Ionospheric Anomalies Observed by GPS TEC Prior to the Qinghai-Tibet Region Earthquakes

The precursory processes detected from unambiguous and repeatable instrumental observations that precede an earthquake remain elusive despite the multiple types of pre-earthquake signals gained from observations of geo-electricity, geomagnetism, and electromagnetism. Recently, much attention has been paid to associate abnormal behaviors of TEC (total electron content) in ionosphere, with seismic forcing. In this paper, we examined ionospheric TEC variations 1 - 2 weeks preceding 20 moderate to great earthquakes (M = 5 - 8) in the Tibetan Plateau and its neighboring regions between 1999 to 2008, with the help of a nationwide continuously-tracking GPS network. The temporal and spatial TEC variations over the specific seismogenic zones were calculated, and the causal linkage between the identified TEC anomalies and these earthquakes was examined. We find that most of the earthquakes showed significant abnormalities with similar characteristics. The anomalies, either upper anomalies (85%, 17/20) or lower anomalies (65%, 13/20) occurred in the ionosphere with dimensions of 30¢X in latitude and 30¢X in longitude above the epicenters. It is noted that the ionospheric anomalies were more dependent on focal depths of earthquakes than their magnitudes. Our results suggest that these anomalies of TEC may be possible seismo-ionospheric signatures for the earthquakes in Tibet and its margins

Metamemory judgments have dissociable reactivity effects on item and interitem relational memory

Making metamemory judgments reactively changes item memory itself. Here we report the first investigation of reactive influences of making judgments of learning (JOLs) on interitem relational memory-specifically, temporal (serial) order memory. Experiment 1 found that making JOLs impaired order reconstruction. Experiment 2 observed minimal reactivity on free recall and negative reactivity on temporal clustering. Experiment 3 demonstrated a positive reactivity effect on recognition memory, and Experiment 4 detected dissociable effects of making JOLs on order reconstruction (negative) and forced-choice recognition (positive) by using the same participants and stimuli. Finally, a meta-analysis was conducted to explore reactivity effects on word list learning and to investigate whether test format moderates these effects. The results show a negative reactivity effect on interitem relational memory (order reconstruction), a modest positive effect on free recall, and a medium-to-large positive effect on recognition. Overall, these findings imply that even though making metacognitive judgments facilitates item-specific processing, it disrupts relational processing, supporting the item-order account of the reactivity effect on word list learning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Common and distinct equity preferences in children and adults

Fairness plays a crucial role in children’s social life and has garnered considerable attention. However, previous research and theories primarily examined the development of children’s fairness behaviors in the conflict between self-interest motivation and fairness-complying motivation, neglecting the influence of advantage-seeking motivation. Moreover, despite the well-established role of gain/loss frame in human decision-making, it remains largely unclear whether the framing effect modulates fairness behaviors in children. It was hypothesized that children would exhibit advantage-seeking motivation resulting in more selfish behaviors in the loss context. To examine the hypothesis, we combined an adapted dictator game and computational modeling to investigate various motivations underlying fairness behaviors of children in both loss and gain contexts and to explore the developmental directions by contrasting children and adults. In addition, the current design enabled the dissociation between fairness knowledge and behaviors by asking participants to decide for themselves (the first-party role) or for others (the third-party role). This study recruited a total of 34 children (9–10 years, Mage = 9.82, SDage = 0.38, 16 females) and 31 college students (Mage = 19.81, SDage = 1.40, 17 females). The behavioral results indicated that children behaved more selfishly in first-party and more fairly in third-party than adults, without any significant framing effects. The computational results revealed that both children and adults exhibited aversion to advantageous and disadvantageous inequity in third-party. However, they showed distinct preferences for advantageous inequity in first-party, with advantage-seeking preferences among children and aversion to advantageous inequity among adults. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of children’s social preferences and their developmental directions

Research progress on degradative solvent extraction of low-rank coals

The degradative solvent extraction of low rank coal is the use of solvents to extract low rank coal under mild conditions, through the dehydration and multi-stage separation of the raw coal： the extraction products with no water content, no ash content, high calorific value properties and excellent thermoplastic properties， and low moisture of the extractive residual coal can be obtained. At the same time, the products have practical application advantages in many fields such as coal coking, advanced fuel and carbon material preparation, which have high added value, and the solvent in this technology has the advantage of being recyclable. Therefore, degradative solvent extraction is one of the effective ways to realize the graded fractionated conversion and utilization of low-rank coal. This review firstly introduces the existing low rank coal upgrading methods, and then reviews the development of degradative solvent extraction, focusing on the various influencing factors, reaction mechanisms, existing processes and product utilization of low rank coal upgrading by degradative solvent extraction. Finally, using the "Web of Science core collection" as the data source, the knowledge graph of coal solvent extraction was carved using CiteSpace scientometric software, and the research themes were analyzed to summarize the research directions and predict the research hotspots, providing some reference value for the research of degradative solution extraction of low-rank coal. The comprehensive analysis shows that: the selection of new low-cost green solvents, structural characterization and high-value utilization of extraction products have high research trends, while in-depth research on extraction mechanism and targeted regulation of extractant properties is needed to further promote the process of large-scale production

MRBrainS Challenge: Online Evaluation Framework for Brain Image Segmentation in 3T MRI Scans

Many methods have been proposed for tissue segmentation in brain MRI scans. The multitude of methods proposed complicates the choice of one method above others. We have therefore established the MRBrainS online evaluation framework for evaluating (semi) automatic algorithms that segment gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) on 3T brain MRI scans of elderly subjects (65-80 y). Participants apply their algorithms to the provided data, after which their results are evaluated and ranked. Full manual segmentations of GM, WM, and CSF are available for all scans and used as the reference standard. Five datasets are provided for training and fifteen for testing. The evaluated methods are ranked based on their overall performance to segment GM, WM, and CSF and evaluated using three evaluation metrics (Dice, H95, and AVD) and the results are published on the MRBrainS13 website. We present the results of eleven segmentation algorithms that participated in the MRBrainS13 challenge workshop at MICCAI, where the framework was launched, and three commonly used freeware packages: FreeSurfer, FSL, and SPM. The MRBrainS evaluation framework provides an objective and direct comparison of all evaluated algorithms and can aid in selecting the best performing method for the segmentation goal at hand.This study was financially supported by IMDI Grant 104002002 (Brainbox) from ZonMw, the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development, within kind sponsoring by Philips, the University Medical Center Utrecht, and Eindhoven University of Technology. The authors would like to acknowledge the following members of the Utrecht Vascular Cognitive Impairment Study Group who were not included as coauthors of this paper but were involved in the recruitment of study participants and MRI acquisition at the UMC Utrecht (in alphabetical order by department): E. van den Berg, M. Brundel, S. Heringa, and L. J. Kappelle of the Department of Neurology, P. R. Luijten and W. P. Th. M. Mali of the Department of Radiology, and A. Algra and G. E. H. M. Rutten of the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care. The research of Geert Jan Biessels and the VCI group was financially supported by VIDI Grant 91711384 from ZonMw and by Grant 2010T073 of the Netherlands Heart Foundation. The research of Jeroen de Bresser is financially supported by a research talent fellowship of the University Medical Center Utrecht (Netherlands). The research of Annegreet van Opbroek and Marleen de Bruijne is financially supported by a research grant from NWO (the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research). The authors would like to acknowledge MeVis Medical Solutions AG (Bremen, Germany) for providing MeVisLab. Duygu Sarikaya and Liang Zhao acknowledge their Advisor Professor Jason Corso for his guidance. Duygu Sarikaya is supported by NIH 1 R21CA160825-01 and Liang Zhao is partially supported by the China Scholarship Council (CSC).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Time Course of the Influence of Valence and Arousal on the Implicit Processing of Affective Pictures

In the current study, we investigated the time course of the implicit processing of affective pictures with an orthogonal design of valence (negative vs. positive) by arousal (low vs. high). Previous studies with explicit tasks suggested that valence mainly modulates early event-related potential (ERP) components, whereas arousal mainly modulates late components. However, in this study with an implicit task, we observed significant interactions between valence and arousal at both early and late stages over both parietal and frontal sites, which were reflected by three different ERP components: P2a (100–200 ms), N2 (200–300 ms), and P3 (300–400 ms). Furthermore, there was also a significant main effect of arousal on P2b (200–300 ms) over parieto-occipital sites. Our results suggest that valence and arousal effects on implicit affective processing are more complicated than previous ERP studies with explicit tasks have revealed

Common variants in SOX-2 and congenital cataract genes contribute to age-related nuclear cataract

Nuclear cataract is the most common type of age-related cataract and a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Age-related nuclear cataract is heritable (h2 = 0.48), but little is known about specific genetic factors underlying this condition. Here we report findings from the largest to date multi-ethnic meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (discovery cohort N = 14,151 and replication N = 5299) of the International Cataract Genetics Consortium. We confirmed the known genetic association of CRYAA (rs7278468, P = 2.8 × 10−16) with nuclear cataract and identified five new loci associated with this disease: SOX2-OT (rs9842371, P = 1.7 × 1

Temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of land use and landscape pattern in key wetland areas of the West Liao River Basin, Northeast China

The impact of the wetland ecosystem on arid and semi-arid areas is much higher than that in humid areas. It plays a more significant role in regulating climate, conserving water sources, purifying water bodies, and protecting biodiversity. The West Liao River Basin is located in a moderately temperate, semi-arid, and continental monsoon climatesensitive area, with a fragile ecological environment. Climate warming and drought have gradually caused dry-flow of some river sections in the basin, reduction in the water area, shrinking of wetlands, degradation of vegetation ecological function, and decline of biodiversity. Ultimately, the effect of ecological barriers is significantly weakened. The research of the temporal and spatial evolution of landscape patterns and their relationship with human activities in arid and semi-arid regions is of great significance for the protection and restoration of wetland resources. Based on Landsat remote sensing images in 1985 and 2015, the temporal and spatial evolution of landscape patterns in four key wetland areas in the West Liao River Basin was studied by 3S technology and landscape ecology indexes. Results show that during the 30a years, the wetland resources area in the West Liao River Basin is drastically reduced. Wetland resources of the four study areas, the Dalinor, the Saihanwula, the Hongshan Reservoir, and the West Liao River Estuary, were decreased by 13.80%, 31.06%, 61.10%, and 66.03%, respectively. The reduced wetland resources in the Dalinor and the Saihanwula were mainly converted into grassland, while those of the Hongshan Reservoir and the West Liao River Estuary were mostly converted into farmland. The diversity and evenness indexes of landscape in the Hongshan Reservoir and the West Liao River Estuary are gradually decreasing. The diversity and evenness indexes of the Dalinor and the Saihanwula are not significantly changed but are slightly disturbed by human activities. Changes in the landscape pattern index highlight the decrease in the water area, the increase in the area of dry and paddy fields, and the improvement of sandy land. All these further reflect that insufficient water resources supplementation and increasing human disturbance have a profound impact on the landscape pattern, which has also become the main driving force for the evolution of the landscape pattern in the West Liao River Basin

FedEx and UPS Network Structure and Accessibility Analysis Based on Complex Network Theory

With the expansion of the global air cargo transport system, the operating structure of air cargo has become increasingly separate from passenger counterpart, forming an independent organization model. Despite the Chinese air cargo capacity has grown exponentially in the past, its network is still in its infancy. FedEx and UPS have well-established air cargo networks and have operated effectively on both international and domestic scale; thus, understanding the structure and evolution of their air cargo networks is of a high reference value. In conjunction with the division of US regions from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), this paper refers to FedEx and UPS as FEPS and analyzes its topological structure, complexity properties, and air cargo accessibility by using social network analysis (SNA) and accessibility evaluation methods. The results suggest that (1) the structure of the FEPS air cargo network is in the highly developed states and has the typical “small-world” and “scale-free” network characteristics; (2) the degree centrality values for the nodes in the FEPS network suggest that the network complexity has increased; (3) airports in Memphis (MEM), Louisville (SDF), Indianapolis (IDN), and Ontario (ONT) are the major hubs with both high centrality values and air cargo accessibility; and (4) the FEPS network presents a unique hub-and-spoke structure compared with the passenger counterpart