4,843 research outputs found
FMRI resting slow fluctuations correlate with the activity of fast cortico-cortical physiological connections
Recording of slow spontaneous fluctuations at rest using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) allows distinct long-range cortical networks to be identified. The neuronal basis of connectivity as assessed by resting-state fMRI still needs to be fully clarified, considering that these signals are an indirect measure of neuronal activity, reflecting slow local variations in de-oxyhaemoglobin concentration. Here, we combined fMRI with multifocal transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a technique that allows the investigation of the causal neurophysiological interactions occurring in specific cortico-cortical connections. We investigated whether the physiological properties of parieto-frontal circuits mapped with short-latency multifocal TMS at rest may have some relationship with the resting-state fMRI measures of specific resting-state functional networks (RSNs). Results showed that the activity of fast cortico-cortical physiological interactions occurring in the millisecond range correlated selectively with the coupling of fMRI slow oscillations within the same cortical areas that form part of the dorsal attention network, i.e., the attention system believed to be involved in reorientation of attention. We conclude that resting-state fMRI ongoing slow fluctuations likely reflect the interaction of underlying physiological cortico-cortical connections
Increased risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in patients with squamous dysplasia:a nationwide cohort study in the Netherlands
Nuclear pore assembly proceeds by an inside-out extrusion of the nuclear envelope
The nuclear pore complex (NPC) mediates nucleocytoplasmic transport through the
nuclear envelope. How the NPC assembles into this double membrane boundary has remained
enigmatic. Here, we captured temporally staged assembly intermediates by correlating live cell
imaging with high-resolution electron tomography and super-resolution microscopy. Intermediates
were dome-shaped evaginations of the inner nuclear membrane (INM), that grew in diameter and
depth until they fused with the flat outer nuclear membrane. Live and super-resolved fluorescence
microscopy revealed the molecular maturation of the intermediates, which initially contained the
nuclear and cytoplasmic ring component Nup107, and only later the cytoplasmic filament
component Nup358. EM particle averaging showed that the evagination base was surrounded by
an 8-fold rotationally symmetric ring structure from the beginning and that a growing mushroomshaped
density was continuously associated with the deforming membrane. Quantitative structural
analysis revealed that interphase NPC assembly proceeds by an asymmetric inside-out extrusion of
the INM
Pre-hospital management, procedural performance and outcomes for primary percutaneous coronary intervention in st-elevation myocardial infarction in the netherlands: Insights from the dutch cohort of the apposition-III trial
Collapse of a Bose gas: kinetic approach
We have analytically explored temperature dependence of critical number of
particles for the collapse of a harmonically trapped attractively interacting
Bose gas below the condensation point by introducing a kinetic approach within
the Hartree-Fock approximation. The temperature dependence obtained by this
easy approach is consisted with that obtained from the scaling theory.Comment: Brief Report, 4 pages, 1 figure, Accepted in Pramana-Journal of
Physic
Drop Traffic in Microfluidic Ladder Networks with Fore-Aft Structural Asymmetry
We investigate the dynamics of pairs of drops in microfluidic ladder networks
with slanted bypasses, which break the fore-aft structural symmetry. Our
analytical results indicate that unlike symmetric ladder networks, structural
asymmetry introduced by a single slanted bypass can be used to modulate the
relative drop spacing, enabling them to contract, synchronize, expand, or even
flip at the ladder exit. Our experiments confirm all these behaviors predicted
by theory. Numerical analysis further shows that while ladder networks
containing several identical bypasses are limited to nearly linear
transformation of input delay between drops, mixed combination of bypasses can
cause significant non-linear transformation enabling coding and decoding of
input delays.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Scintigraphic assessment of bone status at one year following hip resurfacing : comparison of two surgical approaches using SPECT-CT scan
Objectives: To study the vascularity and bone metabolism of the femoral head/neck following hip resurfacing arthroplasty, and to use these results to compare the posterior and the trochanteric-flip approaches.
Methods: In our previous work, we reported changes to intra-operative blood flow during hip resurfacing arthroplasty comparing two surgical approaches. In this study, we report the vascularity and the metabolic bone function in the proximal femur in these same patients at one year after the surgery. Vascularity and bone function was assessed using scintigraphic techniques. Of the 13 patients who agreed to take part, eight had their arthroplasty through a posterior approach and five through a trochanteric-flip approach.
Results: One year after surgery, we found no difference in the vascularity (vascular phase) and metabolic bone function (delayed phase) at the junction of the femoral head/neck between the two groups of patients. Higher radiopharmaceutical uptake was found in the region of the greater trochanter in the trochanteric-flip group, related to the healing osteotomy.
Conclusions: Our findings using scintigraphic techniques suggest that the greater intra-operative reduction in blood flow to the junction of the femoral head/neck, which is seen with the posterior approach compared with trochanteric flip, does not result in any difference in vascularity or metabolic bone function one year after surgery
A statistical comparison of the optical/UV and X-ray afterglows of gamma-ray bursts using the Swift Ultraviolet Optical and X-ray Telescopes
We present the systematic analysis of the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) and X-ray Telescope (XRT) light curves for a sample of 26 Swift gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). By comparing the optical/UV and X-ray light curves, we found that they are remarkably different during the first 500 s after the Burst Alert Telescope trigger, while they become more similar during the middle phase of the afterglow, i.e. between 2000 and 20 000 s.
If we take literally the average properties of the sample, we find that the mean temporal indices observed in the optical/UV and X-rays after 500 s are consistent with a forward-shock scenario, under the assumptions that electrons are in the slow cooling regime, the external medium is of constant density and the synchrotron cooling frequency is situated between the optical/UV and X-ray observing bands. While this scenario describes well the averaged observed properties, some individual GRB afterglows require different or additional assumptions, such as the presence of late energy injection.
We show that a chromatic break (a break in the X-ray light curve that is not seen in the optical) is present in the afterglows of three GRBs and demonstrate evidence for chromatic breaks in a further four GRBs. The average properties of these breaks cannot be explained in terms of the passage of the synchrotron cooling frequency through the observed bands, nor a simple change in the external density. It is difficult to reconcile chromatic breaks in terms of a single component outflow and instead, more complex jet structure or additional emission components are required
Whole genomes of deep-sea sponge-associated bacteria exhibit high novel natural product potential
Abstract
Global antimicrobial resistance is a health crisis that can change the face of modern medicine. Exploring diverse natural habitats for bacterially-derived novel antimicrobial compounds has historically been a successful strategy. The deep-sea presents an exciting opportunity for the cultivation of taxonomically novel organisms and exploring potentially chemically novel spaces. In this study, the draft genomes of 12 bacteria previously isolated from the deep-sea sponges Phenomena carpenteri and Hertwigia sp. are investigated for the diversity of specialized secondary metabolites. In addition, early data support the production of antibacterial inhibitory substances produced from a number of these strains, including activity against clinically relevant pathogens Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.
Draft whole-genomes are presented of 12 deep-sea isolates, which include four potentially novel strains: Psychrobacter sp. PP-21, Streptomyces sp. DK15, Dietzia sp. PP-33, and Micrococcus sp. M4NT. Across the 12 draft genomes, 138 biosynthetic gene clusters were detected, of which over half displayed less than 50% similarity to known BGCs, suggesting that these genomes present an exciting opportunity to elucidate novel secondary metabolites. Exploring bacterial isolates belonging to the phylum Actinomycetota, Pseudomonadota and Bacillota from understudied deep-sea sponges provided opportunities to search for new chemical diversity of interest to those working in antibiotic discovery
Roy-Steiner equations for pion-nucleon scattering
Starting from hyperbolic dispersion relations, we derive a closed system of
Roy-Steiner equations for pion-nucleon scattering that respects analyticity,
unitarity, and crossing symmetry. We work out analytically all kernel functions
and unitarity relations required for the lowest partial waves. In order to
suppress the dependence on the high-energy regime we also consider once- and
twice-subtracted versions of the equations, where we identify the subtraction
constants with subthreshold parameters. Assuming Mandelstam analyticity we
determine the maximal range of validity of these equations. As a first step
towards the solution of the full system we cast the equations for the
partial waves into the form of a Muskhelishvili-Omn\`es
problem with finite matching point, which we solve numerically in the
single-channel approximation. We investigate in detail the role of individual
contributions to our solutions and discuss some consequences for the spectral
functions of the nucleon electromagnetic form factors.Comment: 106 pages, 18 figures; version published in JHE
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