Search results for "Factory"
showing 10 items of 490 documents
Mating Increases Neuronal Tyrosine Hydroxylase Expression and Selectively Gates Transmission of Male Chemosensory Information in Female Mice
2013
Exposure to chemosensory signals from unfamiliar males can terminate pregnancy in recently mated female mice. The number of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons in the main olfactory bulb has been found to increase following mating and has been implicated in preventing male-induced pregnancy block during the post-implantation period. In contrast, pre-implantation pregnancy block is mediated by the vomeronasal system, and is thought to be prevented by selective inhibition of the mate's pregnancy blocking chemosignals, at the level of the accessory olfactory bulb. The objectives of this study were firstly to identify the level of the vomeronasal pathway at which selective inhibition of the m…
Role of nitric oxide in pheromone-mediated intraspecific communication in mice
2009
Nitric oxide is known to take part in the control of sexual and agonistic behaviours. This is usually attributed to its role in neural transmission in the hypothalamus and other structures of the limbic system. However, socio-sexual behaviours in rodents are mainly directed by chemical signals detected by the vomeronasal system, and nitric oxide is abundant in key structures along the vomeronasal pathway. Thus, here we check whether pharmacological treatments interfering with nitrergic transmission could affect socio-sexual behaviour by impairing the processing of chemical signals. Treatment with an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis (Nomega-Nitro-l-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride, L-N…
Effect of sertraline treatment on benzodiazepine receptors in the rat brain.
1993
In this paper we describe the modification of benzodiazepine (BDZ) binding sites in the rat brain after different times of treatment with the 5-hydroxytryptamine-(5HT) uptake blocker sertraline. We investigated the effect of 8, 15 and 30 days sertraline treatment (10 mg/kg/day, i.p.) on 3 H-flunitrazepam binding sites. In order to describe the anatomical site of action of the drug, the experiment has been carried out by means of quantitative receptor autoradiography. After 8 days of sertraline treatment, an increase of BDZ receptor density is found in the olfactory tubercle. This effect is reversed at 15 and 30 days. At 15 days of treatment, an increase is found in the anterior cingulate co…
Perception of mixtures of odorants and tastants: sensory and analytical points of view
2017
Perception of mixtures of odorants and tastants: sensory and analytical points of view
A heuristic to schedule flexible job-shop in a glass factory
2005
We describe the design and implementation of a scheduling system in a glass factory. The factory produces a large variety of manufactured glass objects in a complex process ranging from melting the glass in the furnaces and blowing it automatically or manually to decorating, assembling and packing it. The structure basically corresponds to a flexible job-shop scheduling problem with some special characteristics. On the one hand, dealing with hot liquid glass imposes no-wait constraints on some operations. On the other hand, skilled workers performing some manual tasks are modelled as special machines. The system produces approximate solutions in very short computing times, trying to minimiz…
G protein-coupled odorant receptors underlie mechanosensitivity in mammalian olfactory sensory neurons
2014
Mechanosensitive cells are essential for organisms to sense the external and internal environments, and a variety of molecules have been implicated as mechanical sensors. Here we report that odorant receptors (ORs), a large family of G protein-coupled receptors, underlie the responses to both chemical and mechanical stimuli in mouse olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs). Genetic ablation of key signaling proteins in odor transduction or disruption of OR–G protein coupling eliminates mechanical responses. Curiously, OSNs expressing different OR types display significantly different responses to mechanical stimuli. Genetic swap of putatively mechanosensitive ORs abolishes or reduces mechanical res…
Structure of rat odorant-binding protein OBP1 at 1.6 angstrom resolution
2009
The nasal mucosa is a specialist interfacial region sandwiched between the olfactory system and the gaseous chemical milieu. In mammals and insects, this region is rich in odorant-binding proteins that are thought to aid olfaction by assisting mass transfer of the many different organoleptic compounds that make up the olfactory landscape. However, in mammals at least, our grasp on the exact function of odorant-binding proteins is tentative and better insight into the role of these proteins is warranted, not least because of their apparent significance in the olfactory systems of insects. Here, the crystal structure of rat odorant-binding protein 1 is reported at 1.6 Å resolution. This prote…
Enthalpy/entropy compensation effects from cavity desolvation underpin broad ligand binding selectivity for rat odorant binding protein 3
2014
Evolution has produced proteins with exquisite ligand binding specificity, and manipulating this effect has been the basis for much of modern rational drug design. However, there are general classes of proteins with broader ligand selectivity linked to function, the origin of which is poorly understood. The odorant binding proteins (OBPs) sequester volatile molecules for transportation to the olfactory receptors. Rat OBP3, which we characterize by X-ray crystallography and NMR, binds a homologous series of aliphatic gamma-lactones within its aromatic-rich hydrophobic pocket with remarkably little variation in affinity but extensive enthalpy/entropy compensation effects. We show that the bin…
Comment on "Human Neuroblasts Migrate to the Olfactory Bulb via a Lateral Ventricular Extension"
2007
Curtis et al . (Research Articles, 2 March 2007, p. 1243) claimed discovery of a human neuronal migratory stream to the olfactory bulb along a putative lateral ventricular extension. However, high levels of proliferation reported with proliferating cell nuclear antigen were not confirmed using different markers, neuronal chain migration was not demonstrated, and no serial reconstruction shows a true ventricular extension.
impact of dietary intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on the physiology of the peripheral olfactory system in young mice
2021
Abstract : Olfaction plays a major role in the detection of volatile chemical signals present in the environment and triggers behaviors such as food intake, social interactions or danger avoidance. Recent studies suggested that nutritional and metabolic status of individuals may influence their olfactory capacities. Olfactory disorders have been observed in people with pathologies such as obesity and diabetes as well as in rodents exposed to obesogenic or diabetogenic diets. The physiological mechanisms underlying these dysfunctions are not known. One hypothesis is that a nutritional imbalance in lipids might alter the functioning of the peripheral olfactory system. In this context, the obj…