202 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.
From Forbidden Coronal Lines to Meaningful Coronal Magnetic Fields
We review methods to measure magnetic fields within the corona using the
polarized light in magnetic-dipole (M1) lines. We are particularly interested
in both the global magnetic-field evolution over a solar cycle, and the local
storage of magnetic free energy within coronal plasmas. We address commonly
held skepticisms concerning angular ambiguities and line-of-sight confusion. We
argue that ambiguities are in principle no worse than more familiar remotely
sensed photospheric vector-fields, and that the diagnosis of M1 line data would
benefit from simultaneous observations of EUV lines. Based on calculations and
data from eclipses, we discuss the most promising lines and different
approaches that might be used. We point to the S-like [Fe {\sc XI}] line (J=2
to J=1) at 789.2nm as a prime target line (for ATST for example) to augment the
hotter 1074.7 and 1079.8 nm Si-like lines of [Fe {\sc XIII}] currently observed
by the Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter (CoMP). Significant breakthroughs will
be made possible with the new generation of coronagraphs, in three distinct
ways: (i) through single point inversions (which encompasses also the analysis
of MHD wave modes), (ii) using direct comparisons of synthetic MHD or
force-free models with polarization data, and (iii) using tomographic
techniques.Comment: Accepted by Solar Physics, April 201
Mechanical response of plectonemic DNA: an analytical solution
We consider an elastic rod model for twisted DNA in the plectonemic regime.
The molecule is treated as an impenetrable tube with an effective, adjustable
radius. The model is solved analytically and we derive formulas for the contact
pressure, twisting moment and geometrical parameters of the supercoiled region.
We apply our model to magnetic tweezer experiments of a DNA molecule subjected
to a tensile force and a torque, and extract mechanical and geometrical
quantities from the linear part of the experimental response curve. These
reconstructed values are derived in a self-contained manner, and are found to
be consistent with those available in the literature.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
Elasticity and electrostatics of plectonemic DNA
We present a self-contained theory for the mechanical response of DNA in
single molecule experiments. Our model is based on a 1D continuum description
of the DNA molecule and accounts both for its elasticity and for DNA-DNA
electrostatic interactions. We consider the classical loading geometry used in
experiments where one end of the molecule is attached to a substrate and the
other one is pulled by a tensile force and twisted by a given number of turns.
We focus on configurations relevant to the limit of a large number of turns,
which are made up of two phases, one with linear DNA and the other one with
superhelical DNA. The model takes into account thermal fluctuations in the
linear phase and electrostatic interactions in the superhelical phase. The
values of the torsional stress, of the supercoiling radius and angle, and key
features of the experimental extension-rotation curves, namely the slope of the
linear region and thermal buckling threshold, are predicted. They are found in
good agreement with experimental data.Comment: 19 pages and 6 figure
The EDELWEISS Experiment : Status and Outlook
The EDELWEISS Dark Matter search uses low-temperature Ge detectors with heat
and ionisation read- out to identify nuclear recoils induced by elastic
collisions with WIMPs from the galactic halo. Results from the operation of 70
g and 320 g Ge detectors in the low-background environment of the Modane
Underground Laboratory (LSM) are presented.Comment: International Conference on Dark Matter in Astro and Particle Physics
(Dark 2000), Heidelberg, Germany, 10-16 Jul 2000, v3 minor revision
A novel large-volume Spherical Detector with Proportional Amplification read-out
A new type of radiation detector based on a spherical geometry is presented.
The detector consists of a large spherical gas volume with a central electrode
forming a radial electric field. Charges deposited in the conversion volume
drift to the central sensor where they are amplified and collected. We
introduce a small spherical sensor located at the center acting as a
proportional amplification structure. It allows high gas gains to be reached
and operates in a wide range of gas pressures. Signal development and the
absolute amplitude of the response are consistent with predictions. Sub-keV
energy threshold with good energy resolution is achieved. This new concept has
been proven to operate in a simple and robust way and allows reading large
volumes with a single read-out channel. The detector performance presently
achieved is already close to fulfill the demands of many challenging projects
from low energy neutrino physics to dark matter detection with applications in
neutron, alpha and gamma spectroscopy.Comment: 13 pages, 13 figure
Dark Matter Search in the Edelweiss Experiment
Preliminary results obtained with 320g bolometers with simultaneous
ionization and heat measurements are described. After a few weeks of data
taking, data accumulated with one of these detectors are beginning to exclude
the upper part of the DAMA region. Prospects for the present run and the second
stage of the experiment, EDELWEISS-II, using an innovative reversed cryostat
allowing data taking with 100 detectors, are briefly described.Comment: IDM 2000, 3rd International Workshop on the Identification of Dark
Matter, York (GB), 18-22/09/2000, v2.0 minor modification
Block of transmitter release by botulinum C1 action on syntaxin at the squid giant synapse
Event categories in the EDELWEISS WIMP search experiment
Four categories of events have been identified in the EDELWEISS-I dark matter
experiment using germanium cryogenic detectors measuring simultaneously charge
and heat signals. These categories of events are interpreted as electron and
nuclear interactions occurring in the volume of the detector, and electron and
nuclear interactions occurring close to the surface of the detectors(10-20 mu-m
of the surface). We discuss the hypothesis that low energy surface nuclear
recoils,which seem to have been unnoticed by previous WIMP searches, may
provide an interpretation of the anomalous events recorded by the UKDMC and
Saclay NaI experiments. The present analysis points to the necessity of taking
into account surface nuclear and electron recoil interactions for a reliable
estimate of background rejection factors.Comment: 11 pages, submitted to Phys. Lett.
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