Socially Defined PMS

No agreed upon definition for “PMS” exists. This study was designed to explore the conceptualizations of the expression “PMS” held by college students. It was hoped that results would inform not only assessment and treatment of premenstrual disorders, but also the debate regarding inclusion in future diagnostic and statistical manuals of the American Psychiatric Association. Participants included 47 college students recruited from Freshman English classes at a small university in the Midwestern United States. Thirty female and 17 male participants were primarily Caucasian (43), single (36), and heterosexual (45). Each participant completed an in-class essay, an adjective checklist, and a questionnaire. The study was conducted within a social constructionist paradigm using a qualitative design and methodology. Content analysis of student essays indicated participants often associated PMS and bad biology. Women also associated PMS with having a bad day, unpleasant mood changes, and feeling like a victim. Men tended to focus on their own inconvenience, and expressed resentment over a perceived a double standard in which PMS was used by women as an excuse for bad behavior. Sixty-eight percent of participants claimed to be in a close relationship with one or more persons they believed had PMS. Ninety-three percent of females reported they believed they had PMS, yet only 20% reported seeking treatment. Participants most frequently selected “irritated”, “agitated”, and “annoyed” to describe a person with PMS. It is argued that the expression PMS is used to describe not only the normal menstrual cycle, but also perceptions of luck, emotions, behaviors and social interactions. PMS is socially constructed in a such a way that women\u27s biology is problematic, abnormal, and overwhelmingly negative. In addition, the expression PMS is used so broadly that its usefulness as a descriptor is questioned. Clinicians are encouraged to carefully identify what clients mean when they complain of PMS, and offer differential treatment options depending on their specific complaints. Authors of future editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association should take great care to differentiate between the broad and descriptively useless expression “PMS,” and the diagnostic criteria for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

Mixing of ultracold atomic clouds by merging of two magnetic traps

We demonstrate a method to make mixtures of ultracold atoms that does not make use of a two-species magneto-optical trap. We prepare two clouds of 87Rb atoms in distinct magnetic quadrupole traps and mix the two clouds by merging the traps. For correctly chosen parameters the mixing can be done essentially without loss of atoms and with only minor heating. The basic features of the process can be accounted for by a classical simulation of particle trajectories. Such calculations indicate that mixing of different mass species is also feasible, opening the way for using the method as a starting point for making quantum gas mixtures.Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures. Fig. 10 corrected. Fig. 13 updated with more points and better statistics. A couple of paragraphs rephrased and typos corrected. References update

Probabilistic state preparation of a single molecular ion by projection measurement

We show how to prepare a single molecular ion in a specific internal quantum state in a situation where the molecule is trapped and sympathetically cooled by an atomic ion and where its internal degrees of freedom are initially in thermal equilibrium with the surroundings. The scheme is based on conditional creation of correlation between the internal state of the molecule and the translational state of the collective motion of the two ions, followed by a projection measurement of this collective mode by atomic ion shelving techniques. State preparation in a large number of internal states is possible.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 2 table

Toll like Receptor signalling by Prevotella histicola activates alternative NF-κB signalling in Cystic Fibrosis bronchial epithelial cells compared to P. aeruginosa.

Funder: Department for Employment and Learning, Northern Ireland, UK; Grant(s): (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/department-economy-studentships)Funder: Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and Stroke Association, UK; Grant(s): NICHS, 2014_15 (https://www.nicva.org/organisation/ni-chest-heart-stroke)Cystic Fibrosis (CF), caused by mutations affecting the CFTR gene, is characterised by viscid secretions in multiple organ systems. CF airways contain thick mucus, creating a gradient of hypoxia, which promotes the establishment of polymicrobial infection. Such inflammation predisposes to further infection, a self-perpetuating cycle in mediated by NF-κB. Anaerobic Gram-negative Prevotella spp. are found in sputum from healthy volunteers and CF patients and in CF lungs correlate with reduced levels of inflammation. Prevotella histicola (P. histicola) can suppress murine lung inflammation, however, no studies have examined the role of P. histicola in modulating infection and inflammation in the CF airways. We investigated innate immune signalling and NF-kB activation in CF epithelial cells CFBE41o- in response to clinical stains of P. histicola and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). Toll-Like Receptor (TLR) expressing HEK-293 cells and siRNA assays for TLRs and IKKα were used to confirm signalling pathways. We show that P. histicola infection activated the alternative NF-kB signalling pathway in CF bronchial epithelial cells inducing HIF-1α protein. TLR5 signalling was responsible for the induction of the alternative NF-kB pathway through phosphorylation of IKKα. The induction of transcription factor HIF-1α was inversely associated with the induction of the alternative NF-kB pathway and knockdown of IKKα partially restored canonical NF-kB activation in response to P. histicola. This study demonstrates that different bacterial species in the respiratory microbiome can contribute differently to inflammation, either by activating inflammatory cascades (P. aeruginosa) or by muting the inflammatory response by modulating similar or related pathways (P. histicola). Further work is required to assess the complex interactions of the lung microbiome in response to mixed bacterial infections and their effects in people with CF

Periodic orbit analysis of an elastodynamic resonator using shape deformation

We report the first definitive experimental observation of periodic orbits (POs) in the spectral properties of an elastodynamic system. The Fourier transform of the density of flexural modes show peaks that correspond to stable and unstable POs of a clover shaped quartz plate. We change the shape of the plate and find that the peaks corresponding to the POs that hit only the unperturbed sides are unchanged proving the correspondence. However, an exact match to the length of the main POs could be made only after a small rescaling of the experimental results. Statistical analysis of the level dynamics also shows the effect of the stable POs.Comment: submitted to Europhysics Letter

Whipworms in humans and pigs: origins and demography

© 2016 Hawash et al. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. 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. The attached file is the published version of the article.NHM Repositor

Models and metaphors: complexity theory and through-life management in the built environment

Complexity thinking may have both modelling and metaphorical applications in the through-life management of the built environment. These two distinct approaches are examined and compared. In the first instance, some of the sources of complexity in the design, construction and maintenance of the built environment are identified. The metaphorical use of complexity in management thinking and its application in the built environment are briefly examined. This is followed by an exploration of modelling techniques relevant to built environment concerns. Non-linear and complex mathematical techniques such as fuzzy logic, cellular automata and attractors, may be applicable to their analysis. Existing software tools are identified and examples of successful built environment applications of complexity modelling are given. Some issues that arise include the definition of phenomena in a mathematically usable way, the functionality of available software and the possibility of going beyond representational modelling. Further questions arising from the application of complexity thinking are discussed, including the possibilities for confusion that arise from the use of metaphor. The metaphor of a 'commentary machine' is suggested as a possible way forward and it is suggested that an appropriate linguistic analysis can in certain situations reduce perceived complexity

Regional Characterisation of Hard-Bottom Nursery Habitat for Juvenile Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus) Using Rapid Assessment Techniques

Shallow, hard-bottom habitat constitutes approximately 30% of the coastal waters of south Florida, United States, yet it is a chronically understudied feature of the marine seascape in this region. In this study, we characterised the general biogeographic and structural features of shallow benthic hard-bottom communities in the Florida Keys, and related those to the abundance of juvenile Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus), the target of one of Florida\u27s most economically valuable fisheries. We used rapid assessment techniques to survey more than 100 hard-bottom sites in the Florida Keys to estimate the percentage bottom coverage of vegetation (seagrass and macroalgae) and the abundance of sponges, octocorals, hard corals, and other crevice-bearing structures, as well as the abundance of juvenile lobsters. Using a multivariate statistical approach, we evaluated the relationship between habitat and size-specific juvenile lobster abundance and quantitatively verified the existence of six generally accepted biogeographic subregions. Although the types of hard-bottom shelters used by juvenile lobsters varied somewhat among these subregions, in all regions, branching-candle sponges and octocorals were under-used by lobsters, whereas loggerhead sponges, coral heads, and solution holes were over-used (i.e., used more frequently than expected based on their availability). There was also an ontogenetic transition in the shelter preference of juvenile lobsters; small juveniles tended to occupy a variety of sponges, whereas large juveniles preferred hard structures such as coral heads and solution holes. This study yields the first quantitative biogeographic description of hard-bottom communities of the Florida Keys, and confirms the suspected relationship between the structural features of hard-bottom habitat and the value of these communities as nurseries for juvenile spiny lobster

Distinct nature of static and dynamic magnetic stripes in cuprate superconductors

We present detailed neutron scattering studies of the static and dynamic stripes in an optimally doped high-temperature superconductor, La$_2$CuO$_{4+y}$. We find that the dynamic stripes do not disperse towards the static stripes in the limit of vanishing energy transfer. We conclude that the dynamic stripes observed in neutron scattering experiments are not the Goldstone modes associated with the broken symmetry of the simultaneously observed static stripes, but rather that the signals originate from different domains in the sample. These domains may be related by structural twinning, or may be entirely different phases, where the static stripes in one phase are pinned versions of the dynamic stripes in the other. Our results explain earlier observations of unusual dispersions in underdoped La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CuO$_{4}$ ($x=0.07$) and La$_{2-x}$Ba$_x$CuO$_{4}$ ($x=0.095$). Our findings are relevant for all compounds exhibiting magnetic stripes, and may thus be a vital part in unveiling the nature of high temperature superconductivity