Lifeboat Foundation

Inward Ca²⁺ currents conducted by voltage-gated Ca²⁺ (Ca_v) channels couple action potentials and other depolarizing stimuli to many Ca²⁺-dependent intracellular processes, including neurotransmission, hormone secretion, and muscle contraction (Zamponi et al., 2015). In presynaptic nerve terminals, Ca_v2.1, Ca_v2.2, and Ca_v2.3 channels conduct P/Q-type, N-type, and R-type Ca²⁺ currents that trigger rapid neurotransmission (for review, see Olivera et al., 1994; Zamponi et al., 2015; Nanou and Catterall, 2018). However, only P/Q-type Ca²⁺ currents conducted by Ca_v2.1 channels can mediate short-term synaptic facilitation at the calyx of Held in mice (Inchauspe et al., 2004), pointing to a unique role of these Ca²⁺ channels in short-term synaptic plasticity.

In transfected nonneuronal cells, Ca²⁺ entry mediated by Ca_v2.1 channels causes calcium-dependent facilitation (CDF) and inactivation (CDI) during single depolarizations and in trains of repetitive depolarizing pulses (Lee et al., 1999, 2000; DeMaria et al., 2001; Catterall and Few, 2008; Christel and Lee, 2012; Ben-Johny and Yue, 2014). Both CDF and CDI of Ca_v2.1 channels are dependent on calmodulin (CaM; Lee et al., 1999, 2000; DeMaria et al., 2001). CaM preassociates with the C-terminal domain of the pore-forming α1 subunit of Ca_v2.1 channels (Erickson et al., 2001). Following Ca²⁺ binding, CaM initially interacts with the nearby IQ-like motif (IM) and causes CDF, whereas further binding of Ca²⁺/CaM to the more distal CaM-binding domain (CBD) induces CDI of Ca_v2.1 channels (DeMaria et al., 2001; Lee et al., 2003). Introducing the IM-AA mutation into the IQ-like motif of Ca_v2.

Just 1 kilo of hydrogen fuel can do the same as around 9.9 pounds of diesel.

French-based company Alstom broke new ground in transportation. The company announced the world’s first hydrogen train, the Coradia iLint, reached Bremervörde, Lower Saxony, Germany.

This regional train only emits steam and condensed water while operating with a low noise level. With this breakthrough, it has been aimed to contribute to the greenest rail network globally, Alstom says.

Continue reading “14 Coradia iLint to start passenger service on first 100% hydrogen operated route” »

Managing road intersections in crowded and dynamic environments, such as urban areas, can be highly challenging. The poor management of traffic at these can lead to road accidents, wastage of fuel, and environmental pollution.

Researchers at the University of Maryland have recently developed GAMEOPT, a new algorithm that could help manage unsignalized road intersections with high traffic more efficiently. The research team with members, Nilesh Suriyarachchi, Rohan Chandra, John S. Baras and Dinesh Manocha introduced their method in a recent paper to be published in the proceedings of the 25th IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems (IEEE ITSC 2022). This method combines optimization techniques with ideas from game theory, a mathematical construct that represents situations in which different agents are competing with one another.

“Forty percent of all crashes, 50% of serious collisions, and 20% of fatalities occur at unsignalized intersections,” Chandra, a member of the research team, told TechXplore. “Our primary objective is to improve traffic flow and fuel efficiency in poorly regulated or unregulated traffic intersections. To achieve this objective, we propose an algorithm that combines ideas from optimization and game theory to understand how different traffic agents cooperate and negotiate with each other at traffic intersections.”

MIT researchers unveil the first open-source simulation engine capable of constructing realistic environments for deployable training and testing of autonomous vehicles. Since they’ve proven to be productive test beds for safely trying out dangerous driving scenarios, hyper-realistic virtual worlds have been heralded as the best driving schools for autonomous vehicles (AVs). Tesla, Waymo, and other self-driving companies all rely heavily on data to enable expensive and proprietary photorealistic simulators, because testing and gathering nuanced I-almost-crashed data usually isn’t the easiest or most desirable to recreate.

Trains that run on hydrogen.

Re-sharing.

(CNN) — The future of environmentally friendly travel might just be here — and it’s Germany that’s leading the charge, with the first ever rail line to be entirely run on hydrogen-powered trains, starting from Wednesday.

Continue reading “The world’s first hydrogen-powered passenger trains are here” »

When California announces anything to do with automobiles we tend to sit up and take notice.

New policy along with the federal Inflation Reduction Act should accelerate the production and adoption of EVs in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Underwater robots are being widely used as tools in a variety of marine tasks. The RobDact is one such bionic underwater vehicle, inspired by a fish called Dactylopteridae known for its enlarged pectoral fins. A research team has combined computational fluid dynamics and a force measurement experiment to study the RobDact, creating an accurate hydrodynamic model of the RobDact that allows them to better control the vehicle.

The team published their findings in Cyborg and Bionic Systems on May 31, 2022.

Underwater robots are now used for many marine tasks, including in the fishery industry, underwater exploration, and mapping. Most of the traditional underwater robots are driven by a propeller, which is effective for cruising in open waters at a stable speed. However, underwater robots often need to be able to move or hover at low speeds in turbulent waters, while performing a specific task. It is difficult for the propeller to move the robot in these conditions. Another factor when an underwater robot is moving at low speeds in unstable flowing waters is the propeller’s “twitching” movement. This twitching generates unpredictable fluid pulses that reduce the robot’s efficiency.

The software that runs John Deere tractors was successfully “jailbroken” at this year’s DEF CON hacker convention, enabling farmers to repair or retune their equipment without engaging with the company that sold them their vehicles.

The hacker involved, who calls himself Sick Codes, was responding directly to U.S. farmers’ long-standing concerns that their “smart” tractors are run on software that only John Deere can access to repair. Smart tractors, including those manufactured by John Deere, are also widely used in the U.K.

Continue reading “‘Liberate the tractors’: The right to repair movement that’s regaining control of our devices” »

A Tesla Model 3 owner has implanted a chip in his hand that unlocks his car. The chip also has a wide array of other functions.