Low-cost and easy-fabrication lightweight drivable electrode array for multiple-regions electrophysiological recording in free-moving mice

Objective. Extracellular electrophysiology has been widely applied to neural circuit dissections. However, long-term multiregional recording in free-moving mice remains a challenge. Low-cost and easy-fabrication of elaborate drivable electrodes is required for their prevalence. Approach. A three-layer nested construct (OD ~1.80 mm, length ~10 mm, <0.1g) was recruited as a drivable component, which consisted of an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) heat-shrinkable tube, non-closed loop ceramic bushing, and stainless ferrule with a bulge twining silver wire. The supporting and working components were equipped with drivable components to be assembled into a drivable microwire electrode array with a nested structure (drivable MEANS). Two drivable microwire electrode arrays were independently implanted for chronic recording in different brain areas at respective angles. An optic fiber was easily loaded into the drivable MEANS to achieve optogenetic modulation and electrophysiological recording simultaneously. Main results. The drivable MEANS had lightweight (~ 0.37 g), small (~ 15 mm ×15 mm × 4 mm), and low cost (≤ $64.62). Two drivable MEANS were simultaneously implanted in mice, and high-quality electrophysiological recordings could be applied ≥ 5 months after implantation in freely behaving animals. Electrophysiological recordings and analysis of the lateral septum (LS) and lateral hypothalamus (LH) in food-seeking behavior demonstrated that our drivable MEANS can be used to dissect the function of neural circuits. An optical fiber-integrated drivable MEANS (~ 0.47 g) was used to stimulate and record LS neurons, which suggested that changes in working components can achieve more functions than electrophysiological recordings, such as optical stimulation, drug release, and calcium imaging. Significance. Drivable MEANS is an easily fabricated, lightweight drivable microwire electrode array for multiple-region electrophysiological recording in free-moving mice. Our design is likely to be a valuable platform for both current and prospective users, as well as for developers of multifunctional electrodes for free-moving mice.

Concurrence of Marjolin’s Ulcer in the Lower Limb in a Patient with Idiopathic Multicentric Castleman Disease: A Case Report

Idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD) is characterized by the benign proliferation of lymphoid cells in multiple regions. However, the co-occurrence of epithelial malignancy and idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD) is rarely reported. Herein, we present a case of iMCD mimicking lymph nodal metastasis of Marjolin’s ulcer in the lower extremity. A 53-year-old male presented with an unhealed chronic ulcer on the left lower leg and foot accompanied by an enlarged mass in the left inguinal region. Intralesional biopsy was performed, and pathological examination showed squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Imaged studies revealed left calcaneus bone invasion, and lymph nodal metastasis was suspected by the cancer TNM staging of T4N2M0 pre-operatively. The patient received below-knee amputation and lymph node dissection; intraoperative histological examination showed no lymphatic nodal malignancy and diagnosed the patient as having iMCD with lymphadenopathy. The patient recovered uneventfully and was referred to a hematologist for further treatment.

Where does theory go in military history?

This article presents a critique of Whiggish approaches to military history. It begins with this quotation from Dennis Showalter – ‘military history is arguably the last stronghold of what historiographers call the “Whig interpretation”’ – and notes that Showalter’s assessment was a reflection on both the general absence of theory and the linked poverty of the fallback theoretical basket of the subject, with such staples as War and Society, Face of Battle, and Military Revolutions. Recognizing the shortcomings of numerous approaches to military history, the author identifies the challenge – writing military history that incorporates multiple regions and takes a global approach. As the author concludes, the problem for the historian remains how best to address the complex interactions of, in particular, change and continuity, structure and conjuncture, the West and the wider world, and to do so to produce an account that is able to identify and probe crucial issues and key questions.

Application of Multilayer Perceptron Genetic Algorithm Neural Network in Chinese-English Parallel Corpus Noise Processing

This paper uses neural network as a predictive model and genetic algorithm as an online optimization algorithm to simulate the noise processing of Chinese-English parallel corpus. At the same time, according to the powerful random global search mechanism of genetic algorithm, this paper studied the principle and process of noise processing in Chinese-English parallel corpus. Aiming at the task of identifying isolated words for unspecified persons, taking into account the inadequacies of the algorithms in standard genetic algorithms and neural networks, this paper proposes a fast algorithm for training the network using genetic algorithms. Through simulation calculations, different characteristic parameters, the number of training samples, background noise, and whether a specific person affects the recognition result were analyzed and discussed and compared with the traditional dynamic time comparison method. This paper introduces the idea of reinforcement learning, uses different reward mechanisms to solve the inconsistency of loss function and evaluation index measurement methods, and uses different decoding methods to alleviate the problem of exposure bias. It uses various simple genetic operations and the survival of the fittest selection mechanism to guide the learning process and determine the direction of the search, and it can search multiple regions in the solution space at the same time. In addition, it also has the advantage of not being restricted by the restrictive conditions of the search space (such as differentiable, continuous, and unimodal). At the same time, a method of using English subword vectors to initialize the parameters of the translation model is given. The research results show that the neural network recognition method based on genetic algorithm which is given in this paper shows its ability of quickly learning network weights and it is superior to the standard in all aspects. The performance of the algorithm in genetic algorithm and neural network, with high recognition rate and unique application advantages, can achieve a win-win of time and efficiency.

A Blockchain-Based Authentication Protocol Using Cryptocurrency Technology in LEO Satellite Networks

With the rapid development of satellite technology and the high transmission efficiency of LEO satellites, LEO satellite communication has received increasing attention. However, the frequent switching of satellite-earth links imposes a great challenge in LEO communication authentication. To tackle this challenge, this paper proposes a Blockchain-based Authentication Protocol Using Cryptocurrency Technology (BAPC), which solves the problem of a long pause time of satellite services caused by user access authentication in a scenario of frequent switching between satellites and ground users. First, we design three stages of the authentication process and introduce the cryptocurrency technology. Using currency transactions as the certificate of authentication improves not only the security of authentication, but also the efficiency of switching authentication. Next, in the network topology, the satellite cluster is divided into multiple regions to improve the efficiency of block consensus. Finally, the protocol is tested through extensive NS2-based simulations, and the results verify that BAPC can greatly shorten the response time of switching authentication and significantly reduce the time of block generation and the network throughput. As the number of users increases, the block generation time and network throughput can be further reduced.

Categorical working memory codes in human visual cortex

Working memory contents are represented in neural activity patterns across multiple regions of the cortical hierarchy. It has remained unclear to which degree this reflects a specialization for different levels of abstraction. Here, we demonstrate that for color stimuli categorical codes are already present at the level of extrastriate visual cortex (V4 and VO1). Importantly, this categorical coding was observed during working memory, but not during perception.

Multiple regions of junctin drive interaction with calsequestrin-1 and localization at triads in skeletal muscle

Junctin is a transmembrane protein of striated muscles, localized at the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum (j-SR). It is characterized by a luminal C-terminal tail, through which it functionally interacts with calsequestrin and the ryanodine receptor. Interaction with calsequestrin was ascribed to the presence of stretches of charged amino acids. However, the regions able to bind calsequestrin have not been defined in detail. We report here that, in non-muscle cells, junctin and calsequestrin assemble in long linear regions within the endoplasmic reticulum, mirroring the formation of calsequestrin polymers. In differentiating myotubes, the two proteins co-localize at triads, where they assemble with other j-SR proteins. By performing GST pull-down assays with distinct regions of the junctin tail, we identified two KEKE motifs able to bind calsequestrin. In addition, stretches of charged amino acids downstream these motifs were found to be also able to bind calsequestrin and the ryanodine receptor. Deletion of even one of these regions impaired the ability of junctin to localize at the j-SR, suggesting that interaction with other proteins at this site represents a key element in junctin targeting.

Genetic differentiation of Xylella fastidiosa following the introduction into Taiwan

The economically important plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa has been reported in multiple regions of the globe during the last two decades, threatening a growing list of plants. Particularly, X. fastidiosa subspecies fastidiosa causes Pierce’s disease (PD) of grapevines, which is a problem in the USA, Spain, and Taiwan. In this work, we studied PD-causing subsp. fastidiosa populations and compared the genome sequences of 33 isolates found in Central Taiwan with 171 isolates from the USA and two from Spain. Phylogenetic relationships, haplotype networks, and genetic diversity analyses confirmed that subsp. fastidiosa was recently introduced into Taiwan from the Southeast USA (i.e. the PD-I lineage). Recent core-genome recombination events were detected among introduced subsp. fastidiosa isolates in Taiwan and contributed to the development of genetic diversity. The genetic diversity observed includes contributions through recombination from unknown donors, suggesting that higher genetic diversity exists in the region. Nevertheless, no recombination event was detected between X. fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa and the endemic sister species Xylella taiwanensis , which is the causative agent of pear leaf scorch disease. In summary, this study improved our understanding of the genetic diversity of an important plant pathogenic bacterium after its invasion to a new region.