78 research outputs found
Equilibrium configurations of two charged masses in General Relativity
An asymptotically flat static solution of Einstein-Maxwell equations which
describes the field of two non-extreme Reissner - Nordstr\"om sources in
equilibrium is presented. It is expressed in terms of physical parameters of
the sources (their masses, charges and separating distance). Very simple
analytical forms were found for the solution as well as for the equilibrium
condition which guarantees the absence of any struts on the symmetry axis. This
condition shows that the equilibrium is not possible for two black holes or for
two naked singularities. However, in the case when one of the sources is a
black hole and another one is a naked singularity, the equilibrium is possible
at some distance separating the sources. It is interesting that for
appropriately chosen parameters even a Schwarzschild black hole together with a
naked singularity can be "suspended" freely in the superposition of their
fields.Comment: 4 pages; accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Immigrant women living with HIV in Spain: a qualitative approach to encourage medical follow-up
A systematic review of physiological methods in rodent pharmacological MRI studies
Rationale: Pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging (phMRI) provides an approach to study effects of drug challenges on brain processes. Elucidating mechanisms of drug action helps us to better understand the workings of neurotransmitter systems, map brain function or facilitate drug development. phMRI is increasingly used in preclinical research employing rodent models; however, data interpretation and integration are complicated by the use of different experimental approaches between laboratories. In particular, the effects of different anaesthetic regimes upon neuronal and haemodynamic processes and baseline physiology could be problematic.
Objectives: This paper investigates how differences in phMRI research methodologies are manifested and considers associated implications, placing particular emphasis on choice of anaesthetic regimes.
Methods: A systematic review of rodent phMRI studies was conducted. Factors such as those describing anaesthetic regimes (e.g. agent, dosage) and parameters relating to physiological maintenance (e.g. ventilatory gases) and MRI method were recorded.
Results: We identified 126 eligible studies and found that the volatile agents isoflurane (43.7 %) and halothane (33.3 %) were most commonly used for anaesthesia, but dosage and mixture of ventilatory gases varied substantially between laboratories. Relevant physiological parameters were usually recorded, although 32 % of studies did not provide cardiovascular measures.
Conclusions: Anaesthesia and animal preparation can influence phMRI data profoundly. The variation of anaesthetic type, dosage regime and ventilatory gases makes consolidation of research findings (e.g. within a specific neurotransmitter system) difficult. Standardisation of a small(er) number of preclinical phMRI research methodologies and/or increased consideration of approaches that do not require anaesthesia is necessary to address these challenges
Non-nociceptive roles of opioids in the CNS: opioids' effects on neurogenesis, learning, memory and affect.
Mortality due to opioid use has grown to the point where, for the first time in history, opioid-related deaths exceed those caused by car accidents in many states in the United States. Changes in the prescribing of opioids for pain and the illicit use of fentanyl (and derivatives) have contributed to the current epidemic. Less known is the impact of opioids on hippocampal neurogenesis, the functional manipulation of which may improve the deleterious effects of opioid use. We provide new insights into how the dysregulation of neurogenesis by opioids can modify learning and affect, mood and emotions, processes that have been well accepted to motivate addictive behaviours
Use of the PREPARE (PREhabilitation, Physical Activity and exeRcisE) program to improve outcomes after lumbar fusion surgery for severe low back pain: a study protocol of a person-centred randomised controlled trial
Inherited determinants of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis phenotypes: a genetic association study
Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are the two major forms of inflammatory bowel disease; treatment strategies have historically been determined by this binary categorisation. Genetic studies have identified 163 susceptibility loci for inflammatory bowel disease, mostly shared between Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. We undertook the largest genotype association study, to date, in widely used clinical subphenotypes of inflammatory bowel disease with the goal of further understanding the biological relations between diseases
Acaulosporoid glomeromycotan spores with a germination shield from the 400-million-year-old Rhynie chert
Wildflower strips enhance pest regulation services in citrus orchards
Contemporary approaches to agriculture must be reimaged to include ecological techniques that maximise
ecosystem services, so that food can be produced sustainably whilst simultaneously meeting yield demands. Pest
regulation services, harnessed through the conservation of natural enemies in the agri-environment are an
economically important service degraded by conventional citrus production practices. For the first time, a sown
wildflower strip composed of native forbs and tussock-forming grasses has been investigated for its influence on
natural enemies and their pest regulation services in citrus orchards. A novel management strategy was applied,
using the predicted generation times of Aonidiella aurantii Maskell (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), a key pest in citrus,
to determine whether cutting the wildflower strips could force spill-over of natural enemies onto the adjacent
crop, enhancing pest regulation services. Three treatments applied to orange orchard alleyways were compared:
i) a control treatment, the standard orchard practice of regular cutting to 5 cm throughout the year, ii) a sown
wildflower treatment managed with cutting once a year in February to a height of 10 cm (standard management
wildflower treatment, SMWT), and iii) the same sown wildflower treatment but managed with two additional
cuts in May and June (active management wildflower treatment, AMWT). Orange tree canopies were sampled for
natural enemies, and pest regulation services were quantified using sentinel prey cards baited with Ephestia
kuehniella eggs. Natural enemy richness was greatest in canopies with SMWT, supporting a greater relative
abundance of primary parasitoids and lower relative abundances of antagonists (ants) compared to the control.
This was associated with enhanced pest regulation services (depletion of sentinel prey from baited cards),
especially during the early summer months, which coincides with a critical period to control A. aurantii and other
key citrus pests. In contrast, AMWT did not enhance natural enemy richness, and pest regulation services were
diminished. This study suggests that leaving wildflower strips uncut throughout the season, as in SMWT, may
help to mitigate pest incidence through enhanced pest regulation services. Further studies are now required to
determine how this would influence populations of target pests
- …