Using transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to modulate the face inversion effect on the N170 ERP component

This is the final version. Available from the Cognitive Science Society via the link in this recordIn the present study, we combined tDCS and EEG to examine the electrophysiological responses to the tDCS-induced effects on the face inversion effect showed in recent studies. A double-blind procedure with a between-subjects design (n=48) was used with the subjects, recruited from the student population, being randomly assigned to either tDCS anodal or sham condition. The tDCS stimulation was delivered over the DLPFC at Fp3 site for 10 min at an intensity of 1.5mA while subjects engaged in an old/new recognition task traditionally used to obtain the inversion effect. The behavioural results generally confirmed previous findings. Critically, the results from the N170 show an effect of tDCS. Specifically, the tDCS procedure was able to modulate the N170 peak component by reducing the inversion effect on the latencies (i.e. less delay between upright and inverted faces) and by increasing the inversion effect on the amplitudes (i.e. larger N170 for inverted vs upright faces). We interpret the results based on the previous literature in regard to the inversion effect on the N170 component.European Union Horizon 2020Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC

Late Relapse and Follow-up Protocols in Testicular Germ Cell Tumours: The Edinburgh Cancer Centre Experience and Review of the Literature

Aims To identify clinicopathological features and outcomes in patients with late relapse (LR) of testicular germ cell tumours (GCTs) in order to guide follow-up policy. Materials and Methods The Edinburgh Cancer Centre (ECC) database identified all patients diagnosed with testicular GCT between 1988 and 2002. Of 703 patients, six relapsed more than 24 months after their initial treatment. A retrospective casenote review was performed to extract clinical, pathological, treatment and outcome data. Results Six patients (0.85%) underwent late relapse. All patients presented initially with stage I disease and five were classified as good risk (International Germ Cell Consensus Classification, IGCCC). Median time to LR was 31 months. Two patients had previously relapsed less than 24 months from initial diagnosis. Markers at the time of relapse were normal in all patients. In all cases of late relapse disease was confined to axial lymphadenopathy. Three patients were treated with chemotherapy alone, two patients underwent surgical resection and one patient received combined treatment. All patients obtained a complete response and all remain disease free with a median follow-up of 52 months. Conclusions The incidence of late relapse in this series is low. Chemo-naive patients with LR were successfully salvaged with chemotherapy alone and patients previously exposed to cisplatin-based chemotherapy were salvaged with complete surgical excision. The optimal length of follow-up in patients with testicular germ cell tumours is not known and practice varies widely. In this cohort of 703 patients, only one patient who relapsed was picked up by additional clinic follow-up between 5 and 10 years. Thus, on the basis of this small series, the authors suggest that follow-up after five years may not be justified

Measuring the Non-Separability of Optical Fields

Across various areas in the optical world, there has been a growing interest in exploiting the properties of non-separable optical fields. A class of non-separable fields, known as vector modes, exhibit a coupling between the spatial and polarisation degrees of freedom that is akin of entanglement in quantum mechanics. These vector modes, however, are typically characterized using qualitative measurements which are inadequate in determining to what extent an optical field is non-separable. Here, we present tools to characterize the degree of non-separability of an arbitrary optical field, exploiting the similarities between vector modes and quantum entangled states. As an example, we use vector modes carrying orbital angular momentum to demonstrate the effectiveness of our scheme, and note that the approach can be generalized to vector modes as a whole

Isomorphic controllers and Dynamic Tuning: invariant fingering over a tuning continuum

The tuning invariance is where the relationship among the intervals of a given scale remain the same over a range of tunings but requires that the frequency differences are glossed over to expose the similarities. Tuning invariance can be a musically useful property by enabling dynamic tuning which is the real-time changes to the tuning of all sounded notes as a tuning variable changes along a smooth continuum. The mathematical and perceptual abstractions that are the prerequisite of this dynamic tuning are greatly discussed. Other topics being discussed include the identification of the note layouts that are tuning invariant, the meaning of the "same" across a range of tunings for a given interval and the definition of "range of tunings" for a given temperament

Individual responses to novel predation risk and the emergence of a landscape of fear

Elucidating changes in prey behavior in response to a novel predator is key to understanding how individuals acclimate to shifting predation regimes. Such responses are predicted to vary among individuals as a function of the level of risk to which individuals are exposed, temporal changes in risk, and landscape‐mediated changes in perceived risk. We tested how GPS‐tracked moose (Alces alces, n = 19) responded to an emerging risk landscape with the introduction of hunting to a naïve population (large‐scale reduction experiment in Gros Morne National Park, Canada). We predicted that predation risk associated with hunters would influence moose habitat selection: Avoidance responses would be stronger during the day when hunting was allowed, and moose would learn to avoid risky locations which would strengthen in successive years for survivors occupying overall riskier home ranges. We found that moose avoided areas associated with a high risk of encounters with hunters but did not alter selection patterns between day and night. We did not find evidence of moose reacting more strongly to emerging risk as a function of risk within their home range. Moose did not increase their avoidance of areas associated with hunter risk across years but over time survivors selected non‐hunted refuge areas more frequently. Our results suggest that while moose did not adjust fine‐scale habitat selection through time to increased hunting risk, they did adjust selection at broader scales (based on proportions of hunter‐free habitat included in home range relative to study area). This finding supports the hypothesis that habitat selection at larger spatio‐temporal scales may reflect behavioral responses to a population’s most important limiting factors, which may not be apparent at finer scales

Phosphorus (P) availability and P transformation rates in Amazonian Dark Earth determined by 33P isotopic dilution.

Amazonian Dark Earth (ADE) often shows increased soil fertility compared to surrounding soils, likely linked to its increased concentration of soil organic matter and macronutrients such as phosphorus (P). For P, there is little knowledge whether the higher P availability is a result of increased biological processes (such as organic P mineralization) or physico-chemical processes (such as sorption/desorption), or both

p53 autoantibodies in patients with malignant mesothelioma: stability through disease progression

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) generally occurs as a pleural tumour, related to the inhalation of asbestos fibres. It is highly aggressive and largely unresponsive to treatment. The incidence of MM is particularly high in Western Australia because of the extensive blue asbestos mining operations that occurred in the north of the state until 1966. MM is unusual in that mutations in the tumour suppressor gene p53 are rarely observed, whilst over-expression of p53 protein is common. As the level of antibodies directed against p53 is thought to be of prognostic value in some cancers and as MM is known to be immunogenic, we studied a cohort of Western Australian patients to determine the prevalence of anti-p53 antibodies and their value as diagnostic markers or prognostic indicators. 6/88 (7%) of patients had high titres (>2 SD above the mean of controls) of anti-p53 antibodies. There was no correlation between antibody titre and survival. Although 3/38 (8%) of sera obtained from patients exposed to asbestos but prior to a diagnosis of MM contained antibodies, the same proportion of sera obtained from patients exposed to asbestos but who remained disease free also contained antibodies (2/40; 8%). Sera collected sequentially demonstrated a profound temporal stability in the titre of anti-p53 antibodies in patients with MM throughout the course of their illness. These results show that anti-p53 antibodies are observed only at a low frequency in the sera of MM patients and where they do occur, their elicitation is an early event that may be unrelated to antigen load. The occurrence of anti-p53 antibodies does not serve as either a useful prognostic or diagnostic indicator in MM. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co