Configuration of electrical synapses filters sensory information to drive behavioral choices.

Synaptic configurations underpin how the nervous system processes sensory information to produce a behavioral response. This is best understood for chemical synapses, and we know far less about how electrical synaptic configurations modulate sensory information processing and context-specific behaviors. We discovered that innexin 1 (INX-1), a gap junction protein that forms electrical synapses, is required to deploy context-specific behavioral strategies underlying thermotaxis behavior in C.

Antagonism between neuropeptides and monoamines in a distributed circuit for pathogen avoidance.

Pathogenic infection elicits behaviors that promote recovery and survival of the host. After exposure to the pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans modifies its sensory preferences to avoid the pathogen. Here, we identify antagonistic neuromodulators that shape this acquired avoidance behavior.

Specific configurations of electrical synapses filter sensory information to drive choices in behavior.

Synaptic configurations in precisely wired circuits underpin how sensory information is processed by the nervous system, and the emerging animal behavior. This is best understood for chemical synapses, but far less is known about how electrical synaptic configurations modulate, and in specific neurons, sensory information processing and context-specific behaviors. We discovered that INX-1, a gap junction protein that forms electrical synapses, is required to deploy context-specific behavioral strategies during thermotaxis behavior.

Theory-guided design of high-entropy alloys with enhanced strength-ductility synergy.

Metallic alloys have played essential roles in human civilization due to their balanced strength and ductility. Metastable phases and twins have been introduced to overcome the strength-ductility tradeoff in face-centered cubic (FCC) high-entropy alloys (HEAs). However, there is still a lack of quantifiable mechanisms to predict good combinations of the two mechanical properties.

Dose- and time-dependent effects of collagenase clostridium histolyticum injection on transverse carpal ligament elastic modulus and thickness in vitro.

A potential treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome is to biochemically alter the mechanical properties of the transverse carpal ligament (TCL) through Collagenase Clostridium Histolyticum (CCH) injection. The purpose of this study was to determine the time- and dose-dependent effects of CCH injection on TCL elastic modulus and thickness. Nine TCLs were dissected from cadaveric hands for this study.

Uncertainty quantification for Bayesian active learning in rupture life prediction of ferritic steels.

Three probabilistic methodologies are developed for predicting the long-term creep rupture life of 9-12 wt%Cr ferritic-martensitic steels using their chemical and processing parameters. The framework developed in this research strives to simultaneously make efficient inference along with associated risk, i.e.

Machine-Learning Microstructure for Inverse Material Design.

Metallurgy and material design have thousands of years' history and have played a critical role in the civilization process of humankind. The traditional trial-and-error method has been unprecedentedly challenged in the modern era when the number of components and phases in novel alloys keeps increasing, with high-entropy alloys as the representative. New opportunities emerge for alloy design in the artificial intelligence era.

A genetically encoded tool for reconstituting synthetic modulatory neurotransmission and reconnect neural circuits in vivo.

Chemogenetic and optogenetic tools have transformed the field of neuroscience by facilitating the examination and manipulation of existing circuits. Yet, the field lacks tools that enable rational rewiring of circuits via the creation or modification of synaptic relationships. Here we report the development of HySyn, a system designed to reconnect neural circuits in vivo by reconstituting synthetic modulatory neurotransmission.

High-throughput design of high-performance lightweight high-entropy alloys.

Developing affordable and light high-temperature materials alternative to Ni-base superalloys has significantly increased the efforts in designing advanced ferritic superalloys. However, currently developed ferritic superalloys still exhibit low high-temperature strengths, which limits their usage. Here we use a CALPHAD-based high-throughput computational method to design light, strong, and low-cost high-entropy alloys for elevated-temperature applications.

A machine learning aided interpretable model for rupture strength prediction in Fe-based martensitic and austenitic alloys.

The class of 9-12% Cr ferritic-martensitic alloys (FMA) and austenitic stainless steels have received considerable attention due to their numerous applications in high temperature power generation industries. To design high strength steels with prolonged service life requires a thorough understanding of the long-term properties, e.g.

Sleep Analysis in Adult Reveals State-Dependent Alteration of Neural and Behavioral Responses.

Sleep, a state of quiescence associated with growth and restorative processes, is conserved across species. Invertebrates including the nematode exhibit sleep-like states during development, satiety, and stress. Here, we describe behavior and neural activity during sleep and awake states in adult hermaphrodites using new microfluidic methods.

Degradation of pesticides using amine-functionalized cellulose nanocrystals.

A series of amine-functionalized cellulose nanocrystal materials were successfully synthesized, characterized, and evaluated for the remediation of pesticide contaminants from organic and aqueous media. Their ability to degrade malathion in organic systems has been examined, resulting in up to 100% degradation of the compound into detectable lower molecular weight by-products. A poly(ethylenimine) cellulose nanocrystal (CNC-PEI) material was also capable of degrading aqueous solutions of malathion, deltamethrin, and permethrin with 100%, 95%, and 78% degradation, respectively.

The CBP KIX domain regulates long-term memory and circadian activity.

Background: CREB-dependent transcription necessary for long-term memory is driven by interactions with CREB-binding protein (CBP), a multi-domain protein that binds numerous transcription factors potentially affecting expression of thousands of genes. Identifying specific domain functions for multi-domain proteins is essential to understand processes such as cognitive function and circadian clocks. We investigated the function of the CBP KIX domain in hippocampal memory and gene expression using CBP mice with mutations that prevent phospho-CREB (Ser133) binding.

Safe, mild ultraviolet-B exposure: An essential human requirement for vitamin D and other vital bodily parameter adequacy: A review.

The enigma of skin sunburning, skin ageing and skin cancer and essential vitamin D production both resulting from solar ultraviolet-B (280-315 nm) (UVB) exposure has long puzzled photobiologists. Advice to patients by non-photobiological clinicians is now often to sunbathe to acquire vitamin D adequacy. However, modern work shows only mild UVB exposure is needed to maintain satisfactory levels, which have been demonstrated as very similar in summer and winter from about 25° to 70° north.

Engagement of community stakeholders to develop a framework to guide research dissemination to communities.

Background: Dissemination of research findings to past study participants and the community-at-large is important. Yet, a standardized process for research dissemination is needed to report results to the community.

Objective: We developed a framework and strategies to guide community-academic partnerships in community-targeted, dissemination efforts.

CMOS-coupled NaI scintillation detector for gamma decay measurements.

We report an all-solid-state gamma-ray scintillation detector comprised of a NaI(Tl) crystal and a scientific-grade CMOS camera. After calibration, this detector exhibits excellent linearity over more than three decades of activity levels ranging from 10 mCi to 400 nCi. Because the detector is not counting pulses, dead-time correction is not required.

Transcriptional corepressor SIN3A regulates hippocampal synaptic plasticity via Homer1/mGluR5 signaling.

Long-term memory depends on the control of activity-dependent neuronal gene expression, which is regulated by epigenetic modifications. The epigenetic modification of histones is orchestrated by the opposing activities of 2 classes of regulatory complexes: permissive coactivators and silencing corepressors. Much work has focused on coactivator complexes, but little is known about the corepressor complexes that suppress the expression of plasticity-related genes.

Prevalence of Skin Tears in Elderly Patients: A Retrospective Chart Review of Incidence Reports in 6 Long-term Care Facilities.

The incidence and prevalence of skin tears in long-term care (LTC) facilities has not been well established. To ascertain the point prevalence of reported skin tears, a retrospective review of incident reports was performed in 6 LTC facilities in western Pennsylvania from November 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016. Report data, including resident age; gender; mobility limitations; skin tear location, number, and cause (if known); occurrence time (7 am to 3 pm, 3 pm to 11 pm, or 11 pm to 7 am nursing shift); and history of previous skin tears, were abstracted.

A Review of Salivary Gland Malignancies: Common Histologic Types, Anatomic Considerations, and Imaging Strategies.

Major and minor salivary gland malignancies come in various shapes and sizes. They can present as palpable masses or can be detected incidentally when imaging patients for other indications. A complete evaluation of salivary gland malignancies requires knowledge of the anatomy and various routes of spread of neoplasias.

Integration of Plasticity Mechanisms within a Single Sensory Neuron of C. elegans Actuates a Memory.

Neural plasticity, the ability of neurons to change their properties in response to experiences, underpins the nervous system's capacity to form memories and actuate behaviors. How different plasticity mechanisms act together in vivo and at a cellular level to transform sensory information into behavior is not well understood. We show that in Caenorhabditis elegans two plasticity mechanisms-sensory adaptation and presynaptic plasticity-act within a single cell to encode thermosensory information and actuate a temperature preference memory.

Pharmacological Activators of the NR4A Nuclear Receptors Enhance LTP in a CREB/CBP-Dependent Manner.

Nr4a nuclear receptors contribute to long-term memory formation and are required for long-term memory enhancement by a class of broad-acting drugs known as histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate these genes and identifying ways to increase their activity may provide novel therapeutic approaches for ameliorating cognitive dysfunction. In the present study, we find that Nr4a gene expression after learning requires the cAMP-response element binding (CREB) interaction domain of the histone acetyltransferase CREB-binding protein (CBP).

A nanostructured surface increases friction exponentially at the solid-gas interface.

According to Stokes' law, a moving solid surface experiences viscous drag that is linearly related to its velocity and the viscosity of the medium. The viscous interactions result in dissipation that is known to scale as the square root of the kinematic viscosity times the density of the gas. We observed that when an oscillating surface is modified with nanostructures, the experimentally measured dissipation shows an exponential dependence on kinematic viscosity.

Clustering mechanism of ethanol-water mixtures investigated with photothermal microfluidic cantilever deflection spectroscopy.

The infrared-active (IR) vibrational mode of ethanol (EtOH) associated with the asymmetrical stretching of the C-C-O bond in pico-liter volumes of EtOH-water binary mixtures is calorimetrically measured using photothermal microfluidic cantilever deflection spectroscopy (PMCDS). IR absorption by the confined liquid results in wavelength dependent cantilever deflections, thus providing a complementary response to IR absorption revealing a complex dipole moment dependence on mixture concentration. Solvent-induced blue shifts of the C-C-O asymmetric vibrational stretch for both anti and gauche conformers of EtOH were precisely monitored for EtOH concentrations ranging from 20-100% w/w.