2,989 research outputs found
Large deformation of spherical vesicle studied by perturbation theory and Surface evolver
With tangent angle perturbation approach the axial symmetry deformation of a
spherical vesicle in large under the pressure changes is studied by the
elasticity theory of Helfrich spontaneous curvature model.Three main results in
axial symmetry shape: biconcave shape, peanut shape, and one type of myelin are
obtained. These axial symmetry morphology deformations are in agreement with
those observed in lipsome experiments by dark-field light microscopy [Hotani,
J. Mol. Biol. 178, (1984) 113] and in the red blood cell with two thin
filaments (myelin) observed in living state (see, Bessis, Living Blood Cells
and Their Ultrastructure, Springer-Verlag, 1973). Furthermore, the biconcave
shape and peanut shape can be simulated with the help of a powerful software,
Surface Evolver [Brakke, Exp. Math. 1, 141 (1992) 141], in which the
spontaneous curvature can be easy taken into account.Comment: 16 pages, 6 EPS figures and 2 PS figure
Oxygen minimum zone: An important oceanographic habitat for deep-diving northern elephant seals, Mirounga angustirostris.
Little is known about the foraging behavior of top predators in the deep mesopelagic ocean. Elephant seals dive to the deep biota-poor oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) (>800 m depth) despite high diving costs in terms of energy and time, but how they successfully forage in the OMZ remains largely unknown. Assessment of their feeding rate is the key to understanding their foraging behavior, but this has been challenging. Here, we assessed the feeding rate of 14 female northern elephant seals determined by jaw motion events (JME) and dive cycle time to examine how feeding rates varied with dive depth, particularly in the OMZ. We also obtained video footage from seal-mounted videos to understand their feeding in the OMZ. While the diel vertical migration pattern was apparent for most depths of the JME, some very deep dives, beyond the normal diel depth ranges, occurred episodically during daylight hours. The midmesopelagic zone was the main foraging zone for all seals. Larger seals tended to show smaller numbers of JME and lower feeding rates than smaller seals during migration, suggesting that larger seals tended to feed on larger prey to satisfy their metabolic needs. Larger seals also dived frequently to the deep OMZ, possibly because of a greater diving ability than smaller seals, suggesting their dependency on food in the deeper depth zones. Video observations showed that seals encountered the rarely reported ragfish (Icosteus aenigmaticus) in the depths of the OMZ, which failed to show an escape response from the seals, suggesting that low oxygen concentrations might reduce prey mobility. Less mobile prey in OMZ would enhance the efficiency of foraging in this zone, especially for large seals that can dive deeper and longer. We suggest that the OMZ plays an important role in structuring the mesopelagic ecosystem and for the survival and evolution of elephant seals
Synapsin I Is Associated with Cholinergic Nerve Terminals in the Electric Organs of Torpedo, Electrophorus , and Malapterurus and Copurifies with Torpedo Synaptic Vesicles
Using an affinity-purified monospecific polyclonal antibody against bovine brain synapsin I, the distribution of antigenically related proteins was investigated in the electric organs of the three strongly electric fish Torpedo marmorata, Electrophorus electricus, Malapterurus electricus and in the rat diaphragm. On application of indirect fluorescein isothiocyanate-immunofluorescence and using Α-bungarotoxin for identification of synaptic sites, intense and very selective staining of nerve terminals was found in all of these tissues. Immunotransfer blots of tissue homogenates revealed specific bands whose molecular weights are similar to those of synapsin Ia and synapsin Ib. Moreover, synapsin I-like proteins are still attached to the synaptic vesicles that were isolated in isotonic glycine solution from Torpedo electric organ by density gradient centrifugation and chromatography on Sephacryl-1000. Our results suggest that synapsin I-like proteins are also associated with cholinergic synaptic vesicles of electric organs and that the electric organ may be an ideal source for studying further the functional and molecular properties of synapsin I.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66342/1/j.1471-4159.1987.tb02871.x.pd
Capture on High Curvature Region: Aggregation of Colloidal Particle Bound to Giant Phospholipid Vesicles
A very recent observation on the membrane mediated attraction and ordered
aggregation of colloidal particles bound to giant phospholipid vesicles (I.
Koltover, J. O. R\"{a}dler, C. R. Safinya, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 82},
1991(1999)) is investigated theoretically within the frame of Helfrich
curvature elasticity theory of lipid bilayer fluid membrane. Since the concave
or waist regions of the vesicle possess the highest local bending energy
density, the aggregation of colloidal beads on these places can reduce the
elastic energy in maximum. Our calculation shows that a bead in the concave
region lowers its energy . For an axisymmetrical dumbbell
vesicle, the local curvature energy density along the waist is equally of
maximum, the beads can thus be distributed freely with varying separation
distance.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures. REVte
Theory on quench-induced pattern formation: Application to the isotropic to smectic-A phase transitions
During catastrophic processes of environmental variations of a thermodynamic
system, such as rapid temperature decreasing, many novel and complex patterns
often form.
To understand such phenomena, a general mechanism is proposed based on the
competition between heat transfer and conversion of heat to other energy forms.
We apply it to the smectic-A filament growth process during quench-induced
isotropic to smectic-A phase transition. Analytical forms for the buckling
patterns are derived and we find good agreement with experimental observation
[Phys. Rev. {\bf E55} (1997) 1655]. The present work strongly indicates that
rapid cooling will lead to structural transitions in the smectic-A filament at
the molecular level to optimize heat conversion. The force associated with this
pattern formation process is estimated to be in the order of
piconewton.Comment: 9 pages in RevTex form, with 3 postscript figures. Accepted by PR
Spheres and Prolate and Oblate Ellipsoids from an Analytical Solution of Spontaneous Curvature Fluid Membrane Model
An analytic solution for Helfrich spontaneous curvature membrane model (H.
Naito, M.Okuda and Ou-Yang Zhong-Can, Phys. Rev. E {\bf 48}, 2304 (1993); {\bf
54}, 2816 (1996)), which has a conspicuous feature of representing the circular
biconcave shape, is studied. Results show that the solution in fact describes a
family of shapes, which can be classified as: i) the flat plane (trivial case),
ii) the sphere, iii) the prolate ellipsoid, iv) the capped cylinder, v) the
oblate ellipsoid, vi) the circular biconcave shape, vii) the self-intersecting
inverted circular biconcave shape, and viii) the self-intersecting nodoidlike
cylinder. Among the closed shapes (ii)-(vii), a circular biconcave shape is the
one with the minimum of local curvature energy.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures. Phys. Rev. E (to appear in Sept. 1999
On the peak in the far-infrared conductivity of strongly anisotropic cuprates
We investigate the far-infrared and submillimeter-wave conductivity of
electron-doped La_(2-x)Ce_xCuO_4 tilted 1 degree off from the ab-plane. The
effective conductivity measured for this tilt angle reveals an intensive peak
at finite frequency (\nu ~ 50 cm{-1}) due to a mixing of the in-plane and
out-of-plane responses. The peak disappears for the pure in-plane response and
transforms to the Drude-like contribution. Comparative analysis of the mixed
and the in-plane contributions allows to extract the c-axis conductivity which
shows a Josephson plasma resonance at 11.7 cm{-1} in the superconducting state.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures include
Parameterization invariance and shape equations of elastic axisymmetric vesicles
The issue of different parameterizations of the axisymmetric vesicle shape
addressed by Hu Jian-Guo and Ou-Yang Zhong-Can [ Phys.Rev. E {\bf 47} (1993)
461 ] is reassesed, especially as it transpires through the corresponding Euler
- Lagrange equations of the associated elastic energy functional. It is argued
that for regular, smooth contours of vesicles with spherical topology,
different parameterizations of the surface are equivalent and that the
corresponding Euler - Lagrange equations are in essence the same. If, however,
one allows for discontinuous (higher) derivatives of the contour line at the
pole, the differently parameterized Euler - Lagrange equations cease to be
equivalent and describe different physical problems. It nevertheless appears to
be true that the elastic energy corresponding to smooth contours remains a
global minimum.Comment: 10 pages, latex, one figure include
Optical conductivity and superconductivity in LaSb
We have measured the resistivity, optical conductivity, and magnetic
susceptibility of LaSb to search for clues as to the cause of the
extraordinarily large linear magnetoresistance and to explore the properties of
the superconducting state. We find no evidence in the optical conductivity for
the formation of a charge density wave state above 20 K despite the highly
layered crystal structure. In addition, only small changes to the optical
reflectivity with magnetic field are observed indicating that the MR is due to
scattering rate, not charge density, variations with field. Although a
superconducting ground state was previously reported below a critical
temperature of 0.4 K, we observe, at ambient pressure, a fragile
superconducting transition with an onset at 2.5 K. In crystalline samples, we
find a high degree of variability with a minority of samples displaying a full
Meissner fraction below 0.2 K and fluctuations apparent up to 2.5 K. The
application of pressure stabilizes the superconducting transition and reduces
the anisotropy of the superconducting phase.Comment: 4 pages with 4 figure
Nanogranular MgB2 thin films on SiC buffered Si substrates prepared by in-situ method
MgB2 thin films were deposited on SiC buffered Si substrates by sequential
electron beam evaporation of B-Mg bilayer followed by in-situ annealing. The
application of a SiC buffer layer enables the maximum annealing temperature of
830 C. The Transmission Electron Microscopy analysis confirms the growth of a
nanogranular MgB2 film and the presence of a Mg2Si compound at the surface of
the film. The 150-200 nm thick films show a maximum zero resistance critical
temperature TC0 above 37 K and a critical current density JC ~ 106 A/cm2 at
11K.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Applied Physics Letter
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