Subliminal Salience Search Illustrated: EEG Identity and Deception Detection on the Fringe of Awareness

We propose a novel deception detection system based on Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP). One motivation for the new method is to present stimuli on the fringe of awareness, such that it is more difficult for deceivers to confound the deception test using countermeasures. The proposed system is able to detect identity deception (by using the first names of participants) with a 100% hit rate (at an alpha level of 0.05). To achieve this, we extended the classic Event-Related Potential (ERP) techniques (such as peak-to-peak) by applying Randomisation, a form of Monte Carlo resampling, which we used to detect deception at an individual level. In order to make the deployment of the system simple and rapid, we utilised data from three electrodes only: Fz, Cz and Pz. We then combined data from the three electrodes using Fisher''s method so that each participant was assigned a single p-value, which represents the combined probability that a specific participant was being deceptive. We also present subliminal salience search as a general method to determine what participants find salient by detecting breakthrough into conscious awareness using EEG.     

Human-Imposed,Fine-Grained Patch Burning Explains the Population Stability of a Fire-Sensitive Conifer in a Frequently Burnt Northern Australia Savanna

Woody plant demographics provide important insight into ecosystem state-shifts in response to changing fire regimes. In Australian tropical savannas, the switch from patchy landscape burning by Aborigines to unmanaged wildfires within the past century has been implicated in biodiversity declines including the fire-sensitive conifer, Callitris intratropica. C. intratropica commonly forms small, closed-canopy groves that exclude fire and allow recruitment of conspecifics and other fire-sensitive woody plants. C. intratropica groves provide a useful indicator of heterogeneity and fire regime change, but the mechanisms driving the species’ persistence and decline remain poorly understood. We examined the hypothesis that C. intratropica population stability depends upon a regime of frequent, low-intensity fires maintained by Aboriginal management. We combined integral projection models of C. intratropica population behaviour with an environmental state change matrix to examine how vital rates, grove dynamics and the frequency of high- and low-intensity fires contribute to population stability. Closed-canopy C. intratropica groves contributed disproportionately to population growth by promoting recruitment, whereas singleton trees accounted for a larger proportion of adult mortality. Our patch-based population model predicted population declines under current fire frequencies and that the recruitment of new groves plays a critical role in the species’ persistence. Our results also indicated that reducing fire intensity, a key outcome of Aboriginal burning, leads to C. intratropica population persistence even at high fire frequencies. These findings provide insight into the relationship between ecosystem composition and human–fire interactions and the role of fire management in sustaining the mosaics that comprise ‘natural’ systems.     

Land use and dispersal influence mortality in white-tailed deer

Restoring male age structure in white-tailed deer populations has become an important objective for many state agencies aimed at improving herd dynamics. Limiting mortality in the yearling (1–2 yr old) age class is a primary consideration, and regional differences in climate, habitat characteristics, hunting regulations, and hunter behavior complicate the understanding of how specific factors influence the risk of mortality. We used Cox proportional hazard modeling to determine the effects of body size, mean distance to road, dispersal behaviors, use of forested land, and use of land open to public hunting on the risk of mortality for a population of radio-collared, yearling males (n = 76) in Sussex County, Delaware, USA. Annual survival averaged 0.55 (95% CI = 0.45–0.68), with harvest accounting for 79% (26/33) of all mortalities. Measurements of body size (chest girth, shoulder height, and total length; cm) influenced dispersal probability but not dispersal distance. The best approximating model for mortality risk included a covariate for landownership, whereby mortality risk increased on public land. Among males who dispersed, longer-distance dispersal was associated with reduced mortality, which contradicts previous research describing dispersal as a high-risk behavior. The effect of landownership on mortality risk has not been previously identified, especially when regulations regarding harvest of yearling males are similar between landownership types. We observed annual survival rates of 0.69 (95% CI = 0.57–0.82) for deer apparently using private land exclusively during the hunting season, and 0.20 (95% CI = 0.11–0.48) for deer that used public land during the hunting season. Survival rates on private land were comparable to those of other regions actively managing male age structure. These results suggest survival of yearling males in the region is influenced by hunter harvest and the risks associated with dispersal may be minimal in areas where harvest pressure is low, although hunter harvest on public land may limit male age structure on a localized scale. © The Wildlife Society, 2019     

Small Molecule Modifiers of In Vitro Manganese Transport Alter Toxicity In Vivo

Biological Trace Element Research - Manganese (Mn) is essential for several species and daily requirements are commonly met by an adequate diet. Mn overload may cause motor and psychiatric...     

On the use of the variogram in checking for independence in spatial data

The variogram is a standard tool in the analysis of spatial data, and its shape provides useful information on the form of spatial correlation that may be present. However, it is also useful to be able to assess the evidence for the presence of any spatial correlation. A method of doing this, based on an assessment of whether the true function underlying the variogram is constant, is proposed. Nonparametric smoothing of the squared differences of the observed variables, on a suitably transformed scale, is used to estimate variogram shape. A statistic based on a ratio of quadratic forms is proposed and the test is constructed by investigating the distributional properties of this statistic under the assumption of an independent Gaussian process. The power of the test is investigated. Reference bands are proposed as a graphical follow-up. An example is discussed.     

Interaction of coxsackievirus A21 with its cellular receptor, ICAM-1

Coxsackievirus A21 (CAV21), like human rhinoviruses (HRVs), is a causative agent of the common cold. It uses the same cellular receptor, intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), as does the major group of HRVs; unlike HRVs, however, it is stable at acid pH. The cryoelectron microscopy (cryoEM) image reconstruction of CAV21 is consistent with the highly homologous crystal structure of poliovirus 1; like other enteroviruses and HRVs, CAV21 has a canyon-like depression around each of the 12 fivefold vertices. A cryoEM reconstruction of CAV21 complexed with ICAM-1 shows all five domains of the extracellular component of ICAM-1. The known atomic structure of the ICAM-1 amino-terminal domains D1 and D2 has been fitted into the cryoEM density of the complex. The site of ICAM-1 binding within the canyon of CAV21 overlaps the site of receptor recognition utilized by rhinoviruses and polioviruses. Interactions within this common region may be essential for triggering viral destabilization after attachment to susceptible cells.