White Matter Features Associated With Autistic Traits in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is among the most debilitating psychiatric disorders. Comorbid autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autistic traits may impair treatment response in OCD. To identify possible neurostructural deficits underlying autistic traits, we performed white matter tractography on diffusion tensor images (DTI) and assessed autistic trait severity using the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) in 33 OCD patients. Correlations between AQ and the DTI parameters, fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) were examined in major white matter tracts that were suggested to be altered in previous OCD studies. We found a negative correlation between AQ and FA and positive correlations between AQ and MD, AD and RD in the left uncinate fasciculus using age, Beck Depression Inventory, Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, intelligence quotient and medication as covariates. However, we could not detect the significant results between AQ and all DTI parameters when adding gender as a covariate. In addition, in the ASD comorbid group, FA in the left uncinate fasciculus was significantly lower than in the non-ASD comorbid group and MD and RD were significantly higher than in the non-ASD group. These results did not survive correction for multiple comparisons. In ASD, the socio-emotional dysfunction is suggested to be related to the alteration of white matter microstructure in uncinate fasciculus. Our results suggest that variations in white matter features of the left uncinate fasciculus might be partly explained by autistic traits encountered in OCD patients

Graphen Growth: 10B Lead Pencil, Print Paper, and Femtosecond Laser

Wide range grade of pencils were used to draw on variety of sheet of papers. Raman spectroscopy and multimeter evaluate graphite structure and resistance of the area on the drawn paper before laser irradiation. The 10B grade of lead pencil draw on silver-halide print paper, and femtosecond laser was employed to irradiate the area of various papers drown by 10B lead pencil with varied scanning speed and laser power. At optimal conditions of laser irradiation, Raman spectroscopy verified the multi-graphene on the B10 pencil drawn silver-halide print paper irradiated by femtosecond laser

Increased Subjective Distaste and Altered Insula Activity to Umami Tastant in Patients with Bulimia Nervosa

The aim of this study was to examine differences in brain neural activation in response to monosodium glutamate (MSG), the representative component of umami, between patients with bulimia nervosa (BN) and healthy women (HW) controls. We analyzed brain activity after ingestion of an MSG solution using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in a group of women with BN (n = 18) and a group of HW participants (n = 18). Both groups also provided a subjective assessment of the MSG solution via a numerical rating scale. The BN group subjectively rated the MSG solution lower in pleasantness and liking than the control group, although no difference in subjective intensity was noted. The fMRI results demonstrated greater activation of the right insula in the BN group versus the control group. Compared with the HW controls, the BN patients demonstrated both altered taste perception-related brain activity and more negative hedonic scores in response to MSG stimuli. Different hedonic evaluation, expressed as the relative low pleasing taste of umami tastant and associated with altered insula function, may explain disturbed eating behaviors, including the imbalance in food choices, in BN patients

Cooperative H₂ Activation at Ag Cluster/θ-Al₂O₃(110) Dual Perimeter Sites: A Density Functional Theory Study

H₂ dissociation by Ag clusters supported on the θ-Al₂O₃(110) surface has been investigated using density functional theory calculations. The crucial role of the dual perimeter site of Ag cluster and the surface oxygen (O) site of the alumina support is demonstrated with three theoretical models: anchored cluster, isolated cluster, and anchored cluster on hydroxylated alumina. The heterolytic cleavage of H₂ at the silver–alumina interface, yielding Ag–H^δ− and O–H^δ+, is thermodynamically and kinetically preferred compared with H₂ cleavage at two Ag atomic sites on top of the Al₂O₃-supported Ag cluster and the homolytic cleavage of H₂ on the isolated Ag cluster. The hydroxylation at the O site of the alumina reduces the H₂ dissociation activity, which indicates that the interfacial bare O site is indispensible. It is concluded that the interfacial cooperative mechanism between the Ag cluster and Lewis acid–base pair site (bare Al–O site) is essentially relevant for the H₂ activation over Ag-loaded Al₂O₃ catalysts