Combined Effects of Social Exclusion and Social Rank Feedback on Risky Decision-Making Across Adolescence.

Adolescents' need to belong and concerns about social status are thought to increase risk-taking, however, not much is known about how feedback about social rank and the effects of social exclusion moderate risky decision-making. To this end, the present study examined how social rank feedback moderates the effects of social exclusion on risky decisions during adolescence. The experimental study included a total of 122 participants (11-19 years; 44% female).

Interactive extraction of diverse vocal units from a planar embedding without the need for prior sound segmentation.

Annotating and proofreading data sets of complex natural behaviors such as vocalizations are tedious tasks because instances of a given behavior need to be correctly segmented from background noise and must be classified with minimal false positive error rate. Low-dimensional embeddings have proven very useful for this task because they can provide a visual overview of a data set in which distinct behaviors appear in different clusters. However, low-dimensional embeddings introduce errors because they fail to preserve distances; and embeddings represent only objects of fixed dimensionality, which conflicts with vocalizations that have variable dimensions stemming from their variable durations.

Explore with Me: Peer Observation Decreases Risk-Taking but Increases Exploration Tendencies across Adolescence.

It has been assumed that adolescents increase risk-taking tendencies when peers are present but findings on experimental decision-making have been inconclusive. Most studies focus on risk-taking tendencies, ignoring the effects peer presence can exert over other cognitive processes involved in decision-making, as well as any other underlying developmental and individual differences. In the present study, the trial-by-trial choice behavior was analyzed in a task in which adolescents adjust to dynamically changing risk probabilities.

Age differences in decision making under known risk: The role of working memory and impulsivity.

This study examined whether age differences in risky decision making are dependent on known probability and value of outcomes (i.e., the expected value [EV]), the valence of anticipated outcomes (gains or losses), and individual differences in working memory and impulsivity.

Undirected singing rate as a non-invasive tool for welfare monitoring in isolated male zebra finches.

Research on the songbird zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) has advanced our behavioral, hormonal, neuronal, and genetic understanding of vocal learning. However, little is known about the impact of typical experimental manipulations on the welfare of these birds. Here we explore whether the undirected singing rate can be used as an indicator of welfare.

Are Mid-Adolescents Prone to Risky Decisions? The Influence of Task Setting and Individual Differences in Temperament.

Recent developmental models assume a higher tendency to take risks in mid-adolescence, while the empirical evidence for this assumption is rather mixed. Most of the studies applied quite different tasks to measure risk-taking behavior and used a narrow age range. The main goal of the present study was to examine risk-taking behavior in four task settings, the Treasure Hunting Task (THT) in a gain and a loss domain, the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), and the STOPLIGHT task.

Elusive Zintl Ions [μ-HSi ] and [Si ] in Liquid Ammonia: Protonation States, Sites, and Bonding Situation Evaluated by NMR and Theory.

The existence of [μ-HSi ] in liquid ammonia solutions is confirmed by H and Si NMR experiments. Both NMR and quantum chemical calculations reveal that the H atom bridges two Si atoms of the [Si ] cluster, contrary to the expectation that it is located at one vertex Si of the tetrahedron. The calculations also indicate that in the formation of [μ-HSi ] , protonation is driven by a high charge density and an increase of electron delocalization compared to [Si ] .

The Structure of [HSi ] in the Solid State and Its Unexpected Highly Dynamic Behavior in Solution.

We report on the first unambiguous detection of the elusive [HSi ] anion in solutions of liquid ammonia by various Si and H NMR experiments including chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST). The characteristic multiplicity patterns of both the Si and H resonances together with CEST and a partially reduced H, Si coupling constant indicate the presence of a highly dynamic Si entity and a Si-H moiety with slow proton hopping. Theoretical calculations corroborate both reorganization of Si on the picosecond timescale via low vibrational modes and proton hopping.

The Influence of Different Kinds of Incentives on Decision-Making and Cognitive Control in Adolescent Development: A Review of Behavioral and Neuroscientific Studies.

A number of recent hypothetical models on adolescent development take a dual-systems perspective and propose an imbalance in the maturation of neural systems underlying reward-driven and control-related behavior. In particular, such models suggest that the relative dominance of the early emerging subcortical reward system over the later emerging prefrontal-guided control system leads to higher risk-taking and sensation-seeking behavior in mid-adolescents. Here, we will review recent empirical evidence from behavioral and neuroscientific studies examining interactions between these systems and showing that empirical evidence in support for the view of a higher sensitivity to rewards in mid-adolescents is rather mixed.

Serotonin Decreases the Gain of Visual Responses in Awake Macaque V1.

Serotonin, an important neuromodulator in the brain, is implicated in affective and cognitive functions. However, its role even for basic cortical processes is controversial. For example, in the mammalian primary visual cortex (V1), heterogenous serotonergic modulation has been observed in anesthetized animals.

Rubber hand illusion affects joint angle perception.

The Rubber Hand Illusion (RHI) is a well-established experimental paradigm. It has been shown that the RHI can affect hand location estimates, arm and hand motion towards goals, the subjective visual appearance of the own hand, and the feeling of body ownership. Several studies also indicate that the peri-hand space is partially remapped around the rubber hand.

Coating of titanium implants with copolymer supports bone regeneration: a comparative in vivo study in rabbits.

Purpose: In modern orthopedics aseptic loosening caused by the formation of micro-wear particles remains a problem for endoprosthetic joint replacements as revision surgery is necessary with corresponding costs and exertions by patients. This study is devoted to the question of how the osseous ingrowth of implants can be supported. It was investigated whether the developed copolymer, p-VBP-co-GMA, coated on the surface of the implants, supports bone healing.

Osseointegration by bone morphogenetic protein-2 and transforming growth factor beta2 coated titanium implants in femora of New Zealand white rabbits.

Background: Intramembranous bone formation is essential in uncemented joint replacement to provide a mechanical anchorage of the implant. Since the discovery of bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs) by Urist in 1965, many studies have been conducted to show the influence of growth factors on implant ingrowth. In this study, the influence of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) and transforming growth factor β2 (TGF-β2) on implant osseointegration was investigated.

Coating of titanium implant materials with thin polymeric films for binding the signaling protein BMP2.

A fast and simple approach for immobilization using copolymers as interlayers is reported. The synthesized copolymers form stable self-assembled layers on implant materials like, e.g.

Enhancement of endoprosthesis anchoring using BMP-2.

Osseointegration of long-term implants is still a problem in orthopaedic surgery. In recent years, several techniques to modify the implant surface to increase bone formation around implants have been described by many authors. Most endoprostheses used in orthopaedic surgery are manufactured from titanium.