Object grasping and manipulation in capuchin monkeys (genera Cebus and Sapajus)

The abilities to perform skilled hand movements and to manipulate objects dexterously are landmarks in the evolution of primates. The study of how primates use their hands to grasp and manipulate objects in accordance with their needs sheds light on how these species are physically and mentally equipped to deal with the problems they encounter in their daily life. We report data on capuchin monkeys, highly manipulative platyrrhine species that usually spend a great deal of time in active manipulation to search for food and to prepare it for ingestion. Our aim is to provide an overview of current knowledge on the ability of capuchins to grasp and manipulate objects, with a special focus on how these species express their cognitive potential through manual behaviour. Data on the ability of capuchins to move their hands and on the neural correlates sustaining their actions are reported, as are findings on the manipulative ability of capuchins to anticipate future actions and to relate objects to other objects and substrates. The manual behaviour of capuchins is considered in different domains, such as motor planning, extractive foraging and tool use, in both captive and natural settings. Anatomofunctional and behavioural similarities to and differences from other haplorrhine species regarding manual dexterity are also discussed

Tactile information improves visual object discrimination in kea, Nestor notabilis, and capuchin monkeys, Sapajus spp.

In comparative visual cognition research, the influence of information acquired by nonvisual senses has received little attention. Systematic studies focusing on how the integration of information from sight and touch can affect animal perception are sparse. Here, we investigated whether tactile input improves visual discrimination ability of a bird, the kea, and capuchin monkeys, two species with acute vision, and known for their tendency to handle objects. To this end, we assessed whether, at the attainment of a criterion, accuracy and/or learning speed in the visual modality were enhanced by haptic (i.e. active tactile) exploration of an object. Subjects were trained to select the positive stimulus between two cylinders of the same shape and size, but with different surface structures. In the Sight condition, one pair of cylinders was inserted into transparent Plexiglas tubes. This prevented animals from haptically perceiving the objects' surfaces. In the Sight and Touch condition, one pair of cylinders was not inserted into transparent Plexiglas tubes. This allowed the subjects to perceive the objects' surfaces both visually and haptically. We found that both kea and capuchins (1) showed comparable levels of accuracy at the attainment of the learning criterion in both conditions, but (2) required fewer trials to achieve the criterion in the Sight and Touch condition. Moreover, this study showed that both kea and capuchins can integrate information acquired by the visual and tactile modalities. To our knowledge, this represents the first evidence of visuotactile integration in a bird species. Overall, our findings demonstrate that the acquisition of tactile information while manipulating objects facilitates visual discrimination of objects in two phylogenetically distant species

Molecular analysis of PKU-associated PAH mutations: a fast and simple genotyping test

Abstract: Neonatal screening for phenylketonuria (PKU, OMIM: 261600) was introduced at the end of the 1960s. We developed a rapid and simple molecular test for the most frequent phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH, Gene ID: 5053) mutations. Using this method to detect the 18 most frequent mutations, it is possible to achieve a 75% detection rate in Italian population. The variants selected also reach a high detection rate in other populations, for example, 70% in southern Germany, 68% in western Germany, 76% in Denmark, 68% in Sweden, 63% in Poland, and 60% in Bulgaria. We successfully applied this confirmation test in neonatal screening for hyperphenylalaninemias using dried blood spots and obtained the genotype in approximately 48 h. The method was found to be suitable as second tier test in neonatal screening for hyperphenylalaninemias in neonates with a positive screening test. This test can also be useful for carrier screening because it can bypass the entire coding sequence and intron–exon boundaries sequencing, thereby overcoming the questions that this approach implies, such as new variant interpretations

Health and Environment: A Changing Paradigm in the COVID-19 Era

The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply impacted our relationship with the environment and the achievement of sustainable development goals, occasionally in opposite ways. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 has demonstrated the urgent need to adopt the “one health” approach in every future action involving health and the environment, and its spread has highlighted the importance of research about the environmental determinants of its transmission. Increasing knowledge about the viru’s presence in different environmental matrices and conditions is revealing the significant diffusion of its RNA, although its actual viability in these circumstances remains to be demonstrated. Moreover, some epidemiological findings suggest that environmental conditions may be associated with the spread and related mortality of the virus. COVID-19 prevention still relies on measures linked to the environment: the use of masks, social distancing, hygiene and disinfection. On the other hand, some of these measures can exacerbate environmental pollution, such as increased waste (gloves and masks) and the generalized use of disinfectants: This can produce an apparent conflict of interest between infective and chemical risks. Therefore, the COVID-19 pandemic should change our approach to environmental risk assessment, focusing not only on chemicals but also on biological agents, with the analysis and comparison of these substances using quantitative methods. Efforts made toward recovering from the socio-economic impact of the pandemic should also be focused on environmental preservation and protection. In conclusion, the pandemic provides us with the opportunity to rethink the coupling of health and the environment from a wider and more comprehensive perspective

European Fertility: An Examination of Shifting Fertility Trends in Italy, Spain, and Sweden

Total fertility rates throughout the European Union have fallen and are now below the replacement rate of 2.1 births per woman. Maintaining a sustainable population size is crucial for the future of the EU, and this concerns both politicians and scholars. This paper will examine three countries to represent the broader EU and discern causal factors in this fertility crisis. Italy and Spain are two southern states experiencing sharp fertility decline, while Sweden is a northern nation with a more modest change. I argue that women’s economic stability and experience of gendered norms within the domestic sphere are the two key factors in shifting fertility outcomes. Women’s job security and family planning are often put at odds, complicating the decision to have multiple children. If fertility rates are to improve, countries must understand and address the socio-cultural norms and political institutions that empower or impede women’s combined employment and fertility

The Importance of Legal Context and Other Considerations in Assessing the Suitability of Negotiation, Mediation, Arbitration and Litigation in Resolving Effectively Domestic and International Disputes (Employment Disputes and Beyond)

(Excerpt) The six sets of considerations examined in this Article take such variety into account and focus on factors that are meaningful for all disputes, though in different proportions. The minimum requirement for the purpose of such considerations is that the dispute relies on a disagreement in fact and in law, not merely in fact. In today’s highly regulated society, the law is most often present although an individual may not perceive it correctly in facing a dispute. The following six sets of considerations include, it is submitted, most of the essential factors that enable users to understand what dispute resolution mechanism fits best, or accommodates the most, their expectations of the dispute resolution process in light of the circumstances that, in fact and in law, shape their dispute and the operation of each dispute resolution mechanism they consider for their dispute. As a final introductory note, in this Article that concerns both common and civil law jurisdictions: the terms “law” or “legal rules” include legislation (primary and secondary or delegated), common law, equity (“principles of equity” or “equitable remedies”), and case law, beyond the common law - civil law divide. That being said, obviously each national legal system (French Law, Italian Law, et cetera) defines what its sources of law and of legal rules are

Optimal regularity of the thin obstacle problem by an epiperimetric inequality

The key point to prove the optimal $C^{1,\frac12}$ regularity of the thin obstacle problem is that the frequency at a point of the free boundary $x_0\in\Gamma(u)$, say $N^{x_0}(0^+,u)$, satisfies the lower bound $N^{x_0}(0^+,u)\ge\frac32$. In this paper we show an alternative method to prove this estimate, using an epiperimetric inequality for negative energies $W_\frac32$. It allows to say that there are not $\lambda-$homogeneous global solutions with $\lambda\in (1,\frac32)$, and by this frequancy gap, we obtain the desired lower bound, thus a new self contained proof of the optimal regularity

Copyright Registration: Why the U.S. Should Berne the Registration Requirement

The following note discusses the registration requirement under the Copyright Act and its interplay with the Berne Convention’s prohibition of formalities. Part I explains the recent division between the United States Circuit Courts of Appeals and provides an in-depth analysis of the application and registration approaches. Part II details the Supreme Court’s adoption of the registration approach in Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com, LLC. Part III gives a brief history of the Berne Convention and examines registration under Berne as a nonessential formality. Finally, Part IV offers a proposed long-term solution to amend the Copyright Act by making registration a truly permissive formality and eliminating registration as a prerequisite to file suit for the infringement of United States works

A Survey of the Use of Reading Readiness Tests

Reading readiness tests generally are intended to serve two purposes: (1) prediction of readiness for reading instruction and, to a degree, (2) diagnosis of deficiencies of specific skills that are prerequisites for reading. How successful are these tests in serving their purposes

A Survey of Reading Readiness Practice

Practices in reading readiness programs vary considerably (Spache & Spache, 1973). In some programs the emphasis is upon language development; in other programs the emphasis is upon perceptual1 and/or perceptual-motor training. In fact, in some programs (e.g., Kephart, 1960; Frostig, 1961), little or no attention is given to language development, and even in programs that have a language-development component, some emphasis on perceptual and/or perceptual-motor training is common