Membrane proteins are uniquely placed at the interface of the internal and external milieu of cells, and many of them unsurprisingly function as signal transducers involved in pathways critical for normal physiological activity. A majority of these membrane proteins have a modular architecture with distinct sensing and catalytic domains. Understanding how information flows from one part of the ...

Voltage-dependent ion channels contain voltage sensors that allow them to switch between nonconductive and conductive states over the narrow range of a few hundredths of a volt. We investigated the mechanism by which these channels sense cell membrane voltage by determining the x-ray crystal structure of a mammalian Shaker family potassium ion (K+) channel. The voltage-dependent K+ channel Kv1....

Electro-hydraulic servo pump control belongs to an electro-hydraulic coupling motion system, which involves the mutual penetration and integration of mechanical, hydraulic, electrical, control, other disciplines, as well time-varying, uncertain, multisource, multifield problems internal external excitation makes system have characteristics a complex model, strong coupling, nonlinearity, time-va...

Computational modeling has traditionally played an important role in dissecting the mechanisms for cardiac dysfunction. Ventricular electromechanical models, likely the most sophisticated virtual organs to date, integrate detailed information across the spatial scales of cardiac electrophysiology and mechanics and are capable of capturing the emergent behavior and the interaction between electr...

Due to the large strain capability, electroactive polymers (EAPs) are promising materials for several engineering applications, for example: they can be used as actuators and sensors in cameras, pumps, valves, etc. Generally speaking, the mode of action in EAPs is based on Coulomb forces generated by electric field that causes the polymer membrane to contract in the thickness direction. In this...

The article entitled Effect of transcatheter aortic valve replacement on P-wave duration, P-wave dispersion and left atrial size by Dursun, et al. has contributed to our knowledge regarding the positive effects of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure on atrial electrical remodeling. In this study, TAVR procedure led to a decrease on P-wave duration and P-wave dispersion.  As...

In single muscle fibers from the giant barnacle, a small decrease in muscle length decreases both the calcium activation and the peak isometric tension produced by a constant current stimulus. The effect is most pronounced if the length change immediately precedes the stimulation. In some cases, the decrease in tension with shortening can be accounted for almost entirely by a decrease in calciu...

The coupling between cardiac mechanics and electric signaling is addressed in a nonstandard framework in which the electrical potential dictates the active strain (not stress) of the muscle. The physiological and mathematical motivations leading us to this choice are illustrated. The propagation of the electric signal is assumed to be governed by the FitzHugh–Nagumo equations, rewritten in mate...

The ability of certain materials to convert electrical stimuli into mechanical deformation, and vice versa, is a prized property. Not surprisingly, applications of such so-called piezoelectric materials are broad—ranging from energy harvesting to self-powered sensors. In this perspective, written in the form of question-answers, we highlight a relatively understudied electromechanical coupling ...