Pupillometric Investigation of Spontaneous Action and Intention Awareness

The neuroscience of volition, to a large extent, investigates the neural precursors of conscious decision-making and action. Pupillometry is a powerful tool for investigating conscious and attentional processing, partly because of its connection to the locus coeruleus (Josh et al., 2016). For instance, in an attentional blink paradigm, differences in pupil dilations were associated with conscious versus nonconscious stimuli (Wierda et al., 2012). Nevertheless, this technique received little attention in the study of volition. We collected pupil data during a spontaneous action paradigm, where subjects freely pressed a button at a time of their choosing, sometimes reporting their onset of movement or of intention using a clock (Libet et al., 1983). Preliminary analysis (N=12) demonstrated significant differences in baseline pupil size between conditions, potentially indicating cognitive load differences. Furthermore, replicating Richer and Beatty (1985), we found significant dilations before spontaneous movements. There were also indications that larger, pre-movement pupil dilations occur before reporting movement compared to before intention timing. These results support arguments that task demands, such as monitoring awareness, may affect the underlying neural activity leading to action and impact recorded signals—e.g., the readiness potential (Trevana and Miller, 2011). Moreover, these results offer a starting point for the use of pupillometry in studying conscious action production

“Cheating” In a Fast by Exercising After a Snack

As the prevalence of chronic diseases has increased, research has emerged supporting the utility of intermittent fasting in managing certain health conditions. Despite potential benefits, adhering to a fasting regimen can be difficult. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was twofold. The first purpose was to describe how consuming a modest snack prior to exercise influences plasma glucose, beta-hydroxybutyrate and hunger in reference to fasting with and without exercise. The second purpose was to examine how exercising in a fasted state influences plasma glucose, beta-hydroxybutyrate and hunger. METHODS: A randomized crossover design with counterbalanced treatment conditions was used to compare the influence of fasting alone (control), fasting with exercise (exercise), and fasting with the addition of a snack immediately prior to exercise (snack/exercise). The effects of these interventions on beta-hydroxybutyrate levels, blood glucose, hunger, and mood were assessed. RESULTS: BHB was significantly higher in the exercise condition than control starting at 24 hrs to the end of the study (p \u3c 0.05). BHB levels between control and snack/exercise conditions were not different. Immediately after participants had exercised, blood glucose levels were higher in both the exercise and snack/exercise conditions than control (p \u3c 0.001). With the exception of one time point, there were no additional differences. In the exercise and snack/exercise conditions, hunger was significantly lower than control right after exercise (p = .0043 and p = .0003, respectively). Hunger was not different between the exercise and snack/exercise conditions at any time point. Mood was not different between conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Exercising after modest caloric intake produces BHB and glucose levels that are similar to fasting alone. Exercising without a snack briefly interrupts the fast but elevates BHB production starting around three hours after the exercise bout. Finally, mood was not different between any conditions and calls into question the assumption that a snack/exercise fasting protocol is in fact easier to adhere to

Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs): Development of Small Nuclear Reactors (SMRs) to Supplement Power Needs

Small Modular Reactor (SMR) is a small nuclear reactor that can operate as part of or independently of the electrical grid system 100 to 1,000 times smaller than typical nuclear reactors Modular and easily transportable Reliable and operationally flexibl

Data-driven discovery of molecular photoswitches with multioutput Gaussian processes

Photoswitchable molecules display two or more isomeric forms that may be accessed using light. Separating the electronic absorption bands of these isomers is key to selectively addressing a specific isomer and achieving high photostationary states whilst overall red-shifting the absorption bands serves to limit material damage due to UV-exposure and increases penetration depth in photopharmacological applications. Engineering these properties into a system through synthetic design however, remains a challenge. Here, we present a data-driven discovery pipeline for molecular photoswitches underpinned by dataset curation and multitask learning with Gaussian processes. In the prediction of electronic transition wavelengths, we demonstrate that a multioutput Gaussian process (MOGP) trained using labels from four photoswitch transition wavelengths yields the strongest predictive performance relative to single-task models as well as operationally outperforming time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) in terms of the wall-clock time for prediction. We validate our proposed approach experimentally by screening a library of commercially available photoswitchable molecules. Through this screen, we identified several motifs that displayed separated electronic absorption bands of their isomers, exhibited red-shifted absorptions, and are suited for information transfer and photopharmacological applications. Our curated dataset, code, as well as all models are made available at https://github.com/Ryan-Rhys/The-Photoswitch-Dataset

What works to increase charitable donations? A meta-review with meta-meta-analysis

Many charities rely on donations to support their work addressing some of the world’s most pressing problems. We conducted a meta-review to determine what interventions work to increase charitable donations. We found 21 systematic reviews incorporating 1339 primary studies and over 2,139,938 participants. Our meta-meta-analysis estimated the average effect of an intervention on charitable donation size and incidence: r = 0.08 (95% CI [0.03, 0.12]). Due to limitations in the included systematic reviews, we are not certain this estimate reflects the true overall effect size. The most robust evidence found suggests charities could increase donations by (1) emphasising individual beneficiaries, (2) increasing the visibility of donations, (3) describing the impact of the donation, and (4) enacting or promoting tax-deductibility of the charity. We make recommendations for improving primary research and reviews about charitable donations, and how to apply the meta-review findings to increase charitable donations

Brexit and the everyday politics of emotion: methodological lessons from history

The 2016 European Union referendum campaign has been depicted as a battle between ‘heads’ and ‘hearts’, reason and emotion. Voters’ propensity to trust their feelings over expert knowledge has sparked debate about the future of democratic politics in what is increasingly believed to be an ‘age of emotion’. In this article, we argue that we can learn from the ways that historians have approached the study of emotions and everyday politics to help us make sense of this present moment. Drawing on William Reddy’s concept of ‘emotional regimes’, we analyse the position of emotion in qualitative, ‘everyday narratives’ about the 2016 European Union referendum. Using new evidence from the Mass Observation Archive, we argue that while reason and emotion are inextricable facets of political decision-making, citizens themselves understand the two processes as distinct and competing

Fc-Optimized Anti-CD25 Depletes Tumor-Infiltrating Regulatory T Cells and Synergizes with PD-1 Blockade to Eradicate Established Tumors

CD25 is expressed at high levels on regulatory T (Treg) cells and was initially proposed as a target for cancer immunotherapy. However, anti-CD25 antibodies have displayed limited activity against established tumors. We demonstrated that CD25 expression is largely restricted to tumor-infiltrating Treg cells in mice and humans. While existing anti-CD25 antibodies were observed to deplete Treg cells in the periphery, upregulation of the inhibitory Fc gamma receptor (FcγR) IIb at the tumor site prevented intra-tumoral Treg cell depletion, which may underlie the lack of anti-tumor activity previously observed in pre-clinical models. Use of an anti-CD25 antibody with enhanced binding to activating FcγRs led to effective depletion of tumor-infiltrating Treg cells, increased effector to Treg cell ratios, and improved control of established tumors. Combination with anti-programmed cell death protein-1 antibodies promoted complete tumor rejection, demonstrating the relevance of CD25 as a therapeutic target and promising substrate for future combination approaches in immune-oncology

Fc Effector Function Contributes to the Activity of Human Anti-CTLA-4 Antibodies.

With the use of a mouse model expressing human Fc-gamma receptors (FcγRs), we demonstrated that antibodies with isotypes equivalent to ipilimumab and tremelimumab mediate intra-tumoral regulatory T (Treg) cell depletion in vivo, increasing the CD8+ to Treg cell ratio and promoting tumor rejection. Antibodies with improved FcγR binding profiles drove superior anti-tumor responses and survival. In patients with advanced melanoma, response to ipilimumab was associated with the CD16a-V158F high affinity polymorphism. Such activity only appeared relevant in the context of inflamed tumors, explaining the modest response rates observed in the clinical setting. Our data suggest that the activity of anti-CTLA-4 in inflamed tumors may be improved through enhancement of FcγR binding, whereas poorly infiltrated tumors will likely require combination approaches

The role of earthworms in nitrogen and solute retention in a tropical forest in Sabah, Malaysia: a pilot study

Compounds of the 20 elements needed by living organisms are relatively soluble in water and therefore vulnerable to being leached and lost from terrestrial ecosystems during mineralization. Intact systems have thus acquired retention mechanisms that sequester nutrients and minimize losses. Such mechanisms should be particularly important where rainfall is very high but direct evidence of retention mechanisms in tropical forests is scarce (Snaddon et al. 2012, Turner et al. 2007)