Monkeys and Humans Share a Common Computation for Face/Voice Integration

Speech production involves the movement of the mouth and other regions of the face resulting in visual motion cues. These visual cues enhance intelligibility and detection of auditory speech. As such, face-to-face speech is fundamentally a multisensory phenomenon. If speech is fundamentally multisensory, it should be reflected in the evolution of vocal communication: similar behavioral effects should be observed in other primates. Old World monkeys share with humans vocal production biomechanics and communicate face-to-face with vocalizations. It is unknown, however, if they, too, combine faces and voices to enhance their perception of vocalizations. We show that they do: monkeys combine faces and voices in noisy environments to enhance their detection of vocalizations. Their behavior parallels that of humans performing an identical task. We explored what common computational mechanism(s) could explain the pattern of results we observed across species. Standard explanations or models such as the principle of inverse effectiveness and a “race” model failed to account for their behavior patterns. Conversely, a “superposition model”, positing the linear summation of activity patterns in response to visual and auditory components of vocalizations, served as a straightforward but powerful explanatory mechanism for the observed behaviors in both species. As such, it represents a putative homologous mechanism for integrating faces and voices across primates

Carvacrol-loaded invasomes efficacy against multidrug resistant isolates of Enterobacteriaceae and housefly

The current study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of carvacrol-loaded invasomes (CLI) against multidrug-resistant (MDR) Enterobacteriaceae and its mechanical vector, the housefly. CLI were prepared and characterized in the laboratory. Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Enteritidis, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium, and Klebsiella oxytoca were among the MDR enterobacteriaceae stains investigated. These strains were first isolated and identified from naturally infected chickens. The antibacterial activity of CLI against the MDR isolates was evaluated using the diffusion method. In addition, the insecticidal activity of CLI against housefly larvae and pupae was tested. The MDR index of all evaluated isolates was greater than 20%, indicating that they were all multidrug-resistant. CLI decreased the growth of all isolates except S. Typhimurium and P. aeruginosa at a dose of 0.0125%; however, pure carvacrol inhibited the growth of only Klebsiella oxytoca. Furthermore, both CLI and pure carvacrol inhibited Klebsiella oxytoca growth at different concentrations. CLI inhibited E. coli and S. enteritidis at lower concentrations than pure carvacrol, even at a doubled concentration. Carvacrol and CLI caused significant larval mortality even at low concentrations, with LC50 reached at concentartions of 2.54 and 2.19 µl/ml, respectively. Furthermore, at a low concentration of 3.125 µl/ml, both elicited a high percentage inhibition rate (PIR) in pupae. In conclusion, CLI demonstrated substantial antibacterial action, particularly against MDR isolates, as well as pesticide activity against houseflies.