905 research outputs found
Langevin Trajectories between Fixed Concentrations
We consider the trajectories of particles diffusing between two infinite
baths of fixed concentrations connected by a channel, e.g. a protein channel of
a biological membrane. The steady state influx and efflux of Langevin
trajectories at the boundaries of a finite volume containing the channel and
parts of the two baths is replicated by termination of outgoing trajectories
and injection according to a residual phase space density. We present a
simulation scheme that maintains averaged fixed concentrations without creating
spurious boundary layers, consistent with the assumed physics
Roving vehicle motion control Quarterly report, 1 Mar. - 31 May 1967
System and subsystem requirements for remote control of roving space vehicle motio
Roving vehicle motion control Final report
Roving vehicle motion control for unmanned planetary and lunar exploratio
Scaling in Complex Systems: Analytical Theory of Charged Pores
In this paper we find an analytical solution of the equilibrium ion
distribution for a toroidal model of a ionic channel, using the Perfect
Screening Theorem (PST). The ions are charged hard spheres, and are treated
using a variational Mean Spherical Approximation (VMSA) .
Understanding ion channels is still a very open problem, because of the many
exquisite tuning details of real life channels. It is clear that the electric
field plays a major role in the channel behaviour, and for that reason there
has been a lot of work on simple models that are able to provide workable
theories. Recently a number of interesting papers have appeared that discuss
models in which the effect of the geometry, excluded volume and non-linear
behaviour is considered.
We present here a 3D model of ionic channels which consists of a charged,
deformable torus with a circular or elliptical cross section, which can be flat
or vertical (close to a cylinder). Extensive comparisons to MC simulations were
performed.
The new solution opens new possibilities, such as studying flexible pores,
and water phase transformations inside the pores using an approach similar to
that used on flat crystal surfaces
Extracellular electrical signals in a neuron-surface junction: model of heterogeneous membrane conductivity
Signals recorded from neurons with extracellular planar sensors have a wide
range of waveforms and amplitudes. This variety is a result of different
physical conditions affecting the ion currents through a cellular membrane. The
transmembrane currents are often considered by macroscopic membrane models as
essentially a homogeneous process. However, this assumption is doubtful, since
ions move through ion channels, which are scattered within the membrane.
Accounting for this fact, the present work proposes a theoretical model of
heterogeneous membrane conductivity. The model is based on the hypothesis that
both potential and charge are distributed inhomogeneously on the membrane
surface, concentrated near channel pores, as the direct consequence of the
inhomogeneous transmembrane current. A system of continuity equations having
non-stationary and quasi-stationary forms expresses this fact mathematically.
The present work performs mathematical analysis of the proposed equations,
following by the synthesis of the equivalent electric element of a
heterogeneous membrane current. This element is further used to construct a
model of the cell-surface electric junction in a form of the equivalent
electrical circuit. After that a study of how the heterogeneous membrane
conductivity affects parameters of the extracellular electrical signal is
performed. As the result it was found that variation of the passive
characteristics of the cell-surface junction, conductivity of the cleft and the
cleft height, could lead to different shapes of the extracellular signals
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