Gene Networks Activated by Specific Patterns of Action Potentials in Dorsal Root Ganglia Neurons

Gene regulatory networks underlie the long-term changes in cell specification, growth of synaptic connections, and adaptation that occur throughout neonatal and postnatal life. Here we show that the transcriptional response in neurons is exquisitely sensitive to the temporal nature of action potential firing patterns. Neurons were electrically stimulated with the same number of action potentials, but with different inter-burst intervals. We found that these subtle alterations in the timing of action potential firing differentially regulates hundreds of genes, across many functional categories, through the activation or repression of distinct transcriptional networks. Our results demonstrate that the transcriptional response in neurons to environmental stimuli, coded in the pattern of action potential firing, can be very sensitive to the temporal nature of action potential delivery rather than the intensity of stimulation or the total number of action potentials delivered. These data identify temporal kinetics of action potential firing as critical components regulating intracellular signalling pathways and gene expression in neurons to extracellular cues during early development and throughout life

Growth of nannochloris algae in the presence of microwaves (continuous reactor)

[EN] Algae are very effective in capturing the sun's energy, carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and nutrients to turn them into useful substances (carbohydrates, oils, proteins, etc.). Besides the main metabolites, there are also secondary metabolites, such as carotenoids (astaxanthin, β-carotene, lutein, lycopene, and canthaxanthin [1]). Both major and compounds existing in small amounts in algae are useful. Oils and carbohydrates could provide biofuels, proteins can get products with nutritional value and from carotenoids can be prepared food supplements. Obtaining biofuel from algae has not yet proved to be economically viable [2, 3]. A much higher interest might be getting food supplements from algae. To increase their value as ingredients for food supplements, algal oils should have a higher degree of unsaturation (rich in omega 3) and an increased carotenoid content to be an important additional benefit in over all processing of algae. There are studies that refer to the influence of environmental factors on algae composition [2], but the microwave influence on algae growth, especially algal metabolites composition change is very poor studied. In this paper, besides the experiments for the activation of algal growth in discontinuous reactors [4] additional work was conducted in a continuous photobioreactor. The goal was checking not only the growth of microalgae but also their content in polyunsaturated oil and in carotenoids. By microwave-controlled irradiation of the nutrient and algae flux, which is recirculated through the photobioreactor and through a glass reactor located in a TE-type monomod cavity, the lipid content of the algae increased, but only, the modification of the lipid fraction content was significantly increased in the concentration of polyunsaturated acids with 16 and 18 carbon atoms. As far as carotenoids are concerned, the algae nannochloris has a higher carotenoid content over many known vegetables holding carotene or lycopene (carrots or tomatoes). Besides oil increasing microwave treatment produced a significant increase in carotenoid content of algae. They can be extracted together with omega-3-rich algal oil and are the basis of very valuable dietary supplements.The authors acknowledge the financial support received from the Competitiveness Operational Programme 2014-2020, Action 1.1.4: Attracting high-level personnel from abroad in order to enhance the RD capacity, project: P_37_471, „Ultrasonic/Microwave Nonconventional Techniques as new tools for nonchemical and chemical processes”, financed by contract: 47/05.09.2016Calinescu, I.; Vintila, A.; Diacon, A.; Vinatoru, M.; Chipurici, P.; Galan, AM.; Velea, S. (2019). Growth of nannochloris algae in the presence of microwaves (continuous reactor). En AMPERE 2019. 17th International Conference on Microwave and High Frequency Heating. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 203-209. https://doi.org/10.4995/AMPERE2019.2019.9820OCS20320

Efficacite des bioinsecticides a base de l’huile essentielle de Cymbopogon schoenanthus (L.) spreng contre les punaises rouges (Dysdercus voelkeri, schmidt) en culture cotonniere au Togo

De nos jours la lutte contre les punaises rouges, ravageurs du cotonnier, se résume en l’utilisation d’insecticides chimiques de synthèse. Nombre de ces produits utilisés sont persistants et leur grande toxicité sur la santé humaine et environnementale est préoccupante. Dans la recherche d’alternatives aux insecticides chimiques de synthèse, ce présent travail de recherche vise à évaluer le potentiel insecticide des émulsions aqueuses à base de l’huile essentielle de Cymbopogon schoenanthus (L.) contre Dysdercus voelkeri, un des redoutables ravageurs du cotonnier au Togo. Des émulsions aqueuses à différentes concentrations ont été utilisées dans les traitements phytosanitaires sur culture cotonnière en comparaison avec des insecticides binaires vulgarisés (lambdacyhalothrine/profénofos 15/300 gha-1 et cyperméthrine/acétamipride 36/8 gha-1). Les dénombrements de D. voelkeri sur les plantes cibles de chaque parcelle élémentaire ont montré que la dose la plus forte de l’émulsion (6%) et le témoin positif (insecticide vulgarisé) ont été plus efficaces avec des densités de populations faibles de punaises respectivement de 7,14 ± 1,46 et 4,86 ± 1,84 punaises/plant. Contrairement les autres doses (4 et 2%) d’émulsions à base de l’huile essentielle de C. schoenanthus ont eu dans leurs parcelles respectivement 39,57±5,81 et 45,28±3,92 punaises/plant et le témoin (55,71 ± 5,23 punaises/plant). L’analyse sanitaire des jeunes capsules tombées sous les cotonniers a révélé que la dose la plus forte de l’émulsion (6%) et le témoin positif ont réduit respectivement les piqûres des punaises de 71,40 et 72,33% par rapport au témoin. Les taux de réduction des piqûres dans les parcelles à traitements de 4 et 2% de l’émulsion ont été faibles avec des taux respectifs de 55,32% et 22,83%. Ces résultats révèlent clairement que l’émulsion aqueuse formulée et testée dans l’étude peut réduire significativement les attaques de ces ravageurs. Cette étude montre la possibilité de l'utilisation de l’huile essentielle de C.schoenanthus comme matière première dans la formulation de biopesticide comme alternative aux insecticides chimiques de synthèse dans la lutte contre les punaises rouges du cotonnier au Togo

Analysis of Supersymmetric Effects on B -> phi K Decays in the PQCD Approach

We study the effects of the MSSM contribution on B -> phi K decays using the perturbative QCD approach. In this approach, strong phases can be calculated, so that we can predict the values of CP asymmetries with the MSSM contribution. We predict a large relative strong phase between the penguin amplitude and the chromomagnetic penguin amplitude. If there is a new CP violating phase in the chromomagnetic penguin amplitude, then the CP asymmetries may change significantly from the SM prediction. We parametrize the new physics contributions that appear in the Wilson coefficients. We maximize the new physics parameters up to the point where it is limited by experimental constraints. In the case of the LR insertion, we find that the direct CP asymmetries can reach about 85% and the indirect CP asymmetry can reach about -30%.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures, REVTeX, Minor changes, Version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Combining exclusive semi-leptonic and hadronic B decays to measure |V_ub|

The Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element |V_ub| can be extracted from the rate for the semi-leptonic decay B -> pi + l + antineutrino_l, with little theoretical uncertainty, provided the hadronic form factor for the B -> pi transition can be measured from some other B decay. In here, we suggest using the decay B -> pi J\psi. This is a color suppressed decay, and it cannot be properly described within the usual factorization approximation; we use instead a simple and very general phenomenological model for the b d J\psi vertex. In order to relate the hadronic form factors in the B -> pi J\psi and B -> pi + l + antineutrino_l decays, we use form factor relations that hold for heavy-to-light transitions at large recoil.Comment: Latex, 7 pages, no figure