scholarly journals Analysis of Synaptic Microcircuits in the Mushroom Bodies of the Honeybee

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Groh ◽  
Wolfgang Rössler
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Plasticity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mushroom Bodies ◽  
Insect Brain ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Projection Neurons ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Neuronal Mechanisms ◽  
Input Region ◽  
Change Response

Mushroom bodies (MBs) are multisensory integration centers in the insect brain involved in learning and memory formation. In the honeybee, the main sensory input region (calyx) of MBs is comparatively large and receives input from mainly olfactory and visual senses, but also from gustatory/tactile modalities. Behavioral plasticity following differential brood care, changes in sensory exposure or the formation of associative long-term memory (LTM) was shown to be associated with structural plasticity in synaptic microcircuits (microglomeruli) within olfactory and visual compartments of the MB calyx. In the same line, physiological studies have demonstrated that MB-calyx microcircuits change response properties after associative learning. The aim of this review is to provide an update and synthesis of recent research on the plasticity of microcircuits in the MB calyx of the honeybee, specifically looking at the synaptic connectivity between sensory projection neurons (PNs) and MB intrinsic neurons (Kenyon cells). We focus on the honeybee as a favorable experimental insect for studying neuronal mechanisms underlying complex social behavior, but also compare it with other insect species for certain aspects. This review concludes by highlighting open questions and promising routes for future research aimed at understanding the causal relationships between neuronal and behavioral plasticity in this charismatic social insect.

scholarly journals Classification of odorants across layers in locust olfactory pathway

2016 ◽  
Vol 115 (5) ◽  
pp. 2303-2316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel Sanda ◽  
Tiffany Kee ◽  
Nitin Gupta ◽  
Mark Stopfer ◽  
Maxim Bazhenov
Keyword(s):  
Antennal Lobe ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Classification Error ◽  
Mushroom Bodies ◽  
Insect Brain ◽  
Projection Neurons ◽  
Olfactory Pathway ◽  
Lateral Horn ◽  
Odor Classification

Olfactory processing takes place across multiple layers of neurons from the transduction of odorants in the periphery, to odor quality processing, learning, and decision making in higher olfactory structures. In insects, projection neurons (PNs) in the antennal lobe send odor information to the Kenyon cells (KCs) of the mushroom bodies and lateral horn neurons (LHNs). To examine the odor information content in different structures of the insect brain, antennal lobe, mushroom bodies and lateral horn, we designed a model of the olfactory network based on electrophysiological recordings made in vivo in the locust. We found that populations of all types (PNs, LHNs, and KCs) had lower odor classification error rates than individual cells of any given type. This improvement was quantitatively different from that observed using uniform populations of identical neurons compared with spatially structured population of neurons tuned to different odor features. This result, therefore, reflects an emergent network property. Odor classification improved with increasing stimulus duration: for similar odorants, KC and LHN ensembles reached optimal discrimination within the first 300–500 ms of the odor response. Performance improvement with time was much greater for a population of cells than for individual neurons. We conclude that, for PNs, LHNs, and KCs, ensemble responses are always much more informative than single-cell responses, despite the accumulation of noise along with odor information.

scholarly journals Long-Term Memory Leads to Synaptic Reorganization in the Mushroom Bodies: A Memory Trace in the Insect Brain?

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (18) ◽  
pp. 6461-6465 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Hourcade ◽  
T. S. Muenz ◽  
J. C. Sandoz ◽  
W. Rossler ◽  
J. M. Devaud
Keyword(s):  
Memory Trace ◽  
Mushroom Bodies ◽  
Insect Brain ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Synaptic Reorganization ◽  
Term Memory

Further investigations on Fujimoto type strong uniqueness polynomials

Filomat ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (16) ◽  
pp. 5203-5216
Author(s):  
Abhijit Banerjee ◽  
Bikash Chakraborty ◽  
Sanjay Mallick
Keyword(s):  
Meromorphic Functions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Strong Uniqueness ◽  
Open Questions

Taking the question posed by the first author in [1] into background, we further exhaust-ably investigate existing Fujimoto type Strong Uniqueness Polynomial for Meromorphic functions (SUPM). We also introduce a new kind of SUPM named Restricted SUPM and exhibit some results which will give us a new direction to discuss the characteristics of a SUPM. Moreover, throughout the paper, we pose a number of open questions for future research.

scholarly journals Hepatic stellate cells: current state and open questions

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claus Kordes ◽  
Hans H. Bock ◽  
Doreen Reichert ◽  
Petra May ◽  
Dieter Häussinger
Keyword(s):  
Hepatic Stellate Cells ◽  
Stellate Cells ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Heinrich Heine ◽  
Current State ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Sinusoidal Endothelium ◽  
Cell Niche ◽  
Space Of Disse

Abstract This review article summarizes 20 years of our research on hepatic stellate cells within the framework of two collaborative research centers CRC575 and CRC974 at the Heinrich Heine University. Over this period, stellate cells were identified for the first time as mesenchymal stem cells of the liver, and important functions of these cells in the context of liver regeneration were discovered. Furthermore, it was determined that the space of Disse – bounded by the sinusoidal endothelium and hepatocytes – functions as a stem cell niche for stellate cells. Essential elements of this niche that control the maintenance of hepatic stellate cells have been identified alongside their impairment with age. This article aims to highlight previous studies on stellate cells and critically examine and identify open questions and future research directions.

The DEAH helicase DHX36 and its role in G-quadruplex-dependent processes

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Schult ◽  
Katrin Paeschke
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Transcriptional Level ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Multiple Functions ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
G Quadruplex ◽  
Cellular Pathways ◽  
Nucleic Acid Structures ◽  
Dependent Processes

AbstractDHX36 is a member of the DExD/H box helicase family, which comprises a large number of proteins involved in various cellular functions. Recently, the function of DHX36 in the regulation of G-quadruplexes (G4s) was demonstrated. G4s are alternative nucleic acid structures, which influence many cellular pathways on a transcriptional and post-transcriptional level. In this review we provide an overview of the current knowledge about DHX36 structure, substrate specificity, and mechanism of action based on the available models and crystal structures. Moreover, we outline its multiple functions in cellular homeostasis, immunity, and disease. Finally, we discuss the open questions and provide potential directions for future research.

Second language structural priming: A critical review and directions for future research

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie N. Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structural Priming ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Current State ◽  
Current Review ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
State Of Research

The last 15 years has seen a tremendous growth in research on structural priming among second language (L2) speakers. Structural priming is the phenomenon whereby speakers are more likely to repeat a structure they have recently heard or produced. Research on L2 structural priming speaks to key issues regarding the underlying linguistic and cognitive mechanisms that support L2 acquisition and use, and the extent to which lexical and grammatical information are shared across an L2 speaker’s languages. As the number of researchers investigating L2 priming and its implications for L2 learning continues to grow, it is important to assess the current state of research in this area and establish directions for continued inquiry. The goal of the current review is to provide an overview of recent research on within-language L2 structural priming, with an eye towards the open questions that remain.

Retrospective: “culture shocks” in inter-cultural service encounters?

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 377-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernd Stauss
Keyword(s):  
Marketing Research ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Scientific Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Service Encounters ◽  
Cultural Encounters ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Scientific Discussion ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Cultural Service

Purpose The article “Culture shocks” in inter-cultural service encounters was published in 1999. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how the scientific discussion about this issue has developed and which open research questions are still awaiting solutions. Design/methodology/approach The main contributions of the original article are evaluated in the light of the current state of research. Simultaneously, the scientific development is commented on the basis of the original theoretical and empirical insights. Findings The original article belongs to those that initiated an extraordinary development of the research field. Aspects of inter-cultural encounters have found increasing attention in service marketing research. However, some fundamental problems of inter-cultural studies are still unresolved, and some of the theoretical and management oriented stimuli of the 1999 paper still seem worthy of consideration. Originality/value The retrospective analysis gives insight into the scientific development of the research on inter-cultural service encounters. It identifies relevant development lines, new perspectives and open questions for future research.

scholarly journals Arabis alpina: a perennial model plant for ecological genomics and life-history evolution

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Wötzel ◽  
Marco Andrello ◽  
Maria Albani ◽  
Marcus Koch ◽  
George Coupland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ecological Genomics ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Arabis Alpina ◽  
History Evolution ◽  
Plant Families

Many model organisms have obtained a prominent status due to an advantageous combination of their life-history characteristics, genetic properties and also practical considerations. In non-crop plants, Arabidopsis thaliana is the most renowned model and has been used as study system to elucidate numerous biological processes at the molecular level. Once a complete genome sequence was available, research has markedly accelerated and further established A. thaliana as the reference to stimulate studies in other species with different biology. Within the Brassicaceae family, the arctic-alpine perennial Arabis alpina has become a model complementary to A. thaliana to study life-history evolution and ecological genomics in harsh environments. In this review, we provide an overview of the properties that facilitated the rapid emergence of A. alpina as a plant model. We summarize the evolutionary history of A. alpina, including the diversification of its mating system, and discuss recent progress in the molecular dissection of developmental traits that are related to its perennial life history and environmental adaptation. We indicate open questions from which future research might be developed in other Brassicaceae species or more distantly related plant families.

scholarly journals Reducibility and Solvability of Some Classes of Kryuchkov Binary Tree Pairs

10.37236/2028 ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Madonia ◽  
Giuseppe Scollo
Keyword(s):  
Induction Hypothesis ◽  
Binary Tree ◽  
Binary Trees ◽  
Equal Size ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Theoretic Approach ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Future Research Directions

This paper addresses the problem of characterizing classes of pairs of binary trees of equal size for which a signed reassociation sequence, in the Eliahou-Kryuchkov sense, can be shown to exist, either with a size induction hypothesis (reducible pairs), or without it (solvable pairs). A few concepts proposed by Cooper, Rowland and Zeilberger, in the context of a language-theoretic approach to the problem, are here reformulated in terms of signed reassociation sequences, and some of their results are recasted and proven in this framework. A few strategies, tactics and combinations thereof for signed reassociation are introduced, which prove useful to extend the results obtained by the aforementioned authors to new classes of binary tree pairs. In particular, with reference to path trees, i.e. binary trees that have a leaf at every level, we show the reducibility of pairs where (at least) one of the two path trees has a triplication at the first turn below the top level, and we characterize a class of weakly mutually crooked path tree pairs that are neither reducible nor solvable by any previously known result, but prove solvable by appropriate reassociation strategies. This class also includes a subclass of mutually crooked path tree pairs. A summary evaluation of the achieved results, followed by an outline of open questions and future research directions conclude the paper.

scholarly journals Nurturing Grandchildren With Down Syndrome: A Qualitative Study on Grandparents’ Needs Using Digital Tools†

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
María C. Sánchez Gómez ◽  
Rocío Martín-Sevillano ◽  
María V. Martín-Cilleros ◽  
J. J. Mena Marcos ◽  
Francisco J. García-Peñalvo
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Personal Perspective ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Qualitative Phenomenological ◽  
Negative Feelings

Grandparents who have grandchildren with disabilities are an underrepresented group in existing research related to the field. This qualitative phenomenological study’s general purpose is to analyze, from a personal perspective, the situations and needs of grandparents who have grandchildren with Down syndrome. The participants’ ages range from 65 to 85, and the ages of their grandchildren with Down syndrome range from 3 to 21 years. All participants had one grandchild with a disability, except for two, who each had two. A sociodemographic questionnaire was administered, and individual interviews were conducted, using open questions, through phone and/or video calls. An analysis of the participants’ speech was carried out, which implied the development of a system of meta-categories and categories. This analysis was developed manually, given the COVID-19 environment. The results indicate a substantial change from negative feelings caused by the knowledge of the diagnosis to feelings related to positive experiences expressed currently. The participants see themselves as a fundamental source of support (informal, instrumental, practical, social, emotional, and economic) for their families and, mainly, for their grandchildren with Down syndrome. A need for information and training was observed when the grandparents talked about first being informed of the diagnosis and their concerns about the future of these grandchildren and their siblings. They made social demands, such as greater government involvement or more significant opportunities to access resources and rights for their grandchildren. The results are discussed, as are possible future research directions.

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