CNS Technology Website Administrative Guide (Version 1.0)

Air Force Office of Scientific Research (F49620-01-1-0397); National Science Foundation (SBE-0354378); Office of Naval Research (N00014-01-1-0624)

Feeling the heat: The campylobacter jejuni HrcA transcriptional repressor is an intrinsic protein thermosensor

The heat-shock response, a universal protective mechanism consisting of a transcriptional reprogramming of the cellular transcriptome, results in the accumulation of proteins which coun-teract the deleterious effects of heat-stress on cellular polypeptides. To quickly respond to thermal stress and trigger the heat-shock response, bacteria rely on different mechanisms to detect temperature variations, which can involve nearly all classes of biological molecules. In Campylobacter jejuni the response to heat-shock is transcriptionally controlled by a regulatory circuit involving two re-pressors, HspR and HrcA. In the present work we show that the heat-shock repressor HrcA acts as an intrinsic protein thermometer. We report that a temperature upshift up to 42°C negatively affects HrcA DNA-binding activity to a target promoter, a condition required for de-repression of regu-lated genes. Furthermore, we show that this impairment of HrcA binding at 42°C is irreversible in vitro, as DNA-binding was still not restored by reversing the incubation temperature to 37°C. On the other hand, we demonstrate that the DNA-binding activity of HspR, which controls, in combi-nation with HrcA, the transcription of chaperones’ genes, is unaffected by heat-stress up to 45°C, portraying this master repressor as a rather stable protein. Additionally, we show that HrcA binding activity is enhanced by the chaperonin GroE, upon direct protein–protein interaction. In conclu-sion, the results presented in this work establish HrcA as a novel example of intrinsic heat-sensing transcriptional regulator, whose DNA-binding activity is positively modulated by the GroE chap-eronin

Thermo-recurrent nematic random laser

This experimental work is aimed to investigate the thermal behavior of random laser action in dye doped nematic liquid crystals. The study evidenced an important temperature dependence of the random lasing characteristics in the nematic phase and in close proximity of the nematic -isotropic (N-I) phase transition. A lowering of the laser emission intensity as the temperature increases is strictly related to the shift of the lasing threshold as function of the temperature even though the pump energy is kept fixed. The optical losses increasing owing to the thermal fluctuation enhanced scattering drive the input-output smoother behavior until the system stops to lase, because below threshold. The unexpected reoccurrence of random lasing at higher temperature, in proximity of N-I transition is found to be related to a different scattering mechanism, the micro-droplets nucleation and critical opalescence

Examining adherence to activity monitoring devices to improve physical activity in adults with cardiovascular disease: A systematic review

Background Activity monitoring devices are currently being used to facilitate and monitor physical activity. No prior review has examined adherence to the use of activity monitoring devices amongst adults with cardiovascular disease. Methods Literature from June 2012 to October 2017 was evaluated to examine the extent of adherence to any activity monitoring device used to collect objective physical activity data. Randomized control trials comparing usual care against the use of an activity monitoring device, in a community intervention for adults from any cardiovascular diagnostic group, were included. A systematic search of databases and clinical trials registers was conducted using Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. Results Of 10 eligible studies, two studies reported pedometer use and eight accelerometer use. Six studies addressed the primary outcome. Mean adherence was 59.1% (range 39.6% to 85.7%) at last follow-up. Studies lacked equal representation by gender (28.6% female) and age (range 42 to 82 years). Conclusion This review indicates that current research on activity monitoring devices may be overstated due to the variability in adherence. Results showed that physical activity tracking in women and in young adults have been understudied

Bayesian Function-on-Function Regression for Multilevel Functional Data

Medical and public health research increasingly involves the collection of complex and high dimensional data. In particular, functional data—where the unit of observation is a curve or set of curves that are finely sampled over a grid—is frequently obtained. Moreover, researchers often sample multiple curves per person resulting in repeated functional measures. A common question is how to analyze the relationship between two functional variables. We propose a general function-on-function regression model for repeatedly sampled functional data on a fine grid, presenting a simple model as well as a more extensive mixed model framework, and introducing various functional Bayesian inferential procedures that account for multiple testing. We examine these models via simulation and a data analysis with data from a study that used event-related potentials to examine how the brain processes various types of images

A population-based observational study of diabetes during pregnancy in Victoria, Australia, 1999-2008

Objectives: This paper reports secular trends in diabetes in pregnancy in Victoria, Australia and examines the effect of including or excluding women with pre-existing diabetes on gestational diabetes (GDM) prevalence estimates

The evolution of vertically acquired HCV infection

Materials and methods All children with vertically acquired HCV infection who came to our attention and were regularly followed from the first months of life were included in this analysis. One child with double HCV and HIV infection was excluded. HCV associated clinical manifestations, viral genotype, persistence of viremia and HCV antibodies, liver biochemistry (ALT levels, bilirubin, alpha fetoprotein, coagulation parameters), liver ultrasound and other investigations to identify extrahepatic manifestations (e.g. the appearance of auto-antibodies or cryoglobulins, C3 and C4 concentrations) were evaluated

The role of clinical neurophysiology in the definition and assessment of fatigue and fatigability

Though a common symptom, fatigue is difficult to define and investigate, occurs in a wide variety of neurological and systemic disorders, with differing pathological causes. It is also often accompanied by a psychological component. As a symptom of long-term COVID-19 it has gained more attention. In this review, we begin by differentiating fatigue, a perception, from fatigability, quantifiable through biomarkers. Central and peripheral nervous system and muscle disorders associated with these are summarised. We provide a comprehensive and objective framework to help identify potential causes of fatigue and fatigability in a given disease condition. It also considers the effectiveness of neurophysiological tests as objective biomarkers for its assessment. Among these, twitch interpolation, motor cortex stimulation, electroencephalography and magnetencephalography, and readiness potentials will be described for the assessment of central fatigability, and surface and needle electromyography (EMG), single fibre EMG and nerve conduction studies for the assessment of peripheral fatigability. The purpose of this review is to guide clinicians in how to approach fatigue, and fatigability, and to suggest that neurophysiological tests may allow an understanding of their origin and interactions. In this way, their differing types and origins, and hence their possible differing treatments, may also be defined more clearly

White matter abnormalities in adults with bipolar disorder type-II and unipolar depression

Discerning distinct neurobiological characteristics of related mood disorders such as bipolar disorder type-II (BD-II) and unipolar depression (UD) is challenging due to overlapping symptoms and patterns of disruption in brain regions. More than 60% of individuals with UD experience subthreshold hypomanic symptoms such as elevated mood, irritability, and increased activity. Previous studies linked bipolar disorder to widespread white matter abnormalities. However, no published work has compared white matter microstructure in individuals with BD-II vs. UD vs. healthy controls (HC), or examined the relationship between spectrum (dimensional) measures of hypomania and white matter microstructure across those individuals. This study aimed to examine fractional anisotropy (FA), radial diffusivity (RD), axial diffusivity (AD), and mean diffusivity (MD) across BD-II, UD, and HC groups in the white matter tracts identified by the XTRACT tool in FSL. Individuals with BD-II (n = 18), UD (n = 23), and HC (n = 24) underwent Diffusion Weighted Imaging. The categorical approach revealed decreased FA and increased RD in BD-II and UD vs. HC across multiple tracts. While BD-II had significantly lower FA and higher RD values than UD in the anterior part of the left arcuate fasciculus, UD had significantly lower FA and higher RD values than BD-II in the area of intersections between the right arcuate, inferior fronto-occipital and uncinate fasciculi and forceps minor. The dimensional approach revealed the depression-by-spectrum mania interaction effect on the FA, RD, and AD values in the area of intersection between the right posterior arcuate and middle longitudinal fasciculi. We propose that the white matter microstructure in these tracts reflects a unique pathophysiologic signature and compensatory mechanisms distinguishing BD-II from UD