Random replicators with high-order interactions

We use tools of the equilibrium statistical mechanics of disordered systems to study analytically the statistical properties of an ecosystem composed of N species interacting via random mutual interactions, as well as via deterministic self-interactions of order p>/=2. We show that the main effect of increasing the order of the interactions among the species is to make the system less competitive, in the sense that the fraction of extinct species is greatly reduced. In addition, we find that for p>2 there is a threshold value which gives a lower bound to the concentration of the surviving species, preventing then the existence of rare species and, consequently, increasing the robustness of the ecosystem to external perturbations.     

Flow-injection spectrophotometric determination of cyanate in bioremediation processes by use of immobilised inducible cyanase

A new flow injection (FI) method for photometric monitoring of cyanate in bioremediation processes using immobilised native cyanase is described. The method is based on the catalytic reaction between cyanate and bicarbonate to produce ammonia and carbon dioxide in the presence of an inducible native cyanase, immobilised in a reactor packed with glass beads. Two degrees of purification of the biocatalyst were used-heated cell-free extract and purified extract of cyanase from Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes CECT 5344. The ammonia produced by the enzymatic reaction is finally monitored photometrically at 700 nm using a modification of the conventional Berthelot method. The method furnishes different calibration curves depending on the degree of purification of the cyanase, with linear ranges between 1.23 and 616.50 micromol L(-1) ( r(2)=0.9979, n=7) and between 1.07 and 308.25 micro mol L(-1) ( r(2)= 0.9992, n=7) for the heated cell-free extract and the purified cyanase extract, respectively. No statistically significant differences between the samples were found in the precision study evaluated at two cyanate concentration levels using one-way analysis of variance. A sampling frequency of 15 h(-1) was achieved. The method was used to monitor cyanate consumption in a cyanate bioremediation tank inoculated with Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes CECT 5344 strain. The correlation between cyanate degradation and ammonia production was tested using a conventional method. Finally, the method was applied to different samples collected from the bioremediation tank using the standard addition method; recoveries between 85.9 and 97.4% were obtained.     

Maturation of auditory temporal integration and inhibition assessed with event-related potentials (ERPs)

Background

We examined development of auditory temporal integration and inhibition by assessing electrophysiological responses to tone pairs separated by interstimulus intervals (ISIs) of 25, 50, 100, 200, 400, and 800 ms in 28 children aged 7 to 9 years, and 15 adults.

Results

In adults a distinct neural response was elicited to tones presented at ISIs of 25 ms or longer, whereas in children this was only seen in response to tones presented at ISIs above 100 ms. In adults, late N1 amplitude was larger for the second tone of the tone pair when separated by ISIs as short as 100 ms, consistent with the perceptual integration of successive stimuli within the temporal window of integration. In contrast, children showed enhanced negativity only when tone pairs were separated by ISIs of 200 ms. In children, the amplitude of the P1 component was attenuated at ISIs below 200 ms, consistent with a refractory process.

Conclusions

These results indicate that adults integrate sequential auditory information into smaller temporal segments than children. These results suggest that there are marked maturational changes from childhood to adulthood in the perceptual processes underpinning the grouping of incoming auditory sensory information, and that electrophysiological measures provide a sensitive, non-invasive method allowing further examination of these changes.