Sensitization and Habituation of Hyper-Excitation to Constant Presentation of Pattern-Glare Stimuli.

Background/objectives: Pattern glare, associated with cortical hyperexcitability, induces visual distortions and discomfort, particularly in individuals susceptible to migraines or epilepsy. While previous research has primarily focused on transient EEG responses to patterned stimuli, this study aims to investigate how continuous presentation of pattern-glare stimuli affects neural adaptation over both fine (seconds) and coarse (entire experiment) temporal scales.

Methods: EEG recordings were obtained from 40 healthy participants exposed to horizontal square-wave gratings at three spatial frequencies presented continuously for three seconds each across multiple trials.

Support for the Time-Varying Drift Rate Model of Perceptual Discrimination in Dynamic and Static Noise Using Bayesian Model-Fitting Methodology.

The drift-diffusion model (DDM) is a common approach to understanding human decision making. It considers decision making as accumulation of evidence about visual stimuli until sufficient evidence is reached to make a decision (decision boundary). Recently, Smith and colleagues proposed an extension of DDM, the time-varying DDM (TV-DDM).

Deductive machine learning models for product identification.

Deductive solution strategies are required in prediction scenarios that are under determined, when contradictory information is available, or more generally wherever one-to-many non-functional mappings occur. In contrast, most contemporary machine learning (ML) in the chemical sciences is inductive learning from example, with a fixed set of features. Chemical workflows are replete with situations requiring deduction, including many aspects of lab automation and spectral interpretation.

Classification images for aerial images capture visual expertise for binocular disparity and a prior for lighting from above.

Using a novel approach to classification images (CIs), we investigated the visual expertise of surveyors for luminance and binocular disparity cues simultaneously after screening for stereoacuity. Stereoscopic aerial images of hedges and ditches were classified in 10,000 trials by six trained remote sensing surveyors and six novices. Images were heavily masked with luminance and disparity noise simultaneously.

Five draft genome assemblies from Bacillaceae isolated from a degraded wetland environment.

We isolated five Bacillaceae from a degraded wetland environment and sequenced their genomes using Illumina NextSeq. Here, we report draft genome sequences of SC119, strain SC120, strain SC123, strain SC124, and strain SC127. The genomes range between 3,657,353 and 5,772,725 bp with % GC between 37.

Interactions between interfaces dictate stimuli-responsive emulsion behaviour.

Stimuli-responsive emulsions offer a dual advantage, combining long-term storage with controlled release triggered by external cues such as pH or temperature changes. This study establishes that thermo-responsive emulsion behaviour is primarily determined by interactions between, rather than within, interfaces. Consequently, the stability of these emulsions is intricately tied to the nature of the stabilizing microgel particles - whether they are more polymeric or colloidal, and the morphology they assume at the liquid interface.

What surprises the Mona Lisa? The relative importance of the eyes and eyebrows for detecting surprise in briefly presented face stimuli.

The classification image (CI) technique has been used to derive templates for judgements of facial emotion and reveal which facial features inform specific emotional judgements. For example, this method has been used to show that detecting an up- or down-turned mouth is a primary strategy for discriminating happy versus sad expressions. We explored the detection of surprise using CIs, expecting widened eyes, raised eyebrows, and open mouths to be dominant features.

Accuracy and Precision of a Novel Photogate System to Measure Toe Clearance on Stairs.

Toe clearance on stairs is typically measured using optoelectronic systems, though these are often constrained to the laboratory, due to their complex setups. Here we measured stair toe clearance through a novel prototype photogate setup and compared this to optoelectronic measurements. Twelve participants (age 22 ± 3 years) completed 25 stair ascent trials, each on a seven-step staircase.

A novel method for identifying coded tags recorded on aquatic acoustic monitoring systems.

Aquatic biotelemetry increasingly relies on using acoustic transmitters ('tags') that enable passive detection of tagged animals using fixed or mobile receivers. Both tracking methods are resource-limited, restricting the spatial area in which movements of highly mobile animals can be measured using proprietary detection systems. Transmissions from tags are recorded by underwater noise monitoring systems designed for other purposes, such as cetacean monitoring devices, which have been widely deployed in the marine environment; however, no tools currently exist to decode these detections, and thus valuable additional information on animal movements may be missed.

Second-order texture gratings produce overestimation of height in depictions of rectangles and steps.

The horizontal-vertical illusion (HVI) has been proposed as a method to increase the perceived height of steps, increase toe clearance and prevent falls. High contrast vertical stripes are placed on the step riser abutting a horizontal edge-highlighter creating 'T' junctions which are thought to promote the illusion. Various configurations of the HVI were tested including luminance gratings (L) and second-order modulations of contrast (CM), spatial frequency (FM) and orientation (OM).

Observing separate spin and charge Fermi seas in a strongly correlated one-dimensional conductor.

An electron is usually considered to have only one form of kinetic energy, but could it have more, for its spin and charge, by exciting other electrons? In one dimension (1D), the physics of interacting electrons is captured well at low energies by the Tomonaga-Luttinger model, yet little has been observed experimentally beyond this linear regime. Here, we report on measurements of many-body modes in 1D gated wires using tunneling spectroscopy. We observe two parabolic dispersions, indicative of separate Fermi seas at high energies, associated with spin and charge excitations, together with the emergence of two additional 1D "replica" modes that strengthen with decreasing wire length.

Versatile strategy for homogeneous drying patterns of dispersed particles.

After spilling coffee, a tell-tale stain is left by the drying droplet. This universal phenomenon, known as the coffee ring effect, is observed independent of the dispersed material. However, for many technological processes such as coating techniques and ink-jet printing a uniform particle deposition is required and the coffee ring effect is a major drawback.

Using a stair horizontal-vertical illusion to increase foot clearance over an inconsistently taller stair-riser.

Introduction: Stair falls can be caused by inconsistent stair dimensions. During ascent, inconsistently taller stair risers lead to reduced foot clearances as the inconsistency goes unnoticed. A stair horizontal-vertical illusion increases perceived riser heights and foot clearance and could offset reduced foot clearances over inconsistently taller risers, though this might impact other stair safety measures.

The missing N1 or jittered P2: Electrophysiological correlates of pattern glare in the time and frequency domain.

Excessive sensitivity to certain visual stimuli (cortical hyperexcitability) is associated with a number of neurological disorders including migraine, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, autism and possibly dyslexia. Others show disruptive sensitivity to visual stimuli with no other obvious pathology or symptom profile (visual stress) which can extend to discomfort and nausea. We used event-related potentials (ERPs) to explore the neural correlates of visual stress and headache proneness.

Complex High-Internal Phase Emulsions that can Form Interfacial Films with Tunable Morphologies.

High-internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) were considered as an important functional material and have been the focus of intense development effort, but their fundamental attributes have hardly been altered at either the microcosmic or macroscopic level, which severely limits their practical applications in various areas. In this work, we report a general strategy for creating complex HIPEs that can form interfacial films at liquid interfaces. Double HIPEs and Janus HIPEs are both realized for the first time.

Yielding and resolidification of colloidal gels under constant stress.

We examine the macroscopic deformation of a colloidal depletion gel subjected to a step shear stress. Three regimes are identified depending on the magnitude of the applied stress: (i) for stresses below yield stress, the gel undergoes a weak creep in which the bulk deformation grows sublinearly with time similar to crystalline and amorphous solids. For stresses above yield stress, when the bulk deformation exceeds approximately the attraction range, the sublinear increase of deformation turns into a superlinear growth which signals the onset of non-linear rearrangements and yielding of the gel.

The next step in optimising the stair horizontal-vertical illusion: Does a perception-action link exist in older adults?

Introduction: Tripping on stairs results from insufficient foot to step edge clearance and can often lead to a fall in older adults. A stair horizontal-vertical illusion is suggested to increase the perceived riser height of a step and increase foot clearance when stepping up. However, this perception-action link has not been empirically determined in older adults.

Arabidopsis RING-type E3 ubiquitin ligase XBAT35.2 promotes proteasome-dependent degradation of ACD11 to attenuate abiotic stress tolerance.

Plants employ multiple mechanisms to cope with a constantly changing and challenging environment, including using the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) to alter their proteome to assist in initiating, modulating and terminating responses to stress. We previously reported that the ubiquitin ligase XBAT35.2 mediates the proteasome-dependent degradation of Accelerated Cell Death 11 (ACD11) to promote pathogen defense.

Precise Self-Positioning of Colloidal Particles on Liquid Emulsion Droplets.

Decorating emulsion droplets by particles stabilizes foodstuff and pharmaceuticals. Interfacial particles also influence aerosol formation, thus impacting atmospheric CO exchange. While studies of particles at disordered droplet interfaces abound in the literature, such studies for ubiquitous ordered interfaces are not available.

Periodic buckling and grain boundary slips in a colloidal model of solid friction.

The intermittent 'stick-slip' dynamics in frictional sliding of solid bodies is common in everyday life and technology. This dynamics has been widely studied on a macroscopic scale, where the thermal motion can usually be neglected. However, the microscopic mechanisms behind the periodic stick-slip events are yet unclear.

Particle-stabilized Janus emulsions that exhibit pH-tunable stability.

By developing a deeper understanding of the formation mechanism and the origin of the stability, we report a simple and large-scale fabrication approach to create Janus emulsions that can be controlled in size, geometry and stability.

Bacteria as living patchy colloids: Phenotypic heterogeneity in surface adhesion.

Understanding and controlling the surface adhesion of pathogenic bacteria is of urgent biomedical importance. However, many aspects of this process remain unclear (for example, microscopic details of the initial adhesion and possible variations between individual cells). Using a new high-throughput method, we identify and follow many single cells within a clonal population of near a glass surface.

Degradation of the stress-responsive enzyme formate dehydrogenase by the RING-type E3 ligase Keep on Going and the ubiquitin 26S proteasome system.

KEG is involved in mediating the proteasome-dependent degradation of FDH, a stress-responsive enzyme. The UPS may function to suppress FDH mediated stress responses under favorable growth conditions. Formate dehydrogenase (FDH) has been studied in bacteria and yeasts for the purpose of industrial application of NADH co-factor regeneration.

Axial Confocal Tomography of Capillary-Contained Colloidal Structures.

Confocal microscopy is widely used for three-dimensional (3D) sample reconstructions. Arguably, the most significant challenge in such reconstructions is posed by the resolution along the optical axis being significantly lower than in the lateral directions. In addition, the imaging rate is lower along the optical axis in most confocal architectures, prohibiting reliable 3D reconstruction of dynamic samples.

Interfacial Rheology of Sterically Stabilized Colloids at Liquid Interfaces and Its Effect on the Stability of Pickering Emulsions.

Particle-laden interfaces can be used to stabilize a variety of high-interface systems, from foams over emulsions to polymer blends. The relation between the particle interactions, the structure and rheology of the interface, and the stability of the system remains unclear. In the present work, we experimentally investigate how micron-sized, near-hard-sphere-like particles affect the mechanical properties of liquid interfaces.