Burst Generation Research Articles

Upper Bound to the Orbital Angular Momentum Carried by an Ultrashort Pulse.

Photons in a ring-shaped vortex light beam can have an arbitrarily high orbital angular momentum (OAM) lℏ, in addition to the spin angular momentum ±ℏ. For a pulsed vortex beam, there is, however, an upper bound to the integer units l of OAM, or topological charge of the vortex, and a lower bound to the pulse duration to carry OAM. These limits have implications in experiments with ultrashort vortices, e.g., in the generation of twisted attosecond bursts in the extreme ultraviolet, in the temporal resolution in ultrafast spectroscopy, or in the performance of OAM-based optical communications or cryptographic systems, as well as in other areas of physics as acoustics or electron waves.

All-optical pulse bursts generation from a nonlinear amplifying loop mirror.

A novel method for the generation of bursts of optical pulses is proposed. It is shown analytically that a nonlinear amplifying loop mirror in single pass configuration can transform a low power input pulse into a burst consisting of pulses with individual energy up to tens of nJ. The burst features; number of pulses; and their peak power, energy, and duration can be tuned and controlled. Numerical simulations show robustness of the technique to presence of Raman scattering and that sub-picosecond pulse duration can be achieved. The latter highlights the relevance of the proposed pulse bursts generator for material processing and in medical applications involving optical ablation.

Dual-component plasma lens models

In contrast to the converging, achromatic behaviour of axisymmetric gravitational lenses, diverging frequency-dependent lensing occurs from refraction due to a distribution of over-dense axisymmetric plasma along an observer's line of sight. Such plasma lenses are particularly interesting from the point of view of astronomical observations because they can both magnify and dim the appearance of background sources as a function of frequency. Plasma lensing is believed to be involved in a number of separate phenomena involving the scintillation of radio pulsars, extreme scattering events of background radio sources and may also play a role in the generation of fast radio bursts. These lensing phenomena are believed to occur in dense environments, in which there may be many density perturbations between an observer and background source. In this work we generalize individual plasma lens models to produce dual component lenses using families of plasma lens models previously studied in the literature, namely the exponential and softened power-law lenses. Similar to binary gravitational lens models, these dual component plasma lenses feature a rich and complex critical and caustic morphology, as well as generate more complicated light curves. We map the number of criticals formed for a given component separation and angular size, and highlight a relevant degeneracy between two particular models. This work provides an argument in favor of close monitoring of extreme scattering events in progress in order to break such model degeneracies.

Extrafollicular responses in humans and SLE.

Chronic autoimmune diseases, and in particular Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), are endowed with a long-standing autoreactive B-cell compartment that is presumed to reactivate periodically leading to the generation of new bursts of pathogenic antibody-secreting cells (ASC). Moreover, pathogenic autoantibodies are typically characterized by a high load of somatic hypermutation and in some cases are highly stable even in the context of prolonged B-cell depletion. Long-lived, highly mutated antibodies are typically generated through T-cell-dependent germinal center (GC) reactions. Accordingly, an important role for GC reactions in the generation of pathogenic autoreactivity has been postulated in SLE. Nevertheless, pathogenic autoantibodies and autoimmune disease can be generated through B-cell extrafollicular (EF) reactions in multiple mouse models and human SLE flares are characterized by the expansion of naive-derived activated effector B cells of extrafollicular phenotype. In this review, we will discuss the properties of the EF B-cell pathway, its relationship to other effector B-cell populations, its role in autoimmune diseases, and its contribution to human SLE. Furthermore, we discuss the relationship of EF B cells with Age-Associated B cells (ABCs), a TLR-7-driven B-cell population that mediates murine autoimmune and antiviral responses.

Maps and sensorimotor transformations for eye-head gaze shifts: Role of the midbrain superior colliculus.

Single-unit recordings in head-restrained monkeys indicated that the population of saccade-related cells in the midbrain Superior Colliculus (SC) encodes the kinematics of desired straight saccade trajectories by the cumulative number of spikes. In addition, the nonlinear main sequence of saccades (their amplitude-peak velocity saturation) emerges from a spatial gradient of peak-firing rates of collicular neurons, rather than from neural saturation at brainstem burst generators. We here extend this idea to eye-head gaze shifts and illustrate how the cumulative spike-count in head-unrestrained monkeys relates to the desired gaze trajectory and its kinematics. We argue that the output of the motor SC is an abstract desired gaze-motor signal, which drives in a feedforward way the instantaneous kinematics of ongoing gaze shifts, including the strong influence of initial eye position on gaze kinematics. We propose that the neural population acts as a vectorial gaze pulse-generator for eye-head saccades, which is subsequently decomposed into signals that drive both motor systems in appropriate craniocentric reference frames within a dynamic gaze-velocity feedback loop.

A neuronal process for adaptive control of primate saccadic system.

In 1980, Dr. Optican established the existence of an adaptive plasticity of saccades and its dependence on the cerebellum with Dr. Robinson. The advantage of saccades is that the neuronal mechanisms underlying their generation have been well established. This knowledge allows us to identify the neuronal elements that participate in saccade adaptation. Briefly, the superior colliculus (SC) produces a saccade command signal, which reaches motoneurons in the abducens nucleus via the brainstem burst generator. The SC saccade command also is sent to the oculomotor vermis (OMV), a saccade-related area of the cerebellar cortex, and finally converges on the same motoneurons via the caudal fastigial nucleus (cFN) and inhibitory burst neurons (IBN). During adaptation, the saccade-related burst of SC neurons does not change; however, the activity of the cerebellum and its downstream targets do. We demonstrate that the SC is the source of the error signal to the OMV, and the error signal increases the probability of complex spike occurrence and decreases simple spike activity in the OMV. This decrease, in turn, is delivered through the cFN and IBN neurons to decrease motoneuron activity and hence saccade amplitude.

Data resampling: An approach for improving characterization of complex dynamics from noisy interspike intervals

Extracting dynamics from point processes produced by different models describing spiking phenomena depends on several factors affecting the quality of reconstruction of nonuniformly sampled dynamical systems. Although its ability is verified by embedding theorems analogous to the Takens theorem for uniformly sampled time series, a limited amount of samples, a low firing rate and the presence of noise can provide significant computational errors and incorrect characterization of the analyzed oscillatory regimes. Here, we discuss how to improve the accuracy of the quantitative evaluation of complex oscillations from point processes using data resampling. This approach provides a more stable estimation of Lyapunov exponents for noisy datasets. The advantages of resampling-based reconstruction are confirmed by the analysis of various spiking mechanisms, including the generation of single firing events and chaotic bursts.

Control of electron-cyclotron instability driven by strong ECRH in open magnetic trap

We discuss the laboratory experiment on a controlled transition from the generation of periodic bursts of electromagnetic radiation into the continuous-wave regime of a cyclotron maser formed in a magnetically confined non-equilibrium plasma (Shalashov A. G. et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 114 (2018) 205001). The kinetic cyclotron instability of the extraordinary wave of a weakly inhomogeneous magnetized plasma is driven by the anisotropic electron population resulting from electron cyclotron plasma heating in a MHD-stable minimum-B open magnetic trap. In the present communication we focus on a theoretical model that explains the existing data and motivates further experiments.

Cationic Amphipathic Antimicrobial Peptides Perturb the Inner Membrane of Germinated Spores Thus Inhibiting Their Outgrowth

The mode of action of four cationic amphipathic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) was evaluated against the non-pathogenic, Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium, Bacillus subtilis. The AMPs were TC19, TC84, BP2, and the lantibiotic Nisin A. TC19 and TC84 were derived from the human thrombocidin-1. Bactericidal peptide 2 (BP2) was derived from the human bactericidal permeability increasing protein (BPI). We employed structured illumination microscopy (SIM), fluorescence microscopy, Alexa 488-labeled TC84, B. subtilis mutants producing proteins fused to the green fluorescent protein (GFP) and single-cell live imaging to determine the effects of the peptides against spores. TC19, TC84, BP2, and Nisin A showed to be bactericidal against germinated spores by perturbing the inner membrane, thus preventing outgrowth to vegetative cells. Single cell live imaging showed that the AMPs do not affect the germination process, but the burst time and subsequent generation time of vegetative cells. Alexa 488-labeled TC84 suggested that the TC84 might be binding to the dormant spore-coat. Therefore, dormant spores were also pre-coated with the AMPs and cultured on AMP-free culture medium during single-cell live imaging. Pre-coating of the spores with TC19, TC84, and BP2 had no effect on the germination process, and variably affected the burst time and generation time. However, the percentage of spores that burst and grew out into vegetative cells was drastically lower when pre-coated with Nisin A, suggesting a novel application potential of this lantibiotic peptide against spores. Our findings contribute to the understanding of AMPs and show the potential of AMPs as eventual therapeutic agents against spore-forming bacteria.

Paraneoplastic seesaw nystagmus and opsoclonus provides evidence for hyperexcitable reciprocally innervating mesencephalic network

Seesaw nystagmus is characterized by the rhythmic combination of vertical and torsional dysconjugate oscillations where one eye moves up and inward while the other moves down and outward. Common association of seesaw nystagmus with accessory optic track lesions lead to traditional hypothesis that it is due to the mismatch in the vision and vestibular systems. Here we propose a novel mechanism for seesaw nystagmus. We hypothesize that reverberations due to abnormal increases in the excitability of the reciprocally innervating circuit of excitatory burst neuron in the midbrain interstitial nucleus of Cajal causes the seesaw nystagmus. Analogous oscillations of the brainstem burst generators may be responsible for generation of saccadic oscillations or opsoclonus. The key difference is that the interstitial nucleus of Cajal lacks inhibitory burst neurons, hence the lack of post-inhibitory rebound, and relatively lower frequency of the oscillatory cycles causing pendular seesaw nystagmus. In contrast the brainstem burst generator, with reciprocally innervating excitatory and inhibitory burst neurons, and further inhibitory influence of the omnipause neurons results in the post-inhibitory rebound at the burst neurons, hence high oscillation frequency. This novel concept is supported by a unique observation in a patient with antineuronal nuclear autoantibody type 2 due to breast cancer who had combined seesaw nystagmus and superimposed saccadic oscillations. The patient neither had cerebellar deficits typically thought to cause paraneoplastic opsoclonus nor visual deficits that are known cause of seesaw nystagmus. We propose that hyperexcitability of the burst neurons in the interstitial nucleus of Cajal due to paraneoplastic antibody caused pendular seesaw nystagmus. On the other hand, increased excitability of brainstem burst generators and reduced efficacy of the omnipause neurons caused saccadic oscillations.

Sub-50-as isolated extreme ultraviolet continua generated by 1.6-cycle near-infrared pulse combined with double optical gating scheme

We demonstrate the generation of ultrabroad bandwidth attosecond continua extending to sub-50-as duration in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) region based on a 1.6-cycle Ti:sapphire laser pulse. The combination of the amplitude gating scheme with a sub-two-cycle driver pulse and the double optical gating scheme achieves the continuum generation with a bandwidth of 70 eV at the full width at half maximum near the peak photon energy of 140 eV, which supports a Fourier-transform-limited pulse duration as short as 32 as. The carrier-envelope-phase (CEP) dependence of the attosecond continua shows a single-peak structure originating from the half-cycle cut-off at appropriate CEP values, which strongly indicates the generation of a single burst of an isolated attosecond pulse. Our approach suggests a possibility for isolated sub-50-as pulse generation in the EUV region by compensating for the intrinsic attosecond chirp with a Zr filter.

Modeling and analysis of a new locomotion control neural networks.

Experimental data have shown that inherent bursting of the neuron plays an important role in the generation of rhythmic movements in spinal networks. Based on the mechanism that the spinal neurons of a lamprey generate this inherent bursting, this paper builds a simplified inherent bursting neuron model. A new locomotion control neural network is built that takes advantage of this neuron model and its performance is analyzed mathematically and by numerical simulation. From these analyses, it is found that the new control networks have no restriction on their topological structure for generating the oscillatory outputs. If a network is used to control the motion of bionic robots or build the model of the vertebrate spinal circuitry, its topological structure can be constructed using the unit burst generator model proposed by Grillner. The networks can also be easily switched between oscillatory and non-oscillatory output. Additionally, inactivity and saturation properties of the new networks can also be developed, which will be helpful to increase the motor flexibility and environmental adaptability of bionic robots.

Observation of Poincaré-Andronov-Hopf Bifurcation in Cyclotron Maser Emission from a Magnetic Plasma Trap.

We report the first experimental evidence of a controlled transition from the generation of periodic bursts of electromagnetic radiation into the continuous-wave regime of a cyclotron maser formed in magnetically confined nonequilibrium plasma. The kinetic cyclotron instability of the extraordinary wave of weakly inhomogeneous magnetized plasma is driven by the anisotropic electron population resulting from electron cyclotron plasma heating in a MHD-stable minimum-B open magnetic trap.

Post-transcriptional bursting in genes regulated by small RNA molecules.

Gene expression programs in living cells are highly dynamic due to spatiotemporal molecular signaling and inherent biochemical stochasticity. Here we study a mechanism based on molecule-to-molecule variability at the RNA level for the generation of bursts of protein production, which can lead to heterogeneity in a cell population. We develop a mathematical framework to show numerically and analytically that genes regulated post transcriptionally by small RNA molecules can exhibit such bursts due to different states of translation activity (on or off), mostly revealed in a regime of few molecules. We exploit this framework to compare transcriptional and post-transcriptional bursting and also to illustrate how to tune the resulting protein distribution with additional post-transcriptional regulations. Moreover, because RNA-RNA interactions are predictable with an energy model, we define the kinetic constants of on-off switching as functions of the two characteristic free-energy differences of the system, activation and formation, with a nonequilibrium scheme. Overall, post-transcriptional bursting represents a distinctive principle linking gene regulation to gene expression noise, which highlights the importance of the RNA layer beyond the simple information transfer paradigm and significantly contributes to the understanding of the intracellular processes from a first-principles perspective.

Alterations of in vivo CA1 network activity in Dp(16)1Yey Down syndrome model mice.

Down syndrome, the leading genetic cause of intellectual disability, results from an extra-copy of chromosome 21. Mice engineered to model this aneuploidy exhibit Down syndrome-like memory deficits in spatial and contextual tasks. While abnormal neuronal function has been identified in these models, most studies have relied on in vitro measures. Here, using in vivo recording in the Dp(16)1Yey model, we find alterations in the organization of spiking of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, including deficits in the generation of complex spikes. These changes lead to poorer spatial coding during exploration and less coordinated activity during sharp-wave ripples, events involved in memory consolidation. Further, the density of CA1 inhibitory neurons expressing neuropeptide Y, a population key for the generation of pyramidal cell bursts, were significantly increased in Dp(16)1Yey mice. Our data refine the 'over-suppression' theory of Down syndrome pathophysiology and suggest specific neuronal subtypes involved in hippocampal dysfunction in these model mice.

Experimental investigation into generation of bursts of linearly-polarized, dissipative soliton pulses from a figure-eight fiber laser at 1.03 µm

We experimentally demonstrate a simple and stable all-polarization maintaining fiber (PMF) nonlinear amplifying loop mirror (NALM)-based burst pulse fiber laser with a pulse number tuning capability, which can readily generate bursts of linearly-polarized femtosecond pulses at 1030 nm. The laser was based on an NALM that was operated to produce burst-mode, dissipative soliton pulses at a wavelength of 1030 nm, and these were then compressed into 400 fs Gaussian pulses using a grating pair-based compressor. The laser was constructed with the figure-eight configuration incorporating ytterbium-doped fiber as gain medium. It was shown that the number of burst pulses was readily tunable through the adjustment of the pump power. Further, the output-pulse characteristics were quantitatively investigated and the laser stability was checked by observing the temporal characteristic variation of the output pulses for one hour.

Understanding the Generation of Network Bursts by Adaptive Oscillatory Neurons.

Experimental and numerical studies have revealed that isolated populations of oscillatory neurons can spontaneously synchronize and generate periodic bursts involving the whole network. Such a behavior has notably been observed for cultured neurons in rodent's cortex or hippocampus. We show here that a sufficient condition for this network bursting is the presence of an excitatory population of oscillatory neurons which displays spike-driven adaptation. We provide an analytic model to analyze network bursts generated by coupled adaptive exponential integrate-and-fire neurons. We show that, for strong synaptic coupling, intrinsically tonic spiking neurons evolve to reach a synchronized intermittent bursting state. The presence of inhibitory neurons or plastic synapses can then modulate this dynamics in many ways but is not necessary for its appearance. Thanks to a simple self-consistent equation, our model gives an intuitive and semi-quantitative tool to understand the bursting behavior. Furthermore, it suggests that after-hyperpolarization currents are sufficient to explain bursting termination. Through a thorough mapping between the theoretical parameters and ion-channel properties, we discuss the biological mechanisms that could be involved and the relevance of the explored parameter-space. Such an insight enables us to propose experimentally-testable predictions regarding how blocking fast, medium or slow after-hyperpolarization channels would affect the firing rate and burst duration, as well as the interburst interval.

Integrating Brain and Biomechanical Models-A New Paradigm for Understanding Neuro-muscular Control.

To date, realistic models of how the central nervous system governs behavior have been restricted in scope to the brain, brainstem or spinal column, as if these existed as disembodied organs. Further, the model is often exercised in relation to an in vivo physiological experiment with input comprising an impulse, a periodic signal or constant activation, and output as a pattern of neural activity in one or more neural populations. Any link to behavior is inferred only indirectly via these activity patterns. We argue that to discover the principles of operation of neural systems, it is necessary to express their behavior in terms of physical movements of a realistic motor system, and to supply inputs that mimic sensory experience. To do this with confidence, we must connect our brain models to neuro-muscular models and provide relevant visual and proprioceptive feedback signals, thereby closing the loop of the simulation. This paper describes an effort to develop just such an integrated brain and biomechanical system using a number of pre-existing models. It describes a model of the saccadic oculomotor system incorporating a neuromuscular model of the eye and its six extraocular muscles. The position of the eye determines how illumination of a retinotopic input population projects information about the location of a saccade target into the system. A pre-existing saccadic burst generator model was incorporated into the system, which generated motoneuron activity patterns suitable for driving the biomechanical eye. The model was demonstrated to make accurate saccades to a target luminance under a set of environmental constraints. Challenges encountered in the development of this model showed the importance of this integrated modeling approach. Thus, we exposed shortcomings in individual model components which were only apparent when these were supplied with the more plausible inputs available in a closed loop design. Consequently we were able to suggest missing functionality which the system would require to reproduce more realistic behavior. The construction of such closed-loop animal models constitutes a new paradigm of computational neurobehavior and promises a more thoroughgoing approach to our understanding of the brain's function as a controller for movement and behavior.

Impaired phagocytosis directs human monocyte activation in response to fungal derived β-glucan particles.

Recognition of the fungal cell wall carbohydrate β-glucan by the host receptor Dectin-1 elicits broad immunomodulatory responses, such as phagocytosis and activation of oxidative burst. These responses are essential for engulfing and killing fungal pathogens. Phagocytic monocytes are key mediators of these early host inflammatory responses to infection. Remarkably, whether phagocytosis of fungal β-glucan leads to an inflammatory response in human monocytes remains to be established. Here, we show that phagocytosis of heat-killed Candida albicans is essential to trigger inflammation and cytokine release. By contrast, inhibition of actin-dependent phagocytosis of particulate (1-3,1-6)-β-glucan induces a strong inflammatory signature. Sustained monocyte activation, induced by fungal β-glucan particles upon actin cytoskeleton disruption, relies on Dectin-1 and results in the classical caspase-1 inflammasome formation through NLRP3, generation of an oxidative burst, NF-κB activation, and increased inflammatory cytokine release. PI3K and NADPH oxidase were crucial for both cytokine secretion and ROS generation, whereas Syk signaling mediated only cytokine production. Our results highlight the mechanism by which phagocytosis tightly controls the activation of phagocytes by fungal pathogens and strongly suggest that actin cytoskeleton dynamics are an essential determinant of the host's susceptibility or resistance to invasive fungal infections.

Neutrophils phagocytic function in chronic myelogenous leukemia after imatinib mesylate therapy

Introduction: Chronic myelogenous leukemia)CML) is a pluripotential stem cell disease defined by the consistent presence of Philadelphia(Ph1) chromosome, in more than 95% of patients. In chronic phase of CML the Functional abnormalities of neutrophils are mild, this functional abnormality possibly because these neutrophils produced from abnormal stem cell. Nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT) dye reduction test a semiquantitative method that test the defects related to oxidative burst and superoxide generation. The aims of the study: To evaluate the phagocytic function of neutrophils by NBT test in normal control and compare it to that of CML patients after imatinib mesylate therapy, to correlate between the absolute number of neutrophils and the percentage of NBT positive neutrophils in CML patients after imatinib mesylate and to find out if there is any correlation between the percentage of NBT positive neutrophils and the percentage of (Ph1) positive cells. Patients, material and methods: Fifty CML patients were included in this study all of them were on imatinib mesylate therapy. Group 1: thirty six patients were not in complete cytogenetic remission .Group 2: fourteen patients were in complete cytogenetic remission .Control group: Thirty apparantly healthy, medication free volunteers matched for age and sex. The Nitro blue tetrazolium dye reduction test was performed by slide method, blood film and complete blood count were also performed . Results: The patient ages were ranged from 15 to 77 years with mean age of 45.3 ± 14.9, with male to female ratio of 1.43:1. The NBT percentages in control group were ranged from 3 to 9 with mean percentage of 5.8 ±1.6, in group 1 patients were ranged from 0 to4 with mean percentage of 1.28±1.2, while in group 2 were ranged from3 to 6 with mean percentage of 4.46±1.There was a significant difference between the control group and group 1 patient (p=0.000) while there was no significant deference between control group and group 2 patients (p=0.06).There was no significant correlation between the absolute neutrophils count and the percentage of NBT positive neutrophils in both groups of patients (1and 2) with p value of 0.23 and 0.1 respectively. In 26 patients the results of FIHS showed different percentage of cells positive for (ph1) chromosome ranged from 4 to 90 % with average of 48.3% and there was a significant inverse correlation between the percentage of NBT positive neutrophils and the percentage of cells containing (Ph1) chromosome at the 0.01 level (Pearson Correlation =-0.769) In conclusion: the neutrophils function in CML patients after therapy varies according to (Ph1) chromosome conversion and complete cytogenetic remission is associated with normal neutrophils function while the presence of Ph1 chromosome positive cells associated with defective neutrophils phagocytic activity