Controlling a magnetic Feshbach resonance with laser light

The capability to tune the strength of the elastic interparticle interaction is crucial for many experiments with ultracold gases. Magnetic Feshbach resonances are a tool widely used for this purpose, but future experiments would benefit from additional flexibility such as spatial modulation of the interaction strength on short length scales. Optical Feshbach resonances offer this possibility in principle, but suffer from fast particle loss due to light-induced inelastic collisions. Here we show that light near-resonant with a molecular bound-to-bound transition can be used to shift the magnetic field at which a magnetic Feshbach resonance occurs. This makes it possible to tune the interaction strength with laser light and at the same time induce considerably less loss than an optical Feshbach resonance would do

Intense Synaptic Activity Enhances Temporal Resolution in Spinal Motoneurons

In neurons, spike timing is determined by integration of synaptic potentials in delicate concert with intrinsic properties. Although the integration time is functionally crucial, it remains elusive during network activity. While mechanisms of rapid processing are well documented in sensory systems, agility in motor systems has received little attention. Here we analyze how intense synaptic activity affects integration time in spinal motoneurons during functional motor activity and report a 10-fold decrease. As a result, action potentials can only be predicted from the membrane potential within 10 ms of their occurrence and detected for less than 10 ms after their occurrence. Being shorter than the average inter-spike interval, the AHP has little effect on integration time and spike timing, which instead is entirely determined by fluctuations in membrane potential caused by the barrage of inhibitory and excitatory synaptic activity. By shortening the effective integration time, this intense synaptic input may serve to facilitate the generation of rapid changes in movements

Recurrent, Robust and Scalable Patterns Underlie Human Approach and Avoidance

BACKGROUND. Approach and avoidance behavior provide a means for assessing the rewarding or aversive value of stimuli, and can be quantified by a keypress procedure whereby subjects work to increase (approach), decrease (avoid), or do nothing about time of exposure to a rewarding/aversive stimulus. To investigate whether approach/avoidance behavior might be governed by quantitative principles that meet engineering criteria for lawfulness and that encode known features of reward/aversion function, we evaluated whether keypress responses toward pictures with potential motivational value produced any regular patterns, such as a trade-off between approach and avoidance, or recurrent lawful patterns as observed with prospect theory. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS. Three sets of experiments employed this task with beautiful face images, a standardized set of affective photographs, and pictures of food during controlled states of hunger and satiety. An iterative modeling approach to data identified multiple law-like patterns, based on variables grounded in the individual. These patterns were consistent across stimulus types, robust to noise, describable by a simple power law, and scalable between individuals and groups. Patterns included: (i) a preference trade-off counterbalancing approach and avoidance, (ii) a value function linking preference intensity to uncertainty about preference, and (iii) a saturation function linking preference intensity to its standard deviation, thereby setting limits to both. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE. These law-like patterns were compatible with critical features of prospect theory, the matching law, and alliesthesia. Furthermore, they appeared consistent with both mean-variance and expected utility approaches to the assessment of risk. Ordering of responses across categories of stimuli demonstrated three properties thought to be relevant for preference-based choice, suggesting these patterns might be grouped together as a relative preference theory. Since variables in these patterns have been associated with reward circuitry structure and function, they may provide a method for quantitative phenotyping of normative and pathological function (e.g., psychiatric illness).National Institute on Drug Abuse (14118, 026002, 026104, DABK39-03-0098, DABK39-03-C-0098); The MGH Phenotype Genotype Project in Addiction and Mood Disorder from the Office of National Drug Control Policy - Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center; MGH Department of Radiology; the National Center for Research Resources (P41RR14075); National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (34189, 05236

DUFS and DEFS:development, reliability and validity of the Dutch Fatigue Scale and the Dutch Exertion Fatigue Scale

The purpose of this study among patients with chronic heart failure (n = 138) was to develop and test both the Dutch Fatigue Scale (DUFS) and the Dutch Exertion Fatigue Scale (DEFS). Psychometric testing of these scales included measurement of internal consistency, construct validity and criterion-related validity. Statistical analyses of both scales showed sufficient reliability and validity. The DUFS (scale coefficient H = 0.48; Rho = 0.80; KR-20 = 0.79) is suitable as a measurement instrument for the diagnosis of fatigue and makes it possible to compare results of fatigue on the level of groups of patients. The DEFS (scale coefficient H = 0.61; Rho = 0.91; Cronbach’s alpha = 0.91) can be used in clinical practice for the measurement of patients ’ exertion fatigue. 0 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Fadiga em adultos acompanhantes de pacientes em tratamento ambulatorial Fatiga en adultos acompañantes de pacientes en tratamiento en ambulatorios Fatigue in adults accompanying patients in outpatient treatment

OBJETIVOS: Descrever a fadiga e fadiga ao esforço em pessoas sem doenças crônicas e verificar associação entre fadiga ou fadiga ao esforço e sexo, idade, escolaridade, convivência marital, depressão, atividade física, tabagismo, Índice de Massa Corporal (IMC), dispnéia e depressão. MÉTODOS: Estudo descritivo abragendo 93 acompanhantes de pacientes ambulatoriais que informaram sobre tabagismo, fadiga, fadiga ao esforço, depressão, e atividade física. RESULTADOS: Dos 93 voluntários (65,6% mulheres, média de idade 33,4±10,1 anos), 52,7% tinham fadiga e 34,4% fadiga ao esforço. O escore médio de fadiga foi 16,3±6,6 (escala de 8 a 40) e de fadiga ao esforço 12,6±4,4 (escala de 9 a 45). A fadiga foi mais intensa (p=0,005) e mais freqüente (p=0,001) nas mulheres e correlacionou-se positivamente com depressão (r s=0,47; p=0,000). A fadiga ao esforço correlacionou-se positivamente com depressão (r s=0,39; p=0,000) e foi mais freqüente entre as mulheres (p=0,001). CONCLUSÃO: As características da fadiga em amostra de acompanhantes de pacientes são semelhantes às de pacientes com doenças crônicas. A interpretação de dados sobre fadiga em doenças crônicas precisaria considerar dados de fadiga na população geral.<br>OBJETIVOS: Describir la fatiga y la fatiga por esfuerzo en personas sin enfermedades crónicas y, verificar la asociación entre fatiga o fatiga por esfuerzo con sexo, edad, escolaridad, convivencia marital, depresión, actividad física, tabaquismo, Índice de Masa Corporal (IMC), disnea y, depresión. MÉTODOS: Es un estudio descriptivo abarcando 93 acompañantes de pacientes de ambulatorios que informaron sobre tabaquismo, fatiga, fatiga por esfuerzo, depresión y, actividad física. RESULTADOS: De los 93 voluntarios (65,6% mujeres, promedio de edad 33,4±10,1 años), 52,7% tenían fatiga y 34,4% fatiga por esfuerzo. El puntaje promedio de fatiga fue 16,3±6,6 (escala de 8 a 40) y de fatiga por esfuerzo 12,6±4,4 (escala de 9 a 45). La fatiga fue más intensa (p=0,005) y más frecuente (p=0,001) en las mujeres y se correlacionó positivamente con depresión (rs=0,47; p=0,000). La fatiga por esfuerzo se correlacionó positivamente con depresión (rs=0,39; p=0,000) y fue más frecuente entre las mujeres (p=0,001). CONCLUSIÓN: Las características de la fatiga en una muestra de acompañantes de pacientes son semejantes a las de pacientes con enfermedades crónicas. La interpretación de los datos sobre fatiga en enfermedades crónicas precisaría considerar los datos de fatiga en la población general.<br>OBJECTIVES: To describe fatigue and fatigue by efforts in people without chronic diseases and to verify the association between fatigue or fatigue by efforts with gender, age, education, marital cohabitation, depression, physical activity, smoking, body mass index (BMI), dyspnea and depression. METHODS: It is a descriptive study comprising 93 patients from outpatient attendance who reported about smoking, fatigue, fatigue by efforts, depression, and physical activity. RESULTS: Of the 93 volunteers (65.6% female - average age 33.4 ± 10.1 years), 52.7% had fatigue and 34.4% had fatigue by efforts. The average score of fatigue was 16.3 ± 6.6 (scale from 8 to 40) and fatigue by efforts12.6 ± 4.4 (scale from 9 to 45). The fatigue was more intense (p = 0.005) and more frequent (p = 0.001) in women and was positively correlated with depression (rs=0,47; p=0,000). The fatigue by efforts was positively correlated with depression (rs=0,39; p=0,000) and was more frequent among women (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The characteristics of fatigue in a sample of patient companions are similar to those of patients with chronic diseases. The interpretation of data on fatigue, in patients with chronic diseases, should consider the fatigue data, in the general population

Propriedades psicométricas da Dutch Fatigue Scale e Dutch Exertion Fatigue Scale: versão brasileira Propiedades psicométricas de la Dutch Fatigue Scale y Dutch Exertion Fatigue Scale: versión Brasileña Psychometric properties of the Dutch Fatigue Scale and the Dutch Exertion Fatigue Scale: Brazilian version

Fadiga é uma resposta humana em diversas situações agudas e crônicas e também na população geral. Este artigo relata estudo realizado para estimar confiabilidade e validade da Dutch Fatigue Scale (DUFS) e da Dutch Exertion Fatigue Scale (DEFS) adaptadas para o Brasil. Trezentos pacientes ambulatoriais com insuficiência cardíaca e 64 voluntários responderam a DUFS e a DEFS vertidas para o português. Análise fatorial sobre o conjunto de itens das duas escalas produziu solução com um fator para cada escala (variância explicada = 53,9%) e boas estimativas de confiabilidade pelo alfa de Chronbach (DUFS=0,85 e DEFS=0,92) foram obtidas. Na amostra de pacientes, os escores nas escalas foram positivamente associados com a classe funcional da insuficiência cardíaca (DUFS e DEFS p=0,000), com os escores de depressão (DUFS r s=0,63; p=0,00 e DEFS r s=0,55; p=0,00) e com distúrbio de sono (DUFS e DEFS p=0,000). As versões brasileiras mostraram propriedades semelhantes as das escalas originais.<br>Fatiga es una respuesta humana en muchas situaciones agudas e crónicas e también en la populación general. Este artículo relata estudio realizado para estimar la confiabilidad e validad de la Dutch Fatigue Scale (DUFS) y de la Dutch Exertion Fatigue Scale (DEFS) adaptadas para o Brasil. Trescientos pacientes con insuficiencia cardiaca y 64 voluntarios respondieran a la DUFS y DEFS vertidas para lo portugués. El análisis factorial de los ítems ha producido solución con un factor para cada escala (variancia explicada = 53,9%) y buenas estimativas de confiabilidad por lo alfa de Chronbach (DUFS=0,85 e DEFS=0,92) fueron obtenidas. En la muestra de pacientes, las puntuaciones en las escalas fueron positivamente asociadas con la clase funcional de la insuficiencia cardiaca (DUFS y DEFS p=0,000), los escores de depresión (DUFS r s=0,63; p=0,00 y DEFS r s=0,55; p=0,00), y con las alteraciones del sueno (DUFS y DEFS p=0,000). Las versiones brasileras mostraran propiedades similares a las das escalas originais.<br>Fatigue is a human response in varied acute and chronic conditions and also in general population. This article reports a study conducted to estimate reliability and validity of the Dutch Fatigue Scale (DUFS) and the Dutch Exertion Fatigue Scale (DEFS) adapted for Brazilian use. Three-hundred heart failure patients and 64 healthier volunteers answered the DUFS and DEFS translated into Portuguese. Factorial analysis of DUFS and DEFS items yield a solution with one factor for each scale (explained variance = 53.9%), and good reliability estimates were obtained by the Chronbach's alpha (DUFS=.85 e DEFS=.92). In the patient sample, scales scores were positively associated with heart failure functional class (DUFS and DEFS p=.00), depression scores (DUFS r s=.63; p=.00 and DEFS r s=.55; p=.00), and sleep disturbance (DUFS and DEFS p=.00). Brazilian versions of DUFS and DEFS presented psychometric properties similar to those of the original ones