Force modulation: A behavioural marker of mind-wandering.

It is known that the Metronome Response Task (MRT)-one of the most used mind-wandering sampling paradigms, struggles to differentiate between spontaneous mind-wandering (wherein one's attention is uncontrollably shifted away from the task at hand) and deliberate mind-wandering (wherein one's attention is purposefully shifted away). Thus, we endeavoured to design and test a new mind-wandering measure, called the In Sync Task (IST), that can achieve such differentiation more readily. Unlike the MRT, which involves having participants click in sync (using a mouse) with rhythmically presented, auditory monotones, the IST requires participants to (1) click in sync with tone triplets that increase incrementally in loudness and (2) modulate their clicking force to the presented tone's loudness. Here, we measured (1) participants' variabilities in their rhythmic response times (as is the MRT) and (2) their consistency in appropriately modulating their clicking force. Across two separate samples of university students (n = 119 and n = 121) collected between June 2022 to February 2023, we showed performance differences between the mind-wandering subtypes. Specifically, participants were better able to modulate their clicking force during epochs of spontaneous, compared with deliberate, mind-wandering, whereas the MRT was unable to differentiate between these conditions. In sum, we show that there appear to be greater costs to performance when one deliberately mind-wanders, as opposed to spontaneously mind-wandering.

Single fluorophore melting curve analysis for detection of hypervirulent Clostridium difficile.

This study demonstrates a novel detection assay able to identify and subtype strains of Clostridium difficile. Primers carefully designed for melting curve analysis amplify DNA from three C. difficile genes, tcdB, tcdC and cdtB, during quantitative (q)PCR. The tcdB gene allows for confirmation of organism presence, whilst the tcdC and cdtB genes allow for differentiation of virulence status, as deletions in the tcdC gene and the concurrent presence of the cdtB gene, which produces binary toxin, are associated with hypervirulence. Following qPCR, subtyping is then achieved by automated, inline melting curve analysis using only a single intercalating dye and verified by microchip electrophoresis. This assay represents a novel means of distinguishing between toxigenic and hypervirulent C. difficile strains NAP1/027/BI and 078 ribotype, which are highly prevalent hypervirulent strains in humans. This methodology can help rapidly detect and identify C. difficile strains that impose a significant health and economic burden in hospitals and other healthcare settings.