Interplay of physical and recognition performance using hierarchical continuous-time dynamic modeling and a dual-task training regime in Alzheimer's patients.

Unlabelled: Training studies typically investigate the cumulative rather than the analytically challenging immediate effect of exercise on cognitive outcomes. We investigated the dynamic interplay between single-session exercise intensity and time-locked recognition speed-accuracy scores in older adults with Alzheimer's dementia ( = 17) undergoing a 24-week dual-task regime. We specified a state-of-the-art hierarchical Bayesian continuous-time dynamic model with fully connected state variables to analyze the bi-directional effects between physical and recognition scores over time.

Distributional regression modeling via generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape: An overview through a data set from learning analytics.

The advent of technological developments is allowing to gather large amounts of data in several research fields. Learning analytics (LA)/educational data mining has access to big observational unstructured data captured from educational settings and relies mostly on unsupervised machine learning (ML) algorithms to make sense of such type of data. Generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS) are a supervised statistical learning framework that allows modeling all the parameters of the distribution of the response variable with respect to the explanatory variables.

Estimation of reproduction numbers in real time: Conceptual and statistical challenges.

The reproduction number has been a central metric of the COVID-19 pandemic response, published weekly by the UK government and regularly reported in the media. Here, we provide a formal definition and discuss the advantages and most common misconceptions around this quantity. We consider the intuition behind different formulations of , the complexities in its estimation (including the unavoidable lags involved), and its value compared to other indicators (e.

Phenotypic and molecular responses of copepods to UV radiation stress in a clear versus a glacially turbid lake.

Zooplankton are exposed to multiple environmental stressors in alpine lakes. However, phenotypic and molecular responses of copepods to different environmental conditions, including ultraviolet radiation (UVR), are still not fully understood. Here, we tested whether gene expression patterns vary within the same species, , but in populations from different environments (a clear vs.

Effects of orally administered hormonal contraceptives on the musculoskeletal system of healthy premenopausal women-A systematic review.

Introduction: The musculoskeletal system (MSK) is one of the extragonadal target tissues of sex hormones: osteoblasts and osteocytes express estrogen receptors, while in fibroblasts of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and myocytes of the vastus lateralis muscle (MVL), estrogen and progesterone receptors can be detected by immunoassay. Indeed, upon binding of sex hormones to the extragonadal receptors, the MSK seems to respond to varying levels of sex hormones with structural adaptation. Hormonal contraceptives can affect the musculoskeletal system; however, there is a lack of high-quality studies, and no recommendation for female athletes exists.

Step-by-step protocol for the isolation and transient transformation of hornwort protoplasts.

Premise: A detailed protocol for the protoplast transformation of hornwort tissue is not yet available, limiting molecular biological investigations of these plants and comparative analyses with other bryophytes, which display a gametophyte-dominant life cycle and are critical to understanding the evolution of key land plant traits.

Methods And Results: We describe a detailed protocol to isolate and transiently transform protoplasts of the model hornwort . The digestion of liquid cultures with Driselase yields a high number of viable protoplasts suitable for polyethylene glycol (PEG)-mediated transformation.

CRP1 Protein: (dis)similarities between and .

Biogenesis of chloroplasts in higher plants is initiated from proplastids, and involves a series of processes by which a plastid able to perform photosynthesis, to synthesize amino acids, lipids, and phytohormones is formed. All plastid protein complexes are composed of subunits encoded by the nucleus and chloroplast genomes, which require a coordinated gene expression to produce the correct concentrations of organellar proteins and to maintain organelle function. To achieve this, hundreds of nucleus-encoded factors are imported into the chloroplast to control plastid gene expression.

A Framework for the Evaluation of Biosecurity, Commercial, Regulatory, and Scientific Impacts of Plant Viruses and Viroids Identified by NGS Technologies.

Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies and bioinformatics have generated huge new opportunities for discovering and diagnosing plant viruses and viroids. Plant virology has undoubtedly benefited from these new methodologies, but at the same time, faces now substantial bottlenecks, namely the biological characterization of the newly discovered viruses and the analysis of their impact at the biosecurity, commercial, regulatory, and scientific levels. This paper proposes a scaled and progressive scientific framework for efficient biological characterization and risk assessment when a previously known or a new plant virus is detected by next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies.

Elaboration of the Environmental Stress Hypothesis-Results from a Population-Based 6-Year Follow-Up.

The aim of this paper was to contribute to the elaboration of the Environmental Stress Hypothesis framework by testing eight hypotheses addressing the direct impact of gross motor coordination problems in elementary-school on selected physical, behavioral and psychosocial outcomes in adolescence. Results are based on a longitudinal sample of 940 participants who were (i) recruited as part of a population-based representative survey on health, physical fitness and physical activity in childhood and adolescence, (ii) assessed twice within 6 years, between the ages of 6 and 10 years old as well as between the ages of 12 and 16 years old (Response Rate: 55.9%) and (iii) classified as having gross motor coordination problems ( = 115) or having no gross motor coordination problems ( = 825) at baseline.

Methodological Problems on the Way to Integrative Human Neuroscience.

Neuroscience is a multidisciplinary effort to understand the structures and functions of the brain and brain-mind relations. This effort results in an increasing amount of data, generated by sophisticated technologies. However, these data enhance our , rather than improve our of brain functions.

Training Early Literacy Related Skills: To Which Degree Does a Musical Training Contribute to Phonological Awareness Development?

Well-developed phonological awareness skills are a core prerequisite for early literacy development. Although effective phonological awareness training programs exist, children at risk often do not reach similar levels of phonological awareness after the intervention as children with normally developed skills. Based on theoretical considerations and first promising results the present study explores effects of an early musical training in combination with a conventional phonological training in children with weak phonological awareness skills.

Coworking Spaces: A Source of Social Support for Independent Professionals.

Coworking spaces are shared office environments for independent professionals. Such spaces have been increasing rapidly throughout the world, and provide, in addition to basic business infrastructure, the opportunity for social interaction. This article explores social interaction in coworking spaces and reports the results of two studies.

Mechanisms of Self-Sustained Oscillatory States in Hierarchical Modular Networks with Mixtures of Electrophysiological Cell Types.

In a network with a mixture of different electrophysiological types of neurons linked by excitatory and inhibitory connections, temporal evolution leads through repeated epochs of intensive global activity separated by intervals with low activity level. This behavior mimics "up" and "down" states, experimentally observed in cortical tissues in absence of external stimuli. We interpret global dynamical features in terms of individual dynamics of the neurons.

Better dual-task processing in simultaneous interpreters.

Simultaneous interpreting (SI) is a highly complex activity and requires the performance and coordination of multiple, simultaneous tasks: analysis and understanding of the discourse in a first language, reformulating linguistic material, storing of intermediate processing steps, and language production in a second language among others. It is, however, an open issue whether persons with experience in SI possess superior skills in coordination of multiple tasks and whether they are able to transfer these skills to lab-based dual-task situations. Within the present study, we set out to explore whether interpreting experience is associated with related higher-order executive functioning in the context of dual-task situations of the Psychological Refractory Period (PRP) type.

Prediction of attendance at fitness center: a comparison between the theory of planned behavior, the social cognitive theory, and the physical activity maintenance theory.

In the processes of physical activity (PA) maintenance specific predictors are effective, which differ from other stages of PA development. Recently, Physical Activity Maintenance Theory (PAMT) was specifically developed for prediction of PA maintenance. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the predictability of the future behavior by the PAMT and compare it with the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT).

Sustained oscillations, irregular firing, and chaotic dynamics in hierarchical modular networks with mixtures of electrophysiological cell types.

The cerebral cortex exhibits neural activity even in the absence of external stimuli. This self-sustained activity is characterized by irregular firing of individual neurons and population oscillations with a broad frequency range. Questions that arise in this context, are: What are the mechanisms responsible for the existence of neuronal spiking activity in the cortex without external input? Do these mechanisms depend on the structural organization of the cortical connections? Do they depend on intrinsic characteristics of the cortical neurons? To approach the answers to these questions, we have used computer simulations of cortical network models.

Deep layer neurons in the rat medial entorhinal cortex fire sparsely irrespective of spatial novelty.

Extracellular recordings in medial entorhinal cortex have revealed the existence of spatially-modulated firing patterns, which are thought to contribute to a cognitive map of external space. Previous work indicated that during exploration of novel environments, spiking activity in deep entorhinal layers is much sparser than in superficial layers. In the present report, we ask whether this laminar activity profile is a consequence of environmental novelty.

Desynchronization boost by non-uniform coordinated reset stimulation in ensembles of pulse-coupled neurons.

Several brain diseases are characterized by abnormal neuronal synchronization. Desynchronization of abnormal neural synchrony is theoretically compelling because of the complex dynamical mechanisms involved. We here present a novel type of coordinated reset (CR) stimulation.

Photoperiodic regulation of the sucrose transporter StSUT4 affects the expression of circadian-regulated genes and ethylene production.

Several recent publications reported different subcellular localization of the sucrose transporters belonging to the SUT4 subfamily. The physiological function of the SUT4 sucrose transporters requires clarification, because down-regulation of the members of the SUT4 clade had different effects in rice, poplar, and potato. Here, we provide new data for the localization and function of the Solanaceous StSUT4 protein, further elucidating involvement in the onset of flowering, tuberization and in the shade avoidance syndrome of potato plants.

BDNF contributes to the genetic variance of milk fat yield in german holstein cattle.

The gene encoding the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been repeatedly associated with human obesity. As such, it could also contribute to the regulation of energy partitioning and the amount of secreted milk fat during lactation, which plays an important role in milk production in dairy cattle. Therefore, we performed an association study using estimated breeding values (EBVs) of bulls and yield deviations of German Holstein dairy cattle to test the effect of BDNF on milk fat yield (FY).

Active touch during shrew prey capture.

Although somatosensation in multiple whisker systems has been studied in considerable detail, relatively little information is available regarding whisker usage and movement patterns during natural behaviors. The Etruscan shrew, one of the smallest mammals, relies heavily on its whisker system to detect and kill its highly mobile insect prey. Here, we tracked whisker and body motion during prey capture.

Quantifying selection differentials caused by recreational fishing: development of modeling framework and application to reproductive investment in pike (Esox lucius).

Methods for quantifying selection pressures on adaptive traits affected by size-selective fishing are still scarce, and none have as yet been developed for recreational fishing. We present an ecologically realistic age-structured model specifically tailored to recreational fishing that allows estimating selection differentials on adaptive life-history traits. The model accounts for multiple ecological feedbacks, which result in density-dependent and frequency-dependent selection.