Transduction capacity systems

The special energy conversion (transductional) capacities designable into elastic protein-based materials provide unique opportunities for a remarkable range of systems capable of controlled delivery of drugs and other more complex therapeutic molecular constructs. Each of the 18 pairwise energy conversions,... 

The sensitivity of the olfactory system is likely to derive from the capacity of the olfactory transduction apparatus to effectively amplify and rapidly terminate signals 821... 

As is the case for all sensory pathways, the capacity to perceive and respond to olfactory cues (odorants) is the combined result of events that take place in both peripheral and central processing centers. These steps, which will be discussed in detail below, begin with the molecular transduction of chemical signals in the form of odorants into electrical activity by olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) in the periphery whose axonal projections form characteristic synaptic connections with elements of the central nervous system (CNS). Within the CNS, complex patterns of olfactory signals are integrated and otherwise processed to afford recognition and ultimately, the behavioral responses to the insect s chemical environment. Within the context of pheromone recognition these responses would likely be centered on various elements of the insect s reproductive cycle. 

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