2,801 research outputs found
TGFβ signaling is associated with changes in inflammatory gene expression and perineuronal net degradation around inhibitory neurons following various neurological insults
Brain damage due to stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI), both leading
causes of serious long-term disability, often leads to the development of
epilepsy. Patients who develop post-injury epilepsy tend to have poor
functional outcomes. Emerging evidence highlights a potential role for blood-
brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction in the development of post-injury epilepsy.
However, common mechanisms underlying the pathological hyperexcitability are
largely unknown. Here, we show that comparative transcriptome analyses predict
remodeling of extracellular matrix (ECM) as a common response to different
types of injuries. ECM-related transcriptional changes were induced by the
serum protein albumin via TGFβ signaling in primary astrocytes. In accordance
with transcriptional responses, we found persistent degradation of protective
ECM structures called perineuronal nets (PNNs) around fast-spiking inhibitory
interneurons, in a rat model of TBI as well as in brains of human epileptic
patients. Exposure of a naïve brain to albumin was sufficient to induce the
transcriptional and translational upregulation of molecules related to ECM
remodeling and the persistent breakdown of PNNs around fast-spiking inhibitory
interneurons, which was contingent on TGFβ signaling activation. Our findings
provide insights on how albumin extravasation that occurs upon BBB dysfunction
in various brain injuries can predispose neural circuitry to the development
of chronic inhibition deficits
The roles of motivation and ability in controlling the consequences of stereotype suppression
Two experiments investigated the conditions under which previously suppressed stereotypes are applied in impression formation. In Experiment 1, the extent to which a previously suppressed racial stereotype influenced subsequent impressions depended on the race of the target who was subsequently encountered. Whereas impressions of race-unspecified targets were assimilated to the stereotype following its suppression, no such effects were observed when the target belonged to the racial group whose stereotype had been initially suppressed. These results demonstrate that when perceivers are motivated to avoid stereo-typing individuals, the influence of a stereotype that has been previously activated through suppression is minimized. Experiment 2 demonstrated that these processing goals effectively reduce the impact of suppression-activated stereotypes only when perceivers have sufficient capacity to enact the goals. These results suggest that both sufficient motivation and capacity are necessary to prevent heightened stereotyping following stereotype suppression
Dissolved noble gases and stable isotopes as tracers of preferential fluid flow along faults in the Lower Rhine Embayment, Germany
Groundwater in shallow unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers close to the Bornheim fault in the Lower Rhine Embayment (LRE), Germany, has relatively low δ2H and δ18O values in comparison to regional modern groundwater recharge, and 4He concentrations up to 1.7 × 10−4 cm3 (STP) g–1 ± 2.2 % which is approximately four orders of magnitude higher than expected due to solubility equilibrium with the atmosphere. Groundwater age dating based on estimated in situ production and terrigenic flux of helium provides a groundwater residence time of ∼107 years. Although fluid exchange between the deep basal aquifer system and the upper aquifer layers is generally impeded by confining clay layers and lignite, this study’s geochemical data suggest, for the first time, that deep circulating fluids penetrate shallow aquifers in the locality of fault zones, implying that sub-vertical fluid flow occurs along faults in the LRE. However, large hydraulic-head gradients observed across many faults suggest that they act as barriers to lateral groundwater flow. Therefore, the geochemical data reported here also substantiate a conduit-barrier model of fault-zone hydrogeology in unconsolidated sedimentary deposits, as well as corroborating the concept that faults in unconsolidated aquifer systems can act as loci for hydraulic connectivity between deep and shallow aquifers. The implications of fluid flow along faults in sedimentary basins worldwide are far reaching and of particular concern for carbon capture and storage (CCS) programmes, impacts of deep shale gas recovery for shallow groundwater aquifers, and nuclear waste storage sites where fault zones could act as potential leakage pathways for hazardous fluids
Quantum Hall transitions: An exact theory based on conformal restriction
We revisit the problem of the plateau transition in the integer quantum Hall
effect. Here we develop an analytical approach for this transition, based on
the theory of conformal restriction. This is a mathematical theory that was
recently developed within the context of the Schramm-Loewner evolution which
describes the stochastic geometry of fractal curves and other stochastic
geometrical fractal objects in 2D space. Observables elucidating the connection
with the plateau transition include the so-called point-contact conductances
(PCCs) between points on the boundary of the sample, described within the
language of the Chalker-Coddington network model. We show that the
disorder-averaged PCCs are characterized by classical probabilities for certain
geometric objects in the plane (pictures), occurring with positive statistical
weights, that satisfy the crucial restriction property with respect to changes
in the shape of the sample with absorbing boundaries. Upon combining this
restriction property with the expected conformal invariance at the transition
point, we employ the mathematical theory of conformal restriction measures to
relate the disorder-averaged PCCs to correlation functions of primary operators
in a conformal field theory (of central charge ). We show how this can be
used to calculate these functions in a number of geometries with various
boundary conditions. Since our results employ only the conformal restriction
property, they are equally applicable to a number of other critical disordered
electronic systems in 2D. For most of these systems, we also predict exact
values of critical exponents related to the spatial behavior of various
disorder-averaged PCCs.Comment: Published versio
Transition Radiation Spectroscopy with Prototypes of the ALICE TRD
We present measurements of the transition radiation (TR) spectrum produced in
an irregular radiator at different electron momenta. The data are compared to
simulations of TR from a regular radiator.Comment: 4 pages, 5 Figures, Proceedings for "TRDs for the 3rd millennium"
(Sept. 4-7, 2003, Bari, Italy
Transition Radiation Spectra of Electrons from 1 to 10 GeV/c in Regular and Irregular Radiators
We present measurements of the spectral distribution of transition radiation
generated by electrons of momentum 1 to 10 GeV/c in different radiator types.
We investigate periodic foil radiators and irregular foam and fiber materials.
The transition radiation photons are detected by prototypes of the drift
chambers to be used in the Transition Radiation Detector (TRD) of the ALICE
experiment at CERN, which are filled with a Xe, CO2 (15 %) mixture. The
measurements are compared to simulations in order to enhance the quantitative
understanding of transition radiation production, in particular the momentum
dependence of the transition radiation yield.Comment: 18 pages, 15 figures, submitted to Nucl. Instr. Meth. Phys. Res.
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Importance of Natural Fluid Recharge to the Sustainability of the Cerro Prieto Resource
Position Reconstruction in Drift Chambers operated with Xe, CO2 (15%)
We present measurements of position and angular resolution of drift chambers
operated with a Xe,CO(15%) mixture. The results are compared to Monte Carlo
simulations and important systematic effects, in particular the dispersive
nature of the absorption of transition radiation and non-linearities, are
discussed. The measurements were carried out with prototype drift chambers of
the ALICE Transition Radiation Detector, but our findings can be generalized to
other drift chambers with similar geometry, where the electron drift is
perpendicular to the wire planes.Comment: 30 pages, 18 figure
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