64 research outputs found
Contact Angle Hysteresis on Superhydrophobic Stripes
We study experimentally and discuss quantitatively the contact angle
hysteresis on striped superhydrophobic surfaces as a function of a solid
fraction, . It is shown that the receding regime is determined by a
longitudinal sliding motion the deformed contact line. Despite an anisotropy of
the texture the receding contact angle remains isotropic, i.e. is practically
the same in the longitudinal and transverse directions. The cosine of the
receding angle grows nonlinearly with , in contrast to predictions of
the Cassie equation. To interpret this we develop a simple theoretical model,
which shows that the value of the receding angle depends both on weak defects
at smooth solid areas and on the elastic energy of strong defects at the
borders of stripes, which scales as . The advancing
contact angle was found to be anisotropic, except as in a dilute regime, and
its value is determined by the rolling motion of the drop. The cosine of the
longitudinal advancing angle depends linearly on , but a satisfactory
fit to the data can only be provided if we generalize the Cassie equation to
account for weak defects. The cosine of the transverse advancing angle is much
smaller and is maximized at . An explanation of its value can
be obtained if we invoke an additional energy due to strong defects in this
direction, which is shown to be proportional to . Finally, the
contact angle hysteresis is found to be quite large and generally anisotropic,
but it becomes isotropic when .Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure
Regimes of Wetting Transitions on Superhydrophobic Textures Conditioned by Energy of Receding Contact Lines
We discuss an evaporation-induced wetting transition on superhydrophobic
stripes, and show that depending on the elastic energy of the deformed contact
line, which determines the value of an instantaneous effective contact angle,
two different scenarios occur. For relatively dilute stripes the receding angle
is above 90, and the sudden impalement transition happens due to an
increase of a curvature of an evaporating drop. For dense stripes the slow
impregnation transition commences when the effective angle reaches 90
and represents the impregnation of the grooves from the triple contact line
towards the drop center.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Lattice-Boltzmann simulations of the drag force on a sphere approaching a superhydrophobic striped plane
By means of lattice-Boltzmann simulations the drag force on a sphere of
radius R approaching a superhydrophobic striped wall has been investigated as a
function of arbitrary separation h. Superhydrophobic (perfect-slip vs. no-slip)
stripes are characterized by a texture period L and a fraction of the gas area
. For very large values of h/R we recover the macroscopic formulae for a
sphere moving towards a hydrophilic no-slip plane. For h/R=O(1) and smaller the
drag force is smaller than predicted by classical theories for hydrophilic
no-slip surfaces, but larger than expected for a sphere interacting with a
uniform perfectly slipping wall. At a thinner gap, the force reduction
compared to a classical result becomes more pronounced, and is maximized by
increasing . In the limit of very small separations our simulation data
are in quantitative agreement with an asymptotic equation, which relates a
correction to a force for superhydrophobic slip to texture parameters. In
addition, we examine the flow and pressure field and observe their oscillatory
character in the transverse direction in the vicinity of the wall, which
reflects the influence of the heterogeneity and anisotropy of the striped
texture. Finally, we investigate the lateral force on the sphere, which is
detectable in case of very small separations and is maximized by stripes with
.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure
Effective slip over superhydrophobic surfaces in thin channels
Superhydrophobic surfaces reduce drag by combining hydrophobicity and
roughness to trap gas bubbles in a micro- and nanoscopic texture. Recent work
has focused on specific cases, such as striped grooves or arrays of pillars,
with limited theoretical guidance. Here, we consider the experimentally
relevant limit of thin channels and obtain rigorous bounds on the effective
slip length for any two-component (e.g. low-slip and high-slip) texture with
given area fractions. Among all anisotropic textures, parallel stripes attain
the largest (or smallest) possible slip in a straight, thin channel for
parallel (or perpendicular) orientation with respect to the mean flow. For
isotropic (e.g. chessboard or random) textures, the Hashin-Strikman conditions
further constrain the effective slip. These results provide a framework for the
rational design of superhydrophobic surfaces.Comment: 4+ page
Baroreflex control of muscle sympathetic nerve activity after 120 days of 6°head-down bed rest
of muscle sympathetic nerve activity after 120 days of 6°head-down bed rest. Am. J. Physiol. Regulatory Integrative Comp. Physiol. 278: R445-R452, 2000.-To examine how long-lasting microgravity simulated by 6°head-down bed rest (HDBR) induces changes in the baroreflex control of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) at rest and changes in responses of MSNA to orthostasis, six healthy male volunteers (range 26-42 yr) participated in Valsalva maneuver and head-up tilt (HUT) tests before and after 120 days of HDBR. MSNA was measured directly using a microneurographic technique. After long-term HDBR, resting supine MSNA and heart rate were augmented. The baroreflex slopes for MSNA during Valsalva maneuver (in supine position) and during 60°HUT test, determined by least-squares linear regression analysis, were significantly steeper after than before HDBR, whereas the baroreflex slopes for R-R interval were significantly flatter after HDBR. The increase in MSNA from supine to 60°HUT was not different between before and after HDBR, but mean blood pressure decreased in 60°HUT after HDBR. In conclusion, the baroreflex control of MSNA was augmented, whereas the same reflex control of R-R interval was attenuated after 120 days of HDBR. microneurography; orthostatic hypotensio
Lattice-Boltzmann simulations of the drag force on a sphere approaching a superhydrophobic striped plane
Multifaceted Mechanism of Amicoumacin A Inhibition of Bacterial Translation
Amicoumacin A (Ami) halts bacterial growth by inhibiting the ribosome during translation. The Ami binding site locates in the vicinity of the E-site codon of mRNA. However, Ami does not clash with mRNA, rather stabilizes it, which is relatively unusual and implies a unique way of translation inhibition. In this work, we performed a kinetic and thermodynamic investigation of Ami influence on the main steps of polypeptide synthesis. We show that Ami reduces the rate of the functional canonical 70S initiation complex (IC) formation by 30-fold. Additionally, our results indicate that Ami promotes the formation of erroneous 30S ICs; however, IF3 prevents them from progressing towards translation initiation. During early elongation steps, Ami does not compromise EF-Tu-dependent A-site binding or peptide bond formation. On the other hand, Ami reduces the rate of peptidyl-tRNA movement from the A to the P site and significantly decreases the amount of the ribosomes capable of polypeptide synthesis. Our data indicate that Ami progressively decreases the activity of translating ribosomes that may appear to be the main inhibitory mechanism of Ami. Indeed, the use of EF-G mutants that confer resistance to Ami (G542V, G581A, or ins544V) leads to a complete restoration of the ribosome functionality. It is possible that the changes in translocation induced by EF-G mutants compensate for the activity loss caused by Ami.Russian Foundation for Basic ResearchRevisión por pare
Integrin β3 Crosstalk with VEGFR Accommodating Tyrosine Phosphorylation as a Regulatory Switch
Integrins mediate cell adhesion, migration, and survival by connecting intracellular machinery with the surrounding extracellular matrix. Previous studies demonstrated the importance of the interaction between β3 integrin and VEGF type 2 receptor (VEGFR2) in VEGF-induced angiogenesis. Here we present in vitro evidence of the direct association between the cytoplasmic tails (CTs) of β3 and VEGFR2. Specifically, the membrane-proximal motif around 801YLSI in VEGFR2 mediates its binding to non-phosphorylated β3CT, accommodating an α-helical turn in integrin bound conformation. We also show that Y747 phosphorylation of β3 enhances the above interaction. To demonstrate the importance of β3 phosphorylation in endothelial cell functions, we synthesized β3CT-mimicking Y747 phosphorylated and unphosphorylated membrane permeable peptides. We show that a peptide containing phospho-Y747 but not F747 significantly inhibits VEGF-induced signaling and angiogenesis. Moreover, phospho-Y747 peptide exhibits inhibitory effect only in WT but not in β3 integrin knock-out or β3 integrin knock-in cells expressing β3 with two tyrosines substituted for phenylalanines, demonstrating its specificity. Importantly, these peptides have no effect on fibroblast growth factor receptor signaling. Collectively these data provide novel mechanistic insights into phosphorylation dependent cross-talk between integrin and VEGFR2
Continuous electroosmotic sorting of particles in grooved microchannels
We propose a novel microfluidic fractionation concept suitable for neutrally buoyant micron-sized particles. This approach takes advantage of the ability of grooved channel walls oriented at an angle to the direction of an external electric field to generate a transverse electroosmotic flow. Using computer simulations, we first demonstrate that the velocity of this secondary transverse flow depends on the distance from the wall, so neutrally buoyant particles, depending on their size and initial location, will experience different lateral displacements. We then optimize the geometry and orientation of the surface texture of the channel walls to maximize the efficiency of particle fractionation. Our method is illustrated in a full scale computer experiment where we mimic the typical microchannel with a bottom grooved wall and a source of polydisperse particles that are carried along the channel by the forward electroosmotic flow. Our simulations show that the particle dispersion can be efficiently separated by size even in a channel that is only a few texture periods long. These results can guide the design of novel microfluidic devices for efficient sorting of microparticles
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