scholarly journals Processing of mechanosensory signals in local reflex pathways of the locust

1989 ◽  
Vol 146 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Burrows
Keyword(s):  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Afferent Input ◽  
The Other ◽  
Reflex Pathways ◽  
Motor Neurones ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Local Reflex ◽  
Spiking Local Interneurones ◽  
The Stability

The processing of mechanosensory signals responsible for the reflex adjustment of the posture or movement of the legs of the locust is described in terms of the actions and connections of identified neurones. Signals can be followed from the major classes of exteroceptors of a leg, through their various integrative stages in the central nervous system to their emergence as specific patterns in known motor neurones. Particular emphasis is placed on the integrative roles of two classes of local interneurones. The spiking local interneurones map the leg as a series of overlapping receptive fields and reverse the sign of the afferent input. The nonspiking local interneurones control the output of the motor neurones by the graded release of chemical transmitter and can adjust the gain of a local reflex depending on the position and movements of the joints of that leg. The reflex movements of one leg must not impair the stability of the animal and must therefore be influenced by events at the other legs. Populations of intersegmental interneurones convey sensory information from one segment to another to ensure such coordination. These interneurones do not produce stereotyped intersegmental reflexes but, instead, alter the performance of a local reflex in a distant leg by making synaptic connections with nonspiking local interneurones. These connections change the effectiveness of the outputs to the motor neurones and consequently the local reflex. The local interneurones therefore play a crucial role both in the production of local reflexes and in the integration of these actions with the movements of the other legs.

Neuromuscular Control of Movement

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Neuromuscular Control ◽  
Complex Environments ◽  
Locomotor Rhythm ◽  
Motor Responses ◽  
Reflex Pathways ◽  
Local Reflex ◽  
Local Circuits ◽  
And Control

The control of movement is essential for animals traversing complex environments and operating across a range of speeds and gaits. We consider how animals process sensory information and initiate motor responses, primarily focusing on simple motor responses that involve local reflex pathways of feedback and control, rather than the more complex, longer-term responses that require the broader integration of higher centers within the nervous system. We explore how local circuits facilitate decentralized coordination of locomotor rhythm and examine the fundamentals of sensory receptors located in the muscles, tendons, joints, and at the animal’s body surface. These sensors monitor the animal’s physical environment and the action of its muscles. The sensory information is then carried back to the animal’s nervous system by afferent neurons, providing feedback that is integrated at the level of the spinal cord of vertebrates and sensory-motor ganglia of invertebrates.

A Comparative Morphological Study of the Tracheal System in Larval Diptera. Part I

1955 ◽  
Vol s3-96 (34) ◽  
pp. 257-278
Author(s):  
JOAN M. WHITTEN
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Morphological Study ◽  
The Other ◽  
Basic Pattern ◽  
Tracheal System ◽  
General Plan ◽  
Future Paper ◽  
Generalized Patterns ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Stability

The larval tracheal system of species representative of certain families in the Diptera Nematocera, Brachycera, and Cyclorrhapha is discussed. Detailed descriptions are given of the larval systems of members of the families Psychodidae, Trichoceridae, Anisopidae, Scatopsidae, Bibionidae, Phoridae, and Calliphoridae. Attention is drawn to the fact that the dissimilarity between the tracheal systems of the species from the selected families--more particularly between the Diptera Nematocera and Cyclorrhapha--is superficial. The differences overlie what is in fact a series of tracheal systems in which the number and distribution of the main elements is remarkably constant. The homologies of these main elements in all three suborders are demonstrated. Correlation between the form of the central nervous system and the distribution of the tracheae is also shown. Each described system is analysed into its main constituents and represented by a ‘larval tracheal pattern’. On close examination the patterns or plans of each system in the various families are shown to conform to a ‘general plan’ common to all the species described, and probably representative of a general larval plan for the whole order; it is suggested that it approaches what must be the primitive distribution of tracheae in the Diptera. It is also suggested that this pattern may prove of phylogenetic importance should it be possible to discover similar generalized patterns for the other insect orders. It is shown how the plan can be used in interpreting previous descriptions by other workers. The results presented illustrate the stability and remarkable constancy of the basic pattern of the tracheal system throughout the main sub-divisions of the order. No correlation is seen between the form of the internal tracheal system and the variations shown by the spiracles, the elements of the tracheal system remaining constant in number and origin in all the species described. In a future paper it is proposed to describe the systems of species from the remaining nematoceran families; considerable deviation from this general plan is to be seen, but the systems can be interpreted in the light of the present results.

scholarly journals Functional Independence of Layer IV Barrels in Rodent Somatosensory Cortex

1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 1311-1316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Goldreich ◽  
Harold T. Kyriazi ◽  
Daniel J. Simons
Keyword(s):  
Somatosensory Cortex ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Functional Independence ◽  
Afferent Input ◽  
Parallel Processors ◽  
The Other ◽  
Alternative View ◽  
Strong Inhibition ◽  
Excitatory Responses ◽  
Local Circuitry

Layer IV of rodent primary somatosensory cortex is characterized by an array of whisker-related groups of neurons, known as “barrels.” Neurons within each barrel respond best to a particular whisker on the contralateral face, and, on deflection of adjacent whiskers, display relatively weak excitation followed by strong inhibition. A prominent hypothesis for the processing of vibrissal information within layer IV is that the multiwhisker receptive fields of barrel neurons reflect interconnections among neighboring barrels. An alternative view is that the receptive field properties of barrel neurons are derived from operations performed on multiwhisker, thalamic inputs by local circuitry within each barrel, independently of neighboring barrels. Here we report that adjacent whisker-evoked excitation and inhibition within a barrel are unaffected by ablation of the corresponding adjacent barrel. In supragranular neurons, on the other hand, excitatory responses to the ablated barrel’s associated whisker are substantially reduced. We conclude that the layer IV barrels function as an array of independent parallel processors, each of which individually transforms thalamic afferent input for subsequent processing by horizontally interconnected circuits in other layers.

Uniformity of Magnification from Different Electron Microscopes

1967 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 32-33
Author(s):  
Godfrey C. Hoskins ◽  
V. Williams ◽  
V. Allison
Keyword(s):  
Diffraction Grating ◽  
The Other ◽  
Carbon Replica ◽  
Electron Microscopes ◽  
The Stability

The method demonstrated is an adaptation of a proven procedure for accurately determining the magnification of light photomicrographs. Because of the stability of modern electrical lenses, the method is shown to be directly applicable for providing precise reproducibility of magnification in various models of electron microscopes.A readily recognizable area of a carbon replica of a crossed-line diffraction grating is used as a standard. The same area of the standard was photographed in Phillips EM 200, Hitachi HU-11B2, and RCA EMU 3F electron microscopes at taps representative of the range of magnification of each. Negatives from one microscope were selected as guides and printed at convenient magnifications; then negatives from each of the other microscopes were projected to register with these prints. By deferring measurement to the print rather than comparing negatives, correspondence of magnification of the specimen in the three microscopes could be brought to within 2%.

Visual and Tactile Information About Object-Curvature Control Fingertip Forces and Grasp Kinematics in Human Dexterous Manipulation

2000 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
pp. 2984-2997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Jenmalm ◽  
Seth Dahlstedt ◽  
Roland S. Johansson
Keyword(s):  
Visual Processing ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Grip Force ◽  
Center Of Mass ◽  
Precision Grip ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Afferent Input ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Tactile Sensibility ◽  
Grasp Stability

Most objects that we manipulate have curved surfaces. We have analyzed how subjects during a prototypical manipulatory task use visual and tactile sensory information for adapting fingertip actions to changes in object curvature. Subjects grasped an elongated object at one end using a precision grip and lifted it while instructed to keep it level. The principal load of the grasp was tangential torque due to the location of the center of mass of the object in relation to the horizontal grip axis joining the centers of the opposing grasp surfaces. The curvature strongly influenced the grip forces required to prevent rotational slips. Likewise the curvature influenced the rotational yield of the grasp that developed under the tangential torque load due to the viscoelastic properties of the fingertip pulps. Subjects scaled the grip forces parametrically with object curvature for grasp stability. Moreover in a curvature-dependent manner, subjects twisted the grasp around the grip axis by a radial flexion of the wrist to keep the desired object orientation despite the rotational yield. To adapt these fingertip actions to object curvature, subjects could use both vision and tactile sensibility integrated with predictive control. During combined blindfolding and digital anesthesia, however, the motor output failed to predict the consequences of the prevailing curvature. Subjects used vision to identify the curvature for efficient feedforward retrieval of grip force requirements before executing the motor commands. Digital anesthesia caused little impairment of grip force control when subjects had vision available, but the adaptation of the twist became delayed. Visual cues about the form of the grasp surface obtained before contact was used to scale the grip force, whereas the scaling of the twist depended on visual cues related to object movement. Thus subjects apparently relied on different visuomotor mechanisms for adaptation of grip force and grasp kinematics. In contrast, blindfolded subjects used tactile cues about the prevailing curvature obtained after contact with the object for feedforward adaptation of both grip force and twist. We conclude that humans use both vision and tactile sensibility for feedforward parametric adaptation of grip forces and grasp kinematics to object curvature. Normal control of the twist action, however, requires digital afferent input, and different visuomotor mechanisms support the control of the grasp twist and the grip force. This differential use of vision may have a bearing to the two-stream model of human visual processing.

scholarly journals Black Hole Algorithm for Sustainable Design of Counterfort Retaining Walls

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2767 ◽  
Author(s):  
Víctor Yepes ◽  
José V. Martí ◽  
José García
Keyword(s):  
Black Hole ◽  
Sustainable Design ◽  
Retaining Walls ◽  
The Other ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Construction Company ◽  
Geometric Variables ◽  
The Stability ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Black Hole Algorithm

The optimization of the cost and CO 2 emissions in earth-retaining walls is of relevance, since these structures are often used in civil engineering. The optimization of costs is essential for the competitiveness of the construction company, and the optimization of emissions is relevant in the environmental impact of construction. To address the optimization, black hole metaheuristics were used, along with a discretization mechanism based on min–max normalization. The stability of the algorithm was evaluated with respect to the solutions obtained; the steel and concrete values obtained in both optimizations were analyzed. Additionally, the geometric variables of the structure were compared. Finally, the results obtained were compared with another algorithm that solved the problem. The results show that there is a trade-off between the use of steel and concrete. The solutions that minimize CO 2 emissions prefer the use of concrete instead of those that optimize the cost. On the other hand, when comparing the geometric variables, it is seen that most remain similar in both optimizations except for the distance between buttresses. When comparing with another algorithm, the results show a good performance in optimization using the black hole algorithm.

scholarly journals A Fractional SAIDR Model in the Frame of Atangana–Baleanu Derivative

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Esmehan Uçar ◽  
Sümeyra Uçar ◽  
Fırat Evirgen ◽  
Necati Özdemir
Keyword(s):  
Existence And Uniqueness ◽  
Laplace Transformation ◽  
Cell Phones ◽  
Mobile Network ◽  
The Other ◽  
Banach Fixed Point Theorem ◽  
Propagation Models ◽  
Computer Worms ◽  
Computer Viruses ◽  
The Stability

It is possible to produce mobile phone worms, which are computer viruses with the ability to command the running of cell phones by taking advantage of their flaws, to be transmitted from one device to the other with increasing numbers. In our day, one of the services to gain currency for circulating these malignant worms is SMS. The distinctions of computers from mobile devices render the existing propagation models of computer worms unable to start operating instantaneously in the mobile network, and this is particularly valid for the SMS framework. The susceptible–affected–infectious–suspended–recovered model with a classical derivative (abbreviated as SAIDR) was coined by Xiao et al., (2017) in order to correctly estimate the spread of worms by means of SMS. This study is the first to implement an Atangana–Baleanu (AB) derivative in association with the fractional SAIDR model, depending upon the SAIDR model. The existence and uniqueness of the drinking model solutions together with the stability analysis are shown through the Banach fixed point theorem. The special solution of the model is investigated using the Laplace transformation and then we present a set of numeric graphics by varying the fractional-order θ with the intention of showing the effectiveness of the fractional derivative.

scholarly journals Competing Conventions with Costly Information Acquisition

Games ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Roberto Rozzi
Keyword(s):  
Information Acquisition ◽  
Evolutionary Model ◽  
Equilibrium Selection ◽  
The Other ◽  
Group Interactions ◽  
Social Coordination ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Stochastic Stability Analysis ◽  
The Stability ◽  
The Cost

We consider an evolutionary model of social coordination in a 2 × 2 game where two groups of players prefer to coordinate on different actions. Players can pay a cost to learn their opponent’s group: if they pay it, they can condition their actions concerning the groups. We assess the stability of outcomes in the long run using stochastic stability analysis. We find that three elements matter for the equilibrium selection: the group size, the strength of preferences, and the information’s cost. If the cost is too high, players never learn the group of their opponents in the long run. If one group is stronger in preferences for its favorite action than the other, or its size is sufficiently large compared to the other group, every player plays that group’s favorite action. If both groups are strong enough in preferences, or if none of the groups’ sizes is large enough, players play their favorite actions and miscoordinate in inter-group interactions. Lower levels of the cost favor coordination. Indeed, when the cost is low, in inside-group interactions, players always coordinate on their favorite action, while in inter-group interactions, they coordinate on the favorite action of the group that is stronger in preferences or large enough.

A Biomechanical Evaluation of Three Forms of Internal Fixation Used in Ankle Arthrodesis

1994 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 297-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P. Dohm ◽  
James B. Benjamin ◽  
Jeffrey Harrison ◽  
John A. Szivek
Keyword(s):  
Internal Fixation ◽  
Plate Fixation ◽  
Ankle Arthrodesis ◽  
Biomechanical Study ◽  
The Other ◽  
Fixation Failure ◽  
Plate Group ◽  
Biomechanical Evaluation ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Fibular Strut

A biomechanical study was undertaken to evaluate the relative stability of three types of internal fixation used for ankle arthrodesis. Crossed screw fixation, RAF fibular strut fixation, and T-plate fixation were tested in 30 cadaver ankles using an MTS machine. T-plate fixation consistantly provided the stiffest construct when compared with the other types of fixation. Failure occurred by distraction of bony surfaces, posterior to the plane of fixation, in the crossed screw and RAF groups. In contrast, failure in the T-plate group occurred through compression of bone anterior to the midcoronal plane of the tibia. Although the stability of fixation is only one factor in determining the success or failure of ankle arthrodesis, the results of this study would support T-plate fixation over the other forms tested.

scholarly journals Tetracycline Induces Stabilization of mRNA in Bacillus subtilis

2002 ◽  
Vol 184 (4) ◽  
pp. 889-894 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Wei ◽  
David H. Bechhofer
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Mrna Stability ◽  
The Other ◽  
Leader Region ◽  
Subinhibitory Concentration ◽  
Coding Sequence ◽  
Mrna Stabilization ◽  
Threefold Increase ◽  
The Stability

ABSTRACT The tet(L) gene of Bacillus subtilis confers low-level tetracycline (Tc) resistance. Previous work examining the >20-fold-inducible expression of tet(L) by Tc demonstrated a 12-fold translational induction. Here we show that the other component of tet(L) induction is at the level of mRNA stabilization. Addition of a subinhibitory concentration of Tc results in a two- to threefold increase in tet(L) mRNA stability. Using a plasmid-borne derivative of tet(L) with a large in-frame deletion of the coding sequence, the mechanism of Tc-induced stability was explored by measuring the decay of tet(L) mRNAs carrying specific mutations in the leader region. The results of these experiments, as well as experiments with a B. subtilis strain that is resistant to Tc due to a mutation in the ribosomal S10 protein, suggest different mechanisms for the effects of Tc on translation and on mRNA stability. The key role of the 5" end in determining mRNA stability was confirmed in these experiments. Surprisingly, the stability of several other B. subtilis mRNAs was also induced by Tc, which indicates that addition of Tc may result in a general stabilization of mRNA.

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