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O presente trabalho se propõe a preencher a lacuna entre a análise comportamental da cultura e recentes abordagens computacionais no estudo da dinâmica social. Inicialmente será introduzida uma perspectiva inspirada na teoria dos jogos de como normas e metanormas evoluem e como modelos baseados em agentes são usados para simular e analisar a emergência de fenômenos normativos. Em seguida, argumenta-se que este método está alinhado com a abordagem analítico comportamental sobre a evolução da cultura, oferecendo um enquadramento compartilhado para futuros desenvolvimentos teóricos e heurísticos para pesquisadores na área. O texto prossegue apresentando o Modelo de Metanormas de Axelrod, seguido por um tutorial sobre sua implementação usando a linguagem de programação NetLogo. Finalmente dois experimentos são conduzidos utilizando este enquadramento e as implicações destes resultados, bem como futuras direções para pesquisa, são discutidas a partir de uma perspectiva skinneriana.

Like I think in English, (eu) acho que in Brazilian Portuguese can function as a discourse marker (DM) with more than one meaning, and these meanings are curiously diametrically opposed. Certainty, doubt or uncertainty is inferred by hearers in an interactional context. In a sample of audio-video recorded interviews, the occurrences of this DM were classified by meaning, and association tests between meanings and linguistic factors (pronoun realization, polarity, position in utterance), real-world features (type of evidence from which the speaker says something, and discursive topic), prosody (F0, intensity and duration), and facial expressions were carried out. Differences that distinguish these factors were identified among certainty, doubt and uncertainty uses. The certainty meaning of (eu) acho que was associated with pronoun presence, more formality and topics in which the speaker had direct evidence. Uncertainty and doubt were associated with pronoun absence, less formality and topics in which the speaker did not have direct evidence. Patterns of intensity and duration acted to distinguish the certainty, doubt and uncertainty meanings of (eu) acho que. In a conditional decision tree, the position in utterance, presence of a pronoun, type of speaker’s evidence, discursive topic, and duration helped to disambiguate the meanings of (eu) acho que. These results suggest the relevance of a multilevel approach to describe DM, in different languages, at least with respect to mental state verbs.

To achieve a sustainable circular economy for wood ash, the reuse of wood ash in agriculture and forestry is important. To evaluate the usability of ash from the combustion of natural as well as waste wood for application as fertilizer, wood fuel and corresponding ash fraction samples (n = 86) of four industrial wood-fired heat and power plants (20 MW) were investigated. In different ash fractions, the concentrations of heavy metals (As, Cd, Pb, Ni, Tl, Zn) and plant nutrients (N, P, K, Ca) were assessed with regard to relevant legislation from the European Union and from selected European countries (Germany, Austria and Finland). Depending on fuel composition and combustion kinetics within the respective plants, the investigated ash fractions showed a wide range of nutrient and heavy metal contents. Apart from N which is mainly emitted with the flue gas, plant nutrients were present in substantial concentrations with mean values corresponding to 20% P, 55 % K and95% Ca content compared to nutrient compound fertilizer. A direct application of most ash fractions from both natural and waste wood combustion is however not possible due to high contents of Cd, Pb and Ni. In order to develop the ash for secondary use, investigation for a suitable treatment process is necessary. An estimation of the nutrient recovery potential from industrial wood energy plants in southwest Germany showed that approx. 3.1% (P), 7.5% (K) and 22.8% (Ca) of raw material for fertilizers could be substituted by ash.

Virtual reality (VR) is gaining momentum in language education thanks to technological advances and technology at a cost that is affordable for deploying a learning experience. However, there is a need for more research to identify the topics that are most suitable to be taught using VR in English as a foreign language (EFL) courses. In order to close part of this gap, this article reports on the results of a comparative eye-tracking study conducted with 80 university students on the effectiveness of a VR system and a desktop application for learning English prepositions of place. The results show that students using the VR system significantly outperformed those using a 2D application for learning English prepositions of place. However, students spent more time and made more mistakes in the VR system. The easiest English preposition was “on” and the most difficult one was “below” for the desktop application, and “behind” for the VR system. Some implications and recommendations for teachers are provided based on the results.

Ideal partner preferences (i.e., ratings of the desirability of attributes like attractiveness or intelligence) are the source of numerous foundational findings in the interdisciplinary literature on human mating. Recently, research on the predictive validity of ideal partner preference-matching (i.e., do people positively evaluate partners who match versus mismatch their ideals?) has become mired in several problems. For one, articles exhibit discrepant analytic and reporting practices. Furthermore, different findings emerge across laboratories worldwide, perhaps because they sample different relationship contexts and/or populations. The current project—partnered with the Psychological Science Accelerator—can bring clarity to this literature. This registered report uses a highly powered design across multiple world regions to calculate preference-matching effect sizes and variability estimates for all relevant analytic tests. It also examines effects in different relationship contexts and subsamples (e.g., attraction, established relationships, recently formed relationships).

Resumo O uso de máscaras pandêmicas é uma das principais mudanças comportamentais trazidas pela pandemia de COVID-19, o que possivelmente tem prejudicado o Reconhecimento de Expressões Faciais (REF). Esta revisão sistemática tem como objetivo reunir e comparar metodologias e resultados de experimentos, publicados entre 2019 e 2022, que avaliam o impacto das máscaras pandêmicas no REF. Para tanto, este estudo baseou-se e dividiu-se nas recomendações do PRISMA, em três etapas: identificação, triagem e elegibilidade. A primeira etapa foi dedicada à escolha dos descritores, do recorte temporal e à aplicação destes nas bases de dados escolhidas. Na segunda etapa, foi feita a leitura dos títulos, resumos e palavras-chave, de modo a selecionar artigos que estejam de acordo com os critérios de inclusão. Os artigos selecionados nesta etapa foram colocados na plataforma Connected Papers, com a finalidade de explorar referências não identificadas via bases de dados. Na última fase, foi realizada a leitura integral e a síntese dos estudos. Finalmente, foram eleitos 11 artigos cujos resultados mostraram que as máscaras pandêmicas prejudicam o REF de modo heterogêneo. Expressões como felicidade e nojo, que dependem da região da boca para serem discriminadas, são prejudicadas. A tristeza também é prejudicada pelas máscaras pandêmicas, confundindo-se frequentemente com rostos neutros e vice-versa. Para que as descobertas sejam mais generalizáveis, os próximos estudos precisam adotar tarefas padronizadas com todas as expressões básicas e incluir expressões não básicas, como vergonha. Além disso, são recomendados a implementação de estímulos dinâmicos com variação étnica e o controle acerca do tempo de exposição.

Scaffolding is a mechanism for helping novice learners to solve a problem or complete a task that is beyond their current skill set. Prior research on immersive virtual reality (IVR) environments with scaffolding has mainly focused on the effectiveness of scaffolding for conceptual understanding and information processing. However, research on defining guidelines for designing computer-based scaffolds for IVR is scarce. To fill this gap, some recommendations are provided in this paper on how to design scaffolds for IVR environments for teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL). An eye-tracking study was conducted with N = 41 university students from three EFL courses that used two versions of an IVR application for learning and practicing prepositions of place in English with different scaffolding mechanisms and in different contexts: a context in which the participant can move through the virtual space and a context in which the participant remains seated. A comparative analysis was conducted to determine which scaffolds were more appropriate for learning in IVR. This study extends previous research on scaffolding in IVR environments by suggesting some empirical evidence, collected from eye-tracking, of the effectiveness of different types of scaffolds in IVR environments and some design guidelines are provided. The results showed that scaffolds that are naturally embedded in the IVR environment and are closer to the objects that students need to interact with, are more effective for increasing their learning performance. Practical implications of this study for instructional designers and developers include: scaffolds should be designed considering the spatial contiguity principle and should be naturally blended with the VR environment. Scaffolds should direct students attention to the most important information and scaffolds can be provided in different forms (text, images and on-site indicators).

The automatic emotion recognition from facial expressions has become an exceptional tool in research involving human subjects and has made it possible to obtain objective measurements of the emotional state of research subjects. Different software and commercial solutions are offered to perform this task. However, the adaptation to cultural context and the recognition of complex expressions and/or emotions are two of the main challenges faced by these solutions. Here, we describe the construction and validation of a set of facial expression images suitable for training a recognition system. Our datasets consist of images of people with no experience in acting who were recorded with a webcam as they performed a computer-assisted task in a room with a light background and overhead illumination. The six basic emotions and mockery were included and a combination of OpenCV, Dlib and Scikit-learn Python libraries were used to develop a support vector machine classifier. The code is available at GitHub and the images will be provided upon request. Since transcultural facial expressions to evaluate complex emotions and open-source solutions were used in this study, we strongly believe that our dataset will be useful in different research contexts.

Resumo Este artigo trata da promoção da leitura na escola. Há diversas razões teóricas e evidências prévias a favor da integração do movimento físico no processo de ensino-aprendizagem. Busca-se entender se essa integração é plausível especificamente para a aprendizagem da leitura e como ela pode ocorrer. Por meio de uma revisão de literatura, considerando predominantemente estudos da Alemanha, objetiva-se identificar as razões relacionadas ao processo da leitura, da alfabetização e do letramento. Discutem-se as razões à luz do modelo de processamento textual de Walter Kintsch e Teun van Dijk e da teoria de rubicão de Heinz Heckhausen. Apresentam-se razões a respeito de processos cognitivos de leitura, da volição e da motivação que apoiam o pressuposto de que a aquisição da competência de leitura recebe estímulos importantes pela oferta de aulas em movimento. É plausível que a inserção de movimento atue sobre os objetivos que o leitor quer alcançar por meio da leitura. A autoestima corporal parece ter um impacto positivo na volição pela leitura e uma influência no autoconceito do leitor. Expõem-se também algumas atividades de ensino e aprendizagem para aulas fisicamente ativas de leitura ao nível da alfabetização e do letramento, encontradas na literatura específica. Realiza-se uma diferenciação entre atividades de ensino e aprendizagem em movimento que acompanham a aprendizagem e que a facilitam. Abstract The current article addresses the promotion of reading at school. There is previous evidence and several theoretical arguments in favor of the integration of physical movement in the teaching-learning process. The question is raised as to whether this integration is plausible, specifically for learning to read, and how it could occur. Through a literature review, considering predominantly German studies, the objective is to identify the arguments related to the process of reading and literacy. The arguments are discussed in the light of the Text Processing Model by Walter Kintsch and Teun van Dijk and Heinz Heckhausen’s Rubicon theory. Arguments are presented regarding cognitive reading processes, volition, and motivation, which support the assumption that the acquisition of reading competence gains important stimuli through the offer of classes on the move. It seems plausible that the insertion of movement acts on the goals that the reader wants to achieve through reading. Body self-esteem seems to have a positive impact on volition through reading and an influence on the reader’s self-concept. Some teaching and learning activities are put forward for physically active reading classes in terms of literacy, found in the specific literature. Differentiation is made between teaching and learning activities on the move, which accompany and facilitate learning.

Background: To evaluate the effects of the introduction of physically active lessons on movement behaviors, cognitive, and academic performance in schoolchildren. Methods: This was a cluster-controlled trial. A total of 61 students from the second year of elementary school in a public school in Brazil made up 2 intervention classes (n = 34) with the introduction of physically active lessons and 2 control classes (n = 27). Sedentary behavior, physical activity, cognitive, and academic performance were evaluated in 3 moments, which were compared using models of generalized estimating equations. Results: The intervention was effective for reducing the standing time between the baseline and 3 months while increasing the walking time between baseline and 3 months and baseline and 9 months. There was a reduction in time in stationary activities and increased time in light physical activities between all moments. The intervention group increased their performance in the go/no go test, showing a smaller number of errors between the baseline and 3 months and baseline and 9 months, and a reduction in the test time between baseline and 3 months. No impact on students’ academic performance was observed. Conclusion: Physically active lessons improve movement behaviors and cognitive functions among elementary schoolchildren.

O projeto Erguer/Aracaju tem como proposta acompanhar a evolução cognitiva e do desempenho acadêmico, bem como, a diminuição do comportamento sedentário dos alunos através do movimento nas aulas. Este relato de experiência objetiva analisar a intervenção e implementação do Projeto Erguer/Aracaju a respeito das aulas fisicamente ativas e pausas ativas. Atualmente a pesquisa acontece em seis escolas da rede municipal de Aracaju-SE. As escolas estão divididas em grupos de intervenção (aulas fisicamente ativas e pausas ativas) e grupo controle. A amostra é composta por 181 crianças do primeiro ano do ensino fundamental do ano letivo de 2022. Este relato reflete sobre as informações obtidas empiricamente a partir da coleta de dados, das reuniões semanais da equipe de pesquisa, dos diários de campo, filmagens das intervenções e capacitação dos professores. O conteúdo do projeto foi inserido na organização pedagógica das escolas durante o ano letivo, e os resultados indicam que as ações do projeto Erguer/Aracaju foram positivas e precisam se intensificar para que essa nova perspectiva se mantenha fortalecida.

Citations are often used as a metric of the impact of scientific publications. Here, we examine how the number of downloads from Sci-Hub as well as various characteristics of publications and their authors predicts future citations. Using data from 12 leading journals in economics, consumer research, neuroscience, and multidisciplinary research, we found that articles downloaded from Sci-Hub were cited 1.72 times more than papers not downloaded from Sci-Hub and that the number of downloads from Sci-Hub was a robust predictor of future citations. Among other characteristics of publications, the number of figures in a manuscript consistently predicts its future citations. The results suggest that limited access to publications may limit some scientific research from achieving its full impact. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

The study was evaluated the effect of physically active lessons (PAL) on cognitive performance (ED) during two years of follow-up in children. Four classes were divided into two intervention classes (IG: n = 34) and two control classes (CG: n = 27). Five evaluations were performed; before the intervention (M1), after three (M2) and nine (M3) months in the first year, and fourteen (M4) and eighteen (M5) months in the second year. The intervention was based on PAL integrated with the curricular components, which stimulated the children to stand or move in the classroom. ED was evaluated using three computerized test for response inhibition, selective attention and cognitive flexibility. The children in the IG presented improved ED in the execution of all task along the two years follow-up, in both correct answers and time reactions, with exception of correct answers of visual search. For IG, in most of the task, the mean differences confidence interval of 95% did not include the 0 on the two last moments of evaluation, and in all cases, the mean differences of the IG between M1 versus M5 were significant different with high values of effect size (cohen -d > 1). PAL promote modest improvements in diverse cognitive functions in children.

This paper presents the results of a pilot study to verify if facial expressions can be clues to the social judgment of a sociolinguistic variable, making the relationship between a stereotype type variable phenomenon (rotacism in Brazilian Portuguese) and the physiological effects of variation possible. To the execution of this work, two experimental studies were elaborated: the first one had the participation of 30 college students and considered, as independent variables, judgment and response time to audio stimuli; the second one, in which 9 other students participated, considered as independent variables judgment and participants’ facial expressions. The results of reaction time corroborate the stigmatized status of the linguistic variable and show that the negative judgment attributed to this trait is evidenced by facial expressions because participants did not remain neutral when they are listening to this phenomenon, unless without statistical significance.

Following theories of emotional embodiment, the facial feedback hypothesis suggests that individuals' subjective experiences of emotion are influenced by their facial expressions. However, evidence for this hypothesis has been mixed. We thus formed a global adversarial collaboration and carried out a preregistered, multicentre study designed to specify and test the conditions that should most reliably produce facial feedback effects. Data from n = 3,878 participants spanning 19 countries indicated that a facial mimicry and voluntary facial action task could both amplify and initiate feelings of happiness. However, evidence of facial feedback effects was less conclusive when facial feedback was manipulated unobtrusively via a pen-in-mouth task., National Science Centre, Poland [2019/35/B/HS6/00528]; JSPS KAKENHI [16H03079, 17H00875, 18K12015, 20H04581, 21H03784]; National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq); Polish National Science Center; DFG Beethoven grant [2016/23/G/HS6/01775]; National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship [R010138018]; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades [PGC2018-098558-B-I00]; Comunidad de Madrid [H2019/HUM-5705]; Teesside University; Occidental College Academic Student Project Award, This work was financially supported by B. Stastny, who generously donated funds for this research in memory of his father, Bill Stastny (J.T.L.). The work was also supported by the National Science Centre, Poland (grant no. 2019/35/B/HS6/00528; K.B.), JSPS KAKENHI (grant nos 16H03079, 17H00875, 18K12015, 20H04581 and 21H03784; Y.Y.), the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq; R.M.K.F.), the Polish National Science Center (M.P.), the DFG Beethoven grant no. 2016/23/G/HS6/01775 (M.P.), the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (grant no. R010138018; N.A.C.), the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades (grant no. PGC2018-098558-B-I00; J.A.H.), the Comunidad de Madrid (grant no. H2019/HUM-5705; J.A.H.), Teesside University (N.B.) and the Occidental College Academic Student Project Award (S.L.). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript. We also thank C. Scavo and A. Bidani for help with translating the study materials, L. Pullano and R. Giorgini for help with coding, and E. Tolomeo and L. Pane for help with data collection.

In the mining-impacted Rio Tinto, Spain, Fe-cycling microorganisms influence the transport of heavy metals (HMs) into the Atlantic Ocean. However, it remains largely unknown how spatial and temporal hydrogeochemical gradients along the Rio Tinto shape the composition of Fe-cycling microbial communities and how this in turn affects HM mobility. Using a combination of DNA- and RNA-based 16S rRNA (gene) amplicon sequencing and hydrogeochemical analyses, we explored the impact of pH, Fe(III), Fe(II), and Cl(−) on Fe-cycling microorganisms. We showed that the water column at the acidic (pH 2.2) middle course of the river was colonized by Fe(II) oxidizers affiliated with Acidithiobacillus and Leptospirillum. At the upper estuary, daily fluctuations of pH (2.7 to 3.7) and Cl(−) (6.9 to 16.6 g/L) contributed to the establishment of a unique microbial community, including Fe(II) oxidizers belonging to Acidihalobacter, Marinobacter, and Mariprofundus, identified at this site. Furthermore, DNA- and RNA-based profiles of the benthic community suggested that acidophilic and neutrophilic Fe(II) oxidizers (e.g., Acidihalobacter, Marinobacter, and Mariprofundus), Fe(III) reducers (e.g., Thermoanaerobaculum), and sulfate-reducing bacteria drive the Fe cycle in the estuarine sediments. RNA-based relative abundances of Leptospirillum at the middle course as well as abundances of Acidihalobacter and Mariprofundus at the upper estuary were higher than DNA-based results, suggesting a potentially higher level of activity of these taxa. Based on our findings, we propose a model of how tidal water affects the composition and activity of the Fe-cycling taxa, playing an important role in the transport of HMs (e.g., As, Cd, Cr, and Pb) along the Rio Tinto. IMPORTANCE The estuary of the Rio Tinto is a unique environment in which extremely acidic, heavy metal-rich, and especially iron-rich river water is mixed with seawater. Due to the mixing events, the estuarine water is characterized by a low pH, almost seawater salinity, and high concentrations of bioavailable iron. The unusual hydrogeochemistry maintains unique microbial communities in the estuarine water and in the sediment. These communities include halotolerant iron-oxidizing microorganisms which typically inhabit acidic saline environments and marine iron-oxidizing microorganisms which, in contrast, are not typically found in acidic environments. Furthermore, highly saline estuarine water favored the prosperity of acidophilic heterotrophs, typically inhabiting brackish and saline environments. The Rio Tinto estuarine sediment harbors a diverse microbial community with both acidophilic and neutrophilic members that can mediate the iron cycle and, in turn, can directly impact the mobility and transport of heavy metals in the Rio Tinto estuary.

Ratios of phosphorous (P) to iron (Fe) in Precambrian banded iron formations (BIFs) have previously been used to estimate dissolved seawater phosphate concentrations in the ancient oceans. Such studies rely on an assumed composition of the primary iron minerals, the concentrations of the major ions in seawater, and empirical partitioning coefficients for phosphate sorption to Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides. There is limited data, however, regarding the post-depositional stability of phosphate associated with presumed primary BIF iron minerals, such as ferrihydrite under low-grade metamorphic temperature and pressure conditions. Here we experimentally formed ferrihydrite in the presence of silica, which was abundant in the Precambrian oceans, and then incubated it at 170 °C and 1.2 kbar in the presence or absence of organic carbon (Corg; either glucose or microbial biomass) as a proxy for ancient planktonic biomass. We found that the post-metamorphic mineral assemblage resulting from thermochemical Fe(III) reduction of Si-doped ferrihydrite depended on Corg reactivity: In the presence of highly reactive glucose, siderite, magnetite, and vivianite were formed, with less than 1.2 mol% of phosphate (0.5 M NaCl extractable) being mobilized. In contrast, the reaction of Si-doped ferrihydrite with less reactive microbial biomass resulted in the formation of hematite and siderite, but not vivianite, and approximately 10 mol% of phosphate was remobilized into the pore fluids. Collectively, our data suggest that the fidelity with which BIFs record ancient oceanic phosphate concentrations depends on the mineralogy and diagenetic history of individual BIFs but should be reliable within 10%.

Um estudo exploratório de exposição de participantes às variantes de uma variável linguística saliente do ponto de vista social, a palatalização progressiva, foi realizado com o uso de rastreamento ocular, para examinar o processamento da variação linguística. Os resultados mostram que exposição à variante estigmatizada captou a atenção e aumentou a dilatação da pupila dos participantes, o que pode ser interpretado como evidência de uma resposta emocional.

The objective of this research was to analyze the effect of immediate feedback on the detection and recognition memory of false and true news, using the Signal Detection Theory. For this, two experiments were carried out; in experiment one no feedback was presented; in experiment 2 immediate feedback was included. The experiments were divided into 2 phases: discrimination and news recognition memory. It included the participation of 93 young people, who judged the veracity or falsity of the news using a forced choice task, in 24 news with two types of attributes, physical and non-physical. The results indicated in experiment one, that the non-physical attributes alter the detection and memory recognition of the news, making the physical attribute of the font color irrelevant. In experiment 2, immediate feedback was found to improve detection, but not recognition, which is impaired by non-physical attributes as in experiment one. These findings show the need to present news readers with different sources of immediate verification to improve their detection, as well as the need to generate good information verification practices in the communication sector.

In this review, we will discuss in four scenarios our challenges to offer possible solutions for the puzzle associated with the epilepsies and neuropsychiatric comorbidities. We need to recognize that (1) since quite old times, human wisdom was linked to the plural (distinct global places/cultures) perception of the Universe we are in, with deep respect for earth and nature. Plural ancestral knowledge was added with the scientific methods; however, their joint efforts are the ideal scenario; (2) human behavior is not different than animal behavior, in essence the product of Darwinian natural selection; knowledge of animal and human behavior are complementary; (3) the expression of human behavior follows the same rules that complex systems with emergent properties, therefore, we can measure events in human, clinical, neurobiological situations with complexity systems' tools; (4) we can use the semiology of epilepsies and comorbidities, their neural substrates, and potential treatments (including experimental/computational modeling, neurosurgical interventions), as a source and collection of integrated big data to predict with them (e.g.: machine/deep learning) diagnosis/prognosis, individualized solutions (precision medicine), basic underlying mechanisms and molecular targets. Once the group of symptoms/signals (with a myriad of changing definitions and interpretations over time) and their specific sequences are determined, in epileptology research and clinical settings, the use of modern and contemporary techniques such as neuroanatomical maps, surface electroencephalogram and stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) and imaging (MRI, BOLD, DTI, SPECT/PET), neuropsychological testing, among others, are auxiliary in the determination of the best electroclinical hypothesis, and help design a specific treatment, usually as the first attempt, with available pharmacological resources. On top of ancient knowledge, currently known and potentially new antiepileptic drugs, alternative treatments and mechanisms are usually produced as a consequence of the hard, multidisciplinary, and integrated studies of clinicians, surgeons, and basic scientists, all over the world. The existence of pharmacoresistant patients, calls for search of other solutions, being along the decades the surgeries the most common interventions, such as resective procedures (i.e., selective or standard lobectomy, lesionectomy), callosotomy, hemispherectomy and hemispherotomy, added by vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), deep brain stimulation (DBS), neuromodulation, and more recently focal minimal or noninvasive ablation. What is critical when we consider the pharmacoresistance aspect with the potential solution through surgery, is still the pursuit of localization-dependent regions (e.g.: epileptogenic zone (EZ)), in order to decide, no matter how sophisticated are the brain mapping tools (EEG and MRI), the size and location of the tissue to be removed. Mimicking the semiology and studying potential neural mechanisms and molecular targets - by means of experimental and computational modeling - are fundamental steps of the whole process. Concluding, with the conjunction of ancient knowledge, coupled to critical and creative contemporary, scientific (not dogmatic) clinical/surgical, and experimental/computational contributions, a better world and of improved quality of life can be offered to the people with epilepsy and neuropsychiatric comorbidities, who are still waiting (as well as the scientists) for a paradigm shift in epileptology, both in the Basic Science, Computational, Clinical, and Neurosurgical Arenas. This article is part of the Special Issue "NEWroscience 2018".

Learning how to give and follow directions in English is one of the key topics in regular English as a Foreign Language (EFL) courses. However, this topic is commonly taught in the classroom with pencil and paper exercises. In this chapter, a scaffolded virtual reality (VR) environment for learning the topic of following directions in English is introduced. An eye tracking study was conducted to determine how students perceive the scaffolds for completing the learning task, and an evaluation of acceptance and usability was conducted to identify the students' perceptions. The results show that scaffolds in the form of text and images are both effective for increasing the students' learning performance. The gaze frequency is higher for the textual scaffold, but the duration of gaze fixations is lower for the scaffolds in the form of images. The acceptance and usability of the VR environment were found to be positive.

The combustion of biomass can be both CO2 neutral and economically beneficial. One major negative aspect are the gaseous and particle emissions that are formed by inorganic precursors in the biomass. These inorganic elements also cause slag formation. Short rotation coppice (SRC) willow wood contains a relatively large proportion of these precursors. This paper investigates the potential of low temperature Microwave Assisted Hydrothermal Carbonization (MAHC) for the reduction of emission precursors in SRC willow wood. Most of the respective elements were significantly reduced at the selected temperatures of 150 °C, 170 °C, and 185 °C. The most efficient combination of energy input, increasing heating value and decreasing mineral content was obtained at 170 °C. This shows the high potential of the MAHC treatment for utilizing low quality biomass as biofuel.

Epilepsy has been a central topic in computational neuroscience, and in silico models have shown to be excellent tools to integrate and evaluate findings from animal and clinical settings. Among the different languages and tools for computational modeling development, NEURON stands out as one of the most used and mature neurosimulators. However, despite the vast quantity of models developed with NEURON, a fragmentation problem is evident in the great majority of models related to the same type of cell or cell properties. This fragmentation causes a lack of interoperability between the models because of differences in parameters. The problem is not related to the neurosimulator, which is prepared to reuse elements of other models, but related to decisions made during the model development, when it is not uncommon to adjust parameter values according to the necessities of the study. Here, this problem is presented by studying computational models related to temporal lobe epilepsy and the definitions of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells. The current assessment aims to highlight the implications of fragmentation for reliable modeling and the need to adopt a framework that allows a better interoperability between different models. This article is part of the Special Issue “NEWroscience 2018”.

Methods that combine motor activities with cognitive activities under the principle of constantly challenging the brain with new combinations of activities, permanently increasing their degree of difficulty, but without requiring a mastery in the execution, are promising for the teaching and learning process. An example is the Life Kinetik method, developed by Lutz (2014). In the present study, the objective was to analyze, based on the neuroscientific literature, whether the processes that occur in the brain, attributed to the learning phenomenon, could be stimulated by this method. The results of this study show that neuroscience research reveals that brain plasticity processes that mediate learning processes are potentialized through activities that include three key factors: challenge, variety and non-perfection, which are considered essential methodology of Life Kinetik. Finally, due to easy application and its potential to optimize teaching-learning processes, is recommend an empirical evaluation of this method, especially in school environments.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Los métodos que combinan actividades motoras con actividades cognitivas sobre el principio de desafiar constantemente el cerebro con nuevas combinaciones de actividades, aumentando permanentemente su grado de dificultad, pero sin exigir un dominio en la ejecución, se muestran promisorios para el proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje. Un ejemplo es el método de LifeKinetik, desarrollado por Lutz (2014). En el presente estudio, se objetivó, con base en la literatura del área neurocientífica, analizar si los procesos que ocurren en el cerebro, atribuidos al fenómeno del aprendizaje, podrían ser estimulados por ese método. Los resultados de este estudio mostraron que las investigaciones en el área de las neurociencias revelan que los procesos de plasticidad cerebral que intermedian los procesos de aprendizaje se potencian mediante actividades que incluyan los siguientes tres factores: desafío, variedad y no perfección, siendo que esos factores son considerados esenciales en la metodología del LifeKinetik. Métodos que combinam atividades motoras com atividades cognitivas sob o princípio de desafiar ao cérebro constantemente com novas combinações de atividades, aumentando permanentemente o seu grau de dificuldade, porém, sem exigir um domínio na execução, mostram-se promissores para o processo de ensino e aprendizagem. Um exemplo é o método do Life Kinetik (LK), desenvolvido por Lutz (2014). No presente estudo, objetivou-se, com base na literatura da área neurocientífica, analisar se os processos que ocorrem no cérebro, atribuídos ao fenômeno da aprendizagem, poderiam ser estimulados por esse método. Os resultados desse estudo mostraram que pesquisas, na área das neurociências, revelam que os processos de plasticidade cerebral que medeiam os processos de aprendizagem são potencializados mediante atividades que incluam três fatores-chave: desafio, variedade e não-perfeição, sendo que esses são considerados metodologia essencial do Life Kinetik. Natal

Previously we have demonstrated that microinjection of oxytocin (OT) into the central nucleus of amygdala (CeA) induces hypergrooming in Wistar rats, a model of compulsion. The Wistar Audiogenic Rat (WAR) strain is a genetic model of generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Here we quantified grooming behavior in WAR, with grooming scores, flowcharts and directed graphs of syntactic and non-syntactic grooming chains, after bilateral administration of OT or saline (SAL) into the CeA and investigated the association between hypergrooming and imunohistochemistry of Fos activated compulsion networks and proposing a computational model of grooming behavior. The activated networks, driven from a CeA OT-dependent grooming pattern, in both Wistar and WAR were detected as Fos+ regions: orbitofrontal cortex, striatum, paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, dentate gyrus, substantia nigra compacta and reticulata. In conclusion we can drive hypergrooming in WARs, defined previously as a model of ritualistic motor behavior in Wistar rats, with OT from CeA, a limbic structure and one of the principal amygdala complex outputs. Furthermore, our current pioneer behavioral and cellular description considers that hypergrooming (compulsion) in WARs is a comorbidity because: (1) WARs have the highest grooming scores, when exposed only to novelty (2) WARs have better grooming scores than Wistars after CeA-SAL, (3) WARs perform much better than Wistars in OT-CeA-dependent highly stereotyped behavioral sequences, detected by flowcharts as a combination of syntactic/non-syntactic grooming chains, (4) the behavioral sequences here demonstrated for grooming and hypergrooming can be modeled as quite reliable Markov chains and (5) with the exception of CeA-SAL injected animals, an exquisite map of brain Fos expression was detected in typical cortico-striatal-thalamic-basal ganglia-cortical circuit, among new areas, driven by OT-CeA.Author SummaryGrooming is a complex set of regular behavioral sequences in rodents that can be mimicked with several pharmacological or molecular biology interventions. We have demonstrated previously that microinjection of the brain peptide oxytocin into the amygdala, a limbic region, induces hypergrooming in Wistar rats, a model of compulsion. The Wistar Audiogenic Rat strain is a genetic model of generalized seizures, in fact a model of epilepsy. Here we quantified grooming behavior in Wistar Audiogenic Rats, using several behavioral tools such as grooming scores, behavioral sequences and graphs of grooming chains, after bilateral administration of the oxytocin or its control (saline) into the amygdala. We also investigated the association between hypergrooming and activation of compulsion networks, proposing a computational (virtual) model of grooming behavior. Basically we were able to detect activated networks, driven from amygdala and the consequent oxytocin-dependent grooming pattern in epileptic and control animals. Those circuits are composed of cortical and subcortical areas, usually associated to the expression of motor rituals or compulsions. In conclusion, we can drive hypergrooming in epileptic animals, as compared to the previously defined model of ritualistic/compulsive motor behavior in control, rats. We concluded that hypergrooming (compulsion) is endogenously present in epileptic animals as a co-existent event (comorbidity), because when they were exposed to novelty, they express better grooming scores than control animals. The behavioral sequences here demonstrated for grooming and hypergrooming can be simulated as chains, where associations can be predicted from probabilities. Finally, an exquisite map of brain-activated cells was detected in both epileptic animal and their controls, in typical cortico-subcortical structures associated with rituals, but driven from a region which control emotions.

Neste texto, uma técnica para validar a intuição e sensibilidade do analista que codifica valores de uma função é apresentada. A técnica de aprendizagem de máquina por algoritmo de classificação é aplicada a dois conjuntos de dados de fenômenos polissêmicos do português brasileiro – funções dos diminutivos e do modalizador parentético epistêmico (eu) acho que – para testar se os critérios adotados por um analista são consistentes e podem ser generalizados. Os resultados apontam para a importância da análise exploratória e confirmatória na rotina de classificação, e o aprendizado de máquina permite a identificar quando as condições de um modelo não são as responsáveis pela atribuição do julgamento.

Early life stress (ELS) is associated with a higher risk of psychopathologies in adulthood, such as depression, which may be related to persistent changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of ELS on the functioning of the HPA axis in clinical and experimental situations. Clinically, patients with current depressive episodes, with and without ELS, and healthy controls, composed the sample. Subjects took a capsule containing placebo, fludrocortisone, prednisolone, dexamethasone or spironolactone followed by an assessment of plasma cortisol the morning after. Experimentally, male Wistar rats were submitted to ELS protocol based on variable, unpredictable stressors from postnatal day (P) 1 to P21. On P65 animals were behaviorally evaluated through the forced swimming test (FST). At P68, pharmacological challenges started, using mifepristone, dexamethasone, spironolactone or fludrocortisone, and corticosterone levels were determined 3 hours after injections. Cortisol response of the patients did not differ significantly from healthy subjects, regardless of their ELS history, and it was lower after fludrocortisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone compared to placebo, indicating the suppression of plasma cortisol by all these treatments. Animals exposed to ELS presented altered phenotype as indicated by an increased immobility time in the FST when compared to control, but no significant long-lasting effects of ELS were observed on the HPA axis response. Limitations on the way the volunteers were sampled may have contributed to the lack of ELS effects on the HPA axis, pointing out the need for further research to understand these complex phenomena Significance statement Early life stress (ELS) is associated with a higher risk of psychopathologies in adulthood, including depression, which seems related to persistent changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. We evaluated the effects of ELS on the functioning of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis combining clinical and experimental approaches, challenging GR and MR receptors with agonists and antagonists. Cortisol response of depressive patients did not differ from healthy subjects, regardless of their ELS history. Animals submitted to ELS presented altered behavior, as increased immobility time in the forced-swimming test, but no effects were observed in response to GR and MR challenges. It provides insights into the complexity of HPA axis-related mechanisms involved in the long-lasting consequences of ELS in both experimental animals and humans.

Oxidation of sulfide ores in the Iberian Pyrite Belt region leads to the presence of extremely high concentration of dissolved heavy metals (HMs) in the acidic water of the Rio Tinto. Fe(II) is microbially oxidized resulting in the formation of suspended particulate matter (SPM) consisting of microbial cells and Fe(III) minerals with co-precipitated HMs. Although substantial amount of HM-bearing SPM is likely deposited to river sediment, a portion can still be transported through estuary to the coastal ocean. Therefore, the mechanisms of SPM formation and transport along the Rio Tinto are important for coastal-estuarine zone. In order to reveal these mechanisms, we performed diurnal sampling of Rio Tinto water, mineralogical and elemental analysis of sediment from the middle course and the estuary of the river. We identified two divergent but interrelated pathways of HM transfer. The first longitudinal pathway is the transport of SPM-associated metals such as As (6.58 μg/L), Pb (3.51 μg/L) and Cr (1.30 μg/L) to the coastal ocean. The second sedimentation pathway contributes to the continuous burial of HMs in the sediment throughout the river. In the middle course, sediment undergoes mineralogical transformations during early diagenesis and traps HMs (e.g. 1.6 mg/g of As, 1.23 mg/g of Pb and 0.1 mg/g of Cr). In the estuary, HMs are accumulated in a distinct anoxic layer of sediment (e.g. 1.5 mg/g of As, 2.09 mg/g of Pb and 0.04 mg/g of Cr). Our results indicate that microbially precipitated Fe(III) minerals (identified as ferrihydrite and schwertmannite) play a key role in maintaining these divergent HM pathways and as a consequence are crucial for HM mobility in the Rio Tinto.

Trace elements (TE) occur in natural and waste wood in a broad variety at considerable concentrations. Those TEs end up in different ash fractions (bottom-, fine-, and fly ashes) after combustion in furnaces at heat and power plants (HPP). The ash fractions differ significantly in TE concentrations and are therefore of variable quality. On the one hand they can be a matter of cost intensive disposal due to their toxicity. On the other hand they are a resource of valuable elements demanded by future technologies in an urban mining perspective. By understanding the individual element behavior during combustion and in the flue gas cleaning facilities, it is possible to predict element concentrations in the ash fractions. The results show the differences of TE concentrations in wood fuels as well as in the corresponding ash fractions precipitated in the air pollution control devices (APCDs) of four HPPs. The results from the mass balances show that the behavior of 23 investigated elements in wood fired stations is comparable to the behavior in coal fired stations. The individual element concentrations in the ash fractions are determined by different parameters, i.e. the element concentration in the fuel, the element volatility, and the operation of available flue gas cleaning facilities. The concentration of TE in bottom and especially in fly ashes of wood fired HPP are comparable to those found in economic important ores such as magnetite. The ashes from industrial wood combustion systems can therefore be considered as a valuable resource instead of a hazardous substance.

Temporal lobe epilepsy provokes a number of different morphological alterations in granule cells of the hippocampus dentate gyrus. These alterations may be associated with the hyperactivity and hypersynchrony found in the epileptic dentate gyrus, and their study requires the use of different kinds of approaches including computational modeling. Conductance-based models of both normal and epilepsy-induced morphologically altered granule cells have been used in the construction of network models of dentate gyrus to study the effects of these alterations on epilepsy. Here, we review these models and discuss their contributions to the understanding of the association between alterations in neuronal morphology and epilepsy in the dentate gyrus.

It is widely accepted that epilepsies are complex syndromes due to their multi-factorial origins and manifestations. Different mathematical and computational descriptions use appropriate methods to address nonlinear relationships, chaotic behaviors and emergent properties. These theoretical approaches can be divided into two major categories: descriptive, such as flowcharts, graphs and other statistical analyses, and explicative, which include both realistic and abstract models. Although these modeling tools have brought great advances, a common framework to guide their design, implementation and evaluation, with the goal of future integration, is still needed. In the current review, we discuss two examples of complexity analysis that can be performed with epilepsy data: behavioral sequences of temporal lobe seizures and alterations in an experimental cellular model. We also highlight the importance of the creation of model repositories for the epileptology field and encourage the development of mathematical descriptions of complex systems, together with more accurate simulation techniques.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled “The Future of Translational Epilepsy Research”.

The elevated plus-maze is an animal model of anxiety used to study the effect of different drugs on the behavior of the animal. It consists of a plus-shaped maze with two open and two closed arms elevated 50 cm from the floor. The standard measures used to characterize exploratory behavior in the elevated plus-maze are the time spent and the number of entries in the open arms. In this work, we use Markov chains to characterize the exploratory behavior of the rat in the elevated plus-maze under three different conditions: normal and under the effects of anxiogenic and anxiolytic drugs. The spatial structure of the elevated plus-maze is divided into squares, which are associated with states of a Markov chain. By counting the frequencies of transitions between states during 5-min sessions in the elevated plus-maze, we constructed stochastic matrices for the three conditions studied. The stochastic matrices show specific patterns, which correspond to the observed behaviors of the rat under the three different conditions. For the control group, the stochastic matrix shows a clear preference for places in the closed arms. This preference is enhanced for the anxiogenic group. For the anxiolytic group, the stochastic matrix shows a pattern similar to a random walk. Our results suggest that Markov chains can be used together with the standard measures to characterize the rat behavior in the elevated plus-maze.

Resumo: Este estudo visa aferir o tempo de leitura, em português e em inglês, de modo silencioso e em voz alta, e o controle do movimento ocular (quantidade e duração das fixações e regressões), com três grupos experimentais (10 de cada): jovens, envelhescentes e terceira idade, com o uso de aparelho de eye-tracking EyeTribe. Os resultados apontam que o grupo de participantes jovens se diferenciou dos outros dois grupos, com tempo de 200 a 250ms. O grupo de jovens obteve um tempo maior no inglês do que na leitura em português. Os participantes da terceira idade apresentaram um número muito maior estabelecido ao padrão de leitura de 500ms, apresentando um valor de 600-650ms. Nos textos de inglês, o tempo foi maior entre as três categorias. Os participantes leram os textos em inglês e em voz silenciosa mais rápido do que os textos em voz alta. Abstract: This study aims to measure the Portuguese and English reading time (in silent and reading aloud texts), as well as the eyetracking control (the amount and the number of fixations and regressions (go-past reading), with three different experimental groups (10 for each one of the groups): young, old, and aging-elderly people, using eye-tracker EyeTribe. The results showed that the young participant group differed from the other two groups, with the measure length time ranging from 200 to 250 ms. The young participant group obtained a longer time in reading English than Portuguese. The elderly group showed a higher number than the established standard one of 500 ms, averaging between 600-650 ms. In English texts, the reading time was longer in the three categories. The participants read English texts faster when reading silently than when reading aloud.

Epileptic syndromes and seizures are the expression of complex brain systems. Because no analysis of complexity has been applied to epileptic seizure semiology, our goal was to apply neuroethology and graph analysis to the study of the complexity of behavioral manifestations of epileptic seizures in human frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE) and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). We analyzed the video recordings of 120 seizures of 18 patients with FLE and 28 seizures of 28 patients with TLE. All patients were seizure-free >1 year after surgery (Engel Class I). All patients' behavioral sequences were analyzed by means of a glossary containing all behaviors and analyzed for neuroethology (Ethomatic software). The same series were used for graph analysis (CYTOSCAPE). Behaviors, displayed as nodes, were connected by edges to other nodes according to their temporal sequence of appearance. Using neuroethology analysis, we confirmed data in the literature such as in FLE: brief/frequent seizures, complex motor behaviors, head and eye version, unilateral/bilateral tonic posturing, speech arrest, vocalization, and rapid postictal recovery and in the case of TLE: presence of epigastric aura, lateralized dystonias, impairment of consciousness/speech during ictal and postictal periods, and development of secondary generalization. Using graph analysis metrics of FLE and TLE confirmed data from flowcharts. However, because of the algorithms we used, they highlighted more powerfully the connectivity and complex associations among behaviors in a quite selective manner, depending on the origin of the seizures. The algorithms we used are commonly employed to track brain connectivity from EEG and MRI sources, which makes our study very promising for future studies of complexity in this field.

Temporal lobe epilepsy strongly affects hippocampal dentate gyrus granule cells morphology. These cells exhibit seizure-induced anatomical alterations including mossy fiber sprouting, changes in the apical and basal dendritic tree and suffer substantial dendritic spine loss. The effect of some of these changes on the hyperexcitability of the dentate gyrus has been widely studied. For example, mossy fiber sprouting increases the excitability of the circuit while dendritic spine loss may have the opposite effect. However, the effect of the interplay of these different morphological alterations on the hyperexcitability of the dentate gyrus is still unknown. Here we adapted an existing computational model of the dentate gyrus by replacing the reduced granule cell models with morphologically detailed models coming from three-dimensional reconstructions of mature cells. The model simulates a network with 10% of the mossy fiber sprouting observed in the pilocarpine (PILO) model of epilepsy. Different fractions of the mature granule cell models were replaced by morphologically reconstructed models of newborn dentate granule cells from animals with PILO-induced Status Epilepticus, which have apical dendritic alterations and spine loss, and control animals, which do not have these alterations. This complex arrangement of cells and processes allowed us to study the combined effect of mossy fiber sprouting, altered apical dendritic tree and dendritic spine loss in newborn granule cells on the excitability of the dentate gyrus model. Our simulations suggest that alterations in the apical dendritic tree and dendritic spine loss in newborn granule cells have opposing effects on the excitability of the dentate gyrus after Status Epilepticus. Apical dendritic alterations potentiate the increase of excitability provoked by mossy fiber sprouting while spine loss curtails this increase., Author Summary Neurogenesis is currently a well known phenomenon in the adult brain, in special in some areas such as the subventricular zone and the dentate gyrus in the hippocampus, in which different endogenous and exogenous factors provoke cell proliferation. In the specific case of the dentate gyrus, granule cells proliferate exhibiting altered morphology after the induction of Status Epilepticus (SE) by pilocarpine (PILO). Several days after the injury the new cells show different morphological alterations, for example, in dendritic spines and branching patterns, as well as with the formation of axonal sprouting. The way in which these new cells are integrated into the hippocampus is still unknown with conflicting data in the literature. Here we used computer simulation to test if the activity of the dentate gyrus is affected by the presence of different proportions of new cells after PILO-induced SE. Our results show that the specific morphological alterations present in the granule cells in rats with PILO-induced SE may be responsible for increasing (mossy fiber sprouting) or decreasing (spine loss) the activity in the network. The imbalance between these effects may be manifest as an epileptiform network behavior.

Neuromorphology has a long history of meticulous analysis and fundamental studies about the intricacies of neuronal shape. These studies converged to a plethora of information describing in detail many neuronal characteristics, as well as comprehensive data about cell localization, animal type, age, among others. Much of this information has notably been compiled through efforts of the Computational Neuroanatomy Group at the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, George Mason University, thus originating the NeuroMorpho.org repository, a resource that incorporates a large set of data and related tools. In the current work we present a methodology that can be used to search for novel relationships in cell morphology contained in databases such as the NeuroMorpho.org. More specifically, we try to understand which morphological characteristics can be considered universal for a given cell type, or to what extent we can represent an entire cell class through an archetypal shape. This analysis is done by taking a large number of characteristics from cells into account, and then applying multivariate techniques to analyze the data. The neurons are then classified as archetypes or outliers according to how close they are to the typical shape of the class. We find that granule and medium spiny neurons can be associated with a typical shape, and that different animals and brain regions show distinct distributions of shapes.

The elevated plus-maze (EPM) is a widely used anxiety animal model [1]. It consists of a plus-shaped maze elevated 50 cm from the floor. The maze is composed of two open arms and two closed arms crossing at right angles at a central area. The usual anxiety measures are the percentages of open or closed arm entries and the percentages of time spent on open or closed arms [2]. Recently, we have proposed a graph representation of the EPM in which the maze floor is divided into 21 squares that are treated as nodes of a directed graph [3], i.e. transitions between connected nodes can occur in both directions. Using the directed graph representation we have shown that the displacements of the rat in the EPM during a 5 min trial can be well modeled by a first-order homogeneous Markov chain [4]. Moreover, we have shown that the estimated stochastic matrix, which gives the transition probabilities between nodes, is sensitive to the pharmacological condition of the animal, i.e. if it belongs to the control group or was treated with an anxiogenic or anxiolytic drug [4]. The stochastic matrices for the different drug treatment types are interesting to compare different groups of rats but they are not practical as succinct indexes of their anxiety level. Here we propose a new anxiety index for the rat behavior in the EPM based on measures from the stochastic matrix. The stochastic matrices were estimated from the recorded behaviors of 107 rats submitted to the EPM test under different pharmacological conditions. Twenty-five of the rats were control animals, 44 received anxiogenic drugs (pentylenetetrazol, 10, 20, and 30 mg/kg; semicarbazide, 20 mg/kg), and 38 received anxiolytic drugs (midazolam, 1 µg/kg; chlordiazepoxide, 5 mg/kg). From these matrices, the mean number of transitions until the rat reaches for the first time one of the nodes in the open or closed arms, starting from the central node at time 0, is calculated for all graph nodes. These mean values are called average absorption times of the nodes, which can be grouped in different ways. In this work, we considered the ratio of the average absorption time of a closed arm node to the average absorption time of the symmetrical node on the open arm. For high doses of anxiogenic drugs not all graph nodes are reached by the rat. These nodes were discarded from our calculations. Our results show that for each pharmacological condition the ratios determined as explained above are approximately the same for any distance from the center. This invariance suggests that only one of the average absorption time ratios can be used to characterize the pharmacological condition of the animal. Based on this finding we propose that the average absorption time ratio can be used as an additional index to characterize the anxiety-related behavior of the rat in the EPM.