2,244 research outputs found
Microglia-independent peripheral neuropathic pain in male and female mice
ABSTRACT: The dominant view in the field of pain is that peripheral neuropathic pain is driven by microglia in the somatosensory processing region of the spinal dorsal horn. Here, to the contrary, we discovered a form of neuropathic pain that is independent of microglia. Mice in which the nucleus pulposus (NP) of the intervertebral disc was apposed to the sciatic nerve developed a constellation of neuropathic pain behaviours: hypersensitivity to mechanical, cold, and heat stimuli. However, NP application caused no activation of spinal microglia nor was pain hypersensitivity reversed by microglial inhibition. Rather, NP-induced pain hypersensitivity was dependent on cells within the NP which recruited macrophages to the adjacent nerve. Eliminating macrophages systemically or locally prevented NP-induced pain hypersensitivity. Pain hypersensitivity was also prevented by genetically disrupting the neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor selectively in macrophages. Moreover, the behavioural phenotypes as well as the molecular mechanisms of NP-induced pain hypersensitivity were not different between males and females. Our findings reveal a previously unappreciated mechanism for by which a discrete peripheral nerve lesion may produce pain hypersensitivity, which may help to explain the limited success of microglial inhibitors on neuropathic pain in human clinical trials
A fibre-coupled UHV-compatible variable angle reflection-absorption UV/visible spectrometer
We present a novel UV/visible reflection-absorption spectrometer for determining the refractive index, n, and thicknesses, d, of ice films. Knowledge of the refractive index of these films is of particular relevance to the astrochemical community, where they can be used to model radiative transfer and spectra of various regions of space. In order to make these models more accurate, values of n need to be recorded under astronomically relevant conditions, that is, under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) and cryogenic cooling. Several design considerations were taken into account to allow UHV compatibility combined with ease of use. The key design feature is a stainless steel rhombus coupled to an external linear drive (z-shift) allowing a variable reflection geometry to be achieved, which is necessary for our analysis. Test data for amorphous benzene ice is presented as a proof of concept, the film thickness, d, was found to vary linearly with surface exposure and a value for n of 1.43 ± 0.07 was determined
Fast and Slow Rotators in the Densest Environments: a SWIFT IFS study of the Coma Cluster
We present integral-field spectroscopy of 27 galaxies in the Coma cluster
observed with the Oxford SWIFT spectrograph, exploring the kinematic
morphology-density relationship in a cluster environment richer and denser than
any in the ATLAS3D survey. Our new data enables comparison of the kinematic
morphology relation in three very different clusters (Virgo, Coma and Abell
1689) as well as to the field/group environment. The Coma sample was selected
to match the parent luminosity and ellipticity distributions of the early-type
population within a radius 15' (0.43 Mpc) of the cluster centre, and is limited
to r' = 16 mag (equivalent to M_K = -21.5 mag), sampling one third of that
population. From analysis of the lambda-ellipticity diagram, we find 15+-6% of
early-type galaxies are slow rotators; this is identical to the fraction found
in the field and the average fraction in the Virgo cluster, based on the
ATLAS3D data. It is also identical to the average fraction found recently in
Abell 1689 by D'Eugenio et al.. Thus it appears that the average slow rotator
fraction of early type galaxies remains remarkably constant across many
different environments, spanning five orders of magnitude in galaxy number
density. However, within each cluster the slow rotators are generally found in
regions of higher projected density, possibly as a result of mass segregation
by dynamical friction. These results provide firm constraints on the mechanisms
that produce early-type galaxies: they must maintain a fixed ratio between the
number of fast rotators and slow rotators while also allowing the total
early-type fraction to increase in clusters relative to the field. A complete
survey of Coma, sampling hundreds rather than tens of galaxies, could probe a
more representative volume of Coma and provide significantly stronger
constraints, particularly on how the slow rotator fraction varies at larger
radii.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
Detection of noise-corrupted sinusoidal signals with Josephson junctions
We investigate the possibility of exploiting the speed and low noise features
of Josephson junctions for detecting sinusoidal signals masked by Gaussian
noise. We show that the escape time from the static locked state of a Josephson
junction is very sensitive to a small periodic signal embedded in the noise,
and therefore the analysis of the escape times can be employed to reveal the
presence of the sinusoidal component. We propose and characterize two detection
strategies: in the first the initial phase is supposedly unknown (incoherent
strategy), while in the second the signal phase remains unknown but is fixed
(coherent strategy). Our proposals are both suboptimal, with the linear filter
being the optimal detection strategy, but they present some remarkable
features, such as resonant activation, that make detection through Josephson
junctions appealing in some special cases.Comment: 22 pages, 13 figure
Milli-arcsecond scale Rotation Measure in the CSS Quasars 0548+165 and 1524-136
Two Compact Steep-spectrum Sources (CSSs), 0548+165 and 1524-136, chosen from a list of CSSs with polarization percentages that decrease with decreasing frequency and high rotation measure values (RM > 450 rad/m**2) on arcsecond scales, were observed with the VLBA at 4.9 and 8.4 GHz. RM values up to ~10**4 rad/m**2 were found in several regions along the jets in both sources. We suggest that a thin screen of magneto-ionic material with about 1 kpc thickness is responsible for these high RMs. The observed depolarization may be due to beam depolarization and/or inhomogeneities in the magnetic field
An unusual muscular variation of the infratemporal fossa
The infratemporal fossa is often the site of pathology or surgical intervention. We describe an unusual muscle found during the routine dissection of the right infratemporal fossa. The literature germane to this variable muscle, best described
as a variant of the pterygoideus proprius, is reviewed. The clinician may
contemplate the wide array of muscular anomalies within the infratemporal fossa
when considering unexplained neurological symptoms attributed to branches of V3 and pursue appropriate diagnostic testing
Web browser as platform for audiovisual performances
The present study aims to address the following research question: how to create a tool for audiovisual performance, allowing for real-time usage of shared online visual resources, which can be customizable, and used across a variety of different hardware platforms? To address this issue, we have developed AVVX (AudioVisual Vector eXchange), a novel application for audiovisual performances, based on open web technologies such as HTML5, JavaScript and SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics). This paper contextualizes AVVX with related work and technologies, and then presents the design and development of the software. Taking as a starting point a workshop conducted with AVVX, the project has been evaluated by means of a questionnaire and user tests. The results of the tests indicate that the web browser, together with open web technologies, can provide a foundation for a customizable, content-sharing and multi-platform approach to audiovisual performance
Challenging Social Cognition Models of Adherence:Cycles of Discourse, Historical Bodies, and Interactional Order
Attempts to model individual beliefs as a means of predicting how people follow clinical advice have dominated adherence research, but with limited success. In this article, we challenge assumptions underlying this individualistic philosophy and propose an alternative formulation of context and its relationship with individual actions related to illness. Borrowing from Scollon and Scollon’s three elements of social action – “historical body,” “interaction order,” and “discourses in place” – we construct an alternative set of research methods and demonstrate their application with an example of a person talking about asthma management. We argue that talk- or illness-related behavior, both viewed as forms of social action, manifest themselves as an intersection of cycles of discourse, shifting as individuals move through these cycles across time and space. We finish by discussing how these dynamics of social action can be studied and how clinicians might use this understanding when negotiating treatment with patients
CARMA Large Area Star Formation Survey: Project Overview with Analysis of Dense Gas Structure and Kinematics in Barnard 1
We present details of the CARMA Large Area Star Formation Survey (CLASSy),
while focusing on observations of Barnard 1. CLASSy is a CARMA Key Project that
spectrally imaged N2H+, HCO+, and HCN (J=1-0 transitions) across over 800
square arcminutes of the Perseus and Serpens Molecular Clouds. The observations
have angular resolution near 7" and spectral resolution near 0.16 km/s. We
imaged ~150 square arcminutes of Barnard 1, focusing on the main core, and the
B1 Ridge and clumps to its southwest. N2H+ shows the strongest emission, with
morphology similar to cool dust in the region, while HCO+ and HCN trace several
molecular outflows from a collection of protostars in the main core. We
identify a range of kinematic complexity, with N2H+ velocity dispersions
ranging from ~0.05-0.50 km/s across the field. Simultaneous continuum mapping
at 3 mm reveals six compact object detections, three of which are new
detections. A new non-binary dendrogram algorithm is used to analyze dense gas
structures in the N2H+ position-position-velocity (PPV) cube. The projected
sizes of dendrogram-identified structures range from about 0.01-0.34 pc.
Size-linewidth relations using those structures show that non-thermal
line-of-sight velocity dispersion varies weakly with projected size, while rms
variation in the centroid velocity rises steeply with projected size. Comparing
these relations, we propose that all dense gas structures in Barnard 1 have
comparable depths into the sky, around 0.1-0.2 pc; this suggests that
over-dense, parsec-scale regions within molecular clouds are better described
as flattened structures rather than spherical collections of gas. Science-ready
PPV cubes for Barnard 1 molecular emission are available for download.Comment: Accepted to The Astrophysical Journal (ApJ), 51 pages, 27 figures
(some with reduced resolution in this preprint); Project website is at
http://carma.astro.umd.edu/class
Does a third head of the rectus femoris muscle exist?
Current anatomical texts describe only two tendinous origins of the rectus femoris
muscle. The authors identified one older reference in which a third head of
the rectus femoris muscle was briefly described. In order to confirm the existence
of this head, 48 adult cadavers (96 sides) underwent detailed dissection of
the proximal attachments of the rectus femoris muscle. Of these sides 83%
were found to harbour a recognised third head of the rectus femoris muscle.
This additional head was found to attach deeply to the iliofemoral ligament and
superficially with the tendon of the gluteus minimus muscle as it attached into
the femur. This tendon attached to the anterior aspect of the greater trochanter
in an inferolateral direction compared to the straight head. The mean length
and width of the third head was 2 cm and 4 cm, respectively. The mean thickness
was found to be 3 mm. Most commonly this third head was bilaterally
absent or bilaterally present. However, 4.2% were found only on left sides and
5.2% were found only on right sides. The angle created between the reflected
and third heads was approximately 60 degrees. Two sides (both left sides with
one female and one male specimen) were found to have third heads that were
bilaminar. These bilaminar third heads had a distinct layer attaching to the underlying
iliofemoral ligament and a superficial layer blending with the gluteus
minimus tendon to insert onto the greater trochanter. Although the function of
such an attachment is speculative, the clinician may wish to consider this structure
in the interpretation of imaging or in surgical procedures in this region, as
in our study it was present on the majority of sides
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