198 research outputs found
Spontaneous flow transition in active polar gels
We study theoretically the effects of confinement on active polar gels such
as the actin network of eukaryotic cells. Using generalized hydrodynamics
equations derived for active gels, we predict, in the case of quasi
one-dimensional geometry, a spontaneous flow transition from a homogeneously
polarized immobile state for small thicknesses, to a perturbed flowing state
for larger thicknesses. The transition is not driven by an external field but
by the activity of the system. We suggest several possible experimental
realizations.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures. To appear in Europhys. Let
Megabits secure key rate quantum key distribution
Quantum cryptography (QC) can provide unconditional secure communication
between two authorized parties based on the basic principles of quantum
mechanics. However, imperfect practical conditions limit its transmission
distance and communication speed. Here we implemented the differential phase
shift (DPS) quantum key distribution (QKD) with up-conversion assisted hybrid
photon detector (HPD) and achieved 1.3 M bits per second secure key rate over a
10-km fiber, which is tolerant against the photon number splitting (PNS)
attack, general collective attacks on individual photons, and any other known
sequential unambiguous state discrimination (USD) attacks.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
Actively Contracting Bundles of Polar Filaments
We introduce a phenomenological model to study the properties of bundles of
polar filaments which interact via active elements. The stability of the
homogeneous state, the attractors of the dynamics in the unstable regime and
the tensile stress generated in the bundle are discussed. We find that the
interaction of parallel filaments can induce unstable behavior and is
responsible for active contraction and tension in the bundle. Interaction
between antiparallel filaments leads to filament sorting. Our model could apply
to simple contractile structures in cells such as stress fibers.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, RevTex, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Pattern formation driven by nematic ordering of assembling biopolymers
The biopolymers actin and microtubules are often in an ongoing
assembling/disassembling state far from thermal equilibrium. Above a critical
density this leads to spatially periodic patterns, as shown by a scaling
argument and in terms of a phenomenological continuum model, that meets also
Onsager's statistical theory of the nematic--to--isotropic transition in the
absence of reaction kinetics.
This pattern forming process depends much on nonlinear effects and a common
linear stability analysis of the isotropic distribution of the filaments is
often misleading. The wave number of the pattern decreases with the
assembling/disassembling rate and there is an uncommon discontinuous transition
between the nematic and the periodic state.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Self-organization and Mechanical Properties of Active Filament Bundles
A phenomenological description for active bundles of polar filaments is
presented. The activity of the bundle results from crosslinks, that induce
relative displacements between the aligned filaments. Our generic description
is based on momentum conservation within the bundle. By specifying the internal
forces, a simple minimal model for the bundle dynamics is obtained, capturing
generic dynamic behaviors. In particular, contracted states as well as solitary
and oscillatory waves appear through dynamic instabilities. The introduction of
filament adhesion leads to self-organized persistent filament transport.
Furthermore, calculating the tension, homogeneous bundles are shown to be able
to actively contract and to perform work against external forces. Our
description is motivated by dynamic phenomena in the cytoskeleton and could
apply to stress-fibers and self-organization phenomena during cell-locomotion.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figure
An evaluation of metal removal during wastewater treatment: The potential to achieve more stringent final effluent standards
This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2011 Taylor & Francis.Metals are of particular importance in relation to water quality, and concern regarding the impact of these contaminants on biodiversity is being encapsulated within the latest water-related legislation such as the Water Framework Directive in Europe and criteria revisions to the Clean Water Act in the United States. This review undertakes an evaluation of the potential of 2-stage wastewater treatment consisting of primary sedimentation and biological treatment in the form of activated sludge processes, to meet more stringent discharge consents that are likely to be introduced as a consequence. The legislation, sources of metals, and mechanisms responsible for their removal are discussed, to elucidate possible pathways by which the performance of conventional processes may be optimized or enhanced. Improvements in effluent quality, achievable by reducing concentrations of suspended solids or biochemical oxygen demand, may also reduce metal concentrations although meeting possible requirements for the removal of copper my be challenging
Rheological Characterization of the Bundling Transition in F-Actin Solutions Induced by Methylcellulose
In many in vitro experiments Brownian motion hampers quantitative data analysis. Therefore, additives are widely used to increase the solvent viscosity. For this purpose, methylcellulose (MC) has been proven highly effective as already small concentrations can significantly slow down diffusive processes. Beside this advantage, it has already been reported that high MC concentrations can alter the microstructure of polymer solutions such as filamentous actin. However, it remains to be shown to what extent the mechanical properties of a composite actin/MC gel depend on the MC concentration. In particular, significant alterations might occur even if the microstructure seems unaffected. Indeed, we find that the viscoelastic response of entangled F-actin solutions depends sensitively on the amount of MC added. At concentrations higher than 0.2% (w/v) MC, actin filaments are reorganized into bundles which drastically changes the viscoelastic response. At small MC concentrations the impact of MC is more subtle: the two constituents, actin and MC, contribute in an additive way to the mechanical response of the composite material. As a consequence, the effect of methylcellulose on actin solutions has to be considered very carefully when MC is used in biochemical experiments
Chirped in-fibre Bragg grating dispersion compensators: Linearization of dispersion characteristic and demonstration of dispersion compensation in 100km, 10 Gbit/s optical fibre link
An apodized chirped in-fibre Bragg grating that has a linear dispersion characteristic is reported. The frequency components of an optical pulse (centre wavelength 1551 nm; 10 GHz bandwidth) incident on the grating are reflected with a relative delay that varies linearly from 0 to 130 ps across the spectral width of the pulse. The dispersion compensator is used to correct for the dispersion in a 100 km link (nondispersion shifted fibre) operating at a 10 Gbit/s transmission rate and a wavelength of 1551 nm
Laparoscopic versus open left lateral segmentectomy
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Laparoscopic liver surgery is becoming increasingly common. This cohort study was designed to directly compare perioperative outcomes of the left lateral segmentectomy via laparoscopic and open approach.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Between 2002 and 2006 43 left lateral segmentectomies were performed at King's College Hospital. Those excluded from analysis included previous liver resections, polycystic liver disease, liver cirrhosis and synchronous operations. Of 20 patients analysed, laparoscopic (n = 10) were compared with open left lateral segmentectomy (n = 10). Both groups had similar patient characteristics.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Morbidity rates were similar with no wound or chest infection in either group. The conversion rate was 10% (1/10). There was no difference in operating time between the groups (median time 220 minutes versus 179 minutes, p = 0.315). Surgical margins for all lesions were clear. Less postoperative opiate analgesics were required in the laparoscopic group (median 2 days versus 5 days, p = 0.005). The median postoperative in-hospital stay was less in the laparoscopic group (6 days vs 9 days, p = 0.005). There was no mortality.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Laparoscopic left lateral segmentectomy is safe and feasible. Laparoscopic patients may benefit from requiring less postoperative opiate analgesia and a shorter post-operative in-hospital stay.</p
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