2,121 research outputs found
Microtubule dynamics depart from wormlike chain model
Thermal shape fluctuations of grafted microtubules were studied using high
resolution particle tracking of attached fluorescent beads. First mode
relaxation times were extracted from the mean square displacement in the
transverse coordinate. For microtubules shorter than 10 um, the relaxation
times were found to follow an L^2 dependence instead of L^4 as expected from
the standard wormlike chain model. This length dependence is shown to result
from a complex length dependence of the bending stiffness which can be
understood as a result of the molecular architecture of microtubules. For
microtubules shorter than 5 um, high drag coefficients indicate contributions
from internal friction to the fluctuation dynamics.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Updated content, added reference, corrected typo
Trajectory structures and transport
The special problem of transport in 2-dimensional divergence-free stochastic
velocity fields is studied by developing a statistical approach, the nested
subensemble method. The nonlinear process of trapping determined by such fields
generates trajectory structures whose statistical characteristics are
determined. These structures strongly influence the transport.Comment: Latex file 19 pages, includes 12 EPS figures. Extended version of the
invited talk at the ITCPP, Santorini, 200
Optical shield: measuring viscosity of turbid fluids using optical tweezers
The viscosity of a fluid can be measured by tracking the motion of a suspended micron-sized particle trapped by optical tweezers. However, when the particle density is high, additional particles entering the trap compromise the tracking procedure and degrade the accuracy of the measurement. In this work we introduce an additional LaguerreâGaussian, i.e. annular, beam surrounding the trap, acting as an optical shield to exclude contaminating particles
On Iterated Twisted Tensor Products of Algebras
We introduce and study the definition, main properties and applications of
iterated twisted tensor products of algebras, motivated by the problem of
defining a suitable representative for the product of spaces in noncommutative
geometry. We find conditions for constructing an iterated product of three
factors, and prove that they are enough for building an iterated product of any
number of factors. As an example of the geometrical aspects of our
construction, we show how to construct differential forms and involutions on
iterated products starting from the corresponding structures on the factors,
and give some examples of algebras that can be described within our theory. We
prove a certain result (called ``invariance under twisting'') for a twisted
tensor product of two algebras, stating that the twisted tensor product does
not change when we apply certain kind of deformation. Under certain conditions,
this invariance can be iterated, containing as particular cases a number of
independent and previously unrelated results from Hopf algebra theory.Comment: 44 pages, 21 figures. More minor typos corrections, one more example
and some references adde
Small Universal Accepting Networks of Evolutionary Processors with Filtered Connections
In this paper, we present some results regarding the size complexity of
Accepting Networks of Evolutionary Processors with Filtered Connections
(ANEPFCs). We show that there are universal ANEPFCs of size 10, by devising a
method for simulating 2-Tag Systems. This result significantly improves the
known upper bound for the size of universal ANEPFCs which is 18.
We also propose a new, computationally and descriptionally efficient
simulation of nondeterministic Turing machines by ANEPFCs. More precisely, we
describe (informally, due to space limitations) how ANEPFCs with 16 nodes can
simulate in O(f(n)) time any nondeterministic Turing machine of time complexity
f(n). Thus the known upper bound for the number of nodes in a network
simulating an arbitrary Turing machine is decreased from 26 to 16
An optically actuated surface scanning probe
We demonstrate the use of an extended, optically trapped probe that is capable of imaging surface topography with nanometre precision, whilst applying ultra-low, femto-Newton sized forces. This degree of precision and sensitivity is acquired through three distinct strategies. First, the probe itself is shaped in such a way as to soften the trap along the sensing axis and stiffen it in transverse directions. Next, these characteristics are enhanced by selectively position clamping independent motions of the probe. Finally, force clamping is used to refine the surface contact response. Detailed analyses are presented for each of these mechanisms. To test our sensor, we scan it laterally over a calibration sample consisting of a series of graduated steps, and demonstrate a height resolution of ⌠11 nm. Using equipartition theory, we estimate that an average force of only ⌠140 fN is exerted on the sample during the scan, making this technique ideal for the investigation of delicate biological samples
A three-arm phase III randomised trial assessing, in patients with extensive-disease small-cell lung cancer, accelerated chemotherapy with support of haematological growth factor or oral antibiotics
The European Lung Cancer Working Party (ELCWP) designed a 3-arm phase III randomised trial to determine the role of accelerated chemotherapy in extensive-disease (ED) small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Eligible patients were randomised between the 3 following arms: (A) Standard chemotherapy with 6 courses of EVI (epirubicin 60âmg mâ2, vindesine 3âmg mâ2, ifosfamide 5âg mâ2; all drugs given on day 1 repeated every three weeks. (B) Accelerated chemotherapy with EVI administered every 2 weeks and GM-CSF support. (C) Accelerated chemotherapy with EVI and oral antibiotics (cotrimoxazole). Primary endpoint was survival. 233 eligible patients were randomised. Chemotherapy could be significantly accelerated in arm B with increased absolute dose-intensity. Best response rates, in the population of evaluable patients, were, respectively for arm A, B and C, 59%, 76% and 70%. The response rate was significantly higher in arm B in comparison to arm A (P = 0.04). There was, however, no survival difference with respective median duration and 2-year rate of 286 days and 5% for arm A, 264 days and 6% for arm B and 264 days and 6% for arm C. Severe thrombopenia occurred more frequently in arm B but without an increased rate of bleeding. Non-severe infections were more frequent in arm B and severe infections were less frequent in arm C. Our trial failed to demonstrate, in ED-SCLC, a survival benefit of chemotherapy acceleration by using GM-CSF support. ââhttp://www.bjcancer.co
Phase III randomized trial comparing moderate-dose cisplatin to combined cisplatin and carboplatin in addition to mitomycin and ifosfamide in patients with stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer
A phase III randomized trial was conducted in patients with metastatic NSCLC, to determine if, in association with mitomycin (6âmg mâ2) and ifosfamide (3âg mâ2), the combination of moderate dosages of cisplatin (60âmg mâ2) and carboplatin (200âmg mâ2) â CarboMIP regimen â improved survival in comparison with cisplatin (50âmg mâ2) alone â MIP regimen. A total of 305 patients with no prior chemotherapy were randomized, including 297 patients assessable for survival (147 in the MIP arm and 150 in the CarboMIP arm) and 268 patients assessable for response to chemotherapy. All but eight (with malignant pleural effusion) had stage IV disease. There was a 27% (95% CI, 19â34) objective response (OR) rate to MIP (25% of the eligible patients) and a 33% (95% CI, 24â41) OR rate to CarboMIP (29% of the eligible patients). This difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.34). Duration of response was not significantly different between both arms. There was also no difference (P = 0.67) in survival: median survival times were 28 weeks (95% Cl, 24â32) for MIP and 32 weeks (95% Cl, 26â35) for CarboMIP, with respectively 1-year survival rates of 24% and 23% and 2-year survival rates of 5% and 2%. The main toxicities consisted in emesis, alopecia, leucopenia and thrombocytopenia, that were, except alopecia, significantly more severe in the CarboMIP arm. Our trial failed to demonstrate a significant improvement in response or survival when patients with metastatic NSCLC were treated, in addition to ifosfamide and mitomycin, by combination of moderate dosages of cisplatin and carboplatin instead of moderate dosage of cisplatin alone. The results support the use of a moderate dose (50âmg mâ2) of cisplatin in combination with ifosfamide and mitomycin for the chemotherapy of this disease. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig
Escape from a metastable well under a time-ramped force
Thermally activated escape of an over-damped particle from a metastable well
under the action of a time-ramped force is studied. We express the mean first
passage time (MFPT) as the solution to a partial differential equation, which
we solve numerically for a model case. We discuss two approximations of the
MFPT, one of which works remarkably well over a wide range of loading rates,
while the second is easy to calculate and can provide a valuable first
estimate.Comment: 9 pages, including 2 figure
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