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Biodiesel ses som ett av de främsta substituten för fossila bränslen, då den relativt enkelt kan appliceras i redan existerande dieselmotorer. Dagens produktion av biodiesel använder sig av homogena katalysatorer som inte återanvänds i processen, men för en mer cirkulär och i längden en billigare process ses heterogena katalysatorer som ett alternativ. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka litium dopad kalciumoxid katalytiska egenskaper, de optimala förhållandena för reaktionen och även kinetiken för reaktionen. Den valda katalysatorn syntetiserades med kalcinering och sedan testades den katalytiska förmågan i reaktionen vid olika reaktionsförhållanden, för att finna de optimala förhållandena. Även katalysatorns fysiska egenskaper analyserades och kinetiken för reaktionen. De optimala förhållanden för transesterifieringen bestämdes till 3 h, 1:6 olja- metanolförhållande, 60°C och 5 vikts% katalysator, där 96% utbyte av biodiesel uppnåddes. Övriga utbyten från de andra försöken var betydligt lägre, vilket kan bero på icke optimala förhållanden, men även relativ dålig katalytisk förmåga. Ytarea och porstorlek konstateras vara små, vilket påverkar den katalytiska förmågan negativt. Anledningen till katalysatorns egenskaper beror huvudsakligen på tillverkningsprocessen, men även mängden litium i dopningen. Kinetiken visar en oväntad reaktionsutveckling med initialt hög koncentration FAME (Fatty acid Methylester), vilket troligen beror på felkällor.

Biodiesel ses som ett av de främsta substituten för fossila bränslen, då den relativt enkelt kan appliceras i redan existerande dieselmotorer. Dagens produktion av biodiesel använder sig av homogena katalysatorer som inte återanvänds i processen, men för en mer cirkulär och i längden en billigare process ses heterogena katalysatorer som ett alternativ. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka litium dopad kalciumoxid katalytiska egenskaper, de optimala förhållandena för reaktionen och även kinetiken för reaktionen. Den valda katalysatorn syntetiserades med kalcinering och sedan testades den katalytiska förmågan i reaktionen vid olika reaktionsförhållanden, för att finna de optimala förhållandena. Även katalysatorns fysiska egenskaper analyserades och kinetiken för reaktionen. De optimala förhållanden för transesterifieringen bestämdes till 3 h, 1:6 olja- metanolförhållande, 60°C och 5 vikts% katalysator, där 96% utbyte av biodiesel uppnåddes. Övriga utbyten från de andra försöken var betydligt lägre, vilket kan bero på icke optimala förhållanden, men även relativ dålig katalytisk förmåga. Ytarea och porstorlek konstateras vara små, vilket påverkar den katalytiska förmågan negativt. Anledningen till katalysatorns egenskaper beror huvudsakligen på tillverkningsprocessen, men även mängden litium i dopningen. Kinetiken visar en oväntad reaktionsutveckling med initialt hög koncentration FAME (Fatty acid Methylester), vilket troligen beror på felkällor.

Last year, I reported on preliminary results of an anatomically-inspired deep learning model of the visual system and its role in explaining the face inversion effect. This year, I will report on new results and some variations on network architectures that we have explored, mainly as a way to generate discussion and get feedback. This is by no means a polished, final presentation! We look forward to the group’s suggestions for these projects.

Film forming amines (FFA) are corrosion inhibitors added to power plant water. The major concern associated with their application is the thermal stability in the high temperature power plant water medium, along with the risk of decomposition into low molecular weight organic acids that can cause corrosive damages in the water/steam cycle. However, there is still a lack of sufficient data on the thermal stability of FFA corrosion inhibitors. This paper presents a comprehensive critical review and state-of-the-art assessment of the results obtained from studying the thermolysis of FFA corrosion inhibitors in power plant water/steam cycle conditions, highlighting the relevance for practical application and research needs. Temperature, exposure time, initial concentration, and alkalizing agents were identified as key factors influencing the thermal stability of FFA in high temperature power plant water. Organic acids are found in concentrations harmless to metal tubes. Advanced scientific background information and additional research are required on this topic., Laboratory Water Management

Objective: Active acromegaly is subject to sex differences in growth hormone (GH) and Insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-I) patterns as well as clinical features but whether this also pertains to controlled disease is unclear. Design: In a cross-sectional, multi-centre study, 84 patients with acromegaly (F = 43, M = 41), who were considered controlled after surgery alone (n = 23) or during continued somatostatin receptor ligand (SRL) treatment (n = 61), were examined. Methods: Serum concentrations of GH, insulin, glucose and free fatty acid (FFA) were measured during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) together with baseline serum IGF-I and completion of two HR-Qol questionnaires (acromegaly quality of life questionnaire [AcroQol] and Patient-assessed Acromegaly Symptom Questionnaire [PASQ]). Results: The mean age at the time of the study was 57 (±1.1) years and the majority of females (were postmenopausal. Females had significantly higher fasting GH but comparable IGF-I standard deviation scores (SDS). Using fasting GH < 1.0 µg/L as cut off, disease control was less prevalent in females (F: 56% vs. M: 83%, p =.007) whereas a comparable figure was observed using IGF-I SDS < 2 (F:79% vs. M:76%, p =.71). Compared with males, female patients showed impaired AcroQol physical score (p =.05), higher fasting FFA (p =.03) and insulin concentrations during the OGTT (p =.04). Conclusion: In patients with acromegaly considered controlled, postmenopausal females exhibited higher GH levels than males despite comparable IGF-I levels, which also translated into impaired metabolic health and well-being. Our findings point to the relevance of including GH measurements in the assessment of disease control and suggest that disease-specific sex differences prevail after treatment.

Objective: Active acromegaly is subject to sex differences in growth hormone (GH) and Insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-I) patterns as well as clinical features but whether this also pertains to controlled disease is unclear. Design: In a cross-sectional, multi-centre study, 84 patients with acromegaly (F = 43, M = 41), who were considered controlled after surgery alone (n = 23) or during continued somatostatin receptor ligand (SRL) treatment (n = 61), were examined. Methods: Serum concentrations of GH, insulin, glucose and free fatty acid (FFA) were measured during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) together with baseline serum IGF-I and completion of two HR-Qol questionnaires (acromegaly quality of life questionnaire [AcroQol] and Patient-assessed Acromegaly Symptom Questionnaire [PASQ]). Results: The mean age at the time of the study was 57 (±1.1) years and the majority of females (were postmenopausal. Females had significantly higher fasting GH but comparable IGF-I standard deviation scores (SDS). Using fasting GH < 1.0 µg/L as cut off, disease control was less prevalent in females (F: 56% vs. M: 83%, p =.007) whereas a comparable figure was observed using IGF-I SDS < 2 (F:79% vs. M:76%, p =.71). Compared with males, female patients showed impaired AcroQol physical score (p =.05), higher fasting FFA (p =.03) and insulin concentrations during the OGTT (p =.04). Conclusion: In patients with acromegaly considered controlled, postmenopausal females exhibited higher GH levels than males despite comparable IGF-I levels, which also translated into impaired metabolic health and well-being. Our findings point to the relevance of including GH measurements in the assessment of disease control and suggest that disease-specific sex differences prevail after treatment.

Last year, I reported on preliminary results of an anatomically-inspired deep learning model of the visual system and its role in explaining the face inversion effect. This year, I will report on new results and some variations on network architectures that we have explored, mainly as a way to generate discussion and get feedback. This is by no means a polished, final presentation! We look forward to the group’s suggestions for these projects.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are metabolic disorders connected by common pathophysiological mechanisms. Since insulin resistance (IR) and metabolic alterations are common to both conditions, almost all glucose-lowering agents which improve IR have also been studied in patients with NAFLD. Some have shown great efficacy, others none. Thus, the mechanisms behind the efficacy of these drugs in improving hepatic steatosis, steatohepatitis, and eventually fibrosis remain controversial. Glycaemic control improves T2D, but probably has limited effects on NAFLD, as all glucose-lowering agents ameliorate glucose control but only a few improve NAFLD features. In contrast, drugs that either improve adipose tissue function, reduce lipid ingestion, or increase lipid oxidation are particularly effective in NAFLD. We therefore hypothesise that improved free fatty acid metabolism may be the unifying mechanism behind the efficacy of some glucose-lowering agents on NAFLD and may represent the key to NAFLD treatment.

Background & aimsThe accumulation of neutral lipids within hepatocytes underlies non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which affects a quarter of the world's population and is associated with hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Despite insights gained from both human and animal studies, our understanding of NAFLD pathogenesis remains limited. To better study the molecular changes driving the condition we aimed to generate a humanised NAFLD mouse model.MethodsWe generated TIRF (transgene-free Il2rg -/-/Rag2 -/-/Fah -/-) mice, populated their livers with human hepatocytes, and fed them a Western-type diet for 12 weeks.ResultsWithin the same chimeric liver, human hepatocytes developed pronounced steatosis whereas murine hepatocytes remained normal. Unbiased metabolomics and lipidomics revealed signatures of clinical NAFLD. Transcriptomic analyses showed that molecular responses diverged sharply between murine and human hepatocytes, demonstrating stark species differences in liver function. Regulatory network analysis indicated close agreement between our model and clinical NAFLD with respect to transcriptional control of cholesterol biosynthesis.ConclusionsThese NAFLD xenograft mice reveal an unexpected degree of evolutionary divergence in food metabolism and offer a physiologically relevant, experimentally tractable model for studying the pathogenic changes invoked by steatosis.Lay summaryFatty liver disease is an emerging health problem, and as there are no good experimental animal models, our understanding of the condition is poor. We here describe a novel humanised mouse system and compare it with clinical data. The results reveal that the human cells in the mouse liver develop fatty liver disease upon a Western-style fatty diet, whereas the mouse cells appear normal. The molecular signature (expression profiles) of the human cells are distinct from the mouse cells and metabolic analysis of the humanised livers mimic the ones observed in hu

A well-established neuroimaging literature predicts a right-sided asymmetry in the activation of face-devoted areas such as the fusiform gyrus (FG) and its resulting M/N170 response during face processing. However, the face-related response sometimes appears to be bihemispheric. A few studies have argued that bilaterality depended on the sex composition of the sample. To shed light on this matter, two meta-analyses were conducted starting from a large initial database of 250 ERP/MEG peer-reviewed scientific articles. Paper coverage was 1985-2020. Thirty-four articles met the inclusion criteria of a sufficiently large and balanced sample size with strictly right-handed and healthy participants aged 18-35 and N170 measurements in response to neutral front view faces at left and right occipito/temporal sites. The data of 817 male (n = 414) and female (n = 403) healthy adults were subjected to repeated measures analyses of variance. The results of statistical analyses from the data of 17 independent studies (from Asia, Europe and America) seem to robustly indicate the presence of a sex difference in the way the two cerebral hemispheres process facial information in humans, with a marked right-sided asymmetry of the bioelectrical activity in males and a bilateral or left-sided activity in females.

BackgroundThere is increasing evidence that adipocytes play an active role in the cancer microenvironment. We have previously reported that adipocytes interact with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells, contributing to chemotherapy resistance and treatment failure. In the present study, we investigated whether part of this resistance is due to adipocyte provision of lipids to ALL cells.MethodsWe cultured 3T3-L1 adipocytes, and tested whether ALL cells or ALL-released cytokines induced FFA release. We investigated whether ALL cells took up these FFA, and using fluorescent tagged BODIPY-FFA and lipidomics, evaluated which lipid moieties were being transferred from adipocytes to ALL. We evaluated the effects of adipocyte-derived lipids on ALL cell metabolism using a Seahorse XF analyzer and expression of enzymes important for lipid metabolism, and tested whether these lipids could protect ALL cells from chemotherapy. Finally, we evaluated a panel of lipid synthesis and metabolism inhibitors to determine which were affected by the presence of adipocytes.ResultsAdipocytes release free fatty acids (FFA) when in the presence of ALL cells. These FFA are taken up by the ALL cells and incorporated into triglycerides and phospholipids. Some of these lipids are stored in lipid droplets, which can be utilized in states of fuel deprivation. Adipocytes preferentially release monounsaturated FFA, and this can be attenuated by inhibiting the desaturating enzyme steroyl-CoA decarboxylase-1 (SCD1). Adipocyte-derived FFA can relieve ALL cell endogenous lipogenesis and reverse the cytotoxicity of pharmacological acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) inhibition. Further, adipocytes alter ALL cell metabolism, shifting them from glucose to FFA oxidation. Interestingly, the unsaturated fatty acid, oleic acid, protects ALL cells from modest concentrations of chemotherapy, such as those that might be present in the ALL microenvironment. In addition, targeting lipid synthesis and metabolism can pot

BackgroundThere is increasing evidence that adipocytes play an active role in the cancer microenvironment. We have previously reported that adipocytes interact with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells, contributing to chemotherapy resistance and treatment failure. In the present study, we investigated whether part of this resistance is due to adipocyte provision of lipids to ALL cells.MethodsWe cultured 3T3-L1 adipocytes, and tested whether ALL cells or ALL-released cytokines induced FFA release. We investigated whether ALL cells took up these FFA, and using fluorescent tagged BODIPY-FFA and lipidomics, evaluated which lipid moieties were being transferred from adipocytes to ALL. We evaluated the effects of adipocyte-derived lipids on ALL cell metabolism using a Seahorse XF analyzer and expression of enzymes important for lipid metabolism, and tested whether these lipids could protect ALL cells from chemotherapy. Finally, we evaluated a panel of lipid synthesis and metabolism inhibitors to determine which were affected by the presence of adipocytes.ResultsAdipocytes release free fatty acids (FFA) when in the presence of ALL cells. These FFA are taken up by the ALL cells and incorporated into triglycerides and phospholipids. Some of these lipids are stored in lipid droplets, which can be utilized in states of fuel deprivation. Adipocytes preferentially release monounsaturated FFA, and this can be attenuated by inhibiting the desaturating enzyme steroyl-CoA decarboxylase-1 (SCD1). Adipocyte-derived FFA can relieve ALL cell endogenous lipogenesis and reverse the cytotoxicity of pharmacological acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) inhibition. Further, adipocytes alter ALL cell metabolism, shifting them from glucose to FFA oxidation. Interestingly, the unsaturated fatty acid, oleic acid, protects ALL cells from modest concentrations of chemotherapy, such as those that might be present in the ALL microenvironment. In addition, targeting lipid synthesis and metabolism can pot

Background & aimsThe accumulation of neutral lipids within hepatocytes underlies non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which affects a quarter of the world's population and is associated with hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Despite insights gained from both human and animal studies, our understanding of NAFLD pathogenesis remains limited. To better study the molecular changes driving the condition we aimed to generate a humanised NAFLD mouse model.MethodsWe generated TIRF (transgene-free Il2rg -/-/Rag2 -/-/Fah -/-) mice, populated their livers with human hepatocytes, and fed them a Western-type diet for 12 weeks.ResultsWithin the same chimeric liver, human hepatocytes developed pronounced steatosis whereas murine hepatocytes remained normal. Unbiased metabolomics and lipidomics revealed signatures of clinical NAFLD. Transcriptomic analyses showed that molecular responses diverged sharply between murine and human hepatocytes, demonstrating stark species differences in liver function. Regulatory network analysis indicated close agreement between our model and clinical NAFLD with respect to transcriptional control of cholesterol biosynthesis.ConclusionsThese NAFLD xenograft mice reveal an unexpected degree of evolutionary divergence in food metabolism and offer a physiologically relevant, experimentally tractable model for studying the pathogenic changes invoked by steatosis.Lay summaryFatty liver disease is an emerging health problem, and as there are no good experimental animal models, our understanding of the condition is poor. We here describe a novel humanised mouse system and compare it with clinical data. The results reveal that the human cells in the mouse liver develop fatty liver disease upon a Western-style fatty diet, whereas the mouse cells appear normal. The molecular signature (expression profiles) of the human cells are distinct from the mouse cells and metabolic analysis of the humanised livers mimic the ones observed in hu

The right hemispheric lateralization of face recognition, which is well documented and appears to be specific to the human species, remains a scientific mystery. According to a long-standing view, the evolution of language, which is typically substantiated in the left hemisphere, competes with the cortical space in that hemisphere available for visuospatial processes, including face recognition. Over the last decade, a specific hypothesis derived from this view according to which neural competition in the left ventral occipito-temporal cortex with selective representations of letter strings causes right hemispheric lateralization of face recognition, has generated considerable interest and research in the scientific community. Here, a systematic review of studies performed in various populations (infants, children, literate and illiterate adults, left-handed adults) and methodologies (behavior, lesion studies, (intra)electroencephalography, neuroimaging) offers little if any support for this reading lateralized neural competition hypothesis. Specifically, right-lateralized face-selective neural activity already emerges at a few months of age, well before reading acquisition. Moreover, consistent evidence of face recognition performance and its right hemispheric lateralization being modulated by literacy level during development or at adulthood is lacking. Given the absence of solid alternative hypotheses and the key role of neural competition in the sensory–motor cortices for selectivity of representations, learning, and plasticity, a revised language-related neural competition hypothesis for the right hemispheric lateralization of face recognition should be further explored in future research, albeit with substantial conceptual clarification and advances in methodological rigor.

The right hemispheric lateralization of face recognition, which is well documented and appears to be specific to the human species, remains a scientific mystery. According to a long-standing view, the evolution of language, which is typically substantiated in the left hemisphere, competes with the cortical space in that hemisphere available for visuospatial processes, including face recognition. Over the last decade, a specific hypothesis derived from this view according to which neural competition in the left ventral occipito-temporal cortex with selective representations of letter strings causes right hemispheric lateralization of face recognition, has generated considerable interest and research in the scientific community. Here, a systematic review of studies performed in various populations (infants, children, literate and illiterate adults, left-handed adults) and methodologies (behavior, lesion studies, (intra)electroencephalography, neuroimaging) offers little if any support for this reading lateralized neural competition hypothesis. Specifically, right-lateralized face-selective neural activity already emerges at a few months of age, well before reading acquisition. Moreover, consistent evidence of face recognition performance and its right hemispheric lateralization being modulated by literacy level during development or at adulthood is lacking. Given the absence of solid alternative hypotheses and the key role of neural competition in the sensory–motor cortices for selectivity of representations, learning, and plasticity, a revised language-related neural competition hypothesis for the right hemispheric lateralization of face recognition should be further explored in future research, albeit with substantial conceptual clarification and advances in methodological rigor.

A well-established neuroimaging literature predicts a right-sided asymmetry in the activation of face-devoted areas such as the fusiform gyrus (FG) and its resulting M/N170 response during face processing. However, the face-related response sometimes appears to be bihemispheric. A few studies have argued that bilaterality depended on the sex composition of the sample. To shed light on this matter, two meta-analyses were conducted starting from a large initial database of 250 ERP/MEG peer-reviewed scientific articles. Paper coverage was 1985-2020. Thirty-four articles met the inclusion criteria of a sufficiently large and balanced sample size with strictly right-handed and healthy participants aged 18-35 and N170 measurements in response to neutral front view faces at left and right occipito/temporal sites. The data of 817 male (n = 414) and female (n = 403) healthy adults were subjected to repeated measures analyses of variance. The results of statistical analyses from the data of 17 independent studies (from Asia, Europe and America) seem to robustly indicate the presence of a sex difference in the way the two cerebral hemispheres process facial information in humans, with a marked right-sided asymmetry of the bioelectrical activity in males and a bilateral or left-sided activity in females.

Leadership selection within Western State FFA was qualitatively researched through individual interviews and focus groups with state FFA nominating committees from 2017, 2018, and 2019. A document analysis of nominating committee documents was also completed. The main question addressed was how do Western State FFA nominating committees determine quality youth leadership? Secondary research questions included: (1) What attributes do Western State FFA nominating committees’ value for quality youth leadership? and (2) How do Western State FFA nominating committees determine if state officer candidates possess these attributes? The information gleaned from this study may potentially be used by future nominating committees, leaders, and state FFA staff to inform decisions related to the leadership selection of state officers. The findings from the document analysis, interviews, and focus groups were divided into the three following categories: Nominating Committees’ Overarching Priorities for Candidate Selection, Objectivity and Subjectivity of the Nominating Committee Process, and Nominating Committees’ Skepticism towards the Selection Process. The attributes sought by the nominating committees under study did not always align with the attributes listed in state officer selection documents and loosely matched current youth leadership models. Suggestions for changing the current nominating committee process to align with the findings of this study and youth leadership research are therefore also discussed.

Leadership selection within Western State FFA was qualitatively researched through individual interviews and focus groups with state FFA nominating committees from 2017, 2018, and 2019. A document analysis of nominating committee documents was also completed. The main question addressed was how do Western State FFA nominating committees determine quality youth leadership? Secondary research questions included: (1) What attributes do Western State FFA nominating committees’ value for quality youth leadership? and (2) How do Western State FFA nominating committees determine if state officer candidates possess these attributes? The information gleaned from this study may potentially be used by future nominating committees, leaders, and state FFA staff to inform decisions related to the leadership selection of state officers. The findings from the document analysis, interviews, and focus groups were divided into the three following categories: Nominating Committees’ Overarching Priorities for Candidate Selection, Objectivity and Subjectivity of the Nominating Committee Process, and Nominating Committees’ Skepticism towards the Selection Process. The attributes sought by the nominating committees under study did not always align with the attributes listed in state officer selection documents and loosely matched current youth leadership models. Suggestions for changing the current nominating committee process to align with the findings of this study and youth leadership research are therefore also discussed.

Wheat germ oil was obtained by mechanical pressing using a small-scale screw press and by supercritical extraction in a pilot plant. With this last method, different pressures and temperatures were tested and the tocopherol concentration in the extract was monitored during extraction. Then supercritical extracted oil as well as commercial pressed oil were deacidified in a countercurrent column using supercritical carbon dioxide as solvent under different operating conditions. Samples of extract, refined oil and feed oil were analyzed for free fatty acids (FFA) and tocopherol contents. The results show that oil with a higher tocopherol content can be obtained by supercritical extraction-fractionation and that FFA can be effectively removed by countercurrent rectification while the tocopherol content is only slightly reduced.

Psychologists have debated whether the right fusiform face area's (FFA) responses are domain specific to faces, or domain general for certain object categories that we have visual expertise with. This latter domain general expertise account has been criticised for basing its assumptions upon studies that suffer from small participant numbers, small effects, and statistically significant p-values that are close to .05. An additional criticism is that these findings are difficult to replicate. A modern reader familiar with the replication crisis may therefore question whether the FFA's expertise effect is real. The p-curve is a relatively new form of meta-analysis that enables researchers to identify whether there is evidential value for any given effect in the literature. We put the literature to the test by running p-curve analyses on all published expertise studies. Contrary to aforementioned criticisms, our meta-analyses confirm the right FFA's expertise effect is based upon evidential value. We therefore review the broader literature to address additional criticisms of the expertise account and propose ways to improve replicability.

Psychologists have debated whether the right fusiform face area's (FFA) responses are domain specific to faces, or domain general for certain object categories that we have visual expertise with. This latter domain general expertise account has been criticised for basing its assumptions upon studies that suffer from small participant numbers, small effects, and statistically significant p-values that are close to .05. An additional criticism is that these findings are difficult to replicate. A modern reader familiar with the replication crisis may therefore question whether the FFA's expertise effect is real. The p-curve is a relatively new form of meta-analysis that enables researchers to identify whether there is evidential value for any given effect in the literature. We put the literature to the test by running p-curve analyses on all published expertise studies. Contrary to aforementioned criticisms, our meta-analyses confirm the right FFA's expertise effect is based upon evidential value. We therefore review the broader literature to address additional criticisms of the expertise account and propose ways to improve replicability.

In 2018 the Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education (ALCE) celebrated one hundred years of agricultural education at Virginia Tech. The initial mission of the department, founded in 1918 as the Department of Agricultural Education and Animal Science, was to educate agricultural teachers to work in secondary education in rural communities. This mission has evolved and expanded over the decades to include preparation of Extension professionals while developing new programs designed to meet the ever-changing needs of rural and urban communities alike. The interviews presented in this volume tell this story through the unique perspectives of fourteen former and present students, faculty, and administrators. Taken together, these interviews bring the department’s history to life while also using the past as a springboard into a future that undoubtedly will be characterized by continued change grounded in ALCE’s ongoing commitment to excellence.

In 2018 the Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education (ALCE) celebrated one hundred years of agricultural education at Virginia Tech. The initial mission of the department, founded in 1918 as the Department of Agricultural Education and Animal Science, was to educate agricultural teachers to work in secondary education in rural communities. This mission has evolved and expanded over the decades to include preparation of Extension professionals while developing new programs designed to meet the ever-changing needs of rural and urban communities alike. The interviews presented in this volume tell this story through the unique perspectives of fourteen former and present students, faculty, and administrators. Taken together, these interviews bring the department’s history to life while also using the past as a springboard into a future that undoubtedly will be characterized by continued change grounded in ALCE’s ongoing commitment to excellence.

In 2018 the Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education (ALCE) celebrated one hundred years of agricultural education at Virginia Tech. The initial mission of the department, founded in 1918 as the Department of Agricultural Education and Animal Science, was to educate agricultural teachers to work in secondary education in rural communities. This mission has evolved and expanded over the decades to include preparation of Extension professionals while developing new programs designed to meet the ever-changing needs of rural and urban communities alike. The interviews presented in this volume tell this story through the unique perspectives of fourteen former and present students, faculty, and administrators. Taken together, these interviews bring the department’s history to life while also using the past as a springboard into a future that undoubtedly will be characterized by continued change grounded in ALCE’s ongoing commitment to excellence.

The role of facial coding in body language comprehension was investigated by ERP recordings in 31 participants viewing 800 photographs of gestures (iconic, deictic and emblematic), which could be congruent or incongruent with their caption. Facial information was obscured by blurring in half of the stimuli. The task consisted of evaluating picture/caption congruence. Quicker response times were observed in women than in men to congruent stimuli, and a cost for incongruent vs. congruent stimuli was found only in men. Face obscuration did not affect accuracy in women as reflected by omission percentages, nor reduced their cognitive potentials, thus suggesting a better comprehension of face deprived pantomimes. N170 response (modulated by congruity and face presence) peaked later in men than in women. Late Positivity was much larger for congruent stimuli in the female brain, regardless of face blurring. Face presence specifically activated the right superior temporal and fusiform gyri, cingulate cortex and insula, according to source reconstruction. These regions have been reported to be insufficiently activated in face-avoiding individuals with social deficits. Overall, the results corroborate the hypothesis that females might be more resistant to the lack of facial information or better at understanding body language in face-deprived social information

Functional neuroimaging is a useful approach to study the neural correlates of visual perceptual expertise. The purpose of this paper is to review the functional-neuroimaging methods that have been implemented in previous research in this context. First, we will discuss research questions typically addressed in visual expertise research. Second, we will describe which kinds of stimuli are employed and which functional-neuroimaging techniques are implemented in this kind of research, with a special focus on electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Third, we will summarize the outcomes of recent studies that addressed the neural correlates of visual expertise and will particularly focus on studies that examined the neural correlates of visual expertise in medical image diagnosis. Finally, the review closes with a discussion of the benefits, caveats, and future directions of cognitive-neuroscience research for studying visual expertise.

According to a non-hierarchical view of human cortical face processing, selective responses to faces may emerge in a higher-order area of the hierarchy, in the lateral part of the middle fusiform gyrus (fusiform face area [FFA]) independently from face-selective responses in the lateral inferior occipital gyrus (occipital face area [OFA]), a lower order area. Here we provide a stringent test of this hypothesis by gradually revealing segmented face stimuli throughout strict linear descrambling of phase information [Ales et al., 2012]. Using a short sampling rate (500 ms) of fMRI acquisition and single subject statistical analysis, we show a face-selective responses emerging earlier, that is, at a lower level of structural (i.e., phase) information, in the FFA compared with the OFA. In both regions, a face detection response emerging at a lower level of structural information for upright than inverted faces, both in the FFA and OFA, in line with behavioral responses and with previous findings of delayed responses to inverted faces with direct recordings of neural activity were also reported. Overall, these results support the non-hierarchical view of human cortical face processing and open new perspectives for time-resolved analysis at the single subject level of fMRI data obtained during continuously evolving visual stimulation. Hum Brain Mapp 38:120-139, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ambiguous images such as Rubin’s vase-face can be interpreted in at least two different ways. These interpretations are typically taken to be mutually exclusive, and ambiguous images have thus served as models of perceptual competition. Here, we present data that challenges this view. In an online survey, we found that a large proportion of people within the general population reported that the two percepts were not competing but could be perceived simultaneously. Of those who reported that they could see both percepts simultaneously, we invited 17 participants to take part in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment. In the scanner, participants saw images that could be interpreted as either a landscape or a face and reported at every point in time whether they perceived predominantly the face, the landscape, or both simultaneously. We explored behavioral and neurophysiological (with fMRI) correlates of the reported subjective experience of entertaining two percepts simultaneously by comparing them to those of the simple percepts (i.e., face or landscape). First, by comparing percept durations, we found that the simultaneous state was as stable as the two other percepts. Second, by measuring blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal levels within the fusiform face area (FFA), occipital face area (OFA) and parahippocampal place area (PPA), we found evidence from objective data that confirmed the subjective reports. While the results in FFA and OFA were not conclusive, in PPA, BOLD signal levels during subjective reports of perceiving both a landscape and a face were lower than the BOLD signal levels associated with reports of perceiving a landscape (and, in turn, reports of seeing a landscape were associated with greater BOLD signal levels than reports of seeing a face, thus suggesting that BOLD signal levels in PPA are a valid correlate of subjective experience in this task). In sum, the objective measures suggest that entertaining two percepts si, Peer Reviewed

Ambiguous images such as Rubin’s vase-face can be interpreted in at least two different ways. These interpretations are typically taken to be mutually exclusive, and ambiguous images have thus served as models of perceptual competition. Here, we present data that challenges this view. In an online survey, we found that a large proportion of people within the general population reported that the two percepts were not competing but could be perceived simultaneously. Of those who reported that they could see both percepts simultaneously, we invited 17 participants to take part in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment. In the scanner, participants saw images that could be interpreted as either a landscape or a face and reported at every point in time whether they perceived predominantly the face, the landscape, or both simultaneously. We explored behavioral and neurophysiological (with fMRI) correlates of the reported subjective experience of entertaining two percepts simultaneously by comparing them to those of the simple percepts (i.e., face or landscape). First, by comparing percept durations, we found that the simultaneous state was as stable as the two other percepts. Second, by measuring blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal levels within the fusiform face area (FFA), occipital face area (OFA) and parahippocampal place area (PPA), we found evidence from objective data that confirmed the subjective reports. While the results in FFA and OFA were not conclusive, in PPA, BOLD signal levels during subjective reports of perceiving both a landscape and a face were lower than the BOLD signal levels associated with reports of perceiving a landscape (and, in turn, reports of seeing a landscape were associated with greater BOLD signal levels than reports of seeing a face, thus suggesting that BOLD signal levels in PPA are a valid correlate of subjective experience in this task). In sum, the objective measures suggest that entertaining two percepts si, Peer Reviewed

Uveitis is an inflammatory disease affecting iris, ciliary body, pars plana, vitreous, choroid and retina.Inflammation process can be either limited in uveal tract or as part of systemic inflammation caused byautoimune, infection or cancer. Uveitis can cause phophobia, pain, reduced visual accuity and blindness if notproperly treated. Therefore, right diagnosis and prompt treatment should be given immediately to reduce themorbidity. Diagnosis of uveitis is made based on anamnesis, ophtalmic and physical examination, followedby imaging to confirm the patologic changes in the eyes. Slit lamp and simple photography can be usedto evaluate sign of inflammation in anterior chamber and outer part of the eye. Inflammation marker canbe counted using laser flare photometry (LFP) and fundus fotography can visualize pathologic changes inposterior part of the eyes. Fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA), indocyanine green angiography (ICG), andfundus autofluorescence (FAF) can be used to evaluate the integrity of vascular part in retina and choroid.Ultrasound (USG), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and multimodal imaging visualize retina, choroid,optic nerve and nerve fiber layer of retina using non-contact and non-invasif technique. MRI also used toevaluate inflammatory process in the eye. These imaging modalities are usefull to confirm the diagnosis ofuveitis, monitor the disease progression and evalute the treatment.

Recent work indicates that the specialization of face visual perception relies on the privileged processing of horizontal angles of facial information. This suggests that stimulus properties assumed to be fully resolved in primary visual cortex (V1; e.g., orientation) in fact determine human vision until high-level stages of processing. To address this hypothesis, the present fMRI study explored the orientation sensitivity of V1 and high-level face-specialized ventral regions such as the Occipital Face Area (OFA) and Fusiform Face Area (FFA) to different angles of face information. Participants viewed face images filtered to retain information at horizontal, vertical or oblique angles. Filtered images were viewed upright, inverted and (phase-)scrambled. FFA responded most strongly to the horizontal range of upright face information; its activation pattern reliably separated horizontal from oblique ranges, but only when faces were upright. Moreover, activation patterns induced in the right FFA and the OFA by upright and inverted faces could only be separated based on horizontal information. This indicates that the specialized processing of upright face information in the OFA and FFA essentially relies on the encoding of horizontal facial cues. This pattern was not passively inherited from V1, which was found to respond less strongly to horizontal than other orientations likely due to adaptive whitening. Moreover, we found that orientation decoding accuracy in V1 was impaired for stimuli containing no meaningful shape. By showing that primary coding in V1 is influenced by high-order stimulus structure and that high-level processing is tuned to selective ranges of primary information, the present work suggests that primary and high-level levels of the visual system interact in order to modulate the processing of certain ranges of primary information depending on their relevance with respect to the stimulus and task at hand.

Recent work indicates that the specialization of face visual perception relies on the privileged processing of horizontal angles of facial information. This suggests that stimulus properties assumed to be fully resolved in primary visual cortex (V1; e.g., orientation) in fact determine human vision until high-level stages of processing. To address this hypothesis, the present fMRI study explored the orientation sensitivity of V1 and high-level face-specialized ventral regions such as the Occipital Face Area (OFA) and Fusiform Face Area (FFA) to different angles of face information. Participants viewed face images filtered to retain information at horizontal, vertical or oblique angles. Filtered images were viewed upright, inverted and (phase-)scrambled. FFA responded most strongly to the horizontal range of upright face information; its activation pattern reliably separated horizontal from oblique ranges, but only when faces were upright. Moreover, activation patterns induced in the right FFA and the OFA by upright and inverted faces could only be separated based on horizontal information. This indicates that the specialized processing of upright face information in the OFA and FFA essentially relies on the encoding of horizontal facial cues. This pattern was not passively inherited from V1, which was found to respond less strongly to horizontal than other orientations likely due to adaptive whitening. Moreover, we found that orientation decoding accuracy in V1 was impaired for stimuli containing no meaningful shape. By showing that primary coding in V1 is influenced by high-order stimulus structure and that high-level processing is tuned to selective ranges of primary information, the present work suggests that primary and high-level levels of the visual system interact in order to modulate the processing of certain ranges of primary information depending on their relevance with respect to the stimulus and task at hand.

Top-down modulations of the visual cortex can be driven by task relevance. Yet, several accounts propose that the perceptual inferences underlying conscious recognition involve similar top-down modulations of sensory responses. Studying the pure impact of task relevance on sensory responses requires dissociating it from the top-down influences underlying conscious recognition. Here, using visual masking to abolish perceptual consciousness in humans, we report that functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) responses to invisible faces in the fusiform gyrus are enhanced when they are task-relevant, but suppressed when they are task-irrelevant compared to other object categories. Under conscious perceptual conditions, task-related modulations were also present but drastically reduced, with visible faces always eliciting greater activity in the fusiform gyrus compared to other object categories. Thus, task relevance crucially shapes the sensitivity of fusiform regions to face stimuli, leading from enhancement to suppression of neural activity when the top-down influences accruing from conscious recognition are prevented.

Recent work indicates that the specialization of face visual perception relies on the privileged processing of horizontal angles of facial information. This suggests that stimulus properties assumed to be fully resolved in primary visual cortex (V1; e.g., orientation) in fact determine human vision until high-level stages of processing. To address this hypothesis, the present fMRI study explored the orientation sensitivity of V1 and high-level face-specialized ventral regions such as the Occipital Face Area (OFA) and Fusiform Face Area (FFA) to different angles of face information. Participants viewed face images filtered to retain information at horizontal, vertical or oblique angles. Filtered images were viewed upright, inverted and (phase-)scrambled. FFA responded most strongly to the horizontal range of upright face information; its activation pattern reliably separated horizontal from oblique ranges, but only when faces were upright. Moreover, activation patterns induced in the right FFA and the OFA by upright and inverted faces could only be separated based on horizontal information. This indicates that the specialized processing of upright face information in the OFA and FFA essentially relies on the encoding of horizontal facial cues. This pattern was not passively inherited from V1, which was found to respond less strongly to horizontal than other orientations likely due to adaptive whitening. Moreover, we found that orientation decoding accuracy in V1 was impaired for stimuli containing no meaningful shape. By showing that primary coding in V1 is influenced by high-order stimulus structure and that high-level processing is tuned to selective ranges of primary information, the present work suggests that primary and high-level levels of the visual system interact in order to modulate the processing of certain ranges of primary information depending on their relevance with respect to the stimulus and task at hand.

Recent work indicates that the specialization of face visual perception relies on the privileged processing of horizontal angles of facial information. This suggests that stimulus properties assumed to be fully resolved in primary visual cortex (V1; e.g., orientation) in fact determine human vision until high-level stages of processing. To address this hypothesis, the present fMRI study explored the orientation sensitivity of V1 and high-level face-specialized ventral regions such as the Occipital Face Area (OFA) and Fusiform Face Area (FFA) to different angles of face information. Participants viewed face images filtered to retain information at horizontal, vertical or oblique angles. Filtered images were viewed upright, inverted and (phase-)scrambled. FFA responded most strongly to the horizontal range of upright face information; its activation pattern reliably separated horizontal from oblique ranges, but only when faces were upright. Moreover, activation patterns induced in the right FFA and the OFA by upright and inverted faces could only be separated based on horizontal information. This indicates that the specialized processing of upright face information in the OFA and FFA essentially relies on the encoding of horizontal facial cues. This pattern was not passively inherited from V1, which was found to respond less strongly to horizontal than other orientations likely due to adaptive whitening. Moreover, we found that orientation decoding accuracy in V1 was impaired for stimuli containing no meaningful shape. By showing that primary coding in V1 is influenced by high-order stimulus structure and that high-level processing is tuned to selective ranges of primary information, the present work suggests that primary and high-level levels of the visual system interact in order to modulate the processing of certain ranges of primary information depending on their relevance with respect to the stimulus and task at hand.

Palmitic acid (PA) induces hepatocyte apoptosis and fuels de novo ceramide synthesis in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Myristic acid (MA), a free fatty acid highly abundant in copra/palmist oils, is a predictor of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and stimulates ceramide synthesis. Here we investigated the synergism between MA and PA in ceramide synthesis, ER stress, lipotoxicity and NASH. Unlike PA, MA is not lipotoxic but potentiated PA-mediated lipoapoptosis, ER stress, caspase-3 activation and cytochrome c release in primary mouse hepatocytes (PMH). Moreover, MA kinetically sustained PA-induced total ceramide content by stimulating dehydroceramide desaturase and switched the ceramide profile from decreased to increased ceramide 14:0/ceramide16:0, without changing medium and long-chain ceramide species. PMH were more sensitive to equimolar ceramide14:0/ceramide16:0 exposure, which mimics the outcome of PA plus MA treatment on ceramide homeostasis, than to either ceramide alone. Treatment with myriocin to inhibit ceramide synthesis and tauroursodeoxycholic acid to prevent ER stress ameliorated PA plus MA induced apoptosis, similar to the protection afforded by the antioxidant BHA, the pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD-Fmk and JNK inhibition. Moreover, ruthenium red protected PMH against PA and MA-induced cell death. Recapitulating in vitro findings, mice fed a diet enriched in PA plus MA exhibited lipodystrophy, hepatosplenomegaly, increased liver ceramide content and cholesterol levels, ER stress, liver damage, inflammation and fibrosis compared to mice fed diets enriched in PA or MA alone. The deleterious effects of PA plus MA-enriched diet were largely prevented by in vivo myriocin treatment. These findings indicate a causal link between ceramide synthesis and ER stress in lipotoxicity, and imply that the consumption of diets enriched in MA and PA can cause NASH associated with lipodystrophy.

In a highly dynamic visual environment the human brain needs to rapidly differentiate complex visual patterns, such as faces. Here, we defined the temporal frequency tuning of cortical face-sensitive areas for face discrimination. Six observers were tested with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) when the same or different faces were presented in blocks at 11 frequency rates (ranging from 1 to 12 Hz). We observed a larger fMRI response for different than same faces – the repetition suppression/adaptation effect – across all stimulation frequency rates. Most importantly, the magnitude of the repetition suppression effect showed a typical Gaussian-shaped tuning function, peaking on average at 6 Hz for all face-sensitive areas of the ventral occipito-temporal cortex, including the fusiform and occipital “face areas” (FFA and OFA), as well as the superior temporal sulcus. This effect was due both to a maximal response to different faces in a range of 3 to 6 Hz and to a sharp drop of the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal from 6 Hz onward when the same face was repeated during a block. These observations complement recent scalp EEG observations (Alonso-Prieto et al., 2013), indicating that the cortical face network can discriminate each individual face when these successive faces are presented every 160–170 ms. They also suggest that a relatively fast 6 Hz rate may be needed to isolate the contribution of high-level face perception processes during behavioral discrimination tasks. Finally, these findings carry important practical implications, allowing investigators to optimize the stimulation frequency rates for observing the largest repetition suppression effects to faces and other visual forms in the occipito-temporal cortex.

Development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) occurs through initial steatosis and subsequent oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of -lipoic acid (LA) on methionine-choline deficient (MCD) diet-induced NAFLD in mice. Male C57BL/6 mice (n=21) were divided into three groups (n=7 per group): (1) control fed with standard chow, (2) MCD2 groupfed with MCD diet for 2 weeks, and (3) MCD2+LA group2 weeks on MCD receiving LA i.p. 100mg/kg/day. After the treatment, liver samples were taken for pathohistology, oxidative stress parameters, antioxidative enzymes, and liver free fatty acid (FFA) composition. Mild microvesicular hepatic steatosis was found in MCD2 group, while it was reduced to single fat droplets evident in MCD2+LA group. Lipid peroxidation and nitrosative stress were increased by MCD diet, while LA administration induced a decrease in liver malondialdehyde and nitrates+nitrites level. Similary, LA improved liver antioxidative capacity by increasing total superoxide dismutase (tSOD), manganese SOD (MnSOD), and copper/zinc-SOD (Cu/ZnSOD) activity as well as glutathione (GSH) content. Liver FFA profile has shown a significant decrease in saturated acids, arachidonic, and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), while LA treatment increased their proportions. It can be concluded that LA ameliorates lipid peroxidation and nitrosative stress in MCD diet-induced hepatic steatosis through an increase in SOD activity and GSH level. In addition, LA increases the proportion of palmitic, stearic, arachidonic, and DHA in the fatty liver. An increase in DHA may be a potential mechanism of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of LA in MCD diet-induced NAFLD.

Milk fat is an important feature in many different milk products and other foodstuffs and it is often crucial for the dairy plants that the milk fat is stable for different manufacturing processes. Lipolysis is the enzymatic degradation of fat and is the one of the causes for an elevated amount of free fatty acids (FFA) in milk. Further, the change in fatty acid (FA) composition in milk can affect the stability of the product and also the manufacturing process. Both internal and external factors, at farm level or at the dairy plants can affect both FA composition and content of FFA. Milking frequency (MF=number of milkings per cow and day) and the composition of feed are two examples of factors generally performed at farm level. The objective of the present study was to evaluate how FA composition of milk and amount of FFA are influenced by two different ingredients supplemented to concentrate. The added ingredients were palm oil and rapeseed oil. The effects of the two fat supplements were evaluated individually but also during a higher MF to detect if a change in MF can have an effect on milk fat when a specific fat supplement is added in the diet. In total 30 dairy cows, both primiparous (n=16) and multiparous (n=14) of the breeds Swedish Holstein (n=14) and Swedish Red (n=16) were divided into three groups assigned different concentrate in diet; no fat supplement, palm oil supplement and rapeseed oil supplement. The experiment was divided into a nine days adaption period and then five weeks of experimental feeding. Dry matter intake (DMI) and daily milk yield (MY) were registered throughout the experimental period, both during adaption period and experimental feeding. Milk samples were collected for two days, during morning and evening milking at three occasions during the experiment; the last two days during the adaption period, the 4th and 5th week during experimental feeding. The last sampling was performed during the treatment with an increased milking frequ, Mjölkfett är en viktig komponent i många olika mjölkprodukter men även i andra livsmedel och det är ofta avgörande för mejeriindustrin att mjölkfettet är stabilt för olika tillverkningsprocesser. Lipolys är den enzymatiska nedbrytningen av fett och är en av orsakerna till en förhöjd mängd av fria fettsyror (FFA) i mjölk. Vidare kan även förändring i fettsyrasammansättning i mjölk påverka stabiliteten och tillverkningsprocessen. Många faktorer, både interna och externa faktorer på gårdsnivå eller på mejerier kan påverka både fettsyrasammansättning och mängd av fria fettsyror. Två av dessa faktorer på gårdsnivå är mjölkningsfrekvens (=antal mjölkningar per ko under en dag) och sammansättningen av fodret. Syftet med denna studie var att utvärdera hur fettsyrasammansättningen av mjölk och mängden fria fettsyror påverkas av två olika ingredienser kompletterade till kraftfodret, antingen tillsatt palmolja eller tillsatt rapsolja. Effekterna av de två fettillsatserna utvärderades individuellt men även i samband med en högre mjölkningsfrekvens, för att utröna om en ändrad mjölkningsfrekvens kan påverka mjölkfettet när en specifik fettillsats adderas i fodret. Totalt inkluderades 30 mjölkkor, i första laktation (n = 16) eller äldre (n = 14) av raserna Svensk Holstein (n = 14) och Svensk Röd (n = 16), vilka delades upp i tre grupper med olika kraftfoder i foderstaten; inget tillsatt fett, tillsatt palmolja och tillsatt rapsolja. Experimentet delades upp i en nio dagars anpassningsperiod och sen fem veckor med försöksutfodring. Intag av antal kg ts foder och daglig mjölkproduktion registrerades under hela försöksperioden, både under anpassningsperioden samt under försöksutfodring. Mjölkprover samlades in under två dagar, vid morgon- och kvällsmjölkning, tre gånger under experimentet; de två sista dagarna under anpassningsperioden, den fjärde samt femte veckan under försöksutfodringen. Sista provtagningen skedde under en ökad mjölkningsfrekvens där mjölkprover togs fyra gånger

Recent evidence suggests that the Fusiform Face Area (FFA) is not exclusively dedicated to the interactive processing of face features, but also contains neurons sensitive to local features.This suggests the existence of both interactive and local processing modes, consistent with recent behavioral findings that the strength of interactive feature processing (IFP) engages most strongly when similar features need to be disambiguated. Here we address whether the engagement of the FFA into interactive versus featural representational modes is governed by local feature discriminability.We scanned human participants while they matched target features within face pairs, independently of the context of distracter features. IFP was operationalized as the failure to match the target without being distracted by distracter features. Picture-plane inversion was used to disrupt IFP while preserving input properties.We found that FFA activationwas comparably strong, irrespective of whether similar target features were embedded in dissimilar contexts(i.e., inducing robust IFP) or dissimilar target featureswere embedded in the same context (i.e., engaging local processing). Second, inversion decreased FFA activation to faces most robustly when similar target features were embedded in dissimilar contexts, indicating that FFA engages into IFP mainly when features cannot be disambiguated at a local level.Third, by means of Spearman rank correlation tests, we show that the local processing of feature differences in the FFA is supported to a large extent by the Occipital Face Area, the Lateral Occipital Complex, and early visual cortex, suggesting that these regions encode the local aspects of face information. The present findings confirm the co-existence of holistic and featural representations in the FFA. Furthermore, they establish FFA as the main contributor to the featural/holistic representational mode switches determined by local discriminability.

Recent evidence suggests that the Fusiform Face Area (FFA) is not exclusively dedicated to the interactive processing of face features, but also contains neurons sensitive to local features.This suggests the existence of both interactive and local processing modes, consistent with recent behavioral findings that the strength of interactive feature processing (IFP) engages most strongly when similar features need to be disambiguated. Here we address whether the engagement of the FFA into interactive versus featural representational modes is governed by local feature discriminability.We scanned human participants while they matched target features within face pairs, independently of the context of distracter features. IFP was operationalized as the failure to match the target without being distracted by distracter features. Picture-plane inversion was used to disrupt IFP while preserving input properties.We found that FFA activationwas comparably strong, irrespective of whether similar target features were embedded in dissimilar contexts(i.e., inducing robust IFP) or dissimilar target featureswere embedded in the same context (i.e., engaging local processing). Second, inversion decreased FFA activation to faces most robustly when similar target features were embedded in dissimilar contexts, indicating that FFA engages into IFP mainly when features cannot be disambiguated at a local level.Third, by means of Spearman rank correlation tests, we show that the local processing of feature differences in the FFA is supported to a large extent by the Occipital Face Area, the Lateral Occipital Complex, and early visual cortex, suggesting that these regions encode the local aspects of face information. The present findings confirm the co-existence of holistic and featural representations in the FFA. Furthermore, they establish FFA as the main contributor to the featural/holistic representational mode switches determined by local discriminability.

Recent evidence suggests that the Fusiform Face Area (FFA) is not exclusively dedicated to the interactive processing of face features, but also contains neurons sensitive to local features.This suggests the existence of both interactive and local processing modes, consistent with recent behavioral findings that the strength of interactive feature processing (IFP) engages most strongly when similar features need to be disambiguated. Here we address whether the engagement of the FFA into interactive versus featural representational modes is governed by local feature discriminability.We scanned human participants while they matched target features within face pairs, independently of the context of distracter features. IFP was operationalized as the failure to match the target without being distracted by distracter features. Picture-plane inversion was used to disrupt IFP while preserving input properties.We found that FFA activationwas comparably strong, irrespective of whether similar target features were embedded in dissimilar contexts(i.e., inducing robust IFP) or dissimilar target featureswere embedded in the same context (i.e., engaging local processing). Second, inversion decreased FFA activation to faces most robustly when similar target features were embedded in dissimilar contexts, indicating that FFA engages into IFP mainly when features cannot be disambiguated at a local level.Third, by means of Spearman rank correlation tests, we show that the local processing of feature differences in the FFA is supported to a large extent by the Occipital Face Area, the Lateral Occipital Complex, and early visual cortex, suggesting that these regions encode the local aspects of face information. The present findings confirm the co-existence of holistic and featural representations in the FFA. Furthermore, they establish FFA as the main contributor to the featural/holistic representational mode switches determined by local discriminability.

When facing the fact that high yielding dairy cows has an increasing energy requirements, the practice of adding lipid supplements such as concentrates rich in palm oil and/or palm oil industry by-products become more common. Palm oil containing high levels of C16:0 causes high levels of free fatty acids (FFA) which are linked to larger milk fat globules (MFG) which affect the reaction of lipolysis resulting in rancid flavour and processing problems. Instead of using palm oil, rapeseed oil rich in C18:1 C18:2 can be used. In order to evaluate the effect of added C18:0 and C16:0 on milk lipolysis, 30 Swedish Red lactating dairy cows including 15 multiparous (MP) and 15 primiparous (PP) cows were randomly divided in three groups resulting in 3 10 cow-groups (5 PP and 5 MP cows per group) and fed one out of three concentrate mixtures: control (C), a standard concentrate mixture with no fat added; palmitate (P) as C plus the addition of palmitate methyl ester (10 % in DM basis); and stearate (St) as C plus the addition of stearate methyl ester (10 % in DM basis). Milk yield was registered, and milk samples were collected and analysed for milk composition, FFA content and size of MFG. In addition, feed intake and in vivo digestibility were estimated. Results from the experiment showed no treatment effect on feed intake or in vivo digestibility. Changes in milk yield and composition were more evident in MP than in PP cows. The inclusion of C16:0 and C18:0 caused an increase in milk yield and milk fat content and yield, with changes being greater for cows supplemented with C18:0. The high fat treatments resulted in higher levels of FFA in milk associated with an increased size of the milk fat globules. While the results of the present study would support the concept that C16:0 may be replaced by C18:0 in treatment for dairy cows without any detrimental effect on milk yield and composition, further conclusions cannot be drawn without the data on FA profile in milk., För att tillgodose högavkastande mjölkkors höga energibehov har det idag blivit vanligt att tillsätta fodertillskott som fettsyror i kraftfoder i foderstaten. Det är vanligt att de fettsyror som tillsätts innehåller stora mängder av palmolja och/eller biprodukter från palmoljeindustrin för att minska kostnaderna. Detta till trots framställningen av palmoljans negativa inverkan på miljön. Palmolja innehåller höga mängder av C16:0 vilket kan orsaka höga halter av fria fettsyror i mjölken och som är associeras med större fettkulor i mjölk som kan påverka risken för lipolys. Den kemiska processen lipolys orsakar smakfel i mjölk och påverkar mjölkens processbarhet på mejeri. Genom att ersätta palmolja med rapsolja som produceras i Sverige och som innehåller höga halter av C18:1 Och C18:2 kan risken för lipolys minskas. För att undersöka effekten av tillsatt C18:0 och C16:0 i kraftfoder påverkan på lipolys i mjölk och ifall C18:0 kan ersätta C16:0 valdes 30 SRB (15 förstakalvare och 15 flergångskalvare) ut och delades slumpmässigt in i tre grupper med 10 kor per grupp (5 förstakalvare och 5 flergångskalvare). Kor från varje grupp utfodrades en kraftfoderblandning: kontroll, en standardblandning utan tillsatt fett; palmitat innehållande samma standardblandning som kontroll med tillsatt palmitat metylester (10 % ts); och stearat med samma standardblandning som kontroll med tillsatt stearat metylester (10 % ts). Mjölkprover som togs analyserades för mjölkavkastning, komposition och näringsinnehåll. Vidare analyserades även halten av fria fettsyror och storleken på mjölkfettkulor samt foderintag och smältbarhet. Resultat från detta experiment visade ingen effekt på foderintag eller smältbarhet. Mjölkavkastning och näringsinnehåll i mjölk påverkades i större utsträckning av de fettrika kraftfodren hos flergångskalvare i jämförelse med förstagångskalvare. Inblandning av palmitat och stearate ökade mjölkavkastningen samt fetthalt och fettinnehåll i mjölken med en större effekt i

Recent evidence suggests that the Fusiform Face Area (FFA) is not exclusively dedicated to the interactive processing of face features, but also contains neurons sensitive to local features. This suggests the existence of both interactive and local processing modes, consistent with recent behavioral findings that the strength of interactive feature processing (IFP) engages most strongly when similar features need to be disambiguated. Here we address whether the engagement of the FFA into interactive versus featural representational modes is governed by local feature discriminability. We scanned human participants while they matched target features within face pairs, independently of the context of distracter features. IFP was operationalized as the failure to match the target without being distracted by distracter features. Picture-plane inversion was used to disrupt IFP while preserving input properties. We found that FFA activation was comparably strong, irrespective of whether similar target features were embedded in dissimilar contexts(i.e., inducing robust IFP) or dissimilar target features were embedded in the same context (i.e., engaging local processing). Second, inversion decreased FFA activation to faces most robustly when similar target features were embedded in dissimilar contexts, indicating that FFA engages into IFP mainly when features cannot be disambiguated at a local level. Third, by means of Spearman rank correlation tests, we show that the local processing of feature differences in the FFA is supported to a large extent by the Occipital Face Area, the Lateral Occipital Complex, and early visual cortex, suggesting that these regions encode the local aspects of face information. The present findings confirm the co-existence of holistic and featural representations in the FFA. Furthermore, they establish FFA as the main contributor to the featural/holistic representational mode switches determined by local discriminability.

Aim The aim of this study was to establish a method to create a difference between groups in muscle glycogen content as well as to investigate the effect of training in low muscle glycogen state on metabolic and physiological parameters. Method During two trials, a subject group of ten highly trained male road or mountain bike cyclists ((mean±SD) age, hight, body weight, VO2max, and VO2max·kg-1 was 28±5 years, 74.7±6.3 kg, 183±6 cm, 4876±332 mL min-1, 64.4±2.8 mL·kg-1 min-1), performed a glycogen depletion exercise followed by a night’s rest and a second exercise session. In the study, which was a crossover design, the subjects were randomly chosen to perform the first trial on a carbohydrate rich diet or a diet with no of carbohydrates. All the testing was performed on a Monark 839E ergometer bike and muscle biopsy sampling was collected before depletion exercise, before the exercise the following day and three hours post exercise. Plasma FFA and glucose was analyzed from venous blood collected at rest. Results Muscle glycogen pre depletion exercise was 623±180 and 645±133 mmol·kg dw-1 glycosyl units for non-CHO and CHO trials respectively. The depletion exercise followed by 13 hours of rest resulted in a significant decrease in muscle glycogen in the non-CHO (p<0.0001), and CHO trials (p<0.01) to 166±71 and 478±111 mmol·kg dw-1 respectively. In the non-CHO trial net glycogen depletion correlated positively with pre depletion glycogen storage. After the completion of exercise 2 and the following three hour rest period, glycogen content in non-CHO and CHO-trial was 130±52 and477±97 mmol·kg dw-1, respectively. In low glycogen state, the non-CHO trial resulted in an increase in FFA measured in blood plasma at rest and in an increase in Borg rating of perceived exertion (RPE) as well as a reduction in blood glucose during exercise. Conclusion The protocol used in the present study was successful in creating a difference in muscle glycogen storage and training i, Syfte Syftet med denna studie var att skapa en metod för att åstadkomma skillnader i muskelglykogen samt observera den akuta effekten av träning med låga muskelglykogennivåer på metabola och fysiologiska parametrar. Metod Vid två tillfällen fick tio vältränade mountainbike- eller landsvägscyklister ((medel±SD) ålder, längd, kroppsvikt, VO2max och VO2max·kg-1 var 28±5 years, 74,7±6,3 kg, 183±6 cm, 4876±332 mL min-1, 64,4±2,8 mL·kg min-1) genomföra ett träningspass i syfte att tömma muskelglykogendepåerna följt av en natts vila och sedan ett andra träningspass. Studien följde ett randomiserat crossover-upplägg och det ena försökstillfället genomfördes med en diet hög på kolhydrater och det andra tillfället med en diet utan kolhydrater (CHO). All testning genomfördes på en Monark 839E ergometer och muskelbiopsier togs före tömningspass, efter en natts vila före det andra träningspasset och tre timmar efter det andra träningspasset. Venösa blodprov togs i vila före biopsitagning för analys av plasma FFA och glukos. Resultat Koncentrationen av muskelglykogen före tömningspasset var 623±180 and 645±133 mmol·kg dw-1 vid försök utan respektive med CHO. Tömningspasset och 13 timmars vila resulterade i en signifikant minskning av muskelglykogen vid försök utan CHO (p<0.0001), och med CHO (p<0.01) till 166±71 och 478±111 mmol·kg dw-1. Nettominskningen av muskelglykogen vid tömningspasset utan CHO korrelerade positivt med glykogenkoncentration före tömning Efter genomförande av det andra träningspasset och tre timmars efterföljande vila var muskelglykogenmängden vid försöken utan CHO och med CHO 130±52 och477±97 mmol·kg dw-1. Vid träning med lågt muskelglykogen fanns det en kraftig ökning av fria fettsyror i blod vid vila och under arbete noterades en ökning skattning av Borg subjektivt skattad ansträngning (RPE) samt en sänkning av blodglukos. Slutsats Protokollet som användes i denna studie skapade framgångsrikt en minskning av muskelglykogen och träning med låga glyko

Aim The aim of this study was to establish a method to create a difference between groups in muscle glycogen content as well as to investigate the effect of training in low muscle glycogen state on metabolic and physiological parameters. Method During two trials, a subject group of ten highly trained male road or mountain bike cyclists ((mean±SD) age, hight, body weight, VO2max, and VO2max·kg-1 was 28±5 years, 74.7±6.3 kg, 183±6 cm, 4876±332 mL min-1, 64.4±2.8 mL·kg-1 min-1), performed a glycogen depletion exercise followed by a night’s rest and a second exercise session. In the study, which was a crossover design, the subjects were randomly chosen to perform the first trial on a carbohydrate rich diet or a diet with no of carbohydrates. All the testing was performed on a Monark 839E ergometer bike and muscle biopsy sampling was collected before depletion exercise, before the exercise the following day and three hours post exercise. Plasma FFA and glucose was analyzed from venous blood collected at rest. Results Muscle glycogen pre depletion exercise was 623±180 and 645±133 mmol·kg dw-1 glycosyl units for non-CHO and CHO trials respectively. The depletion exercise followed by 13 hours of rest resulted in a significant decrease in muscle glycogen in the non-CHO (p<0.0001), and CHO trials (p<0.01) to 166±71 and 478±111 mmol·kg dw-1 respectively. In the non-CHO trial net glycogen depletion correlated positively with pre depletion glycogen storage. After the completion of exercise 2 and the following three hour rest period, glycogen content in non-CHO and CHO-trial was 130±52 and477±97 mmol·kg dw-1, respectively. In low glycogen state, the non-CHO trial resulted in an increase in FFA measured in blood plasma at rest and in an increase in Borg rating of perceived exertion (RPE) as well as a reduction in blood glucose during exercise. Conclusion The protocol used in the present study was successful in creating a difference in muscle glycogen storage and training i, Syfte Syftet med denna studie var att skapa en metod för att åstadkomma skillnader i muskelglykogen samt observera den akuta effekten av träning med låga muskelglykogennivåer på metabola och fysiologiska parametrar. Metod Vid två tillfällen fick tio vältränade mountainbike- eller landsvägscyklister ((medel±SD) ålder, längd, kroppsvikt, VO2max och VO2max·kg-1 var 28±5 years, 74,7±6,3 kg, 183±6 cm, 4876±332 mL min-1, 64,4±2,8 mL·kg min-1) genomföra ett träningspass i syfte att tömma muskelglykogendepåerna följt av en natts vila och sedan ett andra träningspass. Studien följde ett randomiserat crossover-upplägg och det ena försökstillfället genomfördes med en diet hög på kolhydrater och det andra tillfället med en diet utan kolhydrater (CHO). All testning genomfördes på en Monark 839E ergometer och muskelbiopsier togs före tömningspass, efter en natts vila före det andra träningspasset och tre timmar efter det andra träningspasset. Venösa blodprov togs i vila före biopsitagning för analys av plasma FFA och glukos. Resultat Koncentrationen av muskelglykogen före tömningspasset var 623±180 and 645±133 mmol·kg dw-1 vid försök utan respektive med CHO. Tömningspasset och 13 timmars vila resulterade i en signifikant minskning av muskelglykogen vid försök utan CHO (p<0.0001), och med CHO (p<0.01) till 166±71 och 478±111 mmol·kg dw-1. Nettominskningen av muskelglykogen vid tömningspasset utan CHO korrelerade positivt med glykogenkoncentration före tömning Efter genomförande av det andra träningspasset och tre timmars efterföljande vila var muskelglykogenmängden vid försöken utan CHO och med CHO 130±52 och477±97 mmol·kg dw-1. Vid träning med lågt muskelglykogen fanns det en kraftig ökning av fria fettsyror i blod vid vila och under arbete noterades en ökning skattning av Borg subjektivt skattad ansträngning (RPE) samt en sänkning av blodglukos. Slutsats Protokollet som användes i denna studie skapade framgångsrikt en minskning av muskelglykogen och träning med låga glyko

The human visual pathways that are specialized for object recognition stretch from lateral occipital cortex (LO) to the ventral surface of the temporal lobe, including the fusiform gyrus. Plasticity in these pathways supports the acquisition of visual expertise, but precisely how training affects the different regions remains unclear. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure neural activity in both LO and the fusiform gyrus in radiologists as they detected abnormalities in chest radiographs. Activity in the right fusiform face area (FFA) correlated with visual expertise, measured as behavioral performance during scanning. In contrast, activity in left LO correlated negatively with expertise, and the amount of LO that responded to radiographs was smaller in experts than in novices. Activity in the FFA and LO correlated negatively in experts, whereas in novices, the 2 regions showed no stable relationship. Together, these results suggest that the FFA becomes more engaged and left LO less engaged in interpreting radiographic images over the course of training. Achieving expert visual performance may involve suppressing existing neural representations while simultaneously developing others.

The human visual pathways that are specialized for object recognition stretch from lateral occipital cortex (LO) to the ventral surface of the temporal lobe, including the fusiform gyrus. Plasticity in these pathways supports the acquisition of visual expertise, but precisely how training affects the different regions remains unclear. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure neural activity in both LO and the fusiform gyrus in radiologists as they detected abnormalities in chest radiographs. Activity in the right fusiform face area (FFA) correlated with visual expertise, measured as behavioral performance during scanning. In contrast, activity in left LO correlated negatively with expertise, and the amount of LO that responded to radiographs was smaller in experts than in novices. Activity in the FFA and LO correlated negatively in experts, whereas in novices, the 2 regions showed no stable relationship. Together, these results suggest that the FFA becomes more engaged and left LO less engaged in interpreting radiographic images over the course of training. Achieving expert visual performance may involve suppressing existing neural representations while simultaneously developing others.

The human visual pathways that are specialized for object recognition stretch from lateral occipital cortex (LO) to the ventral surface of the temporal lobe, including the fusiform gyrus. Plasticity in these pathways supports the acquisition of visual expertise, but precisely how training affects the different regions remains unclear. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure neural activity in both LO and the fusiform gyrus in radiologists as they detected abnormalities in chest radiographs. Activity in the right fusiform face area (FFA) correlated with visual expertise, measured as behavioral performance during scanning. In contrast, activity in left LO correlated negatively with expertise, and the amount of LO that responded to radiographs was smaller in experts than in novices. Activity in the FFA and LO correlated negatively in experts, whereas in novices, the 2 regions showed no stable relationship. Together, these results suggest that the FFA becomes more engaged and left LO less engaged in interpreting radiographic images over the course of training. Achieving expert visual performance may involve suppressing existing neural representations while simultaneously developing others.

Two areas in the human occipito-temporal cortex respond preferentially to faces: 'the fusiform face area' ('FFA') and the 'occipital face area' ('OFA'). However, it is unclear whether these areas have an exclusive role in processing faces, or if sub-maximal responses in other visual areas such as the lateral occipital complex (LOC) are also involved. To clarify this issue, we tested a brain-damaged patient (PS) presenting a face-selective impairment with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The right hemisphere lesion of the prosopagnosic patient encompasses the 'OFA' but preserves the 'FFA' and LOC. Using fMRI-adaptation, we found a larger response to different faces than repeated faces in the ventral part of the LOC both for normals and the patient, next to her right hemisphere lesion. This observation indicates that following prosopagnosia, areas that do not respond preferentially to faces such as the ventral part of the LOC (vLOC) may still be recruited to subtend residual perception of individual faces.