bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Centaurin-α1-Ras-Elk-1 Signaling at Mitochondria Mediates β-Amyloid-Induced Synaptic Dysfunction
Authors: Szatmari Erzsebet M. , Oliveira Ana F. , Sumner Elizabeth J. , Yasuda Ryohei
Published: March 2013

Alzheimer's disease is thought to be caused by β-amyloid peptide (Aβ)-dependent synaptic dysfunction. However, the signaling pathways connecting Aβ and synaptic dysfunction remain elusive. Here we report that Aβ transiently increases the expression level of centaurin-α1 (CentA1) in neurons, which induces a Ras-dependent association of Elk-1 with mitochondria, leading to mitochondrial and synaptic dysfunction in organotypic hippocampal slices of rats. Downregulation of the CentA1–Ras-Elk-1 pathway restored normal mitochondrial activity, spine structural plasticity, spine density, and the amplitude and frequency of miniature EPSCs in Aβ-treated neurons, whereas upregulation of the pathway was sufficient to decrease spine density. Elevations of CentA1 and association of Elk-1 with mitochondria were also observed in transgenic mice overexpressing a human mutant form of amyloid precursor protein. Therefore, the CentA1–Ras-Elk-1 signaling pathway acts on mitochondria to regulate dendritic spine density and synaptic plasticity in response to Aβ in hippocampal neurons, providing new pharmacological targets for Alzheimer's disease.
Neural Changes with Tactile Learning Reflect Decision-Level Reweighting of Perceptual Readout
Authors: Sathian K. , Deshpande Gopikrishna , Stilla Randall
Published: March 2013

Despite considerable work, the neural basis of perceptual learning remains uncertain. For visual learning, although some studies suggested that changes in early sensory representations are responsible, other studies point to decision-level reweighting of perceptual readout. These competing possibilities have not been examined in other sensory systems, investigating which could help resolve the issue. Here we report a study of human tactile microspatial learning in which participants achieved >six-fold decline in acuity threshold after multiple training sessions. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed during performance of the tactile microspatial task and a control, tactile temporal task. Effective connectivity between relevant brain regions was estimated using multivariate, autoregressive models of hidden neuronal variables obtained by deconvolution of the hemodynamic response. Training-specific increases in task-selective activation assessed using the task × session interaction and associated changes in effective connectivity primarily involved subcortical and anterior neocortical regions implicated in motor and/or decision processes, rather than somatosensory cortical regions. A control group of participants tested twice, without intervening training, exhibited neither threshold improvement nor increases in task-selective activation. Our observations argue that neuroplasticity mediating perceptual learning occurs at the stage of perceptual readout by decision networks. This is consonant with the growing shift away from strictly modular conceptualization of the brain toward the idea that complex network interactions underlie even simple tasks. The convergence of our findings on tactile learning with recent studies of visual learning reconciles earlier discrepancies in the literature on perceptual learning.
Calpains, Cleaved Mini-DysferlinC72, and L-Type Channels Underpin Calcium-Dependent Muscle Membrane Repair
Authors: Lek Angela , Evesson Frances J. , Lemckert Frances A. , Redpath Gregory M. I. , Lueders Ann-Katrin , Turnbull Lynne , Whitchurch Cynthia B. , North Kathryn N. , Cooper Sandra T.
Published: March 2013

Dysferlin is proposed as a key mediator of calcium-dependent muscle membrane repair, although its precise role has remained elusive. Dysferlin interacts with a new membrane repair protein, mitsugumin 53 (MG53), an E3 ubiquitin ligase that shows rapid recruitment to injury sites. Using a novel ballistics assay in primary human myotubes, we show it is not full-length dysferlin recruited to sites of membrane injury but an injury-specific calpain-cleavage product, mini-dysferlinC72. Mini-dysferlinC72-rich vesicles are rapidly recruited to injury sites and fuse with plasma membrane compartments decorated by MG53 in a process coordinated by L-type calcium channels. Collective interplay between activated calpains, dysferlin, and L-type channels explains how muscle cells sense a membrane injury and mount a specialized response in the unique local environment of a membrane injury. Mini-dysferlinC72and MG53 form an intricate lattice that intensely labels exposed phospholipids of injury sites, then infiltrates and stabilizes the membrane lesion during repair. Our results extend functional parallels between ferlins and synaptotagmins. Whereas otoferlin exists as long and short splice isoforms, dysferlin is subject to enzymatic cleavage releasing a synaptotagmin-like fragment with a specialized protein- or phospholipid-binding role for muscle membrane repair.
Myo-Cortical Crossed Feedback Reorganizes Primate Motor Cortex Output
Authors: Lucas Timothy H. , Fetz Eberhard E.
Published: March 2013

The motor system is capable of adapting to changed conditions such as amputations or lesions by reorganizing cortical representations of peripheral musculature. To investigate the underlying mechanisms we induced targeted reorganization of motor output effects by establishing an artificial recurrent connection between a forelimb muscle and an unrelated site in the primary motor cortex (M1) of macaques. A head-fixed computer transformed forelimb electromyographic activity into proportional subthreshold intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) during hours of unrestrained volitional behavior. This conditioning paradigm stimulated the cortical site for a particular muscle in proportion to activation of another muscle and induced robust site- and input-specific reorganization of M1 output effects. Reorganization was observed within 25 min and could be maintained with intermittent conditioning for successive days. Control stimulation that was independent of muscle activity, termed “pseudoconditioning,” failed to produce reorganization. Preconditioning output effects were gradually restored during volitional behaviors following the end of conditioning. The ease of changing the relationship between cortical sites and associated muscle responses suggests that under normal conditions these relations are maintained through physiological feedback loops. These findings demonstrate that motor cortex outputs may be reorganized in a targeted and sustainable manner through artificial afferent feedback triggered from controllable and readily recorded muscle activity. Such cortical reorganization has implications for therapeutic treatment of neurological injuries.
Spatial and Temporal Scales of Neuronal Correlation in Visual Area V4
Authors: Smith Matthew A. , Sommer Marc A.
Published: March 2013

The spiking activity of nearby cortical neurons is correlated on both short and long time scales. Understanding this shared variability in firing patterns is critical for appreciating the representation of sensory stimuli in ensembles of neurons, the coincident influences of neurons on common targets, and the functional implications of microcircuitry. Our knowledge about neuronal correlations, however, derives largely from experiments that used different recording methods, analysis techniques, and cortical regions. Here we studied the structure of neuronal correlation in area V4 of alert macaques using recording and analysis procedures designed to match those used previously in primary visual cortex (V1), the major input to V4. We found that the spatial and temporal properties of correlations in V4 were remarkably similar to those of V1, with two notable differences: correlated variability in V4 was approximately one-third the magnitude of that in V1 and synchrony in V4 was less temporally precise than in V1. In both areas, spontaneous activity (measured during fixation while viewing a blank screen) was approximately twice as correlated as visual-evoked activity. The results provide a foundation for understanding how the structure of neuronal correlation differs among brain regions and stages in cortical processing and suggest that it is likely governed by features of neuronal circuits that are shared across the visual cortex.
Optical Dissection of Odor Information ProcessingIn VivoUsing GCaMPs Expressed in Specified Cell Types of the Olfactory Bulb
Authors: Wachowiak Matt , Economo Michael N. , Díaz-Quesada Marta , Brunert Daniela , Wesson Daniel W. , White John A. , Rothermel Markus
Published: March 2013

Understanding central processing requires precise monitoring of neural activity across populations of identified neurons in the intact brain. In the present study, we used recently optimized variants of the genetically encoded calcium sensor GCaMP (GCaMP3 and GCaMPG5G) to image activity among genetically and anatomically defined neuronal populations in the olfactory bulb (OB), including two types of GABAergic interneurons (periglomerular [PG] and short axon [SA] cells) and OB output neurons (mitral/tufted [MT] cells) projecting to the piriform cortex. We first established that changes in neuronal spiking can be related accurately to GCaMP fluorescence changes via a simple quantitative relationship over a large dynamic range. We next usedin vivotwo-photon imaging from individual neurons and epifluorescence signals reflecting population-level activity to investigate the spatiotemporal representation of odorants across these neuron types in anesthetized and awake mice. Under anesthesia, individual PG and SA cells showed temporally simple responses and little spontaneous activity, whereas MT cells were spontaneously active and showed diverse temporal responses. At the population level, response patterns of PG, SA, and MT cells were surprisingly similar to those imaged from sensory inputs, with shared odorant-specific topography across the dorsal OB and inhalation-coupled temporal dynamics. During wakefulness, PG and SA cell responses increased in magnitude but remained temporally simple, whereas those of MT cells changed to complex spatiotemporal patterns reflecting restricted excitation and widespread inhibition. These results suggest multiple circuit elements with distinct roles in transforming odor representations in the OB and provide a framework for further study of early olfactory processing using optical and genetic tools.
Phosphodiesterase Inhibition Rescues Chronic Cognitive Deficits Induced by Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Titus David J. , Sakurai Atsushi , Kang Yuan , Furones Concepcion , Jergova Stanislava , Santos Rosmery , Sick Thomas J. , Atkins Coleen M.
Published: March 2013

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) modulates several cell signaling pathways in the hippocampus critical for memory formation. Previous studies have found that the cAMP-protein kinase A signaling pathway is downregulated after TBI and that treatment with a phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4 inhibitor rolipram rescues the decrease in cAMP. In the present study, we examined the effect of rolipram on TBI-induced cognitive impairments. At 2 weeks after moderate fluid-percussion brain injury or sham surgery, adult male Sprague Dawley rats received vehicle or rolipram (0.03 mg/kg) 30 min before water maze acquisition or cue and contextual fear conditioning. TBI animals treated with rolipram showed a significant improvement in water maze acquisition and retention of both cue and contextual fear conditioning compared with vehicle-treated TBI animals. Cue and contextual fear conditioning significantly increased phosphorylated CREB levels in the hippocampus of sham animals, but not in TBI animals. This deficit in CREB activation during learning was rescued in TBI animals treated with rolipram. Hippocampal long-term potentiation was reduced in TBI animals, and this was also rescued with rolipram treatment. These results indicate that the PDE4 inhibitor rolipram rescues cognitive impairments after TBI, and this may be mediated through increased CREB activation during learning.
Cones Respond to Light in the Absence of Transducin β Subunit
Authors: Nikonov Sergei S. , Lyubarsky Arkady , Fina Marie E. , Nikonova Elena S. , Sengupta Abhishek , Chinniah Chidambaram , Ding Xi-Qin , Smith Robert G. , Pugh Edward N. , Vardi Noga , Dhingra Anuradha
Published: March 2013

Mammalian cones respond to light by closing a cGMP-gated channel via a cascade that includes a heterotrimeric G-protein, cone transducin, comprising Gαt2, Gβ3 and Gγt2 subunits. The function of Gβγ in this cascade has not been examined. Here, we investigate the role of Gβ3 by assessing cone structure and function in Gβ3-null mouse (Gnb3−/−). We found that Gβ3 is required for the normal expression of its partners, because in theGnb3−/−cone outer segments, the levels of Gαt2 and Gγt2 are reduced by fourfold to sixfold, whereas other components of the cascade remain unaltered. Surprisingly,Gnb3−/−cones produce stable responses with normal kinetics and saturating response amplitudes similar to that of the wild-type, suggesting that cone phototransduction can function efficiently without a Gβ subunit. However, light sensitivity was reduced by approximately fourfold in the knock-out cones. Because the reduction in sensitivity was similar in magnitude to the reduction in Gαt2 level in the cone outer segment, we conclude that activation of Gαt2 inGnb3−/−cones proceeds at a rate approximately proportional to its outer segment concentration, and that activation of phosphodiesterase and downstream cascade components is normal. These results suggest that the main role of Gβ3 in cones is to establish optimal levels of transducin heteromer in the outer segment, thereby indirectly contributing to robust response properties.
Two Clusters of GABAergic Ellipsoid Body Neurons Modulate Olfactory Labile Memory inDrosophila
Authors: Zhang Zhiping , Li Xiaoting , Guo Jing , Li Yan , Guo Aike
Published: March 2013

InDrosophila, aversive olfactory memory is believed to be stored in a prominent brain structure, the mushroom body (MB), and two pairs of MB intrinsic neurons, the dorsal paired medial (DPM) and the anterior paired lateral (APL) neurons, are found to regulate the consolidation of middle-term memory (MTM). Here we report that another prominent brain structure, the ellipsoid body (EB), is also involved in the modulation of olfactory MTM. Activating EB R2/R4m neurons does not affect the learning index, but specifically eliminates anesthesia-sensitive memory (ASM), the labile component of olfactory MTM. We further demonstrate that approximately two-thirds of these EB neurons are GABAergic and are responsible for the suppression of ASM. Using GRASP (GFP reconstitution across synaptic partners), we reveal potential synaptic connections between the EB and MB in regions covering both the presynaptic and postsynaptic sites of EB neurons, suggesting the presence of bidirectional connections between these two important brain structures. These findings suggest the existence of direct connections between the MB and EB, and provide new insights into the neural circuit basis for olfactory labile memory inDrosophila.
Postnatal Loss of P/Q-Type Channels Confined to Rhombic-Lip-Derived Neurons Alters Synaptic Transmission at the Parallel Fiber to Purkinje Cell Synapse and Replicates GenomicCacna1aMutation Phenotype of Ataxia and Seizures in Mice
Authors: Maejima Takashi , Wollenweber Patric , Teusner Lena U.C. , Noebels Jeffrey L. , Herlitze Stefan , Mark Melanie D.
Published: March 2013

Ataxia, episodic dyskinesia, and thalamocortical seizures are associated with an inherited loss of P/Q-type voltage-gated Ca2+channel function. P/Q-type channels are widely expressed throughout the neuraxis, obscuring identification of the critical networks underlying these complex neurological disorders. We showed recently that the conditional postnatal loss of P/Q-type channels in cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs) in mice (purky) leads to these aberrant phenotypes, suggesting that intrinsic alteration in PC output is a sufficient pathogenic factor for disease initiation. The question arises whether P/Q-type channel deletion confined to a single upstream cerebellar synapse might induce the pathophysiological abnormality of genomically inherited P/Q-type channel disorders. PCs integrate two excitatory inputs, climbing fibers from inferior olive and parallel fibers (PFs) from granule cells (GCs) that receive mossy fiber (MF) input derived from precerebellar nuclei. In this study, we introduce a new mouse model with a selective knock-out of P/Q-type channels in rhombic-lip-derived neurons including the PF and MF pathways (quirky). We found that inquirkymice, PF-PC synaptic transmission is reduced during low-frequency stimulation. Using focal light stimulation of GCs that express optogenetic light-sensitive channels, channelrhodopsin-2, we found that modulation of PC firing via GC input is reduced inquirkymice. Phenotypic analysis revealed thatquirkymice display ataxia, dyskinesia, and absence epilepsy. These results suggest that developmental alteration of patterned input confined to only one of the main afferent cerebellar excitatory synaptic pathways has a significant role in generating the neurological phenotype associated with the global genomic loss of P/Q-type channel function.
Dissociation of Frontotemporal Dementia–Related Deficits and Neuroinflammation in Progranulin Haploinsufficient Mice
Authors: Filiano Anthony J. , Martens Lauren Herl , Young Allen H. , Warmus Brian A. , Zhou Ping , Diaz-Ramirez Grisell , Jiao Jian , Zhang Zhijun , Huang Eric J. , Gao Fen-Biao , Farese Robert V. , Roberson Erik D.
Published: March 2013

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a neurodegenerative disease with hallmark deficits in social and emotional function. Heterozygous loss-of-function mutations inGRN, the progranulin gene, are a common genetic cause of the disorder, but the mechanisms by which progranulin haploinsufficiency causes neuronal dysfunction in FTD are unclear. Homozygous progranulin knock-out (Grn−/−) mice have been studied as a model of this disorder and show behavioral deficits and a neuroinflammatory phenotype with robust microglial activation. However, homozygousGRNmutations causing complete progranulin deficiency were recently shown to cause a different neurological disorder, neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis, suggesting that the total absence of progranulin may have effects distinct from those of haploinsufficiency. Here, we studied progranulin heterozygous (Grn+/−) mice, which model progranulin haploinsufficiency. We found thatGrn+/−mice developed age-dependent social and emotional deficits potentially relevant to FTD. However, unlikeGrn−/−mice, behavioral deficits inGrn+/−mice occurred in the absence of gliosis or increased expression of tumor necrosis factor-α. Instead, we found neuronal abnormalities in the amygdala, an area of selective vulnerability in FTD, inGrn+/−mice. Our findings indicate that FTD-related deficits resulting from progranulin haploinsufficiency can develop in the absence of detectable gliosis and neuroinflammation, thereby dissociating microglial activation from functional deficits and suggesting an important effect of progranulin deficiency on neurons.
Collective Biography and the Entangled Enlivening of Being
Authors: Davies Bronwyn , Gannon Susanne
Published: March 2013

In this paper we explore the very particular forms and productive possibilities of collaborative writing that are generated in collective biography workshops, focusing in particular on the collaborative generation of memory stories. Drawing on conceptual resources from Deleuze and Barad we work our way through the paradox of working with intensely felt evocative memories within the poststructural conceptual space of the deconstructed -of-thought. We analyze a story told in a collective biography workshop on writing, and work with it in relation to the concepts of being as emergent within the encounter, intra-action or the entanglement of agencies, the significance of matter, the movement from perception and affection to percept and affect, and diffraction as concept and practice.
Encountering Deleuze
Authors: Guttorm Hanna Ellen , Hilton Krista A. , Jonsdottir Gunnhildur Una , Löytönen Teija , McKenzie Liz , Gale Ken , Wyatt Jonathan
Published: March 2013

The seven of us have never met; at least, our material bodies have not shared the same geographical space. We are a becoming-assemblage, drawn to write together through encountering Deleuze and others in collaborative writing workshops in the UK and the United States in 2010 and 2011. This paper explores, expresses and creates, through the trajectories and surprises of zigzagging nomadic inquiry, our continuing engagement with Deleuze and his collaborators' conceptualisations. In the stutterings of our emerging minoritarian language(s) we create and write ourselves into our assemblage in all our particularities, our differing and contrasting affective and geographical landscapes alive as our writing moves and flows: between each other; between the ‘then’ of the workshops and the ‘now’ of our lives since; between daylight and darkness; between summer and winter; and as we seek to disrupt these and other such binaries. In this paper, through the always zigzagging movements of our writings we explore and inquire within our different accounts of the workshops we each experienced and offer something that writes to and with what has emerged, and is emerging, for us as a consequence of engaging in them. We write with the paradox of a seven never having been in the same material space simultaneously and with intensive materiality, material and affective flows, with each other, with Deleuze, Deleuze and Guattari, Deleuze and Parnet, Deleuze and … and … —with Deleuze there is always ‘and’—we open up (a) space(s) where we write between-the-seven.
Darkness and Silence
Authors: Gale Ken , Pelias Ronald J. , Russell Larry , Spry Tami , Wyatt Jonathan
Published: March 2013

Having written as a group for four years, we continue with an emblematic methodology of writing into the dark, writing into a space that has become an intensive, maturing, messy, ethically caring, collaborative venture of changing composition. Our collective self writes into a tentative anticipating trust in our presence though we are shaded in uncertainty. We have written with desire and labor, intimacy and work, stuttering and stumbling our way through what has been a vibrant and aging transatlantic writing group. And now we have come to the perhaps inevitable question about whether we want to continue writing together. This installment traces the complexity of that question.
Haunted by Ghosts
Authors: Pineau Elyse
Published: March 2013

This essay troubles notions of presence, embodiment and subjectivity in collaborative writing practice by considering how collaboration operates in the ‘solitary’ practice of critically conscious, performative autoethnography. Drawing on Powell and Stephenson Shaffer's conceptualization of performance as Derridean “hauntology” and grounded in three collaborations with ‘ghostly’ partners, the essay explores when and why it matters to engage the deceased performatively, as articulate bodies in their own right.
Effect of Equivalent Sites on the Dynamics of Bimetallic Nanoparticles
Authors: Fernández-Navarro C. , Gutiérrez-Esparza A. J. , Montejano-Carrizales J.M. , Mejía-Rosales S.J.
Published: March 2013

Using a Sutton and Chen interatomic potential, we study the molecular dynamics of Au-Pd nanoparticles with an initial icosahedral structure at different temperatures and concentrations, where each relative concentration of the 561-atom particles was made by placing atoms of the same species at equivalent sites, in order to identify under which conditions the melting transition temperature appears for each particle. In addition, we compute global order parameters in order to correlate the obtained results with the caloric curves of each particle. As a result, we observe that the melting transition temperature depends on the relative atomic positions of gold and palladium. The melting transition temperature of the Au-Pd alloy particles appears at higher temperature than that of the pure-gold particle. From the analysis of the structure of the particles, we found that the melting temperature increases with the proportion of gold atoms, and for those particles with a higher concentration of palladium on the surface, we observe an early migration of gold atoms before the melting transition temperature appears.
Synthesis and Characterization of Alloys and Bimetallic Nanoparticles of CuNi Prepared by Sol-Gel Method
Authors: de León-Quiroz E.L. , Obregón D. Vázquez , Pedraza A. Ponce , Larios-Rodríguez E. , José-Yacaman M. , García-Cerda L.A.
Published: March 2013

Recently, bimetallic nanostructures and nanoalloys have received special interest due to their promising chemical and physical properties. Specifically, Cu-Ni nanoparticles have been investigated for biomedical and catalytic applications. This work reports the synthesis of alloys and bimetallic nanoparticles of CuxNi100-x(x = 20, 40, 50, 60 and 80) by sol-gel method, and their morphological, structural and magnetic characterization. A precursor material was prepared using a standard Pechini method and then CuNi nanoparticles were obtained by calcination treatments of the precursor in H2/N2atmosphere at 600 and 700°C for 15 minutes. The resulting nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), which reveals that this method led to the formation of CuNi substitutional nanoalloys and bimetallic nanoparticles with good cristallinity related with the calcination temperatures and Cu:Ni weight ratios. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows nearly monodisperse and uniform spherical nanoparticles with sizes between 40 and 70 nm. The magnetic properties were studied using SQUID magnetometry, according with these results, the CuNi nanoparticles showed a ferromagnetic behavior, the magnetization value increases as a function of the weight percentage of Ni.
Preparation of Polymer Nanocomposites with Enhanced Antimicrobial Properties
Authors: España-Sánchez Beatriz L. , Ávila-Orta Carlos A. , Neira-Velázquez Maria G. , Solís-Rosales Silvia G. , González -Morones Pablo
Published: March 2013

Plasma surface activation and antibacterial properties of nanocomposites of polypropylene/silver nanoparticles (PP/nAg) and nylon-6/silver nanoparticles (Ny6/nAg) were investigated. The nanocomposites were prepared by melt blending assisted by ultrasound, while surface activation was achieved by means of argon plasma. To evaluate the antimicrobial properties of the nanocomposites, pathogen microorganisms such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Aspergillus niger were tested. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analyses showed a uniform dispersion of nanoparticles within the polymer matrix, though the presence of some agglomerates was also appreciated. On the other hand, surface topography by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) suggested that ions from the argon plasma generated ion collisions with the surface of the nanocomposites removing or etching polymer from surface and improving silver nanoparticles exposure, increasing their antimicrobial properties as corroborated by antimicrobial analyses. Nanocomposites exposed to argon plasma presented higher antimicrobial properties than the ones not exposed. These results indicated that plasma treatment increased the contact area of the nanoparticles with the microorganisms and enhanced the antimicrobial properties of nanocomposites. The results also showed that PP/nAg nanocomposites presented higher bacterial inhibition than Ny6/nAg nanocomposites, indicating that the chemical structure of the polymer also plays a big role in the final performance of the composite.
Effect of the Nucleation Layer on TiO2 Nanoflowers Growth via Solvothermal Synthesis
Authors: Jaramillo Oscar A. , Raman Reshmi , Rincón Marina E.
Published: March 2013

TiO2 nanoflowers were obtained on modified ITO substrates by solvothermal synthesis. Surface modification was achieved with a layer of TiO2 seeds/nucleus obtained by dip-coating at various pH and dip cycles. Field emission scanning electron microscopy results indicated that at all nucleation conditions there was a dual population of TiO2 nanoparticles and nanoflowers. For a particular pH, the effect of increasing the number of dips was to increase the size and number of the nanoflowers, whereas for a fixed number of dips, the increase in pH causes a decrease in nanoflower population. The comparison with solvothermal films obtained on unmodified substrates indicates that TiO2 nanoflowers grew up on the nucleation sites. These microstructural changes determine the active surface area and sensing properties of the solvothermal films. At room temperature, no evidence of superior ethanol sensing properties was found for TiO2 nanoflowers, which show larger resistivity than TiO2 nanoparticles.
Computational Fluid Dynamics in the Carbon Nanotubes Synthesis by Chemical Vapor Deposition
Authors: Sánchez Alejandro Gómez , Lvova Lada Domratcheva , Garza Víctor López , Doval Ramón Román , Sánchez María de Lourdes Mondragón
Published: March 2013

In this paper, an experimental study aimed at achieving better control of the deposition patterns of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is presented. CNTs were grown on a long of reactor by the catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of a benzene/ferrocene solution at 1073 K. The deposition patterns on the substrate were controlled for process times and carrier gas flow rates. In order to investigate the reaction mechanism and production rate for the growth of CNTs in catalyst CVD, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed in this study. Then the computational model was integrated with the dynamic model to optimize the process parameters formulating a correlation between turbulence, deposition rate for the growth of carbon nanotubes and parameters as process time and carrier gas flow rate. Scanning electron microscopes (SEM) are used to characterize carbon nanotubes products.
Synthesis and Electrical Properties of Garnet-type Solid Oxide Electrolyte Thin Films from Solution Route
Authors: Matsuda Hirofumi , Hosono Eiji , Zhou Haoshen
Published: March 2013

Development of Al-stabilized Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) fast Li ion conducting thin films was attempted by chemical solution deposition (CSD) method with the nominal composition of Li5.95Al0.35La3Zr2O12. The films were crystallized at 600°C on Pt-coated Si substrates in almost single phase without a preferred orientation to any crystallographic axis. Subsequent thermal annealing at 760°C improved packing of LLZO grains with the film thickness of 1.1μm. AC impedance measurements were conducted both with Li reversible and Au blocking microelectrodes deposited on the films annealed at 760°C. Total Li ion conductivity σtotal comprised of bulk and grain boundary contribution was studied. The temperature dependence of σtotal was described with single thermal activation process and σtotal∼2x10-5 S/cm and activation energy of Ea=0.58eV were estimated. These values may be attributed to tetragonal modification of LLZO crystal.
Flexible Fast Lithium Ion Conducting Ceramic Electrolyte
Authors: Hamamoto Koichi , Matveev Danila , Yamaguchi Toshiaki , Sumi Hirofumi , Suzuki Toshio , Bredikhin Sergey , Fujishiro Yoshinobu
Published: March 2013

Large-area fast lithium ion conducting ceramic thin freestanding sheets was successfully prepared using a sheet forming technique. This ceramic sheet contains the crystalline phase of Li1+x+yAlxTi2-xSiyP3-yO12 with the NASICON type structure. The ceramic sheet showed maximum overall conductivity over 10−3 S cm−1 at room temperature. And, the developed thin ceramic sheet has sufficient flexibility against bending stress. Because a thin large-area ceramic electrolyte sheet was prepared using less energy compared with a conventional glass casting method, it is suitable for practical use.
Seed-Free Growth of Diamond Patterns on Femtosecond Laser Processed Silicon Substrates
Authors: Wang Mengmeng , Zhou Yunshen , Xie Z. Q. , Gao Y. , Jiang Lan , Lu Yongfeng
Published: March 2013

Due to its outstanding properties, diamond is considered as an ideal material for mechanical and electric applications at high temperatures, voltages, radiation, etc. It is known that femtosecond lasers exhibit extremely high precision and minimized thermal effect in material processing. In this study, a seed-free diamond pattern growth method was developed by patterning silicon substrates using a femtosecond laser before diamond deposition through laser-assisted combustion flame synthesis. The resolution of the diamond patterns reaches micro scales. Peak position, full width at half maximum (FWHM), and diamond quality parameter were calculated from Raman spectra. The mechanism of the seed-free diamond growth based on the femtosecond laser patterning was discussed. The influence of substrates surface roughness on the diamond nucleation and subsequent growth was studied, indicating that the nucleation density is proportional to the surface roughness.
New Experimental Method to Precisely Examine the LUMO Levels of Organic Semiconductors and Application to the Fullerene Derivatives
Authors: Yoshida Hiroyuki
Published: March 2013

Inverse-photoemission spectroscopy (IPES) in the near-ultraviolet range is a new tool for investigating the LUMO levels of organic materials. Previous IPES methods have had two serious weaknesses, i.e. low energy resolution and sample damage to organic materials. In the present method, on the other hand, the irradiation damage to the organic sample is significantly reduced by decreasing the kinetic energy of electrons below the damage threshold. The energy resolution of the instrument is improved by a factor of two to 0.3 eV by using multilayer band pass filters. Acceptor materials widely used in organic photovoltaic cells, C60 and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM), are measured with this new technique to determine the electron affinities.
Estimating tree growth from complex forest monitoring data
Authors: Eitzel Melissa , Battles John , York Robert , Knape Jonas , de Valpine Perry
Published: March 2013

Understanding tree growth as a function of tree size is important for a multitude of ecological and management applications. Determining what limits growth is of central interest, and forest inventory permanent plots are an abundant source of long‐term information but are highly complex. Observation error and multiple sources of shared variation (spatial plot effects, temporal repeated measures, and a mosaic of sampling intervals) make these data challenging to use for growth estimation. We account for these complexities and incorporate potential limiting factors (tree size, competition, and resource supply) into a hierarchical state‐space model. We estimate the diameter growth of white fir (Abies concolor) in the Sierra Nevada of California from forest inventory data, showing that estimating such a model is feasible in a Bayesian framework using readily available modeling tools. In this forest, white fir growth depends strongly on tree size, total plot basal area, and unexplained variation between individual trees. Plot‐level resource supply variables (representing light, water, and nutrient availability) do not have a strong impact on inventory‐size trees. This approach can be applied to other networks of permanent forest plots, leading to greater ecological insights on tree growth.
Sampling rainfall events: a novel approach to generate large correlated samples
Authors: Sun Siao , Khu Soon-Thiam , Djordjević Slobodan
Published: March 2013

It is essential that the correlation between variables is considered properly when using sampling-based methods. Modeling rainfall events is of great interest because the rainfall is usually the major driving force of hydrosystems. A novel method for generating correlated samples is introduced providing that the marginal distributions of variables as well as their correlations between them are known. The basic idea of the method is to adjust the correlations between samples by rearranging the positions inside marginal samples after each marginal sample is generated according to its distribution. The group method is developed in order to facilitate an efficient generation of correlated samples of large sizes. The theoretical precision associated with the group method is derived. There is a trade off between the computational efficiency of the algorithm and the precision that can be achieved when using different numbers of groups. The method is successfully applied to two cases of rainfall sample generation problems. The effectiveness of the group method is studied. Large group numbers are recommended in practical use as the samples distribute more broadly regardless of computational efficiency.
TRP Channels in Visceral Pain
Authors: Blackshaw L. Ashley , Brierley Stuart M. , Harrington Andrea M. , Hughes Patrick A.
Published: March 2013

Visceral pain is both different and similar to somatic pain - different in being poorly localized and usually referred elsewhere to the body wall, but similar in many of the molecular mechanisms it employs (like TRP channels) and the specialization of afferent endings to detect painful stimuli. TRPV1 is sensitive to low pH. pH is lowest in gastric juice, which may cause severe pain when exposed to the oesophageal mucosa, and probably works via TRPV1. TRPV1 is found in afferent fibres throughout the viscera, and the TRPV1 agonist capsaicin can recapitulate symptoms experienced in disease. TRPV1 is also involved in normal mechanosensory function in the gut. Roles for TRPV4 and TRPA1 have also been described in visceral afferents, and TRPV4 is highly enriched in them, where it plays a major role in both mechanonociception and chemonociception. It may provide a visceral-specific nociceptor target for drug development. TRPA1 is also involved in mechano-and chemosensory function, but not as selectively as TRPV4. TRPA1 is colocalized
with TRPV1 in visceral afferents, where they influence each other's function. Another modulator of TRPV1 is the cool/mint receptor TRPM8, which, when activated can abrogate responses mediated via TRPV1, suggesting that TRPM8 agonists may provide analgesia via this pathway. In all, the viscera are rich in TRP channel targets on nociceptive neurones which we hope will provide opportunities for therapeutic analgesia.
TRP Channels and Pruritus
Authors: Toth Balazs I. , Bíro Tamas
Published: March 2013

Itch (pruritus) is one of the most often seen sensory phenomena in clinical practice. Recent neurophysiological findings proposed the existence of a novel pruriceptive system which includes a multitude of pruritogenic (itch-inducing) peripheral mediators, itch-selective pruriceptors, sensory afferent networks, spinal cord neurons, and certain central nervous system regions. In this review, we first introduce major features of the pruriceptive system. We then focus on defining
the roles of transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels in skin-coupled itch and provide compelling evidence that certain thermosensitive TRP channels (especially TRPV1, TRPV3, TRPV4, and TRPA1) are indeed key players in pruritus pathogenesis. Finally, we propose TRP-centered future experimental directions towards the therapeutic targeting of TRP channels in the clinical management of itch.
Effects of Topical Capsaicin on Cutaneous Innervation: Implications for Pain Management
Authors: Bley Keith
Published: March 2013

Changes in cutaneous innervation are a hallmark of neuropathic pain syndromes. Although in few cases the density of cutaneous innervation increases in painful areas, for the most part the density of nociceptive sensory nerve endings decreases and the degree of deinnervation seems to correlate with the severity of pain. In combination with tests for nociceptor function, immunostaining for protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5) is commonly used as diagnostic tool to indicate these pathophysiological changes in cutaneous innervation. However, sole reliance on PGP 9.5 may underestimate the presence of regenerating sensory nerve terminals or fail to capture changes in the expression of proteins such as ion channels or receptors. Topical capsaicin consistently reduces intra-epidermal nerve fiber density assayed via PGP 9.5, and also increases thresholds for activation of some thermoreceptors. The mechanism of action involves a highly localized insult to cutaneous nociceptors mediated by activation of TRPV1 and calcium overload, and perhaps even a
direct toxicity to mitochondria. It is possible that topical capsaicin and lidocaine share an ability to reduce cutaneous innervation by inducing localized toxicity in mitochondria-rich nociceptive terminals. Overall, the high local concentrations of drugs and even excipients delivered by topical analgesics into the skin may be able to activate secondary pharmacodynamic processes. Optimizing topical formulations of capsaicin or other analgesics to maximize pain relief with the fewest adverse effects is not a simple matter of varying drug concentration, and it is highly questionable whether ‘bioequivalence’ could ever be based simply upon equivalent cutaneous drug delivery.
Genotype x environment interaction and stability analysis of lowland rice genotypes
Authors: Bose Lotan , Nagaraju Marella , Singh Onkar
Published: March 2013

Twenty-one lowland rice genotypes were evaluated for their stability
parameters with respect to grain yield in a multi-locational trial at five
different sites of Eastern India viz. Central Rice Research Institute,
Cuttack (Orissa); OUAT, Bhubaneswar (Orissa); CRS, Masodha (UP); RAU, Pusa
(Bihar) and RARS, North Lakhimpur (Assam). Pooled analysis of variance
reflects existence of genotype x environment interactions and contribution of
both linear and non-linear components to genotype x environment interactions.
Through stability parameter analysis, it was found that Rayda B3, CR 778-95
and CR 661- 236 were suitable for all environments. The genotypes Sabita and
OR 1358-RGA-4 were suitable for better environments. PSR 1209-2-3-2, CR
780-1937, Ambika, OR 877-ST-4-2, NDR 40055-2-1 and CR 662-2211 were
identified for poor environments.
The effect of pollenizer on the fruit set of plum cultivar Cacanska Najbolja
Authors: Nikolic Dragan , Rakonjac Vera , Fotiric-Aksic Milica
Published: March 2013

In this paper, during a 4-year period (2003-2006) effects of six pollenizers
(President, Italian Prune, Stanley, Cacanska Rodna, Agen 707, and California
Blue) on the degree of fruit set in the plum cultivar Cacanska Najbolja were
examined. Besides the controlled pollination of this cultivar, open
pollination was investigated. Functional pollen ability in
pollenizer-cultivars was established by in vitro pollen germination. Degree
of fruit set was determined comparing the number of fruit set (10 days after
pollination, 21 days after pollination and number of harvested fruits)
against the number of pollinated flowers. The results indicated that all
pollenizer cultivars, studied in this paper, possessed satisfactory in vitro
pollen germination (30.1-67.4%). The number of fruit set determined 10 days
after pollination was very high and did not differ among pollenizers. Highly
significant differences were found between the pollenizers in the number of
fruit set 21 days after pollination and significant ones in relation to the
number of harvested fruits. Compared to open pollination, higher number of
fruit set 21 days after pollination and higher number of harvested fruits
were obtained when cultivars Stanley (17.0%; 7.6%) and Italian Prune (14.6%;
6.9%) were used as pollenizers, therefore those cultivars are recommendable
as good pollenizers for the cultivar Cacanska Najbolja.
Present status of edible oil consumption and household demand projection for Tamil Nadu (India)
Authors: Govindaraj Gurrappanaidu , Suryaprakash Satrasala , Sivaramane Nilakantan
Published: March 2013

Until the 1990s the major edible oil consumed in Tamil Nadu state was peanut
and sesame oil. The technological, economic and policy changes thereafter
induced dynamism in consumer demand for food, including edible oils. In this
study, the household demand for individual edible oils based on present
consumption was assessed and forecasted for 2015 and 2020 for Tamil Nadu. Due
to constraints in the secondary data published by National Sample Survey
Organisation (NSSO), the primary data was used. The Almost Ideal Demand
System (AIDS) model was employed to estimate the income (expenditure)
elasticities and in turn used to project the demand for edible oils and
associated products like ghee and butter. The overall edible oil demand is
expected to grow at 7.0% per annum in Tamil Nadu, with the highest growth of
sunflower oil (8.7%) followed by other oils (7.8%), sesame oil (6.6%), peanut
oil (6.6%) and palm oil (3.1%). The demand for total edible oil in rural
Tamil Nadu increases from 3.14 lakh tonnes (2009-10) to 5.3 lakh tonnes
(2020), whereas, in urban areas, it increases from 3.24 lakh tonnes to 5.45
lakh tonnes. The non-traditional oil like sunflower oil and other oils
(soybean, corn, rice bran, palm oil) has made inroads in the consumption
basket and will continue to dominate in the future. Hence, concerted efforts
like increasing seed replacement rate, increasing the intensity of adoption
of improved technology and appropriate price policy are required to increase
productivity of non-traditional crops besides promoting traditional crops
(peanut and sesame) to meet the growing edible oil demand in the state.
Current methodology of recording violent crime in the records of the Ministry of interior of the Republic of Serbia
Authors: Mijalkovic Sasa
Published: March 2013

The most numerous records on violent crime are managed in the Ministry of
Interior: police is conducting criminal investigation of every discovered
criminal offence with elements of violence, while different stages of police
activity (recording the events, fixing of leads, conducting of operative and
investigative activities, etc.), as well as various elements of the criminal
offence (perpetrator, modus operandi, missing things, victim, etc.) are
recorded in different records. In this respect, on the level of scientific
description and analysis, in this paper I will try to explore current
methodology of recording crimes with elements of violence, primarily focusing
on the following: the list of criminal offences which are classified as
violent crime in the records of the Ministry of Interior, with particular
emphasis on the misdemeanors with elements of violence; the type of data of
the recorded criminal offences with elements of violence; the records into
which the data on criminal offences with elements of violence are entered;
the forms into which the listed data is entered and the possibilities of
getting the data on state of crime with the elements of violence on the
territory of Republic of Serbia in the period after 2000.
The normative framework of the protection of personal data in the field of (bio)medicine
Authors: Rajic Natasa
Published: March 2013

This paper discusses the normative framework of regulating the right to
protection of personal data relating to biomedical treatment procedures of
patients as human rights. The subjects of analysis are the European
Convention, the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine and the relevant
provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia. The right to
protection of personal data in the field of biomedicine is analyzed
comparatively in terms of the content of this right and in terms of basis for
limiting this right. The analysis is carried out to find answers to the
question if the constitutional framework is consistent in terms of exercising
this right, taking into account the constitutional provision on the direct
application of human rights guaranteed by international treaties and other
provisions that determine the status of international sources of law in our
legal system.