Oscillating systems with cointegrated phase processes

Journal of Mathematical Biology - We present cointegration analysis as a method to infer the network structure of a linearly phase coupled oscillating system. By defining a class of oscillating...     

Parameter estimation in a stochastic model of the tubuloglomerular feedback mechanism in a rat nephron

A key parameter in the understanding of renal hemodynamics is the gain of the feedback function in the tubuloglomerular feedback mechanism. A dynamic model of autoregulation of renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate has been extended to include a stochastic differential equations model of one of the main parameters that determines feedback gain. The model reproduces fluctuations and irregularities in the tubular pressure oscillations that the former deterministic models failed to describe. This approach assumes that the gain exhibits spontaneous erratic variations that can be explained by a variety of influences, which change over time (blood pressure, hormone levels, etc.). To estimate the key parameters of the model we have developed a new estimation method based on the oscillatory behavior of the data. The dynamics is characterized by the spectral density, which has been estimated for the observed time series, and numerically approximated for the model. The parameters have then been estimated by the least squares distance between data and model spectral densities. To evaluate the estimation procedure measurements of the proximal tubular pressure from 35 nephrons in 16 rat kidneys have been analyzed, and the parameters characterizing the gain and the delay have been estimated. There was good agreement between the estimated values, and the values obtained for the same parameters in independent, previously published experiments.     

Some like it cold: Temperature‐dependent habitat selection by narwhals

The narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is a high‐Arctic species inhabiting areas that are experiencing increases in sea temperatures, which together with reduction in sea ice are expected to modify the niches of several Arctic marine apex predators. The Scoresby Sound fjord complex in East Greenland is the summer residence for an isolated population of narwhals. The movements of 12 whales instrumented with Fastloc‐GPS transmitters were studied during summer in Scoresby Sound and at their offshore winter ground in 2017–2019. An additional four narwhals provided detailed hydrographic profiles on both summer and winter grounds. Data on diving of the whales were obtained from 20 satellite‐linked time‐depth recorders and 16 Acousonde? recorders that also provided information on the temperature and depth of buzzes. In summer, the foraging whales targeted depths between 300 and 850 m where the preferred areas visited by the whales had temperatures ranging between 0.6 and 1.5°C (mean = 1.1°C, SD = 0.22). The highest probability of buzzing activity during summer was at a temperature of 0.7°C and at depths > 300 m. The whales targeted similar depths at their offshore winter ground where the temperature was slightly higher (range: 0.7–1.7°C, mean = 1.3°C, SD = 0.29). Both the probability of buzzing events and the spatial distribution of the whales in both seasons demonstrated a preferential selection of cold water. This was particularly pronounced in winter where cold coastal water was selected and warm Atlantic water farther offshore was avoided. It is unknown if the small temperature niche of whales while feeding is because prey is concentrated at these temperature gradients and is easier to capture at low temperatures, or because there are limitations in the thermoregulation of the whales. In any case, the small niche requirements together with their strong site fidelity emphasize the sensitivity of narwhals to changes in the thermal characteristics of their habitats.     

Trehalose Increases Freeze-Thaw Damage in Liposomes Containing Chloroplast Glycolipids

Chloroplast thylakoids contain three classes of glycolipids, monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG), digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG), and sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG). We have investigated the stability of large unilamellar vesicles made from egg phosphatidylcholine (EPC) and different chloroplast glycolipids during freezing to -18 degreesC, as a function of the presence of three sugars: glucose, sucrose, or trehalose. Contrary to the situation in thylakoids, where cryoprotection increases from glucose < sucrose < trehalose, liposomes containing 50% DGDG showed the opposite behavior. In fact, carboxyfluorescein leakage increased over the control values (freezing in the absence of sugar) in the presence of trehalose. This effect was not seen in vesicles made from pure EPC, or a mixture of EPC and MGDG, or EPC and SQDG. Liposomes made from mixtures of all three glycolipids, however, showed even more leakage in the presence of trehalose than liposomes containing only DGDG and EPC. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.     

Parametric inference of neuronal response latency in presence of a background signal

Neurons are commonly characterized by spontaneous generation of action potentials (spikes), which appear without any apparent or controlled stimulation. When a stimulus is applied, the spontaneous firing may prevail and hamper identification of the effect of the stimulus. Therefore, for any rigorous analysis of evoked neuronal activity, the presence of spontaneous firing has to be taken into account. If the background signal is ignored, however small it is compared to the response activity, and however large is the delay, estimation of the response latency will be wrong, and the error will persist even when sample size is increasing. The first question is: what is the response latency to the stimulus? Answering this question becomes even more difficult if the latency is of a complex nature, for example composed of a physically implied deterministic part and a stochastic part. This scenario is considered here, where the response time is a sum of two components; the delay and the relative latency. Parametric estimators for the time delay and the response latency are derived. These estimators are evaluated on simulated data and their properties are discussed. Finally, we show that the mean of the response latency is always satisfactorily estimated, even assuming a wrong distribution for the response latency.     

The Morris–Lecar neuron model embeds a leaky integrate-and-fire model

We show that the stochastic Morris–Lecar neuron, in a neighborhood of its stable point, can be approximated by a two-dimensional Ornstein–Uhlenbeck (OU) modulation of a constant circular motion. The associated radial OU process is an example of a leaky integrate-and-fire (LIF) model prior to firing. A new model constructed from a radial OU process together with a simple firing mechanism based on detailed Morris–Lecar firing statistics reproduces the Morris–Lecar Interspike Interval (ISI) distribution, and has the computational advantages of a LIF. The result justifies the large amount of attention paid to the LIF models.     

A review of the methods for signal estimation in stochastic diffusion leaky integrate-and-fire neuronal models

Parameters in diffusion neuronal models are divided into two groups; intrinsic and input parameters. Intrinsic parameters are related to the properties of the neuronal membrane and are assumed to be known throughout the paper. Input parameters characterize processes generated outside the neuron and methods for their estimation are reviewed here. Two examples of the diffusion neuronal model, which are based on the integrate-and-fire concept, are investigated--the Ornstein--Uhlenbeck model as the most common one and the Feller model as an illustration of state-dependent behavior in modeling the neuronal input. Two types of experimental data are assumed-intracellular describing the membrane trajectories and extracellular resulting in knowledge of the interspike intervals. The literature on estimation from the trajectories of the diffusion process is extensive and thus the stress in this review is set on the inference made from the interspike intervals.     

Narwhals react to ship noise and airgun pulses embedded in background noise

Anthropogenic activities are increasing in the Arctic, posing a threat to niche-conservative species with high seasonal site fidelity, such as the narwhal Monodon monoceros. In this controlled sound exposure study, six narwhals were live-captured and instrumented with animal-borne tags providing movement and behavioural data, and exposed to concurrent ship noise and airgun pulses. All narwhals reacted to sound exposure with reduced buzzing rates, where the response was dependent on the magnitude of exposure defined as 1/distance to ship. Buzzing rate was halved at 12 km from the ship, and whales ceased foraging at 7–8 km. Effects of exposure could be detected at distances > 40 km from the ship.At only a few kilometres from the ship, the received high-frequency cetacean weighted sound exposure levels were below background noise indicating extreme sensitivity of narwhals towards sound disturbance and demonstrating their ability to detect signals embedded in background noise. The narwhal''s reactions to sustained disturbance may have a plethora of consequences both at individual and population levels. The observed reactions of the whales demonstrate their auditory sensitivity but also emphasize, that anthropogenic activities in pristine narwhal habitats needs to be managed carefully if healthy narwhal populations are to be maintained.     

Lumbar muscle electromyographic dynamic topography during flexion-extension

The objective of this study is to introduce dynamic topography of surface electromyography (SEMG) to visualize lumbar muscle myoelectric activity and provides a new view to analyze muscle activity in vivo. A total of 20 healthy male subjects and 15 males LBP were enrolled. An electrode-array was applied to the lumbar region to collect SEMG. The root mean square (RMS) value was calculated for each channel, and then a 160×120 matrix was constructed using a linear cubic spline interpolation of each scan to create a 2-D color topographic image. Along a definite interval of action, a series of RMS topography matrices was concatenated as a function of position and time, to form a dynamic topographical video of lumbar muscle activity. Relative area (RA), relative width (RW), relative height (RH) and Width-to-Height Ratio (W/H) were chosen as the four quantitative parameters in measuring topographic features. Normal RMS dynamic topography was found to have a consistent, symmetric pattern with a high intensity area in the paraspinal area. LBP patients had a different RMS dynamic topography, with an asymmetric, broad, or disorganized distribution. Quantitative SEMG features were found significantly different between normal control and LBP. After physiotherapy rehabilitation, the dynamic topography images of LBP tended towards the normal pattern.There are obvious differences in lumbar muscle coordination between healthy subjects and LBP patients. The dynamic topography allows the continuous visualization of the distribution of surface EMG signals and the coordination of muscular contractions.