Spatiotemporal dynamics of Ca2+ signaling and its physiological roles

Changes in the intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration regulate numerous cell functions and display diverse spatiotemporal dynamics, which underlie the versatility of Ca²⁺ in cell signaling. In many cell types, an increase in the intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration starts locally, propagates within the cell (Ca²⁺ wave) and makes oscillatory changes (Ca²⁺ oscillation). Studies of the intracellular Ca²⁺ release mechanism from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) showed that the Ca²⁺ release mechanism has inherent regenerative properties, which is essential for the generation of Ca²⁺ waves and oscillations. Ca²⁺ may shuttle between the ER and mitochondria, and this appears to be important for pacemaking of Ca²⁺ oscillations. Importantly, Ca²⁺ oscillations are an efficient mechanism in regulating cell functions, having effects supra-proportional to the sum of duration of Ca²⁺ increase. Furthermore, Ca²⁺ signaling mechanism studies have led to the development of a method for specific inhibition of Ca²⁺ signaling, which has been used to identify hitherto unrecognized functions of Ca²⁺ signals.     

单个心肌细胞内钙波的微观动力学研究

利用基于近场光学原理构建的全内反射荧光显微镜研究了大鼠单个心肌细胞中的钙信号. 利用这种显微镜的快速成像和高信噪比的特点，观察到单个细胞中复杂的二维钙波斑图. 分析了单个钙信号释放事件在钙波形成、运动过程中的作用. 建立在fire-diffuse-fire模型基础上的模拟显示，由基本钙释放事件组成的钙波可以在心肌细胞中稳定存在. 此研究对进一步认识活体可激发系统的微观动力学行为有指导意义. 关键词： 近场光学 全内反射荧光显微镜 心肌细胞 钙波     

Sensitization of nerve cells to ultrasound stimulation through Piezo1-targeted microbubbles

Neuromodulation by ultrasound (US) has recently drawn considerable attention due to its great advantages in noninvasiveness, high penetrability across the skull and highly focusable acoustic energy. However, the mechanisms and safety from US irradiation still remain less understood. Recently, documents revealed Piezo1, a mechanosensitive cation channel, plays key role in converting mechanical stimuli from US through its trimeric propeller-like structure. Here, we developed a Piezo1-targeted microbubble (PTMB) which can bind to the extracellular domains of Piezo1 channel. Due to the higher responsiveness of bubbles to mechanical stimuli from US, significantly lower US energy for these PTMB-binding cells may be needed to open these mechanosensitive channels. Our results showed US energy at 0.03 MPa of peak negative pressure can achieve an equivalent level of cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ transients which generally needs 0.17 MPa US intensity for the control cells. Cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ elevations were greatly reduced by chelating extracellular calcium ions or using the cationic ion channel inhibitors, confirming that US-mediated calcium influx are dependent on the Piezo1 channels. No bubble destruction and obvious temperature increase were observed during the US exposure, indicating cavitation and heating effects hardly participate in the process of Ca²⁺ transients. In conclusion, our study provides a novel strategy to sensitize the response of nerve cells to US stimulation, which makes it safer application for US-mediated neuromodulation in the future.     

Spatiotemporal Aspects of Prolactin-Induced Calcium Signaling

We have examined the spatiotemporal aspects of PRL-induced Ca²⁺ signals using high-speed fluo-3 confocal imaging. We found that PRL stimulated Ca²⁺ entry and intracellular Ca²⁺ mobilization. Ca²⁺ influx was seen as a peripheral increase in [Ca²⁺]_i without amplification in the nucleus region. Intracellular Ca²⁺ mobilization was seen as a propagating intracellular calcium wave with a strong amplification in the nuclear region. The amplitude of PRL-induced Ca²⁺ increases would be sufficient to stimulate cell proliferation. Furthermore, PRL induced an increase in [³H]thymidine incorporation. These data suggest that PRL would be able to induce mitogenesis through a Ca²⁺-dependent pathway.     

Liposome destruction by hydrodynamic cavitation in comparison to chemical,physical and mechanical treatments

Liposomes are widely applied in research, diagnostics, medicine and in industry. In this study we show for the first time the effect of hydrodynamic cavitation on liposome stability and compare it to the effect of well described chemical, physical and mechanical treatments. Fluorescein loaded giant 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) lipid vesicles were treated with hydrodynamic cavitation as promising method in inactivation of biological samples. Hydrodynamic treatment was compared to various chemical, physical and mechanical stressors such as ionic strength and osmolarity agents (glucose, Na⁺, Ca²⁺, and Fe³⁺), free radicals, shear stresses (pipetting, vortex mixing, rotational shear stress), high pressure, electroporation, centrifugation, surface active agents (Triton X-100, ethanol), microwave irradiation, heating, freezing-thawing, ultrasound (ultrasonic bath, sonotrode). The fluorescence intensity of individual fluorescein loaded lipid vesicles was measured with confocal laser microscopy. The distribution of lipid vesicle size, vesicle fluorescence intensity, and the number of fluorescein loaded vesicles was determined before and after treatment with different stressors. The different environmental stressors were ranked in order of their relative effect on liposome fluorescein release. Of all tested chemical, physical and mechanical treatments for stability of lipid vesicles, the most detrimental effect on vesicles stability had hydrodynamic cavitation, vortex mixing with glass beads and ultrasound. Here we showed, for the first time that hydrodynamic cavitation was among the most effective physico-chemical treatments in destroying lipid vesicles. This work provides a benchmark for lipid vesicle robustness to a variety of different physico-chemical and mechanical parameters important in lipid vesicle preparation and application.     

Thermoluminescence in single crystals of RbBr:OH− and RbBr:Ca2+

Optical absorption, thermoluminescence glow and emission spectra of RbBr:Ca²⁺ and RbBr:OH⁻ have been studied and analysed. It is observed that both Ca²⁺ and OH⁻ ions enhance theF-centre concentration.F _Z1 band in RbBr:Ca²⁺ appears at 1.55 eV. TL glow peak corresponding toF _Z1 centre on analysis gives a trap depth of 0.84 eV. OH⁻ ions in the crystal seem to act as TL ‘killers’. Spectral distribution of emission under the glow peaks shows five bands around 1.5, 1.8, 2.1, 2.5 and 2.9 eV. Probable models of TL mechanism are suggested to explain the observed TL emission bands.     

The concentration quenching and crystallographic sites of Eu2+ in Ca2BO3Cl

A yellow phosphor, Ca2BO3CI：Eu2＋, is prepared by the high-temperature solid-state method. Under the condition of excitation sources ranging from ultraviolet to visible light, efficient yellow emission can be observed. The emission spectrum shows an asymmetrical single intensive band centred at 573 nm, which corresponds to the 4f65dl→4f7 transition of Eu2＋. Eu2＋ ions occupy two types of Ca2＋ sites in the Ca2BO3C1 lattice and form two corresponding emission centres, respectively, which lead to the asymmetrical emission of Eu2＋ in Ca2BO3C1. The emission intensity of Eu2＋ in Ca2BO3C1 is influenced by the Eu2＋ doping concentration. Concentration quenching is discovered, and its mechanism is verified to be a dipole-dipole interaction. The value of the critical transfer distance is calculated to be 2.166 nm, which is in good agreement with the 2.120 nm value derived from the experimental data.     

Simultaneous registration of Ca2+ transients and volume changes in rat mesangial cells: Evaluation of the effects of protein kinase C down-regulation

The intracellular free Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i) could be correlated with the contractile response in rat mesangial cells using an apparatus which measured both biochemical processes simultaneously. Long-term pretreatment of mesangial cells with 12-O-tetradecanoly-phorbol 13-acetate (24 h, 500 nM) increased the (20 nM) angiotensin II-induced mobilization of Ca²⁺ and led to an enhanced and sustained contraction of the cells. The contractile response was delayed by approximately 3.5 s with respect to the intracellular increase in Ca²⁺ concentration. The simultaneous registration of Ca²⁺ transients and cell contractions confirms that [Ca²⁺]_i is the major determinant of the angiotensin II-mediated mesangial cell contraction.Dedicated to Professor Horst H. A. Linde on the occasion of his 60th birthday.     

A white light emitting phosphor Sr1.5Ca0.5SiO4:Eu, Tb, Eu for LED-based near-UV chip: Preparation, characterization and luminescent mechanism

In this work, we report preparation, characterization and luminescent mechanism of a phosphor Sr_1.5Ca_0.5SiO₄:Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺,Eu²⁺ (SCS:ETE) for white-light emitting diode (W-LED)-based near-UV chip. Co-doped rare earth cations Eu³⁺, Tb³⁺ and Eu²⁺ as aggregated luminescent centers within the orthosilicate host in a controlled manner resulted in the white-light phosphors with tunable emission properties. Under the excitation of near-UV light (394 nm), the emission spectra of these phosphors exhibited three emission bands: one broad band in the blue area, a second band with sharp lines peaked in green (about 548 nm) and the third band in the orange-red region (588-720 nm). These bands originated from Eu²⁺ 5d→4f, Tb³⁺⁵D₄→⁷F_J and Eu³⁺⁵D₀→⁷F_J transitions, respectively, with comparable intensities, which in return resulted in white light emission. With anincrease of Tb³⁺ content, both broad Eu²⁺ emission and sharp Eu³⁺ emission increase. The former may be understood by the reduction mechanism due to the charge transfer process from Eu³⁺ to Tb³⁺, whereas the latter is attributed to the energy transfer process from Eu²⁺ to Tb³⁺. Tunable white-light emission resulted from the system of SCS:ETE as a result of the competition between these two processes when the Tb³⁺ concentration varies. It was found that the nominal composition Sr_1.5Ca_0.5SiO₄:1.0%Eu³⁺, 0.07%Tb³⁺ is the optimal composition for single-phased white-light phosphor. The CIE chromaticity calculation demonstrated its potential as white LED-based near-UV chip.     

Physical and chemical characterization of shock-induced cavitation

A strong impact on a water surface induces a shock wave propagation with a significant pressure variation leading to cavitation bubble formation. A new shock induced cavitation reactor described in this work was characterized by physical and chemical techniques. Water hammer model verification with Joukowsky approach allowed to determine the wave speed propagation and gas fraction in water submitted to shock. These values were used for frequency analysis and compared with direct bubble visualization in order to estimate the influence of the experimental parameters on the shock-induced cavitation. Thereby, the shock wave contains a broad spectrum as decomposed into frequencies. This multi-frequency nature induces heterogeneous bubbles with calculated radii of 0.01 to 3.5 mm and observed radii of 0.01 to 2.8 mm depending on experimental conditions (initial pressure, impact height, gas atmosphere). For the first time, the formation of hydroxyl radicals was proven under impact-induced cavitation. The concentration of radicals increases with increasing number of successive impacts, reaching ca. 1.3 µmol.L⁻¹ after 500 impacts in the presence of 20% O₂-Ar as saturating gas. Radical generation seems to be relatively independent of the impact height but strongly depend on the type of gas saturating water, being substantially lower in the presence of air. Moreover, radical generation increases when decreasing the initial pressure and depends on the frequency at which water is impacted by the piston. Nevertheless, yield of OH radicals during shock-induced cavitation remains much lower than that produced by power ultrasound.     

Charge states of the activator and size effects in BaF2: Eu nanophosphors

ABSTRACT

According to the spectra of stationary X-ray excited luminescence (XEL) of BaF₂: Eu nanophosphors at 80 and 294 K, it was revealed that the thermal annealing of fine-grained nanoparticles (d?=?35?nm) in the range of 400–1000°C, which is accompanied by an increase of their sizes in the range of 58–120?nm, does not result in effective changes of the charge state of Eu^{3 +} → Eu^{2 +} activator, in contrast to CaF₂: Eu nanoparticles. The maximum light output of X-ray excited luminescence of BaF₂: Eu nanophosphors in the 590?nm emission band of Eu³⁺ ion was observed at an annealing temperature of 600°C with the average size of nanoparticles 67?nm. The subsequent growth of annealing temperatures, especially in the range of 800–1000°C, causes decrease in the light output of X-ray excited luminescence due to the increase of defect concentration in the lattice as a result of sharp increase of nanoparticle sizes and their agglomeration. In BaF₂: Eu nanoparticles of 58?nm size, according to the thermostimulated luminescence (TSL) spectrum, transformation of Eu³⁺ → Eu²⁺ under the influence of long-time X-ray irradiation was revealed for the peak of 151?K. Thus, X-ray excited luminescence spectra of BaF₂: Eu nanophosphors are formed predominantly due to the emission of Eu³⁺ ions, while emission of Eu²⁺ ions is observed in the TSL spectra.     

Numerical Simulations of Calcium Ions Spiral Wave in Single Cardiac Myocyte

The calcium ions （Ca^2＋） spark is an elementary Ca^2＋ release event in cardiac myocytes. It is believed to buildup cell-wide Ca^2＋ signals, such as Ca^2＋ transient and Ca^2＋ wave, through a Ca^2＋-induced Ca^2＋ release （CICR） mechanism. Here the excitability of the Ca^2＋ wave in a single cardiac myoeyte is simulated by employing the fire-diffuse-fire model. By modulating the dynamic parameters of Ca^2＋ release and re-uptake channels, we find three Ca^2＋ signaling states in a single cardiac myoeyte： no wave, plane wave, and spiral wave. The period of a spiral wave is variable in the different regimes. This study indicates that the spiral wave or the excitability of the system can be controlled through micro-modulation in a living excitable medium.     

Optical spectroscopy of Ca3Sc2Si3O12, Ca3Y2Si3O12 and Ca3Lu2Si3O12 doped with Pr

The silicates Ca₃Sc₂Si₃O₁₂, Ca₃Y₂Si₃O₁₂ and Ca₃Lu₂Si₃O₁₂, both undoped and doped with Pr³⁺ ions, have been synthesized by solid-state reaction at high temperature. The luminescence spectroscopy and the excited state dynamics of the materials have been studied upon VUV and X-ray excitation using synchrotron radiation. All doped samples have shown efficient 5d-4f emission upon direct VUV excitation of 5d levels, but only Ca₃Sc₂Si₃O₁₂:Pr³⁺ shows luminescence upon interband VUV or X-ray excitation. The VUV excited emission spectra of Ca₃Y₂Si₃O₁₂:Pr³⁺ and Ca₃Lu₂Si₃O₁₂:Pr³⁺ show features attributed to emission from two distinct sites accommodating the Pr³⁺ dopant. The decay kinetics of the Pr³⁺ 5d-4f emission in Ca₃Sc₂Si₃O₁₂:Pr³⁺ upon VUV excitation across the band gap are characterized by decay times in the range 25-28 ns with no significant rise after the excitation pulse. They appear to be faster upon X-ray irradiation than for VUV excitation. Weak afterglow components are attributed to defect luminescence.     

Preparation and upconversion properties of Ba2ErF7 and Ba2ErF7:Yb powders

Novel Ba₂ErF₇ and Yb³⁺-doped Ba₂ErF₇ powders were synthesized by a coprecipitation method. In Ba₂ErF₇ sample, abundant upconverted emission bands from violet to infrared region are observed under 980 nm excitation, whereas only green and red emissions are observed under 812 nm excitation. Under the two excitations, the luminescence decay curves of the green and red emissions are measured and the quenching behaviors of Yb³⁺ doping are also explored. It is found that a suitable Yb³⁺ concentration can efficiently enhance the intensity ratio of the blue and violet emissions to the green and red ones, which may be due to the competition between the energy transfer process from Er³⁺ to Yb³⁺ and the sensitizing process from Yb³⁺ to Er³⁺ in Ba₂ErF₇:Yb³⁺. This indicates that the Yb³⁺-doped Ba₂ErF₇ might be a good candidate for blue and violet upconversion phosphor.     

Up-conversion white light of Tm/Er/Yb tri-doped CaF2 phosphors

Tm³⁺/Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ tri-doped CaF₂ phosphors were synthesized using a hydrothermal method. The phosphors were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and up-conversion (UC) emission spectra. After annealing, the phosphors emitted white light under a 980 nm continuous wave diode laser (CW LD 2 W) excitation. As the excitation power density changed in the range of 20-260 W/cm², the chromaticity coordinates of the UC light of the phosphor Ca_0.885Tm_0.005Er_0.01Yb_0.1F₂ fell well in the white region of the 1931 CIE diagram. For the proportion of red, green and blue (RGB) in white light is strict, key factors for achieving UC white light, such as host materials, rare earth ions doping concentrations, annealing temperatures, as well as the excitation power densities, were investigated and discussed.     

Does power ultrasound affect Nafion® dispersions?

The effect of low frequency power ultrasound on Nafion® ionomer used for fabricating proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and water electrolyzer (PEMWE) catalyst inks was investigated. In this study, a series of Nafion® dispersions having three concentrations (10, 5, and 2.5% w/v) were studied under various irradiation durations (t_us), at fixed ultrasonic frequency (f = 42 kHz) and ultrasonic power (P > 2 W), under either controlled or unregulated bulk solution temperature conditions using a laboratory ultrasonic cleaning bath. Viscosity (η), thermal degradation, and glass transition temperature (T_g) for all Nafion® dispersion samples was measured and compared to untreated Nafion® samples. In our conditions, it was found that power ultrasound lowered the viscosity of all tested Nafion® dispersion samples; whilst thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry analyses showed that for all ultrasonically irradiated samples, a negligible overall polymer degradation and no obvious change in T_g was observed under controlled and unregulated bulk temperature conditions. It was found that it is possible that acoustic cavitation causes depolymerisation followed by a polymerisation initiation step during ultrasonication. By comparing the ultrasonically treated and high-shear mixed samples, it was also observed that acoustic and hydrodynamic cavitation played an important role in the reduction of dispersion viscosity.     

Light Scattering Changes in Isolated Brain Mitochondria during Anoxia - Magnesium Effect on Morphological Changes and Respiration -

Under pathological conditions, morphological changes of the cells and tissues may differ from those of normal conditions, which can be reflected by changes in light scattering (LS). Consequently, LS has been recognized as a potential non-invasive tool for optical diagnosis of living tissue. This paper aimed to identify the basic properties of LS of isolated brain mitochondria in vitro under normoxic and anoxic conditions in the presence and absence of Mg²⁺. An increase in LS was observed during anoxia in both the presence and absence of Mg²⁺. In both cases, the changes in LS initiated by anoxia and reoxygenation started concomitantly with the reduction of heme aa₃. The rates of LS changes were slower than those of heme aa₃, particularly in the presence of Mg²⁺. Mg²⁺ inhibited the morphological responses of mitochondria caused by the addition of ADP and ATP, and significantly reduced the oxygen consumption rate in state 4. These results are due to modulation of the K⁺/H⁺ antiporter affected by Mg²⁺. In addition, the mitochondria were well coupled, although the basal level of LS fell after addition of Mg²⁺. Therefore, the observed responses of mitochondria at anoxia were physiological and independent of the presence or absence of Mg²⁺. The relationship between LS and redox state of cytochrome c oxidase, an anoxic indicator, provides a basis to assess the tissue conditions in vivo.     

Study on the effect of Ar9+ ion irradiation of Zr–2.5 wt.% Nb alloy pressure tube

Response of Zr–2.5 wt.% Nb alloy pressure tube, used in PHWR nuclear reactors, to 315 keV Ar⁹⁺ ion irradiation at room temperature was investigated in the fluence range of 3.1?×?10¹⁵–4.17?×?10¹⁶ Ar⁹⁺?cm^?2. Changes in microstructural parameters, viz., the size of coherently scattering domains, microstrain and dislocation density, upon irradiation were ascertained through grazing incidence X-ray diffraction. In general, a decrease in domain size was observed with fluence with a corresponding increase in microstrain and dislocation density. Residual stress measurement showed the development of compressive stresses in place of tensile after irradiation. Transmission electron microscopy showed the formation of dislocation loops of ?a?-type and ?c?-type during irradiation. The hardness of irradiated samples, probed through nanoindentation technique, was found to be higher in comparison with unirradiated samples. The above findings have been rationalised on the basis of the defects generated during the Ar⁹⁺ ion irradiation.     

二氧化锆纳米材料中Eu3+的发光特性

研究了掺1mol%Eu³⁺的二氧化锆纳米材料随退火温度变化的发光性质，得到退火温度为600和800℃的样品中Eu³⁺的⁵D₀→⁷F₂发射在604nm处，这种现象不多见. 几种经不同退火温度处理的纳米材料样品在紫外光的照射下，稀土离子Eu³⁺的⁵D₀→⁷F₂发射的发光逐 关键词： 二氧化锆 纳米材料 3+')" href="#">Eu³⁺ 发光     

Intracellular Ca2+ nonlinear wave behaviours in a three dimensional ventricular cell model

Intracellular Ca²⁺ activity regulates a wide range of cellular biochemical processes; in muscle cells, it links membrane excitation to contraction. Ca²⁺ dynamics includes both synchronous oscillations, and nonlinear wave phenomena, both arising from the superposition of spatially localised stochastic events, such as Ca²⁺ sparks. We incorporated individualised cell geometry reconstructed from confocal microscopy with realistic spatial distribution of RyR clusters into the three dimensional ventricular cell model, and reproduced complex spatio-temporal intracellular wave patterns from Ca²⁺ sparks. We also introduced a detailed nuclear Ca²⁺ handing model to simulate prolonged nuclear Ca²⁺ transient, and study the effects of cytosolic-nuclear coupling on intracellular Ca²⁺ dynamics. The model provides a computational platform to study intracellular Ca²⁺ with the ability to interact with experimental measurements of subcellular structures, and can be modified for other cell types.