The processing of color preference in the brain

Decades of research has established that humans have preferences for some colors (e.g., blue) and a dislike of others (e.g., dark chartreuse), with preference varying systematically with variation in hue (e.g., Hurlbert & Owen, 2015). Here, we used functional MRI to investigate why humans have likes and dislikes for simple patches of color, and to understand the neural basis of preference, aesthetics and value judgements more generally. We looked for correlations of a behavioural measure of color preference with the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) response when participants performed an irrelevant orientation judgement task on colored squares. A whole brain analysis found a significant correlation between BOLD activity and color preference in the posterior midline cortex (PMC), centred on the precuneus but extending into the adjacent posterior cingulate and cuneus. These results demonstrate that brain activity is modulated by color preference, even when such preferences are irrelevant to the ongoing task the participants are engaged. They also suggest that color preferences automatically influence our processing of the visual world. Interestingly, the effect in the PMC overlaps with regions identified in neuroimaging studies of preference and value judgements of other types of stimuli. Therefore, our findings extends this literature to show that the PMC is related to automatic encoding of subjective value even for basic visual features such as color

Supplemental prophylactic intervention for chemotherapy-induced nausea and emesis (spice) trial: Protocol for a multi-centre double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial

Aim: There is significant recent interest in the role of ginger root (Zingiber officinale) as an adjuvant therapy for chemotherapy‐induced nausea. The supplemental prophylactic intervention for chemotherapy‐induced nausea and emesis (SPICE) trial aims to assess the efficacy by reduced incidence and severity of chemotherapy‐induced nausea and vomiting, and enhanced quality of life, safety and cost effectiveness of a standardised adjuvant ginger root supplement in adults undergoing single‐day moderate‐to‐highly emetogenic chemotherapy. Methods: Multisite, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled randomised trial with two parallel arms and 1:1 allocation. The target sample size is n = 300. The intervention comprises four capsules of ginger root (totalling 60 mg of active gingerols/day), commencing the day of chemotherapy and continuing for five days during chemotherapy cycles 1 to 3. The primary outcome is chemotherapy‐induced nausea‐related quality of life. Secondary outcomes include nutrition status; anticipatory, acute and delayed nausea and vomiting; fatigue; depression and anxiety; global quality of life; health service use and costs; adverse events; and adherence. Results: During the five‐month recruitment period from October 2017 to April 2018 at site A only, a total of n = 33 participants (n = 18 female) have been enrolled in the SPICE trial. Recruitment is expected to commence at Site B in May 2018. Conclusions: The trial is designed to meet research gaps and could provide evidence to recommend specific dosing regimens as an adjuvant for chemotherapy‐induced nausea and vomiting prevention and management.No Full Tex

First evidence of Renlandian (c. 950–940 Ma) orogeny in mainland Scotland:Implications for the status of the Moine Supergroup and circum-North Atlantic correlations

Central problems in the interpretation of the Neoproterozoic geology of the North Atlantic region arise from uncertainties in the ages of, and tectonic drivers for, Tonian orogenic events recorded in eastern Laurentia and northern Baltica. The identification and interpretation of these events is often problematic because most rock units that record Tonian orogenesis were strongly reworked at amphibolite facies during the Ordovician-Silurian Caledonian orogeny. Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd geochronology and metamorphic modelling carried out on large (>1 cm) garnets from the Meadie Pelite in the Moine Nappe of the northern Scottish Caledonides indicate prograde metamorphism between 950 and 940 Ma at pressures of 6–7 kbar and temperatures of 600 °C. This represents the first evidence for c. 950 Ma Tonian (Renlandian) metamorphism in mainland Scotland and significantly extends its geographic extent along the palaeo-Laurentian margin. The Meadie Pelite is believed to be part of the Morar Group within the Moine Supergroup. If this is correct: 1) the Morar Group was deposited between 980 ± 4 Ma (age of the youngest detrital zircon; Peters, 2001, youngest published zircon date is 947 ± 189 (Friend et al., 2003)) and c. 950 Ma (age of regional metamorphism reported here), 2) an orogenic unconformity must separate the Morar Group from the 883 ± 35 Ma (Cawood et al., 2004) Glenfinnan and Loch Eil groups, and 3) the term ‘Moine Supergroup’ may no longer be appropriate. The Morar Group is broadly correlative with similar aged metasedimentary successions in Shetland, East Greenland, Svalbard, Ellesmere Island and northern Baltica. All these successions were deposited after c. 1030 Ma, contain detritus from the Grenville orogen, and were later deformed and metamorphosed at 950–910 Ma during accretionary Renlandian orogenesis along an active plate margin developed around this part of Rodinia

The effects of entrepreneurship education

Entrepreneurship education ranks high on policy agendas in Europe and the US, but little research is available to assess its impact. To help close this gap we investigate whether entrepreneurship education a?ects intentions to be entrepreneurial uniformly or whether it leads to greater sorting of students. The latter can reduce the average intention to be entrepreneurial and yet be socially beneficial. This paper provides a model of learning in which entrepreneurship education generates signals to students. Drawing on the signals, students evaluate their aptitude for entrepreneurial tasks. The model is tested using data from a compulsory entrepreneurship course. Using ex ante and ex post survey responses from students, we find that intentions to found decline somewhat although the course has significant positive e?ects on students’ self-assessed entrepreneurial skills. The empirical analysis supports the hypothesis that students receive informative signals and learn about their entrepreneurial aptitude. We outline implications for educators and public policy

Revealing the insoluble metasecretome of lignocellulosedegrading microbial communities

AbstractMicrobial communities metabolize plant biomass using secreted enzymes; however, identifying extracellular proteins tightly bound to insoluble lignocellulose in these microbiomes presents a challenge, as the rigorous extraction required to elute these proteins also lyses the microbes associated with the plant biomass releasing intracellular proteins that contaminate the metasecretome. Here we describe a technique for targeting the extracellular proteome, which was used to compare the metasecretome and meta-surface-proteome of two lignocellulose-degrading communities grown on wheat straw and rice straw. A combination of mass spectrometry-based proteomics coupled with metatranscriptomics enabled the identification of a unique secretome pool from these lignocellulose-degrading communities. This method enabled us to efficiently discriminate the extracellular proteins from the intracellular proteins by improving detection of actively secreted and transmembrane proteins. In addition to the expected carbohydrate active enzymes, our new method reveals a large number of unknown proteins, supporting the notion that there are major gaps in our understanding of how microbial communities degrade lignocellulosic substrates.</jats:p

Biochar-based fertilizer: Supercharging root membrane potential and biomass yield of rice

Biochar-based compound fertilizers (BCF) and amendments have proven to enhance crop yields and modify soil properties (pH, nutrients, organic matter, structure etc.) and are now in commercial production in China. While there is a good understanding of the changes in soil properties following biochar addition, the interactions within the rhizosphere remain largely unstudied, with benefits to yield observed beyond the changes in soil properties alone. We investigated the rhizosphere interactions following the addition of an activated wheat straw BCF at an application rates of 0.25% (g·g−1 soil), which could potentially explain the increase of plant biomass (by 67%), herbage N (by 40%) and P (by 46%) uptake in the rice plants grown in the BCF-treated soil, compared to the rice plants grown in the soil with conventional fertilizer alone. Examination of the roots revealed that micron and submicron-sized biochar were embedded in the plaque layer. BCF increased soil Eh by 85 mV and increased the potential difference between the rhizosphere soil and the root membrane by 65 mV. This increased potential difference lowered the free energy required for root nutrient accumulation, potentially explaining greater plant nutrient content and biomass. We also demonstrate an increased abundance of plant-growth promoting bacteria and fungi in the rhizosphere. We suggest that the redox properties of the biochar cause major changes in electron status of rhizosphere soils that drive the observed agronomic benefits

Burnout by Design: How Digital Systems Overburden Neurodivergent Students in Higher Education

Digital systems play a critical role in higher education, supporting student learning, communication, and administrative tasks. However, they are often designed with neurotypical users as the default, inadvertently creating barriers for a neurodiverse student body. By conducting semi-structured interviews with 11 neurodivergent students at a British university, we aimed to identify how neurodivergent students perceive their experiences of neurodivergence within academia, how these students experiences interact with these systems to affect academic performance and emotional wellbeing, and what strategies these students use to manage their academic and personal challenges. Our findings document the additional invisible work undertaken by neurodivergent students due to system designs exacerbating neurodivergent symptoms, imposing excessive user workload, and undermining both emotional wellbeing and academic success. We suggest solutions to reduce this invisible access work