scholarly journals Temporal saliency for motion direction may arise from visual stimulus-specific adaptation in avian midbrain inhibitory nucleus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangtao Wang ◽  
Shuman Huang ◽  
Zhizhong Wang ◽  
Songwei Wang ◽  
Li Shi
Keyword(s):  
Visual Stimulus ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Saliency Detection ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Motion Direction ◽  
Repetitive Motion ◽  
Specific Adaptation ◽  
Temporal Domain ◽  
Temporal Stimuli

Food and predators are the most noteworthy objects for the basic survival of wild animals. In nature, both of these are often rare or deviant in both spatial and temporal domains and would soon attract an animal's attention. Although stimulus-specific adaptation (SSA) is considered to be one neural basis of salient sound detection in the temporal domain, related research on visual SSA is lacking. The avian nucleus isthmi pars magnocellularis (Imc), which plays an extremely important role in the selective attention network, is one of the best models for investigating the neural correlate of visual stimulus-specific adaptation (SSA) and detection of salient stimulus in the temporal domain. Here, we used a constant order paradigm to test the existence of SSA in the pigeon's Imc. We found that the strength of response of Imc neurons significantly decreased after repetitive motion stimuli, but recovered when the motion was switched to a novel direction, leading to the saliency detection of the novel motion direction. These results suggest that the inhibitory nucleus Imc shows visual SSA to motion direction, allowing the Imc to implement temporal saliency mapping and to determine the spatial-temporal saliency of the current stimulus. This also implies that pigeons may detect novel spatial-temporal stimuli during the early stage of sensory processing.

Insights into Transdermal Drug Delivery: Approaches for Redressal of a Burgeoning Issue of Osteoporosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 1682-1695
Author(s):  
Foziyah Zakir ◽  
Kanchan Kohli ◽  
Farhan J. Ahmad ◽  
Zeenat Iqbal ◽  
Adil Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Transdermal Delivery ◽  
Oral Delivery ◽  
Calcium Absorption ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Osteoporotic Fractures ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Systemic Delivery ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
The Cost

Osteoporosis is a progressive bone disease that remains unnoticed until a fracture occurs. It is more predominant in the older age population, particularly in females due to reduced estrogen levels and ultimately limited calcium absorption. The cost burden of treating osteoporotic fractures is too high, therefore, primary focus should be treatment at an early stage. Most of the marketed drugs are available as oral delivery dosage forms. The complications, as well as patient non-compliance, limit the use of oral therapy for prolonged drug delivery. Transdermal delivery systems seem to be a promising approach for the delivery of anti-osteoporotic active moieties. One of the confronting barriers is the passage of drugs through the SC layers followed by penetration to deeper dermal layers. The review focuses on how anti-osteoporotic drugs can be molded through different approaches so that they can be exploited for the skin to systemic delivery. Insights into the various challenges in transdermal delivery and how the novel delivery system can be used to overcome these have also been detailed.

scholarly journals The Impact of Armed Conflict on the Epidemiological Situation of COVID-19 in Libya, Syria and Yemen

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed A. Daw
Keyword(s):  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Cumulative Number ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Public Data ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact

Background: Since the Arab uprising in 2011, Libya, Syria and Yemen have gone through major internal armed conflicts. This resulted in large numbers of deaths, injuries, and population displacements, with collapse of the healthcare systems. Furthermore, the situation was complicated by the emergence of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which made the populations of these countries struggle under unusual conditions to deal with both the pandemic and the ongoing wars. This study aimed to determine the impact of the armed conflicts on the epidemiology of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) within these war-torn countries and highlight the strategies needed to combat the spread of the pandemic and its consequences.Methods: Official and public data concerning the dynamics of the armed conflicts and the spread of SARS-COV-2 in Libya, Syria and Yemen were collected from all available sources, starting from the emergence of COVID-19 in each country until the end of December 2020. Datasets were analyzed by a set of statistical techniques and the weekly resolved data were used to probe the link between the intensity levels of the conflict and the prevalence of COVID-19.Results: The data indicated that there was an increase in the intensity of the violence at an early stage from March to August 2020, when it approximately doubled in the three countries, particularly in Libya. During that period, few cases of COVID-19 were reported, ranging from 5 to 53 cases/day. From September to December 2020, a significant decline in the intensity of the armed conflicts was accompanied by steep upsurges in the rate of COVID-19 cases, which reached up to 500 cases/day. The accumulative cases vary from one country to another during the armed conflict. The highest cumulative number of cases were reported in Libya, Syria and Yemen.Conclusions: Our analysis demonstrates that the armed conflict provided an opportunity for SARS-CoV-2 to spread. The early weeks of the pandemic coincided with the most intense period of the armed conflicts, and few cases were officially reported. This indicates undercounting and hidden spread during the early stage of the pandemic. The pandemic then spread dramatically as the armed conflict declined, reaching its greatest spread by December 2020. Full-blown transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic in these countries is expected. Therefore, urgent national and international strategies should be implemented to combat the pandemic and its consequences.

scholarly journals VIRGINIA WOOLF’S GREEN VISTAS IN “MRS. DALLOWAY”

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-35
Author(s):  
Sivaranjani K ◽  
Rajarajan S
Keyword(s):  
Family Life ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Human Beings

God created women in the incarnation of himself how flowers are soft and tender women’s attitude also springy and gentle. In every bud beautiful flowers hiding themselves like in every woman their powerful attitude towards nature are camouflaged, their potentiality will prim out automatically in a needy situationand they shine beautifully like full bloomed flowers in their looming. Women are like grey, white moths in the earlier phase without maturity, they may act childishly. But through their full prime of life and progress, they turned into the spectacular multihued butterfly and they burnish glowing in their society and family life. That’s the attitude of Clarissa,who behaved has a moth in early stage, thenmatured as a full blown fantabulous butterfly by giving the party. The novel “Mrs. Dalloway” starts and ends on the same day by narrating how human beings are close with nature and how they preserve and conserve ourenvironment..

scholarly journals The basic reproduction number and prediction of the epidemic size of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Shahroud, Iran

2020 ◽  
Vol 148 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Khosravi ◽  
R. Chaman ◽  
M. Rohani-Rasaf ◽  
F. Zare ◽  
S. Mehravaran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Basic Reproduction Number ◽  
Reproduction Number ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Epidemic Size ◽  
Serial Interval ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Interval Distribution ◽  
The Basic Reproduction Number

Abstract The aim of this study was to estimate the basic reproduction number (R0) of COVID-19 in the early stage of the epidemic and predict the expected number of new cases in Shahroud in Northeastern Iran. The R0 of COVID-19 was estimated using the serial interval distribution and the number of incidence cases. The 30-day probable incidence and cumulative incidence were predicted using the assumption that daily incidence follows a Poisson distribution determined by daily infectiousness. Data analysis was done using ‘earlyR’ and ‘projections’ packages in R software. The maximum-likelihood value of R0 was 2.7 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.1−3.4) for the COVID-19 epidemic in the early 14 days and decreased to 1.13 (95% CI 1.03–1.25) by the end of day 42. The expected average number of new cases in Shahroud was 9.0 ± 3.8 cases/day, which means an estimated total of 271 (95% CI: 178–383) new cases for the period between 02 April to 03 May 2020. By day 67 (27 April), the effective reproduction number (Rt), which had a descending trend and was around 1, reduced to 0.70. Based on the Rt for the last 21 days (days 46–67 of the epidemic), the prediction for 27 April to 26 May is a mean daily cases of 2.9 ± 2.0 with 87 (48–136) new cases. In order to maintain R below 1, we strongly recommend enforcing and continuing the current preventive measures, restricting travel and providing screening tests for a larger proportion of the population.

scholarly journals C4orf41 and TTC-15 are mammalian TRAPP components with a role at an early stage in ER-to-Golgi trafficking

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 2083-2093 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. James Scrivens ◽  
Baraa Noueihed ◽  
Nassim Shahrzad ◽  
Sokunthear Hul ◽  
Stephanie Brunet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Binary Interaction ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Novel Proteins ◽  
Bona Fide ◽  
Interaction Map ◽  
Equivalent Complex

TRAPP is a multisubunit tethering complex implicated in multiple vesicle trafficking steps in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and conserved throughout eukarya, including humans. Here we confirm the role of TRAPPC2L as a stable component of mammalian TRAPP and report the identification of four novel components of the complex: C4orf41, TTC-15, KIAA1012, and Bet3L. Two of the components, KIAA1012 and Bet3L, are mammalian homologues of Trs85p and Bet3p, respectively. The remaining two novel TRAPP components, C4orf41 and TTC-15, have no homologues in S. cerevisiae. With this work, human homologues of all the S. cerevisiae TRAPP proteins, with the exception of the Saccharomycotina-specific subunit Trs65p, have now been reported. Through a multidisciplinary approach, we demonstrate that the novel proteins are bona fide components of human TRAPP and implicate C4orf41 and TTC-15 (which we call TRAPPC11 and TRAPPC12, respectively) in ER-to-Golgi trafficking at a very early stage. We further present a binary interaction map for all known mammalian TRAPP components and evidence that TRAPP oligomerizes. Our data are consistent with the absence of a TRAPP I–equivalent complex in mammalian cells, suggesting that the fundamental unit of mammalian TRAPP is distinct from that characterized in S. cerevisiae.

scholarly journals Zn-contained mussel-inspired film on Mg alloy for inhibiting bacterial infection and promoting bone regeneration

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Peng ◽  
Shi Cheng ◽  
Ruiying Zhang ◽  
Mei Li ◽  
Jielong Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Orthopedic Implants ◽  
Az31 Alloy ◽  
Electrochemical Analysis ◽  
Coated Sample ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Ion Release ◽  
Inflammatory Phenotype ◽  
Anti Inflammation

Abstract Infection and insufficient osteointegration are the main causes of orthopedic implant failure. Furthermore, activating favorable inflammation response is vital to the fast osteointegration of implants. Therefore, endowing the implants with multifunctions (antibacterial, anti-inflammation, and pro-osteointegration) is a promising strategy to improve the performance of orthopedic implants. In this study, a Zn-contained polydopamine (PDA) film was fabricated on AZ31 alloy. The film possessed a stable Zn ion release in 14 days. The results of electrochemical analysis implied the favorable corrosion protection of the film, and thus, leading to a suitable hemolysis ratio (below 1%). The in vitro antibacterial assessment revealed that the film exhibited excellent resistance against Staphylococcus aureus (nearly 100%), which can be ascribed to the release of Zn ions. The cell-culture evaluation revealed that the extract of Zn-contained PDA-coated sample can activate RAW264.7 polarization to an anti-inflammatory phenotype, as well as enhance the osteogenic differentiation ability of MC3T3-E1. Additionally, the femoral osteomyelitis model indicated that the as-prepared film had a high antibacterial capability at early stage of the implantation, and showed better osteogenesis and osteointegration after 8 weeks of implantation. With favorable antibacterial, anti-inflammation, and pro-osteogenesis abilities, the novel designed Zn-contained PDA film is promising to be used in Mg-based orthopedic implants.

scholarly journals Sensitive Assay for Antifungal Activity of Glucan Synthase Inhibitors That Uses Germ Tube Formation in Candida albicans as an End Point

2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (10) ◽  
pp. 3305-3310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy G. Brayman ◽  
John W. Wilks
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Antifungal Activity ◽  
Germ Tube ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Tube Formation ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Glucan Synthase ◽  
Drug Concentrations ◽  
Coefficients Of Variation

ABSTRACT We implemented a simple, sensitive, objective, and rapid cellular assay to reveal the antifungal activity of a novel class of glucan synthase inhibitors. The assay, especially useful for early drug discovery, measures the transformation of Candida albicans from the yeast form to the hyphal form. Test compounds were ranked by potency (50% inhibitory concentration) and efficacy (percent inhibition of germ tube formation); the intra-assay coefficients of variation for these parameters were 17 and 5%, respectively. The germ tube formation assay proved useful for the early-stage antifungal characterization of a novel class of glucan synthase inhibitors discovered at Pharmacia. Drug concentrations required in this assay to inhibit germ tube formation were lower for 90% of the novel compounds than the concentrations required to determine MICs. The method may have utility for other mechanistic classes of antifungal compounds during the hit-to-lead transition of drug discovery.

scholarly journals Fast Forward: Supramarginal Gyrus Stimulation Alters Time Measurement

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Wiener ◽  
Roy Hamilton ◽  
Peter Turkeltaub ◽  
Matthew S. Matell ◽  
H. B. Coslett
Keyword(s):  
Visual Stimulus ◽  
Temporal Processing ◽  
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Standard Stimulus ◽  
Neural System ◽  
Temporal Perception ◽  
Supramarginal Gyrus ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Temporal Judgment ◽  
The Right

The neural basis of temporal processing is unclear. We addressed this important issue by performing two experiments in which repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) was administered in different sessions to the left or right supramarginal gyrus (SMG) or vertex; in both tasks, two visual stimuli were presented serially and subjects were asked to judge if the second stimulus was longer than the first (standard) stimulus. rTMS was presented on 50% of trials. Consistent with a previous literature demonstrating the effect of auditory clicks on temporal judgment, rTMS was associated with a tendency to perceive the paired visual stimulus as longer in all conditions. Crucially, rTMS to the right SMG was associated with a significantly greater subjective prolongation of the associated visual stimulus in both experiments. These findings demonstrate that the right SMG is an important element of the neural system underlying temporal processing and, as discussed, have implications for neural and cognitive models of temporal perception and attention.

Information Processing in the Mental Workspace Is Fundamentally Distributed

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 295-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Schlegel ◽  
Prescott Alexander ◽  
Peter U. Tse
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Information Flow ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Distributed Information ◽  
Network Support ◽  
Component Processes ◽  
High Level ◽  
Flow Of Information ◽  
The Brain

The brain is a complex, interconnected information processing network. In humans, this network supports a mental workspace that enables high-level abilities such as scientific and artistic creativity. Do the component processes underlying these abilities occur in discrete anatomical modules, or are they distributed widely throughout the brain? How does the flow of information within this network support specific cognitive functions? Current approaches have limited ability to answer such questions. Here, we report novel multivariate methods to analyze information flow within the mental workspace during visual imagery manipulation. We find that mental imagery entails distributed information flow and shared representations throughout the cortex. These findings challenge existing, anatomically modular models of the neural basis of higher-order mental functions, suggesting that such processes may occur at least in part at a fundamentally distributed level of organization. The novel methods we report may be useful in studying other similarly complex, high-level informational processes.

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