Multiple coordinate systems and motor strategies for reaching movements when eye and hand are dissociated in depth and direction

Reaching behavior represents one of the basic aspects of human cognitive abilities important for the interaction with the environment. Reaching movements towards visual objects are controlled by mechanisms based on coordinate systems that transform the spatial information of target location into appropriate motor response. Although recent works have extensively studied the encoding of target position for reaching in three-dimensional space at behavioral level, the combined analysis of reach errors and movement variability has so far been investigated by few studies. Here we did so by testing 12 healthy participants in an experiment where reaching targets were presented at different depths and directions in foveal and peripheral viewing conditions. Each participant executed a memory-guided task in which he/she had to reach the memorized position of the target. A combination of vector and gradient analysis, novel for behavioral data, was applied to analyze patterns of reach errors for different combinations of eye/target positions. The results showed reach error patterns based on both eye- and space-centered coordinate systems: in depth more biased towards a space-centered representation and in direction mixed between space- and eye-centered representation. We calculated movement variability to describe different trajectory strategies adopted by participants while reaching to the different eye/target configurations tested. In direction, the distribution of variability between configurations that shared the same eye/target relative configuration was different, whereas in configurations that shared the same spatial position of targets, it was similar. In depth, the variability showed more similar distributions in both pairs of eye/target configurations tested. These results suggest that reaching movements executed in geometries that require hand and eye dissociations in direction and depth showed multiple coordinate systems and different trajectory strategies according to eye/target configurations and the two dimensions of space

Detection of Plasmodium falciparum male and female gametocytes and determination of parasite sex ratio in human endemic populations by novel, cheap and robust RTqPCR assays

The presence of Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes in peripheral blood is essential for human to mosquito parasite transmission. The detection of submicroscopic infections with gametocytes and the estimation of the gametocyte sex ratio are crucial to assess the human host potential ability to infect mosquitoes and transmit malaria parasites

Agricultural abandonment in Mediterranean reclaimed peaty soils: Long-term effects on soil chemical properties, arbuscular mycorrhizas and CO2 flux

In the last century, most peatlands were reclaimed for agricultural purposes, which led to peat degradation and to severe subsidence, and thus too wet conditions for crops. In some areas this has therefore led to wide agricultural abandonment. However, studies on the effect of agricultural abandonment as a potential restoration tool are lacking. In this study, the effectiveness and the restoration potential of agricultural abandonment in reducing peat degradation and in improving soil microbial biodiversity were evaluated. The main chemical parameters, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal diversity and soil respiration partitioning were used to assess the long-term effect of 15 years of agricultural abandonment (Aband) in a Mediterranean reclaimed peatland. An intensive maize cultivation (Cult) in the same area was used as a comparison. Multivariate analyses showed that 15 years of agricultural abandonment: did not affect the main soil chemical parameters, except for NH4+ which was lower in the Aband than in the Cult; increased AM fungal root colonization and the diversity in terms of number of families of AM fungi retrieved in roots, but decreased soil AM fungal richness; reduced total soil respiration and its autotrophic component but increased respiration by heterotrophs; determined a lower fluctuation of soil CO2 flux response to air temperature than the Cult. Thus, although some soil quality parameters were significantly improved, 15 years of agricultural abandonment may not lead to an effective restoration. Consequently, alternative and sustainable solutions for the protection and preservation of Mediterranean peatlands need to be develope

Effect of turmeric powder (Curcuma longa L.) and ascorbic acid on physical characteristics and oxidative status of fresh and stored rabbit burgers

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Curcuma longa powder and ascorbic acid on some quality traits of rabbit burgers. The burgers (burgers control with no additives; burgerswith 3.5 g of turmeric powder/100 g meat; burgers with 0.1 g of ascorbic acid/100 g meat) were analyzed at Days 0 and 7 for pH, color, drip loss, cooking loss, fatty acid profile, TBARS, antioxidant capacity (ABTS, DPPH and FRAP) and microbial growth. The addition of turmeric powder modified the meat color, produced an antioxidant capacity similar to ascorbic acid and determined a lower cooking loss than other formulations. Turmeric powder might be considered as a useful natural antioxidant, increasing the quality and extending the shelf life of rabbit burgers

Effect of age and feeding area on meat quality of wild boars

The stomach content and samples of Longissimus dorsi muscle of 32 feral wild boars were collected in two different feeding areas (forest and farmland) of Umbria region (Italy). The animals from each feeding area were divided into two age classes: class 1 (12–24 months of age; 48 kg average weight) and class 2 (animals older than 2 years of age; 84 kg average weight). The major food categories consumed were hard mast and crops (89.02–75.98%). The L*(lightness) and a*(red to green colour) values of the meat were affected by the feeding area as well as the b*(yellow colour) value; the age significantly affected only the a* and the b* value of the meat. The α-tocopherol was the most abundant vitamin E homologue, ranged between 520.63 and 1881.33 ng/g and was higher in farmland areas. The index of lipid oxidation (TBARS) ranged from 0.093 and 0.140 mg MDA/kg and was higher in wild boars from farmland. The monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) ranged between 38.36 and 46.75% and were higher in wild boar of class 2. The total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) as well as PUFAn-6 were affected by age, while PUFAn-3 was only affected by feeding area and ranged from 0.91 and 1.99 in farmland and forest, respectively. The feeding area affects the intramuscular fat contents in terms of nutritional characteristics of the meat: the n-6/n-3 ratio that was lower in meat from animals hunted in the forest area (p ≤ .001), as well as the ARA/(EPA + DHA) ratio (p ≤ .01)

Temporomandibular joint involvement (TMJ), a silent disease with severe alterations in young adulthood patients affected by juvenile idiophatic arthritis (JIA)

TMJ involvement has been largely reported in all subsets of JIA. At onset, it may be subtle and asymptomatic leading, when unrecognized and untreated, to severe joint alterations in early adulthood. The reported prevalence of detectable radiographic changes of TMJs varies from about 30% to 63% and 50-80% of children with JIA will have evidence of TMJ arthritis by MRI and by sonographic exam (SE) (effusions, synovial enhancement, condylar flattening and/or erosions) before evidence of X-ray damage. Pts with oligoarticular JIA onset (O-JIA) seem to be at higher risk of developing TMJ damage and, at young adulthood, when peripheral arthritis may be quiescent, suddenly complain of TMJ disease symptoms

Effect of genotype on estimated indexes of fatty acid metabolism in rabbits

[EN] To analyse the effect of rabbit genotype on fatty acid metabolism, 60 weaned rabbits (30 d old, sex ratio 1:1; 20 New Zealand White, 20 Leprino of Viterbo and 20 rabbits of a Local grey population) were reared in bicellular standard cages. At 80 d, 10 rabbits per group were selected and slaughtered. The muscle fatty acid composition and relative indexes of metabolism of the longissmus lumborum of these rabbits were determined. The New Zealand White and Leprino rabbits exhibited lower percentages of myristic acid and higher percentages of palmitic acid and palmitoleic acid, and the levels of monounsaturated fatty acids were significantly higher in these rabbits. The grey-coloured rabbits exhibited the highest values of total n-3 fatty acids. With respect to fatty acid metabolism, the New Zealand White and Leprino rabbits exhibited higher thioesterase and Δ9-desaturase indexes and lower elongase and Δ5- Δ6-desaturase indexes. The estimated Δ5- Δ6-desaturase activity was significantly higher in the Local grey rabbits, suggesting a genetic effect on the desaturase and elongase mechanisms responsible for the synthesis of long-chain n-3 fatty acids.Dal Bosco, A.; Mugnai, C.; Roscini, V.; Paci, G.; Castellini, C. (2014). Effect of genotype on estimated indexes of fatty acid metabolism in rabbits. World Rabbit Science. 22(1):21-28. doi:10.4995/wrs.2014.1465SWORD212822