Indifference to dissonance in native Amazonians reveals cultural variation in music perception.

by biology remains debated. One widely discussed phenomenon is that some combinations of notes are perceived by Westerners as pleasant, or consonant, whereas others are perceived as unpleasant,or dissonant. The contrast between consonance and dissonance is central to Western music and its origins have fascinated scholars since the ancient Greeks. Aesthetic responses to consonance are commonly assumed by scientists to have biological roots, and thus to be universally present in humans. Ethnomusicologists and composers, in contrast, have argued that consonance is a creation of Western musical culture. The issue has remained unresolved, partly because little is known about the extent of cross-cultural variation in consonance preferences. Here we report experiments with the Tsimane'--a native Amazonian society with minimal exposure to Western culture--and comparison populations in Bolivia and the United States that varied in exposure to Western music. Participants rated the pleasantness of sounds. Despite exhibiting Western-like discrimination abilities and Western-like aesthetic responses to familiar sounds and acoustic roughness, the Tsimane' rated consonant and dissonant chords and vocal harmonies as equally pleasant. By contrast, Bolivian city- and town-dwellers exhibited significant preferences for consonance,albeit to a lesser degree than US residents. The results indicate that consonance preferences can be absent in cultures sufficiently isolated from Western music, and are thus unlikely to reflect innate biases or exposure to harmonic natural sounds. The observed variation in preferences is presumably determined by exposure to musical harmony, suggesting that culture has a dominant role in shaping aesthetic responses to music.

Structural investigation of selective binding dynamics for the pheromone-binding protein 1 of the grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana.

The European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller), is a serious pest in vineyards in North and South America. Mating disruption techniques have been used to control and monitor L. botrana on the basis of its sexual communication. This needs a well-tuned olfactory system, in which it is believed that pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs) are key players that transport pheromones in the antennae of moths. In this study, the selectivity of a PBP, named as LbotPBP1, was tested by fluorescence binding assays against 11 sex pheromone components and 6 host plant volatiles. In addition, its binding mechanism was predicted on the basis of structural analyses by molecular docking and complex and steered molecular dynamics (SMD). Our results indicate that LbotPBP1 binds selectively to sex pheromone components over certain host plant volatiles, according to both in vitro and in silico tests. Thus, chain length (14 carbon atoms) and functional groups (i.e., alcohol and ester) appear to be key features for stable binding. Likewise, residues such as Phe12, Phe36, and Phe118 could participate in unspecific binding processes, whilst Ser9, Ser56, and Trp114 could participate in the specific recognition and stabilization of sex pheromones instead of host plant volatiles. Moreover, our SMD approach supported 11-dodecenyl acetate as the best ligand for LbotPBP1. Overall, the dynamics simulations, contact frequency analysis and SMD shed light on the binding mechanism of LbotPBP1 and could overcome the imprecision of molecular docking, supporting the in vitro binding assays. Finally, the role of LbotPBP1 in the chemical ecology of L. botrana is discussed.

Degradation studies of quetiapine fumarate by liquid chromatography-diode array detection and tandem mass spectrometry methods.

Quetiapine fumarate (QUE) is an antipsychotic agent with a chemical structure that is susceptible to degradation; therefore, it is important to study its stability using appropriate analytical tools. Knowledge of the stability profile of a drug is important because chemical degradation of its active component often results in a loss of potency, affecting its efficacy and safety. This current work reports degradation studies of QUE as drug substance, under different stress conditions such as oxidation, hydrolysis, heat, humidity and photolysis, by a stability-indicating LC method. The chemical stability was evaluated using a simple HPLC/diode array detection method, with a core-shell C18 column under isocratic conditions, which allows the separation of all primary degradation products (DPs) in a short run time. QUE was mainly degraded under oxidative and hydrolytic conditions, with the formation of three and two DPs, respectively, which were identified by electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. The method was properly validated in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision, selectivity, robustness and quantitation limit. Commercial tablets containing 25 mg of QUE were quantified, with results obtained within the United States Pharmacopeia limits. The proposed method is suitable to assess the stability and perform routine analysis of QUE in pharmaceutical samples.

Child stunting is associated with weaker human capital among native Amazonians.

OBJECTIVES: We assessed associations between child stunting, recovery, and faltering with schooling and human capital skills in a native Amazonian society of horticulturalists-foragers (Tsimane'). METHODS: We used cross-sectional data (2008) from 1262 children aged 6 to 16 years in 53 villages to assess contemporaneous associations between three height categories: stunted (height-for-age Z score, HAZ<-2), moderately stunted (-2 ≤ HAZ≤-1), and nonstunted (HAZ>-1), and three categories of human capital: completed grades of schooling, test-based academic skills (math, reading, writing), and local plant knowledge. We used annual longitudinal data (2002-2010) from all children (n = 853) in 13 villages to estimate the association between changes in height categories between the first and last years of measure and schooling and academic skills. RESULTS: Stunting was associated with 0.4 fewer completed grades of schooling (∼24% less) and with 13-15% lower probability of showing any writing or math skills. Moderate stunting was associated with ∼20% lower scores in local plant knowledge and 9% lower probability of showing writing skills, but was not associated with schooling or math and writing skills. Compared with nonstunted children, children who became stunted had 18-21% and 15-21% lower probabilities of showing math and writing skills, and stunted children had 0.4 fewer completed grades of schooling. Stunted children who recovered showed human capital outcomes that were indistinguishable from nonstunted children. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm adverse associations between child stunting and human capital skills. Predictors of growth recovery and faltering can affect human capital outcomes, even in a remote, economically self-sufficient society.

Determination of vortioxetine and its degradation product in bulk and tablets, by LC-DAD and MS/MS methods.

Vortioxetine hydrobromide (VOR), is a novel antidepressant used for the treatment of major depressive disorder. It has a chemical structure susceptible to degradation, therefore it is important to have suitable analytical methods to determine VOR in presence of its main degradation products (DP), because if the compound degrades, this could result in diminution of the therapeutic activity and safety. A simple HPLC method with photodiode array detection was developed and validated for determination of VOR in bulk and tablets, in the presence of its major DP. The drug was subjected to oxidative, hydrolytic, and photolytic stress conditions, showing significant degradation under oxidation with the formation of one DP, which was identified by ESI-MS/MS. A C18 column was used, with mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water with acetic acid and triethylamine in isocratic elution mode, with detection at 228 nm and 1.0 mL/min flow rate. The assay was linear in the 25-125 µg/mL concentration range. For precision, the RSD was <1.8%, the recovery was 100.0-101.6%, and the method demonstrated adequate selectivity. The method was successfully applied to quantify VOR in tablets. The results showed that the method is useful for routine analysis and for quality control purposes.

Birth seasons and heights among girls and boys below 12 years of age: lasting effects and catch-up growth among native Amazonians in Bolivia.

BACKGROUND: Seasons affect many social, economic, and biological outcomes, particularly in low-resource settings, and some studies suggest that birth season affects child growth. AIM: To study a predictor of stunting that has received limited attention: birth season. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study uses cross-sectional data collected during 2008 in a low-resource society of horticulturists-foragers in the Bolivian Amazon, Tsimane'. It estimates the associations between birth months and height-for-age Z-scores (HAZ) for 562 girls and 546 boys separately, from birth until age 11 years or pre-puberty, which in this society occurs ∼13-14 years. RESULTS: Children born during the rainy season (February-May) were shorter, while children born during the end of the dry season and the start of the rainy season (August-November) were taller, both compared with their age-sex peers born during the rest of the year. The correlations of birth season with HAZ were stronger for boys than for girls. Controlling for birth season, there is some evidence of eventual partial catch-up growth, with the HAZ of girls or boys worsening until ∼ age 4-5 years, but improving thereafter. By age 6 years, many girls and boys had ceased to be stunted, irrespective of birth season. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that redressing stunting will require attention to conditions in utero, infancy and late childhood.

Optimization of rhein-loaded polymeric nanoparticles using a factorial design and evaluation of the cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory effects.

The aim of the work was to develop rhein loaded polymeric nanoparticles (R-PNPs). Nanoparticles were prepared by three methods, solvent emulsion-evaporation, double emulsion, and nanoprecipitation, by means of experimental design. Additionally, the effects of the best formulation on in vitro cytotoxicity and inflammation were evaluated. The solvent emulsion-evaporation method presented the highest encapsulation efficiency of the three techniques (38.41%), as well as had a mean diameter of 189.33 nm and a polydispersity index of less than 0.1. Despite efforts to optimize the encapsulation of rhein, the drug release from nanoparticles was close to 50% during the first 5 min, followed by a continuous release within 60 min. It was observed that macrophages exposed to the highest concentration of R-PNPs showed cell viability about 80% and at the lowest nanoparticle concentrations was closed to 100%. IL-1ß in cell culture supernatants was decreased in the presence of R-PNPs and TNFα concentrations were lower than the sensitivity of the assay. ROS production was only inhibited with R-PNPs at concentrations of 2.5 and 5 µM. In conclusion, the solvent emulsion-evaporation was the best method evaluated to obtain nanoparticles with the desired specifications. It was possible to assess R-PNPs with low cytotoxicity and anti-inflammatory properties showed by the inhibition of IL-1ß production and a low decrease in ROS production.

Conditional cash transfers for primary education: Which children are left out?

Conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs to increase primary-school enrollment and attendance among low-income households have been shown to benefit children and households, but to date little is known about who joins such programs. We test three hypotheses about predictors of CCT program participation in indigenous societies in Bolivia, focusing on attributes of the household (ethnicity), parents (modern human capital), and children (age, sex). We model whether children receive a transfer from Bolivia's CCT program (Bono Juancito Pinto), using data from 811 school-age children and nine ethnic groups. Children from the group least exposed to Westerners (Tsimane') are 18-22 percentage points less likely to participate in the program than children from other lowland ethnic groups. Parental modern human capital and child sex do not predict participation. We discuss possible mechanisms underlying the findings and conclude that the Tsimane's current lower returns to schooling are the most likely explanation.

Catch-up growth and growth deficits: Nine-year annual panel child growth for native Amazonians in Bolivia.

BACKGROUND: Childhood growth stunting is negatively associated with cognitive and health outcomes, and is claimed to be irreversible after age 2. AIM: To estimate growth rates for children aged 2-7 who were stunted (sex-age standardised z-score [HAZ] <-2), marginally-stunted (-2 ≤ HAZ ≤-1) or not-stunted (HAZ >-1) at baseline and tracked annually until age 11; frequency of movement among height categories; and variation in height predicted by early childhood height. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study used a 9-year annual panel (2002-2010) from a native Amazonian society of horticulturalists-foragers (Tsimane'; n = 174 girls; 179 boys at baseline). Descriptive statistics and random-effect regressions were used. RESULTS: This study found some evidence of catch-up growth in HAZ, but persistent height deficits. Children stunted at baseline improved 1 HAZ unit by age 11 and had higher annual growth rates than non-stunted children. Marginally-stunted boys had a 0.1 HAZ units higher annual growth rate than non-stunted boys. Despite some catch up, ∼ 80% of marginally-stunted children at baseline remained marginally-stunted by age 11. The height deficit increased from age 2 to 11. Modest year-to-year movement was found between height categories. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of growth faltering among the Tsimane' has declined, but hurdles still substantially lock children into height categories.

Commonality and variation in mental representations of music revealed by a cross-cultural comparison of rhythm priors in 15 countries.

Music is present in every known society but varies from place to place. What, if anything, is universal to music cognition? We measured a signature of mental representations of rhythm in 39 participant groups in 15 countries, spanning urban societies and Indigenous populations. Listeners reproduced random 'seed' rhythms; their reproductions were fed back as the stimulus (as in the game of 'telephone'), such that their biases (the prior) could be estimated from the distribution of reproductions. Every tested group showed a sparse prior with peaks at integer-ratio rhythms. However, the importance of different integer ratios varied across groups, often reflecting local musical practices. Our results suggest a common feature of music cognition: discrete rhythm 'categories' at small-integer ratios. These discrete representations plausibly stabilize musical systems in the face of cultural transmission but interact with culture-specific traditions to yield the diversity that is evident when mental representations are probed across many cultures.