212 research outputs found
Direct measurement of swimming and diving kinematics of giant Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus)
Tunas possess a range of physiological and mechanical adaptations geared towards high-performance swimming that are of considerable interest to physiologists, ecologists and engineers. Advances in biologging have provided significant improvements in understanding tuna migrations and vertical movement patterns, yet our understanding of the locomotion and swimming mechanics of these fish under natural conditions is limited. We equipped Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) with motion-sensitive tags and video cameras to quantify the gaits and kinematics used by wild fish. Our data reveal significant variety in the locomotory kinematics of Atlantic bluefin tuna, ranging from continuous locomotion to two types of intermittent locomotion. The tuna sustained swimming speeds in excess of 1.5 m s−1 (0.6 body lengths s−1), while beating their tail at a frequency of approximately 1 Hz. While diving, some descents were entirely composed of passive glides, with slower descent rates featuring more gliding, while ascents were primarily composed of active swimming. The observed swimming behaviour of Atlantic bluefin tuna is consistent with theoretical models predicting such intermittent locomotion to result in mechanical and physiological advantages. Our results confirm that Atlantic bluefin tuna possess behavioural specializations to increase their locomotory performance, which together with their unique physiology improve their capacity to use pelagic and mesopelagic habitats
Fine Structure Discussion of Parity-Nonconserving Neutron Scattering at Epithermal Energies
The large magnitude and the sign correlation effect in the parity
non-conserving resonant scattering of epithermal neutrons from Th is
discussed in terms of a non-collective local doorway model. General
conclusions are drawn as to the probability of finding large parity violation
effects in other regions of the periodic table.Comment: 6 pages, Tex. CTP# 2296, to appear in Z. Phys.
Phase transition between synchronous and asynchronous updating algorithms
We update a one-dimensional chain of Ising spins of length with
algorithms which are parameterized by the probability for a certain site to
get updated in one time step. The result of the update event itself is
determined by the energy change due to the local change in the configuration.
In this way we interpolate between the Metropolis algorithm at zero temperature
for of the order of 1/L and for large , and a synchronous deterministic
updating procedure for . As function of we observe a phase transition
between the stationary states to which the algorithm drives the system. These
are non-absorbing stationary states with antiferromagnetic domains for ,
and absorbing states with ferromagnetic domains for . This means
that above this transition the stationary states have lost any remnants to the
ferromagnetic Ising interaction. A measurement of the critical exponents shows
that this transition belongs to the universality class of parity conservation.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Final State Interactions in Hypernuclear Decay
We present an update of the One-Meson-Exchange (OME) results for the weak
decay of s- and p-shell hypernuclei (Ref. Phys. Rev. C {\bf 56}, 339 (1997)),
paying special attention to the role played by final state interactions between
the emitted nucleons. The present study also corrects for a mistake in the
inclusion of the and exchange mechanisms, which substantially
increases the ratio of neutron-induced to proton-induced transitions,
. With the most up-to-date model ingredients, we find that
the OME approach is able to describe very satisfactorily most of the measured
observables, including the ratio .Comment: 20 pages, 2 eps figure
Geniculo-Cortical Projection Diversity Revealed within the Mouse Visual Thalamus
This is the final version of the article. It was first available from PLOS via http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0144846All dLGN cell co-ordinates, V1 injection sites, dLGN boundary coordinates, experimental protocols and analysis scripts are available for download from figshare at https://figshare.com/s/36c6d937b1844eec80a1.The mouse dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) is an intermediary between retina and primary visual cortex (V1). Recent investigations are beginning to reveal regional complexity in mouse dLGN. Using local injections of retrograde tracers into V1 of adult and neonatal mice, we examined the developing organisation of geniculate projection columns: the population of dLGN-V1 projection neurons that converge in cortex. Serial sectioning of the dLGN enabled the distribution of labelled projection neurons to be reconstructed and collated within a common standardised space. This enabled us to determine: the organisation of cells within the dLGN-V1 projection columns; their internal organisation (topology); and their order relative to V1 (topography). Here, we report parameters of projection columns that are highly variable in young animals and refined in the adult, exhibiting profiles consistent with shell and core zones of the dLGN. Additionally, such profiles are disrupted in adult animals with reduced correlated spontaneous activity during development. Assessing the variability between groups with partial least squares regression suggests that 4?6 cryptic lamina may exist along the length of the projection column. Our findings further spotlight the diversity of the mouse dLGN?an increasingly important model system for understanding the pre-cortical organisation and processing of visual information. Furthermore, our approach of using standardised spaces and pooling information across many animals will enhance future functional studies of the dLGN.Funding was provided by a Wellcome Trust grant jointly awarded to IDT and SJE (083205, www.wellcome.ac.uk), and by MRC PhD Studentships awarded to MNL and ACH (http://www.mrc.ac.uk/)
Non-Perturbative QCD Treatment of High-Energy Hadron-Hadron Scattering
Total cross-sections and logarithmic slopes of the elastic scattering
cross-sections for different hadronic processes are calculated in the framework
of the model of the stochastic vacuum. The relevant parameters of this model, a
correlation length and the gluon condensate, are determined from scattering
data, and found to be in very good agreement with values coming from completely
different sources of information. A parameter-free relation is given between
total cross-sections and slope parameters, which is shown to be remarkably
valid up to the highest energies for which data exist.Comment: 60 pages, Heidelberg preprin
Exploring mechanisms of lipid nanoparticle-mucus interactions in healthy and cystic fibrosis conditions
Mucus forms the first defense line of human lungs, and as such hampers the efficient delivery of therapeutics to the underlying epithelium. This holds particularly true for genetic cargo such as CRISPR-based gene editing tools which cannot readily surmount the mucosal barrier. While lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) emerge as versatile non-viral gene delivery systems that can help overcome the delivery challenge, many knowledge gaps remain, especially for diseased states such as cystic fibrosis (CF). This study provides fundamental insights into Cas9 mRNA or ribonucleoprotein-loaded LNP-mucus interactions in healthy and diseased states by assessing the impact of the genetic cargo, mucin sialylation, mucin concentration, ionic strength, pH, and polyethylene glycol (PEG) concentration and nature on LNP diffusivity leveraging experimental approaches and Brownian dynamics (BD) simulations. Taken together, this study identifies key mucus and LNP characteristics that are critical to enabling a rational LNP design for transmucosal delivery
Monte Carlo Methods for Estimating Interfacial Free Energies and Line Tensions
Excess contributions to the free energy due to interfaces occur for many
problems encountered in the statistical physics of condensed matter when
coexistence between different phases is possible (e.g. wetting phenomena,
nucleation, crystal growth, etc.). This article reviews two methods to estimate
both interfacial free energies and line tensions by Monte Carlo simulations of
simple models, (e.g. the Ising model, a symmetrical binary Lennard-Jones fluid
exhibiting a miscibility gap, and a simple Lennard-Jones fluid). One method is
based on thermodynamic integration. This method is useful to study flat and
inclined interfaces for Ising lattices, allowing also the estimation of line
tensions of three-phase contact lines, when the interfaces meet walls (where
"surface fields" may act). A generalization to off-lattice systems is described
as well.
The second method is based on the sampling of the order parameter
distribution of the system throughout the two-phase coexistence region of the
model. Both the interface free energies of flat interfaces and of (spherical or
cylindrical) droplets (or bubbles) can be estimated, including also systems
with walls, where sphere-cap shaped wall-attached droplets occur. The
curvature-dependence of the interfacial free energy is discussed, and estimates
for the line tensions are compared to results from the thermodynamic
integration method. Basic limitations of all these methods are critically
discussed, and an outlook on other approaches is given
Tomato: a crop species amenable to improvement by cellular and molecular methods
Tomato is a crop plant with a relatively small DNA content per haploid genome and a well developed genetics. Plant regeneration from explants and protoplasts is feasable which led to the development of efficient transformation procedures.
In view of the current data, the isolation of useful mutants at the cellular level probably will be of limited value in the genetic improvement of tomato. Protoplast fusion may lead to novel combinations of organelle and nuclear DNA (cybrids), whereas this technique also provides a means of introducing genetic information from alien species into tomato. Important developments have come from molecular approaches. Following the construction of an RFLP map, these RFLP markers can be used in tomato to tag quantitative traits bred in from related species. Both RFLP's and transposons are in the process of being used to clone desired genes for which no gene products are known. Cloned genes can be introduced and potentially improve specific properties of tomato especially those controlled by single genes. Recent results suggest that, in principle, phenotypic mutants can be created for cloned and characterized genes and will prove their value in further improving the cultivated tomato.
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