FLASHlight MRI in real time - a step towards Star Trek medicine

This work describes a dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique for local scanning of the human body with use of a handheld receive coil or coil array. Real-time MRI is based on highly undersampled radial gradient-echo sequences with joint reconstructions of serial images and coil sensitivity maps by regularized nonlinear inversion (NLINV). For this proof-of-concept study, a fixed slice position and field-of-view (FOV) were predefined from the operating console, while a local receive coil (array) is moved across the body—for the sake of simplicity by the subject itself. Experimental realizations with a conventional 3 T magnet comprise dynamic anatomic imaging of the head, thorax and abdomen of healthy volunteers. Typically, the image resolution was 0.75 to 1.5 mm with 3 to 6 mm section thickness and acquisition times of 33 to 100 ms per frame. However, spatiotemporal resolutions and contrasts are highly variable and may be adjusted to clinical needs. In summary, the proposed FLASHlight MRI method provides a robust acquisition and reconstruction basis for future diagnostic strategies that mimic the usage of ultrasound. Necessary extensions for this vision require remote control of all sequence parameters by a person at the scanner as well as the design of more flexible gradients and magnets

High-resolution myocardial T1 mapping using single-shot inversion-recovery fast low-angle shot MRI with radial undersampling and iterative reconstruction.

To develop a novel method for rapid myocardial T1 mapping at high spatial resolution. METHODS: The proposed strategy represents a single-shot inversion-recovery (IR) experiment triggered to early diastole during a brief breathhold. The measurement combines an adiabatic inversion pulse with a real-time readout by highly undersampled radial FLASH, iterative image reconstruction and T1 fitting with automatic deletion of systolic frames. The method was implemented on a 3 T MRI system using a GPU-equipped bypass computer for online application. Validations employed a T1 reference phantom including analyses at simulated heart rates from 40 to 100 bpm. In vivo applications involved myocardial T1 mapping in short-axis views of healthy young volunteers. RESULTS: At 1 mm in-plane resolution and 6 mm section thickness, the IR measurement could be shortened to 3 s without compromising T1 quantitation. Phantom studies demonstrated T1 accuracy and high precision for values ranging from 300 to 1500 ms and up to a heart rate of 100 bpm. Similar results were obtained in vivo yielding septal T1 values of 1246 ± 24 ms (base), 1256 ± 33 ms (mid-ventricular) and 1288 ± 30 ms (apex), respectively (mean ± SD, n=6). CONCLUSION: Diastolic myocardial T1 mapping with use of single-shot inversion-recovery FLASH offers high spatial resolution, T1 accuracy and precision, practical robustness and speed. Advances in knowledge: The proposed method will be beneficial for clinical applications relying on native and post-contrast T1 quantitation

Involving Children and Teenagers With Bilateral Cochlear Implants in the Design of the BEARS (Both EARS) Virtual Reality Training Suite Improves Personalization

Older children and teenagers with bilateral cochlear implants often have poor spatial hearing because they cannot fuse sounds from the two ears. This deficit jeopardizes speech and language development, education, and social well-being. The lack of protocols for fitting bilateral cochlear implants and resources for spatial-hearing training contribute to these difficulties. Spatial hearing develops with bilateral experience. A large body of research demonstrates that sound localisation can improve with training, underpinned by plasticity-driven changes in the auditory pathways. Generalizing training to non-trained auditory skills is best achieved by using a multi-modal (audio-visual) implementation and multi-domain training tasks (localisation, speech-in-noise, and spatial music). The goal of this work was to develop a package of virtual-reality games (BEARS, Both EARS) to train spatial hearing in young people (8–16 years) with bilateral cochlear implants using an action-research protocol. The action research protocol used formalized cycles for participants to trial aspects of the BEARS suite, reflect on their experiences, and in turn inform changes in the game implementations. This participatory design used the stakeholder participants as co-creators. The cycles for each of the three domains (localisation, spatial speech-in-noise, and spatial music) were customized to focus on the elements that the stakeholder participants considered important. The participants agreed that the final games were appropriate and ready to be used by patients. The main areas of modification were: the variety of immersive scenarios to cover age range and interests, the number of levels of complexity to ensure small improvements were measurable, feedback, and reward schemes to ensure positive reinforcement, and an additional implementation on an iPad for those who had difficulties with the headsets due to age or balance issues. The effectiveness of the BEARS training suite will be evaluated in a large-scale clinical trial to determine if using the games lead to improvements in speech-in-noise, quality of life, perceived benefit, and cost utility. Such interventions allow patients to take control of their own management reducing the reliance on outpatient-based rehabilitation. For young people, a virtual-reality implementation is more engaging than traditional rehabilitation methods, and the participatory design used here has ensured that the BEARS games are relevant

Magnetic effects at the interface between nonmagnetic oxides

The electronic reconstruction at the interface between two insulating oxides can give rise to a highly-conductive interface. In analogy to this remarkable interface-induced conductivity we show how, additionally, magnetism can be induced at the interface between the otherwise nonmagnetic insulating perovskites SrTiO3 and LaAlO3. A large negative magnetoresistance of the interface is found, together with a logarithmic temperature dependence of the sheet resistance. At low temperatures, the sheet resistance reveals magnetic hysteresis. Magnetic ordering is a key issue in solid-state science and its underlying mechanisms are still the subject of intense research. In particular, the interplay between localized magnetic moments and the spin of itinerant conduction electrons in a solid gives rise to intriguing many-body effects such as Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interactions, the Kondo effect, and carrier-induced ferromagnetism in diluted magnetic semiconductors. The conducting oxide interface now provides a versatile system to induce and manipulate magnetic moments in otherwise nonmagnetic materials.Comment: Nature Materials, July issu

Personality and social relationships: What do we know and where do we go

Personality and social relationships influence each other in multiple and consequential ways. To understand how people differ from each other in their personality and social behavior, how these differences develop, and how this affects further life outcomes, we need to better understand the interplay of personality and social relationships. Here, we provide an integrative overview on personality-relationship research across relationship types (everyday encounters, friendships, romantic, and family relationships), and personality characteristics. We summarize the state of research on (a) how much relationship aspects vary across actors, partners, and actor-partner relations, (b) which personality characteristics predict these variance components (i.e. actor, partner, and relationship effects), and (c) how social relationships work as contexts for personality development. Following an integrative process framework, key open questions are discussed concerning the processes that underlie personality-relationship and relationship-personality effects. We conclude with a call for conceptual integration, methodological expansion, and collaborative action.Personality and relationships influence each other in manifold ways; they cannot be understood in isolation. This paper summarizes the state of the art, provides a common framework for the future of science of personality and social relationships. Emotional Stability, Communion, and Self-Control relate to getting along. Agency and Sociability predict getting ahead. Relationship variance is the largest but least understood variance component. Evidence for effects of relationships on personality development is mixed. More comprehensive and integrative research on underlying processes needed

Co-rumination buffers the link between social anxiety and depressive symptoms in early adolescence

Objectives: We examined whether co-rumination with online friends buffered the link between social anxiety and depressive symptoms over time in a community sample. Methods: In a sample of 526 participants (358 girls; Mage = 14.05) followed at three time points, we conducted a latent cross-lagged model with social anxiety, depressive symptoms, and co-rumination, controlling for friendship stability and friendship quality, and adding a latent interaction between social anxiety and co-rumination predicting depressive symptoms. Results: Social anxiety predicted depressive symptoms, but no direct links between social anxiety and co-rumination emerged. Instead, co-rumination buffered the link between social anxiety and depressive symptoms for adolescents with higher but not lower levels of social anxiety. Conclusions: These findings indicate that co-rumination exerted a positive influence on interpersonal relationships by diminishing the influence from social anxiety on depressive symptoms over time

Psychological well-being in Europe after the outbreak of war in Ukraine

The Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, has had devastating effects on the Ukrainian population and the global economy, environment, and political order. However, little is known about the psychological states surrounding the outbreak of war, particularly the mental well-being of individuals outside Ukraine. Here, we present a longitudinal experience-sampling study of a convenience sample from 17 European countries (total participants = 1,341, total assessments = 44,894, countries with >100 participants = 5) that allows us to track well-being levels across countries during the weeks surrounding the outbreak of war. Our data show a significant decline in well-being on the day of the Russian invasion. Recovery over the following weeks was associated with an individual’s personality but was not statistically significantly associated with their age, gender, subjective social status, and political orientation. In general, well-being was lower on days when the war was more salient on social media. Our results demonstrate the need to consider the psychological implications of the Russo-Ukrainian war next to its humanitarian, economic, and ecological consequences

Civic Participation and Other Interventions That Promote Children\u2019s Tolerance of Migrants

In this chapter, we begin by providing a definition of \u2018tolerance\u2019, illustrating the wide range of attributes associated with the concept in the literature. Second, we identify some key paths through which tolerance can develop at different stages of an individual\u2019s development. Through a literature review, we will track some of the factors that can increase tolerance toward migrants during early and late stages development. Finally, we will conclude by presenting an overview of methodological approaches that practitioners have at their disposal to promote tolerance toward migrants

Observing interactions between children and adolescents and their parents: the effects of anxiety disorder and age

Parental behaviors, most notably overcontrol, lack of warmth and expressed anxiety, have been implicated in models of the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders in children and young people. Theories of normative development have proposed that different parental responses are required to support emotional development in childhood and adolescence, yet age has not typically been taken into account in studies of parenting and anxiety disorders. In order to identify whether associations between anxiety disorder status and parenting differ in children and adolescents, we compared observed behaviors of parents of children (7–10 years) and adolescents (13–16 years) with and without anxiety disorders (n=120), while they undertook a series of mildly anxiety-provoking tasks. Parents of adolescents showed significantly lower levels of expressed anxiety, intrusiveness and warm engagement than parents of children. Furthermore, offspring age moderated the association between anxiety disorder status and parenting behaviors. Specifically, parents of adolescents with anxiety disorders showed higher intrusiveness and lower warm engagement than parents of non-anxious adolescents. A similar relationship between these parenting behaviors and anxiety disorder status was not observed among parents of children. The findings suggest that theoretical accounts of the role of parental behaviors in anxiety disorders in children and adolescents should distinguish between these different developmental periods. Further experimental research to establish causality, however, would be required before committing additional resources to targeting parenting factors within treatment