Laminar-dependent effects of cortical state on auditory cortical spontaneous activity

Cortical circuits spontaneously generate coordinated activity even in the absence of external inputs. The character of this activity depends on cortical state. We investigated how state affects the organization of spontaneous activity across layers of rat auditory cortex in vivo, using juxtacellular recording of morphologically identified neurons and large-scale electrophysiological recordings. Superficial pyramidal cells (PCs) and putative fast-spiking interneurons (FSs) were consistently suppressed during cortical desynchronization. PCs in deep layers showed heterogeneous responses to desynchronization, with some cells showing increased rates, typically large tufted PCs of high baseline firing rate, but not FSs. Consistent results were found between desynchronization occurring spontaneously in unanesthetized animals, and desynchronization evoked by electrical stimulation of the pedunculopontine tegmental (PPT) nucleus under urethane anesthesia. We hypothesize that reduction in superficial layer firing may enhance the brain's extraction of behaviorally relevant signals from noisy brain activity

A phenomenological model for structural phase transitions in incommensurate alkane/urea inclusion compounds

n-Alkane/urea inclusion compounds are crystalline materials in which n-alkane ‘guest’ molecules are located within parallel one-dimensional ‘host’ tunnels formed by a helical hydrogen-bonded arrangement of urea molecules. The periodic repeat distance of the guest molecules along the host tunnels is incommensurate with the periodic repeat distance of the host substructure. The structural properties of the high-temperature phase of these materials (phase I), which exist at ambient temperature, are described by a (3 + 1)-dimensional superspace. Recent publications have suggested that, in the prototypical incommensurate composite systems, n-nonadecane/urea and n-hexadecane/urea, two low-temperature phases II and ‘III’ exist and that one or both of these phases are described by a (3 + 2)-dimensional superspace. We present a phenomenological model based on symmetry considerations and developed in the frame of a pseudo-spin–phonon coupling mechanism, which accounts for the mechanisms responsible for the I ↔ II ↔ ‘III’ phase sequence. With reference to published experimental data, we demonstrate that, in all phases of these incommensurate materials, the structural properties are described by (3 + 1)-dimensional superspace groups. Around the temperature of the II ↔ ‘III’ transition, the macroscopic properties of the material are not actually associated with a phase transition, but instead represent a ‘crossover’ between two regimes involving different couplings between relevant order parameters

Sexual orientation: A cultural diversity issue for nursing

Traditional approaches to cultural diversity and the development of a culturally aware workforce have consistently ignored the importance of gender role orientation and sexual orientation as sources of potential conflict in the work environment. To maintain its integrity as a caring profession, nursing must take steps to end personal and professional discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation

Circumventing a challenging aspect of crystal structure determination from powder diffraction data

Schmidt and co-workers [Acta Cryst. (2022), B78, 195–213], report a strategy for structure determination from powder XRD data in which unit-cell determination and structure solution are combined within a single process, rather than handling them as sequential stages on the structure determination pathway. This strategy offers the prospect to achieve successful structure determination in cases for which conventional approaches for indexing powder XRD data prove to be challenging

NMR crystallography as a vital tool in assisting crystal structure determination from powder XRD data

Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and solid-state NMR spectroscopy are complementary techniques for investigating the structural properties of solids, and there are considerable opportunities and advantages to applying these techniques synergistically together in determining the structural properties of crystalline solids. This article provides an overview of the potential to exploit structural information derived from solid-state NMR data to assist and enhance the process of crystal structure determination from powder XRD data, focusing in particular on the structure determination of organic molecular materials

Task specificity in mouse parietal cortex

Parietal cortex is implicated in a variety of behavioral processes, but it is unknown whether and how its individual neurons participate in multiple tasks. We trained head-fixed mice to perform two visual decision tasks involving a steering wheel or a virtual T-maze and recorded from the same parietal neurons during these two tasks. Neurons that were active during the T-maze task were typically inactive during the steering-wheel task and vice versa. Recording from the same neurons in the same apparatus without task stimuli yielded the same specificity as in the task, suggesting that task specificity depends on physical context. To confirm this, we trained some mice in a third task combining the steering wheel context with the visual environment of the T-maze. This hybrid task engaged the same neurons as those engaged in the steering-wheel task. Thus, participation by neurons in mouse parietal cortex is task specific, and this specificity is determined by physical context

The Full-sky Astrometric Mapping Explorer -- Astrometry for the New Millennium

FAME is designed to perform an all-sky, astrometric survey with unprecedented accuracy. It will create a rigid astrometric catalog of 4x10^7 stars with 5 < m_V < 15. For bright stars, 5 < m_V < 9, FAME will determine positions and parallaxes accurate to < 50 microarcseconds, with proper motion errors < 50 microarcseconds/year. For fainter stars, 9 < m_V < 15, FAME will determine positions and parallaxes accurate to < 500 microarcseconds, with proper motion errors < 500 microarcseconds/year. It will also collect photometric data on these 4 x 10^7 stars in four Sloan DSS colors.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, to appear in "Working on the Fringe

Improving data quality in neuronal population recordings

Understanding how the brain operates requires understanding how large sets of neurons function together. Modern recording technology makes it possible to simultaneously record the activity of hundreds of neurons, and technological developments will soon allow recording of thousands or tens of thousands. As with all experimental techniques, these methods are subject to confounds that complicate the interpretation of such recordings, and could lead to erroneous scientific conclusions. Here, we discuss methods for assessing and improving the quality of data from these techniques, and outline likely future directions in this field