Deep Learning in EEG: Advance of the Last Ten-Year Critical Period

Deep learning has achieved excellent performance in a wide range of domains, especially in speech recognition and computer vision. Relatively less work has been done for EEG, but there is still significant progress attained in the last decade. Due to the lack of a comprehensive and topic widely covered survey for deep learning in EEG, we attempt to summarize recent progress to provide an overview, as well as perspectives for future developments. We first briefly mention the artifacts removal for EEG signal and then introduce deep learning models that have been utilized in EEG processing and classification. Subsequently, the applications of deep learning in EEG are reviewed by categorizing them into groups such as brain-computer interface, disease detection, and emotion recognition. They are followed by the discussion, in which the pros and cons of deep learning are presented and future directions and challenges for deep learning in EEG are proposed. We hope that this paper could serve as a summary of past work for deep learning in EEG and the beginning of further developments and achievements of EEG studies based on deep learning

A Dominant X-Linked QTL Regulating Pubertal Timing in Mice Found by Whole Genome Scanning and Modified Interval-Specific Congenic Strain Analysis

BACKGROUND: Pubertal timing in mammals is triggered by reactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and modulated by both genetic and environmental factors. Strain-dependent differences in vaginal opening among inbred mouse strains suggest that genetic background contribute significantly to the puberty timing, although the exact mechanism remains unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We performed a genome-wide scanning for linkage in reciprocal crosses between two strains, C3H/HeJ (C3H) and C57BL6/J (B6), which differed significantly in the pubertal timing. Vaginal opening (VO) was used to characterize pubertal timing in female mice, and the age at VO of all female mice (two parental strains, F1 and F2 progeny) was recorded. A genome-wide search was performed in 260 phenotypically extreme F2 mice out of 464 female progeny of the F1 intercrosses to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling this trait. A QTL significantly associated was mapped to the DXMit166 marker (15.5 cM, LOD = 3.86, p<0.01) in the reciprocal cross population (C3HB6F2). This QTL contributed 2.1 days to the timing of VO, which accounted for 32.31% of the difference between the original strains. Further study showed that the QTL was B6-dominant and explained 10.5% of variation to this trait with a power of 99.4% at an alpha level of 0.05.The location of the significant ChrX QTL found by genome scanning was then fine-mapped to a region of approximately 2.5 cM between marker DXMit68 and rs29053133 by generating and phenotyping a panel of 10 modified interval-specific congenic strains (mISCSs). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Such findings in our study lay a foundation for positional cloning of genes regulating the timing of puberty, and also reveal the fact that chromosome X (the sex chromosome) does carry gene(s) which take part in the regulative pathway of the pubertal timing in mice

Numerical simulation and experimental validation of characteristics of jet noise from submerged axisymmetric nozzle

[Objectives] In order to study the underwater jet noise characteristics,[Methods] the Lighthill acoustic analogy is carried out to compute the underwater free jet flow sound field characteristic of axisymmetric nozzle, with applying of FLUENT simulation software and large eddy simulation, the real flow field of submerged axisymmetric nozzle is simulated, and the jet noise is measured by the reverberation method.[Results] The results show that the core length of steady flow field is independent of flow rate, and the length is about 8 times the diameter of the nozzle. The radiation power of jet noise is proportional to the velocity of eight times. The power spectrum of jet noise is different with the flow velocity in the low frequency. In the high frequency, the difference is significantly reduced. The radiated noise energy is mainly concentrated in the low frequency. With the increase of flow velocity, the main contribution of jet noise moves to high frequency.[Conclusions] In terms of computing simulation of jet noise, the large eddy simulation and Lighthill acoustic analogy combined analysis is an effective means

Finite-Element Method for Calculating the Sound Field in a Tank with Impedance Boundaries

In this paper, a finite-element method for calculating the sound field in a water tank with impedance boundaries is proposed based on the theory of standing waves in a tube. The equivalent acoustic impedance of the tank walls is calculated by establishing a three-dimensional axisymmetric virtual standing-wave tube in finite-element software, whereupon boundaries with that impedance are used as the tank boundaries. Since the impedance is the property of the material itself, the calculated impedance value can be used for the calculation of the three-dimensional sound field. The sound field due to a point source in a glass tank is calculated using the proposed method, the correctness of which is assessed experimentally. By comparing the experimental and numerical results, the proposed method is shown to be correct

A Flow Velocity Measurement Method Based on a PVDF Piezoelectric Sensor

To measure the flow velocity of a fluid without affecting its motion state, a method was proposed based on a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) piezoelectric film sensor. A self-made PVDF piezoelectric sensor placed parallel with the flow direction was used to measure the flow velocity. First, the piezoelectric characteristics of PVDF were obtained theoretically. Next, the relationship between flow velocity and sound pressure was verified numerically. Finally, the relationship between flow velocity and the electrical output of the PVDF piezoelectric film was obtained experimentally. In conclusion, the proposed method was shown to be reliable and effective

Group consensus of continuous-time second-order multi-agent systems via asynchronous sampled-data control

This paper investigates the group consensus problem of continuous-time second-order multi-agent systems (MASs) with asynchronous sampling, where each agent has its own clocks that are not affected by the others’. The asynchronous sampled-data based protocol is designed by using the neighbors’ state information with uncertain time-varying sampling intervals. In continuous-time second-order MASs, the asynchronous group consensus problem can be equivalently transformed into a stability problem of synchronous discrete-time second-order MASs by using appropriate model transformations. With the help of the nonnegative matrix theory and graph theory, the stability is analyzed and a pretty graphic sufficient condition is established. Besides, a simulation example is given to demonstrate the proposed result

Hepatotoxicity evaluation and possible mechanisms of decabrominated diphenyl ethers (BDE-209) in broilers: Oxidative stress, inflammatory, and transcriptomics

Decabrominated diphenyl ether (BDE-209), a persistent organic pollutant, is linked to a great number of health problems, the most severe of which impact the liver due to its role in the elimination and degradation of exogenous harmful substances. Though the hepatotoxicity of BDE-209 has been observed, its underlying mechanism is yet unknown. The purpose of this study is to thoroughly investigate the hepatotoxicity of BDE-209 and its molecular processes in broilers by subjecting 120 male broilers to varied concentrations of BDE-209 for 42 days. We observed that the bioaccumulation of BDE-209 in the liver in a dose-dependent manner, and that BDE-209 exposure can raise the concentrations of ALT, AST, and GGT, accompanied by hepatocyte fatty degeneration and inflammatory foci. In the hepatic homogenates, oxidative stress was evidenced by elevated levels of MDA and ROS and decreased activies of SOD and CAT. Additionally, pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-1, IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-8 levels were increased, whereas anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-4 level was declined. Furthermore, RNA sequencing revealed that genes involved in inflammation were considerably dysregulated, and real-time PCR verified the expressed alterations of numerous genes related to the MAPK and WNT signaling pathways. The protein concentrations of NF-κB, β-catenin, and WNT5A, and the phosphorylation levels of JNK and ERK were all dramatically enhanced. The current study indicates that BDE-209 exposure can cause hepatotoxicity in broilers via bioaccumulation and oxidative stress, which then activates the MAPK and WNT signaling pathways, subsequently generating inflammation and hepatic injury