Symbiotic and genetic diversity of Rhizobium galegae isolates collected from the Galega orientalis gene center in the Caucasus

This paper explores the relationship between the genetic diversity of rhizobia and the morphological diversity of their plant hosts. Rhizobium galegae strains were isolated from nodules of wild Galega orientalis and Galega officinalis in the Caucasus, the center of origin for G. orientalis. All 101 isolates were characterized by genomic amplified fragment length polymorphism fingerprinting and by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the rRNA intergenic spacer and of five parts of the symbiotic region adjacent to nod box sequences. By all criteria, the R. galegae bv. officinalis and R. galegae bv. orientalis strains form distinct clusters. The nod box regions are highly conserved among strains belonging to each of the two biovars but differ structurally to various degrees between the biovars. The findings suggest varying evolutionary pressures in different parts of the symbiotic genome of closely related R. galegae biovars. Sixteen R. galegae bv. orientalis strains harbored copies of the same insertion sequence element; all were isolated from a particular site and belonged to a limited range of chromosomal genotypes. In all analyses, the Caucasian R. galegae bv. orientalis strains were more diverse than R. galegae bv. officinalis strains, in accordance with the gene center theory

SCoRS - a method based on stability for feature selection and mapping in neuroimaging.

Feature selection (FS) methods play two important roles in the context of neuroimaging based classification: potentially increase classification accuracy by eliminating irrelevant features from the model and facilitate interpretation by identifying sets of meaningful features that best discriminate the classes. Although the development of FS techniques specifically tuned for neuroimaging data is an active area of research, up to date most of the studies have focused on finding a subset of features that maximizes accuracy. However, maximizing accuracy does not guarantee reliable interpretation as similar accuracies can be obtained from distinct sets of features. In the current paper we propose a new approach for selecting features: SCoRS (Survival Count on Random Subsamples) based on a recently proposed Stability Selection theory. SCoRS relies on the idea of choosing relevant features that are stable under data perturbation. Data are perturbed by iteratively subsampling both features (subspaces) and examples. We demonstrate the potential of the proposed method in a clinical application to classify depressed patients versus healthy individuals based on fMRI data acquired during visualization of happy faces

Examining the Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised Short Form among university students in Australia, New Zealand and Argentina

CAUL read and publish agreement 2023fals

AM-FFF of Objects Using Commercial PLA Based Shape Memory Polymer Printed by an Open-Source 3D Printer

The 4D additive manufacturing processes are considered today as the "next big thing" in R&D. The aim of this research is to provide two examples of commercial PLA based shape memory polymer (SMP) objects printed on an open-source 3D printer in order to proof the feasibility of such novel 4D printing process. To that purpose, a PLA based filament of eSUN (4D filament e4D-1​white, SMP) was chosen, and two applications, a spring and a vase, were designed by 3D-printing with additive manufacturing (AM) fused filament fabrication (FFF) technique. The 4D-printed objects were successfully produced, the shape memory effect and their functionality were demonstrated by achieving the shape-memory cycle of programming, storage and recovery

Applications of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in studying cognitive development: the case of mathematics and language

We discuss how technical limitations of common neuroimaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have resulted in our limited understanding of neural changes during development, while fNIRS would be a suitable and child-friendly method to examine cognitive development. We suggest fNIRS as an additional technique to track brain activation changes in the field of educational neuroscienc

Understanding the nature of psychiatric comorbidity in migraine: A systematic review focused on interactions and treatment implications

Background: Migraine is a highly prevalent and disabling neurological disorder which is commonly linked with a broad range of psychiatric comorbidities, especially among subjects with migraine with aura or chronic migraine. Defining the exact nature of the association between migraine and psychiatric disorders and bringing out the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the comorbidity with psychiatric conditions are relevant issues in the clinical practice. Methods: A systematic review of the most relevant studies about migraine and psychiatric comorbidity was performed using "PubMed", "Scopus", and "ScienceDirect" electronic databases from 1 January 1998 to 15 July 2018. Overall, 178 studies met our inclusion criteria and were included in the current review. Results: According to the most relevant findings of our overview, the associations with psychiatric comorbidities are complex, with a bidirectional association of major depression and panic disorder with migraine. Importantly, optimizing the pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of either migraine or its psychiatric comorbidities might help clinicians to attenuate the burden of both these conditions. Conclusions: The available data highlight the need for a comprehensive evaluation of psychiatric disorders in migraine in order to promote an integrated model of care and carefully address the burden and psychosocial impairment related to psychiatric comorbidities in migraine

Functional lateralization of arithmetic processing in the intraparietal sulcus is associated with handedness

We conducted a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) study, in which IPS activation of left-handed adults was compared to right-handed adults in a symbolic approximate calculation task. The results showed that left-handers had a stronger functional right-lateralization in the IPS than right-handers. This fnding has important consequences, as the bilateral IPS activation pattern for arithmetic processing seems to be shaped by functional lateralization and thus difers between left- and right-hander

Selected Applications of Stimuli-Responsive Polymers: 4D Printing by the Fused Filament Fabrication Technology

In the past few years four-dimensional (4D) printing technologies have attained worldwide interest and they are now considered the "next big thing". The aim of this research is to provide three selected examples of stimuli-responsive polymer (SRP) applications additively manufactured (AM) by the fused filament fabrication (FFF) technique. To that end, a CCT BLUE filament of thermo-responsive polymer was chosen to produce a water temperature indicator, which changes colour from blue to white when temperature increases; a CCU RED filament of photo-responsive polymer was used to produce a sunlight / UV indicator bracelet; a transparent PLA CLEAR polymer, a CCU RED photo-responsive polymer, and an electrical conductive PLA polymer were selected to produce a smart business card stand. The temperature indicator capability was analysed based on examining colour changes as a function of temperature changes. The sunlight/UV indicator capability was analysed based on the inspection of colour change as a function of absorbed sun/ultraviolet light. The electrical conductivity of the conductive PLA polymer was examined by performing resistance measurements. All three objects were successfully produced and their functionality was demonstrated. We hope that these examples will catalyse the expansion of FFF 4D printed SRP applications, as much work remains to be done in designing the parts and developing FFF printing parameters that take advantage of the stimuli-responsive materials currently being developed for FFF technology

Phenotyping Superagers Using Resting-State fMRI

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Superagers are defined as older adults with episodic memory performance similar or superior to that in middle-aged adults. This study aimed to investigate the key differences in discriminative networks and their main nodes between superagers and cognitively average elderly controls. In addition, we sought to explore differences in sensitivity in detecting these functional activities across the networks at 3T and 7T MR imaging fields. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-five subjects 80 years of age or older were screened using a detailed neuropsychological protocol, and 31 participants, comprising 14 superagers and 17 cognitively average elderly controls, were included for analysis. Participants underwent resting-state-fMRI at 3T and 7T MR imaging. A prediction classification algorithm using a penalized regression model on the measurements of the network was used to calculate the probabilities of a healthy older adult being a superager. Additionally, ORs quantified the influence of each node across preselected networks. RESULTS: The key networks that differentiated superagers and elderly controls were the default mode, salience, and language networks. The most discriminative nodes (ORs > 1) in superagers encompassed areas in the precuneus posterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, temporoparietal junction, temporal pole, extrastriate superior cortex, and insula. The prediction classification model for being a superager showed better performance using the 7T compared with 3T resting-state-fMRI data set. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the functional connectivity in the default mode, salience, and language networks can provide potential imaging biomarkers for predicting superagers. The 7T field holds promise for the most appropriate study setting to accurately detect the functional connectivity patterns in superagers