Assessing the benefits of napping and short rest breaks on processing speed in sleep‐restricted adolescents

Achievement‐oriented adolescents often study long hours under conditions of chronic sleep restriction, adversely affecting cognitive function. Here, we studied how napping and rest breaks (interleaved off‐task periods) might ameliorate the negative effects of sleep restriction on processing speed. Fifty‐seven healthy adolescents (26 female, age = 15–19 years) participated in a 15‐day live‐in protocol. All participants underwent sleep restriction (5 h time‐in‐bed), but were then randomized into two groups: one of these groups received a daily 1‐h nap opportunity. Data from seven of the study days (sleep restriction days 1–5, and recovery days 1–2) are reported here. The Blocked Symbol Decoding Test, administered once a day, was used to assess time‐on‐task effects and the effects of rest breaks on processing speed. Controlling for baseline differences, participants who took a nap demonstrated faster speed of processing and greater benefit across testing sessions from practice. These participants were also affected significantly less by time‐on‐task effects. In contrast, participants who did not receive a nap benefited more from the rest breaks that were permitted between blocks of the test. Our results indicate that napping partially reverses the detrimental effects of sleep restriction on processing speed. However, rest breaks have a greater effect as a countermeasure against poor performance when sleep pressure is higher. These data add to the growing body of evidence showing the importance of sleep for good cognitive functioning in adolescents, and suggest that more frequent rest breaks might be important in situations where sleep loss is unavoidable.     

Visual working memory and perception speed of 3- to 6-year-old children tested with a Matrix Film Battery Test

In this study the visual working memory (VWM) and perception speed of 60 children between the ages of three and six years were tested with an age-based, easy-to-handle Matrix Film Battery Test (reliability R?=?.71). It was thereby affirmed that the VWM is age dependent (correlation coefficient r?=?.66***) as expected. Furthermore, a significant gender effect was found (partial correlation coefficient r_p?=?.42***) indicating that boys generally have a better VWM: they are able to memorise more items and they can process visual information faster. Given that the test was repeated during a period of eight months, strong learning effects could be detected which show that the VWM can be trained and that the test itself is also a good training tool.     

基于“气道神经源性炎症-TRP通路”探讨慢性咳嗽发病机制及中医治疗

咳嗽临床常见，尤其是胸部影像学无明显异常的慢性咳嗽，病因复杂、易误诊误治，逐渐受到重视，国内外相继颁发相关指南，目前认为咳嗽高敏感性是其重要的病理生理机制。中医将慢性咳嗽归于"久咳""久嗽"范畴，在病因病机、治法方药上积累了丰富的临床经验，史利卿教授团队针对该病开展了专项临床及基础研究15年，根据传统中医理论及其突出临床症状提出"风邪伏肺"病机，应用祛风宣肺法治疗效果显著。文章结合西医学相关咳嗽机制研究进展及既往研究结果，初步探讨祛风宣肺法治疗该病的疗效机制，丰富慢性咳嗽风邪伏肺致咳相关学术理论的科学内涵，有利于提高中医药防治慢性咳嗽学术水平。     

《邵氏医案》从血辨治痛经浅析

[目的]分析总结浙江近代著名临床医家邵兰荪治疗痛经的经验,以期为临床治疗提供借鉴。[方法]通过研读裘吉生编《邵氏医案》,筛选出其中治疗痛经的医案十余则,并结合邵氏在妇科方面的学术思想,进一步分析其辨证立法遣方特色,从而总结邵氏治疗痛经的临证经验。[结果]邵氏治疗痛经多从血辨治,且分虚实两端,其中属虚者血虚内热用益母胜金丹养血清热、活血止痛,血虚肝风治以养血柔肝、息风止痛;属实者水结血瘀用五苓散利水散瘀、行气止痛,气阻血滞治从行气活血、调经止痛。[结论]在治疗妇人痛经方面,邵氏辨治遣方确有独特经验,这些经验可为中医药治疗此类疾病拓宽诊治思路,有助于提高临床疗效。     

Suspended Onion Particles and Potential Corneal Injury in Onion Harvesters

The authors suspected that suspended onion particles contributed to corneal ulcers in onion harvesters in southern Taiwan. In the present study, the authors used manikins to study suspended onion particles in fields in an effort to simulate typical conditions experienced by onion harvesters. An animal eye-exposure simulation study was also performed by the authors, who impacted suspended soil grains or onion particles onto the corneas of guinea pigs via aerosol generated from the Palas® dispersion nozzle. The average size of 25.9 μm for suspended particles collected during the digging of onions was the largest one of those for various harvesting activities. Some onion skin flakes were found in samples obtained from gathering and packing activities; the typical flake size was approximately 3.5 × 2.5 mm². The results of the animal study indicated that the size of soil grains has a demonstrable effect on the severity of corneal injury (p = .009). With respect to onion skin flakes, wind velocity was also associated significantly with the occurrence of corneal injury (p = .0004). A wind velocity threshold of 7 m/sec is recommended for the maintenance of safety, and if the wind speed exceeds this threshold level, workers should not engage in harvesting activities. Furthermore, use of appropriately designed goggles is necessary for the protection of onion harvesters who work in high-wind conditions.     

Carotid flow pulsatility is higher in women with greater decrement in gait speed during multi-tasking

AimCentral arterial hemodynamics is associated with cognitive impairment. Reductions in gait speed during walking while performing concurrent tasks known as dual-tasking (DT) or multi-tasking (MT) is thought to reflect the cognitive cost that exceeds neural capacity to share resources. We hypothesized that central vascular function would associate with decrements in gait speed during DT or MT.MethodsGait speed was measured using a motion capture system in 56 women (30–80y) without mild-cognitive impairment. Dual-tasking was considered walking at a fast-pace while balancing a tray. Multi-tasking was the DT condition plus subtracting by serial 7′s. Applanation tonometry was used for measurement of aortic stiffness and central pulse pressure. Doppler-ultrasound was used to measure blood flow velocity and β-stiffness index in the common carotid artery.ResultsThe percent change in gait speed was larger for MT than DT (14.1 ± 11.2 vs. 8.7 ± 9.6%, p < 0.01). Tertiles were formed based on the percent change in gait speed for each condition. No vascular parameters differed across tertiles for DT. In contrast, carotid flow pulsatility (1.85 ± 0.43 vs. 1.47 ± 0.42, p = 0.02) and resistance (0.75 ± 0.07 vs. 0.68 ± 0.07, p = 0.01) indices were higher in women with more decrement (third tertile) as compared to women with less decrement (first tertile) in gait speed during MT after adjusting for age, gait speed, and task error. Carotid pulse pressure and β-stiffness did not contribute to these tertile differences.ConclusionElevated carotid flow pulsatility and resistance are characteristics found in healthy women that show lower cognitive capacity to walk and perform multiple concurrent tasks.     

Analysis and Comparison of Friction Stir Welding and Laser Assisted Friction Stir Welding of Aluminum Alloy

Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a solid-state joining process; i.e., no melting occurs. The welding process is promoted by the rotation and translation of an axis-symmetric non-consumable tool along the weld centerline. Thus, the FSW process is performed at much lower temperatures than conventional fusion welding, nevertheless it has some disadvantages. Laser Assisted Friction Stir Welding (LAFSW) is a combination in which the FSW is the dominant welding process and the laser pre-heats the weld. In this work FSW and LAFSW tests were conducted on 6 mm thick 5754H111 aluminum alloy plates in butt joint configuration. LAFSW is studied firstly to demonstrate the weldability of aluminum alloy using that technique. Secondly, process parameters, such as laser power and temperature gradient are investigated in order to evaluate changes in microstructure, micro-hardness, residual stress, and tensile properties. Once the possibility to achieve sound weld using LAFSW is demonstrated, it will be possible to explore the benefits for tool wear, higher welding speeds, and lower clamping force.     

Flight and Seizure Motor Patterns in Drosophila Mutants: Simultaneous Acoustic and Electrophysiological Recordings of Wing Beats and Flight Muscle Activity

Tethered flies allow studies of biomechanics and electrophysiology of flight control. We performed microelectrode recordings of spikes in an indirect flight muscle (the dorsal longitudinal muscle, DLMa) coupled with acoustic analysis of wing beat frequency (WBF) via microphone signals. Simultaneous electrophysiological recording of direct and indirect flight muscles has been technically challenging; however, the WBF is thought to reflect in a one-to-one relationship with spiking activity in a subset of direct flight muscles, including muscle m1b. Therefore, our approach enables systematic mutational analysis for changes in temporal features of electrical activity of motor neurons innervating subsets of direct and indirect flight muscles. Here, we report the consequences of specific ion channel disruptions on the spiking activity of myogenic DLMs (firing at ～5 Hz) and the corresponding WBF (～200 Hz). We examined mutants of the genes enconding: 1) voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channels (cacophony, cac), 2) Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channels (slowpoke, slo), and 3) voltage-gated K⁺ channels (Shaker, Sh) and their auxiliary subunits (Hyperkinetic, Hk and quiver, qvr). We found flight initiation in response to an air puff was severely disrupted in both cac and slo mutants. However, once initiated, slo flight was largely unaltered, whereas cac displayed disrupted DLM firing rates and WBF. Sh, Hk, and qvr mutants were able to maintain normal DLM firing rates, despite increased WBF. Notably, defects in the auxiliary subunits encoded by Hk and qvr could lead to distinct consequences, that is, disrupted DLM firing rhythmicity, not observed in Sh. Our mutant analysis of direct and indirect flight muscle activities indicates that the two motor activity patterns may be independently modified by specific ion channel mutations, and that this approach can be extended to other dipteran species and additional motor programs, such as electroconvulsive stimulation-induced seizures.