Narrow Results

Two chemical solutions NH₄F:H₂O:C₃H₈O₃(sol${}_1)$ and NH₄F:H₂O:C₂H₆O₂(sol${}_2)$ with different fluoride ratios were used separately in an anodic process to study the morphological characteristics of the produced copper oxides. Glycerol and ethylene glycol were utilized as inhibitions to slow down the activity of fluoride ions. The rest of the anodization process parameters were constant. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed the formation of Cu₂O microcubes when sol₁ was used. The utilization of sol₂ produced octahedral Cu₂O as well as cubes and spherical structures. The increase of NH₄F in sol₁ led to a reduction in the volumes of Cu₂O microcubes, and in sol₂, it produced incomplete octahedral Cu₂O. Since ethylene glycol has a lower viscosity than glycerol, copper corrodes more quickly in the presence of the former than in the latter. The findings indicate that sol₁ is experiencing a higher current flow than sol₂. The relationship between current and time is semi-constant at low applied voltage, but the two curves behave differently when applying high voltage in the early stages.

Seizure activity leads to increases in extracellular potassium concentration ([K${}^{+}$]o), which can result in changes in neuronal passive and active membrane properties as well as in population activities. In this study, we examined how extracellular potassium modulates seizure activities using an acute 4-AP induced seizure model in the neocortex, both in vivo and in vitro. Moderately elevated [K${}^{+}$]o up to 9mM prolonged seizure durations and shortened interictal intervals as well as depolarized the neuronal resting membrane potential (RMP). However, when [K${}^{+}$]o reached higher than 9mM, seizure like events (SLEs) were blocked and neurons went into a depolarization-blocked state. Spreading depression was never observed as the blockade of ictal events could be reversed within 1–2min after the raised [K${}^{+}$]o was changed back to control levels. This concentration-dependent dual effect of [K${}^{+}$]o was observed using in vivo and in vitro mouse brain preparations as well as in human neocortical tissue resected during epilepsy surgery. Blocking the Ih current, mediated by hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels, modulated the elevated [K${}^{+}$]o influence on SLEs by promoting the high [K${}^{+}$]o inhibitory actions. These results demonstrate biphasic actions of raised [K${}^{+}$]o on neuronal excitability and seizure activity.

To enable an accurate recognition of neuronal excitability in an epileptic brain for modeling or localization of epileptic zone, here the brain response to single-pulse electrical stimulation (SPES) has been decomposed into its constituent components using adaptive singular spectrum analysis (SSA). Given the response at neuronal level, these components are expected to be the inhibitory and excitatory components. The prime objective is to thoroughly investigate the nature of delayed responses (elicited between 100ms–1 s after SPES) for localization of the epileptic zone. SSA is a powerful subspace signal analysis method for separation of single channel signals into their constituent uncorrelated components. The consistency in the results for both early and delayed brain responses verifies the usability of the approach.

Much research has shown that phyllotactic patterns can be considered as resulting from a growth process. A simple inhibition mechanism is used to generate automatically the spiral patterns and the magic Fibonacci numbers. We constrain the mechanism by introducing the requirement of the threshold energy-rate in producing primordia. With this modification, we are able to generate not only spiral but also whorled patterns. Our model can yield various possibilities of the whorled patterns observed in plants.

HIV mutations occur frequently despite the substantial success of combination antiretroviral therapy, which significantly impairs HIV progression. Failure to develop specific vaccines, the occurrence of drug-resistant strains, and the high incidence of adverse effects due to combination antiviral therapy regimens call for novel and safer antivirals. Natural products are an important source of new anti-infective agents. For instance, curcumin inhibits HIV and inflammation in cell culture assays. Curcumin, the principal constituent of the dried rhizomes of Curcuma longa L. (turmeric), is known as a strong anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory agent with different pharmacological effects. This work aims to assess curcumin’s inhibitory effects on HIV in vitro and to explore the underpinning mechanism, focusing on CCR5 and the transcription factor forkhead box protein P3 (FOXP3). First, curcumin and the RT inhibitor zidovudine (AZT) were evaluated for their inhibitory properties. HIV-1 pseudovirus infectivity was determined by green fluorescence and luciferase activity measurements in HEK293T cells. AZT was used as a positive control that inhibited HIV-1 pseudoviruses dose-dependently, with IC50 values in the nanomolar range. Then, a molecular docking analysis was carried out to assess the binding affinities of curcumin for CCR5 and HIV-1 RNase H/RT. The anti-HIV activity assay showed that curcumin inhibited HIV-1 infection, and the molecular docking analysis revealed equilibrium dissociation constants of $-$9.8kcal/mol and $-$9.3kcal/mol between curcumin and CCR5 and HIV-1 RNase H/RT, respectively. To examine curcumin’s anti-HIV effect and its mechanism in vitro, cell cytotoxicity, transcriptome sequencing, and CCR5 and FOXP3 amounts were assessed at different concentrations of curcumin. In addition, human CCR5 promoter deletion constructs and the FOXP3 expression plasmid pRP–FOXP3 (with an EGFP tag) were generated. Whether FOXP3 DNA binding to the CCR5 promoter was blunted by curcumin was examined using transfection assays employing truncated CCR5 gene promoter constructs, a luciferase reporter assay, and a chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay. Furthermore, micromolar concentrations of curcumin inactivated the nuclear transcription factor FOXP3, which resulted in decreased expression of CCR5 in Jurkat cells. Moreover, curcumin inhibited PI3K-AKT activation and its downstream target FOXP3. These findings provide mechanistic evidence encouraging further assessment of curcumin as a dietary agent used to reduce the virulence of CCR5-tropic HIV-1. Curcumin-mediated FOXP3 degradation was also reflected in its functions, namely, CCR5 promoter transactivation and HIV-1 virion production. Furthermore, curcumin inhibition of CCR5 and HIV-1 might constitute a potential therapeutic strategy for reducing HIV progression.

We study the synchronization of bursting cells that are coupled through both excitatory and inhibitory connections. We extend our recent results on networks of Hindmarsh–Rose bursting neurons [Belykh et al., 2014] to coupled Sherman β-cell models and show that the addition of repulsive inhibition to an excitatory network can induce synchronization. We discuss the mechanism of this purely synergenic phenomenon and demonstrate that the inhibition leads to the disappearance of a homoclinic bifurcation that governs the type of synchronized bursting. As a result, the inhibition causes the transition from square-wave to easier-to-synchronize plateau bursting, so that weaker excitation is sufficient to induce bursting synchrony. We dedicate this paper to the memory of Leonid P. Shilnikov, the pioneer of homoclinic bifurcation theory, and emphasize the importance of homoclinic bifurcations for understanding the emergence of synchronized rhythms in bursting networks.

A mathematical model of competition between plasmid-bearing and plasmid-free organisms for a single limiting resource in a chemostat with distinct removal rates and in the presence of an external inhibitor is analyzed. This model was previously introduced in the special case where the growth rate functions and the absorption rate of the inhibitor follow the Monod kinetics and the removal rates are the same as the dilution rate. Here, we consider the general case of monotonic growth and absorption functions, and distinct removal rates. Through the three operating parameters of the model, represented by the dilution rate, the input concentrations of the substrate and the inhibitor, we give necessary and sufficient conditions for existence and stability of all equilibria. To better understand the richness of the model’s behavior with respect to those operating parameters, we determine the operating diagram theoretically and numerically. This diagram is very useful to understand the model from both the mathematical and biological points of view.

Essential oil from Artemisia herba alba (Art) was hydrodistilled and tested as corrosion inhibitor of steel in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ using weight loss measurements and electrochemical polarization methods. Results gathered show that this natural oil reduced the corrosion rate by the cathodic action. Its inhibition efficiency attains the maximum (74%) at 1 g/L. The inhibition efficiency of Arm oil increases with the rise of temperature. The adsorption isotherm of natural product on the steel has been determined. A. herba alba essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and its chemical composition oil was investigated by capillary GC and GC/MS. The major components were chrysanthenone (30.6%) and camphor (24.4%).

The focus of this study is to synthesize a new calixarene derivative namely calix[6]arene (C21) and to test its performance as corrosion inhibitor of C38 steel in molar HCl at 308 K. Polarization and weight loss measurements were used. Weight loss tests show that C21 retards until to stop corrosion phenomenon at 5 × 10^-5M. C21 is an excellent inhibitor and its inhibition efficiency increases with its concentration to reach 100% since 5 × 10^-5M. Polarization curves revealed that C21 affects both cathodic and anodic domains by decreasing current densities and then it may be classified as a mixed type inhibitor. The calixarene tested is adsorbed on the surface according to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Free enthalpy of adsorption reveals that C21 acts from chemisorption onto the steel surface.

This paper describes the inhibition effect of 1-benzyl piperazine (P1) and bis(1-benzyl piperazine) thiuram disulfide (P2) towards the corrosion of C38 steel in 5.5 M H₃PO₄ solution by potentiodynamic polarization and weight loss methods. The influence of inhibitor concentration and temperature on inhibitory behavior of P2 were investigated. The inhibition efficiency (IE) was found to be dependent on the type of piperazine and its concentration. The IE for 10^-3 M P2 in 5.5 M H₃PO₄ is greater than 98%. Polarization studies clearly revealed that both P1 and P2 act as mixed-type inhibitors. Adsorption isotherms were fitted by the Langmuir isotherm. Adsorption energies ( and ) were evaluated. Kinetic parameters were determined.

Dodecylamine spontaneously adsorbs on carbon steel via its polar group (-NH₂) in hydrochloric acid solution. Furthermore, it forms a monolayer film on carbon steel surface. The inhibition mechanism of dodecylamine for carbon steel is geometric blocking effect. The adsorption of dodecylamine on carbon steel surface follows Arrhenius equation. The adsorption slightly increases activated energy, but greatly reduces pre-exponential factor value. Atomic force microscopy force curves indicate that at the area without adsorbed dodecylamine, no obvious adhere force occurs. At the area with adsorbed dodecylamine, however, an average 1.3 nN adhere force is observed.

The inhibition effect of synthesized N′-(phenylmethylidene)-2-(2-methyl-1H-benzimidazol-1-yl)acetohydrazides, N′-(4-methylphenylmethylidene)-2-(2-methyl-1H-benzimidazol-1-yl)acetohydrazides, and N′-(4-methoxyphenylmethylidene)-2-(2-methyl-1H-benzimidazol-1-yl)acetohydrazides on the corrosion behaviour of N80 steel in 15% hydrochloric acid solution was investigated using weight loss, potentiostatic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy methods. The inhibition efficiency increased as the concentration of the inhibitors was increased. The effect of temperature on corrosion inhibition was investigated by weight loss method and thermodynamic parameters were calculated. Potentiodynamic polarization measurements show that all the three studied inhibitors act as mixed inhibitor. The adsorption of inhibitors on N80 steel surface obeys Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The structure of inhibitors was optimized using semiemperical AM1 method. Theoretical parameters such as the highest occupied molecular orbital (E_HOMO), lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (E_LUMO) energy levels, energy gap (ΔE = E_LUMO - E_HOMO), dipole moment (μ), global hardness (γ), softness (σ), binding energy, molecular surface area and the fraction of electrons transferred (ΔN) were calculated and the adsorption mechanism was discussed. Scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize the surface marphology of the N80 steel.

Recently, upregulation of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) on hippocampal astrocytes in epileptic tissues has become part of the etiology of epilepsy and suggests the involvement of astrocytes in the disease. Through computational modeling, we have shown in previous work that upregulated mGluRs on astrocytes can give rise to positive feedback in closed loop neuron-astrocyte circuits with epilepsy-type spontaneous neuronal spiking. In this paper we further quantify the necessary degree of upregulation of astrocytic mGluRs, relate it to recent clinical and experimental studies, and address through computational modeling the role of synaptic inhibition through interneurons in this form of hyperexcitability. We conclude that inhibitive circuitry cannot tame this form of hyperexcitability.

In the visual cortex some neurons respond more strongly to short stimuli than to long ones. This is referred to as "end-stopping" and has been generally attributed to inhibition. The role of inhibition, however, has been difficult to demonstrate. Moreover, modeling has shown that end-stopping can be created solely from excitation. The roles of excitation and inhibition were investigated using intracellular recordings (Anderson et al., 2001, J. Neurosci. 21: 2104–2112). The results of that study were interpreted in favor of inhibition. The present report re-examines these results and finds that they may be in good, perhaps even better, agreement with an excitation model of end-stopping.

Consciousness is a topic of considerable human curiosity with a long history of philosophical analysis and debate. We consider there is nothing particularly complicated about consciousness when viewed as a necessary process of the vertebrate nervous system. Here, we propose a physiological "explanatory gap" is created during each present moment by the temporal requirements of neuronal activity. The gap extends from the time exteroceptive and proprioceptive stimuli activate the nervous system until they emerge into consciousness. During this "moment", it is impossible for an organism to have any conscious knowledge of the ongoing evolution of its environment. In our schematic model, a mechanism of "afference copy" is employed to bridge the explanatory gap with consciously experienced percepts. These percepts are fabricated from the conjunction of the cumulative memory of previous relevant experience and the given stimuli. They are structured to provide the best possible prediction of the expected content of subjective conscious experience likely to occur during the period of the gap. The model is based on the proposition that the neural circuitry necessary to support consciousness is a product of sub/preconscious reflexive learning and recall processes. Based on a review of various psychological and neurophysiological findings, we develop a framework which contextualizes the model and briefly discuss further implications.

Two experiments are reported in which participants perceived different physical quantities: size and speed. The perceptual tasks were performed in the context of motor performance problems. Participants perceived the size of objects in order to grasp the objects single handed or with both hands. Likewise, participants perceived the speed of a moving treadmill in order to control walking or running at that speed. In both experiments, the perceptual tasks were repeatedly performed by the participants while the to-be-perceived quantity was gradually varied from small to large objects (Experiment 1) and from low to high speeds (Experiment 2). Hysteresis with negative sign was found when participants were not allowed to execute the motor component, that is, when the execution stage was decoupled from the planning stage. No such effect was found in the control condition, when participants were allowed to execute the motor action. Using a Lotka–Volterra–Haken model for two competing neural populations, it is argued that the observations are consistent with the notion that the repetitions induce an adaptation effect of the perceptual system via top-down regulation. Moreover, the amount of synaptic modulation involved in the adaptation is estimated from participant data.

Rationale: Benzylpiperazine (BZP) has been found to increase neural activation in the dorsal striatum when compared to placebo in response to a Stroop paradigm, in addition, subjective effects have been compared to dexamphetamine (DEX). Despite their similarities, the two have not been directly compared in respect to their effects on selective attention and inhibition. Objectives: To use a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study to compare the acute effects of BZP and DEX on executive function using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and an event-related Stroop task. Methods: Eleven healthy participants aged 18–40 years undertook the Stroop task 90min after taking an oral dose of either BZP (200mg), DEX (20mg) or placebo. Results: BZP induced a greater increase in activation than DEX in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) during the Stroop task. DEX increased BOLD signal in the thalamus and decreased it in the IFG in comparison to placebo. Conclusion: Despite BZP and DEX reportedly inducing similar subjective effects, there are different patterns of neural activation. We believe this differential activity is due to pharmacological differences in their receptor binding profiles and that subsequent inhibitory effects might be due to their direct effect on dopaminergic activity.

Metal ions have a major effect on the metabolic processes in cells either as inhibitors or as integral components of enzymes. The inhibition of enzymes can take place either through the inhibition of gene expression or through inhibition of protein function. A particularly interesting example of the effect of a metal ion on metabolism is the observed inhibition of Krebs cycle and alteration of energy metabolism by zinc (II) cations. In this particular case metal ion inhibition of enzyme is linked to one of the major functions of prostate cells of accumulation and excretion of citrate. Experimental results have shown that increase in concentration of zinc (II) in prostate cells effectively blocks progression of a part of the Krebs cycle leading to change in the concentration of several metabolites with largest effect in the accumulation of citrate. Based on previously reported experimental results, several distinct mechanisms for zinc (II) inhibition of Krebs cycle were proposed. In order to determine the precise mechanism of inhibition in this system, a mathematical model of glycolysis and Krebs cycle was constructed. Three different types of inhibition were analyzed, including competitive and uncompetitive inhibition as well as inhibition through the alteration of the expression level of m-aconitase. The effects of different inhibition models on metabolite concentrations were investigated as a time course simulation of the system of reactions. Several kinetic parameters in the model were optimized in order to best resemble experimental measurements. The simulation shows that only competitive inhibition leads to an agreement with experimental data.