Flexible coding of time or distance in hippocampal cells.

Analysis of neuronal activity in the hippocampus of behaving animals has revealed cells acting as 'Time Cells', which exhibit selective spiking patterns at specific time intervals since a triggering event, and 'Distance Cells', which encode the traversal of specific distances. Other neurons exhibit a combination of these features, alongside place selectivity. This study aims to investigate how the task performed by animals during recording sessions influences the formation of these representations.

Coupled Anisotropic Magneto-Mechanical Material Model for Structured Magnetoactive Materials.

Adaptability of properties of magnetic materials such as magnetorheological (MR) fluids, MR elastomers (MRE), and other magneto-active (MA) materials drives scientific activities worldwide, trying to broaden the fields of application of such materials. In our work, we focused on the utilization and implementation of existing material models to realize a praxis-oriented coupled anisotropic material model for the commercial finite element (FE) software ABAQUS taking into account magneto-mechanical interactions. By introducing this material model, a first step is done to predict and optimize the behavior of MA materials.

Changes in the level of personality functioning in inpatient psychotherapy.

The model of Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis and the model of Personality Organization influenced the concept of the Level of Personality Functioning (LPF) in DSM-V. The LPF is becoming a key variable for diagnostics, treatment and outcome measurement, but there are few studies which integrate the LPF in the study design. This study pursues to expand this body of knowledge by investigating the research question: would an inpatient psychotherapy lead to significant improvements in the LPF? The study included 156 inpatients at the Psychiatric Hospital Münsterlingen, Switzerland.

Unprecedented Inversion of Selectivity and Extraordinary Difference in the Complexation of Trivalent f Elements by Diastereomers of a Methylated Diglycolamide.

When considering f elements, solvent extraction is primarily used for the removal of lanthanides from ore and their recycling, as well as for the separation of actinides from used nuclear fuel. Understanding the complexation mechanism of metal ions with organic extractants, particularly the influence of their molecular structure on complex formation is of fundamental importance. Herein, we report an extraordinary (up to two orders of magnitude) change in the extraction efficiency of f elements with two diastereomers of dimethyl tetraoctyl diglycolamide (Me -TODGA), which only differ in the orientation of a single methyl group.

During Running in Place, Grid Cells Integrate Elapsed Time and Distance Run.

The spatial scale of grid cells may be provided by self-generated motion information or by external sensory information from environmental cues. To determine whether grid cell activity reflects distance traveled or elapsed time independent of external information, we recorded grid cells as animals ran in place on a treadmill. Grid cell activity was only weakly influenced by location, but most grid cells and other neurons recorded from the same electrodes strongly signaled a combination of distance and time, with some signaling only distance or time.

Vaccination directed against the human endogenous retrovirus-K (HERV-K) gag protein slows HERV-K gag expressing cell growth in a murine model system.

Background: Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are remnants of ancestral infections and chromosomally integrated in all cells of an individual, are transmitted only vertically and are defective in viral replication. However enhanced expression of HERV-K accompanied by the emergence of anti-HERV-K-directed immune responses has been observed inter-alia in HIV-infected individuals and tumor patients. Therefore HERV-K might serve as a tumor-specific antigen or even as a constant target for the development of an HIV vaccine.

Vaccination directed against the human endogenous retrovirus-K envelope protein inhibits tumor growth in a murine model system.

Human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) genomes are chromosomally integrated in all cells of an individual. They are normally transcriptionally silenced and transmitted only vertically. Enhanced expression of HERV-K accompanied by the emergence of anti-HERV-K-directed immune responses has been observed in tumor patients and HIV-infected individuals.

Hippocampal "time cells": time versus path integration.

Recent studies have reported the existence of hippocampal "time cells," neurons that fire at particular moments during periods when behavior and location are relatively constant. However, an alternative explanation of apparent time coding is that hippocampal neurons "path integrate" to encode the distance an animal has traveled. Here, we examined hippocampal neuronal firing patterns as rats ran in place on a treadmill, thus "clamping" behavior and location, while we varied the treadmill speed to distinguish time elapsed from distance traveled.

Expression of human endogenous retrovirus-K coincides with that of micro-RNA-663 and -638 in germ-cell tumor cells.

Background/aim: The cell line GH was established from germ-cell tumor tissue; human endogenous retrovirus-K (HERV-K) expression was detectable after prolonged culture of the cells, particularly in cells that formed domes and vesicles. In addition, keeping GH cells in culture at high cell densities increased HERV-K expression. Here, we studied whether this inducible HERV-K expression is accompanied by differences in microRNA (miRNA) expression patterns of GH cells.

The cellular antiviral restriction factor tetherin does not inhibit poxviral replication.

Interferon-stimulated genes fulfill innate antiviral effector functions. Among them, tetherin (THN) blocks the release of many enveloped viruses from infected cells. Vaccinia virus (VACV) encodes immune modulators interfering with antiviral host responses.

Characterization of the human endogenous retrovirus K Gag protein: identification of protease cleavage sites.

Background: Viral genomes of the human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K) family are integrated into the human chromosome and are transmitted vertically as Mendelian genes. Although viral particles are released by some transformed cells, they have never been shown to be infectious. In general, gammaretroviruses are produced as immature viral particles by accumulation of the Gag polyproteins at the plasma membrane, which subsequently bud from the cell surface.

Decreased HIV diversity after allogeneic stem cell transplantation of an HIV-1 infected patient: a case report.

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) coreceptor use and viral evolution were analyzed in blood samples from an HIV-1 infected patient undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). Coreceptor use was predicted in silico from sequence data obtained from the third variable loop region of the viral envelope gene with two software tools. Viral diversity and evolution was evaluated on the same samples by Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods.

Invariance and sensitivity to intensity in neural discrimination of natural sounds.

Intensity variation poses a fundamental problem for sensory discrimination because changes in the response of sensory neurons as a result of stimulus identity, e.g., a change in the identity of the speaker uttering a word, can potentially be confused with changes resulting from stimulus intensity, for example, the loudness of the utterance.

Impaired revascularization in a mouse model of type 2 diabetes is associated with dysregulation of a complex angiogenic-regulatory network.

Objective: Diabetes is a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases associated with impaired angiogenesis or increased endothelial cell apoptosis.

Methods And Results: Here it is shown that angiogenic repair of ischemic hindlimbs was impaired in Lepr(db/db) mice, a leptin receptor-deficient model of diabetes, compared with wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice, as evaluated by laser Doppler flow and capillary density analyses. To identify molecular targets associated with this disease process, hindlimb cDNA expression profiles were created from adductor muscle of Lepr(db/db) and WT mice before and after hindlimb ischemia using Affymetrix GeneChip Mouse Expression Set microarrays.