Encoding of Global Visual Motion in the Avian Pretectum Shifts from a Bias for Temporal-to-Nasal Selectivity to Omnidirectional Excitation across Speeds.

The pretectum of vertebrates contains neurons responsive to global visual motion. These signals are sent to the cerebellum, forming a subcortical pathway for processing optic flow. Global motion neurons exhibit selectivity for both direction and speed, but this is usually assessed by first determining direction preference at intermediate velocity (16-32°/s) and then assessing speed tuning at the preferred direction.

3D printed microneedles: revamping transdermal drug delivery systems.

One of the advancements of the transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) is the development of microneedles (MNs). These micron-sized needles are used for delivering various types of drugs to address the disadvantage of other transdermal techniques as well as oral drug delivery systems. MNs have high patient acceptance due to self-administration with minimally invasive and pain compared to the parenteral drug delivery.

The spatiotemporal richness of hummingbird wing deformations.

Animals exhibit an abundant diversity of forms, and this diversity is even more evident when considering animals that can change shape on demand. The evolution of flexibility contributes to aspects of performance from propulsive efficiency to environmental navigation. It is, however, challenging to quantify and compare body parts that, by their nature, dynamically vary in shape over many time scales.

Hummingbirds use distinct control strategies for forward and hovering flight.

The detection of optic flow is important for generating optomotor responses to mediate retinal image stabilization, and it can also be used during ongoing locomotion for centring and velocity control. Previous work in hummingbirds has separately examined the roles of optic flow during hovering and when centring through a narrow passage during forward flight. To develop a hypothesis for the visual control of forward flight velocity, we examined the behaviour of hummingbirds in a flight tunnel where optic flow could be systematically manipulated.

Transforming Wound Management: Nanomaterials and Their Clinical Impact.

Wound healing is a complex process that can be further complicated in chronic wounds, leading to prolonged healing times, high healthcare costs, and potential patient morbidity. Nanotechnology has shown great promise in developing advanced wound dressings that promote wound healing and prevent infection. The review article presents a comprehensive search strategy that was applied to four databases, namely Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar, using specific keywords and inclusion/exclusion criteria to select a representative sample of 164 research articles published between 2001 and 2023.