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Prediction error signals are fundamental to learning. Here, in mice, we show that aversive prediction signals are found in the hemodynamic responses and theta oscillations recorded from the basolateral amygdala. During fear conditioning, amygdala responses evoked by footshock progressively decreased, whereas responses evoked by the auditory cue that predicted footshock concomitantly increased. Unexpected footshock evoked larger amygdala responses than expected footshock. The magnitude of the amygdala response to the footshock predicted behavioral responses the following day. The omission of expected footshock led to a decrease below baseline in the amygdala response suggesting a negative aversive prediction error signal. Thus, in mice, amygdala activity conforms to temporal difference models of aversive learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to evaluate the logistics activity in the dairy companies operating in Zona da Mata and Campo das Vertentes in Minas Gerais, Brazil a research has been promoted on 40 industries that represent the sector assessed. The questionnaire answered by company employees, contained variables that allowed obtaining information about company identification, gathering and distribution logistics, internal management, marketing and commercialization. Factorial statistical analysis was very important to enable the construction of an index representing the logistics performance of each company and was also used to perform the grouping of these industries into 4 groups containing similar characteristics. The index logistics (IL) showed that companies in the study area still need to improve their activities which were measured to make the logistics a competitive advantage. Moreover, the groups formed also allowed to evaluate that is not enough the improvement at only a part of logistics activities, but is necessary to improve the set of variables that can positively influence thefinal result in the logistics competitiveness and leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Myocardial scarring from infarction or nonischemic fibrosis forms an arrhythmogenic substrate. The Selvester QRS score has been extensively validated for estimating myocardial infarction scar size in the absence of ECG confounders, but has not been tested to quantify scar in patients with hypertrophy, bundle branch/fascicular blocks, or nonischemic cardiomyopathy. We assessed the hypotheses that (1) QRS scores (modified for each ECG confounder) correctly identify and quantify scar in ischemic and nonischemic patients when compared with the reference standard of cardiac magnetic resonance using late-gadolinium enhancement, and (2) QRS-estimated scar size predicts inducible sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia during electrophysiological testing.Methods and Results: One hundred sixty-two patients with left ventricular ejection fraction < or =35% (95 ischemic, 67 nonischemic) received 12-lead ECG and cardiac magnetic resonance using late-gadolinium enhancement before implantable cardioverter defibrillator placement for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death. QRS scores correctly diagnosed cardiovascular magnetic resonance scar presence with receiver operating characteristics area under the curve of 0.91 and correlation for scar quantification of r=0.74 (P<0.0001) for all patients. Performance within hypertrophy, conduction defect, and nonischemic subgroups ranged from area under the curve of 0.81 to 0.94 and r=0.60 to 0.80 (P<0.001 for all). Among the 137 patients undergoing electrophysiological or device testing, each 3-point QRS-score increase (9% left ventricular scarring) was associated with an odds ratio for inducing monomorphic ventricular tachycardia of 2.2 (95% CI, 1.5 to 3.2; P<0.001) for all patients, 1.7 (1.0 to 2.7, P=0.04) for ischemics, and 2.2 (1.0 to 5.0, P=0.05) for nonischemics.Conclusions: QRS scores identify and quantify scar in ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathy patients despite ECG confounders. Higher QRS-estimated scar size is associated with increased arrhythmogenesis and warrants further study as a risk-stratifying tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective--To evaluate effects of vaccination with a killed whole-cell vaccine against My-cobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis (MAP) on fecal shedding of the organism, de-velopment of clinical paratuberculosis (Johne's disease [JD]), milk production, measures of reproduction, and within-herd longevity of dairy cattle naturally exposed to MAP Design--Controlled clinical trial. Animals--200 vaccinated and 195 unvaccinated (control) dairy cows from 3 herds in Wisconsin. Procedures--Every other heifer calf born in each herd received the MAP vaccine; 162 vaccinates and 145 controls that had > 1 lactation were included in analyses. Bacteriologic culture of fecal samples for MAP was performed annually for 7 years; results were con-firmed via histologic methods and PCR assay. Production records and culture results were evaluated to determine effects of vaccination on variables of interest in study cows. Annual whole-herd prevalence of MAP shedding in feces was also determined. Results--Vaccinates had a significantly lower hazard of testing positive for MAP via culture of fecal samples than did controls over time (hazard ratio, 0.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.34 to 0.97). Fewer vaccinates developed clinical JD than did controls (n = 6 and 12, re-spectively), but these differences were nonsignificant. Overall within-herd longevity, total milk production, and calving-to-conception intervals were similar between vaccinates and controls. In all herds, prevalence of MAP shedding in feces decreased over time. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance--Vaccination with a killed whole-cell MAP vaccine appeared to be an effective tool as part of a program to control the spread of JD in dairy cattle [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]