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Evidence demonstrating that microglial mediated neuroimmune disturbances play a central role in the aetiology of mood pathology have transformed the landscape within psychiatric neuroscience. This article will place in context these recent developments and will place a particular focus on considering how microglia may contribute to shaping the operating environment of the CNS to foster susceptibility and resilience to psychopathology. Specifically, we will consider contributions from microglial priming, microglial modulation of synaptic plasticity, glial modulation of glutamatergic tone, and finally the role of neuroinflammatory disturbances in cerebrovascular integrity. Although much has been revealed about neuroimmune contributions to mood state and psychological health, our understanding of core mechanisms is still very much in a state of flux and it is likely that new insights will continue to shape our understanding well into the future.

Secondary neurodegeneration (SND) is an insidious and progressive condition involving the death of neurons in regions of the brain that were connected to but undamaged by the initial stroke. Our group have published compelling evidence that exposure to psychological stress can significantly exacerbate the severity SND, a finding that has considerable clinical implications given that stroke-survivors often report experiencing high and unremitting levels of psychological stress. It may be possible to use one or more targeted pharmacological approaches to limit the negative effects of stress on the recovery process but in order to move forward with this approach the most critical stress signals have to be identified. Accordingly, in the current study we have directed our attention to examining the potential effects of corticosterone, delivered orally at stress-like levels. Our interest is to determine how similar the effects of corticosterone are to stress on repair and remodelling that is known to occur after stroke. The study involved 4 groups, sham and stroke, either administered corticosterone or normal drinking water. The functional impact was assessed using the cylinder task for paw asymmetry, grid walk for sensorimotor function, inverted grid for muscle strength and coordination and open field for anxiety-like behaviour. Biochemically and histologically, we considered disturbances in main cellular elements of the neurovascular unit, including microglia, astrocytes, neurons and blood vessels using both immunohistochemistry and western blotting. In short, we identified that corticosterone delivery after stroke results in significant suppression of key microglial and astroglial markers. No changes were observed on the vasculature and in neuronal specific markers. No changes were identified for sensorimotor function or anxiety-like behaviour. We did, however, observe a significant change in motor function as assessed using the inverted grid walk test. Collectively, these results suggest that pharmacologically targeting corticosterone levels in the future may be warranted but that such an approach is unlikely to limit all the negative effects associated with exposure to chronic stress.

Experimental stroke leads to microglia activation and progressive neuronal loss at sites of secondary neurodegeneration (SND). These lesions are remote from, but synaptically connected to, primary infarction sites. Previous studies have demonstrated that immune cells are present in sites of infarction in the first hours and days after stroke, and are associated with increased neurodegeneration in peri-infarct regions. However, it is not known whether immune cells are also present in more distal sites where SND occurs. Our study aimed to investigate whether immune cells are present in sites of SND and, if so, how these cell populations compare to those in the peri-infarct zone. Cells were isolated from the thalamus, the main site of SND, and remaining brain tissue 14days post-stroke. Analysis was performed using flow cytometry to quantify microglia, myeloid cell and lymphocyte numbers. We identified a substantial infiltration of immune cells in the ipsilateral (stroked) compared to the contralateral (control) thalamus, with a significant increase in the percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. This result was further quantified using immunofluorescent labelling of fixed tissue. In the remaining ipsilateral hemisphere tissue, there were significant increases in the frequency of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, Ly6G+ neutrophils and both Ly6G-Ly6CLO and Ly6G-Ly6CHI monocytes. Our results indicate that infiltrating immune cells persist in ischemic tissue after the acute ischemic phase, and are increased in sites of SND. Importantly, immune cells have been shown to play pivotal roles in both damage and repair processes after stroke. Our findings indicate that immune cells may also be involved in the pathogenesis of SND and further clinical studies are warranted to characterise the nature of inflammatory cell infiltrates in human disease.

The relative optimality of the best and next-best hypotheses indicates the strength of support for the optimal hypothesis and may be calculated as either the difference or ratio of their optimality scores. The Goodman-Bremer support measure (GB) calculates the support for a given clade in the most parsimonious tree as the difference between the length of the optimal tree and the optimal tree that lacks that clade. The ratio of explanatory power (REP) support measure calculates support as the ratio of optimality scores, which simplifies to the ratio of observed GB and the maximum possible GB, GB/GB(max). In this paper we show that REP support provides a logical basis for comparison of support across datasets and that recent claims to the contrary are incorrect.

Our aim is to study qualitatively the process of QGP cooling and hadronization. Following the statistical theory of the first order phase transitions we have to operate with such categories as nucleation rate, pre-exponential factor, surface free energy of bubbles and velocity of bubble growth. We compute the temperature, average bubble size, bubble density and fraction of space converted to the hadronic phase as a function of time. Also, we check the sensitivity of our scenarios to variations of the parameters mentioned above, as well as different schemes of QGP expansion: from longitudinal to spherical expansion. The results obtained are compared to idealized adiabatic Maxwell equilibrium scenario.

The desorption of a methane-carbon-dioxide mixture on a bed of activated carbon was studied experimentally. Depletion curves were recorded by using pure hydrogen (assumed to be unadsorbed), pure carbon dioxide and a mixture of both gases as the purge medium. The results obtained are discussed on the basis of the equilibrium theory. The occurrence of simple and shock waves was explained in relation to the composition of the purge gas. Finally, a complex mathematical model was applied to compute the depletion curves. A satisfactory agreement was achieved between experimental and computed results.

On etudie l'adsorption d'un melange methane/dioxyde de carbone dans une colonne thermostatee, garnie de boulettes de charbon actif a pression (500 kPa) et temperature (293 K) constantes. Les quantites adsorbees sont estimees directement a partir des courbes de rupture. Les equations utilisees sont derivees d'un modele d'equilibre pour la sorption isotherme en lit fixe

Mise en place des courbes de rupture pour le regime d'absorption ou apparait un front additionnel se deplacant a une vitesse entre celle des fronts de concentration

The well-known classification (type I and type II) of non-isothermal dynamic adsorption processes in fixed beds according to the relative velocities of the temperature and concentration fronts is discussed for the multi-component case. In this case a new type (type III) occurs that is only possible in multi-component systems. An example for a real type-III process is given on the basis of the numerical solution of model equations dealt with in Part I of this paper.

Considering a solid phase diffusion model for a multicomponent adsorption process, the mass and the energy balances are described by linear partial differential equations, but the boundary conditions of the mass balances are non-linear because of the non-linearity of the adsorption isotherms. In this case an analytical solution of the differential equations for the Dirichlet problem can be given. Applying this analytical solution, the prescribed boundary conditions change to integro-differential equations containing only the unknown values on the outer particle surface. However, these non-linear integro-differential equations have to be treated numerically. To solve this problem a numerical method is presented. Such a combined analytical and numerical treatment of the partial differential equations for the adsorbent particle is more effective than a merely numerical one.

In this paper a model for the non-isothermal multi-component adsorption is presented. The model takes into consideration two diffusion fluxes-the macropore diffusion and the diffusion in the adsorbed phase. It is assumed that both fluxes progress in parallel in the direction of the particle centre and that equilibrium is established between the concentrations in the macropores and in the adsorbed phase. External transfer resistances onto the surface of the particle also occur. A numerical procedure for the solution of the energy and mass balances in a fixed bed is described as well as a new version of the collocation method for solving the balance equations for the adsorbent particle. Typical features occur due to the consideration of the energy balance. The influence of the most important transport parameters is investigated.

The influence of pairing correlations on the level density of a nucleus is studied by employing a Fermi gas model with equally spaced single particle levels and treating the pairing interactions in the superconductivity formalism of Belyaev and others. A numerical counting procedure is carried out to obtain deviations from the statistical formula for low excitation energies.

The positive parity states in 16O are calculated in the shell model with 2ph and 4ph excitations free from spurious components. The energies, B(E2) values 0-0 transition matrix elements agree fairly well with experiments.