Search

Synchronization is a special case of self-organization in which one can observe close mimicry in behavior of the system components. Synchrony in body movements, autonomic arousal, and EEG activity among human individuals has attracted considerable attention for their possible roles in social interaction. This article is specifically concerned with autonomic synchrony and finding the best model for the dyadic relationships, with regard to both theoretical and empirical accuracy, that could be extrapolated to synchrony levels for groups and teams of three or more people. The four models that are compared in this study have different theoretical origins: the two-variable linear regression function, a three-parameter nonlinear regression function, the logistic map function stated in polynomial form, and the logistic map function stated as an exponential regression structure. The data for this study were electrodermal responses collected from a team of four people engaged in an emergency response simulation that produced 12 dyadic time series. Results shows strong levels of fit between the data and all four models, although there were significant differences among them. Further research directions point toward finding conditions that favor one model over another and exploring other possible nonlinear structures.

Synchronization of autonomic arousal levels within dyads and larger teams has been associated with several types of social-behavioral outcome. One previous study reported greater physiological influence (brain activity in one area of the parietal lobe associated with verbal activity) of leaders on followers than of followers on leaders; influence was measured pairwise within triadic problem solving groups. The present study explored synchronized autonomic arousal with leadership outcomes in two experiments with group sizes of three to eight members. Drivers, who had the greatest physiological impact on other team members were consistently less like the leader of the group. Empaths, who were the most receptive to autonomic signals from others, were not consistently associated with leadership roles, although they did show sensitivity to team dynamics in their ratings of cognitive and social sources of workload. The tentative conclusion, subject to future research, is that successful leadership requires a balance between the driver and empath orientations.

Background: We analyzed a population-based national registry to identify the most influential patient pretreatment and treatment factors affecting overall survival (OS) and cause-specific survival (CSS) in patients diagnosed with acinic cell carcinoma (ACC) of the major salivary glands. Methods: Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database of the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) related to survival, a total of 1,254 patients with diagnosed ACC of the major salivary glands from 1975 to 2016 met inclusion criteria. Factors significant for OS and CSS were determined using univariate and multivariate analysis with the Cox proportional hazards model. Results: Univariate OS analysis demonstrated that surgery favorably influenced longer survival compared to no surgery (hazard ratio (HR) 2.35, P < 0.05). Patient age was found to be highly predictive of superior OS (divided into 10-year age bands, P < 0.0001, younger age better). In multivariate OS analysis, there were statistically significant worse outcomes for men (HR 1.54, P < 0.05), grades III/IV (HR 2.5, P < 0.05), and distant disease (HR 3.55, P < 0.05) or regional disease (HR 1.22, P < 0.05). Patients diagnosed during years 1996 - 2016 had better OS when compared to earlier decades 1975 - 1995 (HR 1.38, P < 0.05). In univariate analysis, the mean CSS for grades I, II, and III/IV were 429 months (95% confidence interval (CI), ± 38.39), 426 months (95% CI, ± 25.73) and 198 months (95% CI, ± 66.38). Multivariate analysis of CSS further demonstrated that there were statistically significant worse outcomes for men (HR 1.68, P < 0.05), grade III/IV (HR 3.2, P < 0.05), tumor size greater than 40 mm (P < 0.001), and distant disease (HR 4.48, P < 0.05) or regional disease (HR 1.84, P < 0.05). Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the largest population-based study of OS and CSS of major salivary gland ACC. We found that the patient pretreatment and treatment factors including younger age at diagnosis, female sex, early stage, lower grade, surgical excision, and recent year of diagnosis are associated with improved survival in patients diagnosed with ACC of the major salivary glands. We hope that this information will aid in construction of further research projects that better refine optimal treatment protocol of individualized patient care. World J Oncol. 2020;11(5):188-196 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/wjon1312

Almost half of the human genome derives from transposable elements (TE). Among them, the Long INterspersed Element-1 (LINE-1 or L1) forms the only currently active and autonomous transposable element family in humans. Although hundreds of thousands L1 copies are dispersed in the human genome, only 80-100 of them are still retrotransposition competent, i.e. able to replicate by a “copy-and-paste” mechanism via an RNA intermediate and a reverse transcription step. On the one hand, L1 activity can have deleterious consequences, such as insertional mutagenesis, and is tightly regulated at the transcriptional or post-transcriptional levels. However, specific host factors are necessary for completion of L1 replication cycle. When occurring in the germline or in the early embryo, L1 insertions can be transmitted to the next generation. Somatic retrotransposition has been also described in epithelial tumors and in the brain, both in neural progenitor cells and differentiated neurons. Nevertheless, the extent of L1 expression and mobilization in other somatic tissues remains unclear.Here, we investigated the activity of L1 retrotransposons in human and mouse skeletal muscle cells. We show that the most abundant L1 protein, ORF1p, which is essential to retrotransposition, is undetectable under our experimental conditions, in mouse or human muscle samples, while it is readily detected in cancer cells or in testis. Similarly, it was undetected in immortalized mouse or human myoblasts. However, we found that L1 is capable of retrotransposition in human and mouse myoblasts when expressed from a plasmid or from an integrated copy with a constitutive or inducible promoter, respectively. In conclusion, while L1 expression is under the limit of detection in muscle, myoblasts are permissive to retrotransposition, indicating that these cells express all the cellular factors necessary to achieve this process, and do not express significant restriction factors that would prevent retrotransposition.Altogether, our findings suggest that somatic L1 activity could not be confined to the brain or cancer cells, but could also occur in muscles under environmental or pathological conditions that would unleash L1 expression., Près de la moitié du génome humain provient d'éléments transposables (TE). Parmi eux, l'élément LINE-1 ou L1 (Long INterspersed Element-1) forme la seule famille d'éléments transposables actuellement active et autonome chez l'Homme. Bien que des centaines de milliers de copies soient dispersées dans le génome humain, seules 80 à 100 d'entre elles sont encore compétentes pour la rétrotransposition, c'est-à-dire capables de se reproduire par un mécanisme de "copier-coller" via un ARN intermédiaire et une étape de transcription inverse. L'activité des L1s peut avoir des conséquences délétères, en particulier par mutagenèse insertionnelle. Elle est néanmoins étroitement régulée au niveau transcriptionnel et post-transcriptionnel. Inversement, des facteurs d'hôtes spécifiques sont nécessaires pour accomplir le cycle réplicatif des L1s. Lorsqu'elles se produisent dans la lignée germinale ou dans l'embryon précoce, les insertions de L1 peuvent être transmises à la génération suivante. La rétrotransposition des L1s a également été décrite dans certains tissus somatiques, comme dans les tumeurs épithéliales et dans le cerveau, à la fois dans les cellules progénitrices neurales et dans les neurones différenciés. Néanmoins, les niveaux d’expression des L1 compétents pour la rétrotransposition, et leur mobilisation, dans d'autres tissus somatiques restent incertains.Ici, nous avons étudié l'activité des rétrotransposons L1 dans les cellules musculaires squelettiques humaines et murines. Nous montrons que la protéine du L1 la plus abondante, ORF1p, qui est essentielle à la rétrotransposition, est indétectable dans nos conditions expérimentales, dans des échantillons murins ou humains de muscle squelettique, alors qu'elle est facilement détectable dans les cellules cancéreuses ou dans les testicules. De même, elle n'est pas détectée dans les myoblastes immortalisés d’origine murine ou humaine. En revanche, nous avons découvert que le L1 est capable de rétrotransposition dans les myoblastes humains et murins lorsqu'elle est exprimée à partir d'un plasmide ou d'une copie intégrée avec un promoteur constitutif ou inductible, respectivement. En conclusion, si l'expression du L1 est inférieure à la limite de détection dans le muscle, les myoblastes sont bien permissifs à la rétrotransposition, ce qui indique que ces cellules expriment tous les facteurs cellulaires nécessaires pour réaliser ce processus, et n'expriment pas de facteurs de restriction significatifs qui bloqueraient la rétrotransposition.Dans l'ensemble, nos résultats suggèrent que l'activité somatique des L1s pourrait ne pas être restreinte au cerveau ou aux cellules cancéreuses, mais pourrait également avoir lieu dans les muscles dans des conditions environnementales ou pathologiques qui déclencheraient leur expression.

La tesi analizza e approfondisce l?influenza delle tecnologie digitali nella danza contemporanea, domandandosi quali siano gli apporti del design dell?interazione in questo ambito. I cambiamenti subiti dalla danza negli ultimi anni, infatti, hanno dimostrato come il movimento del danzatore possa venire ricostruito e reinterpretato attraverso le tecnologie digitali. Si assiste alla produzione di artefatti e dispositivi digitali (CD, DVD, siti web, intelligenze artificiali) che hanno ampliato i confini della danza. Tali artefatti vengono qui definiti come dispositivi coreografici: non sono sostituti della danza dal vivo ma il prodotto di una pratica interdisciplinare e collaborativa che mira a visualizzare, comprendere e trasmettere il progetto coreografico. I casi studio scelti sono analizzati non tanto per la loro ricaduta estetica quanto per le modalit� secondo cui sono progettati i supporti, enfatizzandone gli elementi di rottura (cap. 1). Attraverso un approccio speculativo che incorpora esperienze pratiche, analizzando i dispositivi e intervistando i protagonisti, e prospettive teoriche, avvalendosi di studi che hanno enfatizzato la collaborazione tra danza e design dell?interazione, emerge chiara l?idea che � il sistema collaborativo a dare forma al progetto, modellando il prodotto finito. Se i dispositivi coreografici sono il frutto di uno scambio di conoscenze tra professionalit� diverse, vengono presi in considerazione i nuovi ruoli assunti dal danzatore e dal coreografo, in relazione alle tecnologie in uso (cap. 2). Viene cos� introdotta la figura del progettista dell?interazione, inteso come designer dramaturg attorno cui ruotano le continue negoziazioni tra dimensione corporea e possibilit� tecnologiche. Vengono, dunque, astratti alcuni principi progettuali, tanto per comprendere l?idea di performativit� in relazione alle tecnologie digitali, quanto per posizionare il designer dell?interazione nell?orizzonte delle pratiche performative contemporanee (cap. 3). Tale operazione permette di affermare che lo sviluppo dei dispositivi coreografici produce conoscenze che possono essere trasposte al di fuori del settore performativo. Il corpo viene riconosciuto non in quanto soggetto, ma materia della sperimentazione tecnologica: la pratica della danza diviene un luogo di collaborazione nel quale sperimentare e ripensare le interazioni con gli oggetti della vita quotidiana.

QTL mapping identified key genomic regions associated with adult-plant resistance to tan spot, which are effective even in the presence of the sensitivity gene Tsn1, thus serving as a new genetic solution to develop disease-resistant wheat cultivars. Improving resistance to tan spot (Pyrenophora tritici-repentis; Ptr) in wheat by eliminating race-specific susceptibility genes is a common breeding approach worldwide. The potential to exploit variation in quantitative forms of resistance, such as adult-plant resistance (APR), offers an alternative approach that could lead to broad-spectrum protection. We previously identified wheat landraces in the Vavilov diversity panel that exhibited high levels of APR despite carrying the sensitivity gene Tsn1. In this study, we characterised the genetic control of APR by developing a recombinant inbred line population fixed for Tsn1, but segregating for the APR trait. Linkage mapping using DArTseq markers and disease response phenotypes identified a QTL associated with APR to Ptr race 1 (producing Ptr ToxA- and Ptr ToxC) on chromosome 2B (Qts.313-2B), which was consistently detected in multiple adult-plant experiments. Additional loci were also detected on chromosomes 2A, 3D, 5A, 5D, 6A, 6B and 7A at the seedling stage, and on chromosomes 1A and 5B at the adult stage. We demonstrate that Qts.313-2B can be combined with other adult-plant QTL (i.e. Qts.313-1A and Qts.313-5B) to strengthen resistance levels. The APR QTL reported in this study provide a new genetic solution to tan spot in Australia and could be deployed in wheat cultivars, even in the presence of Tsn1, to decrease production losses and reduce the application of fungicides.

Professional pasta cookers are filled with fresh water. The solids leached from the cooked pasta make pasta less firm and stickier while leading to changes in water properties and overflow. Added fresh water then has to be reheated. The effect of continuous cooking on cooked pasta quality and water properties was investigated for the first time by simulating professional pasta cooking on a laboratory scale. RESULTS Continuous cooking procedure of 12 batches led to a solid content of cooking water of 37?g?kg?1, resulting in an increase in shear-thinning behaviour and consistency index. Pasta cooking loss decreased from 52.7 to 35.7?g?kg?1 due to the lower water concentration gradient through the pasta. This was confirmed by a decrease in swelling index from 2.0 ? 10?3 to 1.6 ? 10?3?g?kg?1 during the optimal cooking time (13?min 45?s). Surprisingly, continuous cooking made the pasta firmer while stickiness did not differ significantly (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION Taking batch number 7 as the acceptability threshold, further studies are required to find an optimal solution for retaining cooking water properties highly affecting daily cooking procedures in food service kitchens. ? 2018 Society of Chemical Industry

Analyses of singular (token-level) causation often make use of the idea that a cause increases the probability of its effect. Of particular salience in such accounts are the values of the p...

Psychologists have had a long-standing interest in the connections between group processes and team performance. The biopsychosocial perspective has piqued an interest in the connection between team processes and performance and coordinated and synchronized physiological arousal levels among team members. Studies of synchronization in work teams have been stalled by the lack of a metric that captures the total synchronization within teams of three or more people. This study examined how synchronized physiological arousal does in fact connect to team performance and related group process outcomes by utilizing the SE coefficient developed by Guastello and Peressini. Forty-three groups of 3 to 8 participants (total N = 197) participated in a survival simulation. Synchroniza-tion coefficients were produced for three task segments: watching an orientation video together, an individual decision task, and a group decision task. Primary results showed: (a) Synchronization was greater in larger groups across the three task segments. (b) A combination of the three synchronization coefficients - higher during the team task and lower otherwise - was correlated with higher workload ratings for performance demands, greater team dissatisfaction, and lower demands for time-sharing between the individual and the team.

In this study, starch-based films incorporating metal oxide (MO

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of osmotic dehydration (with and without sonication) and the use of different types of edible coating on functional and color parameters of dried apricot. Osmotic pretreatment was carried out in sorbitol solution of 35 °Brix at 55 °C for 30 and 45 min. Two levels of ultrasound frequency (25 and 35 kHz) were tested. Samples were coated using pectin + citric acid (CA), pectin + ascorbic acid (AA) and pectin alone after osmotic treatment and were dried at 60 °C. The results revealed that ultrasound assisted osmotic dehydration (UOD) led to the loss of total phenolic compounds (TPC) and vitamin C compared to osmotic dehydration (OD). TPC and β-carotene contents decreased with the increase in sonication frequency from 25 to 35 kHz. However, UOD pretreated samples showed higher antioxidant capacity and β-carotene content than OD apricots. OD improved color of hot-air dried apricot compared to UOD pretreatment. The use of pectin + AA coating increased TPC and vitamin C retention and total antioxidant activity of OD or UOD pretreated samples compared to pectin or pectin + CA coatings. UOD and pectin + AA coated samples showed lower L* and b*, and higher a* values, whereas coating with CA improved color of dried apricot cubes. Coatings containing CA or AA promoted β-carotene retention in dried apricot pretreated by OD and UOD.

Background Malnutrition and muscle wasting are common in haemodialysis (HD) patients. Their pathogenesis is complex and involves many molecules including Myostatin (Mstn), which acts as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle. The characterisation of Mstn as a biomarker of malnutrition could be useful in the prevention and management of this condition. Previous studies have reported no conclusive results on the actual relationship between serum Mstn and wasting and malnutrition. So, in this study, we evaluated Mstn profile in a cohort of regular HD patients. Methods We performed a cross-sectional study, enrolling 37 patients undergoing bicarbonate-HD (BHD) or haemodiafiltration (HDF) at least for six months. 20 sex-matched healthy subjects comprised the control group. Mstn serum levels were evaluated by ELISA before and after HD. We collected clinical and biochemical data, evaluated insulin resistance, body composition, malnutrition [by Malnutrition Inflammation Score (MIS)] and tested muscle function (by hand-grip strength, six-minute walking test and a questionnaire on fatigue). Results Mstn levels were not significantly different between HD patients and controls (4.7 ± 2.8 vs 4.5 ± 1.3 ng/ml). In addition, while a decrease in Mstn was observed after HD treatment, there were no differences between BHD and HDF. In whole group of HD patients Mstn was positively correlated with muscle mass (r = 0.82, p p p = 0.01). No correlations were found between Mstn and insulin resistance, such as between Mstn levels and parameters of muscle strength and fatigue. In multivariate analysis, Mstn resulted inversely correlated with fat body content (β = − 1.055, p = 0.002). Conclusions Circulating Mstn is related to muscle mass and nutritional status in HD patients, suggesting that it may have a role in the regulation of skeletal muscle and metabolic processes. However, also considering the lack of difference of serum Mstn between healthy controls and HD patients and the absence of correlations with muscle function tests, our findings do not support the use of circulating Mstn as a biomarker of muscle wasting and malnutrition in HD.

Human dyads and larger teams tend to acquire synchronized movements and autonomic arousal levels while working together or simply socializing. The synchronization of arousal patterns is of theoretical interest for group dynamics because they may add predictive value to the dynamics of group cohesion and team performance. This study examined the four-way relationship among experimental conditions: team size, task difficulty, time pressure (between-subjects) and subsequent experimental sessions (within-subjects). Previously, we have shown these conditions affect subjective ratings of workload that come from individual and group-level sources, synchronization of arousal, and team performance. In an experiment involving an emergency response (ER) simulation, 360 undergraduates, who were wearing electrodermal sensors, were organized into 44 teams of various sizes. Workload was experimentally varied by team size (three, four, seven or eight members), number of opponents (one or two), and time pressure; the latter was introduced sooner or later across two experimental sessions. Results showed that the experimental conditions affected synchronization levels, either at the beginning of a session or in the middle; synchronization and experimental conditions were not directly related to team performance. Subjective group workload ratings of the coordination demand of the task correlated with synchronization at the beginning of a session while team satisfaction was correlated with greater synchrony at the end of a session. The competitive nature of the ER task, as compared to strictly cooperative tasks, could be responsible for the complexity of these empirical relationships.

Body movements, autonomic arousal, and electroencephalograms (EEGs) of group members are often coordinated or synchronized with those of other group members. Linear and nonlinear measures of synchronization have been developed for pairs of individuals, but little work has been done on measures of synchronization for groups. We define a new synchronization coefficient, SE, for a group based on pairwise correlations in time series data and employing the notions of a group driver, who most drives the group’s responses, and empath, who is most driven by the group. SE is developed here in the context of emotional synchronization based on galvanic skin response time series. A simulation study explores its properties, the balance between strong versus weak autocorrelational effects, transfer, group size, and direct versus oscillatory functions. Distributions of SE are not affected by group size up to 16 members. Norms for interpreting the coefficient are presented along with directions for new research.

The objective was to evaluate whether an ultrasonic reflectance technique has predictive capacity for breadmaking performance of doughs made under a wide range of formulation conditions. Two flours of contrasting dough strength augmented with different levels of ingredients (inulin, oil, emulsifier or salt) were used to produce different bread doughs with a wide range of properties. Breadmaking performance was evaluated by conventional large-strain rheological tests on the dough and by assessment of loaf quality. The ultrasound tests were performed with a broadband reflectance technique in the frequency range of 0.3-6 MHz.; Results: Principal component analysis showed that ultrasonic attenuation and phase velocity at frequencies between 0.3 and 3 MHz are good predictors for rheological and bread scoring characteristics.; Conclusions: Ultrasonic parameters had predictive capacity for breadmaking performance for a wide range of dough formulations. Lower frequency attenuation coefficients correlated well with conventional quality indices of both the dough and the bread. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.; © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.