491 research outputs found
Majorana: from atomic and molecular, to nuclear physics
In the centennial of Ettore Majorana's birth (1906-1938?), we re-examine some
aspects of his fundamental scientific production in atomic and molecular
physics, including a not well known short communication. There, Majorana
critically discusses Fermi's solution of the celebrated Thomas-Fermi equation
for electron screening in atoms and positive ions. We argue that some of
Majorana's seminal contributions in molecular physics already prelude to the
idea of exchange interactions (or Heisenberg-Majorana forces) in his later
workson theoretical nuclear physics. In all his papers, he tended to emphasize
the symmetries at the basis of a physical problem, as well as the limitations,
rather than the advantages, of the approximations of the method employed.Comment: to appear in Found. Phy
He Structure and Mechanisms of He Backward Elastic Scattering
The mechanism of He backward elastic scattering is studied.
It is found that the triangle diagrams with the subprocesses He,
He and He, where and
denote the singlet deuteron and diproton pair in the state,
respectively, dominate in the cross section at 0.3-0.8 GeV, and their
contribution is comparable with that for a sequential transfer of a pair
at 1-1.5 GeV.
The contribution of the , estimated on the basis of the spectator
mechanism of the He reaction, increases the HeHe cross section by one order of magnitude as compared to the
contribution of the deuteron alone.
Effects of the initial and final states interaction are taken into account.Comment: 17 pages, Latex, 4 postscript figures, expanded version, accepted by
Physical Review
Arabidopsis CURVATURE THYLAKOID1 Proteins Modify Thylakoid Architecture by Inducing Membrane Curvature
Chloroplasts of land plants characteristically contain grana, cylindrical stacks of thylakoid membranes. A granum consists of a core of appressed membranes, two stroma-exposed end membranes, and margins, which connect pairs of grana membranes at their lumenal sides. Multiple forces contribute to grana stacking, but it is not known how the extreme curvature at margins is generated and maintained. We report the identification of the CURVATURE THYLAKOID1 (CURT1) protein family, conserved in plants and cyanobacteria. The four Arabidopsis thaliana CURT1 proteins (CURT1A, B, C, and D) oligomerize and are highly enriched at grana margins. Grana architecture is correlated with the CURT1 protein level, ranging from flat lobe-like thylakoids with considerably fewer grana margins in plants without CURT1 proteins to an increased number of membrane layers (and margins) in grana at the expense of grana diameter in overexpressors of CURT1A. The endogenous CURT1 protein in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp PCC6803 can be partially replaced by its Arabidopsis counterpart, indicating that the function of CURT1 proteins is evolutionary conserved. In vitro, Arabidopsis CURT1A proteins oligomerize and induce tubulation of liposomes, implying that CURT1 proteins suffice to induce membrane curvature. We therefore propose that CURT1 proteins modify thylakoid architecture by inducing membrane curvature at grana margins
A SIGNATURE FOR ISOSCALAR-SPIN TRANSITIONS IN ([d,d) SCATTERING
Three different signatures for isoscalar spin transitions in nuclei have been tested in the 12C(d,d)12C reaction at 400 MeV. These signatures have values close to zero for the natural parity states, and ranging from 0.22 to 0.50 for the ΔS=1 ΔT=0, 12.7 MeV state
Internally Electrodynamic Particle Model: Its Experimental Basis and Its Predictions
The internally electrodynamic (IED) particle model was derived based on
overall experimental observations, with the IED process itself being built
directly on three experimental facts, a) electric charges present with all
material particles, b) an accelerated charge generates electromagnetic waves
according to Maxwell's equations and Planck energy equation and c) source
motion produces Doppler effect. A set of well-known basic particle equations
and properties become predictable based on first principles solutions for the
IED process; several key solutions achieved are outlined, including the de
Broglie phase wave, de Broglie relations, Schr\"odinger equation, mass,
Einstein mass-energy relation, Newton's law of gravity, single particle self
interference, and electromagnetic radiation and absorption; these equations and
properties have long been broadly experimentally validated or demonstrated. A
specific solution also predicts the Doebner-Goldin equation which emerges to
represent a form of long-sought quantum wave equation including gravity. A
critical review of the key experiments is given which suggests that the IED
process underlies the basic particle equations and properties not just
sufficiently but also necessarily.Comment: Presentation at the 27th Int Colloq on Group Theo Meth in Phys, 200
Unconventional secretion of Acb1 is mediated by autophagosomes
Evidence is presented for an unconventional protein secretion pathway that is conserved from yeast to Dictyostelium discoideum in which Acb1 may be sequestered into autophagosomal vesicles, which then fuse (either directly or indirectly) with the plasma membrane (see also the companion paper from Manjithaya et al. in this issue)
CT Image Segmentation Using FEM with Optimized Boundary Condition
The authors propose a CT image segmentation method using structural analysis that is useful for objects with structural dynamic characteristics. Motivation of our research is from the area of genetic activity. In order to reveal the roles of genes, it is necessary to create mutant mice and measure differences among them by scanning their skeletons with an X-ray CT scanner. The CT image needs to be manually segmented into pieces of the bones. It is a very time consuming to manually segment many mutant mouse models in order to reveal the roles of genes. It is desirable to make this segmentation procedure automatic. Although numerous papers in the past have proposed segmentation techniques, no general segmentation method for skeletons of living creatures has been established. Against this background, the authors propose a segmentation method based on the concept of destruction analogy. To realize this concept, structural analysis is performed using the finite element method (FEM), as structurally weak areas can be expected to break under conditions of stress. The contribution of the method is its novelty, as no studies have so far used structural analysis for image segmentation. The method's implementation involves three steps. First, finite elements are created directly from the pixels of a CT image, and then candidates are also selected in areas where segmentation is thought to be appropriate. The second step involves destruction analogy to find a single candidate with high strain chosen as the segmentation target. The boundary conditions for FEM are also set automatically. Then, destruction analogy is implemented by replacing pixels with high strain as background ones, and this process is iterated until object is decomposed into two parts. Here, CT image segmentation is demonstrated using various types of CT imagery
The Homeodomain Derived Peptide Penetratin Induces Curvature of Fluid Membrane Domains
BACKGROUND:Protein membrane transduction domains that are able to cross the plasma membrane are present in several transcription factors, such as the homeodomain proteins and the viral proteins such as Tat of HIV-1. Their discovery resulted in both new concepts on the cell communication during development, and the conception of cell penetrating peptide vectors for internalisation of active molecules into cells. A promising cell penetrating peptide is Penetratin, which crosses the cell membranes by a receptor and metabolic energy-independent mechanism. Recent works have claimed that Penetratin and similar peptides are internalized by endocytosis, but other endocytosis-independent mechanisms have been proposed. Endosomes or plasma membranes crossing mechanisms are not well understood. Previously, we have shown that basic peptides induce membrane invaginations suggesting a new mechanism for uptake, "physical endocytosis". METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Herein, we investigate the role of membrane lipid phases on Penetratin induced membrane deformations (liquid ordered such as in "raft" microdomains versus disordered fluid "non-raft" domains) in membrane models. Experimental data show that zwitterionic lipid headgroups take part in the interaction with Penetratin suggesting that the external leaflet lipids of cells plasma membrane are competent for peptide interaction in the absence of net negative charges. NMR and X-ray diffraction data show that the membrane perturbations (tubulation and vesiculation) are associated with an increase in membrane negative curvature. These effects on curvature were observed in the liquid disordered but not in the liquid ordered (raft-like) membrane domains. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:The better understanding of the internalisation mechanisms of protein transduction domains will help both the understanding of the mechanisms of cell communication and the development of potential therapeutic molecular vectors. Here we showed that the membrane targets for these molecules are preferentially the fluid membrane domains and that the mechanism involves the induction of membrane negative curvature. Consequences on cellular uptake are discussed
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