Inner cell masses (ICMs) were isolated by immunosurgery from giant blastocysts formed by the aggregation of three morulae. A layer of endoderm cells formed on the outer surface of these primary ICMs in vitro. When this layer was removed by immunosurgery, a secondary endoderm layer formed. Alphafetoprotein (AFP) was used as a biochemical marker to characterize visceral endoderm formation in thes...

The rodent somatosensory barrel cortex (S1bf) has proved a valuable model for studying neural plasticity in vivo. It has been observed that sensory deprivation or conditioning reorganizes sensory-driven activity within S1bf. These observations suggest a role for S1bf in somatosensory learning. This study evaluated the hypothesis that the response properties of extracellularly recorded neurons i...

Recent studies have been successful at utilizing ectopic expression of transcription factors to generate induced cardiomyocytes (iCMs) from fibroblasts, albeit at a low frequency in vitro. This work investigates the influence of small molecules that have been previously reported to improve differentiation to cardiomyocytes as well as reprogramming to iPSCs in conjunction with ectopic expression...

Many forms of brain stimulation utilize the notion of state dependency, whereby greater influences are observed when a given area is more engaged at the time of stimulation. Here, by delivering intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) to the supplementary eye fields (SEF) of monkeys performing interleaved pro- and anti-saccades, we show a surprising diversity of state-dependent effects of ICMS-SEF...

Therapeutic delivery of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (iCMs) represents a novel clinical approach to regenerate the injured myocardium. However, methods for robust and accurate in vivo monitoring of the iCMs are still lacking. Although superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIOs) are recognized as a promising tool for in vivo tracking of stem cells usin...

A move towards the development of lean, issue-focused interfaces is being explored to provide a rapid delivery mechanism to transfer catchment science to managers and custodians. This approach is a move away from development of large decision support systems which attempt to anticipate a myriad of management questions. It relies on having a modelling system which supports the rapid building and...

Brain–machine interfaces useneuronal activity recorded from the brain to establish direct communication with external actuators, such as prosthetic arms. It is hoped that brain–machine interfaces can be used to restore the normal sensorimotor functions of the limbs, but so far they have lacked tactile sensation. Here we report the operation of a brain–machine–brain interface (BMBI) that both co...

Background In vivo multi-modality cellular and molecular imaging of the engrafted iCMs is necessary to characterize the engraftment and the regional effects on the viability of the injured myocardium. Zinc finger nuclease (ZFN)mediated integration of the reporter gene into the AAVS1 locus in the iCMs and manganese enhanced MRI (MEMRI) should allow precise in vivo detection of myocardial regener...

Lecture 1: Feedback, sensitivity, and complexity A central paradigm of control theory is that feedback shapes sensitivity. This lecture will review the basics of this theory and its relevance to analyse complex systems, when understood as large networks of interconnected systems. Lecture 2: Sensitivity analysis of neuronal behaviors The heritage of Hodgkin and Huxley confers a unique place to n...