Biology subjects

M, V.

Publications and source records attributed to M, V..

7 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Behavioral and ERP Markers of Emotion Recognition: Comparing Embodied, Facial, and Emoji Stimuli

While extensive research has been conducted on emotion recognition from facial stimuli, it remains unclear how embodied emotional cues conveyed through body postures, gestures and actions (e.g., stick figures) compare with facial (human faces) and face-like symbolic representations (emoji faces) in shaping behavioral and neural responses. We employed a multimodal approach, combining behavioral measures (accuracy and reaction time) with electroencephalography (EEG) to examine the electrophysiological correlates of emotion recognition. Overall, sixty-six (equal number of males and females; 18-30 year old) participants identified positive, negative, and neutral emotions depicted in the three formats. Behavioral results showed significant effects of both emotion and format on accuracy and reaction time. Emoji faces were recognized with the highest accuracy and fastest reaction times, followed by stick figures and then human faces (p < .001, some comparisons p < .05). Thirty-four participants (17 males and 17 females) underwent EEG, which revealed distinct patterns of event-related potentials (ERPs). The Early Posterior Negativity (EPN) amplitude showed a significant overall effect of format. Post-hoc comparisons indicated that stick figures elicited greater (more negative) EPN amplitudes than human faces during positive emotion recognition (p = .003), and greater amplitudes than both emoji faces (p = .027) and human faces (p = .007) during negative emotion recognition. No significant differences were observed between emoji and human faces. N170 and Late Positive Potential (LPP) amplitudes did not reveal significant differences (all p > .05). Correlation analyses revealed no significant associations between ERP and behavioral measures. Thus, abstract, minimalistic representations like stick figures elicit enhanced early emotion-related processing despite similar early and later processing across formats. HighlightsO_LIEmotion recognition across realistic (human faces), symbolic (emoji faces) and embodied (stick figures) modalities were compared. C_LIO_LIEmotions were recognized fastest and most accurately in emoji faces format. C_LIO_LIStick figures format elicited significantly higher EPN compared to other two formats across positive and negative emotions. C_LIO_LINo significant differences were observed in terms of N170 and LPP. C_LIO_LIEmbodied, abstract emotional cues modulate automatic emotional appraisal, rather than initial sensory encoding and sustained cognitive evaluation. C_LI

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2023

VARIATIONS IN THE ULTRAVIOLET FLORAL PATTERNS AND POLLINATOR PREFERENCE AMONG SELECTED NON-INVASIVE AND INVASIVE PLANTS OF TAMIL NADU, INDIA

Fossil evidence shows that pollinator-mediated plant reproduction evolved [~]140 million years ago and bee facilitated pollination evolved [~]70 million years ago. Human vision is limited to the visible color range of 400 to 750 nanometres, whereas most pollinators can perceive the ultraviolet (UV) range in addition to visible colors. Bees have been reported to have highest spectral sensitivity in the ultraviolet spectrum. The main objectives of the study were (1) to assess the prevalence of ultraviolet floral patterns, (2) to analyse floral patterns in relation to plant-pollinator interaction among invasive and non-invasive plants, and (3) to test for intraspecific floral pattern variations among plants with different flower color morphs. A study was conducted on 188 plant species (80 invasive and 108 non-invasive) from parts of Western and Eastern Ghats region of Tamil Nadu, India. The flowers of the studied plant species were imaged in ultraviolet (320-380 nm) and visible spectrums. The mode of pollination for the selected species were documented and confirmed with existing literature. The intraspecific variations in the floral patterns among flower color polymorphic plant species (N=10) were documented in ultraviolet and visible spectrums. Among the studied plant species, around 58% had discernible floral patterns when observed in the UV spectrum, whereas the rest were observed to completely absorb or reflect UV radiation. Whereas 46% of the studied plants exhibited no pattern in the visible spectrum. A significant difference was observed in the pollinator relationship among the ultraviolet floral patterns in invasive plants ({chi}2 = 63.98, df = 32, P < 0.001), whereas no significant variation was evidenced in the pollinator relationship among the ultraviolet floral patterns in non-invasive plants ({chi}2 = 19.50, df = 24, P = 0.724). Analysis of pollinator preference revealed that invasive species were mostly pollinated by bee and butterfly mediated pollination, whereas non-invasive species were mostly pollinated by bees and generalist insects. Intraspecific variations in the floral ultraviolet signal were observed among different morphs in a few flower color polymorphic species, especially in Lantana camara. The multispectral analysis of floral patterns revealed that plants utilize both the visible and ultraviolet spectrums to effectively communicate with pollinators. The results from the present study strongly suggest that the variation in the floral ultraviolet signature among invasive species might play a vital role in plant-pollinator interaction and invasion success.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2022

Electroencephalographic power spectrum and intersubject correlation on acoustic stimulation with modes of Indian music: a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundMusic not just entertains an individual but causes changes in the frequency spectrum of the brain waves and cognition that are recognizable using signals obtained through electroencephalography (EEG). EEG studies on the effect of passive listening to music have predominantly used multi-instrumental western classical music as an acoustic stimulus with very few analyzing solo instrumental Indian music, and thus in the current study Indian modes (Hindustani ragas) were used. The study aimed to investigate overall power spectral changes on EEG and specifically, those changes that show high inter-subject correlation (ISC) on passive listening to three different Indian modes as acoustic intervention, in comparison to control stimuli, heard for 10 minutes. Material & MethodsA randomized control triple-blind trial with 4 groups (three music intervention groups and a control group; n=35 each) was conducted while undergoing EEG recording. The music intervention groups listened to 10-minute audio of one of the three different modes (namely raga Miyan ki Todi, raga Malkauns, and raga Puriya), while the control group received predominant silence with few natural sounds interspersed. EEG data before, during, and after acoustic interventions were first evaluated for electrode-level power changes in standard spectral bands (delta, theta, alpha, beta1, beta2, and gamma). To understand spectral power changes more specific to music listening, a novel component-level analysis was also done, where the raw spectral data were grouped into the three most prominent components (C1, C2 & C3) based on spatiospectral consistency across subjects (correlated component analysis or CorrCA) and their ISC scores were also computed. For statistical analysis, we applied a hierarchical general linear model with cluster statistics to the electrode-level data and robust ANOVA with post hoc tests to the component-level data. ResultsIn electrode level analysis, the group listening to raga Malkauns showed a significant increase in gamma power in the left frontal regions during the intervention. While the group listening to raga Puriya showed a right frontoparietal decrease in delta power, raga Miyan ki Todi showed a frontal increase in beta1 power after the intervention. In component-level analysis, C1 was globally distributed low-frequency activity, C2 was posteriorly dominant alpha-beta1 activity, and C3 was peripherally dominant broad-band activity, consistent between groups. Besides agreement with electrode-level findings, the most prominent component-level finding was a decrease in C1 power and an increase in C2 power shown by raga Malkauns (strong both during and after intervention) and raga Miyan ki Todi (strong during and weak after intervention), whereas raga Puriya showed only a weak decrease in C1 (after intervention), compared to control group. ISC scores were comparable between groups, except for raga Puriya, which showed a marginal drop for C3 after the intervention. ConclusionsReduction in globally distributed low-frequency activity and increase in posterior dominant alpha-beta1 activity may be characteristic of passive listening to relaxing Indian modes, which may persist even after the listening period. Among the modes, raga Malkauns showed this effect most prominently, followed by raga Miyan ki Todi and least by raga Puriya. As the increase in posterior alpha and low beta power is associated with default mode network (DMN) activity and a decrease in delta power with positive emotional memory, the spectral pattern we observed may indicate observing positive autobiographical memory while listening to musical scales and thereby contributing to a relaxing experience. Further studies that also include phenomenological reports are highly recommended to be taken up to support these findings, and thus build a scientific foundation for the use of Indian music in medicine. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=117 SRC="FIGDIR/small/519709v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (39K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1ef8b2eorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@19a9091org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@894557org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@2774e1_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG Impact StatementIn this manuscript on EEG power spectral changes, correlated component analysis, and Intersubject correlation, we found a reduction in globally distributed low-frequency activity and an increase in posterior dominant alpha-beta1 activity during listening to Indian modes of music, in comparison to the control group. Mode-specific changes in correlated components, indicating default mode network activity and probable activation of autobiographical memories were observed.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Predicting scale-dependent chromatin polymer properties from systematic coarse-graining

Simulating chromatin is crucial for predicting genome organization and dynamics. Even though coarse-grained bead-spring polymer models are commonly used to describe chromatin, the relevant bead dimensions, elastic properties, and the nature of inter-bead potentials are unknown. Using publicly available nucleosome-resolution contact probability (Micro-C) data, we systematically coarse-grain chromatin and predict quantities essential for polymer representation of chromatin. We compute size distributions of chromatin beads for different coarse-graining scales, quantify fluctuations and distributions of bond lengths between neighboring regions, and derive effective spring constant values. Unlike the prevalent notion, our findings argue that coarse-grained chromatin beads must be considered as soft particles that can overlap, and we derive an effective inter-bead soft potential and quantify an overlap parameter. We also compute angle distributions between neighboring bonds giving insights into intrinsic folding and local bendability of chromatin. While the nucleosome-linker DNA bond angle naturally emerges from our work, we show that there are two populations of local structural states. The bead sizes, bond lengths, and bond angles show different mean behavior at Topologically Associating Domain (TAD) boundaries and TAD interiors. We integrate our findings into a coarse-grained polymer model and provide quantitative estimates of all model parameters, which can serve as a foundational basis for all future coarse-grained chromatin simulations.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2022

Fractal-Thermodynamic System Analogy and Complexity of Plant Leaves

More precise measurements of the complexity of leaf shapes can open new pathways to understanding plant adaptation and resilience in the face of changing environments. We present a method to measure the complexity of plant leaf shapes by relating their fractal dimensions to topological entropy. Our method relies on segmental fractal complexity and stems from a fractal-thermodynamic system analogy. The complexity of plant leaf shapes is an algebraic combination of the fractal dimensions of the components of the leaf-image system. We applied this method to leaf forms of 30 tropical plant species. While topological entropy is positively correlated with the leaf dissection index, it is an improvement over the leaf dissection index because of its ability to capture the spatial positioning of the leaf lamina, the leaf edges, and the leaf background. The topological entropy method is also an advancement over conventional geometric and fractal dimension-based measures of leaf complexity because it does not entail information loss due to the pre-processing and is perceptibly simple.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Acute effects of passive listening to Indian musical scale on blood pressure and heart rate variability among healthy young individuals, a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundListening to music is entertaining but also has different health benefits. Music medicine involves passive listening to music, while music therapy involves active music making. Indian music is broadly classified into Hindustani and Carnatic music, each having their own system of musical scales (ragas). Scientific studies of Indian music as an intervention is meagre. Current study determines the effect of passive listening to one melodic scale of Indian music on cardiovascular electrophysiological parameters. MethodsAfter informed consent, healthy individuals aged 18 - 30 years, of either gender were recruited and randomly divided into 2 groups (n=34 each). Group A was exposed to passive listening to the music intervention [Hindustani melodic scale elaboration (Bhimpalas raga alaap)], while group B received no intervention except for few natural sounds (played once in every 2 minutes). Blood pressure (BP, systolic - SBP; diastolic - DBP) and Electrocardiogram in lead II were recorded with each condition lasting for 10 minutes (pre, during, post). Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis was done. Data was analysed using SPSS 20.0 version and p<0.05 was considered significant. ResultsPassive listening to the musical scale employed had a unique effect. In group A, the SBP did not change during the intervention but increased insignificantly after the intervention was stopped (P=0.054). The DBP increased in both the groups during intervention and was significant among subjects in group A (P=0.009), with an increase of 1.676 mm Hg (P=0.012) from pre-during and 1.824 mm Hg (P=0.026) from pre-post intervention. On HRV analysis mean NN interval increased and HR reduced in both the groups, but was significant only in group B (P=0.041 and 0.025 respectively). In group A, most of HRV parameters reduced during music intervention, and tended to return towards baseline after intervention, but was statistically significant for Total Power (P=0.031) and Low Frequency (P=0.013) change; while in group B a consistent significant rise in parasympathetic indicators [SDNN, RMSSD, Total power and HF (ms2)] over 30 minutes was observed. ConclusionUnique cardiovascular effects were recorded on passive listening to a particular Indian music melodic scale, raga Bhimpalas, wherein, a mild arousal response, was observed. This could be due to attention being paid to the melodic scale as it was an unfamiliar tune or due to certain notes of this melodic scale, that particularly caused an arousal or excitation response. In contrast, the control group had only relaxation response. Exploring electrophysiological effects of different genres, melodic scales and its properties after familiarizing with the music may be illustrative.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2019

Biodiversity clock and conservation triangle: Integrative platform for biodiversity monitoring, evaluation, and preemptive conservation intervention

Business-as-usual is no more an option on the table for biodiversity conservation. Disruptive transformation at both policy and polity levels are pressing needs. The possibilities presented by the current wave of information and communication technology can act as travelators to meet the conservation targets. Here, we introduce twin concepts of biodiversity clock and conservation triangle that posit as convergence plane to seamlessly consolidate ongoing discrete efforts and convey real-time biodiversity information in a lucid schematic form. In its present form, the biodiversity clock depicts 12 ecological and 6 biophysical components. The universal consistency in clock-reading facilitates the biodiversity clock to be read and interpreted identically across the world. A ternary plot of the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) species conservation status is presented as the conservation triangle. Together, the biodiversity clock and the conservation triangle are invaluable in strategizing biodiversity conservation, post-2020. Leveraged smartly, they make possible pre-emptive intervention for biodiversity conservation.

ecology↗