Marmosets mutually compensate for differences in rhythms when coordinating vigilance.

Synchronization is widespread in animals, and studies have often emphasized how this seemingly complex phenomenon can emerge from very simple rules. However, the amount of flexibility and control that animals might have over synchronization properties, such as the strength of coupling, remains underexplored. Here, we studied how pairs of marmoset monkeys coordinated vigilance while feeding.

The proximate regulation of prosocial behaviour: towards a conceptual framework for comparative research.

Humans and many other animal species act in ways that benefit others. Such prosocial behaviour has been studied extensively across a range of disciplines over the last decades, but findings to date have led to conflicting conclusions about prosociality across and even within species. Here, we present a conceptual framework to study the proximate regulation of prosocial behaviour in humans, non-human primates and potentially other animals.

Putting the cart before the horse? The origin of information donation.

Heintz & Scott-Phillips propose that the partner choice ecology of our ancestors required Gricean cognitive pragmatics for reputation management, which caused a tendency toward showing and expecting prosociality that subsequently scaffolded language evolution. Here, we suggest a cognitively leaner explanation that is more consistent with comparative data and posits that prosociality and eventually language evolved along with cooperative breeding.

[Septic arthritis].

Septic arthritis A painful, red, and swollen joint may have different causes. Septic arthritis is one of the most serious conditions and should be diagnosed and treated right away. In the native joint, an infection can damage the cartilage within the first 24 hours with impacts on joint function including lingering joint problems leading to possible future joint destruction.

A convergent interaction engine: vocal communication among marmoset monkeys.

To understand the primate origins of the human interaction engine, it is worthwhile to focus not only on great apes but also on callitrichid monkeys (marmosets and tamarins). Like humans, but unlike great apes, callitrichids are cooperative breeders, and thus habitually engage in coordinated joint actions, for instance when an infant is handed over from one group member to another. We first explore the hypothesis that these habitual cooperative interactions, the marmoset interactional ethology, are supported by the same key elements as found in the human interaction engine: mutual gaze (during joint action), turn-taking, volubility, as well as group-wide prosociality and trust.

Disproportionate Vertebral Bodies and Their Impact on Lumbar Disc Herniation.

Background: The aim of this study was to determine whether the presence of disproportionate vertebral bodies is a risk factor for disc herniation (DH).

Methods: Sixty-seven consecutive patients (m: 31 f: 36) who underwent lumbar discectomy for symptomatic DH at one level between L3 and S1 were retrospectively included. The last three motion segments (3 × 67 = 201) were assessed on sagittal MRI scans.

Do marmosets understand others' conversations? A thermography approach.

What information animals derive from eavesdropping on interactions between conspecifics, and whether they assign value to it, is difficult to assess because overt behavioral reactions are often lacking. An inside perspective of how observers perceive and process such interactions is thus paramount. Here, we investigate what happens in the mind of marmoset monkeys when they hear playbacks of positive or negative third-party vocal interactions, by combining thermography to assess physiological reactions and behavioral preference measures.

The use of infrared thermography to investigate emotions in common marmosets.

Measuring body surface temperature changes with infrared thermography has recently been put forward as a non-invasive alternative measure of physiological correlates of emotional reactions. In particular, the nasal region seems to be highly sensitive to emotional reactions. Several studies suggest that nasal temperature is negatively correlated with the level of arousal in humans and other primates, but some studies provide inconsistent results.

Reverse audience effects on helping in cooperatively breeding marmoset monkeys.

Cooperatively breeding common marmosets show substantial variation in the amount of help they provide. Pay-to-stay and social prestige models of helping attribute this variation to audience effects, i.e.

Effects of the α₂-adrenergic agonist clonidine on the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine in healthy volunteers.

The mechanism of action of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ecstasy) involves the carrier-mediated and potentially vesicular release of monoamines. We assessed the effects of the sympatholytic α₂-adrenergic receptor agonist clonidine (150 μg p.o.

Compartmental models for continuous flow reactors derived from CFD simulations.

Reactor modeling is of major interest in environmental technology. In this context, new contaminants with higher degradation requirements increase the importance of reactor hydraulics. CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) may meet this challenge but is expensive for everyday use.

Characteristics of fungal phytases from Aspergillus fumigatus and Sartorya fumigata.

Aspergillus fumigatus phytase has previously been identified as a phytase with a series of favourable properties that may be relevant in animal and human nutrition, both for maximising phytic acid degradation and for increasing mineral and amino acid availability. To study the natural variability in amino acid sequence and its impact on the catalytic properties of the enzyme, we cloned and overexpressed the phytase genes and proteins from six new purported A. fumigatus isolates.

Engineering of phytase for improved activity at low pH.

For industrial applications in animal feed, a phytase of interest must be optimally active in the pH range prevalent in the digestive tract. Therefore, the present investigation describes approaches to rationally engineer the pH activity profiles of Aspergillus fumigatus and consensus phytases. Decreasing the negative surface charge of the A.

Expression, gene cloning, and characterization of five novel phytases from four basidiomycete fungi: Peniophora lycii, Agrocybe pediades, a Ceriporia sp., and Trametes pubescens.

Phytases catalyze the hydrolysis of phosphomonoester bonds of phytate (myo-inositol hexakisphosphate), thereby creating lower forms of myo-inositol phosphates and inorganic phosphate. In this study, cDNA expression libraries were constructed from four basidiomycete fungi (Peniophora lycii, Agrocybe pediades, a Ceriporia sp., and Trametes pubescens) and screened for phytase activity in yeast.

Expression pattern and localization of beta,beta-carotene 15,15'-dioxygenase in different tissues.

Beta,beta-carotene 15,15'-dioxygenase cleaves beta,beta-carotene into two molecules of retinal, and is the key enzyme in the metabolism of beta,beta-carotene to vitamin A. The enzyme has been known for more than 40 years, yet all attempts to purify the protein to homogeneity have failed. Recently, the successful cloning and sequencing of an enzyme with beta,beta-carotene 15,15'-dioxygenase activity from chicken, as well as from Drosophila, has been reported.

Isolation and pharmacological characterization of microsomal human liver flumazenil carboxylesterase.

Purpose: In vivo the biotransformation of the imidazobenzodiazepine antagonist flumazenil leads to the formation of two metabolites, flumazenil acid and N-demethylated flumazenil. In the present study we investigated the role of carboxylesterases for the metabolism of flumazenil.

Methods: We purified a non-specific carboxylesterase (EC 3.

Optimization of the catalytic properties of Aspergillus fumigatus phytase based on the three-dimensional structure.

Previously, we determined the DNA and amino acid sequences as well as biochemical and biophysical properties of a series of fungal phytases. The amino acid sequences displayed 49-68% identity between species, and the catalytic properties differed widely in terms of specific activity, substrate specificity, and pH optima. With the ultimate goal to combine the most favorable properties of all phytases in a single protein, we attempted, in the present investigation, to increase the specific activity of Aspergillus fumigatus phytase.

Cloning and expression of beta,beta-carotene 15,15'-dioxygenase.

beta,beta-Carotene 15,15'-dioxygenase cleaves beta-carotene into two molecules of retinal and is therefore the key enzyme in beta-carotene metabolism to vitamin A. In the present study, it was possible to enrich the chicken beta,beta-carotene 15,15'-dioxygenase to such an extent that partial amino acid sequence information could be obtained to design degenerate oligonucleotides. With RT-PCR a cDNA fragment could be obtained and used subsequently in a radioactive screening of a chicken duodenal expression library.

From DNA sequence to improved functionality: using protein sequence comparisons to rapidly design a thermostable consensus phytase.

Naturally-occurring phytases having the required level of thermostability for application in animal feeding have not been found in nature thus far. We decided to de novo construct consensus phytases using primary protein sequence comparisons. A consensus enzyme based on 13 fungal phytase sequences had normal catalytic properties, but showed an unexpected 15-22 degrees C increase in unfolding temperature compared with each of its parents.

Stereoselective disposition of tiaprofenic acid enantiomers in rats.

The pharmacokinetics and metabolic chiral inversion of the S(+)- and R(-)-enantiomers of tiaprofenic acid (S-TIA, R-TIA) were assessed in vivo in rats, and in addition the biochemistry of inversion was investigated in vitro in rat liver homogenates. Drug enantiomer concentrations in plasma were investigated following administration of S-TIA and R-TIA (i.p.

Biochemical characterization of fungal phytases (myo-inositol hexakisphosphate phosphohydrolases): catalytic properties.

Supplementation with phytase is an effective way to increase the availability of phosphorus in seed-based animal feed. The biochemical characteristics of an ideal phytase for this application are still largely unknown. To extend the biochemical characterization of wild-type phytases, the catalytic properties of a series of fungal phytases, as well as Escherichia coli phytase, were determined.

Effect of clofibrate on the chiral disposition of ibuprofen in rats.

A potentially clinically important interaction has been described between clofibrate and ibuprofen in vitro. To determine whether this in vitro interaction is paralleled by a change in pharmacokinetics of ibuprofen in vivo two groups of rats were treated orally with clofibrate (n = 8, 280 mg/kg/day) or vehicle (n = 7) for 3 days. On day 3, 2 hr after the last dose of clofibrate, the rats were given an i.