Towards a NeuroIS Research Methodology: Intensifying the Discussion on Methods, Tools, and Measurement

The genesis of the Neuro-Information Systems (NeuroIS) field took place in 2007. Since then, a considerable number of IS scholars and academics from related disciplines have started to use theories, methods, and tools from neuroscience and psychophysiology to better understand human cognition, emotion, and behavior in IS contexts, and to develop neuro-adaptive information systems (i.e., systems that recognize the physiological state of the user and that adapt, based on that information, in real-time). However, because the NeuroIS field is still in a nascent stage, IS scholars need to become familiar with the methods, tools, and measurements that are used in neuroscience and psychophysiology. Against the background of the increased importance of methodological discussions in the NeuroIS field, the Journal of the Association for Information Systems published a special issue call for papers entitled “Methods, tools, and measurement in NeuroIS research” in 2012. We, the special issue’s guest editors, accepted three papers after a stringent review process, which appear in this special issue. In addition to these three papers, we hope to intensify the discussion on NeuroIS research methodology, and to this end we present the current paper. Importantly, our observations during the review process (particularly with respect to methodology) and our own reading of the literature and the scientific discourse during conferences served as input for this paper. Specifically, we argue that six factors, among others that will become evident in future discussions, are critical for a rigorous NeuroIS research methodology; namely, reliability, validity, sensitivity, diagnosticity, objectivity, and intrusiveness of a measurement instrument. NeuroIS researchers—independent from whether their role is editor, reviewer, or author—should carefully give thought to these factors. We hope that the discussion in this paper instigates future contributions to a growing understanding towards a NeuroIS research methodology

Acoustic, psychophysical, and neuroimaging measurements of the effectiveness of active cancellation during auditory functional magnetic resonance imaging

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is one of the principal neuroimaging techniques for studying human audition, but it generates an intense background sound which hinders listening performance and confounds measures of the auditory response. This paper reports the perceptual effects of an active noise control (ANC) system that operates in the electromagnetically hostile and physically compact neuroimaging environment to provide significant noise reduction, without interfering with image quality. Cancellation was first evaluated at 600 Hz, corresponding to the dominant peak in the power spectrum of the background sound and at which cancellation is maximally effective. Microphone measurements at the ear demonstrated 35 dB of acoustic attenuation [from 93 to 58 dB sound pressure level (SPL)], while masked detection thresholds improved by 20 dB (from 74 to 54 dB SPL). Considerable perceptual benefits were also obtained across other frequencies, including those corresponding to dips in the spectrum of the background sound. Cancellation also improved the statistical detection of sound-related cortical activation, especially for sounds presented at low intensities. These results confirm that ANC offers substantial benefits for fMRI research

Structural and molecular characterization of a preferred protein interaction surface on G protein beta gamma subunits

G protein betagamma subunits associate with many binding partners in cellular signaling cascades. In previous work, we used random-peptide phage display screening to identify a diverse family of peptides that bound to a common surface on Gbetagamma subunits and blocked a subset of Gbetagamma effectors. Later studies showed that one of the peptides caused G protein activation through a novel Gbetagamma-dependent, nucleotide exchange-independent mechanism. Here we report the X-ray crystal structure of Gbeta(1)gamma(2) bound to this peptide, SIGK (SIGKAFKILGYPDYD), at 2.7 A resolution. SIGK forms a helical structure that binds the same face of Gbeta(1) as the switch II region of Galpha. The interaction interface can be subdivided into polar and nonpolar interfaces that together contain a mixture of binding determinants that may be responsible for the ability of this surface to recognize multiple protein partners. Systematic mutagenic analysis of the peptide-Gbeta(1) interface indicates that distinct sets of amino acids within this interface are required for binding of different peptides. Among these unique amino acid interactions, specific electrostatic binding contacts within the polar interface are required for peptide-mediated subunit dissociation. The data provide a mechanistic basis for multiple target recognition by Gbetagamma subunits with diverse functional interactions within a common interface and suggest that pharmacological targeting of distinct regions within this interface could allow for selective manipulation of Gbetagamma-dependent signaling pathways

Mycobiome of the Bat White Nose Syndrome (WNS) Affected Caves and Mines reveals High Diversity of Fungi and Local Adaptation by the Fungal Pathogen Pseudogymnoascus (Geomyces) destructans

The investigations of the bat White Nose Syndrome (WNS) have yet to provide answers as to how the causative fungus Pseudogymnoascus (Geomyces) destructans (Pd) first appeared in the Northeast and how a single clone has spread rapidly in the US and Canada. We aimed to catalogue Pd and all other fungi (mycobiome) by the culture-dependent (CD) and culture-independent (CI) methods in four Mines and two Caves from the epicenter of WNS zoonotic. Six hundred sixty-five fungal isolates were obtained by CD method including the live recovery of Pd. Seven hundred three nucleotide sequences that met the definition of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were recovered by CI methods. Most OTUs belonged to unidentified clones deposited in the databases as environmental nucleic acid sequences (ENAS). The core mycobiome of WNS affected sites comprised of 46 species of fungi from 31 genera recovered in culture, and 17 fungal genera and 31 ENAS identified from clone libraries. Fungi such as Arthroderma spp., Geomyces spp., Kernia spp., Mortierella spp., Penicillium spp., and Verticillium spp. were predominant in culture while Ganoderma spp., Geomyces spp., Mortierella spp., Penicillium spp. and Trichosporon spp. were abundant is clone libraries. Alpha diversity analyses from CI data revealed that fungal community structure was highly diverse. However, the true species diversity remains undetermined due to under sampling. The frequent recovery of Pd indicated that the pathogen has adapted to WNS-afflicted habitats. Further, this study supports the hypothesis that Pd is an introduced species. These findings underscore the need for integrated WNS control measures that target both bats and the fungal pathogen.Comment: 59 pages, 7figure

Synorogenic evolution of large-scale drainage patterns: Isotope paleohydrology of sequential Laramide basins

In the past decade, we and others have compiled an extensive dataset of O, C and Sr isotope stratigraphies from sedimentary basins throughout the Paleogene North American Cordillera. In this study, we present new results from the Piceance Creek Basin of northwest Colorado, which record the evolving hydrology of the Eocene Green River Lake system. We then place the new data in the context of the broader Cordilleran dataset and summarize implications for understanding the synorogenic evolution of large-scale drainage patterns. The combined data reflect (1) a period of throughgoing foreland rivers heading in the Sevier fold-and-thrust belt and flowing east, (2) ponding of freshwater lakes in the foredeep as Laramide uplifts blocked drainage, (3) hydrologic closure that led to both intensive evaporation in the terminal sink of the Piceance Creek Basin and integration of catchments over length-scales \u3e1000 km, (4) infilling of basin accommodation by southward migrating magmatism in distal catchments, leading to the freshening and demise of intraforeland lakes that also stepped south over time

Ecosystem carbon 7 dioxide fluxes after disturbance in forests of North America

Disturbances are important for renewal of North American forests. Here we summarize more than 180 site years of eddy covariance measurements of carbon dioxide flux made at forest chronosequences in North America. The disturbances included stand-replacing fire (Alaska, Arizona, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan) and harvest (British Columbia, Florida, New Brunswick, Oregon, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and Wisconsin) events, insect infestations (gypsy moth, forest tent caterpillar, and mountain pine beetle), Hurricane Wilma, and silvicultural thinning (Arizona, California, and New Brunswick). Net ecosystem production (NEP) showed a carbon loss from all ecosystems following a stand-replacing disturbance, becoming a carbon sink by 20 years for all ecosystems and by 10 years for most. Maximum carbon losses following disturbance (g C m−2y−1) ranged from 1270 in Florida to 200 in boreal ecosystems. Similarly, for forests less than 100 years old, maximum uptake (g C m−2y−1) was 1180 in Florida mangroves and 210 in boreal ecosystems. More temperate forests had intermediate fluxes. Boreal ecosystems were relatively time invariant after 20 years, whereas western ecosystems tended to increase in carbon gain over time. This was driven mostly by gross photosynthetic production (GPP) because total ecosystem respiration (ER) and heterotrophic respiration were relatively invariant with age. GPP/ER was as low as 0.2 immediately following stand-replacing disturbance reaching a constant value of 1.2 after 20 years. NEP following insect defoliations and silvicultural thinning showed lesser changes than stand-replacing events, with decreases in the year of disturbance followed by rapid recovery. NEP decreased in a mangrove ecosystem following Hurricane Wilma because of a decrease in GPP and an increase in ER