments are naturally colonised by an array of microorganisms, which can cause dissolution and fracturing of the natural stone. Biocolonisation of monuments and architectures of important cultural heritage therefore represents an expensive and recurring problem for local authorities and private owners alike. In this area, preventive strategies to mitigate biocolonisation are generally preferred to curative approaches, such as mechanical cleaning by brush or high-pressure cleaning, to remove pre-existing patina. The aim of this work was to study the interaction between biocidal polyoxometalate-ionic liquid (POM-IL) coatings and calcareous stones and evaluate the capacity of these coatings to prevent biocolonisation through a series of accelerated ageing studies in climate chambers, carried out in parallel with a two-year period of outdoor exposure in north-eastern France. Our experiments show that POM-IL coatings did not affect water vapour transfer nor significantly alter the total porosity of the calcareous stones. Simulated weathering studies replicating harsh (hot and wet) climatic weather conditions demonstrated that the colour variation of POM-IL-coated stones did not vary significantly with respect to the natural uncoated stones. Accelerated biocolonisation studies performed on the weathered POM-IL-coated stones proved that the coatings were still capable of preventing colonisation by an algal biofilm. However, a combination of colour measurements, chlorophyll fluorescence data, and scanning electron microscopy imaging of stones aged outdoors in northern France for two years showed that coated and uncoated stone samples showed signs of colonisation by fungal mycelium and phototrophs. Altogether, our results demonstrate that POM-ILs are suitable as preventative biocidal coatings for calcareous stones, but the correct concentrations must be chosen to achieve a balance between porosity of the stone, the resulting colour variation and the desired duration of the biocidal effect over longer periods of time, particularly in outdoor environments

Differential postural effects of plantar-flexor muscles fatigue under normal, altered and improved vestibular and neck somatosensory conditions

The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of plantar-flexor muscles fatigue on postural control during quiet standing under normal, altered and improved vestibular and neck somatosensory conditions. To address this objective, young male university students were asked to stand upright as still as possible with their eyes closed in two conditions of No Fatigue and Fatigue of the plantar-flexor muscles. In Experiment 1 (n=15), the postural task was executed in two Neutral head and Head tilted backward postures, recognized to degrade vestibular and neck somatosensory information. In Experiment 2 (n=15), the postural task was executed in two conditions of No tactile and Tactile stimulation of the neck provided by the application of strips of adhesive bandage to the skin over and around the neck. Centre of foot pressure displacements were recorded using a force platform. Results showed that (1) the Fatigue condition yielded increased CoP displacements relative to the No Fatigue condition (Experiment 1 and Experiment 2), (2) this destabilizing effect was more accentuated in the Head tilted backward posture than Neutral head posture (Experiment 1) and (3) this destabilizing effect was less accentuated in the condition of Tactile stimulation than that of No tactile stimulation of the neck (Experiment 2). In the context of the multisensory control of balance, these results suggest an increased reliance on vestibular and neck somatosensory information for controlling posture during quiet standing in condition of altered ankle neuromuscular function

Quantitative test of the barrier nucleosome model for statistical positioning of nucleosomes up- and downstream of transcription start sites

The positions of nucleosomes in eukaryotic genomes determine which parts of the DNA sequence are readily accessible for regulatory proteins and which are not. Genome-wide maps of nucleosome positions have revealed a salient pattern around transcription start sites, involving a nucleosome-free region (NFR) flanked by a pronounced periodic pattern in the average nucleosome density. While the periodic pattern clearly reflects well-positioned nucleosomes, the positioning mechanism is less clear. A recent experimental study by Mavrich et al. argued that the pattern observed in S. cerevisiae is qualitatively consistent with a `barrier nucleosome model', in which the oscillatory pattern is created by the statistical positioning mechanism of Kornberg and Stryer. On the other hand, there is clear evidence for intrinsic sequence preferences of nucleosomes, and it is unclear to what extent these sequence preferences affect the observed pattern. To test the barrier nucleosome model, we quantitatively analyze yeast nucleosome positioning data both up- and downstream from NFRs. Our analysis is based on the Tonks model of statistical physics which quantifies the interplay between the excluded-volume interaction of nucleosomes and their positional entropy. We find that although the typical patterns on the two sides of the NFR are different, they are both quantitatively described by the same physical model, with the same parameters, but different boundary conditions. The inferred boundary conditions suggest that the first nucleosome downstream from the NFR (the +1 nucleosome) is typically directly positioned while the first nucleosome upstream is statistically positioned via a nucleosome-repelling DNA region. These boundary conditions, which can be locally encoded into the genome sequence, significantly shape the statistical distribution of nucleosomes over a range of up to ~1000 bp to each side.Comment: includes supporting materia

Use of a porous membrane for gas bubble removal in microfluidic channels: physical mechanisms and design criteria

We demonstrate and explain a simple and efficient way to remove gas bubbles from liquid-filled microchannels, by integrating a hydrophobic porous membrane on top of the microchannel. A prototype chip is manufactured in hard, transparent polymer with the ability to completely filter gas plugs out of a segmented flow at rates up to 7.4 microliter/s per mm2 of membrane area. The device involves a bubble generation section and a gas removal section. In the bubble generation section, a T-junction is used to generate a train of gas plugs into a water stream. These gas plugs are then transported towards the gas removal section, where they slide along a hydrophobic membrane until complete removal. The system has been successfully modeled and four necessary operating criteria have been determined to achieve a complete separation of the gas from the liquid. The first criterion is that the bubble length needs to be larger than the channel diameter. The second criterion is that the gas plug should stay on the membrane for a time sufficient to transport all the gas through the membrane. The third criterion is that the gas plug travel speed should be lower than a critical value: otherwise a stable liquid film between the bubble and the membrane prevents mass transfer. The fourth criterion is that the pressure difference across the membrane should not be larger than the Laplace pressure to prevent water from leaking through the membrane

Reconstructing ‘the Alcoholic’: Recovering from Alcohol Addiction and the Stigma this Entails

Public perception of alcohol addiction is frequently negative, whilst an important part of recovery is the construction of a positive sense of self. In order to explore how this might be achieved, we investigated how those who self-identify as in recovery from alcohol problems view themselves and their difficulties with alcohol and how they make sense of others’ responses to their addiction. Semi-structured interviews with six individuals who had been in recovery between 5 and 35 years and in contact with Alcoholics Anonymous were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The participants were acutely aware of stigmatising images of ‘alcoholics’ and described having struggled with a considerable dilemma in accepting this identity themselves. However, to some extent they were able to resist stigma by conceiving of an ‘aware alcoholic self’ which was divorced from their previously unaware self and formed the basis for a new more knowing and valued identity

Automatic identification of sleep and wakefulness using single-channel EEG and respiratory polygraphy signals for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea

Polysomnography (PSG) is necessary for the accurate estimation of total sleep time (TST) and the calculation of the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). In type III home sleep apnea testing (HSAT), TST is overestimated because of the lack of electrophysiological sleep recordings. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of a novel automated sleep/wake scoring algorithm combining a single electroencephalogram (EEG) channel with actimetry and HSAT signals. The study included 160 patients investigated by PSG for suspected obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Each PSG was recorded and scored manually using American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) rules. The automatic sleep/wake-scoring algorithm was based on a single-channel EEG (FP2-A1) and the variability analysis of HSAT signals (airflow, snoring, actimetry, light and respiratory inductive plethysmography). Optimal detection thresholds were derived for each signal using a training set. Automatic and manual scorings were then compared epoch by epoch considering two states (sleep and wake). Cohen\u27s kappa coefficient between the manual scoring and the proposed automatic algorithm was substantial, 0.74 ± 0.18, in separating wakefulness and sleep. The sensitivity, specificity and the positive and negative predictive values for the detection of wakefulness were 76.51% ± 21.67%, 95.48% ± 5.27%, 81.84% ± 15.42% and 93.85% ± 6.23% respectively. Compared with HSAT signals alone, AHI increased by 22.12% and 27 patients changed categories of OSA severity with the automatic sleep/wake-scoring algorithm. Automatic sleep/wake detection using a single-channel EEG combined with HSAT signals was a reliable method for TST estimation and improved AHI calculation compared with HSAT