Attentional bias in clinical depression and anxiety: The impact of emotional and non-emotional distracting information.

Both anxiety and major depression disorder (MDD) were reported to involve a maladaptive selective attention mechanism, associated with bias toward negative stimuli. Previous studies investigated attentional bias using distractors that required processing as part of task settings, and therefore, in our view, these distractors should be regarded as task-relevant. Here, we applied a unique task that used peripheral distractors that presented emotional and spatial information simultaneously.

The effect of a road safety educational program for kindergarten children on their parents' behavior and knowledge.

Road safety education for children is one of the most important means for raising awareness of road safety and for educating children to behave safely as pedestrians, bicycle riders, and vehicle passengers. The current research presents a novel attempt to examine the effect of a unique road safety educational program for kindergarten children on a secondary target group-the parents. The program, named the "Zahav Bagan" program (ZBP), is presented at kindergartens once a week during the entire academic year.

Lysosome acidification by photoactivated nanoparticles restores autophagy under lipotoxicity.

In pancreatic β-cells, liver hepatocytes, and cardiomyocytes, chronic exposure to high levels of fatty acids (lipotoxicity) inhibits autophagic flux and concomitantly decreases lysosomal acidity. Whether impaired lysosomal acidification is causally inhibiting autophagic flux and cellular functions could not, up to the present, be determined because of the lack of an approach to modify lysosomal acidity. To address this question, lysosome-localizing nanoparticles are described that, upon UV photoactivation, enable controlled acidification of impaired lysosomes.

Polyphenolic responses of grapevine berries to light, temperature, oxidative stress, abscisic acid and jasmonic acid show specific developmental-dependent degrees of metabolic resilience to perturbation.

Grape-berries are exposed to a plethora of abiotic and biotic stimuli during their development. The developmental and temporal regulation of grape berry polyphenol metabolism in response to various cues was investigated using LC-QTOF-MS based metabolite profiling. High light (2500μmolm(-2)s(-1)), high temperature (40°C), jasmonic acid (200μM), menadione (120μM) and abscisic acid (3.

Development of automatic body condition scoring using a low-cost 3-dimensional Kinect camera.

Body condition scoring (BCS) is a farm-management tool for estimating dairy cows' energy reserves. Today, BCS is performed manually by experts. This paper presents a 3-dimensional algorithm that provides a topographical understanding of the cow's body to estimate BCS.

Intracranial hypertension secondary to a skull lesion without mass effect.

We report and discuss five patients with intracranial hypertension due to a skull lesion reducing cerebral sinus patency with a compressive, non-thrombotic mechanism. We illustrate the importance of a high level of suspicion for this condition in patients presenting with headache, papilledema and increased intracranial pressure in the absence of focal signs or radiological evidence of mass effect.

The effects of brief visual interruption tasks on drivers' ability to resume their visual search for a pre-cued hazard.

Driver visual distraction is known to increase the likelihood of being involved in a crash, especially for long glances inside the vehicle. The detrimental impact of these in-vehicle glances may carry over and disrupt the ongoing processing of information after the driver glances back up on the road. This study explored the effect of different types of visual tasks inside the vehicle on the top-down processes that guide the detection and monitoring of road hazards after the driver glances back towards the road.

DnaK-Dependent Accelerated Evolutionary Rate in Prokaryotes.

Many proteins depend on an interaction with molecular chaperones in order to fold into a functional tertiary structure. Previous studies showed that protein interaction with the GroEL/GroES chaperonine and Hsp90 chaperone can buffer the impact of slightly deleterious mutations in the protein sequence. This capacity of GroEL/GroES to prevent protein misfolding has been shown to accelerate the evolution of its client proteins.

Microbial degradation of the brominated flame retardant TBNPA by groundwater bacteria: laboratory and field study.

In the present study, the biodegradation of the brominated flame retardant tribromoneopentylalcohol (TBNPA) by a groundwater enrichment culture was investigated using a dual carbon ((13)C/(12)C)- bromine ((81)Br/(79)Br) stable isotope analysis. An indigenous aerobic bacterial consortium was enriched from the polluted groundwater underlying an industrial site in the northern Negev Desert, Israel, where TBNPA is an abundant pollutant. Aerobic biodegradation was shown to be rapid, with complete debromination within a few days, whereas anaerobic biodegradation was not observed.

Influence of heteroaggregation processes between intrinsic colloids and carrier colloids on cerium(III) mobility through fractured carbonate rocks.

Colloid facilitated transport of radionuclides has been implicated as a major transport vector for leaked nuclear waste in the subsurface. Sorption of radionuclides onto mobile carrier colloids such as bentonite and humic acid often accelerates their transport through saturated rock fractures. Here, we employ column studies to investigate the impact of intrinsic, bentonite and humic acid colloids on the transport and recovery of Ce(III) through a fractured chalk core.

Psychotropic drugs attenuate lipopolysaccharide-induced hypothermia by altering hypothalamic levels of inflammatory mediators in rats.

Recent evidence suggests that inflammation may contribute to the pathophysiology of mental disorders and that psychotropic drugs exert various effects on brain inflammation. The administration of bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) to mammals is associated with robust production of inflammatory mediators and pathological changes in body temperature. The objective of the present study was to examine the effects of four different psychotropic drugs on LPS-induced hypothermia and production of prostaglandin (PG) E2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and phosphorylated-p65 (P-p65) levels in hypothalamus of LPS-treated rats.

Increased ongoing neural variability in ADHD.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been described as a disorder where frequent lapses of attention impair the ability of an individual to focus/attend in a sustained manner, thereby generating abnormally large intra-individual behavioral variability across trials. Indeed, increased reaction time (RT) variability is a fundamental behavioral characteristic of individuals with ADHD found across a large number of cognitive tasks. But what is the underlying neurophysiology that might generate such behavioral instability? Here, we examined trial-by-trial EEG response variability to visual and auditory stimuli while subjects' attention was diverted to an unrelated task at the fixation cross.

Sonochemical synthesis of CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite ultrafine nanocrystal sensitizers for solar energy applications.

The organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 is becoming an interesting material in the field of energy harvesting. This material is one of the cleanest and cheapest components in solar cells which is available in ample amounts. However, most of the previous research work was done on thin film of this material.

Multicultural Aspects in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (FGIDs).

Cross-cultural factors are important in functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs). In the setting of FGIDs, the aims of this review were to: 1) engender interest in global aspects; 2) gain a clearer understanding of culture, race and ethnicity and their effect on patient care and research; 3) facilitate cross-cultural clinical and research competency; and 4) improve and foster the quality and conduct of cross-cultural, multinational research. Cultural variables are inevitably present in the physician-patient context.

The impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on carriage of and disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes 6C and 6D in southern Israel.

The introduction of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) followed by PCV13 resulted in a dramatic reduction in carriage and disease rates of Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp) serotype 6B (Sp6B) and Sp6A. The structural modifications of the capsule of Sp6A and Sp6B to become Sp6C and Sp6D, respectively, raised a concern that eradication of Sp6A/Sp6B by PCV could be accompanied by an increase in Sp6C/Sp6D. This study examines the dynamics and clonal distribution of Sp6C/Sp6D relative to Sp6A/Sp6B during 1999-2014, pre- and post-PCV implementation.

Ethnical disparities in temporal trends of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) throughout a decade in Israel. Soroka acute myocardial infarction (SAMI-II) project.

Background: Ethnical disparities in presentation and outcomes following AMI were reported. We evaluated the temporal-trends of AMI hospitalizations and mortality of Bedouins (Muslims) and Jews in Israel.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of 15,352 AMI admissions (10,652 patients; 11.

Differential sensory fMRI signatures in autism and schizophrenia: Analysis of amplitude and trial-to-trial variability.

Autism and schizophrenia share multiple phenotypic and genotypic markers, and there is ongoing debate regarding the relationship of these two disorders. To examine whether cortical dynamics are similar across these disorders, we directly compared fMRI responses to visual, somatosensory and auditory stimuli in adults with autism (N=15), with schizophrenia (N=15), and matched controls (N=15). All participants completed a one-back letter detection task presented at fixation (to control attention) while task-irrelevant sensory stimulation was delivered to the different modalities.

Ultrasound Effect on Cancerous versus Non-Cancerous Cells.

Previous studies have found that cancer cells whose metastatic potential is low are more vulnerable to mechanical stress-induced trauma to their cytoskeleton compared with benign cells. Because ultrasound induces mechanical stresses on cells and tissues, it is postulated that there may be a way to apply ultrasound to tumors to reduce their ability to metastasize. The difference between low-malignant-potential cancer cells and benign cells could be a result of their different responses to the mechanical stress insonation induced.

VDAC1-interacting anion transport inhibitors inhibit VDAC1 oligomerization and apoptosis.

Mitochondria-mediated apoptosis involves pro-apoptotic protein release from the mitochondria to the cytosol, triggering apoptosis. However, the mechanisms by which apoptotic initiators cross the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) remain unclear. The voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1), an OMM protein, is central to mitochondria-mediated apoptosis.

Microalgae as a Source for VLC-PUFA Production.

Microalgae present a huge and still insufficiently tapped resource of very long-chain omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFA) for human nutrition and medicinal applications. This chapter describes the diversity of unicellular eukaryotic microalgae in respect to VLC-PUFA biosynthesis. Then, we outline the major biosynthetic pathways mediating the formation of VLC-PUFA by sequential desaturation and elongation of C18-PUFA acyl groups.

High surface area electrodes by template-free self-assembled hierarchical porous gold architecture.

The electrode active surface area is a crucial determinant in many electrochemical applications and devices. Porous metal substrates have been employed in electrode design, however construction of such materials generally involves multistep processes, generating in many instances electrodes exhibiting incomplete access to internal pore surfaces. Here we describe fabrication of electrodes comprising hierarchical, nano-to-microscale porous gold matrix, synthesized through spontaneous crystallization of gold thiocyanate in water.

A helping hand putting in order: Visuomotor routines organize numerical and non-numerical sequences in space.

Theories of embodied cognition emphasize the importance of sensorimotor schemas linked to external world experience for representing conceptual knowledge. Accordingly, some researchers have proposed that the spatial representation of numerical and non-numerical sequences relies on visuomotor routines, like reading habit and finger counting. There is a growing interest in how these two routines contribute to the spatial representation of ordinal sequences, although no investigation has so far directly compared them.

Predator-scent stress, ethanol consumption and the opioid system in an animal model of PTSD.

Emerging literature points to stress exposure as a potential contributor to the development of alcohol abuse, but animal models have yielded inconsistent results. Converging experimental data indicate that the endogenous opioid system modulates alcohol consumption and stress regulation. The aim of the present study is to examine the interplay between stress exposure, behavioral stress responses, ethanol (EtOH) consumption and the endogenous opioid system in an animal model of posttraumatic stress disorder.

Dormancy release and flowering time in Ziziphus jujuba Mill., a "direct flowering" fruit tree, has a facultative requirement for chilling.

In deciduous fruit trees, the effect of chilling on flowering has mostly been investigated in the "indirect flowering" group, characterized by a period of rest between flower bud formation and blooming. In the present study, we explored the effects of chilling and chilling deprivation on the flowering of Ziziphus jujuba, a temperate deciduous fruit tree belonging to the "direct flowering" group, in which flower bud differentiation, blooming and fruit development occur after dormancy release, during a single growing season. Dormancy release, vegetative growth and flowering time in Z.

No difference in cross-modal attention or sensory discrimination thresholds in autism and matched controls.

Autism has been associated with abnormalities in sensory and attentional processing. Here, we assessed these processes independently in the visual and auditory domains using a visual contrast-discrimination task and an auditory modulation-depth discrimination task. To evaluate changes in sensory function by attention, we measured behavioral performance (discrimination accuracy) when subjects were cued to attend and respond to the same stimulus (frequent valid cue) or cued to attend to one stimulus and respond to the non-cued stimulus (infrequent invalid cue).