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Prior knowledge has long been known to influence retention of newly experienced information. In particular, known semantic associations across items facilitate subsequent memory for these items, and this effect has been shown to increase with measures of semantic relatedness. In the field of categories and concepts, the processing of taxonomic (e.g., cup-fork, dog-bird) versus thematic (e.g., cup-drink, dog-leash) conceptual relations can be differentiated at the behavioral and neural levels. However, the effects of these distinct conceptual relations on memory remain unresolved. The current study used a stimulus set consisting of thematic, taxonomic, and unrelated noun-noun word pairs, to shed light on this issue. Our results indicate that pairs with thematic relations lead to improved cued memory performance, followed by taxonomic relations, and finally unrelated pairs. This study provides evidence that conceptual relations differ in the extent to which they facilitate cued memory performance.

We created a dataset of 205 English novel noun-noun compounds (NNCs, e.g., "doctor charity") by combining nouns with higher and lower agentivity (i.e., the probability of being an agent in a sentence). We collected active and passive interpretations of NNCs from a group of 58 English native speakers. We then measured interpretation time differences between NNCs with active and passive interpretations (i.e., 108 NNCs), using data obtained from a group of 68 English native speakers. Data were collected online using crowdsourcing platforms (SONA and Prolific). The datasets are available at osf.io/gvc2w/and can be used to address questions about semantic and syntactic composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Genetic factors may play a role in susceptibility to spontaneous deep intracerebral hemorrhage (SDICH). Previous studies have shown that TNF-α gene variation was associated with risks of subarachnoid hemorrhage in multiple ethnicities. The present case-control study tested the hypothesis that genetic variations of the TNF-α gene may affect the risk of Taiwanese SDICH. We examined the association of SDICH risks with four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the TNF-α gene promoter, namely T-1031C, C-863A, C-857T, and G-308A. Methods Genotyping was determined by PCR-based restriction and electrophoresis assay for 260 SDICH patients and 368 controls. Associations were tested by logistic regression or general linear models with adjusting for multiple covariables in each gender group, and then in combined. Multiplicative terms of gender and each of the four SNPs were applied to detect the interaction effects on SDICH risks. To account for the multiple testing, permutation testing of 1,000 replicates was performed for empirical estimates. Results In an additive model, SDICH risks were positively associated with the minor alleles -1031C and -308A in men (OR = 1.9, 95% CI 1.1 to 3.4, p = 0.03 and OR = 2.6, 95% CI 1.3 to 5.3, p = 0.005, respectively) but inversely associated with -863A in females (OR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.2 to 0.9, p = 0.03). There were significant interaction effects between gender and SNP on SDICH risks regarding SNPs T-1031C, C-863A, and G-308A (p = 0.005, 0.005, and 0.007, respectively). Hemorrhage size was inversely associated with -857T in males (p = 0.04). Conclusions In the Taiwan population, the associations of genetic variations in the TNF-α gene promoter with SDICH risks are gender-dependent.

The bulk of social neuroscience takes a 'stimulus-brain' approach, typically comparing brain responses to different types of social stimuli, but most of the time in the absence of direct social interaction. Over the last two decades, a growing number of researchers have adopted a 'brain-to-brain' approach, exploring similarities between brain patterns across participants as a novel way to gain insight into the social brain. This methodological shift has facilitated the introduction of naturalistic social stimuli into the study design (e.g. movies) and, crucially, has spurred the development of new tools to directly study social interaction, both in controlled experimental settings and in more ecologically valid environments. Specifically, 'hyperscanning' setups, which allow the simultaneous recording of brain activity from two or more individuals during social tasks, has gained popularity in recent years. However, currently, there is no agreed-upon approach to carry out such 'inter-brain connectivity analysis', resulting in a scattered landscape of analysis techniques. To accommodate a growing demand to standardize analysis approaches in this fast-growing research field, we have developed Hyperscanning Python Pipeline, a comprehensive and easy open-source software package that allows (social) neuroscientists to carry-out and to interpret inter-brain connectivity analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schooling is a collective behaviour that enhances the ability of a fish to sense and respond to its environment. Although schooling is essential to the biology of a diversity of fishes, it is generally unclear how this behaviour is coordinated by different sensory modalities. We used experimental manipulation and kinematic measurements to test the role of vision and flow sensing in the rummy-nose tetra (Hemigrammus rhodostomus), which swims with intermittent phases of bursts and coasts. Groups of five fish required a minimum level of illuminance (greater than 1.5 lx) to achieve the necessary close nearest-neighbour distance and high polarization for schooling. Compromising the lateral line system with an antibiotic treatment caused tetras to swim with greater nearest-neighbour distance and lower polarization. Therefore, vision is both necessary and sufficient for schooling in H. rhodostomus, and both sensory modalities aid in attraction. These results can serve as a basis for understanding the individual roles of sensory modalities in schooling for some fish species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) is a persistent environmental contaminant previously found in consumer surfactants and industrial fire-fighting foams. PFOS has been widely implicated in metabolic dysfunction across the lifespan, including diabetes and obesity. However, the contributions of the embryonic environment to metabolic disease remain uncharacterized. This study seeks to identify perturbations in embryonic metabolism, pancreas development, and adiposity due to developmental and subchronic PFOS exposures and their persistence into later larval and juvenile periods. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to 16 or 32 μM PFOS developmentally (1–5 days post fertilization; dpf) or subchronically (1–15 dpf). Embryonic fatty acid and macronutrient concentrations and expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) isoforms were quantified in embryos. Pancreatic islet morphometry was assessed at 15 and 30 dpf, and adiposity and fish behavior were assessed at 15 dpf. Concentrations of lauric (C12:0) and myristic (C14:0) saturated fatty acids were increased by PFOS at 4 dpf, and PPAR gene expression was reduced. Incidence of aberrant islet morphologies, principal islet areas, and adiposity were increased in 15 dpf larvae and 30 dpf juvenile fish. Together, these data suggest that the embryonic period is a susceptible window of metabolic programming in response to PFOS exposures, and that these early exposures alone can have persisting effects later in the lifecourse. Image 1 • PFOS increased embryonic saturated fatty acids and decreased PPAR gene expression. • Developmental PFOS exposures increased pancreatic islet areas at 15 and 30 dpf. • Developmental PFOS exposures increased lipid staining and the number of lipid droplets. • No significant behavioral changes were observed at 15 dpf due to PFOS exposures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Genetic factors may play a role in susceptibility to spontaneous deep intracerebral hemorrhage (SDICH). Previous studies have shown that TNF-alpha gene variation was associated with risks of subarachnoid hemorrhage in multiple ethnicities. The present case-control study tested the hypothesis that genetic variations of the TNF-alpha gene may affect the risk of Taiwanese SDICH. We examined the association of SDICH risks with four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the TNF-alpha gene promoter, namely T-1031C, C-863A, C-857T, and G-308A.Methods: Genotyping was determined by PCR-based restriction and electrophoresis assay for 260 SDICH patients and 368 controls. Associations were tested by logistic regression or general linear models with adjusting for multiple covariables in each gender group, and then in combined. Multiplicative terms of gender and each of the four SNPs were applied to detect the interaction effects on SDICH risks. To account for the multiple testing, permutation testing of 1,000 replicates was performed for empirical estimates.Results: In an additive model, SDICH risks were positively associated with the minor alleles -1031C and -308A in men (OR = 1.9, 95% CI 1.1 to 3.4, p = 0.03 and OR = 2.6, 95% CI 1.3 to 5.3, p = 0.005, respectively) but inversely associated with -863A in females (OR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.2 to 0.9, p = 0.03). There were significant interaction effects between gender and SNP on SDICH risks regarding SNPs T-1031C, C-863A, and G-308A (p = 0.005, 0.005, and 0.007, respectively). Hemorrhage size was inversely associated with -857T in males (p = 0.04).Conclusions: In the Taiwan population, the associations of genetic variations in the TNF-alpha gene promoter with SDICH risks are gender-dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]