A meta-analysis of letter-sound integration: Assimilation and accommodation in the superior temporal gyrus.

Despite being a relatively new cultural phenomenon, the ability to perform letter-sound integration is readily acquired even though it has not had time to evolve in the brain. Leading theories of how the brain accommodates literacy acquisition include the neural recycling hypothesis and the assimilation-accommodation hypothesis. The neural recycling hypothesis proposes that a new cultural skill is developed by "invading" preexisting neural structures to support a similar cognitive function, while the assimilation-accommodation hypothesis holds that a new cognitive skill relies on direct invocation of preexisting systems (assimilation) and adds brain areas based on task requirements (accommodation).

Adaptive MCMC for Bayesian Variable Selection in Generalised Linear Models and Survival Models.

Developing an efficient computational scheme for high-dimensional Bayesian variable selection in generalised linear models and survival models has always been a challenging problem due to the absence of closed-form solutions to the marginal likelihood. The Reversible Jump Markov Chain Monte Carlo (RJMCMC) approach can be employed to jointly sample models and coefficients, but the effective design of the trans-dimensional jumps of RJMCMC can be challenging, making it hard to implement. Alternatively, the marginal likelihood can be derived conditional on latent variables using a data-augmentation scheme (e.

The dynamics of pattern matching in camouflaging cuttlefish.

Many cephalopods escape detection using camouflage. This behaviour relies on a visual assessment of the surroundings, on an interpretation of visual-texture statistics and on matching these statistics using millions of skin chromatophores that are controlled by motoneurons located in the brain. Analysis of cuttlefish images proposed that camouflage patterns are low dimensional and categorizable into three pattern classes, built from a small repertoire of components.

A pleiotropic chemoreceptor facilitates the production and perception of mating pheromones.

Optimal mating decisions depend on the robust coupling of signal production and perception because independent changes in either could carry a fitness cost. However, since the perception and production of mating signals are often mediated by different tissues and cell types, the mechanisms that drive and maintain their coupling remain unknown for most animal species. Here, we show that in behavioral responses to, and the production of, a putative inhibitory mating pheromone are co-regulated by , a member of the gene family.

Polyphasic circadian neural circuits drive differential activities in multiple downstream rhythmic centers.

Circadian clocks align various behaviors such as locomotor activity, sleep/wake, feeding, and mating to times of day that are most adaptive. How rhythmic information in pacemaker circuits is translated to neuronal outputs is not well understood. Here, we used brain-wide, 24-h in vivo calcium imaging in the Drosophila brain and searched for circadian rhythmic activity among identified clusters of dopaminergic (DA) and peptidergic neurosecretory (NS) neurons.

Circadian pacemaker neurons display cophasic rhythms in basal calcium level and in fast calcium fluctuations.

Circadian pacemaker neurons in the Drosophila brain display daily rhythms in the levels of intracellular calcium. These calcium rhythms are driven by molecular clocks and are required for normal circadian behavior. To study their biological basis, we employed genetic manipulations in conjunction with improved methods of in vivo light-sheet microscopy to measure calcium dynamics in individual pacemaker neurons over complete 24-h durations at sampling frequencies as high as 5 Hz.

Sex differences in the intrinsic reading neural networks of Chinese children.

Sex differences in reading performance have been considered a relatively stable phenomenon. However, there is no general agreement about their neural basis, which might be due to that sex differences are largely influenced by age. This paper focuses on the sex differences in the reading-related neural network of Chinese children and its interaction with age.

Geo-inspired crystallization engineering: multifunctional materials design and fabrication at nanoscale and beyond.

Crystallization engineering aims to design and develop solutions for the optimum conversion of natural resources for use by humans, by using crystallization. Crystallization is a cross-scale process, from atoms, ions and molecules in microscale to bulk crystals in macroscale. Fabricating nanomaterials with desired performances is an open issue with multiscale challenges during crystallization.

Ce(OH) as a novel negative electrode material for supercapacitors.

Novel electrode materials with desired specific capacitances are needed for supercapacitors. Rare-earth (RE)-based materials are fascinating in the field of catalysis and energy. Herein, a series of hydroxides including La, Ce, Pr and Nd was synthesized via in situ precipitation.

Multifunctional inorganic nanomaterials for energy applications.

Our society has been facing more and more serious challenges towards achieving highly efficient utilization of energy. In the field of energy applications, multifunctional nanomaterials have been attracting increasing attention. Various energy applications, such as energy generation, conversion, storage, saving and transmission, are strongly dependent upon the electrical, thermal, mechanical, optical and catalytic functions of materials.

Electronegativity principles in metal oxides based supercapacitors.

To meet growing demands for energy consumptions in modern society, it is necessary to develop different energy sources. Renewable energy such as wind and solar sources are intermittent, therefore, energy storage devices become more and more important to store energy for use when no wind or no light. Supercapacitors play a key role in energy storage, mainly due to their high power density and long cycling life.

Morning and Evening Circadian Pacemakers Independently Drive Premotor Centers via a Specific Dopamine Relay.

Many animals exhibit morning and evening peaks of locomotor behavior. In Drosophila, two corresponding circadian neural oscillators-M (morning) cells and E (evening) cells-exhibit a corresponding morning or evening neural activity peak. Yet we know little of the neural circuitry by which distinct circadian oscillators produce specific outputs to precisely control behavioral episodes.

A Series of Suppressive Signals within the Drosophila Circadian Neural Circuit Generates Sequential Daily Outputs.

We studied the Drosophila circadian neural circuit using whole-brain imaging in vivo. Five major groups of pacemaker neurons display synchronized molecular clocks, yet each exhibits a distinct phase of daily Ca activation. Light and neuropeptide pigment dispersing factor (PDF) from morning cells (s-LNv) together delay the phase of the evening (LNd) group by ∼12 hr; PDF alone delays the phase of the DN3 group by ∼17 hr.

Functional PDF Signaling in the Drosophila Circadian Neural Circuit Is Gated by Ral A-Dependent Modulation.

The neuropeptide PDF promotes the normal sequencing of circadian behavioral rhythms in Drosophila, but its signaling mechanisms are not well understood. We report daily rhythmicity in responsiveness to PDF in critical pacemakers called small LNvs. There is a daily change in potency, as great as 10-fold higher, around dawn.

Importin-7 mediates memory consolidation through regulation of nuclear translocation of training-activated MAPK in Drosophila.

Translocation of signaling molecules, MAPK in particular, from the cytosol to nucleus represents a universal key element in initiating the gene program that determines memory consolidation. Translocation mechanisms and their behavioral impact, however, remain to be determined. Here, we report that a highly conserved nuclear transporter, Drosophila importin-7 (DIM-7), regulates import of training-activated MAPK for consolidation of long-term memory (LTM).

Synchronous Drosophila circadian pacemakers display nonsynchronous Ca²⁺ rhythms in vivo.

In Drosophila, molecular clocks control circadian rhythmic behavior through a network of ~150 pacemaker neurons. To explain how the network's neuronal properties encode time, we performed brainwide calcium imaging of groups of pacemaker neurons in vivo for 24 hours. Pacemakers exhibited daily rhythmic changes in intracellular Ca(2+) that were entrained by environmental cues and timed by molecular clocks.