Neurophysiophenomenology – predicting emotional arousal from brain arousal in a virtual reality roller coaster

Arousal is a core affect constituted of both bodily and subjective states that prepares an agent to respond to events of the natural environment. While the peripheral physiological components of arousal have been examined also under naturalistic conditions, its neural correlates were suggested mainly on the basis of simplifed experimental designs.   We used virtual reality (VR) to present a highly immersive and contextually rich scenario of roller coaster rides to evoke naturalistic states of emotional arousal. Simultaneously, we recorded EEG to validate the suggested neural correlates of arousal in alpha frequency oscillations (8-12Hz) over temporo-parietal cortical areas. To fnd the complex link between these alpha components and the participants’ continuous subjective reports of arousal, we employed a set of complementary analytical methods coming from machine learning and deep learning

Import of cytochrome c heme lyase into mitochondria

Cytochrome c heme lyase (CCHL) catalyses the covalent attachment of the heme group to apocytochrome c during its import into mitochondria. The enzyme is membrane-associated and is located within the intermembrane space. The precursor of CCHL synthesized in vitro was efficiently translocated into isolated mitochondria from Neurospora crassa. The imported CCHL, like the native protein, was correctly localized to the intermembrane space, where it was membrane-bound. As with the majority of mitochondrial precursor proteins, CCHL uses the MOM19-GIP receptor complex in the outer membrane for import. In contrast to proteins taking the general import route, CCHL was imported independently of both ATP-hydrolysis and an electrochemical potential as external energy sources. CCHL which lacks a cleavable signal sequence apparently does not traverse the inner membrane to reach the intermembrane space; rather, it translocates through the outer membrane only. Thus, CCHL represents an example of a novel, 'non-conservative' import pathway into the intermembrane space, thereby also showing that the import apparatus in the outer membrane acts separately from the import machinery in the inner membrane

Are Beginning and Small-Scale Farmers Drawn to Diversification? Ten Years\u27 Findings From Ohio

Diversifying a farm\u27s production operations or marketing channels can boost income and raise farm survival rates. But are beginning and small-scale farmers inclined toward a strategy of diversification? We analyzed 578 attendee surveys from 10 years of an Extension workshop for new and small-scale farmers in Ohio. We investigated the farming profile of beginning and small-scale farmers, the degree to which they are interested in pursuing diversified farming, and whether these interests vary by gender. We found evidence that new and small-scale farmers are interested in alternatives to commodity grain farming, that these alternatives are associated with diversified farming systems, and that some specific diversification interests vary by gender

miR-34a-/- mice are susceptible to diet-induced obesity

Objective: MicroRNA (miR)−34a regulates inflammatory pathways, and increased transcripts have been observed in serum and subcutaneous adipose of subjects who have obesity and type 2 diabetes. Therefore, the role of miR-34a in adipose tissue inflammation and lipid metabolism in murine diet-induced obesity was investigated. Methods: Wild-type (WT) and miR-34a−/− mice were fed chow or high-fat diet (HFD) for 24 weeks. WT and miR-34a−/− bone marrow-derived macrophages were cultured in vitro with macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF). Brown and white preadipocytes were cultured from the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) of intrascapular brown and epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT), with rosiglitazone. Results: HFD-fed miR-34a−/− mice were significantly heavier with a greater increase in eWAT weight than WT. miR-34a−/− eWAT had a smaller adipocyte area, which significantly increased with HFD. miR-34a−/− eWAT showed basal increases in Cd36, Hmgcr, Lxrα, Pgc1α, and Fasn. miR-34a−/− intrascapular brown adipose tissue had basal reductions in c/ebpα and c/ebpβ, with in vitro miR-34a−/− white adipocytes showing increased lipid content. An F4/80high macrophage population was present in HFD miR-34a−/− eWAT, with increased IL-10 transcripts and serum IL-5 protein. Finally, miR-34a−/− bone marrow-derived macrophages showed an ablated CXCL1 response to tumor necrosis factor-α. Conclusions: These findings suggest a multifactorial role of miR-34a in controlling susceptibility to obesity, by regulating inflammatory and metabolic pathways

Mossbauer investigations of amorphous Fe(80-x) B20Nbx (x=0,4,6,10) alloys

Purpose: The paper presents a structural and magnetic characterization of selected Fe-based metallic glasses in as-cast state. Design/methodology/approach: The studies were performed on Fe(80-x)B20Nbx metallic glasses in form of ribbons with Nb addition of 0, 4, 6, 10 at.%. The amorphous structure of tested samples was examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Mössbauer spectroscopy methods. The Mössbauer spectroscopy was also applied to comparison of structure in studied amorphous samples with different chemical composition. The thermal properties associated with solidus temperature of master alloys were measured using the differential thermal analysis (DTA). The soft magnetic properties examination of tested materials contained relative magnetic permeability. Findings: The XRD and Mössbauer spectroscopy investigations revealed that the studied alloys in as-cast state were amorphous. The solidus temperature assumed as the onset temperature of the melting peak on the DTA curve reached a value of 1405, 1394, 1392 and 1389 K for Fe80B20, Fe76B20Nb4, Fe74B20Nb6 and Fe70B20Nb10 alloy, adequately. The Mössbauer spectra presented broadened six line patterns characteristic to the structural disorder of amorphous ferromagnetic materials. The changing of the average hyperfine magnetic field with niobium addition is connected with structural changing. A high concentration of Nb atoms with high atomic radius can acting as diffusion barrier what lead to formation of regions rich in iron or boron atoms. The niobium addition in Fe(80-x)B20Nbx alloy improves soft magnetic properties in as-cast state. Practical implications: The Mössbauer spectroscopy is very useful method in studying the structural environment of Fe atoms on a nearest-neighbor length scale allowing the analysis of iron-containing phases. Originality/value: The obtained examination results confirm the utility of investigation methods in analysis of microstructure of ferromagnetic glassy alloys

Decoding subjective emotional arousal from EEG during an immersive Virtual Reality experience

Immersive virtual reality (VR) enables naturalistic neuroscientific studies while maintaining experimental control, but dynamic and interactive stimuli pose methodological challenges. We here probed the link between emotional arousal, a fundamental property of affective experience, and parieto-occipital alpha power under naturalistic stimulation:37 young healthy adults completed an immersive VR experience, which included rollercoaster rides, while their EEG was recorded. They then continuously rated their subjective emotional arousal while viewing a replay of their experience. The association between emotional arousal and parieto-occipital alpha power was tested and confirmed by (1) decomposing the continuous EEG signal while maximizing the comodulation between alpha power and arousal ratings and by (2) decoding periods of high and low arousal with discriminative common spatial patterns and a Long Short-Term Memory recurrent neural network.We successfully combine EEG and a naturalistic immersive VR experience to extend previous findings on the neurophysiology of emotional arousal towards real-world neuroscience.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest

Enantioselective synthesis of cyclobutylboronates via a copper-catalyzed desymmetrization approach

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Guisán-Ceinos, M., Parra, A., Martín-Heras, V. and Tortosa, M. (2016), Enantioselective Synthesis of Cyclobutylboronates via a Copper-Catalyzed Desymmetrization Approach. Angew. Chem., which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ange.201601976. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.In this report, the first catalytic enantioselective synthesis of cyclobutylboronates, using a chiral copper(I) complex, is disclosed. A broad variety of cyclobutanes have been prepared with consistently high levels of diastereo- and enantiocontrol. Moreover, this method constitutes the first report of an enantioselective desymmetrization of meso-cyclobutenes to prepare chiral cyclobutanesWe thank the European Research Council (ERC-337776) and MINECO (CTQ2012-35957) for financial support. M. T. and A. P. thank MICINN for RyC and JdC contract

A cross-cultural approach to understanding entrepreneurial intention

The current research aims to shed light on the role of culture in the formation of career intentions. It draws on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB; Ajzen), which has been widely employed to predict intentions, including entrepreneurial career intentions, but past research has almost exclusively been conducted in "Western" countries. The current research specifically explores the extent to which both the strength of relationships of TPB predictors with entrepreneurial career intentions and the TPB predictors themselves are invariant across cultures. The study compares six very different countries (Germany, India, Iran, Poland, Spain, and the Netherlands), drawing on an overall sample of 1,074 students and their assessments of entrepreneurial career intentions. Results support culture universal effects of attitudes and perceived behavioral control (self-efficacy) on entrepreneurial career intentions but cultural variation in the effects of subjective norm

БЮДЖЕТНИЙ КОНТРОЛЬ НА МІСЦЕВОМУ РІВНІ В УМОВАХ ФІНАНСОВОЇ ЦЕНТРАЛІЗАЦІЇ В УКРАЇНІ: ПРОБЛЕМИ ТА СПОСОБИ ЇХ ВИРІШЕННЯ

In the context of deepening administrative and financial decentralization in Ukraine, issues of the effective functioning of the system of budgetary control at the local level are of particular importance. It is shown that local self-government bodies, having received new powers and additional resources, are not always able to manage them rationally, sometimes allowing misuse or even illegal use of them, are not engaged in finding reserves for increasing the local budgets. The institutional (organizational and legal) problems of functioning of the budgetary control system at the local level are found out. Among the main ones there are: excessive number of institutions with control powers; the lack of a unified legal framework for the functioning of budgetary control bodies at the level of local self-government; disorderly rights and responsibilities of entities authorized to control the compliance with budget legislation at the level of local self-government; weak public control over decisions of local self-government bodies regarding the use of community funds. The violations that take place in local government bodies at all stages of the budget process are systematized and their quantitative parameters are analyzed. The objective and subjective factors that give rise to such problems are revealed. The range of practical recommendations on improving the domestic system of budgetary control at the local level is given, in particular creation of a single budgetary control authority at the level of local self-government with the legitimate delegation of control functions to it and ensuring the independence from the government and local self-government bodies; strengthening and legislating the level of control and responsibility of the heads of the amalgamated territorial communities; implementation of follow-up monitoring of decisions taken by ATCs for their compliance with the current legislation of Ukraine; carrying out a complete inventory of ATCs land and its valuation, etc.В условиях углубления административной и финансовой децентрализации в Украине особое значение приобретает эффективное функционирование системы бюджетного контроля на местном уровне. Органы местного самоуправления, получая новые полномочия и дополнительные ресурсы, не всегда умеют правильно распорядиться ими, иногда допуская нецелевое или даже незаконное их использование, не занимаются поиском резервов увеличения объемов местных бюджетов. Выяснено институциональные (организационные и правовые) проблемы функционирования системы бюджетного контроля средств местных бюджетов. Среди основных определены: избыточное количество институтов, наделенных контрольными полномочиями; отсутствие унифицированной законодательной базы функционирования органов бюджетного контроля на уровне местного самоуправления; неустроенность прав и ответственности органов, уполномоченных осуществлять контроль за соблюдением бюджетного законодательства на уровне местного самоуправления; низкий уровень общественного контроля за решениями органов местного самоуправления по использованию средств общин. Систематизированы нарушения, имеющие место в органах местного самоуправления на всех стадиях бюджетного процесса, и проанализированы их количественные параметры. Выявлены объективные и субъективные факторы, порождающие такие проблемы. Даны рекомендации по совершенствованию отечественной системы бюджетного контроля на местном уровне, а именно: создание единого органа бюджетного контроля на уровне местного самоуправления с законным делегированием ему контрольных функций и обеспечением независимого статуса представителя власти и ОМС; усиление и законодательного закрепления контроля и ответственности председателей объединенных территориальных общин; введение сквозного мониторинга принятых решений ОТГ на предмет их соответствия действующим законам Украины; проведение полной инвентаризации земель ОТГ и их нормативной денежной оценки и пр.В умовах поглиблення адміністративної та фінансової децентралізації в Україні особливого значення набувають питання ефективного функціонування системи бюджетного контролю на місцевому рівні. Показано, що органи місцевого самоврядування, отримуючи нові повноваження та додаткові ресурси, не завжди вміють раціонально розпорядитися ними, іноді допускаючи нецільове або навіть незаконне їх використання, не займаються пошуком резервів збільшення обсягів місцевих бюджетів. З’ясовано інституційні (організаційні та правові) проблеми функціонування системи бюджетного контролю за коштами місцевих бюджетів. Серед основних визначено: надмірну кількість інститутів, наділених контрольними повноваженнями; відсутність уніфікованої законодавчої бази функціонування органів бюджетного контролю на рівні місцевого самоврядування; невпорядкованість прав і відповідальності органів, уповноважених здійснювати контроль за дотриманням бюджетного законодавства на рівні місцевого самоврядування; низький рівень громадського контролю за рішеннями органів місцевого самоврядування щодо використання коштів громад. Систематизовано порушення, що мають місце в органах місцевого самоврядування на всіх стадіях бюджетного процесу та проаналізовано їхні кількісні параметри. Виявлено об’єктивні та суб’єктивні фактори, що породжують такі проблеми. Надано рекомендації щодо вдосконалення вітчизняної системи бюджетного контролю на місцевому рівні в частині: створення єдиного органу бюджетного контролю на рівні місцевого самоврядування із законним делегуванням йому контрольних функцій та забезпеченням незалежного статусу від державної влади та ОМС; посилення та законодавчого закріплення контролю та відповідальності голів об’єднаних територіальних громад; запровадження наскрізного моніторингу ухвалених рішень ОТГ на предмет їхньої відповідності чинним законам України; проведення повної інвентаризації земель ОТГ та їхньої нормативної грошової оцінки тощо