Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distinct roles of forward and backward alpha-band waves in spatial visual attention

Previous research has associated alpha-band [8-12Hz] oscillations with inhibitory functions (Klimesch et al., 2007; Jensen and Mazaheri, 2010): for instance, several studies showed that visual attention increases alpha-band power in the hemisphere ipsilateral to the attended location (Thut et al., 2006; Händel et al., 2011). However, other studies demonstrated that alpha oscillations positively correlate with visual perception (Busch et al., 2009; Vanrullen and MacDonald, 2012), hinting at different processes underlying their dynamics. Here, using an approach based on traveling waves, we demonstrate that there are two functionally distinct alpha-band oscillations propagating in different directions. We analyzed EEG recordings from two datasets of human participants (N=32, both genders) performing a covert visual attention task. Participants were instructed to detect a brief target by covertly attending to the screen’s left or right side. Our analysis reveals two distinct processes: allocating attention to one hemifield increases top-down alpha-band waves propagating from frontal to occipital regions ipsilateral to the attended location, both with or without visual stimulation. These top-down oscillatory waves correlate positively with alpha-band power in frontal and occipital regions. Yet, different alpha-band waves propagate from occipital to frontal regions and contralateral to the attended location. Crucially, these forward waves were present only during visual stimulation, suggesting a separate mechanism related to visual processing. Together, these results reveal two distinct processes reflected by different propagation directions, demonstrating the importance of considering oscillations as traveling waves when characterizing their functional role.
Upregulation of TLR4/MyD88 pathway in alcohol-induced Wernicke’s encephalopathy: Findings in preclinical models and in a postmortem human case

Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE) is a neurologic disease caused by vitamin B1 or thiamine deficiency (TD), being the alcohol use disorder (AUD) its main risk factor. WE patients present limiting motor, cognitive and emotional alterations related to a selective cerebral vulnerability. Neuroinflammation has been proposed as one of the phenomena contributing to brain damage. Our previous studies provide evidence for the involvement of the innate immune receptor Toll-like (TLR) 4 in the inflammatory response induced in the frontal cortex and cerebellum in TD animal models (animals fed with TD diet and receiving pyrithiamine). However, the effects of the combination of chronic alcohol consumption and TD on TLR4 and their specific contribution to the pathogenesis of WE are currently unknown. Additionally, no studies on TLR4 have been conducted on WE patients since brains from these patients are difficult to achieve. Here, we used rat models of chronic alcohol (CA; 9 months of forced consumption of 20% (w/v) alcohol), TD hit (TDD; TD diet + daily 0.25 mg/kg i.p. pyrithiamine during 12 days), or a combined treatment (CA+TDD) to check the activation of the proinflammatory TLR4/MyD88 pathway and related markers in the frontal cortex and the cerebellum. In addition, we characterized for the first time the TLR4 and its co-receptor MyD88 signature, along with other markers of this proinflammatory signaling such as phospo-NFκB p65 and IκBα, in the post-mortem human frontal cortex and cerebellum (gray and white matter) of an alcohol-induced WE patient, comparing it with negative (no disease) and positive (aged brain with Alzheimer’s disease) control subjects for neuroinflammation. We found an increase in the cortical TLR4 and its adaptor molecule MyD88, together with an upregulation of the proinflammatory signaling molecules p-NF-ĸB and IĸBα in the CA+TDD animal model. In the patient diagnosed with alcohol-induced WE we observed cortical and cerebellar upregulation of the TLR4/MyD88 pathway. Thus, our findings provide evidence, both in the animal model and the human postmortem brain, of the upregulation of the TLR4/MyD88 proinflammatory pathway in WE related to alcohol consumption.
Context and Domain Matter: The Error-Related Negativity in Peer Presence Predicts Fear of Negative Evaluation, not Global Social Anxiety, in Adolescents

Background Social anxiety symptoms are most likely to emerge during adolescence, a developmental window marked by heightened concern over peer evaluation. However, the neurocognitive mechanism(s) underlying adolescent social anxiety remain unclear. Emerging work points to the error-related negativity (ERN) as a potential neural marker of exaggerated self/error-monitoring in social anxiety, particularly for errors committed in front of peers.However, social anxiety symptoms are marked by heterogeneity and it remains unclear exactly what domain(s) of social anxiety symptoms are associated with ERN variation in peer presence, particularly within the adolescent period. Methods To advance and deepen the mechanistic understanding of the ERN’s putative role as a neural marker for social anxiety in adolescence, we leveraged a social manipulation procedure and assessed a developmentally-salient domain of social anxiety during adolescence—Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE). Adolescents residing in Hanzhong, a small city in the southwestern region of mainland China, had EEG recorded while performing a flanker task, twice (peer presence/absence); FNE, as well as global social anxiety symptoms were assessed. Results Overall ERN increases in peer presence. FNE specifically, but not global levels of social anxiety symptoms, predicted ERN in peer presence. Conclusions These data are the first demonstration that the ERN relates to a specific domain of social anxiety in adolescents, as well as the first evidence of such relations within a non-WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic) sample. Results have important implications for theory and research into adolescent social anxiety.
The Rab GTPase Ypt1p governs the activation of Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by promoting the preferential nuclear degradation of pre-HAC1 mRNA

Induction of unfolded protein response (UPR) involves activation of transcription factor Hac1p that facilitates the transactivation of genes encoding ER-chaperones. Hac1p is encoded by HAC1 pre-mRNA harboring an intron and a bipartite element (BE) at its 3′-UTR. This precursor RNA undergoes a reversible and differential intra-nuclear mRNA decay by the nuclear exosome/CTEXT at various phases of UPR. In this investigation, using a combination of genetic, and biochemical approach, the Rab-GTPase Ypt1p is demonstrated to control UPR signaling dynamics. Regulation of UPR by Ypt1p relies on its characteristic nuclear localization in absence of ER-stress resulting in its strong association with pre-HAC1 mRNA at its 3′-UTR that promotes sequential recruitments of Nrd1-Nab3p-Sen1p (NNS) complex → CTEXT → the nuclear exosome onto the pre-HAC1 mRNA that is accompanied by its rapid and selective nuclear decay. This accelerated 3′→5′ mRNA decay produces a pre-HAC1 mRNA pool lacking the functional BE thus causing its inefficient targeting to Ire1p foci leading to their diminished splicing and translation. ER stress triggers a rapid relocalization of Ypt1p to the cytoplasm with its consequent dissociation from pre-HAC1 mRNA thereby causing a decreased recruitment of NNS/exosome/CTEXT to precursor HAC1 RNA leading to its diminished 3′→5′ degradation by the exosome. This diminished decay produces an increased abundance of pre-HAC1 mRNA population with intact functional BE leading to its enhanced recruitment to Ire1p foci that is followed by its increased splicing and translation. This enhanced translation produces a huge burst of Hac1p that rapidly transactivates the genes encoding ER-chaperones.
The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of 4-methylumbelliferone and its glucuronide metabolite in mice

Hyaluronan (HA) is an extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycan, with important roles in chronic inflammation, cancer and autoimmunity. 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU), a small molecule inhibitor of HA synthases, is widely used to study HAs interactions with the surrounding tissues and the immune cells. There is substantial experimental and therapeutic interest in using oral 4-MU to inhibit HA synthesis, but pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data on treatment routes have been lacking. Moreover, it recently became clear that the main metabolite of 4-MU, 4-methlyumbelliferyl glucuronide (4-MUG), is bioactive. We therefore sought to define the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of 4-MU and its active metabolite 4-MUG in mice. Single dose mouse studies showed that 4-MU administered intravenously (i.v.) resulted in 100-fold higher 4-MU exposure compared to oral (p.o.) administration. The 4-MU ratio AUC i.v. /AUC p.o. was 96/1. 4-MUG exposures were much higher than 4-MU exposures after both 4-MU i.v. and p.o. administration, but only small differences in 4-MUG exposure were seen after 4-MU i.v. versus p.o. administration. The 4-MUG metabolite was also administered as a single dose both i.v. and p.o. and showed a 25.9% bioavailability. Compared to 4-MUG p.o. dosing, 1.14 higher 4-MUG exposures were seen after 4-MU p.o. dosing. 4-MU exposure after 4-MUG p.o. administration was minimal but similar to 4-MU exposure after 4-MU p.o. administration. In mice treated for several weeks with 4-MU in chow, the 4-MU concentration immediately drops after treatment was stopped, whereas the 4-MUG concentration showed a peak 1 hour after treatment stop. In a build-up study, 4-MU and 4-MUG treatment in mice lead to a plateau of 4-MU concentration starting at 4 days post treatment start. These 4-MU and 4-MUG concentration findings in vivo will inform future clinical studies and experimental work with 4-MU.
Dual-tasking reveals the attentional cost of resolving sensory conflict induced by perturbed optic flow during treadmill walking

: The precise role of cognitive control in the processing of optic flow has been rarely investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to determine whether coping with unreliable visual inputs during walking requires cognitive resources. Twenty-four healthy young adults walked on an instrumented treadmill in a virtual environment under two optic flow conditions: normal (congruent) and perturbed (continuous mediolateral pseudo-random oscillations). Each condition was performed under single-task and dual-task conditions of increasing difficulty (1, 2-, 3-back). Foot placement kinematics (200 Hz) and surface electromyography (EMG) of soleus and gluteus medius (1000 Hz) were recorded. Means, standard deviations (variability), statistical persistence and step-to-step error correction were computed from gait time series in lateral and anteroposterior directions. For EMG variables, duration and variability of muscle activation were calculated from the full width at half maximum (FWHM) and the variance ratio, respectively. N-back task performance was expressed by the d prime and response time. Cognitive performance decreased as cognitive load increased (p<.001) but remained preserved under dual-task walking. Kinematics variability and EMG variance ratio increased under optic flow perturbation (p<.001). However, dual-tasking reduced the impact of the optic flow disturbance on the kinematics variability. Persistence of step width and antipersistence of step velocity decreased as cognitive load increased. Lastly, FWHM of soleus muscle increased with dual-task (p=.01). The results indicated that cognitive dual-tasking decreased the optic flow effect, demonstrating that resolving conflicting visual cues was attentionally costly. Also, in dual-task conditions, individuals adopted a rigid and controlled walking pattern in order to succeed N-back task.
Assessing Water and Energy Budgets for the Saskatchewan River Basin( Coordinated Enhanced Observing Period(CEOP))

The Saskatchewan River Basin (SRB) in Canada is one of the most important agricultural regions for the country. Despite the critical dependency of the region’s agricultural and societal activities to climate variability and change, no comprehensive water and energy budget assessment has yet been developed for this drought-prone region. This study represents the first attempt at developing a comprehensive climatology of water and energy budgets for the SRB. Different observed, remotely-sensed, (re-)analyzed and modeled datasets were used to obtain independent estimates of the budgets. In particular, flux measurements from the Boreal Ecosystem Research and Monitoring Sites (BERMS) Coordinated Enhanced Observing Period (CEOP) reference site provide valuable validation data for the surface flux assessments. Budget results for the SRB are compared to those assessed for the Mackenzie River Basin to gain insights into the differences in water and energy cycling, and challenges in their quantifications, for these two neighboring major basins in North America. Apart from the development of state-of-the-art budget estimates for the SRB, the relative merits of current models, data assimilation systems and global blended datasets in representing aspects of the water and energy cycle of this semi-arid region were also assessed. Although some of the assessed component budgets compared quite well with observations, magnitudes of the residuals in balancing the budgets are often comparable to the budget terms themselves in all the analysis datasets, suggesting that substantial improvements to the models and observations are needed before we can vastly improve the assessment of water and energy budgets for the region.
Predator-Prey Interactions Give Rise to Scale-Invariant Ecosystems

A large body of empirical evidence has shown that scaling laws and power-law distributions are ubiquitous features of ecological systems. However, it is not clear what factors give rise to such universal regularities and how scaling laws and scale-invariant distributions relate to each other. Here, I show scaling laws can be a simple consequence of scale-invariant distributions, and both result from simple commonalities of apparently different ecosystems. I introduce a simple model of predator-prey interactions in which predators and prey move on a two-dimensional space in search of resources that they use to survive and reproduce. The model predicts predator-prey systems can be found in different phases: as primary resources increase, the system exhibits a series of consecutive transitions to different phases with equilibrium dynamics and top-down control of the food web, non-equilibrium dynamics with bottom-up control, or unstable dynamics. While unstable predator-prey dynamics can result in a homogeneous environment by enrichment of resources, resource heterogeneity restores the stability of the system. Scale-invariant group size distribution and a rich set of scaling laws result in the non-equilibrium phase. By developing a general theory, I argue scaling laws can result from the scale-invariance of group size distributions under broad conditions. While some of the scaling laws predicted by the model await empirical examination, consistently with a recently discovered empirical pattern, the model shows predator abundance and prey production show a sublinear scaling with prey abundance. The model links the nature of the control in the food web, prey’s and predators’ behavioral responses to each other, and their life histories. While in small densities, mass-action law holds, and a weak density dependence and top-down control follows, in large densities, a shelter effect - the benefit of living in groups for preys - plays a role and makes prey production non-invariant to density fluctuations. Due to higher density fluctuations in higher densities, prey per-capita production in large densities decreases. This leads to a longer lifespan and lower population turnover of prey, and a scale-invariant ecosystem with bottom-up control in large densities.
Polar firn properties in Greenland and Antarctica and related effects on microwave brightness temperatures

Abstract. In studying the mass balance of polar ice sheets, fluctuations in firn density near the surface is a major uncertainty. In this paper, we explore these variations at locations on the Greenland Ice Sheet and at the Dome C location in Antarctica. Borehole in situ measurements, snow radar echoes, microwave brightness temperatures, and modeling results from the Community Firn Model (CFM) are used. It is shown that firn density profiles can be represented using three processes: “long-scale” and “short-scale” density variations and “refrozen layers”. Consistency with this description is observed in the dynamic range of airborne 0.5–2 GHz brightness temperatures and snow radar echo peaks in measurements performed in Greenland in 2017. Based on these insights, a new analytical partially coherent model is implemented to explain the microwave brightness temperatures using the three-scale description of the firn. Short- and long-scale firn processes are modeled as a 3D continuous random medium with finite vertical and horizontal correlation lengths as opposed to past 1D randomly layered medium descriptions. Refrozen layers are described as deterministic sheets with planar interfaces, with the number of refrozen-layer interfaces determined by radar observations. Firn density and correlation length parameters used in forward modeling to match measured 0.5–2 GHz brightness temperatures in Greenland show consistency with similar parameters in CFM predictions. Model predictions also are in good agreement with multi-angle 1.4 GHz vertically and horizontally polarized brightness temperature measured by the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite at Dome C, Antarctica. This work shows that co-located active and passive microwave measurements can be used to infer polar firn properties that can be compared with predictions of the CFM. In particular, 0.5–2 GHz brightness temperature measurements are shown to be sensitive to long-scale firn density fluctuations with density standard deviations in the range of 0.01–0.06 g cm−3 and vertical correlation lengths of 6–20 cm.
Machine Learning based Condition Monitoring for SiC MOSFETs in Hydrokinetic Turbine Systems

This work demonstrates a machine learning (ML) based condition monitoring system for silicon carbide MOSFETs in a hydrokinetic turbine (HKT) energy conversion system. In this application, the power electronics are underwater, and their maintenance is challenging and expensive. At the device level, MOSFET on-state resistance ($R_{dson}$) can be monitored to track MOSFET degradation. Conventionally, the variation in $R_{dson}$ with temperature is compensated for by explicit measurement or estimation of junction temperature $T_{J}$, which can be difficult to implement. Instead, in the proposed system, $R_{dson}$ load and temperature dependencies are accounted for via a ML model of the system, which first predicts the $R_{dson}$ of a healthy MOSFET given the system operating conditions, and then this prediction of healthy $R_{dson}$ is compared to the actual $R_{dson}$ measurement, with the difference tracking the change in $R_{dson}$ due to degradation. This ML based method is particularly advantageous for the HKT system, since the dynamics of the electrical and thermal systems as well as their variation with water speed or temperature do not need to be modeled. The proposed condition monitoring (CM) systems using this ML approach are demonstrated by simulation and experimental testing.
A cross-sectional survey: Exploring future healthcare workers' intention to use cannabis through extended theory of planned behavior

Cannabis is the most extensively abused drug, leading to multiple health burdens such as traffic accidents and psychosis. There is a global wave of legalization of recreational and medical cannabis. This study aimed to understand future healthcare workers' intention to use cannabis through extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). An online cross-sectional survey on cannabis, including validated survey tools and questions on demographics, knowledge, and constructs of the TPB was designed, and distributed during virtual classes in late 2020. Responses were obtained from the Faculty of Medicine of a local university. Nine hundred ninety-six responses were collected, of which 629 were complete and analysed. Age was the only demographic variable associated with cannabis use intention (p = 0.029). Respondents with intention had better knowledge of cannabis. All TPB and additional constructs, including perceived behavioral control (COR = 3.44, 95% CI 2.72–4.35, p < 0.001), descriptive norm (COR = 2.24, 95% CI 1.81–2.77, p < 0.001), injunctive norm (COR = 0.51, 95% CI 0.42–0.61, p < 0.001), attitude (COR = 1.23, 95% CI 1.18–1.28, p < 0.001), knowledge (COR = 1.08, 95% CI 1.03–1.14), and perceived availability (COR = 2.75, 95% CI 2.22–3.40, p < 0.001) were individually associated with intention. In the final multiple logistic regression model adjusted for age, only attitude (AOR = 1.19, 95% CI 1.13–1.25, p < 0.001) and perceived availability (p = 0.004) showed statistically significant associations with intention. Descriptive norm (standardized coefficient = 0.570) had better explanatory power than the injunctive norm (standardized coefficient = −0.143) in the model. Perceived behavioral control was associated with intention among respondents with negative to neutral attitudes towards cannabis (AOR = 2.48, 95% CI 1.63–3.77, p < 0.001), but not among those with positive attitudes. All TPB constructs positively correlated with the intention to use cannabis. Changing the attitudes and perceived control on cannabis use may be useful in preventing cannabis use.
Transcriptome analysis of the 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D)-tolerant cotton chromosome substitution line CS-B15sh and its susceptible parental lines G. hirsutum L. cv. Texas Marker-1 and G. barbadense L. cv. Pima 379

The cotton chromosome substitution line, CS-B15sh, exhibits 41% lower injury from 2,4-D when applied at the field recommended rate of 1.12 kg ae ha−1 (1×) than does Texas Marker-1 (TM-1). CS-B15sh was developed in the genetic background of Gossypium hirsutum L. cv TM-1 and has chromosome introgression on the short arm of chromosome 15 from Gossypium barbadense L. cv. Pima 379. In a previous experiment, we observed reduced translocation of [14C]2,4-D outside the treated leaf tissue in CS-B15sh, which contrasted with an increased translocation of the herbicide in the tissues above and below the treated leaf in TM-1. Our results indicate a potential 2,4-D tolerance mechanism in CS-B15sh involving altered movement of 2,4-D. Here, we used RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to determine the differential expression of genes between 2,4-D-challenged and control plants of the tolerant (CS-B15sh) and susceptible lines (TM-1 and Pima 379). Several components of the 2,4-D/auxin-response pathway—including ubiquitin E3 ligase, PB1|AUX/IAA, ARF transcription factors, and F-box proteins of the SCFTIR1/AFB complex—were upregulated with at least threefold higher expression in TM-1 compared with CS-B15sh, while both Pima 379 and TM-1 showed the same fold change expression for PB1|AUX/IAA mRNA. Some genes associated with herbicide metabolism, including flavin monooxygenase (Gohir.A01G174100) and FAD-linked oxidase (Gohir.D06G002600), exhibited at least a twofold increase in CS-B15sh than in TM-1 (the gene was not expressed in Pima 379), suggesting a potential relationship between the gene’s expression and 2,4-D tolerance. It is interesting to note that glutathione S-transferase was differentially expressed in both CS-B15sh and Pima 379 but not in TM-1, while cytochrome P450 and other genes involved in the oxidation–reduction process were significantly expressed only in CS-B15sh in response to 2,4-D. Gene set enrichment analysis on the union DEGs of the three cotton genotypes revealed the depletion of transcripts involved in photosynthesis and enrichment of transcripts involved in ABA response and signaling.