Corrugator supercilii muscle activity is considered an objective measure of valence because it increases in response to negatively valenced facial expressions (angry) and decreases to positive expressions (happy). The authors sought to determine if corrugator activity could be used as an objective measure of positivity-negativity bias. The authors recorded corrugator responses as participants r...

Solvents toxicity is a major limiting factor hampering the cost-effective biotechnological production of chemicals. In Clostridium acetobutylicum, a functionally unknown protein (encoded by SMB_G1518) with a hypothetical alcohol interacting domain was identified. Disruption of SMB_G1518 and/or its downstream gene SMB_G1519 resulted in increased butanol tolerance, while overexpression of SMB_G15...

Desire spurs competition; here we explore whether the converse is also true. In one study, female quartets (N1⁄4 58) completed anagrams, with the winner to receive compact speakers; controls anagrammed without competition. In the other study, female quartets (N1⁄4 74) described their ideal first date to a male judge, who chose the best description; controls read to him others’ date descriptions...

Prior exposure to LPS induces a transient state of cell refractoriness to subsequent LPS restimulation, known as endotoxin tolerance. Induction of LPS tolerance has been reported to correlate with decreased cell surface expression of the LPS receptor complex, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/MD-2. However, other results have underscored the existence of mechanisms of LPS tolerance that operate downs...

OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of reduced sound tolerance (hyperacusis) in a UK population of 11-year-old children and examine the association of early life and auditory risk factors with report of hyperacusis. DESIGN A prospective UK population-based study. STUDY SAMPLE A total of 7097 eleven-year-old children within the Avon longitudinal study of parents and children (ALSPAC) were a...

In this paper, timbre of stringed instrument is analyzed and the timbre sound is synthesized. Timbre is familiar and looks well known, but it has been unknown even now what an essential factor is. And it is the most important factor for human to distinguish sounds with the same duration, loudness and pitch. The formant structure model for keeping the same timbre is proposed in this paper. The s...

Expression arrays were used to identify 4 putative oxidoreductases that were upregulated (>3-fold) by furfural (15 mM, 15 min). Plasmid expression of one (ucpA) increased furan tolerance in ethanologenic strain LY180 and wild-type strain W. Deleting ucpA decreased furfural tolerance. Although the mechanism remains unknown, the cryptic ucpA gene is now associated with a phenotype: furan resistance.

CONTEXT A decrease in pancreatic β-cell mass is involved in the development of type 2 diabetes. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the β-cell mass and the incidence of β-cell neogenesis, replication, and apoptosis at both the prediabetic and diabetic stages. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study of pancreatic tissues obtained from 42 patients undergoing a pancreatect...