5,133 research outputs found
Temporal precedence of emotion over attention modulations in the lateral amygdala: Intracranial ERP evidence from a patient with temporal lobe epilepsy
Previous fMRI studies have reported mixed evidence for the influence of selective attention on amygdala responses to emotional stimuli, with some studies showing "automatic" emotional effects to threat-related stimuli without attention (or even without awareness), but other studies showing a gating of amygdala activity by selective attention with no response to unattended stimuli. We recorded intracranial local field potentials from the intact left lateral amygdala in a human patient prior to surgery for epilepsy and tested, with a millisecond time resolution, for neural responses to fearful faces appearing at either task-relevant or task-irrelevant locations. Our results revealed an early emotional effect in the amygdala arising prior to, and independently of, attentional modulation. However, at a later latency, we found a significant modulation of the differential emotional response when attention was directed toward or away from fearful faces. These results suggest separate influences of emotion and attention on amygdala activation and may help reconcile previous discrepancies concerning the relative responsiveness of the human amygdala to emotional and attentional factors
Measurement of the ratio h/e with a photomultiplier tube and a set of LEDs
We propose a laboratory experience aimed at undergraduate physics students to
understand the main features of the photoelectric effect and to perform a
measurement of the ratio h/e, where h is the Planck's constant and e is the
electron charge. The experience is based on the method developed by Millikan
for his measurements on the photoelectric effect in the years from 1912 to
1915. The experimental setup consists of a photomultiplier tube (PMT) equipped
with a voltage divider properly modified to set variable retarding potentials
between the photocathode and the first dynode, and a set of LEDs emitting at
different wavelengths. The photocathode is illuminated with the various LEDs
and, for each wavelength of the incident light, the output anode current is
measured as a function of the retarding potential applied between the cathode
and the first dynode. From each measurement, a value of the stopping potential
for the anode current is derived. Finally, the stopping potentials are plotted
as a function of the frequency of the incident light, and a linear fit is
performed. The slope and the intercept of the line allow respectively to
evaluate the ratio h/e and the ratio W/e, where W is the work function of the
photocathode.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
TRS-measurements as a nondestructive method assessing stage of maturity and ripening in plum (Prunus domestica L.)
n plum fruit with dark red or blue blush colour covering the whole fruit, the change in ground colour from green to yellow during maturation and ripening is masked. Hence, the maturity stage is difficult to judge. Time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy (TRS) has been used as a nondestructive method to assess changes in important internal quality factors in âJubileumâ plums (Prunus domestica L.). Absorption coefficients (”a) and scattering coefficients (”s) were measured at both 670 and 758 nm during 5 days of storage. The changes in soluble solids content, titratable acidity and firmness were as expected. No change in soluble solids content was observed, while the plums became less acid and softer during storage. The TRS-measurements of plums indicated that TRS could give interesting information on internal quality factors in plums as the absorption at 670 nm was closely related to firmness, TA and TSS at the time of picking. Absorption at 758 nm was more closely related to the quality parameters after storage. The study did not indicate that scattering could be used in assessing maturity stage in plum
Testicular endocrine activity is upregulated by D-Aspartic acid in the green frog Rana esculenta
This study investigated the involvement of D-aspartic acid (D-Asp) in testicular steroidogenesis of the green frog Rana esculenta and its effect on stimulation of thumb pad morphology and glandular activity, a typical testosterone-dependent secondary sexual characteristic in this amphibian species. In the testis, D-Asp concentrations vary significantly during the reproductive cycle: they are low in pre- and post-reproductive periods, but reach peak levels in the reproductive period (140-236 nmol/g wet tissue). Moreover, the concentrations of D-Asp in the testis through the sexual cycle positively match the testosterone levels in the gonad and the plasma. The racemase activity evaluated during the cycle expresses its peak when D-Asp and testosterone levels are highest, that is, during the reproductive period, confirming the synthesis of D-Asp from L-Asp by an aspartate racemase. Short-term in vivo experiments consisting of a single injection of D-Asp (2.0 micro mol/g body weight) demonstrated that this amino acid accumulates significantly in the testis, and after 3 h its uptake is coupled with a testosterone increase in both testis and plasma. Moreover, within 18 h of amino acid administration, the D-Asp concentration in the testis decreased along with the testosterone titer to prestimulation levels. Other amino acids (L-Asp, D-Glu and L-Glu) used instead of D-Asp were ineffective, confirming that the significant increase in testicular testosterone was a specific feature of this amino acid. In long-term experiments, D-Asp had been administered chronically to frogs caught during the three phases of the reproductive cycle, inducing testosterone increase and 17beta-estradiol decrease in the gonad during the pre- and post-reproductive period, and vice versa during the reproductive period
Seasonal Fish Losses through Hauser Dam, Montana, 2007- 2008
Management of fish populations in Hauser Reservoir, Montana, is hindered by undesirable and unpredictable downstream fish entrainment through Hauser Dam. We quantified fish entrainment through the dam using hydroacoustics at turbine intakes from July 2007 to November 2008 and over the spillway from 21 May to 18 July 2008. Species composition was characterized using multiple netting gears. Total estimated entrainment was 145,470 ± 6,204. Annual entrainment from summer to autumn was higher in 2007 (n = 79,031 ± 4378) than in 2008 (n = 52,513 ± 3,966). Spillway entrainment was 19 percent of annual entrainment in 2008 and was correlated with spillway discharge; turbine entrainment was not. Turbine entrainment increased from summer to autumn in both years, probably in response to autumn turnover and releases of hatchery rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Spill entrainment in 2008 resulted in similar entrainment between summer and autumn, but autumn turbine entrainment increased in 2008. About 60 percent of entrained fish were smaller than 220 mm. We applied species composition by size to the hydroacoustic data to identify fish species entrained, but many fish (n = 55,529 ± 4,397) could not be reliably assigned to species because concurrent net catches did not include individuals of similar size. Total entrainment of identified fish was made up of mostly rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss; 33.3%) and walleye (Stizostedion vitreum; 30.2%). Identification of patterns in spatial and temporal fish losses affords fishery managers the ability to make more informed decisions about operation of this dam
The NuRD Complex in Neurodevelopment and Disease: A Case of Sliding Doors
The Nucleosome Remodelling and Deacetylase (NuRD) complex represents one of the major chromatin remodelling complexes in mammalian cells, uniquely coupling the ability to âopenâ the chromatin by inducing nucleosome sliding with histone deacetylase activity. At the core of the NuRD complex are a family of ATPases named CHDs that utilise the energy produced by the hydrolysis of the ATP to induce chromatin structural changes. Recent studies have highlighted the prominent role played by the NuRD in regulating gene expression during brain development and in maintaining neuronal circuitry in the adult cerebellum. Importantly, components of the NuRD complex have been found to carry mutations that profoundly affect neurological and cognitive development in humans. Here, we discuss recent literature concerning the molecular structure of NuRD complexes and how the subunit composition and numerous permutations greatly determine their functions in the nervous system. We will also discuss the role of the CHD family members in an array of neurodevelopmental disorders. Special emphasis will be given to the mechanisms that regulate the NuRD complex composition and assembly in the cortex and how subtle mutations may result in profound defects of brain development and the adult nervous system
Optimization of graphene-based materials outperforming host epoxy matrices
The degree of graphite exfoliation and edge-carboxylated layers can be controlled and balanced to design lightweight materials characterized by both low electrical percolation thresholds (EPT) and improved mechanical properties. So far, this challenging task has been undoubtedly very hard to achieve. The results presented in this paper highlight the effect of exfoliation degree and the role of edge-carboxylated graphite layers to give self-assembled structures embedded in the polymeric matrix. Graphene layers inside the matrix may serve as building blocks of complex systems that could outperform the host matrix. Improvements in electrical percolation and mechanical performance have been obtained by a synergic effect due to finely balancing the degree of exfoliation and the chemistry of graphene edges which favors the interfacial interaction between polymer and carbon layers. In particular, for epoxy-based resins including two partially exfoliated graphite samples, differing essentially in the content of carboxylated groups, the percolation threshold reduces from 3 wt% down to 0.3 wt%, as the carboxylated group content increases up to 10 wt%. Edge-carboxylated nanosheets also increase the nanofiller/epoxy matrix interaction, determining a relevant reinforcement in the elastic modulus
On the nature of the near-UV extended light in Seyfert galaxies
We study the nature of the extended near-UV emission in the inner kiloparsec
of a sample of 15 Seyfert galaxies which have both near-UV (F330W) and narrow
band [OIII] high resolution Hubble images. For the majority of the objects we
find a very similar morphology in both bands. From the [OIII] images we
construct synthetic images of the nebular continuum plus the emission line
contribution expected through the F330W filter, which can be subtracted from
the F330W images. We find that the emission of the ionised gas dominates the
near-UV extended emission in half of the objects. A further broad band
photometric study, in the bands F330W (U), F547M (V) and F160W (H), shows that
the remaining emission is dominated by the underlying galactic bulge
contribution. We also find a blue component whose nature is not clear in 4 out
of 15 objects. This component may be attributed to scattered light from the
AGN, to a young stellar population in unresolved star clusters, or to
early-disrupted clusters. Star forming regions and/or bright off-nuclear star
clusters are observed in 4/15 galaxies of the sample.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figures, 3 tables; accepted for publication in MNRA
A highly specific phosphatase that acts on ADP-ribose 1âł-phosphate, a metabolite of tRNA splicing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
One molecule of ADP-ribose 1âł,2âł-cyclic phosphate (Appr>p) is formed during each of the approximately 500â000 tRNA splicing events per Saccharomyces cerevisiae generation. The metabolism of Appr>p remains poorly defined. A cyclic phosphodiesterase (Cpd1p) has been shown to convert Appr>p to ADP-ribose-1âł-phosphate (Appr1p). We used a biochemical genomics approach to identify two yeast phosphatases that can convert Appr1p to ADP-ribose: the product of ORF YBR022w (now Poa1p), which is completely unrelated to other known phosphatases; and Hal2p, a known 3âČ-phosphatase of 5âČ,3âČ-pAp. Poa1p is highly specific for Appr1p, and thus likely acts on this molecule in vivo. Poa1 has a relatively low K(M) for Appr1p (2.8 ÎŒM) and a modest k(cat) (1.7 min(â1)), but no detectable activity on several other substrates. Furthermore, Poa1p is strongly inhibited by ADP-ribose (K(I), 17 ÎŒM), modestly inhibited by other nucleotides containing an ADP-ribose moiety and not inhibited at all by other tested molecules. In contrast, Hal2p is much more active on pAp than on Appr1p, and several other tested molecules were Hal2p substrates or inhibitors. poa1-Î mutants have no obvious growth defect at different temperatures in rich media, and analysis of yeast extracts suggests that âŒ90% of Appr1p processing activity originates from Poa1p
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