Effects of cold temperatures on the excitability of rat trigeminal ganglion neurons that are not for cold sensing.

PubMed

Kanda, Hirosato; Gu, Jianguo G

2017-05-01

Aside from a small population of primary afferent neurons for sensing cold, which generate sensations of innocuous and noxious cold, it is generally believed that cold temperatures suppress the excitability of primary afferent neurons not responsible for cold sensing. These not-for-cold-sensing neurons include the majority of non-nociceptive and nociceptive afferent neurons. In this study we have found that the not-for-cold-sensing neurons of rat trigeminal ganglia (TG) change their excitability in several ways at cooling temperatures. In nearly 70% of not-for-cold-sensing TG neurons, a cooling temperature of 15°C increases their membrane excitability. We regard these neurons as cold-active neurons. For the remaining 30% of not-for-cold-sensing TG neurons, the cooling temperature of 15°C either has no effect (cold-ineffective neurons) or suppress their membrane excitability (cold-suppressive neurons). For cold-active neurons, the cold temperature of 15°C increases their excitability as is evidenced by increases in action potential (AP) firing numbers and/or the reduction in AP rheobase when these neurons are depolarized electrically. The cold temperature of 15°C significantly inhibits M-currents and increases membrane input resistance of cold-active neurons. Retigabine, an M-current activator, abolishes the effect of cold temperatures on AP firing, but not the effect of cold temperature on AP rheobase levels. The inhibition of M-currents and the increases of membrane input resistance are likely two mechanisms by which cooling temperatures increase the excitability of not-for-cold-sensing TG neurons. This article is part of the special article series "Pain". © 2015 International Society for Neurochemistry.

Modelling Feedback Excitation, Pacemaker Properties and Sensory Switching of Electrically Coupled Brainstem Neurons Controlling Rhythmic Activity

PubMed Central

Hull, Michael J.; Soffe, Stephen R.; Willshaw, David J.; Roberts, Alan

2016-01-01

What cellular and network properties allow reliable neuronal rhythm generation or firing that can be started and stopped by brief synaptic inputs? We investigate rhythmic activity in an electrically-coupled population of brainstem neurons driving swimming locomotion in young frog tadpoles, and how activity is switched on and off by brief sensory stimulation. We build a computational model of 30 electrically-coupled conditional pacemaker neurons on one side of the tadpole hindbrain and spinal cord. Based on experimental estimates for neuron properties, population sizes, synapse strengths and connections, we show that: long-lasting, mutual, glutamatergic excitation between the neurons allows the network to sustain rhythmic pacemaker firing at swimming frequencies following brief synaptic excitation; activity persists but rhythm breaks down without electrical coupling; NMDA voltage-dependency doubles the range of synaptic feedback strengths generating sustained rhythm. The network can be switched on and off at short latency by brief synaptic excitation and inhibition. We demonstrate that a population of generic Hodgkin-Huxley type neurons coupled by glutamatergic excitatory feedback can generate sustained asynchronous firing switched on and off synaptically. We conclude that networks of neurons with NMDAR mediated feedback excitation can generate self-sustained activity following brief synaptic excitation. The frequency of activity is limited by the kinetics of the neuron membrane channels and can be stopped by brief inhibitory input. Network activity can be rhythmic at lower frequencies if the neurons are electrically coupled. Our key finding is that excitatory synaptic feedback within a population of neurons can produce switchable, stable, sustained firing without synaptic inhibition. PMID:26824331

Simulation of action potential propagation in plants.

PubMed

Sukhov, Vladimir; Nerush, Vladimir; Orlova, Lyubov; Vodeneev, Vladimir

2011-12-21

Action potential is considered to be one of the primary responses of a plant to action of various environmental factors. Understanding plant action potential propagation mechanisms requires experimental investigation and simulation; however, a detailed mathematical model of plant electrical signal transmission is absent. Here, the mathematical model of action potential propagation in plants has been worked out. The model is a two-dimensional system of excitable cells; each of them is electrically coupled with four neighboring ones. Ion diffusion between excitable cell apoplast areas is also taken into account. The action potential generation in a single cell has been described on the basis of our previous model. The model simulates active and passive signal transmission well enough. It has been used to analyze theoretically the influence of cell to cell electrical conductivity and H(+)-ATPase activity on the signal transmission in plants. An increase in cell to cell electrical conductivity has been shown to stimulate an increase in the length constant, the action potential propagation velocity and the temperature threshold, while the membrane potential threshold being weakly changed. The growth of H(+)-ATPase activity has been found to induce the increase of temperature and membrane potential thresholds and the reduction of the length constant and the action potential propagation velocity. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Regulation of persistent sodium currents by glycogen synthase kinase 3 encodes daily rhythms of neuronal excitability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul, Jodi R.; Dewoskin, Daniel; McMeekin, Laura J.; Cowell, Rita M.; Forger, Daniel B.; Gamble, Karen L.

2016-11-01

How neurons encode intracellular biochemical signalling cascades into electrical signals is not fully understood. Neurons in the central circadian clock in mammals provide a model system to investigate electrical encoding of biochemical timing signals. Here, using experimental and modelling approaches, we show how the activation of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) contributes to neuronal excitability through regulation of the persistent sodium current (INaP). INaP exhibits a day/night difference in peak magnitude and is regulated by GSK3. Using mathematical modelling, we predict and confirm that GSK3 activation of INaP affects the action potential afterhyperpolarization, which increases the spontaneous firing rate without affecting the resting membrane potential. Together, these results demonstrate a crucial link between the molecular circadian clock and electrical activity, providing examples of kinase regulation of electrical activity and the propagation of intracellular signals in neuronal networks.

Relationships between resting conductances, excitability, and t-system ionic homeostasis in skeletal muscle.

PubMed

Fraser, James A; Huang, Christopher L-H; Pedersen, Thomas H

2011-07-01

Activation of skeletal muscle fibers requires rapid sarcolemmal action potential (AP) conduction to ensure uniform excitation along the fiber length, as well as successful tubular excitation to initiate excitation-contraction coupling. In our companion paper in this issue, Pedersen et al. (2011. J. Gen. Physiol. doi:10.1085/jgp.201010510) quantify, for subthreshold stimuli, the influence upon both surface conduction velocity and tubular (t)-system excitation of the large changes in resting membrane conductance (G(M)) that occur during repetitive AP firing. The present work extends the analysis by developing a multi-compartment modification of the charge-difference model of Fraser and Huang to provide a quantitative description of the conduction velocity of actively propagated APs; the influence of voltage-gated ion channels within the t-system; the influence of t-system APs on ionic homeostasis within the t-system; the influence of t-system ion concentration changes on membrane potentials; and the influence of Phase I and Phase II G(M) changes on these relationships. Passive conduction properties of the novel model agreed with established linear circuit analysis and previous experimental results, while key simulations of AP firing were tested against focused experimental microelectrode measurements of membrane potential. This study thereby first quantified the effects of the t-system luminal resistance and voltage-gated Na(+) channel density on surface AP propagation and the resultant electrical response of the t-system. Second, it demonstrated the influence of G(M) changes during repetitive AP firing upon surface and t-system excitability. Third, it showed that significant K(+) accumulation occurs within the t-system during repetitive AP firing and produces a baseline depolarization of the surface membrane potential. Finally, it indicated that G(M) changes during repetitive AP firing significantly influence both t-system K(+) accumulation and its influence on the resting membrane potential. Thus, the present study emerges with a quantitative description of the changes in membrane potential, excitability, and t-system ionic homeostasis that occur during repetitive AP firing in skeletal muscle.

Protein carboxyl methylation increases in parallel with differentiation of neuroblastoma cells.

PubMed

Kloog, Y; Axelrod, J; Spector, I

1983-02-01

Cells of mouse neuroblastoma clone N1E-115 in the confluent phase of growth can catalyze the formation of endogenous protein carboxyl methyl esters, using a protein carboxyl methylase and membrane-bound methyl acceptor proteins. The enzyme is localized predominantly in the cytosol of the cells and has a molecular weight of about 20,000 daltons. Treatment of the cells with dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) or hexamethylene-bisacetamide (HMBA), agents that induce morphological and electrophysiological differentiation, results in a marked increase in protein carboxyl methylase activity. Maximal levels are reached 6-7 days after exposure to the agents, a time course that closely parallels the development of electrical excitability mechanisms in these cells. Serum deprivation also causes neurite outgrowth but does not enhance electrical excitability or enzyme activity. The capacity of membrane-bound neuroblastoma protein(s) to be carboxyl methylated is increased by the differentiation procedures that have been examined. However, the increase in methyl acceptor proteins induced by DMSO or HMBA is the largest, and its time course parallels electrophysiological differentiation. In contrast, serum deprivation induced a small increase that reached maximal levels within 24 h. The data suggest that increased protein carboxyl methylation is a developmentally regulated property of neuroblastoma cells and that at least two groups of methyl acceptor proteins are induced during differentiation: a minor group related to morphological differentiation, and a major group that may be related to ionic permeability mechanisms of the excitable membrane.

Electrochemical activation and inhibition of neuromuscular systems through modulation of ion concentrations with ion-selective membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Yong-Ak; Melik, Rohat; Rabie, Amr N.; Ibrahim, Ahmed M. S.; Moses, David; Tan, Ara; Han, Jongyoon; Lin, Samuel J.

2011-12-01

Conventional functional electrical stimulation aims to restore functional motor activity of patients with disabilities resulting from spinal cord injury or neurological disorders. However, intervention with functional electrical stimulation in neurological diseases lacks an effective implantable method that suppresses unwanted nerve signals. We have developed an electrochemical method to activate and inhibit a nerve by electrically modulating ion concentrations in situ along the nerve. Using ion-selective membranes to achieve different excitability states of the nerve, we observe either a reduction of the electrical threshold for stimulation by up to approximately 40%, or voluntary, reversible inhibition of nerve signal propagation. This low-threshold electrochemical stimulation method is applicable in current implantable neuroprosthetic devices, whereas the on-demand nerve-blocking mechanism could offer effective clinical intervention in disease states caused by uncontrolled nerve activation, such as epilepsy and chronic pain syndromes.

Piezoelectric diaphragm for vibration energy harvesting.

PubMed

Minazara, E; Vasic, D; Costa, F; Poulin, G

2006-12-22

This paper presents a technique of electric energy generation using a mechanically excited unimorph piezoelectric membrane transducer. The electrical characteristics of the piezoelectric power generator are investigated under dynamic conditions. The electromechanical model of the generator is presented and used to predict its electrical performances. The experiments was performed with a piezoelectric actuator (shaker) moving a macroscopic 25 mm diameter piezoelectric membrane. A power of 0.65 mW was generated at the resonance frequency (1.71 kHz) across a 5.6 kOmega optimal resistor and for a 80 N force. A special electronic circuit has been conceived in order to increase the power harvested by the piezoelectric transducer. This electrical converter applies the SSHI (synchronized switch harvesting on inductor) technique, and leads to remarkable results: under the same actuation conditions the generated power reaches 1.7 mW, which is sufficient to supply a large range of low consumption sensors.

A Conserved Bicycle Model for Circadian Clock Control of Membrane Excitability

PubMed Central

Flourakis, Matthieu; Kula-Eversole, Elzbieta; Hutchison, Alan L.; Han, Tae Hee; Aranda, Kimberly; Moose, Devon L.; White, Kevin P.; Dinner, Aaron R.; Lear, Bridget C.; Ren, Dejian; Diekman, Casey O.; Raman, Indira M.; Allada, Ravi

2015-01-01

Summary Circadian clocks regulate membrane excitability in master pacemaker neurons to control daily rhythms of sleep and wake. Here we find that two distinctly timed electrical drives collaborate to impose rhythmicity on Drosophila clock neurons. In the morning, a voltage-independent sodium conductance via the NA/NALCN ion channel depolarizes these neurons. This current is driven by the rhythmic expression of NCA localization factor-1, linking the molecular clock to ion channel function. In the evening, basal potassium currents peak to silence clock neurons. Remarkably, daily antiphase cycles of sodium and potassium currents also drive mouse clock neuron rhythms. Thus, we reveal an evolutionarily ancient strategy for the neural mechanisms that govern daily sleep and wake. PMID:26276633

Engineering biosynthetic excitable tissues from unexcitable cells for electrophysiological and cell therapy studies

PubMed Central

Kirkton, Robert D.; Bursac, Nenad

2012-01-01

Patch-clamp recordings in single-cell expression systems have been traditionally used to study the function of ion channels. However, this experimental setting does not enable assessment of tissue-level function such as action potential (AP) conduction. Here we introduce a biosynthetic system that permits studies of both channel activity in single cells and electrical conduction in multicellular networks. We convert unexcitable somatic cells into an autonomous source of electrically excitable and conducting cells by stably expressing only three membrane channels. The specific roles that these expressed channels have on AP shape and conduction are revealed by different pharmacological and pacing protocols. Furthermore, we demonstrate that biosynthetic excitable cells and tissues can repair large conduction defects within primary 2- and 3-dimensional cardiac cell cultures. This approach enables novel studies of ion channel function in a reproducible tissue-level setting and may stimulate the development of new cell-based therapies for excitable tissue repair. PMID:21556054

Three types of membrane excitations in the marine diatom Coscinodiscus wailesii.

PubMed

Gradmann, D; Boyd, C M

2000-05-15

Three types of electrical excitation have been investigated in the marine diatom Coscinodiscus wailesii. I: Depolarization-triggered, transient Cl(-) conductance, G(Cl)(t), followed by a transient, voltage-gated K(+) conductance, G(K), with an active state a and two inactive states i(1) and i(2) in series (a-i(1)-i(2)). II: Similar G(Cl)(t) as in Type-I but triggered by hyperpolarization; a subsequent increase of G(K) in this type is indicated but not analyzed in detail. III: Hyperpolarization-induced transient of a voltage-gated activity of an electrogenic pump (i(2)-a-i(2)), followed by G(Cl)(t) as in Type-II excitations. Type-III with pump gating is novel as such. G(Cl)(t) in all types seems to reflect the mechanism of InsP(-)(3) and Ca(2+)-mediated G(Cl)(t) in the action potential in Chara (Biskup et al., 1999). The nonlinear current-voltage-time relationships of Type-I and Type-III excitations have been recorded under voltage-clamp using single saw-tooth command voltages (voltage range: -200 to +50 mV, typical slope: +/-1 Vs(-1)). Fits of the corresponding models to the experimental data provided numerical values of the model parameters. The statistical significance of these solutions is investigated. We suggest that the original function of electrical excitability of biological membranes is related to osmoregulation which has persisted through evolution in plants, whereas the familiar and osmotically neutral action potentials in animals have evolved later towards the novel function of rapid transmission of information over long distances.

Micro-sonicator for spore lysis

DOEpatents

Miles, Robin R.; Belgrader, Phillip; Nasarabadi, Shanavaz L.

2000-01-01

A micro-sonicator for spore lysis. Using micromachining technology, the micro-sonicator uses ultrasonic excitation of spores to perform spore and cell lysis. The micro-sonicator comprises a container with a cavity therein for retaining the sample in an ultrasonic transmission medium, the cavity being closed by a silicon membrane to which an electrode and piezoelectric material are attached, with the electrode and piezoelectric material being electrically connected to an AC signal generator which causes the membrane to flex and vibrate at the frequency of the applied voltage.

Electrically Driven Ion Separations in Permeable Membranes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bruening, Merlin

2017-04-21

Membranes are attractive for a wide range of separations due to their low energy costs and continuous operation. To achieve practical fluxes, most membranes consist of a thin, selective skin on a highly permeable substrate that provides mechanical strength. Thus, this project focused on creating new methods for forming highly selective ultrathin skins as well as modeling transport through these coatings to better understand their unprecedented selectivities. The research explored both gas and ion separations, and the latter included transport due to concentration, pressure and electrical potential gradients. This report describes a series of highlights of the research and thenmore » provides a complete list of publications supported by the grant. These publications have been cited more than 4000 times. Perhaps the most stunning finding is the recent discovery of monovalent/divalent cation and anion selectivities around 1000 when modifying cation- and anion-exchange membranes with polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs). This discovery builds on many years of exciting research. (Citation numbers refer to the journal articles in the bibliography.)« less

Endogenous electric fields as guiding cue for cell migration

PubMed Central

Funk, Richard H. W.

2015-01-01

This review covers two topics: (1) “membrane potential of low magnitude and related electric fields (bioelectricity)” and (2) “cell migration under the guiding cue of electric fields (EF).”Membrane potentials for this “bioelectricity” arise from the segregation of charges by special molecular machines (pumps, transporters, ion channels) situated within the plasma membrane of each cell type (including eukaryotic non-neural animal cells). The arising patterns of ion gradients direct many cell- and molecular biological processes such as embryogenesis, wound healing, regeneration. Furthermore, EF are important as guiding cues for cell migration and are often overriding chemical or topographic cues. In osteoblasts, for instance, the directional information of EF is captured by charged transporters on the cell membrane and transferred into signaling mechanisms that modulate the cytoskeleton and motor proteins. This results in a persistent directional migration along an EF guiding cue. As an outlook, we discuss questions concerning the fluctuation of EF and the frequencies and mapping of the “electric” interior of the cell. Another exciting topic for further research is the modeling of field concepts for such distant, non-chemical cellular interactions. PMID:26029113

Defects formation and spiral waves in a network of neurons in presence of electromagnetic induction.

PubMed

Rostami, Zahra; Jafari, Sajad

2018-04-01

Complex anatomical and physiological structure of an excitable tissue (e.g., cardiac tissue) in the body can represent different electrical activities through normal or abnormal behavior. Abnormalities of the excitable tissue coming from different biological reasons can lead to formation of some defects. Such defects can cause some successive waves that may end up to some additional reorganizing beating behaviors like spiral waves or target waves. In this study, formation of defects and the resulting emitted waves in an excitable tissue are investigated. We have considered a square array network of neurons with nearest-neighbor connections to describe the excitable tissue. Fundamentally, electrophysiological properties of ion currents in the body are responsible for exhibition of electrical spatiotemporal patterns. More precisely, fluctuation of accumulated ions inside and outside of cell causes variable electrical and magnetic field. Considering undeniable mutual effects of electrical field and magnetic field, we have proposed the new Hindmarsh-Rose (HR) neuronal model for the local dynamics of each individual neuron in the network. In this new neuronal model, the influence of magnetic flow on membrane potential is defined. This improved model holds more bifurcation parameters. Moreover, the dynamical behavior of the tissue is investigated in different states of quiescent, spiking, bursting and even chaotic state. The resulting spatiotemporal patterns are represented and the time series of some sampled neurons are displayed, as well.

Non-equilibrium behaviour in coacervate-based protocells under electric-field-induced excitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Yudan; Niu, Lin; Zhu, Xiaocui; Zhao, Meiping; Zhang, Zexin; Mann, Stephen; Liang, Dehai

2016-02-01

Although numerous strategies are now available to generate rudimentary forms of synthetic cell-like entities, minimal progress has been made in the sustained excitation of artificial protocells under non-equilibrium conditions. Here we demonstrate that the electric field energization of coacervate microdroplets comprising polylysine and short single strands of DNA generates membrane-free protocells with complex, dynamical behaviours. By confining the droplets within a microfluidic channel and applying a range of electric field strengths, we produce protocells that exhibit repetitive cycles of vacuolarization, dynamical fluctuations in size and shape, chaotic growth and fusion, spontaneous ejection and sequestration of matter, directional capture of solute molecules, and pulsed enhancement of enzyme cascade reactions. Our results highlight new opportunities for the study of non-equilibrium phenomena in synthetic protocells, provide a strategy for inducing complex behaviour in electrostatically assembled soft matter microsystems and illustrate how dynamical properties can be activated and sustained in microcompartmentalized media.

Non-equilibrium behaviour in coacervate-based protocells under electric-field-induced excitation

PubMed Central

Yin, Yudan; Niu, Lin; Zhu, Xiaocui; Zhao, Meiping; Zhang, Zexin; Mann, Stephen; Liang, Dehai

2016-01-01

Although numerous strategies are now available to generate rudimentary forms of synthetic cell-like entities, minimal progress has been made in the sustained excitation of artificial protocells under non-equilibrium conditions. Here we demonstrate that the electric field energization of coacervate microdroplets comprising polylysine and short single strands of DNA generates membrane-free protocells with complex, dynamical behaviours. By confining the droplets within a microfluidic channel and applying a range of electric field strengths, we produce protocells that exhibit repetitive cycles of vacuolarization, dynamical fluctuations in size and shape, chaotic growth and fusion, spontaneous ejection and sequestration of matter, directional capture of solute molecules, and pulsed enhancement of enzyme cascade reactions. Our results highlight new opportunities for the study of non-equilibrium phenomena in synthetic protocells, provide a strategy for inducing complex behaviour in electrostatically assembled soft matter microsystems and illustrate how dynamical properties can be activated and sustained in microcompartmentalized media. PMID:26876162

Electric Dipole Theory of Chemical Synaptic Transmission

PubMed Central

Wei, Ling Y.

1968-01-01

In this paper we propose that chemicals such as acetylcholine are electric dipoles which when oriented and arranged in a large array could produce an electric field strong enough to drive positive ions over the junction barrier of the post-synaptic membrane and thus initiate excitation or produce depolarization. This theory is able to explain a great number of facts such as cleft size, synaptic delay, nonregeneration, subthreshold integration, facilitation with repetition, and the calcium and magnesium effects. It also shows why and how acetylcholine could act as excitatory or inhibitory transmitters under different circumstances. Our conclusion is that the nature of synaptic transmission is essentially electrical, be it mediated by electrical or chemical transmitters. PMID:4296121

Modeling cardiac action potential shortening driven by oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial oscillations in guinea pig cardiomyocytes.

PubMed

Zhou, Lufang; Cortassa, Sonia; Wei, An-Chi; Aon, Miguel A; Winslow, Raimond L; O'Rourke, Brian

2009-10-07

Ischemia-induced shortening of the cardiac action potential and its heterogeneous recovery upon reperfusion are thought to set the stage for reentrant arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. We have recently reported that the collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsi(m)) through a mechanism triggered by reactive oxygen species (ROS), coupled to the opening of sarcolemmal ATP-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channels, contributes to electrical dysfunction during ischemia-reperfusion. Here we present a computational model of excitation-contraction coupling linked to mitochondrial bioenergetics that incorporates mitochondrial ROS-induced ROS release with coupling between the mitochondrial energy state and electrical excitability mediated by the sarcolemmal K(ATP) current (I(K,ATP)). Whole-cell model simulations demonstrate that increasing the fraction of oxygen diverted from the respiratory chain to ROS production triggers limit-cycle oscillations of DeltaPsi(m), redox potential, and mitochondrial respiration through the activation of a ROS-sensitive inner membrane anion channel. The periods of transient mitochondrial uncoupling decrease the cytosolic ATP/ADP ratio and activate I(K,ATP), consequently shortening the cellular action potential duration and ultimately suppressing electrical excitability. The model simulates emergent behavior observed in cardiomyocytes subjected to metabolic stress and provides a new tool for examining how alterations in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation will impact the electrophysiological, contractile, and Ca(2+) handling properties of the cardiac cell. Moreover, the model is an important step toward building multiscale models that will permit investigation of the role of spatiotemporal heterogeneity of mitochondrial metabolism in the mechanisms of arrhythmogenesis and contractile dysfunction in cardiac muscle.

A universal steady state I-V relationship for membrane current

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chernyak, Y. B.; Cohen, R. J. (Principal Investigator)

1995-01-01

A purely electrical mechanism for the gating of membrane ionic channel gives rise to a simple I-V relationship for membrane current. Our approach is based on the known presence of gating charge, which is an established property of the membrane channel gating. The gating charge is systematically treated as a polarization of the channel protein which varies with the external electric field and modifies the effective potential through which the ions migrate in the channel. Two polarization effects have been considered: 1) the up or down shift of the whole potential function, and 2) the change in the effective electric field inside the channel which is due to familiar effect of the effective reduction of the electric field inside a dielectric body because of the presence of surface charges on its surface. Both effects are linear in the channel polarization. The ionic current is described by a steady state solution of the Nernst-Planck equation with the potential directly controlled by the gating charge system. The solution describes reasonably well the steady state and peak-current I-V relationships for different channels, and when applied adiabatically, explains the time lag between the gating charge current and the rise of the ionic current. The approach developed can be useful as an effective way to model the ionic currents in axons, cardiac cells and other excitable tissues.

Heat pulse excitability of vestibular hair cells and afferent neurons

PubMed Central

Brichta, Alan M.; Tabatabaee, Hessam; Boutros, Peter J.; Ahn, JoongHo; Della Santina, Charles C.; Poppi, Lauren A.; Lim, Rebecca

2016-01-01

In the present study we combined electrophysiology with optical heat pulse stimuli to examine thermodynamics of membrane electrical excitability in mammalian vestibular hair cells and afferent neurons. We recorded whole cell currents in mammalian type II vestibular hair cells using an excised preparation (mouse) and action potentials (APs) in afferent neurons in vivo (chinchilla) in response to optical heat pulses applied to the crista (ΔT ≈ 0.25°C per pulse). Afferent spike trains evoked by heat pulse stimuli were diverse and included asynchronous inhibition, asynchronous excitation, and/or phase-locked APs synchronized to each infrared heat pulse. Thermal responses of membrane currents responsible for APs in ganglion neurons were strictly excitatory, with Q10 ≈ 2. In contrast, hair cells responded with a mix of excitatory and inhibitory currents. Excitatory hair cell membrane currents included a thermoelectric capacitive current proportional to the rate of temperature rise (dT/dt) and an inward conduction current driven by ΔT. An iberiotoxin-sensitive inhibitory conduction current was also evoked by ΔT, rising in <3 ms and decaying with a time constant of ∼24 ms. The inhibitory component dominated whole cell currents in 50% of hair cells at −68 mV and in 67% of hair cells at −60 mV. Responses were quantified and described on the basis of first principles of thermodynamics. Results identify key molecular targets underlying heat pulse excitability in vestibular sensory organs and provide quantitative methods for rational application of optical heat pulses to examine protein biophysics and manipulate cellular excitability. PMID:27226448

Enhanced Monitoring of Nanosecond Electric Pulse-Evoked Membrane Conductance Changes in Whole-Cell Patch Clamp Experiments.

PubMed

Yoon, Jihwan; Leblanc, Normand; Zaklit, Josette; Vernier, P Thomas; Chatterjee, Indira; Craviso, Gale L

2016-10-01

Patch clamp electrophysiology serves as a powerful method for studying changes in plasma membrane ion conductance induced by externally applied high-intensity nanosecond electric pulses (NEPs). This paper describes an enhanced monitoring technique that minimizes the length of time between pulse exposure and data recording in a patch-clamped excitable cell. Whole-cell membrane currents were continuously recorded up to 11 ms before and resumed 8 ms after delivery of a 5-ns, 6 MV/m pulse by a pair of tungsten rod electrodes to a patched adrenal chromaffin cell maintained at a holding potential of -70 mV. This timing was achieved by two sets of relay switches. One set was used to disconnect the patch pipette electrode from the pre-amplifier and connect it to a battery to maintain membrane potential at -70 mV, and also to disconnect the reference electrode from the amplifier. The other set was used to disconnect the electrodes from the pulse generator until the time of NEP/sham exposure. The sequence and timing of both sets of relays were computer-controlled. Using this procedure, we observed that a 5-ns pulse induced an instantaneous inward current that decayed exponentially over the course of several minutes, that a second pulse induced a similar response, and that the current was carried, at least in part, by Na + . This approach for characterizing ion conductance changes in an excitable cell in response to NEPs will yield information essential for assessing the potential use of NEP stimulation for therapeutic applications.

A two dimension model of the uterine electrical wave propagation.

PubMed

Rihana, S; Lefrançois, E; Marque, C

2007-01-01

The uterus, usually quiescent during pregnancy, exhibits forceful contractions at term leading to delivery. These contractions are caused by the synchronized propagation of electrical waves from the pacemaker cells to its neighbors inducing the whole coordinated contraction of the uterus wall leading to labor. In a previous work, we simulate the electrical activity of a single uterine cell by a set of ordinary differential equations. Then, this model has been used to simulate the electrical activity propagation. In the present work, the uterine cell tissue is assumed to have uniform and isotropic propagation, and constant electrical membrane properties. The stability of the numerical solution imposes the choice of a critical temporal step. A wave starts at a pacemaker cell; this electrical activity is initiated by the injection of an external stimulation current to the cell membrane. We observe synchronous wave propagation for axial resistance values around 0.5 GOmega or less and propoagation blocking for values greater than 0.7 GOmega. We compute the conduction velocity of the excitation, for different axial resistance values, and obtain a velocity about 10 cm/sec, approaching the one described by the literature for the rat at end of term.

Dynamics of Phosphoinositide-Dependent Signaling in Sympathetic Neurons

PubMed Central

Kruse, Martin; Vivas, Oscar; Traynor-Kaplan, Alexis

2016-01-01

In neurons, loss of plasma membrane phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2] leads to a decrease in exocytosis and changes in electrical excitability. Restoration of PI(4,5)P2 levels after phospholipase C activation is therefore essential for a return to basal neuronal activity. However, the dynamics of phosphoinositide metabolism have not been analyzed in neurons. We measured dynamic changes of PI(4,5)P2, phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate, diacylglycerol, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, and Ca2+ upon muscarinic stimulation in sympathetic neurons from adult male Sprague-Dawley rats with electrophysiological and optical approaches. We used this kinetic information to develop a quantitative description of neuronal phosphoinositide metabolism. The measurements and analysis show and explain faster synthesis of PI(4,5)P2 in sympathetic neurons than in electrically nonexcitable tsA201 cells. They can be used to understand dynamic effects of receptor-mediated phospholipase C activation on excitability and other PI(4,5)P2-dependent processes in neurons. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2] is a minor phospholipid in the cytoplasmic leaflet of the plasma membrane. Depletion of PI(4,5)P2 via phospholipase C-mediated hydrolysis leads to a decrease in exocytosis and alters electrical excitability in neurons. Restoration of PI(4,5)P2 is essential for a return to basal neuronal activity. However, the dynamics of phosphoinositide metabolism have not been analyzed in neurons. We studied the dynamics of phosphoinositide metabolism in sympathetic neurons upon muscarinic stimulation and used the kinetic information to develop a quantitative description of neuronal phosphoinositide metabolism. The measurements and analysis show a several-fold faster synthesis of PI(4,5)P2 in sympathetic neurons than in an electrically nonexcitable cell line, and provide a framework for future studies of PI(4,5)P2-dependent processes in neurons. PMID:26818524

Spinal neurons require Islet1 for subtype-specific differentiation of electrical excitability

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background In the spinal cord, stereotypic patterns of transcription factor expression uniquely identify neuronal subtypes. These transcription factors function combinatorially to regulate gene expression. Consequently, a single transcription factor may regulate divergent development programs by participation in different combinatorial codes. One such factor, the LIM-homeodomain transcription factor Islet1, is expressed in the vertebrate spinal cord. In mouse, chick and zebrafish, motor and sensory neurons require Islet1 for specification of biochemical and morphological signatures. Little is known, however, about the role that Islet1 might play for development of electrical membrane properties in vertebrates. Here we test for a role of Islet1 in differentiation of excitable membrane properties of zebrafish spinal neurons. Results We focus our studies on the role of Islet1 in two populations of early born zebrafish spinal neurons: ventral caudal primary motor neurons (CaPs) and dorsal sensory Rohon-Beard cells (RBs). We take advantage of transgenic lines that express green fluorescent protein (GFP) to identify CaPs, RBs and several classes of interneurons for electrophysiological study. Upon knock-down of Islet1, cells occupying CaP-like and RB-like positions continue to express GFP. With respect to voltage-dependent currents, CaP-like and RB-like neurons have novel repertoires that distinguish them from control CaPs and RBs, and, in some respects, resemble those of neighboring interneurons. The action potentials fired by CaP-like and RB-like neurons also have significantly different properties compared to those elicited from control CaPs and RBs. Conclusions Overall, our findings suggest that, for both ventral motor and dorsal sensory neurons, Islet1 directs differentiation programs that ultimately specify electrical membrane as well as morphological properties that act together to sculpt neuron identity. PMID:25149090

Inositol trisphosphate receptor mediated spatiotemporal calcium signalling.

PubMed

Miyazaki, S

1995-04-01

Spatiotemporal Ca2+ signalling in the cytoplasm is currently understood as an excitation phenomenon by analogy with electrical excitation in the plasma membrane. In many cell types, Ca2+ waves and Ca2+ oscillations are mediated by inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptor/Ca2+ channels in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane, with positive feedback between cytosolic Ca2+ and IP3-induced Ca2+ release creating a regenerative process. Remarkable advances have been made in the past year in the analysis of subcellular Ca2+ microdomains using confocal microscopy and of Ca2+ influx pathways that are functionally coupled to IP3-induced Ca2+ release. Ca2+ signals can be conveyed into the nucleus and mitochondria. Ca2+ entry from outside the cell allows repetitive Ca2+ release by providing Ca2+ to refill the endoplasmic reticulum stores, thus giving rise to frequency-encoded Ca2+ signals.

Artifacts, assumptions, and ambiguity: Pitfalls in comparing experimental results to numerical simulations when studying electrical stimulation of the heart.

PubMed

Roth, Bradley J.

2002-09-01

Insidious experimental artifacts and invalid theoretical assumptions complicate the comparison of numerical predictions and observed data. Such difficulties are particularly troublesome when studying electrical stimulation of the heart. During unipolar stimulation of cardiac tissue, the artifacts include nonlinearity of membrane dyes, optical signals blocked by the stimulating electrode, averaging of optical signals with depth, lateral averaging of optical signals, limitations of the current source, and the use of excitation-contraction uncouplers. The assumptions involve electroporation, membrane models, electrode size, the perfusing bath, incorrect model parameters, the applicability of a continuum model, and tissue damage. Comparisons of theory and experiment during far-field stimulation are limited by many of these same factors, plus artifacts from plunge and epicardial recording electrodes and assumptions about the fiber angle at an insulating boundary. These pitfalls must be overcome in order to understand quantitatively how the heart responds to an electrical stimulus. (c) 2002 American Institute of Physics.

Projection structure of a ClC-type chloride channel at 6.5Å resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mindell, Joseph A.; Maduke, Merritt; Miller, Christopher; Grigorieff, Nikolaus

2001-01-01

Virtually all cells in all eukaryotic organisms express ion channels of the ClC type, the only known molecular family of chloride-ion-selective channels. The diversity of ClC channels highlights the multitude and range of functions served by gated chloride-ion conduction in biological membranes, such as controlling electrical excitability in skeletal muscle, maintaining systemic blood pressure, acidifying endosomal compartments, and regulating electrical responses of GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid)-containing interneurons in the central nervous system. Previously, we expressed and purified a prokaryotic ClC channel homologue. Here we report the formation of two-dimensional crystals of this ClC channel protein reconstituted into phospholipid bilayer membranes. Cryo-electron microscopic analysis of these crystals yields a projection structure at 6.5Å resolution, which shows off-axis water-filled pores within the dimeric channel complex.

The effect of electrical stimulation on corticospinal excitability is dependent on application duration: a same subject pre-post test design.

PubMed

Andrews, Rebecca K; Schabrun, Siobhan M; Ridding, Michael C; Galea, Mary P; Hodges, Paul W; Chipchase, Lucinda S

2013-06-10

In humans, corticospinal excitability is known to increase following motor electrical stimulation (ES) designed to mimic a voluntary contraction. However, whether the effect is equivalent with different application durations and whether similar effects are apparent for short and long applications is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the duration of peripheral motor ES influenced its effect on corticospinal excitability. The excitability of the corticomotor pathway to abductor pollicis brevis (APB) was measured in fourteen health subjects using transcranial magnetic stimulation before, immediately after and 10 minutes after three different durations (20-, 40-, 60-min) of motor ES (30Hz, ramped). This intervention was designed to mimic a voluntary contraction in APB. To control for effects of motor ES on the peripheral elements (muscle fibre, membrane, neuromuscular junction), maximum compound muscle actions potentials (M-waves) were also recorded at each time point. Results were analysed using a repeated measures analysis of variance. Peripheral excitability was reduced following all three motor ES interventions. Conversely, corticospinal excitability was increased immediately following 20- and 40-min applications of motor ES and this increase was maintained at least 20-min following the intervention. A 60-min application of motor ES did not alter corticospinal excitability. A 20-min application of motor ES that is designed to mimic voluntary muscle contraction is as effective as that applied for 40-min when the aim of the intervention is to increase corticospinal excitability. Longer motor ES durations of 60-min do not influence corticospinal excitability, possibly as a result of homeostatic plasticity mechanisms.

Nanopillar arrays on semiconductor membranes as electron emission amplifiers.

PubMed

Qin, Hua; Kim, Hyun-Seok; Blick, Robert H

2008-03-05

A new transmission-type electron multiplier was fabricated from silicon-on-insulator (SOI) material by integrating an array of one-dimensional (1D) silicon nanopillars onto a two-dimensional (2D) silicon membrane. Primary electrons are injected into the nanopillar-membrane (NPM) system from the flat surface of the membrane, while electron emission from the nanopillars is probed by an anode. The secondary electron yield (SEY) from the nanopillars in the current device is found to be about 1.8 times that of the plain silicon membrane. This gain in electron number is slightly enhanced by the electric field applied from the anode. Further optimization of the dimensions of the NPM and an application of field emission promise an even higher gain for detector applications and allow for probing of electronic/mechanical excitations in an NPM system stimulated by incident particles or radiation.

Tissue interactions with nonionizing electromagnetic fields. Final report, March 1979-February 1986

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adey, W.R.; Bawin, S.M.; Byus, C.V.

1986-08-01

This report provides an overview of this research program focused on basic research in nervous system responses to electric fields at 60 Hz. The emphasis in this project was to determine the fundamental mechanisms underlying some phenomena of electric field interactions in neural systems. The five studies of the initial program were tests of behavioral responses in the rat based upon the hypothesis that electric field detection might follow psychophysical rules known from prior research with light, sound and other stimuli; tests of electrophysiological responses to ''normal'' forms of stimulation in rat brain tissue exposed in vitro to electric fields,more » based on the hypothesis that the excitability of brain tissue might be affected by fields in the extracellular environment; tests of electrophysiological responses of spontaneously active pacemaker neurons of the Aplysia abdominal ganglion, based on the hypothesis that electric field interactions at the cell membrane might affect the balance among the several membrane-related processes that govern pacemaker activity; studies of mechanisms of low frequency electromagnetic field interactions with bone cells in the context of field therapy of ununited fractures; and manipulation of cell surface receptor proteins in studies of their mobility during EM field exposure.« less

Collision of two action potentials in a single excitable cell.

PubMed

Fillafer, Christian; Paeger, Anne; Schneider, Matthias F

2017-12-01

It is a common incident in nature, that two waves or pulses run into each other head-on. The outcome of such an event is of special interest, because it allows conclusions about the underlying physical nature of the pulses. The present experimental study dealt with the head-on meeting of two action potentials (AP) in a single excitable plant cell (Chara braunii internode). The membrane potential was monitored with multiple sensors along a single excitable cell. In control experiments, an AP was excited electrically at either end of the cell cylinder. Subsequently, stimuli were applied simultaneously at both ends of the cell in order to generate two APs that met each other head-on. When two action potentials propagated into each other, the pulses did not penetrate but annihilated (N=26 experiments in n=10 cells). APs in excitable plant cells did not penetrate upon meeting head-on. In the classical electrical model, this behavior is specifically attributed to relaxation of ion channel proteins. From an acoustic point of view, annihilation can be viewed as a result of nonlinear material properties (e.g. a phase change). The present results suggest that APs in excitable animal and plant cells belong to a similar class of nonlinear phenomena. Intriguingly, other excitation waves in biology (intracellular waves, cortical spreading depression, etc.) also annihilate upon collision and are thus expected to follow the same underlying principles as the observed action potentials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Flexural plate wave devices fabricated from silicon carbide membrane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diagne, Ndeye Fama

Flexural Plate Wave (FPW) devices fabricated from Silicon Carbide (SiC) membranes are presented here which exhibit electrical and mechanical characteristics in its transfer functions that makes it very useful as a low voltage probe device capable of functioning in small areas that are commonly inaccessible to ordinary devices. The low input impedance characteristic of this current driven device makes it possible for it to operate at very low voltages, thereby reducing the hazards for flammable or explosive areas to be probed. The Flexural Plate Wave (FPW) devices are of a family of gravimetric type sensors that permit direct measurements of the mass of the vibrating element. The primary objective was to study the suitability of Silicon Carbide (SiC) membranes as a replacement of Silicon Nitride (SiN) membrane in flexural plate wave devices developed by Sandia National Laboratories. Fabrication of the Flexural Plate Wave devices involves the overlaying a silicon wafer with membranes of 3C-SiC thin film upon which conducting meander lines are placed. The input excitation energy is in the form of an input current. The lines of current along the direction of the conducting Meander Lines Transducer (MLTs) and the applied perpendicular external magnetic field set up a mechanical wave perpendicular to both, exciting the membrane by means of a Lorentz force, which in turn sets up flexural waves that propagate along the thin membrane. The physical dimensions, the mass density, the tension in the membrane and the meander spacing are physical characteristics that determine resonance frequency of the Flexural Plate Wave (FPW) device. Of primary interest is the determination of the resonant frequency of the silicon carbide membrane as functions of the device physical characteristic parameters. The appropriate transduction scheme with Meander Line Transducers (IDTs) are used to excite the membrane. Equivalent circuit models characterizing the reflection response S11 (amplitude and phase) for a one-port Flexural PlateWave device and the transmission response S21 of a two-port device are used for the development of the equivalent mechanical characteristics.

Functional conversion between A-type and delayed rectifier K+ channels by membrane lipids.

PubMed

Oliver, Dominik; Lien, Cheng-Chang; Soom, Malle; Baukrowitz, Thomas; Jonas, Peter; Fakler, Bernd

2004-04-09

Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels control action potential repolarization, interspike membrane potential, and action potential frequency in excitable cells. It is thought that the combinatorial association between distinct alpha and beta subunits determines whether Kv channels function as non-inactivating delayed rectifiers or as rapidly inactivating A-type channels. We show that membrane lipids can convert A-type channels into delayed rectifiers and vice versa. Phosphoinositides remove N-type inactivation from A-type channels by immobilizing the inactivation domains. Conversely, arachidonic acid and its amide anandamide endow delayed rectifiers with rapid voltage-dependent inactivation. The bidirectional control of Kv channel gating by lipids may provide a mechanism for the dynamic regulation of electrical signaling in the nervous system.

On energy harvesting from a vibro-impact oscillator with dielectric membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lai, Z. H.; Thomson, G.; Yurchenko, D.; Val, D. V.; Rodgers, E.

2018-07-01

A vibro-impact mechanical system comprising of a ball moving freely between two dielectric membranes located at a certain distance from each other is studied. The system generates electricity when the ball moving due ambient vibrations impacts one of the membranes. The energy harvesting principle of the proposed system is explained and then used to formulate a numerical model for estimating the system output voltage. The dynamic behavior and output performance of the system are thoroughly studied under a harmonic excitation, as well as different initial conditions and various values of the restitution coefficient of the membranes. The delivered research results are useful for selecting the system parameters to achieve its optimal output performance in a realistic vibrational environment. Potential application of the proposed system for energy harvesting from car engine vibrations is presented.

Modelling motions within the organ of Corti

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, Guangjian; Baumgart, Johannes; Elliott, Stephen

2015-12-01

Most cochlear models used to describe the basilar membrane vibration along the cochlea are concerned with macromechanics, and often assume that the organ of Corti moves as a single unit, ignoring the individual motion of different components. New experimental technologies provide the opportunity to measure the dynamic behaviour of different components within the organ of Corti, but only for certain types of excitation. It is thus still difficult to directly measure every aspect of cochlear dynamics, particularly for acoustic excitation of the fully active cochlea. The present work studies the dynamic response of a model of the cross-section of the cochlea, at the microscopic level, using the finite element method. The elastic components are modelled with plate elements and the perilymph and endolymph are modelled with inviscid fluid elements. The individual motion of each component within the organ of Corti is calculated with dynamic pressure loading on the basilar membrane and the motions of the experimentally accessible parts are compared with measurements. The reticular lamina moves as a stiff plate, without much bending, and is pivoting around a point close to the region of the inner hair cells, as observed experimentally. The basilar membrane shows a slightly asymmetric mode shape, with maximum displacement occurring between the second-row and the third-row of the outer hair cells. The dynamics responses is also calculated, and compared with experiments, when driven by the outer hair cells. The receptance of the basilar membrane motion and of the deflection of the hair bundles of the outer hair cells is thus obtained, when driven either acoustically or electrically. In this way, the fully active linear response of the basilar membrane to acoustic excitation can be predicted by using a linear superposition of the calculated receptances and a defined gain function for the outer hair cell feedback.

ELECTRIC IMPEDANCE OF NITELLA DURING ACTIVITY

PubMed Central

Cole, Kenneth S.; Curtis, Howard J.

1938-01-01

The changes in the alternating current impedance which occur during activity of cells of the fresh water plant Nitella have been measured with the current flow normal to the cell axis, at eight frequencies from 0.05 to 20 kilocycles per second, and with simultaneous records of the action potential under the impedance electrodes. At each frequency the resting cell was balanced in a Wheatstone bridge with a cathode ray oscillograph, and after electrical stimulation at one end of the cell, the changes in the complex impedance were determined from the bridge unbalance recorded by motion pictures of the oscillograph figure. An extension of the previous technique of interpretation of the transverse impedance shows that the normal membrane capacity of 0.9 µf./cm.2 decreases about 15 per cent without change of phase angle, while the membrane resistance decreases from 105 ohm cm.2 to about 500 ohm cm.2 during the passage of the excitation wave. This membrane change occurs during the latter part of the rising phase of the action potential, and it is shown that the membrane electromotive force remains unchanged until nearly the same time. The part of the action potential preceding these membrane changes is probably a passive fall of potential ahead of a partial short circuit. PMID:19873091

Nicotinic Acid Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate (NAADP) and Endolysosomal Two-pore Channels Modulate Membrane Excitability and Stimulus-Secretion Coupling in Mouse Pancreatic β Cells*

PubMed Central

Arredouani, Abdelilah; Ruas, Margarida; Collins, Stephan C.; Parkesh, Raman; Clough, Frederick; Pillinger, Toby; Coltart, George; Rietdorf, Katja; Royle, Andrew; Johnson, Paul; Braun, Matthias; Zhang, Quan; Sones, William; Shimomura, Kenju; Morgan, Anthony J.; Lewis, Alexander M.; Chuang, Kai-Ting; Tunn, Ruth; Gadea, Joaquin; Teboul, Lydia; Heister, Paula M.; Tynan, Patricia W.; Bellomo, Elisa A.; Rutter, Guy A.; Rorsman, Patrik; Churchill, Grant C.; Parrington, John; Galione, Antony

2015-01-01

Pancreatic β cells are electrically excitable and respond to elevated glucose concentrations with bursts of Ca2+ action potentials due to the activation of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (VDCCs), which leads to the exocytosis of insulin granules. We have examined the possible role of nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP)-mediated Ca2+ release from intracellular stores during stimulus-secretion coupling in primary mouse pancreatic β cells. NAADP-regulated Ca2+ release channels, likely two-pore channels (TPCs), have recently been shown to be a major mechanism for mobilizing Ca2+ from the endolysosomal system, resulting in localized Ca2+ signals. We show here that NAADP-mediated Ca2+ release from endolysosomal Ca2+ stores activates inward membrane currents and depolarizes the β cell to the threshold for VDCC activation and thereby contributes to glucose-evoked depolarization of the membrane potential during stimulus-response coupling. Selective pharmacological inhibition of NAADP-evoked Ca2+ release or genetic ablation of endolysosomal TPC1 or TPC2 channels attenuates glucose- and sulfonylurea-induced membrane currents, depolarization, cytoplasmic Ca2+ signals, and insulin secretion. Our findings implicate NAADP-evoked Ca2+ release from acidic Ca2+ storage organelles in stimulus-secretion coupling in β cells. PMID:26152717

Finite-element model of the active organ of Corti

PubMed Central

Elliott, Stephen J.; Baumgart, Johannes

2016-01-01

The cochlear amplifier that provides our hearing with its extraordinary sensitivity and selectivity is thought to be the result of an active biomechanical process within the sensory auditory organ, the organ of Corti. Although imaging techniques are developing rapidly, it is not currently possible, in a fully active cochlea, to obtain detailed measurements of the motion of individual elements within a cross section of the organ of Corti. This motion is predicted using a two-dimensional finite-element model. The various solid components are modelled using elastic elements, the outer hair cells (OHCs) as piezoelectric elements and the perilymph and endolymph as viscous and nearly incompressible fluid elements. The model is validated by comparison with existing measurements of the motions within the passive organ of Corti, calculated when it is driven either acoustically, by the fluid pressure or electrically, by excitation of the OHCs. The transverse basilar membrane (BM) motion and the shearing motion between the tectorial membrane and the reticular lamina are calculated for these two excitation modes. The fully active response of the BM to acoustic excitation is predicted using a linear superposition of the calculated responses and an assumed frequency response for the OHC feedback. PMID:26888950

Lévy noise improves the electrical activity in a neuron under electromagnetic radiation.

PubMed

Wu, Juan; Xu, Yong; Ma, Jun

2017-01-01

As the fluctuations of the internal bioelectricity of nervous system is various and complex, the external electromagnetic radiation induced by magnet flux on membrane can be described by the non-Gaussian type distribution of Lévy noise. Thus, the electrical activities in an improved Hindmarsh-Rose model excited by the external electromagnetic radiation of Lévy noise are investigated and some interesting modes of the electrical activities are exhibited. The external electromagnetic radiation of Lévy noise leads to the mode transition of the electrical activities and spatial phase, such as from the rest state to the firing state, from the spiking state to the spiking state with more spikes, and from the spiking state to the bursting state. Then the time points of the firing state versus Lévy noise intensity are depicted. The increasing of Lévy noise intensity heightens the neuron firing. Also the stationary probability distribution functions of the membrane potential of the neuron induced by the external electromagnetic radiation of Lévy noise with different intensity, stability index and skewness papremeters are analyzed. Moreover, through the positive largest Lyapunov exponent, the parameter regions of chaotic electrical mode of the neuron induced by the external electromagnetic radiation of Lévy noise distribution are detected.

Lévy noise improves the electrical activity in a neuron under electromagnetic radiation

PubMed Central

Wu, Juan; Ma, Jun

2017-01-01

As the fluctuations of the internal bioelectricity of nervous system is various and complex, the external electromagnetic radiation induced by magnet flux on membrane can be described by the non-Gaussian type distribution of Lévy noise. Thus, the electrical activities in an improved Hindmarsh-Rose model excited by the external electromagnetic radiation of Lévy noise are investigated and some interesting modes of the electrical activities are exhibited. The external electromagnetic radiation of Lévy noise leads to the mode transition of the electrical activities and spatial phase, such as from the rest state to the firing state, from the spiking state to the spiking state with more spikes, and from the spiking state to the bursting state. Then the time points of the firing state versus Lévy noise intensity are depicted. The increasing of Lévy noise intensity heightens the neuron firing. Also the stationary probability distribution functions of the membrane potential of the neuron induced by the external electromagnetic radiation of Lévy noise with different intensity, stability index and skewness papremeters are analyzed. Moreover, through the positive largest Lyapunov exponent, the parameter regions of chaotic electrical mode of the neuron induced by the external electromagnetic radiation of Lévy noise distribution are detected. PMID:28358824

Sodium Channel β2 Subunits Prevent Action Potential Propagation Failures at Axonal Branch Points.

PubMed

Cho, In Ha; Panzera, Lauren C; Chin, Morven; Hoppa, Michael B

2017-09-27

Neurotransmitter release depends on voltage-gated Na + channels (Na v s) to propagate an action potential (AP) successfully from the axon hillock to a synaptic terminal. Unmyelinated sections of axon are very diverse structures encompassing branch points and numerous presynaptic terminals with undefined molecular partners of Na + channels. Using optical recordings of Ca 2+ and membrane voltage, we demonstrate here that Na + channel β2 subunits (Na v β2s) are required to prevent AP propagation failures across the axonal arborization of cultured rat hippocampal neurons (mixed male and female). When Na v β2 expression was reduced, we identified two specific phenotypes: (1) membrane excitability and AP-evoked Ca 2+ entry were impaired at synapses and (2) AP propagation was severely compromised with >40% of axonal branches no longer responding to AP-stimulation. We went on to show that a great deal of electrical signaling heterogeneity exists in AP waveforms across the axonal arborization independent of axon morphology. Therefore, Na v β2 is a critical regulator of axonal excitability and synaptic function in unmyelinated axons. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Voltage-gated Ca 2+ channels are fulcrums of neurotransmission that convert electrical inputs into chemical outputs in the form of vesicle fusion at synaptic terminals. However, the role of the electrical signal, the presynaptic action potential (AP), in modulating synaptic transmission is less clear. What is the fidelity of a propagating AP waveform in the axon and what molecules shape it throughout the axonal arborization? Our work identifies several new features of AP propagation in unmyelinated axons: (1) branches of a single axonal arborization have variable AP waveforms independent of morphology, (2) Na + channel β2 subunits modulate AP-evoked Ca 2+ -influx, and (3) β2 subunits maintain successful AP propagation across the axonal arbor. These findings are relevant to understanding the flow of excitation in the brain. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/379519-15$15.00/0.

Fullerene reinforced ionic polymer transducer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, J. H.; Cheng, T. H.; Oh, I. K.

2009-07-01

Novel fullerene reinforced nano-composite transducers based on nafion were developed inorder to improve the ionic polymer metal composite transducer. The fullerene reinforced nano-composite membranes were fabricated by recasting method with 0.1 and 0.5 weight percentage of a Fullerenes. Stress-Strain tests showed tremendous increase in stiffness and modulus of the nano-composite membranes even at these minute concentrations of Fullerenes. Ionic exchange capacity analysis and proton conductivity test were performed to calculate the electrical property of the composite films. Water uptake was measured to understand the liquid adsorbing characteristics of the membranes. Also, tip displacement of the nano-composite membrane transducer was investigated under AC excitations with various magnitudes and frequencies. Furthermore, the generated energy was measured from external sinusoidal physical input vibration with several displacements and frequencies by using a mechanical shaker. As a result, the fullerene reinforced nanocomposite membrane based on nafion shows higher stiffness and Young's modulus than that of pure nafion membrane. Also, the nano-composite membrane had better water uptake and proton conductivity than the pure membrane. Fullerene reinforced nano-composite membrane transducer actuates to a much larger deformations than pure nafion membrane transducer. The developed membrane transducer dissipates more energy from the physical input vibration than that of unfilled(or virgin) Nafion membrane transducer.

Axonal Membranes and Their Domains: Assembly and Function of the Axon Initial Segment and Node of Ranvier

PubMed Central

Nelson, Andrew D.; Jenkins, Paul M.

2017-01-01

Neurons are highly specialized cells of the nervous system that receive, process and transmit electrical signals critical for normal brain function. Here, we review the intricate organization of axonal membrane domains that facilitate rapid action potential conduction underlying communication between complex neuronal circuits. Two critical excitable domains of vertebrate axons are the axon initial segment (AIS) and the nodes of Ranvier, which are characterized by the high concentrations of voltage-gated ion channels, cell adhesion molecules and specialized cytoskeletal networks. The AIS is located at the proximal region of the axon and serves as the site of action potential initiation, while nodes of Ranvier, gaps between adjacent myelin sheaths, allow rapid propagation of the action potential through saltatory conduction. The AIS and nodes of Ranvier are assembled by ankyrins, spectrins and their associated binding partners through the clustering of membrane proteins and connection to the underlying cytoskeleton network. Although the AIS and nodes of Ranvier share similar protein composition, their mechanisms of assembly are strikingly different. Here we will cover the mechanisms of formation and maintenance of these axonal excitable membrane domains, specifically highlighting the similarities and differences between them. We will also discuss recent advances in super resolution fluorescence imaging which have elucidated the arrangement of the submembranous axonal cytoskeleton revealing a surprising structural organization necessary to maintain axonal organization and function. Finally, human mutations in axonal domain components have been associated with a growing number of neurological disorders including severe cognitive dysfunction, epilepsy, autism, neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders. Overall, this review highlights the assembly, maintenance and function of axonal excitable domains, particularly the AIS and nodes of Ranvier, and how abnormalities in these processes may contribute to disease. PMID:28536506

Electromagnetic Modeling of Distributed-Source-Excitation of Coplanar Waveguides: Applications to Traveling-Wave Photomixers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pasqualini, Davide; Neto, Andrea; Wyss, Rolf A.

2001-01-01

In this work an electromagnetic model and subsequent design is presented for a traveling-wave, coplanar waveguide (CPW) based source that will operate in the THz frequency regime. The radio frequency (RF) driving current is a result of photoexcitation of a thin GaAs membrane using two frequency-offset lasers. The GaAs film is grown by molecular-beam-epitaxy (MBE) and displays sub-ps carrier lifetimes which enable the material conductivity to be modulated at a very high rate. The RF current flows between electrodes deposited on the GaAs membrane which are biased with a DC voltage source. The electrodes form a CPW and are terminated with a double slot antenna that couples the power to a quasi-optical system. The membrane is suspended above a metallic reflector to launch all radiation in one direction. The theoretical investigation and consequent design is performed in two steps. The first step consists of a direct evaluation of the magnetic current distribution on an infinitely extended coplanar waveguide excited by an impressed electric current distributed over a finite area. The result of the analysis is the difference between the incident angle of the laser beams and the length of the excited area that maximizes the RF power coupled to the CPW. The optimal values for both parameters are found as functions of the CPW and membrane dimensions as well as the dielectric constants of the layers. In the second step, a design is presented of a double slot antenna that matches the CPW characteristic impedance and gives good overall performance. The design is presently being implemented and measurements will soon be available.

Oxidative Stress and Maxi Calcium-Activated Potassium (BK) Channels

PubMed Central

Hermann, Anton; Sitdikova, Guzel F.; Weiger, Thomas M.

2015-01-01

All cells contain ion channels in their outer (plasma) and inner (organelle) membranes. Ion channels, similar to other proteins, are targets of oxidative impact, which modulates ion fluxes across membranes. Subsequently, these ion currents affect electrical excitability, such as action potential discharge (in neurons, muscle, and receptor cells), alteration of the membrane resting potential, synaptic transmission, hormone secretion, muscle contraction or coordination of the cell cycle. In this chapter we summarize effects of oxidative stress and redox mechanisms on some ion channels, in particular on maxi calcium-activated potassium (BK) channels which play an outstanding role in a plethora of physiological and pathophysiological functions in almost all cells and tissues. We first elaborate on some general features of ion channel structure and function and then summarize effects of oxidative alterations of ion channels and their functional consequences. PMID:26287261

TRANSVERSE ELECTRIC IMPEDANCE OF THE SQUID GIANT AXON

PubMed Central

Curtis, Howard J.; Cole, Kenneth S.

1938-01-01

The impedance of the excised giant axon from hindmost stellar nerve of Loligo pealii has been measured over the frequency range from 1 to 2500 kilocycles per second. The measurements have been made with the current flow perpendicular to the axis of the axon to permit a relatively simple analysis of the data. It has been found that the axon membrane has a polarization impedance with an average phase angle of 76° and an average capacity of 1.1µf./cm2 at 1 kilocycle. The direct current resistance of the membrane could not be measured, but was greater than 3 ohm cm.2 and the average internal specific resistance was four times that of sea water. There was no detectable change in the membrane impedance when the axon lost excitability, but some time later it decreased to zero. PMID:19873081

Thermal Transients Excite Neurons through Universal Intramembrane Mechanoelectrical Effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plaksin, Michael; Shapira, Einat; Kimmel, Eitan; Shoham, Shy

2018-01-01

Modern advances in neurotechnology rely on effectively harnessing physical tools and insights towards remote neural control, thereby creating major new scientific and therapeutic opportunities. Specifically, rapid temperature pulses were shown to increase membrane capacitance, causing capacitive currents that explain neural excitation, but the underlying biophysics is not well understood. Here, we show that an intramembrane thermal-mechanical effect wherein the phospholipid bilayer undergoes axial narrowing and lateral expansion accurately predicts a potentially universal thermal capacitance increase rate of ˜0.3 % /°C . This capacitance increase and concurrent changes in the surface charge related fields lead to predictable exciting ionic displacement currents. The new MechanoElectrical Thermal Activation theory's predictions provide an excellent agreement with multiple experimental results and indirect estimates of latent biophysical quantities. Our results further highlight the role of electro-mechanics in neural excitation; they may also help illuminate subthreshold and novel physical cellular effects, and could potentially lead to advanced new methods for neural control.

Muscle velocity recovery cycles: effects of repetitive stimulation on two muscles.

PubMed

Boërio, Delphine; Z'Graggen, Werner J; Tan, S Veronica; Guetg, Andri; Ackermann, Karin; Bostock, Hugh

2012-07-01

We sought to characterize the excitability properties of tibialis anterior (TA) and brachioradialis (BR) muscles at rest and during electrically induced muscle activation in normal subjects. Two centers recruited 10 subjects each. Multi-fiber velocity recovery cycles (VRCs) were recorded from TA (both centers) and BR (one center). VRCs were assessed at rest and during repetitive stimulation (intermittent 20 Hz for 6 min). Changes in latency and peak amplitude of the muscle action potential induced by a frequency ramp to 30 Hz were also characterized. Excitability properties recorded from TA were very similar between centers. Repetitive stimulation generated marked excitability changes, which were similar between TA and BR. Standardized tests of muscle VRCs and responses to repetitive stimulation can provide consistent measures of membrane function and may encourage their wider use in clinical neurophysiology to investigate the pathophysiology of neuromuscular disorders. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Role of Ions in the Regulation of Light-Harvesting

PubMed Central

Kaňa, Radek; Govindjee

2016-01-01

Regulation of photosynthetic light harvesting in the thylakoids is one of the major key factors affecting the efficiency of photosynthesis. Thylakoid membrane is negatively charged and influences both the structure and the function of the primarily photosynthetic reactions through its electrical double layer (EDL). Further, there is a heterogeneous organization of soluble ions (K+, Mg2+, Cl−) attached to the thylakoid membrane that, together with fixed charges (negatively charged amino acids, lipids), provides an electrical field. The EDL is affected by the valence of the ions and interferes with the regulation of “state transitions,” protein interactions, and excitation energy “spillover” from Photosystem II to Photosystem I. These effects are reflected in changes in the intensity of chlorophyll a fluorescence, which is also a measure of photoprotective non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) of the excited state of chlorophyll a. A triggering of NPQ proceeds via lumen acidification that is coupled to the export of positive counter-ions (Mg2+, K+) to the stroma or/and negative ions (e.g., Cl−) into the lumen. The effect of protons and anions in the lumen and of the cations (Mg2+, K+) in the stroma are, thus, functionally tightly interconnected. In this review, we discuss the consequences of the model of EDL, proposed by Barber (1980b) Biochim Biophys Acta 594:253–308) in light of light-harvesting regulation. Further, we explain differences between electrostatic screening and neutralization, and we emphasize the opposite effect of monovalent (K+) and divalent (Mg2+) ions on light-harvesting and on “screening” of the negative charges on the thylakoid membrane; this effect needs to be incorporated in all future models of photosynthetic regulation by ion channels and transporters. PMID:28018387

Effect of excitation direction on cochlear macro-mechanics during bone conduction stimulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamieniecki, Konrad; Tudruj, Sylwester; Piechna, Janusz; Borkowski, Paweł

2018-05-01

In many instances of hearing loss, audiological improvement can be made via direct excitation of a temporal bone (i.e., bone conduction). In order to design better and more efficient devices, the macro-mechanics of the bone conduction hearing pathway must be better understood. Based on previous empirical work, numerical models are useful. In this work, we present results of a time-domain Fluid Structure Interaction model that describes stimulation of the bone conduction pathway. The cochlea was modelled as uncoiled and consisted of an oval window, a round window, a basilar membrane and a helicotrema. In order to monitor pressure waves in the perilymph, the fluid was considered compressible. The excitation, in form of sinusoidal velocity, was applied to the cochlea bony walls. The system was excited in three perpendicular directions: along the basilar membrane, perpendicularly to the membrane and transversely to the membrane. The numerical simulation examined which stimulation direction maximally excited the basilar membrane, the pressure distributions for each excitation direction, and the associated mechanics.

Ion channels to inactivate neurons in Drosophila.

PubMed

Hodge, James J L

2009-01-01

Ion channels are the determinants of excitability; therefore, manipulation of their levels and properties provides an opportunity for the investigator to modulate neuronal and circuit function. There are a number of ways to suppress electrical activity in Drosophila neurons, for instance, over-expression of potassium channels (i.e. Shaker Kv1, Shaw Kv3, Kir2.1 and DORK) that are open at resting membrane potential. This will result in increased potassium efflux and membrane hyperpolarisation setting resting membrane potential below the threshold required to fire action potentials. Alternatively over-expression of other channels, pumps or co-transporters that result in a hyperpolarised membrane potential will also prevent firing. Lastly, neurons can be inactivated by, disrupting or reducing the level of functional voltage-gated sodium (Nav1 paralytic) or calcium (Cav2 cacophony) channels that mediate the depolarisation phase of action potentials. Similarly, strategies involving the opposite channel manipulation should allow net depolarisation and hyperexcitation in a given neuron. These changes in ion channel expression can be brought about by the versatile transgenic (i.e. Gal4/UAS based) systems available in Drosophila allowing fine temporal and spatial control of (channel) transgene expression. These systems are making it possible to electrically inactivate (or hyperexcite) any neuron or neural circuit in the fly brain, and much like an exquisite lesion experiment, potentially elucidate whatever interesting behaviour or phenotype each network mediates. These techniques are now being used in Drosophila to reprogram electrical activity of well-defined circuits and bring about robust and easily quantifiable changes in behaviour, allowing different models and hypotheses to be rapidly tested.

Plasmon Spectroscopy Applied to Biomolecular Interactions in Membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tollin, Gordon

2010-03-01

Plasmon-waveguide resonance (PWR) is an optical spectroscopy method that can provide information about materials immobilized on the surface of a plasmon resonator consisting of a right angle prism coated with thin layers of a metal (approx. 50 nm; usually silver) and a dielectric (approx. 500 nm; usually silica). The technique has been developed in our laboratory and is an extension of the more commonly used surface plasmon resonance (SPR) method, having higher sensitivity (20-50 fold) and resolution (10-20 fold). The dielectric layer allows plasmon excitation by light whose electric vector is polarized both perpendicular and parallel to the sensor surface, in contrast to SPR that can only utilize perpendicular polarized excitation. This allows both mass density and mass distribution to be characterized in uniaxially oriented deposited materials, such as biomembranes. We have utilized this technique to investigate binding interactions between membrane-incorporated protein receptors and their ligands (both proteins and small molecules), using both purified receptors inserted into lipid bilayers and membranes derived from cells expressing these receptors. Such studies have provided many new insights into biological signaling events. Inasmuch as many of these receptors are targets for approximately 50 percent of ethical drugs, PWR can be a useful methodology for drug discovery in the pharmaceutical industry. Examples of these experiments will be presented.

Entrainment in nerve by a ferroelectric model (II): Quasi-periodic oscillation and the phase locking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirane, Kotaro; Tokimoto, Takayuki; Kushibe, Hiroyuki

1997-09-01

A nonlinear state equation for membrane excitation can be simplified by Leuchtag's ferroelectric model which is applied to a chemical network theory. A dissipative structure of such a membrane is described by an equilibrium space, η 3 + aη + b = 0, giving a cusp catastrophe, and the membrane is self-organized in the resting state under the condition, a < 0( T < Tc), where η corresponds to the membrane potential, and a and b imply dipole-dipole and dipole-ion interactions of channel proteins embedded in the membrane, respectively. As well known, a specific characteristic of nonlinear electrical phenomena in the membrane is a limit cycle arising through the entrainment by periodical stimuli or chaos. A phase transition between the equilibrium and the non-equilibrium states (a dissipative structure without the resting state) is described by a parameter giving the difference from thermal equilibrium. In this dynamic system, quasi-periodic oscillations which arise in periodic external fields and the phase locking, that is, entrainment, caused by changing I0 at ω ≠ ω n (ω n - the natural frequency of the membrane) are studied with parameters introduced into Zeeman's formulas of ȧ and ḃ.

The Location of the Cochlear Amplifier: Spatial Representation of a Single Tone on the Guinea Pig Basilar Membrane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Russell, I. J.; Nilsen, K. E.

1997-03-01

Acoustic stimulation vibrates the cochlear basilar membrane, initiating a wave of displacement that travels toward the apex and reaches a peak over a restricted region according to the stimulus frequency. In this characteristic frequency region, a tone at the characteristic frequency maximally excites the sensory hair cells of the organ of Corti, which transduce it into electrical signals to produce maximum activity in the auditory nerve. Saturating, nonlinear, feedback from the motile outer hair cells is thought to provide electromechanical amplification of the travelling wave. However, neither the location nor the extent of the source of amplification, in relation to the characteristic frequency, are known. We have used a laser--diode interferometer to measure in vivo the distribution along the basilar membrane of nonlinear, saturating vibrations to 15 kHz tones. We estimate that the site of amplification for the 15 kHz region is restricted to a 1.25 mm length of basilar membrane centered on the 15 kHz place.

The physics of hearing: fluid mechanics and the active process of the inner ear.

PubMed

Reichenbach, Tobias; Hudspeth, A J

2014-07-01

Most sounds of interest consist of complex, time-dependent admixtures of tones of diverse frequencies and variable amplitudes. To detect and process these signals, the ear employs a highly nonlinear, adaptive, real-time spectral analyzer: the cochlea. Sound excites vibration of the eardrum and the three miniscule bones of the middle ear, the last of which acts as a piston to initiate oscillatory pressure changes within the liquid-filled chambers of the cochlea. The basilar membrane, an elastic band spiraling along the cochlea between two of these chambers, responds to these pressures by conducting a largely independent traveling wave for each frequency component of the input. Because the basilar membrane is graded in mass and stiffness along its length, however, each traveling wave grows in magnitude and decreases in wavelength until it peaks at a specific, frequency-dependent position: low frequencies propagate to the cochlear apex, whereas high frequencies culminate at the base. The oscillations of the basilar membrane deflect hair bundles, the mechanically sensitive organelles of the ear's sensory receptors, the hair cells. As mechanically sensitive ion channels open and close, each hair cell responds with an electrical signal that is chemically transmitted to an afferent nerve fiber and thence into the brain. In addition to transducing mechanical inputs, hair cells amplify them by two means. Channel gating endows a hair bundle with negative stiffness, an instability that interacts with the motor protein myosin-1c to produce a mechanical amplifier and oscillator. Acting through the piezoelectric membrane protein prestin, electrical responses also cause outer hair cells to elongate and shorten, thus pumping energy into the basilar membrane's movements. The two forms of motility constitute an active process that amplifies mechanical inputs, sharpens frequency discrimination, and confers a compressive nonlinearity on responsiveness. These features arise because the active process operates near a Hopf bifurcation, the generic properties of which explain several key features of hearing. Moreover, when the gain of the active process rises sufficiently in ultraquiet circumstances, the system traverses the bifurcation and even a normal ear actually emits sound. The remarkable properties of hearing thus stem from the propagation of traveling waves on a nonlinear and excitable medium.

The physics of hearing: fluid mechanics and the active process of the inner ear

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reichenbach, Tobias; Hudspeth, A. J.

2014-07-01

Most sounds of interest consist of complex, time-dependent admixtures of tones of diverse frequencies and variable amplitudes. To detect and process these signals, the ear employs a highly nonlinear, adaptive, real-time spectral analyzer: the cochlea. Sound excites vibration of the eardrum and the three miniscule bones of the middle ear, the last of which acts as a piston to initiate oscillatory pressure changes within the liquid-filled chambers of the cochlea. The basilar membrane, an elastic band spiraling along the cochlea between two of these chambers, responds to these pressures by conducting a largely independent traveling wave for each frequency component of the input. Because the basilar membrane is graded in mass and stiffness along its length, however, each traveling wave grows in magnitude and decreases in wavelength until it peaks at a specific, frequency-dependent position: low frequencies propagate to the cochlear apex, whereas high frequencies culminate at the base. The oscillations of the basilar membrane deflect hair bundles, the mechanically sensitive organelles of the ear's sensory receptors, the hair cells. As mechanically sensitive ion channels open and close, each hair cell responds with an electrical signal that is chemically transmitted to an afferent nerve fiber and thence into the brain. In addition to transducing mechanical inputs, hair cells amplify them by two means. Channel gating endows a hair bundle with negative stiffness, an instability that interacts with the motor protein myosin-1c to produce a mechanical amplifier and oscillator. Acting through the piezoelectric membrane protein prestin, electrical responses also cause outer hair cells to elongate and shorten, thus pumping energy into the basilar membrane's movements. The two forms of motility constitute an active process that amplifies mechanical inputs, sharpens frequency discrimination, and confers a compressive nonlinearity on responsiveness. These features arise because the active process operates near a Hopf bifurcation, the generic properties of which explain several key features of hearing. Moreover, when the gain of the active process rises sufficiently in ultraquiet circumstances, the system traverses the bifurcation and even a normal ear actually emits sound. The remarkable properties of hearing thus stem from the propagation of traveling waves on a nonlinear and excitable medium.

Quantitative assessment of passive electrical properties of the cardiac T-tubular system by FRAP microscopy

PubMed Central

Scardigli, M.; Ferrantini, C.; Gabbrielli, T.; Silvestri, L.; Coppini, R.; Tesi, C.; Rog-Zielinska, E. A.; Kohl, P.; Cerbai, E.; Poggesi, C.; Pavone, F. S.; Sacconi, L.

2017-01-01

Well-coordinated activation of all cardiomyocytes must occur on every heartbeat. At the cell level, a complex network of sarcolemmal invaginations, called the transverse-axial tubular system (TATS), propagates membrane potential changes to the cell core, ensuring synchronous and uniform excitation–contraction coupling. Although myocardial conduction of excitation has been widely described, the electrical properties of the TATS remain mostly unknown. Here, we exploit the formal analogy between diffusion and electrical conductivity to link the latter with the diffusional properties of TATS. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) microscopy is used to probe the diffusion properties of TATS in isolated rat cardiomyocytes: A fluorescent dextran inside TATS lumen is photobleached, and signal recovery by diffusion of unbleached dextran from the extracellular space is monitored. We designed a mathematical model to correlate the time constant of fluorescence recovery with the apparent diffusion coefficient of the fluorescent molecules. Then, apparent diffusion is linked to electrical conductivity and used to evaluate the efficiency of the passive spread of membrane depolarization along TATS. The method is first validated in cells where most TATS elements are acutely detached by osmotic shock and then applied to probe TATS electrical conductivity in failing heart cells. We find that acute and pathological tubular remodeling significantly affect TATS electrical conductivity. This may explain the occurrence of defects in action potential propagation at the level of single T-tubules, recently observed in diseased cardiomyocytes. PMID:28507142

Phorbol ester impairs electrical excitation of rat pancreatic beta-cells through PKC-independent activation of KATP channels.

PubMed

Suga, S; Wu, J; Ogawa, Y; Takeo, T; Kanno, T; Wakui, M

2001-01-01

Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) is often used as an activating phorbol ester of protein kinase C (PKC) to investigate the roles of the kinase in cellular functions. Accumulating lines of evidence indicate that in addition to activating PKC, PMA also produces some regulatory effects in a PKC-independent manner. In this study, we investigated the non-PKC effects of PMA on electrical excitability of rat pancreatic beta-cells by using patch-clamp techniques. In current-clamp recording, PMA (80 nM) reversibly inhibited 15 mM glucose-induced action potential spikes superimposed on a slow membrane depolarization and this inhibition can not be prevented by pre-treatment of the cell with a specific PKC inhibitor, bisindolylmaleimide (BIM, 1 microM). In the presence of a subthreshold concentration (5.5 mM) of glucose, PMA hyperpolarized beta-cells in a concentration-dependent manner (0.8-240 nM), even in the presence of BIM. Based on cell-attached single channel recordings, PMA increased ATP-sensitive K+ channel (KATP) activity. Based on inside-out patch-clamp recordings, PMA had little effect on KATP activity if no ATP was in the bath, while PMA restored KATP activity that was suppressed by 10 microM ATP in the bath. In voltage-clamp recording, PMA enhanced tolbutamide-sensitive membrane currents elicited by repetitive ramp pulses from -90 to -50 mV in a concentration-dependent manner, and this potentiation could not be prevented by pre-treatment of cell with BIM. 4alpha-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate (4alpha-PDD), a non-PKC-activating phorbol ester, mimicked the effect of PMA on both current-clamp and voltage-clamp recording configurations. With either 5.5 or 16.6 mM glucose in the extracellular solution, PMA (80 nM) increased insulin secretion from rat islets. However, in islets pretreated with BIM (1 microM), PMA did not increase, but rather reduced insulin secretion. In rat pancreatic beta-cells, PMA modulates insulin secretion through a mixed mechanism: increases insulin secretion by activation of PKC, and meanwhile decrease insulin secretion by impairing beta-cell excitability in a PKC-independent manner. The enhancement of KATP activity by reducing sensitivity of KATP to ATP seems to underlie the PMA-induced impairment of beta-cells electrical excitation in response to glucose stimulation.

Impact of nanosecond pulsed electric fields on primary hippocampal neurons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roth, Caleb C.; Payne, Jason A.; Kuipers, Marjorie A.; Thompson, Gary L.; Wilmink, Gerald J.; Ibey, Bennett L.

2012-02-01

Cellular exposure to nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF) are believed to cause immediate creation of nanopores in the plasma membrane. These nanopores enable passage of small ions, but remain impermeable to larger molecules like propidium iodide. Previous work has shown that nanopores are stable for minutes after exposure, suggesting that formation of nanopores in excitable cells could lead to prolonged action potential inhibition. Previously, we measured the formation of nanopores in neuroblastoma cells by measuring the influx of extracellular calcium by preloading cells with Calcium Green-AM. In this work, we explored the impact of changing the width of a single nsPEF, at constant amplitude, on uptake of extracellular calcium ions by primary hippocampal neurons (PHN). Calcium Green was again used to measure the influx of extracellular calcium and FM1-43 was used to monitor changes in membrane conformation. The observed thresholds for nanopore formation in PHN by nsPEF were comparable to those measured in neuroblastoma. This work is the first study of nsPEF effects on PHN and strongly suggests that neurological inhibition by nanosecond electrical pulses is highly likely at doses well below irreversible damage.

Neuronal oscillations on an ultra-slow timescale: daily rhythms in electrical activity and gene expression in the mammalian master circadian clockwork.

PubMed

Belle, Mino D C; Diekman, Casey O

2018-02-03

Neuronal oscillations of the brain, such as those observed in the cortices and hippocampi of behaving animals and humans, span across wide frequency bands, from slow delta waves (0.1 Hz) to ultra-fast ripples (600 Hz). Here, we focus on ultra-slow neuronal oscillators in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), the master daily clock that operates on interlocking transcription-translation feedback loops to produce circadian rhythms in clock gene expression with a period of near 24 h (< 0.001 Hz). This intracellular molecular clock interacts with the cell's membrane through poorly understood mechanisms to drive the daily pattern in the electrical excitability of SCN neurons, exhibiting an up-state during the day and a down-state at night. In turn, the membrane activity feeds back to regulate the oscillatory activity of clock gene programs. In this review, we emphasise the circadian processes that drive daily electrical oscillations in SCN neurons, and highlight how mathematical modelling contributes to our increasing understanding of circadian rhythm generation, synchronisation and communication within this hypothalamic region and across other brain circuits. © 2018 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Murine Electrophysiological Models of Cardiac Arrhythmogenesis

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Cardiac arrhythmias can follow disruption of the normal cellular electrophysiological processes underlying excitable activity and their tissue propagation as coherent wavefronts from the primary sinoatrial node pacemaker, through the atria, conducting structures and ventricular myocardium. These physiological events are driven by interacting, voltage-dependent, processes of activation, inactivation, and recovery in the ion channels present in cardiomyocyte membranes. Generation and conduction of these events are further modulated by intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis, and metabolic and structural change. This review describes experimental studies on murine models for known clinical arrhythmic conditions in which these mechanisms were modified by genetic, physiological, or pharmacological manipulation. These exemplars yielded molecular, physiological, and structural phenotypes often directly translatable to their corresponding clinical conditions, which could be investigated at the molecular, cellular, tissue, organ, and whole animal levels. Arrhythmogenesis could be explored during normal pacing activity, regular stimulation, following imposed extra-stimuli, or during progressively incremented steady pacing frequencies. Arrhythmic substrate was identified with temporal and spatial functional heterogeneities predisposing to reentrant excitation phenomena. These could arise from abnormalities in cardiac pacing function, tissue electrical connectivity, and cellular excitation and recovery. Triggering events during or following recovery from action potential excitation could thereby lead to sustained arrhythmia. These surface membrane processes were modified by alterations in cellular Ca2+ homeostasis and energetics, as well as cellular and tissue structural change. Study of murine systems thus offers major insights into both our understanding of normal cardiac activity and its propagation, and their relationship to mechanisms generating clinical arrhythmias. PMID:27974512

A superhigh-frequency optoelectromechanical system based on a slotted photonic crystal cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Xiankai; Zhang, Xufeng; Poot, Menno; Xiong, Chi; Tang, Hong X.

2012-11-01

We develop an all-integrated optoelectromechanical system that operates in the superhigh frequency band. This system is based on an ultrahigh-Q slotted photonic crystal (PhC) nanocavity formed by two PhC membranes, one of which is patterned with electrode and capacitively driven. The strong simultaneous electromechanical and optomechanical interactions yield efficient electrical excitation and sensitive optical transduction of the bulk acoustic modes of the PhC membrane. These modes are identified up to a frequency of 4.20 GHz, with their mechanical Q factors ranging from 240 to 1730. Directly linking signals in microwave and optical domains, such optoelectromechanical systems will find applications in microwave photonics in addition to those that utilize the electromechanical and optomechanical interactions separately.

Changes in the energy distribution between chlorophyll-protein complexes of thylakoid membranes from pea mutants with modified pigment content. I. Changes due to the modified pigment content.

PubMed

Andreeva, Atanaska; Stoitchkova, Katerina; Busheva, Mira; Apostolova, Emilia

2003-07-01

The low-temperature (77 K) emission and excitation chlorophyll fluorescence spectra in thylakoid membranes isolated from pea mutants were investigated. The mutants have modified pigment content, structural organization, different surface electric properties and functions [Dobrikova et al., Photosynth. Res. 65 (2000) 165]. The emission spectra of thylakoid membranes were decomposed into bands belonging to the main pigment protein complexes. By an integration of the areas under them, the changes in the energy distribution between the two photosystems as well as within each one of them were estimated. It was shown that the excitation energy flow to the light harvesting, core antenna and RC complexes of photosystem II increases with the total amount of pigments in the mutants, relative to the that to photosystem I complexes. A reduction of the fluorescence ratio between aggregated trimers of LHC II and its trimeric and monomeric forms with the increase of the pigment content (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and lutein) was observed. This implies that the closer packing in the complexes with a higher extent of aggregation regulates the energy distribution to the PS II core antenna and reaction centers complexes. Based on the reduced energy flow to PS II, i.e., the relative increased energy flow to PS I, we hypothesize that aggregation of LHC II switches the energy flow toward LHC I. These results suggest an additive regulatory mechanism, which redistributes the excitation energy between the two photosystems and operates at non-excess light intensities but at reduced pigment content.

Simple Excitation of Standing Waves in Rubber Bands and Membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cortel, Adolf

2004-04-01

Many methods to excite standing waves in strings, plates, membranes, rods, tubes, and soap bubbles have been described. Usually a loudspeaker or a vibrating reed is driven by the amplified output of an audio oscillator. A novel and simple method consists of using a tuning fork or a singing rod to excite transversal standing waves in stretched rubber membranes sprinkled with fine sand.

Bursting Regimes in a Reaction-Diffusion System with Action Potential-Dependent Equilibrium

PubMed Central

Meier, Stephen R.; Lancaster, Jarrett L.; Starobin, Joseph M.

2015-01-01

The equilibrium Nernst potential plays a critical role in neural cell dynamics. A common approximation used in studying electrical dynamics of excitable cells is that the ionic concentrations inside and outside the cell membranes act as charge reservoirs and remain effectively constant during excitation events. Research into brain electrical activity suggests that relaxing this assumption may provide a better understanding of normal and pathophysiological functioning of the brain. In this paper we explore time-dependent ionic concentrations by allowing the ion-specific Nernst potentials to vary with developing transmembrane potential. As a specific implementation, we incorporate the potential-dependent Nernst shift into a one-dimensional Morris-Lecar reaction-diffusion model. Our main findings result from a region in parameter space where self-sustaining oscillations occur without external forcing. Studying the system close to the bifurcation boundary, we explore the vulnerability of the system with respect to external stimulations which disrupt these oscillations and send the system to a stable equilibrium. We also present results for an extended, one-dimensional cable of excitable tissue tuned to this parameter regime and stimulated, giving rise to complex spatiotemporal pattern formation. Potential applications to the emergence of neuronal bursting in similar two-variable systems and to pathophysiological seizure-like activity are discussed. PMID:25823018

Remodelling of cellular excitation (reaction) and intercellular coupling (diffusion) by chronic atrial fibrillation represented by a reaction-diffusion system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Henggui; Garratt, Clifford J.; Kharche, Sanjay; Holden, Arun V.

2009-06-01

Human atrial tissue is an excitable system, in which myocytes are excitable elements, and cell-to-cell electrotonic interactions are via diffusive interactions of cell membrane potentials. We developed a family of excitable system models for human atrium at cellular, tissue and anatomical levels for both normal and chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) conditions. The effects of AF-induced remodelling of cell membrane ionic channels (reaction kinetics) and intercellular gap junctional coupling (diffusion) on atrial excitability, conduction of excitation waves and dynamics of re-entrant excitation waves are quantified. Both ionic channel and gap junctional coupling remodelling have rate dependent effects on atrial propagation. Membrane channel conductance remodelling allows the propagation of activity at higher rates than those sustained in normal tissue or in tissue with gap junctional remodelling alone. Membrane channel conductance remodelling is essential for the propagation of activity at rates higher than 300/min as seen in AF. Spatially heterogeneous gap junction coupling remodelling increased the risk of conduction block, an essential factor for the genesis of re-entry. In 2D and 3D anatomical models, the dynamical behaviours of re-entrant excitation waves are also altered by membrane channel modelling. This study provides insights to understand the pro-arrhythmic effects of AF-induced reaction and diffusion remodelling in atrial tissue.

Dendritic Kv3.3 potassium channels in cerebellar purkinje cells regulate generation and spatial dynamics of dendritic Ca2+ spikes.

PubMed

Zagha, Edward; Manita, Satoshi; Ross, William N; Rudy, Bernardo

2010-06-01

Purkinje cell dendrites are excitable structures with intrinsic and synaptic conductances contributing to the generation and propagation of electrical activity. Voltage-gated potassium channel subunit Kv3.3 is expressed in the distal dendrites of Purkinje cells. However, the functional relevance of this dendritic distribution is not understood. Moreover, mutations in Kv3.3 cause movement disorders in mice and cerebellar atrophy and ataxia in humans, emphasizing the importance of understanding the role of these channels. In this study, we explore functional implications of this dendritic channel expression and compare Purkinje cell dendritic excitability in wild-type and Kv3.3 knockout mice. We demonstrate enhanced excitability of Purkinje cell dendrites in Kv3.3 knockout mice, despite normal resting membrane properties. Combined data from local application pharmacology, voltage clamp analysis of ionic currents, and assessment of dendritic Ca(2+) spike threshold in Purkinje cells suggest a role for Kv3.3 channels in opposing Ca(2+) spike initiation. To study the physiological relevance of altered dendritic excitability, we measured [Ca(2+)](i) changes throughout the dendritic tree in response to climbing fiber activation. Ca(2+) signals were specifically enhanced in distal dendrites of Kv3.3 knockout Purkinje cells, suggesting a role for dendritic Kv3.3 channels in regulating propagation of electrical activity and Ca(2+) influx in distal dendrites. These findings characterize unique roles of Kv3.3 channels in dendrites, with implications for synaptic integration, plasticity, and human disease.

A model for studying the energetics of sustained high frequency firing

PubMed Central

Morris, Catherine E.

2018-01-01

Regulating membrane potential and synaptic function contributes significantly to the energetic costs of brain signaling, but the relative costs of action potentials (APs) and synaptic transmission during high-frequency firing are unknown. The continuous high-frequency (200-600Hz) electric organ discharge (EOD) of Eigenmannia, a weakly electric fish, underlies its electrosensing and communication. EODs reflect APs fired by the muscle-derived electrocytes of the electric organ (EO). Cholinergic synapses at the excitable posterior membranes of the elongated electrocytes control AP frequency. Based on whole-fish O2 consumption, ATP demand per EOD-linked AP increases exponentially with AP frequency. Continual EOD-AP generation implies first, that ion homeostatic processes reliably counteract any dissipation of posterior membrane ENa and EK and second that high frequency synaptic activation is reliably supported. Both of these processes require energy. To facilitate an exploration of the expected energy demands of each, we modify a previous excitability model and include synaptic currents able to drive APs at frequencies as high as 600 Hz. Synaptic stimuli are modeled as pulsatile cation conductance changes, with or without a small (sustained) background conductance. Over the full species range of EOD frequencies (200–600 Hz) we calculate frequency-dependent “Na+-entry budgets” for an electrocyte AP as a surrogate for required 3Na+/2K+-ATPase activity. We find that the cost per AP of maintaining constant-amplitude APs increases nonlinearly with frequency, whereas the cost per AP for synaptic input current is essentially constant. This predicts that Na+ channel density should correlate positively with EOD frequency, whereas AChR density should be the same across fish. Importantly, calculated costs (inferred from Na+-entry through Nav and ACh channels) for electrocyte APs as frequencies rise are much less than expected from published whole-fish EOD-linked O2 consumption. For APs at increasingly high frequencies, we suggest that EOD-related costs external to electrocytes (including packaging of synaptic transmitter) substantially exceed the direct cost of electrocyte ion homeostasis. PMID:29708986

Luigi Galvani and animal electricity: two centuries after the foundation of electrophysiology.

PubMed

Piccolino, M

1997-10-01

Luigi Galvani and his famous experiments on frogs carried out in the second half of the 18th century belong more to legend than to the history of science. Galvani not only laid the foundations of a new science, electrophysiology, but also opened the way for the invention of the electric battery, and thus for the development of the physical investigations of electricity. However, in spite of the widespread celebration of his work, Galvani's scientific endeavours have been largely misrepresented in the history of science. The scholar of Bologna has a stereotyped image as an 'occasional' scientist, who started his studies by chance, largely ignored the scientific theories of his time and wandered aimlessly in mental elaborations until the physicist of Pavia, Alessandro Volta, entered the field, correctly interpreted Galvani's results and eventually developed the electric battery. With the present understanding of electrical phenomena in excitable membranes, it is now time to reconsider the real matter raised by Galvani's discoveries and by his hypothesis of an intrinsic 'animal electricity', and to make a clearer evaluation of a revolutionary phase of scientific progress.

Membrane Cholesterol in Skeletal Muscle: A Novel Player in Excitation-Contraction Coupling and Insulin Resistance

PubMed Central

Barrientos, G.; Sánchez-Aguilera, P.; Jaimovich, E.; Hidalgo, C.

2017-01-01

Membrane cholesterol is critical for signaling processes in a variety of tissues. We will address here current evidence supporting an emerging role of cholesterol on excitation-contraction coupling and glucose transport in skeletal muscle. We have centered our review on the transverse tubule system, a complex network of narrow plasma membrane invaginations that propagate membrane depolarization into the fiber interior and allow nutrient delivery into the fibers. We will discuss current evidence showing that transverse tubule membranes have remarkably high cholesterol levels and we will address how modifications of cholesterol content influence excitation-contraction coupling. In addition, we will discuss how membrane cholesterol levels affect glucose transport by modulating the insertion into the membrane of the main insulin-sensitive glucose transporter GLUT4. Finally, we will address how the increased membrane cholesterol levels displayed by obese animals, which also present insulin resistance, affect these two particular skeletal muscle functions. PMID:28367451

Three dimensional transient multifield analysis of a piezoelectric micropump for drug delivery system for treatment of hemodynamic dysfunctions.

PubMed

Nisar, Asim; Afzulpurkar, Nitin; Tuantranont, Adisorn; Mahaisavariya, Banchong

2008-12-01

In this paper, we present design of a transdermal drug delivery system for treatment of cardiovascular or hemodynamic disorders such as hypertension. The system comprises of integrated control electronics and microelectromechanical system devices such as micropump, micro blood pressure sensor and microneedle array. The objective is to overcome the limitations of oral therapy such as variable absorption profile and the need for frequent dosing, by fabricating a safe, reliable and cost effective transdermal drug delivery system to dispense various pharmacological agents through the skin for treatment of hemodynamic dysfunction such as hypertension. Moreover, design optimization of a piezoelectrically actuated valveless micropump is presented for the drug delivery system. Because of the complexity in analysis of piezoelectric micropump, which involves structural and fluid field couplings in a complicated geometrical arrangement, finite element (FE) numerical simulation rather than an analytical system has been used. The behavior of the piezoelectric actuator with biocompatible polydimethylsiloxane membrane is first studied by conducting piezoelectric analysis. Then the performance of the valveless micropump is analyzed by building a three dimensional electric-solid-fluid model of the micropump. The effect of geometrical dimensions on micropump characteristics and efficiency of nozzle/diffuser elements of a valveless micropump is investigated in the transient analysis using multiple code coupling method. The deformation results of the membrane using multifield code coupling analysis are in good agreement with analytical as well as results of single code coupling analysis of a piezoelectric micropump. The analysis predicts that to enhance the performance of the micropump, diffuser geometrical dimensions such as diffuser length, diffuser neck width and diffuser angle need to be optimized. Micropump flow rate is not strongly affected at low excitation frequencies from 10 to 200 Hz. The excitation voltage is the more dominant factor that affects the flow rate of the micropump as compared with the excitation frequency. However, at extremely high excitation frequencies beyond 8,000 Hz, the flow rate drops as the membrane exhibits multiple bending peaks which is not desirable for fluid flow. Following the extensive numerical analysis, actual fabrication and performance characterization of the micropump is presented. The performance of the micropump is characterized in terms of piezoelectric actuator deflection and micropump flow rate at different operational parameters. The set of multifield simulations and experimental measurement of deflection and flow rate at varying voltage and excitation frequency is a significant advance in the study of the electric-solid-fluid coupled field effects as it allows transient, three dimensional piezoelectric and fluid analysis of the micropump thereby facilitating a more realistic multifield analysis. The results of the present study will also help to conduct relevant strength duration tests of integrated drug delivery device with micropump and microneedle array in future.

Comparison of the fluorescence kinetics of detergent-solubilized and membrane-reconstituted LH2 complexes from Rps. acidophila and Rb. sphaeroides.

PubMed

Pflock, Tobias; Dezi, Manuela; Venturoli, Giovanni; Cogdell, Richard J; Köhler, Jürgen; Oellerich, Silke

2008-01-01

Picosecond time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy has been used in order to compare the fluorescence kinetics of detergent-solubilized and membrane-reconstituted light-harvesting 2 (LH2) complexes from the purple bacteria Rhodopseudomonas (Rps.) acidophila and Rhodobacter (Rb.) sphaeroides. LH2 complexes were reconstituted in phospholipid model membranes at different lipid:protein-ratios and all samples were studied exciting with a wide range of excitation densities. While the detergent-solubilized LH2 complexes from Rps. acidophila showed monoexponential decay kinetics (tau(f )= 980 ps) for excitation densities of up to 3.10(13) photons/(pulse.cm(2)), the membrane-reconstituted LH2 complexes showed multiexponential kinetics even at low excitation densities and high lipid:protein-ratios. The latter finding indicates an efficient clustering of LH2 complexes in the phospholipid membranes. Similar results were obtained for the LH2 complexes from Rb. sphaeroides.

Non-contact measurement of electrical activity in neurons using magnified image spatial spectrum (MISS) microscopy (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majeed, Hassaan; Lee, Young J.; Best-Popescu, Catherine; Popescu, Gabriel; Jang, Sung-Soo; Chung, Hee Jung

2017-02-01

Traditionally the measurement of electrical activity in neurons has been carried out using microelectrode arrays that require the conducting elements to be in contact with the neuronal network. This method, also referred to as "electrophysiology", while being excellent in terms of temporal resolution is limited in spatial resolution and is invasive. An optical microscopy method for measuring electrical activity is thus highly desired. Common-path quantitative phase imaging (QPI) systems are good candidates for such investigations as they provide high sensitivity (on the order of nanometers) to the plasma membrane fluctuations that can be linked to electrical activity in a neuronal circuit. In this work we measured electrical activity in a culture of rat cortical neurons using MISS microscopy, a high-speed common-path QPI technique having an axial resolution of around 1 nm in optical path-length, which we introduced at PW BIOS 2016. Specifically, we measured the vesicular cycling (endocytosis and exocytosis) occurring at axon terminals of the neurons due to electrical activity caused by adding a high K+ solution to the cell culture. The axon terminals were localized using a micro-fluidic device that separated them from the rest of the culture. Stacks of images of these terminals were acquired at 826 fps both before and after K+ excitation and the temporal standard deviation maps for the two cases were compared to measure the membrane fluctuations. Concurrently, the existence of vesicular cycling was confirmed through fluorescent tagging and imaging of the vesicles at and around the axon terminals.

Self-assembled ordered carbon-nanotube arrays and membranes.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Overmyer, Donald L.; Siegal, Michael P.; Yelton, William Graham

2004-11-01

Imagine free-standing flexible membranes with highly-aligned arrays of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) running through their thickness. Perhaps with both ends of the CNTs open for highly controlled nanofiltration? Or CNTs at heights uniformly above a polymer membrane for a flexible array of nanoelectrodes or field-emitters? How about CNT films with incredible amounts of accessible surface area for analyte adsorption? These self-assembled crystalline nanotubes consist of multiple layers of graphene sheets rolled into concentric cylinders. Tube diameters (3-300 nm), inner-bore diameters (2-15 nm), and lengths (nanometers - microns) are controlled to tailor physical, mechanical, and chemical properties. We proposed to explore growthmore » and characterize nanotube arrays to help determine their exciting functionality for Sandia applications. Thermal chemical vapor deposition growth in a furnace nucleates from a metal catalyst. Ordered arrays grow using templates from self-assembled hexagonal arrays of nanopores in anodized-aluminum oxide. Polymeric-binders can mechanically hold the CNTs in place for polishing, lift-off, and membrane formation. The stiffness, electrical and thermal conductivities of CNTs make them ideally suited for a wide-variety of possible applications. Large-area, highly-accessible gas-adsorbing carbon surfaces, superb cold-cathode field-emission, and unique nanoscale geometries can lead to advanced microsensors using analyte adsorption, arrays of functionalized nanoelectrodes for enhanced electrochemical detection of biological/explosive compounds, or mass-ionizers for gas-phase detection. Materials studies involving membrane formation may lead to exciting breakthroughs in nanofiltration/nanochromatography for the separation of chemical and biological agents. With controlled nanofilter sizes, ultrafiltration will be viable to separate and preconcentrate viruses and many strains of bacteria for 'down-stream' analysis.« less

Generation of action potentials in a mathematical model of corticotrophs.

PubMed Central

LeBeau, A P; Robson, A B; McKinnon, A E; Donald, R A; Sneyd, J

1997-01-01

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is an important regulator of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) secretion from pituitary corticotroph cells. The intracellular signaling system that underlies this process involves modulation of voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channel activity, which leads to the generation of Ca2+ action potentials and influx of Ca2+. However, the mechanisms by which Ca2+ channel activity is modulated in corticotrophs are not currently known. We investigated this process in a Hodgkin-Huxley-type mathematical model of corticotroph plasma membrane electrical responses. We found that an increase in the L-type Ca2+ current was sufficient to generate action potentials from a previously resting state of the model. The increase in the L-type current could be elicited by either a shift in the voltage dependence of the current toward more negative potentials, or by an increase in the conductance of the current. Although either of these mechanisms is potentially responsible for the generation of action potentials, previous experimental evidence favors the former mechanism, with the magnitude of the shift required being consistent with the experimental findings. The model also shows that the T-type Ca2+ current plays a role in setting the excitability of the plasma membrane, but does not appear to contribute in a dynamic manner to action potential generation. Inhibition of a K+ conductance that is active at rest also affects the excitability of the plasma membrane. PMID:9284294

Low-intensity electric fields induce two distinct response components in neocortical neuronal populations

PubMed Central

Xu, Weifeng; Wolff, Brian S.

2014-01-01

Low-intensity alternating electric fields applied to the scalp are capable of modulating cortical activity and brain functions, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we report two distinct components of voltage-sensitive dye signals induced by low-intensity, alternating electric fields in rodent cortical slices: a “passive component,” which corresponds to membrane potential changes directly induced by the electric field; and an “active component,” which is a widespread depolarization that is dependent on excitatory synaptic transmission. The passive component is stationary, with amplitude and phase accurately reflecting the cortical cytoarchitecture. In contrast, the active component is initiated from a local “hot spot” of activity and spreads to a large population as a propagating wave with rich local dynamics. The propagation of the active component may play a role in modulating large-scale cortical activity by spreading a low level of excitation from a small initiation point to a vast neuronal population. PMID:25122710

Dynamic reciprocity of sodium and potassium channel expression in a macromolecular complex controls cardiac excitability and arrhythmia.

PubMed

Milstein, Michelle L; Musa, Hassan; Balbuena, Daniela Ponce; Anumonwo, Justus M B; Auerbach, David S; Furspan, Philip B; Hou, Luqia; Hu, Bin; Schumacher, Sarah M; Vaidyanathan, Ravi; Martens, Jeffrey R; Jalife, José

2012-07-31

The cardiac electrical impulse depends on an orchestrated interplay of transmembrane ionic currents in myocardial cells. Two critical ionic current mechanisms are the inwardly rectifying potassium current (I(K1)), which is important for maintenance of the cell resting membrane potential, and the sodium current (I(Na)), which provides a rapid depolarizing current during the upstroke of the action potential. By controlling the resting membrane potential, I(K1) modifies sodium channel availability and therefore, cell excitability, action potential duration, and velocity of impulse propagation. Additionally, I(K1)-I(Na) interactions are key determinants of electrical rotor frequency responsible for abnormal, often lethal, cardiac reentrant activity. Here, we have used a multidisciplinary approach based on molecular and biochemical techniques, acute gene transfer or silencing, and electrophysiology to show that I(K1)-I(Na) interactions involve a reciprocal modulation of expression of their respective channel proteins (Kir2.1 and Na(V)1.5) within a macromolecular complex. Thus, an increase in functional expression of one channel reciprocally modulates the other to enhance cardiac excitability. The modulation is model-independent; it is demonstrable in myocytes isolated from mouse and rat hearts and with transgenic and adenoviral-mediated overexpression/silencing. We also show that the post synaptic density, discs large, and zonula occludens-1 (PDZ) domain protein SAP97 is a component of this macromolecular complex. We show that the interplay between Na(v)1.5 and Kir2.1 has electrophysiological consequences on the myocardium and that SAP97 may affect the integrity of this complex or the nature of Na(v)1.5-Kir2.1 interactions. The reciprocal modulation between Na(v)1.5 and Kir2.1 and the respective ionic currents should be important in the ability of the heart to undergo self-sustaining cardiac rhythm disturbances.

16. EXCITERS, AND SYNCHROSCOPE GAUGE ON WALL. ACTIVE ELECTRIC EXCITER ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

16. EXCITERS, AND SYNCHROSCOPE GAUGE ON WALL. ACTIVE ELECTRIC EXCITER AT REAR; UNUSED WATER-DRIVEN EXCITER IN FOREGROUND. VIEW TO SOUTH-SOUTHWEST. - Santa Ana River Hydroelectric System, SAR-2 Powerhouse, Redlands, San Bernardino County, CA

Membrane Vibration Studies Using a Scanning Laser Vibrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaspar, James L.; Solter, Micah J.; Pappa, Richard S.

2001-01-01

This paper summarizes on-going experimental work at NASA Langley Research Center to measure the dynamics of a 1.016 m (40 in.) square polyimide film Kapton membrane. A fixed fully automated impact hammer and Polytec PSV-300-H scanning laser vibrometer were used for non-contact modal testing of the membrane with zero-mass-loading. The paper discusses the results obtained by testing the membrane at various tension levels and at various excitation locations. Results obtained by direct shaker excitation to the membrane are also discussed.

Modeling for cardiac excitation propagation based on the Nernst-Planck equation and homogenization.

PubMed

Okada, Jun-ichi; Sugiura, Seiryo; Hisada, Toshiaki

2013-06-01

The bidomain model is a commonly used mathematical model of the electrical properties of the cardiac muscle that takes into account the anisotropy of both the intracellular and extracellular spaces. However, the equations contain self-contradiction such that the update of ion concentrations does not consider intracellular or extracellular ion movements due to the gradient of electric potential and the membrane charge as capacitive currents in spite of the fact that those currents are taken into account in forming Kirchhoff's first law. To overcome this problem, we start with the Nernst-Planck equation, the ionic conservation law, and the electroneutrality condition at the cellular level, and by introducing a homogenization method and assuming uniformity of variables at the microscopic scale, we derive rational bidomain equations at the macroscopic level.

Optical Control of Living Cells Electrical Activity by Conjugated Polymers.

PubMed

Martino, Nicola; Bossio, Caterina; Vaquero Morata, Susana; Lanzani, Guglielmo; Antognazza, Maria Rosa

2016-01-28

Hybrid interfaces between organic semiconductors and living tissues represent a new tool for in-vitro and in-vivo applications. In particular, conjugated polymers display several optimal properties as substrates for biological systems, such as good biocompatibility, excellent mechanical properties, cheap and easy processing technology, and possibility of deposition on light, thin and flexible substrates. These materials have been employed for cellular interfaces like neural probes, transistors for excitation and recording of neural activity, biosensors and actuators for drug release. Recent experiments have also demonstrated the possibility to use conjugated polymers for all-optical modulation of the electrical activity of cells. Several in-vitro study cases have been reported, including primary neuronal networks, astrocytes and secondary line cells. Moreover, signal photo-transduction mediated by organic polymers has been shown to restore light sensitivity in degenerated retinas, suggesting that these devices may be used for artificial retinal prosthesis in the future. All in all, light sensitive conjugated polymers represent a new approach for optical modulation of cellular activity. In this work, all the steps required to fabricate a bio-polymer interface for optical excitation of living cells are described. The function of the active interface is to transduce the light stimulus into a modulation of the cell membrane potential. As a study case, useful for in-vitro studies, a polythiophene thin film is used as the functional, light absorbing layer, and Human Embryonic Kidney (HEK-293) cells are employed as the biological component of the interface. Practical examples of successful control of the cell membrane potential upon stimulation with light pulses of different duration are provided. In particular, it is shown that both depolarizing and hyperpolarizing effects on the cell membrane can be achieved depending on the duration of the light stimulus. The reported protocol is of general validity and can be straightforwardly extended to other biological preparations.

Charge displacement in bacteriorhodopsin during the forward and reverse bR-K phototransition.

PubMed Central

Groma, G I; Hebling, J; Ludwig, C; Kuhl, J

1995-01-01

Dried oriented purple membrane samples of Halobacterium salinarium were excited by 150 fs laser pulses of 620 nm with a 7 kHz repetition rate. An unusual complex picosecond electric response signal consisting of a positive and a negative peak was detected by a sampling oscilloscope. The ratio of the two peaks was changed by 1) reducing the repetition rate, 2) varying the intensity of the excitation beam, and 3) applying background illumination by light of 647 nm or 511 nm. All of these features can be explained by the simultaneous excitation of the bacteriorhodopsin ground form and the K intermediate. The latter was populated by the (quasi)continuous excitation attributable to its prolonged lifetime in a dehydrated state. Least-square analysis resulted in a 5 ps upper and 2.5 ps lower limit for the time constant of the charge displacement process, corresponding to the forward reaction. That is in good agreement with the formation time of K. The charge separation driven by the reverse phototransition was faster, having a time constant of a 3.5 ps upper limit. The difference in the rates indicates the existence of different routes for the forward and the reverse photoreactions. PMID:8580349

Surface deformation during an action potential in pearled cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mussel, Matan; Fillafer, Christian; Ben-Porath, Gal; Schneider, Matthias F.

2017-11-01

Electric pulses in biological cells (action potentials) have been reported to be accompanied by a propagating cell-surface deformation with a nanoscale amplitude. Typically, this cell surface is covered by external layers of polymer material (extracellular matrix, cell wall material, etc.). It was recently demonstrated in excitable plant cells (Chara braunii) that the rigid external layer (cell wall) hinders the underlying deformation. When the cell membrane was separated from the cell wall by osmosis, a mechanical deformation, in the micrometer range, was observed upon excitation of the cell. The underlying mechanism of this mechanical pulse has, to date, remained elusive. Herein we report that Chara cells can undergo a pearling instability, and when the pearled fragments were excited even larger and more regular cell shape changes were observed (˜10 -100 μ m in amplitude). These transient cellular deformations were captured by a curvature model that is based on three parameters: surface tension, bending rigidity, and pressure difference across the surface. In this paper these parameters are extracted by curve-fitting to the experimental cellular shapes at rest and during excitation. This is a necessary step to identify the mechanical parameters that change during an action potential.

Is There Excitation Energy Transfer between Different Layers of Stacked Photosystem-II-Containing Thylakoid Membranes?

PubMed

Farooq, Shazia; Chmeliov, Jevgenij; Trinkunas, Gediminas; Valkunas, Leonas; van Amerongen, Herbert

2016-04-07

We have compared picosecond fluorescence decay kinetics for stacked and unstacked photosystem II membranes in order to evaluate the efficiency of excitation energy transfer between the neighboring layers. The measured kinetics were analyzed in terms of a recently developed fluctuating antenna model that provides information about the dimensionality of the studied system. Independently of the stacking state, all preparations exhibited virtually the same value of the apparent dimensionality, d = 1.6. Thus, we conclude that membrane stacking does not affect the efficiency of the delivery of excitation energy toward the reaction centers but ensures a more compact organization of the thylakoid membranes within the chloroplast and separation of photosystems I and II.

14. POWERHOUSE INTERIOR, EXCITER No. 2 SHOWING GENERAL ELECTRIC INDUCTION ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

14. POWERHOUSE INTERIOR, EXCITER No. 2 SHOWING GENERAL ELECTRIC INDUCTION MOTOR IN SERIES BETWEEN PELTON-DOBLE IMPULSE WHEEL AND GENERAL ELECTRIC GENERATOR. VIEW TO EAST. - Rush Creek Hydroelectric System, Powerhouse Exciters, Rush Creek, June Lake, Mono County, CA

Operation of a homeostatic sleep switch.

PubMed

Pimentel, Diogo; Donlea, Jeffrey M; Talbot, Clifford B; Song, Seoho M; Thurston, Alexander J F; Miesenböck, Gero

2016-08-18

Sleep disconnects animals from the external world, at considerable risks and costs that must be offset by a vital benefit. Insight into this mysterious benefit will come from understanding sleep homeostasis: to monitor sleep need, an internal bookkeeper must track physiological changes that are linked to the core function of sleep. In Drosophila, a crucial component of the machinery for sleep homeostasis is a cluster of neurons innervating the dorsal fan-shaped body (dFB) of the central complex. Artificial activation of these cells induces sleep, whereas reductions in excitability cause insomnia. dFB neurons in sleep-deprived flies tend to be electrically active, with high input resistances and long membrane time constants, while neurons in rested flies tend to be electrically silent. Correlative evidence thus supports the simple view that homeostatic sleep control works by switching sleep-promoting neurons between active and quiescent states. Here we demonstrate state switching by dFB neurons, identify dopamine as a neuromodulator that operates the switch, and delineate the switching mechanism. Arousing dopamine caused transient hyperpolarization of dFB neurons within tens of milliseconds and lasting excitability suppression within minutes. Both effects were transduced by Dop1R2 receptors and mediated by potassium conductances. The switch to electrical silence involved the downregulation of voltage-gated A-type currents carried by Shaker and Shab, and the upregulation of voltage-independent leak currents through a two-pore-domain potassium channel that we term Sandman. Sandman is encoded by the CG8713 gene and translocates to the plasma membrane in response to dopamine. dFB-restricted interference with the expression of Shaker or Sandman decreased or increased sleep, respectively, by slowing the repetitive discharge of dFB neurons in the ON state or blocking their entry into the OFF state. Biophysical changes in a small population of neurons are thus linked to the control of sleep-wake state.

2D fluorescence spectroscopy for monitoring ion-exchange membrane based technologies - Reverse electrodialysis (RED).

PubMed

Pawlowski, Sylwin; Galinha, Claudia F; Crespo, João G; Velizarov, Svetlozar

2016-01-01

Reverse electrodialysis (RED) is one of the emerging, membrane-based technologies for harvesting salinity gradient energy. In RED process, fouling is an undesirable operation constraint since it leads to a decrease of the obtainable net power density due to increasing stack electric resistance and pressure drop. Therefore, early fouling detection is one of the main challenges for successful RED technology implementation. In the present study, two-dimensional (2D) fluorescence spectroscopy was used, for the first time, as a tool for fouling monitoring in RED. Fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) of ion-exchange membrane surfaces and of natural aqueous streams were acquired during one month of a RED stack operation. Fouling evolvement on the ion-exchange membrane surfaces was successfully followed by 2D fluorescence spectroscopy and quantified using principal components analysis (PCA). Additionally, the efficiency of cleaning strategy was assessed by measuring the membrane fluorescence emission intensity before and after cleaning. The anion-exchange membrane (AEM) surface in contact with river water showed to be significantly affected due to fouling by humic compounds, which were found to cross through the membrane from the lower salinity (river water) to higher salinity (sea water) stream. The results obtained show that the combined approach of using 2D fluorescence spectroscopy and PCA has a high potential for studying fouling development and membrane cleaning efficiency in ion exchange membrane processes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the Natural and Unnatural History of the Voltage-Gated Na(+) Channel.

PubMed

Moczydlowski, E G

2016-01-01

This review glances at the voltage-gated sodium (Na(+)) channel (NaV) from the skewed perspective of natural history and the history of ideas. Beginning with the earliest natural philosophers, the objective of biological science and physiology was to understand the basis of life and discover its intimate secrets. The idea that the living state of matter differs from inanimate matter by an incorporeal spirit or mystical force was central to vitalism, a doctrine based on ancient beliefs that persisted until the last century. Experimental electrophysiology played a major role in the abandonment of vitalism by elucidating physiochemical mechanisms that explained the electrical excitability of muscle and nerve. Indeed, as a principal biomolecule underlying membrane excitability, the NaV channel may be considered as the physical analog or surrogate for the vital spirit once presumed to animate higher forms of life. NaV also epitomizes the "other secret of life" and functions as a quantal transistor element of biological intelligence. Subplots of this incredible but true story run the gamut from electric fish to electromagnetism, invention of the battery, venomous animals, neurotoxins, channelopathies, arrhythmia, anesthesia, astrobiology, etc. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Direct observation of resonance scattering patterns in single silicon nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valuckas, Vytautas; Paniagua-Domínguez, Ramón; Fu, Yuan Hsing; Luk'yanchuk, Boris; Kuznetsov, Arseniy I.

2017-02-01

We present the first direct observation of the scattering patterns of electric and magnetic dipole resonances excited in a single silicon nanosphere. Almost perfectly spherical silicon nanoparticles were fabricated and deposited on a 30 nm-thick silicon nitride membrane in an attempt to minimize particle—substrate interaction. Measurements were carried out at visible wavelengths by means of the Fourier microscopy in a dark-field illumination setup. The obtained back-focal plane images clearly reveal the characteristic scattering patterns associated with each resonance and are found to be in a good agreement with the simulated results.

Transport dynamics in membranes of photosynthetic purple bacteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caycedo, Felipe; Rodriguez, Ferney; Quiroga, Luis; Fassioli, Francesca; Johnson, Neil

2007-03-01

Photo-Syntethic Unit (PSU) of purple bacteria is conformed by three basic constituents: Light Harvesting Complex 2 (LH2) antenna complexes, where chromophores are distributed in a ring in close contact with caroteniods with a function of collecting light; LH1s, ring shaped structures of chromophores which harvest and funnel excitations to the Reaction Centre (RC), where phtosynthesis takes place. Studies concerning a single PSU have been capable of reproducing experimental transfer times, but incapable of explaining the fact that architecture LH2-LH1-RC of phototosynthetic membranes changes as light intensity conditions vary. The organization of antenna complexes in the membranes that support PSU seems to have its own functionality. A hopping model where excitations are transferred within a membrane is used, and populations of RC, LH1 and LH2 are investigated. Different statistics concerning arrival times of excitations that excite a single PSU are considered and compared with the global model where coordinates of a great portion of a membrane are included. The model permits in a classical basis to understand which parameters make photosynthesis in purple bateria efficient and reliable.

Excitation energy transfer between Light-harvesting complex II and Photosystem I in reconstituted membranes.

PubMed

Akhtar, Parveen; Lingvay, Mónika; Kiss, Teréz; Deák, Róbert; Bóta, Attila; Ughy, Bettina; Garab, Győző; Lambrev, Petar H

2016-04-01

Light-harvesting complex II (LHCII), the major peripheral antenna of Photosystem II in plants, participates in several concerted mechanisms for regulation of the excitation energy and electron fluxes in thylakoid membranes. In part, these include interaction of LHCII with Photosystem I (PSI) enhancing the latter's absorption cross-section - for example in the well-known state 1 - state 2 transitions or as a long-term acclimation to high light. In this work we examined the capability of LHCII to deliver excitations to PSI in reconstituted membranes in vitro. Proteoliposomes with native plant thylakoid membrane lipids and different stoichiometric ratios of LHCII:PSI were reconstituted and studied by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. Fluorescence emission from LHCII was strongly decreased in PSI-LHCII membranes due to trapping of excitations by PSI. Kinetic modelling of the time-resolved fluorescence data revealed the existence of separate pools of LHCII distinguished by the time scale of energy transfer. A strongly coupled pool, equivalent to one LHCII trimer per PSI, transferred excitations to PSI with near-unity efficiency on a time scale of less than 10ps but extra LHCIIs also contributed significantly to the effective antenna size of PSI, which could be increased by up to 47% in membranes containing 3 LHCII trimers per PSI. The results demonstrate a remarkable competence of LHCII to increase the absorption cross-section of PSI, given the opportunity that the two types of complexes interact in the membrane. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Photocontrol of Voltage-Gated Ion Channel Activity by Azobenzene Trimethylammonium Bromide in Neonatal Rat Cardiomyocytes

PubMed Central

Frolova, Sheyda R.; Gaiko, Olga; Tsvelaya, Valeriya A.; Pimenov, Oleg Y.; Agladze, Konstantin I.

2016-01-01

The ability of azobenzene trimethylammonium bromide (azoTAB) to sensitize cardiac tissue excitability to light was recently reported. The dark, thermally relaxed trans- isomer of azoTAB suppressed spontaneous activity and excitation propagation speed, whereas the cis- isomer had no detectable effect on the electrical properties of cardiomyocyte monolayers. As the membrane potential of cardiac cells is mainly controlled by activity of voltage-gated ion channels, this study examined whether the sensitization effect of azoTAB was exerted primarily via the modulation of voltage-gated ion channel activity. The effects of trans- and cis- isomers of azoTAB on voltage-dependent sodium (INav), calcium (ICav), and potassium (IKv) currents in isolated neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were investigated using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. The experiments showed that azoTAB modulated ion currents, causing suppression of sodium (Na+) and calcium (Ca2+) currents and potentiation of net potassium (K+) currents. This finding confirms that azoTAB-effect on cardiac tissue excitability do indeed result from modulation of voltage-gated ion channels responsible for action potential. PMID:27015602

A novel electro-driven membrane for removal of chromium ions using polymer inclusion membrane under constant D.C. electric current.

PubMed

Kaya, Ahmet; Onac, Canan; Alpoguz, H Korkmaz

2016-11-05

In this study, the use of polymer inclusion membrane under constant electric current for the removal of Cr(VI) from water has investigated for the first time. Transport of Cr(VI) is performed by an electric current from the donor phase to the acceptor phase with a constant electric current of 0.5A. The optimized membrane includes of 12.1% 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether (2-NPOE), 77.6% cellulose triacetate (CTA), 10.3% tricapryl-methylammonium chloride (Aliquat 336) as a carrier. We tested the applicability of the selected membrane for Cr(VI) removal in real environmental water samples and evaluated its reusability. Electro membrane experiments were carried out under various parameters, such as the effect of electro membrane voltage at constant DC electric current; electro membrane current at constant voltage, acceptor phase pH, and stable electro membrane; and a comparison of polymer inclusion membrane and electro membrane transport studies. The Cr(VI) transport was achieved 98.33% after 40min under optimized conditions. An alternative method has been employed that eliminates the changing of electrical current by the application of constant electric current for higher reproducibility of electro membrane extraction experiments by combining the excellent selective and long-term use features of polymer inclusion membrane. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modeling Electrically Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grosh, K.; Deo, N.; Parthasarathi, A. A.; Nuttall, A. L.; Zheng, J. F.; Ren, T. Y.

2003-02-01

Electrical evoked otoacoustic emissions (EEOAE) are used to investigate in vivo cochlear electromechanical function. Round window electrical stimulation gives rise to a broad frequency EEOAE response, from 100 Hz or below to 40 kHz in guinea pigs. Placing bipolar electrodes very close to the basilar membrane (in the scala vestibuli and scala tympani) gives rise to a much narrower frequency range of EEOAE, limited to around 20 kHz when the electrodes are placed near the 18 kHz best frequency place. Model predictions using a three dimensional fluid model in conjunction with a simple model for outer hair cell (OHC) activity are used to interpret the experimental results. The model is solved using a 2.5D finite-element formulation. Predictions show that the high-frequency limit of the excitation is determined by the spatial extent of the current stimulus (also called the current spread). The global peaks in the EEOAE spectra are interpreted as constructive interference between electrically evoked backward traveling waves and forward traveling waves reflected from the stapes. Steady-state response predictions of the model are presented.

Inhibitory effects of HgCl2 on excitation-secretion coupling at the motor nerve terminal and excitation-contraction coupling in the muscle cell.

PubMed

Røed, A; Herlofson, B B

1994-12-01

1. Indirect and direct twitch (0.1-Hz) stimulation of the rat phrenic nerve-diaphragm disclosed that the inhibitory effect of HgCl2, 3.7 x 10(-5) M, on the neuromuscular transmission and in the muscle cell, was accelerated by 10-sec periods of 50-Hz tetanic stimulation every 10 min. This activity-dependent enhancement suggested an inhibitory mechanism of HgCl2 related to the development of fatigue, like membrane depolarization or decreased excitability, decreased availability of transmitter, or interference with the factors controlling excitation-secretion coupling of the nerve terminal, i.e. (Ca2+)0 or (Ca2+)i, and excitation-contraction coupling in the muscle cell, i.e., (Ca2+)i. 2. During both indirect and direct stimulation, HgCl2-induced inhibition was enhanced markedly by pretreatment with caffeine, which releases Ca2+ from endoplasmic and sarcoplasmic reticulum in the nerve terminal and muscle cell, respectively. This caffeine-induced enhancement was completely antagonized by dantrolene, which inhibits the caffeine-induced release. However, dantrolene alone did not antagonize the HgCl2-induced inhibition. 3. Since caffeine depletes the intracellular Ca2+ stores of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum, HgCl2 probably inhibits by binding to SH groups of transport proteins conveying the messenger function of (Ca2+)i. In the muscle cell this leads to inhibition of contraction. In the nerve terminal, an additional enhancement of the HgCl2-induced inhibition, by inhibiting reuptake of choline by TEA and tetanic stimulation, suggested that HgCl2 inhibited a (Ca2+)i signal necessary for this limiting factor in resynthesis of acetylcholine. 4. The (Ca2+)0 signal necessary for stimulus-induced release of acetylcholine was not affected by HgCl2. Hyperpolarization in K(+)-free solution antagonized the inhibitory effect of HgCl2 at indirect stimulation, and Ca(2+)-free solution enhanced the inhibitory effect at direct stimulation. K+ depolarization, membrane electric field increase with high Ca2+, membrane stabilization with lidocaine, and half-threshold stimulation, did not change the inhibitory effect of HgCl CH3HgCl. 1.85 x 10(-5) M, disclosed a synergistic interaction with caffeine during direct, but not during indirect, stimulation.

Realizing synchronous energy harvesting and ion separation with graphene oxide membranes.

PubMed

Sun, Pengzhan; Zheng, Feng; Zhu, Miao; Wang, Kunlin; Zhong, Minlin; Wu, Dehai; Zhu, Hongwei

2014-07-02

A synchronous ion separation and electricity generation process has been developed using G-O membranes. In addition to the size effect proposed prevsiouly, the separation of ions can be attributed to the different interactions between ions and G-O membranes; the generation of electricity is due to the confinement of G-O membranes, and the mobility difference of ions. Efficient energy transduction has been achieved with G-O membranes, converting magnetic, thermal and osmotic energy to electricity, distinguishing this material from other commercial semi-permeable membranes. Our study indicated that G-O membranes could find potential applications in the purification of wastewater, while producing electricity simultaneously. With G-O membranes, industrial magnetic leakage and waste heat could also be used to produce electricity, affording a superior approach for energy recovery.

Extracellular Cl- regulates electrical slow waves and setting of smooth muscle membrane potential by interstitial cells of Cajal in mouse jejunum.

PubMed

Saravanaperumal, Siva Arumugam; Gibbons, Simon J; Malysz, John; Sha, Lei; Linden, David R; Szurszewski, Joseph H; Farrugia, Gianrico

2018-01-01

What is the central question of this study? The aim was to investigate the roles of extracellular chloride in electrical slow waves and resting membrane potential of mouse jejunal smooth muscle by replacing chloride with the impermeant anions gluconate and isethionate. What is the main finding and its importance? The main finding was that in smooth muscle cells, the resting Cl - conductance is low, whereas transmembrane Cl - movement in interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) is a major contributor to the shape of electrical slow waves. Furthermore, the data confirm that ICCs set the smooth muscle membrane potential and that altering Cl - homeostasis in ICCs can alter the smooth muscle membrane potential. Intracellular Cl - homeostasis is regulated by anion-permeable channels and transporters and contributes to excitability of many cell types, including smooth muscle and interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs). Our aims were to investigate the effects on electrical activity in mouse jejunal muscle strips of replacing extracellular Cl - (Cl - o ) with the impermeant anions gluconate and isethionate. On reducing Cl - o , effects were observed on electrical slow waves, with small effects on smooth muscle membrane voltage (E m ). Restoration of Cl - hyperpolarized smooth muscle E m proportional to the change in Cl - o concentration. Replacement of 90% of Cl - o with gluconate reversibly abolished slow waves in five of nine preparations. Slow waves were maintained in isethionate. Gluconate and isethionate substitution had similar concentration-dependent effects on peak amplitude, frequency, width at half peak amplitude, rise time and decay time of residual slow waves. Gluconate reduced free ionized Ca 2+ in Krebs solutions to 0.13 mm. In Krebs solutions containing normal Cl - and 0.13 mm free Ca 2+ , slow wave frequency was lower, width at half peak amplitude was smaller, and decay time was faster. The transient hyperpolarization following restoration of Cl - o was not observed in W/W v mice, which lack pacemaker ICCs in the small intestine. We conclude that in smooth muscle cells, the resting Cl - conductance is low, whereas transmembrane Cl - movement in ICCs plays a major role in generation or propagation of slow waves. Furthermore, these data support a role for ICCs in setting smooth muscle E m and that altering Cl - homeostasis in ICCs can alter smooth muscle E m . © 2017 Mayo Clinic. Experimental Physiology © 2017 The Physiological Society.

Effects of redox and sulfhydryl reagents on the bioelectric properties of the giant axon of the squid.

PubMed

Huneeus-Cox, F; Fernandez, H L; Smith, B H

1966-09-01

The effects of internally and externally applied sulfhydryl reagents on the bioelectric properties of the giant axon of the squid Loligo pealeii and Dosidicus gigas were studied. Cysteine-HCl (400 mM, pH 7.3) was used to remove axoplasm from the perfusion channel. Oxidizing agents (1 to 60 mM) tended to increase the duration of the action potential and had a slow, irreversible blocking effect when perfused internally; the membrane potential was little affected. Reducing agents applied internally caused a decrease in the spike duration without affecting its height or the membrane potential, although at high concentrations there was reversible deterioration of the action potential. Both external and internal perfusion of mercaptide-forming reagents caused deterioration in the action and membrane potentials with conduction block occurring in 5 to 45 min. 2-mercaptoethanol reversed the effects. Thiol alkylating reagents, iodoacetate and iodoacetamide, were without effect. N-ethylmaleimide did, however, block. Tests with chelating agents for nonheme iron in the membrane brought about no change in the electrical parameters. The implications of the present findings with regard to the macromolecular mechanism of excitation are discussed.

Effects of Redox and Sulfhydryl Reagents on the Bioelectric Properties of the Giant Axon of the Squid

PubMed Central

Huneeus-Cox, F.; Fernandez, H. L.; Smith, B. H.

1966-01-01

The effects of internally and externally applied sulfhydryl reagents on the bioelectric properties of the giant axon of the squid Loligo pealeii and Dosidicus gigas were studied. Cysteine-HCl (400 mM, pH 7.3) was used to remove axoplasm from the perfusion channel. Oxidizing agents (1 to 60 mM) tended to increase the duration of the action potential and had a slow, irreversible blocking effect when perfused internally; the membrane potential was little affected. Reducing agents applied internally caused a decrease in the spike duration without affecting its height or the membrane potential, although at high concentrations there was reversible deterioration of the action potential. Both external and internal perfusion of mercaptide-forming reagents caused deterioration in the action and membrane potentials with conduction block occurring in 5 to 45 min. 2-mercaptoethanol reversed the effects. Thiol alkylating reagents, iodoacetate and iodoacetamide, were without effect. N-ethylmaleimide did, however, block. Tests with chelating agents for nonheme iron in the membrane brought about no change in the electrical parameters. The implications of the present findings with regard to the macromolecular mechanism of excitation are discussed. ImagesFigure 1 PMID:5970570

Listening to membrane potential: photoacoustic voltage-sensitive dye recording.

PubMed

Zhang, Haichong K; Yan, Ping; Kang, Jeeun; Abou, Diane S; Le, Hanh N D; Jha, Abhinav K; Thorek, Daniel L J; Kang, Jin U; Rahmim, Arman; Wong, Dean F; Boctor, Emad M; Loew, Leslie M

2017-04-01

Voltage-sensitive dyes (VSDs) are designed to monitor membrane potential by detecting fluorescence changes in response to neuronal or muscle electrical activity. However, fluorescence imaging is limited by depth of penetration and high scattering losses, which leads to low sensitivity in vivo systems for external detection. By contrast, photoacoustic (PA) imaging, an emerging modality, is capable of deep tissue, noninvasive imaging by combining near-infrared light excitation and ultrasound detection. Here, we show that voltage-dependent quenching of dye fluorescence leads to a reciprocal enhancement of PA intensity. We synthesized a near-infrared photoacoustic VSD (PA-VSD), whose PA intensity change is sensitive to membrane potential. In the polarized state, this cyanine-based probe enhances PA intensity while decreasing fluorescence output in a lipid vesicle membrane model. A theoretical model accounts for how the experimental PA intensity change depends on fluorescence and absorbance properties of the dye. These results not only demonstrate PA voltage sensing but also emphasize the interplay of both fluorescence and absorbance properties in the design of optimized PA probes. Together, our results demonstrate PA sensing as a potential new modality for recording and external imaging of electrophysiological and neurochemical events in the brain.

Listening to membrane potential: photoacoustic voltage-sensitive dye recording

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Haichong K.; Yan, Ping; Kang, Jeeun; Abou, Diane S.; Le, Hanh N. D.; Jha, Abhinav K.; Thorek, Daniel L. J.; Kang, Jin U.; Rahmim, Arman; Wong, Dean F.; Boctor, Emad M.; Loew, Leslie M.

2017-04-01

Voltage-sensitive dyes (VSDs) are designed to monitor membrane potential by detecting fluorescence changes in response to neuronal or muscle electrical activity. However, fluorescence imaging is limited by depth of penetration and high scattering losses, which leads to low sensitivity in vivo systems for external detection. By contrast, photoacoustic (PA) imaging, an emerging modality, is capable of deep tissue, noninvasive imaging by combining near-infrared light excitation and ultrasound detection. Here, we show that voltage-dependent quenching of dye fluorescence leads to a reciprocal enhancement of PA intensity. We synthesized a near-infrared photoacoustic VSD (PA-VSD), whose PA intensity change is sensitive to membrane potential. In the polarized state, this cyanine-based probe enhances PA intensity while decreasing fluorescence output in a lipid vesicle membrane model. A theoretical model accounts for how the experimental PA intensity change depends on fluorescence and absorbance properties of the dye. These results not only demonstrate PA voltage sensing but also emphasize the interplay of both fluorescence and absorbance properties in the design of optimized PA probes. Together, our results demonstrate PA sensing as a potential new modality for recording and external imaging of electrophysiological and neurochemical events in the brain.

Effect of ion concentration, solution and membrane permittivity on electric energy storage and capacitance.

PubMed

Tajparast, Mohammad; Glavinović, Mladen I

2018-06-06

Bio-membranes as capacitors store electric energy, but their permittivity is low whereas the permittivity of surrounding solution is high. To evaluate the effective capacitance of the membrane/solution system and determine the electric energy stored within the membrane and in the solution, we estimated their electric variables using Poisson-Nernst-Planck simulations. We calculated membrane and solution capacitances from stored electric energy. The effective capacitance was calculated by fitting a six-capacitance model to charges (fixed and ion) and associated potentials, because it cannot be considered as a result of membrane and solution capacitance in series. The electric energy stored within the membrane (typically much smaller than that in the solution), depends on the membrane permittivity, but also on the external electric field, surface charge density, water permittivity and ion concentration. The effect on capacitances is more specific. Solution capacitance rises with greater solution permittivity or ion concentration, but the membrane capacitance (much smaller than solution capacitance) is only influenced by its permittivity. Interestingly, the effective capacitance is independent of membrane or solution permittivity, but rises as the ion concentration increases and surface charge becomes positive. Experimental estimates of membrane capacitance are thus not necessarily a reliable index of its surface area. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Small Vacuum Compatible Hyperthermal Atom Generator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Outlaw, Ronald A. (Inventor); Davidson, Mark R. (Inventor)

1998-01-01

A vacuum compatible hyperthermal atom generator includes a membrane having two sides. the membrane having the capability of dissolving atoms into the membrane's bulk. A first housing is furnished in operative association with the first side of the membrane to provide for the exposure of the first side of the membrane to a gas species. A second housing is furnished in operative association with the second side of the membrane to provide a vacuum environment having a pressure of less than 1 x 10(exp -3) Torr on the second side of the membrane. Exciting means excites atoms adsorbed on the second side of the membrane to a non-binding state so that a portion from 0% to 100% of atoms adsorbed on the second side of is the membrane are released from the second side of the membrane primarily as an atom beam.

Induced Pacemaker Activity on Toad Skin

PubMed Central

Bueno, Enrique J.; Corchs, Lelio

1968-01-01

The electrical transients produced on the isolated abdominal skin obtained from Bufo arenarum Hensel, under the influence of inward current pulses of constant intensity have been studied. When both faces of the skin are bathed with Ringer's solution, short pulses of inward current give rise to transient variations of the potential difference between both faces of the skin with "all-or-nothing" characteristics (action potentials, AP). When the outer face is bathed with a modified Ringer solution with low sodium content (2.4 mM), the transients are longer and they are only evident when the pulse is several hundred milliseconds long. With even longer pulses (several seconds) a repetitive activity can be elicited, with the electrical characteristics of a "pacemaker" activity. In all these "excitability" phenomena Na+ may be replaced by Li+ in the outer solution. The logarithm of the duration of AP's is inversely related to the logarithm of the increase in concentration of Na+ or Li+ in the solution bathing the external face of the skin. The duration of AP's is increased when the Ca++ concentration in the outer solution is raised. This effect is more evident with low sodium concentration on the outside. The evolution of the slope conductance during repetitive activity has been determined. The site and mechanisms of the "excitable" behavior of the skin and the induced repetitive activity are discussed. Under the experimental conditions employed the behavior of the skin is compared with that of normally excitable plasma membranes. PMID:5692095

Voltage-gated calcium flux mediates Escherichia coli mechanosensation.

PubMed

Bruni, Giancarlo N; Weekley, R Andrew; Dodd, Benjamin J T; Kralj, Joel M

2017-08-29

Electrically excitable cells harness voltage-coupled calcium influx to transmit intracellular signals, typically studied in neurons and cardiomyocytes. Despite intense study in higher organisms, investigations of voltage and calcium signaling in bacteria have lagged due to their small size and a lack of sensitive tools. Only recently were bacteria shown to modulate their membrane potential on the timescale of seconds, and little is known about the downstream effects from this modulation. In this paper, we report on the effects of electrophysiology in individual bacteria. A genetically encoded calcium sensor expressed in Escherichia coli revealed calcium transients in single cells. A fusion sensor that simultaneously reports voltage and calcium indicated that calcium influx is induced by voltage depolarizations, similar to metazoan action potentials. Cytoplasmic calcium levels and transients increased upon mechanical stimulation with a hydrogel, and single cells altered protein concentrations dependent on the mechanical environment. Blocking voltage and calcium flux altered mechanically induced changes in protein concentration, while inducing calcium flux reproduced these changes. Thus, voltage and calcium relay a bacterial sense of touch and alter cellular lifestyle. Although the calcium effectors remain unknown, these data open a host of new questions about E. coli , including the identity of the underlying molecular players, as well as other signals conveyed by voltage and calcium. These data also provide evidence that dynamic voltage and calcium exists as a signaling modality in the oldest domain of life, and therefore studying electrophysiology beyond canonical electrically excitable cells could yield exciting new findings.

Voltage-gated calcium flux mediates Escherichia coli mechanosensation

PubMed Central

Weekley, R. Andrew; Dodd, Benjamin J. T.

2017-01-01

Electrically excitable cells harness voltage-coupled calcium influx to transmit intracellular signals, typically studied in neurons and cardiomyocytes. Despite intense study in higher organisms, investigations of voltage and calcium signaling in bacteria have lagged due to their small size and a lack of sensitive tools. Only recently were bacteria shown to modulate their membrane potential on the timescale of seconds, and little is known about the downstream effects from this modulation. In this paper, we report on the effects of electrophysiology in individual bacteria. A genetically encoded calcium sensor expressed in Escherichia coli revealed calcium transients in single cells. A fusion sensor that simultaneously reports voltage and calcium indicated that calcium influx is induced by voltage depolarizations, similar to metazoan action potentials. Cytoplasmic calcium levels and transients increased upon mechanical stimulation with a hydrogel, and single cells altered protein concentrations dependent on the mechanical environment. Blocking voltage and calcium flux altered mechanically induced changes in protein concentration, while inducing calcium flux reproduced these changes. Thus, voltage and calcium relay a bacterial sense of touch and alter cellular lifestyle. Although the calcium effectors remain unknown, these data open a host of new questions about E. coli, including the identity of the underlying molecular players, as well as other signals conveyed by voltage and calcium. These data also provide evidence that dynamic voltage and calcium exists as a signaling modality in the oldest domain of life, and therefore studying electrophysiology beyond canonical electrically excitable cells could yield exciting new findings. PMID:28808010

Acoustically and Electrokinetically Driven Transport in Microfluidic Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sayar, Ersin

Electrokinetically driven flows are widely employed as a primary method for liquid pumping in micro-electromechanical systems. Mixing of analytes and reagents is limited in microfluidic devices due to the low Reynolds number of the flows. Acoustic excitations have recently been suggested to promote mixing in the microscale flow systems. Electrokinetic flows through straight microchannels were investigated using the Poisson-Boltzmann and Nernst-Planck models. The acoustic wave/fluid flow interactions in a microchannel were investigated via the development of two and three-dimensional dynamic predictive models for flows with field couplings of the electrical, mechanical and fluid flow quantities. The effectiveness and applicability of electrokinetic augmentation in flexural plate wave micropumps for enhanced capabilities were explored. The proposed concept can be exploited to integrate micropumps into complex microfluidic chips improving the portability of micro-total-analysis systems along with the capabilities of actively controlling acoustics and electrokinetics for micro-mixer applications. Acoustically excited flows in microchannels consisting of flexural plate wave devices and thin film resonators were considered. Compressible flow fields were considered to accommodate the acoustic excitations produced by a vibrating wall. The velocity and pressure profiles for different parameters including frequency, channel height, wave amplitude and length were investigated. Coupled electrokinetics and acoustics cases were investigated while the electric field intensity of the electrokinetic body forces and actuation frequency of acoustic excitations were varied. Multifield analysis of a piezoelectrically actuated valveless micropump was also presented. The effect of voltage and frequency on membrane deflection and flow rate were investigated. Detailed fluid/solid deformation coupled simulations of piezoelectric valveless micropump have been conducted to predict the generated time averaged flow rates. Developed coupled solid and fluid mechanics models can be utilized to integrate flow-through sensors with microfluidic chips.

46 CFR 111.12-3 - Excitation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Excitation. 111.12-3 Section 111.12-3 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRIC SYSTEMS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS Generator Construction and Circuits § 111.12-3 Excitation. In general, excitation must meet...

46 CFR 111.12-3 - Excitation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Excitation. 111.12-3 Section 111.12-3 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRIC SYSTEMS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS Generator Construction and Circuits § 111.12-3 Excitation. In general, excitation must meet...

46 CFR 111.12-3 - Excitation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Excitation. 111.12-3 Section 111.12-3 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRIC SYSTEMS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS Generator Construction and Circuits § 111.12-3 Excitation. In general, excitation must meet...

46 CFR 111.12-3 - Excitation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Excitation. 111.12-3 Section 111.12-3 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRIC SYSTEMS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS Generator Construction and Circuits § 111.12-3 Excitation. In general, excitation must meet...

Electrical generation and control of the valley carriers in a monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Yu; Xiao, Jun; Wang, Hailong; Ye, Ziliang; Zhu, Hanyu; Zhao, Mervin; Wang, Yuan; Zhao, Jianhua; Yin, Xiaobo; Zhang, Xiang

2016-07-01

Electrically controlling the flow of charge carriers is the foundation of modern electronics. By accessing the extra spin degree of freedom (DOF) in electronics, spintronics allows for information processes such as magnetoresistive random-access memory. Recently, atomic membranes of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) were found to support unequal and distinguishable carrier distribution in different crystal momentum valleys. This valley polarization of carriers enables a new DOF for information processing. A variety of valleytronic devices such as valley filters and valves have been proposed, and optical valley excitation has been observed. However, to realize its potential in electronics it is necessary to electrically control the valley DOF, which has so far remained a significant challenge. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the electrical generation and control of valley polarization. This is achieved through spin injection via a diluted ferromagnetic semiconductor and measured through the helicity of the electroluminescence due to the spin-valley locking in TMDC monolayers. We also report a new scheme of electronic devices that combine both the spin and valley DOFs. Such direct electrical generation and control of valley carriers opens up new dimensions in utilizing both the spin and valley DOFs for next-generation electronics and computing.

Effect of diet with omega-3 in basal brain electrical activity and during status epilepticus in rats.

PubMed

Pessoa, Daniella Tavares; da Silva, Eva Luana Almeida; Costa, Edbhergue Ventura Lola; Nogueira, Romildo Albuquerque

2017-11-01

Western diets are high in saturated fat and low in omega-3. Certain animals cannot produce omega-3 from their own lipids, making it necessary for it to be acquired from the diet. However, omega-3s are important components of the plasma membrane, and altering their proportions can promote physical and chemical alterations in the membranes, which may modify neuronal excitability. These alterations occur in healthy individuals, as well as in patients with epilepsy who are more sensitive to changes in brain electrical activity. This study evaluated the effect of a diet supplemented with omega-3 on the basal brain electrical activity both before and during status epilepticus in rats. To evaluate the brain electrical activity, we recorded electrocorticograms (ECoG) of animals both with and without omega-3 supplementation before and during status epilepticus induced by pilocarpine. Calculation of the average brain wave power by a power spectrum revealed that omega-3 supplementation reduced the average power of the delta wave by 20% and increased the average power of the beta wave by 45%. These effects were exacerbated when status epilepticus was induced in the animals supplemented with omega-3. The animals with and without omega-3 supplementation exhibited increases in basal brain electrical activities during status epilepticus. The two groups showed hyperactivity, but no significant difference between them was noted. Even though the brain activity levels observed during status epilepticus were similar between the two groups, neuron damage to the animals supplemented with omega-3 was more slight, revealing the neuroprotective effect of the omega-3. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

13. POWERHOUSE INTERIOR, DETAIL OF EXCITER No. 2 GENERAL ELECTRIC ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

13. POWERHOUSE INTERIOR, DETAIL OF EXCITER No. 2 GENERAL ELECTRIC INDUCTION MOTOR NAMEPLATE. VIEW TO EAST. - Rush Creek Hydroelectric System, Powerhouse Exciters, Rush Creek, June Lake, Mono County, CA

Electro- and Magneto-Modulated Ion Transport through Graphene Oxide Membranes

PubMed Central

Sun, Pengzhan; Zheng, Feng; Wang, Kunlin; Zhong, Minlin; Wu, Dehai; Zhu, Hongwei

2014-01-01

The control of ion trans-membrane transport through graphene oxide (GO) membranes is achieved by electric and magnetic fields. Electric field can either increase or decrease the ion transport through GO membranes depending on its direction, and magnetic field can enhance the ion penetration monotonically. When electric field is applied across GO membrane, excellent control of ion fluidic flows can be done. With the magnetic field, the effective anchoring of ions is demonstrated but the modulation of the ion flowing directions does not occur. The mechanism of the electro- and magneto-modulated ion trans-membrane transport is investigated, indicating that the electric fields dominate the ion migration process while the magnetic fields tune the structure of nanocapillaries within GO membranes. Results also show that the ion selectivity of GO membranes can be tuned with the electric fields while the transport of ions can be enhanced synchronously with the magnetic fields. These excellent properties make GO membranes promising in areas such as field-induced mass transport control and membrane separation. PMID:25347969

Research on battery-operated electric road vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Varpetian, V. S.

1977-01-01

Mathematical analysis of battery-operated electric vehicles is presented. Attention is focused on assessing the influence of the battery on the mechanical and dynamical characteristics of dc electric motors with series and parallel excitation, as well as on evaluating the influence of the excitation mode and speed control system on the performance of the battery. The superiority of series excitation over parallel excitation with respect to vehicle performance is demonstrated. It is also shown that pulsed control of the electric motor, as compared to potentiometric control, provides a more effective use of the battery and decreases the cost of recharging.

Palette of fluorinated voltage-sensitive hemicyanine dyes

PubMed Central

Yan, Ping; Acker, Corey D.; Zhou, Wen-Liang; Lee, Peter; Bollensdorff, Christian; Negrean, Adrian; Lotti, Jacopo; Sacconi, Leonardo; Antic, Srdjan D.; Kohl, Peter; Mansvelder, Huibert D.; Pavone, Francesco S.; Loew, Leslie M.

2012-01-01

Optical recording of membrane potential permits spatially resolved measurement of electrical activity in subcellular regions of single cells, which would be inaccessible to electrodes, and imaging of spatiotemporal patterns of action potential propagation in excitable tissues, such as the brain or heart. However, the available voltage-sensitive dyes (VSDs) are not always spectrally compatible with newly available optical technologies for sensing or manipulating the physiological state of a system. Here, we describe a series of 19 fluorinated VSDs based on the hemicyanine class of chromophores. Strategic placement of the fluorine atoms on the chromophores can result in either blue or red shifts in the absorbance and emission spectra. The range of one-photon excitation wavelengths afforded by these new VSDs spans 440–670 nm; the two-photon excitation range is 900–1,340 nm. The emission of each VSD is shifted by at least 100 nm to the red of its one-photon excitation spectrum. The set of VSDs, thus, affords an extended toolkit for optical recording to match a broad range of experimental requirements. We show the sensitivity to voltage and the photostability of the new VSDs in a series of experimental preparations ranging in scale from single dendritic spines to whole heart. Among the advances shown in these applications are simultaneous recording of voltage and calcium in single dendritic spines and optical electrophysiology recordings using two-photon excitation above 1,100 nm. PMID:23169660

Membrane Vibration Tests Using Surface-Bonded Piezoelectric Patch Actuation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gasper, James L.; Pappa, Richard S.

2003-01-01

This paper describes the status of on-going work at the NASA Langley Research Center to measure the dynamics of thin membranes. The test article is a one-meter square pre-tensioned Kapton membrane that incorporates small surface-bonded piezoelectric patches strategically positioned to excite many modes. It is shown that PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) and MFC (macro fiber composite) piezoelectric patch actuators provide adequate excitation energy to obtain modal frequencies and mode shapes. Results from modal tests performed on the membrane using piezoelectric patches of different sizes and positions are discussed.

Exploring infrared neural stimulation with multimodal nonlinear imaging (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adams, Wilson R.; Mahadevan-Jansen, Anita

2017-02-01

Infrared neural stimulation (INS) provides optical control of neural excitability using near to mid-infrared (mid-IR) light, which allows for spatially selective, artifact-free excitation without the introduction of exogenous agents or genetic modification. Although neural excitability is mediated by a transient temperature increase due to water absorption of IR energy, the molecular nature of IR excitability in neural tissue remains unknown. Current research suggests that transient changes in local tissue temperature give rise to a myriad of cellular responses that have been individually attributed to IR mediated excitability. To further elucidate the underlying biophysical mechanisms, we have begun work towards employing a novel multimodal nonlinear imaging platform to probe the molecular underpinnings of INS. Our imaging system performs coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), two-photon excitation fluorescence (TPEF), second-harmonic generation (SHG) and thermal imaging into a single platform that allows for unprecedented co-registration of thermal and biochemical information in real-time. Here, we present our work leveraging CARS and SRS in acute thalamocortical brain slice preparations. We observe the evolution of lipid and protein-specific Raman bands during INS and electrically evoked activity in real-time. Combined with two-photon fluorescence and second harmonic generation, we offer insight to cellular metabolism and membrane dynamics during INS. Thermal imaging allows for the coregistration of acquired biochemical information with temperature information. Our work previews the versatility and capabilities of coherent Raman imaging combined with multiphoton imaging to observe biophysical phenomena for neuroscience applications.

Changing gears from chemical adhesion of cells to flat substrata toward engulfment of micro-protrusions by active mechanisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hai, Aviad; Kamber, Dotan; Malkinson, Guy; Erez, Hadas; Mazurski, Noa; Shappir, Joseph; Spira, Micha E.

2009-12-01

Microelectrode arrays increasingly serve to extracellularly record in parallel electrical activity from many excitable cells without inflicting damage to the cells by insertion of microelectrodes. Nevertheless, apart from rare cases they suffer from a low signal to noise ratio. The limiting factor for effective electrical coupling is the low seal resistance formed between the plasma membrane and the electronic device. Using transmission electron microscope analysis we recently reported that cultured Aplysia neurons engulf protruding micron size gold spines forming tight apposition which significantly improves the electrical coupling in comparison with flat electrodes (Hai et al 2009 Spine-shaped gold protrusions improve the adherence and electrical coupling of neurons with the surface of micro-electronic devices J. R. Soc. Interface 6 1153-65). However, the use of a transmission electron microscope to measure the extracellular cleft formed between the plasma membrane and the gold-spine surface may be inaccurate as chemical fixation may generate structural artifacts. Using live confocal microscope imaging we report here that cultured Aplysia neurons engulf protruding spine-shaped gold structures functionalized by an RGD-based peptide and to a significantly lesser extent by poly-l-lysine. The cytoskeletal elements actin and associated protein cortactin are shown to organize around the stalks of the engulfed gold spines in the form of rings. Neurons grown on the gold-spine matrix display varying growth patterns but maintain normal electrophysiological properties and form functioning synapses. It is concluded that the matrices of functionalized gold spines provide an improved substrate for the assembly of neuro-electronic hybrids.

Modal radiation patterns of baffled circular plates and membranes.

PubMed

Christiansen, Thomas Lehrmann; Hansen, Ole; Thomsen, Erik Vilain; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt

2014-05-01

The far field velocity potential and radiation pattern of baffled circular plates and membranes are found analytically using the full set of modal velocity profiles derived from the corresponding equation of motion. The derivation is valid for a plate or membrane subjected to an external excitation force, which is used as a sound receiver in any medium or as a sound transmitter in a gaseous medium. A general, concise expression is given for the radiation pattern of any mode of the membrane and the plate with arbitrary boundary conditions. Specific solutions are given for the four special cases of a plate with clamped, simply supported, and free edge boundary conditions as well as for the membrane. For all non-axisymmetric modes, the velocity potential along the axis of the radiator is found to be strictly zero. In the long wavelength limit, the radiation pattern of all axisymmetric modes approaches that of a monopole, while the non-axisymmetric modes exhibit multipole behavior. Numerical results are also given, demonstrating the implications of having non-axisymmetric excitation using both a point excitation with varying eccentricity and a homogeneous excitation acting on half of the circular radiator.

Adaptive Back Sheet Material for Acoustic Liner Applications-ARMD Seedling Fund Phase I Final Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gerhold, Carl H.; Jones, Michael G.; Farrar, Dawnielle

2014-01-01

A recently developed piezo-electric composite film is evaluated for its usefulness in application in acoustic liners. Researchers at the NASA Langley Research Center Liner Technology Facility developed experiments to measure the electrical response of the material to acoustic excitation and the vibrational response of the material to electrical excitation. The robustness of the piezo-electric film was also assessed. The material's electrical response to acoustic excitation is found to be comparable to a commercial microphone in the range of frequencies from 500 to 3000 Hz. However, the vibrational response to electrical excitation in the frequency range of interest is an order of magnitude less than may be necessary for application to acoustic liners. Nevertheless, experimental results indicate that the potential exists for the material to produce a measurable change in the impedance spectrum of a liner. Work continues to improve the authority of the piezo-electric film.

Single cell wound generates electric current circuit and cell membrane potential variations that requires calcium influx.

PubMed

Luxardi, Guillaume; Reid, Brian; Maillard, Pauline; Zhao, Min

2014-07-24

Breaching of the cell membrane is one of the earliest and most common causes of cell injury, tissue damage, and disease. If the compromise in cell membrane is not repaired quickly, irreversible cell damage, cell death and defective organ functions will result. It is therefore fundamentally important to efficiently repair damage to the cell membrane. While the molecular aspects of single cell wound healing are starting to be deciphered, its bio-physical counterpart has been poorly investigated. Using Xenopus laevis oocytes as a model for single cell wound healing, we describe the temporal and spatial dynamics of the wound electric current circuitry and the temporal dynamics of cell membrane potential variation. In addition, we show the role of calcium influx in controlling electric current circuitry and cell membrane potential variations. (i) Upon wounding a single cell: an inward electric current appears at the wound center while an outward electric current is observed at its sides, illustrating the wound electric current circuitry; the cell membrane is depolarized; calcium flows into the cell. (ii) During cell membrane re-sealing: the wound center current density is maintained for a few minutes before decreasing; the cell membrane gradually re-polarizes; calcium flow into the cell drops. (iii) In conclusion, calcium influx is required for the formation and maintenance of the wound electric current circuitry, for cell membrane re-polarization and for wound healing.

Static, free vibration and thermal analysis of composite plates and shells using a flat triangular shell element

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kapania, R. K.; Mohan, P.

1996-09-01

Finite element static, free vibration and thermal analysis of thin laminated plates and shells using a three noded triangular flat shell element is presented. The flat shell element is a combination of the Discrete Kirchhoff Theory (DKT) plate bending element and a membrane element derived from the Linear Strain Triangular (LST) element with a total of 18 degrees of freedom (3 translations and 3 rotations per node). Explicit formulations are used for the membrane, bending and membrane-bending coupling stiffness matrices and the thermal load vector. Due to a strong analogy between the induced strain caused by the thermal field and the strain induced in a structure due to an electric field the present formulation is readily applicable for the analysis of structures excited by surface bonded or embedded piezoelectric actuators. The results are presented for (i) static analysis of (a) simply supported square plates under doubly sinusoidal load and uniformly distributed load (b) simply supported spherical shells under a uniformly distributed load, (ii) free vibration analysis of (a) square cantilever plates, (b) skew cantilever plates and (c) simply supported spherical shells; (iii) Thermal deformation analysis of (a) simply supported square plates, (b) simply supported-clamped square plate and (c) simply supported spherical shells. A numerical example is also presented demonstrating the application of the present formulation to analyse a symmetrically laminated graphite/epoxy laminate excited by a layer of piezoelectric polyvinylidene flouride (PVDF). The results presented are in good agreement with those available in the literature.

Light-evoked hyperpolarization and silencing of neurons by conjugated polymers.

PubMed

Feyen, Paul; Colombo, Elisabetta; Endeman, Duco; Nova, Mattia; Laudato, Lucia; Martino, Nicola; Antognazza, Maria Rosa; Lanzani, Guglielmo; Benfenati, Fabio; Ghezzi, Diego

2016-03-04

The ability to control and modulate the action potential firing in neurons represents a powerful tool for neuroscience research and clinical applications. While neuronal excitation has been achieved with many tools, including electrical and optical stimulation, hyperpolarization and neuronal inhibition are typically obtained through patch-clamp or optogenetic manipulations. Here we report the use of conjugated polymer films interfaced with neurons for inducing a light-mediated inhibition of their electrical activity. We show that prolonged illumination of the interface triggers a sustained hyperpolarization of the neuronal membrane that significantly reduces both spontaneous and evoked action potential firing. We demonstrate that the polymeric interface can be activated by either visible or infrared light and is capable of modulating neuronal activity in brain slices and explanted retinas. These findings prove the ability of conjugated polymers to tune neuronal firing and suggest their potential application for the in-vivo modulation of neuronal activity.

Light-evoked hyperpolarization and silencing of neurons by conjugated polymers

PubMed Central

Feyen, Paul; Colombo, Elisabetta; Endeman, Duco; Nova, Mattia; Laudato, Lucia; Martino, Nicola; Antognazza, Maria Rosa; Lanzani, Guglielmo; Benfenati, Fabio; Ghezzi, Diego

2016-01-01

The ability to control and modulate the action potential firing in neurons represents a powerful tool for neuroscience research and clinical applications. While neuronal excitation has been achieved with many tools, including electrical and optical stimulation, hyperpolarization and neuronal inhibition are typically obtained through patch-clamp or optogenetic manipulations. Here we report the use of conjugated polymer films interfaced with neurons for inducing a light-mediated inhibition of their electrical activity. We show that prolonged illumination of the interface triggers a sustained hyperpolarization of the neuronal membrane that significantly reduces both spontaneous and evoked action potential firing. We demonstrate that the polymeric interface can be activated by either visible or infrared light and is capable of modulating neuronal activity in brain slices and explanted retinas. These findings prove the ability of conjugated polymers to tune neuronal firing and suggest their potential application for the in-vivo modulation of neuronal activity. PMID:26940513

Seasonal acclimatization of the cardiac action potential in the Arctic navaga cod (Eleginus navaga, Gadidae).

PubMed

Hassinen, Minna; Abramochkin, Denis V; Vornanen, Matti

2014-04-01

Freshwater fishes of north-temperate latitudes adjust electrical excitability of the heart to seasonal temperature changes by changing expression levels of ion channel isoforms. However, little is known about thermal responses of action potential (AP) in the hearts of marine polar fishes. To this end, we examined cardiac AP in the atrial myocardium of the Arctic navaga cod (Eleginus navaga) from the White Sea (Russia) acclimatized to winter (March) and summer (September) seasons. Acute increases in temperature from 4 to 10 °C were associated with increases in heart rate, maximum velocity of AP upstroke and negative resting membrane potential, while duration of AP was shortened in both winter-acclimatized and summer-acclimatized navaga hearts. In winter, there was a compensatory shortening (41.1%) of atrial AP duration and this was associated with a strong increase in transcript expression of Erg K(+) channels, known to produce the rapid component of the delayed rectifier K(+) current, I(Kr). Smaller increases were found in the expression of Kir2.1 channels that produce the inward rectifier K(+) current, I(K1). These findings indicate that the heart of navaga cod has a good acclimatory capacity in electrical excitation of cardiac myocytes, which enables cardiac function in the cold-eurythermal waters of the subarctic White Sea.

Intramural activation and repolarization sequences in canine ventricles. Experimental and simulation studies.

PubMed

Taccardi, Bruno; Punske, Bonnie B; Sachse, Frank; Tricoche, Xavier; Colli-Franzone, Piero; Pavarino, Luca F; Zabawa, Christine

2005-10-01

There are no published data showing the three-dimensional sequence of repolarization and the associated potential fields in the ventricles. Knowledge of the sequence of repolarization has medical relevance because high spatial dispersion of recovery times and action potential durations favors cardiac arrhythmias. In this study we describe measured and simulated 3-D excitation and recovery sequences and activation-recovery intervals (ARIs) (measured) or action potential durations (APDs) (simulated) in the ventricular walls. We recorded from 600 to 1400 unipolar electrograms from canine ventricular walls during atrial and ventricular pacing at 350-450 ms cycle length. Measured excitation and recovery times and ARIs were displayed as 2-D maps in transmural planes or 3-D maps in the volume explored, using specially developed software. Excitation and recovery sequences and APD distributions were also simulated in parallelepipedal slabs using anisotropic monodomain or bidomain models based on the Lou-Rudy version 1 model with homogeneous membrane properties. Simulations showed that in the presence of homogeneous membrane properties, the sequence of repolarization was similar but not identical to the excitation sequence. In a transmural plane perpendicular to epicardial fiber direction, both activation and recovery pathways starting from an epicardial pacing site returned toward the epicardium at a few cm distance from the pacing site. However, APDs were not constant, but had a dispersion of approximately 14 ms in the simulated domain. The maximum APD value was near the pacing site and two minima appeared along a line perpendicular to fiber directions, passing through the pacing site. Electrical measurements in dog ventricles showed that, for short cycle lengths, both excitation and recovery pathways, starting from an epicardial pacing site, returned toward the epicardium. For slower pacing rates, pathways of recovery departed from the pathway of excitation. Highest ARI values were observed near the pacing site in part of the experiments. In addition, maps of activation-recovery intervals showed mid-myocardial clusters with activation-recovery intervals that were slightly longer than ARIs closer to the epi- or endocardium, suggesting the presence of M cells in those areas. Transmural dispersion of measured ARIs was on the order of 20-25 ms. Potential distributions during recovery were less affected by myocardial anisotropy than were excitation potentials.

Finite element method (FEM) model of the mechanical stress on phospholipid membranes from shock waves produced in nanosecond electric pulses (nsEP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnes, Ronald; Roth, Caleb C.; Shadaram, Mehdi; Beier, Hope; Ibey, Bennett L.

2015-03-01

The underlying mechanism(s) responsible for nanoporation of phospholipid membranes by nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsEP) remains unknown. The passage of a high electric field through a conductive medium creates two primary contributing factors that may induce poration: the electric field interaction at the membrane and the shockwave produced from electrostriction of a polar submersion medium exposed to an electric field. Previous work has focused on the electric field interaction at the cell membrane, through such models as the transport lattice method. Our objective is to model the shock wave cell membrane interaction induced from the density perturbation formed at the rising edge of a high voltage pulse in a polar liquid resulting in a shock wave propagating away from the electrode toward the cell membrane. Utilizing previous data from cell membrane mechanical parameters, and nsEP generated shockwave parameters, an acoustic shock wave model based on the Helmholtz equation for sound pressure was developed and coupled to a cell membrane model with finite-element modeling in COMSOL. The acoustic structure interaction model was developed to illustrate the harmonic membrane displacements and stresses resulting from shockwave and membrane interaction based on Hooke's law. Poration is predicted by utilizing membrane mechanical breakdown parameters including cortical stress limits and hydrostatic pressure gradients.

Cryogenic exciter

DOEpatents

Bray, James William [Niskayuna, NY; Garces, Luis Jose [Niskayuna, NY

2012-03-13

The disclosed technology is a cryogenic static exciter. The cryogenic static exciter is connected to a synchronous electric machine that has a field winding. The synchronous electric machine is cooled via a refrigerator or cryogen like liquid nitrogen. The static exciter is in communication with the field winding and is operating at ambient temperature. The static exciter receives cooling from a refrigerator or cryogen source, which may also service the synchronous machine, to selected areas of the static exciter and the cooling selectively reduces the operating temperature of the selected areas of the static exciter.

A numerical study on piezoelectric energy harvesting by combining transverse galloping and parametric instability phenomena

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franzini, Guilherme Rosa; Santos, Rebeca Caramêz Saraiva; Pesce, Celso Pupo

2017-12-01

This paper aims to numerically investigate the effects of parametric instability on piezoelectric energy harvesting from the transverse galloping of a square prism. A two degrees-of-freedom reduced-order model for this problem is proposed and numerically integrated. A usual quasi-steady galloping model is applied, where the transverse force coefficient is adopted as a cubic polynomial function with respect to the angle of attack. Time-histories of nondimensional prism displacement, electric voltage and power dissipated at both the dashpot and the electrical resistance are obtained as functions of the reduced velocity. Both, oscillation amplitude and electric voltage, increased with the reduced velocity for all parametric excitation conditions tested. For low values of reduced velocity, 2:1 parametric excitation enhances the electric voltage. On the other hand, for higher reduced velocities, a 1:1 parametric excitation (i.e., the same as the natural frequency) enhances both oscillation amplitude and electric voltage. It has been also found that, depending on the parametric excitation frequency, the harvested electrical power can be amplified in 70% when compared to the case under no parametric excitation.

Temperature Effects of Electric Field on the First Excited State of Strong Coupling Polaron in a CsI Quantum Pseudodot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Yong; Ding, Zhao-Hua; Xiao, Jing-Lin

2017-03-01

Employing variational method of Pekar type (VMPT), this paper investigates the first-excited state energy (FESE), excitation energy and transition frequency of the strongly-coupled polaron in the CsI quantum pseudodot (QPD) with electric field. The temperature effects on the strong-coupling polaron in electric field are calculated by using the quantum statistical theory (QST). The results from the present investigation show that the FESE, excitation energy and transition frequency increase (decrease) firstly and then at lower (higher) temperature regions. They are decreasing functions of the electric field strength. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 11464033

Coexistence of domains with distinct order and polarity in fluid bacterial membranes.

PubMed

Vanounou, Sharon; Pines, Dina; Pines, Ehud; Parola, Abraham H; Fishov, Itzhak

2002-07-01

In this study we sought the detection and characterization of bacterial membrane domains. Fluorescence generalized polarization (GP) spectra of laurdan-labeled Escherichia coli and temperature dependencies of both laurdan's GP and fluorescence anisotropy of 1,3-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) (rDPH) affirmed that at physiological temperatures, the E. coli membrane is in a liquid-crystalline phase. However, the strong excitation wavelength dependence of rlaurdan at 37 degrees C reflects membrane heterogeneity. Time-resolved fluorescence emission spectra, which display distinct biphasic redshift kinetics, verified the coexistence of two subpopulations of laurdan. In the initial phase, <50 ps, the redshift in the spectral mass center is much faster for laurdan excited at the blue edge (350 nm), whereas at longer time intervals, similar kinetics is observed upon excitation at either blue or red edge (400 nm). Excitation in the blue region selects laurdan molecules presumably located in a lipid domain in which fast intramolecular relaxation and low anisotropy characterize laurdan's emission. In the proteo-lipid domain, laurdan motion and conformation are restricted as exhibited by a slower relaxation rate, higher anisotropy and a lower GP value. Triple-Gaussian decomposition of laurdan emission spectra showed a sharp phase transition in the temperature dependence of individual components when excited in the blue but not in the red region. At least two kinds of domains of distinct polarity and order are suggested to coexist in the liquid-crystalline bacterial membrane: a lipid-enriched and a proteolipid domain. In bacteria with chloramphenicol (Cam)-inhibited protein synthesis, laurdan showed reduced polarity and restoration of an isoemissive point in the temperature-dependent spectra. These results suggest a decrease in membrane heterogeneity caused by Cam-induced domain dissipation.

PI3K Phosphorylation Is Linked to Improved Electrical Excitability in an In Vitro Engineered Heart Tissue Disease Model System.

PubMed

Kana, Kujaany; Song, Hannah; Laschinger, Carol; Zandstra, Peter W; Radisic, Milica

2015-09-01

Myocardial infarction, a prevalent cardiovascular disease, is associated with cardiomyocyte cell death, and eventually heart failure. Cardiac tissue engineering has provided hopes for alternative treatment options, and high-fidelity tissue models for drug discovery. The signal transduction mechanisms relayed in response to mechanoelectrical (physical) stimulation or biochemical stimulation (hormones, cytokines, or drugs) in engineered heart tissues (EHTs) are poorly understood. In this study, an EHT model was used to elucidate the signaling mechanisms involved when insulin was applied in the presence of electrical stimulation, a stimulus that mimics functional heart tissue environment in vitro. EHTs were insulin treated, electrically stimulated, or applied in combination (insulin and electrical stimulation). Electrical excitability parameters (excitation threshold and maximum capture rate) were measured. Protein kinase B (AKT) and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) phosphorylation revealed that insulin and electrical stimulation relayed electrical excitability through two separate signaling cascades, while there was a negative crosstalk between sustained activation of AKT and PI3K.

Regulation of T-type Ca2+ channel expression by herpes simplex virus-1 infection in sensory-like ND7 cells

PubMed Central

Zhang, Qiaojuan; Hsia, Shao-Chung

2017-01-01

Infection of sensory neurons by herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1 disrupts electrical excitability, altering pain sensory transmission. Because of their low threshold for activation, functional expression of T-type Ca2+ channels regulates various cell functions, including neuronal excitability and neuronal communication. In this study, we have tested the effect of HSV-1 infection on the functional expression of T-type Ca2+ channels in differentiated ND7-23 sensory-like neurons. Voltage-gated Ca2+ currents were measured using whole cell patch clamp recordings in differentiated ND7-23 neurons under various culture conditions. Differentiation of ND7-23 cells evokes a significant increase in T-type Ca2+ current densities. Increased T-type Ca2+ channel expression promotes the morphological differentiation of ND7-23 cells and triggers a rebound depolarization. HSV-1 infection of differentiated ND7-23 cells causes a significant loss of T-type Ca2+ channels from the membrane. HSV-1 evoked reduction in the functional expression of T-type Ca2+ channels is mediated by several factors, including decreased expression of Cav3.2 T-type Ca2+ channel subunits and disruption of endocytic transport. Decreased functional expression of T-type Ca2+ channels by HSV-1 infection requires protein synthesis and viral replication, but occurs independently of Egr-1 expression. These findings suggest that infection of neuron-like cells by HSV-1 causes a significant disruption in the expression of T-type Ca2+ channels, which can results in morphological and functional changes in electrical excitability. PMID:28639215

Transient removal of alkaline zones after excitation of Chara cells is associated with inactivation of high conductance in the plasmalemma

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

The action potential (AP) of excitable plant cells is a multifunctional physiological signal. Its generation in characean algae suppresses the pH banding for 15–30 min and enhances the heterogeneity of spatial distribution of photosynthetic activity. This suppression is largely due to the cessation of H+ influx (OH− efflux) in the alkaline cell regions. Measurements of local pH and membrane conductance in individual space-clamped alkaline zones (small cell areas bathed in an isolated pool of external medium) showed that the AP generation is followed by the transient disappearance of alkaline zone in parallel with a large decrease in membrane conductance. These changes, specific to alkaline zones, were only observed under continuous illumination following a relaxation period of at least 15 min after previous excitation. The excitation of dark-adapted cells produced no conductance changes in the post-excitation period. The results indicate that the origin of alkaline zones in characean cells is not due to operation of electroneutral H+/HCO3− symport or OH−/HCO3− antiport. It is concluded that the membrane excitation is associated with inactivation of plasmalemma high conductance in the alkaline cell regions. PMID:19820298

Graded Positive Feedback in Elasmobranch Ampullae of Lorenzini

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalmijn, Ad. J.

2003-05-01

The acute electrical sensitivity of marine sharks and rays is the greatest known in the Animal Kingdom. I investigate the possibility that the underlying biophysical principles are the very same as those encountered in the central nervous system of animal and man. The elasmobranch ampullae of Lorenzini detect the weak electric fields originating from the oceanic environment, whereas the nerve cells of the brain detect the electric fields arising, well, from the central nervous system. In responding to electrical signals, the cell membranes of excitable cells behave in different regions of the cell as negative or positive conductors. The negative and positive conductances in series, loaded by the cell's electrolytic environment, constitute a positive feedback circuit. The result may be of an all-or-none nature, as in peripheral nerve conduction, or of a graded nature, as in central processing. In this respect, the operation of the elasmobranch ampullae of Lorenzini is more akin to the graded, integrative processes of higher brain centers than to the conduction of nerve action potentials. Hence, the positive-feedback ampullary circuit promises to help elucidate the functioning of the central nervous system as profoundly as the squid giant axon has served to reveal the process of nervous conduction.

Interpreting electrically evoked emissions using a finite-element model of the cochlea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deo, Niranjan V.; Grosh, Karl; Parthasarathi, Anand

2003-10-01

Electrically evoked otoacoustic emissions (EEOAEs) are used to investigate in vivo cochlear electromechanical function. Electrical stimulation through bipolar electrodes placed very close to the basilar membrane (in the scala vestibuli and scala tympani) gives rise to a narrow frequency range of EEOAEs, limited to around 20 kHz when the electrodes are placed near the 18-kHz best frequency place. Model predictions using a three-dimensional inviscid fluid model in conjunction with a middle ear model [S. Puria and J. B. Allen, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 104, 3463-3481 (1998)] and a simple model for outer hair cell activity [S. Neely and D. Kim, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 94, 137-146 (1993)] are used to interpret the experimental results. To estimate effect of viscosity, model results are compared with those obtained for a viscous fluid. The models are solved using a 2.5-D finite-element formulation. Predictions show that the high frequency limit of the excitation is determined by the spatial extent of the current stimulus. The global peaks in the EEOAE spectra are interpreted as constructive interference between electrically evoked backward traveling waves and forward traveling waves reflected from the stapes. Steady state response predictions of the model are presented.

A cardiac electrical activity model based on a cellular automata system in comparison with neural network model.

PubMed

Khan, Muhammad Sadiq Ali; Yousuf, Sidrah

2016-03-01

Cardiac Electrical Activity is commonly distributed into three dimensions of Cardiac Tissue (Myocardium) and evolves with duration of time. The indicator of heart diseases can occur randomly at any time of a day. Heart rate, conduction and each electrical activity during cardiac cycle should be monitor non-invasively for the assessment of "Action Potential" (regular) and "Arrhythmia" (irregular) rhythms. Many heart diseases can easily be examined through Automata model like Cellular Automata concepts. This paper deals with the different states of cardiac rhythms using cellular automata with the comparison of neural network also provides fast and highly effective stimulation for the contraction of cardiac muscles on the Atria in the result of genesis of electrical spark or wave. The specific formulated model named as "States of automaton Proposed Model for CEA (Cardiac Electrical Activity)" by using Cellular Automata Methodology is commonly shows the three states of cardiac tissues conduction phenomena (i) Resting (Relax and Excitable state), (ii) ARP (Excited but Absolutely refractory Phase i.e. Excited but not able to excite neighboring cells) (iii) RRP (Excited but Relatively Refractory Phase i.e. Excited and able to excite neighboring cells). The result indicates most efficient modeling with few burden of computation and it is Action Potential during the pumping of blood in cardiac cycle.

Anatomical and spiral wave reentry in a simplified model for atrial electrophysiology.

PubMed

Richter, Yvonne; Lind, Pedro G; Seemann, Gunnar; Maass, Philipp

2017-04-21

For modeling the propagation of action potentials in the human atria, various models have been developed in the past, which take into account in detail the influence of the numerous ionic currents flowing through the cell membrane. Aiming at a simplified description, the Bueno-Orovio-Cherry-Fenton (BOCF) model for electric wave propagation in the ventricle has been adapted recently to atrial physiology. Here, we study this adapted BOCF (aBOCF) model with respect to its capability to accurately generate spatio-temporal excitation patterns found in anatomical and spiral wave reentry. To this end, we compare results of the aBOCF model with the more detailed one proposed by Courtemanche, Ramirez and Nattel (CRN model). We find that characteristic features of the reentrant excitation patterns seen in the CRN model are well captured by the aBOCF model. This opens the possibility to study origins of atrial fibrillation based on a simplified but still reliable description. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The interplay between genetic and bioelectrical signaling permits a spatial regionalisation of membrane potentials in model multicellular ensembles

PubMed Central

Cervera, Javier; Meseguer, Salvador; Mafe, Salvador

2016-01-01

The single cell-centred approach emphasises ion channels as specific proteins that determine individual properties, disregarding their contribution to multicellular outcomes. We simulate the interplay between genetic and bioelectrical signals in non-excitable cells from the local single-cell level to the long range multicellular ensemble. The single-cell genetic regulation is based on mean-field kinetic equations involving the mRNA and protein concentrations. The transcription rate factor is assumed to depend on the absolute value of the cell potential, which is dictated by the voltage-gated cell ion channels and the intercellular gap junctions. The interplay between genetic and electrical signals may allow translating single-cell states into multicellular states which provide spatio-temporal information. The model results have clear implications for biological processes: (i) bioelectric signals can override slightly different genetic pre-patterns; (ii) ensembles of cells initially at the same potential can undergo an electrical regionalisation because of persistent genetic differences between adjacent spatial regions; and (iii) shifts in the normal cell electrical balance could trigger significant changes in the genetic regulation. PMID:27731412

The interplay between genetic and bioelectrical signaling permits a spatial regionalisation of membrane potentials in model multicellular ensembles.

PubMed

Cervera, Javier; Meseguer, Salvador; Mafe, Salvador

2016-10-12

The single cell-centred approach emphasises ion channels as specific proteins that determine individual properties, disregarding their contribution to multicellular outcomes. We simulate the interplay between genetic and bioelectrical signals in non-excitable cells from the local single-cell level to the long range multicellular ensemble. The single-cell genetic regulation is based on mean-field kinetic equations involving the mRNA and protein concentrations. The transcription rate factor is assumed to depend on the absolute value of the cell potential, which is dictated by the voltage-gated cell ion channels and the intercellular gap junctions. The interplay between genetic and electrical signals may allow translating single-cell states into multicellular states which provide spatio-temporal information. The model results have clear implications for biological processes: (i) bioelectric signals can override slightly different genetic pre-patterns; (ii) ensembles of cells initially at the same potential can undergo an electrical regionalisation because of persistent genetic differences between adjacent spatial regions; and (iii) shifts in the normal cell electrical balance could trigger significant changes in the genetic regulation.

The Relationship between Membrane Potential and Calcium Dynamics in Glucose-Stimulated Beta Cell Syncytium in Acute Mouse Pancreas Tissue Slices

PubMed Central

Miller, Evan W.; Slak Rupnik, Marjan

2013-01-01

Oscillatory electrical activity is regarded as a hallmark of the pancreatic beta cell glucose-dependent excitability pattern. Electrophysiologically recorded membrane potential oscillations in beta cells are associated with in-phase oscillatory cytosolic calcium activity ([Ca2+]i) measured with fluorescent probes. Recent high spatial and temporal resolution confocal imaging revealed that glucose stimulation of beta cells in intact islets within acute tissue slices produces a [Ca2+]i change with initial transient phase followed by a plateau phase with highly synchronized [Ca2+]i oscillations. Here, we aimed to correlate the plateau [Ca2+]i oscillations with the oscillations of membrane potential using patch-clamp and for the first time high resolution voltage-sensitive dye based confocal imaging. Our results demonstrated that the glucose-evoked membrane potential oscillations spread over the islet in a wave-like manner, their durations and wave velocities being comparable to the ones for [Ca2+]i oscillations and waves. High temporal resolution simultaneous records of membrane potential and [Ca2+]i confirmed tight but nevertheless limited coupling of the two processes, with membrane depolarization preceding the [Ca2+]i increase. The potassium channel blocker tetraethylammonium increased the velocity at which oscillations advanced over the islet by several-fold while, at the same time, emphasized differences in kinetics of the membrane potential and the [Ca2+]i. The combination of both imaging techniques provides a powerful tool that will help us attain deeper knowledge of the beta cell network. PMID:24324777

On optimization of energy harvesting from base-excited vibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tai, Wei-Che; Zuo, Lei

2017-12-01

This paper re-examines and clarifies the long-believed optimization conditions of electromagnetic and piezoelectric energy harvesting from base-excited vibration. In terms of electromagnetic energy harvesting, it is typically believed that the maximum power is achieved when the excitation frequency and electrical damping equal the natural frequency and mechanical damping of the mechanical system respectively. We will show that this optimization condition is only valid when the acceleration amplitude of base excitation is constant and an approximation for small mechanical damping when the excitation displacement amplitude is constant. To this end, a two-variable optimization analysis, involving the normalized excitation frequency and electrical damping ratio, is performed to derive the exact optimization condition of each case. When the excitation displacement amplitude is constant, we analytically show that, in contrast to the long-believed optimization condition, the optimal excitation frequency and electrical damping are always larger than the natural frequency and mechanical damping ratio respectively. In particular, when the mechanical damping ratio exceeds a critical value, the optimization condition is no longer valid. Instead, the average power generally increases as the excitation frequency and electrical damping ratio increase. Furthermore, the optimization analysis is extended to consider parasitic electrical losses, which also shows different results when compared with existing literature. When the excitation acceleration amplitude is constant, on the other hand, the exact optimization condition is identical to the long-believed one. In terms of piezoelectric energy harvesting, it is commonly believed that the optimal power efficiency is achieved when the excitation and the short or open circuit frequency of the harvester are equal. Via a similar two-variable optimization analysis, we analytically show that the optimal excitation frequency depends on the mechanical damping ratio and does not equal the short or open circuit frequency. Finally, the optimal excitation frequencies and resistive loads are derived in closed-form.

Electrically evoked reticular lamina and basilar membrane vibrations in mice with alpha tectorin C1509G mutation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Tianying; He, Wenxuan

2015-12-01

Mechanical coupling between the tectorial membrane and the hair bundles of outer hair cells is crucial for stimulating mechanoelectrical transduction channels, which convert sound-induced vibrations into electrical signal, and for transmitting outer hair cell-generated force back to the basilar membrane to boost hearing sensitivity. It has been demonstrated that the detached tectorial membrane in mice with C1509G alpha tectorin mutation caused hearing loss, but enhanced electrically evoked otoacoustic emissions. To understand how the mutated cochlea emits sounds, the reticular lamina and basilar membrane vibrations were measured in the electrically stimulated cochlea in this study. The results showed that the electrically evoked basilar membrane vibration decreased dramatically while the reticular lamina vibration and otoacoustic emissions exhibited no significant change in C1509G mutation mice. This result indicates that a functional cochlear amplifier and a normal basilar membrane vibration are not required for the outer hair cell-generated sound to exit the cochlea.

Membrane architectures for ion-channel switch-based electrochemical biosensors

DOEpatents

Sansinena, Jose-Maria; Redondo, Antonio; Swanson, Basil I.; Yee, Chanel Kitmon; Sapuri/Butti, Annapoorna R.; Parikh, Atul N.; Yang, Calvin

2008-10-28

The present invention is directed to a process of forming a bilayer lipid membrane structure by depositing an organic layer having a defined surface area onto an electrically conductive substrate, removing portions of said organic layer upon said electrically conductive substrate whereby selected portions of said organic layer are removed to form defined voids within said defined surface area of said organic layer and defined islands of organic layer upon said electrically conductive substrate, and, depositing a bilayer lipid membrane over the defined voids and defined islands of organic layer upon said substrate whereby aqueous reservoirs are formed between said electrically conductive substrate and said bilayer lipid membrane, said bilayer lipid membrane characterized as spanning across the defined voids between said defined islands. A lipid membrane structure is also described together with an array of such lipid membrane structure.

Electrochemical Device Comprising an Electrically-Conductive, Selectively-Permeable Membrane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laicer, Castro S. T. (Inventor); Mittelsteadt, Cortney K. (Inventor); Harrison, Katherine E. (Inventor); McPheeters, Bryn M. (Inventor)

2017-01-01

An electrochemical device, such as a fuel cell or an electrolyzer. In one embodiment, the electrochemical device includes a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), an anodic gas diffusion medium in contact with the anode of the MEA, a cathodic gas diffusion medium in contact with the cathode, a first bipolar plate in contact with the anodic gas diffusion medium, and a second bipolar plate in contact with the cathodic gas diffusion medium. Each of the bipolar plates includes an electrically-conductive, non-porous, liquid-permeable, substantially gas-impermeable membrane in contact with its respective gas diffusion medium, the membrane including a solid polymer electrolyte and a non-particulate, electrically-conductive material, such as carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, and/or metal nanowires. In addition, each bipolar plate also includes an electrically-conductive fluid chamber in contact with the electrically-conductive, selectively-permeable membrane and further includes a non-porous and electrically-conductive plate in contact with the fluid chamber.

Theory of the formation of the electric double layer at the ion exchange membrane-solution interface.

PubMed

Moya, A A

2015-02-21

This work aims to extend the study of the formation of the electric double layer at the interface defined by a solution and an ion-exchange membrane on the basis of the Nernst-Planck and Poisson equations, including different values of the counter-ion diffusion coefficient and the dielectric constant in the solution and membrane phases. The network simulation method is used to obtain the time evolution of the electric potential, the displacement electric vector, the electric charge density and the ionic concentrations at the interface between a binary electrolyte solution and a cation-exchange membrane with total co-ion exclusion. The numerical results for the temporal evolution of the interfacial electric potential and the surface electric charge are compared with analytical solutions derived in the limit of the shortest times by considering the Poisson equation for a simple cationic diffusion process. The steady-state results are justified from the Gouy-Chapman theory for the diffuse double layer in the limits of similar and high bathing ionic concentrations with respect to the fixed-charge concentration inside the membrane. Interesting new physical insights arise from the interpretation of the process of the formation of the electric double layer at the ion exchange membrane-solution interface on the basis of a membrane model with total co-ion exclusion.

Fluorescent molecular probes based on excited state prototropism in lipid bilayer membrane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohapatra, Monalisa; Mishra, Ashok K.

2012-03-01

Excited state prototropism (ESPT) is observed in molecules having one or more ionizable protons, whose proton transfer efficiency is different in ground and excited states. The interaction of various ESPT molecules like naphthols and intramolecular ESPT (ESIPT) molecules like hydroxyflavones etc. with different microheterogeneous media have been studied in detail and excited state prototropism as a probe concept has been gaining ground. The fluorescence of different prototropic forms of such molecules, on partitioning to an organized medium like lipid bilayer membrane, often show sensitive response to the local environment with respect to the local structure, physical properties and dynamics. Our recent work using 1-naphthol as an ESPT fluorescent molecular probe has shown that the incorporation of monomeric bile salt molecules into lipid bilayer membranes composed from dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC, a lung surfactant) and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC), in solid gel and liquid crystalline phases, induce appreciable wetting of the bilayer up to the hydrocarbon core region, even at very low (<= 1 mM) concentrations of the bile salts. The incorporation and location of fisetin, an ESIPT molecule having antioxidant properties, in lipid bilayer membrane has been sensitively monitored from its intrinsic fluorescence behaviour.

Double anisotropic electrically conductive flexible Janus-typed membranes.

PubMed

Li, Xiaobing; Ma, Qianli; Tian, Jiao; Xi, Xue; Li, Dan; Dong, Xiangting; Yu, Wensheng; Wang, Xinlu; Wang, Jinxian; Liu, Guixia

2017-12-07

Novel type III anisotropic conductive films (ACFs), namely flexible Janus-typed membranes, were proposed, designed and fabricated for the first time. Flexible Janus-typed membranes composed of ordered Janus nanobelts were constructed by electrospinning, which simultaneously possess fluorescence and double electrically conductive anisotropy. For the fabrication of the Janus-typed membrane, Janus nanobelts comprising a conductive side and an insulative-fluorescent side were primarily fabricated, and then the Janus nanobelts are arranged into parallel arrays using an aluminum rotary drum as the collector to obtain a single anisotropically conductive film. Subsequently, a secondary electrospinning process was applied to the as-prepared single anisotropically conductive films to acquire the final Janus-typed membrane. For this Janus-typed membrane, namely its left-to-right structure, anisotropic electrical conduction synchronously exists on both sides, and furthermore, the two electrically conductive directions are perpendicular. By modulating the amount of Eu(BA) 3 phen complex and conducting polyaniline (PANI), the characteristics and intensity of the fluorescence-electricity dual-function in the membrane can be tuned. The high integration of this peculiar Janus-typed membrane with simultaneous double electrically conductive anisotropy-fluorescent dual-functionality is successfully realized in this study. This design philosophy and preparative technique will provide support for the design and construction of new types of special nanostructures with multi-functionality.

A photosynthetic-plasmonic-voltaic cell: Excitation of photosynthetic bacteria and current collection through a plasmonic substrate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Samsonoff, Nathan; Ooms, Matthew D.; Sinton, David

2014-01-27

Excitation of photosynthetic biofilms using surface-confined evanescent light fields enables energy dense photobioreactors, while electrode-adhered biofilms can provide electricity directly. Here, we demonstrate concurrent light delivery and electron transport through a plasmonically excited metal film. Biofilms of cyanobacterium Synechococcus bacillaris on 50-nm gold films are excited via the Kretschmann configuration at λ = 670 nm. Cells show light/dark response to plasmonic excitation and grow denser biofilms, closer to the electrode surface, as compared to the direct irradiated case. Directly irradiated biofilms produced average electrical powers of 5.7 μW/m{sup 2} and plasmonically excited biofilms produced average electrical powers of 5.8 μW/m{sup 2}, with individual biofilmsmore » producing as much as 12 μW/m{sup 2}.« less

Excitement and synchronization of small-world neuronal networks with short-term synaptic plasticity.

PubMed

Han, Fang; Wiercigroch, Marian; Fang, Jian-An; Wang, Zhijie

2011-10-01

Excitement and synchronization of electrically and chemically coupled Newman-Watts (NW) small-world neuronal networks with a short-term synaptic plasticity described by a modified Oja learning rule are investigated. For each type of neuronal network, the variation properties of synaptic weights are examined first. Then the effects of the learning rate, the coupling strength and the shortcut-adding probability on excitement and synchronization of the neuronal network are studied. It is shown that the synaptic learning suppresses the over-excitement, helps synchronization for the electrically coupled network but impairs synchronization for the chemically coupled one. Both the introduction of shortcuts and the increase of the coupling strength improve synchronization and they are helpful in increasing the excitement for the chemically coupled network, but have little effect on the excitement of the electrically coupled one.

Disruption of Ankyrin B and Caveolin-1 Interaction Sites Alters Na+,K+-ATPase Membrane Diffusion.

PubMed

Junghans, Cornelia; Vukojević, Vladana; Tavraz, Neslihan N; Maksimov, Eugene G; Zuschratter, Werner; Schmitt, Franz-Josef; Friedrich, Thomas

2017-11-21

The Na + ,K + -ATPase is a plasma membrane ion transporter of high physiological importance for ion homeostasis and cellular excitability in electrically active tissues. Mutations in the genes coding for Na + ,K + -ATPase α-subunit isoforms lead to severe human pathologies including Familial Hemiplegic Migraine type 2, Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood, Rapid-onset Dystonia Parkinsonism, or epilepsy. Many of the reported mutations lead to change- or loss-of-function effects, whereas others do not alter the functional properties, but lead to, e.g., reduced protein stability, reduced protein expression, or defective plasma membrane targeting. Na + ,K + -ATPase frequently assembles with other membrane transporters or cellular matrix proteins in specialized plasma membrane microdomains, but the effects of these interactions on targeting or protein mobility are elusive so far. Mutation of established interaction motifs of the Na + ,K + -ATPase with ankyrin B and caveolin-1 are expected to result in changes in plasma membrane targeting, changes of the localization pattern, and of the diffusion behavior of the enzyme. We studied the consequences of mutations in these binding sites by monitoring diffusion of eGFP-labeled Na + ,K + -ATPase constructs in the plasma membrane of HEK293T cells by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy as well as fluorescence recovery after photobleaching or photoswitching, and observed significant differences compared to the wild-type enzyme, with synergistic effects for combinations of interaction site mutations. These measurements expand the possibilities to study the consequences of Na + ,K + -ATPase mutations and provide information about the interaction of Na + ,K + -ATPase α-isoforms with cellular matrix proteins, the cytoskeleton, or other membrane protein complexes. Copyright © 2017 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bioinspired model of mechanical energy harvesting based on flexoelectric membranes.

PubMed

Rey, Alejandro D; Servio, P; Herrera-Valencia, E E

2013-02-01

Membrane flexoelectricity is an electromechanical coupling process that describes membrane electrical polarization due to bending and membrane bending under electric fields. In this paper we propose, formulate, and characterize a mechanical energy harvesting system consisting of a deformable soft flexoelectric thin membrane subjected to harmonic forcing from contacting bulk fluids. The key elements of the energy harvester are formulated and characterized, including (i) the mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency, (ii) the electromechanical shape equation connecting fluid forces with membrane curvature and electric displacement, and (iii) the electric power generation and efficiency. The energy conversion efficiency is cast as the ratio of flexoelectric coupling to the product of electric and bending elasticity. The device is described by a second-order curvature dynamics coupled to the electric displacement equation and as such results in mechanical power absorption with a resonant peak whose amplitude decreases with bending viscosity. The electric power generation is proportional to the conversion factor and the power efficiency decreases with frequency. Under high bending viscosity, the power efficiency increases with the conversion factor and under low viscosities it decreases with the conversion factor. The theoretical results presented contribute to the ongoing experimental efforts to develop mechanical energy harvesting from fluid flow energy through solid-fluid interactions and electromechanical transduction.

Electromagnetic resonance in the asymmetric terahertz metamaterials with triangle microstructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xing, Yuanyuan; Zhang, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Qiang; Gu, Yanping; Qian, Yunan; Lin, Xingyue; Tang, Yunhai; Cheng, Xinli; Qin, Changfa; Shen, Jiaoyan; Zang, Taocheng; Ma, Chunlan

2018-05-01

We investigate terahertz transmission properties and electromagnetic resonance modes in the asymmetric triangle structures with the change of asymmetric distance and the direction of electric field. When the THz electric field is perpendicular to the split gap of triangle, the electric field can better excite the THz absorption in the triangle structures. Importantly, electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) characteristics are observed in the triangle structures due to the destructive interference of the different excited modes. The distributions of electric field and surface current density simulated by finite difference time domain indicate that the bright mode is excited by the side of triangle structures and dark mode is excited by the gap-side of triangle. The present study is helpful to understand the electromagnetic resonance in the asymmetric triangular metamaterials.

Regulation of Cell Cytoskeleton and Membrane Mechanics by Electric Field: Role of Linker Proteins

PubMed Central

Titushkin, Igor; Cho, Michael

2009-01-01

Abstract Cellular mechanics is known to play an important role in the cell homeostasis including proliferation, motility, and differentiation. Significant variation in the mechanical properties between different cell types suggests that control of the cell metabolism is feasible through manipulation of the cell mechanical parameters using external physical stimuli. We investigated the electrocoupling mechanisms of cellular biomechanics modulation by an electrical stimulation in two mechanically distinct cell types—human mesenchymal stem cells and osteoblasts. Application of a 2 V/cm direct current electric field resulted in approximately a twofold decrease in the cell elasticity and depleted intracellular ATP. Reduction in the ATP level led to inhibition of the linker proteins that are known to physically couple the cell membrane and cytoskeleton. The membrane separation from the cytoskeleton was confirmed by up to a twofold increase in the membrane tether length that was extracted from the cell membrane after an electrical stimulation. In comparison to human mesenchymal stem cells, the membrane-cytoskeleton attachment in osteoblasts was much stronger but, in response to the same electrical stimulation, the membrane detachment from the cytoskeleton was found to be more pronounced. The observed effects mediated by an electric field are cell type- and serum-dependent and can potentially be used for electrically assisted cell manipulation. An in-depth understanding and control of the mechanisms to regulate cell mechanics by external physical stimulus (e.g., electric field) may have great implications for stem cell-based tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. PMID:19167316

[Mechanism of ablation with nanosecond pulsed electric field].

PubMed

Cen, Chao; Chen, Xin-hua; Zheng, Shu-sen

2015-11-01

Nanosecond pulsed electric field ablation has been widely applied in clinical cancer treatment, while its molecular mechanism is still unclear. Researchers have revealed that nanosecond pulsed electric field generates nanopores in plasma membrane, leading to a rapid influx of Ca²⁺; it has specific effect on intracellular organelle membranes, resulting in endoplasmic reticulum injuries and mitochondrial membrane potential changes. In addition, it may also change cellular morphology through damage of cytoskeleton. This article reviews the recent research advances on the molecular mechanism of cell membrane and organelle changes induced by nanosecond pulsed electric field ablation.

Transient features in nanosecond pulsed electric fields differentially modulate mitochondria and viability.

PubMed

Beebe, Stephen J; Chen, Yeong-Jer; Sain, Nova M; Schoenbach, Karl H; Xiao, Shu

2012-01-01

It is hypothesized that high frequency components of nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs), determined by transient pulse features, are important for maximizing electric field interactions with intracellular structures. For monopolar square wave pulses, these transient features are determined by the rapid rise and fall of the pulsed electric fields. To determine effects on mitochondria membranes and plasma membranes, N1-S1 hepatocellular carcinoma cells were exposed to single 600 ns pulses with varying electric fields (0-80 kV/cm) and short (15 ns) or long (150 ns) rise and fall times. Plasma membrane effects were evaluated using Fluo-4 to determine calcium influx, the only measurable source of increases in intracellular calcium. Mitochondria membrane effects were evaluated using tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester (TMRE) to determine mitochondria membrane potentials (ΔΨm). Single pulses with short rise and fall times caused electric field-dependent increases in calcium influx, dissipation of ΔΨm and cell death. Pulses with long rise and fall times exhibited electric field-dependent increases in calcium influx, but diminished effects on dissipation of ΔΨm and viability. Results indicate that high frequency components have significant differential impact on mitochondria membranes, which determines cell death, but lesser variances on plasma membranes, which allows calcium influxes, a primary determinant for dissipation of ΔΨm and cell death.

Kinetics of electrically and chemically induced swelling in polyelectrolyte gels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grimshaw, P. E.; Nussbaum, J. H.; Grodzinsky, A. J.; Yarmush, M. L.

1990-09-01

Controlled swelling and shrinking of polyelectrolyte gels is useful for regulating the transport of solutes into, out of, and through these materials. A macroscopic continuum model is presented to predict the kinetics of swelling in polyelectrolyte gel membranes induced by augmentation of electrostatic swelling forces arising from membrane fixed charge groups. The model accounts for ionic transport within the membrane, electrodiffusion phenomena, dissociation of membrane charge groups, intramembrane fluid flow, and mechanical deformation of the membrane matrix. Model predictions are compared with measurements of chemically and electrically induced swelling and shrinking in crosslinked polymethacrylic acid (PMAA) membranes. Large, reversible changes in PMAA membrane hydration were observed after changing the bath pH or by applying an electric field to modify the intramembrane ionic environment and fixed charge density. A relatively slow swelling process and more rapid shrinking for both chemical and electrical modulation of the intramembrane pH are observed. The model indicates that retardation of membrane swelling is dominated by diffusion-limited reaction of H+ ions with membrane charge groups, and that the more rapid shrinking is limited primarily by mechanical processes.

Microbial Attachment Inhibition through Low-Voltage Electrochemical Reactions on Electrically Conducting Membranes.

PubMed

Ronen, Avner; Duan, Wenyan; Wheeldon, Ian; Walker, Sharon; Jassby, David

2015-11-03

Bacterial biofilm formation on membrane surfaces remains a serious challenge in water treatment systems. The impact of low voltages on microbial attachment to electrically conducting ultrafiltration membranes was investigated using a direct observation cross-flow membrane system mounted on a fluorescence microscope. Escherichia coli and microparticle deposition and detachment rates were measured as a function of the applied electrical potential to the membrane surface. Selecting bacteria and particles with low surface charge minimized electrostatic interactions between the bacteria and charged membrane surface. Application of an electrical potential had a significant impact on the detachment of live bacteria in comparison to dead bacteria and particles. Image analysis indicated that when a potential of 1.5 V was applied to the membrane/counter electrode pair, the percent of dead bacteria was 32±2.1 and 67±3.6% when the membrane was used as a cathode or anode, respectively, while at a potential of 1 V, 92±2.4% were alive. The application of low electrical potentials resulted in the production of low (μM) concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (HP) through the electroreduction of oxygen. The electrochemically produced HP reduced microbial cell viability and increased cellular permeability. Exposure to low concentrations of electrochemically produced HP on the membrane surface prevents bacterial attachment, thus ensuring biofilm-free conditions during membrane filtration operations.

Decreased electrical excitability of peripheral nerves in demyelinating polyneuropathies.

PubMed Central

Meulstee, J; Darbas, A; van Doorn, P A; van Briemen, L; van der Meché, F G

1997-01-01

Not recognising the presence of decreased excitability may give rise to a seemingly low compound muscle action potential, which may lead erroneously to the conclusion of conduction block. To quantify decreased electrical excitability, stimulation-response curves and the current needed to achieve 90% of the maximal compound muscle action potential amplitude, i90, were obtained in 17 healthy controls, eight patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome, 14 with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, and 10 with hereditary motor sensory neuropathy type I. Decreased electrical excitability was found in patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy and hereditary motor sensory neuropathy type I, by contrast with patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome. Recognising decreased excitability prevents the false assertion of conduction block and has electrodiagnostic importance for the differential diagnosis of demyelinating polyneuropathies. PMID:9120460

Optical Mapping of Membrane Potential and Epicardial Deformation in Beating Hearts.

PubMed

Zhang, Hanyu; Iijima, Kenichi; Huang, Jian; Walcott, Gregory P; Rogers, Jack M

2016-07-26

Cardiac optical mapping uses potentiometric fluorescent dyes to image membrane potential (Vm). An important limitation of conventional optical mapping is that contraction is usually arrested pharmacologically to prevent motion artifacts from obscuring Vm signals. However, these agents may alter electrophysiology, and by abolishing contraction, also prevent optical mapping from being used to study coupling between electrical and mechanical function. Here, we present a method to simultaneously map Vm and epicardial contraction in the beating heart. Isolated perfused swine hearts were stained with di-4-ANEPPS and fiducial markers were glued to the epicardium for motion tracking. The heart was imaged at 750 Hz with a video camera. Fluorescence was excited with cyan or blue LEDs on alternating camera frames, thus providing a 375-Hz effective sampling rate. Marker tracking enabled the pixel(s) imaging any epicardial site within the marked region to be identified in each camera frame. Cyan- and blue-elicited fluorescence have different sensitivities to Vm, but other signal features, primarily motion artifacts, are common. Thus, taking the ratio of fluorescence emitted by a motion-tracked epicardial site in adjacent frames removes artifacts, leaving Vm (excitation ratiometry). Reconstructed Vm signals were validated by comparison to monophasic action potentials and to conventional optical mapping signals. Binocular imaging with additional video cameras enabled marker motion to be tracked in three dimensions. From these data, epicardial deformation during the cardiac cycle was quantified by computing finite strain fields. We show that the method can simultaneously map Vm and strain in a left-sided working heart preparation and can image changes in both electrical and mechanical function 5 min after the induction of regional ischemia. By allowing high-resolution optical mapping in the absence of electromechanical uncoupling agents, the method relieves a long-standing limitation of optical mapping and has potential to enhance new studies in coupled cardiac electromechanics. Copyright © 2016 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Conformational changes in the M2 muscarinic receptor induced by membrane voltage and agonist binding

PubMed Central

Navarro-Polanco, Ricardo A; Galindo, Eloy G Moreno; Ferrer-Villada, Tania; Arias, Marcelo; Rigby, J Ryan; Sánchez-Chapula, José A; Tristani-Firouzi, Martin

2011-01-01

Abstract The ability to sense transmembrane voltage is a central feature of many membrane proteins, most notably voltage-gated ion channels. Gating current measurements provide valuable information on protein conformational changes induced by voltage. The recent observation that muscarinic G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) generate gating currents confirms their intrinsic capacity to sense the membrane electrical field. Here, we studied the effect of voltage on agonist activation of M2 muscarinic receptors (M2R) in atrial myocytes and how agonist binding alters M2R gating currents. Membrane depolarization decreased the potency of acetylcholine (ACh), but increased the potency and efficacy of pilocarpine (Pilo), as measured by ACh-activated K+ current, IKACh. Voltage-induced conformational changes in M2R were modified in a ligand-selective manner: ACh reduced gating charge displacement while Pilo increased the amount of charge displaced. Thus, these ligands manifest opposite voltage-dependent IKACh modulation and exert opposite effects on M2R gating charge displacement. Finally, mutations in the putative ligand binding site perturbed the movement of the M2R voltage sensor. Our data suggest that changes in voltage induce conformational changes in the ligand binding site that alter the agonist–receptor interaction in a ligand-dependent manner. Voltage-dependent GPCR modulation has important implications for cellular signalling in excitable tissues. Gating current measurement allows for the tracking of subtle conformational changes in the receptor that accompany agonist binding and changes in membrane voltage. PMID:21282291

Understanding the electrical behavior of the action potential in terms of elementary electrical sources.

PubMed

Rodriguez-Falces, Javier

2015-03-01

A concept of major importance in human electrophysiology studies is the process by which activation of an excitable cell results in a rapid rise and fall of the electrical membrane potential, the so-called action potential. Hodgkin and Huxley proposed a model to explain the ionic mechanisms underlying the formation of action potentials. However, this model is unsuitably complex for teaching purposes. In addition, the Hodgkin and Huxley approach describes the shape of the action potential only in terms of ionic currents, i.e., it is unable to explain the electrical significance of the action potential or describe the electrical field arising from this source using basic concepts of electromagnetic theory. The goal of the present report was to propose a new model to describe the electrical behaviour of the action potential in terms of elementary electrical sources (in particular, dipoles). The efficacy of this model was tested through a closed-book written exam. The proposed model increased the ability of students to appreciate the distributed character of the action potential and also to recognize that this source spreads out along the fiber as function of space. In addition, the new approach allowed students to realize that the amplitude and sign of the extracellular electrical potential arising from the action potential are determined by the spatial derivative of this intracellular source. The proposed model, which incorporates intuitive graphical representations, has improved students' understanding of the electrical potentials generated by bioelectrical sources and has heightened their interest in bioelectricity. Copyright © 2015 The American Physiological Society.

Inkjet-Printed Membrane for a Capacitive Acoustic Sensor: Development and Characterization Using Laser Vibrometer

PubMed Central

Haque, Rubaiyet Iftekharul; Ogam, Erick; Benaben, Patrick; Boddaert, Xavier

2017-01-01

This paper describes the fabrication process and the method to determine the membrane tension and defects of an inkjet-printed circular diaphragm. The membrane tension is an important parameter to design and fabricate an acoustic sensor and resonator with the highest sensitivity and selectivity over a determined range of frequency. During this work, the diaphragms are fabricated by inkjet printing of conductive silver ink on pre-strained Mylar thin films, and the membrane tension is determined using the resonant frequency obtained from its measured surface velocity response to an acoustic excitation. The membrane is excited by an acoustic pressure generated by a loudspeaker, and its displacement (response) is acquired using a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV). The response of the fabricated membrane demonstrates good correlation with the numerical result. However, the inkjet-printed membrane exhibits undesired peaks, which appeared to be due to defects at their boundaries as observed from the scanning mode of LDV. PMID:28481267

Inkjet-Printed Membrane for a Capacitive Acoustic Sensor: Development and Characterization Using Laser Vibrometer.

PubMed

Haque, Rubaiyet Iftekharul; Ogam, Erick; Benaben, Patrick; Boddaert, Xavier

2017-05-06

This paper describes the fabrication process and the method to determine the membrane tension and defects of an inkjet-printed circular diaphragm. The membrane tension is an important parameter to design and fabricate an acoustic sensor and resonator with the highest sensitivity and selectivity over a determined range of frequency. During this work, the diaphragms are fabricated by inkjet printing of conductive silver ink on pre-strained Mylar thin films, and the membrane tension is determined using the resonant frequency obtained from its measured surface velocity response to an acoustic excitation. The membrane is excited by an acoustic pressure generated by a loudspeaker, and its displacement (response) is acquired using a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV). The response of the fabricated membrane demonstrates good correlation with the numerical result. However, the inkjet-printed membrane exhibits undesired peaks, which appeared to be due to defects at their boundaries as observed from the scanning mode of LDV.

Lateral diffusion contributes to FRET from lanthanide-tagged membrane proteins

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lan, Tien-Hung; Wu, Guangyu; Lambert, Nevin A., E-mail: nelambert@gru.edu

2015-08-14

Diffusion can enhance Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) when donors or acceptors diffuse distances that are similar to the distances separating them during the donor's excited state lifetime. Lanthanide donors remain in the excited state for milliseconds, which makes them useful for time-resolved FRET applications but also allows time for diffusion to enhance energy transfer. Here we show that diffusion dramatically enhances FRET between membrane proteins labeled with lanthanide donors. This phenomenon complicates interpretation of experiments that use long-lived donors to infer association or proximity of mobile membrane proteins, but also offers a method of monitoring diffusion in membrane domainsmore » in real time in living cells. - Highlights: • Diffusion enhances TR-FRET from membrane proteins labeled with lanthanide donors. • Diffusion-dependent FRET can overshadow FRET due to oligomerization or clustering. • FRET studies using lanthanide-tagged membrane proteins should consider diffusion. • FRET from lanthanide donors can be used to monitor membrane protein diffusion.« less

Laser spectroscopy of the 5P3/2 → 6Pj (j = 1/2 and 3/2) electric dipole forbidden transitions in atomic rubidium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ponciano-Ojeda, F.; Hernández-Gómez, S.; Mojica-Casique, C.; Hoyos, L. M.; Flores-Mijangos, J.; Ramírez-Martínez, F.; Sahagún, D.; Jáuregui, R.; Jiménez-Mier, J.

2018-04-01

Doppler-free optical double-resonance spectroscopy is used to study the 5S1/2 → 5P3/2 → 6Pj (j = 3/2,1/2) excitation sequence in room-temperature rubidium atoms. This involves a 5S1/2 → 5P3/2 electric dipole preparation step followed by the 5P3/2 → 6Pj electric quadrupole excitation. The electric dipole forbidden transitions occur at 911.0 nm (j = 3/2) and 917.5 nm (j = 1/2). Production of atoms in the 6Pj states is detected by observing their direct decay to the ground state through emission of blue photons (λ ≈ 420 nm). A detailed experimental and theoretical study of the dependence on the relative linear polarizations of excitation beams is made. It is shown that specific electric quadrupole selection rules over magnetic quantum numbers are directly related to the relative orientation of the linear polarization of the excitation beams.

Transcranial direct current stimulation and power spectral parameters: a tDCS/EEG co-registration study

PubMed Central

Mangia, Anna L.; Pirini, Marco; Cappello, Angelo

2014-01-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) delivers low electric currents to the brain through the scalp. Constant electric currents induce shifts in neuronal membrane excitability, resulting in secondary changes in cortical activity. Concomitant electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring during tDCS can provide valuable information on the tDCS mechanisms of action. This study examined the effects of anodal tDCS on spontaneous cortical activity in a resting brain to disclose possible modulation of spontaneous oscillatory brain activity. EEG activity was measured in ten healthy subjects during and after a session of anodal stimulation of the postero-parietal cortex to detect the tDCS-induced alterations. Changes in the theta, alpha, beta, and gamma power bands were investigated. Three main findings emerged: (1) an increase in theta band activity during the first minutes of stimulation; (2) an increase in alpha and beta power during and after stimulation; (3) a widespread activation in several brain regions. PMID:25147519

Polarizing intestinal epithelial cells electrically through Ror2

PubMed Central

Cao, Lin; McCaig, Colin D.; Scott, Roderick H.; Zhao, Siwei; Milne, Gillian; Clevers, Hans; Zhao, Min; Pu, Jin

2014-01-01

ABSTRACT The apicobasal polarity of enterocytes determines where the brush border membrane (apical membrane) will form, but how this apical membrane faces the lumen is not well understood. The electrical signal across the epithelium could serve as a coordinating cue, orienting and polarizing enterocytes. Here, we show that applying a physiological electric field to intestinal epithelial cells, to mimic the natural electric field created by the transepithelial potential difference, polarized phosphorylation of the actin-binding protein ezrin, increased expression of intestinal alkaline phosphatase (ALPI, a differentiation marker) and remodeled the actin cytoskeleton selectively on the cathode side. In addition, an applied electric field also activated ERK1/2 and LKB1 (also known as STK11), key molecules in apical membrane formation. Disruption of the tyrosine protein kinase transmembrane receptor Ror2 suppressed activation of ERK1/2 and LKB1 significantly, and subsequently inhibited apical membrane formation in enterocytes. Our findings indicate that the endogenous electric field created by the transepithelial potential difference might act as an essential coordinating signal for apical membrane formation at a tissue level, through activation of LKB1 mediated by Ror2–ERK signaling. PMID:24928904

The Relationship between Respiration-Related Membrane Potential Slow Oscillations and Discharge Patterns in Mitral/Tufted Cells: What Are the Rules?

PubMed Central

Briffaud, Virginie; Fourcaud-Trocmé, Nicolas; Messaoudi, Belkacem; Buonviso, Nathalie; Amat, Corine

2012-01-01

Background A slow respiration-related rhythm strongly shapes the activity of the olfactory bulb. This rhythm appears as a slow oscillation that is detectable in the membrane potential, the respiration-related spike discharge of the mitral/tufted cells and the bulbar local field potential. Here, we investigated the rules that govern the manifestation of membrane potential slow oscillations (MPSOs) and respiration-related discharge activities under various afferent input conditions and cellular excitability states. Methodology and Principal Findings We recorded the intracellular membrane potential signals in the mitral/tufted cells of freely breathing anesthetized rats. We first demonstrated the existence of multiple types of MPSOs, which were influenced by odor stimulation and discharge activity patterns. Complementary studies using changes in the intracellular excitability state and a computational model of the mitral cell demonstrated that slow oscillations in the mitral/tufted cell membrane potential were also modulated by the intracellular excitability state, whereas the respiration-related spike activity primarily reflected the afferent input. Based on our data regarding MPSOs and spike patterns, we found that cells exhibiting an unsynchronized discharge pattern never exhibited an MPSO. In contrast, cells with a respiration-synchronized discharge pattern always exhibited an MPSO. In addition, we demonstrated that the association between spike patterns and MPSO types appeared complex. Conclusion We propose that both the intracellular excitability state and input strength underlie specific MPSOs, which, in turn, constrain the types of spike patterns exhibited. PMID:22952828

Reactor process using metal oxide ceramic membranes

DOEpatents

Anderson, Marc A.

1994-01-01

A reaction vessel for use in photoelectrochemical reactions includes as its reactive surface a metal oxide porous ceramic membrane of a catalytic metal such as titanium. The reaction vessel includes a light source and a counter electrode. A provision for applying an electrical bias between the membrane and the counter electrode permits the Fermi levels of potential reaction to be favored so that certain reactions may be favored in the vessel. The electrical biasing is also useful for the cleaning of the catalytic membrane. Also disclosed is a method regenerating a porous metal oxide ceramic membrane used in a photoelectrochemical catalytic process by periodically removing the reactants and regenerating the membrane using a variety of chemical, thermal, and electrical techniques.

Do Membranes Dream of Electric Tubes? Advanced Membranes Using Carbon Nanotube - Polymer Nanocomposites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Lannoy, Charles-Francois Pedro Claude Karolek Ghislain

Membrane technologies represent an energy efficient, effective solution for treating municipal and commercial waters/wastewaters. Membranes are predominantly polymer-based and despite steady advances in polymeric materials, they continue to suffer from operational problems including biofouling and breakages. This work addresses these two disparate problems by developing novel CNT-polymer nanocomposite materials that contain variously functionalized carbon nanotubes (fCNTs) in low quantities (<0.5wt%). Several strategies have been employed to achieve highly functional CNT-polymer nanocomposite membranes including blend mixing, ionic charge association, and covalent cross-linking with monomer and oligomer constituents. These CNT-polymer nanocomposite membranes were compared to traditional polymer membranes across various properties including increased Young's Modulus, changes in surface hydrophilicity, fine control over molecular weight cut-off and flux, and surface electrical conductivity. Membranes with high surface electrical conductivity were further tested for their anti-biofouling properties. Finally, CNT stability and polymer compatibility were evaluated throughout membrane manufacture, use, and cleaning. The incorporation of CNTs mixed in bulk phase and linked through ionic associations in polymer matrices showed significant (50%) increases in Young's modulus for certain CNT functionalizations and derivatization percent. Membranes formed with high surface electrical conductivity demonstrated almost complete resistance to biofouling (> 95%) in long-term bacterially challenged experiments. CNTs and polymer mixtures that lacked covalent or ionic bonds were susceptible to significant (up to 10%) loss of CNTs during membrane non-solvent gelation and aggressive chemical cleaning treatment. Functionalized carbon nanotubes endow polymer membranes with their unique strength and electrically conductive properties. These added properties were demonstrated to greatly improve membrane operational efficiency and membrane longevity. CNT-polymer nanocomposite membranes offer low-energy, high-efficiency, and long-lifetime alternatives to traditional polymer membranes. With further advances in polymeric nanomaterials, membrane technology has the potential for wide applicability across many fields outside of water filtration and desalination.

Simulation of axonal excitability using a Spreadsheet template created in Microsoft Excel.

PubMed

Brown, A M

2000-08-01

The objective of this present study was to implement an established simulation protocol (A.M. Brown, A methodology for simulating biological systems using Microsoft Excel, Comp. Methods Prog. Biomed. 58 (1999) 181-90) to model axonal excitability. The simulation protocol involves the use of in-cell formulas directly typed into a spreadsheet and does not require any programming skills or use of the macro language. Once the initial spreadsheet template has been set up the simulations described in this paper can be executed with a few simple keystrokes. The model axon contained voltage-gated ion channels that were modeled using Hodgkin Huxley style kinetics. The basic properties of axonal excitability modeled were: (1) threshold of action potential firing, demonstrating that not only are the stimulus amplitude and duration critical in the generation of an action potential, but also the resting membrane potential; (2) refractoriness, the phenomenon of reduced excitability immediately following an action potential. The difference between the absolute refractory period, when no amount of stimulus will elicit an action potential, and relative refractory period, when an action potential may be generated by applying increased stimulus, was demonstrated with regard to the underlying state of the Na(+) and K(+) channels; (3) temporal summation, a process by which two sub-threshold stimuli can unite to elicit an action potential was shown to be due to conductance changes outlasting the first stimulus and summing with the second stimulus-induced conductance changes to drive the membrane potential past threshold; (4) anode break excitation, where membrane hyperpolarization was shown to produce an action potential by removing Na(+) channel inactivation that is present at resting membrane potential. The simulations described in this paper provide insights into mechanisms of axonal excitation that can be carried out by following an easily understood protocol.

Effect of lipid structure on the dipole potential of phosphatidylcholine bilayers.

PubMed

Clarke, R J

1997-07-25

A fluorescent ratio method utilizing styrylpyridinium dyes has recently been suggested for the measurement of the membrane dipole potential. Up to now only qualititative measurements have been possible. Here the fluorescence excitation ratio of the dye di-8-ANEPPS has been measured in lipid vesicles composed of a range of saturated and unsaturated phosphatidylcholines. It has been found that the fluorescence ratio is inversely proportional to the surface area occupied by the lipid in its fully hydrated state. This finding allows, by extra- and interpolation, the packing density to be estimated of phosphatidylcholines for which X-ray crystallographic data are not yet available. Comparison of the fluorescence data with literature data of the dipole potential from electrical measurements on monolayers and bilayers allows a calibration curve to be constructed, so that a quantitative determination of the dipole potential using di-8-ANEPPS is possible. It has been found that the value of the dipole potential decreases with increasing unsaturation and, in the case of unsaturated lipids, with increasing length of the hydrocarbon chains. This effect can be explained by the effects of chain packing on the spacing between the headgroups. In addition to the effects of lipid structure on membrane fluidity, these measurements demonstrate the possibility of a direct electrical mechanism for lipid regulation of protein function, in particular of ion transport proteins.

Electrochemical mineral scale prevention and removal on electrically conducting carbon nanotube--polyamide reverse osmosis membranes.

PubMed

Duan, Wenyan; Dudchenko, Alexander; Mende, Elizabeth; Flyer, Celeste; Zhu, Xiaobo; Jassby, David

2014-05-01

The electrochemical prevention and removal of CaSO4 and CaCO3 mineral scales on electrically conducting carbon nanotube - polyamide reverse osmosis membrane was investigated. Different electrical potentials were applied to the membrane surface while filtering model scaling solutions with high saturation indices. Scaling progression was monitored through flux measurements. CaCO3 scale was efficiently removed from the membrane surface through the intermittent application of a 2.5 V potential to the membrane surface, when the membrane acted as an anode. Water oxidation at the anode, which led to proton formation, resulted in the dissolution of deposited CaCO3 crystals. CaSO4 scale formation was significantly retarded through the continuous application of 1.5 V DC to the membrane surface, when the membrane was operated as an anode. The continuous application of a sufficient electrical potential to the membrane surface leads to the formation of a thick layer of counter-ions along the membrane surface that pushed CaSO4 crystal formation away from the membrane surface, allowing the formed crystals to be carried away by the cross-flow. We developed a simple model, based on a modified Poisson-Boltzmann equation, which qualitatively explained our observed experimental results.

The Electrophysiology of Electric Organs of Marine Electric Fishes

PubMed Central

Bennett, M. V. L.; Wurzel, M.; Grundfest, H.

1961-01-01

Single electroplaques of Torpedo nobiliana have been studied with microelectrode recording. Direct evidence is presented that the only electrogenically reactive membrane of the cells is on the innervated surface and that this membrane is electrically inexcitable. Responses are not evoked by depolarizing currents applied to this membrane, but only by stimulating the innervating nerve fibers. The responses arise after a latency of 1 to 3 msec. This latency is not affected by large depolarizing or hyperpolarizing changes in membrane potential. Various properties that have been theoretically associated with electrically inexcitable responses have been also demonstrated to occur in the electroplaques. The neurally evoked response is not propagated actively in the membrane and may have different amplitudes and forms in closely adjacent regions. The maximal responses frequently are slightly larger than the recorded resting potential but the apparent small overshoot may be due to difficulty in recording the full resting potential. The responses are subject to electrochemical gradation and appear inverted in sign on applying strong outward currents across the innervated membrane. This membrane is cholinoceptive and shows marked desensitization. The membrane of the uninnervated surface has a very low resistance, a factor that aids maximum output of current during the discharge of the electric organ. PMID:19873534

Transverse-type laser assembly using induced electrical discharge excitation and method

DOEpatents

Ault, Earl R.

1994-01-01

A transverse-type laser assembly is disclosed herein. This assembly defines a laser cavity containing a vapor or gaseous substance which lases when subjected to specific electrical discharge excitation between a pair of spaced-apart electrodes located within the cavity in order to produce a source of light. An arrangement located entirely outside the laser cavity is provided for inducing a voltage across the electrodes within the cavity sufficient to provide the necessary electrical discharge excitation to cause a vapor substance between the electrodes to lase.

Transverse-type laser assembly using induced electrical discharge excitation and method

DOEpatents

Ault, E.R.

1994-04-19

A transverse-type laser assembly is disclosed herein. This assembly defines a laser cavity containing a vapor or gaseous substance which lases when subjected to specific electrical discharge excitation between a pair of spaced-apart electrodes located within the cavity in order to produce a source of light. An arrangement located entirely outside the laser cavity is provided for inducing a voltage across the electrodes within the cavity sufficient to provide the necessary electrical discharge excitation to cause a vapor substance between the electrodes to lase. 3 figures.

The Role of Potassium Channels in Arabidopsis thaliana Long Distance Electrical Signalling: AKT2 Modulates Tissue Excitability While GORK Shapes Action Potentials.

PubMed

Cuin, Tracey Ann; Dreyer, Ingo; Michard, Erwan

2018-03-21

Fast responses to an external threat depend on the rapid transmission of signals through a plant. Action potentials (APs) are proposed as such signals. Plant APs share similarities with their animal counterparts; they are proposed to depend on the activity of voltage-gated ion channels. Nonetheless, despite their demonstrated role in (a)biotic stress responses, the identities of the associated voltage-gated channels and transporters remain undefined in higher plants. By demonstrating the role of two potassium-selective channels in Arabidopsis thaliana in AP generation and shaping, we show that the plant AP does depend on similar Kv -like transport systems to those of the animal signal. We demonstrate that the outward-rectifying potassium-selective channel GORK limits the AP amplitude and duration, while the weakly-rectifying channel AKT2 affects membrane excitability. By computational modelling of plant APs, we reveal that the GORK activity not only determines the length of an AP but also the steepness of its rise and the maximal amplitude. Thus, outward-rectifying potassium channels contribute to both the repolarisation phase and the initial depolarisation phase of the signal. Additionally, from modelling considerations we provide indications that plant APs might be accompanied by potassium waves, which prime the excitability of the green cable.

Biological effects of electric shock and heat denaturation and oxidation of molecules, membranes, and cellular functions.

PubMed

Tsong, T Y; Su, Z D

1999-10-30

Direct exposure of cells in suspension to intense electric pulses is known to produce damages to cell membranes and supramolecular organizations of cells, and denaturation of macromolecules, much like injuries and tears seen in electric trauma patients. Thus, the system has been used as a laboratory model for investigating the biochemical basis of electric injury. An intense electric pulse can produce two major effects on cells--one caused by the field, or the electric potential, and the other by current, or the electric energy. The field-induced transmembrane potential can produce electro-conformational changes of ion channels and ion pumps and, when the potential exceeds the dielectric strength of the cell membrane (approximately 500 mV for a pulse width of a few ms), electro-conformational damages and electroporations of membrane proteins and lipid bilayers. These events lead to passage of electric current through the membrane-porated cells and to heating of cell membranes and cytoplasmic contents. The subsequent denaturation of cell membranes and cytoplasmic macromolecules brings about many complex biochemical reactions, including oxidation of proteins and lipids. The combined effects may cripple the cells beyond repair. This communication will focus on the thermal effects of electric shock. After a brief review of the current state of knowledge on thermal denaturation of soluble enzymes and muscle proteins, this paper will describe experiments on the thermal denaturation of cellular components and functions, such as nucleosomes, and the electron transport chain and ATP synthetic enzymes of the mitochondrial inner membranes. Data will show that lipid peroxidation and the subsequent loss of the energy-transducing ability of the cells may occur even at moderate temperatures between 40 degrees C and 45 degrees C. However, lipid peroxidation may be prevented with reducing reagents such as mercaptoethanol, dithiothreitol, and ascorbic acid. Reactivation of denatured cellular proteins and functions may also be possible and a strategy for doing so is discussed.

Electromagnon excitation in the field-induced nonlinear ferrimagnetic phase of Ba 2Mg 2Fe 12O 22 studied by polarized inelastic neutron and terahertz time-domain optical spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Nakajima, Taro; Takahashi, Youtarou; Kibayashi, Shunsuke; ...

2016-01-19

We have studied magnetic excitations in a field-induced noncollinear commensurate ferrimagnetic phase of Ba 2Mg 2Fe 12O 22 by means of polarized inelastic neutron scattering (PINS) and terahertz (THz) time-domain optical spectroscopy under magnetic field. A previous THz spectroscopy study reported that the field-induced phase exhibits electric-dipole-active excitations with energies of around 5 meV [Kida et al., Phys. Rev. B 83, 064422 (2011)]. In the present PINS measurements, we observed inelastic scattering signals around 5 meV at the zone center in the spin-flip channel. This directly shows that the electric-dipole-active excitations are indeed of magnetic origin, that is, electromagnons. Inmore » addition, the present THz spectroscopy confirms that the excitations have oscillating electric polarization parallel to the c axis. In terms of the spin-current model (Katsura-Nagaosa-Balatsky model), the noncollinear magnetic order in the field-induced phase can induce static electric polarization perpendicular to the c axis, but not dynamic electric polarization along the c axis. Furthermore, we suggest that the electromagnon excitations can be explained by applying the magnetostriction model to the out-of-phase oscillations of the magnetic moments, which is deduced from the present experimental results.« less

Optical detection of two-color-fluorophore barcode for nanopore DNA sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, M.; Sychugov, I.; Schmidt, T.; Linnros, J.

2015-06-01

A simple schematic on parallel optical detection of two-fluorophore barcode for single-molecule nanopore sensing is presented. The chosen two fluorophores, ATTO-532 and DY-521-XL, emitting in well-separated spectrum range can be excited at the same wavelength. A beam splitter was employed to separate signals from the two fluorophores and guide them to the same CCD camera. Based on a conventional microscope, sources of background in the nanopore sensing system, including membranes, compounds in buffer solution, and a detection cell was characterized. By photoluminescence excitation measurements, it turned out that silicon membrane has a negligible photoluminescence under the examined excitation from 440 nm to 560 nm, in comparison with a silicon nitrite membrane. Further, background signals from the detection cell were suppressed. Brownian motion of 450 bps DNA labelled with single ATTO-532 or DY-521-XL was successfully recorded by our optical system.

Study of the Peripheral Nerve Fibers Myelin Structure Changes during Activation of Schwann Cell Acetylcholine Receptors

PubMed Central

Verdiyan, Ekaterina E.; Allakhverdiev, Elvin S.; Maksimov, Georgy V.

2016-01-01

In the present paper we consider a new type of mechanism by which neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) regulates the properties of peripheral nerve fibers myelin. Our data show the importance of the relationship between the changes in the number of Schwann cell (SC) acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) and the axon excitation (different intervals between action potentials (APs)). Using Raman spectroscopy, an effect of activation of SC AChRs on the myelin membrane fluidity was investigated. It was found, that ACh stimulates an increase in lipid ordering degree of the myelin lipids, thus providing evidence for specific role of the “axon-SC” interactions at the axon excitation. It was proposed, that during the axon excitation, the SC membrane K+- depolarization and the Ca2+—influx led to phospholipase activation or exocytosis of intracellular membrane vesicles and myelin structure reorganization. PMID:27455410

Experimental study of fouling and cleaning of sintered stainless steel membrane in electro-microfiltration of calcium salt particles.

PubMed

Qin, Frank G F; Mawson, John; Zeng, Xin An

2011-05-30

Sintered stainless steel (SSS) microfiltration membranes, which served as electrode directly, were used for the experiment of separating Alamin, a calcium salt and protein containing particles, found in dairy processing. Fouling and cleaning of the SSS membranes under the application of an external electric field were studied. The imposed electric field was found, diverging the pH of permeate and retentate. This in turn altered the solubility of the calcium salt and impacted the performance of electro microfiltration membrane. Using electric field as an enhanced cleaning-in-place (CIP) method in back flushing SSS membrane was also studied.

Experimental Study of Fouling and Cleaning of Sintered Stainless Steel Membrane in Electro-Microfiltration of Calcium Salt Particles

PubMed Central

Qin, Frank G. F.; Mawson, John; Zeng, Xin An

2011-01-01

Sintered stainless steel (SSS) microfiltration membranes, which served as electrode directly, were used for the experiment of separating Alamin, a calcium salt and protein containing particles, found in dairy processing. Fouling and cleaning of the SSS membranes under the application of an external electric field were studied. The imposed electric field was found, diverging the pH of permeate and retentate. This in turn altered the solubility of the calcium salt and impacted the performance of electro microfiltration membrane. Using electric field as an enhanced cleaning-in-place (CIP) method in back flushing SSS membrane was also studied. PMID:24957615

Activation of the Ca2+-sensing receptors increases currents through inward rectifier K+ channels via activation of phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase.

PubMed

Liu, Chung-Hung; Chang, Hsueh-Kai; Lee, Sue-Ping; Shieh, Ru-Chi

2016-11-01

Inward rectifier K + channels are important for maintaining normal electrical function in many cell types. The proper function of these channels requires the presence of membrane phosphoinositide 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP 2 ). Stimulation of the Ca 2+ -sensing receptor CaR, a pleiotropic G protein-coupled receptor, activates both G q/11 , which decreases PIP 2 , and phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase (PI-4-K), which, conversely, increases PIP 2 . How membrane PIP 2 levels are regulated by CaR activation and whether these changes modulate inward rectifier K + are unknown. In this study, we found that activation of CaR by the allosteric agonist, NPSR568, increased inward rectifier K + current (I K1 ) in guinea pig ventricular myocytes and currents mediated by Kir2.1 channels exogenously expressed in HEK293T cells with a similar sensitivity. Moreover, using the fluorescent PIP 2 reporter tubby-R332H-cYFP to monitor PIP 2 levels, we found that CaR activation in HEK293T cells increased membrane PIP 2 concentrations. Pharmacological studies showed that both phospholipase C (PLC) and PI-4-K are activated by CaR stimulation with the latter played a dominant role in regulating membrane PIP 2 and, thus, Kir currents. These results provide the first direct evidence that CaR activation upregulates currents through inward rectifier K + channels by accelerating PIP 2 synthesis. The regulation of I K1 plays a critical role in the stability of the electrical properties of many excitable cells, including cardiac myocytes and neurons. Further, synthetic allosteric modulators that increase CaR activity have been used to treat hyperparathyroidism, and negative CaR modulators are of potential importance in the treatment of osteoporosis. Thus, our results provide further insight into the roles played by CaR in the cardiovascular system and are potentially valuable for heart disease treatment and drug safety.

Effects of pressure and electrical charge on macromolecular transport across bovine lens basement membrane.

PubMed

Ferrell, Nicholas; Cameron, Kathleen O; Groszek, Joseph J; Hofmann, Christina L; Li, Lingyan; Smith, Ross A; Bian, Aihua; Shintani, Ayumi; Zydney, Andrew L; Fissell, William H

2013-04-02

Molecular transport through the basement membrane is important for a number of physiological functions, and dysregulation of basement membrane architecture can have serious pathological consequences. The structure-function relationships that govern molecular transport in basement membranes are not fully understood. The basement membrane from the lens capsule of the eye is a collagen IV-rich matrix that can easily be extracted and manipulated in vitro. As such, it provides a convenient model for studying the functional relationships that govern molecular transport in basement membranes. Here we investigate the effects of increased transmembrane pressure and solute electrical charge on the transport properties of the lens basement membrane (LBM) from the bovine eye. Pressure-permeability relationships in LBM transport were governed primarily by changes in diffusive and convective contributions to solute flux and not by pressure-dependent changes in intrinsic membrane properties. The solute electrical charge had a minimal but statistically significant effect on solute transport through the LBM that was opposite of the expected electrokinetic behavior. The observed transport characteristics of the LBM are discussed in the context of established membrane transport modeling and previous work on the effects of pressure and electrical charge in other basement membrane systems. Copyright © 2013 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reactor process using metal oxide ceramic membranes

DOEpatents

Anderson, M.A.

1994-05-03

A reaction vessel for use in photoelectrochemical reactions includes as its reactive surface a metal oxide porous ceramic membrane of a catalytic metal such as titanium. The reaction vessel includes a light source and a counter electrode. A provision for applying an electrical bias between the membrane and the counter electrode permits the Fermi levels of potential reaction to be favored so that certain reactions may be favored in the vessel. The electrical biasing is also useful for the cleaning of the catalytic membrane. Also disclosed is a method regenerating a porous metal oxide ceramic membrane used in a photoelectrochemical catalytic process by periodically removing the reactants and regenerating the membrane using a variety of chemical, thermal, and electrical techniques. 2 figures.

Liquid metal electric pump

DOEpatents

Abbin, J.P.; Andraka, C.E.; Lukens, L.L.; Moreno, J.B.

1992-01-14

An electrical pump for pumping liquid metals to high pressures in high temperature environments without the use of magnets or moving mechanical parts. The pump employs a non-porous solid electrolyte membrane, typically ceramic, specific to the liquid metal to be pumped. A DC voltage is applied across the thickness of the membrane causing ions to form and enter the membrane on the electrically positive surface, with the ions being neutralized on the opposite surface. This action provides pumping of the liquid metal from one side of the non-porous solid electrolyte membrane to the other. 3 figs.

Hydrodynamics of spatially inhomogeneous real membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirii, V. A.; Shelistov, V. S.; Demekhin, E. A.

2017-07-01

Electrokinetic processes in the vicinity of inhomogeneous ion-selective surfaces (electrodes, membranes, microchannels, and nanochannels) consisting of alternating conducting and nonconducting regions in the presence of a normal-to-surface electric current are numerically studied. An increase in the electric current density is observed in the case of some particular alternation of conducting and nonconducting regions of the surface. The current-voltage characteristics of homogeneous and inhomogeneous electric membranes are found to be in qualitative agreement. Various physical phenomena leading to the emergence of a supercritical current in homogeneous and inhomogeneous membranes are detected.

Liquid metal electric pump

DOEpatents

Abbin, Joseph P.; Andraka, Charles E.; Lukens, Laurance L.; Moreno, James B.

1992-01-01

An electrical pump for pumping liquid metals to high pressures in high temperature environments without the use of magnets or moving mechanical parts. The pump employs a non-porous solid electrolyte membrane, typically ceramic, specific to the liquid metal to be pumped. A DC voltage is applied across the thickness of the membrane causing ions to form and enter the membrane on the electrically positive surface, with the ions being neutralized on the opposite surface. This action provides pumping of the liquid metal from one side of the non-porous solid electrolyte membrane to the other.

Effects of Imperfect Dynamic Clamp: Computational and Experimental Results

PubMed Central

Bettencourt, Jonathan C.; Lillis, Kyle P.; White, John A.

2008-01-01

In the dynamic clamp technique, a typically nonlinear feedback system delivers electrical current to an excitable cell that represents the actions of “virtual” ion channels (e.g., channels that are gated by local membrane potential or by electrical activity in neighboring biological or virtual neurons). Since the conception of this technique, there have been a number of different implementations of dynamic clamp systems, each with differing levels of flexibility and performance. Embedded hardware-based systems typically offer feedback that is very fast and precisely timed, but these systems are often expensive and sometimes inflexible. PC-based systems, on the other hand, allow the user to write software that defines an arbitrarily complex feedback system, but real-time performance in PC-based systems can be deteriorated by imperfect real-time performance. Here we systematically evaluate the performance requirements for artificial dynamic clamp knock-in of transient sodium and delayed rectifier potassium conductances. Specifically we examine the effects of controller time step duration, differential equation integration method, jitter (variability in time step), and latency (the time lag from reading inputs to updating outputs). Each of these control system flaws is artificially introduced in both simulated and real dynamic clamp experiments. We demonstrate that each of these errors affect dynamic clamp accuracy in a way that depends on the time constants and stiffness of the differential equations being solved. In simulations, time steps above 0.2 ms lead to catastrophic alteration of spike shape, but the frequency-vs.-current relationship is much more robust. Latency (the part of the time step that occurs between measuring membrane potential and injecting re-calculated membrane current) is a crucial factor as well. Experimental data are substantially more sensitive to inaccuracies than simulated data. PMID:18076999

Control of neuronal excitability by Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors.

PubMed

Correa, Ana Maria Bernal; Guimarães, Jennifer Diniz Soares; Dos Santos E Alhadas, Everton; Kushmerick, Christopher

2017-10-01

Metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors couple through G proteins to regulate a large number of cell functions. Eight mGlu receptor isoforms have been cloned and classified into three Groups based on sequence, signal transduction mechanisms and pharmacology. This review will focus on Group I mGlu receptors, comprising the isoforms mGlu 1 and mGlu 5 . Activation of these receptors initiates both G protein-dependent and -independent signal transduction pathways. The G-protein-dependent pathway involves mainly Gα q , which can activate PLCβ, leading initially to the formation of IP 3 and diacylglycerol. IP 3 can release Ca 2+ from cellular stores resulting in activation of Ca 2+ -dependent ion channels. Intracellular Ca 2+ , together with diacylglycerol, activates PKC, which has many protein targets, including ion channels. Thus, activation of the G-protein-dependent pathway affects cellular excitability though several different effectors. In parallel, G protein-independent pathways lead to activation of non-selective cationic currents and metabotropic synaptic currents and potentials. Here, we provide a survey of the membrane transport proteins responsible for these electrical effects of Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors.

Smart membranes for nitrate removal, water purification, and selective ion transportation

DOEpatents

Wilson, William D [Pleasanton, CA; Schaldach, Charlene M [Pleasanton, CA; Bourcier, William L [Livermore, CA; Paul, Phillip H [Livermore, CA

2009-12-15

A computer designed nanoengineered membrane for separation of dissolved species. One embodiment provides an apparatus for treatment of a fluid that includes ions comprising a microengineered porous membrane, a system for producing an electrical charge across the membrane, and a series of nanopores extending through the membrane. The nanopores have a pore size such that when the fluid contacts the membrane, the nanopores will be in a condition of double layer overlap and allow passage only of ions opposite to the electrical charge across the membrane.

Effect of UV light on different structural and transport parameters of cellophane membranes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Benavente, J.; Vazquez, M.I.; De Abajo, J.

1996-01-01

A comparative study of UV light influence on structural and transport parameters of cellophane membranes was made. Changes in the chemical structure and electrical behavior of cellophane membranes were considered by determining the hydraulic permeability, salt diffusion coefficient, and resistance values, as well as some geometrical parameters, for an untreated membrane and two differently UV-treated cellophane membranes. Differences in the characteristic parameters for the three samples showed that radiation mainly affected the membrane structure, while only small changes in membrane electrical behavior were determined.

Fabrication and characterization of vertically aligned carbon-nanotube membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castellano, Richard; Akin, Cevat; Purri, Matt; Shan, Jerry; Kim, Sangil; Fornasiero, Francesco

2015-11-01

Membranes having vertically-aligned carbon-nanotube (VACNT) pores offer promise as highly efficient and permeable membranes for use as breathable thin films, or in filtration and separation applications, among others. However, current membrane-fabrication techniques utilizing chemical-vapor-deposition-grown VACNT arrays are costly and difficult to scale up. We have developed a solution-based, electric-field-assisted approach as a cost-effective and scalable method to produce large-area VACNT membranes. Nanotubes are dispersed in a liquid polymer, and aligned and electrodeposited with the aid of an electric field prior to crosslinking the polymer to create VACNT membranes. We experimentally examine the electrodeposition process, focusing on parameters including the electric field, composition of the solution, and CNT functionalization that can affect the nanotube number density in the resulting membrane. We characterize the CNT pore size and number density and investigate the transport properties of the membrane. Size-exclusion tests are used to check for defects and infer the pore size of the VACNT membranes. Dry-gas membrane permeability is measured with a pressurized nitrogen-flow system, while moisture-vapor-transfer rate is measured with the ASTM-E96 upright-cup test. We discuss the measured transport properties of the solution-based, electric-field-fabricated VACNT membranes in reference to their application as breathable thin films. We would like to acknowledge DTRA for their funding and support of our research.

MD simulation study of direct permeation of a nanoparticle across the cell membrane under an external electric field.

PubMed

Shimizu, Kenta; Nakamura, Hideya; Watano, Satoru

2016-06-09

Nanoparticles (NPs) have been attracting much attention for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. In most of the applications, NPs are required to translocate across the cell membrane and to reach the cell cytosol. Experimental studies have reported that by applying an electric field NPs can directly permeate across the cell membrane without the confinement of NPs by endocytic vesicles. However, damage to the cell can often be a concern. Understanding of the mechanism underlying the direct permeation of NPs under an external electric field can greatly contribute to the realization of a technology for the direct delivery of NPs. Here we investigated the permeation of a cationic gold NP across a phospholipid bilayer under an external electric field using a coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation. When an external electric field that is equal to the membrane breakdown intensity was applied, a typical NP delivery by electroporation was shown: the cationic gold NP directly permeated across a lipid bilayer without membrane wrapping of the NP, while a persistent transmembrane pore was formed. However, when a specific range of the electric field that is lower than the membrane breakdown intensity was applied, a unique permeation pathway was exhibited: the generated transmembrane pore immediately resealed after the direct permeation of NP. Furthermore, we found that the affinity of the NP for the membrane surface is a key for the self-resealing of the pore. Our finding suggests that by applying an electric field in a suitable range NPs can be directly delivered into the cell with less cellular damage.

Action potential propagation: ion current or intramembrane electric field?

PubMed

Martí, Albert; Pérez, Juan J; Madrenas, Jordi

2018-01-01

The established action potential propagation mechanisms do not satisfactorily explain propagation on myelinated axons given the current knowledge of biological channels and membranes. The flow across ion channels presents two possible effects: the electric potential variations across the lipid bilayers (action potential) and the propagation of an electric field through the membrane inner part. The proposed mechanism is based on intra-membrane electric field propagation, this propagation can explain the action potential saltatory propagation and its constant delay independent of distance between Ranvier nodes in myelinated axons.

Enhancement of hydrogen gas permeability in electrically aligned MWCNT-PMMA composite membranes.

PubMed

Kumar, Sumit; Sharma, Anshu; Tripathi, Balram; Srivastava, Subodh; Agrawal, Shweta; Singh, M; Awasthi, Kamlendra; Vijay, Y K

2010-10-01

The multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) dispersed polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) composite membranes have been prepared for hydrogen gas permeation application. Composite membranes are characterized by Raman spectroscopy, optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, electrical measurements and gas permeability measurements. The effect of electric field alignment of MWCNT in PMMA matrix on gas permeation has been studied for hydrogen gas. The permeability measurements indicated that the electrically aligned MWCNT in PMMA has shown almost 2 times higher permeability for hydrogen gas as compare to randomly dispersed MWCNT in PMMA. The enhancement in permeability is explained on the basis of well aligned easy channel provided by MWCNT in electrically aligned sample. The effect of thickness of membrane on the gas permeability also studied and thickness of about 30microm found to be optimum thickness for fast hydrogen gas permeates.

Mechanics of water pore formation in lipid membrane under electric field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bu, Bing; Li, Dechang; Diao, Jiajie; Ji, Baohua

2017-04-01

Transmembrane water pores are crucial for substance transport through cell membranes via membrane fusion, such as in neural communication. However, the molecular mechanism of water pore formation is not clear. In this study, we apply all-atom molecular dynamics and bias-exchange metadynamics simulations to study the process of water pore formation under an electric field. We show that water molecules can enter a membrane under an electric field and form a water pore of a few nanometers in diameter. These water molecules disturb the interactions between lipid head groups and the ordered arrangement of lipids. Following the movement of water molecules, the lipid head groups are rotated and driven into the hydrophobic region of the membrane. The reorientated lipid head groups inside the membrane form a hydrophilic surface of the water pore. This study reveals the atomic details of how an electric field influences the movement of water molecules and lipid head groups, resulting in water pore formation.

Performance and Mechanisms of Ultrafiltration Membrane Fouling Mitigation by Coupling Coagulation and Applied Electric Field in a Novel Electrocoagulation Membrane Reactor.

PubMed

Sun, Jingqiu; Hu, Chengzhi; Tong, Tiezheng; Zhao, Kai; Qu, Jiuhui; Liu, Huijuan; Elimelech, Menachem

2017-08-01

A novel electrocoagulation membrane reactor (ECMR) was developed, in which ultrafiltration (UF) membrane modules are placed between electrodes to improve effluent water quality and reduce membrane fouling. Experiments with feedwater containing clays (kaolinite) and natural organic matter (humic acid) revealed that the combined effect of coagulation and electric field mitigated membrane fouling in the ECMR, resulting in higher water flux than the conventional combination of electrocoagulation and UF in separate units (EC-UF). Higher current densities and weakly acidic pH in the EMCR favored faster generation of large flocs and effectively reduced membrane pore blocking. The hydraulic resistance of the formed cake layers on the membrane surface in ECMR was reduced due to an increase in cake layer porosity and polarity, induced by both coagulation and the applied electric field. The formation of a polarized cake layer was controlled by the applied current density and voltage, with cake layers formed under higher electric field strengths showing higher porosity and hydrophilicity. Compared to EC-UF, ECMR has a smaller footprint and could achieve significant energy savings due to improved fouling resistance and a more compact reactor design.

Influence of electric field on the amyloid-β(29-42) peptides embedded in a membrane bilayer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Yan; Shi, Xiao-Feng; Salsbury, Freddie R.; Derreumaux, Philippe

2018-01-01

Alzheimer's disease is linked to various types of aggregates of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide and their interactions with protein receptors and neuronal cell membranes. Little is known on the impact of the electric field on membrane-embedded Aβ. Here we use atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to study the effects of a constant electric field on the conformations of Aβ29-42 dimer inside a membrane, where the electric field has a strength of 20 mV/nm which exists across the membrane of a human neuron. Starting from α-helix peptides, the transmembrane electric field (TMEF) accelerates the conversion from the Gly-out substate to the Gly-side and Gly-in substates. Starting from β-sheet peptides, TMEF induces changes of the kink and tilt angles at Gly33 and Gly37. Overall, in the simulations totaling 10 μs, TMEF establishes new ground states for the dimer, similar to induced-fit in ligand binding. Our findings indicate that TMEF can stabilize rare conformations of amyloid peptides, and this could influence the cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein and the formation of β-sheet oligomers in membrane bilayers.

Basilar membrane vibration is not involved in the reverse propagation of otoacoustic emissions

PubMed Central

He, W.; Ren, T.

2013-01-01

To understand how the inner ear-generated sound, i.e., otoacoustic emission, exits the cochlea, we created a sound source electrically in the second turn and measured basilar membrane vibrations at two longitudinal locations in the first turn in living gerbil cochleae using a laser interferometer. For a given longitudinal location, electrically evoked basilar membrane vibrations showed the same tuning and phase lag as those induced by sounds. For a given frequency, the phase measured at a basal location led that at a more apical location, indicating that either an electrical or an acoustical stimulus evoked a forward travelling wave. Under postmortem conditions, the electrically evoked emissions showed no significant change while the basilar membrane vibration nearly disappeared. The current data indicate that basilar membrane vibration was not involved in the backward propagation of otoacoustic emissions and that sounds exit the cochlea probably through alternative media, such as cochlear fluids. PMID:23695199

Differential roles of nonsynaptic and synaptic plasticity in operant reward learning-induced compulsive behavior.

PubMed

Sieling, Fred; Bédécarrats, Alexis; Simmers, John; Prinz, Astrid A; Nargeot, Romuald

2014-05-05

Rewarding stimuli in associative learning can transform the irregularly and infrequently generated motor patterns underlying motivated behaviors into output for accelerated and stereotyped repetitive action. This transition to compulsive behavioral expression is associated with modified synaptic and membrane properties of central neurons, but establishing the causal relationships between cellular plasticity and motor adaptation has remained a challenge. We found previously that changes in the intrinsic excitability and electrical synapses of identified neurons in Aplysia's central pattern-generating network for feeding are correlated with a switch to compulsive-like motor output expression induced by in vivo operant conditioning. Here, we used specific computer-simulated ionic currents in vitro to selectively replicate or suppress the membrane and synaptic plasticity resulting from this learning. In naive in vitro preparations, such experimental manipulation of neuronal membrane properties alone increased the frequency but not the regularity of feeding motor output found in preparations from operantly trained animals. On the other hand, changes in synaptic strength alone switched the regularity but not the frequency of feeding output from naive to trained states. However, simultaneously imposed changes in both membrane and synaptic properties reproduced both major aspects of the motor plasticity. Conversely, in preparations from trained animals, experimental suppression of the membrane and synaptic plasticity abolished the increase in frequency and regularity of the learned motor output expression. These data establish direct causality for the contributions of distinct synaptic and nonsynaptic adaptive processes to complementary facets of a compulsive behavior resulting from operant reward learning. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bio-inspired voltage-dependent calcium channel blockers.

PubMed

Yang, Tingting; He, Lin-Ling; Chen, Ming; Fang, Kun; Colecraft, Henry M

2013-01-01

Ca(2+) influx via voltage-dependent CaV1/CaV2 channels couples electrical signals to biological responses in excitable cells. CaV1/CaV2 channel blockers have broad biotechnological and therapeutic applications. Here we report a general method for developing novel genetically encoded calcium channel blockers inspired by Rem, a small G-protein that constitutively inhibits CaV1/CaV2 channels. We show that diverse cytosolic proteins (CaVβ, 14-3-3, calmodulin and CaMKII) that bind pore-forming α1-subunits can be converted into calcium channel blockers with tunable selectivity, kinetics and potency, simply by anchoring them to the plasma membrane. We term this method 'channel inactivation induced by membrane-tethering of an associated protein' (ChIMP). ChIMP is potentially extendable to small-molecule drug discovery, as engineering FK506-binding protein into intracellular sites within CaV1.2-α1C permits heterodimerization-initiated channel inhibition with rapamycin. The results reveal a universal method for developing novel calcium channel blockers that may be extended to develop probes for a broad cohort of unrelated ion channels.

Electrical stimulation of the midbrain excites the auditory cortex asymmetrically.

PubMed

Quass, Gunnar Lennart; Kurt, Simone; Hildebrandt, Jannis; Kral, Andrej

2018-05-17

Auditory midbrain implant users cannot achieve open speech perception and have limited frequency resolution. It remains unclear whether the spread of excitation contributes to this issue and how much it can be compensated by current-focusing, which is an effective approach in cochlear implants. The present study examined the spread of excitation in the cortex elicited by electric midbrain stimulation. We further tested whether current-focusing via bipolar and tripolar stimulation is effective with electric midbrain stimulation and whether these modes hold any advantage over monopolar stimulation also in conditions when the stimulation electrodes are in direct contact with the target tissue. Using penetrating multielectrode arrays, we recorded cortical population responses to single pulse electric midbrain stimulation in 10 ketamine/xylazine anesthetized mice. We compared monopolar, bipolar, and tripolar stimulation configurations with regard to the spread of excitation and the characteristic frequency difference between the stimulation/recording electrodes. The cortical responses were distributed asymmetrically around the characteristic frequency of the stimulated midbrain region with a strong activation in regions tuned up to one octave higher. We found no significant differences between monopolar, bipolar, and tripolar stimulation in threshold, evoked firing rate, or dynamic range. The cortical responses to electric midbrain stimulation are biased towards higher tonotopic frequencies. Current-focusing is not effective in direct contact electrical stimulation. Electrode maps should account for the asymmetrical spread of excitation when fitting auditory midbrain implants by shifting the frequency-bands downward and stimulating as dorsally as possible. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electrodeposition to construct free-standing chitosan/layered double hydroxides hydro-membrane for electrically triggered protein release.

PubMed

Zhao, Pengkun; Zhao, Yanan; Xiao, Ling; Deng, Hongbing; Du, Yumin; Chen, Yun; Shi, Xiaowen

2017-10-01

In this study, we report the electrodeposition of a chitosan/layered double hydroxides (LDHs) hydro-membrane for protein release triggered by an electrical signal. The electrodeposition was performed in a chitosan and insulin loaded LDHs suspension in the absence of salt. A free-standing chitosan/LDHs hydro-membrane was generated on the electrode with improved mechanical properties, which is dramatically different from the weak hydrogel deposited in the presence of salt. The amount of LDHs in the hydro-membrane affects the optical transmittance and multilayered structure of the hybrid membrane. Compared to the weak chitosan/LDHs hydrogel, the hydro-membrane has a higher insulin loading capacity and the release of insulin is relatively slow. By biasing electrical potentials to the hydro-membrane, the release behavior of insulin can be adjusted accordingly. In addition, the chitosan/LDHs hydro-membrane showed no toxicity to cells. Our results provide a facile method to construct a chitosan/LDHs hybrid multilayered hydro-membrane and suggest the great potential of the hydro-membrane in controlled protein release. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reconstitution of Biological Molecular generators of electric current. Bacteriorhodopsin.

PubMed

Drachev, L A; Frolov, V N; Kaulen, A D; Liberman, E A; Ostroumov, S A; Plakunova, V G; Semenov, A Y; Skulachev, V P

1976-11-25

1. Photoinduced generation of electric current by bacteriorhodopsin, incorporated into the planar phospholipid membrane, has been directly measured with conventional electrometer techniques. 2. Two methods for bacteriorhodopsin incorporation have been developed: (a) formation of planar membrane from a mixture of decane solution of phospholipids and of the fraction of violet fragments of the Halobacterium halobium membrane (bacteriorhodopsin sheets), and (b) adhesion of bacteriorhodopsin-containing reconstituted spherical membranes (proteoliposomes) to the planar membrane in the presence of Ca2+ or some other cations. In both cases, illumination was found to induce electric current generation directed across the planar membrane, an effect which was measured by macroelectrodes immersed into electrolyte solutions on both sides of the membrane. 3. The maximal values of the transmembrane electric potential were of about 150 mV at a current of about 10(-11) A. The electromotive force measured by means of counterbalancing the photoeffect by an external battery, was found to reach the value of 300 mV. 4. The action spectrum of the photoeffect coincides with the bacteriorhodopsin absorption spectrum (maximum about 570 nm). 5. Both components of the electrochemical potential of H+ ions (electric potential and delta pH) across the planar membrane affect the bacteriorhodopsin photoelectric response in a fashion which could be expected if bacteriorhodopsin were a light-dependent electrogenic proton pump. 6. La3+ ions were shown to inhibit operation of those bacteriorhodopsin which pump out H+ ions from the La3+-containing compartment. 7. The photoeffect, mediated by proteoliposomes associated with thick planar membrane, is decreased by gramicidin A at concentrations which do not influence the planar membrane resistance in the light. On the contrary, a protonophorous uncoupler, trichlorocarbonylcyanidephenylhydrazone, decreases the photoeffect only if it is added at a concentration lowering the light resistance. The dark resistance is shown to be higher than the light one, and decreases to the light level by gramicidin. 8. A simple equivalent electric scheme consistent with the above results has been proposed.

Experimental Investigations of Direct and Converse Flexoelectric Effect in Bilayer Lipid Membranes.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Todorov, Angelio Todorov

Flexoelectric coefficients (direct and converse), electric properties (capacitance and resistivity) and mechanical properties (thickness and elastic coefficients) have been determined for bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) prepared from egg yolk lecithin (EYL), glycerol monoleate (GMO), phosphatidyl choline (PC) and phosphatidyl serine (PS) as a function of frequency, pH and surface charge modifiers. Direct flexoelectric effect manifested itself in the development of microvolt range a.c. potential (U_{f}) upon subjecting one side of a BLM to an oscillating hydrostatic pressure, in the 100-1000 Hz range. Operationally, the flexoelectric coefficient (f) is expressed by the ratio between U_{f} and the change of curvature (c) which accompanied the flexing of the membrane. Membrane curvature was determined by means of either the electric method (capacitance microphone effect) or by the newly developed method of stroboscopic interferometry. Real-time stroboscopic interferometry coupled with simultaneous electric measurements, provided a direct method for the determination of f. Two different frequency regimes of f were recognized. At low frequencies (<300 Hz), associated with free mobility of the surfactant, f-values of 24.1 times 10^{-19} and 0.87 times 10^ {-19} Coulombs were obtained for PC and GMO BLMs. At high frequencies (>300 Hz), associated with blocked mobility of the surfactant, f-values of 16.5 times 10^ {-19} and 0.30 times 10^{-19} Coulombs were obtained for PC and GMO BLMs. The theoretically calculated value for the GMO BLM oscillating at high frequency (0.12 times 10^{-19 } Coulombs) agreed well with that determined experimentally (0.3 times 10 ^{-19} Coulombs). For charged bovine brain PS BLM the observed flexocoefficient was f = 4.0 times 10^{ -18} Coulombs. Converse flexoelectric effect manifested itself in voltage-induced BLM curvature. Observations were carried out on uranyl acetate (UA) stabilized PS BLM under a.c. excitation. Frequency dependence of f was revealed by means of real-time stroboscopic interferometry. Satisfactory agreement was observed between the direct and converse f-values, measured. Thus, both manifestations of flexoelectricity in BLMs have now received experimental confirmation. Theories developed in this dissertation (as well as those described previously) have been compared with and contrasted to the experimentally determined direct and converse flexoelectric coefficients.

Nanobiotechnology: Cell Membrane-Based Delivery Systems.

PubMed

Zhang, Pengfei; Liu, Gang; Chen, Xiaoyuan

2017-04-01

The increasingly rapid pace of research in the field of bioinspired drug delivery systems is revealing the promise of cell membrane-based nanovesicles for biomedical applications. Those cell membrane-based nanoparticles combine the natural functionalities of cell plasma membranes and the bioengineering flexibility of synthetic nanomaterials, and such versatility provides a means of designing exciting new drug formulations for personalized treatment in future nanomedicine.

Use of a magnetic force exciter to vibrate a piezocomposite generating element in a small-scale windmill

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Truyen Luong, Hung; Goo, Nam Seo

2012-02-01

A piezocomposite generating element (PCGE) can be used to convert ambient vibrations into electrical energy that can be stored and used to power other devices. This paper introduces a design of a magnetic force exciter for a small-scale windmill that vibrates a PCGE to convert wind energy into electrical energy. A small-scale windmill was designed to be sensitive to low-speed wind in urban regions for the purpose of collecting wind energy. The magnetic force exciter consists of exciting magnets attached to the device’s input rotor and a secondary magnet fixed at the tip of the PCGE. The PCGE is fixed to a clamp that can be adjusted to slide on the windmill’s frame in order to change the gap between exciting and secondary magnets. Under an applied wind force, the input rotor rotates to create a magnetic force interaction that excites the PCGE. The deformation of the PCGE enables it to generate electric power. Experiments were performed with different numbers of exciting magnets and different gaps between the exciting and secondary magnets to determine the optimal configuration for generating the peak voltage and harvesting the maximum wind energy for the same range of wind speeds. In a battery-charging test, the charging time for a 40 mA h battery was approximately 3 h for natural wind in an urban region. The experimental results show that the prototype can harvest energy in urban regions with low wind speeds and convert the wasted wind energy into electricity for city use.

Torque shudder protection device and method

DOEpatents

King, Robert D.; De Doncker, Rik W. A. A.; Szczesny, Paul M.

1997-01-01

A torque shudder protection device for an induction machine includes a flux command generator for supplying a steady state flux command and a torque shudder detector for supplying a status including a negative status to indicate a lack of torque shudder and a positive status to indicate a presence of torque shudder. A flux adapter uses the steady state flux command and the status to supply a present flux command identical to the steady state flux command for a negative status and different from the steady state flux command for a positive status. A limiter can receive the present flux command, prevent the present flux command from exceeding a predetermined maximum flux command magnitude, and supply the present flux command to a field oriented controller. After determining a critical electrical excitation frequency at which a torque shudder occurs for the induction machine, a flux adjuster can monitor the electrical excitation frequency of the induction machine and adjust a flux command to prevent the monitored electrical excitation frequency from reaching the critical electrical excitation frequency.

Torque shudder protection device and method

DOEpatents

King, R.D.; Doncker, R.W.A.A. De.; Szczesny, P.M.

1997-03-11

A torque shudder protection device for an induction machine includes a flux command generator for supplying a steady state flux command and a torque shudder detector for supplying a status including a negative status to indicate a lack of torque shudder and a positive status to indicate a presence of torque shudder. A flux adapter uses the steady state flux command and the status to supply a present flux command identical to the steady state flux command for a negative status and different from the steady state flux command for a positive status. A limiter can receive the present flux command, prevent the present flux command from exceeding a predetermined maximum flux command magnitude, and supply the present flux command to a field oriented controller. After determining a critical electrical excitation frequency at which a torque shudder occurs for the induction machine, a flux adjuster can monitor the electrical excitation frequency of the induction machine and adjust a flux command to prevent the monitored electrical excitation frequency from reaching the critical electrical excitation frequency. 5 figs.

Development of Modal Test Techniques for Validation of a Solar Sail Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaspar, James L.; Mann, Troy; Behun, Vaughn; Wilkie, W. Keats; Pappa, Richard

2004-01-01

This paper focuses on the development of modal test techniques for validation of a solar sail gossamer space structure design. The major focus is on validating and comparing the capabilities of various excitation techniques for modal testing solar sail components. One triangular shaped quadrant of a solar sail membrane was tested in a 1 Torr vacuum environment using various excitation techniques including, magnetic excitation, and surface-bonded piezoelectric patch actuators. Results from modal tests performed on the sail using piezoelectric patches at different positions are discussed. The excitation methods were evaluated for their applicability to in-vacuum ground testing and to the development of on orbit flight test techniques. The solar sail membrane was tested in the horizontal configuration at various tension levels to assess the variation in frequency with tension in a vacuum environment. A segment of a solar sail mast prototype was also tested in ambient atmospheric conditions using various excitation techniques, and these methods are also assessed for their ground test capabilities and on-orbit flight testing.

Physiology and Evolution of Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels in Early Diverging Animal Phyla: Cnidaria, Placozoa, Porifera and Ctenophora

PubMed Central

Senatore, Adriano; Raiss, Hamad; Le, Phuong

2016-01-01

Voltage-gated calcium (Cav) channels serve dual roles in the cell, where they can both depolarize the membrane potential for electrical excitability, and activate transient cytoplasmic Ca2+ signals. In animals, Cav channels play crucial roles including driving muscle contraction (excitation-contraction coupling), gene expression (excitation-transcription coupling), pre-synaptic and neuroendocrine exocytosis (excitation-secretion coupling), regulation of flagellar/ciliary beating, and regulation of cellular excitability, either directly or through modulation of other Ca2+-sensitive ion channels. In recent years, genome sequencing has provided significant insights into the molecular evolution of Cav channels. Furthermore, expanded gene datasets have permitted improved inference of the species phylogeny at the base of Metazoa, providing clearer insights into the evolution of complex animal traits which involve Cav channels, including the nervous system. For the various types of metazoan Cav channels, key properties that determine their cellular contribution include: Ion selectivity, pore gating, and, importantly, cytoplasmic protein-protein interactions that direct sub-cellular localization and functional complexing. It is unclear when these defining features, many of which are essential for nervous system function, evolved. In this review, we highlight some experimental observations that implicate Cav channels in the physiology and behavior of the most early-diverging animals from the phyla Cnidaria, Placozoa, Porifera, and Ctenophora. Given our limited understanding of the molecular biology of Cav channels in these basal animal lineages, we infer insights from better-studied vertebrate and invertebrate animals. We also highlight some apparently conserved cellular functions of Cav channels, which might have emerged very early on during metazoan evolution, or perhaps predated it. PMID:27867359

[Electrical response of inner membrane structures of corynebacteria during electrotransformation].

PubMed

Tiurin, M V; Voroshilova, E B; Rostova, Iu G; Oparina, N Iu; Gusiatiner, M M

1998-01-01

The efficiency of the electrotransformation of intact cells of corynebacteria by a solitary impulse with a complex shape amounted to 10(6) transformants/microgram of plasmid pNV1 DNA at an electric field strength of 14.2 kW/cm; the voltage-current curve of the cell samples was nonlinear. Under these conditions, the structure of the electric current impulse passing intact cells or protoplasts included oscillations characterized by increasing amplitude and a duration of 170 microseconds, which were not detected in the structure of the electric current impulses at field strengths insufficient for obtaining transformants. These changes in the impulse shape suggest the involvement of internal closed membrane structures in the electrical response of cells to the exogenous electric impulse. Most probably, under conditions of electrical treatment optimal for transformation, electropores are formed in the intracellular membranes of corynebacteria.

Failure of the Nernst-Einstein equation to correlate electrical resistances and rates of ionic self-exchange across certain fixed charge membranes.

PubMed

Gottlieb, M H; Sollner, K

1968-05-01

The electrical resistances and rates of self-exchange of univalent critical ions across several types of collodion matrix membranes of high ionic selectivity were studied over a wide range of conditions. The relationship which was observed between these quantities with membranes of a certain type, namely those activated with poly-2-vinyl-N-methyl pyridinium bromide, cannot be explained on the basis of current concepts of the movement of ions across ion exchange membranes. Rates of self-exchange across these membranes were several times greater than those calculated from the electrical resistances of the membranes on the basis of an expression derived by the use of the Nernst-Einstein equation. The magnitude of the discrepancy was greatest at low concentrations of the ambient electrolyte solution and was independent of the species of both critical and noncritical ions. The data obtained with other types of collodion matrix membranes were, at least approximately, in agreement with the predictions based on the Nernst-Einstein equation. Self-exchange rates across the anion permeable protamine collodion membranes, and across the cation permeable polystyrene sulfonic acid collodion membranes, were about 20% less than those calculated from the electrical resistances. The direction and magnitude of these differences, also observed by other investigators, are qualitatively understood as an electroosmotic effect. With cation permeable membranes prepared by the oxidation of preformed collodion membranes, almost exact agreement was obtained between measured and calculated self-exchange rates; the cause of the apparent absence of an electroosmotic effect with these membranes is unknown.

Failure of the Nernst-Einstein Equation to Correlate Electrical Resistances and Rates of Ionic Self-Exchange across Certain Fixed Charge Membranes

PubMed Central

Gottlieb, Melvin H.; Sollner, Karl

1968-01-01

The electrical resistances and rates of self-exchange of univalent critical ions across several types of collodion matrix membranes of high ionic selectivity were studied over a wide range of conditions. The relationship which was observed between these quantities with membranes of a certain type, namely those activated with poly-2-vinyl-N-methyl pyridinium bromide, cannot be explained on the basis of current concepts of the movement of ions across ion exchange membranes. Rates of self-exchange across these membranes were several times greater than those calculated from the electrical resistances of the membranes on the basis of an expression derived by the use of the Nernst-Einstein equation. The magnitude of the discrepancy was greatest at low concentrations of the ambient electrolyte solution and was independent of the species of both critical and noncritical ions. The data obtained with other types of collodion matrix membranes were, at least approximately, in agreement with the predictions based on the Nernst-Einstein equation. Self-exchange rates across the anion permeable protamine collodion membranes, and across the cation permeable polystyrene sulfonic acid collodion membranes, were about 20% less than those calculated from the electrical resistances. The direction and magnitude of these differences, also observed by other investigators, are qualitatively understood as an electroosmotic effect. With cation permeable membranes prepared by the oxidation of preformed collodion membranes, almost exact agreement was obtained between measured and calculated self-exchange rates; the cause of the apparent absence of an electroosmotic effect with these membranes is unknown. PMID:5699793

Capacitively coupled hydrogen plasmas sustained by tailored voltage waveforms: excitation dynamics and ion flux asymmetry

DOE PAGES

Bruneau, B.; Diomede, P.; Economou, D. J.; ...

2016-06-08

Parallel plate capacitively coupled plasmas in hydrogen at relatively high pressure (~1 Torr) are excited with tailored voltage waveforms containing up to five frequencies. Predictions of a hybrid model combining a particle-in-cell simulation with Monte Carlo collisions and a fluid model are compared to phase resolved optical emission spectroscopy measurements, yielding information on the dynamics of the excitation rate in these discharges. When the discharge is excited with amplitude asymmetric waveforms, the discharge becomes electrically asymmetric, with different ion energies at each of the two electrodes. Unexpectedly, large differences in themore » $$\\text{H}_{2}^{+}$$ fluxes to each of the two electrodes are caused by the different $$\\text{H}_{3}^{+}$$ energies. When the discharge is excited with slope asymmetric waveforms, only weak electrical asymmetry of the discharge is observed. In this case, electron power absorption due to fast sheath expansion at one electrode is balanced by electron power absorption at the opposite electrode due to a strong electric field reversal.« less

Extracellular chelation of zinc does not affect hippocampal excitability and seizure-induced cell death in rats

PubMed Central

Lavoie, Nathalie; Peralta, Modesto R; Chiasson, Marilou; Lafortune, Kathleen; Pellegrini, Luca; Seress, László; Tóth, Katalin

2007-01-01

In the nervous system, zinc can influence synaptic responses and at extreme concentrations contributes to epileptic and ischaemic neuronal injury. Zinc can originate from synaptic vesicles, the extracellular space and from intracellular stores. In this study, we aimed to determine which of these zinc pools is responsible for the increased hippocampal excitability observed in zinc-depleted animals or following zinc chelation. Also, we investigated the source of intracellularly accumulating zinc in vulnerable neurons. Our data show that membrane-permeable and membrane-impermeable zinc chelators had little or no effect on seizure activity in the CA3 region. Furthermore, extracellular zinc chelation could not prevent the accumulation of lethal concentrations of zinc in dying neurons following epileptic seizures. At the electron microscopic level, zinc staining significantly increased at the presynaptic membrane of mossy fibre terminals in kainic acid-treated animals. These data indicate that intracellular but not extracellular zinc chelators could influence neuronal excitability and seizure-induced zinc accumulation observed in the cytosol of vulnerable neurons. PMID:17095563

Utilization of Electrically Reduced Neutral Red by Actinobacillus succinogenes: Physiological Function of Neutral Red in Membrane-Driven Fumarate Reduction and Energy Conservation

PubMed Central

Park, D. H.; Zeikus, J. G.

1999-01-01

Neutral red (NR) functioned as an electronophore or electron channel enabling either cells or membranes purified from Actinobacillus succinogenes to drive electron transfer and proton translocation by coupling fumarate reduction to succinate production. Electrically reduced NR, unlike methyl or benzyl viologen, bound to cell membranes, was not toxic, and chemically reduced NAD. The cell membrane of A. succinogenes contained high levels of benzyl viologen-linked hydrogenase (12.2 U), fumarate reductase (13.1 U), and diaphorase (109.7 U) activities. Fumarate reductase (24.5 U) displayed the highest activity with NR as the electron carrier, whereas hydrogenase (1.1 U) and diaphorase (0.8 U) did not. Proton translocation by whole cells was dependent on either electrically reduced NR or H2 as the electron donor and on the fumarate concentration. During the growth of Actinobacillus on glucose plus electrically reduced NR in an electrochemical bioreactor system versus on glucose alone, electrically reduced NR enhanced glucose consumption, growth, and succinate production by about 20% while it decreased acetate production by about 50%. The rate of fumarate reduction to succinate by purified membranes was twofold higher with electrically reduced NR than with hydrogen as the electron donor. The addition of 2-(n-heptyl)-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide to whole cells or purified membranes inhibited succinate production from H2 plus fumarate but not from electrically reduced NR plus fumarate. Thus, NR appears to replace the function of menaquinone in the fumarate reductase complex, and it enables A. succinogenes to utilize electricity as a significant source of metabolic reducing power. PMID:10198002

Removal of oxides from alkali metal melts by reductive titration to electrical resistance-change end points

DOEpatents

Tsang, Floris Y.

1980-01-01

Alkali metal oxides dissolved in alkali metal melts are reduced with soluble metals which are converted to insoluble oxides. The end points of the reduction is detected as an increase in electrical resistance across an alkali metal ion-conductive membrane interposed between the oxide-containing melt and a material capable of accepting the alkali metal ions from the membrane when a difference in electrical potential, of the appropriate polarity, is established across it. The resistance increase results from blocking of the membrane face by ions of the excess reductant metal, to which the membrane is essentially non-conductive.

Voltage clamp methods for the study of membrane currents and SR Ca2+ release in adult skeletal muscle fibres

PubMed Central

Hernández-Ochoa, Erick O.; Schneider, Martin F.

2012-01-01

Skeletal muscle excitation-contraction (E-C)1 coupling is a process composed of multiple sequential stages, by which an action potential triggers sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)2 Ca2+ release and subsequent contractile activation. The various steps in the E-C coupling process in skeletal muscle can be studied using different techniques. The simultaneous recordings of sarcolemmal electrical signals and the accompanying elevation in myoplasmic Ca2+, due to depolarization-initiated SR Ca2+ release in skeletal muscle fibres, have been useful to obtain a better understanding of muscle function. In studying the origin and mechanism of voltage dependency of E-C coupling a variety of different techniques have been used to control the voltage in adult skeletal fibres. Pioneering work in muscles isolated from amphibians or crustaceans used microelectrodes or ‘high resistance gap’ techniques to manipulate the voltage in the muscle fibres. The development of the patch clamp technique and its variant, the whole-cell clamp configuration that facilitates the manipulation of the intracellular environment, allowed the use of the voltage clamp techniques in different cell types, including skeletal muscle fibres. The aim of this article is to present an historical perspective of the voltage clamp methods used to study skeletal muscle E-C coupling as well as to describe the current status of using the whole-cell patch clamp technique in studies in which the electrical and Ca2+ signalling properties of mouse skeletal muscle membranes are being investigated. PMID:22306655

Excited-state dynamics of acetylene excited to individual rotational level of the V04K01 subband

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makarov, Vladimir I.; Kochubei, Sergei A.; Khmelinskii, Igor V.

2006-01-01

Dynamics of the IR emission induced by excitation of the acetylene molecule using the (32Ka0,1,2,ÃAu1←41la1,X˜Σg+1) transition was investigated. The observed IR emission was assigned to transitions between the ground-state vibrational levels. Acetylene fluorescence quenching induced by external electric and magnetic fields acting upon the system prepared using the (34Ka1,ÃAu1←00la0,X˜Σg+1) excitation was also studied. External electric field creates an additional radiationless pathway to the ground-state levels, coupling levels of the ÃAu1 excited state to the quasiresonant levels of the X˜Σg+1 ground state. The level density of the ground state in the vicinity of the excited state is very high, thus the electric-field-induced transition is irreversible, with the rate constant described by the Fermi rule. Magnetic field alters the decay profile without changing the fluorescence quantum yield in collisionless conditions. IR emission from the CCH transient was detected, and was also affected by the external electric and magnetic fields. Acetylene predissociation was demonstrated to proceed by the direct S1→S0 mechanism. The results were explained using the previously developed theoretical approach, yielding values of the relevant model parameters.

Influence of excitability on unpinning and termination of spiral waves.

PubMed

Luengviriya, Jiraporn; Sutthiopad, Malee; Phantu, Metinee; Porjai, Porramain; Kanchanawarin, Jarin; Müller, Stefan C; Luengviriya, Chaiya

2014-11-01

Application of electrical forcing to release pinned spiral waves from unexcitable obstacles and to terminate the rotation of free spiral waves at the boundary of excitable media has been investigated in thin layers of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction, prepared with different initial concentrations of H_{2}SO_{4}. Increasing [H_{2}SO_{4}] raises the excitability of the reaction and reduces the core diameter of free spiral waves as well as the wave period. An electric current with density stronger than a critical value Junpin causes a pinned spiral wave to drift away from the obstacle. For a given obstacle size, Junpin increases with [H_{2}SO_{4}]. Under an applied electrical current, the rotation center of a free spiral wave drifts along a straight path to the boundary. When the current density is stronger than a critical value Jterm, the spiral tip is forced to hit the boundary, where the spiral wave is terminated. Similar to Junpin for releasing a pinned spiral wave, Jterm also increases with [H_{2}SO_{4}]. These experimental findings were confirmed by numerical simulations using the Oregonator model, in which the excitability was adjusted via the ratio of the excitation rate to the recovery rate of the BZ reaction. Therefore, our investigation shows that decreasing the excitability can facilitate elimination of spiral waves by electrical forcing, either in the presence of obstacles or not.

Connexin43 contributes to electrotonic conduction across scar tissue in the intact heart

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahoney, Vanessa M.; Mezzano, Valeria; Mirams, Gary R.; Maass, Karen; Li, Zhen; Cerrone, Marina; Vasquez, Carolina; Bapat, Aneesh; Delmar, Mario; Morley, Gregory E.

2016-05-01

Studies have demonstrated non-myocytes, including fibroblasts, can electrically couple to myocytes in culture. However, evidence demonstrating current can passively spread across scar tissue in the intact heart remains elusive. We hypothesize electrotonic conduction occurs across non-myocyte gaps in the heart and is partly mediated by Connexin43 (Cx43). We investigated whether non-myocytes in ventricular scar tissue are electrically connected to surrounding myocardial tissue in wild type and fibroblast-specific protein-1 driven conditional Cx43 knock-out mice (Cx43fsp1KO). Electrical coupling between the scar and uninjured myocardium was demonstrated by injecting current into the myocardium and recording depolarization in the scar through optical mapping. Coupling was significantly reduced in Cx43fsp1KO hearts. Voltage signals were recorded using microelectrodes from control scars but no signals were obtained from Cx43fsp1KO hearts. Recordings showed significantly decreased amplitude, depolarized resting membrane potential, increased duration and reduced upstroke velocity compared to surrounding myocytes, suggesting that the non-excitable cells in the scar closely follow myocyte action potentials. These results were further validated by mathematical simulations. Optical mapping demonstrated that current delivered within the scar could induce activation of the surrounding myocardium. These data demonstrate non-myocytes in the scar are electrically coupled to myocytes, and coupling depends on Cx43 expression.

Fouling-Resistant Membranes for Treating Concentrated Brines for Water Reuse in Advanced Energy Systems- Final Technical Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hendren, Zachary; Choi, Young Chul

The high total dissolved solids (TDS) levels in the wastewater quality generated from unconventional oil and gas development make the current state-of-the art approach to water treatment/disposal untenable. Our proposed membrane technology approach addresses the two major challenges associated with this water: 1) the membrane distillation process removes the high TDS content, which is often 8 times higher than that of seawater, and 2) our novel membrane coating prevents the formation of scale that would otherwise pose a significant operational hurdle. This is accomplished through next-generation electrically conductive membranes that mitigate fouling beyond what is currently possible, and allow formore » the flexibility to treat to the water to levels desirable for multiple reuse options, thus reducing fresh water withdrawal, all the way to direct disposal into the environment. The overall project objective was to demonstrate the efficacy of membrane distillation (MD) as a cost-savings technology to treat concentrated brines (such as, but not limited to, produced waters generated from fossil fuel extraction) that have high levels of TDS for beneficial water reuse in power production and other industrial operations as well as agricultural and municipal water uses. In addition, a novel fouling-resistant nanocomposite membrane was developed to reduce the need for chemicals to address membrane scaling due to the precipitation of divalent ions in high-TDS waters and improve overall MD performance via an electrically conductive membrane distillation process (ECMD). This anti-fouling membrane technology platform is based on incorporating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into the surface layer of existing, commercially available MD membranes. The CNTs impart electrical conductivity to the membrane surface to prevent membrane scaling and fouling when an electrical potential is applied.« less

Effect of presynaptic membrane potential on electrical vs. chemical synaptic transmission

PubMed Central

Evans, Colin G.; Ludwar, Bjoern Ch.; Kang, Timothy

2011-01-01

The growing realization that electrical coupling is present in the mammalian brain has sparked renewed interest in determining its functional significance and contrasting it with chemical transmission. One question of interest is whether the two types of transmission can be selectively regulated, e.g., if a cell makes both types of connections can electrical transmission occur in the absence of chemical transmission? We explore this issue in an experimentally advantageous preparation. B21, the neuron we study, is an Aplysia sensory neuron involved in feeding that makes electrical and chemical connections with other identified cells. Previously we demonstrated that chemical synaptic transmission is membrane potential dependent. It occurs when B21 is centrally depolarized prior to and during peripheral activation, but does not occur if B21 is peripherally activated at its resting membrane potential. In this article we study effects of membrane potential on electrical transmission. We demonstrate that maximal potentiation occurs in different voltage ranges for the two types of transmission, with potentiation of electrical transmission occurring at more hyperpolarized potentials (i.e., requiring less central depolarization). Furthermore, we describe a physiologically relevant type of stimulus that induces both spiking and an envelope of depolarization in the somatic region of B21. This depolarization does not induce functional chemical synaptic transmission but is comparable to the depolarization needed to maximally potentiate electrical transmission. In this study we therefore characterize a situation in which electrical and chemical transmission can be selectively controlled by membrane potential. PMID:21593394

Novel treatment strategies for smooth muscle disorders: Targeting Kv7 potassium channels.

PubMed

Haick, Jennifer M; Byron, Kenneth L

2016-09-01

Smooth muscle cells provide crucial contractile functions in visceral, vascular, and lung tissues. The contractile state of smooth muscle is largely determined by their electrical excitability, which is in turn influenced by the activity of potassium channels. The activity of potassium channels sustains smooth muscle cell membrane hyperpolarization, reducing cellular excitability and thereby promoting smooth muscle relaxation. Research over the past decade has indicated an important role for Kv7 (KCNQ) voltage-gated potassium channels in the regulation of the excitability of smooth muscle cells. Expression of multiple Kv7 channel subtypes has been demonstrated in smooth muscle cells from viscera (gastrointestinal, bladder, myometrial), from the systemic and pulmonary vasculature, and from the airways of the lung, from multiple species, including humans. A number of clinically used drugs, some of which were developed to target Kv7 channels in other tissues, have been found to exert robust effects on smooth muscle Kv7 channels. Functional studies have indicated that Kv7 channel activators and inhibitors have the ability to relax and contact smooth muscle preparations, respectively, suggesting a wide range of novel applications for the pharmacological tool set. This review summarizes recent findings regarding the physiological functions of Kv7 channels in smooth muscle, and highlights potential therapeutic applications based on pharmacological targeting of smooth muscle Kv7 channels throughout the body. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Nature inspired capacitive sensor with unique and unclonable characteristic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karuthedath, C. B.; Schwesinger, N.

2018-02-01

Background of this paper is the development of sensors showing a nature like characteristic. The sensor is able to detect excitations on inertia bases and operates capacitive. It consists of a miniaturized interdigitated electrode structure on a printed circuit board, a flexible and conductive membrane of PDMS located in a certain distance above and a certain number of steel balls fixed on top of the membrane. The steel ball distribution is random and the conductivity of the membrane is not homogeneous across the membrane. Due to this double random distribution, no sensor equals the other, although the external geometry is equal. The overall size of the sensor is 4.7mm x 4.7mm x 1.7mm. Tilt, acceleration or magnetic fields are capable of causing forces on the steel balls and therefore relative movements between the membrane and the electrode structures. Due to this movement, capacity changes of the arrangement are measurable. This paper describes besides the fabrication of conductive membranes the preparation of regarding sensors. Process technology makes cloning of the sensors impossible. Although all process steps are suited for mass production, no sensor equals the other. Measurements with these sensors prove that each sensor reacts differently to the same excitation. Calculations of the Intra-Concordance-Coefficient show the similarity of the sensors for equal excitations. On the other hand, the maximum Inter-Concordance-Coefficient reveals the differences of such sensors very clearly. Such a characteristic, i.e. equal reaction to equal excitation and an output of significantly different signals allows considering each sensor as a unique device. The sensors obviously behave like receptors in natural organisms. These unusual properties of uniqueness and impossibility to clone make the sensors very interesting for highly secure identification demands. In combination with a very simple measurement procedure, the sensors are an attractive hardware base for technical security solutions.

Intrinsic Membrane Properties of Pre-oromotor Neurons in the Intermediate Zone of the Medullary Reticular Formation

PubMed Central

Venugopal, Sharmila; Boulant, Jack A.; Chen, Zhixiong; Travers, Joseph B.

2010-01-01

Neurons in the lower brainstem that control consummatory behavior are widely distributed in the reticular formation (RF) of the pons and medulla. The intrinsic membrane properties of neurons within this distributed system shape complex excitatory and inhibitory inputs from both orosensory and central structures implicated in homeostatic control to produce coordinated oromotor patterns. The current study explored the intrinsic membrane properties of neurons in the intermediate subdivision of the medullary reticular formation (IRt). Neurons in the IRt receive input from the overlying (gustatory) nucleus of the solitary tract and project to the oromotor nuclei. Recent behavioral pharmacology studies as well as computational modeling suggest that inhibition in the IRt plays an important role in the transition from a taste-initiated oromotor pattern of ingestion to one of rejection. The present study explored the impact of hyperpolarization on membrane properties. In response to depolarization, neurons responded with either a tonic discharge, an irregular/burst pattern or were spike-adaptive. A hyperpolarizing pre-pulse modulated the excitability of most (82%) IRt neurons to subsequent depolarization. Instances of both increased (30%) and decreased (52%) excitability were observed. Currents induced by the hyperpolarization included an outward 4-AP sensitive K+ current that suppressed excitability and an inward cation current that increased excitability. These currents are also present in other subpopulations of RF neurons that influence the oromotor nuclei and we discuss how these currents could alter ring characteristics to impact pattern generation. PMID:20338224

Mechanism of action of anions on the electron transport chain in thylakoid membranes of higher plants.

PubMed

Singh-Rawal, Pooja; Zsiros, Ottó; Bharti, Sudhakar; Garab, Gyozo; Jajoo, Anjana

2011-04-01

With an aim to improve our understanding of the mechanisms behind specific anion effects in biological membranes, we have studied the effects of sodium salts of anions of varying valency in thylakoid membranes. Rates of electron transport of PS II and PS I, 77K fluorescence emission and excitation spectra, cyclic electron flow around PS I and circular dichroism (CD) spectra were measured in thylakoid membranes in order to elucidate a general mechanism of action of inorganic anions on photosynthetic electron transport chain. Re-distribution of absorbed excitation energy has been observed as a signature effect of inorganic anions. In the presence of anions, such as nitrite, sulphate and phosphate, distribution of absorbed excitation energy was found to be more in favor of Photosystem I (PS I). The amount of energy distributed towards PS I depended on the valency of the anion. In this paper, we propose for the first time that energy re-distribution and its valence dependence may not be the effect of anions per se. The entry of negative charge (anion) is accompanied by influx of positive charge (protons) to maintain a balance of charge across the thylakoid membranes. As reflected by the CD spectra, the observed energy re-distribution could be a result of structural rearrangements of the protein complexes of PS II caused by changes in the ionic environment of the thylakoid lumen.

Synaptic input correlations leading to membrane potential decorrelation of spontaneous activity in cortex.

PubMed

Graupner, Michael; Reyes, Alex D

2013-09-18

Correlations in the spiking activity of neurons have been found in many regions of the cortex under multiple experimental conditions and are postulated to have important consequences for neural population coding. While there is a large body of extracellular data reporting correlations of various strengths, the subthreshold events underlying the origin and magnitude of signal-independent correlations (called noise or spike count correlations) are unknown. Here we investigate, using intracellular recordings, how synaptic input correlations from shared presynaptic neurons translate into membrane potential and spike-output correlations. Using a pharmacologically activated thalamocortical slice preparation, we perform simultaneous recordings from pairs of layer IV neurons in the auditory cortex of mice and measure synaptic potentials/currents, membrane potentials, and spiking outputs. We calculate cross-correlations between excitatory and inhibitory inputs to investigate correlations emerging from the network. We furthermore evaluate membrane potential correlations near resting potential to study how excitation and inhibition combine and affect spike-output correlations. We demonstrate directly that excitation is correlated with inhibition thereby partially canceling each other and resulting in weak membrane potential and spiking correlations between neurons. Our data suggest that cortical networks are set up to partially cancel correlations emerging from the connections between neurons. This active decorrelation is achieved because excitation and inhibition closely track each other. Our results suggest that the numerous shared presynaptic inputs do not automatically lead to increased spiking correlations.

A novel composite conductive microfiltration membrane and its anti-fouling performance with an external electric field in membrane bioreactors

PubMed Central

Huang, Jian; Wang, Zhiwei; Zhang, Junyao; Zhang, Xingran; Ma, Jinxing; Wu, Zhichao

2015-01-01

Membrane fouling remains an obstacle to wide-spread applications of membrane bioreactors (MBRs) for wastewater treatment and reclamation. Herein, we report a simple method to prepare a composite conductive microfiltration (MF) membrane by introducing a stainless steel mesh into a polymeric MF membrane and to effectively control its fouling by applying an external electric field. Linear sweep voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analyses showed that this conductive membrane had very good electrochemical properties. Batch tests demonstrated its anti-fouling ability in filtration of bovine serum albumin, sodium alginate, humic acid and silicon dioxide particles as model foulants. The fouling rate in continuous-flow MBRs treating wastewater was also decreased by about 50% for this conductive membrane with 2 V/cm electric field compared to the control test during long-term operation. The enhanced electrostatic repulsive force between foulants and membrane, in-situ cleaning by H2O2 generated from oxygen reduction, and decreased production of soluble microbial products and extracellular polymeric substances contributed to fouling mitigation in this MBR. The results of this study shed light on the control strategy of membrane fouling for achieving a sustainable operation of MBRs. PMID:25784160

Enhanced electricity generation by triclosan and iron anodes in the three-chambered membrane bio-chemical reactor (TC-MBCR).

PubMed

Song, Jing; Liu, Lifen; Yang, Fenglin; Ren, Nanqi; Crittenden, John

2013-11-01

A three-chambered membrane bio-chemical reactor (TC-MBCR) was developed. The stainless steel membrane modules were used as cathodes and iron plates in the middle chamber served as the anode. The TC-MBCR was able to reduce fouling, remove triclosan (TCS) from a synthetic wastewater treatment and enhance electricity generation by ~60% compared with the cell voltage before TCS addition. The TC-MBCR system generated a relatively stable power output (cell voltage ~0.2V) and the corrosion of iron plates contributed to electricity generation together with microbes on iron anode. The permeation flow from anode to cathode chamber was considered important in electricity generation. In addition, the negatively charged cathode membrane and Fe(2+)/Fe(3+) released by iron plates mitigated membrane fouling by approximately 30%, as compared with the control. The removal of COD and total phosphorus was approximately 99% and 90%. The highest triclosan removal rate reached 97.9%. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Energetic cost of communication.

PubMed

Stoddard, Philip K; Salazar, Vielka L

2011-01-15

Communication signals may be energetically expensive or inexpensive to produce, depending on the function of the signal and the competitive nature of the communication system. Males of sexually selected species may produce high-energy advertisement signals, both to enhance detectability and to signal their size and body condition. Accordingly, the proportion of the energy budget allocated to signal production ranges from almost nothing for many signals to somewhere in excess of 50% for acoustic signals in short-lived sexually selected species. Recent data from gymnotiform electric fish reveal mechanisms that regulate energy allocated to sexual advertisement signals through dynamical remodeling of the excitable membranes in the electric organ. Further, males of the short-lived sexually selected species, Brachyhypopomus gauderio, trade off among different metabolic compartments, allocating energy to signal production while reducing energy used in other metabolic functions. Female B. gauderio, by contrast, do not trade off energy between signaling and other functions. To fuel energetically expensive signal production, we expect a continuum of strategies to be adopted by animals of different life history strategies. Future studies should explore the relation between life history and energy allocation trade-offs.

Energetic cost of communication

PubMed Central

Stoddard, Philip K.; Salazar, Vielka L.

2011-01-01

Communication signals may be energetically expensive or inexpensive to produce, depending on the function of the signal and the competitive nature of the communication system. Males of sexually selected species may produce high-energy advertisement signals, both to enhance detectability and to signal their size and body condition. Accordingly, the proportion of the energy budget allocated to signal production ranges from almost nothing for many signals to somewhere in excess of 50% for acoustic signals in short-lived sexually selected species. Recent data from gymnotiform electric fish reveal mechanisms that regulate energy allocated to sexual advertisement signals through dynamical remodeling of the excitable membranes in the electric organ. Further, males of the short-lived sexually selected species, Brachyhypopomus gauderio, trade off among different metabolic compartments, allocating energy to signal production while reducing energy used in other metabolic functions. Female B. gauderio, by contrast, do not trade off energy between signaling and other functions. To fuel energetically expensive signal production, we expect a continuum of strategies to be adopted by animals of different life history strategies. Future studies should explore the relation between life history and energy allocation trade-offs. PMID:21177941

Vibration energy harvesting using a piezoelectric circular diaphragm array.

PubMed

Wang, Wei; Yang, Tongqing; Chen, Xurui; Yao, Xi

2012-09-01

This paper presents a method for harvesting electric energy from mechanical vibration using a mechanically excited piezoelectric circular membrane array. The piezoelectric circular diaphragm array consists of four plates with series and parallel connection, and the electrical characteristics of the array are examined under dynamic conditions. With an optimal load resistor of 160 kΩ, an output power of 28 mW was generated from the array in series connection at 150 Hz under a prestress of 0.8 N and a vibration acceleration of 9.8 m/s(2), whereas a maximal output power of 27 mW can be obtained from the array in parallel connection through a resistive load of 11 kΩ under the same frequency, prestress, and acceleration conditions. The results show that using a piezoelectric circular diaphragm array can significantly increase the output of energy compared with the use of a single plate. By choosing an appropriate connection pattern (series or parallel connections) among the plates, the equivalent impedance of the energy harvesting devices can be tailored to meet the matched load of different applications for maximal power output.

Ion Permeability of Artificial Membranes Evaluated by Diffusion Potential and Electrical Resistance Measurements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shlyonsky, Vadim

2013-01-01

In the present article, a novel model of artificial membranes that provides efficient assistance in teaching the origins of diffusion potentials is proposed. These membranes are made of polycarbonate filters fixed to 12-mm plastic rings and then saturated with a mixture of creosol and "n"-decane. The electrical resistance and potential…

A new type of localized fast moving electronic excitations in molecular chains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korshunova, A. N.; Lakhno, V. D.

2014-06-01

It is shown that in a Holstein molecular chain placed in a strong longitudinal electric field some new types of excitations can arise. These excitations can transfer a charge over large distance (more than 1000 nucleotide pairs) along the chain retaining approximately their shapes. Excitations are formed only when a strong electric field either exists or quickly arises under especially preassigned conditions. These excitations transfer a charge even in the case when Holstein polarons are practically immobile. The results obtained are applied to synthetic homogeneous PolyG/PolyC DNA duplexes. They can also be provide the basis for explanation of famous H.W. Fink and C. Schönenberger experiment on long-range charge transfer in DNA.

69. Credit TCL. Housing of Pelton exciter impulse wheel and ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

69. Credit TCL. Housing of Pelton exciter impulse wheel and attached General Electric 60 kW exciter generator. - Battle Creek Hydroelectric System, Battle Creek & Tributaries, Red Bluff, Tehama County, CA

Start-up and control method and apparatus for resonant free piston Stirling engine

DOEpatents

Walsh, Michael M.

1984-01-01

A resonant free-piston Stirling engine having a new and improved start-up and control method and system. A displacer linear electrodynamic machine is provided having an armature secured to and movable with the displacer and having a stator supported by the Stirling engine housing in juxtaposition to the armature. A control excitation circuit is provided for electrically exciting the displacer linear electrodynamic machine with electrical excitation signals having substantially the same frequency as the desired frequency of operation of the Stirling engine. The excitation control circuit is designed so that it selectively and controllably causes the displacer electrodynamic machine to function either as a generator load to extract power from the displacer or the control circuit selectively can be operated to cause the displacer electrodynamic machine to operate as an electric drive motor to apply additional input power to the displacer in addition to the thermodynamic power feedback to the displacer whereby the displacer linear electrodynamic machine also is used in the electric drive motor mode as a means for initially starting the resonant free-piston Stirling engine.

Effect of the architecture of the left ventricle on the speed of the excitation wave in muscle fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nezlobinsky, T. V.; Pravdin, S. F.; Katsnelson, L. B.; Solovyova, O. E.

2016-07-01

It is known that preferential paths for the propagation of an electrical excitation wave in the human ventricular myocardium are associated with muscle fibers in tissue. The speed of the excitation wave along a fiber is several times higher than that across the direction of the fiber. To estimate the effect of the architecture and anisotropy of the myocardium of the left ventricle on the process of its electrical activation, we have studied the relation between the speed of the electrical excitation wave in a one-dimensional isolated myocardial fiber consisting of sequentially coupled cardiomyocytes and in an identical fiber located in the wall of a threedimensional anatomical model of the left ventricle. It has been shown that the speed of a wavefront along the fiber in the three-dimensional myocardial tissue is much higher than that in the one-dimensional fiber. The acceleration of the signal is due to the rotation of directions of fibers in the wall and to the position of the excitation wavefront with respect to the direction of this fiber. The observed phenomenon is caused by the approach of the excitable tissue with rotational anisotropy in its properties to a pseudoisotropic tissue.

Effects of electrical stimulation of the hunger center in the lateral hypothalamus and food reinforcement on impulse activity of the stomach in rabbits under conditions of hunger and satiation.

PubMed

Zenina, O Yu; Kromin, A A

2012-10-01

Stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus in preliminary fed animals in the presence of the food is associated with successful food-procuring behavior, accompanied by regular generation of high-amplitude slow electrical waves by muscles of the lesser curvature, body, and antrum of the stomach, which was reflected in the structure of temporal organization of slow electrical activity in the form of unimodal distribution of slow wave periods typical of satiation state. Despite increased level of food motivation caused by stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus, the additional food intake completely abolished the inhibitory effects of hunger motivation excitement on slow electrical muscle activity in the lesser curvature, body, and antrum of the stomach of satiated rabbits. Changes in slow electrical activity of the stomach muscles in rabbits deprived of food over 24 h and offered food and associated food-procuring behavior during electrical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus have a two-phase pattern. Despite food intake during phase I of electrical stimulation, the downstream inhibitory effect of hunger motivation excitement on myogenic pacemaker of the lesser curvature of stomach abolishes the stimulating effect of food reinforcement on slow electrical muscle activity in the lesser curvature, body, and antrum of the stomach. During phase II of electrical stimulation, the food reinforcement decreases inhibitory effect of hunger motivation excitement on myogenic pacemaker of the lesser curvature that paces maximal rhythm of slow electrical waves for muscles activity in the lesser curvature, body, and antrum of the stomach, which is reflected by unimodal distribution of slow electrical wave periods. Our results indicated that the structure of temporal organization of slow electrical activity of the stomach muscles reflects convergent interactions of food motivation and reinforcement excitations on the dorsal vagal complex neurons in medulla oblongata.

Effects of lacosamide and carbamazepine on human motor cortex excitability: a double-blind, placebo-controlled transcranial magnetic stimulation study.

PubMed

Lang, Nicolas; Rothkegel, Holger; Peckolt, Hannes; Deuschl, Günther

2013-11-01

Lacosamide (LCM) and carbamazepine (CBZ) are antiepileptic drugs both acting on neuronal voltage-gated sodium channels. Patch-clamp studies demonstrated significant differences in how LCM and CBZ affect neuronal membrane excitability. Despite valuable information patch-clamp studies provide, they also comprise some constraints. For example, little is known about effects of LCM on intracortical synaptic excitability. In contrast, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can describe drug-induced changes at the system level of the human cerebral cortex. The present study was designed to explore dose-depended effects of LCM and effects of CBZ on motor cortex excitability with TMS in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial in healthy human subjects. Subjects received 600 mg CBZ, 200 mg LCM, 400 mg LCM or placebo preceding TMS measurements. Compared to placebo, TMS motor thresholds were significantly increased after carbamazepine and lacosamide, with a trend for a dose dependent effect of lacosamide. Both, carbamazepine and lacosamide did not affect TMS parameters of intracortical synaptic excitability. TMS measurements suggest that lacosamide and carbamazepine predominantly act on neuronal membrane excitability. Copyright © 2013 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hysteresis in voltage-gated channels.

PubMed

Villalba-Galea, Carlos A

2017-03-04

Ion channels constitute a superfamily of membrane proteins found in all living creatures. Their activity allows fast translocation of ions across the plasma membrane down the ion's transmembrane electrochemical gradient, resulting in a difference in electrical potential across the plasma membrane, known as the membrane potential. A group within this superfamily, namely voltage-gated channels, displays activity that is sensitive to the membrane potential. The activity of voltage-gated channels is controlled by the membrane potential, while the membrane potential is changed by these channels' activity. This interplay produces variations in the membrane potential that have evolved into electrical signals in many organisms. These signals are essential for numerous biological processes, including neuronal activity, insulin release, muscle contraction, fertilization and many others. In recent years, the activity of the voltage-gated channels has been observed not to follow a simple relationship with the membrane potential. Instead, it has been shown that the activity of voltage-gated channel displays hysteresis. In fact, a growing number of evidence have demonstrated that the voltage dependence of channel activity is dynamically modulated by activity itself. In spite of the great impact that this property can have on electrical signaling, hysteresis in voltage-gated channels is often overlooked. Addressing this issue, this review provides examples of voltage-gated ion channels displaying hysteretic behavior. Further, this review will discuss how Dynamic Voltage Dependence in voltage-gated channels can have a physiological role in electrical signaling. Furthermore, this review will elaborate on the current thoughts on the mechanism underlying hysteresis in voltage-gated channels.

Predicting dynamic range and intensity discrimination for electrical pulse-train stimuli using a stochastic auditory nerve model: the effects of stimulus noise.

PubMed

Xu, Yifang; Collins, Leslie M

2005-06-01

This work investigates dynamic range and intensity discrimination for electrical pulse-train stimuli that are modulated by noise using a stochastic auditory nerve model. Based on a hypothesized monotonic relationship between loudness and the number of spikes elicited by a stimulus, theoretical prediction of the uncomfortable level has previously been determined by comparing spike counts to a fixed threshold, Nucl. However, no specific rule for determining Nucl has been suggested. Our work determines the uncomfortable level based on the excitation pattern of the neural response in a normal ear. The number of fibers corresponding to the portion of the basilar membrane driven by a stimulus at an uncomfortable level in a normal ear is related to Nucl at an uncomfortable level of the electrical stimulus. Intensity discrimination limens are predicted using signal detection theory via the probability mass function of the neural response and via experimental simulations. The results show that the uncomfortable level for pulse-train stimuli increases slightly as noise level increases. Combining this with our previous threshold predictions, we hypothesize that the dynamic range for noise-modulated pulse-train stimuli should increase with additive noise. However, since our predictions indicate that intensity discrimination under noise degrades, overall intensity coding performance may not improve significantly.

Mechanical signaling coordinates the embryonic heartbeat.

PubMed

Chiou, Kevin K; Rocks, Jason W; Chen, Christina Yingxian; Cho, Sangkyun; Merkus, Koen E; Rajaratnam, Anjali; Robison, Patrick; Tewari, Manorama; Vogel, Kenneth; Majkut, Stephanie F; Prosser, Benjamin L; Discher, Dennis E; Liu, Andrea J

2016-08-09

In the beating heart, cardiac myocytes (CMs) contract in a coordinated fashion, generating contractile wave fronts that propagate through the heart with each beat. Coordinating this wave front requires fast and robust signaling mechanisms between CMs. The primary signaling mechanism has long been identified as electrical: gap junctions conduct ions between CMs, triggering membrane depolarization, intracellular calcium release, and actomyosin contraction. In contrast, we propose here that, in the early embryonic heart tube, the signaling mechanism coordinating beats is mechanical rather than electrical. We present a simple biophysical model in which CMs are mechanically excitable inclusions embedded within the extracellular matrix (ECM), modeled as an elastic-fluid biphasic material. Our model predicts strong stiffness dependence in both the heartbeat velocity and strain in isolated hearts, as well as the strain for a hydrogel-cultured CM, in quantitative agreement with recent experiments. We challenge our model with experiments disrupting electrical conduction by perfusing intact adult and embryonic hearts with a gap junction blocker, β-glycyrrhetinic acid (BGA). We find this treatment causes rapid failure in adult hearts but not embryonic hearts-consistent with our hypothesis. Last, our model predicts a minimum matrix stiffness necessary to propagate a mechanically coordinated wave front. The predicted value is in accord with our stiffness measurements at the onset of beating, suggesting that mechanical signaling may initiate the very first heartbeats.

Sound-by-sound thalamic stimulation modulates midbrain auditory excitability and relative binaural sensitivity in frogs

PubMed Central

Ponnath, Abhilash; Farris, Hamilton E.

2014-01-01

Descending circuitry can modulate auditory processing, biasing sensitivity to particular stimulus parameters and locations. Using awake in vivo single unit recordings, this study tested whether electrical stimulation of the thalamus modulates auditory excitability and relative binaural sensitivity in neurons of the amphibian midbrain. In addition, by using electrical stimuli that were either longer than the acoustic stimuli (i.e., seconds) or presented on a sound-by-sound basis (ms), experiments addressed whether the form of modulation depended on the temporal structure of the electrical stimulus. Following long duration electrical stimulation (3–10 s of 20 Hz square pulses), excitability (spikes/acoustic stimulus) to free-field noise stimuli decreased by 32%, but returned over 600 s. In contrast, sound-by-sound electrical stimulation using a single 2 ms duration electrical pulse 25 ms before each noise stimulus caused faster and varied forms of modulation: modulation lasted <2 s and, in different cells, excitability either decreased, increased or shifted in latency. Within cells, the modulatory effect of sound-by-sound electrical stimulation varied between different acoustic stimuli, including for different male calls, suggesting modulation is specific to certain stimulus attributes. For binaural units, modulation depended on the ear of input, as sound-by-sound electrical stimulation preceding dichotic acoustic stimulation caused asymmetric modulatory effects: sensitivity shifted for sounds at only one ear, or by different relative amounts for both ears. This caused a change in the relative difference in binaural sensitivity. Thus, sound-by-sound electrical stimulation revealed fast and ear-specific (i.e., lateralized) auditory modulation that is potentially suited to shifts in auditory attention during sound segregation in the auditory scene. PMID:25120437

Sound-by-sound thalamic stimulation modulates midbrain auditory excitability and relative binaural sensitivity in frogs.

PubMed

Ponnath, Abhilash; Farris, Hamilton E

2014-01-01

Descending circuitry can modulate auditory processing, biasing sensitivity to particular stimulus parameters and locations. Using awake in vivo single unit recordings, this study tested whether electrical stimulation of the thalamus modulates auditory excitability and relative binaural sensitivity in neurons of the amphibian midbrain. In addition, by using electrical stimuli that were either longer than the acoustic stimuli (i.e., seconds) or presented on a sound-by-sound basis (ms), experiments addressed whether the form of modulation depended on the temporal structure of the electrical stimulus. Following long duration electrical stimulation (3-10 s of 20 Hz square pulses), excitability (spikes/acoustic stimulus) to free-field noise stimuli decreased by 32%, but returned over 600 s. In contrast, sound-by-sound electrical stimulation using a single 2 ms duration electrical pulse 25 ms before each noise stimulus caused faster and varied forms of modulation: modulation lasted <2 s and, in different cells, excitability either decreased, increased or shifted in latency. Within cells, the modulatory effect of sound-by-sound electrical stimulation varied between different acoustic stimuli, including for different male calls, suggesting modulation is specific to certain stimulus attributes. For binaural units, modulation depended on the ear of input, as sound-by-sound electrical stimulation preceding dichotic acoustic stimulation caused asymmetric modulatory effects: sensitivity shifted for sounds at only one ear, or by different relative amounts for both ears. This caused a change in the relative difference in binaural sensitivity. Thus, sound-by-sound electrical stimulation revealed fast and ear-specific (i.e., lateralized) auditory modulation that is potentially suited to shifts in auditory attention during sound segregation in the auditory scene.

Comparison between electric dipole and magnetic loop antennas for emitting whistler modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stenzel, R.; Urrutia, J. M.

2016-12-01

In a large uniform and unbounded laboratory plasma low frequency whistler modes are excited from an electric dipole and a magnetic loop. The excited waves are measured with a magnetic probe which resolves the three field components in 3D space and time. This yields the group velocity and energy density, from which one obtains the emitted power. The same rf generator is used for both antennas and the radiated power is measured under identical plasma conditions. The magnetic loop radiates 8000 times more power than the electric dipole. The reason is that the loop antenna carries a large conduction current while the electric dipole current is a much smaller displacement current through the sheath. The current, hence magnetic field excites whistlers, not the dipole electric field. Incidentally, a dipole antenna does not launch plane waves but m = 1 helicon modes. The findings suggest that active wave injections into the magnetosphere should be done with magnetic antennas. Two parallel dipoles connected at the free end could serve as an elongated loop.

Current topics in membranes and transport

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kleinzeller, A.

1987-01-01

This book contains 10 chapters. Some of the chapter titles are: Expression of the Oxytocin and Vasopressin Genes; Steroid Effects on Excitable Membranes: The Secretory Vesicle in Processing and Secretion of Neuropeptides: and Steroid Hormone Influences on Cyclic AMP-Generating Systems.

Quantifying pulsed electric field-induced membrane nanoporation in single cells.

PubMed

Moen, Erick K; Ibey, Bennett L; Beier, Hope T; Armani, Andrea M

2016-11-01

Plasma membrane disruption can trigger a host of cellular activities. One commonly observed type of disruption is pore formation. Molecular dynamic (MD) simulations of simplified lipid membrane structures predict that controllably disrupting the membrane via nano-scale poration may be possible with nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF). Until recently, researchers hoping to verify this hypothesis experimentally have been limited to measuring the relatively slow process of fluorescent markers diffusing across the membrane, which is indirect evidence of nanoporation that could be channel-mediated. Leveraging recent advances in nonlinear optical microscopy, we elucidate the role of pulse parameters in nsPEF-induced membrane permeabilization in live cells. Unlike previous techniques, it is able to directly observe loss of membrane order at the onset of the pulse. We also develop a complementary theoretical model that relates increasing membrane permeabilization to membrane pore density. Due to the significantly improved spatial and temporal resolution possible with our imaging method, we are able to directly compare our experimental and theoretical results. Their agreement provides substantial evidence that nanoporation does occur and that its development is dictated by the electric field distribution. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Stimulated Emission Depletion Live-Cell Super-Resolution Imaging Shows Proliferative Remodeling of T-Tubule Membrane Structures After Myocardial Infarction

PubMed Central

Wagner, Eva; Lauterbach, Marcel A.; Kohl, Tobias; Westphal, Volker; Williams, George S.B.; Steinbrecher, Julia H.; Streich, Jan-Hendrik; Korff, Brigitte; Tuan, Hoang-Trong M.; Hagen, Brian; Luther, Stefan; Hasenfuss, Gerd; Parlitz, Ulrich; Jafri, M. Saleet; Hell, Stefan W.; Lederer, W. Jonathan; Lehnart, Stephan E.

2014-01-01

Rationale Transverse tubules (TTs) couple electric surface signals to remote intracellular Ca2+ release units (CRUs). Diffraction-limited imaging studies have proposed loss of TT components as disease mechanism in heart failure (HF). Objectives Objectives were to develop quantitative super-resolution strategies for live-cell imaging of TT membranes in intact cardiomyocytes and to show that TT structures are progressively remodeled during HF development, causing early CRU dysfunction. Methods and Results Using stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy, we characterized individual TTs with nanometric resolution as direct readout of local membrane morphology 4 and 8 weeks after myocardial infarction (4pMI and 8pMI). Both individual and network TT properties were investigated by quantitative image analysis. The mean area of TT cross sections increased progressively from 4pMI to 8pMI. Unexpectedly, intact TT networks showed differential changes. Longitudinal and oblique TTs were significantly increased at 4pMI, whereas transversal components appeared decreased. Expression of TT-associated proteins junctophilin-2 and caveolin-3 was significantly changed, correlating with network component remodeling. Computational modeling of spatial changes in HF through heterogeneous TT reorganization and RyR2 orphaning (5000 of 20 000 CRUs) uncovered a local mechanism of delayed subcellular Ca2+ release and action potential prolongation. Conclusions This study introduces STED nanoscopy for live mapping of TT membrane structures. During early HF development, the local TT morphology and associated proteins were significantly altered, leading to differential network remodeling and Ca2+ release dyssynchrony. Our data suggest that TT remodeling during HF development involves proliferative membrane changes, early excitation-contraction uncoupling, and network fracturing. PMID:22723297

Menthol-induced action potentials in Conocephalum conicum as a result of unspecific interactions between menthol and the lipid phase of the plasma membrane.

PubMed

Kupisz, Kamila; Trebacz, Kazimierz; Gruszecki, Wiesław I

2015-07-01

Our previous study has shown that the liverwort Conocephalum conicum generates action potentials (APs) in response to both temperature drop and menthol, which are also activators of the TRPM8 (transient receptor potential melastatin 8) receptor in animals. Not only similarities but also differences between electrical reactions to menthol and cooling observed in the liverwort aroused our interest in the action of menthol at the molecular level. Patch-clamp investigations have shown that menthol causes a reduction of current flowing through slow vacuolar (SV) channels to 29 ± 10% of the initial value (n = 9); simultaneously, it does not influence magnitudes of currents passing through a single SV channel. This may point to an unspecific interaction between menthol and the lipid phase of the membrane. An influence of menthol on lipid organization in membranes was investigated in two-component monomolecular layers formed with menthol and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) at the argon-water interface. Analyses of the mean molecular area parameters vs the molar fraction of the menthol component have shown over-additivity (approximately 20 Å(2) ) in the region of high molar fractions of menthol. Infrared absorption spectroscopy studies have shown that menthol, most probably, induces breaking of a hydrogen bond network formed by ester carbonyl groups and water bridges in the lipid membrane and binds to the polar head group region of DPPC. We conclude that the disruption in the lipid phase of the membrane influences ion channels and/or pumps and subsequently causes generation of APs in excitable plants such as C. conicum. © 2014 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.

Near-membrane electric field calcium ion dehydration.

PubMed

Barger, James P; Dillon, Patrick F

2016-12-01

The dehydration of ion-water complexes prior to ion channel transit has focused on channel protein-mediated dissociation of water. Ion dehydration by the membrane electric field has not previously been considered. Near membrane electric fields have previously been shown to cause the disassociation of non-covalently bound small molecule-small molecule, small molecule-protein, and protein-protein complexes. It is well known that cosmotropic, structure making ions such as calcium and sodium significantly bind multiple water ions in solution. It is also known that these ions are often not hydrated as they pass through membrane ion channels. Using capillary electrophoresis, the range of electric fields needed to strip water molecules from calcium ions has been measured. Ion migration velocity is a linear function of the electric field. At low electric fields, the migration rate of calcium ion was shown to be linearly related to the applied electric field. Using a form of the Stoke's equation applicable to ion migration, the hydrated calcium radius was found to be 0.334nm, corresponding to a water hydration shell of 5.09 water molecules. At higher electric fields, the slope of the calcium migration velocity as a function of the electric field increased, which was modeled as a decrease in the radius of the migrating ion as the water was removed. Using a tanh function to model the transition of the ion from a hydrated to a stripped state, the transition had a midpoint at 446V/cm, and was 88% complete at 587V/cm with a correlation coefficient of 0.9996. The migration velocity of the stripped calcium ion was found to be a function of both the decrease in radius and an increase in the effective, electronic viscosity of the dipole medium through which the dehydrated ion moved. The size of the electric field needed to dehydrate calcium occurs 6-7nm from the cell membrane. Calcium ions within this distance from the membrane will be devoid of water molecules when they reach the calcium selective channel pore entrances, all known to be approximately 1-2nm from the membrane. No matter what the calcium pore structure, calcium ions reaching the channel entrance will be devoid of a water shell. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modified cable equation incorporating transverse polarization of neuronal membranes for accurate coupling of electric fields.

PubMed

Wang, Boshuo; Aberra, Aman S; Grill, Warren M; Peterchev, Angel V

2018-04-01

We present a theory and computational methods to incorporate transverse polarization of neuronal membranes into the cable equation to account for the secondary electric field generated by the membrane in response to transverse electric fields. The effect of transverse polarization on nonlinear neuronal activation thresholds is quantified and discussed in the context of previous studies using linear membrane models. The response of neuronal membranes to applied electric fields is derived under two time scales and a unified solution of transverse polarization is given for spherical and cylindrical cell geometries. The solution is incorporated into the cable equation re-derived using an asymptotic model that separates the longitudinal and transverse dimensions. Two numerical methods are proposed to implement the modified cable equation. Several common neural stimulation scenarios are tested using two nonlinear membrane models to compare thresholds of the conventional and modified cable equations. The implementations of the modified cable equation incorporating transverse polarization are validated against previous results in the literature. The test cases show that transverse polarization has limited effect on activation thresholds. The transverse field only affects thresholds of unmyelinated axons for short pulses and in low-gradient field distributions, whereas myelinated axons are mostly unaffected. The modified cable equation captures the membrane's behavior on different time scales and models more accurately the coupling between electric fields and neurons. It addresses the limitations of the conventional cable equation and allows sound theoretical interpretations. The implementation provides simple methods that are compatible with current simulation approaches to study the effect of transverse polarization on nonlinear membranes. The minimal influence by transverse polarization on axonal activation thresholds for the nonlinear membrane models indicates that predictions of stronger effects in linear membrane models with a fixed activation threshold are inaccurate. Thus, the conventional cable equation works well for most neuroengineering applications, and the presented modeling approach is well suited to address the exceptions.

Differential effects of ambient or diminished CO2 and O2 levels on thylakoid membrane structure in light-stressed plants.

PubMed

Tsabari, Onie; Nevo, Reinat; Meir, Sagit; Carrillo, L Ruby; Kramer, David M; Reich, Ziv

2015-03-01

Over-reduction of the photosynthetic electron transport chain may severely damage the photosynthetic apparatus as well as other constituents of the chloroplast and the cell. Here, we exposed Arabidopsis leaves to saturating light either under normal atmospheric conditions or under CO2--and O2 -limiting conditions, which greatly increase excitation and electron pressures by draining terminal electron acceptors. The two treatments were found to have very different, often opposing, effects on the structure of the thylakoid membranes, including the width of the granal lumenal compartment. Modulation of the latter is proposed to be related to movements of ions across the thylakoid membrane, which alter the relative osmolarity of the lumen and stroma and affect the partitioning of the proton motive force into its electrical and osmotic components. The resulting changes in thylakoid organization and lumenal width should facilitate the repair of photodamaged photosystem II complexes in response to light stress under ambient conditions, but are expected to inhibit the repair cycle when the light stress occurs concurrently with CO2 and O2 depletion. Under the latter conditions, the changes in thylakoid structure are predicted to complement other processes that restrict the flow of electrons into the high-potential chain, thus moderating the production of deleterious reactive oxygen species at photosystem I. © 2015 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Fluorescence Imaging of Two-Photon Linear Dichroism: Cholesterol Depletion Disrupts Molecular Orientation in Cell Membranes

PubMed Central

Benninger, Richard K. P.; Önfelt, Björn; Neil, Mark A. A.; Davis, Daniel M.; French, Paul M. W.

2005-01-01

The plasma membrane of cells is an ordered environment, giving rise to anisotropic orientation and restricted motion of molecules and proteins residing in the membrane. At the same time as being an organized matrix of defined structure, the cell membrane is heterogeneous and dynamic. Here we present a method where we use fluorescence imaging of linear dichroism to measure the orientation of molecules relative to the cell membrane. By detecting linear dichroism as well as fluorescence anisotropy, the orientation parameters are separated from dynamic properties such as rotational diffusion and homo energy transfer (energy migration). The sensitivity of the technique is enhanced by using two-photon excitation for higher photo-selection compared to single photon excitation. We show here that we can accurately image lipid organization in whole cell membranes and in delicate structures such as membrane nanotubes connecting two cells. The speed of our wide-field imaging system makes it possible to image changes in orientation and anisotropy occurring on a subsecond timescale. This is demonstrated by time-lapse studies showing that cholesterol depletion rapidly disrupts the orientation of a fluorophore located within the hydrophobic region of the cell membrane but not of a surface bound probe. This is consistent with cholesterol having an important role in stabilizing and ordering the lipid tails within the plasma membrane. PMID:15520272

Design of a magnetic force exciter for a small-scale windmill using a piezo-composite generating element

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luong, Hung Truyen; Goo, Nam Seo

2011-03-01

We introduce a design for a magnetic force exciter that applies vibration to a piezo-composite generating element (PCGE) for a small-scale windmill to convert wind energy into electrical energy. The windmill can be used to harvest wind energy in urban regions. The magnetic force exciter consists of exciting magnets attached to the device's input rotor, and a secondary magnet that is fixed at the tip of the PCGE. Under an applied wind force, the input rotor rotates to create a magnetic force interaction to excite the PCGE. Deformation of the PCGE enables it to generate the electric power. Experiments were performed to test power generation and battery charging capabilities. In a battery charging test, the charging time for a 40 mAh battery is approximately 1.5 hours for a wind speed of 2.5 m/s. Our experimental results show that the prototype can harvest energy in urban areas with low wind speeds, and convert the wasted wind energy into electricity for city use.

Reactor vessel using metal oxide ceramic membranes

DOEpatents

Anderson, Marc A.; Zeltner, Walter A.

1992-08-11

A reaction vessel for use in photoelectrochemical reactions includes as its reactive surface a metal oxide porous ceramic membrane of a catalytic metal such as titanium. The reaction vessel includes a light source and a counter electrode. A provision for applying an electrical bias between the membrane and the counter electrode permits the Fermi levels of potential reaction to be favored so that certain reactions may be favored in the vessel. The electrical biasing is also useful for the cleaning of the catalytic membrane.

KCNE Regulation of K+ Channel Trafficking – a Sisyphean Task?

PubMed Central

Kanda, Vikram A.; Abbott, Geoffrey W.

2012-01-01

Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels shape the action potentials of excitable cells and regulate membrane potential and ion homeostasis in excitable and non-excitable cells. With 40 known members in the human genome and a variety of homomeric and heteromeric pore-forming α subunit interactions, post-translational modifications, cellular locations, and expression patterns, the functional repertoire of the Kv α subunit family is monumental. This versatility is amplified by a host of interacting proteins, including the single membrane-spanning KCNE ancillary subunits. Here, examining both the secretory and the endocytic pathways, we review recent findings illustrating the surprising virtuosity of the KCNE proteins in orchestrating not just the function, but also the composition, diaspora and retrieval of channels formed by their Kv α subunit partners. PMID:22754540

Intrinsic membrane properties of pre-oromotor neurons in the intermediate zone of the medullary reticular formation.

PubMed

Venugopal, S; Boulant, J A; Chen, Z; Travers, J B

2010-06-16

Neurons in the lower brainstem that control consummatory behavior are widely distributed in the reticular formation (RF) of the pons and medulla. The intrinsic membrane properties of neurons within this distributed system shape complex excitatory and inhibitory inputs from both orosensory and central structures implicated in homeostatic control to produce coordinated oromotor patterns. The current study explored the intrinsic membrane properties of neurons in the intermediate subdivision of the medullary reticular formation (IRt). Neurons in the IRt receive input from the overlying (gustatory) nucleus of the solitary tract and project to the oromotor nuclei. Recent behavioral pharmacology studies as well as computational modeling suggest that inhibition in the IRt plays an important role in the transition from a taste-initiated oromotor pattern of ingestion to one of rejection. The present study explored the impact of hyperpolarization on membrane properties. In response to depolarization, neurons responded with either a tonic discharge, an irregular/burst pattern or were spike-adaptive. A hyperpolarizing pre-pulse modulated the excitability of most (82%) IRt neurons to subsequent depolarization. Instances of both increased (30%) and decreased (52%) excitability were observed. Currents induced by the hyperpolarization included an outward 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) sensitive K+ current that suppressed excitability and an inward cation current that increased excitability. These currents are also present in other subpopulations of RF neurons that influence the oromotor nuclei and we discuss how these currents could alter firing characteristics to impact pattern generation. 2010 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Formation of a strong electric field resulting in the excitation of microplasma discharges at the edge of a dielectric film on a metal in a plasma flow

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ivanov, V. A., E-mail: ivanov@fpl.gpi.ru; Sakharov, A. S.; Konyzhev, M. E.

2016-06-15

Results are presented from experimental and analytical studies of the processes resulting in the excitation of microplasma discharges (MPDs) on a metal surface partially covered with a thin dielectric film under the action of an external plasma flow in vacuum. It is shown experimentally that MPDs are excited at the interface between the open metal surface and the region covered by the dielectric film. The probability of MPD excitation is investigated as a function of the thickness of the dielectric film deposited on the metal. It is found that, for a film thickness of 1 μm, the probability of MPDmore » excitation is close to unity. As the film thickness decreases below ~10 nm or increases above ~10 μm, the probability of MPD excitation is reduced by more than two orders of magnitude. A two-dimensional kinetic numerical code is developed that allows one to model the processes of Debye sheath formation and generation of a strong electric field near the edge of a finite-thickness dielectric film on a metal surface in a plasma flow for different configurations of the film edge. It is shown that the maximum value of the tangential component of the electric field is reached at the film edge and amounts to E{sub max} ≈ |φ{sub 0}|/2d (where φ{sub 0} < 0 is the electric potential applied to the metal and d is the film thickness), which for typical conditions of experiments on the excitation of MPDs on metal surfaces (φ{sub 0} ≈–400 V, d ≈ 1 μm) yields E{sub max} ≈ 2 MV/cm. The results of kinetic simulations confirm the qualitative idea about the mechanism of the formation of a strong electric field resulting in the excitation of MPDs at the edge of a dielectric film on a metal surface in a plasma flow and agree with experimental data.« less

Control of wave propagation in a biological excitable medium by an external electric field.

PubMed

Sebestikova, Lenka; Slamova, Elena; Sevcikova, Hana

2005-03-01

We present an experimental evidence of effects of external electric fields (EFs) on the velocity of pulse waves propagating in a biological excitable medium. The excitable medium used is formed by a layer of starving cells of Dictyostelium discoideum through which the waves of increased concentration of cAMP propagate by reaction-diffusion mechanism. External dc EFs of low intensities (up to 5 V/cm) are shown to speed up the propagation of cAMP waves towards the positive electrode and slow it down towards the negative electrode. Electric fields were also found to support an emergence of new centers, emitting cAMP waves, in front of cAMP waves propagating towards the negative electrode.

Sodium channels in the Cx43 gap junction perinexus may constitute a cardiac ephapse: an experimental and modeling study.

PubMed

Veeraraghavan, Rengasayee; Lin, Joyce; Hoeker, Gregory S; Keener, James P; Gourdie, Robert G; Poelzing, Steven

2015-10-01

It has long been held that electrical excitation spreads from cell-to-cell in the heart via low resistance gap junctions (GJ). However, it has also been proposed that myocytes could interact by non-GJ-mediated "ephaptic" mechanisms, facilitating propagation of action potentials in tandem with direct GJ-mediated coupling. We sought evidence that such mechanisms contribute to cardiac conduction. Using super-resolution microscopy, we demonstrate that Nav1.5 is localized within 200 nm of the GJ plaque (a region termed the perinexus). Electron microscopy revealed close apposition of adjacent cell membranes within perinexi suggesting that perinexal sodium channels could function as an ephapse, enabling ephaptic cell-to-cell transfer of electrical excitation. Acute interstitial edema (AIE) increased intermembrane distance at the perinexus and was associated with preferential transverse conduction slowing and increased spontaneous arrhythmia incidence. Inhibiting sodium channels with 0.5 μM flecainide uniformly slowed conduction, but sodium channel inhibition during AIE slowed conduction anisotropically and increased arrhythmia incidence more than AIE alone. Sodium channel inhibition during GJ uncoupling with 25 μM carbenoxolone slowed conduction anisotropically and was also highly proarrhythmic. A computational model of discretized extracellular microdomains (including ephaptic coupling) revealed that conduction trends associated with altered perinexal width, sodium channel conductance, and GJ coupling can be predicted when sodium channel density in the intercalated disk is relatively high. We provide evidence that cardiac conduction depends on a mathematically predicted ephaptic mode of coupling as well as GJ coupling. These data suggest opportunities for novel anti-arrhythmic therapies targeting noncanonical conduction pathways in the heart.

Dramatic improvement in water retention and proton conductivity in electrically aligned functionalized CNT/SPEEK nanohybrid PEM.

PubMed

Gahlot, Swati; Kulshrestha, Vaibhav

2015-01-14

Nanohybrid membranes of electrically aligned functionalized carbon nanotube f CNT with sulfonated poly ether ether ketone (SPEEK) have been successfully prepared by solution casting. Functionalization of CNTs was done through a carboxylation and sulfonation route. Further, a constant electric field (500 V·cm(-2)) has been applied to align CNTs in the same direction during the membrane drying process. All the membranes are characterized chemically, thermally, and mechanically by the means of FTIR, DSC, DMA, UTM, SEM, TEM, and AFM techniques. Intermolecular interactions between the components in hybrid membranes are established by FTIR. Physicochemical measurements were done to analyze membrane stability. Membranes are evaluated for proton conductivity (30-90 °C) and methanol crossover resistance to reveal their potential for direct methanol fuel cell application. Incorporation of f CNT reasonably increases the ion-exchange capacity, water retention, and proton conductivity while it reduces the methanol permeability. The maximum proton conductivity has been found in the S-sCNT-5 nanohybrid PEM with higher methanol crossover resistance. The prepared membranes can be also used for electrode material for fuel cells and batteries.

Direct observation of spin-quadrupolar excitations in Sr2CoGe2O7 by high-field electron spin resonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akaki, Mitsuru; Yoshizawa, Daichi; Okutani, Akira; Kida, Takanori; Romhányi, Judit; Penc, Karlo; Hagiwara, Masayuki

2017-12-01

Exotic spin-multipolar ordering in spin transition metal insulators has so far eluded unambiguous experimental observation. A less studied, but perhaps more feasible fingerprint of multipole character emerges in the excitation spectrum in the form of quadrupolar transitions. Such multipolar excitations are desirable as they can be manipulated with the use of light or electric field and can be captured by means of conventional experimental techniques. Here we study single crystals of multiferroic Sr2CoGe2O7 and observe a two-magnon spin excitation appearing above the saturation magnetic field in electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra. Our analysis of the selection rules reveals that this spin excitation mode does not couple to the magnetic component of the light, but it is excited by the electric field only, in full agreement with the theoretical calculations. Due to the nearly isotropic nature of Sr2CoGe2O7 , we identify this excitation as a purely spin-quadrupolar two-magnon mode.

Study of np{sup 2}P{sub 1/2,3/2} Rydberg series of AlI by the method of laser stepwise excitation and ionization by electric field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kasimov, A.K.; Tursunov, A.T.; Tukhlibaev, O.

Frequencies of the 4s{sup 2}S{sub 1/2}-np{sup 2}P{sub 1/2, 3/2} transitions are measured and the energies of high-lying P states, as well as the ionization energy of aluminum atoms, are determined by the method of two-step laser excitation and ionization of excited atoms of AlI by an electric field. 4 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.

Spectroscopic investigation on the energy transfer process in photosynthetic apparatus of cyanobacteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ye; Wang, Bei; Ai, Xi-Cheng; Zhang, Xing-Kang; Zhao, Jing-Quan; Jiang, Li-Jin

2004-06-01

In this work, we employ cyanobacteria, Spirulina platensis, and separate their photosynthetic apparatus, phycobilisome (PBS), thylakoid membrane and phycobilisome-thylakoid membrane complex. The steady state absorption spectra, fluorescence spectra and corresponding deconvoluted spectra and picosecond time-resolved spectra are used to investigate the energy transfer process in phycobilisome-thylakoid membrane complex. The results on steady state spectra show chlorophylls of the photosystem II are able to transfer excitation energy to phycobilisome with Chl a molecules selectively excited. The decomposition of the steady state spectra further suggest the uphill energy transfer originate from chlorophylls of photosystem II to cores of phycobilisome, while rods and cores of phycobilisome cannot receive energy from the chlorophylls of photosystem I. The time constant for the back energy transfer process is 18 ps.

Ethanol- and trifluoroethanol-induced changes in phase states of DPPC membranes. Prodan emission-excitation fluorescence spectroscopy supported by PARAFAC analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horochowska, Martyna; Cieślik-Boczula, Katarzyna; Rospenk, Maria

2018-03-01

It has been shown that Prodan emission-excitation fluorescence spectroscopy supported by Parallel Factor (PARAFAC) analysis is a fast, simple and sensitive method used in the study of the phase transition from the noninterdigitated gel (Lβ‧) state to the interdigitated gel (LβI) phase, triggered by ethanol and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) molecules in dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholines (DPPC) membranes. The relative contribution of lipid phases with spectral characteristics of each pure phase component has been presented as a function of an increase in alcohol concentration. It has been stated that both alcohol molecules can induce a formation of the LβI phase, but TFE is over six times stronger inducer of the interdigitated phase in DPPC membranes than ethanol molecules. Moreover, in the TFE-mixed DPPC membranes, the transition from the Lβ‧ to LβI phase is accompanied by a formation of the fluid phase, which most probably serves as a boundary phase between the Lβ‧ and LβI regions. Contrary to the three phase-state model of TFE-mixed DPPC membranes, in ethanol-mixed DPPC membranes only the two phase-state model has been detected.

Excitability and optical pulse generation in semiconductor lasers driven by resonant tunneling diode photo-detectors.

PubMed

Romeira, Bruno; Javaloyes, Julien; Ironside, Charles N; Figueiredo, José M L; Balle, Salvador; Piro, Oreste

2013-09-09

We demonstrate, experimentally and theoretically, excitable nanosecond optical pulses in optoelectronic integrated circuits operating at telecommunication wavelengths (1550 nm) comprising a nanoscale double barrier quantum well resonant tunneling diode (RTD) photo-detector driving a laser diode (LD). When perturbed either electrically or optically by an input signal above a certain threshold, the optoelectronic circuit generates short electrical and optical excitable pulses mimicking the spiking behavior of biological neurons. Interestingly, the asymmetric nonlinear characteristic of the RTD-LD allows for two different regimes where one obtain either single pulses or a burst of multiple pulses. The high-speed excitable response capabilities are promising for neurally inspired information applications in photonics.

Recording membrane potential changes through photoacoustic voltage sensitive dye

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Haichong K.; Kang, Jeeun; Yan, Ping; Abou, Diane S.; Le, Hanh N. D.; Thorek, Daniel L. J.; Kang, Jin U.; Gjedde, Albert; Rahmim, Arman; Wong, Dean F.; Loew, Leslie M.; Boctor, Emad M.

2017-03-01

Monitoring of the membrane potential is possible using voltage sensitive dyes (VSD), where fluorescence intensity changes in response to neuronal electrical activity. However, fluorescence imaging is limited by depth of penetration and high scattering losses, which leads to low sensitivity in vivo systems for external detection. In contrast, photoacoustic (PA) imaging, an emerging modality, is capable of deep tissue, noninvasive imaging by combining near infrared light excitation and ultrasound detection. In this work, we develop the theoretical concept whereby the voltage-dependent quenching of dye fluorescence leads to a reciprocal enhancement of PA intensity. Based on this concept, we synthesized a novel near infrared photoacoustic VSD (PA-VSD) whose PA intensity change is sensitive to membrane potential. In the polarized state, this cyanine-based probe enhances PA intensity while decreasing fluorescence output in a lipid vesicle membrane model. With a 3-9 μM VSD concentration, we measured a PA signal increase in the range of 5.3 % to 18.1 %, and observed a corresponding signal reduction in fluorescence emission of 30.0 % to 48.7 %. A theoretical model successfully accounts for how the experimental PA intensity change depends on fluorescence and absorbance properties of the dye. These results not only demonstrate the voltage sensing capability of the dye, but also indicate the necessity of considering both fluorescence and absorbance spectral sensitivities in order to optimize the characteristics of improved photoacoustic probes. Together, our results demonstrate photoacoustic sensing as a potential new modality for sub-second recording and external imaging of electrophysiological and neurochemical events in the brain.

Corticospinal excitability is dependent on the parameters of peripheral electric stimulation: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Chipchase, Lucy S; Schabrun, Siobhan M; Hodges, Paul W

2011-09-01

To evaluate the effect of 6 electric stimulation paradigms on corticospinal excitability. Using a same subject pre-post test design, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to measure the responsiveness of corticomotor pathway to biceps and triceps brachii muscles before and after 30 minutes of electric stimulation over the biceps brachii. Six different electric stimulation paradigms were applied in random order, at least 3 days apart. Motor control research laboratory. Healthy subjects (N=10; 5 women, 5 men; mean age ± SD, 26 ± 3.6y). Six different electric stimulation paradigms with varied stimulus amplitude, frequency, and ramp settings. Amplitudes of TMS-induced motor evoked potentials at biceps and triceps brachii normalized to maximal M-wave amplitudes. Electric stimulation delivered at stimulus amplitude sufficient to evoke a sensory response at both 10 Hz and 100 Hz, and stimulus amplitude to create a noxious response at 10 Hz decreased corticomotor responsiveness (all P<0.01). Stimulation sufficient to induce a motor contraction (30 Hz) applied in a ramped pattern to mimic a voluntary activation increased corticomotor responsiveness (P=0.002), whereas constant low- and high-intensity motor stimulation at 10 Hz did not. Corticomotor excitability changes were similar for both the stimulated muscle and its antagonist. Stimulus amplitude (intensity) and the nature (muscle flicker vs contraction) of motor stimulation have a significant impact on changes in corticospinal excitability induced by electric stimulation. Here, we demonstrate that peripheral electric stimulation at stimulus amplitude to create a sensory response reduces corticomotor responsiveness. Conversely, stimulus amplitude to create a motor response increases corticomotor responsiveness, but only the parameters that create a motor response that mimics a voluntary muscle contraction. Copyright © 2011 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hysteresis in voltage-gated channels

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Ion channels constitute a superfamily of membrane proteins found in all living creatures. Their activity allows fast translocation of ions across the plasma membrane down the ion's transmembrane electrochemical gradient, resulting in a difference in electrical potential across the plasma membrane, known as the membrane potential. A group within this superfamily, namely voltage-gated channels, displays activity that is sensitive to the membrane potential. The activity of voltage-gated channels is controlled by the membrane potential, while the membrane potential is changed by these channels' activity. This interplay produces variations in the membrane potential that have evolved into electrical signals in many organisms. These signals are essential for numerous biological processes, including neuronal activity, insulin release, muscle contraction, fertilization and many others. In recent years, the activity of the voltage-gated channels has been observed not to follow a simple relationship with the membrane potential. Instead, it has been shown that the activity of voltage-gated channel displays hysteresis. In fact, a growing number of evidence have demonstrated that the voltage dependence of channel activity is dynamically modulated by activity itself. In spite of the great impact that this property can have on electrical signaling, hysteresis in voltage-gated channels is often overlooked. Addressing this issue, this review provides examples of voltage-gated ion channels displaying hysteretic behavior. Further, this review will discuss how Dynamic Voltage Dependence in voltage-gated channels can have a physiological role in electrical signaling. Furthermore, this review will elaborate on the current thoughts on the mechanism underlying hysteresis in voltage-gated channels. PMID:27689426

Energy transfer in light-adapted photosynthetic membranes: from active to saturated photosynthesis.

PubMed

Fassioli, Francesca; Olaya-Castro, Alexandra; Scheuring, Simon; Sturgis, James N; Johnson, Neil F

2009-11-04

In bacterial photosynthesis light-harvesting complexes, LH2 and LH1 absorb sunlight energy and deliver it to reaction centers (RCs) with extraordinarily high efficiency. Submolecular resolution images have revealed that both the LH2:LH1 ratio, and the architecture of the photosynthetic membrane itself, adapt to light intensity. We investigate the functional implications of structural adaptations in the energy transfer performance in natural in vivo low- and high-light-adapted membrane architectures of Rhodospirillum photometricum. A model is presented to describe excitation migration across the full range of light intensities that cover states from active photosynthesis, where all RCs are available for charge separation, to saturated photosynthesis where all RCs are unavailable. Our study outlines three key findings. First, there is a critical light-energy density, below which the low-light adapted membrane is more efficient at absorbing photons and generating a charge separation at RCs, than the high-light-adapted membrane. Second, connectivity of core complexes is similar in both membranes, suggesting that, despite different growth conditions, a preferred transfer pathway is through core-core contacts. Third, there may be minimal subareas on the membrane which, containing the same LH2:LH1 ratio, behave as minimal functional units as far as excitation transfer efficiency is concerned.

Inactivation of bacteria by electric current in the presence of carbon nanotubes embedded within a polymeric membrane.

PubMed

Zhu, Anna; Liu, Harris K; Long, Feng; Su, Erzheng; Klibanov, Alexander M

2015-01-01

Uniform conductive composite membranes were prepared using a phase inversion method by blending carboxyl-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with a polysulfone polymer. At 6 % of the embedded CNTs, the membrane pore size measured by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was approximately 50 nm. Electric current in the presence of the composite membranes markedly inactivated the model pathogenic bacteria Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, with the extent of bacterial inactivation rising when the current was increased. Over 99.999 % inactivation of both bacteria was observed in deionized water after 40 min at 5 mA direct current (DC); importantly, no appreciable inactivation occurred in the absence of either the electric field or the CNTs within the membranes under otherwise the same conditions. A much lower, although still pronounced, inactivation was seen with alternating current (AC) in a 25 mM NaCl aqueous solution.

Pyroelectricity as a possible mechanism for cell membrane permeabilization.

PubMed

García-Sánchez, Tomás; Muscat, Adeline; Leray, Isabelle; Mir, Lluis M

2018-02-01

The effects of pyroelectricity on cell membrane permeability had never been explored. Pyroelectricity consists in the generation of an electric field in the surface of some materials when a change in temperature is produced. In the present study, tourmaline microparticles, which are known to display pyroelectrical properties, were subjected to different changes in temperature upon exposure to cells in order to induce an electric field at their surface. Then, the changes in the permeability of the cell membrane to a cytotoxic agent (bleomycin) were assessed by a cloning efficacy test. An increase in the permeability of the cell membrane was only detected when tourmaline was subjected to a change in temperature. This suggests that the apparition of an induced pyroelectrical electric field on the material could actually be involved in the observed enhancement of the cell membrane permeability as a result of cell electropermeabilization. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A network thermodynamic method for numerical solution of the Nernst-Planck and Poisson equation system with application to ionic transport through membranes.

PubMed

Horno, J; González-Caballero, F; González-Fernández, C F

1990-01-01

Simple techniques of network thermodynamics are used to obtain the numerical solution of the Nernst-Planck and Poisson equation system. A network model for a particular physical situation, namely ionic transport through a thin membrane with simultaneous diffusion, convection and electric current, is proposed. Concentration and electric field profiles across the membrane, as well as diffusion potential, have been simulated using the electric circuit simulation program, SPICE. The method is quite general and extremely efficient, permitting treatments of multi-ion systems whatever the boundary and experimental conditions may be.

Study of Dynamic Membrane Behavior in Applied DC Electric Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutta, Prashanta; Morshed, Adnan; Hossan, Mohammad

2017-11-01

Electrodeformation of vesicles can be used as a useful tool to understand the characteristics of biological soft matter, where vesicles immersed in a fluid medium are subjected to an applied electric field. The complex response of the vesicle membrane strongly depends on the conductivity of surrounding fluid, vesicle size and shape, and applied electric field We studied the electrodeformation of vesicles immersed in a fluid media under a short DC electric pulse. An immersed interface method is used to solve the electric field over the domain with conductive or non-conductive vesicles while an immersed boundary scheme is employed to solve fluid flow, fluid-solid interaction, membrane mechanics and vesicle movement. Force analysis on the membrane surface reveals almost linear relation with vesicle size, but highly nonlinear influence of applied field as well as the conductivity ratios inside and outside of the vesicle. Results also point towards an early linear deformation regime followed by an equilibrium stage for the membranes. Moreover, significant influence of the initial aspect ratio of the vesicle on the force distribution is observed across a range of conductivity ratios. Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01GM122081.

Promotion of Water Channels for Enhanced Ion Transport in 14 nm Diameter Carbon Nanotubes.

PubMed

Sheng, Jiadong; Zhu, Qi; Zeng, Xian; Yang, Zhaohui; Zhang, Xiaohua

2017-03-29

Ion transport plays an important role in solar-to-electricity conversion, drug delivery, and a variety of biological processes. Carbon nanotube (CNT) is a promising material as an ion transporter in the applications of the mimicking of natural ion channels, desalination, and energy harvesting. Here, we demonstrate a unique, enhanced ion transport through a vertically aligned multiwall CNT membrane after the application of an electric potential across CNT membranes. Interestingly, electrowetting arising from the application of an electric potential is critical for the enhancement of overall ion transport rate through CNT membranes. The wettability of a liquid with high surface tension on the interior channel walls of CNTs increases during an electric potential treatment and promotes the formation of water channels in CNTs. The formation of water channels in CNTs induces an increase in overall ion diffusion through CNT membranes. This phenomenon is also related to a decrease in the charge transfer resistance of CNTs (R ct ) after an electric potential is applied. Correspondingly, the enhanced ion flow rate gives rise to an enhancement in the capacitive performance of CNT based membranes. Our observations might have profound impact on the development of CNT based energy storage devices as well as artificial ion channels.

A Simultaneous and Continuous Excitation Method for High-Speed Electrical Impedance Tomography with Reduced Transients and Noise Sensitivity

PubMed Central

Mylvaganam, Saba

2018-01-01

This paper presents a concept for soft field tomographic scan of all the projections of electromagnetic waves emanating from an array of electrodes. Instead of the sequential excitation of all pairs of electrodes in the list of all projections, the new method present here consists of a single and continuous excitation. This excitation signal is the linear combination of the excitation signals in the projection set at different AC frequencies. The response to a given projection is discriminated by selecting the corresponding AC frequency component in the signal spectra of the digitally demodulated signals. The main advantage of this method is the suppression of transients after each projection, which is particularly problematic in electrical impedance tomography due to contact impedance phenomena and skin effect. The second benefit over the sequential scan method is the increased number of samples for each measurement for reduced noise sensitivity with digital demodulation. The third benefit is the increased temporal resolution in high-speed applications. The main drawback is the increased number of signal sources required (one per electrode). This paper focuses on electrical impedance tomography, based on earlier work by the authors. An experimental proof-of-concept using a simple 4-electrodes electrical impedance tomographic system is presented using simulations and laboratory data. The method presented here may be extended to other modalities (ultrasonic, microwave, optical, etc.). PMID:29597327

Fluorescence of nitrobenzoxadiazole (NBD)-labeled lipids in model membranes is connected not to lipid mobility but to probe location.

PubMed

Amaro, Mariana; Filipe, Hugo A L; Prates Ramalho, J P; Hof, Martin; Loura, Luís M S

2016-03-14

Nitrobenzoxadiazole (NBD)-labeled lipids are popular fluorescent membrane probes. However, the understanding of important aspects of the photophysics of NBD remains incomplete, including the observed shift in the emission spectrum of NBD-lipids to longer wavelengths following excitation at the red edge of the absorption spectrum (red-edge excitation shift or REES). REES of NBD-lipids in membrane environments has been previously interpreted as reflecting restricted mobility of solvent surrounding the fluorophore. However, this requires a large change in the dipole moment (Δμ) of NBD upon excitation. Previous calculations of the value of Δμ of NBD in the literature have been carried out using outdated semi-empirical methods, leading to conflicting values. Using up-to-date density functional theory methods, we recalculated the value of Δμ and verified that it is rather small (∼2 D). Fluorescence measurements confirmed that the value of REES is ∼16 nm for 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-l-serine-N-(NBD) (NBD-PS) in dioleoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles. However, the observed shift is independent of both the temperature and the presence of cholesterol and is therefore insensitive to the mobility and hydration of the membrane. Moreover, red-edge excitation leads to an increased contribution of the decay component with a shorter lifetime, whereas time-resolved emission spectra of NBD-PS displayed an atypical blue shift following excitation. This excludes restrictions to solvent relaxation as the cause of the measured REES and TRES of NBD, pointing instead to the heterogeneous transverse location of probes as the origin of these effects. The latter hypothesis was confirmed by molecular dynamics simulations, from which the calculated heterogeneity of the hydration and location of NBD correlated with the measured fluorescence lifetimes/REES. Globally, our combination of theoretical and experiment-based techniques has led to a considerably improved understanding of the photophysics of NBD and a reinterpretation of its REES in particular.

Atmospheric-pressure diffuse dielectric barrier discharges in Ar/O2 gas mixture using 200 kHz/13.56 MHz dual frequency excitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y.; Starostin, S. A.; Peeters, F. J. J.; van de Sanden, M. C. M.; de Vries, H. W.

2018-03-01

Atmospheric-pressure diffuse dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) were obtained in Ar/O2 gas mixture using dual-frequency (DF) excitation at 200 kHz low frequency (LF) and 13.56 MHz radio frequency (RF). The excitation dynamics and the plasma generation mechanism were studied by means of electrical characterization and phase resolved optical emission spectroscopy (PROES). The DF excitation results in a time-varying electric field which is determined by the total LF and RF gas voltage and the spatial ion distribution which only responds to the LF component. By tuning the amplitude ratio of the superimposed LF and RF signals, the effect of each frequency component on the DF discharge mechanism was analysed. The LF excitation results in a transient plasma with the formation of an electrode sheath and therefore a pronounced excitation near the substrate. The RF oscillation allows the electron trapping in the gas gap and helps to improve the plasma uniformity by contributing to the pre-ionization and by controlling the discharge development. The possibility of temporally modifying the electric field and thus the plasma generation mechanism in the DF discharge exhibits potential applications in plasma-assisted surface processing and plasma-assisted gas phase chemical conversion.

A novel energy transfer inducing strong enhancement of electric dipole transition in Na3Mo12PO40:xEu3+ phosphors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Long, Jinqiao; Wang, Tianman; Luo, Zhirong; Gao, Yong; Song, Baoling; Liang, Jing; Liao, Sen; Huang, Yingheng; Zhang, Huaxin

2017-08-01

A series of Na3Mo12PO40:xEu3+ phosphors have been successfully synthesized by a solid-state method, and characterized by powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD). The PXRD results confirm that the samples have crystal phases of Na3Mo12PO40. For PL spectra of Na3Mo12PO40:2.0Eu3+ excited by 394 and 465 nm, R (R is the peak area ratio of 5D0  →  7F2 to 5D0  →  7F1) is only 1.46 with an excitation of 394 nm, but increases to 3.03 with an excitation of 465 nm. Furthermore, a new enhancement of electric dipole transition is observed. Emission spectrum (PL) intensity at 617 nm excited by 465 nm is 1.95 times as high as the excitation spectrum (PLE) intensity at 465 nm. Thus, cooperative energy transfers from the magnetic dipole (MD) Eu3+ center to the electric dipole (ED) Eu3+ center when excited by 465 nm is demonstrated for the new fluorescent behavior.

Changes of Excitability in M1 Induced by Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Differ Between Presence and Absence of Voluntary Drive

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sugawara, Kenichi; Tanabe, Shigeo; Higashi, Toshio; Tsurumi, Takamasa; Kasai, Tatsuya

2011-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate excitability changes in the human motor cortex induced by variable therapeutic electrical stimulations (TESs) with or without voluntary drive. We recorded motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) from extensor and flexor carpi radialis (FCR) muscles at rest and during FCR muscle contraction after the application of…

Optimization of an electrokinetic mixer for microfluidic applications.

PubMed

Bockelmann, Hendryk; Heuveline, Vincent; Barz, Dominik P J

2012-06-01

This work is concerned with the investigation of the concentration fields in an electrokinetic micromixer and its optimization in order to achieve high mixing rates. The mixing concept is based on the combination of an alternating electrical excitation applied to a pressure-driven base flow in a meandering microchannel geometry. The electrical excitation induces a secondary electrokinetic velocity component, which results in a complex flow field within the meander bends. A mathematical model describing the physicochemical phenomena present within the micromixer is implemented in an in-house finite-element-method code. We first perform simulations comparable to experiments concerned with the investigation of the flow field in the bends. The comparison of the complex flow topology found in simulation and experiment reveals excellent agreement. Hence, the validated model and numerical schemes are employed for a numerical optimization of the micromixer performance. In detail, we optimize the secondary electrokinetic flow by finding the best electrical excitation parameters, i.e., frequency and amplitude, for a given waveform. Two optimized electrical excitations featuring a discrete and a continuous waveform are discussed with respect to characteristic time scales of our mixing problem. The results demonstrate that the micromixer is able to achieve high mixing degrees very rapidly.

Optimization of an electrokinetic mixer for microfluidic applications

PubMed Central

Bockelmann, Hendryk; Heuveline, Vincent; Barz, Dominik P. J.

2012-01-01

This work is concerned with the investigation of the concentration fields in an electrokinetic micromixer and its optimization in order to achieve high mixing rates. The mixing concept is based on the combination of an alternating electrical excitation applied to a pressure-driven base flow in a meandering microchannel geometry. The electrical excitation induces a secondary electrokinetic velocity component, which results in a complex flow field within the meander bends. A mathematical model describing the physicochemical phenomena present within the micromixer is implemented in an in-house finite-element-method code. We first perform simulations comparable to experiments concerned with the investigation of the flow field in the bends. The comparison of the complex flow topology found in simulation and experiment reveals excellent agreement. Hence, the validated model and numerical schemes are employed for a numerical optimization of the micromixer performance. In detail, we optimize the secondary electrokinetic flow by finding the best electrical excitation parameters, i.e., frequency and amplitude, for a given waveform. Two optimized electrical excitations featuring a discrete and a continuous waveform are discussed with respect to characteristic time scales of our mixing problem. The results demonstrate that the micromixer is able to achieve high mixing degrees very rapidly. PMID:22712034

The mechanism of high-T(sub c) superconductivity due to bound hole mediators: Relationship to ferroelectricity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vezzoli, G. C.; Stanley, William

1990-01-01

The mediation by bound holes creating Cooper pairing in high T(sub c) superconductors has its origin in charge transfer excitations on the multivalence cation (virtual excitions) and in bound excitions or polarizations associated with the oxygen 2p electrons. These phenomena are produced and/or enhanced by a high internal electric field which is itself created by virtue of the unique crystal structures and polyhedral building blocks of high T(sub c) materials. The polarizations which can create oxygen holes (in addition to excitions) may be due to simply the internal electric field or to polaronic and electron-deficient bond behavior. This gives rise to two energy-dependent oxygen bands near the Fermi level. The magnitude and direction of the internal electric fields were calculated for Y1Ba2Cu3O(7-delta) (1-2-3) and show strong z-direction fields at the Cu(2), O2, and O3 sites and an even stronger -z direction field at the O4 site. The field calculations also show why electrical conductivity in the 1-2-3 material is essentially in the base plane of the CuO5 pyramid (the CuO2 plane).

Integrating microbial fuel cells with anaerobic acidification and forward osmosis membrane for enhancing bio-electricity and water recovery from low-strength wastewater.

PubMed

Liu, Jinmeng; Wang, Xinhua; Wang, Zhiwei; Lu, Yuqin; Li, Xiufen; Ren, Yueping

2017-03-01

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and forward osmosis (FO) are two emerging technologies with great potential for energy-efficient wastewater treatment. In this study, anaerobic acidification and FO membrane were simultaneously integrated into an air-cathode MFC (AAFO-MFC) for enhancing bio-electricity and water recovery from low-strength wastewater. During a long-term operation of approximately 40 days, the AAFO-MFC system achieved a continuous and relatively stable power generation, and the maximum power density reached 4.38 W/m 3 . The higher bio-electricity production in the AAFO-MFC system was mainly due to the accumulation of ethanol resulted from anaerobic acidification process and the rejection of FO membrane. In addition, a proper salinity environment in the system controlled by the addition of MF membrane enhanced the electricity production. Furthermore, the AAFO-MFC system produced a high quality effluent, with the removal rates of organic matters and total phosphorus of more than 97%. However, the nitrogen removal was limited for the lower rejection of FO membrane. The combined biofouling and inorganic fouling were responsible for the lower water flux of FO membrane, and the Desulfuromonas sp. utilized the ethanol for bio-electricity production was observed in the anode. These results substantially improve the prospects for simultaneous wastewater treatment and energy recovery, and further studies are needed to optimize the system integration and operating parameters. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Theoretical modeling and equivalent electric circuit of a bimorph piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer.

PubMed

Sammoura, Firas; Kim, Sang-Gook

2012-05-01

An electric circuit model for a circular bimorph piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) was developed for the first time. The model was made up of an electric mesh, which was coupled to a mechanical mesh via a transformer element. The bimorph PMUT consisted of two piezoelectric layers of the same material, having equal thicknesses, and sandwiched between three thin electrodes. The piezoelectric layers, having the same poling axis, were biased with electric potentials of the same magnitude but opposite polarity. The strain mismatches between the two layers created by the converse piezoelectric effect caused the membrane to vibrate and, hence, transmit a pressure wave. Upon receiving the echo of the acoustic wave, the membrane deformation led to the generation of electric charges as a result of the direct piezoelectric phenomenon. The membrane angular velocity and electric current were related to the applied electric field, the impinging acoustic pressure, and the moment at the edge of the membrane using two canonical equations. The transduction coefficients from the electrical to the mechanical domain and vice-versa were shown to be bilateral and the system was shown to be reversible. The circuit parameters of the derived model were extracted, including the transformer ratio, the clamped electric impedance, the spring-softening impedance, and the open-circuit mechanical impedance. The theoretical model was fully examined by generating the electrical input impedance and average plate displacement curves versus frequency under both air and water loading conditions. A PMUT composed of piezoelectric material with a lossy dielectric was also investigated and the maximum possible electroacoustical conversion efficiency was calculated.

Methods of conditioning direct methanol fuel cells

DOEpatents

Rice, Cynthia; Ren, Xiaoming; Gottesfeld, Shimshon

2005-11-08

Methods for conditioning the membrane electrode assembly of a direct methanol fuel cell ("DMFC") are disclosed. In a first method, an electrical current of polarity opposite to that used in a functioning direct methanol fuel cell is passed through the anode surface of the membrane electrode assembly. In a second method, methanol is supplied to an anode surface of the membrane electrode assembly, allowed to cross over the polymer electrolyte membrane of the membrane electrode assembly to a cathode surface of the membrane electrode assembly, and an electrical current of polarity opposite to that in a functioning direct methanol fuel cell is drawn through the membrane electrode assembly, wherein methanol is oxidized at the cathode surface of the membrane electrode assembly while the catalyst on the anode surface is reduced. Surface oxides on the direct methanol fuel cell anode catalyst of the membrane electrode assembly are thereby reduced.

Cellular membrane collapse by atmospheric-pressure plasma jet

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Kangil; Sik Yang, Sang, E-mail: jsjlee@ajou.ac.kr, E-mail: ssyang@ajou.ac.kr; Jun Ahn, Hak

2014-01-06

Cellular membrane dysfunction caused by air plasma in cancer cells has been studied to exploit atmospheric-pressure plasma jets for cancer therapy. Here, we report that plasma jet treatment of cervical cancer HeLa cells increased electrical conductivity across the cellular lipid membrane and caused simultaneous lipid oxidation and cellular membrane collapse. We made this finding by employing a self-manufactured microelectrode chip. Furthermore, increased roughness of the cellular lipid membrane and sequential collapse of the membrane were observed by atomic force microscopy following plasma jet treatment. These results suggest that the cellular membrane catastrophe occurs via coincident altered electrical conductivity, lipid oxidation,more » and membrane roughening caused by an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet, possibly resulting in cellular vulnerability to reactive species generated from the plasma as well as cytotoxicity to cancer cells.« less

The balance of electric field and interfacial catalysis in promoting water dissociation in bipolar membranes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yan, Zhifei; Zhu, Liang; Li, Yuguang C.

Bipolar membranes maintain a steady pH in electrolytic cells through water autodissociation at the interface between their cation- and anion-exchange layers. We analyze the balance of electric field and catalysis in accelerating this reaction.

The balance of electric field and interfacial catalysis in promoting water dissociation in bipolar membranes

DOE PAGES

Yan, Zhifei; Zhu, Liang; Li, Yuguang C.; ...

2018-01-01

Bipolar membranes maintain a steady pH in electrolytic cells through water autodissociation at the interface between their cation- and anion-exchange layers. We analyze the balance of electric field and catalysis in accelerating this reaction.

Frequency dependence of excitation-contraction of multicellular smooth muscle preparations: the relevance to bipolar electrosurgery.

PubMed

Vladimirova, Irina A; Lankin, Yuri N; Philyppov, Igor B; Sushiy, Lyudmyla F; Shuba, Yaroslav M

2014-01-01

Bipolar electrosurgical tissue welding uses forceps-like electrodes for grasping the tissues and delivering high-frequency electric current (HFEC) to produce local heat, desiccation, and protein denaturation, resulting in the fusion of the contacting tissues. Although in this technique no electric current is flowing through the whole body to cause electric injury, depending on the frequency of applied energy, it may produce local excitation of intramural nerves, which can propagate beyond the surgical site potentially causing harmful effects. The effects of varying frequency of HFEC on tissue excitability in bipolar electrosurgical modality were studied in vitro using electric field stimulation (EFS) method on multicellular smooth muscle strips of rat vas deferens. Contractile response to 5-s-long sine wave EFS train was taken as the measure of excitation of intramural nerves. EFS-induced contraction consisted of phasic and tonic components. The amplitude of both components decreased with increasing frequency, with tonic component disappearing at about 10 kHz and phasic component at about 50 kHz. Because components of EFS-induced contraction depend on different neurotransmitters, this indicates that various neurotransmitter systems are characterized by distinct frequency dependence, but above 50 kHz they all become inactivated. Bipolar electrosurgical sealing of porcine gut showed no difference in the structure of seal area at HFEC of 67 and 533 kHz. EFS frequency of 50 kHz represents the upper limit for excitation. HFEC above 50 kHz is safe to use for bipolar electrosurgical tissue welding without concerns of excitation propagating beyond the surgical site. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Engineering of Machine tool’s High-precision electric drives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khayatov, E. S.; Korzhavin, M. E.; Naumovich, N. I.

2018-03-01

In the article it is shown that in mechanisms with numerical program control, high quality of processes can be achieved only in systems that provide adjustment of the working element’s position with high accuracy, and this requires an expansion of the regulation range by the torque. In particular, the use of synchronous reactive machines with independent excitation control makes it possible to substantially increase the moment overload in the sequential excitation circuit. Using mathematical and physical modeling methods, it is shown that in the electric drive with a synchronous reactive machine with independent excitation in a circuit with sequential excitation, it is possible to significantly expand the range of regulation by the torque and this is achieved by the effect of sequential excitation, which makes it possible to compensate for the transverse reaction of the armature.

Tribo-electric charging of dielectric solids of identical composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Angus, John C.; Greber, Isaac

2018-05-01

Despite its long history and importance in many areas of science and technology, there is no agreement on the mechanisms responsible for tribo-electric charging, including especially the tribo-charging of chemically identical dielectric solids. Modeling of the excitation, diffusional transport, and de-excitation of electrons from hot spots shows that a difference in local surface roughness of otherwise identical solid dielectric objects leads to different transient excited electron concentrations during tribo-processes. The model predicts that excited electron concentrations are lower and concentration gradients higher in solids with rougher rather than smoother surfaces. Consequently, during contact, the flux of charge carriers (electrons or holes) from hot spots will be greater into the rougher solid than into the smoother solid. These predictions are in agreement with current and historical observations of tribo-electric charge transfer between solids of the same composition. This effect can take place in parallel with other processes and may also play a role in the charging of solids of different composition.

Cell-cell bioelectrical interactions and local heterogeneities in genetic networks: a model for the stabilization of single-cell states and multicellular oscillations.

PubMed

Cervera, Javier; Manzanares, José A; Mafe, Salvador

2018-04-04

Genetic networks operate in the presence of local heterogeneities in single-cell transcription and translation rates. Bioelectrical networks and spatio-temporal maps of cell electric potentials can influence multicellular ensembles. Could cell-cell bioelectrical interactions mediated by intercellular gap junctions contribute to the stabilization of multicellular states against local genetic heterogeneities? We theoretically analyze this question on the basis of two well-established experimental facts: (i) the membrane potential is a reliable read-out of the single-cell electrical state and (ii) when the cells are coupled together, their individual cell potentials can be influenced by ensemble-averaged electrical potentials. We propose a minimal biophysical model for the coupling between genetic and bioelectrical networks that associates the local changes occurring in the transcription and translation rates of an ion channel protein with abnormally low (depolarized) cell potentials. We then analyze the conditions under which the depolarization of a small region (patch) in a multicellular ensemble can be reverted by its bioelectrical coupling with the (normally polarized) neighboring cells. We show also that the coupling between genetic and bioelectric networks of non-excitable cells, modulated by average electric potentials at the multicellular ensemble level, can produce oscillatory phenomena. The simulations show the importance of single-cell potentials characteristic of polarized and depolarized states, the relative sizes of the abnormally polarized patch and the rest of the normally polarized ensemble, and intercellular coupling.

Single-sensor system for spatially resolved, continuous, and multiparametric optical mapping of cardiac tissue

PubMed Central

Lee, Peter; Bollensdorff, Christian; Quinn, T. Alexander; Wuskell, Joseph P.; Loew, Leslie M.; Kohl, Peter

2011-01-01

Background Simultaneous optical mapping of multiple electrophysiologically relevant parameters in living myocardium is desirable for integrative exploration of mechanisms underlying heart rhythm generation under normal and pathophysiologic conditions. Current multiparametric methods are technically challenging, usually involving multiple sensors and moving parts, which contributes to high logistic and economic thresholds that prevent easy application of the technique. Objective The purpose of this study was to develop a simple, affordable, and effective method for spatially resolved, continuous, simultaneous, and multiparametric optical mapping of the heart, using a single camera. Methods We present a new method to simultaneously monitor multiple parameters using inexpensive off-the-shelf electronic components and no moving parts. The system comprises a single camera, commercially available optical filters, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs), integrated via microcontroller-based electronics for frame-accurate illumination of the tissue. For proof of principle, we illustrate measurement of four parameters, suitable for ratiometric mapping of membrane potential (di-4-ANBDQPQ) and intracellular free calcium (fura-2), in an isolated Langendorff-perfused rat heart during sinus rhythm and ectopy, induced by local electrical or mechanical stimulation. Results The pilot application demonstrates suitability of this imaging approach for heart rhythm research in the isolated heart. In addition, locally induced excitation, whether stimulated electrically or mechanically, gives rise to similar ventricular propagation patterns. Conclusion Combining an affordable camera with suitable optical filters and microprocessor-controlled LEDs, single-sensor multiparametric optical mapping can be practically implemented in a simple yet powerful configuration and applied to heart rhythm research. The moderate system complexity and component cost is destined to lower the threshold to broader application of functional imaging and to ease implementation of more complex optical mapping approaches, such as multiparametric panoramic imaging. A proof-of-principle application confirmed that although electrically and mechanically induced excitation occur by different mechanisms, their electrophysiologic consequences downstream from the point of activation are not dissimilar. PMID:21459161

Self-organized criticality in single-neuron excitability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gal, Asaf; Marom, Shimon

2013-12-01

We present experimental and theoretical arguments, at the single-neuron level, suggesting that neuronal response fluctuations reflect a process that positions the neuron near a transition point that separates excitable and unexcitable phases. This view is supported by the dynamical properties of the system as observed in experiments on isolated cultured cortical neurons, as well as by a theoretical mapping between the constructs of self-organized criticality and membrane excitability biophysics.

Pulsed infrared radiation excites cultured neonatal spiral and vestibular ganglion neurons by modulating mitochondrial calcium cycling

PubMed Central

Lumbreras, Vicente; Bas, Esperanza; Gupta, Chhavi

2014-01-01

Cochlear implants are currently the most effective solution for profound sensorineural hearing loss, and vestibular prostheses are under development to treat bilateral vestibulopathies. Electrical current spread in these neuroprostheses limits channel independence and, in some cases, may impair their performance. In comparison, optical stimuli that are spatially confined may result in a significant functional improvement. Pulsed infrared radiation (IR) has previously been shown to elicit responses in neurons. This study analyzes the response of neonatal rat spiral and vestibular ganglion neurons in vitro to IR (wavelength = 1,863 nm) using Ca2+ imaging. Both types of neurons responded consistently with robust intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) transients that matched the low-frequency IR pulses applied (4 ms, 0.25–1 pps). Radiant exposures of ∼637 mJ/cm2 resulted in continual neuronal activation. Temperature or [Ca2+] variations in the media did not alter the IR-evoked transients, ruling out extracellular Ca2+ involvement or primary mediation by thermal effects on the plasma membrane. While blockage of Na+, K+, and Ca2+ plasma membrane channels did not alter the IR-evoked response, blocking of mitochondrial Ca2+ cycling with CGP-37157 or ruthenium red reversibly inhibited the IR-evoked [Ca2+]i transients. Additionally, the magnitude of the IR-evoked transients was dependent on ryanodine and cyclopiazonic acid-dependent Ca2+ release. These results suggest that IR modulation of intracellular calcium cycling contributes to stimulation of spiral and vestibular ganglion neurons. As a whole, the results suggest selective excitation of neurons in the IR beam path and the potential of IR stimulation in future auditory and vestibular prostheses. PMID:24920028

Pulsed infrared radiation excites cultured neonatal spiral and vestibular ganglion neurons by modulating mitochondrial calcium cycling.

PubMed

Lumbreras, Vicente; Bas, Esperanza; Gupta, Chhavi; Rajguru, Suhrud M

2014-09-15

Cochlear implants are currently the most effective solution for profound sensorineural hearing loss, and vestibular prostheses are under development to treat bilateral vestibulopathies. Electrical current spread in these neuroprostheses limits channel independence and, in some cases, may impair their performance. In comparison, optical stimuli that are spatially confined may result in a significant functional improvement. Pulsed infrared radiation (IR) has previously been shown to elicit responses in neurons. This study analyzes the response of neonatal rat spiral and vestibular ganglion neurons in vitro to IR (wavelength = 1,863 nm) using Ca(2+) imaging. Both types of neurons responded consistently with robust intracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)]i) transients that matched the low-frequency IR pulses applied (4 ms, 0.25-1 pps). Radiant exposures of ∼637 mJ/cm(2) resulted in continual neuronal activation. Temperature or [Ca(2+)] variations in the media did not alter the IR-evoked transients, ruling out extracellular Ca(2+) involvement or primary mediation by thermal effects on the plasma membrane. While blockage of Na(+), K(+), and Ca(2+) plasma membrane channels did not alter the IR-evoked response, blocking of mitochondrial Ca(2+) cycling with CGP-37157 or ruthenium red reversibly inhibited the IR-evoked [Ca(2+)]i transients. Additionally, the magnitude of the IR-evoked transients was dependent on ryanodine and cyclopiazonic acid-dependent Ca(2+) release. These results suggest that IR modulation of intracellular calcium cycling contributes to stimulation of spiral and vestibular ganglion neurons. As a whole, the results suggest selective excitation of neurons in the IR beam path and the potential of IR stimulation in future auditory and vestibular prostheses. Copyright © 2014 the American Physiological Society.

Method and apparatus for the guided ablative therapy of fast ventricular arrhythmia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, Richard J. (Inventor); Barley, Maya (Inventor)

2010-01-01

Method and apparatus for guiding ablative therapy of abnormal biological electrical excitation. The excitation from the previous excitatory wave is significant at the beginning of the next excitation. In particular, it is designed for treatment of fast cardiac arrhythmias. Electrical signals are acquired from recording electrodes, and an inverse dipole method is used to identify the site of origin of an arrhythmia. The location of the tip of an ablation catheter is similarly localized from signals acquired from the recording electrodes while electrical pacing energy is delivered to the tip of the catheter close to or in contact with the cardiac tissue. The catheter tip is then guided to the site of origin of the arrhythmia, and ablative radio frequency energy is delivered to its tip to ablate the site.

The structural dynamics of the American five-string banjo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dickey, Joe

2003-11-01

The American five-string banjo is unique among musical instruments in that many significant parameters that effect tone are easily adjusted. This is probably why so many banjo players fiddle with their banjo. The instrument is a combination of canonical vibrating systems (strings, and a circular membrane) and therefore more amenable to analysis and modeling than most other musical instruments (e.g., the violin). Such an analysis is presented here. The model is a harmonically driven string which excites the other strings and a membrane under tension, causing the membrane to radiate sound. Three figures-of-merit, FOMs, are assumed. They are loudness, brightness, and decay of the sound. The effects of a number of parameters on the proposed FOMs are investigated. Among these are the loss factor and tension of the membrane, the mass of the bridge, and the location on the string of the excitation. It is noted that the calculated effects of the changes agree with generally accepted setup practices.

Robustness of free and pinned spiral waves against breakup by electrical forcing in excitable chemical media.

PubMed

Phantu, Metinee; Sutthiopad, Malee; Luengviriya, Jiraporn; Müller, Stefan C; Luengviriya, Chaiya

2017-04-01

We present an investigation on the breakup of free and pinned spiral waves under an applied electrical current in the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction. Spiral fronts propagating towards the negative electrode are decelerated. A breakup of the spiral waves occurs when some segments of the fronts are stopped by a sufficiently strong electrical current. In the absence of obstacles (i.e., free spiral waves), the critical value of the electrical current for the wave breakup increases with the excitability of the medium. For spiral waves pinned to circular obstacles, the critical electrical current increases with the obstacle diameter. Analysis of spiral dynamics shows that the enhancement of the robustness against the breakup of both free and pinned spiral waves is originated by the increment of wave speed when either the excitability is strengthened or the obstacle size is enlarged. The experimental findings are reproduced by numerical simulations using the Oregonator model. In addition, the simulations reveal that the robustness against the forced breakup increases with the activator level in both cases of free and pinned spiral waves.

A Teorell oscillator system with fine pore membranes.

PubMed Central

Langer, P; Page, K R; Wiedner, G

1981-01-01

A Teorell membrane oscillator system has been investigated theoretically and experimentally. Instead of the broad pore (e.g., glass sinter) membranes used by Teorell and other investigators, we used membranes of a hydrodynamic permeability lower by factor of 10(3)-10(5) and a fixed ion concentration higher by a factor of 10(2)-10(5). A system with such membranes was thought to be a more adequate analogue of excitable biological tissues (for which the Teorell oscillator had been presented as a model). Stationary state voltage-current curves were recorded, and flip-flops were only found in membranes whose hydrodynamic permeability was above a certain value. A theoretical description, agreeing closely with the experimental findings, is given in terms of the Nernst-Planck-Schlögl equations; flip-flops are predicted only if the hydrodynamic permeability is above the fixed ion concentration is below a critical value. These values depend on the hydrostatic pressure and on the ratio of the cation and anion diffusion coefficient in the membrane, and they are found to be far beyond (approximately 3 orders of magnitude) the data for membranes used by others in similar experiments. Although our theoretical analysis demonstrates that the Teorell mechanism is ineligible as a source of excitability in those biological systems for which sufficient data ate available to permit comparison, the membrane properties for which the theory predicts flip-flops are such that it cannot be excluded a priori. PMID:7284557

Nanomaterials for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells; Materials Challenges Facing Electrical Energy Storate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gopal Rao, MRS Web-Editor; Yury Gogotsi, Drexel University; Karen Swider-Lyons, Naval Research Laboratory

Symposium T: Nanomaterials for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells are under intense investigation worldwide for applications ranging from transportation to portable power. The purpose of this seminar is to focus on the nanomaterials and nanostructures inherent to polymer fuel cells. Symposium topics will range from high-activity cathode and anode catalysts, to theory and new analytical methods. Symposium U: Materials Challenges Facing Electrical Energy Storage Electricity, which can be generated in a variety of ways, offers a great potential for meeting future energy demands as a clean and efficient energy source. However, the use ofmore » electricity generated from renewable sources, such as wind or sunlight, requires efficient electrical energy storage. This symposium will cover the latest material developments for batteries, advanced capacitors, and related technologies, with a focus on new or emerging materials science challenges.« less

Formation of virtual isthmus: A new scenario of spiral wave death after a decrease in excitability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erofeev, I. S.; Agladze, K. I.

2015-11-01

Termination of rotating (spiral) waves or reentry is crucial when fighting with the most dangerous cardiac tachyarrhythmia. To increase the efficiency of the antiarrhythmic drugs as well as finding new prospective ones it is decisive to know the mechanisms how they act and influence the reentry dynamics. The most popular view on the mode of action of the contemporary antiarrhythmic drugs is that they increase the core of the rotating wave (reentry) to that extent that it is not enough space in the real heart for the reentry to exist. Since the excitation in cardiac cells is essentially change of the membrane potential, it relies on the functioning of the membrane ion channels. Thus, membrane ion channels serve as primary targets for the substances, which may serve as antiarrhythmics. At least, the entire group of antiarrhythmics class I (modulating activity of sodium channels) and partially class IV (modulating activity of calcium channels) are believed to destabilize and terminate reentry by decreasing the excitability of cardiac tissue. We developed an experimental model employing cardiac tissue culture and photosensitizer (AzoTAB) to study the process of the rotating wave termination while decreasing the excitability of the tissue. A new scenario of spiral wave cessation was observed: an asymmetric growth of the rotating wave core and subsequent formation of a virtual isthmus, which eventually caused a conduction block and the termination of the reentry.

Beyond voltage-gated ion channels: Voltage-operated membrane proteins and cellular processes.

PubMed

Zhang, Jianping; Chen, Xingjuan; Xue, Yucong; Gamper, Nikita; Zhang, Xuan

2018-04-18

Voltage-gated ion channels were believed to be the only voltage-sensitive proteins in excitable (and some non-excitable) cells for a long time. Emerging evidence indicates that the voltage-operated model is shared by some other transmembrane proteins expressed in both excitable and non-excitable cells. In this review, we summarize current knowledge about voltage-operated proteins, which are not classic voltage-gated ion channels as well as the voltage-dependent processes in cells for which single voltage-sensitive proteins have yet to be identified. Particularly, we will focus on the following. (1) Voltage-sensitive phosphoinositide phosphatases (VSP) with four transmembrane segments homologous to the voltage sensor domain (VSD) of voltage-gated ion channels; VSPs are the first family of proteins, other than the voltage-gated ion channels, for which there is sufficient evidence for the existence of the VSD domain; (2) Voltage-gated proton channels comprising of a single voltage-sensing domain and lacking an identified pore domain; (3) G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) that mediate the depolarization-evoked potentiation of Ca 2+ mobilization; (4) Plasma membrane (PM) depolarization-induced but Ca 2+ -independent exocytosis in neurons. (5) Voltage-dependent metabolism of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns[4,5]P 2 , PIP 2 ) in the PM. These recent discoveries expand our understanding of voltage-operated processes within cellular membranes. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Salt tolerance at single cell level in giant-celled Characeae

PubMed Central

Beilby, Mary J.

2015-01-01

Characean plants provide an excellent experimental system for electrophysiology and physiology due to: (i) very large cell size, (ii) position on phylogenetic tree near the origin of land plants and (iii) continuous spectrum from very salt sensitive to very salt tolerant species. A range of experimental techniques is described, some unique to characean plants. Application of these methods provided electrical characteristics of membrane transporters, which dominate the membrane conductance under different outside conditions. With this considerable background knowledge the electrophysiology of salt sensitive and salt tolerant genera can be compared under salt and/or osmotic stress. Both salt tolerant and salt sensitive Characeae show a rise in membrane conductance and simultaneous increase in Na+ influx upon exposure to saline medium. Salt tolerant Chara longifolia and Lamprothamnium sp. exhibit proton pump stimulation upon both turgor decrease and salinity increase, allowing the membrane PD to remain negative. The turgor is regulated through the inward K+ rectifier and 2H+/Cl- symporter. Lamprothamnium plants can survive in hypersaline media up to twice seawater strength and withstand large sudden changes in salinity. Salt sensitive C. australis succumbs to 50–100 mM NaCl in few days. Cells exhibit no pump stimulation upon turgor decrease and at best transient pump stimulation upon salinity increase. Turgor is not regulated. The membrane PD exhibits characteristic noise upon exposure to salinity. Depolarization of membrane PD to excitation threshold sets off trains of action potentials, leading to further loses of K+ and Cl-. In final stages of salt damage the H+/OH- channels are thought to become the dominant transporter, dissipating the proton gradient and bringing the cell PD close to 0. The differences in transporter electrophysiology and their synergy under osmotic and/or saline stress in salt sensitive and salt tolerant characean cells are discussed in detail. PMID:25972875

A commentary on the implementation of Virginia test method number 39 : electrical resistivity testing of waterproof membranes.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1976-01-01

It was concluded that the electrical resistivity test was not ideally suitable as an inspection tool, but was the only currently available nondestructive test for determining the effectiveness of a waterproof membrane system. Considerable judgment an...

Solid-state nanopore localization by controlled breakdown of selectively thinned membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlsen, Autumn T.; Briggs, Kyle; Hall, Adam R.; Tabard-Cossa, Vincent

2017-02-01

We demonstrate precise positioning of nanopores fabricated by controlled breakdown (CBD) on solid-state membranes by spatially varying the electric field strength with localized membrane thinning. We show 100 × 100 nm2 precision in standard SiN x membranes (30-100 nm thick) after selective thinning by as little as 25% with a helium ion beam. Control over nanopore position is achieved through the strong dependence of the electric field-driven CBD mechanism on membrane thickness. Confinement of pore formation to the thinned region of the membrane is confirmed by TEM imaging and by analysis of DNA translocations. These results enhance the functionality of CBD as a fabrication approach and enable the production of advanced nanopore devices for single-molecule sensing applications.

Testosterone decreases urinary bladder smooth muscle excitability via novel signaling mechanism involving direct activation of the BK channels

PubMed Central

Hristov, Kiril L.; Parajuli, Shankar P.; Provence, Aaron

2016-01-01

In addition to improving sexual function, testosterone has been reported to have beneficial effects in ameliorating lower urinary tract symptoms by increasing bladder capacity and compliance, while decreasing bladder pressure. However, the cellular mechanisms by which testosterone regulates detrusor smooth muscle (DSM) excitability have not been elucidated. Here, we used amphotericin-B perforated whole cell patch-clamp and single channel recordings on inside-out excised membrane patches to investigate the regulatory role of testosterone in guinea pig DSM excitability. Testosterone (100 nM) significantly increased the depolarization-induced whole cell outward currents in DSM cells. The selective pharmacological inhibition of the large-conductance voltage- and Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels with paxilline (1 μM) completely abolished this stimulatory effect of testosterone, suggesting a mechanism involving BK channels. At a holding potential of −20 mV, DSM cells exhibited transient BK currents (TBKCs). Testosterone (100 nM) significantly increased TBKC activity in DSM cells. In current-clamp mode, testosterone (100 nM) significantly hyperpolarized the DSM cell resting membrane potential and increased spontaneous transient hyperpolarizations. Testosterone (100 nM) rapidly increased the single BK channel open probability in inside-out excised membrane patches from DSM cells, clearly suggesting a direct BK channel activation via a nongenomic mechanism. Live-cell Ca2+ imaging showed that testosterone (100 nM) caused a decrease in global intracellular Ca2+ concentration, consistent with testosterone-induced membrane hyperpolarization. In conclusion, the data provide compelling mechanistic evidence that under physiological conditions, testosterone at nanomolar concentrations directly activates BK channels in DSM cells, independent from genomic testosterone receptors, and thus regulates DSM excitability. PMID:27605581

Berkeley Lab - Materials Sciences Division

Science.gov Websites

Computational Study of Excited-State Phenomena in Energy Materials Center for X-ray Optics MSD Facilities Ion Excited-State Phenomena in Energy Materials Center for X-ray Optics MSD Facilities Ion Beam Analysis Behavior of Lithium Metal across a Rigid Block Copolymer Electrolyte Membrane. Journal of the

Formation of Bimolecular Membranes from Lipid Monolayers and a Study of Their Electrical Properties

PubMed Central

Montal, M.; Mueller, P.

1972-01-01

Bimolecular membranes are formed from two lipid monolayers at an air-water interface by the apposition of their hydrocarbon chains when an aperture in a Teflon partition separating two aqueous phases is lowered through the interface. Formation of the membrane is monitored by an increase of the electrical capacity, as measured with a voltage clamp. Electrical resistance of the unmodified membrane is analogous to that of conventional planar bilayers (black lipid membranes) prepared in the presence of a hydrocarbon solvent, i.e., 106-108 ohm cm2; the resistance can be lowered to values of 103 ohm cm2 by gramicidin, an antibiotic that modifies the conductance only when the membranes are of biomolecular thickness. In contrast to the resistance, there is a significant difference between the capacity of bilayers made from mono-layers and that of hydrocarbon-containing bilayers made by phase transition; the average values are 0.9 and 0.45 μF cm-2, respectively. The value of 0.9 μF cm-2 approximates that of biological membranes. Assuming a dielectric constant of 2.1 for the hydrocarbon region, the dielectric thickness, as calculated from a capacity of 0.9 μF cm-2, is 22 Å. This value is 6-10 Å smaller than the actual thickness of the hydrocarbon region of bilayers and cell membranes, as determined by x-ray diffraction. The difference may be due to a limited penetration of water into the hydrocarbon region near the ester groups that would lower the electrical resistance of this region and reduce the dielectric thickness. Asymmetric membranes have been formed by adjoining two lipid monolayers of different chemical composition. Images PMID:4509315

Dynamics of a bilayer membrane coupled to a two-dimensional cytoskeleton: Scale transfers of membrane deformations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okamoto, Ryuichi; Komura, Shigeyuki; Fournier, Jean-Baptiste

2017-07-01

We theoretically investigate the dynamics of a floating lipid bilayer membrane coupled with a two-dimensional cytoskeleton network, taking into account explicitly the intermonolayer friction, the discrete lattice structure of the cytoskeleton, and its prestress. The lattice structure breaks lateral continuous translational symmetry and couples Fourier modes with different wave vectors. It is shown that within a short time interval a long-wavelength deformation excites a collection of modes with wavelengths shorter than the lattice spacing. These modes relax slowly with a common renormalized rate originating from the long-wavelength mode. As a result, and because of the prestress, the slowest relaxation is governed by the intermonolayer friction. Conversely, and most interestingly, forces applied at the scale of the cytoskeleton for a sufficiently long time can cooperatively excite large-scale modes.

Increased Excitability of Lateral Habenula Neurons in Adolescent Rats following Cocaine Self-Administration

PubMed Central

Ishikawa, Masago; Otaka, Mami; Huang, Yanhua H.; Schlüter, Oliver M.

2015-01-01

Background: The lateral habenula is a brain region that has been critically implicated in modulating negative emotional states and responses to aversive stimuli. Exposure to addictive drugs such as cocaine negatively impacts affective states, an effect persisting longer than acute drug effects. However, the mechanisms of this effect are poorly understood. We hypothesized that drugs of abuse, such as cocaine, may contribute to drug-induced negative affective states by altering the firing properties of lateral habenula neurons, thus changing the signaling patterns from the lateral habenula to downstream circuits. Methods: Using whole-cell current-clamp recording of acutely prepared brain slices of rats after various periods of withdrawal from cocaine self-administration, we characterized an important heterogeneous subregion of the lateral habenula based on membrane properties. Results: We found two major relevant neuronal subtypes: burst firing neurons and regular spiking neurons. We also found that lateral habenula regular spiking neurons had higher membrane excitability for at least 7 days following cocaine self-administration, likely due to a greater membrane resistance. Both the increase in lateral habenula excitability and membrane resistance returned to baseline when tested after a more prolonged period of 45 days of withdrawal. Conclusion: This is the first study to look at intrinsic lateral habenula neuron properties following cocaine exposure beyond acute drug effects. These results may help to explain how cocaine and other drugs negatively impact affect states. PMID:25548105

Electromagnetic Flow Meter Having a Driver Circuit Including a Current Transducer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patel, Sandeep K. (Inventor); Karon, David M. (Inventor); Cushing, Vincent (Inventor)

2014-01-01

An electromagnetic flow meter (EMFM) accurately measures both the complete flow rate and the dynamically fluctuating flow rate of a fluid by applying a unipolar DC voltage to excitation coils for a predetermined period of time, measuring the electric potential at a pair of electrodes, determining a complete flow rate and independently measuring the dynamic flow rate during the "on" cycle of the DC excitation, and correcting the measurements for errors resulting from galvanic drift and other effects on the electric potential. The EMFM can also correct for effects from the excitation circuit induced during operation of the EMFM.

The relationship between anatomically correct electric and magnetic field dosimetry and publishe delectric and magnetic field exposure limits.

PubMed

Kavet, Robert; Dovan, Thanh; Reilly, J Patrick

2012-12-01

Electric and magnetic field exposure limits published by International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers are aimed at protection against adverse electrostimulation, which may occur by direct coupling to excitable tissue and, in the case of electric fields, through indirect means associated with surface charge effects (e.g. hair vibration, skin sensations), spark discharge and contact current. For direct coupling, the basic restriction (BR) specifies the not-to-be-exceeded induced electric field. The key results of anatomically based electric and magnetic field dosimetry studies and the relevant characteristics of excitable tissue were first identified. This permitted us to assess the electric and magnetic field exposure levels that induce dose in tissue equal to the basic restrictions, and the relationships of those exposure levels to the limits now in effect. We identify scenarios in which direct coupling of electric fields to peripheral nerve could be a determining factor for electric field limits.

Electrical manipulation of glycan-phosphatidyl inositol-tethered proteins in planar supported bilayers.

PubMed Central

Groves, J T; Wülfing, C; Boxer, S G

1996-01-01

Electric fields have been used to manipulate and concentrate glycan-phosphatidyl inositol (GPI)-tethered proteins in planar supported bilayers. Naturally GPI-linked CD48, along with engineered forms of I-Ek and B7-2, in which their transmembrane domains have been genetically replaced with the GPI linkage, were studied. The proteins were labeled with fluorescently tagged antibodies, allowing the electric field-induced behavior to be followed by epifluorescence microscopy. All three protein complexes were observed to migrate toward the cathode with the B7-2 and CD48, each tethered to the membrane by a single GPI linker, moving significantly faster than the I-Ek, which has two GPI linkers. Patterns scratched into the membrane function as barriers to lateral diffusion and were used to isolate the proteins into highly concentrated corrals. All field-induced concentration profiles were completely reversible, indicating that the supported bilayer provides a stable, fluid environment in which GPI-tethered proteins can be manipulated. The ability to electrically control the spatial distribution of membrane-tethered proteins provides new opportunities for the study of biological membranes and the development of membrane-based devices. Images FIGURE 2 FIGURE 3 FIGURE 4 FIGURE 5 FIGURE 6 PMID:8913608

Interaction between jet flow and motion of two consecutive membranes in a pipe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boudin, Olivier; Gutmark, Ephraim

1999-11-01

Pressure oscillations induced by combustion in a rocket motor generate coherent turbulence, which excites the structure of the rocket. In particular, it leads to the vibration of inhibitors, which endangers the mechanical integrity of the rocket. To model the phenomenon, the following facility has been set up: a blower followed by a settling chamber from where the flow exits into a cylindrical pipe; at the middle a membrane is inserted with a centered hole; another membrane is installed at the end of the pipe. The main purposes are to find how the shape of the membrane hole affects the nature of the outlet flow and how two consecutive membranes interact. In addition to experimental measurements, numerical simulations of the membrane influence on the flow have been performed. Unsteady and steady CFD models have been used to analyze the influence of the hole shape. A hot wire system and a laser gave experimental data that allow us to explain phenomena observed with flow visualizations. An amplification of the amplitude of the vibrations from the first to the second membrane was observed principally through visualizations. It also appears that the vibration mode of the membranes is different from one to another for the same excitation frequency. The study of oscillation amplitude performed with the laser has showed that the membrane, which vibrates less, is the one with a circular hole. It has also detected a difference in amplitude between the long and the small edges of the rectangular hole membrane. Moreover unsteady simulations run with Fluent have described the influence of hole shape on vortex time evolution.

Chronic muscle stimulation improves muscle function and reverts the abnormal surface EMG pattern in Myotonic Dystrophy: a pilot study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background To date, in Myotonic Dystrophy type 1 (DM1) the rehabilitative interventions have always been aimed at muscle strengthening, increasing of fatigue resistance and improving of aerobic metabolism efficiency whereas the electrical membrane fault has always been addressed pharmacologically. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a useful therapeutic tool in sport medicine and in the rehabilitation of many clinical conditions characterized by motor impairment such as stroke, cerebral palsy and spinal cord injury. The aim of our pilot study was to evaluate the effects of chronic electrical stimulation both on functional and electrical properties of muscle in a small group of DM1 patients. Methods Five DM1 patients and one patient with Congenital Myotonia (CM) performed a home electrical stimulation of the tibialis anterior muscle lasting 15 days with a frequency of two daily sessions of 60 minutes each. Muscle strength was assessed according to the MRC scale (Medical Research Council) and functional tests (10 Meter Walking Test, 6 Minutes Walking Test and Timed Up and Go Test) were performed. We analyzed the average rectified value of sEMG signal amplitude (ARV) to characterize the sarcolemmal excitability. Results After the treatment an increase of muscle strength in those DM1 patients with a mild strength deficit was observed. In all subjects an improvement of 10MWT was recorded. Five patients improved their performance in the 6MWT. In TUG test 4 out of 6 patients showed a slight reduction in execution time. All patients reported a subjective improvement when walking. A complete recovery of the normal increasing ARV curve was observed in 4 out of 5 DM1 patients; the CM patient didn’t show modification of the ARV pattern. Conclusions NMES determined a clear-cut improvement of both the muscular weakness and the sarcolemmal excitability alteration in our small group of DM1 patients. Therefore this rehabilitative approach, if confirmed by further extensive studies, could be considered early in the management of muscular impairment in these patients. An attractive hypothesis to explain our encouraging result could be represented by a functional inhibition of SK3 channels expressed in muscle of DM1 subjects. PMID:23938156

Cationic peptide exposure enhances pulsed-electric-field-mediated membrane disruption.

PubMed

Kennedy, Stephen M; Aiken, Erik J; Beres, Kaytlyn A; Hahn, Adam R; Kamin, Samantha J; Hagness, Susan C; Booske, John H; Murphy, William L

2014-01-01

The use of pulsed electric fields (PEFs) to irreversibly electroporate cells is a promising approach for destroying undesirable cells. This approach may gain enhanced applicability if the intensity of the PEF required to electrically disrupt cell membranes can be reduced via exposure to a molecular deliverable. This will be particularly impactful if that reduced PEF minimally influences cells that are not exposed to the deliverable. We hypothesized that the introduction of charged molecules to the cell surfaces would create regions of enhanced transmembrane electric potential in the vicinity of each charged molecule, thereby lowering the PEF intensity required to disrupt the plasma membranes. This study will therefore examine if exposure to cationic peptides can enhance a PEF's ability to disrupt plasma membranes. We exposed leukemia cells to 40 μs PEFs in media containing varying concentrations of a cationic peptide, polyarginine. We observed the internalization of a membrane integrity indicator, propidium iodide (PI), in real time. Based on an individual cell's PI fluorescence versus time signature, we were able to determine the relative degree of membrane disruption. When using 1-2 kV/cm, exposure to >50 μg/ml of polyarginine resulted in immediate and high levels of PI uptake, indicating severe membrane disruption, whereas in the absence of peptide, cells predominantly exhibited signatures indicative of no membrane disruption. Additionally, PI entered cells through the anode-facing membrane when exposed to cationic peptide, which was theoretically expected. Exposure to cationic peptides reduced the PEF intensity required to induce rapid and irreversible membrane disruption. Critically, peptide exposure reduced the PEF intensities required to elicit irreversible membrane disruption at normally sub-electroporation intensities. We believe that these cationic peptides, when coupled with current advancements in cell targeting techniques will be useful tools in applications where targeted destruction of unwanted cell populations is desired.

Cationic Peptide Exposure Enhances Pulsed-Electric-Field-Mediated Membrane Disruption

PubMed Central

Kennedy, Stephen M.; Aiken, Erik J.; Beres, Kaytlyn A.; Hahn, Adam R.; Kamin, Samantha J.; Hagness, Susan C.; Booske, John H.; Murphy, William L.

2014-01-01

Background The use of pulsed electric fields (PEFs) to irreversibly electroporate cells is a promising approach for destroying undesirable cells. This approach may gain enhanced applicability if the intensity of the PEF required to electrically disrupt cell membranes can be reduced via exposure to a molecular deliverable. This will be particularly impactful if that reduced PEF minimally influences cells that are not exposed to the deliverable. We hypothesized that the introduction of charged molecules to the cell surfaces would create regions of enhanced transmembrane electric potential in the vicinity of each charged molecule, thereby lowering the PEF intensity required to disrupt the plasma membranes. This study will therefore examine if exposure to cationic peptides can enhance a PEF’s ability to disrupt plasma membranes. Methodology/Principal Findings We exposed leukemia cells to 40 μs PEFs in media containing varying concentrations of a cationic peptide, polyarginine. We observed the internalization of a membrane integrity indicator, propidium iodide (PI), in real time. Based on an individual cell’s PI fluorescence versus time signature, we were able to determine the relative degree of membrane disruption. When using 1–2 kV/cm, exposure to >50 μg/ml of polyarginine resulted in immediate and high levels of PI uptake, indicating severe membrane disruption, whereas in the absence of peptide, cells predominantly exhibited signatures indicative of no membrane disruption. Additionally, PI entered cells through the anode-facing membrane when exposed to cationic peptide, which was theoretically expected. Conclusions/Significance Exposure to cationic peptides reduced the PEF intensity required to induce rapid and irreversible membrane disruption. Critically, peptide exposure reduced the PEF intensities required to elicit irreversible membrane disruption at normally sub-electroporation intensities. We believe that these cationic peptides, when coupled with current advancements in cell targeting techniques will be useful tools in applications where targeted destruction of unwanted cell populations is desired. PMID:24671150

Electricity generating capacity and performance deterioration of a microbial fuel cell fed with beer brewery wastewater.

PubMed

Köroğlu, Emre Oğuz; Özkaya, Bestamin; Denktaş, Cenk; Çakmakci, Mehmet

2014-12-01

This study focused on using beer brewery wastewater (BBW) to evaluate membrane concentrate disposal and production of electricity in microbial fuel cells. In the membrane treatment of BBW, the membrane permeate concentration was 570 ± 30 mg/L corresponding to a chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency of 75 ± 5%, and the flux values changed between 160 and 40 L/m(2)-h for all membrane runs. For electricity production from membrane concentrate, the highest current density in the microbial fuel cell (MFC) was observed to be 1950 mA/m(2) according to electrode surface area with 36% COD removal efficiency and 2.48% CE with 60% BBW membrane concentrate. The morphologies of the cation exchange membrane and the MFC deterioration were studied using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). A decrease in the thermal stability of the sulfonate (-SO3H) groups was demonstrated and morphological changes were detected in the SEM analysis. Copyright © 2014 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Single crystal diamond membranes for nanoelectronics.

PubMed

Bray, Kerem; Kato, Hiromitsu; Previdi, Rodolfo; Sandstrom, Russell; Ganesan, Kumaravelu; Ogura, Masahiko; Makino, Toshiharu; Yamasaki, Satoshi; Magyar, Andrew P; Toth, Milos; Aharonovich, Igor

2018-02-22

Single crystal, nanoscale diamond membranes are highly sought after for a variety of applications including nanophotonics, nanoelectronics and quantum information science. However, so far, the availability of conductive diamond membranes has remained an unreachable goal. In this work we present a complete nanofabrication methodology for engineering high aspect ratio, electrically active single crystal diamond membranes. The membranes have large lateral directions, exceeding ∼500 × 500 μm 2 and are only several hundreds of nanometers thick. We further realize vertical single crystal p-n junctions made from the diamond membranes that exhibit onset voltages of ∼10 V and a current of several mA. Moreover, we deterministically introduce optically active color centers into the membranes, and demonstrate for the first time a single crystal nanoscale diamond LED. The robust and scalable approach to engineer the electrically active single crystal diamond membranes offers new pathways for advanced nanophotonic, nanoelectronic and optomechanical devices employing diamond.

Dielectric behavior of beef meat in the 1-1500kHz range: Simulation with the Fricke/Cole-Cole model.

PubMed

Damez, Jean-Louis; Clerjon, Sylvie; Abouelkaram, Saïd; Lepetit, Jacques

2007-12-01

The electrical properties of biological tissues have been researched for many years. Impedance measurements observed with increasing frequencies are mainly attributed to changes in membrane conductivity and ion and charged-molecule mobility (mainly Na(+), K(+), CL(-) ions). Equivalent circuits with passive electrical components are frequently used as a support model for presentation and analyses of the behavior of tissues submitted to electrical fields. Fricke proposed an electrical model where the elements are resistive and capacitive. The model is composed of a resistive element (Rp) representing extracellular fluids (ECF) placed in parallel with a capacitive element (Cs) representing insulating membranes in series and a resistive element (Rs) representing intracellular fluids (ICF). This model is able to describe impedance measurements: at lower frequencies, most of the current flows around the cells without being able to penetrate them, while at higher frequencies the membranes lose their insulating properties and the current flows through both the extracellular and intracellular compartments. Since meat ageing induces structural change, particularly in membrane integrity, the insulating properties of membranes decrease, and intracellular and extracellular electrolytes mix, thus driving changes in their electrical properties. We report a method combining the Fricke and Cole-Cole models that was developed to monitor and explain tissues conductivity changes in preferential directions during beef meat ageing.

Cell Membrane Transport Mechanisms: Ion Channels and Electrical Properties of Cell Membranes.

PubMed

Kulbacka, Julita; Choromańska, Anna; Rossowska, Joanna; Weżgowiec, Joanna; Saczko, Jolanta; Rols, Marie-Pierre

2017-01-01

Cellular life strongly depends on the membrane ability to precisely control exchange of solutes between the internal and external (environmental) compartments. This barrier regulates which types of solutes can enter and leave the cell. Transmembrane transport involves complex mechanisms responsible for passive and active carriage of ions and small- and medium-size molecules. Transport mechanisms existing in the biological membranes highly determine proper cellular functions and contribute to drug transport. The present chapter deals with features and electrical properties of the cell membrane and addresses the questions how the cell membrane accomplishes transport functions and how transmembrane transport can be affected. Since dysfunctions of plasma membrane transporters very often are the cause of human diseases, we also report how specific transport mechanisms can be modulated or inhibited in order to enhance the therapeutic effect.

Electromagnetic toroidal excitations in matter and free space.

PubMed

Papasimakis, N; Fedotov, V A; Savinov, V; Raybould, T A; Zheludev, N I

2016-03-01

The toroidal dipole is a localized electromagnetic excitation, distinct from the magnetic and electric dipoles. While the electric dipole can be understood as a pair of opposite charges and the magnetic dipole as a current loop, the toroidal dipole corresponds to currents flowing on the surface of a torus. Toroidal dipoles provide physically significant contributions to the basic characteristics of matter including absorption, dispersion and optical activity. Toroidal excitations also exist in free space as spatially and temporally localized electromagnetic pulses propagating at the speed of light and interacting with matter. We review recent experimental observations of resonant toroidal dipole excitations in metamaterials and the discovery of anapoles, non-radiating charge-current configurations involving toroidal dipoles. While certain fundamental and practical aspects of toroidal electrodynamics remain open for the moment, we envision that exploitation of toroidal excitations can have important implications for the fields of photonics, sensing, energy and information.

Electrically facilitated molecular transport. Analysis of the relative contributions of diffusion, migration, and electroosmosis to solute transport in an ion-exchange membrane.

PubMed

Bath, B D; White, H S; Scott, E R

2000-02-01

Electrically facilitated molecular transport in an ion-exchange membrane (Nafion, 1100 equiv wt) has been studied using a scanning electrochemical microscope. The transport rates of ferrocenylmethyltrimethylammonium (a cation), acetaminophen (a neutral molecule), and ascorbate (an anion) through approximately 120-micron-thick membranes were measured as a function of the iontophoretic current passed across the membrane (-1.0 to +1.0 A/cm2). Transport rates were analyzed by employing the Nernst-Planck equation, modified to account for electric field-driven convective transport. Excellent agreement between experimental and theoretical values of the molecular flux was obtained using a single fitting parameter for each molecule (electroosmotic drag coefficient). The electroosmotic velocity of the neutral molecule, acetaminophen, was shown to be a factor of approximately 500 larger than that of the cation ferrocenylmethyltrimethylammonium, a consequence of the electrostatic interaction of the cation with the negatively charged pore walls of the ion-exchange membrane. Electroosmotic transport of ascorbate occurred at a negligible rate due to repulsion of the anion by the cation-selective membrane. These results suggest that electroosmotic velocities of solute molecules are determined by specific chemical interactions of the permeant and membrane and may be very different from the average solution velocity. The efficiency of electroosmotic transport was also shown to be a function of the membrane thickness, in addition to membrane/solute interactions.

Nanofiltration of Mine Water: Impact of Feed pH and Membrane Charge on Resource Recovery and Water Discharge

PubMed Central

Mullett, Mark; Fornarelli, Roberta; Ralph, David

2014-01-01

Two nanofiltration membranes, a Dow NF 270 polyamide thin film and a TriSep TS 80 polyamide thin film, were investigated for their retention of ionic species when filtering mine influenced water streams at a range of acidic pH values. The functional iso-electric point of the membranes, characterized by changes in retention over a small pH range, were examined by filtering solutions of sodium sulphate. Both membranes showed changes in retention at pH 3, suggesting a zero net charge on the membranes at this pH. Copper mine drainage and synthetic solutions of mine influenced water were filtered using the same membranes. These solutions were characterized by pH values within 2 and 5, thus crossing the iso-electric point of both membranes. Retention of cations was maximized when the feed solution pH was less than the iso-electric point of the membrane. In these conditions, the membrane has a net positive charge, reducing the transmission rate of cations. From the recoveries of a range of cations, the suitability of nanofiltration was discussed relative to the compliance with mine water discharge criteria and the recovery of valuable commodity metals. The nanofiltration process was demonstrated to offer advantages in metal recovery from mine waste streams, concomitantly enabling discharge criteria for the filtrate disposal to be met. PMID:24957170

Hybrid microfluidic and nanofluidic system

DOEpatents

Bohn, Paul W [Champaign, IL; Sweedler, Jonathan V [Urbana, IL; Shannon, Mark A [Champaign, IL; Kuo, Tzu-chi [Savoy, IL

2007-05-22

A fluid circuit includes a membrane having a first side, a second side opposite the first side, and a pore extending from the first side to the second side. The circuit also includes a first channel containing fluid extending along the first side of the membrane and a second channel containing fluid extending along the second side of the membrane and crossing the first channel. The circuit also includes an electrical source in electrical communication with at least one of the first fluid and second fluid for selectively developing an electrical potential between fluid in the first channel and fluid in the second channel. This causes at least one component of fluid to pass through the pore in the membrane from one of the first channel and the second channel to the other of the first channel and the second channel.

Method of making MEA for PEM/SPE fuel cell

DOEpatents

Hulett, Jay S.

2000-01-01

A method of making a membrane-electrode-assembly (MEA) for a PEM/SPE fuel cell comprising applying a slurry of electrode-forming material directly onto a membrane-electrolyte film. The slurry comprises a liquid vehicle carrying catalyst particles and a binder for the catalyst particles. The membrane-electrolyte is preswollen by contact with the vehicle before the electrode-forming slurry is applied to the membrane-electrolyte. The swollen membrane-electrolyte is constrained against shrinking in the "x" and "y" directions during drying. Following assembly of the fuel cell, the MEA is rehydrated inside the fuel cell such that it swells in the "z" direction for enhanced electrical contact with contiguous electrically conductive components of the fuel cell.

The Mechanism of Extracellular Stimulation of Nerve Cells on an Electrolyte-Oxide-Semiconductor Capacitor

PubMed Central

Schoen, Ingmar; Fromherz, Peter

2007-01-01

Extracellular excitation of neurons is applied in studies of cultured networks and brain tissue, as well as in neuroprosthetics. We elucidate its mechanism in an electrophysiological approach by comparing voltage-clamp and current-clamp recordings of individual neurons on an insulated planar electrode. Noninvasive stimulation of neurons from pedal ganglia of Lymnaea stagnalis is achieved by defined voltage ramps applied to an electrolyte/HfO2/silicon capacitor. Effects on the smaller attached cell membrane and the larger free membrane are distinguished in a two-domain-stimulation model. Under current-clamp, we study the polarization that is induced for closed ion channels. Under voltage-clamp, we determine the capacitive gating of ion channels in the attached membrane by falling voltage ramps and for comparison also the gating of all channels by conventional variation of the intracellular voltage. Neuronal excitation is elicited under current-clamp by two mechanisms: Rising voltage ramps depolarize the free membrane such that an action potential is triggered. Falling voltage ramps depolarize the attached membrane such that local ion currents are activated that depolarize the free membrane and trigger an action potential. The electrophysiological analysis of extracellular stimulation in the simple model system is a basis for its systematic optimization in neuronal networks and brain tissue. PMID:17098803

Fluorescence studies on the interaction of choline-binding domain B of the major bovine seminal plasma protein, PDC-109 with phospholipid membranes.

PubMed

Damai, Rajani S; Anbazhagan, V; Rao, K Babu; Swamy, Musti J

2009-12-01

The microenvironment and accessibility of the tryptophan residues in domain B of PDC-109 (PDC-109/B) in the native state and upon ligand binding have been investigated by fluorescence quenching, time-resolved fluorescence and red-edge excitation shift (REES) studies. The increase in the intrinsic fluorescence emission intensity of PDC-109/B upon binding to lysophosphatidylcholine (Lyso-PC) micelles and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) membranes was considerably less as compared to that observed with the whole PDC-109 protein. The degree of quenching achieved by different quenchers with PDC-109/B bound to Lyso-PC and DMPC membranes was significantly higher as compared to the full PDC-109 protein, indicating that membrane binding afforded considerably lesser protection to the tryptophan residues of domain B as compared to those in the full PDC-109 protein. Finally, changes in red-edge excitation shift (REES) seen with PDC-109/B upon binding to DMPC membranes and Lyso-PC micelles were smaller that the corresponding changes in the REES values observed for the full PDC-109. These results, taken together suggest that intact PDC-109 penetrates deeper into the hydrophobic parts of the membrane as compared to domain B alone, which could be the reason for the inability of PDC-109/B to induce cholesterol efflux, despite its ability to recognize choline phospholipids at the membrane surface.

Characterization of dissolved organic matter in a submerged membrane bioreactor by using three-dimensional excitation and emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy.

PubMed

Wang, Zhiwei; Wu, Zhichao; Tang, Shujuan

2009-04-01

Three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy was employed to characterize dissolved organic matter (DOM) in a submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR). Three fluorescence peaks could be identified from the EEM fluorescence spectra of the DOM samples in the MBR. Two peaks were associated with the protein-like fluorophores, and the third was related to the visible humic acid-like fluorophores. Only two main peaks were observed in the EEM fluorescence spectra of the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) samples, which were due to the fluorescence of protein-like and humic acid-like matters, respectively. However, the EEM fluorescence spectra of membrane foulants were observed to have three peaks. It was also found that the dominant fluorescence substances in membrane foulants were protein-like substances, which might be due to the retention of proteins in the DOM and/or EPS in the MBR by the fine pores of the membrane. Quantitative analysis of the fluorescence spectra including peak locations, fluorescence intensity, and different peak intensity ratios and the fluorescence regional integration (FRI) analysis were also carried out in order to better understand the similarities and differences among the EEM spectra of the DOM, EPS, and membrane foulant samples and to further provide an insight into membrane fouling caused by the fluorescence substances in the DOM in submerged MBRs.

Analytical and experimental comparisons of electromechanical vibration response of a piezoelectric bimorph beam for power harvesting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lumentut, M. F.; Howard, I. M.

2013-03-01

Power harvesters that extract energy from vibrating systems via piezoelectric transduction show strong potential for powering smart wireless sensor devices in applications of health condition monitoring of rotating machinery and structures. This paper presents an analytical method for modelling an electromechanical piezoelectric bimorph beam with tip mass under two input base transverse and longitudinal excitations. The Euler-Bernoulli beam equations were used to model the piezoelectric bimorph beam. The polarity-electric field of the piezoelectric element is excited by the strain field caused by base input excitation, resulting in electrical charge. The governing electromechanical dynamic equations were derived analytically using the weak form of the Hamiltonian principle to obtain the constitutive equations. Three constitutive electromechanical dynamic equations based on independent coefficients of virtual displacement vectors were formulated and then further modelled using the normalised Ritz eigenfunction series. The electromechanical formulations include both the series and parallel connections of the piezoelectric bimorph. The multi-mode frequency response functions (FRFs) under varying electrical load resistance were formulated using Laplace transformation for the multi-input mechanical vibrations to provide the multi-output dynamic displacement, velocity, voltage, current and power. The experimental and theoretical validations reduced for the single mode system were shown to provide reasonable predictions. The model results from polar base excitation for off-axis input motions were validated with experimental results showing the change to the electrical power frequency response amplitude as a function of excitation angle, with relevance for practical implementation.

Vertical electric field induced suppression of fine structure splitting of excited state excitons in a single GaAs/AlGaAs island quantum dots

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ghali, Mohsen; Laboratory of Nanophotonics, Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Kafrelsheikh University, 33516 Kafrelsheikh; Ohno, Yuzo

2015-09-21

We report experimentally on fine structure splitting (FSS) of various excitonic transitions in single GaAs island quantum dots, formed by a monolayer thickness fluctuation in the narrow GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well, and embedded in an n-i-Schottky diode device. By applying a forward vertical electric field (F) between the top metallic contact and the sample substrate, we observed an in-plane polarization rotation of both the ground and the excited state excitons with increasing the electric field. The polarization rotations were accompanied with a strong decrease in the FSS of the ground as well as the excited state excitons with the field, untilmore » the FSS vanished as F approached 30 kV/cm.« less

Method and apparatus for guiding ablative therapy of abnormal biological electrical excitation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Armoundas, Antonis A. (Inventor); Feldman, Andrew B. (Inventor); Sherman, Derin A. (Inventor); Cohen, Richard J. (Inventor)

2001-01-01

This invention involves method and apparatus for guiding ablative therapy of abnormal biological electrical excitation. In particular, it is designed for treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. In the method of this invention electrical signals are acquired from passive electrodes, and an inverse dipole method is used to identify the site of origin of an arrhytmia. The location of the tip of the ablation catheter is similarly localized from signals acquired from the passive electrodes while electrical energy is delivered to the tip of the catheter. The catheter tip is then guided to the site of origin of the arrhythmia, and ablative radio frequency energy is delivered to its tip to ablate the site.

Magnetically excited flexural plate wave apparatus

DOEpatents

Martin, Stephen J.; Butler, Michael A.; Frye, Gregory C.; Smith, James H.

1998-01-01

A non-piezoelectric flexural plate wave apparatus having meander-line transducers mounted on a non-piezoelectric membrane. A static magnetic field is directed perpendicularly to the conductive legs of the transducers in the plane of the membrane. Single-port, two-port, resonant, non-resonant, eigenmode, and delay-line modes may be employed.

Transcriptional response of rat cerebrocortical tissue following acute in vivo exposure to the pyrethroid insecticides permethrin and deltamethrin

EPA Science Inventory

Pyrethroids are neurotoxic pesticides that interact with membrane bound ion channels in neurons. The physiological result is disruption of nerve membrane excitability. A current focus of pyrethroid research is examination of the molecular mechanisms-of-action of pyrethroids, in...

Electromechanical vortex filaments during cardiac fibrillation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christoph, J.; Chebbok, M.; Richter, C.; Schröder-Schetelig, J.; Bittihn, P.; Stein, S.; Uzelac, I.; Fenton, F. H.; Hasenfuß, G.; Gilmour, R. F., Jr.; Luther, S.

2018-03-01

The self-organized dynamics of vortex-like rotating waves, which are also known as scroll waves, are the basis of the formation of complex spatiotemporal patterns in many excitable chemical and biological systems. In the heart, filament-like phase singularities that are associated with three-dimensional scroll waves are considered to be the organizing centres of life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. The mechanisms that underlie the onset, maintenance and control of electromechanical turbulence in the heart are inherently three-dimensional phenomena. However, it has not previously been possible to visualize the three-dimensional spatiotemporal dynamics of scroll waves inside cardiac tissues. Here we show that three-dimensional mechanical scroll waves and filament-like phase singularities can be observed deep inside the contracting heart wall using high-resolution four-dimensional ultrasound-based strain imaging. We found that mechanical phase singularities co-exist with electrical phase singularities during cardiac fibrillation. We investigated the dynamics of electrical and mechanical phase singularities by simultaneously measuring the membrane potential, intracellular calcium concentration and mechanical contractions of the heart. We show that cardiac fibrillation can be characterized using the three-dimensional spatiotemporal dynamics of mechanical phase singularities, which arise inside the fibrillating contracting ventricular wall. We demonstrate that electrical and mechanical phase singularities show complex interactions and we characterize their dynamics in terms of trajectories, topological charge and lifetime. We anticipate that our findings will provide novel perspectives for non-invasive diagnostic imaging and therapeutic applications.

Mechanical signaling coordinates the embryonic heartbeat

PubMed Central

Chiou, Kevin K.; Rocks, Jason W.; Chen, Christina Yingxian; Cho, Sangkyun; Merkus, Koen E.; Rajaratnam, Anjali; Robison, Patrick; Tewari, Manorama; Vogel, Kenneth; Majkut, Stephanie F.; Prosser, Benjamin L.; Discher, Dennis E.; Liu, Andrea J.

2016-01-01

In the beating heart, cardiac myocytes (CMs) contract in a coordinated fashion, generating contractile wave fronts that propagate through the heart with each beat. Coordinating this wave front requires fast and robust signaling mechanisms between CMs. The primary signaling mechanism has long been identified as electrical: gap junctions conduct ions between CMs, triggering membrane depolarization, intracellular calcium release, and actomyosin contraction. In contrast, we propose here that, in the early embryonic heart tube, the signaling mechanism coordinating beats is mechanical rather than electrical. We present a simple biophysical model in which CMs are mechanically excitable inclusions embedded within the extracellular matrix (ECM), modeled as an elastic-fluid biphasic material. Our model predicts strong stiffness dependence in both the heartbeat velocity and strain in isolated hearts, as well as the strain for a hydrogel-cultured CM, in quantitative agreement with recent experiments. We challenge our model with experiments disrupting electrical conduction by perfusing intact adult and embryonic hearts with a gap junction blocker, β-glycyrrhetinic acid (BGA). We find this treatment causes rapid failure in adult hearts but not embryonic hearts—consistent with our hypothesis. Last, our model predicts a minimum matrix stiffness necessary to propagate a mechanically coordinated wave front. The predicted value is in accord with our stiffness measurements at the onset of beating, suggesting that mechanical signaling may initiate the very first heartbeats. PMID:27457951

Large-deformation electrohydrodynamics of an elastic capsule in a DC electric field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Sudip; Thaokar, Rochish M.

2018-04-01

The dynamics of a spherical elastic capsule, containing a Newtonian fluid bounded by an elastic membrane and immersed in another Newtonian fluid, in a uniform DC electric field is investigated. Discontinuity of electrical properties such as conductivities of the internal and external fluid media as well as capacitance and conductance of the membrane lead to a net interfacial Maxwell stress which can cause the deformation of such an elastic capsule. We investigate this problem considering well established membrane laws for a thin elastic membrane, with fully resolved hydrodynamics in the Stokes flow limit and describe the electrostatics using the capacitor model. In the limit of small deformation, the analytical theory predicts the dynamics fairly satisfactorily. Large deformations at high capillary number though necessitate a numerical approach (Boundary element method in the present case) to solve this highly non-linear problem. Akin to vesicles, at intermediate times, highly nonlinear biconcave shapes along with squaring and hexagon like shapes are observed when the outer medium is more conducting. The study identifies the essentiality of parameters such as high membrane capacitance, low membrane conductance, low hydrodynamic time scales and high capillary number for observation of these shape transitions. The transition is due to large compressive Maxwell stress at the poles at intermediate times. Thus such shape transition can be seen in spherical globules admitting electrical capacitance, possibly, irrespective of the nature of the interfacial restoring force.

TRPC3 channels critically regulate hippocampal excitability and contextual fear memory.

PubMed

Neuner, Sarah M; Wilmott, Lynda A; Hope, Kevin A; Hoffmann, Brian; Chong, Jayhong A; Abramowitz, Joel; Birnbaumer, Lutz; O'Connell, Kristen M; Tryba, Andrew K; Greene, Andrew S; Savio Chan, C; Kaczorowski, Catherine C

2015-03-15

Memory formation requires de novo protein synthesis, and memory disorders may result from misregulated synthesis of critical proteins that remain largely unidentified. Plasma membrane ion channels and receptors are likely candidates given their role in regulating neuron excitability, a candidate memory mechanism. Here we conduct targeted molecular monitoring and quantitation of hippocampal plasma membrane proteins from mice with intact or impaired contextual fear memory to identify putative candidates. Here we report contextual fear memory deficits correspond to increased Trpc3 gene and protein expression, and demonstrate TRPC3 regulates hippocampal neuron excitability associated with memory function. These data provide a mechanistic explanation for enhanced contextual fear memory reported herein following knockdown of TRPC3 in hippocampus. Collectively, TRPC3 modulates memory and may be a feasible target to enhance memory and treat memory disorders. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inferences about Membrane Properties from Electrical Noise Measurements

PubMed Central

Stevens, Charles F.

1972-01-01

Four sources of electrical noise in biological membranes, each with a different physical basis, are discussed; the analysis of each type of noise potentially yields a different sort of information about membrane properties. (a) From the thermal noise spectrum, the passive membrane impedance may be obtained, so that thermal noise measurements are essentially equivalent to the type of since wave analysis carried out by Cole and Curtis. (b) If adequately high frequency measurements could be made, the shot noise spectrum should give information about the average motion of a single ion within the membrane. (c) The number of charge carriers and single ion mobilities within the membrane can possibly be inferred from measurements of noise with a 1/f spectrum. Available data indicate, for example, that increases in axon membrane conductance are not achieved by modulations in the mobility of ions within the membrane. (d) Fluctuations arising from the mechanisms normally responsible for membrane conductance changes can produce a type of electrical noise. Analysis of such conductance fluctuations provides a way to assess the validity of various microscopic models for the behavior of individual channels. Two different probabilistic interpretations of the Hodgkin-Huxley equations are investigated here and shown to yield different predictions about the spectrum of conductance fluctuations; thus, appropriate noise measurements may serve to eliminate certain classes of microscopic models for membrane conductance changes. Further, it is shown how the analysis of conductance fluctuations can, in some circumstances, provide an estimate of the conductance of a single channel. PMID:5044577

Alq3 coated silicon nanomembranes for cavity optomechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fogliano, Francesco; Ortu, Antonio; Camposeo, Andrea; Pisignano, Dario; Ciampini, Donatella; Fuso, Francesco; Arimondo, E.

2016-09-01

The optomechanical properties of a silicon-nitride membrane mirror covered by Alq3 and Silver layers are investigated. Excitation at two laser wavelengths, 780 and 405 nm, corresponding to different absorptions of the multilayer, is examined. Such dual driving will lead to a more flexible optomechanical operation. Topographic reconstruction of the whole static membrane deformation and cooling of the membrane oscillations are reported. The cooling, observed for blue laser detuning and produced by bolometric forces, is deduced from the optomechanical damping of the membrane eigenfrequency. We determine the presence of different contributions to the photothermal response of the membrane.

The effect of membrane parameters on the properties of the nerve impulse.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sabah, N. H.; Leibovic, K. N.

1972-01-01

The effect of varying some membrane parameters is explored, basing the investigation on computer simulation of the Hodgkin-Huxley equations for the squid giant axon, including variations in the membrane capacitance, conductances, and the rate constants. It is shown that by reducing the degree of regeneration in the excitable membrane, the character of the nerve signal can be smoothly changed from that of the axonal spike to essentially electrotonic spread, with all gradations in between. The reduction in the degree of regeneration can most simply be brought about by a decrease in the density of active membrane patches.

Unfolding an electronic integrate-and-fire circuit.

PubMed

Carrillo, Humberto; Hoppensteadt, Frank

2010-01-01

Many physical and biological phenomena involve accumulation and discharge processes that can occur on significantly different time scales. Models of these processes have contributed to understand excitability self-sustained oscillations and synchronization in arrays of oscillators. Integrate-and-fire (I+F) models are popular minimal fill-and-flush mathematical models. They are used in neuroscience to study spiking and phase locking in single neuron membranes, large scale neural networks, and in a variety of applications in physics and electrical engineering. We show here how the classical first-order I+F model fits into the theory of nonlinear oscillators of van der Pol type by demonstrating that a particular second-order oscillator having small parameters converges in a singular perturbation limit to the I+F model. In this sense, our study provides a novel unfolding of such models and it identifies a constructible electronic circuit that is closely related to I+F.

Iridium Oxide Nanotube Electrodes for Highly Sensitive and Prolonged Intracellular Measurement of Action Potentials

PubMed Central

Lin, Ziliang Carter; Xie, Chong; Osakada, Yasuko; Cui, Yi; Cui, Bianxiao

2014-01-01

Intracellular recording of action potentials is important to understand electrically-excitable cells. Recently, vertical nanoelectrodes have been developed to achieve highly sensitive, minimally invasive, and large scale intracellular recording. It has been demonstrated that the vertical geometry is crucial for the enhanced signal detection. Here we develop nanoelectrodes made up of nanotubes of iridium oxide. When cardiomyocytes are cultured upon those nanotubes, the cell membrane not only wraps around the vertical tubes but also protrudes deep into the hollow center. We show that this geometry enhances cell-electrode coupling and results in measuring much larger intracellular action potentials. The nanotube electrodes afford much longer intracellular access and are minimally invasive, making it possible to achieve stable recording up to an hour in a single session and more than 8 days of consecutive daily recording. This study suggests that the electrode performance can be significantly improved by optimizing the electrode geometry. PMID:24487777

Nanomedicine: de novo design of nanodrugs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Zaixing; Kang, Seung-Gu; Zhou, Ruhong

2013-12-01

Phenomenal advances in nanotechnology and nanoscience have been accompanied by exciting progress in de novo design of nanomedicines. Nanoparticles with their large space of structural amenability and excellent mechanical and electrical properties have become ideal candidates for high efficacy nanomedicines in both diagnostics and therapeutics. The therapeutic nanomedicines can be further categorized into nanocarriers for conventional drugs and nanodrugs with direct curing of target diseases. Here we review some of the recent advances in de novo design of nanodrugs, with an emphasis on the molecular level understanding of their interactions with biological systems including key proteins and cell membranes. We also include some of the latest advances in the development of nanocarriers with both passive and active targeting for completeness. These studies may shed light on a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind these nanodrugs, and also provide new insights and direction for the future design of nanomedicines.

Potential Roles of Amiloride-Sensitive Sodium Channels in Cancer Development.

PubMed

Xu, Siguang; Liu, Cui; Ma, Yana; Ji, Hong-Long; Li, Xiumin

2016-01-01

The ENaC/degenerin ion channel superfamily includes the amiloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) and acid sensitive ionic channel (ASIC). ENaC is a multimeric ion channel formed by heteromultimeric membrane glycoproteins, which participate in a multitude of biological processes by mediating the transport of sodium (Na(+)) across epithelial tissues such as the kidney, lungs, bladder, and gut. Aberrant ENaC functions contribute to several human disease states including pseudohypoaldosteronism, Liddle syndrome, cystic fibrosis, and salt-sensitive hypertension. Increasing evidence suggests that ion channels not only regulate ion homeostasis and electric signaling in excitable cells but also play important roles in cancer cell behaviors such as proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and migration. Indeed, ENaCs/ASICs had been reported to be associated with cancer characteristics. Given their cell surface localization and pharmacology, pharmacological strategies to target ENaC/ASIC family members may be promising cancer therapeutics.

Nanomedicine: de novo design of nanodrugs.

PubMed

Yang, Zaixing; Kang, Seung-gu; Zhou, Ruhong

2014-01-21

Phenomenal advances in nanotechnology and nanoscience have been accompanied by exciting progress in de novo design of nanomedicines. Nanoparticles with their large space of structural amenability and excellent mechanical and electrical properties have become ideal candidates for high efficacy nanomedicines in both diagnostics and therapeutics. The therapeutic nanomedicines can be further categorized into nanocarriers for conventional drugs and nanodrugs with direct curing of target diseases. Here we review some of the recent advances in de novo design of nanodrugs, with an emphasis on the molecular level understanding of their interactions with biological systems including key proteins and cell membranes. We also include some of the latest advances in the development of nanocarriers with both passive and active targeting for completeness. These studies may shed light on a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind these nanodrugs, and also provide new insights and direction for the future design of nanomedicines.

Crystalline Electric Field Level Scheme of the Non-Centrosymmetric CePtSi3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ueta, Daichi; Kobuke, Tomohiro; Yoshida, Masahiro; Yoshizawa, Hideki; Ikeda, Yoichi; Itoh, Shinichi; Yokoo, Tetsuya

2018-05-01

The crystalline electric field (CEF) excitations in CePtSi3 with the non-centrosymmetric structure were investigated by inelastic neutron scattering (INS) experiment. CEF excitations were observed at 5.3 and 17.5 meV. We discuss the CEF parameters and wave function of CePtSi3 by comparing those of other CeTX3(T: transition metal, X: Si, Ge) systems.

Comparative kinetics of damage to the plasma and mitochondrial membranes by intra-cellularly synthesized and externally-provided photosensitizers using multi-color FACS.

PubMed

Haupt, Sara; Malik, Zvi; Ehrenberg, Benjamin

2014-01-01

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer involves inflicting lethal damage to the cells of malignant tumors, primarily by singlet oxygen that is generated following light-absorption in a photosensitizer molecule. Dysfunction of cells is manifested in many ways, including peroxidation of cellular components, membrane rupture, depolarization of electric potentials, termination of mitochondrial activity, onset of apoptosis and necrosis and eventually cell lysis. These events do not necessarily occur in linear fashion and different types of damage to cell components occur, most probably, in parallel. In this report we measured the relative rates of damage to two cellular membranes: the plasma membrane and the mitochondrial membrane. We employed photosensitizers of diverse hydrophobicities and used different incubation procedures, which lead to their different intra-cellular localizations. We monitored the damage that was inflicted on these membranes, by employing optical probes of membrane integrity, in a multi-color FACS experiment. The potentiometric indicator JC-1 monitored the electric cross-membrane potential of the mitochondria and the fluorometric indicator Draq7 monitored the rupture of the plasma membrane. We show that the electric depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane and the damage to the enveloping plasma membrane proceed with different kinetics that reflect the molecular character and intracellular location of the sensitizer: PpIX that is synthesized in the cells from ALA causes rapid mitochondrial damage and very slow damage to the plasma membrane, while externally added PpIX has an opposite effect. The hydrophilic sensitizer HypS4 can be taken up by the cells by different incubation conditions, and these affect its intracellular location, and as a consequence either the plasma membrane or the mitochondria is damaged first. A similar correlation was found for additional extracellularly-provided photosensitizers HP and PpIX.

Electricity from the Silk Cocoon Membrane

PubMed Central

Tulachan, Brindan; Meena, Sunil Kumar; Rai, Ratan Kumar; Mallick, Chandrakant; Kusurkar, Tejas Sanjeev; Teotia, Arun Kumar; Sethy, Niroj Kumar; Bhargava, Kalpana; Bhattacharya, Shantanu; Kumar, Ashok; Sharma, Raj Kishore; Sinha, Neeraj; Singh, Sushil Kumar; Das, Mainak

2014-01-01

Silk cocoon membrane (SCM) is an insect engineered structure. We studied the electrical properties of mulberry (Bombyx mori) and non-mulberry (Tussar, Antheraea mylitta) SCM. When dry, SCM behaves like an insulator. On absorbing moisture, it generates electrical current, which is modulated by temperature. The current flowing across the SCM is possibly ionic and protonic in nature. We exploited the electrical properties of SCM to develop simple energy harvesting devices, which could operate low power electronic systems. Based on our findings, we propose that the temperature and humidity dependent electrical properties of the SCM could find applications in battery technology, bio-sensor, humidity sensor, steam engines and waste heat management. PMID:24961354

Electricity from the silk cocoon membrane.

PubMed

Tulachan, Brindan; Meena, Sunil Kumar; Rai, Ratan Kumar; Mallick, Chandrakant; Kusurkar, Tejas Sanjeev; Teotia, Arun Kumar; Sethy, Niroj Kumar; Bhargava, Kalpana; Bhattacharya, Shantanu; Kumar, Ashok; Sharma, Raj Kishore; Sinha, Neeraj; Singh, Sushil Kumar; Das, Mainak

2014-06-25

Silk cocoon membrane (SCM) is an insect engineered structure. We studied the electrical properties of mulberry (Bombyx mori) and non-mulberry (Tussar, Antheraea mylitta) SCM. When dry, SCM behaves like an insulator. On absorbing moisture, it generates electrical current, which is modulated by temperature. The current flowing across the SCM is possibly ionic and protonic in nature. We exploited the electrical properties of SCM to develop simple energy harvesting devices, which could operate low power electronic systems. Based on our findings, we propose that the temperature and humidity dependent electrical properties of the SCM could find applications in battery technology, bio-sensor, humidity sensor, steam engines and waste heat management.

Electricity from the Silk Cocoon Membrane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tulachan, Brindan; Meena, Sunil Kumar; Rai, Ratan Kumar; Mallick, Chandrakant; Kusurkar, Tejas Sanjeev; Teotia, Arun Kumar; Sethy, Niroj Kumar; Bhargava, Kalpana; Bhattacharya, Shantanu; Kumar, Ashok; Sharma, Raj Kishore; Sinha, Neeraj; Singh, Sushil Kumar; Das, Mainak

2014-06-01

Silk cocoon membrane (SCM) is an insect engineered structure. We studied the electrical properties of mulberry (Bombyx mori) and non-mulberry (Tussar, Antheraea mylitta) SCM. When dry, SCM behaves like an insulator. On absorbing moisture, it generates electrical current, which is modulated by temperature. The current flowing across the SCM is possibly ionic and protonic in nature. We exploited the electrical properties of SCM to develop simple energy harvesting devices, which could operate low power electronic systems. Based on our findings, we propose that the temperature and humidity dependent electrical properties of the SCM could find applications in battery technology, bio-sensor, humidity sensor, steam engines and waste heat management.

Excitation-induced exchange of Na+, K+, and Cl− in rat EDL muscle in vitro and in vivo: Physiology and pathophysiology

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

In skeletal muscle, excitation leads to increased [Na+]i, loss of K+, increased [K+]o, depolarization, and Cl− influx. This study quantifies these changes in rat extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles in vitro and in vivo using flame photometric determination of Na+ and K+ and 36Cl as a tracer for Cl−. In vitro, 5-Hz stimulation for 300 s increased intracellular Na+ content by 4.6 ± 1.2 µmol/g wet wt (P < 0.002) and decreased intracellular K+ content by 5.5 ± 2.3 µmol/g wet wt (P < 0.03). This would increase [K+]o by 28 ± 12 mM, sufficient to cause severe loss of excitability as the result of inactivation of Na+ channels. In rat EDL, in vivo stimulation at 5 Hz for 300 s or 60 Hz for 60 s induced significant loss of K+ (P < 0.01), sufficient to increase [K+]o by 71 ± 22 mM and 73 ± 15 mM, respectively. In spite of this, excitability may be maintained by the rapid and marked stimulation of the electrogenic Na+,K+ pumps already documented. This may require full utilization of the transport capacity of Na+,K+ pumps, which then becomes a limiting factor for physical performance. In buffer containing 36Cl, depolarization induced by increasing [K+]o to 40–80 mM augmented intracellular 36Cl by 120–399% (P < 0.001). Stimulation for 120–300 s at 5–20 Hz increased intracellular 36Cl by 100–188% (P < 0.001). In rats, Cl− transport in vivo was examined by injecting 36Cl, where electrical stimulation at 5 Hz for 300 s or 60 Hz for 60 s increased 36Cl uptake by 81% (P < 0.001) and 84% (P < 0.001), respectively, indicating excitation-induced depolarization. Cl− influx favors repolarization, improving K+ clearance and maintenance of excitability. In conclusion, excitation-induced fluxes of Na+, K+, and Cl− can be quantified in vivo, providing new evidence that in working muscles, extracellular accumulation of K+ is considerably higher than previously observed and the resulting depression of membrane excitability may be a major cause of muscle fatigue. PMID:23319728

Cheshire charge in (3+1)-dimensional topological phases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Else, Dominic V.; Nayak, Chetan

2017-07-01

We show that (3 +1 ) -dimensional topological phases of matter generically support loop excitations with topological degeneracy. The loops carry "Cheshire charge": topological charge that is not the integral of a locally defined topological charge density. Cheshire charge has previously been discussed in non-Abelian gauge theories, but we show that it is a generic feature of all (3+1)-D topological phases (even those constructed from an Abelian gauge group). Indeed, Cheshire charge is closely related to nontrivial three-loop braiding. We use a dimensional reduction argument to compute the topological degeneracy of loop excitations in the (3 +1 ) -dimensional topological phases associated with Dijkgraaf-Witten gauge theories. We explicitly construct membrane operators associated with such excitations in soluble microscopic lattice models in Z2×Z2 Dijkgraaf-Witten phases and generalize this construction to arbitrary membrane-net models. We explain why these loop excitations are the objects in the braided fusion 2-category Z (2 VectGω) , thereby supporting the hypothesis that 2-categories are the correct mathematical framework for (3 +1 ) -dimensional topological phases.

Changes in intrinsic excitability of ganglion cells in degenerated retinas of RCS rats.

PubMed

Ren, Yi-Ming; Weng, Chuan-Huang; Zhao, Cong-Jian; Yin, Zheng-Qin

2018-01-01

To evaluate the intrinsic excitability of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in degenerated retinas. The intrinsic excitability of various morphologically defined RGC types using a combination of patch-clamp recording and the Lucifer yellow tracer in retinal whole-mount preparations harvested from Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats, a common retinitis pigmentosa (RP) model, in a relatively late stage of retinal degeneration (P90) were investigated. Several parameters of RGC morphologies and action potentials (APs) were measured and compared to those of non-dystrophic control rats, including dendritic stratification, dendritic field diameter, peak amplitude, half width, resting membrane potential, AP threshold, depolarization to threshold, and firing rates. Compared with non-dystrophic control RGCs, more depolarizations were required to reach the AP threshold in RCS RGCs with low spontaneous spike rates and in RCS OFF cells (especially A2o cells), and RCS RGCs maintained their dendritic morphologies, resting membrane potentials and capabilities to generate APs. RGCs are relatively well preserved morphologically and functionally, and some cells are more susceptible to decreased excitability during retinal degeneration. These findings provide valuable considerations for optimizing RP therapeutic strategies.

Chloroplast biogenesis 89: development of analytical tools for probing the biosynthetic topography of photosynthetic membranes by determination of resonance excitation energy transfer distances separating metabolic tetrapyrrole donors from chlorophyll a acceptors.

PubMed

Kopetz, Karen J; Kolossov, Vladimir L; Rebeiz, Constantin A

2004-06-15

The thorough understanding of photosynthetic membrane assembly requires a deeper knowledge of the coordination and regulation of the chlorophyll (Chl) and thylakoid apoprotein biosynthetic pathways. As a working hypothesis we have recently proposed three different Chl-thylakoid apoprotein biosynthesis models: a single-branched Chl biosynthetic pathway (SBP)-single location model, a SBP-multilocation model, and a multibranched Chl biosynthetic pathway (MBP)-sublocation model. The detection of resonance excitation energy transfer between tetrapyrrole precursors of Chl, and several Chl-protein complexes, has made it possible to test the validity of the proposed Chl-thylakoid apoprotein biosynthesis models by resonance excitation energy transfer determinations. In this work, resonance excitation energy transfer techniques that allow the determination of distances separating tetrapyrrole donors from Chl-protein acceptors in green plants by using readily available electronic spectroscopic instrumentation are developed. It is concluded that the calculated distances are compatible with the MBP-sublocation model and incompatible with the operation of the SBP-single location Chl-protein biosynthesis model.

Evanescent field microscopy techniques for studying dynamics at the surface of living cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sund, Susan E.

This thesis presents two distinct optical microscopy techniques for applications in cell biophysics: (a)the extension to living cells of an established technique, total internal reflection/fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (TIR/FRAP) for the first time in imaging mode; and (b)the novel development of polarized total internal reflection fluorescence (p- TIRF) to study membrane orientation in living cells. Although reversible chemistry is crucial to dynamical processes in living cells, relatively little is known about the relevant chemical kinetic rates in vivo. TIR/FRAP, an established technique which can measure reversible biomolecular kinetic rates at surfaces, is extended here to measure kinetic parameters of microinjected rhodamine actin at the cytofacial surface of the plasma membrane of living cultured smooth muscle cells. For the first time, spatial imaging (with a CCD camera) is used in conjunction with TIR/FRAP. TIR/FRAP imaging allows production of spatially resolved images of kinetic data, and calculation of correlation distances, cell-wide gradients, and kinetic parameter dependence on initial fluorescence intensity. In living cells, membrane curvature occurs both in easily imaged large scale morphological features, and also in less visualizable submicroscopic regions of activity such as endocytosis, exocytosis, and cell surface ruffling. A fluorescence microscopic method, p-TIRF, is introduced here to visualize such regions. The method is based on fluorescence of the oriented membrane probe diI- C18-(3) (diI) excited by evanescent field light polarized either perpendicular or parallel to the plane of the substrate coverslip. The excitation efficiency from each polarization depends on the membrane orientation, and thus the ratio of the observed fluorescence excited by these two polarizations vividly shows regions of microscopic and submicroscopic curvature of the membrane. A theoretical background of the technique and experimental verifications are presented in samples of protein solutions, model lipid bilayers, and living cells. Sequential digital images of the polarized TIR fluorescence ratios show spatially-resolved time- course maps of membrane orientations on diI labeled macrophages from which low visibility membrane structures can be identified and quantified. The TIR images are sharpened and contrast-enhanced by deconvoluting them with an experimentally-measured point spread function.

Removal of pinned scroll waves in cardiac tissues by electric fields in a generic model of three-dimensional excitable media.

PubMed

Pan, De-Bei; Gao, Xiang; Feng, Xia; Pan, Jun-Ting; Zhang, Hong

2016-02-24

Spirals or scroll waves pinned to heterogeneities in cardiac tissues may cause lethal arrhythmias. To unpin these life-threatening spiral waves, methods of wave emission from heterogeneities (WEH) induced by low-voltage pulsed DC electric fields (PDCEFs) and circularly polarized electric fields (CPEFs) have been used in two-dimensional (2D) cardiac tissues. Nevertheless, the unpinning of scroll waves in three-dimensional (3D) cardiac systems is much more difficult than that of spiral waves in 2D cardiac systems, and there are few reports on the removal of pinned scroll waves in 3D cardiac tissues by electric fields. In this article, we investigate in detail the removal of pinned scroll waves in a generic model of 3D excitable media using PDCEF, AC electric field (ACEF) and CPEF, respectively. We find that spherical waves can be induced from the heterogeneities by these electric fields in initially quiescent excitable media. However, only CPEF can induce spherical waves with frequencies higher than that of the pinned scroll wave. Such higher-frequency spherical waves induced by CPEF can be used to drive the pinned scroll wave out of the cardiac systems. We hope this remarkable ability of CPEF can provide a better alternative to terminate arrhythmias caused by pinned scroll waves.

Removal of humic acid by a new type of electrical hollow-fiber microfiltration (E-HFMF)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shang, Ran; Deng, Hui-ping; Hu, Jing-yi

2010-11-01

Low pressure membrane filtration, such as microfiltration, was widely used in the field of drinking water purification in the past few decades. Traditional microfiltration membranes are not efficient enough in the removal of natural organic matters (NOM) from raw water. Moreover, they tend to be fouled by the NOM and the filtration age of the membranes is thus shrinked. To tackle these problems, a new type of electrical hollow-fiber microfiltration module (E-HFMF) was designed. In the E-HFMF module, the hollow-fiber microfiltration membranes were placed into the radialized electrical field which functioned from the centre to the exterior of the cylindrical cavity. The main goal of the present study was to evaluate the efficiency of E-HFMF to remove the humic acid (HA, one of the main components of NOM). According to the parallel tests compared with the traditional microfiltration, the removal rate of humic acid was raised to 70%˜85% in terms of UV-254 and to 60%˜75% in terms of DOC when filtrating with the E-HFMF, while the removal rates of humic acid were 10%˜20% and 1%˜10% respectively when filtrating with the traditional microfiltration. The negative charged humic acid moved to the anode because of the electrophoresis, so few humic acid could be able to permeate through the membrane. The electrophoresis mobility of the humic acid permeating through the traditional microfiltration decreased by 19%, while the same index from the E-HFMF decreased by 75%. This indicated that the electrophoresis played a significant role on removing the humic acid. According to the gel permeate chromatograph analysis, humic acid aggregated in an electric field and thus forms loose and permeable cake layer on the membrane surface, which also relieved membrane fouling. Meanwhile, the negative charged humic acid migrating to the anode at the center minimized the deposition onto the membrane surface, and eliminated the membrane fouling as a result. During the E-HFMF filtration, the humic acid was not oxidized observably in the electrical field, according to the FT-IR analysis.

Electrically Conductive TPU Nanofibrous Composite with High Stretchability for Flexible Strain Sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tong, Lu; Wang, Xiao-Xiong; He, Xiao-Xiao; Nie, Guang-Di; Zhang, Jun; Zhang, Bin; Guo, Wen-Zhe; Long, Yun-Ze

2018-03-01

Highly stretchable and electrically conductive thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) nanofibrous composite based on electrospinning for flexible strain sensor and stretchable conductor has been fabricated via in situ polymerization of polyaniline (PANI) on TPU nanofibrous membrane. The PANI/TPU membrane-based sensor could detect a strain from 0 to 160% with fast response and excellent stability. Meanwhile, the TPU composite has good stability and durability. Besides, the composite could be adapted to various non-flat working environments and could maintain opportune conductivity at different operating temperatures. This work provides an easy operating and low-cost method to fabricate highly stretchable and electrically conductive nanofibrous membrane, which could be applied to detect quick and tiny human actions.

Genetically Targeted All-Optical Electrophysiology with a Transgenic Cre-Dependent Optopatch Mouse

PubMed Central

Lou, Shan; Adam, Yoav; Weinstein, Eli N.; Williams, Erika; Williams, Katherine; Parot, Vicente; Kavokine, Nikita; Liberles, Stephen; Madisen, Linda; Zeng, Hongkui

2016-01-01

Recent advances in optogenetics have enabled simultaneous optical perturbation and optical readout of membrane potential in diverse cell types. Here, we develop and characterize a Cre-dependent transgenic Optopatch2 mouse line that we call Floxopatch. The animals expressed a blue-shifted channelrhodopsin, CheRiff, and a near infrared Archaerhodopsin-derived voltage indicator, QuasAr2, via targeted knock-in at the rosa26 locus. In Optopatch-expressing animals, we tested for overall health, genetically targeted expression, and function of the optogenetic components. In offspring of Floxopatch mice crossed with a variety of Cre driver lines, we observed spontaneous and optically evoked activity in vitro in acute brain slices and in vivo in somatosensory ganglia. Cell-type-specific expression allowed classification and characterization of neuronal subtypes based on their firing patterns. The Floxopatch mouse line is a useful tool for fast and sensitive characterization of neural activity in genetically specified cell types in intact tissue. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Optical recordings of neural activity offer the promise of rapid and spatially resolved mapping of neural function. Calcium imaging has been widely applied in this mode, but is insensitive to the details of action potential waveforms and subthreshold events. Simultaneous optical perturbation and optical readout of single-cell electrical activity (“Optopatch”) has been demonstrated in cultured neurons and in organotypic brain slices, but not in acute brain slices or in vivo. Here, we describe a transgenic mouse in which expression of Optopatch constructs is controlled by the Cre-recombinase enzyme. This animal enables fast and robust optical measurements of single-cell electrical excitability in acute brain slices and in somatosensory ganglia in vivo, opening the door to rapid optical mapping of neuronal excitability. PMID:27798186

Intermittent Theta-Burst Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Alters Electrical Properties of Fast-Spiking Neocortical Interneurons in an Age-Dependent Fashion

PubMed Central

Hoppenrath, Kathrin; Härtig, Wolfgang; Funke, Klaus

2016-01-01

Modulation of human cortical excitability by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) appears to be in part related to changed activity of inhibitory systems. Our own studies showed that intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) applied via rTMS to rat cortex primarily affects the parvalbumin-expressing (PV) fast-spiking interneurons (FSIs), evident via a strongly reduced PV expression. We further found the iTBS effect on PV to be age-dependent since no reduction in PV could be induced before the perineuronal nets (PNNs) of FSIs start to grow around postnatal day (PD) 30. To elucidate possible iTBS-induced changes in the electrical properties of FSIs and cortical network activity during cortical critical period, we performed ex vivo—in vitro whole-cell patch clamp recordings from pre-labeled FSIs in the current study. FSIs of verum iTBS-treated rats displayed a higher excitability than sham-treated controls at PD29–38, evident as higher rates of induced action potential firing at low current injections (100–200 pA) and a more depolarized resting membrane potential. This effect was absent in younger (PD26–28) and older animals (PD40–62). Slices of verum iTBS-treated rats further showed higher rates of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs). Based on these and previous findings we conclude that FSIs are particularly sensitive to TBS during early cortical development, when FSIs show an activity-driven step of maturation which is paralleled by intense growth of the PNNs and subsequent closure of the cortical critical period. Although to be proven further, rTMS may be a possible early intervention to compensate for hypo-activity related mal-development of cortical neuronal circuits. PMID:27065812

Intermittent Theta-Burst Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Alters Electrical Properties of Fast-Spiking Neocortical Interneurons in an Age-Dependent Fashion.

PubMed

Hoppenrath, Kathrin; Härtig, Wolfgang; Funke, Klaus

2016-01-01

Modulation of human cortical excitability by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) appears to be in part related to changed activity of inhibitory systems. Our own studies showed that intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) applied via rTMS to rat cortex primarily affects the parvalbumin-expressing (PV) fast-spiking interneurons (FSIs), evident via a strongly reduced PV expression. We further found the iTBS effect on PV to be age-dependent since no reduction in PV could be induced before the perineuronal nets (PNNs) of FSIs start to grow around postnatal day (PD) 30. To elucidate possible iTBS-induced changes in the electrical properties of FSIs and cortical network activity during cortical critical period, we performed ex vivo-in vitro whole-cell patch clamp recordings from pre-labeled FSIs in the current study. FSIs of verum iTBS-treated rats displayed a higher excitability than sham-treated controls at PD29-38, evident as higher rates of induced action potential firing at low current injections (100-200 pA) and a more depolarized resting membrane potential. This effect was absent in younger (PD26-28) and older animals (PD40-62). Slices of verum iTBS-treated rats further showed higher rates of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs). Based on these and previous findings we conclude that FSIs are particularly sensitive to TBS during early cortical development, when FSIs show an activity-driven step of maturation which is paralleled by intense growth of the PNNs and subsequent closure of the cortical critical period. Although to be proven further, rTMS may be a possible early intervention to compensate for hypo-activity related mal-development of cortical neuronal circuits.

Design study and performance analysis of 12S-14P field excitation flux switching motor for hybrid electric vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Husin, Zhafir Aizat; Sulaiman, Erwan; Khan, Faisal; Mazlan, Mohamed Mubin Aizat; Othman, Syed Muhammad Naufal Syed

2015-05-01

This paper presents a new structure of 12slot-14pole field excitation flux switching motor (FEFSM) as an alternative candidate of non-Permanent Magnet (PM) machine for HEV drives. Design study, performance analysis and optimization of field excitation flux switching machine with non-rare-earth magnet for hybrid electric vehicle drive applications is done. The stator of projected machine consists of iron core made of electromagnetic steels, armature coils and field excitation coils as the only field mmf source. The rotor is consisted of only stack of iron and hence, it is reliable and appropriate for high speed operation. The design target is a machine with the maximum torque, power and power density, more than 210Nm, 123kW and 3.5kW/kg, respectively, which competes with interior permanent magnet synchronous machine used in existing hybrid electric vehicle. Some design feasibility studies on FEFSM based on 2D-FEA and deterministic optimization method will be applied to design the proposed machine.

Modifying Surface Energy of Graphene via Plasma-Based Chemical Functionalization to Tune Thermal and Electrical Transport at Metal Interfaces.

PubMed

Foley, Brian M; Hernández, Sandra C; Duda, John C; Robinson, Jeremy T; Walton, Scott G; Hopkins, Patrick E

2015-08-12

The high mobility exhibited by both supported and suspended graphene, as well as its large in-plane thermal conductivity, has generated much excitement across a variety of applications. As exciting as these properties are, one of the principal issues inhibiting the development of graphene technologies pertains to difficulties in engineering high-quality metal contacts on graphene. As device dimensions decrease, the thermal and electrical resistance at the metal/graphene interface plays a dominant role in degrading overall performance. Here we demonstrate the use of a low energy, electron-beam plasma to functionalize graphene with oxygen, fluorine, and nitrogen groups, as a method to tune the thermal and electrical transport properties across gold-single layer graphene (Au/SLG) interfaces. We find that while oxygen and nitrogen groups improve the thermal boundary conductance (hK) at the interface, their presence impairs electrical transport leading to increased contact resistance (ρC). Conversely, functionalization with fluorine has no impact on hK, yet ρC decreases with increasing coverage densities. These findings indicate exciting possibilities using plasma-based chemical functionalization to tailor the thermal and electrical transport properties of metal/2D material contacts.

Experimental Identification of Electric Field Excitation Mechanisms in a Structural Transition of Tokamak Plasmas

PubMed Central

Kobayashi, T.; Itoh, K.; Ido, T.; Kamiya, K.; Itoh, S.-I.; Miura, Y.; Nagashima, Y.; Fujisawa, A.; Inagaki, S.; Ida, K.; Hoshino, K.

2016-01-01

Self-regulation between structure and turbulence, which is a fundamental process in the complex system, has been widely regarded as one of the central issues in modern physics. A typical example of that in magnetically confined plasmas is the Low confinement mode to High confinement mode (L-H) transition, which is intensely studied for more than thirty years since it provides a confinement improvement necessary for the realization of the fusion reactor. An essential issue in the L-H transition physics is the mechanism of the abrupt “radial” electric field generation in toroidal plasmas. To date, several models for the L-H transition have been proposed but the systematic experimental validation is still challenging. Here we report the systematic and quantitative model validations of the radial electric field excitation mechanism for the first time, using a data set of the turbulence and the radial electric field having a high spatiotemporal resolution. Examining time derivative of Poisson’s equation, the sum of the loss-cone loss current and the neoclassical bulk viscosity current is found to behave as the experimentally observed radial current that excites the radial electric field within a few factors of magnitude. PMID:27489128

Neuronal excitability level transition induced by electrical stimulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Florence, G.; Kurths, J.; Machado, B. S.; Fonoff, E. T.; Cerdeira, H. A.; Teixeira, M. J.; Sameshima, K.

2014-12-01

In experimental studies, electrical stimulation (ES) has been applied to induce neuronal activity or to disrupt pathological patterns. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms of these activity pattern transitions are not clear. To study these phenomena, we simulated a model of the hippocampal region CA1. The computational simulations using different amplitude levels and duration of ES revealed three states of neuronal excitability: burst-firing mode, depolarization block and spreading depression wave. We used the bifurcation theory to analyse the interference of ES in the cellular excitability and the neuronal dynamics. Understanding this process would help to improve the ES techniques to control some neurological disorders.

Impact of electric field from a plasma jet on biological targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Douat, Claire; Darny, Thibault; Iseni, Sylvain; Damany, Xavier; Dozias, Sebastien; Pouvesle, Jean-Michel; Robert, Eric; Vijayarangan, Vinodini; Delalande, Anthony; Pichon, Chantal

2016-09-01

Atmospheric pressure plasma jets have demonstrated their ability in biomedical applications thanks to their low gas temperature and their capacity to produce radicals, ions, electrons, UV radiation and electric fields. However the understanding of the interactions between the plasma and living cells and tissues is still far from being completely understood. Recently, Robert et al characterized two components of the electric field from a plasma jet and showed that the latter can propagate deeply in tissues on several mm. In this work, we focus on the study of the electric field induced by the plasma and its influence on the cell membrane. Propidium iodide, dextran sulfate and plasmid DNA are used to measure the permeability of the membrane, while an electro-optic probe is used to measure the longitudinal and the radial components of the electric field. The two components are both spatially and temporally resolved. To investigate the contribution of the electric field on the cell membrane, a dielectric barrier is used between the plasma and the biological target. A comparison with and without the barrier will be presented for both biological and agriculture applications.

The Polar and Electrical Nature of Dye Binding Sites on Human Red Blood Cell Membranes.

DTIC Science & Technology

positive charges at the binding sites. By increasing the concentration of the anionic BPB (or by the addition of the anionic detergent sodium lauryl ... sulfate ) these positive charges appear to be successively titrated, rendering the membrane binding sites electrically neutral at this pH. The average

Multiscale model of light harvesting by photosystem II in plants

DOE PAGES

Amarnath, Kapil; Bennett, Doran I. G.; Schneider, Anna R.; ...

2016-01-19

The first step of photosynthesis in plants is the absorption of sunlight by pigments in the antenna complexes of photosystem II (PSII), followed by transfer of the nascent excitation energy to the reaction centers, where long-term storage as chemical energy is initiated. Quantum mechanical mechanisms must be invoked to explain the transport of excitation within individual antenna. However, it is unclear how these mechanisms influence transfer across assemblies of antenna and thus the photochemical yield at reaction centers in the functional thylakoid membrane. In this paper, we model light harvesting at the several-hundred-nanometer scale of the PSII membrane, while preservingmore » the dominant quantum effects previously observed in individual complexes. We show that excitation moves diffusively through the antenna with a diffusion length of 50 nm until it reaches a reaction center, where charge separation serves as an energetic trap. The diffusion length is a single parameter that incorporates the enhancing effect of excited state delocalization on individual rates of energy transfer as well as the complex kinetics that arise due to energy transfer and loss by decay to the ground state. The diffusion length determines PSII’s high quantum efficiency in ideal conditions, as well as how it is altered by the membrane morphology and the closure of reaction centers. Finally, we anticipate that the model will be useful in resolving the nonphotochemical quenching mechanisms that PSII employs in conditions of high light stress.« less

Integrated carboxylic carbon nanotube pathways with membranes for voltage-activated humidity detection and microclimate regulation.

PubMed

Pingitore, V; Miriello, D; Drioli, E; Gugliuzza, A

2015-06-14

This work describes some single walled carboxylic carbon nanotubes with outstanding transport properties when assembled in a 3D microarray working like a humidity membrane-sensor and an adjustable moisture regulator. Combined nano-assembly approaches are used to build up a better quality pathway through which assisted-charge and mass transport synchronically takes place. The structure-electrical response relationship is found, while controllable and tunable donor-acceptor interactions established at material interfaces are regarded as key factors for the accomplishment of charge transportation, enhanced electrical responses and adjustable moisture exchange. Raman and infrared spectroscopy provides indications about the fine structural and chemical features of the hybrid-composite membranes, resulting in perfect agreement with related morphology and electrical properties. Enhanced and modular electrical response to changes in the surrounding atmosphere is concerned with doping events, while assisted moisture regulation is discussed in relation to swelling and hopping actions. The electro-activated hybrid-composite membrane proposed in this work can be regarded as an attractive 'sense-to-act' precursor for smart long-distance monitoring systems with capability to adapt itself and provide local comfortable microenvironments.

Time constant determination for electrical equivalent of biological cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubey, Ashutosh Kumar; Dutta-Gupta, Shourya; Kumar, Ravi; Tewari, Abhishek; Basu, Bikramjit

2009-04-01

The electric field interactions with biological cells are of significant interest in various biophysical and biomedical applications. In order to study such important aspect, it is necessary to evaluate the time constant in order to estimate the response time of living cells in the electric field (E-field). In the present study, the time constant is evaluated by considering the hypothesis of electrical analog of spherical shaped cells and assuming realistic values for capacitance and resistivity properties of cell/nuclear membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus. In addition, the resistance of cytoplasm and nucleoplasm was computed based on simple geometrical considerations. Importantly, the analysis on the basis of first principles shows that the average values of time constant would be around 2-3 μs, assuming the theoretical capacitance values and the analytically computed resistance values. The implication of our analytical solution has been discussed in reference to the cellular adaptation processes such as atrophy/hypertrophy as well as the variation in electrical transport properties of cellular membrane/cytoplasm/nuclear membrane/nucleoplasm.

Magneto-electric Nanoparticles to Enable Field-controlled High-Specificity Drug Delivery to Eradicate Ovarian Cancer Cells

PubMed Central

Guduru, Rakesh; Liang, Ping; Runowicz, Carolyn; Nair, Madhavan; Atluri, Venkata; Khizroev, Sakhrat

2013-01-01

The nanotechnology capable of high-specificity targeted delivery of anti-neoplastic drugs would be a significant breakthrough in Cancer in general and Ovarian Cancer in particular. We addressed this challenge through a new physical concept that exploited (i) the difference in the membrane electric properties between the tumor and healthy cells and (ii) the capability of magneto-electric nanoparticles (MENs) to serve as nanosized converters of remote magnetic field energy into the MENs' intrinsic electric field energy. This capability allows to remotely control the membrane electric fields and consequently trigger high-specificity drug uptake through creation of localized nano-electroporation sites. In in-vitro studies on human ovarian carcinoma cell (SKOV-3) and healthy cell (HOMEC) lines, we applied a 30-Oe d.c. field to trigger high-specificity uptake of paclitaxel loaded on 30-nm CoFe2O4@BaTiO3 MENs. The drug penetrated through the membrane and completely eradicated the tumor within 24 hours without affecting the normal cells. PMID:24129652

Magneto-electric nanoparticles to enable field-controlled high-specificity drug delivery to eradicate ovarian cancer cells.

PubMed

Guduru, Rakesh; Liang, Ping; Runowicz, Carolyn; Nair, Madhavan; Atluri, Venkata; Khizroev, Sakhrat

2013-10-16

The nanotechnology capable of high-specificity targeted delivery of anti-neoplastic drugs would be a significant breakthrough in Cancer in general and Ovarian Cancer in particular. We addressed this challenge through a new physical concept that exploited (i) the difference in the membrane electric properties between the tumor and healthy cells and (ii) the capability of magneto-electric nanoparticles (MENs) to serve as nanosized converters of remote magnetic field energy into the MENs' intrinsic electric field energy. This capability allows to remotely control the membrane electric fields and consequently trigger high-specificity drug uptake through creation of localized nano-electroporation sites. In in-vitro studies on human ovarian carcinoma cell (SKOV-3) and healthy cell (HOMEC) lines, we applied a 30-Oe d.c. field to trigger high-specificity uptake of paclitaxel loaded on 30-nm CoFe₂O₄ @BaTiO₃ MENs. The drug penetrated through the membrane and completely eradicated the tumor within 24 hours without affecting the normal cells.

Electromechanical properties of biomembranes and nerves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heimburg, T.; Blicher, A.; Mosgaard, L. D.; Zecchi, K.

2014-12-01

Lipid membranes are insulators and capacitors, which can be charged by an external electric field. This phenomenon plays an important role in the field of electrophysiology, for instance when describing nerve pulse conduction. Membranes are also made of polar molecules meaning that they contain molecules with permanent electrical dipole moments. Therefore, the properties of membranes are subject to changes in trans-membrane voltage. Vice versa, mechanical forces on membranes lead to changes in the membrane potential. Associated effects are flexoelectricity, piezoelectricity, and electrostriction. Lipid membranes can melt from an ordered to a disordered state. Due to the change of membrane dimensions associated with lipid membrane melting, electrical properties are linked to the melting transition. Melting of the membrane can induce changes in trans-membrane potential, and application of voltage can lead to a shift of the melting transition. Further, close to transitions membranes are very susceptible to piezoelectric phenomena. We discuss these phenomena in relation with the occurrence of lipid ion channels. Close to melting transitions, lipid membranes display step-wise ion conduction events, which are indistinguishable from protein ion channels. These channels display a voltage-dependent open probability. One finds asymmetric current-voltage relations of the pure membrane very similar to those found for various protein channels. This asymmetry falsely has been considered a criterion to distinguish lipid channels from protein channels. However, we show that the asymmetry can arise from the electromechanical properties of the lipid membrane itself. Finally, we discuss electromechanical behavior in connection with the electromechanical theory of nerve pulse transduction. It has been found experimentally that nerve pulses are related to changes in nerve thickness. Thus, during the nerve pulse a solitary mechanical pulse travels along the nerve. Due to electromechanical coupling it is unavoidable that this pulse generates a trans-membrane voltage. In the past, we have proposed that this electromechanical pulse is the origin of the action potential in nerves.

Hydrodynamic trapping for rapid assembly and in situ electrical characterization of droplet interface bilayer arrays

DOE PAGES

Nguyen, Mary -Anne; Srijanto, Bernadeta; Collier, C. Patrick; ...

2016-08-02

The droplet interface bilayer (DIB) is a modular technique for assembling planar lipid membranes between water droplets in oil. The DIB method thus provides a unique capability for developing digital, droplet-based membrane platforms for rapid membrane characterization, drug screening and ion channel recordings. This paper demonstrates a new, low-volume microfluidic system that automates droplet generation, sorting, and sequential trapping in designated locations to enable the rapid assembly of arrays of DIBs. The channel layout of the device is guided by an equivalent circuit model, which predicts that a serial arrangement of hydrodynamic DIB traps enables sequential droplet placement and minimizesmore » the hydrodynamic pressure developed across filled traps to prevent squeeze-through of trapped droplets. Furthermore, the incorporation of thin-film electrodes fabricated via evaporation metal deposition onto the glass substrate beneath the channels allows for the first time in situ, simultaneous electrical interrogation of multiple DIBs within a sealed device. Combining electrical measurements with imaging enables measurements of membrane capacitance and resistance and bilayer area, and our data show that DIBs formed in different trap locations within the device exhibit similar sizes and transport properties. Simultaneous, single channel recordings of ion channel gating in multiple membranes are obtained when alamethicin peptides are incorporated into the captured droplets, qualifying the thin-film electrodes as a means for measuring stimuli-responsive functions of membrane-bound biomolecules. Furthermore, this novel microfluidic-electrophysiology platform provides a reproducible, high throughput method for performing electrical measurements to study transmembrane proteins and biomembranes in low-volume, droplet-based membranes.« less

Hydrodynamic trapping for rapid assembly and in situ electrical characterization of droplet interface bilayer arrays

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nguyen, Mary -Anne; Srijanto, Bernadeta; Collier, C. Patrick

The droplet interface bilayer (DIB) is a modular technique for assembling planar lipid membranes between water droplets in oil. The DIB method thus provides a unique capability for developing digital, droplet-based membrane platforms for rapid membrane characterization, drug screening and ion channel recordings. This paper demonstrates a new, low-volume microfluidic system that automates droplet generation, sorting, and sequential trapping in designated locations to enable the rapid assembly of arrays of DIBs. The channel layout of the device is guided by an equivalent circuit model, which predicts that a serial arrangement of hydrodynamic DIB traps enables sequential droplet placement and minimizesmore » the hydrodynamic pressure developed across filled traps to prevent squeeze-through of trapped droplets. Furthermore, the incorporation of thin-film electrodes fabricated via evaporation metal deposition onto the glass substrate beneath the channels allows for the first time in situ, simultaneous electrical interrogation of multiple DIBs within a sealed device. Combining electrical measurements with imaging enables measurements of membrane capacitance and resistance and bilayer area, and our data show that DIBs formed in different trap locations within the device exhibit similar sizes and transport properties. Simultaneous, single channel recordings of ion channel gating in multiple membranes are obtained when alamethicin peptides are incorporated into the captured droplets, qualifying the thin-film electrodes as a means for measuring stimuli-responsive functions of membrane-bound biomolecules. Furthermore, this novel microfluidic-electrophysiology platform provides a reproducible, high throughput method for performing electrical measurements to study transmembrane proteins and biomembranes in low-volume, droplet-based membranes.« less

Magnetic structures and excitations in a multiferroic Y-type hexaferrite BaSrCo 2 Fe 11 AlO 22

DOE PAGES

Nakajima, Taro; Tokunaga, Yusuke; Matsuda, Masaaki; ...

2016-11-30

Here, we have investigated magnetic orders and excitations in a Y-type hexaferrite BaSrCo 2Fe 11AlO 22 (BSCoFAO), which was reported to exhibit spin-driven ferroelectricity at room temperature. By means of magnetization, electric polarization, and neutron-diffraction measurements using single-crystal samples, we establish a H-T magnetic phase diagram for magnetic field perpendicular to the c axis (H ⟂c). This system exhibits an alternating longitudinal conical (ALC) magnetic structure in the ground state, and it turns into a non-co-planar commensurate magnetic order with spin-driven ferroelectricity under H ⟂c. The field-induced ferroelectric phase remains as a metastable state after removing magnetic field below 250more » K. This metastability is the key to understanding of magnetic field reversal of the spin-driven electric polarization in this system. Inelastic polarized neutron-scattering measurements in the ALC phase reveal a magnetic excitation at around 7.5 meV, which is attributed to spin components oscillating in a plane perpendicular to the cone axis. This phasonlike excitation is expected to be an electric-field active magnon, i.e., electromagnon excitation, in terms of the magnetostriction mechanism.« less

Magnetic structures and excitations in a multiferroic Y-type hexaferrite BaSrCo2Fe11AlO22

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakajima, Taro; Tokunaga, Yusuke; Matsuda, Masaaki; Dissanayake, Sachith; Fernandez-Baca, Jaime; Kakurai, Kazuhisa; Taguchi, Yasujiro; Tokura, Yoshinori; Arima, Taka-hisa

2016-11-01

We have investigated magnetic orders and excitations in a Y-type hexaferrite BaSrCo2Fe11AlO22 (BSCoFAO), which was reported to exhibit spin-driven ferroelectricity at room temperature [S. Hirose, K. Haruki, A. Ando, and T. Kimura, Appl. Phys. Lett. 104, 022907 (2014), 10.1063/1.4862432]. By means of magnetization, electric polarization, and neutron-diffraction measurements using single-crystal samples, we establish a H -T magnetic phase diagram for magnetic field perpendicular to the c axis (H⊥c). This system exhibits an alternating longitudinal conical (ALC) magnetic structure in the ground state, and it turns into a non-co-planar commensurate magnetic order with spin-driven ferroelectricity under H⊥c. The field-induced ferroelectric phase remains as a metastable state after removing magnetic field below ˜250 K. This metastability is the key to understanding of magnetic field reversal of the spin-driven electric polarization in this system. Inelastic polarized neutron-scattering measurements in the ALC phase reveal a magnetic excitation at around 7.5 meV, which is attributed to spin components oscillating in a plane perpendicular to the cone axis. This phasonlike excitation is expected to be an electric-field active magnon, i.e., electromagnon excitation, in terms of the magnetostriction mechanism.

Dopamine suppresses neuronal activity of Helisoma B5 neurons via a D2-like receptor, activating PLC and K channels.

PubMed

Zhong, L R; Artinian, L; Rehder, V

2013-01-03

Dopamine (DA) plays fundamental roles as a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator in the central nervous system. How DA modulates the electrical excitability of individual neurons to elicit various behaviors is of great interest in many systems. The buccal ganglion of the freshwater pond snail Helisoma trivolvis contains the neuronal circuitry for feeding and DA is known to modulate the feeding motor program in Helisoma. The buccal neuron B5 participates in the control of gut contractile activity and is surrounded by dopaminergic processes, which are expected to release DA. In order to study whether DA modulates the electrical activity of individual B5 neurons, we performed experiments on physically isolated B5 neurons in culture and on B5 neurons within the buccal ganglion in situ. We report that DA application elicited a strong hyperpolarization in both conditions and turned the electrical activity from a spontaneously firing state to an electrically silent state. Using the cell culture system, we demonstrated that the strong hyperpolarization was inhibited by the D2 receptor antagonist sulpiride and the phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor U73122, indicating that DA affected the membrane potential of B5 neurons through the activation of a D2-like receptor and PLC. Further studies revealed that the DA-induced hyperpolarization was inhibited by the K channel blockers 4-aminopyridine and tetraethylammonium, suggesting that K channels might serve as the ultimate target of DA signaling. Through its modulatory effect on the electrical activity of B5 neurons, the release of DA in vivo may contribute to a neuronal output that results in a variable feeding motor program. Copyright © 2012 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Membrane on a Chip: A Functional Tethered Lipid Bilayer Membrane on Silicon Oxide Surfaces

PubMed Central

Atanasov, Vladimir; Knorr, Nikolaus; Duran, Randolph S.; Ingebrandt, Sven; Offenhäusser, Andreas; Knoll, Wolfgang; Köper, Ingo

2005-01-01

Tethered membranes have been proven during recent years to be a powerful and flexible biomimetic platform. We reported in a previous article on the design of a new architecture based on the self-assembly of a thiolipid on ultrasmooth gold substrates, which shows extremely good electrical sealing properties as well as functionality of a bilayer membrane. Here, we describe the synthesis of lipids for a more modular design and the adaptation of the linker part to silane chemistry. We were able to form a functional tethered bilayer lipid membrane with good electrical sealing properties covering a silicon oxide surface. We demonstrate the functional incorporation of the ion carrier valinomycin and of the ion channel gramicidin. PMID:16127170

Linear excitation and detection in Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grosshans, Peter B.; Chen, Ruidan; Limbach, Patrick A.; Marshall, Alan G.

1994-11-01

We present the first Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) ion trap designed to produce both a linear spatial variation of the excitation electric potential field and a linear response of the detection circuit to the motion of the confined ions. With this trap, the magnitude of the detected signal at a given ion cyclotron frequency varies linearly with both the number of ions of given mass-to-charge ratio and also with the magnitude-mode excitation signal at the ion cyclotron orbital frequency; the proportionality constant is mass independent. Interestingly, this linearization may be achieved with any ion trap geometry. The excitation/detection design consists of an array of capacitively coupled electrodes which provide a voltage-divider network that produces a nearly spatially homogeneous excitation electric field throughout the linearized trap; resistive coupling to the electrodes isolates the a.c. excitation (or detection) circuit from the d.c. (trapping) potential. The design is based on analytical expressions for the potential associated with each electrode, from which we are able to compute the deviation from linearity for a trap with a finite number of elements. Based on direct experimental comparisons to an unmodified cubic trap, the linearized trap demonstrates the following performance advantages at the cost of some additional mechanical complexity: (a) signal response linearly proportional to excitation electric field amplitude; (b) vastly reduced axial excitation/ejection for significantly improved ion relative abundance accuracy; (c) elimination of harmonics and sidebands of the fundamental frequencies of ion motion. As a result, FT-ICR mass spectra are now more reproducible. Moreover, the linearized trap should facilitate the characterization of other fundamental aspects of ion behavior in an ICR ion trap, e.g. effects of space charge, non-quadrupolar electrostatic trapping field, etc. Furthermore, this novel design should improve significantly the precision of ion relative abundance and mass accuracy measurements, while removing spectral artifacts of the detection process. We discuss future modifications that linearize the spatial variation of the electrostatic trapping electric field as well, thereby completing the linearization of the entire FT-ICR mass spectrometric techniques. Suggested FT-ICR mass spectrometric applications for the linearized trap are discussed.

Amphotericin B channels in phospholipid membrane-coated nanoporous silicon surfaces: implications for photovoltaic driving of ions across membranes.

PubMed

Yilma, Solomon; Liu, Nangou; Samoylov, Alexander; Lo, Ting; Brinker, C Jeffrey; Vodyanoy, Vitaly

2007-03-15

The antimycotic agent amphotericin B (AmB) functions by forming complexes with sterols to form ion channels that cause membrane leakage. When AmB and cholesterol mixed at 2:1 ratio were incorporated into phospholipid bilayer membranes formed on the tip of patch pipettes, ion channel current fluctuations with characteristic open and closed states were observed. These channels were also functional in phospholipid membranes formed on nanoporous silicon surfaces. Electrophysiological studies of AmB-cholesterol mixtures that were incorporated into phospholipid membranes formed on the surface of nanoporous (6.5 nm pore diameter) silicon plates revealed large conductance ion channels ( approximately 300 pS) with distinct open and closed states. Currents through the AmB-cholesterol channels on nanoporous silicon surfaces can be driven by voltage applied via conventional electrical circuits or by photovoltaic electrical potential entirely generated when the nanoporous silicon surface is illuminated with a narrow laser beam. Electrical recordings made during laser illumination of AmB-cholesterol containing membrane-coated nanoporous silicon surfaces revealed very large conductance ion channels with distinct open and closed states. Our findings indicate that nanoporous silicon surfaces can serve as mediums for ion-channel-based biosensors. The photovoltaic properties of nanoporous silicon surfaces show great promise for making such biosensors addressable via optical technologies.

Calcium influx affects intracellular transport and membrane repair following nanosecond pulsed electric field exposure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, Gary Lee; Roth, Caleb C.; Dalzell, Danielle R.; Kuipers, Marjorie; Ibey, Bennett L.

2014-05-01

The cellular response to subtle membrane damage following exposure to nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF) is not well understood. Recent work has shown that when cells are exposed to nsPEF, ion permeable nanopores (<2 nm) are created in the plasma membrane in contrast to larger diameter pores (>2 nm) created by longer micro- and millisecond duration pulses. Nanoporation of the plasma membrane by nsPEF has been shown to cause a transient increase in intracellular calcium concentration within milliseconds after exposure. Our research objective is to determine the impact of nsPEF on calcium-dependent structural and repair systems in mammalian cells. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells were exposed in the presence and absence of calcium ions in the outside buffer to either 1 or 20, 600-ns duration electrical pulses at 16.2 kV/cm, and pore size was determined using propidium iodide and calcium green. Membrane organization was observed with morphological changes and increases in FM1-43 fluorescence. Migration of lysosomes, implicated in membrane repair, was followed using confocal microscopy of red fluorescent protein-tagged LAMP1. Microtubule structure was imaged using mEmerald-tubulin. We found that at high 600-ns PEF dosage, calcium-induced membrane restructuring and microtubule depolymerization coincide with interruption of membrane repair via lysosomal exocytosis.

Calcium influx affects intracellular transport and membrane repair following nanosecond pulsed electric field exposure.

PubMed

Thompson, Gary Lee; Roth, Caleb C; Dalzell, Danielle R; Kuipers, Marjorie; Ibey, Bennett L

2014-05-01

The cellular response to subtle membrane damage following exposure to nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF) is not well understood. Recent work has shown that when cells are exposed to nsPEF, ion permeable nanopores (<2  nm) are created in the plasma membrane in contrast to larger diameter pores (>2  nm) created by longer micro- and millisecond duration pulses. Nanoporation of the plasma membrane by nsPEF has been shown to cause a transient increase in intracellular calcium concentration within milliseconds after exposure. Our research objective is to determine the impact of nsPEF on calcium-dependent structural and repair systems in mammalian cells. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells were exposed in the presence and absence of calcium ions in the outside buffer to either 1 or 20, 600-ns duration electrical pulses at 16.2  kV/cm, and pore size was determined using propidium iodide and calcium green. Membrane organization was observed with morphological changes and increases in FM1-43 fluorescence. Migration of lysosomes, implicated in membrane repair, was followed using confocal microscopy of red fluorescent protein-tagged LAMP1. Microtubule structure was imaged using mEmerald-tubulin. We found that at high 600-ns PEF dosage, calcium-induced membrane restructuring and microtubule depolymerization coincide with interruption of membrane repair via lysosomal exocytosis.

Effects of rutin on the physicochemical properties of skin fibroblasts membrane disruption following UV radiation.

PubMed

Dobrzyńska, Izabela; Gęgotek, Agnieszka; Gajko, Ewelina; Skrzydlewska, Elżbieta; Figaszewski, Zbigniew A

2018-02-25

Human skin provides the body's first line of defense against physical and environmental assaults. This study sought to determine how rutin affects the membrane electrical properties, sialic acid content, and lipid peroxidation levels of fibroblast membranes after disruption by ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Changes in cell function may affect the basal electrical surface properties of cell membranes, and changes can be detected by electrokinetic measurements. The charge density of the fibroblast membrane surface was measured as a function of pH. A four-component equilibrium model was used to describe the interaction between ions in solution and ions on the membrane surface. Agreement was found between experimental and theoretical charge variation curves of fibroblast cells between pH 2.5 and 8. Sialic acid content was determined by Svennerholm's resorcinol method, and lipid peroxidation was estimated by measuring the malondialdehyde level. Compared to untreated cells, ultraviolet A (UVA)- or ultraviolet B (UVB)-treated skin cell membranes exhibited higher concentrations of acidic functional groups and higher average association constants with hydroxyl ions, but lower average association constants with hydrogen ions. Moreover, our results showed that UVA and UVB radiation is associated with increased levels of sialic acid and lipid peroxidation products in fibroblasts. Rutin protected cells from some deleterious UV-associated membrane changes, including changes in electrical properties, oxidative state, and biological functions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Equivalent circuit and characteristic simulation of a brushless electrically excited synchronous wind power generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hao; Zhang, Fengge; Guan, Tao; Yu, Siyang

2017-09-01

A brushless electrically excited synchronous generator (BEESG) with a hybrid rotor is a novel electrically excited synchronous generator. The BEESG proposed in this paper is composed of a conventional stator with two different sets of windings with different pole numbers, and a hybrid rotor with powerful coupling capacity. The pole number of the rotor is different from those of the stator windings. Thus, an analysis method different from that applied to conventional generators should be applied to the BEESG. In view of this problem, the equivalent circuit and electromagnetic torque expression of the BEESG are derived on the basis of electromagnetic relation of the proposed generator. The generator is simulated and tested experimentally using the established equivalent circuit model. The experimental and simulation data are then analyzed and compared. Results show the validity of the equivalent circuit model.

Comparison of electric dipole and magnetic loop antennas for exciting whistler modes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stenzel, R. L.; Urrutia, J. M.

2016-08-15

The excitation of low frequency whistler modes from different antennas has been investigated experimentally in a large laboratory plasma. One antenna consists of a linear electric dipole oriented across the uniform ambient magnetic field B{sub 0}. The other antenna is an elongated loop with dipole moment parallel to B{sub 0}. Both antennas are driven by the same rf generator which produces a rf burst well below the electron cyclotron frequency. The antenna currents as well as the wave magnetic fields from each antenna are measured. Both the antenna currents and the wave fields of the loop antenna exceed that ofmore » the electric dipole by two orders of magnitude. The conclusion is that loop antennas are far superior to dipole antennas for exciting large amplitude whistler modes, a result important for active wave experiments in space plasmas.« less

A New Computerized Approach for Teaching the Nature of Membrane Potentials.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vazquez, Jesus

1991-01-01

Presents a BASIC program that can be useful in explaining physicochemical phenomena underlying the generation of membrane potential in excitable cells. Its simplicity allows students to understand the nature of these processes through a direct, hands-on approach. Also, the simulated voltage and concentration kinetics agree well with those…

Biodegradation of an Organophosphate Chemical Warfare Agent Simulant by Activated Sludge with Varying Solid Retention Times

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-21

cause a response in the membrane (Robert, 1992). The transmitter must then be quickly removed to prevent abnormal excitation of the membranes (Robert...Health, 95(8), 1382-1388. Chapman, S., Kadar, T., & Gilat, E. (2006). Seizure duration following sarin exposure affects neuro -inflammatory markers

Characterizing fluorescent dissolved organic matter in a membrane bioreactor via excitation-emission matrix combined with parallel factor analysis.

PubMed

Maqbool, Tahir; Quang, Viet Ly; Cho, Jinwoo; Hur, Jin

2016-06-01

In this study, we successfully tracked the dynamic changes in different constitutes of bound extracellular polymeric substances (bEPS), soluble microbial products (SMP), and permeate during the operation of bench scale membrane bioreactors (MBRs) via fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) combined with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). Three fluorescent groups were identified, including two protein-like (tryptophan-like C1 and tyrosine-like C2) and one microbial humic-like components (C3). In bEPS, protein-like components were consistently more dominant than C3 during the MBR operation, while their relative abundance in SMP depended on aeration intensities. C1 of bEPS exhibited a linear correlation (R(2)=0.738; p<0.01) with bEPS amounts in sludge, and C2 was closely related to the stability of sludge. The protein-like components were more greatly responsible for membrane fouling. Our study suggests that EEM-PARAFAC can be a promising monitoring tool to provide further insight into process evaluation and membrane fouling during MBR operation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quenching of cascade reaction between triplet and photochrome probes with nitroxide radicals. A novel labeling method in study of membranes and surface systems.

PubMed

Papper, V; Medvedeva, N; Fishov, I; Likhtenshtein, G I

2000-01-01

We proposed a new method for the study of molecular dynamics and fluidity of the living and model biomembranes and surface systems. The method is based on the measurements of the sensitized photoisomerization kinetics of a photochrome probe. The cascade triplet cis-trans photoisomerization of the excited stilbene derivative sensitized with the excited triplet Erythrosin B has been studied in a model liposome membrane. The photoisomerization reaction is depressed with nitroxide radicals quenching the excited triplet state of the sensitizer. The enhanced fluorescence polarization of the stilbene probe incorporated into liposome membranes indicates that the stilbene molecules are squeezed in a relatively viscous media of the phospholipids. Calibration of the "triple" cascade system is based on a previously proposed method that allows the measurement of the product of the quenching rate constant and the sensitizer's triplet lifetime, as well as the quantitative detection of the nitroxide radicals in the vicinity of the membrane surface. The experiment was conducted using the constant-illumination fluorescence technique. Sensitivity of the method using a standard commercial spectrofluorimeter is about 10(-12) mol of fluorescence molecules per sample and can be improved using an advanced fluorescence technique. The minimal local concentration of nitroxide radicals or any other quenchers being detected is about 10(-5) M. This method enables the investigation of any chemical and biological surface processes of microscopic scale when the minimal volume is about 10(-3) microL or less.

Self-potential response to periodic pumping test: a numerical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konosavsky, Pavel; Maineult, Alexis; Narbut, Mikhail; Titov, Konstantin

2017-09-01

We numerically model self-potential responses associated with periodic pumping test experiments by sequential calculation of the hydraulic response and the coupled electrical potential. We assume the pumping test experiments with a fully saturated confined aquifer. Application of different excitation functions leads to quasi-linear trends in electrical records whose direction and intensity depend on the form of the excitation function. The hydraulic response is phase shifted compared to the excitation function; the phase shift increases quasi-linearly with the distance from the pumping well. For the electrical signals, we investigated separately the cases of conducting and insulating casings of the pumping well. For the conducting casing the electrical signals are larger in magnitude than that for the insulating casing; they reproduce the drawdown signals in the pumping well at any distance from the well and exhibit any phase shift with the increased distance. For the insulating casing, the electrical signals are phase shifted and their shape depends on the distance from the pumping well. Three characteristic regimes were found for the phase shift, φ, with the increased distance and for various hydraulic diffusivity values. At small distances φ increases quasi-linearly; at intermediate distances φ attends the value of π/2 and stay about this value (for relatively small diffusivity values); and at large distances φ attends the value of π and, stay about this value at larger distances. This behaviour of the electrical signals can be explained by two electrical sources of reverse polarity. They are (i) linear, time independent, and located at the pumping interval of the well; and (ii) volumetric, time dependent, with maximum value located in the aquifer at the distance corresponding to maximum variation of the hydraulic head magnitude with time. We also model the variation of the amplitude and phase of the hydraulic and electrical signals with increased excitation function period, and we show the characteristic periods corresponding to transition of the periodic pumping test regime to the classical pumping test regime, when the excitation function is considered as the step-function. This transition depends on the distance from the pumping well and the hydraulic diffusivity value of aquifer. Finally, with this modelling of saturated flow we reproduced in sufficient details the field data previously obtained by Maineult et al.

Erythrocyte Membrane Failure by Electromechanical Stress.

PubMed

Du, E; Qiang, Yuhao; Liu, Jia

2018-01-01

We envision that electrodeformation of biological cells through dielectrophoresis as a new technique to elucidate the mechanistic details underlying membrane failure by electrical and mechanical stresses. Here we demonstrate the full control of cellular uniaxial deformation and tensile recovery in biological cells via amplitude-modified electric field at radio frequency by an interdigitated electrode array in microfluidics. Transient creep and cyclic experiments were performed on individually tracked human erythrocytes. Observations of the viscoelastic-to-viscoplastic deformation behavior and the localized plastic deformations in erythrocyte membranes suggest that electromechanical stress results in irreversible membrane failure. Examples of membrane failure can be separated into different groups according to the loading scenarios: mechanical stiffening, physical damage, morphological transformation from discocyte to echinocyte, and whole cell lysis. These results show that this technique can be potentially utilized to explore membrane failure in erythrocytes affected by other pathophysiological processes.

Theoretical Application of Irreversible (Nonequilibrium) Thermodynamic Principles to Enhance Solute Fluxes across Nanofabricated Hemodialysis Membranes

PubMed Central

Hedayat, Assem; Elmoselhi, Hamdi; Shoker, Ahmed

2012-01-01

Objective. Nanotechnology has the potential to improve hemodialysis membrane technology. Thus, a major objective is to understand how to enhance toxic solute fluxes across these membranes. The aim of this concept building study is to review the application of irreversible thermodynamic (IT) to solute fluxes. Methods. We expanded the application of the Nernst-Planck equation to include the Kedem-Katchalsky equation, pH, membrane thickness, pore size, and electric potential as variables. Results. (1) Reducing the membrane's thickness from 25 μm to 25 nm increased the flux of creatinine, β2-microglobulin, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) by a thousand times but prevented completely albumin flux, (2) applying an electric potential of 50–400 mV across the membrane enhanced the flux of the respective molecules by 71.167 × 10−3, 38.7905 × 10−8, and 0.595 × 10−13 mol/s, and (3) changing the pH from 7.35 to 7.42 altered the fluxes minimally. Conclusions. The results supported an argument to investigate the application of IT to study forces of fluxes across membranes. Reducing the membrane's thickness—together with the application of an electrical potential—qualities achievable by nanotechnology, can enhance the removal of uremic toxins by many folds. However, changing the pH at a specific membrane thickness does not affect the flux significantly. PMID:23209903

Membrane Permeabilization in Relation to Inactivation Kinetics of Lactobacillus Species due to Pulsed Electric Fields

PubMed Central

Wouters, Patrick C.; Bos, Ad P.; Ueckert, Joerg

2001-01-01

Membrane permeabilization due to pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment of gram-positive Lactobacillus cells was investigated by using propidium iodide uptake and single-cell analysis with flow cytometry. Electric field strength, energy input, treatment time, and growth phase affected membrane permeabilization of Lactobacillus plantarum during PEF treatment. A correlation between PEF inactivation and membrane permeabilization of L. plantarum cells was demonstrated, whereas no relationship was observed between membrane permeabilization and heat inactivation. The same results were obtained with a Lactobacillus fermentum strain, but the latter organism was more PEF resistant and exhibited less membrane permeabilization, indicating that various bacteria have different responses to PEF treatment. While membrane permeabilization was the main factor involved in the mechanism of inactivation, the growth phase and the acidity of the environment also influenced inactivation. By using flow cytometry it was possible to sort cells in the L. plantarum population based on different cell sizes and shapes, and the results were confirmed by image analysis. An apparent effect of morphology on membrane permeabilization was observed, and larger cells were more easily permeabilized than smaller cells. In conclusion, our results indicate that the ability of PEF treatment to cause membrane permeabilization is an important factor in determining inactivation. This finding should have an effect on the final choice of the processing parameters used so that all microorganisms can be inactivated and, consequently, on the use of PEF treatment as an alternative method for preserving food products. PMID:11425727

The Effect of Valinomycin on the Electrical Properties of Solutions of Red Cell Lipids in n-Decane

PubMed Central

Andreoli, Thomas E.; Tosteson, Daniel C.

1971-01-01

This paper reports the electrical properties of thick lipid membranes in the absence and presence of valinomycin. The thick lipid membranes were formed by placing a solution of sheep red cell lipids in decane between two cellophane partitions which formed the interfaces between the membrane and the two aqueous bathing solutions. The DC electrical resistance of these structures was found to be directly proportional to the reciprocal of the concentration of lipids in the decane (CL). The limiting resistance, as (CL -1) approached zero, was 3 x 108 ohm-cm2. Resistance was also found to be linearly related to membrane thickness. The limiting resistance at zero thickness was again 1–3 x 108 ohm-cm2. These data are interpreted to indicate that the DC resistance of thick lipid membranes comprises two surface resistances (RS) at each interface with the aqueous bathing solutions, and a bulk resistance (RB) of the lipid-decane solution, arranged in series. Measurements of the effect of variations of area on resistance were consistent with this interpretation. Valinomycin reduced RS but had no effect on RB. Under certain conditions, thick lipid membranes containing valinomycin behaved like highly selective K+ electrodes. PMID:5553100

Nerve Impulses in Plants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blatt, F. J.

1974-01-01

Summarizes research done on the resting and action potential of nerve impulses, electrical excitation of nerve cells, electrical properties of Nitella, and temperature effects on action potential. (GS)

Electric currents induced by twisted light in Quantum Rings.

PubMed

Quinteiro, G F; Berakdar, J

2009-10-26

We theoretically investigate the generation of electric currents in quantum rings resulting from the optical excitation with twisted light. Our model describes the kinetics of electrons in a two-band model of a semiconductor-based mesoscopic quantum ring coupled to light having orbital angular momentum (twisted light). We find the analytical solution, which exhibits a "circular" photon-drag effect and an induced magnetization, suggesting that this system is the circular analog of that of a bulk semiconductor excited by plane waves. For realistic values of the electric field and material parameters, the computed electric current can be as large as microA; from an applied perspective, this opens new possibilities to the optical control of the magnetization in semiconductors.

Phase of neural excitation relative to basilar membrane motion in the organ of Corti: Theoretical considerations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andoh, Masayoshi; Nakajima, Chihiro; Wada, Hiroshi

2005-09-01

Although the auditory transduction process is dependent on neural excitation of the auditory nerve in relation to motion of the basilar membrane (BM) in the organ of Corti (OC), specifics of this process are unclear. In this study, therefore, an attempt was made to estimate the phase of the neural excitation relative to the BM motion using a finite-element model of the OC at the basal turn of the gerbil, including the fluid-structure interaction with the lymph fluid. It was found that neural excitation occurs when the BM exhibits a maximum velocity toward the scala vestibuli at 10 Hz and shows a phase delay relative to the BM motion with increasing frequency up to 800 Hz. It then shows a phase advance until the frequency reaches 2 kHz. From 2 kHz, neural excitation again shows a phase delay with increasing frequency. From 800 Hz up to 2 kHz, the phase advances because the dominant force exerted on the hair bundle shifts from a velocity-dependent Couette flow-induced force to a displacement-dependent force induced by the pressure difference. The phase delay that occurs from 2 kHz is caused by the resonance process of the hair bundle of the IHC.

Membrane ion transport in non-excitable tissues.

PubMed Central

Nehrke, Keith

2014-01-01

The facilitated movement of ions across cell membranes can be characterized as occurring through active (ATP-dependent), secondary active (coupled), or passive transport processes. Each of these processes is mediated by a diverse group of membrane proteins. Over the past fifteen years, studies of membrane transport in C. elegans have benefited from the fact that worms are anatomically simple, easily and economically cultured, and genetically tractable. These experimental advantages have been instrumental in defining how membrane transport processes contribute to whole organism physiology. The focus of this review is to survey the recent advances in our understanding of membrane transport that have arisen from integrative physiological approaches in the nematode C. elegans. PMID:25536490

A single-cell correlative nanoelectromechanosensing approach to detect cancerous transformation: monitoring the function of F-actin microfilaments in the modulation of the ion channel activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

AbdolahadThe Authors With Same Contributions., Mohammad; Saeidi, Ali; Janmaleki, Mohsen; Mashinchian, Omid; Taghinejad, Mohammad; Taghinejad, Hossein; Azimi, Soheil; Mahmoudi, Morteza; Mohajerzadeh, Shams

2015-01-01

Cancerous transformation may be dependent on correlation between electrical disruptions in the cell membrane and mechanical disruptions of cytoskeleton structures. Silicon nanotube (SiNT)-based electrical probes, as ultra-accurate signal recorders with subcellular resolution, may create many opportunities for fundamental biological research and biomedical applications. Here, we used this technology to electrically monitor cellular mechanosensing. The SiNT probe was combined with an electrically activated glass micropipette aspiration system to achieve a new cancer diagnostic technique that is based on real-time correlation between mechanical and electrical behaviour of single cells. Our studies demonstrated marked changes in the electrical response following increases in the mechanical aspiration force in healthy cells. In contrast, such responses were extremely weak for malignant cells. Confocal microscopy results showed the impact of actin microfilament remodelling on the reduction of the electrical response for aspirated cancer cells due to the significant role of actin in modulating the ion channel activity in the cell membrane.Cancerous transformation may be dependent on correlation between electrical disruptions in the cell membrane and mechanical disruptions of cytoskeleton structures. Silicon nanotube (SiNT)-based electrical probes, as ultra-accurate signal recorders with subcellular resolution, may create many opportunities for fundamental biological research and biomedical applications. Here, we used this technology to electrically monitor cellular mechanosensing. The SiNT probe was combined with an electrically activated glass micropipette aspiration system to achieve a new cancer diagnostic technique that is based on real-time correlation between mechanical and electrical behaviour of single cells. Our studies demonstrated marked changes in the electrical response following increases in the mechanical aspiration force in healthy cells. In contrast, such responses were extremely weak for malignant cells. Confocal microscopy results showed the impact of actin microfilament remodelling on the reduction of the electrical response for aspirated cancer cells due to the significant role of actin in modulating the ion channel activity in the cell membrane. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr06102k

The effect of cardiac electric anisotropy on epicardial potential fields during ventricular repolarization.

PubMed

Spaggiari, S; Baruffi, S; Macchi, E; Traversa, M; Arisi, G; Taccardi, B

1986-11-01

We tried to establish whether some of the manifestations of electrical anisotropy previously observed on the canine ventricular epicardium during the spread of excitation were also present during repolarization, with the appropriate polarity. To this end we determined the potential distribution on the ventricular surface of exposed dog hearts during ventricular excitation and repolarization. The ventricles were paced by means of epicardial or intramural electrodes. During the early stages of ventricular excitation following epicardial pacing we observed typical, previously described potential patterns, with negative, elliptical equipotential lines surrounding the pacing site, and two maxima aligned along the direction of subepicardial fibers. Intramural pacing gave rise to similar patterns. The axis joining the maxima, however, was oriented along the direction of intramural fibers. The repolarization potential pattern relating to epicardial excitation exhibited some features similar to those observed during the spread of excitation, namely the presence of families of elliptical equipotential lines around the pacing site, with pairs of potential extrema along the major or minor axes of the ellipses or both. The location of the extrema and the distribution of the epicardial potential gradients during repolarization suggested the presence of anisotropic current generators mainly oriented along the direction of deep myocardial fibers, with some contribution from more superficial sources which were oriented along the direction of subepicardial fibers. Deep stimulation elicited more complicated epicardial patterns whose interpretation is still obscure. We conclude that the electrical anisotropy of the heart affects the distribution of repolarization potentials and probably the strength of electrical generators during ventricular repolarization.

Angular distribution and polarization of atomic radiative emission in electric and magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobs, V. L.; Filuk, A. B.

1999-09-01

A density-matrix approach has been developed for the angular distribution and polarization of radiative emission during single-photon atomic transitions for a general set of steady-state excitation processes in an arbitrary arrangement of static (or quasistatic) electric and magnetic fields. Particular attention has been directed at spectroscopic observations in the intense fields of the high-power ion diodes on the Particle Beam Fusion Accelerator II (PBFA II) and SABRE devices at Sandia National Laboratories and at magnetic-field measurements in tokamak plasmas. The field-dependent atomic eigenstates are represented as expansions in a complete basis set of field-free bound and continuum eigenstates. Particular emphasis has been given to directed-electron collisional excitations, which may be produced by an anisotropic incident-electron velocity distribution. We have allowed for the possibility of the coherent excitation of the nearly degenerate field-dependent atomic substates, which can give rise to a complex spectral pattern of overlapping Stark-Zeeman components. Coherent excitations may be produced by a beam of electrons that are spin-polarized at an angle with respect to the propagation direction or by nonparallel electric and magnetic fields. Our main result is a general expression for the matrix elements of the photon-polarization density operator representing the total intensity, angular distribution, and polarization of the atomic radiative emission. For the observation of radiative emission in the direction of the magnetic field, the detection of linearly polarized emission, in addition to the usual circularly polarized radiation, can reveal the presence of a perpendicular electric field or a coherent excitation mechanism.

Angular distribution and polarization of atomic radiative emission in electric and magnetic fields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jacobs, V.L.; Filuk, A.B.

A density-matrix approach has been developed for the angular distribution and polarization of radiative emission during single-photon atomic transitions for a general set of steady-state excitation processes in an arbitrary arrangement of static (or quasistatic) electric and magnetic fields. Particular attention has been directed at spectroscopic observations in the intense fields of the high-power ion diodes on the Particle Beam Fusion Accelerator II (PBFA II) and SABRE devices at Sandia National Laboratories and at magnetic-field measurements in tokamak plasmas. The field-dependent atomic eigenstates are represented as expansions in a complete basis set of field-free bound and continuum eigenstates. Particular emphasismore » has been given to directed-electron collisional excitations, which may be produced by an anisotropic incident-electron velocity distribution. We have allowed for the possibility of the coherent excitation of the nearly degenerate field-dependent atomic substates, which can give rise to a complex spectral pattern of overlapping Stark-Zeeman components. Coherent excitations may be produced by a beam of electrons that are spin-polarized at an angle with respect to the propagation direction or by nonparallel electric and magnetic fields. Our main result is a general expression for the matrix elements of the photon-polarization density operator representing the total intensity, angular distribution, and polarization of the atomic radiative emission. For the observation of radiative emission in the direction of the magnetic field, the detection of linearly polarized emission, in addition to the usual circularly polarized radiation, can reveal the presence of a perpendicular electric field or a coherent excitation mechanism.« less

Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Assisted in vitro Electroporation: A Pilot Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novickij, Vitalij; Grainys, Audrius; Lastauskienė, Eglė; Kananavičiūtė, Rūta; Pamedytytė, Dovilė; Kalėdienė, Lilija; Novickij, Jurij; Miklavčič, Damijan

2016-09-01

Electroporation is a phenomenon occurring due to exposure of cells to Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) which leads to increase of membrane permeability. Electroporation is used in medicine, biotechnology, and food processing. Recently, as an alternative to electroporation by PEF, Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Fields (PEMF) application causing similar biological effects was suggested. Since induced electric field in PEMF however is 2-3 magnitudes lower than in PEF electroporation, the membrane permeabilization mechanism remains hypothetical. We have designed pilot experiments where Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida lusitaniae cells were subjected to single 100-250 μs electrical pulse of 800 V with and without concomitant delivery of magnetic pulse (3, 6 and 9 T). As expected, after the PEF pulses only the number of Propidium Iodide (PI) fluorescent cells has increased, indicative of membrane permeabilization. We further show that single sub-millisecond magnetic field pulse did not cause detectable poration of yeast. Concomitant exposure of cells to pulsed electric (PEF) and magnetic field (PMF) however resulted in the increased number PI fluorescent cells and reduced viability. Our results show increased membrane permeability by PEF when combined with magnetic field pulse, which can explain electroporation at considerably lower electric field strengths induced by PEMF compared to classical electroporation.

Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Assisted in vitro Electroporation: A Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Novickij, Vitalij; Grainys, Audrius; Lastauskienė, Eglė; Kananavičiūtė, Rūta; Pamedytytė, Dovilė; Kalėdienė, Lilija; Novickij, Jurij; Miklavčič, Damijan

2016-01-01

Electroporation is a phenomenon occurring due to exposure of cells to Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) which leads to increase of membrane permeability. Electroporation is used in medicine, biotechnology, and food processing. Recently, as an alternative to electroporation by PEF, Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Fields (PEMF) application causing similar biological effects was suggested. Since induced electric field in PEMF however is 2–3 magnitudes lower than in PEF electroporation, the membrane permeabilization mechanism remains hypothetical. We have designed pilot experiments where Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida lusitaniae cells were subjected to single 100–250 μs electrical pulse of 800 V with and without concomitant delivery of magnetic pulse (3, 6 and 9 T). As expected, after the PEF pulses only the number of Propidium Iodide (PI) fluorescent cells has increased, indicative of membrane permeabilization. We further show that single sub-millisecond magnetic field pulse did not cause detectable poration of yeast. Concomitant exposure of cells to pulsed electric (PEF) and magnetic field (PMF) however resulted in the increased number PI fluorescent cells and reduced viability. Our results show increased membrane permeability by PEF when combined with magnetic field pulse, which can explain electroporation at considerably lower electric field strengths induced by PEMF compared to classical electroporation. PMID:27634482

Mass transport through vertically aligned large diameter MWCNT embedded in parylene

PubMed Central

Krishnakumar, P; Tiwari, P B; Staples, S; Luo, T; Darici, Y; He, J; Lindsay, SM

2013-01-01

We have fabricated porous membranes using a parylene encapsulated vertically aligned forest of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT, about 7nm inner diameter). The transport of charged particles in electrolyte through these membranes was studied by applying electric field and pressure. Under an electric field in the range of 4.4×104 V/m, electrophoresis instead of electroomosis is found to be the main mechanism for ion transport. Small molecules and 5 nm gold nanoparticles can be driven through the membranes by an electric field. However, small biomolecules, like DNA oligomers, cannot. Due to the weak electric driving force, the interactions between charged particles and the hydrophobic CNT inner surface play important roles in the transport, leading to enhanced selectivity for small molecules. Simple chemical modification on the CNT ends also induces an obvious effect on the translocation of single strand DNA oligomer and gold nanoparticle under a modest pressure (<294 Pa). PMID:23064678

Protein separation using an electrically tunable membrane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jou, Ining; Melnikov, Dmitriy; Gracheva, Maria

Separation of small proteins by charge with a solid-state porous membrane requires control over the protein's movement. Semiconductor membrane has this ability due to the electrically tunable electric potential profile inside the nanopore. In this work we investigate the possibility to separate the solution of two similar sized proteins by charge. As an example, we consider two small globular proteins abundant in humans: insulin (negatively charged) and ubiquitin (neutral). We find that the localized electric field inside the pore either attracts or repels the charged protein to or from the pore wall which affects the delay time before a successful translocation of the protein through the nanopore. However, the motion of the uncharged ubiquitin is unaffected. The difference in the delay time (and hence the separation) can be further increased by the application of the electrolyte bias which induces an electroosmotic flow in the pore. NSF DMR and CBET Grant No. 1352218.

Photodynamic Modification Of Plasma Membrane Function In Erythrocytes Sensitized By Xanthenes: What Determines Potency?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pooler, John P.

1988-02-01

Several xanthene sensitizers were compared as sensitizers of membrane function in erythrocytes and some of their physico-chemical properties were examined. Eosin derivatives that localize at different membrane sites were equally effective at sensitizing both ion leaks and inactivation of membrane cholinesterase, implying that a diffusible intermediate reacts with membrane targets. Assessments of membrane loading and calculations of diffusion distances for singlet oxygen indicate that amounts of membrane-located sensitizer are quantitatively much greater than amounts in the nearby reaction medium. Potency measurements and assessment of absorption spectra and singlet oxygen production in water-dioxane mixtures lead to the conclusion that differential sorption to membranes, photon capture in low polarity environments and conversion of excited states to singlet oxygen are they key determinants of sensitizing potency.

Composite S-layer lipid structures

PubMed Central

Schuster, Bernhard; Sleytr, Uwe B.

2010-01-01

Designing and utilization of biomimetic membrane systems generated by bottom-up processes is a rapidly growing scientific and engineering field. Elucidation of the supramolecular construction principle of archaeal cell envelopes composed of S-layer stabilized lipid membranes led to new strategies for generating highly stable functional lipid membranes at meso- and macroscopic scale. In this review, we provide a state of the art survey how S-layer proteins, lipids, and polysaccharides may be used as basic building blocks for the assembly of S-layer supported lipid membranes. These biomimetic membrane systems are distinguished by a nanopatterned fluidity, enhanced stability and longevity and thus, provide a dedicated reconstitution matrix for membrane-active peptides and transmembrane proteins. Exciting areas for application of composite S-layer membrane systems concern sensor systems involving specific membrane functions. PMID:19303933

Cochlear potential difference between endolymph fluid and the hair cell's interior: a retold interpretation based on the Goldman equation.

PubMed

Kurbel, Sven; Borzan, Vladimir; Golem, Hilda; Dinjar, Kristijan

2017-02-01

Reported cochlear potential values of near 150 mV are often attributed to endolymph itself, although membrane potentials result from ion fluxes across the adjacent semipermeable membranes due to concentration gradients. Since any two fluids separated by a semipermeable membrane develop potential due to differences in solute concentrations, a proposed interpretation here is that positive potential emanates from the Reissner membrane due to small influx of sodium from perilymph to endolymph. Basolateral hair cell membranes leak potassium into the interstitial fluid and this negative potential inside hair cells further augments the electric gradient of cochlear potential. Taken together as a sum, these two potentials are near the reported values of cochlear potential. This is based on reported data for cochlear fluids used for the calculation of Nernst and Goldman potentials. The reported positive potential of Reissner membrane can be explained almost entirely by the traffic of Na+ that enters endolymph through this membrane. At the apical membrane of hair cells, acoustic stimulation modulates stereocillia permeability to potassium. Potassium concentration gradients on the apical membrane are low (the calculated Nernst value is <+3 mV), suggesting that the potassium current is not caused by the local potassium concentration gradient, but an electric field between the positive sodium generated potential on the Reissner membrane and negative inside hair cells. Potassium is forced by this overall electric field to enter hair cells when stereocilia are permeable due to mechanical bending. Copyright© by the Medical Assotiation of Zenica-Doboj Canton.

What Gets a Cell Excited? Kinky Curves

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kay, Alan R.

2014-01-01

Hodgkin and Huxley's (5) revealing the origins of cellular excitability is one of the great triumphs of physiology. In an extraordinarily deft series of papers, they were able to measure the essential electrical characteristics of neurons and synthesize them into a quantitative model that accounts for the excitability of neurons and other…

Activity-Dependent Excitability Changes Suggest Na[superscript +]/K[superscript +] Pump Dysfunction in Diabetic Neuropathy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krishnan, Arun V.; Lin, Cindy S.-Y.; Kiernan, Matthew C.

2008-01-01

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the role of Na[superscript +]/K[superscript +] pump dysfunction in the development of diabetic neuropathy (DN). Nerve excitability techniques, which provide information about membrane potential and axonal ion channel function, were undertaken in 15 patients with established DN and in 10 patients with…

Group-Velocity-Controlled and Gate-Tunable Directional Excitation of Polaritons in Graphene-Boron Nitride Heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Yuyu; Lin, Xiao; Low, Tony; Zhang, Baile; Chen, Hongsheng

2018-05-01

A fundamental building block in nano-photonics is the ability to directionally excite highly squeezed optical mode dynamically, particularly with an electrical bias. Such capabilities would enable the active manipulation of light propagation for information processing and transfer. However, when the optical source is built-in, it remains challenging to steer the excitation directionality in a flexible way. Here, we reveal a novel mechanism for tunable directional excitation of highly squeezed polaritons in graphene-hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) heterostructures. The effect relies on controlling the sign of the group velocity of the coupled plasmon-phonon polaritons, which can be flipped by simply tuning the chemical potential of graphene (through electrostatic gating) in the heterostructures. Graphene-hBN heterostructure thus present a promising platform toward nano-photonic circuits and nano-devices with electrically reconfigurable functionalities.

Utilization of rotor kinetic energy storage for hybrid vehicles

DOEpatents

Hsu, John S [Oak Ridge, TN

2011-05-03

A power system for a motor vehicle having an internal combustion engine, the power system comprises an electric machine (12) further comprising a first excitation source (47), a permanent magnet rotor (28) and a magnetic coupling rotor (26) spaced from the permanent magnet rotor and at least one second excitation source (43), the magnetic coupling rotor (26) also including a flywheel having an inertial mass to store kinetic energy during an initial acceleration to an operating speed; and wherein the first excitation source is electrically connected to the second excitation source for power cycling such that the flywheel rotor (26) exerts torque on the permanent magnet rotor (28) to assist braking and acceleration of the permanent magnet rotor (28) and consequently, the vehicle. An axial gap machine and a radial gap machine are disclosed and methods of the invention are also disclosed.

Pulsed excitation system to measure the resonant frequency of magnetoelastic biosensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Hong; Chai, Yating; Horikawa, Shin; Wikle, Howard C.; Chin, Bryan A.

2014-05-01

An electrical circuit was designed and tested to measure the resonant frequency of micron-scale magnetoelastic (ME) biosensors using a pulsed wave excitation technique. In this circuit, a square pulse current is applied to an excitation coil to excite the vibration of ME biosensors and a pick-up coil is used to sense the ME biosensor's mechanical vibration and convert it to an electrical output signal. The output signal is filtered and amplified by a custom designed circuit to allow the measurement of the resonant frequency of the ME biosensor from which the detection of specific pathogens can be made. As a proof-in-concept experiment, JRB7 phage-coated ME biosensors were used to detect different concentrations of Bacillus anthracis Sterne strain spores. A statistically significant difference was observed for concentrations of 5 × 102 spore/ml and above.

Method for measuring the three-dimensional distribution of a fluorescent dye in a cell membrane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Kazuya; Ishimaru, Ichirou; Fujii, Yoshiki; Yasokawa, Toshiki; Kuriyama, Shigeki; Masaki, Tsutomu; Takegawa, Kaoru; Tanaka, Naotaka

2007-01-01

This letter reports on a method for accurately determining the component distribution in a cell membrane over the entire cell surface. This method involves exciting a fluorescent-dyed cell membrane using evanescent light and scanning the entire cell surface by rotating the cell using a noncontact technique, namely, proximal two-beam optical tweezers. To position the cell membrane in the thin evanescent field, the authors designed an optical system capable of precisely positioning the focal position. Using this method, they were able to measure the surface distribution of glycoprotein labeled by lectin in a breast cancer cell membrane.

Voltage-sensitive dye imaging of transcranial magnetic stimulation-induced intracortical dynamics

PubMed Central

Kozyrev, Vladislav; Eysel, Ulf T.; Jancke, Dirk

2014-01-01

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is widely used in clinical interventions and basic neuroscience. Additionally, it has become a powerful tool to drive plastic changes in neuronal networks. However, highly resolved recordings of the immediate TMS effects have remained scarce, because existing recording techniques are limited in spatial or temporal resolution or are interfered with by the strong TMS-induced electric field. To circumvent these constraints, we performed optical imaging with voltage-sensitive dye (VSD) in an animal experimental setting using anaesthetized cats. The dye signals reflect gradual changes in the cells' membrane potential across several square millimeters of cortical tissue, thus enabling direct visualization of TMS-induced neuronal population dynamics. After application of a single TMS pulse across visual cortex, brief focal activation was immediately followed by synchronous suppression of a large pool of neurons. With consecutive magnetic pulses (10 Hz), widespread activity within this “basin of suppression” increased stepwise to suprathreshold levels and spontaneous activity was enhanced. Visual stimulation after repetitive TMS revealed long-term potentiation of evoked activity. Furthermore, loss of the “deceleration–acceleration” notch during the rising phase of the response, as a signature of fast intracortical inhibition detectable with VSD imaging, indicated weakened inhibition as an important driving force of increasing cortical excitability. In summary, our data show that high-frequency TMS changes the balance between excitation and inhibition in favor of an excitatory cortical state. VSD imaging may thus be a promising technique to trace TMS-induced changes in excitability and resulting plastic processes across cortical maps with high spatial and temporal resolutions. PMID:25187557

Quasimodo mediates daily and acute light effects on Drosophila clock neuron excitability.

PubMed

Buhl, Edgar; Bradlaugh, Adam; Ogueta, Maite; Chen, Ko-Fan; Stanewsky, Ralf; Hodge, James J L

2016-11-22

We have characterized a light-input pathway regulating Drosophila clock neuron excitability. The molecular clock drives rhythmic electrical excitability of clock neurons, and we show that the recently discovered light-input factor Quasimodo (Qsm) regulates this variation, presumably via an Na + , K + , Cl - cotransporter (NKCC) and the Shaw K + channel (dK V 3.1). Because of light-dependent degradation of the clock protein Timeless (Tim), constant illumination (LL) leads to a breakdown of molecular and behavioral rhythms. Both overexpression ( OX ) and knockdown ( RNAi ) of qsm, NKCC, or Shaw led to robust LL rhythmicity. Whole-cell recordings of the large ventral lateral neurons (l-LNv) showed that altering Qsm levels reduced the daily variation in neuronal activity: qsm OX led to a constitutive less active, night-like state, and qsm RNAi led to a more active, day-like state. Qsm also affected daily changes in K + currents and the GABA reversal potential, suggesting a role in modifying membrane currents and GABA responses in a daily fashion, potentially modulating light arousal and input to the clock. When directly challenged with blue light, wild-type l-LNvs responded with increased firing at night and no net response during the day, whereas altering Qsm, NKKC, or Shaw levels abolished these day/night differences. Finally, coexpression of Shaw OX and NKCC RNAi in a qsm mutant background restored LL-induced behavioral arrhythmicity and wild-type neuronal activity patterns, suggesting that the three genes operate in the same pathway. We propose that Qsm affects both daily and acute light effects in l-LNvs probably acting on Shaw and NKCC.

Quasimodo mediates daily and acute light effects on Drosophila clock neuron excitability

PubMed Central

Bradlaugh, Adam; Ogueta, Maite; Chen, Ko-Fan; Stanewsky, Ralf; Hodge, James J. L.

2016-01-01

We have characterized a light-input pathway regulating Drosophila clock neuron excitability. The molecular clock drives rhythmic electrical excitability of clock neurons, and we show that the recently discovered light-input factor Quasimodo (Qsm) regulates this variation, presumably via an Na+, K+, Cl− cotransporter (NKCC) and the Shaw K+ channel (dKV3.1). Because of light-dependent degradation of the clock protein Timeless (Tim), constant illumination (LL) leads to a breakdown of molecular and behavioral rhythms. Both overexpression (OX) and knockdown (RNAi) of qsm, NKCC, or Shaw led to robust LL rhythmicity. Whole-cell recordings of the large ventral lateral neurons (l-LNv) showed that altering Qsm levels reduced the daily variation in neuronal activity: qsmOX led to a constitutive less active, night-like state, and qsmRNAi led to a more active, day-like state. Qsm also affected daily changes in K+ currents and the GABA reversal potential, suggesting a role in modifying membrane currents and GABA responses in a daily fashion, potentially modulating light arousal and input to the clock. When directly challenged with blue light, wild-type l-LNvs responded with increased firing at night and no net response during the day, whereas altering Qsm, NKKC, or Shaw levels abolished these day/night differences. Finally, coexpression of ShawOX and NKCCRNAi in a qsm mutant background restored LL-induced behavioral arrhythmicity and wild-type neuronal activity patterns, suggesting that the three genes operate in the same pathway. We propose that Qsm affects both daily and acute light effects in l-LNvs probably acting on Shaw and NKCC. PMID:27821737

The development of the experimental setup for measuring the cell membrane electrical potential by Sucrose-Gap Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuzhakov, AD; Nosarev, AV; Aleinik, AN

2017-11-01

This article describes the development of the experimental setup for measuring the cell membrane electrical potential by Double -Sucrose-Gap Technique. The double-gap isolation method allows the simultaneous measurement of electrical activity and tension output from contracting segments of muscle fibers. This technique has been widely used as a convenient tool for recording of the membrane activities from myelinated or unmyelinated nerves and muscle preparations. This device can be an effective way to provide undergraduate biomedical engineering students with invaluable experiences in neurophysiology. The installation design and its main characteristics are described. The advantages of the described device are the simplicity of the experiment, relatively low cost, the possibility of long-term experiment.

Hybrid finite element method for describing the electrical response of biological cells to applied fields.

PubMed

Ying, Wenjun; Henriquez, Craig S

2007-04-01

A novel hybrid finite element method (FEM) for modeling the response of passive and active biological membranes to external stimuli is presented. The method is based on the differential equations that describe the conservation of electric flux and membrane currents. By introducing the electric flux through the cell membrane as an additional variable, the algorithm decouples the linear partial differential equation part from the nonlinear ordinary differential equation part that defines the membrane dynamics of interest. This conveniently results in two subproblems: a linear interface problem and a nonlinear initial value problem. The linear interface problem is solved with a hybrid FEM. The initial value problem is integrated by a standard ordinary differential equation solver such as the Euler and Runge-Kutta methods. During time integration, these two subproblems are solved alternatively. The algorithm can be used to model the interaction of stimuli with multiple cells of almost arbitrary geometries and complex ion-channel gating at the plasma membrane. Numerical experiments are presented demonstrating the uses of the method for modeling field stimulation and action potential propagation.

Functional reconstitution of the voltage-regulated sodium channel purified from electroplax of Electrophorus electricus

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rosenberg, R.L.

1985-01-01

The voltage-regulated NA channel is responsible for the depolarization of the excitable cell membrane during the normal action potential. This research has focused on the functional properties of the Na channel, purified from detergent extracts of electroplax membranes of the electric eel, and reconstituted into vesicles of defined phospholipid. These properties were assessed by measuring neurotoxin-modulated ion flux into the reconstituted membrane vesicles and by recording the single-channel currents of the purified channel by the patch-clamp method. The binding of tritiated tetrodotoxin (TTX) was employed as a marker for the purification of the channel. Two high-resolution fractionation steps, based onmore » molecular charge and protein size, were used to obtain a preparation that is 80% homogeneous for a large peptide of 270,000 daltons. Radiotracer /sup 22/Na/sup +/ influx into the vesicles was stimulated by veratridine and by batrachotoxin (BTX) at concentrations of 100 ..mu..M and 5 ..mu..M, respectively. The stimulation by BTX was greater than that by veratridine, and can be as much as 16-fold over control influx levels. The stimulated influx is blocked by TTX with a K/sub i/ of 35 nM, and by local anesthetics in the normal pharmacological range. Large multilamellar vesicles prepared with a freeze-thaw step are suitable for single-channel recording techniques. When excised patches of the reconstituted membranes were voltage-clamped in the absence of activating neurotoxins, voltage-dependent single-channel currents were recorded. These displayed properties similar to those from native membranes of nerve and muscle. These results indicate that the protein purified on the basis of TTX binding is a functional Na channel possessing these functional domains: the ion-selective channel, the voltage sensors controlling activation and inactivation, and the sites of action of TTX, alkaloid neurotoxins, and local anesthetics.« less

Phase-resolved two-dimensional terahertz spectroscopy - a probe of highly nonlinear light-matter interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elsaesser, Thomas

Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy gives insight into low-frequency excitations and charge dynamics in condensed matter. So far, most experiments in a frequency range from 0.5 to 30 THz have focused on the linear THz response to determine linear absorption and disperion spectra, and/or electric conductivities. The generation of ultrashort THz transients with peak electric fields up to megavolts/cm has allowed for addressing nonlinear light-matter interactions and inducing excitations far from equilibrium. The novel method of two-dimensional THz (2D-THz) spectroscopy allows for mapping ultrafast dynamics and couplings of elementary excitations up to arbitrary nonlinear order in the electric field, both under resonant and nonresonant excitation conditions. In particular, different contributions to the overall nonlinear response are separated by dissecting it as a function of excitation and detection frequencies and for different waiting times after excitation. This talk gives an introduction in 2D-THz spectroscopy, including its recent extension to 3-pulse sequences and interaction schemes. To illustrate the potential of the method, recent results on two-phonon coherences and high-order interband excitations in the semiconductor InSb will be presented. Nonlinear THz excitation of two-phonon coherences exploits a resonance enhancement by the large electronic interband dipole of InSb and is, thus, far more efficient than linear excitation via resonant two-phonon absorption. As a second application, the nonlinear softmode response in a crystal consisting of aspirin molecules will be discussed. At moderate THz driving fields, the pronounced correlation of rotational modes of CH3 groups with collective oscillations of π-electrons drives the system into the regime of nonperturbative light-matter interaction. Nonlinear absorption around 1.1 THz leads to a blue-shifted coherent emission at 1.5 THz, revealing a dynamic breakup of the strong electron-phonon correlations.

Evaluation of excitation strategy with multi-plane electrical capacitance tomography sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Mingxu; Ye, Jiamin; Wang, Haigang; Zhang, Jiaolong; Yang, Wuqiang

2016-11-01

Electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) is an imaging technique for measuring the permittivity change of materials. Using a multi-plane ECT sensor, three-dimensional (3D) distribution of permittivity may be represented. In this paper, three excitation strategies, including single-electrode excitation, dual-electrode excitation in the same plane, and dual-electrode excitation in different planes are investigated by numerical simulation and experiment for two three-plane ECT sensors with 12 electrodes in total. In one sensor, the electrodes on the middle plane are in line with the others. In the other sensor, they are rotated 45° with reference to the other two planes. A linear back projection algorithm is used to reconstruct the images and a correlation coefficient is used to evaluate the image quality. The capacitance data and sensitivity distribution with each measurement strategy and sensor model are analyzed. Based on simulation and experimental results using noise-free and noisy capacitance data, the performance of the three strategies is evaluated.

Role of the electric field in selective ion filtration in nanostructures.

PubMed

Park, Yong; Kim, Sueon; Jang, In Hyuk; Nam, Young Suk; Hong, Hiki; Choi, Dukhyun; Lee, Won Gu

2016-02-21

Nafion has received great attention as a proton conductor that can block negative ions. Here, we report the effect of a Nafion coating on an anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) nanoporous membrane on its function of ion rejection and filtering depending on the electric field. In our experiments, Nafion, once coated, was used to repel the negative ions (anions) from the coated surface, and then selectively allowed positive ions (cations) to pass through the nanopores in the presence of an electric field. To demonstrate the proof-of-concept validation, we coated Nafion solution onto the surface of AAO membranes with 20 nm nanopores average diameter at different solution concentration levels. Vacuum filtration methods for Nafion coating were vertically applied to the plane of an AAO membrane. An electric field was then applied to the upper surface of the Nafion-coated AAO membrane to investigate if ion rejection and filtering was affected by the presence of the electric field. Both anions and cations could pass through the AAO nanopores without an electric field applied. However, only cations could well pass through the AAO nanopores under an electric field, thus effectively blocking anions from passing through the nanopores. This result shows that ion filtration of electrons has been selectively performed while the system also works as a vital catalyst in reactivating Nafion via electrolysis. A saturated viscosity ratio of Nafion solution for the coating was also determined. We believe that this approach is potentially beneficial for better understanding the fundamentals of selective ion filtration in nanostructures and for promoting the use of nanostructures in potential applications such as ion-based water purification and desalination system at the nanoscale in a massively electrically integrated format.

The effect of pulsed electric fields on carotenoids bioaccessibility: The role of tomato matrix.

PubMed

Bot, Francesca; Verkerk, Ruud; Mastwijk, Hennie; Anese, Monica; Fogliano, Vincenzo; Capuano, Edoardo

2018-02-01

Tomato fractions were subjected to pulsed electric fields treatment combined or not with heating. Results showed that pulsed electric fields and heating applied in combination or individually induced permeabilization of cell membranes in the tomato fractions. However, no changes in β-carotene and lycopene bioaccessibility were found upon combined and individual pulsed electric fields and heating, except in the following cases: (i) in tissue, a significant decrease in lycopene bioaccessibility upon combined pulsed electric fields and heating and heating only was observed; (ii) in chromoplasts, both β-carotene and lycopene bioaccessibility significantly decreased upon combined pulsed electric fields and heating and pulsed electric fields only. The reduction in carotenoids bioaccessibility was attributed to modification in chromoplasts membrane and carotenoids-protein complexes. Differences in the effects of pulsed electric fields on bioaccessibility among different tomato fractions were related to tomato structure complexity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energetic ion, atom, and molecule reactions and excitation in low-current H2 discharges: H(alpha) Doppler profiles.

PubMed

Petrović, Z Lj; Phelps, A V

2009-12-01

Absolute spectral emissivities for Doppler broadened H(alpha) profiles are measured and compared with predictions of energetic hydrogen ion, atom, and molecule behavior in low-current electrical discharges in H2 at very high electric field E to gas density N ratios E/N and low values of Nd , where d is the parallel-plate electrode separation. These observations reflect the energy and angular distributions for the excited atoms and quantitatively test features of multiple-scattering kinetic models in weakly ionized hydrogen in the presence of an electric field that are not tested by the spatial distributions of H(alpha) emission. Absolute spectral intensities agree well with predictions. Asymmetries in Doppler profiles observed parallel to the electric field at 4

Chloride Transport in Porous Lipid Bilayer Membranes

PubMed Central

Andreoli, Thomas E.; Watkins, Mary L.

1973-01-01

This paper describes dissipative Cl- transport in "porous" lipid bilayer membranes, i.e., cholesterol-containing membranes exposed to 1–3 x 10-7 M amphotericin B. P DCl (cm·s-1), the diffusional permeability coefficient for Cl-, estimated from unidirectional 36Cl- fluxes at zero volume flow, varied linearly with the membrane conductance (Gm, Ω-1·cm-2) when the contributions of unstirred layers to the resistance to tracer diffusion were relatively small with respect to the membranes; in 0.05 M NaCl, P DCl was 1.36 x 10-4 cm·s-1 when Gm was 0.02 Ω-1·cm-2. Net chloride fluxes were measured either in the presence of imposed concentration gradients or electrical potential differences. Under both sets of conditions: the values of P DCl computed from zero volume flow experiments described net chloride fluxes; the net chloride fluxes accounted for ∼90–95% of the membrane current density; and, the chloride flux ratio conformed to the Ussing independence relationship. Thus, it is likely that Cl- traversed aqueous pores in these anion-permselective membranes via a simple diffusion process. The zero current membrane potentials measured when the aqueous phases contained asymmetrical NaCl solutions could be expressed in terms of the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz constant field equation, assuming that the P DNa/P DCl ratio was 0.05. In symmetrical salt solutions, the current-voltage properties of these membranes were linear; in asymmetrical NaCl solutions, the membranes exhibited electrical rectification consistent with constant-field theory. It seems likely that the space charge density in these porous membranes is sufficiently low that the potential gradient within the membranes is approximately linear; and, that the pores are not electrically neutral, presumably because the Debye length within the membrane phase approximates the membrane thickness. PMID:4708408

Removal of pinned scroll waves in cardiac tissues by electric fields in a generic model of three-dimensional excitable media

PubMed Central

Pan, De-Bei; Gao, Xiang; Feng, Xia; Pan, Jun-Ting; Zhang, Hong

2016-01-01

Spirals or scroll waves pinned to heterogeneities in cardiac tissues may cause lethal arrhythmias. To unpin these life-threatening spiral waves, methods of wave emission from heterogeneities (WEH) induced by low-voltage pulsed DC electric fields (PDCEFs) and circularly polarized electric fields (CPEFs) have been used in two-dimensional (2D) cardiac tissues. Nevertheless, the unpinning of scroll waves in three-dimensional (3D) cardiac systems is much more difficult than that of spiral waves in 2D cardiac systems, and there are few reports on the removal of pinned scroll waves in 3D cardiac tissues by electric fields. In this article, we investigate in detail the removal of pinned scroll waves in a generic model of 3D excitable media using PDCEF, AC electric field (ACEF) and CPEF, respectively. We find that spherical waves can be induced from the heterogeneities by these electric fields in initially quiescent excitable media. However, only CPEF can induce spherical waves with frequencies higher than that of the pinned scroll wave. Such higher-frequency spherical waves induced by CPEF can be used to drive the pinned scroll wave out of the cardiac systems. We hope this remarkable ability of CPEF can provide a better alternative to terminate arrhythmias caused by pinned scroll waves. PMID:26905367

Quantifying the Relationship between Curvature and Electric Potential in Lipid Bilayers.

PubMed

Bruhn, Dennis S; Lomholt, Michael A; Khandelia, Himanshu

2016-06-02

Cellular membranes mediate vital cellular processes by being subject to curvature and transmembrane electrical potentials. Here we build upon the existing theory for flexoelectricity in liquid crystals to quantify the coupling between lipid bilayer curvature and membrane potentials. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we show that headgroup dipole moments, the lateral pressure profile across the bilayer, and spontaneous curvature all systematically change with increasing membrane potentials. In particular, there is a linear dependence between the bending moment (the product of bending rigidity and spontaneous curvature) and the applied membrane potentials. We show that biologically relevant membrane potentials can induce biologically relevant curvatures corresponding to radii of around 500 nm. The implications of flexoelectricity in lipid bilayers are thus likely to be of considerable consequence both in biology and in model lipid bilayer systems.

Oxygen transport membrane based advanced power cycle with low pressure synthesis gas slip stream

DOEpatents

Kromer, Brian R.; Litwin, Michael M.; Kelly, Sean M.

2016-09-27

A method and system for generating electrical power in which a high pressure synthesis gas stream generated in a gasifier is partially oxidized in an oxygen transport membrane based reactor, expanded and thereafter, is combusted in an oxygen transport membrane based boiler. A low pressure synthesis gas slip stream is split off downstream of the expanders and used as the source of fuel in the oxygen transport membrane based partial oxidation reactors to allow the oxygen transport membrane to operate at low fuel pressures with high fuel utilization. The combustion within the boiler generates heat to raise steam to in turn generate electricity by a generator coupled to a steam turbine. The resultant flue gas can be purified to produce a carbon dioxide product.

Interaction of excitable waves emitted from two defects by pulsed electric fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jiang-Xing; Zhang, Han; Qiao, Li-Yan; Liang, Hong; Sun, Wei-Gang

2018-01-01

In response to a pulsed electric field, spatial distributed heterogeneities in excitable media can serve as nucleation sites for the generation of intramural electrical waves, a phenomenon called as ;wave emission from heterogeneities; (WEH effect). Heterogeneities in cardiac tissue strongly influence each other in the WEH effect. We study the WEH effect in a medium possessing two defects. The role of two defects and their interaction by pulsed DC electric fields (DEF) and rotating electric fields (REF) are investigated. The direction of the applied electric field plays a major role not only in the minimum electrical field necessary to originate wave propagation, but also in the degree of influences of nearby defects. The distance between two defects, i.e. the density of defects, also play an important role in the WEH effect. Generally, the REF is better than the DEF when pulsed electric fields are applied. These results may contribute to the improved application of WEH, especially in older patients with fibrosis and scarring, which are accompanied by a higher incidence of conductivity discontinuities.

Real Time Measures of Prestin Charge and Fluorescence during Plasma Membrane Trafficking Reveal Sub-Tetrameric Activity

PubMed Central

Bian, Shumin; Navaratnam, Dhasakumar; Santos-Sacchi, Joseph

2013-01-01

Prestin (SLC26a5) is the outer hair cell integral membrane motor protein that drives cochlear amplification, and has been described as an obligate tetramer. We studied in real time the delivery of YFP-prestin to the plasma membrane of cells from a tetracycline-inducible cell line. Following the release of temperature block to reinstate trans Golgi network delivery of the integral membrane protein, we measured nonlinear capacitance (NLC) and membrane fluorescence during voltage clamp. Prestin was delivered exponentially to the plasma membrane with a time constant of less than 10 minutes, with both electrical and fluorescence methods showing high temporal correlation. However, based on disparity between estimates of prestin density derived from either fluorescence or NLC, we conclude that sub-tetrameric forms of prestin contribute to our electrical and fluorescence measures. Thus, in agreement with previous observations we find that functional prestin is not an obligate tetramer. PMID:23762468

Photoluminescence properties of anodic aluminum oxide formed in a mixture of ammonium fluoride and oxalic acid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Shou-Yi; Wang, Jian; Li, Yan

2017-06-01

Highly ordered anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes are fabricated electrochemically in an electrolyte mixture with various concentrations of C2H2O4 or NH4F. Photoluminescence (PL) properties of AAO membranes have been investigated before and after annealing in the range from 300°C to 650°C. X-ray diffraction reveals the amorphous nature of AAO membranes. Energy dispersive spectroscopy indicates the presence of fluorine species incorporated in oxide membranes during the anodizing. PL measurements show a strong PL band in the wavelength range of 350 to 550 nm. With the increase of the concentration of the NH4F or C2H2O4 in the electrolyte mixture, the peak positions of the PL bands have a blueshift or redshift and the intensities have a maximum value. As indicated by the PL excitation spectra, there are two excitation peaks of 285 and 330 nm, which can account for the PL emission band. We have proposed that the PL originates from optical transitions in two kinds of centers that are related to oxygen vacancies, F+ (285 nm) and F (330 nm). This work is not only beneficial to further understanding of the light-emitting property of AAO membranes but also enlarges the application scope.

Mapping the local organization of cell membranes using excitation-polarization-resolved confocal fluorescence microscopy.

PubMed

Kress, Alla; Wang, Xiao; Ranchon, Hubert; Savatier, Julien; Rigneault, Hervé; Ferrand, Patrick; Brasselet, Sophie

2013-07-02

Fluorescence anisotropy and linear dichroism imaging have been widely used for imaging biomolecular orientational distributions in protein aggregates, fibrillar structures of cells, and cell membranes. However, these techniques do not give access to complete orientational order information in a whole image, because their use is limited to parts of the sample where the average orientation of molecules is known a priori. Fluorescence anisotropy is also highly sensitive to depolarization mechanisms such as those induced by fluorescence energy transfer. A fully excitation-polarization-resolved fluorescence microscopy imaging that relies on the use of a tunable incident polarization and a nonpolarized detection is able to circumvent these limitations. We have developed such a technique in confocal epifluorescence microscopy, giving access to new regions of study in the complex and heterogeneous molecular organization of cell membranes. Using this technique, we demonstrate morphological changes at the subdiffraction scale in labeled COS-7 cell membranes whose cytoskeleton is perturbed. Molecular orientational order is also seen to be affected by cholesterol depletion, reflecting the strong interplay between lipid-packing regions and their nearby cytoskeleton. This noninvasive optical technique can reveal local organization in cell membranes when used as a complement to existing methods such as generalized polarization. Copyright © 2013 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dually Fluorescent Sensing of pH and Dissolved Oxygen Using a Membrane Made from Polymerizable Sensing Monomers.

PubMed

Tian, Yanqing; Shumway, Bradley R; Youngbull, A Cody; Li, Yongzhong; Jen, Alex K-Y; Johnson, Roger H; Meldrum, Deirdre R

2010-06-03

Using a thermal polymerization approach and polymerizable pH and oxygen sensing monomers with green and red emission spectra, respectively, new pH, oxygen, and their dual sensing membranes were prepared using poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-co-poly(acrylamide) as a matrix. The sensors were grafted on acrylate-modified quartz glass and characterized under different pH values, oxygen concentrations, ion strengths, temperatures and cell culture media. The pH and oxygen sensors were excited using the same excitation wavelength and exhibited well-separated emission spectra. The pH-sensing films showed good response over the pH range 5.5 to 8.5, corresponding to pK(a) values in the biologically-relevant range between 6.9 and 7.1. The oxygen-sensing films exhibited linear Stern-Volmer quenching responses to dissolved oxygen. As the sensing membranes were prepared using thermally initiated polymerization of sensing moiety-containing monomers, no leaching of the sensors from the membranes to buffers or medium was observed. This advantageous characteristic accounts in part for the sensors' biocompatibility without apparent toxicity to HeLa cells after 40 hours incubation. The dual-sensing membrane was used to measure pH and dissolved oxygen simultaneously. The measured results correlated with the set-point values.

Electroporation of the photosynthetic membrane: structural changes in protein and lipid-protein domains.

PubMed Central

Rosemberg, Y; Rotenberg, M; Korenstein, R

1994-01-01

A biological membrane undergoes a reversible permeability increase through structural changes in the lipid domain when exposed to high external electric fields. The present study shows the occurrence of electric field-induced changes in the conductance of the proton channel of the H(+)-ATPase as well as electric field-induced structural changes in the lipid-protein domain of photosystem (PS) II in the photosynthetic membrane. The study was carried out by analyzing the electric field-stimulated delayed luminescence (EPL), which originates from charge recombination in the protein complexes of PS I and II of photosynthetic vesicles. We established that a small fraction of the total electric field-induced conductance change was abolished by N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD), an inhibitor of the H(+)-ATPase. This reversible electric field-induced conductance change has characteristics of a small channel and possesses a lifetime < or = 1 ms. To detect electric field-induced changes in the lipid-protein domains of PS II, we examined the effects of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) on EPL. Higher values of EPL were observed from vesicles that were exposed in the presence of PLA2 to an electroporating electric field than to a nonelectroporating electric field. The effect of the electroporating field was a long-lived one, lasting for a period > or = 2 min. This effect was attributed to long-lived electric field-induced structural changes in the lipid-protein domains of PS II. PMID:7811916

TRPC6-mediated ERK1/2 Activation Regulates Neuronal Excitability via Subcellular Kv4.3 Localization in the Rat Hippocampus

PubMed Central

Kim, Ji-Eun; Park, Jin-Young; Kang, Tae-Cheon

2017-01-01

Recently, we have reported that transient receptor potential channel-6 (TRPC6) plays an important role in the regulation of neuronal excitability and synchronization of spiking activity in the dentate granule cells (DGC). However, the underlying mechanisms of TRPC6 in these phenomena have been still unclear. In the present study, we investigated the role of TRPC6 in subcellular localization of Kv4.3 and its relevance to neuronal excitability in the rat hippocampus. TRPC6 knockdown increased excitability and inhibitory transmission in the DGC and the CA1 neurons in response to a paired-pulse stimulus. However, TRPC6 knockdown impaired γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic inhibition in the hippocampus during and after high-frequency stimulation (HFS). TRPC6 knockdown reduced the Kv4.3 clusters in membrane fractions and its dendritic localization on DGC and GABAergic interneurons. TRPC6 knockdown also decreased extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation and the efficacy of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) in neuronal excitability. An ERK1/2 inhibitor generated multiple population spikes in response to a paired-pulse stimulus, concomitant with reduced membrane Kv4.3 translocation. A TRPC6 activator (hyperforin) reversed the effects of TRPC knockdown, except paired-pulse inhibition. These findings provide valuable clues indicating that TRPC6-mediated ERK1/2 activation may regulate subcellular Kv4.3 localization in DGC and interneurons, which is cause-effect relationship between neuronal excitability and seizure susceptibility. PMID:29326557

Excitation of Standing Waves by an Electric Toothbrush

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cros, Ana; Ferrer-Roca, Chantal

2006-01-01

There are a number of ways of exciting standing waves in ropes and springs using non-commercial vibrators such as loudspeakers, jigsaws, motors, or a simple tuning fork, including the rhythmical shaking of a handheld Slinky. We have come up with a very simple and cheap way of exciting stationary waves in a string, which anyone, particularly…

9. INTERIOR OF KERN RIVER No. 1 POWERHOUSE BUILDING SHOWING ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

9. INTERIOR OF KERN RIVER No. 1 POWERHOUSE BUILDING SHOWING EXCITER No 2. Ca. 1930 GENERAL ELECTRIC ALTERNATING CURRENT MOTOR REPLACEMENT FOR ALLIS-CHALMERS IMPULSE WHEEL IS VISIBLE ON RIGHT ALONG WITH COUPLING TO EXCITER SHAFT. VIEW TO NORTHWEST. - Kern County No. 1 Hydroelectric System, Powerhouse Exciters, Kern River Canyon, Bakersfield, Kern County, CA

Fractional diffusion models of cardiac electrical propagation: role of structural heterogeneity in dispersion of repolarization

PubMed Central

Bueno-Orovio, Alfonso; Kay, David; Grau, Vicente; Rodriguez, Blanca; Burrage, Kevin

2014-01-01

Impulse propagation in biological tissues is known to be modulated by structural heterogeneity. In cardiac muscle, improved understanding on how this heterogeneity influences electrical spread is key to advancing our interpretation of dispersion of repolarization. We propose fractional diffusion models as a novel mathematical description of structurally heterogeneous excitable media, as a means of representing the modulation of the total electric field by the secondary electrical sources associated with tissue inhomogeneities. Our results, analysed against in vivo human recordings and experimental data of different animal species, indicate that structural heterogeneity underlies relevant characteristics of cardiac electrical propagation at tissue level. These include conduction effects on action potential (AP) morphology, the shortening of AP duration along the activation pathway and the progressive modulation by premature beats of spatial patterns of dispersion of repolarization. The proposed approach may also have important implications in other research fields involving excitable complex media. PMID:24920109

High frequency vibration characteristics of electric wheel system under in-wheel motor torque ripple

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Yu; Zuo, Shuguang; Wu, Xudong; Duan, Xianglei

2017-07-01

With the introduction of in-wheel motor, the electric wheel system encounters new vibration problems brought by motor torque ripple excitation. In order to analyze new vibration characteristics of electric wheel system, torque ripple of in-wheel motor based on motor module and vector control system is primarily analyzed, and frequency/order features of the torque ripple are discussed. Then quarter vehicle-electric wheel system (QV-EWS) dynamics model based on the rigid ring tire assumption is established and the main parameters of the model are identified according to tire free modal test. Modal characteristics of the model are further analyzed. The analysis indicates that torque excitation of in-wheel motor is prone to arouse horizontal vibration, in which in-phase rotational, anti-phase rotational and horizontal translational modes of electric wheel system mainly participate. Based on the model, vibration responses of the QV-EWS under torque ripple are simulated. The results show that unlike vertical low frequency (lower than 20 Hz) vibration excited by road roughness, broadband torque ripple will arouse horizontal high frequency (50-100 Hz) vibration of electric wheel system due to participation of the three aforementioned modes. To verify the theoretical analysis, the bench experiment of electric wheel system is conducted and vibration responses are acquired. The experiment demonstrates the high frequency vibration phenomenon of electric wheel system and the measured order features as well as main resonant frequencies agree with simulation results. Through theoretical modeling, analysis and experiments this paper reveals and explains the high frequency vibration characteristics of electric wheel system, providing references for the dynamic analysis, optimal design of QV-EWS.

Evaluation of PVA biodegradable electric conductive membranes for nerve regeneration in axonotmesis injuries: the rat sciatic nerve animal model.

PubMed

Ribeiro, Jorge; Caseiro, Ana Rita; Pereira, Tiago; Armada-da-Silva, Paulo Alexandre; Pires, Isabel; Prada, Justina; Amorim, Irina; Leal Reis, Inês; Amado, Sandra; Santos, José Domingos; Bompasso, Simone; Raimondo, Stefania; Varejão, Artur Severo Proença; Geuna, Stefano; Luís, Ana Lúcia; Maurício, Ana Colette

2017-05-01

The therapeutic effect of three polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) membranes loaded with electrically conductive materials - carbon nanotubes (PVA-CNTs) and polypyrrole (PVA-PPy) - were tested in vivo for neuro-muscular regeneration after an axonotmesis injury in the rat sciatic nerve. The membranes electrical conductivity measured was 1.5 ± 0.5 × 10 -6 S/m, 579 ± 0.6 × 10 -6 S/m, and 1837.5 ± 0.7 × 10 -6 S/m, respectively. At week-12, a residual motor and nociceptive deficit were present in all treated groups, but at week-12, a better recovery to normal gait pattern of the PVA-CNTs and PVA-PPy treated groups was observed. Morphometrical analysis demonstrated that PVA-CNTs group presented higher myelin thickness and lower g-ratio. The tibialis anterior muscle, in the PVA-PPy and PVA-CNTs groups showed a 9% and 19% increase of average fiber size area and a 5% and 10% increase of the "minimal Feret's diameter," respectively. No inflammation, degeneration, fibrosis or necrosis were detected in lung, liver, kidneys, spleen, and regional lymph nodes and absence of carbon deposits was confirmed with Von Kossa and Masson-Fontana stains. In conclusion, the membranes of PVA-CNTs and PVA-PPy are biocompatible and have electrical conductivity. The higher electrical conductivity measured in PVA-CNTs membrane might be responsible for the positive results on maturation of myelinated fibers. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 1267-1280, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Preterm labor--modeling the uterine electrical activity from cellular level to surface recording.

PubMed

Rihana, S; Marque, C

2008-01-01

Uterine electrical activity is correlated to the appearance of uterine contractions. forceful contractions appear at the end of term. Therefore, understanding the genesis and the propagation of uterine electrical activity may provide an efficient tool to diagnose preterm labor. Moreover, the control of uterine excitability seems to have important consequences in the control of preterm labor. Modeling the electrical activity in uterine tissue is thus an important step in understanding physiological uterine contractile mechanisms and to permit uterine EMG simulation. Our model presented in this paper, incorporates ion channel models at the cell level, the reaction diffusion equations at the tissue level and the spatiotemporal integration at the uterine EMG reconstructed level. This model validates some key physiological observation hypotheses concerning uterine excitability and propagation.

Ion permeability of artificial membranes evaluated by diffusion potential and electrical resistance measurements.

PubMed

Shlyonsky, Vadim

2013-12-01

In the present article, a novel model of artificial membranes that provides efficient assistance in teaching the origins of diffusion potentials is proposed. These membranes are made of polycarbonate filters fixed to 12-mm plastic rings and then saturated with a mixture of creosol and n-decane. The electrical resistance and potential difference across these membranes can be easily measured using a low-cost volt-ohm meter and home-made Ag/AgCl electrodes. The advantage of the model is the lack of ionic selectivity of the membrane, which can be modified by the introduction of different ionophores to the organic liquid mixture. A membrane treated with the mixture containing valinomycin generates voltages from -53 to -25 mV in the presence of a 10-fold KCl gradient (in to out) and from -79 to -53 mV in the presence of a bi-ionic KCl/NaCl gradient (in to out). This latter bi-ionic gradient potential reverses to a value from +9 to +20 mV when monensin is present in the organic liquid mixture. Thus, the model can be build stepwise, i.e., all factors leading to the development of diffusion potentials can be introduced sequentially, helping students to understand the quantitative relationships of ionic gradients and differential membrane permeability in the generation of cell electrical signals.

Cell Membrane Electropulsation: Chemical Analysis of Cell Membrane Modifications and Associated Transport Mechanisms.

PubMed

Azan, Antoine; Gailliègue, Florian; Mir, Lluis M; Breton, Marie

2017-01-01

The transport of substances across the cell membrane is complex because the main physiological role of the membrane is the control of the substances that would enter or exit the cells. Life would not be possible without this control. Cell electropulsation corresponds to the delivery of electric pulses to the cells and comprises cell electroporation and cell electropermeabilization. Cell electropulsation allows for the transport of non-permeant molecules across the membrane, bypassing the physiological limitations. In this chapter we discuss the changes occurring in the cell membrane during electroporation or electropermeabilization as they allow to understand which molecules can be transported as well as when and how their transport can occur. Electrophoretic or diffusive transports across the cell membrane can be distinguished. This understanding has a clear impact on the choice of the electrical parameters to be applied to the cells as well as on other aspects of the experimental protocols that have to be set to load the cells with non-permeant molecules.

Direct Measurement of the Effect of Cholesterol and 6-Ketocholestanol on the Membrane Dipole Electric Field Using Vibrational Stark Effect Spectroscopy Coupled with Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

PubMed

Shrestha, Rebika; Anderson, Cari M; Cardenas, Alfredo E; Elber, Ron; Webb, Lauren J

2017-04-20

Biological membranes are heterogeneous structures with complex electrostatic profiles arising from lipids, sterols, membrane proteins, and water molecules. We investigated the effect of cholesterol and its derivative 6-ketocholestanol (6-kc) on membrane electrostatics by directly measuring the dipole electric field (F⃗ d ) within lipid bilayers containing cholesterol or 6-kc at concentrations of 0-40 mol% through the vibrational Stark effect (VSE). We found that adding low concentrations of cholesterol, up to ∼10 mol %, increases F⃗ d , while adding more cholesterol up to 40 mol% lowers F⃗ d . In contrast, we measured a monotonic increase in F⃗ d as 6-kc concentration increased. We propose that this membrane electric field is affected by multiple factors: the polarity of the sterol molecules, the reorientation of the phospholipid dipole due to sterol, and the impact of the sterol on hydrogen bonding with surface water. We used molecular dynamics simulations to examine the distribution of phospholipids, sterol, and helix in bilayers containing these sterols. At low concentrations, we observed clustering of sterols near the vibrational probe whereas at high concentrations, we observed spatial correlation between the positions of the sterol molecules. This work demonstrates how a one-atom difference in a sterol changes the physicochemical and electric field properties of the bilayer.

Fibroblast proliferation alters cardiac excitation conduction and contraction: a computational study.

PubMed

Zhan, He-qing; Xia, Ling; Shou, Guo-fa; Zang, Yun-liang; Liu, Feng; Crozier, Stuart

2014-03-01

In this study, the effects of cardiac fibroblast proliferation on cardiac electric excitation conduction and mechanical contraction were investigated using a proposed integrated myocardial-fibroblastic electromechanical model. At the cellular level, models of the human ventricular myocyte and fibroblast were modified to incorporate a model of cardiac mechanical contraction and cooperativity mechanisms. Cellular electromechanical coupling was realized with a calcium buffer. At the tissue level, electrical excitation conduction was coupled to an elastic mechanics model in which the finite difference method (FDM) was used to solve electrical excitation equations, and the finite element method (FEM) was used to solve mechanics equations. The electromechanical properties of the proposed integrated model were investigated in one or two dimensions under normal and ischemic pathological conditions. Fibroblast proliferation slowed wave propagation, induced a conduction block, decreased strains in the fibroblast proliferous tissue, and increased dispersions in depolarization, repolarization, and action potential duration (APD). It also distorted the wave-front, leading to the initiation and maintenance of re-entry, and resulted in a sustained contraction in the proliferous areas. This study demonstrated the important role that fibroblast proliferation plays in modulating cardiac electromechanical behaviour and which should be considered in planning future heart-modeling studies.

Fibroblast proliferation alters cardiac excitation conduction and contraction: a computational study*

PubMed Central

Zhan, He-qing; Xia, Ling; Shou, Guo-fa; Zang, Yun-liang; Liu, Feng; Crozier, Stuart

2014-01-01

In this study, the effects of cardiac fibroblast proliferation on cardiac electric excitation conduction and mechanical contraction were investigated using a proposed integrated myocardial-fibroblastic electromechanical model. At the cellular level, models of the human ventricular myocyte and fibroblast were modified to incorporate a model of cardiac mechanical contraction and cooperativity mechanisms. Cellular electromechanical coupling was realized with a calcium buffer. At the tissue level, electrical excitation conduction was coupled to an elastic mechanics model in which the finite difference method (FDM) was used to solve electrical excitation equations, and the finite element method (FEM) was used to solve mechanics equations. The electromechanical properties of the proposed integrated model were investigated in one or two dimensions under normal and ischemic pathological conditions. Fibroblast proliferation slowed wave propagation, induced a conduction block, decreased strains in the fibroblast proliferous tissue, and increased dispersions in depolarization, repolarization, and action potential duration (APD). It also distorted the wave-front, leading to the initiation and maintenance of re-entry, and resulted in a sustained contraction in the proliferous areas. This study demonstrated the important role that fibroblast proliferation plays in modulating cardiac electromechanical behaviour and which should be considered in planning future heart-modeling studies. PMID:24599687

Nonequilibrium excitations and transport of Dirac electrons in electric-field-driven graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiajun; Han, Jong E.

2018-05-01

We investigate nonequilibrium excitations and charge transport in charge-neutral graphene driven with dc electric field by using the nonequilibrium Green's-function technique. Due to the vanishing Fermi surface, electrons are subject to nontrivial nonequilibrium excitations such as highly anisotropic momentum distribution of electron-hole pairs, an analog of the Schwinger effect. We show that the electron-hole excitations, initiated by the Landau-Zener tunneling with a superlinear I V relation I ∝E3 /2 , reaches a steady state dominated by the dissipation due to optical phonons, resulting in a marginally sublinear I V with I ∝E , in agreement with recent experiments. The linear I V starts to show the sign of current saturation as the graphene is doped away from the Dirac point, and recovers the semiclassical relation for the saturated velocity. We give a detailed discussion on the nonequilibrium charge creation and the relation between the electron-phonon scattering rate and the electric field in the steady-state limit. We explain how the apparent Ohmic I V is recovered near the Dirac point. We propose a mechanism where the peculiar nonequilibrium electron-hole creation can be utilized in a infrared device.

Changes in intrinsic excitability of ganglion cells in degenerated retinas of RCS rats

PubMed Central

Ren, Yi-Ming; Weng, Chuan-Huang; Zhao, Cong-Jian; Yin, Zheng-Qin

2018-01-01

AIM To evaluate the intrinsic excitability of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in degenerated retinas. METHODS The intrinsic excitability of various morphologically defined RGC types using a combination of patch-clamp recording and the Lucifer yellow tracer in retinal whole-mount preparations harvested from Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats, a common retinitis pigmentosa (RP) model, in a relatively late stage of retinal degeneration (P90) were investigated. Several parameters of RGC morphologies and action potentials (APs) were measured and compared to those of non-dystrophic control rats, including dendritic stratification, dendritic field diameter, peak amplitude, half width, resting membrane potential, AP threshold, depolarization to threshold, and firing rates. RESULTS Compared with non-dystrophic control RGCs, more depolarizations were required to reach the AP threshold in RCS RGCs with low spontaneous spike rates and in RCS OFF cells (especially A2o cells), and RCS RGCs maintained their dendritic morphologies, resting membrane potentials and capabilities to generate APs. CONCLUSION RGCs are relatively well preserved morphologically and functionally, and some cells are more susceptible to decreased excitability during retinal degeneration. These findings provide valuable considerations for optimizing RP therapeutic strategies. PMID:29862172

Electromechanical performance analysis of inflated dielectric elastomer membrane for micro pump applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saini, Abhishek; Ahmad, Dilshad; Patra, Karali

2016-04-01

Dielectric elastomers have received a great deal of attention recently as potential materials for many new types of sensors, actuators and future energy generators. When subjected to high electric field, dielectric elastomer membrane sandwiched between compliant electrodes undergoes large deformation with a fast response speed. Moreover, dielectric elastomers have high specific energy density, toughness, flexibility and shape processability. Therefore, dielectric elastomer membranes have gained importance to be applied as micro pumps for microfluidics and biomedical applications. This work intends to extend the electromechanical performance analysis of inflated dielectric elastomer membranes to be applied as micro pumps. Mechanical burst test and cyclic tests were performed to investigate the mechanical breakdown and hysteresis loss of the dielectric membrane, respectively. Varying high electric field was applied on the inflated membrane under different static pressure to determine the electromechanical behavior and nonplanar actuation of the membrane. These tests were repeated for membranes with different pre-stretch values. Results show that pre-stretching improves the electromechanical performance of the inflated membrane. The present work will help to select suitable parameters for designing micro pumps using dielectric elastomer membrane. However this material lacks durability in operation.This issue also needs to be investigated further for realizing practical micro pumps.

Adrenal Chromaffin Cells Exposed to 5-ns Pulses Require Higher Electric Fields to Porate Intracellular Membranes than the Plasma Membrane: An Experimental and Modeling Study.

PubMed

Zaklit, Josette; Craviso, Gale L; Leblanc, Normand; Yang, Lisha; Vernier, P Thomas; Chatterjee, Indira

2017-10-01

Nanosecond-duration electric pulses (NEPs) can permeabilize the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), causing release of Ca 2+ into the cytoplasm. This study used experimentation coupled with numerical modeling to understand the lack of Ca 2+ mobilization from Ca 2+ -storing organelles in catecholamine-secreting adrenal chromaffin cells exposed to 5-ns pulses. Fluorescence imaging determined a threshold electric (E) field of 8 MV/m for mobilizing intracellular Ca 2+ whereas whole-cell recordings of membrane conductance determined a threshold E-field of 3 MV/m for causing plasma membrane permeabilization. In contrast, a 2D numerical model of a chromaffin cell, which was constructed with internal structures representing a nucleus, mitochondrion, ER, and secretory granule, predicted that exposing the cell to the same 5-ns pulse electroporated the plasma and ER membranes at the same E-field amplitude, 3-4 MV/m. Agreement of the numerical simulations with the experimental results was obtained only when the ER interior conductivity was 30-fold lower than that of the cytoplasm and the ER membrane permittivity was twice that of the plasma membrane. A more realistic intracellular geometry for chromaffin cells in which structures representing multiple secretory granules and an ER showed slight differences in the thresholds necessary to porate the membranes of the secretory granules. We conclude that more sophisticated cell models together with knowledge of accurate dielectric properties are needed to understand the effects of NEPs on intracellular membranes in chromaffin cells, information that will be important for elucidating how NEPs porate organelle membranes in other cell types having a similarly complex cytoplasmic ultrastructure.

Effect of Intense Optical Excitation on Internal Electric Field Evolution in CdTe Gamma-Ray Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, K.; Ichinohe, Y.; Seto, S.

2018-03-01

The time-of-flight (TOF) transient currents in radiation detectors made of CdTe and Cd0.9Zn0.1Te (CZT) have been measured at several optical excitation intensities to investigate the effect of drifting carriers on the internal field. Both detectors show so-called space-charge-perturbed (SCP) current under intense optical excitation. A Monte Carlo (MC) simulation combined with an iterative solution of Poisson's equation is used to reproduce the observed currents under several bias voltages and excitation intensities. The SCP theory describes well the transient current in the CZT detector, whereas injection of holes from the anode and a corresponding reduction of the electron lifetime are further required to describe that in the CdTe detector. We visualize the temporal changes in the charge distribution and internal electric field profiles of both detectors.

Controlling the dynamics of quantum mechanical systems sustaining dipole-forbidden transitions via optical nanoantennas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filter, Robert; Mühlig, Stefan; Eichelkraut, Toni; Rockstuhl, Carsten; Lederer, Falk

2012-07-01

We suggest to excite dipole-forbidden transitions in quantum mechanical systems by using appropriately designed optical nanoantennas. The antennas are tailored such that their near field contains sufficiently strong contributions of higher-order multipole moments. The strengths of these moments exceed their free-space analogs by several orders of magnitude. The impact of such excitation enhancement is exemplarily investigated by studying the dynamics of a three-level system. It decays upon excitation by an electric quadrupole transition via two electric dipole transitions. Since one dipole transition is assumed to be radiative, the enhancement of this emission serves as a figure of merit. Such self-consistent treatment of excitation, emission, and internal dynamics as developed in this contribution is the key to predict any observable quantity. The suggested scheme may represent a blueprint for future experiments and will find many obvious spectroscopic and sensing applications.

Magnetic properties of Fe-Si steel depending on compressive and tensile stresses under sinusoidal and distorted excitations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Permiakov, V.; Pulnikov, A.; Dupré, L.; De Wulf, M.; Melkebeek, J.

2003-05-01

In this article, the magnetic properties of nonoriented electrical steel under sinusoidal and distorted excitations are investigated for the whole range of unidirectional mechanical stresses. The distorted flux obtained from the tooth tip of 3 kW induction machine at no-load test was put into the measurement system. The total losses increase for compressive stress both under sinusoidal and distorted excitations. For tensile elastic stresses, the total losses first decrease and then increase in a very similar way for both excitations. In contrast, the difference between total losses under sinusoidal and distorted magnetic fluxes becomes smaller with increase of the plastic strain. This work is a serious step toward complete characterization of the magnetic properties of electrical steel in the teeth area of induction machines. A deeper insight of that problem can improve the design of induction machines and other electromagnetic devices.

Precision increase in electric drive speed loop of robotic complexes and process lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tulegenov, E.; Imanova, A. A.; Platonov, V. V.

2018-05-01

The article presents the principles of synthesis of control structures for highprecision electric drives of robotic complexes and manipulators. It has been theoretically shown and experimentally confirmed that improved characteristics of speed maintenance in the zone of significant overloads are achieved in systems of series excitation. They are achieved due to the redistribution of control signals both in the zone of setting the armature current and in the excitation currents. At the same time, the characteristic of the electromagnetic torque becomes linear because the demagnetizing effect of the armature response is compensated by the setting of the excitation current. It is recommended in those cases when it is necessary to extend the range of speed control with a significant reduction in load to apply structures with two-zone speed control. The regulation of the weakening of the excitation flow is more convenient as a function of the voltage in the armature windings.

Mechanical Excitation of IHC Stereocilia: An Attempt to Fit Together Diverse Evidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guinan, John J.

2011-11-01

The output of the cochlea is controlled by the bending of inner-hair-cell (IHC) stereocilia, but the mechanisms that produce this bending are poorly understood. Relevant evidence comes from several sources: measurements of cochlear motion from in-vitro and live preparations, as well as inferences about cochlear motions from responses of auditory-nerve fibers. The common conception that IHC excitation is due to shearing between the reticular lamina (RL) and the tectorial membrane (TM) does not explain the data. A hypothesis is presented that fits many of the observations into a coherent picture of how IHCs are excited. The key new concept is that stretching of outer-hair-cell (OHC) stereocilia (defined broadly) changes the RL-TM gap and produces fluid flow within the gap that bends the IHC stereocilia. Changes in the RL-TM gap and the resulting bending of IHC stereocilia provide a mechanism by which OHC active processes can enhance cochlear output without a corresponding enhancement of basilar-membrane motion.

Equivalent complex conductivities representing the effects of T-tubules and folded surface membranes on the electrical admittance and impedance of skeletal muscles measured by external-electrode method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sekine, Katsuhisa

2017-12-01

In order to represent the effects of T-tubules and folded surface membranes on the electrical admittance and impedance of skeletal muscles measured by the external-electrode method, analytical relations for the equivalent complex conductivities of hypothetical smooth surface membranes were derived. In the relations, the effects of each tubule were represented by the admittance of a straight cable. The effects of the folding of a surface membrane were represented by the increased area of surface membranes. The equivalent complex conductivities were represented as summation of these effects, and the effects of the T-tubules were different between the transversal and longitudinal directions. The validity of the equivalent complex conductivities was supported by the results of finite-difference method (FDM) calculations made using three-dimensional models in which T-tubules and folded surface membranes were represented explicitly. FDM calculations using the equivalent complex conductivities suggested that the electrically inhomogeneous structure due to the existence of muscle cells with T-tubules was sufficient for explaining the experimental results previously obtained using the external-electrode method. Results of FDM calculations in which the structural changes caused by muscle contractions were taken into account were consistent with the reported experimental results.

Flexoelectricity in two-dimensional crystalline and biological membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmadpoor, Fatemeh; Sharma, Pradeep

2015-10-01

The ability of a material to convert electrical stimuli into mechanical deformation, i.e. piezoelectricity, is a remarkable property of a rather small subset of insulating materials. The phenomenon of flexoelectricity, on the other hand, is universal. All dielectrics exhibit the flexoelectric effect whereby non-uniform strain (or strain gradients) can polarize the material and conversely non-uniform electric fields may cause mechanical deformation. The flexoelectric effect is strongly enhanced at the nanoscale and accordingly, all two-dimensional membranes of atomistic scale thickness exhibit a strong two-way coupling between the curvature and electric field. In this review, we highlight the recent advances made in our understanding of flexoelectricity in two-dimensional (2D) membranes--whether the crystalline ones such as dielectric graphene nanoribbons or the soft lipid bilayer membranes that are ubiquitous in biology. Aside from the fundamental mechanisms, phenomenology, and recent findings, we focus on rapidly emerging directions in this field and discuss applications such as energy harvesting, understanding of the mammalian hearing mechanism and ion transport among others.

Electric Field-Controlled Ion Transport In TiO2 Nanochannel.

PubMed

Li, Dan; Jing, Wenheng; Li, Shuaiqiang; Shen, Hao; Xing, Weihong

2015-06-03

On the basis of biological ion channels, we constructed TiO2 membranes with rigid channels of 2.3 nm to mimic biomembranes with flexible channels; an external electric field was employed to regulate ion transport in the confined channels at a high ionic strength in the absence of electrical double layer overlap. Results show that transport rates for both Na+ and Mg2+ were decreased irrespective of the direction of the electric field. Furthermore, a voltage-gated selective ion channel was formed, the Mg2+ channel closed at -2 V, and a reversed relative electric field gradient was at the same order of the concentration gradient, whereas the Na+ with smaller Stokes radius and lower valence was less sensitive to the electric field and thus preferentially occupied and passed the channel. Thus, when an external electric field is applied, membranes with larger nanochannels have promising applications in selective separation of mixture salts at a high concentration.

Measurement of membrane potential and [Ca2+]i in cell ensembles: application to the study of glutamate taste in mice.

PubMed Central

Hayashi, Y; Zviman, M M; Brand, J G; Teeter, J H; Restrepo, D

1996-01-01

We have studied the spectral properties of the voltage-sensitive dye, 1-(3-sulfonatopropyl)-4-[beta [2-(di-n-octylamino)-6-naphtyl]vinyl] pyridinium betaine (di-8-ANEPPS), and the Ca(2+)-sensitive dye, fura-2, in azolectin liposomes and in isolated taste buds from mouse. We find that the fluorescence excitation spectra of di-8-ANEPPS and fura-2 are largely nonoverlapping, allowing alternate ratio measurements of membrane potential and intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i). There is a small spillover of di-8-ANEPPS fluorescence at the excitation wavelengths used for fura-2 (340 and 360 nm). However, voltage-induced changes in the fluorescence of di-8-ANEPPS, excited at the fura-2 wavelengths, are small. In addition, di-8-ANEPPS fluorescence is localized to the membrane, whereas fura-2 fluorescence is distributed throughout the cytoplasm. Because of this, the effect of spillover of di-8-ANEPPS fluorescence in the [Ca2+]i estimate is < 1%, under the appropriate conditions. We have applied this method to study of the responses of multiple taste cells within isolated taste buds. We show that membrane potential and [Ca2+]i can be measured alternately in isolated taste buds from mouse. Stimulation with glutamate and glutamate analogs indicates that taste cells express both metabotropic and ionotropic receptors. The data suggest that the receptors responding to 2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate (L-AP4), presumably metabotropic L-glutamate receptors, do not mediate excitatory glutamate taste responses. Images FIGURE 5 PMID:8842242

Electrokinetic Response of Charge-Selective Nanostructured Polymeric Membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schiffbauer, Jarrod; Li, Diya; Gao, Feng; Phillip, William; Chang, Hsueh-Chia

2017-11-01

Nanostructured polymeric membranes, with a tunable pore size and ease of surface molecular functionalization, are a promising material for separations, filtration, and sensing applications. Recently, such membranes have been fabricated wherein the ion selectivity is imparted by self-assembled functional groups through a two-step process. Amine groups are used to provide a positive surface charge and acid groups are used to yield a negative charge. The membranes can be fabricated as either singly-charged or patterned/mosaic membranes, where there are alternating regions of amine- lined or acid-lined pores. We demonstrate that such membranes, in addition to having many features in common with other charge selective membranes (i.e. AMX or Nafion), display a unique single-membrane rectification behavior. This is due to the asymmetric distribution of charged functional groups during the fabrication process. We demonstrate this rectification effect using both dc current-voltage characteristics as well as dc-biased electrical impedance spectroscopy. Furthermore, surface charge changes due to dc concentration polarization and generation of localized pH shifts are monitored using electrical impedance spectroscopy. (formerly at University of Notre Dame).

Enhanced Flux and Electrochemical Cleaning of Silicate Scaling on Carbon Nanotube-Coated Membrane Distillation Membranes Treating Geothermal Brines.

PubMed

Tang, Li; Iddya, Arpita; Zhu, Xiaobo; Dudchenko, Alexander V; Duan, Wenyan; Turchi, Craig; Vanneste, Johann; Cath, Tzahi Y; Jassby, David

2017-11-08

The desalination of inland brackish groundwater offers the opportunity to provide potable drinking water to residents and industrial cooling water to industries located in arid regions. Geothermal brines are used to generate electricity, but often contain high concentrations of dissolved salt. Here, we demonstrate how the residual heat left in spent geothermal brines can be used to drive a membrane distillation (MD) process and recover desalinated water. Porous polypropylene membranes were coated with a carbon nanotube (CNT)/poly(vinyl alcohol) layer, resulting in composite membranes having a binary structure that combines the hydrophobic properties critical for MD with the hydrophilic and conductive properties of the CNTs. We demonstrate that the addition of the CNT layer increases membrane flux due to enhanced heat transport from the bulk feed to the membrane surface, a result of CNT's high thermal transport properties. Furthermore, we show how hydroxide ion generation, driven by water electrolysis on the electrically conducting membrane surface, can be used to efficiently dissolve silicate scaling that developed during the process of desalinating the geothermal brine, negating the need for chemical cleaning.

Modulation of synaptic transmission in the rabbit coeliac ganglia by gastric and duodenal mechanoreceptors.

PubMed

Mazet, B; Miolan, J P; Niel, J P; Julé, Y; Roman, C

1989-01-01

The involvement of duodenal and gastric mechanoreceptors in the modulation of synaptic transmission was investigated in a rabbit sympathetic prevertebral ganglion. The present study was performed in vitro on the coeliac plexus connected to the stomach and the duodenum. The electrical activity of ganglionic neurons was recorded using intracellular recording techniques. The patterns of synaptic activation of these ganglionic neurons in response to the activation of mechanoreceptors by gastric or duodenal distension were investigated. Although gastric or duodenal distension was unable to elicit any fast synaptic activity in ganglionic neurons, it produced either an inhibition or a facilitation of the fast nicotinic excitatory postsynaptic potentials elicited by stimulation of the thoracic splanchnic nerves. In addition, this distension triggered long-lasting (3-11 min) modifications in the electrical properties of the ganglionic neurons, i.e. slow depolarizations (6-18 mV) or slow hyperpolarizations (3-6 mV), which were sometimes associated with a decrease in the input membrane resistance. After cooling of the nerves connecting the coeliac ganglia to the stomach, the activation of gastric or duodenal mechanoreceptors was no longer able to modify the fast synaptic activation or the electrical properties of the ganglionic neurons. The results demonstrate that gastric and duodenal mechanoreceptors project onto neurons of the coeliac ganglia and change their excitability as well as the central inputs they receive. The long duration of these modifications suggests that gastric and duodenal mechanoreceptors can modulate the activity of the neurons of the coeliac ganglia.

Resveratrol Influences Pancreatic Islets by Opposing Effects on Electrical Activity and Insulin Release.

PubMed

Brouwer, Simone; Hoffmeister, Theresa; Gresch, Anne; Schönhoff, Lisa; Düfer, Martina

2018-03-01

Resveratrol is suggested to improve glycemic control by activation of sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and has already been tested clinically. Our investigation characterizes the targets of resveratrol in pancreatic beta cells and their contribution to short- and long-term effects on insulin secretion. Islets or beta cells are isolated from C57BL/6N mice. Electrophysiology is performed with microelectrode arrays and patch-clamp technique, insulin secretion and content are determined by radioimmunoassay, cAMP is measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and cytosolic Ca 2+ concentration by fluorescence methods. Resveratrol (25 μmol L -1 ) elevates [Ca 2+ ] c and potentiates glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. These effects are associated with increased intracellular cAMP and are sensitive to the SIRT1 blocker Ex-527. Inhibition of EPAC1 by CE3F4 also abolishes the stimulatory effect of resveratrol. The underlying mechanism does not involve membrane depolarization as resveratrol even reduces electrical activity despite blocking K ATP channels. Importantly, after prolonged exposure to resveratrol (14 days), the beneficial influence of the polyphenol on insulin release is lost. Resveratrol addresses multiple targets in pancreatic islets. Potentiation of insulin secretion is mediated by SIRT1-dependent activation of cAMP/EPAC1. Considering resveratrol as therapeutic supplement for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, the inhibitory influence on electrical excitability attenuates positive effects. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Molecular transport through large-diameter DNA nanopores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krishnan, Swati; Ziegler, Daniela; Arnaut, Vera; Martin, Thomas G.; Kapsner, Korbinian; Henneberg, Katharina; Bausch, Andreas R.; Dietz, Hendrik; Simmel, Friedrich C.

2016-09-01

DNA-based nanopores are synthetic biomolecular membrane pores, whose geometry and chemical functionality can be tuned using the tools of DNA nanotechnology, making them promising molecular devices for applications in single-molecule biosensing and synthetic biology. Here we introduce a large DNA membrane channel with an ~4 nm diameter pore, which has stable electrical properties and spontaneously inserts into flat lipid bilayer membranes. Membrane incorporation is facilitated by a large number of hydrophobic functionalizations or, alternatively, streptavidin linkages between biotinylated channels and lipids. The channel displays an Ohmic conductance of ~3 nS, consistent with its size, and allows electrically driven translocation of single-stranded and double-stranded DNA analytes. Using confocal microscopy and a dye influx assay, we demonstrate the spontaneous formation of membrane pores in giant unilamellar vesicles. Pores can be created both in an outside-in and an inside-out configuration.

Analog Computer Solution of the Electrodiffusion Equation for a Simple Membrane

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Onega, Ronald J.

1972-01-01

An analog solution was obtained for the Nenst-Planck and Poisson equations which describe the ion concentration across a simple membrane held at a potential difference. The electric field variation within the membrane was also determined. (Author/TS)

Study on antilock brake system with elastic membrane vibration generated by controlled solenoid excitation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wibowo,, E-mail: wibowo-uns@yahoo.com; Zakaria,, E-mail: zakaaria27@gmail.com; Lambang, Lullus, E-mail: lulus-l@yahoo.com

The most effective chassis control system for improving vehicle safety during severe braking is anti-lock braking system (ABS). Antilock effect can be gained by vibrate the pad brake at 7 to 20 cycle per second. The aim of this study is to design a new method of antilock braking system with membrane elastic vibrated by solenoid. The influence of the pressure fluctuations of brake fluid is investigated. Vibration data is collected using a small portable accelerometer-slam stick. The experiment results that the vibration of brake pad caused by controlled solenoid excitation at 10 Hz is obtained by our new method. Themore » result of measurements can be altered by varying brake fluid pressure.« less