Expression of gastrin-releasing peptide by excitatory interneurons in the mouse superficial dorsal horn

Background: Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) and its receptor have been shown to play an important role in the sensation of itch. However, although GRP immunoreactivity has been detected in the spinal dorsal horn, there is debate about whether this originates from primary afferents or local excitatory interneurons. We therefore examined the relation of GRP immunoreactivity to that seen with antibodies that label primary afferent or excitatory interneuron terminals. We tested the specificity of the GRP antibody by preincubating with peptides with which it could potentially cross-react. We also examined tissue from a mouse line in which enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) is expressed under control of the GRP promoter.<p></p> Results: GRP immunoreactivity was seen in both primary afferent and non-primary glutamatergic axon terminals in the superficial dorsal horn. However, immunostaining was blocked by pre-incubation of the antibody with substance P, which is present at high levels in many nociceptive primary afferents. EGFP+ cells in the GRP-EGFP mouse did not express Pax2, and their axons contained the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2), indicating that they are excitatory interneurons. In most cases, their axons were also GRP-immunoreactive. Multiple-labelling immunocytochemical studies indicated that these cells did not express either of the preprotachykinin peptides, and that they generally lacked protein kinase Cγ, which is expressed by a subset of the excitatory interneurons in this region.<p></p> Conclusions: These results show that GRP is expressed by a distinct population of excitatory interneurons in laminae I-II that are likely to be involved in the itch pathway. They also suggest that the GRP immunoreactivity seen in primary afferents in previous studies may have resulted from cross-reaction of the GRP antibody with substance P or the closely related peptide neurokinin A

Agro forestry systems and food security among smallholder farmers of the Brazilian Amazon: A strategy for environmental global crisis

The Amazon is known for its environmental importance for the climatic equilibrium, for its abundance and richness in biodiversity and its preservation is important to reduce global heating. Nevertheless, little research has analysed the possible positive role of the local farm population for environmental conservation. The paper investigates the possibility to conciliate the environmental conservation with the small farming expansion in the Amazon, to build agrobiodiversity, and at the same time improve food security. This social practice consequently would contribute to the reduction of deforestation and could thus falsify the old diagnosis of incriminating the poor farmers for forest and soil destruction. The study was conducted by the Associação de Produtores Alternativos, localized in territory of Ouro Preto d’ Oeste, Rondônia, in the Southwest of the Amazon. The study documented a number of forest preservation and agroecological methods used and concludes that institutional support to strengthening of social organization and local sustainable development projects is fundamental for the consolidation and amplification of the ecological experiences in the Amazon

Macroscopic superposition states in rotating ring lattices

We investigate the effects of rotation on one-dimensional ultracold bosons confined to optical ring lattices. First, we show that there exists a critical rotation frequency at which the ground state of a weakly-interacting and integer-filled atomic gas is fragmented into a macroscopic superposition state with different circulation. Second, we point out several advantages of using slightly non-uniform ring lattices. Finally, we demonstrate that different quasi-momentum states can be distinguished in time-of-flight absorption imaging and propose to probe correlations via the many-body oscillations induced by a sudden change in the rotation frequency.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures; PQE-2008 conference proceedings; minor correction

The organisation of spinoparabrachial neurons in the mouse

The anterolateral tract (ALT), which originates from neurons in lamina I and the deep dorsal horn, represents a major ascending output through which nociceptive information is transmitted to brain areas involved in pain perception. Although there is detailed quantitative information concerning the ALT in the rat, much less is known about this system in the mouse, which is increasingly being used for studies of spinal pain mechanisms because of the availability of genetically modified lines. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the extent to which information about the ALT in the rat can be extrapolated to the mouse. Our results suggest that as in the rat, most lamina I ALT projection neurons in the lumbar enlargement can be retrogradely labelled from the lateral parabrachial area, that the great majority of these cells (~90%) express the neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1r), and that these are larger than other NK1r-expressing neurons in this lamina. This means that many lamina I spinoparabrachial cells can be identified in NK1r-immunostained sections from animals that have not received retrograde tracer injections. However, we also observed certain species differences, in particular we found that many spinoparabrachial cells in lamina III-IV lack the NK1r, meaning that they cannot be identified based solely on expression of this receptor. We also provide evidence that the vast majority of spinoparabrachial cells are glutamatergic, and that some express substance P. These findings will be important for studies designed to unravel the complex neuronal circuitry that underlies spinal pain processing

How the Kremlin continued its social media influence campaign in the United States in 2020

Ahead of the 2020 presidential election, there was much concern over the likelihood that Russia would try to influence the vote, much as it did in 2016. In new research, Maria Snegovaya and Kohei Watanabe explore the Kremlin’s recent social media influence campaigns in the United States by analyzing the effectiveness of Russia’s information operations and the susceptibility of specific [...

Science popularization and particle physicists : the social construction of meanings and objectives

Analisa-se, nessa investigação, a partir da sociologia de Pierre Bourdieu, a visão de um grupo de físicos de partículas brasileiros e europeus sobre como são compreendidos seus trabalhos de divulgação no campo científico. São investigados profissionais que desenvolvem atividades de aproximação com o público na Organização Europeia para a Pesquisa Nuclear (CERN), visando compreender as dimensões sociais que são negociadas entre os agentes desse subcampo, de modo implícito e explícito, no jogo de poder do campo científico. Procura-se salientar dimensões de reconhecimento, desencanto, disputas, perdas e ganhos na carreira científica, que levam esses físicos a seguirem produzindo e participando de atividades de divulgar. Pretende-se, com essa análise, chamar atenção para aspectos sociais que influenciam as ações desses profissionais no direcionamento de suas atividades, em suas carreiras científicas e na distribuição de capitais científicos (político e puro), quando esses pesquisadores trabalham em prol da divulgação em um laboratório de excelência científica.In this work the perception of a group of Brazilians and Europeans' particles physicists about the role of their work in scientific popularization in the scientific field is investigated from Pierre Bourdieu's Sociology. The professionals investigated develop outreach activities in European Organization of Nuclear Research (CERN) and the aim of this study is to understand the social dimensions that are negotiated between the agents of this subfield, implicitly and explicitly, in the power game within the scientific field. We considered the dimensions of recognition, disenchantment, disputes, loss and gain in scientific careers, leading these physicists to produce and participate in popularization activities. The aim of this analysis is to discuss the social aspects that influence the actions of these professionals in the producing activities, their scientific careers and the distribution of scientific capital (political and pure), when those researchers work outside recognized laboratories

Immunostaining for Homer reveals the majority of excitatory synapses in laminae I-III of the mouse spinal dorsal horn

The spinal dorsal horn processes somatosensory information before conveying it to the brain. The neuronal organization of the dorsal horn is still poorly understood, although recent studies have defined several distinct populations among the interneurons, which account for most of its constituent neurons. All primary afferents, and the great majority of neurons in laminae I–III are glutamatergic, and a major factor limiting our understanding of the synaptic circuitry has been the difficulty in identifying glutamatergic synapses with light microscopy. Although there are numerous potential targets for antibodies, these are difficult to visualize with immunocytochemistry, because of protein cross-linking following tissue fixation. Although this can be overcome by antigen retrieval methods, these lead to difficulty in detecting other antigens. The aim of this study was to test whether the postsynaptic protein Homer can be used to reveal glutamatergic synapses in the dorsal horn. Immunostaining for Homer gave punctate labeling when viewed by confocal microscopy, and this was restricted to synapses at the ultrastructural level. We found that Homer puncta were colocalized with the AMPA receptor GluR2 subunit, but not with the inhibitory synapse-associated protein gephyrin. We also examined several populations of glutamatergic axons and found that the great majority of boutons were in contact with at least one Homer punctum. These results suggest that Homer antibodies can be used to reveal the great majority of glutamatergic synapses without antigen retrieval. This will be of considerable value in tracing synaptic circuits, and also in investigating plasticity of glutamatergic synapses in pain states

A MULTIFUNCIONALIDADE DA AGRICULTURA E SUAS EXTERNALIDADES POSITIVAS PARA O DESENVOLVIMENTO LOCAL

A idéia do conceito da Multifuncionalidade da Agricultura é: agricultura é multifuncional porque além da função central de fornecimento de alimento e fibra, também fornece outras funções ou serviços para toda sociedade, produzindo externalidades positivas. Este conceito pode ser relevante para construir políticas públicas de desenvolvimento para o Brasil, internalizando as externalidades positivas. A questão é: “Como as externalidades positivas podem ser internalizadas?” Um modo para internalizar as externalidades positivas da agricultura seria adicionar valor aos produtos locais através das certificações, considerando que atividades agrícolas têm um papel essencial para o desenvolvimento da área rural e preservação das tradições culturais. Será apresentada a Nova Economia Institucional para interpretar a necessidade das formas organizacionais para a produção territorial e do ambiente institucional, reduzindo os custos de transação. Outro aspecto a ser considerado é sobre a assimetria de informação. A certificação dos produtos pode diminuir a assimetria de informação, conseqüentemente os custos de transação podem ser diminuídos.----------------------------------------------------The basic idea of Agriculture Multifunctionality concept is: agriculture is multifunctional because besides the key function of providing food and fiber, it provides other functions or services to the whole society, producing positive externalities. This concept can be relevant for building Brazilian public development policy, internalizing the positive externalities. The question is: “How the positive externalities can be internalized?” One way for internalizing the positive externalities of agriculture would be adding value to the local products through the certification, considering that agricultural activities have an essential role for developing the rural area and preserving the cultural traditions. It will present the New Institution Economics in order to interpret the need of organizational forms for territorial production and the institutional environment, reducing the transaction costs. The other aspect to be considered is about the information asymmetry. The certification of products can diminish the information asymmetry; consequently, the transaction costs can be diminished.Instituições, Multifuncionalidade, Externalidades positivas, Institutions, Multifunctionality, Positive Externalities, Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Bridging the gap: Motivation in year one EAP classrooms

Conference Theme: Research into Practice in the Four-year curriculumMotivation has always been considered an important factor in language learning, and this is particularly crucial for first-year university undergraduates under the new four-year curriculum. With one year less English learning experience in secondary schools and one more year to study at universities, where English is usually used as a medium of instruction and a lingua franca for international knowledge exchange, this transition can be challenging. To bridge the gap, first year undergraduates are usually required to take courses of English for Academic Purposes (EAP). However, because of the compulsory nature of the courses, students are usually instrumentally motivated or not motivated at all. Therefore, course developers and teachers play vital roles in developing learners’ L2 learning motivation, and preparing them for further study in their own discipline using English. This paper investigates research in L2 learning motivation and how it can be applied to EAP classrooms to enrich the English learning experience of first year undergraduates. Practical strategies to motivate students to participate in classroom activities and out-of-class learning, and methods to provide motivational feedback in formative assessment will be suggested