Psychophysiological strategies for enhancing performance through imagery-skin conductance level analysis in guided vs. self-produced imagery.

Athletes need to achieve their optimal level of arousal for peak performance. Visualization or mental rehearsal (i.e.

Exploring the influence of personal factors on physiological responses to mental imagery in sport.

Imagery is a well-known technique in mental training which improves performance efficiency and influences physiological arousal. One of the biomarkers indicating the amount of physiological arousal is skin conductance level (SCL). The aim of our study is to understand how individual differences in personality (e.

Anionic states of CCl probed in electron transfer experiments.

This is the first comprehensive investigation on the anionic species formed during collisions of fast neutral potassium (K) atoms with neutral hexachlorobenzene (CCl) molecules in the laboratory frame range from 10 up to 100 eV. In such ion-pair formation experiments we also report a novel K energy loss spectrum obtained in the forward scattering giving evidence of the most accessible electronic states. The vertical electron affinity of (-3.

Neural Oscillation During Mental Imagery in Sport: An Olympic Sailor Case Study.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the cortical correlates of imagery depending on instructional modality (guided vs. self-produced) using various sports-related scripts. According to the expert-performance approach, we took an idiosyncratic perspective analyzing the mental imagery of an experienced two-time Olympic athlete to verify whether different instructional modalities of imagery (i.

Common-Mode Voltage Reduction in Capacitive Sensing of Biosignal Using Capacitive Grounding and DRL Electrode.

A capacitive measurement of the biosignals is a very comfortable and unobtrusive way suitable for long-term and wearable monitoring of health conditions. This type of sensing is very susceptible to noise from the surroundings. One of the main noise sources is power-line noise, which acts as a common-mode voltage at the input terminals of the acquisition unit.

A general approach to study molecular fragmentation and energy redistribution after an ionizing event.

We propose to combine quantum chemical calculations, statistical mechanical methods, and photoionization and particle collision experiments to unravel the redistribution of internal energy of the furan cation and its dissociation pathways. This approach successfully reproduces the relative intensity of the different fragments as a function of the internal energy of the system in photoelectron-photoion coincidence experiments and the different mass spectra obtained when ions ranging from Ar+ to Xe25+ or electrons are used in collision experiments. It provides deep insights into the redistribution of the internal energy in the ionized molecule and its influence on the dissociation pathways and resulting charged fragments.

Charge Transfer, Complexes Formation and Furan Fragmentation Induced by Collisions with Low-Energy Helium Cations.

The present work focuses on unraveling the collisional processes leading to the fragmentation of the gas-phase furan molecules under the He and He cations impact in the energy range 5-2000 eV. The presence of different mechanisms was identified by the analysis of the optical fragmentation spectra measured using the collision-induced emission spectroscopy (CIES) in conjunction with the calculations. The measurements of the fragmentation spectra of furan were performed at the different kinetic energies of both cations.

The Role of Electron Transfer in the Fragmentation of Phenyl and Cyclohexyl Boronic Acids.

In this study, novel measurements of negative ion formation in neutral potassium-neutral boronic acid collisions are reported in electron transfer experiments. The fragmentation pattern of phenylboronic acid is comprehensively investigated for a wide range of collision energies, i.e.

Furan Fragmentation in the Gas Phase: New Insights from Statistical and Molecular Dynamics Calculations.

We present a complete exploration of the different fragmentation mechanisms of furan (CHO) operating at low and high energies. Three different theoretical approaches are combined to determine the structure of all possible reaction intermediates, many of them not described in previous studies, and a large number of pathways involving three types of fundamental elementary mechanisms: isomerization, fragmentation, and H/H loss processes (this last one was not yet explored). Our results are compared with the existing experimental and theoretical investigations for furan fragmentation.

Modelling charge transfer processes in C-tetrahydrofuran collision for ion-induced radiation damage in DNA building blocks.

Investigations of collision-induced processes involving carbon ions and molecules of biological interest, in particular DNA building blocks, are crucial to model the effect of radiation on cells in order to improve medical treatments for cancer therapy. Using carbon ions appears to be one of the most efficient ways to increase biological effectiveness to damage cancerous cells by irradiating deep-seated tumors. Therefore, interest in accurate calculations to understand fundamental processes occurring in ion-molecule collision systems has been growing recently.

Theoretical Assessment of Excited State Gradients and Resonance Raman Intensities for the Azobenzene Molecule.

The ground state geometries and vibrational frequencies as well as the excitation energies and excited state gradients of the S(nπ*) and S(ππ*) states of trans- and cis-azobenzene are investigated by several DFT methods, namely B3LYP, PBE, M06-2X, CAM-B3LYP, and ωB97X. Excited state properties and in particular gradients are also assessed using the wave function based methods EOM-CCSD and RASPT2/RASSCF. Comparison with experimental data shows that the B3LYP functional gives the most accurate results for the ground state geometry and vibrational frequencies.

Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus Structural Proteins Are the Primary Viral Determinants of Non-Viraemic Transmission between Ticks whereas Non-Structural Proteins Affect Cytotoxicity.

Over 50 million humans live in areas of potential exposure to tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). The disease exhibits an estimated 16,000 cases recorded annually over 30 European and Asian countries. Conventionally, TBEV transmission to Ixodes spp.

Valence and Ionic Lowest-Lying Electronic States of Isobutyl Formate Studied by High-Resolution Vacuum Ultraviolet Photoabsorption, Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and Ab Initio Calculations.

The highest resolution vacuum ultraviolet photoabsorption spectrum of isobutyl formate, C5H10O2, yet reported is presented over the energy range 4.5-10.7 eV (275.

Valence and ionic lowest-lying electronic states of ethyl formate as studied by high-resolution vacuum ultraviolet photoabsorption, He(I) photoelectron spectroscopy, and ab initio calculations.

The highest resolution vacuum ultraviolet photoabsorption spectrum of ethyl formate, C2H5OCHO, yet reported is presented over the wavelength range 115.0-275.5 nm (10.

Polymorphisms of asparaginase pathway and asparaginase-related complications in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Purpose: Asparaginase (ASNase) is a standard and critical component in the therapy of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), but it is also associated with several toxicities.

Experimental Design: We recently reported the results of an association study between ASNase pathway genes and event-free survival (EFS) in childhood patients with ALL. The same polymorphisms were interrogated here in relation to allergies, pancreatitis, and thrombotic events following treatment with E.

Bim polymorphisms: influence on function and response to treatment in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Purpose: Corticosteroids induce apoptosis in the malignant lymphoid cells and are critical component of combination therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Several genome-wide microarray studies showed major implication of proapoptotic Bim in mediating corticosteroid-related resistance in leukemia cells.

Experimental Design: We investigated Bim gene polymorphisms and their association with childhood ALL outcome, and the mechanism underlying the observed finding.

Role of NOS3 DNA variants in externalizing behavioral problems observed in childhood leukemia survivors.

Objective: Neuropsychological problems occurrence varies among childhood cancer survivors, and associated risk factors have not been fully deciphered. We wanted to study the role of genetic variants in behavioral problems in this population.

Study Design: Behavioral problems in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients (n=138) were investigated longitudinally, using the Child Behavior Checklist questionnaire and multilevel statistical modeling.

Glutathione S-transferase gene variations influence BU pharmacokinetics and outcome of hematopoietic SCT in pediatric patients.

BU is a key compound of conditioning regimens in children undergoing hematopoietic SCT (HSCT). Inter-individual differences in BU pharmacokinetics (PKs) might affect BU efficacy and toxicity. As BU is mainly metabolized by glutathione S-transferase (GST), we investigated the relationship between GSTA1, GSTM1 and GSTP1 genotypes with first-dose BU PKs, and the relationship with HSCT outcomes in 69 children receiving myeloablative conditioning regimen.

RGS5 gene and therapeutic response to short acting bronchodilators in paediatric asthma patients.

Short-acting β2-adrenergic receptor agonists are commonly used bronchodilators for symptom relief in asthmatics. Recent evidence demonstrated that prolonged exposure of cultured airway smooth muscle cells to β2 agonists directly augments procontractile signaling pathways with the change in expression of regulator of G protein signaling 5 (RGS5). The aim of this study was to test whether genetic variants in RGS5 gene affect the response to short acting β2-agonists.

Evaluation of chimeric yellow fever 17D/dengue viral replication in ticks.

Chimeric yellow fever 17D/DENV-1-4 viruses (CYD-1-4) have been developed as a tetravalent dengue vaccine candidate which is currently being evaluated in efficacy trials in Asia and America. While YF 17D and DENV are mosquito-borne flaviviruses, it has been shown that CYD-1-4 do not replicate after oral infection in mosquitoes and are not transmitted to new hosts. To further document the risk of environmental dissemination of these viruses, we evaluated the replication of CYD-1-4 in ticks, the vector of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), another member of the flavivirus family.

Effect of saliva from horse fly Hybomitra bimaculata on kinetic properties of Na,K-ATPase: possible role in regulation of relaxation.

The possible involvement of salivary gland extract (SGE) from horse flies in modifying hyperpolarization and relaxation via alterations in functional properties of sarcolemmal Na,K-ATPase in the host tissue was tested in vitro by application of various amounts of SGE from Hybomitra bimaculata.SGE in the amount of 3 µg proteins representing approximately the equivalent of one salivary gland of Hybomitra bimaculata induced a stimulatory effect on Na,K-ATPase at all ATP concentrations applied. This effect resulted from the improved ATP-binding site affinity in the Na,K-ATPase molecule, as implicated by the reduction in K(M).

ATF5 polymorphisms influence ATF function and response to treatment in children with childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Asparaginase is a standard and critical component in the therapy of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Asparagine synthetase (ASNS) and the basic region leucine zipper activating transcription factor 5 (ATF5) and arginosuccinate synthase 1 (ASS1) have been shown to mediate the antileukemic effect of asparaginase and to display variable expression between leukemia cells that are resistant and sensitive to treatment. Fourteen polymorphisms in the regulatory and coding regions of these genes were investigated for an association with acute lymphoblastic leukemia outcome.

Phosphodiesterase type 4D gene polymorphism: association with the response to short-acting bronchodilators in paediatric asthma patients.

Short-acting b2-adrenergic receptor agonists are commonly used bronchodilators for symptom relief in asthmatics. The aim of this study was to test whether genetic variants in PDE4D gene, a key regulator of b2-adrenoceptor-induced cAMP turnover in airway smooth muscle cells, affect the response to short-acting b2-agonists. Bronchodilator responsiveness was assessed in 133 asthmatic children by % change in baseline forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1)) after administration of albuterol.

Polymorphism in multidrug resistance-associated protein gene 3 is associated with outcomes in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Multidrug resistance-related proteins (MRPs) 2, 3 and 5 are involved in the efflux of drugs used in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treatment. Polymorphisms of these genes were investigated for an association with treatment responses in 273 childhood ALL patients. The MRP3 A-189 allele of the regulatory AT polymorphism was associated with reduced event-free survival (P=0.

A wavepacket study of the low-energy charge transfer process in the S(3+) + H reaction using time-resolved electronic densities.

A theoretical investigation of the low-energy charge transfer process induced by the S(3+) + H reaction collision is presented. High level ab initio MRCI/CASSCF quantum chemical methods have been used to evaluate the relevant potential energy curves and non-adiabatic couplings. Using the coupled potentials, the dynamics of the system in the few eV energy range has been investigated by means of time-dependent wavepacket propagations.