EEG-based cognitive control behaviour assessment: an ecological study with professional air traffic controllers

Several models defining different types of cognitive human behaviour are available. For this work, we have selected the Skill, Rule and Knowledge (SRK) model proposed by Rasmussen in 1983. This model is currently broadly used in safety critical domains, such as the aviation. Nowadays, there are no tools able to assess at which level of cognitive control the operator is dealing with the considered task, that is if he/she is performing the task as an automated routine (skill level), as procedures-based activity (rule level), or as a problem-solving process (knowledge level). Several studies tried to model the SRK behaviours from a Human Factor perspective. Despite such studies, there are no evidences in which such behaviours have been evaluated from a neurophysiological point of view, for example, by considering brain activity variations across the different SRK levels. Therefore, the proposed study aimed to investigate the use of neurophysiological signals to assess the cognitive control behaviours accordingly to the SRK taxonomy. The results of the study, performed on 37 professional Air Traffic Controllers, demonstrated that specific brain features could characterize and discriminate the different SRK levels, therefore enabling an objective assessment of the degree of cognitive control behaviours in realistic setting

Effect of mechanical separation process on lipid oxidation in European aquacultured sea bass, gilthead sea bream, and rainbow trout products

Mechanical separation systems are a good option to create new fish products and open new market, however studies on the effect on quality of mechanical treatment on species of interest for European aquaculture, such as European sea bass, gilthead sea bream, and rainbow trout are scarce. Thus in this research, the effect on colour, nutritional quality, and lipid stability was considered immediately after separation process and after 90 days of frozen storage. Results revealed that mechanical separation technique significantly affected colour and lipid stability of the three studied species. Increases in L* and secondary oxidation products were observed, together with a decrease of antioxidant capacity. Nutritional value instead was unaffected by treatment. Thus, mechanical separation process could represent a new way to better exploit species of interest for European aquaculture and acquire new market niches, but oxidative processes during the treatment have to be limited and kept under control

Abdominal Fat Characteristics and Mortality in Rectal Cancer: A Retrospective Study

: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of adipose tissue characteristics with survival in rectal cancer patients. All consecutive patients, diagnosed with stage II-IV rectal cancer between 2010-2016 using baseline unenhanced Computed Tomography (CT), were included. Baseline total, subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue areas (TAT, SAT, VAT) and densities (TATd, SATd, VATd) at third lumbar vertebra (L3) were retrospectively measured. The association of these tissues with cancer-specific and progression-free survival (CCS, PFS) was assessed by using competitive risk models adjusted by age, sex and stage. Among the 274 included patients (median age 70 years, 41.2% females), the protective effect of increasing adipose tissue area on survival could be due to random fluctuations (e.g., sub-distribution hazard ratio-SHR for one cm2 increase in SAT = 0.997; 95%confidence interval-CI = 0.994-1.000; p = 0.057, for CSS), while increasing density was associated with poorer survival (e.g., SHR for one Hounsfield Unit-HU increase in SATd = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01-1.05, p = 0.002, for CSS). In models considering each adipose tissue area and respective density, the association with CSS tended to disappear for areas, while it did not change for TATd and SATd. No association was found with PFS. In conclusion, adipose tissue density influenced survival in rectal cancer patients, raising awareness on a routinely measurable variable that requires more research efforts

Dendritic cells infiltrate the cardiac muscle fibers during myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction (MI) consists in myocardial cell death due to prolonged ischemia. Partial ischemia at the periphery at the necrotic area may lead to “hibernating” myocardium, which may eventually recover. Upon necrosis an inflammatory a process starts [1], leading to healing through formation of a fibrous scar. Dendritic cells (DC) are involved in the regulation of immune responses and in the organization of inflammatory cell infiltrates in vascular wall, even independent of immune reactions. Another cell type involved in acute reaction to tissue injury are mast cells. The behaviour of DC and mast cells in myocardial infarction is still to be studied. To address this issue myocardial samples were taken at autopsy from the left ventricle of subjects respectively affected by (1) coronarosclerosis, (2) acute MI, (3) previous MI, and (4) traumatic lesions assumed as controls. Cryosections were stained with haematoxilin heosin and by immunohistochemistry. Fiber alterations consisting in loss of acidophilia and disappearance of nuclei and intercalar disks were found only in acute MI, while a cell infiltrate was found both in acute and previous MI. Massive infiltration of DC was found only in acute MI, while mast cells were similar to controls. These preliminary results suggest that DC react early to myocardial injury and therefore may be candidate regulators of the inflammatory and scarring response in this tissue and markers of acute myocardial infarction

Characterization of the interaction of African swine fever virus with monocytes and derived macrophage subsets.

Abstract African swine fever (ASF) is a devastating disease for which there is no vaccine available. The ASF virus (ASFV) primarily infects cells of the myeloid lineage and this tropism is thought to be crucial for disease pathogenesis. A detailed in vitro characterization of the interactions of a virulent Sardinian isolate (22653/14) and a tissue culture adapted avirulent strain (BA71V) of ASFV with porcine monocytes, un-activated (moMΦ), classically (moM1) and alternatively (moM2) activated monocyte-derived macrophages was conducted in an attempt to better understand this relationship. Using a multiplicity-of-infection (MOI) of 1, both viruses were able to infect monocytes and macrophage subsets, but BA71V presented a reduced ability to infect moM1 compared to 22653/14, with higher expression of early compared to late proteins. Using an MOI of 0.01, only 22653/14 was able to replicate in all the macrophage subsets, with initially lowest in moM1 and moM2. No differences were observed in the expression of CD163 between ASFV infected and uninfected bystander cells. ASFV down-regulated CD16 expression but did not modulate MHC class II levels in monocytes and macrophage subsets. BA71V-infected but not 22653/14-infected moMΦ and moM2 presented with a reduced expression of MHC class I compared to the mock-infected controls. Higher levels of IL-18, IL1-β and IL-1α were released from moM1 after infection with BA71V compared to 22653/14 or mock-infected control. These results revealed differences between these ASFV strains, suggesting that virulent isolates have evolved mechanisms to counteract activated macrophages responses, promoting their survival, dissemination in the host and so ASF pathogenesis

In‐hospital and long‐term mortality for acute heart failure: analysis at the time of admission to the emergency department

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Integrating three comprehensive datasets shows that mitochondrial DNA variation is linked to species traits and paleogeographic events in European butterflies

Understanding the dynamics of biodiversity, including the spatial distribution of genetic diversity, is critical for predicting responses to environmental changes, as well as for effective conservation measures. This task requires tracking changes in biodiversity at large spatial scales and correlating with species functional traits. We provide three comprehensive resources to understand the determinants for mitochondrial DNA differentiation represented by i) 15,609 COI sequences and ii) 14 traits belonging to 307 butterfly species occurring in Western‐Central Europe and iii) the first multi‐locus phylogenetic tree of all European butterfly species. By applying phylogenetic regressions we show that mitochondrial DNA spatial differentiation (as measured with Gst, G'st, D and Dst) is negatively correlated with species traits determining dispersal capability and colonization ability. Thanks to the high spatial resolution of the COI data, we also provide the first zoogeographic regionalization maps based on intraspecific genetic variation. The overall pattern obtained by averaging the spatial differentiation of all Western‐Central European butterflies shows that the paradigm of long‐term glacial isolation followed by rapid pulses of post‐glacial expansion has been a pervasive phenomenon in European butterflies. The results and the extensive datasets we provide here constitute the basis for genetically‐informed conservation plans for a charismatic group in a continent where flying insects are under alarming decline

Presence and correlates of autistic traits among patients with social anxiety disorder

IntroductionDue to their similar behavioral presentation, it can sometimes be challenging to distinguish between a social anxiety disorder (SAD) and the social avoidance that is frequently described in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Moreover, a growing body of evidences is reporting that a significant proportion of subjects with ASD also meet the requirements for SAD and, vice versa, subjects with SAD tend to exhibit a higher prevalence of autistic traits.AimIn this framework, the current study aims to evaluate prevalence and correlates of autistic traits in a sample of adult subjects diagnosed with SAD and healthy controls (HC), also evaluating which autism spectrum dimensions may statistically predict higher SAD symptoms.Methods56 subjects with a clinical diagnosis of SAD and 56 gender and age matched HC were recruited from the Psychiatric Clinic of the University of Pisa. Subjects were assessed with the SCID-5, the Social Anxiety Spectrum – Short Version (SHY- SV) and the Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum (AdAS Spectrum).ResultsSAD group scored significantly higher in all AdAS Spectrum and SHY-SV domains and total score compared to the HC group with no significant gender difference. SHY-SV total and domain scores, were strongly and positively and strongly correlated with all AdAS Spectrum domains and total score. AdAS Spectrum total score and Childhood/Adolescence, Non-Verbal Communication, Empathy and Restricted interests and Rumination domain scores score were significant predictors of higher SHY-SV score.ConclusionOur results confirm the link between SAD and autistic traits also in adult population, describing not only high levels of autistic traits in SAD adults, but also significant correlations between many core features of the two disorders and a predictive role of autistic traits on higher SAD symptoms

Manifesto of computational social science

The increasing integration of technology into our lives has created unprecedented volumes of data on society’s everyday behaviour. Such data opens up exciting new opportunities to work towards a quantitative understanding of our complex social systems, within the realms of a new discipline known as Computational Social Science. Against a background of financial crises, riots and international epidemics, the urgent need for a greater comprehension of the complexity of our interconnected global society and an ability to apply such insights in policy decisions is clear. This manifesto outlines the objectives of this new scientific direction, considering the challenges involved in it, and the extensive impact on science, technology and society that the success of this endeavour is likely to bring about