Ownership reasoning in children across cultures

To what extent do early intuitions about ownership depend on cultural and socio-economic circumstances? We investigated the question by testing reasoning about third party ownership conflicts in various groups of three- and five-year-old children (N=176), growing up in seven highly contrasted social, economic, and cultural circumstances (urban rich, poor, very poor, rural poor, and traditional) spanning three continents. Each child was presented with a series of scripts involving two identical dolls fighting over an object of possession. The child had to decide who of the two dolls should own the object. Each script enacted various potential reasons for attributing ownership: creation, familiarity, first contact, equity, plus a control/neutral condition with no suggested reasons. Results show that across cultures, children are significantly more consistent and decisive in attributing ownership when one of the protagonists created the object. Development between three and five years is more or less pronounced depending on culture. The propensity to split the object in equal halves whenever possible was generally higher at certain locations (i.e., China) and quasi-inexistent in others (i.e., Vanuatu and street children of Recife). Overall, creation reasons appear to be more primordial and stable across cultures than familiarity, relative wealth or first contact. This trend does not correlate with the passing of false belief theory of mind.PostprintPeer reviewe

Crop -glucanase activity limits the effectiveness of a recombinant cellulase used to supplement a barley-based feed for free-range broilers

1. The supplementation of diets rich in soluble polysaccharides with microbial cellulases and hemicellulases decreases digesta viscosity and promotes broiler performance. 2. In contrast, recent experiments suggest that polysaccharidases are ineffective for improving the nutritive value of pasture biomass used by free-range broilers. However, the feasibility of using cellulases and hemicellulases to improve the utilisation of cereal-based feeds by pastured poultry remains to be established. 3. A study was undertaken to investigate the capacity of a recombinant cellulase from Clostridium thermocellum to improve the nutritive value of a barley-based feed for free-range pastured broilers of the RedBro Cou Nu RedBro M genotype. 4. The results show that supplementation of a barley-based diet with a recombinant -glucanase had no effect on the performance of free-range broilers, foraging in legume-based diets from d 28 to 56. In addition, the results confirm that the lack of effect of the recombinant enzyme in improving the nutritive value of the barley-based feed does not result from enzyme proteolysis or inhibition in the gastrointestinal tract. 5. Significantly, -glucanase activity was identified in the crop of non-supplemented animals. The data suggest that endogenous cellulases originated both from the barley-based feed and from the crop microflora. 6. The results presented here suggest that in older birds of slow-growing genotypes associated with free-range production systems, previously unknown sources of -glucanases, such as the feed and microbial symbiotic microflora, can affect the effectiveness of exogenous enzymes added to the feed

Obesidade, hipertensão arterial e suas influências sobre a massa e função do ventrículo esquerdo

In order to evaluate the influences of obesity and hypertension on left ventricular mass (LVM), we studied 121 women stratified into 4 groups: normotensive non-obeses (n = 25), hypertensive non-obeses (n = 30), normotensive obeses (n = 24) and hypertensive obeses (n = 42) according to their anthropometric and echocardiographic parameters and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). Hypertensive obeses showed higher LVM than the other groups - normotensive non-obeses, hypertensive non-obeses and normotensive obeses (167 ± 38.8 vs. 113 ± 26.4; vs. 133 ± 26.5; vs. 132 ± 29.2g; respectively, p < 0.05) ond higher diameter of left atrium (LA) as compared to the non-obese groups with or without hypertension (36 ± 4.3 vs. 33 ±5.1; vs. 35 ± 3.9mm; p < 0.05, respectively). Normotensive obese patients showed similar LVM to the hypertensive non-obeses (133 ± 26.5 vs. 132 ± 29.5g; NS) and increased LA as compared to the normotensive non-obeses (35 ± 3.9 vs. 31 ± 4.6mm; p < 0.05). A correlation between the waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio with the blood pressure levels obtained by the ABPM, as well as between these measurements with the echocardiographic parameters, which reflect cardiac mass; body mass index only showed to be correlated to the LA diameter. The adjustment of LVM by the height instead of body surface resulted in an increase on the prevalence of LV hypertrophy among obese patients (10.6 vs. 36.7%, p < 0.01), but not among non-obeses. Lack of nocturnal blood pressure fall assessed by ABPM (non-dipper) was more prevalent among obese patients with or without hypertension; however, non-dipper hypertensive obese patients did not differ from the dippers according to the LVM. Our data demonstrate that obesity associated to hypertension provoke a more pronounced increase in LVM as compared to the condition separately. We also conclude that obese patients showed increased frequency of abnormal 24-hr blood pressure profile, characterized by decreased tensional drop during sleep.Para avaliar as influências da obesidade e da hipertensão sobre a massa de ventrículo esquerdo (MVE), estudamos 121 mulheres divididas em 4 grupos: não-obesas normotensas (n = 25), não-obesas hipertensas (n = 30), obesas normotensas (n = 24) e obesas hipertensas (n = 42) quanto a parâmetros antropométricos, ecocardiográficos e de monitorização ambulatorial da pressão arterial (MAPA). As pacientes obesas hipertensas apresentaram maior MVE que os outros grupos - não-obesas normotensas, não-obesas hipertensas e obesas normotensas (167 ± 38,8 vs. 113 + 26,4; vs. 133 ± 26,5; vs. 132 ± 29,2g; p < 0,05, respectivamente) e maior diâmetro de átrio esquerdo (AE) quando comparadas aos grupos de não-obesas, tanto normotensas como hipertensas (36 ± 4,3 vs. 33 ± 5,1; vs. 35 ± 3,9mm; p < 0,05, respectivamente). Obesas normotensas apresentaram MVE similar à do grupo não-obesas hipertensas (133 ± 26,5 vs. 132 ± 29,5g; NS) e aumento de AE quando comparadas às não-obesas normotensas (35 ± 3,9 vs. 31 ± 4,6mm; p < 0,05). Detectou-se correlação entre a circunferência da cintura e a razão cintura-quadril com os níveis pressóricos à MAPA, assim como entre estas medidas e parâmetros ecocardiográficos que avaliam a massa cardíaca; o índice de massa corporal só se correlacionou ao diâmetro do AE. A correção da MVE pela altura ao invés da superfície corpórea aumentou a prevalência de hipertrofia de VE nas obesas (10,6 vs. 36,7%, p < 0,01), mas não nas não-obesas. Ausência de descenso noturno da pressão arterial sistólica à MAPA (non-dipper) foi mais prevalente nas pacientes obesas, hipertensas ou não; entretanto, as obesas hipertensas non-dippers não diferiram das dippers quanto à MVE. Nossos dados demonstram que a obesidade associada à hipertensão aumenta a MVE de modo mais importante do que as condições isoladamente. Concluímos, ainda, que pacientes obesas também apresentam alta freqüência de alterações do ritmo da pressão arterial de 24 horas, caracterizada por menor queda pressórica durante o sono.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de Medicina Preventiva Departamento de MedicinaUNIFESP, Depto. de Medicina Preventiva Depto. de MedicinaSciEL

Overexpression of adenosine A2A receptors in rats: effects on depression, locomotion, and anxiety

Adenosine A2A receptors (A2AR) are a sub-type of receptors enriched in basal ganglia, activated by the neuromodulator adenosine, which interact with dopamine D2 receptors. Although this reciprocal antagonistic interaction is well-established in motor function, the outcome in dopamine-related behaviors remains uncertain, in particular in depression and anxiety. We have demonstrated an upsurge of A2AR associated to aging and chronic stress. Furthermore, Alzheimer's disease patients present A2AR accumulation in cortical areas together with depressive signs. We now tested the impact of overexpressing A2AR in forebrain neurons on dopamine-related behavior, namely depression. Adult male rats overexpressing human A2AR under the control of CaMKII promoter [Tg(CaMKII-hA2AR)] and aged-matched wild-types (WT) of the same strain (Sprague-Dawley) were studied. The forced swimming test (FST), sucrose preference test (SPT), and the open-field test (OFT) were performed to evaluate behavioral despair, anhedonia, locomotion, and anxiety. Tg(CaMKII-hA2AR) animals spent more time floating and less time swimming in the FST and presented a decreased sucrose preference at 48 h in the SPT. They also covered higher distances in the OFT and spent more time in the central zone than the WT. The results indicate that Tg(CaMKII-hA2AR) rats exhibit depressive-like behavior, hyperlocomotion, and altered exploratory behavior. This A2AR overexpression may explain the depressive signs found in aging, chronic stress, and Alzheimer's disease

Higgs boson mass limits in perturbative unification theories

Motivated in part by recent demonstrations that electroweak unification into a simple group may occur at a low scale, we detail the requirements on the Higgs mass if the unification is to be perturbative. We do this for the Standard Model effective theory, minimal supersymmetry, and next-to-minimal supersymmetry with an additional singlet field. Within the Standard Model framework, we find that perturbative unification with sin2(thetaW)=1/4 occurs at Lambda=3.8 TeV and requires mh<460 GeV, whereas perturbative unification with sin2(thetaW)=3/8 requires mh<200 GeV. In supersymmetry, the presentation of the Higgs mass predictions can be significantly simplified, yet remain meaningful, by using a single supersymmetry breaking parameter Delta_S. We present Higgs mass limits in terms of Delta_S for the minimal supersymmetric model and the next-to-minimal supersymmetric model. We show that in next-to-minimal supersymmetry, the Higgs mass upper limit can be as large as 500 GeV even for moderate supersymmetry masses if the perturbative unification scale is low (e.g., Lambda=10 TeV).Comment: 20 pages, latex, 6 figures, references adde

Age-related shift in LTD is dependent on neuronal adenosine A(2A) receptors interplay with mGluR5 and NMDA receptors

Synaptic dysfunction plays a central role in Alzheimer's disease (AD), since it drives the cognitive decline. An association between a polymorphism of the adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) encoding gene-ADORA2A, and hippocampal volume in AD patients was recently described. In this study, we explore the synaptic function of A2AR in age-related conditions. We report, for the first time, a significant overexpression of A2AR in hippocampal neurons of aged humans, which is aggravated in AD patients. A similar profile of A2AR overexpression in rats was sufficient to drive age-like memory impairments in young animals and to uncover a hippocampal LTD-to-LTP shift. This was accompanied by increased NMDA receptor gating, dependent on mGluR5 and linked to enhanced Ca(2+) influx. We confirmed the same plasticity shift in memory-impaired aged rats and APP/PS1 mice modeling AD, which was rescued upon A2AR blockade. This A2AR/mGluR5/NMDAR interaction might prove a suitable alternative for regulating aberrant mGluR5/NMDAR signaling in AD without disrupting their constitutive activity

Markov Chain Monte Carlo Exploration of Minimal Supergravity with Implications for Dark Matter

We explore the full parameter space of Minimal Supergravity (mSUGRA), allowing all four continuous parameters (the scalar mass m_0, the gaugino mass m_1/2, the trilinear coupling A_0, and the ratio of Higgs vacuum expectation values tan beta) to vary freely. We apply current accelerator constraints on sparticle and Higgs masses, and on the b -> s gamma branching ratio, and discuss the impact of the constraints on g_mu-2. To study dark matter, we apply the WMAP constraint on the cold dark matter density. We develop Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques to explore the parameter regions consistent with WMAP, finding them to be considerably superior to previously used methods for exploring supersymmetric parameter spaces. Finally, we study the reach of current and future direct detection experiments in light of the WMAP constraint.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figure

Bed shear stress estimation for gravity currents performed in laboratory

Gravity currents are caused by density differences between two fluids which may be due to temperature, dissolved substances or the presence of particles in suspension. In this study saline currents, in which the higher density is produced by dissolved salt, are reproduced in laboratory with the aim to characterize the bed shear stress. Saline currents can in fact be responsible for high erosion rates and the bed shear stress is a quantification of this erosive capacity. The dynamics of buoyancy driven flows are complex and the effect of the initial density gravity current on the bed shear stress is not explored yet. The results herein showed confirm the importance of detailed velocity profile measurements for the determination of the friction velocity which is a key parameter for the currents propagation and for characterizing the momentum and mass exchanges between the current and the bed. The spatial evolution of the bed shear stress caused by the passage of a gravity current is here estimated using the logarithmic velocity profile method for, as a first attempt, a value of the von Kármán constant of k 0.405. The use of this constant is then verified and discussed

Ecological Invasion, Roughened Fronts, and a Competitor's Extreme Advance: Integrating Stochastic Spatial-Growth Models

Both community ecology and conservation biology seek further understanding of factors governing the advance of an invasive species. We model biological invasion as an individual-based, stochastic process on a two-dimensional landscape. An ecologically superior invader and a resident species compete for space preemptively. Our general model includes the basic contact process and a variant of the Eden model as special cases. We employ the concept of a "roughened" front to quantify effects of discreteness and stochasticity on invasion; we emphasize the probability distribution of the front-runner's relative position. That is, we analyze the location of the most advanced invader as the extreme deviation about the front's mean position. We find that a class of models with different assumptions about neighborhood interactions exhibit universal characteristics. That is, key features of the invasion dynamics span a class of models, independently of locally detailed demographic rules. Our results integrate theories of invasive spatial growth and generate novel hypotheses linking habitat or landscape size (length of the invading front) to invasion velocity, and to the relative position of the most advanced invader.Comment: The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com/content/8528v8563r7u2742

Time-of-flight and activation experiments on 147Pm and 171Tm for astrophysics

The neutron capture cross section of several key unstable isotopes acting as branching points in the s-process are crucial for stellar nucleosynthesis studies, but they are very challenging to measure due to the difficult production of sufficient sample material, the high activity of the resulting samples, and the actual (n,γ) measurement, for which high neutron fluxes and effective background rejection capabilities are required. As part of a new program to measure some of these important branching points, radioactive targets of 147Pm and 171Tm have been produced by irradiation of stable isotopes at the ILL high flux reactor. Neutron capture on 146Nd and 170Er at the reactor was followed by beta decay and the resulting matrix was purified via radiochemical separation at PSI. The radioactive targets have been used for time-of-flight measurements at the CERN n-TOF facility using the 19 and 185 m beam lines during 2014 and 2015. The capture cascades were detected using a set of four C6D6 scintillators, allowing to observe the associated neutron capture resonances. The results presented in this work are the first ever determination of the resonance capture cross section of 147Pm and 171Tm. Activation experiments on the same 147Pm and 171Tm targets with a high-intensity 30 keV quasi-Maxwellian flux of neutrons will be performed using the SARAF accelerator and the Liquid-Lithium Target (LiLiT) in order to extract the corresponding Maxwellian Average Cross Section (MACS). The status of these experiments and preliminary results will be presented and discussed as well