973 research outputs found
Reversibility of Red blood Cell deformation
The ability of cells to undergo reversible shape changes is often crucial to
their survival. For Red Blood Cells (RBCs), irreversible alteration of the cell
shape and flexibility often causes anemia. Here we show theoretically that RBCs
may react irreversibly to mechanical perturbations because of tensile stress in
their cytoskeleton. The transient polymerization of protein fibers inside the
cell seen in sickle cell anemia or a transient external force can trigger the
formation of a cytoskeleton-free membrane protrusion of micrometer dimensions.
The complex relaxation kinetics of the cell shape is shown to be responsible
for selecting the final state once the perturbation is removed, thereby
controlling the reversibility of the deformation. In some case, tubular
protrusion are expected to relax via a peculiar "pearling instability".Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
An investigation of the morphology of the petrotympanic fissure using cone-beam computed tomography
Chromosome Oscillations in Mitosis
Successful cell division requires a tight regulation of chromosome motion via
the activity of molecular motors. Many of the key players at the origin of the
forces generating the movement have been identified, but their spatial and
temporal organization remains elusive. The protein complex Kinetochore on the
chromosome associates with microtubules emanating from one of the spindle poles
and drives the chromosome toward the pole. Chromokinesin motors on the
chromosome arms also interact with microtubules, ejecting the chromosome away
from the pole. In animal cells, a monooriented chromosome (associated to a
single pole) periodically switches between phases of poleward and away from the
pole movement[, a behavior tentatively explained so far by the existence of a
complex switching mechanism within the kinetochore itself. Here we show that
the interplay between the morphology of the mitotic spindle and the collective
kinetics of chromokinesins can account for the highly non-linear periodic
chromosome motion. Our analysis provides a natural explanation for the origin
of chromosome directional instability and for the mechanism by which
chromosomes feel their position in space.Comment: http://hogarth.pct.espci.fr/~pierre
Hydro-osmotic instabilities in active membrane tubes
We study a membrane tube with unidirectional ion pumps driving an osmotic pressure difference. A pressure driven peristaltic instability is identified, qualitatively distinct from similar tension-driven Rayleigh type instabilities on membrane tubes. We discuss how this instability could be related to the function and biogenesis of membrane bound organelles, in particular the contractile vacuole complex. The unusually long natural wavelength of this instability is in agreement with that observed in cells
Dynamics of passive and active membrane tubes
Utilising Onsager's variational formulation, we derive dynamical equations
for the relaxation of a fluid membrane tube in the limit of small deformation,
allowing for a contrast of solvent viscosity across the membrane and variations
in surface tension due to membrane incompressibility. We compute the relaxation
rates, recovering known results in the case of purely axis-symmetric
perturbations and making new predictions for higher order (azimuthal)
-modes. We analyse the long and short wavelength limits of these modes by
making use of various asymptotic arguments. We incorporate stochastic terms to
our dynamical equations suitable to describe both passive thermal forces and
non-equilibrium active forces. We derive expressions for the fluctuation
amplitudes, an effective temperature associated with active fluctuations, and
the power spectral density for both the thermal and active fluctuations. We
discuss an experimental assay that might enable measurement of these
fluctuations to infer the properties of the active noise. Finally we discuss
our results in the context of active membranes more generally and give an
overview of some open questions in the field.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure
Non-equilibrium raft-like membrane domains under continuous recycling
We present a model for the kinetics of spontaneous membrane domain (raft)
assembly that includes the effect of membrane recycling ubiquitous in living
cells. We show that the domains have a broad power-law distribution with an
average radius that scales with the 1/4 power of the domain lifetime when the
line tension at the domain edges is large. For biologically reasonable
recycling and diffusion rates the average domain radius is in the tens of nm
range, consistent with observations. This represents one possible link between
signaling (involving rafts) and traffic (recycling) in cells. Finally, we
present evidence that suggests that the average raft size may be the same for
all scale-free recycling schemes.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Higher order effects in the and transfer reactions
Full Coupled Channels Calculations were performed for the
and transfer reactions at several deuteron incident
energies from MeV up to 3.27 MeV. A strong polarization effect
between the entrance channel and the transfer channels
and was
observed. This polarization effect had to be taken into account in order to
obtain realistic spectroscopic factors from these reactions.Comment: 15 papes, 13 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Force balance and membrane shedding at the Red Blood Cell surface
During the aging of the red-blood cell, or under conditions of extreme
echinocytosis, membrane is shed from the cell plasma membrane in the form of
nano-vesicles. We propose that this process is the result of the
self-adaptation of the membrane surface area to the elastic stress imposed by
the spectrin cytoskeleton, via the local buckling of membrane under increasing
cytoskeleton stiffness. This model introduces the concept of force balance as a
regulatory process at the cell membrane, and quantitatively reproduces the rate
of area loss in aging red-blood cells.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Multi-FedLS: a Framework for Cross-Silo Federated Learning Applications on Multi-Cloud Environments
Federated Learning (FL) is a distributed Machine Learning (ML) technique that
can benefit from cloud environments while preserving data privacy. We propose
Multi-FedLS, a framework that manages multi-cloud resources, reducing execution
time and financial costs of Cross-Silo Federated Learning applications by using
preemptible VMs, cheaper than on-demand ones but that can be revoked at any
time. Our framework encloses four modules: Pre-Scheduling, Initial Mapping,
Fault Tolerance, and Dynamic Scheduler. This paper extends our previous work
\cite{brum2022sbac} by formally describing the Multi-FedLS resource manager
framework and its modules. Experiments were conducted with three Cross-Silo FL
applications on CloudLab and a proof-of-concept confirms that Multi-FedLS can
be executed on a multi-cloud composed by AWS and GCP, two commercial cloud
providers. Results show that the problem of executing Cross-Silo FL
applications in multi-cloud environments with preemptible VMs can be
efficiently resolved using a mathematical formulation, fault tolerance
techniques, and a simple heuristic to choose a new VM in case of revocation.Comment: In review by Journal of Parallel and Distributed Computin
Injector fouling and its impact on engine emissions and spray characteristics in gasoline direct injection engines
In Gasoline Direct Injection engines, direct exposure of the injector to the flame can cause combustion products to accumulate on the nozzle, which can result in increased particulate emissions. This research observes the impact of injector fouling on particulate emissions and the associated injector spray pattern and shows how both can be reversed by utilising fuel detergency. For this purpose multi-hole injectors were deliberately fouled in a four-cylinder test engine with two different base fuels. During a four hour injector fouling cycle particulate numbers (PN) increased by up to two orders of magnitude. The drift could be reversed by switching to a fuel blend that contained a detergent additive. In addition, it was possible to completely avoid any PN increase, when the detergent containing fuel was used from the beginning of the test. Microscopy showed that increased injector fouling coincided with increased particulate emissions. Based on these results a selection of the injectors was installed in a laboratory injection chamber and the spray patterns were investigated with a high speed camera. Injectors corresponding to the largest PN drift produced the thinnest spray jets with the deepest penetration. These factors amplify the risk of wall wetting and provide an explanation for the increase of PN. The positive effect of the detergent was also reflected in the spray pattern analysis, which illustrates the potential benefits of such fuel additives
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