cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Wannier Function Approach to Realistic Coulomb Interactions in Layered Materials and Heterostructures
Creators: name: Rösner, M.
name: Şaşıoğlu, E.
name: Friedrich, C.
name: Blügel, S.
name: Wehling, T. O.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
subject: Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We introduce an approach to derive realistic Coulomb interaction terms in free standing layered materials and vertical heterostructures from ab-initio modelling of the corresponding bulk materials. To this end, we establish a combination of calculations within the framework of the constrained random phase approximation, Wannier function representation of Coulomb matrix elements within some low energy Hilbert space and continuum medium electrostatics, which we call Wannier function continuum electrostatics (WFCE). For monolayer and bilayer graphene we reproduce full ab-initio calculations of the Coulomb matrix elements within an accuracy of $0.2$eV or better. We show that realistic Coulomb interactions in bilayer graphene can be manipulated on the eV scale by different dielectric and metallic environments. A comparison to electronic phase diagrams derived in [M. M. Scherer et al., Phys. Rev. B 85, 235408 (2012)] suggests that the electronic ground state of bilayer graphene is a layered antiferromagnet and remains surprisingly unaffected by these strong changes in the Coulomb interaction.
description: 12 pages, 8 figures
Detection and Classification of Plant Diseases Using Image Processing and Multiclass Support Vector Machine
Creators: name: Khan, Murtaza
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: 170203 Knowledge Representation and Machine Learning
subject: FOS: Psychology

description: Identification of plant disease is very important to prevent the loss and keep the harvest healthy. Determination of plant disease via visual monitoring is difficult and time consuming. In this paper, we described a method of detection and classification of plant disease using image processing and machine learning techniques. We used standard images of leaves of several types of plants to test our method. Initially, our method segments the input image to isolate disease parts of the leaf. Then we obtain various features from the diseased affected segmented image. Finally, we classify leaves into healthy and disease types based on its features using Multiclass Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier. Experimental results indicate that our method yields very high accuracy rate for detection and classification of plant diseases.
Cavity QED implementation of non-adiabatic holonomies for universal quantum gates in decoherence-free subspaces with nitrogen-vacancy centers
Creators: name: Zhou, Jian
name: Yu, Wei-Can
name: Gao, Yu-Mei
name: Xue, Zheng-Yuan
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: A cavity QED implementation of the non-adiabatic holonomic quantum computation in decoherence-free subspaces is proposed with nitrogen-vacancy centers coupled commonly to the whispering-gallery mode of a microsphere cavity, where a universal set of quantum gates can be realized on the qubits. In our implementation, with the assistant of the appropriate driving fields, the quantum evolution is insensitive to the cavity field state, which is only virtually excited. The implemented non-adiabatic holonomies, utilizing optical transitions in the Λ type of three-level configuration of the nitrogen-vacancy centers, can be used to construct a universal set of quantum gates on the encoded logical qubits. Therefore, our scheme opens up the possibility of realizing universal holonomic quantum computation with cavity assisted interaction on solid-state spins characterized by long coherence times.
description: 9 pages, 4 figures
Notes on optimality conditions using Newton diagrams and sums of squares
Creators: name: Sekiguchi, Yoshiyuki
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Optimization and Control (math.OC)
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: 90C46, 13J30, 14M25

description: We consider relationships between optimality conditions using Newton diagrams and sums of squares of polynomials and power series.
description: Corrected version of the article [Serdica Math. J.(2015) 41, pp. 431-456]
Differential dopamine release dynamics in the nucleus accumbens core and shell track distinct aspects of goal-directed behavior for sucrose
Creators: name: Cacciapaglia, Fabio
name: Carelli, Regina M.
name: Saddoris, Michael P.
name: Wightman, R. Mark
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2012

description: Mesolimbic dopamine projections to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) have been implicated in goal-directed behaviors for natural rewards and in learning processes involving cue-reward associations. The NAc has been traditionally subdivided into two anatomically distinct sub-regions with different functional properties: the shell and the core. The aim of the present study was to characterize rapid dopamine transmission across the two NAc sub-regions during cue-signaled operant behavior for a natural (sucrose) reward in rats. Using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) we observed differences in the magnitude and dynamics of dopamine release events between the shell and core. Specifically, although cue-evoked dopamine release was observed in both sub-regions, it was larger and longer lasting in the shell compared with the core. Further, secondary dopamine release events were observed following the lever press response for sucrose in the NAc shell, but not the core. These findings demonstrate that the NAc displays regional specificity in dopamine transmission patterns during cued operant behavior for natural reward.
Submission to the Australian Research Council for the Public Consultation into ERA & EI
Creators: name: Kingsley, Danny
Publisher: name: The Australian National University
Year: 2020
Subjects: Excellence in Research for Australia
Open Research
Research Assessment
Open Access

description: This is a submission to the Australian Research Council for the Public Consultation into ERA & EI and is putting a position forward that relates to several specific Questions: Q3.2 The ERA objectives are appropriate for meeting the future needs of its stakeholders. Q3.19 The volume and activity indicators are still relevant to ERA. Q3.20 The publishing profile indicator is still relevant to ERA. Q3.24 Noting that 90% of units of evaluation assessed in ERA 2018 are now at or above world standard, does the rating scale need to be modified to identify excellence? This submission puts forward the position that * measuring ‘excellence’ can cause poor research practice, but assessments offer an opportunity for positive change. * It is essential that any research assessment system must consider the potential effects on researcher and institutional behaviour it may generate. * There is a serious global issue of a reduction of trust in science. * Australia needs to consider how research integrity can be addressed, and adoption of open research practices offers a clear path. * The ERA assessment process can be leveraged to encourage consistent open practices within Australian research.
Estimation of Apollo lunar dust transport using optical extinction measurements
Creators: name: Lane, John E.
name: Metzger, Philip T.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Geophysics (physics.geo-ph)
subject: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: A technique to estimate mass erosion rate of surface soil during landing of the Apollo Lunar Module (LM) and total mass ejected due to the rocket plume interaction is proposed and tested. The erosion rate is proportional to the product of the second moment of the lofted particle size distribution N(D), and third moment of the normalized soil size distribution S(D), divided by the integral of S(D)D^2/v(D), where D is particle diameter and v(D) is the vertical component of particle velocity. The second moment of N(D) is estimated by optical extinction analysis of the Apollo cockpit video. Because of the similarity between mass erosion rate of soil as measured by optical extinction and rainfall rate as measured by radar reflectivity, traditional NWS radar/rainfall correlation methodology can be applied to the lunar soil case where various S(D) models are assumed corresponding to specific lunar sites.
description: Acta Geophysica 2015
The rewarding and locomotor-sensitizing effects of repeated cocaine administration are distinct and separable in mice
Creators: name: Malanga, C. J.
name: Kosofsky, Barry E.
name: Riday, Thorfinn T.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2012

description: Repeated psychostimulant exposure progressively increases their potency to stimulate motor activity in rodents. This behavioral or locomotor sensitization is considered a model for some aspects of drug addiction in humans, particularly drug craving during abstinence. However, the role of increased motor behavior in drug reward remains incompletely understood. Intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) was measured concurrently with locomotor activity to determine if acute intermittent cocaine administration had distinguishable effects on motor behavior and perception of brain stimulation-reward (BSR) in the same mice. Sensitization is associated with changes in neuronal activity and glutamatergic neurotransmission in brain reward circuitry. Expression of AMPA receptor subunits (GluR1 and GluR2) and CRE binding protein (CREB) was measured in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), dorsolateral striatum (STR) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) before and after a sensitizing regimen of cocaine, with and without ICSS. Repeated cocaine administration sensitized mice to its locomotor stimulating effects but not its ability to potentiate BSR. ICSS increased GluR1 in the VTA but not NAc or STR, demonstrating selective changes in protein expression with electrical stimulation of discrete brain structures. Repeated cocaine reduced GluR1, GluR2 and CREB expression in the NAc, and reductions of GluR1 and GluR2 but not CREB were further enhanced by ICSS. These data suggest that the effects of repeated cocaine exposure on reward and motor processes are dissociable in mice, and that reduction of excitatory neurotransmission in the NAc may predict altered motor function independently from changes in reward perception.
Effects of uncertainties in simulations of extragalactic UHECR propagation, using CRPropa and SimProp
Creators: name: Batista, Rafael Alves
name: Boncioli, Denise
name: di Matteo, Armando
name: van Vliet, Arjen
name: Walz, David
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE)
subject: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The results of simulations of the extragalactic propagation of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) have intrinsic uncertainties due to poorly known physical quantities and approximations used in the codes. We quantify the uncertainties in the simulated UHECR spectrum and composition due to different models for the extragalactic background light (EBL), different photodisintegration setups, approximations concerning photopion production and the use of different simulation codes. We discuss the results for several representative source scenarios with proton, nitrogen or iron at injection. For this purpose we used SimProp and CRPropa, two publicly available codes for Monte Carlo simulations of UHECR propagation. CRPropa is a detailed and extensive simulation code, while SimProp aims to achieve acceptable results using a simpler code. We show that especially the choices for the EBL model and the photodisintegration setup can have a considerable impact on the simulated UHECR spectrum and composition.
description: Published as JCAP10(2015)063
Effect of local filtering on Freezing Phenomena of Quantum Correlation
Creators: name: Karmakar, Sumana
name: Sen, Ajoy
name: Bhar, Amit
name: Sarkar, Debasis
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: General quantum correlations measures like quantum discord, one norm geometric quantum discord, exhibit freezing, sudden change, double sudden change behavior in their decay rates under different noisy channels. Therefore, one may attempt to investigate how the freezing behavior and other dynamical features are affected under application of local quantum operations. In this work, we demonstrate the effect of local filtering on the dynamical evolution of quantum correlations. We have found that using local filtering one may remove freezing depending upon the filtering parameter.
description: 9 pages, 11 figures, revtex, comments welcome, to appear in qip
Effects of Red Light Treatment on Spinal Cord Injury in Rats
Creators: name: Hu, Di
Publisher: name: Canberra, ACT : The Australian National University
Year: 2017
Subjects: spinal cord injury
photobiomodulation
pain
inflammation

description: Spinal cord injury can cause detrimental damage or complete loss in sensory and motor function. Current treatments, such as pharmaceutical interventions and physical therapy, provide limited improvements to restoring sensorimotor function following spinal cord injury. A non- conventional treatment using light irradiation in the red to near infrared range has been shown to promote recovery in a variety of injuries and conditions including spinal cord injury. This thesis examines the effects of red (670 nm) light irradiation on sensorimotor recovery following a mild T10 hemicontusion spinal cord injury in rats. To demonstrate that this treatment could potentially access the human cord, the penetration of 670 nm irradiation in different human tissues in both human participants and cadavers were examined. 670 nm irradiation with a light emitting diode (LED) at an intensity of 100 mW/cm2 was shown to penetrate 50 mm of human tissue, independent of skin tone, indicating that red light treatment could reach the spinal cord of humans with intensities ≥ 100 mW/cm2. Following spinal cord injury in rats, the development of mechanical hypersensitivity, the functional integrity of dorsal column pathways (measured from surface field potential electrophysiology recording) and locomotor function (evaluated from the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan locomotor test), together with cellular changes in the spinal cord (evaluated from immunohistochemistry) were investigated. Animals with spinal cord injury were separated into hypersensitive and normosensitive subpopulations based on their mechanical sensitivity. Daily 30 min 670 nm irradiation (35 mW/cm2) is effective at reducing the chance of developing mechanical hypersensitivity following spinal cord injury, as well as reducing the mechanical sensitivity in the normosensitive subpopulation from 1-day, and the hypersensitive subpopulation from 7-days post-injury. The treatment also improves sensory conduction along the dorsal column pathway and accelerates locomotor recovery. These functional improvements are accompanied with: an overall reduction of microglial/macrophage activation, but a specific increase in the proportion of the anti-inflammatory subtype; reduced astrocyte reactivity; reduced iNOS expressing microglia/macrophages; and reduced density of cells undergoing apoptosis/necrosis. Together, the findings in this thesis highlight the potential for the use of red light as a non-invasive and inexpensive treatment/adjunct therapy for spinal cord injured patients.
New insights on neurobiological mechanisms underlying alcohol addiction
Creators: name: Wilcox, Mark V.
name: Stuber, Garret D.
name: Noronha, Antonio
name: Kash, Thomas L.
name: Cui, Changhai
name: Szumlinski, Karen K.
name: Morikawa, Hitoshi
name: Roberto, Marisa
name: Alvarez, Veronica A.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2013

description: Alcohol dependence/addiction is mediated by complex neural mechanisms that involve multiple brain circuits and neuroadaptive changes in a variety of neurotransmitter and neuropeptide systems. Although recent studies have provided substantial information on the neurobiological mechanisms that drive alcohol drinking behavior, significant challenges remain in understanding how alcohol-induced neuroadaptations occur and how different neurocircuits and pathways cross-talk. This review article highlights recent progress in understanding neural mechanisms of alcohol addiction from the perspectives of the development and maintenance of alcohol dependence. It provides insights on cross talks of different mechanisms and reviews the latest studies on metaplasticity, structural plasticity, interface of reward and stress pathways, and cross-talk of different neural signaling systems involved in binge-like drinking and alcohol dependence.
(400261) James Christie
Creators: name: Professions, Victorian
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: 220201 Business and Labour History
subject: FOS: Philosophy, ethics and religion
subject: History
subject: 140203 Economic History
subject: FOS: Economics and business

description: This three-year research project began in January 2014 and investigated whether, during the Victorian period, the professions formed a distinct self-sustaining social group with its own mores and values. The project looked at 16,000 individuals drawn from census data for Alnwick, Brighton, Bristol, Dundee, Greenock, Leeds, Merthyr Tydfil, Morpeth, and Winchester. The research project was funded by the UK Economic & Social Research Council and was based at the Universities of Oxford and Northumbria.
Spectral analysis of the diffusion operator with random jumps from the boundary
Creators: name: Kolb, Martin
name: Krejcirik, David
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Spectral Theory (math.SP)
subject: Mathematical Physics (math-ph)
subject: Probability (math.PR)
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Using an operator-theoretic framework in a Hilbert-space setting, we perform a detailed spectral analysis of the one-dimensional Laplacian in a bounded interval, subject to specific non-self-adjoint connected boundary conditions modelling a random jump from the boundary to a point inside the interval. In accordance with previous works, we find that all the eigenvalues are real. As the new results, we derive and analyse the adjoint operator, determine the geometric and algebraic multiplicities of the eigenvalues, write down formulae for the eigenfunctions together with the generalised eigenfunctions and study their basis properties. It turns out that the latter heavily depend on whether the distance of the interior point to the centre of the interval divided by the length of the interval is rational or irrational. Finally, we find a closed formula for the metric operator that provides a similarity transform of the problem to a self-adjoint operator.
description: errata published in Mathematische Zeitschrift in 2019 included
List-coloring the Square of a Subcubic Graph
Creators: name: Cranston, Daniel W.
name: Kim, Seog-Jin
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Combinatorics (math.CO)
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: 05C15

description: The {\em square} $G^2$ of a graph $G$ is the graph with the same vertex set as $G$ and with two vertices adjacent if their distance in $G$ is at most 2. Thomassen showed that every planar graph $G$ with maximum degree $Δ(G)=3$ satisfies $χ(G^2)\leq 7$. Kostochka and Woodall conjectured that for every graph, the list-chromatic number of $G^2$ equals the chromatic number of $G^2$, that is $χ_l(G^2)=χ(G^2)$ for all $G$. If true, this conjecture (together with Thomassen's result) implies that every planar graph $G$ with $Δ(G)=3$ satisfies $χ_l(G^2)\leq 7$. We prove that every connected graph (not necessarily planar) with $Δ(G)=3$ other than the Petersen graph satisfies $χ_l(G^2)\leq 8$ (and this is best possible). In addition, we show that if $G$ is a planar graph with $Δ(G)=3$ and girth $g(G)\geq 7$, then $χ_l(G^2)\leq 7$. Dvořák, Škrekovski, and Tancer showed that if $G$ is a planar graph with $Δ(G) = 3$ and girth $g(G) \geq 10$, then $χ_l(G^2)\leq 6$. We improve the girth bound to show that if $G$ is a planar graph with $Δ(G)=3$ and $g(G) \geq 9$, then $χ_l(G^2) \leq 6$. All of our proofs can be easily translated into linear-time coloring algorithms.
description: This is the accepted version of the journal paper referenced below, which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jgt.20273/abstract. The abstract incorrectly stated that Thomassen solved Wegner's Conjecture for $\Delta(G)=3$; however, all of our results are correct
Prosocial effects of oxytocin in two mouse models of autism spectrum disorders
Creators: name: Jarstfer, Michael B.
name: Baker, Lorinda K.
name: Pedersen, Cort A.
name: Davis, Tamara T.
name: Moy, Sheryl S.
name: Nonneman, Randal J.
name: Teng, Brian L.
name: Agster, Kara L.
name: Nikolova, Viktoriya D.
name: Riddick, Natallia V.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2013

description: Clinical evidence suggests that oxytocin treatment improves social deficits and repetitive behavior in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). However, the neuropeptide has a short plasma half-life and poor ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier. In order to facilitate the development of more bioavailable oxytocinergic compounds as therapeutics to treat core ASD symptoms, small animal models must be validated for preclinical screens. This study examined the preclinical utility of two inbred mouse strains, BALB/cByJ and C58/J, that exhibit phenotypes relevant to core ASD symptoms. Mice from both strains were intraperitoneally administered oxytocin, using either acute or sub-chronic regimens. Acute oxytocin did not increase sociability in BALB/cByJ; however, sub-chronic oxytocin had significant prosocial effects in both BALB/cByJ and C58/J. Increased sociability was observed 24 hours following the final oxytocin dose in BALB/cByJ, while prosocial effects of oxytocin emerged 1–2 weeks post-treatment in C58/J. Furthermore, acute oxytocin decreased motor stereotypy in C58/J and did not induce hypoactivity or anxiolytic-like effects in an open field test. This study demonstrates that oxytocin administration can attenuate social deficits and repetitive behavior in mouse models of ASD, dependent on dose regimen and genotype. These findings provide validation of the BALB/cByJ and C58/J models as useful platforms for screening novel drugs for intervention in ASDs and for elucidating the mechanisms contributing to the prosocial effects of oxytocin.
Some New Research Trends in Wirelessly Powered Communications
Creators: name: Huang, Kaibin
name: Zhong, Caijun
name: Zhu, Guangxu
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Information Theory (cs.IT)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: The vision of seamlessly integrating information transfer (IT) and microwave based power transfer (PT) in the same system has led to the emergence of a new research area, called wirelessly power communications (WPC). Extensive research has been conducted on developing WPC theory and techniques, building on the extremely rich wireless communications litera- ture covering diversified topics such as transmissions, resource allocations, medium access control and network protocols and architectures. Despite these research efforts, transforming WPC from theory to practice still faces many unsolved prob- lems concerning issues such as mobile complexity, power transfer efficiency, and safety. Furthermore, the fundamental limits of WPC remain largely unknown. Recent attempts to address these open issues has resulted in the emergence of numerous new research trends in the WPC area. A few promising trends are introduced in this article. From the practical perspective, the use of backscatter antennas can support WPC for low-complexity passive devices, the design of spiky waveforms can improve the PT efficiency, and analog spatial decoupling is proposed for solving the PT-IT near-far problem in WPC. From the theoretic perspective, the fundamental limits of WPC can be quantified by leveraging recent results on super-directivity and the limit can be improved by the deployment of large-scale distributed antenna arrays. Specific research problems along these trends are discussed, whose solutions can lead to significant advancements in WPC.
description: To appear in IEEE Wireless Communications Magazine
Integration of Security Standards into DevOps Pipeline
Creators: name: Moyon, Fabiola
name: Soares, Rafael
name: Pinto-Albuquerque, Maria
name: Mendez, Daniel
name: Beckers, Kristian
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Computer Software
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences
subject: 80309 Software Engineering
subject: 80303 Computer System Security

description: Online Material corresponding to the Paper: Integration of Security Standards in DevOps Pipelines: An Industry Case Study
PROFES 2020
(400262) Jane Alice Hammond
Creators: name: Professions, Victorian
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: 220201 Business and Labour History
subject: FOS: Philosophy, ethics and religion
subject: History
subject: 140203 Economic History
subject: FOS: Economics and business

description: This three-year research project began in January 2014 and investigated whether, during the Victorian period, the professions formed a distinct self-sustaining social group with its own mores and values. The project looked at 16,000 individuals drawn from census data for Alnwick, Brighton, Bristol, Dundee, Greenock, Leeds, Merthyr Tydfil, Morpeth, and Winchester. The research project was funded by the UK Economic & Social Research Council and was based at the Universities of Oxford and Northumbria.
Transient increase in alcohol self-administration following a period of chronic exposure to corticosterone
Creators: name: Fisher, Kristen R.
name: Besheer, Joyce
name: Lindsay, Tessa G.
name: Cannady, Reginald
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2013

description: Stressful life events and chronic stressors have been associated with escalations in alcohol drinking. Stress exposure leads to the secretion of glucocorticoids (cortisol in the human; corticosterone (CORT) in the rodent). To model a period of heightened elevations in CORT, the present work assessed the effects of chronic exposure to the stress hormone CORT on alcohol self-administration. Male Long Evans rats were trained to self-administer a sweetened alcohol solution (2% sucrose/15% alcohol) resulting in moderate levels of daily alcohol intake (0.5–0.7 g/kg). Following stable baseline operant self-administration, rats received CORT in the drinking water for 7 days. A transient increase in alcohol self-administration was observed on the first self-administration session following CORT exposure, and behavior returned to control levels by the second session. Control experiments determined that this increase in alcohol self-administration was specific to alcohol, unrelated to general motor activation, and functionally dissociated from decreased CORT levels at the time of testing. These results indicate that repeated exposure to heightened levels of stress hormone (e.g., as may be experienced during stressful episodes) has the potential to lead to exacerbated alcohol intake in low to moderate drinkers. Given that maladaptive drinking patterns, such as escalated alcohol drinking following stressful episodes, have the potential to put an individual at risk for future drinking disorders, utilization of this model will be important for examination of neuroadaptations that occur as a consequence of CORT exposure in order to better understand escalated drinking following stressful episodes in nondependent individuals.
Amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis circuitry: Implications for addiction-related behaviors
Creators: name: Jennings, Joshua H.
name: Sparta, Dennis R.
name: Mcelligott, Zoe A.
name: Decot, Heather
name: Stuber, Garret D.
name: Stamatakis, Alice M.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2014

description: Complex motivated behavioral processes, such as those that can go awry following substance abuse and other neuropsychiatric disorders, are mediated by a distributive network of neurons that reside throughout the brain. Neural circuits within the amygdala regions, such as the basolateral amygdala (BLA), and downstream targets such as the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), are critical neuroanatomical structures for orchestrating emotional behavioral responses that may influence motivated actions such as the reinstatement of drug seeking behavior. Here, we review the functional neurocircuitry of the BLA and the BNST, and discuss how these circuits may guide maladaptive behavioral processes such as those seen in addiction. Thus, further study of the functional connectivity within these brain regions and others may provide insight for the development of new treatment strategies for substance use disorders.
A segregated finite element method for cardiac elastodynamics in a fully coupled human heart model
Creators: name: Fröhlich, Jonathan Samuel
Publisher: name: Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)
Year: 2022
Subjects: cardiac modeling
cardiac coupling
computational modeling
elasto-dynamics
finite element methods

description: One key characterstic of the cardiac function is its complexity, i.e., the multitude of different phenomena acting on various temporal and spatial scales interacting with each other. Over the past decades, many models varying in complexity describing these interactions were presented and are used in current research. Despite the incredible progress made in describing and simulating cardiac function, most of the more detailed models are not properly embedded within mathematical theory. This work aims to give a precise and comprehensive mathematical formulation of coupled cardiac elastodynamics, including electrophysiology, elasticity and physiological boundary conditions developed in recent years. Focussing on the analysis of dynamic elasticity, the concept of anisotropy is applied to common cardiac tissue models, such as the models of Guccione et al. and Holzapfel and Ogden. Frequently used modeling approaches, such as incompressibility and the active strain decomposition, are integrated in one overarching framework, allowing for propositions on polyconvexity of the materials and solvability of the elastic system. The equations of elastodynamics are then complemented by the monodomain equations, describing the propagation of the excitation potential in cardiac tissue, and a surrogate model to simulate cardiovascular blood pressure. The full mathematical description of this coupled model allows a detailed formulation of a discretization scheme in space and time for the electro-elastodynamical system. The classification of the coupled model within the context of weak solutions is presented and a time-segregated numerical approximation method for the full system is derived. The formulated numerical method is then examined by application on coupled test cases, providing first convergence results in space for the displacement in coupled cardiac problems.
title: Characterization of Type IV-A CRISPR-Cas systems
title: Charakterisierung von Typ IV-A CRISPR-Cas-Systemen
titleType: AlternativeTitle
Creators: name: Guo, Xiaohan
Publisher: name: Philipps-Universität Marburg
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biochemie
Molekularbiologie
Life sciences
Biowissenschaften, Biologie
RNA
Mikrobiologie
CRISPR-Cas
CRISPR/Cas

description: CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)-Cas (CRISPR associated) systems are present in many prokaryotes and provide adaptive immunity against viruses and other mobile genetic elements. They can recognize new foreign genetic material through adaptation, which involves the integration of short segments of foreign DNA into an extending CRISPR array. This process allows the system to evolve continually and to provide a robust defense against a wide range of invaders. Depending on the involved Cas proteins, CRISPR-Cas systems are classified into different types and two major classes. Type I systems use a ribonucleoprotein complex termed Cascade (CRISPR-associated complex for antiviral defense) to scan for invading DNA and bind to the sequence that matches its crRNA (CRISPR RNA). Once the target is identified, the nuclease Cas3 is recruited and degrades the DNA in a process known as interference. The Type IV CRISPR-Cas system is a member of Class 1 and has three subtypes. This study focuses specifically on the Type IV-A system, which is characterized by the absence of a DNA nuclease, the presence of a CRISPR array, the lack of an adaptation module, and an association with the helicase DinG. To examine the biological function of the Type IV-A CRISPR-Cas system, Pseudomonas oleovorans was selected as a model organism and found to contain a Type IV-A CRISPR-Cas system on its megaplasmid. Bioinformatic analyses of its CRISPR array showed that one of the crRNAs targets the gene pilN in the genome, providing evidence of adaptation of host sequences. A 5′-AAG-3′ PAM sequence was found to be shared between the Type IV-A and Type I-E CRISPR-Cas systems, suggesting the possibility of cross-talk at the level of adaptation. Deep sequencing of genomic DNA of P. oleovorans cells electroporated with pre-spacers revealed spacer rearrangements and the presence of new spacers. In vivo assays in P. oleovorans and E. coli recombinant systems demonstrated that the Type IV-A system conducts PAM-dependent interference. This system exhibits anti-plasmid activity by targeting an open reading frame within one of the multiple cloning sites. Furthermore, it displays resistance to lambda phage infection by targeting gene E, which encodes a crucial head protein. Observation of efficient lacZ reporter targeting provided the first evidence that the Type IV-A system conducts interference without DNA degradation. Therefore, the Type IV-A CRISPR-Cas system holds great promise as a powerful transcription modulation tool with a natural CRISPRi-like mechanism.
Enhanced electron correlations at the SrxCa1-xVO3 surface
Creators: name: Laverock, J.
name: Kuyyalil, J.
name: Chen, B.
name: Singh, R. P.
name: Balakrishnan, G.
name: Karlin, B.
name: Woicik, J. C
name: Smith, K. E.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We report hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy measurements of the electronic structure of the prototypical correlated oxide SrxCa1-xVO3. By comparing spectra recorded at different excitation energies, we show that 2.2 keV photoelectrons contain a substantial surface component, whereas 4.2 keV photoelectrons originate essentially from the bulk of the sample. Bulk-sensitive measurements of the O 2p valence band are found to be in good agreement with ab initio calculations of the electronic structure, with some modest adjustments to the orbital-dependent photoionization cross sections. The evolution of the O 2p electronic structure as a function of the Sr content is dominated by A-site hybridization. Near the Fermi level, the correlated V 3d Hubbard bands are found to evolve in both binding energy and spectral weight as a function of distance from the vacuum interface, revealing higher correlation at the surface than in the bulk.
Dynamics of rapid dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens during goal-directed behaviors for cocaine versus natural rewards
Creators: name: Wightman, R. Mark
name: Carelli, Regina M.
name: Cameron, Courtney M.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2014

description: Electrophysiological studies show that distinct subsets of nucleus accumbens (NAc) neurons differentially encode information about goal-directed behaviors for intravenous cocaine versus natural (food/water) rewards. Further, NAc rapid dopamine signaling occurs on a timescale similar to phasic cell firing during cocaine and natural reward-seeking behaviors. However, it is not known whether dopamine signaling is reinforcer specific (i.e., is released during responding for only one type of reinforcer) within discrete NAc locations, similar to neural firing dynamics. Here, fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) was used to measure rapid dopamine release during multiple schedules involving sucrose reward and cocaine self-administration (n=8 rats) and, in a separate group of rats (n = 6), during a sucrose/food multiple schedule. During the sucrose/cocaine multiple schedule, dopamine increased within seconds of operant responding for both reinforcers. Although dopamine release was not reinforcer specific, more subtle differences were observed in peak dopamine concentration [DA] across reinforcer conditions. Specifically, peak [DA] was higher during the first phase of the multiple schedule, regardless of reinforcer type. Further, the time to reach peak [DA] was delayed during cocaine-responding compared to sucrose. During the sucrose/food multiple schedule, increases in dopamine release were also observed relative to operant responding for both natural rewards. However, peak [DA] was higher relative to responding for sucrose than food, regardless of reinforcer order. Overall, the results reveal the dynamics of rapid dopamine signaling in discrete locations in the NAc across reward conditions, and provide novel insight into the functional role of this system in reward-seeking behaviors.
Excitatory drive onto dopaminergic neurons in the rostral linear nucleus is enhanced by norepinephrine in an α1 adrenergic receptor-dependent manner
Creators: name: Matthews, Robert T.
name: Winder, Danny G.
name: Williams, Megan A.
name: Kash, Thomas L.
name: Li, Chia
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2014

description: Dopaminergic innervation of the extended amygdala regulates anxiety-like behavior and stress responsivity. A portion of this dopamine input arises from dopamine neurons located in the ventral lateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) and rostral (RLi) and caudal linear nuclei of the raphe (CLi). These neurons receive substantial norepinephrine input, which may prime them for involvement in stress responses. Using a mouse line that expresses eGFP under control of the tyrosine hydroxylase promoter, we explored the physiology and responsiveness to norepinephrine of these neurons. We find that RLi dopamine neurons differ from VTA dopamine neurons with respect to membrane resistance, capacitance and the hyperpolarization-activated current, Ih. Further, we found that norepinephrine increased the frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) on RLi dopamine neurons. This effect was mediated through the α1 adrenergic receptor (AR), as the actions of norepinephrine were mimicked by the α1-AR agonist methoxamine and blocked by the α1-AR antagonist prazosin. This action of norepinephrine on sEPSCs was transient, as it did not persist in the presence of prazosin. Methoxamine also increased the frequency of miniature EPSCs, indicating that the α1-AR action on glutamatergic transmission likely has a presynaptic mechanism. There was also a modest decrease in sEPSC frequency with the application of the α2-AR agonist UK-14,304. These studies illustrate a potential mechanism through which norepinephrine could recruit the activity of this population of dopaminergic neurons.
The royal prerogative powers of the executive government in Australia: past, present, and future
Creators: name: Greentree, Catherine
Publisher: name: Macquarie University
Year: 2023
Subjects: Other education not elsewhere classified

description: This thesis examines the royal prerogative powers of the Executive Branch of Government in Australia, with a particular focus on the Commonwealth, and argues that the royal prerogative remains relevant for determining the nature and scope of the non-statutory executive power. In determining the scope of this power, the thesis recommends adopting an historical constitutional approach. This involves consideration of the prerogative and related historical constitutional doctrines which are recognised in the common law and form part of the Australian constitutional landscape. The nature and scope of the non-statutory executive power in Australia, particularly that of the Commonwealth, has recently been subject to increased debate. On one side, there is the view of the High Court of Australia that the text of s 61 of the Australian Constitution contains an inherent non-statutory executive power that a sovereign nation must of necessity possess by virtue of its national status. On the other side, many commentators argue that the scope of nonstatutory executive power is limited by the royal prerogative and the common law. The thesis accepts that the prerogatives are recognised in s 61 of the Australian Constitution, but this is not the source of these prerogatives. The prerogatives emanate from the Crown itself and from the common law. Therefore, this thesis challenges the method of construing the nonstatutory executive power by reference to s 61 alone, as the prerogatives and common law are essential to understanding the nature and limits of executive power. In order to support this argument, the thesis examines the historical origins and evolution of the prerogatives of the Crown in Britain and demonstrates how this body of constitutional doctrine continues to form part of the Australian common law. This thesis is topical as the non-statutory executive power has been subject to increasing judicial and academic scrutiny. It makes an original contribution through the examination of history in order to determine the nature and scope of the prerogative powers of the Australian executive governments. The application of this approach may assist in resolving the current debate between the competing views of the non-statutory executive power by providing a framework for future interpretations and exercises of the prerogative. Understanding the nature and role of the prerogative and its relationship with the executive power of government will not only affect the formulation and execution of government policy, but also how the executive is held to account for exercises of non-statutory executive power.
Supplemental Material from Network representations of diversity in scientific teams
Creators: name: Anderson, Katharine
Publisher: name: The Royal Society
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: 10203 Calculus of Variations, Systems Theory and Control Theory
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: 80110 Simulation and Modelling
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences
subject: 80201 Analysis of Algorithms and Complexity
subject: 80611 Information Systems Theory

description: Appendices including clusters of topics and alternative specifications
Glutamatergic mechanisms associated with stress-induced amygdala excitability and anxiety-related behavior
Creators: name: Flynn, Shaun
name: Crowley, Nicole
name: Colacicco, Giovanni
name: Lowery-Gionta, Emily
name: Li, Chia
name: Holmes, Andrew
name: Kash, Thomas
name: Pleil, Kristen E.
name: Masneuf, Sophie
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2014

description: The neural factors underlying individual differences in susceptibility to chronic stress remain poorly understood. Preclinical studies demonstrate that mouse strains vary greatly in anxiety-related responses to chronic stress in a manner paralleled by differential stress-induced changes in glutamatergic signaling in the basolateral amygdala (BLA). Previous work has also shown that alterations in the amygdala gene expression of the GluN1 NMDA and the GluK1 kainate receptors are associated with stress-induced alterations in anxiety-like behavior in the C57BL/6J mouse strain. Using in vivo behavioral pharmacological and ex vivo physiological approaches, the aim of the current study was to further elucidate changes in glutamate neurotransmission in the BLA caused by stress and to test the functional roles of GluN1 and GluK1 in mediating stress-related changes in behavior. Results showed that stress-induced alterations in anxiety-like behavior (light/dark exploration test) were absent following bilateral infusion of the GluK1 agonist ATPA into the BLA. Intra-BLA infusion of the competitive NMDA antagonist AP5 produced a generalized behavioral disinhibition/locomotor hyperactivity, irrespective of stress. Slice electrophysiological recordings showed that ATPA augmented BLA GABAergic neurotransmission and that stress increased the amplitude of network-dependent spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents and amplitude of GABAergic miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents in BLA. These findings could indicate stress-induced BLA glutamatergic neuronal network hyperexcitability and a compensatory increase in GABAergic neurotransmission, suggesting that GluK1 agonism augmented GABAergic inhibition to prevent behavioral sequelae of stress. Current data could have implications for developing novel therapeutic approaches, including GluK1 agonists, for stress-related anxiety disorders.
MJ-66 induces malignant glioma cells G2/M phase arrest and mitotic catastrophe through regulation of cyclin B1/Cdk1 complex
Creators: name: Lu, Yi Liang
name: Lee, Kuo Hsiung
name: Hour, Mann Jen
name: Song, Ta Shu
name: Kuo, Sheng Chu
name: Lu, I. Chen
name: Chen, Tai Lin
name: Chen, Ching
name: Liu, Wei Ting
name: Gean, Po Wu
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2014

description: Malignant gliomas are among the most devastating cancers as they are resistant to many kinds of treatment. Despite recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment, the prognosis of patients remains very poor and the development of new drug is urgently needed. Here, we report that a synthetic quinazolinone analog 2-(naphthalene-1-yl)-6-pyrrolidinyl-4-quinazolinone (MJ-66) induced glioma cell death. Immunofluorescence staining showed that MJ-66-induced cell death was associated with multinucleated phenotype and multipolar spindles that were typical characteristics of mitotic catastrophe. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that MJ-66 caused glioma cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and increased the proportion of polyploidy cells. Western blotting indicated that the expression of cyclin B1, Cdk1 pY15 and Cdk1 increased after treatment with MJ-66. MJ-66 effectively inhibited tumor growth and induced apoptosis in the xenograft animal model of U87 human glioma cells. Together, these results suggest that MJ-66 inhibited malignant gliomas growth through inducing mitotic catastrophe by interference with G2/M cell cycle checkpoint which may open a new avenue for the treatment of malignant gliomas.
(400263) Alice J. Christie
Creators: name: Professions, Victorian
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: 220201 Business and Labour History
subject: FOS: Philosophy, ethics and religion
subject: History
subject: 140203 Economic History
subject: FOS: Economics and business

description: This three-year research project began in January 2014 and investigated whether, during the Victorian period, the professions formed a distinct self-sustaining social group with its own mores and values. The project looked at 16,000 individuals drawn from census data for Alnwick, Brighton, Bristol, Dundee, Greenock, Leeds, Merthyr Tydfil, Morpeth, and Winchester. The research project was funded by the UK Economic & Social Research Council and was based at the Universities of Oxford and Northumbria.