Changes in cortical activation patterns accompanying somatosensory recovery in a stroke patient: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study

The somatosensory system plays a crucial role in executing precise movements by providing sensory feedback （Farrer et al., 2003; Rabin and Gordon, 2004）. Somatosensory dys- function is a common problem following stroke. In partic- ular, somatosensory impairments, such as impairment in touch, proprioception, light touch, and vibration have been frequently observed （Carey et al., 1993; Sullivan and Hed- man, 2008; Tyson et al., 2008）. Patients with somatosensory dysfunction show negative effects on motor control, and it sometimes becomes difficult to perform daily activities independently.

The brain activation pattern of the medial temporal lobe during chewing gum: a functional MRI study

The human brain is known to be influenced by environmental stimuli（Feeney et al.,1982;Kaplan,1988）.Therefore,research on the brain activation pattern by external stimuli has been an important topic in neuroscience（Kaplan,1988）.Chewing gum has been known to have a positive effect on cognition,including alertness,attention,cognitive processing speed,

Quantify work load and muscle functional activation patterns in neck-shoulder muscles of female sewing machine operators using surface electromyogram

Background Work-related musculoskeletal disorders （WMSDs） have high prevalence in sewing machine operators employed in the garment industry. Long work duration, sustained low level work and precise hand work are the main risk factors of neck-shoulder disorders for sewing machine operators. Surface electromyogram （sEMG） offers a valuable tool to determine muscle activity （internal exposure） and quantify muscular load （external exposure）. During sustained and/or repetitive muscle contractions, typical changes of muscle fatigue in sEMG, as an increase in amplitude or a decrease as a shift in spectrum towards lower frequencies, can be observed. In this paper, we measured and quantified the muscle load and muscular activity patterns of neck-shoulder muscles in female sewing machine operators during sustained sewing machine operating tasks using sEMG. Methods A total of 18 healthy women sewing machine operators volunteered to participate in this study. Before their daily sewing machine operating task, we measured the maximal voluntary contractions （MVC） and 20%MVC of bilateral cervical erector spinae （CES） and upper trapezius （UT） respectively, then the sEMG signals of bilateral UT and CES were monitored and recorded continuously during 200 minutes of sustained sewing machine operating simultaneously which equals to 20 time windows with 10 minutes as one time window. After 200 minutes＇ work, we retest 20%MVC of four neck-shoulder muscles and recorded the sEMG signals. Linear analysis, including amplitude probability distribution frequency （APDF）, amplitude analysis parameters such as roof mean square （RMS） and spectrum analysis parameter as median frequency （MF）, were used to calculate and indicate muscle load and muscular activity of bilateral CES and UT. Results During 200 minutes of sewing machine operating, the median load for the left cervical erector spinae （LCES）, right cervical erector spinae （RCES）, left upper trapezius （LUT） and right upper trapezius （RUT） were 6.78%MVE, 6.94%MVE, 6.47%MVE and 5.68%MVE, respectively. Work load of right muscles are significantly higher than that of the left muscles （P〈0.05）; sEMG signal analysis of isometric contractions indicated that the amplitude value before operating was significantly higher than that of after work （P 〈0.01）, and the spectrum value of bilateral CES and UT were significantly lower than those of after work （P 〈0.01）; according to the sEMG signal data of 20 time windows, with operating time pass by, the muscle activity patterns of bilateral CES and UT showed dynamic changes, the maximal amplitude of LCES, RCES, LUT occurred at the 20th time window, RUT at 16th time window, spectrum analysis showed that the lower value happened at 7th, 16th, 20th time windows. Conclusions Female sewing machine operators were exposed to high sustained static load on bilateral neck-shoulder muscles; left neck and shoulder muscles were held in more static positions; the 7th, 16th, and 20th time windows were muscle fatiQue period that erQonomics intervention can protocol at these periods.

COVID-19 lockdown has indirect,non-equivalent effects on activity patterns of Reeves's Pheasant(Syrmaticus reevesii)and sympatric species

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought massive shifts in human activities through a global blockade,directly affecting wildlife survival.However,the indirect impacts of changes in human activities are often easily overlooked.We conducted surveys of Reeves's Pheasant(Syrmaticus reevesii)and its sympatric species by camera traps in forest-type nature reserves in three different scenarios:pre-lockdown,lockdown and postlockdown.An increase in livestock activities observed during the lockdown and post-lockdown period in our study area provided us an opportunity to investigate the indirect impact of the lockdown on wildlife.The prelockdown period was used as a baseline to compare any changes in trends of relative abundance index,activity patterns and temporal spacing of targeted species and livestock.During the lockdown period,the relative abundance index of livestock increased by 50%and there was an increase in daytime activity.Reeves's Pheasant showed avoidance responses to almost all sympatric species and livestock in three different periods,and the livestock avoidance level of Reeves's Pheasant during the lockdown period was significantly and positively correlated with the relative abundance index of livestock.Species-specific changes in activity patterns of study species were observed,with reduced daytime activities of Hog Badger and Raccoon Dog during and after the confinement periods.This study highlights the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on the responses of wildlife by considering the changes in their temporal and spatial use before,during and after lockdown.The knowledge gained on wildlife during reduced human mobility because of the pandemic aids in understanding the effect of human disturbances and developing future conservation strategies in the shared space,to manage both wildlife and livestock.

Integrating host biological and ecological variables to predict probability of haemosporidian infection in raptors

Variations in host traits that influence their exposure and susceptibility may impact probability of vector-transmitted diseases.Therefore,identifying the predictors of infection probability is necessary to understand the risk of disease outbreaks during expanding environmental perturbation.Here,we conducted a large survey based on microscopic examination and molecular analysis of haemosporidian parasite infection in raptors rescued at the Beijing Raptor Rescue Centre.Combining these data with biological and ecological variables of the raptors,we determined predictors that affect the probability of haemosporidian infection using generalized linear mixed models and multimodel inference.Our results showed that infection probability exhibited considerable variation across host species in raptors,and body mass,sex,and evolutionary history played relatively weaker roles in driving infection probability.Instead,activity pattern,age,geographic range size,migration distance,and nest type were important predictors of the probability of haemosporidian infection,and the role of each predictor differed in the three main haemosporidian genera(Plasmodium,Haemoproteus,and Leucocytozoon).This macro-ecological analysis will add to our understanding of host traits that influence the probability of avian haemosporidian infection and will help inform risk of emerging diseases.

Active Faulting Pattern,Present-day Tectonic Stress Field and Block Kinematics in the East Tibetan Plateau

This paper examines major active faults and the present-day tectonic stress field in the East Tibetan Plateau by integrating available data from published literature and proposes a block kinematics model of the region. It shows that the East Tibetan Plateau is dominated by strike-slip and reverse faulting stress regimes and that the maximum horizontal stress is roughly consistent with the contemporary velocity field, except for the west Qinling range where it parallels the striking of the major strike-slip faults. Active tectonics in the East Tibetan Plateau is characterized by three faulting systems. The left-slip Kunlun-Qinling faulting system combines the east Kunlun fault zone, sinistral oblique reverse faults along the Minshan range and two major NEE-striking faults cutting the west Qinling range, which accommodates eastward motion, at 10--14 mm/a, of the Chuan-Qing block. The left-slip Xianshuihe faulting system accommodated clockwise rotation of the Chuan-Dian block. The Longmenshan thrust faulting system forms the eastern margin of the East Tibetan Plateau and has been propagated to the SW of the Sichuan basin. Crustal shortening across the Longmenshan range seems low （2-4 mm/a） and absorbed only a small part of the eastward motion of the Chuan-Qing block. Most of this eastward motion has been transmitted to South China, which is moving SEE-ward at 7-9 mm/a. It is suggested from geophysical data interpretation that the crust and lithosphere of the East Tibetan Plateau is considerably thickened and theologically layered. The upper crust seems to be decoupled from the lower crust through a decollement zone at a depth of 15-20 kin, which involved the Longmenshan fault belt and propagated eastward to the SW of the Sichuan basin. The Wenchuan earthquake was just formed at the bifurcated point of this decollement system. A rheological boundary should exist beneath the Longmenshan fault belt where the lower crust of the East Tibetan Plateau and the lithospheric mantle of the Yangze block are juxtaposed.

Experimental studies on the evolution process of microcrack patterns in concrete samples con-taining hard inclusions

Under biaxial pressure, the microcrack patterns of concrete samples with hard inclusion are as followings: Microcracks generate around the sample at the early pressured period, and gap is formed in the middle part with the increase of σ 1; microcrack gap is becoming smaller gradually with σ 1 increase again; microcracks become active within the original gap, but they in an original active area become small. Approaching the main fracture, microcracks form as a belt and jump back and forth in the belt. The spatial fractal D s of microcracks changes from small to big, but turns decrease when approaching the main fracture. All of the features were seldom mentioned in the past experiment, however, which have some similarities with the long seismicity patterns before strong earthquakes. In this paper, Lancang Gengma earthquake was taken as an example to analyse.〖KH*2D]

ANALYSIS OF “BIMODAL PATTERN” STORM ACTIVITY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BAY OF BENGAL

Storms that occur at the Bay of Bengal(Bo B) are of a bimodal pattern, which is different from that of the other sea areas. By using the NCEP, SST and JTWC data, the causes of the bimodal pattern storm activity of the Bo B are diagnosed and analyzed in this paper. The result shows that the seasonal variation of general atmosphere circulation in East Asia has a regulating and controlling impact on the Bo B storm activity, and the "bimodal period" of the storm activity corresponds exactly to the seasonal conversion period of atmospheric circulation. The minor wind speed of shear spring and autumn contributed to the storm, which was a crucial factor for the generation and occurrence of the"bimodal pattern"storm activity in the Bo B. The analysis on sea surface temperature(SST) shows that the SSTs of all the year around in the Bo B area meet the conditions required for the generation of tropical cyclones(TCs). However,the SSTs in the central area of the bay are higher than that of the surrounding areas in spring and autumn, which facilitates the occurrence of a "two-peak"storm activity pattern. The genesis potential index(GPI) quantifies and reflects the environmental conditions for the generation of the Bo B storms. For GPI, the intense low-level vortex disturbance in the troposphere and high-humidity atmosphere are the sufficient conditions for storms, while large maximum wind velocity of the ground vortex radius and small vertical wind shear are the necessary conditions of storms.

Decoding brain responses to pixelized images in the primary visual cortex: implications for visual cortical prostheses

Visual cortical prostheses have the potential to restore partial vision. Still limited by the low-resolution visual percepts provided by visual cortical prostheses, implant wearers can currently only ＂see＂ pixelized images, and how to obtain the specific brain responses to different pixelized images in the primary visual cortex（the implant area） is still unknown. We conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment on normal human participants to investigate the brain activation patterns in response to 18 different pixelized images. There were 100 voxels in the brain activation pattern that were selected from the primary visual cortex, and voxel size was 4 mm × 4 mm × 4 mm. Multi-voxel pattern analysis was used to test if these 18 different brain activation patterns were specific. We chose a Linear Support Vector Machine（LSVM） as the classifier in this study. The results showed that the classification accuracies of different brain activation patterns were significantly above chance level, which suggests that the classifier can successfully distinguish the brain activation patterns. Our results suggest that the specific brain activation patterns to different pixelized images can be obtained in the primary visual cortex using a 4 mm × 4 mm × 4 mm voxel size and a 100-voxel pattern.

Ecology and Behaviour of Burton's Legless Lizard(Lialis burtonis,Pygopodidae) in Tropical Australia

The elongate, functionally limbless flap-footed lizards （family Pygopodidae） are found throughout Australia, ranging into southern New Guinea. Despite their diversity and abundance in most Australian ecosystems, pygopodids have attracted little scientific study. An intensive ecological study of one pygopodid, Burton＇s legless lizard （Lialis burtonis Gray 1835）, was conducted in Australia＇s tropical Northern Territory. L. burtonis eats nothing but other lizards, primarily skinks, and appears to feed relatively infrequently （only 20.8% of stomachs contained prey）. Ovulation and mating occur chiefly in the late dry-season （beginning around September）, and most egg-laying takes place in the early to middle wet-season （November-January）. Females can lay multiple clutches per year, some of which may be fertilised with stored sperm. Free-ranging L. burtonis are sedentary ambush foragers, with radio-tracked lizards moving on average 〈 5 m/day. Most foraging is done diurnally, but lizards may be active at any time of day or night. Radiotracked lizards were usually found in leaf-litter microhabitats, a preference that was also evident in habitat-choice experiments using field enclosures. Lizards typically buried themselves in 6-8 cm of litter; at this depth, they detect potential prey items while staying hidden from predators and prey and avoiding lethally high temperatures.

The fracture characteristic of the 1989 Datong-Yanggao earthquake sequence

This paper, first, analyzed the seismic activity patterns of the Datong-Yanggao earthquake sequence by 4 stages,finding that three times earthquakes of Mis were located in a same NNE seismically active zone and two times located in 2 NWW seismically active zones. Then the focal-mechanism solutions of 12 earthquakes of M≥4 and 114 earthquakes of M≥1. 0 in various zones were obtained, a tectonic analysis was made for these data, the obtained fracture characteristic of this sequence is: the conjugate fracture combination with the NNE right lateral faults as its trunk and the two NWW left lateral faults as its branches. Finally, it is pointed out that there is an obvious difference between the seismic fracture and the tensile dip-slip tectonic activity of the main body of the seismic region.

Cloning, expression profiling and promoter functional analysis of bone morphogenetic protein 2 in the tongue sole(Cynoglossus semilaevis)

BMP2 plays crucial roles in vertebrate developmental process and acts as a bone inducer during osteogenesis. We present here the molecular cloning of bmp2 cDNA from the marine flatfish Cynoglossus semilaevis, and the analysis of bmp2 expression profiling and promoter function. The full length of bmp2 cDNA sequence is 2 048 bp,which encodes a protein of 422 amino acids. Tissue expression distribution of bmp2 was examined in 14 tissues of mature individuals by quantitative real time PCR（qRT-PCR）. The results revealed that bmp2 was expressed ubiquitously, and the highest expression level was detected in the spinal cord. Moreover, bmp2 expression levels were detected at 15 sampling time points of early developmental stages（egg, larva, juvenile and fingerling stages）.The highest expression level of bmp2 was observed at the gastrula stage, which was about ten times higher than those at the other three embryo stages. Whole-mount in situ hybridization showed that the bmp2 signal was strongly detected at the location of the crown-like larval fin, heart and liver, and slightly expressed in the notochord at one day post hatch（dph）; then the expression of bmp2 started to be concentrated in notochord at three dph. Subsequently, we characterized the 5′-flanking region of bmp2 by testing the promoter activity by Luciferase reporter assays. Positive regulatory region was detected at the location of –179 to ＋109. The predicted transcription factor binding sites（E-box binding factors, zinc finger transcription factor, etc.） in this region might participate in the transcriptional regulation of the bmp2 gene.

Wavelet methods reveal big cat activity patterns and synchrony of activity with preys

Appropriate temporal and spatial scales are important prerequisites for obtaining reliable results in studies of wildlife activity patterns and interspecific interactions.The spread of camera-trap technology has increased interest in and feasibility of studying the activity patterns and interspecific interactions of wildlife.However,such studies are often conducted at arbitrary spatial and temporal scales,and the methods used impose scale on the study rather than determining how activity and species interactions change with spatial scale.In this study,we used a waveletbased approach to determine the temporal and spatial scales for activity patterns and interspecific interactions on Amur leopard and their ungulate prey species that were recorded using camera traps in the main Amur leopard occurrence region in northeast China.Wavelets identified that Amur leopards were more active in spring and fall than summer,and fluctuated with periodicities of 9 and 17 days,respectively.Synchronous relationships between leopards and their prey commonly occurred in spring and fall,with a periodicity of about 20 days,indicating the appropriate seasons and temporal scales for interspecific interaction research.The influence of human activities on the activity patterns of Amur leopard or prey species often occurred over longer time periods(60–64 days).Twodimensional wavelet analyses showed that interactions between leopard and prey were more significant at spatial scales of 1 km2.Overall,our study provides a feasible approach to studying the temporal and spatial scales for wildlife activity patterns and interspecific interaction research using camera trap data.

Free-ranging livestock altered the spatiotemporal behavior of the endangered North Chinese leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis) and its prey and intensified human–leopard conflicts

Widespread distribution of livestock in the natural habitats of large carnivores may negatively impact carnivore populations by reducing wild prey availability and increasing human–carnivore conflicts.In this study,we used camera-trapping data collected in the temperate forests of the Taihang Mountains in North China during 2016–2019 to examine whether and how free-ranging cattle affected habitat use and Diel activity patterns of the endangered North Chinese leopard(Panthera pardus japonensis)and its 2 wild prey species,Siberian roe deer(Capreolus pygargus),and wild boar(Sus scrofa).Residents were also interviewed to record livestock depredation events by leopards during 2015–2019.We found that roe deer spatially avoided sites frequented by cattle,but wild boar did not.In the growing seasons,leopards shared habitats with cattle and tended to increase their diurnal activities where cattle were present.All 3 study species exhibitedfine-scale spatial-temporal segregation to cattle.Leopards selectively preyed on calves over adult cattle and livestock depredation frequency was positively correlated with the detection rates of cattle and wild prey,but not that of leopard.Thesefindings not only show that through behavioral adaption large carnivores and their ungulate prey may persist under livestock disturbance,but also highlight how important proper livestock management is for conserving North Chinese leopards in this region.To enhance livestock management and mitigate human–leopard conflicts,we recommend specific actions,such as better guarding of free-ranging cattle or adoption of a captive farming system.

Big Data Modeling and Analysis of Microblog Ecosystem

Recent progress of Web 2.0 applications has witnessed the rapid development of microblog in China, which has already been one of the most important ways for online communications, especially on sharing information. This paper tries to make an in-depth investigation on the big data modeling and analysis of microblog ecosystem in China by using a real dataset containing over17 million records of SinaWeibo users. First, we present the detailed geography, gender, authentication, education and age analysis of microblog users in this dataset. Then we conduct the numerical features distribution analysis, propose the user influence formula and calculate the influences for different kinds of microblog users. Finally, user content intention analysis is performed to reveal users most concerns in their daily life.

A high-precision heuristic model to detect home and work locations from smart card data

Smart card-automated fare collection systems now routinely record large volumes of data comprising the origins and destinations of travelers.Processing and analyzing these data open new opportunities in urban modeling and travel behavior research.This study seeks to develop an accurate framework for the study of urban mobility from smart card data by developing a heuristic primary location model to identify the home and work locations.The model uses journey counts as an indicator of usage regularity,visit-frequency to identify activity locations for regular commuters,and stay-time for the classification of work and home locations and activities.London is taken as a case study,and the model results were validated against survey data from the London Travel Demand Survey and volunteer survey.Results demonstrate that the proposed model is able to detect meaningful home and work places with high precision.This study offers a new and cost-effective approach to travel behavior and demand research.

A geocomputational analysis of Twitter activity around different world cities

The penetration and use of social media services differs from city to city.This paper is aimed to provide a comparison of the use of Twitter between different cities of the world.We present a temporal analysis of activity on Twitter in 15 cities.Our study consists of two parts:First,we created temporal graphs of the activity in the 15 cities,through which hours of high and low activity could be identified.Second,we created heat map visualizations of the Twitter activities during the period of 19 September 2012–25 September 2013.The heat map visualizations make the periods of intense and sparse activity apparent and provide a snapshot of the activity during the whole year.

Temporal niche overlap among insectivorous small mammals

Being active in the same environment at different times exposes animals to the effects of very different environmental factors,both biotic and abiotic.In the present study,we used live traps equipped with timing devices to evaluate the potential role of biotic factors(competition and food abundance)on overall overlap in the temporal niche axis of 4 insectivorous small mammals in high-elevation grassland fields(‘campos de altitude’)of southern Brazil.Based on resources availability(invertebrates),data on animal captures were pooled in 2 seasons:‘scarcity’(June 2001−September 2001)and‘abundance’(November 2001-May 2002)seasons.We tested for non-random structure in temporal niche overlap among the species in each season.These species were the rodents Oxymycterus nasutus(Waterhouse,1837),Deltamys sp.,Akodon azarae(Fischer,1829),and the marsupial Monodelphis brevicaudis Olfers,1818.The studied community was mainly diurnal with crepuscular peaks.Simulations using the Pianka index of niche overlap indicated that the empirical assemblage-wide overlap was not significantly different from randomly generated patterns in the abundance season but significantly greater than expected by chance alone in the scarcity season.All the species showed an increase in temporal niche breadth during the abundance season,which appears to be related to longer daylength and high nocturnal temperatures.Patterns on both temporal niche overlap and temporal niche breadth were the opposite to those that we were expecting in the case of diel activity patterns determined by competition for dietary resources.Therefore,we conclude that competition did not seem to be preponderant for determining patterns of temporal niche overlap by the studied community.