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Implicit adaptation has been regarded as a rigid process that automatically operates in response to movement errors to keep the sensorimotor system precisely calibrated. This hypothesis has been challenged by recent evidence suggesting flexibility in this learning process. One compelling line of evidence comes from work suggesting that this form of learning is context-dependent, with the rate of learning modulated by error history. Specifically, learning was attenuated in the presence of perturbations exhibiting high variance compared to when the perturbation is fixed. However, these findings are confounded by the fact that the adaptation system corrects for errors of different magnitudes in a non-linear manner, with the adaptive response increasing in a proportional manner to small errors and saturating to large errors. Through simulations, we show that this non-linear motor correction function is sufficient to explain the effect of perturbation variance without referring to an experience-dependent change in error sensitivity. Moreover, by controlling the distribution of errors experienced during training, we provide empirical evidence showing that there is no measurable effect of perturbation variance on implicit adaptation. As such, we argue that the evidence to date remains consistent with the rigidity assumption.

Binary feedback, providing information solely about task success or failure, can be sufficient to drive motor learning. While binary feedback can induce explicit adjustments in movement strategy, it remains unclear if this type of feedback also induces implicit learning. We examined this question in a center-out reaching task by gradually moving an invisible reward zone away from a visual target to a final rotation of 7.5° or 25° in a between-group design. Participants received binary feedback, indicating if the movement intersected the reward zone. By the end of the training, both groups modified their reach angle by about 95% of the rotation. We quantified implicit learning by measuring performance in a subsequent no-feedback aftereffect phase, in which participants were told to forgo any adopted movement strategies and reach directly to the visual target. The results showed a small, but robust (2-3°) aftereffect in both groups, highlighting that binary feedback elicits implicit learning. Notably, for both groups, reaches to two flanking generalization targets were biased in the same direction as the aftereffect. This pattern is at odds with the hypothesis that implicit learning is a form of use-dependent learning. Rather, the results suggest that binary feedback can be sufficient to recalibrate a sensorimotor map.

Apple is an important horticultural crop, but various adverse environmental factors can threaten the quality and yield of its fruits. The ability of apples to resist stress mainly depends on the rootstock. Malus baccata (L.) Borkh. is a commonly used rootstock in Northeast China. In this study, it was used as the experimental material, and the target gene MbWRKY53 was screened through transcriptome analysis and Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) after cold and drought treatment. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that this transcription factor (TF) belonged to the WRKY TF family, and its encoded protein was localized in the nucleus. RT-qPCR showed that the gene was more easily expressed in roots and young leaves and is more responsive to cold and drought stimuli. Functional validation in Arabidopsis thaliana confirmed that MbWRKY53 can enhance plant tolerance to cold and drought stress. Furthermore, by analyzing the expression levels of genes related to cold and drought stress in transgenic Arabidopsis lines, it was inferred that this gene can regulate the expression of stress-related genes through multiple pathways such as the CBF pathway, SOS pathway, Pro synthesis pathway, and ABA-dependent pathways, enhancing the adaptability of transgenic Arabidopsis to cold and drought environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants are often exposed to biotic or abiotic stress, which can seriously impede their growth and development. In recent years, researchers have focused especially on the study of plant responses to biotic and abiotic stress. As one of the most widely planted grapevine rootstocks, 'Beta' has been extensively proven to be highly resistant to stress. However, further research is needed to understand the mechanisms of abiotic stress in 'Beta' rootstocks. In this study, we isolated and cloned a novel WRKY transcription factor, VhWRKY44, from the 'Beta' rootstock. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that VhWRKY44 was a nuclear-localized protein. Tissue-specific expression analysis indicated that VhWRKY44 had higher expression levels in grape roots and mature leaves. Further research demonstrated that the expression level of VhWRKY44 in grape roots and mature leaves was highly induced by salt and cold treatment. Compared with the control, Arabidopsis plants overexpressing VhWRKY44 showed stronger resistance to salt and cold stress. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) were significantly increased, and the contents of proline, malondialdehyde (MDA) and chlorophyll were changed considerably. In addition, significantly higher levels of stress-related genes were detected in the transgenic lines. The results indicated that VhWRKY44 was an important transcription factor in 'Beta' with excellent salt and cold tolerance, providing a new foundation for abiotic stress research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To overcome the mutual constraints between the system chattering and the arrival time in conventional sliding mode control in this paper, a tangent excitation function (tansig) type nonlinear extended state observer (NLESO)-based integral terminal sliding mode control is proposed to solve the trajectory tracking control task of the modular robot manipulators (MRMs) possessing strong coupling and complex time-varying properties. Through the joint torque feedback technology, the MRM system dynamic model is formulated; on this basis, the proposed NLESO based on tansig is utilized to estimate and compensate the system uncertain information, which are consisted of the friction, interconnected dynamic coupling, and external disturbance. The proposed NLESO can simplify the traditional extended state observer design parameters for theoretical analysis and practical application. The proposed tansig-type NLESO-based integral terminal sliding mode control integrated adaptive term exponential reaching law for MRMs is designed to diminish the arrival time when the system state converges to the equilibrium point. The presented algorithm improves the robotic system antidisturbance ability. Furthermore, the Lyapunov theory is utilized to verify stability of the proposed NLESO and closed-loop robotic system. Finally, the availability of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated by experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In phase measuring deflectometry (PMD), the existence of parasitic reflections at the rear surface of transparent objects will lead to ‘ghosted’ fringe patterns, which results in phase error. Accurately extracting the phase from the 'ghosted' fringe patterns is considered as one of the main problems in PMD. Existing phase extraction methods still remain some drawbacks such as high cost of experiment equipment, the existence of ill-conditioned areas and difficulty in setting up a suitable threshold. In this paper, the envelope curve algorithm based on multi-frequency approach is proposed to eliminate parasitic reflections. The parasitic reflections were eliminated successfully. The PV and the RMS of the front phase error are 0.1085 rad and 0.0072 rad, and those of the rear phase error are 0.1345 rad and 0.0081 rad respectively in the simulation. Experiments also proved the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. What’s more, the phase information of both the front and the rear surfaces can be attained simultaneously. The proposed algorithm could eliminate parasitic reflections successfully without destroying the tested object or special equipment. Factors which may influence the performance of this algorithm are discussed, and results showed that the proposed method is especially suitable for thick transparent object. Keywords: Parasitic reflections, Multi-frequency approach, Phase measuring deflectometry, Fringe analysis, Fringe demodulation