5,879 research outputs found

    In vitro microtubule-nucleating activity of spindle pole bodies in fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe: cell cycle-dependent activation in xenopus cell-free extracts.

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    The spindle pole body (SPB) is the equivalent of the centrosome in fission yeast. In vivo it nucleates microtubules (MTs) during mitosis, but, unlike animal centrosomes, does not act as a microtubule organizing center (MTOC) during interphase. We have studied the MT-nucleating activity of SPBs in vitro and have found that SPBs in permeabilized cells retain in vivo characteristics. SPBs in cells permeabilized during mitosis can nucleate MTs, and are recognized by two antibodies: anti-gamma-tubulin and MPM-2 which recognizes phosphoepitopes. SPBs in cells permeabilized during interphase cannot nucleate MTs and are only recognized by anti-gamma-tubulin. Interphase SPBs which cannot nucleate can be converted to a nucleation competent state by incubation in cytostatic factor (CSF)-arrested Xenopus egg extracts. After incubation, they are recognized by MPM-2, and can nucleate MTs. The conversion does not occur in Xenopus interphase extract, but occurs in Xenopus interphase extract driven into mitosis by preincubation with exogenous cyclin B. The conversion is ATP dependent and inhibited by protein kinase inhibitors and alkaline phosphatase. Purified, active, cdc2 kinase/cyclin B complex in itself is not effective for activation of MT nucleation, although some interphase SPBs are now stained with MPM-2. These results suggest that the ability of SPBs in vitro to nucleate MTs after exposure to CSF-arrested extracts is activated through a downstream pathway which is regulated by cdc2 kinase

    Cohomological non-rigidity of generalized real Bott manifolds of height 2

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    We investigate when two generalized real Bott manifolds of height 2 have isomorphic cohomology rings with Z/2 coefficients and also when they are diffeomorphic. It turns out that cohomology rings with Z/2 coefficients do not distinguish those manifolds up to diffeomorphism in general. This gives a counterexample to the cohomological rigidity problem for real toric manifolds posed in \cite{ka-ma08}. We also prove that generalized real Bott manifolds of height 2 are diffeomorphic if they are homotopy equivalent

    The two components of the SO(3)-character space of the fundamental group of a closed surface of genus 2

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    We use geometric techniques to explicitly find the topological structure of the space of SO(3)-representations of the fundamental group of a closed surface of genus 2 quotient by the conjugation action by SO(3). There are two components of the space. We will describe the topology of both components and describe the corresponding SU(2)-character spaces by parametrizing them by spherical triangles. There is the sixteen to one branch-covering for each component, and the branch locus is a union of 2-spheres or 2-tori. Along the way, we also describe the topology of both spaces. We will later relate this result to future work into higher-genus cases and the SL(3,R)-representations

    The scenario of two-dimensional instabilities of the cylinder wake under EHD forcing: A linear stability analysis

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    We propose to study the stability properties of an air flow wake forced by a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) actuator, which is a type of electrohydrodynamic (EHD) actuator. These actuators add momentum to the flow around a cylinder in regions close to the wall and, in our case, are symmetrically disposed near the boundary layer separation point. Since the forcing frequencies, typical of DBD, are much higher than the natural shedding frequency of the flow, we will be considering the forcing actuation as stationary. In the first part, the flow around a circular cylinder modified by EHD actuators will be experimentally studied by means of particle image velocimetry (PIV). In the second part, the EHD actuators have been numerically implemented as a boundary condition on the cylinder surface. Using this boundary condition, the computationally obtained base flow is then compared with the experimental one in order to relate the control parameters from both methodologies. After validating the obtained agreement, we study the Hopf bifurcation that appears once the flow starts the vortex shedding through experimental and computational approaches. For the base flow derived from experimentally obtained snapshots, we monitor the evolution of the velocity amplitude oscillations. As to the computationally obtained base flow, its stability is analyzed by solving a global eigenvalue problem obtained from the linearized Navier–Stokes equations. Finally, the critical parameters obtained from both approaches are compared

    59Co-NQR study on superconducting NaxCoO2.yH2O

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    Layered Co oxide NaxCoO2.yH2O with a superconducting transition temperature Tc =4.5 K has been studied by 59Co NQR. The nuclear spin relaxation rate 1/59T1 is nearly proportional to temperature T in the normal state. In the superconducting state, it exhibits the coherence peak and decreases with decreasing T below ~0.8Tc. Detailed comparison of the 1/T1T values and the magnetic susceptibilities between NaxCoO2.yH2O and NaxCoO2 implies that the metallic state of the former system is closer to a ferromagnetic phase than that of the latter. These experimental results impose a restriction on the mechanism of the superconductivity.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures. to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 72 (2003) No.

    Disordered eating-related cognition and psychological flexibility as predictors of psychological health among college students.

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    The present cross-sectional study investigated the relation among disordered eating-related cognition, psychological flexibility, and poor psychological outcomes among a non-clinical college sample. As predicted, conviction of disordered eating-related cognitions was positively associated with general psychological ill-health and emotional distress in interpersonal contexts. Disordered eating-related cognition was also inversely related to psychological flexibility, which was inversely related to poor psychological health and emotional distress in interpersonal contexts. The combination of disordered eating-related cognition and psychological flexibility accounted for the proportion of variance of these poor psychological outcomes greater than disordered eating-related cognition alone. Finally, psychological flexibility accounted for the proportion of variance of these negative psychological variables greater than did disordered eating-related cognition

    Voter Model with Time dependent Flip-rates

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    We introduce time variation in the flip-rates of the Voter Model. This type of generalisation is relevant to models of ageing in language change, allowing the representation of changes in speakers' learning rates over their lifetime and may be applied to any other similar model in which interaction rates at the microscopic level change with time. The mean time taken to reach consensus varies in a nontrivial way with the rate of change of the flip-rates, varying between bounds given by the mean consensus times for static homogeneous (the original Voter Model) and static heterogeneous flip-rates. By considering the mean time between interactions for each agent, we derive excellent estimates of the mean consensus times and exit probabilities for any time scale of flip-rate variation. The scaling of consensus times with population size on complex networks is correctly predicted, and is as would be expected for the ordinary voter model. Heterogeneity in the initial distribution of opinions has a strong effect, considerably reducing the mean time to consensus, while increasing the probability of survival of the opinion which initially occupies the most slowly changing agents. The mean times to reach consensus for different states are very different. An opinion originally held by the fastest changing agents has a smaller chance to succeed, and takes much longer to do so than an evenly distributed opinion.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figure

    Neutron Diffraction Study of the Pressure-Induced Magnetic Ordering in the Spin Gap System TlCuCl3_3

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    Neutron elastic scattering measurements have been performed under the hydrostatic pressure in order to investigate the spin structure of the pressure-induced magnetic ordering in the spin gap system TlCuCl3_3. Below the ordering temperature TN=16.9T_{\rm N}=16.9 K for the hydrostatic pressure P=1.48P=1.48 GPa, magnetic Bragg reflections were observed at the reciprocal lattice points {\mib Q}=(h, 0, l) with integer hh and odd ll, which are equivalent to those points with the lowest magnetic excitation energy at ambient pressure. This indicates that the spin gap closes due to the applied pressure. The spin structure of the pressure-induced magnetic ordered state for P=1.48P=1.48 GPa was determined.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 3 eps files, jpsj2.cls styl

    BLUF Domain Function Does Not Require a Metastable Radical Intermediate State

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    BLUF (blue light using flavin) domain proteins are an important family of blue light-sensing proteins which control a wide variety of functions in cells. The primary light-activated step in the BLUF domain is not yet established. A number of experimental and theoretical studies points to a role for photoinduced electron transfer (PET) between a highly conserved tyrosine and the flavin chromophore to form a radical intermediate state. Here we investigate the role of PET in three different BLUF proteins, using ultrafast broadband transient infrared spectroscopy. We characterize and identify infrared active marker modes for excited and ground state species and use them to record photochemical dynamics in the proteins. We also generate mutants which unambiguously show PET and, through isotope labeling of the protein and the chromophore, are able to assign modes characteristic of both flavin and protein radical states. We find that these radical intermediates are not observed in two of the three BLUF domains studied, casting doubt on the importance of the formation of a population of radical intermediates in the BLUF photocycle. Further, unnatural amino acid mutagenesis is used to replace the conserved tyrosine with fluorotyrosines, thus modifying the driving force for the proposed electron transfer reaction; the rate changes observed are also not consistent with a PET mechanism. Thus, while intermediates of PET reactions can be observed in BLUF proteins they are not correlated with photoactivity, suggesting that radical intermediates are not central to their operation. Alternative nonradical pathways including a keto–enol tautomerization induced by electronic excitation of the flavin ring are considered
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