Similarity and attraction effects in episodic memory judgments

In the decision-making literature, it is known that preferences between two options can be influenced in different ways by the introduction of a third option. We investigated whether such influences could be demonstrated when making decisions about qualitative aspects of episodic memories. In a baseline condition, participants were asked which of two dissimilar events they remembered more vividly: (A) a well-known Olympic victory, or (B) the death of a well-known public figure. In two further conditions, a third event was added: (C) an Olympic victory similar and competitive to A, or (D) an Olympic victory similar but inferior to A. With the addition of C, participants were less likely to choose A than B (similarity effect), whereas with the addition of D, they were more likely to choose A than B (attraction effect), suggesting that effects known in decision-making can be generalised to relative judgments about episodic memories

Dietary effects of arachidonate-rich fungal oil and fish oil on murine hepatic and hippocampal gene expression

BACKGROUND: The functions, actions, and regulation of tissue metabolism affected by the consumption of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) from fish oil and other sources remain poorly understood; particularly how LC-PUFAs affect transcription of genes involved in regulating metabolism. In the present work, mice were fed diets containing fish oil rich in eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, fungal oil rich in arachidonic acid, or the combination of both. Liver and hippocampus tissue were then analyzed through a combined gene expression- and lipid- profiling strategy in order to annotate the molecular functions and targets of dietary LC-PUFA. RESULTS: Using microarray technology, 329 and 356 dietary regulated transcripts were identified in the liver and hippocampus, respectively. All genes selected as differentially expressed were grouped by expression patterns through a combined k-means/hierarchical clustering approach, and annotated using gene ontology classifications. In the liver, groups of genes were linked to the transcription factors PPARα, HNFα, and SREBP-1; transcription factors known to control lipid metabolism. The pattern of differentially regulated genes, further supported with quantitative lipid profiling, suggested that the experimental diets increased hepatic β-oxidation and gluconeogenesis while decreasing fatty acid synthesis. Lastly, novel hippocampal gene changes were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Examining the broad transcriptional effects of LC-PUFAs confirmed previously identified PUFA-mediated gene expression changes and identified novel gene targets. Gene expression profiling displayed a complex and diverse gene pattern underlying the biological response to dietary LC-PUFAs. The results of the studied dietary changes highlighted broad-spectrum effects on the major eukaryotic lipid metabolism transcription factors. Further focused studies, stemming from such transcriptomic data, will need to dissect the transcription factor signaling pathways to fully explain how fish oils and arachidonic acid achieve their specific effects on health

Biomechanical Impact of the Sclera on Corneal Deformation Response to an Air-Puff: A Finite-Element Study

Aim or Purpose: To describe the effect of varying scleral stiffness on the biomechanical deformation response of the cornea under air-puff loading via a finite-element (FE) model.Methods: A two-dimensional axisymmetric stationary FE model of the whole human eye was used to examine the effects varying scleral stiffness and intraocular pressure (IOP) on the maximum apical displacement of the cornea. The model was comprised of the cornea, sclera, vitreous, and surrounding air region. The velocity and pressure profiles of an air-puff from a dynamic Scheimpflug analyzer were replicated in the FE model, and the resultant profile was applied to deform the cornea in a multiphysics study (where the air-puff was first simulated before being applied to the corneal surface). IOP was simulated as a uniform pressure on the globe interior. The simulation results were compared to data from ex vivo scleral stiffening experiments with human donor globes.Results: The FE model predicted decreased maximum apical displacement with increased IOP and increased ratio of scleral-to-corneal Young's moduli. These predictions were in good agreement (within one standard deviation) with findings from ex vivo scleral stiffening experiments using human donor eyes. These findings demonstrate the importance of scleral material properties on the biomechanical deformation response of the cornea in air-puff induced deformation.Conclusion: The results of an air-puff induced deformation are often considered to be solely due to IOP and corneal properties. The current study showed that the stiffer the sclera, the greater will be the limitation on corneal deformation, separately from IOP. This may have important clinical implications to interpreting the response of the cornea under air-puff loading in pathologic conditions

Stability in Einstein-Scalar Gravity with a Logarithmic Branch

We investigate the non-perturbative stability of asymptotically anti-de Sitter gravity coupled to tachyonic scalar fields with mass saturating the Breitenlohner-Freedman bound. Such "designer gravity" theories admit a large class of boundary conditions at asymptotic infinity. At this mass, the asymptotic behavior of the scalar field develops a logarithmic branch, and previous attempts at proving a minimum energy theorem failed due to a large radius divergence in the spinor charge. In this paper, we finally resolve this issue and derive a lower bound on the conserved energy. Just as for masses slightly above the BF bound, a given scalar potential can admit two possible branches of the corresponding superpotential, one analytic and one non-analytic. The key point again is that existence of the non-analytic branch is necessary for the energy bound to hold. We discuss several AdS/CFT applications of this result, including the use of double-trace deformations to induce spontaneous symmetry breaking.Comment: 31 pages, 7 figure

Antibiotic dosing in the 'at risk' critically ill patient: Linking pathophysiology with pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics in sepsis and trauma patients

Background: Critical illness, mediated by trauma or sepsis, can lead to physiological changes that alter the pharmacokinetics of antibiotics and may result in sub-therapeutic concentrations at the sites of infection. The first aim of this project is to identify the clinical characteristics of critically ill patients with significant trauma that have been recently admitted to ICU that may predict the dosing requirements for the antibiotic, cefazolin. The second aim of this is to identify the clinical characteristics of critically ill patients with sepsis that may predict the dosing requirements for the combination antibiotic, piperacillin-tazobactam

Structure and decay of a proto-Y region in Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus

Funding for Open Access provided by the UMD Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund.Sex-determination genes drive the evolution of adjacent chromosomal regions. Sexually antagonistic selection favors the accumulation of inversions that reduce recombination in regions adjacent to the sex-determination gene. Once established, the clonal inheritance of sex-linked inversions leads to the accumulation of deleterious alleles, repetitive elements and a gradual decay of sex-linked genes. This in turn creates selective pressures for the evolution of mechanisms that compensate for the unequal dosage of gene expression. Here we use whole genome sequencing to characterize the structure of a young sex chromosome and quantify sex-specific gene expression in the developing gonad. We found an 8.8 Mb block of strong differentiation between males and females that corresponds to the location of a previously mapped sex-determiner on linkage group 1 of Oreochromis niloticus. Putatively disruptive mutations are found in many of the genes within this region. We also found a significant female-bias in the expression of genes within the block of differentiation compared to those outside the block of differentiation. Eight candidate sex-determination genes were identified within this region. This study demonstrates a block of differentiation on linkage group 1, suggestive of an 8.8 Mb inversion encompassing the sex-determining locus. The enrichment of female-biased gene expression inside the proposed inversion suggests incomplete dosage compensation. This study helps establish a model for studying the early-to-intermediate stages of sex chromosome evolution.https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2164-15-97

Long-term Survival Outcomes for Men Who Provided Ejaculate Specimens for Prostate Cancer Research: Implications for Patient Management

Background: Determining whether men diagnosed with early prostate cancer (PCa) will live long enough to benefit from interventions with curative intent is difficult. Although validated instruments for predicting patient survival are available, these do not have clinical utility so are not used routinely in practice. Objective: To test the hypothesis that volunteers who provided ejaculate specimens had a high survival rate at 10 and 15 yr and beyond. Design, setting, and participants: A total of 290 patients investigated because of high serum prostate-specific antigen donated ejaculate specimens for research between January 1992 and May 2003. The median age at the time of ejaculation was 63.5 yr. 153 of the donors were diagnosed with PCa and followed up to December 31, 2013. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: Survival outcomes were compared with those for the whole population, as indicated by life expectancy tables up to 20 yr. Results and limitations: Men in the PCa group had life expectancies comparable with values listed in life expectancy tables for the whole population. Overall, PCa-specific and relative survival were significantly better for men in the non-PCa and PCa groups in comparison with men diagnosed with PCa in Queensland during the same period. Relative survival for those aged 20-49, 50-64, and ≥65 yr was >100% for ejaculate donors and 81.5%, 82.7%, and 65.2%, respectively, for the Queensland Cancer Registry reference at 10 yr. These findings for this highly selected patient cohort support the hypothesis that an ability to provide an ejaculate specimen is associated with a high likelihood of surviving 10-20 yr after donation, whether or not PCa was detected. Conclusion: Life expectancy tables may serve as a quick and simple life expectancy indicator for biopsy patients who donate ejaculate. Patient summary: Life expectancy tables indicated survival of up to 20 yr for men who provided ejaculate specimens for prostate cancer research. Life expectancy tables indicated survival of up to 20 yr for men who provided ejaculate specimens for prostate cancer research

Critical fluctuations in cortical models near instability

Australian Research Council, the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Brain Network Recovery Group Grant JSMF22002082, and Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO #451–10-030