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Abstract Background Hypnotic susceptibility is one of the stable characteristics of individuals, but not closely related to the personality traits such as those measured by the five-factor model in the general population. Whether it is related to the personality disorder functioning styles remains unanswered. Methods In 77 patients with personality disorders and 154 healthy volunteers, we administered the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale: Form C (SHSSC) and the Parker Personality Measure (PERM) tests. Results Patients with personality disorders showed higher passing rates on SHSSC Dream and Posthypnotic Amnesia items. No significant correlation was found in healthy volunteers. In the patients however, SHSSC Taste hallucination (β = 0.26) and Anosmia to Ammonia (β = -0.23) were significantly correlated with the PERM Borderline style; SHSSC Posthypnotic Amnesia was correlated with the PERM Schizoid style (β = 0.25) but negatively the PERM Narcissistic style (β = -0.23). Conclusions Our results provide limited evidence that could help to understand the abnormal cognitions in personality disorders, such as their hallucination and memory distortions.

Plant receptor-like kinases (RLKs) control the initiation, development, and maintenance of symbioses with beneficial mycorrhizal fungi and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Carbohydrate perception activates symbiosis signaling via Lysin-motif RLKs and subsequently the common symbiosis signaling pathway. As the receptors activated are often also immune receptors in multiple species, exactly how carbohydrate identities avoid immune activation and drive symbiotic outcome is still not fully understood. This may involve the coincident detection of additional signaling molecules that provide specificity. Because of the metabolic costs of supporting symbionts, the level of symbiosis development is fine-tuned by a range of local and mobile signals that are activated by various RLKs. Beyond early, precontact symbiotic signaling, signal exchanges ensue throughout infection, nutrient exchange, and turnover of symbiosis. Here, we review the latest understanding of plant symbiosis signaling from the perspective of RLK-mediated pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A product service system composed of products, services, hardware and software support, and stakeholders enhances the added value and competitiveness of products through resource integration. To reduce the input in servitization and improve feasibility, manufacturers tend to construct a product service system based on existing products to meet the demands of customers, instead of constructing a completely new product service system. Therefore, this article presents a spiral evolutionary design method to construct a product service system based on existing products. With the ultimate goal of the system evolution being the maximization of the use of existing products while satisfying the demands of customers, the system performance will be spirally upgraded under the guidance of the system evolution chain through the operation of the system symbiotic ring. The construction of a mobile fire extinguishing product service system based on existing fire-fighting equipment was used as an example to illustrate the feasibility of this methodology. Finally, a feasibility evaluation system was established to evaluate and compare the previous product service system methodologies with the methodology in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs are generally used to detect respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants. However, midturbinate (MT) swabs may provide comparable results. In this study, we enrolled hospitalized infants aged <24 months with RSV and collected NP and MT swabs. The resulting viral loads measured by real-time reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction were similar. Most parents preferred MT swabs over NP swabs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sub-1-μs ultrafast-response buck converter utilizing improved analog-voltage-dynamic-estimation (AVDE) techniques is proposed in this letter to improve previous works. First, the improved AVDE controller uses a new pseudocurrent circuit and a new ramp generator to get low gain, wide bandwidth, wide dynamic range, and low equivalent series resistor $(R_{{\text{ESR}}})$. Second, the proposed converter has high performance, fast transient response, and low output voltage ripple. Third, the circuit does not need slope compensation so that it is very simple to implement. The switching frequency of the proposed buck converter is 1 MHz for nominal 3.3-V input and 0.8–2.5-V output range application. The experimental results prove that the proposed scheme improves the transient response within 1.2 μs and its maximum power efficiency can be up to 91.9%. The fastest transient time of the proposed converter is only 0.8 μs as the switching frequency is equal to 1 MHz. The settling time of the proposed converter is only within 0.8 cycle of the switching frequency. The maximum load current is 300 mA. The proposed buck converter has been fabricated with a commercial 0.35-μm CMOS 2P4M process, and the total chip area is about {1.46 \;\text{mm}\times 1.5} mm, including PADs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

* Perception of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) triggers distinct plant signalling responses for parallel establishment of symbiosis and induction of lateral root formation. Rice receptor kinase CHITIN ELICITOR RECEPTOR KINASE 1 (CERK1) and α/β-fold hydrolase DWARF14-LIKE (D14L) are involved in pre-symbiotic fungal perception. * After 6 wk post-inoculation with Rhizophagus irregularis, root developmental responses, fungal colonization and transcriptional responses were monitored in two independent cerk1 null mutants; a deletion mutant lacking D14L, and with D14L complemented as well as their respective wild-type cultivars (cv Nipponbare and Nihonmasari). * Here we show that although essential for symbiosis, D14L is dispensable for AMF-induced root architectural modulation, which conversely relies on CERK1. * Our results demonstrate uncoupling of symbiosis and the symbiotic root developmental signalling during pre-symbiosis with CERK1 required for AMF-induced root architectural changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some studies suggest that women with primary dysmenorrhea have distinct emotional or personality features. For example, they might exaggerate their responses to external stimuli, such as to intensity-increasing auditory stimuli. Fifteen women with primary dysmenorrhea and 15 healthy women were invited to undergo tests of the intensity dependence of auditory evoked potentials (IDAEP), the Functional and Emotional Measure of Dysmenorrhea, and the Plutchik-van Praag Depression Inventory. Study participants with dysmenorrhea showed higher Functional and Emotional scale scores and stronger IDAEP. Regarding the IDAEP generation, the source inversion of N1 and P2 disclosed the activated bilateral superior temporal gyri, medial and superior prefrontal gyri in all participants, and additionally, the middle frontal gyri in dysmenorrhea patients. We report a pronounced IDAEP in primary dysmenorrhea, which indicates the decreased cerebral serotonergic innervations and points to increased activations in the prefrontal and frontal areas in the disorder.Perspective: Using an IDAEP technique, the authors found decreased serotonergic innervation and altered cerebral activation in women with primary dysmenorrhea, which might offer some pharmacotherapeutic clues for the disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]