On the importance of hydrodynamic interactions in polyelectrolyte electrophoresis

The effect of hydrodynamic interactions on the free-solution electrophoresis of polyelectrolytes is investigated with coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. By comparing the results to simulations with switched-off hydrodynamic interactions, we demonstrate their importance in modelling the experimentally observed behaviour. In order to quantify the hydrodynamic interactions between the polyelectrolyte and the solution, we present a novel way to estimate its effective charge. We obtain an effective friction that is different from the hydrodynamic friction obtained from diffusion measurements. This effective friction is used to explain the constant electrophoretic mobility for longer chains. To further emphasize the importance of hydrodynamic interactions, we apply the model to end-labeled free-solution electrophoresis.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures; accepted for publication in J. Phys.: Condens. Matte

Epiretinal Cell Proliferation in Macular Pucker and Vitreomacular Traction Syndrome: Analysis of Flat-Mounted Internal Limiting Membrane Specimens

Purpose: To describe new details of epiretinal cell proliferation in flat-mounted internal limiting membrane specimens. Methods: One hundred nineteen internal limiting membrane specimens were removed en bloc with epiretinal membranes from 79 eyes with macular pucker (MP) and 40 eyes with vitreomacular traction syndrome. Intraoperatively, posterior vitreous detachment was assessed as complete or incomplete. Whole specimens were flat-mounted on glass slides and processed for interference and phase-contrast microscopy, cell viability assay, and immunocytochemistry. Results: Mean cell viability percentage was higher in MP than in vitreomacular traction syndrome. Two cell distribution patterns were found. Anti-CD163 labeling presented predominantly in MP with complete posterior vitreous detachment. CD45 expression was similar in all groups of diagnosis. Anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) labeling was found in MP irrespective of the extent of posterior vitreous detachment. Alpha-SMA (alpha-smooth muscle actin) labeling was mainly presented in MP with incomplete posterior vitreous detachment and in vitreomacular traction syndrome. Simultaneous antibody labeling included GFAP/CD45, GFAP/CD163, CD163/CD45, and CD163/alpha-SMA. Conclusion: Hyalocytes constitute a major cell type of epiretinal cell proliferation in eyes with MP and vitreomacular traction syndrome. Glial cells, notably retinal Muller cells, are involved as well. It appears that transdifferentiation of cells in vitreomacular traction might be more frequent than previously thought and that those cells possess a greater variability of immunocytochemical properties than expected. RETINA 33:77-88, 201

An anode‐free Zn–graphite battery

The anode-free battery concept is proposed to pursue the aspiration of energy-dense, rechargeable metal batteries, but this has not been achieved with dual-ion batteries. Herein, the first anode-free Zn–graphite battery enabled by efficient Zn plating–stripping onto a silver-coated Cu substrate is demonstrated. The silver coating guides uniform Zn deposition without dendrite formation or side reaction over a wide range of electrolyte concentrations, enabling the construction of anode-free Zn cells. In addition, the graphite cathode operates efficiently under reversible bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide anion (TFSI−) intercalation without anodic corrosion. An extra high-potential TFSI− intercalation plateau is recognized at 2.75 V, contributing to the high capacity of graphite cathode. Thanks to efficient Zn plating–stripping and TFSI− intercalation–deintercalation, an anode-free Zn–graphite dual-ion battery that exhibits impressive cycling stability with 82% capacity retention after 1000 cycles is constructed. At the same time, a specific energy of 79 Wh kg−1 based on the mass of cathode and electrolyte is achieved, which is over two times higher than conventional Zn–graphite batteries (−1)

Biomechanical Properties of the Internal Limiting Membrane after Intravitreal Ocriplasmin Treatment

Purpose: To assess the stiffness of the human internal limiting membrane (ILM) and evaluate potential changes of mechanical properties following intravitreal ocriplasmin injection for vitreomacular traction. Methods: This is an interventional comparative case series of 12 surgically excised ILM specimens consecutively obtained from 9 eyes of 9 patients after unsuccessful pharmacologic vitreolysis with ocriplasmin. During the same time period, 16 specimens from 13 other eyes without ocriplasmin treatment were harvested during vitrectomy and served as controls. All patients presented with macular holes or vitreomacular traction and underwent vitrectomy with ILM peeling either with or without brilliant blue (BB) staining. All specimens were analyzed using atomic force microscopy with scan regions of 25 x 25 mu m. In all specimens, both the retinal side and vitreal side of the ILM were analyzed. Results: Atomic force microscopy revealed no significant differences in elasticity of ILM specimens removed from eyes with or without ocriplasmin treatment. Undulated areas of the retinal side presented stiffer than the vitreal side of the ILM. Topographical mapping of both the vitreal and retinal side of the ILM showed no apparent alteration of the morphology in ocriplasmin-treated eyes compared to untreated eyes. Staining with BB resulted in an increase of tissue stiffness. Conclusions: Intravitreal injection of ocriplasmin does not change biomechanical properties of the human ILM. There is no evidence of a potential enzymatic effect of ocriplasmin interfering with the stiffness of this basement membrane. (C) 2016 S. Karger AG, Base

Bodily feeling in depersonalisation: a phenomenological account

publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticlePre-print - please cite published version at Sage web site: http://emr.sagepub.com/content/4/2/145.full.pdf+htmlThis paper addresses the phenomenology of bodily feeling in depersonalisation disorder. We argue that not all bodily feelings are intentional states that have the body or part of it as their object. We distinguish three broad categories of bodily feeling: noematic feeling, noetic feeling and existential feeling. Then we show how an appreciation of the differences between them can contribute to an understanding of the depersonalisation experience.ER

Splitting of Folded Strings in AdS_4*CP^3

We study classically splitting of two kinds of folded string solutions in AdS_4*CP^3. Conserved charges of the produced fragments are computed for each case. We find interesting patterns among these conserved charges.Comment: minor changes, 14 pages, no figure

Learning intrinsic excitability in medium spiny neurons

We present an unsupervised, local activation-dependent learning rule for intrinsic plasticity (IP) which affects the composition of ion channel conductances for single neurons in a use-dependent way. We use a single-compartment conductance-based model for medium spiny striatal neurons in order to show the effects of parametrization of individual ion channels on the neuronal activation function. We show that parameter changes within the physiological ranges are sufficient to create an ensemble of neurons with significantly different activation functions. We emphasize that the effects of intrinsic neuronal variability on spiking behavior require a distributed mode of synaptic input and can be eliminated by strongly correlated input. We show how variability and adaptivity in ion channel conductances can be utilized to store patterns without an additional contribution by synaptic plasticity (SP). The adaptation of the spike response may result in either "positive" or "negative" pattern learning. However, read-out of stored information depends on a distributed pattern of synaptic activity to let intrinsic variability determine spike response. We briefly discuss the implications of this conditional memory on learning and addiction.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figure

Empathy, engagement, entrainment: the interaction dynamics of aesthetic experience

A recent version of the view that aesthetic experience is based in empathy as inner imitation explains aesthetic experience as the automatic simulation of actions, emotions, and bodily sensations depicted in an artwork by motor neurons in the brain. Criticizing the simulation theory for committing to an erroneous concept of empathy and failing to distinguish regular from aesthetic experiences of art, I advance an alternative, dynamic approach and claim that aesthetic experience is enacted and skillful, based in the recognition of others’ experiences as distinct from one’s own. In combining insights from mainly psychology, phenomenology, and cognitive science, the dynamic approach aims to explain the emergence of aesthetic experience in terms of the reciprocal interaction between viewer and artwork. I argue that aesthetic experience emerges by participatory sense-making and revolves around movement as a means for creating meaning. While entrainment merely plays a preparatory part in this, aesthetic engagement constitutes the phenomenological side of coupling to an artwork and provides the context for exploration, and eventually for moving, seeing, and feeling with art. I submit that aesthetic experience emerges from bodily and emotional engagement with works of art via the complementary processes of the perception–action and motion–emotion loops. The former involves the embodied visual exploration of an artwork in physical space, and progressively structures and organizes visual experience by way of perceptual feedback from body movements made in response to the artwork. The latter concerns the movement qualities and shapes of implicit and explicit bodily responses to an artwork that cue emotion and thereby modulate over-all affect and attitude. The two processes cause the viewer to bodily and emotionally move with and be moved by individual works of art, and consequently to recognize another psychological orientation than her own, which explains how art can cause feelings of insight or awe and disclose aspects of life that are unfamiliar or novel to the viewer

Evaporation kinetics in swollen porous polymeric networks

Ponencia presentada en el Congreso Euromar 2014.Fil: Velasco, Manuel Isaac. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina.Fil: Silletta, Emilia Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina.Fil: Monti, Gustavo Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina.Fil: Acosta, Rodolfo Héctor. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina.Fil: Velasco, Manuel Isaac. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentina.Fil: Silletta, Emilia Victoria. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentina.Fil: Monti, Gustavo Alberto. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentina.Fil: Acosta, Rodolfo Héctor. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentina.Fil: Gomez, Cesar Gerardo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina.Fil: Strumia, Miriam Cristina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina.Fil: Gomez, Cesar Gerardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina.Fil: Gomez, Cesar Gerardo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina.Fil: Strumia, Miriam Cristina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina.Fil: Strumia, Miriam Cristina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina.Polymer matrices with well defined structure and pore sizes are widely used in several areas of chemistry such as catalysis, enzyme immobilization, HPLC, adsorbents or controlled drug release. These polymers have pores in its structure both in the dry and swollen state. Although it is well known that the structures and properties greatly differ between these two states, only few methods provide information about the swollen one, even though most of the applications involve the matrices in this situation. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a suitable tool for the study of the molecular dynamics of different liquids spatially confined in macro, meso and nanopores, through changes in the relaxation times. In transverse relaxation experiments, either diffusion inside the pore, or relaxation induced by mobility restriction of the liquid near the wall, are additional sources of relaxation, which are extremely useful in the determination of structural and functional properties.Fil: Velasco, Manuel Isaac. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina.Fil: Silletta, Emilia Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina.Fil: Monti, Gustavo Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina.Fil: Acosta, Rodolfo Héctor. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina.Fil: Velasco, Manuel Isaac. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentina.Fil: Silletta, Emilia Victoria. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentina.Fil: Monti, Gustavo Alberto. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentina.Fil: Acosta, Rodolfo Héctor. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentina.Fil: Gomez, Cesar Gerardo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina.Fil: Strumia, Miriam Cristina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina.Fil: Gomez, Cesar Gerardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina.Fil: Gomez, Cesar Gerardo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina.Fil: Strumia, Miriam Cristina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina.Fil: Strumia, Miriam Cristina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina.Física de los Materiales Condensado

The Phenomenology of Mentality

peer reviewedThis paper offers a phenomenological interpretation of Brentano’s view of mentality. The key idea is that mental phenomena are not only characterized by intentionality; they also exhibit a distinctive way of appearing or being experienced. In short, they also have a distinctive phenomenology. I argue this view may be traced back to Brentano’s theory of inner perception (hereafter IP). Challenging the self-representational reading of IP, I maintain the latter is best understood as a way of appearing, that is, in phenomenological terms. Section 1 addresses Brentano’s claim that IP is one mark of the mental alongside intentionality. Sections 2 and 3 present support for a phenomenological interpretation of IP. And Section 4 briefly discusses two objections.The Phenomenology of Mentality (F.R.S.-FNRS Research Project / PDR