Evaluation of an Alternative Small Stem Assay for Blight Resistance in American, Chinese, and Hybrid Chestnuts (Castanea spp.).

We tested an alternative small stem assay (SSA) for blight resistance in chestnuts (Castanea spp.). Whereas standard SSAs are done by inoculating small incisions in stems, we cut off stems (4 to 5 mm diameter), inoculated the cut ends with discs of Cryphonectria parasitica inoculum, and covered them with plastic sleeves. This method was designed to be simple to implement, to consistently induce cankering, and to better enable seedlings to recover by developing shoots from the lower stem (standard SSAs delay removal of blighted stems until late in the growing season, if at all). We conducted six experiments with seedlings and orchard trees of Castanea dentata (susceptible), Castanea mollissima (resistant), and hybrids expected to vary in resistance. Experiments with seedlings and two of the three orchard experiments showed clear differentiation between susceptible and resistant types, especially >90 days postinoculation and when the orange-colored zone of the canker was measured. One orchard experiment failed to give clear results but was ended earlier (60 days) than the other experiments. We observed only two failed inoculations out of >200 performed. Comparisons with other studies suggest that this SSA method performs at least as well as the standard SSA method in distinguishing resistant and susceptible types, at least in seedlings. Survivorship after 1 year for seedlings inoculated in 2018 ranged from 70% for C. dentata to 100% for C. mollissima, and in 2019 they ranged from 40% in hybrids to 100% for C. mollissima. Deaths of seedlings after SSAs were mostly unrelated to the inoculations (e.g., root rot).

Perspective-taking influences attentional deployment towards facial expressions of pain: an eye-tracking study.

Empathetic perspective-taking (PT) may be critical in modulating attention and associated responses to another's pain. However, the differential effects of imagining oneself to be in the pain sufferer's situation ("Self-perspective") or imagining the negative impacts on the pain sufferer's experience ("Other-perspective") on attention have not been studied. The effects of observer PT (Self vs Other) and level of facial pain expressiveness (FPE) upon attention to another person's pain was investigated. Fifty-two adults were assigned to 1 of 3 PT conditions; they were instructed to view pairs of pain expressions and neutral faces and either (1) consider their own feelings (Self-perspective), (2) consider the feelings of the person in the picture (Other-perspective), or (3) received no further instructions (Control). Eye movements provided indices of early (probability and duration of first fixation) and later (total gaze duration) attentional deployment. Pain faces were more likely to be fixated upon first. A significant first fixation duration bias towards pain was observed, which increased with increasing levels of FPE, and was higher in the Self-PT than the Control condition. The proportion of total gaze duration on pain faces was higher in both experimental conditions than the Control condition. This effect was moderated by FPE in the Self-PT condition; there was a significant increase from low to high FPE. When observers attend to another's facial display of pain, top-down influences (such as PT) and bottom-up influences (such as sufferer's FPE) interact to control deployment and maintenance of attention.

The relative effectiveness of psychotherapeutic techniques and delivery modalities for chronic pain: a protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Introduction: There is increasing evidence for the use of psychotherapies, including cognitive behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and mindfulness based stress reduction therapy, as an approach to management of chronic pain. Similarly, online psychotherapeutic interventions have been shown to be efficacious, and to arguably overcome practical barriers associated with traditional face-to-face treatment for chronic pain. This is a protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis aiming to evaluate and rank psychotherapies (delivered in person and online) for chronic pain patients. Methods/ design: Four databases, namely the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO will be searched from inception. Randomised controlled trials that have evaluated psychological interventions for pain management delivered online or in person will be included in the review. Data will be independently extracted in duplicate and the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool will be used to assess study quality. Measures of pain interference will be extracted as the primary outcome and measures of psychological distress will be extracted as the secondary outcome. A network meta-analysis will generate indirect comparisons of psychotherapies across treatment trials. Rankings of psychotherapies for chronic pain will be made available.   Discussion: A variety of psychotherapies, delivered both online and in person, have been used in an attempt to help manage chronic pain. Although occasional head to head trials have been conducted, little evidence exists to help identify which psychotherapy is most effective in reducing pain interference. The current review will address this gap in the literature and compare the psychotherapies used for internet delivered and in person interventions for chronic pain in relation to the reduction of pain interference and psychological distress. Results will provide a guide for clinicians when determining treatment course and will inform future research into psychotherapies for chronic pain. PROSPERO registration: CRD42016048518 01/11/16.

An exploration of compassion focused therapy following acquired brain injury.

BACKGROUND: People with acquired brain injuries (ABI) frequently experience psychological difficulties such as anxiety and depression, which may be underpinned and maintained by high self-criticism and shame alongside an inability to self-soothe. Compassionate focused therapy (CFT) was developed to address shame and self-criticism and foster the ability to self-soothe. OBJECTIVES: This is a naturalistic evaluation with the aim of assessing the feasibility, safety, and potential value of CFT for ABI patients with emotional difficulties receiving neuropsychological rehabilitation. METHODS: This study employed a mixed methods design combining self-report measures and qualitative interviews. Twelve patients received a combination of CFT group and individual intervention. Self-report measures of self-criticism, self-reassurance, and symptoms of anxiety and depression were collected pre and post programme and analysed using Wilcoxon signed rank test (N=12; five female, seven males). Follow-up data were analysed in the same manner (N=9). Interviews were conducted with six patients and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. RESULTS: CFT was associated with significant reductions in measures of self-criticism, anxiety, and depression and an increase in the ability to reassure the self. No adverse effects were reported. Three superordinate themes emerged from the interviews: psychological difficulties; developing trust and finding safeness; and a new approach. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that CFT is well accepted in ABI survivors within the context of neuropsychological rehabilitation. Furthermore, the results indicate that further research into CFT for psychological problems after ABI is needed and that there may be key aspects, which are specific to CFT intervention, which could reduce psychological difficulties after ABI. PRACTITIONER POINTS: CFT appears to be a feasible intervention for psychological problems after ABI. CFT was associated with a reduction in symptoms of anxiety and depression and associated self-criticism, as well as enhanced self-reassurance for ABI survivors. These ABI survivors reported that CFT provided them with tools to manage continued psychological difficulties.

Motion and actions in language: semantic representations in occipito-temporal cortex.

Understanding verbs typically activates posterior temporal regions and, in some circumstances, motion perception area V5. However, the nature and role of this activation remains unclear: does language alone indeed activate V5? And are posterior temporal representations modality-specific motion representations, or supra-modal motion-independent event representations? Here, we address these issues by investigating human and object motion sentences compared to corresponding state descriptions. We adopted the blank screen paradigm, which is known to encourage visual imagery, and used a localizer to identify V5 and temporal structures responding to motion. Analyses in each individual brain suggested that language modulated activity in the posterior temporal lobe but not within V5 in most participants. Moreover, posterior temporal structures strongly responded to both motion sentences and human static sentences. These results suggest that descriptive language alone need not recruit V5 and instead engages more schematic event representations in temporal cortex encoding animacy and motion.

Group physical therapy for veterans with knee osteoarthritis: study design and methodology.

Physical therapy (PT) is a key component of treatment for knee osteoarthritis (OA) and can decrease pain and improve function. Given the expected rise in prevalence of knee OA and the associated demand for treatment, there is a need for models of care that cost-effectively extend PT services for patients with this condition. This manuscript describes a randomized clinical trial of a group-based physical therapy program that can potentially extend services to more patients with knee OA, providing a greater number of sessions per patient, at lower staffing costs compared to traditional individual PT. Participants with symptomatic knee OA (n = 376) are randomized to either a 12-week group-based PT program (six 1 h sessions, eight patients per group, led by a physical therapist and physical therapist assistant) or usual PT care (two individual visits with a physical therapist). Participants in both PT arms receive instruction in an exercise program, information on joint care and protection, and individual consultations with a physical therapist to address specific functional and therapeutic needs. The primary outcome is the Western Ontario and McMasters Universities Osteoarthritis Index (self-reported pain, stiffness, and function), and the secondary outcome is the Short Physical Performance Test Protocol (objective physical function). Outcomes are assessed at baseline and 12-week follow-up, and the primary outcome is also assessed via telephone at 24-week follow-up to examine sustainability of effects. Linear mixed models will be used to compare outcomes for the two study arms. An economic cost analysis of the PT interventions will also be conducted.

Why are you angry with me? Facial expressions of threat influence perception of gaze direction.

Gaze direction can influence the processing of facial expressions. Angry faces are judged more angry when displaying a direct gaze compared to an averted gaze. We investigated whether facial expressions have a reciprocal influence on the perception of gaze. Participants judged the gaze of angry, fearful and neutral faces across a range of gaze directions. Angry faces were perceived as looking at the observer over a wider range than were fearful or neutral faces, which did not significantly differ. This effect was eliminated when presenting inverted faces, suggesting these results cannot be accounted for by differences in visible eye information. Our findings suggest the existence of a reciprocal influence between gaze direction and angry expressions.