Associations between psychopathic traits and brain activity during instructed false responding

Lying is one of the characteristic features of psychopathy, and has been recognized in clinical and diagnostic descriptions of the disorder, yet individuals with psychopathic traits have been found to have reduced neural activity in many of the brain regions that are important for lying. In this study, we examine brain activity in sixteen individuals with varying degrees of psychopathic traits during a task in which they are instructed to falsify information or tell the truth about autobiographical and non-autobiographical facts, some of which was related to criminal behavior. We found that psychopathic traits were primarily associated with increased activity in the anterior cingulate, various regions of the prefrontal cortex, insula, angular gyrus, and the inferior parietal lobe when participants falsified information of any type. Associations tended to be stronger when participants falsified information about criminal behaviors. Although this study was conducted in a small sample of individuals and the task used has limited ecological validity, these findings support a growing body of literature suggesting that in some contexts, individuals with higher levels of psychopathic traits may demonstrate heightened levels of brain activity

A comparative study of HPLC-DAD and UPLC-UV methods for simultaneous determination of 11 polyphenols in Moringa oleifera leaves

Purpose: To develop, validate and compare two chromatographic methods - high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector ((HPLC-DAD) and high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (UPLC-UV) for the effective analysis of polyphenols in Moringa oleifera leaves.Methods: HPLC-DAD and UPLC-UV methods were applied for the accurate determination of eleven major polyphenols in Moringa oleifera leaves. The chromatographic conditions of the eleven polyphenols was determined on two C18 column by gradient elution with 0.5 % phosphoric acid solution -acetonitrile as the eluate, and at a flow rate of 1.0 and 0.5 mL/min for HPLC-DAD and UPLC-UV methods, respectively. Detector parameter of UPLC-UV was fixed at 203 nm. The assay methods were validated systematically.Results: The instrumental methods (HPLC-DAD and UPLC-UV) had good linearity, precision,repeatability and recovery. For both methods, quantification limits of UPLC-UV (0.057 - 0.363 μg/mL) were lower than those of UPLC-UV (0.094 - 1.532 μg/mL). The UPLC method with a shorter running time and more sensitive detection was applied in comparing to the HPLC method. After optimization and evaluation, the baseline of 11 compounds was separated effectively within 68 and 34 min, respectively.Conclusion: The developed HPLC-DAD and UPLC-UV assays were successfully utilized for thesimultaneous analysis of eleven major polyphenols and can readily be utilized as quality control tools for Moringa oleifera leaves in China, with UPLC-UV method showing better separation, lower organic solvent usage and shorter analytical period

Q-Switched 2 Micron Solid-State Lasers and Their Applications

In this chapter, we overview the Q-switched 2 μm solid-state laser development achieved in recent years, including flash- and diode-pumped solid-state lasers based on active and passive modulators. In summary, active Q-switching is still the first choice for obtaining large pulse energy at 2 μm currently, while passive Q-switching based on saturable absorbers (SAs), especially the newly emerging broadband low-dimension nanomaterial, is becoming promising approach in generating Q-switched 2 μm lasers specially with high repetition rate, although the output power, pulse duration, and pulse energy needs further enhancement. Besides, some important applications of 2 μm lasers, such as medicine, laser radar, and infrared directional interference, have also been introduced in brief

Echinacoside attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in newborn mice via inactivation of NF- κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway

Purpose: To investigate the effect of echinacoside (ECH) on acute lung injury (ALI) and the underlying mechanism of action.Methods: The ALI model was established through intranasal instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Lung tissue damage was determined using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and lung wet-to-dry–weight ratio. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) protein concentration, cell count, and cytokine level were evaluated. Western blotting was used to determine protein expression level.Results: ECH attenuated lung tissue injury and lung wet-to-dry–weight ratio in the ALI model (p < 0.01). The total protein content and number of total cells, neutrophils, and macrophages increased in BALF of mice treated with LPS, but these increases were reversed by ECH treatment (p < 0.01). The levels of TNF-α and IL-1β increased in BALF and lung tissue of LPS-treated mice; however, ECH treatment decreased these changes (p < 0.01). In addition, ECH inhibited the activation of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)/NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) pathway in LPS-treated mice (p < 0.01).Conclusion: Echinacoside attenuates LPS-induced ALI via inactivation of the NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway, making echinacoside a potential drug for the treatment of ALI. Keywords: Echinacoside, Acute lung injury, Lipopolysaccharide, Nuclear factor-κB, NLR family pyrin domain containing

EXOGEN Ultrasound Bone Healing System for Long Bone Fractures with Non-Union or Delayed Healing: A NICE Medical Technology Guidance

A routine part of the process for developing National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) medical technologies guidance is a submission of clinical and economic evidence by the technology manufacturer. The Birmingham and Brunel Consortium External Assessment Centre (EAC; a consortium of the University of Birmingham and Brunel University) independently appraised the submission on the EXOGEN bone healing system for long bone fractures with non-union or delayed healing. This article is an overview of the original evidence submitted, the EAC’s findings, and the final NICE guidance issued

Endodomain diversity in the Drosophila Dscam and its roles in neuronal morphogenesis

Drosophila Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule (Dscam) can be variably spliced to encode 152,064 distinct single-pass transmembrane proteins. In addition to 19,008 possible ectodomains and two alternative transmembrane segments, it may carry endodomains containing or lacking exons 19 and 23. Here, we determine the role of Dscam endodomain diversity in neural development. Dscam with full-length endodomain is largely restricted to embryogenesis. In contrast, most Dscams lack exons 19 and 23 at postembryonic stages. As implicated from the expression patterns, removal of Dscam exon 19-containing variants disrupts wiring of embryonic neurons while silencing of Dscam transcripts lacking exon 19 or exon 23 effectively blocks postembryonic neuronal morphogenesis. Furthermore, compared with exon 19-containing Dscam, transgenic Dscam without exon 19 is more efficiently targeted to neurites and more potently suppresses axon bifurcation in Dscam mutant neurons. In sum, Dscam with or without exon 19 in its endodomain is used to govern different stage-specific neuronal morphogenetic processes, possibly due to differences in protein targeting

Risk and Architecture factors in Digital Exposure Notification

To effectively trace the infection spread in a pandemic, a large number of manual contact tracers are required to reach out to all possible contacts of infected users. Exposure notification, a.k.a. digital contact tracing, can supplement manual contact tracing to ease the burden on manual tracers and to digitally obtain accurate contact information. We review the state-of-the-art solutions that offer security and privacy-friendly design. We study the role of policies and decision making to implement exposure notification and to protect user privacy. We then study how risk emerges in security, privacy, architecture, and technology aspects of exposure notification systems, and we wrap up with a discussion on architecture aspects to support these solutions

Increased Executive Functioning, Attention, and Cortical Thickness in White-Collar Criminals

Very little is known on white collar crime and how it differs to other forms of offending. This study tests the hypothesis that white collar criminals have better executive functioning, enhanced information processing, and structural brain superiorities compared to offender controls. Using a case-control design, executive functioning, orienting, and cortical thickness was assessed in 21 white collar criminals matched with 21 controls on age, gender, ethnicity, and general level of criminal offending. White collar criminals had significantly better executive functioning, increased electrodermal orienting, increased arousal, and increased cortical gray matter thickness in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, somatosensory cortex, and the temporal-parietal junction compared to controls. Results, while initial, constitute the first findings on neurobiological characteristics of white-collar criminals It is hypothesized that white collar criminals have information-processing and brain superiorities that give them an advantage in perpetrating criminal offenses in occupational settings