Meloidogyne aegracyperi n. sp. (Nematoda: Meloidogynidae), a root-knot nematode parasitizing yellow and purple nutsedge in New Mexico

Meloidogyne aegracyperi n. sp. is described from roots of purple nutsedge in southern New Mexico, USA. Mature females are small (310–460 µm), pearly white, with their egg masses completely contained inside root galls. The neck is often at a 90 to 130° angle to the protruding posterior end with the perineal pattern. The distance of the dorsal esophageal gland orifice (DGO) to the base of the stylet is relatively long (4.0–6.1 µm), and the excretory pore is level with the base of the stylet. The anterior portion of the rounded lumen lining of the metacorpus contains 3 to 10 small vesicles. The perineal pattern has a rounded dorsal arch with a tail terminal area that is smooth or marked with rope-like striae. Only two males were found. The body twists 90° throughout its length. The DGO to the base of the stylet is long (3.0–3.3) µm. The cephalic framework of the second-stage juvenile is weak, and the stylet is short (10.1–11.8 µm). The DGO to the base of the stylet is long (3–5 µm). The tail is very long (64–89 µm) and the hyaline portion of the tail is very narrow, making the tail finely pointed. Eggs are typical for the genus and vary in length (85.2–99.8 µm) and width (37.1–48.1 µm), having a L/W ratio of (2.1–2.6). Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses of the different molecular loci (partial 18S rRNA, D2-D3 of 28S rRNA, internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rRNA, cytochrome oxidase subunit II (COII)-16S rRNA of mitochondrial DNA gene fragments and partial Hsp90 gene) placed this nematode on an independent branch in between M. graminicola and M. naasi and a cluster of species containing M. chitwoodi. M. fallax, and M. minor. Greenhouse tests showed that yellow and purple nutsedge were the best hosts, but perennial ryegrass, wheat, bentgrass, and barley were also hosts.

P3721Clinical and echocardiographic outcomes after treatment of patent foramen ovale with two transcatheter occlusion devices: mononcenter observational study

Background

Percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO) after cryptogenic stroke (CS) is strongly recommended in the current guidelines. Most available evidence has been obtained from randomized studies in which Amplatzer PFO occluder device or Groe occluder device were implanted. Several occluder devices are used off-label for percutaneous treatment of PFO. Rate of recurrent CS and rate of residual shunting after percutaneously occlusion of PFO varies between different occlusion devices. To date, there are no randomized clinical studies that compare the effectivity and safety of several devices in patients with CS.

Aim

The aim of this study was to compare rate of residual shunting and recurrent CS after percutaneus treatment of PFO with the most common used PFO occluder devises.

Methods

This was a retrospective, non-randomized, monocenter study. Between 2008 and 2014, all patients with CS or transient ischemic attack (TIA) treated with transcatheter occlusion of PFO with Amplatzer PFO occlusion device or Occlutech occlusion device were included. Patients were followed up at 1 and 6 months with contrast-enhanced transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), and at 3 months with contrast-enhanced transthoracic echocardiography. Primary endpoint was residual shunting at 6 months. Secondary endpoint was recurrent CS or TIA at 6 months after the procedure.

Results

220 consecutive patients (57±12 year, 131 men) were treated with Amplanz PFO occlusion device (140 patients) or Occlutech PFO occlusion device (80 patients) after CS or TIA. Procedural success was 100% in both groups. Residual shunting was observed directly after the procedure in 26 patients in the Amplatzer group and 22 patients in the Occlutech group (19% and 27%, respectively; p=0.003), at 1 months follow (15% and 25%, respectively; p=0.064) and at 6 months (9% and 16%, respectively; p=0.024). There was no significant difference between both groups according recurrent CS (0.7% and 0%, respectively; p=0.449). At 6 months follow up atrial fibrillation was detected in 2 patients from Amplatzer group and 5 patients from Occlutech group (1.4% and 6.0%, respectively; p=0.050). Death, aortic erosion and pericardial effusion was not observed in both groups.

Clinical and echocardiographic outcome Variable Amplatzer occluder device (N=140) Occlutech occluder device (N=80) p-value Clinical outcome at 6 months follow up   Death, n (%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1.000   Stroke, n (%) 1 (1%) 0 (0%) 0.449   Transient ischemic attack, n (%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1.000   Atrial fibrillation, n (%) 2 (1.4%) 5 (6%) 0.050   Aortic erosion, n (%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1.000   Pericardial effusion, n (%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1.000 Echocardiographic Outcome at 6 months follow up   Residual shunting after Implantation directly, n (%) 26 (19%) 22 (27%) 0.003   Residual shunting at one month, n (%) 21 (15%) 20 (25%) 0.064   Residual shunting at 6 months, n (%) 13 (9%) 16 (20%) 0.024

Conclusion

Percutaneous treatment of PFO after CS or TIA with Amplatzer PFO occluder device was associated with lower rate of residual shunting and lower rate of atrial fibrillation at 6 months follow up, whereas rate of recurrent CS and TIA was comparable between both groups.

Power and decision making: new directions for research in the age of artificial intelligence

Throughout history, the experience of power has occurred within the context of human-human interactions. Such power can influence decision making through at least two primary mechanisms: (1) increased goal-orientation, and (2) increased activation of social role expectations. Importantly, new advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are creating the potential to experience power in human-AI interactions. To the extent that some forms of AI can be made to seem like low-power humans (e.g. autonomous digital assistants), people may feel powerful when interacting with such entities. However, it is unclear whether feeling power over AI will lead to the same psychological consequences as feeling power over humans. In this article, we review findings on power and decision making and then consider how they may be meaningfully extended by considering interactions with artificially intelligent digital assistants. We conclude with a call for new theorizing and research on power in the age of artificial intelligence.

Handshaking promotes deal-making by signaling cooperative intent

We examine how a simple handshake-a gesture that often occurs at the outset of social interactions-can influence deal-making. Because handshakes are social rituals, they are imbued with meaning beyond their physical features. We propose that during mixed-motive interactions, a handshake is viewed as a signal of cooperative intent, increasing people's cooperative behavior and affecting deal-making outcomes. In Studies 1a and 1b, pairs who chose to shake hands at the onset of integrative negotiations obtained better joint outcomes. Study 2 demonstrates the causal impact of handshaking using experimental methodology. Study 3 suggests a driver of the cooperative consequence of handshaking: negotiators expected partners who shook hands to behave more cooperatively than partners who avoided shaking hands or partners whose nonverbal behavior was unknown; these expectations of cooperative intent increased negotiators' own cooperation. Study 4 uses an economic game to demonstrate that handshaking increased cooperation even when handshakes were uninstructed (vs. instructed). Further demonstrating the primacy of signaling cooperative intent, handshaking actually reduced cooperation when the action signaled ill intent (e.g., when the hand-shaker was sick; Study 5). Finally, in Study 6, executives assigned to shake hands before a more antagonistic, distributive negotiation were less likely to lie about self-benefiting information, increasing cooperation even to their own detriment. Together, these studies provide evidence that handshakes, ritualistic behaviors imbued with meaning beyond mere physical contact, signal cooperative intent and promote deal-making. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Enacting rituals to improve self-control

Rituals are predefined sequences of actions characterized by rigidity and repetition. We propose that enacting ritualized actions can enhance subjective feelings of self-discipline, such that rituals can be harnessed to improve behavioral self-control. We test this hypothesis in 6 experiments. A field experiment showed that engaging in a pre-eating ritual over a 5-day period helped participants reduce calorie intake (Experiment 1). Pairing a ritual with healthy eating behavior increased the likelihood of choosing healthy food in a subsequent decision (Experiment 2), and enacting a ritual before a food choice (i.e., without being integrated into the consumption process) promoted the choice of healthy food over unhealthy food (Experiments 3a and 3b). The positive effect of rituals on self-control held even when a set of ritualized gestures were not explicitly labeled as a ritual, and in other domains of behavioral self-control (i.e., prosocial decision-making; Experiments 4 and 5). Furthermore, Experiments 3a, 3b, 4, and 5 provided evidence for the psychological process underlying the effectiveness of rituals: heightened feelings of self-discipline. Finally, Experiment 5 showed that the absence of a self-control conflict eliminated the effect of rituals on behavior, demonstrating that rituals affect behavioral self-control specifically because they alter responses to self-control conflicts. We conclude by briefly describing the results of a number of additional experiments examining rituals in other self-control domains. Our body of evidence suggests that rituals can have beneficial consequences for self-control. (PsycINFO Database Record

Natural cause mortality in persons with serious mental illness

OBJECTIVE

To identify the determinants of natural cause mortality in a cohort of individuals with serious mental illness assessed prospectively.

METHOD

Persons with schizophrenia (n = 789) and bipolar disorder (n = 498), mean age of 38 (s.d. 12.6) years, underwent an in-person clinical assessment. They also had a blood sample drawn from which infectious disease markers were measured. Mortality was subsequently determined utilizing data from the National Death Index following a period of up to 16.9 years.

RESULTS

A total of 6.8% (87 of 1287) of persons died of natural causes. Mortality was predicted in a multivariate model by baseline cigarette smoking (RR = 6.29, 95% CI 1.41, 3.72, P = 0.00076); divorced or widowed status (RR = 1.90, CI 1.21, 2.99); reduced cognitive score (RR = 0.73, CI 0.61, 0.87); receipt of antidepressant medication (RR = 1.74, CI 1.12, 2.71); elevated levels of antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) (RR = 1.29, CI 1.01, 1.66); and a genitourinary (RR = 1.82, CI 1.16, 2.86), respiratory (RR = 1.82, CI 1.16, 2.86), or cardiac (RR = 2.09, CI 1.33, 3.29) condition. There was an additive effect of smoking and both a cardiac and a respiratory condition but not elevated EBV antibody levels.

CONCLUSION

Smoking is a modifiable behaviour which is associated with mortality in this population.

The Psychology of Rituals: An Integrative Review and Process-Based Framework

Traditionally, ritual has been studied from broad sociocultural perspectives, with little consideration of the psychological processes at play. Recently, however, psychologists have begun turning their attention to the study of ritual, uncovering the causal mechanisms driving this universal aspect of human behavior. With growing interest in the psychology of ritual, this article provides an organizing framework to understand recent empirical work from social psychology, cognitive science, anthropology, behavioral economics, and neuroscience. Our framework focuses on three primary regulatory functions of rituals: regulation of (a) emotions, (b) performance goal states, and (c) social connection. We examine the possible mechanisms underlying each function by considering the bottom-up processes that emerge from the physical features of rituals and top-down processes that emerge from the psychological meaning of rituals. Our framework, by appreciating the value of psychological theory, generates novel predictions and enriches our understanding of ritual and human behavior more broadly.

The Humanizing Voice: Speech Reveals, and Text Conceals, a More Thoughtful Mind in the Midst of Disagreement

A person's speech communicates his or her thoughts and feelings. We predicted that beyond conveying the contents of a person's mind, a person's speech also conveys mental capacity, such that hearing a person explain his or her beliefs makes the person seem more mentally capable-and therefore seem to possess more uniquely human mental traits-than reading the same content. We expected this effect to emerge when people are perceived as relatively mindless, such as when they disagree with the evaluator's own beliefs. Three experiments involving polarizing attitudinal issues and political opinions supported these hypotheses. A fourth experiment identified paralinguistic cues in the human voice that convey basic mental capacities. These results suggest that the medium through which people communicate may systematically influence the impressions they form of each other. The tendency to denigrate the minds of the opposition may be tempered by giving them, quite literally, a voice.

Heritability and social brood effects on personality in juvenile and adult life-history stages in a wild passerine

How has evolution led to the variation in behavioural phenotypes (personalities) in a population? Knowledge of whether personality is heritable, and to what degree it is influenced by the social environment, is crucial to understanding its evolutionary significance, yet few estimates are available from natural populations. We tracked three behavioural traits during different life-history stages in a pedigreed population of wild house sparrows. Using a quantitative genetic approach, we demonstrated heritability in adult exploration, and in nestling activity after accounting for fixed effects, but not in adult boldness. We did not detect maternal effects on any traits, but we did detect a social brood effect on nestling activity. Boldness, exploration and nestling activity in this population did not form a behavioural syndrome, suggesting that selection could act independently on these behavioural traits in this species, although we found no consistent support for phenotypic selection on these traits. Our work shows that repeatable behaviours can vary in their heritability and that social context influences personality traits. Future efforts could separate whether personality traits differ in heritability because they have served specific functional roles in the evolution of the phenotype or because our concept of personality and the stability of behaviour needs to be revised.

Comparison of two interdental cleaning aids: A randomized clinical trial

AIM

The aim of this study was a comparison of the handling and acceptance of two kinds of interdental brushes (interdental brush with a handle [HB] and a newly invented interdental cleaning device [NB]).

METHODS AND MATERIALS

In a randomized crossover trial, 40 test subjects with an average number of 23.5 interdental areas were examined. At two appointments with a "washout" period of one week, the volunteers tried out both cleaning tools (HB and NB). They were asked to clean as many interdental spaces as possible. The percentage of spaces, which could be reached, is the IRI (Interdental Reachability Index). Furthermore, subjective impressions were determined.

RESULTS

The average IRI using HB was 64% compared to 80% using of NB (P<.001); 62.5% of the volunteers found the cleaning with HB painful and 15% the cleaning with NB. The subjective feeling after cleaning was 1.75 with NB compared to 2.2 with HB (P=.015), grading the feeling, from 1 for "very good" to 5 for "poor." The acceptance of regular interdental hygiene was rated 1.95 in the case of the NB and 2.85 in the case of the HB. After both appointments, the test subjects declared that they would use the NB 3.05 times and the HB 1.78 times a week.

CONCLUSION

This study shows that the test subjects reached more interdental spaces with NB than with the HB. NB can improve the usage of interdental brushes. Regarding subjective comfort, participants also favoured NB over HB.

Functional intimacy: Needing-But not wanting-The touch of a stranger

Intimacy is often motivated by love, but sometimes it is merely functional. For example, disrobing and being touched at an airport security check serves the goal of catching a flight, not building a relationship. We propose that this functional intimacy induces discomfort, making people prefer greater social distance from their interaction partner. Supporting this prediction, participants who considered (Experiments 1 and 2) or experienced (Experiment 3) more physically intimate medical procedures preferred a health provider who is less social. Increased psychological intimacy also led people to prefer social distance from cleaning and health providers (Experiments 4-5), a preference revealed by nonverbal behavior (e.g., turning away and looking away, Experiments 6-7). These patterns of distancing are unique to functional (vs. romantic) intimacy (Experiment 7). Although creating social distance may be an effective strategy for coping with functional intimacy, it may have costs for service providers. (PsycINFO Database Record

Impact of a pre- and postoperative chemotherapy (Ctx) on overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) in locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC)

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Background: Perioperative Ctx has become standard of care for LAGC. Duration of pre- and post-op Ctx is a matter of debate. Our study evaluated effects of varying durations of pre- and post-op Ctx on PFS and OS. Secondary endpoints were toxicity, reasons for cessation of Ctx and response. We compared the outcome to a group of pts receiving no perioperative Ctx as an internal control. Methods: Pts with LAGC were included in a prospective cohort trial from a single institution from 2007 to 2015. Inclusion criteria were T1-T4, N0-3, M0, AEG (n=27) or gastric cancers (n=65). Initial therapy decisions were made by an interdisciplinary tumor board for all pts. Pts received DDP/5-FU (qw d28 mod FFCD-Protocol, Ychou et al. JCO 2011) for 2 mo, and a 3rd mo of pre-op Ctx in case of non-progression after 2 mo and proceeded to Ctx after surgery for a planned total of six mo of Ctx. Results: 92 pts (53 m; 39 f pts) with a median age of 69 ys (range 33-96) were included. A total of 74 pts were recommended periop Ctx and 18 primary surgery (S). A total of 67 (91%) of the periop Ctx received pre-op Ctx (NA) of which 47 (64%) received 3 mo of pre-op Ctx, 19 (26%) two mo, 1 pt (1%) one mo, and 7 pts refused preop Ctx (9%) of which only 3 proceeded to surgery. Only 53 pts (72 %) received post-op Ctx; 25 pts (34%) received three mo, 9 pts (12 %) two mo, and another 10 pts (14 %) one mo of postop Ctx. Nine pts (13%) in the NA group and 20 pts (39%) in the post-op Ctx group had to stop Ctx due to toxicity after 1 (n=11) and <2 (n=9) mo of Ctx. Only 23 pts (31%) received the planned pre- and postop Ctx of 6 mo in total. Up to 07/2016 a total of 36 deaths were observed (39%). 5 yr PFS was 49% in the group of periop Ctx vs 14% in the S group. PFS in pts receiving a total of < 4 mo of Ctx was 36% vs. 61% in pts receiving 6 mo of Ctx. 3 yr OS was 19% in the S group vs 48% in the Ctx group. The OS in pts receiving < 4 mo was 34% vs.43% in pts with 6 mo Ctx. A pCR after preop Ctx was observed in 2 pts, a PR in 47 pts, a SD in 12 pts, while a PD occurred in 3 pts only. Conclusions: Pre-op Ctx was considerably better tolerated than post-op Ctx and led to fewer Tx cessations. We found a better PFS for pts with >4 mo of periop Ctx, as well as OS was affected by a shorter duration of periop Ctx.

The feasibility, usability, and clinical utility of traditional paper food and symptom journals for patients with irritable bowel syndrome

BACKGROUND

Paper food and gastrointestinal (GI) symptom journals are used to help irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients determine potential trigger foods. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, usability, and clinical utility of such journals as a data collection tool. A secondary aim was to explore a method for analyzing journal data to describe patterns of diet and symptoms.

METHODS

Participants (N=17) were asked to log three sets of 3-day food and symptom journals over a 15-day period. Feasibility was evaluated by journal completion rates, symptom logging compliance, and logging fatigability. The feasibility, usability, and clinical utility of journaling were also assessed by a customized evaluation and exit interview. For each journal, regression analyses were conducted to examine relationships between key meal nutrients and subsequent symptoms.

KEY RESULTS

Most participants were young (mean age 35±12) Caucasian (N=13) women (N=14). Journal completion rates were 100% for all participants with no logging fatigability. Over half perceived paper journaling of food and symptoms as feasible, usable, and clinically useful. Thirteen participants demonstrated a strong association with at least one symptom and meal nutrient. Patterns of associations differed among participants.

CONCLUSIONS AND INFERENCES

Paper journaling of food and GI symptoms for 9 days over a 15-day period appeared to be a feasible and usable data collection tool for IBS patients. Over half perceived journaling as at least somewhat clinically useful. Findings from this study support the anecdote that food trigger(s) and associated symptom(s) vary for each individual.

High sensitivity far infrared laser diagnostics for the C-2U advanced beam-driven field-reversed configuration plasmas

A high sensitivity multi-channel far infrared laser diagnostics with switchable interferometry and polarimetry operation modes for the advanced neutral beam-driven C-2U field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasmas is described. The interferometer achieved superior resolution of 1 × 10¹⁶ m^-2 at >1.5 MHz bandwidth, illustrated by measurement of small amplitude high frequency fluctuations. The polarimetry achieved 0.04° instrument resolution and 0.1° actual resolution in the challenging high density gradient environment with >0.5 MHz bandwidth, making it suitable for weak internal magnetic field measurements in the C-2U plasmas, where the maximum Faraday rotation angle is less than 1°. The polarimetry resolution data is analyzed, and high resolution Faraday rotation data in C-2U is presented together with direct evidences of field reversal in FRC magnetic structure obtained for the first time by a non-perturbative method.

Many hands make overlooked work: Over-claiming of responsibility increases with group size

Logically, group members cannot be responsible for more than 100% of the group's output, yet claims of responsibility routinely sum to more than 100%. This "over-claiming" occurs partly because of egocentrism: People focus on their own contributions, as focal members of the group, more than on others' contributions. Therefore, we predicted that over-claiming would increase with group size because larger groups leave more contributions from others to overlook. In 2 field studies, participants claimed more responsibility as the number of academic authors per article and the number of MBA students per study group increased. As predicted by our theoretical account, this over-claiming bias was reduced when group members considered others' contributions explicitly. Two experiments that directly manipulated group size replicated these results. Members of larger groups may be particularly well advised to consider other members' contributions before considering their own. (PsycINFO Database Record