272 research outputs found
Whole lifespan microscopic observation of budding yeast aging through a microfluidic dissection platform
Important insights into aging have been generated with the genetically tractable and short-lived budding yeast. However, it is still impossible today to continuously track cells by high-resolution microscopic imaging (e.g., fluorescent imaging) throughout their entire lifespan. Instead, the field still needs to rely on a 50-y-old laborious and time-consuming method to assess the lifespan of yeast cells and to isolate differentially aged cells for microscopic snapshots via manual dissection of daughter cells from the larger mother cell. Here, we are unique in achieving continuous and high-resolution microscopic imaging of the entire replicative lifespan of single yeast cells. Our microfluidic dissection platform features an optically prealigned single focal plane and an integrated array of soft elastomer-based micropads, used together to allow for trapping of mother cells, removal of daughter cells, monitoring gradual changes in aging, and unprecedented microscopic imaging of the whole aging process. Using the platform, we found remarkable age-associated changes in phenotypes (e.g., that cells can show strikingly differential cell and vacuole morphologies at the moment of their deaths), indicating substantial heterogeneity in cell aging and death. We envision the microfluidic dissection platform to become a major tool in aging research.
Nuclear structure studies with the 7Li(e,e'p) reaction
Experimental momentum distributions for the transitions to the ground state
and first excited state of 6He have been measured via the reaction
7Li(e,e'p)6He, in the missing momentum range from -70 to 260 MeV/c. They are
compared to theoretical distributions calculated with mean-field wave functions
and with variational Monte Carlo (VMC) wave functions which include strong
state-dependent correlations in both 7Li and 6He. These VMC calculations
provide a parameter-free prediction of the momentum distribution that
reproduces the measured data, including its normalization. The deduced summed
spectroscopic factor for the two transitions is 0.58 +/- 0.05, in perfect
agreement with the VMC value of 0.60. This is the first successful comparison
of experiment and ab initio theory for spectroscopic factors in p-shell nuclei.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Respiratory muscle activity and patient-ventilator asynchrony during different settings of noninvasive ventilation in stable hypercapnic COPD:Does high inspiratory pressure lead to respiratory muscle unloading?
Introduction: High-intensity noninvasive ventilation (NIV) has been shown to improve outcomes in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. However, there is insufficient knowledge about whether with this more controlled ventilatory mode optimal respiratory muscle unloading is provided without an increase in patient-ventilator asynchrony (PVA). Patients and methods: Ten chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients on home mechanical ventilation were included. Four different ventilatory settings were investigated in each patient in random order, each for 15 min, varying the inspiratory positive airway pressure and backup breathing frequency. With surface electromyography (EMG), activities of the intercostal muscles, diaphragm, and scalene muscles were determined. Furthermore, pressure tracings were derived simultaneously in order to assess PVA. Results: Compared to spontaneous breathing, the most pronounced decrease in EMG activity was achieved with the high-pressure settings. Adding a high breathing frequency did reduce EMG activity per breath, while the decrease in EMG activity over 1 min was comparable with the high-pressure, low-frequency setting. With high backup breathing frequencies less breaths were pressure supported (25% vs 97%). PVAs occurred more frequently with the low-frequency settings (P=0.017). Conclusion: High-intensity NIV might provide optimal unloading of respiratory muscles, without undue increases in PVA
Relativistic versus Nonrelativistic Optical Potentials in A(e,e'p)B Reactions
We investigate the role of relativistic and nonrelativistic optical
potentials used in the analysis of () data. We find that the
relativistic calculations produce smaller () cross sections even in the
case in which both relativistic and nonrelativistic optical potentials fit
equally well the elastic proton--nucleus scattering data. Compared to the
nonrelativistic impulse approximation, this effect is due to a depletion in the
nuclear interior of the relativistic nucleon current, which should be taken
into account in the nonrelativistic treatment by a proper redefinition of the
effective current operator.Comment: Added one new figure, the formalism section has been enlarged and the
list of references updated. Added one appendix. This version will appear in
Phys. Rev. C. Revtex 3.0, 6 figures (not included). Full postscript version
of the file and figures available at
http://www.nikhefk.nikhef.nl/projects/Theory/preprints
Effects of Short Range Correlations on Ca Isotopes
The effect of Short Range Correlations (SRC) on Ca isotopes is studied using
a simple phenomenological model. Theoretical expressions for the charge
(proton) form factors, densities and moments of Ca nuclei are derived. The role
of SRC in reproducing the empirical data for the charge density differences is
examined. Their influence on the depletion of the nuclear Fermi surface is
studied and the fractional occupation probabilities of the shell model orbits
of Ca nuclei are calculated. The variation of SRC as function of the mass
number is also discussed.Comment: 11 pages (RevTex), 6 Postscript figures available upon request at
[email protected] Physical Review C in prin
Effects of Short-Range Correlations in (e,e'p) reactions and nuclear overlap functions
A study of the effects of short-range correlations over the (e,e'p) reaction
for low missing energy in closed shell nuclei is presented. We use correlated,
quasi-hole overlap functions extracted from the asymptotic behavior of the
one-body density matrix, containing central correlations of Jastrow type, up to
first-order in a cluster expansion, and computed in the very high asymptotic
region, up to 100 fm. The method to extract the overlap functions is checked in
a simple shell model, where the exact results are known. We find that the
single-particle wave functions of the valence shells are shifted to the right
due to the short-range repulsion by the nuclear core. The corresponding
spectroscopic factors are reduced only a few percent with respect to the shell
model. However, the (e,e'p) response functions and cross sections are enhanced
in the region of the maximum of the missing momentum distribution due to
short-range correlations.Comment: 45 pages, 15 figure
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