Developing and Validating a Korean Version of the Assessment of Children's Emotional Skills

In this study, a Korean Assessment of Children's Emotional Skills (ACES) was developed by modifying the original ACES which was initially introduced in the United States. Specifically, the original ACES was translated into Korean and revised to better fit the Korean cultural context. The content validity of the revised Korean ACES was established via expert reviews. To test its reliability, the revised Korean ACES was conducted on 286 six-year-old children. A confirmatory factor analysis indicated that our newly developed Korean ACES can be used as an appropriate tool to measure Korean children's emotional skills. The Korean ACES can stimulate further studies on these emotional skills and contribute to various international collaborative studies that seek to compare the emotional skills of children from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Mesolimbic dopamine ramps reflect environmental timescales

Mesolimbic dopamine activity occasionally exhibits ramping dynamics, reigniting debate on theories of dopamine signaling. This debate is ongoing partly because the experimental conditions under which dopamine ramps emerge remain poorly understood. Here, we show that during Pavlovian and instrumental conditioning, mesolimbic dopamine ramps are only observed when the inter-trial interval is short relative to the trial period. These results constrain theories of dopamine signaling and identify a critical variable determining the emergence of dopamine ramps.

Sensory cortical ensembles exhibit differential coupling to ripples in distinct hippocampal subregions

Cortical neurons activated during recent experiences often reactivate with dorsal hippocampal CA1 ripples during subsequent rest. Less is known about cortical interactions with intermediate hippocampal CA1, whose connectivity, functions, and ripple events differ from dorsal CA1. We identified three clusters of putative excitatory neurons in mouse visual cortex that are preferentially excited together with either dorsal or intermediate CA1 ripples or suppressed before both ripples. Neurons in each cluster were evenly distributed across primary and higher visual cortices and co-active even in the absence of ripples. These ensembles exhibited similar visual responses but different coupling to thalamus and pupil-indexed arousal. We observed a consistent activity sequence preceding and predicting ripples: (1) suppression of ripple-suppressed cortical neurons, (2) thalamic silence, and (3) activation of intermediate CA1-ripple-activated cortical neurons. We propose that coordinated dynamics of these ensembles relay visual experiences to distinct hippocampal subregions for incorporation into different cognitive maps.

An open-source behavior controller for associative learning and memory (B-CALM)

Associative learning and memory, i.e., learning and remembering the associations between environmental stimuli, self-generated actions, and outcomes such as rewards or punishments, are critical for the well-being of animals. Hence, the neural mechanisms underlying these processes are extensively studied using behavioral tasks in laboratory animals. Traditionally, these tasks have been controlled using commercial hardware and software, which limits scalability and accessibility due to their cost. More recently, due to the revolution in microcontrollers or microcomputers, several general-purpose and open-source solutions have been advanced for controlling neuroscientific behavioral tasks. While these solutions have great strength due to their flexibility and general-purpose nature, for the same reasons, they suffer from some disadvantages including the need for considerable programming expertise, limited online visualization, or slower than optimal response latencies for any specific task. Here, to mitigate these concerns, we present an open-source behavior controller for associative learning and memory (B-CALM). B-CALM provides an integrated suite that can control a host of associative learning and memory behaviors. As proof of principle for its applicability, we show data from head-fixed mice learning Pavlovian conditioning, operant conditioning, discrimination learning, as well as a timing task and a choice task. These can be run directly from a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) written in MATLAB that controls many independently running Arduino Mega microcontrollers in parallel (one per behavior box). In sum, B-CALM will enable researchers to execute a wide variety of associative learning and memory tasks in a scalable, accurate, and user-friendly manner.

Theory of transition from brittle to ductile fracture

In this paper, two improvements to the theory of transition from brittle to ductile fracture developed by Langer [J. S. Langer, Phys. Rev. E 103, 063004 (2021)2470-004510.1103/PhysRevE.103.063004] are proposed. First, considering the drastic temperature rise near the crack tip, the temperature dependence of the shear modulus is included to better quantify the thermally sensitive dislocation entanglement. Second, the parameters of the improved theory are identified by the large-scale least-squares method. The comparison between the fracture toughness predicted by the theory and the values obtained in Gumbsch's experiments for tungsten at different temperatures [P. Gumbsch et al., Science 282, 1293 (1998)10.1126/science.282.5392.1293] shows good agreement.

Few-shot learning: temporal scaling in behavioral and dopaminergic learning

How do we learn associations in the world (e.g., between cues and rewards)? Cue-reward associative learning is controlled in the brain by mesolimbic dopamine1-4. It is widely believed that dopamine drives such learning by conveying a reward prediction error (RPE) in accordance with temporal difference reinforcement learning (TDRL) algorithms5. TDRL implementations are "trial-based": learning progresses sequentially across individual cue-outcome experiences. Accordingly, a foundational assumption-often considered a mere truism-is that the more cue-reward pairings one experiences, the more one learns this association. Here, we disprove this assumption, thereby falsifying a foundational principle of trial-based learning algorithms. Specifically, when a group of head-fixed mice received ten times fewer experiences over the same total time as another, a single experience produced as much learning as ten experiences in the other group. This quantitative scaling also holds for mesolimbic dopaminergic learning, with the increase in learning rate being so high that the group with fewer experiences exhibits dopaminergic learning in as few as four cue-reward experiences and behavioral learning in nine. An algorithm implementing reward-triggered retrospective learning explains these findings. The temporal scaling and few-shot learning observed here fundamentally changes our understanding of the neural algorithms of associative learning.

Sensory cortical ensembles exhibit differential coupling to ripples in distinct hippocampal subregions

Cortical neurons activated during recent experiences often reactivate with dorsal hippocampal CA1 sharp-wave ripples (SWRs) during subsequent rest. Less is known about cortical interactions with intermediate hippocampal CA1, whose connectivity, functions, and SWRs differ from those of dorsal CA1. We identified three clusters of visual cortical excitatory neurons that are excited together with either dorsal or intermediate CA1 SWRs, or suppressed before both SWRs. Neurons in each cluster were distributed across primary and higher visual cortices and co-active even in the absence of SWRs. These ensembles exhibited similar visual responses but different coupling to thalamus and pupil-indexed arousal. We observed a consistent activity sequence: (i) suppression of SWR-suppressed cortical neurons, (ii) thalamic silence, and (iii) activation of the cortical ensemble preceding and predicting intermediate CA1 SWRs. We propose that the coordinated dynamics of these ensembles relay visual experiences to distinct hippocampal subregions for incorporation into different cognitive maps.

Mesolimbic dopamine release conveys causal associations

Learning to predict rewards based on environmental cues is essential for survival. It is believed that animals learn to predict rewards by updating predictions whenever the outcome deviates from expectations, and that such reward prediction errors (RPEs) are signaled by the mesolimbic dopamine system-a key controller of learning. However, instead of learning prospective predictions from RPEs, animals can infer predictions by learning the retrospective cause of rewards. Hence, whether mesolimbic dopamine instead conveys a causal associative signal that sometimes resembles RPE remains unknown. We developed an algorithm for retrospective causal learning and found that mesolimbic dopamine release conveys causal associations but not RPE, thereby challenging the dominant theory of reward learning. Our results reshape the conceptual and biological framework for associative learning.

Parallel processing of working memory and temporal information by distinct types of cortical projection neurons

It is unclear how different types of cortical projection neurons work together to support diverse cortical functions. We examined the discharge characteristics and inactivation effects of intratelencephalic (IT) and pyramidal tract (PT) neurons-two major types of cortical excitatory neurons that project to cortical and subcortical structures, respectively-in the deep layer of the medial prefrontal cortex in mice performing a delayed response task. We found stronger target-dependent firing of IT than PT neurons during the delay period. We also found the inactivation of IT neurons, but not PT neurons, impairs behavioral performance. In contrast, PT neurons carry more temporal information than IT neurons during the delay period. Our results indicate a division of labor between IT and PT projection neurons in the prefrontal cortex for the maintenance of working memory and for tracking the passage of time, respectively.

Capecitabine plus temozolomide in patients with grade 3 unresectable or metastatic gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms with Ki-67 index <55%: single-arm phase II study

BACKGROUND

Grade 3 neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) of gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) origin with Ki-67 indices <55% do not respond well to platinum-based chemotherapy. The combination of capecitabine and temozolomide (CAPTEM) has shown favorable responses in grade 1-2 NENs, but has rarely been studied in patients with grade 3 NENs.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This open-label, single-arm phase II trial included patients with unresectable or metastatic grade 3 NENs of GEP origin with Ki-67 indices <55% enrolled between June 2017 and July 2020. Patients received oral capecitabine 750 mg/m2 twice daily on days 1 to 14 and oral temozolomide 200 mg/m2 once daily on days 10 to 14 every 4 weeks. Histologic findings were centrally reviewed after the completion of enrollment. The primary endpoint was overall response rate, and the secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse events.

RESULTS

Of the 30 patients included in the full analysis set, 1 (3.3%) achieved complete response, 8 (26.7%) had partial responses, and 14 (46.7%) had stable disease, making the overall response rate 30.0%. At a median follow-up of 19.2 months, the median PFS was 5.9 months and the median OS was not reached. Patients with well-differentiated NENs showed significantly better median PFS (9.3 months versus 3.5 months, P = 0.005) and median OS (not reached versus 6.2 months, P = 0.004) than patients with poorly differentiated tumors. Expression of O6-methyl-guanine methyltransferase protein did not correlate with clinical outcomes. The most common grade 3-4 adverse events were thrombocytopenia (10%), anemia (6.7%), and nausea (6.7%).

CONCLUSIONS

CAPTEM was effective and well tolerated in patients with grade 3 GEP-NENs with Ki-67 indices <55%, with superior efficacy outcomes compared with the historical controls receiving platinum-based chemotherapy.

Isolation and characterization of antiplasmodial constituents from the marine sponge Coscinoderma sp

Six known compounds, namely two halisulfates 1 and 2 and four epidioxy sterols 3-6, were isolated from the marine sponge Coscinoderma sp. The structures of these compounds were confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (1H and 13C NMR) spectroscopy, and their antiplasmodial activities were determined against the chloroquine-resistant Dd2 strain of Plasmodium falciparum. The epidioxy steroids 3-6 all showed moderate to weak antiplasmodial activity, with IC50 values of 2.7 μM for (24S)-5α,8α-epidioxy-24-methylcholesta-6-en-3β-ol (3), 11.6 μM for 5α,8α-epidioxycholesta-6,24(28)-dien-3β-o1 (4), 2.33 μM for 5α,8α-epidioxy-24-methylcholesta-6,9(11)-24(28)-trien-3β-ol (5), and between 12 and 24 μM for 5α,8α-epidioxycholesta-6-en-3β-ol (6). In contrast, halisulfate 2 (1) was inactive, and halisulfate 1 (2) had an of IC50 value of about 24 μM.

Distinct roles of parvalbumin- and somatostatin-expressing neurons in flexible representation of task variables in the prefrontal cortex

A hallmark of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is flexible representation of task-relevant variables. To investigate roles of different interneuron subtypes in this process, we examined discharge characteristics and inactivation effects of parvalbumin (PV)- and somatostatin (SST)-expressing neurons in the mouse PFC during probabilistic classical conditioning. We found activity patterns and inactivation effects differed between PV and SST neurons: SST neurons conveyed cue-associated quantitative value signals until trial outcome, whereas PV neurons maintained valence signals even after trial outcome. Also, PV, but not SST, neuronal population showed opposite responses to reward and punishment. Moreover, inactivation of PV, but not SST, neurons affected outcome responses and activity reversal of pyramidal neurons. Modeling suggested opposite responses of PV neurons to reward and punishment as an efficient mechanism for facilitating rapid cue-outcome contingency learning. Our results suggest primary roles of mPFC PV neurons in rapid value updating and SST neurons in predicting values of upcoming events.

Adaptive Compressive Tomography with No a priori Information

Quantum state tomography is both a crucial component in the field of quantum information and computation and a formidable task that requires an incogitable number of measurement configurations as the system dimension grows. We propose and experimentally carry out an intuitive adaptive compressive tomography scheme, inspired by the traditional compressed-sensing protocol in signal recovery, that tremendously reduces the number of configurations needed to uniquely reconstruct any given quantum state without any additional a priori assumption whatsoever (such as rank information, purity, etc.) about the state, apart from its dimension.

Anti-pruritic effect of topical capsaicin against histamine-induced pruritus on canine skin

Several human studies have reported that capsaicin has anti-pruritic effects. Moreover, sever- al concentrations of topical capsaicin have been used to alleviate itch. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-pruritic effect of capsaicin against histamine-induced pruritus compared with that of topical steroid or vehicle in 15 healthy beagles. Fifteen dogs were divided into three groups (n = 5 each), and treated topically with one of the following on the left side of the neck: capsaicin, positive control (steroid), or negative control (vehicle). Each treatment was performed twice daily for 8 days. All dogs were injected with histamine intradermally before treatment and on the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th days of the treatment to evoke itch. Pruritus, wheal, and erythema intensity were assessed at each evaluation; cutaneous temperature was also recorded. On the final day, skin biopsy was conducted for histopathological evaluation for all dogs. The severity of pruritus was lesser in the capsaicin-treated group compared with the negative control group on day 8 (p⟨0.05). In the capsaicin and steroid groups, wheal size, erythema index, and cutaneous temperature also decreased compared with pretreatment. Histopathological evaluation showed that the capsaicin-treated group had a higher number of inflammatory cells in the dermis com- pared to the vehicle control group; however, the steroid-treated group showed less severe inflam- matory reactions than the vehicle control group. These results suggest that capsaicin cannot reduce inflammation but may play a helpful role in reducing pruritus in dogs.

Broadband Surface Plasmon Lasing in One-dimensional Metallic Gratings on Semiconductor

We report surface plasmon (SP) lasing in metal/semiconductor nanostructures, where one-dimensional periodic silver slit gratings are placed on top of an InGaAsP layer. The SP nature of the lasing is confirmed from the emission wavelength governed by the grating period, polarization analysis, spatial coherence, and comparison with the linear transmission. The excellent performance of the device as an SP source is demonstrated by its tunable emission in the 400-nm-wide telecom wavelength band at room temperature. We show that the stimulated emission enhanced by the Purcell effect enables successful SP lasing at high energies above the gap energy of the gain. We also discuss the dependence of the lasing efficiency on temperature, grating dimension, and type of metal.