Pleasant and unpleasant odour-face combinations influence face and odour perception: An event-related potential study.

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Odours alter evaluations of concurrent visual stimuli. However, neural mechanisms underlying the effects of congruent and incongruent odours on facial expression perception are not clear. Moreover, the influence of emotional faces on odour perception is not established. We investigated the effects of one pleasant and one unpleasant odour paired with happy and disgusted faces, on subjective ratings and ERP responses to faces. Participants rated the pleasantness of happy and disgusted faces that appeared during 3 s pleasant or unpleasant odour pulses, or without odour. Odour pleasantness and intensity ratings were recorded in each trial. EEG was recorded continuously using a 128-channel system. Happy and disgusted faces paired with pleasant and unpleasant odour were rated as more or less pleasant, respectively, compared to the same faces presented in the other odour conditions. Odours were rated as more pleasant when paired with happy faces, and unpleasant odour was rated more intense when paired with disgusted faces. Unpleasant odour paired with disgusted faces also decreased inspiration. Odour-face interactions were evident in the N200 and N400 components. Our results reveal bi-directional effects of odours and faces, and suggest that odour-face interactions may be represented in ERP components. Pairings of unpleasant odour and disgusted faces resulted in stronger hedonic ratings, ERP changes, increased odour intensity ratings and respiratory adjustment. This finding likely represents heightened adaptive responses to multimodal unpleasant stimuli, prompting appropriate behaviour in the presence of danger

The Relative Contribution of Methanotrophs to Microbial Communities and Carbon Cycling in Soil Overlying a Coal-Bed Methane Seep

Seepage of coal-bed methane (CBM) through soils is a potential source of atmospheric CH4 and also a likely source of ancient (i.e. 14C-dead) carbon to soil microbial communities. Natural abundance 13C and 14C compositions of bacterial membrane phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) and soil gas CO2 and CH4 were used to assess the incorporation of CBM-derived carbon into methanotrophs and other members of the soil microbial community. Concentrations of type I and type II methanotroph PLFA biomarkers (16:1ω8c and 18:1ω8c, respectively) were elevated in CBM-impacted soils compared with a control site. Comparison of PLFA and 16s rDNA data suggested type I and II methanotroph populations were well estimated and overestimated by their PLFA biomarkers, respectively. The δ13C values of PLFAs common in type I and II methanotrophs were as negative as -67‰ and consistent with the assimilation of CBM. PLFAs more indicative of nonmethanotrophic bacteria had δ13C values that were intermediate indicating assimilation of both plantand CBM-derived carbon. Δ14C values of select PLFAs (-351 to -936‰) indicated similar patterns of CBM assimilation by methanotrophs and nonmethanotrophs and were used to estimate that 35–91% of carbon assimilated by nonmethanotrophs was derived from CBM depending on time of sampling and soil depth

Alcohol-preferring rats show decreased corticotropin-releasing hormone-2 receptor expression and differences in HPA activation compared to alcohol-nonpreferring rats

BACKGROUND: Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and urocortins (UCNs) bind to corticotropin-releasing hormone type 2 receptor (CRF2 receptor ), a Gs protein-coupled receptor that plays an important role in modulation of anxiety and stress responses. The Crhr2 gene maps to a quantitative trait locus (QTL) for alcohol preference on chromosome 4 previously identified in inbred alcohol-preferring (iP) and-nonpreferring (iNP) F2 rats. METHODS: Real-time polymerase chain reaction was utilized to screen for differences in Crhr2 mRNA expression in the central nervous system (CNS) of male iP and iNP rats. DNA sequence analysis was then performed to screen for polymorphism in Crhr2 in order to identify genetic variation, and luciferase reporter assays were then applied to test their functional significance. Next, binding assays were used to determine whether this polymorphism affected CRF2 receptor binding affinity as well as CRF2 receptor density in the CNS. Finally, social interaction and corticosterone levels were measured in the P and NP rats before and after 30-minute restraint stress. RESULTS: Crhr2 mRNA expression studies found lower levels of Crhr2 mRNA in iP rats compared to iNP rats. In addition, DNA sequencing identified polymorphisms in the promoter region, coding region, and 3'-untranslated region between the iP and iNP rats. A 7 bp insertion in the Crhr2 promoter of iP rats altered expression in vitro as measured by reporter assays, and we found that CRF2 receptor density was lower in the amygdala of iP as compared to iNP rats. Male P rats displayed decreased social interaction and significantly higher corticosterone levels directly following 30-minute restraint when compared to male NP rats. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified Crhr2 as a candidate gene of interest underlying the chromosome 4 QTL for alcohol consumption that was previously identified in the P and NP model. Crhr2 promoter polymorphism is associated with reduced mRNA expression in certain brain regions, particularly the amygdala, and lowered the density of CRF2 receptor in the amygdala of iP compared to iNP rats. Together, these differences between the animals may contribute to the drinking disparity as well as the anxiety differences of the P and NP rats

The neural correlates of economic value and valuation context: An event-related potentials study

open access articleThe value of environmental cues and internal states is continuously evaluated by the human brain, and it is this subjective value that largely guides decision making. The present study aimed to investigate the initial value attribution process, specifically the spatiotemporal activation patterns associated with values and valuation context, using electroencephalographic event-related potentials (ERPs). Participants completed a stimulus rating task in which everyday household items marketed up to a price of £4 were evaluated with respect to their desirability or material properties. The subjective values of items were evaluated as willingness to pay (WTP) in a Becker-DeGroot-Marschak auction. On the basis of the individual’s subjective WTP values, the stimuli were divided into high- and low-value items. Source dipole modeling was applied to estimate the cortical sources underlying ERP components modulated by subjective values (high vs. low WTP) and the evaluation condition (valuerelevant vs. value-irrelevant judgments). Low-WTP items and valuerelevant judgments both led to a more pronounced N2 visual evoked potential at right frontal scalp electrodes. Source activity in right anterior insula and left orbitofrontal cortex was larger for low vs. high WTP at 200 ms. At a similar latency, source activity in right anterior insula and right parahippocampal gyrus was larger for value-relevant vs. value-irrelevant judgments. A stronger response for low- than high-value items in anterior insula and orbitofrontal cortex appears to reflect aversion to low-valued item acquisition, which in an auction experiment would be perceived as a relative loss. This initial lowvalue bias occurs automatically irrespective of the valuation context

Cortical complexity in world trade center responders with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder

Approximately 23% of World Trade Center (WTC) responders are experiencing chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) associated with their exposures at the WTC following the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001, which has been demonstrated to be a risk factor for cognitive impairment raising concerns regarding their brain health. Cortical complexity, as measured by analyzing Fractal Dimension (FD) from T1 MRI brain images, has been reported to be reduced in a variety of psychiatric and neurological conditions. In this report, we hypothesized that FD would be also reduced in a case-control sample of 99 WTC responders as a result of WTC-related PTSD. The results of our surface-based morphometry cluster analysis found alterations in vertex clusters of complexity in WTC responders with PTSD, with marked reductions in regions within the frontal, parietal, and temporal cortices, in addition to whole-brain absolute bilateral and unilateral complexity. Furthermore, region of interest analysis identified that the magnitude of changes in regional FD severity was associated with increased PTSD symptoms (reexperiencing, avoidance, hyperarousal, negative affect) severity. This study confirms prior findings on FD and psychiatric disorders and extends our understanding of FD associations with posttraumatic symptom severity. The complex and traumatic experiences that led to WTC-related PTSD were associated with reductions in cortical complexity. Future work is needed to determine whether reduced cortical complexity arose prior to, or concurrently with, onset of PTSD

Tracking Economic Value of Products in Natural Settings: A Wireless EEG Study

open access articleEconomic decision making refers to the process of individuals translating their preference into subjective value (SV). Little is known about the dynamics of the neural processes that underpin this form of value-based decision making and no studies have investigated these processes outside of controlled laboratory settings. The current study investigated the spatio-temporal dynamics that accompany economic valuation of products using mobile electroencephalography (EEG) and eye tracking techniques. Participants viewed and rated images of household products in a gallery setting while EEG and eye tracking data were collected wirelessly. A Becker-DeGroot-Marschak (BDM) auction task was subsequently used to quantify the individual’s willingness to pay (WTP) for each product. WTP was used to classify products into low, low medium, high medium and high economic value conditions. Eye movement related potentials (EMRP) were examined, and independent component analysis (ICA) was used to separate sources of activity from grand averaged EEG data. Four independent components (ICs) of EMRPs were modulated by WTP (i.e., SV) in the latency range of 150–250 ms. Of the four value-sensitive ICs, one IC displayed enhanced amplitude for all value conditions excluding low value, and another IC presented enhanced amplitude for low value products only. The remaining two value-sensitive ICs resolved inter-mediate levels of SV. Our study quantified, for the first time, the neural processes involved in economic value based decisions in a natural setting. Results suggest that multiple spatio-temporal brain activation patterns mediate the attention and aversion of products which could reflect an early valuation system. The EMRP parietal P200 component could reflect an attention allocation mechanism that separates the lowest-value products (IC7) from products of all other value (IC4), suggesting that low-value items are categorized early on as being aversive. While none of the ICs showed linear amplitude changes that parallel SV’s of products, results suggest that a combination of multiple components may sub-serve a fine-grained resolution of the SV of products

Insights into the Dynamics Between Viruses and their Hosts in a Hot Spring Microbial Mat

© 2020, The Author(s). Our current knowledge of host–virus interactions in biofilms is limited to computational predictions based on laboratory experiments with a small number of cultured bacteria. However, natural biofilms are diverse and chiefly composed of uncultured bacteria and archaea with no viral infection patterns and lifestyle predictions described to date. Herein, we predict the first DNA sequence-based host–virus interactions in a natural biofilm. Using single-cell genomics and metagenomics applied to a hot spring mat of the Cone Pool in Mono County, California, we provide insights into virus–host range, lifestyle and distribution across different mat layers. Thirty-four out of 130 single cells contained at least one viral contig (26%), which, together with the metagenome-assembled genomes, resulted in detection of 59 viruses linked to 34 host species. Analysis of single-cell amplification kinetics revealed a lack of active viral replication on the single-cell level. These findings were further supported by mapping metagenomic reads from different mat layers to the obtained host–virus pairs, which indicated a low copy number of viral genomes compared to their hosts. Lastly, the metagenomic data revealed high layer specificity of viruses, suggesting limited diffusion to other mat layers. Taken together, these observations indicate that in low mobility environments with high microbial abundance, lysogeny is the predominant viral lifestyle, in line with the previously proposed “Piggyback-the-Winner” theory

Sloan Digital Sky Survey Imaging of Low Galactic Latitude Fields: Technical Summary and Data Release

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) mosaic camera and telescope have obtained five-band optical-wavelength imaging near the Galactic plane outside of the nominal survey boundaries. These additional data were obtained during commissioning and subsequent testing of the SDSS observing system, and they provide unique wide-area imaging data in regions of high obscuration and star formation, including numerous young stellar objects, Herbig-Haro objects and young star clusters. Because these data are outside the Survey regions in the Galactic caps, they are not part of the standard SDSS data releases. This paper presents imaging data for 832 square degrees of sky (including repeats), in the star-forming regions of Orion, Taurus, and Cygnus. About 470 square degrees are now released to the public, with the remainder to follow at the time of SDSS Data Release 4. The public data in Orion include the star-forming region NGC 2068/NGC 2071/HH24 and a large part of Barnard's loop.Comment: 31 pages, 9 figures (3 missing to save space), accepted by AJ, in press, see http://photo.astro.princeton.edu/oriondatarelease for data and paper with all figure

First-pass perfusion CMR two days after infarction predicts severity of functional impairment six weeks later in the rat heart

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In humans, dynamic contrast CMR of the first pass of a bolus infusion of Gadolinium-based contrast agent has become a standard technique to identify under-perfused regions of the heart and can accurately demonstrate the severity of myocardial infarction. Despite the clinical importance of this method, it has rarely been applied in small animal models of cardiac disease. In order to identify perfusion delays in the infarcted rat heart, here we present a method in which a T₁weighted MR image has been acquired during each cardiac cycle.</p> <p>Methods and results</p> <p>In isolated perfused rat hearts, contrast agent infusion gave uniform signal enhancement throughout the myocardium. Occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery significantly reduced the rate of signal enhancement in anterior regions of the heart, demonstrating that the first-pass method was sensitive to perfusion deficits. <it>In vivo </it>measurements of myocardial morphology, function, perfusion and viability were made at 2 and 8 days after infarction. Morphology and function were further assessed using cine-MRI at 42 days. The perfusion delay was larger in rat hearts that went on to develop greater functional impairment, demonstrating that first-pass CMR can be used as an early indicator of infarct severity. First-pass CMR at 2 and 8 days following infarction better predicted outcome than cardiac ejection fraction, end diastolic volume or end systolic volume.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>First-pass CMR provides a predictive measure of the severity of myocardial impairment caused by infarction in a rodent model of heart failure.</p

The Multi-Object, Fiber-Fed Spectrographs for SDSS and the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey

We present the design and performance of the multi-object fiber spectrographs for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and their upgrade for the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS). Originally commissioned in Fall 1999 on the 2.5-m aperture Sloan Telescope at Apache Point Observatory, the spectrographs produced more than 1.5 million spectra for the SDSS and SDSS-II surveys, enabling a wide variety of Galactic and extra-galactic science including the first observation of baryon acoustic oscillations in 2005. The spectrographs were upgraded in 2009 and are currently in use for BOSS, the flagship survey of the third-generation SDSS-III project. BOSS will measure redshifts of 1.35 million massive galaxies to redshift 0.7 and Lyman-alpha absorption of 160,000 high redshift quasars over 10,000 square degrees of sky, making percent level measurements of the absolute cosmic distance scale of the Universe and placing tight constraints on the equation of state of dark energy. The twin multi-object fiber spectrographs utilize a simple optical layout with reflective collimators, gratings, all-refractive cameras, and state-of-the-art CCD detectors to produce hundreds of spectra simultaneously in two channels over a bandpass covering the near ultraviolet to the near infrared, with a resolving power R = \lambda/FWHM ~ 2000. Building on proven heritage, the spectrographs were upgraded for BOSS with volume-phase holographic gratings and modern CCD detectors, improving the peak throughput by nearly a factor of two, extending the bandpass to cover 360 < \lambda < 1000 nm, and increasing the number of fibers from 640 to 1000 per exposure. In this paper we describe the original SDSS spectrograph design and the upgrades implemented for BOSS, and document the predicted and measured performances.Comment: 43 pages, 42 figures, revised according to referee report and accepted by AJ. Provides background for the instrument responsible for SDSS and BOSS spectra. 4th in a series of survey technical papers released in Summer 2012, including arXiv:1207.7137 (DR9), arXiv:1207.7326 (Spectral Classification), and arXiv:1208.0022 (BOSS Overview