Towards an empirical test of realism in cognition

We review recent progress in designing an empirical test of (temporal) realism in cognition. Realism in this context is the property that cognitive variables always have well defined (if possibly unknown) values at all times. We focus most of our attention in this contribution on discussing the exact notion of realism that is to be tested, as we feel this issue has not received enough attention to date. We also give a brief outline of the empirical test, including some comments on an experimental realisation, and we discuss what we should conclude from any purported experimental ‘disproof’ of realism. This contribution is based on Yearsley and Pothos (2014)

Performance of the CMS Cathode Strip Chambers with Cosmic Rays

The Cathode Strip Chambers (CSCs) constitute the primary muon tracking device in the CMS endcaps. Their performance has been evaluated using data taken during a cosmic ray run in fall 2008. Measured noise levels are low, with the number of noisy channels well below 1%. Coordinate resolution was measured for all types of chambers, and fall in the range 47 microns to 243 microns. The efficiencies for local charged track triggers, for hit and for segments reconstruction were measured, and are above 99%. The timing resolution per layer is approximately 5 ns

Gender Differences in Patients with Brugada Syndrome and Arrhythmic Events: Data from a Survey on Arrhythmic Events in 678 Patients.

BACKGROUND: There is limited information on gender differences in patients with Brugada syndrome (BrS) who experienced arrhythmic events (AEs). OBJECTIVES: To compare clinical, electrocardiographic (ECG), electrophysiologic (EP) and genetic characteristics between males and females in BrS-patients with their first AE. METHODS: The multicenter Survey on AE in BrS (SABRUS) collected data on first AE in 678 BrS-patients including 619 (91.3%) males and 59 (8.7%) females aged 0.27 to 84 (mean 42.5±14.1) years at the time of AE. RESULTS: After excluding pediatric patients, females were older than males (49.5±14.4 vs. 43±12.7 years, respectively, P=0.001). Higher proportions of females were observed in the pediatric and elderly populations. In Asians, male/female ratio of AE was ≈9-fold higher compared to Caucasians. Spontaneous type 1 BrS-ECG was associated with earlier onset of AE in pediatric females. A similar prevalence (≈65%) of spontaneous type 1 BrS-ECG was present in males and females above age of 60 years. Females less frequently showed a spontaneous type-1 BrS-ECG (31% vs. 59%, P<0.001) or arrhythmia-inducibility at EP study (34% vs. 64%, P<0.001). An SCN5A mutation was more frequently found in females (47.6% vs. 27.8% in males, P=0.007). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that female BrS-patients are much rarer, display less type 1 Brugada-ECG and exhibit lower inducibility rates than males. It shows for the first time that BrS females with AE have higher SCN5A mutation rates as well as the relationship between gender vs. age at onset of AE and ethnicity

Parallel molecular routes to cold adaptation in eight genera of New Zealand stick insects.

The acquisition of physiological strategies to tolerate novel thermal conditions allows organisms to exploit new environments. As a result, thermal tolerance is a key determinant of the global distribution of biodiversity, yet the constraints on its evolution are not well understood. Here we investigate parallel evolution of cold tolerance in New Zealand stick insects, an endemic radiation containing three montane-occurring species. Using a phylogeny constructed from 274 orthologous genes, we show that stick insects have independently colonized montane environments at least twice. We compare supercooling point and survival of internal ice formation among ten species from eight genera, and identify both freeze tolerance and freeze avoidance in separate montane lineages. Freeze tolerance is also verified in both lowland and montane populations of a single, geographically widespread, species. Transcriptome sequencing following cold shock identifies a set of structural cuticular genes that are both differentially regulated and under positive sequence selection in each species. However, while cuticular proteins in general are associated with cold shock across the phylogeny, the specific genes at play differ among species. Thus, while processes related to cuticular structure are consistently associated with adaptation for cold, this may not be the consequence of shared ancestral genetic constraints

Profile of Brugada Syndrome Patients Presenting with Their First Documented Arrhythmic Event. Data from the Survey on Arrhythmic Events in BRUgada Syndrome (SABRUS).

BACKGROUND: Detailed information on the profile of Brugada syndrome (BrS) patients presenting their first arrhythmic event (AE) after prophylactic implantation of a cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is limited. OBJECTIVES: 1) To compare clinical, electrocardiographic, electrophysiologic and genetic profiles of patients who exhibited their first documented AE as aborted cardiac arrest (CA) (group A) with those in whom the AE was documented after prophylactic ICD implantation (group B); 2) To characterize group B patients' profile using the Class II indications for ICD implantation established by HRS/EHRA/APHRS Expert Consensus Statement in 2013. METHODS: A survey of 23 centers from 10 Western and 4 Asian countries enabled data collection of 678 BrS patients with AE (group A, n=426; group B, n=252). RESULTS: First AE occurred in group B patients 6.7 years later than in group A (46.1+ 13.3 vs. 39.4+15.1, P<0.001). Group B patients had a higher incidence of family history of sudden cardiac death (SCD) and SCN5A mutations. Of the 252 group B patients, 189 (75%) complied with the HRS/EHRA/APHRS indications whereas the remaining 63 (25%) did not. CONCLUSION: BrS patients with first AE documented after prophylactic ICD implantation exhibited their AE at a later age with a higher incidence of positive family history of SCD and SCN5A mutations compared to those presenting with an aborted CA. Only 75% of patients who suffered an AE after receiving a prophylactic ICD complied with the 2013 Class II indications, suggesting efforts are still required for improving risk stratification

Performance of CMS muon reconstruction in pp collision events at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The performance of muon reconstruction, identification, and triggering in CMS has been studied using 40 inverse picobarns of data collected in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the LHC in 2010. A few benchmark sets of selection criteria covering a wide range of physics analysis needs have been examined. For all considered selections, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify a muon with a transverse momentum pT larger than a few GeV is above 95% over the whole region of pseudorapidity covered by the CMS muon system, abs(eta) < 2.4, while the probability to misidentify a hadron as a muon is well below 1%. The efficiency to trigger on single muons with pT above a few GeV is higher than 90% over the full eta range, and typically substantially better. The overall momentum scale is measured to a precision of 0.2% with muons from Z decays. The transverse momentum resolution varies from 1% to 6% depending on pseudorapidity for muons with pT below 100 GeV and, using cosmic rays, it is shown to be better than 10% in the central region up to pT = 1 TeV. Observed distributions of all quantities are well reproduced by the Monte Carlo simulation.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Performance of CMS muon reconstruction in pp collision events at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The performance of muon reconstruction, identification, and triggering in CMS has been studied using 40 inverse picobarns of data collected in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the LHC in 2010. A few benchmark sets of selection criteria covering a wide range of physics analysis needs have been examined. For all considered selections, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify a muon with a transverse momentum pT larger than a few GeV is above 95% over the whole region of pseudorapidity covered by the CMS muon system, abs(eta) < 2.4, while the probability to misidentify a hadron as a muon is well below 1%. The efficiency to trigger on single muons with pT above a few GeV is higher than 90% over the full eta range, and typically substantially better. The overall momentum scale is measured to a precision of 0.2% with muons from Z decays. The transverse momentum resolution varies from 1% to 6% depending on pseudorapidity for muons with pT below 100 GeV and, using cosmic rays, it is shown to be better than 10% in the central region up to pT = 1 TeV. Observed distributions of all quantities are well reproduced by the Monte Carlo simulation.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Carbon sequestration in the deep Atlantic enhanced by Saharan dust

Enhanced atmospheric input of dust-borne nutrients and minerals to the remote surface ocean can potentially increase carbon uptake and sequestration at depth. Nutrients can enhance primary productivity, and mineral particles act as ballast, increasing sinking rates of particulate organic matter. Here we present a two-year time series of sediment trap observations of particulate organic carbon flux to 3,000 m depth, measured directly in two locations: the dust-rich central North Atlantic gyre and the dust-poor South Atlantic gyre. We find that carbon fluxes are twice as high and a higher proportion of primary production is exported to depth in the dust-rich North Atlantic gyre. Low stable nitrogen isotope ratios suggest that high fluxes result from the stimulation of nitrogen fixation and productivity following the deposition of dust-borne nutrients. Sediment traps in the northern gyre also collected intact colonies of nitrogen-fixing Trichodesmium species. Whereas ballast in the southern gyre is predominantly biogenic, dust-derived mineral particles constitute the dominant ballast element during the enhanced carbon fluxes in the northern gyre. We conclude that dust deposition increases carbon sequestration in the North Atlantic gyre through the fertilization of the nitrogen-fixing community in surface waters and mineral ballasting of sinking particles

Fever-related arrhythmic events in the multicenter Survey on Arrhythmic Events in Brugada Syndrome

BACKGROUND: The literature on fever related arrhythmic events (AE) in Brugada syndrome (BrS) is currently limited to few case reports and small series. OBJECTIVE: The current study aims to describe the characteristics of fever-related AE in a large cohort of BrS patients. METHODS: SABRUS is a multicenter study on 678 BrS patients with first AE documented at time of aborted cardiac arrest (ACA) (n=426) or after prophylactic ICD implantation (n=252). RESULTS: In 35(6%) of the 588 patients with available information, the AE occurred during a febrile illness. Most of the 35 patients were male (80%), Caucasian (83%) and proband (70%). Age at time of AE was 29±24 (range 0.3-76) years. Most patients (80%) presented with ACA and 6 (17%) with arrhythmic storm. Family history of sudden death, history of syncope and spontaneous type 1 Brugada-ECG were noted in 17%, 40% and 66% of patients, respectively. VF was induced at EPS in 9/19(47%) patients. An SCN5A mutation was found in 14/28(50%) patients. The highest proportion of fever-related AE was observed in the pediatric population (age <16), with disproportionally higher event rate in the very young (0-5 years old) (65%). Males were involved in all age groups and females only in the pediatric and elderly groups. Fever-related AE affected 17 Caucasians aged<24 years, but no Asians aged <24 years. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of fever-related AE in BrS markedly varies according to age group, gender and ethnicity. Taking these factors into account could help the clinical management of BrS patients with fever

Integrated high-content quantification of intracellular ROS levels and mitochondrial morphofunction

Oxidative stress arises from an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and their removal by cellular antioxidant systems. Especially under pathological conditions, mitochondria constitute a relevant source of cellular ROS. These organelles harbor the electron transport chain, bringing electrons in close vicinity to molecular oxygen. Although a full understanding is still lacking, intracellular ROS generation and mitochondrial function are also linked to changes in mitochondrial morphology. To study the intricate relationships between the different factors that govern cellular redox balance in living cells, we have developed a high-contentmicroscopy-based strategy for simultaneous quantification of intracellular ROS levels and mitochondrial morphofunction. Here, we summarize the principles of intracellular ROS generation and removal, and we explain the major considerations for performing quantitative microscopy analyses of ROS and mitochondrial morphofunction in living cells. Next, we describe our workflow, and finally, we illustrate that a multiparametric readout enables the unambiguous classification of chemically perturbed cells as well as laminopathy patient cells