An increasing number of studies using real-time fMRI neurofeedback have demonstrated that successful regulation of neural activity is possible in various brain regions. Since these studies focused on ...the regulated region(s), little is known about the target-independent mechanisms associated with neurofeedback-guided control of brain activation, i.e. the regulating network. While the specificity of the activation during self-regulation is an important factor, no study has effectively determined the network involved in self-regulation in general. In an effort to detect regions that are responsible for the act of brain regulation, we performed a post-hoc analysis of data involving different target regions based on studies from different research groups.
We included twelve suitable studies that examined nine different target regions amounting to a total of 175 subjects and 899 neurofeedback runs. Data analysis included a standard first- (single subject, extracting main paradigm) and second-level (single subject, all runs) general linear model (GLM) analysis of all participants taking into account the individual timing. Subsequently, at the third level, a random effects model GLM included all subjects of all studies, resulting in an overall mixed effects model. Since four of the twelve studies had a reduced field of view (FoV), we repeated the same analysis in a subsample of eight studies that had a well-overlapping FoV to obtain a more global picture of self-regulation.
The GLM analysis revealed that the anterior insula as well as the basal ganglia, notably the striatum, were consistently active during the regulation of brain activation across the studies. The anterior insula has been implicated in interoceptive awareness of the body and cognitive control. Basal ganglia are involved in procedural learning, visuomotor integration and other higher cognitive processes including motivation. The larger FoV analysis yielded additional activations in the anterior cingulate cortex, the dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, the temporo-parietal area and the visual association areas including the temporo-occipital junction.
In conclusion, we demonstrate that several key regions, such as the anterior insula and the basal ganglia, are consistently activated during self-regulation in real-time fMRI neurofeedback independent of the targeted region-of-interest. Our results imply that if the real-time fMRI neurofeedback studies target regions of this regulation network, such as the anterior insula, care should be given whether activation changes are related to successful regulation, or related to the regulation process per se. Furthermore, future research is needed to determine how activation within this regulation network is related to neurofeedback success.
•Previous rtfMRI studies assessed regulation success in targeted brain regions.•There is a need to understand networks involved in brain regulation itself.•IDP meta-analysis of 12 rtfMRI studies to identify networks related to neurofeedback•Anterior insula and basal ganglia are key components of the regulation network.
ABSTRACT In a search with the Parkes radio telescope of 56 unidentified Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) gamma-ray sources, we have detected 11 millisecond pulsars (MSPs), 10 of them discoveries, of ...which five were reported by Kerr et al. We did not detect radio pulsations from six other pulsars now known in these sources. We describe the completed survey, which included multiple observations of many targets conducted to minimize the impact of interstellar scintillation, acceleration effects in binary systems, and eclipses. We consider that 23 of the 39 remaining sources may still be viable pulsar candidates. We present timing solutions and polarimetry for five of the MSPs and gamma-ray pulsations for PSR J1903-7051 (pulsations for five others were reported in the second Fermi-LAT catalog of gamma-ray pulsars). Two of the new MSPs are isolated and five are in day circular orbits with 0.2-0.3 presumed white dwarf companions. PSR J0955-6150, in a 24 day orbit with a companion but eccentricity of 0.11, belongs to a recently identified class of eccentric MSPs. PSR J1036-8317 is in an 8 hr binary with a companion that is probably a white dwarf. PSR J1946-5403 is in a 3 hr orbit with a companion with no evidence of radio eclipses.
The Scotia Sea ecosystem is a major component of the circumpolar Southern Ocean system, where productivity and predator demand for prey are high. The eastward-flowing Antarctic Circumpolar Current ...(ACC) and waters from the Weddell-Scotia Confluence dominate the physics of the Scotia Sea, leading to a strong advective flow, intense eddy activity and mixing. There is also strong seasonality, manifest by the changing irradiance and sea ice cover, which leads to shorter summers in the south. Summer phytoplankton blooms, which at times can cover an area of more than 0.5 million km2, probably result from the mixing of micronutrients into surface waters through the flow of the ACC over the Scotia Arc. This production is consumed by a range of species including Antarctic krill, which are the major prey item of large seabird and marine mammal populations. The flow of the ACC is steered north by the Scotia Arc, pushing polar water to lower latitudes, carrying with it krill during spring and summer, which subsidize food webs around South Georgia and the northern Scotia Arc. There is also marked interannual variability in winter sea ice distribution and sea surface temperatures that is linked to southern hemisphere-scale climate processes such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. This variation affects regional primary and secondary production and influences biogeochemical cycles. It also affects krill population dynamics and dispersal, which in turn impacts higher trophic level predator foraging, breeding performance and population dynamics. The ecosystem has also been highly perturbed as a result of harvesting over the last two centuries and significant ecological changes have also occurred in response to rapid regional warming during the second half of the twentieth century. This combination of historical perturbation and rapid regional change highlights that the Scotia Sea ecosystem is likely to show significant change over the next two to three decades, which may result in major ecological shifts.
The creation of interactive livestreaming post-mortem examination sessions for veterinary students is described, including the technological and pedagogical issues that were considered and a detailed ...description of the solution developed. We used the Hero 7 Go Pro camera ( https://gopro.com/en/gb ) and livestreamed using Zoom ( https://explore.zoom.us/en/about/ ). We completed a thorough quantitative and qualitative analysis of the student perception of the value of the streaming platform and the sessions that were delivered to the second and third year students in the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (BVMS) programme at the University of Glasgow. JISC Online surveys to BVMS2 and BVMS3 were central to the quantitative and qualitative analysis (MVLS Ethics reference 200,190,190).Students who responded to the survey found the material interesting, were able to interact effectively with the pathologists, enjoyed the "pathologists' eye" view that the system afforded, and enjoyed the ability to review and revise the video recording. The disadvantage some mentioned was not being in the appropriate professional space, i.e. the post-mortem facility, although a few students found this advantageous and suggested that this was a useful introduction to the post-mortem facility but without the cold/smell/noise to detract from their learning. In addition, a short explanation of additional uses of the Zoom Go Pro to teach BVMS4 and Veterinary Bioscience BSc Level 3 students and use for extracurricular student activities, e.g. Pathology Club, Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association at the University of Glasgow School of Veterinary Medicine, is given. The authors also consider other roles for the platform in the future, in particular the induction of students to the post-mortem facility environment.
Oceania is a diverse region encompassing Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia, New Zealand, and Polynesia, and it contains six of the world's 39 hotspots of diversity. It has a poor record for ...extinctions, particularly for birds on islands and mammals. Major causes include habitat loss and degradation, invasive species, and overexploitation. We identified six major threatening processes (habitat loss and degradation, invasive species, climate change, overexploitation, pollution, and disease) based on a comprehensive review of the literature and for each developed a set of conservation policies. Many policies reflect the urgent need to deal with the effects of burgeoning human populations (expected to increase significantly in the region) on biodiversity. There is considerable difference in resources for conservation, including people and available scientific information, which are heavily biased toward more developed countries in Oceania. Most scientific publications analyzed for four threats (habitat loss, invasive species, overexploitation, and pollution) are from developed countries: 88.6% of Web of Science publications were from Australia (53.7%), New Zealand (24.3%), and Hawaiian Islands (10.5%). Many island states have limited resources or expertise. Even countries that do (e.g., Australia, New Zealand) have ongoing and emerging significant challenges, particularly with the interactive effects of climate change. Oceania will require the implementation of effective policies for conservation if the region's poor record on extinctions is not to continue.
•Ten primer sets detected clonality with high specificity and sensitivity.•Four extra primer sets may detect clonality in samples with equivocal results.•Knowledge of sample quality is needed for ...interpretation of results.•Samples generating dominant peaks require careful interpretation.
PCR for antigen receptor gene rearrangements (PARR) analysis is being increasingly used to assist diagnosis of canine lymphoma. In this study, PARR was carried out on consecutive samples received as part of routine diagnostic practice from 271 patients: 195 with lymphoid malignancies, 53 with reactive conditions and 23 with other neoplasms. Initially, published primer sets were used but later minor primer modifications were introduced and primers were rationalised to give a PARR panel that provides a good compromise between sensitivity and cost. Results were compared to diagnoses made by histology or cytology, coupled with immunophenotyping by flow cytometry or immunohistochemistry where possible. After exclusion of 11 poor quality samples, 230/260 (88%) gave a clear result with 162/163 (99%) of samples classified as clonal and 56/67 (84%) classified as polyclonal giving results concordant with the cytological/histological diagnosis. Among 30 samples with equivocal results, 21 had clonal peaks in a polyclonal background and nine showed little amplification. These were from patients with a range of neoplastic and non-neoplastic conditions emphasising the need to interpret such results carefully in concert with other diagnostic tests. The combination of primer sets used in this study resulted in a robust, highly specific and sensitive assay for detecting clonality.
Crossbred pigs (n = 512) with an average initial BW of 22.1 ± 0.54 kg were used to evaluate growth performance, carcass characteristics, and pork fat quality of grower-finisher pigs fed corn-soybean ...meal diets containing increasing content of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). One of 4 dietary treatments was randomly assigned to each pen within sex. Dietary treatment and sex were the main factors in a 3-phase feeding program (BW = 22 to 53 kg, 53 to 85 kg, and 85 to 115 kg). Dietary treatments consisted of a corn-soybean meal control, or a corn-soybean meal diet containing 10, 20, or 30% DDGS. Overall, increasing the dietary DDGS content had no effect on ADG (P = 0.74), but ADFI was linearly reduced and G:F was linearly increased (P < 0.01). Dressing percentage, LM marbling and firmness, and belly firmness were linearly reduced (P < 0.01), but percentage of fat-free lean was linearly increased (P < 0.05) with increasing dietary DDGS. Subjective LM color score (P = 0.65), drip loss (P = 0.37), and ultimate pH of LM (P = 0.21) were not influenced by dietary DDGS. Japanese color scores for backfat (P = 0.41) and belly fat (P = 0.85) were similar among dietary treatments (P = 0.41). Feeding an increasing content of DDGS linearly increased (P < 0.05) PUFA concentration, particularly linoleic acid (C18:2), in belly fat, backfat, and LM intramuscular fat, but the increase in LM intramuscular fat was smaller in magnitude (P < 0.05) than in backfat and belly fat. Pigs fed an increasing content of DDGS had a linear increase (P < 0.05) in the iodine value of backfat, belly fat, and LM intramuscular fat of 58.4 to 72.4, 61.5 to 72.3, and 54.8 to 57.7, respectively. Oxidation of LM intramuscular fat measured on d 0, 14, 21, and 28 of storage was not affected by dietary treatment. Taste tests for LM showed no effects of diet on flavor, off-flavor (P = 0.36), tenderness (P = 0.66), juiciness (P = 0.58), and overall acceptability (P = 0.52) scores. Similarly, bacon flavor (P = 0.88), off-flavor, crispiness, and overall liking scores were not affected by increasing dietary DDGS, but bacon fattiness (P < 0.01) and tenderness (P < 0.05) scores were linearly reduced. These results showed no negative effects on growth performance or dressing percentage when growing-finishing pigs were fed diets containing up to 30% DDGS, but fat quality may not meet the standards of all pork processors when feeding diets containing more than 20% DDGS.
We report the detection of pulsed gamma-ray emission from the fast millisecond pulsars (MSPs) B1937+21 (also known as J1939+2134) and B1957+20 (J1959+2048) using 18 months of survey data recorded by ...the Fermi Large Area Telescope and timing solutions based on radio observations conducted at the Westerbork and Nancay radio telescopes. In addition, we analyzed archival Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer and XMM-Newton X-ray data for the two MSPs, confirming the X-ray emission properties of PSR B1937+21 and finding evidence (~4 Delta *s) for pulsed emission from PSR B1957+20 for the first time. In both cases the gamma-ray emission profile is characterized by two peaks separated by half a rotation and are in close alignment with components observed in radio and X-rays. These two pulsars join PSRs J0034--0534 and J2214+3000 to form an emerging class of gamma-ray MSPs with phase-aligned peaks in different energy bands. The modeling of the radio and gamma-ray emission profiles suggests co-located emission regions in the outer magnetosphere.
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