Neural mechanisms of resistance to peer influence in early adolescence

During the shift from a parent-dependent child to a fully autonomous adult, peers take on a significant role in shaping the adolescent’s behaviour. Peer-derived influences are not always positive, however. Here we explore neural correlates of inter-individual differences in the probability of resisting peer influence in early adolescence. Using functional magnetic-resonance imaging (fMRI), we found striking differences between 10-year old children with high and low resistance to peer influence in their brain activity during observation of angry hand-movements and angry facial expressions: compared with subjects with low resistance to peer influence, individuals with high resistance showed a highly coordinated brain activity in neural systems underlying perception of action and decision making. These findings suggest that the probability of resisting peer influence depends on neural interactions during observation of emotion-laden actions

Infinite qubit rings with maximal nearest neighbor entanglement: the Bethe ansatz solution

We search for translationally invariant states of qubits on a ring that maximize the nearest neighbor entanglement. This problem was initially studied by O'Connor and Wootters [Phys. Rev. A {\bf 63}, 052302 (2001)]. We first map the problem to the search for the ground state of a spin 1/2 Heisenberg XXZ model. Using the exact Bethe ansatz solution in the limit of an infinite ring, we prove the correctness of the assumption of O'Connor and Wootters that the state of maximal entanglement does not have any pair of neighboring spins ``down'' (or, alternatively spins ``up''). For sufficiently small fixed magnetization, however, the assumption does not hold: we identify the region of magnetizations for which the states that maximize the nearest neighbor entanglement necessarily contain pairs of neighboring spins ``down''.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures; Eq. (45) and Fig. 3 corrected, no qualitative change in conclusion

Impact of rs361072 in the Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase p110β Gene on Whole-Body Glucose Metabolism and Subunit Protein Expression in Skeletal Muscle

OBJECTIVE-Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) is a major effector in insulin signaling. rs361072, located in the promoter of the gene (PIK3CB) for the p110 beta subunit, has previously been found to be associated with homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in obese subjects. The aim was to investigate the influence of rs361072 on in vivo glucose metabolism, skeletal muscle PI3K subunit protein levels, and type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-The functional role of rs361072 was studied in 196 Danish healthy adult twins. Peripheral and hepatic insulin sensitivity was assessed by a euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp. Basal and insulin-stimulated biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis muscle, and tissue p110 beta and p85 alpha proteins were measured by Western blotting. The genetic association with type 2 diabetes and quantitative metabolic traits was investigated in 9,316 Danes with glucose tolerance ranging from normal to overt type 2 diabetes. RESULTS-While hepatic insulin resistance was similar in the fasting state, carriers of the minor G allele had lower hepatic glucose output (per-allele effect: 16%, P-add = 0.004) during high physiological insulin infusion. rs361072 did not associate with insulin-stimulated peripheral glucose disposal despite a decreased muscle p85 alpha:p110 beta protein ratio (P-add = 0.03) in G allele carriers. No association with HOMA-IR or type 2 diabetes (odds ratio 1.07, P = 0.5) was identified, and obesity did not interact with rs361072 on these traits. CONCLUSIONS-Our study suggests that the minor G allele of PIK3CB rs361072 associates with decreased muscle p85 alpha:p110 beta ratio and lower hepatic glucose production at high plasma insulin levels. However, no impact on type 2 diabetes prevalence was found. Diabetes 59:1108-1112, 201

Electrical manipulation of spin states in a single electrostatically gated transition-metal complex

We demonstrate an electrically controlled high-spin (S=5/2) to low-spin (S=1/2) transition in a three-terminal device incorporating a single Mn2+ ion coordinated by two terpyridine ligands. By adjusting the gate-voltage we reduce the terpyridine moiety and thereby strengthen the ligand-field on the Mn-atom. Adding a single electron thus stabilizes the low-spin configuration and the corresponding sequential tunnelling current is suppressed by spin-blockade. From low-temperature inelastic cotunneling spectroscopy, we infer the magnetic excitation spectrum of the molecule and uncover also a strongly gate-dependent singlet-triplet splitting on the low-spin side. The measured bias-spectroscopy is shown to be consistent with an exact diagonalization of the Mn-complex, and an interpretation of the data is given in terms of a simplified effective model.Comment: Will appear soon in Nanoletter

Quantifying the accuracy and precision of a novel real-time 6 degree-of-freedom kilovoltage intrafraction monitoring (KIM) target tracking system.

Target rotation can considerably impact the delivered radiotherapy dose depending on the tumour shape. More accurate tumour pose during radiotherapy treatment can be acquired through tracking in 6 degrees-of-freedom (6 DoF) rather than in translation only. A novel real-time 6 DoF kilovoltage intrafraction monitoring (KIM) target tracking system has recently been developed. In this study, we experimentally evaluated the accuracy and precision of the 6 DoF KIM implementation. Real-time 6 DoF KIM motion measurements were compared against the ground truth motion retrospectively derived from kV/MV triangulation for a range of lung and prostate tumour motion trajectories as well as for various static poses using a phantom. The accuracy and precision of 6 DoF KIM were calculated as the mean and standard deviation of the differences between KIM and kV/MV triangulation for each DoF, respectively. We found that KIM is able to provide 6 DoF motion with sub-degree and sub-millimetre accuracy and precision for a range of realistic tumour motion

Study protocol for OptimalTTF-2:enhancing Tumor Treating Fields with skull remodeling surgery for first recurrence glioblastoma: a phase 2, multi-center, randomized, prospective, interventional trial

Abstract Background OptimalTTF-2 is a randomized, comparative, multi-center, investigator-initiated, interventional study aiming to test skull remodeling surgery in combination with Tumor Treating Fields therapy (TTFields) and best physicians choice medical oncological therapy for first recurrence in glioblastoma patients. OptimalTTF-2 is a phase 2 trial initiated in November 2020. Skull remodeling surgery consists of five burrholes, each 15 mm in diameter, directly over the tumor resection cavity. Preclinical research indicates that this procedure enhances the effect of Tumor Treating Fields considerably. We recently concluded a phase 1 safety/feasibility trial that indicated improved overall survival and no additional toxicity. This phase 2 trial aims to validate the efficacy of the proposed intervention. Methods The trial is designed as a comparative, 1:1 randomized, minimax two-stage phase 2 with an expected 70 patients to a maximum sample size of 84 patients. After 12-months follow-up of the first 52 patients, an interim futility analysis will be performed. The two trial arms will consist of either a) TTFields therapy combined with best physicians choice oncological treatment (control arm) or b) skull remodeling surgery, TTFields therapy and best practice oncology (interventional arm). Major eligibility criteria include age ≥ 18 years, 1st recurrence of supratentorial glioblastoma, Karnofsky performance score ≥ 70, focal tumor, and lack of significant co-morbidity. Study design aims to detect a 20% increase in overall survival after 12 months (OS12), assuming OS12 = 40% in the control group and OS12 = 60% in the intervention group. Secondary endpoints include hazard rate ratio of overall survival and progression-free survival, objective tumor response rate, quality of life, KPS, steroid dose, and toxicity. Toxicity, objective tumor response rate, and QoL will be assessed every 3rd month. Endpoint data will be collected at the end of the trial, including the occurrence of suspected unexpected serious adverse reactions (SUSARs), unacceptable serious adverse events (SAEs), withdrawal of consent, or loss-to-follow-up. Discussion New treatment modalities are highly needed for first recurrence glioblastoma. Our proposed treatment modality of skull remodeling surgery, Tumor Treating Fields, and best practice medical oncological therapy may increase overall survival significantly. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0422399 , registered 13. January 2020