Amorphization Induced High Magneto-Caloric Effect of Gd55Al20Ni25 Ternary Alloy

We report the amorphization induced high magneto-caloric effect （MCE） of recently developed Gd55Al15Ni30 bulk metallic glass （BMG）. The magnetic properties of the Gd55Al15Ni30 BMG are investigated in comparison with that of its crystalline counterpart. It is found that amorphization can increase the saturation magnetization and decrease the hysteresis of Gd55Al15Ni30 alloys, which indicate the possible enhancement of MCE. The magnetic entropy changes and the refrigerant capacity of the BMG as well as the crystalline samples is calculated directly from isothermal magnetic measurements. The results show the amorphization induced high MCE of the alloy and the excellent refrigerant efficiency of Gd55Al15Ni30 bulk metallic glass.     

Laser assisted ultrasound guided aspiration improves procedure time and reduces number of withdrawals

This study evaluated the performance of in-vitro freehand aspiration of a simulated cyst with ultrasound aspiration guided by a newly designed laser assisted (LA) device. The LA device was equipped with an adjustable light source generating a sector light plane. This laser light plane was parallel to and overlapped the ultrasound acoustical plane, to help with needle positioning. Five operators randomly performed 30 freehand or LA ultrasound guided aspirations of a simulated cyst. The frequency was set at 8 MHz and depth at 4 cm. Procedure time and number of syringe withdrawals were statistically compared before and after using the LA device. Both experienced and inexperienced operators required significantly less time to perform the aspiration and had fewer syringe withdrawals when using the LA device. The LA device provides a reference plane in space, allowing the operator to more accurately position and adjust needle direction. Additional in-vivo testing is required to test the clinical practicability.     

Neural markers of a greater female responsiveness to social stimuli

Background  

There is fMRI evidence that women are neurally predisposed to process infant laughter and crying. Other findings show that women might be more empathic and sensitive than men to emotional facial expressions. However, no gender difference in the brain responses to persons and unanimated scenes has hitherto been demonstrated.     

The pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus and the nucleus basalis magnocellularis: Do both have a role in sustained attention?

Background  

It is well established that nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NbM) lesions impair performance on tests of sustained attention. Previous work from this laboratory has also demonstrated that pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg) lesioned rats make more omissions on a test of sustained attention, suggesting that it might also play a role in mediating this function. However, the results of the PPTg study were open to alternative interpretation. We aimed to resolve this by conducting a detailed analysis of the effects of damage to each brain region in the same sustained attention task used in our previous work. Rats were trained in the task before surgery and post-surgical testing examined performance in response to unpredictable light signals of 1500 ms and 4000 ms duration. Data for PPTg lesioned rats were compared to control rats, and rats with 192 IgG saporin infusions centred on the NbM. In addition to operant data, video data of rats' performance during the task were also analysed.     

Imaging the neural circuitry and chemical control of aggressive motivation

Background  

With the advent of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in awake animals it is possible to resolve patterns of neuronal activity across the entire brain with high spatial and temporal resolution. Synchronized changes in neuronal activity across multiple brain areas can be viewed as functional neuroanatomical circuits coordinating the thoughts, memories and emotions for particular behaviors. To this end, fMRI in conscious rats combined with 3D computational analysis was used to identifying the putative distributed neural circuit involved in aggressive motivation and how this circuit is affected by drugs that block aggressive behavior.     

Baryon polarization in low-energy unpolarized meson-baryon scattering

We compute the polarization of the final-state baryon, in its rest frame, in low-energy mesonbaryon scattering with unpolarized initial state, in unitarized BChPT. Free parameters are determined by fitting total and differential cross-section data (and spin-asymmetry or polarization data if available) for pK ⁻, pK ⁺ and pπ⁺ scattering. We also compare our results with those of leading-order BChPT.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rgcs1</Emphasis>, a dominant QTL that affects retinal ganglion cell death after optic nerve crush in mice

Background  

Intrinsic apoptosis of neuronal somas is one aspect of neurodegenerative diseases that can be influenced by genetic background. Genes that affect this process may act as susceptibility alleles that contribute to the complex genetic nature of these diseases. Retinal ganglion cell death is a defining feature of the chronic and genetically complex neurodegenerative disease glaucoma. Previous studies using an optic nerve crush procedure in inbred mice, showed that ganglion cell resistance to crush was affected by the Mendelian-dominant inheritance of 1–2 predicted loci. To assess this further, we bred and phenotyped a large population of F2 mice derived from a resistant inbred strain (DBA/2J) and a susceptible strain (BALB/cByJ).     

Synchrony between orientation-selective neurons is modulated during adaptation-induced plasticity in cat visual cortex

Background  

Visual neurons respond essentially to luminance variations occurring within their receptive fields. In primary visual cortex, each neuron is a filter for stimulus features such as orientation, motion direction and velocity, with the appropriate combination of features eliciting maximal firing rate. Temporal correlation of spike trains was proposed as a potential code for linking the neuronal responses evoked by various features of a same object. In the present study, synchrony strength was measured between cells following an adaptation protocol (prolonged exposure to a non-preferred stimulus) which induce plasticity of neurons' orientation preference.     

Polysialylated-neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM) in the human trigeminal ganglion and brainstem at prenatal and adult ages

Background  

The polysialylated neuronal cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM) is considered a marker of developing and migrating neurons and of synaptogenesis in the immature vertebrate nervous system. However, it persists in the mature normal brain in some regions which retain a capability for morphofunctional reorganization throughout life. With the aim of providing information relevant to the potential for dynamic changes of specific neuronal populations in man, this study analyses the immunohistochemical occurrence of PSA-NCAM in the human trigeminal ganglion (TG) and brainstem neuronal populations at prenatal and adult age.     

Diverse antidepressants increase CDP-diacylglycerol production and phosphatidylinositide resynthesis in depression-relevant regions of the rat brain

Background  

Major depression is a serious mood disorder affecting millions of adults and children worldwide. While the etiopathology of depression remains obscure, antidepressant medications increase synaptic levels of monoamine neurotransmitters in brain regions associated with the disease. Monoamine transmitters activate multiple signaling cascades some of which have been investigated as potential mediators of depression or antidepressant drug action. However, the diacylglycerol arm of phosphoinositide signaling cascades has not been systematically investigated, even though downstream targets of this cascade have been implicated in depression. With the ultimate goal of uncovering the primary postsynaptic actions that may initiate cellular antidepressive signaling, we have examined the antidepressant-induced production of CDP-diacylglycerol which is both a product of diacylglycerol phosphorylation and a precursor for the synthesis of physiologically critical glycerophospholipids such as the phosphatidylinositides. For this, drug effects on [³H]cytidine-labeled CDP-diacylglycerol and [³H]inositol-labeled phosphatidylinositides were measured in response to the tricyclics desipramine and imipramine, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors fluoxetine and paroxetine, the atypical antidepressants maprotiline and nomifensine, and several monoamine oxidase inhibitors.