9 research outputs found
Strain-assisted optomechanical coupling of polariton condensate spin to a micromechanical resonator
We report spin and intensity coupling of an exciton-polariton condensate to
the mechanical vibrations of a circular membrane microcavity. We optically
drive the microcavity resonator at the lowest mechanical resonance frequency
while creating an optically-trapped spin-polarized polariton condensate in
different locations on the microcavity, and observe spin and intensity
oscillations of the condensate at the vibration frequency of the resonator.
Spin oscillations are induced by vibrational strain driving, whilst the
modulation of the optical trap due to the displacement of the membrane causes
intensity oscillations in the condensate emission. Our results demonstrate
spin-phonon coupling in a macroscopically coherent condensate
Social Motility in African Trypanosomes
African trypanosomes are devastating human and animal pathogens that cause significant human mortality and limit economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. Studies of trypanosome biology generally consider these protozoan parasites as individual cells in suspension cultures or in animal models of infection. Here we report that the procyclic form of the African trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei engages in social behavior when cultivated on semisolid agarose surfaces. This behavior is characterized by trypanosomes assembling into multicellular communities that engage in polarized migrations across the agarose surface and cooperate to divert their movements in response to external signals. These cooperative movements are flagellum-mediated, since they do not occur in trypanin knockdown parasites that lack normal flagellum motility. We term this behavior social motility based on features shared with social motility and other types of surface-induced social behavior in bacteria. Social motility represents a novel and unexpected aspect of trypanosome biology and offers new paradigms for considering host-parasite interactions
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Strain-assisted optomechanical coupling of polariton condensate spin to a micromechanical resonator
We report spin and intensity coupling of an exciton-polariton condensate to the mechanical vibrations of a circular membrane microcavity. We optically drive the microcavity resonator at the lowest mechanical resonance frequency while creating an optically-trapped spin-polarized polariton condensate in different locations on the microcavity, and observe spin and intensity oscillations of the condensate at the vibration frequency of the resonator. Spin oscillations are induced by vibrational strain driving, whilst the modulation of the optical trap due to the displacement of the membrane causes intensity oscillations in the condensate emission. Our results demonstrate spin-phonon coupling in a macroscopically coherent condensate
Lethal protein produced in response to competition between sibling bacterial colonies
Sibling Paenibacillus dendritiformis bacterial colonies grown on low-nutrient agar medium mutually inhibit growth through secretion of a lethal factor. Analysis of secretions reveals the presence of subtilisin (a protease) and a 12Â kDa protein, termed sibling lethal factor (Slf). Purified subtilisin promotes the growth and expansion of P. dendritiformis colonies, whereas Slf is lethal and lyses P. dendritiformis cells in culture. Slf is encoded by a gene belonging to a large family of bacterial genes of unknown function, and the gene is predicted to encode a protein of approximately 20Â kDa, termed dendritiformis sibling bacteriocin. The 20Â kDa recombinant protein was produced and found to be inactive, but exposure to subtilisin resulted in cleavage to the active, 12Â kDa form. The experimental results, combined with mathematical modeling, show that subtilisin serves to regulate growth of the colony. Below a threshold concentration, subtilisin promotes colony growth and expansion. However, once it exceeds a threshold, as occurs at the interface between competing colonies, Slf is then secreted into the medium to rapidly reduce cell density by lysis of the bacterial cells. The presence of genes encoding homologs of dendritiformis sibling bacteriocin in other bacterial species suggests that this mechanism for self-regulation of colony growth might not be limited to P. dendritiformis