Patches with links: a unified system for processing faces in the macaque temporal lobe

The brain processes objects through a series of regions along the ventral visual pathway, but the circuitry subserving the analysis of specific complex forms remains unknown. One complex form category, faces, selectively activates six patches of cortex in the macaque ventral pathway. To identify the connectivity of these face patches, we used electrical microstimulation combined with simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging. Stimulation of each of four targeted face patches produced strong activation, specifically within a subset of the other face patches. Stimulation outside the face patches produced an activation pattern that spared the face patches. These results suggest that the face patches form a strongly and specifically interconnected hierarchical network.     

Mosses as bioindicators of heavy metal pollution in polish national parks

The concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, Cu, Ph, Zn, Mn, Fe) and other elements (Mg, Na, K, Ca) were determined in the samples of Pleurozium schreberi and Hylocomium splendens from 12 Polish national parks. The significant differences in the concentrations of all heavy metals between particular parks were found. The lowest concentrations of these metals were recorded in the mosses from the national parks in northern Poland, the highest in southern Poland. Significant differences in the heavy metals contents of the mosses between central and peripheral park areas, between green and brown parts of mosses, as well as between moss species were also found.     

Cono- and seminiphagous insects of Abies alba Mill. in the Gorce National Park in Poland during 1996?–?1998

A study was conducted on the insects infesting seeds and cones of Abies alba Mill. in the Gorce National Park, in southern Poland during 1996–1998. A total of 856 cones were collected from 66 trees growing at 11 sites located in partially or strictly protected forest reserves. Of this sample, 217 cones with 54,958 seeds were dissected. This study yielded 5,816 specimens of insects, namely: seminiphagous Resseliella piceae Seitn., Megastigmus suspectus Borr. as well as conophagous Earomyia impossibile Morge, Barbara herrichiana Obr. and Dioryctria abietella (Den. et Schiff.). The most abundant species was R. piceae with 4,186 individuals. The index of cone infestation was calculated. It showed great variability between forest reserves and study-years. The numbers of insect individuals, numbers of viable and infertile seeds, and seeds damaged by M. suspectus and R. piceae, in both strict and partial reserves in the consecutive years were compared statistically. The test of significant differences between two frequencies at 0.05 level was used in statistical analysis. In both strict and partial reserves, statistically significant differences were found between studied variables.     

Effects of dietary calcium content and vitamin D source on skeletal properties in growing turkeys

1. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of feeding fast growing turkeys with differentiated dietary calcium (Ca) content, and the partial replacement of vitamin D₃ in the feed with 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D₃), on skeletal properties.

2. One-day-old Big-6 male turkeys (n?=?1008) were randomly divided into 4 groups, and two subgroups were created within each group. The groups were differentiated with 4 levels of Ca provision in the feed, namely 85% of the National Research Council (NRC) recommendation (Group Ca₁); 95% as above (Group Ca₂); 105% as above (Group Ca₃); and 115% as above (Group Ca₄). The first subgroup received the recommended dosage of cholecalciferol (vitamin D₃ subgroup) in the feed, while in the second subgroup (Hy-D subgroup), half of the dosage of cholecalciferol was replaced with 25(OH)D₃. At the ages of 4, 8, 12 and 20 weeks, 7 turkeys from each subgroup were randomly selected and killed to obtain the right tibia for densitometric, geometric and mechanical analyses.

3. This study showed advantageous effects of increased calcium supply in the diet on skeletal system properties, that were increased and produced the most desirable traits in turkeys receiving 95%, 105% and 115% of the NRC calcium recommendation. Benefits resulting from administration of 25(OH)D₃ in the diet were also obtained in the skeletal formation of turkeys, and the most advantageous effects were present in the group receiving 105% of recommended dietary Ca.

4. Effects on the metabolic response of the skeleton of turkeys to manipulation of dietary calcium content and vitamin D₃ source were the most evident in the groups between 4 and 12 weeks of life, and demonstrated a limited ability to induce a positive influence on bone properties at advanced stages of the production cycle by alteration of these dietary factors.     

The role of complement activity in the sensitivity of Salmonella O48 strains with sialic acid-containing lipopolysaccharides to the bactericidal action of normal bovine serum

Sialic acids are important constituents of animal tissue glycoconjugates and are also present in the antigens of some bacterial strains. Capsular polysaccharides with sialic acid (NeuAc) have been extensively studied with regard to sensitivity to the bactericidal action of serum, whereas little is known in this regard about lipopolysaccharides (LPS) which contain NeuAc. Strains of Salmonella O48, able to infect animals and containing the same structures of LPS with NeuAc, were examined for their susceptibility to the bactericidal action of normal bovine serum (NBS). The strains showed varied sensitivity to the bactericidal action of NBS, which indicates that the expression of LPS containing NeuAc residues is not critical for the strains' resistance to the serum's activity. In this study the mechanisms of complement activation responsible for killing serum-sensitive Salmonella O48 rods by NBS were also established. Three such mechanisms were distinguished: activation of the classical/lectin pathways, important (decisive) in the bactericidal mechanism of complement activation, parallel activation of the classical/lectin and alternative pathways, and independent activation of the classical and lectin or the alternative pathway.     

Don't look back in anger! Responsiveness to missed chances in successful and nonsuccessful aging

Life-span theories explain successful aging with an adaptive management of emotional experiences like regret. As opportunities to undo regrettable situations decline with age, a reduced engagement into these situations represents a potentially protective strategy to maintain well-being in older age. Yet, little is known about the underlying neurobiological mechanisms supporting this claim. We used a multimodal psychophysiological approach in combination with a sequential risk-taking task that induces the feeling of regret and investigated young as well as emotionally successfully and unsuccessfully (i.e., late-life depressed) aged participants. Responsiveness to regret was specifically reduced in successful aging paralleled by autonomic and frontostriatal characteristics indicating adaptive shifts in emotion regulation. Our results suggest that disengagement from regret reflects a critical resilience factor for emotional health in older age.     

Some morphological, biochemical and immunological blood parameters in European bison with or without lesions in the digestive, respiratory, urinary and reproductive tracts

Ninety-seven bison (39 males and 58 females) were culled out during three successive winter seasons. No infection with BHV-1 and BHV-5 or other viruses was detected by PCR and SN methods. Advanced pathological lesions observed in males exhibiting symptoms of posthitis/balanoposthitis are probably due to secondary infection by microorganisms present in the prepuce (Corynebacterium spp., Bacillus spp., Fusobacterium necrophorum, Staphylococcus spp. (coagulase negative) and Staphylococcus hyicus). Histopathological examinations of sections from prepuce and lips of pudendum showed the presence of Onchocercinae nematode (Onchocerca sp.). A comparison of biochemical and morphological blood parameters in the bison with or without lesions in the digestive (presence of parasites), respiratory, urinary and reproductive tracts revealed that the most variable parameter during reproductive organ disorder is the leukocyte count, while disorders in the urinary and digestive tracts coincided with the age of animals. In cases of digestive disorder most changes were observed in the number of neutrophils and concentration of urea. The number of red blood cells, monocytes, the level of alkaline phosphatase (AP) and hematocrit negatively correlated with age. Negative correlation was also observed between the number of neutrophils, level of creatinine and lymphocyte proliferation index. However, positive correlation was seen between erythrocyte sedimentation rate (Spearman's correlation coefficient), level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and protein, and age of the bison. Positive correlation was also observed between the lymphocyte count and lymphocyte proliferation index. The attempt to determine the reference values for blood biochemical and morphological parameters showed similarities to those of cattle.