Modified gravity inside astrophysical bodies

Many theories of modified gravity, including the well studied Horndeski models, are characterized by a screening mechanism that ensures that standard gravity is recovered near astrophysical bodies. In a recently introduced class of gravitational theories that goes beyond Horndeski, it has been found that new derivative interactions lead to a partial breaking of the Vainshtein screening mechanism inside any gravitational source, although not outside. We study the impact of this new type of deviation from standard gravity on the density profile of a spherically symmetric matter distribution, in the nonrelativistic limit. For simplicity, we consider a polytropic equation of state and derive the modifications to the standard Lane-Emden equations. We also show the existence of a universal upper bound on the amplitude of this type of modified gravity, independently of the details of the equation of state.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure

Nonequilibrium Energetics of Molecular Motor Kinesin

Nonequilibrium energetics of single molecule translational motor kinesin was investigated by measuring heat dissipation from the violation of the fluctuation-response relation of a probe attached to the motor using optical tweezers. The sum of the dissipation and work did not amount to the input free energy change, indicating large hidden dissipation exists. Possible sources of the hidden dissipation were explored by analyzing the Langevin dynamics of the probe, which incorporates the two-state Markov stepper as a kinesin model. We conclude that internal dissipation is dominant.Comment: 6 pages for the main text and 9 pages for the Supplementary Materia

Improvement in Efficiency of Wireless Power Transfer of Magnetic Resonant Coupling Using Magnetoplated Wire

Wireless power transfer is expected in the use of an electric vehicle and a chip card. However, it requires a high efficiency and takes a long distance. In this paper, we propose the use of a magnetoplated wire (MPW), which is a copper wire (COW) whose circumference is plated with a magnetic thin film to improve transmission efficiency. The MPW can reduce resistances due to the proximity effect comparison with the COW. The inner diameter of COW and MPW coils is d(i) = 37 mm and their number of turns is n = 10. As a result, the resistances of the COW and MPW at the frequency f = 12 MHz are 6.8 and 4.1 Omega, respectively, which show a reduction of 40%. The quality factors of the COW and MPW at the frequency f = 12 MHz are 83 and 138, respectively, which show an increase of 66%. The efficiencies of the COW and MPW at a transmission distance of 10 mm are 69.8% and 77.7%, respectively, which show an increase of 7.9%.ArticleIEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MAGNETICS. 47(10):4445-4448 (2011)journal articl

Non-Equilibrium Fluidization of Dense Active Suspension

We investigate dense suspensions of swimming bacteria prepared in a nutrient-exchange chamber. Near the pellet concentration, nonthermal fluctuations showed notable agreement between self and collective behaviors, a phenomenon not previously observed at equilibrium. The viscosity of active suspensions dramatically decreased compared to their inactive counterparts, where glassy features, such as non-Newtonian viscosity and dynamic heterogeneity, disappeared. Instead, the complex shear modulus showed a power-law rheology,$G^*(\omega)\propto\left(-i\omega\right)^\frac{1}{2}$, indicating the role of bacterial activity in driving the system towards a critical jamming state

Fabrication of a Polyimide Film Pneumatic Actuator by Molding and Welding Processes

The bellows pneumatic actuator, which is made by folding a non-stretch film, has been proposed for various applications because it is easy to fabricate and is extremely thin and light. However, it has subpar durability performance, especially in the folded part of the film. In this study, we propose an actuator with a pod structure that possesses high design flexibility and is free from folding. A method of molding a pod structure on a polyimide film was established and a pneumatic actuator was successfully fabricated by using PI films. Two types of PI film pneumatic actuators with the same curvature, bellows type, and pod type were fabricated. Both were confirmed to have equivalent output characteristics. The bending angle and generated torque of the pod-structure actuator were 34 degrees and 3.3 mNm, respectively. In addition, the pod structure has approximately twice the durability of the bellows structure. By using the fabrication method proposed in this paper, it is possible to realize an air chamber (i.e., an actuator) that has both high durability and bending motion

Microrheology with Optical Tweezers of gel-like materials 'is not an option'!

Optical tweezers have been successfully adopted as exceptionally sensitive transducers for microrheology studies of complex 'fluids'. Despite the general trend, a similar approach cannot be adopted for microrheology studies of 'gel-like' materials, e.g. living cells.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figur

Migration arrest of chemoresistant leukemia cells mediated by MRTF-SRF pathway

Background: Dormant chemotherapy-resistant leukemia cells can survive for an extended period before relapse. Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying the development of chemoresistance in vivo remain unclear. Methods: Using intravital bone imaging, we characterized the behavior of murine acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells (C1498) in the bone marrow before and after chemotherapy with cytarabine. Results: Proliferative C1498 cells exhibited high motility in the bone marrow. Cytarabine treatment impaired the motility of residual C1498 cells. However, C1498 cells regained their migration potential after relapse. RNA sequencing revealed that cytarabine treatment promoted MRTF-SRF pathway activation. MRTF inhibition using CCG-203971 augmented the anti-tumor effects of chemotherapy in our AML mouse model, as well as suppressed the migration of chemoresistant C1498 cells. Conclusions: These results provide novel insight into the role of cell migration arrest on the development of chemoresistance in AML, as well as provide a strong rationale for the modulation of cellular motility as a therapeutic target for refractory AML.Morimatsu M., Yamashita E., Seno S., et al. Migration arrest of chemoresistant leukemia cells mediated by MRTF-SRF pathway. Inflammation and Regeneration 40, 15 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1186/s41232-020-00127-6