Neural computations associated with goal-directed choice.

In goal-directed decision-making, animals choose between actions that are associated with different reward outcomes (e.g., foods) and with different costs (e.

Transcriptomic analysis reveals differential gene expression in response to aluminium in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) genotypes.

Background And Aims: Aluminium (Al) resistance in common bean is known to be due to exudation of citrate from the root after a lag phase, indicating the induction of gene transcription and protein synthesis. The aims of this study were to identify Al-induced differentially expressed genes and to analyse the expression of candidate genes conferring Al resistance in bean.

Methods: The suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) method was used to identify differentially expressed genes in an Al-resistant bean genotype ('Quimbaya') during the induction period.

Optimal reward harvesting in complex perceptual environments.

The ability to choose rapidly among multiple targets embedded in a complex perceptual environment is key to survival. Targets may differ in their reward value as well as in their low-level perceptual properties (e.g.

Neural evidence for inequality-averse social preferences.

A popular hypothesis in the social sciences is that humans have social preferences to reduce inequality in outcome distributions because it has a negative impact on their experienced reward. Although there is a large body of behavioural and anthropological evidence consistent with the predictions of these theories, there is no direct neural evidence for the existence of inequality-averse preferences. Such evidence would be especially useful because some behaviours that are consistent with a dislike for unequal outcomes could also be explained by concerns for social image or reciprocity, which do not require a direct aversion towards inequality.

Diagnosis and root canal treatment in a mandibular premolar with three canals.

This paper presents a case report of a left mandibular second premolar with three canals and three different apical foramina. A 39-year-old male patient presented to our clinic with pain in the mandibular left second premolar. Initially, pain was caused by cold stimulus and later was spontaneously.

Sequential injection lab-on-valve system for the determination of the activity of peroxidase in vegetables.

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) has been broadly used and investigated for many analytical purposes; it is an enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of hydrogen peroxide in the presence of a reducing compound. The objective of this work was to develop a methodology for the spectrophotometric determination of the activity of peroxidase in vegetable extracts using a flow method with a sequential injection lab-on-valve format. The developed system is based on the reaction between hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and 2,2-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6)sulfonic acid (ABTS) catalyzed by the enzyme (HRP).

Value computations in ventral medial prefrontal cortex during charitable decision making incorporate input from regions involved in social cognition.

Little is known about the neural networks supporting value computation during complex social decisions. We investigated this question using functional magnetic resonance imaging while subjects made donations to different charities. We found that the blood oxygenation level-dependent signal in ventral medial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) correlated with the subjective value of voluntary donations.

Aluminum resistance in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) involves induction and maintenance of citrate exudation from root apices.

Two common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes differing in aluminum (Al) resistance, Quimbaya (Al-resistant) and VAX-1 (Al-sensitive) were grown in hydroponics for up to 25 h with or without Al, and several parameters related to the exudation of organic acids anions from the root apex were investigated. Al treatment enhanced the exudation of citrate from the root tips of both genotypes.

Importance of cone beam computed tomography for diagnosis of calcifying cystic odontogenic tumour associated to odontoma. Report of a case.

The calcifying cystic odontogenic tumour (CCOT) is a rare benign cystic neoplasm not infrequently associated with odontoma. This report documents a case of CCOT associated with compound odontoma arising in the anterior maxilla in a 25-year-old woman. Conventional radiographs showed a large calcified mass with poorly visualized radiolucent margins.

[Gly482Ser polymorphism of the coactivator-1alpha of the activated receptor of peroxisome gamma proliferation in individuals from Maracaibo, Venezuela].

The aim of this study was to determine the association of the Gly482Ser polymorphism of the PGC-1 gene with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus in subjects from the city of Maracaibo. The study was performed on 64 no-diabetic subjects (36 without insulin resistance and 28 with insulin resistance) and 13 with type 2 diabetes. A clinical and nutritional history was carried out and the evaluation of anthropometric parameters was included.

Development of a sequential injection system for the determination of and in waters with different salinity: Application to estuaries in NW Portugal.

In this work, a sequential injection methodology for monitoring nitrite and nitrate in estuarine waters without any previous treatment is described. The developed system was applied to the measurement of nitrite and nitrate in estuarine waters of three rivers in the NW Portugal, allowing an automatic, fast (ca 60 h-1) and precise method (relative standard deviation lower than 2%). The procedure was based on the reaction between nitrite, sulfanilamide and N-(1-naphthyl)-ethylenediamine dihydrochloride (N1NED), whereas the determination of nitrate resulted from its reduction to nitrite, using an in-line cadmium column, followed by the same reaction.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex decreases valuations during food choices.

Several studies have found decision-making-related value signals in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). However, it is unknown whether the DLPFC plays a causal role in decision-making, or whether it implements computations that are correlated with valuations, but that do not participate in the valuation process itself. We addressed this question by using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) while subjects were involved in an economic valuation task involving the consumption of real foods.

Regulation of GABA(A) and glutamate receptor expression, synaptic facilitation and long-term potentiation in the hippocampus of prion mutant mice.

Background: Prionopathies are characterized by spongiform brain degeneration, myoclonia, dementia, and periodic electroencephalographic (EEG) disturbances. The hallmark of prioniopathies is the presence of an abnormal conformational isoform (PrP(sc)) of the natural cellular prion protein (PrP(c)) encoded by the Prnp gene. Although several roles have been attributed to PrP(c), its putative functions in neuronal excitability are unknown.

Protein kinase C-mediated inhibition of recombinant T-type Cav3.2 channels by neurokinin 1 receptors.

The voltage-activated T-type calcium channel (Ca(V)3.2) and the G protein-coupled neurokinin 1 (NK1) receptor are expressed in peripheral tissues and in central neurons, in which they participate in diverse physiological processes, including neurogenic inflammation and nociception. In the present report, we demonstrate that recombinant Ca(V)3.

Neural computations underlying action-based decision making in the human brain.

Action-based decision making involves choices between different physical actions to obtain rewards. To make such decisions the brain needs to assign a value to each action and then compare them to make a choice. Using fMRI in human subjects, we found evidence for action-value signals in supplementary motor cortex.

Evidence for a common representation of decision values for dissimilar goods in human ventromedial prefrontal cortex.

To make economic choices between goods, the brain needs to compute representations of their values. A great deal of research has been performed to determine the neural correlates of value representations in the human brain. However, it is still unknown whether there exists a region of the brain that commonly encodes decision values for different types of goods, or if, in contrast, the values of different types of goods are represented in distinct brain regions.

Using neural measures of economic value to solve the public goods free-rider problem.

Every social group needs to decide when to provide public goods and how to allocate the costs among its members. Ideally, this decision would maximize the group's net benefits while also ensuring that every individual's benefit is greater than the cost he or she has to pay. Unfortunately, the economic theory of mechanism design has shown that this ideal solution is not feasible when the group leadership does not know the values of the individual group members for the public good.

Cell membrane damage induced by phenolic acids on wine lactic acid bacteria.

The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of phenolic acids on cell membrane permeability of lactic acid bacteria from wine. Several phenolic acids were tested for their effects on the cell membrane of Oenococcus oeni and Lactobacillus hilgardii by measuring potassium and phosphate efflux, proton influx and by assessing culture viability employing a fluorescence technique based on membrane integrity. The experimental results indicate that hydroxycinnamic acids (p-coumaric, caffeic and ferulic acids) induce greater ion leakages and higher proton influx than hydroxybenzoic acids (p-hydroxibenzoic, protocatechuic, gallic, vanillic, and syringic acids).

Tolerances on MLC leaf position accuracy for IMRT delivery with a dynamic MLC.

The objective determination of performance standards for radiation therapy equipment requires, ideally, establishing the quantitative relationship between performance deviations and clinical outcome or some acceptable surrogate. In this simulation study the authors analyzed the dosimetric impact of random (leaf by leaf) and systematic (entire leaf bank) errors in the position of the MLC leaves on seven clinical prostate and seven clinical head and neck IMRT plans delivered using a dynamic MLC. In-house software was developed to incorporate normally distributed errors of up to +/- 2 mm in individual leaf position or systematic errors (+/- 1 and +/- 0.

A review on sequential injection methods for water analysis.

The development of fast, automatic and less expensive methods of analysis has always been the main aim of flow methodologies. The search for new procedures that still maintain the reliability and accuracy of the reference procedures is an ever growing challenge. New requirements are continually added to analytical methodologies, such as lower consumption of samples and reagents, miniaturisation and portability of the equipment, computer interfaces for full decision systems and so on.

Sequential injection kinetic flow assay for monitoring glycerol in a sugar fermentation process by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

A sequential injection system to monitor glycerol in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation process was developed. The method relies on the rate of formation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide in its reduced form (NADH, measured spectrophotometrically at 340 nm) from the reaction of glycerol with NAD(+) cofactor, catalysed by the enzyme glycerol dehydrogenase present in solution. This procedure enables the determination of glycerol between 0.

Self-control in decision-making involves modulation of the vmPFC valuation system.

Every day, individuals make dozens of choices between an alternative with higher overall value and a more tempting but ultimately inferior option. Optimal decision-making requires self-control. We propose two hypotheses about the neurobiology of self-control: (i) Goal-directed decisions have their basis in a common value signal encoded in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), and (ii) exercising self-control involves the modulation of this value signal by dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC).

Development of a gas diffusion multicommuted flow injection system for the determination of sulfur dioxide in wines, comparing malachite green and pararosaniline chemistries.

A flow system based on the multicommutation concept was developed for the determination of free and total sulfur dioxide in table wines, exploiting gas diffusion separation and spectrophotometric detection. The system allowed the comparison of malachite green and pararosaniline chemistries, using the same manifold configuration. Free and total SO(2) were determined within the ranges 1.

The medial prefrontal cortex exhibits money illusion.

Behavioral economists have proposed that money illusion, which is a deviation from rationality in which individuals engage in nominal evaluation, can explain a wide range of important economic and social phenomena. This proposition stands in sharp contrast to the standard economic assumption of rationality that requires individuals to judge the value of money only on the basis of the bundle of goods that it can buy-its real value-and not on the basis of the actual amount of currency-its nominal value. We used fMRI to investigate whether the brain's reward circuitry exhibits money illusion.

Changes in the bacterial community structure in two-stage constructed wetlands with different plants for industrial wastewater treatment.

This study focused on the diversity of bacterial communities from two series of two-stage constructed wetlands (CWs) treating tannery wastewater, under different hydraulic conditions. Series were separately planted with Typha latifolia and Phragmites australis in expanded clay aggregates and operated for 31 months. The effect of plant species, hydraulic loading and unit stage on bacterial communities was addressed through bacterial enumeration and denaturating gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE).