Interactions between vaccinia virus and sensitized macrophages in vitro

The action of peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) from normal and vaccinia virus infected mice on infectious vaccinia virus particles was investigatedin vitro. PEC from immune mice showed a significantly higher infectivity titre reduction (virus clearance, VC) than normal cells. This effect could be clearly attributed to the macrophage. Vaccinia virus multiplied in PEC from normal animals while there was no virus propagation in cells from immunized mice. The release of adsorbed or engulfed virus was reduced significantly in PEC from immunized animals. Anti-vaccinia-antibodies seem to activate normal macrophages to increased virus clearance. This stimulating effect was demonstrable only in the IgG fraction of the antiserum. The activity of macrophages from mice injected three times over a period of 14 days with vaccinia virus could be entirely blocked with anti-mouse-IgG, while PEC from mice injected one time six days previously were not inhibited

An Improved Test for Detecting Multiplicative Homeostatic Synaptic Scaling

Homeostatic scaling of synaptic strengths is essential for maintenance of network “gain”, but also poses a risk of losing the distinctions among relative synaptic weights, which are possibly cellular correlates of memory storage. Multiplicative scaling of all synapses has been proposed as a mechanism that would preserve the relative weights among them, because they would all be proportionately adjusted. It is crucial for this hypothesis that all synapses be affected identically, but whether or not this actually occurs is difficult to determine directly. Mathematical tests for multiplicative synaptic scaling are presently carried out on distributions of miniature synaptic current amplitudes, but the accuracy of the test procedure has not been fully validated. We now show that the existence of an amplitude threshold for empirical detection of miniature synaptic currents limits the use of the most common method for detecting multiplicative changes. Our new method circumvents the problem by discarding the potentially distorting subthreshold values after computational scaling. This new method should be useful in assessing the underlying neurophysiological nature of a homeostatic synaptic scaling transformation, and therefore in evaluating its functional significance

Modal Series Expansions for Plane Gravitational Waves

[EN] Propagation of gravitational disturbances at the speed of light is one of the key predictions of the General Theory of Relativity. This result is now backed indirectly by the observations of the behavior of the ephemeris of binary pulsar systems. These new results have increased the interest in the mathematical theory of gravitational waves in the last decades, and severalmathematical approaches have been developed for a better understanding of the solutions. In this paper we develop a modal series expansion technique in which solutions can be built for plane waves from a seed integrable function. The convergence of these series is proven by the Raabe-Duhamel criteria, and we show that these solutions are characterized by a well-defined and finite curvature tensor and also a finite energy content.Acedo Rodríguez, L. (2016). Modal Series Expansions for Plane Gravitational Waves. Gravitation and Cosmology. 22(3):251-257. doi:10.1134/S0202289316030026S251257223A. Einstein and N. Rosen, Journal of the Franklin Institute 223, 43–54 (1937).N. Rosen, Gen. Rel. Grav. 10, 351–364 (1979).C. Sivaram, Bull. Astr. Soc. India 23, 77–83 (1995).J. M. Weisberg, D. J. Nice, and J. H. Taylor, Astroph. J. 722, 1030–1034(2010); arXiv: 1011.0718.B. P. Abbott et al. (LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 061102 (2016).J. B. Griffiths, Colliding waves in general relativity (Clarendon, Oxford, 1991).S. Chandrasekhar, The mathematical theory of black holes (Clarendon, Oxford, 1983).D. Bini, V. Ferrari and J. Ibañez, Nuovo Cim. B 103, 29–44 (1989).L. Acedo, G. González-Parra, and A. J. Arenas, Nonlinear Analysis: Real World Applications 11, 1819–1825 (2010).L. Acedo, G. González-Parra, and A. J. Arenas, Physica A 389, 1151–1157 (2010).G. González-Parra, L. Acedo, and A. J. Arenas, Numerical Algorithms, published online 2013. doi 10.1007/s11075-013-9776-xW. Rindler, Relativity: Special, General and Cosmological, 2nd ed. (Oxford Univ., New York, 2006).G. Arfken, Mathematical Methods for Physicists, 3rd. ed. (Academic, Orlando, Florida, 1985).L. D. Landau and E. M. Lifshitz, The Classical Theory of Fields, 3rd ed. (Pergamon, New York, 1971).O. Costin, “Topological construction of transseries and introduction to generalized Borel summability,” in Analyzable Functions and Applications, Ed. by O. Costin, M. D. Kruskal, and A. Macintyre, Contemp. Math. 373 (Providence, RI, USA: Am. Math. Soc., 2005); arXiv: math/0608309.S. R. Coleman, Phys. Lett. B 70, 59–60 (1977).W. B. Campbell and T. A. Morgan, Phys. Lett. B 84, 87–88 (1979).A. S. Rabinowitch, Int. J. Adv. Math. Sciences 1 (3), 109–121 (2013).A. Feinstein and J. Ibañez, Phys. Rev. D 39 (2), 470–473 (1989)

The brain is a DJ using neuropeptides as sensory crossfaders

Sensory loss induces cross-modal plasticity, often resulting in altered performance in remaining sensory modalities. Whereas much is known about the macroscopic mechanisms underlying cross-modal plasticity, only scant information exists about its cellular and molecular underpinnings. We found that Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes deprived of a sense of body touch exhibit various changes in behavior, associated with other unimpaired senses. We focused on one such behavioral alteration, enhanced odor sensation, and sought to reveal the neuronal and molecular mechanisms that translate mechanosensory loss into improved olfactory acuity. To this end, we analyzed in mechanosensory mutants food-dependent locomotion patterns that are associated with olfactory responses and found changes that are consistent with enhanced olfaction. The altered locomotion could be reversed in adults by optogenetic stimulation of the touch receptor (mechanosensory) neurons. Furthermore, we revealed that the enhanced odor response is related to a strengthening of inhibitory AWC→AIY synaptic transmission in the olfactory circuit. Consistently, inserting in this circuit an engineered electrical synapse that diminishes AWC inhibition of AIY counteracted the locomotion changes in touch-deficient mutants. We found that this cross-modal signaling between the mechanosensory and olfactory circuits is mediated by neuropeptides, one of which we identified as FLP-20. Our results indicate that under normal function, ongoing touch receptor neuron activation evokes FLP-20 release, suppressing synaptic communication and thus dampening odor sensation. In contrast, in the absence of mechanosensory input, FLP-20 signaling is reduced, synaptic suppression is released, and this enables enhanced olfactory acuity; these changes are long lasting and do not represent ongoing modulation, as revealed by optogenetic experiments. Our work adds to a growing literature on the roles of neuropeptides in cross-modal signaling, by showing how activity-dependent neuropeptide signaling leads to specific cross-modal plastic changes in neural circuit connectivity, enhancing sensory performance.status: publishe

Bi-Directional Effect of Cholecystokinin Receptor-2 Overexpression on Stress-Triggered Fear Memory and Anxiety in the Mouse

Fear, an emotional response of animals to environmental stress/threats, plays an important role in initiating and driving adaptive response, by which the homeostasis in the body is maintained. Overwhelming/uncontrollable fear, however, represents a core symptom of anxiety disorders, and may disturb the homeostasis. Because to recall or imagine certain cue(s) of stress/threats is a compulsory inducer for the expression of anxiety, it is generally believed that the pathogenesis of anxiety is associated with higher attention (acquisition) selectively to stress or mal-enhanced fear memory, despite that the actual relationship between fear memory and anxiety is not yet really established. In this study, inducible forebrain-specific cholecystokinin receptor-2 transgenic (IF-CCKR-2 tg) mice, different stress paradigms, batteries of behavioral tests, and biochemical assays were used to evaluate how different CCKergic activities drive fear behavior and hormonal reaction in response to stresses with different intensities. We found that in IF-CCKR-2 tg mice, contextual fear was impaired following 1 trial of footshock, while overall fear behavior was enhanced following 36 trials of footshock, compared to their littermate controls. In contrast to a standard Yerkes-Dodson (inverted-U shaped) stress-fear relationship in control mice, a linearized stress-fear curve was observed in CCKR-2 tg mice following gradient stresses. Moreover, compared to 1 trial, 36 trials of footshock in these transgenic mice enhanced anxiety-like behavior in other behavioral tests, impaired spatial and recognition memories, and prolonged the activation of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and glucocorticoids (CORT) following new acute stress. Taken together, these results indicate that stress may trigger two distinctive neurobehavioral systems, depending on both of the intensity of stress and the CCKergic tone in the brain. A “threshold theory” for this two-behavior system has been suggested

Development of a photosynthesis model with an emphasis on ecological applications

In this paper, a description of photosynthesis in a single leaf is developed that separates physiological sub-processes and that is practical to apply as an ecological tool. Temperature dependencies are emphasized with the ultimate aim of linking such a description of photosynthesis with equations describing the energy budget of particular leaves. The description of photosynthesis can be applied to C 4 plants at this time and is needed to describe photosynthesis in C 3 plants when photorespiration is included. If the model is used to analyze at various times the response of a plant adjusting its metabolism to changes in light, temperature, or other factors experienced during growth, we will obtain a dynamic picture of the acclimation process. It will also be possible to determine the phenotypic plasticity of particular plants with respect to the metabolic sub-processes outlined.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47715/1/442_2004_Article_BF00582888.pd

Cold ablation driven by localized forces in alkali halides

Laser ablation has been widely used for a variety of applications. Since the mechanisms for ablation are strongly dependent on the photoexcitation level, so called cold material processing has relied on the use of high-peak-power laser fluences for which nonthermal processes become dominant; often reaching the universal threshold for plasma formation of ∼1 J cm-2 in most solids. Here we show single-shot time-resolved femtosecond electron diffraction, femtosecond optical reflectivity and ion detection experiments to study the evolution of the ablation process that follows femtosecond 400 nm laser excitation in crystalline sodium chloride, caesium iodide and potassium iodide. The phenomenon in this class of materials occurs well below the threshold for plasma formation and even below the melting point. The results reveal fast electronic and localized structural changes that lead to the ejection of particulates and the formation of micron-deep craters, reflecting the very nature of the strong repulsive forces at play