Lateralization of short- and long-term visual memories in an insect

The formation of memories within the vertebrate brain is lateralized between hemispheres across multiple modalities. However, in invertebrates evidence for lateralization is restricted to olfactory memories, primarily from social bees. Here, we use a classical conditioning paradigm with a visual conditioned stimulus to show that visual memories are lateralized in the wood ant, Formica rufa . We show that a brief contact between a sugar reward and either the right or left antenna (reinforcement) is sufficient to produce a lateralized memory, even though the visual cue is visible to both eyes throughout training and testing. Reinforcement given to the right antenna induced short-term memories, whereas reinforcement given to the left antenna induced long-term memories. Thus, short- and long-term visual memories are lateralized in wood ants. This extends the modalities across which memories are lateralized in insects and suggests that such memory lateralization may have evolved multiple times, possibly linked to the evolution of eusociality in the Hymenoptera.

Download Full-text

Long-Term Effects of Postearthquake Distress on Brain Microstructural Changes

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2014/180468 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Atsushi Sekiguchi ◽

Yuka Kotozaki ◽

Motoaki Sugiura ◽

Rui Nouchi ◽

Hikaru Takeuchi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stressful Events ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Short Term ◽

Psychological Measures ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Left Thalamus ◽

The Right ◽

Development Of Anxiety ◽

The Brain

Stressful events can have both short- and long-term effects on the brain. Our recent investigation identified short-term white matter integrity (WMI) changes in 30 subjects soon after the Japanese earthquake. Our findings suggested that lower WMI in the right anterior cingulum (Cg) was a pre-existing vulnerability factor and increased WMI in the left anterior Cg and uncinate fasciculus (Uf) after the earthquake was an acquired sign of postearthquake distress. However, the long-term effects on WMI remained unclear. Here, we examined the 1-year WMI changes in 25 subjects to clarify long-term effects on the WMI. We found differential FAs in the right anterior Cg, bilateral Uf, left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), and left thalamus, suggesting that synaptic enhancement and shrinkage were long-term effects. Additionally, the correlation between psychological measures related to postearthquake distress and the degree of WMI alternation in the right anterior Cg and the left Uf led us to speculate that temporal WMI changes in some subjects with emotional distress occurred soon after the disaster. We hypothesized that dynamic WMI changes predict a better prognosis, whereas persistently lower WMI is a marker of cognitive dysfunction, implying the development of anxiety disorders.

Download Full-text

Maternal Vaginal Ureaplasma spp. Colonization in Early Pregnancy Is Associated with Adverse Short- and Long-Term Outcome of Very Preterm Infants

Children ◽

10.3390/children8040276 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 276

Author(s):

Judith Rittenschober-Böhm ◽

Tanja Habermüller ◽

Thomas Waldhoer ◽

Renate Fuiko ◽

Stefan M. Schulz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Preterm Infants ◽

Early Pregnancy ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Outcome ◽

Long Term Outcome ◽

Very Preterm Infants ◽

Very Preterm ◽

Vaginal Colonization ◽

Short And Long Term

Vaginal colonization with Ureaplasma (U.) spp. has been shown to be associated with adverse pregnancy outcome; however, data on neonatal outcome are scarce. The aim of the study was to investigate whether maternal vaginal colonization with U. spp. in early pregnancy represents a risk factor for adverse short- or long-term outcome of preterm infants. Previously, 4330 pregnant women were enrolled in an observational multicenter study, analyzing the association between vaginal U. spp. colonization and spontaneous preterm birth. U. spp. colonization was diagnosed via PCR analysis from vaginal swabs. For this study, data on short-term outcome were collected from medical records and long-term outcome was examined via Bayley Scales of Infant Development at 24 months adjusted age. Two-hundred-and-thirty-eight children were born <33 weeks gestational age. After exclusion due to asphyxia, malformations, and lost-to-follow-up, data on short-term and long-term outcome were available from 222 and 92 infants, respectively. Results show a significant association between vaginal U. spp. colonization and severe intraventricular hemorrhage (10.4% vs. 2.6%, p = 0.03), retinopathy of prematurity (21.7% vs. 10.3%, p = 0.03), and adverse psychomotor outcome (24.3% vs. 1.8%, OR 13.154, 95%CI 1.6,110.2, p = 0.005). The data suggest an association between vaginal U. spp. colonization in early pregnancy and adverse short- and long-term outcome of very preterm infants.

Download Full-text

Spatio-temporal associations of air pollutant concentrations, GP respiratory consultations and respiratory inhaler prescriptions: a 5-year study of primary care in the borough of Lambeth, South London

Environmental Health ◽

10.1186/s12940-021-00730-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mark Ashworth ◽

◽

Antonis Analitis ◽

David Whitney ◽

Evangelia Samoli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Negative Binomial ◽

Hospital Admissions ◽

Air Pollutant ◽

Respiratory Morbidity ◽

Short Term ◽

Short Term Exposure ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Spatio Temporal

Abstract Background Although the associations of outdoor air pollution exposure with mortality and hospital admissions are well established, few previous studies have reported on primary care clinical and prescribing data. We assessed the associations of short and long-term pollutant exposures with General Practitioner respiratory consultations and inhaler prescriptions. Methods Daily primary care data, for 2009–2013, were obtained from Lambeth DataNet (LDN), an anonymised dataset containing coded data from all patients (1.2 million) registered at general practices in Lambeth, an inner-city south London borough. Counts of respiratory consultations and inhaler prescriptions by day and Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) of residence were constructed. We developed models for predicting daily PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and O3 per LSOA. We used spatio-temporal mixed effects zero inflated negative binomial models to investigate the simultaneous short- and long-term effects of exposure to pollutants on the number of events. Results The mean concentrations of NO2, PM10, PM2.5 and O3 over the study period were 50.7, 21.2, 15.6, and 49.9 μg/m3 respectively, with all pollutants except NO2 having much larger temporal rather than spatial variability. Following short-term exposure increases to PM10, NO2 and PM2.5 the number of consultations and inhaler prescriptions were found to increase, especially for PM10 exposure in children which was associated with increases in daily respiratory consultations of 3.4% and inhaler prescriptions of 0.8%, per PM10 interquartile range (IQR) increase. Associations further increased after adjustment for weekly average exposures, rising to 6.1 and 1.2%, respectively, for weekly average PM10 exposure. In contrast, a short-term increase in O3 exposure was associated with decreased number of respiratory consultations. No association was found between long-term exposures to PM10, PM2.5 and NO2 and number of respiratory consultations. Long-term exposure to NO2 was associated with an increase (8%) in preventer inhaler prescriptions only. Conclusions We found increases in the daily number of GP respiratory consultations and inhaler prescriptions following short-term increases in exposure to NO2, PM10 and PM2.5. These associations are more pronounced in children and persist for at least a week. The association with long term exposure to NO2 and preventer inhaler prescriptions indicates likely increased chronic respiratory morbidity.

Download Full-text

Paleolithic Diet—Effect on the Health Status and Performance of Athletes?

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13031019 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 1019

Author(s):

Barbara Frączek ◽

Aleksandra Pięta ◽

Adrian Burda ◽

Paulina Mazur-Kurach ◽

Florentyna Tyrała

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Body Mass ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Model Assessment ◽

Paleolithic Diet ◽

Short Term ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

The Impact

The aim of this meta-analysis was to review the impact of a Paleolithic diet (PD) on selected health indicators (body composition, lipid profile, blood pressure, and carbohydrate metabolism) in the short and long term of nutrition intervention in healthy and unhealthy adults. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials of 21 full-text original human studies was conducted. Both the PD and a variety of healthy diets (control diets (CDs)) caused reduction in anthropometric parameters, both in the short and long term. For many indicators, such as weight (body mass (BM)), body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC), impact was stronger and especially found in the short term. All diets caused a decrease in total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG), albeit the impact of PD was stronger. Among long-term studies, only PD cased a decline in TC and LDL-C. Impact on blood pressure was observed mainly in the short term. PD caused a decrease in fasting plasma (fP) glucose, fP insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in the short run, contrary to CD. In the long term, only PD caused a decrease in fP glucose and fP insulin. Lower positive impact of PD on performance was observed in the group without exercise. Positive effects of the PD on health and the lack of experiments among professional athletes require longer-term interventions to determine the effect of the Paleo diet on athletic performance.

Download Full-text

Induction of cell wall phenolic monomers as part of direct defense response in maize to pink stem borer (Sesamia inferens Walker) and non-insect interactions

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-93727-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

P. Lakshmi Soujanya ◽

J. C. Sekhar ◽

C. V. Ratnavathi ◽

Chikkappa G. Karjagi ◽

E. Shobha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Induced Defense ◽

Stem Borer ◽

Defense Responses ◽

Short Term ◽

Mechanical Wounding ◽

Leaf Tissues ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Insect Interactions ◽

Induced Defense Responses

AbstractPink stem borer (PSB) causes considerable yield losses to maize. Plant–insect interactions have significant implications for sustainable pest management. The present study demonstrated that PSB feeding, mechanical wounding, a combination of mechanical wounding and PSB regurgitation and exogenous application of methyl jasmonate have induced phenolic compound mediated defense responses both at short term (within 2 days of treatment) and long term (in 15 days of treatment) in leaf and stalk tissues of maize. The quantification of two major defense related phenolic compounds namely p-Coumaric acid (p-CA) and ferulic acid (FA) was carried out through ultra-fast liquid chromatography (UFLC) at 2 and 15 days after imposing the above treatments. The p-CA content induced in leaf tissues of maize genotypes were intrinsically higher when challenged by PSB attack at V3 and V6 stages in short- and long-term responses. Higher p-CA content was observed in stalk tissues upon wounding and regurgitation in short- and long-term responses at V3 and V6 stages. Significant accumulation of FA content was also observed in leaf tissues in response to PSB feeding at V3 stage in long-term response while at V6 stage it was observed both in short- and long-term responses. In stalk tissues, methyl jasmonate induced higher FA content in short-term response at V3 stage. However, at V6 stage PSB feeding induced FA accumulation in the short-term while, wounding and regurgitation treatment-induced defense responses in the long-term. In general, the resistant (DMRE 63, CM 500) and moderately resistant genotypes (WNZ ExoticPool) accumulated significantly higher contents of p-CA and FA content than susceptible ones (CM 202, BML 6) in most of the cases. The study indicates that phenolic mediated defense responses in maize are induced by PSB attack followed by wounding and regurgitation compared to the other induced treatments. Furthermore, the study confirmed that induced defense responses vary with plant genotype, stage of crop growth, plant tissue and short and long-term responses. The results of the study suggested that the Phenolic acids i.e. p-CA and FA may contribute to maize resistance mechanisms in the maize-PSB interaction system.

Download Full-text

Short-Term Exuberance and Long-Term Stability: A Simultaneous Optimization of Stock Return Predictions for Short and Long Horizons

Mathematics ◽

10.3390/math9060620 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 620

Author(s):

Ioannis Kyriakou ◽

Parastoo Mousavi ◽

Jens Perch Nielsen ◽

Michael Scholz

Keyword(s):

Stock Returns ◽

Simultaneous Optimization ◽

Investment Risk ◽

Short Term ◽

Fundamental Interest ◽

Long Term Stability ◽

Risk Appetite ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Excess Stock Returns

The fundamental interest of investors in econometric modeling for excess stock returns usually focuses either on short- or long-term predictions to individually reduce the investment risk. In this paper, we present a new and simple model that contemporaneously accounts for short- and long-term predictions. By combining the different horizons, we exploit the lower long-term variance to further reduce the short-term variance, which is susceptible to speculative exuberance. As a consequence, the long-term pension-saver avoids an over-conservative portfolio with implied potential upside reductions given their optimal risk appetite. Different combinations of short and long horizons as well as definitions of excess returns, for example, concerning the traditional short-term interest rate but also the inflation, are easily accommodated in our model.

Download Full-text

Effect of short-term smoking & L-arginine on coronary endothelial function assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance cold pressor testing: a pilot study

BMC Cardiovascular Disorders ◽

10.1186/s12872-021-02050-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Andreas M. Weng ◽

Herbert Köstler ◽

Thorsten A. Bley ◽

Christian O. Ritter

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Resonance ◽

Imaging Techniques ◽

Cold Pressor Test ◽

Cold Pressor ◽

Short Term ◽

Pressor Test ◽

Coronary Vasomotion ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Coronary Endothelium

Abstract Background The effect of smoking on coronary vasomotion has been investigated in the past with various imaging techniques in both short- and long-term smokers. Additionally, coronary vasomotion has been shown to be normalized in long-term smokers by L-Arginine acting as a substrate for NO synthase, revealing the coronary endothelium as the major site of abnormal vasomotor response. Aim of the prospective cohort study was to investigate coronary vasomotion of young healthy short-term smokers via magnetic resonance cold pressor test with and without the administration of L-Arginine and compare obtained results with the ones from nonsmokers. Methods Myocardial blood flow (MBF) was quantified with first-pass perfusion MRI on a 1.5 T scanner in healthy short-term smokers (N = 10, age: 25.0 ± 2.8 years, 5.0 ± 2.9 pack years) and nonsmokers (N = 10, age: 34.3 ± 13.6) both at rest and during cold pressor test (CPT). Smokers underwent an additional examination after administration of L-Arginine within a median of 7 days of the naïve examination. Results MBF at rest turned out to be 0.77 ± 0.30 (smokers with no L-Arginine; mean ± standard deviation), 0.66 ± 0.21 (smokers L-Arginine) and 0.84 ± 0.08 (nonsmokers). Values under CPT were 1.21 ± 0.42 (smokers no L-Arginine), 1.09 ± 0.35 (smokers L-Arginine) and 1.63 ± 0.33 (nonsmokers). In all groups, MBF was significantly increased under CPT compared to the corresponding rest examination (p < 0.05 in all cases). Additionally, MBF under CPT was significantly different between the smokers and the nonsmokers (p = 0.002). MBF at rest was significantly different between the smokers when L-Arginine was given and the nonsmokers (p = 0.035). Conclusion Short-term smokers showed a reduced response to cold both with and without the administration of L-Arginine. However, absolute MBF values under CPT were lower compared to nonsmokers independently of L-Arginine administration.

Download Full-text

Field Test and Numerical Simulation on the Long-Term Thermal Response of PHC Energy Pile in Layered Foundation

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21113873 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (11) ◽

pp. 3873

Author(s):

Guozhu Zhang ◽

Ziming Cao ◽

Yiping Liu ◽

Jiawei Chen

Keyword(s):

Thermal Conductivity ◽

Heat Exchange ◽

Temperature Variation ◽

Thermal Response ◽

Ground Temperature ◽

Short Term ◽

Energy Pile ◽

Backfill Soil ◽

Short And Long Term

Investigation on the long-term thermal response of precast high-strength concrete (PHC) energy pile is relatively rare. This paper combines field experiments and numerical simulations to investigate the long-term thermal properties of a PHC energy pile in a layered foundation. The major findings obtained from the experimental and numerical studies are as follows: First, the thermophysical ground properties gradually produce an influence on the long-term temperature variation. For the soil layers with relatively higher thermal conductivity, the ground temperature near to the energy pile presents a slowly increasing trend, and the ground temperature response at a longer distance from the center of the PHC pile appears to be delayed. Second, the short- and long-term thermal performance of the PHC energy pile can be enhanced by increasing the thermal conductivity of backfill soil. When the thermal conductivities of backfill soil in the PHC pile increase from 1 to 4 W/(m K), the heat exchange amounts of energy pile can be enhanced by approximately 30%, 79%, 105%, and 122% at 1 day and 20%, 47%, 59%, and 66% at 90 days compared with the backfill water used in the site. However, the influence of specific heat capacity of the backfill soil in the PHC pile on the short-term or long-term thermal response can be ignored. Furthermore, the variation of the initial ground temperature is also an important factor to affect the short-and-long-term heat transfer capacity and ground temperature variation. Finally, the thermal conductivity of the ground has a significant effect on the long-term thermal response compared with the short-term condition, and the heat exchange rates rise by about 5% and 9% at 1 day and 21% and 37% at 90 days as the thermal conductivities of the ground increase by 0.5 and 1 W/(m K), respectively.

Download Full-text

Distinguishable Brain Activation Networks for Short- and Long-Term Motor Skill Learning

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.00717.2004 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 94 (1) ◽

pp. 512-518 ◽

Cited By ~ 222

Author(s):

A. Floyer-Lea ◽

P. M. Matthews

Keyword(s):

Motor Skill ◽

Isometric Force ◽

Brain Activation ◽

Skill Learning ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Motor Skill Learning ◽

Short Term ◽

Learning Stage ◽

The Right

The acquisition of a new motor skill is characterized first by a short-term, fast learning stage in which performance improves rapidly, and subsequently by a long-term, slower learning stage in which additional performance gains are incremental. Previous functional imaging studies have suggested that distinct brain networks mediate these two stages of learning, but direct comparisons using the same task have not been performed. Here we used a task in which subjects learn to track a continuous 8-s sequence demanding variable isometric force development between the fingers and thumb of the dominant, right hand. Learning-associated changes in brain activation were characterized using functional MRI (fMRI) during short-term learning of a novel sequence, during short-term learning after prior, brief exposure to the sequence, and over long-term (3 wk) training in the task. Short-term learning was associated with decreases in activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal, anterior cingulate, posterior parietal, primary motor, and cerebellar cortex, and with increased activation in the right cerebellar dentate nucleus, the left putamen, and left thalamus. Prefrontal, parietal, and cerebellar cortical changes were not apparent with short-term learning after prior exposure to the sequence. With long-term learning, increases in activity were found in the left primary somatosensory and motor cortex and in the right putamen. Our observations extend previous work suggesting that distinguishable networks are recruited during the different phases of motor learning. While short-term motor skill learning seems associated primarily with activation in a cortical network specific for the learned movements, long-term learning involves increased activation of a bihemispheric cortical-subcortical network in a pattern suggesting “plastic” development of new representations for both motor output and somatosensory afferent information.

Download Full-text

Short- and Long-term Biologic Variability of Galectin-3 and Other Cardiac Biomarkers in Patients with Stable Heart Failure and Healthy Adults

Clinical Chemistry ◽

10.1373/clinchem.2015.246553 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 62 (2) ◽

pp. 360-366 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Emily I Schindler ◽

Jeffrey J Szymanski ◽

Karl G Hock ◽

Edward M Geltman ◽

Mitchell G Scott

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Troponin I ◽

Prognostic Biomarker ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Cardiac Biomarkers ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Short Term ◽

Galectin 3 ◽

Short And Long Term

Abstract BACKGROUND Galectin-3 (Gal-3) has been suggested as a prognostic biomarker in heart failure (HF) patients that may better reflect disease progression than traditional markers, including B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and cardiac troponins. To fully establish the utility of any biomarker in HF, its biologic variability must be characterized. METHODS To assess biologic variability, 59 patients were prospectively recruited, including 23 male and 16 female patients with stable HF and 10 male and 10 female healthy individuals. Gal-3, BNP, and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) were assayed at 5 time points within a 3-week period to assess short-term biologic variability. Long-term (3-month) biologic variability was assessed with samples collected at enrollment and after 4, 8, and 12 weeks. RESULTS Among healthy individuals, mean short-term biologic variability, expressed as intraindividual CV (CVI), was 4.5% for Gal-3, 29.0% for BNP, and 14.5% for hs-cTnI; long-term biologic variability was 5.5% for Gal-3, 34.7% for BNP, and 14.7% for hs-cTnI. In stable HF patients, mean short-term biologic variability was 7.1% for Gal-3, 22.5% for BNP, and 8.5% for hs-cTnI, and mean long-term biologic variability was 7.7% for Gal-3, 27.6% for BNP, and 9.6% for hs-cTnI. CONCLUSIONS The finding that Gal-3 has minimal intraindividual biological variability adds to its potential as a useful biomarker in HF patients.

Download Full-text