Neuron participation in a synchrony-encoding assembly

Background

Caenorhabditis elegans actively crawls down thermal gradients until it reaches the temperature of its prior cultivation, exhibiting what is called cryophilic movement. Implicit in the worm's performance of cryophilic movement is the ability to detect thermal gradients, and implicit in regulating the performance of cryophilic movement is the ability to compare the current temperature of its surroundings with a stored memory of its cultivation temperature. Several lines of evidence link the AFD sensory neuron to thermotactic behavior, but its precise role is unclear. A current model contends that AFD is part of a thermophilic mechanism for biasing the worm's movement up gradients that counterbalances the cryophilic mechanism for biasing its movement down gradients.

Results

We used tightly-focused femtosecond laser pulses to dissect the AFD neuronal cell bodies and the AFD sensory dendrites in C. elegans to investigate their contribution to cryophilic movement. We establish that femtosecond laser ablation can exhibit submicrometer precision, severing individual sensory dendrites without causing collateral damage. We show that severing the dendrites of sensory neurons in young adult worms permanently abolishes their sensory contribution without functional regeneration. We show that the AFD neuron regulates a mechanism for generating cryophilic bias, but we find no evidence that AFD laser surgery reduces a putative ability to generate thermophilic bias. In addition, although disruption of the AIY interneuron causes worms to exhibit cryophilic bias at all temperatures, we find no evidence that laser killing the AIZ interneuron causes thermophilic bias at any temperature.

Conclusion

We conclude that laser surgical analysis of the neural circuit for thermotaxis does not support a model in which AFD opposes cryophilic bias by generating thermophilic bias. Our data supports a model in which the AFD neuron gates a mechanism for generating cryophilic bias.     

Anomalies of the natural convection of water near 3.98°C

Natural convection of water in a cylindrical cavity with an open surface at a temperature of about 3.98°C (temperature of the maximum water density) is accompanied by typical anomalies on time dependences of temperatures of water layers. In particular, stabilization of temperature T_st is observed in the bottom region of the cavity and duration of such stabilization t_st may reach several hours depending on the experimental conditions. The results for solutions of sodium chloride and ethanol at a relatively low rate of water cooling show that temperature T_st coincides with temperature T_max corresponding to the maximum density of solutions.     

Characterization of silicon doped with sodium upon high-voltage implantation

The depth distribution profiles of sodium atoms in silicon upon high-voltage implantation (ion energy, 300 keV; implantation dose, 5 × 10¹⁴ and 3 × 10¹⁵ cm ^?2) are investigated before and after annealing at temperatures in the range T _ann = 300–900°C (t _ann = 30 min). Ion implantation is performed with the use of a high-resistivity p-Si (ρ= 3–5 kΩ cm) grown by floating-zone melting. After implantation, the depth distribution profiles are characterized by an intense tail attributed to the incorporation of sodium atoms into channels upon their scattering from displaced silicon atoms. At an implantation dose of 3 × 10¹⁵ ions/cm², which is higher than the amorphization threshold of silicon, a segregation peak is observed on the left slope of the diffusion profile in the vicinity of the maximum after annealing at a temperature T _ann = 600°C. At an implantation dose of 5 × 10¹⁴ ions/cm², which is insufficient for silicon amorphization, no similar peak is observed. Annealing at a temperature T _ann = 700°C leads to a shift of the profile toward the surface of the sample. Annealing performed at temperatures T _ann ≥ 800°C results in a considerable loss of sodium atoms due to their diffusion toward the surface of the sample and subsequent evaporation. After annealing, only a small number of implanted atoms that are located far from the region of the most severe damages remain electrically active. It is demonstrated that, owing to the larger distance between the diffusion source and the surface of the sample, the superficial density of electrically active atoms in the diffusion layer upon high-voltage implantation of sodium ions is almost one order of magnitude higher than the corresponding density observed upon low-voltage implantation (50–70 keV). In this case, the volume concentration of donors near the surface of the sample increases by a factor of 5–10. The measured values of the effective diffusion parameters of sodium at annealing temperatures in the range T _ann = 525–900°C are as follows: D ₀ = 0.018 cm²/s and E _a = 1.29 eV/kT. These parameters are almost identical to those previously obtained in the case of low-voltage implantation.     

A Novel Technique of Synthesis of Highly Fluorescent Carbon Nanoparticles from Broth Constituent and In-vivo Bioimaging of <Emphasis Type="Italic">C. elegans</Emphasis>

Here we have demonstrated a novel single step technique of synthesis of highly fluorescent carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) from broth constituent and in vivo bioimaging of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) with the synthesized CNPs has been presented. The synthesized CNPs has been characterized by the UV-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman studies. The sp ² cluster size of the synthesized samples has been determined from the measured Raman spectra by fitting it with the theoretical skew Lorentzian (Breit-Wigner- Fano (BWF)) line shape. The synthesised materials are showing excitation wavelength dependent tunable photoluminescence (PL) emission characteristics with a high quantum yield (QY) of 3 % at a very low concentration of CNPs. A remarkable increase in the intensity of PL emission from 16 % to 39 % in C. elegans has also been observed when the feeding concentration of CNPs to C. elegans is increased from 0.025 % to 0.1 % (w/v). The non-toxicity and water solubility of the synthesized material makes it ideal candidate for bioimaging.     

On the shear strength of structured water

The structural characteristics of shear-stressed water are studied as a function of temperature in the range 0–20°C. At a temperature of 8°C, water exhibits a maximal shear strength (2×10⁻² Pa) and a maximal recovery time (≅32 s) of the locally disordered structure. With an aqueous sodium chloride solution as an example, it is shown that even a minor (0.08%) concentration of ions extends significantly the temperature range of water structure ordering.     

First observation of a wetting phase transition in low-angle grain boundaries

The wetting phase transition at low-angle intercrystallite grain boundaries has been experimentally observed. In contrast to the high-angle grain boundaries with the misorientation angels θ > 15°, the low-angle grain boundaries (θ < 15°) are not continuous two-dimensional defects, but constitute a discrete wall (network) of lattice dislocations (edge and/or helical). The theory predicts that, depending on θ, either a continuous layer of the liquid phase or a wall (network) of microscopic liquid tubes on wetted dislocation nuclei is formed at completely wetted low-angle grain boundaries. It has been shown that the continuous liquid layers at low-angle grain boundaries in the Cu-Ag alloys appear at the temperature T _wminL = 970°C, which is 180°C higher than the onset temperature T _wmin = 790°C and 50°C lower than the finish temperature of the wetting phase transition at high-angle grain boundaries, T _wmax = 1020°C.     

An infrared spectroscopic study of the structural phase transitions of n-C10H21NH3Cl

Infrared spectroscopy was used to study the phases of n-decylammonium chloride in the temperature range 20 to 65°C. The infrared spectra of virgin crystals at room temperature are indicative of a well-ordered phase, while the spectra of the high temperature phase demonstrate extensive motional and conformational disorder. The phase obtained by cooling from 65 to 25°C also presents motional and conformational disorder. However, it is metastable and annealing for 13 days at room temperature (25°C) results in a phase similar but not identical to the virgin crystals.     

A comparison of experience-dependent locomotory behaviors and biogenic amine neurons in nematode relatives of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Caenorhabditis elegans</Emphasis>

Background  

Survival of an animal depends on its ability to match its responses to environmental conditions. To generate an optimal behavioral output, the nervous system must process sensory information and generate a directed motor output in response to stimuli. The nervous system should also store information about experiences to use in the future. The diverse group of free-living nematodes provides an excellent system to study macro- and microevolution of molecular, morphological and behavioral character states associated with such nervous system function. We asked whether an adaptive behavior would vary among bacterivorous nematodes and whether differences in the neurotransmitter systems known to regulate the behavior in one species would reflect differences seen in the adaptive behavior among those species. Caenorhabditis elegans worms slow in the presence of food; this 'basal' slowing is triggered by dopaminergic mechanosensory neurons that detect bacteria. Starved worms slow more dramatically; this 'enhanced' slowing is regulated by serotonin.     

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of normal and edematous brain tissue in vitro: Changes in relaxation during tissue storage

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation times, T₁ and T₂, of water in unfixed gray and white matter from normal and edematous rabbit brain tissues were measured in vitro at 23°C and 100 MHz to evaluate the effects of the temperature (?25°C to 37°C) and duration (0 to 96 h) of tissue storage on relaxation times. T₁ and T₂ tended to decrease during storage, probably from slow dehydration of the tissue. This effect was greatest in tissues stored at 37°C and least in those stored at 4 and ?25°C; decreases in T₁ and T₂ were greater in white matter than in gray matter. Freezing brain tissue to ?25°C caused a sudden decrease in the T₂ of normal white matter. Relaxation times were constant for 5 h in tissues stored at 23°C and for 40 h at 4°C. These results correlated well with corresponding tissue water loss.     

MAP kinase cascades regulating axon regeneration in C. elegans

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascades are activated by diverse stimuli such as growth factors, cytokines, neurotransmitters and various types of cellular stress. Our evolving understanding of these signal cascades has been facilitated by genetic analyses and physiological characterization in model organisms such as the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetic and biochemical studies in C. elegans have shed light on the physiological roles of MAPK cascades in the control of cell fate decision, neuronal function and immunity. Recently it was demonstrated that MAPK signaling is also important for axon regeneration in C. elegans, and the use of C. elegans as a model system has significantly advanced our understanding of the largely conserved molecular mechanisms underlying axon regeneration. This review summarizes our current understanding of the role and regulation of MAPK signaling in C. elegans axon regeneration.     

Phase transitions in the atomic, electronic, and magnetic subsystems of LaSrMnO films versus the synthesis temperature

The evolution of the cluster structure in amorphous LaSrMnO films as synthesis temperature T _s increases from 20 to 300°C is considered. Two order-disorder phase transitions with different scale parameters are observed. One of them, the aggregation of disordered atoms into small (～20 Å) amorphous clusters at T _s = 100°C, shows up as a sharp increase in the intensity of diffuse X-ray scattering (diffuse halo 1) with a simultaneous suppression of incoherent (background) scattering. At T _s > 150°C, disordering dominates (I _incoh = I _max) until the next stage of ordering sets in at T _s = 250?300°C. At this stage, the crystalline phase forms from large (>100 Å) crystalline clusters. This amorphous-crystalline phase transition is characterized by the appearance of Debye lines and a reduction of the halo intensity. The structural phase transition to long-range order is accompanied by a decrease in the LaSrMnO resistivity from 10¹⁰ to 10 Ω cm and a change from the tunneling mechanism of conductivity involving metallic clusters (which is typical of granulated systems) to the hopping mechanism with a hop variable length following the Mott law ρ ～ exp(T ^?1/4). In the magnetic subsystem, the paramagnetic-ferromagnetic phase transition occurs.     

Decomposition of the solid solution and the formation of a high-coercivity state in Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>NiAl alloy upon cooling at the critical rate

Transmission electron microscopy and magnetic measurements are used to study the formation of the microstructure and magnetic properties of Fe₂NiAl (alni) alloy upon cooling at the critical rate (V ～ 2°/min) from the region of single-phase solid solution (1240°C). Cooling is interrupted by water quenching caused by temperatures Т_quench. The periodical modulated structure formed during sample cooling at the critical rate guarantees the strongest possible coercive force (Н_с = 670 Oe). The decomposition of the solid solution below 900°C includes a stage of primary modulated structural failure upon continuous cooling to temperature Т_quench ～ 850°C, which corresponds to the weakest coercive force on the Н_с(Т_quench) curve. The periodical modulated structure is recovered when the temperature falls further; this is accompanied by an increase in the coercive force (up to Н_с = 670 Oe) after cooling to 20°C.     

Influence of heat treatment process in In<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-MWCNTs as photoanode in DSSCs

Indium oxide-multi-walled carbon nanotubes (In₂O₃-MWCNTs) were prepared by sol-gel method for DSSCs. The synthesis of indium oxide (In₂O₃) was carried out by dissolving indium chloride (InCl₃) in a solvent of 2-methoxyethanol. Different annealing temperatures of 400, 450, 500, 550, and 600 °C were proposed in this study. The changes in the structural properties were analyzed by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis. The XRD spectrum estimated the average crystallite sizes of 3 nm for each sample. AFM results indicated very rough surface area of the films where it increased linearly from 1.8 to 11 nm as the annealing temperature increases. The In₂O₃-MWCNTs-based DSSC exhibited good photovoltaic performance with power conversion efficiency (η), photocurrent density (J _sc ), open circuit voltage (V _oc ), and fill factor (FF) of 1.13 %, 5.5 mA/cm², 0.53 V, and 0.42, respectively. Even though the film annealed at 450 °C exhibited low τ _eff, it achieved the greatest D _eff of 29.67 cm² s^?1 which provides an efficient pathway for the photogenerated electrons with minimum electron recombination loss that increased the J _sc and V _oc in the DSSC. The obtained structural and electron transport analysis was proposed as a suitable benchmark for In₂O₃-MWCNTs-based dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSCs) application. Hence, this study suggests that the optimum temperature for In₂O₃-MWCNTs is at annealing temperature of 450 °C prepared via sol-gel method.     

Effect of operating temperatures on the coefficient of performance of active carbon-methanol systems

Experimental and predicted results of an active carbon (AC35)-methanol pair as a function of operating temperatures are discussed.Experimental COP's higher than 0.5 are obtained when the evaporating temperature lift is less than 25°C. The COP is seen to be very sensitive to the evaporating and adsorbing temperatures. The regenerating temperature is of the order of 100°C which makes that pair a good candidate for solar cooling applications.A comparison between the results obtained with that pair and predicted performances of three other pairs (NH₃H₂O, ZeoliteH₂O and another active carbon-methanol pair) shows that:

• 1.(1) two adsorber cycles give higher COP's than the NH₃H₂H₂O continuous cycle;
• 2.(2) intermittent adsorptive cycles give higher COP's than the NH₃H₂O continuous cycle as long as the evaporating temperature lift is less than 50°C;
• 3.(3) among the solid adsorbents, the active carbon-methanol pairs seem to be the most promising for cooling applications. The choice of the active carbon depends on the evaporating temperature lift: AC35 is very well adapted for temperature lifts larger than 30°C; ACLH could be better adapted to smaller evaporating temperature lifts, as suggested by Passos et al.

     

Solubility of divalent zinc in natrium chloride crystals

The temperature dependence of the solubility of divalent zinc in natrium chloride crystals in a temperature range of 350 to 770°C has been determined by the method of diffusion saturation. The dependence has a retrograde character with a maximum of 5.10^?4 molar fraction of Zn⁺⁺ at 700°C. In the range of temperatures lower than 650°C the experimental results may be well expressed by the relationship

$$C_T = 0 \cdot 132\exp \left( { - \frac{{0 \cdot 458{\text{ }}eV}}{{kT}}} \right)$$     

A study of electromigration of nickel in lead

The steady state method was used to study the electromigration of ⁶³Ni in Pb. For the temperature range 180–290°C, and Ni concentration range 0.1–1000 ppm, Ni migrates toward the anode. For dilute samples (0.1 ppm Ni) the effective charge varies linearly with the inverse resistivity from ?6.75 at 188°C to ?4.97 at 289°C. The 1/ρ dependence is given by $\text{Z1 = (1.4 ± 0.3)?(288 ± 13)× 10}{}^{\mathrm{?6}}\text{/ρ}$. The effective charge is a function of the Ni concentration, increasing in magnitude with increasing concentration. For 1000 ppm Ni, |Z1| exhibits a sharp maximum around 260°C; below 230°C electromigration takes place at a much slower rate, probably due to precipitation.     

Physicochemical properties of ionic liquid mixtures containing choline chloride,chromium (III) chloride and water: effects of temperature and water content

The effects of water addition and temperature on some physicochemical properties of room temperature ionic liquids containing chromium chloride, choline chloride and water in the molar ratio of 1:2.5:x (where x = 6, 9, 12, 15 or 18) have been studied. The density, viscosity, surface tension and conductivity of the liquid mixtures were measured for the temperature range of 25 to 80 °C. Increasing both water content and temperature resulted in decreasing density, surface tension and viscosity and increasing electrical conductivity. The average void radii (hole sizes) for the liquid systems under study were calculated; they were in the range of 1.21 to 1.82 Å. The average hole size was stated to grow with increasing both temperature and water content in the mixture. The variation of the average void radii correlates with the change in viscosity and conductivity. The activation energies of viscous flow and conductivity diminishes with increasing water content in the liquid mixture. There is a strong linear correlation between conductivity and fluidity which indicates that the conductivity of the ionic liquid mixtures is generally controlled by the ionic mobility. A moderate viscosity and higher conductivity of the Cr(III)-containing ionic liquids with extra-water addition (at x > 9) make them suitable for the development of chromium electrodeposition processes.     

Specific features of electrical properties of porous biocarbons prepared from beech wood and wood artificial fiberboards

This paper reports on comparative investigations of the structural and electrical properties of biomorphic carbons prepared from natural beech wood, as well as medium-density and high-density fiberboards, by means of carbonization at different temperatures T _carb in the range 650–1000°C. It has been demonstrated using X-ray diffraction analysis that biocarbons prepared from medium-density and high-density fiberboards at all temperatures T _carb contain a nanocrystalline graphite component, namely, three-dimensional crystallites 11–14 Å in size. An increase in the carbonization temperature T _carb to 1000°C leads to the appearance of a noticeable fraction of two-dimensional graphene particles with the same sizes. The temperature dependences of the electrical resistivity ρ of the biomorphic carbons have been measured and analyzed in the temperature range 1.8–300 K. For all types of carbons under investigation, an increase in the carbonization temperature T _carb from 600 to 900°C leads to a change in the electrical resistivity at T = 300 K by five or six orders of magnitude. The dependences ρ(T) for these materials are adequately described by the Mott law for the variable-range hopping conduction. It has been revealed that the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity exhibits a hysteresis, which has been attributed to thermomechanical stresses in an inhomogeneous structure of the biocarbon prepared at a low carbonization temperature T _carb. The crossover to the conductivity characteristic of disordered metal systems is observed at T _carb ? 1000°C.     

Europium precipitation in monocrystalline RbCl and RbBr monitored by optical techniques

In the present paper optical absorption and photoluminescence data dealing with the different precipitated phases of divalent europium ions in rubidium chloride and rubidium bromide single crystals are presented. The europium precipitation processes which occur in these crystals in the low-temperature region (25–100°C) are quite different to those which occur at ≈ 200°C. In fact, the annealing at 70°C produces europium precipitation into a second phase precipitate which appears to be related with the Suzuki phase. However, the aging at 200°C produces the nucleation of at least two metastable precipitates from which grows the stable phase EuX₂. The optical data reported in this paper, together with those previously reported for the different precipitated phases of Eu²⁺ in the sodium and potassium halide series, give a complete picture of the different Eu-second phase precipitates which nucleate in the alkali halides.     

Thermo-frigopompe à absorption pour production simultanée de chaleur et de fraîcheur utiles

Absorption heat-cold-pump for simultaneous production of useful heat and coolness. A new absorption heat-cold-pump for the simultaneous production of useful cold (12 °C – 7 °C) and of useful heat (80 °C – 85 °C) is presented. The system operates with a couple of components with comparable volatilities, for example the following saturated hydrocarbons, butane + hexane, butane + octane, butane + decane, propane + octane. The working pair is separated in a rectification column. The components are remixed in a reverse-rectification column fitted with an incorporated heat exchanger. The COP and the exergy efficiency are presented for a number of modelized internal structures of the heat-cold-pump.