Graph analysis of dream reports is especially informative about psychosis

Early psychiatry investigated dreams to understand psychopathologies. Contemporary psychiatry, which neglects dreams, has been criticized for lack of objectivity. In search of quantitative insight into the structure of psychotic speech, we investigated speech graph attributes (SGA) in patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder type I, and non-psychotic controls as they reported waking and dream contents. Schizophrenic subjects spoke with reduced connectivity, in tight correlation with negative and cognitive symptoms measured by standard psychometric scales. Bipolar and control subjects were undistinguishable by waking reports, but in dream reports bipolar subjects showed significantly less connectivity. Dream-related SGA outperformed psychometric scores or waking-related data for group sorting. Altogether, the results indicate that online and offline processing, the two most fundamental modes of brain operation, produce nearly opposite effects on recollections: While dreaming exposes differences in the mnemonic records across individuals, waking dampens distinctions. The results also demonstrate the feasibility of the differential diagnosis of psychosis based on the analysis of dream graphs, pointing to a fast, low-cost and language-invariant tool for psychiatric diagnosis and the objective search for biomarkers. The Freudian notion that ‘‘dreams are the royal road to the unconscious’’ is clinically useful, after all.

Graph analysis of verbal fluency test discriminate between patients with Alzheimer’s disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment and normal elderly controls

Verbal fluency is the ability to produce a satisfying sequence of spoken words during a given time interval. The core of verbal fluency lies in the capacity to manage the executive aspects of language. The standard scores of the semantic verbal fluency test are broadly used in the neuropsychological assessment of the elderly, and different analytical methods are likely to extract even more information from the data generated in this test. Graph theory, a mathematical approach to analyze relations between items, represents a promising tool to understand a variety of neuropsychological states. This study reports a graph analysis of data generated by the semantic verbal fluency test by cognitively healthy elderly (NC), patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment – subtypes amnestic(aMCI) and amnestic multiple domain (a+mdMCI) - and patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Sequences of words were represented as a speech graph in which every word corresponded to a node and temporal links between words were represented by directed edges. To characterize the structure of the data we calculated 13 speech graph attributes (SGAs). The individuals were compared when divided in three (NC – MCI – AD) and four (NC – aMCI – a+mdMCI – AD) groups. When the three groups were compared, significant differences were found in the standard measure of correct words produced, and three SGA: diameter, average shortest path, and network density. SGA sorted the elderly groups with good specificity and sensitivity. When the four groups were compared, the groups differed significantly in network density, except between the two MCI subtypes and NC and aMCI. The diameter of the network and the average shortest path were significantly different between the NC and AD, and between aMCI and AD. SGA sorted the elderly in their groups with good specificity and sensitivity, performing better than the standard score of the task. These findings provide support for a new methodological frame to assess the strength of semantic memory through the verbal fluency task, with potential to amplify the predictive power of this test. Graph analysis is likely to become clinically relevant in neurology and psychiatry, and may be particularly useful for the differential diagnosis of the elderly.

Nutrition, dry matter accumulation and partitioning and phosphorus use efficiency of potato grown at different phosphorus levels in nutrient solution

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Partitioning the relative fitness effects of diet and trophic morphology in the threespine stickleback

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Comments about some species abundance patterns: classic, neutral, and niche partitioning models

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Niche occupancy and the relative role of micro-habitat and diet in resource partitioning among pond dwelling tadpoles.

We determined microhabitat and diet niche for tadpoles from two ponds in an agricultural landscape. Additionally, we verified the intraspecific variation in resource use, and if diet and microhabitat use were correlated. Tadpoles found in the two ponds differed in microhabitat use, because in the larger pond they explored deeper places far from the margin. There were three groups with high microhabitat niche overlap. In both ponds, plant cover was the best descriptor to explain interspecific variation in microhabitat use. Tadpoles of all species ingested mainly Bacillariophyceae and Trachellomonas however the diet differed intraspecifically in the species from the two ponds. Ten items in the temporary pond and 15 items in the permanent one were ingested by all species; however, the relative abundance of each item differed. Diet similarity was not correlated to similarity in microhabitat use. In this study, diet was as important as microhabitat use to explain resource partitioning.

Separation and partitioning of Green Fluorescent Protein from Escherichia coli homogenate in poly(ethylene glycol)/sodium-poly(acrylate) aqueous two-phase systems

The partitioning of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) in poly(ethylene glycol)/Na-poly(acrylate) aqueous two-phase systems (PEG/NaPA-ATPS) has been investigated. The aqueous two-phase systems are formed by mixing the polymers with a salt and a protein solution. The protein partitioning in the two-phase system was investigated at 25 degrees C. The concentration of the GFP was measured by fluorimetry. It was found that the partitioning of GFP depends on the salt type, pH and concentration of PEG. The data indicates that GFP partitions more strongly to the PEG phase in presence of Na2SO4 relative to NaCl. Furthermore, the GFP partitions more to the PEG phase at higher pH. The partition to the PEG phase is strongly favoured in systems with larger tie-line lengths (i.e. systems with higher polymer concentrations). The molecular weight of PEG is important since the partition coefficient (K) of GFP gradually decreases with increasing PEG size, from K ca. 300-400 for PEG 400 to K equal to 1.19 for PEG 8000. A separation process was developed where GFP was separated from a homogenate in two extraction steps: the GFP is first partitioned to the PEG phase in a PEG 3000/NaPA 8000 system containing 3 wt% Na2SO4, where the K value of GFP was 8. The GFP is then re-extracted to a salt phase formed by mixing the previous top-phase with a Na2SO4 solution. The K-value of GFP in this back-extraction was 0.22. The total recovery based on the start material was 74%. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Plasmid DNA partitioning and separation using poly(ethylene glycol)/poly(acrylate)/salt aqueous two-phase systems

Phase diagrams of poly(ethylene glycol)/polyacrylate/Na2SO4 systems have been investigated with respect to polymer size and pH. Plasmid DNA from Escherichia coil can depending on pH and polymer molecular weight be directed to a poly(ethylene glycol) or to a polyacrylate-rich phase in an aqueous two-phase system formed by these polymers. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) and E. coil homogenate proteins can be directed opposite to the plasmid partitioning in these systems. Two bioseparation processes have been developed where in the final step the pDNA is partitioned to a salt-rich phase giving a total process yield of 60-70%. In one of them the pDNA is partitioned between the polyacrylate and PEG-phases in order to remove proteins. In a more simplified process the plasmid is partitioned to a PEG-phase and back-extracted into a Na2SO4-rich phase. The novel polyacrylate/PEG system allows a strong change of the partitioning between the phases with relatively small changes in composition or pH. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Protein partitioning in poly(ethylene glycol)/sodium polyacrylate aqueous two-phase systems

The partition of hemoglobin, lysozyme and glucose-6-phospate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) in a novel inexpensive aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) composed by poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and sodium polyacrylate (NaPA) has been studied. The effect of NaCl and Na2SO4, pH and PEG molecular size on the partitioning has been studied. At high pH (above 9), hemoglobin partitions strongly to the PEG-phase. Although some precipitation of hemoglobin occurs, high recovery values are obtained particularly for lysozyme and G6PDH. The partitioning forces are dominated by the hydrophobic and electrochemical (salt) effects, since the positively charged lysozyme and negatively charged G6PDH partitions to the non-charged PEG and the strongly negatively charged polyacrylate enriched phase, respectively. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Food partitioning between breeding White-tailed Kites (Elanus leucurus; Aves; Accipitridae) and Barn Owls (Tyto alba; Aves; Tytonidae) in southern Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The effects of bacterial leaching on metal partitioning in sewage sludge

The partitioning of Mn, Al, Zn, Cu and Ti ions in municipal sewage sludge was investigated before and after bioleaching processes effectuated by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans. Oxidation reduction potential increase and pH decrease were obtained as a result of bacterial activity. A less pronounced and constant decrease was obtained with A. ferrooxidans, whereas A. thiooxidans presented a lag phase before a steep pH decrease. Metal solubilization was accomplished in experimental systems supplemented with energy source, Fe2+ for A. ferrooxidans and S-0 for A. thiooxidans. Solubilization efficiency differed for each metal except for Al, and was relatively similar for either organism. Metal partitioning was conducted using five-step sequential extraction procedure before and after the bioleaching. The results indicated that Zn and Mn ions were mostly associated with the organic fraction, whereas Cu, Al and Ti ions with the sulphide/ residue fraction. The bioleaching process caused prompt solubilization of metals mostly associated with the more labile fractions (exchangeable, adsorbed and organically bound metals), whereas those associated to the less labile ones (EDTA and sulphide/residue fractions) were exchanged towards more labile fractions.

Biological leaching of Mn, Al, Zn, Cu and Ti in an anaerobic sewage sludge effectuated by Thiobacillus ferrooxidans and its effect on metal partitioning

The chemical fractionation and bioleaching of Mn, At, Zn, Cu and Ti in municipal sewage sludge were investigated using Thiobacillus ferrooxidans as leaching microorganism. As a result of the bacterial activity, ORP increase and pH reduction were observed. Metal solubilization was accomplished only in experimental systems supplemented with energy source (Fe(II)). The solubilization efficiency approached similar to80% for Mn and Zn, 24% for Cu, 10% for At and 0.2% for Ti. The chemical fractionation of Mn, At, Zn, Cu and Ti was investigated using a five-step sequential extraction procedure employing KNO3. KF, Na4P2O7, EDTA and HNO3. The results show that the bioleaching process affected the partitioning of Mn and Zn, increasing its percentage of elution in the KNO3 fraction while reducing it in the KF, Na4P2O7 and EDTA fractions. No significant effect was detected on the partitioning of Cu and Al. However, quantitatively the metals Mn, Zn, Cu and At were extracted with higher efficiency after the bacterial activity. Titanium was unaffected by the bioleaching process in both qualitative and quantitative aspects. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

POTASSIUM ABSORPTION AND PARTITIONING IN COTTON AS AFFECTED BY PERIODS OF POTASSIUM-DEFICIENCY

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum var. Latifolium) was grown in nutrient media, at two K levels: 58.5 mg/K and 11.7 mg/K. Potassium deficiency (11.7 mg K/g of K) was imposed upon cotton plants at different stages of plant development. A sequence of increasing sensitivity to K deficiency among cotton plant parts was observed: leaves < bolls < roots < stems. When K deficiency symptoms are clearly visible in the leaves, all the other plant parts are already affected. Bolls are a very important component in K partitioning within the cotton plant, but K is required most by the bur itself and is not translocated to seeds or fibers. Cotton could overcome a 30 day deficiency late in the season without significant losses in lint and seed cotton yields.

Partitioning of the glucoamylase activity at the cell surfaces in cultures of Saccharomyces

Glucoamylases have been used with alpha-amylases for the industrial conversion of starch into glucose. However, little is known about the properties of this glycosylated protein retained in the cell wall of Saccharomyces as well as its role in the saccharification and fermentation of amylaceous substrates, notably in high cell density processes. In most of the strains assayed, decreases in biomass formation were followed by increases in glucoamylase secretion (expressed as U/mg(biomass) in 1 ml of culture) when glucose was exchanged for starch as carbon source or the growth temperature was raised from 30 to 35 degrees C. Despite the losses in viability, significant increases in the activity of the wall fraction occurred when cultures of thermotolerant yeasts propagated at 30 degrees C or washed cells resuspended in buffer solution were heated to 60 degrees C for 60-80 min prior to amylolytic assays. Thus, intact cells of thermotolerant yeasts can be used as colloidal biocatalysts in starch degradation processes. (C) 2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Food resources partitioning among sciaenid fishes (Perciformes, Sciaenidae) of the Flamengo bay, Ubatuba, southeastern Brazil

The determination of the diet and feeding habits is one of the principal aspects of the study on fish biology, as feeding is a basic process and its study is necessary for the understanding of the populations' dynamic and ecology. The Sciaenidae family has a significant occurrence in the bay's demersal ichthyofauna, constituting an important fishing resource. The goal of this work was to analyze how the partitioning of available food resources takes place among the ten sciaenid species which live in the Flamengo Bay. One single survey, consisting of three trawls, was carried out with a fishing boat equipped with two otter-trawl. Diet analysis showed that all species are exclusively carnivore, using several items as food, but crustaceans are the main food ingested. The use of the ''Proportional Overlap Index'' showed possible overlapping between six couples of species but in the majority of cases, morphologic differences between these species, such as the mouth position, probably determine different foraging strategies.