Reconfigurable Boolean Logic Using Magnetic Single-Electron Transistors

We propose a novel hybrid single-electron device for reprogrammable low-power logic operations, the magnetic single-electron transistor (MSET). The device consists of an aluminium single-electron transistor with a GaMnAs magnetic back-gate. Changing between different logic gate functions is realized by reorienting the magnetic moments of the magnetic layer, which induces a voltage shift on the Coulomb blockade oscillations of the MSET. We show that we can arbitrarily reprogram the function of the device from an n-type SET for in-plane magnetization of the GaMnAs layer to p-type SET for out-of-plane magnetization orientation. Moreover, we demonstrate a set of reprogrammable Boolean gates and its logical complement at the single device level. Finally, we propose two sets of reconfigurable binary gates using combinations of two MSETs in a pull-down network.     

Simultaneous binding of Guidance Cues NET1 and RGM blocks extracellular NEO1 signaling

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Catecholaminergic contributions to the neuronal machinery of the olfactory bulb: aftoradiographic, immunohistochemical and evoked feild potential studies

aftographic exeperiments on the localization of radiolabelednoradrenaline, dopamine and dopa, as well as immunohistochemicalstudies on hydroxylase-like activity, are summarized and comparedin both rat and turtle olfactory bulbs. Evoked field potentialstudies on effects of dopamine are also discussed. The histochemicalstudies suggest that dopaminergic periglomerular neurons arethe most significant cellular component of the catecholaminergicsystem in the olfactory bulb of both species. Scattered fluorescentcell group was also present in the internal plexiform layerand superficial granule cell layer of the turtle olfactory bulb.Other fibres, not related to intrinsic bulbar neuronal cellbodies, were also labeled, mostly in the granule cell layerbut also in the external plexiform layer. These might belongto a centrifugal catecholaminergic system from brain stem neurons.In the in vitro turtle olfactory bulb, dopamine and apomorphinedepressed the amplitude of field potentials evoked by a singlevolley in the olfactory nerve or lateral olfactory tract, andreduced the depression and latency of reponses when paired volleywere delivered. It is suggested that catecholaminergic systemsplay a key role in modulating mitral cell activity through actionsin both superficial (glomerular) and deep (granule) layers.This may involve direct actions, or other, non-catecholaminergicinterneurons.     

Study of the pollen emissions of Urticaceae, Plantaginaceae and Poaceae at five sites in western Spain

A comparative study is presented of the pollen emissions of Urticaceae, Plantaginaceae and Poaceae, collected during 1995 with Hirst samplers (Burkard or Lanzoni) at five sites in western Spain: two Mediterranean sites located in the south (Huelva and Seville) and three Atlantic sites in the north (Orense, Vigo and Santiago). The annual pollen of Poaceae and Plantaginaceae collected in the Atlantic cities was found to be twice that in the Mediterranean sites, and the total amount of Urticaceae was higher at sites with an urban environment and subject to sea influence (Vigo, Huelva and Seville). At all the sites, the start of the main pollination periods (MPP) took place in the following order: Urticaceae, Plantaginaceae and Poaceae. It was also observed that the MPP of these three pollen types began earlier in Huelva and Seville, where the mean temperatures necessary for the beginning of pollen emissions are recorded very early. Regarding the variation in pollen concentrations throughout the year, Urticaceae presented peaks of maximum concentration in March (Huelva, Seville, Vigo and Orense) and June (Santiago); Plantaginaceae in March (south) and June (north); and Poaceae in May (south) and June–July (north). At northern sites, pollen emissions of Urticaceae and Plantaginaceae continued throughout the summer, while in the south they decreased considerably from May onwards. From the allergenic point of view, the indices of reactivity described for Urticaceae and Poaceae were exceeded more often at northern sites, in particular at Vigo. The meteorological conditions associated with periods of highest pollen emission of these three herbaceous types are a rise in mean temperature, light or absent rainfall, and abundant sunshine. The statistical correlations between pollen emissions and meteorological factors were not well-defined, either for the stations or for all the taxa, although they were clearer for the Atlantic cities and for Urticaceae.     

Resolution of Conflicting Signals at the Single-Cell Level in the Regulation of Cyanobacterial Photosynthesis and Nitrogen Fixation

Unicellular, diazotrophic cyanobacteria temporally separate dinitrogen (N₂) fixation and photosynthesis to prevent inactivation of the nitrogenase by oxygen. This temporal segregation is regulated by a circadian clock with oscillating activities of N₂ fixation in the dark and photosynthesis in the light. On the population level, this separation is not always complete, since the two processes can overlap during transitions from dark to light. How do single cells avoid inactivation of nitrogenase during these periods? One possibility is that phenotypic heterogeneity in populations leads to segregation of the two processes. Here, we measured N₂ fixation and photosynthesis of individual cells using nanometer-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (nanoSIMS) to assess both processes in a culture of the unicellular, diazotrophic cyanobacterium Crocosphaera watsonii during a dark-light and a continuous light phase. We compared single-cell rates with bulk rates and gene expression profiles. During the regular dark and light phases, C. watsonii exhibited the temporal segregation of N₂ fixation and photosynthesis commonly observed. However, N₂ fixation and photosynthesis were concurrently measurable at the population level during the subjective dark phase in which cells were kept in the light rather than returned to the expected dark phase. At the single-cell level, though, cells discriminated against either one of the two processes. Cells that showed high levels of photosynthesis had low nitrogen fixing activities, and vice versa. These results suggest that, under ambiguous environmental signals, single cells discriminate against either photosynthesis or nitrogen fixation, and thereby might reduce costs associated with running incompatible processes in the same cell.