Does empathy predict altruism in the wild?

Why do people act altruistically? One theory is that empathy is a driver of morality. Experimental studies of this are often confined to laboratory settings, which often lack ecological validity. In the present study we investigated whether empathy traits predict if people will act altruistically in a real-world setting, "in the wild". We staged a situation in public that was designed to elicit helping, and subsequently measured empathic traits in those who either stopped to help or walked past and did not help. Results show that a higher number of empathic traits are a significant and positive predictor for altruistic behavior in a real-life situation. This supports the theory that the act of doing good is correlated with empathy.This work was supported by the Autism Research Trust and the Medical Research Council; Pinsent Darwin Trust, Medical Research Council and Cambridge Trust; National Institute for Health Research

Sonic Hedgehog Signaling Promotes Peri-Lesion Cell Proliferation and Functional Improvement after Cortical Contusion Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability globally. No drug treatments are available, so interest has turned to endogenous neural stem cells (NSCs) as alternative strategies for treatment. We hypothesized that regulation of cell proliferation through modulation of the sonic hedgehog pathway, a key NSC regulatory pathway, could lead to functional improvement. We assessed sonic hedgehog (Shh) protein levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with TBI. Using the cortical contusion injury (CCI) model in rodents, we used pharmacological modulators of Shh signaling to assess cell proliferation within the injured cortex using the marker 5-Ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine (EdU); 50mg/mL. The phenotype of proliferating cells was determined and quantified. Motor function was assessed using the rotarod test. In patients with TBI there is a reduction of Shh protein in CSF compared with control patients. In rodents, following a severe CCI, quiescent cells become activated. Pharmacologically modulating the Shh signaling pathway leads to changes in the number of newly proliferating injury-induced cells. Upregulation of Shh signaling with Smoothened agonist (SAG) results in an increase of newly proliferating cells expressing glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), whereas the Shh signaling inhibitor cyclopamine leads to a reduction. Some cells expressed doublecortin (DCX) but did not mature into neurons. The SAG-induced increase in proliferation is associated with improved recovery of motor function. Localized restoration of Shh in the injured rodent brain, via increased Shh signaling, has the potential to sustain endogenous cell proliferation and the mitigation of TBI-induced motor deficits albeit without the neuronal differentiation

In Situ Monitoring of Intracellular Glucose and Glutamine in CHO Cell Culture

The development of processes to produce biopharmaceuticals industrially is still largely empirical and relies on optimizing both medium formulation and cell line in a product-specific manner. Current small-scale (well plate-based) process development methods cannot provide sufficient sample volume for analysis, to obtain information on nutrient utilization which can be problematic when processes are scaled to industrial fermenters. We envision a platform where essential metabolites can be monitored non-invasively and in real time in an ultra-low volume assay in order to provide additional information on cellular metabolism in high throughput screens. Towards this end, we have developed a model system of Chinese Hamster Ovary cells stably expressing protein-based biosensors for glucose and glutamine. Herein, we demonstrate that these can accurately reflect changing intracellular metabolite concentrations in vivo during batch and fed-batch culture of CHO cells. The ability to monitor intracellular depletion of essential nutrients in high throughput will allow rapid development of improved bioprocesses

Non-covalent close contacts in fluorinated thiophene-phenylene-thiophene conjugated units: understanding the nature and dominance of O···H versus S···F and O···F interactions towards the control of polymer conformation

Using a simple -conjugated trimer, EDOT-phenylene-EDOT (where EDOT = 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), we evaluate the effect that fluorine substituents have upon changes in conformation, conjugation and oxidation potentials in -conjugated structures. These variations are assessed as a function of the fluorine atom’s propensity to feature in hydrogen and/or halogen bonding with other heteroatoms. The molecular motif was chosen because the EDOT unit presents the possibility of competing O···X or S···X non-covalent contacts (where X = H or F). Such non-bonding interactions are acknowledged to be highly influential in dictating molecular and polymer morphology and inducing changes in certain physical properties. We have studied four compounds, beginning with an unsubstituted bridging phenylene ring and then adding one, two or four fluorine units to the parent molecule. Our studies involve single crystal XRD studies, cyclic voltammetry, absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations to identify the dominant non-covalent interactions and elucidate their effects on the molecules described. Experimental studies have also been carried out on the corresponding electrochemically synthesized polymers to confirm that these non-covalent interactions and their effects persist in polymers. Our findings show that hydrogen bonding and halogen bonding feature in these molecules and their corresponding polymers. ABSTRACT: Using a simple -conjugated trimer, EDOT-phenylene-EDOT (where EDOT = 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), we evaluate the effect that fluorine substituents have upon changes in conformation, conjugation and oxidation potentials in -conjugated structures. These variations are assessed as a function of the fluorine atom’s propensity to feature in hydrogen and/or halogen bonding with other heteroatoms. The molecular motif was chosen because the EDOT unit presents the possibility of competing O···X or S···X non-covalent contacts (where X = H or F). Such non-bonding interactions are acknowledged to be highly influential in dictating molecular and polymer morphology and inducing changes in certain physical properties. We have studied four compounds, beginning with an unsubstituted bridging phenylene ring and then adding one, two or four fluorine units to the parent molecule. Our studies involve single crystal XRD studies, cyclic voltammetry, absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations to identify the dominant non-covalent interactions and elucidate their effects on the molecules described. Experimental studies have also been carried out on the corresponding electrochemically synthesized polymers to confirm that these non-covalent interactions and their effects persist in polymers. Our findings show that hydrogen bonding and halogen bonding feature in these molecules and their corresponding polymers

Planning Technologies for Interactive Storytelling

Since AI planning was first proposed for the task of narrative generation in interactive storytelling (IS), it has emerged as the dominant approach in this field. This chapter traces the use of planning technologies in this area, considers the core issues involved in the application of planning technologies in IS, and identifies some of the remaining challenges

Solvent-free synthesis of core-functionalised naphthalene diimides by using a vibratory ball mill: Suzuki, Sonogashira and Buchwald–Hartwig reactions

Solvent-free synthesis by using a vibratory ball mill (VBM) offers the chance to access new chemical reactivity, whilst reducing solvent waste and minimising reaction times. Herein, we report the core functionalisation of N,N’-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-2,6-dibromo-1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxylic acid (Br2-NDI) by using Suzuki, Sonogashira and Buchwald–Hartwig coupling reactions. The products of these reactions are important building blocks in many areas of organic electronics including organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and organic photovoltaic cells (OPVCs). The reactions proceed in as little as 1 h, use commercially available palladium sources (frequently Pd(OAc)2) and are tolerant to air and atmospheric moisture. Furthermore, the real-world potential of this green VBM protocol is demonstrated by the double Suzuki coupling of a monobromo(NDI) residue to a bis(thiophene) pinacol ester. The resulting dimeric NDI species has been demonstrated to behave as an electron acceptor in functioning OPVCs

Short-term increase in prevalence of nasopharyngeal carriage of macrolide-resistant Staphylococcus aureus following mass drug administration with azithromycin for trachoma control.

BACKGROUND: Mass drug administration (MDA) with azithromycin is a corner-stone of trachoma control however it may drive the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. In a cluster-randomized trial (Clinical trial gov NCT00792922), we compared the reduction in the prevalence of active trachoma in communities that received three annual rounds of MDA to that in communities that received a single treatment round. We used the framework of this trial to carry out an opportunistic study to investigate if the increased rounds of treatment resulted in increased prevalence of nasopharyngeal carriage of macrolide-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Three cross-sectional surveys were conducted in two villages receiving three annual rounds of MDA (3 × treatment arm). Surveys were conducted immediately before the third round of MDA (CSS-1) and at one (CSS-2) and six (CSS-3) months after MDA. The final survey also included six villages that had received only one round of MDA 30 months previously (1 × treatment arm). RESULTS: In the 3 × treatment arm, a short-term increase in prevalence of S. aureus carriage was seen following MDA from 24.6% at CSS-1 to 38.6% at CSS-2 (p < 0.001). Prevalence fell to 8.8% at CSS-3 (p < 0.001). A transient increase was also seen in prevalence of carriage of azithromycin resistant (Azm(R)) strains from 8.9% at CSS-1 to 34.1% (p < 0.001) in CSS-2 and down to 7.3% (p = 0.417) in CSS-3. A similar trend was observed for prevalence of carriage of macrolide-inducible-clindamycin resistant (iMLSB) strains. In CSS-3, prevalence of carriage of resistant strains was higher in the 3 × treatment arm than in the 1 × treatment (Azm(R) 7.3% vs. 1.6%, p = 0.010; iMLSB 5.8% vs. 0.8%, p < 0.001). Macrolide resistance was attributed to the presence of msr and erm genes. CONCLUSIONS: Three annual rounds of MDA with azithromycin were associated with a short-term increase in both the prevalence of nasopharyngeal carriage of S. aureus and prevalence of carriage of Azm(R) and iMLSB S. aureus. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was ancillary to the Partnership for the Rapid Elimination of Trachoma, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00792922 , registration date November 17, 2008

Berry Flesh and Skin Ripening Features in Vitis vinifera as Assessed by Transcriptional Profiling

Background Ripening of fleshy fruit is a complex developmental process involving the differentiation of tissues with separate functions. During grapevine berry ripening important processes contributing to table and wine grape quality take place, some of them flesh- or skin-specific. In this study, transcriptional profiles throughout flesh and skin ripening were followed during two different seasons in a table grape cultivar ‘Muscat Hamburg’ to determine tissue-specific as well as common developmental programs. Methodology/Principal Findings Using an updated GrapeGen Affymetrix GeneChip® annotation based on grapevine 12×v1 gene predictions, 2188 differentially accumulated transcripts between flesh and skin and 2839 transcripts differentially accumulated throughout ripening in the same manner in both tissues were identified. Transcriptional profiles were dominated by changes at the beginning of veraison which affect both pericarp tissues, although frequently delayed or with lower intensity in the skin than in the flesh. Functional enrichment analysis identified the decay on biosynthetic processes, photosynthesis and transport as a major part of the program delayed in the skin. In addition, a higher number of functional categories, including several related to macromolecule transport and phenylpropanoid and lipid biosynthesis, were over-represented in transcripts accumulated to higher levels in the skin. Functional enrichment also indicated auxin, gibberellins and bHLH transcription factors to take part in the regulation of pre-veraison processes in the pericarp, whereas WRKY and C2H2 family transcription factors seems to more specifically participate in the regulation of skin and flesh ripening, respectively. Conclusions/Significance A transcriptomic analysis indicates that a large part of the ripening program is shared by both pericarp tissues despite some components are delayed in the skin. In addition, important tissue differences are present from early stages prior to the ripening onset including tissue-specific regulators. Altogether, these findings provide key elements to understand berry ripening and its differential regulation in flesh and skin.This study was financially supported by GrapeGen Project funded by Genoma España within a collaborative agreement with Genome Canada. The authors also thank The Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion for project BIO2008-03892 and a bilateral collaborative grant with Argentina (AR2009-0021). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewe

Effects of Acute Exercise Duration on the Inhibition Aspect of Executive Function in Late Middle-Aged Adults

Objective: This study investigated whether acute exercise duration affects inhibition in late middle-aged adults. Methods: Over four separate days, 40 late middle-aged adults completed, in a counterbalanced order, three exercise sessions consisting of single bouts of moderateto-vigorous intensity cycling, with the main acute exercise durations being 10, 20, and 45 min, and a control session consisting of 30 min of reading. Their inhibition performance was then evaluated by administration of the Stroop test following each session. Results: The participants had shorter mean response times for both the congruent and neutral conditions of the Stroop following the acute exercise lasting 20 min than they did after the control session. The acute exercise lasting 20 min also resulted in shorter response times for both conditions of the Stroop than the acute exercise lasting only 10 min. Meanwhile, the acute exercise lasting 45 min resulted in a shorter mean response time for the neutral Stroop condition than did the control session. Finally, the acute exercise lasting 20 min resulted in the shortest mean response time of all four sessions for the Stroop incongruent condition. Conclusion: The above findings suggest that the moderate-to-vigorous intensity acute exerciselasting20minfacilitatedmultiplecognitivefunctiondomainsingeneral,whereas the exercise sessions of shorter and longer duration had negligible effects on executive function in the late middle-aged adults. These results highlight the need to consider the duration of any moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise when developing acute exercise programs to facilitate executive function in aged population