Modulation Process Research Articles

Abstract 384: Regulation Of The Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotypic Switch In Resolution Of Vascular Injury

Background: The modulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) phenotypes is a highly important process in the formation of neointima and in resolution of inflammation after vascular injury. Underlying genetic mechanisms that control the phenotypic switch of VSMC in disease are not completely understood. On this basis, the phenotypic regulation of VSMC in restenosis development was examined in the mouse carotid artery injury model. Methods and Results: Wire-induced injury, an established mouse-model to study restenosis, was applied to induce vascular injury in C57BL/6 mice. Time-resolved single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNAseq) and massive-analysis-of-cDNA-ends (MACE)-RNAseq of neointima obtained by laser capture microdissection were performed to detect genetic changes in neointima development. Single-cell RNA-sequencing of C57BL/6 mice at different time points after wire-induced injury revealed an expanding, highly proliferative activated VSMC cluster, which exhibited low expression of SMC marker genes. Analysis for differentially regulated genes (DEG) and pseudotime clustering identified a unique marker gene signature, including high expression of TIMP Metallopeptidase Inhibitor 1 (Timp1), which was identified as main ordering gene of the modulation processes′ pseudo temporal states. MACEseq confirmed upregulation of Timp1 selectively in neointima forming VSMCs. Integration with atherosclerosis scRNAseq data indicated differences in gene signatures of activated VSMC populations. Transcription factor analysis of modulated VSMC identified BACH1, a factor involved in reactive oxidative stress response and proliferation of SMCs, as potential regulatory target for re-differentiation of VSMCs after vascular injury. Conclusion: ScRNAseq identified a unique cell cluster responsible for neointima formation. Targeting the transcription factors driving the cluster (like BACH1) can be exploited to combat neointima development.

The Development of an Information Technology Architecture for Automated, Agile and Versatile Companies with Ecological and Ethical Guidelines

Based on many years of experience as a management consultant in different industries and corporate structures and cultures, the motivation to use digital transformation in connection with variable corporate goals—such as fluctuating workloads, agile response to customer inquiries, and ecological and economic sustainability—results in a process or a product to be developed that intelligently adapts to market requirements and requires forward-looking leadership. Using an AI-based methodical analysis and synthesis approach, the high consumption of economic and human resources is to be continuously monitored and optimization measures initiated at an early stage. The necessary information technology with its infrastructure and architecture is the starting point to accompany the agility and changeability of corporate goals. Researching the relevant documents begins with writing the panorama or the state of knowledge on the topic. This article is about the IT infrastructure based on the requirements for an architecture and behavior that a versatile, agile company needs to accompany the constantly changing framework conditions of the market. The technology used and the available resources, including the human resources, need to be adapted as early as possible. Data now represent the most valuable asset on Earth and future industrial manufacturing systems must maximize the opportunity of data usage. Low-level data must be transformed to make them useful in supporting intelligent decision-making, for example. Furthermore, future manufacturing systems must be highly productive, adaptable, absent of error, and kind to the environment and to local communities. The all-important design should minimize the waste of material, capital, energy, and media. Herein, we discuss the fulfilling of agile customer requirements involving adaptable and modulated production processes (related to the ‘agile manufacturing’ and ‘digital transformation’ perspectives).

P229 Integrated analysis of dermal blister fluid proteomics and skin biopsy transcriptomics gives new insight into pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis

Abstract Background/Aims Suction blister fluid (BF) provides a unique opportunity to analyse the dermal microenvironment of SSc. We utilised an integrated approach to analyse proteomic data from dermal interstitial fluid and genome-wide transcriptomic data from skin biopsies from early dcSSc and healthy controls (HC). Interpreting differential protein expression in the context of RNA sequencing (RNAseq) provides unique insight into potential mediators and pathways relevant to SSc. Methods The BIOPSY cohort recruited 21 early dcSSc patients with mean skin score (MRSS) of 21 (sd 11) and 16 HCs. Forearm skin BF was obtained using the dermal suction blister method and assayed using the Olink platform (www.olink.com) (1192 proteins). Simultaneous 4mm punch biopsies were taken from all subjects, for genome-wide transcriptomic profiling by RNAseq. Integrated analysis of clinical characteristics, gene and protein expression data was conducted using WGCNA and clusterProfiler in R. This method clusters individual analytes into modules sharing similar expression patterns. Each module has been arbitrarily assigned as a colour. Results WGCNA identified 6 modules in BF, and 30 modules from skin. Two BF modules and three in the skin positively correlated with each other, and all of them correlated with a diagnosis of early dcSSc. The magenta module in the skin (385 genes) and blue module (450 proteins) in BF had the strongest correlation (r = 0.74, p < 0.001 and r = 0.6, p < 0.001 respectively). Interrogating each module, key biological processes consistent with current concepts of SSc pathogenesis were identified, and skin and blister modules largely seemed to complement each other. Magenta module processes focused on angiogenesis, extracellular matrix (ECM) structure, and endothelial cell proliferation, with the highest fold change in COMP (FC = 5.06, p<0.001), COL4A4 (FC = 3.86,p<0.001), COL11A1 (FC = 3.46, p<0.001) having the highest fold change compared to HC. The red module from the skin transcriptomics consisted of genes relating to immune activation, whereas the interferon signature was predominantly seen in the genes of the pink module. Within BF proteomics, the blue module consisted of proteins centred around ECM organisation, cell adhesion, and response to TNF, with upregulation of SFRP1 (FC = 4.88, p = 0.013), TNC(FC = 4.81, p=0.0018) and KLK4 (FC = 7.17, p<0.001) in early dcSSc. Whereas metabolic processes were the centre of the turquoise module. Significant Hallmark pathways were compared between all five modules in each tissue modality. Notably, some pathways were upregulated in both skin gene expression and blister fluid modules including NFKB signalling, allograft rejection, and interferon gamma response. Significantly activated pathways in skin gene but not the blister protein modules include G2M checkpoint, p53 pathway, and xenobiotic metabolism. Conversely, protein secretion, unfolded protein response and mitotic spindle pathways were significantly increased only in the blister modules. Conclusion Simultaneous high dimensional analysis of skin gene and protein expression gives new insight into the molecular pathology of SSc. This provides a potential platform for developing a novel composite biomarker for skin. Disclosure K.E.N. Clark: None. E. Csomor: Corporate appointments; employee of GSK. C. Campochiaro: None. Y. Teo: Corporate appointments; employee of GSK. J. Freudenberg: Corporate appointments; employee of GSK. K. Nevin: Corporate appointments; employee of GSK. M.A. Morse: Corporate appointments; employee of GSK. V.H. Ong: None. E. Derrett-Smith: None. N. Wisniacki: Corporate appointments; employee of GSK. S.M. Flint: Corporate appointments; employee of GSK. C.P. Denton: None.

Reduction of secondary lobes in joint angle and delay estimation in angle of arrival localization to detect MAC address spoofing in wireless networks

in this paper, we solve the problem of secondary lobes that are due to noise that comes from constructive and destructive multipath interference that are resulted in received signal strength (RSS) variation over time. This is to develop a very efficient localization algorithm that uses a unique fingerprint angle of arrivals (AOAs), in a specified range, with associated time delays (TDs), in the surrounded sparsity design promoting multipath parameter (i.e:RSS). We solve this problem to detect physical identity spoofing of nodes in radio wireless networks, and localize adversaries and jammers of wireless networks. All radio waves are vulnerable to many types of attacks due to the ability to capture them and sniff or eavesdropping on them in the open space. Physical identity spoofing is used to launch many types of attacks against wireless networks like Denial of Service (DOS), Man-In-The-Middle and Session Hijacking and eavesdropping. Eavesdropping is a human-based social engineering attack. Active adversaries are able to jam and eavesdrop simultaneously, while passive adversaries can only eavesdrop on passed signals. In TCP/IP protocol for example, Media Access Card (MAC) Address is transferred in 802.11 frames. Detection process was carried out by analyzing electromagnetic radio waves that are used to transfer data, in the form of radio wave signals that are formed by the modulation process which mixes the electromagnetic wave, with another one of different frequency or amplitude to produce the signal with a specified pattern of frequency and amplitude. We depended on the angle of arrival of vectors and time delay across scattered areas in the surrounded space to solve the problem of co-location in detection and localization of jammers. We used Maximum Likelihood (ML) angle of arrival determination because ML approaches, known to their higher accuracy and enhanced resolution capabilities. And we assessed their computational complexity that was considered as the major drawback for designers to their implementation in practice. Our solution was tested on a jammer that changed the signal strength of received signal at the receiver at an angle of arrival 30 degree. And we used scatterers density to determine the angle of arrival of the sender. The simulation has observed that the power of the received signal has changed from the range of angles 20 to 40 degrees. We used scatterers because they describe the density of the signal power, and also enhance the signal to noise ratio, that resulted from the multipath fading of the signal strength. And also overcoming the problem of secondary lobes that are due to signal propagation, while determining the angle of arrival of a signal sender. So, we developed a new passive technique to detect MAC address spoofing based on angle of arrival localization. And assessed the computation complexity of the localization technique through depending on a range angle to estimate the angle of arrival of the adversary within it. And we reduced number of secondary lobes, and their peaks, in the importance function, while determining the angle of arrival, and so increasing the accuracy of angle of arrival measurement. We compared our work to other techniques and find that our technique is better than these techniques.

Direct Modulation and Free-Space Transmissions of up to 6 Gbps Multilevel Signals With a 4.65-$\mu$m Quantum Cascade Laser at Room Temperature

A roadmap for future wireless communications is expected to exploit all transmission-suitable spectrum bands, from the microwave to the optical frequencies, to support orders of magnitude faster data transfer with much lower latency than the deployed solutions nowadays. The currently under-exploited mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectrum is an essential building block for such an envisioned all-spectra wireless communication paradigm. Free-space optical (FSO) communications in the mid-IR region have recently attracted great interest due to their intrinsic merits of low propagation loss and high tolerance of atmospheric perturbations. Future development of viable mid-IR FSO transceivers requires a semiconductor source to fulfill the high bandwidth, low energy consumption, and small footprint requirements. In this context, quantum cascade laser (QCL) appears as a promisingtechnological choice. In this work, we present an experimental demonstration of a mid-IR FSO link enabled by a 4.65-μm directly modulated (DM) QCL operating at room temperature. We achieve a transmission data rate of up to 6 Gbps over a 0.5-m link distance. This achievement is enabled by system-level characterization and optimization of transmitter and receiver power level and frequency response and assisted with advanced modulation and digital signal processing (DSP) techniques. This work pushes the QCL-based FSO technology one step closer to practical terrestrial applications, such as the fixed wireless access and the wireless mobile backhaul. Such a QCL-based solution offers a promising way towards the futuristic all-spectra wireless communication paradigm by potentially supporting the whole spectrum from the MIR to the terahertz (THz).

Bandgap engineering of strained S-terminated MXene and its promising application as NOx gas sensor

Very recently, Kamysbayev et al.’s study (Science, 2020, 369, 979) reported the successful synthesis of S-terminated MXenes, while the metallic properties of these materials suppress their further applications. In the present study, by taking M2CS2 (M = Ti, Hf or Zr) as the examples, our theoretical results revealed that the M2CS2 exhibits the high selectivity and poor sensitivity towards NOx gases. To solve this issue, the electronic property of M2CS2 was considered to modulate by applying strains. It is found that the band gap of Hf2CS2 is opened at 5% biaxial strain under the GGA-PBE functional, while the structures of Ti2CS2 and Zr2CS2 become disordered during the modulation processes. Interestingly, the Hf2CS2 at 5% biaxial strain changes from semiconductor into conductor after the adsorption of NOx, and the sensitivity of Hf2CS2 towards NO and NO2 increases from 15% and 21% (without strain) to 106% and 329% (at 5% strain), respectively. Together with the moderate adsorption energies (−0.33 to −0.17 eV), we proposed that the Hf2CS2 is a promising reusable NOx gas sensor with both high selectivity and sensitivity. More importantly, our results provided an effective strategy to modulate the electronic properties of S-terminated MXenes, which will further extend their applications.

Investigation of pattern division multiple access technique in wireless communication networks

Recently, <span>pattern division multiple access (PDMA) is a non-orthogonal multiple access system that is now being developed in next-generation telecoms to address the requirement for mass connectivity. The core premise of non-orthogonal multiple access is to simultaneously serve multiple users with varying power levels across the same spectrum resources such as time, frequency, code, as well as space with minimal inter-user interference. A simulation analysis of significant technology enhancements focusing on PDMA aims to describe the benefits of the two plans now being examined by the third-generation partnership project for 5G technologies, namely filtered orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (F-OFDM) and windowed orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (W-OFDM), and to compare them to alternative modulation processes such as 16, 32, and 128 modulations. The research results explained the PDMA is less bit error rate used in multiple access technologies compare with W-OFDM and F-OFDM.</span>

Spatiotemporal Diurnal Modulation Characteristic of Wind Speed and Power Generation Revealed by Its Measured Data Processing.

Atmospheric turbulence is an intrinsic factor that causes uncertainty of wind speed and its power generation by wind turbine. The research of atmospheric turbulence characteristics of wind farms can be used to reduce this uncertainty. In this paper, enough measurement data getting from actual wind farms is used for information processing to quantitatively analyze the daily variation of wind speed and its power output characteristics. Furthermore, the concept of spatiotemporal diurnal modulation characteristics of atmospheric turbulence is proposed with a global scope, which is an intrinsic property of wind. Besides the daily variation characteristics, the average hourly wind speed has a short-term modulation effect on its turbulence and provides a modulation characteristic on wind speed uncertainty. Moreover, the long-term modulation process is affected by seasonal and regional factors, indicating that it has spatiotemporal characteristics. This atmospheric turbulence characteristic has similar effects on characteristic description parameters. However, the characteristics description parameters of wind speed and wind power variation fail to reflect such intrinsic characteristics that are not affected by the spatiotemporal diurnal modulation characteristics of atmospheric turbulence. This indicates that they do not have diurnal characteristics. Finally, a time-varying model combined with the spatiotemporal diurnal modulation characteristics of wind speed and its power generation is discussed by applying on the evaluation of frequency control in power systems. It is shown that the results obtained by measured data processing could improve the power generation quality of large-scale wind power effectively.

Penerapan Metode Delta Modulation dalam Kompresi File Video Mp4

The development of digital technology shows very rapid progress. This development is also closely related to the availability of the storage media needed for data storage. This need is due to the fact that more and more data is stored, and the size of the data is large. Compression is a technique to reduce the amount of data size from the original data. The general principle used in the video compression process is to reduce duplication of data in the video so that the memory needed to represent the original video. Many of the videos that are produced contain duplicate data. In this study, the authors applied the Delta Modulation method to perform MP4 videos. This method will compress by grouping pixels into 8x8 macro blocks. And added with the quantity process to shrink the pixel value, so that the Delta Modulation process works better on compressed MP4 videos.

Inhomogeneous acoustic grating model for stimulated Brillouin scattering

Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) is well recognized as being useful in quantum information processing, optical fiber sensing, and LIDAR remote sensing. Here an inhomogeneous acoustic grating model based on coupled wave and dielectric grating theories is established to analyze the SBS process in water. The acoustic grating modulation process was theoretically analyzed based on the proposed model. The results show that variations of the Stokes peak intensity, frequency shift, and linewidth of SBS in water depend on the cosinusoidal refractive index modulation and periodic modulation of the acoustic grating. To verify the theoretical simulation results, an experimental system was designed to measure the SBS process in seawater with different temperatures and salinities. Theoretical results show coincidence with experimental values in the variation trend, and the numerical difference is about 10 MHz per degree Celsius or one thousandth of salinity. This work is essential to future applications of SBS in quantum communication, fiber sensing, and LIDAR technology.

Automatic Correcting Mathematics Operating System based on AI

With the development of society, the advancement of science and technology has become an important basis for whether a country is strong or not, and the development of science and technology cannot do without a solid mathematical foundation. Mathematics is the most important is to calculate, and the enhancement of computing power is to need constant practice to do the problem and correct the wrong problem, so this design of an ai-based automatic correction math homework system. The design of the system can be divided into two parts, the front user operating platform interface design and background function design. The function realization of the background can be divided into five modules, which are image recognition module, mathematical operation module, answer comparison module, data interaction module and image processing module. The image recognition module is used to recognize the text in the picture and obtain the coordinates. The mathematical operation module is used to carry on the operation to the identified problem; The answer comparison module is used to judge right and wrong; The data interaction module USES MySQL database for data interaction. Image processing module is used to identify right and wrong.

Correction to: Range resolution enhancement technique for dual demodulator continuous-time frequency modulation processing

Correction to: Range resolution enhancement technique for dual demodulator continuous-time frequency modulation processing

Evaluation of Preclinical Task Based Learning program in Medical Education.

The conventional curriculum in preclinical medical education has a need for early clinical exposure programs that help in correlation of basic science data with clinical skills. This is helpful to develop clinical reasoning skills, problem-solving abilities, team work, communication skills and overall attitudes and behaviour relevant for a healthcare provider. Preclinical task based learning (TskBL) is an active learning strategy in which the focus for the first year medical student is a real task done by a doctor. In this strategy the student-doctors undergo a standardized patient encounter and discuss the learning issues related to the task in the first year of medical school. The current study is focussed on the student perception of the effectiveness of task based learning module.The TskBL was conducted among first year medical students for nine topics that are commonly encountered in the clinics. After TskBL was planned and implemented the evaluation of the modules was done using focus group discussions. The students highlighted the importance of standardized patients in the TskBL strategy in providing early clinical exposure in preclinical medical education. They reported its usefulness gaining essential knowledge, skills and attitudes for medical learning. They reported positive outcomes of module design and processes and activities in TskBL. Based on the negative aspects of the modules, future improvement was suggested in improving the usefulness of standardized patient encounter. This study showed the novice learners' outlook of the potency of TskBL for several other topics of clinical relevance to provide early clinical exposure in medical schools.

Impaired Subcortical Processing of Amplitude-Modulated Tones in Mice Deficient for Cacna2d3, a Risk Gene for Autism Spectrum Disorders in Humans.

Temporal processing of complex sounds is a fundamental and complex task in hearing and a prerequisite for processing and understanding vocalization, speech, and prosody. Here, we studied response properties of neurons in the inferior colliculus (IC) in mice lacking Cacna2d3, a risk gene for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The α2δ3 auxiliary Ca2+ channel subunit encoded by Cacna2d3 is essential for proper function of glutamatergic synapses in the auditory brainstem. Recent evidence has shown that much of auditory feature extraction is performed in the auditory brainstem and IC, including processing of amplitude modulation (AM). We determined both spectral and temporal properties of single- and multi-unit responses in the IC of anesthetized mice. IC units of α2δ3−/− mice showed normal tuning properties yet increased spontaneous rates compared with α2δ3+/+. When stimulated with AM tones, α2δ3−/− units exhibited less precise temporal coding and reduced evoked rates to higher modulation frequencies (fm). Whereas first spike latencies (FSLs) were increased for only few modulation frequencies, population peak latencies were increased for fm ranging from 20 to 100 Hz in α2δ3−/− IC units. The loss of precision of temporal coding with increasing fm from 70 to 160 Hz was characterized using a normalized offset-corrected (Pearson-like) correlation coefficient, which appeared more appropriate than the metrics of vector strength. The processing deficits of AM sounds analyzed at the level of the IC indicate that α2δ3−/− mice exhibit a subcortical auditory processing disorder (APD). Similar deficits may be present in other mouse models for ASDs.

A novel orthogonal LoRa multiple access algorithm for satellite Internet of Things

In recent years, LoRa has been extensively researched in the satellite Internet of Things (IoT). However, the multiple access technology of LoRa is still one of the bottlenecks of satellite IoT. To improve the multiple access performance of LoRa satellite IoT, based on the orthogonality of LoRa symbols in the fractional domain, this paper proposes a low complexity Orthogonal LoRa Multiple Access (OLMA) algorithm for multiple LoRa users occupying the same frequency bandwidth. The algorithm introduces the address code to divide the fractional bandwidth into multiple parts, and the OLMA users with different address codes occupy different parts to transmit the information code, thus avoiding mutual interference caused by collisions in the same frequency bandwidth. The multiple access capability of OLMA can be flexibly configured only by simply adjusting the length of the address code according to the actual application requirements of data transmission. Theoretical analysis and simulation results show that the OLMA algorithm can greatly improve the multiple access capability and the total transmission bit rate of LoRa IoT without changing the existing LoRa modulation parameters and process.

Early fish domestication affects methylation of key genes involved in the rapid onset of the farmed phenotype

ABSTRACT Animal domestication is a process of environmental modulation and artificial selection leading to permanent phenotypic modifications. Recent studies showed that phenotypic changes occur very early in domestication, i.e., within the first generation in captivity, which raises the hypothesis that epigenetic mechanisms may play a critical role on the early onset of the domestic phenotype. In this context, we applied reduced representation bisulphite sequencing to compare methylation profiles between wild Nile tilapia females and their offspring reared under farmed conditions. Approximately 700 differentially methylated CpG sites were found, many of them associated not only with genes involved in muscle growth, immunity, autophagy and diet response but also related to epigenetic mechanisms, such as RNA methylation and histone modifications. This bottom-up approach showed that the phenotypic traits often related to domestic animals (e.g., higher growth rate and different immune status) may be regulated epigenetically and prior to artificial selection on gene sequences. Moreover, it revealed the importance of diet in this process, as reflected by differential methylation patterns in genes critical to fat metabolism. Finally, our study highlighted that the TGF-β1 signalling pathway may regulate and be regulated by several differentially methylated CpG-associated genes. This could be an important and multifunctional component in promoting adaptation of fish to a domestic environment while modulating growth and immunity-related traits.

Doppler Measurement of Modulated Light for High Speed Vehicles.

Technical details associated with a novel relative motion sensor system are elaborated in the paper. By utilizing the Doppler effect, the optical sensor system estimates the relative motion rates between the sensor and the moving object equipped with modulating light sources and relatively inexpensive electrical components. A transimpedance amplifier (TIA) sensing circuit is employed to measure the Doppler shift exhibited by the amplitude modulated light sources on the moving platform. Implementation details associated with the amplitude modulation and photo-detection processes are discussed using representative hardware elements. A heterodyne mixing process with a reference signal is shown to improve the signal-to-noise ratios of the Doppler shift estimation processing pipeline. Benchtop prototype experiments are used to demonstrate the utility of the proposed technology for relative motion estimation applications.

Investigating the effects of mobilization with movement and exercise on pain modulation processes in shoulder pain – a single cohort pilot study with short-term follow up

ABSTRACT Objective To explore the association between manual therapy and exercise and pain modulation and clinical characteristics in people with musculoskeletal shoulder pain. Methods This is a prospective, longitudinal, single cohort pilot study. People with shoulder pain for longer than 6 weeks underwent 4 weeks of glenohumeral mobilization with movement and shoulder exercises. Measures of pain modulation, shoulder pain, disability, range of motion and psychosocial factors were assessed at baseline and immediately after the 4-week period of treatment. Treatment effectiveness was assessed through parametric, non-parametric and multilevel modeling statistics. Results Twenty-three individuals participatedwith no loss to follow-up. Significant and meaningful improvements in shoulder pain (NRS mean change 1.6/10, 95% CI 0.4 to 2.7), disability (SPADI mean change 20.5/100, 95% CI 13.1 to 27.9) and range of motion (mean change 33°, 95% CI 23 to 43°) were observed following treatment. Statistical but non-clinically meaningful changes were observed in temporal summation of pain (mean change 0.3/10, 95% CI 0.1 to 0.4) and anxiety (mean change 0.86/21, 95% CI 0.18 to 1.55). Significant reductions were observed in temporal summation of pain (mean change 0.3/10, 95% CI 0.1 to 0.4) and anxiety (mean change 0.86/21, 95% CI 0.18 to 1.55), however these were not considered clinically important. No association was found between clinical characteristics and sensory measures. No association was found between clinical characteristics and sensory measures. Conclusion Glenohumeral mobilization with movement and exercise did not improve pain modulation, despite improvements in pain, function and range of motion, in people with shoulder pain.

Synchronous Tremor Modulation During the Passage of 2012 Super-typhoon Jelawat in Nankai Trough: By Chance or Real Consequence?

Abstract Episodic tremor and slow-slip events are sensitive to the exogenous stress perturbations process. Although tidal and remote triggering phenomena of tremors are well-established facts; however, the triggering mechanism induced by low-barometric pressure of typhoons or larger storms remains poorly addressed. In this paper, a time-synchronous tremor modulation is presented from the northern Kii Peninsula in western Japan, associated with a large Super Typhoon Jelawat, which occurred on September 30, 2012. It has been argued that such tremor excitation may not be correlated with other types of signal, such as the short-term or long-term slow-slip events, tidal effect, or remote triggering. The atmospheric low-pressure condition during the passage of super typhoon Jelawat causes vertical crustal uplift by a negative load and hence possibly enhances the thrust motion due to unclamping effects on the fault. Therefore, it is suggested that the synchronous tremor modulation process in the northern Kii Peninsula is a real consequence induced by super typhoon Jelawat.

Invited Session V: GABAergic function and dysfunction in visual perception: Strong evidence against a common center-surround mechanism in visual processing

Events and objects in the world generally do not occur in isolation. This surrounding spatial and temporal information has major effects on visual processing, effects that are typically described as contextual modulations. Given qualitative similarities among various contextual surround effects (e.g., the effects tend to exaggerate differences and suppress uniform stimuli), it might seem intuitive that these processes are related. It is unknown, however, whether contextual modulation processes across visual sub-modalities are independent, or at least in part share a common underlying mechanism. This is especially relevant for clinical work where these contextual effects are often linked to inhibitory function. We addressed this question using an individual differences approach in three different populations (total N = 129): neurotypical adults, older adults and patients with schizophrenia. The context battery included six tasks that assessed surround modulations in luminance, contrast, orientation, motion (2X) and size domains. The results revealed robust contextual effects across all tasks. However, despite large sample sizes, we found no significant correlations among different contextual tasks. Across groups, we did find significant differences: (a) weaker surround contrast effect in both schizophrenia and older adults, (b) stronger repulsive surround tilt and motion effects in older adults and (c) weaker surround suppression for motion in both schizophrenia and older adults. We find that (1) strength of contextual modulation does not correlate across visual sub-modalities and (2) deficits in contextual modulation that go in different directions. Together, this indicates an absence of a common underlying mechanism for contextual modulation in vision.