Synchronization of fractional order chaotic systems

The chaotic dynamics of fractional order systems begin to attract much attentions in recent years. In this brief report, we study the master-slave synchronization of fractional order chaotic systems. It is shown that fractional order chaotic systems can also be synchronized.Comment: 3 pages, 5 figure

Honesty mediates the relationship between serotonin and reaction to unfairness

How does one deal with unfair behaviors? This subject has long been investigated by various disciplines including philosophy, psychology, economics, and biology. However, our reactions to unfairness differ from one individual to another. Experimental economics studies using the ultimatum game (UG), in which players must decide whether to accept or reject fair or unfair offers, have also shown that there are substantial individual differences in reaction to unfairness. However, little is known about psychological as well as neurobiological mechanisms of this observation. We combined a molecular imaging technique, an economics game, and a personality inventory to elucidate the neurobiological mechanism of heterogeneous reactions to unfairness. Contrary to the common belief that aggressive personalities (impulsivity or hostility) are related to the high rejection rate of unfair offers in UG, we found that individuals with apparently peaceful personalities (straightforwardness and trust) rejected more often and were engaged in personally costly forms of retaliation. Furthermore, individuals with a low level of serotonin transporters in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) are honest and trustful, and thus cannot tolerate unfairness, being candid in expressing their frustrations. In other words, higher central serotonin transmission might allow us to behave adroitly and opportunistically, being good at playing games while pursuing self-interest. We provide unique neurobiological evidence to account for individual differences of reaction to unfairness

Neuroticism Associates with Cerebral in Vivo Serotonin Transporter Binding Differently in Males and Females

Background: Neuroticism is a major risk factor for affective disorders. This personality trait has been hypothesized to associate with synaptic availability of the serotonin transporter, which critically controls serotonergic tone in the brain. However, earlier studies linking neuroticism and serotonin transporter have failed to produce converging findings. Because sex affects both the serotonergic system and the risk that neuroticism poses to the individual, sex may modify the association between neuroticism and serotonin transporter, but this question has not been investigated by previous studies. Methods: Here, we combined data from 4 different positron emission tomography imaging centers to address whether neuroticism is related to serotonin transporter binding in vivo. The data set included serotonin transporter binding potential values from the thalamus and striatum and personality scores from 91 healthy males and 56 healthy females. We specifically tested if the association between neuroticism and serotonin transporter is different in females and males. Results: We found that neuroticism and thalamic serotonin transporter binding potentials were associated in both males and females, but with opposite directionality. Higher neuroticism associated with higher serotonin transporter binding potential in males (standardized beta 0.292, P = .008), whereas in females, higher neuroticism associated with lower serotonin transporter binding potential (standardized beta -0.288, P = .014). Conclusions: The finding is in agreement with recent studies showing that the serotonergic system is involved in affective disorders differently in males and females and suggests that contribution of thalamic serotonin transporter to the risk of affective disorders depends on sex.Peer reviewe

Urinary neonicotinoids profiles in adults from Aveiro district, NW Portugal

Neonicotinoid insecticides (Neonics - NNs) are systemic insecticides widely used in agriculture to control insects. Due to their broad-spectrum insecticide activity, they are also used in the domestic environment and on animals, including household pets. Owing to their toxicity towards non-target organisms, particu-larly honeybees, the agricultural outdoor use of some neonics was already banned. Nevertheless, they can still be used in indoor activities. Neonics’ residues have been detected in food, water and indoor dust and, consequently, humans are exposed to these insecticides. However, human biomonitoring data is limited to a few studies worldwide, with no data for Portugal. In this study, levels of neonicotinoids namely ace-tamiprid (and its metabolite dm-acetamiprid), clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid, nitenpyran, thi-acloprid and thiamethoxan, were quantified in spot urine samples provided by 46 volunteers from Aveiro district. The volunteers were recruited from RESPIRA project, an ongoing study that aims to evaluate the role of environmental contaminants in the progression of respiratory diseases. Overall, the obtained re-sults disclose that 81.4% of the individuals were exposed to at least one neonicotinoid. Dinotefuran and dm-acetamiprid showed the highest detection frequencies (46.5%), followed by imidacloprid (41.9%), whereas nitenpyran and thiacloprid were never detected (bellow detection limit). The neonics with the highest concentrations were dm-acetamiprid (max: 1443 ug/g creatinine, average: 39.1 ug/g creatinine) and thiamethoxan (max: 152 ug/g creatinine, average: 6.9 ug/g creatinine). These results are in general accordance with previous reports that disclosed dm-acetamiprid as one of the most frequently detected NN in human urine samples.publishe

Video Capsule Retention in a Zenker Diverticulum

We report the case of a video capsule endoscope lodged within a Zenker diverticulum. The system that was equipped with a real-time viewer showed an unchanging image unlike esophageal or gastric mucosa, suggesting that the capsule was elsewhere. The presence of cervical discomfort suggested video capsule retention in a Zenker diverticulum. The capsule was removed endoscopically and reinserted using a hood-assisted endoscope and the procedure was completed

Eutrophication and warming effects on long-term variation of zooplankton in Lake Biwa

We compiled and analyzed long-term (1961–2005) zooplankton community data in response to environmental variations in Lake Biwa. Environmental data indicate that Lake Biwa had experienced eutrophication (according to the total phosphorus concentration) in the late 1960s and recovered to a normal trophic status around 1985, and then has exhibited warming since 1990. Total zooplankton abundance showed a significant correlation with total phytoplankton biomass. Following a classic pattern, the cladoceran/calanoid and cyclopoid/calanoid abundance ratio was related positively to eutrophication. The zooplankton community exhibited a significant response to the boom and bust of phytoplankton biomass as a consequence of eutrophication-reoligotriphication and warming. Moreover, our analyses suggest that the Lake Biwa ecosystem exhibited a hierarchical response across trophic levels; that is, higher trophic levels may show a more delayed response or no response to eutrophication than lower ones. <br><br> We tested the hypothesis that the phytoplankton community can better explain the variation of the zooplankton community than bulk environmental variables, considering that the phytoplankton community may directly affect the zooplankton succession through predator-prey interactions. Using a variance partition approach, however, we did not find strong evidence to support this hypothesis. We further aggregated zooplankton according to their feeding types (herbivorous, carnivorous, omnivorous, and parasitic) and taxonomic groups, and analyzed the aggregated data. While the pattern remains similar, the results are less clear comparing the results based on finely resolved data. Our research suggests that zooplankton can be bio-indicators of environmental changes; however, the efficacy depends on data resolution

A unified science of concussion

The etiology, imaging, and behavioral assessment of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are daunting fields, given the lack of a cohesive neurobiological explanation for the observed cognitive deficits seen following mTBI. Although subjective patient self-report is the leading method of diagnosing mTBI, current scientific evidence suggests that quantitative measures of predictive timing, such as visual tracking, could be a useful adjunct to guide the assessment of attention and to screen for advanced brain imaging. Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has demonstrated that mTBI is associated with widespread microstructural changes that include those in the frontal white matter tracts. Deficits observed during predictive visual tracking correlate with DTI findings that show lesions localized in neural pathways subserving the cognitive functions often disrupted in mTBI. Unifying the anatomical and behavioral approaches, the emerging evidence supports an explanation for mTBI that the observed cognitive impairments are a result of predictive timing deficits caused by shearing injuries in the frontal white matter tracts

How the serotonin transporter 5-HTTLPR polymorphism influences amygdala function: the roles of in vivo serotonin transporter expression and amygdala structure

The serotonin transporter-linked promoter region (5-HTTLPR) polymorphism of the serotonin transporter gene is associated with amygdala response during negative emotion. The aim of this study was to investigate whether this genotype effect on amygdala function is mediated by current serotonin transporter (5-HTT) levels or rather by genetically induced influences during neurodevelopment, shaping brain structure. A total of 54 healthy subjects underwent functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging, [11C]DASB positron emission tomography and 5-HTTLPR genotyping to analyze the interrelationships between amygdala activation during processing of unpleasant stimuli, 5-HTTLPR genotype, amygdala volumes and 5-HTT levels in the midbrain and in other brain regions. In line with previous research, carriers of the short allele (S) showed increased amygdala activation. Path analysis demonstrated that this genotype effect was not procured by current 5-HTT availability but by amygdala structure, with smaller amygdala volumes in the S than in the LL genotype, as well as smaller volumes being associated with increased amygdala activation. Our findings stress the role of genetic effects during neurodevelopment