642 research outputs found
Sexually monomorphic maps and dimorphic responses in rat genital cortex
Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2015. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Current Biology 26 (2016): 106-113, doi:10.1016/j.cub.2015.11.041.Mammalian external genitals show sexual dimorphism [1,2] and can change size and
shape upon sexual arousal. Genitals feature prominently in the oldest pieces of figural art
[3] and phallic depictions of penises informed psychoanalytic thought about sexuality [4,
5]. Despite this longstanding interest, the neural representations of genitals are still poorly
understood [6]. In somatosensory cortex specifically, many studies did not detect any
cortical representation of genitals [7-9]. Studies in humans debate, if genitals are
represented displaced below the foot of the cortical body map [10-12], or if they are
represented somatotopically [13-15]. We wondered, what a high-resolution mapping of
genital representations might tell us about the sexual differentiation of the mammalian
brain. We identified genital responses in rat somatosensory cortex in a region previously
assigned as arm/leg cortex. Genital responses were more common in males than in
females. Despite such response dimorphism, we observed a stunning anatomical
monomorphism of cortical penis and clitoris input maps revealed by cytochrome-oxidasestaining
of cortical layer-4. Genital representations were somatotopic, bilaterally
symmetric and their relative size increased markedly during puberty. Size, shape and
erect posture give the cortical penis representation a phallic appearance pointing to a role
in sexually aroused states. Cortical genital neurons showed unusual multi-body-part
responses and sexually dimorphic receptive fields. Specifically, genital neurons were coactivated
by distant body regions, which are touched during mounting in the respective
sex. Genital maps indicate a deep homology of penis and clitoris representations in line
with a fundamentally bi-sexual layout [16] of the vertebrate brain.This work was supported by Marine Biological Laboratory, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin
and Neurocure. M.B. was a recipient of a Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
Modulation of extracellular ISG15 signaling by pathogens and viral effector proteins
ISG15 is a ubiquitin-like modifier that also functions extracellularly, signaling through the LFA-1 integrin to promote interferon (IFN)-γ release from natural killer (NK) and T cells. The signals that lead to the production of extracellular ISG15 and the relationship between its two core functions remain unclear. We show that both epithelial cells and lymphocytes can secrete ISG15, which then signals in either an autocrine or paracrine manner to LFA-1-expressing cells. Microbial pathogens and Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists result in both IFN-β-dependent and -independent secretion of ISG15, and residues required for ISG15 secretion are mapped. Intracellular ISGylation inhibits secretion, and viral effector proteins, influenza B NS1, and viral de-ISGylases, including SARS-CoV-2 P
Similarity theory and calculation of turbulent fluxes at the surface for the stably stratified atmospheric boundary layers
In this paper we revise the similarity theory for the stably stratified
atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), formulate analytical approximations for the
wind velocity and potential temperature profiles over the entire ABL, validate
them against large-eddy simulation and observational data, and develop an
improved surface flux calculation technique for use in operational models.Comment: The submission to a special issue of the Boundary-Layer Meteorology
devoted to the NATO advanced research workshop Atmospheric Boundary Layers:
Modelling and Applications for Environmental Securit
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