4,651 research outputs found
The Effect of Appetite on Pain
Hunger and pain are powerful homeostatic drives, which compete for a behavioural response when experienced simultaneously. This thesis set out to explore neural mechanisms underpinning this competition, and how appetitive visual and olfactory stimuli may modulate the effect of homeostatic energy manipulations on pain. Using well-established techniques including EEG source analysis and resting state fMRI, we consistently employed a within-subjects fasting vs. satiation paradigm to investigate the effects of appetite on subjective pain perception and neural pain processing. Pain stimuli which selectively activated nociceptive AÎŽ fibres were presented concurrently with appetitive stimuli, and the neural nociceptive responses were mapped with high-density (128-channel) EEG recordings and fMRI functional connectivity. Based on the results of previous research, we hypothesised that fasting would suppress subjective and neural pain processing, and that visual and olfactory appetitive stimuli may augment this effect. We first found that a relatively short overnight fast was sufficient to induce significant changes in resting state functional connectivity in areas that underlie both hunger / satiety and pain: insula cortex, hypothalamus, and regions of prefrontal cortex. Source analysis of EEG data revealed a small group of brain regions whose pain-related activation was suppressed by hunger and / or appetitive stimuli: anterior cingulate cortex, operculo-insular cortex, parahippocampal cortex, and cerebellum. Functional connectivity analysis of fMRI data further uncovered a widely-distributed network of brain areas whose pain-induced connectivity was enhanced by fasting or satiety. Of particular interest was a small network of areas involved in stimulus saliency processing (anterior insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and prefrontal cortex), which was stronger during fasting; presumably advantageous when searching for food. Lastly, in an experiment using a bread odour, we found that the suppressive effect of appetitive stimuli on nociception is not just confined to the visual modality. Brief, strong pain can also be suppressed by an appetitive odour during fasting. We conclude that fasting reliably interferes with pain processing, and that ambient appetitive stimuli might be of use in situations where short-lasting pain is likely to occur
Did female prisoners with mental disorders receive psychiatric treatment before imprisonment?
© 2015 Mundt et al.; licensee BioMed Central. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain
Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article,
unless otherwise stated.BackgroundThroughout the world, high prevalence rates of mental disorders have been found in prison populations, especially in females. It has been suggested that these populations do not access psychiatric treatment. The aim of this study was to establish rates of psychiatric in- and outpatient treatments prior to imprisonment in female prisoners and to explore reasons for discontinuation of such treatments.Methods150 consecutively admitted female prisoners were interviewed in Berlin, Germany. Socio-demographic characteristics, mental disorders, and previous psychiatric in- and outpatient treatments were assessed by trained researchers. Open questions were used to explore reasons for ending previous psychiatric treatment.ResultsA vast majority of 99 prisoners (66%; 95% CI: 58Âż73) of the total sample reported that they had previously been in psychiatric treatment, 80 (53%; 95 CI: 45Âż61) in inpatient treatment, 62 (41%; 95 CI: 34Âż49) in outpatient treatment and 42 (29%; 21Âż39) in both in- and outpatient treatments. All prisoners with psychosis and 72% of the ones with any lifetime mental health disorder had been in previous treatment. The number of inpatient treatments and imprisonments were positively correlated (rhoÂż=Âż0.27; pÂż<Âż0.01). Inpatient treatment was described as successfully completed by 56% (NÂż=Âż41) of those having given reasons for ending such treatment, whilst various reasons were reported for prematurely ending outpatient treatments.ConclusionThe data do not support the notion of a general `mental health treatment gapÂż in female prisoners. Although inpatient care is often successfully completed, repeated inpatient treatments are not linked with fewer imprisonments. Improved transition from inpatient to outpatient treatment and services that engage female prisoners to sustained outpatient treatments are needed
Understanding the Performance-Limiting Factors of CsâAgBiBrâ Double-Perovskite Solar Cells
Double perovskites have recently emerged as possible alternatives to lead-based halide perovskites for photovoltaic applications. In particular, Understanding the Performance-Limiting Factors of CsâAgBiBrâ Double-Perovskite Solar Cells has been the subject of several studies because of its environmental stability, low toxicity, and its promising optoelectronic features. Despite these encouraging features, the performances of solar cells based on this double perovskite are still low, suggesting severe limitations that need to be addressed. In this work we combine experimental and theoretical studies to show that the short electron diffusion length is one of the major causes for the limited performance of CsâAgBiBrâ solar cells. Using EQE measurements on semitransparent CsâAgBiBrâ solar cells we estimate the electron diffusion length to be only 30 nm and corroborated this value by terahertz spectroscopy. By using photothermal deflection spectroscopy and surface photovoltage measurements we correlate the limited electron diffusion length with a high density of electron traps. Our findings highlight important faults affecting this double perovskite, showing the challenges to overcome and hinting to a possible path to improve the efficiency of CsâAgBiBrâ solar cells
Time-dependent response of a zonally averaged oceanâatmosphereâsea ice model to Milankovitch forcing
Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2010. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Springer-Verlag for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Climate Dynamics 6 (2010): 763-779, doi:10.1007/s00382-010-0790-6.An ocean-atmosphere-sea ice model is developed to explore the time-dependent
response of climate to Milankovitch forcing for the time interval 5-3 Myr BP. The ocean
component is a zonally averaged model of the circulation in five basins (Arctic, Atlantic,
Indian, Pacific, and Southern Oceans). The atmospheric component is a one-dimensional
(latitudinal) energy balance model, and the sea-ice component is a thermodynamic model.
Two numerical experiments are conducted. The first experiment does not include sea ice
and the Arctic Ocean; the second experiment does. Results from the two experiments are
used to investigate (i) the response of annual mean surface air and ocean temperatures to
Milankovitch forcing, and (ii) the role of sea ice in this response.
In both experiments, the response of air temperature is dominated by obliquity cycles
at most latitudes. On the other hand, the response of ocean temperature varies with latitude
and depth. Deep water formed between 45°N-65°N in the Atlantic Ocean mainly responds
to precession. In contrast, deep water formed south of 60°S responds to obliquity when sea
ice is not included. Sea ice acts as a time-integrator of summer insolation changes such that
annual mean sea-ice conditions mainly respond to obliquity. Thus, in the presence of sea
ice, air temperature changes over the sea ice are amplified, and temperature changes in deep
water of southern origin are suppressed since water below sea ice is kept near the freezing
point.This work was supported by an NSERC Discovery
Grant awarded to L.A.M. We also thank GEC3 for a Network Grant
Stretchable liquid-crystal blue-phase gels
Liquid crystalline polymers are materials of considerable scientific interest
and technological value to society [1-3]. An important subset of such materials
exhibit rubber-like elasticity; these can combine the remarkable optical
properties of liquid crystals with the favourable mechanical properties of
rubber and, further, exhibit behaviour not seen in either type of material
independently [2]. Many of their properties depend crucially on the particular
mesophase employed. Stretchable liquid crystalline polymers have previously
been demonstrated in the nematic, chiral nematic, and smectic mesophases [2,4].
Here were report the fabrication of a stretchable gel of blue phase I, which
forms a self-assembled, three-dimensional photonic crystal that may have its
optical properties manipulated by an applied strain and, further, remains
electro-optically switchable under a moderate applied voltage. We find that,
unlike its undistorted counterpart, a mechanically deformed blue phase exhibits
a Pockels electro-optic effect, which sets out new theoretical challenges and
new possibilities for low-voltage electro-optic devices.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, additional data and discussion included.
Supplementary videos available from F. Castles on reques
Transit Photometry as an Exoplanet Discovery Method
Photometry with the transit method has arguably been the most successful
exoplanet discovery method to date. A short overview about the rise of that
method to its present status is given. The method's strength is the rich set of
parameters that can be obtained from transiting planets, in particular in
combination with radial velocity observations; the basic principles of these
parameters are given. The method has however also drawbacks, which are the low
probability that transits appear in randomly oriented planet systems, and the
presence of astrophysical phenomena that may mimic transits and give rise to
false detection positives. In the second part we outline the main factors that
determine the design of transit surveys, such as the size of the survey sample,
the temporal coverage, the detection precision, the sample brightness and the
methods to extract transit events from observed light curves. Lastly, an
overview over past, current and future transit surveys is given. For these
surveys we indicate their basic instrument configuration and their planet
catch, including the ranges of planet sizes and stellar magnitudes that were
encountered. Current and future transit detection experiments concentrate
primarily on bright or special targets, and we expect that the transit method
remains a principal driver of exoplanet science, through new discoveries to be
made and through the development of new generations of instruments.Comment: Review chapte
Can we continue research in splenectomized dogs? Mycoplasma haemocanis: Old problem - New insight
We report the appearance of a Mycoplasma haemocanis infection in laboratory dogs, which has been reported previously, yet, never before in Europe. Outbreak of the disease was triggered by a splenectomy intended to prepare the dogs for a hemorrhagic shock study. The clinical course of the dogs was dramatic including anorexia and hemolytic anemia. Treatment included allogeneic transfusion, prednisone, and oxytetracycline. Systematic follow-up (n=12, blood smears, antibody testing and specific polymerase chain reaction) gives clear evidence that persistent eradication of M. haemocanis is unlikely. We, therefore, had to abandon the intended shock study. In the absence of effective surveillance and screening for M. haemocanis, the question arises whether it is prudent to continue shock research in splenectomized dogs. Copyright (C) 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel
Generalization Mediates Sensitivity to Complex Odor Features in the Honeybee
Animals use odors as signals for mate, kin, and food recognition, a strategy which appears ubiquitous and successful despite the high intrinsic variability of naturally-occurring odor quantities. Stimulus generalization, or the ability to decide that two objects, though readily distinguishable, are similar enough to afford the same consequence [1], could help animals adjust to variation in odor signals without losing sensitivity to key inter-stimulus differences. The present study was designed to investigate whether an animal's ability to generalize learned associations to novel odors can be influenced by the nature of the associated outcome. We use a classical conditioning paradigm for studying olfactory learning in honeybees [2] to show that honeybees conditioned on either a fixed- or variable-proportion binary odor mixture generalize learned responses to novel proportions of the same mixture even when inter-odor differences are substantial. We also show that the resulting olfactory generalization gradients depend critically on both the nature of the stimulus-reward paradigm and the intrinsic variability of the conditioned stimulus. The reward dependency we observe must be cognitive rather than perceptual in nature, and we argue that outcome-dependent generalization is necessary for maintaining sensitivity to inter-odor differences in complex olfactory scenes
Spectral compression of single photons
Photons are critical to quantum technologies since they can be used for
virtually all quantum information tasks: in quantum metrology, as the
information carrier in photonic quantum computation, as a mediator in hybrid
systems, and to establish long distance networks. The physical characteristics
of photons in these applications differ drastically; spectral bandwidths span
12 orders of magnitude from 50 THz for quantum-optical coherence tomography to
50 Hz for certain quantum memories. Combining these technologies requires
coherent interfaces that reversibly map centre frequencies and bandwidths of
photons to avoid excessive loss. Here we demonstrate bandwidth compression of
single photons by a factor 40 and tunability over a range 70 times that
bandwidth via sum-frequency generation with chirped laser pulses. This
constitutes a time-to-frequency interface for light capable of converting
time-bin to colour entanglement and enables ultrafast timing measurements. It
is a step toward arbitrary waveform generation for single and entangled
photons.Comment: 6 pages (4 figures) + 6 pages (3 figures
The chalcone butein from Rhus verniciflua Stokes inhibits clonogenic growth of human breast cancer cells co-cultured with fibroblasts
BACKGROUND: Butein (3,4,2',4'-tetrahydroxychalone), a plant polyphenol, is a major biologically active component of the stems of Rhus verniciflua Stokes. It has long been used as a food additive in Korea and as an herbal medicine throughout Asia. Recently, butein has been shown to suppress the functions of fibroblasts. Because fibroblasts are believed to play an important role in promoting the growth of breast cancer cells, we investigated the ability of butein to inhibit the clonogenic growth of small numbers of breast cancer cells co-cultured with fibroblasts in vitro. METHODS: We first measured the clonogenic growth of small numbers of the UACC-812 human breast cancer cell line co-cultured on monolayers of serum-activated, human fibroblasts in the presence of butein (2 ÎŒg/mL) or various other modulators of fibroblast function (troglitazone-1 ÎŒg/mL; GW9662-1 ÎŒM; meloxican-1 ÎŒM; and 3,4 dehydroproline-10 ÎŒg/mL). In a subsequent experiment, we measured the dose-response effect on the clonogenic growth of UACC-812 breast cancer cells by pre-incubating the fibroblasts with varying concentrations of butein (10 ÎŒg/ml-1.25 ÎŒg/mL). Finally, we measured the clonogenic growth of primary breast cancer cells obtained from 5 clinical specimens with normal fibroblasts and with fibroblasts that had been pre-treated with a fixed dose of butein (2.5 ÎŒg/mL). RESULTS: Of the five modulators of fibroblast function that we tested, butein was by far the most potent inhibitor of clonogenic growth of UACC-812 breast cancer cells co-cultured with fibroblasts. Pre-treatment of fibroblasts with concentrations of butein as low as 2.5 ÎŒg/mL nearly abolished subsequent clonogenic growth of UACC-812 breast cancer cells co-cultured with the fibroblasts. A similar dose of butein had no effect on the clonogenic growth of breast cancer cells cultured in the absence of fibroblasts. Significantly, clonogenic growth of the primary breast cancer cells was also significantly reduced or abolished when the tumor cells were co-cultured with fibroblasts that had been pre-treated with a fixed dose of butein. CONCLUSION: We conclude that fibroblasts pre-treated with non-toxic doses of butein (a natural herbal compound) no longer support the clonogenic growth of small numbers of primary breast cancer cells seeded into co-cultures. These results suggest that interference with the interaction between fibroblasts and breast cancer cells by the natural herbal compound, butein, should be further investigated as a novel experimental approach for possibly suppressing the growth of micrometastases of breast cancer
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