647 research outputs found
A parallel solution-adaptive scheme for ideal magnetohydrodynamics
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/77232/1/AIAA-1999-3273-200.pd
Formation of microtubule-based traps controls the sorting and concentration of vesicles to restricted sites of regenerating neurons after axotomy
Transformation of a transected axonal tip into a growth cone (GC) is a critical step in the cascade leading to neuronal regeneration. Critical to the regrowth is the supply and concentration of vesicles at restricted sites along the cut axon. The mechanisms underlying these processes are largely unknown. Using online confocal imaging of transected, cultured Aplysia californica neurons, we report that axotomy leads to reorientation of the microtubule (MT) polarities and formation of two distinct MT-based vesicle traps at the cut axonal end. Approximately 100 ÎŒm proximal to the cut end, a selective trap for anterogradely transported vesicles is formed, which is the plus end trap. Distally, a minus end trap is formed that exclusively captures retrogradely transported vesicles. The concentration of anterogradely transported vesicles in the former trap optimizes the formation of a GC after axotomy
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A cerebellar learning model that reproduces the behavior of vestibulo-ocular reflex adaptation in wild-type and knock-out mice
The cerebellum is crucial for different types of motor learning. Established theories of cerebellar learning posit that the cerebellum learns by adjusting the weights of Parallel Fiber (PF) to Purkinje cells (PC) synapses, thanks to teaching signals provided by Climbing Fiber inputs. While these theories are consistent with a large body of experimental data, in particular on synaptic plasticity in PF to PC synapses, they cannot easily explain a growing body of experimental work, which seems to indicate a significant role of other sites of plasticity. Recent advances in the development of a large number in transgenic animals, as well as behavioral and electrophysiogical comparative studies between these animals and wild-type animals, have opened an unprecedented window into the mechanisms underlying learning in this structure. In particular, it has been shown that specific knock-outs are impaired selectively on difficult variants of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) adaptation task, one of the most studied cerebellar-dependent motor learning tasks. These impairments can occur even though the classical plasticity mechanisms are left untouched. These data pose significant new challenges for established models of cerebellar learning
Spiral Galaxies with HST/NICMOS. I. Nuclear Morphologies, Color Maps and Distinct Nuclei
This is the first of two papers where we present the analysis of an HST
NICMOS-Cam2 near-infared (NIR) snapshot survey in the F160W (H) filter for a
sample of 78 spiral galaxies selected from the UGC and ESOLV catalogs. For 69
of these objects we provide nuclear color information derived by combining the
H data either with additional NICMOS F110W (J) images or with V WFPC2/HST data.
Here we present the NIR images and the optical-NIR color maps. We focus our
attention on the properties of the photometrically-distinct `nuclei' which are
found embedded in most of the galaxies, and provide measurements of their
half-light radii and magnitudes in the H (and when available, in the J) band.
We find that: (i) In the NIR, the nuclei embedded in the bright early- to
intermediate-type galaxies span a much larger range in brightness than the
nuclei which are typically found embedded in bulgeless late-type disks; (ii)
Nuclei are found in both non-barred and barred hosts, in large-scale (\gta 1
kpc) as well as in nuclear (up to a few 100pc) bars; (iii) There is a
significant increase in half-light radius with increasing luminosity of the
nucleus in the early/intermediate types; (iv) The nuclei of
early/intermediate-type spirals cover a large range of optical-NIR colors, from
-0.5 to 3. Some nuclei are bluer and others redder than the
surrounding galaxy, indicating the presence of activity or reddening by dust in
many of these systems; (v) Some early/intermediate nuclei are elongated and/or
slightly offset from the isophotal center of the host galaxy. On average,
however, these nuclei appear as centered, star-cluster-like structures similar
to those which are found in the late-type disks. [abridged]Comment: Astronomical Journal, accepted, January 2002 Issue; higher-res Figs
1, 2 and 9 available upon reques
Impact of enriched environment on motor performance and learning in mice
Neuroscience heavily relies on animal welfare in laboratory rodents as it can significantly affect brain development, cognitive function and memory formation. Unfortunately, laboratory animals are often raised in artificial environments devoid of physical and social stimuli, potentially leading to biased outcomes in behavioural assays. To assess this effect, we examined the impact of social and physical cage enrichment on various forms of motor coordination. Our findings indicate that while enriched-housed animals did not exhibit faster learning in eyeblink conditioning, the peak timing of their conditioned responses was slightly, but significantly, improved. Additionally, enriched-housed animals outperformed animals that were housed in standard conditions in the accelerating rotarod and ErasmusLadder test. In contrast, we found no significant effect of enrichment on the balance beam and grip strength test. Overall, our data suggest that an enriched environment can improve motor performance and motor learning under challenging and/or novel circumstances, possibly reflecting an altered state of anxiety.</p
A SAURON study of stars and gas in Sa bulges
We present results from our ongoing effort to understand the morphological
and kinematical properties of early-type galaxies using the integral-field
spectrograph SAURON. We discuss the relation between the stellar and gas
morphology and kinematics in our sub-sample of 24 representative Sa spiral
bulges. We focus on the frequency of kinematically decoupled components and on
the presence of star formation in circumnuclear rings.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures; To appear in the proceedings of the "Island
Universes: Structure and Evolution of Disk Galaxies" conference held in
Terschelling, Netherlands, July 2005, ed. R. de Jong. A high resolution
version is available at
http://www.strw.leidenuniv.nl/~jfalcon/JFB_terschelling.pdf.g
HST Optical-NIR Colors of Nearby and Exponential Bulges
We have analysed , and HST images for a sample of early- to
late-type spiral galaxies, and reported elsewhere the statistical frequency of
-law and exponential bulges in our sample as a function of Hubble
type, and the frequency of occurrence and structural properties of the resolved
central nuclei hosted by intermediate- to late-type bulges and disks (see
references in the text). Here we use these data to show that: {\it (i)} The
color distribution of the bulges peaks around ,
with a sigma magnitudes. Assuming a solar metallicity,
these values correspond to stellar ages of Gyrs. In contrast,
the color distribution of the exponential bulges peaks at and has a sigma mags. This likely implies
significantly smaller ages and/or lower metallicities for (a significant
fraction of the stars in) the exponential bulges compared to the -law
spheroids. {\it (ii)} Most of the central nuclei hosted by the exponential
bulges have and colors which are compatible with relatively
unobscured stellar populations. Assuming no or little dust effects, ages \gta
1 Gyrs are suggested for these nuclei, which in turn imply masses of about a
few 10 to a few 10 M, i.e., sufficient to dissolve progenitor
bars with masses consistent with those inferred for the exponential bulges by
their luminosities. {\it (iii)} While different bulge-nucleus pairs cover a
large range of colors, each bulge-nucleus pair has quite similar
colors, and thus possibly similar stellar populations. (abridged)Comment: ApJ, accepted, Dec 10, 2000 Issu
fMRI Activities in the Emotional Cerebellum: A Preference for Negative Stimuli and Goal-Directed Behavior
Several studies indicate that the cerebellum might play a role in experiencing and/or controlling emphatic emotions, but it remains to be determined whether there is a distinction between positive and negative emotions, and, if so, which specific parts of the cerebellum are involved in these types of emotions. Here, we visualized activations of the cerebellum and extracerebellar regions using high-field fMRI, while we asked participants to observe and imitate images with pictures of human faces expressing different emotional states or with moving geometric shapes as control. The state of the emotions could be positive (happiness and surprise), negative (anger and disgust), or neutral. The positive emotional faces only evoked mild activations of crus 2 in the cerebellum, whereas the negative emotional faces evoked prominent activations in lobules VI and VIIa in its hemispheres and lobules VIII and IX in the vermis. The cerebellar activations associated with negative emotions occurred concomitantly with activations of mirror neuron domains such as the insula and amygdala. These data suggest that the potential role of the cerebellum in control of emotions may be particularly relevant for goal-directed behavior that is required for observing and reacting to another personâs (negative) expressions
A retinal origin of nystagmusâa perspective
Congenital nystagmus is a condition where the eyes of patients oscillate, mostly horizontally, with a frequency of between 2 and 10Â Hz. Historically, nystagmus is believed to be caused by a maladaptation of the oculomotor system and is thus considered a disease of the brain stem. However, we have recently shown that congenital nystagmus associated with congenital stationary night blindness is caused by synchronously oscillating retinal ganglion cells. In this perspective article, we discuss how some details of nystagmus can be accounted for by the retinal mechanism we propose
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