Function of the mammalian postorbital bar

Complete postorbital bars, bony arches that encompass the lateral aspect of the eye and form part of a circular orbit, have evolved homoplastically multiple times during mammalian evolution. Numerous functional hypotheses have been advanced for postorbital bars, the most promising being that postorbital bars function to stiffen the lateral orbit in taxa that have significant angular deviation between the temporal fossa and the bony orbit. Without a stiff lateral orbit the anterior temporalis muscle and fascia potentially would pull on the postorbital ligament, deform the orbit, and cause disruption of oculomotor precision. Morphometric data were collected on 1,329 specimens of 324 taxa from 16 orders of extant eutherian and metatherian mammals in order to test whether the orientation of the orbit relative to the temporal fossa is correlated with the replacement of the postorbital ligament with bone. The allometric and ecological influences on orbit orientation across mammals are also explored. The morphometric results corroborate the hypothesis: Shifts in orbit orientation relative to the temporal fossa are correlated with the size of the postorbital processes, which replace the ligament. The allometric and ecological factors that influence orbit orientation vary across taxa. Postorbital bars stiffen the lateral orbital wall. Muscle pulleys, ligaments, and other connective tissue attach to the lateral orbital wall, including the postorbital bar. Without a stiff lateral orbit, deformation due to temporalis contraction would displace soft tissues contributing to normal oculomotor function.     

Dissociable Temporo-Parietal Memory Networks Revealed by Functional Connectivity during Episodic Retrieval

Episodic memory retrieval most often recruits multiple separate processes that are thought to involve different temporal regions. Previous studies suggest dissociable regions in the left lateral parietal cortex that are associated with the retrieval processes. Moreover, studies using resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) have provided evidence for the temporo-parietal memory networks that may support the retrieval processes. In this functional MRI study, we tested functional significance of the memory networks by examining functional connectivity of brain activity during episodic retrieval in the temporal and parietal regions of the memory networks. Recency judgments, judgments of the temporal order of past events, can be achieved by at least two retrieval processes, relational and item-based. Neuroimaging results revealed several temporal and parietal activations associated with relational/item-based recency judgments. Significant RSFC was observed between one parahippocampal region and one left lateral parietal region associated with relational recency judgments, and between four lateral temporal regions and another left lateral parietal region associated with item-based recency judgments. Functional connectivity during task was found to be significant between the parahippocampal region and the parietal region in the RSFC network associated with relational recency judgments. However, out of the four tempo-parietal RSFC networks associated with item-based recency judgments, only one of them (between the left posterior lateral temporal region and the left lateral parietal region) showed significant functional connectivity during task. These results highlight the contrasting roles of the parahippocampal and the lateral temporal regions in recency judgments, and suggest that only a part of the tempo-parietal RSFC networks are recruited to support particular retrieval processes.     

Circumauricular incision (water-drop shape) for mid- to lower face lift

The conventional method of mid- to lower face rhytidectomy that involves removing a strip of occipital scalp always creates a conspicuous transverse scar crossing the postauricular skin, which may leave a stair-step deformity at the occipital hairline. The author has designed a new face lift method using a circumauricular incision, shaped like a water droplet, that curves around the auricle. In this new method, the upper part of the "O" shape is modified to the tip of a water droplet. The dissection of the cheek and neck is performed as in the conventional method with light-retractor assistance. The temporal region above the deep temporal fascia is managed under endoscopic control. This dissection can extend to the forehead region lateral to the supraoptic nerve and around the lateral orbital rim to release the arcus marginalis. A mesentery of superficial temporal fascia is created cephalic to the zygomatic arch. The postauricular dissection is performed beneath the galea in the upper part and beneath the occipital scalp and neck skin in the lower area. The lifting vector is upward and backward for the anterior skin flap and upward for the posterior skin flap. The excess skin is trimmed around the ear. The wound at the upper pole of the incision is closed in a V-to-Y advancement fashion. The dog-ear is left above the normal hairline, and there is little or no hairy scalp to be removed. The skin pleating in the postauricular region will settle down spontaneously after several months. The dog-ear in the scalp will become smaller and flat as well. The scar around the ear is quite inconspicuous and well covered under the upper pole of the auricle. From the author's experience, the new "water drop" circumauricular incision is a good alternative for the mid- to lower face lift. It can also be used in conjunction with endoforehead lift for full-face rejuvenation.     

A new stem-sperm whale (Cetacea, Odontoceti, Physeteroidea) from the Latest Miocene of Peru

A finely preserved skull with mandible and teeth associated, from the Latest Miocene beds (ca. 6 Ma) of the Pisco Formation, Sud-Sacaco, Peru, represents a new physeteroid genus and species, Acrophyseter deinodon. This moderate size sperm whale is characterized, among others, by: the short rostrum, the mandible distinctly curved upwards, large teeth very close together (12 on each upper tooth row and 13 on each lower tooth row), the lateral margin of the maxilla along the rostrum base much lower than the orbit roof, a wide supracranial basin dorsally overhanging the right orbit and limited to the cranium and a large temporal fossa dorsomedially elevated. A preliminary cladistic analysis provides a phylogenetic position of Acrophyseter nested within the stem-Physeteroidea, more basal than the clade Kogiidae + Physeteridae. The morphology of the oral apparatus and of the temporal fossa suggests that Acrophyseter was able to feed on large preys.     

Skin Barrier Function and Staphylococcus aureus Colonization in Vestibulum Nasi and Fauces in Healthy Infants and Infants with Eczema: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Atopic eczema (AE) is associated with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) colonization and skin barrier dysfunction, often measured by increased transepidermal water loss (TEWL). In the present study, the primary aim was to see whether S. aureus colonization in the vestibulum nasi and/or fauces was associated with increased TEWL in infants with healthy skin and infants with eczema. Secondarily, we aimed to investigate whether TEWL measurements on non-lesional skin on the lateral upper arm is equivalent to volar forearm in infants. In 167 of 240 infants, recruited from the general population, TEWL measurements on the lateral upper arm and volar forearm, using a DermaLab USB, fulfilled our environmental requirements. The mean of three TEWL measurements from each site was used for analysis. The infants were diagnosed with no eczema (n = 110), possible AE (n = 28) or AE (n = 29). DNA samples were analysed for mutations in the filaggrin gene (FLG). Bacterial cultures were reported positive with the identification of at least one culture with S. aureus from vestibulum nasi and/or fauces. S. aureus colonization, found in 89 infants (53%), was not associated with increased TEWL (i.e. TEWL in the upper quartile), neither on the lateral upper arm or volar forearm (p = 0.08 and p = 0.98, respectively), nor with AE (p = 0.10) or FLG mutation (p = 0.17). TEWL was significantly higher on both measuring sites in infants with AE compared to infants with possible AE and no eczema. FLG mutation was significantly associated with increased TEWL, with a 47% difference in TEWL. We conclude that S. aureus in vestibulum nasi and/or fauces was not associated with TEWL, whereas TEWL measurements on the lateral upper arm and volar forearm appear equally appropriate in infants.     

Representing Representation: Integration between the Temporal Lobe and the Posterior Cingulate Influences the Content and Form of Spontaneous Thought

When not engaged in the moment, we often spontaneously represent people, places and events that are not present in the environment. Although this capacity has been linked to the default mode network (DMN), it remains unclear how interactions between the nodes of this network give rise to particular mental experiences during spontaneous thought. One hypothesis is that the core of the DMN integrates information from medial and lateral temporal lobe memory systems, which represent different aspects of knowledge. Individual differences in the connectivity between temporal lobe regions and the default mode network core would then predict differences in the content and form of people’s spontaneous thoughts. This study tested this hypothesis by examining the relationship between seed-based functional connectivity and the contents of spontaneous thought recorded in a laboratory study several days later. Variations in connectivity from both medial and lateral temporal lobe regions was associated with different patterns of spontaneous thought and these effects converged on an overlapping region in the posterior cingulate cortex. We propose that the posterior core of the DMN acts as a representational hub that integrates information represented in medial and lateral temporal lobe and this process is important in determining the content and form of spontaneous thought.     

The lateral transverse thigh free flap: an alternative for autogenous-tissue breast reconstruction

The lateral transverse thigh free flap is a horizontal variant of the more commonly known vertical tensor fasciae latae myocutaneous free flap. Fresh cadaver injections of the lateral circumflex femoral artery indicated simultaneous perfusion of the upper lateral thigh tissues and the standard tensor fasciae latae territory extending down the lateral thigh. These experimental data strongly indicated that the clinical application would be successful. The flap is composed mostly of fat from the prominence of the upper lateral thigh ("saddlebags") based on a small plug of underlying tensor fasciae latae muscle. The amount of skin that can be included with this flap is limited in a vertical dimension to about 6 to 8 cm but is determined by the ability to close the defect. We have performed 17 flaps in 11 patients with up to 18 months of follow-up. Ten were delayed and 7 were immediate reconstructions. The chest and hip dissections are performed simultaneously by two microsurgeons. There has been one flap loss due to arterial disruption on day 3. An early problem was seroma formation in the donor site, which has been improved in the later patients by closing the dead space with sutures. The lateral transverse thigh free flap has the following advantages over other methods of autogenous-tissue breast reconstruction: (1) longer, more peripherally placed vessels, (2) easier flap dissection and no need to turn the patient during the procedure, (3) decreased postoperative morbidity and more rapid recovery, (4) reduction of an area of excess fat in those patients in whom the hips are more prominent than the abdomen, (5) greater intrinsic internal projection of the flap, and (6) excellent vascularity. The disadvantages of the flap are (1) microsurgery is required, (2) the amount of skin available is not as great as that with the gluteal or transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous (TRAM) flap, (3) the scar on the upper lateral thigh is probably more visible than on the buttock or the abdomen, and (4) a balancing procedure on the opposite hip is usually necessary in unilateral cases. Our current indications for the lateral transverse thigh free flap are (1) the transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flap is unavailable, (2) for a particular breast size, the thigh fat proportions are greater than the abdominal proportions, or (3) the patient prefers this option to the transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous or gluteus flap. Results and complications with the lateral transverse thigh free flap will be presented along with pertinent comparisons with the other choices for autogenous-tissue breast reconstruction.     

Effects of prefeeding, intercomponent-interval food, and extinction on temporal discrimination and pacemaker rate

This experiment investigated the effects of nonpharmacological disruption on temporal discrimination. Pigeons responded on a multiple schedule composed of fixed interval, color-matching, and temporal-discrimination components. The effects of three different disruptors (prefeeding, intercomponent-interval food, and extinction) were assessed. All disruptors decreased response rates during the fixed interval. Prefeeding and intercomponent-interval food had unsystematic effects on response patterning during the fixed interval, whereas extinction increased the relative response rate in the initial portions of the fixed interval. Accuracy of color matching was decreased by prefeeding and was not systematically affected by intercomponent-interval food and extinction. In the temporal-discrimination component, all disruptors flattened the psychophysical functions relating proportion long responses to sample duration. This result indicates a general disruption of temporal discrimination. In addition, parameter estimates derived from the behavioral theory of timing indicated all disruptors decreased pacemaker rate, a result consistent with the predictions of the theory. These results highlight the similarities between disruption of temporal discrimination by pharmacological and nonpharmacological manipulations.     

Mesoscopic lateral diffusion in lipid bilayers

The lateral diffusion in bilayers is modeled with a multiscale mesoscopic simulation. The methodology consists of two simulations, where the first employs atomistic models to obtain exact results for the mesoscopic model. The second simulation takes the results obtained from the first to parameterize an effective force field that is employed in a new coarse-grained model. The multiscale aspect of this scheme occurs at the point where the microscopic time-averaged results of the first simulation are employed to parameterize the second simulation that operates in a higher spatial and temporal domain. The results of both simulation schemes give quantitative information on the details associated with lipid lateral diffusion.     

The cortical signature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

The aim of this study was to explore the pattern of regional cortical thickness in patients with non-familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and to investigate whether cortical thinning is associated with disease progression rate. Cortical thickness analysis was performed in 44 ALS patients and 26 healthy controls. Group differences in cortical thickness and the age-by-group effects were assessed using vertex-by-vertex and multivariate linear models. The discriminatory ability of MRI variables in distinguishing patients from controls was estimated using the Concordance Statistics (C-statistic) within logistic regression analyses. Correlations between cortical thickness measures and disease progression rate were tested using the Pearson coefficient. Relative to controls, ALS patients showed a bilateral cortical thinning of the primary motor, prefrontal and ventral frontal cortices, cingulate gyrus, insula, superior and inferior temporal and parietal regions, and medial and lateral occipital areas. There was a significant age-by-group effect in the sensorimotor cortices bilaterally, suggesting a stronger association between age and cortical thinning in ALS patients compared to controls. The mean cortical thickness of the sensorimotor cortices distinguished patients with ALS from controls (C-statistic ≥0.74). Cortical thinning of the left sensorimotor cortices was related to a faster clinical progression (r = −0.33, p = 0.03). Cortical thickness measurements allowed the detection and quantification of motor and extramotor involvement in patients with ALS. Cortical thinning of the precentral gyrus might offer a marker of upper motor neuron involvement and disease progression.     

Homologies of cephalic lateral line canals in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudorhombus pentophthalmus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Engyprosopon grandisquama </Emphasis>(Pleuronectiformes): innervation and upper eye floor formation

Cephalic lateral line canals in two pleuronectiforms, Pseudorhombus pentophthalmus (Paralichthyidae) and Engyprosopon grandisquama (Bothidae), were studied and their homologies between the ocular and blind sides assessed on the basis of position and innervation patterns. A blind side canal, comprising small ossicles in a line lateral to the upper eye floor, was confirmed as the infraorbital line because the canal was not innervated by a ramus associated with the upper nasal (i.e., the superficial ophthalmic ramus innervating the supraorbital line). Consequently, the ramus innervating the canal was identified as the buccal ramus (associated with the infraorbital line). The blind side frontal forming the posterior half of the upper eye floor was identified as that part bearing the anteriormost otic canal in the ocular side, hypertrophy of the blind side component being evident. The supraorbital line of the blind side was represented by the upper nasal only in E. grandisquama.     

Behavior of the fast neutrals generated during a disruption in the T-11M tokamak

Results are presented from experimental studies of the generation of high-energy neutrals during a major disruption in the T-11M tokamak. Fast-neutral fluxes from the plasma, magnetic perturbations, and the neutral-hydrogen and impurity radiation from the plasma core are measured simultaneously in the course of disruption. A high (～1 μs) temporal resolution of the recording system (the characteristic disruption time being about 100 μs) makes it possible to thoroughly investigate the time behavior of the processes that occur during a disruption.     

Functional effects of cytoskeletal components on the lateral movement of individual BKCa channels expressed in live COS-7 cell membrane

The lateral diffusion of BK(Ca) channels was previously shown to be highly 'confined' in the COS-7 cell membrane. Here we report that the diffusion coefficient and the confinement area of BK(Ca) channel were significantly increased by the treatment of latrunculin A, an actin-depolymerizing agent, but not by microtubule disruption. Site-directed mutational analyses further demonstrated that a single leucine residue in the C-terminal actin-binding motif was critical for the aforementioned effects of latrunculin A. We conclude that some BK(Ca) channels are directly associated with actin filaments and their lateral mobility can be restricted by the cytoskeletal components.     

Acardiac anomaly spectrum

BACKGROUND: Acardiac anomaly spectrum is a rare congenital malformation found in monozygotic twin pregnancy. Besides the absence of heart, the condition is associated with variable grades of developmental disruption. Thus, no two cases are similar. METHODS: This case report is based on physical examination and autopsy findings. RESULTS: The twin had acardia and partial development of head and face. There was complete absence of upper extremities. CONCLUSIONS: The twin reversed arterial perfusion (TRAP) theory is the most accepted etiology of the disorder. Normally, the cephalic pole is the most severely affected, being most distal to the retrograde perfusion. In acardia, partial development of head, face, and brain is usually associated with the development of the upper extremities. However, in the present case, there was extensive cephalic development in the absence of upper extremity development.     

Decoding Face Information in Time,Frequency and Space from Direct Intracranial Recordings of the Human Brain

Faces are processed by a neural system with distributed anatomical components, but the roles of these components remain unclear. A dominant theory of face perception postulates independent representations of invariant aspects of faces (e.g., identity) in ventral temporal cortex including the fusiform gyrus, and changeable aspects of faces (e.g., emotion) in lateral temporal cortex including the superior temporal sulcus. Here we recorded neuronal activity directly from the cortical surface in 9 neurosurgical subjects undergoing epilepsy monitoring while they viewed static and dynamic facial expressions. Applying novel decoding analyses to the power spectrogram of electrocorticograms (ECoG) from over 100 contacts in ventral and lateral temporal cortex, we found better representation of both invariant and changeable aspects of faces in ventral than lateral temporal cortex. Critical information for discriminating faces from geometric patterns was carried by power modulations between 50 to 150 Hz. For both static and dynamic face stimuli, we obtained a higher decoding performance in ventral than lateral temporal cortex. For discriminating fearful from happy expressions, critical information was carried by power modulation between 60–150 Hz and below 30 Hz, and again better decoded in ventral than lateral temporal cortex. Task-relevant attention improved decoding accuracy more than10% across a wide frequency range in ventral but not at all in lateral temporal cortex. Spatial searchlight decoding showed that decoding performance was highest around the middle fusiform gyrus. Finally, we found that the right hemisphere, in general, showed superior decoding to the left hemisphere. Taken together, our results challenge the dominant model for independent face representation of invariant and changeable aspects: information about both face attributes was better decoded from a single region in the middle fusiform gyrus.     

Injury response checkpoint and developmental timing in insects

In insects, localized tissue injury often leads to global (organism-wide) delays in development and retarded metamorphosis. In Drosophila, for example, injuries to the larval imaginal discs can retard pupariation and prolong metamorphosis. Injuries induced by treatments such as radiation, mechanical damage and induction of localized cell death can trigger similar delays. In most cases, the duration of the developmental delay appears to be correlated with the extent of damage, but the effect is also sensitive to the developmental stage of the treated animal. The proximate cause of the delays is likely a disruption of the ecdysone signaling pathway, but the intermediate steps leading from tissue injury and/or regeneration to that disruption remain unknown. Here, we review the evidence for injury-induced developmental delays, and for a checkpoint or checkpoints associated with the temporal progression of development and the on-going efforts to define the mechanisms involved.     

Injury response checkpoint and developmental timing in insects

In insects, localized tissue injury often leads to global (organism-wide) delays in development and retarded metamorphosis. In Drosophila, for example, injuries to the larval imaginal discs can retard pupariation and prolong metamorphosis. Injuries induced by treatments such as radiation, mechanical damage and induction of localized cell death can trigger similar delays. In most cases, the duration of the developmental delay appears to be correlated with the extent of damage, but the effect is also sensitive to the developmental stage of the treated animal. The proximate cause of the delays is likely a disruption of the ecdysone signaling pathway, but the intermediate steps leading from tissue injury and/or regeneration to that disruption remain unknown. Here, we review the evidence for injury-induced developmental delays, and for a checkpoint or checkpoints associated with the temporal progression of development and the on-going efforts to define the mechanisms involved.     

Comparison of pheromone-mediated mating disruption and conventional insecticides for management of tufted apple bud moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

Large-plot studies were used to compare pheromone-mediated mating disruption and conventional insecticide applications for management of tufted apple bud moth, Platynota idaeusalis (Walker), in North Carolina in 1993 and 1994. Pheromone trap catches were reduced in mating disruption blocks, and traps placed in the lower stratum of the canopy had a higher level of trap capture reduction compared with traps placed in the upper stratum. First-generation tufted apple bud moth exposure to either pheromones for mating disruption or insecticides affected second generation pheromone trap catches in the lower and upper canopy. More second generation male moths were caught in pheromone traps placed in the upper compared with the lower canopy in blocks treated with pheromones for mating disruption during the first generation, whereas the opposite was true in blocks treated with insecticides during the first generation. Despite reduced trap catches in pheromone-treated blocks, egg mass densities were not reduced in these blocks compared with insecticide-treated blocks. Furthermore, fruit damage was not significantly different between mating disruption blocks and conventionally treated blocks in orchards with relatively low populations of tufted apple bud moth, but damage was greater in mating disruption blocks in orchards with higher moth densities.     

Parallel visual motion processing streams for manipulable objects and human movements

We tested the hypothesis that different regions of lateral temporal cortex are specialized for processing different types of visual motion by studying the cortical responses to moving gratings and to humans and manipulable objects (tools and utensils) that were either stationary or moving with natural or artificially generated motions. Segregated responses to human and tool stimuli were observed in both ventral and lateral regions of posterior temporal cortex. Relative to ventral cortex, lateral temporal cortex showed a larger response for moving compared with static humans and tools. Superior temporal cortex preferred human motion, and middle temporal gyrus preferred tool motion. A greater response was observed in STS to articulated compared with unarticulated human motion. Specificity for different types of complex motion (in combination with visual form) may be an organizing principle in lateral temporal cortex.