Significant reductions in human visual gamma frequency by the gaba reuptake inhibitor tiagabine revealed by robust peak frequency estimation

The frequency of visual gamma oscillations is determined by both the neuronal excitation-inhibition balance and the time constants of GABAergic processes. The gamma peak frequency has been linked to sensory processing, cognitive function, cortical structure, and may have a genetic contribution. To disentangle the intricate relationship among these factors, accurate and reliable estimates of peak frequency are required. Here, a bootstrapping approach that provides estimates of peak frequency reliability, thereby increasing the robustness of the inferences made on this parameter was developed. The method using both simulated data and real data from two previous pharmacological MEG studies of visual gamma with alcohol and tiagabine was validated. In particular, the study by Muthukumaraswamy et al. [] (Neuropsychopharmacology 38(6):1105-1112), in which GABAergic enhancement by tiagabine had previously demonstrated a null effect on visual gamma oscillations, contrasting with strong evidence from both animal models and very recent human studies was re-evaluated. After improved peak frequency estimation and additional exclusion of unreliably measured data, it was found that the GABA reuptake inhibitor tiagabine did produce, as predicted, a marked decrease in visual gamma oscillation frequency. This result demonstrates the potential impact of objective approaches to data quality control, and provides additional translational evidence for the mechanisms of GABAergic transmission generating gamma oscillations in humans. Hum Brain Mapp, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

An Exact Fluctuating 1/2-BPS Configuration

This work explores the role of thermodynamic fluctuations in the two parameter giant and superstar configurations characterized by an ensemble of arbitrary liquid droplets or irregular shaped fuzzballs. Our analysis illustrates that the chemical and state-space geometric descriptions exhibit an intriguing set of exact pair correction functions and the global correlation lengths. The first principle of statistical mechanics shows that the possible canonical fluctuations may precisely be ascertained without any approximation. Interestingly, our intrinsic geometric study exemplifies that there exist exact fluctuating 1/2-BPS statistical configurations which involve an ensemble of microstates describing the liquid droplets or fuzzballs. The Gaussian fluctuations over an equilibrium chemical and state-space configurations accomplish a well-defined, non-degenerate, curved and regular intrinsic Riemannian manifolds for all physically admissible domains of black hole parameters. An explicit computation demonstrates that the underlying chemical correlations involve ordinary summations, whilst the state-space correlations may simply be depicted by standard polygamma functions. Our construction ascribes definite stability character to the canonical energy fluctuations and to the counting entropy associated with an arbitrary choice of excited boxes from an ensemble of ample boxes constituting a variety of Young tableaux.Comment: Minor changes, added references, 30 pages, 4 figures, PACS numbers: 04.70.-s: Physics of black holes; 04.70.-Bw: Classical black holes; 04.50.Gh Higher-dimensional black holes, black strings, and related objects; 04.60.Cf Gravitational aspects of string theory, accepted for publication in JHE

Non-singlet Baryons in Less Supersymmetric Backgrounds

We analyze the holographic description of non-singlet baryons in various backgrounds with reduced supersymmetries and/or confinement. We show that they exist in all AdS_5xY_5 backgrounds with Y_5 an Einstein manifold bearing five form flux, for a number of quarks 5N/8< k< N, independently on the supersymmetries preserved. This result still holds for gamma_i deformations. In the confining Maldacena-Nunez background non-singlet baryons also exist, although in this case the interval for the number of quarks is reduced as compared to the conformal case. We generalize these configurations to include a non-vanishing magnetic flux such that a complementary microscopical description can be given in terms of lower dimensional branes expanding into fuzzy baryons. This description is a first step towards exploring the finite 't Hooft coupling region.Comment: 36 Pages, 1 figure, Latex, v2: few minor changes, JHEP versio

An Integrated Proteomic and Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals the Venom Complexity of the Bullet Ant Paraponera clavata.

A critical hurdle in ant venom proteomic investigations is the lack of databases to comprehensively and specifically identify the sequence and function of venom proteins and peptides. To resolve this, we used venom gland transcriptomics to generate a sequence database that was used to assign the tandem mass spectrometry (MS) fragmentation spectra of venom peptides and proteins to specific transcripts. This was performed alongside a shotgun liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis of the venom to confirm that these assigned transcripts were expressed as proteins. Through the combined transcriptomic and proteomic investigation of Paraponera clavata venom, we identified four times the number of proteins previously identified using 2D-PAGE alone. In addition to this, by mining the transcriptomic data, we identified several novel peptide sequences for future pharmacological investigations, some of which conform with inhibitor cysteine knot motifs. These types of peptides have the potential to be developed into pharmaceutical or bioinsecticide peptides

Evidence for reversible control of magnetization in a ferromagnetic material via spin-orbit magnetic field

Conventional computer electronics creates a dichotomy between how information is processed and how it is stored. Silicon chips process information by controlling the flow of charge through a network of logic gates. This information is then stored, most commonly, by encoding it in the orientation of magnetic domains of a computer hard disk. The key obstacle to a more intimate integration of magnetic materials into devices and circuit processing information is a lack of efficient means to control their magnetization. This is usually achieved with an external magnetic field or by the injection of spin-polarized currents. The latter can be significantly enhanced in materials whose ferromagnetic properties are mediated by charge carriers. Among these materials, conductors lacking spatial inversion symmetry couple charge currents to spin by intrinsic spin-orbit (SO) interactions, inducing nonequilibrium spin polarization tunable by local electric fields. Here we show that magnetization of a ferromagnet can be reversibly manipulated by the SO-induced polarization of carrier spins generated by unpolarized currents. Specifically, we demonstrate domain rotation and hysteretic switching of magnetization between two orthogonal easy axes in a model ferromagnetic semiconductor.Comment: 10 pages including supplemental materia

Black-hole entropy from supergravity superstrata states

This work of JdB was supported in part by the Foundation of Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM) and by an NWO Spinoza grant. The work of MS was supported in part by Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B) 24740159 from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)

Identification of a protein encoded in the EB-viral open reading frame BMRF2

Using monospecific rabbit sera against a peptide derived from a potential antigenic region of the Epstein-Barr viral amino acid sequence encoded in the open reading frame BMRF2 we could identify a protein-complex of 53/55 kDa in chemically induced B95-8, P3HR1 and Raji cell lines. This protein could be shown to be membrane-associated, as predicted by previous computer analysis of the secondary structure and hydrophilicity pattern, and may be a member of EBV-induced membrane proteins in lytically infected cells

Global Burden of Sickle Cell Anaemia in Children under Five, 2010-2050: Modelling Based on Demographics, Excess Mortality, and Interventions

The global burden of sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is set to rise as a consequence of improved survival in high-prevalence low- and middle-income countries and population migration to higher-income countries. The host of quantitative evidence documenting these changes has not been assembled at the global level. The purpose of this study is to estimate trends in the future number of newborns with SCA and the number of lives that could be saved in under-five children with SCA by the implementation of different levels of health interventions.First, we calculated projected numbers of newborns with SCA for each 5-y interval between 2010 and 2050 by combining estimates of national SCA frequencies with projected demographic data. We then accounted for under-five mortality (U5m) projections and tested different levels of excess mortality for children with SCA, reflecting the benefits of implementing specific health interventions for under-five patients in 2015, to assess the number of lives that could be saved with appropriate health care services. The estimated number of newborns with SCA globally will increase from 305,800 (confidence interval [CI]: 238,400-398,800) in 2010 to 404,200 (CI: 242,500-657,600) in 2050. It is likely that Nigeria (2010: 91,000 newborns with SCA [CI: 77,900-106,100]; 2050: 140,800 [CI: 95,500-200,600]) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2010: 39,700 [CI: 32,600-48,800]; 2050: 44,700 [CI: 27,100-70,500]) will remain the countries most in need of policies for the prevention and management of SCA. We predict a decrease in the annual number of newborns with SCA in India (2010: 44,400 [CI: 33,700-59,100]; 2050: 33,900 [CI: 15,900-64,700]). The implementation of basic health interventions (e.g., prenatal diagnosis, penicillin prophylaxis, and vaccination) for SCA in 2015, leading to significant reductions in excess mortality among under-five children with SCA, could, by 2050, prolong the lives of 5,302,900 [CI: 3,174,800-6,699,100] newborns with SCA. Similarly, large-scale universal screening could save the lives of up to 9,806,000 (CI: 6,745,800-14,232,700) newborns with SCA globally, 85% (CI: 81%-88%) of whom will be born in sub-Saharan Africa. The study findings are limited by the uncertainty in the estimates and the assumptions around mortality reductions associated with interventions.Our quantitative approach confirms that the global burden of SCA is increasing, and highlights the need to develop specific national policies for appropriate public health planning, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Further empirical collaborative epidemiological studies are vital to assess current and future health care needs, especially in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and India

Traumatic fracture-dislocation of the hip following rugby tackle: a case report

Posterior fracture-dislocation of hip is uncommonly encountered in rugby injuries. We report such a case in an adult while playing rugby. The treating orthopaedician can be caught unaware and injuries in such sports can be potentially misdiagnosed as hip sprains. Immediate reduction of the dislocation was performed in theatres. The fracture was fixed with two lag screws and a neutralization plate. This led to early rehabilitation and speedy recovery with return to sporting activities by 12 months

A General Black String and its Microscopics

Using G2(2) dualities we construct the most general black string solution of minimal five-dimensional ungauged supergravity. The black string has five independent parameters, namely, the magnetic one-brane charge, smeared electric zero-brane charge, boost along the string direction, energy above the BPS bound, and rotation in the transverse space. In one extremal limit it reduces to the three parameter supersymmetric string of five-dimensional minimal supergravity; in another extremal limit it reduces to the three parameter non-supersymmetric extremal string of five-dimensional minimal supergravity. It also admits an extremal limit when it has maximal rotation in the four-dimensional transverse space. The decoupling limit of our general black string is a BTZ black hole times a two sphere. The macroscopic entropy of the string is reproduced by the Maldacena-Strominger-Witten CFT in appropriate ranges of the parameters. When the pressureless condition is imposed, our string describes the infinite radius limit of the most general class of black rings of minimal supergravity. We discuss implications our solution has for extremal and non-extremal black rings of minimal supergravity.Comment: 35 pages; 3 figures; v2 section 4.1.1 rewritten + minor changes + ref adde