Effects of gap junction blockers on human neocortical synchronization.

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Gigout, S; Louvel, J; Kawasaki, H; D'Antuono, M; Armand, V; Kurcewicz, I; Olivier, A; Laschet, J; Turak, B; Devaux, B; Pumain, R; Avoli, M

2006-06-01

Field potentials and intracellular recordings were obtained from human neocortical slices to study the role of gap junctions (GJ) in neuronal network synchronization. First, we examined the effects of GJ blockers (i.e., carbenoxolone, octanol, quinine, and quinidine) on the spontaneous synchronous events (duration = 0.2-1.1 s; intervals of occurrence = 3-27 s) generated by neocortical slices obtained from temporal lobe epileptic patients during application of 4-aminopyridine (4AP, 50 muM) and glutamatergic receptor antagonists. The synchronicity of these potentials (recorded at distances up to 5 mm) was decreased by GJ blockers within 20 min of application, while prolonged GJ blockers treatment at higher doses made them disappear with different time courses. Second, we found that slices from patients with focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) could generate in normal medium spontaneous synchronous discharges (duration = 0.4-8 s; intervals of occurrence = 0.5-90 s) that were (i) abolished by NMDA receptor antagonists and (ii) slowed down by carbenoxolone. Finally, octanol or carbenoxolone blocked 4AP-induced ictal-like discharges (duration = up to 35 s) in FCD slices. These data indicate that GJ play a role in synchronizing human neocortical networks and may implement epileptiform activity in FCD.

The neocortical network representing associative memory reorganizes with time in a process engaging the anterior temporal lobe.

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Nieuwenhuis, Ingrid L C; Takashima, Atsuko; Oostenveld, Robert; McNaughton, Bruce L; Fernández, Guillén; Jensen, Ole

2012-11-01

During encoding, the distributed neocortical representations of memory components are presumed to be associatively linked by the hippocampus. With time, a reorganization of brain areas supporting memory takes place, which can ultimately result in memories becoming independent of the hippocampus. While it is theorized that with time, the neocortical representations become linked by higher order neocortical association areas, this remains to be experimentally supported. In this study, 24 human participants encoded sets of face-location associations, which they retrieved 1 or 25 h later ("recent" and "remote" conditions, respectively), while their brain activity was recorded using whole-head magnetoencephalography. We investigated changes in the functional interactions between the neocortical representational areas emerging over time. To assess functional interactions, trial-by-trial high gamma (60-140 Hz) power correlations were calculated between the neocortical representational areas relevant to the encoded information, namely the fusiform face area (FFA) and posterior parietal cortex (PPC). With time, both the FFA and the PPC increased their functional interactions with the anterior temporal lobe (ATL). Given that the ATL is involved in semantic representation of paired associates, our results suggest that, already within 25 h after acquiring new memory associations, neocortical functional links are established via higher order semantic association areas.

Hippocampal-neocortical functional reorganization underlies children's cognitive development.

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Qin, Shaozheng; Cho, Soohyun; Chen, Tianwen; Rosenberg-Lee, Miriam; Geary, David C; Menon, Vinod

2014-09-01

The importance of the hippocampal system for rapid learning and memory is well recognized, but its contributions to a cardinal feature of children's cognitive development-the transition from procedure-based to memory-based problem-solving strategies-are unknown. Here we show that the hippocampal system is pivotal to this strategic transition. Longitudinal functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 7-9-year-old children revealed that the transition from use of counting to memory-based retrieval parallels increased hippocampal and decreased prefrontal-parietal engagement during arithmetic problem solving. Longitudinal improvements in retrieval-strategy use were predicted by increased hippocampal-neocortical functional connectivity. Beyond childhood, retrieval-strategy use continued to improve through adolescence into adulthood and was associated with decreased activation but more stable interproblem representations in the hippocampus. Our findings provide insights into the dynamic role of the hippocampus in the maturation of memory-based problem solving and establish a critical link between hippocampal-neocortical reorganization and children's cognitive development.

Oscillatory activity in neocortical networks during tactile discrimination near the limit of spatial acuity.

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Adhikari, Bhim M; Sathian, K; Epstein, Charles M; Lamichhane, Bidhan; Dhamala, Mukesh

2014-05-01

Oscillatory interactions within functionally specialized but distributed brain regions are believed to be central to perceptual and cognitive functions. Here, using human scalp electroencephalography (EEG) recordings combined with source reconstruction techniques, we study how oscillatory activity functionally organizes different neocortical regions during a tactile discrimination task near the limit of spatial acuity. While undergoing EEG recordings, blindfolded participants felt a linear three-dot array presented electromechanically, under computer control, and reported whether the central dot was offset to the left or right. The average brain response differed significantly for trials with correct and incorrect perceptual responses in the timeframe approximately between 130 and 175ms. During trials with correct responses, source-level peak activity appeared in the left primary somatosensory cortex (SI) at around 45ms, in the right lateral occipital complex (LOC) at 130ms, in the right posterior intraparietal sulcus (pIPS) at 160ms, and finally in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) at 175ms. Spectral interdependency analysis of activity in these nodes showed two distinct distributed networks, a dominantly feedforward network in the beta band (12-30Hz) that included all four nodes and a recurrent network in the gamma band (30-100Hz) that linked SI, pIPS and dlPFC. Measures of network activity in both bands were correlated with the accuracy of task performance. These findings suggest that beta and gamma band oscillatory networks coordinate activity between neocortical regions mediating sensory and cognitive processing to arrive at tactile perceptual decisions. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Transcriptional and Post-Transcriptional Mechanisms of the Development of Neocortical Lamination

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Tatiana Popovitchenko

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The neocortex is a laminated brain structure that is the seat of higher cognitive capacity and responses, long-term memory, sensory and emotional functions, and voluntary motor behavior. Proper lamination requires that progenitor cells give rise to a neuron, that the immature neuron can migrate away from its mother cell and past other cells, and finally that the immature neuron can take its place and adopt a mature identity characterized by connectivity and gene expression; thus lamination proceeds through three steps: genesis, migration, and maturation. Each neocortical layer contains pyramidal neurons that share specific morphological and molecular characteristics that stem from their prenatal birth date. Transcription factors are dynamic proteins because of the cohort of downstream factors that they regulate. RNA-binding proteins are no less dynamic, and play important roles in every step of mRNA processing. Indeed, recent screens have uncovered post-transcriptional mechanisms as being integral regulatory mechanisms to neocortical development. Here, we summarize major aspects of neocortical laminar development, emphasizing transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms, with the aim of spurring increased understanding and study of its intricacies.

Is attentional blink a byproduct of neocortical attractors?

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David N Silverstein

2011-05-01

Full Text Available This study proposes a computational model for attentional blink or blink of the mind, a phenomenon where a human subject misses perception of a later expected visual pattern as two expected visual patterns are presented less than 500 ms apart. A neocortical patch modeled as an attractor network is stimulated with a sequence of 14 patterns 100 ms apart, two of which are expected targets. Patterns that become active attractors are considered recognized. A neocortical patch is represented as a square matrix of hypercolumns, each containing a set of minicolumns with synaptic connections within and across both minicolumns and hypercolumns. Each minicolumn consists of locally connected layer 2/3 pyramidal cells with interacting basket cells and layer 4 pyramidal cells for input stimulation. All neurons are implemented using the Hodgkin-Huxley multi-compartmental cell formalism and include calcium dynamics, and they interact via saturating and depressing AMPA / NMDA and GABAA synapses. Stored patterns are encoded with global connectivity of minicolumns across hypercolumns and active patterns compete as the result of lateral inhibition in the network. Stored patterns were stimulated over time intervals to create attractor interference measurable with synthetic spike traces. This setup corresponds with item presentations in human visual attentional blink studies. Stored target patterns were depolarized while distractor patterns where hyperpolarized to represent expectation of items in working memory. Additionally, studies on the inhibitory effect of benzodiazopines on attentional blink in human subjects were compared with neocortical simulations where the GABAA receptor conductance and decay time were increased. Simulations showed increases in the attentional blink duration, agreeing with observations in human studies.

The Genetic Association Between Neocortical Volume and General Cognitive Ability Is Driven by Global Surface Area Rather Than Thickness.

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Vuoksimaa, Eero; Panizzon, Matthew S; Chen, Chi-Hua; Fiecas, Mark; Eyler, Lisa T; Fennema-Notestine, Christine; Hagler, Donald J; Fischl, Bruce; Franz, Carol E; Jak, Amy; Lyons, Michael J; Neale, Michael C; Rinker, Daniel A; Thompson, Wesley K; Tsuang, Ming T; Dale, Anders M; Kremen, William S

2015-08-01

Total gray matter volume is associated with general cognitive ability (GCA), an association mediated by genetic factors. It is expectable that total neocortical volume should be similarly associated with GCA. Neocortical volume is the product of thickness and surface area, but global thickness and surface area are unrelated phenotypically and genetically in humans. The nature of the genetic association between GCA and either of these 2 cortical dimensions has not been examined. Humans possess greater cognitive capacity than other species, and surface area increases appear to be the primary driver of the increased size of the human cortex. Thus, we expected neocortical surface area to be more strongly associated with cognition than thickness. Using multivariate genetic analysis in 515 middle-aged twins, we demonstrated that both the phenotypic and genetic associations between neocortical volume and GCA are driven primarily by surface area rather than thickness. Results were generally similar for each of 4 specific cognitive abilities that comprised the GCA measure. Our results suggest that emphasis on neocortical surface area, rather than thickness, could be more fruitful for elucidating neocortical-GCA associations and identifying specific genes underlying those associations. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Effect of seizure on hippocampus in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and neocortical epilepsy: an MRS study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, S.K.; Kim, D.W.; Kim, K.K.; Chung, C.K.; Song, I.C.; Chang, K.H.

2005-01-01

This study was performed to evaluate the effect of seizures on the bilateral hippocampus in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) and neocortical epilepsy by single voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Forty-one patients with mTLE having unilateral hippocampal sclerosis and 43 patients with a neocortical epilepsy who underwent subsequent epilepsy surgery were recruited. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals of N-acetyl aspartate/choline (NAA/Cho) and NAA/creatine (NAA/Cr) ratios in 20 healthy control subjects were used as threshold values to determine abnormal NAA/Cho and NAA/Cr. NAA/Cho and NAA/Cr were significantly lower in the ipsilateral hippocampus of mTLE and neocortical epilepsy. Using asymmetry indices for patients with bilaterally abnormal ratios of NAA/Cho and NAA/Cr in addition to using unilateral abnormal ratio, the seizure focus was correctly lateralized in 65.9% of patients with mTLE and 48.8% of neocortical epilepsy patients. Bilateral NAA/Cho abnormality was significantly related to a poor surgical outcome in mTLE. No significant relationship was found between the results of NAA/Cho or NAA/Cr and surgical outcome in neocortical epilepsy. The mean contralateral NAA/Cr ratio of the hippocampus in mTLE was significantly lower in patients with a history of secondary generalized tonic-clonic seizure (SGTCS) than in those without. (orig.)

Effect of seizure on hippocampus in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and neocortical epilepsy: an MRS study

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Lee, S.K.; Kim, D.W.; Kim, K.K. [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Neurology, Chongno ku, Seoul (Korea); Chung, C.K. [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Chongno ku, Seoul (Korea); Song, I.C.; Chang, K.H. [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Chongno ku, Seoul (Korea)

2005-12-01

This study was performed to evaluate the effect of seizures on the bilateral hippocampus in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) and neocortical epilepsy by single voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Forty-one patients with mTLE having unilateral hippocampal sclerosis and 43 patients with a neocortical epilepsy who underwent subsequent epilepsy surgery were recruited. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals of N-acetyl aspartate/choline (NAA/Cho) and NAA/creatine (NAA/Cr) ratios in 20 healthy control subjects were used as threshold values to determine abnormal NAA/Cho and NAA/Cr. NAA/Cho and NAA/Cr were significantly lower in the ipsilateral hippocampus of mTLE and neocortical epilepsy. Using asymmetry indices for patients with bilaterally abnormal ratios of NAA/Cho and NAA/Cr in addition to using unilateral abnormal ratio, the seizure focus was correctly lateralized in 65.9% of patients with mTLE and 48.8% of neocortical epilepsy patients. Bilateral NAA/Cho abnormality was significantly related to a poor surgical outcome in mTLE. No significant relationship was found between the results of NAA/Cho or NAA/Cr and surgical outcome in neocortical epilepsy. The mean contralateral NAA/Cr ratio of the hippocampus in mTLE was significantly lower in patients with a history of secondary generalized tonic-clonic seizure (SGTCS) than in those without. (orig.)

Divergence and inheritance of neocortical heterotopia in inbred and genetically-engineered mice.

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Toia, Alyssa R; Cuoco, Joshua A; Esposito, Anthony W; Ahsan, Jawad; Joshi, Alok; Herron, Bruce J; Torres, German; Bolivar, Valerie J; Ramos, Raddy L

2017-01-18

Cortical function emerges from the intrinsic properties of neocortical neurons and their synaptic connections within and across lamina. Neurodevelopmental disorders affecting migration and lamination of the neocortex result in cognitive delay/disability and epilepsy. Molecular layer heterotopia (MLH), a dysplasia characterized by over-migration of neurons into layer I, are associated with cognitive deficits and neuronal hyperexcitability in humans and mice. The breadth of different inbred mouse strains that exhibit MLH and inheritance patterns of heterotopia remain unknown. A neuroanatomical survey of numerous different inbred mouse strains, 2 first filial generation (F1) hybrids, and one consomic strain (C57BL/6J-Chr 1 A/J /NaJ) revealed MLH only in C57BL/6 mice and the consomic strain. Heterotopia were observed in numerous genetically-engineered mouse lines on a congenic C57BL/6 background. These data indicate that heterotopia formation is a weakly penetrant trait requiring homozygosity of one or more C57BL/6 alleles outside of chromosome 1. These data are relevant toward understanding neocortical development and disorders affecting neocortical lamination. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mild prenatal protein malnutrition increases alpha2C-adrenoceptor density in the cerebral cortex during postnatal life and impairs neocortical long-term potentiation and visuo-spatial performance in rats.

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Soto-Moyano, Rubén; Valladares, Luis; Sierralta, Walter; Pérez, Hernán; Mondaca, Mauricio; Fernández, Victor; Burgos, Héctor; Hernández, Alejandro

2005-06-01

Mild reduction in the protein content of the mother's diet from 25 to 8% casein, calorically compensated by carbohydrates, does not alter body and brain weights of rat pups at birth, but leads to significant enhancements in the concentration and release of cortical noradrenaline during early postnatal life. Since central noradrenaline and some of its receptors are critically involved in long-term potentiation (LTP) and memory formation, this study evaluated the effect of mild prenatal protein malnutrition on the alpha2C-adrenoceptor density in the frontal and occipital cortices, induction of LTP in the same cortical regions and the visuo-spatial memory. Pups born from rats fed a 25% casein diet throughout pregnancy served as controls. At day 8 of postnatal age, prenatally malnourished rats showed a threefold increase in neocortical alpha2C-adrenoceptor density. At 60 days-of-age, alpha2C-adrenoceptor density was still elevated in the neocortex, and the animals were unable to maintain neocortical LTP and presented lower visuo-spatial memory performance. Results suggest that overexpression of neocortical alpha2C-adrenoceptors during postnatal life, subsequent to mild prenatal protein malnutrition, could functionally affect the synaptic networks subserving neocortical LTP and visuo-spatial memory formation.

Locally Applied Valproate Enhances Survival in Rats after Neocortical Treatment with Tetanus Toxin and Cobalt Chloride

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Dirk-Matthias Altenmüller

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose. In neocortical epilepsies not satisfactorily responsive to systemic antiepileptic drug therapy, local application of antiepileptic agents onto the epileptic focus may enhance treatment efficacy and tolerability. We describe the effects of focally applied valproate (VPA in a newly emerging rat model of neocortical epilepsy induced by tetanus toxin (TeT plus cobalt chloride (CoCl2. Methods. In rats, VPA ( or sodium chloride (NaCl ( containing polycaprolactone (PCL implants were applied onto the right motor cortex treated before with a triple injection of 75 ng TeT plus 15 mg CoCl2. Video-EEG monitoring was performed with intracortical depth electrodes. Results. All rats randomized to the NaCl group died within one week after surgery. In contrast, the rats treated with local VPA survived significantly longer (. In both groups, witnessed deaths occurred in the context of seizures. At least of the rats surviving the first postoperative day developed neocortical epilepsy with recurrent spontaneous seizures. Conclusions. The novel TeT/CoCl2 approach targets at a new model of neocortical epilepsy in rats and allows the investigation of local epilepsy therapy strategies. In this vehicle-controlled study, local application of VPA significantly enhanced survival in rats, possibly by focal antiepileptic or antiepileptogenic mechanisms.

Facilitation of neocortical presynaptic terminal development by NMDA receptor activation

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Sceniak Michael P

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Neocortical circuits are established through the formation of synapses between cortical neurons, but the molecular mechanisms of synapse formation are only beginning to be understood. The mechanisms that control synaptic vesicle (SV and active zone (AZ protein assembly at developing presynaptic terminals have not yet been defined. Similarly, the role of glutamate receptor activation in control of presynaptic development remains unclear. Results Here, we use confocal imaging to demonstrate that NMDA receptor (NMDAR activation regulates accumulation of multiple SV and AZ proteins at nascent presynaptic terminals of visual cortical neurons. NMDAR-dependent regulation of presynaptic assembly occurs even at synapses that lack postsynaptic NMDARs. We also provide evidence that this control of presynaptic terminal development is independent of glia. Conclusions Based on these data, we propose a novel NMDAR-dependent mechanism for control of presynaptic terminal development in excitatory neocortical neurons. Control of presynaptic development by NMDARs could ultimately contribute to activity-dependent development of cortical receptive fields.

Neocortical layer 6, a review

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Alex M Thomson

2010-03-01

Full Text Available This review attempts to summarise some of the major areas of neocortical research as it pertains to layer 6. After a brief summary of the development of this intriguing layer, the major pyramidal cell classes to be found in layer 6 are described and compared. The connections made and received by these different classes of neurones are then discussed and the possible functions of these connections, with particular reference to the shaping of responses in visual cortex and thalamus. Inhibition in layer 6 is discussed where appropriate, but not in great detail. Many types of interneurones are to be found in each cortical layer and layer 6 is no exception, but the functions of each type remain to be elucidated.

Influence of Pyrethroid Insecticides on Sodium and Calcium Influx in Neocortical Neurons

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Pyrethroid insecticides bind to voltage-gated sodium channels and modify their gating kinetics, thereby disrupting neuronal function. Using murine neocortical neurons in primary culture, we have compared the ability of 11 structurally diverse pyrethroid insecticides to evoke Na+ ...

An essential role for neuregulin-4 in the growth and elaboration of developing neocortical pyramidal dendrites.

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Paramo, Blanca; Wyatt, Sean; Davies, Alun M

2018-04-01

Neuregulins, with the exception of neuregulin-4 (NRG4), have been shown to be extensively involved in many aspects of neural development and function and are implicated in several neurological disorders, including schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorder. Here we provide the first evidence that NRG4 has a crucial function in the developing brain. We show that both the apical and basal dendrites of neocortical pyramidal neurons are markedly stunted in Nrg4 -/- neonates in vivo compared with Nrg4 +/+ littermates. Neocortical pyramidal neurons cultured from Nrg4 -/- embryos had significantly shorter and less branched neurites than those cultured from Nrg4 +/+ littermates. Recombinant NRG4 rescued the stunted phenotype of embryonic neocortical pyramidal neurons cultured from Nrg4 -/- mice. The majority of cultured wild type embryonic cortical pyramidal neurons co-expressed NRG4 and its receptor ErbB4. The difference between neocortical pyramidal dendrites of Nrg4 -/- and Nrg4 +/+ mice was less pronounced, though still significant, in juvenile mice. However, by adult stages, the pyramidal dendrite arbors of Nrg4 -/- and Nrg4 +/+ mice were similar, suggesting that compensatory changes in Nrg4 -/- mice occur with age. Our findings show that NRG4 is a major novel regulator of dendritic arborisation in the developing cerebral cortex and suggest that it exerts its effects by an autocrine/paracrine mechanism. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Incorporating rapid neocortical learning of new schema-consistent information into complementary learning systems theory.

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McClelland, James L

2013-11-01

The complementary learning systems theory of the roles of hippocampus and neocortex (McClelland, McNaughton, & O'Reilly, 1995) holds that the rapid integration of arbitrary new information into neocortical structures is avoided to prevent catastrophic interference with structured knowledge representations stored in synaptic connections among neocortical neurons. Recent studies (Tse et al., 2007, 2011) showed that neocortical circuits can rapidly acquire new associations that are consistent with prior knowledge. The findings challenge the complementary learning systems theory as previously presented. However, new simulations extending those reported in McClelland et al. (1995) show that new information that is consistent with knowledge previously acquired by a putatively cortexlike artificial neural network can be learned rapidly and without interfering with existing knowledge; it is when inconsistent new knowledge is acquired quickly that catastrophic interference ensues. Several important features of the findings of Tse et al. (2007, 2011) are captured in these simulations, indicating that the neural network model used in McClelland et al. has characteristics in common with neocortical learning mechanisms. An additional simulation generalizes beyond the network model previously used, showing how the rate of change of cortical connections can depend on prior knowledge in an arguably more biologically plausible network architecture. In sum, the findings of Tse et al. are fully consistent with the idea that hippocampus and neocortex are complementary learning systems. Taken together, these findings and the simulations reported here advance our knowledge by bringing out the role of consistency of new experience with existing knowledge and demonstrating that the rate of change of connections in real and artificial neural networks can be strongly prior-knowledge dependent. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Volumetric MRI for evaluation of regional pattern and progression of neocortical degeneration in Alzheimer's disease; MR-Volumetrie zur Darstellung von Verteilung und zeitlicher Abfolge neokortikaler Degeneration bei Morbus Alzheimer

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Leinsinger, G. [Institut fuer Klinische Radiologie, Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen, Muenchen (Germany); Institut fuer Klinische Radiologie, LMU Muenchen, Ziemssenstrasse 1, 80336, Muenchen (Germany); Teipel, S.; Pruessner, J.; Hampel, H. [Klinik fuer Psychiatrie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen, Muenchen (Germany); Wismueller, A.; Born, C.; Meindl, T.; Flatz, W.; Schoenberg, S.; Reiser, M. [Institut fuer Klinische Radiologie, Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen, Muenchen (Germany)

2003-07-01

Volumetric analysis of the corpus callosum and hippocampus using MRI in Alzheimer's disease (AD) to evaluate the regional pattern and progression of neocortical neurodegeneration. In subsequent studies we investigated patients with AD and healthy controls. Volumetry was based on MRI-data from a sagittal 3D T1w-gradient echo sequence. The corpus callosum (CC) was measured in a midsagittal slice, and subdivided into 5 subregions. Volumetry of the hippocampus/amygdala-formation (HAF) was performed by segmentation in coronary reoriented slices. In AD patients we found a significant atrophy in the rostrum und splenium of CC. The atrophy was correlated with the severity of dementia, but no correlation was found with the load of white matter lesions. In comparison with {sup 18}FDG-PET, we found a significant correlation of regional CC-atrophy with the regional decline of cortical glucose metabolism. A ROC-analysis demonstrated no significant differences in the diagostic accuracy of HAF volumetry and regional CC volumetry of the splenium (region C5) even in mild stages of dementia. Regional atrophy of CC can be used as a marker of neocortical degeneration even in early stages of dementia in AD. (orig.) [German] Volumetrische Analyse des Corpus callosum und Hippokampus mittels MRT bei der Alzheimer-Erkrankung (AD), mit dem Ziel die regionale Verteilung und Progression der neokortikalen relativ zur allokortikalen Neurodegeneration zu erfassen. In mehreren Studienabschnitten wurden Patienten mit AD und gesunde Kontrollen untersucht. Als Grundlage fuer die Volumetrie diente eine sagittale 3D-T1w-Gradientenechosequenz. Die Vermessung des Corpus callosum (CC) erfolgte in der mittsagittalen Schicht, wobei 5 Subregionen definiert wurden. Die Volumetrie des Hippokampus-Amygdala-Komplexes (HAK) wurde durch Segmentierung an koronar reorientierten Schichten durchgefuehrt. Bei Patienten mit AD fand sich eine signifikante Atrophie in Rostrum und Splenium des CC. Dabei zeigte sich

Humans and great apes share increased neocortical neuropeptide Y innervation compared to other haplorhine primates

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Mary Ann eRaghanti

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Neuropeptide Y (NPY plays a role in a variety of basic physiological functions and has also been implicated in regulating cognition, including learning and memory. A decrease in neocortical NPY has been reported for Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression, potentially contributing to associated cognitive deficits. The goal of the present analysis was to examine variation in neocortical NPY-immunoreactive axon and varicosity density among haplorhine primates (monkeys, apes, and humans. Stereologic methods were used to measure the ratios of NPY-expressing axon length density to total neuron density (ALv/Nv and NPY-immunoreactive varicosity density to neuron density (Vv/Nv, as well as the mean varicosity spacing in neocortical areas 10, 24, 44, and 22 (Tpt of humans, African great apes, New World monkeys, and Old World monkeys. Humans and great apes showed increased cortical NPY innervation relative to monkey species for ALv/Nv and Vv/Nv. Furthermore, humans and great apes displayed a conserved pattern of varicosity spacing across cortical areas and layers, with no differences between cortical layers or among cortical areas. These phylogenetic differences may be related to shared life history variables and may reflect specific cognitive abilities.

Sleep spindle-related reactivation of category-specific cortical regions after learning face-scene associations

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Bergmann, Til O; Mölle, Matthias; Diedrichs, Jens

2012-01-01

Newly acquired declarative memory traces are believed to be reactivated during NonREM sleep to promote their hippocampo-neocortical transfer for long-term storage. Yet it remains a major challenge to unravel the underlying neuronal mechanisms. Using simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG......-coupled reactivation of brain regions representing the specific task stimuli was traced during subsequent NonREM sleep with EEG-informed fMRI. Relative to the control task, learning face-scene associations triggered a stronger combined activation of neocortical and hippocampal regions during subsequent sleep. Notably......) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) recordings in humans, we show that sleep spindles play a key role in the reactivation of memory-related neocortical representations. On separate days, participants either learned face-scene associations or performed a visuomotor control task. Spindle...

The Performance of Ictal Brain SPECT Localizing for Epileptogenic Zone in Neocortical Epilepsy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Eun Sik; Lee, Dong Soo; Hyun, In Young; Chung, June Key; Lee, Myung Chul; Koh, Chang Soon; Lee, Sang Kun; Chang, Kee Hyun

1995-01-01

The epileptogenic zones should be localized precisely before surgical resection of these zones in intractable epilepsy. The localization is more difficult in patients with neocortical epilepsy than in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. This study aimed at evaluation of the usefulness of ictal brain perfusion SPECT for the localization of epileptogenic zones in neocortical epilepsy. We compared the performance of ictal SPECT with MRI referring to ictal scalp electroencephalography (sEEG). Ictal 99m Tc-HMPAO SPECT were done in twenty-one patients. Ictal EEG were also obtained during video monitoring. MRI were reviewed. According to the ictal sEEG and semiology, 8 patients were frontal lobe epilepsy, 7 patients were lateral temporal lobe epilepsy, 2 patients were parietal lobe epilepsy, and 4 patients were occipital lobe epilepsy. Ictal SPECT showed hyperperfusion in 14 patients(67%) in the zones which were suspected to be epileptogenic according to ictal EEG and semiology. MRI found morphologic abnormalities in 9 patients(43%). Among the 12 patients, in whom no epileptogenic zones were revealed by MR1, ictal SPECT found zones of hyperperfusion concordant with ictal sEEG in 9 patients(75%). However, no zones of hyperperfusion were found in 4 among 9 patients who were found to have cerebromalacia, abnormal calcification and migration anomaly in MRI. We thought that ictal SPECT was useful for localization of epileptogenic zones in neocortical epilepsy and especially in patients with negative findings in MRI.

Conical expansion of the outer subventricular zone and the role of neocortical folding in evolution and development

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Eric eLewitus

2013-08-01

Full Text Available There is a basic rule to mammalian neocortical expansion: as it expands, so does it fold. The degree to which it folds, however, cannot strictly be attributed to its expansion. Across species, cortical volume does not keep pace with cortical surface area, but rather folds appear more rapidly than expected. As a result, larger brains quickly become disproportionately more convoluted than smaller brains. Both the absence (lissencephaly and presence (gyrencephaly of cortical folds is observed in all mammalian orders and, while there is likely some phylogenetic signature to the evolutionary appearance of gyri and sulci, there are undoubtedly universal trends to the acquisition of folds in an expanding neocortex. Whether these trends are governed by conical expansion of neocortical germinal zones, the distribution of cortical connectivity, or a combination of growth- and connectivity-driven forces remains an open question. But the importance of cortical folding for evolution of the uniquely mammalian neocortex, as well as for the incidence of neuropathologies in humans, is undisputed. In this hypothesis and theory article, we will summarize the development of cortical folds in the neocortex, consider the relative influence of growth- versus connectivity-driven forces for the acquisition of cortical folds between and within species, assess the genetic, cell-biological, and mechanistic implications for neocortical expansion, and discuss the significance of these implications for human evolution, development, and disease. We will argue that evolutionary increases in the density of neuron production, achieved via maintenance of a basal proliferative niche in the neocortical germinal zones, drive the conical migration of neurons towards the cortical surface and ultimately lead to the establishment of cortical folds in large-brained mammal species.

Neocortical layers I and II of the hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus). I. Intrinsic organization.

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Valverde, F; Facal-Valverde, M V

1986-01-01

The intrinsic organization and interlaminar connections in neocortical layers I and II have been studied in adult hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) using the Golgi method. Layer I contains a dense plexus of horizontal fibers, the terminal dendritic bouquets of pyramidal cells of layer II and of underlying layers, and varieties of intrinsic neurons. Four main types of cells were found in layer I. Small horizontal cells represent most probably persisting foetal horizontal cells described for other mammals. Large horizontal cells, tufted cells, and spinous horizontal cells were also found in this layer. Layer II contains primitive pyramidal cells representing the most outstanding feature of the neocortex of the hedgehog. Most pyramidal cells in layer II have two, three or more apical dendrites, richly covered by spines predominating over the basal dendrites. These cells resemble pyramidal cells found in the piriform cortex, hippocampus and other olfactory areas. It is suggested that the presence of these neurons reflects the retention of a primitive character in neocortical evolution. Cells with intrinsic axons were found among pyramidal cells in layer II. These have smooth dendrites penetrating layer I and local axons forming extremely complex terminal arborizations around the bodies and proximal dendritic portions of pyramidal cells. They most probably effect numerous axo-somatic contacts resembling basket cells. The similarity of some axonal terminals with the chandelier type of axonal arborization is discussed. Other varieties of cells located in deep cortical layers and having ascending axons for layers I and II were also studied. It is concluded that the two first neocortical layers represent a level of important integration in this primitive mammal.

Bio-physically plausible visualization of highly scattering fluorescent neocortical models for in silico experimentation

KAUST Repository

Abdellah, Marwan

2017-02-15

Background We present a visualization pipeline capable of accurate rendering of highly scattering fluorescent neocortical neuronal models. The pipeline is mainly developed to serve the computational neurobiology community. It allows the scientists to visualize the results of their virtual experiments that are performed in computer simulations, or in silico. The impact of the presented pipeline opens novel avenues for assisting the neuroscientists to build biologically accurate models of the brain. These models result from computer simulations of physical experiments that use fluorescence imaging to understand the structural and functional aspects of the brain. Due to the limited capabilities of the current visualization workflows to handle fluorescent volumetric datasets, we propose a physically-based optical model that can accurately simulate light interaction with fluorescent-tagged scattering media based on the basic principles of geometric optics and Monte Carlo path tracing. We also develop an automated and efficient framework for generating dense fluorescent tissue blocks from a neocortical column model that is composed of approximately 31000 neurons. Results Our pipeline is used to visualize a virtual fluorescent tissue block of 50 μm3 that is reconstructed from the somatosensory cortex of juvenile rat. The fluorescence optical model is qualitatively analyzed and validated against experimental emission spectra of different fluorescent dyes from the Alexa Fluor family. Conclusion We discussed a scientific visualization pipeline for creating images of synthetic neocortical neuronal models that are tagged virtually with fluorescent labels on a physically-plausible basis. The pipeline is applied to analyze and validate simulation data generated from neuroscientific in silico experiments.

Statistical mechanics of neocortical interactions. Derivation of short-term-memory capacity

OpenAIRE

Ingber, Lester

1984-01-01

A theory developed by the author to describe macroscopic neocortical interactions demonstrates that empirical values of chemical and electrical parameters of synaptic interactions establish several minima of the path-integral Lagrangian as a function of excitatory and inhibitory columnar firings. The number of possible minima, their time scales of hysteresis and probable reverberations, and their nearest-neighbor columnar interactions are all consistent with well-established empirical rules o...

Uptake and metabolism of fructose by rat neocortical cells in vivo and by isolated nerve terminals in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Hassel, Bjørnar; Elsais, Ahmed; Frøland, Anne-Sofie; Taubøll, Erik; Gjerstad, Leif; Quan, Yi; Dingledine, Raymond; Rise, Frode

2015-05-01

Fructose reacts spontaneously with proteins in the brain to form advanced glycation end products (AGE) that may elicit neuroinflammation and cause brain pathology, including Alzheimer's disease. We investigated whether fructose is eliminated by oxidative metabolism in neocortex. Injection of [(14) C]fructose or its AGE-prone metabolite [(14) C]glyceraldehyde into rat neocortex in vivo led to formation of (14) C-labeled alanine, glutamate, aspartate, GABA, and glutamine. In isolated neocortical nerve terminals, [(14) C]fructose-labeled glutamate, GABA, and aspartate, indicating uptake of fructose into nerve terminals and oxidative fructose metabolism in these structures. This was supported by high expression of hexokinase 1, which channels fructose into glycolysis, and whose activity was similar with fructose or glucose as substrates. By contrast, the fructose-specific ketohexokinase was weakly expressed. The fructose transporter Glut5 was expressed at only 4% of the level of neuronal glucose transporter Glut3, suggesting transport across plasma membranes of brain cells as the limiting factor in removal of extracellular fructose. The genes encoding aldose reductase and sorbitol dehydrogenase, enzymes of the polyol pathway that forms glucose from fructose, were expressed in rat neocortex. These results point to fructose being transported into neocortical cells, including nerve terminals, and that it is metabolized and thereby detoxified primarily through hexokinase activity. We asked how the brain handles fructose, which may react spontaneously with proteins to form 'advanced glycation end products' and trigger inflammation. Neocortical cells took up and metabolized extracellular fructose oxidatively in vivo, and isolated nerve terminals did so in vitro. The low expression of fructose transporter Glut5 limited uptake of extracellular fructose. Hexokinase was a main pathway for fructose metabolism, but ketohexokinase (which leads to glyceraldehyde formation) was

The HIV-1 viral protein Tat increases glutamate and decreases GABA exocytosis from human and mouse neocortical nerve endings.

Science.gov (United States)

Musante, Veronica; Summa, Maria; Neri, Elisa; Puliti, Aldamaria; Godowicz, Tomasz T; Severi, Paolo; Battaglia, Giuseppe; Raiteri, Maurizio; Pittaluga, Anna

2010-08-01

Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1)-encoded transactivator of transcription (Tat) potentiated the depolarization-evoked exocytosis of [(3)H]D-aspartate ([(3)H]D-ASP) from human neocortical terminals. The metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) 1 receptor antagonist 7-(hydroxyimino)cyclopropa[b]chromen-1a-carboxylate ethyl ester (CPCCOEt) prevented this effect, whereas the mGlu5 receptor antagonist 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl) pyridine hydrochloride (MPEP) was ineffective. Western blot analysis showed that human neocortex synaptosomes possess mGlu1 and mGlu5 receptors. Tat potentiated the K(+)-evoked release of [(3)H]D-ASP or of endogenous glutamate from mouse neocortical synaptosomes in a CPCCOEt-sensitive and MPEP-insensitive manner. Deletion of mGlu1 receptors (crv4/crv4 mice) or mGlu5 receptors (mGlu5(-/-)mouse) silenced Tat effects. Tat enhanced inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate production in human and mouse neocortical synaptosomes, consistent with the involvement of group I mGlu receptors. Tat inhibited the K(+)-evoked release of [(3)H]gamma-aminobutyric acid ([(3)H]GABA) from human synaptosomes and that of endogenous GABA or [(3)H]GABA from mouse nerve terminals; the inhibition was insensitive to CPCCOEt or MPEP. Tat-induced effects were retained by Tat(37-72) but not by Tat(48-85). In mouse neocortical slices, Tat facilitated the K(+)- and the veratridine-induced release of [(3)H]D-ASP in a CPCCOEt-sensitive manner and was ineffective in crv4/crv4 mouse slices. These observations are relevant to the comprehension of the pathophysiological effects of Tat in central nervous system and may suggest new potential therapeutic approaches to the cure of HIV-1-associated dementia.

Spectroscopic evidence of hippocampal abnormalities in neocortical epilepsy

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, S. G.; Laxer, K. D.; Cashdollar, N.; Lopez, R. C.; Weiner, M. W.

2009-01-01

Lesional neocortical epilepsy (NE) can be associated with hippocampal sclerosis or hippocampal spectroscopic abnormalities without atrophy (dual pathology). In this study, magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) was used to determine the frequency of hippocampal damage/dysfunction in NE with and without structural lesion. Sixteen patients with NE [seven temporal NE (NE-T), nine extratemporal (NE-ET)] and 16 controls were studied with a 2D MRSI sequence (Repetition time/echo time (TR/TE) = 1800/135 ms) covering both hippocampi. Seven NE patients had MR visible lesions (NE-Les), nine had normal MRI (NE-no). In each hippocampus, 12 voxels were uniformly selected. In controls, mean (± SD) NAA/(Cr + Cho) values for each voxel were calculated and voxels with NAA/(Cr + Cho) ≤ (mean in controls – 2SD in controls) were defined as ‘pathological’ in patients. Eight of 16 NE patients had at least two ‘pathological’ voxel (mean 2.5, range 2–5) in one hippocampus. Four were NE-Les and four NE-no. Three (43%) NE-T patients, had evidence for hippocampal damage/dysfunction and five (56%) had NE-ET. The ipsilateral hippocampus was affected in six of eight NE patients. Evidence for unilateral hippocampal damage/dysfunction was demonstrated in 50% of the NE patients. The type of NE, i.e. NE-Les or NE-no, NE-T or NE-ET, had no influence on the occurrence of hippocampal damage/dysfunction. PMID:16618342

Electroconvulsive therapy and structural neuroplasticity in neocortical, limbic and paralimbic cortex

Science.gov (United States)

Pirnia, T; Joshi, S H; Leaver, A M; Vasavada, M; Njau, S; Woods, R P; Espinoza, R; Narr, K L

2016-01-01

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a highly effective and rapidly acting treatment for severe depression. To understand the biological bases of therapeutic response, we examined variations in cortical thickness from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data in 29 patients scanned at three time points during an ECT treatment index series and in 29 controls at two time points. Changes in thickness across time and with symptom improvement were evaluated at high spatial resolution across the cortex and within discrete cortical regions of interest. Patients showed increased thickness over the course of ECT in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), inferior and superior temporal, parahippocampal, entorhinal and fusiform cortex and in distributed prefrontal areas. No changes across time occurred in controls. In temporal and fusiform regions showing significant ECT effects, thickness differed between patients and controls at baseline and change in thickness related to therapeutic response in patients. In the ACC, these relationships occurred in treatment responders only, and thickness measured soon after treatment initiation predicted the overall ECT response. ECT leads to widespread neuroplasticity in neocortical, limbic and paralimbic regions and changes relate to the extent of antidepressant response. Variations in ACC thickness, which discriminate treatment responders and predict response early in the course of ECT, may represent a biomarker of overall clinical outcome. Because post-mortem studies show focal reductions in glial density and neuronal size in patients with severe depression, ECT-related increases in thickness may be attributable to neuroplastic processes affecting the size and/or density of neurons and glia and their connections. PMID:27271858

Layer-specific morphological and molecular differences in neocortical astrocytes and their dependence on neuronal layers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lanjakornsiripan, Darin; Pior, Baek-Jun; Kawaguchi, Daichi; Furutachi, Shohei; Tahara, Tomoaki; Katsuyama, Yu; Suzuki, Yutaka; Fukazawa, Yugo; Gotoh, Yukiko

2018-04-24

Non-pial neocortical astrocytes have historically been thought to comprise largely a nondiverse population of protoplasmic astrocytes. Here we show that astrocytes of the mouse somatosensory cortex manifest layer-specific morphological and molecular differences. Two- and three-dimensional observations revealed that astrocytes in the different layers possess distinct morphologies as reflected by differences in cell orientation, territorial volume, and arborization. The extent of ensheathment of synaptic clefts by astrocytes in layer II/III was greater than that by those in layer VI. Moreover, differences in gene expression were observed between upper-layer and deep-layer astrocytes. Importantly, layer-specific differences in astrocyte properties were abrogated in reeler and Dab1 conditional knockout mice, in which neuronal layers are disturbed, suggesting that neuronal layers are a prerequisite for the observed morphological and molecular differences of neocortical astrocytes. This study thus demonstrates the existence of layer-specific interactions between neurons and astrocytes, which may underlie their layer-specific functions.

Total regional and global number of synapses in the human brain neocortex

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tang, Y.; Nyengaard, J.R.; Groot, D.M.G. de; Jorgen, H.; Gundersen, G.

2001-01-01

An estimator of the total number of synapses in neocortex of human autopsy brains based on unbiased stereological principles is described. Each randomly chosen cerebral hemisphere was stratified into the four major neocortical regions. Uniform sampling with a varying sampling fraction in each region

Structural-functional connectivity deficits of neocortical circuits in the Fmr1 (-/y) mouse model of autism

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Haberl, M.G.; Zerbi, V.; Veltien, A.A.; Ginger, M.; Heerschap, A.; Frick, A.

2015-01-01

Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common inherited form of intellectual disability disorder and a frequent cause of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is characterized by a high prevalence of sensory symptoms. Perturbations in the anatomical connectivity of neocortical circuits resulting in their

Statistical mechanics of neocortical interactions: Constraints on 40-Hz models of short-term memory

Science.gov (United States)

Ingber, Lester

1995-10-01

Calculations presented in L. Ingber and P.L. Nunez, Phys. Rev. E 51, 5074 (1995) detailed the evolution of short-term memory in the neocortex, supporting the empirical 7+/-2 rule of constraints on the capacity of neocortical processing. These results are given further support when other recent models of 40-Hz subcycles of low-frequency oscillations are considered.

Reduced cell number in the neocortical part of the human fetal brain in Down syndrome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, K.B.; Laursen, H.; Graem, N.

2008-01-01

Mental retardation is seen in all individuals with Down syndrome (DS) and different brain abnormalities are reported. The aim of this study was to investigate if mental retardation at least in part is a result of a lower cell number in the neocortical part of the human fetal forebrain. We therefore...

Neocortical gamma oscillations in idiopathic generalized epilepsy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Benedek, Krisztina; Berenyi, Antal; Gombkoto, Peter

2016-01-01

Objective: Absence seizures in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) may in part be explained by a decrease in phasic GABAA (type-A c-aminobutyric acid) receptor function, but the mechanisms are only partly understood. Here we studied the relation between ictal and interictal spike......-wave discharges (SWDs) and electroencephalography (EEG) gamma oscillatory activity (30-60 Hz) in patients with IGE. Methods: EEG recordings were obtained of 14 children with IGE (mean age, 8.5 +/- 5 years) and 14 age-and sex-matched controls. Time-frequency analysis of each seizure and seizure-free control epochs...... was performed and cross-coherences of neocortical gamma oscillations were calculated to describe interictal and ictal characteristics of generalized seizures. Results: SWDs were characterized with an abrupt increase of oscillatory activity of 34 and 13-60 Hz, peaking at 3-4 and 30-60 Hz, and with a simultaneous...

Predictive values of F-18-FDG PET and ictal SPECT to find epileptogenic zones in cryptogenic neocortical epilepsies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, D. S.; Lee, S. K.; Jeong, Z. K.; Kim, H. Z.; Lee, M. C.; Ko, C. S.

1997-01-01

Though cumulated reported sensitivity were 33% (F-18-FDG PET) and 81%(ictal SPECT) in neocortical epilepsy, positive predictive values rather than sensitivity should be referred if we wish to know the reliability of positive findings to predict epileptogenic zones. In cryptogenic neocortical epilepsy which did not have structural lesions on MR, we tried to find performance of F-18-FDG PET and ictal SPECT to find epileptogenic zones. In 77 patients who had no lesion on MR and who were suspected to have neocortical epilepsy on video monitored EEG, ictal SPECT were done in 44 patients and F-18-FDG PET were done in 70 patients. Invasive study and operation was done in 24 patients. The most hyper perfused area or prominently hypometabolic area was suspected to be epileptogenic on ictal SPECT or F-18-FDG PET, respectively. We could find zones of ictal hyperperfusion in 34/44(78%) patients. Positive predictive values of ictal hyperperfusion were 58%, 60%, and 12.5% in frontal lobes (n=12), lateral temporal lobes (20), and parietal lobes (8). We could find hypometabolic areas in 50/70(76%) patients. Positive predictive values of hypometabolism were 78%, 71%, 33%, and 25% in frontal lobes (9), lateral temporal lobes (28), parietal lobes (3) and occipital lobes (4). Among 24 patients who were operated, 17 patients were followed up more than 7 months (15 ± 5). Thirteen patients improved (10 : Engel class I or II, 2: 90% reduction, 1: 75% reduction but multifocal). Five among 11 PET studies were correct, 3 among 10 SPECT studies, and 6 among 11 PET/SPECT studies (55%) were correct for localization. In conclusion, three fourths of patients gave positive results to localized epileptogenic zones in cryptogenic neocortical epilepsy, and predictive values of ictal hyperperfusion or interictal hypometabolism were highest in frontal or lateral temporal lobes if these lobes were found to be culprit though rapid ictal propagation of cortical hyperperfusion confounded the exact

GABA action in immature neocortical neurons directly depends on the availability of ketone bodies.

Science.gov (United States)

Rheims, Sylvain; Holmgren, Carl D; Chazal, Genevieve; Mulder, Jan; Harkany, Tibor; Zilberter, Tanya; Zilberter, Yuri

2009-08-01

In the early postnatal period, energy metabolism in the suckling rodent brain relies to a large extent on metabolic pathways alternate to glucose such as the utilization of ketone bodies (KBs). However, how KBs affect neuronal excitability is not known. Using recordings of single NMDA and GABA-activated channels in neocortical pyramidal cells we studied the effects of KBs on the resting membrane potential (E(m)) and reversal potential of GABA-induced anionic currents (E(GABA)), respectively. We show that during postnatal development (P3-P19) if neocortical brain slices are adequately supplied with KBs, E(m) and E(GABA) are both maintained at negative levels of about -83 and -80 mV, respectively. Conversely, a KB deficiency causes a significant depolarization of both E(m) (>5 mV) and E(GABA) (>15 mV). The KB-mediated shift in E(GABA) is largely determined by the interaction of the NKCC1 cotransporter and Cl(-)/HCO3 transporter(s). Therefore, by inducing a hyperpolarizing shift in E(m) and modulating GABA signaling mode, KBs can efficiently control the excitability of neonatal cortical neurons.

Default activity patterns at the neocortical microcircuit level

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Artur eLuczak

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Even in absence of sensory stimuli cortical networks exhibit complex, self-organized activity patterns. While the function of those spontaneous patterns of activation remains poorly understood, recent studies both in vivo and in vitro have demonstrated that neocortical neurons activate in a surprisingly similar sequential order both spontaneously and following input into cortex. For example, neurons that tend to fire earlier within spontaneous bursts of activity also fire earlier than other neurons in response to sensory stimuli. These 'default patterns' can last hundreds of milliseconds and are strongly conserved under a variety of conditions. In this paper we will review recent evidence for these default patterns at the local cortical level. We speculate that cortical architecture imposes common constraints on spontaneous and evoked activity flow, which result in the similarity of the patterns.

Mapping to mouse chromosome 3 of the gene encoding latexin (Lxn) expressed in neocortical neurons in a region-specific manner

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jin, Ming-hao; Uratani, Yoshihiko; Arimatsu, Yasuyoshi [Mitsubishi Kasei Institute of Life Sciences, Tokyo (Japan)

1997-02-01

Latexin was first found as a 29-kDa antigen expressed in a subset of neurons in infragranular layers of lateral, but not dorsal, neocortical areas in the rat using a monoclonal antibody PC3.1. It was found that the vast majority of latexin-expressing neurons in both layers V and VI within the lateral neocortex were generated concurrently at Embryonic Day 15, demonstrating a strict correlation between the molecular identity of neurons and the time of their generation. Since neurons expressing latexin are located in the restricted part of the neocortex, latexin has been used as a useful molecular marker to elucidate the mechanism underlying cortical regional specification. The latexin cDNA isolated from a cDNA library of the rat cerebral cortex encodes a protein composed of 223-amino-acid residues containing two potential Ca{sup 2+}/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase sites and one cGMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylation site. The absence of any signal peptide or potential transmembrane domain is consistent with the apparent cytosolic localization of latexin in the rat brain. The transcripts of latexin were expressed in not only neutral but also nonneural tissues (e.g., lung, spleen, kidney, heart, and digestive tracts). Recently, it has been demonstrated that latexin purified from the rat brain has inhibitory activity against carboxypeptidase A1, carboxypeptidase A2, and mast cell carboxypeptidase A, with less carboxypeptidase B-inhibiting activity. The amino acid sequence deduced from the rat latexin cDNA has no strict homology to any sequences so far known. Genomic Southern blot analysis using a cDNA probe of rat latexin suggested that the gene encoding latexin in the rat has homologues in other mammalian species and in the chicken, but not in the nematode, fly, or frog. 9 refs., 1 fig.

Multiple non-cell-autonomous defects underlie neocortical callosal dysgenesis in Nfib-deficient mice

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Sunn Nana

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Agenesis of the corpus callosum is associated with many human developmental syndromes. Key mechanisms regulating callosal formation include the guidance of axons arising from pioneering neurons in the cingulate cortex and the development of cortical midline glial populations, but their molecular regulation remains poorly characterised. Recent data have shown that mice lacking the transcription factor Nfib exhibit callosal agenesis, yet neocortical callosal neurons express only low levels of Nfib. Therefore, we investigate here how Nfib functions to regulate non-cell-autonomous mechanisms of callosal formation. Results Our investigations confirmed a reduction in glial cells at the midline in Nfib-/- mice. To determine how this occurs, we examined radial progenitors at the cortical midline and found that they were specified correctly in Nfib mutant mice, but did not differentiate into mature glia. Cellular proliferation and apoptosis occurred normally at the midline of Nfib mutant mice, indicating that the decrease in midline glia observed was due to deficits in differentiation rather than proliferation or apoptosis. Next we investigated the development of callosal pioneering axons in Nfib-/- mice. Using retrograde tracer labelling, we found that Nfib is expressed in cingulate neurons and hence may regulate their development. In Nfib-/- mice, neuropilin 1-positive axons fail to cross the midline and expression of neuropilin 1 is diminished. Tract tracing and immunohistochemistry further revealed that, in late gestation, a minor population of neocortical axons does cross the midline in Nfib mutants on a C57Bl/6J background, forming a rudimentary corpus callosum. Finally, the development of other forebrain commissures in Nfib-deficient mice is also aberrant. Conclusion The formation of the corpus callosum is severely delayed in the absence of Nfib, despite Nfib not being highly expressed in neocortical callosal neurons. Our

Statistical mechanics of neocortical interactions. Derivation of short-term-memory capacity

Science.gov (United States)

Ingber, Lester

1984-06-01

A theory developed by the author to describe macroscopic neocortical interactions demonstrates that empirical values of chemical and electrical parameters of synaptic interactions establish several minima of the path-integral Lagrangian as a function of excitatory and inhibitory columnar firings. The number of possible minima, their time scales of hysteresis and probable reverberations, and their nearest-neighbor columnar interactions are all consistent with well-established empirical rules of human short-term memory. Thus, aspects of conscious experience are derived from neuronal firing patterns, using modern methods of nonlinear nonequilibrium statistical mechanics to develop realistic explicit synaptic interactions.

Neocortical dynamics at multiple scales: EEG standing waves, statistical mechanics, and physical analogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Ingber, Lester; Nunez, Paul L

2011-02-01

The dynamic behavior of scalp potentials (EEG) is apparently due to some combination of global and local processes with important top-down and bottom-up interactions across spatial scales. In treating global mechanisms, we stress the importance of myelinated axon propagation delays and periodic boundary conditions in the cortical-white matter system, which is topologically close to a spherical shell. By contrast, the proposed local mechanisms are multiscale interactions between cortical columns via short-ranged non-myelinated fibers. A mechanical model consisting of a stretched string with attached nonlinear springs demonstrates the general idea. The string produces standing waves analogous to large-scale coherent EEG observed in some brain states. The attached springs are analogous to the smaller (mesoscopic) scale columnar dynamics. Generally, we expect string displacement and EEG at all scales to result from both global and local phenomena. A statistical mechanics of neocortical interactions (SMNI) calculates oscillatory behavior consistent with typical EEG, within columns, between neighboring columns via short-ranged non-myelinated fibers, across cortical regions via myelinated fibers, and also derives a string equation consistent with the global EEG model. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Differential antiepileptic effects of the organic calcium antagonists verapamil and flunarizine in neurons of organotypic neocortical explants from newborn rats

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bingmann, D; Speckmann, E J; Baker, R E; Ruijter, J; de Jong, B. M.

1988-01-01

Effects of the organic calcium antagonists verapamil and flunarizine on pentylenetetrazol induced paroxysmal depolarizations were tested in organotypic neocortical explants taken from neonatal rats. In these in vitro experiments the papaverin derivative verapamil depressed, and finally abolished,

Damaged Neocortical Perineuronal Nets Due to Experimental Focal Cerebral Ischemia in Mice, Rats and Sheep

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Wolfgang Härtig

2017-08-01

Full Text Available As part of the extracellular matrix (ECM, perineuronal nets (PNs are polyanionic, chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG-rich coatings of certain neurons, known to be affected in various neural diseases. Although these structures are considered as important parts of the neurovascular unit (NVU, their role during evolution of acute ischemic stroke and subsequent tissue damage is poorly understood and only a few preclinical studies analyzed PNs after acute ischemic stroke. By employing three models of experimental focal cerebral ischemia, this study was focused on histopathological alterations of PNs and concomitant vascular, glial and neuronal changes according to the NVU concept. We analyzed brain tissues obtained 1 day after ischemia onset from: (a mice after filament-based permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO; (b rats subjected to thromboembolic MACO; and (c sheep at 14 days after electrosurgically induced focal cerebral ischemia. Multiple fluorescence labeling was applied to explore simultaneous alterations of NVU and ECM. Serial mouse sections labeled with the net marker Wisteria floribunda agglutinin (WFA displayed largely decomposed and nearly erased PNs in infarcted neocortical areas that were demarcated by up-regulated immunoreactivity for vascular collagen IV (Coll IV. Subsequent semi-quantitative analyses in mice confirmed significantly decreased WFA-staining along the ischemic border zone and a relative decrease in the directly ischemia-affected neocortex. Triple fluorescence labeling throughout the three animal models revealed up-regulated Coll IV and decomposed PNs accompanied by activated astroglia and altered immunoreactivity for parvalbumin, a calcium-binding protein in fast-firing GABAergic neurons which are predominantly surrounded by neocortical PNs. Furthermore, ischemic neocortical areas in rodents simultaneously displayed less intense staining of WFA, aggrecan, the net components neurocan, versican and the

Cholinergic enhancement modulates neural correlates of selective attention and emotional processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Bentley, Paul; Vuilleumier, Patrik; Thiel, Christiane M; Driver, Jon; Dolan, Raymond J

2003-09-01

Neocortical cholinergic afferents are proposed to influence both selective attention and emotional processing. In a study of healthy adults we used event-related fMRI while orthogonally manipulating attention and emotionality to examine regions showing effects of cholinergic modulation by the anticholinesterase physostigmine. Either face or house pictures appeared at task-relevant locations, with the alternative picture type at irrelevant locations. Faces had either neutral or fearful expressions. Physostigmine increased relative activity within the anterior fusiform gyrus for faces at attended, versus unattended, locations, but decreased relative activity within the posterolateral occipital cortex for houses in attended, versus unattended, locations. A similar pattern of regional differences in the effect of physostigmine on cue-evoked responses was also present in the absence of stimuli. Cholinergic enhancement augmented the relative neuronal response within the middle fusiform gyrus to fearful faces, whether at attended or unattended locations. By contrast, physostigmine influenced responses in the orbitofrontal, intraparietal and cingulate cortices to fearful faces when faces occupied task-irrelevant locations. These findings suggest that acetylcholine may modulate both selective attention and emotional processes through independent, region-specific effects within the extrastriate cortex. Furthermore, cholinergic inputs to the frontoparietal cortex may influence the allocation of attention to emotional information.

Melatonin administration impairs visuo-spatial performance and inhibits neocortical long-term potentiation in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Soto-Moyano, Rubén; Burgos, Héctor; Flores, Francisco; Valladares, Luis; Sierralta, Walter; Fernández, Victor; Pérez, Hernán; Hernández, Paula; Hernández, Alejandro

2006-10-01

Melatonin has been shown to inhibit long-term potentiation (LTP) in hippocampal slices of rats. Since LTP may be one of the main mechanisms by which memory traces are encoded and stored in the central nervous system, it is possible that melatonin could modulate cognitive performance by interfering with the cellular and/or molecular mechanisms involved in LTP. We investigated in rats the effects of intraperitoneally-administered melatonin (0.1, 1 and 10 mg/kg), its saline-ethanol solvent, or saline alone, on the acquisition of visuo-spatial memory as well as on the ability of the cerebral cortex to develop LTP in vivo. Visuo-spatial performance was assessed daily in rats, for 10 days, in an 8-arm radial maze, 30 min after they received a single daily dose of melatonin. Visual cortex LTP was determined in sodium pentobarbital anesthetized rats (65 mg/kg i.p.), by potentiating transcallosal evoked responses with a tetanizing train (312 Hz, 500 ms duration) 30 min after administration of a single dose of melatonin. Results showed that melatonin impaired visuo-spatial performance in rats, as revealed by the greater number of errors committed and time spent to solve the task in the radial maze. Melatonin also prevented the induction of neocortical LTP. It is concluded that melatonin, at the doses utilized in this study, could alter some forms of neocortical plasticity involved in short- and long-term visuo-spatial memories in rats.

Neural mechanisms of transient neocortical beta rhythms: Converging evidence from humans, computational modeling, monkeys, and mice

Science.gov (United States)

Sherman, Maxwell A.; Lee, Shane; Law, Robert; Haegens, Saskia; Thorn, Catherine A.; Hämäläinen, Matti S.; Moore, Christopher I.; Jones, Stephanie R.

2016-01-01

Human neocortical 15–29-Hz beta oscillations are strong predictors of perceptual and motor performance. However, the mechanistic origin of beta in vivo is unknown, hindering understanding of its functional role. Combining human magnetoencephalography (MEG), computational modeling, and laminar recordings in animals, we present a new theory that accounts for the origin of spontaneous neocortical beta. In our MEG data, spontaneous beta activity from somatosensory and frontal cortex emerged as noncontinuous beta events typically lasting drive targeting proximal and distal dendrites of pyramidal neurons, where the defining feature of a beta event was a strong distal drive that lasted one beta period (∼50 ms). This beta mechanism rigorously accounted for the beta event profiles; several other mechanisms did not. The spatial location of synaptic drive in the model to supragranular and infragranular layers was critical to the emergence of beta events and led to the prediction that beta events should be associated with a specific laminar current profile. Laminar recordings in somatosensory neocortex from anesthetized mice and awake monkeys supported these predictions, suggesting this beta mechanism is conserved across species and recording modalities. These findings make several predictions about optimal states for perceptual and motor performance and guide causal interventions to modulate beta for optimal function. PMID:27469163

Prdm8 regulates the morphological transition at multipolar phase during neocortical development.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mayuko Inoue

Full Text Available Here, we found that the PR domain protein Prdm8 serves as a key regulator of the length of the multipolar phase by controlling the timing of morphological transition. We used a mouse line with expression of Prdm8-mVenus reporter and found that Prdm8 is predominantly expressed in the middle and upper intermediate zone during both the late and terminal multipolar phases. Prdm8 expression was almost coincident with Unc5D expression, a marker for the late multipolar phase, although the expression of Unc5D was found to be gradually down-regulated to the point at which mVenus expression was gradually up-regulated. This expression pattern suggests the possible involvement of Prdm8 in the control of the late and terminal multipolar phases, which controls the timing for morphological transition. To test this hypothesis, we performed gain- and loss-of-function analysis of neocortical development by using in utero electroporation. We found that the knockdown of Prdm8 results in premature change from multipolar to bipolar morphology, whereas the overexpression of Prdm8 maintained the multipolar morphology. Additionally, the postnatal analysis showed that the Prdm8 knockdown stimulated the number of early born neurons, and differentiated neurons located more deeply in the neocortex, however, majority of those cells could not acquire molecular features consistent with laminar location. Furthermore, we found the candidate genes that were predominantly utilized in both the late and terminal multipolar phases, and these candidate genes included those encoding for guidance molecules. In addition, we also found that the expression level of these guidance molecules was inhibited by the introduction of the Prdm8 expression vector. These results indicate that the Prdm8-mediated regulation of morphological changes that normally occur during the late and terminal multipolar phases plays an important role in neocortical development.

Selection of projects in the regional energy planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramirez P, R.; Navas M, F.

1993-01-01

The processes of regional energy planning have changed vastly in the last years and it will continue changing in the future for the new norm of the State. This work tries to show the use of systematic tools in the selection of regional energy projects. It discusses a methodology of selection of projects based on a multivariate technical. It is applied in the Southwestern region of Colombia and both selection and priority results are obtained. The designed methodology allows to make the selection of projects in an automatic way with a software designed for such an end. In the case of Southwestern it arrives to a briefcase of projects for an energy plan and made for other races

Selected Regional Judicial Officer Cases, 2005 - Present

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This dataset contains selected cases involving EPA's Regional Judicial Officers (RJOs) from 2005 to present. EPA's Regional Judicial Officers (RJOs) perform...

beta1 integrin maintains integrity of the embryonic neocortical stem cell niche.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karine Loulier

2009-08-01

Full Text Available During embryogenesis, the neural stem cells (NSC of the developing cerebral cortex are located in the ventricular zone (VZ lining the cerebral ventricles. They exhibit apical and basal processes that contact the ventricular surface and the pial basement membrane, respectively. This unique architecture is important for VZ physical integrity and fate determination of NSC daughter cells. In addition, the shorter apical process is critical for interkinetic nuclear migration (INM, which enables VZ cell mitoses at the ventricular surface. Despite their importance, the mechanisms required for NSC adhesion to the ventricle are poorly understood. We have shown previously that one class of candidate adhesion molecules, laminins, are present in the ventricular region and that their integrin receptors are expressed by NSC. However, prior studies only demonstrate a role for their interaction in the attachment of the basal process to the overlying pial basement membrane. Here we use antibody-blocking and genetic experiments to reveal an additional and novel requirement for laminin/integrin interactions in apical process adhesion and NSC regulation. Transient abrogation of integrin binding and signalling using blocking antibodies to specifically target the ventricular region in utero results in abnormal INM and alterations in the orientation of NSC divisions. We found that these defects were also observed in laminin alpha2 deficient mice. More detailed analyses using a multidisciplinary approach to analyse stem cell behaviour by expression of fluorescent transgenes and multiphoton time-lapse imaging revealed that the transient embryonic disruption of laminin/integrin signalling at the VZ surface resulted in apical process detachment from the ventricular surface, dystrophic radial glia fibers, and substantial layering defects in the postnatal neocortex. Collectively, these data reveal novel roles for the laminin/integrin interaction in anchoring embryonic NSCs

Optimal infrastructure selection to boost regional sustainable economy

OpenAIRE

Martín Utrillas, Manuel Guzmán; Juan-Garcia, F.; Cantó Perelló, Julián; Curiel Esparza, Jorge

2015-01-01

The role of infrastructures in boosting the economic growth of the regions is widely recognized. In many cases, an infrastructure is selected by subjective reasons. Selection of the optimal infrastructure for sustainable economic development of a region should be based on objective and founded reasons, not only economical, but also environmental and social. In this paper is developed such selection through a hybrid method based on Delphi, analytical hierarchy process (AHP), and VIKOR (from Se...

Automated selection of trabecular bone regions in knee radiographs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Podsiadlo, P.; Wolski, M.; Stachowiak, G. W.

2008-01-01

Osteoarthritic (OA) changes in knee joints can be assessed by analyzing the structure of trabecular bone (TB) in the tibia. This analysis is performed on TB regions selected manually by a human operator on x-ray images. Manual selection is time-consuming, tedious, and expensive. Even if a radiologist expert or highly trained person is available to select regions, high inter- and intraobserver variabilities are still possible. A fully automated image segmentation method was, therefore, developed to select the bone regions for numerical analyses of changes in bone structures. The newly developed method consists of image preprocessing, delineation of cortical bone plates (active shape model), and location of regions of interest (ROI). The method was trained on an independent set of 40 x-ray images. Automatically selected regions were compared to the ''gold standard'' that contains ROIs selected manually by a radiologist expert on 132 x-ray images. All images were acquired from subjects locked in a standardized standing position using a radiography rig. The size of each ROI is 12.8x12.8 mm. The automated method results showed a good agreement with the gold standard [similarity index (SI)=0.83 (medial) and 0.81 (lateral) and the offset=[-1.78, 1.27]x[-0.65,0.26] mm (medial) and [-2.15, 1.59]x[-0.58, 0.52] mm (lateral)]. Bland and Altman plots were constructed for fractal signatures, and changes of fractal dimensions (FD) to region offsets calculated between the gold standard and automatically selected regions were calculated. The plots showed a random scatter and the 95% confidence intervals were (-0.006, 0.008) and (-0.001, 0.011). The changes of FDs to region offsets were less than 0.035. Previous studies showed that differences in FDs between non-OA and OA bone regions were greater than 0.05. ROIs were also selected by a second radiologist and then evaluated. Results indicated that the newly developed method could replace a human operator and produces bone regions

Hyperconnectivity of local neocortical microcircuitry induced by prenatal exposure to valproic acid

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rinaldi, Tania; Silberberg, Gilad; Markram, Henry

2008-01-01

Exposure to valproic acid (VPA) during embryogenesis can cause several teratogenic effects, including developmental delays and in particular autism in humans if exposure occurs during the third week of gestation. We examined the postnatal effects of embryonic exposure to VPA on microcircuit...... properties of juvenile rat neocortex using in vitro electrophysiology. We found that a single prenatal injection of VPA on embryonic day 11.5 causes a significant enhancement of the local recurrent connectivity formed by neocortical pyramidal neurons. The study of the biophysical properties...... of these connections revealed weaker excitatory synaptic responses. A marked decrease of the intrinsic excitability of pyramidal neurons was also observed. Furthermore, we demonstrate a diminished number of putative synaptic contacts in connection between layer 5 pyramidal neurons. Local hyperconnectivity may render...

Development of calcium-permeable alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors in cultured neocortical neurons visualized by cobalt staining

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, J B; Schousboe, A; Pickering, D S

1998-01-01

The developmental expression of calcium (Ca2+)-permeable alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) and kainate receptors in cultured neocortical neurons was evaluated by using cobalt uptake, a histochemical method that identifies cells expressing Ca2+-permeable, non-N-methyl-D-aspartate...

Feature and Region Selection for Visual Learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Ji; Wang, Liantao; Cabral, Ricardo; De la Torre, Fernando

2016-03-01

Visual learning problems, such as object classification and action recognition, are typically approached using extensions of the popular bag-of-words (BoWs) model. Despite its great success, it is unclear what visual features the BoW model is learning. Which regions in the image or video are used to discriminate among classes? Which are the most discriminative visual words? Answering these questions is fundamental for understanding existing BoW models and inspiring better models for visual recognition. To answer these questions, this paper presents a method for feature selection and region selection in the visual BoW model. This allows for an intermediate visualization of the features and regions that are important for visual learning. The main idea is to assign latent weights to the features or regions, and jointly optimize these latent variables with the parameters of a classifier (e.g., support vector machine). There are four main benefits of our approach: 1) our approach accommodates non-linear additive kernels, such as the popular χ(2) and intersection kernel; 2) our approach is able to handle both regions in images and spatio-temporal regions in videos in a unified way; 3) the feature selection problem is convex, and both problems can be solved using a scalable reduced gradient method; and 4) we point out strong connections with multiple kernel learning and multiple instance learning approaches. Experimental results in the PASCAL VOC 2007, MSR Action Dataset II and YouTube illustrate the benefits of our approach.

32 CFR 1605.8 - Staff of Region Headquarters for Selective Service.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Staff of Region Headquarters for Selective... SERVICE SYSTEM SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM ORGANIZATION Region Administration § 1605.8 Staff of Region..., the staff of each region for Selective Service shall consist of as many officers, either military or...

Optogenetic activation of neocortical neurons in vivo with a sapphire-based micro-scale LED probe

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Niall eMcAlinden

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Optogenetics has proven to be a revolutionary technology in neuroscience and has advanced continuously over the past decade. However, optical stimulation technologies for in vivo need to be developed to match the advances in genetics and biochemistry that have driven this field. In particular, conventional approaches for in vivo optical illumination have a limitation on the achievable spatio-temporal resolution. Here we utilize a sapphire-based microscale gallium nitride light-emitting diode (µLED probe to activate neocortical neurons in vivo. The probes were designed to contain independently controllable multiple µLEDs, emitting at 450 nm wavelength with an irradiance of up to 2 W/mm2. Monte-Carlo stimulations predicted that optical stimulation using a µLED can modulate neural activity within a localized region. To validate this prediction, we tested this probe in the mouse neocortex that expressed channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2 and compared the results with optical stimulation through a fiber at the cortical surface. We confirmed that both approaches reliably induced action potentials in cortical neurons and that the µLED probe evoked strong responses in deep neurons. Due to the possibility to integrate many optical stimulation sites onto a single shank, the µLED probe is thus a promising approach to control neurons locally in vivo.

Closed Loop Brain Model of Neocortical Information Based Exchange

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James eKozloski

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Here we describe an information based exchange' model of brain function that ascribes to neocortex, basal ganglia, and thalamus distinct network functions. The model allows us to analyze whole brain system set point measures, such as the rate and heterogeneity of transitions in striatum and neocortex, in the context of neuromodulation and other perturbations. Our closed-loop model is grounded in neuroanatomical observations, proposing a novel Grand Loop through neocortex, and invokes different forms of plasticity at specific tissue interfaces and their principle cell synapses to achieve these transitions. By implementing a system for maximum information based exchange of action potentials between modeled neocortical areas, we observe changes to these measures in simulation. We hypothesize that similar dynamic set points and modulations exist in the brain's resting state activity, and that different modifications to information based exchange may shift the risk profile of different component tissues, resulting in different neurodegenerative diseases. This model is targeted for further development using IBM's Neural Tissue Simulator, which allows scalable elaboration of networks, tissues, and their neural and synaptic components towards ever greater complexity and biological realism.

Statistical mechanics of neocortical interactions: Path-integral evolution of short-term memory

Science.gov (United States)

Ingber, Lester

1994-05-01

Previous papers in this series of statistical mechanics of neocortical interactions (SMNI) have detailed a development from the relatively microscopic scales of neurons up to the macroscopic scales as recorded by electroencephalography (EEG), requiring an intermediate mesocolumnar scale to be developed at the scale of minicolumns (~=102 neurons) and macrocolumns (~=105 neurons). Opportunity was taken to view SMNI as sets of statistical constraints, not necessarily describing specific synaptic or neuronal mechanisms, on neuronal interactions, on some aspects of short-term memory (STM), e.g., its capacity, stability, and duration. A recently developed c-language code, pathint, provides a non-Monte Carlo technique for calculating the dynamic evolution of arbitrary-dimension (subject to computer resources) nonlinear Lagrangians, such as derived for the two-variable SMNI problem. Here, pathint is used to explicitly detail the evolution of the SMNI constraints on STM.

Tcf3 represses Wnt-β-catenin signaling and maintains neural stem cell population during neocortical development.

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Atsushi Kuwahara

Full Text Available During mouse neocortical development, the Wnt-β-catenin signaling pathway plays essential roles in various phenomena including neuronal differentiation and proliferation of neural precursor cells (NPCs. Production of the appropriate number of neurons without depletion of the NPC population requires precise regulation of the balance between differentiation and maintenance of NPCs. However, the mechanism that suppresses Wnt signaling to prevent premature neuronal differentiation of NPCs is poorly understood. We now show that the HMG box transcription factor Tcf3 (also known as Tcf7l1 contributes to this mechanism. Tcf3 is highly expressed in undifferentiated NPCs in the mouse neocortex, and its expression is reduced in intermediate neuronal progenitors (INPs committed to the neuronal fate. We found Tcf3 to be a repressor of Wnt signaling in neocortical NPCs in a reporter gene assay. Tcf3 bound to the promoter of the proneural bHLH gene Neurogenin1 (Neurog1 and repressed its expression. Consistent with this, Tcf3 repressed neuronal differentiation and increased the self-renewal activity of NPCs. We also found that Wnt signal stimulation reduces the level of Tcf3, and increases those of Tcf1 (also known as Tcf7 and Lef1, positive mediators of Wnt signaling, in NPCs. Together, these results suggest that Tcf3 antagonizes Wnt signaling in NPCs, thereby maintaining their undifferentiated state in the neocortex and that Wnt signaling promotes the transition from Tcf3-mediated repression to Tcf1/Lef1-mediated enhancement of Wnt signaling, constituting a positive feedback loop that facilitates neuronal differentiation.

Localization and pharmacological characterization of voltage dependent calcium channels in cultured neocortical neurons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Timmermann, D B; Lund, Trine Meldgaard; Belhage, B

2001-01-01

The physiological significance and subcellular distribution of voltage dependent calcium channels was defined using calcium channel blockers to inhibit potassium induced rises in cytosolic calcium concentration in cultured mouse neocortical neurons. The cytosolic calcium concentration was measured...... channels were differentially distributed in somata, neurites and nerve terminals. omega-conotoxin MVIIC (omega-CgTx MVIIC) inhibited approximately 40% of the Ca(2+)-rise in both somata and neurites and 60% of the potassium induced [3H]GABA release, indicating that the Q-type channel is the quantitatively...... most important voltage dependent calcium channel in all parts of the neuron. After treatment with thapsigargin the increase in cytosolic calcium was halved, indicating that calcium release from thapsigargin sensitive intracellular calcium stores is an important component of the potassium induced rise...

Unsupervised classification of neocortical activity patterns in neonatal and pre-juvenile rodents

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Nicole eCichon

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Flexible communication within the brain, which relies on oscillatory activity, is not confined to adult neuronal networks. Experimental evidence has documented the presence of discontinuous patterns of oscillatory activity already during early development. Their highly variable spatial and time-frequency organization has been related to region specificity. However, it might be equally due to the absence of unitary criteria for classifying the early activity patterns, since they have been mainly characterized by visual inspection. Therefore, robust and unbiased methods for categorizing these discontinuous oscillations are needed for increasingly complex data sets from different labs. Here, we introduce an unsupervised detection and classification algorithm for the discontinuous activity patterns of rodents during early development. For this, firstly time windows with discontinuous oscillations vs. epochs of network silence were identified. In a second step, the major features of detected events were identified and processed by principal component analysis for deciding on their contribution to the classification of different oscillatory patterns. Finally, these patterns were categorized using an unsupervised cluster algorithm. The results were validated on manually characterized neonatal spindle bursts, which ubiquitously entrain neocortical areas of rats and mice, and prelimbic nested gamma spindle bursts. Moreover, the algorithm led to satisfactory results for oscillatory events that, due to increased similarity of their features, were more difficult to classify, e.g. during the pre-juvenile developmental period. Based on a linear classification, the optimal number of features to consider increased with the difficulty of detection. This algorithm allows the comparison of neonatal and pre-juvenile oscillatory patterns in their spatial and temporal organization. It might represent a first step for the unbiased elucidation of activity patterns

CpG islands undermethylation in human genomic regions under selective pressure.

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Sergio Cocozza

Full Text Available DNA methylation at CpG islands (CGIs is one of the most intensively studied epigenetic mechanisms. It is fundamental for cellular differentiation and control of transcriptional potential. DNA methylation is involved also in several processes that are central to evolutionary biology, including phenotypic plasticity and evolvability. In this study, we explored the relationship between CpG islands methylation and signatures of selective pressure in Homo Sapiens, using a computational biology approach. By analyzing methylation data of 25 cell lines from the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE Consortium, we compared the DNA methylation of CpG islands in genomic regions under selective pressure with the methylation of CpG islands in the remaining part of the genome. To define genomic regions under selective pressure, we used three different methods, each oriented to provide distinct information about selective events. Independently of the method and of the cell type used, we found evidences of undermethylation of CGIs in human genomic regions under selective pressure. Additionally, by analyzing SNP frequency in CpG islands, we demonstrated that CpG islands in regions under selective pressure show lower genetic variation. Our findings suggest that the CpG islands in regions under selective pressure seem to be somehow more "protected" from methylation when compared with other regions of the genome.

[Incentive for Regional Risk Selection in the German Risk Structure Compensation Scheme].

Science.gov (United States)

Wende, Danny

2017-10-01

The introduction of the new law GKV-FQWG strengthens the competition between statutory health insurance. If incentives for risk selection exist, they may force a battle for cheap customers. This study aims to document and discuss incentives for regional risk selection in the German risk structure compensation scheme. Identify regional autocorrelation with Moran's l on financial parameters of the risk structure compensation schema. Incentives for regional risk selection do indeed exist. The risk structure compensation schema reduces 91% of the effect and helps to reduce risk selection. Nevertheless, a connection between regional situation and competition could be shown (correlation: 69.5%). Only the integration of regional control variables into the risk compensation eliminates regional autocorrelation. The actual risk structure compensation is leading to regional inequalities and as a consequence to risk selection and distortion in competition. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Evolution of brain region volumes during artificial selection for relative brain size.

Science.gov (United States)

Kotrschal, Alexander; Zeng, Hong-Li; van der Bijl, Wouter; Öhman-Mägi, Caroline; Kotrschal, Kurt; Pelckmans, Kristiaan; Kolm, Niclas

2017-12-01

The vertebrate brain shows an extremely conserved layout across taxa. Still, the relative sizes of separate brain regions vary markedly between species. One interesting pattern is that larger brains seem associated with increased relative sizes only of certain brain regions, for instance telencephalon and cerebellum. Till now, the evolutionary association between separate brain regions and overall brain size is based on comparative evidence and remains experimentally untested. Here, we test the evolutionary response of brain regions to directional selection on brain size in guppies (Poecilia reticulata) selected for large and small relative brain size. In these animals, artificial selection led to a fast response in relative brain size, while body size remained unchanged. We use microcomputer tomography to investigate how the volumes of 11 main brain regions respond to selection for larger versus smaller brains. We found no differences in relative brain region volumes between large- and small-brained animals and only minor sex-specific variation. Also, selection did not change allometric scaling between brain and brain region sizes. Our results suggest that brain regions respond similarly to strong directional selection on relative brain size, which indicates that brain anatomy variation in contemporary species most likely stem from direct selection on key regions. © 2017 The Author(s). Evolution © 2017 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Neocortical neuron types in Xenarthra and Afrotheria: implications for brain evolution in mammals.

Science.gov (United States)

Sherwood, Chet C; Stimpson, Cheryl D; Butti, Camilla; Bonar, Christopher J; Newton, Alisa L; Allman, John M; Hof, Patrick R

2009-02-01

Interpreting the evolution of neuronal types in the cerebral cortex of mammals requires information from a diversity of species. However, there is currently a paucity of data from the Xenarthra and Afrotheria, two major phylogenetic groups that diverged close to the base of the eutherian mammal adaptive radiation. In this study, we used immunohistochemistry to examine the distribution and morphology of neocortical neurons stained for nonphosphorylated neurofilament protein, calbindin, calretinin, parvalbumin, and neuropeptide Y in three xenarthran species-the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), the lesser anteater (Tamandua tetradactyla), and the two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus)-and two afrotherian species-the rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) and the black and rufous giant elephant shrew (Rhynchocyon petersi). We also studied the distribution and morphology of astrocytes using glial fibrillary acidic protein as a marker. In all of these species, nonphosphorylated neurofilament protein-immunoreactive neurons predominated in layer V. These neurons exhibited diverse morphologies with regional variation. Specifically, high proportions of atypical neurofilament-enriched neuron classes were observed, including extraverted neurons, inverted pyramidal neurons, fusiform neurons, and other multipolar types. In addition, many projection neurons in layers II-III were found to contain calbindin. Among interneurons, parvalbumin- and calbindin-expressing cells were generally denser compared to calretinin-immunoreactive cells. We traced the evolution of certain cortical architectural traits using phylogenetic analysis. Based on our reconstruction of character evolution, we found that the living xenarthrans and afrotherians show many similarities to the stem eutherian mammal, whereas other eutherian lineages display a greater number of derived traits.

Coarse-to-fine region selection and matching

KAUST Repository

Yang, Yanchao

2015-10-15

We present a new approach to wide baseline matching. We propose to use a hierarchical decomposition of the image domain and coarse-to-fine selection of regions to match. In contrast to interest point matching methods, which sample salient regions to reduce the cost of comparing all regions in two images, our method eliminates regions systematically to achieve efficiency. One advantage of our approach is that it is not restricted to covariant salient regions, which is too restrictive under large viewpoint and leads to few corresponding regions. Affine invariant matching of regions in the hierarchy is achieved efficiently by a coarse-to-fine search of the affine space. Experiments on two benchmark datasets shows that our method finds more correct correspondence of the image (with fewer false alarms) than other wide baseline methods on large viewpoint change. © 2015 IEEE.

Effect of Prenatal Protein Malnutrition on Long-Term Potentiation and BDNF Protein Expression in the Rat Entorhinal Cortex after Neocortical and Hippocampal Tetanization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alejandro Hernández

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Reduction of the protein content from 25 to 8% casein in the diet of pregnant rats results in impaired neocortical long-term potentiation (LTP of the offspring together with lower visuospatial memory performance. The present study was aimed to investigate whether this type of maternal malnutrition could result in modification of plastic capabilities of the entorhinal cortex (EC in the adult progeny. Unlike normal eutrophic controls, 55–60-day-old prenatally malnourished rats were unable to develop LTP in the medial EC to tetanizing stimulation delivered to either the ipsilateral occipital cortex or the CA1 hippocampal region. Tetanizing stimulation of CA1 also failed to increase the concentration of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF in the EC of malnourished rats. Impaired capacity of the EC of prenatally malnourished rats to develop LTP and to increase BDNF levels during adulthood may be an important factor contributing to deficits in learning performance having adult prenatally malnourished animals.

Effect of prenatal protein malnutrition on long-term potentiation and BDNF protein expression in the rat entorhinal cortex after neocortical and hippocampal tetanization.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández, Alejandro; Burgos, Héctor; Mondaca, Mauricio; Barra, Rafael; Núñez, Héctor; Pérez, Hernán; Soto-Moyano, Rubén; Sierralta, Walter; Fernández, Victor; Olivares, Ricardo; Valladares, Luis

2008-01-01

Reduction of the protein content from 25 to 8% casein in the diet of pregnant rats results in impaired neocortical long-term potentiation (LTP) of the offspring together with lower visuospatial memory performance. The present study was aimed to investigate whether this type of maternal malnutrition could result in modification of plastic capabilities of the entorhinal cortex (EC) in the adult progeny. Unlike normal eutrophic controls, 55-60-day-old prenatally malnourished rats were unable to develop LTP in the medial EC to tetanizing stimulation delivered to either the ipsilateral occipital cortex or the CA1 hippocampal region. Tetanizing stimulation of CA1 also failed to increase the concentration of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the EC of malnourished rats. Impaired capacity of the EC of prenatally malnourished rats to develop LTP and to increase BDNF levels during adulthood may be an important factor contributing to deficits in learning performance having adult prenatally malnourished animals.

Nordic Regional Report; Selected Issues

OpenAIRE

International Monetary Fund

2013-01-01

This Selected Issues paper elaborates findings and discussions of 2013 Cluster Consultation Nordic Regional report. The countries have close economic and financial ties and face some common challenges and shared risks, such as large banking sectors and high household debt. The economic performance of the four continental Nordic economies (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden—Nordic-4) ranks among the advanced economic development circle. It is analyzed that the large Nordic banking systems su...

Immune Regulator MCPIP1 Modulates TET Expression during Early Neocortical Development

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Huihui Jiang

2016-09-01

Full Text Available MCPIP1 is a recently identified immune regulator that plays critical roles in preventing immune disorders, and is also present in the brain. Currently an unresolved question remains as to how MCPIP1 performs its non-immune functions in normal brain development. Here, we report that MCPIP1 is abundant in neural progenitor cells (NPCs and newborn neurons during the early stages of neurogenesis. The suppression of MCPIP1 expression impairs normal neuronal differentiation, cell-cycle exit, and concomitant NPC proliferation. MCPIP1 is important for maintenance of the NPC pool. Notably, we demonstrate that MCPIP1 reduces TET (TET1/TET2/TET3 levels and then decreases 5-hydroxymethylcytosine levels. Furthermore, the MCPIP1 interaction with TETs is involved in neurogenesis and in establishing the proper number of NPCs in vivo. Collectively, our findings not only demonstrate that MCPIP1 plays an important role in early cortical neurogenesis but also reveal an unexpected link between neocortical development, immune regulators, and epigenetic modification.

Persistent schema-dependent hippocampal-neocortical connectivity during memory encoding and postencoding rest in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

van Kesteren, Marlieke T R; Fernández, Guillén; Norris, David G; Hermans, Erno J

2010-04-20

The hippocampus is thought to promote gradual incorporation of novel information into long-term memory by binding, reactivating, and strengthening distributed cortical-cortical connections. Recent studies implicate a key role in this process for hippocampally driven crosstalk with the (ventro)medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), which is proposed to become a central node in such representational networks over time. The existence of a relevant prior associative network, or schema, may moreover facilitate this process. Thus, hippocampal-vmPFC crosstalk may support integration of new memories, particularly in the absence of a relevant prior schema. To address this issue, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and prior schema manipulation to track hippocampal-vmPFC connectivity during encoding and postencoding rest. We manipulated prior schema knowledge by exposing 30 participants to the first part of a movie that was temporally scrambled for 15 participants. The next day, participants underwent fMRI while encoding the movie's final 15 min in original order and, subsequently, while resting. Schema knowledge and item recognition performance show that prior schema was successfully and selectively manipulated. Intersubject synchronization (ISS) and interregional partial correlation analyses furthermore show that stronger prior schema was associated with more vmPFC ISS and less hippocampal-vmPFC interregional connectivity during encoding. Notably, this connectivity pattern persisted during postencoding rest. These findings suggest that additional crosstalk between hippocampus and vmPFC is required to compensate for difficulty integrating novel information during encoding and provide tentative support for the notion that functionally relevant hippocampal-neocortical crosstalk persists during off-line periods after learning.

Corrigendum to “Long-term valproic acid exposure increases the number of neocortical neurons in the developing rat brain" [Neurosci.Lett. 580 (2014) 12–16] A possible new animal model of autism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sabers, Anne; Bertelsen, Freja C B; Scheel-Krüger, Jørgen

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that long-term fetal valproic acid (VPA) exposure at doses relevant to the human clinic interferes with normal brain development. Pregnant rats were given intraperitoneal injections of VPA (20 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg) continuously during the last 9......–12 days of pregnancy and during the lactation period until sacrifice on the 23rd postnatal day. Total number of neocortical neurons was estimated using the optical fraction at or and frontal cortical thicknesses were sampled in VPA exposed pups compared with an unexposed control group. We found that pups....... Pups exposed to 100 mg/kg, but not to 20 mg/kg VPA displayed a significant (p brain development by disturbing neocortical organization...

Detecting non-coding selective pressure in coding regions

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Blanchette Mathieu

2007-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Comparative genomics approaches, where orthologous DNA regions are compared and inter-species conserved regions are identified, have proven extremely powerful for identifying non-coding regulatory regions located in intergenic or intronic regions. However, non-coding functional elements can also be located within coding region, as is common for exonic splicing enhancers, some transcription factor binding sites, and RNA secondary structure elements affecting mRNA stability, localization, or translation. Since these functional elements are located in regions that are themselves highly conserved because they are coding for a protein, they generally escaped detection by comparative genomics approaches. Results We introduce a comparative genomics approach for detecting non-coding functional elements located within coding regions. Codon evolution is modeled as a mixture of codon substitution models, where each component of the mixture describes the evolution of codons under a specific type of coding selective pressure. We show how to compute the posterior distribution of the entropy and parsimony scores under this null model of codon evolution. The method is applied to a set of growth hormone 1 orthologous mRNA sequences and a known exonic splicing elements is detected. The analysis of a set of CORTBP2 orthologous genes reveals a region of several hundred base pairs under strong non-coding selective pressure whose function remains unknown. Conclusion Non-coding functional elements, in particular those involved in post-transcriptional regulation, are likely to be much more prevalent than is currently known. With the numerous genome sequencing projects underway, comparative genomics approaches like that proposed here are likely to become increasingly powerful at detecting such elements.

Neocortical inhibitory activities and long-range afferents contribute to the synchronous onset of silent states of the neocortical slow oscillation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lemieux, Maxime; Chauvette, Sylvain; Timofeev, Igor

2015-02-01

During slow-wave sleep, neurons of the thalamocortical network are engaged in a slow oscillation (<1 Hz), which consists of an alternation between the active and the silent states. Several studies have provided insights on the transition from the silent, which are essentially periods of disfacilitation, to the active states. However, the conditions leading to the synchronous onset of the silent state remain elusive. We hypothesized that a synchronous input to local inhibitory neurons could contribute to the transition to the silent state in the cat suprasylvian gyrus during natural sleep and under ketamine-xylazine anesthesia. After partial and complete deafferentation of the cortex, we found that the silent state onset was more variable among remote sites. We found that the transition to the silent state was preceded by a reduction in excitatory postsynaptic potentials and firing probability in cortical neurons. We tested the impact of chloride-mediated inhibition in the silent-state onset. We uncovered a long-duration (100-300 ms) inhibitory barrage occurring about 250 ms before the silent state onset in 3-6% of neurons during anesthesia and in 12-15% of cases during natural sleep. These inhibitory activities caused a decrease in cortical firing that reduced the excitatory drive in the neocortical network. That chain reaction of disfacilitation ends up on the silent state. Electrical stimuli could trigger a network silent state with a maximal efficacy in deep cortical layers. We conclude that long-range afferents to the neocortex and chloride-mediated inhibition play a role in the initiation of the silent state. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Selective constraint on noncoding regions of hominid genomes.

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Eliot C Bush

2005-12-01

Full Text Available An important challenge for human evolutionary biology is to understand the genetic basis of human-chimpanzee differences. One influential idea holds that such differences depend, to a large extent, on adaptive changes in gene expression. An important step in assessing this hypothesis involves gaining a better understanding of selective constraint on noncoding regions of hominid genomes. In noncoding sequence, functional elements are frequently small and can be separated by large nonfunctional regions. For this reason, constraint in hominid genomes is likely to be patchy. Here we use conservation in more distantly related mammals and amniotes as a way of identifying small sequence windows that are likely to be functional. We find that putatively functional noncoding elements defined in this manner are subject to significant selective constraint in hominids.

Selective Constraint on Noncoding Regions of Hominid Genomes.

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2005-12-01

Full Text Available An important challenge for human evolutionary biology is to understand the genetic basis of human-chimpanzee differences. One influential idea holds that such differences depend, to a large extent, on adaptive changes in gene expression. An important step in assessing this hypothesis involves gaining a better understanding of selective constraint on noncoding regions of hominid genomes. In noncoding sequence, functional elements are frequently small and can be separated by large nonfunctional regions. For this reason, constraint in hominid genomes is likely to be patchy. Here we use conservation in more distantly related mammals and amniotes as a way of identifying small sequence windows that are likely to be functional. We find that putatively functional noncoding elements defined in this manner are subject to significant selective constraint in hominids.

Statistical mechanics of neocortical interactions: Stability and duration of the 7±2 rule of short-term-memory capacity

Science.gov (United States)

Ingber, Lester

1985-02-01

This paper is an essential addendum to a previous paper [L. Ingber, Phys. Rev. A 29, 3346 (1984)]. Calculations are presented here to support the claim made in the previous paper that there exists an approximate one-dimensional solution to the two-dimensional neocortical Fokker-Planck equation. This solution is extremely useful, not only for obtaining a closed algebraic expression for the time of first passage, but also for establishing that minima of the associated path-integral stationary Lagrangian are indeed stable points of the transient dynamic system. Also, a relatively nontechnical summary is given of the basic theory.

Determination of the phospholipid precursor of anandamide and other N- acylethanolamine phospholipids before and after sodium azide-induced toxicity in cultured neocortical neurons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, H.H.; Schousboe, A.; Hansen, Harald S.

2000-01-01

Phospholipase D-mediated hydrolysis of N-acylethanolamine phospholipids (NAPEs) releases anandamide and other N-acylethanolamines, resulting in different actions at cellular targets in the CNS. Recently, we have demonstrated that these N-acyl lipids accumulate in cultured neocortical neurons subj...... method, neuronal NAPE species can be identified and quantified with respect to N-acyl composition, including a trans-isomer of the anandamide precursor. The anandamide precursor is up-regulated to the same extent as other NAPEs upon neuronal injury....

Comparison of Housing Construction Development in Selected Regions of Central Europe

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Dvorský, Ján; Petráková, Zora; Hollý, Ján

2017-12-01

In fast-growing countries, the economic growth, which came after the global financial crisis, ought to be manifested in the development of housing policy. The development of the region is directly related to the increase of the quality of living of its inhabitants. Housing construction and its relation with the availability of housing is a key issue for population overall. Comparison of its development in selected regions is important for experts in the field of construction, mayors of the regions, the state, but especially for the inhabitants themselves. The aim of the article is to compare the number of new dwellings with building permits and completed dwellings with final building approval between selected regions by using a mathematical statistics method - “Analysis of variance”. The article also uses the tools of descriptive statistics such as a point graph, a graph of deviations from the average, basic statistical characteristics of mean and variability. Qualitative factors influencing the construction of flats as well as the causes of quantitative differences in the number of started apartments under construction and completed apartments in selected regions of Central Europe are the subjects of the article’s conclusions.

Potential of Agricultural Biomass: Comparative Review of Selected EU Regions and Region of Vojvodina

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Odavić Petrana

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Owing to the fact that the EU is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% below 1990 levels by 2020, and having in mind their high dependence on import of oil and oil derivatives, which, in turn, causes instability of power supply, increasing attention is being paid to renewable energy sources. Given the ongoing pre-accession process of the Republic of Serbia in relation to the EU, in order to determine the capacity of the country to increase the share of energy use from renewable sources, in this paper clustering of selected regions in the EU-28 has been carried out, after which a comparative analysis of regions was performed in terms of potential of agricultural biomass, for the purpose of generating energy. The aim of this study is to determine the level of the region of Vojvodina in relation to ten selected EU regions, based on parameters that affect the potential for using renewable energy sources, primarily residues from agriculture. By applying the K-means method, Borda count method and comparative analysis, and based on empirical data, results show that the region of Vojvodina takes a significant fifth place. Its share of agricultural land ranks it as the first, whereas production of cereals and the total number of farms larger than 100 ha rank it as the second. It could be concluded that Vojvodina is an agricultural region with large quantities of plant remains, primarily those left over from harvest, which represents a significant potential for energy generation from agricultural biomass.

elative age effect in the selection process of handball players of the regional selection teams

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Manuel Gómez López

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to analyze the effect of age on adolescent handball players of the regional selection teams. To do this, data of sex and date of birth of 84 youth players from different regional selection teams in the 2015-2016 season were analyzed, performing comparisons and differences being studied by χ2 and Z tests and the Bonferroni method. The analysis of results by quarter and half of birth revealed no statistically significant differences in gender and category. It seems to confirm that there is not relative age effect in the analyzed Teams. Whereupon, seems to confirm that in handball base, all young people participate, regardless of the degree of maturity submit.

Primary cellular meningeal defects cause neocortical dysplasia and dyslamination

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Hecht, Jonathan H.; Siegenthaler, Julie A.; Patterson, Katelin P.; Pleasure, Samuel J.

2010-01-01

Objective Cortical malformations are important causes of neurological morbidity, but in many cases their etiology is poorly understood. Mice with Foxc1 mutations have cellular defects in meningeal development. We use hypomorphic and null alleles of Foxc1 to study the effect of meningeal defects on neocortical organization. Methods Embryos with loss of Foxc1 activity were generated using the hypomorphic Foxc1hith allele and the null Foxc1lacZ allele. Immunohistologic analysis was used to assess cerebral basement membrane integrity, marginal zone heterotopia formation, neuronal overmigration, meningeal defects, and changes in basement membrane composition. Dysplasia severity was quantified using two measures. Results Cortical dysplasia resembling cobblestone cortex, with basement membrane breakdown and lamination defects, is seen in Foxc1 mutants. As Foxc1 activity was reduced, abnormalities in basement membrane integrity, heterotopia formation, neuronal overmigration, and meningeal development appeared earlier in gestation and were more severe. Surprisingly, the basement membrane appeared intact at early stages of development in the face of severe deficits in meningeal development. Prominent defects in basement membrane integrity appeared as development proceeded. Molecular analysis of basement membrane laminin subunits demonstrated that loss of the meninges led to changes in basement membrane composition. Interpretation Cortical dysplasia can be caused by cellular defects in the meninges. The meninges are not required for basement membrane establishment but are needed for remodeling as the brain expands. Specific changes in basement membrane composition may contribute to subsequent breakdown. Our study raises the possibility that primary meningeal defects may cortical dysplasia in some cases. PMID:20976766

Regional glucose utilization and blood flow following graded forebrain ischemia in the rat: correlation with neuropathology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ginsberg, M.D.; Graham, D.I.; Busto, R.

1985-01-01

Regional patterns of cerebral glucose utilization (rCMRglc) and blood flow (rCBF) were examined in the early recovery period following transient forebrain ischemia in order to correlate early postischemic physiological events with regionally selective patterns of ischemic neuropathology. Wistar rats were subjected to 30 or 60 minutes of graded forebrain ischemia by a method combining unilateral occlusion of the common carotid artery with moderate elevation of intracranial pressure and mild hypotension; this procedure results in a high-grade ischemic deficit affecting chiefly the lateral neocortex, striatum, and hippocampus ipsilateral to the carotid occlusion. Simultaneous measurements of rCMRglc and rCBF made in regional tissue samples after 2 and 4 hours of postischemic recirculation using a double-tracer radioisotopic strategy revealed a disproportionately high level of glucose metabolism relative to blood flow in the early postischemic striatum, owing to the resumption of nearly normal rCMRglc in the face of depressed flow. In contrast, the neocortex, which had been equally ischemic, showed parallel depressions of both metabolism and blood flow during early recovery. Light microscopy at 4 and 8 hours after recovery revealed the striatum to be the predominant locus of ischemic neuronal alterations, whereas neocortical lesions were much less prominent in extent and severity at this time. The resumption of normal levels of metabolism in the setting of a disproportionate depression of rCBF in the early postischemic period may accentuate the process of neuronal injury initiated by ischemia and may contribute to the genesis of neuronal necrosis in selectively vulnerable areas of the forebrain

76 FR 14284 - Domestic Shipping Services Product Launch of Parcel Select Regional Ground

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-16

... POSTAL SERVICE 39 CFR Part 111 Domestic Shipping Services Product Launch of Parcel Select Regional... Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM[supreg]), to introduce a new competitive shipping option, Parcel Select Regional Ground \\TM\\ service. DATES: Effective Date: April 17, 2011...

Identification of genomic regions associated with phenotypic variation between dog breeds using selection mapping.

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Amaury Vaysse

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The extraordinary phenotypic diversity of dog breeds has been sculpted by a unique population history accompanied by selection for novel and desirable traits. Here we perform a comprehensive analysis using multiple test statistics to identify regions under selection in 509 dogs from 46 diverse breeds using a newly developed high-density genotyping array consisting of >170,000 evenly spaced SNPs. We first identify 44 genomic regions exhibiting extreme differentiation across multiple breeds. Genetic variation in these regions correlates with variation in several phenotypic traits that vary between breeds, and we identify novel associations with both morphological and behavioral traits. We next scan the genome for signatures of selective sweeps in single breeds, characterized by long regions of reduced heterozygosity and fixation of extended haplotypes. These scans identify hundreds of regions, including 22 blocks of homozygosity longer than one megabase in certain breeds. Candidate selection loci are strongly enriched for developmental genes. We chose one highly differentiated region, associated with body size and ear morphology, and characterized it using high-throughput sequencing to provide a list of variants that may directly affect these traits. This study provides a catalogue of genomic regions showing extreme reduction in genetic variation or population differentiation in dogs, including many linked to phenotypic variation. The many blocks of reduced haplotype diversity observed across the genome in dog breeds are the result of both selection and genetic drift, but extended blocks of homozygosity on a megabase scale appear to be best explained by selection. Further elucidation of the variants under selection will help to uncover the genetic basis of complex traits and disease.

Improved selection criteria for H II regions, based on IRAS sources

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Yan, Qing-Zeng; Xu, Ye; Walsh, A. J.; Macquart, J. P.; MacLeod, G. C.; Zhang, Bo; Hancock, P. J.; Chen, Xi; Tang, Zheng-Hong

2018-05-01

We present new criteria for selecting H II regions from the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) Point Source Catalogue (PSC), based on an H II region catalogue derived manually from the all-sky Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). The criteria are used to augment the number of H II region candidates in the Milky Way. The criteria are defined by the linear decision boundary of two samples: IRAS point sources associated with known H II regions, which serve as the H II region sample, and IRAS point sources at high Galactic latitudes, which serve as the non-H II region sample. A machine learning classifier, specifically a support vector machine, is used to determine the decision boundary. We investigate all combinations of four IRAS bands and suggest that the optimal criterion is log(F_{60}/F_{12})≥ ( -0.19 × log(F_{100}/F_{25})+ 1.52), with detections at 60 and 100 {μ}m. This selects 3041 H II region candidates from the IRAS PSC. We find that IRAS H II region candidates show evidence of evolution on the two-colour diagram. Merging the WISE H II catalogue with IRAS H II region candidates, we estimate a lower limit of approximately 10 200 for the number of H II regions in the Milky Way.

Response to selection under controlled environment versus natural selection in diverse regions across Canada

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Red clover is a widely adaptable and productive forage legume species found in most temperate regions of the world. To date, specific selection techniques for identifying genotypes with superior persistence have not been successful in improving the general adaptation and the long-term persistence o...

Demographically-Based Evaluation of Genomic Regions under Selection in Domestic Dogs.

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Adam H Freedman

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Controlling for background demographic effects is important for accurately identifying loci that have recently undergone positive selection. To date, the effects of demography have not yet been explicitly considered when identifying loci under selection during dog domestication. To investigate positive selection on the dog lineage early in the domestication, we examined patterns of polymorphism in six canid genomes that were previously used to infer a demographic model of dog domestication. Using an inferred demographic model, we computed false discovery rates (FDR and identified 349 outlier regions consistent with positive selection at a low FDR. The signals in the top 100 regions were frequently centered on candidate genes related to brain function and behavior, including LHFPL3, CADM2, GRIK3, SH3GL2, MBP, PDE7B, NTAN1, and GLRA1. These regions contained significant enrichments in behavioral ontology categories. The 3rd top hit, CCRN4L, plays a major role in lipid metabolism, that is supported by additional metabolism related candidates revealed in our scan, including SCP2D1 and PDXC1. Comparing our method to an empirical outlier approach that does not directly account for demography, we found only modest overlaps between the two methods, with 60% of empirical outliers having no overlap with our demography-based outlier detection approach. Demography-aware approaches have lower-rates of false discovery. Our top candidates for selection, in addition to expanding the set of neurobehavioral candidate genes, include genes related to lipid metabolism, suggesting a dietary target of selection that was important during the period when proto-dogs hunted and fed alongside hunter-gatherers.

Evidence for holistic episodic recollection via hippocampal pattern completion.

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Horner, Aidan J; Bisby, James A; Bush, Daniel; Lin, Wen-Jing; Burgess, Neil

2015-07-02

Recollection is thought to be the hallmark of episodic memory. Here we provide evidence that the hippocampus binds together the diverse elements forming an event, allowing holistic recollection via pattern completion of all elements. Participants learn complex 'events' from multiple overlapping pairs of elements, and are tested on all pairwise associations. At encoding, element 'types' (locations, people and objects/animals) produce activation in distinct neocortical regions, while hippocampal activity predicts memory performance for all within-event pairs. When retrieving a pairwise association, neocortical activity corresponding to all event elements is reinstated, including those incidental to the task. Participant's degree of incidental reinstatement correlates with their hippocampal activity. Our results suggest that event elements, represented in distinct neocortical regions, are bound into coherent 'event engrams' in the hippocampus that enable episodic recollection--the re-experiencing or holistic retrieval of all aspects of an event--via a process of hippocampal pattern completion and neocortical reinstatement.

Adaptive Steganalysis Based on Selection Region and Combined Convolutional Neural Networks

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Donghui Hu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Digital image steganalysis is the art of detecting the presence of information hiding in carrier images. When detecting recently developed adaptive image steganography methods, state-of-art steganalysis methods cannot achieve satisfactory detection accuracy, because the adaptive steganography methods can adaptively embed information into regions with rich textures via the guidance of distortion function and thus make the effective steganalysis features hard to be extracted. Inspired by the promising success which convolutional neural network (CNN has achieved in the fields of digital image analysis, increasing researchers are devoted to designing CNN based steganalysis methods. But as for detecting adaptive steganography methods, the results achieved by CNN based methods are still far from expected. In this paper, we propose a hybrid approach by designing a region selection method and a new CNN framework. In order to make the CNN focus on the regions with complex textures, we design a region selection method by finding a region with the maximal sum of the embedding probabilities. To evolve more diverse and effective steganalysis features, we design a new CNN framework consisting of three separate subnets with independent structure and configuration parameters and then merge and split the three subnets repeatedly. Experimental results indicate that our approach can lead to performance improvement in detecting adaptive steganography.

Why Do Floral Perfumes Become Different? Region-Specific Selection on Floral Scent in a Terrestrial Orchid

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, Karin; Sun, Mimi; Schiestl, Florian P.

2016-01-01

Geographically structured phenotypic selection can lead to adaptive divergence. However, in flowering plants, such divergent selection has rarely been shown, and selection on floral signals is generally little understood. In this study, we measured phenotypic selection on display size, floral color, and floral scent in four lowland and four mountain populations of the nectar-rewarding terrestrial orchid Gymnadenia odoratissima in two years. We also quantified population differences in these traits and pollinator community composition. Our results show positive selection on display size and positive, negative, or absence of selection on different scent compounds and floral color. Selection on the main scent compounds was consistently stronger in the lowlands than in the mountains, and lowland plants emitted higher amounts of most of these compounds. Pollinator community composition also differed between regions, suggesting different pollinators select for differences in floral volatiles. Overall, our study is the first to document consistent regional differences in selection on floral scent, suggesting this pattern of selection is one of the evolutionary forces contributing to regional divergence in floral chemical signaling. PMID:26886766

Computing a ground appropriateness index for route selection in permafrost regions

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Chi Zhang

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The reasonable calculation of ground appropriateness index in permafrost region is the precondition of highway route design in permafrost region. The theory of knowledge base and fuzzy mathematics are applied, and the damage effect of permafrost is considered in the paper. Based on the idea of protecting permafrost the calculation method of ground appropriateness index is put forward. Firstly, based on the actual environment conditions, the paper determines the factors affecting the road layout in permafrost areas by qualitative and quantitative analysis, including the annual slope, the average annual ground temperature of permafrost, the amount of ice in frozen soil, and the interference engineering. Secondly, based on the knowledge base theory and the use of Delphi method, the paper establishes the knowledge base, the rule base of the permafrost region and inference mechanism. The method of selecting the road in permafrost region is completed and realized by using the software platform. Thirdly, taking the Tuotuo River to Kaixin Mountain section of permafrost region as an example, the application of the method is studied by using an ArcGIS platform. Results show that the route plan determined by the method of selecting the road in permafrost region can avoid the high temperature and high ice content area, conform the terrain changes and evade the heat disturbance among the existing projects. A reasonable route plan can be achieved, and it can provide the basis for the next engineering construction.

The Developing, Aging Neocortex: How genetics and epigenetics influence early developmental patterning and age-related change.

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Kelly J. Huffman

2012-10-01

Full Text Available A hallmark of mammalian development is the generation of functional subdivisions within the nervous system. In humans, this regionalization creates a complex system that regulates behavior, cognition, memory and emotion. During development, specification of neocortical tissue that leads to functional sensory and motor regions results from an interplay between cortically intrinsic, molecular processes, such as gene expression, and extrinsic processes regulated by sensory input. Cortical specification in mice occurs pre- and perinatally, when gene expression is robust and various anatomical distinctions are observed alongside an emergence of physiological function. After patterning, gene expression continues to shift and axonal connections mature into an adult form. The function of adult cortical gene expression may be to maintain neocortical subdivisions that were established during early patterning. As some changes in neocortical gene expression have been observed past early development into late adulthood, gene expression may also play a role in the altered neocortical function observed in age-related cognitive decline and brain dysfunction. This review provides a discussion of how neocortical gene expression and specific patterns of neocortical sensori-motor axonal connections develop and change throughout the lifespan of the animal. We posit that a role of neocortical gene expression in neocortex is to regulate plasticity mechanisms that impact critical periods for sensory and motor plasticity in aging. We describe results from several studies in aging brain that detail changes in gene expression that may relate to microstructural changes observed in brain anatomy. We discuss the role of altered glucocorticoid signaling in age-related cognitive and functional decline, as well as how aging in the brain may result from immune system activation. We describe how caloric restriction or reduction of oxidative stress may ameliorate effects of aging

NEURAL PROGENITORS, PATTERNING AND ECOLOGY IN NEOCORTICAL ORIGINS

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Francisco eAboitiz

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The anatomical organization of the mammalian neocortex stands out among vertebrates for its laminar and columnar arrangement, featuring vertically oriented, excitatory pyramidal neurons. The evolutionary origin of this structure is discussed here in relation to the brain organization of other amniotes, i.e. the sauropsids (reptiles and birds. Specifically, we address the developmental modifications that had to take place to generate the neocortex, and to what extent these modifications were shared by other amniote lineages or can be considered unique to mammals. In this article, we propose a hypothesis that combines the control of proliferation in neural progenitor pools with the specification of regional morphogenetic gradients, yielding different anatomical results by virtue of the differential modulation of these processes in each lineage. Thus, there is a highly conserved genetic and developmental battery that becomes modulated in different directions according to specific selective pressures. In the case of early mammals, ecological conditions like nocturnal habits and reproductive strategies are considered to have played a key role in the selection of the particular brain patterning mechanisms that led to the origin of the neocortex.

Selection/extraction of spectral regions for autofluorescence spectra measured in the oral cavity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Skurichina, M; Paclik, P; Duin, RPW; de Veld, D; Sterenborg, HJCM; Witjes, MJH; Roodenburg, JLN; Fred, A; Caelli, T; Duin, RPW; Campilho, A; DeRidder, D

2004-01-01

Recently a number of successful algorithms to select/extract discriminative spectral regions was introduced. These methods may be more beneficial than the standard feature selection/extraction methods for spectral classification. In this paper, on the example of autofluorescence spectra measured in

Relationships between Indian summer monsoon rainfall and ice cover over selected oceanic regions

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Gopinathan, C.K.

The variations in oceanic ice cover at selected polar regions during 1973 to 1987 have been analysed in relation to the seasonal Indian summer monsoon rainfall. The ice cover over the Arctic regions in June has negative relationship (correlation...

Brainlab: A Python Toolkit to Aid in the Design, Simulation, and Analysis of Spiking Neural Networks with the NeoCortical Simulator.

Science.gov (United States)

Drewes, Rich; Zou, Quan; Goodman, Philip H

2009-01-01

Neuroscience modeling experiments often involve multiple complex neural network and cell model variants, complex input stimuli and input protocols, followed by complex data analysis. Coordinating all this complexity becomes a central difficulty for the experimenter. The Python programming language, along with its extensive library packages, has emerged as a leading "glue" tool for managing all sorts of complex programmatic tasks. This paper describes a toolkit called Brainlab, written in Python, that leverages Python's strengths for the task of managing the general complexity of neuroscience modeling experiments. Brainlab was also designed to overcome the major difficulties of working with the NCS (NeoCortical Simulator) environment in particular. Brainlab is an integrated model-building, experimentation, and data analysis environment for the powerful parallel spiking neural network simulator system NCS.

Medial temporal and neocortical contributions to remote memory for semantic narratives: evidence from amnesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Verfaellie, Mieke; Bousquet, Kathryn; Keane, Margaret M

2014-08-01

Studies of remote memory for semantic facts and concepts suggest that hippocampal lesions lead to a temporally graded impairment that extends no more than ten years prior to the onset of amnesia. Such findings have led to the notion that once consolidated, semantic memories are represented neocortically and are no longer dependent on the hippocampus. Here, we examined the fate of well-established semantic narratives following medial temporal lobe (MTL) lesions. Seven amnesic patients, five with lesions restricted to the MTL and two with lesions extending into lateral temporal cortex (MTL+), were asked to recount fairy tales and bible stories that they rated as familiar. Narratives were scored for number and type of details, number of main thematic elements, and order in which the main thematic elements were recounted. In comparison to controls, patients with MTL lesions produced fewer details, but the number and order of main thematic elements generated was intact. By contrast, patients with MTL+ lesions showed a pervasive impairment, affecting not only the generation of details, but also the generation and ordering of main steps. These findings challenge the notion that, once consolidated, semantic memories are no longer dependent on the hippocampus for retrieval. Possible hippocampal contributions to the retrieval of detailed semantic narratives are discussed. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

POMT1-associated walker-warburg syndrome: a disorder of dendritic development of neocortical neurons.

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Judas, M; Sedmak, G; Rados, M; Sarnavka, V; Fumić, K; Willer, T; Gross, C; Hehr, U; Strahl, S; Cuk, M; Barić, I

2009-02-01

We have analyzed the morphology and dendritic development of neocortical neurons in a 2.5-month-old infant with Walker-Warburg syndrome homozygotic for a novel POMT1 gene mutation, by Golgi methods. We found that pyramidal neurons frequently displayed abnormal (oblique, horizontal, or inverted) orientation. A novel finding of this study is that members of the same population of pyramidal neurons display different stages of development of their dendritic arborizations: some neurons had poorly developed dendrites and thus resembled pyramidal neurons of the late fetal cortex; for some neurons, the level of differentiation corresponded to that in the newborn cortex; finally, some neurons had quite elaborate dendritic trees as expected for the cortex of 2.5-month-old infant. In addition, apical dendrites of many pyramidal neurons were conspiciously bent to one side, irrespective to the general orientation of the pyramidal neuron. These findings suggest that Walker-Warburg lissencephaly is characterized by two hitherto unnoticed pathogenetic changes in the cerebral cortex: (a) heterochronic decoupling of dendritic maturation within the same neuronal population (with some members significantly lagging behind the normal maturational schedule) and (b) anisotropically distorted shaping of dendritic trees, probably caused by patchy displacement of molecular guidance cues for dendrites in the malformed cortex. Copyright Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart New York.

Does selection against transcriptional interference shape retroelement-free regions in mammalian genomes?

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Tobias Mourier

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Eukaryotic genomes are scattered with retroelements that proliferate through retrotransposition. Although retroelements make up around 40 percent of the human genome, large regions are found to be completely devoid of retroelements. This has been hypothesised to be a result of genomic regions being intolerant to insertions of retroelements. The inadvertent transcriptional activity of retroelements may affect neighbouring genes, which in turn could be detrimental to an organism. We speculate that such retroelement transcription, or transcriptional interference, is a contributing factor in generating and maintaining retroelement-free regions in the human genome. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Based on the known transcriptional properties of retroelements, we expect long interspersed elements (LINEs to be able to display a high degree of transcriptional interference. In contrast, we expect short interspersed elements (SINEs to display very low levels of transcriptional interference. We find that genomic regions devoid of long interspersed elements (LINEs are enriched for protein-coding genes, but that this is not the case for regions devoid of short interspersed elements (SINEs. This is expected if genes are subject to selection against transcriptional interference. We do not find microRNAs to be associated with genomic regions devoid of either SINEs or LINEs. We further observe an increased relative activity of genes overlapping LINE-free regions during early embryogenesis, where activity of LINEs has been identified previously. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our observations are consistent with the notion that selection against transcriptional interference has contributed to the maintenance and/or generation of retroelement-free regions in the human genome.

The analysis of the regional self-governing units forests in selected European countries

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Barbora Lišková

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The article focuses on identification, analysis, description and comparison of the regional self-governing units (RSGU forests in selected European countries. The analysis deals not only with forests in the ownership of basic regional self-governing units such as villages but also with forests of higher regional self-governing unit such as regions or federated states. The identification and description of this type of ownership is not overly published in the Czech Republic. The published foreign overall studies and summaries state mainly the division into forests in public and private ownership. This article is created on the basis of the selection of relevant information sources according to corresponding key words. The methods of analysis of available literary sources, conspectus, comparison and interpretation were used to deal with the topic. The quantity of information is higher and more available within basic regional self-governing units than with higher regional self-governing units. On the basis of obtained information it can be stated that the share of forest ownership in the observed countries varies ranging from zero share in the ownership to fifty per cent share in Germany.

Selective elimination of intracortically projecting neurons of the rat neocortex by prenatal x-irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jensen, K.F.

1981-01-01

The development of new racing methods has suggested that there are species differences in the extent of the contribution of the different layers of the neocortex to the callosal projection. The present investigation has utilized prenatal x-irradiation to selectively eliminate the late forming neurons of the supragranular layers of the rat neocortex. The reduction in the neuronal population of the supragranular layers closely parallels the reduction in the corpus callosum. These results indicate that the primary source of neurons of the callosal projection, are the late forming neurons of the supragranular layers. Thus, the current results suggest that low dose prenatal x-irradiation may be used to evaluate important developmental events in the formation of neocortical circuitry

Sardinians genetic background explained by runs of homozygosity and genomic regions under positive selection.

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Cornelia Di Gaetano

Full Text Available The peculiar position of Sardinia in the Mediterranean sea has rendered its population an interesting biogeographical isolate. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic population structure, as well as to estimate Runs of Homozygosity and regions under positive selection, using about 1.2 million single nucleotide polymorphisms genotyped in 1077 Sardinian individuals. Using four different methods--fixation index, inflation factor, principal component analysis and ancestry estimation--we were able to highlight, as expected for a genetic isolate, the high internal homogeneity of the island. Sardinians showed a higher percentage of genome covered by RoHs>0.5 Mb (F(RoH%0.5 when compared to peninsular Italians, with the only exception of the area surrounding Alghero. We furthermore identified 9 genomic regions showing signs of positive selection and, we re-captured many previously inferred signals. Other regions harbor novel candidate genes for positive selection, like TMEM252, or regions containing long non coding RNA. With the present study we confirmed the high genetic homogeneity of Sardinia that may be explained by the shared ancestry combined with the action of evolutionary forces.

Brainlab: a Python toolkit to aid in the design, simulation, and analysis of spiking neural networks with the NeoCortical Simulator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard P Drewes

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Neuroscience modeling experiments often involve multiple complex neural network and cell model variants, complex input stimuli and input protocols, followed by complex data analysis. Coordinating all this complexity becomes a central difficulty for the experimenter. The Python programming language, along with its extensive library packages, has emerged as a leading ``glue'' tool for managing all sorts of complex programmatictasks. This paper describes a toolkit called Brainlab, written in Python, that leverages Python's strengths for the task of managing the general complexity of neuroscience modeling experiments. Brainlab was also designed to overcome the major difficulties of working with the NCS environment in particular. Brainlab is an integrated model building, experimentation, and data analysis environment for the powerful parallel spiking neural network simulator system NCS (the NeoCortical Simulator.

Natural selection in a population of Drosophila melanogaster explained by changes in gene expression caused by sequence variation in core promoter regions.

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, Mitsuhiko P; Makino, Takashi; Kawata, Masakado

2016-02-09

Understanding the evolutionary forces that influence variation in gene regulatory regions in natural populations is an important challenge for evolutionary biology because natural selection for such variations could promote adaptive phenotypic evolution. Recently, whole-genome sequence analyses have identified regulatory regions subject to natural selection. However, these studies could not identify the relationship between sequence variation in the detected regions and change in gene expression levels. We analyzed sequence variations in core promoter regions, which are critical regions for gene regulation in higher eukaryotes, in a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster, and identified core promoter sequence variations associated with differences in gene expression levels subjected to natural selection. Among the core promoter regions whose sequence variation could change transcription factor binding sites and explain differences in expression levels, three core promoter regions were detected as candidates associated with purifying selection or selective sweep and seven as candidates associated with balancing selection, excluding the possibility of linkage between these regions and core promoter regions. CHKov1, which confers resistance to the sigma virus and related insecticides, was identified as core promoter regions that has been subject to selective sweep, although it could not be denied that selection for variation in core promoter regions was due to linked single nucleotide polymorphisms in the regulatory region outside core promoter regions. Nucleotide changes in core promoter regions of CHKov1 caused the loss of two basal transcription factor binding sites and acquisition of one transcription factor binding site, resulting in decreased gene expression levels. Of nine core promoter regions regions associated with balancing selection, brat, and CG9044 are associated with neuromuscular junction development, and Nmda1 are associated with learning

Wastewater sludge treatment at selected wastewater treatment plants of the region Banska Bystrica

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samesova, D.; Mitterpach, J.; Martinkova, A.

2014-01-01

The management of sewage sludges in water treatment plants of Banska Bystrica region. The paper deals with the problems of sewage sludge in wastewater treatment plants, its origin and possibilities how to use it in accordance with the current legislation of the Slovak Republic. We described radioactive pollution of sewage sludges. The paper consists of review of sludge production and its usage in the Slovak Republic and in selected states of the European Union. The paper deals with the sludge treatment in selected wastewater treatment plants in Banska Bystrica region in the context of biogas production and its usage by the help of the electricity and heat production. (authors)

Automated region selection for analysis of dynamic cardiac SPECT data

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Di Bella, E. V. R.; Gullberg, G. T.; Barclay, A. B.; Eisner, R. L.

1997-06-01

Dynamic cardiac SPECT using Tc-99m labeled teboroxime can provide kinetic parameters (washin, washout) indicative of myocardial blood flow. A time-consuming and subjective step of the data analysis is drawing regions of interest to delineate blood pool and myocardial tissue regions. The time-activity curves of the regions are then used to estimate local kinetic parameters. In this work, the appropriate regions are found automatically, in a manner similar to that used for calculating maximum count circumferential profiles in conventional static cardiac studies. The drawbacks to applying standard static circumferential profile methods are the high noise level and high liver uptake common in dynamic teboroxime studies. Searching along each ray for maxima to locate the myocardium does not typically provide useful information. Here we propose an iterative scheme in which constraints are imposed on the radii searched along each ray. The constraints are based on the shape of the time-activity curves of the circumferential profile members and on an assumption that the short axis slices are approximately circular. The constraints eliminate outliers and help to reduce the effects of noise and liver activity. Kinetic parameter estimates from the automatically generated regions were comparable to estimates from manually selected regions in dynamic canine teboroxime studies.

Quantitative sacroiliac scintigraphy. The effect of method of selection of region of interest

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, M.C.; Turner, D.A.; Charters, J.R.; Golden, H.E.; Ali, A.; Fordham, E.W.

1984-01-01

Various authors have advocated quantitative methods of evaluating bone scintigrams to detect sacroiliitis, while others have not found them useful. Many explanations for this disagreement have been offered, including differences in the method of case selection, ethnicity, gender, and previous drug therapy. It would appear that one of the most important impediments to consistent results is the variability of selecting sacroiliac joint and reference regions of interest (ROIs). The effect of ROI selection would seem particularly important because of the normal variability of radioactivity within the reference regions that have been used (sacrum, spine, iliac wing) and the inhomogeneity of activity in the SI joints. We have investigated the effect of ROI selection, using five different methods representative of, though not necessarily identical to, those found in the literature. Each method produced unique mean indices that were different for patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and controls. The method of Ayres (19) proved superior (largest mean difference, smallest variance), but none worked well as a diagnostic tool because of substantial overlap of the distributions of indices of patient and control groups. We conclude that ROI selection is important in determining results, and quantitative scintigraphic methods in general are not effective tools for diagnosing AS. Among the possible factors limiting success, difficulty in selecting a stable reference area seems of particular importance

Detection of selection signatures of population-specific genomic regions selected during domestication process in Jinhua pigs.

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Li, Zhengcao; Chen, Jiucheng; Wang, Zhen; Pan, Yuchun; Wang, Qishan; Xu, Ningying; Wang, Zhengguang

2016-12-01

Chinese pigs have been undergoing both natural and artificial selection for thousands of years. Jinhua pigs are of great importance, as they can be a valuable model for exploring the genetic mechanisms linked to meat quality and other traits such as disease resistance, reproduction and production. The purpose of this study was to identify distinctive footprints of selection between Jinhua pigs and other breeds utilizing genome-wide SNP data. Genotyping by genome reducing and sequencing was implemented in order to perform cross-population extended haplotype homozygosity to reveal strong signatures of selection for those economically important traits. This work was performed at a 2% genome level, which comprised 152 006 SNPs genotyped in a total of 517 individuals. Population-specific footprints of selective sweeps were searched for in the genome of Jinhua pigs using six native breeds and three European breeds as reference groups. Several candidate genes associated with meat quality, health and reproduction, such as GH1, CRHR2, TRAF4 and CCK, were found to be overlapping with the significantly positive outliers. Additionally, the results revealed that some genomic regions associated with meat quality, immune response and reproduction in Jinhua pigs have evolved directionally under domestication and subsequent selections. The identified genes and biological pathways in Jinhua pigs showed different selection patterns in comparison with the Chinese and European breeds. © 2016 Stichting International Foundation for Animal Genetics.

Identification of genomic regions associated with phenotypic variation between dog breeds using selection mapping

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vaysse, Amaury; Ratnakumar, Abhirami; Derrien, Thomas

2011-01-01

The extraordinary phenotypic diversity of dog breeds has been sculpted by a unique population history accompanied by selection for novel and desirable traits. Here we perform a comprehensive analysis using multiple test statistics to identify regions under selection in 509 dogs from 46 diverse br...

Utah optrode array customization using stereotactic brain atlases and 3-D CAD modeling for optogenetic neocortical interrogation in small rodents and nonhuman primates.

Science.gov (United States)

Boutte, Ronald W; Merlin, Sam; Yona, Guy; Griffiths, Brandon; Angelucci, Alessandra; Kahn, Itamar; Shoham, Shy; Blair, Steve

2017-10-01

As the optogenetic field expands, the need for precise targeting of neocortical circuits only grows more crucial. This work demonstrates a technique for using Solidworks ® computer-aided design (CAD) and readily available stereotactic brain atlases to create a three-dimensional (3-D) model of the dorsal region of area visual cortex 4 (V4D) of the macaque monkey ( Macaca fascicularis ) visual cortex. The 3-D CAD model of the brain was used to customize an [Formula: see text] Utah optrode array (UOA) after it was determined that a high-density ([Formula: see text]) UOA caused extensive damage to marmoset ( Callithrix jacchus ) primary visual cortex as assessed by electrophysiological recording of spiking activity through a 1.5-mm-diameter through glass via. The [Formula: see text] UOA was customized for optrode length ([Formula: see text]), optrode width ([Formula: see text]), optrode pitch ([Formula: see text]), backplane thickness ([Formula: see text]), and overall form factor ([Formula: see text]). Two [Formula: see text] UOAs were inserted into layer VI of macaque V4D cortices with minimal damage as assessed in fixed tissue cytochrome oxidase staining in nonrecoverable surgeries. Additionally, two [Formula: see text] arrays were implanted in mice ( Mus musculus ) motor cortices, providing early evidence for long-term tolerability (over 6 months), and for the ability to integrate the UOA with a Holobundle light delivery system toward patterned optogenetic stimulation of cortical networks.

Student Selection and Admission to Higher Education: Policies and Practices in the Asian Region.

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Harman, Grant

1994-01-01

This article describes higher education student selection and admission policies and practices in newly industrialized countries in the Asian region, with particular attention to access, selection, the admissions process, equity, and relationship with the labor market. Policies in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, People's Republic of China, Singapore,…

Identifying selected regions from heterozygosity and divergence using a light-coverage genomic dataset from two human populations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taras K Oleksyk

2008-03-01

Full Text Available When a selective sweep occurs in the chromosomal region around a target gene in two populations that have recently separated, it produces three dramatic genomic consequences: 1 decreased multi-locus heterozygosity in the region; 2 elevated or diminished genetic divergence (F(ST of multiple polymorphic variants adjacent to the selected locus between the divergent populations, due to the alternative fixation of alleles; and 3 a consequent regional increase in the variance of F(ST (S(2F(ST for the same clustered variants, due to the increased alternative fixation of alleles in the loci surrounding the selection target. In the first part of our study, to search for potential targets of directional selection, we developed and validated a resampling-based computational approach; we then scanned an array of 31 different-sized moving windows of SNP variants (5-65 SNPs across the human genome in a set of European and African American population samples with 183,997 SNP loci after correcting for the recombination rate variation. The analysis revealed 180 regions of recent selection with very strong evidence in either population or both. In the second part of our study, we compared the newly discovered putative regions to those sites previously postulated in the literature, using methods based on inspecting patterns of linkage disequilibrium, population divergence and other methodologies. The newly found regions were cross-validated with those found in nine other studies that have searched for selection signals. Our study was replicated especially well in those regions confirmed by three or more studies. These validated regions were independently verified, using a combination of different methods and different databases in other studies, and should include fewer false positives. The main strength of our analysis method compared to others is that it does not require dense genotyping and therefore can be used with data from population-based genome SNP scans

Convergence processes of selected demographic indicators in regions of the Czech Republic

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Bohumil Minařík

2010-01-01

Full Text Available A number of authors deal with problems of convergence, divergence and disparities, particularly with reference to economic growth and its comparison in groups of countries. This paper is aimed at problems of using basic methods of measuring the convergence at the evaluation of the development of selected demographic characteristics of particular regions of the Czech Republic for the period 1992 to 2007. From demographic data provided by the Czech Statistical Office some indicators were selected associated with aging the CR population. In particular, following indicators were used: the proportion of productive population, coefficient of loading the productive population by young persons, coefficient of loading the productive population by old persons, coefficient of the total loading and index of age. A precondition served as a working hypothesis that in addition to the negative demographic development affecting the CR as a whole, the convergence of its particular regions also occurred, viz. regions at the level of NUTS 3. At the quantification of convergence processes in particular regions of the CR, the method of beta convergence was used (in a simplified linearized form as well as the method of sigma convergence. Both methods predicate unambiguously on the convergence of the CR regions from the point of view of all examined demographic indicators. From the aspect of both methods, the fastest convergence occurred in the studied period in the indicator of loading the productive population by old persons. In this indicator (as the only from monitored ones, no disparity showed as well, ie a region showing an isolated development was not noted. Opposite situation manifested itself at the indicator of loading the productive population by young persons. Only elimination of the capital city of Prague reversed an original result showing evidence of the divergence of regions from the aspect of this indicator. Disparities of the capital city of Prague

Composite selection signals can localize the trait specific genomic regions in multi-breed populations of cattle and sheep

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2014-01-01

Background Discerning the traits evolving under neutral conditions from those traits evolving rapidly because of various selection pressures is a great challenge. We propose a new method, composite selection signals (CSS), which unifies the multiple pieces of selection evidence from the rank distribution of its diverse constituent tests. The extreme CSS scores capture highly differentiated loci and underlying common variants hauling excess haplotype homozygosity in the samples of a target population. Results The data on high-density genotypes were analyzed for evidence of an association with either polledness or double muscling in various cohorts of cattle and sheep. In cattle, extreme CSS scores were found in the candidate regions on autosome BTA-1 and BTA-2, flanking the POLL locus and MSTN gene, for polledness and double muscling, respectively. In sheep, the regions with extreme scores were localized on autosome OAR-2 harbouring the MSTN gene for double muscling and on OAR-10 harbouring the RXFP2 gene for polledness. In comparison to the constituent tests, there was a partial agreement between the signals at the four candidate loci; however, they consistently identified additional genomic regions harbouring no known genes. Persuasively, our list of all the additional significant CSS regions contains genes that have been successfully implicated to secondary phenotypic diversity among several subpopulations in our data. For example, the method identified a strong selection signature for stature in cattle capturing selective sweeps harbouring UQCC-GDF5 and PLAG1-CHCHD7 gene regions on BTA-13 and BTA-14, respectively. Both gene pairs have been previously associated with height in humans, while PLAG1-CHCHD7 has also been reported for stature in cattle. In the additional analysis, CSS identified significant regions harbouring multiple genes for various traits under selection in European cattle including polledness, adaptation, metabolism, growth rate, stature

Natural selection among Eurasians at genomic regions associated with HIV-1 control

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Allison David B

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background HIV susceptibility and pathogenicity exhibit both interindividual and intergroup variability. The etiology of intergroup variability is still poorly understood, and could be partly linked to genetic differences among racial/ethnic groups. These genetic differences may be traceable to different regimes of natural selection in the 60,000 years since the human radiation out of Africa. Here, we examine population differentiation and haplotype patterns at several loci identified through genome-wide association studies on HIV-1 control, as determined by viral-load setpoint, in European and African-American populations. We use genome-wide data from the Human Genome Diversity Project, consisting of 53 world-wide populations, to compare measures of FST and relative extended haplotype homozygosity (REHH at these candidate loci to the rest of the respective chromosome. Results We find that the Europe-Middle East and Europe-South Asia pairwise FST in the most strongly associated region are elevated compared to most pairwise comparisons with the sub-Saharan African group, which exhibit very low FST. We also find genetic signatures of recent positive selection (higher REHH at these associated regions among all groups except for sub-Saharan Africans and Native Americans. This pattern is consistent with one in which genetic differentiation, possibly due to diversifying/positive selection, occurred at these loci among Eurasians. Conclusions These findings are concordant with those from earlier studies suggesting recent evolutionary change at immunity-related genomic regions among Europeans, and shed light on the potential genetic and evolutionary origin of population differences in HIV-1 control.

Composite Biomaterial as a Carrier for Bone-Active Substances for Metaphyseal Tibial Bone Defect Reconstruction in Rats

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Horstmann, Peter Frederik; Raina, Deepak Bushan; Isaksson, Hanna

2017-01-01

grouped according to defect filling: (1) Empty, (2) Allograft, (3) GBM, (4) GBM + ZA, and (5) GBM + ZA + BMP-2. In vivo microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) images at 4 weeks showed significantly higher mineralized tissue volume (MV) in the intramedullary defect region and the neocortical/callus region...... in all GBM-treated groups. After euthanization at 8 weeks, ex vivo micro-CT showed that addition of ZA (GBM + ZA) and BMP-2 (GBM + ZA + BMP-2) mainly increased the neocortical and callus formation, with the highest MV in the combined ZA and BMP-2-treated group. Qualitative histological analysis......, verifying the increased neocortical/callus thickness and finding of trabecular bone in all GBM-treated groups, supported that the differences in MV measured with micro-CT in fact represented bone tissue. In conclusion, GBM can serve as a carrier for ZA and BMP-2 leading to increased MV in the neocortex...

Region of Interest Selection Interface for Wide-Angle Arthroscope

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Jung Kyunghwa

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We have proposed a new interface for an wide-angle endoscope for solo surgery. The wide-angle arthroscopic view and magnified region of interest (ROI within the wide view were shown simultaneously. With a camera affixed to surgical instruments, the position of the ROI could be determined by manipulating the surgical instrument. Image features acquired by the A-KAZE approach were used to estimate the change of position of the surgical instrument by tracking the features every time the camera moved. We examined the accuracy of ROI selection using three different images, which were different-sized square arrays and tested phantom experiments. When the number of ROIs was twelve, the success rate was best, and the rate diminished as the size of ROIs decreased. The experimental results showed that the method of using a camera without additional sensors satisfied the appropriate accuracy required for ROI selection, and this interface was helpful in performing surgery with fewer assistants.

Changes in the Excitability of Neocortical Neurons in a Mouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Are Not Specific to Corticospinal Neurons and Are Modulated by Advancing Disease.

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Kim, Juhyun; Hughes, Ethan G; Shetty, Ashwin S; Arlotta, Paola; Goff, Loyal A; Bergles, Dwight E; Brown, Solange P

2017-09-13

Cell type-specific changes in neuronal excitability have been proposed to contribute to the selective degeneration of corticospinal neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and to neocortical hyperexcitability, a prominent feature of both inherited and sporadic variants of the disease, but the mechanisms underlying selective loss of specific cell types in ALS are not known. We analyzed the physiological properties of distinct classes of cortical neurons in the motor cortex of hSOD1 G93A mice of both sexes and found that they all exhibit increases in intrinsic excitability that depend on disease stage. Targeted recordings and in vivo calcium imaging further revealed that neurons adapt their functional properties to normalize cortical excitability as the disease progresses. Although different neuron classes all exhibited increases in intrinsic excitability, transcriptional profiling indicated that the molecular mechanisms underlying these changes are cell type specific. The increases in excitability in both excitatory and inhibitory cortical neurons show that selective dysfunction of neuronal cell types cannot account for the specific vulnerability of corticospinal motor neurons in ALS. Furthermore, the stage-dependent alterations in neuronal function highlight the ability of cortical circuits to adapt as disease progresses. These findings show that both disease stage and cell type must be considered when developing therapeutic strategies for treating ALS. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT It is not known why certain classes of neurons preferentially die in different neurodegenerative diseases. It has been proposed that the enhanced excitability of affected neurons is a major contributor to their selective loss. We show using a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease in which corticospinal neurons exhibit selective vulnerability, that changes in excitability are not restricted to this neuronal class and that excitability does not increase

Decision Making on Regional Landfill Site Selection in Hormozgan Province Using Smce

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Majedi, A. S.; Kamali, B. M.; Maghsoudi, R.

2015-12-01

Landfill site selection and suitable conditions to bury hazardous wastes are among the most critical issues in modern societies. Taking several factors and limitations into account along with true decision making requires application of different decision techniques. To this end, current paper aims to make decisions about regional landfill site selection in Hormozgan province and utilizes SMCE technique combined with qualitative and quantitative criteria to select the final alternatives. To this respect, we first will describe the existing environmental situation in our study area and set the goals of our study in the framework of SMCE and will analyze the effective factors in regional landfill site selection. Then, methodological procedure of research was conducted using Delphi approach and questionnaires (in order to determine research validity, Chronbach Alpha (0.94) method was used). Spatial multi-criteria analysis model was designed in the form of criteria tree in SMCE using IL WIS software. Prioritization of respective spatial alternatives included: Bandar Abbas city with total 4 spatial alternatives (one zone with 1st priority, one zone with 3rd priority and two zones with 4thpriority) was considered the first priority, Bastak city with total 3 spatial alternatives (one zone with 2nd priority, one zone with 3rdpriorit and one zone with 4th priority) was the second priority and Bandar Abbas, Minab, Jask and Haji Abad cities were considered as the third priority.

Macroeconomic dataset for generating macroeconomic volatility among selected countries in the Asia Pacific region

OpenAIRE

Chow, Yee Peng; Muhammad, Junaina; Amin Noordin, Bany Ariffin; Cheng, Fan Fah

2017-01-01

This data article provides macroeconomic data that can be used to generate macroeconomic volatility. The data cover a sample of seven selected countries in the Asia Pacific region for the period 2004–2014, including both developing and developed countries. This dataset was generated to enhance our understanding of the sources of macroeconomic volatility affecting the countries in this region. Although the Asia Pacific region continues to remain as the most dynamic part of the world's economy,...

Neocortical concentrations of neuropeptides in senile dementia of the Alzheimer and Lewy body type: comparison with Parkinson's disease and severity correlations.

Science.gov (United States)

Leake, A; Perry, E K; Perry, R H; Jabeen, S; Fairbairn, A F; McKeith, I G; Ferrier, I N

1991-02-15

Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), somatostatin (SRIF), and arginine vasopressin (AVP) concentrations were estimated using radioimmunoassay in the temporal and occipital cortices in postmortem brain from patients clinically and neuropathologically diagnosed as senile dementia of the Lewy body type (SDLT), senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT), and Parkinson's disease (PD) and from neurologically normal controls. The concentration of temporal and occipital neocortical CRH was diminished in both SDAT and SDLT compared to control values, whereas SRIF was reduced only in temporal cortex in both these conditions. In contrast, the concentrations of both CRH and SRIF were unaltered in PD. The concentrations of AVP in SDLT, SDAT, and PD were similar to those found in the control groups. The decrement in SRIF, but not CRH, was found to be correlated with some indices of severity of illness in SDAT; a similar but nonsignificant trend for SRIF was observed in SDLT.

Detection of genomic variation by selection of a 9 mb DNA region and high throughput sequencing.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergey I Nikolaev

Full Text Available Detection of the rare polymorphisms and causative mutations of genetic diseases in a targeted genomic area has become a major goal in order to understand genomic and phenotypic variability. We have interrogated repeat-masked regions of 8.9 Mb on human chromosomes 21 (7.8 Mb and 7 (1.1 Mb from an individual from the International HapMap Project (NA12872. We have optimized a method of genomic selection for high throughput sequencing. Microarray-based selection and sequencing resulted in 260-fold enrichment, with 41% of reads mapping to the target region. 83% of SNPs in the targeted region had at least 4-fold sequence coverage and 54% at least 15-fold. When assaying HapMap SNPs in NA12872, our sequence genotypes are 91.3% concordant in regions with coverage > or = 4-fold, and 97.9% concordant in regions with coverage > or = 15-fold. About 81% of the SNPs recovered with both thresholds are listed in dbSNP. We observed that regions with low sequence coverage occur in close proximity to low-complexity DNA. Validation experiments using Sanger sequencing were performed for 46 SNPs with 15-20 fold coverage, with a confirmation rate of 96%, suggesting that DNA selection provides an accurate and cost-effective method for identifying rare genomic variants.

Distinct regions of prefrontal cortex are associated with the controlled retrieval and selection of social information.

Science.gov (United States)

Satpute, Ajay B; Badre, David; Ochsner, Kevin N

2014-05-01

Research in social neuroscience has uncovered a social knowledge network that is particularly attuned to making social judgments. However, the processes that are being performed by both regions within this network and those outside of this network that are nevertheless engaged in the service of making a social judgment remain unclear. To help address this, we drew upon research in semantic memory, which suggests that making a semantic judgment engages 2 distinct control processes: A controlled retrieval process, which aids in bringing goal-relevant information to mind from long-term stores, and a selection process, which aids in selecting the information that is goal-relevant from the information retrieved. In a neuroimaging study, we investigated whether controlled retrieval and selection for social information engage distinct portions of both the social knowledge network and regions outside this network. Controlled retrieval for social information engaged an anterior ventrolateral portion of the prefrontal cortex, whereas selection engaged both the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and temporoparietal junction within the social knowledge network. These results suggest that the social knowledge network may be more involved with the selection of social information than the controlled retrieval of it and incorporates lateral prefrontal regions in accessing memory for making social judgments.

Pooled-DNA sequencing identifies genomic regions of selection in Nigerian isolates of Plasmodium falciparum.

Science.gov (United States)

Oyebola, Kolapo M; Idowu, Emmanuel T; Olukosi, Yetunde A; Awolola, Taiwo S; Amambua-Ngwa, Alfred

2017-06-29

The burden of falciparum malaria is especially high in sub-Saharan Africa. Differences in pressure from host immunity and antimalarial drugs lead to adaptive changes responsible for high level of genetic variations within and between the parasite populations. Population-specific genetic studies to survey for genes under positive or balancing selection resulting from drug pressure or host immunity will allow for refinement of interventions. We performed a pooled sequencing (pool-seq) of the genomes of 100 Plasmodium falciparum isolates from Nigeria. We explored allele-frequency based neutrality test (Tajima's D) and integrated haplotype score (iHS) to identify genes under selection. Fourteen shared iHS regions that had at least 2 SNPs with a score > 2.5 were identified. These regions code for genes that were likely to have been under strong directional selection. Two of these genes were the chloroquine resistance transporter (CRT) on chromosome 7 and the multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1) on chromosome 5. There was a weak signature of selection in the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene on chromosome 4 and MDR5 genes on chromosome 13, with only 2 and 3 SNPs respectively identified within the iHS window. We observed strong selection pressure attributable to continued chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine use despite their official proscription for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria. There was also a major selective sweep on chromosome 6 which had 32 SNPs within the shared iHS region. Tajima's D of circumsporozoite protein (CSP), erythrocyte-binding antigen (EBA-175), merozoite surface proteins - MSP3 and MSP7, merozoite surface protein duffy binding-like (MSPDBL2) and serine repeat antigen (SERA-5) were 1.38, 1.29, 0.73, 0.84 and 0.21, respectively. We have demonstrated the use of pool-seq to understand genomic patterns of selection and variability in P. falciparum from Nigeria, which bears the highest burden of infections. This investigation identified known

RF plasma based selective modification of hydrophilic regions on super hydrophobic surface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jaehyun; Hwang, Sangyeon; Cho, Dae-Hyun [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419 (Korea, Republic of); Hong, Jungwoo [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141 (Korea, Republic of); Shin, Jennifer H., E-mail: j_shin@kaist.ac.kr [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141 (Korea, Republic of); Byun, Doyoung, E-mail: dybyun@skku.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419 (Korea, Republic of)

2017-02-01

Highlights: • Simple and amenable reforming method for a substrate with disparate patterns of hydrophilic dots on super-hydrophobic surfaces is proposed. • Wettability characteristics and modification mechanism for the surfaces are conducted and revealed through SEM, AFM, WSI, and SIMS. • Several representative materials for various applications are successfully deposited. - Abstract: Selective modification and regional alterations of the surface property have gained a great deal of attention to many engineers. In this paper, we present a simple, a cost-effective, and amendable reforming method for disparate patterns of hydrophilic regions on super-hydrophobic surfaces. Uniform super-hydrophobic layer (Contact angle; CA > 150°, root mean square (RMS) roughness ∼0.28 nm) can be formed using the atmospheric radio frequency (RF) plasma on top of the selective hydrophilic (CA ∼ 70°, RMS roughness ∼0.34 nm) patterns imprinted by electrohydrodynamic (EHD) jet printing technology with polar alcohols (butyl carbitol or ethanol). The wettability of the modified surface was investigated qualitatively utilizing scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and wavelength scanning interferometer (WSI). Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) analysis showed that the alcohol addiction reaction changed the types of radicals on the super-hydrophobic surface. The wettability was found to depend sensitively on chemical radicals on the surface, not on surface morphology (particle size and surface roughness). Furthermore, three different kinds of representative hydrophilic samples (polystyrene nano-particle aqueous solution, Salmonella bacteria medium, and poly(3,4-ethylenediocythiophene) ink) were tested for uniform deposition onto the desired hydrophilic regions. This simple strategy would have broad applications in various research fields that require selective deposition of target materials.

RF plasma based selective modification of hydrophilic regions on super hydrophobic surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jaehyun; Hwang, Sangyeon; Cho, Dae-Hyun; Hong, Jungwoo; Shin, Jennifer H.; Byun, Doyoung

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Simple and amenable reforming method for a substrate with disparate patterns of hydrophilic dots on super-hydrophobic surfaces is proposed. • Wettability characteristics and modification mechanism for the surfaces are conducted and revealed through SEM, AFM, WSI, and SIMS. • Several representative materials for various applications are successfully deposited. - Abstract: Selective modification and regional alterations of the surface property have gained a great deal of attention to many engineers. In this paper, we present a simple, a cost-effective, and amendable reforming method for disparate patterns of hydrophilic regions on super-hydrophobic surfaces. Uniform super-hydrophobic layer (Contact angle; CA > 150°, root mean square (RMS) roughness ∼0.28 nm) can be formed using the atmospheric radio frequency (RF) plasma on top of the selective hydrophilic (CA ∼ 70°, RMS roughness ∼0.34 nm) patterns imprinted by electrohydrodynamic (EHD) jet printing technology with polar alcohols (butyl carbitol or ethanol). The wettability of the modified surface was investigated qualitatively utilizing scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and wavelength scanning interferometer (WSI). Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) analysis showed that the alcohol addiction reaction changed the types of radicals on the super-hydrophobic surface. The wettability was found to depend sensitively on chemical radicals on the surface, not on surface morphology (particle size and surface roughness). Furthermore, three different kinds of representative hydrophilic samples (polystyrene nano-particle aqueous solution, Salmonella bacteria medium, and poly(3,4-ethylenediocythiophene) ink) were tested for uniform deposition onto the desired hydrophilic regions. This simple strategy would have broad applications in various research fields that require selective deposition of target materials.

Structural and Functional Alterations in Neocortical Circuits after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Science.gov (United States)

Vascak, Michal

National concern over traumatic brain injury (TBI) is growing rapidly. Recent focus is on mild TBI (mTBI), which is the most prevalent injury level in both civilian and military demographics. A preeminent sequelae of mTBI is cognitive network disruption. Advanced neuroimaging of mTBI victims supports this premise, revealing alterations in activation and structure-function of excitatory and inhibitory neuronal systems, which are essential for network processing. However, clinical neuroimaging cannot resolve the cellular and molecular substrates underlying such changes. Therefore, to understand the full scope of mTBI-induced alterations it is necessary to study cortical networks on the microscopic level, where neurons form local networks that are the fundamental computational modules supporting cognition. Recently, in a well-controlled animal model of mTBI, we demonstrated in the excitatory pyramidal neuron system, isolated diffuse axonal injury (DAI), in concert with electrophysiological abnormalities in nearby intact (non-DAI) neurons. These findings were consistent with altered axon initial segment (AIS) intrinsic activity functionally associated with structural plasticity, and/or disturbances in extrinsic systems related to parvalbumin (PV)-expressing interneurons that form GABAergic synapses along the pyramidal neuron perisomatic/AIS domains. The AIS and perisomatic GABAergic synapses are domains critical for regulating neuronal activity and E-I balance. In this dissertation, we focus on the neocortical excitatory pyramidal neuron/inhibitory PV+ interneuron local network following mTBI. Our central hypothesis is that mTBI disrupts neuronal network structure and function causing imbalance of excitatory and inhibitory systems. To address this hypothesis we exploited transgenic and cre/lox mouse models of mTBI, employing approaches that couple state-of-the-art bioimaging with electrophysiology to determine the structuralfunctional alterations of excitatory and

Criteria for selecting a CO2/climate change region of study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cushman, R.; Easterling, W.; Rosenberg, N.; Malone, T.; Edmonds, J.; Scott, M.; Stoke, G.

1989-01-01

This effort has three near-term goals: (1) to develop robust methods of analysis including the analysis of uncertainty; (2) to develop information systems to support CO 2 /climate change analysis; and (3) to develop channels of communication among researchers and between researchers and parties potentially affected by CO 2 /climate change. Initially, the program will focus on a single region of the United States, employ a historical analog climate, and analyze the interactions of all of the resources resident within that region as they might evolve under current conditions and under evolving CO 2 /climate change over the next 50 years. Five elements of the program will address the issues of: Analysis, Information Systems, Uncertainty, Knowledge Transfer, and Coordination. This paper will give special attention to the analytical framework and in particular to the criteria for selecting a region for study. 19 refs., 2 figs

Does selection against transcriptional interference shape retroelement-free regions in mammalian genomes?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mourier, Tobias; Willerslev, Eske

2008-01-01

in generating and maintaining retroelement-free regions in the human genome. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Based on the known transcriptional properties of retroelements, we expect long interspersed elements (LINEs) to be able to display a high degree of transcriptional interference. In contrast, we expect......BACKGROUND: Eukaryotic genomes are scattered with retroelements that proliferate through retrotransposition. Although retroelements make up around 40 percent of the human genome, large regions are found to be completely devoid of retroelements. This has been hypothesised to be a result of genomic...... activity of LINEs has been identified previously. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our observations are consistent with the notion that selection against transcriptional interference has contributed to the maintenance and/or generation of retroelement-free regions in the human genome....

Genome-wide characterization of genetic variants and putative regions under selection in meat and egg-type chicken lines.

Science.gov (United States)

Boschiero, Clarissa; Moreira, Gabriel Costa Monteiro; Gheyas, Almas Ara; Godoy, Thaís Fernanda; Gasparin, Gustavo; Mariani, Pilar Drummond Sampaio Corrêa; Paduan, Marcela; Cesar, Aline Silva Mello; Ledur, Mônica Corrêa; Coutinho, Luiz Lehmann

2018-01-25

Meat and egg-type chickens have been selected for several generations for different traits. Artificial and natural selection for different phenotypes can change frequency of genetic variants, leaving particular genomic footprints throghtout the genome. Thus, the aims of this study were to sequence 28 chickens from two Brazilian lines (meat and white egg-type) and use this information to characterize genome-wide genetic variations, identify putative regions under selection using Fst method, and find putative pathways under selection. A total of 13.93 million SNPs and 1.36 million INDELs were identified, with more variants detected from the broiler (meat-type) line. Although most were located in non-coding regions, we identified 7255 intolerant non-synonymous SNPs, 512 stopgain/loss SNPs, 1381 frameshift and 1094 non-frameshift INDELs that may alter protein functions. Genes harboring intolerant non-synonymous SNPs affected metabolic pathways related mainly to reproduction and endocrine systems in the white-egg layer line, and lipid metabolism and metabolic diseases in the broiler line. Fst analysis in sliding windows, using SNPs and INDELs separately, identified over 300 putative regions of selection overlapping with more than 250 genes. For the first time in chicken, INDEL variants were considered for selection signature analysis, showing high level of correlation in results between SNP and INDEL data. The putative regions of selection signatures revealed interesting candidate genes and pathways related to important phenotypic traits in chicken, such as lipid metabolism, growth, reproduction, and cardiac development. In this study, Fst method was applied to identify high confidence putative regions under selection, providing novel insights into selection footprints that can help elucidate the functional mechanisms underlying different phenotypic traits relevant to meat and egg-type chicken lines. In addition, we generated a large catalog of line-specific and common

Domain-General Brain Regions Do Not Track Linguistic Input as Closely as Language-Selective Regions.

Science.gov (United States)

Blank, Idan A; Fedorenko, Evelina

2017-10-11

Language comprehension engages a cortical network of left frontal and temporal regions. Activity in this network is language-selective, showing virtually no modulation by nonlinguistic tasks. In addition, language comprehension engages a second network consisting of bilateral frontal, parietal, cingulate, and insular regions. Activity in this "multiple demand" (MD) network scales with comprehension difficulty, but also with cognitive effort across a wide range of nonlinguistic tasks in a domain-general fashion. Given the functional dissociation between the language and MD networks, their respective contributions to comprehension are likely distinct, yet such differences remain elusive. Prior neuroimaging studies have suggested that activity in each network covaries with some linguistic features that, behaviorally, influence on-line processing and comprehension. This sensitivity of the language and MD networks to local input characteristics has often been interpreted, implicitly or explicitly, as evidence that both networks track linguistic input closely, and in a manner consistent across individuals. Here, we used fMRI to directly test this assumption by comparing the BOLD signal time courses in each network across different people ( n = 45, men and women) listening to the same story. Language network activity showed fewer individual differences, indicative of closer input tracking, whereas MD network activity was more idiosyncratic and, moreover, showed lower reliability within an individual across repetitions of a story. These findings constrain cognitive models of language comprehension by suggesting a novel distinction between the processes implemented in the language and MD networks. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Language comprehension recruits both language-specific mechanisms and domain-general mechanisms that are engaged in many cognitive processes. In the human cortex, language-selective mechanisms are implemented in the left-lateralized "core language network

AQUATIC PLANT SPECIATION AFFECTED BY DIVERSIFYING SELECTION OF ORGANELLE DNA REGIONS(1).

Science.gov (United States)

Kato, Syou; Misawa, Kazuharu; Takahashi, Fumio; Sakayama, Hidetoshi; Sano, Satomi; Kosuge, Keiko; Kasai, Fumie; Watanabe, Makoto M; Tanaka, Jiro; Nozaki, Hisayoshi

2011-10-01

Many of the genes that control photosynthesis are carried in the chloroplast. These genes differ among species. However, evidence has yet to be reported revealing the involvement of organelle genes in the initial stages of plant speciation. To elucidate the molecular basis of aquatic plant speciation, we focused on the unique plant species Chara braunii C. C. Gmel. that inhabits both shallow and deep freshwater habitats and exhibits habitat-based dimorphism of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA). Here, we examined the "shallow" and "deep" subpopulations of C. braunii using two nuclear DNA (nDNA) markers and cpDNA. Genetic differentiation between the two subpopulations was measured in both nDNA and cpDNA regions, although phylogenetic analyses suggested nuclear gene flow between subpopulations. Neutrality tests based on Tajima's D demonstrated diversifying selection acting on organelle DNA regions. Furthermore, both "shallow" and "deep" haplotypes of cpDNA detected in cultures originating from bottom soils of three deep environments suggested that migration of oospores (dormant zygotes) between the two habitats occurs irrespective of the complete habitat-based dimorphism of cpDNA from field-collected vegetative thalli. Therefore, the two subpopulations are highly selected by their different aquatic habitats and show prezygotic isolation, which represents an initial process of speciation affected by ecologically based divergent selection of organelle genes. © 2011 Phycological Society of America.

Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Surgery Failures: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Harroud, Adil; Bouthillier, Alain; Weil, Alexander G.; Nguyen, Dang Khoa

2012-01-01

Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) are refractory to antiepileptic drugs in about 30% of cases. Surgical treatment has been shown to be beneficial for the selected patients but fails to provide a seizure-free outcome in 20–30% of TLE patients. Several reasons have been identified to explain these surgical failures. This paper will address the five most common causes of TLE surgery failure (a) insufficient resection of epileptogenic mesial temporal structures, (b) relapse on the contralateral mesial temporal lobe, (c) lateral temporal neocortical epilepsy, (d) coexistence of mesial temporal sclerosis and a neocortical lesion (dual pathology); and (e) extratemporal lobe epilepsy mimicking TLE or temporal plus epilepsy. Persistence of epileptogenic mesial structures in the posterior temporal region and failure to distinguish mesial and lateral temporal epilepsy are possible causes of seizure persistence after TLE surgery. In cases of dual pathology, failure to identify a subtle mesial temporal sclerosis or regions of cortical microdysgenesis is a likely explanation for some surgical failures. Extratemporal epilepsy syndromes masquerading as or coexistent with TLE result in incomplete resection of the epileptogenic zone and seizure relapse after surgery. In particular, the insula may be an important cause of surgical failure in patients with TLE. PMID:22934162

Heterogeneity of neocortical cerebral blood flow deficits in dementia of the Alzheimer type

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Waldemar, G; Bruhn, P; Kristensen, M

1994-01-01

Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured with high resolution brain dedicated single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT) and [99mTc]-d,l-hexamethyl-propylene-amine-oxime (HMPAO) in 25 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease and in 25 control subjects, selected according...... to rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria. The aim was to analyse the topography of rCBF deficits in individual patients. In the group of patients with Alzheimer's disease as a whole, global CBF was reduced, but a factorial analysis of variance did not show disproportionate reduction of rCBF in any brain...... combination of two, three, or four, of four major brain regions (a left and right frontal and a left and right posterior region). All patients with Alzheimer's disease and none of the control subjects had an abnormal rCBF pattern. Eleven of the 13 different patterns were seen in the patients. Frontal changes...

The Outwardly Rectifying Current of Layer 5 Neocortical Neurons that was Originally Identified as "Non-Specific Cationic" Is Essentially a Potassium Current.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Omer Revah

Full Text Available In whole-cell patch clamp recordings from layer 5 neocortical neurons, blockade of voltage gated sodium and calcium channels leaves a cesium current that is outward rectifying. This current was originally identified as a "non-specific cationic current", and subsequently it was hypothesized that it is mediated by TRP channels. In order to test this hypothesis, we used fluorescence imaging of intracellular sodium and calcium indicators, and found no evidence to suggest that it is associated with influx of either of these ions to the cell body or dendrites. Moreover, the current is still prominent in neurons from TRPC1-/- and TRPC5-/- mice. The effects on the current of various blocking agents, and especially its sensitivity to intracellular tetraethylammonium, suggest that it is not a non-specific cationic current, but rather that it is generated by cesium-permeable delayed rectifier potassium channels.

Direction of Amygdala-Neocortex Interaction During Dynamic Facial Expression Processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, Wataru; Kochiyama, Takanori; Uono, Shota; Yoshikawa, Sakiko; Toichi, Motomi

2017-03-01

Dynamic facial expressions of emotion strongly elicit multifaceted emotional, perceptual, cognitive, and motor responses. Neuroimaging studies revealed that some subcortical (e.g., amygdala) and neocortical (e.g., superior temporal sulcus and inferior frontal gyrus) brain regions and their functional interaction were involved in processing dynamic facial expressions. However, the direction of the functional interaction between the amygdala and the neocortex remains unknown. To investigate this issue, we re-analyzed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from 2 studies and magnetoencephalography (MEG) data from 1 study. First, a psychophysiological interaction analysis of the fMRI data confirmed the functional interaction between the amygdala and neocortical regions. Then, dynamic causal modeling analysis was used to compare models with forward, backward, or bidirectional effective connectivity between the amygdala and neocortical networks in the fMRI and MEG data. The results consistently supported the model of effective connectivity from the amygdala to the neocortex. Further increasing time-window analysis of the MEG demonstrated that this model was valid after 200 ms from the stimulus onset. These data suggest that emotional processing in the amygdala rapidly modulates some neocortical processing, such as perception, recognition, and motor mimicry, when observing dynamic facial expressions of emotion. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Genetic diversity of the HLA-G coding region in Amerindian populations from the Brazilian Amazon: a possible role of natural selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendes-Junior, C T; Castelli, E C; Meyer, D; Simões, A L; Donadi, E A

2013-12-01

HLA-G has an important role in the modulation of the maternal immune system during pregnancy, and evidence that balancing selection acts in the promoter and 3'UTR regions has been previously reported. To determine whether selection acts on the HLA-G coding region in the Amazon Rainforest, exons 2, 3 and 4 were analyzed in a sample of 142 Amerindians from nine villages of five isolated tribes that inhabit the Central Amazon. Six previously described single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified and the Expectation-Maximization (EM) and PHASE algorithms were used to computationally reconstruct SNP haplotypes (HLA-G alleles). A new HLA-G allele, which originated in Amerindian populations by a crossing-over event between two widespread HLA-G alleles, was identified in 18 individuals. Neutrality tests evidenced that natural selection has a complex part in the HLA-G coding region. Although balancing selection is the type of selection that shapes variability at a local level (Native American populations), we have also shown that purifying selection may occur on a worldwide scale. Moreover, the balancing selection does not seem to act on the coding region as strongly as it acts on the flanking regulatory regions, and such coding signature may actually reflect a hitchhiking effect.

An observer study comparing spot imaging regions selected by radiologists and a computer for an automated stereo spot mammography technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goodsitt, Mitchell M.; Chan, Heang-Ping; Lydick, Justin T.; Gandra, Chaitanya R.; Chen, Nelson G.; Helvie, Mark A.; Bailey, Janet E.; Roubidoux, Marilyn A.; Paramagul, Chintana; Blane, Caroline E.; Sahiner, Berkman; Petrick, Nicholas A.

2004-01-01

We are developing an automated stereo spot mammography technique for improved imaging of suspicious dense regions within digital mammograms. The technique entails the acquisition of a full-field digital mammogram, automated detection of a suspicious dense region within that mammogram by a computer aided detection (CAD) program, and acquisition of a stereo pair of images with automated collimation to the suspicious region. The latter stereo spot image is obtained within seconds of the original full-field mammogram, without releasing the compression paddle. The spot image is viewed on a stereo video display. A critical element of this technique is the automated detection of suspicious regions for spot imaging. We performed an observer study to compare the suspicious regions selected by radiologists with those selected by a CAD program developed at the University of Michigan. True regions of interest (TROIs) were separately determined by one of the radiologists who reviewed the original mammograms, biopsy images, and histology results. We compared the radiologist and computer-selected regions of interest (ROIs) to the TROIs. Both the radiologists and the computer were allowed to select up to 3 regions in each of 200 images (mixture of 100 CC and 100 MLO views). We computed overlap indices (the overlap index is defined as the ratio of the area of intersection to the area of interest) to quantify the agreement between the selected regions in each image. The averages of the largest overlap indices per image for the 5 radiologist-to-computer comparisons were directly related to the average number of regions per image traced by the radiologists (about 50% for 1 region/image, 84% for 2 regions/image and 96% for 3 regions/image). The average of the overlap indices with all of the TROIs was 73% for CAD and 76.8%+/-10.0% for the radiologists. This study indicates that the CAD determined ROIs could potentially be useful for a screening technique that includes stereo spot

A new process for fabricating nanodot arrays on selective regions with diblock copolymer thin film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Dae-Ho [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Polymer Research Institute, Pohang University of Science and Technology, San 31, Hyoja-Dong, Nam-Gu, Pohang 790-784 (Korea, Republic of)

2007-09-12

A procedure for micropatterning a single layer of nanodot arrays in selective regions is demonstrated by using thin films of polystyrene-b-poly(t-butyl acrylate) (PS-b-PtBA) diblock copolymer. The thin-film self-assembled into hexagonally arranged PtBA nanodomains in a PS matrix on a substrate by solvent annealing with 1,4-dioxane. The PtBA nanodomains were converted into poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) having carboxylic-acid-functionalized nanodomains by exposure to hydrochloric acid vapor, or were removed by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation to generate vacant sites without any functional groups due to the elimination of PtBA domains. By sequential treatment with aqueous sodium bicarbonate and aqueous zinc acetate solution, zinc cations were selectively loaded only on the carboxylic-acid-functionalized nanodomains prepared via hydrolysis. Macroscopic patterning through a photomask via UV irradiation, hydrolysis, sequential zinc cation loading and calcination left a nanodot array of zinc oxide on a selectively UV-shaded region.

Selective suppression of high-order harmonics within phase-matched spectral regions.

Science.gov (United States)

Lerner, Gavriel; Diskin, Tzvi; Neufeld, Ofer; Kfir, Ofer; Cohen, Oren

2017-04-01

Phase matching in high-harmonic generation leads to enhancement of multiple harmonics. It is sometimes desired to control the spectral structure within the phase-matched spectral region. We propose a scheme for selective suppression of high-order harmonics within the phase-matched spectral region while weakly influencing the other harmonics. The method is based on addition of phase-mismatched segments within a phase-matched medium. We demonstrate the method numerically in two examples. First, we show that one phase-mismatched segment can significantly suppress harmonic orders 9, 15, and 21. Second, we show that two phase-mismatched segments can efficiently suppress circularly polarized harmonics with one helicity over the other when driven by a bi-circular field. The new method may be useful for various applications, including the generation of highly helical bright attosecond pulses.

Selection for Unequal Densities of Sigma70 Promoter-like Signalsin Different Regions of Large Bacterial Genomes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huerta, Araceli M.; Francino, M. Pilar; Morett, Enrique; Collado-Vides, Julio

2006-03-01

The evolutionary processes operating in the DNA regions that participate in the regulation of gene expression are poorly understood. In Escherichia coli, we have established a sequence pattern that distinguishes regulatory from nonregulatory regions. The density of promoter-like sequences, that are recognizable by RNA polymerase and may function as potential promoters, is high within regulatory regions, in contrast to coding regions and regions located between convergently-transcribed genes. Moreover, functional promoter sites identified experimentally are often found in the subregions of highest density of promoter-like signals, even when individual sites with higher binding affinity for RNA polymerase exist elsewhere within the regulatory region. In order to investigate the generality of this pattern, we have used position weight matrices describing the -35 and -10 promoter boxes of E. coli to search for these motifs in 43 additional genomes belonging to most established bacterial phyla, after specific calibration of the matrices according to the base composition of the noncoding regions of each genome. We have found that all bacterial species analyzed contain similar promoter-like motifs, and that, in most cases, these motifs follow the same genomic distribution observed in E. coli. Differential densities between regulatory and nonregulatory regions are detectable in most bacterial genomes, with the exception of those that have experienced evolutionary extreme genome reduction. Thus, the phylogenetic distribution of this pattern mirrors that of genes and other genomic features that require weak selection to be effective in order to persist. On this basis, we suggest that the loss of differential densities in the reduced genomes of host-restricted pathogens and symbionts is the outcome of a process of genome degradation resulting from the decreased efficiency of purifying selection in highly structured small populations. This implies that the differential

Exploring Regional Variation in Roost Selection by Bats: Evidence from a Meta-Analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

François Fabianek

Full Text Available Tree diameter, tree height and canopy closure have been described by previous meta-analyses as being important characteristics in roost selection by cavity-roosting bats. However, size and direction of effects for these characteristics varied greatly among studies, also referred to as heterogeneity. Potential sources of heterogeneity have not been investigated in previous meta-analyses, which are explored by correlating additional covariates (moderator variables. We tested whether effect sizes from 34 studies were consistent enough to reject the null hypothesis that trees selected by bats did not significantly differ in their characteristics from randomly selected trees. We also examined whether heterogeneity in tree diameter effect sizes was correlated to moderator variables such as sex, bat species, habitat type, elevation and mean summer temperature.We used Hedges' g standardized mean difference as the effect size for the most common characteristics that were encountered in the literature. We estimated heterogeneity indices, potential publication bias, and spatial autocorrelation of our meta-data. We relied upon meta-regression and multi-model inference approaches to evaluate the effects of moderator variables on heterogeneity in tree diameter effect sizes.Tree diameter, tree height, snag density, elevation, and canopy closure were significant characteristics of roost selection by cavity-roosting bats. Size and direction of effects varied greatly among studies with respect to distance to water, tree density, slope, and bark remaining on trunks. Inclusion of mean summer temperature and sex in meta-regressions further explained heterogeneity in tree diameter effect sizes.Regional differences in roost selection for tree diameter were related to mean summer temperature. Large diameter trees play a central role in roost selection by bats, especially in colder regions, where they are likely to provide a warm and stable microclimate for reproductive

[Births prevalence of 27 selected congenital anomalies in 7 geographic regions of Argentina].

Science.gov (United States)

Campaña, Hebe; Pawluk, Mariela S; López Camelo, Jorge S

2010-10-01

The aim of the present work was to estimate the frequency of 27 birth defects in 7 geographical regions of Argentina. Observational, cross-sectional, descriptive design. A sample of 21,844 new born with birth defects was selected, ascertained from 855,220 births, between 1994 and 2007, in 59 hospitals belonging to the ECLAMC network. In order to identify regions of high frequency a Poisson regression was used, adjusted by different hospitals from the same region. The model included a time variable to detect secular trends and 6 dummy variables for 7 predefined geographical regions: Metropolitana (MET); Pampa (PAM); Centro (CEN); Cuyo (CUY); Noroeste (NOA); Nordeste (NEA) and Patagonia (PAT). High frequencies regional analysis showed the following significant results: PAM: severe hypospadias; CEN: spina bifida, microtia, cleft lip with cleft palate, polycystic kidney, postaxial polydactyly and Down syndrome; CUY: postaxial polydactyly; NOA: omphalocele, gastroschisis, cleft lip without cleft palate, cleft lip with cleft palate, anorectal atresia/stenosis, indeterminate sex, preaxial polydactyly and pectoral agenesis; PAT: cleft lip without cleft palate. Out of the 27 congenital anomalies analyzed, fourteen showed a frequency significatively higher in one or more regions.

The cld mutation: narrowing the critical chromosomal region and selecting candidate genes.

Science.gov (United States)

Péterfy, Miklós; Mao, Hui Z; Doolittle, Mark H

2006-10-01

Combined lipase deficiency (cld) is a recessive, lethal mutation specific to the tw73 haplotype on mouse Chromosome 17. While the cld mutation results in lipase proteins that are inactive, aggregated, and retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), it maps separately from the lipase structural genes. We have narrowed the gene critical region by about 50% using the tw18 haplotype for deletion mapping and a recombinant chromosome used originally to map cld with respect to the phenotypic marker tf. The region now extends from 22 to 25.6 Mbp on the wild-type chromosome, currently containing 149 genes and 50 expressed sequence tags (ESTs). To identify the affected gene, we have selected candidates based on their known role in associated biological processes, cellular components, and molecular functions that best fit with the predicted function of the cld gene. A secondary approach was based on differences in mRNA levels between mutant (cld/cld) and unaffected (+/cld) cells. Using both approaches, we have identified seven functional candidates with an ER localization and/or an involvement in protein maturation and folding that could explain the lipase deficiency, and six expression candidates that exhibit large differences in mRNA levels between mutant and unaffected cells. Significantly, two genes were found to be candidates with regard to both function and expression, thus emerging as the strongest candidates for cld. We discuss the implications of our mapping results and our selection of candidates with respect to other genes, deletions, and mutations occurring in the cld critical region.

Cholinergic modulation of cognition: Insights from human pharmacological functional neuroimaging

Science.gov (United States)

Bentley, Paul; Driver, Jon; Dolan, Raymond J.

2011-01-01

Evidence from lesion and cortical-slice studies implicate the neocortical cholinergic system in the modulation of sensory, attentional and memory processing. In this review we consider findings from sixty-three healthy human cholinergic functional neuroimaging studies that probe interactions of cholinergic drugs with brain activation profiles, and relate these to contemporary neurobiological models. Consistent patterns that emerge are: (1) the direction of cholinergic modulation of sensory cortex activations depends upon top-down influences; (2) cholinergic hyperstimulation reduces top-down selective modulation of sensory cortices; (3) cholinergic hyperstimulation interacts with task-specific frontoparietal activations according to one of several patterns, including: suppression of parietal-mediated reorienting; decreasing ‘effort’-associated activations in prefrontal regions; and deactivation of a ‘resting-state network’ in medial cortex, with reciprocal recruitment of dorsolateral frontoparietal regions during performance-challenging conditions; (4) encoding-related activations in both neocortical and hippocampal regions are disrupted by cholinergic blockade, or enhanced with cholinergic stimulation, while the opposite profile is observed during retrieval; (5) many examples exist of an ‘inverted-U shaped’ pattern of cholinergic influences by which the direction of functional neural activation (and performance) depends upon both task (e.g. relative difficulty) and subject (e.g. age) factors. Overall, human cholinergic functional neuroimaging studies both corroborate and extend physiological accounts of cholinergic function arising from other experimental contexts, while providing mechanistic insights into cholinergic-acting drugs and their potential clinical applications. PMID:21708219

Factors Related to the Selection of Information Sources: A Study of Ramkhamhaeng University Regional Campuses Graduate Students

Science.gov (United States)

Angchun, Peemasak

2011-01-01

This study assessed students' satisfaction with Ramkhamhaeng University regional library services (RURLs) and the perceived quality of information retrieved from other information sources. In particular, this study investigated factors relating to regional students' selection of information sources to meet their information needs. The researcher…

Cerebral Cortex Regions Selectively Vulnerable to Radiation Dose-Dependent Atrophy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seibert, Tyler M.; Karunamuni, Roshan; Kaifi, Samar; Burkeen, Jeffrey; Connor, Michael [Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); Krishnan, Anitha Priya; White, Nathan S.; Farid, Nikdokht; Bartsch, Hauke [Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); Murzin, Vyacheslav [Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); Nguyen, Tanya T. [Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); Moiseenko, Vitali [Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); Brewer, James B. [Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); McDonald, Carrie R. [Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); Dale, Anders M. [Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); Hattangadi-Gluth, Jona A., E-mail: jhattangadi@ucsd.edu [Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States)

2017-04-01

Purpose and Objectives: Neurologic deficits after brain radiation therapy (RT) typically involve decline in higher-order cognitive functions such as attention and memory rather than sensory defects or paralysis. We sought to determine whether areas of the cortex critical to cognition are selectively vulnerable to radiation dose-dependent atrophy. Methods and Materials: We measured change in cortical thickness in 54 primary brain tumor patients who underwent fractionated, partial brain RT. The study patients underwent high-resolution, volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (T1-weighted; T2 fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, FLAIR) before RT and 1 year afterward. Semiautomated software was used to segment anatomic regions of the cerebral cortex for each patient. Cortical thickness was measured for each region before RT and 1 year afterward. Two higher-order cortical regions of interest (ROIs) were tested for association between radiation dose and cortical thinning: entorhinal (memory) and inferior parietal (attention/memory). For comparison, 2 primary cortex ROIs were also tested: pericalcarine (vision) and paracentral lobule (somatosensory/motor). Linear mixed-effects analyses were used to test all other cortical regions for significant radiation dose-dependent thickness change. Statistical significance was set at α = 0.05 using 2-tailed tests. Results: Cortical atrophy was significantly associated with radiation dose in the entorhinal (P=.01) and inferior parietal ROIs (P=.02). By contrast, no significant radiation dose-dependent effect was found in the primary cortex ROIs (pericalcarine and paracentral lobule). In the whole-cortex analysis, 9 regions showed significant radiation dose-dependent atrophy, including areas responsible for memory, attention, and executive function (P≤.002). Conclusions: Areas of cerebral cortex important for higher-order cognition may be most vulnerable to radiation-related atrophy. This is consistent with clinical observations

Cerebral Cortex Regions Selectively Vulnerable to Radiation Dose-Dependent Atrophy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seibert, Tyler M.; Karunamuni, Roshan; Kaifi, Samar; Burkeen, Jeffrey; Connor, Michael; Krishnan, Anitha Priya; White, Nathan S.; Farid, Nikdokht; Bartsch, Hauke; Murzin, Vyacheslav; Nguyen, Tanya T.; Moiseenko, Vitali; Brewer, James B.; McDonald, Carrie R.; Dale, Anders M.; Hattangadi-Gluth, Jona A.

2017-01-01

Purpose and Objectives: Neurologic deficits after brain radiation therapy (RT) typically involve decline in higher-order cognitive functions such as attention and memory rather than sensory defects or paralysis. We sought to determine whether areas of the cortex critical to cognition are selectively vulnerable to radiation dose-dependent atrophy. Methods and Materials: We measured change in cortical thickness in 54 primary brain tumor patients who underwent fractionated, partial brain RT. The study patients underwent high-resolution, volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (T1-weighted; T2 fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, FLAIR) before RT and 1 year afterward. Semiautomated software was used to segment anatomic regions of the cerebral cortex for each patient. Cortical thickness was measured for each region before RT and 1 year afterward. Two higher-order cortical regions of interest (ROIs) were tested for association between radiation dose and cortical thinning: entorhinal (memory) and inferior parietal (attention/memory). For comparison, 2 primary cortex ROIs were also tested: pericalcarine (vision) and paracentral lobule (somatosensory/motor). Linear mixed-effects analyses were used to test all other cortical regions for significant radiation dose-dependent thickness change. Statistical significance was set at α = 0.05 using 2-tailed tests. Results: Cortical atrophy was significantly associated with radiation dose in the entorhinal (P=.01) and inferior parietal ROIs (P=.02). By contrast, no significant radiation dose-dependent effect was found in the primary cortex ROIs (pericalcarine and paracentral lobule). In the whole-cortex analysis, 9 regions showed significant radiation dose-dependent atrophy, including areas responsible for memory, attention, and executive function (P≤.002). Conclusions: Areas of cerebral cortex important for higher-order cognition may be most vulnerable to radiation-related atrophy. This is consistent with clinical observations

[Pathological neocortical findings in patients with medication-resistant medial temporal lobe epilepsy submitted to surgery].

Science.gov (United States)

Estupiñán-Díaz, B; Morales-Chacón, L M; Lorigados-Pedre, L; García-Maeso, I; Bender-del Busto, J E; Trápaga-Quincoses, O; Hidalgo-Portal, L; García-Navarro, M E; Sánchez-Coroneaux, A; Orozco-Suárez, S

The dual pathology consisting of hippocampal sclerosis plus focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) is often reported in patients with medication-resistant medial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). To determine the histopathological changes that take place in the neocortex of patients with medication-resistant MTLE submitted to surgery and to evaluate the relation between the histopathological changes, pathological background and the clinical course of patients who had received surgical treatment. Tissue obtained by en bloc resection from the neocortex of 18 patients with MTLE refractory to medical treatment was processed histologically and a tailored temporal lobectomy was performed with electrocorticography. Dual pathology was diagnosed in 13 patients (72.2%). Imaging studies confirmed the existence of mesial sclerosis of the temporal in 100% of cases and there was no evidence of neocortical lesions. Histologically, 46.15% and 38.46% of the patients were diagnosed as belonging to FCD type 1a and FCD type 1b, respectively. Only one patient presented FCD type 2a. A statistically significant relation was found between the presence of dual pathology and the existence of an early precipitating injury (p = 0.04). One year after surgery, 72.7% (8/11) patients with dual pathology were classified as belonging to Engel class I. In patients with MTLE there are microscopic FCD-type alterations in the neocortex. There is an association between these alterations and the existence of an initial precipitating injury. Complete resection of the epileptogenic area, which is guaranteed by the lobectomy tailored by electrocorticography, allows patients to enjoy a favourable post-surgical progression one year after surgery.

A Comparative Analysis of Trade Facilitation in Selected Regional and Bilateral Trade Agreement

OpenAIRE

Institute for International Trade

2006-01-01

This study compared the treatment of trade facilitation in four selected regional trade agreements, AFTA, APEC, SAFRA and PACER, and in one bilateral free trade agreement being the Australia-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (ASFTA), with a view to determining model trade facilitation principles and measures which may be instructive for developing country negotiations and policy makers.

Prevalence Survey of Selected Bovine Pathogens in Water Buffaloes in the North Region of Brazil

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Jenevaldo Barbosa da Silva

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Although the largest buffalo herd in the occident is in the north region of Brazil, few studies have been conducted to assess the prevalence of selected parasitic diseases in buffalo herd. The present study was therefore conducted to investigate the epidemiological of Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum, Anaplasma marginale, Babesia bigemina, and Babesia bovis in water buffaloes in the north region of Brazil. A total of 4796 buffalo blood samples were randomly collected from five provinces and simultaneously analyzed by the IFAT and ELISA. The serological prevalence of T. gondii and N. caninum was 41.3% and 55.5% in ELISA and 35.7% and 48.8% in IFAT, respectively. The overall prevalence of A. marginale, B. bovis, and B. bigemina was 63%, 25%, and 21% by ELISA and 50.0%, 22.5%, and 18.8% by IFAT, respectively. This study shows valuable information regarding the serological survey of selected bovine pathogens in water buffaloes in the north region of Brazil which will likely be very beneficial for the management and control programs of this disease.

Face-selective regions differ in their ability to classify facial expressions.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hui; Japee, Shruti; Nolan, Rachel; Chu, Carlton; Liu, Ning; Ungerleider, Leslie G

2016-04-15

Recognition of facial expressions is crucial for effective social interactions. Yet, the extent to which the various face-selective regions in the human brain classify different facial expressions remains unclear. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and support vector machine pattern classification analysis to determine how well face-selective brain regions are able to decode different categories of facial expression. Subjects participated in a slow event-related fMRI experiment in which they were shown 32 face pictures, portraying four different expressions: neutral, fearful, angry, and happy and belonging to eight different identities. Our results showed that only the amygdala and the posterior superior temporal sulcus (STS) were able to accurately discriminate between these expressions, albeit in different ways: the amygdala discriminated fearful faces from non-fearful faces, whereas STS discriminated neutral from emotional (fearful, angry and happy) faces. In contrast to these findings on the classification of emotional expression, only the fusiform face area (FFA) and anterior inferior temporal cortex (aIT) could discriminate among the various facial identities. Further, the amygdala and STS were better than FFA and aIT at classifying expression, while FFA and aIT were better than the amygdala and STS at classifying identity. Taken together, our findings indicate that the decoding of facial emotion and facial identity occurs in different neural substrates: the amygdala and STS for the former and FFA and aIT for the latter. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Levels and patterns of nucleotide variation in domestication QTL regions on rice chromosome 3 suggest lineage-specific selection.

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Xianfa Xie

Full Text Available Oryza sativa or Asian cultivated rice is one of the major cereal grass species domesticated for human food use during the Neolithic. Domestication of this species from the wild grass Oryza rufipogon was accompanied by changes in several traits, including seed shattering, percent seed set, tillering, grain weight, and flowering time. Quantitative trait locus (QTL mapping has identified three genomic regions in chromosome 3 that appear to be associated with these traits. We would like to study whether these regions show signatures of selection and whether the same genetic basis underlies the domestication of different rice varieties. Fragments of 88 genes spanning these three genomic regions were sequenced from multiple accessions of two major varietal groups in O. sativa--indica and tropical japonica--as well as the ancestral wild rice species O. rufipogon. In tropical japonica, the levels of nucleotide variation in these three QTL regions are significantly lower compared to genome-wide levels, and coalescent simulations based on a complex demographic model of rice domestication indicate that these patterns are consistent with selection. In contrast, there is no significant reduction in nucleotide diversity in the homologous regions in indica rice. These results suggest that there are differences in the genetic and selective basis for domestication between these two Asian rice varietal groups.

Long-Term Prognostic Validity of Talent Selections: Comparing National and Regional Coaches, Laypersons and Novices

Science.gov (United States)

Schorer, Jörg; Rienhoff, Rebecca; Fischer, Lennart; Baker, Joseph

2017-01-01

In most sports, the development of elite athletes is a long-term process of talent identification and support. Typically, talent selection systems administer a multi-faceted strategy including national coach observations and varying physical and psychological tests when deciding who is chosen for talent development. The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate the prognostic validity of talent selections by varying groups 10 years after they had been conducted. This study used a unique, multi-phased approach. Phase 1 involved players (n = 68) in 2001 completing a battery of general and sport-specific tests of handball ‘talent’ and performance. In Phase 2, national and regional coaches (n = 7) in 2001 who attended training camps identified the most talented players. In Phase 3, current novice and advanced handball players (n = 12 in each group) selected the most talented from short videos of matches played during the talent camp. Analyses compared predictions among all groups with a best model-fit derived from the motor tests. Results revealed little difference between regional and national coaches in the prediction of future performance and little difference in forecasting performance between novices and players. The best model-fit regression by the motor-tests outperformed all predictions. While several limitations are discussed, this study is a useful starting point for future investigations considering athlete selection decisions in talent identification in sport. PMID:28744238

Long-Term Prognostic Validity of Talent Selections: Comparing National and Regional Coaches, Laypersons and Novices

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Jörg Schorer

2017-07-01

Full Text Available In most sports, the development of elite athletes is a long-term process of talent identification and support. Typically, talent selection systems administer a multi-faceted strategy including national coach observations and varying physical and psychological tests when deciding who is chosen for talent development. The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate the prognostic validity of talent selections by varying groups 10 years after they had been conducted. This study used a unique, multi-phased approach. Phase 1 involved players (n = 68 in 2001 completing a battery of general and sport-specific tests of handball ‘talent’ and performance. In Phase 2, national and regional coaches (n = 7 in 2001 who attended training camps identified the most talented players. In Phase 3, current novice and advanced handball players (n = 12 in each group selected the most talented from short videos of matches played during the talent camp. Analyses compared predictions among all groups with a best model-fit derived from the motor tests. Results revealed little difference between regional and national coaches in the prediction of future performance and little difference in forecasting performance between novices and players. The best model-fit regression by the motor-tests outperformed all predictions. While several limitations are discussed, this study is a useful starting point for future investigations considering athlete selection decisions in talent identification in sport.

Long-Term Prognostic Validity of Talent Selections: Comparing National and Regional Coaches, Laypersons and Novices.

Science.gov (United States)

Schorer, Jörg; Rienhoff, Rebecca; Fischer, Lennart; Baker, Joseph

2017-01-01

In most sports, the development of elite athletes is a long-term process of talent identification and support. Typically, talent selection systems administer a multi-faceted strategy including national coach observations and varying physical and psychological tests when deciding who is chosen for talent development. The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate the prognostic validity of talent selections by varying groups 10 years after they had been conducted. This study used a unique, multi-phased approach. Phase 1 involved players ( n = 68) in 2001 completing a battery of general and sport-specific tests of handball 'talent' and performance. In Phase 2, national and regional coaches ( n = 7) in 2001 who attended training camps identified the most talented players. In Phase 3, current novice and advanced handball players ( n = 12 in each group) selected the most talented from short videos of matches played during the talent camp. Analyses compared predictions among all groups with a best model-fit derived from the motor tests. Results revealed little difference between regional and national coaches in the prediction of future performance and little difference in forecasting performance between novices and players. The best model-fit regression by the motor-tests outperformed all predictions. While several limitations are discussed, this study is a useful starting point for future investigations considering athlete selection decisions in talent identification in sport.

Efficient Banknote Recognition Based on Selection of Discriminative Regions with One-Dimensional Visible-Light Line Sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Pham, Tuyen Danh; Park, Young Ho; Kwon, Seung Yong; Park, Kang Ryoung; Jeong, Dae Sik; Yoon, Sungsoo

2016-03-04

Banknote papers are automatically recognized and classified in various machines, such as vending machines, automatic teller machines (ATM), and banknote-counting machines. Previous studies on automatic classification of banknotes have been based on the optical characteristics of banknote papers. On each banknote image, there are regions more distinguishable than others in terms of banknote types, sides, and directions. However, there has been little previous research on banknote recognition that has addressed the selection of distinguishable areas. To overcome this problem, we propose a method for recognizing banknotes by selecting more discriminative regions based on similarity mapping, using images captured by a one-dimensional visible light line sensor. Experimental results with various types of banknote databases show that our proposed method outperforms previous methods.

Efficient Banknote Recognition Based on Selection of Discriminative Regions with One-Dimensional Visible-Light Line Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tuyen Danh Pham

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Banknote papers are automatically recognized and classified in various machines, such as vending machines, automatic teller machines (ATM, and banknote-counting machines. Previous studies on automatic classification of banknotes have been based on the optical characteristics of banknote papers. On each banknote image, there are regions more distinguishable than others in terms of banknote types, sides, and directions. However, there has been little previous research on banknote recognition that has addressed the selection of distinguishable areas. To overcome this problem, we propose a method for recognizing banknotes by selecting more discriminative regions based on similarity mapping, using images captured by a one-dimensional visible light line sensor. Experimental results with various types of banknote databases show that our proposed method outperforms previous methods.

Neocortical connectivity during episodic memory formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Summerfield, Christopher; Greene, Matthew; Wager, Tor; Egner, Tobias; Hirsch, Joy; Mangels, Jennifer

2006-05-01

During the formation of new episodic memories, a rich array of perceptual information is bound together for long-term storage. However, the brain mechanisms by which sensory representations (such as colors, objects, or individuals) are selected for episodic encoding are currently unknown. We describe a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment in which participants encoded the association between two classes of visual stimuli that elicit selective responses in the extrastriate visual cortex (faces and houses). Using connectivity analyses, we show that correlation in the hemodynamic signal between face- and place-sensitive voxels and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is a reliable predictor of successful face-house binding. These data support the view that during episodic encoding, "top-down" control signals originating in the prefrontal cortex help determine which perceptual information is fated to be bound into the new episodic memory trace.

Neocortical connectivity during episodic memory formation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher Summerfield

2006-05-01

Full Text Available During the formation of new episodic memories, a rich array of perceptual information is bound together for long-term storage. However, the brain mechanisms by which sensory representations (such as colors, objects, or individuals are selected for episodic encoding are currently unknown. We describe a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment in which participants encoded the association between two classes of visual stimuli that elicit selective responses in the extrastriate visual cortex (faces and houses. Using connectivity analyses, we show that correlation in the hemodynamic signal between face- and place-sensitive voxels and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is a reliable predictor of successful face-house binding. These data support the view that during episodic encoding, "top-down" control signals originating in the prefrontal cortex help determine which perceptual information is fated to be bound into the new episodic memory trace.

Genomic regions under selection in crop-wild hybrids of lettuce: implications for crop breeding and environmental risk assessment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hartman, Y.

2012-01-01

The results of this thesis show that the probability of introgression of a putative transgene to wild relatives indeed depends strongly on the insertion location of the transgene. The study of genomic selection patterns can identify crop genomic regions under negative selection in multiple

The age structure of selected countries in the ESCAP region.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, S

1982-01-01

The study objective was to examine the age structure of selected countries in the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) region, using available data and frequently applied indices such as the population pyramid, aged-child ratio, and median age. Based on the overall picture of the age structure thus obtained, age trends and their implication for the near future were arrived at. Countries are grouped into 4 types based on the fertility and mortality levels. Except for Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, the age structure in the 18 ESCAP region countries changed comparatively little over the 1950-80 period. The largest structural change occurred in Singapore, where the proportion of children under age 15 in the population declined significantly from 41-27%, while that of persons 65 years and older more than doubled. This was due primarily to the marked decline in fertility from a total fertility rate (TFR) of 6.7-1.8 during the period. Hong Kong also had a similar major transformation during the same period: the proportion of the old age population increased 2 1/2 times, from 2.5-6.3%. The age structures of the 18 ESCAP countries varied greatly by country. 10 countries of the 2 high fertility and mortality types showed a similar young age structural pattern, i.e., they have higher dependency ratios, a higher proportion of children under 15 years, a lower proportion of population 65 years and older, lower aged-child ratios, and younger median ages than the average countries in the less developed regions of the world. With minimal changes over the 1950-80 period, the gap between these countries and the average of the less developed regions widened. Unlike these 10 (mostly South Asian) countries, moderately low fertility and mortality countries (China, Korea, and Sri Lanka) are located between the world average and the less developed region in most of the indices, particularly during the last decade. Although their rate of population aging is not

Population genetic data of the NGM SElect STR loci in Chinese Han population from Zhejiang region, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Anju; Wu, Weiwei; Liu, Qiuling; Wu, Yeda; Lu, Dejian

2013-03-01

Genetic variations of the 17 NGM SElect STR loci in Chinese Han samples from the Zhejiang region were analyzed. The results show that the NGM SElect is a highly genetic informative system in Zhejiang Han, and this population shows quite different genetic data from other major populations in the world with the exception of the Fujian Han.

Distribution and function of HCN channels in the apical dendritic tuft of neocortical pyramidal neurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Harnett, Mark T; Magee, Jeffrey C; Williams, Stephen R

2015-01-21

The apical tuft is the most remote area of the dendritic tree of neocortical pyramidal neurons. Despite its distal location, the apical dendritic tuft of layer 5 pyramidal neurons receives substantial excitatory synaptic drive and actively processes corticocortical input during behavior. The properties of the voltage-activated ion channels that regulate synaptic integration in tuft dendrites have, however, not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we use electrophysiological and optical approaches to examine the subcellular distribution and function of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated nonselective cation (HCN) channels in rat layer 5B pyramidal neurons. Outside-out patch recordings demonstrated that the amplitude and properties of ensemble HCN channel activity were uniform in patches excised from distal apical dendritic trunk and tuft sites. Simultaneous apical dendritic tuft and trunk whole-cell current-clamp recordings revealed that the pharmacological blockade of HCN channels decreased voltage compartmentalization and enhanced the generation and spread of apical dendritic tuft and trunk regenerative activity. Furthermore, multisite two-photon glutamate uncaging demonstrated that HCN channels control the amplitude and duration of synaptically evoked regenerative activity in the distal apical dendritic tuft. In contrast, at proximal apical dendritic trunk and somatic recording sites, the blockade of HCN channels decreased excitability. Dynamic-clamp experiments revealed that these compartment-specific actions of HCN channels were heavily influenced by the local and distributed impact of the high density of HCN channels in the distal apical dendritic arbor. The properties and subcellular distribution pattern of HCN channels are therefore tuned to regulate the interaction between integration compartments in layer 5B pyramidal neurons. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/351024-14$15.00/0.

Observation of two regions of selective light reflection from a thin film of a cholesteric liquid crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alaverdyan, R B; Dadalyan, T K; Chilingaryan, Yurii S

2013-01-01

Two regions of selective light reflection (in the short- and long- wavelength parts of the visible spectrum) from a thin film of a cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC), consisting of the mixture of two CLCs with opposite chirality and a nematic liquid crystal, are experimentally found for the first time. The spectral position of the reflection regions and the separation between them varies depending on the CLC composition and the temperature. The long-wavelength region of reflection corresponds to the region of Bragg reflection from the CLC helix, while the short-wavelength region is probably due to the defects in the structure of the CLC film. (letters)

HERC 1 ubiquitin ligase mutation affects neocortical, CA3 hippocampal and spinal cord projection neurons. An ultrastructural study

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Rocío eRuiz

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The spontaneous mutation tambaleante is caused by the Gly483Glu substitution in the highly conserved N terminal RCC1-like domain of the HERC1 protein, which leads to the increase of mutated protein levels responsible for cerebellar Purkinje cell death by autophagy. Until now, Purkinje cells have been the only central nervous neurons reported as being targeted by the mutation, and their degeneration elicits an ataxic syndrome in adult mutant mice. However, the ultrastructural analysis performed here demonstrates that signs of autophagy, such as autophagosomes, lysosomes, and altered mitochondria, are present in neocortical pyramidal, CA3 hippocampal pyramidal, and spinal cord motor neurons. The main difference is that the reduction in the number of neurons affected in the tambaleante mutation in the neocortex, the hippocampus, and the spinal cord is not so evident as the dramatic loss of cerebellar Purkinje cells. Interestingly, signs of autophagy are absent in both interneurons and neuroglia cells. Affected neurons have in common that they are projection neurons which receive strong and varied synaptic inputs, and possess the highest degree of neuronal activity. Therefore, because the integrity of the ubiquitin-proteasome system is essential for protein degradation and, hence, for normal protein turnover, it could be hypothesized that the deleterious effects of the misrouting of these pathways would depend directly on the neuronal activity.

Effects of scatter correction on regional distribution of cerebral blood flow using I-123-IMP and SPECT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Hiroshi; Iida, Hidehiro; Kinoshita, Toshibumi; Hatazawa, Jun; Okudera, Toshio; Uemura, Kazuo

1999-01-01

The transmission dependent convolution subtraction method which is one of the methods for scatter correction of SPECT was applied to the assessment of CBF using SPECT and I-123-IMP. The effects of scatter correction on regional distribution of CBF were evaluated on a pixel by pixel basis by means of an anatomic standardization technique. SPECT scan was performed on six healthy men. Image reconstruction was carried out with and without the scatter correction. All reconstructed images were globally normalized for the radioactivity of each pixel, and transformed into a standard brain anatomy. After anatomic standardization, the average SPECT images were calculated for scatter corrected and uncorrected groups, and these groups were compared on pixel by pixel basis. In the scatter uncorrected group, a significant overestimation of CBF was observed in the deep cerebral white matter, pons, thalamus, putamen, hippocampal region and cingulate gyrus as compared with scatter corrected group. A significant underestimation was observed in all neocortical regions, especially in the occipital and parietal lobes, and the cerebellar cortex. The regional distribution of CBF obtained by scatter corrected SPECT was similar to that obtained by O-15 water PET. The scatter correction is needed for the assessment of CBF using SPECT. (author)

[A surgical case of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy associated with hippocampal sclerosis and traumatic neocortical lesion].

Science.gov (United States)

Kitazawa, Yu; Jin, Kazutaka; Iwasaki, Masaki; Suzuki, Hiroyoshi; Tanaka, Fumiaki; Nakasato, Nobukazu

2017-11-25

A 26-year-old right-handed woman, with a history of left temporal lobe contusion caused by a fall at the age of 9 months, started to have complex partial seizures with oral automatism at the age of 7 years. The seizures occurred once or twice a month despite combination therapy with several antiepileptic agents. Her history and imaging studies suggested the diagnosis of epilepsy arising from traumatic neocortical temporal lesion. Comprehensive assessment including long-term video EEG monitoring, MRI, FDG-PET, MEG, and neuropsychological evaluation was performed at the age of 26 years. The diagnosis was left mesial temporal lobe epilepsy associated with hippocampal atrophy and traumatic temporal cortical lesion. The patient was readmitted for surgical treatment at the age of 27 years. Intracranial EEG monitoring showed that ictal discharges started in the left hippocampus and spread to the traumatic lesion in the left posterior superior temporal gyrus 10 seconds after the onset. This case could not be classified as dual pathology exactly, because the traumatic left temporal cortical lesion did not show independent epileptogenicity. However, the traumatic lesion was highly likely to be the source of the epileptogenicity, and she had right hemispheric dominance for language and functional deterioration in the whole temporal cortex. Therefore, left amygdalo-hippocampectomy and left temporal lobectomy including the traumatic lesion were performed according to the diagnosis of dual pathology. Subsequently, she remained seizure-free for 3 years. Comprehensive assessment of seizure semiology, neurophysiology, neuroradiology, and neuropsychology is important to determine the optimum therapeutic strategies for drug-resistant epilepsy.

Reversible and regionally selective downregulation of brain cannabinoid CB1 receptors in chronic daily cannabis smokers.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirvonen, J; Goodwin, R S; Li, C-T; Terry, G E; Zoghbi, S S; Morse, C; Pike, V W; Volkow, N D; Huestis, M A; Innis, R B

2012-06-01

Chronic cannabis (marijuana, hashish) smoking can result in dependence. Rodent studies show reversible downregulation of brain cannabinoid CB(1) (cannabinoid receptor type 1) receptors after chronic exposure to cannabis. However, whether downregulation occurs in humans who chronically smoke cannabis is unknown. Here we show, using positron emission tomography imaging, reversible and regionally selective downregulation of brain cannabinoid CB(1) receptors in human subjects who chronically smoke cannabis. Downregulation correlated with years of cannabis smoking and was selective to cortical brain regions. After ∼4 weeks of continuously monitored abstinence from cannabis on a secure research unit, CB(1) receptor density returned to normal levels. This is the first direct demonstration of cortical cannabinoid CB(1) receptor downregulation as a neuroadaptation that may promote cannabis dependence in human brain.

Positive selection in the chromosome 16 VKORC1 genomic region has contributed to the variability of anticoagulant response in humans.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Blandine Patillon

Full Text Available VKORC1 (vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1, 16p11.2 is the main genetic determinant of human response to oral anticoagulants of antivitamin K type (AVK. This gene was recently suggested to be a putative target of positive selection in East Asian populations. In this study, we genotyped the HGDP-CEPH Panel for six VKORC1 SNPs and downloaded chromosome 16 genotypes from the HGDP-CEPH database in order to characterize the geographic distribution of footprints of positive selection within and around this locus. A unique VKORC1 haplotype carrying the promoter mutation associated with AVK sensitivity showed especially high frequencies in all the 17 HGDP-CEPH East Asian population samples. VKORC1 and 24 neighboring genes were found to lie in a 505 kb region of strong linkage disequilibrium in these populations. Patterns of allele frequency differentiation and haplotype structure suggest that this genomic region has been submitted to a near complete selective sweep in all East Asian populations and only in this geographic area. The most extreme scores of the different selection tests are found within a smaller 45 kb region that contains VKORC1 and three other genes (BCKDK, MYST1 (KAT8, and PRSS8 with different functions. Because of the strong linkage disequilibrium, it is not possible to determine if VKORC1 or one of the three other genes is the target of this strong positive selection that could explain present-day differences among human populations in AVK dose requirement. Our results show that the extended region surrounding a presumable single target of positive selection should be analyzed for genetic variation in a wide range of genetically diverse populations in order to account for other neighboring and confounding selective events and the hitchhiking effect.

The generation and selection of single-domain, v region libraries from nurse sharks.

Science.gov (United States)

Flajnik, Martin F; Dooley, Helen

2009-01-01

The cartilaginous fish (sharks, skates, and rays) are the oldest phylogenetic group in which a human-type adaptive immune system and immunoglobulins (Igs) have been found. In addition to their conventional (heavy-light chain heterodimeric) isotypes, IgM and IgW, sharks produce the novel isotype, IgNAR, a heavy chain homodimer that does not associate with light chains. Instead, its variable (V) regions act as independent, soluble units in order to bind antigen. In this chapter, we detail our immunization protocol in order to raise a humoral IgNAR response in the nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) and the subsequent cloning of the single-domain V regions from this isotype in order to select antigen-specific binders by phage display.

Coarse-to-fine region selection and matching

KAUST Repository

Yang, Yanchao; Lu, Zhaojin; Sundaramoorthi, Ganesh

2015-01-01

to reduce the cost of comparing all regions in two images, our method eliminates regions systematically to achieve efficiency. One advantage of our approach is that it is not restricted to covariant salient regions, which is too restrictive under large

Topography of sound level representation in the FM sweep selective region of the pallid bat auditory cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Measor, Kevin; Yarrow, Stuart; Razak, Khaleel A

2018-05-26

Sound level processing is a fundamental function of the auditory system. To determine how the cortex represents sound level, it is important to quantify how changes in level alter the spatiotemporal structure of cortical ensemble activity. This is particularly true for echolocating bats that have control over, and often rapidly adjust, call level to actively change echo level. To understand how cortical activity may change with sound level, here we mapped response rate and latency changes with sound level in the auditory cortex of the pallid bat. The pallid bat uses a 60-30 kHz downward frequency modulated (FM) sweep for echolocation. Neurons tuned to frequencies between 30 and 70 kHz in the auditory cortex are selective for the properties of FM sweeps used in echolocation forming the FM sweep selective region (FMSR). The FMSR is strongly selective for sound level between 30 and 50 dB SPL. Here we mapped the topography of level selectivity in the FMSR using downward FM sweeps and show that neurons with more monotonic rate level functions are located in caudomedial regions of the FMSR overlapping with high frequency (50-60 kHz) neurons. Non-monotonic neurons dominate the FMSR, and are distributed across the entire region, but there is no evidence for amplitopy. We also examined how first spike latency of FMSR neurons change with sound level. The majority of FMSR neurons exhibit paradoxical latency shift wherein the latency increases with sound level. Moreover, neurons with paradoxical latency shifts are more strongly level selective and are tuned to lower sound level than neurons in which latencies decrease with level. These data indicate a clustered arrangement of neurons according to monotonicity, with no strong evidence for finer scale topography, in the FMSR. The latency analysis suggests mechanisms for strong level selectivity that is based on relative timing of excitatory and inhibitory inputs. Taken together, these data suggest how the spatiotemporal

Localization of Epileptogenic Zones using Partical Volume Corrected FDG Uptake on FDG PET and Voxel Based Morphometry on MRI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, Won Jun; Lee, Ho Young; Lee, Jae Sung; Lee, Dong Soo; Lee, Sang Kun; Chung, June Key; Lee, Myung Chul [College of Medicine, Univ. of Seoul National, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2003-07-01

Partial volume corrected (PVC) FDG uptake yields information about regional metabolic level void of volume change, and voxel based morphometry (VBM) yields objective information regarding gray matter concentration. We investigated the roles of PVC PET and VBM to localize epileptogenic zones in medial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) and non-lesional neocortical epilepsy. As a control group for PVC, 40 normal volunteers without history of neurologic or psychiatric diseases underwent FDG PET and MRI. Seventeen mTLE patients (M: F=7: 10, age=309 y) and nine neocortical epilepsy patients (M: F=6: 3, age=246, lateral temporal: 5, frontal: 3, occipital: 1) confirmed by surgery or epilepsy board meeting were enrolled. Standard VBM analysis was performed using individual MRI images compared with those of age-matched controls. For PVC, FDG PET was co-registered with its own MRI. PVC PET was obtained by dividing spillover-corrected PET by smoothed gray matter image pixel by pixel. SPAM was applied as a mask of volume of interest (VOI) to calculate gyral FDG uptake on PVC-FDG PET. Hippocampus, amygdala, superior, middle, inferior temporal gyrus and parahippocampal gyrus were the gyral SPAM VOIs in mTLE. Globally normalized PVC-FDG counts were compared with those of age-matched controls in mTLE and neocortical epilepsy patients. In mTlE, PVC-FDG PET correctly localized epileptogenic zones with the accuracy of 76% (13/17) in hippocampus and 82% (14/17) in any of six regions. VBM correctly localized 59% (10/17) in mTLE. In neocortical epilepsy, PVC-FDG PET localized epileptogenic zones in 44%, and VBM in 33%, Using VBM and PVC-FDG PET altogether, epileptogenic zones were localized in 66% (6/9). In mTLE, gyral PVC FDG uptake of temporal lobes was useful in localizing epileptogenic zones by demonstrating partial volume-void FDG concentration. In non-lesional cryptogenic neocortical epilepsy, combination of PVC-FDG PET and VBM is recommended to localize epileptogenic zones.

Selective constraints in experimentally defined primate regulatory regions.

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Daniel J Gaffney

2008-08-01

Full Text Available Changes in gene regulation may be important in evolution. However, the evolutionary properties of regulatory mutations are currently poorly understood. This is partly the result of an incomplete annotation of functional regulatory DNA in many species. For example, transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs, a major component of eukaryotic regulatory architecture, are typically short, degenerate, and therefore difficult to differentiate from randomly occurring, nonfunctional sequences. Furthermore, although sites such as TFBSs can be computationally predicted using evolutionary conservation as a criterion, estimates of the true level of selective constraint (defined as the fraction of strongly deleterious mutations occurring at a locus in regulatory regions will, by definition, be upwardly biased in datasets that are a priori evolutionarily conserved. Here we investigate the fitness effects of regulatory mutations using two complementary datasets of human TFBSs that are likely to be relatively free of ascertainment bias with respect to evolutionary conservation but, importantly, are supported by experimental data. The first is a collection of almost >2,100 human TFBSs drawn from the literature in the TRANSFAC database, and the second is derived from several recent high-throughput chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with genomic microarray (ChIP-chip analyses. We also define a set of putative cis-regulatory modules (pCRMs by spatially clustering multiple TFBSs that regulate the same gene. We find that a relatively high proportion ( approximately 37% of mutations at TFBSs are strongly deleterious, similar to that at a 2-fold degenerate protein-coding site. However, constraint is significantly reduced in human and chimpanzee pCRMS and ChIP-chip sequences, relative to macaques. We estimate that the fraction of regulatory mutations that have been driven to fixation by positive selection in humans is not significantly different from zero. We also find

Positive selection neighboring functionally essential sites and disease-implicated regions of mammalian reproductive proteins.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Morgan, Claire C

2010-01-01

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Reproductive proteins are central to the continuation of all mammalian species. The evolution of these proteins has been greatly influenced by environmental pressures induced by pathogens, rival sperm, sexual selection and sexual conflict. Positive selection has been demonstrated in many of these proteins with particular focus on primate lineages. However, the mammalia are a diverse group in terms of mating habits, population sizes and germ line generation times. We have examined the selective pressures at work on a number of novel reproductive proteins across a wide variety of mammalia. RESULTS: We show that selective pressures on reproductive proteins are highly varied. Of the 10 genes analyzed in detail, all contain signatures of positive selection either across specific sites or in specific lineages or a combination of both. Our analysis of SP56 and Col1a1 are entirely novel and the results show positively selected sites present in each gene. Our findings for the Col1a1 gene are suggestive of a link between positive selection and severe disease type. We find evidence in our dataset to suggest that interacting proteins are evolving in symphony: most likely to maintain interacting functionality. CONCLUSION: Our in silico analyses show positively selected sites are occurring near catalytically important regions suggesting selective pressure to maximize efficient fertilization. In those cases where a mechanism of protein function is not fully understood, the sites presented here represent ideal candidates for mutational study. This work has highlighted the widespread rate heterogeneity in mutational rates across the mammalia and specifically has shown that the evolution of reproductive proteins is highly varied depending on the species and interacting partners. We have shown that positive selection and disease are closely linked in the Col1a1 gene.

Cerebellar heterogeneity and its impact on PET data quantification of 5-HT receptor radioligands

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ganz, Melanie; Feng, Ling; Hansen, Hanne Demant

2017-01-01

standardized uptake values (SUV) and nondisplaceable neocortical binding potential (BPND). Statistical difference was assessed with paired nonparametric two-sided Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and multiple comparison corrected via false discovery rate. We demonstrate significant radioligand specific regional...

Evidence for a cerebral cortical thickness network anti-correlated with amygdalar volume in healthy youths: implications for the neural substrates of emotion regulation.

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Albaugh, Matthew D; Ducharme, Simon; Collins, D Louis; Botteron, Kelly N; Althoff, Robert R; Evans, Alan C; Karama, Sherif; Hudziak, James J

2013-05-01

Recent functional connectivity studies have demonstrated that, in resting humans, activity in a dorsally-situated neocortical network is inversely associated with activity in the amygdalae. Similarly, in human neuroimaging studies, aspects of emotion regulation have been associated with increased activity in dorsolateral, dorsomedial, orbital and ventromedial prefrontal regions, as well as concomitant decreases in amygdalar activity. These findings indicate the presence of two countervailing systems in the human brain that are reciprocally related: a dorsally-situated cognitive control network, and a ventrally-situated limbic network. We investigated the extent to which this functional reciprocity between limbic and dorsal neocortical regions is recapitulated from a purely structural standpoint. Specifically, we hypothesized that amygdalar volume would be related to cerebral cortical thickness in cortical regions implicated in aspects of emotion regulation. In 297 typically developing youths (162 females, 135 males; 572 MRIs), the relationship between cortical thickness and amygdalar volume was characterized. Amygdalar volume was found to be inversely associated with thickness in bilateral dorsolateral and dorsomedial prefrontal, inferior parietal, as well as bilateral orbital and ventromedial prefrontal cortices. Our findings are in line with previous work demonstrating that a predominantly dorsally-centered neocortical network is reciprocally related to core limbic structures such as the amygdalae. Future research may benefit from investigating the extent to which such cortical-limbic morphometric relations are qualified by the presence of mood and anxiety psychopathology. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Regional Sensitivity to Neuroinflammation: In Vivo and In Vitro Studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liraz-Zaltsman, S.; Biegon, A.; Liraz-Zaltsman, S.; Alexandrovich, A.G.; Trembovler, V.; Fishbein, I.; Yaka, R.; Shohami, E.; Biegon, A.

2010-11-23

Neuroinflammation is involved in several acute-onset neuropathologies such as meningitis, encephalitis, stroke, and traumatic brain injury as well as in neurodegenerative diseases. All of these patholologies are associated with cognitive deficits. Using a model of pure neuroinflammation (intracisternal injection of endotoxin in mice), we tested the hypothesis that brain regions involved in cognition are the most vulnerable to inflammatory insults, and this vulnerability is an inherent property of neocortical neurons. Mice (n = 10/group) injected with endotoxin (LPS) or saline in the cisterna magna underwent neurobehavioral and cognitive testing followed by quantitative autoradiographic assessment of regional neuroinflammation with [3H]PK11195, an established marker of microgliosis. In parallel, cocultures of cortical and striatal neurons taken from embryonic day 19 rat embryos or postnatal day 1 mice expressing green fluorescent protein were exposed for 24 h to the proinflammatory cytokine TNFalpha, glutamate, or a combination of the two agents. LPS-treated mice exhibited significant deficits in memory and significant increases in specific PK11195 binding in cortical and hippocampal regions, but not in striatum. Cultured neurons of cortical origin showed significantly lower survival rate relative to striatal neurons in response to TNFalpha, glutamate, or a combination of the two agents. Furthermore, TNFalpha exerted neuroprotective rather than neurotoxic effects in the striatal but not in the cortical neurons. These results suggest that the cortex is inherently more sensitive than the striatum to the deleterious effects of neuroinflammation, and may offer an explanation for the preponderance of cognitive deficits in neuropathologies with a neuroinflammatory component.

Continuous High Frequency Activity: A peculiar SEEG pattern related to specific brain regions

Science.gov (United States)

Melani, Federico; Zelmann, Rina; Mari, Francesco; Gotman, Jean

2015-01-01

Objective While visually marking the high frequency oscillations in the stereo-EEG of epileptic patients, we observed a continuous/semicontinuous activity in the ripple band (80–250 Hz), which we defined continuous High Frequency Activity (HFA). We aim to analyze in all brain regions the occurrence and significance of this particular pattern. Methods Twenty patients implanted in mesial temporal and neocortical areas were studied. One minute of slow-wave sleep was reviewed. The background was classified as continuous/semicontinuous, irregular, or sporadic based on the duration of the fast oscillations. Each channel was classified as inside/outside the seizure onset zone (SOZ) or a lesion. Results The continuous/semicontinuous HFA occurred in 54 of the 790 channels analyzed, with a clearly higher prevalence in hippocampus and occipital lobe. No correlation was found with the SOZ or lesions. In the occipital lobe the continuous/semicontinuous HFA was present independently of whether eyes were open or closed. Conclusions We describe what appears to be a new physiological High Frequency Activity, independent of epileptogenicity, present almost exclusively in the hippocampus and occipital cortex but independent of the alpha rhythm. Significance The continuous HFA may be an intrinsic characteristic of specific brain regions, reflecting a particular type of physiological neuronal activity. PMID:23768436

A Laminar Organization for Selective Cortico-Cortical Communication

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Rinaldo D. D’Souza

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The neocortex is central to mammalian cognitive ability, playing critical roles in sensory perception, motor skills and executive function. This thin, layered structure comprises distinct, functionally specialized areas that communicate with each other through the axons of pyramidal neurons. For the hundreds of such cortico-cortical pathways to underlie diverse functions, their cellular and synaptic architectures must differ so that they result in distinct computations at the target projection neurons. In what ways do these pathways differ? By originating and terminating in different laminae, and by selectively targeting specific populations of excitatory and inhibitory neurons, these “interareal” pathways can differentially control the timing and strength of synaptic inputs onto individual neurons, resulting in layer-specific computations. Due to the rapid development in transgenic techniques, the mouse has emerged as a powerful mammalian model for understanding the rules by which cortical circuits organize and function. Here we review our understanding of how cortical lamination constrains long-range communication in the mammalian brain, with an emphasis on the mouse visual cortical network. We discuss the laminar architecture underlying interareal communication, the role of neocortical layers in organizing the balance of excitatory and inhibitory actions, and highlight the structure and function of layer 1 in mouse visual cortex.

Imaging Cajal's neuronal avalanche: how wide-field optical imaging of the point-spread advanced the understanding of neocortical structure-function relationship.

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Frostig, Ron D; Chen-Bee, Cynthia H; Johnson, Brett A; Jacobs, Nathan S

2017-07-01

This review brings together a collection of studies that specifically use wide-field high-resolution mesoscopic level imaging techniques (intrinsic signal optical imaging; voltage-sensitive dye optical imaging) to image the cortical point spread (PS): the total spread of cortical activation comprising a large neuronal ensemble evoked by spatially restricted (point) stimulation of the sensory periphery (e.g., whisker, pure tone, point visual stimulation). The collective imaging findings, combined with supporting anatomical and electrophysiological findings, revealed some key aspects about the PS including its very large (radius of several mm) and relatively symmetrical spatial extent capable of crossing cytoarchitectural borders and trespassing into other cortical areas; its relationship with underlying evoked subthreshold activity and underlying anatomical system of long-range horizontal projections within gray matter, both also crossing borders; its contextual modulation and plasticity; the ability of its relative spatiotemporal profile to remain invariant to major changes in stimulation parameters; its potential role as a building block for integrative cortical activity; and its ubiquitous presence across various cortical areas and across mammalian species. Together, these findings advance our understanding about the neocortex at the mesoscopic level by underscoring that the cortical PS constitutes a fundamental motif of neocortical structure-function relationship.

Hippocampal and neocortical metabolite ratio in patients with complex partial seizure: short TE and long TE techniques using single voxel proton MR spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chung, Jin Il; Kim, Dong Ik; Lee, Byung In; Lee, Seung Ik; Yoon, Pyeong Ho [Medical College, Yonsei University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2000-08-01

To compare hippocampal and neocortical metabolite ratios using single-voxel proton MR spectroscopy with different echo times in patients with complex partial seizure. Using a GE Signa 1.5T scanner with STEAM and PRESS sequences, automated single voxel proton MRS was used to determine metabolite ratio differences in the hippocampus and neocortex of nine complex partial seizure patients (mesial temporal sclerosis (n=3D5), status epilepticus (n=3D1), tumor (n=3D1), cortical dysplasia (n=3D1), occipital lobe epilepsy (n=3D1)). A total of 20 examinations were performed in the region of the hippocampus (n=3D17), temporal neocortex (n=3D1), and parieto-occipital gray matter (n=3D1). Voxel size range was 5.2-17.4 cm{sup 3}. The calculated creatine (Cr) peak was employed as an internal reference and the relative ratio of N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and choline (Cho) was calculated for both short and long echo times using an automated PROBE/SV (GE Medical Systems) package. Each NAA/Cho ratio obtained using both PRESS and STEAM techniques was compared by means of statistical analysis (paired Student t-test). Using PRESS (long TE, 272 ms), NAA/Cho ratios were successfully calculated in 16 of 20 examinations; in four this was not possible due to noise levels of the Cr and Cho peaks. Using STEAM (short TE, 30 ms) NAA/Cho ratios were successfully calculated in 19 of 20 examinations; in one, the Cho peak could not be measured. Using PRESS and STEAM, mean and standard deviations for the NAA/Cho ratio were 1.22{+-}0.50 and 1.16{+-}0.36, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in this ratio between the short and long TE method (p less than 0.01). In complex partial seizure patients, no significant metabolite differences were found between short and long echo times of single voxel proton MR spectroscopy. The metabolite ratio at different echo times can be reliably obtained using this simplified and automated PROBE/SV quantitation method. (author)

Genome-wide genetic diversity and differentially selected regions among Suffolk, Rambouillet, Columbia, Polypay, and Targhee sheep.

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Lifan Zhang

Full Text Available Sheep are among the major economically important livestock species worldwide because the animals produce milk, wool, skin, and meat. In the present study, the Illumina OvineSNP50 BeadChip was used to investigate genetic diversity and genome selection among Suffolk, Rambouillet, Columbia, Polypay, and Targhee sheep breeds from the United States. After quality-control filtering of SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms, we used 48,026 SNPs, including 46,850 SNPs on autosomes that were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and 1,176 SNPs on chromosome × for analysis. Phylogenetic analysis based on all 46,850 SNPs clearly separated Suffolk from Rambouillet, Columbia, Polypay, and Targhee, which was not surprising as Rambouillet contributed to the synthesis of the later three breeds. Based on pair-wise estimates of F(ST, significant genetic differentiation appeared between Suffolk and Rambouillet (F(ST = 0.1621, while Rambouillet and Targhee had the closest relationship (F(ST = 0.0681. A scan of the genome revealed 45 and 41 differentially selected regions (DSRs between Suffolk and Rambouillet and among Rambouillet-related breed populations, respectively. Our data indicated that regions 13 and 24 between Suffolk and Rambouillet might be good candidates for evaluating breed differences. Furthermore, ovine genome v3.1 assembly was used as reference to link functionally known homologous genes to economically important traits covered by these differentially selected regions. In brief, our present study provides a comprehensive genome-wide view on within- and between-breed genetic differentiation, biodiversity, and evolution among Suffolk, Rambouillet, Columbia, Polypay, and Targhee sheep breeds. These results may provide new guidance for the synthesis of new breeds with different breeding objectives.

Wetland selection by breeding and foraging black terns in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Steen, Valerie A.; Powell, Abby N.

2012-01-01

We examined wetland selection by the Black Tern (Chlidonias niger), a species that breeds primarily in the prairie pothole region, has experienced population declines, and is difficult to manage because of low site fidelity. To characterize its selection of wetlands in this region, we surveyed 589 wetlands throughout North and South Dakota. We documented breeding at 5% and foraging at 17% of wetlands. We created predictive habitat models with a machine-learning algorithm, Random Forests, to explore the relative role of local wetland characteristics and those of the surrounding landscape and to evaluate which characteristics were important to predicting breeding versus foraging. We also examined area-dependent wetland selection while addressing the passive sampling bias by replacing occurrence of terns in the models with an index of density. Local wetland variables were more important than landscape variables in predictions of occurrence of breeding and foraging. Wetland size was more important to prediction of foraging than of breeding locations, while floating matted vegetation was more important to prediction of breeding than of foraging locations. The amount of seasonal wetland in the landscape was the only landscape variable important to prediction of both foraging and breeding. Models based on a density index indicated that wetland selection by foraging terns may be more area dependent than that by breeding terns. Our study provides some of the first evidence for differential breeding and foraging wetland selection by Black Terns and for a more limited role of landscape effects and area sensitivity than has been previously shown.

Corticothalamic Synaptic Noise as a Mechanism for Selective Attention in Thalamic Neurons

Science.gov (United States)

Béhuret, Sébastien; Deleuze, Charlotte; Bal, Thierry

2015-01-01

A reason why the thalamus is more than a passive gateway for sensory signals is that two-third of the synapses of thalamocortical neurons are directly or indirectly related to the activity of corticothalamic axons. While the responses of thalamocortical neurons evoked by sensory stimuli are well characterized, with ON- and OFF-center receptive field structures, the prevalence of synaptic noise resulting from neocortical feedback in intracellularly recorded thalamocortical neurons in vivo has attracted little attention. However, in vitro and modeling experiments point to its critical role for the integration of sensory signals. Here we combine our recent findings in a unified framework suggesting the hypothesis that corticothalamic synaptic activity is adapted to modulate the transfer efficiency of thalamocortical neurons during selective attention at three different levels: First, on ionic channels by interacting with intrinsic membrane properties, second at the neuron level by impacting on the input-output gain, and third even more effectively at the cell assembly level by boosting the information transfer of sensory features encoded in thalamic subnetworks. This top-down population control is achieved by tuning the correlations in subthreshold membrane potential fluctuations and is adapted to modulate the transfer of sensory features encoded by assemblies of thalamocortical relay neurons. We thus propose that cortically-controlled (de-)correlation of subthreshold noise is an efficient and swift dynamic mechanism for selective attention in the thalamus. PMID:26733818

Corticothalamic Synaptic Noise as a Mechanism for Selective Attention in Thalamic Neurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Béhuret, Sébastien; Deleuze, Charlotte; Bal, Thierry

2015-01-01

A reason why the thalamus is more than a passive gateway for sensory signals is that two-third of the synapses of thalamocortical neurons are directly or indirectly related to the activity of corticothalamic axons. While the responses of thalamocortical neurons evoked by sensory stimuli are well characterized, with ON- and OFF-center receptive field structures, the prevalence of synaptic noise resulting from neocortical feedback in intracellularly recorded thalamocortical neurons in vivo has attracted little attention. However, in vitro and modeling experiments point to its critical role for the integration of sensory signals. Here we combine our recent findings in a unified framework suggesting the hypothesis that corticothalamic synaptic activity is adapted to modulate the transfer efficiency of thalamocortical neurons during selective attention at three different levels: First, on ionic channels by interacting with intrinsic membrane properties, second at the neuron level by impacting on the input-output gain, and third even more effectively at the cell assembly level by boosting the information transfer of sensory features encoded in thalamic subnetworks. This top-down population control is achieved by tuning the correlations in subthreshold membrane potential fluctuations and is adapted to modulate the transfer of sensory features encoded by assemblies of thalamocortical relay neurons. We thus propose that cortically-controlled (de-)correlation of subthreshold noise is an efficient and swift dynamic mechanism for selective attention in the thalamus.

Corticothalamic Synaptic Noise as a Mechanism for Selective Attention in Thalamic Neurons

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Sébastien eBéhuret

2015-12-01

Full Text Available A reason why the thalamus is more than a passive gateway for sensory signals is that two-third of the synapses of thalamocortical neurons are directly or indirectly related to the activity of corticothalamic axons. While the responses of thalamocortical neurons evoked by sensory stimuli are well characterized, with ON- and OFF-center receptive field structures, the prevalence of synaptic noise resulting from neocortical feedback in intracellularly recorded thalamocortical neurons in vivo has attracted little attention. However, in vitro and modeling experiments point to its critical role for the integration of sensory signals. Here we combine our recent findings in a unified framework suggesting the hypothesis that corticothalamic synaptic activity is adapted to modulate the transfer efficiency of thalamocortical neurons during selective attention at three different levels: First, on ionic channels by interacting with intrinsic membrane properties, second at the neuron level by impacting on the input-output gain, and third even more effectively at the cell assembly level by boosting the information transfer of sensory features encoded in thalamic subnetworks. This top-down population control is achieved by tuning the correlations in subthreshold membrane potential fluctuations and is adapted to modulate the transfer of sensory features encoded by assemblies of thalamocortical relay neurons. We thus propose that cortically-controlled (de-correlation of subthreshold noise is an efficient and swift dynamic mechanism for selective attention in the thalamus.

Macroeconomic dataset for generating macroeconomic volatility among selected countries in the Asia Pacific region.

Science.gov (United States)

Chow, Yee Peng; Muhammad, Junaina; Amin Noordin, Bany Ariffin; Cheng, Fan Fah

2018-02-01

This data article provides macroeconomic data that can be used to generate macroeconomic volatility. The data cover a sample of seven selected countries in the Asia Pacific region for the period 2004-2014, including both developing and developed countries. This dataset was generated to enhance our understanding of the sources of macroeconomic volatility affecting the countries in this region. Although the Asia Pacific region continues to remain as the most dynamic part of the world's economy, it is not spared from various sources of macroeconomic volatility through the decades. The reported data cover 15 types of macroeconomic data series, representing three broad categories of indicators that can be used to proxy macroeconomic volatility. They are indicators that account for macroeconomic volatility (i.e. volatility as a macroeconomic outcome), domestic sources of macroeconomic volatility and external sources of macroeconomic volatility. In particular, the selected countries are Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines, which are regarded as developing countries, while Singapore, Japan and Australia are developed countries. Despite the differences in level of economic development, these countries were affected by similar sources of macroeconomic volatility such as the Asian Financial Crisis and the Global Financial Crisis. These countries were also affected by other similar external turbulence arising from factors such as the global economic slowdown, geopolitical risks in the Middle East and volatile commodity prices. Nonetheless, there were also sources of macroeconomic volatility which were peculiar to certain countries only. These were generally domestic sources of volatility such as political instability (for Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines), natural disasters and anomalous weather conditions (for Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan and Australia) and over-dependence on the electronic sector (for Singapore).

Abnormal responses of ejection fraction to exercise, in healthy subjects, caused by region-of-interest selection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sorenson, S.G.; Caldwell, J.; Ritchie, J.; Hamilton, G.

1981-01-01

We performed serial exercise equilibrium radionuclide angiography in eight normal subjects with each subject executing three tests: control, after nitroglycerin, and after propranolol. The left-ventricular ejection fraction (EF) was calculated by two methods: (a) fixed region-of-interest (FROI) using a single end-diastolic ROI, and (b) variable region-of-interest (VROI) where an end-diastolic and end-systolic region of interest were used. Abnormal maximal EF responses occurred in five of eight subjects during control using FROI but in zero of eight employing VROI (p < 0.05). After nitroglycerin, three of eight subjects had abnormal responses by FROI, but zero of eight were abnormal by VROI (p < 0.05). After propranolol, blunted EF responses occurred in three of seven by both methods. Falsely abnormal EF responses to exercise RNA may occur due to the method of region-of-interest selection in normal subjects with normal or high ejection fractions

Functional region prediction with a set of appropriate homologous sequences-an index for sequence selection by integrating structure and sequence information with spatial statistics

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background The detection of conserved residue clusters on a protein structure is one of the effective strategies for the prediction of functional protein regions. Various methods, such as Evolutionary Trace, have been developed based on this strategy. In such approaches, the conserved residues are identified through comparisons of homologous amino acid sequences. Therefore, the selection of homologous sequences is a critical step. It is empirically known that a certain degree of sequence divergence in the set of homologous sequences is required for the identification of conserved residues. However, the development of a method to select homologous sequences appropriate for the identification of conserved residues has not been sufficiently addressed. An objective and general method to select appropriate homologous sequences is desired for the efficient prediction of functional regions. Results We have developed a novel index to select the sequences appropriate for the identification of conserved residues, and implemented the index within our method to predict the functional regions of a protein. The implementation of the index improved the performance of the functional region prediction. The index represents the degree of conserved residue clustering on the tertiary structure of the protein. For this purpose, the structure and sequence information were integrated within the index by the application of spatial statistics. Spatial statistics is a field of statistics in which not only the attributes but also the geometrical coordinates of the data are considered simultaneously. Higher degrees of clustering generate larger index scores. We adopted the set of homologous sequences with the highest index score, under the assumption that the best prediction accuracy is obtained when the degree of clustering is the maximum. The set of sequences selected by the index led to higher functional region prediction performance than the sets of sequences selected by other sequence

Regional climate models' performance in representing precipitation and temperature over selected Mediterranean areas

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R. Deidda

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses the relative performance of several climate models in providing reliable forcing for hydrological modeling in six representative catchments in the Mediterranean region. We consider 14 Regional Climate Models (RCMs, from the EU-FP6 ENSEMBLES project, run for the A1B emission scenario on a common 0.22° (about 24 km rotated grid over Europe and the Mediterranean region. In the validation period (1951 to 2010 we consider daily precipitation and surface temperatures from the observed data fields (E-OBS data set, available from the ENSEMBLES project and the data providers in the ECA&D project. Our primary objective is to rank the 14 RCMs for each catchment and select the four best-performing ones to use as common forcing for hydrological models in the six Mediterranean basins considered in the EU-FP7 CLIMB project. Using a common suite of four RCMs for all studied catchments reduces the (epistemic uncertainty when evaluating trends and climate change impacts in the 21st century. We present and discuss the validation setting, as well as the obtained results and, in some detail, the difficulties we experienced when processing the data. In doing so we also provide useful information and advice for researchers not directly involved in climate modeling, but interested in the use of climate model outputs for hydrological modeling and, more generally, climate change impact studies in the Mediterranean region.

Inconsistent selection and definition of local and regional endpoints in breast cancer research.

Science.gov (United States)

Moossdorff, M; van Roozendaal, L M; Schipper, R-J; Strobbe, L J A; Voogd, A C; Tjan-Heijnen, V C G; Smidt, M L

2014-12-01

Results in breast cancer research are reported using study endpoints. Most are composite endpoints (such as locoregional recurrence), consisting of several components (for example local recurrence) that are in turn composed of specific events (such as skin recurrence). Inconsistent endpoint selection and definition might lead to unjustified conclusions when comparing study outcomes. This study aimed to determine which locoregional endpoints are used in breast cancer studies, and how these endpoints and their components are defined. PubMed was searched for breast cancer studies published in nine leading journals in 2011. Articles using endpoints with a local or regional component were included and definitions were compared. Twenty-three different endpoints with a local or regional component were extracted from 44 articles. Most frequently used were disease-free survival (25 articles), recurrence-free survival (7), local control (4), locoregional recurrence-free survival (3) and event-free survival (3). Different endpoints were used for similar outcomes. Of 23 endpoints, five were not defined and 18 were defined only partially. Of these, 16 contained a local and 13 a regional component. Included events were not specified in 33 of 57 (local) and 27 of 50 (regional) cases. Definitions of local components inconsistently included carcinoma in situ and skin and chest wall recurrences. Regional components inconsistently included specific nodal sites and skin and chest wall recurrences. Breast cancer studies use many different endpoints with a locoregional component. Definitions of endpoints and events are either not provided or vary between trials. To improve transparency, facilitate trial comparison and avoid unjustified conclusions, authors should report detailed definitions of all endpoints. © 2014 BJS Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Macroeconomic dataset for generating macroeconomic volatility among selected countries in the Asia Pacific region

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Yee Peng Chow

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This data article provides macroeconomic data that can be used to generate macroeconomic volatility. The data cover a sample of seven selected countries in the Asia Pacific region for the period 2004–2014, including both developing and developed countries. This dataset was generated to enhance our understanding of the sources of macroeconomic volatility affecting the countries in this region. Although the Asia Pacific region continues to remain as the most dynamic part of the world's economy, it is not spared from various sources of macroeconomic volatility through the decades. The reported data cover 15 types of macroeconomic data series, representing three broad categories of indicators that can be used to proxy macroeconomic volatility. They are indicators that account for macroeconomic volatility (i.e. volatility as a macroeconomic outcome, domestic sources of macroeconomic volatility and external sources of macroeconomic volatility. In particular, the selected countries are Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines, which are regarded as developing countries, while Singapore, Japan and Australia are developed countries. Despite the differences in level of economic development, these countries were affected by similar sources of macroeconomic volatility such as the Asian Financial Crisis and the Global Financial Crisis. These countries were also affected by other similar external turbulence arising from factors such as the global economic slowdown, geopolitical risks in the Middle East and volatile commodity prices. Nonetheless, there were also sources of macroeconomic volatility which were peculiar to certain countries only. These were generally domestic sources of volatility such as political instability (for Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines, natural disasters and anomalous weather conditions (for Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan and Australia and over-dependence on the electronic sector (for Singapore. Keywords

Comparison of selected indicators of the environment in regions of the Slovak Republic to 2002

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Proksa, P.; Rolkova, M.; Bracinikova, J.; Gajdos, L.; Hajnikova, M.; Jecmenova, I.; Kanianska, R.; Knazovicka, J.; Kovalova, A.

2003-01-01

In this report the selected indicators of the environment in regions of the Slovak Republic to 2002 are compared. In this report the following indicators are reviewed: Air; Water; Ground environment; Soils; Flora; Nature heritage and their protection; Demography; Industry; Influence of mining on the environment; Energetics, heating and gas industry; Agriculture and forestry; Recreation and tourist traffic; Public health; Physical and chemical risk factors; Waste management; Accidents and disaster damages

Use of Multichannel Near Infrared Spectroscopy to Study Relationships Between Brain Regions and Neurocognitive Tasks of Selective/Divided Attention and 2-Back Working Memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Tomita, Nozomi; Imai, Shoji; Kanayama, Yusuke; Kawashima, Issaku; Kumano, Hiroaki

2017-06-01

While dichotic listening (DL) was originally intended to measure bottom-up selective attention, it has also become a tool for measuring top-down selective attention. This study investigated the brain regions related to top-down selective and divided attention DL tasks and a 2-back task using alphanumeric and Japanese numeric sounds. Thirty-six healthy participants underwent near-infrared spectroscopy scanning while performing a top-down selective attentional DL task, a top-down divided attentional DL task, and a 2-back task. Pearson's correlations were calculated to show relationships between oxy-Hb concentration in each brain region and the score of each cognitive task. Different brain regions were activated during the DL and 2-back tasks. Brain regions activated in the top-down selective attention DL task were the left inferior prefrontal gyrus and left pars opercularis. The left temporopolar area was activated in the top-down divided attention DL task, and the left frontopolar area and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex were activated in the 2-back task. As further evidence for the finding that each task measured different cognitive and brain area functions, neither the percentages of correct answers for the three tasks nor the response times for the selective attentional task and the divided attentional task were correlated to one another. Thus, the DL and 2-back tasks used in this study can assess multiple areas of cognitive, brain-related dysfunction to explore their relationship to different psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Discriminative region extraction and feature selection based on the combination of SURF and saliency

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Li; Wang, Chunhong; Rao, Changhui

2011-08-01

The objective of this paper is to provide a possible optimization on salient region algorithm, which is extensively used in recognizing and learning object categories. Salient region algorithm owns the superiority of intra-class tolerance, global score of features and automatically prominent scale selection under certain range. However, the major limitation behaves on performance, and that is what we attempt to improve. By reducing the number of pixels involved in saliency calculation, it can be accelerated. We use interest points detected by fast-Hessian, the detector of SURF, as the candidate feature for saliency operation, rather than the whole set in image. This implementation is thereby called Saliency based Optimization over SURF (SOSU for short). Experiment shows that bringing in of such a fast detector significantly speeds up the algorithm. Meanwhile, Robustness of intra-class diversity ensures object recognition accuracy.

Surface chemistry of selected lunar regions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bielefeld, M.J.; Reedy, R.C.; Metzger, A.E.; Trombka, J.I.; Arnold, J.R.

1976-01-01

A completely new analysis has been carried out on the data from the Apollo 15 and 16 γ ray spectrometer experiments. The components of the continuum background have been estimated. The elements Th, K, Fe and Mg give useful results; results for Ti are significant only for a few high Ti regions. Errors are given, and the results are checked by other methods. Concentrations are reported for about sixty lunar regions; the ground track has been subdivided in various ways. The borders of the maria seem well-defined chemically, while the distribution of KREEP is broad. This wide distribution requires emplacement of KREEP before the era of mare formation. Its high concentration in western mare soils seems to require major vertical mixing

Progression of regional neuropathology in Alzheimer disease and normal elderly: findings from the Nun study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolf, D S; Gearing, M; Snowdon, D A; Mori, H; Markesbery, W R; Mirra, S S

1999-01-01

Although diffuse plaques in the neocortex may represent an early stage in the evolution of neuritic plaques, plaques in the striatum and cerebellum retain their predominantly diffuse nature in Alzheimer disease (AD), regardless of disease duration. We had the opportunity to explore the progression of these regional features by using autopsy brain specimens from 15 cognitively normal and five AD subjects, all Catholic sisters enrolled in the Nun Study, a longitudinal study on aging and AD. Neuropathologic changes were assessed in the temporal cortex, striatum, and cerebellum without knowledge of clinical status. We found diffuse plaques in the striatum in six (40%) and cerebellar plaques in none of the brains from the non-demented subjects. Striatal plaques were present in all five and cerebellar plaques in four of the five AD cases. In the 20 cases overall, the presence of striatal plaques generally paralleled the occurrence of neuritic plaques in neocortex and correlated with lower scores on several neuropsychologic tests assessing memory. Our findings suggest that striatal diffuse plaques occur relatively early in the progression of AD pathology and coincide with neocortical pathology and cognitive changes. Thus, it is unlikely that temporal factors alone account for regional differences in progression of AD neuropathology.

Tripartite Evolutionary Game Analysis on Selection Behavior of Trans-Regional Hospitals and Patients in Telemedicine System

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Yuxuan Gao

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This study applies the game theory to the discussion and analysis of trans-regional Telemedicine System, builds the game model of the selection strategies of trans-regional hospitals and patients and analyzes evolving paths, equilibrium states and influencing factors of the three parties. It is derived that medical insurance reimbursement proportion of specialized hospitals, government support for general hospitals and medical expenses in specialized hospitals, operating costs of general hospitals are the influential factors in the Telemedicine System. Finally, a numerical stimulation is conducted with Matlapb based on the data from ligChina Health and Family Planning Statistical Yearbook 2015l/ig.

Electrographic waveform structure predicts laminar focus location in a model of temporal lobe seizures in vitro.

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Christopher Adams

Full Text Available Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common form of partial-onset epilepsy and accounts for the majority of adult epilepsy cases in most countries. A critical role for the hippocampus (and to some extent amygdala in the pathology of these epilepsies is clear, with selective removal of these regions almost as effective as temporal lobectomy in reducing subsequent seizure risk. However, there is debate about whether hippocampus is 'victim' or 'perpetrator': The structure is ideally placed to 'broadcast' epileptiform activity to a great many other brain regions, but removal often leaves epileptiform events still occurring in cortex, particularly in adjacent areas, and recruitment of the hippocampus into seizure-like activity has been shown to be difficult in clinically-relevant models. Using a very simple model of acute epileptiform activity with known, single primary pathology (GABAA Receptor partial blockade, we track the onset and propagation of epileptiform events in hippocampus, parahippocampal areas and neocortex. In this model the hippocampus acts as a potential seizure focus for the majority of observed events. Events with hippocampal focus were far more readily propagated throughout parahippocampal areas and into neocortex than vice versa. The electrographic signature of events of hippocampal origin was significantly different to those of primary neocortical origin - a consequence of differential laminar activation. These data confirm the critical role of the hippocampus in epileptiform activity generation in the temporal lobe and suggest the morphology of non-invasive electrical recording of neocortical interictal events may be useful in confirming this role.

Gating transitions in the selectivity filter region of a sodium channel are coupled to the domain IV voltage sensor.

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Capes, Deborah L; Arcisio-Miranda, Manoel; Jarecki, Brian W; French, Robert J; Chanda, Baron

2012-02-14

Voltage-dependent ion channels are crucial for generation and propagation of electrical activity in biological systems. The primary mechanism for voltage transduction in these proteins involves the movement of a voltage-sensing domain (D), which opens a gate located on the cytoplasmic side. A distinct conformational change in the selectivity filter near the extracellular side has been implicated in slow inactivation gating, which is important for spike frequency adaptation in neural circuits. However, it remains an open question whether gating transitions in the selectivity filter region are also actuated by voltage sensors. Here, we examine conformational coupling between each of the four voltage sensors and the outer pore of a eukaryotic voltage-dependent sodium channel. The voltage sensors of these sodium channels are not structurally symmetric and exhibit functional specialization. To track the conformational rearrangements of individual voltage-sensing domains, we recorded domain-specific gating pore currents. Our data show that, of the four voltage sensors, only the domain IV voltage sensor is coupled to the conformation of the selectivity filter region of the sodium channel. Trapping the outer pore in a particular conformation with a high-affinity toxin or disulphide crossbridge impedes the return of this voltage sensor to its resting conformation. Our findings directly establish that, in addition to the canonical electromechanical coupling between voltage sensor and inner pore gates of a sodium channel, gating transitions in the selectivity filter region are also coupled to the movement of a voltage sensor. Furthermore, our results also imply that the voltage sensor of domain IV is unique in this linkage and in the ability to initiate slow inactivation in sodium channels.

Local changes in neocortical circuit dynamics coincide with the spread of seizures to thalamus in a model of epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Neubauer, Florian B; Sederberg, Audrey; MacLean, Jason N

2014-01-01

During the generalization of epileptic seizures, pathological activity in one brain area recruits distant brain structures into joint synchronous discharges. However, it remains unknown whether specific changes in local circuit activity are related to the aberrant recruitment of anatomically distant structures into epileptiform discharges. Further, it is not known whether aberrant areas recruit or entrain healthy ones into pathological activity. Here we study the dynamics of local circuit activity during the spread of epileptiform discharges in the zero-magnesium in vitro model of epilepsy. We employ high-speed multi-photon imaging in combination with dual whole-cell recordings in acute thalamocortical (TC) slices of the juvenile mouse to characterize the generalization of epileptic activity between neocortex and thalamus. We find that, although both structures are exposed to zero-magnesium, the initial onset of focal epileptiform discharge occurs in cortex. This suggests that local recurrent connectivity that is particularly prevalent in cortex is important for the initiation of seizure activity. Subsequent recruitment of thalamus into joint, generalized discharges is coincident with an increase in the coherence of local cortical circuit activity that itself does not depend on thalamus. Finally, the intensity of population discharges is positively correlated between both brain areas. This suggests that during and after seizure generalization not only the timing but also the amplitude of epileptiform discharges in thalamus is entrained by cortex. Together these results suggest a central role of neocortical activity for the onset and the structure of pathological recruitment of thalamus into joint synchronous epileptiform discharges.

Reversible and regionally selective downregulation of brain cannabinoid CB1 receptors in chronic daily cannabis smokers

OpenAIRE

Hirvonen, J; Goodwin, RS; Li, C-T; Terry, GE; Zoghbi, SS; Morse, C; Pike, VW; Volkow, ND; Huestis, MA; Innis, RB

2011-01-01

Chronic cannabis (marijuana, hashish) smoking can result in dependence. Rodent studies show reversible downregulation of brain cannabinoid CB1 (cannabinoid receptor type 1) receptors after chronic exposure to cannabis. However, whether downregulation occurs in humans who chronically smoke cannabis is unknown. Here we show, using positron emission tomography imaging, reversible and regionally selective downregulation of brain cannabinoid CB1 receptors in human subjects who chronically smoke ca...

Selective serotonergic excitation of callosal projection neurons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel eAvesar

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Serotonin (5-HT acting as a neurotransmitter in the cerebral cortex is critical for cognitive function, yet how 5-HT regulates information processing in cortical circuits is not well understood. We tested the serotonergic responsiveness of layer 5 pyramidal neurons (L5PNs of the mouse medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC, and found 3 distinct response types: long-lasting 5-HT1A (1A receptor-dependent inhibitory responses (84% of L5PNs, 5-HT2A (2A receptor-dependent excitatory responses (9%, and biphasic responses in which 2A-dependent excitation followed brief inhibition (5%. Relative to 5-HT-inhibited neurons, those excited by 5-HT had physiological properties characteristic of callosal/commissural (COM neurons that project to the contralateral cortex. We tested whether serotonergic responses in cortical pyramidal neurons are correlated with their axonal projection pattern using retrograde fluorescent labeling of COM and corticopontine-projecting (CPn neurons. 5-HT generated excitatory or biphasic responses in all 5-HT-responsive layer 5 COM neurons. Conversely, CPn neurons were universally inhibited by 5-HT. Serotonergic excitation of COM neurons was blocked by the 2A antagonist MDL 11939, while serotonergic inhibition of CPn neurons was blocked by the 1A antagonist WAY 100635, confirming a role for these two receptor subtypes in regulating pyramidal neuron activity. Selective serotonergic excitation of COM neurons was not layer-specific, as COM neurons in layer 2/3 were also selectively excited by 5-HT relative to their non-labeled pyramidal neuron neighbors. Because neocortical 2A receptors are implicated in the etiology and pathophysiology of schizophrenia, we propose that COM neurons may represent a novel cellular target for intervention in psychiatric disease.

Detection of differentially methylated regions of irradiated fig tree selections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodrigues, Maria Gabriela Fontanetti; Soares, Murilo Racy; Gimenez, Daniele Fernanda Jovino; Fonseca, Larissa Fernanda Simielli; Torrieri, Erico; Ramos, Ester Silveira; Giuliatti, Silvana, E-mail: mariagabriela@dracena.unesp.br [Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP), Dracena, SP (Brazil). Faculdade de Agricultura e Ciencias Tecnologicas; Universidade de Sao Paulo (FMRP/USP), Ribeirao Preto, SP (Brazil). Dept. de Genetica; Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP (Brazil). Faculdade de Agricultura e Ciencias Veterinarias

2017-07-15

Fig tree (Ficus carica L.) breeding programs using conventional methods, such as directed crosses, to obtain new cultivars, are unworkable in many countries, including Brazil. Consequently, genetic breeding through mutagenesis has emerged as an important line of research that can improve this crop, and be a significant source of information about this species and assist in the implementation of propagation projects and appropriate management. The aim of this study was to verify the existence of epigenetic variability attributable to DNA methylation in irradiated fig selections when compared both to each other and to the main commercial cultivar, 'Roxo-de-Valinhos', which had previously used methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) and DNA sequencing to detect the position of polymorphic regions, analyzable by bioinformatic tools. The sequencing of DNA, isolated from the differentially methylated sites, makes it possible to observe different patterns of methylation by sequencing the treated DNA with sodium bisulfite in the coding regions of regulatory genes active in the development, and fruit ripening stages. Furthermore, they have been found in the mitochondrial DNA of treatments which regulate the supply of energy in Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) form in plants. Closely related to their development, they justify the different phenotypes found in both fruit and plant growth that have suffered stress due to exposure to gamma radiation. Thus, future studies on gene expression in treatments have emerged as an extremely important strategy for understanding these complex regulatory systems, which may lead to the identification of genes of agricultural interest for the fig tree crop, and allow for manipulation and subsequent propagation of improved crops for commercial purposes. (author)

Detection of differentially methylated regions of irradiated fig tree selections

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Maria Gabriela Fontanetti Rodrigues

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Fig tree (Ficus carica L. breeding programs using conventional methods, such as directed crosses, to obtain new cultivars, are unworkable in many countries, including Brazil. Consequently, genetic breeding through mutagenesis has emerged as an important line of research that can improve this crop, and be a significant source of information about this species and assist in the implementation of propagation projects and appropriate management. The aim of this study was to verify the existence of epigenetic variability attributable to DNA methylation in irradiated fig selections when compared both to each other and to the main commercial cultivar, “Roxo-de-Valinhos”, which had previously used methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP and DNA sequencing to detect the position of polymorphic regions, analyzable by bioinformatic tools. The sequencing of DNA, isolated from the differentially methylated sites, makes it possible to observe different patterns of methylation by sequencing the treated DNA with sodium bisulfite in the coding regions of regulatory genes active in the development, and fruit ripening stages. Furthermore, they have been found in the mitochondrial DNA of treatments which regulate the supply of energy in Adenosine triphosphate (ATP form in plants. Closely related to their development, they justify the different phenotypes found in both fruit and plant growth that have suffered stress due to exposure to gamma radiation. Thus, future studies on gene expression in treatments have emerged as an extremely important strategy for understanding these complex regulatory systems, which may lead to the identification of genes of agricultural interest for the fig tree crop, and allow for manipulation and subsequent propagation of improved crops for commercial purposes.

Detection of differentially methylated regions of irradiated fig tree selections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodrigues, Maria Gabriela Fontanetti; Soares, Murilo Racy; Gimenez, Daniele Fernanda Jovino; Fonseca, Larissa Fernanda Simielli; Torrieri, Erico; Ramos, Ester Silveira; Giuliatti, Silvana; Universidade de Sao Paulo; Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho

2017-01-01

Fig tree (Ficus carica L.) breeding programs using conventional methods, such as directed crosses, to obtain new cultivars, are unworkable in many countries, including Brazil. Consequently, genetic breeding through mutagenesis has emerged as an important line of research that can improve this crop, and be a significant source of information about this species and assist in the implementation of propagation projects and appropriate management. The aim of this study was to verify the existence of epigenetic variability attributable to DNA methylation in irradiated fig selections when compared both to each other and to the main commercial cultivar, 'Roxo-de-Valinhos', which had previously used methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) and DNA sequencing to detect the position of polymorphic regions, analyzable by bioinformatic tools. The sequencing of DNA, isolated from the differentially methylated sites, makes it possible to observe different patterns of methylation by sequencing the treated DNA with sodium bisulfite in the coding regions of regulatory genes active in the development, and fruit ripening stages. Furthermore, they have been found in the mitochondrial DNA of treatments which regulate the supply of energy in Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) form in plants. Closely related to their development, they justify the different phenotypes found in both fruit and plant growth that have suffered stress due to exposure to gamma radiation. Thus, future studies on gene expression in treatments have emerged as an extremely important strategy for understanding these complex regulatory systems, which may lead to the identification of genes of agricultural interest for the fig tree crop, and allow for manipulation and subsequent propagation of improved crops for commercial purposes. (author)

Hippocampal and neocortical metabolite ratio in patients with complex partial seizure: short TE and long TE techniques using single voxel proton MR spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Jin Il; Kim, Dong Ik; Lee, Byung In; Lee, Seung Ik; Yoon, Pyeong Ho

2000-01-01

To compare hippocampal and neocortical metabolite ratios using single-voxel proton MR spectroscopy with different echo times in patients with complex partial seizure. Using a GE Signa 1.5T scanner with STEAM and PRESS sequences, automated single voxel proton MRS was used to determine metabolite ratio differences in the hippocampus and neocortex of nine complex partial seizure patients (mesial temporal sclerosis (n=3D5), status epilepticus (n=3D1), tumor (n=3D1), cortical dysplasia (n=3D1), occipital lobe epilepsy (n=3D1)). A total of 20 examinations were performed in the region of the hippocampus (n=3D17), temporal neocortex (n=3D1), and parieto-occipital gray matter (n=3D1). Voxel size range was 5.2-17.4 cm 3 . The calculated creatine (Cr) peak was employed as an internal reference and the relative ratio of N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and choline (Cho) was calculated for both short and long echo times using an automated PROBE/SV (GE Medical Systems) package. Each NAA/Cho ratio obtained using both PRESS and STEAM techniques was compared by means of statistical analysis (paired Student t-test). Using PRESS (long TE, 272 ms), NAA/Cho ratios were successfully calculated in 16 of 20 examinations; in four this was not possible due to noise levels of the Cr and Cho peaks. Using STEAM (short TE, 30 ms) NAA/Cho ratios were successfully calculated in 19 of 20 examinations; in one, the Cho peak could not be measured. Using PRESS and STEAM, mean and standard deviations for the NAA/Cho ratio were 1.22±0.50 and 1.16±0.36, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in this ratio between the short and long TE method (p less than 0.01). In complex partial seizure patients, no significant metabolite differences were found between short and long echo times of single voxel proton MR spectroscopy. The metabolite ratio at different echo times can be reliably obtained using this simplified and automated PROBE/SV quantitation method. (author)

Quantitative kinetic analysis of PET amyloid imaging agents [11C]BF227 and [18F]FACT in human brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shidahara, Miho; Watabe, Hiroshi; Tashiro, Manabu; Okamura, Nobuyuki; Furumoto, Shozo; Watanuki, Shoichi; Furukawa, Katsutoshi; Arakawa, Yuma; Funaki, Yoshihito; Iwata, Ren; Gonda, Kohsuke; Kudo, Yukitsuka; Arai, Hiroyuki; Ishiwata, Kiichi; Yanai, Kazuhiko

2015-01-01

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to compare two amyloid imaging agents, [ 11 C]BF227 and [ 18 F]FACT (derivative from [ 11 C]BF227) through quantitative pharmacokinetics analysis in human brain. Methods: Positron emission tomography studies were performed on six elderly healthy control (HC) subjects and seven probable Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients with [ 11 C]BF227 and 10 HC subjects and 10 probable AD patients with [ 18 F]FACT. Data from nine regions of interest were analyzed by several approaches, namely non-linear least-squared fitting methods with arterial input functions (one-tissue compartment model(1TCM), two-tissue compartment model (2TCM)), Logan plot, and linearized methods with reference region (Reference Logan plot (RefLogan), MRTM0, MRTM2). We also evaluated SUV and SUVR for both tracers. The parameters estimated by several approaches were compared between two tracers for detectability of differences between HC and AD patients. Results: For [ 11 C]BF227, there were no significant difference of V T (2TCM, 1TCM) and SUV in all regions (Student t-test; p < 0.05) and significant differences in the DVRs (Logan, RefLogan, and MRTM2) and SUVRs in six neocortical regions (p < 0.05) between the HC and AD groups. For [ 18 F]FACT, significant differences in DVRs (RefLogan, MRTM0, and MRTM2) were observed in more than four neocortical regions between the HC and AD groups (p < 0.05), and the significant differences were found in SUVRs for two neocortical regions (inferior frontal coretex and lateral temporal coretex). Our results showed that both tracers can clearly distinguish between HC and AD groups although the pharmacokinetics and distribution patterns in brain for two tracers were substantially different. Conclusion: This study revealed that although the PET amyloid imaging agents [ 11 C]BF227 and [ 18 F]FACT have similar chemical and biological properties, they have different pharmacokinetics, and caution must be paid for usage of the

A simple approach to spectrally resolved fluorescence and bright field microscopy over select regions of interest

OpenAIRE

Dahlberg, Peter D.; Boughter, Christopher T.; Faruk, Nabil F.; Hong, Lu; Koh, Young Hoon; Reyer, Matthew A.; Shaiber, Alon; Sherani, Aiman; Zhang, Jiacheng; Jureller, Justin E.; Hammond, Adam T.

2016-01-01

A standard wide field inverted microscope was converted to a spatially selective spectrally resolved microscope through the addition of a polarizing beam splitter, a pair of polarizers, an amplitude-mode liquid crystal-spatial light modulator, and a USB spectrometer. The instrument is capable of simultaneously imaging and acquiring spectra over user defined regions of interest. The microscope can also be operated in a bright-field mode to acquire absorption spectra of micron scale objects. Th...

Identification of recently selected mutations driven by artificial selection in hanwoo (korean cattle).

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Dajeong; Gondro, Cedric; Park, Hye Sun; Cho, Yong Min; Chai, Han Ha; Seong, Hwan Hoo; Yang, Bo Suk; Hong, Seong Koo; Chang, Won Kyung; Lee, Seung Hwan

2013-05-01

Hanwoo have been subjected over the last seventy years to intensive artificial selection with the aim of improving meat production traits such as marbling and carcass weight. In this study, we performed a signature of selection analysis to identify recent positive selected regions driven by a long-term artificial selection process called a breeding program using whole genome SNP data. In order to investigate homozygous regions across the genome, we estimated iES (integrated Extended Haplotype Homozygosity SNP) for the each SNPs. As a result, we identified two highly homozygous regions that seem to be strong and/or recent positive selection. Five genes (DPH5, OLFM3, S1PR1, LRRN1 and CRBN) were included in this region. To go further in the interpretation of the observed signatures of selection, we subsequently concentrated on the annotation of differentiated genes defined according to the iES value of SNPs localized close or within them. We also described the detection of the adaptive evolution at the molecular level for the genes of interest. As a result, this analysis also led to the identification of OLFM3 as having a strong signal of selection in bovine lineage. The results of this study indicate that artificial selection which might have targeted most of these genes was mainly oriented towards improvement of meat production.

Identification of Recently Selected Mutations Driven by Artificial Selection in Hanwoo (Korean Cattle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dajeong Lim

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Hanwoo have been subjected over the last seventy years to intensive artificial selection with the aim of improving meat production traits such as marbling and carcass weight. In this study, we performed a signature of selection analysis to identify recent positive selected regions driven by a long-term artificial selection process called a breeding program using whole genome SNP data. In order to investigate homozygous regions across the genome, we estimated iES (integrated Extended Haplotype Homozygosity SNP for the each SNPs. As a result, we identified two highly homozygous regions that seem to be strong and/or recent positive selection. Five genes (DPH5, OLFM3, S1PR1, LRRN1 and CRBN were included in this region. To go further in the interpretation of the observed signatures of selection, we subsequently concentrated on the annotation of differentiated genes defined according to the iES value of SNPs localized close or within them. We also described the detection of the adaptive evolution at the molecular level for the genes of interest. As a result, this analysis also led to the identification of OLFM3 as having a strong signal of selection in bovine lineage. The results of this study indicate that artificial selection which might have targeted most of these genes was mainly oriented towards improvement of meat production.

Heteromeric Kv7.2/7.3 channels differentially regulate action potential initiation and conduction in neocortical myelinated axons.

Science.gov (United States)

Battefeld, Arne; Tran, Baouyen T; Gavrilis, Jason; Cooper, Edward C; Kole, Maarten H P

2014-03-05

Rapid energy-efficient signaling along vertebrate axons is achieved through intricate subcellular arrangements of voltage-gated ion channels and myelination. One recently appreciated example is the tight colocalization of K(v)7 potassium channels and voltage-gated sodium (Na(v)) channels in the axonal initial segment and nodes of Ranvier. The local biophysical properties of these K(v)7 channels and the functional impact of colocalization with Na(v) channels remain poorly understood. Here, we quantitatively examined K(v)7 channels in myelinated axons of rat neocortical pyramidal neurons using high-resolution confocal imaging and patch-clamp recording. K(v)7.2 and 7.3 immunoreactivity steeply increased within the distal two-thirds of the axon initial segment and was mirrored by the conductance density estimates, which increased from ~12 (proximal) to 150 pS μm(-2) (distal). The axonal initial segment and nodal M-currents were similar in voltage dependence and kinetics, carried by K(v)7.2/7.3 heterotetramers, 4% activated at the resting membrane potential and rapidly activated with single-exponential time constants (~15 ms at 28 mV). Experiments and computational modeling showed that while somatodendritic K(v)7 channels are strongly activated by the backpropagating action potential to attenuate the afterdepolarization and repetitive firing, axonal K(v)7 channels are minimally recruited by the forward-propagating action potential. Instead, in nodal domains K(v)7.2/7.3 channels were found to increase Na(v) channel availability and action potential amplitude by stabilizing the resting membrane potential. Thus, K(v)7 clustering near axonal Na(v) channels serves specific and context-dependent roles, both restraining initiation and enhancing conduction of the action potential.

32 CFR 1605.7 - Region Manager.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Region Manager. 1605.7 Section 1605.7 National... ORGANIZATION Region Administration § 1605.7 Region Manager. (a) Subject to the direction and control of the Director of Selective Service, the Region Manager of Selective Service for each region shall be in...

MICB gene diversity and balancing selection on its promoter region in Yao population in southern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xiang; Liu, Xuexiang; Wei, Xiaomou; Meng, Yuming; Liu, Limin; Qin, Shini; Liu, Yanyu; Dai, Shengming

2016-12-01

To comprehensively examine the MICB gene polymorphism and identify its differences in Chinese Yao population from other ethnic groups, we investigated the polymorphism in the 5'-upstream regulation region (5'-URR), coding region (exons 2-4), and the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of MICB gene by using PCR-SBT method in 125 healthy unrelated Yao individuals in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Higher polymorphism was observed in the 5'-URR, nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and a two base pairs deletion at position -139/-138 were found in our study. Only five different variation sites, however, were detected in exons 2-4 and three were observed in the 3'-UTR. The minor allele frequencies of all variants were greater than 5%, except for rs3828916, rs3131639, rs45627734, rs113620316, rs779737471, and the variation at position +11803 in the 3'-UTR. The first nine SNPs of 5'-URR and rs1065075, rs1051788 of the coding region showed significant linkage disequilibrium with each other. Ten different MICB extended haplotypes (EH) encompassing the 5'-URR, exons 2-4, and 3'-UTR were found in this population, and the most frequent was EH1 (23.2%). We provided several evidences for balancing selection effect on the 5'-URR of MICB gene in Yao population. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Microscopic mild focal cortical dysplasia in temporal lobe dual pathology: an electrocorticography study.

Science.gov (United States)

Morales Chacón, L; Estupiñán, B; Lorigados Pedre, L; Trápaga Quincoses, O; García Maeso, I; Sanchez, A; Bender del Busto, J; Garcia, M E; Baez Martin, M; Zaldivar, M; Gómez, A; Orozco, S; Rocha Arrieta, L

2009-10-01

Associations between electrophysiological and histological findings might provide an insight into the epileptogenicity of mild focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and a dual pathology. A total of 22 patients with pharmacoresistant TLE were included in the study, 16 of them with histologically confirmed hippocampal sclerosis (HS) associated with neocortical temporal mild Palmini Type-I FCD subtypes and 6 with HS. Intraoperative electrocorticography (ECoG) recordings were analysed for epileptiform discharge frequency and morphology. Associations between histological, and electrocorticography pattern findings in these patients were analysed. Electroclinical outcomes in these patients were also evaluated. Neocortical areas with mild Palmini Type-I FCD showed a significantly higher spike frequency (SF) recorded in the inferior temporal gyrus than those neocortical areas in patients with HS. There was a tendency to higher spike frequency and lower amplitude in neocortical areas with histopathologic subtype IB FCD in relation with IA during intraoperative ECoG. Post-SF excision and amplitude were significantly lower during neocortical post-excision intraoperative ECoG than during neocortical pre-excision recording. There was no difference found in the clinical outcome between patients with and without FCD. Intraoperative electrocorticographic interictal spike frequency recorded in the neocortical inferior temporal gyrus may help to characterize the histopathologic subtypes of mild Palmini Type-I FCD in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and a dual pathology. Our data support the epileptogenicity of neocortical mild FCD in TLE and assessments of ECoG patterns are relevant to determine the extent of the resection in these patients which can influence the electroclinical outcome.

Increased fire frequency promotes stronger spatial genetic structure and natural selection at regional and local scales in Pinus halepensis Mill.

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Budde, Katharina B; González-Martínez, Santiago C; Navascués, Miguel; Burgarella, Concetta; Mosca, Elena; Lorenzo, Zaida; Zabal-Aguirre, Mario; Vendramin, Giovanni G; Verdú, Miguel; Pausas, Juli G; Heuertz, Myriam

2017-04-01

The recurrence of wildfires is predicted to increase due to global climate change, resulting in severe impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Recurrent fires can drive plant adaptation and reduce genetic diversity; however, the underlying population genetic processes have not been studied in detail. In this study, the neutral and adaptive evolutionary effects of contrasting fire regimes were examined in the keystone tree species Pinus halepensis Mill. (Aleppo pine), a fire-adapted conifer. The genetic diversity, demographic history and spatial genetic structure were assessed at local (within-population) and regional scales for populations exposed to different crown fire frequencies. Eight natural P. halepensis stands were sampled in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, five of them in a region exposed to frequent crown fires (HiFi) and three of them in an adjacent region with a low frequency of crown fires (LoFi). Samples were genotyped at nine neutral simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and at 251 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from coding regions, some of them potentially important for fire adaptation. Fire regime had no effects on genetic diversity or demographic history. Three high-differentiation outlier SNPs were identified between HiFi and LoFi stands, suggesting fire-related selection at the regional scale. At the local scale, fine-scale spatial genetic structure (SGS) was overall weak as expected for a wind-pollinated and wind-dispersed tree species. HiFi stands displayed a stronger SGS than LoFi stands at SNPs, which probably reflected the simultaneous post-fire recruitment of co-dispersed related seeds. SNPs with exceptionally strong SGS, a proxy for microenvironmental selection, were only reliably identified under the HiFi regime. An increasing fire frequency as predicted due to global change can promote increased SGS with stronger family structures and alter natural selection in P. halepensis and in plants with similar life history traits

It's in the eye of the beholder: selective attention to drink properties during tasting influences brain activation in gustatory and reward regions.

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van Rijn, Inge; de Graaf, Cees; Smeets, Paul A M

2018-04-01

Statements regarding pleasantness, taste intensity or caloric content on a food label may influence the attention consumers pay to such characteristics during consumption. There is little research on the effects of selective attention on taste perception and associated brain activation in regular drinks. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of selective attention on hedonics, intensity and caloric content on brain responses during tasting drinks. Using functional MRI brain responses of 27 women were measured while they paid attention to the intensity, pleasantness or caloric content of fruit juice, tomato juice and water. Brain activation during tasting largely overlapped between the three selective attention conditions and was found in the rolandic operculum, insula and overlying frontal operculum, striatum, amygdala, thalamus, anterior cingulate cortex and middle orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Brain activation was higher during selective attention to taste intensity compared to calories in the right middle OFC and during selective attention to pleasantness compared to intensity in the right putamen, right ACC and bilateral middle insula. Intensity ratings correlated with brain activation during selective attention to taste intensity in the anterior insula and lateral OFC. Our data suggest that not only the anterior insula but also the middle and lateral OFC are involved in evaluating taste intensity. Furthermore, selective attention to pleasantness engaged regions associated with food reward. Overall, our results indicate that selective attention to food properties can alter the activation of gustatory and reward regions. This may underlie effects of food labels on the consumption experience of consumers.

Socioeconomic determinants of fertility: selected Mexican regions, 1976-1977.

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Pick, J B; Butler, E W; Pavgi, S

1988-01-01

Cumulative fertility is analyzed for 4 regions of Mexico, based on World Fertility Survey data of 1976-77; the state of Baja California, the Northwest region, the State of Jalisco, and the Northeast region. Based on stepwise regression methodology, the study compares results for 12 subsamples of married respondents, 3 age categories by 4 regions. The dependent variables are children ever born and children ever born in the last 5 years. Migration, urban, educational, and occupational variables are included as independent variables. Regression results reveal level of education is the major, and negative, influence on fertility. Other results include specific negative effects for prior occupation, size of place of residence, and childhood place of residence. Fertility effects appear different for migration origin and destination regions, but more similar for younger ages. Effects of migration on fertility are small. Mean fertility as measured by children ever born was 4.34 for the 1976-77 World Fertility Survey samples versus 3.69 for the Mexican census of 1980. Fertility varied somewhat by region with the highest and lowest values in Jalisco and the Northeast, respectively. Expected age-related changes in fertility were noted.

Spatial patterns of atrophy, hypometabolism, and amyloid deposition in Alzheimer's disease correspond to dissociable functional brain networks.

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Grothe, Michel J; Teipel, Stefan J

2016-01-01

Recent neuroimaging studies of Alzheimer's disease (AD) have emphasized topographical similarities between AD-related brain changes and a prominent cortical association network called the default-mode network (DMN). However, the specificity of distinct imaging abnormalities for the DMN compared to other intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs) of the limbic and heteromodal association cortex has not yet been examined systematically. We assessed regional amyloid load using AV45-PET, neuronal metabolism using FDG-PET, and gray matter volume using structural MRI in 473 participants from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, including preclinical, predementia, and clinically manifest AD stages. Complementary region-of-interest and voxel-based analyses were used to assess disease stage- and modality-specific changes within seven principle ICNs of the human brain as defined by a standardized functional connectivity atlas. Amyloid deposition in AD dementia showed a preference for the DMN, but high effect sizes were also observed for other neocortical ICNs, most notably the frontoparietal-control network. Atrophic changes were most specific for an anterior limbic network, followed by the DMN, whereas other neocortical networks were relatively spared. Hypometabolism appeared to be a mixture of both amyloid- and atrophy-related profiles. Similar patterns of modality-dependent network specificity were also observed in the predementia and, for amyloid deposition, in the preclinical stage. These quantitative data confirm a high vulnerability of the DMN for multimodal imaging abnormalities in AD. However, rather than being selective for the DMN, imaging abnormalities more generally affect higher order cognitive networks and, importantly, the vulnerability profiles of these networks markedly differ for distinct aspects of AD pathology. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Burglar Target Selection

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Townsley, Michael; Bernasco, Wim; Ruiter, Stijn; Johnson, Shane D.; White, Gentry; Baum, Scott

2015-01-01

Objectives: This study builds on research undertaken by Bernasco and Nieuwbeerta and explores the generalizability of a theoretically derived offender target selection model in three cross-national study regions. Methods: Taking a discrete spatial choice approach, we estimate the impact of both environment- and offender-level factors on residential burglary placement in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Combining cleared burglary data from all study regions in a single statistical model, we make statistical comparisons between environments. Results: In all three study regions, the likelihood an offender selects an area for burglary is positively influenced by proximity to their home, the proportion of easily accessible targets, and the total number of targets available. Furthermore, in two of the three study regions, juvenile offenders under the legal driving age are significantly more influenced by target proximity than adult offenders. Post hoc tests indicate the magnitudes of these impacts vary significantly between study regions. Conclusions: While burglary target selection strategies are consistent with opportunity-based explanations of offending, the impact of environmental context is significant. As such, the approach undertaken in combining observations from multiple study regions may aid criminology scholars in assessing the generalizability of observed findings across multiple environments. PMID:25866418

A Regionalization Approach to select the final watershed parameter set among the Pareto solutions

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Park, G. H.; Micheletty, P. D.; Carney, S.; Quebbeman, J.; Day, G. N.

2017-12-01

The calibration of hydrological models often results in model parameters that are inconsistent with those from neighboring basins. Considering that physical similarity exists within neighboring basins some of the physically related parameters should be consistent among them. Traditional manual calibration techniques require an iterative process to make the parameters consistent, which takes additional effort in model calibration. We developed a multi-objective optimization procedure to calibrate the National Weather Service (NWS) Research Distributed Hydrological Model (RDHM), using the Nondominant Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) with expert knowledge of the model parameter interrelationships one objective function. The multi-objective algorithm enables us to obtain diverse parameter sets that are equally acceptable with respect to the objective functions and to choose one from the pool of the parameter sets during a subsequent regionalization step. Although all Pareto solutions are non-inferior, we exclude some of the parameter sets that show extremely values for any of the objective functions to expedite the selection process. We use an apriori model parameter set derived from the physical properties of the watershed (Koren et al., 2000) to assess the similarity for a given parameter across basins. Each parameter is assigned a weight based on its assumed similarity, such that parameters that are similar across basins are given higher weights. The parameter weights are useful to compute a closeness measure between Pareto sets of nearby basins. The regionalization approach chooses the Pareto parameter sets that minimize the closeness measure of the basin being regionalized. The presentation will describe the results of applying the regionalization approach to a set of pilot basins in the Upper Colorado basin as part of a NASA-funded project.

Sensitivity of boreal-summer circulation and precipitation to atmospheric aerosols in selected regions – Part 1: Africa and India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. C. Sud

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Version-4 of the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS-4 General Circulation Model (GCM was employed to assess the influence of potential changes in aerosols on the regional circulation, ambient temperatures, and precipitation in four selected regions: India and Africa (current paper, as well as North and South America (companion paper. Ensemble-simulations were carried out with the GCM to assess the aerosol direct and indirect effects, hereafter ADE and AIE. Each simulation was started from the NCEP-analyzed initial conditions for 1 May and was integrated through May-June-July-August of each year: 1982–1987 to provide an ensemble set of six simulations. In the first set, called experiment (#1, climatological aerosols were prescribed. The next two experiments (#2 and #3 had two sets of simulations each: one with 2X and other with 1/2X the climatological aerosols over each of the four selected regions. In experiment #2, the anomaly regions were advectively restricted (AR, i.e., the large-scale prognostic fields outside the aerosol anomaly regions were prescribed while in experiment #3, the anomaly regions were advectively Interactive (AI as is the case in a normal GCM integrations, but with the same aerosols anomalies as in experiment #2. Intercomparisons of circulation, diabatic heating, and precipitation difference fields showed large disparities among the AR and AI simulations, which raised serious questions about the proverbial AR assumption, commonly invoked in regional climate simulation studies. Consequently AI simulation mode was chosen for the subsequent studies. Two more experiments (#4 and #5 were performed in the AI mode in which ADE and AIE were activated one at a time. The results showed that ADE and AIE work in concert to make the joint influences larger than sum of each acting alone. Moreover, the ADE and AIE influences were vastly different for the Indian and Africa regions, which suggest an imperative need to include them

Fiber Strain Measurement for Wide Region Quasidistributed Sensing by Optical Correlation Sensor with Region Separation Techniques

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Xunjian Xu

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The useful application of optical pulse correlation sensor for wide region quasidistributed fiber strain measurement is investigated. Using region separation techniques of wavelength multiplexing with FBGs and time multiplexing with intensity partial reflectors, the sensor measures the correlations between reference pulses and monitoring pulses from several cascadable selected sensing regions. This novel sensing system can select the regions and obtain the distributed strain information in any desired sensing region.

Visual motion imagery neurofeedback based on the hMT+/V5 complex: evidence for a feedback-specific neural circuit involving neocortical and cerebellar regions

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Banca, Paula; Sousa, Teresa; Catarina Duarte, Isabel; Castelo-Branco, Miguel

2015-12-01

Objective. Current approaches in neurofeedback/brain-computer interface research often focus on identifying, on a subject-by-subject basis, the neural regions that are best suited for self-driven modulation. It is known that the hMT+/V5 complex, an early visual cortical region, is recruited during explicit and implicit motion imagery, in addition to real motion perception. This study tests the feasibility of training healthy volunteers to regulate the level of activation in their hMT+/V5 complex using real-time fMRI neurofeedback and visual motion imagery strategies. Approach. We functionally localized the hMT+/V5 complex to further use as a target region for neurofeedback. An uniform strategy based on motion imagery was used to guide subjects to neuromodulate hMT+/V5. Main results. We found that 15/20 participants achieved successful neurofeedback. This modulation led to the recruitment of a specific network as further assessed by psychophysiological interaction analysis. This specific circuit, including hMT+/V5, putative V6 and medial cerebellum was activated for successful neurofeedback runs. The putamen and anterior insula were recruited for both successful and non-successful runs. Significance. Our findings indicate that hMT+/V5 is a region that can be modulated by focused imagery and that a specific cortico-cerebellar circuit is recruited during visual motion imagery leading to successful neurofeedback. These findings contribute to the debate on the relative potential of extrinsic (sensory) versus intrinsic (default-mode) brain regions in the clinical application of neurofeedback paradigms. This novel circuit might be a good target for future neurofeedback approaches that aim, for example, the training of focused attention in disorders such as ADHD.

Theta oscillations orchestrate medial temporal lobe and neocortex in remembering autobiographical memories.

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Fuentemilla, L; Barnes, G R; Düzel, E; Levine, B

2014-01-15

Remembering autobiographical events can be associated with detailed visual imagery. The medial temporal lobe (MTL), precuneus and prefrontal cortex are held to jointly enable such vivid retrieval, but how these regions are orchestrated remains unclear. An influential prediction from animal physiology is that neural oscillations in theta frequency may be important. In this experiment, participants prospectively collected audio recordings describing personal autobiographical episodes or semantic knowledge over 2 to 7 months. These were replayed as memory retrieval cues while recording brain activity with magnetoencephalography (MEG). We identified a peak of theta power within a left MTL region of interest during both autobiographical and General Semantic retrieval. This MTL region was selectively phase-synchronized with theta oscillations in precuneus and medial prefrontal cortex, and this synchrony was higher during autobiographical as compared to General Semantic knowledge retrieval. Higher synchrony also predicted more detailed visual imagery during retrieval. Thus, theta phase-synchrony orchestrates in humans the MTL with a distributed neocortical memory network when vividly remembering autobiographical experiences. © 2013.

Role for astroglial α1-adrenoreceptors in gliotransmission and control of synaptic plasticity in the neocortex

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Yuriy ePankratov

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Communication between neuronal and glial cells is thought to be very important for many brain functions. Acting via release of gliotransmitters, astrocytes can modulate synaptic strength. The mechanisms underlying gliotransmission remain uncertain with exocytosis being the most intriguing and debated pathway.We demonstrate that astroglial α1-adrenoreceptors are very sensitive to noradrenaline and make a significant contribution to intracellular Ca2+-signalling in layer 2/3 neocortical astrocytes. We also show that astroglial α1-adrenoreceptors are prone to desensitization upon prolonged exposure to noradrenaline.We show that within neocortical slices, α-1adrenoreceptors can activate vesicular release of ATP and D-serine from cortical astrocytes which initiate a burst of ATP receptor-mediated currents in adjacent pyramidal neurons. These purinergic currents can be inhibited by intracellular perfusion of astrocytes with Tetanus Toxin light chain, verifying their origin via astroglial exocytosis.We show that α1 adrenoreceptor-activated release of gliotransmitters is important for the induction of synaptic plasticity in the neocortex:long-term potentiation (LTP of neocortical excitatory synaptic potentials can be abolished by the selective α1-adrenoreceptor antagonist terazosin. We show that weak sub-threshold theta-burst stimulation can induce LTP when astrocytes are additionally activated by 1 μM noradrenaline. This facilitation is dependent on the activation of neuronal ATP receptors and is abolished in neocortical slices from dn-SNARE mice which have impaired glial exocytosis. Importantly, facilitation of LTP by noradrenaline can be significantly reduced by perfusion of individual astrocytes with Tetanus Toxin. Our results strongly support the physiological importance of astroglial adrenergic signalling and exocytosis of gliotransmitters for modulation of synaptic transmission and plasticity .

Decreased ipsilateral [123I]iododexetimide binding to cortical muscarinic receptors in unilaterally 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knol, Remco J.J.; Bruin, Kora de; Opmeer, Brent; Voorn, Pieter; Jonker, Allert J.; Eck-Smit, Berthe L.F. van; Booij, Jan

2014-01-01

Introduction: Dysfunction of the cholinergic neurotransmitter system is present in Parkinson’s disease, Parkinson’s disease related dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies, and is thought to contribute to cognitive deficits in these patients. In vivo imaging of the cholinergic system in these diseases may be of value to monitor central cholinergic disturbances and to select cases in which treatment with cholinesterase inhibitors could be beneficial. The muscarinic receptor tracer [ 123 I]iododexetimide, predominantly reflecting M 1 receptor binding, may be an appropriate tool for imaging of the cholinergic system by means of SPECT. In this study, we used [ 123 I]iododexetimide to study the effects of a 6-hydroxydopamine lesion (an animal model of Parkinson’s disease) on the muscarinic receptor availability in the rat brain. Methods: Rats (n = 5) were injected in vivo at 10–13 days after a confirmed unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesion. Muscarinic receptor availability was measured bilaterally in multiple brain areas on storage phosphor images by region of interest analysis. Results: Autoradiography revealed a consistent and statistically significant lower [ 123 I]iododexetimide binding in all examined neocortical areas on the ipsilateral side of the lesion as compared to the contralateral side. In hippocampal and subcortical areas, such asymmetry was not detected. Conclusions: This study suggests that evaluation of muscarinic receptor availability in dopamine depleted brains using [ 123 I]iododexetimide is feasible. We conclude that 6-hydroxydopamine lesions induce a decrease of neocortical muscarinic receptor availability. We hypothesize that this arises from down regulation of muscarinic postsynaptic M 1 receptors due to hyperactivation of the cortical cholinergic system in response to dopamine depletion. Advances in knowledge: In rats, dopamine depletion provokes a decrease in neocortical muscarinic receptor availability, which is evaluable by [ 123 I

Selective apoptosis induction in MCF-7 cell line by truncated minimal functional region of Apoptin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen Ni, Lim; Allaudin, Zeenathul Nazariah bt; Mohd Lila, Mohd Azmi b; Othman, Abas Mazni b; Othman, Fauziah bt

2013-01-01

Chicken Anemia Virus (CAV) VP3 protein (also known as Apoptin), a basic and proline-rich protein has a unique capability in inducing apoptosis in cancer cells but not in normal cells. Five truncated Apoptin proteins were analyzed to determine their selective ability to migrate into the nucleus of human breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells for inducing apoptosis. For identification of the minimal selective domain for apoptosis, the wild-type Apoptin gene had been reconstructed by PCR to generate segmental deletions at the N’ terminal and linked with nuclear localization sites (NLS1 and NLS2). All the constructs were fused with maltose-binding protein gene and individually expressed by in vitro Rapid Translation System. Standardized dose of proteins were delivered into human breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells and control human liver Chang cells by cytoplasmic microinjection, and subsequently observed for selective apoptosis effect. Three of the truncated Apoptin proteins with N-terminal deletions spanning amino acid 32–83 retained the cancer selective nature of wild-type Apoptin. The proteins were successfully translocated to the nucleus of MCF-7 cells initiating apoptosis, whereas non-toxic cytoplasmic retention was observed in normal Chang cells. Whilst these truncated proteins retained the tumour-specific death effector ability, the specificity for MCF-7 cells was lost in two other truncated proteins that harbor deletions at amino acid 1–31. The detection of apoptosing normal Chang cells and MCF-7 cells upon cytoplasmic microinjection of these proteins implicated a loss in Apoptin’s signature targeting activity. Therefore, the critical stretch spanning amino acid 1–31 at the upstream of a known hydrophobic leucine-rich stretch (LRS) was strongly suggested as one of the prerequisite region in Apoptin for cancer targeting. Identification of this selective domain provides a platform for developing small targets to facilitating carrier-mediated-transport across

Association of Plasma Neurofilament Light Chain with Neocortical Amyloid-β Load and Cognitive Performance in Cognitively Normal Elderly Participants.

Science.gov (United States)

Chatterjee, Pratishtha; Goozee, Kathryn; Sohrabi, Hamid R; Shen, Kaikai; Shah, Tejal; Asih, Prita R; Dave, Preeti; ManYan, Candice; Taddei, Kevin; Chung, Roger; Zetterberg, Henrik; Blennow, Kaj; Martins, Ralph N

2018-01-01

The disruption of neurofilament, an axonal cytoskeletal protein, in neurodegenerative conditions may result in neuronal damage and its release into the cerebrospinal fluid and blood. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), neurofilament light chain (NFL), a neurofilament subunit, is elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid and blood. Investigate the association of plasma NFL with preclinical-AD features, such as high neocortical amyloid-β load (NAL) and subjective memory complaints, and cognitive performance in cognitively normal older adults. Plasma NFL concentrations were measured employing the single molecule array platform in participants from the Kerr Anglican Retirement Village Initiative in Ageing Health cohort, aged 65- 90 years. Participants underwent a battery of neuropsychological testing to evaluate cognitive performance and were categorized as low NAL (NAL-, n = 65) and high NAL (NAL+, n = 35) assessed via PET, and further stratified into subjective memory complainers (SMC; nNAL- = 51, nNAL+ = 25) and non-SMC (nNAL- = 14, nNAL+ = 10) based on the Memory Assessment Clinic- Questionnaire. Plasma NFL inversely correlated with cognitive performance. No significant difference in NFL was observed between NAL+ and NAL- participants; however, within APOEɛ4 non-carriers, higher NAL was observed in individuals with NFL concentrations within quartiles 3 and 4 (versus quartile 1). Additionally, within the NAL+ participants, SMC had a trend of higher NFL compared to non-SMC. Plasma NFL is inversely associated with cognitive performance in elderly individuals. While plasma NFL may not reflect NAL in individuals with normal global cognition, the current observations indicate that onset of axonal injury, reflected by increased plasma NFL, within the preclinical phase of AD may contribute to the pathogenesis of AD.

The role of reward in word learning and its implications for language acquisition.

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Ripollés, Pablo; Marco-Pallarés, Josep; Hielscher, Ulrike; Mestres-Missé, Anna; Tempelmann, Claus; Heinze, Hans-Jochen; Rodríguez-Fornells, Antoni; Noesselt, Toemme

2014-11-03

The exact neural processes behind humans' drive to acquire a new language--first as infants and later as second-language learners--are yet to be established. Recent theoretical models have proposed that during human evolution, emerging language-learning mechanisms might have been glued to phylogenetically older subcortical reward systems, reinforcing human motivation to learn a new language. Supporting this hypothesis, our results showed that adult participants exhibited robust fMRI activation in the ventral striatum (VS)--a core region of reward processing--when successfully learning the meaning of new words. This activation was similar to the VS recruitment elicited using an independent reward task. Moreover, the VS showed enhanced functional and structural connectivity with neocortical language areas during successful word learning. Together, our results provide evidence for the neural substrate of reward and motivation during word learning. We suggest that this strong functional and anatomical coupling between neocortical language regions and the subcortical reward system provided a crucial advantage in humans that eventually enabled our lineage to successfully acquire linguistic skills. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selected Black-Coal Mine Waste Dumps in the Ostrava-Karviná Region: An Analysis of Their Potential Use

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Niemiec, Dominik; Duraj, Miloš; Cheng, Xianfeng; Marschalko, Marian; Kubáč, Jan

2017-12-01

The paper aims to analyse the options for the use of selected black-coal mine waste dump bodies in the Ostrava-Karviná Region. In the Czech Republic there are approximately 70 mine waste dumps, out of which 50 are located in the Ostrava-Karviná Coal District. The issue is highly topical, particularly in the region, because the dump bodies significantly affect the landscape character of the Ostrava-Karviná Region and pose ecological risks. In such cases, their redevelopment and land reclamation are not easy either from the environmental or economic points of view. It is clear that the redevelopment of such geological environment is difficult, and it is vital to make the right decisions as for what purposes the mine waste dumps should be used. Next, it is important to take into account all the economic and environmental aspects of the locality in question.

Cited2 Regulates Neocortical Layer II/III Generation and Somatosensory Callosal Projection Neuron Development and Connectivity.

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Fame, Ryann M; MacDonald, Jessica L; Dunwoodie, Sally L; Takahashi, Emi; Macklis, Jeffrey D

2016-06-15

The neocortex contains hundreds to thousands of distinct subtypes of precisely connected neurons, allowing it to perform remarkably complex tasks of high-level cognition. Callosal projection neurons (CPN) connect the cerebral hemispheres via the corpus callosum, integrating cortical information and playing key roles in associative cognition. CPN are a strikingly diverse set of neuronal subpopulations, and development of this diversity requires precise control by a complex, interactive set of molecular effectors. We have found that the transcriptional coregulator Cited2 regulates and refines two stages of CPN development. Cited2 is expressed broadly by progenitors in the embryonic day 15.5 subventricular zone, during the peak of superficial layer CPN birth, with a progressive postmitotic refinement in expression, becoming restricted to CPN of the somatosensory cortex postnatally. We generated progenitor-stage and postmitotic forebrain-specific Cited2 conditional knock-out mice, using the Emx1-Cre and NEX-Cre mouse lines, respectively. We demonstrate that Cited2 functions in progenitors, but is not necessary postmitotically, to regulate both (1) broad generation of layer II/III CPN and (2) acquisition of precise area-specific molecular identity and axonal/dendritic connectivity of somatosensory CPN. This novel CPN subtype-specific and area-specific control from progenitor action of Cited2 adds yet another layer of complexity to the multistage developmental regulation of neocortical development. This study identifies Cited2 as a novel subtype-specific and area-specific control over development of distinct subpopulations within the broad population of callosal projection neurons (CPN), whose axons connect the two cerebral hemispheres via the corpus callosum (CC). Currently, how the remarkable diversity of CPN subtypes is specified, and how they differentiate to form highly precise and specific circuits, are largely unknown. We found that Cited2 functions within

Region-specificity of GABAA receptor mediated effects on orientation and direction selectivity in cat visual cortical area 18.

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Jirmann, Kay-Uwe; Pernberg, Joachim; Eysel, Ulf T

2009-01-01

The role of GABAergic inhibition in orientation and direction selectivity has been investigated with the GABA(A)-Blocker bicuculline in the cat visual cortex, and results indicated a region specific difference of functional contributions of GABAergic inhibition in areas 17 and 18. In area 17 inhibition appeared mainly involved in sculpturing orientation and direction tuning, while in area 18 inhibition seemed more closely associated with temporal receptive field properties. However, different types of stimuli were used to test areas 17 and 18 and further studies performed in area 17 suggested an important influence of the stimulus type (single light bars vs. moving gratings) on the evoked responses (transient vs. sustained) and inhibitory mechanisms (GABA(A) vs. GABA(B)) which in turn might be more decisive for the specific results than the cortical region. To insert the missing link in this chain of arguments it was necessary to study GABAergic inhibition in area 18 with moving light bars, which has not been done so far. Therefore, in the present study we investigated area 18 cells responding to oriented moving light bars with extracellular recordings and reversible microiontophoretic blockade of GABAergig inhibition with bicuculline methiodide. The majority of neurons was characterized by a pronounced orientation specificity and variable degrees of direction selectivity. GABA(A)ergic inhibition significantly influenced preferred orientation and preferred direction in area 18. During the action of bicuculline orientation tuning width increased and orientation and direction selectivity indices decreased. Our results obtained in area 18 with moving bar stimuli, although in the proportion of affected cells similar to those described in area 17, quantitatively matched the findings for direction and orientation specificity obtained with moving gratings in area 18. Accordingly, stimulus type is not decisive in area 18 and the GABA(A) dependent, inhibitory intracortical

Outcome of intracranial electroencephalography monitoring and surgery in magnetic resonance imaging-negative temporal lobe epilepsy.

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Lee, Ricky W; Hoogs, Marietta M; Burkholder, David B; Trenerry, Max R; Drazkowski, Joseph F; Shih, Jerry J; Doll, Karey E; Tatum, William O; Cascino, Gregory D; Marsh, W Richard; Wirrell, Elaine C; Worrell, Gregory A; So, Elson L

2014-07-01

We evaluated the outcomes of intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) recording and subsequent resective surgery in patients with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-negative temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Thirty-two patients were identified from the Mayo Clinic Epilepsy Surgery Database (Arizona, Florida, and Minnesota). Eight (25.0%) had chronic iEEG monitoring that recorded neocortical temporal seizure onsets; 12 (37.5%) had mesial temporal seizure onsets; 5 (15.6%) had independent neocortical and mesial temporal seizure onsets; and 7 (21.9%) had simultaneous neocortical and mesial seizure onsets. Neocortical temporal lobe seizure semiology was the only factor significantly associated with neocortical temporal seizure onsets on iEEG. Only 33.3% of patients who underwent lateral temporal neocorticectomy had an Engel class 1 outcome, whereas 76.5% of patients with iEEG-guided anterior temporal lobectomy that included the amygdala and the hippocampus had an Engel class 1 outcome. Limitations in cohort size precluded statistical analysis of neuropsychological test data. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Productivity of selected plant species adapted to arid regions. [Crassulacean metabolizing plants; Agave deserti and Ferocactus acanthodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nobel, P.S.

1980-01-01

The biomass potential of selected arid region species for alcohol production merits careful consideration. The basis for this interest is the current low agronomic use of arid lands and the potential productivity of certain species adapted to these lands. Plants displaying Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) are particularly interesting with reference to biomass for fuel in regions with low rainfall, because plants with this photosynthetic process are strikingly efficient in water requirements. For CAM plants, CO/sub 2/ fixation occurs primarily at night, when tissue surface temperature and hence transpirational water loss is less than daytime values. For Agave deserti in the Sonoran desert, the water-use efficiency (mass of CO/sub 2/ fixed/mass of water transpired) over an entire year is an order of magnitude or more larger than for C-3 and C-4 plants. This indicates how well adapted CAM species are to arid regions. The potential productivity per unit land area of CAM plants is fairly substantial and, therefore, of considerable economic interest for arid areas where growth of agricultural plants is minimal.

Regional differences in the validity of self-reported use of health care in Belgium: selection versus reporting bias

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Van der Heyden

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Health Care Module of the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS is aimed to obtain comparable information on the use of inpatient and ambulatory care in all EU member states. In this study we assessed the validity of self-reported information on the use of health care, collected through this instrument, in the Belgian Health Interview Survey (BHIS, and explored the impact of selection and reporting bias on the validity of regional differences in health care use observed in the BHIS. Methods To assess reporting bias, self-reported BHIS 2008 data were linked with register-based data from the Belgian compulsory health insurance (BCHI. The latter were compared with similar estimates from a random sample of the BCHI to investigate the selection bias. Outcome indicators included the prevalence of a contact with a GP, specialist, dentist and a physiotherapist, as well as inpatient and day patient hospitalisation. The validity of the estimates and the regional differences were explored through measures of agreement and logistic regression analyses. Results Validity of self-reported health care use varies by type of health service and is more affected by reporting than by selection bias. Compared to health insurance estimates, self-reported results underestimate the percentage of people with a specialist contact in the past year (50.5 % versus 65.0 % and a day patient hospitalisation (7.8 % versus 13.9 %. Inversely, survey results overestimated the percentage of people having visited a dentist in the past year: 58.3 % versus 48.6 %. The best concordance was obtained for an inpatient hospitalisation (kappa 0.75. Survey data overestimate the higher prevalence of a contact with a specialist [OR 1.51 (95 % CI 1.33–1.72 for self-report and 1.08 (95 % CI 1.05–1.15 for register] and underestimate the lower prevalence of a contact with a GP [ORs 0.59 (95 % CI 0.51–0.70 and 0.41 (95 % CI 0.39–0.42 respectively] in

Molecular and functional definition of the developing human striatum.

Science.gov (United States)

Onorati, Marco; Castiglioni, Valentina; Biasci, Daniele; Cesana, Elisabetta; Menon, Ramesh; Vuono, Romina; Talpo, Francesca; Laguna Goya, Rocio; Lyons, Paul A; Bulfamante, Gaetano P; Muzio, Luca; Martino, Gianvito; Toselli, Mauro; Farina, Cinthia; Barker, Roger A; Biella, Gerardo; Cattaneo, Elena

2014-12-01

The complexity of the human brain derives from the intricate interplay of molecular instructions during development. Here we systematically investigated gene expression changes in the prenatal human striatum and cerebral cortex during development from post-conception weeks 2 to 20. We identified tissue-specific gene coexpression networks, differentially expressed genes and a minimal set of bimodal genes, including those encoding transcription factors, that distinguished striatal from neocortical identities. Unexpected differences from mouse striatal development were discovered. We monitored 36 determinants at the protein level, revealing regional domains of expression and their refinement, during striatal development. We electrophysiologically profiled human striatal neurons differentiated in vitro and determined their refined molecular and functional properties. These results provide a resource and opportunity to gain global understanding of how transcriptional and functional processes converge to specify human striatal and neocortical neurons during development.

Carrier-lifetime-controlled selective etching process for semiconductors using photochemical etching

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashby, C.I.H.; Myers, D.R.

1992-01-01

This patent describes a process for selectively photochemically etching a semiconductor material. It comprises introducing at least one impurity into at least one selected region of a semiconductor material to be etched to increase a local impurity concentration in the at least one selected region relative to an impurity concentration in regions of the semiconductor material adjacent thereto, for reducing minority carrier lifetimes within the at least one selected region relative to the adjacent regions for thereby providing a photochemical etch-inhibiting mask at the at least one selected region; and etching the semiconductor material by subjecting the surface of the semiconductor material to a carrier-driven photochemical etching reaction for selectively etching the regions of the semiconductor material adjacent the at least one selected region having the increase impurity concentration; wherein the step of introducing at least one impurity is performed so as not to produce damage to the at least one selected region before any etching is performed

Measuring Development of Selected Poverty Risk Indicators in V4 Countries with Specific Focus on Slovak Republic and its Regions

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Beňuš Ondrej

2016-05-01

Full Text Available This article is devoted to analysis of selected poverty indicators as measured by EU-Statistics on income and living conditions. Our orientation on these indicators underlines our focus on quantitative measurement. Spatial orientation was selected as the area of the Visegrad group countries serving as a research base for our investigation of poverty differences in the Central Europe. Further research is dedicated to Slovakia and its regions. In this article we aim to identify those quantitative poverty indicators that are responsible for poverty status of the most affected social group of people in the country.

The NS3 proteins of global strains of bluetongue virus evolve into regional topotypes through negative (purifying) selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Balasuriya, U B R; Nadler, S A; Wilson, W C; Pritchard, L I; Smythe, A B; Savini, G; Monaco, F; De Santis, P; Zhang, N; Tabachnick, W J; Maclachlan, N J

2008-01-01

Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequences of the genes (S10) encoding the NS3 protein of 137 strains of bluetongue virus (BTV) from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia and the Mediterranean Basin showed limited variation. Common to all NS3 sequences were potential glycosylation sites at amino acid residues 63 and 150 and a cysteine at residue 137, whereas a cysteine at residue 181 was not conserved. The PPXY and PS/TAP late-domain motifs were conserved in all but three of the viruses. Phylogenetic analyses of these same sequences yielded two principal clades that grouped the viruses irrespective of their serotype or year of isolation (1900-2003). All viruses from Asia and Australia were grouped in one clade, whereas those from the other regions were present in both clades. Each clade segregated into distinct subclades that included viruses from single or multiple regions, and the S10 genes of some field viruses were identical to those of live-attenuated BTV vaccines. There was no evidence of positive selection on the S10 gene as assessed by reconstruction of ancestral codon states on the phylogeny, rather the functional constraints of the NS3 protein are expressed through substantial negative (purifying) selection.

Regional cerebral blood flow changes associated with clitorally induced orgasm in healthy women.

Science.gov (United States)

Georgiadis, Janniko R; Kortekaas, Rudie; Kuipers, Rutger; Nieuwenburg, Arie; Pruim, Jan; Reinders, A A T Simone; Holstege, Gert

2006-12-01

There is a severe lack of knowledge regarding the brain regions involved in human sexual performance in general, and female orgasm in particular. We used [15O]-H2O positron emission tomography to measure regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in 12 healthy women during a nonsexual resting state, clitorally induced orgasm, sexual clitoral stimulation (sexual arousal control) and imitation of orgasm (motor output control). Extracerebral markers of sexual performance and orgasm were rectal pressure variability (RPstd) and perceived level of sexual arousal (PSA). Sexual stimulation of the clitoris (compared to rest) significantly increased rCBF in the left secondary and right dorsal primary somatosensory cortex, providing the first account of neocortical processing of sexual clitoral information. In contrast, orgasm was mainly associated with profound rCBF decreases in the neocortex when compared with the control conditions (clitoral stimulation and imitation of orgasm), particularly in the left lateral orbitofrontal cortex, inferior temporal gyrus and anterior temporal pole. Significant positive correlations were found between RPstd and rCBF in the left deep cerebellar nuclei, and between PSA and rCBF in the ventral midbrain and right caudate nucleus. We propose that decreased blood flow in the left lateral orbitofrontal cortex signifies behavioural disinhibition during orgasm in women, and that deactivation of the temporal lobe is directly related to high sexual arousal. In addition, the deep cerebellar nuclei may be involved in orgasm-specific muscle contractions while the involvement of the ventral midbrain and right caudate nucleus suggests a role for dopamine in female sexual arousal and orgasm.

The selective alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist A-582941 activates immediate early genes in limbic regions of the forebrain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, M S; Mikkelsen, J D; Timmermann, D B

2008-01-01

to study whether alpha7 nAChR stimulation activates brain regions involved in cognition in juvenile as well as adult individuals. Here, we compared the effects of the novel and selective alpha7 nAChR agonist 2-methyl-5-(6-phenyl-pyridazin-3-yl)-octahydro-pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole (A-582941) in the juvenile...... regions critically involved in working memory and attention. Furthermore, this effect is more pronounced in juvenile than adult rats, indicating that the juvenile forebrain is more responsive to alpha7 nAChR stimulation. This observation may be relevant in the treatment of juvenile-onset schizophrenia....

Automatic Feature Selection and Weighting for the Formation of Homogeneous Groups for Regional Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) Curve Estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Z.; Burn, D. H.

2017-12-01

Extreme rainfall events can have devastating impacts on society. To quantify the associated risk, the IDF curve has been used to provide the essential rainfall-related information for urban planning. However, the recent changes in the rainfall climatology caused by climate change and urbanization have made the estimates provided by the traditional regional IDF approach increasingly inaccurate. This inaccuracy is mainly caused by two problems: 1) The ineffective choice of similarity indicators for the formation of a homogeneous group at different regions; and 2) An inadequate number of stations in the pooling group that does not adequately reflect the optimal balance between group size and group homogeneity or achieve the lowest uncertainty in the rainfall quantiles estimates. For the first issue, to consider the temporal difference among different meteorological and topographic indicators, a three-layer design is proposed based on three stages in the extreme rainfall formation: cloud formation, rainfall generation and change of rainfall intensity above urban surface. During the process, the impacts from climate change and urbanization are considered through the inclusion of potential relevant features at each layer. Then to consider spatial difference of similarity indicators for the homogeneous group formation at various regions, an automatic feature selection and weighting algorithm, specifically the hybrid searching algorithm of Tabu search, Lagrange Multiplier and Fuzzy C-means Clustering, is used to select the optimal combination of features for the potential optimal homogenous groups formation at a specific region. For the second issue, to compare the uncertainty of rainfall quantile estimates among potential groups, the two sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test-based sample ranking process is used. During the process, linear programming is used to rank these groups based on the confidence intervals of the quantile estimates. The proposed methodology fills the gap

Cadmium and lead contents in drinking milk from selected regions of Poland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renata Pietrzak-Fiećko

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Background. Cadmium and lead are classified as toxic metals. Toxicity is attributed to the adverse effect on the human body, and therefore the content of these elements is analyzed in the environment and in food products. Studies conducted by many researchers indicate that more of cadmium and lead accumulate in products of plant origin, however, food products of animal origin are also not free from these compounds. The aim of this study was to determine the content of cadmium and lead in drinking milk originating from four selected milk producers from two different regions. Methods. A total of 28 milk samples were tested. The tested material was mineralized dry. To determine the content of the analyzed elements the Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry method was used. There were no significant differences in the content of heavy metals in the analyzed samples of milk. Results. None of the samples revealed the exceedance of the highest permissible level of these elements. Conclusions. Cadmium and lead content in tested drinking milk does not pose a threat to human health

Environment control in selected industrial regions of Austria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schindler, I.; Wiesenberger, H.; Kutschera, U.

2004-01-01

The environmental situation (air, water and soil) of fourteen Austrian regions (Arnoldstein-Gailitz, Brixlegg, Brueckl, Lend, Linz, Lenzing, Donawitz, Schwechat, Tanklager Lobau, Treibach-Althofen, Hallein, Poels, Ranshofen and St. Poelten) with industrial activities based on available data (1994-2002) is described. The connection and the temporal development of the emissions from industrial plants, the immissions and the environmental exposure as far as possible are shown, as well as actual information deficits and possible needs for action are worked out. For each region the following information is provided: location, description of present industrial plants, emissions (air, waste water and waste water treatment), wastes and residues, deposits of toxic waste, water immissions, air immissions and soil-vegetation-bioindication. (nevyjel)

Identification of selection footprints on the X chromosome in pig.

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Yunlong Ma

Full Text Available Identifying footprints of selection can provide a straightforward insight into the mechanism of artificial selection and further dig out the causal genes related to important traits. In this study, three between-population and two within-population approaches, the Cross Population Extend Haplotype Homozygosity Test (XPEHH, the Cross Population Composite Likelihood Ratio (XPCLR, the F-statistics (Fst, the Integrated Haplotype Score (iHS and the Tajima's D, were implemented to detect the selection footprints on the X chromosome in three pig breeds using Illumina Porcine60K SNP chip. In the detection of selection footprints using between-population methods, 11, 11 and 7 potential selection regions with length of 15.62 Mb, 12.32 Mb and 9.38 Mb were identified in Landrace, Chinese Songliao and Yorkshire by XPEHH, respectively, and 16, 13 and 17 potential selection regions with length of 15.20 Mb, 13.00 Mb and 19.21 Mb by XPCLR, 4, 2 and 4 potential selection regions with length of 3.20 Mb, 1.60 Mb and 3.20 Mb by Fst. For within-population methods, 7, 10 and 9 potential selection regions with length of 8.12 Mb, 8.40 Mb and 9.99 Mb were identified in Landrace, Chinese Songliao and Yorkshire by iHS, and 4, 3 and 2 potential selection regions with length of 3.20 Mb, 2.40 Mb and 1.60 Mb by Tajima's D. Moreover, the selection regions from different methods were partly overlapped, especially the regions around 22∼25 Mb were detected under selection in Landrace and Yorkshire while no selection in Chinese Songliao by all three between-population methods. Only quite few overlap of selection regions identified by between-population and within-population methods were found. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the genes relevant with meat quality, reproduction and immune were found in potential selection regions. In addition, three out of five significant SNPs associated with hematological traits reported in our genome-wide association study were harbored in

Highly active antiretroviral therapy adherence and its determinants in selected regions in Indonesia

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Felix F. Widjaja

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Background: Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART can reduce morbidity and mortality of HIV-infected patients. However, it depends upon adherence to medication. The objective of this study was to examine the adherence to HAART and to evaluate individual patient characteristics i.e. self-efficacy, depression level, and social support and to finally determine HAART adherence in selected regions in Indonesia.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Jakarta, Malang, Bandung, Makasar and Banda Aceh. The subject of the study was HIV-infected patients who were older than 13 years old and had taken HAART for at least a month. They were recruited consecutively then asked how many pills they had missed during the previous month. Poor adherence can be stated if the percentage of adherence rate is below 95%. HIV treatment adherence self-efficacy scale  (HIVASES, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II and Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL was adapted to assess self-efficacy, depression level and social support, respectively.Results: We found that 96% (n=53 of the subjects adhered to HAART. There were no associations between adherence with self-efficacy, depression level, and social support. The main cause of non-adherence in this study was ‘simply  forget’.Conclusion: Adherence to HAART was found to be high and not associated with self-efficacy, depression level and social support in some central regions in Indonesia. (Med J Indones 2011; 20:50-5Keywords: adherence, depression, HAART, HIV, self-efficacy, social support

A European regional analysis of selected food consumption statements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Askegaard, Søren

1993-01-01

This paper examines different European regions of food culture. It does so by analyzing statements about food attitudes and food consumption from a general, commercial life style survey. The data were collected in 1989 through 20.000 interviews in European countries broken down into 80 regions. T...... for more advanced statistical analysis, this paper should definitely be regarded as a work progress paper, incomplete as it is....

Sensitivity of boreal-summer circulation and precipitation to atmospheric aerosols in selected regions – Part 2: The Americas

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G. Walker

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Aerosol perturbations over selected land regions are imposed in Version-4 of the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS-4 general circulation model (GCM to assess the influence of increasing aerosol concentrations on regional circulation patterns and precipitation in four selected regions: India, Africa, and North and South America. Part 1 of this paper addresses the responses to aerosol perturbations in India and Africa. This paper presents the same for aerosol perturbations over the Americas. GEOS-4 is forced with prescribed aerosols based on climatological data, which interact with clouds using a prognostic scheme for cloud microphysics including aerosol nucleation of water and ice cloud hydrometeors. In clear-sky conditions the aerosols interact with radiation. Thus the model includes comprehensive physics describing the aerosol direct and indirect effects on climate (hereafter ADE and AIE respectively. Each simulation is started from analyzed initial conditions for 1 May and was integrated through June-July-August of each of the six years: 1982–1987 to provide a 6-ensemble set. Results are presented for the difference between simulations with double the climatological aerosol concentration and one-half the climatological aerosol concentration for three experiments: two where the ADE and AIE are applied separately and one in which both the ADE and AIE are applied. The ADE and AIE both yield reductions in net radiation at the top of the atmosphere and surface while the direct absorption of shortwave radiation contributes a net radiative heating in the atmosphere. A large net heating of the atmosphere is also apparent over the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean that is attributable to the large aerosol perturbation imposed over Africa. This atmospheric warming and the depression of the surface pressure over North America contribute to a northward shift of the inter-Tropical Convergence Zone over northern South America, an increase in

Sensitivity of boreal-summer circulation and precipitation to atmospheric aerosols in selected regions &ndash Part 2: The Americas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. M. Wilcox

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Aerosol perturbations over selected land regions are imposed in Version-4 of the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS-4 general circulation model (GCM to assess the influence of increasing aerosol concentrations on regional circulation patterns and precipitation in four selected regions: India, Africa, and North and South America. Part 1 of this paper addresses the responses to aerosol perturbations in India and Africa. This paper presents the same for aerosol perturbations over the Americas. GEOS-4 is forced with prescribed aerosols based on climatological data, which interact with clouds using a prognostic scheme for cloud microphysics including aerosol nucleation of water and ice cloud hydrometeors. In clear-sky conditions the aerosols interact with radiation. Thus the model includes comprehensive physics describing the aerosol direct and indirect effects on climate (hereafter ADE and AIE respectively. Each simulation is started from analyzed initial conditions for 1 May and was integrated through June-July-August of each of the six years: 1982–1987 to provide a 6-ensemble set. Results are presented for the difference between simulations with double the climatological aerosol concentration and one-half the climatological aerosol concentration for three experiments: two where the ADE and AIE are applied separately and one in which both the ADE and AIE are applied. The ADE and AIE both yield reductions in net radiation at the top of the atmosphere and surface while the direct absorption of shortwave radiation contributes a net radiative heating in the atmosphere. A large net heating of the atmosphere is also apparent over the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean that is attributable to the large aerosol perturbation imposed over Africa. This atmospheric warming and the depression of the surface pressure over North America contribute to a northward shift of the inter-Tropical Convergence Zone over northern South America, an increase in

Region-selective effects of long-term lithium and carbamazepine administration on cyclic AMP levels in rat brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiborg, Ove; Krueger, Tanja; Jakosen, Soeren N.

1999-01-01

The effect of lithium and carbamazepine in the treatment of bipolar affective disorder is well established. Althougt a number of biochemical effects have been found, the exact molecular mechanisms underlying their therapeutic actions have not been elucidated nor are the target regions in the brain identified. Taken into account the important role of the cyclic AMP second messenger system in the regulation of neuronal exitability and the indications of its involvement in the pathophysiology of bipolar affective disorder, we have focused on the drug effects on cyclic AMP levels. The objectives of this investigation were to measure the effects on basal cyclic AMP levels, and to locate target regions within the rat brain after long-term administration of lithium and carbamazepine. Drug treatments were carried out for a period of 28 days. After either drug treatment the cyclic AMP level was increased 3-4 times in frontal cortex but unchanged in hippocampus, hypothalamus, thalamus, amygdala and in cerebellum. In neostratum the cyclic AMP level was decreased to about 30% after treatment with lithium. We suggest the common region-selective effect, observed for both drugs in frontal cortex, to be essential for the therapeutic actions of lithium and carbamazepine. (au)

Present-day vegetation helps quantifying past land cover in selected regions of the Czech Republic.

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Vojtěch Abraham

Full Text Available The REVEALS model is a tool for recalculating pollen data into vegetation abundances on a regional scale. We explored the general effect of selected parameters by performing simulations and ascertained the best model setting for the Czech Republic using the shallowest samples from 120 fossil sites and data on actual regional vegetation (60 km radius. Vegetation proportions of 17 taxa were obtained by combining the CORINE Land Cover map with forest inventories, agricultural statistics and habitat mapping data. Our simulation shows that changing the site radius for all taxa substantially affects REVEALS estimates of taxa with heavy or light pollen grains. Decreasing the site radius has a similar effect as increasing the wind speed parameter. However, adjusting the site radius to 1 m for local taxa only (even taxa with light pollen yields lower, more correct estimates despite their high pollen signal. Increasing the background radius does not affect the estimates significantly. Our comparison of estimates with actual vegetation in seven regions shows that the most accurate relative pollen productivity estimates (PPEs come from Central Europe and Southern Sweden. The initial simulation and pollen data yielded unrealistic estimates for Abies under the default setting of the wind speed parameter (3 m/s. We therefore propose the setting of 4 m/s, which corresponds to the spring average in most regions of the Czech Republic studied. Ad hoc adjustment of PPEs with this setting improves the match 3-4-fold. We consider these values (apart from four exceptions to be appropriate, because they are within the ranges of standard errors, so they are related to original PPEs. Setting a 1 m radius for local taxa (Alnus, Salix, Poaceae significantly improves the match between estimates and actual vegetation. However, further adjustments to PPEs exceed the ranges of original values, so their relevance is uncertain.

Selecting for memory? The influence of selective attention on the mnemonic binding of contextual information.

Science.gov (United States)

Uncapher, Melina R; Rugg, Michael D

2009-06-24

Not all of what is experienced is remembered later. Behavioral evidence suggests that the manner in which an event is processed influences which aspects of the event will later be remembered. The present experiment investigated the neural correlates of "selective encoding," or the mechanisms that support the encoding of some elements of an event in preference to others. Event-related MRI data were acquired while volunteers selectively attended to one of two different contextual features of study items (color or location). A surprise memory test for the items and both contextual features was subsequently administered to determine the influence of selective attention on the neural correlates of contextual encoding. Activity in several cortical regions indexed later memory success selectively for color or location information, and this encoding-related activity was enhanced by selective attention to the relevant feature. Critically, a region in the hippocampus responded selectively to attended source information (whether color or location), demonstrating encoding-related activity for attended but not for nonattended source features. Together, the findings suggest that selective attention modulates the magnitude of activity in cortical regions engaged by different aspects of an event, and hippocampal encoding mechanisms seem to be sensitive to this modulation. Thus, the information that is encoded into a memory representation is biased by selective attention, and this bias is mediated by cortical-hippocampal interactions.

Selecting for memory? The influence of selective attention on the mnemonic binding of contextual information

Science.gov (United States)

Uncapher, Melina R.; Rugg, Michael D.

2009-01-01

Not all of what is experienced is remembered later. Behavioral evidence suggests that the manner in which an event is processed influences which aspects of the event will later be remembered. The present experiment investigated the neural correlates of ‘selective encoding’, or the mechanisms that support the encoding of some elements of an event in preference to others. Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were acquired while volunteers selectively attended to one of two different contextual features of study items (color or location). A surprise memory test for the items and both contextual features was subsequently administered to determine the influence of selective attention on the neural correlates of contextual encoding. Activity in several cortical regions indexed later memory success selectively for color or location information, and this encoding-related activity was enhanced by selective attention to the relevant feature. Critically, a region in the hippocampus responded selectively to attended source information (whether color or location), demonstrating encoding-related activity for attended but not for nonattended source features. Together, the findings suggest that selective attention modulates the magnitude of activity in cortical regions engaged by different aspects of an event, and hippocampal encoding mechanisms seem to be sensitive to this modulation. Thus, the information that is encoded into a memory representation is biased by selective attention, and this bias is mediated by cortico-hippocampal interactions. PMID:19553466

Subtle pathological changes in neocortical temporal lobe epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Ochoa, Juan G; Hentgarden, Diana; Paulzak, Audrey; Ogden, Melissa; Pryson, Richard; Lamle, Markus; Rusyniak, Walter G

2017-06-01

This was a prospective observational study to correlate the clinical symptoms, electrophysiology, imaging, and surgical pathology of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) without hippocampal sclerosis. We selected consecutive patients with TLE and normal MRI undergoing temporal lobe resection between April and September 2015. Clinical features, imaging, and functional data were reviewed. Intracranial monitoring and language mapping were performed when it was required according to our team recommendation. Prior to hippocampal resection, intraoperative electrocorticography was performed using depth electrodes in the amygdala and the hippocampus. The resected hippocampus was sent for pathological analysis. Five patients with diagnosis with non-lesional TLE were included. We did not find distinctive clinical features that could be a characteristic of non-lesional TLE. The mean follow-up was 13.2months (11-15months); 80% of patients achieved Engel Class I outcome. There was no distinctive electrographic findings in these patients. Histopathologic analysis was negative for mesial temporal sclerosis. A second blinded independent neuropathologist with expertise in epilepsy found ILAE type I focal cortical dysplasia in the parahippocampal gyrus in all patients. A third independent neuropathologist reported changes in layer 2 with larger pyramidal neurons in 4 cases but concluded that none of these cases met the diagnostic criteria of FCD. Subtle pathological changes could be associated with a parahippocampal epileptic zone and should be investigated in patients with MRI-negative TLE. This study also highlights the lack of interobserver reliability for the diagnosis of mild cortical dysplasia. Finally, selective amygdalo-hippocampectomy or laser ablation of the hippocampus may not control intractable epilepsy in this specific population. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Regional Seismic Threshold Monitoring

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Kvaerna, Tormod

2006-01-01

... model to be used for predicting the travel times of regional phases. We have applied these attenuation relations to develop and assess a regional threshold monitoring scheme for selected subregions of the European Arctic...

Skin entrance dose with and without lead apron in digital panoramic radiography for selected sensitive body regions.

Science.gov (United States)

Schulze, Ralf Kurt Willy; Cremers, Catrin; Karle, Heiko; de Las Heras Gala, Hugo

2017-05-01

The aim of this study was to compare the dose at skin level at five significant anatomical regions for panoramic radiography devices with and without lead apron by means of a highly sensitive dosimeter. A female RANDO-phantom was exposed in five different digital panoramic radiography systems, and the dose at skin level was assessed tenfold for each measurement region by means of a highly sensitive solid-state-dosimeter. The five measurement regions selected were the thyroid, both female breasts, the gonads, and a central region in the back of the phantom. For each panoramic machine, the measurements were performed in two modes: with and without a commercial lead apron specifically designed for panoramic radiography. Reproducibility of the measurements was expressed by absolute differences and the coefficient of variation. Values between shielded and unshielded doses were pooled for each region and compared by means of the paired Wilcoxon tests (p ≤ 0.05). Reproducibility as represented by the mean CV was 22 ± 52 % (median 2.3 %) with larger variations for small dose values. Doses at skin level ranged between 0.00 μGy at the gonads and 85.39 μGy at the unshielded thyroid (mean ± SD 15 ± 24 μGy). Except for the gonads, the dose in all the other regions was significantly lower (p < 0.001) when a lead apron was applied. Unshielded doses were between 1.02-fold (thyroid) and 112-fold (at the right breast) higher than those with lead apron shielding (mean: 14-fold ± 18-fold). Although the doses were entirely very low, we observed a significant increase in dose in the radiation-sensitive female breast region when no lead apron was used. Future discussions on shielding requirements for panoramic radiography should focus on these differences in the light of the linear non-threshold (LNT) theory which is generally adopted in medical imaging.

Sleep-dependent directional coupling between human neocortex and hippocampus.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Tobias; Axmacher, Nikolai; Lehnertz, Klaus; Elger, Christian E; Fell, Jürgen

2010-02-01

Complex interactions between neocortex and hippocampus are the neural basis of memory formation. Two-step theories of memory formation suggest that initial encoding of novel information depends on the induction of rapid plasticity within the hippocampus, and is followed by a second sleep-dependent step of memory consolidation. These theories predict information flow from the neocortex into the hippocampus during waking state and in the reverse direction during sleep. However, experimental evidence that interactions between hippocampus and neocortex have a predominant direction which reverses during sleep rely on cross-correlation analysis of data from animal experiments and yielded inconsistent results. Here, we investigated directional coupling in intracranial EEG data from human subjects using a phase-modeling approach which is well suited to reveal functional interdependencies in oscillatory data. In general, we observed that the anterior hippocampus predominantly drives nearby and remote brain regions. Surprisingly, however, the influence of neocortical regions on the hippocampus significantly increased during sleep as compared to waking state. These results question the standard model of hippocampal-neocortical interactions and suggest that sleep-dependent consolidation is accomplished by an active retrieval of hippocampal information by the neocortex. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Srl. All rights reserved.

Quality of Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine Given as Antimalarial Prophylaxis in Pregnant Women in Selected Health Facilities in Central Region of Ghana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danny F. Yeboah

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The use of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP as an intermittent preventive treatment (IPT against malaria during pregnancy has become a policy in most sub-Sahara African countries and crucially depends on the efficacy of SP. This study sets out to evaluate the effectiveness of the SP given to the pregnant women in some selected health facilities in the Central Region of Ghana to prevent maternal malaria in pregnant women. A total of 543 pregnant women recruited from 7 selected health centres in Central Region of Ghana participated in the study. Parasite density of Plasmodium falciparum was determined from peripheral blood of the pregnant women using microscopy. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC and dissolution tester were used to determine the quality of the SP. Malaria infection was recorded in 11.2% of pregnant women who had a history of SP consumption. SP failed the dissolution test. Pregnant women who did not receive IPT-SP were 44%. Low haemoglobin level was recorded in 73.5% of the pregnant women. The results indicated that SP was substandard. IPT-SP is ineffective in preventing malaria infection.

Region-selective effects of long-term lithium and carbamazepine administration on cyclic AMP levels in rat brain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiborg, Ove; Krueger, Tanja; Jakosen, Soeren N. [Psychiatric Hospital, Dept. of Biological Psychiatry, Risskov (Denmark)

1999-02-01

The effect of lithium and carbamazepine in the treatment of bipolar affective disorder is well established. Althougt a number of biochemical effects have been found, the exact molecular mechanisms underlying their therapeutic actions have not been elucidated nor are the target regions in the brain identified. Taken into account the important role of the cyclic AMP second messenger system in the regulation of neuronal exitability and the indications of its involvement in the pathophysiology of bipolar affective disorder, we have focused on the drug effects on cyclic AMP levels. The objectives of this investigation were to measure the effects on basal cyclic AMP levels, and to locate target regions within the rat brain after long-term administration of lithium and carbamazepine. Drug treatments were carried out for a period of 28 days. After either drug treatment the cyclic AMP level was increased 3-4 times in frontal cortex but unchanged in hippocampus, hypothalamus, thalamus, amygdala and in cerebellum. In neostratum the cyclic AMP level was decreased to about 30% after treatment with lithium. We suggest the common region-selective effect, observed for both drugs in frontal cortex, to be essential for the therapeutic actions of lithium and carbamazepine. (au) 46 refs.

Factors associated with induced abortion at selected hospitals in the Volta Region, Ghana

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Klutsey EE

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Ellen Eyi Klutsey,1 Augustine Ankomah2 1School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Volta Region, 2Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana Background: Induced abortion rates remained persistently high in the Volta Region of Ghana in the 5 years from 2006 to 2011. Some hospitals, both rural and urban, report induced abortion-related complications as one of the top ten conditions in hospital admissions. This study explored demographic and other factors associated with induced abortion, and also assessed awareness of abortion-related complications among women of reproductive age in the Volta Region. Methods: A quantitative, hospital-based, unmatched case-control study was performed. The Volta Region was stratified into two health administration zones, ie, north and south. For each zone, hospitals were stratified into government and private hospitals. Employing simple random sampling, one private and three government hospitals were selected from each zone. This study is therefore based on eight hospitals, ie, six government hospitals and two private hospitals. Results: Marital status, employment status, number of total pregnancies, and knowledge about contraception were found to be associated with induced abortion. Multiple logistic regression showed a 4% reduction in the odds of induced abortion in married women compared with women who were single (odds ratio [OR] 0.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.07–0.22. Unemployed women of reproductive age were found to be 0.35 times less likely to seek induced abortion compared with their employed counterparts (OR 0.35, CI 0.19–0.65. It was also observed that women with their second pregnancies were 3.8 times more likely to seek induced abortion and women with more than two pregnancies were 6.6 times more likely to do so (OR 3.81, CI 1.94–7.49 and OR 6.58, CI 2.58–16.79, respectively

CaMKII Requirement for in Vivo Insular Cortex LTP Maintenance and CTA Memory Persistence

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Yectivani Juárez-Muñoz

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Calcium-calmodulin/dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII plays an essential role in LTP induction, but since it has the capacity to remain persistently activated even after the decay of external stimuli it has been proposed that it can also be necessary for LTP maintenance and therefore for memory persistence. It has been shown that basolateral amygdaloid nucleus (Bla stimulation induces long-term potentiation (LTP in the insular cortex (IC, a neocortical region implicated in the acquisition and retention of conditioned taste aversion (CTA. Our previous studies have demonstrated that induction of LTP in the Bla-IC pathway before CTA training increased the retention of this task. Although it is known that IC-LTP induction and CTA consolidation share similar molecular mechanisms, little is known about the molecular actors that underlie their maintenance. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the role of CaMKII in the maintenance of in vivo Bla-IC LTP as well as in the persistence of CTA long-term memory (LTM. Our results show that acute microinfusion of myr-CaMKIINtide, a selective inhibitor of CaMKII, in the IC of adult rats during the late-phase of in vivo Bla-IC LTP blocked its maintenance. Moreover, the intracortical inhibition of CaMKII 24 h after CTA acquisition impairs CTA-LTM persistence. Together these results indicate that CaMKII is a central key component for the maintenance of neocortical synaptic plasticity as well as for persistence of CTA-LTM.

Regional regression models of percentile flows for the contiguous United States: Expert versus data-driven independent variable selection

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Geoffrey Fouad

2018-06-01

New hydrological insights for the region: A set of three variables selected based on an expert assessment of factors that influence percentile flows performed similarly to larger sets of variables selected using a data-driven method. Expert assessment variables included mean annual precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, and baseflow index. Larger sets of up to 37 variables contributed little, if any, additional predictive information. Variables used to describe the distribution of basin data (e.g. standard deviation were not useful, and average values were sufficient to characterize physical and climatic basin conditions. Effectiveness of the expert assessment variables may be due to the high degree of multicollinearity (i.e. cross-correlation among additional variables. A tool is provided in the Supplementary material to predict percentile flows based on the three expert assessment variables. Future work should develop new variables with a strong understanding of the processes related to percentile flows.

Genome-wide selection signatures in Pinzgau cattle

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Radovan Kasarda

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to identify the evidence of recent selection based on estimation of the integrated Haplotype Score (iHS, population differentiation index (FST and characterize affected regions near QTL associated with traits under strong selection in Pinzgau cattle. In total 21 Austrian and 19 Slovak purebreed bulls genotyped with Illumina bovineHD and  bovineSNP50 BeadChip were used to identify genomic regions under selection. Only autosomal loci with call rate higher than 90%, minor allele frequency higher than 0.01 and Hardy-Weinberg equlibrium limit of 0.001 were included in the subsequent analyses of selection sweeps presence. The final dataset was consisted from 30538 SNPs with 81.86 kb average adjacent SNPs spacing. The iHS score were averaged into non-overlapping 500 kb segments across the genome. The FST values were also plotted against genome position based on sliding windows approach and averaged over 8 consecutive SNPs. Based on integrated Haplotype Score evaluation only 7 regions with iHS score higher than 1.7 was found. The average iHS score observed for each adjacent syntenic regions indicated slight effect of recent selection in analysed group of Pinzgau bulls. The level of genetic differentiation between Austrian and Slovak bulls estimated based on FST index was low. Only 24% of FST values calculated for each SNP was greather than 0.01. By using sliding windows approach was found that 5% of analysed windows had higher value than 0.01. Our results indicated use of similar selection scheme in breeding programs of Slovak and Austrian Pinzgau bulls. The evidence for genome-wide association between signatures of selection and regions affecting complex traits such as milk production was insignificant, because the loci in segments identified as affected by selection were very distant from each other. Identification of genomic regions that may be under pressure of selection for phenotypic traits to better understanding of the

Oxytocin selectively facilitates learning with social feedback and increases activity and functional connectivity in emotional memory and reward processing regions.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Jiehui; Qi, Song; Becker, Benjamin; Luo, Lizhu; Gao, Shan; Gong, Qiyong; Hurlemann, René; Kendrick, Keith M

2015-06-01

In male Caucasian subjects, learning is facilitated by receipt of social compared with non-social feedback, and the neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) facilitates this effect. In this study, we have first shown a cultural difference in that male Chinese subjects actually perform significantly worse in the same reinforcement associated learning task with social (emotional faces) compared with non-social feedback. Nevertheless, in two independent double-blind placebo (PLC) controlled between-subject design experiments we found OXT still selectively facilitated learning with social feedback. Similar to Caucasian subjects this OXT effect was strongest with feedback using female rather than male faces. One experiment performed in conjunction with functional magnetic resonance imaging showed that during the response, but not feedback phase of the task, OXT selectively increased activity in the amygdala, hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus and putamen during the social feedback condition, and functional connectivity between the amygdala and insula and caudate. Therefore, OXT may be increasing the salience and reward value of anticipated social feedback. In the PLC group, response times and state anxiety scores during social feedback were associated with signal changes in these same regions but not in the OXT group. OXT may therefore have also facilitated learning by reducing anxiety in the social feedback condition. Overall our results provide the first evidence for cultural differences in social facilitation of learning per se, but a similar selective enhancement of learning with social feedback under OXT. This effect of OXT may be associated with enhanced responses and functional connectivity in emotional memory and reward processing regions. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Region-selective electroless gold plating on polycarbonate sheets by UV-patterning in combination with silver activating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou Qinghua [Institute of Microanalytical Systems, Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Zijin' gang Campus, Hangzhou 310058 (China); Chen Hengwu, E-mail: hwchen@zju.edu.c [Institute of Microanalytical Systems, Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Zijin' gang Campus, Hangzhou 310058 (China); Wang Yi [Institute of Microanalytical Systems, Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Zijin' gang Campus, Hangzhou 310058 (China)

2010-02-28

A simple, time- and cost-effective approach for region-selective metalization of polycarbonate (PC) surface has been established by combining photoresist-free UV-patterning with tin- and amine-free silver activating and electroless gold plating. The surface of PC sheets was exposed to the UV lights emitted from a low-pressure mercury lamp through a photomask, the micro pattern on the mask being transferred to the PC surface due to the photochemical generation of carboxyl groups on the UV-exposed region. The UV-exposed PC sheets were then treated with an ammoniacal AgNO{sub 3} solution, so that the silver ions were chemisorbed by the photochemically generated carboxyl groups. When the Ag{sup +}-adsorbed PC sheet was immersed into an electroless gold plating bath, shiny gold film quickly deposited on the UV-exposed region, resulting in the formation of a micro gold devices on the PC surface. The whole plating process including UV-exposure, surface activating and gold plating can be completed in about 3-4 h. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transformation infrared spectrometer (ATR-FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscope (AFM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were employed to trace the surface change during the plating process. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and Scotch-tape test were employed to characterize the electrochemical properties and adhesion strength of the prepared micro gold devices, respectively. The prepared micro gold electrodes were demonstrated for amperometric detection of hydrogen peroxide.

The role of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in memory consolidation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nieuwenhuis, I.L.C.; Takashima, A.

2011-01-01

System-level memory consolidation theory posits that the hippocampus initially links the neocortical representations, followed by a shift to a hippocampus-independent neocortical network. With consolidation, an increase in activity in the human subgenual ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) has

Do region and gender influence hardwood product selection?

Science.gov (United States)

Delton Alderman

2013-01-01

Consumer preference is a fundamental focus of marketing research as it is used in developing marketing strategy and the positioning of products against competitors. This study evaluated consumer hardwood preferences of consumers from three United States geographical regions, which included six different metropolitan areas. Seven hardwood species and three laminate...

Creativity, Comprehension, Conversation and the Hippocampal Region: New Data and Theory

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Donald G. MacKay

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This article examines conceptual frameworks for explaining relations between creativity and the hippocampal region (HR and reports two new experimental studies. In both studies, seventeen people participated in extensive face-to-face interviews: sixteen normal individuals and H.M., an amnesic with cerebellar and HR damage but virtually no neocortical damage. The results indicated that HR damage impairs aspects of everyday language comprehension and production that require creativity—defined as the ability to form new internal representations that satisfy relevant constraints for being useful or valuable in the real world. Study 1 demonstrated deficits in H.M.’s comprehension of creative but not routine aspects of the interviews—extending to the real world twelve prior demonstrations that H.M. understands routine but not novel aspects of experimentally constructed sentences, deficits that reflected his HR damage, but not his cerebellar damage, his explicit or declarative memory problems, inability to comprehend or recall the instructions, forgetting, poor visual acuity, motoric slowing, time pressure, deficits in visual scanning or attentional allocation, lack of motivation, and excessive memory load in the tasks. Study 2 demonstrated similar deficits in H.M.’s ability to produce creative but not routine aspects of conversational discourse, extending findings in five prior sentence production experiments to real-world creativity. Both types of deficits impaired communication in the interviews, results that support some theories of creativity and the HR but not others.

How to model different socio-economic and environmental aspects of biomass utilisation: Case study in selected regions in Slovenia and Croatia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krajnc, N.; Domac, J.

2007-01-01

Wood biomass is an important renewable source of energy, especially in countries with traditional dependency on forestry resources. In these countries, wood biomass can have numerous positive socio-economical and environmental effects. This paper presents a new model (SCORE model) for estimation of 15 socio-economic and environmental aspects of increased use of biomass from the forests. The presented model enables selected estimation of different aspects in the whole chain of biomass production, preparation and use. Namely, the model enables the estimation of net labour income, net profit, regional public finance income, net direct jobs, net indirect jobs, net induced jobs, total net jobs, contribution to forest management, impact on wood waste utilisation, impact on other woody biomass utilisation, avoided costs of landfill, saving CO 2 emissions, possible impact on regional unemployment, avoided costs of unemployment, additional jobs for farmers, additional activities on farms (from indirect and induced jobs) and self-sufficiency in electricity production. The SCORE model was tested in selected regions in Slovenia and Croatia and apart from a good understanding of the socio-economic and environmental aspects, it also enables an overview of the economy of wood biomass production, given that it includes the economic analysis of wood biomass production and use. The model is not intended for a detailed economic analysis of separate phases of wood biomass production, processing and use, but particularly to show advantages or disadvantages that can result from planned and existing biomass systems. (author)

Dietary exposure to selected Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in four European regions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klenow, S.; Heinemeyer, G.; Brambilla, G.; Dellatte, E.; Herzke, D.; de Voogt, P.

2013-01-01

The dietary exposure to selected PFAAs was estimated in four selected European states (Belgium, the Czech Republic, Italy and Norway) representing Western, Southern, Eastern and Northern Europe. The harmonised sampling programme designed in the European Union project PERFOOD was targeted at

Selection of a representative subset of global climate models that captures the profile of regional changes for integrated climate impacts assessment

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Alex C. Ruane

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract We present the Representative Temperature and Precipitation (T&P GCM Subsetting Approach developed within the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP to select a practical subset of global climate models (GCMs for regional integrated assessment of climate impacts when resource limitations do not permit the full ensemble of GCMs to be evaluated given the need to also focus on impacts sector and economics models. Subsetting inherently leads to a loss of information but can free up resources to explore important uncertainties in the integrated assessment that would otherwise be prohibitive. The Representative T&P GCM Subsetting Approach identifies five individual GCMs that capture a profile of the full ensemble of temperature and precipitation change within the growing season while maintaining information about the probability that basic classes of climate changes (relatively cool/wet, cool/dry, middle, hot/wet, and hot/dry are projected in the full GCM ensemble. We demonstrate the selection methodology for maize impacts in Ames, Iowa, and discuss limitations and situations when additional information may be required to select representative GCMs. We then classify 29 GCMs over all land areas to identify regions and seasons with characteristic diagonal skewness related to surface moisture as well as extreme skewness connected to snow-albedo feedbacks and GCM uncertainty. Finally, we employ this basic approach to recognize that GCM projections demonstrate coherence across space, time, and greenhouse gas concentration pathway. The Representative T&P GCM Subsetting Approach provides a quantitative basis for the determination of useful GCM subsets, provides a practical and coherent approach where previous assessments selected solely on availability of scenarios, and may be extended for application to a range of scales and sectoral impacts.

A hands-free region-of-interest selection interface for solo surgery with a wide-angle endoscope: preclinical proof of concept.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Kyunghwa; Choi, Hyunseok; Hong, Hanpyo; Adikrishna, Arnold; Jeon, In-Ho; Hong, Jaesung

2017-02-01

A hands-free region-of-interest (ROI) selection interface is proposed for solo surgery using a wide-angle endoscope. A wide-angle endoscope provides images with a larger field of view than a conventional endoscope. With an appropriate selection interface for a ROI, surgeons can also obtain a detailed local view as if they moved a conventional endoscope in a specific position and direction. To manipulate the endoscope without releasing the surgical instrument in hand, a mini-camera is attached to the instrument, and the images taken by the attached camera are analyzed. When a surgeon moves the instrument, the instrument orientation is calculated by an image processing. Surgeons can select the ROI with this instrument movement after switching from 'task mode' to 'selection mode.' The accelerated KAZE algorithm is used to track the features of the camera images once the instrument is moved. Both the wide-angle and detailed local views are displayed simultaneously, and a surgeon can move the local view area by moving the mini-camera attached to the surgical instrument. Local view selection for a solo surgery was performed without releasing the instrument. The accuracy of camera pose estimation was not significantly different between camera resolutions, but it was significantly different between background camera images with different numbers of features (P solo surgeries without a camera assistant.

Single-shot T1 mapping of the corpus callosum: A rapid characterization of fiber bundle anatomy

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Sabine eHofer

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Using diffusion-tensor MRI and fiber tractography the topographic organization of the corpus callosum (CC has been described to comprise 5 segments with fibers projecting into prefrontal (I, premotor and supplementary motor (II, primary motor (III, and primary sensory areas (IV, as well as into parietal, temporal, and occipital cortical areas (V. In order to more rapidly characterize the underlying anatomy of these segments, this study used a novel single-shot T1 mapping method to quantitatively determine T1 relaxation times in the human CC. A region-of-interest analysis revealed a tendency for the lowest T1 relaxation times in the genu and the highest T1 relaxation times in the somatomotor region of the CC. This observation separates regions dominated by myelinated fibers with large diameters (somatomotor area from densely packed smaller axonal bundles (genu with less myelin. The results indicate that characteristic T1 relaxation times in callosal profiles provide an additional means to monitor differences in fiber anatomy, fiber density, and gray matter in respective neocortical areas. In conclusion, rapid T1 mapping allows for a characterization of the axonal architecture in an individual CC in less than 10 s. The approach emerges as a valuable means for studying neocortical brain anatomy with possible implications for the diagnosis of neurodegenerative processes.

The In-Silico Neocortical Microcircuit: From Structure to Dynamics

OpenAIRE

Reimann, Michael

2014-01-01

The neocortex is one of the most important brain regions, occupying more than 80% of the brain volume in mammals and contributing massively to its capability of perceiving and interpreting then environment. While it has been extensively studied, it is still largely unclear how it accomplishes the enormous computational tasks it is faced with. A number of structural features are conserved across the cortex, such as its vertical organization in six individual layers with a large number of morph...

PSAPP mice exhibit regionally selective reductions in gliosis and plaque deposition in response to S100B ablation

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Young Keith A

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Numerous studies have reported that increased expression of S100B, an intracellular Ca2+ receptor protein and secreted neuropeptide, exacerbates Alzheimer's disease (AD pathology. However, the ability of S100B inhibitors to prevent/reverse AD histopathology remains controversial. This study examines the effect of S100B ablation on in vivo plaque load, gliosis and dystrophic neurons. Methods Because S100B-specific inhibitors are not available, genetic ablation was used to inhibit S100B function in the PSAPP AD mouse model. The PSAPP/S100B-/- line was generated by crossing PSAPP double transgenic males with S100B-/- females and maintained as PSAPP/S100B+/- crosses. Congo red staining was used to quantify plaque load, plaque number and plaque size in 6 month old PSAPP and PSAPP/S100B-/- littermates. The microglial marker Iba1 and astrocytic marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP were used to quantify gliosis. Dystrophic neurons were detected with the phospho-tau antibody AT8. S100B immunohistochemistry was used to assess the spatial distribution of S100B in the PSAPP line. Results PSAPP/S100B-/- mice exhibited a regionally selective decrease in cortical but not hippocampal plaque load when compared to PSAPP littermates. This regionally selective reduction in plaque load was accompanied by decreases in plaque number, GFAP-positive astrocytes, Iba1-positive microglia and phospho-tau positive dystrophic neurons. These effects were not attributable to regional variability in the distribution of S100B. Hippocampal and cortical S100B immunoreactivity in PSAPP mice was associated with plaques and co-localized with astrocytes and microglia. Conclusions Collectively, these data support S100B inhibition as a novel strategy for reducing cortical plaque load, gliosis and neuronal dysfunction in AD and suggest that both extracellular as well as intracellular S100B contribute to AD histopathology.

Spatiotemporal alterations of cortical network activity by selective loss of NOS-expressing interneurons .

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Dan eShlosberg

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Deciphering the role of GABAergic neurons in large neuronal networks such as the neocortex forms a particularly complex task as they comprise a highly diverse population. The neuronal isoform of the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (nNOS is expressed in the neocortex by specific subsets of GABAergic neurons. These neurons can be identified in live brain slices by the nitric oxide (NO fluorescent indicator DAF-2DA. However, this indicator was found to be highly toxic to the stained neurons. We used this feature to induce acute phototoxic damage to NO-producing neurons in cortical slices, and measured subsequent alterations in parameters of cellular and network activity.Neocortical slices were briefly incubated in DAF-2DA and then illuminated through the 4X objective. Histochemistry for NADPH diaphorase, a marker for nNOS activity, revealed elimination of staining in the illuminated areas following treatment. Whole cell recordings from several neuronal types before, during and after illumination confirmed the selective damage to non fast-spiking interneurons. Treated slices displayed mild disinhibition. The reversal potential of compound synaptic events on pyramidal neurons became more positive, and their decay time constant was elongated, substantiating the removal of an inhibitory conductance. The horizontal decay of local field potentials (LFPs was significantly reduced at distances of 300-400 m from the stimulation, but not when inhibition was non-selectively weakened with the GABAA blocker picrotoxin. Finally, whereas the depression of LFPs along short trains of 40 Hz stimuli was linearly reduced with distance or initial amplitude in control slices, this ordered relationship was disrupted in DAF-treated slices. These results reveal that NO-producing interneurons in the neocortex convey lateral inhibition to neighboring columns, and shape the spatiotemporal dynamics of the network's activity.

Spatiotemporal alterations of cortical network activity by selective loss of NOS-expressing interneurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Shlosberg, Dan; Buskila, Yossi; Abu-Ghanem, Yasmin; Amitai, Yael

2012-01-01

Deciphering the role of GABAergic neurons in large neuronal networks such as the neocortex forms a particularly complex task as they comprise a highly diverse population. The neuronal isoform of the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) is expressed in the neocortex by specific subsets of GABAergic neurons. These neurons can be identified in live brain slices by the nitric oxide (NO) fluorescent indicator diaminofluorescein-2 diacetate (DAF-2DA). However, this indicator was found to be highly toxic to the stained neurons. We used this feature to induce acute phototoxic damage to NO-producing neurons in cortical slices, and measured subsequent alterations in parameters of cellular and network activity. Neocortical slices were briefly incubated in DAF-2DA and then illuminated through the 4× objective. Histochemistry for NADPH-diaphorase (NADPH-d), a marker for nNOS activity, revealed elimination of staining in the illuminated areas following treatment. Whole cell recordings from several neuronal types before, during, and after illumination confirmed the selective damage to non-fast-spiking (FS) interneurons. Treated slices displayed mild disinhibition. The reversal potential of compound synaptic events on pyramidal neurons became more positive, and their decay time constant was elongated, substantiating the removal of an inhibitory conductance. The horizontal decay of local field potentials (LFPs) was significantly reduced at distances of 300-400 μm from the stimulation, but not when inhibition was non-selectively weakened with the GABA(A) blocker picrotoxin. Finally, whereas the depression of LFPs along short trains of 40 Hz stimuli was linearly reduced with distance or initial amplitude in control slices, this ordered relationship was disrupted in DAF-treated slices. These results reveal that NO-producing interneurons in the neocortex convey lateral inhibition to neighboring columns, and shape the spatiotemporal dynamics of the network's activity.

Point mutations in the post-M2 region of human alpha-ENaC regulate cation selectivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, H L; Parker, S; Langloh, A L; Fuller, C M; Benos, D J

2001-07-01

We tested the hypothesis that an arginine-rich region immediately following the second transmembrane domain may constitute part of the inner mouth of the epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) pore and, hence, influence conduction and/or selectivity properties of the channel by expressing double point mutants in Xenopus oocytes. Double point mutations of arginines in this post-M2 region of the human alpha-ENaC (alpha-hENaC) led to a decrease and increase in the macroscopic conductance of alphaR586E,R587Ebetagamma- and alphaR589E,R591Ebetagamma-hENaC, respectively, but had no effect on the single-channel conductance of either double point mutant. However, the apparent equilibrium dissociation constant for Na+ was decreased for both alphaR586E,R587Ebetagamma- and alphaR589E,R591Ebetagamma-hENaC, and the maximum amiloride-sensitive Na+ current was decreased for alphaR586E,R587Ebetagamma-hENaC and increased for alphaR589E,R591Ebetagamma-hENaC. The relative permeabilities of Li+ and K+ vs. Na+ were increased 11.25- to 27.57-fold for alphaR586E,R587Ebetagamma-hENaC compared with wild type. The relative ion permeability of these double mutants and wild-type ENaC was inversely related to the crystal diameter of the permeant ions. Thus the region of positive charge is important for the ion permeation properties of the channel and may form part of the pore itself.

What Does Neuroscience and Cognitive Psychology Tell Us about Multiple Intelligence

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, Richard H.

2009-01-01

Studies that have used noninvasive brain imaging techniques to record neocortical activity while individuals were performing cognitive intelligence tests (traditional intelligence) and social intelligence tests were reviewed. In cognitive intelligence tests 16 neocortical areas were active, whereas in social intelligence 10 areas were active.…

Selective interaction of heparin with the variable region 3 within surface glycoprotein of laboratory-adapted feline immunodeficiency virus.

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Qiong-Ying Hu

Full Text Available Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG can act as binding receptors for certain laboratory-adapted (TCA strains of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV. Heparin, a soluble heparin sulfate (HS, can inhibit TCA HIV and FIV entry mediated by HSPG interaction in vitro. In the present study, we further determined the selective interaction of heparin with the V3 loop of TCA of FIV. Our current results indicate that heparin selectively inhibits infection by TCA strains, but not for field isolates (FS. Heparin also specifically interferes with TCA surface glycoprotein (SU binding to CXCR4, by interactions with HSPG binding sites on the V3 loop of the FIV envelope protein. Peptides representing either the N- or C-terminal side of the V3 loop and containing HSPG binding sites were able to compete away the heparin block of TCA SU binding to CXCR4. Heparin does not interfere with the interaction of SU with anti-V3 antibodies that target the CXCR4 binding region or with the interaction between FS FIV and anti-V3 antibodies since FS SU has no HSPG binding sites within the HSPG binding region. Our data show that heparin blocks TCA FIV infection or entry not only through its competition of HSPG on the cell surface interaction with SU, but also by its interference with CXCR4 binding to SU. These studies aid in the design and development of heparin derivatives or analogues that can inhibit steps in virus infection and are informative regarding the HSPG/SU interaction.

Distinct neural systems underlying reduced emotional enhancement for positive and negative stimuli in early Alzheimer's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Mistridis, Panagiota; Taylor, Kirsten I; Kissler, Johanna M; Monsch, Andreas U; Kressig, Reto W; Kivisaari, Sasa L

2013-01-01

Emotional information is typically better remembered than neutral content, and previous studies suggest that this effect is subserved particularly by the amygdala together with its interactions with the hippocampus. However, it is not known whether amygdala damage affects emotional memory performance at immediate and delayed recall, and whether its involvement is modulated by stimulus valence. Moreover, it is unclear to what extent more distributed neocortical regions involved in e.g., autobiographical memory, also contribute to emotional processing. We investigated these questions in a group of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), which affects the amygdala, hippocampus and neocortical regions. Healthy controls (n = 14), patients with AD (n = 15) and its putative prodrome amnestic mild cognitive impairment (n = 11) completed a memory task consisting of immediate and delayed free recall of a list of positive, negative and neutral words. Memory performance was related to brain integrity in region of interest and whole-brain voxel-based morphometry analyses. In the brain-behavioral analyses, the left amygdala volume predicted the immediate recall of both positive and negative material, whereas at delay, left and right amygdala volumes were associated with performance with positive and negative words, respectively. Whole-brain analyses revealed additional associations between left angular gyrus integrity and the immediate recall of positive words as well as between the orbitofrontal cortex and the delayed recall of negative words. These results indicate that emotional memory impairments in AD may be underpinned by damage to regions implicated in emotional processing as well as frontoparietal regions, which may exert their influence via autobiographical memories and organizational strategies.

Mission Connect Mild TBI Translational Research Consortium

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-01

global volumetry using tensor-based morphometry, tissue microstructural integrity using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and T2-weighted images for...GM and CSF volumetry were not different between controls and mTBI. Consistent with a previous report (3), subtle changes in WM microstructure due...function is warranted. Figure 1. Representative scatter plots of global volumetry of (A) sulcal CSF, (B) neocortical GM and bar graphs of regional coronal

Regional Relations in Bankfull Channel Characteristics determined from flow measurements at selected stream-gaging stations in West Virginia, 1911-2002

Science.gov (United States)

Messinger, Terence; Wiley, Jeffrey B.

2004-01-01

Three bankfull channel characteristics?cross-sectional area, width, and depth?were significantly correlated with drainage area in regression equations developed for two regions in West Virginia. Channel characteristics were determined from analysis of flow measurements made at 74 U.S. Geological Survey stream-gaging stations at flows between 0.5 and 5.0 times bankfull flow between 1911 and 2002. Graphical and regression analysis were used to delineate an 'Eastern Region' and a 'Western Region,' which were separated by the boundary between the Appalachian Plateaus and Valley and Ridge Physiographic Provinces. Streams that drained parts of both provinces had channel characteristics typical of the Eastern Region, and were grouped with it. Standard error for the six regression equations, three for each region, ranged between 8.7 and 16 percent. Cross-sectional area and depth were greater relative to drainage area for the Western Region than they were for the Eastern Region. Regression equations were defined for streams draining between 46.5 and 1,619 square miles for the Eastern Region, and between 2.78 and 1,354 square miles for the Western Region. Stream-gaging stations with two or more cross sections where flow had been measured at flows between 0.5 and 5.0 times the 1.5-year flow showed poor replication of channel characteristics compared to the 95-percent confidence intervals of the regression, suggesting that within-reach variability for the stream-gaging stations may be substantial. A disproportionate number of the selected stream-gaging stations were on large (drainage area greater than 100 square miles) streams in the central highlands of West Virginia, and only one stream-gaging station that met data-quality criteria was available to represent the region within about 50 miles of the Ohio River north of Parkersburg, West Virginia. Many of the cross sections were at bridges, which can change channel shape. Although the data discussed in this report may not be

Annotation of selection strengths in viral genomes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McCauley, Stephen; de Groot, Saskia; Mailund, Thomas

2007-01-01

Motivation: Viral genomes tend to code in overlapping reading frames to maximize information content. This may result in atypical codon bias and particular evolutionary constraints. Due to the fast mutation rate of viruses, there is additional strong evidence for varying selection between intra......- and intergenomic regions. The presence of multiple coding regions complicates the concept of Ka/Ks ratio, and thus begs for an alternative approach when investigating selection strengths. Building on the paper by McCauley & Hein (2006), we develop a method for annotating a viral genome coding in overlapping...... may thus achieve an annotation both of coding regions as well as selection strengths, allowing us to investigate different selection patterns and hypotheses. Results: We illustrate our method by applying it to a multiple alignment of four HIV2 sequences, as well as four Hepatitis B sequences. We...

Population Genetics and Natural Selection in Rheumatic Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramos, Paula S

2017-08-01

Human genetic diversity is the result of population genetic forces. This genetic variation influences disease risk and contributes to health disparities. Natural selection is an important influence on human genetic variation. Because immune and inflammatory function genes are enriched for signals of positive selection, the prevalence of rheumatic disease-risk alleles seen in different populations is partially the result of differing selective pressures (eg, due to pathogens). This review summarizes the genetic regions associated with susceptibility to different rheumatic diseases and concomitant evidence for natural selection, including known agents of selection exerting selective pressure in these regions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

MOVES regional level sensitivity analysis

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

The MOVES Regional Level Sensitivity Analysis was conducted to increase understanding of the operations of the MOVES Model in regional emissions analysis and to highlight the following: : the relative sensitivity of selected MOVES Model input paramet...

Mirror Neurons Modeled Through Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity are Affected by Channelopathies Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Antunes, Gabriela; Faria da Silva, Samuel F; Simoes de Souza, Fabio M

2018-06-01

Mirror neurons fire action potentials both when the agent performs a certain behavior and watches someone performing a similar action. Here, we present an original mirror neuron model based on the spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) between two morpho-electrical models of neocortical pyramidal neurons. Both neurons fired spontaneously with basal firing rate that follows a Poisson distribution, and the STDP between them was modeled by the triplet algorithm. Our simulation results demonstrated that STDP is sufficient for the rise of mirror neuron function between the pairs of neocortical neurons. This is a proof of concept that pairs of neocortical neurons associating sensory inputs to motor outputs could operate like mirror neurons. In addition, we used the mirror neuron model to investigate whether channelopathies associated with autism spectrum disorder could impair the modeled mirror function. Our simulation results showed that impaired hyperpolarization-activated cationic currents (Ih) affected the mirror function between the pairs of neocortical neurons coupled by STDP.

An Evolutionary Approach to Regional Systems of Innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gunnarsson, Jan Sture Gunnar; Wallin, Torsten

This article examines how the birth and the development of regional systems of innovation are connected with economic selection and points to implications for regional-level policies. The research questions are explored using an evolutionary model, which emphasises geographical spaces and product......This article examines how the birth and the development of regional systems of innovation are connected with economic selection and points to implications for regional-level policies. The research questions are explored using an evolutionary model, which emphasises geographical spaces...

An evolutionary approach to regional systems of innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gunnarsson, Jan Sture Gunnar; Wallin, Torsten

2011-01-01

This article examines how the birth and the development of regional systems of innovation are connected with economic selection and points to implications for regional-level policies. The research questions are explored using an evolutionary model, which emphasises geographical spaces and product......This article examines how the birth and the development of regional systems of innovation are connected with economic selection and points to implications for regional-level policies. The research questions are explored using an evolutionary model, which emphasises geographical spaces...

Selection Signatures in the First Exon of Paralogous Receptor Kinase Genes from the Sym2 Region of the Pisum sativum L. Genome

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Anton S. Sulima

2017-11-01

Full Text Available During the initial step of the symbiosis between legumes (Fabaceae and nitrogen-fixing bacteria (rhizobia, the bacterial signal molecule known as the Nod factor (nodulation factor is recognized by plant LysM motif-containing receptor-like kinases (LysM-RLKs. The fifth chromosome of barrel medic (Medicago truncatula Gaertn. contains a cluster of paralogous LysM-RLK genes, one of which is known to participate in symbiosis. In the syntenic region of the pea (Pisum sativum L. genome, three genes have been identified: PsK1 and PsSym37, two symbiosis-related LysM-RLK genes with known sequences, and the unsequenced PsSym2 gene which presumably encodes a LysM-RLK and is associated with increased selectivity to certain Nod factors. In this work, we identified a new gene encoding a LysM-RLK, designated as PsLykX, within the Sym2 genomic region. We sequenced the first exons (corresponding to the protein receptor domain of PsSym37, PsK1, and PsLykX from a large set of pea genotypes of diverse origin. The nucleotide diversity of these fragments was estimated and groups of haplotypes for each gene were revealed. Footprints of selection pressure were detected via comparative analyses of SNP distribution across the first exons of these genes and their homologs MtLYK2, MtLYK3, and MtLYK4 from M. truncatula retrieved from the Medicago Hapmap project. Despite the remarkable similarity among all the studied genes, they exhibited contrasting selection signatures, possibly pointing to diversification of their functions. Signatures of balancing selection were found in LysM1-encoding parts of PsSym37 and PsK1, suggesting that the diversity of these parts may be important for pea LysM-RLKs. The first exons of PsSym37 and PsK1 displayed signatures of purifying selection, as well as MtLYK2 of M. truncatula. Evidence of positive selection affecting primarily LysM domains was found in all three investigated M. truncatula genes, as well as in the pea gene PsLykX. The data

Selected ground-water data for Yucca Mountain Region, southern Nevada and eastern California, through December 22

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

La Camera, R.J.; Westenburg, C.L.

1994-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in support of the U.S. Department of Energy, Yucca Mountain Site-Characterization Project, collects, compiles, and summarizes hydrologic data in the Yucca Mountain region. The data are collected to allow assessments of ground-water resources during studies to determine the potential suitability of Yucca Mountain for storing high-level nuclear waste. Data on ground-water levels at 36 sites, ground-water discharge at 6 sites, ground-water quality at 19 sites, and ground-water withdrawals within Crater Flat, Jackass Flats, Mercury Valley, and the Amargosa Desert are presented. Data on ground-water levels, discharges, and withdrawals collected by other agencies (or as part of other programs) are included to further indicate variations through time at selected monitoring locations. Data are included in this report from 1910 through 1992

Factors associated with induced abortion at selected hospitals in the Volta Region, Ghana.

Science.gov (United States)

Klutsey, Ellen Eyi; Ankomah, Augustine

2014-01-01

Induced abortion rates remained persistently high in the Volta Region of Ghana in the 5 years from 2006 to 2011. Some hospitals, both rural and urban, report induced abortion-related complications as one of the top ten conditions in hospital admissions. This study explored demographic and other factors associated with induced abortion, and also assessed awareness of abortion-related complications among women of reproductive age in the Volta Region. A quantitative, hospital-based, unmatched case-control study was performed. The Volta Region was stratified into two health administration zones, ie, north and south. For each zone, hospitals were stratified into government and private hospitals. Employing simple random sampling, one private and three government hospitals were selected from each zone. This study is therefore based on eight hospitals, ie, six government hospitals and two private hospitals. Marital status, employment status, number of total pregnancies, and knowledge about contraception were found to be associated with induced abortion. Multiple logistic regression showed a 4% reduction in the odds of induced abortion in married women compared with women who were single (odds ratio [OR] 0.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.07-0.22). Unemployed women of reproductive age were found to be 0.35 times less likely to seek induced abortion compared with their employed counterparts (OR 0.35, CI 0.19-0.65). It was also observed that women with their second pregnancies were 3.8 times more likely to seek induced abortion and women with more than two pregnancies were 6.6 times more likely to do so (OR 3.81, CI 1.94-7.49 and OR 6.58, CI 2.58-16.79, respectively). Women with no knowledge of contraceptive methods were 4.6 times likely to seek induced abortion (OR 4.64, CI 1.39-15.4). Compared with women who had not had induced abortion, women with a high number of pregnancies and no contraceptive knowledge were more likely to have induced abortion. It was found that lack

Reactor units for power supply of remote and inaccessible regions: Selection issue

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Melnikov N.N.

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The paper briefly presents the problem aspects on power supply for the remote and inaccessible regions of Russia. Reactor units of different type and installed electric capacity have been considered in relation to the issue of power supply during mineral deposit development in the Chukotka autonomous region, Yakutia and Irkutsk region. Some preliminary assessment of the possible options for use of small nuclear power plants in various sectors of energy consumption have been carried out based on the analysis of different scenarios for economic development of the regions considered

Rich: Region-based Intelligent Cluster-Head Selection and Node Deployment Strategy in Concentric-based WSNs

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FAN, C.-S.

2013-11-01

Full Text Available In a random deployment, sensor nodes are scattered randomly in the sensing field. Hence, the coverage can not be guaranteed. In contrast, the coverage of uniformly deployment is in general larger than the random deployment. However, uniformly deployment strategy may cause unbalanced traffic pattern in wireless sensor networks (WSNs. In this situation, larger load may be imposed to CHs (cluster heads around the sink. Therefore, CHs close to the sink use up their energy earlier than those farther away from the sink. To overcome this problem, we propose a novel node deployment strategy in the concentric model, namely, Region-based Intelligent Cluster-Head selection and node deployment strategy (called Rich. The coverage, energy consumption and data routing issues are well investigated and taken into consideration in the proposed Rich scheme. The simulation results show that the proposed Rich alleviates the unbalanced traffic pattern significantly, prolongs network lifetime and achieves satisfactory coverage ratio.

Mapping Smart Regions. An Exploratory Approach

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Sylvie Occelli

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the results of an exploratory approach aimed at extending the ranking procedures normally used in studying the socioeconomics determinants of smart growth at the regional level.   Most of these studies adopt a methodological procedure which essentially consists of the following steps: a identification of the pertinent elementary indicators according to the study objectives; b data selection and processing; c combination of the elementary indicators by multivariate statistical techniques aimed at obtaining a robust synthetic index to rank the observation units. In the procedure a relational dimension is mainly subsumed in the system oriented perspective adopted in selecting the indicators which would best represent the system determinants depending on the goals of the analysis (step a.  In order to get deeper insights into the smartness profile of the European regions, this study makes an effort to account of the relational dimension also in steps b and c of the procedure. The novelties of the proposed approach are twofold. First, by computing region-to-region distances associated with the selected indicators it extends the conventional ranking procedure (step c. Second, it uses a relational database (step b, dealing with the regional participation to the FP7-ICT project, to modify the distances and investigate its impact on the interpretation of the regional positioning.  The main results of this exercise seem to suggest that regional collaborations would have a positive role in regional convergence process. By providing an opportunity to get contacts with the areas endowed with a comparatively more robust smartness profile, regions may have a chance to enhance their own smartness profile.

Low Carbon-Economy Development: China's Pattern and Policy Selection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dou, Xiangsheng

2013-01-01

For a developing country such as China, it is important to select a fair pattern that is suitable for China's national conditions for low carbon-economy development, as it has a direct impact on the success (or not) of low carbon-economy development. This research shows that, under the real-life conditions of China's development, different development patterns should be practised depending on specific socioeconomic conditions. Among them, one of the most critical issues is how to make full use of natural forces, and thus the nature-oriented development pattern should be practised in full. At the same time, China should still practise either the single regional differential or the multi-regional linkage development pattern under different conditions and either the imposed or the induced development pattern at the different stages of development. - Highlights: • It is particularly important to select a suitable development pattern. • Nature-oriented development pattern should be selected. • Single regional differentiation-typed or multi-regional linkage-typed pattern should be selected. • Either the imposed pattern or the induced pattern of development will be selected

Regional Branching Reconsidered: Emergence of the Fuel Cell Industry in European Regions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tanner, Anne Nygaard

2014-01-01

The literature on economic geography suffers from a lack of attention to the emergence of new industries. Recent literature on “regional branching” proposes that new industries emerge in regions where preexisting economic activities are technologically related to the emerging industry. This article...... provides a more grounded basis for the emerging literature on regional branching by confronting the regional branching thesis with the realities of an emerging industry, namely, the fuel cell industry. The analysis is based on patent data and qualitative interviews conducted in a selection of European NUTS...... new technologies to their product portfolio. The importance of further investigating and disentangling different dimensions of relatedness and their impact on regional branching is stressed....

GABAergic Neuron-Specific Loss of Ube3a Causes Angelman Syndrome-Like EEG Abnormalities and Enhances Seizure Susceptibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Judson, Matthew C; Wallace, Michael L; Sidorov, Michael S; Burette, Alain C; Gu, Bin; van Woerden, Geeske M; King, Ian F; Han, Ji Eun; Zylka, Mark J; Elgersma, Ype; Weinberg, Richard J; Philpot, Benjamin D

2016-04-06

Loss of maternal UBE3A causes Angelman syndrome (AS), a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with severe epilepsy. We previously implicated GABAergic deficits onto layer (L) 2/3 pyramidal neurons in the pathogenesis of neocortical hyperexcitability, and perhaps epilepsy, in AS model mice. Here we investigate consequences of selective Ube3a loss from either GABAergic or glutamatergic neurons, focusing on the development of hyperexcitability within L2/3 neocortex and in broader circuit and behavioral contexts. We find that GABAergic Ube3a loss causes AS-like increases in neocortical EEG delta power, enhances seizure susceptibility, and leads to presynaptic accumulation of clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs)-all without decreasing GABAergic inhibition onto L2/3 pyramidal neurons. Conversely, glutamatergic Ube3a loss fails to yield EEG abnormalities, seizures, or associated CCV phenotypes, despite impairing tonic inhibition onto L2/3 pyramidal neurons. These results substantiate GABAergic Ube3a loss as the principal cause of circuit hyperexcitability in AS mice, lending insight into ictogenic mechanisms in AS. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

MHC class I–associated peptides derive from selective regions of the human genome

Science.gov (United States)

Pearson, Hillary; Granados, Diana Paola; Durette, Chantal; Bonneil, Eric; Courcelles, Mathieu; Rodenbrock, Anja; Laverdure, Jean-Philippe; Côté, Caroline; Thibault, Pierre

2016-01-01

MHC class I–associated peptides (MAPs) define the immune self for CD8+ T lymphocytes and are key targets of cancer immunosurveillance. Here, the goals of our work were to determine whether the entire set of protein-coding genes could generate MAPs and whether specific features influence the ability of discrete genes to generate MAPs. Using proteogenomics, we have identified 25,270 MAPs isolated from the B lymphocytes of 18 individuals who collectively expressed 27 high-frequency HLA-A,B allotypes. The entire MAP repertoire presented by these 27 allotypes covered only 10% of the exomic sequences expressed in B lymphocytes. Indeed, 41% of expressed protein-coding genes generated no MAPs, while 59% of genes generated up to 64 MAPs, often derived from adjacent regions and presented by different allotypes. We next identified several features of transcripts and proteins associated with efficient MAP production. From these data, we built a logistic regression model that predicts with good accuracy whether a gene generates MAPs. Our results show preferential selection of MAPs from a limited repertoire of proteins with distinctive features. The notion that the MHC class I immunopeptidome presents only a small fraction of the protein-coding genome for monitoring by the immune system has profound implications in autoimmunity and cancer immunology. PMID:27841757

GRAbB : Selective Assembly of Genomic Regions, a New Niche for Genomic Research

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brankovics, Balázs; Zhang, Hao; van Diepeningen, Anne D; van der Lee, Theo A J; Waalwijk, Cees; de Hoog, G Sybren

GRAbB (Genomic Region Assembly by Baiting) is a new program that is dedicated to assemble specific genomic regions from NGS data. This approach is especially useful when dealing with multi copy regions, such as mitochondrial genome and the rDNA repeat region, parts of the genome that are often

System for illuminating a region for isotopically selective photoexcitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Debaryshe, P.G.; Janes, G.S.; Levy, R.H.; Lindenmeier, C.W.

1979-01-01

A method is described to improve laser beam utilization in isotope separation techniques (using laser induced isotopically selective photoexcitation) by increasing the probability of photon absorption without extreme beam propagation lengths. For this purpose an optical reflection system has been designed for illuminating substantially all of three-dimensional space of a transversely flowing vapor with multiple traversals of a beam of radiation. (UK)

Distinct neural systems underlying reduced emotional enhancement for positive and negative stimuli in early Alzheimer’s disease

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Panagiota eMistridis

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Emotional information is typically better remembered than neutral content, and previous studies suggest that this effect is subserved particularly by the amygdala together with its interactions with the hippocampus. However, it is not known whether amygdala damage affects emotional memory performance at immediate and delayed recall, and whether its involvement is modulated by stimulus valence. Moreover, it is unclear to what extent more distributed neocortical regions involved in e.g. autobiographical memory, also contribute to emotional processing. We investigated these questions in a group of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD, which affects the amygdala, hippocampus and neocortical regions. Healthy controls (n = 14, patients with AD (n = 15 and its putative prodrome amnestic mild cognitive impairment (n = 11 completed a memory task consisting of immediate and delayed free recall of a list of positive, negative and neutral words. Memory performance was related to brain integrity in region of interest and whole-brain voxel-based morphometry analyses. In the brain-behavioral analyses, the left amygdala volume predicted the immediate recall of both positive and negative material, whereas at delay, left and right amygdala volumes were associated with performance with positive and negative words, respectively. Whole-brain analyses revealed additional associations between left angular gyrus integrity and the immediate recall of positive words as well as between the orbitofrontal cortex and the delayed recall of negative words. These results indicate that emotional memory impairments in AD may be underpinned by damage to regions implicated in emotional processing as well as frontoparietal regions, which may exert their influence via autobiographical memories and organizational strategies.

Selección de Píxel Semilla mediante Wavelets para Crecimiento por Regiones Difuso (Selection of Seed Pixel Through Wavelets for Fuzzy Region Growing

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Damián Valdés Santiago

2015-08-01

Full Text Available RESUMEN El análisis de masas y tumores en mamografía es un problema difícil porque los signos del cáncer pueden ser mínimos o estar superpuestos en el tejido. Las técnicas de procesamiento de imágenes pueden mejorar el diagnóstico reduciendo los costos. La detección de masas es un reto debido al bajo contraste y la pobre definición de los bordes. Una solución al problema es representar una masa mediante conjuntos difusos. En este trabajo se estudia la propuesta de Guliato et al. que plantean dos métodos de segmentación difusos. El primero determina el borde de una masa por crecimiento por regiones clásico, luego de un preprocesamiento difuso de la región de interés. El segundo es un método de crecimiento por regiones difuso. Estos métodos necesitan un píxel semilla y un umbral. En este trabajo se propone una selección automática del píxel semilla mediante la selección de píxeles muy correlacionados según la transformada wavelet de la imagen. Como medida de evaluación en la segmentación, se emplea la medida de ambigüedad definida por los autores citados. Con la selección de semilla propuesta se obtienen mejores resultados en la segmentación, respecto al uso de una semilla aleatoria. ABSTRACT The analysis of masses and tumors in mammography is difficult because developing signs of cancer may be minimal or masked by superimposed tissues. Image analysis techniques have the potential to improve the diagnostic accuracy of mammography, and reduce health-care costs. Detection of breast masses is a challenging problem due to low contrast and poor definition of their boundaries. An alternative to address this problem is to represent tumor or mass regions by fuzzy sets. In this paper, two methods of fuzzy segmentation proposed by Guliato et al. are studied. The first method determines the boundary of a mass by classic region growing after a fuzzy preprocessing step. The second method is a fuzzy region-growing method. This

GRAbB: Selective Assembly of Genomic Regions, a New Niche for Genomic Research.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Balázs Brankovics

2016-06-01

Full Text Available GRAbB (Genomic Region Assembly by Baiting is a new program that is dedicated to assemble specific genomic regions from NGS data. This approach is especially useful when dealing with multi copy regions, such as mitochondrial genome and the rDNA repeat region, parts of the genome that are often neglected or poorly assembled, although they contain interesting information from phylogenetic or epidemiologic perspectives, but also single copy regions can be assembled. The program is capable of targeting multiple regions within a single run. Furthermore, GRAbB can be used to extract specific loci from NGS data, based on homology, like sequences that are used for barcoding. To make the assembly specific, a known part of the region, such as the sequence of a PCR amplicon or a homologous sequence from a related species must be specified. By assembling only the region of interest, the assembly process is computationally much less demanding and may lead to assemblies of better quality. In this study the different applications and functionalities of the program are demonstrated such as: exhaustive assembly (rDNA region and mitochondrial genome, extracting homologous regions or genes (IGS, RPB1, RPB2 and TEF1a, as well as extracting multiple regions within a single run. The program is also compared with MITObim, which is meant for the exhaustive assembly of a single target based on a similar query sequence. GRAbB is shown to be more efficient than MITObim in terms of speed, memory and disk usage. The other functionalities (handling multiple targets simultaneously and extracting homologous regions of the new program are not matched by other programs. The program is available with explanatory documentation at https://github.com/b-brankovics/grabb. GRAbB has been tested on Ubuntu (12.04 and 14.04, Fedora (23, CentOS (7.1.1503 and Mac OS X (10.7. Furthermore, GRAbB is available as a docker repository: brankovics/grabb (https://hub.docker.com/r/brankovics/grabb/.

The spectro-contextual encoding and retrieval theory of episodic memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Watrous, Andrew J; Ekstrom, Arne D

2014-01-01

The spectral fingerprint hypothesis, which posits that different frequencies of oscillations underlie different cognitive operations, provides one account for how interactions between brain regions support perceptual and attentive processes (Siegel etal., 2012). Here, we explore and extend this idea to the domain of human episodic memory encoding and retrieval. Incorporating findings from the synaptic to cognitive levels of organization, we argue that spectrally precise cross-frequency coupling and phase-synchronization promote the formation of hippocampal-neocortical cell assemblies that form the basis for episodic memory. We suggest that both cell assembly firing patterns as well as the global pattern of brain oscillatory activity within hippocampal-neocortical networks represents the contents of a particular memory. Drawing upon the ideas of context reinstatement and multiple trace theory, we argue that memory retrieval is driven by internal and/or external factors which recreate these frequency-specific oscillatory patterns which occur during episodic encoding. These ideas are synthesized into a novel model of episodic memory (the spectro-contextual encoding and retrieval theory, or "SCERT") that provides several testable predictions for future research.

Classic selective sweeps revealed by massive sequencing in cattle.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saber Qanbari

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Human driven selection during domestication and subsequent breed formation has likely left detectable signatures within the genome of modern cattle. The elucidation of these signatures of selection is of interest from the perspective of evolutionary biology, and for identifying domestication-related genes that ultimately may help to further genetically improve this economically important animal. To this end, we employed a panel of more than 15 million autosomal SNPs identified from re-sequencing of 43 Fleckvieh animals. We mainly applied two somewhat complementary statistics, the integrated Haplotype Homozygosity Score (iHS reflecting primarily ongoing selection, and the Composite of Likelihood Ratio (CLR having the most power to detect completed selection after fixation of the advantageous allele. We find 106 candidate selection regions, many of which are harboring genes related to phenotypes relevant in domestication, such as coat coloring pattern, neurobehavioral functioning and sensory perception including KIT, MITF, MC1R, NRG4, Erbb4, TMEM132D and TAS2R16, among others. To further investigate the relationship between genes with signatures of selection and genes identified in QTL mapping studies, we use a sample of 3062 animals to perform four genome-wide association analyses using appearance traits, body size and somatic cell count. We show that regions associated with coat coloring significantly (P<0.0001 overlap with the candidate selection regions, suggesting that the selection signals we identify are associated with traits known to be affected by selection during domestication. Results also provide further evidence regarding the complexity of the genetics underlying coat coloring in cattle. This study illustrates the potential of population genetic approaches for identifying genomic regions affecting domestication-related phenotypes and further helps to identify specific regions targeted by selection during speciation, domestication and

A simple approach to spectrally resolved fluorescence and bright field microscopy over select regions of interest.

Science.gov (United States)

Dahlberg, Peter D; Boughter, Christopher T; Faruk, Nabil F; Hong, Lu; Koh, Young Hoon; Reyer, Matthew A; Shaiber, Alon; Sherani, Aiman; Zhang, Jiacheng; Jureller, Justin E; Hammond, Adam T

2016-11-01

A standard wide field inverted microscope was converted to a spatially selective spectrally resolved microscope through the addition of a polarizing beam splitter, a pair of polarizers, an amplitude-mode liquid crystal-spatial light modulator, and a USB spectrometer. The instrument is capable of simultaneously imaging and acquiring spectra over user defined regions of interest. The microscope can also be operated in a bright-field mode to acquire absorption spectra of micron scale objects. The utility of the instrument is demonstrated on three different samples. First, the instrument is used to resolve three differently labeled fluorescent beads in vitro. Second, the instrument is used to recover time dependent bleaching dynamics that have distinct spectral changes in the cyanobacteria, Synechococcus leopoliensis UTEX 625. Lastly, the technique is used to acquire the absorption spectra of CH 3 NH 3 PbBr 3 perovskites and measure differences between nanocrystal films and micron scale crystals.

A simple approach to spectrally resolved fluorescence and bright field microscopy over select regions of interest

Science.gov (United States)

Dahlberg, Peter D.; Boughter, Christopher T.; Faruk, Nabil F.; Hong, Lu; Koh, Young Hoon; Reyer, Matthew A.; Shaiber, Alon; Sherani, Aiman; Zhang, Jiacheng; Jureller, Justin E.; Hammond, Adam T.

2016-11-01

A standard wide field inverted microscope was converted to a spatially selective spectrally resolved microscope through the addition of a polarizing beam splitter, a pair of polarizers, an amplitude-mode liquid crystal-spatial light modulator, and a USB spectrometer. The instrument is capable of simultaneously imaging and acquiring spectra over user defined regions of interest. The microscope can also be operated in a bright-field mode to acquire absorption spectra of micron scale objects. The utility of the instrument is demonstrated on three different samples. First, the instrument is used to resolve three differently labeled fluorescent beads in vitro. Second, the instrument is used to recover time dependent bleaching dynamics that have distinct spectral changes in the cyanobacteria, Synechococcus leopoliensis UTEX 625. Lastly, the technique is used to acquire the absorption spectra of CH3NH3PbBr3 perovskites and measure differences between nanocrystal films and micron scale crystals.

Investigations of excretion rates of the radionuclides 230Th, 226Ra, 210Pb and 210Po of persons of the general population and of workers in selected regions in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaefer, I.; Seitz, G.; Hartmann, M.

2006-01-01

According to ICRP 60 and European-Directive 96/29, Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) and Technical Enriched Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (TENORM) have to take the radiation protection of the general population as well as of workers into account. The German radiation protection regulations stress that particularly. In connection with these regulations, various measurement programs have been and still are performed to investigate the relevant exposure paths. One of these programs is the determination of the intake of natural occurring radionuclides of the uranium decay series in individuals of the public, in exposed regions and houses and also at NORM workplaces by excretion analysis. Excretion analysis surveillance is one of the common tools for internal dosimetry. Sources of primordial radionuclides could be the ingestion of foodstuff and water and the incorporation of (mostly airborne) pollution on work places. The main focus in this report is set upon the excretion rate in faeces and urine. A cohort of about 100 persons was selected in five regions in Germany. One of these regions we chose to be the reference area. It is situated in the northern part of Germany with low background radiation. The other regions are in the south-west and south-east mountain areas. Workers were selected from drinking water providers, natural gas providers, balneologic facilities and exhibition mines and museum pits. In the same region also persons of public were recruited for the study. The paper presents selected data of the above mentioned nuclides in urine and faeces samples which were collected during 2002 to 2005. The results are grouped due the parameters like regions and working fields and are discussed in detail. These are 15 mBq/d in urine and 70 mBq/d in faeces and are not as different for the different nuclides as one may expect. (authors)

Enkephalin dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase (enkephalinase) activity: selective radioassay, properties, and regional distribution in human brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Llorens, C.; Malfroy, B.; Schwartz, J.C.; Gacel, G.; Roques, B.P.; Roy, J.; Morgat, J.L.; Javoy-Agid, F.; Agid, Y.

1982-01-01

The compound [ 3 H-Tyr 1 ,D-Ala 2 ,Leu-OH 5 ]enkephalin has been synthesised as a potentially selective substrate for enkephalin dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase (enkephalinase) activity in brain. Incubations in the presence of homogenates and particulate fractions from rodent and human brain result in the formation of [ 3 H]Tyr-D-Ala-Gly, which can be conveniently isolated by polystyrene bead column chromatography. The enzyme activity responsible for the hydrolysis of the Gly 3 -Phe 4 amide bond of this substrate displays close resemblance to that hydrolysing the natural enkephalins at the same level. In addition, enkephalinase activity characterised in postmortem human brain is closely similar to that in rodent brain, with regard to optimal pH and apparent affinities of various substrates and inhibitors, including the potent compound thiorphan. Enkephalinase activity is distributed in a highly heterogeneous fashion among regions of human brain, the highest levels being found in globus pallidus and pars reticulata of the substantia nigra. This distribution is poorly correlated with that of opiate receptor binding sites but displays some resemblance to that of reported Met 5 -enkephalin levels. (author)

Selective activation of microglia in spinal cord but not higher cortical regions following nerve injury in adult mouse

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shang Yuze

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Neuronal plasticity along the pathway for sensory transmission including the spinal cord and cortex plays an important role in chronic pain, including inflammatory and neuropathic pain. While recent studies indicate that microglia in the spinal cord are involved in neuropathic pain, a systematic study has not been performed in other regions of the central nervous system (CNS. In the present study, we used heterozygous Cx3cr1GFP/+mice to characterize the morphological phenotypes of microglia following common peroneal nerve (CPN ligation. We found that microglia showed a uniform distribution throughout the CNS, and peripheral nerve injury selectively activated microglia in the spinal cord dorsal horn and related ventral horn. In contrast, microglia was not activated in supraspinal regions of the CNS, including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC, prefrontal cortex (PFC, primary and secondary somatosensory cortex (S1 and S2, insular cortex (IC, amygdala, hippocampus, periaqueductal gray (PAG and rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM. Our results provide strong evidence that nerve injury primarily activates microglia in the spinal cord of adult mice, and pain-related cortical plasticity is likely mediated by neurons.

A genome-wide scan for selection signatures in Nellore cattle.

Science.gov (United States)

Somavilla, A L; Sonstegard, T S; Higa, R H; Rosa, A N; Siqueira, F; Silva, L O C; Torres Júnior, R A A; Coutinho, L L; Mudadu, M A; Alencar, M M; Regitano, L C A

2014-12-01

Brazilian Nellore cattle (Bos indicus) have been selected for growth traits for over more than four decades. In recent years, reproductive and meat quality traits have become more important because of increasing consumption, exports and consumer demand. The identification of genome regions altered by artificial selection can potentially permit a better understanding of the biology of specific phenotypes that are useful for the development of tools designed to increase selection efficiency. Therefore, the aims of this study were to detect evidence of recent selection signatures in Nellore cattle using extended haplotype homozygosity methodology and BovineHD marker genotypes (>777,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms) as well as to identify corresponding genes underlying these signals. Thirty-one significant regions (P meat quality, fatty acid profiles and immunity. In addition, 545 genes were identified in regions harboring selection signatures. Within this group, 58 genes were associated with growth, muscle and adipose tissue metabolism, reproductive traits or the immune system. Using relative extended haplotype homozygosity to analyze high-density single nucleotide polymorphism marker data allowed for the identification of regions potentially under artificial selection pressure in the Nellore genome, which might be used to better understand autozygosity and the effects of selection on the Nellore genome. © 2014 Stichting International Foundation for Animal Genetics.

Analysis of the most relevant anthropometric dimensions for school furniture selection based on a study with students from one Chilean region.

Science.gov (United States)

Castellucci, H I; Arezes, P M; Molenbroek, J F M

2015-01-01

Most of the worldwide standards used for furniture selection suggest the use of the Stature of the school children, assuming that all the other anthropometric characteristics will also be appropriate. However, it is important to consider that students' growth differ with age. The aim of this study is to determine if Popliteal Height can be used as a better, or more adequate, measure for classroom furniture selection when comparing with Stature. This study involved a representative group of 3046 students from the Valparaíso Region, in Chile. Regarding the methodology, eight anthropometric measures were gathered, as well as six furniture dimensions from the Chilean standard. After assigning the level of school furniture using Stature and Popliteal Height to each of the students, six mismatch equations were applied. The results show that when using Popliteal Height, higher levels of match were obtained for the two more important furniture dimensions. Additionally, it also presents a better cumulative fit than Stature. In conclusion, it seems that Popliteal Height can be the most accurate anthropometric measure for classroom furniture selection purposes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

The timing of associative memory formation: frontal lobe and anterior medial temporal lobe activity at associative binding predicts memory

Science.gov (United States)

Hales, J. B.

2011-01-01

The process of associating items encountered over time and across variable time delays is fundamental for creating memories in daily life, such as for stories and episodes. Forming associative memory for temporally discontiguous items involves medial temporal lobe structures and additional neocortical processing regions, including prefrontal cortex, parietal lobe, and lateral occipital regions. However, most prior memory studies, using concurrently presented stimuli, have failed to examine the temporal aspect of successful associative memory formation to identify when activity in these brain regions is predictive of associative memory formation. In the current study, functional MRI data were acquired while subjects were shown pairs of sequentially presented visual images with a fixed interitem delay within pairs. This design allowed the entire time course of the trial to be analyzed, starting from onset of the first item, across the 5.5-s delay period, and through offset of the second item. Subjects then completed a postscan recognition test for the items and associations they encoded during the scan and their confidence for each. After controlling for item-memory strength, we isolated brain regions selectively involved in associative encoding. Consistent with prior findings, increased regional activity predicting subsequent associative memory success was found in anterior medial temporal lobe regions of left perirhinal and entorhinal cortices and in left prefrontal cortex and lateral occipital regions. The temporal separation within each pair, however, allowed extension of these findings by isolating the timing of regional involvement, showing that increased response in these regions occurs during binding but not during maintenance. PMID:21248058

Selection of mRNA 5'-untranslated region sequence with high translation efficiency through ribosome display

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mie, Masayasu; Shimizu, Shun; Takahashi, Fumio; Kobatake, Eiry

2008-01-01

The 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) of mRNAs functions as a translation enhancer, promoting translation efficiency. Many in vitro translation systems exhibit a reduced efficiency in protein translation due to decreased translation initiation. The use of a 5'-UTR sequence with high translation efficiency greatly enhances protein production in these systems. In this study, we have developed an in vitro selection system that favors 5'-UTRs with high translation efficiency using a ribosome display technique. A 5'-UTR random library, comprised of 5'-UTRs tagged with a His-tag and Renilla luciferase (R-luc) fusion, were in vitro translated in rabbit reticulocytes. By limiting the translation period, only mRNAs with high translation efficiency were translated. During translation, mRNA, ribosome and translated R-luc with His-tag formed ternary complexes. They were collected with translated His-tag using Ni-particles. Extracted mRNA from ternary complex was amplified using RT-PCR and sequenced. Finally, 5'-UTR with high translation efficiency was obtained from random 5'-UTR library

Automated selection of brain regions for real-time fMRI brain-computer interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Lührs, Michael; Sorger, Bettina; Goebel, Rainer; Esposito, Fabrizio

2017-02-01

Objective. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) implemented with real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rt-fMRI) use fMRI time-courses from predefined regions of interest (ROIs). To reach best performances, localizer experiments and on-site expert supervision are required for ROI definition. To automate this step, we developed two unsupervised computational techniques based on the general linear model (GLM) and independent component analysis (ICA) of rt-fMRI data, and compared their performances on a communication BCI. Approach. 3 T fMRI data of six volunteers were re-analyzed in simulated real-time. During a localizer run, participants performed three mental tasks following visual cues. During two communication runs, a letter-spelling display guided the subjects to freely encode letters by performing one of the mental tasks with a specific timing. GLM- and ICA-based procedures were used to decode each letter, respectively using compact ROIs and whole-brain distributed spatio-temporal patterns of fMRI activity, automatically defined from subject-specific or group-level maps. Main results. Letter-decoding performances were comparable to supervised methods. In combination with a similarity-based criterion, GLM- and ICA-based approaches successfully decoded more than 80% (average) of the letters. Subject-specific maps yielded optimal performances. Significance. Automated solutions for ROI selection may help accelerating the translation of rt-fMRI BCIs from research to clinical applications.

PTSD and DNA Methylation in Select Immune Function Gene Promoter Regions: A Repeated Measures Case-control Study of U.S. Military Service Members

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-24

other relevant exposures which may influ- ence DNA methylation , such as dietary factors ( folate , vitamin B12 intake) (Fenech, 2001; Piyathilake and...ARTICLE published: 24 June 2013 doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00056 PTSD and DNA methylation in select immune function gene promoter regions: a repeated measures...largely unknown. Dis- tinct expression signatures for PTSD have been found, in particular for immune activation transcripts. DNA methylation may be

Understanding the selection processes of public research projects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Materia, V.C.; Pascucci, S.; Kolympiris, C.

2015-01-01

This paper analyses factors that affect the funding of agricultural research projects by regional governments and other regional public authorities. We study the selection process of agricultural research projects funded by the emilia Romagna regional government in Italy, which follows funding

Selective amplification of T-cell receptor variable region species is demonstrable but not essential in early lesions of psoriasis vulgaris: analysis by anchored polymerase chain reaction and hypervariable region size spectratyping.

Science.gov (United States)

Vekony, M A; Holder, J E; Lee, A J; Horrocks, C; Eperon, I C; Camp, R D

1997-07-01

Several groups have investigated the role of T cells in the pathogenesis of psoriasis by determination of T-cell receptor (TCR) B-chain variable (V) region usage, both in chronic plaque (psoriasis vulgaris) and guttate forms, with various results. Because there are no data on TCR expression in early psoriasis vulgaris, when specific cellular immune events may be expected to be most pronounced, we have analyzed early lesions (less than 3 wk old) of ten patients, with highly reproducible results. We have developed a highly controlled anchored polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method in which TCR beta chain species are all amplified with the same primer pair and products are quantified by dot blot hybridization with BV family-specific oligonucleotide probes. Overexpression of certain TCR BV genes was observed in the majority of lesional biopsies, but in samples in which the expanded BV family formed more than 10% of total lesional BV (half of the samples analyzed), BV2 and BV6 predominated. The consistency of overexpression of these BV species between patients was much less than in previous studies of TCRBV usage in established chronic plaque psoriasis lesions. Complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) size spectratyping demonstrated evidence for selective clonal T cell accumulation in less than half of the lesional samples showing BV expansion. These results indicate that selective amplification of TCRBV species occurs in early psoriasis vulgaris but is not essential to the pathogenic process and may be more important in the maintenance or expansion of chronic lesions.

Assessment Strategies for Municipal Selective Waste Collection – Regional Waste Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agnieszka Boas Berg

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Waste disposal in landfill sites causes a potentialhazard for the human health, as they release substantial amounts of gas, odours and pollutants to the environment. There have been vast reductions in the volume of waste being landfilledin many European countries and a reduction in the number of illegal landfills The European Parliament’s laws obliged the Member States to amend the national waste law; the main objectives of the implemented directives are to create the conditions for the prevention of excessive waste. Directive 2008/98/EC establishes, as a goal for 2020, that waste reuse and recycling reach 50% of the total waste produced. Poland, having joined the European Union, committed itself to implementing many changes related to waste management. The amendment of the law on the maintenance of cleanliness and order in the municipalities imposed new obligations regarding the waste management (WM on the local government and residents. By adopting a municipal waste management system, the selected municipality made all its residents responsible for their waste. However, the fact of introducing changes does not solve the waste problem. The implementation of EU directives and the development of strategic documents such as the National Waste Management Plan (NWMP have made a clear change in the WM approach. One of the changes was the establishment of selective collection of municipal selective waste (MSW, with the issue of collecting the waste by the residents being a priority. This work describes the legal context of selective collection of MSW as one of the most effective means of reducing the amount of waste being landfilled.

Factors influencing frontal cortex development and recovery from early frontal injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Halliwell, Celeste; Comeau, Wendy; Gibb, Robbin; Frost, Douglas O; Kolb, Bryan

2009-01-01

Neocortical development represents more than a simple unfolding of a genetic blueprint but rather represents a complex dance of genetic and environmental events that interact to adapt the brain to fit a particular environmental context. Although most cortical regions are sensitive to a wide range of experiential factors during development and later in life, the prefrontal cortex appears to be unusually sensitive to perinatal experiences and relatively immune to many adulthood experiences relative to other neocortical regions. One way to examine experience-dependent prefrontal development is to conduct studies in which experiential perturbations are related neuronal morphology. This review of the research reveals both pre- and post-natal factors have important effects on prefrontal development and behaviour. Such factors include psychoactive drugs, including both illicit drugs and prescription drugs, stress, gonadal hormones and sensory and motor stimulation. A second method of study is to examine both the effects of perinatal prefrontal injury on the development of the remaining cerebral mantle and correlated behaviours as well as the effects of post-injury rehabilitation programmes on the anatomical and behavioural measures. Prefrontal injury alters cerebral development in a developmental-stage dependent manner with perinatal injuries having far more deleterious effects than similar injuries later in infancy. The outcome of perinatal injuries can be modified, however, by rehabilitation with many of the factors shown to influence prefrontal development in the otherwise normal brain.

Age-related effects in the neocortical organization of chimpanzees

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Autrey, Michelle M; Reamer, Lisa A; Mareno, Mary Catherine

2014-01-01

chimpanzees. We used the BrainVisa software to measure total brain volume, gray and white matter volumes, gray matter thickness, and gyrification index in a cross-sectional sample of 219 captive chimpanzees (8-53 years old), with 38 subjects being 40 or more years of age. Mean depth and cortical fold opening...... of 11 major sulci of the chimpanzee brains were also measured. We found that chimpanzees showed increased gyrification with age and a cubic relationship between age and white matter volume. For the association between age and sulcus depth and width, the results were mostly non......Among primates, humans exhibit the most profound degree of age-related brain volumetric decline in particular regions, such as the hippocampus and the frontal lobe. Recent studies have shown that our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees, experience little to no volumetric decline in gray...

The Multiple Facets of Regional Innovation

OpenAIRE

Matthias Siller; Christoph Hauser; Janette Walde; Gottfried Tappeiner

2014-01-01

Measuring innovation activities involves critical decisions in selecting appropriate indicators and levels of observation. The present article contributes to the literature on this subject by addressing innovation measurement on the regional level. The dimensionality of regional innovation is examined by applying a principal component analysis on seven innovation output indicators in European regions from the Community Innovation Survey and two traditional indicators, i.e. patent applications...

A machine learning approach for the identification of key markers involved in brain development from single-cell transcriptomic data.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Yongli; Hase, Takeshi; Li, Hui Peng; Prabhakar, Shyam; Kitano, Hiroaki; Ng, See Kiong; Ghosh, Samik; Wee, Lawrence Jin Kiat

2016-12-22

The ability to sequence the transcriptomes of single cells using single-cell RNA-seq sequencing technologies presents a shift in the scientific paradigm where scientists, now, are able to concurrently investigate the complex biology of a heterogeneous population of cells, one at a time. However, till date, there has not been a suitable computational methodology for the analysis of such intricate deluge of data, in particular techniques which will aid the identification of the unique transcriptomic profiles difference between the different cellular subtypes. In this paper, we describe the novel methodology for the analysis of single-cell RNA-seq data, obtained from neocortical cells and neural progenitor cells, using machine learning algorithms (Support Vector machine (SVM) and Random Forest (RF)). Thirty-eight key transcripts were identified, using the SVM-based recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) method of feature selection, to best differentiate developing neocortical cells from neural progenitor cells in the SVM and RF classifiers built. Also, these genes possessed a higher discriminative power (enhanced prediction accuracy) as compared commonly used statistical techniques or geneset-based approaches. Further downstream network reconstruction analysis was carried out to unravel hidden general regulatory networks where novel interactions could be further validated in web-lab experimentation and be useful candidates to be targeted for the treatment of neuronal developmental diseases. This novel approach reported for is able to identify transcripts, with reported neuronal involvement, which optimally differentiate neocortical cells and neural progenitor cells. It is believed to be extensible and applicable to other single-cell RNA-seq expression profiles like that of the study of the cancer progression and treatment within a highly heterogeneous tumour.

THE DECISION MAKING OF BUSINESS TRAVELLERS IN SELECTING ONLINE TRAVEL PORTALS FOR TRAVEL BOOKING: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF DELHI NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION, INDIA

OpenAIRE

Bivek DATTA; Manohar SAJNANI; Joby THOMAS

2018-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to understand the decision making pattern of the Business Travellers in Delhi National Capital Region in India while booking their trips through Online Travel Portals. The study revolves around purchase decision pattern of Business Travellers by investigating their travel decision making style in selecting online travel portals for their trip booking. The authors have adopted the quantitative methodology to achieve the objective of the study. The study is confi...

Ectoparasites of small ruminants in three selected agro-ecological sites of Tigray Region, Ethiopia.

Science.gov (United States)

Mulugeta, Y; Yacob, Hailu T; Ashenafi, Hagos

2010-08-01

A study on ectoparasites of small ruminants in three selected agro-ecological sites of Tigray Region, Ethiopia disclosed an overall prevalence of 55.5% and 58% in each examined 750 sheep and goats, respectively. In the sheep population, Melophagus ovinus (19.1%), tick infestations (16%), Damalinia ovis (15.3%), Linognathus africanus (11.5%), and Ctenocephalides felis (9%) were the major ectoparasites. The major ectoparasites identified in goats were tick infestations (29.7%), L. africanus (27.9%), Sarcoptes scabiei var. caprae (12.5%), C. felis (11.1%), and Demodex caprae (6.8%). In sheep, there was a statistically significant difference (P ovinus, L. africanus, and ticks between midland and highland. In goats, the risk of Sarcoptes scabiei var. caprae infestation in midland (odds ratio (OR) = 17.2, P < 0.001) and lowland (OR = 5.2, P < 0.001) was 17.2 times and 5.2 times, respectively, higher than the highland. Favorable climatic conditions, backward level of management, poor level of consciousness and awareness of farmers, and weak animal health extension services are believed to have contributed for widespread distribution and occurrences of ectoparasites. The growing threat of ectoparasites to small ruminant production and the tanning industry needs well-coordinated and urgent control intervention.

Long- and short-term selective forces on malaria parasite genomes

KAUST Repository

Nygaard, Sanne

2010-09-09

Plasmodium parasites, the causal agents of malaria, result in more than 1 million deaths annually. Plasmodium are unicellular eukaryotes with small ~23 Mb genomes encoding ~5200 protein-coding genes. The protein-coding genes comprise about half of these genomes. Although evolutionary processes have a significant impact on malaria control, the selective pressures within Plasmodium genomes are poorly understood, particularly in the non-protein-coding portion of the genome. We use evolutionary methods to describe selective processes in both the coding and non-coding regions of these genomes. Based on genome alignments of seven Plasmodium species, we show that protein-coding, intergenic and intronic regions are all subject to purifying selection and we identify 670 conserved non-genic elements. We then use genome-wide polymorphism data from P. falciparum to describe short-term selective processes in this species and identify some candidate genes for balancing (diversifying) selection. Our analyses suggest that there are many functional elements in the non-genic regions of these genomes and that adaptive evolution has occurred more frequently in the protein-coding regions of the genome. © 2010 Nygaard et al.

Selective testing of women based on age for genital Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection in a centralized regional microbiology laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

Church, Deirdre L; Amante, L; Semeniuk, H; Gregson, D B

2007-04-01

Calgary Laboratory Services, Alberta, Canada, provides microbiology services via a centralized laboratory to the Calgary Health Region. A selective genital Chlamydia trachomatis (CT)/Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) testing policy for women >35 years was implemented. The changes in physician ordering practice, the rate of detection of infections, and the test turnaround times were monitored. The volume of tests, the cost/test, and the total service costs accrued in the year before and after this policy change were compared. An immediate impact was a 30% decrease in tests performed due to the laboratory rejecting samples from older women. Subsequently, physicians' practice changed so that tests were ordered when test criteria were met. Detection rates did not change in any age group. A 27.9% decrease in the total service costs resulted in a labor reduction of 0.2 FTE. Selective testing of women >35 years with a low prevalence of CT/GC infection is clinically relevant and cost-effective.

Site selection handbook: Workshop on site selection for low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-10-01

The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985 (LLRWPAA) requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to provide technical assistance to ''...those compact regions, host States and nonmember States determined by the Secretary to require assistance.'' Technical assistance has been defined to include, but not be limited to, ''technical guidelines for site selection.'' This site selection workshop was developed to assist States and Compacts in developing new low-level radioactive waste (LLW) disposal sites in accordance with the requirements of the LLRWPAA. The workshop comprises a series of lectures, discussion topics, and exercises, supported by this Site Selection Workshop Handbook, designed to examine various aspects of a comprehensive site selection program. It is not an exhaustive treatment of all aspects of site selection, nor is it prescriptive. The workshop focuses on the major elements of site selection and the tools that can be used to implement the site selection program

Interactions between working memory and selective attention

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2007-01-01

Event-related potential (ERP) was used to examine the interactions between working memory and selective attention. We combined two unrelated tasks, one requiring working memory and the other selective attention, which were performed by some undergraduates. The ERP results revealed that both congruent and incongruent stimuli in the selective attention task evoked an N400 component, reaching the peak point at around 500 ms. The N400 evoked by incongruent stimuli was more negative than that of congruent, which indicated the difference of semantic N400. Furthermore, working memory load had a significant influence on the N400 evoked by selective attention task in parietal region. And working memory load showed difference in the ERPs of working memory retrieval in central and parietal regions. The ERPs of probe under high working memory load were more positive from 350 to 550 ms post-stimulus; however, stimulus type of selective attention had no influence on working memory retrieval. The present study shows that working memory does not play a major role in the selective attention, especially in ignoring distracter, but it influences the performance of the selective attention as the background. The congruency of target and distracter in the selective attention task does not influence the working memory retrieval.

Best practices in developing regional transportation plans

Science.gov (United States)

2001-08-01

The purpose of this study is to compare Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Regional Transportation Plans (RTP) and planning processes in California with selected regions. A total of 17 MPOs were included to provide a balance of geographic locat...

The Cerebellum, Sensitive Periods, and Autism

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Samuel S.-H.; Kloth, Alexander D.; Badura, Aleksandra

2014-01-01

Cerebellar research has focused principally on adult motor function. However, the cerebellum also maintains abundant connections with nonmotor brain regions throughout postnatal life. Here we review evidence that the cerebellum may guide the maturation of remote nonmotor neural circuitry and influence cognitive development, with a focus on its relationship with autism. Specific cerebellar zones influence neocortical substrates for social interaction, and we propose that sensitive-period disruption of such internal brain communication can account for autism's key features. PMID:25102558

A Meta-Assembly of Selection Signatures in Cattle

Science.gov (United States)

Randhawa, Imtiaz A. S.; Khatkar, Mehar S.; Thomson, Peter C.; Raadsma, Herman W.

2016-01-01

Since domestication, significant genetic improvement has been achieved for many traits of commercial importance in cattle, including adaptation, appearance and production. In response to such intense selection pressures, the bovine genome has undergone changes at the underlying regions of functional genetic variants, which are termed “selection signatures”. This article reviews 64 recent (2009–2015) investigations testing genomic diversity for departure from neutrality in worldwide cattle populations. In particular, we constructed a meta-assembly of 16,158 selection signatures for individual breeds and their archetype groups (European, African, Zebu and composite) from 56 genome-wide scans representing 70,743 animals of 90 pure and crossbred cattle breeds. Meta-selection-scores (MSS) were computed by combining published results at every given locus, within a sliding window span. MSS were adjusted for common samples across studies and were weighted for significance thresholds across and within studies. Published selection signatures show extensive coverage across the bovine genome, however, the meta-assembly provides a consensus profile of 263 genomic regions of which 141 were unique (113 were breed-specific) and 122 were shared across cattle archetypes. The most prominent peaks of MSS represent regions under selection across multiple populations and harboured genes of known major effects (coat color, polledness and muscle hypertrophy) and genes known to influence polygenic traits (stature, adaptation, feed efficiency, immunity, behaviour, reproduction, beef and dairy production). As the first meta-assembly of selection signatures, it offers novel insights about the hotspots of selective sweeps in the bovine genome, and this method could equally be applied to other species. PMID:27045296

Genomic consequences of selection and genome-wide association mapping in soybean.

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Zixiang; Boyse, John F; Song, Qijian; Cregan, Perry B; Wang, Dechun

2015-09-03

Crop improvement always involves selection of specific alleles at genes controlling traits of agronomic importance, likely resulting in detectable signatures of selection within the genome of modern soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.). The identification of these signatures of selection is meaningful from the perspective of evolutionary biology and for uncovering the genetic architecture of agronomic traits. To this end, two populations of soybean, consisting of 342 landraces and 1062 improved lines, were genotyped with the SoySNP50K Illumina BeadChip containing 52,041 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and systematically phenotyped for 9 agronomic traits. A cross-population composite likelihood ratio (XP-CLR) method was used to screen the signals of selective sweeps. A total of 125 candidate selection regions were identified, many of which harbored genes potentially involved in crop improvement. To further investigate whether these candidate regions were in fact enriched for genes affected by selection, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were conducted on 7 selection traits targeted in soybean breeding (grain yield, plant height, lodging, maturity date, seed coat color, seed protein and oil content) and 2 non-selection traits (pubescence and flower color). Major genomic regions associated with selection traits overlapped with candidate selection regions, whereas no overlap of this kind occurred for the non-selection traits, suggesting that the selection sweeps identified are associated with traits of agronomic importance. Multiple novel loci and refined map locations of known loci related to these traits were also identified. These findings illustrate that comparative genomic analyses, especially when combined with GWAS, are a promising approach to dissect the genetic architecture of complex traits.

Environmental Finance Center Serving EPA's Region 8 States

Science.gov (United States)

The National Rural Water Association, headquartered in Duncan Oklahoma, has been selected through a competitive grants process to establish a regional Environmental Finance Center (EFC) serving EPA Region 8 states.

Genetic Diversity and Natural Selection in 42 kDa Region of Plasmodium vivax Merozoite Surface Protein-1 from China-Myanmar Endemic Border.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xia; Tambo, Ernest; Su, Jing; Fang, Qiang; Ruan, Wei; Chen, Jun-Hu; Yin, Ming-Bo; Zhou, Xiao-Nong

2017-10-01

Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein-1 (PvMSP1) gene codes for a major malaria vaccine candidate antigen. However, its polymorphic nature represents an obstacle to the design of a protective vaccine. In this study, we analyzed the genetic polymorphism and natural selection of the C-terminal 42 kDa fragment within PvMSP1 gene (Pv MSP142) from 77 P. vivax isolates, collected from imported cases of China-Myanmar border (CMB) areas in Yunnan province and the inland cases from Anhui, Yunnan, and Zhejiang province in China during 2009-2012. Totally, 41 haplotypes were identified and 30 of them were new haplotypes. The differences between the rates of non-synonymous and synonymous mutations suggest that PvMSP142 has evolved under natural selection, and a high selective pressure preferentially acted on regions identified of PvMSP133. Our results also demonstrated that PvMSP142 of P. vivax isolates collected on China-Myanmar border areas display higher genetic polymorphisms than those collected from inland of China. Such results have significant implications for understanding the dynamic of the P. vivax population and may be useful information towards China malaria elimination campaign strategies.

Molecular Signatures of Natural Selection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Rasmus

2005-01-01

provide important functional information. This review provides a nonmathematical description of the issues involved in detecting selection from DNA sequences and SNP data and is intended for readers who are not familiar with population genetic theory. Particular attention is placed on issues relating......There is an increasing interest in detecting genes, or genomic regions, that have been targeted by natural selection. The interest stems from a basic desire to learn more about evolutionary processes in humans and other organisms, and from the realization that inferences regarding selection may...

Brain region specific mitophagy capacity could contribute to selective neuronal vulnerability in Parkinson's disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zabel Claus

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Parkinson's disease (PD is histologically well defined by its characteristic degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Remarkably, divergent PD-related mutations can generate comparable brain region specific pathologies. This indicates that some intrinsic region-specificity respecting differential neuron vulnerability exists, which codetermines the disease progression. To gain insight into the pathomechanism of PD, we investigated protein expression and protein oxidation patterns of three different brain regions in a PD mouse model, the PINK1 knockout mice (PINK1-KO, in comparison to wild type control mice. The dysfunction of PINK1 presumably affects mitochondrial turnover by disturbing mitochondrial autophagic pathways. The three brain regions investigated are the midbrain, which is the location of substantia nigra; striatum, the major efferent region of substantia nigra; and cerebral cortex, which is more distal to PD pathology. In all three regions, mitochondrial proteins responsible for energy metabolism and membrane potential were significantly altered in the PINK1-KO mice, but with very different region specific accents in terms of up/down-regulations. This suggests that disturbed mitophagy presumably induced by PINK1 knockout has heterogeneous impacts on different brain regions. Specifically, the midbrain tissue seems to be most severely hit by defective mitochondrial turnover, whereas cortex and striatum could compensate for mitophagy nonfunction by feedback stimulation of other catabolic programs. In addition, cerebral cortex tissues showed the mildest level of protein oxidation in both PINK1-KO and wild type mice, indicating either a better oxidative protection or less reactive oxygen species (ROS pressure in this brain region. Ultra-structural histological examination in normal mouse brain revealed higher incidences of mitophagy vacuoles in cerebral cortex than in striatum and substantia

Microglial and macrophage reactions mark progressive changes and define the penumbra in the rat neocortex and striatum after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lehrmann, E; Christensen, Thomas; Zimmer, J

1997-01-01

Transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats leads to infarction of the lateral part of the striatum and adjacent neocortex, with selective neuronal necrosis in the bordering penumbral zones. Administration of glutamate, cytokine, and leukocyte antagonists have rescued mainly neocortical....../macrophages in the adjacent penumbra. Within the neocortex, a later onset of degeneration along the insular-parietal axis was marked by neuronal expression of heat shock protein and a progressive microglial activation with induction of the full repertoire of microglial activation markers, including a widespread microglial...

Natural Selection Reduced Diversity on Human Y Chromosomes

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson Sayres, Melissa A.; Lohmueller, Kirk E.; Nielsen, Rasmus

2014-01-01

The human Y chromosome exhibits surprisingly low levels of genetic diversity. This could result from neutral processes if the effective population size of males is reduced relative to females due to a higher variance in the number of offspring from males than from females. Alternatively, selection acting on new mutations, and affecting linked neutral sites, could reduce variability on the Y chromosome. Here, using genome-wide analyses of X, Y, autosomal and mitochondrial DNA, in combination with extensive population genetic simulations, we show that low observed Y chromosome variability is not consistent with a purely neutral model. Instead, we show that models of purifying selection are consistent with observed Y diversity. Further, the number of sites estimated to be under purifying selection greatly exceeds the number of Y-linked coding sites, suggesting the importance of the highly repetitive ampliconic regions. While we show that purifying selection removing deleterious mutations can explain the low diversity on the Y chromosome, we cannot exclude the possibility that positive selection acting on beneficial mutations could have also reduced diversity in linked neutral regions, and may have contributed to lowering human Y chromosome diversity. Because the functional significance of the ampliconic regions is poorly understood, our findings should motivate future research in this area. PMID:24415951

An introduction to selective surfaces for solar applications

Science.gov (United States)

Neal, W. E. J.

1983-12-01

The desired characteristics of spectrally selective surfaces for solar thermal applications include a high-level absorption of radiation in the solar region of the spectrum (from 0.3 to 2.5 microns) combined with a low value of emission in the IR region (greater than two microns). There are three energy collector temperature ranges for specific solar applications, taking into account a range from 25 to 40 C for swimming pools, a range from 40 to 150 C for space and water heating and air conditioning, and temperatures above 150 C for the production of steam and the generation of electricity. Flat plate and low concentrating collectors with suitable selective surfaces can be employed in connection with the first two temperature ranges. Various types of selective surfaces are presented in a table, giving attention to the absorptive properties for solar radiation and the emissive properties in the IR region.

Four challenges in selecting and implementing methods to monitor and evaluate participatory processes: Example from the Rwenzori region, Uganda.

Science.gov (United States)

Hassenforder, Emeline; Ducrot, Raphaëlle; Ferrand, Nils; Barreteau, Olivier; Anne Daniell, Katherine; Pittock, Jamie

2016-09-15

Participatory approaches are now increasingly recognized and used as an essential element of policies and programs, especially in regards to natural resource management (NRM). Most practitioners, decision-makers and researchers having adopted participatory approaches also acknowledge the need to monitor and evaluate such approaches in order to audit their effectiveness, support decision-making or improve learning. Many manuals and frameworks exist on how to carry out monitoring and evaluation (M&E) for participatory processes. However, few provide guidelines on the selection and implementation of M&E methods, an aspect which is also often obscure in published studies, at the expense of the transparency, reliability and validity of the study. In this paper, we argue that the selection and implementation of M&E methods are particularly strategic when monitoring and evaluating a participatory process. We demonstrate that evaluators of participatory processes have to tackle a quadruple challenge when selecting and implementing methods: using mixed-methods, both qualitative and quantitative; assessing the participatory process, its outcomes, and its context; taking into account both the theory and participants' views; and being both rigorous and adaptive. The M&E of a participatory planning process in the Rwenzori Region, Uganda, is used as an example to show how these challenges unfold on the ground and how they can be tackled. Based on this example, we conclude by providing tools and strategies that can be used by evaluators to ensure that they make utile, feasible, coherent, transparent and adaptive methodological choices when monitoring and evaluating participatory processes for NRM. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Image registration via optimization over disjoint image regions

Science.gov (United States)

Pitts, Todd; Hathaway, Simon; Karelitz, David B.; Sandusky, John; Laine, Mark Richard

2018-02-06

Technologies pertaining to registering a target image with a base image are described. In a general embodiment, the base image is selected from a set of images, and the target image is an image in the set of images that is to be registered to the base image. A set of disjoint regions of the target image is selected, and a transform to be applied to the target image is computed based on the optimization of a metric over the selected set of disjoint regions. The transform is applied to the target image so as to register the target image with the base image.

LINEAMENTS MAP OF TURKEY FROM LANDSAT IMAGERY AND SELECTING TARGET AREAS FOR MINERAL EXPLORATION, RELATIONSHIP OF REGIONAL LINEAMENTS TO EARTHQUAKE EPICENTERS, MINERAL WATERS AND HOT SPRINGS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

İsmail HENDEN

1984-06-01

Full Text Available Landsat coverage countrywide have been interpreted and a map of lineaments has been prepared. Circular features which are the surface expressions of deep or near   intrusions have  been  carefully mapped in order to investigate their relationship (if any to known mineralizations. From the outset it was postulated that the miner- alizations  are    located at the intersections of lineaments, especially in the vicinity of circular features.  To  test this hypo- thesis known mineralizations were placed on this map. It is noted that the metallic mineral deposits can be grouped into ten regions,  and out  of these,  two regions need to  be explored more intensively. In  some regions selected, locations of possible mineralizations were determined. Earthquake epicenters, mineral water sources and hot spring locations were placed on the  lineaments map. It is seen  that the hot springs and earthquake epicentres are located on regional fault systems.

Patterns of Nucleotide Diversity at the Regions Encompassing the Drosophila Insulin-Like Peptide (dilp) Genes: Demography vs. Positive Selection in Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Guirao-Rico, Sara; Aguadé, Montserrat

2013-01-01

In Drosophila, the insulin-signaling pathway controls some life history traits, such as fertility and lifespan, and it is considered to be the main metabolic pathway involved in establishing adult body size. Several observations concerning variation in body size in the Drosophila genus are suggestive of its adaptive character. Genes encoding proteins in this pathway are, therefore, good candidates to have experienced adaptive changes and to reveal the footprint of positive selection. The Drosophila insulin-like peptides (DILPs) are the ligands that trigger the insulin-signaling cascade. In Drosophila melanogaster, there are several peptides that are structurally similar to the single mammalian insulin peptide. The footprint of recent adaptive changes on nucleotide variation can be unveiled through the analysis of polymorphism and divergence. With this aim, we have surveyed nucleotide sequence variation at the dilp1-7 genes in a natural population of D. melanogaster. The comparison of polymorphism in D. melanogaster and divergence from D. simulans at different functional classes of the dilp genes provided no evidence of adaptive protein evolution after the split of the D. melanogaster and D. simulans lineages. However, our survey of polymorphism at the dilp gene regions of D. melanogaster has provided some evidence for the action of positive selection at or near these genes. The regions encompassing the dilp1-4 genes and the dilp6 gene stand out as likely affected by recent adaptive events. PMID:23308258

Phosphoinositide-3-kinases p110alpha and p110beta mediate S phase entry in astroglial cells in the marginal zone of rat neocortex

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Rabea eMüller

2013-03-01

Full Text Available In cells cultured from neocortex of newborn rats, phosphoinositide-3-kinases of class I regulate the DNA synthesis in a subgroup of astroglial cells. We have studied the location of these cells as well as the kinase isoforms which facilitate the S phase entry. Using dominant negative isoforms as well as selective pharmacological inhibitors we quantified S phase entry by nuclear labeling with bromodeoxyuridine. Only in astroglial cells harvested from the marginal zone of the neocortex inhibition of phosphoinositide-3-kinases reduced the nuclear labeling with bromodeoxyuridine, indicating that neocortical astroglial cells differ in the regulation of proliferation. The two kinase isoforms p110 and p110were essential for S phase entry. p110 diminished the level of the p27Kip1 which inactivates the complex of cyclin E and CDK2 necessary for entry into the S phase. p110phosphorylated and inhibited glycogen synthase kinase-3which can prevent S-phase entry. Taken together, both isoforms mediated S phase in a subgroup of neocortical astroglial cells and acted via distinct pathways.

Does the phenotypic selection affect the genetic structure and diversity? A study case on Walnut in eastern central Italy (the region of Marche

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Fulvio Ducci

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The Persian walnut (Juglans regia L. is widely planted in western Europe, either for fruit either for high quality timber production. This tree is generally considered non authoctonous, probably introduced from East some 7000 years ago and spread by several ancient civilisations. The possible artificial origin seems confirmed by the low intra-specific variation and the higher individual variability recorded by several Authors as well as by the lack of natural populations. Indeed, only wider fruit cultivation areas or small groups, lines or isolated walnut trees can be recorded in Italy. The occurrence of walnuts in forest, escaped from cultivation areas, is very rare. Due to the increased interest of planters, walnut plantations have been extended several ten thousands hectares throughout all western Europe. As a consequence of that it was evident the necessity of selected suitable basic populations in order to supply high quality reproductive materials. The conventional method based on the organisation of a wide and exhaustive seed procurement from the native range to establish provenance tests is at the present impossible. Thus it is necessary to study methods of selection which consider basic materials growing within the western European range. This study is aimed to test the efficiency of the multi-trait Selection Index method, in preserving levels of genetic diversity and structures compatible with the standards observed within a reference system of extended Italian populations. As a consequence of the relatively recent introduction, the genetic structure of the species shows individual variation higher than inter-population diversity. Those genetic structure characteristics were revealed also during a survey of walnut resources in the region of Marche, central Italy. The survey was the starting point for selecting and preserving basic materials for high quality woody production, possibly interesting for forest nurseries in the region. The

Systemic injection of kainic acid: Gliosis in olfactory and limbic brain regions quantified with [3H]PK 11195 binding autoradiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Altar, C.A.; Baudry, M.

1990-01-01

Neurodegenerative diseases may result from excessive stimulation of excitatory amino acid receptors by endogenous ligands. Because neuronal degeneration is associated with glial proliferation and hypertrophy, the degenerative changes throughout rat brain following the systemic administration of kainic acid (12 mg/kg) were mapped with quantitative autoradiography of [3H]PK 11195. This radioligand binds to a mitochondrial benzodiazepine binding site (MBBS) on microglia and astrocytes. Analysis of eight horizontal and four coronal brain levels revealed up to 16-fold increases in [3H]PK 11195 binding from 1 to 5 weeks but not 1 day after kainate injection. Increases in [3H]PK 11195 binding were predominantly in ventral limbic brain regions and olfactory projections to neocortical areas, with the olfactory cortex greater than subiculum/CA1 greater than anterior olfactory nucleus, medial thalamic nucleus, and piriform cortex greater than cingulate cortex and rostral hippocampus greater than dentate gyrus, septum, and amygdala greater than entorhinal cortex and temporal cortex. Little or no enhancement of [3H]PK 11195 binding was observed in numerous regions including the caudate-putamen, substantia nigra, nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercle, cerebellum, thalamic nuclei, choroid plexus, medulla, parietal or occipital cortex, or pons. A 2-fold greater extent of neurodegeneration was obtained in ventral portions of the olfactory bulb, entorhinal cortex, temporal cortex, and dentate gyrus compared with the dorsal portions of these structures. The pattern of increase in [3H]PK 11195 binding closely matched the patterns of neuronal degeneration reported following parenteral kainate injection. These findings strengthen the notion that quantitative autoradiography of [3H]PK 11195 is a valuable tool to quantify the extent of neuronal degeneration

Development of regional growth centres and impact on regional growth: A case study of Thailand’s Northeastern region

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Nattapon Sang-arun

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the spatial economic structure and inequality in Thailand at the national and regional levels, with a particular focus on the Northeastern region in the period from 1987 to 2007. The study has three main points: 1 examination of the economic structure and inequality at the national level and in the Northeastern region according to the Theil index, 2 determination of regional growth centres and satellite towns by using growth pole theory as a conceptual framework and incorporating spatial interaction analysis and 3 analysis of the relationship between regional growth centres and satellite towns with regard to the impact on growth and inequality. The results show that the Northeastern region is definitely the lagging region in the nation, by both gross domestic product (GDP and gross regional product (GRP per capita. It was therefore selected for a case study. Spatial analysis identified Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Ubon Ratchathani as regional growth centres. Each of them has its own sphere of influence (or satellite towns, and the total area of regional growth centres and satellite towns are classified as sub-regions. The development of regional growth centres has a direct impact on sub-regional economic growth through economic and social relationships: urbanisation, industrial development, per capita growth, the number of higher educational institutes and so on. However, such growth negatively correlates with economic equality among the provinces in a sub-region. The inequality trend is obviously on an upswing. This study suggests that industrial links between regional growth centres and their satellite towns should be improved in order for regional growth centre development to have a consistently desirable effect on both economic growth and equality. Such a strong process means that the growth of regional growth centres will spread, leading to the development of their surrounding areas.

Woody species diversity in forest plantations in a mountainous region of Beijing, China: effects of sampling scale and species selection.

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Yuxin Zhang

Full Text Available The role of forest plantations in biodiversity conservation has gained more attention in recent years. However, most work on evaluating the diversity of forest plantations focuses only on one spatial scale; thus, we examined the effects of sampling scale on diversity in forest plantations. We designed a hierarchical sampling strategy to collect data on woody species diversity in planted pine (Pinus tabuliformis Carr., planted larch (Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr., and natural secondary deciduous broadleaf forests in a mountainous region of Beijing, China. Additive diversity partition analysis showed that, compared to natural forests, the planted pine forests had a different woody species diversity partitioning pattern at multi-scales (except the Simpson diversity in the regeneration layer, while the larch plantations did not show multi-scale diversity partitioning patterns that were obviously different from those in the natural secondary broadleaf forest. Compare to the natural secondary broadleaf forests, the effects of planted pine forests on woody species diversity are dependent on the sampling scale and layers selected for analysis. Diversity in the planted larch forest, however, was not significantly different from that in the natural forest for all diversity components at all sampling levels. Our work demonstrated that the species selected for afforestation and the sampling scales selected for data analysis alter the conclusions on the levels of diversity supported by plantations. We suggest that a wide range of scales should be considered in the evaluation of the role of forest plantations on biodiversity conservation.

Investigation of candidate regions influencing litter size in Danish Landrace sows

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjerre, Ditte; Mark, Thomas; Sørensen, P.

2010-01-01

allele effect of microsatellite alleles in the region. In spite of the apparent increased historical selection pressure on chromosome 13, fairly large variation in allele effects was observed, indicating that the markers within the region may be used for marker-assisted selection. However, substantial...... and low EBV for litter size were genotyped. An assignment test showed that 91 and 90% of the sows could be assigned correctly to the group of sows representing high and low EBV, respectively, based on genotype information. Allele effects were estimated separately for each marker by using deregressed EBV...... and a linear model that include both a polygenic and an allele effect. The investigated region on chromosome 13 was found to have a greater average identity by state relationship compared with the other regions, indicating that selection has taken place in this region. This is supported by an increased average...

Region-specific study of the electric utility industry: financial history and future power requirements for the VACAR region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pochan, M.J.

1985-07-01

Financial data for the period 1966 to 1981 are presented for the four investor-owned electric utilities in the VACAR (Virginia-Carolinas) region. This region was selected as representative for the purpose of assessing the availability, reliability, and cost of electric power for the future in the United States. The estimated demand for power and planned additions to generating capacity for the region through the year 2000 are also given

Does FDI promote regional development? Evidence from local and regional productivity spillovers in Greece

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Vassilis MONASTIRIOTIS

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Studies on the productivity spillovers of FDI have concentrated on the nationalsectoral level. As a result, little is known about the impact of FDI on absolute and relative regional economic performance. In this paper we examine this issue by relying on a unique dataset of over 20,000 Greek firms for the period 2002-2006 covering all sectors of economic activity. We examine the spatial distribution of foreign-owned firms in the country and analyse the effect that their presence – at the local, regional and national levels – has on the productivity of domestic firms. We find strong evidence suggesting that foreignowned firms self-select into regions and sectors of high productivity. Net of this selection effect, the impact of foreign presence on domestic productivity is negative – although at the very local level some positive spillover effects are identifiable. The bulk of the effects concentrate in non-manufacturing activities, high-tech sectors, and medium-sized high-productivity firms. Importantly, this effect is not constant across space however. Productivity spillovers tend to be negative in the regions hosting the main urban areas in the country but positive in smaller and more peripheral regions. In this way, despite the tendency of FDI to concentrate in a limited number of areas within the country – those of the highest level of development – the externalities that FDI activity generates to the local economies appear to be of a rather equilibrating character.

Signatures of Selection in the Genomes of Commercial and Non-Commercial Chicken Breeds

Science.gov (United States)

Elferink, Martin G.; Megens, Hendrik-Jan; Vereijken, Addie; Hu, Xiaoxiang; Crooijmans, Richard P. M. A.; Groenen, Martien A. M.

2012-01-01

Identifying genomics regions that are affected by selection is important to understand the domestication and selection history of the domesticated chicken, as well as understanding molecular pathways underlying phenotypic traits and breeding goals. While whole-genome approaches, either high-density SNP chips or massively parallel sequencing, have been successfully applied to identify evidence for selective sweeps in chicken, it has been difficult to distinguish patterns of selection and stochastic and breed specific effects. Here we present a study to identify selective sweeps in a large number of chicken breeds (67 in total) using a high-density (58 K) SNP chip. We analyzed commercial chickens representing all major breeding goals. In addition, we analyzed non-commercial chicken diversity for almost all recognized traditional Dutch breeds and a selection of representative breeds from China. Based on their shared history or breeding goal we in silico grouped the breeds into 14 breed groups. We identified 396 chromosomal regions that show suggestive evidence of selection in at least one breed group with 26 of these regions showing strong evidence of selection. Of these 26 regions, 13 were previously described and 13 yield new candidate genes for performance traits in chicken. Our approach demonstrates the strength of including many different populations with similar, and breed groups with different selection histories to reduce stochastic effects based on single populations. PMID:22384281

Northeast Regional Biomass Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O' Connell, R.A.

1991-11-01

The management structure and program objectives for the Northeast Regional Biomass Program (NRBP) remain unchanged from previous years. Additional funding was provided by the Bonneville Power Administration Regional Biomass Program to continue the publication of articles in the Biologue. The Western Area Power Administration and the Council of Great Lakes Governors funded the project Characterization of Emissions from Burning Woodwaste''. A grant for the ninth year was received from DOE. The Northeast Regional Biomass Steering Committee selected the following four projects for funding for the next fiscal year. (1) Wood Waste Utilization Conference, (2) Performance Evaluation of Wood Systems in Commercial Facilities, (3) Wood Energy Market Utilization Training, (4) Update of the Facility Directory.

Northeast Regional Biomass Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Connell, R.A.

1991-11-01

The management structure and program objectives for the Northeast Regional Biomass Program (NRBP) remain unchanged from previous years. Additional funding was provided by the Bonneville Power Administration Regional Biomass Program to continue the publication of articles in the Biologue. The Western Area Power Administration and the Council of Great Lakes Governors funded the project ''Characterization of Emissions from Burning Woodwaste''. A grant for the ninth year was received from DOE. The Northeast Regional Biomass Steering Committee selected the following four projects for funding for the next fiscal year. (1) Wood Waste Utilization Conference, (2) Performance Evaluation of Wood Systems in Commercial Facilities, (3) Wood Energy Market Utilization Training, (4) Update of the Facility Directory

Exome sequencing generates high quality data in non-target regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guo Yan

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Exome sequencing using next-generation sequencing technologies is a cost efficient approach to selectively sequencing coding regions of human genome for detection of disease variants. A significant amount of DNA fragments from the capture process fall outside target regions, and sequence data for positions outside target regions have been mostly ignored after alignment. Result We performed whole exome sequencing on 22 subjects using Agilent SureSelect capture reagent and 6 subjects using Illumina TrueSeq capture reagent. We also downloaded sequencing data for 6 subjects from the 1000 Genomes Project Pilot 3 study. Using these data, we examined the quality of SNPs detected outside target regions by computing consistency rate with genotypes obtained from SNP chips or the Hapmap database, transition-transversion (Ti/Tv ratio, and percentage of SNPs inside dbSNP. For all three platforms, we obtained high-quality SNPs outside target regions, and some far from target regions. In our Agilent SureSelect data, we obtained 84,049 high-quality SNPs outside target regions compared to 65,231 SNPs inside target regions (a 129% increase. For our Illumina TrueSeq data, we obtained 222,171 high-quality SNPs outside target regions compared to 95,818 SNPs inside target regions (a 232% increase. For the data from the 1000 Genomes Project, we obtained 7,139 high-quality SNPs outside target regions compared to 1,548 SNPs inside target regions (a 461% increase. Conclusions These results demonstrate that a significant amount of high quality genotypes outside target regions can be obtained from exome sequencing data. These data should not be ignored in genetic epidemiology studies.

Rampant adaptive evolution in regions of proteins with unknown function in Drosophila simulans.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alisha K Holloway

2007-10-01

Full Text Available Adaptive protein evolution is pervasive in Drosophila. Genomic studies, thus far, have analyzed each protein as a single entity. However, the targets of adaptive events may be localized to particular parts of proteins, such as protein domains or regions involved in protein folding. We compared the population genetic mechanisms driving sequence polymorphism and divergence in defined protein domains and non-domain regions. Interestingly, we find that non-domain regions of proteins are more frequent targets of directional selection. Protein domains are also evolving under directional selection, but appear to be under stronger purifying selection than non-domain regions. Non-domain regions of proteins clearly play a major role in adaptive protein evolution on a genomic scale and merit future investigations of their functional properties.

Screening of CHP Potential at Federal Sites in Select Regions of the U.S.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Energy Nexus Group, . .

2002-02-25

Combined Cooling Heat and Power (CHP) is a master term for onsite power generation technologies that sequentially produce electrical or mechanical energy and useful thermal energy. Some form of CHP has existed for more than 100 years and it is now achieving a greater level of acceptance due to an increasing need for reliable power service and energy cost management. Capturing and using the heat produced as a byproduct of generating electricity from fuel sources increases the usable energy that can be obtained from the original fuel source. CHP technologies have the potential to reduce energy consumption through increased efficiency--decreasing energy bills as well as pollution. The EPA recognizes CHP as a potent climate change mitigation measure. The U.S. Department of Energy (D.O.E.) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) is assisting Federal agencies to realize their energy efficiency goals. CHP is an efficiency measure that is receiving growing attention because of its sizable potential to provide efficiency, environmental, and reliability benefits. CHP therefore benefits the host facility, the electric infrastructure, and the U.S. society as a whole. This report and study seeks to make a preliminary inquiry into near term CHP opportunities for federal facilities in selected U.S. regions. It offers to help focus the attention of policy makers and energy facility managers on good candidate facilities for CHP. First, a ranked list of high potential individual sites is identified. Then, several classes of federal facilities are identified for the multiple opportunities they offer as a class. Recommendations are then offered for appropriate next steps for the evaluation and cost effective implementation of CHP. This study was designed to ultimately rank federal facilities in terms of their potential to take advantage of CHP economic and external savings in the near term. In order to best serve the purposes of this study, projections have been expressed in terms of

Model of Cortical Organization Embodying a Basis for a Theory of Information Processing and Memory Recall

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Gordon L.; Silverman, Dennis J.; Pearson, John C.

1985-04-01

Motivated by V. B. Mountcastle's organizational principle for neocortical function, and by M. E. Fisher's model of physical spin systems, we introduce a cooperative model of the cortical column incorporating an idealized substructure, the trion, which represents a localized group of neurons. Computer studies reveal that typical networks composed of a small number of trions (with symmetric interactions) exhibit striking behavior--e.g., hundreds to thousands of quasi-stable, periodic firing patterns, any of which can be selected out and enhanced with only small changes in interaction strengths by using a Hebb-type algorithm.

REGIONAL COOPERATION AND INTEGRATION IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

OpenAIRE

Martina Metzger

2008-01-01

Africa has a long tradition of regional cooperation, its trade and monetary integration schemes being the oldest in the developing world. This paper analyses the state of regional integration with respect to trade and financial relations in selected regional schemes in Central, Southern and West Africa. The paper concludes that in particular regional monetary integration offers advantages in terms of monetary stability, growth, competitiveness, deepening of financial markets and ownership com...

Characterization of sorption properties of selected soils from Lublin region by using water vapour adsorption method

Science.gov (United States)

Skic, Kamil; Boguta, Patrycja; Sokołowska, Zofia

2016-04-01

*The studies were carried out within the framework of a research project. The project was financed from funds of National Science Center on the base of decision number DEC-2013/11/D/NZ9/02545 Among many methods proposed to study sorption properties of soils an analysis of adsorption/ desorption isotherm is probably the easiest and most convenient one. It characterizes both quantity and quality of mineral and organic components and also their physical and physicochemical properties. The main aim of this study is comparison of sorption properties of selected Polish soils by using water vapour adsorption method. Samples were taken from the depth of 0-20 cm, from the Lublin region, eastern Poland. Soils were selected on the basis of their different physicochemical properties and were classified as: Haplic Fluvisol, Haplic Chernozem, Mollic Gleysol, Rendzic Phaeozem, Stagnic Luvisol, Haplic Cambisol (WG WRB 2006). Data taken from experimental adsorption isotherms were used to determine parameters of monolayer capacity, specific surface area and the total amount of vapour adsorbed at relative pressure of 0.974. Obtained adsorption and desorption isotherms reviled that adsorbate molecules interacted with the soil particles in different extent. Similar monolayer capacity was observed for Haplic Fluvisol, Haplic Chernozem and Stagnic Luvisol, while for Mollic Gleysol was more than 4 times higher. Mollic Gleysol was also characterized by highest values of specific surface area as well as quantity of adsorbed vapour at relative pressure of 0.974. Higher sorption was caused by presence of soil colloids which contains functional groups of a polar nature (mainly hydroxyls, phenolic and carboxyls). These groups similarly to silicates, oxides, hydratable cations as well as electric charge form adsorption centres for water vapour molecules.

Investigation of Five Algorithms for Selection of the Optimal Region of Interest in Smartphone Photoplethysmography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rong-Chao Peng

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Smartphone photoplethysmography is a newly developed technique that can detect several physiological parameters from the photoplethysmographic signal obtained by the built-in camera of a smartphone. It is simple, low-cost, and easy-to-use, with a great potential to be used in remote medicine and home healthcare service. However, the determination of the optimal region of interest (ROI, which is an important issue for extracting photoplethysmographic signals from the camera video, has not been well studied. We herein proposed five algorithms for ROI selection: variance (VAR, spectral energy ratio (SER, template matching (TM, temporal difference (TD, and gradient (GRAD. Their performances were evaluated by a 50-subject experiment comparing the heart rates measured from the electrocardiogram and those from the smartphone using the five algorithms. The results revealed that the TM and the TD algorithms outperformed the other three as they had less standard error of estimate (<1.5 bpm and smaller limits of agreement (<3 bpm. The TD algorithm was slightly better than the TM algorithm and more suitable for smartphone applications. These results may be helpful to improve the accuracy of the physiological parameters measurement and to make the smartphone photoplethysmography technique more practical.

The corpus callosum, the other great forebrain commissures, and the septum pellucidum: anatomy, development, and malformation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raybaud, Charles [Division of Neuroradiology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON (Canada); University of Toronto, Division of Radiology, Toronto, ON (Canada)

2010-06-15

There are three telencephalic commissures which are paleocortical (the anterior commissure), archicortical (the hippocampal commissure), and neocortical. In non-placental mammals, the neocortical commissural fibers cross the midline together with the anterior and possibly the hippocampal commissure, across the lamina reuniens (joining plate) in the upper part of the lamina terminalis. In placental mammals, a phylogenetically new feature emerged, which is the corpus callosum: it results from an interhemispheric fusion line with specialized groups of mildline glial cells channeling the commissural axons through the interhemispheric meninges toward the contralateral hemispheres. This concerns the frontal lobe mainly however: commissural fibers from the temporo-occipital neocortex still use the anterior commissure to cross, and the posterior occipito-parietal fibers use the hippocampal commissure, forming the splenium in the process. The anterior callosum and the splenium fuse secondarily to form the complete commissural plate. Given the complexity of the processes involved, commissural ageneses are many and usually associated with other diverse defects. They may be due to a failure of the white matter to develop or to the commissural neurons to form or to migrate, to a global failure of the midline crossing processes or to a selective failure of commissuration affecting specific commissural sites (anterior or hippocampal commissures, anterior callosum), or specific sets of commissural axons (paleocortical, hippocampal, neocortical commissural axons). Severe hemispheric dysplasia may prevent the axons from reaching the midline on one or both sides. Besides the intrinsically neural defects, midline meningeal factors may prevent the commissuration as well (interhemispheric cysts or lipoma). As a consequence, commissural agenesis is a malformative feature, not a malformation by itself. Good knowledge of the modern embryological data may allow for a good understanding of a

Robust Selectivity for Faces in the Human Amygdala in the Absence of Expressions

Science.gov (United States)

Mende-Siedlecki, Peter; Verosky, Sara C.; Turk-Browne, Nicholas B.; Todorov, Alexander

2014-01-01

There is a well-established posterior network of cortical regions that plays a central role in face processing and that has been investigated extensively. In contrast, although responsive to faces, the amygdala is not considered a core face-selective region, and its face selectivity has never been a topic of systematic research in human neuroimaging studies. Here, we conducted a large-scale group analysis of fMRI data from 215 participants. We replicated the posterior network observed in prior studies but found equally robust and reliable responses to faces in the amygdala. These responses were detectable in most individual participants, but they were also highly sensitive to the initial statistical threshold and habituated more rapidly than the responses in posterior face-selective regions. A multivariate analysis showed that the pattern of responses to faces across voxels in the amygdala had high reliability over time. Finally, functional connectivity analyses showed stronger coupling between the amygdala and posterior face-selective regions during the perception of faces than during the perception of control visual categories. These findings suggest that the amygdala should be considered a core face-selective region. PMID:23984945

Regional socioeconomic indicators and ethnicity as predictors of regional infant mortality rate in Slovakia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rosicova, Katarina; Geckova, Andrea Madarasova; van Dijk, Jitse P.; Kollarova, Jana; Rosic, Martin; Groothoff, Johan W.

2011-01-01

Objective Exploring the associations of regional differences in infant mortality with selected socioeconomic indicators and ethnicity could offer important clues for designing public health policy measures. Methods Data included perinatal and infant mortality in the 79 districts of the Slovak

Histamine H3 receptor density is negatively correlated with neural activity related to working memory in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Ito, Takehito; Kimura, Yasuyuki; Seki, Chie; Ichise, Masanori; Yokokawa, Keita; Kawamura, Kazunori; Takahashi, Hidehiko; Higuchi, Makoto; Zhang, Ming-Rong; Suhara, Tetsuya; Yamada, Makiko

2018-06-14

The histamine H 3 receptor is regarded as a drug target for cognitive impairments in psychiatric disorders. H 3 receptors are expressed in neocortical areas, including the prefrontal cortex, the key region of cognitive functions such as working memory. However, the role of prefrontal H 3 receptors in working memory has not yet been clarified. Therefore, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) techniques, we aimed to investigate the association between the neural activity of working memory and the density of H 3 receptors in the prefrontal cortex. Ten healthy volunteers underwent both fMRI and PET scans. The N-back task was used to assess the neural activities related to working memory. H 3 receptor density was measured with the selective PET radioligand [ 11 C] TASP457. The neural activity of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during the performance of the N-back task was negatively correlated with the density of H 3 receptors in this region. Higher neural activity of working memory was associated with lower H 3 receptor density in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. This finding elucidates the role of H 3 receptors in working memory and indicates the potential of H 3 receptors as a therapeutic target for the cognitive impairments associated with neuropsychiatric disorders.

Investigations of excretion rates of the radionuclides {sup 230}Th, {sup 226}Ra, {sup 210}Pb and {sup 210}Po of persons of the general population and of workers in selected regions in Germany

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schaefer, I. [Nuclear Engineering and Analytics Rossendorf Inc. D-01328 Dresden (Germany); Seitz, G. [Institution for statutory accident insurance and prevention in the precision engineering and electrical industry, D-50941 Koeln (Germany); Hartmann, M. [Federal Office for Radiation Protection, D-10318 Berlin (Germany)

2006-07-01

According to ICRP 60 and European-Directive 96/29, Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) and Technical Enriched Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (TENORM) have to take the radiation protection of the general population as well as of workers into account. The German radiation protection regulations stress that particularly. In connection with these regulations, various measurement programs have been and still are performed to investigate the relevant exposure paths. One of these programs is the determination of the intake of natural occurring radionuclides of the uranium decay series in individuals of the public, in exposed regions and houses and also at NORM workplaces by excretion analysis. Excretion analysis surveillance is one of the common tools for internal dosimetry. Sources of primordial radionuclides could be the ingestion of foodstuff and water and the incorporation of (mostly airborne) pollution on work places. The main focus in this report is set upon the excretion rate in faeces and urine. A cohort of about 100 persons was selected in five regions in Germany. One of these regions we chose to be the reference area. It is situated in the northern part of Germany with low background radiation. The other regions are in the south-west and south-east mountain areas. Workers were selected from drinking water providers, natural gas providers, balneologic facilities and exhibition mines and museum pits. In the same region also persons of public were recruited for the study. The paper presents selected data of the above mentioned nuclides in urine and faeces samples which were collected during 2002 to 2005. The results are grouped due the parameters like regions and working fields and are discussed in detail. These are 15 mBq/d in urine and 70 mBq/d in faeces and are not as different for the different nuclides as one may expect. (authors)

Primary sources of selected POPs: regional and global scale emission inventories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Breivik, Knut; Alcock, Ruth; Li Yifan; Bailey, Robert E.; Fiedler, Heidelore; Pacyna, Jozef M

2004-03-01

During the last decade, a number of studies have been devoted to the sources and emissions of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) at regional and global scales. While significant improvements in knowledge have been achieved for some pesticides, the quantitative understanding of the emission processes and emission patterns for 'non-pesticide' POPs are still considered limited. The key issues remaining for the non-pesticide POPs are in part determined by their general source classification. For industrial chemicals, such as the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), there is considerable uncertainty with respect to the relative importance of atmospheric emissions from various source categories. For PCBs, temperature is discussed as a potential key factor influencing atmospheric emission levels and patterns. When it comes to the unintentional by-products of combustion and industrial processes (PCDD/Fs), there is still a large uncertainty with respect to the relative contribution of emissions from unregulated sources such as backyard barrel burning that requires further consideration and characterisation. For hexachlorobenzene (HCB), the relative importance of primary and secondary atmospheric emissions in controlling current atmospheric concentrations remains one of the key uncertainties. While these and other issues may remain unresolved, knowledge concerning the emissions of POPs is a prerequisite for any attempt to understand and predict the distribution and fate of these chemicals on a regional and global scale as well as to efficiently minimise future environmental burdens. - Knowledge of primary emissions is a prerequisite for understanding and predicting POPs on a regional/global scale.

Primary sources of selected POPs: regional and global scale emission inventories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Breivik, Knut; Alcock, Ruth; Li Yifan; Bailey, Robert E.; Fiedler, Heidelore; Pacyna, Jozef M.

2004-01-01

During the last decade, a number of studies have been devoted to the sources and emissions of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) at regional and global scales. While significant improvements in knowledge have been achieved for some pesticides, the quantitative understanding of the emission processes and emission patterns for 'non-pesticide' POPs are still considered limited. The key issues remaining for the non-pesticide POPs are in part determined by their general source classification. For industrial chemicals, such as the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), there is considerable uncertainty with respect to the relative importance of atmospheric emissions from various source categories. For PCBs, temperature is discussed as a potential key factor influencing atmospheric emission levels and patterns. When it comes to the unintentional by-products of combustion and industrial processes (PCDD/Fs), there is still a large uncertainty with respect to the relative contribution of emissions from unregulated sources such as backyard barrel burning that requires further consideration and characterisation. For hexachlorobenzene (HCB), the relative importance of primary and secondary atmospheric emissions in controlling current atmospheric concentrations remains one of the key uncertainties. While these and other issues may remain unresolved, knowledge concerning the emissions of POPs is a prerequisite for any attempt to understand and predict the distribution and fate of these chemicals on a regional and global scale as well as to efficiently minimise future environmental burdens. - Knowledge of primary emissions is a prerequisite for understanding and predicting POPs on a regional/global scale

Linkage disequilibrium of evolutionarily conserved regions in the human genome

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Johnson Todd A

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The strong linkage disequilibrium (LD recently found in genic or exonic regions of the human genome demonstrated that LD can be increased by evolutionary mechanisms that select for functionally important loci. This suggests that LD might be stronger in regions conserved among species than in non-conserved regions, since regions exposed to natural selection tend to be conserved. To assess this hypothesis, we used genome-wide polymorphism data from the HapMap project and investigated LD within DNA sequences conserved between the human and mouse genomes. Results Unexpectedly, we observed that LD was significantly weaker in conserved regions than in non-conserved regions. To investigate why, we examined sequence features that may distort the relationship between LD and conserved regions. We found that interspersed repeats, and not other sequence features, were associated with the weak LD tendency in conserved regions. To appropriately understand the relationship between LD and conserved regions, we removed the effect of repetitive elements and found that the high degree of sequence conservation was strongly associated with strong LD in coding regions but not with that in non-coding regions. Conclusion Our work demonstrates that the degree of sequence conservation does not simply increase LD as predicted by the hypothesis. Rather, it implies that purifying selection changes the polymorphic patterns of coding sequences but has little influence on the patterns of functional units such as regulatory elements present in non-coding regions, since the former are generally restricted by the constraint of maintaining a functional protein product across multiple exons while the latter may exist more as individually isolated units.

Pesticide contamination of fruits and vegetables - A market basket survey from selected regions in Ghana

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asiedu, Eric

2013-07-01

A market - basket survey was carried out with the aim of determining the concentration levels of pesticides, in lettuce, garden eggs, pineapple and mango from some selected regions in Ghana and to assess the potential health risk associated with exposure to the pesticide residues from fruits and vegetables consumption. A total of 192 fresh samples of fruits and vegetables were randomly collected under normal purchase conditions from 12 major towns and cities in the three regions of Ghana. The samples were extracted and analyzed for organophosphates, synthetic pyrethroids and organo chlorine pesticides. The percentage of samples of fruits and vegetables with pesticide residues in Lettuce, Garden eggs, Pineapple and Mango were 52%, 40%, 45%, 48% respectively and concentrations of pesticides did not vary significantly in samples as well as the sampling areas (p>0.05) even though there were differences in residual concentrations of pesticides . The differences in residual concentrations of pesticides could be due to different agricultural practices adopted by farmers and also accessibility of the pesticides. The average residue concentrations range from 0.01-0.45 mg/kg, 0.01-0.30 mg/kg and 0.01-1.27 mg/kg for organophosphates, synthetic pyrethroids and organo chlorine pesticides respectively. Lindane, chloropyrifos and cypermethrin were the most frequent organo chlorine, organophosphate and synthetic pyrethroid pesticides respectively while lettuce was the most frequently contaminated sample. Comparing the concentration levels of organo chlorine pesticides residue with the maximum residue limits (MRLs) adopted by the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarious Commission shows that some of the fruits and vegetables sold on Ghanaian markets are contaminated even though the levels are generally low. Health risk analysis indicates that heptachlor in particular may be of public concern since its concentration levels exceeded the reference dose in all the four different types of samples

Selected carbonyl compounds in the air of Silesia region

Science.gov (United States)

Czaplicka, Marianna; Chrobok, Michał

2018-01-01

This study was carried out to characterize three aldehydes of health concern (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein) at a three sites in Silesian region (Poland) in January and June 2015. Aldehydes in polluted atmospheres comes from both primary and secondary sources, which limits the control strategies for these reactive compounds. Average aldehyde concentration in summer period lies in range from 3.13 μg/m3 to 10.43 μg/m3, in winter period in range from 29.0 μg/m3 to 32.2 μg/m3. Acetaldehyde was dominant compound in winter period, in summer formaldehyde concentration was highest of all determined aldehydes.

Selected carbonyl compounds in the air of Silesia region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Czaplicka Marianna

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This study was carried out to characterize three aldehydes of health concern (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein at a three sites in Silesian region (Poland in January and June 2015. Aldehydes in polluted atmospheres comes from both primary and secondary sources, which limits the control strategies for these reactive compounds. Average aldehyde concentration in summer period lies in range from 3.13 μg/m3 to 10.43 μg/m3, in winter period in range from 29.0 μg/m3 to 32.2 μg/m3. Acetaldehyde was dominant compound in winter period, in summer formaldehyde concentration was highest of all determined aldehydes.

Genome-wide detection and characterization of positive selection in human populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Sabeti, Pardis C; Varilly, Patrick; Fry, Ben; Lohmueller, Jason; Hostetter, Elizabeth; Cotsapas, Chris; Xie, Xiaohui; Byrne, Elizabeth H; McCarroll, Steven A; Gaudet, Rachelle; Schaffner, Stephen F; Lander, Eric S; Frazer, Kelly A; Ballinger, Dennis G; Cox, David R; Hinds, David A; Stuve, Laura L; Gibbs, Richard A; Belmont, John W; Boudreau, Andrew; Hardenbol, Paul; Leal, Suzanne M; Pasternak, Shiran; Wheeler, David A; Willis, Thomas D; Yu, Fuli; Yang, Huanming; Zeng, Changqing; Gao, Yang; Hu, Haoran; Hu, Weitao; Li, Chaohua; Lin, Wei; Liu, Siqi; Pan, Hao; Tang, Xiaoli; Wang, Jian; Wang, Wei; Yu, Jun; Zhang, Bo; Zhang, Qingrun; Zhao, Hongbin; Zhao, Hui; Zhou, Jun; Gabriel, Stacey B; Barry, Rachel; Blumenstiel, Brendan; Camargo, Amy; Defelice, Matthew; Faggart, Maura; Goyette, Mary; Gupta, Supriya; Moore, Jamie; Nguyen, Huy; Onofrio, Robert C; Parkin, Melissa; Roy, Jessica; Stahl, Erich; Winchester, Ellen; Ziaugra, Liuda; Altshuler, David; Shen, Yan; Yao, Zhijian; Huang, Wei; Chu, Xun; He, Yungang; Jin, Li; Liu, Yangfan; Shen, Yayun; Sun, Weiwei; Wang, Haifeng; Wang, Yi; Wang, Ying; Xiong, Xiaoyan; Xu, Liang; Waye, Mary M Y; Tsui, Stephen K W; Xue, Hong; Wong, J Tze-Fei; Galver, Luana M; Fan, Jian-Bing; Gunderson, Kevin; Murray, Sarah S; Oliphant, Arnold R; Chee, Mark S; Montpetit, Alexandre; Chagnon, Fanny; Ferretti, Vincent; Leboeuf, Martin; Olivier, Jean-François; Phillips, Michael S; Roumy, Stéphanie; Sallée, Clémentine; Verner, Andrei; Hudson, Thomas J; Kwok, Pui-Yan; Cai, Dongmei; Koboldt, Daniel C; Miller, Raymond D; Pawlikowska, Ludmila; Taillon-Miller, Patricia; Xiao, Ming; Tsui, Lap-Chee; Mak, William; Song, You Qiang; Tam, Paul K H; Nakamura, Yusuke; Kawaguchi, Takahisa; Kitamoto, Takuya; Morizono, Takashi; Nagashima, Atsushi; Ohnishi, Yozo; Sekine, Akihiro; Tanaka, Toshihiro; Tsunoda, Tatsuhiko; Deloukas, Panos; Bird, Christine P; Delgado, Marcos; Dermitzakis, Emmanouil T; Gwilliam, Rhian; Hunt, Sarah; Morrison, Jonathan; Powell, Don; Stranger, Barbara E; Whittaker, Pamela; Bentley, David R; Daly, Mark J; de Bakker, Paul I W; Barrett, Jeff; Chretien, Yves R; Maller, Julian; McCarroll, Steve; Patterson, Nick; Pe'er, Itsik; Price, Alkes; Purcell, Shaun; Richter, Daniel J; Sabeti, Pardis; Saxena, Richa; Schaffner, Stephen F; Sham, Pak C; Varilly, Patrick; Altshuler, David; Stein, Lincoln D; Krishnan, Lalitha; Smith, Albert Vernon; Tello-Ruiz, Marcela K; Thorisson, Gudmundur A; Chakravarti, Aravinda; Chen, Peter E; Cutler, David J; Kashuk, Carl S; Lin, Shin; Abecasis, Gonçalo R; Guan, Weihua; Li, Yun; Munro, Heather M; Qin, Zhaohui Steve; Thomas, Daryl J; McVean, Gilean; Auton, Adam; Bottolo, Leonardo; Cardin, Niall; Eyheramendy, Susana; Freeman, Colin; Marchini, Jonathan; Myers, Simon; Spencer, Chris; Stephens, Matthew; Donnelly, Peter; Cardon, Lon R; Clarke, Geraldine; Evans, David M; Morris, Andrew P; Weir, Bruce S; Tsunoda, Tatsuhiko; Johnson, Todd A; Mullikin, James C; Sherry, Stephen T; Feolo, Michael; Skol, Andrew; Zhang, Houcan; Zeng, Changqing; Zhao, Hui; Matsuda, Ichiro; Fukushima, Yoshimitsu; Macer, Darryl R; Suda, Eiko; Rotimi, Charles N; Adebamowo, Clement A; Ajayi, Ike; Aniagwu, Toyin; Marshall, Patricia A; Nkwodimmah, Chibuzor; Royal, Charmaine D M; Leppert, Mark F; Dixon, Missy; Peiffer, Andy; Qiu, Renzong; Kent, Alastair; Kato, Kazuto; Niikawa, Norio; Adewole, Isaac F; Knoppers, Bartha M; Foster, Morris W; Clayton, Ellen Wright; Watkin, Jessica; Gibbs, Richard A; Belmont, John W; Muzny, Donna; Nazareth, Lynne; Sodergren, Erica; Weinstock, George M; Wheeler, David A; Yakub, Imtaz; Gabriel, Stacey B; Onofrio, Robert C; Richter, Daniel J; Ziaugra, Liuda; Birren, Bruce W; Daly, Mark J; Altshuler, David; Wilson, Richard K; Fulton, Lucinda L; Rogers, Jane; Burton, John; Carter, Nigel P; Clee, Christopher M; Griffiths, Mark; Jones, Matthew C; McLay, Kirsten; Plumb, Robert W; Ross, Mark T; Sims, Sarah K; Willey, David L; Chen, Zhu; Han, Hua; Kang, Le; Godbout, Martin; Wallenburg, John C; L'Archevêque, Paul; Bellemare, Guy; Saeki, Koji; Wang, Hongguang; An, Daochang; Fu, Hongbo; Li, Qing; Wang, Zhen; Wang, Renwu; Holden, Arthur L; Brooks, Lisa D; McEwen, Jean E; Guyer, Mark S; Wang, Vivian Ota; Peterson, Jane L; Shi, Michael; Spiegel, Jack; Sung, Lawrence M; Zacharia, Lynn F; Collins, Francis S; Kennedy, Karen; Jamieson, Ruth; Stewart, John

2007-10-18

With the advent of dense maps of human genetic variation, it is now possible to detect positive natural selection across the human genome. Here we report an analysis of over 3 million polymorphisms from the International HapMap Project Phase 2 (HapMap2). We used 'long-range haplotype' methods, which were developed to identify alleles segregating in a population that have undergone recent selection, and we also developed new methods that are based on cross-population comparisons to discover alleles that have swept to near-fixation within a population. The analysis reveals more than 300 strong candidate regions. Focusing on the strongest 22 regions, we develop a heuristic for scrutinizing these regions to identify candidate targets of selection. In a complementary analysis, we identify 26 non-synonymous, coding, single nucleotide polymorphisms showing regional evidence of positive selection. Examination of these candidates highlights three cases in which two genes in a common biological process have apparently undergone positive selection in the same population:LARGE and DMD, both related to infection by the Lassa virus, in West Africa;SLC24A5 and SLC45A2, both involved in skin pigmentation, in Europe; and EDAR and EDA2R, both involved in development of hair follicles, in Asia.

IQ AND SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACROSS REGIONS OF THE UK.

Science.gov (United States)

Carl, Noah

2016-05-01

Cross-regional correlations between average IQ and socioeconomic development have been documented in many different countries. This paper presents new IQ estimates for the twelve regions of the UK. These are weakly correlated (r=0.24) with the regional IQs assembled by Lynn (1979). Assuming the two sets of estimates are accurate and comparable, this finding suggests that the relative IQs of different UK regions have changed since the 1950s, most likely due to differentials in the magnitude of the Flynn effect, the selectivity of external migration, the selectivity of internal migration or the strength of the relationship between IQ and fertility. The paper provides evidence for the validity of the regional IQs by showing that IQ estimates for UK nations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) derived from the same data are strongly correlated with national PISA scores (r=0.99). It finds that regional IQ is positively related to income, longevity and technological accomplishment; and is negatively related to poverty, deprivation and unemployment. A general factor of socioeconomic development is correlated with regional IQ at r=0.72.

A pragmatic pairwise group-decision method for selection of sites for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kutbi, I.I.

1987-01-01

A pragmatic pairwise group-decision approach is applied to compare two regions in order to select the more suitable one for construction of nulcear power plants in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The selection methodology is based on pairwise comparison by forced choice. The method facilitates rating of the regions or sites using simple calculations. Two regions, one close to Dhahran on the Arabian Gulf and another close to Jeddah on the Red Sea, are evaluated. No specific site in either region is considered at this stage. The comparison is based on a set of selection criteria which include (i) topography, (ii) geology, (iii) seismology, (iv) meteorology, (v) oceanography, (vi) hydrology and (vii) proximetry to oil and gas fields. The comparison shows that the Jeddah region is more suitable than the Dhahran region. (orig.)

Divided versus selective attention: evidence for common processing mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Hahn, Britta; Wolkenberg, Frank A; Ross, Thomas J; Myers, Carol S; Heishman, Stephen J; Stein, Dan J; Kurup, Pradeep K; Stein, Elliot A

2008-06-18

The current study revisited the question of whether there are brain mechanisms specific to divided attention that differ from those used in selective attention. Increased neuronal activity required to simultaneously process two stimulus dimensions as compared with each separate dimension has often been observed, but rarely has activity induced by a divided attention condition exceeded the sum of activity induced by the component tasks. Healthy participants performed a selective-divided attention paradigm while undergoing functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). The task required participants to make a same-different judgment about either one of two simultaneously presented stimulus dimensions, or about both dimensions. Performance accuracy was equated between tasks by dynamically adjusting the stimulus display time. Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) signal differences between tasks were identified by whole-brain voxel-wise comparisons and by region-specific analyses of all areas modulated by the divided attention task (DIV). No region displayed greater activation or deactivation by DIV than the sum of signal change by the two selective attention tasks. Instead, regional activity followed the tasks' processing demands as reflected by reaction time. Only a left cerebellar region displayed a correlation between participants' BOLD signal intensity and reaction time that was selective for DIV. The correlation was positive, reflecting slower responding with greater activation. Overall, the findings do not support the existence of functional brain activity specific to DIV. Increased activity appears to reflect additional processing demands by introducing a secondary task, but those demands do not appear to qualitatively differ from processes of selective attention.

Signatures of selection in tilapia revealed by whole genome resequencing.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Jun Hong; Bai, Zhiyi; Meng, Zining; Zhang, Yong; Wang, Le; Liu, Feng; Jing, Wu; Wan, Zi Yi; Li, Jiale; Lin, Haoran; Yue, Gen Hua

2015-09-16

Natural selection and selective breeding for genetic improvement have left detectable signatures within the genome of a species. Identification of selection signatures is important in evolutionary biology and for detecting genes that facilitate to accelerate genetic improvement. However, selection signatures, including artificial selection and natural selection, have only been identified at the whole genome level in several genetically improved fish species. Tilapia is one of the most important genetically improved fish species in the world. Using next-generation sequencing, we sequenced the genomes of 47 tilapia individuals. We identified a total of 1.43 million high-quality SNPs and found that the LD block sizes ranged from 10-100 kb in tilapia. We detected over a hundred putative selective sweep regions in each line of tilapia. Most selection signatures were located in non-coding regions of the tilapia genome. The Wnt signaling, gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor and integrin signaling pathways were under positive selection in all improved tilapia lines. Our study provides a genome-wide map of genetic variation and selection footprints in tilapia, which could be important for genetic studies and accelerating genetic improvement of tilapia.

New site selection for the immigrant transit of the post-disaster reconstruction of Wenchuan earthquake region

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Wunian; Hu, Guochao; Liu, Hanhu; Peng, Li

2009-06-01

The strong earthquake struck on 12 May 2008 destroyed numerous houses in Wenchuan, Sichuan, China. This earthquake escalated the scale of existing geological disasters, undermined the stability of earthquake-prone zones, and triggered landslides and many other hidden disasters. In addition, many aftershocks and heavy rainfalls have prompted secondary disasters and consequently, the actual damages have been doubled in terms of scale and magnitude. Since some regions there are no longer appropriate for people to live, temporary housing and post-disaster reconstruction are badly needed. Recent advances in remote sensing and geospatial technologies have promoted their successful applications in siting engineering. Because of different research backgrounds, geological disasters and vegetation density were rarely incorporated as primary parameters for siting assessment. Based on the principles of avoiding active faults and encouraging synthetic prevention of geological disasters, we performed a locating analysis using part of the Wenchuan County as a case. Six major parameters were used to build a siting model, including geological disasters, vegetation index, stream systems, faults, terrain slope, and elevation. The results show that the proposed method can provide useful information for decision-making in the selection of temporary housing and post-disaster reconstruction.

The site selection process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kittel, J.H.

1989-01-01

One of the most arduous tasks associated with the management of radioactive wastes is the siting of new disposal facilities. Experience has shown that the performance of the disposal facility during and after disposal operations is critically dependent on the characteristics of the site itself. The site selection process consists of defining needs and objectives, identifying geographic regions of interest, screening and selecting candidate sites, collecting data on the candidate sites, and finally selecting the preferred site. Before the site selection procedures can be implemented, however, a formal legal system must be in place that defines broad objectives and, most importantly, clearly establishes responsibilities and accompanying authorities for the decision-making steps in the procedure. Site selection authorities should make every effort to develop trust and credibility with the public, local officials, and the news media. The responsibilities of supporting agencies must also be spelled out. Finally, a stable funding arrangement must be established so that activities such as data collection can proceed without interruption. Several examples, both international and within the US, are given

NEW YOUNG STAR CANDIDATES IN THE TAURUS-AURIGA REGION AS SELECTED FROM THE WIDE-FIELD INFRARED SURVEY EXPLORER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rebull, L. M.; Padgett, D. L.; Noriega-Crespo, A.

2011-01-01

The Taurus Molecular Cloud subtends a large solid angle on the sky, in excess of 250 deg 2 . The search for legitimate Taurus members to date has been limited by sky coverage as well as the challenge of distinguishing members from field interlopers. The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer has recently observed the entire sky, and we take advantage of the opportunity to search for young stellar object (YSO) candidate Taurus members from a ∼260 deg 2 region designed to encompass previously identified Taurus members. We use near- and mid-infrared colors to select objects with apparent infrared excesses and incorporate other catalogs of ancillary data to present a list of rediscovered Taurus YSOs with infrared excesses (taken to be due to circumstellar disks), a list of rejected YSO candidates (largely galaxies), and a list of 94 surviving candidate new YSO-like Taurus members. There is likely to be contamination lingering in this candidate list, and follow-up spectra are warranted.

The potential of aspen clonal forestry in Alberta: breeding regions and estimates of genetic gain from selection.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tim Gylander

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Aspen naturally grows in large, single-species, even-aged stands that regenerate clonally after fire disturbance. This offers an opportunity for an intensive clonal forestry system that closely emulates the natural life history of the species. In this paper, we assess the potential of genetic tree improvement and clonal deployment to enhance the productivity of aspen forests in Alberta. We further investigate geographic patterns of genetic variation in aspen and infer forest management strategies under uncertain future climates. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Genetic variation among 242 clones from Alberta was evaluated in 13 common garden trials after 5-8 growing seasons in the field. Broad-sense heritabilities for height and diameter at breast height (DBH ranged from 0.36 to 0.64, allowing 5-15% genetic gains in height and 9-34% genetic gains in DBH. Geographic partitioning of genetic variance revealed predominant latitudinal genetic differentiation. We further observed that northward movement of clones almost always resulted in increased growth relative to local planting material, while southward movement had a strong opposite effect. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Aspen forests are an important natural resource in western Canada that is used for pulp and oriented strandboard production, accounting for ~40% of the total forest harvest. Moderate to high broad-sense heritabilities in growth traits suggest good potential for a genetic tree improvement program with aspen. Significant productivity gains appear possible through clonal selection from existing trials. We propose two breeding regions for Alberta, and suggest that well-tested southern clones may be used in the northern breeding region, accounting for a general warming trend observed over the last several decades in Alberta.

Point mutations in the transmembrane region of the clic1 ion channel selectively modify its biophysical properties.

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Stefania Averaimo

Full Text Available Chloride intracellular Channel 1 (CLIC1 is a metamorphic protein that changes from a soluble cytoplasmic protein into a transmembrane protein. Once inserted into membranes, CLIC1 multimerises and is able to form chloride selective ion channels. Whilst CLIC1 behaves as an ion channel both in cells and in artificial lipid bilayers, its structure in the soluble form has led to some uncertainty as to whether it really is an ion channel protein. CLIC1 has a single putative transmembrane region that contains only two charged residues: arginine 29 (Arg29 and lysine 37 (Lys37. As charged residues are likely to have a key role in ion channel function, we hypothesized that mutating them to neutral alanine to generate K37A and R29A CLIC1 would alter the electrophysiological characteristics of CLIC1. By using three different electrophysiological approaches: i single channel Tip-Dip in artificial bilayers using soluble recombinant CLIC1, ii cell-attached and iii whole-cell patch clamp recordings in transiently transfected HEK cells, we determined that the K37A mutation altered the single-channel conductance while the R29A mutation affected the single-channel open probability in response to variation in membrane potential. Our results show that mutation of the two charged amino acids (K37 and R29 in the putative transmembrane region of CLIC1 alters the biophysical properties of the ion channel in both artificial bilayers and cells. Hence these charged residues are directly involved in regulating its ion channel activity. This strongly suggests that, despite its unusual structure, CLIC1 itself is able to form a chloride ion channel.

The Potential of Aspen Clonal Forestry in Alberta: Breeding Regions and Estimates of Genetic Gain from Selection

Science.gov (United States)

Gylander, Tim; Hamann, Andreas; Brouard, Jean S.; Thomas, Barb R.

2012-01-01

Background Aspen naturally grows in large, single-species, even-aged stands that regenerate clonally after fire disturbance. This offers an opportunity for an intensive clonal forestry system that closely emulates the natural life history of the species. In this paper, we assess the potential of genetic tree improvement and clonal deployment to enhance the productivity of aspen forests in Alberta. We further investigate geographic patterns of genetic variation in aspen and infer forest management strategies under uncertain future climates. Methodology/Principal Findings Genetic variation among 242 clones from Alberta was evaluated in 13 common garden trials after 5–8 growing seasons in the field. Broad-sense heritabilities for height and diameter at breast height (DBH) ranged from 0.36 to 0.64, allowing 5–15% genetic gains in height and 9–34% genetic gains in DBH. Geographic partitioning of genetic variance revealed predominant latitudinal genetic differentiation. We further observed that northward movement of clones almost always resulted in increased growth relative to local planting material, while southward movement had a strong opposite effect. Conclusion/Significance Aspen forests are an important natural resource in western Canada that is used for pulp and oriented strandboard production, accounting for ∼40% of the total forest harvest. Moderate to high broad-sense heritabilities in growth traits suggest good potential for a genetic tree improvement program with aspen. Significant productivity gains appear possible through clonal selection from existing trials. We propose two breeding regions for Alberta, and suggest that well-tested southern clones may be used in the northern breeding region, accounting for a general warming trend observed over the last several decades in Alberta. PMID:22957006

Legal size limit implies strong fisheries selection on sexually selected traits in a temperate wrasse providing male-only parental care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kim Aleksander Tallaksen Halvorsen

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Corkwing wrasse (Symphodus melops is a temperate wrasse displaying both sex and male dimorphism and is targeted in a size selective commercial fishery which has increased dramatically since 2008. Wrasses are supplied alive to salmon farms as cleaner fish to combat infestations of Salmon lice. In previous studies, growth and maturation has been found to differ among male morphs and sexes and these groups might therefore be targeted unevenly by the size selective fishery. In the present study, we address this by comparing size regulations and fishing practice with data on sex specific growth and maturation from Western and Southern Norway, two regions varying in density and life histories. Two years of field data on density and length measures was used together with a subsample of otoliths to determine sex specific growth patterns. In the region with high density, nesting males were found to grow faster and mature later than sneaker males and females. Here, most nesting males will reach the minimum size as juveniles, one and two years before females and sneakers respectively. In contrast, sexual dimorphism was much less pronounced in the low density region, and relaxed male-male competition over nesting sites seems a likely explanation for this pattern. Intensive harvesting with selective removal of the larger nesting males could potentially lead to short term effect such as sperm limitation and reduced offspring survival and thus affect the productivity of juveniles. In addition, the current fishing regime may select for reduced growth rates and earlier maturation and oppose sexual selection.

Errors, error detection, error correction and hippocampal-region damage: data and theories.

Science.gov (United States)

MacKay, Donald G; Johnson, Laura W

2013-11-01

This review and perspective article outlines 15 observational constraints on theories of errors, error detection, and error correction, and their relation to hippocampal-region (HR) damage. The core observations come from 10 studies with H.M., an amnesic with cerebellar and HR damage but virtually no neocortical damage. Three studies examined the detection of errors planted in visual scenes (e.g., a bird flying in a fish bowl in a school classroom) and sentences (e.g., I helped themselves to the birthday cake). In all three experiments, H.M. detected reliably fewer errors than carefully matched memory-normal controls. Other studies examined the detection and correction of self-produced errors, with controls for comprehension of the instructions, impaired visual acuity, temporal factors, motoric slowing, forgetting, excessive memory load, lack of motivation, and deficits in visual scanning or attention. In these studies, H.M. corrected reliably fewer errors than memory-normal and cerebellar controls, and his uncorrected errors in speech, object naming, and reading aloud exhibited two consistent features: omission and anomaly. For example, in sentence production tasks, H.M. omitted one or more words in uncorrected encoding errors that rendered his sentences anomalous (incoherent, incomplete, or ungrammatical) reliably more often than controls. Besides explaining these core findings, the theoretical principles discussed here explain H.M.'s retrograde amnesia for once familiar episodic and semantic information; his anterograde amnesia for novel information; his deficits in visual cognition, sentence comprehension, sentence production, sentence reading, and object naming; and effects of aging on his ability to read isolated low frequency words aloud. These theoretical principles also explain a wide range of other data on error detection and correction and generate new predictions for future test. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selective coronary scintigraphy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gambini, D.-J.

1975-01-01

Isotopic techniques occupy a leading place amongst examinations practicable on coronary patients because of their reliability and the safety and simplicity of their use. The present work reviews the possible applications of selective coronary scintigraphy in pathology. After a brief discussion on scintigraphy, isotopic techniques for myocardium research, coronarography and other methods to study local myocardium perfusion the theoretical bases for the use of the exploration are studied, the techniques and methods employed are reported and the results discussed. Coronary scintigraphy consists of selective injection in the two coronary arteries previously catheterized during a coronarography, of two different populations of microspheres labelled with two physically short-lived indicators: 15μ 99m Tc-labelled serumalbumin microspheres, 10 to 15μ In-labelled siderophiline microspheres. Various studies have shown the complete harmlessness of the exploration when certain precautions are taken regarding the size and number of the spheres. The microspheres disperse into the downstream arterial territory proportionally to the number of capillaries present in the different parts of the irrigated region, and are temporarily stopped in the precapillaries. The preparation of the different images needed to interpret the Face and OAG examination for the left coronary, then for the right coronary, is carried out at the end of the coronarography and lasts about 45 minutes. It is also possible by selective injection in the aorta-coronary bridges to judge their functional condition by observation of the regions they irrigate. 56 patients of the Necker hospital cardiological clinic have been examined [fr

A Modern Approach to the Elaboration and Selection of Strategic Alternatives for Resource Regions

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Valeriy Anatolyevich Kryukov

2017-03-01

Full Text Available For many countries and regions (both in Russia and abroad, natural resources are the crucial factor for socio-economic development. The role and significance of natural resources in the economy of different areas substantially depend on the institutional environment, including the resource regime. Today, we have a qualitative complication of conditions for mineral resources exploitation, we start to develop new, non-traditional types of resources, which haven’t been available (or demanded earlier for the economic and technological reasons. The changes in the characteristics of natural objects, as well as the increasing of uncertainty in the resource sector, actualize the search for alternatives of the development of resource-type regions and for the elaboration of appropriate strategies. In new conditions of resource regions, it is necessary to place emphasis on the aspects of expanded specific understanding of inclusiveness. It implies the possibility of active participation of regional authorities in the management and regulation of the mineral complex, as well as their involvement in the development of the association of a wide range of communities. These communities consist of the organizations representing the interests of indigenous peoples as well as professional communities: industry associations, environmental organizations, representatives of the innovation industry. Modern approaches to the elaboration of strategic directions for the resource regions development (primarily based on the development of the mineral industry should be based on sustainable development principles, the principles of inclusiveness and the need for innovations. As a result of the convergence of these characteristics, a new socio-economic concept is formed. This concept can be defined as the harmonious development that is extremely important for the Russian regions. The proposed approach can be used for the elaboration of strategic alternatives of the

Selection of independent components based on cortical mapping of electromagnetic activity

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Hui-Ling; Chen, Yong-Sheng; Chen, Li-Fen

2012-10-01

Independent component analysis (ICA) has been widely used to attenuate interference caused by noise components from the electromagnetic recordings of brain activity. However, the scalp topographies and associated temporal waveforms provided by ICA may be insufficient to distinguish functional components from artifactual ones. In this work, we proposed two component selection methods, both of which first estimate the cortical distribution of the brain activity for each component, and then determine the functional components based on the parcellation of brain activity mapped onto the cortical surface. Among all independent components, the first method can identify the dominant components, which have strong activity in the selected dominant brain regions, whereas the second method can identify those inter-regional associating components, which have similar component spectra between a pair of regions. For a targeted region, its component spectrum enumerates the amplitudes of its parceled brain activity across all components. The selected functional components can be remixed to reconstruct the focused electromagnetic signals for further analysis, such as source estimation. Moreover, the inter-regional associating components can be used to estimate the functional brain network. The accuracy of the cortical activation estimation was evaluated on the data from simulation studies, whereas the usefulness and feasibility of the component selection methods were demonstrated on the magnetoencephalography data recorded from a gender discrimination study.

Types and three-dimensional distribution of neuronal ectopias in the brain of mice prenatally subjected to X-irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Xue-Zhi; Takahashi, Sentaro; Kubota, Yoshihisa; Sato, Hiroshi [National Inst. of Radiological Sciences, Chiba (Japan); Cui, Chun; Fukui, Yoshihiro [Tokushima Univ. (Japan). School of Medicine; Inouye, Minoru [Shin Nippon Biomedical Lab., Ltd., Miyanoura, Kagoshima (Japan)

2002-03-01

The types and three-dimensional distribution of neocortical ectopias following prenatal exposure to X-irradiation were studied by a histological examination and computer reconstruction techniques. Pregnant ICR mice were subjected to X-irradiation at a dose of 1.5 Gy on embryonic day 13. The brains from 30-day-old mice were serially sectioned on the frontal plane at 15 {mu}m, stained with HE and observed with a microscope. The image data for the sections were input to a computer, and then reconstructed to three-dimensional brain structures using the Magellan 3.6 program. Sectional images were then drawn on a computer display at 240 {mu}m intervals, and the positions of the different types of neocortical ectopias were marked using color coding. Three types of neocortical ectopias were recognized in the irradiated brains. Neocortical Lay I ectopias were identified as small patches in the caudal occipital cortex, and were located more laterally in the neocortex in caudal sections than in the rostral sections. Periventricular ectopias were located more rostrally than Lay I ectopias, and were found from the most caudal extent of the presumed motor cortex to the most caudal extent of the lateral ventricle. Hippocampal ectopias appeared as continuous linear bands, and were frequently associated with the anterior parts of the periventricular ectopias. (author)

Population data on D6S2879 and D6S2806 markers located at HLA-DRB1 region in the Iranians: Identifying the signatures of balancing and directional selection

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Mansoureh Tajadod

2011-12-01

Full Text Available In this study, the genetic diversity and neutrality test for the MHC microsatellite loci, D6S2879 and D6S2806, located within the HLA-DRB1 gene region, were investigated. The genotyping data from 73 unrelated individuals were analyzed for Shannon index, the effective allele number of the markers and neutrality test by use of PyPop and Popgene32 programs. The Shannon index for D6S2879 and D6S2806 markers in the studied population was 1.0372 and 0.8601, respectively. The Fnd value computed for D6S2879 and D6S2806 markers were also estimated -0.8449 and 0.9904, respectively. The results obtained from Ewens-Watterson test indicated that D6S2879 and D6S2806 markers were under balancing and directional selection in the Iranian populations, respectively. The data suggested the presence of a selection force on HLA-DRB1 gene region in the Iranian populations.

Final report : Occupational gap analysis, volume 2 Wood Buffalo region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-06-01

The general economy of the Wood Buffalo region of Alberta has improved in recent years due to the expansion of the oil sand industry. Many of the oil sands projects are situated in the southern part of the region and are serviced out of Lac LaBiche. This paper examines the implications of this economic growth for the regional supply and demand of workers in key occupational categories. In particular, it projects employment opportunities that are directly attributed to the regional economic expansion, and assesses whether there will be an adequate supply of workers to meet the demand for new and replacement employees. The report includes: an overview of the regional economy; a population forecast for the region and the demand for workers in selected occupations; an analysis of whether or not the new labour force entrants will choose the selected occupations; and, a supply and demand analysis. 7 tabs., 2 figs., 5 appendices

Motivation of Employees of Transport and Logistics Companies in the Czech Republic and in a Selected Region of the PRC

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Ližbetinová Lenka

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Improvement of employee performance is an inseparable part of an enterprise. It ensures the fulfilment of goals and the company profitability. The main goal of the paper is to present the results of a research focused on comparison of the motivation factors of employees of transport and logistics companies in selected regions. The research carried out in 2017 examined the level of the motivation in the conditions of transport and logistics companies in the Czech Republic and the Peking Municipality in the PRC. These territories have different historic and cultural backgrounds, which leads to a high assumption of the existence of different views of the importance of motivation factors not only in the sphere of transport. The contribution also brings comparison of the preferences from the gender point of view.

Spatio-temporal dynamics of word selection in speech production: Insights from electrocorticography

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Stephanie K Ries

2015-04-01

Our results suggest that the posterior inferior LTC is involved in word selection as semantic concepts become available. Posterior medial and left PFC regions may be involved in trial-by-trial top-down control over LTC to help overcome interference caused by semantically-related alternatives in word selection. The single-case result supports this hypothesis and suggests that the posterior medial PFC plays a causal role in resolving this interference in word selection. Lastly, the sensitivity to semantic interference of the post-vocal onset posterior LTC activity suggests the semantic interference effect does not only reflect word selection difficulty but is also present at post-selection stages such as verbal response monitoring. In sum, this study reveals a dynamic network of interacting brain regions that support word selection in language production.

News Media and the Öresund Region

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Falkheimer, Jesper; Ørsten, Mark; Eberholst, Mads Kæmsgaard

2017-01-01

Europeanisation, in other words, of the potential for increased communication linkages in news media content among European Union (EU) member states. We investigate this topic by analysing news content published by selected media outlets from 2002 to 2012 and by interviewing Danish and Swedish journalists who...... cover the region. We find that most news content does not mention the Öresund region, and that one reason for this lack might be that neither Danish nor Swedish reporters consider the region to be newsworthy....

Discrimination of ginseng cultivation regions using light stable isotope analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kiwook; Song, Joo-Hyun; Heo, Sang-Cheol; Lee, Jin-Hee; Jung, In-Woo; Min, Ji-Sook

2015-10-01

Korean ginseng is considered to be a precious health food in Asia. Today, thieves frequently compromise ginseng farms by pervasive theft. Thus, studies regarding the characteristics of ginseng according to growth region are required in order to deter ginseng thieves and prevent theft. In this study, 6 regions were selected on the basis of Korea regional criteria (si, gun, gu), and two ginseng-farms were randomly selected from each of the 6 regions. Then 4-6 samples of ginseng were acquired from each ginseng farm. The stable isotopic compositions of H, O, C, and N of the collected ginseng samples were analyzed. As a result, differences in the hydrogen isotope ratios could be used to distinguish regional differences, and differences in the nitrogen isotope ratios yielded characteristic information regarding the farms from which the samples were obtained. Thus, stable isotope values could be used to differentiate samples according to regional differences. Therefore, stable isotope analysis serves as a powerful tool to discriminate the regional origin of Korean ginseng samples from across Korea. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Geographical gradients in selection can reveal genetic constraints for evolutionary responses to ocean acidification.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaitán-Espitia, Juan Diego; Marshall, Dustin; Dupont, Sam; Bacigalupe, Leonardo D; Bodrossy, Levente; Hobday, Alistair J

2017-02-01

Geographical gradients in selection can shape different genetic architectures in natural populations, reflecting potential genetic constraints for adaptive evolution under climate change. Investigation of natural pH/pCO 2 variation in upwelling regions reveals different spatio-temporal patterns of natural selection, generating genetic and phenotypic clines in populations, and potentially leading to local adaptation, relevant to understanding effects of ocean acidification (OA). Strong directional selection, associated with intense and continuous upwellings, may have depleted genetic variation in populations within these upwelling regions, favouring increased tolerances to low pH but with an associated cost in other traits. In contrast, diversifying or weak directional selection in populations with seasonal upwellings or outside major upwelling regions may have resulted in higher genetic variances and the lack of genetic correlations among traits. Testing this hypothesis in geographical regions with similar environmental conditions to those predicted under climate change will build insights into how selection may act in the future and how populations may respond to stressors such as OA. © 2017 The Author(s).

Tourism Destination Benchmarking: Evaluation and Selection of the Benchmarking Partners

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Luštický Martin

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Tourism development has an irreplaceable role in regional policy of almost all countries. This is due to its undeniable benefits for the local population with regards to the economic, social and environmental sphere. Tourist destinations compete for visitors at tourism market and subsequently get into a relatively sharp competitive struggle. The main goal of regional governments and destination management institutions is to succeed in this struggle by increasing the competitiveness of their destination. The quality of strategic planning and final strategies is a key factor of competitiveness. Even though the tourism sector is not the typical field where the benchmarking methods are widely used, such approaches could be successfully applied. The paper focuses on key phases of the benchmarking process which lies in the search for suitable referencing partners. The partners are consequently selected to meet general requirements to ensure the quality if strategies. Following from this, some specific characteristics are developed according to the SMART approach. The paper tests this procedure with an expert evaluation of eight selected regional tourism strategies of regions in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Great Britain. In this way it validates the selected criteria in the frame of the international environment. Hence, it makes it possible to find strengths and weaknesses of selected strategies and at the same time facilitates the discovery of suitable benchmarking partners.

Of repeat stations and tectonic regionalization of Republic of Macedonia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delipetrev, Marjan; Doneva, Blagitsa; Delipetrov, Todor; Rasson, L. Jean

2010-01-01

Geomagnetic field is vector sum of causes deep in the Earth's interior and their influence can be felt in the whole Earth. There are sources of magnetic fields which are characterized for larger regions and local anomalous geomagnetic fields. When selecting the location of base station, regions where local geomagnetic anomalies are present, should be avoided, with aim to receive measured results which gives the geomagnetic field characteristic for that region. The territory of the Republic of Macedonia has complex relief, and also has complex geological structure and these features have high influence on the regional geomagnetic field. Bearing in mind the complex relief and geological structure, strict procedure of geomagnetic field observations were conducted for every selected location for repeat station. Maps from the measurements in 2004 are also presented in this paper. (Author)

Cadherin 2/4 signaling via PTP1B and catenins is crucial for nucleokinesis during radial neuronal migration in the neocortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez-Garay, Isabel; Gil-Sanz, Cristina; Franco, Santos J; Espinosa, Ana; Molnár, Zoltán; Mueller, Ulrich

2016-06-15

Cadherins are crucial for the radial migration of excitatory projection neurons into the developing neocortical wall. However, the specific cadherins and the signaling pathways that regulate radial migration are not well understood. Here, we show that cadherin 2 (CDH2) and CDH4 cooperate to regulate radial migration in mouse brain via the protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) and α- and β-catenins. Surprisingly, perturbation of cadherin-mediated signaling does not affect the formation and extension of leading processes of migrating neocortical neurons. Instead, movement of the cell body and nucleus (nucleokinesis) is disrupted. This defect is partially rescued by overexpression of LIS1, a microtubule-associated protein that has previously been shown to regulate nucleokinesis. Taken together, our findings indicate that cadherin-mediated signaling to the cytoskeleton is crucial for nucleokinesis of neocortical projection neurons during their radial migration. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Tests of selection in pooled case-control data: an empirical study.

Science.gov (United States)

Udpa, Nitin; Zhou, Dan; Haddad, Gabriel G; Bafna, Vineet

2011-01-01

For smaller organisms with faster breeding cycles, artificial selection can be used to create sub-populations with different phenotypic traits. Genetic tests can be employed to identify the causal markers for the phenotypes, as a precursor to engineering strains with a combination of traits. Traditional approaches involve analyzing crosses of inbred strains to test for co-segregation with genetic markers. Here we take advantage of cheaper next generation sequencing techniques to identify genetic signatures of adaptation to the selection constraints. Obtaining individual sequencing data is often unrealistic due to cost and sample issues, so we focus on pooled genomic data. We explore a series of statistical tests for selection using pooled case (under selection) and control populations. The tests generally capture skews in the scaled frequency spectrum of alleles in a region, which are indicative of a selective sweep. Extensive simulations are used to show that these approaches work well for a wide range of population divergence times and strong selective pressures. Control vs control simulations are used to determine an empirical False Positive Rate, and regions under selection are determined using a 1% FPR level. We show that pooling does not have a significant impact on statistical power. The tests are also robust to reasonable variations in several different parameters, including window size, base-calling error rate, and sequencing coverage. We then demonstrate the viability (and the challenges) of one of these methods in two independent Drosophila populations (Drosophila melanogaster) bred under selection for hypoxia and accelerated development, respectively. Testing for extreme hypoxia tolerance showed clear signals of selection, pointing to loci that are important for hypoxia adaptation. Overall, we outline a strategy for finding regions under selection using pooled sequences, then devise optimal tests for that strategy. The approaches show promise for

Socio-technical assessment of solar photovoltaic systems implemented for rural electrification in selected villages of Sundarbans region of India

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Rashmi Murali

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The power situation in rural India continues to remain poor with around one-third of the rural population without access to any form of electricity. The consequence of which is kerosene being used as a major source of lighting for un-electrified households as well as households with intermittent access to electricity in rural areas. While grid based electrification has been the most common approach, decentralized renewable energy options especially, solar PV systems have also been adopted as a cost effective mode of electrification. This paper presents the results of socio-technical assessment of solar photovoltaic interventions namely, solar home systems, solar mini-grid and solar AC pico-grids, which have been used to electrify selected villages in Sundarbans region of India. The study is focused on technical, financial, and institutional aspects along with the social impact assessment of PV based electrification in the Sundarbans region. The results of the study elucidate that, in general, the impacts of the solar PV solutions used for electrification have been largely positive, especially benefits of reduced kerosene consumption, ease in studying and cooking and reduced health effects. The study also finds that technology is not the only factor on which the viability of a program depends, but institutional and financial aspects also play a significant role. The need of the hour is to develop a strong institutional framework and enabling policies for achieving higher success rates in PV programs.

Life-history strategies associated with local population variability confer regional stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Pribil, Stanislav; Houlahan, Jeff E

2003-07-07

A widely held ecological tenet is that, at the local scale, populations of K-selected species (i.e. low fecundity, long lifespan and large body size) will be less variable than populations of r-selected species (i.e. high fecundity, short lifespan and small body size). We examined the relationship between long-term population trends and life-history attributes for 185 bird species in the Czech Republic and found that, at regional spatial scales and over moderate temporal scales (100-120 years), K-selected bird species were more likely to show both large increases and decreases in population size than r-selected species. We conclude that life-history attributes commonly associated with variable populations at the local scale, confer stability at the regional scale.

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) gene modification in transgenic animals: functional consequences of selected exon and regulatory region deletion.

Science.gov (United States)

Camp, Shelley; Zhang, Limin; Marquez, Michael; de la Torre, Brian; Long, Jeffery M; Bucht, Goran; Taylor, Palmer

2005-12-15

AChE is an alternatively spliced gene. Exons 2, 3 and 4 are invariantly spliced, and this sequence is responsible for catalytic function. The 3' alternatively spliced exons, 5 and 6, are responsible for AChE disposition in tissue [J. Massoulie, The origin of the molecular diversity and functional anchoring of cholinesterases. Neurosignals 11 (3) (2002) 130-143; Y. Li, S. Camp, P. Taylor, Tissue-specific expression and alternative mRNA processing of the mammalian acetylcholinesterase gene. J. Biol. Chem. 268 (8) (1993) 5790-5797]. The splice to exon 5 produces the GPI anchored form of AChE found in the hematopoietic system, whereas the splice to exon 6 produces a sequence that binds to the structural subunits PRiMA and ColQ, producing AChE expression in brain and muscle. A third alternative RNA species is present that is not spliced at the 3' end; the intron 3' of exon 4 is used as coding sequence and produces the read-through, unanchored form of AChE. In order to further understand the role of alternative splicing in the expression of the AChE gene, we have used homologous recombination in stem cells to produce gene specific deletions in mice. Alternatively and together exon 5 and exon 6 were deleted. A cassette containing the neomycin gene flanked by loxP sites was used to replace the exon(s) of interest. Tissue analysis of mice with exon 5 deleted and the neomycin cassette retained showed very low levels of AChE expression, far less than would have been anticipated. Only the read-through species of the enzyme was produced; clearly the inclusion of the selection cassette disrupted splicing of exon 4 to exon 6. The selection cassette was then deleted in exon 5, exon 6 and exons 5 + 6 deleted mice by breeding to Ella-cre transgenic mice. AChE expression in serum, brain and muscle has been analyzed. Another AChE gene targeted mouse strain involving a region in the first intron, found to be critical for AChE expression in muscle cells [S. Camp, L. Zhang, M. Marquez, B

Total numbers of neurons and glial cells in cortex and basal ganglia of aged brains with Down syndrome--a stereological study.

Science.gov (United States)

Karlsen, Anna Schou; Pakkenberg, Bente

2011-11-01

The total numbers of neurons and glial cells in the neocortex and basal ganglia in adults with Down syndrome (DS) were estimated with design-based stereological methods, providing quantitative data on brains affected by delayed development and accelerated aging. Cell numbers, volume of regions, and densities of neurons and glial cell subtypes were estimated in brains from 4 female DS subjects (mean age 66 years) and 6 female controls (mean age 70 years). The DS subjects were estimated to have about 40% fewer neocortical neurons in total (11.1 × 10(9) vs. 17.8 × 10(9), 2p ≤ 0.001) and almost 30% fewer neocortical glial cells with no overlap to controls (12.8 × 10(9) vs. 18.2 × 10(9), 2p = 0.004). In contrast, the total number of neurons in the basal ganglia was the same in the 2 groups, whereas the number of oligodendrocytes in the basal ganglia was reduced by almost 50% in DS (405 × 10(6) vs. 816 × 10(6), 2p = 0.01). We conclude that trisomy 21 affects cortical structures more than central gray matter emphasizing the differential impairment of brain development. Despite concomitant Alzheimer-like pathology, the neurodegenerative outcome in a DS brain deviates from common Alzheimer disease.

Acute infusion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the insular cortex promotes conditioned taste aversion extinction.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez-Serrano, Luis M; Ramírez-León, Betsabee; Rodríguez-Durán, Luis F; Escobar, Martha L

2014-12-01

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has emerged as one of the most potent molecular mediators not only for synaptic plasticity, but also for the behavioral organism-environment interactions. Our previous studies in the insular cortex (IC), a neocortical region that has been related with acquisition and retention of conditioned taste aversion (CTA), have demonstrated that intracortical microinfusion of BDNF induces a lasting potentiation of synaptic efficacy in the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus (Bla)-IC projection and enhances the retention of CTA memory of adult rats in vivo. The aim of the present study was to analyze whether acute BDNF-infusion in the IC modifies the extinction of CTA. Accordingly, animals were trained in the CTA task and received bilateral IC microinfusions of BDNF before extinction training. Our results showed that taste aversion was significantly reduced in BDNF rats from the first extinction trial. Additionally, we found that the effect of BDNF on taste aversion did not require extinction training. Finally we showed that the BDNF effect does not degrade the original taste aversion memory trace. These results emphasize that BDNF activity underlies memory extinction in neocortical areas and support the idea that BDNF is a key regulator and mediator of long-term synaptic modifications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Memory consolidation from seconds to weeks: A three-stage neural network model with autonomous reinstatement dynamics

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Florian eFiebig

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Declarative long-term memories are not created at an instant. Gradual stabilization and temporally shifting dependence of acquired declarative memories on different brain regions - called systems consolidation - can be tracked in time by lesion experiments. The observation of temporally graded retrograde amnesia following hippocampal lesions, points to a gradual transfer of memory from hippocampus to neocortical long-term memory. Spontaneous reactivations of hippocampal memories, as observed in place cell reactivations during slow-wave-sleep, are supposed to drive neocortical reinstatements and facilitate this process.We propose a functional neural network implementation of these ideas and furthermore suggest an extended three-stage framework that also includes the prefrontal cortex and bridges the temporal chasm between working memory percepts on the scale of seconds and consolidated long-term memory on the scale of weeks or months.We show that our three-stage model can autonomously produce the necessary stochastic reactivation dynamics for successful episodic memory consolidation. The resulting learning system is shown to exhibit classical memory effects seen in experimental studies, such as retrograde and anterograde amnesia after simulated hippocampal lesioning; furthermore the model reproduces peculiar biological findings on memory modulation, such as retrograde facilitation of memory after suppressed acquisition of new long-term memories - similar to the effects of benzodiazepines on memory.

Use of Gene Expression Programming in regionalization of flow duration curve

Science.gov (United States)

Hashmi, Muhammad Z.; Shamseldin, Asaad Y.

2014-06-01

In this paper, a recently introduced artificial intelligence technique known as Gene Expression Programming (GEP) has been employed to perform symbolic regression for developing a parametric scheme of flow duration curve (FDC) regionalization, to relate selected FDC characteristics to catchment characteristics. Stream flow records of selected catchments located in the Auckland Region of New Zealand were used. FDCs of the selected catchments were normalised by dividing the ordinates by their median value. Input for the symbolic regression analysis using GEP was (a) selected characteristics of normalised FDCs; and (b) 26 catchment characteristics related to climate, morphology, soil properties and land cover properties obtained using the observed data and GIS analysis. Our study showed that application of this artificial intelligence technique expedites the selection of a set of the most relevant independent variables out of a large set, because these are automatically selected through the GEP process. Values of the FDC characteristics obtained from the developed relationships have high correlations with the observed values.

Overview of the regional geology of the Paradox Basin Study Region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-03-01

The Geologic Project Manager for the Paradox Basin Salt Region (PBSR), Woodward-Clyde Consultants, has conducted geologic studies to characterize the region and evaluate selected geologic formations as potential repositories for the storage and disposal of nuclear waste. Evaluations have been made from the standpoint of engineering feasibility, safety, public health, and resource conflicts. The Regulatory Project Manager for the PBSR, Bechtel National, Inc., has performed environmental characterizations to ensure that data on ecological, socioeconomic, and other environmental factors required by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 are considered. This report characterizes, at a regional overview level of detail, the Paradox Basin Study Region Geology. Information sources include the published literature, field trip guidebooks, open file data of the US Geological Survey (USGC) and Utah Geologic and Mineral Survey, university theses, Geo-Ref Computer Search, and various unpublished sources of subsurface data such as well logs. Existing information has been synthesized and characterized. No field work was conducted as part of this study. Where possible, attempts were made to evaluate the data. All results of this study are subject to change as more data become available

Solar pond-based rural development programme for selected coastal regions - A concept

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Gopinathan, C.K.

is expected to aid speedy development of selected coastal areas. The programme involves design and construction of a solar pond in which brine in the lower layer is heated to 85 degrees C by solar radiation and is used as the heat source for a closed cycle...

Malaysia in international regional relationships

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamarulnizam Abdullah

2010-01-01

The changes in the international system saw the structure and survival issues that grip the country will also change. The main challenge to the nation is how to adapt these changes that running quite rapidly and outside the country's ability to cope alone. Issues and global structural changes also affect the international system of East Asia region that contains two important sub-Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia. Changes inherent in both these sub certainly affect the foreign policy and diplomacy, security and bilateral relations between Malaysia and other countries. Malaysia is not a global power capable of changing the international system. However, Malaysia is an important country in East Asia that has contributed to the prosperity of this region. The big question is how to adapt these changes into the Malaysia international regional policy and bilateral relations? What extent international issues affecting the regional survival of the country? What is the contribution to regional stability of Malaysia? This book explores the impact of selective regional issues to Malaysia, while also discussing the role and response to changes in regional Malaysia since the country gained independence. (author)

Selection signatures in worldwide sheep populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Fariello, Maria-Ines; Servin, Bertrand; Tosser-Klopp, Gwenola; Rupp, Rachel; Moreno, Carole; San Cristobal, Magali; Boitard, Simon

2014-01-01

The diversity of populations in domestic species offers great opportunities to study genome response to selection. The recently published Sheep HapMap dataset is a great example of characterization of the world wide genetic diversity in sheep. In this study, we re-analyzed the Sheep HapMap dataset to identify selection signatures in worldwide sheep populations. Compared to previous analyses, we made use of statistical methods that (i) take account of the hierarchical structure of sheep populations, (ii) make use of linkage disequilibrium information and (iii) focus specifically on either recent or older selection signatures. We show that this allows pinpointing several new selection signatures in the sheep genome and distinguishing those related to modern breeding objectives and to earlier post-domestication constraints. The newly identified regions, together with the ones previously identified, reveal the extensive genome response to selection on morphology, color and adaptation to new environments.

Natural selection and the distribution of identity-by-descent in the human genome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Albrechtsen, Anders; Moltke, Ida; Nielsen, Rasmus

2010-01-01

There has recently been considerable interest in detecting natural selection in the human genome. Selection will usually tend to increase identity-by-descent (IBD) among individuals in a population, and many methods for detecting recent and ongoing positive selection indirectly take advantage...... of this. In this article we show that excess IBD sharing is a general property of natural selection and we show that this fact makes it possible to detect several types of selection including a type that is otherwise difficult to detect: selection acting on standing genetic variation. Motivated by this......, we use a recently developed method for identifying IBD sharing among individuals from genome-wide data to scan populations from the new HapMap phase 3 project for regions with excess IBD sharing in order to identify regions in the human genome that have been under strong, very recent selection...

76 FR 11297 - New Regional Ground Service for Parcels

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-01

... 3015.2.\\1\\ The proposed changes establish a new ``Regional Ground'' price category within the Parcel... Governors' Decision No. 11-2, February 17, 2011 (Notice). Regional Ground service targets higher-volume business-to-consumer Parcel Select packages delivered within the first three postal zones (300 miles) from...

Motivation and Affective Judgments Differentially Recruit Neurons in the Primate Dorsolateral Prefrontal and Anterior Cingulate Cortex

Science.gov (United States)

Amemori, Ken-ichi; Amemori, Satoko

2015-01-01

The judgment of whether to accept or to reject an offer is determined by positive and negative affect related to the offer, but affect also induces motivational responses. Rewarding and aversive cues influence the firing rates of many neurons in primate prefrontal and cingulate neocortical regions, but it still is unclear whether neurons in these regions are related to affective judgment or to motivation. To address this issue, we recorded simultaneously the neuronal spike activities of single units in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of macaque monkeys as they performed approach–avoidance (Ap–Av) and approach–approach (Ap–Ap) decision-making tasks that can behaviorally dissociate affective judgment and motivation. Notably, neurons having activity correlated with motivational condition could be distinguished from neurons having activity related to affective judgment, especially in the Ap–Av task. Although many neurons in both regions exhibited similar, selective patterns of task-related activity, we found a larger proportion of neurons activated in low motivational conditions in the dlPFC than in the ACC, and the onset of this activity was significantly earlier in the dlPFC than in the ACC. Furthermore, the temporal onsets of affective judgment represented by neuronal activities were significantly slower in the low motivational conditions than in the other conditions. These findings suggest that motivation and affective judgment both recruit dlPFC and ACC neurons but with differential degrees of involvement and timing. PMID:25653353

On the Regional Dependence of Earthquake Response Spectra

OpenAIRE

Douglas , John

2007-01-01

International audience; It is common practice to use ground-motion models, often developed by regression on recorded accelerograms, to predict the expected earthquake response spectra at sites of interest. An important consideration when selecting these models is the possible dependence of ground motions on geographical region, i.e., are median ground motions in the (target) region of interest for a given magnitude and distance the same as those in the (host) region where a ground-motion mode...

Ethnic Related Selection for an ADH Class I Variant within East Asia

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hui; Gu, Sheng; Cai, Xiaoyun; Speed, William C.; Pakstis, Andrew J.; Golub, Efim I.; Kidd, Judith R.; Kidd, Kenneth K.

2008-01-01

Background The alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH) are widely studied enzymes and the evolution of the mammalian gene cluster encoding these enzymes is also well studied. Previous studies have shown that the ADH1B*47His allele at one of the seven genes in humans is associated with a decrease in the risk of alcoholism and the core molecular region with this allele has been selected for in some East Asian populations. As the frequency of ADH1B*47His is highest in East Asia, and very low in most of the rest of the world, we have undertaken more detailed investigation in this geographic region. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we report new data on 30 SNPs in the ADH7 and Class I ADH region in samples of 24 populations from China and Laos. These populations cover a wide geographic region and diverse ethnicities. Combined with our previously published East Asian data for these SNPs in 8 populations, we have typed populations from all of the 6 major linguistic phyla (Altaic including Korean-Japanese and inland Altaic, Sino-Tibetan, Hmong-Mien, Austro-Asiatic, Daic, and Austronesian). The ADH1B genotyping data are strongly related to ethnicity. Only some eastern ethnic phyla or subphyla (Korean-Japanese, Han Chinese, Hmong-Mien, Daic, and Austronesian) have a high frequency of ADH1B*47His. ADH1B haplotype data clustered the populations into linguistic subphyla, and divided the subphyla into eastern and western parts. In the Hmong-Mien and Altaic populations, the extended haplotype homozygosity (EHH) and relative EHH (REHH) tests for the ADH1B core were consistent with selection for the haplotype with derived SNP alleles. In the other ethnic phyla, the core showed only a weak signal of selection at best. Conclusions/Significance The selection distribution is more significantly correlated with the frequency of the derived ADH1B regulatory region polymorphism than the derived amino-acid altering allele ADH1B*47His. Thus, the real focus of selection may be the regulatory region

Ethnic related selection for an ADH Class I variant within East Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hui; Gu, Sheng; Cai, Xiaoyun; Speed, William C; Pakstis, Andrew J; Golub, Efim I; Kidd, Judith R; Kidd, Kenneth K

2008-04-02

The alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH) are widely studied enzymes and the evolution of the mammalian gene cluster encoding these enzymes is also well studied. Previous studies have shown that the ADH1B*47His allele at one of the seven genes in humans is associated with a decrease in the risk of alcoholism and the core molecular region with this allele has been selected for in some East Asian populations. As the frequency of ADH1B*47His is highest in East Asia, and very low in most of the rest of the world, we have undertaken more detailed investigation in this geographic region. Here we report new data on 30 SNPs in the ADH7 and Class I ADH region in samples of 24 populations from China and Laos. These populations cover a wide geographic region and diverse ethnicities. Combined with our previously published East Asian data for these SNPs in 8 populations, we have typed populations from all of the 6 major linguistic phyla (Altaic including Korean-Japanese and inland Altaic, Sino-Tibetan, Hmong-Mien, Austro-Asiatic, Daic, and Austronesian). The ADH1B genotyping data are strongly related to ethnicity. Only some eastern ethnic phyla or subphyla (Korean-Japanese, Han Chinese, Hmong-Mien, Daic, and Austronesian) have a high frequency of ADH1B*47His. ADH1B haplotype data clustered the populations into linguistic subphyla, and divided the subphyla into eastern and western parts. In the Hmong-Mien and Altaic populations, the extended haplotype homozygosity (EHH) and relative EHH (REHH) tests for the ADH1B core were consistent with selection for the haplotype with derived SNP alleles. In the other ethnic phyla, the core showed only a weak signal of selection at best. The selection distribution is more significantly correlated with the frequency of the derived ADH1B regulatory region polymorphism than the derived amino-acid altering allele ADH1B*47His. Thus, the real focus of selection may be the regulatory region. The obvious ethnicity-related distributions of ADH1B diversities

Ethnic related selection for an ADH Class I variant within East Asia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hui Li

2008-04-01

Full Text Available The alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH are widely studied enzymes and the evolution of the mammalian gene cluster encoding these enzymes is also well studied. Previous studies have shown that the ADH1B*47His allele at one of the seven genes in humans is associated with a decrease in the risk of alcoholism and the core molecular region with this allele has been selected for in some East Asian populations. As the frequency of ADH1B*47His is highest in East Asia, and very low in most of the rest of the world, we have undertaken more detailed investigation in this geographic region.Here we report new data on 30 SNPs in the ADH7 and Class I ADH region in samples of 24 populations from China and Laos. These populations cover a wide geographic region and diverse ethnicities. Combined with our previously published East Asian data for these SNPs in 8 populations, we have typed populations from all of the 6 major linguistic phyla (Altaic including Korean-Japanese and inland Altaic, Sino-Tibetan, Hmong-Mien, Austro-Asiatic, Daic, and Austronesian. The ADH1B genotyping data are strongly related to ethnicity. Only some eastern ethnic phyla or subphyla (Korean-Japanese, Han Chinese, Hmong-Mien, Daic, and Austronesian have a high frequency of ADH1B*47His. ADH1B haplotype data clustered the populations into linguistic subphyla, and divided the subphyla into eastern and western parts. In the Hmong-Mien and Altaic populations, the extended haplotype homozygosity (EHH and relative EHH (REHH tests for the ADH1B core were consistent with selection for the haplotype with derived SNP alleles. In the other ethnic phyla, the core showed only a weak signal of selection at best.The selection distribution is more significantly correlated with the frequency of the derived ADH1B regulatory region polymorphism than the derived amino-acid altering allele ADH1B*47His. Thus, the real focus of selection may be the regulatory region. The obvious ethnicity-related distributions of ADH1B

Growth-based Theories for Declining Regions? A Note on Conceptualisations of Demographic Change for Regional Economic Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anke Matuschewski

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This article aims to critically assess the economic growth paradigm, which typically underlies most approaches to regional policymaking for demographic change. While population losses, ageing and outmigration – i.e. phenomena that are addressed as demographic change – have become a matter of urgency for many European regions, most regional economic development theories remain silent about the population decline affecting the economic growth and development prospects of regions. Consequently, regional policies usually rely on the concept of economic growth, yet neglect the complexity and importance of demographic change and how it relates to the economic sphere. Due to this lack in nuance, we argue that regional policymaking fails to design adequate policy support for regions facing persistent demographic change and economic stagnation or decline as a result. Based on these observations, the paper examines a selection of regional economic development theories in search for alternative concepts of growth and development in the context of demographic change. To this aim, globalisation peripheries are introduced as a fruitful conceptual point of reference and, in combination with endogenous regional development theories, discussed as an alternative approach for regional policymaking.

Economic Growth, Convergence and Innovation in the EU Regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tiiu Paas

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The paper focuses on quantitative assessment of the innovation’s role in explaining regional disparities and convergence in Europe. The empirical part of the study bases on the regional GDP pc and innovation indicators on the EU-27 NUTS2 level regions. Based on the selected set of initial regional innovation indicators and using the principal components factor analysis method, three composite indicators of regional innovation capacity are extracted. Estimating convergence equations, we noticed that regional innovations tend to increase inter-regional differences, at least during the short-run period. Thus, if regional income convergence is a policy target, additional policy measures beside innovation activities should be effectively implemented.

The genome landscape of ER{alpha}- and ER{beta}-binding DNA regions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Yawen; Gao, Hui; Marstrand, Troels Torben

2008-01-01

, but there are also regions that are bound by ERalpha only in the presence of ERbeta, as well as regions that are selectively bound by either receptor. Analysis of bound regions shows that regions bound by ERalpha have distinct properties in terms of genome landscape, sequence features, and conservation compared...

The role of safety analyses in site selection. Some personal observations based on the experience from the Swiss site selection process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zuidema, Piet [Nagra, Wettingen (Switzerland)

2015-07-01

In Switzerland, the site selection process according to the ''Sectoral Plan for Deep Geological Repositories'' (BFE 2008) is underway since 2008. This process takes place in three stages. In stage 1 geological siting regions (six for the L/ILW repository and three for the HLW repository) have been identified, in stage 2 sites for the surface facilities have been identified for all siting regions in close co-operation with the sting regions and a narrowing down of the number of siting regions based on geological criteria will take place. In stage 3 the sites for a general license application are selected and the general license applications will be submitted which eventually will lead to the siting decision for both repository types. In the Swiss site selection process, safety has the highest priority. Many factors affect safety and thus a whole range of safety-related issues are considered in the identification and screening of siting possibilities. Besides dose calculations a range of quantitative and qualitative issues are considered. Dose calculations are performed in all three stages of the site selection process. In stage 1 generic safety calculations were made to develop criteria to be used for the identification of potential siting regions. In stage 2, dose calculations are made for comparing the different siting regions according to a procedure prescribed in detail by the regulator. Combined with qualitative evaluations this will lead to a narrowing down of the number of siting regions to at least two siting regions for each repository type. In stage 3 full safety cases will be prepared as part of the documentation for the general license applications. Besides the dose calculations, many other issues related to safety are analyzed in a quantitative and qualitative manner. These consider the 13 criteria defined in the Sectoral Plan and the corresponding indicators. The features analyzed cover the following broad themes: efficiency of

The role of safety analyses in site selection. Some personal observations based on the experience from the Swiss site selection process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuidema, Piet

2015-01-01

In Switzerland, the site selection process according to the ''Sectoral Plan for Deep Geological Repositories'' (BFE 2008) is underway since 2008. This process takes place in three stages. In stage 1 geological siting regions (six for the L/ILW repository and three for the HLW repository) have been identified, in stage 2 sites for the surface facilities have been identified for all siting regions in close co-operation with the sting regions and a narrowing down of the number of siting regions based on geological criteria will take place. In stage 3 the sites for a general license application are selected and the general license applications will be submitted which eventually will lead to the siting decision for both repository types. In the Swiss site selection process, safety has the highest priority. Many factors affect safety and thus a whole range of safety-related issues are considered in the identification and screening of siting possibilities. Besides dose calculations a range of quantitative and qualitative issues are considered. Dose calculations are performed in all three stages of the site selection process. In stage 1 generic safety calculations were made to develop criteria to be used for the identification of potential siting regions. In stage 2, dose calculations are made for comparing the different siting regions according to a procedure prescribed in detail by the regulator. Combined with qualitative evaluations this will lead to a narrowing down of the number of siting regions to at least two siting regions for each repository type. In stage 3 full safety cases will be prepared as part of the documentation for the general license applications. Besides the dose calculations, many other issues related to safety are analyzed in a quantitative and qualitative manner. These consider the 13 criteria defined in the Sectoral Plan and the corresponding indicators. The features analyzed cover the following broad themes: efficiency of

Low Activity Microstates During Sleep.

Science.gov (United States)

Miyawaki, Hiroyuki; Billeh, Yazan N; Diba, Kamran

2017-06-01

To better understand the distinct activity patterns of the brain during sleep, we observed and investigated periods of diminished oscillatory and population spiking activity lasting for seconds during non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep, which we call "LOW" activity sleep. We analyzed spiking and local field potential (LFP) activity of hippocampal CA1 region alongside neocortical electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyogram (EMG) in 19 sessions from four male Long-Evans rats (260-360 g) during natural wake/sleep across the 24-hr cycle as well as data from other brain regions obtained from http://crcns.org.1,2. LOW states lasted longer than OFF/DOWN states and were distinguished by a subset of "LOW-active" cells. LOW activity sleep was preceded and followed by increased sharp-wave ripple activity. We also observed decreased slow-wave activity and sleep spindles in the hippocampal LFP and neocortical EEG upon LOW onset, with a partial rebound immediately after LOW. LOW states demonstrated activity patterns consistent with sleep but frequently transitioned into microarousals and showed EMG and LFP differences from small-amplitude irregular activity during quiet waking. Their likelihood decreased within individual non-REM epochs yet increased over the course of sleep. By analyzing data from the entorhinal cortex of rats,1 as well as the hippocampus, the medial prefrontal cortex, the postsubiculum, and the anterior thalamus of mice,2 obtained from http://crcns.org, we confirmed that LOW states corresponded to markedly diminished activity simultaneously in all of these regions. We propose that LOW states are an important microstate within non-REM sleep that provide respite from high-activity sleep and may serve a restorative function. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press [on behalf of the Sleep Research Society].

Continuation of mitosis after selective laser microbeam destruction of the centriolar region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berns, N.W.; Richardson, S.M.

1977-12-01

The centriole regions of prophase PTK2 cells were irradiated with a laser microbeam. Cells continued through mitosis normally. Ultrastructural analysis revealed either an absence of centrioles or severely damaged centrioles at the irradiated poles. Microtubules appeared to focus into pericentriolar cloud material.

Continuation of mitosis after selective laser microbeam destruction of the centriolar region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berns, N.W.; Richardson, S.M.

1977-01-01

The centriole regions of prophase PTK2 cells were irradiated with a laser microbeam. Cells continued through mitosis normally. Ultrastructural analysis revealed either an absence of centrioles or severely damaged centrioles at the irradiated poles. Microtubules appeared to focus into pericentriolar cloud material

Large regional groundwater modeling - a sensitivity study of some selected conceptual descriptions and simplifications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ericsson, Lars O.; Holmen, Johan

2010-12-01

The primary aim of this report is: - To present a supplementary, in-depth evaluation of certain conceptual simplifications, descriptions and model uncertainties in conjunction with regional groundwater simulation, which in the first instance refer to model depth, topography, groundwater table level and boundary conditions. Implementation was based on geo-scientifically available data compilations from the Smaaland region but different conceptual assumptions have been analysed

Wind Resource Variations Over Selected Sites in the West African Sub-Region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iheonu, E. E.; Akingbade, F.O A.; Ocholi, M.

2002-01-01

The analysis of wind characteristics and wind resource potentials at 4 locations in the West African sub-region is presented, applying data obtained at the Ibadan central station of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA-Ibadan, Nigeria). The study has shown that the annual variations of wind speed have coefficient of variability between 10 and 15% but the available wind power at the studied locations is generally poor with values ranging between 2 and 10 Wm2 at the standard meteorological height of 10 m. Cotonou (Lat. 6.4 0 N, Long. 2.3 0 E) Benin Republic has however been distinguished from the other three locations in Nigeria, as the most promising site for wind resource development and utilization in the sub-region. With appropriate choice of wind turbine characteristics and design efficiency, establishing wind farms at the Cotonou location for electrical energy production could be feasible

Sustainable Nuclear Fuel Cycles and World Regional Issues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksandra Schwenk-Ferrero

2012-06-01

Full Text Available In the present paper we have attempted to associate quantified impacts with a forecasted nuclear energy development in different world regions, under a range of hypotheses on the energy demand growth. It gives results in terms of availability of uranium resources, required deployment of fuel cycle facilities and reactor types. In particular, the need to achieve short doubling times with future fast reactors is investigated and quantified in specific world regions. It has been found that a crucial feature of any world scenario study is to provide not only trends for an idealized “homogeneous” description of the global world, but also trends for different regions in the world. These regions may be selected using rather simple criteria (mostly of a geographical type, in order to apply different hypotheses for energy demand growth, fuel cycle strategies and the implementation of various reactor types for the different regions. This approach was an attempt to avoid focusing on selected countries, in particular on those where no new significant energy demand growth is expected, but instead to provide trends and conclusions that account for the features of countries that will be major players in the world energy development in the future.

Genome Scan for Selection in Structured Layer Chicken Populations Exploiting Linkage Disequilibrium Information.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahmood Gholami

Full Text Available An increasing interest is being placed in the detection of genes, or genomic regions, that have been targeted by selection because identifying signatures of selection can lead to a better understanding of genotype-phenotype relationships. A common strategy for the detection of selection signatures is to compare samples from distinct populations and to search for genomic regions with outstanding genetic differentiation. The aim of this study was to detect selective signatures in layer chicken populations using a recently proposed approach, hapFLK, which exploits linkage disequilibrium information while accounting appropriately for the hierarchical structure of populations. We performed the analysis on 70 individuals from three commercial layer breeds (White Leghorn, White Rock and Rhode Island Red, genotyped for approximately 1 million SNPs. We found a total of 41 and 107 regions with outstanding differentiation or similarity using hapFLK and its single SNP counterpart FLK respectively. Annotation of selection signature regions revealed various genes and QTL corresponding to productions traits, for which layer breeds were selected. A number of the detected genes were associated with growth and carcass traits, including IGF-1R, AGRP and STAT5B. We also annotated an interesting gene associated with the dark brown feather color mutational phenotype in chickens (SOX10. We compared FST, FLK and hapFLK and demonstrated that exploiting linkage disequilibrium information and accounting for hierarchical population structure decreased the false detection rate.

Footprints of directional selection in wild Atlantic salmon populations: evidence for parasite-driven evolution?

Science.gov (United States)

Zueva, Ksenia J; Lumme, Jaakko; Veselov, Alexey E; Kent, Matthew P; Lien, Sigbjørn; Primmer, Craig R

2014-01-01

Mechanisms of host-parasite co-adaptation have long been of interest in evolutionary biology; however, determining the genetic basis of parasite resistance has been challenging. Current advances in genome technologies provide new opportunities for obtaining a genome-scale view of the action of parasite-driven natural selection in wild populations and thus facilitate the search for specific genomic regions underlying inter-population differences in pathogen response. European populations of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) exhibit natural variance in susceptibility levels to the ectoparasite Gyrodactylus salaris Malmberg 1957, ranging from resistance to extreme susceptibility, and are therefore a good model for studying the evolution of virulence and resistance. However, distinguishing the molecular signatures of genetic drift and environment-associated selection in small populations such as land-locked Atlantic salmon populations presents a challenge, specifically in the search for pathogen-driven selection. We used a novel genome-scan analysis approach that enabled us to i) identify signals of selection in salmon populations affected by varying levels of genetic drift and ii) separate potentially selected loci into the categories of pathogen (G. salaris)-driven selection and selection acting upon other environmental characteristics. A total of 4631 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were screened in Atlantic salmon from 12 different northern European populations. We identified three genomic regions potentially affected by parasite-driven selection, as well as three regions presumably affected by salinity-driven directional selection. Functional annotation of candidate SNPs is consistent with the role of the detected genomic regions in immune defence and, implicitly, in osmoregulation. These results provide new insights into the genetic basis of pathogen susceptibility in Atlantic salmon and will enable future searches for the specific genes involved.

Identifying signatures of natural selection in Tibetan and Andean populations using dense genome scan data.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abigail Bigham