Paper Session III-D - The Effects of Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Coatings and Container Shape on Fluids and Containers in a Microgravity Environment

This experiment demonstrates the fluid property of hydrophilic attraction and hydrophobic repulsion and their relation to surface tension. This study gives an approximation of the amount of control that can be exerted passively over a mass system of fluid. By using cylinders of various sizes and shapes that are coated with various substances, in various patterns, containers along with baffles, a demonstration of the force of attraction between fluid and coating can be observed. The properties studied in this experiment are of great use to the aerospace industry. The control of fluids in a microgravity environment is of major concern to any space project. In the case of a rocket or similar launch vehicle, the fuel of the spacecraft can make up to 70 percent of the weight. If this fluid were to start oscillating, the results would be catastrophic. If the fluid drifted away from the side of the fuel tank that the fuel need to be drawn from while in orbit, the spacecraft would have no way of using the fuel. Life support systems can also benefit from this technology. Water must be stored aboard just like fuel. In fact, the storage of water might be considered even more crucial because it is carried throughout the entire flight, where fuel is usually spent in the initial stages of the flight. Water and other life supporting fluids are a direct necessity for astronauts and cosmonauts and must be readily available. By studying the relationship between fluid, coatings of containers, and the shape of the container, NASA, the aerospace industry, and science in general will learn to control fluids passively, not actively, conserving energy weight, and increasing efficiency

A comprehensive model of the phototransduction cascade in mouse rod cells

Vertebrate visual phototransduction is perhaps the most well-studied G-protein signaling pathway. A wealth of available biochemical and electrophysiological data has resulted in a rich history of mathematical modeling of the system. However, while the most comprehensive models have relied upon amphibian biochemical and electrophysiological data, modern research typically employs mammalian species, particularly mice, which exhibit significantly faster signaling dynamics. In this work, we present an adaptation of a previously published, comprehensive model of amphibian phototransduction that can produce quantitatively accurate simulations of the murine photoresponse. We demonstrate the ability of the model to predict responses to a wide range of stimuli and under a variety of mutant conditions. Finally, we employ the model to highlight a likely unknown mechanism related to the interaction between rhodopsin and rhodopsin kinase.We would like to thank Alexander V. Kolesnikov for kindly providing the electrophysiological data used in the model fitting. This research was funded by grant BFU2010-19443 (subprogram BMC) awarded by the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnologóa (Spain) and by the Direcció General de Recerca, Generalitat de Catalunya (Grup de Recerca Consolidat 2009SGR1101). BMI was supported by FI-DGR and BE-DGR grants from AGAUR, Generalitat de Catalunya (2011 F1 B1 00275). LM acknowledges funding from the Juan de la Cierva Program of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN). DDO acknowledges funding from the Italian Ministry for Research and Education (Fur2013 Dell’Orco