Anatomic brain asymmetry in vervet monkeys.

Asymmetry is a prominent feature of human brains with important functional consequences. Many asymmetric traits show population bias, but little is known about the genetic and environmental sources contributing to inter-individual variance. Anatomic asymmetry has been observed in Old World monkeys, but the evidence for the direction and extent of asymmetry is equivocal and only one study has estimated the genetic contributions to inter-individual variance. In this study we characterize a range of qualitative and quantitative asymmetry measures in structural brain MRIs acquired from an extended pedigree of Old World vervet monkeys (n = 357), and implement variance component methods to estimate the proportion of trait variance attributable to genetic and environmental sources. Four of six asymmetry measures show pedigree-level bias and one of the traits has a significant heritability estimate of about 30%. We also found that environmental variables more significantly influence the width of the right compared to the left prefrontal lobe

Is there an integrative center in the vertebrate brain-stem? A robotic evaluation of a model of the reticular formation viewed as an action selection device

Neurobehavioral data from intact, decerebrate, and neonatal rats, suggests that the reticular formation provides a brainstem substrate for action selection in the vertebrate central nervous system. In this article, Kilmer, McCulloch and Blum’s (1969, 1997) landmark reticular formation model is described and re-evaluated, both in simulation and, for the first time, as a mobile robot controller. Particular model configurations are found to provide effective action selection mechanisms in a robot survival task using either simulated or physical robots. The model’s competence is dependent on the organization of afferents from model sensory systems, and a genetic algorithm search identified a class of afferent configurations which have long survival times. The results support our proposal that the reticular formation evolved to provide effective arbitration between innate behaviors and, with the forebrain basal ganglia, may constitute the integrative, ’centrencephalic’ core of vertebrate brain architecture. Additionally, the results demonstrate that the Kilmer et al. model provides an alternative form of robot controller to those usually considered in the adaptive behavior literature

A disilene base adduct with a dative Si–Si single bond.

An experimental and theoretical study of the base- stabilized disilene 1 is reported, whichforms at lowtemper- atures in the disproportionation reaction of Si 2 Cl 6 or neo- Si 5 Cl 12 with equimolar amounts of NMe 2 Et. Single-crystal X- ray diffraction and quantum-chemical bonding analysis dis- close an unprecedented structure in silicon chemistry featuring adative Si!Si single bond between two silylene moieties, Me 2 EtN!SiCl 2 !Si(SiCl 3 ) 2 .The central ambiphilic SiCl 2 group is linked by dative bonds to the amine donor and the bis(trichlorosilyl)silylene acceptor,which leads to push–pull stabilization. Based on experimental and theoretical examina- tions aformation mechanism is presented that involves an autocatalytic reaction of the intermediately formed anion Si(SiCl 3 ) 3 ¢ with neo-Si 5 Cl 12 to yield 1

Enzymatic Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of Oligomer Analogues of Medicinal Biopolymers from Comfrey and Other Species of the Boraginaceae Family

This study reports the first enzymatic synthesis leading to several oligomer analogues of poly[3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)glyceric acid]. This biopolymer, extracted from plants of the Boragi-naceae family has shown a wide spectrum of pharmacological properties, including antimicrobial activity. Enzymatic ring opening polymerization of 2-methoxycarbonyl-3-(3,4-dibenzyloxyphenyl)oxirane (MDBPO) using lipase from Candida rugosa leads to formation of poly[2-methoxycarbonyl-3-(3,4-dibenzyloxyphenyl)oxirane] (PMDBPO), with a degree of polymerization up to 5. Catalytic debenzylation of PMDBPO using H2 on Pd/C yields poly[2-methoxycarbonyl-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)oxirane] (PMDHPO) without loss in molecular mass. Antibacterial assessment of natural polyethers from different species of Boraginaceae family Symhytum asperum, S. caucasicum, S. grandiflorum, Anchusa italica, Cynoglossum officinale, and synthetic polymers, poly[2-methoxycarbonyl-3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)oxirane (PMDMPO) and PMDHPO, reveals that only the synthetic analogue produced in this study (PMDHPO) exhibits a promising antimicrobial activity against pathogenic strains S.aureus ATCC 25923 and E.coli ATCC 25922 the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) being 100 µg/mL

High-throughput design of all-d-metal Heusler alloys for magnetocaloric applications

Due to their versatile composition and customizable properties, A$_2$BC Heusler alloys have found applications in magnetic refrigeration, magnetic shape memory effects, permanent magnets, and spintronic devices. The discovery of all-$d$-metal Heusler alloys with improved mechanical properties compared to those containing main group elements, presents an opportunity to engineer Heuslers alloys for energy-related applications. Using high-throughput density functional theory calculations, we screened magnetic all-$d$-metal Heusler compounds and identified 686 (meta)stable compounds. Our detailed analysis revealed that the inverse Heusler structure is preferred when the electronegativity difference between the A and B/C atoms is small, contrary to conventional Heusler alloys. Additionally, our calculations of Pugh ratios and Cauchy pressures demonstrated that ductile and metallic bonding are widespread in all-$d$-metal Heuslers, supporting their enhanced mechanical behaviour. We identified 49 compounds with a double-well energy surface based on Bain path calculations and magnetic ground states, indicating their potential as candidates for magnetocaloric and shape memory applications. Furthermore, by calculating the free energies, we propose that 11 compounds exhibit structural phase transitions, and propose isostructural substitution to enhance the magnetocaloric effect

Data for ion and seed dependent fibril assembly of a spidroin core domain

AbstractThis data article includes size exclusion chromatography data of soluble eADF4(C16), an engineered spider silk variant based on the core domain sequence of the natural dragline silk protein ADF4 of Araneus diadematus, in combination with light scattering; the protein is monomeric before assembly. The assembled mature fibrils were visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Sonicated fibrils were used as seeds to by-pass the nucleation lag phase in eADF4(C16) assembly. We also provide data on the sedimentation kinetics of spider silk in the presence of different NaCl concentrations revealing very slow protein aggregation in comparison to the fast assembly triggered by phosphate ions published previously [1]. Experiments in the Data article represent supporting material for our work published recently [1], which described the assembly mechanism of recombinant eADF4(C16) fibrils

Delphi survey on conventional conservative treatment of functional posterior shoulder instability

Background: Posterior shoulder instability is caused by structural or functional defects. While the former are mostly treated surgically, physiotherapy is considered the treatment of choice in functional shoulder instability. However, it often has limited success unless very specific and intensive training programs are applied by trained experts. Currently, there is no consensus on the treatment of functional posterior shoulder instability. Objective: To improve treatment of this pathology, a standardized treatment recommendation is required to serve as a guideline for physiotherapy. The aim of this study was to establish expert consensus for treatment recommendations for functional posterior shoulder instability. Design: The Delphi survey technique was employed. Methods: A standardized training program for treatment of functional posterior shoulder instability was developed by a local expert committee. Two rounds of an online Delphi survey were then conducted. The panel of the Delphi survey comprised nine leading scientific experts in the field of functional shoulder instability who treat patients with shoulder-related problems conservatively and operatively. Results: The response rate was 100% and there were no dropouts. The final program consists of three groups of exercises with increasing difficulty. The exercises are mostly easy to perform and focus on the scapula-retracting muscles and the muscles responsible for external rotation of the shoulder. The treatment program should be executed under the supervision of a therapist at the beginning and later may be performed by the patients themselves. Conclusion: Consensus on a new exercise guideline dedicated to the treatment of functional posterior shoulder instability was achieved. This guideline should not only help to treat this challenging pathology but also provide a starting point for further scientific research and ongoing improvement

Avaliação da cobertura vacinal do esquema básico para o primeiro ano de vida

Immunization coverage was evaluated in all 12-23 month-old children living in the area were five years before a Primary Care Practice had been set up. All children were investigated through home visits, checking of the immunization chart and relying on mothers' information. In 1986, a baseline study had identified an immunization coverage of under 60% for each of the scheduled vaccines. The current study confirmed that coverage was of 87% for three doses of DTP, 89% for Sabin, 88% for one dose of measles vaccine and 79% for BCG. Despite the high coverage achieved for each specific vaccine, when the basic schedule for the first year was verified, it was observed that only 75% of the children had received the full scheme. Immunization coverage is uneven in different census tracts, being higher in the poorest and more remot areas, where seam the health has given extra attention. A comparison with the routine administrative evaluation of the immunization coverage showed that this underestimated the real coverage. Maternal immunization uptake was also evaluated (antitetanus vaccine during pregnancy) and only 49% of the women were found to be adequately protected. The information collected led to a reorganization of the whole immunization program in a 100% coverage.Em 1991 avaliou-se a cobertura vacinal em crianças de 12 a 23 meses de idade no território de responsabilidade de um Posto de Atenção Primária à Saúde, na periferia da Zona Norte de Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil, cinco anos após sua implantação, com a finalidade de melhorar a qualidade das ações de saúde desenvolvidas no serviço. Foram investigadas todas as crianças através de um inquérito domiciliar, observando-se a carteira de vacinas e as informações da mãe. Em 1986, um inquérito inicial havia identificado uma cobertura vacinal inferior a 60% para cada uma das vacinas. A atual cobertura vacinal (doses comprovadas) para três doses da vacina DPT (Difteria, Pertussis e Tétano), três doses da Sabin (antipoliomielite), uma dose da anti-sarampo (VAS) e uma dose de BCG são, respectivamente 87, 89, 88 e 79%. Apesar das altas coberturas observadas por tipos de vacinas, quando se verificou para cada criança se o esquema básico do primeiro ano de vida estava completo (3 doses de DPT + 3 doses de Sabin + 1 dose de VAS + 1 dose de BCG), encontrou-se apenas 75% das crianças na citada situação. A cobertura vacinal é heterogênea dentro do território, sendo maior naquelas áreas caracterizadas por piores condições socioeconômicas, onde a equipe de saúde havia intensificado esforços. A comparação com o método administrativo de avaliação de cobertura, realizado mensalmente, mostrou a não-adequação desse, que subestimava a cobertura vacinal. Avaliou-se a situação vacinal das mães, para vacina antitetânica, e apenas 49% das crianças estavam protegidas contra o tétano neonatal. Os dados obtidos subsidiaram a imediata reestruturação das ações do programa, com vistas a atingir uma cobertura vacinal de 100%, e melhorar a qualidade das ações de saúde prestadas pela equipe

Prediction of peptide and protein propensity for amyloid formation

Understanding which peptides and proteins have the potential to undergo amyloid formation and what driving forces are responsible for amyloid-like fiber formation and stabilization remains limited. This is mainly because proteins that can undergo structural changes, which lead to amyloid formation, are quite diverse and share no obvious sequence or structural homology, despite the structural similarity found in the fibrils. To address these issues, a novel approach based on recursive feature selection and feed-forward neural networks was undertaken to identify key features highly correlated with the self-assembly problem. This approach allowed the identification of seven physicochemical and biochemical properties of the amino acids highly associated with the self-assembly of peptides and proteins into amyloid-like fibrils (normalized frequency of β-sheet, normalized frequency of β-sheet from LG, weights for β-sheet at the window position of 1, isoelectric point, atom-based hydrophobic moment, helix termination parameter at position j+1 and ΔGº values for peptides extrapolated in 0 M urea). Moreover, these features enabled the development of a new predictor (available at http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/appnn/index.html) capable of accurately and reliably predicting the amyloidogenic propensity from the polypeptide sequence alone with a prediction accuracy of 84.9 % against an external validation dataset of sequences with experimental in vitro, evidence of amyloid formation