Skill reconsolidation does not operate at a rapid micro-timescale level

Abundant evidence shows that consolidated memories are susceptible to modifications following their reactivation through reconsolidation. Processes of memory consolidation and reconsolidation have been commonly documented after hours or days. Motivated by studies showing rapid consolidation in early stages of skill acquisition, here we asked whether skill memories are susceptible to modifications through rapid reconsolidation, even at initial stages of learning. In a set of experiments, we collected crowdsourced online motor sequence data to test whether post-reactivation interference and enhancement occur through rapid reconsolidation. Results indicate that memories forming during early learning are not susceptible to interference nor to enhancement within a rapid reconsolidation time window, relative to control conditions. This set of evidence suggests that memory reconsolidation might be dependent on consolidation at the macro-timescale level, requiring hours or days to occur.

Exploring New Kingdoms: The Role of Extracellular Vesicles in Oxi-Inflamm-Aging Related to Cardiorenal Syndrome

The incidence of age associated chronic diseases has increased in recent years. Although several diverse causes produce these phenomena, abundant evidence shows that oxidative stress plays a central role. In recent years, numerous studies have focused on elucidating the role of oxidative stress in the development and progression of both aging and chronic diseases, opening the door to the discovery of new underlying mechanisms and signaling pathways. Among them, senolytics and senomorphics, and extracellular vesicles offer new therapeutic strategies to slow the development of aging and its associated chronic diseases by decreasing oxidative stress. In this review, we aim to discuss the role of extracellular vesicles in human cardiorenal syndrome development and their possible role as biomarkers, targets, or vehicles of drugs to treat this syndrome.

The Impact of Goodwill Recognition and Goodwill Impairment on the Increasing Holdings of Block Shareholders

There is a large amount of goodwill recognition and goodwill impairment. These characteristics would trigger stock price fluctuation. Hence, stakeholders will increase holdings to mitigate the volatility of stock prices. According to the data in regard to the Chinese A-share nonfinancial listed companies from 2007 to 2020, we study the reaction of block shareholders after goodwill recognition and goodwill impairment, respectively. Our findings are as follows: (1) goodwill recognition leads to increasing holdings of block shareholders; (2) goodwill impairment also leads to increasing holdings of block shareholders when there is a large amount of goodwill impairment. We also take state ownership into consideration: compared to state-owned firms, private firms show a much stronger positive relation between goodwill recognition and level of increasing holdings of block shareholders, but there is no significant relation between goodwill impairment and increasing holdings of block shareholders in state-owned firms. These empirical results provide us with abundant evidence that block shareholders would increase shareholdings when there is goodwill recognition due to private information of positive future expectation in M&A. Meanwhile, block shareholders would stabilize stock price via increasing shareholdings when goodwill is impaired.

Serum from COVID-19 patients early in the pandemic shows limited evidence of cross-neutralization against variants of concern

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) results in a variety of clinical symptoms ranging from no or mild to severe disease. Currently, there are multiple postulated mechanisms that may push a moderate to severe disease into a critical state. Human serum contains abundant evidence of the immune status following infection. Cytokines, chemokines, and antibodies can be assayed to determine the extent to which a patient responded to a pathogen. We examined serum and plasma from a cohort of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 early in the pandemic and compared them to negative-control sera. Cytokine and chemokine concentrations varied depending on the severity of infection, and antibody responses were significantly increased in severe cases compared to mild to moderate infections. Neutralization data revealed that patients with high titers against an early 2020 isolate had detectable but limited neutralizing antibodies against newly circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. This study highlights the potential of re-infection for recovered COVID-19 patients.

Contamination of the Bushveld Complex (South Africa) magmas by basinal brines: Stable isotopes in phlogopite from the UG2 chromitite

There is abundant evidence for significant H2O in evolved melts from the platinum-rich UG2 chromitite and the Merensky Reef of the Bushveld Complex (South Africa), but there is no consensus about the source of H2O. We report triple-oxygen and hydrogen isotope ratios of interstitial, late-magmatic phlogopite from three localities of the UG2 layer. The phlogopite yielded δD values of –43‰ to –23‰, which is >30‰ higher than previously known from Bushveld rocks and far above the mantle values of ~–75‰. The phlogopite triple-oxygen isotope ratios are the first to be reported for Bushveld rocks, with values of Δ′17O0.5305 (17O excess relative to the reference line 0.5305) from –0.069‰ to –0.044‰ (δ18O 5.2‰–6.2‰). The oxygen data support existing models of as much as 30%–40% contamination of mantlederived magmas in the lower to middle crust. However, the high δ values require a second step of contamination, which we attribute to brines from the marine sediments in the Transvaal Basin at the emplacement level.

The Ambivalent Conjunction of Modernity and Human Rights

Modernity is a stage in societies’ development that is the corollary of enlightenment. It has variously been conceived to be the ultimate moment in the unfolding of human history in the sense that norms and values, and practices and institutions are nearly or at their most perfect. However, the conceived prelude to or realization of utopia does not accord with reality in many specific modern societies, even those that are generally considered to be the forerunners of modernity. In Africa, the onset of modernity and its extension into the diverse realms of human beings’ lives has entailed norms and values, and practices and institutions that are the genesis of dystopia. This article examines the ambivalent nexus of modernity and human rights in Africa from the onset of the modernization project to date. Using critical theory, the article argues that although modernity is credited with the birth of human rights, in Africa its primary actors, namely capital, the markets, and the state, are either ambivalent to and/or causal to widespread and deep human rights violations. The human rights violations are systemically and systematically cast as incidental and spurious rather than the hallmarks of modernity. Judicial, political, and educational institutions act and reiterate their capacities to address the incidental/spurious human rights violations, despite abundant evidence that, as part of modernity, these institutions are ambivalent to human rights and, therefore, can only mask the reality and perpetuate human rights violations. This general stance is the consequence of the pervasive logic of capital. This article explains how this pervasive phenomenon in its various forms, such as state capitalism and global capitalism, coupled with neopatrimonialism, has impacted the institution and practice of human rights in Africa. The analysis concludes that though modernity is credited with the birth of human rights regimes, its historicity has been causal of significant violations of human rights. The violations unleashed by capital are exacerbated by political elites who, in their processes of policy-making and budgetary deliberation, and implementation, marginally conceive nation-extensive notions of common good. Consequently, violation of human rights is rampant.

CBM-I training and its effect on interpretations of intent, facial expressions, attention and aggressive behavior

There is abundant evidence suggesting that attention and interpretation biases are powerful precursors of aggression. However, little is known how these biases may interact with one another in the development and maintenance of aggression. Using cognitive bias modification of interpretation (CBM-I), the present study examined whether training more pro-social or hostile intent attributions would affect attention bias, interpretation bias of facial expressions, aggression and mood. University students (17–48 years) were assigned to either a positive training (n = 40), negative training (n = 40), or control training (n = 40). Results showed that the positive training successfully changed measures of intent attributions in a pro-social direction compared to the control training. The negative training changed measures of intent attributions in a hostile direction but not more so than the control training. We found no generalization of the training effects to relevant other outcomes. Possible explanations underlying these findings are discussed.

Symptoms of Selective Mutism in Non-clinical 3- to 6-Year-Old Children: Relations With Social Anxiety, Autistic Features, and Behavioral Inhibition

Selective mutism (SM) is a psychiatric condition that is characterized by a failure to speak in specific social situations (e. g., at school) despite speaking normally in other situations (e.g., at home). There is abundant evidence that anxiety, and social anxiety in particular, is a prominent feature of SM, which is the main reason why this condition is currently classified as an anxiety disorder. Meanwhile, there is increasing support for the notion that autism-related problems are also involved in SM. The present study examined the relations between SM and social anxiety, autistic features, and behavioral inhibition to the unfamiliar (i.e., the tendency to react with restraint and withdrawal when confronted with unfamiliar stimuli and situations). Parents of 172 3- to 6-year-old preschool children completed an online survey for measuring the relevant constructs. Results showed that there were positive and statistically significant correlations between SM and social anxiety, autistic features, and behavioral inhibition. Regression analyses revealed that (1) both social anxiety and autistic features accounted for a significant and unique proportion of the variance in SM scores, and (2) that both of these variables no longer made a significant contribution once behavioral inhibition was added to the model. It can be concluded that while the involvement of social anxiety is unambiguous in SM, autism-related problems are also implicated. Furthermore, behavioral inhibition seems to play a key role in the non-speaking behavior of non-clinical young children.

POST BREXIT DYNAMICS IN EU: A POLITICAL BODY NURTURED AND RETAINED ALIVE BY THE ESP CAPILLARIES IN EDUCATION

Post Brexit European scenario has triggered speculative thoughts to linguists concerned with language policy in the European Union. Contrary to the belief that no Brits, no further ascendancy of English in the EU territory, there is indisputable and abundant evidence demonstrating that English will retain its status as the dominant formal and informal language among EU (and prospective) members. In our study, we argue that the sustainable and irreplaceable supremacy of English is precisely linked to its effective usage for specific purposes. We examine mainly the case of the English Medium Instruction (EMI) in higher education in EU countries shedding light on the crucial role of the ESP within EMI to further internationalization and standardization of university teaching and research within the EU zone, and its future acceding members. We also analyze indispensable role of the ESP in conducting Erasmus+ Staff and Student Mobility Exchange programs of specific majors of study as a catalyst to equal promotion and dissemination of technological and scientific innovation. We believe that the ESP is being the tool to guaranteeing economic and scientific synergy and socio-educational coherence among all EU countries.

Chapter 5.4a Marie Byrd Land and Ellsworth Land: volcanology

Nineteen large (2348–4285 m above sea level) central polygenetic alkaline shield-like composite volcanoes and numerous smaller volcanoes in Marie Byrd Land (MBL) and western Ellsworth Land rise above the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and comprise the MBL Volcanic Group (MBLVG). Earliest MBLVG volcanism dates to the latest Eocene (36.6 Ma). Polygenetic volcanism began by the middle Miocene (13.4 Ma) and has continued into the Holocene without major interruptions, producing the central volcanoes with 24 large (2–10 km-diameter) summit calderas and abundant evidence for explosive eruptions in caldera-rim deposits. Rock lithofacies are dominated by basanite and trachyte/phonolite lava and breccia, deposited in both subaerial and ice-contact environments. The chronology of MBLVG volcanism is well constrained by 330 age analyses, including 52 new40Ar/39Ar ages. A volcanic lithofacies record of glaciation provides evidence of local ice-cap glaciation at 29–27 Ma and of widespread WAIS glaciation by 9 Ma. Late Quaternary glaciovolcanic records document WAIS expansions that correlate to eustatic sea-level lowstands (MIS 16, 4 and 2): the WAIS was +500 m at 609 ka at coastal Mount Murphy, and +400 m at 64.7 ka, +400 m at 21.2 ka and +575 m at 17.5 ka at inland Mount Takahe.