Phi Index: A New Metric to Test the Flush Early and Avoid the Rush Hypothesis

Optimal escape theory states that animals should counterbalance the costs and benefits of flight when escaping from a potential predator. However, in apparent contradiction with this well-established optimality model, birds and mammals generally initiate escape soon after beginning to monitor an approaching threat, a phenomena codified as the “Flush Early and Avoid the Rush” (FEAR) hypothesis. Typically, the FEAR hypothesis is tested using correlational statistics and is supported when there is a strong relationship between the distance at which an individual first responds behaviorally to an approaching predator (alert distance, AD), and its flight initiation distance (the distance at which it flees the approaching predator, FID). However, such correlational statistics are both inadequate to analyze relationships constrained by an envelope (such as that in the AD-FID relationship) and are sensitive to outliers with high leverage, which can lead one to erroneous conclusions. To overcome these statistical concerns we develop the phi index (Φ), a distribution-free metric to evaluate the goodness of fit of a 1∶1 relationship in a constraint envelope (the prediction of the FEAR hypothesis). Using both simulation and empirical data, we conclude that Φ is superior to traditional correlational analyses because it explicitly tests the FEAR prediction, is robust to outliers, and it controls for the disproportionate influence of observations from large predictor values (caused by the constrained envelope in AD-FID relationship). Importantly, by analyzing the empirical data we corroborate the strong effect that alertness has on flight as stated by the FEAR hypothesis.     

Mechanism of rice bran lipase inhibition through fermentation activity of probiotic bacteria

Rice bran oil is known as wonder oil and it is the most important vegetable oil in Asia. Rice bran oil is extracted from bran that is the outer hard layer of rice. It is an emerging category in edible oil with a lot of nutritional properties and health benefits. Rice bran oil is heart-friendly, boosts up immunity, and prevents from other diseases occurring commonly in Pakistan. The current study aimed to stabilize rice bran oil through different probiotic isolates and to assess the nutritional content of rice bran oil after stabilization. The study was aimed to inactivate naturally occurring lipases that can hydrolyze oil into glycerol and free fatty acid which is a serious problem that gives it a rancid taste and smell. Antilipase activity was used to inactivate naturally occurring lipases that are a huge threat to the stabilization process. The fermentation process utilizes antilipase activity without affecting the nutritional value of oil. Lactobacillus strains were used for the stabilization of rice bran oil. Rice bran oil was extracted in the Soxhlet apparatus. The probiotic lab isolates Lactobacillus delbrueckii S2, Lactobacillus casei S5 and Lactobacillus plantarum S13 were applied to it to increase its shelf life and prevent oxidative rancidity. The extraction temperature of rice bran oil was maintained above 40 °C to inhibit lipase activity. Rice bran oil samples were stored at refrigeration temperature to arrest lipase activity. Probiotics maintained acidic pH to keep oil stabilization. Qualitative analysis was done to confirm rice bran oil stabilization. Determination of Free Fatty Acid (FFA) and saponification value confirmed that oxidative rancidity of rice bran oil was controlled by probiotics. FFA count was less than 10% and Saponification Value (SV) was 180. GC analysis was performed to analyze the FFA profile. Gas Chromatography results have shown 3 fatty acids. Statistical analysis has shown non-significant effect on different incubation temperatures of Lactobacillus isolates. Among the biological methods of stabilization, the use of probiotics is a novel concept and recommended for commercial application.     

Complexes of vitamin B6, part VII: Ternary complexes of cobalt(II), nickel(II), and copper(II) involving pyridoxamine and some amino acids

The stability constants of the ternary Cu(II), Ni(II), and Co(II) complexes containing pyridoxamine (PM) and as a second ligand (L) glycine, DL-alanine, DL-valine, and β-phenylalnine were determined by pH-metric titration in 0.50 M KNO₃ at 30°C. The corresponding constants of the equilibrium, log X, are greater than would be expected for purely statistical reasons (log X = 0.6), except for few complex cases of Co(II). It has been also concluded that amino acids compete more than pyridoxamine for Ni(II) and Co(II) through the formation of 1:2:1:0 species rather than 2:1:1:0 of PM⁻:L⁻:M²⁺:H⁺.     

Ionic Requirements for the Specific Binding of [3H]GBR 12783 to a Site Associated with the Dopamine Uptake Carrier

At 0°C, when Na⁺ was the only cation present in the incubation medium, increasing the Na⁺ concentration from 3 to 10 mM enhanced the affinity of [³H]l-[2-(di-phenylmethoxy)ethyl]-4-(3-phenyl-2-propenyl)piperazine ([³H]GBR 12783) for the specific binding site present in rat striatal membranes without affecting the 5_max. For higher Na⁺ concentrations, specific binding values plateaued and then slightly decreased at 130 mM Na⁺. In a 10 mM Na⁺ medium, the K_D and the B_max were, respectively, 0.23 nM and 12.9 pmol/mg of protein. In the presence of 0.4 nM [³H]GBR 12783, the half-maximal specific binding occurred at 5 mM Na⁺. A similar Na⁺ dependence was observed at 20°C. Scatchard plots indicated that K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Tris⁺ acted like competitive inhibitors of the specific binding of [³H]GBR 12783. The inhibitory potency of various cations (K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Tris⁺, Li⁺ and choline) was enhanced when the Na⁺ concentration was decreased from 130 to 10 mM. In a 10 mM Na⁺ medium, the rank order of inhibitory potency was Ca²⁺ (0.13 mM) > Mg²⁺ > Tris⁺ > K⁺ (15 mM). The requirement for Na⁺ was rather specific, because none of the other cations acted as a substitute for Na⁺. No anionic requirement was found: Cl^-, Br^-, and F^- were equipotent. These results suggest that low Na⁺ concentrations are required for maximal binding; higher Na⁺ concentrations protect the specific binding site against the inhibitory effect of other cations.     

Fleshing Out Vulnerability

In the literature on medical ethics, it is generally admitted that vulnerable persons or groups deserve special attention, care or protection. One can define vulnerable persons as those having a greater likelihood of being wronged – that is, of being denied adequate satisfaction of certain legitimate claims. The conjunction of these two points entails what we call the Special Protection Thesis. It asserts that persons with a greater likelihood of being denied adequate satisfaction of their legitimate claims deserve special attention, care or protection. Such a thesis remains vague, however, as long as we do not know what legitimate claims are. This article aims at dispelling this vagueness by exploring what claims we have in relation to health care – thus fleshing out a claim‐based conception of vulnerability. We argue that the Special Protection Thesis must be enriched as follows: If individual or group X has a greater likelihood of being denied adequate satisfaction of some of their legitimate claims to (i) physical integrity, (ii) autonomy, (iii) freedom, (iv) social provision, (v) impartial quality of government, (vi) social bases of self‐respect or (vii) communal belonging, then X deserves special attention, care or protection. With this improved understanding of vulnerability, vulnerability talk in healthcare ethics can escape vagueness and serve as an adequate basis for practice.     

The effects of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins on the attachment of Pneumocystis carinii to lung cell lines in vitro.

Pneumocystis carinii cells labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate were co-cultured with tissue culture cells. Measurements of attachment was determined by the tissue culture cell fluorescence after washing out the P. carinii organisms. The effects of the extracellular matrix proteins, laminin and fibronectin, on the binding of P. carinii onto the monolayer of cultured cells were investigated for better understanding of organism-cell interactions. The internalization of P. carinii by MRC5 cells was observed.     

Stem cells: cross-talk and developmental programs

The thesis advanced in this essay is that stem cells-particularly those in the nervous system-are components in a series of inborn 'programs' that not only ensure normal development, but persist throughout life so as to maintain homeostasis in the face of perturbations-both small and great. These programs encode what has come to be called 'plasticity'. The stem cell is one of the repositories of this plasticity. This review examines the evidence that interaction between the neural stem cell (as a prototypical somatic stem cell) and the developing or injured brain is a dynamic, complex, ongoing reciprocal set of interactions where both entities are constantly in flux. We suggest that this interaction can be viewed almost from a 'systems biology' vantage point. We further advance the notion that clones of exogenous stem cells in transplantation paradigms may not only be viewed for their therapeutic potential, but also as biological tools for 'interrogating' the normal or abnormal central nervous system environment, indicating what salient cues (among the many present) are actually guiding the expression of these 'programs'; in other words, using the stem cell as a 'reporter cell'. Based on this type of analysis, we suggest some of the relevant molecular pathways responsible for this 'cross-talk' which, in turn, lead to proliferation, migration, cell genesis, trophic support, protection, guidance, detoxification, rescue, etc. This type of developmental insight, we propose, is required for the development of therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative disease and other nervous system afflictions in humans. Understanding the relevant molecular pathways of stem cell repair phenotype should be a priority, in our view, for the entire stem cell field.     

Riyadh Mother and Baby Multicenter Cohort Study: The Cohort Profile

Objectives

To assess the effects of non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity, on the mother and the infant.

Methods

A multicentre cohort study was conducted in three hospitals in the city of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. All Saudi women and their babies who delivered in participating hospitals were eligible for recruitment. Data on socio-demographic characteristics in addition to the maternal and neonatal outcomes of pregnancy were collected. The cohort demographic profile was recorded and the prevalence of maternal conditions including gestational diabetes, pre-gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy and obesity were estimated.

Findings

The total number of women who delivered in participating hospitals during the study period was 16,012 of which 14,568 women participated in the study. The mean age of the participants was 29 ± 5.9 years and over 40% were university graduates. Most of the participants were housewives, 70% were high or middle income and 22% were exposed to secondhand smoke. Of the total cohort, 24% were married to a first cousin. More than 68% of the participants were either overweight or obese. The preterm delivery rate was 9%, while 1.5% of the deliveries were postdate. The stillbirth rate was 13/1000 live birth. The prevalence of gestational diabetes was 24% and that of pre-gestational diabetes was 4.3%. The preeclampsia prevalence was 1.1%. The labour induction rate was 15.5% and the cesarean section rate was 25%.

Conclusion

Pregnant women in Saudi Arabia have a unique demographic profile. The prevalence of obesity and diabetes in pregnancy are among the highest in the world.