Despite the brain's central role in sexual function, little is known about relationships between brain activation and sexual response. In this study, we employed functional MRI (fMRI) to examine ...relationships between brain activation and sexual arousal in a group of young, healthy, heterosexual males. Each subject was exposed to two sequences of video material consisting of explicitly erotic (E), relaxing (R) and sports (S) segments in an unpredictable order. Data on penile turgidity was collected using a custom-built pneumatic pressure cuff. Both traditional block analyses using contrasts between sexually arousing and non-arousing video clips and a regression using penile turgidity as the covariate of interest were performed. In both types of analyses, contrast images were computed for each subject and these images were subsequently used in a random effects analysis. Strong activations specifically associated with penile turgidity were observed in the right subinsular region including the claustrum, left caudate and putamen, right middle occipital/ middle temporal gyri, bilateral cingulate gyrus and right sensorimotor and pre-motor regions. Smaller, but significant activation was observed in the right hypothalamus. Few significant activations were found in the block analyses. Implications of the findings are discussed. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of examining brain activation/sexual response relationships in an fMRI environment and reveals a number of brain structures whose activation is time-locked to sexual arousal.
The Cretaceous-Tertiary biotic transition Macleod, N; Rawson, P. F; Forey, P. L ...
Journal of the Geological Society,
03/1997, Letnik:
154, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Mass extinctions are recognized through the study of fossil groups across event horizons, and from analyses of long-term trends in taxonomic richness and diversity. Both approaches have inherent ...flaws, and data that once seemed reliable can be readily superseded by the discovery of new fossils and/or the application of new analytical techniques. Herein the current state of the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) biostratigraphical record is reviewed for most major fossil clades, including: calcareous nannoplankton, dinoflagellates, diatoms, radiolaria, foraminifera, ostracodes, scleractinian corals, bryozoans, brachio-pods, molluscs, echinoderms, fish, amphibians, reptiles and terrestrial plants (macrofossils and palynomorphs). These reviews take account of possible biasing factors in the fossil record in order to extract the most comprehensive picture of the K-T biotic crisis available. Results suggest that many faunal and floral groups (ostracodes, bryozoa, ammonite cephalopods, bivalves, archosaurs) were in decline throughout the latest Maastrichtian while others (diatoms, radiolaria, benthic foraminifera, brachiopods, gastropods, fish, amphibians, lepidosaurs, terrestrial plants) passed through the K-T event horizon with only minor taxonomic richness and/or diversity changes. A few microfossil groups (calcareous nannoplankton, dinoflagellates, planktonic foraminifera) did experience a turnover of varying magnitudes in the latest Maastrichtian-earliest Danian. However, many of these turnovers, along with changes in ecological dominance patterns among benthic foraminifera, began in the latest Maastrichtian. Improved taxonomic estimates of the overall pattern and magnitude of the K-T extinction event must await the development of more reliable systematic and phylogenetic data for all Upper Cretaceous clades.
A patient with von Hippel Lindau disease, bilateral symmetric renal cell carcinoma and pulmonary metastases treated with immunotherapy is the subject of this study. A left kidney and tumour mass were ...removed and the tumour cells used to make an autologous tumour/bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine as part of the treatment protocol. The patient's pulmonary nodules responded, but the remaining renal nodule subsequently grew. Samples of both tumours were obtained allowing for an internally controlled evaluation of the histological and immunohistologic differences between a responding and non‐responding tumour nodule after therapy. The immunotherapy protocol is designed to promote a T cell response to autologous tumour. Cellular infiltrates were demonstrated in both responding and non‐responding nodules compared with the pretreatment tumour specimen, but the responding nodule contained proportionately more T cells as well as markedly increased numbers of plasma cells and granulocytes. This suggested that several arms of the immune system may have been operative in the responding nodule.
The classification of the Jurassic to Albian Globigerinina is revised, phyletically and taxonomically. The Favusellacea comprise the genera Globuligerina (Jurassic) and Conoglobigerina ...(Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous), its descendant Favusella (Hauterivian to Cenomanian) and Ascoliella nov. (type species A. scotiensis nov.) (Aptian-Albian). The Globigerinacea include the families Praehedbergellidae nov. (from which the Hedbergellidae and its allies are descended) and the Schackoinidae; both are microperforate and nonmuricate. The Praehedbergellidae originate with Gorbachikella nov. (type species G. kugleri (Bolli)) and include Praehedbergella (Hauterivian-Aptian, including P. tatianae nov., P. grigelisae nov.), Wondersella, Blefuscuiana nov. (including B. kuznetsovae nov., B. mitra nov., B. multicamerata nov., B. speetonensis nov., B. globigerinelloides (Subbotina) lobulata nov. and B. occulta (Longoria) quinquecamerata nov.) (Barremian to Danian) and Lilliputianella nov. (including L. longorii nov.) (Aptian). The Schackoinidae includes Blowiella, Leupoldina and Schackoina. All the genera have their diagnoses emended as they are reinterpreted in accordance with the revised phyletic classification. Suggestions are made to explain the adaptive evolution of the taxa to the developing Early Cretaceous ocean.
In order to establish the relationship between the smooth, microperforate praehedbergellid forms of the genus Blefuscuiana with the younger, macroperforate and muricate forms typical of Hedbergella, ...two similar taxa but with the different characters of the two genera, are studied here: Blefuscuiana praetrocoidea (Kretchmar & Gorbachik) and its descendant Hedbergella trocoidea (Gandolfi), the type species of Hedbergella, and which typifies the Hedbergellidae.B. praetrocoidea was only found in the Early Aptian in the North Tethys. H. trocoidea ranges from the Late Aptian to Early Albian (?M. Albian) and is a cosmopolitan species. It evolves into Ticinella roberti (Gandolfi), a Late Aptian–Albian species with fused portici. The evolution of the Praehedbergellidae into the Hedbergellidae appears to be related to a relative sea-level rise in the Late Aptian and Albian (and the opening of the Proto-Atlantic) which provided a number of deep-water niches which the Hedbergellidae occupied.
Samples from Neogene limestones of the Indonesian islands of Nias and Tuangku, west of Sumatra, have yielded assemblages of foraminifera which include Alanlordia niasensis niasensis n.gen., n.sp., in ...the Late Pliocene, a new Acervulinid which grossly homeomorphs the Maastrichtian Vanderbeekia of the Middle East, while the Serravallian limestones contain the ancestral A. niasensis primitiva, n. subsp., and the deeper marine and morphologically simpler A. banyakensis n. sp., which grossly homeomorphs Wilfordia of the Eocene.
The primary types of the new species proposed by Redmond (1964) are rephotographed and discussed; their descriptions are emended. They represent the Late Jurassic/Early Cretaceous Loftusiacea ...considered by Aramco (in 1964) to be useful biostratigraphically; many are now known to be significant throughout much of the Middle East. The valid taxa are now to be referred to as Alveosepta (Redmondellina) powersi (Redmond) (type species of the new subgenus Redmondellina), Bramkampella arabica Redmond, Everticyclammina hensoni Redmond, E. contorta Redmond and Pseudocyclammina vasconica Maync subsp. cyclindrica Redmond. E. elegans and E. eccentrica are junior synonyms of E. kelleri (Henson), and P. sulaiyana is considered to be a junior synonym of P. lituus (Yokoyama) sensu stricto.
Everticyclammina kelleri (Henson) (= E. eccentrica Redmond and E. elegans Redmond), a Berriasian-Valanginian index in the Middle East, is descended from the Late Jurassic Tethyan E. praekelleri ...sp.nov, a species which probably had its ancestry in Late Jurassic Ammobaculites sp. From this ancestor also evolved E. virguliana, and, in the Middle East, its Early Cretaceous descendants E. hensoni Redmond, E. contorta Redmond and E. greigi (Henson), which themselves formed the ancestry of the Albian Hemicyclammina whitei (Henson) and the Tethyan Albian - Cenomanian index H. sigali (Maync). Another, independent lineage from Ammobaculites, Buccicrenata hedbergi (Maync) (= B. libyca Gohrbandt) to B. subgoodlandensis (Vanderpool), transglobal in the Barremian - Cenomanian, is distinguished.
A new correlation is proposed between the “Letter Stages” of the Far East, the Planktonic Foraminiferal Zones of the Oligocene-Miocene and the European Stages. Constructive criticisms are invited.
...Une nouvelle corrélation est proposée entre les ≪ étages-lettres ≫ de l'Extrême-Orient, les Foraminiferes Planktoniques Zones de l'Oligocène-Miocène et des étages Européens. Des critiques constructives sont suggerées.
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