We are often surprised when an interaction we remember positively is recalled by a peer negatively. What colors social memories with positive versus negative hues? We show that when resting after a social experience, individuals showing similar default network responding subsequently remember more negative information, while individuals showing idiosyncratic default network responding remember more positive information. Results were specific to rest after the social experience (as opposed to before or during the social experience, or rest after a nonsocial experience). The results provide novel neural evidence in support of the "broaden and build" theory of positive emotion, which posits that while negative affect confines, positive affect broadens idiosyncrasy in cognitive processing. For the first time, we identified post-encoding rest as a key moment and the default network as a key brain system in which negative affect homogenizes, whereas positive affect diversifies social memories.

Stereotypes are abundant in everyday life - and whereas their influence on cognitive and motor performance is well documented, a causal role in pain processing is still elusive. Nevertheless, previous studies have implicated gender-related stereotype effects in pain perception as potential mediators partly accounting for sex effects on pain. An influence of stereotypes on pain seems indeed likely as pain measures have proven especially susceptible to expectancy effects such as placebo effects. However, so far empirical approaches to stereotype effects on pain are correlational rather than experimental. In this study, we aimed at documenting gender-related stereotypes on pain perception and processing by actively manipulating the participants' awareness of common stereotypical expectations. We discovered that gender-related stereotypes can significantly modulate pain perception which was mirrored by activity levels in pain-associated brain areas.

Butein is a plant flavonoid chalcone, with presumed anti-adipogenic properties. It was reported to impair preadipocyte differentiation, limit adipose tissue (AT) development and enhance white AT browning in rodents. In this study, we investigated the hypothesis that these effects of butein may occur via reduction of ADAMTS5 (A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase with ThromboSpondin motifs 5) expression. Murine 3T3-L1 or 3T3-F442A preadipocytes were differentiated into mature adipocytes in the presence of butein or vehicle. At regular time intervals RNA was collected for gene expression studies. Male hemizygous mice for Tg(Ucp1-luc2,-tdTomato)1Kajim (ThermoMouse) were exposed to butein or vehicle, after which ATs were analyzed for Adamts5 and uncoupling protein-1 (Ucp-1) mRNA level changes. During preadipocyte differentiation, butein (25 - 50 mM) did not affect Adamts5 or Ucp-1 expression. Oil Red O analysis and monitoring of differentiation markers failed to demonstrate effects of butein on the differentiation extent. Furthermore, butein administration to the ThermoMouse (10 or 20 mg/kg, 4 days) or to the C57BL6/Rj mice (20 mg/kg, 4 weeks) did not enhance Adamts5 or Ucp-1 expression. Thus, we could not demonstrate marked effects of butein on the preadipocyte differentiation extent or AT development and browning, nor on Adamts5 or Ucp-1 gene expression during these processes.

Endometriosis is a hormone-related, chronic inflammation in women of childbearing age. The aetiology and pathogenesis of endometriosis are not yet fully understood. For other illnesses classed as lifestyle diseases, the link between nutrition and pathogenesis has already been researched and proven. With regard to these findings, the question continues to arise as to whether and how a specific diet and lifestyle could also influence pathogenesis and the progression of endometriosis. The aim of this review is to examine the data and determine what influence nutrition has on the development of endometriosis or on existing disease. The study results currently available do not permit a clear, scientific recommendation or indicate a detailed diet. In summary, it can be said that fish oil capsules in combination with vitamin B 12 have been associated with a positive effect on endometriosis symptoms (particularly of dysmenorrhoea). Alcohol and increased consumption of red meat and trans fats are associated with a negative effect. The results of the studies listed with regard to fruit and vegetables, dairy products, unsaturated fats, fibre, soy products and coffee are not clear. Therefore, the general recommendations for a balanced and varied diet in line with the guidelines of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung e. V. [German Nutrition Society] apply, along with the recommendation to cut out alcohol. In order to be able to derive more concrete recommendations, we require further studies to investigate the influence of nutrition on endometriosis.

Perioperative infections, particularly surgical site infections pose significant morbidity and mortality. Phagocytosis is a critical step for microbial eradication. We examined the effect of commonly used anesthetics on macrophage phagocytosis and its mechanism.

This study focused on the criterion-related validity of the Implicit Positive and Negative Affect Test (IPANAT). The IPANAT is thought to be a measure of automatic activation of cognitive representations of affects. In this study, it was investigated whether implicit affect scores differentially predict ratings of facial emotions over and above explicit affectivity. Ninety-six young female participants completed the IPANAT, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) as an explicit measure of state and trait affectivity, and a task for the perception of facial emotions. Implicit negative affect predicted the perception of negative but not positive facial emotions, whereas implicit positive affect predicted the perception of positive but not negative facial emotions. The observed double-dissociation in the correlational pattern strongly supports the validity of the IPANAT as a measure of implicit affectivity and is indicative of the orthogonality and thus functional distinctness of the two affect dimensions of the IPANAT. Moreover, such affect-congruent correlations were absent for explicit affect scales, which additionally supports the incremental validity of the IPANAT.

Since Kepler (1604) and Descartes (1637), it has been suggested that 'vergence' (the angular rotation of the eyes) plays a key role in size constancy. However, this has never been tested divorced from confounding cues such as changes in the retinal image. In our experiment, participants viewed a target which grew or shrank in size over 5 s. At the same time, the fixation distance specified by vergence was reduced from 50 to 25 cm. The question was whether this change in vergence affected the participants' judgements of whether the target grew or shrank in size? We found no evidence of any effect, and therefore no evidence that eye movements affect perceived size. If this is correct, then our finding has three implications. First, perceived size is much more reliant on cognitive influences than previously thought. This is consistent with the argument that visual scale is purely cognitive in nature (Linton, 2017; 2018). Second, it leads us to question whether the vergence modulation of V1 contributes to size constancy. Third, given the interaction between vergence, proprioception, and the retinal image in the Taylor illusion, it leads us to ask whether this cognitive approach could also be applied to multisensory integration.

Coordination between speech acoustics and manual gestures has been conceived as "not biologically mandated" (McClave E. J Psycholinguist Res 27(1): 69-89, 1998). However, recent work suggests a biomechanical entanglement between the upper limbs and the respiratory-vocal system (Pouw W, de Jonge-Hoekstra D, Harrison SJ, Paxton A, Dixon JA. Ann NY Acad Sci 1491(1): 89-105, 2021). Pouw et al. found that for movements with a high physical impulse, speech acoustics co-occur with the physical impulses of upper limb movements. They interpret this result in terms of biomechanical coupling between arm motion and speech via the breathing system. This coupling could support the synchrony observed between speech prosody and arm gestures during communication. The present study investigates whether the effect of physical impulse on speech acoustics can be extended to leg motion, assumed to be controlled independently from oral communication. The study involved 25 native speakers of German who recalled short stories while biking with their arms or their legs. These conditions were compared with a static condition in which participants could not move their arms. Our analyses are similar to that of Pouw et al. (Pouw W, de Jonge-Hoekstra D, Harrison SJ, Paxton A, Dixon JA. Ann NY Acad Sci 1491(1): 89-105, 2021). Results reveal that the presence of intensity peaks in the acoustic signal co-occur with the time of peak acceleration of legs' biking movements. However, this was not observed when biking with the arms, which corresponded to lower acceleration peaks. In contrast to intensity, F0 was not affected in the arm and leg conditions. These results suggest that 1) the biomechanical entanglements between the respiratory-vocal system and the lower limbs may also impact speech; 2) the physical impulse may have to reach a threshold to impact speech acoustics.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The link between speech and limb motion is an interdisciplinary challenge and a core issue in motor control and language research. Our research aims to disentangle the potential biomechanical links between lower limbs and the speech apparatus, by investigating the effect of leg movements on speech acoustics.

Solid tumours are innervated by nerve fibres that arise from the autonomic and sensory peripheral nervous systems1-5. Whether the neo-innervation of tumours by pain-initiating sensory neurons affects cancer immunosurveillance remains unclear. Here we show that melanoma cells interact with nociceptor neurons, leading to increases in their neurite outgrowth, responsiveness to noxious ligands and neuropeptide release. Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-one such nociceptor-produced neuropeptide-directly increases the exhaustion of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells, which limits their capacity to eliminate melanoma. Genetic ablation of the TRPV1 lineage, local pharmacological silencing of nociceptors and antagonism of the CGRP receptor RAMP1 all reduced the exhaustion of tumour-infiltrating leukocytes and decreased the growth of tumours, nearly tripling the survival rate of mice that were inoculated with B16F10 melanoma cells. Conversely, CD8+ T cell exhaustion was rescued in sensory-neuron-depleted mice that were treated with local recombinant CGRP. As compared with wild-type CD8+ T cells, Ramp1-/- CD8+ T cells were protected against exhaustion when co-transplanted into tumour-bearing Rag1-deficient mice. Single-cell RNA sequencing of biopsies from patients with melanoma revealed that intratumoral RAMP1-expressing CD8+ T cells were more exhausted than their RAMP1-negative counterparts, whereas overexpression of RAMP1 correlated with a poorer clinical prognosis. Overall, our results suggest that reducing the release of CGRP from tumour-innervating nociceptors could be a strategy to improve anti-tumour immunity by eliminating the immunomodulatory effects of CGRP on cytotoxic CD8+ T cells.

Genetic transformation is a natural process during which foreign DNA enters a cell and integrates into the genome. Apart from its relevance for horizontal gene transfer in nature, transformation is also the cornerstone of today's recombinant gene technology. Despite its importance, relatively little is known about the factors that determine transformation efficiency. We hypothesize that differences in DNA accessibility associated with nucleosome positioning may affect local transformation efficiency. We investigated the landscape of transformation efficiency at various positions in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome and correlated these measurements with nucleosome positioning. We find that transformation efficiency shows a highly significant inverse correlation with relative nucleosome density. This correlation was lost when the nucleosome pattern, but not the underlying sequence was changed. Together, our results demonstrate a novel role for nucleosomes and also allow researchers to predict transformation efficiency of a target region and select spots in the genome that are likely to yield higher transformation efficiency.

Whether the large lungs of swimmers result from intensive training or genetic endowment has been widely debated. Given that peak lung growth velocities occur during puberty, this study examined if competitive swimming during puberty affected lung growth. Eleven- to fourteen-year-old healthy female competitive swimmers and controls were assessed before (PRE) and after (POST) one swimming season (7.4 ± 0.5 months). Pulmonary function testing included lung volumes, spirometry, diffusion capacity (DL,CO ), and maximal inspiratory (PIMAX ) and expiratory (PEMAX ) pressures. Ventilatory constraints, including end-expiratory lung volume, expiratory flow limitation, and utilization of ventilatory capacity, were assessed during an incremental cycling test. Swimmers (n = 11) and controls (n = 10) were of similar age, size, and sexual maturity (P > 0.05). However, swimmers compared to controls had a greater total lung capacity (PRE 4.73 ± 0.73 vs. 3.93 ± 0.46, POST 5.08 ± 0.68 vs. 4.19 ± 0.64 L; P < 0.01), peak expiratory flow (PRE 6.48 ± 0.92 vs. 5.70 ± 0.86, POST 6.97 ± 0.84 vs. 6.00 ± 0.77 L·s-1 ; P = 0.03), and PEMAX (P < 0.001). Although DL,CO was greater in swimmers (P = 0.01), differences were attenuated when expressed relative to alveolar volume (PRE 5.14 ± 0.60 vs. 5.44 ± 0.44, POST 4.91 ± 0.56 vs. 5.16 ± 0.38 mL min-1  mmHg-1  L-1 ; P = 0.20). The groups achieved a similar maximal oxygen uptake (P = 0.32), and ventilatory constraints experienced were not different (P > 0.05). Changes over time were not different between groups (P > 0.05). At the initial measurement, pubertal female swimmers had greater lung size, expiratory flows, and indices of respiratory muscle strength, but similar ventilatory constraints while cycling. One competitive swimming season did not further accentuate this enhanced lung size and function or alter ventilatory mechanics, suggesting that competitive swimming during puberty did not affect lung growth.

The effect of low-frequency high-power ultrasound on hydrocarbon-based ionomers, cation exchange sulfonated phenylated polyphenylene (sPPB-H+) and anion exchange hexamethyl-p-terphenyl poly(benzimidazolium) (HMT-PMBI), was studied. Ionomer solutions were subjected to ultrasonication at fixed ultrasonic frequencies (f = 26 and 42 kHz) and acoustic power (Pacous = 2.1 - 10.6 W) in a laboratory-grade ultrasonication bath, and a probe ultrasonicator; both commonly employed in catalyst ink preparation in research laboratory scale. Power ultrasound reduced the polymer solution viscosity of both hydrocarbon-based ionomers. The molecular weight of sPPB-H+ decreased with irradiation time. Changes in viscosity and molecular weight were exacerbated when ultrasonicated in an ice bath; but reduced when the solutions contained carbon black, as typically used in Pt/C-based catalyst inks. Spectroscopic analyses revealed no measurable changes in polymer structure upon ultrasonication, except for very high doses, where evidence for free-radical induced degradation was observed. Ionomers subjected to ultrasound were used to prepare catalyst layers and membrane electrode assemblies (MEA)s. Despite the changes in the ionomer described above, no significant differences in electrochemical performance were found between MEAs prepared with ionomers pre-subjected to ultrasound and those that were not, suggesting that fuel cell performance is tolerant to ionomers subjected to ultrasound.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between corneal astigmatism and the morphology of pterygium with anterior segment optic coherence tomography (AS-OCT).

FMR1 CGG trinucleotide repeat expansions are associated with Fragile X syndrome (full mutations) and primary ovarian insufficiency (premutation range); the effect of FMR1 on the success of fertility treatment is unclear. The effect of FMR1 CGG repeat lengths on IVF outcomes after ovarian stimulation was reviewed. PubMed was searched for studies on IVF-related outcomes reported by FMR1 trinucleotide repeat length published between 2002 and December 2017. For women with CGG repeats in the normal (<45 CGG), intermediate range (45-54 CGG), or both, research supports a minimal effect on IVF outcomes, including pregnancy rates; although one study reported lower oocyte yields after IVF stimulation in women with lower CGG repeat lengths and normal ovarian reserve. Meta-analysis revealed no association within subcategories of normal repeat length (<45 CGG) and IVF pregnancy rates (summary OR 1.0, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.15). Premutation carriers (CGG 55-200) may have reduced success with IVF treatment (lower oocyte yield) than women with a normal CGG repeat length or a full mutation, although findings are inconsistent. Direct implications of the repeat length on inheritance and the risk of Fragile X syndrome have been observed. Patients may require clinical and psychological counselling, and further preimplantation genetic testing options should be considered. Thus, there are clinical and psychological counseling implications for patients and potential further patient decisions regarding preimplantation genetic testing options.

To provide an overview of the empirical research linking self-reports of racial discrimination to health status and health service utilization.

: Attachment security priming has been extensively used in relationship research to explore the contents of mental models of attachment and examine the benefits derived from enhancing security. This systematic review explores the effectiveness of attachment security priming in improving positive affect and reducing negative affect in adults and children. The review searched four electronic databases for peer-reviewed journal articles. Thirty empirical studies met our inclusion criteria, including 28 adult and 2 child and adolescent samples. The findings show that attachment security priming improved positive affect and reduced negative affect relative to control primes. Supraliminal and subliminal primes were equally effective in enhancing security in one-shot prime studies (we only reviewed repeated priming studies using supraliminal primes so could not compare prime types in these). Global attachment style moderated the primed style in approximately half of the studies. Importantly, repeated priming studies showed a cumulative positive effect of security priming over time. We conclude that repeated priming study designs may be the most effective. More research is needed that explores the use of attachment security priming as a possible intervention to improve emotional wellbeing, in particular for adolescents and children.

This study utilizes the non-linear least squares method to estimate the impact of temperature on COVID-19 cases per million in forty-three countries, divided into three groups as follows: the first group is composed of thirteen countries that announced the first COVID-19 cases in January 2020, while the second and third groups contain thirteen and seventeen countries, respectively, that witnessed the pandemic for the first time in February and March of the same year. This relationship was measured after four time periods from the date of reporting the first case until April 1, April 15, May 15, and July 8, 2020. The results show an inverse relationship between COVID-19 cases per million and the temperature in the studies of the four-time periods for the three-country groups. These results were only significant statistically (p < 0.1) after 110.8, 164.8 days on average from the beginning of the pandemic in the case of "January" countries.

The spleen is critical for immunity. It is the largest immune organ and immune center in the peripheral system. While the relationship between behavior and immunity has been demonstrated in physiology and diseases, the role of the spleen in behavior is not clear. To investigate the effects of the spleen on behaviors, we performed a refined splenectomy procedure on C57BL/6J mice and performed an open field test, circadian rhythm test, elevated plus maze, sucrose preference test, and Barnes maze test. Splenectomy did not induce changes in general locomotion, circadian rhythms, learning and memory, or depression/anxiety-related behaviors. To further investigate the effects of spleen on stress susceptibility, we established mouse models of depression through chronic unpredictable mild stress. The behavioral performances of mice subjected to splenectomy showed no differences from control animals. These findings suggest that splenectomy does not cause changes in baseline behavioral performance in mice.

Pseudobulbar affect (PBA) is a neurological symptom of inappropriate and uncontrollable laughter or crying that occurs secondary to a variety of neurological conditions, including parkinsonian disorders. PBA is a socially and emotionally debilitating symptom that has been estimated to affect 3.6% to 42.5% of the population with Parkinson's disease. While indexing measures and treatment options for PBA have been extensively studied in neurological conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis, there has been considerably less attention given in the literature to PBA in parkinsonian disorders. The purpose of this review is to discuss the pathophysiology of PBA, its prevalence and impact on quality of life in parkinsonian disorders, and the treatment options currently available. Areas requiring further study, including the development of standardized, cross-culturally validated methods of symptom assessment, and evidence-based studies exploring the efficacy of current treatment options in parkinsonian disorders, are also highlighted.

Increasing goose population sizes gives rise to conflicts with human socioeconomic interests and in some circumstances conservation interests. Grazing by high abundances of geese in grasslands is postulated to lead to a very short and homogeneous sward height negatively affecting cover for breeding meadow birds and impacting survival of nests and chicks. We studied the effects of spring grazing barnacle geese Branta leucopsis and brent geese Branta bernicla on occupancy of extensively farmed freshwater grasslands by nesting and brood-rearing waders on the island Mandø in the Danish Wadden Sea. We hypothesized that goose grazing would lead to a shorter grass sward, negatively affecting the field occupancy by territorial/nesting and chick-rearing waders, particularly species preferring taller vegetation. Goose grazing led to a short grass sward (<5 cm height) over most of the island. To achieve a variation in sward height, we kept geese off certain fields using laser light. We analyzed effects of field size, sward height, mosaic structure of the vegetation, proximity to shrub as cover for potential predators, and elevation above ground water level as a measure of wetness on field occupancy by nesting and chick-rearing waders. The analysis indicated that the most important factor explaining field occupancy by nesting redshank Tringa totanus, black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa, oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus and lapwing Vanellus vanellus as well as by chick-rearing black-tailed godwit and lapwing was short vegetation height. Distance to shrub cover and elevation were less important. Hence, despite very intensive goose grazing, we could not detect any negative effect on the field occupancy by nesting nor chick-rearing waders, including redshank and black-tailed godwit, which are known to favor longer vegetation to conceal their nests and hide their chicks. Possible negative effects may be buffered by mosaic structures in fields and proximity to taller vegetation along fences and ditches.