N-Glycans and Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-Anchor Act on Polarized Sorting of Mouse PrPC in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney Cells

The cellular prion protein (PrPC) plays a fundamental role in prion disease. PrPC is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored protein with two variably occupied N-glycosylation sites. In general, GPI-anchor and N-glycosylation direct proteins to apical membranes in polarized cells whereas the majority of mouse PrPC is found in basolateral membranes in polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. In this study we have mutated the first, the second, and both N-glycosylation sites of PrPC and also replaced the GPI-anchor of PrPC by the Thy-1 GPI-anchor in order to investigate the role of these signals in sorting of PrPC in MDCK cells. Cell surface biotinylation experiments and confocal microscopy showed that lack of one N-linked oligosaccharide leads to loss of polarized sorting of PrPC. Exchange of the PrPC GPI-anchor for the one of Thy-1 redirects PrPC to the apical membrane. In conclusion, both N-glycosylation and GPI-anchor act on polarized sorting of PrPC, with the GPI-anchor being dominant over N-glycans

Food-induced Emotional Resonance Improves Emotion Recognition

The effect of food substances on emotional states has been widely investigated, showing, for example, that eating chocolate is able to reduce negative mood. Here, for the first time, we have shown that the consumption of specific food substances is not only able to induce particular emotional states, but more importantly, to facilitate recognition of corresponding emotional facial expressions in others. Participants were asked to perform an emotion recognition task before and after eating either a piece of chocolate or a small amount of fish sauce – which we expected to induce happiness or disgust, respectively. Our results showed that being in a specific emotional state improves recognition of the corresponding emotional facial expression. Indeed, eating chocolate improved recognition of happy faces, while disgusted expressions were more readily recognized after eating fish sauce. In line with the embodied account of emotion understanding, we suggest that people are better at inferring the emotional state of others when their own emotional state resonates with the observed one

Biomechanics of Running Indicates Endothermy in Bipedal Dinosaurs

One of the great unresolved controversies in paleobiology is whether extinct dinosaurs were endothermic, ectothermic, or some combination thereof, and when endothermy first evolved in the lineage leading to birds. Although it is well established that high, sustained growth rates and, presumably, high activity levels are ancestral for dinosaurs and pterosaurs (clade Ornithodira), other independent lines of evidence for high metabolic rates, locomotor costs, or endothermy are needed. For example, some studies have suggested that, because large dinosaurs may have been homeothermic due to their size alone and could have had heat loss problems, ectothermy would be a more plausible metabolic strategy for such animals.Here we describe two new biomechanical approaches for reconstructing the metabolic rate of 14 extinct bipedal dinosauriforms during walking and running. These methods, well validated for extant animals, indicate that during walking and slow running the metabolic rate of at least the larger extinct dinosaurs exceeded the maximum aerobic capabilities of modern ectotherms, falling instead within the range of modern birds and mammals. Estimated metabolic rates for smaller dinosaurs are more ambiguous, but generally approach or exceed the ectotherm boundary.Our results support the hypothesis that endothermy was widespread in at least larger non-avian dinosaurs. It was plausibly ancestral for all dinosauriforms (perhaps Ornithodira), but this is perhaps more strongly indicated by high growth rates than by locomotor costs. The polarity of the evolution of endothermy indicates that rapid growth, insulation, erect postures, and perhaps aerobic power predated advanced “avian” lung structure and high locomotor costs

The 2014 ALMA Long Baseline Campaign: An Overview

A major goal of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is to make accurate images with resolutions of tens of milliarcseconds, which at submillimeter (submm) wavelengths requires baselines up to ~15 km. To develop and test this capability, a Long Baseline Campaign (LBC) was carried out from September to late November 2014, culminating in end-to-end observations, calibrations, and imaging of selected Science Verification (SV) targets. This paper presents an overview of the campaign and its main results, including an investigation of the short-term coherence properties and systematic phase errors over the long baselines at the ALMA site, a summary of the SV targets and observations, and recommendations for science observing strategies at long baselines. Deep ALMA images of the quasar 3C138 at 97 and 241 GHz are also compared to VLA 43 GHz results, demonstrating an agreement at a level of a few percent. As a result of the extensive program of LBC testing, the highly successful SV imaging at long baselines achieved angular resolutions as fine as 19 mas at ~350 GHz. Observing with ALMA on baselines of up to 15 km is now possible, and opens up new parameter space for submm astronomy

Vampires in the village Žrnovo on the island of Korčula: following an archival document from the 18th century

Središnja tema rada usmjerena je na raščlambu spisa pohranjenog u Državnom arhivu u Mlecima (fond: Capi del Consiglio de’ Dieci: Lettere di Rettori e di altre cariche) koji se odnosi na događaj iz 1748. godine u korčulanskom selu Žrnovo, kada su mještani – vjerujući da su se pojavili vampiri – oskvrnuli nekoliko mjesnih grobova. U radu se podrobno iznose osnovni podaci iz spisa te rečeni događaj analizira u širem društvenom kontekstu i prate se lokalna vjerovanja.The main interest of this essay is the analysis of the document from the State Archive in Venice (file: Capi del Consiglio de’ Dieci: Lettere di Rettori e di altre cariche) which is connected with the episode from 1748 when the inhabitants of the village Žrnove on the island of Korčula in Croatia opened tombs on the local cemetery in the fear of the vampires treating. This essay try to show some social circumstances connected with this event as well as a local vernacular tradition concerning superstitions

Leptomeningeal and intramedullary metastases of glioblastoma multiforme in a patient reoperated during adjuvant radiochemotherapy

Despite huge advances in medicine, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remains a highly lethal, fast-growing tumour that cannot be cured by currently available therapies. However, extracranial and extraneural dissemination of GBM is extremely rare, but is being recognised in different imaging studies. To date, the cause of the GBM metastatic spread still remains under discussion. It probably develops at the time of intracranial progression following a surgical procedure. According to other hypothesis, the metastases are a consequence of spontaneous tumour transdural extension or haematogenous dissemination. We present a case of a 59-year-old woman with symptomatic leptomeningeal and intramedullary metastases of GBM who has been previously surgically treated with primary subtotal resection and underwent a repeated surgery during adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy with temozolomide. Today, the main goal of surgery and chemoradiotherapy is to prevent neurologic deterioration and improve health-related quality of life. With this paper, we want to present this rare entity and emphasise the importance of a multidisciplinary approach, a key function in the management of brain tumour patients. The prognosis is still very poor although prolongation of survival can be obtained. Finally, although rare, our case strongly suggests that clinicians should be familiar with the possibility of the extracranial spread of GBM because as treatment improvements provide better control of the primary tumour and improving survival, metastatic disease will be increasingly encountered

Coxswain 2.0 – movement–acoustic dimensions of interpersonal coordination in team sports

Mannschaftssport erfordert neben der individuellen Bewegungskoordination auch die interpersonale Koordination der Bewegungen. Ein Beispiel ist das Rudern, bei dem die Technikkoordination und -synchronisation essenziell für die Erzeugung mannschaftlicher Synergieeffekte sind. In diesem Artikel wird ein Ansatz zur systematischen Untersuchung interpersonaler Koordinationsmechanismen vorgestellt, der zusätzliche Optionen zur unmittelbaren (sport-)praktischen Anwendung bietet. Ein zentrales Element ist die Methode der Bewegungssonifikation, mit der Bewegungsparameter im zeitlichen Verlauf akustisch abgebildet werden. Auf diese Weise können dynamische und kinematische Bewegungsinformationen selektiv vermittelt und ihre wahrnehmungs- und ausführungsseitigen Wirkungen verglichen werden. In der vorliegenden Studie wurde die Wirkung sonifizierter kinematischer und dynamischer Bewegungsparameter auf Synchronisations- und Wahrnehmungsgenauigkeiten untersucht. Dazu ruderten Versuchspersonen auf einem Ruderergometer zu den Sonifikationen einer anderen Person und schätzten in einer separaten Aufgabe die Frequenzen gehörter Bewegungen der eigenen Person sowie der anderer Personen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Versuchspersonen ihre Ruderbewegungen in Abhängigkeit der dargebotenen Informationsart zeitlich variierten. Keine signifikanten Unterschiede ergaben sich hingegen bei der Schätzung der Bewegungsfrequenzen. Dennoch wurden eigene Bewegungsfrequenzen anders geschätzt als die Frequenzen anderer Personen. Dieser sogenannte Eigen/Fremd-Effekt wurde unter Berücksichtigung zweier Kovariaten signifikant: 1. der Leistung während der Synchronisationsaufgabe und 2. der Fähigkeit, eigene sonifizierte Bewegungen zu identifizieren. Diese Ergebnisse deuten auf eine unmittelbare Ansteuerung motorischer Repräsentationen durch das Hören von Bewegungssonifikationen hin und lassen Rückschlüsse zur Struktur der Repräsentationen zu. Perspektiven für die Sportpraxis ergeben sich in Form einer gezielten interpersonalen Abstimmung und Synchronisation der individuellen Bewegungstechniken mittels zeitsynchroner Übermittlung kinematischer und dynamischer Bewegungsinformationen anderer Teammitglieder.Team sport requires individual and interpersonal coordination of movements. In rowing, for example, the coordination and synchronization of movement techniques is essential to create synergy effects of joint team rowing. Here, we provide a new approach for the systematic investigation of the mechanisms behind interpersonal coupling and discuss its direct applicability to sport practice. The key element is movement sonification, which describes the transformation of movement features into sound features. Thus, dynamic and kinematic movement information can be selectively conveyed and their perception–action effects be compared. The present study compared the impact of kinematic and dynamic sonifications on movement synchronization and perceptual accuracy. In a first session, the participants rowed on an indoor rower to sonifications of another person. In a second session, they listened to sonifications of their own and to those of other persons and estimated rowing frequencies. In the synchronization task, the participants temporally adjusted their rowing movements in relation to the type of information provided. In the perceptual task, differences between conditions were not significant. However, estimation of movement frequencies differed when listening to their own movements compared to listening to other movements. This own/other effect became significant after controlling (1). for the synchronization performance and (2). for the ability to identify their own techniques on the basis of the sonifications. These variables significantly covaried with the own/other effect. The results suggest that the listening to movement sonifications directly addresses motor representations and permits conclusions about the structure of those representations. Perspectives for sport practice are given by increased synchronization and enhanced interpersonal coordination of individual movement techniques by means of a transmission of kinematic and dynamic movement information to all team members at the same time