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A major debate about the neural correlates of conscious perception concerns its cortical organization, namely, whether it includes the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which mediates executive functions, or it is constrained within posterior cortices. It has been suggested that PFC activity during paradigms investigating conscious perception is conflated with post-perceptual processes associated with reporting the contents of consciousness or feedforward signals originating from exogenous stimulus manipulations and relayed via posterior cortical areas. We addressed this debate by simultaneously probing neuronal populations in the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) PFC during a no-report paradigm, capable of instigating internally generated transitions in conscious perception, without changes in visual stimulation. We find that feature-selective prefrontal neurons are modulated concomitantly with subjective perception and perceptual suppression of their preferred stimulus during both externally induced and internally generated changes in conscious perception. Importantly, this enables reliable single-trial, population decoding of conscious contents. Control experiments confirm significant decoding of stimulus contents, even when oculomotor responses, used for inferring perception, are suppressed. These findings suggest that internally generated changes in the contents of conscious visual perception are reliably reflected within the activity of prefrontal populations in the absence of volitional reports or changes in sensory input. The role of the prefrontal cortex in conscious perception is debated because of its involvement in task relevant behaviour, such as subjective perceptual reports. Here, the authors show that prefrontal activity in rhesus macaques correlates with subjective perception and the contents of consciousness can be decoded from prefrontal population activity even without reports.

The renovation rate of existing buildings plays a major role in the Swiss Energy Strategy 2050+. To increase this rate, there must be a simple and cost-effective method to determine the heat demand of existing buildings. In this paper, the generation of such a method, based on the Swiss cantonal building energy certificate (GEAK) database with the help of machine learning (ML), is studied. The aim of the project was to develop a ML model which allows the heat demand of existing buildings to be determined quickly with a minimal set of parameters. The comparison of the GEAK building envelope class for single family houses calculated with the new ML model and the original GEAK classes shows that approximately 62 % have the same class, 32 % differ by one class and 6 % by two classes. The ML model is a good starting point for further refinements and developments.

Correlated fluctuations of single neuron discharges, on a mesoscopic scale, decrease as a function of lateral distance in early sensory cortices, reflecting a rapid spatial decay of lateral connection probability and excitation. However, spatial periodicities in horizontal connectivity and associational input as well as an enhanced probability of lateral excitatory connections in the association cortex could theoretically result in nonmonotonic correlation structures. Here, we show such a spatially nonmonotonic correlation structure, characterized by significantly positive long-range correlations, in the inferior convexity of the macaque prefrontal cortex. This functional connectivity kernel was more pronounced during wakefulness than anesthesia and could be largely attributed to the spatial pattern of correlated variability between functionally similar neurons during structured visual stimulation. These results suggest that the spatial decay of lateral functional connectivity is not a common organizational principle of neocortical microcircuits. A nonmonotonic correlation structure could reflect a critical topological feature of prefrontal microcircuits, facilitating their role in integrative processes.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) systems are prominent in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), although their implementation within organic farms to enhance resource efficiency and “close the loop” has been limited. This paper thus reviewed existing literature on the potential of AD technologies as part of closed-loop rural family farming communities in LMICs. Data from eleven existing case studies matching this criterion was then collated to understand practical considerations of implementing and maintaining viable AD systems for small farmers. The case studies analyzed indicate that most, if not all, of the biogas produced in the AD process is used for household purposes such as cooking, lighting and heating. The AD systems are either based on the fixed biogas dome or the floating drum design, although the tubular flexible balloon model is mentioned as a low-cost alternative. Future research opportunities in this topic include studying the applicability of recommendations offered across different geographies, consideration of long-term sustainability and impact of biodigester technology, and sociocultural factors such as community ownership and indigenous practices.

Reactivity of the excited spin-orbit state of Cl with H2to yield ground-state HCl products is forbidden by the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) approximation. We used new ab initio potential energy surfaces and exact quantum scattering calculations to explore the extent of electronic nonadiabaticity in this reaction. In direct contrast to recent experiments, we predict that the BO-allowed reaction of the ground spin-orbit state will be much more efficient than the BO-forbidden reaction of the excited spin-orbit state. Also, Coriolis coupling opens up an electronically nonadiabatic inelastic channel, which competes substantially with reaction.

The van der Waals forces in the entrance valley of the Cl + HD reaction are shown here to play a decisive role in the reaction's dynamics. Exact quantum mechanical calculations of reactive scattering on a potential energy surface without Cl-HD van der Waals forces predict that the HCl and DCl products will be produced almost equally, whereas the same calculations on a new ab initio potential energy surface with van der Waals forces show a strong preference for the production of DCl. This preference is also seen in crossed molecular beam experiments on the reaction. The study of chemical reaction dynamics has now advanced to the stage where even comparatively weak van der Waals interactions can no longer be neglected in calculations of the potential energy surfaces of chemical reactions.

A full-dimensional quantum dynamics simulation of a hydrogen atom reacting with methane on an accurate ab initio potential energy surface is reported. Based on first-principles theory, thermal rate constants are predicted with an accuracy comparable to (or even exceeding) experimental precision. The theoretical prediction is within the range of the significantly varied experimental rate constants reported by different groups. This level of accuracy has previously been achieved only for smaller, three-or four-atom reactive systems. Comparison with classical transition state theory confirms the importance of quantum mechanical tunneling for the rate constant below 400 kelvin.

The Brazilian sugarcane industry produced around 173 million tons (Mt) of bagasse in 2018. Bagasse is a by-product of juice extraction for ethanol and sugar production and is combusted in order to generate power, producing up to 10 Mt of ash per year. This ash contains various concentrations of plant nutrients, which allow the ash to be used as a crop fertilizer. However, the concentration and extractability of phosphorus (P), an essential plant nutrient, are low in bagasse ash. To increase the P content, we co-gasified and co-combusted bagasse with P-rich chicken manure. The resulting ash was thermochemically post-treated with alkali additives (Na2SO4 and K2SO4) to increase the availability of P to plants. We aimed to: (i) investigate the effect of thermochemical post-treatment of co-gasification residue and co-combustion ash on P availability to soybeans, (ii) explore the potential of chemical extraction methods (citric acid, neutral ammonium citrate, formic acid, and Mehlich-I) and diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) to predict the availability of P to soybeans, and (iii) identify the responsible P-phases using X-ray diffraction. We evaluated P availability to soybeans growing in Brazilian Oxisol soil in two independent greenhouse pot experiments. The positive effect of thermochemical treatment on P availability from gasification residue was confirmed through the observation of increased P uptake and biomass in soybean plants. These findings were confirmed by chemical extraction methods and DGT. The gasification residue contained whitlockite as its main P-bearing phase. Thermochemical post-treatment converted whitlockite into highly soluble CaNaPO4. In contrast, co-combustion ash already contained highly soluble Ca(Na,K)PO4 as its main P-bearing phase, making thermochemical post-treatment unnecessary for increasing P availability. In conclusion, increased extractability and availability of P for soybeans were closely connected to the formation of calcium alkali phosphate. Our findings indicate that this combined methodology allows for the prediction of P-fertilization effects of ash.

Elementary triatomic reactions offer a compelling test of our understanding of the extent of electron-nuclear coupling in chemical reactions, which is neglected in the widely applied Born-Oppenheimer (BO) approximation. The BO approximation predicts that in reactions between chlorine (Cl) atoms and molecular hydrogen, the excited spin-orbit state (Cl*) should not participate to a notable extent. We report molecular beam experiments, based on hydrogen-atom Rydberg tagging detection, that reveal only a minor role of Cl*. These results are in excellent agreement with fully quantum-reactive scattering calculations based on two sets of ab initio potential energy surfaces. This study resolves a previous disagreement between theory and experiment and confirms our ability to simulate accurately chemical reactions on multiple potential energy surfaces.