The braincase and jaws of a Devonian 'acanthodian' and modern gnathostome origins.

Modern gnathostomes (jawed vertebrates) emerged in the early Palaeozoic era, but this event remains unclear owing to a scant early fossil record. The exclusively Palaeozoic acanthodians are possibly the earliest gnathostome group and exhibit a mosaic of shark- and bony fish-like characters that has long given them prominence in discussions of early gnathostome evolution. Their relationships with modern gnathostomes have remained mysterious, partly because their un-mineralized endoskeletons rarely fossilized. Here I present the first-known braincase of an Early Devonian (approximately 418-412 Myr bp) acanthodian, Ptomacanthus anglicus, and re-evaluate the interrelationships of basal gnathostomes. Acanthodian braincases have previously been represented by a single genus, Acanthodes, which occurs more than 100 million years later in the fossil record. The braincase of Ptomacanthus differs radically from the osteichthyan-like braincase of Acanthodes in exhibiting several plesiomorphic features shared with placoderms and some early chondrichthyans. Most striking is its extremely short sphenoid region and its jaw suspension, which displays features intermediate between some Palaeozoic chondrichthyans and osteichthyans. Phylogenetic analysis resolves Ptomacanthus as either the most basal chondrichthyan or as the sister group of all living gnathostomes. These new data alter earlier conceptions of basal gnathostome phylogeny and thus help to provide a more detailed picture of the acquisition of early gnathostome characters

Subliminal Salience Search Illustrated: EEG Identity and Deception Detection on the Fringe of Awareness

We propose a novel deception detection system based on Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP). One motivation for the new method is to present stimuli on the fringe of awareness, such that it is more difficult for deceivers to confound the deception test using countermeasures. The proposed system is able to detect identity deception (by using the first names of participants) with a 100% hit rate (at an alpha level of 0.05). To achieve this, we extended the classic Event-Related Potential (ERP) techniques (such as peak-to-peak) by applying Randomisation, a form of Monte Carlo resampling, which we used to detect deception at an individual level. In order to make the deployment of the system simple and rapid, we utilised data from three electrodes only: Fz, Cz and Pz. We then combined data from the three electrodes using Fisher's method so that each participant was assigned a single p-value, which represents the combined probability that a specific participant was being deceptive. We also present subliminal salience search as a general method to determine what participants find salient by detecting breakthrough into conscious awareness using EEG

The 3-phase-model of dyadic adaptation to dementia: why it might sometimes be better to be worse

In the next years and decades, the number of old spousal dyads having to deal with the onset and progression of dementia in one partner will increase significantly. Existing research indicates that caregiving for an ill spouse is related to decreased caregiver well-being and high levels of caregiver stress. In this theoretical paper, we argue that three aspects deserve additional theoretical and empirical attention: (a) Some spousal caregivers seem to exhibit stable pattern of individual well-being, (b) dyads may be able to adapt their ways of supporting each other to maintain a maximum of dyadic autonomy, and (c) the progression of the dementia increasingly compromising the individual autonomy is likely to require different behaviors and skills of the dyad to achieve high levels of dyadic wellbeing. We suggest a 3-phase-model of dyadic adaptation to dementia-related losses of patients’ individual autonomy and discuss adaptive processes in three phases of dementia that may allow stable levels of well-being in caregivers over time. Thereby, our model can integrate existing findings and theories and allows deriving areas of future research

A methodology for the detection of relevant single nucleotide polymorphism in prostate cancer by means of multivariate adaptive regression splines and backpropagation artificial neural networks

SOCO 2017, ICEUTE 2017, CISIS 2017 (León. 2017

Immunological insights into the life and times of the extinct Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus)

The thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) was Australia’s largest marsupial carnivore until its extinction within the last century. There remains considerable interest and debate regarding the biology of this species. Studies of thylacine biology are now limited to preserved specimens, and parts thereof, as well as written historical accounts of its biology. This study describes the development of the immune tissues of a pouch young thylacine, one of only eleven in existence, and the only specimen to be histologically sectioned. The appearance of the immune tissue of the developing pouch young thylacine is compared to the immune tissues of extant marsupials, providing insights into the immunity, biology and ecology of the extinct thylacine