Pdxdc1 modulates prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle in the mouse.

Current antipsychotic medications used to treat schizophrenia all target the dopamine D2 receptor. Although these drugs have serious side effects and limited efficacy, no novel molecular targets for schizophrenia treatment have been successfully translated into new medications. To identify novel potential treatment targets for schizophrenia, we searched for previously unknown molecular modulators of acoustic prepulse inhibition (PPI), a schizophrenia endophenotype, in the mouse. We examined six inbred mouse strains that have a range of PPI, and used microarrays to determine which mRNA levels correlated with PPI across these mouse strains. We examined several brain regions involved in PPI and schizophrenia: hippocampus, striatum, and brainstem, found a number of transcripts that showed good correlation with PPI level, and confirmed this with real-time quantitative PCR. We then selected one candidate gene for further study, Pdxdc1 (pyridoxal-dependent decarboxylase domain containing 1), because it is a putative enzyme that could metabolize catecholamine neurotransmitters, and thus might be a feasible target for new medications. We determined that Pdxdc1 mRNA and protein are both strongly expressed in the hippocampus and levels of Pdxdc1 are inversely correlated with PPI across the six mouse strains. Using shRNA packaged in a lentiviral vector, we suppressed Pdxdc1 protein levels in the hippocampus and increased PPI by 70%. Our results suggest that Pdxdc1 may regulate PPI and could be a good target for further investigation as a potential treatment for schizophrenia

Tunable grating-assisted surface plasmon resonance by use of nano-polymer dispersed liquid crystal electro-optical material

This paper reports on the experimental observation of the displacement of a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) excited by a metallic diffraction grating. This effect is achieved by the use of an electro-optical material composed of nano-sized droplets of liquid crystals dispersed in a host polymer. The average refractive index of this material in the form of a thin film on the undulated metal surface can be modified with the application of an external electric field and to tune the wavelength at which the SPR excitation leads to a reflection minimum. The theoretical design and experimental demonstration of the principle of this component are described

Primary primers: voters are generally happy to work alongside elites to choose their party’s presidential nominee

Since 1984, party elites, both elected and DNC members, have played a role in selecting the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. While recent years have seen calls to move away from a system that includes those who some accuse of being unelected elites, in new research, Zachary Albert and Raymond La Raja find that voters are actually happy with a mixed system where voters and elites share influence on the choice of nominee

Campaign finance laws may be making political polarization worse by encouraging ‘purist’ donors.

Many Americans have become increasingly concerned over the role of money in politics, and back more populist approaches to reducing political donations. Raymond J. La Raja and Brian F. Schaffner, authors of Campaign Finance and Political Polarization: When Purists Prevail, argue that populist approaches such as imposing low contribution limits on parties, distort the campaign finance system in ways that benefit a small group of partisan purists at the expense of the broader electorate. This in turn pushes candidates towards ideological extremes. They write that reformers should consider a more party-centered campaign finance system which would channel money to candidates through highly transparent and broadly accountable party organizations, which would then lead to less polarization

Multiplexed holographic transmission gratings recorded in holographic polymer-dispersed liquid crystals: static and dynamic studies

The optimization of the experimental parameters of two multiplexed holographic transmission gratings recorded in holographic polymer-dispersed liquid crystals is investigated. Two methods are used to record the holograms: simultaneous and sequential multiplexing. These two processes are optimized to produce two multiplexed Bragg gratings that have the same and the highest possible diffraction efficiencies in the first order. The two methods show similar results when suitable recording parameters are used. The parameters of the recorded gratings (mainly the refractive-index modulation) are retrieved by use of an extension of the rigorous coupled-wave theory to multiplexed gratings. Finally, the response of the holograms to an electric field is studied. We demonstrate few coupling effects between the behavior of both gratings, and we expect a possibility of switching from one grating to the other

Museums without walls: The museology of Georges Henri Riviere

This thesis explores important aspects of the debates and practices that since the First World War have both extended the meaning of museums and museology, and renovated what was seen by many as a stagnated 19th century model of museum policy and communication. For the purpose of illustrating the manifold nature of these debates this thesis examines the life and work of French museologist and innovator of modern French ethnographical practice, Georges Henri Rivière (1897 – 1985). It draws on the conceptual distinction made in some international museum literature between museology and museums. This distinction stems from the different assumptions introduced by two long term projects of cultural development: the 18th century projects of enlightenment and the 20th century promotion of an anthropological conception of culture. The former is closely related to the European system of fine art understood as a system of promotion and popularization of the arts. The latter is part of the efforts of the human and social sciences to insert museums in the society they serve and/or to give a democratic representation to the variety of cultures existing in a society at large. The consequence was the development, in the course of the 20th Century, of two often opposing managerial policies and cultures, one inwards looking, aiming at modernization and professionalization of internal museum functions, the other focusing on closing the relationship of museology and its natural and social environment. The first was essentially administrative and scholar-based, and has thrived with the adoption of a culture of mass consumption and multiplied its functions according to an ever-dominant division of labour. The second is proactive and externally driven, a policy and managerial culture aiming at the management of processes and resources, and at the identifications and development of the living cultures existing in a society. In this line of thought this research explores the museology of Rivet-Rivière’s Musée-Laboratoire as part of a national project of cultural development aiming at changing the relationship of French citizens to their material culture and heritage. As the museological embodiment of the myth of primitivism, Rivet-Rivière’s ‘structural museology’ was shaped by the convergence of avant-garde movements in contemporary arts with the object-based ethnology of Marcel Mauss. It eventually led not only to Rivière’s most famous concept, the Ecomusée, but also to a ‘museology without walls’ and to the diversification and multiplication of local museological practices by which every activity existing in a territory could be given museographical expression. As cultural activist, Rivière was at the crossroads of major events and personalities of his time, and his museological talent was placed at the service of their concerns and expectations, particularly through his long involvement with the UNESCO-linked International Council of Museums (ICOM). Furthermore, his privileged positions in the culture of its time made him a significant witness, not just of the debate about museums, but of 20th century French cultural life

A qualitative exploration of the experiences of living with and being treated for fibromyalgia

This study explores the life and treatment experience of people in the United Kingdom with fibromyalgia in order to inform the development of treatments which are both effective and acceptable to users. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 14 participants with interpretative phenomenological analysis used as the theoretical framework and analytical method. The themes identified were as follows: Inauthenticity of fibromyalgia, An Unconventional healthcare experience, Re-creating support networks, Challenging the working identity, Threatening the family dynamic and Fighting, accepting or accommodating? The biopsychosocial impacts of fibromyalgia disrupted the identity, lifestyle, roles and relationships of our participants with such challenges further exacerbated by the contested nature of the illness

z~2: An Epoch of Disk Assembly

We explore the evolution of the internal gas kinematics of star-forming galaxies from the peak of cosmic star-formation at $z\sim2$ to today. Measurements of galaxy rotation velocity $V_{rot}$, which quantify ordered motions, and gas velocity dispersion $\sigma_g$, which quantify disordered motions, are adopted from the DEEP2 and SIGMA surveys. This sample covers a continuous baseline in redshift from $z=2.5$ to $z=0.1$, spanning 10 Gyrs. At low redshift, nearly all sufficiently massive star-forming galaxies are rotationally supported ($V_{rot}>\sigma_g$). By $z=2$, the percentage of galaxies with rotational support has declined to 50$\%$ at low stellar mass ($10^{9}-10^{10}\,M_{\odot}$) and 70$\%$ at high stellar mass ($10^{10}-10^{11}M_{\odot}$). For $V_{rot}\,>\,3\,\sigma_g$, the percentage drops below 35$\%$ for all masses. From $z\,=\,2$ to now, galaxies exhibit remarkably smooth kinematic evolution on average. All galaxies tend towards rotational support with time, and it is reached earlier in higher mass systems. This is mostly due to an average decline in $\sigma_g$ by a factor of 3 since a redshift of 2, which is independent of mass. Over the same time period, $V_{rot}$ increases by a factor of 1.5 for low mass systems, but does not evolve for high mass systems. These trends in $V_{rot}$ and $\sigma_g$ with time are at a fixed stellar mass and should not be interpreted as evolutionary tracks for galaxy populations. When galaxy populations are linked in time with abundance matching, not only does $\sigma_g$ decline with time as before, but $V_{rot}$ strongly increases with time for all galaxy masses. This enhances the evolution in $V_{rot}/\sigma_g$. These results indicate that $z\,=\,2$ is a period of disk assembly, during which the strong rotational support present in today's massive disk galaxies is only just beginning to emerge.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Ap