Search results for "Mimetic"
showing 10 items of 218 documents
Computational methods and theory for ion channel research
2022
Ion channels are fundamental biological devices that act as gates in order to ensure selective ion transport across cellular membranes; their operation constitutes the molecular mechanism through which basic biological functions, such as nerve signal transmission and muscle contraction, are carried out. Here, we review recent results in the field of computational research on ion channels, covering theoretical advances, state-of-the-art simulation approaches, and frontline modeling techniques. We also report on few selected applications of continuum and atomistic methods to characterize the mechanisms of permeation, selectivity, and gating in biological and model channels.
Synthesis of novel fluorinated building blocks and α-helix peptidomimetics
2018
At its heart, the present PhD thesis is based on the premise of two important areas in modern organic chemistry: firstly, the development of new methodologies to incorporate fluorine into organic molecules; and secondly, the design and synthesis of small molecules with high therapeutic potential. The work presented in the first three chapters will therefore focus on the incorporation of fluorine into organic molecules and the synthesis of fluorinated building blocks. In each chapter, we aim to obtain biologically relevant small molecules containing fluorine atoms or fluorinated groupings. The introduction of fluorine is a commonly used method in drug discovery to fine-tune the properties of…
Biomimetic strategy towards gelatin coatings on PET. Effect of protocol on coating stability and cell-interactive properties
2019
Gelatin-modified poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) surfaces have been previously realized via an intermediate dopamine coating procedure that resulted in surfaces with superior haemocompatibility compared to unfunctionalized PET. The present study addresses the biocompatibility assessment of these coated PET surfaces. In this context, the stability of the gelatin coating upon exposure to physiological conditions and its cell-interactive properties were investigated. The proposed gelatin–dopamine-PET surfaces showed an increased protein coating stability up to 24 days and promoted the attachment and spreading of both endothelial cells (ECs) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs). In parallel, physi…
Visual learning in Drosophila: Application on a roving robot and comparisons
2011
Visual learning is an important aspect of fly life. Flies are able to extract visual cues from objects, like colors, vertical and horizontal distributedness, and others, that can be used for learning to associate a meaning to specific features (i.e. a reward or a punishment). Interesting biological experiments show trained stationary flying flies avoiding flying towards specific visual objects, appearing on the surrounding environment. Wild-type flies effectively learn to avoid those objects but this is not the case for the learning mutant rutabaga defective in the cyclic AMP dependent pathway for plasticity. A bio-inspired architecture has been proposed to model the fly behavior and experi…
Comment on “Crystallographic Snapshot of an Arrested Intermediate in the Biomimetic Activation of CO2”
2015
Out of focus: A recent Communication published in this journal describes the synthesis of [nBu4 N]HCO3 . The authors performed a single-crystal X-ray study that revealed a putative species described as an incipient hydroxide ion engaging in a long, and presumably weak, interaction with CO2 . Our recent exploration of the coordination chemistry of CO2 with small ions leads us to believe that such an exceptional bonding situation is unlikely. Instead, we argue that the crystal structure is that of [nBu4 N]O2 CCH3 and therefore not representative of the bulk powder from the synthesis.
Bidirectional cell-matrix interaction dictates neuronal network formation in a brain-mimetic 3D scaffold
2022
Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) derived neurons are emerging as a powerful tool for studying neurobiology, disease pathology, and modeling. Due to the lack of platforms available for housing and growing hPSC-derived neurons, a pressing need exists to tailor a brain-mimetic 3D scaffold that recapitulates tissue composition and favourably regulates neuronal network formation. Despite the progress in engineering biomimetic scaffolds, an ideal brain-mimetic scaffold is still elusive. We bioengineered a physiologically relevant 3D scaffold by integrating brain-like extracellular matrix (ECM) components and chemical cues. Culturing hPSCs-neurons in hyaluronic acid (HA) gels and HA-chondroitin…
Salt release monitoring with specific sensors in "in vitro" oral and digestive environments from soft cheeses
2012
International audience; The objective of the present work is to demonstrate the interest and the feasibility of the measurement of NaCl concentrations in soft cheeses and in particular an in vitro digestion process by the use of chemical sensors. The analyzed matrices were the commercial Italian mozzarella cheeses and domestic cheese base models. The classification of mozzarellas was performed according to their salinity, while the breakdown of cheese base models has been followed both at initial steps of digestion in artificial mouth dispositive mimicking the oral sphere and in a gut-imitating digester (TIM-1). During the breakdown of soft cheese in the digester, the estimated values for N…
Synthesis and preliminary in vivo evaluation of well-dispersed biomimetic nanocrystalline apatites labeled with positron emission tomographic imaging…
2015
In recent years, biomimetic synthetic apatite nanoparticles (AP-NPs), having chemical similarity with the mineral phase of bone, have attracted a great interest in nanomedicine as potential drug carriers. To evaluate the therapeutic perspectives of AP-NPs through the mechanisms of action and organs they interact with, the noninvasive monitoring of their in vivo behavior is of paramount importance. To this aim, here the feasibility to radiolabel AP-NPs ("naked" and surface-modified with citrate to reduce their aggregation) with two positron emission tomographic (PET) imaging agents ([F-18]NaF and Ga-68-NO(2)AP(BP)) was investigated. [F-18]NaF was used for the direct incorporation of the radi…
Cognitive Mimetics for AI Ethics : Tacit Knowledge, Action Ontologies and Problem Restructuring
2020
Ethics and ethical information processing are an important problem for AI development. It is important for self-evident reasons, but also challenging in its’ implications and should be welcomed by designers and developers as an interesting technical challenge. This article explores AI ethics as a design problem and lays out how cognitive mimetics could be used a method for its design. AI ethics is conceptualized as a problem of implementation on the one hand, and as a problem of ethical contents on the other. From the viewpoint of human information processing, ethics becomes a special case of ethical information processing - one that has deep implications in terms of AI abilities and inform…
Affective Mimetics, Emotional Information Space, and Metaverse
2021
Current technology design pursues applying human-like features to AI technologies. These attempts have faced many challenges due to the essential complexities of the human mind. Cognitive mimetics is a design approach to mimic human information processes in designing intelligent technologies. The focus is on mimicking cognition, human knowledge structures, and represented mental information contents which addresses a fundamental issue in technology design. However, cognition is one aspect of information processing in the human mind. Affective information processing also plays an essential role in addressing the meaningfulness of cognitive processes. This paper discusses affective mimetics (…