Interoceptive Brain Processing Influences Moral Decision Making.

Not harming others is widely regarded as a fundamental tenet of human morality. Harm aversion based on the consequences of an action is called utilitarianism while focusing on the action itself is associated with deontology. This study investigated how interoceptive processing affects the neural processing of utilitarian and deontological moral decision-making.

Transmission of foreshock waves through Earth's bow shock.

The Earth's magnetosphere and its bow shock, which is formed by the interaction of the supersonic solar wind with the terrestrial magnetic field, constitute a rich natural laboratory enabling in situ investigations of universal plasma processes. Under suitable interplanetary magnetic field conditions, a foreshock with intense wave activity forms upstream of the bow shock. So-called 30 s waves, named after their typical period at Earth, are the dominant wave mode in the foreshock and play an important role in modulating the shape of the shock front and affect particle reflection at the shock.

High-Quality Few-Layer Graphene on Single-Crystalline SiC thin Film Grown on Affordable Wafer for Device Applications.

Graphene is promising for next-generation devices. However, one of the primary challenges in realizing these devices is the scalable growth of high-quality few-layer graphene (FLG) on device-type wafers; it is difficult to do so while balancing both quality and affordability. High-quality graphene is grown on expensive SiC bulk crystals, while graphene on SiC thin films grown on Si substrates (GOS) exhibits low quality but affordable cost.

Ultrasoft Silicone Gel as a Biomimetic Passivation Layer in Inkjet-Printed 3D MEA Devices.

Multielectrode arrays (MEAs) are versatile tools that are used for chronic recording and stimulation of neural cells and tissues. Driven by the recent progress in understanding of how neuronal growth and function respond to scaffold stiffness, development of MEAs with a soft cell-to-device interface has gained importance not only for in vivo but also for in vitro applications. However, the passivation layer, which constitutes the majority of the cell-device interface, is typically prepared with stiff materials.

Task-dependent fMRI decoder with the power to extend Gabor patch results to Natural images.

Scientists are often asked to what extent a simple finding in a laboratory can be generalized to complicated phenomena in our daily lives. The same is equally true of vision science; numerous critical discoveries about our visual system have been made using very simple visual images, such as Gabor patches, but to what extent can these findings be applied to more natural images? Here, we used the fMRI decoding technique and directly tested whether the findings obtained with primitive visual stimuli (Gabor patches) were applicable to natural images. In the fMRI experiments, participants performed depth and resolution tasks with both Gabor patches and natural images.

Cortical collateralization induced by language and arithmetic in non-right-handers.

The functional overlap of language and arithmetic is debatable. Although some studies have reported independent representations of arithmetic and language in the brain, other studies have reported shared activity of the two cognitive domains in the inferior frontal gyrus. Although most previous studies have evaluated right-handed individuals, variability of hemispheric dominance in non-right-handed individuals should provide important information on the functional collateralization of these two cognitive domains.

Computing Social Value Conversion in the Human Brain.

Social signals play powerful roles in shaping self-oriented reward valuation and decision making. These signals activate social and valuation/decision areas, but the core computation for their integration into the self-oriented decision machinery remains unclear. Here, we study how a fundamental social signal, social value (others' reward value), is converted into self-oriented decision making in the human brain.

The Importance of Spatiotemporal Information in Biological Motion Perception: White Noise Presented with a Step-like Motion Activates the Biological Motion Area.

Humans can easily recognize the motion of living creatures using only a handful of point-lights that describe the motion of the main joints (biological motion perception). This special ability to perceive the motion of animate objects signifies the importance of the spatiotemporal information in perceiving biological motion. The posterior STS (pSTS) and posterior middle temporal gyrus (pMTG) region have been established by many functional neuroimaging studies as a locus for biological motion perception.

Interphase adhesion geometry is transmitted to an internal regulator for spindle orientation via caveolin-1.

Despite theoretical and physical studies implying that cell-extracellular matrix adhesion geometry governs the orientation of the cell division axis, the molecular mechanisms that translate interphase adhesion geometry to the mitotic spindle orientation remain elusive. Here, we show that the cellular edge retraction during mitotic cell rounding correlates with the spindle axis. At the onset of mitotic cell rounding, caveolin-1 is targeted to the retracting cortical region at the proximal end of retraction fibres, where ganglioside GM1-enriched membrane domains with clusters of caveola-like structures are formed in an integrin and RhoA-dependent manner.

Does Changing Vertical Disparity Induce Horizontal Head Movement?

Theoretically, one can estimate the direction of an object that is relative to the head using vertical disparity if the distance from the head to the object is known. However, several reports describe vertical disparity as having little or no effect on the perception of visual direction. It has been suggested, however, that the visual processes involved in action are different from those involved in perception, and the effect of visual disparity on action has not been investigated in previous studies.

Four-pole galvanic vestibular stimulation causes body sway about three axes.

Galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) can be applied to induce the feeling of directional virtual head motion by stimulating the vestibular organs electrically. Conventional studies used a two-pole GVS, in which electrodes are placed behind each ear, or a three-pole GVS, in which an additional electrode is placed on the forehead. These stimulation methods can be used to induce virtual head roll and pitch motions when a subject is looking upright.

Sound-induced hyperpolarization of hippocampal neurons.

The hippocampus is involved in episodic memory, which is composed of subjective experiences in the multisensory world; however, little is known about the subthreshold membrane potential responses of individual hippocampal neurons to sensory stimuli. Using in-vivo whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from hippocampal CA1 neurons in awake mice, we found that almost all hippocampal neurons exhibited a hyperpolarization of 1-2 mV immediately after the onset of a sound. This large-scale hyperpolarization was unaffected by the duration or pitch of the tone.

The role of chromosomal retention of noncoding RNA in meiosis.

Meiosis is a process of fundamental importance for sexually reproducing eukaryotes. During meiosis, homologous chromosomes pair with each other and undergo homologous recombination, ultimately producing haploid sets of recombined chromosomes that will be inherited by the offspring. Compared with the extensive progress that has been made in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying recombination, how homologous sequences pair with each other is still poorly understood.

Characteristics of superconducting single photon detector in DPS-QKD system under bright illumination blinding attack.

We derive the time-dependent photo-detection probability equation of a superconducting single photon detector (SSPD) to study the responsive property for a pulse train at high repetition rate. Using this equation, we analyze the characteristics of SSPDs when illuminated by bright pulses in blinding attack on a quantum key distribution (QKD). We obtain good agreement between expected values based on our equation and actual experimental values.

Chromosomally-retained RNA mediates homologous pairing.

Pairing and recombination of homologous chromosomes are essential for ensuring correct segregation of chromosomes in meiosis. In S. pombe, chromosomes are first bundled at the telomeres (forming a telomere bouquet) and then aligned by oscillatory movement of the elongated "horsetail" nucleus.

Field test of quantum key distribution in the Tokyo QKD Network.

A secure communication network with quantum key distribution in a metropolitan area is reported. Six different QKD systems are integrated into a mesh-type network. GHz-clocked QKD links enable us to demonstrate the world-first secure TV conferencing over a distance of 45km.

Reconfigurable multilevel transmitter using monolithically integrated quad Mach-Zehnder IQ modulator for optical 16-QAM and 8-PSK generation.

We propose and demonstrate a reconfigurable multilevel transmitter using a monolithically-integrated quad Mach-Zehnder in-phase/quadrature (QMZ-IQ) modulator with binary driving electronics. Different from previous parallel-integrated quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) transmitter solutions, only one electrode is required to adjust the relative phase offset among embedded sub-Mach-Zehnder modulators in the proposed IQ superstructure. By feeding different RF driving electronics and operating the integrated modulator as different bias conditions, different advanced multilevel modulation formats, such as QAM and 8-ary phase-shift keying (8-PSK), could be synthesized.

Importance of precentral motor regions in human kinesthesia: a single case study.

Prompted by our neuroimaging findings in 60 normal people, we examined whether focal damage to the hand section of precentral motor regions impairs hand kinesthesia in a patient, and investigated brain regions related to recovery of kinesthetic function. The damage impaired contralateral kinesthesia. The peri-lesional cerebral motor region, together with the ipsilateral intermediate cerebellum, participated in the recovered kinesthetic processing.

Performance evaluation of wireless communications through capsule endoscope.

This paper presents a performance evaluation of wireless communications applicable into a capsule endoscope. A numerical model to describe the received signal strength (RSS) radiated from a capsule-sized signal generator is derived through measurements in which a liquid phantom that has equivalent electrical constants is used. By introducing this model and taking into account the characteristics of its direction pattern of the capsule and propagation distance between the implanted capsule and on-body antenna, a cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the received SNR is evaluated.

A feasibility study on image-based control of surgical robot using a 60-GHz wireless communication system.

This paper presents an evaluation study on the feasibility of introducing wireless connection into a neurosurgical robot, which is controlled by an image-based navigation system. The wireless connection introduced into the robotic system is based on amplitude shift keying (ASK) at 60 GHz. With this wireless connection, data transmission at the bit-rate of 1 Gbps or more is possible, and here high-definition video images (1080i/1080p) can be transmitted.

Attentional changes in pre-stimulus oscillatory activity within early visual cortex are predictive of human visual performance.

Physiological and neuroimaging studies provide evidence to suggest that attentional mechanisms operating within the fronto-parietal network may exert top-down control on early visual areas, priming them for forthcoming sensory events. The believed consequence of such priming is enhanced task performance. Using the technique of magnetoencephalography (MEG), we investigated this possibility by examining whether attention-driven changes in cortical activity are correlated with performance on a line-orientation judgment task.

Human superior parietal lobule is involved in somatic perception of bimanual interaction with an external object.

The question of how the brain represents the spatial relationship between the own body and external objects is fundamental. Here we investigate the neural correlates of the somatic perception of bimanual interaction with an external object. A novel bodily illusion was used in conjunction with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Human limb-specific and non-limb-specific brain representations during kinesthetic illusory movements of the upper and lower extremities.

Sensing movements of the upper and lower extremities is important in controlling whole-body movements. We have shown that kinesthetic illusory hand movements activate motor areas and right-sided fronto-parietal cortices. We investigated whether illusions for the upper and lower extremities, i.

Accurate real-time feedback of surface EMG during fMRI.

Real-time acquisition of EMG during functional MRI (fMRI) provides a novel method of controlling motor experiments in the scanner using feedback of EMG. Because of the redundancy in the human muscle system, this is not possible from recordings of joint torque and kinematics alone, because these provide no information about individual muscle activation. This is particularly critical during brain imaging because brain activations are not only related to joint torques and kinematics but are also related to individual muscle activation.

Activation of the pheromone-responsive MAP kinase drives haploid cells to undergo ectopic meiosis with normal telomere clustering and sister chromatid segregation in fission yeast.

Meiosis is a process of importance for sexually reproducing eukaryotic organisms. In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, meiosis normally proceeds in a diploid zygote which is produced by conjugation of haploid cells of opposite mating types. We demonstrate that activation of the pheromone-responsive MAPK, Spk1, by the ectopic expression of a constitutively active form of Byr1 (MAPKK for Spk1) induced the cells to undergo meiosis while in the haploid state.