634 research outputs found
Instabilities, motion and deformation of active fluid droplets
We consider two minimal models of active fluid droplets that exhibit complex dynamics including steady motion, deformation, rotation and oscillating motion. First we consider a droplet with a concentration of active contractile matter adsorbed to its boundary. We analytically predict activity driven instabilities in the concentration profile, and compare them to the dynamics we find from simulations. Secondly, we consider a droplet of active polar fluid of constant concentration. In this system we predict, motion and deformation of the droplets in certain activity ranges due to instabilities in the polarisation field. Both these systems show spontaneous transitions to motility and deformation which resemble dynamics of the cell cytoskeleton in animal cells
The geology and genesis of the iron skarns of the Turgai belt, northwestern Kazakhstan
The magnetite deposits of the Turgai belt (Kachar, Sarbai and Sokolov), in the Valerianovskoe zone of the southern Urals, Kazakhstan, contain a combined resource of over 3 Gt of iron oxide ore. The deposits are hosted by carbonate sediments and volcaniclastic rocks of the Carboniferous Valerianovka Supergroup, and are spatially related to the gabbroic to granitoid composition intrusive rocks of the SarbaiâSokolov intrusive series. The magnetite deposits are developed dominantly as metasomatic replacement of limestone, but also, to a lesser extent, of volcanic rocks. Pre-mineralisation metamorphism and alteration resulted in the formation of wollastonite and the silicification of limestone. Magnetite mineralisation is associated with the development of a high temperature skarn assemblage of diopside, grossularâandradite garnet, actinolite, epidote and apatite. Sub-economic copper-bearing sulphide mineralisation overprints the magnetite mineralisation and is associated with deposition of hydrothermal calcite and the formation of an extensive sodium alteration halo dominated by albite and scapolite. Chlorite formation accompanies this stage and further later stage hydrothermal overprints. The replacement has in places resulted in preservation of primary features of the limestone, including fossils and sedimentary structures in magnetite, skarn calc-silicates and sulphides.
Analysis of ReâOs isotopes in molybdenite indicates formation of the sulphide mineral assemblage at 336.2 Âą 1.3 Ma, whilst UâPb analyses of titanite from the skarn alteration assemblage suggests skarn alteration at 326.6 Âą 4.5 Ma with re-equilibration of isotope systematics down to ~ 270 Ma. Analyses of mineral assemblages, fluid inclusion microthermometry, O and S isotopes suggest initial mineralisation temperatures in excess of 600 °C from hypersaline brines (45â50 wt.% NaCl eq.), with subsequent cooling and dilution of fluids to around 150 °C and 20 wt.% NaCl eq. by the time of calcite deposition in late stage sulphide-bearing veins. δ18O in magnetite (â 1.5 to + 3.5â°) and skarn forming silicates (+ 5 to + 9â°), δ18O and δ13C in limestone and skarn calcite (δ18O + 5.4 to + 26.2â°; δ13C â 12.1 to + 0.9â°) and δ34S in sulphides (â 3.3 to + 6.6â°) and sulphates (+ 4.9 to + 12.9â°) are all consistent with the interaction of a magmatic-equilibrated fluid with limestone, and a dominantly magmatic source for S. All these data imply skarn formation and mineralisation in a magmaticâhydrothermal system that maintained high salinity to relatively late stages resulting in the formation of the large Na-alteration halo. Despite the reported presence of evaporites in the area there is no evidence for evaporitic sulphur in the mineralising system.
These skarns show similarities to some members of the iron oxideâapatite and iron oxideâcopper gold deposit classes and the model presented here may have implications for their genesis. The similarity in age between the Turgai deposits and the deposits of the Magnitogorsk zone in the western Urals suggests that they may be linked to similar magmatism, developed during post-orogenic collapse and extension following the continentâcontinent collision, which has resulted in the assembly of Laurussian terranes with the Uralide orogen and the Kazakh collage of the Altaids or Central Asian Orogenic Belt. This model is preferred to the model of simultaneous formation of very similar deposits in arc settings at either side of an open tract of oceanic crust forming part of the Uralian ocean
Modelling cytoskeletal transport by clusters of non-processive molecular motors with limited binding sites
Molecular motors are responsible for intracellular transport of a variety of biological cargo. We consider the collective behaviour of a finite number of motors attached on a cargo. We extend previous analytical work on processive motors to the case of non-processive motors, which stochastically bind on and off cytoskeletal filaments with a limited number of binding sites available. Physically, motors attached to a cargo cannot bind anywhere along the filaments, so the number of accessible binding sites on the filament should be limited. Thus, we analytically study the distribution and the velocity of a cluster of non-processive motors with limited number of binding sites. To validate our analytical results and to go beyond the level of detail possible analytically, we perform Monte Carlo latticed based stochastic simulations. In particular, in our simulations, we include sequence preservation of motors performing stepping and binding obeying a simple exclusion process. We find that limiting the number of binding sites reduces the probability of non-processive motors binding but has a relatively small effect on forceâvelocity relations. Our analytical and stochastic simulation results compare well to published data from in vitro and in vivo experiments
Mechanical heterogeneity in the bone microenvironment as characterised by atomic force microscopy
Bones are structurally heterogeneous organs with diverse functions that undergo mechanical stimuli across multiple length scales. Mechanical characterisation of the bone microenvironment is important for understanding how bones function in health and disease. Here we describe the mechanical architecture of cortical bone, the growth plate, metaphysis and marrow in fresh murine bones, probed using atomic force microscopy in physiological buffer. Both elastic and viscoelastic properties are found to be highly heterogeneous with moduli ranging over 3 to 5 orders of magnitude, both within and across regions. All regions include extremely soft areas, with moduli of a few Pascal and viscosities as low as tens Paâ
s. Aging impacts the viscoelasticity of the bone marrow strongly but has limited effect on the other regions studied. Our approach provides the opportunity to explore the mechanical properties of complex tissues at the length scale relevant to cellular processes and how these impact on aging and disease
The mediating effect of task presentation on collaboration and children's acquisition of scientific reasoning
There has been considerable research concerning peer interaction and the acquisition of children's scientific reasoning. This study investigated differences in collaborative activity between pairs of children working around a computer with pairs of children working with physical apparatus and related any differences to the development of children's scientific reasoning. Children aged between 9 and 10 years old (48 boys and 48 girls) were placed into either same ability or mixed ability pairs according to their individual, pre-test performance on a scientific reasoning task. These pairs then worked on either a computer version or a physical version of Inhelder and Piaget's (1958) chemical combination task. Type of presentation was found to mediate the nature and type of collaborative activity. The mixed-ability pairs working around the computer talked proportionally more about the task and management of the task; had proportionally more transactive discussions and used the record more productively than children working with the physical apparatus. Type of presentation was also found to mediated children's learning. Children in same ability pairs who worked with the physical apparatus improved significantly more than same ability pairs who worked around the computer. These findings were partially predicted from a socio-cultural theory and show the importance of tools for mediating collaborative activity and collaborative learning
Being relevant: Practical guidance for early career researchers interested in solving conservation problems
AbstractIn a human-altered world where biodiversity is in decline and conservation problems abound, there is a dire need to ensure that the next generation of conservation scientists have the knowledge, skills, and training to address these problems. So called âearly career researchersâ (ECRs) in conservation science have many challenges before them and it is clear that the status quo must change to bridge the knowledgeâaction divide. Here we identify thirteen practical strategies that ECRs can employ to become more relevant. In this context, ârelevanceâ refers to the ability to contribute to solving conservation problems through engagement with practitioners, policy makers, and stakeholders. Conservation and career strategies outlined in this article include the following: thinking âbig pictureâ during conservation projects; embracing various forms of knowledge; maintaining positive relationships with locals familiar with the conservation issue; accepting failure as a viable (and potentially valuable) outcome; daring to be creative; embracing citizen science; incorporating interdisciplinarity; promoting and practicing pro-environmental behaviours; understanding financial aspects of conservation; forming collaboration from the onset of a project; accepting the limits of technology; ongoing and effective networking; and finally, maintaining a positive outlook by focusing on and sharing conservation success stories. These strategies move beyond the generic and highlight the importance of continuing to have an open mind throughout the entire conservation process, from establishing oneâs self as an asset to embracing collaboration and interdisciplinary work, and striving to push for professional and personal connections that strengthen personal career objectives
Osteoblast-derived paracrine and juxtacrine signals protect disseminated breast cancer cells from stress
Metastatic breast cancer in bone is incurable and there is an urgent need to develop new therapeutic approaches to improve survival. Key to this is understanding the mechanisms governing cancer cell survival and growth in bone, which involves interplay between malignant and accessory cell types. Here, we performed a cellular and molecular comparison of the bone microenvironment in mouse models representing either metastatic indolence or growth, to identify mechanisms regulating cancer cell survival and fate. In vivo, we show that regardless of their fate, breast cancer cells in bone occupy niches rich in osteoblastic cells. As the number of osteoblasts in bone declines, so does the ability to sustain large numbers of breast cancer cells and support metastatic outgrowth. In vitro, osteoblasts protected breast cancer cells from death induced by cell stress and signaling via gap junctions was found to provide important juxtacrine protective mechanisms between osteoblasts and both MDA-MB-231 (TNBC) and MCF7 (ER+) breast cancer cells. Combined with mathematical modelling, these findings indicate that the fate of DTCs is not controlled through the association with specific vessel subtypes. Instead, numbers of osteoblasts dictate availability of protective niches which breast cancer cells can colonize prior to stimulation of metastatic outgrowth
Possible origins of macroscopic left-right asymmetry in organisms
I consider the microscopic mechanisms by which a particular left-right (L/R)
asymmetry is generated at the organism level from the microscopic handedness of
cytoskeletal molecules. In light of a fundamental symmetry principle, the
typical pattern-formation mechanisms of diffusion plus regulation cannot
implement the "right-hand rule"; at the microscopic level, the cell's
cytoskeleton of chiral filaments seems always to be involved, usually in
collective states driven by polymerization forces or molecular motors. It seems
particularly easy for handedness to emerge in a shear or rotation in the
background of an effectively two-dimensional system, such as the cell membrane
or a layer of cells, as this requires no pre-existing axis apart from the layer
normal. I detail a scenario involving actin/myosin layers in snails and in C.
elegans, and also one about the microtubule layer in plant cells. I also survey
the other examples that I am aware of, such as the emergence of handedness such
as the emergence of handedness in neurons, in eukaryote cell motility, and in
non-flagellated bacteria.Comment: 42 pages, 6 figures, resubmitted to J. Stat. Phys. special issue.
Major rewrite, rearranged sections/subsections, new Fig 3 + 6, new physics in
Sec 2.4 and 3.4.1, added Sec 5 and subsections of Sec
QCD ghost f(T)-gravity model
Within the framework of modified teleparallel gravity, we reconstruct a f(T)
model corresponding to the QCD ghost dark energy scenario. For a spatially flat
FRW universe containing only the pressureless matter, we obtain the time
evolution of the torsion scalar T (or the Hubble parameter). Then, we calculate
the effective torsion equation of state parameter of the QCD ghost f(T)-gravity
model as well as the deceleration parameter of the universe. Furthermore, we
fit the model parameters by using the latest observational data including
SNeIa, CMB and BAO data. We also check the viability of our model using a
cosmographic analysis approach. Moreover, we investigate the validity of the
generalized second law (GSL) of gravitational thermodynamics for our model.
Finally, we point out the growth rate of matter density perturbation. We
conclude that in QCD ghost f(T)-gravity model, the universe begins a matter
dominated phase and approaches a de Sitter regime at late times, as expected.
Also this model is consistent with current data, passes the cosmographic test,
satisfies the GSL and fits the data of the growth factor well as the LCDM
model.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables. arXiv admin note: substantial text
overlap with arXiv:1111.726
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