Luteinizing hormone concentrations in healthy horses and horses with trigeminal-mediated headshaking over an 8-hour period.

BackgroundTrigeminal-mediated headshaking results from a low threshold for firing of the trigeminal nerve. A seasonal component has been implicated in onset of clinical signs, which occur during the spring and summer months. Geldings are overrepresented in the affected population and hormonal differences as compared to a healthy control population of geldings might contribute to headshaking.Objective/hypothesisTo assess concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH) over an 8-hour period in gelded healthy controls and horses affected with headshaking. Our hypothesis was that geldings with seasonal headshaking would have higher concentrations of LH over an 8-hour period compared to control horses during the summer when affected horses manifested headshaking.AnimalsTwelve geldings (6 controls and 6 affected).MethodsProspective controlled trial. Blood samples were drawn every 15 minutes over an 8-hour time period during summer from all horses to measure circulating LH concentrations by using a radioimmunoassay for equine LH. All affected horses were actively affected by headshaking at the time of sample collection.ResultsNo statistically significant differences in LH concentrations were found throughout the study period in headshakers as compared to control horses. Time had no significant effect, but a slight decrease in LH concentrations was observed for all horses. The main limitation of the study was the low number of horses.Conclusions and clinical importanceHorses affected with headshaking did not have significant differences in circulating LH during the late summer as compared to control horses

The influence of semantic top-down processing in auditory verbal hallucinations

AbstractBackgroundAuditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) are one of the most prominent symptoms of schizophrenia but have also been reported in the general population. Several cognitive models have tried to elucidate the mechanism behind auditory verbal hallucinations, among which a top-down model. According to this model, perception is biased towards top-down information (e.g., expectations), reducing the influence of bottom-up information coming from the sense organs. This bias predisposes to false perceptions, i.e., hallucinations.MethodsThe current study investigated this hypothesis in non-psychotic individuals with frequent AVH, psychotic patients with AVH and healthy control subjects by applying a semantic top-down task. In this task, top-down processes are manipulated through the semantic context of a sentence. In addition, the association between hallucination proneness and semantic top-down errors was investigated.ResultsNon-psychotic individuals with AVH made significantly more top-down errors compared to healthy controls, while overall accuracy was similar. The number of top-down errors, corrected for overall accuracy, in the patient group was in between those of the other two groups and did not differ significantly from either the non-psychotic individuals with AVH or the healthy controls. The severity of hallucination proneness correlated with the number of top-down errors.DiscussionThese findings confirm that non-psychotic individuals with AVH are stronger influenced by top-down processing (i.e., perceptual expectations) than healthy controls. In contrast, our data suggest that in psychotic patients semantic expectations do not play a role in the etiology of AVH. This finding may point towards different cognitive mechanisms for pathological and nonpathological hallucinations

XSHOOTER spectroscopy of the enigmatic planetary nebula Lin49 in the Small Magellanic Cloud

We performed a detailed spectroscopic analysis of the fullerene C60-containing planetary nebula (PN) Lin49 in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) using XSHOOTER at the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope and the Spitzer/Infrared Spectrograph instruments. We derived nebular abundances for nine elements. We used TLUSTY to derive photospheric parameters for the central star. Lin49 is C-rich and metal-deficient PN (Z ∼ 0.0006). The nebular abundances are in good agreement with asymptotic giant branch nucleosynthesis models for stars with initial mass 1.25 M⊙ and metallicity Z = 0.001. Using the TLUSTY synthetic spectrum of the central star to define the heating and ionizing source, we constructed the photoionization model with CLOUDY that matches the observed spectral energy distribution (SED) and the line fluxes in the UV to far-IR wavelength ranges simultaneously. We could not fit the ∼1–5 μm SED using a model with 0.005–0.1-μm-sized graphite grains and a constant hydrogen density shell owing to the prominent near-IR excess, while at other wavelengths the model fits the observed values reasonably well. We argue that the near-IR excess might indicate either (1) the presence of very small particles in the form of small carbon clusters, small graphite sheets, or fullerene precursors, or (2) the presence of a high-density structure surrounding the central star. We found that SMC C60 PNe show a near-IR excess component to lesser or greater degree. This suggests that these C60 PNe might maintain a structure nearby their central star

Herschel Planetary Nebula Survey (HerPlaNS) - First Detection of OH+ in Planetary Nebulae

We report the first detections of OH$^+$ emission in planetary nebulae (PNe). As part of an imaging and spectroscopy survey of 11 PNe in the far-IR using the PACS and SPIRE instruments aboard the Herschel Space Observatory, we performed a line survey in these PNe over the entire spectral range between 51 and 672$\mu$m to look for new detections. OH$^+$ rotational emission lines at 152.99, 290.20, 308.48, and 329.77$\mu$m were detected in the spectra of three planetary nebulae: NGC 6445, NGC 6720, and NGC 6781. Excitation temperatures and column densities derived from these lines are in the range of 27 to 47 K and 2$\times$10$^{10}$ to 4 $\times$10$^{11}$ cm$^{-2}$, respectively. In PNe, the OH+ rotational line emission appears to be produced in the photodissociation region (PDR) in these objects. The emission of OH+ is observed only in PNe with hot central stars (T$_{eff}$ > 100000 K), suggesting that high-energy photons may play a role in the OH+ formation and its line excitation in these objects, as it seems to be the case for ultraluminous galaxies.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures; accepted for publication in A&

The Cesàro operator in growth Banach spaces of analytic functions

[EN] The CesA ro operator C, when acting in the classical growth Banach spaces and , for , of analytic functions on , is investigated. Based on a detailed knowledge of their spectra (due to A. Aleman and A.-M. Persson) we are able to determine the norms of these operators precisely. It is then possible to characterize the mean ergodic and related properties of C acting in these spaces. In addition, we determine the largest Banach space of analytic functions on which C maps into (resp. into ); this optimal domain space always contains (resp. ) as a proper subspace.The research of the first two authors was partially supported by the projects MTM2013-43540-P and GVA Prometeo II/2013/013.Albanese, A.; Bonet Solves, JA.; Ricker, WJ. (2016). The Cesàro operator in growth Banach spaces of analytic functions. Integral Equations and Operator Theory. 86(1):97-112. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00020-016-2316-zS97112861Albanese A.A., Bonet J., Ricker W.J.: Convergence of arithmetic means of operators in Fréchet spaces. J. Math. Anal. Appl. 401, 160–173 (2013)Albanese, A.A., Bonet, J.,Ricker, W.J.: The Cesàro operator on power series spaces. Preprint (2016)Albrecht E., Miller T.L., Neumann M.M.: Spectral properties of generalized Cesàro operators on Hardy and weighted Bergman spaces. Archiv Math. 85, 446–459 (2005)Aleman A.: A class of integral operators on spaces of analytic functions. In: Proc. of the Winter School in Operator Theory and Complex Analysis, Univ. Málaga Secr. Publ., Málaga, pp. 3–30 (2007)Aleman A., Constantin O.: Spectra of integration operators on weighted Bergman spaces. J. Anal. Math. 109, 199–231 (2009)Aleman A., Persson A.-M.: Resolvent estimates and decomposable extensions of generalized Cesàro operators. J. Funct. Anal. 258, 67–98 (2010)Aleman A., Siskakis A.G.: An integral operator on H p . Complex Var. Theory Appl. 28, 149–158 (1995)Aleman A., Siskakis A.G.: Integration operators on Bergman spaces. Indiana Univ. Math. J. 46, 337–356 (1997)Bayart F., Matheron E.: Dynamics of Linear Operators. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (2009)Bierstedt K.D., Bonet J., Galbis A.: Weighted spaces of holomorphic functions on balanced domains. Michigan Math. J. 40, 271–297 (1993)Bierstedt K.D., Bonet J., Taskinen J.: Associated weights and spaces of holomorphic functions. Studia Math. 127, 137–168 (1998)Bierstedt, K.D., Summers, W.H.: Biduals of weighted Banach spaces of analytic functions. J. Aust. Math. Soc. 54, 70–79 (1993)Bonet J., Domanski P., Lindström M.: Essential norm and weak compactness on weighted Banach spaces of analytic functions. Can. Math. Bull. 42, 139–148 (1999)Curbera G.P., Ricker W.J.: Extensions of the classical Cesàro operator on Hardy spaces. Math. Scand. 108, 279–290 (2011)Danikas N., Siskakis A.: The Cesàro operator on bounded analytic functions. Analysis 13, 295–299 (1993)Duren P.: Theory of H p Spaces. Academic Press, New York (1970)Dunford N., Schwartz J.T.:Linear Operators I: General Theory, 2nd Printing. Wiley Interscience Publ., New York (1964)Grosse-Erdmann K., Peris A.: Linear Chaos. Springer, London (2011)Harutyunyan A., Lusky W.: On the boundedness of the differentiation operator between weighted spaces of holomorphic functions. Studia Math. 184, 233–247 (2008)Hedenmalm H., Korenblum B., Zhu K.: Theory of Bergman Spaces. Grad. Texts in Math., vol. 199. Springer, New York (2000)Katzelson Y., Tzafriri L.: On power bounded operators. J. Funct. Anal. 68, 313–328 (1968)Krengel U.: Ergodic Theorems. de Gruyter Studies in Mathematics, vol. 6. Walter de Gruyter Co., Berlin (1985)Lin M.: On the uniform ergodic theorem. Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 43, 337–340 (1974)Lusky W.: On the isomorphism classes of weighted spaces of harmonic and holomorphic functions. Studia Math. 175(1), 19–40 (2006)Megginson R.E.: An Introduction to Banach Space Theory. Springer, New York (1998)Meise R., Vogt D.: Introduction to Functional Analysis. Clarendon Press, Oxford (1997)Persson A.-M.: On the spectrum of the Cesàro operator on spaces of analytic functions. J. Math. Anal. Appl. 340, 1180–1203 (2008)Rubel L.A., Shields A.L.: The second dual of certain spaces of analytic functions. J. Aust. Math. Soc. 11, 276–280 (1970)Shields A.L., Williams D.L.: Bounded projections, duality and multipliers in spaces of analytic functions. Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 162, 287–302 (1971)Siskakis A.: Volterra operators on spaces of analytic functions—a survey. In: Proc. of the First Advanced Course in Operator Theory and Complex Analysis, Univ. Sevilla Serc. Publ., Seville, pp. 51–68 (2006

TCE field-scale simulation using immobile-mobile waste phase model

Groundwater contamination resulting from releases of chlorinated volatile organic compounds into the environment is commonplace. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene (TCE), were historically released into top soils as a means of disposal. At numerous sites nationwide, cleanup efforts are underway. To evaluate the benefits associated with proposed remediation alternatives, flow and transport modeling is playing an ever increasing role. In many situations site characterization of contaminant source terms is very sketchy, resulting in a lack of necessary data to develop a reliable source term model directly from a database. As such, investigators are forced into an approach of estimating the source term in an inverse modeling fashion. Field-scale attempts are made here to predict the fate and transport of TCE under various remediation alternatives. Under a no action scenario, inverse modeling to establish the source term is performed where comparison to field measurements are made

Perturbative evolution of particle orbits around Kerr black holes: time domain calculation

Treating the Teukolsky perturbation equation numerically as a 2+1 PDE and smearing the singularities in the particle source term by the use of narrow Gaussian distributions, we have been able to reproduce earlier results for equatorial circular orbits that were computed using the frequency domain formalism. A time domain prescription for a more general evolution of nearly geodesic orbits under the effects of radiation reaction is presented. This approach can be useful when tackling the more realistic problem of a stellar-mass black hole moving on a generic orbit around a supermassive black hole under the influence of radiation reaction forces.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, problems with references and double-printing fixe

Calcium Channel Blocker D-\u3cem\u3ecis\u3c/em\u3e-Diltiazem Does Not Slow Retinal Degeneration in the \u3cem\u3ePDE6B\u3c/em\u3e Mutant \u3cem\u3ercd1\u3c/em\u3e Canine Model of Retinitis Pigmentosa

Purpose: D-cis-diltiazem, a calcium channel blocker, has been reported to enhance photoreceptor survival in the rd mouse, a model of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) resulting from mutation of the PDE6B gene. We tested the hypothesis that diltiazem treatment would similarly rescue the canine rcd1 model of RP, which is also caused by a null mutation in the PDE6B gene. Methods: D-cis-diltiazem was delivered orally twice daily to rcd1 affected dogs beginning at 4 weeks of age; untreated age-matched rcd1 dogs served as controls. At 14 weeks, electroretinograms (ERG) were performed on all animals; 14 dogs were euthanized at this age, and 2 dogs at 25 weeks of age. Eyes were enucleated, fixed, and processed for routine histological examination. Results: No significant differences were found in ERG or histopathologic parameters between diltiazem-treated and untreated rcd1 dogs. Neither rcd1 group showed a rod b-wave; ERGs evoked by single white flashes (dark- or light-adapted) and flicker were also identical between groups. Similarly, treated and untreated animals did not differ in the degree of preservation of the photoreceptor layer, confirmed in cell counts within the outer nuclear layer. Conclusions: Treatment of rcd1 affected dogs with D-cis-diltiazem did not modify the photoreceptor disease when results were assessed using either ERG or histopathologic criteria. The positive photoreceptor-rescue effect of calcium channel blockers reported in the rd mouse was thus not generalizable to another species with retinal degeneration due to mutation in the PDE6B gene. Caution needs to be exerted in extrapolation to the comparable human forms of RP