scholarly journals Ratiometric Flapping Force Probe That Works in Polymer Gels

Author(s):  
Takuya Yamakado ◽  
Shohei Saito

A ratiometric flapping force probe that can evaluate the nanoscale stress concentration in the polymer chain network of common organogels has been developed. Stress-dependent dual-fluorescence properties of the chemically doped flapping force probe has been demonstrated even when the probe is solvated in the wet materials (Figure 1). The fluorescence ratiometric analysis is robust against the local concentration change induced by the macroscopic polymer deformation. While the force-responsive FRET dyads, widely used in mechanobiology, are sensitive to the distance and orientation of the two chromophores, the flapping fluorophore works as a single-component flexible force probe regardless of the FRET efficiency. Realtime and reversible spectral response to the mechanical stress is observed with a low threshold on the order of sub-MPa compression due to its conformational flexibility. The previously reported flapping probe only shows a negligible response in the solvated environments because the undesired spontaneous planarization occurs in the S1 excited state, even without mechanical force. The excited-state engineering by changing the flapping wings from the anthraceneimide units to the pyreneimide units endows this molecule with the force probe function in the wet conditions. The structurally modified force probe also has an advantage in terms of a wide dynamic range of the fluorescence response in solvent-free elastomers, which enabled the ratiometric fluorescence imaging of the molecular-level stress concentration during the crack growth in a stretched polyurethane film. The percentage of the stressed force probes has been experimentally estimated to be approximately 30–40% before the fracture of the elastomers. The flapping force probe is useful for elucidating the toughening mechanism of recently focused unique topological gels and elastomers at molecular level.

1985 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 1387-1400 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Yokota ◽  
N. Koyama ◽  
N. Matsumoto

Recordings were made from single thalamic units in the urethan-chloralose anesthetized cat. Altogether 2,905 trigeminal single units having a receptive field in the contralateral trigeminal integument were isolated from the somatosensory part of nucleus ventralis posteromedialis, or VPM proper. Each isolated unit was tested for responses to a series of mechanical stimuli. The stimuli included brushing the skin, touch, pressure, noxious pinch, and pinpricks. The majority of VPM proper units responded with the greatest discharge frequency to gentle mechanical stimulation: either hair movement or light pressure to the trigeminal integument, but 341 units were identified as trigeminal nociceptive units. They were partitioned into two functionally defined subclasses, nociceptive specific (NS) and wide dynamic range (WDR) units, but not intermingled with low-threshold mechanoreceptive (LTM) units. Both NS and WDR units were found at or near the margin of the VPM proper but not outside this nucleus. This marginal area was referred to as the shell region of the VPM proper. A total of 248 NS units was found within the shell region of the caudal third of the VPM proper. This part was called the NS zone. These units were somatotopically organized. In the rostral part of the NS zone, ophthalmic NS units having a receptive field in the contralateral ophthalmic division were located dorsolaterally, maxillary NS units occurred dorsomedially, and mandibular NS units were found ventromedially. In the caudal part of the NS zone, maxillary NS units were encountered in the dorsal shell region, whereas mandibular NS units were found in the ventromedial shell region. Ophthalmic NS units were not found in this part of the NS zone. Altogether 93 WDR units were encountered in the shell region of the VPM proper. They were confined to a narrow band approximately 300 micron wide just rostral to the NS zone. These units were somatotopically organized. Ophthalmic WDR units having a low-threshold center of the receptive field in the contralateral ophthalmic division were located dorsolaterally, maxillary WDR units were located dorsomedially, and mandibular WDR units were located ventromedially. The majority of maxillary as well as mandibular WDR units were activated by electrical stimulation of the contralateral maxillary and/or mandibular canine tooth pulp afferents. Both NS and WDR zones of the VPM proper extended into the shell region of the nucleus ventralis posterolateralis (VPL).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


2007 ◽  
Vol 989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heiko Schäfer ◽  
Konstantin Seibel ◽  
Lars Schöler ◽  
Markus Böhm

AbstractWe report the fabrication of an amorphous silicon based fluorescence sensor for miniaturized total analysis systems along with experimental results on optical excitation and detection elements. The pin-photodiode exhibits a dynamic range of 110dB and a room temperature dark current of less than 3000 charge carriers per ms according to a detector area of 0.1256mm2. The spectral response is ranging from 320nm to 780nm with a maximum at 600nm @ 80% quantum efficiency. To provide high sensitivity, the excitation light irradiates the fluid orthogonally to the active sensor detection direction by means of specifically designed microfluidic capillaries filled with e.g. methylene iodide or 1,2-o-dibrombenzene. The liquid core, which is enclosed by solid cladding materials, has been calculated to dimensions of a width of 16.75µm or 59.67µm with a height from 15µm to 50µm according to a number of propagating modes inside of 16 or 57, respectively.


Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Yhang Ricardo Sipauba Carvalho da Silva ◽  
Rihito Kuroda ◽  
Shigetoshi Sugawa

This paper presents a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor (CIS) capable of capturing UV-selective and visible light images simultaneously by a single exposure and without employing optical filters, suitable for applications that require simultaneous UV and visible light imaging, or UV imaging in variable light environment. The developed CIS is composed by high and low UV sensitivity pixel types, arranged alternately in a checker pattern. Both pixel types were designed to have matching sensitivities for non-UV light. The UV-selective image is captured by extracting the differential spectral response between adjacent pixels, while the visible light image is captured simultaneously by the low UV sensitivity pixels. Also, to achieve high conversion gain and wide dynamic range simultaneously, the lateral overflow integration capacitor (LOFIC) technology was introduced in both pixel types. The developed CIS has a pixel pitch of 5.6 µm and exhibits 172 µV/e− conversion gain, 131 ke− full well capacity (FWC), and 92.3 dB dynamic range. The spectral sensitivity ranges of the high and low UV sensitivity pixels are of 200–750 nm and 390–750 nm, respectively. The resulting sensitivity range after the differential spectral response extraction is of 200–480 nm. This paper presents details regarding the CIS pixels structures, doping profiles, device simulations, and the measurement results for photoelectric response and spectral sensitivity for both pixel types. Also, sample images of UV-selective and visible spectral imaging using the developed CIS are presented.


1989 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 1197-1206 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Hu ◽  
B. J. Sessle

1. Effects of deafferentation of the tooth pulps of the posterior mandibular teeth were studied in single neurons recorded in the ipsilateral subnucleus caudalis of the trigeminal (V) spinal tract nucleus of adult cats and kittens. The functional properties of neurons in each anesthetized animal were determined electro-physiologically in a series of microelectrode penetrations of the subnucleus. 2. The more than 800 neurons investigated could be subdivided on the basis of their cutaneous mechanoreceptive field properties into low-threshold mechanoreceptive (LTM) neurons, wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons, or nociceptive-specific (NS) neurons. Comparisons of neuronal properties were made between control (intact) cats and 7-15 day deafferented cats studied in a blind design, as well as groups of longer term deafferented cats, and kittens undergoing a “natural” deafferentation as a result of exfoliation of primary teeth. 3. There was no apparent change in the somatotopic pattern of organization of the subnucleus in the kittens and pulp-deafferented cats and no statistically significant differences were noted between kittens and control cats in any property except for alterations in the incidence of spontaneously active neurons. 4. Limited but statistically significant alterations were noted in some of the neuronal properties in the deafferented cats. These changes were especially apparent in the LTM neurons. The incidence of spontaneous activity was significantly decreased in the neurons of most long-term deafferented groups of cats. In the 7–15 day deafferented group, significantly more LTM neurons had a mechanoreceptive field involving all three divisions of the V nerve, and there was a significant increase in the incidence of LTM neurons activated by electrical stimulation of intraoral sites. Mechanosensitive neurons responsive only to tap stimuli were found only in the deafferented groups of cats. 5. These alterations in caudalis contrast with previous reports claiming marked hyperexcitability of caudal V brain stem neurons as a consequence of deafferentation and implicating such effects in the development of pain. However, some of the changes are in general not inconsistent with deafferentation-induced changes reported in spinal somatosensory neurons and with the pulp deafferentation-induced changes that we have recently documented in LTM neurons of subnucleus oralis of the V spinal tract nucleus of adult cats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (7) ◽  
pp. 999-1005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joong Soo Kim ◽  
M. Catherine Bushnell ◽  
Gary H. Duncan ◽  
James P. Lund

During mastication, reflexes are modulated and sensory transmission is altered in interneurons and ascending pathways of the rostral trigeminal sensory complex. The current experiment examines the modulation of sensory transmission through the most caudal part of the trigeminal sensory system, the medullary dorsal horn, during fictive mastication produced by cortical stimulation. Extracellular single unit activity was recorded from the medullary dorsal horn, and multiple unit activity was recorded from the trigeminal motor nucleus in anesthetized, paralyzed rabbits. The masticatory area of sensorimotor cortex was stimulated to produce rhythmic activity in the trigeminal motor nucleus (fictive mastication). Activity in the dorsal horn was compared in the presence and absence of cortical stimulation. Fifty-two percent of neurons classified as low threshold and 83% of neurons receiving noxious inputs were influenced by cortical stimulation. The cortical effects were mainly inhibitory, but 21% of wide dynamic range and 6% of low threshold cells were excited by cortical stimulation. The modulation produced by cortical stimulation, whether inhibitory or excitatory, was not phasically related to the masticatory cycle. It is likely that, when masticatory movements are commanded by the sensorimotor cortex, the program includes tonic changes in sensory transmission through the medullary dorsal horn.


2002 ◽  
Vol 97 (2) ◽  
pp. 412-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masanori Yamauchi ◽  
Hiroshi Sekiyama ◽  
Steven G. Shimada ◽  
J. G. Collins

Background A major effect of general anesthesia is lack of response in the presence of a noxious stimulus. Anesthetic depression of spinal sensory neuronal responses to noxious stimuli is likely to contribute to that essential general anesthetic action. The authors tested the hypothesis that gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor type A (GABA(A)) and strychnine-sensitive glycine receptor systems mediate halothane depression of spinal sensory neuronal responses to noxious stimuli. Methods Extracellular activity of single spinal dorsal horn wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons was recorded in decerebrate, spinal cord transected rats. Neuronal responses to noxious (thermal and mechanical) and nonnoxious stimuli were examined in the drug-free state. Subsequently, cumulative doses (0.1-2.0 mg/kg) of bicuculline (GABA(A) antagonist) or strychnine (glycine antagonist) were administered intravenously in the absence or presence of 1 minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of halothane. Results Halothane, 1.1%, depressed the response of WDR neurons to both forms of noxious stimuli. Antagonists, by themselves, had no effect on noxiously evoked activity. However, bicuculline and strychnine (maximum cumulative dose, 2.0 mg/kg) partially but significantly reversed the halothane depression of noxiously evoked activity. Similar results were seen with most, but not all, forms of nonnoxiously evoked activity. In the absence of halothane, strychnine significantly increased neuronal responses to low threshold receptive field brushing. Conclusion Halothane depression of spinal WDR neuronal responses to noxious and most nonnoxious stimuli is mediated, in part, by GABA(A) and strychnine-sensitive glycine systems. A spinal source of glycine tonically inhibits some forms of low threshold input to WDR neurons.


2001 ◽  
Vol 16 (26) ◽  
pp. 1667-1670
Author(s):  
◽  
YUQIAN MA

L3 + C is a branch experiment on L3 magnet spectrometer, which is located on the ring of LEP accelerator at CERN. To take the advantage of L3 muon chambers in its low threshold, wide dynamic range and high resolution, the momentum of cosmic ray muons in the range of 15–2000 GeV/c at a shallow depth of 30 m of molasse can be measured precisely. Since 1998, a scintillator detector system, a new fast trigger and DAQ system, and a small air shower array had been established for study the CR muon events independently. Up to August 2000, 8 billion muons and 25 million air shower events had been recorded. The first results for CR muon spectrum and the charge ratio etc. had been obtained.


1996 ◽  
Vol 420 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Neidlinger ◽  
M. B. Schubert ◽  
G. Schmid ◽  
H. Brummack

AbstractIn order to overcome the intrinsic speed limitation of amorphous silicon nipin color sensors we present an alternative way of achieving bias-controlled spectral sensitivity of two-terminal thin film devices, piin structures with appropriate band gap and thickness of their single layers can be used as photodetectors that are able to sequentially extract different color signals. Color separation is achieved by controlling the absorption and electric field profile across these piin devices, and thanks to the differences in electron and hole transport properties. Because in contrast to nipin devices there is no need for reverting readout voltages for color separation, this type of sensors can be operated at much higher readout frequencies. Spectral response and bias voltage transients have been analysed up to 20kHz, and preliminiary data are presented on the optimization of speed, dynamic range and color separation by varying bandgap and thickness of p- and i-layers. Furthermore a three-color sensor has been realized by introducing an additional intrinsic layer.


1995 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 1549-1562 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Herrero ◽  
P. M. Headley

1. To compare the responsiveness of lumbar spinal neurons to peripheral sensory stimuli under normal physiological conditions and under halothane anesthesia, we performed a study in sheep that were prepared chronically. This permitted recordings to be made in the same animals either when they were awake and free from recent surgery, drugs, and training and only partially restrained or when they were anesthetized with halothane. 2. We recorded 261 units in dorsal and ventral horns under conscious conditions. Of these, 19% had no detectable receptive field (RF) and 44% had responses dominated by proprioceptive inputs; these units were not investigated in detail. The remaining 96 neurons (37%) had clearly defined cutaneous RFs. Of these, most (72%) had wide-dynamic-range (WDR; convergent, multireceptive) properties, 19% were low-threshold mechanoreceptive (LTMR), and 9% were high-threshold mechanoreceptive (HTMR). These units with cutaneous RFs were investigated in greater detail. 3. The spontaneous activity under these awake conditions was low (< 4 spikes/s) for nearly all units in all three categories. The mechanical threshold of the most sensitive (central) part of the cutaneous RF was assessed with von Frey bristles. Thresholds were < 5 mN for all LTMR neurons, < 1-30 mN for WDR neurons, and > 80 mN for HTMR neurons. The size of the low-threshold cutaneous RFs was significantly larger for WDR neurons (mean 46 cm2) and HTMR neurons (45 cm2) than for LTMR neurons (24 cm2). The RFs were distributed all over the ipsilateral hindlimb. Large RFs were mostly proximal, whereas small RFs were distributed relatively evenly over the limb. 4. Recordings were made from a further 165 units while the animals were under halothane anesthesia. With 86 neurons having cutaneous peripheral RFs, the proportions having LTMR, HTMR, or WDR characteristics were very similar to those in awake animals. Under halothane the ongoing activity of WDR units was slightly (but significantly) less. The threshold to von Frey bristle stimulation was significantly higher only for WDR units, in both dorsal and ventral horns. The mean size of cutaneous RFs was significantly larger in all classes of units recorded under halothane anesthesia. For WDR units this was true for cells in both dorsal and ventral horns. This effect on mean values was due to a larger proportion of units with very large fields under anesthesia, particularly in the dorsal horn. 5. Comparison of the data from conscious animals with published results of acute experiments indicates that acute recording conditions do not distort the relative distribution and resting characteristics of these three functional categories of lumbar spinal neurons as much as might have been expected. 6. Halothane does not have major effects on the resting sensory responsiveness of spinal neurons with cutaneous RFs. The increase in RF area, which contrasts with most results from acute studies, is likely to be due to a dampening of descending inhibitory control mechanisms.


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