Fast Calcium Signals in Drosophila Motor Neuron Terminals

2002 ◽  
Vol 88 (5) ◽  
pp. 2659-2663 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. T. Macleod ◽  
M. Hegström-Wojtowicz ◽  
M. P. Charlton ◽  
H. L. Atwood

Drosophila is a powerful model for neuroscientists, but physiological techniques have not kept pace with advances in molecular genetics. We introduce a reliable assay for intracellular calcium dynamics in Drosophila larval motor neuron terminals, and a new physiological solution that improves the longevity of the larval preparation. By loading calcium indicators into motor neuron terminals through cut axons, we obtained a high signal-to-noise ratio with confocal microscopy, and good temporal resolution of calcium-dependent fluorescence changes. We provide an estimate for the resting intracellular calcium concentration, the first description of calcium kinetics for a single action potential (AP), and improved resolution of calcium kinetics during AP trains. The very rapid decay of the calcium signal following a single AP (τ ∼60 ms) indicates a previously unreported fast calcium extrusion mechanism in Drosophila motor neuron terminals well suited for sustaining physiological processes during the high rates of impulse activity which drive locomotor activity.

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (6) ◽  
pp. 2104-2112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bjoern Ch. Ludwar ◽  
Colin G. Evans ◽  
Monica Cambi ◽  
Elizabeth C. Cropper

In a type of short-term plasticity that is observed in a number of systems, synaptic transmission is potentiated by depolarizing changes in the membrane potential of the presynaptic neuron before spike initiation. This digital-analog form of plasticity is graded. The more depolarized the neuron, the greater the increase in the efficacy of synaptic transmission. In a number of systems, including the system presently under investigation, this type of modulation is calcium dependent, and its graded nature is presumably a consequence of a direct relationship between the intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) and the effect on synaptic transmission. It is therefore of interest to identify factors that determine the magnitude of this type of calcium signal. We studied a synapse in Aplysia and demonstrate that there can be a contribution from currents activated during spiking. When neurons spike, there are localized increases in [Ca2+]i that directly trigger neurotransmitter release. Additionally, spiking can lead to global increases in [Ca2+]i that are reminiscent of those induced by subthreshold depolarization. We demonstrate that these spike-induced increases in [Ca2+]i result from the activation of a current not activated by subthreshold depolarization. Importantly, they decay with a relatively slow time constant. Consequently, with repeated spiking, even at a low frequency, they readily summate to become larger than increases in [Ca2+]i induced by subthreshold depolarization alone. When this occurs, global increases in [Ca2+]i induced by spiking play the predominant role in determining the efficacy of synaptic transmission. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We demonstrate that spiking can induce global increases in the intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) that decay with a relatively long time constant. Consequently, summation of the calcium signal occurs even at low firing frequencies. As a result there is significant, persistent potentiation of synaptic transmission.


1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 825-830 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Lando ◽  
R. S. Zucker

1. The photolabile Ca2+ chelator DM-nitrophen was injected into crayfish motor neuron terminals and photolyzed with light flashes of different intensity to determine the cooperativity of Ca2+ action in releasing neurotransmitter. 2. Each flash elicited a phasic postsynaptic response resembling an excitatory junctional potential, apparently due to a presynaptic ”spike” in intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i). 3. When postsynaptic currents were measured under voltage clamp, a Ca2+ cooperativity of approximately 3–4 was inferred from a supralinear dependence of responses on changes in peak [Ca2+]i caused by flashes differing in intensity by 32–46%. 4. A similar Ca2+ cooperativity was inferred from postsynaptic potentials in response to flashes of varying intensity. 5. The time course of transmitter release indicated by flash responses had slightly slower rising and falling phases than excitatory postsynaptic potentials. There was also a slow tail of transmitter release lasting for approximately 200 ms after a flash. 6. This time course was explained quantitatively by simulations of DM-nitrophen photolysis and binding reactions and a model of Ca2+ activation of transmitter release.


2004 ◽  
Vol 166 (5) ◽  
pp. 661-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Violaine Sée ◽  
Nina K.M. Rajala ◽  
David G. Spiller ◽  
Michael R.H. White

Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) has been implicated in the regulation of cell proliferation and transformation. We investigated the role of the serum-induced intracellular calcium increase in the NF-κB–dependent cell cycle progression in Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts. Noninvasive photoactivation of a calcium chelator (Diazo-2) was used to specifically disrupt the transient rise in calcium induced by serum stimulation of starved Swiss 3T3 cells. The serum-induced intracellular calcium peak was essential for subsequent NF-κB activation (measured by real-time imaging of the dynamic p65 and IκBα fluorescent fusion proteins), cyclin D1 (CD1) promoter-directed transcription (measured by real-time luminescence imaging of CD1 promoter-directed firefly luciferase activity), and progression to cell division. We further showed that the serum-induced mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation is calcium dependent. Inhibition of the MAPK- but not the PtdIns3K-dependent pathway inhibited NF-κB signaling, and further, CD1 transcription and cell cycle progression. These data suggest that a serum-dependent calcium signal regulates the cell cycle via a MAPK–NF-κB pathway in Swiss 3T3 cells.


2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 951-958
Author(s):  
Tianhao Liu ◽  
Yu Jin ◽  
Cuixiang Pei ◽  
Jie Han ◽  
Zhenmao Chen

Small-diameter tubes that are widely used in petroleum industries and power plants experience corrosion during long-term services. In this paper, a compact inserted guided-wave EMAT with a pulsed electromagnet is proposed for small-diameter tube inspection. The proposed transducer is noncontact, compact with high signal-to-noise ratio and unattractive to ferromagnetic tubes. The proposed EMAT is designed with coils-only configuration, which consists of a pulsed electromagnet and a meander pulser/receiver coil. Both the numerical simulation and experimental results validate its feasibility on generating and receiving L(0,2) mode guided wave. The parameters for driving the proposed EMAT are optimized by performance testing. Finally, feasibility on quantification evaluation for corrosion defects was verified by experiments.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satish Kodali ◽  
Liangshan Chen ◽  
Yuting Wei ◽  
Tanya Schaeffer ◽  
Chong Khiam Oh

Abstract Optical beam induced resistance change (OBIRCH) is a very well-adapted technique for static fault isolation in the semiconductor industry. Novel low current OBIRCH amplifier is used to facilitate safe test condition requirements for advanced nodes. This paper shows the differences between the earlier and novel generation OBIRCH amplifiers. Ring oscillator high standby leakage samples are analyzed using the novel generation amplifier. High signal to noise ratio at applied low bias and current levels on device under test are shown on various samples. Further, a metric to demonstrate the SNR to device performance is also discussed. OBIRCH analysis is performed on all the three samples for nanoprobing of, and physical characterization on, the leakage. The resulting spots were calibrated and classified. It is noted that the calibration metric can be successfully used for the first time to estimate the relative threshold voltage of individual transistors in advanced process nodes.


Nanophotonics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 2569-2576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lu Li ◽  
Lihui Pang ◽  
Qiyi Zhao ◽  
Yao Wang ◽  
Wenjun Liu

AbstractTransition metal dichalcogenides have been widely utilized as nonlinear optical materials for laser pulse generation applications. Herein, we study the nonlinear optical properties of a VS2-based optical device and its application as a new saturable absorber (SA) for high-power pulse generation. Few-layer VS2 nanosheets are deposited on the tapered region of a microfiber to form an SA device, which shows a modulation depth of 40.52%. After incorporating the microfiber-VS2 SA into an Er-doped fiber laser cavity, passively Q-switched pulse trains could be obtained with repetition rates varying from 95 to 233 kHz. Under the pump power of 890 mW, the largest output power and shortest pulse duration are measured to be 43 mW and 854 ns, respectively. The high signal-to-noise ratio of 60 dB confirms the excellent stability of the Q-switching state. To the best of our knolowdge, this is the first illustration of using VS2 as an SA. Our experimental results demonstrate that VS2 nanomaterials have a large potential for nonlinear optics applications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 168781402098732
Author(s):  
Ayisha Nayyar ◽  
Ummul Baneen ◽  
Syed Abbas Zilqurnain Naqvi ◽  
Muhammad Ahsan

Localizing small damages often requires sensors be mounted in the proximity of damage to obtain high Signal-to-Noise Ratio in system frequency response to input excitation. The proximity requirement limits the applicability of existing schemes for low-severity damage detection as an estimate of damage location may not be known  a priori. In this work it is shown that spatial locality is not a fundamental impediment; multiple small damages can still be detected with high accuracy provided that the frequency range beyond the first five natural frequencies is utilized in the Frequency response functions (FRF) curvature method. The proposed method presented in this paper applies sensitivity analysis to systematically unearth frequency ranges capable of elevating damage index peak at correct damage locations. It is a baseline-free method that employs a smoothing polynomial to emulate reference curvatures for the undamaged structure. Numerical simulation of steel-beam shows that small multiple damages of severity as low as 5% can be reliably detected by including frequency range covering 5–10th natural frequencies. The efficacy of the scheme is also experimentally validated for the same beam. It is also found that a simple noise filtration scheme such as a Gaussian moving average filter can adequately remove false peaks from the damage index profile.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 2697
Author(s):  
Giovanna Traina

Sesquiterpene caulerpenyne (CYN) is the major metabolite present in green macroalgae Caulerpa taxifolia. This metabolite has been shown to be cytotoxic in some cell lines and was found to be active in various assays of pharmacological interest. In addition, it exerts antibiotic, antiviral, phytotoxic, antidyslipidemic, and antiproliferative activities. In the present study, we report that pretreatment with CYN decreases the bradykinin-induced calcium peak in human colon LoVo cells. We hypothesize that CYN pretreatment may adversely affect bradykinin-induced intracellular calcium increases. The data suggest that CYN, by reducing the increase in intracellular calcium, exerts an inhibitory role on calcium homeostasis and, likely, intercellular transmission.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Giganti ◽  
Alex Kirkham ◽  
Veeru Kasivisvanathan ◽  
Marianthi-Vasiliki Papoutsaki ◽  
Shonit Punwani ◽  
...  

AbstractProstate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of high diagnostic quality is a key determinant for either detection or exclusion of prostate cancer. Adequate high spatial resolution on T2-weighted imaging, good diffusion-weighted imaging and dynamic contrast-enhanced sequences of high signal-to-noise ratio are the prerequisite for a high-quality MRI study of the prostate. The Prostate Imaging Quality (PI-QUAL) score was created to assess the diagnostic quality of a scan against a set of objective criteria as per Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System recommendations, together with criteria obtained from the image. The PI-QUAL score is a 1-to-5 scale where a score of 1 indicates that all MR sequences (T2-weighted imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging and dynamic contrast-enhanced sequences) are below the minimum standard of diagnostic quality, a score of 3 means that the scan is of sufficient diagnostic quality, and a score of 5 implies that all three sequences are of optimal diagnostic quality. The purpose of this educational review is to provide a practical guide to assess the quality of prostate MRI using PI-QUAL and to familiarise the radiologist and all those involved in prostate MRI with this scoring system. A variety of images are also presented to demonstrate the difference between suboptimal and good prostate MR scans.


Nanophotonics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 3443-3450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei-Nan Liu ◽  
Rui Chen ◽  
Wei-Yi Shi ◽  
Ke-Bo Zeng ◽  
Fu-Li Zhao ◽  
...  

AbstractSelective transmission or filtering always responds to either frequency or incident angle, so as hardly to maximize signal-to-noise ratio in communication, detection and sensing. Here, we propose compact meta-filters of narrow-frequency sharp-angular transmission peak along with broad omnidirectional reflection sidebands, in all-dielectric cascaded subwavelength meta-gratings. The inherent collective resonance of waveguide-array modes and thin film approximation of meta-grating are employed as the design strategy. A unity transmission peak, locating at the incident angle of 44.4° and the center wavelength of 1550 nm, is demonstrated in a silicon meta-filter consisting of two-layer silicon rectangular meta-grating. These findings provide possibilities in cascaded meta-gratings spectroscopic design and alternative utilities for high signal-to-noise ratio applications in focus-free spatial filtering and anti-noise systems in telecommunications.


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