Improved method for optical fiber temperature probe implantation in brains of free-moving rats

Available online 19 December 2018BACKGROUND:The localized monitoring of brain temperature is crucial to the understanding of the mechanisms underlying brain hyperthermia, such as that caused by stimulant drugs. Many animal studies investigating brain hyperthermia have utilized thermocouple electrodes for temperature measurement, however optical fiber sensors have proven to be an attractive alternative to conventional measurement techniques. Despite their advantages, optical fiber sensors in their current form have struggled to find effective use in studies involving free-moving animals. NEW METHOD:We have developed an improved optical fiber temperature probe and implantation method suitable for sensing in free-moving animals. By altering the structure of the probe, conventional guide cannulae can be used for stereotaxic implantation thus increasing ease-of-use and probe durability. RESULTS:The new probe structure was easily implanted and extremely durable both pre-experimentation and during sampling in vivo. Probe re-usability also allowed for increased experimental workflow. Rats administered MDMA showed pathological increases in brain temperature. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD(S):Thermocouples commonly used for temperature measurement in deep brain structures lack the advantages offered by optical fiber sensors. Unlike our improved design, previous optical fiber temperature probes were unable to be removed from the brains of rats without removing the dental cement affixing it to the skull. This made the probe susceptible to breakage and often resulted in the complete loss of the animal from the experiment. CONCLUSIONS:Our fiber temperature probe and revised implantation technique can be easily employed in brain thermorecording using advantageous optical fiber sensors suitable for use in awake free-moving animals.Stefan T. Musolino, Erik P. Schartner, Mark R. Hutchinson, Abdallah Sale

Temperature-induced resonances and Landau damping of collective modes in Bose-Einstein condensed gases in spherical traps

Interaction between collective monopole oscillations of a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate and thermal excitations is investigated by means of perturbation theory. We assume spherical symmetry to calculate the matrix elements by solving the linearized Gross-Pitaevskii equations. We use them to study the resonances of the condensate induced by temperature when an external perturbation of the trapping frequency is applied and to calculate the Landau damping of the oscillations.Comment: revtex, 9 pages, 5 figure

Quantum corrections to the ground state energy of a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate: A diffusion Monte Carlo calculation

The diffusion Monte Carlo method is applied to describe a trapped atomic Bose-Einstein condensate at zero temperature, fully quantum mechanically and nonperturbatively. For low densities, $n(0)a^3 \le 2 \cdot 10^{-3}$ [n(0): peak density, a: s-wave scattering length], our calculations confirm that the exact ground state energy for a sum of two-body interactions depends on only the atomic physics parameter a, and no other details of the two-body model potential. Corrections to the mean-field Gross-Pitaevskii energy range from being essentially negligible to about 20% for N=2-50 particles in the trap with positive s-wave scattering length a=100-10000 a.u.. Our numerical calculations confirm that inclusion of an additional effective potential term in the mean-field equation, which accounts for quantum fluctuations [see e.g. E. Braaten and A. Nieto, Phys. Rev. B 56}, 14745 (1997)], leads to a greatly improved description of trapped Bose gases.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Elementary excitations of trapped Bose gas in the large-gas-parameter regime

We study the effect of going beyond the Gross-Pitaevskii theory on the frequencies of collective oscillations of a trapped Bose gas in the large gas parameter regime. We go beyond the Gross-Pitaevskii regime by including a higher-order term in the interatomic correlation energy. To calculate the frequencies we employ the sum-rule approach of many-body response theory coupled with a variational method for the determination of ground-state properties. We show that going beyond the Gross-Pitaevskii approximation introduces significant corrections to the collective frequencies of the compressional mode.Comment: 17 pages with 4 figures. To be published in Phys. Rev.

Variational self-consistent theory for trapped Bose gases at finite temperature

We apply the time-dependent variational principle of Balian-V\'en\'eroni to a system of self-interacting trapped bosons at finite temperature. The method leads to a set of coupled non-linear time dependent equations for the condensate density, the thermal cloud and the anomalous density. We solve numerically these equations in the static case for a harmonic trap. We analyze the various densities as functions of the radial distance and the temperature. We find an overall good qualitative agreement with recent experiments as well as with the results of many theoretical groups. We also discuss the behavior of the anomalous density at low temperatures owing to its importance to account for many-body effects.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

Thermodynamics of an interacting trapped Bose-Einstein gas in the classical field approximation

We present a convenient technique describing the condensate in dynamical equilibrium with the thermal cloud, at temperatures close to the critical one. We show that the whole isolated system may be viewed as a single classical field undergoing nonlinear dynamics leading to a steady state. In our procedure it is the observation process and the finite detection time that allow for splitting the system into the condensate and the thermal cloud.Comment: 4 pages, 4 eps figures, final versio

Dark soliton states of Bose-Einstein condensates in anisotropic traps

Dark soliton states of Bose-Einstein condensates in harmonic traps are studied both analytically and computationally by the direct solution of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation in three dimensions. The ground and self-consistent excited states are found numerically by relaxation in imaginary time. The energy of a stationary soliton in a harmonic trap is shown to be independent of density and geometry for large numbers of atoms. Large amplitude field modulation at a frequency resonant with the energy of a dark soliton is found to give rise to a state with multiple vortices. The Bogoliubov excitation spectrum of the soliton state contains complex frequencies, which disappear for sufficiently small numbers of atoms or large transverse confinement. The relationship between these complex modes and the snake instability is investigated numerically by propagation in real time.Comment: 11 pages, 8 embedded figures (two in color

Perspective: biomedical sensing and imaging with optical fibers - innovation through convergence of science disciplines

The probing of physiological processes in living organisms is a grand challenge that requires bespoke analytical tools. Optical fiber probes offer a minimally invasive approach to report physiological signals from specific locations inside the body. This perspective article discusses a wide range of such fiber probes developed at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale BioPhotonics. Our fiber platforms use a range of sensing modalities, including embedded nanodiamonds for magnetometry, interferometric fiber cavities for refractive index sensing, and tailored metal coatings for surface plasmon resonance sensing. Other fiber probes exploit molecularly sensitive Raman scattering or fluorescence where optical fibers have been combined with chemical and immunosensors. Fiber imaging probes based on interferometry and computational imaging are also discussed as emerging in vivo diagnostic devices. We provide examples to illustrate how the convergence of multiple scientific disciplines generates opportunities for the fiber probes to address key challenges in real-time in vivo diagnostics. These future fiber probes will enable the asking and answering of scientific questions that were never possible before.Jiawen Li ... Heike Ebendorff-Heidepriem ... Mark R. Hutchinson ... Roman Kostecki ... Erik P. Schartner ... Georgios Tsiminis ... Stephen C. Warren-Smith ... et al

The global atmospheric electrical circuit and climate

Evidence is emerging for physical links among clouds, global temperatures, the global atmospheric electrical circuit and cosmic ray ionisation. The global circuit extends throughout the atmosphere from the planetary surface to the lower layers of the ionosphere. Cosmic rays are the principal source of atmospheric ions away from the continental boundary layer: the ions formed permit a vertical conduction current to flow in the fair weather part of the global circuit. Through the (inverse) solar modulation of cosmic rays, the resulting columnar ionisation changes may allow the global circuit to convey a solar influence to meteorological phenomena of the lower atmosphere. Electrical effects on non-thunderstorm clouds have been proposed to occur via the ion-assisted formation of ultra-fine aerosol, which can grow to sizes able to act as cloud condensation nuclei, or through the increased ice nucleation capability of charged aerosols. Even small atmospheric electrical modulations on the aerosol size distribution can affect cloud properties and modify the radiative balance of the atmosphere, through changes communicated globally by the atmospheric electrical circuit. Despite a long history of work in related areas of geophysics, the direct and inverse relationships between the global circuit and global climate remain largely quantitatively unexplored. From reviewing atmospheric electrical measurements made over two centuries and possible paleoclimate proxies, global atmospheric electrical circuit variability should be expected on many timescale

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362