Histologische, funktionelle und spezifische Regeneration nach Durchtrennung der Fila olfactoria beim Goldfisch ( Carassius auratus )

1. Alter dissection of the olfactory libres (fila olfactoria, Fig. 1) in the goldfisch, histological (Fig. 5) as well as functional regeneration takes place. When regeneration of the olfactory fibres was complete, no differences in training and learning behaviour between operated and untreated control animals could be observed (Fig. 2). Specific regeneration could also be proved after dissection of the olfactory fibres: Preoperatively trained discriminative behaviour returned (Figs. 3, 4) when histological regeneration had reached an advanced state (Figs. 6, 7). Higher concentrations of all substances used for odour training were capable of exciting the taste receptors or other struktures outside the olfactory mucosa. The concentrations used for olfactory training, however, were below the thresholds for non-olfactory perception. Neither the surgical procedure nor the anesthesia influenced the memory function. 1. Goldfische können die durchschnittenen Bahnen der Fila olfactoria anatomisch und funktionell regenerieren.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47102/1/359_2004_Article_BF00340911.pd

Effect of acute copper sulfate exposure on olfactory responses to amino acids and pheromones in goldfish (Carassius auratus)

Exposure of olfactory epithelium to environmentally relevant concentrations of copper disrupts olfaction in fish. To examine the dynamics of recovery at both functional and morphological levels after acute copper exposure, unilateral exposure of goldfish olfactory epithelia to 100 μM CuSO4 (10 min) was followed by electro-olfactogram (EOG) recording and scanning electron microscopy. Sensitivity to amino acids (L-arginine and L-serine), generally considered food-related odorants, recovered most rapidly (three days), followed by that to catecholamines(3-O-methoxytyramine),bileacids(taurolithocholic acid) and the steroid pheromone, 17,20 -dihydroxy-4-pregnen- 3-one 20-sulfate, which took 28 days to reach full recovery. Sensitivity to the postovulatory pheromone prostaglandin F2R had not fully recovered even at 28 days. These changes in sensitivity were correlated with changes in the recovery of ciliated and microvillous receptor cell types. Microvillous cells appeared largely unaffected by CuSO4 treatment. Cilia in ciliated receptor neurones, however, appeared damaged one day post-treatment and were virtually absent after three days but had begun to recover after 14 days. Together, these results support the hypothesis that microvillous receptor neurones detect amino acids whereas ciliated receptor neurones were not functional and are responsible for detection of social stimuli (bile acidsandpheromones).Furthermore, differences in sensitivity to copper may be due to different transduction pathways in the different cell types

Spotting Trees with Few Leaves

We show two results related to the Hamiltonicity and $k$-Path algorithms in undirected graphs by Bj\"orklund [FOCS'10], and Bj\"orklund et al., [arXiv'10]. First, we demonstrate that the technique used can be generalized to finding some $k$-vertex tree with $l$ leaves in an $n$-vertex undirected graph in $O^*(1.657^k2^{l/2})$ time. It can be applied as a subroutine to solve the $k$-Internal Spanning Tree ($k$-IST) problem in $O^*(\min(3.455^k, 1.946^n))$ time using polynomial space, improving upon previous algorithms for this problem. In particular, for the first time we break the natural barrier of $O^*(2^n)$. Second, we show that the iterated random bipartition employed by the algorithm can be improved whenever the host graph admits a vertex coloring with few colors; it can be an ordinary proper vertex coloring, a fractional vertex coloring, or a vector coloring. In effect, we show improved bounds for $k$-Path and Hamiltonicity in any graph of maximum degree $\Delta=4,\ldots,12$ or with vector chromatic number at most 8

Extracellular ATP released by osteoblasts is a key local inhibitor of bone mineralisation

Previous studies have shown that exogenous ATP (>1µM) prevents bone formation in vitro by blocking mineralisation of the collagenous matrix. This effect is thought to be mediated via both P2 receptor-dependent pathways and a receptor-independent mechanism (hydrolysis of ATP to produce the mineralisation inhibitor pyrophosphate, PPi). Osteoblasts are also known to release ATP constitutively. To determine whether this endogenous ATP might exert significant biological effects, bone-forming primary rat osteoblasts were cultured with 0.5-2.5U/ml apyrase (which sequentially hydrolyses ATP to ADP to AMP + 2Pi). Addition of 0.5U/ml apyrase to osteoblast culture medium degraded extracellular ATP to <1% of control levels within 2 minutes; continuous exposure to apyrase maintained this inhibition for up to 14 days. Apyrase treatment for the first 72 hours of culture caused small decreases (≤25%) in osteoblast number, suggesting a role for endogenous ATP in stimulating cell proliferation. Continuous apyrase treatment for 14 days (≥0.5U/ml) increased mineralisation of bone nodules by up to 3-fold. Increases in bone mineralisation were also seen when osteoblasts were cultured with the ATP release inhibitors, NEM and brefeldin A, as well as with P2X1 and P2X7 receptor antagonists. Apyrase decreased alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) activity by up to 60%, whilst increasing the activity of the PPi-generating ecto-nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterases (NPPs) up to 2.7-fold. Both collagen production and adipocyte formation were unaffected. These data suggest that nucleotides released by osteoblasts in bone could act locally, via multiple mechanisms, to limit mineralisation

Confluence and Convergence in Probabilistically Terminating Reduction Systems

Convergence of an abstract reduction system (ARS) is the property that any derivation from an initial state will end in the same final state, a.k.a. normal form. We generalize this for probabilistic ARS as almost-sure convergence, meaning that the normal form is reached with probability one, even if diverging derivations may exist. We show and exemplify properties that can be used for proving almost-sure convergence of probabilistic ARS, generalizing known results from ARS.Comment: Pre-proceedings paper presented at the 27th International Symposium on Logic-Based Program Synthesis and Transformation (LOPSTR 2017), Namur, Belgium, 10-12 October 2017 (arXiv:1708.07854

Minimising Communication in Honest-Majority MPC by Batchwise Multiplication Verification

In this paper, we present two new and very communication-efficient protocols for maliciously secure multi-party computation over fields in the honest-majority setting with abort. Our first protocol improves a recent protocol by Lindell and Nof. Using the so far overlooked tool of batchwise multiplication verification, we speed up their technique for checking correctness of multiplications (with some other improvements), reducing communication by 2x to 7x. In particular, in the 3PC setting, each party sends only two field elements per multiplication. We also show how to achieve fairness, which Lindell and Nof left as an open problem. Our second protocol again applies batchwise multiplication verification, this time to perform 3PC by letting two parties perform the SPDZ protocol using triples generated by a third party and verified batchwise. In this protocol, each party sends only 4/3 field elements during the online phase and 5/3 field elements during the preprocessing phase

DDH-Like Assumptions Based on Extension Rings

Abstract. We introduce and study a new type of DDH-like assumptions based on groups of prime order q. Whereas standard DDH is based on encoding elements of Fq “in the exponent ” of elements in the group, we ask what happens if instead we put in the exponent elements of the extension ring Rf = Fq[X]/(f) where f is a degree-d polynomial. The decision problem that follows naturally reduces to the case where f is irreducible. This variant is called the d-DDH problem, where 1-DDH is standard DDH. We show in the generic group model that d-DDH is harder than DDH for d&gt; 1 and that we obtain, in fact, an infinite hierarchy of progressively weaker assumptions whose complexities lie “between” DDH and CDH. This leads to a large number of new schemes because virtually all known DDH-based constructions can very easily be upgraded to be based on d-DDH. We use the same construction and security proof but get better security and moreover, the amortized complexity (e.g, computation per encrypted bit) is the same as when using DDH. We also show that d-DDH, just like DDH, is easy in bilinear groups. We therefore suggest a different type of assumption, the d-vector DDH problems (d-VDDH), which are based on f(X) = X d, but with a twist to avoid problems with reducible polynomials. We show in the generic group model that d-VDDH is hard in bilinear groups and that the problems become harder with increasing d. We show that hardness of d-VDDH implies CCA-secure encryption, efficient Naor-Reingold style pseudorandom functions, and auxiliary input secure encryption. This can be seen as an alternative to the known family of k-LIN assumptions.

A Closed-Form Solution of Rotation Invariant Spherical Harmonic Features in Diffusion MRI

International audienceRotation invariant features are an indispensable tool for characterizing diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and in particular for brain tissue microstructure estimation. In this work, we propose a new mathematical framework for efficiently calculating a complete set of such invariants from any spherical function. Specifically, our method is based on the spherical harmonics series expansion of a given function of any order and can be applied directly to the resulting coefficients by performing a simple integral operation analytically. This enable us to derive a general closed-form equation for the invariants. We test our invariants on the diffusion MRI fiber orientation distribution function obtained from the diffusion signal both in-vivo and in synthetic data. Results show how it is possible to use these invariants for characterizing the white matter using a small but complete set of features

Systematic review of dexketoprofen in acute and chronic pain

which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Background: Dexketoprofen, an NSAID used in the management of acute and chronic pains, is licensed in several countries but has not previously been the subjected of a systematic review. We used published and unpublished information from randomised clinical trials (RCTs) of dexketoprofen in painful conditions to assess evidence on efficacy and harm. Methods: PubMed and Cochrane Central were searched for RCTs of dexketoprofen for pain of any aetiology. Reference lists of retrieved articles and reviews were also searched. Menarini Group produced copies of published and unpublished studies (clinical trial reports). Data were abstracted into a standard form. For studies reporting results of single dose administration, the number of patients with at least 50 % pain relief was derived and used to calculate the relative benefit (RB) and number-needed-to-treat (NNT) for one patient to achieve at least 50 % pain relief compared with placebo. Results: Thirty-five trials were found in acute pain and chronic pain; 6,380 patients were included, 3,381 receiving dexketoprofen. Information from 16 trials (almost half the total patients) wa

Selecting the best candidates for resurrecting extinct-in-the-wild plants from herbaria

Resurrecting extinct species is a fascinating and challenging idea for scientists and the general public. Whereas some theoretical progress has been made for animals, the resurrection of extinct plants (de-extinction sensu lato) is a relatively recently discussed topic. In this context, the term ‘de-extinction’ is used sensu lato to refer to the resurrection of ‘extinct in the wild’ species from seeds or tissues preserved in herbaria, as we acknowledge the current impossibility of knowing a priori whether a herbarium seed is alive and can germinate. In plants, this could be achieved by germinating or in vitro tissue-culturing old diaspores such as seeds or spores available in herbarium specimens. This paper reports the first list of plant de-extinction candidates based on the actual availability of seeds in herbarium specimens of globally extinct plants. We reviewed globally extinct seed plants using online resources and additional literature on national red lists, resulting in a list of 361 extinct taxa. We then proposed a method of prioritizing candidates for seed-plant de-extinction from diaspores found in herbarium specimens and complemented this with a phylogenetic approach to identify species that may maximize evolutionarily distinct features. Finally, combining data on seed storage behaviour and longevity, as well as specimen age in the novel ‘best de-extinction candidate’ score (DEXSCO), we identified 556 herbarium specimens belonging to 161 extinct species with available seeds. We expect that this list of de-extinction candidates and the novel approach to rank them will boost research efforts towards the first-ever plant de-extinction