Turning into frogs: asymmetry in forelimb emergence and escape direction in metamorphosing anurans:Lateralised forelimb emergence and turning

There is considerable debate about the pattern and origin of laterality in forelimb emergence and turning behaviour within amphibians, with the latter being poorly investigated in tadpoles around metamorphic climax. Using 6 species of metamorphosing anurans, we investigated the effect of asymmetrical spiracle location, and disturbance at the time of forelimb emergence, on the pattern of forelimb emergence. Turning behaviour was observed to assess whether motor lateralization occurred in non-neobatrachian anurans and was linked to patterns of forelimb emergence. Biases in forelimb emergence differed among species, supporting the hypothesis that asymmetrical spiracle position results in the same asymmetry in forelimb emergence. However, this pattern only occurred when individuals were undisturbed. Therefore, context at the time of the emergence of the forelimbs may be important, and might explain some discrepancies in the literature. Turning biases, unconnected to forelimb emergence, were found in Pipidae and Bombinatoridae, confirming the basal origin of lateralized behaviour among anurans. Turning direction in our metamorphs differed from the leftward bias commonly observed in tadpoles, but may be analogous to the prevalent right-“handedness” among adult anurans. Therefore, the transitions occurring during metamorphosis may affect lateralized behaviour and metamorphosis may be fruitful for understanding the development of lateralization

The effect of heterospecific and conspecific competition on inter-individual differences in tungara frog tadpole (Engystomops pustulosus) behavior:Effect of competition on variation in tadpole behavior

Repeated social interactions with conspecifics and/or heterospecifics during early development may drive the differentiation of behavior among individuals. Competition is a major form of social interaction and its impacts can depend on whether interactions occur between conspecifics or heterospecifics and the directionality of a response could be specific to the ecological context that they are measured in. To test this, we reared tungara frog tadpoles (Engystomops pustulosus) either in isolation, with a conspecific tadpole or with an aggressive heterospecific tadpole, the whistling frog tadpole (Leptodactylus fuscus). In each treatment, we measured the body size and distance focal E. pustulosus tadpoles swam in familiar, novel and predator risk contexts six times during development. We used univariate and multivariate hierarchical mixed effect models to investigate the effect of treatment on mean behavior, variance among and within individuals, behavioral repeatability and covariance among individuals in their behavior between contexts. There was a strong effect of competition on behavior, with different population and individual level responses across social treatments. Within a familiar context, the variance in the distance swam within individuals decreased under conspecific competition but heterospecific competition caused more variance in the average distance swam among individuals. Behavioral responses were also context specific as conspecific competition caused an increase in the distance swam within individuals in novel and predator risk contexts. The results highlight that the impact of competition on among and within individual variance in behavior is dependent on both competitor species identity and context

Development of a Root Caries Prediction Model in a Population of Dental Attenders

Acknowledgement This study was conducted as part of the doctoral thesis of P.A.F. We would like to thank the participating dental practice teams and patients without whose valuable contribution this study could not have taken place. We would like to thank our colleagues in the INTERVAL Trial team Funding INTERVAL was funded by the NIHR HTA programme [project numbers 06/35/05 (Phase I) and 06/35/99 (Phase II)]. No additional funding was obtained to conduct the prediction study presented in this paper. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of NIHR, the NHS or the Department of Health and Social Care.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Quantifying alignment effects in 3D coordinate measurement

The use of fixtureless, non-contact coordinate measurement has become increasingly prevalent in manufacturing problem solving. Manufacturers now routinely use measurement systems such as white light area scanners, photogrammetry, laser trackers, and portable laser scanners to conduct studies that require measuring upstream supplier parts, tooling, or in-process subassemblies. For part measurements in these studies, certified fixtures with alignment features such as tooling balls often are not available. Instead, manufacturers rely on ad hoc part-holding fixtures or measure parts without fixtures and perform alignments mathematically. Here, advancements in software are providing operators with numerous alignment options, and users are actively using this functionality. Naturally, these additional capabilities have led to inconsistencies in the alignment method used across measurement studies, often affecting dimensional results. This paper reviews several common alignment or registration methods and provides a metric to assess systematic alignment error. To demonstrate alignment effects, we present a measurement system study of a moderately complex part requiring an over-constrained datum scheme. We first measure the part using a conventional fixture-based method to establish a baseline for static and dynamic repeatability. We then compare these with results from two mathematically-based iterative alignment methods based on fixtureless measurement. Next, we assess the systematic alignment error between the different fixture/alignment alternatives. We show that for the same basic datum scheme provided on engineering drawings, the systematic alignment error is a far more significant issue for problem solving than the repeatability error or equipment accuracy.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/69245/1/99983.pd

Robust time-varying multivariate coherence estimation: Application to electroencephalogram recordings during general anesthesia

Coherence analysis characterizes frequency-dependent covariance between signals, and is useful for multivariate oscillatory data often encountered in neuroscience. The global coherence provides a summary of coherent behavior in high-dimensional multivariate data by quantifying the concentration of variance in the first mode of an eigenvalue decomposition of the cross-spectral matrix. Practical application of this useful method is sensitive to noise, and can confound coherent activity in disparate neural populations or spatial locations that have a similar frequency structure. In this paper we describe two methodological enhancements to the global coherence procedure that increase robustness of the technique to noise, and that allow characterization of how power within specific coherent modes change through time.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant DP2-OD006454)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant K25-NS057580)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant DP1-OD003646)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01-EB006385)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01-MH071847

A tunable amorphous p-type ternary oxide system:the highly mismatched alloy of copper tin oxide

The approach of combining two mismatched materials to form an amorphous alloy was used to synthesise ternary oxides of CuO and SnO2. These materials were analysed across a range of compositions, and the electronic structure was modelled using density functional theory. In contrast to the gradual reduction in optical band gap, the films show a sharp reduction in both transparency and electrical resistivity with copper contents greater than 50%. Simulations indicate that this change is caused by a transition from a dominant Sn 5s to Cu 3d contribution to the upper valence band. A corresponding decrease in energetic disorder results in increased charge percolation pathways: a “compositional mobility edge.” Contributions from Cu(II) sub band-gap states are responsible for the reduction in optical transparency

Linoleic acid improves PIEZO2 dysfunction in a mouse model of Angelman Syndrome

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurogenetic disorder characterized by intellectual disability and atypical behaviors. AS results from loss of expression of the E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase UBE3A from the maternal allele in neurons. Individuals with AS display impaired coordination, poor balance, and gait ataxia. PIEZO2 is a mechanosensitive ion channel essential for coordination and balance. Here, we report that PIEZO2 activity is reduced in Ube3a deficient male and female mouse sensory neurons, a human Merkel cell carcinoma cell line and female human iPSC-derived sensory neurons with UBE3A knock-down, and de-identified stem cell-derived neurons from individuals with AS. We find that loss of UBE3A decreases actin filaments and reduces PIEZO2 expression and function. A linoleic acid (LA)-enriched diet increases PIEZO2 activity, mechano-excitability, and improves gait in male AS mice. Finally, LA supplementation increases PIEZO2 function in stem cell-derived neurons from individuals with AS. We propose a mechanism whereby loss of UBE3A expression reduces PIEZO2 function and identified a fatty acid that enhances channel activity and ameliorates AS-associated mechano-sensory deficits.This work was supported by the Neuroscience Institute at UTHSC (Research Associate Matching Salary Support to J.L.), the Federico Baur endowed chair in Nanotechnology (to F.J.S.-V., 0020206BA1), a pilot research award from the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research (to L.T.R.), the Neuroscience Institute Research Supports Grant 2020 program (to V.V., and J.F.C.-M.), and the National Institutes of Health (R01GM133845 to V.V. and R01GM125629 to J.F.C.-M.)

Bayesian analysis of trinomial data in behavioral experiments and its application to human studies of general anesthesia

Accurate quantification of loss of response to external stimuli is essential for understanding the mechanisms of loss of consciousness under general anesthesia. We present a new approach for quantifying three possible outcomes that are encountered in behavioral experiments during general anesthesia: correct responses, incorrect responses and no response. We use a state-space model with two state variables representing a probability of response and a conditional probability of correct response. We show applications of this approach to an example of responses to auditory stimuli at varying levels of propofol anesthesia ranging from light sedation to deep anesthesia in human subjects. The posterior probability densities of model parameters and the response probability are computed within a Bayesian framework using Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant DP2-OD006454)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant K25-NS057580)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant DP1-OD003646)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01-EB006385)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01-MH071847

Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Intelligence Transportation Systems (ITS) Challenges and Potential Solutions, Insights, and Lessons Learned

Artificial Intelligence (AI), including Machine Learning (ML), offers the opportunity to make transportation systems safer, and more equitable, reliable, accessible, secure, efficient, and resilient. However, several challenges exist that could impede the successful adoption of AI for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and the potential realization of these benefits