Electron bombardment improves vacuum chamber efficiency

Bombardment of vacuum chamber walls by an electron gun within the chamber achieves greater efficiency with less cost. The ultimate vacuum reached using the gun is greater than the system design level

On the complex dynamics of intracellular ganglion cell light responses in the cat retina

We recorded intracellular responses from cat retinal ganglion cells to sinusoidal flickering lights and compared the response dynamics to a theoretical model based on coupled nonlinear oscillators. Flicker responses for several different spot sizes were separated in a 'smooth' generator (G) potential and eorresponding spike trains. We have previously shown that the G-potential reveals complex, stimulus dependent, oscillatory behavior in response to sinusoidally flickering lights. Such behavior could be simulated by a modified van der Pol oscillator. In this paper, we extend the model to account for spike generation as well, by including extended Hodgkin-Huxley equations describing local membrane properties. We quantified spike responses by several parameters describing the mean and standard deviation of spike burst duration, timing (phase shift) of bursts, and the number of spikes in a burst. The dependence of these response parameters on stimulus frequency and spot size could be reproduced in great detail by coupling the van der Pol oscillator, and Hodgkin-Huxley equations. The model mimics many experimentally observed response patterns, including non-phase-locked irregular oscillations. Our findings suggest that the information in the ganglion cell spike train reflects both intraretinal processing, simulated by the van der Pol oscillator) and local membrane properties described by Hodgkin-Huxley equations. The interplay between these complex processes can be simulated by changing the coupling coefficients between the two oscillators. Our simulations therefore show that irregularities in spike trains, which normally are considered to be noise, may be interpreted as complex oscillations that might earry information.Whitehall Foundation (S93-24

Multimodal Learning and Intelligent Prediction of Symptom Development in Individual Parkinson\u27s Patients

We still do not know how the brain and its computations are affected by nerve cell deaths and their compensatory learning processes, as these develop in neurodegenerative diseases (ND). Compensatory learning processes are ND symptoms usually observed at a point when the disease has already affected large parts of the brain. We can register symptoms of ND such as motor and/or mental disorders (dementias) and even provide symptomatic relief, though the structural effects of these are in most cases not yet understood. It is very important to obtain early diagnosis, which can provide several years in which we can monitor and partly compensate for the disease\u27s symptoms, with the help of various therapies. In the case of Parkinson\u27s disease (PD), in addition to classical neurological tests, measurements of eye movements are diagnostic. We have performed measurements of latency, amplitude, and duration in reflexive saccades (RS) of PD patients. We have compared the results of our measurement-based diagnoses with standard neurological ones. The purpose of our work was to classify how condition attributes predict the neurologist\u27s diagnosis. For n = 10 patients, the patient age and parameters based on RS gave a global accuracy in predictions of neurological symptoms in individual patients of about 80%. Further, by adding three attributes partly related to patient \u27well-being\u27 scores, our prediction accuracies increased to 90%. Our predictive algorithms use rough set theory, which we have compared with other classifiers such as Naive Bayes, Decision Trees/Tables, and Random Forests (implemented in KNIME/WEKA). We have demonstrated that RS are powerful biomarkers for assessment of symptom progression in PD

Cortical Columnar Organization Is Reconsidered in Inferior Temporal Cortex

The object selectivity of nearby cells in inferior temporal (IT) cortex is often different. To elucidate the relationship between columnar organization in IT cortex and the variability among neurons with respect to object selectivity, we used optical imaging technique to locate columnar regions (activity spots) and systematically compared object selectivity of individual neurons within and across the spots. The object selectivity of a given cell in a spot was similar to that of the averaged cellular activity within the spot. However, there was not such similarity among different spots (>600 μm apart). We suggest that each cell is characterized by 1) a cell-specific response property that cause cell-to-cell variability in object selectivity and 2) one or potentially a few numbers of response properties common across the cells within a spot, which provide the basis for columnar organization in IT cortex. Furthermore, similarity in object selectivity among cells within a randomly chosen site was lower than that for a cell in an activity spot identified by optical imaging beforehand. We suggest that the cortex may be organized in a region where neurons with similar response properties were densely clustered and a region where neurons with similar response properties were sparsely clustered

Enrichment of Echinacea angustifolia with Bauer Alkylamide 11 and Bauer Ketone 23 Increased Anti-inflammatory Potential through Interference with COX-2 Enzyme Activity

Bauer alkylamide 11 and Bauer ketone 23 were previously found to be partially responsible forEchinacea angustifolia anti-inflammatory properties. This study further tested their importance using the inhibition of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and nitric oxide (NO) production by RAW264.7 mouse macrophages in the absence and presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and E. angustifolia extracts, phytochemical enriched fractions, or pure synthesized standards. Molecular targets were probed using microarray, qRT-PCR, Western blot, and enzyme assays. Fractions with these phytochemicals were more potent inhibitors of LPS-induced PGE2 production than E. angustifolia extracts. Microarray did not detect changes in transcripts with phytochemical treatments; however, qRT-PCR showed a decrease in TNF-α and an increase of iNOS transcripts. LPS-induced COX-2 protein was increased by an E. angustifolia fraction containing Bauer ketone 23 and by pure phytochemical. COX-2 activity was decreased with all treatments. The phytochemical inhibition of PGE2 production byEchinacea may be due to the direct targeting of COX-2 enzyme

Metody inżynierii mineralnej w walce z chorobą pszczół Varrozą

The purpose of previous study centered around introducing minerals into bee colonies was to observe the Varrosa destructor mites-repelling effect of minerals (“Pszczelarstwo” 6/2016). The results of research published so far confirmed the purpose of using minerals in the fight against Varroa infestation. This publication presents partial results of the next stage of research.Wykonano eksperymentalne badania wykorzystania wybranych minerałów do walki z choroba pszczół – varrozą. Minerały mieszano z woskiem pszczelim formując woskowe węzy, które umieszczano w ramkach w ulach.. Stwierdzono, że węzy mineralne sprzyjają wyprowadzaniu varrozy z uli. Zaobserwowano także, że w węzach mineralnych prawidłowo rozwijają si® młode pszczoły oraz, że do uli z tymi węzami pszczoły znoszą do 30 % więcej miodu

International Journal of Applied Computer Science Methods: Authors’ Instructions for the Preparation of the Submission Format of the Final Version of the Manuscript

The abstract should summarize the content of the paper and should contain at least 50 and at most 120 words. It should be set in 9-point font size and should be inset 1.0 cm from the right and left margins. Following the abstract, at least three and up to six keywords should be included. The keywords must characterize the subject of the paper and assists in indexing

Integration of electronic systems in textile-reinforced composites

Integracja układów elektronicznych w materiałach kompozytowych pozwala na wytworzenie materiału posiadającego cechy materiałów konstrukcyjnych o wysokich własnościach wytrzymałościowych, wysokiej odporności na warunki atmosferyczne, jak i cechy funkcjonalne zależne od zastosowanego układu elektronicznego. Wytwarzanie takich kompozytów w produkcji wielkoseryjnej umożliwia technologia Resin Powder Moulding (RPM) opracowana przez Leichtbau-Zentrum Sachsen GmbH (LZS) oraz Institut für Leichtbau und Kunststofftechnik TU Dresden w kooperacji z New Era Materials Sp. z o.o. (NEM). Krytycznymi parametrami w podanym procesie produkcyjnym, ze względu na wrażliwy układ elektroniczny, jest ciśnienie procesu prasowania, temperatura procesu oraz czas. W artykule zaprezentowano proces wytwarzania materiału kompozytowego wzmacnianego włóknami ciągłymi ze zintegrowanym układem elektronicznym, z wykorzystaniem technologii RPM, wraz z określeniem wpływu materiału kompozytowego na własności użytkowe układu elektronicznego.Integration of electronic circuits in composite materials allows to manufacture product connecting features of both structural and functional materials with high durability properties, resistance for atmospheric conditions and wide functionality according to field of work of used electric circuit. Massive production of this type of composite materials is possible with Resin Powder Moulding (RPM) technology, developed by Leichtbau-Zentrum Sachsen GmbH (LZS) in cooperation with New Era Materials Sp. z o.o. (NEM). Critical parameters in technology mentioned before is temperature, pressure of pressing and time of process. Electronics are very sensitive and can be easily damaged or broken during fast production process. In the following article is presented production process of composite material with integrated electronic circuit. Composite was produced with RPM technology. Also influence of composite material on electronics was defined