3,502 research outputs found

    Digitization of LAr calorimeter for CSC simulations

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    This note describes the digitization of the LAr signals, which is the step creating RDO from Geant4 Hits, as used during the production of the CSC simulated samples with athena release 12

    2004 ATLAS Combined Testbeam : Computation and Validation of the Electronic Calibration Constants for the Electromagnetic Calorimeter

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    From July to November 2004, a full slice of the ATLAS barrel detector was studied in testbeam. A complete electromagnetic barrel module was used, read by the final electronics and operated by ATLAS TDAQ software. This note describes in details the electronic calibration procedure and the cell energy reconstruction: each step of the procedure and its associated software is explicitly described. The general calibration procedure is very similar to the one applied in previous barrel and endcap standalone testbeams. Emphasis is put on tools developed in the context of the combined testbeam which can be used for commissioning and operation of the calorimeters in ATLAS. Many validation studies were performed on each calibration constant. Previously unobserved effects such as the FEB temperature dependence of some constants were observed. Overall, the calibration performances are at the expected level

    A role for fast rhythmic bursting neurons in cortical gamma oscillations in vitro

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    Basic cellular and network mechanisms underlying gamma frequency oscillations (30–80 Hz) have been well characterized in the hippocampus and associated structures. In these regions, gamma rhythms are seen as an emergent property of networks of principal cells and fast-spiking interneurons. In contrast, in the neocortex a number of elegant studies have shown that specific types of principal neuron exist that are capable of generating powerful gamma frequency outputs on the basis of their intrinsic conductances alone. These fast rhythmic bursting (FRB) neurons (sometimes referred to as "chattering" cells) are activated by sensory stimuli and generate multiple action potentials per gamma period. Here, we demonstrate that FRB neurons may function by providing a large-scale input to an axon plexus consisting of gap-junctionally connected axons from both FRB neurons and their anatomically similar counterparts regular spiking neurons. The resulting network gamma oscillation shares all of the properties of gamma oscillations generated in the hippocampus but with the additional critical dependence on multiple spiking in FRB cells

    Stimulus - response curves of a neuronal model for noisy subthreshold oscillations and related spike generation

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    We investigate the stimulus-dependent tuning properties of a noisy ionic conductance model for intrinsic subthreshold oscillations in membrane potential and associated spike generation. On depolarization by an applied current, the model exhibits subthreshold oscillatory activity with occasional spike generation when oscillations reach the spike threshold. We consider how the amount of applied current, the noise intensity, variation of maximum conductance values and scaling to different temperature ranges alter the responses of the model with respect to voltage traces, interspike intervals and their statistics and the mean spike frequency curves. We demonstrate that subthreshold oscillatory neurons in the presence of noise can sensitively and also selectively be tuned by stimulus-dependent variation of model parameters.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figure

    Ultrasound Evidence of Early Fetal Growth Restriction after Maternal Malaria Infection

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    BACKGROUND: Intermittent preventive treatment (IPT), the main strategy to prevent malaria and reduce anaemia and low birthweight, focuses on the second half of pregnancy. However, intrauterine growth restriction may occur earlier in pregnancy. The aim of this study was to measure the effects of malaria in the first half of pregnancy by comparing the fetal biparietal diameter (BPD) of infected and uninfected women whose pregnancies had been accurately dated by crown rump length (CRL) before 14 weeks of gestation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In 3,779 women living on the Thai-Myanmar border who delivered a normal singleton live born baby between 2001-10 and who had gestational age estimated by CRL measurement <14 weeks, the observed and expected BPD z-scores (<24 weeks) in pregnancies that were (n = 336) and were not (n = 3,443) complicated by malaria between the two scans were compared. The mean (standard deviation) fetal BPD z-scores in women with Plasmodium (P) falciparum and/or P.vivax malaria infections were significantly lower than in non-infected pregnancies; -0.57 (1.13) versus -0.10 (1.17), p<0.001. Even a single or an asymptomatic malaria episode resulted in a significantly lower z-score. Fetal female sex (p<0.001) and low body mass index (p = 0.01) were also independently associated with a smaller BPD in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Despite early treatment in all positive women, one or more (a)symptomatic P.falciparum or P.vivax malaria infections in the first half of pregnancy result in a smaller than expected mid-trimester fetal head diameter. Strategies to prevent malaria in pregnancy should include early pregnancy

    Headache, depression and anxiety: associations in the Eurolight project.

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    Headache disorders and psychiatric disorders are both common, while evidence, mostly pertaining to migraine, suggests they are comorbid more often than might be expected by chance. There are good reasons for establishing whether they are: symptoms of comorbid illnesses may summate synergistically; comorbidities hinder management, negatively influencing outcomes; high-level comorbidity indicates that, where one disease occurs, the other should be looked for. The Eurolight project gathered population-based data on these disorders from 6624 participants.Eurolight was a cross-sectional survey sampling from the adult populations (18-65 years) of 10 EU countries. We used data from six. The questionnaire included headache-diagnostic questions based on ICHD-II, the Headache-Attributed Lost Time (HALT) questionnaire, and HADS for depression and anxiety. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) to show associations between migraine, tension-type headache (TTH) or probable medication-overuse headache (pMOH) and depression or anxiety.pMOH was most strongly associated with both psychiatric disorders: for depression, ORs (vs no headache) were 5.5 [2.2-13.5] (p < 0.0001) in males, 5.5 [2.9-10.5] (p < 0.0001) in females; for anxiety, ORs were 10.4 [4.9-21.8] (p < 0.0001) and 7.1 [4.5-11.2] (p < 0.0001). Migraine was also associated with both: for depression, ORs were 2.1 [1.3-3.4] (p = 0.002) and 1.8 [1.1-3.1] (p = 0.030); for anxiety 4.2 [2.8-6.3] (p < 0.0001) and 2.4 [1.7-3.4] (p < 0.0001). TTH showed associations only with anxiety: ORs 2.5 [1.7-3.7] (p < 0.0001) for males, 1.5 [1.1-2.1] (p = 0.021) for females. Participants with migraine carried 19.1 % probability of comorbid anxiety, 6.9 % of depression and 5.1 % of both, higher than the representative general-population sample (14.3, 5.6 and 3.8 %). Probabilities in those with MOH were 38.8, 16.9 and 14.4 %; in TTH, they did not exceed those of the whole sample. Comorbid psychiatric disorder did not add to headache-attributed productive time losses, but weak associations existed (R (2)  = 0.020-0.082) for all headache types between lost productive time and probabilities of depression and, less so, anxiety.In this large study we confirmed that depression and especially anxiety are comorbid more than by chance with migraine, and showed the same is true, but more strongly, with MOH. Arguably, migraine patients and, more certainly, MOH patients should be screened with HADS in pursuit of best outcomes

    Headache yesterday in Europe

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    BACKGROUND: Surveys enquiring about burden of headache over a prior period of time (eg, 3 months) are subject to recall bias. To eliminate this as far as possible, we focused on presence and impact of headache on the preceding day (“headache yesterday”). METHODS: Adults (18-65 years) were surveyed from the general populations of Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, from a work-force population in Spain and from mostly non-headache patient populations of Austria, France and UK. A study of non-responders in some countries allowed detection of potential participation bias where initial participation rates were low. RESULTS: Participation rates varied between 11% and 59% (mean 27%). Non-responder studies suggested that, because of participation bias, headache prevalence might be overestimated in initial responders by up to 2% (absolute). Across all countries, 1,422 of 8,271 participants (15-17%, depending on correction for participation bias) had headache yesterday lasting on average for 6 hours. It was bad or very bad in 56% of cases and caused absence from work or school in 6%. Among those who worked despite headache, 20% reported productivity reduced by >50%. Social activities were lost by 24%. Women (21%) were more likely than men (12%) to have headache yesterday, but impact was similar in the two genders. CONCLUSIONS: With recall biases avoided, our findings indicate that headache costs at least 0.7% of working capacity in Europe. This calculation takes into account that most of those who missed work could make up for this later, which, however, means that leisure and social activities are even more influenced by headache
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