Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prestimulus alpha phase modulates visual temporal integration

When presented shortly after another, discrete pictures are naturally perceived as continuous. The neuronal mechanism underlying such continuous or discrete perception are not well understood. While continuous alpha oscillations are a candidate for orchestrating such neuronal mechanisms, recent evidence is mixed. In this study, we investigated the influence of prestimulus alpha oscillation on visual temporal perception. Specifically, we were interested whether prestimulus alpha phase modulates neuronal and perceptual processes underlying discrete or continuous perception. Participant had to report the location of a missing object in a visual temporal integration task, while simultaneously MEG data was recorded. Using source reconstruction, we evaluated local phase effects by contrasting phase angle values between correctly and incorrectly integrated trials. Our results show a phase opposition cluster between - 0.8 to - 0.5 s (relative to stimulus presentation) and between 6 - 20 Hz. These momentary phase angle values were correlated with behavioural performance and event related potential amplitude. There was no evidence that frequency defined a window of temporal integration. Significance Statement In light with the current debate if our visual perception is a rhythmic or discrete process, we give new insight to this debate. We investigated potential underling mechanism defining potential rhythmic perception and highlight the complexity of this process. This will help us further understand how our brain operates and processes incoming unimodal visual stimuli. In a visual temporal integration task, we were able to show that the incoming information were processed in rhythmic fashion. Our data supports the idea that the phase of prestimulus alpha oscillation modulates poststimulus visual processing by defining good and less good phases for early visual processes. We were not able to show that prestimulus alpha oscillation defines windows were two visual stimuli are integrated into one single event.
Investigating the mechanism of chloroplast singlet oxygen signaling in the Arabidopsis thaliana accelerated cell death 2 mutant

As sessile organisms, plants have evolved complex signaling mechanisms to sense stress and acclimate. This includes the use of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during dysfunctional photosynthesis to initiate signaling. One such ROS, singlet oxygen (1O2), can trigger retrograde signaling, chloroplast degradation, and programmed cell death. However, the signaling mechanisms are largely unknown. Several proteins (e.g., PUB4, OXI1, EX1) are proposed to play signaling roles across three Arabidopsis thaliana mutants that conditionally accumulate chloroplast 1O2 (fluorescent in blue light (flu), chlorina 1 (ch1), and plastid ferrochelatase 2 (fc2)). We previously demonstrated that these mutants reveal at least two chloroplast 1O2 signaling pathways (represented by flu and fc2/ch1). Here, we test if the 1O2-accumulating lesion mimic mutant, accelerated cell death 2 (acd2), also utilizes these pathways. The pub4-6 allele delayed lesion formation in acd2 and restored photosynthetic efficiency and biomass. Conversely, an oxi1 mutation had no measurable effect on these phenotypes. acd2 mutants were not sensitive to excess light (EL) stress, yet pub4-6 and oxi1 both conferred EL tolerance within the acd2 background, suggesting that EL-induced 1O2 signaling pathways are independent from spontaneous lesion formation. Thus, 1O2 signaling in acd2 may represent a third (partially overlapping) pathway to control cellular degradation.
Rapid and objective assessment of auditory temporal processing using dynamic amplitude-modulated stimuli

Auditory neural coding of speech-relevant temporal cues can be noninvasively probed using envelope following responses (EFRs), neural ensemble responses phase-locked to the stimulus amplitude envelope. EFRs emphasize different neural generators, such as the auditory brainstem or auditory cortex, by altering the temporal modulation rate of the stimulus. EFRs can be an important diagnostic tool to assess auditory neural coding deficits that go beyond traditional audiometric estimations. Existing approaches to measure EFRs use discrete amplitude modulated (AM) tones of varying modulation frequencies, which is time consuming and inefficient, impeding clinical translation. Here we present a faster and more efficient framework to measure EFRs across a range of AM frequencies using stimuli that dynamically vary in modulation rates, combined with spectrally specific analyses that offer optimal spectrotemporal resolution. EFRs obtained from several species (humans, Mongolian gerbils, Fischer-344 rats, and Cba/CaJ mice) showed robust, high-SNR tracking of dynamic AM trajectories (up to 800Hz in humans, and 1.4 kHz in rodents), with a fivefold decrease in recording time and thirtyfold increase in spectrotemporal resolution. EFR amplitudes between dynamic AM stimuli and traditional discrete AM tokens within the same subjects were highly correlated (94% variance explained) across species. Hence, we establish a time-efficient and spectrally specific approach to measure EFRs. These results could yield novel clinical diagnostics for precision audiology approaches by enabling rapid, objective assessment of temporal processing along the entire auditory neuraxis.
Spectral variation and pigmentary basis of ornamental and mimetic wing colour patches of swallowtail butterflies

Colours and colour patterns are extraordinarily diverse traits that are often used as visual signals. To test ecological and evolutionary drivers of these visual signals, a clear understanding of their nature and variation is necessary. Here we characterise variation in wing colouration of Asian mormon swallowtail butterflies (Papilio, subgenus Menelaides). These species exhibit two kinds of colour patches on largely black wings: creamy white/yellow/green patches that are presumably used as sexual ornaments, and pure white patches that are presumably used as mimetic signals. Using reflectance spectrophotometry we quantified spectral properties of black wing background and colour patches between sexes, wing surfaces and mimicry status. We discovered that brightness and saturation of the black background were less variable across sexes, wing surfaces and mimetic/non-mimetic status. However, colour contrast and saturation were higher on dorsal surfaces than on ventral surfaces, and colour contrast between the black background and colour patches was higher in males than in females. Colour patches in non-mimetic butterflies were brighter and more saturated across the whole colour spectrum compared to mimetic butterflies. These patterns of colour variations in relation to their putative functions suggest that: (a) colour patches on dorsal and ventral wing surfaces evolve independently to accommodate differential strengths of natural and sexual selection, (b) sexual ornaments are brighter in non-mimetic males but they also occur in all non-mimetic females, indicating mutual sexual selection on these ornaments, but which is stronger in males, and (c) mimetic male and female butterflies display less sexual contrast in colour patches, indicating relatively similar strength of mimetic selection. Thus, our study characterises colour variation in an extraordinary signal radiation on the wings of swallowtail butterflies, a model clade in ecology, evolution and genetics. Finally, using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS) we identified the pigment papiliochrome-II to be the chemical basis of the presumed sexual ornaments in mormon swallowtails.
Trade-off Between Resistance and Persistence in High Cell Density Escherichia Coli Cultures

Microbes experience high cell density in many environments that come with diverse resource limitations and stresses. However, high density physiology remains poorly understood. We utilized well-controlled culturing systems to grow wild-type and metabolically engineered Escherichia coli strains into high cell densities (50–80 g Cdry cell weight L-1) and determine the associated transcriptional dynamics. Knowledge-enriched machine-learning-based analytics reveal distinct stress-related gene expression patterns that are consistent with a fundamental trade-off between resistance and persistence. We suggest that this trade-off explains observed growth arrests in high-density cultures and that it results from the disruption of cellular homeostasis, due to reallocation of limited cellular resources from resistance functions towards maintenance requirements of engineered production pathways. This study deepens our understanding of high-density physiology and demonstrates its importance to fundamental biomanufacturing challenges.
Beyond comparison: Brillouin microscopy and AFM-based indentation reveal divergent insights into the mechanical profile of the murine retina

Mechanical tissue properties increasingly serve as pivotal phenotypic characteristics that are subject to change during development or pathological progression. The quantification of such material properties often relies on physical contact between a load-applying probe and an exposed sample surface. For most tissues, these requirements necessitate animal sacrifice, tissue dissection and sectioning. These invasive procedures bear the risk of yielding mechanical properties that do not portray the physiological mechanical state of a tissue within a functioning organism. Brillouin microscopy has emerged as a non-invasive, optical technique that allows to assess mechanical cell and tissue properties with high spatio-temporal resolution. In optically transparent specimens, this technique does not require animal sacrifice, tissue dissection or sectioning. However, the extent to which results obtained from Brillouin microscopy allow to infer conclusions about potential results obtained with a contact-based technique, and vice versa, is unclear. Potential sources for discrepancies include the varying characteristic temporal and spatial scales, the directionality of measurement, environmental factors, and mechanical moduli probed. In this work, we addressed those aspects by quantifying the mechanical properties of acutely dissected murine retinal tissues using Brillouin microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based indentation measurements. Our results show a distinct mechanical profile of the retinal layers with respect to the Brillouin frequency shift, the Brillouin linewidth and the apparent Young’s modulus. Contrary to previous reports, our findings do not support a simple correlative relationship between Brillouin frequency shift and apparent Young’s modulus. Additionally, the divergent sensitivity of Brillouin microscopy and AFM-indentation measurements to cross-linking or changes post mortem underscores the dangers of assuming both methods can be generally used interchangeably. In conclusion, our study advocates for viewing Brillouin microscopy and AFM-based indentation measurements as complementary tools, discouraging direct comparisons a priori and suggesting their combined use for a more comprehensive understanding of tissue mechanical properties.
The Body Size and Some Field Notes of Painted Terrapin (Batagur borneoensis) in District of Aceh Tamiang, Indonesia

From total 21 individuals of Painted Terrapin (Batagur borneoensis) found – accidentally caught and field survey – it can be concluded that female is heavier, wider and longer curve carapace than male. Male is experiencing sexual dichromatism during six months or from April to September. The movement of Painted Terrapin is related to tides and they are inhabit in rivers stream that has water salinity level is 0 and high density of Berembang (Sonneratia sp).
Call Me By My Name: Simple, Practical Private Information Retrieval for Keyword Queries

We introduce ChalametPIR : a single-server Private Information Retrieval (PIR) scheme supporting fast, low-bandwidth keyword queries, with a conceptually very simple design. In particular, we develop a generic framework for converting PIR schemes for index queries over flat arrays (based on the Learning With Errors problem) into keyword PIR. This involves representing a key-value map using any probabilistic filter that permits reconstruction of elements from inclusion queries (e.g. Cuckoo filters). In particular, we make use of recently developed Binary Fuse filters to construct ChalametPIR , with minimal efficiency blow-up compared with state-of-the-art index-based schemes (all costs bounded by a factor of ≤ 1 . 08 ). Furthermore, we show that ChalametPIR achieves runtimes and financial costs that are factors of between 6 × - 11 × and 3 . 75 × - 11 . 4 × more efficient, respectively, than state-of-the-art keyword PIR approaches, for varying database configurations. Bandwidth costs are additionally reduced or remain competitive, depending on the configuration. Finally, we believe that our application of Binary Fuse filters in the cryptography setting may bring immediate independent value towards developing efficient variants of other related primitives that benefit from using such filters.
Does A Target’s Corporate Scope Decisions Influence Acquisition Performance? *

In this study, we investigate how the performance of an acquisition is influenced by the acquisitions and divestitures previously conducted by the target firm. By combining insights from the corporate strategy literature and organizational structure research, we propose that the efficiency of an acquisition’s post-merger integration phase is negatively affected by the target’s levels of structural fragmentation, which, in turn, are increased by acquisitions and reduced by divestitures. Based on this perspective, we hypothesize that the performance of an acquisition worsens as the size of assets acquired by the target prior to the acquisition increases, particularly if those assets are unrelated to the target’s core business. Conversely, we suggest that the performance of an acquisition improves when the target has divested assets, especially if they are unrelated to its core business. To support our viewpoint, we analyzed data from a sample of acquisitions announced between 1985 and 2019 among U.S. public firms. The results strongly support our claims, making a significant contribution to the corporate strategy literature, expanding research on organizational structure, and providing valuable managerial insights about how to maximize acquisition performance.
Essays in Honor of Alister McGrath

Recent critiques of science and religion methodology argue for an anti-essentialist approach to science and religion that acknowledges their different epistemic territories and promotes interdisciplinarity. This article operates in such a vein, considering the contributions of Owen Barﬁeld, member of the Inklings, an Oxford literary group
Effectiveness of various feed supplement on villi characteristics, feed digestibility, and liver-kidney function of broiler chickens

Abstract Tugiyanti, E. , Susanti, E. & Heriyanto, S. (2022). Effectiveness of various feed supplement on villi characteristics, feed digestibility, and liver-kidney function of broiler chickens. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 28 (5) , 911–917 The research aimed to identify the effect of different feed supplements on the morphometry of duodenum villi, the protein and fat digestibility, and liver and kidney function of broilers. The study used 180 unisex DOCs with an initial body weight of 40.40±2.85 g. The experimental study was conducted in a Completely Randomized Design with six feed supplement treatments, i.e., the non-supplemented feed (negative control), antibiotic (positive control), probiotic, acidifier, phytobiotic, and combined feed supplements. Each treatment was replicated six times. The result showed that feed incorporated with different additives had a highly significant effect (P < 0.01) on the morphometry of duodenum villi (length, width, and crypt depth); a non-significant effect (P > 0.05) on metabolic energy and protein and fat digestibility of broilers, and a significant effect (P < 0.05) on the level of serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase and serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGOT and SGPT), uric acid, creatinine, ureic, and blood albumin. Conclusively, feed supplements consisted of probiotics, acidifiers, pro-biotics, and their combinations have increased the size of duodenum villi, and the performance of liver and kidneys of broilers much better than antibiotics alone. Although, this study reported found that these supplements could not increase protein and fat digestibility.
fur-Effect of a blend of cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, and Capsicum oleoresin on methane emission and lactation performance of Holstein-Friesian dairy cows

This study aimed to investigate the effect of administering a standardized blend of cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, and Capsicum oleoresin (CEC) to lactating dairy cattle for 84 d (i.e., 12 wk) on enteric CH 4 emission, feed intake, milk yield and composition, and body weight. The experiment involved 56 Holstein-Friesian dairy cows (145 ± 31.1 d in milk at the start of the trial; mean ± standard deviation) in a randomized complete block design. Cows were blocked in pairs according to parity, lactation stage, and current milk yield, and randomly allocated to 1 of the 2 dietary treatments: a diet including 54.5 mg of CEC/kg of DM or a control diet without CEC. Diets were provided as partial mixed rations in feed bins, which automatically recorded individual feed intake. Additional concentrate was fed in the Green-Feed system that was used to measure emissions of CO 2 , CH 4 , and H 2 . Feeding CEC decreased CH 4 yield (g/kg DMI) by on average 3.4% over the complete 12-wk period and by on average 3.9% from 6 wk after the start of supplementation onward. Feeding CEC simultaneously increased feed intake and body weight, and tended to increase milk protein content, whereas no negative responses were observed. These results must be further investigated and confirmed in longer-term in vivo experiments.
Identification through Culture and Molecular Methods of Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter fetus in Surface Waters in Rasht

Backgrounds: As zoonotic infectious agents, Campylobacter spp. are important factors causing gastroenteritis in humans. Surveys show that the three strains; Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter fetus play a major role in human infections. Identification of these infectious agents is valuable for sanitary control of disease transmission through water resources. Objectives: The aim of this study was identification and molecular diagnosis of Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter fetus in surface waters in Rasht. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 45 samples of surface water in Rasht collected according to water health guidelines. After culture and biochemical tests on collected samples, detection and identification of Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter fetus was done using sequence-specific amplification by Multiplex PCR. The results were subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS software. Results: Out of 45 samples tested, 6 were positive in culture, four of which were identified as Campylobacter jejuni after biochemical tests. Using Multiplex PCR, 8 samples were positive, from which 3 were Campylobacter jejuni, 1 Campylobacter coli and 4 were positive for both Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. All the samples did not yield C. fetus. Conclusions: Multiplex PCR is regarded a diagnostic method with higher sensitivity and specificity than compared to methods for Campylobacter. The prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in surface waters in Rasht is considerable. Therefore, public health measures for the control of these organisms are recommended.
A soft and vibration-free positioning controller for series elastic tendon-driven robots by using gyro sensor and electromagnetic brakes

In this paper, we propose a series elastic tendon-drive controller for soft physical human-robot interaction. While the tendon elasticity enables a safe task execution under hand contact conditions, it poses overshoot and vibration problems in tasks without hand contact. In our implementation, we install an electromagnetic brake in the pulley at the middle of the cable path, to stabilize the vibration. This method enables a wide range of viscosity changes, because the elements are arranged so that the brake force is directly transmitted to the arm. The elastic tendon and brake connection can be modeled as a parallel viscoelastic element. Viscous friction is dominant when the brake is ON, and elastic force is dominant when the brake is OFF. We propose a sliding mode controller by using the electromagnetic brake. High-speed friction control by the electromagnetic brake allows a vibration-free positioning controller. Unlike conventional sliding mode controllers, softness (low stiffness) of the controlled arm is not lost because high-gain position feedback is not used. Stability condition of the sliding mode is expressed in terms of the equilibrium and target positions of the arm angles. The proposed controller was tested on a one-link prototype arm, where a natural rubber tubing is used as the elastic string element, and the tendon is driven by a 3D-printed winding drum. We demonstrated the natural motion of the arm in viscous and elastic modes in the phase plane trajectories and time responses. Then, the results of positioning control by the proposed sliding mode control were demonstrated.
Improving Accuracy of Stereo Matching of Aerial Images by Extending the Baseline Length Based on RTK-GNSS and Application to Depth Measurement of Earthquake Cracks on the Ground Surface

This study measured the depth of cracks on the ground surface by stereo matching aerial images of the cracks captured using a drone equipped with real time kinematics-global navigation satellite system (RTK-GNSS) and a high-resolution compact digital camera. Existing crack depth measurement methods are time-consuming, expensive, and cannot measure a wide area. In comparison, the proposed method can measure the depth of cracks in a short time and over a wide area by stereo matching only two aerial images. In addition, the drone's movement extends the baseline length, which increases the resolution in the height direction, resulting in precise depth measurements. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, we took aerial images of cracks made of Styrofoam using shooting equipment made of aluminum frame and measured their depth. We realized stable millimeter-order crack depth measurements and achieved millimeter-order height resolution of 1.404 millimeters, and achieved 0.14 percent and 0.13 percent errors for 5 centimeters and 15 centimeters deep cracks, respectively.
Performance Analysis of Human Emotion via Speech Recognition using Convolution Neural Network Algorithm compared with Hidden Markov Model Classifier for Improved Accuracy

This research intends to use a new Convolution Neural Network method, as opposed to the old Hidden Markov Model (HMM) algorithm, to make better predictions about people's conveying feelings by the noises they make. The dataset for this research is taken from Toronto Emotional Speech Set (TESS). Using G-power 0.8, we determined the sample size for each dataset. The prediction of human emotion identification from voice signals is performed using either a Convolution Neural Network or a Hidden Markov Model, both of which need the same number of data samples (N=10). The suggested Convolutional Neural Network performs significantly better with the accuracy rate of 93.68% than the accuracy obtained by the Hidden Markov Model Classifier, which infers Convolutional Neural Network performs better. The significance level obtained by the investigation was p = 0.001 (p<0.05) and the two groups are statistically significant. When comparing the two models' performance in human emotion categorization using voice data, the suggested CNN model outperforms the Hidden Markov Model (HMM).