624 research outputs found
Manipulation of ultracold atomic mixtures using microwave techniques
We used microwave radiation to evaporatively cool a mixture of of 133Cs and
87Rb atoms in a magnetic trap. A mixture composed of an equal number (around
10^4) of Rb and Cs atoms in their doubly polarized states at ultracold
temperatures was prepared. We also used microwaves to selectively evaporate
atoms in different Zeeman states.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure
Sympathetic cooling and collisional properties of a Rb-Cs mixture
We report on measurements of the collisional properties of a mixture of
Cs and Rb atoms in a magnetic trap at
temperatures. By selectively evaporating the Rb atoms using a radio-frequency
field, we achieved sympathetic cooling of Cs down to a few . The
inter-species collisional cross-section was determined through rethermalization
measurements, leading to an estimate of for the s-wave scattering
length for Rb in the and Cs in the magnetic
states. We briefly speculate on the prospects for reaching Bose-Einstein
condensation of Cs inside a magnetic trap through sympathetic cooling
A FRET analysis to unravel the role of cholesterol in Rac1 and PI 3-kinase activation in the InlB/Met signalling pathway
The signalling pathway for the hepatocyte growth factor receptor, Met/HGF-R, is hijacked by the bacterial surface protein InlB to induce Listeria monocytogenes entry into non-phagocytic cells. We previously showed that Listeria invades host cells by interacting with specialized microdomains of the host plasma membrane called lipid rafts. In this study, we analysed in living cells signalling events that are crucial for Listeria entry using a fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based microscopic method. Phosphoinositide (PI) 3-kinase activity and Rac1 signalling induced by Listeria interacting with epithelial cells were monitored as well as signalling induced by soluble InlB and the Met natural ligand HGF. We found that InlB and HGF induced similar kinetics of PI 3-kinase and Rac1 activation. PI 3-kinase activation was upstream and independent of Rac1 activation. Cholesterol-depletion experiments were performed to address the role of lipid rafts in Met signalling. The amount of 3′-phosphoinositides produced by PI 3-kinase was not affected by cholesterol depletion, while their membrane dynamic was cholesterol-dependent. Rac1 activation, downstream from PI 3-kinase, was cholesterol-dependent suggesting that the spatial distribution of 3′-phosphoinositides within membrane microdomains is critical for Rac1 activation and consequently for F-actin assembly at bacterial entry site.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74959/1/j.1462-5822.2006.00832.x.pd
Theory of Interaction of Memory Patterns in Layered Associative Networks
A synfire chain is a network that can generate repeated spike patterns with
millisecond precision. Although synfire chains with only one activity
propagation mode have been intensively analyzed with several neuron models,
those with several stable propagation modes have not been thoroughly
investigated. By using the leaky integrate-and-fire neuron model, we
constructed a layered associative network embedded with memory patterns. We
analyzed the network dynamics with the Fokker-Planck equation. First, we
addressed the stability of one memory pattern as a propagating spike volley. We
showed that memory patterns propagate as pulse packets. Second, we investigated
the activity when we activated two different memory patterns. Simultaneous
activation of two memory patterns with the same strength led the propagating
pattern to a mixed state. In contrast, when the activations had different
strengths, the pulse packet converged to a two-peak state. Finally, we studied
the effect of the preceding pulse packet on the following pulse packet. The
following pulse packet was modified from its original activated memory pattern,
and it converged to a two-peak state, mixed state or non-spike state depending
on the time interval
Deciphering interplay between Salmonella invasion effectors
Bacterial pathogens have evolved a specialized type III secretion system (T3SS) to translocate virulence effector proteins directly into eukaryotic target cells. Salmonellae deploy effectors that trigger localized actin reorganization to force their own entry into non-phagocytic host cells. Six effectors (SipC, SipA, SopE/2, SopB, SptP) can individually manipulate actin dynamics at the plasma membrane, which acts as a ‘signaling hub’ during Salmonella invasion. The extent of crosstalk between these spatially coincident effectors remains unknown. Here we describe trans and cis binary entry effector interplay (BENEFIT) screens that systematically examine functional associations between effectors following their delivery into the host cell. The results reveal extensive ordered synergistic and antagonistic relationships and their relative potency, and illuminate an unexpectedly sophisticated signaling network evolved through longstanding pathogen–host interaction
Sparse and Dense Encoding in Layered Associative Network of Spiking Neurons
A synfire chain is a simple neural network model which can propagate stable
synchronous spikes called a pulse packet and widely researched. However how
synfire chains coexist in one network remains to be elucidated. We have studied
the activity of a layered associative network of Leaky Integrate-and-Fire
neurons in which connection we embed memory patterns by the Hebbian Learning.
We analyzed their activity by the Fokker-Planck method. In our previous report,
when a half of neurons belongs to each memory pattern (memory pattern rate
), the temporal profiles of the network activity is split into
temporally clustered groups called sublattices under certain input conditions.
In this study, we show that when the network is sparsely connected (),
synchronous firings of the memory pattern are promoted. On the contrary, the
densely connected network () inhibit synchronous firings. The sparseness
and denseness also effect the basin of attraction and the storage capacity of
the embedded memory patterns. We show that the sparsely(densely) connected
networks enlarge(shrink) the basion of attraction and increase(decrease) the
storage capacity
Studies of Diffuse Interstellar Bands. V. Pairwise Correlations of Eight Strong DIBs and Neutral Hydrogen, Molecular Hydrogen, and Color Excess
We establish correlations between equivalent widths of eight diffuse
interstellar bands (DIBs), and examine their correlations with atomic hydrogen,
molecular hydrogen, and EB-V . The DIBs are centered at \lambda\lambda 5780.5,
6204.5, 6283.8, 6196.0, 6613.6, 5705.1, 5797.1, and 5487.7, in decreasing order
of Pearson\^as correlation coefficient with N(H) (here defined as the column
density of neutral hydrogen), ranging from 0.96 to 0.82. We find the equivalent
width of \lambda 5780.5 is better correlated with column densities of H than
with E(B-V) or H2, confirming earlier results based on smaller datasets. We
show the same is true for six of the seven other DIBs presented here. Despite
this similarity, the eight strong DIBs chosen are not well enough correlated
with each other to suggest they come from the same carrier. We further conclude
that these eight DIBs are more likely to be associated with H than with H2, and
hence are not preferentially located in the densest, most UV shielded parts of
interstellar clouds. We suggest they arise from different molecules found in
diffuse H regions with very little H (molecular fraction f<0.01). Of the 133
stars with available data in our study, there are three with significantly
weaker \lambda 5780.5 than our mean H-5780.5 relationship, all of which are in
regions of high radiation fields, as previously noted by Herbig. The
correlations will be useful in deriving interstellar parameters when direct
methods are not available. For instance, with care, the value of N(H) can be
derived from W{\lambda}(5780.5).Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal; 37 pages, 11
figures, 6 table
Pyocin S5 import into Pseudomonas aeruginosa reveals a generic mode of bacteriocin transport
Pyocin S5 (PyoS5) is a potent protein bacteriocin that eradicates the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa in animal infection models, but its import mechanism is poorly understood. Here, using crystallography, biophysical and biochemical analyses, and live-cell imaging, we define the entry process of PyoS5 and reveal links to the transport mechanisms of other bacteriocins. In addition to its C-terminal pore-forming domain, elongated PyoS5 comprises two novel tandemly repeated kinked 3-helix bundle domains that structure-based alignments identify as key import domains in other pyocins. The central domain binds the lipid-bound common polysaccharide antigen, allowing the pyocin to accumulate on the cell surface. The N-terminal domain binds the ferric pyochelin transporter FptA while its associated disordered region binds the inner membrane protein TonB1, which together drive import of the bacteriocin across the outer membrane. Finally, we identify the minimal requirements for sensitizing Escherichia coli toward PyoS5, as well as other pyocins, and suggest that a generic pathway likely underpins the import of all TonB-dependent bacteriocins across the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria
Hyperfine resolved spectrum of the molecular dication DCl
We have obtained hyperfine-resolved infrared spectra of a PQ23(N) branch line in the v = 2-1 band of the X 3Σ- state of the molecular dication D35Cl2+. Analysis of the hyperfine structure allows us to estimate the magnitude of the Fermi contact interaction for the chlorine nucleus; bF(Cl) = 167 (25) MHz
Actin-based movement of Listeria monocytogenes: actin assembly results from the local maintenance of uncapped filament barbed ends at the bacterium surface.
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