The transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 and ankyrin 1 (TRPV1 and TRPA1, respectively) channels are members of the TRP superfamily of structurally related, non‐selective cation channels. It is ...rapidly becoming clear that the functions of TRPV1 and TRPA1 interlink with each other to a considerable extent. This is especially clear in relation to pain and neurogenic inflammation where TRPV1 is coexpressed on the vast majority of TRPA1‐expressing sensory nerves and both integrate a variety of noxious stimuli. The more recent discovery that both TRPV1 and TRPA1 are expressed on a multitude of non‐neuronal sites has led to a plethora of research into possible functions of these receptors. Non‐neuronal cells on which TRPV1 and TRPA1 are expressed vary from vascular smooth muscle to keratinocytes and endothelium. This review will discuss the expression, functionality and roles of these non‐neuronal TRP channels away from sensory nerves to demonstrate the diverse nature of TRPV1 and TRPA1 in addition to a direct role in pain and neurogenic inflammation.
To identify the emotional and motivational processes that reinstate palatable food intake following removal of high-fat diet (HFD) and associated neuroadaptations tied to neurochemical and ...behavioural changes underlying dopaminergic function.
Adult male C57Bl6 mice were placed on a HFD (58% kcal fat) or ingredient-matched, low-fat diet (LFD; 11% kcal fat) for 6 weeks. At the end of diet-regimen mice were either maintained on their respective diets, or HFD and LFD were replaced with normal chow (withdrawal). Effort-based operant responding for sucrose and high-fat food rewards was measured along with basal and stress-induced corticosterone levels and anxiety (elevated-plus maze). Protein levels for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), corticosterone releasing factor type 1 receptor (CRF-R1), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), phospho-CREB (pCREB) and ΔFosB (truncated splice variant of FosB) were assessed in the amygdala, nucleus accumbens (NAc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) via western immunoblotting.
Six weeks of HFD resulting in significant weight gain elicited sucrose anhedonia, anxiety-like behaviour and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPA) hypersensitivity to stress. Withdrawal from HFD but not LFD-potentiated anxiety and basal corticosterone levels and enhanced motivation for sucrose and high-fat food rewards. Chronic high-fat feeding reduced CRF-R1 and increased BDNF and pCREB protein levels in the amygdala and reduced TH and increased ΔFosB protein in NAc and VTA. Heightened palatable food reward in mice withdrawn from HFD coincided with increased BDNF protein levels in NAc and decreased TH and pCREB expression in the amygdala.
Anhedonia, anxiety and sensitivity to stressors develops during the course of HFD and may have a key role in a vicious cycle that perpetuates high-fat feeding and the development of obesity. Removal of HFD enhances stress responses and heightens vulnerability for palatable foods by increasing food-motivated behaviour. Lasting changes in dopamine and plasticity-related signals in reward circuitry may promote negative emotional states, overeating and palatable food relapse.
Satellite radar altimetry is nowadays a powerful and attractive Earth Observation technique of major importance in several applications such as the study of mean sea level change (a crucial climate ...change indicator), the observation of continental ice sheets' melting or the management of highly sensitive coastal zones and continental water resources. This paper aims at presenting an overview of the effects of the troposphere in satellite radar altimetry range observations, i.e. the tropospheric path delays (PD), and the corresponding corrections required to account for these effects, including those due to neutral gases, the DTC (dry tropospheric correction) and those related with water vapour and cloud liquid water content, the WTC (wet tropospheric correction). Starting with a summary of satellite altimeter missions since 1991 and corresponding relevant characteristics for DTC and WTC estimation, the tropospheric PD are discussed in the more general context of the atmospheric corrections. Then, for each of the tropospheric PD, the following topics are inspected and discussed: relevant background theory required to estimate each of the PD; methods used in the PD retrievals either from observations or from atmospheric models; specific problems encountered in the retrieval of each PD in coastal and inland water regions; errors still present in some altimeter products and proposed approaches to mitigate them. Most relevant conclusions are highlighted, including the future challenges and trends in DTC and WTC estimation.
•Both DTC and WTC require specific approaches over coastal and inland water zones.•The DTC is often the correction with the largest errors over inland water regions.•GPD and MPA are successful algorithms for retrieving the WTC over coastal zones.•Both DTC and WTC require appropriate handling of their vertical variation.•Over regions of sharp terrain, both DTC and WTC should be provided at high rate.
The elastic collective modes of a moiré superlattice arise not from vibrations of a rigid crystal but from the relative displacement between the constituent layers. Despite their similarity to ...acoustic phonons, these modes, called phasons, are not protected by any conservation law. Here, we show that disorder in the relative orientation between the layers and thermal fluctuations associated with their sliding motion degrade the propagation of sound in the moiré superlattice. Specifically, the phason modes become overdamped at low energies and acquire a finite gap, which displays a universal dependence on the twist-angle variance. Thus, twist-angle inhomogeneity is manifested not only in the noninteracting electronic structure of moiré systems, but also in their phononlike modes. More broadly, our results have important implications for the electronic properties of twisted moiré systems that are sensitive to the electron-phonon coupling.
The origin of the high-temperature superconducting state observed in FeSe thin films, whose phase diagram displays no sign of magnetic order, remains a hotly debated topic. Here we investigate ...whether fluctuations arising due to the proximity to a nematic phase, which is observed in the phase diagram of this material, can promote superconductivity. We find that nematic fluctuations alone promote a highly degenerate pairing state, in which both s-wave and d-wave symmetries are equally favored, and T_{c} is consequently suppressed. However, the presence of a sizable spin-orbit coupling or inversion symmetry breaking at the film interface lifts this harmful degeneracy and selects the s-wave state, in agreement with recent experimental proposals. The resulting gap function displays a weak anisotropy, which agrees with experiments in monolayer FeSe and intercalated Li_{1-x}(OH)_{x}FeSe.
This research aimed to assess the biofilm formation ability of Campylobacter strains under temperature and oxygen stress conditions, similar to those found in the industrial environment, to explain ...the persistence of this pathogen on the poultry slaughter line. A collection of C. jejuni and C. coli isolates (n = 143) obtained from poultry samples (cecal content and neck skin), collected at slaughterhouse level, from diverse flocks, on different working days, was genotyped by flaA-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) typing method. A clustering analysis resulted in the assignment of 10 main clusters, from which 15 strains with different flaA-RFLP genotypes were selected for the assessment of biofilm formation ability and antimicrobial susceptibility. Biofilm assays, performed by crystal violet staining method, were conducted with the goal of mimicking some conditions present at the slaughterhouse environment, based on temperature, atmosphere, and contamination levels. Results indicated that many C. jejuni strains with similar flaA-RFLP profiles were present at the slaughterhouse on different processing days. All the strains tested (n = 15) were multidrug-resistant except for one. Biofilm formation ability was strain-dependent, and it appeared to have been affected by inoculum concentration, temperature, and tolerance to oxygen levels. At 10°C, adherence levels were significantly lower than at 42°C. Under microaerobic and aerobic atmospheres, at 42°C, 3 strains (C. jejuni 46E, C. jejuni 61C, and C. coli 65B) stood out, exhibiting significant levels of biofilm formation. C. jejuni strains 46E and 61C were inserted in clusters with evidence of persistence at the slaughterhouse for a long period of time. This study demonstrated that Campylobacter strains from broilers are capable of forming biofilms under conditions resembling the slaughterhouse environment. These results should be seen as a cue to improve the programs of hygiene implemented, particularly in those zones that can promote biofilm formation.
Strongly interacting electrons in solid-state systems often display multiple broken symmetries in the ground state. The interplay between different order parameters can give rise to a rich phase ...diagram. We report on the identification of intertwined phases with broken rotational symmetry in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (TBG). Using transverse resistance measurements, we find a strongly anisotropic phase located in a "wedge" above the underdoped region of the superconducting dome. Upon its crossing with the superconducting dome, a reduction of the critical temperature is observed. Furthermore, the superconducting state exhibits an anisotropic response to a direction-dependent in-plane magnetic field, revealing nematic ordering across the entire superconducting dome. These results indicate that nematic fluctuations might play an important role in the low-temperature phases of magic-angle TBG.
The high corrosion rate of magnesium alloys is the main drawback to their widespread use, especially in biomedical applications. There is a need for developing new coatings that provide ...simultaneously corrosion resistance and enhanced biocompatibility. In this work, a composite coating containing polyether imide, with several diethylene triamine and hydroxyapatite contents, was applied on AZ31 magnesium alloys pre-treated with hydrofluoric acid by dip coating. The coated samples were immersed in Hank’s solution and the coating performance was studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. In addition, the behavior of MG63 osteoblastic cells on coated samples was investigated. The results confirmed that the new coatings not only slow down the corrosion rate of AZ31 magnesium alloys in Hank’s solution, but also enhance the adhesion and proliferation of MG63 osteoblastic cells, especially when hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were introduced in the coating formulation.
A hallmark of the phase diagrams of quantum materials is the existence of multiple electronic ordered states, which, in many cases, are not independent competing phases, but instead display a complex ...intertwinement. In this review, we focus on a particular realization of intertwined orders: a primary phase characterized by a multi-component order parameter and a fluctuation-driven vestigial phase characterized by a composite order parameter. This concept has been widely employed to elucidate nematicity in iron-based and cuprate superconductors. Here we present a group-theoretical framework that extends this notion to a variety of phases, providing a classification of vestigial orders of unconventional superconductors and density waves. Electronic states with scalar and vector chiral order, spin-nematic order, Ising-nematic order, time-reversal symmetry-breaking order, and algebraic vestigial order emerge from one underlying principle. The formalism provides a framework to understand the complexity of quantum materials based on symmetry, largely without resorting to microscopic models.
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