The electrophysiological characterisation of cultured neurons is of paramount importance for drug discovery, safety pharmacology and basic research in the neurosciences. Technologies offering low cost, low technical complexity and potential for scalability towards high-throughput electrophysiology on in vitroneurons would be advantageous, in particular for screening purposes. Here we describe a plastic culture substrate supporting low-complexity multi-unit loose-patch recording and stimulation of developing networks while retaining manufacturability compatible with low-cost and large-scale production. Our hybrid polydimethylsilane (PDMS)-on-polystyrene structures include chambers (6 mm in diameter) and microchannels (25 μm × 3.7 μm × 1 mm) serving as substrate-embedded recording pipettes. Somas are plated and retained in the chambers due to geometrical constraints and their processes grow along the microchannels, effectively establishing a loose-patch configuration without human intervention. We demonstrate that off-the-shelf voltage-clamp, current-clamp and extracellular amplifiers can be used to record and stimulate multi-unit activity with the aid of our dishes. Spikes up to 50 pA in voltage-clamp and 300 μV in current-clamp modes are recorded in sparse and bursting activity patterns characteristic of 1 week-old hippocampal cultures. Moreover, spike sorting employing principal component analysis (PCA) confirms that single microchannels support the recording of multiple neurons. Overall, this work suggests a strategy to endow conventional culture plasticware with added functionality to enable cost-efficient network electrophysiology.

The oligodendrocyte myelin glycoprotein is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein expressed by neurons and oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system. Attempts have been made to identify the functions of the myelin-associated inhibitory proteins (MAIPs) after axonal lesion or in neurodegeneration. However, the developmental roles of some of these proteins and their receptors remain elusive. Recent studies indicate that NgR1 and the recently discovered receptor PirB restrict cortical synaptic plasticity. However, the putative factors that trigger these effects are unknown. Because Nogo-A is mostly associated with the endoplasmic reticulum and myelin associated glycoprotein appears late during development, the putative participation of OMgp should be considered. Here, we examine the pattern of development of OMgp immunoreactive elements during mouse telencephalic development. OMgp immunoreactivity in the developing cortex follows the establishment of the thalamo-cortical barrel field. At the cellular level, we located OMgp neuronal membranes in dendrites and axons as well as in brain synaptosome fractions and axon varicosities. Lastly, the analysis of the barrel field in OMgp-deficient mice revealed that although thalamo-cortical connections were formed, their targeting in layer IV was altered, and numerous axons ectopically invaded layers II–III. Our data support the idea that early expressed MAIPs play an active role during development and point to OMgp participating in thalamo-cortical connections.

En la actualidad, las escuelas de niveles básicos, así como las universidades, tienen problemas para motivar a los estudiantes a aprender matemáticas.Con la intención de combatir el desinterés de los estudiantes por el aprendizaje de las matemáticas dentro de los primeros semestres de educación superior, se creó una metodología llamada Adventure School. Esta metodología emplea actividades lúdicas basadas en el sistema de juegos de rol y hace atractivo el proceso de aprendizaje hacia las matemáticas; además, fomenta la motivación, participación y creatividad estudiantil.En la metodología de Adventure School los estudiantes escogen una “profesión” y forman una especie de fraternidad llamada “clan” que les da un beneficio durante el curso académico. Posteriormente los estudiantes trabajan en equipo resolviendo situaciones ficticias, establecidas por el profesor, donde se involucran ciertos temas del área de matemáticas. Conforme los estudiantes avanzan en la resolución de las situaciones ficticias, los estudiantes obtienen “puntos de experiencia” que les sirven para incrementar el beneficio de su profesión (aplicación de sistema de recompensas basado en la teoría del juego) hasta que llegan al nivel legendario, y entonces, pueden anexar otra profesión a su personaje. Desde hace más de cinco años se ha implementado esta metodología, obteniendo una respuesta positiva por parte de los estudiantes, logrando incrementar la participación en equipos y la socialización entre los estudiantes.La metodología de Adventure School está diseñada para trabajar en al área de matemáticas, pero con algunos ajustes, puede ser adaptada con facilidad a cualquier otra área de conocimiento.

Predictions for the photon absorption coefficient (α) and photoluminescence (PL) of quasitype II CdS/ZnS core/shell nanocrystals [quantum dots (QDs)] have been obtained using a straightforward developed procedure. The developed procedure begins by solving the three-dimensional (3-D) Schrodinger equation written in spherical coordinates. Then, α is obtained by solving an equation based on the strict k-selection approach, and PL is derived by solving the Kubo–Martin–Schwinger relationship. This formulation allows the prediction of fundamental QD energy properties as a function of the QD radius. The predicted properties include quantized energy levels, effective bandgap, effective photon absorption wavelength, and effective photon emission wavelength. In addition, CdS/ZnS QDs were synthetized and stabilized based on previously reported procedures. Experimental measurements of α and PL were found to be very well matched to the calculated results. Hence, the developed procedures can be of great interest for designers who correlate theoretical results with experimental measurements to predict next generation QD performance for nanophotonics applications.

CdS, CdTe, Hg_0.1Cd_0.9Te, CdTe, and Ag films were progressively electrodeposited on ITO-coated soda–lime glass to manufacture a short- and mid-wavelength infrared photodetector. A distinctive feature of the applied electrodeposition method is the use of a non-aqueous solution containing ethylene glycol (EG) as the electrolyte in a traditional three-electrode configuration for every film deposition. Using EG as a supplementary electrolyte and using the same deposition conditions with a potential below 0.75 V for all film coatings reduces their environmental incompatibility and offers a low-cost and low-energy route for fabricating the reported photodetector. The produced photodetector has a sensitivity of up to ≈957 nm with a detectivity (D*) of 2.86 × 10¹² cm Hz^1/2 W⁻¹ and a dark current density (J_dark) of 10⁻⁶ mA cm⁻². Furthermore, the manufactured photodiode exhibits self-powered performance because V_oc and J_sc are self-generated, unlike previously reported photodiodes. The presented all-layer electrodeposition assembly approach can easily be adapted to fabricate sensing devices for different applications.

Herein, we apply theoretical models to characterize the transfer function and frequency response of a complex optoelectronic circuit that comprises a primary ultrafast sampling circuit followed by a cascade connection of N demultiplexing stages. The successive radio-frequency optoelectronic samplers were based on the cascade connection of positive-intrinsic-negative-photodiodes (PIN-PDs). We developed a procedure to calculate the principal design parameters that allows us to use optical power for each sampling and demultiplexing stage, such that the circuit can be designed based on the application requirements. The results obtained from the theoretical models were compared with the measurements obtained from the 2.5 GS/s sampling circuit connected in cascade with a 1.25 GS/s and a 625 MS/s demultiplexing circuit implemented using commercial PIN-PDs