892 research outputs found
Shear induced instabilities in layered liquids
Motivated by the experimentally observed shear-induced destabilization and
reorientation of smectic A like systems, we consider an extended formulation of
smectic A hydrodynamics. We include both, the smectic layering (via the layer
displacement u and the layer normal p) and the director n of the underlying
nematic order in our macroscopic hydrodynamic description and allow both
directions to differ in non equilibrium situations. In an homeotropically
aligned sample the nematic director does couple to an applied simple shear,
whereas the smectic layering stays unchanged. This difference leads to a finite
(but usually small) angle between n and p, which we find to be equivalent to an
effective dilatation of the layers. This effective dilatation leads, above a
certain threshold, to an undulation instability of the layers. We generalize
our earlier approach [Rheol. Acta, vol.39(3), 15] and include the cross
couplings with the velocity field and the order parameters for orientational
and positional order and show how the order parameters interact with the
undulation instability. We explore the influence of various material parameters
on the instability. Comparing our results to recent experiments and molecular
dynamic simulations, we find a good qualitative agreement.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in PR
Towards a Mg lattice clock: Observation of the transition and determination of the magic wavelength
We optically excite the electronic state in Mg atoms,
laser-cooled and trapped in a magic-wavelength lattice. An applied magnetic
field enhances the coupling of the light to the otherwise strictly forbidden
transition. We determine the magic wavelength, the quadratic magnetic Zeeman
shift and the transition frequency to be 468.463(207)nm,
-206.6(2.0)MHz/T and 655 058 646 691(101)kHz, respectively. These
are compared with theoretical predictions and results from complementary
experiments. We also developed a high-precision relativistic structure model
for magnesium, give an improved theoretical value for the blackbody radiation
shift and discuss a clock based on bosonic magnesium.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Borrelia recurrentis employs a novel multifunctional surface protein with anti-complement, anti-opsonic and invasive potential to escape innate immunity
Borrelia recurrentis, the etiologic agent of louse-borne relapsing fever in humans, has evolved strategies, including antigenic variation, to evade immune defence, thereby causing severe diseases with high mortality rates. Here we identify for the first time a multifunctional surface lipoprotein of B. recurrentis, termed HcpA, and demonstrate that it binds human complement regulators, Factor H, CFHR-1, and simultaneously, the host protease plasminogen. Cell surface bound factor H was found to retain its activity and to confer resistance to complement attack. Moreover, ectopic expression of HcpA in a B. burgdorferi B313 strain, deficient in Factor H binding proteins, protected the transformed spirochetes from complement-mediated killing. Furthermore, HcpA-bound plasminogen/plasmin endows B. recurrentis with the potential to resist opsonization and to degrade extracellular matrix components. Together, the present study underscores the high virulence potential of B. recurrentis. The elucidation of the molecular basis underlying the versatile strategies of B. recurrentis to escape innate immunity and to persist in human tissues, including the brain, may help to understand the pathological processes underlying louse-borne relapsing fever
Borrelia valaisiana resist complement-mediated killing independently of the recruitment of immune regulators and inactivation of complement components
Spirochetes belonging to the Borrelia (B.) burgdorferi sensu lato complex differ in their resistance to complement-mediated killing, particularly in regard to human serum. In the present study, we elucidate the serum and complement susceptibility of B. valaisiana, a genospecies with the potential to cause Lyme disease in Europe as well as in Asia. Among the investigated isolates, growth of ZWU3 Ny3 was not affected while growth of VS116 and Bv9 was strongly inhibited in the presence of 50% human serum. Analyzing complement activation, complement components C3, C4 and C6 were deposited on the surface of isolates VS116 and Bv9, and similarly the membrane attack complex was formed on their surface. In contrast, no surface-deposited components and no aberrations in cell morphology were detected for serum-resistant ZWU3 Ny3. While further investigating the protective role of bound complement regulators in mediating complement resistance, we discovered that none of the B. valaisiana isolates analyzed bound complement regulators Factor H, Factor H-like protein 1, C4b binding protein or C1 esterase inhibitor. In addition, B. valaisiana also lacked intrinsic proteolytic activity to degrade complement components C3, C3b, C4, C4b, and C5. Taken together, these findings suggest that certain B. valaisiana isolates differ in their capability to resist complement-mediating killing by human serum. The molecular mechanism utilized by B. valaisiana to inhibit bacteriolysis appears not to involve binding of the key host complement regulators of the alternative, classical, and lectin pathways as already known for serum-resistant Lyme disease or relapsing fever borreliae
Dephasing Times in a Non-degenerate Two-Dimensional Electron Gas
Studies of weak localization by scattering from vapor atoms for electrons on
a liquid helium surface are reported. There are three contributions to the
dephasing time. Dephasing by the motion of vapor atoms perpendicular to the
surface is studied by varying the holding field to change the characteristic
width of the electron layer at the surface. A change in vapor density alters
the quasi-elastic scattering length and the dephasing due to the motion of
atoms both perpendicular and parallel to the surface. Dephasing due to the
electron-electron interaction is dependent on the electron density.Comment: 4 pages, Revte
Vorticity Banding During the Lamellar-to-Onion Transition in a Lyotropic Surfactant Solution in Shear Flow
We report on the rheology of a lamellar lyotropic surfactant solution
(SDS/dodecane/pentanol/water), and identify a discontinuous transition between
two shear thinning regimes which correspond to the low stress lamellar phase
and the more viscous shear induced multi-lamellar vesicle, or ``onion'' phase.
We study in detail the flow curve, stress as a function of shear rate, during
the transition region, and present evidence that the region consists of a shear
banded phase where the material has macroscopically separated into bands of
lamellae and onions stacked in the vorticity direction. We infer very slow and
irregular transformations from lamellae to onions as the stress is increased
through the two phase region, and identify distinct events consistent with the
nucleation of small fractions of onions that coexist with sheared lamellae.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figure
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