....................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.......

The lobula giant movement detector (LGMD) and its target neuron, the descending contralateral movement detector (DCMD), constitute a motion-sensitive pathway in the locust visual system that responds preferentially to objects approaching on a collision course. LGMD receptive field properties, anisotropic distribution of local retinotopic inputs across the visual field, and localized habituation...

DCMD presents an opportunity to achieve desalination using low-grade waste heat and highly saline feed waters, where it may be economically competitive with RO, besides providing a very high quality product that could be used for boiler feed water and without the corrosion problems associated with metal based evaporators. Combined with high packing density polymeric heat exchangers, DCMD may al...

Manuscript received: 29.04.17; Revision accepted: 30.05.17 Dominant cystoid macular dystrophy (DCMD) is a rare inherited retinal disorder. It primarily affects the macula. It is a unique retinal dystrophy because the appearance of cystic spaces in the macula heralds its onset with the rest of the retina being essentially normal.[1] Herein, we describe multimodal imaging findings in a case of DCMD.

Growing demands for potable water have strained water resources and increased interest in wastewater reclamation for potable reuse. This interest has brought increased attention to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) as emerging water contaminants. The effect of EDCs, and in particular natural steroid hormones, on humans is of heightened interest in the study of wastewater reuse in advanced l...

Avoiding capture from a fast-approaching predator is an important survival skill shared by many animals. Investigating the neural circuits that give rise to this escape behavior can provide a tractable demonstration of systems-level neuroscience research for undergraduate laboratories. In this paper, we describe three related hands-on exercises using the grasshopper and affordable technology to...

Locusts have two large collision-detecting neurons, the descending contralateral movement detectors (DCMDs) that signal object approach and trigger evasive glides during flight. We sought to investigate whether vision for action, when the locust is in an aroused state rather than a passive viewer, significantly alters visual processing in this collision-detecting pathway. To do this we used two...

Neural circuit s are strongly affected by temperature and failure ensues at extreme s. However, detrimental effects of high temperature on neural pathways can be mitigated by prior exposure to high, but sub-lethal temperatures (heat shock). Using the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria, we investigated the effects of heat shock on the thermosensitivity of a visual interneuron (the descending c...

17 The lobula giant movement detector (LGMD) and descending contralateral movement detector 18 (DCMD) constitute one motion-sensitive pathway in the locust visual system that is implicated 19 in collision-avoidance behaviours. While this pathway is thought to respond preferentially to 20 objects approaching on a direct collision course, emerging studies suggest the firing rate is able 21 to mon...

In this study, direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) was used for treating fermentation wastewater with high organic concentrations. DCMD performance characteristics including permeate flux, permeate water quality as well as membrane fouling were investigated systematically. Experimental results showed that, after 12hr DCMD, the feed wastewater was concentrated by about a factor of 3.7 on...