Lyapunov exponents from CHUA's circuit time series using artificial neural networks

In this paper we present the general problem of identifying if a nonlinear dynamic system has a chaotic behavior. If the answer is positive the system will be sensitive to small perturbations in the initial conditions which will imply that there is a chaotic attractor in its state space. A particular problem would be that of identifying a chaotic oscillator. We present an example of three well known different chaotic oscillators where we have knowledge of the equations that govern the dynamical systems and from there we can obtain the corresponding time series. In a similar example we assume that we only know the time series and, finally, in another example we have to take measurements in the Chua's circuit to obtain sample points of the time series. With the knowledge about the time series the phase plane portraits are plotted and from them, by visual inspection, it is concluded whether or not the system is chaotic. This method has the problem of uncertainty and subjectivity and for that reason a different approach is needed. A quantitative approach is the computation of the Lyapunov exponents. We describe several methods for obtaining them and apply a little known method of artificial neural networks to the different examples mentioned above. We end the paper discussing the importance of the Lyapunov exponents in the interpretation of the dynamic behavior of biological neurons and biological neural networks

Registros destacados de Spilogale angustifrons en la Reserva de la Biosfera Calakmul

Spilogale angustifrons has a wide distribution in southeastern Mexico, however, knowledge is scarce for the Calakmul region. New spotted records are reported S. angustifrons in the Calakmul region, Campeche, Mexico. With a cumulative effort of 9000 trap-nights, 18 photographs of southern spotted skunks corresponding to 15 independent events were obtained at four photo-trapping stations in the Calakmul region. At the photo-trapping stations, four photographic events were recorded in which solitary male individuals were observed, but it was not possible to identify whether the records correspond to one or more individuals. The few records of S. angustifrons in the Yucatan Peninsula may be due to the lack of mastozoological surveys in the region. The records reported in this note provide knowledge on the distribution, habitat, use of artificial watering places and interspecific relationships of S. angustifrons. Being a carnivore, it is likely that the ecological role of S. angustifrons in the Calakmul region is relevant, however the population and ecological aspects of the species are unknown, so it is necessary to conduct studies focused on the status of the populations of S. angustifrons.Spilogale angustifrons cuenta con una amplia distribución en el sureste de México, sin embargo, para la región de Calakmul el conocimiento es escaso. Se reportan nuevos registros de S. angustifrons en la región de Calakmul, Campeche, México. Con un esfuerzo acumulado de 9000 noches-trampa, se obtuvieron 18 fotografías de S. angustifrons que corresponden a 15 eventos independientes, en cuatro estaciones de fototrampeo colocadas en la región de Calakmul. En las estaciones de fototrampeo se registraron cuatro eventos fotográficos en los que se observan a individuos machos, solitarios, pero no fue posible identificar si los registros corresponden a uno o más individuos. Los pocos registros de S. angustifrons en la Península de Yucatán puede deberse a la falta de prospecciones mastozoológicas en la región. Los registros reportados en esta nota, aportan conocimiento sobre la distribución, hábitat, uso de bebederos artificiales y relaciones interespecíficas de S. angustifrons. Al ser un carnívoro es probable que el papel ecológico de S. angustifrons en la región de Calakmul sea relevante, sin embargo los aspectos poblacionales y ecológicos de la especie se desconocen, por lo que es necesario realizar estudios enfocados a conocer el estado de las poblaciones de S. angustifron

Regulation of Fn14 Receptor and NF-κB Underlies Inflammation in Meniere’s Disease

Meniere’s disease (MD) is a rare disorder characterized by episodic vertigo, sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, and aural fullness. It is associated with a fluid imbalance between the secretion of endolymph in the cochlear duct and its reabsorption into the subarachnoid space, leading to an accumulation of endolymph in the inner ear. Epidemiological evidence, including familial aggregation, indicates a genetic contribution and a consistent association with autoimmune diseases (AD). We conducted a case–control study in two phases using an immune genotyping array in a total of 420 patients with bilateral MD and 1,630 controls. We have identified the first locus, at 6p21.33, suggesting an association with bilateral MD [meta-analysis leading signal rs4947296, OR = 2.089 (1.661–2.627); p = 1.39 × 10−09]. Gene expression profiles of homozygous genotype-selected peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) demonstrated that this region is a trans-expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) in PBMCs. Signaling analysis predicted several tumor necrosis factor-related pathways, the TWEAK/Fn14 pathway being the top candidate (p = 2.42 × 10−11). This pathway is involved in the modulation of inflammation in several human AD, including multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, or rheumatoid arthritis. In vitro studies with genotype-selected lymphoblastoid cells from patients with MD suggest that this trans-eQTL may regulate cellular proliferation in lymphoid cells through the TWEAK/Fn14 pathway by increasing the translation of NF-κB. Taken together; these findings suggest that the carriers of the risk genotype may develop an NF-κB-mediated inflammatory response in MD

Digital Technology Supporting the Remote Human-Dog Interaction: Scoping Review

For thousands of years, dogs have coexisted with humans and have been adopted as companion pets and working animals. The communication between humans and dogs has improved their coexistence and socialization; however, due to the nature of their activities, dogs and humans occasionally lose face-to-face contact. The purpose of this scoping review is to examine five essential aspects of current technology designed to support intentional communication between humans and dogs in scenarios where there is no face-to-face contact: (1) the technologies used, (2) the activity supported, (3) the interaction modality, (4) the evaluation procedures, and the results obtained, and (5) the main limitations. In addition, this article explores future directions for research and practice. The PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines were followed when conducting the review. Scopus (Elsevier), Springer-Link, IEEE Xplorer, ACM Digital Library, and Science Direct were used as data sources to retrieve information from January 2010 to March 2022. The titles and abstracts were individually reviewed by the authors (L.R.-V., I.E.E.-C., and H.P.-E.), and the full articles were then examined before a final inclusion determination. 15 (3%) out of the 571 records that were obtained met the requirements for inclusion. The most used technologies for dogs are: (1) 71% of technologies focused on generating messages are wearable devices equipped with sensors (bite, tug, or gesture), (2) 60% of technologies focused on receiving messages are wearable devices equipped with vibrotactile actuators, and (3) 100% of technologies focused on bidirectional communication are videochats. 67% of the works are oriented to support search and assistance tasks. 80% of the works developed technology for one-way communication. 53% of the technologies have a haptic dog interaction modality, that is, there is an object that the dog must wear or manipulate in a certain way. All of the reported evaluations were pilot studies with positive feasibility results. Remote human-dog interaction technology holds significant promise and potential; however, more research is required to assess their usability and efficacy and to incorporate new technological developments

Heart Rate Variability and Psychometric Analysis in Patients with Hyperactive Heart Fire Syndrome

Background : Hyperactive heart fire syndrome is characterized by anxiety, insomnia, dream-disturbed sleep, tongue ulcers, heat in the hands, and palpitations. However, syndrome differentiation is often subjective due to a lack of objective, quantifiable variables. Objectives: To identify changes in heart rate variability (HRV) and psychometric analysis in patients with hyperactive heart fire syndrome. Methods : Healthy controls (n = 33) were compared to patients with hyperactive heart fire syndrome (n = 48) from the Integrative University Clinic of the State University of Ecatepec Valley (CIU-UNEVE). Physiological outcome measures included heart rate (HR), the standard deviation of the normal-to-normal heartbeat intervals (SDNN), low (LF) and high frequency (HF) power, and the LF/HF ratio. Psychometric outcome measures included the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS). Results : Compared to controls, hyperactive heart fire patients had higher HR (9.6 ± 2.62%), LF (22 ± 4.21%) and LF/HF ratio (23 ± 3.14%), and lower SDNN (21 ± 2.33%) and HF (18 ± 4.61%). Patients showed increased anxiety, both with somatic (33 ± 11.2%) and psychic symptoms (39 ± 10.5%) with more difficulty falling asleep (47 ± 9.9%) and diurnal impact of sleep (31 ± 9.6%). Conclusion : Hyperactive heart fire patients may have a sympathovagal imbalance due to a reduced parasympathetic tone and/or adominant sympathetic tone, which may be at the origin of the observed symptoms of insomnia and anxiety

Pottery from the interstage of Neolithic and Bronze Age and from later epochs

<div><p>Meniere's disease is an episodic vestibular syndrome associated with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and tinnitus. Patients with MD have an elevated prevalence of several autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriasis), which suggests a shared autoimmune background. Functional variants of several genes involved in the NF-κB pathway, such as <i>REL</i>, <i>TNFAIP3</i>, <i>NFKB1</i> and <i>TNIP1</i>, have been associated with two or more immune-mediated diseases and allelic variations in the <i>TLR10</i> gene may influence bilateral affectation and clinical course in MD. We have genotyped 716 cases of MD and 1628 controls by using the ImmunoChip, a high-density genotyping array containing 186 autoimmune loci, to explore the association of immune system related-loci with sporadic MD. Although no single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) reached a genome-wide significant association (p<10⁻⁸), we selected allelic variants in the NF-kB pathway for further analyses to evaluate the impact of these SNPs in the clinical outcome of MD in our cohort. None of the selected SNPs increased susceptibility for MD in patients with uni or bilateral SNHL. However, two potential regulatory variants in the <i>NFKB1</i> gene (rs3774937 and rs4648011) were associated with a faster hearing loss progression in patients with unilateral SNHL. So, individuals with unilateral MD carrying the C allele in rs3774937 or G allele in rs4648011 had a shorter mean time to reach hearing stage 3 (>40 dB HL) (log-rank test, corrected p values were p = 0.009 for rs3774937 and p = 0.003 for rs4648011, respectively). No variants influenced hearing in bilateral MD. Our data support that the allelic variants rs3774937 and rs4648011 can modify hearing outcome in patients with MD and unilateral SNHL.</p></div

Linkage disequilibrium plot showing the haploblocks with the rs3774937 and rs4648011 (r² = 0.67, D' = 0.95).

<p>Linkage disequilibrium plot showing the haploblocks with the rs3774937 and rs4648011 (r² = 0.67, D' = 0.95).</p

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the NF-κB pathway with reported associations.

a<p>NCBI human genome build 37 coordinates.</p>b<p>http://<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gap" target="_blank">www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gap</a><a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0112171#pone.0112171-Tryka1" target="_blank">[38]</a>.</p><p>Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the NF-κB pathway with reported associations.</p

Effect of allelic variants in the NF-κB pathway on hearing loss progression in patients with Meniere's disease.

<p>Mean time to reach stage 3 (>40 dB) was compared by Kaplan –Meier survival curves and long-rank test.</p><p>*corrected p values after Bonferroni's method.</p><p>Effect of allelic variants in the NF-κB pathway on hearing loss progression in patients with Meniere's disease.</p