4 research outputs found
Metastable Vapor in a Janus Nanoconfinement
We
study the competition between liquid and vapor states of water
confined between diametrically different surfaces, one hydrophilic
and the other strongly hydrophobic (Janus interface). Using atomistic
simulations and a generalization of the capillarity approximation,
we demonstrate that vapor bubbles can persist in the confinement in
long-lived metastable states. In contrast to the well-known metastability
of confined liquid with respect to capillary evaporation, a strongly
metastable vapor phase has so far not been anticipated, as infiltration
does not involve the formation of new liquid–vapor interfaces.
In the case of a Janus interface, however, we show that the interfacial
free energy passes through a pronounced maximum during infiltration.
This counterintuitive phenomenon provides a new mechanism for water-mediated
attraction (capillary force) between polar and nonpolar surfaces in
biophysical systems and in dispersions of heterogeneous nanoparticles
Data_Sheet_1_The horizontal ladder test (HLT) protocol: a novel, optimized, and reliable means of assessing motor coordination in Sus scrofa domesticus.zip
Pigs can be an important model for preclinical biological research, including neurological diseases such as Alcohol Use Disorder. Such research often involves longitudinal assessment of changes in motor coordination as the disease or disorder progresses. Current motor coordination tests in pigs are derived from behavioral assessments in rodents and lack critical aspects of face and construct validity. While such tests may permit for the comparison of experimental results to rodents, a lack of validation studies of such tests in the pig itself may preclude the drawing of meaningful conclusions. To address this knowledge gap, an apparatus modeled after a horizontally placed ladder and where the height of the rungs could be adjusted was developed. The protocol that was employed within the apparatus mimicked the walk and turn test of the human standardized field sobriety test. Here, five Sinclair miniature pigs were trained to cross the horizontally placed ladder, starting at a rung height of six inches and decreasing to three inches in one-inch increments. It was demonstrated that pigs can reliably learn to cross the ladder, with few errors, under baseline/unimpaired conditions. These animals were then involved in a voluntary consumption of ethanol study where animals were longitudinally evaluated for motor coordination changes at baseline, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10% ethanol concentrations subsequently to consuming ethanol. Consistent with our predictions, relative to baseline performance, motor incoordination increased as voluntary consumption of escalating concentrations of ethanol increased. Together these data highlight that the horizontal ladder test (HLT) test protocol is a novel, optimized and reliable test for evaluating motor coordination as well as changes in motor coordination in pigs.</p