Timescales of Massive Human Entrainment

The past two decades have seen an upsurge of interest in the collective behaviors of complex systems composed of many agents entrained to each other and to external events. In this paper, we extend concepts of entrainment to the dynamics of human collective attention. We conducted a detailed investigation of the unfolding of human entrainment - as expressed by the content and patterns of hundreds of thousands of messages on Twitter - during the 2012 US presidential debates. By time locking these data sources, we quantify the impact of the unfolding debate on human attention. We show that collective social behavior covaries second-by-second to the interactional dynamics of the debates: A candidate speaking induces rapid increases in mentions of his name on social media and decreases in mentions of the other candidate. Moreover, interruptions by an interlocutor increase the attention received. We also highlight a distinct time scale for the impact of salient moments in the debate: Mentions in social media start within 5-10 seconds after the moment; peak at approximately one minute; and slowly decay in a consistent fashion across well-known events during the debates. Finally, we show that public attention after an initial burst slowly decays through the course of the debates. Thus we demonstrate that large-scale human entrainment may hold across a number of distinct scales, in an exquisitely time-locked fashion. The methods and results pave the way for careful study of the dynamics and mechanisms of large-scale human entrainment.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures, 6 tables, 4 supplementary figures. 2nd version revised according to peer reviewers' comments: more detailed explanation of the methods, and grounding of the hypothese

Study of the reaction e^{+}e^{-} -->J/psi\pi^{+}\pi^{-} via initial-state radiation at BaBar

We study the process $e^+e^-\to J/\psi\pi^{+}\pi^{-}$ with initial-state-radiation events produced at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy collider. The data were recorded with the BaBar detector at center-of-mass energies 10.58 and 10.54 GeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 454 $\mathrm{fb^{-1}}$. We investigate the $J/\psi \pi^{+}\pi^{-}$ mass distribution in the region from 3.5 to 5.5 $\mathrm{GeV/c^{2}}$. Below 3.7 $\mathrm{GeV/c^{2}}$ the $\psi(2S)$ signal dominates, and above 4 $\mathrm{GeV/c^{2}}$ there is a significant peak due to the Y(4260). A fit to the data in the range 3.74 -- 5.50 $\mathrm{GeV/c^{2}}$ yields a mass value $4244 \pm 5$ (stat) $\pm 4$ (syst)$\mathrm{MeV/c^{2}}$ and a width value $114 ^{+16}_{-15}$ (stat)$\pm 7$(syst)$\mathrm{MeV}$ for this state. We do not confirm the report from the Belle collaboration of a broad structure at 4.01 $\mathrm{GeV/c^{2}}$. In addition, we investigate the $\pi^{+}\pi^{-}$ system which results from Y(4260) decay

Oxytocin's neurochemical effects in the medial prefrontal cortex underlie recovery of task-specific brain activity in autism: a randomized controlled trial

The neuropeptide oxytocin may be an effective therapeutic strategy for the currently untreatable social and communication deficits associated with autism. Our recent paper reported that oxytocin mitigated autistic behavioral deficits through the restoration of activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), as demonstrated with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a socio-communication task. However, it is unknown whether oxytocin exhibited effects at the neuronal level, which was outside of the specific task examined. In the same randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject cross-over clinical trial in which a single dose of intranasal oxytocin (24 IU) was administered to 40 men with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (UMIN000002241/000004393), we measured N-acetylaspartate (NAA) levels, a marker for neuronal energy demand, in the vmPFC using (1)H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS). The differences in the NAA levels between the oxytocin and placebo sessions were associated with oxytocin-induced fMRI signal changes in the vmPFC. The oxytocin-induced increases in the fMRI signal could be predicted by the NAA differences between the oxytocin and placebo sessions (P=0.002), an effect that remained after controlling for variability in the time between the fMRI and (1)H-MRS scans (P=0.006) and the order of administration of oxytocin and placebo (P=0.001). Furthermore, path analysis showed that the NAA differences in the vmPFC triggered increases in the task-dependent fMRI signals in the vmPFC, which consequently led to improvements in the socio-communication difficulties associated with autism. The present study suggests that the beneficial effects of oxytocin are not limited to the autistic behavior elicited by our psychological task, but may generalize to other autistic behavioral problems associated with the vmPFC

Molecular basis of structure and function of the microvillus membrane of intestinal epithelial cells

Correlation of molecular structure with biochemical functions of the plasma membrane of the microvilli of intestinal epithelial cells has been investigated by biochemical and electron microscopic procedures. Repeating particles, measuring approximately 60 &#197;in diameter, were found on the surface of the microvilli membrane which had been isolated or purified from rabbit intestinal epithelial cells and negatively stained with phosphotungstic acid. These particles were proved to be inherent components of the microvillus membrane, attached to the outer surface of its trilaminar structure, and were designated as the elementary particles of the microvilli of intestinal epithelial cells. Biochemical and electron microscopic identification of these elementary particles has been carried out by isolation of the elementary particles with papain from the isolated microvillus membrane, followed by purification of the particles by chromatographies on DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex columns. The partially purified particles containing invertase and leucine aminopeptidase are similar in size and structure to those of the elementary particles in the microvillus membrane. Evidence indicates that each of the elementary particles coincide with or include an enzyme molecule such as disaccharidase or peptidase, which carry out the terminal hydrolytic digestion of carbohydrates and proteins, respectively, on the surface of the microvillus membrane. Magnesium ionactivated adenosine triphosphatase and alkaline phosphatase cannot be solubilized with papain but remains in the smooth-surface membrane after the elementary particles have been removed. Cytochemical electron microscopic observation revealed that the active site of magnesium ion-activated adenosine triphosphatase is localized predominantly in the inner surface of the trilaminar structure of the microvillus membrane.</p

Pro-apoptotic Bid is required for the resolution of the effector phase of inflammatory arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease characterized by hyperplasia of the synovial lining and destruction of cartilage and bone. Recent studies have suggested that a lack of apoptosis contributes to the hyperplasia of the synovial lining and to the failure in eliminating autoreactive cells. Mice lacking Fas or Bim, two pro-apoptotic proteins that mediate the extrinsic and intrinsic death cascades, respectively, develop enhanced K/BxN serum transfer-induced arthritis. Since the pro-apoptotic protein Bid functions as an intermediate between the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways, we examined the role that it plays in inflammatory arthritis. Mice deficient in Bid (Bid-/-) show a delay in the resolution of K/BxN serum transfer-induced arthritis. Bid-/- mice display increased inflammation, bone destruction, and pannus formation compared to wild-type mice. Furthermore, Bid-/- mice have elevated levels of CXC chemokine and IL-1β in serum, which are associated with more inflammatory cells throughout the arthritic joint. In addition, there are fewer apoptotic cells in the synovium of Bid-/- compared to Wt mice. These data suggest that extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways cooperate through Bid to limit development of inflammatory arthritis

Standardization of surface electromyography utilized to evaluate patients with dysphagia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Backgorund</p> <p>Patients suspected of having swallowing disorders, could highly benefit from simple diagnostic screening before being referred to specialist evaluations. We introduce surface electromyography (sEMG) to carry out rapid assessment of such patients and propose suggestions for standardizing sEMGs in order to identify abnormal deglutition.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Specifics steps for establishing standards for applying the technique for screening purposes (e.g., evaluation of specific muscles), the requirements for diagnostic sEMG equipment, the sEMG technique itself, and defining the tests suitable for assessing deglutition (e.g., saliva, normal, and excessive swallows and uninterrupted drinking of water) are presented in detail. A previously described normative database for single swallowing and drinking and standard approach to analysis was compared to data on the duration and electric activity of muscles involved in deglutition and with sEMG recordings in order to estimate stages of a swallow.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>SEMG of swallowing is a simple and reliable method for screening and preliminary differentiation among dysphagia and odynophagia of various origins. This noninvasive radiation-free examination has a low level of discomfort, and is simple, timesaving and inexpensive to perform. With standardization of the technique and an established normative database, sEMG can serve as a reliable screening method for optimal patient management.</p

Parental smoking and childhood cancer: results from the United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study

There are strong a priori reasons for considering parental smoking behaviour as a risk factor for childhood cancer but case – control studies have found relative risks of mostly only just above one. To investigate this further, self-reported smoking habits in parents of 3838 children with cancer and 7629 control children included in the United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study (UKCCS) were analysed. Separate analyses were performed for four major groups (leukaemia, lymphoma, central nervous system tumours and other solid tumours) and more detailed diagnostic subgroups by logistic regression. In the four major groups, after adjustment for parental age and deprivation there were nonsignificant trends of increasing risk with number of cigarettes smoked for paternal preconception smoking and nonsignificant trends of decreasing risk for maternal preconception smoking (all P-values for trend >0.05). Among the diagnostic subgroups, a statistically significant increased risk of developing hepatoblastoma was found in children whose mothers smoked preconceptionally (OR=2.68, P=0.02) and strongest (relative to neither parent smoking) for both parents smoking (OR=4.74, P=0.003). This could be a chance result arising from multiple subgroup analysis. Statistically significant negative trends were found for maternal smoking during pregnancy for all diagnoses together (P<0.001) and for most individual groups, but there was evidence of under-reporting of smoking by case mothers. In conclusion, the UKCCS does not provide significant evidence that parental smoking is a risk factor for any of the major groups of childhood cancers