How familiarity warps representation in the face space

Recognition of familiar as compared to unfamiliar faces is robust and resistant to marked image distortion or degradation. Here we tested the flexibility of familiar face recognition with a morphing paradigm where the appearance of a personally familiar face was mixed with the appearance of a stranger (Experiment 1) and the appearance of one's own face with the appearance of a familiar face and the appearance of a stranger (Experiment 2). The aim of the two experiments was to assess how categorical boundaries for recognition of identity are affected by familiarity. We found a narrower categorical boundary for the identity of personally familiar faces when they were mixed with unfamiliar identities as compared to the control condition, in which the appearance of two unfamiliar faces was mixed. Our results suggest that familiarity warps the representational geometry of face space, amplifying perceptual distances for small changes in the appearance of familiar faces that are inconsistent with the structural features that define their identities

NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCE VARIATION IN LEPTIN GENE OF MURRAH BUFFALO (BUBALUS BUBALIS)

Leptin is a 16 kD protein, synthesized by adipose tissue and is involved in regulation of feed intake, energy balance, fertility and immune functions. Present study was undertaken with the objectives of sequence characterization and studying the nucleotide variation in leptin gene in Murrah buffalo. The leptin gene consists of three exons and two introns which spans about 18.9kb, of which the first exon is not transcribed into protein. In buffaloes, the leptin gene is located on chromosome eight and maps to BBU 8q32. The leptin gene was amplified by PCR using oligonucleotide primers to obtain 289 bp fragment comprising of exon 2 and 405 bp fragment containing exon 3 of leptin gene. The amplicons were sequenced to identify variation at nucleotide level. Sequence comparison of buffalo with cattle reveals variation at five nucleotide sequences at positions 983, 1083, 1147, 1152, 1221 and all the SNPs are synonymous resulting no in change in amino acids. Three of these eight nucleotide variations have been reported for the first time in buffalo. The results indicate conservation of DNA sequence between cattle and buffalo. Nucleotide sequence variations observed at leptin gene between Bubalus bubalis and Bos taurus species revealed 97% nucleotide identity

Health promotion and screening for people with an intellectual disability

People with intellectual disability have significantly worse health than those without, and have a higher level of complex health needs. The life expectancy for men and women is 13 and 20 years shorter, respectively, than the general population. The increasing role of general practice in delivering and coordinating care across health and social care settings requires expert generalist skills to implement an integrated approach to care. This article explores how general practice can improve the health of people with intellectual disability, by making reasonable adjustments within health promotion, disease prevention, screening and detection

Pyro-paraelectric and flexocaloric effects in barium strontium titanate: A first principles approach

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from AIP Publishing via https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4947010Inhomogeneous strain allows the manifestation of an unexplored component of stress-driven caloric effect (flexocaloric effect) and enhanced pyroelectric performance, obtainable significantly beyond the Curie point. A peak temperature change of 1.5 K (at 289 K) was predicted from first-principles-based simulations for Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 under the application of a strain gradient of 1.5 μm−1. Additionally, enhanced pyro-paraelectric coefficient (pyroelectric coefficient in paraelectric phase) and flexocaloric cooling 11 × 10−4 C m−2 K−1 and 1.02 K, respectively, could be obtained (at 330 K and 1.5 μm−1). A comparative analysis with prevailing literature indicates huge untapped potential and warrants further research.One of the authors (RV) acknowledges support from the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), Delhi, India, through a grant by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Delhi, under INSPIRE faculty award-2011 (ENG-01) and INSA Young Scientists Medal-2013. AC would like to acknowledge the support of SERB, India in the form of Cambridge India Ramanujan fellowship. IP acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation Grant No. DMR-1250492 and MRI CHE-1531590

MSLED, Neutrino Oscillations and the Cosmological Constant

We explore the implications for neutrino masses and mixings within the minimal version of the supersymmetric large-extra-dimensions scenario (MSLED). This model was proposed in {\tt hep-ph/0404135} to extract the phenomenological implications of the promising recent attempt (in {\tt hep-th/0304256}) to address the cosmological constant problem. Remarkably, we find that the simplest couplings between brane and bulk fermions within this approach can lead to a phenomenologically-viable pattern of neutrino masses and mixings that is also consistent with the supernova bounds which are usually the bane of extra-dimensional neutrino models. Under certain circumstances the MSLED scenario can lead to a lepton mixing (PMNS) matrix close to the so-called bi-maximal or the tri-bimaximal forms (which are known to provide a good description of the neutrino oscillation data). We discuss the implications of MSLED models for neutrino phenomenology.Comment: 38 pages, 1 figure; Reposted with a few additional reference

The Candida albicans Histone Acetyltransferase Hat1 Regulates Stress Resistance and Virulence via Distinct Chromatin Assembly Pathways

Human fungal pathogens like Candida albicans respond to host immune surveillance by rapidly adapting their transcriptional programs. Chromatin assembly factors are involved in the regulation of stress genes by modulating the histone density at these loci. Here, we report a novel role for the chromatin assembly-associated histone acetyltransferase complex NuB4 in regulating oxidative stress resistance, antifungal drug tolerance and virulence in C. albicans. Strikingly, depletion of the NuB4 catalytic subunit, the histone acetyltransferase Hat1, markedly increases resistance to oxidative stress and tolerance to azole antifungals. Hydrogen peroxide resistance in cells lacking Hat1 results from higher induction rates of oxidative stress gene expression, accompanied by reduced histone density as well as subsequent increased RNA polymerase recruitment. Furthermore, hat1Delta/Delta cells, despite showing growth defects in vitro, display reduced susceptibility to reactive oxygen-mediated killing by innate immune cells. Thus, clearance from infected mice is delayed although cells lacking Hat1 are severely compromised in killing the host. Interestingly, increased oxidative stress resistance and azole tolerance are phenocopied by the loss of histone chaperone complexes CAF-1 and HIR, respectively, suggesting a central role for NuB4 in the delivery of histones destined for chromatin assembly via distinct pathways. Remarkably, the oxidative stress phenotype of hat1Delta/Delta cells is a species-specific trait only found in C. albicans and members of the CTG clade. The reduced azole susceptibility appears to be conserved in a wider range of fungi. Thus, our work demonstrates how highly conserved chromatin assembly pathways can acquire new functions in pathogenic fungi during coevolution with the host

Star formation in the filament of S254-S258 OB complex: a cluster in the process of making

International audienceInfrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs) are ideal laboratories to study the initial processes of high-mass star and star cluster formation. We investigated star formation activity of an unexplored filamentary dark cloud (size ∼ 5.7 pc × 1.9 pc), which itself is part of a large filament (∼ 20 pc) located in the S254-S258 OB complex at a distance of 2.5 kpc. Using Multi-band Imaging Photometer (MIPS) Spitzer 24 µm data, we uncover 49 sources with signal-to-noise ratio greater than 5. We identified 45 sources as candidate young stellar objects (YSOs) of Class I, Flat-spectrum, and Class II nature. Additional 17 candidate YSOs (9 Class I and 8 Class II) are also identified using JHK and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) photometry. We find that the protostar to Class II sources ratio (∼ 2) and the protostar fraction (∼ 70 %) of the region are high. When the protostar fraction compared to other young clusters, it suggests that the star formation in the dark cloud was possibly started only 1 Myr ago. Combining the near-infrared photometry of the YSO candidates with the theoretical evolutionary models, we infer that most of the candidate YSOs formed in the dark cloud are low-mass (< 2 M) in nature. We examine the spatial distribution of the YSOs and find that majority of them are linearly aligned along the highest column density line (N(H 2)∼ 1 × 10 22 cm −2) of the dark cloud along its long axis at mean nearest neighbor separation of ∼ 0.2 pc. Using observed properties of the YSOs, physical conditions of the cloud and a simple cylindrical model, we explore the possible star formation process of this filamentary dark cloud and suggest that gravitational fragmentation within the filament should have played a dominant role in the formation of the YSOs. From the total mass of the YSOs, gaseous mass associated with the dark cloud, and surrounding environment, we infer that the region is presently forming stars at an efficiency ∼ 3% and a rate ∼ 30 M Myr −1 , and may emerge to a richer cluster

Acid emissions monitoring needs in ceramic tile industry: Challenges derived from new policy trends

The emission of acid compounds during the manufacture of ceramic tiles is strongly related to the presence of precursors in the raw materials and/or fuels used, with some exceptions such as the production of thermal NOX. The stages with the potential to produce significant emissions of these compounds have been identified as the suspension spray drying and tile firing stages. The monitoring of emission levels of acid pollutants in these stages has turned in a great importance issue from a regulatory and industrial aspect. The DREAM project (https://www.spire2030.eu/dream) will tackle the regulation of acidic emissions focusing in the firing stage. The initial stages of the project have made it possible to identify the design requirements for the monitoring system. This will allow the control of acid pollutants emissions and other key parameters such as pressure, flow, temperature and humidity. One of the tasks developed has been the review and compilation of current emissions monitoring systems detailing technical specifications such as: position (in situ or extractive), measurement principle and frequency. The future policy trends in air pollution are encouraging the continuous monitoring across the European industry. The present document assesses the advantages regarding environmental impact control, highlighting the main challenges for the ceramic tile industry.European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programm

Response of wheat (Triticum aestivum) landraces from north-western Himalaya to rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae)

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) landraces (one hundred) from the north-western Himalayan region were evaluated for their response to rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae L. under no-choice artificial infestation conditions in the laboratory. The differential reaction was based on the parameters, viz. number of adults emerged, development period, growth index (GI) and weight loss in seeds. On the basis of GI, these landraces were categorised as resistant (six landraces with GI from 0.33-0.49), moderately resistant (13 landraces, GI from 0.52-0.97), moderately susceptible (41 landraces, GI ranging from 1.01-1.50), and susceptible (41 with GI from 1.51-1.86). On the basis of seed weight loss, eight landraces were found resistant (8.3-18.5%), 32 as moderately resistant (20.1-39.5), 51 as moderately susceptible (40.3-59.9), and 10 landraces (61.4-68.8) were found susceptible. Four landraces, viz. IC393109, IC392578, IC444217 and IC589276 were found resistant both on the basis of GI and seed weight loss. These landraces can be used in breeding programme for development of wheat cultivars resistant to S. oryzae

Compositional fluctuations mediated by excess of tellurium in bismuth antimony telluride nanocomposite yields high thermoelectric performance

A high thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) in state-of-the-art bismuth antimony telluride (BST) composites was attained by an excess tellurium-assisted liquid-phase compaction approach. Herein, we report a maximum ZT of approximate to 1.4 at 500 K attained for BST bulk nanocomposites fabricated by spark plasma sintering of colloidally synthesized (Bi,Sb)(2)Te-3 platelets and Te-rich rods. The Terich nanodomains and antimony precipitation during sintering result in compositional fluctuations and atomic ordering within the BST-Te eutectic microstructure, which provides additional phonon scattering and hole contributions. The electrical transport measurement and theoretical calculations corroborate the altered free carrier density via lattice defects and atomic ordering under Te-rich conditions, resulting in a higher power factor. Microstructural studies suggest that reduction in lattice thermal conductivity is due to composite interfaces and defects in the closely packed (Bi,Sb)(2)Te-3 matrix with unevenly distributed Sband Te-rich nanodomains. This work provides an unconventional chemical synthesis route with large scalability for developing high-performance chalcogenide-based bulk nanocomposites for thermoelectric applications.- We thank the members of the Nanochemistry Research Group (http://nanochemgroup.org) at INL for insightful discussions and support. This work was supported by the Portuguese national funding agency for science, research, and technology (FCT) under the UT-BORN-PT project (UTAP-EXPL/CTE/0050/2017), strategic project UID/FIS/04650/2020, Project SATRAP (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028108) and Advanced Computing Project CPCA/A2/4513/2020 for access to MACC-BOB HPC resources. B.A.K. acknowledges funding of this work by the Robert A. Welch Foundation (grant no. F1464). N.S.C. and T.M. acknowledge SERB, India (project no. SPO/SERB/MET/2018547) for financial support