A new micromechanical model for nacre (mother-of-pearl) is proposed, based on an accurate description of the actual microstructure of the material. In the small-strain regime (where damage and fracture are excluded), it is shown via homogenization techniques that the mechanical behaviour of nacre is: (i) orthotropic, with a strong difference in directional stiffnesses; (ii) bimodular (different...

introduction: neuro-plasticity is the neuronal system ability to modify and recover itself after the occurrence of impairment and injuries. following the abolition of a sensory modality, modifications will be applied to other modalities and their cortical function in a way that the processing of these modalities not only will happen in their own specific cortical area, but also in those areas t...

the effect of endogenous serotonin on long-term potentiation (ltp) in region cai was studied by blocking 5-ht2 receptors with ketanserin in rat hippocampal slices. such a block significantly en-hanced long-term potentiation of the cai population spike induced by high frequency stimulation of the schaffer collateral/ commissural pathway. this implies that serotonin acts on 5-ht2 receptors in cai...

early life events influence life-long patterns of emotionality and stress responsiveness and alter the rate of brain and body aging.  much research attention has focused on the programming effects of the hypothalamus pituitary axis (hpa) in early life and on understanding hpa function in response to stressors in adulthood. in comparison, there has been relatively little research on adolescence,...

Introduction: The prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), a cyclooxygenase (COX) product, play critical roles in the synaptic plasticity. Therefore, long term use of COX inhibitors may impair the synaptic plasticity. Considering the wide clinical administration of aspirin and its unknown effects on information processing in the brain, the effect of aspirin and sodium salicylate on the short term synaptic p...