Temporal boundary of auditory event formation : An electrophysiological marker

The formation of auditory events requires integration between successive sounds. There is a temporal limit below which a single sound event is perceived while above which a second perceptual event is formed. Behavioral studies applying the Temporal Order Judgment paradigm showed that this boundary is between 20 and 70 ms. Here we provide event-related potential (ERP) evidence from two experiments showing a qualitative change in the processing of tone pairs between 25 and 75 ms within-pair inter-stimulus intervals (ISI). We also show that this temporal boundary can be influenced by the immediate acoustical context, the statistical distribution of the ISIs within the sequence of tone-pairs.Peer reviewe

Determination of fat-soluble vitamins A, D2, D3, E and K3 by isotope dilution and LC-MS/MS instrument assembly

The purpose of our publication is the determination of the total amount (of natural origin and added) of fat-soluble vitamins A, D2, D3 and E in low amounts in foods (wheat flour, soft drinks, effervescent tablets) and dietary supplements using a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. The samples were diluted with isotope-labeled derivatives of the target components (vitamin A-d6, vitamin D2-d3, vitamin D3-d3, vitamin E-d6), and after extraction and saponification, they were purified by liquid-liquid extraction. After a solvent exchange, the concentration of the vitamins was determined on a C8 HPLC column using acidic mobile phases (0.1% formic acid in water/methanol) and LC-MS/MS technique. In dietary supplements, the analysis of the fat-soluble vitamin K3 may also be important, because the use of vitamin K3 is currently not approved in human formulations. During the determination of vitamin K3, saponification is not necessary, due to its structure, alkaline hydrolysis would lead to the decomposition of vitamin K3, so this component was analyzed by a method different from the one used for the other vitamins. LC-MS/MS analysis of small amounts of vitamin K3 is more complicated than that of other vitamins due to the low sensitivity of the MS instrument to vitamin K3. The determination of vitamin K3 was therefore carried out after chemical derivatization with L-cysteine as a derivatizing reagent, also with isotope dilution and LC-MS/MS technique. After intralaboratory validation, the methods were successfully used in domestic and international proficiency tests in infant formulas and liquid vitamin preparations

Monitoring the degradation of partly decomposable plastic foils

Abstract We have monitored the behaviour of different polyethylene foils including virgin medium density polyethylene (MDPE), MDPE containing pro-oxydative additives (238, 242) and MDPE with pro-oxydative additives and thermoplastic starch (297) in the soil for a period of one year. A foil based on a blend of polyester and polylactic acid (BASF Ecovio) served as degradable control. The experiment was carried out by weekly measurements of conductivity and capacity of the soil, since the setup was analogous to a condenser, of which the insulating layer was the foil itself. The twelve replications allowed monthly sampling; the specimen taken out from the soil each month were tested visually for thickness, mechanical properties, morphological and structural changes, and molecular mass. Based on the obtained capacity values, we found that among the polyethylene foils, the one that contained thermoplastic starch extenuated the most. This foil had the greatest decrease in tensile strength and elongation at break due to the presence of thermoplastic starch. The starch can completely degrade in the soil; thus, the foil had cracks and pores. The polyethylene foils that contained pro-oxydant additives showed smaller external change compared to the virgin foil, since there was no available UV radiation and oxygen for their degradation. The smallest change occurred in the virgin polyethylene foil. Among the five examined samples, the commercially available BASF foil showed the largest extenuation and external change, and it deteriorated the most in the soil.</jats:p

Zsírban oldódó A-, D2-, D3-, E- és K3-vitaminok meghatározása izotóphígítással és LC-MS/MS műszeregyüttessel

Közleményünk célja élelmiszerekben (búzaliszt, üdítő, pezsgőtabletta) és étrendkiegészítőkben alacsony mennyiségben előforduló zsírban oldódó A-, D2-, D3-, E-vitaminok teljes (természetes eredetű és hozzáadott) meghatározása folyadékkromatográfiás tandem tömegspektrometriai (LC-MS/MS) módszerrel. A mintákat a célkomponensek izotópjelölt származékaival hígítottuk (A-vitamin-d6, D2-vitamin-d3, D3-vitamin-d3, E-vitamin-d6), majd az extrakciót és szappanosítást követően folyadék-folyadék extrakcióval tisztítottuk azokat. Egy oldószercserét követően C8-as HPLC oszlopon savas mozgófázisok (0,1% hangyasav vízben/ metanolban) alkalmazásával és LC-MS/MS technikával határoztuk meg a vitaminok koncentrációját. Táplálék kiegészítőkben fontos lehet a zsírban oldódó K3-vitamin vizsgálata is, mert a K3-vitamin alkalmazása humán készítményekben jelenleg nem engedélyezett. A K3-vitamin meghatározása során szappanosításra nincs szükség, szerkezetéből adódóan a lúgos hidrolízis a K3-vitamin bomlásához vezetne, így ezt a komponenst egy, a többi vitamintól eltérő módszerrel vizsgáltuk. A K3-vitamin kis mennyiségben történő LC-MS/MS jellegű vizsgálata a K3-vitamin MS készülékben mutatott alacsony érzékenysége miatt bonyolultabb, mint a többi vitaminé. A K3- vitamin meghatározását ezért L-ciszteinnel, mint származékképző reagenssel történő kémiai származékképzést követően végeztük, szintén izotóphígítással és LC-MS/MS technikával. A módszereket laboratóriumon belüli validálását követően hazai és nemzetközi körvizsgálatokban sikeresen alkalmaztuk csecsemő tápszerben és folyékony vitamin készítményben

On the Fly: Recent Progress on Autophagy and Aging in Drosophila

Autophagy ensures the lysosome-mediated breakdown and recycling of self-material, as it not only degrades obsolete or damaged intracellular constituents but also provides building blocks for biosynthetic and energy producing reactions. Studies in animal models including Drosophila revealed that autophagy defects lead to the rapid decline of neuromuscular function, neurodegeneration, sensitivity to stress (such as starvation or oxidative damage), and stem cell loss. Of note, recently identified human Atg gene mutations cause similar symptoms including ataxia and mental retardation. Physiologically, autophagic degradation (flux) is known to decrease during aging, and this defect likely contributes to the development of such age-associated diseases. Many manipulations that extend lifespan (including dietary restriction, reduced TOR kinase signaling, exercise or treatment with various anti-aging substances) require autophagy for their beneficial effect on longevity, pointing to the key role of this housekeeping process. Importantly, genetic (e.g., Atg8a overexpression in either neurons or muscle) or pharmacological (e.g., feeding rapamycin or spermidine to animals) promotion of autophagy has been successfully used to extend lifespan in Drosophila, suggesting that this intracellular degradation pathway can rejuvenate cells and organisms. In this review, we highlight key discoveries and recent progress in understanding the relationship of autophagy and aging in Drosophila

Behavioural and psychological symptoms in neurocognitive disorders: Specific patterns in dementia subtypes

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SITTING TIME AND SPORT PARTICIPATION OF THE EMPLOYED POPULATION IN HUNGARY AND EUROPE

Introduction. The aim of our study was to examine the participation, motivation and locations of sport activity of adult employed population in Hungary and Europe, highlighting the differences in sport participation among different occupation groups. Methods. The Eurobarometer (EB) is a set of international surveys conducted on behalf of the European Commission. The survey consisted of two modules, the ‘Standard EB’ which contains the core set of questions which are similar in every survey, and the ‘Special EB’ which included physical activity (PA) and sitting time (ST). In our research we used the Eurobarometer 2013 database. Results. According to ST we found significant differences between the European and Hungarian employed adults. Hungarian respondents spent less time with sitting. The proportion of respondents not doing any sports is the highest among Hungarian women (67,44%, CI: 64,24 - 70,64), and those who’s occupation is “supervisor”, “unskilled or skilled manual worker”, or whose job is an “employed position – travelling” or “employed position at desk” (62,64% (CI: 55.58 - 69.70) -72,41% (CI: 64,11-80,71). Conclusion. Our results show that more than one-third of Hungarian employees do not do regular sports, but overall spend less time sitting than the EU average. The amount of sitting and the proportion of inactive respondents is higher among women. Based on our analysis of job types we highlight office administrators’ work – with higher rate of females –which includes very little PA. Thus, the increase of PA among women and among administrative workers is the key focus of our further research

Salinity tolerance and desalination properties of a Haematococcus lacustris strain from eastern Hungary

Nowadays the increasing amount of saline wastewaters has given rise to various biological desalination processes, among which the application possibilities of microalgae represents a priority research area. Next to “real” aquatic species (members of phytoplankton or phytobenthon), species from ephemeral aquatic habitats or aeroterrestrial algae also could be good candidates of research studying salt tolerance or desalination ability, since salinity stress is often referred as “physiological drought” and species from ephemeral habitats can be characterized by high drought tolerance. In this study, the salinity tolerance, salt and nutrient removal ability of a Haematococcus lacustris strain from eastern Hungary were investigated. Vegetative cells showed low salt tolerance, survival was ensured by the formation of cysts up to a sodium-chloride concentration of 2,000 mg l−1. Although relatively moderate (a max. 30%) conductivity reduction and chloride removal were observed, notable (nearly 100%) nitrate and phosphate removal occurred even in the presence of 2,000 mg l−1 NaCl. Carotenoid accumulation was observed earlier and in higher extent in salt treated cultures than in drying out ones, although the amount of astaxanthin-esters was significantly higher in the cultures of drying out experiment than in the corresponding cultures of salt treatment characterized with similar chloride content. Our results suggest that algae isolates from ephemeral aquatic habitats endangered by regular drying out (exposed to special salt stress), could have notable salt tolerance and consequently successful applicability in nutrient removal processes from slightly saline wastewaters. The accumulation of valuable metabolites (such as astaxanthin) as a response to salinity stress, could enhance the economic value of the biomass