Fixation-related fMRI analysis reveals the neural basis of natural reading of unspaced and spaced Chinese sentences.

Although there are many eye-movement studies focusing on natural sentence reading and functional magnetic resonance imaging research on reading with serial visual presentation paradigms, there is a scarcity of investigations into the neural mechanism of natural sentence reading. The present study recruited 33 adults to read unspaced and spaced Chinese sentences with the eye tracking and functional magnetic resonance imaging data recorded simultaneously. By using fixation-related functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis, this study showed that natural reading of Chinese sentences produced activations in ventral visual, dorsal attention, and semantic brain regions, which were modulated by the properties of words such as word length and word frequency. The multivoxel pattern analysis showed that the activity pattern in the left middle temporal gyrus could significantly predict the visual layout categories (i.e. unspaced vs. spaced conditions). Dynamic causal modeling analysis showed that there were bidirectional brain connections between the left middle temporal gyrus and the left inferior occipital cortex in the unspaced Chinese sentence reading but not in the spaced reading. These results provide a neural mechanism for the natural reading of Chinese sentences from the perspective of word segmentation.

Development of Wushu culture industry using internet of things technology: A case study of Anhui Province, China.

In recent years, as the modern economy rapidly advances, and urbanization continues to flourish, Anhui Province has emerged as a significant hub for Wushu, boasting a rich historical tradition in this martial art form. However, despite this heritage, Wushu often remains associated with traditional sports, and the growth of the Wushu cultural industry has not been as robust as desired. This paper seeks to harness the potential of the Internet of Things (IoT) and capitalize on the burgeoning trends within the cultural industry to foster the development of Chinese Wushu. The primary objective of this study is to explore strategies for advancing the Wushu cultural industry in Anhui Province, leveraging IoT technology. To achieve this goal, we employ a novel approach, combining SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) analysis with Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), providing a quantitative assessment of the region's Wushu cultural industry development. This approach minimizes subjective bias and offers a sound theoretical foundation for industrial progress. Our research yields promising results, as we effectively integrate Wushu, culture, and tourism. This not only facilitates the dissemination and popularization of Wushu culture but also enhances the appeal of local tourism resources. Notably, the fifth World Wushu Championship experienced sustained popularity, and in 2014, Anhui Province successfully hosted the sixth edition of the event in Jiuhuashan, yielding a significant income of 170 million yuan. The development of the Wushu cultural industry in Anhui Province has exhibited positive growth trends and garnered considerable attention. This study underscores the importance of embracing IoT technology and aligning with broader cultural industry trends to nurture the development of Chinese Wushu. The implications of our research extend to the realms of tourism, culture, and sports, offering valuable insights into leveraging technology for the advancement of traditional practices. This study represents a novel exploration of the intersection between Wushu and IoT technology, with the potential to inform and inspire further research in this evolving field.

Dissecting peri-implantation development using cultured human embryos and embryo-like assembloids.

Studies of cultured embryos have provided insights into human peri-implantation development. However, detailed knowledge of peri-implantation lineage development as well as underlying mechanisms remains obscure. Using 3D-cultured human embryos, herein we report a complete cell atlas of the early post-implantation lineages and decipher cellular composition and gene signatures of the epiblast and hypoblast derivatives. In addition, we develop an embryo-like assembloid (E-assembloid) by assembling naive hESCs and extraembryonic cells. Using human embryos and E-assembloids, we reveal that WNT, BMP and Nodal signaling pathways synergistically, but functionally differently, orchestrate human peri-implantation lineage development. Specially, we dissect mechanisms underlying extraembryonic mesoderm and extraembryonic endoderm specifications. Finally, an improved E-assembloid is developed to recapitulate the epiblast and hypoblast development and tissue architectures in the pre-gastrulation human embryo. Our findings provide insights into human peri-implantation development, and the E-assembloid offers a useful model to disentangle cellular behaviors and signaling interactions that drive human embryogenesis.

Modulation of Wnt and Activin/Nodal supports efficient derivation, cloning and suspension expansion of human pluripotent stem cells.

Various culture systems have been used to derive and maintain human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), but they are inefficient in sustaining cloning and suspension expansion of hPSCs. Through systematically modulating Wnt and Activin/Nodal signaling, we developed a defined medium (termed AIC), which enables efficient cloning and long-term expansion of hPSCs (AIC-hPSCs) through single-cell passage on feeders, matrix or in suspension (25-fold expansion in 4 days) and maintains genomic stability of hPSCs over extensive expansion. Moreover, the AIC medium supports efficient derivation of hPSCs from blastocysts or somatic cells under feeder-free conditions. Compared to conventional hPSCs, AIC-hPSCs have similar gene expression profiles but down-regulated differentiation genes and display higher metabolic activity. Additionally, the AIC medium shows a good compatibility for different hPSC lines under various culture conditions. Our study provides a robust culture system for derivation, cloning and suspension expansion of high-quality hPSCs that benefits GMP production and processing of therapeutic hPSC products.

[Differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into red blood cells].

At present, the experimental technique to produce human red blood cells in vitro is complicated, and in order to optimize the induction steps, human pluripotent stem cells were differentiated into red blood cells through two induction steps. First, human pluripotent stem cells (including Rh negative A type umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCRh-A) and human iPS cells (hiPS)) were differentiated into CD31+ and CD34+ cells in BVF medium. PCR and flow cytometry were used to exam the expression of CD31 and CD34. We found that hUCMSCRh-A derived CD31+ and CD34+ cells were 5.3% and 22.7%, respectively; hiPS derived CD31+ and CD34+ cells were 31.2% and 8.2%, respectively. For the second induction step, the obtained CD31+ and CD34+ cells were differentiated into mature erythrocytes for 36 days under the addition of various growth factors. Through Giemsa staining, we found that the obtained mature erythrocytes were similar in morphology and size to normal human erythrocytes, and some obtained erythrocytes were enucleated. Globin expression was detected by real time RT-PCR, and the expression of ß-globin was more than 20%. The obtained erythrocytes are collected into the centrifuge tube, and then erythrocytes were naturally settled and showed the red color. Our findings provide a novel and effective method for the quantity generation of human red blood cells in vitro.