The neocortex is the most recently evolved part of the mammalian brain which is involved in a repertoire of higher order brain functions, including those that separate humans from other animals. Humans have evolved an expanded neocortex over the course of evolution through a massive increase in neuron number (compared to our close relatives-­‐‑ the chimpanzees) in spite of sharing similar gestation time frames. So what do humans do differently compared to chimpanzees within the same time frame during their development? This dissertation addresses this question by comparing the developmental progression of neurogenesis between humans and chimpanzees using cerebral organoids as the model system. The usage of cerebral organoids, has enabled us to compare the development of both the human neocortex, and the chimpanzee neocortex from the very initiation of the neural phase of embryogenesis until very long periods of time. The results obtained so far suggest that the genetic programs underlying the development of the chimpanzee neocortex and the human neocortex are not very different, but rather the difference lies in the timing of the developmental progression. These results show that the chimpanzee neocortex spends lesser time in its proliferation phase, and allots lesser time to the generation of its neurons than the human neocortex. In more scientific terms, the neurogenic phase of the neocortex is shorter in chimpanzees than it is in humans. This conclusion is supported by (1) an earlier onset of gliogenesis in chimpanzees compared to humans which is indicative of a declining neurogenic phase, (2) an earlier increase in the chimpanzee neurogenic progenitors during development, compared to humans, (3) a higher number of stem cell– like progenitors in human cortices compared to chimpanzees, (4) a decline in neurogenic areas within the chimpanzee cerebral organoids over time compared to human cerebral organoids.

In this thesis i describe proposals designed to give remaining species a temporary haven until their natural habitat is reestablished.  Designing for decay is about alternative methods for nature conservation, about us working with the forest not against it. Methods based on decaying wood and the reintroduction of fungi into the young boreal forest. Looking at the planetary boundaries as summarized by Stockholm resilience center biosphere integrity is one of the areas where the anthropogenic factors has made the largest impact.

Gait analysis allows clinicians and researchers to quantitatively characterize the kinematics and kinetics of human movement. Devices that quantify gait can be either portable, such as instrumented shoes, or non-portable, such as motion capture systems and instrumented walkways. There is a tradeoff between these two classes of systems in terms of portability and accuracy. However, recent computer advances allow for the collection of meaningful data outside of the clinical setting. In this work, we present the DeepSole system combined with the different neural network models. This system is a fully capable to characterize the gait of the individuals and provide vibratory feedback to the wearer. Thanks to the flexible construction and its wireless capabilities, it can be comfortably worn by wide arrange of people, both able-bodied and people with pathologies that affect their gait. It can be used for characterization, training, and as an abstract sensor to measure human gait in real-time. Three neural network models were designed and implemented to map the sensors embedded in the DeepSole system to gait characteristics and events. The first one is a recurrent neural network that classifies the gait into the correct gait phase of the wearer. This model was validated with data from healthy young adults and children with Cerebral Palsy. Furthermore, this model was implemented in real-time to provide vibratory feedback to healthy young adults to create temporal asymmetry on the dominant side during regular walking. During the experiment, the subjects who walked had an increased stance time on both sides, but the dominant side was affected more. The second model is encoder-decoder recurrent neural network that maps the sensors into current gait cycle percentage. This model is useful to provide continuous feedback that is synchronized to the gait. This model was implemented in real-time to provide vibratory feedback to six muscle groups used during regular walking. The effects of the vibration were analyzed. It was found that depending on the feedback, the subjects changed their spatial and temporal gait parameters. The third model uses all the sensors in the instrumented footwear to identify a motor phenomenon called freezing of gait in patients with Parkinson’s Disease. This phenomenon is characterized by transient periods, usually lasting for several seconds, in which attempted ambulation is halted. The model has better performance than the state-of-the-art and does not require any pre-processing. The DeepSole system when used in conjunction with the presented models is able to characterize and provide feedback in a wide range of scenarios. The system is portable, comfortable, and can accommodate a wide range of populations who can benefit from this wearable technology.

We report severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 antibody positivity among market and city bus depot workers in Lima, Peru. Among 1285 vendors from 8 markets, prevalence ranged from 27% to 73%. Among 488 workers from 3 city bus depots, prevalence ranged from 11% to 47%. Self-reported symptoms were infrequent. / National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases / Revisión por pares

Both plasma glucose concentration and glucose uptake are deranged in insulin resistance. A high free fatty acid plasma level is a potential cause of insulin resistance, and therefore of type 2 diabetes mellitus animals and humans. The mechanism behind this is still unclear. The objectives of the present study were: (i) to research the effect of arachidonic acid (AA) as fatty acid representative, on glucose uptake into human isolated adipocytes, (ii) to investigate the uptake of AA into adipocyte membranes and nuclei, as a step to identify the mechanism whereby AA affects glucose uptake, and (iii) to verify the influence of insulin on AA uptake in adipocytes. The first objective was achieved by exposing adipocytes to AA and measuring the effect on deoxyglucose uptakt. To achieve the second objective, adipocytes were exposed to 14C-AA; radioactive uptake in membranes and nuclei was determined. The AA uptake into membranes was also determinate by membranes fatty acid profile using gas chromatography; the results of the two methods were compared. Finally, the third objective was achieved by exposing adipocytes to different concentrations of insulin and testing the effect by measuring arachidonic acid uptake by the entire cell. The results of this study shown that, acute (30 min) exposure of AA significantly stimulates glucose uptake by adipocytes (4.56 ± 0.6 nmole glucose /mg protein /min) compared to the control (3.12 ± 0.25 nmole glucose /mg protein /min). Secondly, 14C-AA was significantly taken up by the membranes between 20 and 30 minutes of exposure. The uptake into membranes was increased by 49.57 ± 29% and 123 ± 73% compared to the control 100% (1.77 ± 0.06 nmole AA /mg protein) respectively for 20 and 30 min exposure). AA significantly rose in the nuclei after 30 minutes (147 ± 19% increase) compared to the control 100% (2.25 ± 0.10 nmole AA /mg protein). The determination of AA uptake by gas chromatography analysis of the membrane fatty acid profile showed that the content of AA increased after 30 min exposure (0.57% AA of total membrane fatty acids) compared to the 10 min exposure (0.29% AA of total membrane fatty acid). Insulin was shown to stimulate 10 and 30 min AA uptake by adipocytes from a non-obese subject. The increases of AA uptake measured for 30 minutes were 20 ±8%, 21 ± 25% and 31 ± 4% compared to the control (0.58nmole AA / mg protein / min) respectively for the actions of 10nM, 20nM and 40 nM insulin. A similar tendency was observed when the AA uptake was measured for 10 min (81 ± 31% and 208 ± 36% respectively for the action of 10nM and 40nM insulin compared to the control 100% (0.06nmole AA/mg protein/min). In contrast to this finding, insulin depressed AA uptake by adipocytes from an obese subject (depression of 15 ± 5%, 14 ± 8% and 21 ± 5% respectively for 10nM, 20nM and 40nM insulin, compared to the control 100% (0.74 nmole AA/mg protein/min). In both situations the effect of insulin seemed dose dependent. The study demonstrated that AA acid positively modulates glucose uptake into adipocytes exposed for short periods (< 30 min). This was attributed to the probable this FA in the cell membrane, rather than its eventual effect on the DNA. The best method to measure membranes AA over short period of exposure when small amounts of adipocytes (2- 6 ml) are used was by radioactive means. It also suggested that insulin effect’s on AA acid uptake into adipocytes was dose dependent. This varies with the body mass index (BMI) of the patient, probably as a result of their cell’s insulin resistant state. / Dissertation (MSc (Veterinary Science))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Anatomy and Physiology / MSc / unrestricted

Very few recent studies have been done in South Africa on the occurrence or prevalence of parasites in humans. Based on the results of routine examinations for parasitic infections conducted in the Microbiology Laboratory of Ampath in Pretoria, this study focuses on the spectrum of parasites diagnosed in samples from humans in Gauteng, North West and Mpumalanga provinces between 2009 and 2010. Database searches for results of samples in which parasites were positively identified were conducted using the laboratory’s internal software system. Data of the positive results were exported and sorted according to date, specimen type, parasite identified, patient age, gender and geographic locality. Results showed that a total of 24 different species of parasites were identified in the laboratory over the two-year period. The overall numbers of parasites identified, according to the data searches, were 863 and 1061 in 2009 and 2010, respectively. The following parasites were identified: Entamoeba coli, Entamoeba histolytica, Endolimax nana, Acanthamoeba sp, Giardia intestinalis, Trichomonas hominis, Trichomonas vaginalis, Chilomastix mesnili, Blastocystis hominis, Cryptosporidium spp, Cystoisospora belli, Sarcocystis sp, Enterobius vermicularis, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, ancylostomatids (hookworm), Taenia saginata, Taenia solium, Dipylidium caninum, Inermicapsifer madagascariensis, Bertiella studeri, Schistosoma haematobium, Echinococcus granulosus and Cordylobia anthropophaga. In both years, the majority of cases originated from Gauteng Province followed by North West and Mpumalanga provinces. The data were summarized descriptively and compared with available published records. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Veterinary Tropical Diseases / unrestricted

Evaluar la dimensión antero- posterior (A-P)/medio-lateral (M–L), y la morfología del cóndilo mandibular en pacientes de 18 a 65 años con patrón esquelético Clase I en tomografías computarizadas Cone Beam. Material y Métodos: 71 tomografías fueron evaluadas mediante el software RealScan 2.0. La dimensión fue determinada por los puntos A (más anterior en el plano sagital), P (más posterior en el plano sagital), M (más interno en el plano coronal), L (más externo en plano coronal). Se evaluó la morfología del cóndilo en dos planos coronal y sagital, clasificándose en: redonda, aplanada, convexa y mixta. La dimensión del cóndilo fue analizada por estadística descriptiva y la morfología mediante distribución de frecuencias. Para el análisis bivariado, se aplicó la prueba de t de Student. Resultado: Se obtuvieron las medidas del diámetro A-P del cóndilo derecho (CD) (8,72mm ± 1,25mm) y el izquierdo (CI) (8,50mm ± 1,50mm), el diámetro M-L del CD (19,24mm ± 2,03mm) y el CI (18,97mm ± 1,87mm). Hubo diferencias significativas en la dimensión M-L del CI del sexo masculino en comparación al femenino (p=0.002). La morfología más prevalente del CD (35,21) y CI (23,94) en plano coronal fue de tipo redonda. Conclusión: La dimensión A-P del cóndilo derecho e izquierdo es similar en ambos sexos; sin embargo, existen diferencias en la dimensión M-L del cóndilo izquierdo del sexo masculino. La morfología del cóndilo derecho e izquierdo más prevalente fue la redonda en plano sagital a excepción del plano coronal. / To evaluate the anterior-posterior (A-P)/medial-lateral (M-L) dimension, and morphology of the mandibular condyle in patients aged 18 to 65 years with Class I skeletal pattern on Cone Beam Computed Tomography scans (CBCTs). Materials and Methods: Seventy one CBCTs were evaluated using RealScan 2.0 software. The dimension was determined by points A (most anterior in the sagittal plane), P (most posterior in the sagittal plane), M (most interior in the coronal plane), L (most exterior in the coronal plane). The morphology of the condyle was evaluated in two coronal and sagittal planes, being classified as: round, flat, convex or mixed. The size of the condyle was analyzed by descriptive statistics and the morphology by frequency distribution. For the bivariate analysis, the Student’s t-test was applied. Results: Measurements were obtained for the A-P diameter of the right condyle (RC) (8.72mm ± 1.25mm) and the left condylar (LC) (8.50mm ± 1.50mm), the M-L diameter of the RC (19.24mm ± 2.03mm) and the LC (18.97mm ± 1.87mm). There were significant differences in the male M-L dimension of the LC compared to the female (p=0.002). The most prevalent morphology of RC (35.21) and IQ (23.94) in the coronal plane was round.. Conclusion: The A-P dimension of the right and left condyle is similar in both genders; however, there are differences in the M-L dimension of the left male condyle. The most prevalent morphology of the right and left condyle was round in the sagittal plane with the exception of the coronal plane. / Revisión por pares

Weanling male rats were made anemic and fed diets supplemented with 20 ppm iron and/or 2 ppm molybdenum. A decrease in serum iron was observed in the rats supplemented only with iron and a significant decrease in hemoglobin was observed in rats given no supplementation. In a second experiment, pregnant female rats were also fed diets supplemented with 20 ppm iron and/or 2 ppm molybdenum. An inverse relationship was apparent between iron and copper in both the serum and the liver of the female rats. The livers of their pups displayed an inverse relationship between molybdenum and copper. Hemoglobin in both dams and pups tended to decrease when: (1) supplemental molybdenum was absent but supplemental iron was present; (2) supplemental iron was absent but supplemental molybdenum was present; and (3) no supplementation was given at all. While there appeared to be little placental transfer of molybdenum, iron and copper seemed to be transferred from the dams' liver. In a third experiment, serum was collected from pregnant women in first, second, and third trimester, and at postpartum. Both serum iron and serum molybdenum decreased significantly at postpartum. Inverse relationships were apparent between (1) serum iron and serum copper, and (2) serum molybdenum and serum copper.

The effect of nitrogen intake, nitrogen source, calorie intake, body weight, adaptation time, research group and sex on the nitrogen balance of human adults was investigated. Data from studies reported in the literature were combined and analyzed statistically by multiple regression techniques. Analyses were made separately for six sources of nitrogen: egg, beef, rice, corn, wheat and wheat gluten. Nitrogen intake, caloric intake and body weight exerted significant effects on nitrogen balance (5% level of confidence) for six, three and two of the six nitrogen sources, respectively. Other variables were not significant at the 5% level. Although differences were not significant (5% level), the correlation between nitrogen intake and nitrogen balance was greatest for four of the six nitrogen sources when data were expressed as grams per square meter of body surface area (g/m2) as opposed to when they were expressed per kilogram body weight or per kilogram raised to the 0.73 power. Curvilinear relationships between intake and balance in the submaintenance range of intakes were evident for all protein sources except corn. The regression lines for several protein sources tended to converge at both lower and higher levels of intake . At levels of nitrogen intake below 1 g/m2, protein appeared to be utilized with near 100% efficiency, regardless of source. At levels of intake above 4.4 g/m2 , all nitrogen sources except wheat gluten gave nitrogen balances which did not differ significantly (5% level). In general, caloric intake exerted a positive but diminishing effect on nitrogen balance when nitrogen intake was held constant and caloric intake increased from maintenance to excessive levels. The mean amount of egg nitrogen required to achieve zero nitrogen balance decreased from 3. l g/m2 to 2.2 g/m2 as caloric intake increased from 1475 kilocalories per square meter of body surface area (kcal/m2) to 1760 kcal/m2. The findings are discussed in terms of present energy and protein requirements, the traditional concepts of the biological value of proteins, and the prediction of protein quality from amino acid composition.

During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. conservative politicians and the media downplayed the risk of both contracting COVID-19 and the effectiveness of recommended health behaviors. Health behavior theories suggest perceived vulnerability to a health threat and perceived effectiveness of recommended health-protective behaviors determine motivation to follow recommendations. Accordingly, we predicted that—as a result of politicization of the pandemic—politically conservative Americans would be less likely to enact recommended health-protective behaviors. In two longitudinal studies of U.S. residents, political conservatism was inversely associated with perceived health risk and adoption of health-protective behaviors over time. The effects of political orientation on health-protective behaviors were mediated by perceived risk of infection, perceived severity of infection, and perceived effectiveness of the health-protective behaviors. In a global cross-national analysis, effects were stronger in the U.S. (N = 10,923) than in an international sample (total N = 51,986), highlighting the increased and overt politicization of health behaviors in the U.S. / New York University Abu Dhabi