THE EFFECT OF SPILLOVER ONTO IONOTROPIC GLUTAMATE RECEPTORS AT THE SCHAFFER-CA1 SYNAPSE IN HIPPOCAMPAL SLICE

Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain and is crucial for processes such as learning and memory. Due its importance as a signaling molecule, the extracellular glutamate concentration is tightly regulated, largely by the excitatory amino-acid transporters (EAATs). In these studies, we investigated the role of EAAT1-3 in synaptic transmission at the Schaffer-CA1 synapse in acute hippocampal brain slices. My results demonstrated that transport block by L-TBA resulted in glutamate spillover and activation of NMDARs. Further investigation showed that L-TBA-mediated activation of NMDARs was facilitated by the Mg2+ unblock of the receptor. Furthermore our data indicate that NMDAR signaling was controlled by the interplay between several factors, including synaptic frequency, glutamate transport, Mg2+ block, and NMDAR channel kinetics. We propose that the observed theta frequency threshold for enhanced NMDAR signaling observed in physiological conditions is a consequence of a phase shifted signal at rhythms limited by NMDAR channel kinetics. We also found that dense fiber recruitment created conditions of spillover and glutamate pooling and therefore resulted in an increase in AMPAR desensitization at the hippocampal Schaffer-CA1 synapse. Overall my studies focused on the effects of glutamate spillover onto both NMDA and AMPA receptors at the Schaffer-CA1 synapse in hippocampal slice

5 Steps to Food Preservation Program Meets the Needs of Idaho Families

University of Idaho FCS Extension Educators in southeastern Idaho developed a five-lesson condensed version of safe food preservation classes, driven by participants\u27 interest to meet the needs of everyday home preservers. A post-test survey revealed that participants took the course to be self-reliant, use their own produce, and be in control of what was in their food in a safe manner. The shorter course format consisted of five hands-on classes. The hands-on design allowed students to ask questions and share stories during the workshop, tailoring the workshop to meet the needs of participants

MOUNTING SCREW BASED SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION

A mounting screw identification system can be used to determine a software configuration for an electronic device based on a type of electronic device chassis. A Printed Circuit Board (PCB), having screw holes with an open electrical circuit formed upon them, is placed in an electronic device chassis with mounting screw receiving threads. Conductive mounting screws are then inserted through the aligned PCB screw holes into the mounting screw receiving threads of the chassis to hold the PCB in place with the device chassis and also fill the electrical gap in the PCB screw holes to close the electrical circuit. A processor in the electronic device reads values on general purpose input/output (GPIO) pins, which can be either high or low, that are connected to the PCB screw holes to determine which screw holes have inserted screws that complete the electrical connection. Subsequently, the processor decodes the GPIO pin values to identify a binary code for the device chassis and determines the corresponding software configuration for the electronic device

CHARGE DIRECTION INDICATING USBC CABLE

A hardware based solution is proposed for indicating charging direction in a USB-C cable. The solution comprises of bi-color red/green LEDs attached to the connector of the USB-C cable. The LEDs are electrically connected and will glow when the USB-C supportive device is connected to the USB-C supportive system either for receiving or providing power. The device which is providing power or receiving power is identified by the color of the glowing LED at the specific end of the connector of USB-C cable, for example green could indicate providing end and red the receiving end. The LEDs are always connected in the opposite orientation on each end of the cable such that they always have opposing color

Operational rules to manage power consumption for content display

The display is often responsible for a large proportion of the overall power consumed by a device. The total power consumption of a display depends on a number of factors such as the number of pixels that need to be switched on, the color and brightness of the pixels, and the rate at which the on-screen content is updated. Displays that draw high amounts of power can deplete the available power resources of a device relatively quickly, thus shortening the amount of time a user can operate the device without needing to charge or replace the device battery. This disclosure describes techniques to specify and enforce a system of rules that dictate the operation of display pixels while rendering the content to be displayed. The rules describe upper or lower bounds for various pixel-related parameters such as switched on state, color, brightness, refresh rate, etc

Identifying Neurotransmitter Spill-over in Hippocampal Field Recordings

A model of synaptic and extra-synaptic excitatory signaling in the hippocampus is presented. The model is used to analytically evaluate the potential contributions of homosynaptic and heterosynaptic glutamate spill-over to receptor signaling during an electrophysiological experiment in which glutamate transporters are pharmacologically blocked. Inhibition of glutamate uptake selectively prolongs the decay kinetics of the second field excitatory postsynaptic potential evoked by paired pulse stimulation of Schaffer collateral axons in area CA1. The model includes AMPA and NMDA glutamate receptors, and the removal of glutamate by transporters and diffusion. We establish analytically that the prolongation cannot be caused by local effects, i.e., the transporters acting within or near the synapse. In contrast, a time profile of glutamate consistent with spill-over from adjacent synapses can explain the effect. The different reaction kinetics of AMPA and NMDA receptors have a significant role in reproducing the experimental results, as explained by analysis of the ODEs governing the reactions

Educators Teach Effective Hand Washing with a Simplified Method

We conducted a study to determine the effectiveness of a 30-min hand-washing instruction among youths in kindergarten through fifth grade. Two months after implementing the instruction, we gathered survey data to assess knowledge gained and student behaviors. Results revealed that high proportions of youths in kindergarten through second grade (n = 90) were able to recognize various situations requiring hand washing and that majorities of youths in third grade through fifth grade (n = 172) tended to wash their hands at relevant times (e.g., after using the bathroom). Overall, we concluded that youths taught a 30-min hand-washing lesson reduced microbial counts on washed hands, maintained knowledge, and made positive behavior changes