45 research outputs found
Is there a Relationship between the Elongational Viscosity and the First Normal Stress Difference in Polymer Solutions?
We investigate a variety of different polymer solutions in shear and
elongational flow. The shear flow is created in the cone-plate-geometry of a
commercial rheometer. We use capillary thinning of a filament that is formed by
a polymer solution in the Capillary Breakup Extensional Rheometer (CaBER) as an
elongational flow. We compare the relaxation time and the elongational
viscosity measured in the CaBER with the first normal stress difference and the
relaxation time that we measured in our rheometer. All of these four quantities
depend on different fluid parameters - the viscosity of the polymer solution,
the polymer concentration within the solution, and the molecular weight of the
polymers - and on the shear rate (in the shear flow measurements).
Nevertheless, we find that the first normal stress coefficient depends
quadratically on the CaBER relaxation time. A simple model is presented that
explains this relation
Effective viscosity of microswimmer suspensions
The measurement of a quantitative and macroscopic parameter to estimate the
global motility of a large population of swimming biological cells is a
challenge Experiments on the rheology of active suspensions have been
performed. Effective viscosity of sheared suspensions of live unicellular
motile micro-algae (\textit{Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii}) is far greater than for
suspensions containing the same volume fraction of dead cells and suspensions
show shear thinning behaviour. We relate these macroscopic measurements to the
orientation of individual swimming cells under flow and discuss our results in
the light of several existing models
Amoeboid motion in confined geometry
International audienceMany eukaryotic cells undergo frequent shape changes (described as amoeboid motion) that enable them to move forward. We investigate the effect of confinement on a minimal model of amoeboid swimmer. A complex picture emerges: (i) The swimmer's nature (i.e., either pusher or puller) can be modified by confinement, thus suggesting that this is not an intrinsic property of the swimmer. This swimming nature transition stems from intricate internal degrees of freedom of membrane deformation. (ii) The swimming speed might increase with increasing confinement before decreasing again for stronger confinements. (iii) A straight amoeoboid swimmer's trajectory in the channel can become unstable, and ample lateral excursions of the swimmer prevail. This happens for both pusher- and puller-type swimmers. For weak confinement, these excursions are symmetric, while they become asymmetric at stronger confinement, whereby the swimmer is located closer to one of the two walls. In this study, we combine numerical and theoretical analyses
Some Applications of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Fluid Mechanics: Complex Flows and Complex Fluids
The bulk correlation length and the range of thermodynamic Casimir forces at Bose-Einstein condensation
The relation between the bulk correlation length and the decay length of
thermodynamic Casimir forces is investigated microscopically in two
three-dimensional systems undergoing Bose-Einstein condensation: the perfect
Bose gas and the imperfect mean-field Bose gas. For each of these systems, both
lengths diverge upon approaching the corresponding condensation point from the
one-phase side, and are proportional to each other. We determine the
proportionality factors and discuss their dependence on the boundary
conditions. The values of the corresponding critical exponents for the decay
length and the correlation length are the same, equal to 1/2 for the perfect
gas, and 1 for the imperfect gas
Emergence and spread of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.620 with variant of concern-like mutations and deletions
Distinct SARS-CoV-2 lineages, discovered through various genomic surveillance initiatives, have emerged during the pandemic following unprecedented reductions in worldwide human mobility. We here describe a SARS-CoV-2 lineage - designated B.1.620 - discovered in Lithuania and carrying many mutations and deletions in the spike protein shared with widespread variants of concern (VOCs), including E484K, S477N and deletions HV69Delta, Y144Delta, and LLA241/243Delta. As well as documenting the suite of mutations this lineage carries, we also describe its potential to be resistant to neutralising antibodies, accompanying travel histories for a subset of European cases, evidence of local B.1.620 transmission in Europe with a focus on Lithuania, and significance of its prevalence in Central Africa owing to recent genome sequencing efforts there. We make a case for its likely Central African origin using advanced phylogeographic inference methodologies incorporating recorded travel histories of infected travellers
The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance
Investment in SARS-CoV-2 sequencing in Africa over the past year has led to a major increase in the number of sequences generated, now exceeding 100,000 genomes, used to track the pandemic on the continent. Our results show an increase in the number of African countries able to sequence domestically, and highlight that local sequencing enables faster turnaround time and more regular routine surveillance. Despite limitations of low testing proportions, findings from this genomic surveillance study underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic and shed light on the distinct dispersal dynamics of Variants of Concern, particularly Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron, on the continent. Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve, while the continent faces many emerging and re-emerging infectious disease threats. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century
Emergence and spread of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.620 with variant of concern-like mutations and deletions.
Distinct SARS-CoV-2 lineages, discovered through various genomic surveillance initiatives, have emerged during the pandemic following unprecedented reductions in worldwide human mobility. We here describe a SARS-CoV-2 lineage - designated B.1.620 - discovered in Lithuania and carrying many mutations and deletions in the spike protein shared with widespread variants of concern (VOCs), including E484K, S477N and deletions HV69Δ, Y144Δ, and LLA241/243Δ. As well as documenting the suite of mutations this lineage carries, we also describe its potential to be resistant to neutralising antibodies, accompanying travel histories for a subset of European cases, evidence of local B.1.620 transmission in Europe with a focus on Lithuania, and significance of its prevalence in Central Africa owing to recent genome sequencing efforts there. We make a case for its likely Central African origin using advanced phylogeographic inference methodologies incorporating recorded travel histories of infected travellers