Neuromorphic Computing through Time-Multiplexing with a Spin-Torque Nano-Oscillator.

Fabricating powerful neuromorphic chips the size of a thumb requires miniaturizing their basic units: synapses and neurons. The challenge for neurons is to scale them down to submicrometer diameters while maintaining the properties that allow for reliable information processing: high signal to noise ratio, endurance, stability, reproducibility. In this work, we show that compact spin-torque nano-oscillators can naturally implement such neurons, and quantify their ability to realize an actual cognitive task. In particular, we show that they can naturally implement reservoir computing with high performance and detail the recipes for this capability.

Effect of Breathwalk on body composition, metabolic and mood state in chronic hepatitis C patients with insulin resistance syndrome.

AIM: To identify the anthropometric, metabolic and mood state in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients from the west of Mexico and to evaluate the effect of Breathwalk (BW), a combination of walking, synchronized breathing and focussed attention, on those patients. METHODS: In an experimental study, 17 patients with serological and molecular diagnosis of HCV, not receiving pharmacological treatment, were studied. One hour sessions of BW were practiced 3 times at week for six months. Body composition was assessed by electric impedance. Biochemical profiles and insulin resistance (IR) risk was assessed by conventional methods. Mood state was evaluated with specific and open questions at the beginning and at the end of the program. RESULTS: Seventy percent of patients were overweight or obese, and 77% of the patients presented with IR at the beginning of the study. Improvements were observed at the 3rd mo, and statistically significant differences were recorded at the 6th mo using the fitness score (76 vs 83, P < 0.01), in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (106 +/- 93 U/L vs 59 +/- 32 U/L, P < 0.01), total bilirubin (0.09 +/- 1 mg/dL vs 0.62 +/- 0.2 mg/dL, P < 0.01), ALT/AST ratio (1.04 vs 0.70, P < 0.01), triglycerides (165 +/- 86 mg/dL vs 124 +/- 49 mg/dL, P < 0.01) and the IR risk (4.0 vs 2.7). Most patients (88%) indicated to feel better at the end of BW (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Breathwalk has an important effect on body composition, lipid profile and liver enzymes. It is also easy, inexpensive and has a beneficial effect on metabolic and mood state in HCV patients.

Homologous recombinational repair of double-strand breaks in yeast is enhanced by MAT heterozygosity through yKU-dependent and -independent mechanisms.

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are repaired by homologous recombination (HR) and nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ). NHEJ in yeast chromosomes has been observed only when HR is blocked, as in rad52 mutants or in the absence of a homologous repair template. We detected yKu70p-dependent imprecise NHEJ at a frequency of approximately 0.1% in HR-competent Rad+ haploid cells. Interestingly, yku70 mutation increased DSB-induced HR between direct repeats by 1.3-fold in a haploid strain and by 1.5-fold in a MAT homozygous (a/a) diploid, but yku70 had no effect on HR in a MAT heterozygous (a/alpha) diploid. yku70 might increase HR because it eliminates the competing precise NHEJ (religation) pathway and/or because yKu70p interferes directly or indirectly with HR. Despite the yku70-dependent increase in a/a cells, HR remained 2-fold lower than in a/alpha cells. Cell survival was also lower in a/a cells and correlated with the reduction in HR. These results indicate that MAT heterozygosity enhances DSB-induced HR by yKu-dependent and -independent mechanisms, with the latter mechanism promoting cell survival. Surprisingly, yku70 strains survived a DSB slightly better than wild type. We propose that this reflects enhanced HR, not by elimination of precise NHEJ since this pathway produces viable products, but by elimination of yKu-dependent interference of HR.

Multiple heterologies increase mitotic double-strand break-induced allelic gene conversion tract lengths in yeast.

Spontaneous and double-strand break (DSB)-induced allelic recombination in yeast was investigated in crosses between ura3 heteroalleles inactivated by an HO site and a +1 frameshift mutation, with flanking markers defining a 3.4-kbp interval. In some crosses, nine additional phenotypically silent RFLP mutations were present at approximately 100-bp intervals. Increasing heterology from 0.2 to 1% in this interval reduced spontaneous, but not DSB-induced, recombination. For DSB-induced events, 75% were continuous tract gene conversions without a crossover in this interval; discontinuous tracts and conversions associated with a crossover each comprised approximately 7% of events, and 10% also converted markers in unbroken alleles. Loss of heterozygosity was seen for all markers centromere distal to the HO site in 50% of products; such loss could reflect gene conversion, break-induced replication, chromosome loss, or G2 crossovers. Using telomere-marked strains we determined that nearly all allelic DSB repair occurs by gene conversion. We further show that most allelic conversion results from mismatch repair of heteroduplex DNA. Interestingly, markers shared between the sparsely and densely marked interval converted at higher rates in the densely marked interval. Thus, the extra markers increased gene conversion tract lengths, which may reflect mismatch repair-induced recombination, or a shift from restoration- to conversion-type repair.

A Yoga Intervention Program for Patients Suffering from Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.

OBJECTIVE: To understand how individuals with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) perceive a trauma-sensitive Kundalini yoga (KY) program. METHODS: Digitally recorded telephone interviews 30-60 minutes in duration were conducted with 40 individuals with PTSD participating in an 8-week KY treatment program. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis techniques. RESULTS: Qualitative analysis identifies three major themes: self-observed changes, new awareness, and the yoga program itself. Findings suggest that participants noted changes in areas of health and well-being, lifestyle, psychosocial integration, and perceptions of self in relation to the world. Presented are practical suggestions for trauma-related programming. CONCLUSION: There is a need to consider alternative and potentially empowering approaches to trauma treatment. Yoga-related self-care or self-management strategies are widely accessible, are empowering, and may address the mind-body elements of PTSD.

Functional brain mapping of the relaxation response and meditation.

Meditation is a conscious mental process that induces a set of integrated physiologic changes termed the relaxation response. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to identify and characterize the brain regions that are active during a simple form of meditation. Significant (p<10(-7)) signal increases were observed in the group-averaged data in the dorsolateral prefrontal and parietal cortices, hippocampus/parahippocampus, temporal lobe, pregenual anterior cingulate cortex, striatum, and pre- and post-central gyri during meditation. Global fMRI signal decreases were also noted, although these were probably secondary to cardiorespiratory changes that often accompany meditation. The results indicate that the practice of meditation activates neural structures involved in attention and control of the autonomic nervous system.

Exaggerated heart rate oscillations during two meditation techniques.

We report extremely prominent heart rate oscillations associated with slow breathing during specific traditional forms of Chinese Chi and Kundalini Yoga meditation techniques in healthy young adults. We applied both spectral analysis and a novel analytic technique based on the Hilbert transform to quantify these heart rate dynamics. The amplitude of these oscillations during meditation was significantly greater than in the pre-meditation control state and also in three non-meditation control groups: i) elite athletes during sleep, ii) healthy young adults during metronomic breathing, and iii) healthy young adults during spontaneous nocturnal breathing. This finding, along with the marked variability of the beat-to-beat heart rate dynamics during such profound meditative states, challenges the notion of meditation as only an autonomically quiescent state.

Effect of educational kinesiology upon simple response times and choice response times.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether Educational Kinesiology integration movements or repatterning in conjunction with the integration movements affect the response times of college students to a visual stimulus. Ten men and ten women were randomly assigned to each of the three conditions: control, Edu-K movement, or repatterned Edu-K movements. Each subject was pretested on simple and choice response-time tasks. Following the pretest, subjects in the control group sat quietly for 10 minutes. The movement group utilized seven Brain Gym activities. Subjects in the repatterned group experienced Dennison's Laterality Repatterning prior to doing the same Brain Gym activities. All subjects were then retested to assess changes in performance using 30 trials of each task. Statistical analyses indicated significant differences in improvement between the groups on the 4-choice task, with the repatterned group showing greater change than the Edu-K movement-only group, who in turn showed greater improvement than the control group. The groups improved by 6%, 3 1/2%, and 1%, respectively. No group differences were significant on the simple task, although a similar trend was indicated. Men responded faster than women on both tasks; however, the amount of improvement was similar for both.

Effect of educational kinesiology on static balance of learning disabled students.

Educational Kinesiology is a movement-based program designed to enhance academic performance and may also influence performance of motor skills. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Educational Kinesiology techniques of repatterning and/or integration movements affected static balance of 60 learning disabled students, ranging in age from 7 to 11 yr. Subjects were matched on age and sex and assigned to one of three groups: control, movement, or repatterned. Children in the repatterned group received a 10-min. individual session of combined arm and leg movements coordinated with eye-placements prior to the start of the 6-wk. program. Both treatment groups then participated in a movement program for 5 min. twice a day, 5 days a week for 6 wk. The control group received no exposure to these special techniques. Static balance was pretested and posttested in each group using the Modified Stork Stand test. A one-way analysis of variance indicated a significant difference between groups. A Scheffé post hoc test showed that the repatterned group improved more than the movement group, who in turn improved more than the control group.

Gene-conversion tract directionality is influenced by the chromosome environment.

Spontaneous and double-strand break (DSB)-induced gene conversion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was assayed using non-tandem chromosomal direct repeat crosses and plasmid x chromosome crosses. Each cross involved identical ura3 alleles marked with phenotypically silent restriction fragment length polymorphic (RFLP) mutations at approximately 100-bp intervals. DSBs introduced in vivo at HO sites in one allele stimulated recombination to Ura+ by more than two orders of magnitude. Spontaneous gene-conversion products were isolated from a related strain lacking a functional HO nuclease gene. The multiple markers did not appear to influence the frequency of direct repeat deletions for spontaneous or DSB-induced events. DSB-induced conversion reflected efficient mismatch repair of heteroduplex DNA. Conversion frequencies of equidistant markers on opposites sides of the DSB were similar in the direct repeat cross. In contrast, markers 5' of the DSB (promoter-proximal) converted more often than 3' markers in plasmid x chromosome crosses, a possible consequence of crossing-over associated with long conversion tracts. With direct repeats, bidirectional tracts (extending 5' and 3' of the DSB) occurred twice as often as in a plasmid x chromosome cross in which DSBs were introduced into the plasmid-borne allele. A key difference between the direct-repeat and plasmidxchromosome crosses is that the ends of a broken plasmid are linked, whereas the ends of a broken chromosome are unlinked. We tested whether linkage of ends influenced tract directionality using a second plasmid x chromosome cross in which DSBs were introduced into the chromosomal allele and found few bidirectional tracts. Thus, chromosome environment, but not linkage of ends, influences tract directionality. The similar tract spectra of the two plasmid x chromosome crosses suggest that similar mechanisms are involved whether recombination is initiated by DSBs in plasmid or chromosomal alleles.