Suppressing sensorimotor activity modulates the discrimination of auditory emotions but not speaker identity

Our ability to recognize the emotions of others is a crucial feature of human social cognition. Functional neuroimaging studies indicate that activity in sensorimotor cortices is evoked during the perception of emotion. In the visual domain, right somatosensory cortex activity has been shown to be critical for facial emotion recognition. However, the importance of sensorimotor representations in modalities outside of vision remains unknown. Here we use continuous theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (cTBS) to investigate whether neural activity in the right postcentral gyrus (rPoG) and right lateral premotor cortex (rPM) is involved in nonverbal auditory emotion recognition. Three groups of participants completed same-different tasks on auditory stimuli, discriminating between the emotion expressed and the speakers' identities, before and following cTBS targeted at rPoG, rPM, or the vertex (control site). A task-selective deficit in auditory emotion discrimination was observed. Stimulation to rPoG and rPM resulted in a disruption of participants' abilities to discriminate emotion, but not identity, from vocal signals. These findings suggest that sensorimotor activity may be a modality-independent mechanism which aids emotion discrimination. Copyright © 2010 the authors

Retrospektives internes Audit des Antimykotika-Verbrauchs an einer Universitätskinderklinik anhand von abteilungsbezogenen Auslieferungsdaten der Klinikapotheke und anonymisierten fallbezogenen Verbrauchsanalysen

Children with cancer and intensive chemotherapy have an increased risk of invasive fungal infections (IFIs) caused by Candida spp. or moulds (e.g. Aspergillus spp.) (e.g. as a result of protracted granulocytopenia > 10 days). Patients at high risk are indicated for drug prophylaxis and empirical therapy in case of persistent fever. The dosage of antimycotics for children is determined in mg/kg (or in mg/m2 body surface). Fractionation of intravenous ampoules is only permitted under clean room conditions in the hospital pharmacy. For this reason, a considerable part of the antimycotic drug quantities provided by the pharmacy (for parenteral administration) is discarded. The quantities of antimycotics dispensed by the pharmacy do not correspond to the actual patient-related consumption (in g/100 patient days). The retrospective internal audit presented here was performed at the University Hospital of Saarland in the Clinic for Paediatric Oncology and Haematology in Homburg. The data set on systemic antimycotics was provided by the digital evaluation portal PREMAX® AVS from IQVIA®. It was used to analyse the pharmacy data of various antimycotics. In addition, a patient- and case-related retrospective analysis of routine data of clinical treatment (in the period from 1st April 2016 to 30th June 2018) was performed to characterize patients treated with antimycotics and to critically review the indication (prophylaxis, empirical and targeted therapy), the selection of the antimycotic, dosage and duration of therapy. Of a total of 203 children and adolescents included in the analysis, 38 patients received a systemically effective antimycotic in 86 separate cases. In 44 cases systemically effective antimycotics were used for prophylaxis and in 42 cases for therapy (n=28 cases empirically, n=5 cases confirmed). During the observation period nine cases of a probable IFI were documented. No child died from an IFI. The type of underlying disease and the related intensity and duration of chemotherapy have a significant influence on the probability of systemically effective antimycotic therapy for paediatric oncology patients (p<0.001). This is particularly true for acute lymphoblastic - (50% of the antimycotic group) and acute myeloid leukaemia (15.8% of the antimycotic group). In addition to the internal 7 quality assurance for the use of antimycotics based on individual retrospective analyses of anonymised patient data, it was checked to what extent the quantities supplied by the pharmacy (pharmacy data; IQVIA data) correspond to the actual patient-related consumption (ward data). This comparative analysis revealed significant differences (total consumption of 13.6 g/100 patient days [IQVIA pharmacy data] vs. 6.5 g/100 patient days [patient records]). The analysis of the consumption of systemically active antimycotics based on pharmacy data can therefore only provide orienting clues. Patient- and case-related analyses are indispensable for a more detailed analysis, also with regard to the long-term establishment of antifungal stewardship. For this purpose, a patient-related electronic documentation system is required, which contains the exact daily dosage of the antifungal drugs. The monocentric evaluation of this internal audit can pave the way for a multicentric comparative evaluation of all children's hospitals in Germany participating in IQVIA reporting.Kinder mit Krebserkrankung und intensiver Chemotherapie haben (z.B. infolge einer protrahierten Granulozytopenie > 10 Tage) ein erhöhtes Risiko für invasive Pilzinfektionen (IFI) durch Candida spp. oder Schimmelpilze (z.B. Aspergillus spp.). Bei Patienten mit hohem Risiko besteht die Indikation für eine medikamentöse Prophylaxe und bei anhaltendem Fieber für eine empirische Therapie. Bei Kindern wird die Dosierung von Antimykotika in mg/kg [oder in mg/m2 Körperoberfläche (KOF)] ermittelt. Die von der Apotheke ausgegebenen Antimykotika-Mengen entsprechen nicht dem tatsächlichen patientenbezogenen Verbrauch (in g/100 Patiententage). Eine Fraktionierung von intravenösen Ampullen (i.v. Ampullen) zur Anpassung der Dosis an Kinder ist nur unter Reinraumbedingungen in der Klinikapotheke zulässig. Deshalb wird ein erheblicher Teil der von der Apotheke bereitgestellten Antimykotika-Mengen (zur parenteralen Verabreichung) verworfen. Das hier vorgestellte retrospektive interne Audit wurde im Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes in der Klinik für Pädiatrische Onkologie und Hämatologie in Homburg durchgeführt. Um die Apothekendaten für den Verbrauch verschiedener Antimykotika zu analysieren wurde der Datensatz zu systemischen Antimykotika aus dem Digitalen Auswertungsportal PREMAX® AVS von IQVIA®-Dokumentationssystem der Apotheke genutzt. Zusätzlich erfolgte eine patienten- und fallbezogene retrospektive Analyse von Routinedaten der klinischen Behandlung (im Zeitraum vom 01. April 2016 bis 30.Juni 2018) zur Charakterisierung der mit Antimykotika behandelten Patienten sowie zur kritischen Überprüfung von Indikationsstellung (Prophylaxe, empirische und gezielte Therapie), zur Auswahl des Antimykotikums, zur Dosierung und zur Therapiedauer. Von insgesamt 203 Kindern und Jugendlichen, die in die Analyse miteingeschlossen wurden, erhielten 38 Patienten in 86 separaten Fällen ein systemisch wirksames Antimykotikum. In 44 Fällen wurden systemisch wirksame Antimykotika zur Prophylaxe und in 42 Fällen zur Therapie (n=28 Fälle empirisch, n=9 Fälle präemptiv und n=5 Fälle gezielt) eingesetzt. Im Beobachtungszeitraum wurden neun Fälle einer wahrscheinlichen IFI dokumentiert. Kein Kind verstarb im Beobachtungszeitraum an einer IFI. Die Art der Grunderkrankung und die damit zusammenhängende Intensität und Dauer der Chemotherapie haben einen signifikanten Einfluss auf die Wahrscheinlichkeit einer systemisch wirksamen Antimykotika-Therapie bei kinderonkologischen Patienten (p<0,001). Dies trifft besonders auf die akute lymphoblastische (ALL) (50% der Antimykotika-Gruppe) und die akute myeloische Leukämie (AML) (15,8% der Antimykotika-Gruppe) zu. Neben der internen Qualitätssicherung zum Einsatz von Antimykotika anhand individueller retrospektiver Analysen von anonymisierten Patientendaten wurde überprüft, inwieweit die von der Apotheke zur Verfügung gestellten Liefermengen (Apothekendaten; IQVIA-Daten) mit dem tatsächlichen patientenbezogenen Verbrauch (Stationsdaten) übereinstimmen. Diese vergleichende Analyse ergab deutliche 6 Unterschiede (Gesamtverbrauch von 13,6 g/100 Patiententage [Apothekendaten] vs. 6,4 g/100 Patiententage [Patientendaten]). Die auf Apothekendaten bezogene Analyse des Verbrauchs an systemisch wirksamen Antimykotika kann daher nur orientierende Hinweise liefern. Für die genauere Analyse, auch in Hinblick auf die langfristige Etablierung eines Antifungal Stewardship, sind patienten- und fallbezogene Analysen unabdingbar. Dafür wird ein patientenbezogenes elektronisches Dokumentationssystem benötigt, welches die exakte tägliche Dosierung der Antimykotika enthält. Die monozentrische Auswertung dieses internen Audits kann einer multizentrischen vergleichenden Auswertung aller am Digitalen Auswertungsportal PREMAX® AVS von IQVIA teilnehmender Kinderkliniken in Deutschland den Weg bereiten

Systemic Antifungal use in a Pediatric Cancer Center - Audit Comparing Pharmacy Dispensing Data with Patient - Derived Consumption

Background: The critical analysis of systemic antifungal use in pediatric cancer patients may elucidate targets for antifungal stewardship in the prophylaxis and treatment of Invasive Fungal Infection (IFI). Hitherto, any correlation between pharmacy dispensing data (antifungals) and patient-derived consumption in g/100 inpatient days is unknown. Methods: Retrospective audit (April 2016 - June 2018) of systemic antifungal use in a pediatric cancer center comparing pharmacy dispensing and patient derived consumption data. Results: Out of 203 consecutive patients, 18.7% received at least one cycle of systemic antifungal treatment (in total 86 cycles). The main antifungals used were fluconazole, liposomal amphotericin B and caspofungin. Concerning the indication, 44 cycles referred to IFI prophylaxis, and 42 to therapy (28 empirical, 9 pre-emptive, 5 probable IFI). Pharmacy dispensing data for systemic antifungals (in g/100 inpatient days) showed no correlation to patient-derived consumption data and were 2.13 times higher. Discussion & conclusion: Pharmacy dispensing data do not realistically depict the actual use of antifungals in pediatric cancer patients. Patient - and case - related analyses and the implementation of electronic patient records are essential for a more precise analysis, paving the way for an antifungal stewardship program

Neural correlates of the affective properties of spontaneous and volitional laughter types

Previous investigations of vocal expressions of emotion have identified acoustic and perceptual distinctions between expressions of different emotion categories, and between spontaneous and volitional (or acted) variants of a given category. Recent work on laughter has identified relationships between acoustic properties of laughs and their perceived affective properties (arousal and valence) that are similar across spontaneous and volitional types (Bryant & Aktipis, 2014; Lavan et al., 2016). In the current study, we explored the neural correlates of such relationships by measuring modulations of the BOLD response in the presence of itemwise variability in the subjective affective properties of spontaneous and volitional laughter. Across all laughs, and within spontaneous and volitional sets, we consistently observed linear increases in the response of bilateral auditory cortices (including Heschl's gyrus and superior temporal gyrus [STG]) associated with higher ratings of perceived arousal, valence and authenticity. Areas in the anterior medial prefrontal cortex (amPFC) showed negative linear correlations with valence and authenticity ratings across the full set of spontaneous and volitional laughs; in line with previous research (McGettigan et al., 2015; Szameitat et al., 2010), we suggest that this reflects increased engagement of these regions in response to laughter of greater social ambiguity. Strikingly, an investigation of higher-order relationships between the entire laughter set and the neural response revealed a positive quadratic profile of the BOLD response in right-dominant STG (extending onto the dorsal bank of the STS), where this region responded most strongly to laughs rated at the extremes of the authenticity scale. While previous studies claimed a role for right STG in bipolar representation of emotional valence, we instead argue that this may in fact exhibit a relatively categorical response to emotional signals, whether positive or negative

Speaker Sex Perception from Spontaneous and Volitional Nonverbal Vocalizations.

In two experiments, we explore how speaker sex recognition is affected by vocal flexibility, introduced by volitional and spontaneous vocalizations. In Experiment 1, participants judged speaker sex from two spontaneous vocalizations, laughter and crying, and volitionally produced vowels. Striking effects of speaker sex emerged: For male vocalizations, listeners' performance was significantly impaired for spontaneous vocalizations (laughter and crying) compared to a volitional baseline (repeated vowels), a pattern that was also reflected in longer reaction times for spontaneous vocalizations. Further, performance was less accurate for laughter than crying. For female vocalizations, a different pattern emerged. In Experiment 2, we largely replicated the findings of Experiment 1 using spontaneous laughter, volitional laughter and (volitional) vowels: here, performance for male vocalizations was impaired for spontaneous laughter compared to both volitional laughter and vowels, providing further evidence that differences in volitional control over vocal production may modulate our ability to accurately perceive speaker sex from vocal signals. For both experiments, acoustic analyses showed relationships between stimulus fundamental frequency (F0) and the participants' responses. The higher the F0 of a vocal signal, the more likely listeners were to perceive a vocalization as being produced by a female speaker, an effect that was more pronounced for vocalizations produced by males. We discuss the results in terms of the availability of salient acoustic cues across different vocalizations

Laugh Like You Mean It:Authenticity Modulates Acoustic, Physiological and Perceptual Properties of Laughter

Several authors have recently presented evidence for perceptual and neural distinctions between genuine and acted expressions of emotion. Here, we describe how differences in authenticity affect the acoustic and perceptual properties of laughter. In an acoustic analysis, we contrasted spontaneous, authentic laughter with volitional, fake laughter, finding that spontaneous laughter was higher in pitch, longer in duration, and had different spectral characteristics from volitional laughter that was produced under full voluntary control. In a behavioral experiment, listeners perceived spontaneous and volitional laughter as distinct in arousal, valence, and authenticity. Multiple regression analyses further revealed that acoustic measures could significantly predict these affective and authenticity judgements, with the notable exception of authenticity ratings for spontaneous laughter. The combination of acoustic predictors differed according to the laughter type, where volitional laughter ratings were uniquely predicted by harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR). To better understand the role of HNR in terms of the physiological effects on vocal tract configuration as a function of authenticity during laughter production, we ran an additional experiment in which phonetically trained listeners rated each laugh for breathiness, nasality, and mouth opening. Volitional laughter was found to be significantly more nasal than spontaneous laughter, and the item-wise physiological ratings also significantly predicted affective judgements obtained in the first experiment. Our findings suggest that as an alternative to traditional acoustic measures, ratings of phonatory and articulatory features can be useful descriptors of the acoustic qualities of nonverbal emotional vocalizations, and of their perceptual implications

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals &lt;1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Search for eccentric black hole coalescences during the third observing run of LIGO and Virgo

Despite the growing number of confident binary black hole coalescences observed through gravitational waves so far, the astrophysical origin of these binaries remains uncertain. Orbital eccentricity is one of the clearest tracers of binary formation channels. Identifying binary eccentricity, however, remains challenging due to the limited availability of gravitational waveforms that include effects of eccentricity. Here, we present observational results for a waveform-independent search sensitive to eccentric black hole coalescences, covering the third observing run (O3) of the LIGO and Virgo detectors. We identified no new high-significance candidates beyond those that were already identified with searches focusing on quasi-circular binaries. We determine the sensitivity of our search to high-mass (total mass M&gt;70 M⊙) binaries covering eccentricities up to 0.3 at 15 Hz orbital frequency, and use this to compare model predictions to search results. Assuming all detections are indeed quasi-circular, for our fiducial population model, we place an upper limit for the merger rate density of high-mass binaries with eccentricities 0&lt;e≤0.3 at 0.33 Gpc−3 yr−1 at 90\% confidence level

Ultralight vector dark matter search using data from the KAGRA O3GK run

Among the various candidates for dark matter (DM), ultralight vector DM can be probed by laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors through the measurement of oscillating length changes in the arm cavities. In this context, KAGRA has a unique feature due to differing compositions of its mirrors, enhancing the signal of vector DM in the length change in the auxiliary channels. Here we present the result of a search for U(1)B−L gauge boson DM using the KAGRA data from auxiliary length channels during the first joint observation run together with GEO600. By applying our search pipeline, which takes into account the stochastic nature of ultralight DM, upper bounds on the coupling strength between the U(1)B−L gauge boson and ordinary matter are obtained for a range of DM masses. While our constraints are less stringent than those derived from previous experiments, this study demonstrates the applicability of our method to the lower-mass vector DM search, which is made difficult in this measurement by the short observation time compared to the auto-correlation time scale of DM