The Interaction between Music and Task Performance: The Tower of Hanoi & Missionaries and Cannibals

This study investigated music and problem solving abilities. Two tasks were given, the Tower of Hanoi and Missionaries & Cannibals. The participants were exposed to rap music, country music, or no music at all. It was predicted that familiarity with the song would influence problem-solving abilities

The relationship between age and performance on the Trail Making test in a Chilean population

According to literature, the Trail Making Test A-B is one of the most frequently used tests in the US. The TMT test has been adapted in different countries including France, Italy, Israel, Spain and Brazil. The relationship between TMT and age has also been studied in Chinese, Arabian, and Korean speakers. In South America as well as Chile, the Bender Gestalt continues to be the most frequently used “neuropsychological” test instrument. In order to ameliorate this situation, studies need to be completed that provide evidence of sensibility, adaptability, and normative information about commonly used tests, such as the Trail Making Test in Latino countries. The Trail Making Test, with instructions in Spanish (and available from the authors in written or video form), was administered by three independently licensed health professionals as part of their routine clinical activities. Subjects were 165 Chilean adults with ages ranging from 21 to 82 years and at least 12 years of education. Results corroborated the previous findings from other countries in which age was positively related to time in completing Trails A and B. Variability of performance in parts A and B 7of TMT was significantly accounted by age in 36% and 27% respectively. As a consequence, TMT appears to be a sensitive test to normal cognitive decline in Chilean Spanish speakers

Chytrids Vs. Amphibians: Emerging Disease Or History Of Natural Selection?

Quantity of skin peptides and effectiveness of those peptides in suppressing the growth of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis were analyzed for 134 individuals of 24 species of amphibians from the Southern Appalachian temperate zone of eastern North America and several Costa Rica sites in the tropics

Invasiveness as a putative additional virulence mechanism of some atypical Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains with different uncommon intimin types

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Enteropathogenic <it>Escherichia coli </it>(EPEC) produce attaching/effacing (A/E) lesions on eukaryotic cells mediated by the outer membrane adhesin intimin. EPEC are sub-grouped into typical (tEPEC) and atypical (aEPEC). We have recently demonstrated that aEPEC strain 1551-2 (serotype O non-typable, non-motile) invades HeLa cells by a process dependent on the expression of intimin sub-type omicron. In this study, we evaluated whether aEPEC strains expressing other intimin sub-types are also invasive using the quantitative gentamicin protection assay. We also evaluated whether aEPEC invade differentiated intestinal T84 cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Five of six strains invaded HeLa and T84 cells in a range of 13.3%–20.9% and 5.8%–17.8%, respectively, of the total cell-associated bacteria. The strains studied were significantly more invasive than prototype tEPEC strain E2348/69 (1.4% and 0.5% in HeLa and T84 cells, respectively). Invasiveness was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. We also showed that invasion of HeLa cells by aEPEC 1551-2 depended on actin filaments, but not on microtubules. In addition, disruption of tight junctions enhanced its invasion efficiency in T84 cells, suggesting preferential invasion via a non-differentiated surface.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Some aEPEC strains may invade intestinal cells <it>in vitro </it>with varying efficiencies and independently of the intimin sub-type.</p

Characterization of a multi-tolerant tannin acyl hydrolase II from Aspergillus carbonarius produced under solid-state fermentation

Background: Tannases are enzymes with biotechnological potential produced mainly by microorganisms as filamentous fungi. In this context, the production and characterization of a multi-tolerant tannase from Aspergillus carbonarius is described. Results: The filamentous fungus A. carbonarius produced high levels of tannasewhen cultivated under solid-state fermentation using green tea leaves as substrate/carbon source and tapwater at a 1:1 ratio as the moisture agent for 72 h at 30\ub0C. Two tannase activity peakswere obtained during the purification step usingDEAE-Cellulose. The second peak (peak II) was purified 11-fold with 14% recovery from a Sepharose CL-6B chromatographic column. The tannase frompeak II (tannase II)was characterized as a heterodimeric glycoprotein of 134.89 kDa, estimated through gel filtration,with subunits of 65 kDa and 100 kDa, estimated through SDS-PAGE, and 48% carbohydrate content. The optimal temperature and pH for tannase II activity was 60\ub0C and 5.0, respectively. The enzyme was fully stable at temperatures ranging from 20\u201360\ub0C for 120 min, and the half-life (T1/2) at 75\ub0C was 62 min. The activation energy was 28.93 kJ/mol. After incubation at pH 5.0 for 60 min, 75% of the enzyme activity was maintained. However, enzyme activity was increased in the presence of AgNO3 and it was tolerant to solvents and detergents. Tannase II exhibited a better affinity for methyl gallate (Km = 1.42 mM) rather than for tannic acid (Km = 2.2 mM). Conclusion: A. carbonarius tannase presented interesting properties as, for example, multi-tolerance, which highlight its potential for future application

Dietary L-arginine supplementation reduces Methotrexate-induced intestinal mucosal injury in rat

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Arginine (ARG) and nitric oxide maintain the mucosal integrity of the intestine in various intestinal disorders. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of oral ARG supplementation on intestinal structural changes, enterocyte proliferation and apoptosis following methotrexate (MTX)-induced intestinal damage in a rat.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Male rats were divided into four experimental groups: Control rats, CONTR-ARG rats, were treated with oral ARG given in drinking water 72 hours before and 72 hours following vehicle injection, MTX rats were treated with a single dose of methotrexate, and MTX-ARG rats were treated with oral ARG following injection of MTX. Intestinal mucosal damage, mucosal structural changes, enterocyte proliferation and enterocyte apoptosis were determined 72 hours following MTX injection. RT-PCR was used to determine bax and bcl-2 mRNA expression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>MTX-ARG rats demonstrated greater jejunal and ileal bowel weight, greater ileal mucosal weight, greater ileal mucosal DNA and protein levels, greater villus height in jejunum and ileum and crypt depth in ileum, compared to MTX animals. A significant decrease in enterocyte apoptosis in the ileum of MTX-ARG rats (vs MTX) was accompanied by decreased bax mRNA and protein expression and increased bcl-2 protein levels.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Treatment with oral ARG prevents mucosal injury and improves intestinal recovery following MTX- injury in the rat.</p

Detecting COVID-19 infection hotspots in England using large-scale self-reported data from a mobile application: a prospective, observational study

BACKGROUND: As many countries seek to slow the spread of COVID-19 without reimposing national restrictions, it has become important to track the disease at a local level to identify areas in need of targeted intervention. METHODS: In this prospective, observational study, we did modelling using longitudinal, self-reported data from users of the COVID Symptom Study app in England between March 24, and Sept 29, 2020. Beginning on April 28, in England, the Department of Health and Social Care allocated RT-PCR tests for COVID-19 to app users who logged themselves as healthy at least once in 9 days and then reported any symptom. We calculated incidence of COVID-19 using the invited swab (RT-PCR) tests reported in the app, and we estimated prevalence using a symptom-based method (using logistic regression) and a method based on both symptoms and swab test results. We used incidence rates to estimate the effective reproduction number, R(t), modelling the system as a Poisson process and using Markov Chain Monte-Carlo. We used three datasets to validate our models: the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Community Infection Survey, the Real-time Assessment of Community Transmission (REACT-1) study, and UK Government testing data. We used geographically granular estimates to highlight regions with rapidly increasing case numbers, or hotspots. FINDINGS: From March 24 to Sept 29, 2020, a total of 2 873 726 users living in England signed up to use the app, of whom 2 842 732 (98·9%) provided valid age information and daily assessments. These users provided a total of 120 192 306 daily reports of their symptoms, and recorded the results of 169 682 invited swab tests. On a national level, our estimates of incidence and prevalence showed a similar sensitivity to changes to those reported in the ONS and REACT-1 studies. On Sept 28, 2020, we estimated an incidence of 15 841 (95% CI 14 023-17 885) daily cases, a prevalence of 0·53% (0·45-0·60), and R(t) of 1·17 (1·15-1·19) in England. On a geographically granular level, on Sept 28, 2020, we detected 15 (75%) of the 20 regions with highest incidence according to government test data. INTERPRETATION: Our method could help to detect rapid case increases in regions where government testing provision is lower. Self-reported data from mobile applications can provide an agile resource to inform policy makers during a quickly moving pandemic, serving as a complementary resource to more traditional instruments for disease surveillance. FUNDING: Zoe Global, UK Government Department of Health and Social Care, Wellcome Trust, UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, UK National Institute for Health Research, UK Medical Research Council and British Heart Foundation, Alzheimer's Society, Chronic Disease Research Foundation

Biochemical properties of an extracellular \u3b2-D-fructofuranosidase II produced by Aspergillus phoenicis under Solid-Sate Fermentation using soy bran as substrate

The filamentous fungus A. phoenicis produced high levels of \u3b2-D-fructofuranosidase (FFase) when grown for 72 hrs under Solid-State Fermentation (SSF), using soy bran moistened with tap water (1:0.5 w/v) as substrate/carbon source. Two isoforms (I and II) were obtained, and FFase II was purified 18-fold to apparent homogeneity with 14% recovery. The native molecular mass of the glycoprotein (12% of carbohydrate content) was 158.5 kDa with two subunits of 85 kDa estimated by SDS-PAGE. Optima of temperature and pH were 55\ubaC and 4.5. The enzyme was stable for more than 1 hr at 50\ubaC and was also stable in a pH range from 7.0 to 8.0. FFase II retained 80% of activity after storage at 4\ubaC by 200 hrs. Dichroism analysis showed the presence of random and \u3b2-sheet structure. A. phoenicis FFase II was activated by Mn2+, Mg2+ and Co2+, and inhibited by Cu2+, Hg2+ and EDTA. The enzyme hydrolyzed sucrose, inulin and raffinose. K d and Vmax values were 18 mM and 189 U/mg protein using sucrose as substrate

Efficient Model for Predicting Friction on Texas Highway Network

0-7031The objective of this project was to develop a model to predict friction that could be applied at the network level to overcome some of the issues associated with friction measuring equipment. This project developed an instrument that can collect high-resolution surface profiles to determine macrotexture and microtexture under different conditions and on different surface types. These data were used to develop a model to predict friction and skid number with a high degree of accuracy. The instrument is able to collect data at highway speed, allowing accurate texture data collection on the entire network on an annual basis, and is small enough to attach to any surveying vehicle, so texture data can be collected as part of other operations, eliminating the need for an independent data collection effort. The development of this instrument provides not only savings but also enhances operational safety. The model was calibrated for 29 pavement sections in the Austin District, so the researchers recommend implementing the findings of this project and extending the calibration of the model to more pavement sections around the state