High-conductance states and A-type K+ channels are potential regulators of the conductance-current balance triggered by HCN channels

An increase in the hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channel conductance reduces input resistance, whereas the consequent increase in the inward h current depolarizes the membrane. This results in a delicate and unique conductance-current balance triggered by the expression of HCN channels. In this study, we employ experimentally constrained, morphologically realistic, conductance-based models of hippocampal neurons to explore certain aspects of this conductance-current balance. First, we found that the inclusion of an experimentally determined gradient in A-type K+ conductance, but not in M-type K+ conductance, tilts the HCN conductance-current balance heavily in favor of conductance, thereby exerting an overall restorative influence on neural excitability. Next, motivated by the well-established modulation of neuronal excitability by synaptically driven high-conductance states observed under in vivo conditions, we inserted thousands of excitatory and inhibitory synapses with different somatodendritic distributions. We measured the efficacy of HCN channels, independently and in conjunction with other channels, in altering resting membrane potential (RMP) and input resistance (R-in) when the neuron received randomized or rhythmic synaptic bombardments through variable numbers of synaptic inputs. We found that the impact of HCN channels on average RMP, R in, firing frequency, and peak-to-peak voltage response was severely weakened under high-conductance states, with the impinging synaptic drive playing a dominant role in regulating these measurements. Our results suggest that the debate on the role of HCN channels in altering excitability should encompass physiological and pathophysiological neuronal states under in vivo conditions and the spatiotemporal interactions of HCN channels with other channels.

Flux Transport Dynamos: From Kinematics to Dynamics

Over the past several decades, Flux-Transport Dynamo (FTD) models have emerged as a popular paradigm for explaining the cyclic nature of solar magnetic activity. Their defining characteristic is the key role played by the mean meridional circulation in transporting magnetic flux and thereby regulating the cycle period. Most FTD models also incorporate the so-called Babcock-Leighton (BL) mechanism in which the mean poloidal field is produced by the emergence and subsequent dispersal of bipolar active regions. This feature is well grounded in solar observations and provides a means for assimilating observed surface flows and fields into the models in order to forecast future solar activity, to identify model biases, and to clarify the underlying physical processes. Furthermore, interpreting historical sunspot records within the context of FTD models can potentially provide insight into why cycle features such as amplitude and duration vary and what causes extreme events such as Grand Minima. Though they are generally robust in a modeling sense and make good contact with observed cycle features, FTD models rely on input physics that is only partially constrained by observation and that neglects the subtleties of convective transport, convective field generation, and nonlinear feedbacks. Here we review the formulation and application of FTD models and assess our current understanding of the input physics based largely on complementary 3D MHD simulations of solar convection, dynamo action, and flux emergence.

Phytoplankton size structure in the southern Bay of Bengal modified by the Summer Monsoon Current and associated eddies: Implications on the vertical biogenic flux

The present study combines field and satellite observations to investigate how hydrographical transformations influence phytoplankton size structure in the southern Bay of Bengal during the peak Southwest Monsoon/Summer Monsoon (July-August). The intrusion of the Summer Monsoon Current (SMC) into the Bay of Bengal and associated changes in sea surface chemistry, traceable eastward up to 90 degrees E along 8 degrees N, seems to influence biology of the region significantly. Both in situ and satellite (MODIS) data revealed low surface chlorophyll except in the area influenced by the SMC During the study period, two well-developed cydonic eddies (north) and an anti-cyclonic eddy (south), closely linked to the main eastward flow of the SMC, were sampled. Considering the capping effect of the low-saline surface water that is characteristic of the Bay of Bengal, the impact of the cyclonic eddy, estimated in terms of enhanced nutrients and chlorophyll, was mostly restricted to the subsurface waters (below 20 m depth). Conversely, the anti-cyclonic eddy aided by the SMC was characterized by considerably higher nutrient concentration and chlorophyll in the upper water column (upper 60 m), which was contrary to the general characteristic of such eddies. Albeit smaller phytoplankton predominated the southern Bay of Bengal (60-95% of the total chlorophyll), the contribution of large phytoplankton was double in the regions influenced by the SMC and associated eddies. Multivariate analysis revealed the extent to which SMC-associated eddies spatially influence phytoplankton community structure. The study presents the first direct quantification of the size structure of phytoplankton from the southern Bay of Bengal and demonstrates that the SMC-associated hydrographical ramifications significantly increase the phytoplankton biomass contributed by larger phytoplankton and thereby influence the vertical opal and organic carbon flux in the region. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Forgotten records of Chrysopelea taprobanica Smith, 1943 (Squamata: Colubridae) from India

The colubrid snake Chrysopelea taprobanica Smith, 1943 was described from a holotype from Kanthali (= Kantalai) and paratypes from Kurunegala, both localities in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) (Smith 1943). Since its description, literature pertaining to Sri Lankan snake fauna considered this taxon to be endemic to the island (Taylor 1950, Deraniyagala 1955, de Silva 1980, de Silva 1990, Somaweera 2004, Somaweera 2006, de Silva 2009, Pyron et al. 2013). In addition, earlier efforts on the Indian peninsula (e.g. Das 1994, 1997, Das 2003, Whitaker & Captain 2004, Aengals et al. 2012) and global data compilations (e.g. Wallach et al. 2014, Uetz & Hošek 2015) did not identify any record from mainland India until Guptha et al. (2015) recorded a specimen (voucher BLT 076 housed at Bio-Lab of Seshachalam Hills, Tirupathi, India) in the dry deciduous forest of Chamala, Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve in Andhra Pradesh, India in November 2013. Guptha et al. (2015) further mentioned an individual previously photographed in 2000 at Rishi Valley, Andhra Pradesh, but with no voucher specimen collected. Guptha’s record, assumed to be the first confirmed record of C. taprobanica in India, is noteworthy as it results in a large range extension, from northern Sri Lanka to eastern India with an Euclidean distance of over 400 km, as well as a change of status, i.e., species not endemic to Sri Lanka. However, at least three little-known previous records of this species from India evaded most literature and were overlooked by the researchers including ourselves.

Investigations on Optimal Pulse-Width Modulation to Minimize Total Harmonic Distortion in the Line Current

PWM waveforms with positive voltage transition at the positive zero crossing of the fundamental voltage (type-A) are generally considered for PWM waveform with even number of switching angles per quarter whereas, waveforms with negative voltage transition at the positive zero crossing (type-B) are considered for odd number of switching angles per quarter. Optimal PWM, for minimization of total harmonic distortion of line to line (VWTHD), is generally solved with the aforementioned criteria. This paper establishes that a combination of both types of waveforms gives better performance than any individual type in terms of minimum VWTHD for complete range of modulation index (M). Optimal PWM for minimum VWTHD is solved for PWM waveforms with pulse numbers (P) of 5 and 7. Both type-A and type-B waveforms are found to be better in different ranges of M. The theoretical findings are confirmed through simulation and experimental results on a 3.7 kW squirrel cage induction motor in an open-loop V/f drive. Further, the optimal PWM is analysed from a space vector point of view.

Experimental Investigation on Switching Characteristics of High-Current Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors at Low Currents

Insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) are used in high-power voltage-source converters rated up to hundreds of kilowatts or even a few megawatts. Knowledge of device switching characteristics is required for reliable design and operation of the converters. Switching characteristics are studied widely at high current levels, and corresponding data are available in datasheets. But the devices in a converter also switch low currents close to the zero crossings of the line currents. Further, the switching behaviour under these conditions could significantly influence the output waveform quality including zero crossover distortion. Hence, the switching characteristics of high-current IGBTs (300-A and 75-A IGBT modules) at low load current magnitudes are investigated experimentally in this paper. The collector current, gate-emitter voltage and collector-emitter voltage are measured at various low values of current (less than 10% of the device rated current). A specially designed in-house constructed coaxial current transformer (CCT) is used for device current measurement without increasing the loop inductance in the power circuit. Experimental results show that the device voltage rise time increases significantly during turn-off transitions at low currents.

Coherent (photon) vs incoherent (current) detection of multidimensional optical signals from single molecules in open junctions

The nonlinear optical response of a current-carrying single molecule coupled to two metal leads and driven by a sequence of impulsive optical pulses with controllable phases and time delays is calculated. Coherent (stimulated, heterodyne) detection of photons and incoherent detection of the optically induced current are compared. Using a diagrammatic Liouville space superoperator formalism, the signals are recast in terms of molecular correlation functions which are then expanded in the many-body molecular states. Two dimensional signals in benzene-1,4-dithiol molecule show cross peaks involving charged states. The correlation between optical and charge current signal is also observed. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.

A zero charge-pump mismatch current tracking loop for reference spur reduction in PLLs

The charge-pump (CP) mismatch current is a dominant source of static phase error and reference spur in the nano-meter CMOS PLL implementations due to its worsened channel length modulation effect. This paper presents a charge-pump (CP) mismatch current reduction technique utilizing an adaptive body bias tuning of CP transistors and a zero CP mismatch current tracking PLL architecture for reference spur suppression. A chip prototype of the proposed circuit was implemented in 0.13 mu m CMOS technology. The frequency synthesizer consumes 8.2 mA current from a 13 V supply voltage and achieves a phase noise of -96.01 dBc/Hz @ 1 MHz offset from a 2.4 GHz RF carrier. The charge-pump measurements using the proposed calibration technique exhibited a mismatch current of less than 0.3 mu A (0.55%) over the VCO control voltage range of 0.3-1.0 V. The closed loop measurements show a minimized static phase error of within +/- 70 ps and a similar or equal to 9 dB reduction in reference spur level across the PLL output frequency range 2.4-2.5 GHz. The presented CP calibration technique compensates for the DC current mismatch and the mismatch due to channel length modulation effect and therefore improves the performance of CP-PLLs in nano-meter CMOS implementations. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Statistical Model of Current Loops and Magnetic Monopoles

We formulate a natural model of loops and isolated vertices for arbitrary planar graphs, which we call the monopole-dimer model. We show that the partition function of this model can be expressed as a determinant. We then extend the method of Kasteleyn and Temperley-Fisher to calculate the partition function exactly in the case of rectangular grids. This partition function turns out to be a square of a polynomial with positive integer coefficients when the grid lengths are even. Finally, we analyse this formula in the infinite volume limit and show that the local monopole density, free energy and entropy can be expressed in terms of well-known elliptic functions. Our technique is a novel determinantal formula for the partition function of a model of isolated vertices and loops for arbitrary graphs.

Current trends in modeling hostpathogen interactions

The rapid emergence of infectious diseases calls for immediate attention to determine practical solutions for intervention strategies. To this end, it becomes necessary to obtain a holistic view of the complex hostpathogen interactome. Advances in omics and related technology have resulted in massive generation of data for the interacting systems at unprecedented levels of detail. Systems-level studies with the aid of mathematical tools contribute to a deeper understanding of biological systems, where intuitive reasoning alone does not suffice. In this review, we discuss different aspects of hostpathogen interactions (HPIs) and the available data resources and tools used to study them. We discuss in detail models of HPIs at various levels of abstraction, along with their applications and limitations. We also enlist a few case studies, which incorporate different modeling approaches, providing significant insights into disease. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Harmonic analysis of DC capacitor current in sinusoidal and space-vector modulated neutral-point-clamped inverters

The voltage ripple and power loss in the DC-capacitor of a voltage source inverter depend on the harmonic currents flowing through the capacitor. This paper presents a double Fourier series based analysis of the harmonic contents of the DC capacitor current in a three-level neutral-point clamped (NPC) inverter, modulated with sine-triangle pulse-width modulation (SPWM) or conventional space vector pulse-width modulation (CSVPWM) schemes. The analytical results are validated experimentally on a 3-kVA three-level inverter prototype. The capacitor current in an NPC inverter has a periodicity of 120(a similar to) at the fundamental or modulation frequency. Hence, this current contains third-harmonic and triplen-frequency components, apart from switching frequency components. The harmonic components vary with modulation index and power factor for both PWM schemes. The third harmonic current decreases with increase in modulation index and also decreases with increase in power factor in case of both PWM methods. In general, the third harmonic content is higher with SPWM than with CSVPWM at a given operating condition. Also, power loss and voltage ripple in the DC capacitor are estimated for both the schemes using the current harmonic spectrum and equivalent series resistance (ESR) of the capacitor.

Experimental characterisation and performance evaluation of a coaxial current transformer for measurement of insulated gate bipolar transistor switching current

Measurement of device current during switching characterisation of an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) requires a current sensor with low insertion impedance and high bandwidth. This study presents an experimental procedure for evaluating the performance of a coaxial current transformer (CCT), designed for the above purpose. A prototype CCT, which can be mounted directly on a power terminal of a 1200 V/50 A half-bridge IGBT module, is characterised experimentally. The measured characteristics include insertion impedance, gain and phase of the CCT at different frequencies. The bounds of linearity within which the CCT can operate without saturation are determined theoretically, and are also verified experimentally. The experimental study on linearity of the CCT requires a high-amplitude current source. A proportional-resonant (PR) controller-based current-controlled half-bridge inverter is developed for this purpose. A systematic procedure for selection of PR controller parameters is also reported in this study. This set-up is helpful to determine the limit of linearity and also to measure the frequency response of the CCT at realistic amplitudes of current in the low-frequency range.

Tracking the migration of the Indian continent using the carbonate clumped isotope technique on Phanerozoic soil carbonates

Approximately 140 million years ago, the Indian plate separated from Gondwana and migrated by almost 90 degrees latitude to its current location, forming the Himalayan-Tibetan system. Large discrepancies exist in the rate of migration of Indian plate during Phanerozoic. Here we describe a new approach to paleo-latitudinal reconstruction based on simultaneous determination of carbonate formation temperature and delta O-18 of soil carbonates, constrained by the abundances of C-13-O-18 bonds in palaeosol carbonates. Assuming that the palaeosol carbonates have a strong relationship with the composition of the meteoric water, delta O-18 carbonate of palaeosol can constrain paleo-latitudinal position. Weighted mean annual rainfall delta O-18 water values measured at several stations across the southern latitudes are used to derive a polynomial equation: delta(18)Ow = -0.006 x (LAT)(2) - 0.294 x (LAT) - 5.29 which is used for latitudinal reconstruction. We use this approach to show the northward migration of the Indian plate from 46.8 +/- 5.8 degrees S during the Permian (269 M. y.) to 30 +/- 11 degrees S during the Triassic (248 M. y.), 14.7 +/- 8.7 degrees S during the early Cretaceous (135 M. y.), and 28 +/- 8.8 degrees S during the late Cretaceous ( 68 M. y.). Soil carbonate delta O-18 provides an alternative method for tracing the latitudinal position of Indian plate in the past and the estimates are consistent with the paleo-magnetic records which document the position of Indian plate prior to 135 +/- 3 M. y.

Full current statistics for a disordered open exclusion process

We consider the nonabelian sandpile model defined on directed trees by Ayyer et al. (2015 Commun. Math. Phys. 335 1065). and restrict it to the special case of a one-dimensional lattice of n sites which has open boundaries and disordered hopping rates. We focus on the joint distribution of the integrated currents across each bond simultaneously, and calculate its cumulant generating function exactly. Surprisingly, the process conditioned on seeing specified currents across each bond turns out to be a renormalised version of the same process. We also remark on a duality property of the large deviation function. Lastly, all eigenvalues and both Perron eigenvectors of the tilted generator are determined.