Trial time warping to discriminate stimulus-related from movement-related neural activity.

In tasks where different sensory, cognitive, and motor events are mixed in a sequence it is difficult to determine whether neural activity is related to any behavioral parameter. Here, we consider the case in which two alternative trial-alignment schemes correspond to two different neural representations, one stimulus-related and the other movement-related, using both simulations of neural activity and real recordings in the medial premotor areas during a multiple-interval tapping task called synchronization-continuation task (SCT). To discover whether neural responses are better aligned to sensory or motor events we introduce a family of trial-alignment time-warping functions indexed by a single parameter such that when the parameter takes the value 0 the trials are aligned to the stimulus and when the parameter takes the value 1 they are aligned to the movement.

Cochleates derived from Vibrio cholerae O1 proteoliposomes: the impact of structure transformation on mucosal immunisation.

Cochleates are phospholipid-calcium precipitates derived from the interaction of anionic lipid vesicles with divalent cations. Proteoliposomes from bacteria may also be used as a source of negatively charged components, to induce calcium-cochleate formation. In this study, proteoliposomes from V.

[Development and preliminary assessment of a recombinant canarypox virus as an antirabic vaccine candidate].

Development and preliminary assessment of a recombinant canarypox virus as an antirabic vaccine candidate. In Argentina, rabies is limited to some northern provinces. Availability of new vaccines abolishing the handling of the rabies virus and allowing disease control has regional and national strategic importance.

Structural study of hydrated/dehydrated manganese thiophene-2,5-diphosphonate metal organic frameworks, Mn2(O3P-C4H2S-PO3)·2H2O.

Synthesis of thiophene-2,5-diphosphonic acid 2 is reported, and its use for synthesis of the original pristine materials Mn(2)(O(3)P-C(4)H(2)S-PO(3))·2H(2)O 3 is reported. The structure of material 3 has been fully resolved from single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Mn(2)(O(3)P-C(4)H(2)S-PO(3))·2H(2)O 3 crystallizes in a monoclinic cell (space group P2) with the following parameters: a = 11.

Unified (3 + 1)-dimensional superspace description of the 2212-type stair-like [Bi2Sr3Fe2O9]m[Bi4Sr6Fe2O16] family of compounds.

The (3 + 1)-dimensional superspace approach is applied to describe and refine a series of sheared compounds related to layered high T(c) superconducting oxides. Two commensurate members (m = 4, 5) of the 2212 stair-like [Bi(2)Sr(3)Fe(2)O(9)](m)[Bi(4)Sr(6)Fe(2)O(16)] family of compounds, previously studied using single-crystal diffraction data, are analyzed. A common average unit cell has been identified and a composition-dependent modulation wavevector is proposed.

(Z,1S,10aR)-(-)-Menthyl 1-hy-droxy-1,2,3,5,6,7,10,10a-octa-hydro-pyrrolo-[1,2-a]azocine-10a-carboxyl-ate.

The structure determination confirms the stereochemistry of the title compound, C(21)H(35)NO(3), obtained as an inter-mediate in the enanti-oselective synthesis of de-oxy-nojirimicine analogs. The system contains a pyrrolo-[1,2-a]azocine backbone, which was synthesized by a domino process involving a [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement. The incorporation of a chiral auxiliary (-)-menthyl, whose stereocentres are not involved during the synthesis, enables the assignation of absolute configuration.

Can mucosal adjuvants contribute to the induction of immunological memory induced via unconjugated T-cell-independent antigens?

Vaccination remains the most cost-effective method for preventing infectious diseases. Key to vaccine design is the development of immunological memory, which is an essential property of the adaptive immune system. Bacterial polysaccharide conjugate vaccines are the gold standard currently used to confer protection of the host by inducing humoral immune responses against T-cell-independent antigens.

Y-chromosomal diversity in Haiti and Jamaica: contrasting levels of sex-biased gene flow.

Although previous studies have characterized the genetic structure of populations from Haiti and Jamaica using classical and autosomal STR polymorphisms, the patrilineal influences that are present in these countries have yet to be explored. To address this lacuna, the current study aims to investigate, for the first time, the potential impact of different ancestral sources, unique colonial histories, and distinct family structures on the paternal profile of both groups. According to previous reports examining populations from the Americas, island-specific demographic histories can greatly impact population structure, including various patterns of sex-biased gene flow.

Design and selection of Toca 511 for clinical use: modified retroviral replicating vector with improved stability and gene expression.

Retroviral replicating vectors (RRVs) are a nonlytic alternative to oncolytic replicating viruses as anticancer agents, being selective both for dividing cells and for cells that have defects in innate immunity and interferon responsiveness. Tumor cells fit both these descriptions. Previous publications have described a prototype based on an amphotropic murine leukemia virus (MLV), encoding yeast cytosine deaminase (CD) that converts the prodrug 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) to the potent anticancer drug, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in an infected tumor.

Human prophylactic vaccine adjuvants and their determinant role in new vaccine formulations.

Adjuvants have been considered for a long time to be an accessory and empirical component of vaccine formulations. However, accumulating evidence of their crucial role in initiating and directing the immune response has increased our awareness of the importance of adjuvant research in the past decade. Nevertheless, the importance of adjuvants still is not fully realized by many researchers working in the vaccine field, who are involved mostly in the search for better target antigens.

Anisotropic magnetoresistance and piezoresistivity in structured Fe3O4-silver particles in PDMS elastomers at room temperature.

Magnetorheological elastomers, MREs, based on elastic organic matrices displaying anisotropic magnetoresistance and piezoresistivity at room temperature were prepared and characterized. These materials are dispersions of superparamagnetic magnetite forming cores of aggregated nanoparticles inside silver microparticles that are dispersed in an elastomeric polymer (poly(dimethylsiloxane), PDMS), curing the polymer in the presence of a uniform magnetic field. In this way, the elastic material becomes structured as the application of the field induces the formation of filaments of silver-covered inorganic material agglomerates (needles) aligned in the direction of the field (parallel to the field).

Toxicological Assessment of the Cochleate Derived from Neisseria meningitidis Proteoliposome in Sprague Dawley Rats.

Background: The AFCo1 cochleate is a potential novel adjuvant derived from Neisseria meningitidis B proteoliposome.

Aim: The aim was to assessing the safety of AFCo1 by single and repeated doses in Sprague Dawley rats.

Materials And Methods: Rats were grouped for treatment with AFCo1, placebo formulation or control.

Modifiable family factors among treatment-seeking families of children with high body mass index: report of a pilot study.

Purpose: The purpose of this pilot study was to explore parenting style and other potential family and social indicators of an obesogenic or weight-promoting family environment. Modifiable factors were sought on which to base a nursing behavioral intervention that could be combined with diet and exercise to reduce youth weight.

Methods: Twenty-eight parents and their 9- to 18-year-old children who were seeking care for overweight responded to in-home surveys to characterize parenting style (warmth/responsiveness and control).

Thiadiazolidinones: a new class of alanine racemase inhibitors with antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a human pathogen and a major cause of hospital-acquired infections. New antibacterial agents that have not been compromised by bacterial resistance are needed to treat MRSA-related infections. We chose the S.

Measuring time with different neural chronometers during a synchronization-continuation task.

Temporal information processing is critical for many complex behaviors including speech and music cognition, yet its neural substrate remains elusive. We examined the neurophysiological properties of medial premotor cortex (MPC) of two Rhesus monkeys during the execution of a synchronization-continuation tapping task that includes the basic sensorimotor components of a variety of rhythmic behaviors. We show that time-keeping in the MPC is governed by separate cell populations.

Brain tumor eradication and prolonged survival from intratumoral conversion of 5-fluorocytosine to 5-fluorouracil using a nonlytic retroviral replicating vector.

Patients with the most common and aggressive form of high-grade glioma, glioblastoma multiforme, have poor prognosis and few treatment options. In 2 immunocompetent mouse brain tumor models (CT26-BALB/c and Tu-2449-B6C3F1), we showed that a nonlytic retroviral replicating vector (Toca 511) stably delivers an optimized cytosine deaminase prodrug activating gene to the tumor lesion and leads to long-term survival after treatment with 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC). Survival benefit is dose dependent for both vector and 5-FC, and as few as 4 cycles of 5-FC dosing after Toca 511 therapy provides significant survival advantage.

Paternal lineages signal distinct genetic contributions from British Loyalists and continental Africans among different Bahamian islands.

Over the past 500 years, the Bahamas has been influenced by a wide array of settlers, some of whom have left marked genetic imprints throughout the archipelago. To assess the extent of each group's genetic contributions, high-resolution Y-chromosome analyses were performed, for the first time, to delineate the patriarchal ancestry of six islands in the Northwest (Abaco and Grand Bahama) and Central (Eleuthera, Exuma, Long Island, and New Providence) Bahamas and their genetic relationships with previously published reference populations. Our results reveal genetic signals emanating primarily from African and European sources, with the predominantly sub-Saharan African and Western European haplogroups E1b1a-M2 and R1b1b1-M269, respectively, accounting for greater than 75% of all Bahamian patrilineages.

The golden era of vaccine adjuvants.

A 5-day workshop on adjuvant for vaccines was held in Trinidad, Cuba, on the 16-21 May 2010. Organized by the Latin American Association for Immunology and the Cuban Society for Immunology, the workshop attracted more than 60 scientists from different parts of the world. The meeting summarizes current knowledge regarding vaccine adjuvants, including delivery systems and parasitic vaccines.

AFCo1 as nasal adjuvant of capsular polysaccharide from Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C induces systemic and mucosal immune responses.

Increasing emphasis is being placed on the mucosal administration of vaccines in order to stimulate mucosal as well as systemic responses. Findings from our group suggest that proteoliposome-derived cochleate (AFCo1) acts as a potent mucosal adjuvant. As an alternative to chemical conjugation, the current study aimed to determine the benefit of using AFCo1 to improve the mucosal and systemic immune responses to capsular polysaccharide of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C (PsC), a model of a thymus-independent (TI) antigen.

Complementary assays reveal a relationship between HIV-1 uncoating and reverse transcription.

During the early stages of HIV-1 replication the conical capsid composed of p24(CA) protein dissociates from the rest of the cytoplasmic viral complex by a process called uncoating. Although proper uncoating is known to be required for HIV-1 infection, many questions remain about the timing and factors involved in the process. Here we have used two complementary assays to study the process of uncoating in HIV-1-infected cells, specifically looking at the timing of uncoating and its relationship to reverse transcription.

Temephos resistance and esterase activity in the mosquito Aedes aegypti in Havana, Cuba increased dramatically between 2006 and 2008.

Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) control programmes in Cuba rely on the application of the organophosphate temephos for larval control. Hence, the monitoring of resistance to this insecticide is an essential component of such programmes.

When are new hippocampal neurons, born in the adult brain, integrated into the network that processes spatial information?

Adult-born neurons in the dentate gyrus (DG) functionally integrate into the behaviorally relevant hippocampal networks, showing a specific Arc-expression response to spatial exploration when mature. However, it is not clear when, during the 4- to 6-week interval that is critical for survival and maturation of these neurons, this specific response develops. Therefore, we characterized Arc expression after spatial exploration or cage control conditions in adult-born neurons from rats that were injected with BrdU on one day and were sacrificed 1, 7, 15, 30, and 45 days post-BrdU injection (PBI).

Mucosal and systemic immune responses of mice to tetanus toxoid coadministered nasally with AFCo1.

Mucosal immune responses are an early and important line of defense against pathogens. The current understanding of the mucosal immune system allows us to consider the use of nasal immunization for induction of antigen-specific immune responses at the mucosal surface and the systemic compartment. Mucosal adjuvants are key for developing novel mucosal vaccines and represent 1 approach to improving mucosal and systemic immunity.

Technology-enhanced practice for patients with chronic cardiac disease: home implementation and evaluation.

Objective: This 3-year field experiment engaged 60 nurses and 282 patients in the design and evaluation of an innovative home-care nursing model, referred to as technology-enhanced practice (TEP).

Methods: Nurses using TEP augmented the usual care with a web-based resource (HeartCareII) that provided patients with self-management information, self-monitoring tools, and messaging services.

Results: Patients exposed to TEP demonstrated better quality of life and self-management of chronic heart disease during the first 4 weeks, and were no more likely than patients in usual care to make unplanned visits to a clinician or hospital.