Sensitivity-bandwidth limit in a multi-mode opto-electro-mechanical transducer

An opto--electro--mechanical system formed by a nanomembrane capacitively coupled to an LC resonator and to an optical interferometer has been recently employed for the high--sensitive optical readout of radio frequency (RF) signals [T. Bagci, \emph{et~al.}, Nature {\bf 507}, 81 (2013)]. Here we propose and experimentally demonstrate how the bandwidth of such kind of transducer can be increased by controlling the interference between two--electromechanical interaction pathways of a two--mode mechanical system. With a proof--of--principle device \new{operating at room temperature, we achieve a sensitivity of 300 nV/Hz^(1/2) over a bandwidth of 15 kHz in the presence of radiofrequency noise, and an optimal shot-noise limited sensitivity of 10 nV/Hz^(1/2) over a bandwidth of 5 kHz. We discuss strategies for improving the performance of the device, showing that, for the same given sensitivity, a mechanical multi--mode transducer can achieve a bandwidth} significantly larger than that of a single-mode one

Generation and detection of large and robust entanglement between two different mechanical resonators in cavity optomechanics

We investigate a general scheme for generating, either dynamically or in the steady state, continuous variable entanglement between two mechanical resonators with different frequencies. We employ an optomechanical system in which a single optical cavity mode driven by a suitably chosen two-tone field is coupled to the two resonators. Significantly large mechanical entanglement can be achieved, which is extremely robust with respect to temperature.Comment: To appear in New J. Phys. Small extensions in response to the points raised by the referee and Refs adde

Religious Fundamentalism in Eight Muslim‐Majority Countries: Reconceptualization and Assessment

To capture the common features of diverse fundamentalist movements, overcome etymological variability, and assess predictors, religious fundamentalism is conceptualized as a set of beliefs about and attitudes toward religion, expressed in a disciplinarian deity, literalism, exclusivity, and intolerance. Evidence from representative samples of over 23,000 adults in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Turkey supports the conclusion that fundamentalism is stronger in countries where religious liberty is lower, religion less fractionalized, state structure less fragmented, regulation of religion greater, and the national context less globalized. Among individuals within countries, fundamentalism is linked to religiosity, confidence in religious institutions, belief in religious modernity, belief in conspiracies, xenophobia, fatalism, weaker liberal values, trust in family and friends, reliance on less diverse information sources, lower socioeconomic status, and membership in an ethnic majority or dominant religion/sect. We discuss implications of these findings for understanding fundamentalism and the need for further research.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146946/1/jssr12549.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146946/2/jssr12549_am.pd

Middle Eastern Beliefs about the Causal Linkages of Development to Freedom, Democracy, and Human Rights

This paper investigates the extent to which people in five Middle Eastern countries endorse key beliefs of developmental idealism that associate development with freedom, democracy, and human rights. Developmental idealismis a set of beliefs concerning the desirability of development, the methods for achieving it, and its consequences. The literature suggests that these beliefs have diffused worldwide among elites and lay citizens and posits that when such beliefs are disseminated they become forces for social and economic changes. Although developmental idealism research has primarily examined family and demographic issues, developmental idealism has tremendous potential to influence other aspects of society. This paper extends knowledge by considering societal aspects not addressed previously in the developmental idealism literature: personal freedom, democracy, and human rights. Using survey data from Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, we investigate how publics of these countries associate development with these elements. We find that majorities believe development brings greater personal freedom, democracy, and human rights. Conversely, the data show that in four of the countries majorities believe more personal freedom contributes to development. These findings provide support for the idea that developmental idealism beliefs concerning freedom, democracy, and human rights have diffused to lay publics in these five Middle Eastern countries. We also find evidence of uniquely Islamic developmental models; a significant proportion of people in these countries believe that more religion will bring more development

Interactions of (2S,6S;2R,6R)-Hydroxynorketamine, a Secondary Metabolite of (R,S)-Ketamine, with Morphine

Ketamine and its primary metabolite norketamine attenuate morphine tolerance by antagonising N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Ketamine is extensively metabolized to several other metabolites. The major secondary metabolite (2S,6S;2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine (6-hydroxynorketamine) is not an NMDA antagonist. However, it may modulate nociception through negative allosteric modulation of 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. We studied whether 6-hydroxynorketamine could affect nociception or the effects of morphine in acute or chronic administration settings. Male Sprague Dawley rats received subcutaneous 6-hydroxynorketamine or ketamine alone or in combination with morphine, as a cotreatment during induction of morphine tolerance, and after the development of tolerance induced by subcutaneous minipumps administering 9.6 mg morphine daily. Tail flick, hot plate, paw pressure and rotarod tests were used. Brain and serum drug concentrations were quantified with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Ketamine (10 mg/kg), but not 6-hydroxynorketamine (10 and 30 mg/kg), enhanced antinociception and decreased rotarod performance following acute administration either alone or combined with morphine. Ketamine efficiently attenuated morphine tolerance. Acutely administered 6-hydroxynorketamine increased the brain concentration of morphine (by 60%), and brain and serum concentrations of 6-hydroxynorketamine were doubled by morphine pre-treatment. This pharmacokinetic interaction did not, however, lead to altered morphine tolerance. Co-administration of 6-hydroxynorketamine 20 mg/kg twice daily did not influence development of morphine tolerance. Even though morphine and 6-hydroxynorketamine brain concentrations were increased after co-administration, the pharmacokinetic interaction had no effect on acute morphine nociception or tolerance. These results indicate that 6-hydroxynorketamine does not have antinociceptive properties or attenuate opioid tolerance in a similar way as ketamine.Peer reviewe

Menthol Alone Upregulates Midbrain nAChRs, Alters nAChR Subtype Stoichiometry, Alters Dopamine Neuron Firing Frequency, and Prevents Nicotine Reward

Upregulation of β2 subunit-containing (β2*) nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) is implicated in several aspects of nicotine addiction, and menthol cigarette smokers tend to upregulate β2* nAChRs more than nonmenthol cigarette smokers. We investigated the effect of long-term menthol alone on midbrain neurons containing nAChRs. In midbrain dopaminergic (DA) neurons from mice containing fluorescent nAChR subunits, menthol alone increased the number of α4 and α6 nAChR subunits, but this upregulation did not occur in midbrain GABAergic neurons. Thus, chronic menthol produces a cell-type-selective upregulation of α4* nAChRs, complementing that of chronic nicotine alone, which upregulates α4 subunit-containing (α4*) nAChRs in GABAergic but not DA neurons. In mouse brain slices and cultured midbrain neurons, menthol reduced DA neuron firing frequency and altered DA neuron excitability following nAChR activation. Furthermore, menthol exposure before nicotine abolished nicotine reward-related behavior in mice. In neuroblastoma cells transfected with fluorescent nAChR subunits, exposure to 500 nM menthol alone also increased nAChR number and favored the formation of (α4)_3(β2)_2 nAChRs; this contrasts with the action of nicotine itself, which favors (α4)_2(β2)_3 nAChRs. Menthol alone also increases the number of α6β2 receptors that exclude the β3 subunit. Thus, menthol stabilizes lower-sensitivity α4* and α6 subunit-containing nAChRs, possibly by acting as a chemical chaperone. The abolition of nicotine reward-related behavior may be mediated through menthol's ability to stabilize lower-sensitivity nAChRs and alter DA neuron excitability. We conclude that menthol is more than a tobacco flavorant: administered alone chronically, it alters midbrain DA neurons of the nicotine reward-related pathway

Interaction of Bupropion with Muscle-Type Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in Different Conformational States

To characterize the binding sites and the mechanisms of inhibition of bupropion on muscle-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs), structural and functional approaches were used. The results established that bupropion: (a) inhibits epibatidine-induced Ca2+ influx in embryonic muscle AChRs, (b) inhibits adult muscle AChR macroscopic currents in the resting/activatable state with ~100-fold higher potency compared to that in the open state, (c) increases desensitization rate of adult muscle AChRs from the open state and impairs channel opening from the resting state, (d) inhibits [3H]TCP and [3H]imipramine binding to the desensitized/carbamylcholine-bound Torpedo AChR with higher affinity compared to the resting/α-bungarotoxin-bound AChR, (e) binds to the Torpedo AChR in either state mainly by an entropy–driven process, and (f) interacts with a binding domain located between the serine (position 6’) and valine (position 13’) rings, by a network of van der Waals, hydrogen bond, and polar interactions. Collectively our data indicate that bupropion first binds to the resting AChR, decreasing the probability of ion channel opening. The remnant fraction of open ion channels is subsequently decreased by accelerating the desensitization process. Bupropion interacts with a luminal binding domain shared with PCP that is located between the serine and valine rings, and this interaction is mediated mainly by an entropy-driven process.Fil: Arias, Hugo Rubén. Midwestern University; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gumilar, Fernanda Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca; ArgentinaFil: Rosenberg, Avraham. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Targowska Duda, Katarzyna M.. Medical University of Lublin; PoloniaFil: Feuerbach, Dominik. Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research; SuizaFil: Jozwiak, Krzysztof. Medical University of Lublin; PoloniaFil: Moaddel, Ruin. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Wainer, Irving W.. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Bouzat, Cecilia Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca; Argentin

Fibrinogen splice variation and cross-linking: Effects on fibrin structure/function and role of fibrinogen γ’ as thrombomobulin II

Fibrin is an important matrix protein that provides the backbone to the blood clot, promoting tissue repair and wound healing. Its precursor fibrinogen is one of the most heterogenous proteins, with an estimated 1 million different forms due to alterations in glycosylation, oxidation, single nucleotide polymorphisms, splice variation and other variations. Furthermore, ligation by transglutamimase factor XIII (cross-linking) adds to the complexity of the fibrin network. The structure and function of the fibrin network is in part determined by this natural variation in the fibrinogen molecule, with major effects from slice variation and cross-linking. This mini-review will discuss the direct effects of fibrinogen αEC and fibrinogen γ’ splice variation on clot structure and function and also discuss the additional role of fibrinogen γ’ as thrombomodulin II. Furthermore, the effects of cross-linking on clot function will be described. Splice variation and cross-linking are major determinants of the structure and function of fibrin and may therefore impact on diseases affecting bleeding, thrombosis and tissue repair

Impedance Bridge Network Problem as Solved by Relaxation Method

Here it is shown how the relaxation method con be advantageously used to solve the problems of A. C. networks containing complex circuit constant. This has been done in the solution of impedance bridge network problem in which many useful information are obtained at a time. The results so obtained ate compared with those calculated by the conventional method